PS3 Fanboy

Mirror's Edge team praises tilt controls, Cell architecture

Posted May 9th 2008 3:00PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News

Click for high-resolution image.

Sean Decker, general manager of Battlefield developer DICE, spoke to VideoGamer.com about their upcoming Mirror's Edge. The first-person platforming/action game made its debut at PlayStation Day, which led some to believe the title was a PS3-exclusive. It's not, but the team is promising to make the most out of the PS3's unique architecture. For example, the team plans on utilizing tilt controls: "The great thing about it is that there's a lot of little things like, Faith there when she's walking like this (points to Mirror's Edge trailer showing Faith tightrope-walking across a beam), Sixaxis controls, super easy to implement and say, OK well just balance it and then you've got it there, as opposed to teaching a player to say, oh let's push this button or that button."

"The other thing is the Cell really allows us to push the resolution of our textures much higher and we've taken full advantage of that as well. So there's a lot of little quirks to it that we really like and our engineers love as well as our designers." However, Decker wouldn't go so far as saying the PS3 version is superior to the Xbox 360 version -- they're simply "different."

Gallery: Mirror's Edge

Gran Turismo series reaches 50 million milestone

Posted May 9th 2008 11:00AM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. sent out a self-congratulatory press release, bragging about how the Gran Turismo series has sold over 50 million units, as of April 30th. It took a little over 10 years for the franchise, which spans over across all three PlayStation home consoles, to reach this incredible milestone.

The latest release in the franchise is Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, which provides PS3 gamers an early taste of "next-gen" racing. 16-player online racing, Gran Turismo TV, and downloadable content are some of the key features in GT5:P, and they show exactly how far this franchise has come since its first release on PS1.

"Initially, Gran Turismo was an 'alternative' racing game, kind of an outsider in the genre," said Kazunori Yamauchi, Producer of Gran Turismo. "And we made it thinking that it would be okay as long as it reached out to 'the select few who would agree with us.' So this figure, 50 million units - is simply astounding. If you go to a game store and look for a particular package, and pay for it at the cash register, though the time may be very brief, it still takes at least 3 minutes or so. It's simply mind boggling and hard to believe that this has been repeated 50 million times all around the world in the last 10 years. I would really like to thank all the fans who have supported the Gran Turismo series over the years, for all their passion and love of the game. We'd like to continue making every effort to create cutting edge, high quality games, so that we don't disappoint anyone's expectations.

[Via press release]

Solid Snake is jealous: get your own optical camouflage

Posted May 9th 2008 3:30AM by Nick Doerr
Filed under: News

Member ADOX2525 over at the PS3 Forums alerted the PS3 community to an interesting factoid amongst the scientific population. In Metal Gear Solid games, you have what's called optical camouflage -- it basically makes you invisible. It seems through clever use of projectors and tiny beads, optical camouflage was created a few years back. Sort of. With today's technology, who knows if it could be possible for real, but it's still interesting to see the concept actually in existence.

[via PS3Forums]

Man kills neighbor over missing PS3

Posted May 8th 2008 11:00PM by Majed Athab
Filed under: News

Being a protective console owner is one thing, but taking obsessive love for one's system to violent ends is a whole other ballpark. Take the story of Edward Keith Stoddard Jr. who was arrested last night in Dade City for murdering his neighbor over a missing PlayStation 3. He's accused of murdering neighbor Douglas F. Abrams when the two were arguing over the PS3 in question on April 24.

It's such a sad thing to hear that someone had to die over something so trivial. Sure, most of us love our systems, but not enough to kill for it. It's not clear whether the PS3 was the only reason for the murder, but even if it wasn't, it wouldn't matter. The story would end the same -- someone's dead, the other's in jail, and the PS3 still missing.

[Via Digg]

Hirai claims when all is said and done, PS3 will reign supreme

Posted May 8th 2008 8:00PM by Nick Doerr
Filed under: Interviews, Videos and Screenshots, News

It appears Sony is getting excited -- Kaz Hirai made a statement recently boasting the PS3's upcoming success this generation. Overtaking the Wii and Xbox 360 is within Sony's grasp, when looked at through the telescopic lens of the "ten year life cycle". In a video interview with the BBC, he talks up this point as well as some of the trials and tribulations of creating the PS3, the launch, what's to come later this year, and challenges or hurdles he expects Sony and the PS3 to overcome in the near future. It's pretty interesting to watch a sit down chat with Kaz, so be sure to check it out and let us know your opinions.

AQ Interactive re-announces Vampire Rain for PS3

Posted May 8th 2008 6:45PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News

Vampire Rain: Altered Species is heading to the PS3. Players take the role of John Llyod, member of a special ops unit, in a suburban west coast city to fight the Nightwalkers, a race of superhuman vampires. For better or for worse, AQ Interactive has announced (again) that the game will be making its way to the PS3.

"We are very excited to bring Vampire Rain: Altered Species to the PlayStation 3," said Artoon President Naoto Ōshima in a recent press release. "The incredible power of the PS3, will allow us to give gamers a fully immersive experience. This will include: 5.1 channel audio, over 50 hours of gameplay, extra bonus levels, a lot of completely revamped animations, character interactions and much more." Vampire Rain: Altered Species promises both a single and multiplayer experience.

Vampire Rain was originally released on Xbox 360, and stands as one of the worst games on the platform. IGN called the original Vampire Rain "an abomination of a videogame that doesn't even deserve a rental." Will the PS3 version fare any better? Unlikely.

Home's non-gaming plan 'too ambitious,' admits SCEE's Reeves

Posted May 8th 2008 5:30PM by Nick Doerr
Filed under: News

It seems even Sony knows when to admit it bit off a little more than it could initially masticate. In a short discussion with CVG, Reeves admitted they've "realized that maybe we were too ambitious with the non-gaming applications within Home, getting sponsors and stuff like that ... in that sense we were deserting gamers. So, we're concentrating on the gaming by launching games in Home, and attracting people who are into gaming in first -- instead of the Nike people, or Adidas people who are into fashion and not necessarily into gaming."

This is interesting because we've always heard how one of the futures of advertising may be within video games. Now Reeves and Sony see that perhaps focusing on that isn't the right approach -- you need to fill a store with people before you can sell anything, after all. Sony is now refocusing their strategy on things like Trophies and Home-to-game launching, so expect more of that when the open beta hits this year, another thing Reeves promises. The beta will come this autumn. For sure. We'll see.

Buzz! comes to the PSN with Buzz! Junior Jungle Party this Summer

Posted May 8th 2008 4:30PM by Jem Alexander
Filed under: Videos and Screenshots, PlayStation Network, News

Buzz! Quiz TV isn't the only game of the franchise heading to the PS3 this year. This Summer a new downloadable title will be made available on the PSN "at pocket money prices." Buzz! Junior Jungle Party will utilise the Buzz! controllers, but with "wacky mini-games of skill and speed" instead of quiz-style gameplay. Obviously this is aimed at the wee nippers and will feature five mini-games from the original PS2 version. Jungle Party is the first of many, with Buzz! Junior: RoboJam and Buzz! Junior: Monster Rumble following at a later date.

Check out our gallery below to see what sort of thing you can expect from the game when it arrives this Summer.

Gallery: Buzz! Junior Jungle Party

American PSN Store update for May 8th

Posted May 8th 2008 3:15PM by Jem Alexander
Filed under: New Releases, PlayStation Store, News

Don't feel left out, Americans. Despite how it may feel, Europe isn't the only region getting PSN Store updates this week and today's US update is rather tasty. Between the demos, trailers and PixelJunk Monsters Encore there's more than enough content to keep everyone happy. If you're intrigued about PlayStation Day, however, and want to check out the keynote then, sadly you're out of luck. Here's the full release list:

Playable content

• Rocketmen: Axis of Evil ($10 - game now available from store, rather than from within the demo)
• Haze demo (free)
• Bourne Conspiracy demo (free)
• GRID demo (free)

Add-on content

• PixelJunk Monsters: Encore ($6)
• Rock Band DLC (found after the break, as usual)

Continue reading American PSN Store update for May 8th

SCEE expects LittleBigPlanet to be biggest PS3 game ever

Posted May 8th 2008 1:00PM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: News

Currently, the top-selling PS3 game in Europe is Gran Turismo 5: Prologue. With over a million pre-orders for the game, it became a clear system-seller in that territory. However, Sony Europe is expecting 2D community platformer LittleBigPlanet to surpass even GT5's impressive sales. "We're hoping sales will be higher than GT5 Prologue," David Reeves told GI.biz.

Analysts have called LittleBigPlanet a potential system-seller for the PS3. Its accessible gameplay and emphasis on creation and sharing will undoubtedly draw in a new audience to the PS3. However, will the casual gamer really jump to a system that's still considered prohibitively expensive (especially in comparison to the Wii)?

Kaz Hirai noted that "[LittleBigPlanet] will completely revolutionize the way gamers interact with their games, especially through the community functions and the ability to interact with LittleBigPlanet lovers around the globe," during the PlayStation Day keynote.

European PSN Store releases for May 8th

Posted May 8th 2008 11:37AM by Jem Alexander
Filed under: PlayStation Store, News

SCEE has (mostly) kept their promise today with the second update of the week. While the Bourne Conspiracy demo and echochrome trailer seem to be missing, everything else has made it intact. With ten videos to watch from PlayStation Day (weighing in at a total of almost 3.4GB) there's plenty of stuff to watch from the show. Here's the full release list:

Playable content

• Race Driver GRID demo (free)

Add-on content

• Guitar Hero III "Def Leppard" track pack (£3.99/€4.99)
• Guitar Hero III "Muse" track pack (£3.99/€4.99)
• Army of Two "SSC Challenge" game pack (£3.99/€4.99)

Trailers

• Mirror's Edge Gameplay trailer (free)
• PlayStation Day "Introduction: Kaz Hirai" video (free)
• PlayStation Day "Play has no limitations" video (free)
• PlayStation Day "Play is hiding and waiting" video (free)
• PlayStation Day "Play is full throttle" video (free)
• PlayStation Day "Play is a thousand stories" video (free)
• PlayStation Day "Play brings us together" video (free)
• PlayStation Day "Play is moving hips, lips" video (free)
• PlayStation Day "Play is unexplored" video (free)
• PlayStation Day "Summary: Play" video (free)
• PlayStation Day Compilation Trailer (free)

Be sure to check out that Mirror's Edge gameplay footage in all its HD glory. It really is stunning looking. If you're not particularly interested in PlayStation Day then there's not a lot here for you, unless you're a Guitar Hero III or Army of Two fan.

MGS4 Limited Edition available in Europe at Play.com

Posted May 8th 2008 10:30AM by Jem Alexander
Filed under: News

It was a sad day indeed for Europeans when Konami announced the American Limited Edition of Metal Gear Solid 4. We heard your cries of "where's ours?" as you drooled over the image gallery. Well, it now seems that Europe will be getting a Limited Edition version, courtesy of Play.com (though it may be exclusive to other retailers elsewhere in Europe). The £80 LE version of the game (ouch) will feature the same extras as the American version: a making-of Blu-ray and a soundtrack CD. Not only that, but it will also include a 6" tall Old Snake action figure.

There are no images of the European Limited Edition yet, but we've attempted to contact Konami PR in case there are any floating about. At eighty quid, the LE is definitely on the pricey side, but we're certain there are a fair number of you who will grab it at that price. We've already put in our preorder, anyway.

LittleBigPlanet open beta will never happen

Posted May 8th 2008 9:30AM by Jem Alexander
Filed under: News

We had the opportunity to speak at length with various LittleBigPlanet producers at PlayStation Day, as well as get some hands-on time with the title. Top of our discussion list was the beta. We wanted to know as much as possible about when it's coming and have done since it was implied last July. However both Sam Bennett (Community Development Manager) and Pete Smith (Producer) maintained that a public, open beta will sadly not be happening. The game will go through a beta phase, obviously, but this will be performed by an internal group at Sony.

There's a possibility of a small number of gamers and press being invited into the beta phase, but nothing has been confirmed yet. Releasing the game in its entirety to the public, free of charge would be suicide. Instead, there's talk of a demo being made available, which will curb our monstrous hunger pangs for the game until its October release. What the demo will contain and when it will arrive is still being discussed.

Check out our gallery below for some new images of LittleBigPlanet straight from PlayStation Day. Also be sure to check out the video of the cute-but-ghastly Helghast Sackboys.

Gallery: LittleBigPlanet

Home 'game spaces' being shown off later this month

Posted May 8th 2008 8:30AM by Jem Alexander
Filed under: News

Speaking to Daniel Hill at PlayStation Day we managed to gather a few tidbits of info about Home and where it's headed. Hill reiterated that the open beta will be happening this Autumn. He also added that the closed beta will be "extended" in July to include more gamers as well as, for the first time, European press. When asked whether Home would be fully functional for the open beta, Hill responded by saying that "Home will never be fully functional" and that it will continue to grow and evolve over time. The open beta will include all necessary features such as trophies and game launching.

Game spaces are slightly lower on the list of priorities, but not forgotten. Some are being shown off later this month to beta members and Hill stated that what he had seen of them is "really impressive." Game launching has extended beyond Warhawk to MotorStorm now, and this feature was demonstrated on the show floor at PlayStation Day. The feature allows you to select your option preferences, including track and number of laps, within Home. This allows you to almost immediately jump straight into the gameplay, rather than into another menu.

Hill also confirmed to us that trophies will be available in the XMB. "They have to be," he said. There's no word on when that will happen, but a 2D representation of your trophy list will be visible via the XMB at some point in the future. Obviously, the basic funtionality needs to be created within Home itself before being exported to the XMB, so don't expect it anytime soon.

Fallout 3 composer named, soundtrack samples available

Posted May 8th 2008 12:30AM by Majed Athab
Filed under: News

Music is an integral part of any game. It's important that the right composer is put in charge of bringing the aural atmosphere to life. For Fallout 3, the right man to pen the musical score would apparently be Inon Zur, composer of game soundtracks from Crysis and Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones.

Fallout 3 executive producer Todd Howard had this to say about Zur's original music for the game: "He's created a score that has epic sweep; from the lonely ambience of the wasteland to dramatic fights for survival." True enough, Zur is well-known for that sort of sound. Don't believe it? Then hit up Fallout 3's official website to listen to three songs from the soundtrack. Also, you can hear some of Zur's older work at his official website.

[Via press release]

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