Speculator: Borders, presidents and a new Republic

October 9, 2012

Is Republic Commando returning? Might we see new, unannounced Borderlands 2 characters? And will we ever get to experience RE6 on the Wii U?

Star Wars: First Assault to be a new Republic Commando game

We know that a new Star Wars action game of some kind is in production, but we’ve not seen or heard anything about it aside from its subtitle: First Assault. There’s been rumors recently though, thanks to a potential box art leak, that it will be a new entry in the Republic Commando series. RC was a well-received squad-based title last generation. Might LucasArts use it as the series to restart the Star Wars license on consoles?

Andrew
50%

I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up being similar to Republic Commando, but since it’s a downloadable game, I’m not sure if we’ll see a game of the same scale. It seems like it could be a strategy game of some kind though, so it’s really hard to say for sure if it would end up being a game similar to Republic Commando or something entirely different.

Shawn
60%

Republic Commando was well-received, though smaller in scale compared to Battlefront. That smaller scale would lend itself to a potential downloadable entry. At the same time, LucasArts has been relentless in its attempts to push Star Wars games beyond shooters and into every other genre, with mixed results. So, this could be a strategy game of some kind. Or an RPG. Or an open world title. It’s been a long time since the last action game though, and a squad shooter would face less competition than other choices. So I’m going to slightly say yes to this.

Graham
25%

Does anyone even remember Republic Commando at this point, given the long shadow of Knights of the Old Republic and Battlefront? We could see another dip into the shooter genre, but as a low-budget downloadable, it doesn’t seem like a great plan.

Eric
40%

While it would be nice for something to happen like this, I don’t really see it happening. By some stretch, due to the popularity of shooters today, the idea of a Star Wars shooter might work for them. Considering how well Republic Commando did, it would be an interesting thing to dip into.

Resident Evil 6 to get a Wii U release

Capcom released Resident Evil 6 on the 360 and PS3 last week, but hasn’t begun porting it to the PC yet due to concerns about quality. With the Wii U releasing in just 6 weeks, will Capcom decide to bring RE6 to it alongside the PC release?

Andrew
75%

I’m sure Resident Evil 6 will get some kind of deluxe edition sometime down the line, just like RE5 did. When that happens, it would make sense for them to release a version of it on the Wii U, but right now I don’t see them needing to focus on bringing it over.

Shawn
80%

I’ll go out on a (small) limb and say yes, it will. Capcom is no stranger to Nintendo consoles, when they can handle the game, and the Wii U can handle RE6. It certainly won’t be coming out anytime soon, but I’d wager it’ll arrive as a deluxe or ‘Game of the Year’ release with DLC intact somewhere down the line.

Graham
70%

It’s a bad idea, but one that will probably happen nonetheless. Nintendo lobbied to get Ninja Gaiden 3 to the system despite poor critical reception, and the vast majority of Resident Evil games have hit Nintendo systems in the past (including RE4, which is arguably the best version of the best game in the series so far).

Eric
85%

Sure. This seems pretty likely. Considering how much Nintendo wants to prove it could release more mature games for this console, this seems like the perfect system to release it for. Games like Bayonetta 2, Darksiders II and even Mass Effect 3 are making their way to the console. I don’t see why this wouldn’t work.

Borderlands 2 to add new classes other than Mechromancer via DLC

Gearbox isn’t resting even though Borderlands 2 is finished and released, working on their usual list of expansions for post-release DLC. It is also working on the finishing touches of a new class, the Mechromancer. During a recent interview, Gearbox suggested that new classes beyond the Mechromancer were not out of the possibility in the future. Are more on the way?

Andrew
55%

I’m sure the folks at Gearbox have plenty of great ideas for new Borderlands 2 classes, so this seems like something I could easily see them doing. On the other hand, how many people would like to purchase new classes three or more months after the game is out? By that point, people will have their class (or classes) of choice, and I doubt new players won’t be willing to spend the extra money on DLC for a game they haven’t played much of yet. The Mechromancer works because it’s coming out relatively soon after the game’s release, but beyond that, I’m not sure there’s much appeal.

Shawn
65%

Maybe it’s just me, but when a game that focuses on loot and customizable playstyles comes out, I usually expect more than four or five classes to choose from. For that reason alone, I would think that, since the framework is in place, Gearbox will release at least one or two new characters later on for download. Would many people buy them? I have no idea, but I certainly would if they appealed to my style of play.

Graham
75% 

With all the effort to make DLC classes possible already taken care of, why just do one? We’ll see more later, unless the Gearbox plan is to fast-track another sequel.

Eric
90%

Definitely. Give people a reason to want to come back to the game. Give people interesting new classes they could play should they start a new game.

Current 2012-13 Season standings:

Andrew
-3
Eric
-28
Graham
84
Shawn
-52

Starting this season, scores are centered on a zero point to account for occasional panelist changes.