THE RUMOR: Sonic The Hedgehog will be a playable character in Super Mario Galaxy 2

THE SOURCE: Destructoid

MY TAKE: Man, isn’t Sonic’s career mirroring a failed child actor?  I mean, when he was young and first debuted he was the hottest thing since sliced bread.  Children loved him, adults appreciated his work propelling him on top of the world.  Then as he grew older he was forced into roles he wasn’t comfortable with (aka 3D) and he began to tank.  Now he’s making cameos in Mario games and soon he will fade into obscurity like other failed stars.  Seriously though it just seems weird that Sonic would randomly be playable for only one level in the game, unless the level has true blue Sonic style running through loops gameplay in 3D (since 3D Sonic gameplay never, EVER fails).

THE VERDICT: SPARE IT!!!

Sonic has already tag teamed with Mario in a few occasions so for him to cameo in a true Mario game wouldn’t be a stretch.  Still, how could this possibly fit into Super Mario Galaxy 2 in any logical way??  Will Mario end up in some alternate galaxy and find his way into Sonic’s universe?  Is Dr. Eggman the main antagonist?  Is George Costanza’s worst nightmare coming true and WORLDS ARE COLLIDING????  I don’t know, but I think we should leave this rumor for now and wait for Nintendo to give the word because if the next step is Solid Snake appearing in my Zelda games I will quit gaming and become Amish…and if you think I’m joking Nintendo then try me!

THE RUMOR: inFamous 2 will be released in 2010

THE SOURCE: Joystiq

MY TAKE: It’s fair to say that inFamous was a shocking success and is a great base to build a franchise from so a sequel was pretty much inevitable.  Still it does seem a little soon for a sequel. Now, I know everyone who loved the first one is tempted to flame me for not wanting a sequel yet but calm down fanboys, it’s for the better.  Presentation is very important in sandbox games because the world must be unique and enjoyable to explore or else it becomes dry and dull.  Empire City is great but if it’s basically the same as the first one with only minor changes and small graphics upgrade it won’t be as immersive.  Therefore, I think Sucker Punch should take its time and create a true sequel instead of making inFamous 1.5.

THE VERDICT: KILL IT!!!

For the sake of the franchise this shouldn’t happen.  Taking your time with a sandbox is never a bad thing…take Grand Theft Auto as a perfect example.  With some exceptions Rockstar generally doesn’t release two of its console games within a year of each other.  They take their time building a dynamic city for you to explore and that formula makes for some of the greatest games of all time.  I mean GTAIV was their most successful game and we still haven’t heard word of another installment (no, the episodes don’t count people).  If Sucker Punch wants inFamous to become their next great franchise they should do it right and not shove it out the door this year.  I’m putting my money on a Q2 2011 release but don’t circle the calendar just yet…I’m just a friendly neighborhood speculator and I could EASILY be wrong.

THE RUMOR: Dead Space Extraction and Planet Cracker are coming to XBLA and PSN

THE SOURCE: Kotaku

MY TAKE: This has the potential to be very interesting.  An HD overhaul of Dead Space Extraction would be nice for those who missed the game’s original Wii release, which was ALOT of people since the game sold like crap in a hobo’s sleeping bag.  It’s too bad because the game wasn’t bad at all but in general, releasing a hardcore game on the Wii is like giving kindergartners a spreadsheet, they have no clue what to do with it so they move on to similar things like workout games. Planet Cracker though sounds like Fable II Pub Games with the tedious grind included.  If the gameplay is decent and the rewards are worth it the game could turn into something worthwhile instead of the craptastic Pub Games we were blessed with last year.

THE VERDICT: BELEIVE IT!!!

This move makes perfect sense for the franchise.  I played Dead Space Extraction a little bit at my friend’s house and although it was not the same as the original title on its own merits it was a fun rail shooter.  More exposure on the XBLA and PSN could move more units.  Tying Planet Cracker into a rewards system for Dead Space 2 would be a good way to expand on the experience for the game’s sequel. Also, these games being included as part of a pre-order bonus would be…well, a bonus and definitely incentive to pre-order.  I don’t really see why EA would pass this opportunity to expand their new horror franchise so I would expect to see these games popping up on an online service near you.  Just don’t piss yourself playing like I almost did…

THE RUMOR: Alpha Protocol pushed back AGAIN to Summer 2010

THE SOURCE: Eurogamer

MY TAKE: Last week I gave Gran Turismo 5 hell for the possibility of another delay and trust me, Alpha Protocol is NOT going to escape my wrath.  The last delay saddened me because I was looking forward to seeing the game compete with the big boys in Q4 2009.  Instead, Obsidian completely pussed out and delayed the game to spring 2010 for “general polish, graphical and feature improvements”.  That my friend is a load of horse piss! Now, I’m no developer or publisher or have any programming experience of any kind but if all the game needs is “polish”, why in all that is holy does Obsidian need ANOTHER delay.  Are they taking their developing practices from 3D Realms??? Well anyway until the $10 penalty I mentioned last week gets put into effect this crap will keep coming so all I can do is complain about it and hope someone from one of these companies hears my cries of despair.

THE VERDICT: BELIEVE IT!!!

We’ve heard almost nothing from this game since the initial delay so why should I even consider this rumor to be a lie?  To be honest, I have lost all interest in Alpha Protocol and if it does indeed find its way onto store shelves by some miracle I’m going to pass because I’d rather buy games from developers who give a release date and STICK TO IT.  Seriously, if I wanted to write about people double-dealing the public I would write about politics.

THE FINAL SAY

I have a quick message to all developers and publishers.  QUIT JERKING US AROUND.  I know delays are part of the industry and I know sometimes there are unforeseen circumstances that cause delays but if you’re going to delay a game for almost a year for POLISH you should just shut down the project and put us out of our misery.  Do you see movies put out a trailer for a Spring 2010 release then all of a sudden pull the trailer and say we need to polish the CGI so the movies delayed till 2011???  No, because if that happened someone would be FIRED!!!

So, do you agree with me or think I’m a complete tosser?  Let me know below by giving your own opinion on whether these rumors should be KILLED, BELIEVED or SPARED. As always if you can prove these rumors to be fact or fiction with 100% certainty then let us know and feel like a genius for the day!  Enjoy your weekend folks and I’ll catch you next week for more juicy gossip in another edition of EpicBattleAxe.com’s The Rumor KILL.