Weekly Recap: PS4 Launches In Japan And 4 Other Big Gaming News Items

The week was carried away by a lot of good and bad news that hit gamers in the gut in a bad way, sort of like a teenage girl attending a Justin Bieber concert and realizing that despite the dream coming true of seeing the idol in person, that deep realization sinks in that he's not quite the cute and cuddly heartthrob that he once was... unless you're really into egg-throwing, jail-visiting, neighbor-spitting Canadian?

The only thing is that the gaming industry was kind of like the reverse of the above scenario, as things started off pretty ugly with the closure of a popular gaming studio, but then picked it up on positive end thanks to some good news coming out of Japan. These stories and more in this February 22nd, 2014 edition of the Gaming Blend Weekly Recap.

PlayStation 4 Launches in Japan

After all the hype, all the waiting, all the juicy ads and all those delicious memes, the PlayStation 4 has finally launched in one of the major, key territories in the console war. Right now Nintendo is owning up in Japan and Microsoft doesn't seem to have any definitive initiatives to get the Xbox One out in that territory any time soon, but Sony is breaking in and breaking in big. With a million units already pre-sold in Japan, and upcoming titles like Ground Branch, Uncharted 4 and Daylight on the way, it's likely that the constrained sales of the PS4 just might continue, even though Sony suffered a brief spell where Mario Kart 8 topped the pre-order charts.

Irrational Games Shuts Down

In a strange twist of fate, the week got going with a bit of bad news, as one of the most critically acclaimed and highly lauded software studios announced the closure of their doors, courtesy of studio head Ken Levine kissing his goodbyes and waving his hands adieu to the folk who used to run a shop under the banner of Irrational Games. It was a sad time for a lot of people, and many companies within the area reached out with open arms to welcome those who had previously worked on the BioShock games. Ken Levine is deciding to take his skills and hit up the indie space, but don't expect anything like Routine or Minecraft coming out of his indie studio anytime soon.

Titanfall's Beta Ends

Titanfall's beta draws to a close and also draws a number of mixed reactions: some love it, some hate it and some feel it's Call of Duty with mechs. Nevertheless, the game has garnered massive hype and you can read up on why the game is getting the hype that it is. Even after extending the beta by a few hours, it still wasn't enough time for some people to get in some play-time with one of the more highly anticipated games set to launch this spring for the Xbox 360, PC and the Xbox One. But don't worry, Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare will provide some fast-paced, 12-on-12 action for Xbox 360 and Xbox One owners in the meantime.

GTA Online Money Glitch Still Works

Even though Rockstar found a way to take everything that was fun about GTA V and dumb it down to a point where the online multiplayer has been sterilized to the point of being boring and stringent, gamers still found a way to glitch some money out of the title. Be warned, though, because Rockstar is still cracking down on anyone utilizing the glitch. So you might want to be careful about breaking the rules in a game that was designed so you could break the rules. Irony at its finest. Also, just so you should know: Rockstar is making a crap-ton of money on all of you buying microtransactions in GTA Online.

Doom 4 Gets A Beta

Last and probably least, id Software is offering beta access for Doom 4 through the upcoming Wolfenstein, game due out soon for old and new generation consoles alike. Doom 4 is one of those games that has kind of fizzled out of the mainstream view, mostly due to the fact that none of the original designers are at id Software anymore, and there's a growing sense of foreboding within the gaming community that the latest Doom entry will be little else than another AAA cash-in. However, we won't know until we know, and it could be a revitalized take on the FPS genre, just the same as Tony Hawk's new game could also be a revitalized take on the extreme sports genre. Time will tell. One thing is for sure, Activision is definitely giving gamers a huge incentive to want to pre-order the upcoming Wolfenstein: The New Order as if it were a 2014 title worth owning.