In the same day in which we were talking about Armature’s canned Mega Man first-person shooter, it has been revealed the the company is working on Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate. The 3DS and PlayStation Vita title will offer 2.5-D Metroid-style gameplay that is a standalone experience from the upcoming console game.
Blackgate is set after the events of Arkham Origins. Fans of the Batman franchise can expect a mix of exploration and action.
Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate launches on October 25 – the same day as the console version.
2013 is expected to be a big year for Pokemon. In the games department alone, there’s a lot to look forward to. Pokemon X and Pokemon Y are coming this year – the first Pokemon entries for the 3DS, in full 3D, and with worldwide simultaneous launches. There’s also Pokemon Rumble U, the franchise’s first Wii U title. And let’s not forget about Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity, which just came out in North America a few weeks ago and will be making its way to Europe next month.
That’s a lot to handle, but there is also a new Pokemon TV series and film, new events, and toys coming. These items along with the anticipated game releases make 2013 “a key year”, according to the Pokemon Company International.
Marketing director Anthony Cornish said:
“Undoubtedly 2013 is a key year for us to grow and usher in a new era for Pokémon with Pokémon X and Pokémon Y and the introduction of new characters as the launch platform. We believe these games will appeal to all generations both veterans and newcomers to Pokémon.”
Update: Batman: Arkham Origins confirmed for May Game Informer cover. Added in a few more details below.
– Made by Warner Bros. Games Montreal instead of Rocksteady
– WB Montreal has full access to Rocksteady’s custom modified Unreal engine to capture the look and feel of the Arkhamverse
– Deathstroke appearing for the first time in a core Arkham game
– Creative director is Eric Holmes (lead designer of The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction and Prototype)
– Wii U/PS3/360/PC
Batman: Arkham Origins has been confirmed as the third entry in Warner Bros. new series that began in 2009. First details have been leaked through a product listing on Best Buy, with further information possibly due later today.
Players will explore Batman’s past in Arkham Origins, as the name suggests. The game takes place before the franchise’s first two titles as the hero “faces a defining moment in his early career that determines his fate and leads him to meet many important characters for the first time and forge key relationships that shape his destiny.”
Batman: Arkham Origins launches on October 29. Look for the full fact sheet from Best Buy below.
Finding new trademarks are all the rage these days. So here’s another one for you: Cross Horizon from Marvelous AQL.
Cross Horizon is an interesting trademark. It doesn’t appear that Marvelous AQL registered the name in Japan – it’s strictly a US filing. Cross Horizon was registered on February 8 and mainly pertains to “video and computer game programs,” “video games software,” and “computer game software”.
Armature Studio, the company founded by key Metroid Prime developers, hasn’t produced many games since its inception in 2008. But it did work on one huge project that eventually made its way to the trash bin: Maverick Hunter.
This first-person shooter was a new take on the Mega Man X series. Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune even signed off on the game, but right around the time when he left Capcom, Armature’s work on Maverick Hunter was scrapped.
Tons of details have now emerged on the cancelled Mega Man project through a new Polygon report. For a full summary, read on below.
Arc System Works is readying its first, original game for the Japanese Wii U eShop.
In just a few weeks, the digital store will be receiving Othello. It’s pretty much the classic board game without any major additions or changes. Gamers can play the entire experience directly on the GamePad or on a TV.
Arc System Works will release Othello on April 17 for 500 yen.
LEGO handheld games have never managed to stack up to their console counterparts. That could be the reason why TT Games plans to mix things up with LEGO Marvel Super Heroes.
The upcoming title will offer fans “some quite interesting things”, according to producer Phil Ring. He also teased that the team has “got some cool things and there will be a point in the future where we start to talk about the handheld, start to show it, show how we’re making this game, how it’s different.”
Ring said:
“We’re only showing the 360 code at the moment, we haven’t made any announcements on the handheld. We want to do something that is different to what we’ve done in the past, so we’ve got some cool things and there will be a point in the future where we start to talk about the handheld, start to show it, show how we’re making this game, how it’s different. We know that it’s the Marvel world and we still want to tell the same story as the console, but the way it plays and what you do in the game, we’re looking at doing some quite interesting things.”
Update: Added in pure gameplay.
Thanks to Jake for the tip.
