PS3 Fanboy

Don't let the subject line fool you -- while there's still no firm release date set for The Last Remnant on the PS3, it's coming and it's about time we learned a little more about the game. A bunch of press members sat down with the game's producer, Nobuyuki Ueda, then tried to get some information about the game's battle system and storyline. We'll summarize the important bits and let you decide if you want to read the whole thing.

The game is supposed to appease both Western and Japanese gamers. English development is ahead of Japanese, so the English dub is proceeding along smoothly, Ueda says. The battles are as large-scale or as small-scale as you'd like. You have control over five "unions" with five members in each union, but it seems like you directly control either one at a time or the leader of each union during battles.

Once battle starts, a timer is in place that'll signify when more enemy units will join in the brawl. The greater the number of enemies you choose to encounter, the greater the reward. Think of the DS title The World Ends With You to get an idea what they're going for. The morale meter does not indicate rewards; it helps you see how well other units will pay attention to your orders. While the game sounds like it keeps many traditional RPG elements, it also sounds like it may be more hands-off than expected. We don't know for sure, so we'll not make any judgments until we play it for ourselves.

At a conference with game writers at E3, SCEA boss Jack Tretton spoke about Sony's feelings toward the announcement that a flagship title, Final Fantasy XIII, will also see a simultaneous release on the Xbox 360. His feelings: "Am I disappointed by it? Yes ... Am I surprised? No." We suppose we shouldn't be too surprised either. With the cost of game development growing as it is, holding onto third-party franchises is much more difficult. The game is still PS3-only in Japan, but we should really expect this generation to revolve around first-party developers. Everything else will more likely than not see release on more than one platform.

[Via CVG]

You may have read about our E3 coverage regarding Home -- specifically learning the virtual world will be region locked. Even so, there are plenty of things to do in Home as this developer walkthrough video shows. Fun activities for all, but regrettably, we won't be able to enjoy said diversions with our pals across the ocean. Any ocean. You can invite them into your personal apartment, though. Maybe down the line an option will be added for you to place an arcade machine, chess board, or more in your apartment. We'll see.

It's called an alternate trailer, but really its a trailer with the same intro and then a completely different focus. Instead of staring at Chris Redfield's hair for two minutes, you see a woman dressed like a Greek goddess and a guy who took his wardrobe right from the Xenogears and Xenosaga dressing rooms. Then, around the one minute mark, it's the same ol' trailer from before. Enjoy!

Who would have thought that Midway would take a page out Capcom's book and pull off Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe? It's a befitting concept given that Marvel has been used up oh so many times before in Street Fighter pair ups. Now it's time to take DC into the fighting arena.

These new screenshots show some highly unfair match ups: Sonya versus Superman? Gee, we wonder just who would win in a fight like that? Anyway, there's more where that came from, so view our gallery below.

Microsoft strikes again! While we still have no idea what the Grand Theft Auto IV's 360 exclusive DLC will be, it has been announced that Fallout 3 will also receive similar treatment. PS3 owners will still be able to get hold of the game, but will not be able to get their hands on the 360 and PC exclusive expansions. Executive Producer Todd Howard stated that the DLC would be "substantial", though whether that covers any-and-all future DLC for the game is up in the air (as it still is with GTAIV). So don't lose all hope just yet.

In an official press release, Midway listed the titles that will make an appearance at E3. The PS3 titles are all multi-platform, but are also multi-genre. They'll be showing off Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, Wheelman, TNA iMPACT!, Blitz The League 2, and This is Vegas -- most are due out this Fall, but This is Vegas has been pushed into 2009.

As Midway CEO Matthew Booty put it, "these games truly reflect our product strategy to develop top quality titles in a wide range of genres that appeal to all segments of the market." This is a fair statement: we've got a fantasy fighting game, an intense driving/action title, wrestling, football, and a sandbox-style simulation game. It's a wide spread, so we'll see if they get any thumbs up at E3 next week.

Square Enix has announced their E3 lineup and, sadly, it's slim pickings for PS3 owners. With seemingly no sign of Final Fantasy XIII or Versus XIII, the only PS3 title Square Enix will be showing at the show is The Last Remnant -- and that's multiplatform. Even then, the game won't be playable at the show. Star Ocean IV is also listed on the press release and is lacking an "exclusive on Xbox 360" label, which bodes potentially well for the game reaching the PS3 at some point in the future.

It's all a bit disappointing really. We know PS3 fans are excited for anything Square Enix related, particularly Final Fantasy XIII and Versus XIII. Who knows, maybe they'll announce something special for PS3 owners at the show. Or maybe they're keeping their PS3 titles quiet because they're reserved for Sony's Press Conference and won't be available to see on the show floor. Fingers crossed.