To: Fahey
From: Bash
RE: A PlayStation 3 Reborn

Oh nice! Good to get use out of the things you purchase.

Bright and early tomorrow, Indy IV is *finally* opening in Japan, and as I mentioned earlier, Mini-Bash and I are going to see it. Bracing myself for the worst! (Hoping for the best.) The one thing I really, really, really hate about Japan is that movies take donkey's yonks to get here. Like man, I'd kinda like to see Iron Man or The Hulk.

At least they subtitle the movies here... Hate dubbing!

What you missed last night
Standalone MGO?
Real Niko Bellic
Alone in the Dark review legal mess
Game reviewers seven deadly sins
BioShock PC's DRM gone
More Max Payne movie
The Cliffster fixing up Gears of War 2

Earlier in the week, a massive pre-E3 leak sprung, flooding the internet with what seems like future Microsoft announcements. But apparently the company has more up its sleeve! According to Microsoft ladies man Aaron Greenberg:

We have not announced all of our line-up yet for 2008 but will provide more details at E3 next month... Xbox 360 will continue to be the home to blockbuster games and the most exclusives... By the end of the year we will have over 1,000 games available for Xbox 360, which will be 2-3 times more than any other platform.

Bet Greenberg says that to all the girls.

Microsoft Promises More New Games [GamePro via Videogamer]

There are of course different names for them in the US and Japan, but in Europe and Australia, when games for a Sony console are re-released in a budget line, they're called Platinum games. We've had a fair idea of the titles that would make up the first batch of releases for a few months now, but were missing the most important piece of information: what the box art looked like. It's a delicate thing for these kind of releases! Too classy and you're not drawing the eye to the fact it's budget. Too budget and picky consumers won't keep the cases on their game shelves. So where, dear reader, do these (unconfirmed, but terribly legit-looking) PS3 boxes fit on that scale?

Primeros Títulos Platinum [ElOtroLado, via VG247]

We haven't posted a Haruhi Suzumiya dance clip recently. For good reason, because we've already posted tons. Too many actually! Haruhi overload!! Because of that, the bar for Haruhi dance clips is high. Few things can effortlessly jump over that bar as Pikachu can. Quality stuff, this.

Read More »

Though it's been public knowledge for a while now, nobody has really seen or heard much about Multiwinia, the upcoming multiplayer edition of Introversion's brilliant strategy title Darwinia. Have now! RPS' Kieron Gillen has had a sit-down with the game, which can be best summed up with "It's an RTS cut back to its core essentials - you can file it next to World in Conflict, but even pacier". Works for me. Those interested in seeing how exactly the whole thing works - and how it looks - pop on over the Rock, Paper, Shotgun.

RPS Exclusive: Multiwinia Hands-on [RPS]

Capcom has announced two new characters for upcoming fighter Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Cross Generation of Heroes. The game will feature Batsu Ichimonji from Capcom 2-on-2 fighter Rival Schools. (Interesting side note: Batsu was slated to appear in canceled 3D arcade fighter Capcom Fighting All-Stars!) On the Tatsunoko side, space knight Tekkaman will be slicing and dicing. Looks hot!

New Tatsunoko vs. Capcom Fighters [Dengeki]

It's happened far too many times for me to recount, or even try and dig out links to them, but it usually goes a little something like this: someone finds a rating on the ESRB's website for a game nobody has heard of, and suddenly, its cover is blown. Developers are sad. PR types are making frowny faces. We're left with an announcement, but no details or screens. It's a common occurence, and also one about to be scrubbed out, as - at the behest of publishers - the ESRB are introducing a new means of submitting a game for rating, whereby publishers can request to have a title's entry in their database kept hidden until a specified date (obviously until the PR team announces it themselves). Score one for the marketing guys!

ESRB Reins In Premature Game Leaks [Next-Gen]

According a new study (yet another!) there's an age difference between the customers who purchase the Xbox 360 and the PS3. The study, from Experian Consumer Research, states that the Xbox 360 appeals most to gamers 35-44 years-old, while the PS3 appeals to folks 45 years-old and up. And the Wii? According to the study, that console appeals to those aged 18-24 years-old. The control group apparently was made up of "new media respondents" (bwah?) who were defined as those who spend more than an hour online each week. No real surprises in this data, huh.

Who Are The Customers [The Earth Times via PS3 Fanboy] [Pic]

That didn't take long! The team behind the Twilight Princess save-game exploit on the Wii - which Nintendo just "fixed" with their recent update to 3.3 - have already found a way to get past the fix. To be honest there's a tonne of technical jibberish behind it that I just do not understand, but the gist seems to be that the update sought out exploited TP save files and nixed them, while these guys have found a way to tell the update to ignore exploited TP saves. That's progress for ya.

June 16 Wii update [HackMii]

In Japan, lots of video games get turned into pachinko or pachislot machines. No biggie! SNK, Sega and Konami have all spun off selected titles into pachinko parlours across the country. So when a rumour popped up that Square Enix was doing the same for Final Fantasy XIII, it did seem possible that, yes, Japan would be getting a FFXIII pachinko machine. No way! says Square Enix. In an official statement, the company says:

That is completely false information. Regarding FF, our company works very hard every day so that everyone can enjoy it as a game. There is currently no development being made [to bring FF to pachinko/pachi-slot machines].

Good, because Square Enix needs to focus on FFXIII and not other stuff.

『FFXIII』がパチンコ、パチスロに？" [Famitsu]

If you're European, and ran to your PS3 this morning, clawing like a madman for the Metal Gear database that Japan and the US got, you'll no doubt already be sitting in a puddle of your own anguish, wondering aloud why SCEE couldn't follow suit and make it part of this week's downloads. Which they didn't. No doubt it's got something to do with translating Kojima's tangled storyline into 17 languages. If you've bothered setting yourself up with an American (or Japanese, it has an English-language option) PSN account, you'll have to jump in and grab it from there.

Read More »

It's no secret that piracy — especially game piracy — is widespread in South Korean. While there is no data, Gamasutra's Nick Rumas points out that it's evident to anyone with "a pair of eyes". Rumas takes a look at how the R4 is used in Korea, writing:

In Korea, piracy of video games isn't limited to the hardcore crowd; it's everywhere, prevalent in every age group and economic class that exists. And beyond being a matter of money - of not wanting to spend money, that is - piracy for Koreans is, perhaps even foremost, a matter of convenience.

Interestingly, Rumas points out that many Korean R4 owners aren't even that tech savvy and simply purchase pre-loaded flash cards! Swing by Gamasutra and check out the article. There's some some good insights there and good questions asked about Nintendo's piracy fight in Korea.

Piracy In Korea [Gamasutra via Phantom Leap]

Speaking at its annual shareholder meeting in Tokyo today, Sony boss Howard Stringer has said that the #1 priority across the entire company is - coupled with boosting their TV business - restoring profitability to the games division. And it's not hard to see why! The PlayStation division alone has lost Sony around $AU 3.56 billion over the past two years while the PS3 was moving from R&D onto the shelf, so you can forgive Sir Howard for wanting to see a little of that money start making its way home.

Stringer Says Restoring Sony TV, Games Profits Is Key [Bloomberg] [Pic]

On August 2nd, Mamoru Oshii, the director behind anime Ghost In The Shell, will release his new flick The Sky Crawlers. Based on a series of novels, the romance adventure focuses on a group of dogfighter pilots and is set in a fictionalised World War II-type setting. The film just had it's American premiere at the Skywalker Sound studio in California, where soundtrack work for the film was done. And to tie-in with the movie, Namco Bandai is releasing Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces, which is being developed by the Ace Combat team. That's good news! The game will sport an original story and use the Wii Remote for throttle and the Nunchuk for the control stick. It's out the fall in Japan — no word about a Western release.

Innocent Aces [Dengeki Online via Game|Life]

This week, the following events took place: 1. We got a bunch of tips telling us that the Xbox 360 version of Alone in the Dark had turned up on BitTorrent sites. 2. Scandinavian games site GameReactor were one of the first to review Alone in the Dark. They gave it 3/10. Ouch. However, they then promptly pulled the review, and accusations of shady dealings were levelled against the site by Atari, who said that press copies had only been sent out the day before (the review has since been reinstated, and the 3/10 stands). Odd, seeing as many other European publications also had reviews go live this week, but whatever. 3. German site 4Players reviews the game. Gives it 68%. Then is threatened with legal action by Atari because, yes, Atari had no idea how the site got a copy of the game.

Read More »

BioWare have made a name for themselves on the PC. Xbox, too. These days, they're expanding on that with the Sonic RPG, which is in development for the DS. So they're definitely trying to branch out. Something that may well be set to continue, with BioWare's Mark Darrah telling Gamasutra:

Yeah, we're looking into Wii and PSP as a company, as well, but nothing's been decided, and nothing's been announced. And we are, from styles of games, we are trying to broaden our portfolio.

Jade Empire's Summer Party Games for the Wii? Don't rule it out!

Q&A: BioWare's Sonic Chronicles Is Scrumming It On DS [Gamasutra]

Gears of War 1 is a really good game. We like it! But there were, like with every game, things that bugged us about Gears 1 multiplayer — made us mad, even. The Cliffster, Gears of War mastermind, cares. The Cliffster doesn't want what bugged you in Gears 1 mulitplayer to bug you in Gears of War 2 multiplayer. Why? Because The Cliffster is good like that. Like we said, The Cliffster cares. Just listen to what The Cliffster has to say:

Read More »

Everyone's been playing around with the recently-released creature maker for EA's Spore. Even the developers at Infinite Interactive, most famous for the casual/hardcore title Puzzle Quest, have been funnelling their talents into crafting weird and amazing beasts. I2's Aaron Styles sent me a link to the studio's forums, where you can check out its wacky/cute/bizarre creations.

Before you ask, no, nothing looks like a penis. The Wormageddon gets close though.

You can grab the Spore Creature Creator yourself from the New Zealand EA Store. I know, I know, don't ask.

I2's Spore Creatures [Infinite Interactive, thanks Aaron]

This time courtesy of /film, and these ones are doozies. No Mark Wahlberg exiting make-up here, no, these have stuff, and cop cars, and stuff that crashes onto cop cars. Oh, and more snow, something I'm glad to see they're paying attention to: the real star of the first game wasn't Payne, or the villains, or the walkable umbilical cord, but the all-encompassing storm. Two more pics after the jump.

Read More »

This is totally unconfirmed, but Japanese online retailer Rakuten is listing Metal Gear Online as a standalone title, out next month. According to the Rakuten listing, the game is slated for a July 17th release in Japan and is priced at ¥1,800 ($AU 17.44). At the Metal Gear 20th Anniversary party last year, Konami hinted at it being a stand alone, but then later decided to include MGO with Metal Gear Solid 4. Guess this is Konami's way of making sure those who don't pick up MGS4 can still enjoy manapult action. We've contacted Kojima Productions and will let you know if we hear anything.

Metal Gear Online Standalone [Rakuten via ２ちゃんねる Thanks, Muu!]

Sure, there is a time and a place for everything. But while the Penis Monsters and Vaginasaurs are feeling the EA censor squeeze, LittleBigPlanet developer Media Molecule is letting players create and share private levels. Private, risky levels. Media Molecule founder, Mark Healey explains:

Read More »

Pixeloo's rendition of a "real" Mario was more than a little creepy. Those giant, giant eyes. Ungh. But Pixeloo's latest work - "real" Niko Bellic - is a much more subdued affair. Mostly because everyone's favourite bloodthirsty Serb had more human proportions to begin with. Though he does now look a little thinner. And a lot more cranky. Embiggened version after the jump.

Read More »

Update: Zafehouse now has its very own website, zafehouse.com.

Game A Week 2 is done. Done I say! Zafehouse is ready to be played by all.

As I said earlier in the week, this thing almost killed me. I had an idea that just exploded. I think the end result is quite awesome. Zafehouse has strategy, survival horror and, best of all, zombies. I love shufflers, I just love them to death, and I'm glad I got to put them into a completed game.

I have yet more plans for a version 2, which I'll release when it's done. For now, I have to get started on Game A Week 3. If you'd like to check out Game A Week 1, Wizkill, hit up this post.

Hit the jump for a development breakdown, hints and tips and unimplemented features, or download the game and give it a spin.

Read More »

Yup. You asked for it (last year), and now, it's gone! 2K's Elizabeth Tobey has announced on the game's official boards that, as of right now, "all activation restrictions, including install limits, have been removed from BioShock PC". And not only gone, but gone automatically on 2K's end, meaning you won't need to install anything, uninstall anything or even check a box. SecuROM fanboy, you have our sympathies

Activation limits removed on BioShock for the PC [2K]

More David Reeves talking! The Sony Computer Entertainment of Europe boss looks his crystal ball and predicts the future, saying this about the era of game downloading:

The current revenue streams we have are quite simple — hardware sales and packaged media. But that is the old model. The new model is such that our income streams will change — packaged goods sales and hardware sales are still there, but already we are getting into the era of network sales of full titles... We do believe that the disc-based delivery system will fall as the power of the network base rises. At the same time the overall industry growth will continue to go upwards as we push out into emerging markets... We have not got our heads in the sand. To some extent the music industry did — we are trying desperately to not make the same mistakes... The next five years are going to be turbulent, but I think it is going to be the most exciting period that we have ever seen in the past ten years of video games...

More exciting as Reeves claims that the adoption rate for the PS3 is higher than the PS2. Good to hear that the game industry is being so forward thinking about downloads.

Era of Games Downloads Looms [MCVUK] [Pic]

Ever found yourself trapped inside a museum? Me neither. But what if? What if, for some reason you're pinned under an exhibit until closing time or knocked unconscious while in the dinosaur wing? If you're concerned about such a situation, perhaps Majesco's Escape The Museum will make for more sleep-filled nights.

That's what I was thinking anyway, until I realised:

1. Oh, right. Majesco.
2. This game is priced $AU 21.
3. It's a port of "the popular online hunt and find game".

Sometimes reading the entire press release can really knock the wind out of one's sails. This is why I tend to only read headlines anymore. The full announcement is after the jump, if you want to experience the thrill of being let down on your own.

Read More »

Well, here's something you don't see every Thursday. That giant red slice of the Japanese hardware pie is the Metal Gear Solid 4-inspired spike of PlayStation 3 sales, with some 75,000 consoles sold over the past week—that's including the MGS4 bundle—according to Media Create. With the PSP continuing to sell well, thanks to Monster Hunter, Sony is enjoying rare sales chart dominance in the nation.

Read More »

Okay, so let me get this straight. If I go to the Australian EA Store, the Spore Creature Creator is unavailable. However, if I jump across to the New Zealand version, I can download it for $NZ 14.99. I can even select "Australia" as my location in the checkout section.

Okay, great, we can get the full program now, but why do we need to hit up the NZ store for it? If Australia's there as an option, why not just put it on the Australian store?

I guess I should be happy that we at least have a legitimate way of downloading it. Still, it leaves a silly taste in my mouth. Yes, silly.

Spore Creature Creator [EA Store NZ, thanks Trent]

One of Fable 2's villains will be "one of the most evil people in video game history," Lionhead creative director Dene Carter told IGN recently.

Eurogamer summed up some more of the recent hints thusly:

The first examples of the faces you'll come across in Fable 2 are Arfur, a murderous and vicious thief who sounds like the infamous Bill Sykes; Barnum, an unlucky inventor likely to be laughed off of Dragon's Den time and time again; and Giles, a tough-as-old-boots farmer who used to be a soldier and now has problems with a violent gang.

Nobody's saying just how many characters there will be in the world, but Carter said some 50 hours of voice acting has been recorded. And though Lionhead is aiming for an open-ended world, you won't be able to kill anyone where doing so will remove huge chunks of the story - wouldn't want to waste all that hard work, right?
Fable 2: Meet the Populous [IGN via Eurogamer]

You guys are so mean to game reviewers. In sincerity, though, as games themselves seem to be creatures of far more depth than they once were, the role of the game reviewer has come under increasing scrutiny. I like to think that we're all trying to do the best, most ethical and most useful work we can, and so there's been a lot of talking amongst ourselves in the games press about what the ideal way of doing our jobs is.

Gus Mastrapa posits in his column at GameDaily that writing really well is the game reviewer's highest calling, and he goes on to point out what he feels are the reviewer's seven deadly sins - Measure, Dullness, Doubt, Diplomacy, Forgiveness, Purposelessness and Obsession.

Read More »

WoW Getting Level 30 Mounts
Running the length of Stranglethorn Vale must have had too many players stabbing themselves crying in despair.

Godfather Creator's Son Sues Over Game Royalties
"You talking to me?" Yes Paramount, he's talking to you.

Don't Expect KOTOR 3, Or Any Other New Lucasarts Games, At E3
To be honest, I wasn't expecting much of anything from E3, so it's cool.

Zero Punctuation Does Not Enjoy Haze, Either
Haze isn't as bad as it is... well okay, it's bad.

Video game soundtracks being used in a political campaign? GamePolitics has shrewdly noticed that a recent John McCain ad is layered with the theme from EA's Medal of Honour: European Assault.

Very inspiring, one supposes? The plot thickens, though, when you learn that the music's composer, Christopher Lennertz, is one hundred percent Team Obama.

Lennertz told GamePolitics that there was just a mix-up over rights, and nothing illegal took place. But how does he feel about having his creation used to support a candidate he opposes? Hit the jump for his comment:

Read More »

Budding dungeon designers can get excited about Atlus' latest, Master of the Monster Lair, which challenges Nintendo DS gamers to build a better monster trap. A talking shovel recruits a young hero to build dungeons to bait and trap the wandering monsters plaguing the town of South Arc. Sounds almost like Dungeon Keeper, only for the good guys.

Over 20 different types of rooms are available to construct your dungeon, which you can then explore, killing monsters for weapons and items used to build more and more elaborate dungeon designs. Players will be able to trade their designs with friends via the DS wireless connection, allowing for almost limitless gameplay. Check out the gallery below to get a better feel for the title, launching September 2nd, and hit the jump for the announcement trailer and more info!

Read More »

Sony Online Entertainment announced the release of the fourth EverQuest: Legends of Norrath set, Oathbreaker, which completes the story arc that began in LoN's Oathbound, providing a "dramatic finale" for characters.

SOE said new gameplay will be introduced to build on the old system and allow for more strategies and combos in the online card-based strategy title. It adds 250 new cards, new loot and promo cards, and a new island guardian, Chel'Drak the dragon turtle (is it a dragon or a turtle? Seriously, man).

According to SOE, LoN players have thrown down over a million matches since the title launched nine months ago. Oathbreaker's to be the last release before the August tournament at Gen Con Indy - wannabe competitors must qualify by July 12-13. Why not try, if you're into it? There's $AU 105,000 at stake!

Full details after the jump.

Read More »

Finally a publisher comes right out and says it - we're gonna crank out mini-games for the Wii like there was no tomorrow. Ubisoft has launched a new label, Play Zone, focused on delivering fast and fun entertainment for friends and family through mini-games.

The first game to appear under the Play Zone label is Sports Party, which features nine different mini-games with varying difficulty levels. Included are three variations on basketball, croquet, lawn darts, badminton, volley-ball, horse shoes, and mini-golf. Sounds perfect for parents who've grown jaded over this whole fresh-air and sunshine nonsense.

Read More »

Electronic Arts is sending Neil Young off with well wishes, the company told Kotaku today. EA's VP of corporate communications Jeff Brown said that the EA Los Angeles studio head and Blueprint division leader's recent departure was known ahead of time and was wholly amicable.

"In addition to his creative output, Neil distinguished himself as a team leader", said Brown of his colleague's career, which saw young overseeing titles like Majestic, The Sims 2 and Boom Blox. "In particular, he stepped in to rally the development teams and lead a turnaround at EA Los Angeles".

All of Neil's former teammates are looking forward to see what he accomplishes in his new endeavour, Brown said.

"Neil has all the tools he needs to be a successful entrepreneur: great creative instigator, great communicator, and great leadership skills".

We've contacted Young himself for comment and await reply.

The intro to Mario Super Sluggers for the Nintendo Wii holds no real surprises to anyone who has played any of the other Mario-themed sports games Nintendo has been cranking forever. Mario and friends take a magical boat to Baseball Island, where they are forced to play baseball until they drop from exhaustion in order to entertain a crowd filled with Mario enemies past.

Baseball is all well and good, but I'd rather see Mario and friends take on new sports, rather than revisit ones the've already covered. Why not Mario All-Star American Football, or better yet, Mario Boxing. Who wouldn't pay $50 to punch Waluigi right in the face?