Starting this week, Eric Schabel is joining us as a recurring panelist, and we cover more E3 game rumors. But first, our most recent results.
Current score
Andrew Passafiume: +125
Graham Russell: +45
Eric Schabel: 0
Shawn Vermette: +135
Results
LittleBigPlanet 2 to be announced at E3
Well, we didn’t have to wait until E3 to get confirmation of this rumor. Friday, GameInformer teased a huge reveal they’ll have on LittleBigPlanet 2 in their June issue, and Media Molecule confirmed it on Twitter.
Andrew 90% = +40
Graham 90% = +40
Shawn 85% = +35
Bungie-Activision game to be an action RPG
Following in the wake of the huge Bungie-Activision deal announced the other day, very few details have been released regarding exactly what kind of game Bungie is planning to make. Bungie is, obviously, best known for its shooters- most notably the Halo series. However, recent job postings on the Bungie website seem to point toward an action RPG style of game rather than a shooter. Nothing is explicitly noted in the job descriptions, but they make one wonder if they are leaving behind the shooter genre they know so well.
Andrew: It’s clear that whatever Bungie has planned, it will be big. It’s clear that they never once referred to as a specific “game” they were working on during any interviews, rather they only discussed a “universe” or a game series that will last a good ten years. I can see them developing more shooters in this universe, but I can also see an action RPG in the works as well, since it’s clear they have a lot of big ideas. Whether their NEXT game will be an action RPG is something that is hard to determine. 60%
Graham: Bungie severed ties with Microsoft because they were tired of making Halo, so did anyone expect them to go make a game almost exactly like Halo? Of course they’re trying something different. I wouldn’t be surprised if they keep the FPS elements and go the route of Mass Effect, Fallout and Borderlands, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if they went in a different direction. That said, I bet it’ll fit the definition of “action RPG.” 85%
Eric: Considering how successful recent action RPG games have been, and how much effort has put into the Halo storyline, I could definitely see Bungie going in this direction. After all, games like Mass Effect 2, Fallout 3, and Bioshock have already showed us that shooters can have heavy RPG elements too. So this rumor makes sense theoretically, and the job listings on Bungie’s site definitely lead credence to it as well. 80%
Shawn: A shooter RPG a la Fallout 3 or Mass Effect wouldn’t be too much of a stretch, given Bungie’s experience and job listings. And considering my love of both genres, I would definitely be very interested in such a game. Add the fact that they want to distance themselves somewhat from being known as ‘the Halo studio’ and I would consider this rumor to be fairly likely. 80%
Infamous 2 to be shown at E3
Those who’ve beaten Infamous know that it needs a sequel. Those who’ve played Infamous know that they want a sequel. Well, rumor has it that Sony is going to give both groups what they want at E3 next month, when they show off Infamous 2 for the first time.
Andrew: This seems to be a no-brainer. Whether or not we’ll actually see gameplay or just a teaser trailer, it is clear that Infamous 2 is on its way. 100%
Graham: For the past few years, we’ve been talking about Nintendo needing to “throw hardcore gamers a bone” to keep them happy during the casual-fest that keeps the money flowing. With Natal and Move taking center stage this year, Microsoft and Sony will be in the same mindset. Well, this seems to be that bone. It’ll show up. (I won’t guarantee it’ll be playable.) 100%
Eric: All signs seem to point to this rumor being true, and I have little doubt it my mind that Infamous 2 will be making some sort of appearance at E3. From voice actor tweets to job listings and a domain name registration, it really feels like this one is almost a given. 95%
Shawn: At this point, I think I’d be surprised if Infamous 2 wasn’t shown at E3. Sony needs all the heavy hitting exclusives they have to be shown at E3, and Infamous certainly fits the bill. 95%
Red Faction 4 to be a prequel
We already know a new Red Faction game is in development, but we know nothing about it thus far. However, it is now being rumored that this new Red Faction game will actually be a prequel to the series. With the new Halo being a prequel, is THQ reaching into the same bag of tricks as Bungie? Or will this rumor prove to be false?
Andrew: I really have no idea about this one. Does anybody actually care about the story of Red Faction? From what I could tell, Guerrilla was a complete reboot for the series in terms of story and characters, so making a prequel that goes back to the first two games? It just seems a bit odd to me. I don’t really see this happening, unless it’s just a prequel to Guerrilla itself. 20%
Graham: First, I have to say that no one cares about the story of Red Faction. That out of the way, how are we defining “prequel?” If it happens earlier chronologically, is that a “prequel,” or does it have to be specifically about the story? As it is, I’m bunting, because I can’t say anything substantive about the situation. 50%
Eric: I’m really not sure either way on this one; it’s certainly possible that the next Red Faction will be a prequel, but it could just as easily be a sequel. It’s true that THQ has been picking up some Red Faction related domain names, but I don’t think we can glean much about the next game’s story based on those alone. 50%
Shawn: While I loved Red Faction: Guerrilla, the story took a back seat to the mechanics. Having never played the previous Red Faction games, I have no idea if this was always the case. If so, then I doubt it would be a prequel. All I really know is I’m looking forward to it. 40%
