News | 1/29/2011 at 3:52 AM

Beyond Co-Op, January 23rd to January 29th

Welcome to Beyond Co-Op, a weekly piece that talks about industry stories that may or may not be related to co-op gaming.

The stories for this week:

- Next Generation Portable (NGP) Unveiled, Games Shown
- Mortal Kombat Dated for April 19
- L.A. Noire Dated for May 17
- Bethesda Dates Their 2011 Lineup
- Nothing for Release This Week

Next Generation Portable (NGP) Unveiled, Games Shown

I have to say I am quite surprised by the new Sony portable system. It does seem like Sony listened to the constant complaints railed against the PSP. The new system has two analog sticks, touchscreen, cameras on the front and back, motion controls and a capacitive touchpad on the back (this is a questionable decision, but could be more interesting than first blush).

The games shown off were impressive, but then again Sony is going with its big titles (Uncharted, Resistance, etc.), but each one is being developed by another studio than the one that usually puts it out. The two biggest questions at this point are how much will it be (lots of tech, just can’t see them selling it at the 3DS price point) and what is going on with Electronic Arts on this. A lot of companies were announced as backing this system, but EA was suspiciously absent and even after they were contacted they really didn’t come out and confirm that they were supporting it. Hopefully we’ll know more soon…it will be out in at least one place by the end of this year

Source: me

Mortal Kombat Dated for April 19

Lots of dates dropped this week. First up is Mortal Kombat coming on April 19 of this year. This game could be a big one for Warner Bros. and hopefully will be rejuvenation for the series itself. It’s good the game is going back to its roots too.

Source: me

L.A. Noire Dated for May 17

Team Bondi’s L.A. Noire will finally see release on May 17 this year. I’m not necessarily hugely excited about this game, but then again I wasn’t very excited about Red Dead Redemption until it came out.

Source: me

Bethesda Dates Their 2011 Lineup

Bethesda got ballsy and set up release dates for all their 2011 games. The long in development Brink will be out on May 17, the same day as L.A. Noire. Brian Fargo’s Hunted will be out June 1. id’s RAGE will finally see release on September 13 (although we already knew this) and finally Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will be out on the previously announced November 11. Bethesda has a strong lineup, especially towards the end as I forsee the last two games to sell quite well.

Source: me

Nothing for Release This Week

No releases this week except for some downloadable games. So, keep enjoying the games you own.

Source: me