PSPSPS: All the latest news and reviews you'll need for your PS3, including the latest Sony PS3 games, Blu-ray updates and Sony Home gossip (via Mowser)

LittleBigPlanet beta levels will survive into retail

If you've been toiling away making virtual obstacle courses in the LittleBigPlanet beta, then take heart: it's been announced that user-created levels will be transferrable to the full game. As long as you've created and published your level, it will be available for download when the game hits stores on the 24th of October.

Which is a good thing really. LittleBigPlanet was always going to be a difficult concept to market, and having a large number of beta keys available is an excellent way of marketing the product, as well as providing feedback. Being able to continue with your content with the full retail product is a smart way of trying to make sure that as many beta players splash out on the finished game as possible. I'm hoping that LittleBigPlanet sells well. The concept sounds complicated, but at the end of the day it's just so much fun to play that it'd be a shame if it didn't get the recognition it deserved.

via CVG

Posted by Chris Cornwell on October 10, 2008 4:10 PM in Games
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Quantum Theory trailer, details

Well, here's the first video of Quantum Theory, a game that is being described by Tecmo's Makoto Shibata as japan's answer to Gears of War. Inspiration is fair enough, but it does seem a little worrying how close the game comes to looking like Gears of War, with its muted colour palette, burly men doing manly thing, and cover mechanics. Still, Shibata told Joystiq that the game will feature "shape-shifting" environments in the tower in which the game is set- there's definitely potential in there for some cool gameplay mechanics. No news yet on when it we could see this arrive, although it's been confirmed as an exclusive for PS3.

via Joystiq

Posted by Chris Cornwell on October 10, 2008 4:05 PM in Games
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Castlevania coming for PS3, Xbox 360

Konami has announced that a new Castlevania game is on the cards for PS3 and Xbox 360. Unfortunately, that's pretty much all the news that's been released, with no indication yetof whether the game will be a full release or budget title and whether it'll be in three or two dimensions.

I'm sort of hoping that we'll see a 2D iteration. The series has experimented a few times with the third dimension, both on the N64 and PS2. To be honest, it's not been as disastrous as Sonic's jump into 3D, but it still feels a bit weak. The games are good, but they're competing with very accomplished action titles like Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden. They work, but they don't feel like they've got as much character as some of the excellent 2D iterations we've seen for the DS. More news on this as soon as we get any.

via Kotaku

Posted by Chris Cornwell on October 10, 2008 4:01 PM in Games
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Resistance 2 to feature cunning Resistance PSP synergy

Sony's announced that upcoming Resistance 2 and PSP title Resistance: Retribution will feature some cunning PSP/PS3 synergy. Hooking up your PSP will let you unlock an extra mode called Infected. Set place in an (alternate ) alternate history where Grayson becomes a Specter and suffers from an odd strain of the Chimeran virus that gives him the ability to regenerate health and breath underwater. He'll also get a Resistance 2 gun and be able to unlock plasma grenades for himself.

Also included is a PSP Plus mode, which will let you control the PSP title using a DualShock 3. This'll include rumble and make aiming easier, but the game will increase in difficulty and take away aim assistance. To activate, simply plug in the PSP via USB, and select "Infect my PSP."

The unlockable content is a neat idea, but there isn't anything particularly different to having the content unlockable via a downloadable code. Playing the game with the DualShock 3 seems a little pointless, given the PSP's main appeal is its portability. Still, it might appeal to some hardcore Resistance fans.

PlayStation Blog via Eurogamer

Posted by Chris Cornwell on October 10, 2008 12:57 AM in Games
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Valkyria Chronicles Demo out on PSN, title due Oct 31st in PAL territories

A whole slew of content has gone up on PSN, tying in with the announceamathon over at TGS. The more eagle eyed among you may have spotted that a Valkyria Chronicles demo has just appeared. It features a couple of playable levels for the strategy RPG title. The game's release date's been moved up, with the title now due to hit shelves in PAL territories on October 31st.

I'm hoping that it'll live up to its potential. The graphics look fabulous, really giving the impression of a 2D anime cartoon. With graphics so often geared towards depicting increasingly grim futuristic dystopias, it's nice to see something that just looks really bright and colourful. With a spot of luck, the gameplay and plot won't be too bad either.

Posted by Chris Cornwell on October 10, 2008 12:51 AM in Games
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Tekken 6 gets release date... and multiformat release

Namco Bandai has just announced that Tekken 6 will come in Autumn 2009. In a first for the series, the game will also appear on a non-Sony console, with an Xbox 360 release also planned for Autumn.

Given the increasing costs of development for next-gen platforms, it's not exactly surprising that Namco Bandai decided to go for a multiplatform release. The Xbox 360 and PS3 have far more equal user bases than the Xbox and PS3. Sadly for PS3 owners, it makes sense that they'd want to get the title into as many homes as possible. Still, on the upside, it's unlikely that Tekken 6 will be the console defining release that previous iterations were. Beat 'em ups are a difficult genre to upgrade for the next-gen, and Tekken titles have often been more about incremental updates rather than sweeping changes. Fun for the fans, but it probably won't have the same wide appeal it once did.

Posted by Chris Cornwell on October 10, 2008 12:48 AM in Games| Rivals
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No PS3 price cut planned, says Sony

Speaking to Edge, Sony has stated it has no plans to cut the price of the PS3 this Christmas. Speaking to Edge, director of corporate communications at Sony Compter Entertainment America Patrick Seybold said that ""As previously discussed we aren't making any price moves this holiday season."

"In my opinion, we have the best line up of any PlayStation generation going into this holiday and consumers will be very receptive to it," he added.

This isn't good news if this is true. While the PS3's got a few exclusive titles planned for this Christmas, there's a distinct lack of flagship titles. LittleBigPlanet is great fun, but it's an original IP that's quite a hard concept to market. Resistance 2 is also looking promising, but the first one failed to be the definitive PS3 shooter that Sony were hoping for. Especially with a slew of multiformat games coming out, it's likely that a lot of people will turn to the 360, which retails for less than half the price. Of course, there's still a good chance a price cut is planned. The last thing that Sony would do is tell people, given that everyone would stop buying PS3s until the price cut happened.

Edge via CVG

Posted by Chris Cornwell on October 8, 2008 3:56 PM in
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Sony releasing 80GB PS3s in Japan

Sony is planning on releasing the 80GB PS3 in Japan for the same price as the current 40GB model, according to a report in Famitsu. The console would be priced at 39,800 yen and would come bundled with a DualShock 3. For a limited time, the bundle will repotedly come bundled with GT5 Prologue Spec 3. There's also a LittleBigPlanet PS3 bundle planned, which will come with the two Dualshock controllers and a copy of the game. That's due to retail for 44,980 yen. You'll also be able to get LBP in a bundle with a PS3 dualshock controller for 7,980 yen, saving more than 3,500 yen.

It's unsurprising. Sony's been getting a bit of a drubbing in Japan over the last few weeks, with Xbox 360 hardware sales overtaking PS3 sales in the traditionally PlayStation dominated territory. Sony's going to have to combat the recent price cut of the 360 in the region, as well as try to push its exclusive games harder. Given the social dimension to LBP, bundling the game with a controller is a nice touch.

via IGN

Posted by Chris Cornwell on October 8, 2008 3:50 PM in Games
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Tecmo set to announce new PS3 shooter at TGS

Tecmo's slated to announce a new PS3 shooter, Quantum Theory, at the Tokyo Game Show later this week. The title will apparently star a hero by the name of Sid, who is apparently going to be a "dark hero" and "black destroyer." Hmm, sounds dangerously like we could have another brooding anime-esque anti-hero on our hands.

Tecmo's probably best known for Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive, both games with a focus on gameplay over plot. It's especially confusing in the case of Dead or Alive, which features surprisingly well produced cutscenes which are almost completely nonsensical at times. Of course, both originated from designer Itagaki, who's now left Tecmo. Whether this latest shooter offering will follow the same pattern remains to be seen.

Famitsu via Eurogamer and Kotaku

Posted by Chris Cornwell on October 8, 2008 3:45 PM in Games
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Media Molecule co-founder on LittleBigPlanet control issues

Media Molecule co-founder Mark Healy has confessed that the control system for the game annoys him, but insists that the controls can be refined. "The Z (axis) movement is an incredibly hard thing for us to get right" he said, speaking to Eurogamer. "There's times when it annoys me actually, but we can work on that if we want, and refine it."

I can see where he's coming from. One of the few things that stuck out when we had an opportunity to preview it was that the semi-3D gameplay element seemed a little unecessary, with the game playing more like a normal 2D platformer. Still, perhaps there's more justification for it later on in the game. The good news is that LittleBigPlanet is looking very good indeed. It looks unusual, but it's just undeniably fun to pick up and play. Definitely want to watch for.

via Eurogamer

Posted by Chris Cornwell on October 7, 2008 5:39 PM in Games
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Sony Online Entertainment's future MMOs to appear on consoles

Sony Online Entertainment has announced that all of its future MMOs are due to appear on consoles. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that means the PS3, for the foreseeable future. SOE are the bods behind famous MMO everquest, and are currently hard at work developing upcoming espionage MMO The Agency.

It's unsurprising. There's an awful lot of money to be made out of the subscription model that's standard for MMOs, but no developer's yet managed to sucessfully move the genre from the PC. MMOs as they are now just don't work that well on consoles. They feature too many macros, menus, too much chatting, and are very stat heavy. There's definitely room for a really good MMO in the console market, but it would have to be utterly different. The Agency looks promising in that regard, featuring FPS gameplay, but there's still no indication of when we might see it appear for consoles.

MTV Multiplayer Blog via PS3Fanboy

Posted by Chris Cornwell on October 7, 2008 5:35 PM in Games| PlayStation Network
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FIFA '09 tops UK sales charts

A fairly predictable turnout for the UK charts this week, with FIFA '09 dominating the top spot. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is still doing surprisingly well, managing an eminently respectable second place. Brothers-in-Arms: Hell's Highway also did alright, climbing up a position to achieve fourth place. Good to see a week where the top three games aren't dominated by Wii and DS releases.

From here on in, the release schedule for the PS3 is looking pretty packed. Lucasarts' terrain deforming blaster Fracture's due to hit shelves on the tenth, with Saints Row 2 coming out the week after. Far Cry 2 and Dead Space are both due to debut on the 24th and Fallout 3 is making an appearance on October 31st. November and December are looking pretty packed as well, with Tomb Raider, Prince of Persia, and Resistance 2 due out. It's probably going to be a bit much to be honest. A shame we couldn't see more games released in the rather dry summer, rather than packed into a pre-Christmas rush.

Posted by Chris Cornwell on October 7, 2008 5:26 PM in Games
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European debut of Eternal Sonata PS3 dated

Japanese RPG Eternal Sonata will arrive in February of 2009 in Europe. The PS3 version is getting some new content, including new playable characters, multiple endings, and exclusive battles and quests. The game's rather original story follows the last hours in the life of Frederic Chopin, as he wonders through a fantasy world of his own imagining.

The debut on the Xbox 360 got a pretty respectable critical reception, with the graphics singled out for special praise. Unless the conversion to PS3 is really mishandled - rare for an RPG- it should be a solid release. Especially compared to its predecessor, the PS3's a little lacking in JRPGs at the moment, but with Eternal Sonata out next year, not to mention Valkyria Chronicles in a few weeks and Final Fantasy looming in the horizon, the JRPG library is expanding.

Posted by Chris Cornwell on October 6, 2008 6:19 PM in
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Mega Man 9 DLC coming this Thursday

If for some reason you've already managed to defeat the hard-as-nails retro styled release Mega Man 9, then you might be interested in a couple of bits of DLC headed to PS3s this Thursday. The first is a pack aptly titled Endless Attack, a survival mode that see you besieged by scores of bad guys until your inevitable demise. The other pack will add a new playable character, the awesome Protoman. He'll come packing a bullet bouncing shield, but will also take double damage compared to Mega Man.

I suspect that it'll sell quite well. Mega Man 9 was squarely aimed at the hardcore gaming crowd, gamers who took pleasure in mastering pixel perfect jumps and memorising length boss tactics. On the whole, that's the target audience of DLC- more dedicated players. No news yet on what price we can expect the packs to go for.

via Kotaku

Posted by Chris Cornwell on October 6, 2008 6:17 PM in Games
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Satirical shooter Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard announced

Futuristic third person shooter Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard's just been announced by D3Publisher and Vicious Cycle software. Before you file it away in the legions of other similarly themed shoot 'em ups that we've seen in recent years, it's worth noting that the title aims to be a parody of the genre. It's written by Dave Ellis, the chap behind Dead Head Fred. Gameplay features include a "point and cover" system and will feature " different interactive melee moves," although what that means I have no idea. It's due for release in the first quarter of next year and you can see the rather fantastic Matt Hazard fansite here.

The genre's in dire, dire need of parody, and I really hope that Eat Lead works out well. It's tough to get humour in video games right. Games not only have to be funny, but be engaging and fun the play in their own regard. Many that we've seen recently - The Simpsons game is a prime example of this- feature great writing, but lousy gameplay. Still, hopefully we'll get to see more soon.

via Joystiq

Posted by Chris Cornwell on October 3, 2008 5:23 PM in Games
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Change! No more saving with typewriters in Resident Evil 5

No-one quite knows why using typewriters in Resident Evil saved the game. It was just one of those gaming conveniences that you accepted, along with item boxes that magically transported every item you held to every other item box in the world. But it's not the case any longer, with Resident Evil 5 producer Jan Takeuchi revealing that we can say goodbye to the trademark typewriters.

"Actually, I really like typewriters; they're really typical of the Resident Evil series" he said, speaking to 1UP. "But this time, the save system will be a combination of checkpoints and chapters."

This is a good idea. The recent entries in the Resident Evil series have been more about linearity and judging by Takeuchi's comments, it's a trend that Resident Evil 5 looks set to continue. For this type of game, checkpointing just makes an awful lot more sense.

1UP via Kotaku

Posted by Chris Cornwell on October 3, 2008 5:12 PM in Games
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Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars is gold, heading to PSN

The rather wordily titled Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars has just gone gold and is due to make an appearance on October the 9th. As you might have guessed from the title, the game features the titular rocket-powered cars racing across a track and hitting jumps ramps. While airborne, you'll be able to perform a plethora of acrobatic stunts. There's also the football inspired BattleBall Arena mode, and you'll be able to save, edit and upload in-game clips to YouTube. No word on pricing yet.

It sounds really promising, a nice concept that could sit very well on the more casual end of the PSN spectrum. I really like the idea of being able to upload clips to YouTube. Especially if the physics are well implemented enough, it could prove to be popular. Of course, all this rather hinges on the game being good, but the concept sounds promising.

Posted by Chris Cornwell on October 3, 2008 5:00 PM in
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Second episode of Penny Arcade Adventures goes gold

Episode Two of Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness has apparently just gone gold. PC digital download sets the price of the title at $14.95, and apparently we can except a similar pricing for the PSN version. The game's slated to arrive sometime this Autumn. If the first game's anything to go by, we're in for an Action RPG title with plenty of the trademark Penny Arcade humour.

The first episode got received surprisingly well, with most reviews agreeing that the game had managed to keep the feel of the comic. It's good to see more substantial content on PSN. There's an awful lot of potential for episodic gaming in the service and we've already seeing series like Ratchet and Clank and Siren experiment successfully with the model. There are definitely gamers looking for deeper standalone games and with any luck this model of episodic releasing is something we'll see more and more of in future.

Posted by Chris Cornwell on October 2, 2008 10:36 PM in Games
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Geon available on the PSN

Geon is available now on the PSN. The title sees you controlling a small cube rolling around collecting small pellets on a see-through platform. You can roll on both sides of the platform and it's a competitive title, with the first player to collect pellets and land in a goal area winning. It's an enhanced version of the 360 release, supporting up to four players online, sporting high-definition 1080p graphics, as well as 12 trophies and redesigned levels.

The 360 version isn't a bad game, featuring a nice arcade style pick up and play sensibility. It does have a rather confusing emotion theme running through it, with players selecting different emotions that'll give them special powers. Problem is, all of the emotions boil down to special abilities, leaving you wondering why developer Strawdog decided to implement this slightly non-sequitur theme. It' s not a classic, but it's not fundamentally broken either, perhaps just a little run of the mill and lacking in depth. Guess we'll get to find out soon if the enhancements manage to improve the game much.

Posted by Chris Cornwell on October 2, 2008 10:26 PM in Games
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Resistance 2 beta registration is open

If you want to signup to access the Resistance 2 beta, the time is now. Registration for the beta of the much anticipated shooter has gone live over at beta.myresistance.net. You simply have to sign in with your PSN account, fill in a short survey, and then cross your fingers. The alternate reality FPS is currently slated to arrive on November the 28th in Europe.

Sony's got a fair bit riding on this one. The first title was one of the big launch title exclusives, but met with a positive, but not fantastic reception. Exclusive shooter Haze failed to impress the critics. The PS3's library is conspicuously lacking a really good exclusive shooter. Killzone 2 looks graphically impressive, but isn't due out until next year. A really good critical reception of Resistance 2 could really help shift PS3s this Christmas, especially if coupled with a hardware price cut.

via Kotaku

Posted by Chris Cornwell on October 2, 2008 10:00 PM in
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Bomberman Ultra headed to PSN in Winter

It had to happen sooner or later- Hudson's Bomberman is headed to the PSN. The title's dubbed Bomberman Ultra and will feature 8-player online battles, 4-player local battles, customisable Bomberman characters, and 14 different arenas. It's scheduled to launch worldwide sometime this winter.

On the one hand, you could criticise it for being an easy release. Despite all of Hudson's (often regrettable) attempts to update it, the Bomberman franchise has remained unchanged for more than a decade. On the other hand, the concept just works so well. I'm not sure about how the online play will work, with part of the fun for me being the glee of seeing the anguished looks on your fallen foes' faces. But as a fun, casual party game it's difficult to have too much against it.

Posted by Chris Cornwell on October 1, 2008 3:42 PM in Games| PlayStation Network
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EA cancels Tiberium

Command and Conquer spinoff Tiberium has been cancelled by EA for not meeting standards. In an internal memo apparently sent around the development team and reproduced at Kotaku, Mike Verdu of EA writes "...we have reached the conclusion that given the time and resources remaining, we will not be able to deliver this product to an appropriate level of quality." He goes on to later write that "Moving forward, we need to make sure this doesn't happen again. I believe we are already doing a better job of engineering success in from the start. The quality bar has been raised. Now we need to step up our focus on great design and execution, catching any problems early and correcting them quickly." You can read the full note here.

Squad-based FPS Tiberium was going to go up against a lot of really good squad-based games on the PS3, with tactics heavy Rainbow Six: Las Vegas games setting the bar for next-gen squad shooters. Especially given that most of Command and Conquer's followers would likely have gotten to know the series on PC, marketing it on console would have been tough if the gameplay wasn't up to scratch. Given the competition, if Tiberium wasn't going to make a big impact gameplay wise, EA made the right decision to cancel it.

via Kotaku

Posted by Chris Cornwell on October 1, 2008 3:37 PM in Games
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Brett Ratner slated to direct God of War movie

Hmm. Brett Ratner will be directing the God of War flick. The movie's still in the early stages of pre-production, with Road to Perdition writer David Self writing the screenplay. God of War's David Jaffe is happy with the choice, saying that he "I really like Red Dragon, I really like the first Rush Hour, I actually really like X-Men 3. I'm not one of these Ratner haters who says, 'Oh the guy can't direct,' - I think he makes really entertaining movies... I'm happy with the choice of Brett Ratner."

X-Men 3 didn't really do it for me. It just felt a little overloaded, with an awful lot happening in a short space of time without much of a focus. Still, that's just my opinion and directors do surprise you sometimes. I thought Underworld 1 and 2 were pretty daft flicks, but Len Wiseman's take on Die Hard was really pretty respectable. At least they didn't get McG on to make it.

via Eurogamer, UGO and VG247

Posted by Chris Cornwell on October 1, 2008 3:34 PM in Games
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Max Payne 3 development rumour surfaces again

Yet another rumour indicates that Max Payne 3 is in development internally at Rockstar. The latest issue of magazine Xbox World 360 backs up earlier claims that Remedy are too busy working on Alan Wake and that development is being undertaken by Rockstar Toronto, the devs behind The Warriors. If that's the case, then I suspect that we'd get a multiformat release.

This makes sense to me. The -surprisingly decent looking- film is definitely going to get some interest back up in franchise. With next-gen development cycles being what they are, I can't really see Remedy working on it and having it ready this side of 2011. If Rockstar were to take advantage of the film, they'd have to get someone else to work on it. On the upside, if it's true, Rockstar Toronto's The Warriors got pretty well received and we might get to see this game sometime in the next year.

via CVG

Posted by Chris Cornwell on September 30, 2008 9:53 PM in Games
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DLC coming to Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Lucasarts has announced that a slew of DLC is coming out for The Force Unleashed. New costumes will appear for the single-player ca,paign, featuring Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Kit Fisto. Also planned is an extra single-player campaign level, set in the Jedi Temple at Corsucant. Apparently it'll see the main character learning more about his dad "while searching through the rubble of the destroyed building he must confront his inner demons."

I don't really see the point in the skins, but the new level sounds like a good idea. The primary appeal for Force Unleashed for me was the plot. The levels were a bit bland, rarely offering anything that challenging or new, but the production values and the plot were both superb. The DLC sounds like it plays to the games strengths, fleshing out some of the stuff that was hinted at in the game. I don't know if it's enough of a lure to put up with gameplay that was beginning to feel very old by towards the end of the game, but it's a good idea nonetheless.

via Joystiq

Posted by Chris Cornwell on September 30, 2008 9:49 PM in Games
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Valkyria Chronicles gets release date, demo

It's been confirmed that Valkyria Chronicles will be coming to PS3s on 14th of October. Not only that, but a demo's going up on the PSN on the 9th of October, which'll include a couple of early levels for you to try. The game's set in an alternate 1930s Europe, where the country of resource rich Gallia has come under attack from the East European Imperial Alliance. You'll control a group of Gallian nationals tasked with turning back the invasion, with the gameplay split between a turn based overhead map view and individual combat.

This looks to be exactly the type of game that the PS3 is in need of. Despite selling poorly in Japan, the 360's managed to get a few solid RPG titles on the system, with games like Lost Odyssey and Inifinite Undiscovery. Games like this should help provide a little competition now that Final Fantasy XIII's gone multiplatform.

Posted by Chris Cornwell on September 30, 2008 9:46 PM in Games
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First review of Silent Hill: Homecoming is not good

A snippet and score from the first review of Silent Hill: Homecoming is in, posted from Official Xbox Magazine over at Metacritic. The outlook? Not good. The snippet reads "From its leaden, cheap-shots-aplenty combat to its wild-goose chase through gray, same-y hallways filled with useless, placebo doorways to a story that takes much too long to get off the ground, its entire first half feels like a death march through a clunky hot mess." and scores the game 65/100. Although they presumably played with the 360 version, I doubt that there's a big difference between PS3 and 360 editions. Of course, that's only one review, and I expect we'll see others soon, but it's not a good start.

Sillent Hill was one of the best horror series on the PS2. Smart and really spooky, it featured memorable characters, really intelligent plotting and some of the most brilliantly disturbing art direction in a video game yet. This generation of consoles needs a decent horror title so badly and it'd be such a shame if this latest Silent Hill turned out to be less than it should be. The game's due out on September 30th in the US with no clear UK release date yet, so expect to see a lot more reviews up soon.

via Metacritic

Posted by Chris Cornwell on September 29, 2008 3:03 PM in Games
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Activision files trademark for game titled "Dance Hero"

Activision Blizzard's recently filed a trademark the title Dance Hero. Of course, this is no guarantee that the game will ever see production, but it means that someone at Activision thinks that it might be a good idea. If such a game did ever see the light of day, I imagine it'd be along the lines of dancing titles like Dance, Dance, Revolution, complete with dancing mat.

While it'd be easy to discount the title as a step too far for the Guitar Hero franchise -especially given Activision Blizzard's recent announcement to release a James Bond title every year- I think it could work. There's definitely a small niche for dancing games and we've not seen any arrive on this generation of consoles yet. Ok, it's not a huge niche, and I doubt that it could reach the levels of mega stardom that Guitar Hero has, but it could definitely work.

via Joystiq

Posted by Chris Cornwell on September 29, 2008 2:58 PM in Games
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Zack Snyder signs deal to develop games with EA

Dawn of the Dead director Zack Snyder has signed up with EA to developer three video games. Although EA keeps ownership of the games, EA could also work with Snyder in making film adaptations of said games. There's no news of what games we might expect to see from the deal, which is unsurprising given that these are still very early days.

In many ways, Zack Snyder should fit nicely into the game developing scene. He's used to working with special effects and CG heavy films (300, the upcoming Watchmen). I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the games will feature plenty of gore and nastiness, given his film portfolio of 300 and Dawn of the Dead. It's not surprising that we're seeing more and more talent coming in from Hollywood. Game production values are going up and the technology's improving, bringing more and more crossover with film and movie production.

Variety via Kotaku

Posted by Chris Cornwell on September 29, 2008 2:54 PM in Games
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DICE hoping Mirror's Edge will sell 3 million copies

Marketing director for DICE Martin Frain is projecting sales of around 3 million for upcoming release Mirror's Edge. He thinks that Mirror's Edge is an example of how an IP can appear out of nowhere and grab the public imagination "just by being different." Mirror's Edge is a parkour centric first-person game that features you playing a futuristic data courier. You're tasked with getting across rooftops and through buildings using your impressive array of acrobatic skills.

I very much hope that Mirror's Edge turns out to be a game that fulfills its potential. The FPS genre is stuck in a bit of a rut on next-gen consoles at the moment. Call of Duty IV probably epitomised this- incredibly well balanced shooter action, but not a game that felt remarkably different in gameplay terms. Adding a more physical element to the first-person title could indeed be the shot in the arm the genre needs. Of course, this all rather hinges on it being a good game.
via CVG

Posted by Chris Cornwell on September 26, 2008 1:51 AM in Games
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Dead Space collector's edition announced, will hopefully be available for PS3

Dead Space is getting a collector's edition that's literally jam packed with stuff. Apart from the game, you'll get a special case, the animated tie-in film on DVD, the 160 page graphic novel, a 97 page concept art booklet, a bonus content DVD, some lithograph art, and an Ishimura crew patch.The downside? It'll set you back 150 dollars. Unfortunately, at the moment only the 360 version's been announced, but I'd be really surprised if we didn't see this appear on the PS3 as well, perhaps with a Blu-ray version of the animated film.

You can accuse EA of many things, but skimping on publicity for their titles isnt one of them. It's fascinating to see the EA publicity machine go to work on the slew of new IPs that the company's coming up with. PC evolution sim Spore, quite a difficult game to sell, has gotten plenty of smart advertising to go with it. Dead Space, also a new IP, has gotten a lot of quite impressive tie-in stuff, with the animated movie boasting some surprisingly high looking production values. If the game's any good, I think it'll do well. There's a real gap in the market at the moment for decent next-gen horror shooters.

via Kotaku

Posted by Chris Cornwell on September 26, 2008 1:43 AM in Games
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Star Wars: The Force Unleashed manages to sell 1.5 million copies

In an impressive but not altogether surprising turn of events, Lucasarts has announced that Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has sold 1.5 million copies around the world in only five days. 4.3 million copies were shipped, but Lucasarts is apparently already ordering in more copies from the factory. The game, that we reviewed earlier this week, puts you in the shoes of Darth Vader's Secret Apprentice. Your force powers are pleasingly exaggerated, allowing you to force push your way through steel doors and throw enemies hundreds of metres away with ease.

This means that a sequel of some kind is looking more likely. The game wasn't perfect by any means, getting steadily more shallow as it wore on. But there were so many good ideas there that a sequel could work out really well. What it would need is a little extra time in development to sort out issues like the repetitive lightsabre combat and rather lacklustre boss battles.

via Eurogamer

Posted by Chris Cornwell on September 24, 2008 5:48 PM in Games
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Molyneux makes another dig at the PS3's game library

Molyneux's taken another dig at the PS3. It's of a pretty similar nature to the first dig, only this time he compares the games library of the PS1 with the PS3. "I always remember back to Final Fantasy VII, when I first played FFVII, that to me defined the genre," he said, speaking to Videogamer. "Those were the 'oh my god' moments, I don't believe they exist. I haven't seen many of those on the PS3."

Yup, unfortunately, he's still right. The PS3's had a few good moments. Fans definitely appreciated MGS 4, and there are people who propound the virtues of games like Warhawk. But there just hasn't been the big, all-encompassing, massive Blockbuster release that managed to capture everyone's imagination to become a flagship title. Still, titles like Killzone 2, Resistance 2, and LittleBigPlanet certainly have potential.

VideoGamer via Kotaku

Posted by Chris Cornwell on September 24, 2008 5:43 PM in Games
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Punisher game headed to PSN

Marvel's Punisher will be making an appearance on the PSN. ZEN Studios is currently developing the game, which will be an FPS powered by Unreal Engine 3. It's apparently designed with "fast-paced online multiplayer FPS action in mind," and will see you selecting from a lineup of Punisher characters and battling it out in various different arenas. A single-player mode's also mentioned, which sees you teaming up with Silver Sable against iconic foes Jigsaw, Barracuda and Bushwhacker.

I can't quite work out how this will look. The single-player game doesn't seem to be the focus, which is rather odd given the fame of the franchise on which it's based. Still, it wouldn't be the first online shooter to use a franchise in this way- look at Star Wars Battleground. It's a bit weird given that most Punisher stories featured one man battling against impossible odds rather than a free-for-all against two sides, but it could still work. No word on when it's scheduled to make an appearance.

Posted by Chris Cornwell on September 24, 2008 5:33 PM in Games
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Midway borrows 40 million dollars

Midway has apparently had to borrow cash to cover manufacturing costs for games they're releasing later this year, namely Mortal Kombat vs. DC, TNA Impact and Blitz II. It's not a trivial amount either, with the company borrowing 40 million dollars. If these games don't bring in the cash, then Midway's going to be in very dire straits indeed.

Mortal Kombat vs DC, probably Midway's biggest release, looks like it'll take after the previous 3D iterations of the Mortal Kombat series, featuring a slightly slower-paced game compared to Soul Calibur and Tekken. It's good to see quite a radical looking change to the series, with a host of new characters and features. Soul Calibur IV was good fun, but in some ways felt more like a tweak and graphical upgrade rather than a full sequel. With a bit of luck, it'll work. Midway's got a lot riding on this one.

Variety via Kotaku

Posted by Chris Cornwell on September 23, 2008 12:02 PM in Games
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