Gamescom concluded in Germany a coupe of days ago and while there were no breaking announcements, there were a few tidbits here and there to tickle your fancy. If you missed it, here are the key announcements from Gamescom 2010.
Sony officially announced the 160GB and 320GB versions of the PlayStation 3. In Europe, the 320GB model will be bundled with PS Move and released on September 15 for 349 Euros (AUD $495). The 160GB version will be released in October for 299 Euros (AUD $420) and become the standard model.
A bunch of media was released for PS3 exclusives during Sony’s briefing. LittleBigPlanet 2 and inFamous 2 led the way along with Killzone 3 and MotorStorm Apocalypse. All four are set to be big players for Sony.
Gran Turismo 5 will be released in Europe on November 3, one day after the U.S. Unfortunately there’s still no confirmed date for Australia, but we expect it to be similar.
Sega announced that Virtua Tennis 4 is in development for the Playstation 3 and that it will feature full Playstation Move compatibility, as well as 3D technology. Move will allow you to precisely track both the fast and subtle movements of the controller allowing for more accurate shots.
To end their briefing, Sony showed a very short teaser for Resistance 3.
BioWare announced that Mass Effect 2 is coming to the PlayStation 3 in January 2011. The PlayStation 3 edition will include the full Mass Effect 2 game and hours of bonus content, making this the perfect introduction to BioWare’s award-winning action RPG franchise.
Rachet And Clank: All 4 One was confirmed to include online multiplayer and 4 player co-op. It has an emphasis on co-operative play and includes drop-in/out play.
Rare had the pleasure of confirming that Xbox 360 Avatars will get a makeover in the next dashboard update with the release of Kinect. The virtual characters have been criticized for being too unrealistic in the past and caught somewhat in limbo between Nintendo’s cartoony approach and Sony’s real world style.
THQ announced uDraw Studio for Wii along with its bundled drawing tablet, the uDraw GameTablet. The Wii Remote will slot into the tablet, which allows you to draw your own creations and control the game in a new and interesting way.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 will make full use of Kinect, even if it does look find of awkward. “Our Kinect challenges allow players to literally cast magic from the palm of their hand, completely controller free, to enhance and deepen the overall play experience; and, even better, we have enabled a special co-op mode with Kinect allowing two people to fight Death Eaters side-by-side for the first time in any Harry Potter game,” said said Jonathan Bunney, Vice President and Head of Production at EA Bright Light Studios.
In more Kinect news, Microsoft confirmed the device will debut in Europe, Africa and the Middle East on November 10, 2010, with at least 15 supported titles. Meanwhile, those in North America will get it a few days earlier on November 4.
Namco and Capcom coming together to develop Street Fighter X Tekken was a massive announcement out of Gamescom. Its partner in crime, Tekken X Street Fighter, caused some confusion, but all in all, it’s huge for fighting fans.
Microsoft also showed off a trailer for Xbox Live on the Windows 7 Phone. A stack of games were confirmed including Crackdown, Halo, Star Wars and Assassin’s Creed just to name a few.
Ubisoft announced Might & Magic Heroes VI, a turn-based RPS prequel set 400 years before Heroes of Might and Magic V exclusively for PC. The title is due out in 2011 and is being developed by Black Hole Entertainment.
Ubisoft revealed new songs playable in Michael Jackson: The Experience when it hits Wii, PlayStation 3 (Move) and Xbox 360 (Kinect) later this year, despite backlash from fans. As well as the songs shown at E3, Billie Jean and Beat It, Ubisoft confirmed that Bad, Earth Song, The Girl is Mine, Who is it and Workin’ Day and Night will be in the game.
Robot Entertainment officially revealed Age of Empires Online - a more casual approach to the series. Begin the journey with your own Greek civilization, and watch as it progresses from a village to an empire. Embark on quests along the way, alone or with friends, and immerse yourself in epic tales, quirky characters, adventure, history, and strategy.
Off the back of F.E.A.R. 3’s delay, a new gameplay trailer and batch of screens were released to ease the pain of having to wait until the new year to have the pants scared off us for the third time.
They’re all the key revelations from Gamescom 2010, but there was a stack of new media for games across all platforms. Have a look around the place if you're after even more Gamescom news.
