Whatever Happened To Rockstar's Agent?

If you don't know about Agent, it's a game that was announced at E3 2009 to be in development by Rockstar North (the developer of Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, and Red Dead Redemption).  It was touted as a PS3 exclusive.  The announcement video is below:

Say what you want about Rockstar, but they deliver quality games.  I remember playing a demo of Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis, a table tennis games they released for the 360 in 2006 (and was ported to the Wii in 2007); it was just table tennis, and yet... I LIKED IT.  I'm actually not one for sports games at all (hence the lack of mention of them on this blog), but I have to admit that game was fun.  Uh... yeah; let's move on.

I enjoyed Grand Theft Auto IV.  I think it's the best game of the series, by far.  But... Red Dead Redemption was BETTER.  I will not go into a long essay about how it's the best game ever created; let's just say that it gave me absolute faith in Rockstar Games.  Whatever they bring out next, I will eagerly check it out.  That being said, why have we not heard anything about Agent for two years now?  We literally have nothing except the logo; no screenshots, no videos, no plot points, no details.  All we know is that the game takes place during the Cold War during the 1970s, and focuses on espionage.

Here is the game's official website:
http://www.rockstargames.com/agent/

It says, "Coming Soon".  I'm pretty sure that's what it read two years ago, as well.  Although the we have heard nothing in quite a while, Take-Two confirmed only last month that the game (along with Max Payne 3) was still in development.  However, when Jack Tretton, CEO of SCEA (Sony Computer Entertainment of America) was asked about Agent at this year's E3, he said that he could no longer confirm the PS3-exclusivity of the title, and said it was Rockstar's choice.  So basically, the game could be coming to the 360, and even the newly-announced Wii U.

Sources:
http://www.giantbomb.com/news/yep-rockstar-games-is-still-working-on-agent/3247/
http://playstationlifestyle.net/2011/06/08/agent-may-no-longer-be-a-ps3-exclusive/

But wait!  I just found something else; check this out:
http://www.rockstarspy.com/apps/blog/categories/show/861043-agent

According to that, Rockstar has sold the rights of the game to Loof Lirpa, a producer of alcoholic drinks.  Erm... what?  Perhaps most interesting is this, at the end of the article:

Pushed further to elaborate on the game's plot he said "AGENT will still keep to it's original storyline where the player takes on the role of a cold war spy agent seeking missing nukes that have fallen into the hands of international terrorists.  They will experience amazing action scenes set against the backdrops of 1970's Moscow, Cairo, London and a yet to be added middle eastern country where the game's grand finale will play out.  We expect a release date of Q2 2012 on PS3 and Xbox360 followed by a PC version later in the year."


This is the only description I have seen that even mentions a plot.  We don't know if the information is trustworthy, of course, but this seems in line with my best guess, which is that Agent will release sometime in 2012.  Development on the inevitable Grand Theft Auto V, which I am assuming will also release sometime in 2012, may be what is delaying Agent from completion.  That, however, is just my guess.


UPDATE: The entire Loof Lirpa thing was an elaborate April Fool's joke; disregard it completely.  That goes for the plot description as well.  "Loof Lirpa", I now realize, is "April Fool" in reverse.  Damn website.  Who the hell posts an April Fool's joke on March 31st???

I Am Now On Twitter & Facebook!

This is my attempt at branching out towards a wider audience.  A link for every new post will now be uploaded to both Twitter and Facebook.

Check out my profiles:

twitter.com/ugamingblog

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Uncharted-Gaming/214176285289507

November 2011 Will Destroy Your Wallet

Okay, first let's look at the major releases in October:

Dark Souls
The Darkness II
Twisted Metal
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon
Batman: Arkham City
Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One
Battlefield 3
Silent Hill: Downpour
Rocksmith
NBA 2K12

Now if you somehow, SOMEHOW manage to have any money left after that list, then November will absolutely decimate you:

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Metal Gear Solid HD Collection
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
Guild Wars 2
Minecraft
Need for Speed: The Run
Saints Row: The Third

And that's what comes out this November.  Uncharted, The Elder Scrolls, Assassin's Creed, and Call of Duty all in the same month, along with HD remakes of both the Metal Gear Solid games and Halo.  We're all screwed.

Video of the Week: GREAT JOB JEREMY

I didn't exactly do what I said I would, which was to get a lot of posts in yesterday.  Well, time to stop being lazy.  First off is the third Video of the Week (I try to do them every Friday/Saturday).  This is one I found during E3.  The game being shown off is Medieval Moves: Deadmund's Quest, an upcoming title for the Playstation Move.  I supposed it looks kind of interesting, although the real star in this video is the guy talking to the audience.  He keeps congratulating the guy playing the game for the audience, Jeremy, for the littlest things.  Well, I thought it was amusing; here it is:

Moment of the video:

*monster appears*

"Oh no, a brute!  This guy is a lot tougher than the grunts we've come up against so far!"

*two sword strokes, monster dies*

"Great job, Jeremy."

Assassin's Creed: Revelations Will Stab You In The Face Come November 15th

That is my attempt at a creative title.  Short story even shorter, Assassin's Creed: Revelation hits stores on November 15th, 2011.  The game finishes the story of both Ezio and Altair, and has a trailer so well-made it intrigues even myself.  I look forward to frequently checking Metacritic as the game nears release.

Source: http://ps3.ign.com/articles/117/1174846p1.html

Overall Impressions Of E3 2011

It was... not bad.  There were a lot of games I wanted to see in the show, but that I knew wouldn't make it.

Namely:
1. Final Fantasy Versus XIII (Square Enix)
2. Agent (Rockstar North)
3. Edge of Twilight (Fuzzyeyes Studio)
4. Thief 4 (Eidos Montréal)
5. Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar North)
6. Star Wars: Battlefront III
7. Beyond Good & Evil 2

Yes, I have two Rockstar games up there even though I know E3 isn't really their thing.  Also, Grand Theft Auto V hasn't been announced, but hey... we all know it's coming.  I'm hoping for another game set in Vice City; the power of the PS3 will just make it come ALIVE.

Anyway, on to stuff that actually happened.  There were actually some neat surprises in the conferences this year.  We all knew Nintendo was coming out with a new console, so that doesn't even count.  Pleasant game surprises include:

1. Halo 4
2. Far Cry 3
3. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time
4. Luigi's Mansion 2
5. Super Smash Bros. on 3DS and Wii U
6. Lego City Stories

Those are simply listed in the order they were announced (I think).  I'm not really sure if Halo 4 counts as a pleasant surprise, seeing as Bungie isn't on board anymore and Halo 3 was supposed to "finish the fight", but I'm sure Halo fans will find something to be happy about.  The Far Cry 3 trailer was nothing short of extraordinary, so the legions of people that loved the first game and hated the second (damn malaria and twenty-minute long drives between missions) will no doubt be sucked back in to the series.  The fourth iteration of Sly Cooper, while being developed by Sanzaru Games as opposed to Sucker Punch, still looks to retain the look and feel of the original games; also, it was either this or no Sly Cooper at all, so fans have that to remember.  Sucker Punch is busy with inFamous, after all; I'm sure there will be a third one in two years' time.  Luigi's Mansion 2 is something fans of the original were clamoring for, so even though I never played the first game myself, I'm happy for all the fans.  Super Smash Bros. speaks for itself; as I have stated before, Super Smash Bros.Melee was the reason I got a Gamecube, and I wasn't the only one, because it was the best-selling game for the system.  Brawl did even better than its predecessor in the market.  Super Smash Bros. for two systems is ridiculously awesome, although I'm sure they'll pretty much be the same game.  Lastly, Lego City Stories is more of a personal surprise for me, as I never expected Lego to continue with original games; if the game is anything like Lego Island 2, then it will be an under-the-radar hit.

Moving on, the new Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception trailer, along with the demo, dispelled any doubts I had about the game being less awesome than its predecessors.  Uncharted: Golden Abyss looked great as well, really showing off what the Playstation Vita could do.  The Assassin's Creed: Revelations trailer made me very interested, even though I have never played a game in the series.  Lastly, Tomb Raider, a re-boot game of a series I have never been interested in, became a must-buy for me.


For me, these would be the best games of E3:

1. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

2. Uncharted: Golden Abyss

3. Tomb Raider

4. Assassin's Creed: Revelations

5. Far Cry 3

6. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

7. Rayman Origins

8. The Legend of Zelda HD Wii U Tech Demo

And... that's about it for E3.  Not the best coverage in the world, but I tried.  There were many games that weren't included in the press conferences that I didn't even mention, such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Rayman Origins.  They had fantastic presentations, however, so I included them on the above list and will cover them in detail at a later date.

If anyone reading has a game they would like me to follow/gather information on, please let me know in the comments section!  Thank you all for reading!

All "Overview" Posts Updated With E3 Videos

You can now go into the "Overview" posts from the Ubisoft, Sony, or Nintendo conferences and simply click on the name of the game listed to view its trailer/footage on YouTube.  Some of the games didn't have true cinematic trailers, but rather gameplay trailers (such as Far Cry 3), so the assortment of videos are quite varied.  I felt the urge to include gameplay demos for some of the games; they are definitely worth checking out.