General Game News

[Blasarius Yonder]

I saw a bit of news on IGN that Sony's bundling the Vita and the PS4. That's pretty cool. I kind of do want to get a PS4 sometime, because it looks like it's just going to be a genuinely pleasant experience.

I've heard that rumor, is it confirmed?  That'll be a HUGE seller I bet, especially since it'll probably cost barely more than the XB1.   I think most people would prefer console+handheld over console+Kinect.

[Compound]

Atlus Japan has been showing mysterious trailers at midnight over the past few days. That, along with various subtle hints (Lilke Atlus saying they'll be making a Persona announcement at midnight Tokyo Time on the 24th) has lead some to believe that a new Persona game might be enroute.

[RoninFox]

I saw a bit of news on IGN that Sony's bundling the Vita and the PS4. That's pretty cool. I kind of do want to get a PS4 sometime, because it looks like it's just going to be a genuinely pleasant experience.

I've heard that rumor, is it confirmed?  That'll be a HUGE seller I bet, especially since it'll probably cost barely more than the XB1.   I think most people would prefer console+handheld over console+Kinect.

I know that'll make me want to wait and get that bundle.  I've been wanting to get my hands on a Vita for awhile.  Since my wife isn't a gamer at all, I get the feeling it'll be very useful for when we're both home and can't agree on what to watch.

[The Lurker]

So Telltale is working on a Game of Thrones adventure...

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/11/21/telltale-is-developing-a-game-of-thrones-game

This means I need to get familiar with Game of Thrones! I wish one of these streamy services I pay for would stream it. I don't get HBO and don't want to buy a Blu-ray set until I know it lives up to the hype...

I wonder why no one's made a MacGuyver adventure game.  It's seems like it could work in point and click format (at least the improvising part).

[d00hickey]

It's a long shot but I've been hoping Rifftrax would do a regular Riff of Macgyver episodes. A good tongue in cheek video game would be a lot of fun too. When I was a kid I would watch Macgyver everyday on the USA network.

[Compound]

Atlus Japan has been showing mysterious trailers at midnight over the past few days. That, along with various subtle hints (Lilke Atlus saying they'll be making a Persona announcement at midnight Tokyo Time on the 24th) has lead some to believe that a new Persona game might be enroute.

Well, three announcements actually. First a sequel to Arena- [/color][/size]Persona 4 The Ultimax Ultra Super Hold. Then a spinoff on the 3ds- Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, with little chibi versions of the casts of P3 and P4. And then, yep, Persona 5 which will be a PS3 exclusive. Persona 4 came out on PS2 long after the arrival of the PS3, and they're following suit with P5 in regards to next gen. So keep the old units around.[/color]

[Compound]

Noooo!!!!


Ashes Cricket 2013 Has Been Canceled!


Cricket fans everywhere will be saddened!

[RoninFox]

I'm a little saddened, even though I didn't know it was being made to begin with. Playing that might have taught me how the game works.

[Compound]

Ronin, I'm pretty sure that even professional cricket players aren't really sure how the game is played.

[Edward J Grug III]

It wouldn't have even got a US release, would it?

[Compound]

It wouldn't have even got a US release, would it?

It was on Steam (it's been removed since then. Apparently it was cancelled after its release. Er, yeah.) so it looks like we could have bought it, even if we were unlikely to do so.

[Edward J Grug III]

Cancelled after release?!

[Compound]

Yep. Quoting RPS:

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/11/28/wow-ashes-cricket-2013-cancelled-after-release/

This might be a first. 505 Games have announced the cancellation of Ashes Cricket 2013 after it’s been released.

The game, a terrible mess that certainly doesn’t function as a cricket simulation, was briefly on sale via Steam, before mysteriously vanishing. We contacted Steam and publishers 505 Games to find out why at the time, but no one seemed to know. And now we do. They’re just giving up. And blaming it on the developers, Trickstar Games. This is extraordinary.


The statement is extraordinary in its frankness, so I’ll reproduce it in full:

“As most people who have followed the project closely can affirm, the development of Ashes Cricket 2013 has been fraught with challenges almost from the outset. The chosen developer, even with their many years of cricket game development experience, was unable to overcome the unexpected challenges that the chosen game engine threw up, even with multiple extensions to the development schedule. At the start of the project, 505 Games received all assurances from the developer that the engine was up to the task of creating a dynamic, cutting-edge cricket game for the modern age across multiple platforms, and unfortunately those assurances were found to be misplaced.

The net result of the challenges we have faced was a game which, despite our best efforts over the course of a 2 year development, couldn’t meet the quality benchmarks of either us, our licensors or our customers. 505 Games’ main priority right now is to protect the Ashes name and that of the ECB and Cricket Australia, and do what we can to recompense the cricket community.

As the licensee and publisher of name for Ashes Cricket 2013, 505 Games would like to apologise publicly and sincerely to our licensors, the ECB and Cricket Australia, and their respective partners/sponsors, who have been nothing but patient and supportive of us throughout the challenges this project has presented, and who, ultimately, we have let down.

Our deepest apologies, however, are reserved for the fans of cricket and cricket games worldwide. 505 Games prides itself on being a safe pair of hands on which gamers of all tastes and denominations can rely to put their best foot forward to create compelling gaming experiences. It is clear that, in this instance, we have fallen way short of our stated aims and failed to deliver. We know that the mitigating factors, as highlighted above, hold little solace to the hordes of excited cricket fans worldwide who had hoped this year to be able to play out their fantasy of playing in the Ashes series.

The people who purchased the game will be contacted very shortly with details of a full refund.”

So, yeah. It was such a mess that they pulled it from Steam and basically salted the earth where it lay.

Here's some gameplay from a Let's Player:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/wsEEh5_x5Cc?version=3&amp;" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/wsEEh5_x5Cc?version=3&amp;</a>

There's still a Don Bradman Cricket '14 on the way though, so you can pin your cricket hopes on that one.

[Darth Geek]

Here's some gameplay from a Let's Player:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/wsEEh5_x5Cc?version=3&amp;" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/wsEEh5_x5Cc?version=3&amp;</a>

There's still a Don Bradman Cricket '14 on the way though, so you can pin your cricket hopes on that one.

I'd say this had to be a parody or a joke, but we live in a world where there are GOLF video games!

[Edward J Grug III]

I am guessing they just realised how boring cricket is.