We know you're busy people. That's why we've decided to squeeze all the news stories of the week into a single, bite-sized update every Friday, letting you catch up with everything that's happened in one easy sitting.
And so, on to the news!
Disney Infinity 2, Marvel Infinity and Star Wars Infinity?
A match made in heaven?
The internet has been awash with rumours this week of not one, not two, but three sequels to Disney's money churning take on Skylanders, Disney Infinity. Originally stemming from a job posting, showing that Avalanche Software, the game's developers, are looking to hire a QA tester on a five month temporary contract, which would tie in with the game's expected September release date, the story gained more momentum when a Wall Street Journal article appeared, citing sources close to the company as having share that there are several new "infinities" in development, including one based on Star Wars, and one based on Marvel. As Disney owns both properties, and seeing as Disney Infinity has gone on to sell 3 million copies, despite being more expensive than its competitor Skylanders, and offering less features out of the box, a sequel would be a no brainer - but potentially two sequels makes things much more interesting. We'd plump up for a Jabba the Hutt figure...
2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil announced
Maybe this year?
Although you wouldn't have to be a gaming Nostradamus to have seen this one coming, EA have announced that they will once again be releasing an official FIFA World Cup tie-in game, set to capitalise on World Cup fever. Scheduled for release on 17th April, giving it a substantial head start on the tournament itself, the game promises 203 authentic international teams (we didn't even realise there were that many countries), 19 officially licensed managers (?!) and 21 new stadiums, including all 19 of the new world cup stadia in Brazil. Alongside the impressive sounding numbers are a range of World Cup themed modes, including the impressive sounding Story of the Finals, which sets you challenges based on matches as they take place during the World Cup. Should England win a game, you might log on the day after and find a challenge that drops you in at a key moment during the game, and asks you to beat them, and "rewrite" history. Along with the ability to take a team of your choosing through the qualifying stages all the way through to the World Cup itself, this is looking like a perfect World Cup companion - although it is, oddly, only launching on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
WWE 2K15
Hopefully 2K15 will bring some new features
Another new announcement, another "well I never", it turns out we'll be getting another instalment of the ever popular spandex 'em up WWE 2K series later this year. Marking the game's debut on next generation consoles (the PS4 and Xbox One), the game was revealed to the world by way of a bullet point during an investor briefing earlier this week. No details, screens, or any other information was made public at the time, but we'll be keeping our fingers crossed for the total rework update the button mashing series so desperately needs. For our ideas on where the game can improve, see our WWE 2K14 review.
Sonic Boom
The new gang
Continuing the theme of reboots and remakes comes the announcement of a brand new Sonic game, and the third of the Wii U exclusives announced as part of SEGA's partnership with Nintendo, the catchily titled Sonic Boom. Scheduled for release on the Wii U and 3DS, the game is a reboot of the Sonic series (something that was needed after the disappointing Sonic Lost World) which looks to take the series in a drastically different direction. While it'll still be a platform game, early details suggest the game will instead be taking a slightly more LEGO-y direction, with less of an emphasis on speed, more of an emphasis on team work (as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy each have their own special abilities), and the addition of proper two-player co-op support for the main game. With reworked characters, and a new team at the helm, our hopes are high for this one - hopefully we'll learn more details soon.
War Thunder Cross Platform Play "Coming Soon"
Achtung!
And from one sonic boom to another comes the news that PS4 launch title and free to play online WW2 flight sim War Thunder will soon be receiving a patch that allows PS4 owners to play against/with PC players. A much needed feature for a game that relies on matching players of similar skills against others, the addition of cross platform will drastically increase the number of potential matches, and hopefully make for fairer games. With a recent patch having brought a number of new modes to the PS4 version, including the ability to make private, password protected lobbies for your friends, if you have a PS4, this is still well worth a look - if only because there's a fair amount of single player stuff you can play too.
The LEGO Movie Video Game launches next Friday
And last, but certainly not least comes news of The LEGO Movie Videogame, which will be bricking its way into our consoles next Friday, launching on the same day as the film. Letting you step into the trouser pieces of all the characters from the film, the game of the film of the toy promises the same familiar mix of co-op action we've come to know and love, with plenty of bad guy bashing, character swapping and rudimentary puzzles solving to keep you busy. Out on Valentine's Day on PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, 3DS, PS Vita and PC, we'd put money on this being a perfect game to play together with that special someone in your life - so make sure you check back for a full review soon.
