The Playlist – 6/16/2012

The Playlist is a feature I wanted to do for some time now, and with the summer drought of games starting soon (the last big release until August is Spec Ops: The Line which comes out on June 26), you’ll see on Monday why this is the perfect time to introduce this. The Playlist is a new weekend feature that will run every Saturday (or as often as I can) and cover the games I played over the last week. It won’t be a review of the games, but just a quick summary of what I’m doing, or small thoughts or nuances of the games. It will also highlight any sales for the coming week. Between the Steam summer sale and the holiday release schedule coming up, deals on games will be popping up faster than you think. With that, here is what I played this week.

Why the Grand Theft Auto V trailer didn't excite me

Earlier today, RockStar Games released the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto V. Though no release came, the trailer did confirm suspicions of a west coast setting as guessed earlier this year from a casting call for project titled Rush.

The lead-up to the release of the trailer was curious, though. Most major gaming sites posted either a countdown timer or a livestream as a pre-event to the trailer coming online. The amount of promotion almost reached levels of Modern Warfare, which made me ask myself, am I missing something?

I played Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City. I started San Andreas but once it tasked me with maintaining my character through eating and exercise, I stopped. Maintenance is not a fun gameplay mechanic, and that’s what games are supposed to be, fun. I never got around to playing Grand Theft Auto IV, even with the many mods available for PC.

With Grand Theft Auto III being ported over to iOS for its 10th anniversary, we’ve come along with open-world games. And maybe that’s part of it. When GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas were released, open-world games were still a novel concept. In no other type of game sans RPGs could you explore a world as deep as you could in the GTA games. But 10 years later, that doesn’t hold the same weight. Looking at this holiday’s release schedule, we have Batman: Arkham City, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, and Saints Row: The Third. Last year we had Red Dead Redemption (by RockStar) and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. There are enough open-world games that there’s no reason to hold our breath until the next GTA.

That being said, Grand Theft Auto V looks great and I’m sure it will be fun, but my excitement about it has not skyrocketed based on one minutes and 30 seconds of footage.

L.A. Noire Coming to PC with Increased Fidelity and 3D Support

Good news for those of you who wanted to play L.A. Noire on the PC. Rockstar Games announced last Friday that its recently released detective adventure game, previous released only for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, will coming to PC this fall.

In a blog post on their official website, Rockstar stated the PC version of L.A. Noire will be developed by Rockstar Leeds and is built to run on a wide range of PCs. Specific feature additions include keyboard mapping and gamepad support. The game will also receive a graphical improvement (probably through the ability to increase resolution) and 3D support.

Originally developed by Team Bondi, L.A. Noire tells the story of Detective Cole Phelps, a World War II hero rising through the ranks of the LAPD in a simulated 1947 Los Angeles.

Is Rush code for Grand Theft Auto V?

The Grand Theft Auto series used to be Take-Two’s top selling game. Last year’s BioShock 2 and game of the year contender Red Dead Redemption helped spread the publisher in new directions, but GTA still draws in the big bucks. It’s been almost three years since GTA4 and according to internet sleuth Superannuation, early work already started on Rockstar’s next installment in the series.

Today in Gaming

The Worst Game in the World

Fox News posted an article yesterday asking, “Is Bulletstorm the Worst Video Game in the World?” They quoted several psychologists talking about the game’s violence and its effect on younger audiences, even though clinical studies have been inconclusive. One psychologist was even quoted as saying, “The increase in rapes can be attributed in large part to the playing out of [sexual] scenes in video games.” However, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey, the per-capita victimization rate of rape has declined from about 2.4 per 1000 people in 1980 to about 0.4 per 1000 people, a decline of about 85%. Beyond the fact that their statements are false, Rock, Paper, Shotgun reached out to the three psychologists for follow-up statements, but only heard back from one. Billy Pidgeon, a video game analyst with M2 Research, was quoted as saying, “Games without sufficient quality of gameplay -- games that include highly objectionable violent or sexual content -- often pump up the level of this kind of content to gain media attention. This tactic typically fails, as can be seen in the poor sales performance of titles such as BMX XXX and Postal,” but that’s only about a quarter of what was actually said, check out the rest here. Bulletstorm follows all of the ESRB’s guidelines for both gameplay and marketing and to be labeled as worst game in the world by Fox will only help in its promotion. Keep up the good work Electronic Arts, Epic Games, and People Can Fly. Bulletstorm will be available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on February 22.

Fan Made Arkham City Trailer and New Site Launch for L.A. Noire

Fan Made Arkham City Trailer Shows Batman and Joker Team-Up

A new trailer for Batman: Arkham City, released last week via YouTube, started the internet rumor mill with what could potentially be a new team-up for the caped crusader. The trailer, which is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Warner Bros. Entertainment., depicts Batman and Joker meeting in a dark alley for what appears to be a fight, but they are quickly ambushed my thugs. They go on to defeat the thugs, working together and even performing some air-defying crushing blows.

Black Dahlia Salvation

Yesterday Rockstar Games released a new trailer for their upcoming game, L.A. Noire. The trailer, which originally leaked last Friday, teases the plot for the Team Bondi developed game. Set in 1940s Los Angeles, you play as a Detective Cole Phelps (voiced and acted by Mad Men actor Aaron Staton) trying to solve a case of a serial killer targeting young women, leaving behind clues and messages. Think of it as mixing L.A. Confidential and Red Dead Redemption. As suggested by the title, the game’s atmosphere and environments play heavily on the look of film noir, using low-key lighting, crime, and ambiguity. The game also features a unique facial animation system and boasts the ability to decipher the truth from lies from facial cues. L.A. Noire is set to release on May 17 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.