As we continue our four-day look back on the biggest headlines of 2012, we put the E3 madness behind us as we explore the slew of exciting gaming news that preceded the holiday season.
Please join me as we dive into four shocking stories that will undoubtedly have a substantial impact when they come to fruition next year.
1. Sony Acquires Gaikai Cloud Gaming: Is This Why We Haven't Seen The PS4 Yet?
While everyone was expecting this big reveal at E3, Sony surprised the industry after the fact by announcing their acquisition of the cloud-gaming service Gaikai. While 2012 is basically over at this point, we still don't know how Sony plans to move forward with this technology, but one thing is for certain: It will play a major role in the future of gaming. When the PlayStation 4 inevitably rolls out, we'll likely see some sort of cloud integration within PlayStation Network.
Just imagine how many doors Gaikai could open for Sony and the PlayStation platform. The company has a massive library of games spanning all the way back to the original PlayStation. Wouldn't it be incredible to have access to all those games via instant streaming?
2. New Final Fantasy: Final Chapter In Final Final Fantasy XIII Character's Story To Be Final Outing
After underwhelming JRPG gamers with Final Fantasy XIII, Square Enix decided to release a direct sequel to the game that disappointed so many fans of the franchise. And if that wasn't crazy enough, the company then opted to celebrate the series' 25th anniversary by announcing yet another entry in the Final Fantasy XIII story. Dubbed Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, this upcoming role-playing game returns to the story of Lightning, providing a very different take on the universe than we saw in the prior two entries.
Will it turn out to be a success for Square? Who knows? But one thing is for certain, this reveal made it readily evident that Square Enix is completely out of touch with its fan base. No one wanted another FFXIII, but we're getting one anyway. On that note, where is Versus XIII?
3. Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes Announced, Shocks Industry
It's been quite a while since we've had a proper Metal Gear Solid game, so when Kojima revealed Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes, gamers everywhere totally flipped out. The announcement of a new MGS game is always a major event, but the debut footage of Ground Zeroes was so shocking, it surpassed everyone's expectations. While Kojima Productions has yet to admit that the game is coming to next-gen hardware, it is hard to believe that this title can run on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 without melting them. It really looks that incredible.
If KojiPro has somehow managed to pull off some sort of developing magic and the footage we saw earlier this year is possible on current-gen platforms, then there may be a bit more life left in the PS3 and Xbox 360 than we initially thought. Kojima is a master of surprise, though, so at this point you should be prepared for anything.
4. Bayonetta 2 Announced, Wii U Exclusive
Nintendo's Wii U blowout in New York was filled with a number of surprises. From Nintendo TVii to Black Ops II on Wii U, a lot was revealed at the conference, but no announcement took the industry by surprise quite like the reveal of Bayonetta 2. Not only was it revealed that PlatinumGames' sequel would be coming exclusively to the tablet-based console, Nintendo also confirmed that they'd be publishing the game. This caused quite a stir in the gaming community, leaving many hardcore gamers disappointed.
What many don't realize, however, is that without the funding from a company like Nintendo, a sequel to Bayonetta would have never been possible thanks to lackluster sales of the original. While Platinum's sequel probably won't sell boatloads for The Big N, it does add to the Wii U's library of exclusive third-party titles, something the platform desperately needs.
