The OPM, Official Playstation Magazine, has today revealed in its latest issue that Left 4 Dead will indeed be coming to Playstation3. It will be ported, once again, by EA. Quote:
"Valve's survival horror game Left 4 Dead is coming to PS3, but EA will be taking on development duties in-house."
The Orange Box PS3 has been one catastrophic port. For these past 8 months, PS3 gamers have repeatedly expressed their disgust and anger towards both EA and VALVE, asking for a fix. Even a petition started by Mike Seedon was published on this website: http://orangeboxpetition.com/
Will PS3 gamers do the same mistake twice? I do not think so.
N4G
8/02/2008
MTV Multiplayer's Patrick Klepek sat down to chat with Sony director of hardware and marketing John Koller at E3 and talked about a number of topics, including PS3, PSP and Sony's E3 presence. During the interview, Koller dropped a nice nugget of information:
"Going towards the end of the year and going into 09 and beyond, we're going to see a lot of very large franchise games come from third-parties," he said. "They're going to be a bit of a surprise, they're going to be like 'Wow, that's coming to PSP?'" -- John Koller, via MTV Multiplayer
He also went on to say that although many hail 2008 as "The year of the PS3," PSP isn't going anywhere. Sony is still very much thinking about and supporting the handheld.
PSPKombo
See the stylish clothes all the boys are wearing in Final Fantasy Versus XIII? Apparently, they come from the designs of the Japanese label ROEN. Their collaboration with Square Enix means they are designing clothing worn by the characters in the game. Additionally, you will be able to purchase some of the designs. Looking at ROEN's official website though, we see a leather blazer costing a jaw-dropping 346,500 yen (about $3,223 USD)!! This collaboration is certainly taking the cost of cosplay to a whole new level.
The concept to their autumn/winter 2008-09 collection is Play Boy -- "The theme of this imaginative story is set with men, who have shed-off their hippy image and are invited to a high society party ... ROEN is reborn to a mature, gorgeous and classy style." We couldn't make this stuff up if we tried.
Also of interest is that the trailer of Versus XIII shown earlier today at DKΣ3713 contains the words "PlayStation 3 only Worldwide" at the end. This appears to again confirm Versus XIII's PS3 exclusivity worldwide. But then again, Final Fantasy XIII had very similar words at the end of its trailers ...
PS3Fanboy
Not really news per se, but the Final Fantasy Versus XIII trailer shown at the DKS3713 party in Tokyo ended with the words "PlayStation 3 only worldwide." So it's nice to know for certain that we have at least one part of the FFXIII series to our greedy little selves. Not to mention Agito coming to PSP. Versus XIII's release date is still very much up in the air, while XIII will be out in Japan next year sometime and a demo will be made available with Advent Children: Complete in March 2009.
The FFXIII series is finally starting to look like a collection of real games, as opposed to concept work, with actual gameplay being shown off at the event. If any sneaky attendees managed to video any of the footage shown, hopefully we'll be able to see it with our own eyes soon.
PS3Fanboy
8/01/2008
Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy Versus XIII will be released worldwide for the PlayStation 3.
Note: No release date was given.
N4G
Activision implies Infinity Ward at helm for next installment; Blizzard CEO locks down World of Warcraft expansion for year's end; "multiple" Guitar Heroes also coming.
Following yesterday's $1 billion earnings announcement from Activision Blizzard, the recently conjoined and "streamlined" megapublisher's executives chatted with analysts in a conference call. Besides mentioning they had a $3 billion cash-on-hand war chest and were eying acquisitions, the powers-that-be at the world's top third-party publisher also revealed some major, if not surprising, news.
While presenting his vision for the 2009 calendar year, CEO Bobby Kotick confirmed "an all-new Call of Duty" will be released "utilizing our leapfrog studio strategy." The invocation of studio alternation implies that next year's Call of Duty will be developed by Infinity Ward, since Treyarch is working on the 2008 installment in the series, Call of Duty: World at War. Though requests for confirmation of Infinity Ward's involvement had not been returned as of press time, the studio confirmed it was at work on a new project for Activision earlier this month.
To the surprise of no one, Kotick also told analysts Activision's 2009 "lineup will be anchored by multiple Guitar Hero SKUs."* Of the three GH titles announced so far, only one, Guitar Hero World Tour, has been confirmed as coming this year--this holiday season, specifically. Guitar Hero: Metallica is due out by March 31, 2009, while the just-revealed Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades' release window is merely "soon."
On the Blizzard side of things, CEO and cofounder Mike Morhaime confirmed that the second World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, remains on track for a 2008 release. "We're currently in the beta phase and are planning to release it later this year after thorough testing," he said, later adding, "it's not going to come in the July to September quarter." Though rumors of a delay to early 2009 persist, Morhaime's comments leave the all-important October-December quarter as Wrath of the Lich King's sole possible release window.
*SKU = Stock Keeping Unit, a term used by retailers for individual products.
Gamespot
Today is August 1st, most of you are wondering why this is so significant well, July ended without the acclaimed launch of Life with Playstation as promised during the E3 keynote. Life with Playstation is Sony's new glove interface for accessing real-time content such as news and weather from around the world. Sony is not one to keep their word with release dates and said the delay is due to "a few procedural matters" causing the launch to push into "August". That would mean either today or more realistically closer to the 31st of August, PS3 users would be able to access Life with Playstation.
On the popular site Ebay, a client by the name of arozz4455x decided to dig deep into his pocket and shell out $910 for Grand Theft Auto IV. Now all us gamers know that you could buy it brand new at any retailer for approximately $60 before taxes, but I guess no one told arozz4455x that. I'm guessing the person who posted this on Ebay had no idea that anybody was going to actually buy it and probably did it as a joke, but wow all we can say at Playstation Access to Arozz4455x is WOW! I have some games at my place, for the right price I might just let you have them :D.
7/31/2008
Console modders out there have been doing crazy things with controllers for a while now, and while this latest piece isn't as crazy as the one-handed Access Controller, it's still good for a double-take -- check out this wired 360 controller shoehorned into a DualShock3 shell, complete with green LEDs. THe modder, RDC, says it works great, rumble included, but that there's no headset connector and the L2 and R2 triggers aren't analog -- both things he's hoping to fix in the next version. We'd suggest keeping the DS3 buttons as well -- while the colorful 360 buttons look pretty hot against that black case, we'd rather break this thing out and blow minds stealth-style.
Engadget
Scott Steinberg, speaking to GamesIndustry.biz at E3, said that using the PS3 as a native development platform for games will result in subsequent ports' "fidelity getting better and better - and in fact I think even Xbox 360 games will start to look better as a result."
When asked about whether developers of third party titles will switch to the PS3 as the native development platform, SCEA's Vice President of Product marketing cites Burnout Paradise as "a great example of a game that shipped fairly recently that showed what you can do if you start originally on PS3" and that "as they realize that if you start on the PS3 other platforms look better, it starts to become a no-brainer." That's the mantra Sony's been promoting since GDC, when they introduced PhyreEngine.
With major multiplatform titles like Dead Space and Mirror's Edge declaring PS3 as its lead development platform, we'll soon have points of comparison to either validate or debunk Steinberg's statements.
PlaystationDirect
The Last Guy is a title that has caught our eye recently, simply because it's a game with a bizarre concept, and its developers are an equally odd bunch to say the least. Its strangeness has ensnared us, pulling us in; it's even gone as far as making us purchase it off the Japanese PS Store -- not waiting for a full English release. So we did just that, we bought the Japanese release and what we got was a delightful little surprise. Want to know how it faired?
When we fired up The Last Guy for the first time, we noticed right away that the menu was in English. There were three options, Start the game, "How to Play," and Tutorial. The "How to Play" bit was useless as it was all Japanese text; however, the tutorial was easy to follow, especially for non-Japanese readers such as ourselves, because it shows you how to use the controls with images/actual trial. So, if you can't understand a lick of Japanese, this game isn't a problem to import and play. In fact, when you start playing, you'll notice the HUD is completely in English as well -- you'll get the feel of it within seconds.
As you probably know by now, the world is ravaged by monsters and the objective is to go around the city as a member of the URF (United Rescue Force) and find survivors. You need to rescue people from buildings across town, then bring them back to the "Escape Zone." It appears that The Last Guy is an episodic title, so our download (which only costs ¥500/$5) had only three stages. Each stage took place in the exact same locale in Asakusa, Tokyo but progressively expanded with each subsequent mission. After finishing the three stages, there's sort of a demo reel which reveals possible other locales (for future episodes) such as London, Yokohama, and Washington D.C. in that order.
Now when you actually play the game, you'll have several tools at your disposal. If you hold down the X button, the screen goes into a night vision mode where you can see large green blips which represent people. This makes it easier to find people to rescue, but you won't be able to see monsters with this mode activated. Holding down the triangle button lets you run faster, but depletes your stamina gauge located in the lower left corner. You can increase your stamina gauge by finding items scattered across the map. R1 zooms out for a better aerial view of the city, while R2 zooms in. Use the left analog stick to move and the right one to shift the camera focus, so you can double check adjacent areas to see if they are safe to go through. All of this gives the game simple but engaging strategic gameplay.
Your main concern when rescuing people is, obviously, avoid the monsters at all costs. Running into them will cause them to break your line, scattering them and probably killing some -- ultimately shaving the total number of potential saved people. That's a problem because to clear a stage, you need to save a certain amount of people within the allotted time. Different monsters have different tactics; small purple ones will chase, if they spot you, but will give up once you're out of visible range. The one to watch out for the most are these green things with tentacles which are very fast and will not give up chase easily. You'll meet that difficult creature in the third and final stage. The difficulty overall is very easy; only the last stage gave us a bit of trouble.
Other interesting bits? Let's see ... the game is only 314MB. It has leaderboards so you can compare your scores online. You can rescue VIPs, but don't expect cameos like you'll suddenly be saving famous people like Hideo Kojima; VIPs are represented with a green person symbol and seem to only be there to give you extra points for your score. Lastly, we thought this was just weird: while the HUD and menus are in English, all other text is in Japanese, and the audio is all in the developers' native language of Hindi. How international!
If you're planning to get this game, it might be a good idea to wait for the release in your region as it is episodic and you'd probably want to enjoy the whole experience. Overall, we really enjoyed the game, even if it was way too short. It is, however, still a good value. If you can't wait, then by all means, go ahead and get it off the Japanese PS Store if you've got an account and a Japanese PSN card. We certainly recommend trying out this title and we're looking forward to the next installment.
PS3Fanboy
We were almost late writing this post up, thanks in no small part to the addictive power of PixelJunk Eden. Thankfully it's now America's turn to receive Sony's bounty and, while the list is pretty huge this week, it's all just noise when alongside Eden. Having said that, those demos are nothing to sniff at. Here's the full release list:
Playable content
PixelJunk Eden full game ($9.99)
LEGO Indiana Jones demo (free)
Facebreaker demo (free)
Madden 09 demo (free)
Add-on content
Soul Calibur IV "Customization Equipment" pack 1 ($1.50)
Rock Band DLC (listed after the break)
Videos
The Last Guy trailer
Vampire Rain Altered Species trailer 3
Beijing 2008 "track" trailer
Beijing 2008 "swimming" trailer
Bionic Commando Rearmed Making-of part 2
AST Dew Tour - BMX Progression trailer
AST Dew Tour - BMX Rewind trailer
AST Dew Tour - FMX Unleashed
AST Dew Tour - Skate Highlights
Wallpapers and Themes
Killzone 2 theme
2x PixelJunk Eden themes
2x Siren Blood Curse wallpapers
2x Soul Calibur IV wallpapers
Street Fighter IV Summer 2008 wallpaper
Music
17x Sould Calibur IV tracks ($0.99 individually, $14.99 as a set)
Rock Band DLC
"They Say" - Scars on Broadway ($2)
"This is it" - Staind ($2)
"Electric Crown" - Testament ($2)
"Yomp" - The New No 2 ($1)
PS3Fanboy
Presentación FIFA 09 from Potencia2TV on Vimeo.
CP 2008 Presentación FIFA 09 from Potencia2TV on Vimeo
FIFA Soccer Blog:
"Hi all today we bring some of the first videos of FIFA 09 and boy are they good; they really show in detail some of the major improvements in this years game and give us a good taste of what we can look forward to."
N4G
A rather gruesome video of Channing Brown's injection has been posted on projectabraham.com. The video is graphic and you need to enter your date of birth to view it. Word of advice: make sure you don't watch this during lunch. Like the last update, you can now vote for the next unfortunate soul to be experimented on -- Frank Gennaro, Kenneth Danby or Keith Oster. The upper left corner now contains a Rolodex card to fill out your name, phone number and e-mail. Also of note is this personality test and a tape recording of Dr. Aklin's sentiments.
We also found some new documents on SrpaNet via NeoGAF. We won't give everything away, but here's a hint -- type in "SEC howardp:belinda" and it will log you into the terminal. If you manage to access the right files, they contain a "Controlled" seal and a number. Other files contain pictures of Chimera.
One of the document numbers is "i2p8y0bynt2k" and you can head over to America First America Only and submit it into their tip box. The newsletter has also been updated. This is what we found so far after playing with it since last night, but if you guys find anything else, let us all know in the comments.
PS3Fanboy
Looks like the Japanese release of the Home beta was really a sign of things to come. Current users of PlayStation Home are being sent e-mails about the availability of a brand new Home client. It's so new, in fact, that users will have to delete the old beta off their hard drives entirely and start with a brand new installation. A test run encourages all Home users to log in tonight to join the ever-growing community.
See the e-mail:
"We are now moving into the next phase of PlayStation®Home's evolution and as a current tester we'd like you to continue your participation.
Your existing installation of the original PlayStation®Home Beta will no longer work and you should delete that by selecting it and pressing [TRIANGLE] and then choosing [Delete]. Please remember to delete your save data for it too. You will find that under [Saved Data Utility] in the [Game] section of your XMB."
PS3Fanboy
SCEE has come through for us this week. PixelJunk Eden is here, in the form of both a demo and the full game. There's also a demo of Echochrome Micro for PSP owners, a smattering of game videos and the next episode of Movement. But really, that's all secondary to Eden and the glittering trophies contained within. At £4.99 (an almost direct translation from the US price of $9.99) it's a bargain. Here's the full release list:
Playable content
PixelJunk Eden full game (£4.99/€7.99)
PixelJunk Eden demo (free)
Echochrome Micro demo for PSP (free)
Videos
E3 2008 PSP compilation
Prince of Persia E3 gameplay trailer
The Last Guy trailer
Movement episode 3 part 1 "Milan" (5 videos)
Themes and Wallpapers
Bionic Commando Rearmed wallpaper
PS3Fanboy
Japan is next to get the ever-expanding Home beta. The virtual world has been often delayed, but this expansion of the closed beta gives us hope that maybe, just maybe, Home is actually getting closer to a full release. Japanese PS3 owners can visit the PS Store, where they'll be able to enter in a random drawing for entry into Home. Who knows? Maybe a similar drawing will be made available in other territories in the future as well.
PS3Fanboy
Sony is looking to clear the air surrounding their upcoming PS3 online portal, Home. In a presentation given by SCEE's Darren Cairns and Liam Wickham at the Develop Conference event, they have outlined that the focus is on gaming and definitely not on social networking.
You may have come to the conclusion from the screen shots and features let out so far the vision for Home was akin to that of Second Life, but according to Cairns and Wickham . it is the furthest thing from their minds. "Home is not a social network - it's focused on games. It's a visual representation of the PlayStation community."
This message is sure to have been intended to placate users from both sides of the console fence, with critisism of the service coming in thick and fast. Most gamers have indicated that they definitely do not want an artificial gateway between them and their gaming. It seems that living rooms hosting movies with your photos hanging up are for real life.
They also revealed that the closed beta would be expanding imminently and that open beta is still scheduled to roll out this year.
GamerChip
It seems the long awaited Instructor skill, wich will let you train other players is coming to US servers. To read more about this click here.
Note: It is Under online information, dated Jul 30th.
N4G
You simply never can tell what SCEE have planned. Deborah Mars, producer for the PixelJunk series, has stated in the comments of the recent PlayStation Blog post that Eden will be available today in Japan, Europe and America. We would love to believe her, honest we would, but until we see it with our own eyes we simply can't. SCEE has had a hard time understanding the phrase "simultaneous worldwide release" several times in the past, after all.
We'll remain hopeful and will update you with the full PSN release list as usual when it lands. In the meantime, have you tried the PixelJunk Eden demo? If so, you might want to take a look at the trophy list and get practicing. The game launches today, after all. Worldwide! Hopefully ...
PS3Fanboy
The first game to launch with trophies is almost here. Finally! This stylishly addictive puzzle/platformer/rhythm game will be available on the PSN Store in the US and Japan tomorrow. No word on Europe, but fingers crossed. We thought you might like to take a peek at the trophy list, in preparation for the game's release.
There's a distinct lack of gold trophies in PixelJunk Eden, but plenty of bronzes to get stuck into. Here's the official trophy list for the game:
Bronze TrophiesAll Seeds 01 - Open all seeds in garden 01
All Seeds 02 - Open all seeds in garden 02
All Seeds 03 - Open all seeds in garden 03
All Seeds 04 - Open all seeds in garden 04
All Seeds 05 - Open all seeds in garden 05
All Seeds 06 - Open all seeds in garden 06
All Seeds 07 - Open all seeds in garden 07
All Seeds 08 - Open all seeds in garden 08
All Seeds 09 - Open all seeds in garden 09
All Seeds 10 - Open all seeds in garden 10
All Gardens Clear - Get a Spectra in each garden
Combo Ten - Pollen Prowler combo x 10
Combo Fifteen - Pollen Prowler combo x 15
The Hundred Thousander - Get 100,000 pollen in one garden
500 Dead Pollen Prowlers - 500 Pollen Prowlers killed
Ten Minute Grimp - Get all 5 Spectra from a garden within 10 minutes
Fifteen Crystals - Get fifteen crystals in a single jump
Zero Wasted Pollen - Open all seeds in a garden without missing any pollen
Three Play Ping Pong - In 3p mode, trapeze jump between two swinging Grimps
Silver TrophiesAll Spectra Found - Get all the Spectra in all gardens.
PS3Fanboy
7/30/2008
Last year's FIFA was something of a landmark for the series, the game emerging as easily one of the best examples of the long-running franchise, while at the same time Pro Evo's form unexpectedly dipped. For the first time in a while FIFA was at one with the critics, and it was Konami who, if you'll pardon the pun, were left frantically back-peddling, seeking to reacquire what had made PES the best the genre had to offer for so many years.
FIFA 09, then, seems to carry on in the same vein as the commendable FIFA 08, as well as this summer's tie-in title, UEFA Euro 2008. FIFA 09 is looking just as rock solid as the 08 outing, judging by the hands-on time I recently enjoyed at EA's invitation. What's more, EA Sports are working hard to tweak and improve the minor issues outstanding, as well as expanding the series in exciting new directions.
Producer David Rutter, in town from Vancouver, says there are 250 improvements planned for the new release (on the Xbox 360 and the PS3 at least), with gameplay refinement abound, in addition to feedback from the community which is also being internalised.
EA's stated aim is a "superior gameplay experience", and this is demonstrated through more responsive gameplay linked to more realistic player movement, enhanced physics and all manner of AI changes. Playing the game, this improvement certainly make a difference to the animation, which looks superb, while players also collide more convincingly, the weight and direction of colliding players offering a real sense of momentum for the first time. In a bid to speed up the game, trapping and passing has also been overhauled, allowing for more fluid moves.
Dribbling is slicker, and feels more detailed than ever before, while this also seems to be the most 'random' FIFA ever, 09 boasting more authentic moments of madness, such as flapping goalies, rebounds, and other unpredictable asides that help the game lose the 'robotic' feel that some titles include. As previously mooted, the physics also behave in a more realistic manner now, bigger players brushing smaller ones off the ball, or missing them entirely as the ferret-like attacker slips between beastly centre-backs towards the goal.
Making the game feel quicker and more responsive being one of EA's stated aims with this revision of the never-ending series, it is little surprise that AI has received some attention. Players now respond in a more natural manner to a given situation, while once again that sense of the unpredictable can lead to some highly entertaining play. Producer Rutter admits that the goalie was one of the elements of 08 the team were least satisfied with - so the humble keeper has been rebuilt from scratch to behave as a real keeper might. Shots that should have gone in, in the last game, now probably will; while the keeper has an enhanced chance of keeping-out those well-timed half-chances that never seemed to fail in older versions of the footie series.
Tactics will prove an important part of this. Not only does the play ebb and flow in a realistic manner based on unique tactical configurations, but they also impact the game at a wholesale level too. Get the tactics wrong, and even the greatest team can suffer, while a spot-on strategy when playing as a minnow can produce some surprising results. All in all, this side of the game is a welcome advancement, FIFA 09 looking and feeling more like a real football match than perhaps any title before it.
Rutter reveals to us that players will also be able to share tactics online, and the Be A Pro mode also makes a return, allowing players to hone an individual talent to the ultimate goal - to become captain of their national team. In line with this, you'll also be able to assume the role of an individual player online - via full 10 on 10 action (no goalies) across Live or the PlayStation Network. Rutter assures us that this ambitious mode is already working a treat, EA having cut their teeth with 5 on 5 play in FIFA 08.
Aesthetically the game is looking better than ever, especially the detailed stadia and player appearances, which are a cut above anything we've seen before. Again, EA's efforts with the realistic, responsive player movements helps produce a free-flowing experience that looks almost as slick and 'liquid' as real football. The celebrations, crowds, and other nice little touches add to this sense of realism. The licensed music selection, sleek menus and general aura of intense polish add the ever-present sense of quality.
Rutter is quick to point out the 250 improvements being made, and in my limited time with the game I certainly got the impression that this is the most complete FIFA ever; the flaws very few and far between, while core fans will be happy that despite the tweaking very little has changed of the seismic variety.
We were also afforded a few minutes with the new Wii version of FIFA 09, EA Sports having a conjured up a smooth and user-friendly experience similar to Pro Evo's impressive stab at Wii play. Two control modes are on offer, one for 'hardcore players', the other dubbed 'All-Play', as it helps the player get to grips with the game, offering forgiving responses and providing near-constant on-screen help. This approach is so integral to the game that the Wii version is actually called FIFA 09: All-Play, EA pulling out all the stops to make non-gaming types feel at home.
The Wii's classic controller is now supported, the game's producer tells us, and there is an 8 versus 8 Footii mode to enjoy; players able to take their Mii avatars into the thick of the action.
The Wii version was looking every bit as well thought out as PES did on the same format, so it will be interesting to see how the final version is received, especially given the proximity between both editions of the game.
Even the PC version wasn't forgotten, EA promising an experience tailored to each format. The PC version, for example, is crafted for those playing closer to the screen - while those non-hardcore gamers might be rather taken with the mouse-based control scheme which positions the PC perhaps closer to the Wii version than the next-gen outing we've focussed on earlier in this article. Hardcore players will be able to choose to use the 'WASD' controls, should they wish to. Clearly Peter Moore isn't too worried about spending money on creating a PC game, when it comes to the FIFA series.
Our time done, we're left itching for more time with what must surely turn out to be a first-rate FIFA experience. The only factor we've yet to consider, in fact, is the opposition... who must surely be plotting something of a rear-guard action this year.
PlayTm
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue expands this Friday, August 1st with a fairly large content patch. Not only will the patch bring the first load of GTTV content, but also a few gameplay enhancements and fixes. A full list of GTTV videos is available on the official site and will be constantly updated as more is added.
At the moment there's plenty to choose from, from season 6 of Top Gear (a must see) to Japan's Super GT and a "video magazine" called Video Option. For the first two weeks all paid-for content will be at the reduced price of $0.99, letting you trial the content for a little while for half price.
The patch also adds "fixes in penalty judgments, more tire choices for Time Trial and improved physics during collisions between cars during online races." Sounds like a pretty hefty update. Not bad for a free patch, right?
PS3Fanboy
A lot of you thought the other day's post for Snake and Raiden in Soulcalibur IV was newsworthy, so we're going to bring you another one of these character creation posts. This time, it's that Greek dude with a temper problem -- Kratos. We know a lot of you got excited over the rumor, and after it got shot down, your excitement died with it.
So, we propose that if you really want the gruff voiced warrior battling it out with the guys and (well-endowed) ladies of Namco's Soulcalibur IV, then make him yourself. We've posted instruction on how to make him.
So, here's a laundry list of what creation pieces you'll need as well as instruction on how to edit them. If you follow the directions carefully, you'll end up with a pretty decent Kratos look-a-like. Given the tool set, this is pretty much as close as you can get! We hope you enjoy creating and fighting with Kratos. Keep in mind, you'll have to unlock certain pieces of equipment, so don't be surprised if you can't find certain pieces. Just keep playing the game and complete "Battle Records" to gain more equipment.
Equipment
Undergarments: Protective Tattoo [Color 1 -- 9: 61,22]
Arms: Asura Bracelets [Color 1 -- 0: 42,32 | Color 2 -- 5: 10,25 | Color 3 -- 2: 07, 17]
Lower Body: Executioner's Belt [Color 1 -- 9: 02,22 | Color 2 -- 0: 01,12 | Color 3 -- 9: 64, 24 | Color 4 -- 9:64,20]
Legs: Executioner's Boots [Color 1 -- 0: 50,30 | Color 2 -- 1: 11,32 | Color 3 -- 0: 44, 01 | Color 4 -- 1:08,02]
Model Information
Physique: +40
Muscularity +50
Male Voice: 6 Pitch: -50
Hair: Nothing
Male Face: 18
Eyebrow: Color 1 -- 0:06,32
Eye Color: Color 1 -- 0:06,32
Skin Color: Color 1 -- 0:01,01
Base Equip: Color 1 -- 0:01,32
Style/Weapon
Style: Cervantes
Weapon: Phlegethon
PS3Fanboy
PS3 owners in the U.S have been clamoring for PSN cards since shortly after the system's launch. Now, finally, those precious cards are on the way.
This is an article from the September 08 issue of The Official Playstation Magazine.
N4G
Will Snake be a playable character in Motorstorm 2? It seems that nobody ever realized due to the rapidity of the scenes, but Snake does appear twice in the Motorstorm 2 E3 2008 trailer. Check it out at 0:44 and at 0:58, in High Definition of course.
N4G
The extremely niche Armored Core series continued with for Answer -- a sequel to Armored Core 4. The title was released back in March in Japan, and since then fell off the radar for any hope of a US release. However, that's all changed as Gamecyte has discovered that Ubisoft will be picking up the game and will ship the mechanized warfare to North America.
The move is a stealthy one as we haven't heard anything regarding the game for months. Oddly enough, the game is scheduled to be released sometime between August and September. Siliconera suggests for Answer might be heavily discounted for cheap bucks due to the lack of marketing; that might actually sound bad if localization is to be sacrificed. If you're wondering even more about the game, check out the embedded trailer, and even better still, download the demo off the Japanese PS Store.
PS3Fanboy
EA released their incredibly dry Q1 financial report for investors last night. Nestled amongst the self-congratulations and expectations for the future lie some interesting numbers regarding console-specific income. Put bluntly, the PS3 is EA's largest source of income right now, and has been since the beginning of 2008. Not bad for a console Riccitiello regrets backing.
For those of you who can't get enough of numbers, here's a breakdown how much, in millions, each console brought to the EA table at the end of Q1 2008 (April - June) . Bracketed numbers show the amount of income generated during the same period last year, followed by the percentage increase. For more details, including plenty of fun tabulated data, check out the report for yourself.
PS3: 139mln (13mln, 969%)
360: 81mln (47mln, 72%)
PS2: 79mln (61mln, 30%)
Wii: 57mln (29mln, 97%)
With Warhawk now available for $30 at retail and on PSN, there's bound to be a slew of new players entering the game. Thankfully, Brady Games and the PlayStation.Blog have teamed up to create this beginner's tutorial video, showcasing all the tricks and tips any n00b will need to know. This video will help players get a grasp on flying, and will give a few hints on how to survive on the incredibly competitive Warhawk battlegrounds. Perhaps these tips will come in handy if you're trying to unlock all of Warhawk's Trophies ... whenever they come.
PS3Fanboy
An interview with Naughty Dog's Arne Meyer revealed a few details about Uncharted's upcoming Trophy patch which confirms what we've suspected all along. Trophies will be identical to the in-game rewards system ("medals"). The evidence? Arne says the game has 48 Trophies, 47 regular ones and 1 Platinum for completionists. The original game also featured 47 medals. Descriptions of certain Trophies, like killing fifty enemies in a row without dying should be familiar to those that already earned those medals. "The Trophies are tied to the medal rewards which already exist in Uncharted. The requirement to get each Trophy is exactly the same as the one for the associated medal."
Unfortunately, there is no retroactive rewards system for Uncharted. If you want Trophies, you're going to have to start all over from the beginning. "To receive Trophies in Uncharted you will have to start a brand new save game without any medals or rewards unlocked."
Also, don't expect any new content in the upcoming patch. It's all about Trophies. Expect the patch to go live in just a few more weeks.
PS3Fanboy
An unexpected treat for PS3 owners appeared on the PSN tonight. Firmware 2.42 is now available for download. We're currently in the process of downloading and installing the update, but rest assured that we'll have full details soon.
Update: The official word: "This update improves the playback quality of some PLAYSTATION 3 and PlayStation format software." A bit underwhelming? Perhaps.
Note: This will be available to download via Playstation Access A.S.A.P.
PS3Fanboy
Rockstar has just released a new trailer for their upcoming open world racing game, Midnight Club: Los Angeles. But, we have a few problems with the trailer: first, if it's a Midnight Club, shouldn't these races be taking place at night? Secondly, if this really is Los Angeles, how is a driving game possible? Shouldn't players be stuck, crawling through painful smog-filled traffic? Regardless, this should give Burnout Paradise a run for its open-world racing money.
PS3Fanboy
It was only a short time ago when Hideo Kojima and his team unleashed Metal Gear Solid 4 to the world. It's meant to be a farewell to the ten years of entertainment Snake has provided us. "One decade has passed since the release of Metal Gear Solid," Kojima explains to The Cut Scene. "I believe that fans have shared these past 10 years with Snake. The final story of Snake equals closure for these fans. Therefore, the Snake that has existed over the past 10 years could have only existed during this time."
Of course, what's next for Kojima? We don't know yet, but if it does involve some tactical espionage action, it will involve a completely different kind of character. "If there ever were to be a new Snake (might have a different name), he will be a Snake for a new era."
PS3Fanboy
7/29/2008
The site has just opened a new voting segment, Video, and sign-up option. There is also a new document about the last test subject. To visit the site click Here.
N4G
Sony, the Japanese electronics and entertainment titan, may be poised to lose its 13-year title as the world’s biggest games console maker despite a surprise jump in profits at its Playstation division.
Though currently riding high on continuing strong sales of the Playstation Portable and the recent launch of Konami’s Metal Gear Solid 4, Sony seems likely to run a close second to Nintendo by the end of year if the two companies attain their respective shipment targets.
Efforts to lower the production costs of the hefty Playstation 3 appeared to have paid off, with operating profit Y5.4 billion in the quarter as opposed to the Y29 billion loss recorded this time last year.
But the return of black ink at the games division after so many quarters in the red was small consolation to investors, after the Japanese electronics giant yesterday unveiled group-wide results which one analyst at KBC said were “not pretty, however you slice and dice them.”
The downbeat numbers follow months of apparently brightening prospects under Sir Howard Stringer – the group’s first ever non-Japanese chief executive who has spent nearly three years attempting to re-craft the company.
But yesterday’s reckoning of quarterly net profits, which took a 47 per cent year-on-year nosedive, suggests there remains a mountain to climb.
Analysts said that the numbers, which were difficult to assess properly because of changes to the way they were calculated, demonstrated Sony’s continuing vulnerability to the overall economic picture and the US and European slump.
Fund managers wincing at the group’s sharpest drop in electronics profits for two years said that it was now difficult to become bullish on Sony’s prospects because of the “visibly tightening purse-strings of the American consumer”.
A stronger yen has also taken a heavy toll on the company’s margins and higher material and shipping costs have weighed heavily on the core electronics division. The impending Beijing Olympics, much to Sony’s dismay, have yet to kick-in as a spur for Chinese consumers to buy large, high-end televisions.
For the company’s movie division, the prospects of a massive summer blockbuster on the scale of last summer’s Spiderman 3 now rest in the hands of Will Smith’s Hancock, which was released after the April-June period reported yesterday.
Performance was weak at the company’s mobile phone joint venture, Sony Ericsson, as competition from the iPhone took its toll and increasingly cash-strapped consumers in Europe shunned the sort of higher-end models in which Sony Ericsson specialises.
Sony did not add any detail to mounting speculation that it is planning to spend Y100 billion buying Bertlesmann out of a 50-50 music joint venture, known as Sony BMG - that has strong market share in various parts of the world. where Sony's core music business has gaps.
business.timesonline.co.uk
Quite a number of gamers have been eagerly anticipating the next installment of the Soulcalibur series, considering the notable quality of past iterations of the franchise. Making its debut on the current generation of platforms, Soulcalibur IV once again offers fantastical, weapons-based combat and an inspired cast of characters, which should be appetizing to fighting game enthusiasts and casual players alike. I was particularly excited to play Soulcalibur IV, especially in light of my fondness for the first Soulcalibur title. I'm pleased to say that this game is an excellent addition to the series -- despite its problems -- and should find a welcome spot in your collection.
Soulcalibur IV is a great game -- especially if you've been following and enjoying the series for the past few years. There are over 30 characters to try out (granted, some of them are clones of each other), several gorgeous stages to battle in and enough special moves to keep you memorizing commands for months. As you might expect, Soulcalibur IV also has a healthy number of modes and unlockables that will keep you thoroughly engaged, along with a new online mode that lets you challenge other Soulcalibur fanatics through the magical power of the Internet.
Soulcalibur IV boasts the standard Arcade and Story modes that will be familiar to fighting game fans. I was actually surprised that virtually every character in the game has a "story" to play through, but I was disappointed that Story mode only lasts about five rounds and you can get through a character in ten minutes or less. There aren't really any cinematics except one towards the end and many of those are repeated. What's there, however, is solid and works to give at least a marginal backdrop to the cast.
The Tower of Lost Souls is the other single-player option that gives you the chance to either ascend or descend the tower, facing challenges along the way. If you ascend the tower, you'll be able to select a "stage" or set of floors to fight through, which usually involve heavily weighted battles where you're pitted against several overpowered opponents. Fulfilling certain conditions rewards you with equipment unlocks for the fairly robust Character Creation mode and allow you to advance further up the tower.
Descending the Tower of Lost Souls is an entirely different matter. You can select two characters at the start (they'll fight tag-team style) and then you stick with those fighters through the entire affair. Each floor brings a new set of enemies that you must defeat and you receive items and goodies after clearing a certain increment of floors, like passing the 5th, 10th and 15th markers. This is only possible because the character you aren't using slowly regains health until they're tagged in, so if you keep one fighter alive long enough, the other can come in with swords blazing.
This mode is a great feature of Soulcalibur IV, though I feel as if it could've been deeper with a more fleshed out contextual narrative and a wider variety of specialty matches. Regardless, having this avenue for unlocking content is nice and will add many more hours to the experience.
A good deal of the unlocking you'll be doing in Soulcalibur IV opens up items to the Character Creation mode. Not only can you customize existing characters, including their equipment, weapons, skills and hair style (you can't change "permanent" features like body build and skin color), you can also create new characters from the ground up, though they'll act as copies of pre-existing fighters when it comes to gameplay. Being able to set up different skills works nicely, because the equipment and weapons you have set dictates how many points you can spend in certain skill categories. Say you have 70 available points in the Special category and 40 points under Impact. You can opt to equip the Auto Grapple Break A skill, which has a high chance of automatically repelling a throw if an opponent gets too close.
Acquiring these skills is governed by your Style Level, which increases as you use a character. If you use Ivy a bunch, for example, her Style Level goes up and gives you access to more skills. And the more you play the game, the more equipment you can unlock, which gives you more options for character customization. Nice.
Soulcalibur IV also has your standard Versus options to consider, which means you can jump into a quick match with either a friend or an AI opponent. I'm always thankful when a fighting game includes this option, as it's nice to get a quick couple of matches without having to start up an entire Arcade game.
The real stinger comes in the form of Soulcalibur IV's online multiplayer, which is a first for the franchise. You can face the competition through Xbox Live and the PSN with ease and participate in either ranked or unranked matches. You can even take customized characters into the online arena, which is appreciated. I played numerous online matches on both the PS3 and 360 and both ran very well, with only a few extremely brief moments of lag. Unfortunately, I can't say for sure how the game will perform once everyone jumps on the network with varying connection speeds, but what I saw handled admirably. Hopefully that will be the universal experience when everyone jumps on board.
So now with the general stuff out of the way, we can discuss some specifics. I think everyone is wondering how Darth Vader and Yoda compare. In case you're new to the party, let me fill you in: the PS3 version of Soulcalibur IV features special guest character Darth Vader, while the 360 version gets the lovable, huggable Yoda. Both versions, however, get the Apprentice, the main character from the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.
The real issue at hand is that Darth Vader feels like the only balanced character out of the three. Although the Apprentice isn't radically overpowered, some of his moves feel a bit on the absurd side. Plus, he can levitate and shoot lighting. That's tough to deal with. Yoda, on the other hand, is broken. As I feared since the first moment he was announced, Yoda's height makes him an almost ridiculous addition to the ensemble and he's quite possibly the worst thing to happen to Soulcalibur IV. Don't misunderstand: he's fun enough to play as but he's powerful, agile and, because he's so small, a surprising number of attacks go clear over his head. Furthermore, he can't be grabbed. Ever. He's completely immune to it -- even Yoda can't grab Yoda. This is a clear indication that Yoda's just there for kicks and shouldn't be taken seriously as a competitive character. He simply doesn't mesh well with the rest of the cast.
Vader, however, works just fine. He has a few fancy moves here and there but matches with and against him still felt balanced. Even though Yoda is an "inferior" character, 360 owners shouldn't be discouraged. He's just one character out of a collection of more than 30 fighters, so the experience doesn't suffer because of him. If anything, you can just elect to ignore him on the character select screen.
When it comes down to the actual combat, Soulcalibur IV feels great. Controls are extremely responsive and there's a lot of potential for mastery, considering the daunting number of moves at your disposal. Armor destruction and Critical Finishers are also great new aspects to the game. If your opponent blocks too much, there's a chance you can destroy a piece of their armor (one piece for the head, upper body and lower body) which then makes them susceptible to Critical Finishers. If you can wear down their Soul Gauge enough (a colored sphere that turns red as too many blocks are used), you can pull off a Finisher which inflicts incredible amounts of damage and looks really slick in the process. There are a lot of fantastic slow-motion moments during these finishers that need to be seen -- their style is without question.
Although some have worried that this system would be a punishment for players who actively incorporate blocking into their common techniques, it really isn't an issue. You'll only find yourself in trouble if all you do is block the entire round, which means you're in serious trouble anyway. This dynamic isn't set up as a punishment but rather adds a system to make sure that players are at least attempting to balance both offensive and defensive strategies. And the unrelenting power of Critical Finishers won't be seen often during normal matches because it's very rare that you'll fulfill all the required conditions for move execution.
Hardcore enthusiasts of the series don't need to worry, though. Fan favorites like Kilik, Taki, Voldo and Ivy return in Soulcalibur IV and play just like they always have. Although a lot of great additions have been made to Soulcalibur, the older characters still feel exactly like they should and will feel extremely familiar in the hands of series veterans.
One other note about characters: Hilde is awesome. Her design is fantastic, considering the incredible detail in her armor and the regal style of her wielding both a short sword and a lance. The personality of her character, mixed with her flashy yet effective move set, make her one of my favorite characters out of the whole ensemble. Even after considering all the unlockable characters, I still have to go with Hilde.
And while there's plenty of content to unlock, there could have been more, especially in terms of the game's beautiful illustrations. And while the included game types are great, I was also expecting Soulcalibur IV to have more modes.
Another peculiar issue I came across isn't a constant problem, but it's still troubling. After you throw an AI opponent, they seem to briefly enter an orientation state where they get their bearings before coming at you again. If you have sharp timing, you can run up and throw them yet again, and continue this until they're dead. I've cleared entire single-player campaigns just by throwing my enemies. This isn't always an issue -- harder AI opponents won't be so gullible and certain battles sport opponents equipped with the Auto Grapple Break S skill, making them immune to throws. I'm just surprised that certain matches could be so easily won. Then again, this won't bother you if you're only concern is winning...
My last problem with Soulcalibur IV is a significant one, but one that can be briefly stated. Sometimes, button mashing can get people a long way in this game. Moves are just way too easy to pull off and timing is often irrelevant as certain characters can string moves together as smoothly as water (take Maxi, for example). I suppose this makes the overall experience accessible to beginners, but it can be discouraging for hardcore fighting game fans. This isn't always the case, of course, but when some of the most powerful moves can be executed just by pushing two face buttons at the same time, there's going to be plenty of mashing going down.
Closing Comments
Despite the aforementioned concerns, Soulcalibur IV is a lot of fun and I highly recommend it, especially -- as I said before -- to fans of the series. The game runs well, looks beautiful, sports great music and obviously has enjoyable combat. The PS3 and 360 versions are just about identical (barring the differing guest characters), though I felt that the optional install on the PS3 made things feel even quicker and more polished. In the end, both are worthy members of a long- standing series and you won't be disappointed with the purchase.
Now get that soul burning!
Rating: 8.7/10
IGN
Even though Warner Brothers published titles in both HD-DVD and Blu-ray at one point, they never got around to releasing The Ultimate Matrix Collection on Blu-ray, not even after they announced they were becoming Blu-ray exclusive back in January.
That has just changed -- The Ultimate Matrix Collection is set to be released on Blu-ray on October 14th for the MSRP of $129.95. Exclusive to this Blu-ray release is a 1080p presentation of The Animatrix and a digital copy of the original The Matrix. Other extras will be the same as the HD-DVD version. You can also pre-order it here for $90.95.
PS3Fanboy
14.4 million PS3s sold as of June 30, 2008. SONY's gaming division makes profit of 51 million dollars for the Q1,2008
SONY has released their fiscal earnings figures today. According to their
earnings report around 1.56m ps3s were sold in the first quarter of 2008 taking the total tally to 14.4m. In comparison just 700,000 ps3s were sold in Q1 of last year.
SONY's gaming division made a profit of 51 million dollars for the quarter ending June 30th , 2008.
Note: To read more about Sony's fiscal earnings click here.
N4G
We have a love-hate relationship with Activision-Blizzard; we love Blizzard and their games, but really rather hate Activision. This confusing dichotomy was further cemented today with the announcement that the company is streamlining their output by holding on to a few key Sierra franchises. Namely, Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, Prototype, Ice Age and an as-yet unannounced property, leaving Tim Shafer's Brutal Legend, Ghostbusters: The Video Game, WET, and Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena abandoned at the side of the road.
However, there's still hope for these games if another publisher swoops in and picks them up. Actiblizz will also be shaking up its Sierra-based internal development studios, with plans to "realign staffing at Radical Entertainment and High Moon Studios" (Prototype and Bourne) and to explore "options regarding Massive Entertainment and Swordfish Studios" (Wold in Conflict and 50 Cent). For the full skinny check out the Yahoo Business report.
It's sad to see interesting games like Ghostbusters and, particularly, Brutal Legend get poor treatment in favor of dead franchises such as Crash Bandicoot and Spyro. It's a world gone topsy-turvy, where EA are developing interesting and innovative new IPs and Activision is "streamlining" anything that stands out in favor of safe, boring franchises.
PS3Fanboy
Playstation Access is expanding and attracting more and more viewers everyday, all thanks to you the loyal reader. We are having a limited time offer to all those people out there that would like to sell/advertise (Playstation Related) on our site for a very reasonable cost. If you are interested in this please follow this link, or just click on Advertise Here on any of our ads here and that will take to you where you need to go to purchase some ad space. This offer will be for a limited time, so take advantage of this while you can. If you have any questions, concerns or have ways to improve Playstation Access don't hesitate to message Playstation Access at anytime.
Thank You, Loyal Readers
Metal Gear Solid 4 hasn't even been out a month and a half, but according to Japanese sites, it's hitting the Sofmap "wagon sale" bargain bins where it joins the likes of Virtua Fighter 5 and SEGA's PSP brain trainer. The Konami stealth game was originally released for ¥8,800 (US$82), making it one of the pricier PS3 titles. (Expensive third party PS3 titles tend to book for around ¥7,800 or $72.) Here, what seem to be new copies of MGS4 are going for ¥3,980 ($37). We're not sure if this is an isolated Sofmap store or if other shops in the Sofmap chain are picking up on this price slashing or if this is just a Sofmap summer sale thingy. Amazon Japan has new copies going for slightly above ¥7,000, while the Special Edition is going for ¥5,980. Who knows.
What we do know is that the game sold a ton when released, already placing it in the top sellers of 2008. And it got great reviews in Japan. And it is a great game. So don't think of this as a bad thing! Even if Konami is losing money on these remaining copies, Japanese gamers have less of an excuse to pick up the title. Could help the game sell a million copies eventually. So this is all good, really.
Kotaku
Get a look at a new character, online functionality, the Soul Gauge, finishing moves, and character customization.
N4G
We have for you a very special trailer from the upcoming survival horror title Dead Space. The game itself is still on schedule for an October release, but it appears this particular trailer didn't agree so well with the ESRB -- the video has been refused approval by the ratings organization. Curiously, a previous trailer by horror director James Wan did not meet the same fate. This new Lullaby trailer involves a lot of blood and bodies, and a little, shall we say, remix of a well-known nursery rhyme. Nothing like the night for something like this, huh?
N4G
After several months of delayed deployment, it looks like Bionic Commando Rearmed is finally getting a solid release date. That fateful day for the classic remake would be Thursday, August 14. It'll be available for download on the PS Store for 10 bucks. That price is practically a steal if the game comes with the awesome theme song playing in the trailer above. Also, just for your convenience, don't get this game mixed up with Bionic Commando; they're two different games. And yes, both look fantastic.
PS3Fanboy
7/28/2008
With character creation tools in our current-gen games comes some serious character creation; most of it character re-creation. To wit, Kotaku reader CB has gone ahead and created both Raiden and Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid 2 style, to tell a tale of souls and swords eternally retold. Or something. Read this post with Soulcalibur announcer guy voice and it might make more sense.
More pics of the sneaking souls in our gallery below. We await the flood of user creations when the game officially streets in North America this week.
Kotaku
The update is supposed to drop this week (Thursday, July 31st). Other testers will not be invited until the closed BETA testers try it out first.
The update will not come as a patch, but rather a unique code sent to your email and redeemed via Account Management in your XMB.
HOME will then be part of the XMB rather than under the GAME section on your XMB.
PS3News
So, it's finally here. The definitive weapons-based fighter is back and we've been lucky enough to get an early taste of all the steel-clashing action. We've been practicing our combat skills over the weekend and have sunk a good amount of time into the PS3 version. So, want to know what our first few hours were like? Want to know answers to those questions burning in the back of your mind, like: Is the install worth it? What's up with rumble? If you're planning to pick up Soulcalibur IV tomorrow, you'll want to read on.
First up, let's discuss the install. The most important piece of information is that it is completely optional. There's no need to install, but it certainly doesn't hurt to go ahead and do it anyway -- it's only 2.6GB and will only take about 10 minutes of your time. You can install/uninstall from the options menu. The most noticeable area that benefits from the install is the load time for loading the fighting stage. Without it, you'll have to wait roughly 30 seconds on average for the stage to load up; with it, you save some time as it only takes less than 10 seconds for a stage to load. Another area is in character creation mode where character models will take several seconds to load without the install; they will load almost instantaneously with the install.
Now, let's talk about rumble. Yes, there is no rumble in the PS3 version, but this exclusion isn't really detrimental to the gameplay experience. The lack of rumble is hardly noticeable; we've been enjoying the game for several hours before we even found out that the controller wasn't rumbling. We were too busy checking out the new combat elements such as destructible equipment and critical finish.
Speaking of which, equipment and weapons can give bonuses to a character in story mode and in special versus battles. Targeting an area (high, mid, low) may cause a piece of armor to break making the character lose their bonus. The effects of equipment destruction, while tactical, also has a nice visual appearance. You can see some pieces literally break off and even remain on the fighting stage floor. The fighting overall is just fast and fluid and plays a lot like Soulcalibur II.
Character creation is a pretty meaty section. You have up to 50 slots for created characters or modifications of current characters (meaning canon characters with special weapons and equipment). Character creation is a good mode, but we do have a slight problem with it. The menus are a tad cumbersome as you'll have to go shuffle through several before getting to where you need to go.
Online multiplayer is a standard affair. There are ranked and unranked matches. An interesting bit is that you can host unranked matches with up to four players. This means that only two players fight at a time, while the others watch and wait their turn; it' not two-on-two battles. There is a lag at times; of course it depends on who you're playing against. You'll see a signal strength bar on various screens letting you know who has the best connectivity, so you could most likely avoid that problem if you pick and choose your opponent.
So what about Vader? He's pretty good, although he is pretty slow. The Apprentice, however, is wickedly fast. Vader is available right from the get go, and you'll need to unlock The Apprentice by using Vader in Arcade mode. The five anime-designed characters are unlocked by defeating them in Story mode. We're just laying out that information in case anyone wants some help completing their character collection -- you can collect them all in a day, really.
On a minor note, the game has already been patched (v1.01). It's a small install at 16MB. Anyway, that's it for now. We're still going to try out some of the other areas. If you've got any questions, just leave us a comment and we'll try to answer it.
What would the Home space for Buzz! look like? Well, that's the task Cumron Ashtiani was given to figure out. The designer took more than just the visual look of the popular PlayStation trivia game -- no, he added a great level of interactivity which adds to the game experience. Within the Buzz! Home space, players will be able to take part of trivia games en masse. A question appears on a virtual screen and four choices appear. Players must move their avatars over the correct answer space or experience certain death!
Adding different kinds of gameplay to Home certainly looks intriguing. If only it would release to the public at large ... then we'd be able to try out these innoative ideas for ourselves.
PS3Fanboy
Geometry Wars is generally considered to be the jewel in the Xbox Live Arcade crown, but if a comment made to 1Up by Bizarre Creation's games manager, Craig Howard, are to be believed we could be seeing it coming to the PSN in the future. While Geometry Wars wasn't specifically mentioned as being planned for the PlayStation Network, Howard did mention that the PSN is "definitely in our company plans going forward," while Geometry Wars 2 remains an Xbox 360 exclusive. "Currently."
We're always excited to hear about more content coming to the PSN, so whether Bizzare Creations are planning on porting Geometry Wars 1 or 2 over or whether they're planning something entirely different, we'll happily grab it. Hopefully we find out something concrete sooner, rather than later
PS3Fanboy
Did you know? Greatest Hits games go on sale starting today in America. For only $30, you'll be able to pick up any of these nine games:
Warhawk
MotorStorm
Resistance: Fall of Man
Call of Duty 3
Need for Speed Carbon
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Ninja Gaiden Sigma
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
Assassin's Creed
But which of these games should you buy? Don't worry, we've done the research for you. Check out our Buyer's Guide to see recommendations, and which online retailers currently have these budget games in stock.
PS3Fanboy
Still waiting for Alone in the Dark? Is a release date of autumn 2008 too vague for you? Not to worry, Eurogamer just got official word from Atari that Alone in the Dark for the PS3 will be arriving in November. Obviously, Eurogamer reports on European release dates, but since Alone in the Dark for the PS2/360/Wii launched in the US four days after the European release date, we are assuming the US will get the game in November as well.
Hopefully, we'll see some of that episodic content to make up for the time PS3 owners had to wait. Or did the five-month delay (coupled with hilariously bad reviews) cause any disinterest?
PS3Fanboy
Reaching Episode 6 means you’re halfway through completing the game and tying up all the knots of the story. Episode 5 left us hanging when Sam and Melissa are in pursue of Bella while Howard and Miyako are facing trouble on their way to escaping the village. With Amana getting her memories back, what dangers does that entail, and how is she involved with what’s going on in the village?
Episode 6 will take you to first control Howard in the mining area where Sam was first found in Episode 2. The environment is set in daylight, but don’t think it will be scary at all. You’ll be exploring deep into the underground mine, and you’ll have to rely on Howard’s flashlight at all times when you’re down there. Follow the map if you want to complete this episode in less than 15 minutes.
After Howard’s mission, you’ll have to control Bella. This is the most disappointing mission because all you have to do is guide her to the church to meet her parents. I’ve finished this mission in less than three minutes. So If I were to combine the total play time of both Howard’s and Bella’s mission, Episode 6 will roughly take 10-15 minutes.
When it comes to a scare factor, the only time I get the feel of the game is when I am in the underground mine, chasing the pursuer. Bella’s mission didn’t make me feel scared. It’s mediocre because all I had to do is try to run into the church.
Episode 6’s plot is getting interesting, but the main disappointment is how short this episode is. Since we’re six episodes away to the finale of the game, the twists are becoming weirder and weirder. Hopefully in the next episode, the scare factor continues and the gameplay length for each episode is at least 30 minutes.
SCORING BREAKDOWN
Episode – 7.9/10
It’s becoming more complicated! Is this a dream or a reality? What is Amana’s purpose in the game?
Scare Factor – 7.5/10
Average. You’ll only get the scare factor feeling when you’re in the underground mine and that’s it.
Game Length – 6.9/10
One of the shortest episodes. It only took me 10-15 minutes to complete this episode.
Overall – 7.4/10
Episode 6 was not something I expected. It’s a mediocre episode. They’ve added some questions to the end that might either annoy you or confuse you.
GamersPlatform
A new PlayStation 3 console was approved by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission last week, according to the agency's online filings database.
No information on the new model, number CECHL01, is available at present from the filing because Sony was granted short-term confidentiality on the papers but it is likely the 80G-byte version announced earlier this month during the E3 games show in Los Angeles. The console is due on sale in the next couple of months and will replace the current 40G-byte model.
Sony's filing to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission was made because the FCC is the radio regulator in the U.S. and as such all new products that use radio must be submitted to the organization for approval before they can be sold.
The PlayStation 3 includes both 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
PCWorld
For those who doubt mind knowing the ending to this game or just don't intend on purchasing it and just want to know the ending well here it is.YouTube user zookeeper52591's channel has every single ending to Soul Calibur IV. I'm not quite sure how long these will last on the actual profile cause sooner or later they will eventually get reported and banned.
Note: This is the same person that brought you all those GTA gameplay videos days before the game was actually released to the public.
In a beneficial turn of events for the home entertainment industry, Blu-ray sales continue to rise drastically despite the staggering U.S. economy.
As DVD sales decline, Blu-ray has been filling in the gap, generating more than $200 million in the first half of 2008. This is in stark contrast to the same point last year, where Blu-ray earnings were less than 33% of current figures.
“We are trending 8% Blu-ray sales [per title], and at the end of the year, we will be between 10% and 12%," stated Mike Dunn of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
Lori MacPherson, general manager for Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, North America contributed her thoughts.
“I think people are becoming pickier on what they spend their money on, but home entertainment always represents a good value. Thirty dollars for a Blu-ray movie that you can watch over and over again is still a great value,” she commented.
As Blu-ray production costs begin to drop, savings will be passed on to consumers and, in return, Blu-ray will take an even more prominent place in people's homes. With HDTV penetration higher than ever, Blu-ray may very well overtake DVD prior to 2012, the previously accepted prediction.
PSU
7/27/2008
NCAA 08 marked the first “real” attempt at improving the gameplay mechanics on the next generation systems, but it did nothing groundbreaking by any means. Sure, the graphics were improved, but the gameplay still felt like NCAA 06 on the PS2. In recent years, fans have begun calling EA lazy and not improving the game as much as they could. That can no longer be said with the release of NCAA 09. This year’s version improves upon everything 08 did in nearly every way and even features more game modes than ever before.
The most apparent change in NCAA 09 is by far the graphics and animations. The players are much more refined and realistic than in previous iterations and the fields they play on look as spectacular as they do. Snow no longer looks like a white sheet copy and pasted on top of the field and the rain no longer makes your player fumble the ball every other play. The player models do look phenomenal, but it appears some things did get overlooked when they were being redesigned. The crowd, while impressive at first, quickly loses their flare and looks more like soulless demons praising all that is holy – football. Are we in Ohio? I kid!
Before I start talking about anything else let me say something…the animations MAKE this game. While the gameplay has been improved none of it would be possible without the new animations system. Players now move and jump around before kick-offs, celebrate with other players and mascots after touchdowns, and just have a much more realistic nature about them. Most importantly, players can now go in and out of animations whenever you so choose. Get halfway through a spin move and decide a juke would be best? Go ahead! This may leave your back open to a big hit and a fumble, but to pull off that Heisman worthy play the risk is sometimes worth the rewards.
Surprisingly, the new animations allow for some pretty spectacular passing plays as well as running plays. Veteran quarterbacks will find themselves doing many things that, until this point, they had only dreamed of. With correct timing it is now very easy to toss the ball over the cornerback’s head and into the hands of your receiver for a touchdown on those goal line plays. Deep passes can now be accomplished, which were nearly impossible in NCAA 08, and I even pulled off a few Hail Mary’s in my time with the game. One thing that did bother me about the new animations, however, was the reaction of the players not only on your bench, but your opponent’s bench. As you race toward the end zone on that game winning touchdown your bench will throw their hands up in the air, nearly simultaneously, in celebration. The odd thing about this is that the player’s on the opposite team will do this too. Who knows? Maybe sportsmanship is something that happens every day on the collegiate level…then again, maybe not.
As mentioned early, the biggest addition to the gameplay is the ability to break in and out of animations, but the improvements don’t stop there. EA has brought back home field advantage and it can have some pretty interesting effects on your players. On third down and fourth down plays the crowd will get louder than ever and mess with the head of your quarterback. It won’t be long before your quarterback forgets what button each receiver is associated with, their routes will become nothing more than shaky lines, and sometimes they can even forget their routes all together. Even the most experienced quarterbacks are susceptible to these moments, let alone a rookie quarterback. Whenever your basket case of a quarterback finally throws an interception you will be presented with five pictures of the defense and three different defensive plays. From this point you must review the pictures in a limited amount of time and choose which play they ran. Guess correctly and your quarterback will gain a valuable piece of his composer back. Guess incorrectly and your quarterback will continue to be a nervous wreck. Also, all of the game mechanics from previous years, such as the pitch, are still there and work tighter than ever thanks to the new animation system.
No presentation is complete, however, without an impressive showing in the sound department. While NCAA 09 may not deserve an A+ it is certainly more than just acceptable. The hits sound as realistic as ever and the 90,000+ fans screaming will rattle you as much as your quarterback. Sadly, EA has decided to bring back the same commentators as last year, and I know what you are about to ask. Yes, they are as bad as they were last year. For some reason, unknown to me, Corso manages to get under my skin in a way no other announcer can. I would rather listen to John Madden than this guy.
EA has also provided plenty of modes to experiment with all the different gameplay tweaks. The fan favorite, Mascot Mash-Up, is back and is as entertaining as ever. There is just something about watching a gator doing a front flip at four in the morning that never loses its pizzazz. Football themed mini-games such as bowling, tug-of-war, and horse all make an appearance and provide nice ways to pass the time if you don’t have enough to play a full game. Superstar mode is back, but not much has changed since NCAA 08. You progress the same way you did in previous titles and whatever positions you couldn’t be in 08 you still can’t be in 09. They did improve the coaching AI though. Coaches will now keep you on the field during fourth down plays when it is too long for a field goal, but too short for a punt. It isn’t much, but it’s a welcome change that should have come two years ago. Pretty much the same can be said for Dynasty mode. The only thing that has really changed is that you can have two players on the same team in this year’s version. Other than that, don’t expect anything different from the Superstar or Dynasty mode. After all, why fix something that’s not broken?
One thing fans have been screaming for since the conception of the franchise is online dynasties and it has finally made its way to this year’s version. Up to twelve friends can compete in a league with each other for an astounding sixty years. The creator of the league instantly becomes the commissioner and will need to get on at least once a day to make sure everything is going as it should. No games being restarted, making sure everyone is ready to advance the week, and informing everyone when the week has advanced. All of the recruiting from Dynasty mode is still intact and brings a new competitiveness to getting that number one prospect.
The thing I was very relieved about was during my two online seasons I had almost little to no lag. The players respond the way they do in single player, and they don’t feel like they are moving a second later than they should. I would have really liked to join a league with someone I didn’t know or some long-time veterans of the franchise, but sadly you are only able to invite and join leagues that you or your friends have made. Also, when the commissioner progresses to the next week a notice is NOT sent out to the other members, so the commissioner must then take it upon himself to inform everyone else of when he has advanced the week. All in all, the online dynasties are great and were my favorite part of the game even when I was the commissioner.
NCAA 09 may have its share of problems, but EA has done an excellent job of improving nearly every aspect of the game and improving just the overall presentation. I’m looking forward to the coming years of the franchise to see what unique directions they take when improving the gameplay. The new animations have already opened a lot of doors, but the potential of it is far from being tapped. At the end of the day, if you’ve never liked football games this one probably won’t change your mind, but if you’re an avid fan or just wanting to get your feet wet with a little football, then this is the best the industry has to offer at the time.
9/10
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