PS3 Fanboy

We have a love-hate relationship with Activision-Blizzard; we love Blizzard and their games, but really rather hate Activision. This confusing dichotomy was further cemented today with the announcement that the company is streamlining their output by holding on to a few key Sierra franchises. Namely, Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, Prototype, Ice Age and an as-yet unannounced property, leaving Tim Shafer's Brutal Legend, Ghostbusters: The Video Game, WET, and Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena abandoned at the side of the road.

However, there's still hope for these games if another publisher swoops in and picks them up. Actiblizz will also be shaking up its Sierra-based internal development studios, with plans to "realign staffing at Radical Entertainment and High Moon Studios" (Prototype and Bourne) and to explore "options regarding Massive Entertainment and Swordfish Studios" (Wold in Conflict and 50 Cent). For the full skinny check out the Yahoo Business report.

It's sad to see interesting games like Ghostbusters and, particularly, Brutal Legend get poor treatment in favor of dead franchises such as Crash Bandicoot and Spyro. It's a world gone topsy-turvy, where EA are developing interesting and innovative new IPs and Activision is "streamlining" anything that stands out in favor of safe, boring franchises.

[Via Joystiq]

Gamers of the PS1 era might remember Spyro rather fondly in their hearts. The original titles were developed by Insomniac (Ratchet & Clank series, Insomniac) and they featured some impressive visuals, animation and voice acting for its time. Since then, Spyro was picked up by a few other developers and faded into obscurity.

Well, could the fire-breathing dragon be making a comeback? We were surprised (we still are) by the startling transformation the series is experiencing with its upcoming PS3/360 game. Like many, we didn't know that Dawn of the Dragon is the end of a trilogy. Who knew that this supposed children's series could look so inspired?

The production values extend to far beyond the visuals. Elijah Wood, Gary Oldman, Cristina Ricci, Blair Underwood, Mark Hamill, and Wayne Brady all have voice roles in the upcoming game. With such star power, and incredible visuals, it seems like Spyro is ready to return to its PS1-era glory. Let's hope Dawn of the Dragon can make Insomniac Games proud when it releases later this year.

PSP Fanboy has been reviewing all of the PS1 re-releases from the PS Store. They recently added three more games, all of which are playable (upscaled!) on the PS3. Here are a few excerpts, but to check them all out, visit PSP Fanboy.

Wipeout - Ultimately, the game's true shortcoming is well ... how short it is. With so few tracks and ships to choose from, one can't help but think that $6 is the absolute most you should pay for this trip down memory lane. A solid game -- but there's far better options. 6.5

Spyro the Dragon - With frequent save points, fast load times, and generally solid gameplay, Insomniac's early platformer still manages to impress. The gameplay is admittedly on the simplistic side, but there is no doubt that nearly a decade ago, Insomniac was pushing some truly impressive tech. The graphics are silky smooth, and the Sypro character lives with animation akin to that of the Ratchet series. The game looks as good as an average PSP game (albeit running in 4:3). 7.5

Twisted Metal 2 - There's a reason why Twisted Metal was so beloved: it had a lot of personality, with its apocalyptic levels and crazed vehicle designs. The relentless difficulty of the game and simplistic presentation take a lot away from this re-release, but at $6, it's still a fairly solid retread to invest in, especially for portable gamers. 6.0