Its time for another slice of gaming news from a gaming world in the gaming galaxy….
The epic saga of the GAME Group’s despair has pretty much come to an end this week as the troubled high street store chain (comprising of GAME and Gamesation brands) has finally officially officially filed for administration, which has been confirmed in a statement to its shareholders. The statement reads:
“Further to this morning’s announcement of the suspension of trading in shares of GAME Group plc, the board has concluded that its discussions with all stakeholders and other parties have not made sufficient progress in the time available to offer a realistic prospect for a solvent solution for the business. The board has therefore today filed a notice of intention to appoint an administrator.”
So that’s it peeps, GAME and Gamestation stores across the UK will now start to slowly (and then rapidly) disappear from our high streets and shopping centres, leaving a big old gaming-shaped hole in our streets. That is unless a last-minute buyout can be achieved to save the chain.
With gaming being a billion-dollar business it would be foolish to think that another store will not soon take the mantle of “Games King of the High Street”, as several American companies (including Gamestop) have all expressed interest in taking on the UK market.
We however will miss having a place to stop in and buy games with dedicated knowledge and information on-hand, but most importantly the pre-owned games market may suffer with the loss of the biggest chain of stores.
R.I.P GAME and Gamestation.
As one gaming brand closes another celebrates a milestone, as Sony is now celebrating the 5 year anniversary of its Playstation 3 console.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PS3!
Well, in Europe anyway, as it was 5 years ago this week that the much-hyped mega console was launched in Europe to a flurry of eager gamers waiting to get the newest console and some of its launch titles, including Call of Duty 3, Formula One Championship Edition, Genji: Days of the Blade, MotorStorm, Resistance: Fall of Man, Virtua Fighter 5 and, of course, Ridge Racer 7.
Originally priced at a whopping £425, Sony shifted around 600,000 in the first two days of its release. Since then of course the console has continued to sell well across the world, and many are now considering the past year to be the golden period for the console (the PS3 had sold 62 million units globally as of 30th September 2011). With releases of PS3-exclusive games such as the Uncharted and Little Big Planet franchises, the console now has a vast range of excellent new and old games along with a much more affordable price tag of around £250.
Topping this off with access to features such as BBC iPlayer, 4OD, an internal Blu-Ray player and full internet access, the console really is a true media hub in the middle of your home.
However, with 5 years passed and the technology world moving very quickly, the next question on most Playstation fans lips is: “What’s Next?”
So what happens when you release one of the most anticipated games of the year, only to be told that the players don’t like the ending?
Normally nothing, right?
Well not if you are Bioware, as the game developer has announced that after a huge backlash it will be looking into changing or offering an alternative ending for Mass Effect 3 in a later released DLC pack.
In a post on the company’s blog, Bioware co-founder Dr. Ray Muzyka said the criticisms were “incredibly painful” and continued to state that: “The passionate reaction of some of our most loyal players to the current endings in Mass Effect 3 is something that has genuinely surprised us,” he wrote. “This is an issue we care about deeply, and we will respond to it in a fair and timely way… Exec Producer Casey Hudson and the team are hard at work on a number of game content initiatives that will help answer the questions, providing more clarity for those seeking further closure to their journey.”
Muzyka concluded by reminding fans that BioWare is listening, and that fans should trust that they are doing their damnedest, as always, to address feedback.
So fans of the game may get there wish and change the course of Sheppard’s life and ending. Now we are not one to spoil a game ending, but if a game publisher is ready to change the ending to a game, what is next? Nico Bellic being changed to an American, Mario dropping Peach for a new younger model or just some of the biggest gaming shocks being edited out to please the fans?
Rockstar is continuing its slow and steady stream of information about its next big release, GTA V (5), by today announcing that the multiplayer aspect of the forthcoming game will have a “Social Club integration”, which will allow players of the (other) forthcoming Rockstar game Max Payne 3 to use the same ‘crews’ they establish and build in the game on GTA.
The news comes from Rockstar Games co-founder and the co-writer of Grand Theft Auto V, Dan Houser, who was speaking exclusively to IGN about Max Payne 3’s multiplayer. Houser said “Multiplayer is an ever-more important part of all our games moving forward, and by creating crews through Social Club, the crews that you create in Max Payne 3 will be ready and available for you to play in Grand Theft Auto V from day one. It’s all part of our larger approach to make multiplayer deeper and richer than what’s currently available, much more easily accessible to the newcomer and rewarding for the hard-core.
“We made a promise not to talk too much about forthcoming games until a little further down the track but, yes, crews will feature in Grand Theft Auto V multiplayer.”
This means fans of the online multiplayer in Max Payne will be able to build up a bad-ass group of thugs in one game and the continue their dominance when GTA V comes out. Cool huh?
With GTA IV being the first GTA game to feature the multiplayer aspect, fans may be happy to hear that Rockstar are taking a bigger interest in multiplayer for the next instalment, as whilst initially fun, the GTA IV Multiplayer was never a major selling point for the game.
We just hope that Rockstar doesn’t get side-tracked by online features and makes sure they get the story right, then all will be fine.
After months of waiting block fans can finally rejoice as MOJANG and Microsoft Studios have finally set a date for Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition. The game is set to release on May 9th for 1600 Microsoft Points.
Minecraft let’s you create worlds using pixel like boxes, on your own or with friends. The game is so captivating some people have made some incredible projects within the game.
Game Features:
- The new crafting interface in Minecraft on Xbox 360 delivers a
completely new way to build Minecraft worlds where your
imagination is the only limit. - Minecraft will be available to download from Xbox LIVE Arcade in
Spring 2012 and will be supported by Kinect. - Minecraft on Xbox 360 will take full advantage of Xbox LIVE, with
support for multiplayer gameplay through the LIVE network. More
details on specifics will be forthcoming.
And Finally…
Move over Mario, you have some quirky, crazy karting competition from the likes of Sackboy and the rest of the Little Big Planet crew.