PS3 Fanboy

An 18-year-old man was punched in the face with brass knuckles and then kicked during a dispute over the ownership of a PlayStation 3, the Tribune-Review reports. Here's how it went down: the unidentified victim went up to a group of about 30 people 9:30PM in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, curious to know why people were gathered there. Next thing he knew, it was brass knuckles in the face and his PS3 was taken from him.

Now the police are searching for four men who assaulted him, as they were not apprehended at the scene of the crime. Maybe it was best not to approach a large group of people gathered on a street corner after-dark with your PS3, huh?

[Via Kotaku]

This week's Rock Band DLC is from the metalcore band All That Remains. What's unique about this track pack is two of these songs, Chiron and Two Weeks, are from their upcoming album Overcome that will be released on September 16th. So the only way you'll be able to hear these songs officially is via Rock Band. The songs are:

• "This Calling"
• "Chiron"
• "Two Weeks"

All tracks are master recordings and each track will cost $0.99 or $2.99 for the All That Remains 3 Pack. Look for them next week on Thursday, September 11th on the PlayStation Store.

Oops! Looks like we were a bit too eager to report on White Knight Story's release date. Yesterday we stated that the latest issue of Famitsu pegged the PS3 exclusive RPG's Japanese release date as December 11th. A flip through the actual magazine doesn't reveal the same date; in fact, the date is still unannounced.

Fear not though, with the teaser message that appeared on the official website, we should have a lot more information on White Knight Story soon -- hopefully during Tokyo Game Show. Stay tuned!

[Thanks, Jake C.!]

Eurogamer will be giving out their SOCOM: Confrontation beta keys starting at 4PM UK time, which is half an hour from now. You must be in the United Kingdom, and you have to first register here with Eurogamer. Make sure you are signed in, and keep checking their page for more information. They will be given out on a first-come, first served basis. Finally, unlike the US beta keys, these UK beta keys will only work on one PS3. Good luck!

[Thanks John R.!]

Who would have thought? The quirky wild-animal-photography title Afrika is the runner-up for this week's Media Create Japanese sales charts, courtesy of Famitsu. It was beaten by a DS title called Rhythm Tengoku Gold, but Afrika still managed to sell a healthy 38,000 copies. The retail price for the title isn't cheap either, at 5,980 yen (about $56 USD), though many places are selling it for less.

Considering its niche nature, Afrika finishing #2 on the Japanese sales chart is a mightly impressive feat. We know there won't be a European release, but let's all cross our fingers for a US one, okay?

What's better than a master recording for your favorite rhythm game? How about a re-recording? The three songs from Guitar Hero: World Tour have been rerecorded by the original artists, and they are:

• "Overkill" -- Motorhead
• "Pretty Vacant" -- The Sex Pistols
• "Kick Out the Jams" -- MC5

The Sex Pistols rerecorded Pretty Vacant using the original analog sound board from 1969 while Kicking Out the Jams was rerecorded with Wayne Kramer, Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains and Gilby Clark formerly of Guns 'N' Roses, but will retain the original 1968 vocals by Rob Tyner.

On the other side of the world, during a New Zealand press event, Activision Blizzard gave Aussies a release date for Guitar Hero: World Tour: November 12th for A$329.95. A bundle that includes only the guitar and the game will be A$169.95 while the game by itself will be A$89.95. Four songs were also unveiled:

• "Prisoner of Society" by The Living End
• "Scream Aim Fire" by Bullet for My Valentine
• "Our Truth" by Lacuna Coil
• "La Bamba" by Los Lobosz
  

[Via Joystiq and press release]

Source -- Gamespot
Source -- Gamespot

Some of you are happy with your Kratos and Nariko virtual sackpersons, but those of you who are looking to a physical Sackboy companion can rejoice. Taito has announced preorders for Japanese consumers who want to get their hands on a plush version of LittleBigPlanet's main character.

You have two sizes to choose from: a mini Sackboy that is about 4 inches in height for about $12 USD or a larger 10 inch one for $23. The mini version will be released in November in Japan and come in the 4 varieties: normal, solider, pirate and smile. The larger version only comes in the normal or pirate versions and will be released in December. Each Sackboy is made of a soft material, so Sackboy doesn't actually feel like a sack when you try to cuddle with him.

Fortunately, we know Sackboy plushes are headed to the US as well. Hopefully we'll hear something soon.

[Via Kotaku]

Capcom, in a Q&A conference call for their Q1 financial results, expressed confidence in the PS3. When asked about whether they felt the PS3 install base was large enough to support big-budget titles like Resident Evil 5, Capcom responded with the following: "We believe that PS3 has finally reached full swing after looking at the success of Metal Gear Solid 4, as well as future large-scale title lineups. In addition, some reduction in the PS3's price was announced at the 2008 E3, and we can expect its spread to increase by next March when our Resident Evil 5 for PS3 will be released."

However, they haven't become Sony fanboys or anything. "We are not only focusing on PS3, we would also like to spread our supply of software evenly between Wii and Xbox 360 while their markets in the world increase in a similar manner to PS3." Either way, publisher after publisher have no choice but to see the newest sales figures and acknowledge the PS3's success.

[Via MaxConsole]

Those of you on the other side of the Atlantic might have not heard much about those SOCOM: Confrontation beta keys since they were mentioned last month, but now we have a little bit of news for you guys in the UK. Apparently, Eurogamer will be have 6,000 of them to give out to UK gamers whenever the beta begins. No other information was available, but details should be announced in "the next few days."

Furthermore, late last week we learned that the US beta was delayed until September 5th. We knew that Europe was suppose to get the beta on the same day as the US, but as of now Eurogamer claims that "Sony has yet to confirm exact details for Europe," which hints at a delay. We'll keep you updated as soon as more information is released.

[Via Three Speech]

Sam, a community developer over the PlayStation.com forums, states that there will be a "limited public beta" for LittleBigPlanet in September. No other details were given at this time. "If it will be possible to 'sign up' for this test, full information on how to do so will be made public in advance of the test. Similarly if the test is going to be conducted in an invitation-only we will let you know ahead of time."

In an earlier post, Sam also hinted at how many people will get in to this beta. Accommodating everyone will be impossible, but "it will be large enough that many people from around the world will get in." There also won't be a demo for LBP, at least not before the release date, "due to the complexity and scale of the game."

We'll keep you updated in regards to the beta as more information is made available.

[Via MaxConsole]

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 will be headed to the US in 2009, Bandai Namco announced today. Originally named Gundam Musou 2, the game will feature an online versus mode, as well as "larger Mobile Suits, more epic battles and compelling storyline." It sounds like more of the same mech-on-mech action, but if you are a fan of the Dynasty Warriors franchise, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

How about a picture of these giant mobile armors? That's one of them above. Check out more screenshots in the gallery below.

[Via press release]

A number of you sent in a tip last week regarding SCEE president David Reeves, who was quoted as saying Mirror's Edge will be a timed exclusive on the PS3. Well, it isn't true. It looks like that was "a misunderstanding in terms of the quote," a Sony spokesperson told Eurogamer.

But the representative did have something else to say. "PlayStation has an exclusive marketing agreement with EA regarding the title. Exclusive downloadable content will be offered on the PlayStation Network."

No other details regarding the DLC were given at this time, such as the nature of the content or whether other platforms will get exclusive DLC as well. Considering the big bucks the PS3 is bringing to EA, we wouldn't be surprised if this is just another way for them show they play nice with Sony.

The film buffs over at Criterion Collection (not to be confused with game developer Criterion Games) have finally announced the details to their much-anticipated Blu-ray releases. Those of you who know Criterion know their prices ain't exactly mainstream, but surprisingly, Criterion Blu-ray releases will be priced the same as DVD releases. Amazon has the following for preorder for $27.95: The Last Emperor, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Chungking Express and Bottle Rocket. We noticed that the price for the The Last Emperor on DVD is more, at $39.99! You are better off preordering The Third Man from the official Criterion site though, who has it for $31.96. The new Criterion releases Chungking Express and Bottle Rocket are headed our way on November 25th, while existing releases The Last Emperor, The Third Man and The Man Who Fell to Earth will land on Blu-ray on November 18th.

Criterion has also promised to use the current DVD numbering and beautiful packaging for the Blu-ray releases, "with the only physical difference being the use of the blue Blu-ray case," according to blu-ray.com. What if I have the DVD version already?! There is an upgrade program available for $25, where you send in the original DVD in exchange for the Blu-ray. That seems a little pointless though, when the discs can purchased at $27.95.

Finally, special features and bonuses for each movie are after the jump:

Source -- blu-ray.com
Source -- blu-ray.com