Nintendo details the “Wii U Deluxe Set” digital promotion
It seems like Nintendo’s trying to make the “Deluxe” version of the Wii U actually mean something. Earlier today, Giant Bomb listed out just what all the fancier, blacker version of Nintendo’s new console will entail. Beyond the stuff listed in the picture above, buying in at the Deluxe level will put you in to a two-year promotion group that acts as a rewards program for digital purchases. Earn 500 points through buying Wii U eShop games, get $5 in digital credit back that can be used on more Wii U or 3DS eShop games.
I’m already pretty well sold on getting a Wii U, especially when games like Rayman Legends look as promising as they do, so the prospect of having a way to get rewarded for buying stuff on the eShop is kinda nice. Depending on how lenient the points-to-cash conversion system is, this could be a big impetus to go full digital with Wii U titles, should they offer it that extensively. It’s worth noting that this is only available with the Deluxe Wii U set: Basic Wii Us are left in the cold, it would seem.
[Source: Giant Bomb]
Activision Publishing layoffs occur in Minneapolis
It is surprisingly hard to find an Activision logo that’s not just black-on-white or white-on-black.
Regardless of my image-based woes, Joystiq has spotted a noticeable batch of layoffs occurring at Activision’s Minneapolis publishing office. Citing expectations of “fewer third-party licensed games in 2013”, the company let go of 30 full-time employees. No actual studio personnel seem to have been affected by this, and as such it seems like a relatively mundane thing as far as layoffs go.
Job loss is an unfortunately growing theme in 2012, and even small cuts like these are worth noting. Activision’s statement about having fewer licensed games in 2013 is kind of intriguing to me, however: does this mean there will be more games from them that come from in-house, or will we just see fewer Activision games as a whole? In the strange end-of-generation time we find ourselves in, anything goes.
[Source: Joystiq]
Assassin’s Creed III has microtransactions that bypass normal progression
This is, uhh…interesting, to say the least: Worth Playing seems to have discovered that Ubisoft’s new anachronistic adventure Assassin’s Creed III has a form of microtransaction-esque currency, “Erudito Credits”. This currency is available on both the 360 and PS3, with prices ranging from $1 to $20, and will be used to “acquire some in-game items, disregarding your current level.” I can only imagine this has nothing to do with the game’s single-player, and everything to do with its competitive multi-player side.
Something like this worries me. It was alright when Mass Effect III had a very similar microtransaction system with its BioWare points earlier this year, but that multi-player had the benefit of being fully cooperative. In a game like ACIII with lots of competitive MP modes, the urge to call out “pay-to-win” is a hard one to dissuade. “Disregarding your current level” fills me with even more dread; would it be so outlandish to assume one could just drop $100 on Erudito Credits, unlock the best items in the multi-player game and start wreaking havoc on lower-level players? I don’t know how to read into this in a way that doesn’t seem terrible.
[Source: Worth Playing]
Disney buys Lucasfilm, includes Lucasarts games and IPs
As you may have read on this very site earlier today, Disney is buying Lucasfilm for just over four billion dollars. That’s a whole lotta dough, but I found myself much more interested in the Lucasarts side of things. To be more precise, their work-in-progress Star Wars 1313 and the bevy of wonderful classic adventure games that will probably never see the light of day again. Polygon followed up with Disney earlier today to find out that, for the time being, all current projects are going to keep on keepin’ on. Beyond that, Disney and Lucasarts are going to look more towards social and mobile games than full-fledged console opportunities, potentially making 1313 the last big Star Wars game we see for a long while.
Y’know, I’m gonna be honest: the thought of new Star Wars games does not appeal to me all that much. There’s a reason the header image for this particular article is full of Lucasarts classics, and it’s those games that I think Disney could really benefit from. I’m not saying they need to be rebooted and wrenched free of any originality and charm they had, but it seems to me that Disney’s PR could get a huge burst of confidence if they were willing to do more with these old IPs than Lucasarts did. “More”, in this case, would amount to “anything at all”, but in an ideal world, I’d love to see Sam and Max Hit the Road and Day of the Tentacle on iPads or Steam.
Actually, while you’re at it, Disney, give me a Pixar-produced Grim Fandango film. You’re already making a Dia de los Muertos movie, just put two and two together.
[Source: Polygon]
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Dyl-Questing – The Best Thing I Read Today: Phil TV
Over on Polygon, Jeff Dunn dives into the history of popular “Let’s Play” author Phil Burnell. It’s a genuinely heartfelt tale of one man’s rise from obscurity to Machinima partnership, showcasing the inherent tribulations of having to put a large part of your life in front of a camera. A long read, but well worth your time.
[Source: Polygon]
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