PS3 Fanboy

Ah, the things that could have been. Alex Evans, co-founder of Media Molecule, revealed in an interview with Kikizo that they were working on game "more Portally than Portal ... Portal, but with scale factor." They even met with Valve, who suggested they collaborate on a title (it is unclear whether it is the aforementioned one) together. "We were very tempted ... But in the end we decided to talk to Sony and they just got the game at the beginning." Considering Valve's history with Sony's console, PS3 fanboys everywhere are thankful for that.

The five page interview covers much of what the Media Molecule devs wants for LittleBigPlanet. "One of my personal ambitions is that I want to make this game easy enough for my mum to play, which is actually a very ambitious thing to say," Mark Healey stated. Awww! Jokes aside though, if Healey thinks LBP is easy enough for his mother to play, it might just help the PS3 find a whole new audience.

[Via Shacknews]

In a recent interview with 1Up.com Valve's co-founder and resident PS3 hater, Gabe Newell, has stated that the company needs to start thinking about development for the PS3. "I think we need to do a good job with supporting the PS3 with the Source engine," he says. Previously, Newell has been vocally anti-PS3, but is now saying that "we'll, over time, be directly more and more supporting the PS3 as our bandwidth allows us to."

So does that mean we can expect to see a PS3 version of Zombie-pocalyse-em-up Left 4 Dead? Newell states that Valve doesn't "have the bandwidth. For The Orange Box, EA did the PS3 version. They're interested in getting a PS3 version done. We just have to figure out where the resources can come from." Probably not until after the 360 and PC versions, then. Still, it's great that Valve is going to be looking into PS3 development at some point in the future. We're just hoping it's sooner, rather than later.

So, looks like Valve cannot ignore the success of the PS3 anymore. Gabe Newell, head of the critically acclaimed studio sparked a bit of controversy when he repeatedly attacked the PS3's difficult development architecture, calling it a "waste of time." His studio refused to work on a PS3 version of The Orange Box, leaving it to EA to do the eventual PS3 port.

However, it looks like the continued success of the PS3 has the studio taking back some of his words. "We're always evaluating what's happening in the marketplace and certainly something that's happening in the last couple of months is that Sony's managed to sell some boxes," said Doug Lombardi to CVG. "So whether or not you like developing for that platform, if they've got millions of people connected to that platform and buying their games you have to take it seriously."

While there's "zero chance" for a PS3 version of the upcoming zombie multiplayer game Left 4 Dead this year, there's now a "50-50" chance that it will happen some time next year. While we're fans of Valve's work, we're not entirely sure if the PS3 audience will welcome them with open arms.

Update: Huge mistake folks. The headline says Valve's Gabe Newell, when it was in fact, Doug Lombardi that made the comment. We apologize for the mistake -- the article has been corrected.

It appears that the internet was too quick to celebrate a potential EA-developed port of Left 4 Dead (us included). Supposed scans of the Official PlayStation Magazine quickly stated the title was going to eventually hit PS3 through an Orange Box-like deal, with EA handling porting duties of the game. However, Valve's big man in charge, Doug Lombardi, denied the existence of a PS3 port in a short and sweet statement to TGN: "There's no PS3 version of L4D currently in production."

Apparently, the scan which turned into the talk of the town was taken out of context: it was simply a bullet point in a regular rumors column. However, considering the positive response to a PS3 version of Valve's upcoming multiplayer zombie apocalypse game, we'd think it foolish for EA to pass on an incredible opportunity like this.

According to the latest issue of the Official PlayStation Magazine, the survival horror/first person shooter title Left 4 Dead is heading to the PlayStation 3 after all. In a one-liner, OPM states the following: "Valve's survival horror game Left 4 Dead is coming to PS3, but EA will be taking on development duties in-house."

No other information is given. All we are saying is, if EA wants us to give their port of Left 4 Dead a chance, it better be nothing like the "slideshow" version of the Orange Box that PS3 owners got.

[Via Joystiq]

Addressing flying rumors that Portal: Still Alive might be going to PSN (really now?), a Valve spokesperson confirmed what we already know: it's not happening. "I'd call that today's rumor," said the spokesperson, further explaining the possibility with a simple and direct "no." So that's that. Anyway, for those of you who don't know, Portal: Still Alive is a digital downloadable version of Portal (off The Orange Box) with extra content. It's exclusive to the Xbox 360.

Although Valve's distaste of the PS3 is well-known, the Half-Life series has still found its way to Sony hardware courtesy of EA. It looks like the franchise will continue on PS3 as well, as this initial piece of Episode Three concept art reveals. The piece, by Valve artists Ted Backman, Jeremy Bennett and Tristian Reidford, shows an ominous advisor from Episode One and Two flying forward at Gordon Freeman in a stunning cavern. We can't grasp any real details on Valve's upcoming finale to the Half-Life 2 saga, but the platforms listed clearly include the PS3 as well.

Check out Into the Pixel for a high-res version of this piece. PS3 fans would also take note to check out the spectacular high-res WipEout HD art also available in their gallery.

[Thanks, MC Fresh Beatz! Via Shacknews]

Most Valve Software fans would know well enough that the company is primarily a developer for PC games and a bit of Xbox on the side. So, it's not too startling to hear Valve Marketing VP Doug Lombardi say something along the lines of "We're not PS3 developers" -- it's just a great headline. What is interesting, however, is the possibility of Left 4 Dead, currently set only for PC and Xbox 360 release, getting ported to the PS3.

Talking to CVG, Lombardi reconfirmed that Valve still sees Left 4 Dead for PC and 360 only; however, he did leave some glint of hope for a PS3 port in the future. When asked if EA would bring the game over much like what the company did with The Orange Box, Lombardi replied "Left 4 Dead doesn't have that guaranteed appeal yet - it's a new IP. If you mention a new Half-Life, people want to make as many versions of it as possible. If Left 4 Dead is big, then we may see a PS3 version later, or if and when we do a sequel, people may be more interested in that."

In short, it all comes down to financial risk for whoever wants to take on the challenge of porting. As far as Valve is concerned, they're not the ones who will do it; someone else will do it if they want to, that is. Hopefully, Left 4 Dead does well on the other platforms; we could always use a zombie shooter on the PS3.

If you've been itching for new maps to annihilate your friends on with the Orange Box's multiplayer title, Team Fortress 2, you know it's just a matter of time until you get your wish. What you don't know is how much it'll cost you. Neither does Valve. Kotaku contacted Valve's VP of Marketing, Doug Lombardi, to see if their wish for free downloadable content was up to them, a result of Electronic Arts meddling, or something else. He said "The platform owner holds the final call." Which means it's up to Sony and Microsoft whether or not to offer the content for free. Anyone care to venture a guess?

It's no secret the PS3 version of Orange Box is inferior to the PC and 360 version due to the unforgivable amounts of bugs and bad coding. Many gamers have voiced their displeasure about the game, and one upset gamer, who purchased the game despite the highly publicized problems, posted a thread on Valve's forums. Soon after, a Valve employee responded to address his complaints.

"I hope that we will be able to correct any major issues in the future," wrote Burton before wishing him a "Happy New Years." Now, this can be interpreted numerous ways, however, the most likely scenario is Valve issuing a patch to address these problems.

One thing to keep in mind is that this mess isn't entirely Valve's fault since it handed over reigns to EA London for the PS3 port. However, it's still Valve's baby, and it's most certainly in the developer's best interests to keep the quality of its most-popular franchise as high as possible.

You've heard the reports that The Orange Box may be downright unplayable on the PS3. Is that true? Well, this well-made comparison video from the 1UP team should clarify a few things. Pay attention, as they highlight the differences between the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of Valve's critically acclaimed shooter.

We recommend downloading the HD version to really appreciate the differences. While it's true the PS3 version is more sluggish, especially around water -- is it unplayable? That's for you to decide. If the PS3 is the only system you have, hopefully this won't deter you from experiencing one of the best games of the year.

Update: Portal has been added, after the break. Chances are, you won't notice a difference between the two versions in this video.

Gabe Newell really hates the PS3. In a recent interview with Next-Gen, he blasted Sony's system due to its frustrating architecture, calling the system "a waste of everybody's time. Investing in the Cell, investing in the SPE gives you no long-term benefits. There's nothing there that you're going to apply to anything else. You're not going to gain anything except a hatred of the architecture they've created."

Because of his distaste for PS3, the critically acclaimed Orange Box is not being ported to PS3 by Valve. Rather, EA is handling the port and he's confident that "they'll make the PS3 version a good product; EA got the job done in putting a lot of people with PS3 experience on the project." He does note that "it's harder to get it to the same standard as the 360 and PC versions."

Hopefully, EA's treatment of The Orange Box will be better than the sloppy PS3 version of Madden, which was slammed by the gaming media for its sluggish framerate on PS3.

[Via CVG]

We've already met the crazy soldier and heavy artillery guy of Team Fortress 2, now we get to meet the surprisingly resourceful and musically talented Engineer. Solving "practical problems", he seems more interested in pounding back a few brews and sitting by a fire, playing his guitar than running around fighting. That's because he seems more adept at building machinery to do his bidding for him, something we're interested to see translate into actual gameplay. Either way, it's a very fun video, so enjoy!

[via Joystiq]

Holy insufferable insults, Batman! It's yet another personality who wants to belittle the PS3 and its Cell processor. Valve's own Gabe Newell gave a talk at Leipzig the other day and did their share of doling out insults to both the 360 and PS3, while showering compliments on the PC. When asked how development was coming on the PS3, Newell replied with the usual difficult-to-program-for spiel: "I don't think they spent nearly enough time talking to developers when they were developing the PS3. It's less friendly for developers ... It's a hardware architectural problem. I don't think they thought through the Cell architecture. The hardware is only as good as the software it enables."

That's techno-babble for "the PS3 is only as good as its games," which is true. Just like a child, the PS3 will grow and mature, looking better and better with every passing year. The software are only as good as the developers, you could switch it up and say as they familiarize themselves with the architecture, they'll pull more and more out of the console than they initially believed. Even so, Newell thinks Sony should have followed Intel's multi-core approach to expedite this learning process. What are your thoughts on the relation between the PS3, its games, and developers? Who's holding who back?

For the uninitiated, Valve initially intended to release Half-Life 2 in two different options for the consoles. One was the Black Box that contained HL2: Episode 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2. The other is the Orange Box that contained the aforementioned plus Half-Life 2 and Episode 1 expansion. Notice our tenses. One was. One is. That's right -- the Black Box is gone.

Doug Lombardi, Valve's marketing director confirmed it. "The Black Box has been cancelled. We're going to have one package, The Orange Box, available on the PC (US$49.99) as well as the 360 and PS3 (US$ 59.99)." While we're sad to see a cheaper alternative go down the garbage disposal, it's for the better. Getting the whole package is always a better alternative to getting a partial package. The only ones who seem to get screwed here are the PC owners. If they've already got the original game, they've got to buy it again if they want to get all three new products. Buying them separate might prove more expensive, anyway. Well, at least the console-lovers get everything at once, right?

[Update: Changed the title of the article to better reflect the idea of the post -- indeed, the Black Box was due out only on PC, as it would be silly to not give console owners the actual game. But console owners get a fantastic deal with the Orange Box, no?]