The Morning Report, November 3, 2012: Dreamfall’s Back, Pixeljunk is Going to PC and New Sony Dev Kits are Out

The Morning Report, November 3, 2012: Dreamfall’s Back, Pixeljunk is Going to PC and New Sony Dev Kits are Out

Playstation ‘Orbis’ Rumors Soar

playstation 9 ad

Of course it was inevitable that rumors about the next generation of Sony console hardware would begin surfacing long before the actual device.

The latest log to add to that fire of speculation comes to us through an anonymous tipster at VG247. Said individual claims that the latest round of Playstation dev kits have made their way into the hands of developers.

While the last set was pretty bare-bones, this one supposedly comes with a blu-ray player, 8-16GB of RAM and 256GB of hard drive space standard. All of that comes housed in a humble PC case, but runs using a version of the new console’s operating system. Supposedly, this comes with what sounds like a pretty snazzy user interface (something that many people frequently accuse the Playstation 3 of not having) that even allows for DLC to be purchased and installed without ever exiting a game.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, the tipster claims. The next round of Orbis hardware (which is what Sony execs supposedly referred to the kits as, never mentioning the term Playstation 4) is set to come out next Spring. The final versions would then make their way to developers in the Summer.

So how does that affect your next generation console release date theories, folks?

[Source: VG247]

Dreamfall Chapters is the Next Longest Journey Game

the longest journey screenshot

A third game in the Longest Journey franchise is not something I thought I’d ever see after 2006’s Dreamfall: The Longest Journey. However, it looks like that game will be coming after all, and it’s Dreamfall Chapters.

Ragnar Tørnquist, the creator of the franchise as well as the man partially responsible for this year’s The Secret World from Funcom will be returning to the franchise under his own, new, independent studio Red Thread. Funcom, the owners of the Dreamfall/Longest Journey intellectual property will be licensing the brand to the studio for a share of the revenue.

In terms of funding, Tørnquist already has a $175,000 grant from the Norwegian Film Institute that will be supplemented with — you guessed it — a Kickstarter campaign.

Considering Dreamfall ended with one of the most cliffhanger-y of cliffhanger endings, it’s nice to see that some sort of conclusion to the beloved franchise may be at hand. Sure, it’s a shame that fans have had to wait six years (and will likely wait at least one or two more), but it’s nice to see that sometimes people can have their faith rewarded.

Ahem, sorry.

[Source: Ragnar Tørnquist, via Games Radar]

The Next Pixeljunk Game is a PC Exclusive

pixeljunk 1-6

I tend to talk about Sony platforms quite a bit around the SideQuesting complex, but in reality my true, first love will always be the PC. You can imagine, then, that I was perfectly alright with the next Pixeljunk game — tentatively titled Pixeljunk 1-6 — being announced as a PC exclusive.

Pixeljunk is a franchise that’s been very near and dear to me, over the years. Partially because of the often surreal nature of the games as well as their universally fantastic music. However, what I’ve always really loved about Pixeljunk games is the fact that they’re always so vastly different from one another (with the exception of Pixeljunk Shooter 2, of course).

All we really know about 1-6 is that it will feature about “a gajillion” robots. Oh, and that it might actually come to consoles at some point. So all of you PC haters don’t need to get all up in arms about this.

[Source: Rock Paper Shotgun]

Steve’s Game of the Week

I’ve been playing an awful lot of Assassin’s Creed this week. No, I don’t mean that Assassin’s Creed game, I mean Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation (although I’ve been playing that other one, too).

Regardless of what you think of the Vita, Liberation is without a doubt the truest Assassin’s Creed game on any portable gaming device. Perhaps it’s too close to its console counterpart, in fact, as most of the issues I’ve been having with the game seem to be apparently in AC3 Standard as well.

That is to say, they both have a sub-optimal framerate and neither one seems particularly good about not having things clip into other things.

However, Liberation comes with its own set of bonuses, as well. The protagonist, Aveline, is an incredibly interesting and likable character. Her story is, in my estimation, just as riveting (if not more so) than Connor’s saga. The game’s handling of race, gender and politics is just about the best and most forward that I’ve ever seen in a game.

In terms of gameplay, the ‘persona’ system (which allows Aveline to don one of three different guises, each with its own advantages and disadvantages) actually solves some of the problems I’ve had with the franchise since the second game. Namely, it adds tension, variety and actually acknowledges that people should be more concerned about the hooded figure jumping through town stabbing people than they ever have been.

It also ties the game’s setting and story into its gameplay, which is something that I’m always very much a sucker for.

If you’re at all a fan of Assassin’s Creed, and own a Vita, you should absolutely buy this game. If you don’t have a Vita, this is another game to consider buying one for.