By Andrei Dumitrescu
With no big titles released in Japan, the sales of hardware continue their downward trend. The numbers for the various platforms are pretty close and a big release could push any of the devices to the top during this week.
The Nintendo DS is still the best sold piece of hardware on the Japanese market, but it's quickly losing buyers. The handheld has managed to sell around 47,000 consoles, which is 15,000 less than during the previous week. The PlayStation Portable also lost buyers, but a smaller number, reaching sales of 40,886 after a fall of a little over 7,000.
In the home console realm, the PlayStation 3 continues to sell very well, taking third place in the hardware chart for the seventh week in a row. The Sony made console sold a little over 20,000 units, registering a drop of about 3,500. It seems that the console has now sold more than 3 million units in Japan since launch.
Meanwhile, the Nintendo Wii only managed to move 15,525 units, a loss of about 2,000 over the previous week. The Xbox 360 saw an increase in sales up to 10,134 units.
As far as videogames go, the top position in the software chart in Japan was taken by Sengoku Basara: Battle Heroes, created by Capcom for the PlayStation Portable. The new release managed to sell a total of 86,000 units in its first week. The game is one of those titles that could only see huge sales in Japan, being a portable spin off of a series called Devil Kings in the West. Second place went to Oboro Muramas, created by Marvelous for the Nintendo Wii, which moved 29,000 units. The title is also set to arrive in the West under the name of Muramasa: The Demon Blade.
Mario & Luigi RPG 3, created by Nintendo for the DS, continued its good run, selling around 25,000 units, while Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G from Capcom for the PlayStation Portable sits in fourth place, just ahead of Pro Yakyuu Famista DS 2009 from Konami.
Source article: Nintendo DS Falls, PlayStation 3 Goes Over 3 Million
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Hands-On: Battling Through Final Fantasy XIII’s Brief Demo
Gamers in Japan got their hands on the eagerly anticipated Final Fantasy XIII demo Thursday, offering a first look at the latest sequel to one of the world’s most popular role-playing game franchises.
The hour-long demo, which shows an action-packed segment that occurs during the game’s opening moments, has been a long time coming: Developer Square Enix showed the first trailer for Final Fantasy XIII in May 2006.
Since then, the game has never been demonstrated to the outside world, even at trade shows. The PlayStation 3 demo disc, bundled with a Final Fantasy movie and currently available only in Japan, marks the first time that anyone outside Square Enix has played the company’s flagship next-gen title.
To call this demo "long-awaited" would be a drastic understatement: Development of the Final Fantasy sequel has proceeded at the approximate pace of a very cold snail. Wired.com got its hands on a copy shipped overnight from Japan and gave the game a thorough thrashing.
The demo focuses almost entirely on battling small groups of weak enemies. Final Fantasy XIII does not diverge significantly from the formula pioneered in the original 8-bit game released in 1987 — you select attacks or magic spells from a list, and watch what results from your choices. There are a few tweaks that make XIII unique, which we’ll explain in depth below.
Will the final version of Final Fantasy XIII be worth the wait? It’s too early to tell from such a tiny slice of gameplay.
The demo version of Final Fantasy XIII is included with the Japanese Blu-ray disc release of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete, a straight-to-DVD movie based on the series that was originally released in 2006. The sneak peek is not a freebie — the version of the movie that comes with the demo is about $10 more expensive. Since the PlayStation 3 is region-free, and Japan and the United States share the same Blu-ray region, American PS3 owners can play this demo and watch the movie on their consoles. Both the game and the movie are in Japanese, with no English-language option.
Briefly stated, XIII’s plot revolves around a battle between two worlds. Led by a mysterious superhuman race called the fal’Cie, many humans have left their world, Pulse, to establish a paradise floating in the sky called Cocoon. The Cocoon dwellers have been battling those left on Pulse ever since. (I got that off Wikipedia.) Very little of the plot is explored in the demo — it consists mostly of an epic battle scene taking place on Pulse.
In the first segment of the demo, you control Lightning, who comes from Cocoon but seems to have thrown her lot in with the Pulse side. She’s backed up by her partner, Sazh, who has a baby Chocobo living in his afro.
In the first battle, against a stereotypically elaborate Final Fantasy robot with giant sawblades for hands, you’re introduced to the new game’s battle system. After Final Fantasy XII’s brief dalliance with a completely new combat system inspired by MMO games, Final Fantasy XIII returns to traditional turn-based combat. The series’ usual spin on this is to run the battle in real time while you’re selecting your fighting options — if you sit there and deliberate, the enemy is still attacking you.
XIII’s twist on the battle system is that during each turn, you can queue up as many as three different attacks, which your character will execute in rapid-fire sequence. You can combine physical attacks and magic spells (Fire and Blizzard are available in the demo). If you want to use one massive spell that affects all areas in a certain radius, you can, but it takes up all three of your slots.
In general, you want to unleash combinations of moves, because that’ll do the most damage to an enemy and contribute to the "Chain" counter in the upper right corner. Stringing together unbroken chains of attacks will occasionally put the enemy into a state that the game calls "Break." Your opponent will flash orange, indicating that it’s ready to be pummeled. At this point, you’ll want to use the "Lift" command, then follow it up with two normal attacks. Put this combo in, and Lightning will uppercut the enemy into the air, then jump up after it and attack it, in its vulnerable state, for massive damage.
In the second half of the demo, you play a character called Snow. He’s joined by two partners, Gadot and Lebreau — like Sazh, they’re controlled by the computer. It’s not clear from the demo if you’ll only control one character in the final game, or if you’ll have control over all of them.
Final Fantasy XIII’s battles, going by the demo, move so quickly that they are chaotic enough with just one character to babysit. In the battle against a Behemoth shown above, I had to cast the "Cure" spell on Snow every few seconds to keep him from dying.
The idea behind the combo-based combat, besides adding an additional layer of strategy to the battles, seems to be to make Final Fantasy XIII’s visual presentation more dynamic. From the earliest days of the series to games on the PlayStation 2, the default behavior of heroes in battle has been to stand absolutely stock-still while waiting for their turn to begin. In XIII, characters move around while they wait; they pace and lunge and dodge. None of this has the slightest bit of effect on the battle, though; it’s all for show.
Are the moves and camerawork as over-the-top as the battle shown in the aforementioned mocked-up 2006 trailer? No. Square Enix has no one but itself to blame for expectations that a "next-generation Final Fantasy" means a more realistic and movielike experience, not just upgraded graphics layered onto the same gameplay formula.
Square Enix says Final Fantasy XIII will be available in winter 2009 in Japan, where it will only be released on PlayStation 3. In the United States, where the game will also ship on Xbox 360, we’ll have to wait until 2010.
Will the final version live up to the hype? We can’t tell from this demo. It’s not that there are any issues with what’s being presented here — it’s that there’s not much of it, and the brief look raises more questions than it answers.
How will battles feel when you can control three characters? Can you control three characters? Do you have to spend "magic points" to cast spells, or are they free as in the demo? Can you buy, find and equip your characters with new weapons and armor? How do your characters grow and learn new techniques? How much freedom do players have to explore the worlds of Pulse and Cocoon, outside of these prescripted battle sequences?
In short, how does Final Fantasy XIII address all the things that make an RPG an RPG, and not just a brief series of simple battles connected by lengthy computer-animated story sequences?
All that is beyond the scope of this demo. We’ll just have to keep waiting.
Source article: Battling Through Final Fantasy XIII’s Brief Demo
The hour-long demo, which shows an action-packed segment that occurs during the game’s opening moments, has been a long time coming: Developer Square Enix showed the first trailer for Final Fantasy XIII in May 2006.
Since then, the game has never been demonstrated to the outside world, even at trade shows. The PlayStation 3 demo disc, bundled with a Final Fantasy movie and currently available only in Japan, marks the first time that anyone outside Square Enix has played the company’s flagship next-gen title.
To call this demo "long-awaited" would be a drastic understatement: Development of the Final Fantasy sequel has proceeded at the approximate pace of a very cold snail. Wired.com got its hands on a copy shipped overnight from Japan and gave the game a thorough thrashing.
The demo focuses almost entirely on battling small groups of weak enemies. Final Fantasy XIII does not diverge significantly from the formula pioneered in the original 8-bit game released in 1987 — you select attacks or magic spells from a list, and watch what results from your choices. There are a few tweaks that make XIII unique, which we’ll explain in depth below.
Will the final version of Final Fantasy XIII be worth the wait? It’s too early to tell from such a tiny slice of gameplay.
The demo version of Final Fantasy XIII is included with the Japanese Blu-ray disc release of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete, a straight-to-DVD movie based on the series that was originally released in 2006. The sneak peek is not a freebie — the version of the movie that comes with the demo is about $10 more expensive. Since the PlayStation 3 is region-free, and Japan and the United States share the same Blu-ray region, American PS3 owners can play this demo and watch the movie on their consoles. Both the game and the movie are in Japanese, with no English-language option.
Briefly stated, XIII’s plot revolves around a battle between two worlds. Led by a mysterious superhuman race called the fal’Cie, many humans have left their world, Pulse, to establish a paradise floating in the sky called Cocoon. The Cocoon dwellers have been battling those left on Pulse ever since. (I got that off Wikipedia.) Very little of the plot is explored in the demo — it consists mostly of an epic battle scene taking place on Pulse.
In the first segment of the demo, you control Lightning, who comes from Cocoon but seems to have thrown her lot in with the Pulse side. She’s backed up by her partner, Sazh, who has a baby Chocobo living in his afro.
In the first battle, against a stereotypically elaborate Final Fantasy robot with giant sawblades for hands, you’re introduced to the new game’s battle system. After Final Fantasy XII’s brief dalliance with a completely new combat system inspired by MMO games, Final Fantasy XIII returns to traditional turn-based combat. The series’ usual spin on this is to run the battle in real time while you’re selecting your fighting options — if you sit there and deliberate, the enemy is still attacking you.
XIII’s twist on the battle system is that during each turn, you can queue up as many as three different attacks, which your character will execute in rapid-fire sequence. You can combine physical attacks and magic spells (Fire and Blizzard are available in the demo). If you want to use one massive spell that affects all areas in a certain radius, you can, but it takes up all three of your slots.
In general, you want to unleash combinations of moves, because that’ll do the most damage to an enemy and contribute to the "Chain" counter in the upper right corner. Stringing together unbroken chains of attacks will occasionally put the enemy into a state that the game calls "Break." Your opponent will flash orange, indicating that it’s ready to be pummeled. At this point, you’ll want to use the "Lift" command, then follow it up with two normal attacks. Put this combo in, and Lightning will uppercut the enemy into the air, then jump up after it and attack it, in its vulnerable state, for massive damage.
In the second half of the demo, you play a character called Snow. He’s joined by two partners, Gadot and Lebreau — like Sazh, they’re controlled by the computer. It’s not clear from the demo if you’ll only control one character in the final game, or if you’ll have control over all of them.
Final Fantasy XIII’s battles, going by the demo, move so quickly that they are chaotic enough with just one character to babysit. In the battle against a Behemoth shown above, I had to cast the "Cure" spell on Snow every few seconds to keep him from dying.
The idea behind the combo-based combat, besides adding an additional layer of strategy to the battles, seems to be to make Final Fantasy XIII’s visual presentation more dynamic. From the earliest days of the series to games on the PlayStation 2, the default behavior of heroes in battle has been to stand absolutely stock-still while waiting for their turn to begin. In XIII, characters move around while they wait; they pace and lunge and dodge. None of this has the slightest bit of effect on the battle, though; it’s all for show.
Are the moves and camerawork as over-the-top as the battle shown in the aforementioned mocked-up 2006 trailer? No. Square Enix has no one but itself to blame for expectations that a "next-generation Final Fantasy" means a more realistic and movielike experience, not just upgraded graphics layered onto the same gameplay formula.
Square Enix says Final Fantasy XIII will be available in winter 2009 in Japan, where it will only be released on PlayStation 3. In the United States, where the game will also ship on Xbox 360, we’ll have to wait until 2010.
Will the final version live up to the hype? We can’t tell from this demo. It’s not that there are any issues with what’s being presented here — it’s that there’s not much of it, and the brief look raises more questions than it answers.
How will battles feel when you can control three characters? Can you control three characters? Do you have to spend "magic points" to cast spells, or are they free as in the demo? Can you buy, find and equip your characters with new weapons and armor? How do your characters grow and learn new techniques? How much freedom do players have to explore the worlds of Pulse and Cocoon, outside of these prescripted battle sequences?
In short, how does Final Fantasy XIII address all the things that make an RPG an RPG, and not just a brief series of simple battles connected by lengthy computer-animated story sequences?
All that is beyond the scope of this demo. We’ll just have to keep waiting.
Source article: Battling Through Final Fantasy XIII’s Brief Demo
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
PlayStation 3: Gaming and Much More
Navneet Prakash, Apr 25, 2009
The PS3 is a great gaming console, it already boasts of some really big gaming titles with more coming each year. There is no denying that the Xbox 360 is just as good as the PS3 in terms of exclusive gaming titles and also offers a lot of value for its price.
But to be honest, technically, the PS3 offers more out of the box than the Xbox 360; it's a gaming console that can do much more. The following feature is not an attempt to glorify the PS3, but a list of features that most users are unsure/unaware about.
1) Blu Ray: For movie buffs the Blu-ray drive is a blessing, and although blu-ray movies still cost a fortune (in India), the option of having a future-proof player is quite exciting. Locally blu-ray is an alien format and most people don't know what a blu-ray is, which isn't a surprise, as there people who are still getting used to DVDs. But with time and higher sales of HDTVs, we are sure that blu-ray will eventually gain popularity.
2) Media Streaming: The PS3 is also an excellent media device, both for PCs and Macs. Let me explain this in detail:
a) In most cases people use separate LCDs for their gaming console and PC/Mac, relying on the more traditional 17"-22" LCDs for their PC and a 26"-42" TV for their consoles. Now it is possible to stream all the media that you have stored on your PC/Mac to your PS3, and watch it directly on your TV.
b) It's a very easy set-up and requires very little effort; PC users should use Tversity, while Mac users should give Vuze a try. There are guides available for both the programs, which should take care of most FAQs. We will soon be publishing a guide on how to set-up media servers for your PS3 and Xbox 360, so keep watching this space.
3) Custom HDD: The PS3 uses a standard 2.5" laptop HDD, which means you can replace the 40 or 80 GB HDD with a sizeable 320 GB HDD, without any issues. The extra space can be used to store data directly on to your PS3, so in case you are not a big fan of streaming your media, copy it and play it directly from your PS3. The more games you play on the PS3, the more space you will need for the obligatory install. And with some games taking as much as 2-3 GB of space, the extra 300 GB will help. Here is a guide on how to replace your PS3 HDD on the PS3 forums.
See full article here: PlayStation 3: Gaming and Much More
The PS3 is a great gaming console, it already boasts of some really big gaming titles with more coming each year. There is no denying that the Xbox 360 is just as good as the PS3 in terms of exclusive gaming titles and also offers a lot of value for its price.
But to be honest, technically, the PS3 offers more out of the box than the Xbox 360; it's a gaming console that can do much more. The following feature is not an attempt to glorify the PS3, but a list of features that most users are unsure/unaware about.
1) Blu Ray: For movie buffs the Blu-ray drive is a blessing, and although blu-ray movies still cost a fortune (in India), the option of having a future-proof player is quite exciting. Locally blu-ray is an alien format and most people don't know what a blu-ray is, which isn't a surprise, as there people who are still getting used to DVDs. But with time and higher sales of HDTVs, we are sure that blu-ray will eventually gain popularity.
2) Media Streaming: The PS3 is also an excellent media device, both for PCs and Macs. Let me explain this in detail:
a) In most cases people use separate LCDs for their gaming console and PC/Mac, relying on the more traditional 17"-22" LCDs for their PC and a 26"-42" TV for their consoles. Now it is possible to stream all the media that you have stored on your PC/Mac to your PS3, and watch it directly on your TV.
b) It's a very easy set-up and requires very little effort; PC users should use Tversity, while Mac users should give Vuze a try. There are guides available for both the programs, which should take care of most FAQs. We will soon be publishing a guide on how to set-up media servers for your PS3 and Xbox 360, so keep watching this space.
3) Custom HDD: The PS3 uses a standard 2.5" laptop HDD, which means you can replace the 40 or 80 GB HDD with a sizeable 320 GB HDD, without any issues. The extra space can be used to store data directly on to your PS3, so in case you are not a big fan of streaming your media, copy it and play it directly from your PS3. The more games you play on the PS3, the more space you will need for the obligatory install. And with some games taking as much as 2-3 GB of space, the extra 300 GB will help. Here is a guide on how to replace your PS3 HDD on the PS3 forums.
See full article here: PlayStation 3: Gaming and Much More
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Sacred 2: Fallen Angel goes "gold" for PlayStation 3
Lydia Sung - Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
Slinking onto Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in May
Between the blockbuster releases of spring and fall, we have games trickling in with considerably less fanfare. Here's one of those games -- doesn't help that Sacred 2 has already been out for PC since last year.
cdv Software and Ascaron Entertainment have announced today that Sacred 2: Fallen Angel has gone gold for PlayStation 3. Gamers can expect the console release on Xbox 360 and PS3 on May 12, 2009.
Basically, it's a hack-and-slash action-RPG in a fantasy setting, boasting a seamless world with intelligent enemies that adapt to the player's skill level and the number of players on the map. Needless to say, co-op is available in addition to single player, with support for up to four in total.
Source article: Sacred 2: Fallen Angel goes "gold" for PlayStation 3
Slinking onto Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in May
Between the blockbuster releases of spring and fall, we have games trickling in with considerably less fanfare. Here's one of those games -- doesn't help that Sacred 2 has already been out for PC since last year.
cdv Software and Ascaron Entertainment have announced today that Sacred 2: Fallen Angel has gone gold for PlayStation 3. Gamers can expect the console release on Xbox 360 and PS3 on May 12, 2009.
Basically, it's a hack-and-slash action-RPG in a fantasy setting, boasting a seamless world with intelligent enemies that adapt to the player's skill level and the number of players on the map. Needless to say, co-op is available in addition to single player, with support for up to four in total.
Source article: Sacred 2: Fallen Angel goes "gold" for PlayStation 3
Friday, May 1, 2009
Playstation 3's Death Spiral
Is the Playstation 3 doomed? Given the continuing spiral of reduced sales of the console, and of games that ship for the PS3, the situation has never been more dire for Sony's premiere gaming console.
April 17, 2009 -By Loyd Case
Every month, market research firm NPD releases the sales figures for the US for the top selling consoles and video games. Let's look at the numbers for console games for March, 2009:
Nintendo Wii 601K
Nintendo DS 563K
Xbox 360 330K
Playstation 3 218K
PS Portable 168K
Playstation 2 112K
To put this into some context, let's take a look at numbers from March, 2008:
Nintendo Wii 721K
Nintendo DS 698K
PS Portable 297K
Xbox 360 262K
Playstation 3 257K
Playstation 2 216K
Several things have occurred since March, 2008. First, the worldwide financial meltdown accelerated, which no doubt has an impact on buying habits of items like game consoles, which are certainly not necessities. Secondly, standalone Blu-ray players have substantially improved in performance and dropped in price.
So while you can argue that the PS3 is still one of the better Blu-ray players, a number of lower cost models that integrate better into A/V systems are now available.
And third, Microsoft dropped the price on the Xbox 360.
That third point is probably one key reason Xbox 360 sales are up in March 2009, compared to March 2008. In fact, the 360 is the only console whose sales are up relative to a year ago. (On the other hand, even though the Nintendo Wii is down from a year ago, it's still nearly double the Xbox 360 figures.)
Of the top ten, Xbox 360 software crushed the competition in terms of units, with a total of 1.78M games sold. Of course, Nintendo's Wii software sales probably made them more money. In that top ten, the Wii represents 1.1M units, but the Wii Fit, at 541K, is a game and controller combo that goes for around $90. The PS3 did eke out second place in software sales, falling just shy of 1.2M units.
There are two key points to consider in those numbers. First, Resident Evil 5 on the Xbox 360 outdid RE5 on the PS3 by 60%. The second point is that Killzone 2, a PS3-exclusive and a major release for the PS3 didn't hit 300,000 units sold. That has to be a blow to Sony.
Right now, the PS3 is simply too expensive, particularly in today's harsh economic conditions. $400 and up, is not competitive. And if PS3-exclusive titles keep selling poorly, developers who aren't owned by Sony are going to be very skittish about doing exclusives for Sony's current gen console.
Finally, one key advantage of the PS3—its stellar Blu-ray playback—is becoming eclipsed by the wave of cheaper and, arguably, equally good dedicated Blu-ray players.
That's the story for the US. Of course, Sony's home is Japan, and Bill Harris has a cogent analysis of just how poorly Sony is doing in its mother country. Bill plots a 12 month rolling average of console sales over the past decade, and it's quite illuminating.
Sony's PS3 is in dire trouble. It's notoriously difficult to program, which doesn't endear it to developers. Games don't sell as well on the PS3 as other consoles, which makes publishers skittish. Sony's flagship console needs a big price cut, but it's unclear if the PS3 can be cost-reduced enough to support it, given the continuing high cost of its components. The company may have no choice, if it wants to remain in the game.
Source article: Playstation 3's Death Spiral
April 17, 2009 -By Loyd Case
Every month, market research firm NPD releases the sales figures for the US for the top selling consoles and video games. Let's look at the numbers for console games for March, 2009:
Nintendo Wii 601K
Nintendo DS 563K
Xbox 360 330K
Playstation 3 218K
PS Portable 168K
Playstation 2 112K
To put this into some context, let's take a look at numbers from March, 2008:
Nintendo Wii 721K
Nintendo DS 698K
PS Portable 297K
Xbox 360 262K
Playstation 3 257K
Playstation 2 216K
Several things have occurred since March, 2008. First, the worldwide financial meltdown accelerated, which no doubt has an impact on buying habits of items like game consoles, which are certainly not necessities. Secondly, standalone Blu-ray players have substantially improved in performance and dropped in price.
So while you can argue that the PS3 is still one of the better Blu-ray players, a number of lower cost models that integrate better into A/V systems are now available.
And third, Microsoft dropped the price on the Xbox 360.
That third point is probably one key reason Xbox 360 sales are up in March 2009, compared to March 2008. In fact, the 360 is the only console whose sales are up relative to a year ago. (On the other hand, even though the Nintendo Wii is down from a year ago, it's still nearly double the Xbox 360 figures.)
Of the top ten, Xbox 360 software crushed the competition in terms of units, with a total of 1.78M games sold. Of course, Nintendo's Wii software sales probably made them more money. In that top ten, the Wii represents 1.1M units, but the Wii Fit, at 541K, is a game and controller combo that goes for around $90. The PS3 did eke out second place in software sales, falling just shy of 1.2M units.
There are two key points to consider in those numbers. First, Resident Evil 5 on the Xbox 360 outdid RE5 on the PS3 by 60%. The second point is that Killzone 2, a PS3-exclusive and a major release for the PS3 didn't hit 300,000 units sold. That has to be a blow to Sony.
Right now, the PS3 is simply too expensive, particularly in today's harsh economic conditions. $400 and up, is not competitive. And if PS3-exclusive titles keep selling poorly, developers who aren't owned by Sony are going to be very skittish about doing exclusives for Sony's current gen console.
Finally, one key advantage of the PS3—its stellar Blu-ray playback—is becoming eclipsed by the wave of cheaper and, arguably, equally good dedicated Blu-ray players.
That's the story for the US. Of course, Sony's home is Japan, and Bill Harris has a cogent analysis of just how poorly Sony is doing in its mother country. Bill plots a 12 month rolling average of console sales over the past decade, and it's quite illuminating.
Sony's PS3 is in dire trouble. It's notoriously difficult to program, which doesn't endear it to developers. Games don't sell as well on the PS3 as other consoles, which makes publishers skittish. Sony's flagship console needs a big price cut, but it's unclear if the PS3 can be cost-reduced enough to support it, given the continuing high cost of its components. The company may have no choice, if it wants to remain in the game.
Source article: Playstation 3's Death Spiral
Monday, April 27, 2009
Guitar Hero World Tour: Complete Band Game
More instruments means more rock star wish fulfillment than ever before.
By VGGEN Staff 04/16/2009 17:30:49 PST
Guitar Hero World Tour
Although there were plenty of music games before it, the original Guitar Hero was really the first game to take the feeling of being a virtual musician beyond typical gamers. While Harmonix’s title was meant to be a Guitar Freaks clone at first, over time it evolved into much more. With its plastic guitar and large selection of hits, music fans flocked to the series whether they were gamers before or not. Naturally other publishers took notice of Guitar Hero’s rabid fan base, and looked to cash in with their own music games. It’s not surprising that EA has been the most successful publisher to capitalize on the growing genre, with its Rock Band series (or “platform” as EA likes to call it since music tracks are cross compatible between both entries to date) take the largest chunk of market share. Now Neversoft (the series’ current caretakers) have answered the challenge, with Guitar Hero World Tour: Complete Band Game offering a nice band experience far beyond the original guitar-based game.
Source article: Guitar Hero World Tour
By VGGEN Staff 04/16/2009 17:30:49 PST
Guitar Hero World Tour
Although there were plenty of music games before it, the original Guitar Hero was really the first game to take the feeling of being a virtual musician beyond typical gamers. While Harmonix’s title was meant to be a Guitar Freaks clone at first, over time it evolved into much more. With its plastic guitar and large selection of hits, music fans flocked to the series whether they were gamers before or not. Naturally other publishers took notice of Guitar Hero’s rabid fan base, and looked to cash in with their own music games. It’s not surprising that EA has been the most successful publisher to capitalize on the growing genre, with its Rock Band series (or “platform” as EA likes to call it since music tracks are cross compatible between both entries to date) take the largest chunk of market share. Now Neversoft (the series’ current caretakers) have answered the challenge, with Guitar Hero World Tour: Complete Band Game offering a nice band experience far beyond the original guitar-based game.
Source article: Guitar Hero World Tour
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Why The PlayStation 3 Needs Gran Turismo 5 In 2009
By Ben Dutka
It likely won't happen, but I still cling to the reaction from Kazunori Yamauchi when he laughed at the idea of a 2010 launch for Gran Turismo 5. He even said it might release "sooner than everyone thinks," but that was late last year and recently...well, we've heard evidence to the contrary. But here's why the PS3 could really use GT5 as a massive holiday release.
We already know that Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - a game that PSXE has already seen firsthand and we say it's the prettiest console production yet - will make a big splash. However, it isn't quite the established blockbuster franchise that GT is, and if the fifth entry in that critically acclaimed series launched for the holiday season this year, that'd be game, set and match for the PS3 in 2009 (we're just talking about this year, of course). The key to causing a hardware sales surge is to release must-have exclusive software; that's a fact we've learned many times over in the past. Last year, when Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots launched, we saw the inevitable PS3 sales spike. Later, when Gears of War 2 released for the Xbox 360 in the fall, 360 sales enjoyed a big rise. And lately, Killzone 2 has spurred more PS3 sales, although the surge in Japan can't be attributed to Guerilla's FPS...maybe we should just call it a happy turn of events.
Anyway, does anyone remember when everyone was anxiously anticipating Gran Turismo 3 for the PS2? The system launched towards the end of 2000 and like most all new platforms, it didn't have too many "AAA" games in the first six months of its existence. But as you all know, 2001 became one of the greatest years in the industry's history, and much of that was due to the PS2. One of the main draws? GT3. In fact, if you talked to anyone who hadn't yet bought a PS2 in the early days, there was a damn good chance they'd tell you this: "I'm waiting for GT3." And what happened? The game launched in a special bundle pack and sales went through the roof. Now, if you take into account that the PS3 needs a price cut, and it really won't be happening any time soon, wouldn't it be great to celebrate the GT5 launch with a price cut? We theorized before that the drop will come with Uncharted 2, but it'd make more sense if it coincided with GT5.
We'll have God of War III in early 2010 and we still don't have a release date for GT5, but it'd be a gigantic boost for the PS3 if the latter released just in time for the 2009 holiday rush. Timing is everything in any business.
Source article: Why The PlayStation 3 Needs Gran Turismo 5 In 2009
It likely won't happen, but I still cling to the reaction from Kazunori Yamauchi when he laughed at the idea of a 2010 launch for Gran Turismo 5. He even said it might release "sooner than everyone thinks," but that was late last year and recently...well, we've heard evidence to the contrary. But here's why the PS3 could really use GT5 as a massive holiday release.
We already know that Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - a game that PSXE has already seen firsthand and we say it's the prettiest console production yet - will make a big splash. However, it isn't quite the established blockbuster franchise that GT is, and if the fifth entry in that critically acclaimed series launched for the holiday season this year, that'd be game, set and match for the PS3 in 2009 (we're just talking about this year, of course). The key to causing a hardware sales surge is to release must-have exclusive software; that's a fact we've learned many times over in the past. Last year, when Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots launched, we saw the inevitable PS3 sales spike. Later, when Gears of War 2 released for the Xbox 360 in the fall, 360 sales enjoyed a big rise. And lately, Killzone 2 has spurred more PS3 sales, although the surge in Japan can't be attributed to Guerilla's FPS...maybe we should just call it a happy turn of events.
Anyway, does anyone remember when everyone was anxiously anticipating Gran Turismo 3 for the PS2? The system launched towards the end of 2000 and like most all new platforms, it didn't have too many "AAA" games in the first six months of its existence. But as you all know, 2001 became one of the greatest years in the industry's history, and much of that was due to the PS2. One of the main draws? GT3. In fact, if you talked to anyone who hadn't yet bought a PS2 in the early days, there was a damn good chance they'd tell you this: "I'm waiting for GT3." And what happened? The game launched in a special bundle pack and sales went through the roof. Now, if you take into account that the PS3 needs a price cut, and it really won't be happening any time soon, wouldn't it be great to celebrate the GT5 launch with a price cut? We theorized before that the drop will come with Uncharted 2, but it'd make more sense if it coincided with GT5.
We'll have God of War III in early 2010 and we still don't have a release date for GT5, but it'd be a gigantic boost for the PS3 if the latter released just in time for the 2009 holiday rush. Timing is everything in any business.
Source article: Why The PlayStation 3 Needs Gran Turismo 5 In 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Square Enix Releases Final Fantasy VII International
Play Final Fantasy VII on your PS3... now! Or play it on your PSP, even. That is, if you have a Japanese PSN account.
Today, Square Enix released Final Fantasy VII International on the PlayStation Network.
Final Fantasy VII International is how Square Enix re-released the new and improved American version in Japan on the PlayStation.
The International version featured improvements like on-screen arrows, an enhanced management system and an added cut scene that helped explain Cloud's past.
The Japanese language game is priced at ¥1,500 (US$14.93) on the PSN.
Game Description: The legendary classic, the origin of Advent Children and Crisis Core is finally here on the classic game archive. The unforgettable storyline, characters that are still loved by fans all over the world.
Experience it all over again, in Final Fantasy VII today.
About Switching Discs: The original PlayStation version of this title is compiled of several CD_ROMs and requires the switching of discs during gameplay.
If a message asking you to switch discs is displayed, do not switch off the system. press the PS/HOME button and then select "Switch Discs" from the screen that is displayed. Then select the disc you are asked to switch.
Source article: Square Enix Releases Final Fantasy VII International
Friday, April 17, 2009
Wanted: Weapons Of Fate on Playstation 3 Review
There’s nothing inherently wrong with Wanted: Weapons Of Fate, in fact the innovative shooting mechanics it provides are great fun throughout. Indeed, the only problem with Wanted is that it’s criminally short considering its asking price.
What’s It All About?
Set shortly after the ending of the movie, you take control of Wesley Gibson, a smug-faced assassin with the ability to curve bullets. With the death of his mother burning in his veins, you’ll embark on a one-man crusade for revenge, with the narrative flitting between the past and present.
Wanted: Weapons Of Fate consists of a 6-hour single campaign with three varying difficulty levels.
What We Liked:
* Fantastic gunplay mechanics. One of the hooks of the Wanted movie was the way in which the characters could dramatically curve their bullets. This is present in the video game. And it’s awesome. Wanted: Weapons Of Fate is a third-person shooter, allowing you to lock to cover behind a variety of different objects scattered throughout the levels. By killing enemies, you obtain the ability to curve your bullets. Hitting R1 will automatically select the nearest enemy. From here you are able to dictate a “curve-line” with the right analogue stick. Release R1 and the bullet emphatically curls it’s way around the battlefield, dropping your enemy with ease. The mechanic is super satisfying, and never gets old throughout the entire game. Later levels allow you to curve a slew of bullets into the opponent, causing a minor explosion and major damage. There are also some excellent slow down mechanics, allowing you to pick off enemies as you slip from cover to cover.
* On-rails sequences. Throughout the single-player campaign, Wanted offers some interesting on-rails shooting sequences that are presented in slow-motion. The objective is to take out the enemy (and any fired bullets) within a short reaction time. These sequences are highly cinematic and give you a good impression of the skills of your protagonist.
* Stylish presentation. From the get-go Wanted: Weapons Of Fate has a really slick look to it. The menus are well designed and eye-catching, the narrative is upfront and the in-game graphics are mildly impressive.The game has personality in abundance, be it the great voice acting or the names of the difficulty settings (”Pussy” being the easiest). Sadly, some of the game’s cutscenes let the side down.
What We Didn’t Like:
* Unforgivable cut-scene compression. Some of the cut-scenes in Weapons Of Fate look excellent, the character models well detailed and animated. Sadly, others look like they have been taken from YouTube and upscaled to a higher quality. We can’t imagine how the developers managed to make a cut-scene look substantially worse than the in-game graphics, but it’s present here. Most worryingly, we can only consider they compressed the cut-scenes to enable more disc space — space which the Playstation 3’s blu-ray has in abundance.
* Far too short. It’s almost with regret that we can’t really recommend Wanted: Weapons Of Fate. We managed to blast through the game in approximately 4 and a half hours, which is unforgivable for a game with an asking price of £40. As a £20 PSN release, Wanted would come with a glowing endorsement, and if you find it in the shops at that price, you should definitely give it a go. But with just a few collectables and a harder difficulty to keep you playing, paying the full asking price will leave a bitter taste.
Source article: Wanted: Weapons Of Fate on Playstation 3 Review
What’s It All About?
Set shortly after the ending of the movie, you take control of Wesley Gibson, a smug-faced assassin with the ability to curve bullets. With the death of his mother burning in his veins, you’ll embark on a one-man crusade for revenge, with the narrative flitting between the past and present.
Wanted: Weapons Of Fate consists of a 6-hour single campaign with three varying difficulty levels.
What We Liked:
* Fantastic gunplay mechanics. One of the hooks of the Wanted movie was the way in which the characters could dramatically curve their bullets. This is present in the video game. And it’s awesome. Wanted: Weapons Of Fate is a third-person shooter, allowing you to lock to cover behind a variety of different objects scattered throughout the levels. By killing enemies, you obtain the ability to curve your bullets. Hitting R1 will automatically select the nearest enemy. From here you are able to dictate a “curve-line” with the right analogue stick. Release R1 and the bullet emphatically curls it’s way around the battlefield, dropping your enemy with ease. The mechanic is super satisfying, and never gets old throughout the entire game. Later levels allow you to curve a slew of bullets into the opponent, causing a minor explosion and major damage. There are also some excellent slow down mechanics, allowing you to pick off enemies as you slip from cover to cover.
* On-rails sequences. Throughout the single-player campaign, Wanted offers some interesting on-rails shooting sequences that are presented in slow-motion. The objective is to take out the enemy (and any fired bullets) within a short reaction time. These sequences are highly cinematic and give you a good impression of the skills of your protagonist.
* Stylish presentation. From the get-go Wanted: Weapons Of Fate has a really slick look to it. The menus are well designed and eye-catching, the narrative is upfront and the in-game graphics are mildly impressive.The game has personality in abundance, be it the great voice acting or the names of the difficulty settings (”Pussy” being the easiest). Sadly, some of the game’s cutscenes let the side down.
What We Didn’t Like:
* Unforgivable cut-scene compression. Some of the cut-scenes in Weapons Of Fate look excellent, the character models well detailed and animated. Sadly, others look like they have been taken from YouTube and upscaled to a higher quality. We can’t imagine how the developers managed to make a cut-scene look substantially worse than the in-game graphics, but it’s present here. Most worryingly, we can only consider they compressed the cut-scenes to enable more disc space — space which the Playstation 3’s blu-ray has in abundance.
* Far too short. It’s almost with regret that we can’t really recommend Wanted: Weapons Of Fate. We managed to blast through the game in approximately 4 and a half hours, which is unforgivable for a game with an asking price of £40. As a £20 PSN release, Wanted would come with a glowing endorsement, and if you find it in the shops at that price, you should definitely give it a go. But with just a few collectables and a harder difficulty to keep you playing, paying the full asking price will leave a bitter taste.
Source article: Wanted: Weapons Of Fate on Playstation 3 Review
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Microsofts deal with Square prevents a US demo of FFXIII?
Well, it looks like Microsoft has struck again! This time it has affected the playable demo of Final Fantasy XIII that was supposed to be in the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Blu-ray release due out in June 7th, 2009. The Japanese version of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children has the playable demo, obviously because Final fantasy XIII is an exclusive title in Japan and the deal that Microsoft has struck with Square Enix has slowed up the development of the game in general, which is the obvious reason for the game not even being out in Japan yet.
However, this has also affected the localization of the game which should have been in progress by now and would have allowed every version of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children to include a Final Fantasy XIII demo instead of what appears to only be game footage that is already available on the internet instead of a demo that would cause sales for the Blu-ray release of the movie to soar. Thanks a bundle Microsoft…and even more-so, Square Enix who has spent this whole generation making a decision that leads to them dropping the ball repeatedly.
That is still no excuse for there to be such a change in plans for the US and Euro versions of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children to not have this demo available after stating the complete opposite a year ago. I just don’t understand why can’t they provide localization for the demo after all this mess, how much time would it seriously take?
There is however, an alternative for PS3 owners outside of Japan so do not worry!, Play-Asia.com has Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children on Blu-ray for $53.90.…….without the Final Fantasy XIII playable demo, however if you want the Blu-ray version with the playable demo then you’ll only have to fork over a measly $69.90. Alright, maybe it’s just me but the first price scared me away regardless if the playable demo was included, but $70 for a mediocre Anime including the demo of a game that I am souring more and more on by the moment is just ridiculous.
Original sources said a year ago and as early as Christmas that the US version of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children would be getting the Final Fantasy XIII playable demo and I assumed the Euro version would receive this as well. This is proving how much Microsoft is screwing up plans by throwing money around instead of letting the gaming world evolve. I don’t even hate Microsoft, even though I disagree with their practices and also shoving out an incomplete console that is called the XBOX 360.
On top of all this mess, this is one scenario where the 360 version of a game WILL hold back the Playstation 3 version due to it being on DVD9 compared to Blu-ray. I mean look at how cheap Lost Odyssey was made and it was on 4 discs. In the era of HD gaming, you just simply need more capacity than the 7GB of space that Microsoft uses for games and in the RPG genre, space is a must if you are going to have the game in HD. Period. Let alone the fact that Square Enix is just losing more and more fire after each release they come with, and as a PS3 owner, only White Knight Chronicles even counts as a real RPG for me when it eventually releases outside of Japan because Level 5 has become much more reliable than Square Enix at this point.
I know Microsoft is trying it’s best to keep up with Sony’s lineup of games, because that’s where they failed during last gen, but they just need to come with their own exclusives and their own way of combating Sony and Nintendo without trying to buy up all of the3rd party exclusives. Which is fine, but the part that puzzles me is paying for a “Timed Exclusive”, I just don’t get that tactic and so far it has failed because despite all of this and the Playstation 3 being twice the price of the XBOX 360 for 6 months now, they still have been pretty much selling at the same pace since inception and this plan only works for them on paper because they try to make it look like the XBOX 360 is killing the Playstation 3…when they in fact are not.
I look at it like this, the first XBOX came out a year after the Playstation 2 and put the XBOX 360 out a year before Sony did with the PS3, and Sony is still making money off the Playstation 2 while the XBOX is nowhere to be seen. Are they in this for putting out the best gaming experience possible or are they just trying to capitalize like they did in the PC world which they have also lost a grip on as well.
I don’t know what to make of this mess right now and maybe it’ll make more sense later this year when Square Enix starts shedding some light on where they plan on going in this generation, but it looks like they have made one poor mistake after another.
Source article: Microsofts deal with Square prevents a US demo of FFXIII?
However, this has also affected the localization of the game which should have been in progress by now and would have allowed every version of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children to include a Final Fantasy XIII demo instead of what appears to only be game footage that is already available on the internet instead of a demo that would cause sales for the Blu-ray release of the movie to soar. Thanks a bundle Microsoft…and even more-so, Square Enix who has spent this whole generation making a decision that leads to them dropping the ball repeatedly.
That is still no excuse for there to be such a change in plans for the US and Euro versions of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children to not have this demo available after stating the complete opposite a year ago. I just don’t understand why can’t they provide localization for the demo after all this mess, how much time would it seriously take?
There is however, an alternative for PS3 owners outside of Japan so do not worry!, Play-Asia.com has Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children on Blu-ray for $53.90.…….without the Final Fantasy XIII playable demo, however if you want the Blu-ray version with the playable demo then you’ll only have to fork over a measly $69.90. Alright, maybe it’s just me but the first price scared me away regardless if the playable demo was included, but $70 for a mediocre Anime including the demo of a game that I am souring more and more on by the moment is just ridiculous.
Original sources said a year ago and as early as Christmas that the US version of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children would be getting the Final Fantasy XIII playable demo and I assumed the Euro version would receive this as well. This is proving how much Microsoft is screwing up plans by throwing money around instead of letting the gaming world evolve. I don’t even hate Microsoft, even though I disagree with their practices and also shoving out an incomplete console that is called the XBOX 360.
On top of all this mess, this is one scenario where the 360 version of a game WILL hold back the Playstation 3 version due to it being on DVD9 compared to Blu-ray. I mean look at how cheap Lost Odyssey was made and it was on 4 discs. In the era of HD gaming, you just simply need more capacity than the 7GB of space that Microsoft uses for games and in the RPG genre, space is a must if you are going to have the game in HD. Period. Let alone the fact that Square Enix is just losing more and more fire after each release they come with, and as a PS3 owner, only White Knight Chronicles even counts as a real RPG for me when it eventually releases outside of Japan because Level 5 has become much more reliable than Square Enix at this point.
I know Microsoft is trying it’s best to keep up with Sony’s lineup of games, because that’s where they failed during last gen, but they just need to come with their own exclusives and their own way of combating Sony and Nintendo without trying to buy up all of the3rd party exclusives. Which is fine, but the part that puzzles me is paying for a “Timed Exclusive”, I just don’t get that tactic and so far it has failed because despite all of this and the Playstation 3 being twice the price of the XBOX 360 for 6 months now, they still have been pretty much selling at the same pace since inception and this plan only works for them on paper because they try to make it look like the XBOX 360 is killing the Playstation 3…when they in fact are not.
I look at it like this, the first XBOX came out a year after the Playstation 2 and put the XBOX 360 out a year before Sony did with the PS3, and Sony is still making money off the Playstation 2 while the XBOX is nowhere to be seen. Are they in this for putting out the best gaming experience possible or are they just trying to capitalize like they did in the PC world which they have also lost a grip on as well.
I don’t know what to make of this mess right now and maybe it’ll make more sense later this year when Square Enix starts shedding some light on where they plan on going in this generation, but it looks like they have made one poor mistake after another.
Source article: Microsofts deal with Square prevents a US demo of FFXIII?
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Top Five Mistakes Sony is Making with Playstation 3
Shui Ta
Sony has made plenty of mistakes with the Playstation 3 when the system launched in 2006. Throughout the years, however, they were able to fix some of the more prevalent problems. Still, the Playstation 3 has a long way to go in order live up to its original promises. Here are the top five current mistakes Sony is making with the Playstation 3.
5. Weak Third-Party Support
While the situation isn’t as dire as it was in the past, many third-party companies still prefer working with the Xbox 360 than the Playstation 3. As a result, most third party games look better while others were timed exclusive titles on the Xbox 360. Sony needs to be more aggressive working with third-party publishers and developers so that the playing ground will be even with the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 in terms of multiplatform releases.
4. Slow Firmware Update Features
Sony has been updating the Playstation 3 firmware frequently. While new features are constantly added, they are usually irrelevant to the gaming experience of the Playstation 3. Before Sony updates the multimedia features of the Playstation 3, they should focus all their attention to the gaming side of the equation. The closer the Playstation Network gets to Xbox Live on the Xbox 360, the more attractive the Playstation 3 will be to prospective buyers.
3. Lack of PSOne Classics
The original Playstation was Sony’s first video game system and the platform for some of the greatest video games of all time. Unfortunately, Sony (especially in America) is rarely releasing any new PSOne Classic on the Playstation Store of the Playstation 3. They are therefore missing out on some easy money and the opportunity to introduce the new gaming generation to titles from the past.
2. Removing Playstation 2 Backwards Compatibility
Sony removed Playstation 2 backwards compatibility in order to save costs. This move has caused nothing but problems for the Playstation 3 since prospective buyers are either angered and/or confused about the removal. The value of the Playstation 3 is therefore degraded. Sony can remedy this by implementing a software-based solution. However, doing so will be expensive and time-consuming.
1. No Price Drop
The biggest mistake Sony has made for the Playstation 3 is still hurting them years after the fact. The Playstation 3 launched at an unprecedented price tag of $599.99. Even though the price has come down to $399.99, the Playstation 3 is still the most expensive video game system on the market by a wide margin. To make matters worse, Sony isn’t financially sound enough right now to be dropping the Playstation 3 price. Unless they can sort this situation out, the Playstation 3 will continue to struggle against the competition.
Source article: Top Five Mistakes Sony is Making with Playstation 3
Sony has made plenty of mistakes with the Playstation 3 when the system launched in 2006. Throughout the years, however, they were able to fix some of the more prevalent problems. Still, the Playstation 3 has a long way to go in order live up to its original promises. Here are the top five current mistakes Sony is making with the Playstation 3.
5. Weak Third-Party Support
While the situation isn’t as dire as it was in the past, many third-party companies still prefer working with the Xbox 360 than the Playstation 3. As a result, most third party games look better while others were timed exclusive titles on the Xbox 360. Sony needs to be more aggressive working with third-party publishers and developers so that the playing ground will be even with the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 in terms of multiplatform releases.
4. Slow Firmware Update Features
Sony has been updating the Playstation 3 firmware frequently. While new features are constantly added, they are usually irrelevant to the gaming experience of the Playstation 3. Before Sony updates the multimedia features of the Playstation 3, they should focus all their attention to the gaming side of the equation. The closer the Playstation Network gets to Xbox Live on the Xbox 360, the more attractive the Playstation 3 will be to prospective buyers.
3. Lack of PSOne Classics
The original Playstation was Sony’s first video game system and the platform for some of the greatest video games of all time. Unfortunately, Sony (especially in America) is rarely releasing any new PSOne Classic on the Playstation Store of the Playstation 3. They are therefore missing out on some easy money and the opportunity to introduce the new gaming generation to titles from the past.
2. Removing Playstation 2 Backwards Compatibility
Sony removed Playstation 2 backwards compatibility in order to save costs. This move has caused nothing but problems for the Playstation 3 since prospective buyers are either angered and/or confused about the removal. The value of the Playstation 3 is therefore degraded. Sony can remedy this by implementing a software-based solution. However, doing so will be expensive and time-consuming.
1. No Price Drop
The biggest mistake Sony has made for the Playstation 3 is still hurting them years after the fact. The Playstation 3 launched at an unprecedented price tag of $599.99. Even though the price has come down to $399.99, the Playstation 3 is still the most expensive video game system on the market by a wide margin. To make matters worse, Sony isn’t financially sound enough right now to be dropping the Playstation 3 price. Unless they can sort this situation out, the Playstation 3 will continue to struggle against the competition.
Source article: Top Five Mistakes Sony is Making with Playstation 3
Sunday, April 12, 2009
UK Charts: Wii Fit Maintains Healthy Lead
by David Jenkins
With few new releases to challenge it, Nintendo’s Wii Fit has remained the best-selling title for a second consecutive week in the UK individual platforms chart.
The only genuine new entry of the week is Warner’s film tie-in Wanted: Weapons of Fate on Xbox 360 at number 20. The PlayStation 3 version did not chart in the top 40.
Despite the lack of new entries, there was still notable movement in the charts. Midway and Ubisoft’s Wheelman saw combined sales increase by 41 percent, as the game moved up nine places to number nine on the back of heavy TV advertising.
Ubisoft’s My Fitness Coach on Wii also moved up six places to number 10. Meanwhile, Activision’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare on Xbox 360 continued its recent slow rise up the charts to number 11 – well ahead of the newer Call of Duty: World At War at number 21.
A number of older titles also re-entered the top 40 this week, most due to retailer promotions. Take-Two’s Carnival Funfair Games charted at number 16 and Sega’s Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Gamesat number 28. Both titles were for the Nintendo DS, with the new DSi hardware launching in the UK without any prominent new software releases from either Nintendo or third parties.
Other new entries include Activision’s Guitar Hero III for Wii at number 31, Ubisoft’s Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party for Wii at number 32, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for PlayStation 3 at number 38 and Sega’s Football Manager 2009 for PC at number 40.
Overall, in the top 40 chart by individual platforms, there are 11 titles for the Xbox 360, 10 for the Nintendo DS, nine for the Wii, eight for the PlayStation 3, two for the PC and none for the PSP.
In the separate all platforms chart, which combines all SKUs of a game into a single chart position, Wii Fit moved up one place to the top spot, as Resident Evil 5 sales fell by 38 percent at number two. With sales up 3 percent EA’s FIFA 09 rose three places to number three.
Source article: UK Charts: Wii Fit Maintains Healthy Lead
With few new releases to challenge it, Nintendo’s Wii Fit has remained the best-selling title for a second consecutive week in the UK individual platforms chart.
The only genuine new entry of the week is Warner’s film tie-in Wanted: Weapons of Fate on Xbox 360 at number 20. The PlayStation 3 version did not chart in the top 40.
Despite the lack of new entries, there was still notable movement in the charts. Midway and Ubisoft’s Wheelman saw combined sales increase by 41 percent, as the game moved up nine places to number nine on the back of heavy TV advertising.
Ubisoft’s My Fitness Coach on Wii also moved up six places to number 10. Meanwhile, Activision’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare on Xbox 360 continued its recent slow rise up the charts to number 11 – well ahead of the newer Call of Duty: World At War at number 21.
A number of older titles also re-entered the top 40 this week, most due to retailer promotions. Take-Two’s Carnival Funfair Games charted at number 16 and Sega’s Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Gamesat number 28. Both titles were for the Nintendo DS, with the new DSi hardware launching in the UK without any prominent new software releases from either Nintendo or third parties.
Other new entries include Activision’s Guitar Hero III for Wii at number 31, Ubisoft’s Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party for Wii at number 32, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for PlayStation 3 at number 38 and Sega’s Football Manager 2009 for PC at number 40.
Overall, in the top 40 chart by individual platforms, there are 11 titles for the Xbox 360, 10 for the Nintendo DS, nine for the Wii, eight for the PlayStation 3, two for the PC and none for the PSP.
In the separate all platforms chart, which combines all SKUs of a game into a single chart position, Wii Fit moved up one place to the top spot, as Resident Evil 5 sales fell by 38 percent at number two. With sales up 3 percent EA’s FIFA 09 rose three places to number three.
Source article: UK Charts: Wii Fit Maintains Healthy Lead
Friday, April 10, 2009
Sony PS3 outsells Nintendo Wii in March in Japan
Yeeha! Way to go Sony!
TOKYO, April 6 (Reuters) - Sony Corp's (6758.T) PlayStation 3 outsold Nintendo Co Ltd's (7974.OS) Wii in March for the first time in 16 months in Japan thanks to hot new PS3 titles from Sega Sammy (6460.T) and Capcom (9697.T), a game magazine publisher said.
Video game sales are closely watched for hints on how soon Sony can turn around its struggling game operations and how much growth momentum Nintendo has left.
Domestic sales of the PS3 came to 146,948 units in the five weeks through March 29, compared with 99,335 units of the Wii and 43,172 units of Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) Xbox 360, Enterbrain said on Monday.
The latest versions of popular action adventure series from Sega Sammy Holdings Inc and Capcom Co Ltd -- "Ryu Ga Gotoku 3" and "Resident Evil 5", respectively -- came in first and second in game software sales in the period, helping drive PS3 demand. Mizuho Investors Securities analyst Etsuko Tamura said that despite its strong showing in March, the PS3 is unlikely to threaten the Wii's global dominance as more software makers are focusing development resources on the Wii, a console with the largest user base among the current generation of hardware. (Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka)
Source article: Sony PS3 outsells Nintendo Wii in March in Japan
TOKYO, April 6 (Reuters) - Sony Corp's (6758.T) PlayStation 3 outsold Nintendo Co Ltd's (7974.OS) Wii in March for the first time in 16 months in Japan thanks to hot new PS3 titles from Sega Sammy (6460.T) and Capcom (9697.T), a game magazine publisher said.
Video game sales are closely watched for hints on how soon Sony can turn around its struggling game operations and how much growth momentum Nintendo has left.
Domestic sales of the PS3 came to 146,948 units in the five weeks through March 29, compared with 99,335 units of the Wii and 43,172 units of Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) Xbox 360, Enterbrain said on Monday.
The latest versions of popular action adventure series from Sega Sammy Holdings Inc and Capcom Co Ltd -- "Ryu Ga Gotoku 3" and "Resident Evil 5", respectively -- came in first and second in game software sales in the period, helping drive PS3 demand. Mizuho Investors Securities analyst Etsuko Tamura said that despite its strong showing in March, the PS3 is unlikely to threaten the Wii's global dominance as more software makers are focusing development resources on the Wii, a console with the largest user base among the current generation of hardware. (Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka)
Source article: Sony PS3 outsells Nintendo Wii in March in Japan
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
PlayStation 3 Firmware update 2.70 lets you text chat with your friends and get more from the Internet
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) today announced that system software update 2.70 for PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) will be available on 2nd April 2009. The capabilities of PS3 are stepping up yet another gear with this new system software update that gives users even more of the features they’ve requested from the ever-evolving PS3 service. This update will give players more freedom to text chat, make music playback more satisfying and make the Internet more accessible. The system software update can be downloaded by selecting System Update icon under the Setting column on XMB (Xross Media Bar) – and is completely free.
Here are some of its key features:
* Text chat: The update makes it easy to chat: just set up a chat room, select anyone from your Friends list and invite them in – they’ll see an icon in the corner of their screen and know they’re wanted in your chat room. Up to 16 people can join the same room to chat using a controller, a connected keyboard or a Wireless Keypad. You can even start a chat while you’re halfway through a game.
* Dynamic Normaliser for music: When you’re listening to a music playlist, a sudden increase in volume between tracks can make you jump out of your skin. Not any more - thanks to the Dynamic Normaliser, which reduces the difference in volume levels between your tracks and makes for a smooth listening experience all the way.
* Better control of the Internet: Want to know more about the game you’ve just downloaded? Simply find its icon in your menu and select ‘Internet Search’ – you’ll be taken straight online to search for information about it. The 2.70 update also allows you to cut and paste text from your Internet Browser as well as send message attachments up to 3MB in size.
* Language fixes: If you’re Polish, Greek, Czech, Slovak, and Turkish, you’ll particularly like the 2.70 update: it makes the necessary additions to your Internet Browser that enables you to read the full range of letters and characters from your national alphabet.
The 2.70 update is the latest in a series of updates provided since launch to help users get more from PS3. SCEE is always working on ways to help PS3 users get the fixes and services they ask for. To find out about what’s in the next one – just watch this space. For more information, visit http://www.playstation.com.
Source article: PlayStation 3 Firmware update 2.70 lets you text chat with your friends and get more from the Internet
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
PlayStation 3 Software Update Version 2.70
Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) recently announced the details for the next system software update to ver 2.70 on the PlayStation 3.
The list of included features address how users can communicate with their online friends. The update will provide a new chat features enabling users to chat with their friends on the PSN as well as enhancements to the friends list and improvements to the video services available from the PlayStation Store.
* The new text chat feature allows users to participate in up to three chat rooms, of up to 16 users, at the same time and will be available while playing PS3 games.
* Enhancements to friends lists are also coming, where by online friends will still be sorted in alphabetical order and offline friends will be sorted by when they were last online.
* File transfer sizes will also be increased so users will be able to attach larger files (increase from 1MB to 3MB) to messages sent to their friends.
* Lastly the update will make significant improvements to the video services on the PlayStation Store. Video files purchased from the PlayStation Store will be available for backup to an external drive and videos purchased on your PSP can be transfered to the PS3 for playback.
To check out a video of the firmware 2.70 features, visit PlayStation.blog. Further details and instructions on how to update the PS3 system software are available on Sony's System Update page.
Source article: PlayStation 3 Software Update Version 2.70
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Tales of Vesperia coming to PlayStation 3
According to a forum member at NeoGAF and a magazine scan, PlayStation 3 owners can expect to finally enjoy one of the best Tales titles to date -- Tales of Vesperia. While the game has been exclusive to the Xbox 360 up to this point, it's great to know that it will be making its way over to PlayStation 3 some time in the near future. Furthermore, much like Eternal Sonata's late release, Tales of Vesperia PS3 is also going to receive a brand new character. Though some may find this a poor excuse for the timed 360 exclusivity, Vesperia is still a great addition to an already fantastic series.
Source article: Tales of Vesperia coming to PlayStation 3
Source article: Tales of Vesperia coming to PlayStation 3
Friday, April 3, 2009
PS3 Firmware (v2.70) Update
Finally! This update is so EXCELLENT as I haven't read any violent reactions about this update! I can’t wait to try it out! Thank you SONY! Today is a GREAT day for Sony fans…
Posted by Eric Lempel // Director, PlayStation Network Operations
Hi everyone, we’re adding some great new features with the next PS3 firmware update (v2.70) that will continue to enhance your connected experience on the PS3. The 2.70 update brings a new Text Chat feature that enables you to communicate online with your PlayStation Network friends. Now, you’ll be able to chat with up to 15 online friends using the Wireless Keypad, on-screen keyboard, or other compatible keyboard peripherals. Not only can you chat with your friends instantly, but you can also access Text Chat while playing PS3 games and even participate in up to three chat rooms at once.
In addition to Text Chat, we’ve added a few more enhancements:
Friends list on the XMB (XrossMediaBar)
* Sort your friends via their online status
* Attach larger files to the messages you send to your friends (file size will increase from 1MB to 3MB)
Video delivery service on PlayStation Store
* Video files you’ve purchased from the PlayStation Store can be backed up to an external storage device and then restored to PS3’s internal hard drive for playback – so you can clear up space on your hard drive and then restore the video anytime in the future
* Videos you’ve purchased for PSP (PlayStation Portable) system can now be transferred to PS3 for playback
Source article: PS3 Firmware (v2.70) Update
Posted by Eric Lempel // Director, PlayStation Network Operations
Hi everyone, we’re adding some great new features with the next PS3 firmware update (v2.70) that will continue to enhance your connected experience on the PS3. The 2.70 update brings a new Text Chat feature that enables you to communicate online with your PlayStation Network friends. Now, you’ll be able to chat with up to 15 online friends using the Wireless Keypad, on-screen keyboard, or other compatible keyboard peripherals. Not only can you chat with your friends instantly, but you can also access Text Chat while playing PS3 games and even participate in up to three chat rooms at once.
In addition to Text Chat, we’ve added a few more enhancements:
Friends list on the XMB (XrossMediaBar)
* Sort your friends via their online status
* Attach larger files to the messages you send to your friends (file size will increase from 1MB to 3MB)
Video delivery service on PlayStation Store
* Video files you’ve purchased from the PlayStation Store can be backed up to an external storage device and then restored to PS3’s internal hard drive for playback – so you can clear up space on your hard drive and then restore the video anytime in the future
* Videos you’ve purchased for PSP (PlayStation Portable) system can now be transferred to PS3 for playback
Source article: PS3 Firmware (v2.70) Update
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
PSXE Poll Update: MGS4 Is The Choice Of PlayStation 3 Owners
Well, Killzone 2 topped Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots to take home the "Best Graphics" award according to our readers, but MGS4 emerged victorious in this past week's poll.
Obviously, "Best Graphics" doesn't necessarily translate to "Personal Favorite," because when we asked you what your favorite PlayStation 3 exclusive was, the majority of you went with Kojima's masterpiece. KZ2 didn't really have a chance, and what's interesting about the results is that Uncharted: Drake's Fortune actually gave Guerilla's shooter a run for its money. This must mean that Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is gonna have tons of anticipatory fans out there as we get closer to its release later this year, and after laying eyes on it, we don't blame you. As for MGS4, we'd certainly have to agree; thus far, it remains our favorite PS3 exclusive as well and in fact, it's our favorite title of the entire generation - on any platform - to date. Who else is psyched to learn about Kojima's next project, which may or may not feature Raiden as the lead character...?
Source article: PSXE Poll Update: MGS4 Is The Choice Of PlayStation 3 Owners
Obviously, "Best Graphics" doesn't necessarily translate to "Personal Favorite," because when we asked you what your favorite PlayStation 3 exclusive was, the majority of you went with Kojima's masterpiece. KZ2 didn't really have a chance, and what's interesting about the results is that Uncharted: Drake's Fortune actually gave Guerilla's shooter a run for its money. This must mean that Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is gonna have tons of anticipatory fans out there as we get closer to its release later this year, and after laying eyes on it, we don't blame you. As for MGS4, we'd certainly have to agree; thus far, it remains our favorite PS3 exclusive as well and in fact, it's our favorite title of the entire generation - on any platform - to date. Who else is psyched to learn about Kojima's next project, which may or may not feature Raiden as the lead character...?
Source article: PSXE Poll Update: MGS4 Is The Choice Of PlayStation 3 Owners
Sony Planning Major PlayStation 3 Announcement March 31st
In what may prove somewhat ironic for the millions of armchair speculators and amateur analysts across the world, Sony Computer Entertainment will make a major announcement regarding the future of their PlayStation 3 game console. Many have suggested another price-drop for the machine, which has experienced yearly sales decreases over the year, making it the only current-generation console to do so.
Sony has regularly denied price-drops for the console were imminent, yet since its November 2006 release has seen several models discontinued (20, 60, 40 HD) and multiple price-points modified and expanded. With price-drops for chief rival Xbox 360 helping reinvigorate what has essentially become a two-system race for this generation's second place (and first among the HD generation), every move and strategy is sure to be examined and picked apart by friendly and hostile press and media.
It should go without saying that many are pegging the announcement as the prime opportunity for Sony to decrease the retail price of their console, still the most expensive of all current-generation machines since its release. Reports of decreased manufacturing costs and hardware streamlining have led Sony to reduce many of the PS3's more expensive components costs significantly, and recent software sales have shown significant improvements at retail.
Will Sony's announcement on March 31st yield new price points and/or packaging combinations? Keep those eyeballs peeled to find out soon.
Thanks to SmartHouse for making our houses smarter!
Source article: Sony Planning Major PlayStation 3 Announcement March 31st
Sony has regularly denied price-drops for the console were imminent, yet since its November 2006 release has seen several models discontinued (20, 60, 40 HD) and multiple price-points modified and expanded. With price-drops for chief rival Xbox 360 helping reinvigorate what has essentially become a two-system race for this generation's second place (and first among the HD generation), every move and strategy is sure to be examined and picked apart by friendly and hostile press and media.
It should go without saying that many are pegging the announcement as the prime opportunity for Sony to decrease the retail price of their console, still the most expensive of all current-generation machines since its release. Reports of decreased manufacturing costs and hardware streamlining have led Sony to reduce many of the PS3's more expensive components costs significantly, and recent software sales have shown significant improvements at retail.
Will Sony's announcement on March 31st yield new price points and/or packaging combinations? Keep those eyeballs peeled to find out soon.
Thanks to SmartHouse for making our houses smarter!
Source article: Sony Planning Major PlayStation 3 Announcement March 31st
Sony PS3 plus Netflix, is it worthy?
In recent days, rumors have been percolating about the PlayStation 3 getting Netflix streaming video support. Most of the rumors revolve around a survey that Netflix has out gauging user interest in adding its service to Sony's game console for a fee. No one seems to know whether Netflix or Sony commissioned the survey, but either way, it's certainly raised hopes with PS3 owners that they would get something that Xbox 360 owners have had for a while. (For what it's worth, nearly identical rumors of Netflix on the Wii have also been making the rounds.)
Interestingly, as the rumors make their way around the blogosphere, Sony's been trying to promote how robust its Playstation Network Service (PSN) is and how great a media extender the PS3 is. A few weeks ago, a few of us from CNET spent some time visiting with Sony PR and marketing reps in a hotel suite going over what PSN had to offer, including Home, Sony's online virtual community that's hit 5 million registered users. And just yesterday, I got a voice mail from a PR rep encouraging me to do a story on what a great media extender the PS3 is.
I said I'd do a story--but only in context of the Netflix rumors.
"Why doesn't Sony just add Netflix?" I asked.
Of course, I knew it wasn't as simple as that. Sony's been diligently building out its own video service on PSN--and doing a pretty good job of it. As the PR rep pointed out, you can now download 1,500 movies and 5,200 TV episodes from all the major studios. The only problem is that if you're a Netflix subscriber, there's little incentive to use it. (On the PS3, you can buy or rent movies and shows, with prices ranging from $1.99 to $5.99 for rentals, depending on release date or whether you're downloading standard-definition or HD versions).
Continue reading...
Netflix is perfect for streaming online movies. But is it really necessary on PS3?
Interestingly, as the rumors make their way around the blogosphere, Sony's been trying to promote how robust its Playstation Network Service (PSN) is and how great a media extender the PS3 is. A few weeks ago, a few of us from CNET spent some time visiting with Sony PR and marketing reps in a hotel suite going over what PSN had to offer, including Home, Sony's online virtual community that's hit 5 million registered users. And just yesterday, I got a voice mail from a PR rep encouraging me to do a story on what a great media extender the PS3 is.
I said I'd do a story--but only in context of the Netflix rumors.
"Why doesn't Sony just add Netflix?" I asked.
Of course, I knew it wasn't as simple as that. Sony's been diligently building out its own video service on PSN--and doing a pretty good job of it. As the PR rep pointed out, you can now download 1,500 movies and 5,200 TV episodes from all the major studios. The only problem is that if you're a Netflix subscriber, there's little incentive to use it. (On the PS3, you can buy or rent movies and shows, with prices ranging from $1.99 to $5.99 for rentals, depending on release date or whether you're downloading standard-definition or HD versions).
Continue reading...
Netflix is perfect for streaming online movies. But is it really necessary on PS3?
Monday, March 30, 2009
Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time announced for PlayStation 3
by: Lydia Sung
Arriving on store shelves in August.
PlayStation 3 gamers can look forward to another big name title this year. Sony and Insomniac Games have announced today that Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time will be heading for the PlayStation 3 in August 2009.
A Crack In Time details the chaotic adventures of our favorite perfectly mismatched duo following the events of Tools of Destruction and Quest for Booty. Sony is assuring franchise fans that A Crack In Time will answer many long-time questions...
Ratchet discovers that Clank's disappearance was orchestrated by Dr. Nefarious and must now save his best buddy. Expect this Ratchet & Clank to be just as hilariously engrossing as all its predecessors.
If you had finished the other two installments of Ratchet & Clank, then simply don't miss this final installment of the trilogy.
Arriving on store shelves in August.
PlayStation 3 gamers can look forward to another big name title this year. Sony and Insomniac Games have announced today that Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time will be heading for the PlayStation 3 in August 2009.
A Crack In Time details the chaotic adventures of our favorite perfectly mismatched duo following the events of Tools of Destruction and Quest for Booty. Sony is assuring franchise fans that A Crack In Time will answer many long-time questions...
Ratchet discovers that Clank's disappearance was orchestrated by Dr. Nefarious and must now save his best buddy. Expect this Ratchet & Clank to be just as hilariously engrossing as all its predecessors.
If you had finished the other two installments of Ratchet & Clank, then simply don't miss this final installment of the trilogy.
Saling The World: Professor Layton Outsells New Pokemon Title in U.S.
Gamasutra's weekly column, "Saling The World", covers the top five real-time Amazon.com sellers for every available platform in the United States, Japan, and Europe, providing an important update of sales patterns worldwide.
This week's charts, with data taken from March 26th, 2009, find Professor Layton and the Curious Village taking a surprise victory over Pokemon Platinum in its North American debut week, while Gundam: Senjou no Kizuna Portable and Rittai Picross lead multiplatform sales in Japan.
Data for "Saling The World" comes courtesy of the public sales information on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, and Amazon.co.jp, with sales split out for each platform and territory, and pre-orders disregarded. This results in a true sense of what games are selling worldwide on the real-time updated service, as follows:
Nintendo Wii
North America: 1. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 2. My Fitness Coach (Ubisoft), 3. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 4. Wii Play (Nintendo), 5. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (LucasArts).
Japan: 1. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 2. Wii de Asobu: Pikmin 2 (Nintendo), 3. Suzumiya Haruhi no Heiretsu -- Chou SOS Danhiro Collection (Sega), 4. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 5. Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu NEXT (Konami).
UK: 1. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 2. Wii Play (Nintendo), 3. My Fitness Coach (Ubisoft), 4. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Sega), 5. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo).
Demand for Wii Fit and My Fitness Coach remains fever-pitched at Amazon, where both games finish this week as North America's two biggest-selling software titles across all platforms. Upcoming titles like Gold's Gym Cardio Workout and EA Sports Active also see a preorder sales boost in this week's results.
Japanese sales numbers find Wii de Asobu: Pikmin 2 trailing behind Wii Fit, as Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu NEXT falls to fifth place in its second week of release.
Read the full article here: Saling The World: Professor Layton Outsells New Pokemon Title in U.S.
This week's charts, with data taken from March 26th, 2009, find Professor Layton and the Curious Village taking a surprise victory over Pokemon Platinum in its North American debut week, while Gundam: Senjou no Kizuna Portable and Rittai Picross lead multiplatform sales in Japan.
Data for "Saling The World" comes courtesy of the public sales information on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, and Amazon.co.jp, with sales split out for each platform and territory, and pre-orders disregarded. This results in a true sense of what games are selling worldwide on the real-time updated service, as follows:
Nintendo Wii
North America: 1. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 2. My Fitness Coach (Ubisoft), 3. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 4. Wii Play (Nintendo), 5. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (LucasArts).
Japan: 1. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 2. Wii de Asobu: Pikmin 2 (Nintendo), 3. Suzumiya Haruhi no Heiretsu -- Chou SOS Danhiro Collection (Sega), 4. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 5. Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu NEXT (Konami).
UK: 1. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 2. Wii Play (Nintendo), 3. My Fitness Coach (Ubisoft), 4. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Sega), 5. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo).
Demand for Wii Fit and My Fitness Coach remains fever-pitched at Amazon, where both games finish this week as North America's two biggest-selling software titles across all platforms. Upcoming titles like Gold's Gym Cardio Workout and EA Sports Active also see a preorder sales boost in this week's results.
Japanese sales numbers find Wii de Asobu: Pikmin 2 trailing behind Wii Fit, as Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu NEXT falls to fifth place in its second week of release.
Read the full article here: Saling The World: Professor Layton Outsells New Pokemon Title in U.S.
Five Suggestions for PlayStation 3 in 2009
Since the start of 2009, it was quite obvious that the PlayStation 3 was in for a great year. With titles like Killzone 2, inFAMOUS and Uncharted 2 on the way, the PlayStation 3 is a shoe-in for an amazing year. It is currently offering a greater line-up for the year against its competitor as well.
Killzone 2, inFAMOUS and Uncharted 2 aren't the only games hitting the PlayStation 3 this year. Within the past week, more than five brand new PlayStation 3 exclusives have been announced. This year's line-up now includes Katamari Forever, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, Atelier Rorona, a new Gundam, Strength of the Sword, and more. The PlayStation 3's 2009 is exceedingly great in the games category.
There's only a few things that need to be updated now for the PlayStation 3 to have the best year it possibly can, plus more. Here they are.
OnLive Interface: Now that's sleek!
New Interface
The Xross Media Bar (XMB) is bland. It's plain, unattractive and is getting quite ugly. There's really nothing to do in it, either. Sony, take a page from the Xbox 360 with their New Xbox Experience or OnLive with their interface. Visuals are appealing! The XMB has no images or attention-grabbers at all besides the icons for each category.
On the Xbox 360, you can find yourself in the Game Marketplace, Video Marketplace and Inside Xbox just browsing around because since everything's together and connected to Xbox LIVE, so it's all updated and shows you that content and attention-grabbers as soon as you power your console. People are notified of new things in an attractive and appealing way and it's not like they're going into a new application since it's all done through the same interface. With the XMB, getting notified of new content, etc. is just a hassle.
Read the full article here: Five Suggestions for PlayStation 3 in 2009
Killzone 2, inFAMOUS and Uncharted 2 aren't the only games hitting the PlayStation 3 this year. Within the past week, more than five brand new PlayStation 3 exclusives have been announced. This year's line-up now includes Katamari Forever, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, Atelier Rorona, a new Gundam, Strength of the Sword, and more. The PlayStation 3's 2009 is exceedingly great in the games category.
There's only a few things that need to be updated now for the PlayStation 3 to have the best year it possibly can, plus more. Here they are.
OnLive Interface: Now that's sleek!
New Interface
The Xross Media Bar (XMB) is bland. It's plain, unattractive and is getting quite ugly. There's really nothing to do in it, either. Sony, take a page from the Xbox 360 with their New Xbox Experience or OnLive with their interface. Visuals are appealing! The XMB has no images or attention-grabbers at all besides the icons for each category.
On the Xbox 360, you can find yourself in the Game Marketplace, Video Marketplace and Inside Xbox just browsing around because since everything's together and connected to Xbox LIVE, so it's all updated and shows you that content and attention-grabbers as soon as you power your console. People are notified of new things in an attractive and appealing way and it's not like they're going into a new application since it's all done through the same interface. With the XMB, getting notified of new content, etc. is just a hassle.
Read the full article here: Five Suggestions for PlayStation 3 in 2009
Review: 'Resistance: Retribution' a solid shooter for franchise fans
The sci-fi war depicted in first-person shooter Resistance is changing theaters.
Sony's PlayStation 3 franchise debuts on the PlayStation Portable with the release of Resistance: Retribution, a proficient action game that should satisfy fans of the franchise.
The story picks up right after the events of Resistance: Fall of Man, a PS3 launch title. Players follow British Marine James Grayson. After discovering his brother at a Chimeran conversion center, James is forced to kill him before his transformation into a member of the alien race. Enraged, James abandons his post to seek revenge and is eventually arrested and imprisoned. While awaiting death, an European resistance group called The Maquis offers James an opportunity to leave prison if he joins their efforts to defeat the Chimera, which he accepts.
To accommodate the PSP's controls, Resistance: Retribution is played through a third-person perspective, unlike the PS3 titles which take place in first-person. The thumbstick moves James, while the four face buttons operate the camera.
Retribution also introduces a very helpful aim assist feature. When James confronts enemies, the reticle automatically locks onto a target. Once James kills an enemy, the reticle will jump to the next foe in his peripheral.
For those familiar with Resistance on PS3, shooting in Retribution will feel much easier. To increase the challenge, players can turn off aim assist. However, the camera doesn't move fast enough to keep up with the pace of battle.
Players can also zoom in and manually aim at targets by pressing up on the directional pad. This comes in handy for one particular enemy that requires a headshot to kill. The mechanic works fine unless you encounter varying enemies. Toggling between manual and auto-aim is not the smoothest of transitions.
The rest of Retribution is textbook Resistance. The large environments look spectacular. The clever arsenal remains, stocking James with signature weapons such as the Auger, an assault rifle that shoots through walls, and the LAARK rocket launcher. Each weapon also retains their secondary functions. The Auger, for example, deploys a temporary shield.
Read the full article here: Review: 'Resistance: Retribution' a solid shooter for franchise fans
Sony's PlayStation 3 franchise debuts on the PlayStation Portable with the release of Resistance: Retribution, a proficient action game that should satisfy fans of the franchise.
The story picks up right after the events of Resistance: Fall of Man, a PS3 launch title. Players follow British Marine James Grayson. After discovering his brother at a Chimeran conversion center, James is forced to kill him before his transformation into a member of the alien race. Enraged, James abandons his post to seek revenge and is eventually arrested and imprisoned. While awaiting death, an European resistance group called The Maquis offers James an opportunity to leave prison if he joins their efforts to defeat the Chimera, which he accepts.
To accommodate the PSP's controls, Resistance: Retribution is played through a third-person perspective, unlike the PS3 titles which take place in first-person. The thumbstick moves James, while the four face buttons operate the camera.
Retribution also introduces a very helpful aim assist feature. When James confronts enemies, the reticle automatically locks onto a target. Once James kills an enemy, the reticle will jump to the next foe in his peripheral.
For those familiar with Resistance on PS3, shooting in Retribution will feel much easier. To increase the challenge, players can turn off aim assist. However, the camera doesn't move fast enough to keep up with the pace of battle.
Players can also zoom in and manually aim at targets by pressing up on the directional pad. This comes in handy for one particular enemy that requires a headshot to kill. The mechanic works fine unless you encounter varying enemies. Toggling between manual and auto-aim is not the smoothest of transitions.
The rest of Retribution is textbook Resistance. The large environments look spectacular. The clever arsenal remains, stocking James with signature weapons such as the Auger, an assault rifle that shoots through walls, and the LAARK rocket launcher. Each weapon also retains their secondary functions. The Auger, for example, deploys a temporary shield.
Read the full article here: Review: 'Resistance: Retribution' a solid shooter for franchise fans
Street Fighter IV: Even Wall Street is playing it
Once again, in this age of dazzling next-gen graphics and cinematic gameplay, for some reason old school still rules.
Street Fighter ruled for many of us in our youth and its simplicity in a battle-against-your-mates scenario can't be beaten for wasting idle hours at the arcade.
That magic shines again in the next gen version, Street Fighter IV (Capcom, XBox 360, PS3: rated PG) Street Fighter IV which is rendered in hi-def 3D but the game is the classic 2D perspective apart from camera work. Take a look at the high quality trailer
Or check out this humourous mashup of the game to show how Wall Street is playing it to see who should survive!.
The old favourites front up to battle with fine looking characters like Ken and Ryu, E-Honda, Chun-Li and Guile along with some new ones.
So this old favourite staying true to the arcade (without the joystick-button feel) and looking fresh on my PS3, still stands out as an outstanding fighting game. It's not just a hit for nostalgia buffs but anyone who somehow hasn't encountered it before will be instantly hooked by just picking up the controller and throwing some moves.
A couple of decades of the franchise has meant the technology is solid, the character personalities well honed and this version not only looks good but plays superb with finger-numbing button mashing combo's in the gameplay.
Now if only every game could get it this right and last for so long.
Source article: Street Fighter IV: Even Wall Street is playing it
Street Fighter ruled for many of us in our youth and its simplicity in a battle-against-your-mates scenario can't be beaten for wasting idle hours at the arcade.
That magic shines again in the next gen version, Street Fighter IV (Capcom, XBox 360, PS3: rated PG) Street Fighter IV which is rendered in hi-def 3D but the game is the classic 2D perspective apart from camera work. Take a look at the high quality trailer
Or check out this humourous mashup of the game to show how Wall Street is playing it to see who should survive!.
The old favourites front up to battle with fine looking characters like Ken and Ryu, E-Honda, Chun-Li and Guile along with some new ones.
So this old favourite staying true to the arcade (without the joystick-button feel) and looking fresh on my PS3, still stands out as an outstanding fighting game. It's not just a hit for nostalgia buffs but anyone who somehow hasn't encountered it before will be instantly hooked by just picking up the controller and throwing some moves.
A couple of decades of the franchise has meant the technology is solid, the character personalities well honed and this version not only looks good but plays superb with finger-numbing button mashing combo's in the gameplay.
Now if only every game could get it this right and last for so long.
Source article: Street Fighter IV: Even Wall Street is playing it
'Fallout 3' Wins Game Of The Year At GDC
Other game developer awards went to LittleBigPlanet, Prince Of Persia, Dead Space, God Of War, and World Of Goo.
Fallout 3, the post-apocalyptic role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Softworks, won game of the year at the Game Developers Choice Awards.
The annual awards ceremony held Wednesday at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco also handed Bethesda and Fallout 3 the best writing award. Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet won the most awards with four: best game design, best technology, best debut game, and the innovation award. LittleBigPlanet is a user-generated content game for Sony (NYSE: SNE)'s PlayStation 3.
The best visual arts award went to Ubisoft's latest iteration of the Prince Of Persia, an action-adventure game for the family. Best audio went to EA Redwood Shores' horror title Dead Space, and the best handheld game was awarded to Ready at Dawn's action-adventure God Of War: Chains Of Olympus.
The World Of Goo won the best downloadable game award. Goo developer 2D Boy won the 2008 Independent Games Festival's design innovation award and technical experience award.
Continue reading...
Hurrah for Bethesda Game Studios, creator of Fallout 3 series!!!
Fallout 3 is an action role-playing game released by Bethesda Game Studios, and is the third major game in the Fallout series. The game was released in North America on October 28, 2008, in Europe and Australia on October 30, 2008, and in the United Kingdom and Ireland on October 31, 2008. The video game is available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 video game consoles as well as the Windows operating system.
Fallout 3, the post-apocalyptic role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Softworks, won game of the year at the Game Developers Choice Awards.
The annual awards ceremony held Wednesday at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco also handed Bethesda and Fallout 3 the best writing award. Media Molecule's LittleBigPlanet won the most awards with four: best game design, best technology, best debut game, and the innovation award. LittleBigPlanet is a user-generated content game for Sony (NYSE: SNE)'s PlayStation 3.
The best visual arts award went to Ubisoft's latest iteration of the Prince Of Persia, an action-adventure game for the family. Best audio went to EA Redwood Shores' horror title Dead Space, and the best handheld game was awarded to Ready at Dawn's action-adventure God Of War: Chains Of Olympus.
The World Of Goo won the best downloadable game award. Goo developer 2D Boy won the 2008 Independent Games Festival's design innovation award and technical experience award.
Continue reading...
Hurrah for Bethesda Game Studios, creator of Fallout 3 series!!!
Fallout 3 is an action role-playing game released by Bethesda Game Studios, and is the third major game in the Fallout series. The game was released in North America on October 28, 2008, in Europe and Australia on October 30, 2008, and in the United Kingdom and Ireland on October 31, 2008. The video game is available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 video game consoles as well as the Windows operating system.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Max Payne 3 Coming in Winter of 2009
Calling all Max Payne fanatics!!!
I have played Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne in PS2 and I loved it! I can't hardly wait for this game to come out in the market. ^___^
Finally, it's here! Rockstar Games has announced the next Max Payne installment of the game - Max Payne 3 for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. It is developed by Rockstar Vancouver, the folks behind the open-world high school game - Bully. Max Payne 3 will hit the gaming platforms this winter.
Back in 2004, the release of Max Payne 3 was confirmed after the poor sales of Max Payne 2. This time, Max Payne becomes deadlier and more cynical as the hard-boiled NY City detective with a penchant for violence.
Known for the famous bullet-time style aka slow-motion action gameplay, the Max Payne games have been known for their quality graphics, thrilling gameplay, and engrossing story.
Sam Houser, the Rockstar Games founder said, "This is Max as we've never seen him before, a few years older, more world-weary and cynical than ever."
Continue reading...
I have played Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne in PS2 and I loved it! I can't hardly wait for this game to come out in the market. ^___^
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)