Rumour Round-Up (28/7/2008)

Come one, come all. Gather round the water cooler and let us fill you in on the latest gossip from around the gaming industry. Although we cannot stress enough that all of it is purely rumour and speculation, we will still give you our opinions on how likely or unlikely these rumours are. So without further ado, let's begin!

Tekken 6 coming to Xbox 360

Rumour: We've heard through the grapevine that Tekken 6 will be coming to the Xbox 360 as well as the PS3.

Dissection: Tekken 6 was a highlight for Sony when it announced the PS3, and it was a highlight at its keynote just before launch. However, it was conspicuously absent from this year's E3. Most people assumed it was due to the American focus and that along with other games, it would either be shown at Leipzig or the Tokyo Game Show. However, what we've heard is that the reason it wasn't shown is because Tekken 6 will no longer be exclusive to the PS3 and that an Xbox 360 version will also surface. However, given that Fallout 3 was shown at both the Sony and Microsoft keynotes, it's unlikely that Tekken 6 was absent due to the fact it might be going multiplatform. However, when you consider that Tekken 6 is a Namco Bandai game, things become a little more interesting. Not only is Namco Bandai's latest fighter, Soul Calibur IV available on both the PS3 and 360, but Namco Bandai have also shipped franchises previously exclusive to the PlayStation brand to the 360. These include Katamari, Ace Combat, and Ridge Racer. It wouldn't be surprising to see Tekken 6 turn up on the Xbox 360.

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Cloverfield: The Game



Rumour: Cloverfield will be made into a first-person survival horror game, with events taking place parallel to those of the movie.

Dissection: There isn’t too much to go on with this one, and I’ll be the first to admit that the people we learnt this from aren’t exactly people we’d stake our reputation on. With something this big, you’d think that you’d hear something about it before now. Sure, the idea is very, very tempting and licensed products are all the rage, but this one sounds as likely as the plot of Cloverfield itself.

VERDICT:


Assassin's Creed 2 will take place in Japan



Rumour: The ending of Assassin's Creed let us know in no uncertain terms that there will be a sequel, and little birdies have been telling us that Japan will the location and the game will involve rooftop running as a ninja.

Dissection: Ninja make sense. They're assassins, and their love of rooftop running fits in well with the parkour theme of Assassin's Creed. However, it's unlikely that Assassin's Creed 2 will have anything to do with them. Instead, it is more reasonable to believe that it will take place at Yonaguni. After all, it did appear on the wall at the end of the first game. The Yonaguni area is home to some phenomena that are similar in structure to pyramids. The ending of Assassin's Creed also makes references to Mayan culture, which is also known for its pyramids. Because these pyramids are apparently 5000 years old, 4500 years before the emergence of ninja, it's unlikely that any connection with Japan will revolve around ninja. So, while Japan or Yonaguni might be part of the setting, it's highly unlikely that you'll be playing as a Japanese assassin of the night.

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Next Halo game to use motion controls



Rumour: The Halo game that Bungie and Microsoft were prepared to unveil at E3 was held back because Microsoft was not ready to show its motion controller, which the new Halo game uses.

Dissection: There have been rumblings about a motion controller, codenamed Newton, for the Xbox 360 for a while now. And if avatars are anything to go by, Microsoft isn’t the best at keeping secrets. Indeed, many believe that Nintendo announced the Wii MotionPlus before E3 because it believed that Microsoft was going to reveal a motion controller and it wanted to take some of Microsoft's sails. Rumours also claim that Microsoft's keynote was going to be two-and-a-half hours long before it was cut. Now, even if the only content that was missing was the upcoming Halo game, it's a bit of a stretch to believe that it would occupy an entire hour. Microsoft still claims that the announcement was delayed due to the fact that they felt it bigger than E3 and deserves its own event. However, an entire event for just a Halo game? I'm more inclined to believe that the Halo game announcement was delayed due to the fact that Microsoft didn’t want to overshadow the announcement of Final Fantasy XIII. However, the motion controller rumour has been rather persistent and there has to be a killer-app that uses it... Don’t be surprised if this one turns out to be true.

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