Today on
Headline RePLAY: Blizzard removes a feature from Diablo III to make it to release, Mass Effect 3 fans want another ending and Keiji Inafune returns to
criticize the Japanese gaming industry.
Diablo
III is coming soon™, but when you are set for release in the next few
months and a feature isn’t ready the options are few. Rather than delaying the entire
game, Blizzard has decided to remove PvP until it’s ready for release sometime after
launch.
“After a
lot of consideration and discussion, we ultimately felt that delaying the whole
game purely for PvP would just be punishing to everyone who’s waiting to enjoy
the campaign and core solo/co-op content, all of which is just about complete,” said Blizzard’s Jay Wilson.
Instead PvP
will be implemented later via a patch and it is going to include multiple Arena
maps, PvP achievements, a matchmaking system and a personal progression system.
*Source:
Blizzard
Mass
Effect 3 has been the lightning
rod of controversy recently over its design choices, day one DLC and now—its
ending. Many fans went to the BioWare forums last week petitioning the
developer to change the ending as a patch or DLC.
Currently Mass Effect 3 offers three choices to
affect the final outcome of Commander Shepard’s story, but fans want a chance
for a more positive ending. On the BioWare forums there is a poll reflecting
players’ sentiment for a new “brighter” ending by 89%, 30749 votes.
There is
even a Twitter and Facebook campaign set up by fans to demand
that BioWare respond to the issue.
*Source:
BioWare Forums
Keiji
Infanue is never one to shy away from speaking out on the state of the Japanese
of the gaming industry, infamously calling it “finished” at GDC 2009. At GDC
2012, he returns to criticize how Japanese game developers are trapped in the glories
of the past.
“It's like
we’re in the Edo period, dressed up in topknots. There’s a limit to how far you
can go on just those memories,” said Inafune in an hour-long speech at GDC. “The
Beatles will never put out a new song with all four members; Steve McQueen’s
not going to release a new movie.”
“So we
just stick to our memories and up-rez a game to ship an HD version,” Inafune
continued. “Japan has brand power but not people who will pour in effort. They’ve
coasted and not made anything new. It’ll be too late when the brands hold no
equity.
“I walk
around and am fortunate to have fans say Mega Man! But those fans don’t just
want Mega Man. They want something more.”
*Source:
Kotaku
