Aliens: Colonial Marines could be one of the worst games we have seen released by a respectable developer in a long time. The title that has been in development, at Gearbox, for over six years has released to mediocre reviews, strange bugs, low-resolution textures, and screen tearing. Though Gearbox is disputing it, while Sega remains silent, a former Gearbox Developer says the entire single player campaign was eventually finished by TimeGate Studios.

Back in May 2012 the disgruntled former employee said, in a forum post: “Hate to say it, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up too high for Colonial Marines. I used to work at Gearbox, and the development of that game has been a total train wreck, going on what, 6 years now? Gearbox isn’t even making the game, except for the multiplayer. Primary development was outsourced to TimeGate Studios, which has a less than stellar past.

I hope it proves me wrong, as I still have alot of friends still working at Gearbox, but I am expecting it to be average at best.”

Some thought the day would never come but Dragonborn is available for the PlayStation 3 complete with a 50% off sale for $9.99. Still, the PS3 is missing other content. Hearthfire and Dawnguard expansions won’t release until 2/19/13 and 2/26/13. But once those are released, it will be the first time since the launch of Skyrim, the PlayStation 3 version is feature complete when compared to Xbox 360 and PC.
 
Blizzard Senior Diablo Designer, Andrew Chambers, has said some things about the Auction House in Diablo 3.
“We don’t really like that, for most players, all of your current gear is very likely to be something you’ve found on the Auction House. This can create a situation where it doesn’t feel like you ‘own’ the gear you’ve obtained; instead, it feels like you are renting it. Something we discuss frequently is how the Auction House has impacted the game and how we can refocus players away from farming the Auction House and onto farming monsters.”

This was exactly my problem with the auction house and a big reason why players turned against Diablo 3. Hopefully Blizzard will get things worked out before the expansion comes out.

Gamestop is still yelling for Microsoft to hear them. They are saying that 60% of their customers won’t buy a console that doesn’t play used games. CFO Rob Lloyd further says:
“Consumers want the ability to play pre-owned games, they want portability in their games; they want to play physical games. And to not have those things would be a substantial reason for them not to purchase a new console.”

EA’s CFO Blake Jorgensen told Gamasutra this about used games:
“It’s one of these classic double-edged swords. In one way the used game business has been critical for the health of the retail channel, and having a healthy retail channel is an important thing for us.

Would we like to sell everything at full price and not have a used game market? Sure. But I think the used game market’s a little like any other kind of market where it creates liquidity. The fact is, that liquidity benefits us in some fashion. So if someone goes in and trades in a game, there’s a good chance they’re going to buy another one of our games. And so if there’s a liquid market, I think that that’s not a bad thing at all.”

Microsoft, see the problem you have if you block used games? Microsoft is now expected to reveal the new Xbox at E3 2013.

XSEED Games is releasing Y’s I & II Chronicles+ on PC, via the Steam Platform, for the first time. The two games will be bundled together and are completely remastered versions for the platform. The games will make their debut on February 14, 2013, for $14.99. Pre-ordering, on Steam, will get you 15% off.
 
To pre-order, visit: http://store.steampowered.com/app/223810/

Bungie will be officially unveiling their upcoming game, Destiny, on February 17, 2013, in a move that could mean this won’t be making an appearance at E3 2013. Sources tell us that the game is a lot like Halo.

Destiny is Bungie’s first project after their finished working on the Halo franchise. They signed a 10 year Publishing Deal with Activision. The game was originally set to come out in 2013, on the Xbox 360, and 2014 for PlayStation 3. However, with recent news of new consoles, could this be coming on the next Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2013? While it is possible, signs are pointing to the game slipping to 2014.

Another CFO is making news. This time Warner Bros Interactive CFO John Martin leaked some news he probably wasn’t supposed to:
“And we also have a strong games release this year, which will include the next release in the Batman Arkham franchise So all in all, we expect Warners to post another very strong year in 2013. And with a little luck, the year should be as good or maybe even a little bit better than 2012.”

Rumors suggest that Rocksteady Studios is not working on this game but a separate Batman title not set to appear until 2014 or beyond. The game may be called Batman: Arkham Origins as Warner Bros recently obtained that domain name.

Expect to learn more about the 2013 Batman Arkham title at E3.

The Last of Us, one of the big, exclusive PlayStation 3 titles that has Xbox 360 owners jealous is looking to slip to a June 18, 2013 release–a week after E3. GameStop, Best Buy, and Wal-Mart all show the new release date.

If true, this pushes back the release about a month–from the original May 7, 2013 release. Sony has yet to comment.

By Kaleb Rutherford – 02/13/13