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Blimey, would you Adam and Eve it? Yep, that’s another week done and dusted, and with it a whole bunch of (hopefully) exciting video game news to digest. Being an EastEnders fan, I know how important catching up on stuff is, so that’s why I’m here to guide you through the biggest gaming stories of the past week before you bugger off down the pub, play some Fortnite, fire up Netflix, or do whatever it is you do on a Friday night. But first, I’ll get the important stuff out of the way…
I’m not seeing Ozzy Osbourne this month after all. Sadly, the former Black Sabbath vocalist has been forced to cancel the entire European leg of his No More Tours 2 tour, on doctor’s orders. If that wasn’t bad enough, he was touring with the Metal Gods themselves, Judas Priest, which would have been an absolute belter of a show. Still, he’s apparently rescheduling for September, so it’s not all bad – I’m hanging onto my ticket.
On a happier note, we got our first look at The Rock’s new movie, Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw, this week. It’s a spin-off film featuring Jason Statham, and sees the duo blowing s**t up, punching people in the face, and making inappropriate remarks while at the mercy of a cyborg Idris Elba. I’m still trying to process it all…
Finally, Danny ‘I’m fxxxing Danny Dyer’ Dyer continued to put smiles on the nation’s faces in Right Royal Family. This time, the Queen Vic landlord was given a rather brutal retelling of how Hugh Despenser the Younger, who was rumoured to be having an affair with Edward II, had his ‘winkle’ and balls chopped off and thrown into a fireplace.
‘That’s up there with one of the worst deaths I’ve ever heard,’ Danny Boy remarked.
Resident Evil 2 has shipped 3 million units
Capcom was always on to a winner with its Resi 2 remake, although it’s still interesting to see just how well it’s done in comparison to the last full-fledged game in the series. Resi 7 managed 2.7 million copies during its launch week back in 2017, while Resi 2 has chalked up 3 million! This is an impressive feat, especially as it’s technically not a new game. Franchise sales have now hit 88 million since its inception in 1996, making it Capcom’s best-selling series to date.
NetEase has invested in Detroit developer Quantic Dream
After throwing cash into Bungie, NetEase has now confirmed it has invested an undisclosed sum into Quantic Dream, developer behind PlayStation exclusives such as Beyond: Two Souls and Detroit: Become Human. While the studio will remain independent, by far the biggest thing to come out of this is the fact David Cage’s outfit will be producing games for multiple platforms, so presumably whatever comes next won’t just be available on Sony hardware . It’ll probably be awhile before we hear anything on the studio’s next game, though.
Sony’s first-party studios reportedly shifting focus to PS5
Sony’s no doubt been chiselling away on PS5 for a while, although unlike Microsoft, it’s been keeping mum about its next-gen plans. The latest murmurs suggest that dev kits are out in the wild now, and Sony’s first party studios are transitioning over to the PS5. Given that exclusives are drying up for the PS4, it makes sense that its biggest studios would be looking ahead to next-gen. I imagine that Death Stranding or The Last of Us: Part II will be the swansong exclusives for the current console, although having said that, Sony still has some ‘unannounced’ titles based on existing IP in the pipeline. I wouldn’t be surprised if we had some cross-gen action going on at launch.
Resident Evil 3 remake down to fan demand, says Capcom
Capcom has commented that it would be willing to remake Resident Evil 3: Nemesis provided there’s sufficient demand from fans. This is pretty much how Resi 2 remake came about, although it also helped that the original game’s director, Hideki Kamiya, had been badgering Capcom to revamp the game for years. To be honest, I’d be willing to bet a fair amount of dosh on the notion that a Nemesis remake is already in the works. The fan demand is clearly there, and given that it would share some assets with Resi 2 (the game takes place 24 hours before and after RE2, and revisits some locations), it wouldn’t require as much work as starting from scratch. As I’ve said before, Resi 3 deserves the remake treatment simply because it’s the only classic entry not to receive some form of overhaul (we even got a CODE: Veronica HD edition on PS3 and 360).
New Switch model reportedly coming in FY2019
This is the second time we’ve heard rumblings about a revised Switch, which according to Nikkei, is set to launch during the Big N’s fiscal 2019. While this obviously covers a 12-month period, the publication reckons it’ll drop in the autumn, possibly even as early a summer. Traditionally, the Mario maker hasn’t really launched upgraded home console hardware, instead opting to refine its handheld lineup – just look at the multiple revisions of the DS and 3DS. Still, given the fact the Switch is a hybrid platform, it’s not too hard to imagine Nintendo would want to refine its flagship console going forward.
Speaking of which, the Switch is selling like hot cakes, topping 32 million units worldwide.
PS4 has shipped over 92 million units
Sony has confirmed another milestone for PS4 in its latest financial results, with the console now surpassing 94 million units shipped. That’s more than PS3 achieved in its lifetime, and gradually approaching the same figures as the original PlayStation. With PS4 and Xbox One in their sixth year on the market, it’d be interesting to see just how both systems compare, although that won’t be possible until Microsoft stops keeping its cards close to its chest.
Metro Exodus is exclusive to Epic Games Store for one year
Epic has notched up some pretty major titles for its online store since its launch last December, with Deep Silver’s Metro Exodus being the latest addition. It’s worth noting that the post-apocalyptic sequel is exclusive for one year only, after which it will be available on Steam again. Furthermore, any pre-orders placed on Steam before the switch are being honored. Nonetheless, it’s yet another blow for Valve, and unsurprisingly, they’re not too happy – a statement issued by the Half-Life maker described the move as ‘unfair’ to Steam users.
