Welcome to Beyond Co-Op, a weekly piece that talks about industry stories that may or may not be related to co-op gaming.
The stories for this week:
- Portal 2 on Sale at Best Buy
- Possible Early Release on Steam of Portal 2, More Money Involved
- Nintendo's Next Console Probably at E3, May Include Screen on Controller
- Expect Some Previews of Big Games Soon
- Portal 2, Mortal Kombat, Conduit 2 and SOCOM 4 This Week
Portal 2 on Sale at Best Buy
Not sure when this will end, but Portal 2 is currently on sale for all platforms at Best Buy. Now, once you read the next story you’ll have a decision to make: do you want to get the game later for cheaper or have the chance to unlock it earlier than its release on Tuesday?
As for the deals, here they are: the 360 and PS3 versions are $45 (360/PS3) and the PC/Mac version for $35. Pretty good deal and it was recently announced that Best Buy is going to have specialized video game staff as they try to become the #1 seller of video games.
Source: Joystiq
Possible Early Release on Steam of Portal 2, More Money Involved
The second story has to do with Portal 2’s ongoing ARG campaign which recently timed out. The prize is that you can unlock the Steam version of Portal 2 early, but you also have to buy up a “Potato Sack” of 13 indie games for $38.95, each of which now include some Portal content in them. Games like Super Meat Boy, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, BIT.TRIP BEAT and many others are included in the 13. You have to play them for who knows how long in order to unlock your Portal 2 game before its release on Tuesday.
I have no idea if the price goes lower if you already own some of the games, but for those that want to play Portal 2 ASAP you’ll get a good lineup of indie games to play and hopefully reach the goal. Only problem is that the price becomes $40 more in addition to purchasing Portal 2 itself.
Source: Joystiq
Nintendo's Next Console Probably at E3, May Include Screen on Controller
I was thinking E3 this year was going to be devoid of any system announcements, but the rumors started building this week and Game Informer (link in the source) first reported that they had numerous valid sources saying Nintendo would be showing an HD console at E3. Then question started about whether it was going to be as below, as or more powerful than the 360 and PS3. The prevailing rumor is that it is more powerful than the 360 and PS3 and is codenamed Project Café.
The bigger and more interesting rumor is that the controller will have a six-inch touchscreen on it along with the regular buttons and even a front facing camera for Wii backwards compatibility. The concept sounds pretty cool and who really knows how Nintendo is going to attempt to revolutionize the controlling of games after leading the way with the Wii remote. E3 should be more interesting and now I wonder if Microsoft and/or Sony might have a console up their sleeve as well, whether it be over a year away or not.
Source: Game Informer (the reveal), Joystiq (further rumors)
Expect Some Previews of Big Games Soon
From some other gaming journalists I know came word this week of a lot of games being shown off to the press this week. In Utah, Bethesda showed off Brink, Elder Scrolls: Skyrim and RAGE. In Los Angeles next month’s L. A. Noire was showed off by Rockstar. Finally, just yesterday (Friday), Uncharted 3 was shown off in California as well. So, expect some previews coming up at some of the other gaming sites you may check out.
Source: me
Portal 2, Mortal Kombat, Conduit 2 and SOCOM 4 This Week
Some big games this week. The aforementioned Portal 2 comes out on PC/Mac, 360 and PS3. Mortal Kombat comes out on the 360 and PS3 and may be a major rejuvenation for the series, we shall see. Conduit 2 comes out on the Wii and SOCOM 4 w/Move support rounds out the week.
Source: me