The Witcher 3 Update: Too Damn Good, Delayed Until May 2015

Posted on December 8, 2014 by geelw

Game delays aren’t great news at all and CD Projekt RED’s upcoming open-world RPG The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has already be hit with one big delay that pushed the game into 2015 from 2014. Well, that wait has just gotten about twelve weeks longer. CDPR has issued an open letter to its fans explaining the (rather obvious) reasons for the delay: the game is just too damn big and good to be completed at its current pace. Well, that’s what I distilled from this note:

Dear Gamers,

Ever since we started working on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, we knew it would be an ambitious game. We wanted, and still aim, to give you an incredible experience, an epic adventure in a vast, completely open fantasy universe.

The sheer size and complexity of The Witcher, key features of the title, have had a decisive impact on production. Now, nearing the end of our work, we see many details that need to be corrected. When we release the most important game in our studio’s history, we must be absolutely sure that we did everything we could to limit any bugs to a level that will allow you to enjoy the game thoroughly.

With this in mind, we took another look at current workloads and what they mean for the team. Even though everyone is working at full speed, we concluded that we need another 12 weeks, so we are shifting the release date of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt to May 19th, 2015.

We owe you an apology. We set the release date too hastily. It’s a hard lesson, one to take to heart for the future. We know what we want to do to make Wild Hunt one of the best RPGs you will ever play. And we continue to work hard to achieve just that. So, we apologize and ask for your trust.

Thank you for the all support you show us on a daily basis. We truly do appreciate it. It has fueled us in our passion since the start and will continue to do so.

The Board of CD PROJEKT SA

Amusingly enough, news came around the time this new trailer dropped online, but it just made me want to wait as long as it takes for the team to get it done:

Now, you could yell at CD Projekt RED to stop playing their own game so much and just get it out, but that would be a mistake. No game ships 100% bug free and this one is especially tricky. That extra three months should be enough for the dev team to tighten things up and make sure the launch goes as smoothly as possible. Remember, in addition to a digital version, the company is also making physical retail discs for two consoles and all of these have to run as smoothly as possible. Whatever issues are keeping CDPR busy are most likely affecting all three versions (or two, if you’re a PC diehard and console hater), but those of us who respect the developer know they’ll make it all work.

Batman: Arkham Knight Trailer Update – More Fun @ Ace Chemicals!

Posted on December 1, 2014 by geelw

In this second of three parts, Batman more or less says “tanks for the memories!” as he and the new Batmobile blow a bunch of enemy vehicles into scrap metal and we get left hanging at the end. Well, at least he doesn’t say “Batteries to power! Turbines to speed!” when he kicks that tricked out weapon he’s driving into gear. Granted, this teaser is half as long as the first one, so yes indeed, it’s a cheap trick on WB Games’ part. Still, I do love those independently operating wheels on that new Batmobile. It sure must be really easy to park that thing, although I’d bet Batman would just drive over some empty parked cars in an emergency and maybe have Bruce Wayne pay a few bills after the fact. Then again, why bother doing that if all it will do is confuse some poor Gothamite who suddenly gets a small windfall from a multimillionaire not connected to their ride’s demise. Allegedly.

Batman: Arkham Night is coming in 2015 (June 2, 2015 to be exact) for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. WB Games and Rocksteady will drop the third trailer on December 6, 2014. I’d imagine it’ll be an explosive finale with a “to be continued” tacked onto the last bit.

Batman: Arkham Knight Ace Chemicals Infiltration Trailer: Rocksteady Gets Operatic

Posted on November 24, 2014 by geelw

Well, well well. If developer Rocksteady made last generation consoles sing with their technical prowess, as you can see here, with Batman: Arkham Knight they’re making the new systems a whole symphony orchestra blasting out perfect overtures. This blend of stunning in-engine gameplay and cinematic sequences almost gives the upcoming game the look of a feature film, but it’ll be the next revel that’s the bigger one. On December 1, 2014 at 9am Pacific Time on the game’s official site (that’s noon here in the eastern US), more will be revealed in an attempt to break the internet (without anyone dropping their clothes, of course).

Given that the game’s latest delay has it now shipping out on June 2, 2015, it’s a more than sure bet that each new trailer or set of screens will get pored over and dissected a ton of times on the internet and in conversation. Hey, if the game is as good as it looks, it looks like Rocksteady will still be the Batman developer for the ages to many fans. Now, if only Harley Quinn were available to play on the disc or download and not as a DLC bonus, things would be perfect. Ah well, that’s the digital life for you these days, I suppose…

I’ve Got The Power (Back!)…

Posted on November 21, 2014 by geelw

Okay, as annoying as this week has been for attempts to get work done, it almost got a wee bit too out of hand. Last night, I plugged in the laptop to tinker with a few posts (I’d forgotten to charge it the day before) and as I’m walking out of the room to make some coffee… I hear a loud “POP!” sound and turn around to see a wisp of smoke rising from near the computer. Gaaaah! Fortunately it wasn’t my laptop that fried, but the power cord on the adapter deciding to ruin my evening. Won-der-ful. Given that I only had about 9 minutes of power left, I decided to call it a night and head out in the morning to a few places around here to look for a replacement cord, hoping it wasn’t the actual power supply that blew out. Of course, being the technical ghetto up here in the wilds, the chances of finding a replacement quickly were slim, but it turns out I didn’t need to spend a dime.

I’d almost forgotten I have a duffel bag full of power adapters, AV cables and other replacement gear in a closet here and after the surprise visit from a painter this morning, I dug out that bag from a closet and spent a bit of time hoping I had the correct cord. Thankfully, I found not only one that matched that Mickey Mouse configuration, it’s also longer. Okay, now I need to get out of here and get back to work. I’m way behind schedule and I hate not being able to get work done that I need to when I want to. Oh, and that painter? Nope, it wasn’t for the kitchen at all, but the wall in my room that wasn’t exactly plastered that well and yup, she ONLY painted the spots that were plastered and not the entire wall which would have made more sense. *Sigh* Well, the entire apartment needs to be done at some point, but still…

Okay, time to get some stuff done, as today’s going to be a bit hectic with a bunch of downloads and uploads and game updates needing to be done. Back in a bit…

Batman Arkham Knight Is Now A June Bride. It’s Worth The Wait For That Wedding…

Posted on September 8, 2014 by geelw

Yeah, I’m sure fans all around the internet are raaaaaging about having to wait even longer to get this game, but I say let them. I don’t mind at all that developer Rocksteady needs more time to make this one the best Batman game it can be and yep, I’m sure while WBIE would love to see this one ship earlier just for the financials and such, it’s clear that the game needs to cook longer. GOOD, I say. I hate this age of massive day one patches, games that don’t run properly out of the box or worse, games that DO run, but end up not pleasing reviewers who sink it with low scores before it can get a patch. I’m thinking both developer and publisher want NONE of that noise, so the delay is on and I coudn’t be happier. Well, I could be happier if I could actually see this in person and play it at some media event here in NYC before it ships out next year, but that’s up to WBIE’s PR team, I suppose.

Oh, if you’re drooling at those collector’s editions, let me let you in on what’s in the box in case your fingers are trembling too much to click on either image and see them full size (they’re MASSIVE):

Batman: Arkham Knight Limited Edition will include:

· Custom Art Book – 80 Page, Full Color Art Book Showcasing the concept art of Batman Arkham Knight

· Limited Edition SteelBook™ – Unique SteelBook™ case and game disc

· Comic Book – Limited Edition DC Comics Batman: Arkham Knight #0 Comic Book

· Exclusive Character Skin Pack – Three Unique Skins from DC Comics – The New 52

· Batman Memorial Statue – Imposing statue commemorating Gotham’s Protector, the Dark Knight

· SRP:

o Console – $99.99 / 119.99 € / 89.99£

o PC – 99.99€ / 74.99£

Batman: Arkham Knight Batmobile Edition will include:

· Custom Art Book – 80 Page, Full Colour Art Book Showcasing the concept art of Batman Arkham Knight

· Limited Edition SteelBook™ – Unique SteelBook™ case and game disc

· Comic Book – Limited Edition DC Comics Batman: Arkham Knight #0 Comic Book

· Exclusive Character Skin Pack – Three Unique Skins from DC Comics – The New 52

· Transforming Batmobile Statue – Fully transformable Batmobile statue realised in exquisite detail by TriForce

· SRP: $199.99 / 199.99€ / 169.99£ (Console only)

Hmmmm.. it would seem North America doesn’t get a PC edition with all that swag, but these games sell better on home systems anyway. Granted, those running beefy rigs will be griping a lot about this, but most people who don’t have a computer that costs as much as a decent car part won’t care because they’ll be playing this on their PS4 or Xbox One with hopefully no trouble. Anyway, with this game now nine months away, you can concentrate of completing some of the other blockbusters rolling out from this year to next June, right? RIGHT. Now stop jamming out your whining on some message board and get back to doing something more interesting with your time, I say…

E3 2014: Nintedo Direct – Surprises Galore With Some Wait Times Involved (But Well Worth It)…

Posted on June 10, 2014 by geelw

Of all the three big game company media events, Nintendo had the most to prove, mostly to non-fans and journalists who believe the Wii U is “dead” when the console has yet to show off all it can do. Well, Nintendo’s showing was pretty impressive on a few fronts as you’ll see above, below and later on when I run individual videos. The new (and untitled) installment in the classic Legend of Zelda with its open world and lush visuals was the biggest surprise to me, but Bayonetta 2 packing the full version of the first game enhanced with Nintendo-themed outfits for the character (and coming in September on a single disc). Hyrule Warriors looks spectacular, Yoshi’s Wooly World activated my “D’awwwww” gene (dormant for a while) and will be the first stupidly cute game I’ll pick up in quite some time.

The big JRPG X, now officially known as Xenoblade Chronicles X has slipped into 2015, but this is a good thing at the end of the day because it gives Wii U owners time to get through a few other big releases. I’m not normally a Smash Bros. fan, but the newly announced ability to use custom Miis in the game makes my eyebrow tingle (which means I’ll at least TRY this one out). A few new IPs like Mario Maker, Splatoon and others kept me grinning and overall, it was a successful show, closing with Miyamoto teasing his Star Fox game without actually showing it up close. Anyway, enjoy the show – back in a bit…

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Delayed Until February 2015 (This is Actually A GOOD Thing)…

Posted on March 11, 2014 by geelw

At the beginning of this year, I’d planned to note here that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was my early blind pick for Game of the Year, but something told me to hold off on that hyperbole a bit until I saw and played the game at a press event. Well, my not quite psychic powers were on point, as CD Projekt RED sent out a nice open letter this afternoon announcing the game has been pushed back for about a year so all three versions can arrive in tip-top shape.