Well, someone’s getting fired.
A Rayman Legends trailer, almost certainly the sequel to Rayman Origins as reported earlier in the week, leaked out onto the internet, ensuring its immortality. What’s more, the trailer was specifically for the Wii U version, which has seen no direct promotion since E3 2011.
First, regarding the game itself: beyond the improved rendering engine, the game features new social features, multiplayer modes, characters, and all those sequelly things we’ve come to expect. However, the game also takes advantage of some unique Wii U features. In one scene, one of four players is shown directly manipulating platforms on the Wii U tablet’s resistive touch screen, allowing the other three players to advance. And, in the first instance we’ve yet seen of the Wii U’s built-in NFC technology, figures were placed on top of the Wii U tablet and recognized, granting additional features in-game. This functionality is notably similar to last year’s Skylanders, a game that enjoyed perhaps surprising commercial success.
The Wii U tablet controller looks largely unchanged, save for an odd black patch on the back on the controller. Camera? Infrared sensor? We’ll have to wait until E3. And that Ezio Auditore statue is intriguing…it’s hard to imagine how he’ll fit into the happy-go-lucky world of Rayman, but we’re more than willing to find out.
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I’ll be the first person to be angry if another memory from my youth is dug up and violated, but these Syndicate trailers have got me pretty excited. Rolling in a pack with three other agents sounds like a good time; until of course they stage an intervention because they think I’ve been abusing my supply of psychotropic drugs… ]]>
Click here to view the embedded video.
For those unaware, the latest earnings call for Activision announced that the Hero brand would no longer be exploited. Probably because there was nothing left to exploit. I’ve been spouting the superiority of the Rock Band franchise for the longest time, but no one wants to be right in this fashion. With the ill-fated Power Gig: Rise Of The Six String and Rock Revolution, this latest development leaves Rock Band with an unquestionable monopoly on the grander music gaming experience. DLC for DJ Hero and Guitar Hero is also seemingly at an end, with no plans to release any more after the already announced packs for February. Hopefully some good will come from this, in the form of a hard lesson learned by Activision: Squeezing the goose that lays the golden eggs generally has a detrimental effect on the goose, whilst providing no boost to production.
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A record number of podcastulators this week, James comes back, and I even manage to show up.
Bargain.
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Buttonmasher has arrived!
We’ll be here all week in sunny Los Angeles, trying to sort out exactly where the hell the game industry is going. 3-D? Motion? A Kevin Butler theocracy? Whichever it is, we’ll be on-hand to deliver the latest reports and reviews.
Stay tuned!
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Experience all the sights and sounds of fabulous New Vegas, brought to you by Vault-Tec, America’s First Choice in Post Nuclear Simulation. Explore the treacherous wastes of the Great Southwest from the safety and comfort of your very own vault: Meet new people, confront terrifying creatures, and arm yourself with the latest high-tech weaponry as you make a name for yourself on a thrilling new journey across the Mojave wasteland. A word of warning, however – while Vault-Tec engineers have prepared for every contingency,* in Vegas, fortunes can change in an instant. Enjoy your stay.
* Should not be construed as a legally-binding claim.
Due for release towards the end of 2010. Let the hype begin! Trailer after the break….
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