There's limited editions, dictators, and birthdays galore in this week's news round-up. Read on to catch up with all the latest news.
PS2 turns 14 this week
Rogue Galaxy is another great PS2 RPG
How time flies when you're having fun. With Sony now onto Playstation the fourth, their second uber-successful console, the PS2, celebrated its 14th birthday this week, which is enough to make anyone who remembers it the first time around feel really, really old. It brought back particularly fond memories for our editor, who actually won their PS2 in a competition in official Playstation Magazine, and promptly took the day off school to play. Having originally launched at £299 in the UK, the system went through several revisions in its lifetime, and was host to a wide range of blockbuster games that still hold up well today. Home to many a Japanese role-playing game, the system played host to Kingdom Hearts, which has recently seen an HD re-release on the PS3, Final Fantasy X, which is due for similar treatment in a fortnight's time, and Dragon Quest IX, amongst many, many others, making it the role-playing fan's console of choice - much like the PS3 was, too. Here's hoping some Japanese role playing games start hitting the PS4 some time soon.
Twitch beats the Elite Four
While the old adage about monkeys, typewriters and Shakespeare has never been tested, it seems there may be some truth in it after all, as 50,000 screaming internet users have managed to complete Pokemon Red by defeating the game's "final bosses", the Elite Four. When we first reported on this a few weeks ago, we'll admit we never thought it was possible, given the constraints of the system, but somehow, persistence paid off, and with a little help from Bird Jesus (otherwise known as Pidgeot), the trainers were defeated. Essentially letting tens of thousands of people play a game of Pokemon at the same time by writing what they want the game to do next - move up, down, left, right, press A or press B - it was an interesting experiment to say the least, and the internet is a poorer place without it.
Mario Kart 8 gets a Limited Edition
Onto some upcoming games now, with the news that upcoming multiplayer friendly Wii U racer Mario Kart 8 will be receiving its very own "limited edition". So limited is this most limited of limited editions that it's actually been given its very own limited edition trailer, which we've included in a limited edition link above. Consisting of the game itself, and a trophy of a blue shell (one of the most annoying weapons in the game), the package is available for pre-order now at £59.99 from Amazon, which is some £20 more than the bog-standard, non-limited version fetches.
Tropico 5 gets a release date, and new trailer
With the recent announcement that everybody's favourite dictator, El Presidente would be making his debut on the Playstation 4, Xbox 360 and PC this year, it was about time we saw some footage of his latest efforts - and publisher Kalypso haven't disappointed. The only console city-building game, Tropico takes the town planning fun of Sim City, and gives it a more lively sheen, putting you in the shoes of a dictator on a tropical island, known only as El Presidente. Watching over the town, it's up to you to keep your residents happy, providing them with foods, roads, water, schools, hospitals, and anything else they may need - along with fending off the interests of invasion happy foreign powers. Set to take you through several "eras" of gameplay, from early colonial times through to post Cold War, Tropico 5 looks set to cram more features in than ever before - and retains its very Nando-esque soundtrack. We're certainly looking forward to this one.
Batman: Arkham Knight creeps out of the shadows
Bats is back! After a stream of incredibly successful games, and hot on the heels of the Wii U's Batman Arkham City, and last year's Batman Arkham Origins, comes the announcement of Batman: Akrham Knight, a new game from London based studio Rocksteady Games that looks to continue the trend of serious Batman. While the trailer doesn't show much in the way of gameplay, what we do know is that the game will come with a much larger Gotham City for you to explore, whether you're gliding through the air, using your Bat-grappling-hook to shoot between buildings, or, for the first time in the series, driving the Batmobile through the city streets. With the past games having done a great job of making you feel like a super-hero in an open world, with crime on every corner waiting to be thwarted, we have high hopes for this one. It's set to launch on PS4, Xbox One and PC later this year.
Strike Suit Zero enters hyperspace on PS4
And, last but not least, here's news of a rare breed in games - a space shooter - that'll be hitting the PS4 at some time this month. Picking up where incredibly successful games like X-Wing, Tie Fighter, Wing Commander and even Tachyon: The Fringe left off, Strike Suit Zero is a game that seeks to channel the spirit of the space games of old. Plunging you into a range of interstellar dogfights, the big difference here is that you're not actually flying a space ship, but rather, a giant space mech. With gorgeous vistas, a range of ships on offer, and, as the trailer above shows, the all immersive cockpit view, we can't wait to get our hands-on with this - look out for a full review soon.
