This Week in Gaming News: 6/30/12 – 7/6/12

Two big stories concerning the transition to digital gaming and cloud gaming. Not only that, but two big characters (well, only one is actually “big”) are added to the roster of PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.

And here’s a quick hit for you all: That crazily titled Final Fantasy rhythm game Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy has been receiving very positive reviews. Go buy it!

Sony purchases Gaikai

Cloud-streaming download service Gaikai is now under the roof of Sony. Gaikai gives gamers all sorts of games to download (most, if not all, since I’m not familiar with the site, of them being free) and play anywhere they can access the server. Sony has yet to announce anything more about the deal, but speculation is sky high. Is Sony going to use Gaikai for the PlayStation 4 and go all digital download? Another interesting theory is that you won’t have to buy a new console from Sony, and the PS3 will be able to stream and download thousands of older games (PS1, PS2, and PS3 titles) as well as brand new ones. I think it’s an exciting time for Sony, and I hope they do something right with this acquisition. (Source: 4 Player Podcast)

Blizzard releases a timeline showcasing their history of creating awesome video games

The fine folks at Blizzard Entertainment have taken it upon themselves to remind you just how long they’ve been slowly taking over your life and free time. The timeline highlights each point in their history of significance: the release of StarCraft, the first BlizzCon, and the 10 millionth WoW subscriber are just a few points of interest. I suppose this really isn’t news, but it’s definitely a nice way to flip through the pages of a great studios legendary history. (Source: Blizzard)

Capcom is releasing Marvel Super Heroes and Marvel vs. Capcom with online support this September

They did it with Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Bionic Commando, and now the first games in the Capcom vs. series. Dubbed Marvel vs. Capcom: Origins, the re-release includes the fighter Marvel Super Heroes and the first Marvel vs. Capcom. Both are coming with online support and both will be available via download for PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. From a collector’s standpoint this is pretty stellar, because finding original copies of these games is rather difficult. (Source: Kotaku)

Former Capcom bigwig Seth Killian now hard at work on PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale

The “Super Smash Bros.” clone that is PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale already looks great, with a fun cast of characters, interesting levels, and sweet 1-to-1 connectivity and gameplay with the portable PS Vita version, but now things just got even better. Seth Killian, formerly of fighting game company king Capcom, is now working on the game as lead game designer. With his experience in creating fighters, PSASBR is shaping up to be a solid fighter, and, as Killian puts it, “… A total love-letter to Sony fans.” (Source: Machinima)

**UPDATE: New characters announced for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale**

Just announced on the PlayStation Blog, the characters Heihachi and Toro have joined the cast of fighters. Heihachi of course coming from the Tekken series of fighters, and Toro was one of Sony’s early mascots. Both come hot off the recent release of Street Fighter X Tekken, so fighting game fans have been able to square off as these two already. Still though, always exciting to see more characters coming out for this one! (Source: PlayStation Blog)

Brand new console Ouya makes quite the splash

It’s called Ouya and will run on Google’s Android tech. The small box will only be $99 and will come with it’s own developer’s kit for users/players to create and experiment with. Saying that the system is “Built to be hacked,” it looks like Ouya could make at least somewhat of an impact in the gaming world. Too many questions though are still up in the air on this one to predict anything of significance, but at the low price point, included dev kit, and sleek design, I bet this one is targeting the casual iOS/Android gamers out there. (Source: Kotaku)

EA is going to be “100% Digital” in the future

Electronic Arts’ Frank Gibeau said in a statement this week that the company is, “going to be a 100 percent digital company, period.” Well, at least it will be. Gibeau said that the fast growing sales of their digital games, through online service Origin, has sparked future thinking that online is the way to go. Gamers still shopping at brick and mortar stores will still find EA’s games there to purchase, but the swing towards digital games is going to happen. Ultimately this is going to happen for every company, and it probably all boils down to money. Either way, with EA being one of the biggest gaming companies out there, this is a big step in that direction. (Source: G4TV)

Laters,
Jsick