There are sure a lot of "best of lists" coming out of the woodwork now since the year is beginning to come to a close. And not surprisingly, many of the lists read basically the same. Many of the games that are on those lists are definitely must play games (Super Mario Galaxy, Call of Duty 4, The Orange Box), but whatever happened to the other games that were fantastic throughout the year like World in Conflict, Persona 3, or Lunar Knights to name a few. With just an avalanche of triple A titles hitting us at the end of the year, many excellent games were overshadowed by the sheer amount of press coverage and excellent PR campaigns that were given to those games that were at the top of those 2007 lists. So here are the games that are the ones that have been forgotten because they came out early in the year or worse, never got the credit that they deserved in the first place.
The PS3 games in the list:
03) Super Stardust HD (Playstation 3)
16) Virtua Tennis 3 (PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Sony PSP)
A new version of TVersity Media Server has been released. TVersity allows you to stream pretty much any media (music/pictures and video) format to your PS3 (with on-the-fly transconding if required) from a Windows PC.
What's new/fixed:
* Transcoding
o Transcoding configuration can now be done on the file/folder/url level, in which case it wil supersede the system wide settings.
* Customizable Menus
o It is now possible to set the menus to be organized by folders only, this is in additon to the default menu organization and the custom one.
* Devices
o Turn off transcoding of AVI/DIVX (version 4 or higher) for the Sony PS3 (Divx3 is still transcoded) since firmware 2.1 can play them natively.
o AVI/Divx that do not play natively can still be manually configured to be transcoded. This for examples solves the PS3 problem with Divx files larger than 2 Gb.
* Bug Fixes
o Do not register a Windows shell context menu command for files (since it gets invoked when double clicking on file types that have no other handlers). The context menu command for folders is still kept since it has no undesirable side effects.
A tool has been released on ps3hax.net to read the PS3 NAND chip with the Infectus chip:
This tool is used to interleave, then byteswaps both dumps of the PS3 NAND.
Upon completion, it creates a 'user readable' file.
This file is then scanned by the tool, and the flash files are extracted to a folder.
This folder is named PS3Nand-XXX.XXXX, where XXX.XXXX is the SDK Version magic in the flash (usually the version number of the firmware)
.B .A usually works, however in some cases .A .B order is required.
The tool was made by mainman, assisted by the PS3News.com Developers!
The Playstation 3 has had enough bad press this year but it is the most powerful console of this generation and the very good games are starting to arrive, on the homebrew front the PS3 has linux but real homebrew fans want something more than Linux, with that in mind heres a question for PS3 fans!
What are your Hopes for the Playstation 3 both in Homebrew and the Commercial Arena ?
A playable demo of Yakuza 3, the latest (PS3-exclusive) edition of Sega's Japanese gangster-themed brawler will be hitting the Japanese PSN as soon as this month, reports suggest.
After two games set in the glitzy lights of present day Tokyo, the third game takes the series back in time to the 17 century, with samurai running around with swords, slicing faces off and stuff, as you do. Sounds awesome.
The demo is expected to arrive on PSN "mid-January", according to "wholesale" sources, coutesy of Google translations of Gamefront.
Sega is, however yet to officially confirm the demo's release date. The full game is out in Japan on March 6. Don't expect a UK release to follow until late '08 at the earliest.
Did you get what you wanted for Christmas? That's a shame. But Sony was looking out for you - sneaking a 1.7GB-shaped demo of The Club under the celebratory bristles of the PlayStation Network tree with the sort of festive love and care glaringly absent from other elements of this boringly appointed sentence.
You lot have been getting your teeth into it already, with uiruki summing up Bizarre Creations' first attempt at a shoot-'em-up as "a driving game mixed in with Tony Hawk-style trickery" in feel. "Technically, it is excellent. The graphics are extremely solid and pretty, with the PS3 never missing a beat at 30fps. Perhaps a little jaggy, but very clear," he adds, saving me some work. "I not like this game at all," NatAttack offers in a cutting riposte.
The full version of The Club is due out on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC on 8th February, and there's a bundle of previews, videos and other assorted attention-grabbers on its gamepage.
Also on PlayStation Network over the only week off we ever get was a Super Stardust HD demo, giving you the opportunity to find out whether you agree with Rich Leadbetter that it's "an absolute star, the jewel in the crown of the PlayStation Store and quite possibly the best purists' shooter to appear on console since the legendary Geometry Wars". He was very cross that it didn't make it into the Top 50, you know.
Finally, the PSN update also included a demo of another downloadable game, Snakeball, which Dan Whitehead quite liked, revealing that yes it is a bit like the mobile phone game.
Seeing as tomorrow is Thursday, expect more PSN update news in the near future. Everyday Shooter plz.
Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed has finished 2007 at the top of the UK's all formats charts with a drop of only 7 per cent in sales.
Electronic Arts' FIFA 08 missed out on the top spot by around 1000 sales, for the week ended December 31.
The Christmas number one, Activision's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, has slipped down the charts to number three with a 37 per cent decline in sales.
Sales of EA's The Simpsons Game fell by 24 per cent as it dropped one place to number four, while Need for Speed Pro Street stays at number five, with sales down 23 per cent.
The only game in the top ten to see sales increase for the period was Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 2008, as the game moved up the charts from number 13 to number six.
THQ's WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2008 is at seven, Nintendo's More Brain Training is at eight, Activision's Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock at nine and Sega's The Golden Compass enters the top ten at ten.
The latest sales charts for Spain and Germany show strong support for the Nintendo platforms, with DS titles Dr Kawashima's Brain Training and More Brain Training coming in the top two in both countries.
The charts, compiled by Media-Control GfK International for the sales week ending December 23, also show Nintendo featuring in all top five positions in Germany, and eight of the top ten in Spain.
Wii Play, Super Mario Galaxy and Mario & Sonic at the Olympics rounded out the German top five, with Need for Speed Pro Street, FIFA 08 and High School Musical taking the next three places for the PlayStation 2.
The only other format represented was Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for the Xbox 360 - meaning that neither Sony's nor Microsoft's next-gen platforms were represented at all.
That was also true in Spain, although WWE Smackdown! vs Raw 2008 and Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 were third and fourth on the PS2.
The rest of the top ten was all Nintendo, however, with four more DS titles and two Wii games.
The full charts are as follows:
Germany
1. More Brain Training with Dr Kawashima (DS)
2. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training (DS)
3. Wii Play (Wii)
4. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
5. Mario & Sonic at the Olympics (Wii)
6. Need for Speed Pro Street (PS2)
7. FIFA 08 (PS2)
8. High School Musical: Sing It (PS2)
9. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC)
10. New Super Mario Bros (DS)
Spain
1. More Brain Training with Dr Kawashima (DS)
2. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training (DS)
3. WWE Smackdown! vs Raw 2008 (PS2)
4. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PS2)
5. Eye Training (DS)
6. Wii Play (Wii)
7. Mario Party DS (DS)
8. Triiviial (Wii)
9. Imagine Babyz (DS)
10. Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)
Criterion's Alex Ward has responded to feedback on the recent Burnout Paradise demo defending certain elements that have come under fire.
"Everyone breathe, relax, and remember, it's only a demo - we think we made the best demo released all year - you don't see many other games getting an online enabled demo up on both systems before launch," the outspoken developer wrote in a Christmas message.
Some of the response to the demo has focused on the lack of a retry button once you fail a task (something we pointed out earlier this year), changes to Crash mode and the size of Paradise City itself.
"The lack of retry really isn't an issue," says Ward. "You may disagree, but we don't feel it is and retry would have introduced loading into the game, which we didn't want to do." As for comments on Crash, he's less sympathetic. "Hmm, again, none of you have played it yet... It's not Crash Mode, it never was - it never could be. There was no way we would have created a linear and limited experience in a massively open game that is about freedom, expression and seamless play. Again, try it for yourself and make up your own mind. Don't let the internet do it for you."
Turn your living room into a state of the art arcade arena! Join operatives Giorgio and Evan to investigate and prevent a top secret weapon from falling into the hands of international terrorists.
The latest and most advanced title in the popular Time Crisis series is now arriving on the PS3. Time Crisis 4 delivers the first and only arcade style interactive first-person shooter (FPS) gaming experience on the next gen console with HD quality graphics. Superior to its arcade counterpart, Time Crisis 4 is reborn with additional new free roaming FPS stages along with a new and improved Guncon. In addition to future downloadable content, Time Crisis 4 brings a fresh new look that will carry the series into the next generation.
via WorthPlaying (There are many screens for every platform, click now!)
SEGA Superstars Tennis has over 15 playable SEGA idols including Sonic the Hedgehog, AiAi from Super Monkeyball fame, Ulala of Space Channel 5 and Amigo from Samba De Amigo. In addition to their own unique attributes, each character will also come equipped with their own superstar tennis skills, putting a whole new spin on each match played!
Exhibition mode offers the chance to challenge Sonic, or the character or your choice, to a match on one of many courts, including Sonic’s home court of Green Hill Zone, or Amigo’s Carnival Park court. Wherever you play there will be a host of SEGA celebrities cheering you on from courtside and by partaking in crazy doubles matches with your choice of partner, you could end up playing against some pretty unusual couples! Prove your SEGA hero is the shining star of SEGA Superstars Tennis by collecting silverware in the Tournament Mode. There will also be the opportunity to unlock a host of exciting extras which will be announced in the near future!
Complementing the Exhibition and Tournament modes, there will also be new and innovative ways of enjoying some of SEGA’s classic titles, plus platform exclusive ways to play the game, including online modes for X360 and PS3 versions!
“SEGA Superstars Tennis has the potential to be one of the most fun and accessible sports games ever.” commented Gary Knight, European Marketing Director. “The fantastic Sumo Digital team has had access to a wealth of SEGA IP and you’ll be surprised at the gaming icons that will be making an appearance!”
Available on the PS3, PS2, X360, NDS, and Wii, SEGA Superstars Tennis will release in early 2008.
How many times over the past few months have you heard that "the worst is over" and the chances of the high-def format war finally coming to a close were increasing by the day? If you haven't heard it at least once, you're probably not reading the right stories.
But with all that going on, the war is officially a quagmire for both sides and the chances of getting out of this quickly are diminishing at an astounding rate. Consider this: as it stands, the Blu-ray camp commands roughly 49 percent DVD market share, while HD DVD is trailing slightly behind. To make matters worse, some reports suggest HD DVD may be gaining strength, although most buyers are sitting out.
So what's really going on with this war? Is there an end in sight? Even better, is there a solution in sight that can finally put this to rest? If you ask me, I think this could be over in a month if the Blu-ray camp follows three steps.
Step 1: Warner
Step 2: Slash prices on all players
Step 3: Get in contact with HD DVD's supporters and inform them of the bad news
PS3 is the best-seller in Q4 videogames category as sales leap by 24 per cent
The PlayStation 3 was one of the big winners in the last quarter of 2007 for Play.com as the company reported a 24 per cent jump in sales over the previous year.
Sony's flagship console was the best-selling item in the videogames category, followed by Assassin's Creed and Mario & Sonic at the Olympics - although it's not clear if this was measured by sales volume or total sales value.
The most searched for product on the site was the Nintendo Wii, followed by the terms "games console" and "Transformers" - the DVD of the latter was the site's top-selling item in December.
The company also revealed that on its peak trading day, Monday December 3, it processed an average of 700 orders every minute - up from 422 the previous year.
Jersey-based Play.com sells a variety of goods online, and CEO Simon Perree stated that this blend was one of the company's major assets.
"Despite the worry about tightening of the purse strings and the credit crunch, Christmas on Play.com has been a big success and sales have been outstanding," he said.
"A combination of good prices and availability of must have product across DVD, CDs, books and videogames, gadgets and electronics has proved a winning formula."
Following the successful digital release of Tomb Raider Anniversary over Xbox Live, Crystal Dynamics' Riley Cooper has told GamesIndustry.biz that Sony's PlayStation Network should offer more flexibility for delivering future titles.
Anniversary was originally developed for PlayStation 2, with publisher Eidos offering the title to Xbox 360 users via Xbox Live Marketplace by splitting the game into episodic chunks.
But Cooper, lead designer on Anniversary, believes that Sony's PlayStation Network could prove to be the better service for developers looking to bypass retail and deliver full games to users, as it doesn't have as many constraints as Microsoft's service.
"I'm very, very interested in digital distribution and the potential it has," said Cooper, speaking during GDC Lyon last month. "PlayStation Network is extremely interesting because it's a more flexible space."
"We made an in-road with Anniversary on 360, and it was a full game essentially, but Microsoft is only slowly increasing requirements and opening up the constraints of Xbox Live. It's been a slow process, whereas PSN hasn't been restricted by size, they've just done Warhawk for example."
Riley believes that digital distribution of console games that were only previously available via retail is inevitable, and that technology barriers are being chipped away at an impressive rate.
"In a long enough time line it's inevitable so at the moment it's just a matter of how fast. Within this console generation we're already seeing huge uptake in that direction. Xbox Live continues to get press and the limits are being expanded, Tomb Raider Anniversary was a huge expansion of those limits," he said.
"The additional downloadable content for titles like Guitar Hero is making a lot of money. As well as that, digital distribution isn't just about how to get a game but how to stimulate communities after the game has been released. Once users have bought into the IP you can continue to keep that community alive and get revenue from it," he added.
Welcome to this week's Games & Toys update, our weekly summary featuring all new product arrivals from the last seven days.
Following the busy Christmas season, the year has as usually started very slow, this time with just one new Japanese video game release. Japanese suppliers are on their New Year holidays, closing down for the first week of the year. Just like every year, we are trying to keep additional buffers on hot selling items but there are unavoidably slight delays for items that are not in stock until suppliers return back to work coming week.
Here is a quick summary of what's been new in stock this week, followed by a quick preview of what is expected next week.
Nintendo DS™:
Rune Factory 2 JPN US$ 48.90
Books & Magazines:
Arcadia Magazine [February 2008] JPN US$ 12.90
Famitsu Wave DVD [February 2008] JPN US$ 16.50
Xbox 360 Achievements: Unlocked US US$ 9.99
Toys & More:
.hack//Sign Lovable Collection Vol. 2 Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Black Rose JPN US$ 12.49
.hack//Sign Lovable Collection Vol. 2 Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Sabaru JPN US$ 12.49
Armored Troops Votoms 1/12 Scale Pre-painted PVC Figure: Brutishdog & Fyana JPN US$ 179.90
Bleach Characters 5 Non Scale Pre-Painted PVC Trading Figure JPN US$ 5.90
Burst Angel 1/8 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Sei JPN US$ 29.90
Burst Angel 1/8 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Sei (Limited Version) JPN US$ 29.90
Creator's Labo #015 Neon Genesis Evangelion 1/6 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Rei Ayanami JPN US$ 59.90
Dragon Ball Z Non Scale Pre-Painted Gashapon: Neo Super-soldier of Legend Version JPN US$ 5.90
Dragon Quest Chapter of Heaven Vol.1 Collection - Pre-Painted PVC Trading Figure JPN US$ 4.90
Eushully's Meishoku no Reiki 1/6 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Silfietta Luashia JPN US$ 74.90
Feyenoord Rotterdam 14 Pre-Painted Mini Figure: Shinji Ono JPN US$ 9.90
Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Play Arts Pre-Painted Action Figure: Sephiroth JPN US$ 38.90
Final Fantasy X Play Arts Pre-Painted Action Figure: Tidus JPN US$ 38.90
Gradius Sky Girls 1/60 Scale Model-Kit: Vic Viper (Sky Girls Version) JPN US$ 39.90
Hamburger SV 32 Pre-Painted Mini Figure: Naohiro Takahara JPN US$ 9.90
Ikkitousen 1/6 Scale Pre-Painted Figure: Ryomou Shimei JPN US$ 59.90
Ikkitousen 1/7 Scale Painted Figure: Ryomou Shimei (Black Nurse Ver.) JPN N/A
Ikkitousen Scale 1/7 Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Kanu Gothic Lolita Dress (Black Version) JPN US$ 49.90
Ikkitousen Scale 1/8 Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Sonsaku Hakufu Maid Fighter (Black Version) JPN US$ 49.90
Kasutama P Yoake Mae yori Ruri Iro na Non Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Estel Freesia JPN US$ 64.90
Kasutama P Yoake Mae yori Ruri Iro na Non Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Feena Fam Earthlight JPN US$ 74.90
MM Train No.44 Pre-Painted Gashapon JPN US$ 1.90
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS 1/6 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Takamachi Nanoha JPN US$ 159.90
Masterpiece of Shunya Yamashita 1/7 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Shoko-San (Repainted Version) JPN US$ 59.90
Neon Genesis Evangelion 1/7 Scale Metallic Pre-Painted Action Figure: EVA-00 Prototype JPN US$ 19.90
Neon Genesis Evangelion 1/7 Scale Metallic Pre-Painted Action Figure: EVA-01 Test Type JPN US$ 19.90
Neon Genesis Evangelion 1/7 Scale Metallic Pre-Painted Action Figure: EVA-02 Production Model JPN US$ 19.90
Raki Suta Collection Non Scale Pre-Painted PVC Trading Figure JPN N/A
Robot Mini Figure Collection Vol.1 Pre-Painted Trading Figure JPN US$ 3.49
SIF EX The Onee Chanbara 1/6 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Aya (Special color Ver) JPN US$ 54.90
SR Super Sea Story Figure Collection Gashapon JPN US$ 3.49
Sake Cellar Tour Cup Series Non Scale Pre-Painted Trading Figure JPN US$ 2.90
Samurai Spirits: Iroha 1/6 Scale Prepainted PVC Figure JPN US$ 59.90
Sound Pot Yamanote & Osaka Loop Line Gashapon JPN US$ 2.90
Tokustsu Daihyakka Gamera Pre-Painted Mini Figure Collection Trading Figure JPN US$ 1.90
Unisonshift Collection Pre-Painted PVC Trading Figure JPN US$ 4.90
Zero no Tsukaima - 1/8 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Louise (Kneeling ver.) JPN N/A
Zoids Command Geno Saurer 1/72 Plastic Model Kit JPN N/A
Video Game Soundtracks:
Guilty Gear 2 Overture Original Soundtrack Vol.2 JPN US$ 27.90
Honeycoming - One More Chime! JPN US$ 29.90
A separate Video/Music update containing Japanese releases from this week, including new Anime, J-Pop and Movie releases will follow prior end of the week.
It's going to remain relatively calm next week, with just eight new releases in Japan, most of them budget reprints. Expected to be among the better selling releases are Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn! Dream Hyper Battle! Wii for Nintendo Wii™ and the Asian release version of Wipeout Pulse for PSP™.
Lots of good things come out of Hong Kong like John Woo and Bruce Lee cinema and rumours that Sony is planning a monthly subscription for its PC PlayStation Store.
These high-kicked into news chops after PlayStation Asia whipped a poll onto its site to gauge interest in a number of areas.
When asking what you found most appealing as an offer on the Store it suggested a monthly subscription plan to grant unlimited PSP game downloads and possibly Kung Fu although I am not sure I can say that and now face unemployment for the second time this week.
Sony UK offered no comment about it and suggested there was little more than information-gathering behind it all.
Below you will find what is apparently the first ever screenshot of Insomniac's upcoming Resistance 2.
Yes, it looks like total arse, but that's because it is reported to be a shot taken from a very early beta version of the from April or May last year - hence the lack of lighting, shadows or textures.
Even if this is a real shot, it really doesn't give you any insight into what the game will actually look like, because the final product with all the effects turned on will look worlds better.
Which begs the question what good it is leaking a grubby screenshot from nine-month-old beta code?
The release date for Radical Design's delayed PS3 shooter, Haze, is as cloudy as the game's title. But is could be out this month, according to Sony's official site.
The official US PlayStation page lists Haze for a January 15 launch, despite the fact that no-one - not even Ubisoft UK (who declined to comment) - seems to know exactly when the game will hit shelves.
Haze was originally planned for a November 2007 release, before being pushed back first to December, then back further into early 2008.
As it stands, the official line is that it'll be out during Q1 this year, so either way you've not got long to wait. That is if it doesn't slip again..
Ubisoft has announced that Far Cry 2, the follow-up to 2004's hit PC game, will also be coming to the Xbox 360 and PS3.
The first game, developed by Crysis, perfected an open-end approach to first-person games and won itself many fans in the process. Ubisoft Montreal has now taken over the reins for the sequel, and it looks to be equally impressive, taking the player on a sandbox tour of the savannahs of Africa via a eye-popping graphics engine.
The PC version is due to hit towards the end of Q1 2008, with the console versions slated for release somewhere in the vague time-line of the fiscal year 2008-2009.
New details have emerged about fresh-faced Swedish developer Avalanche's Just Cause 2, the follow-up to the well-received sandbox game that earnt itself an 8.8 score from our reviewers last year.
In an interview with PSW magazine, the game's lead designer Peter Johansson stated: "We identified the key areas we wanted to improve for Just Cause 2. We wanted to make better use of our huge game world, enhance the stunts, improve the combat and reward exploration more." What's more, the original's setting on the island San Esperitio has been ditched in favour of a tropical paradise in South East Asia, but retains its charismatic lead Rico Rodriguez.
Of particular interest is the bold move to ditch the peripheral activities that often form the backbone of the majority of sandbox games, with Johansson claiming: "We've ditched the concept of side-missions." A brave move, but maybe one that's necessary to differentiate the title in an already over-crowded market.
The game will be fully next-gen - unlike the last entry which straddled the generational divide - and is expected on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.
Recent activity on Valve's Steam forums is pointing towards an imminent patch that should go some way towards remedying the numerous flaws evident in the PS3 version of The Orange Box.
While the game was widely heralded as one of the games of 2007, that wasn't necessarily the case for those opting to play on the PS3. Having had to wait a number of weeks for what is widely acknowledged as a broken port of one of the biggest bargains of recent times, PS3 owners were subjected to below-par frame-rates across the Half-Life games, alongside extended loading times in Portal and broken matchmaking facilities in Team Fortress 2.
These flaws led to IGN giving the PS3 port a score of 8.4, which although respectable paled to the 9.5 awarded to the PC and Xbox 360 versions. Fortunately, the game's original developer Valve is looking to cement its reputation as one of the more considerate presences in gaming, opening up a thread on its forums for PS3 owners to air their grievances and suggest possible tweaks.
It's still unclear when we can expect a patch and EA, responsible for the games PS3 port and publishing, was unable to offer confirmation or a concrete timeframe. We'll bring you more as soon as we get it.
The UT III mod cooker - a tool to turn PC mods into PS3-compatible mods - could be released as early as next week in an update.
Rein brought the good news in a brief progress report: "We're very close to releasing an update to the Unreal Engine 3 editor, that comes with the PC version of UT3, that will allow UT3 mod-makers to cook their mods into the required PS3 format.
"We've been doing some internal testing and we're hoping to expand to a wider group tomorrow or Friday. If all goes well then we should see the update released next week which is what I expect will happen."
Rein assures fans that the cooking system is already up and running smoothly, pointing out: "we put out a few mods before Christmas and people seem to be playing them," on the official forums. Testing is underway on simply applying the update, he explains.
Then watch out for the rush of converted mods moments after the update hits.
THQ will be making a videogame version of Pixar's latest offering, WALL•E, and should be releasing it this summer to coincide with the launch of the film.
Well, Heavy Iron Studios, which is part of THQ, will be the ones actually making it, and those clever men and women will be assembling it for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, DS, PSP, PC, Mac and mobile.
WALL•E is the typically comedic Pixar tale of the last robot on earth, who seems to have been left to run around doing what he's meant for while humanity's scarpered, and what happens when he bands together with some malfunctioning fellow robots on a journey across the universe to do something and so on.
The game features ten worlds, with storyline, characters and locations from the film, plus some new bits, and head-to-head multiplayer challenges. It all adds up to a "fast-paced adventure game" according to THQ.
Fire up those ovens and roll out the dough! Epic VP Mark Rein says he expects an update to the Unreal Engine 3 editor will be released next week, allowing Unreal Tournament 3 mod-makers to cook their PC mods into PS3-formatted delicacies. Some broader testing is necessary before the update's release, but Rein assures us that "the process works," given it was used to cook DM-Shrine, which was served to PS3 players free of charge a few weeks ago. Nothing like free food, eh – but are those PC chefs any good?
Still not convinced Burnout Paradise was "THE best demo released" last year? Criterion has rubbed some grease on frontman Alex Ward's heaping helping of self-praise by doubling the maximum number of online players (from 4 to 8) and adding 13 new Freeburn Challenges. So does this mean that Burnout is now the best demo of 2008? Quick! Somebody give these guys an award!
(Note: The multiplayer boost will take effect on servers between today and Jan. 14th. The demo is available on PSN and Xbox Live.)
News from Play Asia of this weeks Blueray Film Releases:
Heres the listing
Da Vinci Code (~Tom Hanks) US US$ 38.96
Love Is Born 4th Anniversary 2007 At Hibiya-Yagai Ongaku-Do On 9th Of September 2007 [tentative] (~Ai Otsuka) JPN US$ 57.90
Resident Evil US US$ 28.95
Resident Evil 1-3 US US$ 89.95
Resident Evil: Extinction US US$ 38.96
Shoot 'em Up US US$ 35.99
The Prestige JPN US$ 46.90
War US US$ 39.99
While some developers have been critical of PS3's complex architecture (yes, Gabe Newell from Valve, we're pointing at you) many more are praising the power and potential of the machine.
"The amount of action we're able to put on the screen at 60 frames per second dwarfs what we were able to do a year ago at 30 frames per second," claims Insomniac's (Resistance, Ratchet) Chief Creative Officer Brian Hastings, "What's most exciting is I think we'll see just as big a leap from our second generation engine to our third as we did from first to second."
Fallout 3's Executive Producer Todd Howard - from Oblivion developer Bethesda - understands that PS3 "has more than enough power. No single game is using it all yet - not even close". Back at E3 in July ‘07, Mercenaries 2 Lead Designer Scott Warner claimed their game was only using 30% of PS3's power - while EA's Chief Visual Officer Glenn Entis claimed their launch games like Fight Night 3 only tapped 20%. The figures sound hokum, but it wasn't until five years into PS2's life cycle that games tapped even 90% of its power - a statistic measured by Sony's Performance Analyser tools, yet to be released on PS3.
It's all a bit slow on the PAL PlayStation Store this week after last week's surprise addition of The Club in demo form, with just a Folklore add-on called Fear In The Night (side-quests, new folk, new costume) and a Devil May Cry 4 trailer to get excited about, according to our diligent forum spies.
Across the pond there is depth, but a lack of excitement - Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock benefits from downloadable content launched on Xbox Live before Christmas, Rock Band gets its usual weekly update, there are some more cars for Need For Speed ProStreet (most at USD 2.49) and a demo of NFL Tour '09.
Meanwhile, the PSP Store for PC appears to be barren on both sides of the Atlantic, so unless Sony has something 11th hour in store (so to speak), you're in for a quiet weekend. Or at least one involving things you've already bought, like the excellent Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, or perhaps the under-loved Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction.
Good news for Sega fans: the UK release date for NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams has been confirmed as Jan. 18, so anyone looking to spend some leftover Christmas money has just two weeks to wait (see our preview for a quick look).
The release date for Condemned 2 has also been set in stone, arriving on our shores on the 14th March for the PS3 and Xbox 360. The 'Bloodshot' tagline has also been dropped.
Here's Sega's full list for the next couple of months:
Jan. 25
Phantasy Star Ambition of the Illuminus, PC, PS2
Universe at War: Earth Assault, PC
Jan. 18
NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, Wii
Ghost Squad, Wii
Feb. 8
The Club, PS3, PC, Xbox 360
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, DS
Feb. 14
Condemned 2, Xbox 360, PS3
Feb. 22
Sonic Riders Zero Gravity, PS2, Wii
Feb. 29
Bleach, DS, Wii
March 7
Universe at War: Earth Assault, Xbox 360
March 28
Sega Superstars Tennis, Wii, PS3, DS, PS2, Xbox 360
Viking: Battle of Asgard, PS3, Xbox 360
Epic Games hopes to release a patch that will allow PC users to package their Unreal Tournament III modifications and add-on levels for use on PlayStation 3 next week.
"We've been doing some internal testing and we're hoping to expand to a wider group tomorrow or Friday," Epic vice president Mark Rein wrote on the game's official forum. "If all goes well then we should see the update released next week which is what I expect will happen."
The PC version of UT3 comes with a fully functioning game editor based on Unreal Engine 3, and while the PS3 game does not include this, the aim is to ensure compatibility with content produced on the PC.
"Obviously the process works, as we put out a few mods before Christmas and people seem to be playing them, but it is the update to the editor that we're testing."
Meanwhile, UT3 modification website www.ut3mod.com claims to have come up with a way for people to download PS3 mods for Unreal Tournament III from within their PS3 web-browser - something that until now had been thought impossible.
Official instructions for transferring mods to the PS3 involve a PC, a Memory Stick, holy water and a pentangle of salt.
For more on the PS3 version of Unreal Tournament III, check out our Unreal Tournament III PS3 import review.
Those of you who have imported the Xbox 360 version of Rock Band will be interested to learn that the US Official Xbox Magazine is cover-mounting a trio of exclusive add-on songs later this month.
The February 2008 issue, which goes on sale (sorry, "hits newsstands") on 15th January, includes Freezepop's "Sprøde", Bang Camaro's "Rock Rebellion" and Count Zero's "Shake", all of which can be installed to the hard disk for easy future access.
Joystiq has tracked down YouTube vids for a couple of them, and speculates that if discs can be used to stuff the hard disk with new content then Harmonix/MTV could potentially offer retail expansion discs along these lines. It certainly doesn't sound like it's outside the realms of possibility.
The game's creators have already established themselves as keen proponents of add-on content, having released over a dozen single-song downloads and several track packs on both Xbox Live and PlayStation Network since the game's late-November US launch.
For more on Rock Band, which is due out on PS3 and Xbox 360 in Europe in Q1 2008, check out our Rock Band import review.
ony's great white hope - the quite wonderful looking LittleBigPlanet - looks nearer to finding its way into our homes, with Sony insiders confirming they are working to get the game out in the UK for this September.
The game - which was unveiled to universal applause at last year's Games Developer Conference - is currently being developed by British company Media Molecule. It is one of the highest profile exponents of a new generation of games placing an emphasis on creativity, giving players a blank canvas to explore co-operatively and making full use of the PlayStation Network to deliver patches and user generated content. It's continued to impress at subsequent outings at E3 and the Tokyo Game Show, and if it manages to realise its lofty ambitions it could well prove to be Sony's killer app.
The September release date may be a little later than many had hoped - initial mummurings suggested the first quarter of this year - but at least it gives us something to look forward to towards the end of the year. As soon as more concrete details emerge, we'll be sure to let you know.
In response to consumer demand, Warner Bros. Entertainment will release its high-definition DVD titles exclusively in the Blu-ray disc format beginning later this year, it was announced today by Barry Meyer, Chairman & CEO, Warner Bros. and Kevin Tsujihara, President, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group.
"Warner Bros.' move to exclusively release in the Blu-ray disc format is a strategic decision focused on the long term and the most direct way to give consumers what they want," said Meyer. "The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger. We believe that exclusively distributing in Blu-ray will further the potential for mass market success and ultimately benefit retailers, producers, and most importantly, consumers."
Warner Home Video will continue to release its titles in standard DVD format and Blu-ray. After a short window following their standard DVD and Blu-ray releases, all new titles will continue to be released in HD DVD until the end of May 2008.
"Warner Bros. has produced in both high-definition formats in an effort to provide consumer choice, foster mainstream adoption and drive down hardware prices," said Jeff Bewkes, President and Chief Executive Officer, Time Warner Inc., the parent company of Warner Bros. Entertainment. "Today's decision by Warner Bros. to distribute in a single format comes at the right time and is the best decision both for consumers and Time Warner."
"A two-format landscape has led to consumer confusion and indifference toward high definition, which has kept the technology from reaching mass adoption and becoming the important revenue stream that it can be for the industry," said Tsujihara. "Consumers have clearly chosen Blu-ray, and we believe that recognizing this preference is the right step in making this great home entertainment experience accessible to the widest possible audience. Warner Bros. has worked very closely with the Toshiba Corporation in promoting high definition media and we have enormous respect for their efforts. We look forward to working with them on other projects in the future.
We knew this wouldn't take long -- just like when Paramount made the switch to HD DVD, rumors are swirling that a sum of $500 Million was involved in the decision to make the switch. The rumor goes on to say that Fox's allegiance to Blu-ray was a factor as well, but when it refused to defect from the Blu camp and accepted an undisclosed amount, Warner had no choice; because at this point, without another studio going red it would've only put the war into more of a stalemate than it already was. Of course, Warner tells the story a little differently, and on a recent conference call when asked about any "compensation" Kevin Tsujihara, president, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group said that it "was not a bidding war" and that it really came down to Q4 sales, specifically in the International markets -- then he wanted to know if we had any idea where they could collect the $500 Million. Ultimately, Warner wanted to try and give consumers a reason to get off the fence.
As for the remaining five months, although there will be a delay in the release of Warner HD DVD titles in comparison to the Blu-ray releases, the specifics haven't been worked out just yet, and the decision has also not been made to stop production of current HD DVD titles -- but the retailers will have a say in that one. We closed the call with the most pertinent question of all, "Where's the Matrix on Blu-ray?" to which the answer was, as soon as they work out the details of BD Java and PIP.
The NY Times reports: In addition to Apple, Warner Brothers is now going to throw its weight behind the Blu-ray format for high-definition disks. Warner has been the only major studio to publish its movies in both Blu-ray and HD DVD formats. Today, the studio announced that from now on, it would only issue movies in Blu-ray. Richard Greenfield, the media analyst with Pali Research, wrote that this marks the end of the format wars: "We expect HD DVD to 'die' a quick death."
Warner Home Entertainment President Kevin Tsujihara says the studio took no pay-offs to exclusively back Blu-ray.
In a post-announcement conference call, Tsujihara flatly denied rumors that studio had accepted anywhere from 250M to $500M in exchange for dropping its HD DVD format support.
According to the exec, Warner's sole motivation in dropping its HD DVD format support was to ensure growth of the "category" and the long-term health of the industry.
As if anyone expected anything different, New Line confirmed with Variety Magazine that it'll follow Warner to the Blu-ray promise land. While this is a no brainer considering the relationship between Warner and New Line, (also owned by Time Warner, just like Engadget) other studios remain up in the air. When, and if, Universal makes the switch as well is any ones guess, but at this point we doubt many would expect otherwise. But, as we've learned in the last few days, anything's possible, but the idea of having one HD format to adopt is something even most members of the red camp can get behind.
Well another studio down. Maybe I was right? Blu ray is just better. HD will die a slow death. It's what I predicted a year ago. Now with Warner's down for the count with Blu Ray. That makes it easier for Wal-Mart to push Blu Ray. And whatever Wal-Mart pushes - wins. Hd better start giving out those $120 million dollars checks to stay alive. Maybe they can give me some so I can give it to my Make-A-Wish charity, just to shut me up. Have faith people Transformers will come out in Blu-ray one day!
Without comparable numbers from the other two console manufacturers, you'll have to consider these numbers from Sony in a vacuum of sorts. Nevertheless, regardless of the console horse race, Sony's got plenty to be proud of: 1.2m PS3 consoles sold since Black Friday; 1.4m PSP systems (unsurprising to anyone who had difficulty tracking one down this holiday); and 1.3m PS2 systems. That's a total of 3.9m PlayStation consoles sold in less than two months and, with the recent Blu-ray news, we suspect PS3 sales may trend upwards.
While Microsoft touted their total Xbox 360 sales numbers last week, we'll have to wait another week and a half before we get specific NPD numbers for December. But sales like these, regardless of the relative strength of the competition, means at least one thing: there's 3.9m game consoles living in happy homes and that's good news for everyone.
Those of you with sneaky eyes will have noticed two fresh samplers for Yakuza 3 on the Japanese PlayStation Store.
The game is called Ryu Ga Gotoku 3 in those reaches of the world and you can get at it by creating a Japanese account claiming you live there and enjoy it very much.
According to our cherished forum-goer disc, the first and biggest of the two is a narrative taster at 960MB. Here you can amble around the city fetching some bits and pieces for quests, as well as draw a picture to unlock a new finishing move. You should also get into a couple of scrapes and enjoy some swanky cut-scenes.
The other demo is collection of mini-games: one has you trying to win the affection of a Geisha, another riding on horseback while shooting things and avoiding obstacles, while the last focuses on arena combat against a varied range of opponents.
So far Yakuza 3 is only confirmed for Japan, although SEGA recently confirmed the second game in the series would make its way to the US.
Meanwhile, us Europeans have only been treated to the first third-person action title, missing out on the other two due to poor western sales.
Pop over to our Yakuza 3 gamepage for a spattering of videos, or slice into our Yakuza 1 review to see what's what.
Sony's Kaz Hirai has said that the company hopes the next fiscal year will see the PlayStation 3 console business achieve a profit.
Speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Hirai said that profitability in the 2008 financial year was not a definite commitment, but something the company was striving for.
"We want to get to the positive side of the equation as quickly as possible," commented Hirai, reports Reuters.
"The next fiscal year starts in April and if we can try to achieve that in the next fiscal year that would be a great thing. We are going through the budgets right now.
"That (profitability) is not a definite commitment, but that is what I would like to try to shoot for," he said.
Sony has just announced sales figures for the PlayStation 3 during the US holiday period reached 1.2 million, although the machine is still being out-sold by Sony's own PlayStation 2 and PSP consoles.
Production costs for the PlayStation 3 are falling noted Hirai, with the recently introduced 40GB model requiring less components than the higher end 60GB and 80GB models.
"Component costs are coming down, and the number of components... we are seeing a reduction.
"The 40 GB PlayStation 3 obviously has fewer components, and uses less power, which means that components required to dissipate heat, for example, can be smaller, so there is some cost reduction there," he added.
Sony says more MotorStorm tracks will populate the PlayStation Store this month, and we're convinced.
The first new course is Eagle's Nest, which takes place on a narrow and treacherous winding circuit high up some place or another, where easing your opponents over the edge is a primary tactic.
The other is a less fiddly affair called Diamondback Speedway, a natural desert bowl with banked corners, a sinkhole, and scary tunnel.
Like other packs it will lighten your wallet by GBP 3.49, which is about half as much as a ticket to the cinema in Brighton and twice as much as something else.
Square Enix has today announced details of its schedule for the fresh end of 2008, with Final Fantasy I and II on the PSP and Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings on the DS both being given firm street dates.
Details of the release dates for other UK-bound Square Enix titles are somewhat more vague, with DS titles Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates and The World Ends With You due as the leaves begin to sprout, while we can expect Odin Sphere on PS2 and Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker on DS sometime before said leaves turn brown.
The full list follows:
8 February 2008
Final Fantasy I & Final Fantasy II (PSP)
15 February 2008
Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (Nintendo DS)
Spring 2008
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates (Nintendo DS)
The World Ends With You (Nintendo DS)
Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors (Nintendo Wii)
If you're anxiously awaiting new original titles for the PlayStation Network, Sony is bringing in help to satisfy your needs.
Today, Sony Online Entertainment announced that it has selected Gamebryo, the Emergent Elements engine used in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Fallout 3, to create some upcoming PSN titles. Sony described the partnership in a release as a way to bring developers the tools they need to create games faster than ever before.
"Gamebryo gives us a great deal of flexibility in creating downloadable titles for the PlayStation Network," said Shalom Mann, SOE senior vice president. "The codebase provides an solid foundation for our downloadable games framework that allows us to bring a variety of different types of games to the PlayStation Network in a fraction of the time had we coded the base engine ourselves."
The first SOE games using the Gamebryo engine are set to launch before February's Game Developers Conference and are described as being based on "gameshow IPs."
The concept of copying a lower-resolution version of a film from a packaged media disc to a portable device is not new--in fact, late last year, Fox and Warner released the first standard definition titles to offer this capability (on Live Free, Die Hard and Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix, respectively).
Sony today demonstrated the next level of disc copying. At the company's booth at CES, Sony demonstrated how you could put a Blu-ray Disc movie into a Playstation 3 and copy the film to a Playstation Portable or a Memory Stick. "This way, you can have a portable copy you can take with you," explains David Bishop, president of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
"There was always the promise of greater interactivity. You'll see that coming in the new year," Bishop added. In addition to the PSP copying example, Sony also demonstrated how you could download ring tones and new content to a BD Live player, using Men in Black as the example.
BD Live is proving to be a big catchphrase at the show: Panasonic announced its BD Live player yesterday, Fox showcased an early version of its Alien vs. Predator multiplayer game at the Blu-ray Disc Association's booth, and Sony showed its interactive Men in Black trivia game. The game was being played by two people in two locations on a Playstation 3.
Nintendo ended 2007 on a high across mainland Europe, with DS titles topping the Spanish chart and Wii games heading the German list for software sales in the week ending December 30.
According to the data from Media-Control GfK International, More Brain Training and the original Brain Training took the top two places in Spain, followed by Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 for the PlayStation 2.
Super Mario Galaxy was fourth while WWE Smackdown! vs Raw 2008 took fifth place, with Assassin's Creed for the PlayStation 3 in sixth. Other PS2 and DS titles rounded off the top ten.
Meanwhile in Germany Super Mario Galaxy was top, followed by Mario & Sonic at the Olympics, with More Brain Training in third.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare took fourth place, with the original Brain Training and New Super Mario Bros in fifth and sixth respectively.
The full charts are as follows:
Spain
1. More Brain Training with Dr Kawashima (DS)
2. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training (DS)
3. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PS2)
4. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
5. WWE Smackdown! vs Raw 2008 (PS2)
6. Assassin's Creed (PS3)
7. SingStar Latino (PS2)
8. Imagine Babyz (DS)
9. Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)
10. FIFA 08 (PS2)
Germany
1. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
2. Mario & Sonic at the Olympics (Wii)
3. More Brain Training with Dr Kawashima (DS)
4. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC)
5. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training (DS)
6. New Super Mario Bros (DS)
7. Need for Speed ProStreet (PS2)
8. SingStar: Apres Ski (PS2)
9. Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)
10. FIFA 08 (PS2)
Paramount Pictures has shot down reports that it is to follow Warner Bros. Entertainment and ditch the HD DVD format in favour of Blu-ray.
It emerged at the weekend that Warner Bros. Entertainment will release its high-definition DVD titles exclusively on Blu-ray starting later this year.
Perhaps a case of Chinese whispers, this was followed by news that Paramount Pictures is poised to follow suit. However, the company has denied this is on the cards.
"Paramount's current plan is to continue to support the HD DVD format", a spokeswoman for Paramount said earlier today, reports Bloomberg.
Just as well really. HD DVD would have been sent reeling from that double-whammy.
Square Enix' president Yoichi Wada thinks that Europe has great potential for growth and wants his company to be stronger in that market.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Wada noted that the Japanese market is currently quite weak when it comes to games for core gamers, whereas the Eurppean and American markets are growing at enormous speed for core games.
While eyeing the western market, he recognised that regarding Europe as just one block could lead to fatal mistakes.
"Each country in Europe can be different in two things. Firstly, cultural background: for example in France, Japanese animation and manga are very popular, therefore they have a cultural background where overtly Japanese character design is highly appreciated," he said.
"Secondly, we have to consider their views on technology in general: how the people of a particular country regard networked systems, and if they're prepared to look at it as a means of fun."
Yoichi Wada acknowledged that other large Japanese publishers are targeting western markets very aggressively - acquiring and establishing western studios and signing western games.
"We would like to develop a strategy to equal the moves made by Sega and Capcom, or maybe exceed them," he said.
"Mergers and acquisitions is not necessarily our main method, but obviously it has to be deemed as one of the main strategy options. If we were to look for a place in the top three in the global games industry, obviously we would have to consider it seriously."
The entire interview with Yoichi Wada can be read here.
An eager tipster sent in a pic and some info on what appears to be some sort of PS3 clone called "Winner" – think Vii meets PS3. While the Vii concentrated on mimicking (horribly, but still) the Wii's feature set, the Winner is all about mimicking the PS3's myriad media functionalities. That means a photo player, karaoke functions, SDHC for media storage. But it's all about the (really crappy) games, right? Winner is going to be packing 2D and 3D graphics with online and motion sensing features (note the totally not-a-Wiimote controller). How much would you expect to pay for the privilege? Did you say $600? No! Did you say $400? No! How does $120-150 sound? At that bargain basement price, these things are really going to go fast; good thing they're promising 3 million consoles for the Japanese and North American markets.
For the second year in a row, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has honoured Nintendo with an Emmy Award for excellence in engineering creativity.
The Academy recognised the Wii for its innovative motion-sensing controls and the Nintendo DS for its touch-screen control scheme and distinctive dual-screen display.
Atari and Mattel were also honoured alongside the DS for Handheld Game Device Display Screen Innovation, for the Lynx (Atari) and Football and Auto Race (Mattel).
The awards were presented in Las Vegas at the 59th annual Technological and Engineering Emmy Awards on January 7. This is the second year that the awards show was held during the International CES.
"The pioneering interfaces for Wii and Nintendo DS reflect our long tradition of seeking new ways to enhance the gaming experience for users at every level," said Don James, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of operations.
"We're grateful for this award and thank the academy for honoring us a second time."
Last year, Nintendo received an Emmy for the development of the D-pad and Sony was recognised for the XMB (Cross media bar) and DualShock controller.
Other game-related 2008 Emmy award winners included:
Development of MMO graphical role playing games:
Sony Online Entertainment for Everquest
Blizzard for World of Warcraft
AOL/Time Warner, Stormfront, Ubisoft and TSR-Wizards of the Coast for Neverwinter Nights
User Generated Content/Game Modification:
EA for Pinball Construction
Id Software for Quake
Linden Labs for Second Life
At the Sony booth, they are showcasing two new prototype BD-Live players. The Sapphire 3 and 4 will both be Profile 2.0. Sony also has indicated that the PS3 will get a BD-Live upgrade sometime in the future.
--Sony has shored up the problems in its electronics, and will concentrate in 2008 on bringing more video content to its devices and improving its software, said CEO Sir Howard Stringer.
One of the first examples of this strategy will be an expansion of the PlayStation Network. The network now is mostly used by gamers. Sony wants to turn it into a platform to deliver video, too. Sony will hold a press conference in two months to discuss changes to the PlayStation 3.
--Stringer wouldn't directly comment on whether the Blu-ray consortium paid money to Warner to put its movies exclusively on Blu-ray. Stringer said Warner saw the value of the format but dodged discussing financial terms. "I think you are going to have to take that announcement at face value," he said.
--Sony is also looking at incorporating its Cell processor, which currently sits inside of the PlayStation3, in other products. Cell is particularly good at manipulating video streams. The company even held a contest among engineers to design new applications. However, Sony didn't put a firm date on when some of these devices might come out or what they might be.
--The PlayStation 2 will become the device that Sony will use to take on the Nintendo Wii. Titles like Guitar Hero have sold well with PlayStation 2 and consumers can expect to see more casual games and non-core gamer games coming out, said Kaz Hirai, chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment, which oversees video consoles.
It's no secret that Sony was subsidizing your PlayStation 3 experience to the tune of some several hundred dollars per console and it should come as no surprise that they're not looking to do so forever. While those numbers have undoubtedly come down since the console's late '06 launch, PlayStation head honcho Kaz Hirai told a CES audience that they're looking "to get to the positive side of the equation as quickly as possible" (read: make money). While we let out a collective "Duh," Kaz clarifies that they're hoping fiscal '08 will be the year of profitability. The biggest cost offenders they'll need to address: those pricey Cell and RSX chips. And to think, one day, they'll crunch the whole beast down into a tiny, affordable, and profitable package.
Nullriver is now offering its MediaLink application which creates a "seamless solution" for file sharing between the Mac and PS3. A 30-minute free trial is available now, with the full application costing $20.
A quick addendum: DRM'd iTunes music will not play, and Nullriver actually has a good FAQ to check out before going down the media link rabbit hole. We'd love to give an initial report on how well it works, but after getting the Mac and PS3 to recognize each other the concept of "media sharing" failed spectacularly. We'll keep trying, let us know how you fare.
Play Asia have posted a new weekly special offer and this weeks it the latest harry potter game for the PS3 and at $14.90:
Heres the details:
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry returns for his fifth year of study at Hogwarts and discovers that much of the wizarding community is in denial about the teenager's recent encounter with the evil Lord Voldemort, preferring to turn a blind eye to the news that Voldemort has returned. Fearing that Hogwarts' venerable Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, is lying about Voldemort's return in order to undermine his power and take his job, the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, appoints a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher to keep watch over Dumbledore and the Hogwarts students.
But Professor Dolores Umbridge's Ministry-approved course of defensive magic leaves the young wizards woefully unprepared to defend themselves against the dark forces threatening them and the entire wizarding community, so at the prompting of his friends Hermione and Ron, Harry takes matters into his own hands. Meeting secretly with a small group of students who name themselves "Dumbledore's Army", Harry teaches them how to defend themselves against the Dark Arts, preparing the courageous young wizards for the extraordinary battle that lies ahead.
With the ability to play multiple characters, including Harry Potter, Dumbledore and Sirius Black, the videogame of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix offers fans the opportunity to wield a wand, explore all around Hogwarts, and experience one of the most exciting and dangerous years in the life of the Boy Who Lived.
EA's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for PlayStation3™ is now available at US$ 14.90 only. This is the region free Asia release version, with full English in-game language support.
Sony’s gaming division might have a small showing at this year’s CES, but that doesn’t keep Paul Purdy from dropping some big PS3 news: in-game Xross Media Bar (XMB) access is confirmed for 2008. When pressed for a specific time frame, the Sony rep simply relayed that Sony’s focus at CES is on hardware.
For those not aware, the PS3’s operating system is unavailable while in games. This prevents the use of custom soundtracks or messaging while a game is active, and since the Xbox 360 offers its users both while in-game, PS3 owners have been justifiably frustrated.
Brain Training titles and Wii Play demonstrate the new importance of casual
Electronic Arts has at least one reason to be cheerful heading into 2008, with the news that the best-selling game of 2007 was FIFA 08.
According to Chart-Track numbers the title sold over 25 per cent more copies than the second-placed game, Dr Kawashima's Brain Training, one of three casual Nintendo titles that made the list, demonstrating clearly the effects that a wider casual audience is having on the games industry.
In fact Nintendo will be pleased because it ranked as the top developer in the top ten, and the only one with three titles represented - Wii Play and the two Brain Training titles.
Activision's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare took third place, with Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 in fourth.
Undoubtedly the most-hyped game of the year, Halo 3, was sixth selling around half the copies of FIFA 08, while EA's The Simpsons Game sold just under that.
The figures mean that Nintendo sold the most titles just based on the top ten list alone, with EA coming second on around 16 per cent less - although of course those bare numbers would be boosted significantly when all of the other titles outside the top ten are taken into account.
The full list is as follows:
1. FIFA 08 (EA)
2. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training (Nintendo)
3. Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision)
4. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Konami)
5. More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima (Nintendo)
6. Halo 3 (Microsoft)
7. The Simpsons Game (EA)
8. Wii Play (Nintendo)
9. Assassin's Creed (Ubisoft)
10. WWE Smackdown VS Raw 2008 (THQ)
The top ten titles sell over 1 million units in the last week of the year
Nintendo platforms ended the year in Japan in the same kind of dominant software sales position that they've enjoyed for most of the rest of it as seven of the top ten in the chart in the last week of December were Wii or DS games.
But they did fail to land the last number one of 2007 - that honour went instead to new entry Super Robot Wars OG Gaiden for the PlayStation 2, selling just under 200,000 copies according to data from Media Create.
Wii Fit, Mario Party DS and Final Fantasy IV followed, all selling more than 125,000 units each, while new entry Star Ocean 1: First Departure sold just over 105,000 copies for the PlayStation Portable.
Wii Sports and Super Mario Galaxy also featured in the top ten, while Dragon Quest IV for the DS broke through the 1 million mark in that week, and ensured a good week for Square Enix.
The full chart for the week ending December 30 was as follows:
1. Super Robot Wars OG Gaiden (PS2)
2. Wii Fit (Wii)
3. Mario Party DS (DS)
4. Final Fantasy IV (DS)
5. Star Ocean 1: First Departure (PSP)
6. Wii Sports (Wii)
7. Haruhi Suzumiya's Promise (PSP)
8. Prof Layton and Pandora's Box (DS)
9. Dragon Quest IV (DS)
10. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
For PS3 analog controller
A part of the charge emits light, and the color changes at time.
The charge situation is displayed with the LED lamp.
USB cable (1m) is attached.
Rockstar is keeping quiet in the face of rumours that a fourth trailer from Grand Theft Auto IV is in the pipeline.
The rumour originally appeared on German website Cynamite.de, said to be taken from a recent interview with Rockstar. However, the site has since removed its article, leading to speculation among conspiracy theorists that the report was on the money. Either that or it was just plain wrong.
Rockstar's UK arm shed no light on the rumour on a new trailer when contacted earlier today, but a spokesperson reaffirmed that the sequel will be out in the company's financial Q2 - which runs from February this year to April 25, 2008.
Will the Rockstar hype machine release a fourth trailer before the game hits? We wouldn't be surprised. Could it announce a release date? Who knows, but it's good fun guessing.
Sony has confirmed with us this morning that LittleBigPlanet will be out in September.
An autumn release date for the quirky PS3 game was hinted at yesterday, when producer Kyle Shubel spoke about the 2008 timeline for the title in a demonstration at CES in Las Vegas.
A LittleBigPlanet demo was expected toward the end of 2007 but failed to materialise. A rep from Sony's UK had no further news on a release date for the demo at this time.
In LittleBigPlanet you start off as a small teddy bear-like creature made from wool, and you use your little avatar to construct in-game objects using materials such as wood and cloth.
With a bit more time however you can construct entire levels that can then be ran through in a side-scrolling platformer style.
Those of you with sneaky eyes will have noticed two fresh samplers for Yakuza 3 on the Japanese PlayStation Store.
The game is called Ryu Ga Gotoku 3 in those reaches of the world and you can get at it by creating a Japanese account claiming you live there and enjoy it very much.
According to our cherished forum-goer disc, the first and biggest of the two is a narrative taster at 960MB. Here you can amble around fetching some bits and pieces for quests, as well as draw a picture to unlock a new finishing move. You should also get into a couple of scrapes and enjoy some swanky cut-scenes.
The other demo is collection of mini-games: one has you trying to win the affection of a Geisha, another riding on horseback while shooting things and avoiding obstacles, while the last focuses on arena combat against a varied range of opponents.
So far Yakuza 3 is only confirmed for Japan, although SEGA recently confirmed the second game in the series would make its way to the US.
Meanwhile, us Europeans have only been treated to the first third-person action title, missing out on the other two due to poor western sales.
Pop over to our Yakuza 3 gamepage for a spattering of videos, or slice into our Yakuza 1 review to see what's what.
Japan has announced that it is to discontinue the 20GB and 60GB PlayStation 3 skus after a final shipment in January.
The company said that it now intends to concentrate on the 40GB model in the region as it "vigorously promotes" the home console during 2008.
Both 20GB and 60GB models were launched in Japan in November 2006, with the 40GB model launching in November last year.
Sony has continuously changed prices and introduced new models of the PlayStation 3 across Europe, the US and Japan since launching the console in each region.
Last October Sony Europe dropped the price of the 60GB console and introduced a 40GB model, before revealing it would phase out the 60GB sku all together.
In North America Sony launched a 80GB PlayStation 3 last August, and slashed the price of the 60GB model.
The 40GB PS3 has a few less features than the higher-spec models, most notably the loss of backwards compatibility with PlayStation 2 titles.
The 40GB model is known to be cheaper to produce for Sony. Kaz Hirai noted earlier this week that he hopes the company's PlayStation business will become profitable in the next fiscal year, now that costs are being reduced at a manufacturing level.
Konami has confirmed earlier reports that Metal Gear Solid 4 will indeed come packaged with the multiplayer spin-off title, Metal Gear Online, but it will only be a starter pack.
We have an online component called a 'starter pack' that's shipping with Metal Gear 4," Konami told GameSpot, before confirming that downloadable content will be released following MGS4's release.
Exactly how much of the game would be in this starter pack went undisclosed, but in PSN terms 'starter pack' basically means it'll be a demo, with the main bulk of the game likely to come as a standalone purchase via the online PSN Store.
Those all-knowing industry analysts have peered into their crystal balls to see a bright future for PS3 following Warner Bros.' decision to go Blu-ray exclusive.
The move by the film-making giant puts Blu-ray, Sony's HD format, in good stead to win its long-lasting format war with the Microsoft-backed HD-DVD format, and that's ultimately great news for PS3, say analysts.
Mike Hickey of Janco Partners said: "We expect Sony's PS3 product will benefit from an eventual consumer and retail awakening of Blu-ray as the winning high definition format."
He added: "If Blu-ray can win the current format war, the true value of the PS3 can be unlocked, and will likely lead to an acceleration of PS3 sales."
Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities was equally as optimistic about PS3's future, pointing at HDTV penetration as another crucial turning point for Sony. Noting that the PS2's success was helped by it being a popular DVD player, Patcher predicts the same of PS3 with it's Blu-ray playback.
"The difference this time is that you can't enjoy the full experience unless you have a 1080p TV, and we are still below 10 percent penetration," Patcher notes. "I think as overall HDTV penetration crosses 50 percent of households (probably late this year), Blu-ray will become more relevant, and PS3 will have an advantage," he told GameDaily.
The Nintendo DS capped an excellent year in Japan with a strong flourish in the last two weeks of 2007, with sales of the hardware falling just shy of 500,000 units.
That compares, according to the latest data from Media Create, with the Wii which sold 385,000 and the PlayStation Portable which sold 332,000 in the same time frame.
While sales overall slowed from the previous week, the week ending December 30 still saw above average sales of consoles, with the PlayStation 3 now firmly outselling the PlayStation 2 - albeit with numbers around a third that of the Wii.
The Xbox 360 continued to lag far behind its rivals, despite picking up moderately in recent months, and broke the 500,000 units barrier right at the end of 2007.
Hardware sales for the week ending December 30 are as follows:
1. Nintendo DS: 218,894
2. PlayStation Portable: 161,370
3. Nintendo Wii: 152,209
4. PlayStation 3: 52,706
5. PlayStation 2: 25,569
6. Xbox 360: 8,304
Sony's PlayStation Network director of operations Eric Lempel has told our sister site Next-Gen that we should expect fewer, but more significant firmware updates.
"Many of our upgrades have offered tremendous value to our users so I think they appreciate getting these new features as soon as they are ready," he said during an interview with Next-Gen. "We're certainly going to continue to plan on combining features so we can roll out fewer, but more significant firmware updates.
"With millions of users using our products in different ways and connecting them to a wide variety of equipment, there is the potential, on occasion, that an unforeseen issue will be brought to our attention. We like to take corrective action as fast as possible to ensure our users are having the best experience with our products. The best way for us to do this is through firmware updates. We are looking at ways of making this process easier going forward."
New Line Home Entertainment has confirmed that it plans to drop support for Toshiba's HD DVD format in favour of Sony's Blu-ray platform, according to an article in the Hollywood Reporter.
The news comes after last week's announcement by Warner Bros that it would be following a Blu-ray-exclusive path from now on, a move which led to the cancellation of the HD DVD press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
US TV giant HBO will also follow suit, meaning that in future some of the most popular TV series' such as The Sopranos, will not be released on the HD DVD format at all.
Recently Microsoft, which had been seen to favour the HD DVD format with the release of its Xbox 360 player attachment, stated that it had no preference on format, and that if necessary it could release a Blu-ray attachment as appropriate.
Rumors just won't stop about the future of HD DVD, and while we try not to post all of them, some seem too believable to pass up. Our friend Bill Hunt, at the Digital Bits, -- still waiting on those permalinks, Bill -- is reporting that his "second to none" sources informed him that both Universal and Paramount are in the process of going blu. But don't bother asking 'em, because the same contracts that prevent them from switching now, prevent them from confirming the rumor. In addition, Bills sources tell him that while Paramount could make an announcement any day now, Universal's won't come until February -- at the earliest -- because "their contract period with the HD-DVD camp expires at the end of January."
The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (or ELSPA to us plebs) and Chart-Track announced today that the UK saw record-breaking "interactive entertainment software" sales in 2007 of £1.72 billion ($3.37 billion), a 26% increase over the record previously broken in 2006.
The DS topped devices in number of software units sold and nearly one-third of software sales were on handhelds, a 45% increase showing how much the UK loves their DS and sees the value in the PSP. The top three games sold across the board were FIFA '08, Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training and Call of Duty 4. Director General of ELSPA, Paul Jackson, took the opportunity of the strong sales to remind anyone who would listen that despite the UK's obvious game-lust, there are still problems for UK developers in terms of tax incentives and the threat of international competition.
The big boys of game industry analysis are back to tell GameDaily what they think this new Blu-ray tide of exclusivity will mean to gamers. Sure, the big talk is that Blu-ray winning could mean a PS3 price cut, but that'll only benefit those who don't already have the latest console Kutaragi built. For consumers with a PS3 snug at home, they should breathe a little easier knowing they won't have to buy another HD movie player in the near future. But what do the boys with the crystal balls think?
Mike Hickey, Janco Partners: The PS3 will eventually receive an awakening as Blu-ray becomes the winning format, this will lead to larger install base and motivate third-party developers to the PS3.
Michael Pachter, Wedbush Morgan Securities: Says Sony once said 70 - 80% of PS2 owners treated it as their first DVD player, he believes the same will hold true for HD movies -- except that there is currently only a 10% penetration with 1080p televisions. He also says there will be a sales spike later this year coinciding with another price cut.
Colin Sebastian, Lazard Capital Markets: He says when consumers decide they "need" a Blu-ray player it certainly can't hurt the PS3, especially if its games improve and hardware prices decline.
David Cole, DFC Intelligence: Doesn't believe Blu-ray is a determining factor in the console wars, but it is a nice bonus. He believes if a consumer were stuck choosing between two gaming platforms that were equal, then the Blu-ray might tip them over to the PS3. But he says the list for consumers goes: Price, good exclusive games, and, finally, Blu-ray.
The boys of analysis have spoken, what do the ladies and gentlemen of these here internets believe?
Is it April already? A quick glance at our calendars confirms that it's still January, and an extended glance at 1UP's reveal of Soul Calibur IV's secret characters does nothing to evaporate the reigning feeling of utter confusion. The lineup of saucer-eyed assassins, scantily clad combatants and bizarre pain fetishists in Namco's anticipated fighter is set to be joined by the Sith's darkest lord and the Force's most diminutive master. Our little green friend can almost manage to fit in to Soul Calibur's ye olde fantasy trappings, but poor ol' Vader appears to have gotten lost and disoriented after leaping over some sharks on his space jet ski.
Even better news can be found in 1UP's suspicion that even more Star Wars characters will waltz into Calibur's cantina, possibly via downloadable content. An interesting idea, but we reckon you'd save money by simply buying a copy of Masters of Teräs Käsi off eBay.
Update: Gamespot reports that Darth Vader is reserved for the PlayStation 3, while Yoda will be included in the Xbox 360 version.
Revolutionize your interactive gaming and online communication experience with the PLAYSTATION®Eye USB camera. The PLAYSTATION®Eye has the ability to reduce background noise and focus on the spoken word for smoother, more accurate speech recognition and transfer. The fast frame rate allows for improved tracking and responsiveness for pristine video quality. The PLAYSTATION®Eye is also engineered to perform well in low-light conditions and includes a dual action lens for close-up and full body options.
Welcome to this week's Games & Toys update, our weekly summary featuring all new product arrivals from the last seven days.
It remains expectedly calm during the first weeks of the year, just seven new games were published this week in Japan.
Highlights have been the Asian version game releases Wipeout Pulse (PSP™) and Dance Dance Revolution Universe 2 (Xbox360™), followed by Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn! Dream Hyper Battle! Wii for Nintendo Wii™.
There's not much more to say, so check out the complete summary of this week's new arrivals, followed by once again a rather short preview of what is expected next week.
Xbox360™:
Armored Core 4 (Platinum Collection) JPN US$ 34.90
Dance Dance Revolution Universe 2 ASIA US$ 49.90
Super Robot Taisen XO (Platinum Collection) JPN US$ 39.90
Table Tennis (Platinum Collection) JPN US$ 29.90
Xbox 360 Messenger Kit JPN US$ 34.90
PlayStation3™:
Armored Core 4 (The Best Collection) JPN US$ 34.90
Nintendo DS™:
Chishiki-Ou Series: Train Master JPN US$ 39.90
Sony PSP™:
Wipeout Pulse ASIA US$ 39.90
Zero Shiki Kanjou Sentouki Ni JPN US$ 48.90
PC Games:
Neon Genesis Evangelion: Koutetsu no Girlfriend Special Edition ASIA US$ 21.90
Toys & More:
Bleach EX 3 Phone Strap Gashapon JPN US$ 2.90
Diamond & Pearl Pokemon Pocket Monsters Mega Collection: Mega Colosseum JPN US$ 59.90
Dragon Ball GT Super Saiyan 4 Pre-painted PVC Figure: Son Gokou JPN US$ 17.90
Dragon Ball GT Super Saiyan 4 Pre-painted PVC Figure: Vegeta JPN N/A
Excellent Model Core Queen's Blade P-4 1/8 Scale Pre-painted PVC Figure: Nix JPN N/A
Ikkitousen - Dragon Destiny 1/6 Scale Prepainted PVC Figure: Kanu Unchou (Chinese Dress Version) JPN US$ 74.90
Neon Genesis Evangelion Extra Tokyo Police Figure: Rei Ayanami JPN US$ 17.90
Neon Genesis Evangelion Extra Tokyo Police Figure: Sohryu Asuka Langley JPN US$ 17.90
Nohohon Grapefruit Type US$ 9.90
Nohohon Lettuce Type US$ 9.90
Nohohon Strawberry Type US$ 9.90
One Piece Collection Grand Pirate Non Scale Pre-Painted Trading Figure JPN US$ 2.90
Persona 3 1/10 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Akihiko Sanada JPN US$ 64.90
Picoo Z Infrared Control Sidewinder (Blue) US$ 29.90
Picoo Z Infrared Control Sidewinder (Green) US$ 29.90
Picoo Z Infrared Control Sidewinder (Red) US$ 29.90
Super Robot Taisen: Original Generations Scale 1/144 Fine Model Kit: PTX-003C Alteisen (Re-run) JPN US$ 29.90
Togai no Chi: True Blood - One Coin Figures JPN US$ 5.90
Video Game related Soundtracks:
Hikari (Prism Arc: Awake Theme Song) (~Ayumi Murata) JPN US$ 11.90
Hikari (Prism Arc: Awake Theme Song) [CD+DVD Limited Edition] (~Ayumi Murata) JPN US$ 17.90
Windows Game Honey Coming Original Soundtrack Character Song Album JPN US$ 28.90
A separate Video/Music update containing Japanese releases from this week, including new Anime, J-Pop and Movie releases will follow prior end of the week.
It remains rather quiet next week, once again with less than ten new Japanese game releases. Here is a short preview of what you can expect during the next couple of days.
Nintendo Wii™:
Caduceus: New Blood / Trauma Center: New Blood JPN US$ 59.90
Sonic Riders: Shooting Star Story JPN US$ 59.90
Nintendo DS™:
Jackass: The Game US US$ 34.90
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games JPN US$ 48.90
Just in case you haven't twigged yet, PlayStation 3 is a constantly evolving console. Sony's Cross Media Bar (XMB) dashboard is fast, easy to use, packed with features and looks cool as cucumber, as our parents might say. Still, it's far from perfect or complete.
Playing catch-up in the online arena is what gets most people talking though and in-game friends lists and messaging are easily the most commonly requested features. But there are numerous other issues Sony could work on for the XMB. Here are our top ten improvements we hope to see made into reality at some point this year.
* In-game friend list access
* Online Game Invites
* Multiple sound outputs
* iPod recognition
* An official video converter
* Auto demo installing
* Animated/interactive themes
* In-game PS1/PS2 memory card creation
* Dashboard clock
* Menu screen explanations
You may have read about some interesting enhancements to European versions of Super Stardust HD on various game sites. Today, the new and improved version of SSHD hits North America.
The ability to build custom soundtracks is perhaps the most noticable new feature. Now you can blast away to whatever music you’ve got stored on your PLAYSTATION 3 hard disk drive.
The scoreboard has also gotten a facelift, and now tracks stats such as how long the hi-score session took, and highest difficulty level reached with this score.
Best of all, these new enhancements won’t cost you a dime. If you’ve already got SSHD on your PS3, you’ll be prompted to download a patch to integrate these new features. If you haven’t already tried the game out, this is the time! PS3 owners can download the new demo from the PLAYSTATION Store free of charge this Thursday and then purchase the full version from right within the game.
Konami says that Metal Gear Solid 4 is "on the eve of entering bug-checking phase" and that the developer is still committed to the game's Q2 release date.
"The next few months are going to be hell," assistant producer Ryan Payton said in the latest Kojima Productions podcast, confirming that it's the "big push". "Yeah, and we're committed to this quarter-two release date, or release timeframe."
"We're committed. Mr Kojima of all people is committed to it because he really hates to disappoint people, and I know that he is embarrassed by what happened with the 2007 slip into 2008, because we even put it in our trailer with Raiden slashing away '2008' and when you go that far you put a seal on it and then he has to delay it - that really hurt."
Payton expects the game to see a "simultaneous worldwide release" - albeit not exactly the same day - and dismisses any specific dates from retailers. "Any date that you're seeing is just speculation," he says. Apparently as recently as last Sunday they were "going back and forward with marketing" about when to do the release.
Asked about the specifics of current development, Payton said that it is possible to play the game from start to finish, although certain elements such as the opening cinematic aren't finished yet.
Indeed, the way Kojima Productions works means that they may continue adding small features throughout testing. "We could be adding stuff two weeks before gold submission," he said, which is apparently what happened on MGS3. But, he explained, "For the majority of the team, this is the end."
But is it the end for Hideo Kojima? Who knows. What we do know is that we were quite impressed with the playable demo at Tokyo Game Show last September and that we'll be bringing you more impressions very soon.
We've got HD TVs now, so what's next from the world of TV tech? Well Toshiba has few ideas for screens powered by PS3's Cell processor.
Toshiba contributed to the development of the PS3's Cell chip along with Sony and IBM, and its new flat-panel TV is the first fruit of its investment.
These new uber-screens use the raw grunt of the Cell chip to provide some sweet new features.
Gone will be the days of having to flick through channels one-by-one - Toshiba's TV has enough processing power to render and display 48 standard-definition thumbnail videos simultaneously.
Click on one thumbnail and it'll be displayed on the bottom half of the screen for you to check out in more detail, while 16 thumbnails remain streaming on the top half. Clicking the same channel again makes it full screen.
With HD video, it can render six streams at once, said Toshiba spokesperson, Hiroaki Komaki, at the CES demonstration.
The Cell chip would also provide more powerful upscalling opportunities. It could upscale standard-def video extensively, in real-time, to achieve a picture quality that's far closer to HD than current sets do.
It could also offer a zoom feature that would upscale the portion of the video you zoom in to, resulting in minimal loss of quality.
So, 48 streams at once, and ultra-zooming features - that's a porn fan's dream.
The sets shown were just for demo purposes, and the final features of a Cell-based TV are yet to be finalised, but they certainly they won't include PS3 gaming integration, says Toshiba.
It's not a bad update this week for PSN shoppers, but if you were looking out for Sony's stylish bullet-dodger, Riff: Everyday Shooter, you'll be disappointed.
Instead, you'll find two new PS1 games: N20 (puzzle) and Hardcore 4x4 (racing), each costing the usual £3.49, the new Motorstorm map pack and a bunch of other trailers and videos for Devil May Cry 4.
Riff is due out this month, so get those fingers crossed for next week. And, you should drool with envy while watching us playing the game in these sweet videos.
The situation of console sales last week in Japan are below as thus:
Nintendo DS Lite: 266,568
Playstation Portable: 218,234
Nintendo Wii: 207,797
Playstation 3: 64,183
Playstation 2: 32,010
Xbox 360: 9,763
The DS lite tops the list as usual while the PSP trails just behind it, beating the Wii by about 11,000. Lagging beind is the PS3, PS2 and Xbox 360, faring the worst out of all on the list. No sign of Game Boy Micro, Game Boy Advance SP/Original, Nintendo Gamecube or the original Xbox.
Adding more gasoline to the whole format war bonfire, Sony Pictures Television has announced that they will start distributing movies online using the DivX format. The files wil play in DivX Certified devices, including the recently updated PlayStation 3 as well as the updated Xbox 360. This, and not Blu-ray vs HD DVD, is the true battle for the future of movie distribution. Discs are so le tired.
Eidos parent SCi has decided to hold the new Tomb Raider game back until the fourth calendar quarter of 2008.
But when Underworld does come out it will be on six platforms instead of three, adding Wii, DS, and PS2 offerings to the existing PC, PS3 and 360 versions.
Three other undisclosed titles will follow it into Q4, prompting SCi to warn its investors they might see some red numbers for this financial year that ends in June.
Still, SCi has also revealed it is no longer selling itself to the highest bidder, because apparently no one made a formal offer within a "timeframe requested".
Perhaps this has alleviated pressure to present a healthy financial report to potential buyers and rush games to launch, but the publisher admits it might need a little more pocket money to help it through this now barren patch of releases.
Titles like Conflict: Denied Ops and casual outings Looney Toons and Wacky Races should help limit the damage, plus strong performances from Kane & Lynch - apparently selling over a million copies - and its casual games like Pony Friends has made board members crack a smile.
Tomb Raider: Underworld is one of our picks for 2008 in the action adventure genre. To find out the others, keep your eyes peeled on Eurogamer "going forward".
One minute, 39 seconds of brand new Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 action is ready for viewing in our video player.
The new trailer, the third movie from the sequel to be released to date, focuses on a hostage rescue mission, Team Rainbow on operations in a grandeur theatre. Check it out.
Sin City itself has been expanded for Vegas 2, as has the weapon roster available to players with 11 new guns to splatter terrorists with. Team Rainbow's gone shopping too and bought itself new camouflage, clothing and gear "for the ultimate customizations".
On the multiplayer side, one of the biggest new features is the addition of 'jump in' to co-op. What this means, if you haven't already guessed, is that your mate can jump into your single-player game at any moment and turn it into co-op.
As for the storyline, Vegas 2 doesn't begin straight after Vegas. In fact, it doesn't begin after Vegas at all. It starts in 2005, a full five years before the events of the first game.
"Our story defines a whole new conflict that will have a profound effect on the events of Rainbow Six: Vegas and its sequel," explains Game Designer Philippe Therien.
Of course, most of the story takes place in Vegas again, so Michael Walter and Jung Park will be returning to back you up. But because Logan's busy getting ambushed across the border there's a new team leader. Step forward... you. No, don't look behind you, we mean you...
3:10 To Yuma (~Christian Bale, Russell Crowe, ...) US US$ 39.99
Con Air (~Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, ...) US US$ 29.99
Dragon Wars (~Jason Behr, Amanda Brooks, ...) US US$ 38.95
Man on Fire (~Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, ...) US US$ 39.98
Resident Evil: Extinction (~Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, ...) US US$ 38.96
Sunshine (~Cliff Curtis, Chipo Chung, ...) US US$ 39.98
The Rock (~Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, ...) US US$ 29.99
Sure, I'm over them, but I'm in the clear minority; most of you lot can't get enough of achievement points. You crave them. Oh, except for people who own only a PS3. You don't. But you soon will, and not just in Home's promised "trophy shelf" system either. PSN boss Eric Lempel:
"I know that an achievement system is very important to our consumers. With Home, and in addition to Home, we have some very exciting programs planned to recognize our consumers gaming skills and loyalty in new ways that go well beyond a single score."
Metal Gear Solid 4's nearly done. They promise! On his latest podcast, Kojima Productions' Ryan Payton has told listeners the game's in its "last push". While a few late features or tweaks can be expected, for most of the team work's winding up, and the project is about to enter the bug-testing stage.
PAL users will also be interested to know Payton re-iterates the fact the game will be seeing a simultaneous worldwide release.
Im sure many of you who own a PSP and the staggering success of the Custom Firmwares mainly by Dark Alex must wonder like most of us is a PS3 Custom Firmware Doable and can it have the features and more what the PSP version has, imagine a Custom firmware that allows you to play your PSP, PS1 and PS2 games and emulators and homebrew on your PS3.
What are your thoughts on Custom Firmwares on the PS3?
Love Fords? Love budget racing games? Well lucky you, as this morning Xplosiv announced the next instalment in their ongoing Ford series, Off Road.
Coming to the PS2, PSP, PC and Wii, Off Road is also bringing the Land Rover brand into the mix, so expect a multi-marque mash-up. There's the requisite selection of tracks, with desert, water and ice environments to pit your off-roader against, and there will also be 18 officially licensed vehicles. Hit the gallery below for a fresh batch of screens.
The game is coming to the PSP, PS2 and PC on 21 March with a reasonable price tag of GBP 19.99, and the Wii version is expected soon after.
In a piece primarily focused on Blu-ray over at Business Week, a bit of scrolling led to quite the interesting tidbit: Sony has apparently been able to slash the production cost of its PlayStation 3 in half. More specifically, it was noted that the firm has been able to "shrink the PS3's chips and tweak its design," which aided in getting the cost per machine "to around $400 now, from above $800 just before it went on sale in November 2006." According to Nikko Citigroup's Kota Ezawa, the biggest culprit for such an improvement is the "reduction in the parts count." Still, we wouldn't get our hopes up for yet another price cut just yet, but at least things are moving in the right direction.
DivX and Sony Pictures Television have locked arms in a deal to enable online retailers to offer Sony Pictures content for download-to-own on DivX Certified devices. Engadget HD has confirmed that PlayStation 3 is one such 'certified' device, but not Xbox 360 (we're guessing Microsoft passed on paying the licensing fee). Though specific platforms have yet to be named, the agreement could see any number of Sony Pictures' ginormous catalog of past and present television shows being sold through PSN in high-quality DivX format. But, seeing as how Sony can barely manage to deliver a single, unenhanced PS1 game on the network at snail's pace, we're cautious to put our faith in the dubious service ever taking on the competition.
SCEE have announced a new PS3 bundle for the European market (bear with us, for the moment we've only got UK pricing). While a standalone 40GB PS3 will at the moment set you back £299, for £350 (or $685 currently-weak American dollars) you can get a "Pick N Mix" bundle, which contains 40GB PS3 and two games. And no, not two rubbish games, either! You get to choose from a list, which while including stinkers like Genji, Formula 1, Lair, and previous bundle stars MotorStorm and Resistance, also includes SingStar (the expensive one, with included mics), Ratchet & Clank, Folklore, Warhawk and, best of all, 2007 NQGOTY Uncharted. Two top-shelf first-party titles for 50 quid? Expect this bundle to go down very well when it's launched on January 18. http://kotaku.com/344091/europe-gets...eat-ps3-bundle
Just spotted at SuccessHK that they are back in stock of the WHITE 40GB PS3 Consoles for $418 (£205)
For those importing to the UK it will cost you another £30 with shipping by Airmail (always use airmail and always ask it to be shipped as a toy sample )
Remember all PS3 Games are region free and it doesnt matter where you buy your PS3 the power supply is usuable anywhere in the world without a stepdown converter. Also most Blue Ray films are region free too.
SuccessHK also have the Black 40GB PS3s for a fantastic $418 (£205)
Third-party software company, StreamMyGame, has launched a free application that "enables you to play any PC game via a PlayStation 3 running Linux."
Sounds shit-your-pants awesome, so what's the catch? The clue is in the name of the company. Linux Player isn't a dream-making format converter, it's a video and audio streaming app.
As StreamMyGame explains: "The free StreamMyGame Server enables PC games to be played remotely by converting the game's video and audio into a Game Stream and sending it over a home network to a second computer where you can view and play the game with the free StreamMyGame Player."
Yes, that includes the latest PC games like Crysis, with resolutions up to 3200 x 2400 (more than your eyes can see, we reckon).
It's a universal trick too. "The second computer can be a PC, laptop, PS3 or Linux device," it says in the announcement - essentially extending your high-end PC gaming to any room in the house with a PS3 or PC. We wonder if the controls all work the same.
It's all streaming over a home network (not the internet), so there's no worry about lag or a loss of picture quality. "The game can be played on the second computer without any lag and the second computer does not need to have the game installed."
But internet-compatible plans are in place. "StreamMyGame will extend its services in March 2008 to enable games to be played remotely over broadband networks that have sufficient capacity such as Verizon's FiOS, Comcast's Wideband and British Telecom's FTTP."
Those are probably some super-fast services we've not heard of yet, because we're sure our 8Mb connection wouldn't be able to take the strain.
The online presence of UK specialist retailer Game has opened the voting for this year's People's Choice Award.
Game.co.uk has listed 43 titles for members of the public to choose from, including big-sellers such as FIFA 08, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and More Brain Training with Dr Kawashima, and some cult favourites like Okami and Super Paper Mario.
Voting for the award is open now and closes at 11:30pm on Thursday January 17, with the winner announcement expected on the web site on Friday January 18.
Other awards being contested include Best Publisher and Best Developer, which have already been won by Nintendo and Bungie respectively, with Best Console, Best Value for Money and Game of the Year yet to be announced.
The full People's Choice shortlist is as follows:
Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
Final Fantasy XII (various)
Resident Evil 4 – Wii Edition (Wii)
Tiger Woods 08 (various)
Football Manager 2008 (various)
Mass Effect (360)
Assassin's Creed (various)
Need for Speed: ProStreet (various)
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (various)
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3)
God of War II (PS2)
Tomb Raider: Anniversary (various)
Forza Motorsport 2 (360)
Project Gotham Racing 4 (360)
The Darkness (various)
John Woo Presents Stranglehold (various)
Virtua Tennis 3 (various)
Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree (Wii)
Rainbow Six Vegas (various)
Guitar Hero III (various)
Pokemon Diamond / Pearl (DS)
Singstar PS3 (PS3)
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (various)
FIFA 08 (various)
Super Paper Mario (Wii)
Mario Vs Sonic at the Olympics (Wii)
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (various)
Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions (PSP)
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)
Half-Life 2: The Orange Box (various)
Metroid Prime III: Corruption (Wii)
Okami (PS2)
The Simpsons Game (various)
Skate (various)
More Brain Training By Dr. Kawashima (DS)
WWE SmackDown Vs Raw 2008 (various)
LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga (various)
Crysis (PC)
Cooking Mama (various)
Wario Ware: Smooth Moves (Wii)
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (PC)
Halo 3 (360)
Bioshock (360)
The inevitable sequel to Resistance: Fall of Man has finally been unveiled.
It's the cover story on the February issue of US magazine Game Informer. The game will feature boasts co-operative play for up to eight players, plus enormous 60-player battles over PSN.
On top of this are two full campaigns (one may be a co-operative endeavour) set in what could be New York, if the Brooklyn Bridge-alike on the cover is anything to go by. We'll call it Earth for now.
There is no clarification as to whether Manchester Cathedral will return for a cameo.
Resistance was developed by Ratchet & Clank brainbox Insomniac Games and launched alongside the PS3 in the US and Europe.
Unfortunately it failed to command top-end scores; the game was chastised for its generic environments and enemies and a disappointing range of weaponry from a usually abundant creative talent. "Just a bit limp," reckons Tom.
Pop your head into our Resistance: Fall of Man gamepage for our US and European reviews of the game.
We already know how amazingly flexible the editing tools in Littlebigplanet are, yet we're amazed every time we see something new made with them.
In this first video, Sony shows off how easy it is to make a unique object (in this case, a tree) using the tool in the game, and talks about the potential for you do make so much with very little effort.
He then goes on to show the interface that will be used to share your created levels with the rest of the world via PSN.
And in this video the game's audio designer, who obviously specialises in sound, not level design, creates an entire stage in a clich� Mexican theme.
He uses items like lava pits and giant hats as obstacles, and builds structures with simple blocks, even forming pivots and seesaws with simple shapes. Genius.
September, as the release is now set, cannot come soon enough.
Apparently fighting giant alien bugs on a snowy world isn't just a man's job anymore. Famitsu reports that the PS3 version of Lost Planet will allow gamers to play as Luka, the leader of the Snow Pirates from the original game.
Additionally, the PS3 version will also include Joe, Mega Man, and Dead Rising's Frank West, who were originally playable in the PC version. Hey, remember when Lost Planet was a 360-exclusive? So that lasted a while, huh?
Alone in the Dark has not been delayed until September, according to Atari.
A spokesperson for the publisher claimed Games for Windows magazine was spouting a rumour, so presumably everything is on track for PC and 360 versions to appear in March.
Atari recently launched the official site for the game, which has some viral marketing based around Central Park and the scary things that lurk within it.
Interestingly it appears to be based around real-life occurrences like the you-must-know-about-it insect invasion of 1888, where nine different families of spider were taken from a single tree and a meaty five pounds of caterpillars taken from another.
Less interestingly Atari added PS2 and Wii versions of its survival-horror game to its schedule last November. As with the PS3 offering, no dates have been mentioned.
The big in-game XMB (Cross Media Bar) that PS3 owners are crying out for will be implemented in an update before the end of January, suggest fresh rumours.
Below are the first images of what a "nameless source" claims to be screen photos of the new firmware in action. The highlighted Game icon in one image looks to cover all the things the current list of in-game options do.
But to the right you can clearly see that all-important friends list column - where we expect you'll be able to send and receive messages and send game invites, and on the left is the music option, so playing your own tunes during gameplay should become an reality.
Of course, the suspicion is that some sad and lonely Photoshop wizard knocking these up in their spare time is more likely than a Sony insider exposing such a significant detail to the web.
We'll be in touch with our Sony UK contacts as soon as they're awake.
Play football a whole new way with NFL Tour. Take on the league's top players in rock festivaltype atmospheres under the night skies of America's hottest cities and make a name for yourself in hard-hitting seven-on-seven football action. Hold your own against the league's elite and you might earn a spot on an NFL roster. Whether you're jumping into Play Now mode or playing online against the nation's best players, you can live out your dream of becoming the next NFL star with NFL Tour, authentic arcade-style football from EA SPORTS
2K Boston, previously known as Irrational Games (before the 2K Games merging) - the team responsible for Bioshock - is on the hunt for programmers with experience on PS3 development.
Tools programmer and senior console programmer positions note PS3 experience as "highly desirable", while PS3 experience is also mentioned for the programmer position on the dev's website.
So, PS3's on the team's menu, it seems, but what's in the pipeline? Bioshock 2 on PS3? That's what we're rooting for.
Sony has told CVG that yesterday's images of the high-anticipated in-game XMB we're indeed fake.
And so our fears of it being the work of a sad, lonely soul with nothing better to do with their worthless lives than screw with the hearts of others have been realised.
"The XMB images are fake," Sony told us, adding: "There are no firmware updates planned for January."
Damn those faker makers. We hope their dirty, Photoshop-forging PC explodes and they're forced to continue their virtual social lives in internet cafes with the tourists and homeless people.
For now, you'll just have to stick with Sony's previous confirmation of the feature to come in 2008.
Also, cross your fingers, arms, legs and whatever other limbs you can that Sony adds some of the features discussed in our '10 Steps to Perfect PS3 Firmware' write up.
Following yesterday's report by UK tabloid The Sun, in which Prime Minister Gordon Brown was quoted talking about knife crime and associating it with videogames, the government has moved to dispel concerns that any new crackdown is imminent.
A Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) spokesperson has told GamesIndustry.biz that the report didn't highlight any change in policy, nor did it add anything to the debate.
"The Prime Minister has previously expressed concern about the content of computer games, and their effect on young people, which is why he commissioned the Byron Report.
"We're aware that the games industry is working with the Byron Report to address those concerns."
Paul Jackson, director general of publisher association ELSPA, added:
"We were obviously concerned by the Prime Minister's comments yesterday on knife crime and computer games.
"Since this time we have been reassured by BERR that the government's position in this area has not altered; the Prime Minister remains concerned about the protection of children from access to certain new technologies which is why the government commissioned the Byron Review.
"We have been further reassured that there will be no changes to government policy in this area until Dr Byron publishes her findings at the end of March."
Activision's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has climbed back up to the number one position in the UK all formats charts, as sales across retail continue to fall following the Christmas period.
Sales for the acclaimed first-person shooter were only down 21 per cent, compared to EA's FIFA 2008 which slipped to number two with a sales drop of 50 per cent, and Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed which suffered a 43 per cent fall in sales, although it managed to move up the charts to number three.
EA's The Simpsons Game drops to number four this week with a 53 per cent decline in sales, while Activision's Guitar Hero III manages it's highest chart position at number five, despite sales dropping 30 per cent.
At number six this week is Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 with sales down 42 per cent, and EA's Need for Speed: Pro Street is at seven with a fall in sales of 46 per cent.
Position's eight and nine are occupied by Dr Kawashima's Brain Training and More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima (sales down 26 per cent and 39 per cent, respectively), with Sega's The Golden Compass at ten with a drop in sales of 51 per cent.
No new releases have entered the entire top 40 this week, with the decline in sales across the board a reflection of the traditionally quiet January sales month.
Suspicions of Sony having canned GT Mobile for PSP have arisen once again after months of silence on the title, and its recent removal from certain retailers' online pre-order lists.
When speaking to a Sony UK correspondent today, we were told: "Polyphony is currently focusing all its resources on developing GT5 for PS3."
While this does not confirm that GT Mobile has been scrapped, it certainly insinuates that GT Mobile has been put on the backburner while the obviously crucial PS3 game takes the lead.
This was, after all, exactly what series creator Kazunori Yamauchi, said just last month - that while he's very much working on Gran Turismo Mobile, it won't be out till after Gran Turismo 5 releases.
GT Mobile's future has been balancing on a tightrope for some time now. Originally planned for release in 2005, its release was thenput back "indefinitely" in September 2006.
We reckon the PSP game will be revived sometime next year. But only if the PS3 games ships as intended later this year.
Has a retailer let slip the release date of the next Grand Theft Auto? National electronics chain Micro Center has released a sales circular with the bottom of one page stamped with the Grand Theft Auto IV logo, a few choice pieces of art, and the words, "March 08." That would be a Saturday for those of you who keep track of such things, which is a pretty odd day for such a huge title but certainly not unheard of. The circular warns that new release availability is subject to change, but it seems like an awful lot of black ink to waste on speculation. GameDaily, who broke this particular story, got in touch with the folks at Rockstar to see if they could get some sort of confirmation.
A Rockstar Games representative on Tuesday replied by reiterating that Grand Theft Auto IV "is going to come out during our second financial quarter of 08."
Quite easy to put a release date in a quarter. You get three months to fart around with and it sounds closer than "2008". Seasons are even worse; no one knows when they begin or end. Yes really. The result is now, in the dreary, dark, damp and depressing months of calendar quarter number one, publishers need to own up and tell us if their game is actually soon to be released or if they were just telling porky pies to look better.
SEGA looks ever so confident with its first quarter stable of contenders, though, brazenly branding 7th March on Condemned 2 and 14th March on Viking: Battle of Asgard - so excited cannot sleep. Others got the same sort of treatment - NiGHTS and Ghost Squad moved forward to this week. Oh, not to forget Football Manager 2008 on Xbox 360, which finally hopped out of the closet with a 28th March tag.
Ubisoft looked a bit bolshy to begin with as well, revealing to everyone that Assassin's Creed was making lots of money so it would push Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway, Far Cry 2 and Tom Clancy's EndWar into its next fiscal year (starting in April). Still, there's Dark Messiah of Might & Magic: Elements (360) on 8th February, apparently.
From one eagerly awaited port to another then, as Bully (aka Canis Canem Edit) on 360 and Wii will now be with us on 7th March. Got 9/10 on PS2. One to look forward to while moaning lustily at GTA IV.
Closer still is the PS3 version of Lost Planet, which you may not be too excited about as it is the third version and over two years after the first. But, it will be with us on 29th February. Bet you didn't know that. Did you? We didn't.
Neither did Square Enix, which has absolutely nothing to do with it dating Dragon Quest: Jokers (DS) for release on 14th March. Nothing to do with Atari saying Beautiful Katamari will be out in February, either.
On the darker side of happy we heard Nintendo date Wii Chess for 18th January - we're not sure if we knew that or not - before rousing Internet anger by delaying Super Smash Bros. Brawl by a month in the US. Still no date for Europe. Incidentally, we won't usually cover US dates, but this is quite big news or something.
Frustrating that LittleBigPlanet has been held back until September, too, and that Tomb Raider: Underworld has been manhandled back to Q4. Evil quarters. Get out of my head.
But every cloud has a silver lining, as Konami remains confident Metal Gear Solid 4 will be out in Q2 and the Sin City game shapes up for next year.
"We don't create these videos for the fanboys. That's not the point. We create them so that people who own both systems can be a little more informed on which version to buy. It's the fanboys that turn the comments section for these videos into a debacle.
As for using RGB or adjusting the white levels on the PS3, that completely defeats the point of these videos. We play both systems on default settings with the same cabling. If we were to adjust the settings on the PS3 to make it look better then we'd be sacrificing the integrity of the video. It's not the other way around."
Many comparison videos of games on the PS3 and Xbox360 from Gametrailers have the PS3 version looking faded; which is often cited against the PS3. However, if the TV allows RGB Full, it is on by default. Otherwise it is off to save energy.
We know that Nintendo dominated 2007, with a constant, reliable stream of good news and strong sales. But how did the rest of the competition stack up? We've decided to look back at a full year of sales data from Japanese analyst outlet Media Create, whose sales data we regularly feature in the Simple 2000 Japanese Sales Chart series.
With a license to seemingly print money, Nintendo took 2007 by storm, establishing console and handheld dominance with its two casual friendly game devices. Nintendo DS and Wii dominated software and hardware charts, seeing a steady flow of week to week sales for both platforms, appearing to only weaken when supply was constrained.
Sony's offerings, the PSP, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2, had a solid (if not spectacular) year. The PS3 didn't make any waves, but the PSP did. The PS2, now seven years long in the tooth, still had a bit of life in it.
The Xbox 360? Well, we don't have nice things to say about its Japanese performance, so we'll just let the charts do the talking.
When units of each platform are presented side by side, the stranglehold the Nintendo DS has on the Japanese market becomes apparent. Its weekly sales outpaced every other console's and handheld's performance for nearly the entirety of the year. The only platform to outperform the DS at any point was Sony's PlayStation Portable, aided by a pair of marquee releases (plus a hardware redesign) in the first and third quarters of 2007.
The Nintendo DS saw its largest weekly period sales alongside a few high-profile software releases and in time with holidays, but was less dependent on individual software releases to pull in big numbers. Media Create software sales charts were regularly heavy on DS software, and it wasn't uncommon to see weekly charts feature nothing but DS and Wii software in the top ten—see Dragon Quest Swords and Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings launch weeks and this past week for examples.
In general, however, Nintendo DS sales trends tended not to spike as severely as other platforms did, with sales of older titles such as New Super Mario Bros. and Animal Crossing Wild World still doing solid business for Nintendo, many months after their respective release dates.
When we look at year-to-date sales in handy bar graph form, we get a much better perspective on the share of the Japanese market that Nintendo carved out for itself in 2007. This was the year that Nintendo DS hardware sales surpassed those of the PlayStation 2, with each at about 21 million consoles sold in the nation, lifetime to date. It's an impressive feat for the handheld, as it surpassed that figure in almost exactly 3 years, compared to a 7 year shelf life for Sony's console.
The DS pushed some 7 million-plus units into the hands of Japanese consumers, a third of its total sales. Not a bad year for the platform widely considered a gimmick before its launch.
On Sony's side, 2007 saw the PlayStation 3 outsell the PlayStation 2 in its first full year on the market, with the PSP achieving just shy of one-half of the DS's sales, a similarly impressive feat for a non-Nintendo portable device.
The Xbox 360, despite seeing a handful of video game releases that sold admirably over the year, continued to be a non-factor in the console war overseas. Its annual sales were about a quarter-million, something the Nintendo DS accomplished on a weekly basis multiple times in 2007. Sure, it's a bit apples to oranges, considering the price differences in hardware and software, but its illustrative of consumer tastes in Japan. Microsoft's efforts to appeal to Eastern gaming tastes with a pair of Mistwalker games, hardware bundles and a few exclusives from Namco Bandai were met with flat sales in the nation.
The PS3 is one of the cheapest Blu-ray playing machines on the market, yet ironically it's also one of few players that can be upgraded to support new features to be introduced in future Blu-ray films.
The PS3's regular firmware updates and internal hard drive give it the potential to support features to be introduced in new 'Profile 2.0' Blu-ray films releasing later this year. These will allow you to access downloadable content such as trailers, feature films and ringtones.
But, as silly as it sounds, most of the current, pricier dedicated players won't support Profile 2.0 features simply because they lack internet access support.
Why has this happened? Due to a lack of a standards agreement prior to Blu-ray's release, it was decided that these different 'profiles' would be used to identify the new features as they are added the media format.
This means that early adopters of dedicated players will be left with machines incapable of future features, which Philips spokesperson and European chairman of the Blu-ray Disc Association, Frank Simonis, admits is "not an ideal situation".
But he reasons: "Whether you have a profile 1.0, or profile 1.1 machine, the playback is not disturbed. It's the high definition playback that consumers are seeking," reports the BBC.
So, the tip of the day: buy a bloody PS3 to play Blu-rays, people. It'll save you money in the long run.
ith the post-Christmas lull in new key title releases, the charts across Europe are showing no sign of real change, and Nintendo continues to fill the majority of the top ten chart slots in both Spain and Germany.
More Brain Training actually sat top of both charts in the data provided by Media-Control GfK International for the week ending January 6, with Germany putting Super Mario Galaxy in second and Mario & Sonic at the Olympics in third.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was fourth, with Eye Training, Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and Mario Party DS following.
Need for Speed ProStreet took eighth, while the original Brain Training was ninth and World of Warcraft made a surprise re-entry to the top ten in tenth place.
Spain's top three also consisted of Nintendo platform titles, with both Brain Training titles in the top two, followed by Super Mario Galaxy in third.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 took fourth place, with Imagine Babyz, WWE Smackdown! vs Raw 2008 and SingStar Latino next in the list.
Assassin's Creed for the PlayStation 3 was in eighth with Need for Speed ProStreet and New Super Mario Bros rounding off the top ten.
The full charts are as follows:
Germany:
1. More Brain Training with Dr Kawashima (DS)
2. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
3. Mario & Sonic at the Olympics (Wii)
4. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC)
5. Eye Training (DS)
6. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)
7. Mario Party DS (DS)
8. Need for Speed ProStreet (PS2)
9. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training (DS)
10. World of Warcraft
Spain:
1. More Brain Training with Dr Kawashima (DS)
2. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training (DS)
3. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
4. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PS2)
5. Imagine Babyz (DS)
6. WWE Smackdown! vs Raw 2008 (PS2)
7. SingStar Latino (PS2)
8. Assassin's Creed (PS3)
9. Need for Speed ProStreet (PS2)
10. New Super Mario Bros (DS)
The ad for the 18-rated third-person action game featured a prolonged shoot-out between four men. During the gunfight a voiceover stated, "Honour is his code. Vengeance is his mission. Violence is his only option. John Woo presents Stranglehold. The next generation of action gaming has arrived."
The ASA received complaints about the advertisement from at least two viewers. One argued that the commercial “glorified violence and gun crime and that it was a dangerous incitement to susceptible people”, while another challenged whether it was acceptable for transmission before the 9pm watershed.
The agency responsible for the commercial, Picture Production Company, said that it had edited the footage to ensure bullets were seen to be fired into mid-air and did not result in any character or person being shot. It also argued that it was clear to viewers that the ad featured animated game play and not real-life violence.
In its assessment of the advert the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said that that the shooting was almost continuous throughout, and noted the realistic appearance of the violence, even though it was computer-generated.
“We considered the voice-over… suggested that it was honorable to seek revenge and that violence was an acceptable solution to a situation,” said the watchdog.
“We considered the ad was likely to be seen as encouraging and condoning violence. Because the issues raised by the ad could not be addressed with a timing restriction, we considered the only solution was to withdraw the ad from transmission completely.”
Midway declined to comment on the ban when contacted by Next-Gen.
Issue 97 of PSM3 magazine, on sale tomorrow, features the first review of Capcom's much-anticipated Devil May Cry 4.
PSM3 kicks off stating: "If you go into DMC4 with expectations about fairness, checkpoints, structure and rewards that you've got from God Of War, you're going to end up all hurt and confused."
That's because, as PSM3 explains, the game is kick-in-the-balls tough, as series fans will have no-doubt expected.
"Most games these days tend to hold your hand all the way through," says PSM3, adding "Devil May Cry is not like that. It'll throw a million demons at you because it wants to, put in half a dozen arbitrary fights in a 30-foot stretch of map, force you to survive for ages on a tiny sliver of health... and then give you a D at the end of the level because you weren't doing enough combos."
They go on to say, however, that DMC4 is easier than the third instalment, which is a relief, even if the magazine does point out that the pacing can be "all over the place".
"Sometimes you'll have five brutal fights within yards of each other, other times it'll suddenly whack in a brick wall of a puzzle. ... Weirdest of all, the difficulty curve seems to peak in the middle of the game," explains the review.
The addition of the new revving sword combo system is "a perfect example of how DMC4 encourages autistic obsessiveness with beautiful combos", says PSM3, but also admits you can play through the game with barely a need to use the new system.
"There are bits in DMC4 that you'll absolutely love, and bits that you'll hate," says PSM3, before giving it the thumbs-up with a nice 80/100 score.
You can read the huge eight page monster review (and check out loads more screens) in issue 97 of PSM3 magazine, on sale Jan 17 (cover pictured below).
Game Genie, Game Shark, plus clasical cheats for Sega, Nintendo, Sony PS, XBox, PC/MAC games, and much more. All in a single CHM file with full text search.
When the fall 2007 target date for a LittleBigPlanet demo came and went we were sad, but when we heard the full game had been bumped from spring 2008 to September, we were downright despondent. Thankfully, the Sony staffer in this video is there to comfort us, promising that a public beta for the game is still in the works and that it will arrive early enough before the final product so that changes can be made. (What does that feel like to you? Late spring? Early summer? Yeah, we're thinking something along those lines.)
Though the levels you create in the beta won't be on the disc, they will be populating the servers of the game as soon as you greedily tear it open later this year. Oh, before we forget, we should mention this video isn't just any dry nugget of information, it's been coated in a delicious gameplay video shell. Enjoy with our compliments.
Spanish-language site Megalandia has reported a new PS3 homebrew project called MegaBox. MegaBox is similar to a media center, similar to the XBMC on Xbox 1, fully functioning on the PS3.
The MegaBox has many cool features that any PS3 owner would find interest in such as VoIP, P2P, TV, Movies (Including MKV), and much more!
The best part is the program will require NO INSTALLATION, and would be OPEN SOURCE (based on FREEVO). In layman's terms, all you need to do is pop in a CD/Flash drive with the program and anyone can enjoy it without too much problems (no need for linux either).
We have a small tutorial and the beta file if you are interested in trying this. Please note that it is very buggy at the moment and this is a BETA version.
Installation (easy way):
--------------------------
1. Install the Petitboot Loader
2. Burn the ISO (from the dl link) as image on a cd
3. Start petitboot loader
4. Put in the cd
5. Choose CD icon with petitboot
6. Start the second icon
7. TADAAA... works
Note: This beta release does NOT work with HDMI outputs.
As much as we'd like to hold the physical embodiment of the rumor that BioShock is coming to the PlayStation 3 under water until we've forced it to spill the beans (or simply kill it), we can't do that and make it go away. In time with EGM recently regurgitated the rumor that BioShock would be "Cell-enabled" in 2008 comes new job listings at 2K Boston clearly indicating that some sort of work is happening on the PS3. Compound that with further rumors that a BioShock prequel is in the works and, well, you wind up with absolutely no confirmation and a bit of a headache.
Sony has issued a statement to Eurogamer regarding the current lack of songs on the SingStar PS3 SingStore, promising new content on 18th January and more to follow in early February.
"SingStar fans have been asking when the SingStore will be populated with more songs," the statement reads. "Our original vision, as outlined in early preview coverage of SingStar, was to have more than 350 songs available on the SingStore. We are working hard to increase the volume of content as quickly as possible.
"Eighteen new tracks will be live in the SingStore from 18th January (15 English and 3 Spanish tracks) including songs from KT Tunstall, David Bowie and Blur. This will be followed by an update the week of 4th February, including tracks from The Editors and MC Hammer, and we will be updating the SingStore with new content twice monthly thereafter. Thanks for your ongoing support."
The statement comes partly in response to a petition to Sony complaining about network outages, a lack of updates, "false advertising" (namely the "hundreds of songs available to download" image on the in-game interface), and a "lack of community news".
We've asked for comment specifically on the network issues, but we're still waiting on that.
Readers have also reported to us that their plaintive attempts to catch Sony's attention using uploaded video pleas have been ignored, with the videos deleted.
Atari has decided it's about time Dragon Ball Z moved onto PS3 and Xbox 360. So it has, and Atari will release it this year.
Burst Limit will be the first fighting game in the series to tackle the new hardware, bringing usual boasts of online battles and much fancier visuals. Also, lightning fast action.
Otherwise this is simply Dragon Ball Z. Name sound familiar? It should; DBZ is a Japanese anime series that has been recreated into over 25 games since 2002.
Total worldwide sales: over 10 million. Atari bread and butter, you could say.
The most recent to be released was Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 on PS2, which will be ported to Wii early this year.
If you're not fussed about Dragon Ball Z then probably best avoided. Even those who like it will find it a tough and often unrewarding slog, even if it is a competent enough game. Slug over to our Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 review for more.
Q-Games' Dylan Cuthbert has revealed that US PlayStation Network users will be able to buy PixelJunk Monsters "next week", which presumably means Thursday 24th January.
Sony UK wasn't able to nail down the exact date of the game's release on the European PSN when we spoke to someone there, but it's in QA and the expectation is we'll see it at the end of January. So, either next week or the 31st, most likely.
Cuthbert's US Sony blog post talks about the game scenario - protecting your island and villagers from an invading monster horde - and outlines the various level specifics, items and tower types for defence.
An accompanying video also reminds us that there is support for co-operative play and Remote Play using the PSP, for those of you who like to continue playing after you're sent to bed with no dinner.
Look out for our review of PixelJunk Monsters pretty soon. We may even get round to reviewing PixelJunk Racers one day, but who knows. Check out our PixelJunk Monsters gamepage for more in the meantime.
We had told you previously about some new MotorStorm tracks that were in the works, but a few details have changed in the intervening days and we wanted to make you aware. First off, as you might have noticed on January 10, they're not coming out on January 10. They're coming out today. Also at that time, we told you that we thought the tracks would run $7, based on the £3.49 in the press release. Well, apparently, they'll cost you $2.99. (Our English friends are just going to love that.)
A couple of the details are still the same though. For one, the track pack does include courses called Diamondback Speedway and Eagle's Nest. Also still true: Releasing new DLC nearly a year after a game is really, really great and we wish more companies would follow suit.
Will wonders never cease? In one week, Alone in the Dark went from being released in March to being released in September to "not delayed until September, but we're not saying when it's actually coming out." Now, according to CVG, the survival horror title will drop on the Xbox 360, Wii, PC and PS2 in May of 2008. As you may have noticed, the PS3 is absent from that list, and with good reason: That version is now due "sometime in 2008." That's especially interesting to those who have been following the AITD release drama, as Atari previously said that the PS3 version would arrive day-and-date with its brethren on other consoles.
We have to admit that we're still looking forward to getting our hands on the game, if only to see if all the delays were time well spent. If we could be so bold though, could we suggest that the game ship with a special bonus copy of Chinese Democracy?
SEGA of America released several new screenshots today from the upcoming Iron Man game (Spring '08).
From SEGA: "Iron Man is based on Marvel Studios' highly-anticipated Iron Man feature film starring Academy Award® Nominees Robert Downey Jr. and Terrence Howard, and directed by Jon Favreau. This project, the first feature film to be produced independently by Marvel Entertainment, will blast into theaters May 2, 2008. The Iron Man game is set for release Spring 2008."
See the screenshots release today below. Watch a previously released trailer video here as well as previously released screenshots here.
Welcome to this week's Games & Toys update, our weekly summary featuring all new product arrivals from the last seven days.
It's been another rather calm release week, with just eight (+one Limited Edition) releases in Japan as well as a few new US version game arrivals. Highlights this week have been EA's NFL Tour (PlayStation3™ / Xbox360™), Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (Wii™ Japanese / Wii™ US / PS2™ US) and Capcom's multi platform Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law.
As usually, here's a summary of all new releases from this week, followed by a quick preview of what is expected to be hot next week.
Xbox360™:
Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights JPN US$ 64.90
Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom US US$ 64.90
NFL Tour US US$ 54.90
PlayStation3™:
NFL Tour US US$ 59.90
Nintendo Wii™:
Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law US US$ 49.90
Luxor: Pharaoh's Challenge US US$ 44.90
Sonic Riders: Shooting Star Story JPN US$ 59.90
Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity US US$ 49.90
PlayStation2™:
Dance Dance Revolution: Disney Channel US US$ 39.90
Dance Dance Revolution: Disney Channel Bundle US US$ 59.90
Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law US US$ 39.90
Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights JPN US$ 49.90
School Days LxH JPN US$ 64.90
School Days LxH [First Print Limited Edition] JPN N/A
Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity US US$ 44.90
World Champion Paintball US US$ 24.90
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Beginning of Destiny US US$ 34.90
Nintendo DS™:
Brain Challenge US US$ 24.90
Code Geass System Carrying Case (Blue) JPN N/A
Code Geass System Carrying Case (Brown) JPN US$ 14.90
Dragon Ball Z Carrying Case - Goku JPN US$ 12.90
Dragon Ball Z Carrying Case - Shinryu JPN US$ 12.90
Elements of Destruction US US$ 24.90
From the Abyss JPN US$ 48.90
Jackass: The Game US US$ 34.90
Touch de Zuno! DS JPN US$ 39.90
Sony PSP™:
Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law US US$ 34.90
Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 ASIA US$ 42.90
PC Games (Adult):
Discipline: The Record of the Crusade US US$ 26.90
Toys & More:
Devil May Cry 3 NoScale ArtFx Statue - Vergil JPN N/A
Dragon Ball Z Flash Key Ring JPN US$ 5.90
Dragon Ball Z Non Scale Pre-Painted Candy Toy JPN US$ 2.49
Fist of the North Star Non Scale Final Ulitmate Box Set Pre-Painted: Raoh & Kokuoh-Go 200X JPN US$ 139.90
Hot Gimmick 3 Digital Surfing 1/7 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Novia (Pink Hair Version) JPN US$ 59.90
Monster Hunter - Pinky P-Chara Bone Hunter: Poon (Equipment Vers) JPN US$ 19.90
Monster Hunter - Pinky P-Chara Kosu Hunter: Monchan JPN N/A
Monster Hunter - Pinky P-Chara Sword Hunter: Leia (Equipment Vers.) JPN N/A
Nohohon Cherry Pink Type US$ 9.90
Nohohon Honey White Type US$ 9.90
Player Select Soul Reaver Pre-Painted Action Figure: Material World Raziel US US$ 15.90
Player Select Soul Reaver Pre-Painted Action Figure: Spirit World Raziel US US$ 15.90
Revoltech Yamaguchi Series No.043 Ironman 28 Non Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Ironman 28 JPN N/A
Rio Calendar 2007 Super Black Jack - 1/7 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Rio JPN N/A
Shakugan no Shana 1/8 Scale Pre-painted PVC Figure - Shana (Himitsu Ver.) JPN US$ 59.90
Shakugan no Shana 1/8 Scale Pre-painted PVC Figure - Shana (Nekomimi Ver.) JPN US$ 59.90
Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica 1/8 Scale Painted PVC Figure: Koutikarute Apa Raguranjesu JPN N/A
Shuraki Trinity Box 3 1/8 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Char Rhousemann JPN N/A
Tales of Phantasia One Coin Figures JPN US$ 5.90
Togainu's Blood - PS2 Soft Sale commemoration Non Scale Pre-Painted Soft Vinyl Figure: Arubidoro JPN US$ 29.90
Video Game Soundtracks:
Fairchild GM Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 33.90
Nights-Hoshi Furu Yoru No Monogatari-Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 36.90
Ryusei No Rockman 1&2 Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 31.90
Here is a quick preview of what is expected to be hot. Please note that Nintendo's Dairantou Smash Brothers X / Super Smash Bros. Brawl has been pushed back for one week, now shipping January 31st.
Xbox360™:
Lost Odyssey (English language Version) ASIA US$ 49.90
PlayStation2™:
Lucky * Star JPN US$ 64.90
Lucky * Star [DX Pack] JPN US$ 89.90
Nintendo DS™:
Hijouguchi: Exit DS JPN US$ 48.90
The Prince of Tennis: Driving Smash! Side King JPN US$ 48.90
The Prince of Tennis: Driving Smash! Side King [Konamistyle Part.12 Special Edition] JPN US$ 139.90
Sony PSP™:
Winning Eleven Ubiquitous Evolution 2008 ASIA US$ 42.90
Winning Eleven Ubiquitous Evolution 2008 JPN US$ 48.90
Yggdra Union JPN US$ 48.90
Yggdra Union ASIA US$ 42.90
Even before the PC version released, rumours of a PS3 conversion of the stunning Crysis (developed by Far Cry creators Crytek) were rife, and not far off the mark if insiders at the studio are to be believed. The game looks to be a port of the PC original plus some extra modes and features, a kind of Crysis 1.5. Like the PC game you can expect a visual powerhouse; an open-world shooter that begins on a beautiful tropical island before things take a turn for the worse and aliens from a parallel world stake a claim on Earth. Only the mighty Killzone 2 could possibly hold a candle to this shooter. For technical reasons we hear an Xbox 360 version of Crysis isn’t in development. Bet you’re glad you bought a PS3 now, eh?
Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid JPN US$ 46.90
Commando JPN US$ 46.90
Dragon Wars (~Jason Behr, Amanda Brooks, ...) HK US$ 31.90
Good Luck Chuck US US$ 39.99
Man On Fire (~Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, ...) HK US$ 31.90
Mr. Woodcock US US$ 35.99
Predator JPN US$ 46.90
Suburban Girl US US$ 32.98
Sunshine (~Michelle Yeoh, Hiroyuki Sanada, ...) HK US$ 31.90
Wall Street (~Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, ...) HK US$ 31.90
Went To Coney Island On A Mission From God Be Back by Five US US$ 24.97
Sony has confirmed to Eurogamer what some of you have been arguing about in our forum - that the European version of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune doesn't support 1080i resolution after all.
"Naughty Dog only added it to the US version very late in the development process," Sony told Eurogamer. "Including this in the PAL version would have meant delaying the game's release as a result of QA testing each localised version again."
"The extra time spent on QA could have resulted in the game launching post Christmas (rather than two weeks after the US) which would have upset consumers," the spokesperson explained.
This means that a very small sub-set of PS3 owners in PAL territories will discover that their HDTVs only display the game in 480p.
The reason for this is that some older HDTVs don't support 720p resolution, which is the game's highest available, and despite the developer's ability to upscale that 720p image to 1080i that does require a bit of extra programming to achieve.
Fortunately not many people in Europe will suffer on account of it, because most of our HDTVs are more up to date. In the US, however, the problem is much more prevalent, which is presumably why - alerted to it at the last minute - Naughty Dog acted quickly to satisfy its customers there.
In the end then, we got Uncharted on 7th December with 480p and 720p support, but not 1080i.
It's not all bad news for those two or three of you with older HDTVs, however, because the PlayStation 3 does not discriminate against games from other regions, meaning that you can always pop along to somewhere like NCSX, Videogamesplus or wherever and snag the US version, and enjoy the game in 720p upscaled to 1080i after all.
Plus, of course, it doesn't actually look bad in 480p anyway. Those Naughty Dog kids, they're not messing about.
Wii Fit sat top of the latest Japanese software chart in a quiet week for sales as the end of year rush fell away.
There were no new entries in the top twenty, and Nintendo's activity title sold just 90,000 units compared to the previous week's number one seller which sold over twice that number.
Nintendo platform titles continued to dominate in the sales week ending January 13 according to Media Create data, taking nine of the top ten positions and 16 of the top 20, as Mario Party DS and Wii Sports rounded out the top three.
Final Fantasy IV was fourth, while the lone non-Nintendo platform game - Monster Hunter Portable 2nd for the PlayStation Portable - was fifth.
Most of the rest of the top ten was taken up with top Nintendo-based franchises, while the week's highest new entry was Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for the Xbox 360 at number 22 - two places above the next highest new entry, Mario Strikers Charged for the Wii.
The full top ten follows:
1. Wii Fit (Wii)
2. Mario Party DS (DS)
3. Wii Sports (Wii)
4. Final Fantasy IV (DS)
5. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd (PSP)
6. Prof Layton and Pandora's Box (DS)
7. Dragon Quest IV (DS)
8. Wii Play (Wii)
9. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii)
10. Mario Kart DS (DS)
The NPD Group has released its US hardware and software sales data for the month of December, bringing the year's total sales to USD 18 billion.
That figure represents a 43 per cent increase over 2006's total sales of USD 12.5 billion.
On the hardware side, NPD estimates that 8.5 million DS handhelds were sold in 2007, more than twice the 3.82 million PSP handhelds sold by Sony.
Nintendo sold 6.29 million Wii consoles, Microsoft sold 4.62 million Xbox 360 consoles, and Sony sold 2.56 million PS3 consoles during the year.
Sony also sold 3.97 million PS2 consoles in 2007, bringing its life-to-date sales to 41.12 million.
The year's Top Ten best-selling games in the US were:
1. Halo 3 (360) - 4.82 million
2. Wii Play w/ remote (Wii) - 4.12 million
3. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (360) - 3.04 million
4. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PS2) - 2.72 million
5. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) - 2.52 million
6. Pokemon Diamond (DS) - 2.48 million
7. Madden NFL 08 (PS2) - 1.90 million
8. Guitar Hero 2 (PS2) - 1.89 million
9. Assassin's Creed (360) - 1.87 million
10. Mario Party 8 (Wii) - 1.82 million
In Japan, all listed consoles have sales slashed back to normal levels. Seems like the excitement has gone away I guess. The figures are displayed as follows below:
Nintendo DS Lite: 97,369
PSP: 96,159
Wii: 84,530
PS3: 38,907
PS2: 14,499
Xbox 360: 4,690
All console maintain the same positions as last weeks' reading. PSP just some 1,300 behind the DS Lite while the Xbox 360 still fares badly.
Sony has issued a statement in response to the cries of disappointment from gamers who expected the online SingStar shop, SingStore, to contain 350 songs - as Sony had originally promised.
"SingStar fans have been asking when the SingStore will be populated with more songs," admits Sony. "Our original vision, as outlined in early preview coverage of SingStar, was to have more than 350 songs available on the SingStore."
Sony instead only managed to deliver just over 60 songs on the store.
Sony adds: "We are working hard to increase the volume of content as quickly as possible. Eighteen new tracks will be live in the SingStore from 18th January (15 English and 3 Spanish tracks) including songs from KT Tunstall, David Bowie and Blur."
You can see a list of the SingStar Packs, as well as the rest of the new PSN content available today in our earlier report.
"This will be followed by an update the week of 4th February, including tracks from The Editors and MC Hammer, and we will be updating the SingStore with new content twice monthly thereafter," promises Sony.
"Thanks for your ongoing support," concludes the statement on semi-official blog, Threespeech. Just bring on the Snoop Dogg tracks and we'll be willing to forget about it.
MTV has said more than 2.5 million Rock Band songs have been downloaded from Live and PSN.
Developer Harmonix has added fresh content regularly since the game's US launch last November.
Songs can be downloaded in packs of three for 440 Microsoft Points (GBP 3.74) or USD 5.49 on PSN. Or you can buy them individually ranging from one to two dollars, depending on current offers.
Most popular so far is a Metallica pack with masters of Ride the Lightning, Blackened and Justice for all. The Police and David Bowie combination bundles (two covers, one master) also sold well.
The individual crown went to the Juke Box Hero cover by Foreigner, while Buddy Holly by Wheezer stood out as the only master among the runners-up.
Full album downloads will be out "very shortly" according to MTV boss Paul DeGooyer (talking to GameSpot), although a price is still to be mentioned.
He also promised standalone instruments "shortly", as currently you need to buy the entire bundle to play.
Rock Band was released on 20th November in the US, but recent NPD yearly sales figures showed rival Guitar Hero III was currently winning the rhythm-action battle.
The game won't face in Europe until sometime this quarter, but clever clogs Tom managed to get a US version to play and decided it was worth an 8/10. Pop over to our Rock Band review to find out why.
Electronic Arts has told Eurogamer any similarity between the Burnout Paradise box and the cover of an album by US band Karate is "pure coincidence".
As reported by Joystiq earlier this week, the album was released in 2000. It shows a car coloured with red, black, blue and yellow tones on a white background.
Burnout Paradise is due out later this month for PS3 and Xbox 360. The game's cover shows a car coloured with red, black, blue and yellow tones on a white background.
However, an EA spokesperson today dismissed suggestions the similarities between the images were anything more than a fluke. "It is pure coincidence," he stated.
Burnout Paradise will hit the shops on 25th January.
LucasArts has winged over five brand new screens for its space shooter, Fracture. Come see.
Here's a little weekend treat, five new shots from Fracture, which doesn't look anything like Mass Effect at all. Does it?
Anyway, we bet you agree it's looking great and here's a clip from PSM3's recent preview: "Fracture is set in 2161. There's a war on. Now there's a surprise. It's Europe and Eastern USA vs Asia and Western USA, who, unsportingly, have created a load of genetic mutants to fight their battles.
"But Jet Brody on the East USA side and 'cybernetically enhanced', has a trick or two up his sleeve - and they're called 'tectonic' and 'subsonic' grenades. Subsonic grenades cause massive ditches which magnetically attract enemies towards them, then blow up."
Finish what you started here. But not before you've looked at the shots below.
Sony has released a video of how their new PlayTV works with the PSP, TV and PlayStation 3. You can watch, replay and record digital TV on your PlayStation 3. Watch the video..
Even before the PC version released, rumours of a PS3 conversion of the stunning Crysis (developed by Far Cry creators Crytek) were rife, and not far off the mark if insiders at the studio are to be believed. The game looks to be a port of the PC original plus some extra modes and features, a kind of Crysis 1.5.
For technical reasons we hear an Xbox 360 version of Crysis isn't in development.
Hardware Momentum
* December 2007 was the biggest month for PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) since launch, with 798K hardware units sold in December; this represents an increase of 60% over December of last year. With upcoming titles like Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Devil May Cry 4, Burnout Paradise, and HAZE as well as current momentum for Blu-ray, there is a great deal of enthusiasm for the PS3 as we enter the new year.
Software Momentum
* PlayStation total software revenue in December was $822 million, sales nearly doubled compared to last month's sales.
* PlayStation platforms had three software titles in the top ten list across all consoles for the month of December: Guitar Hero III for PS2 sold 800K units, Madden NFL 08 for PS2 sold 655K units and Call of Duty 4 on PS3 sold 522K units.
Is it the rising Blu-Ray hype that is driving sales? Or a baser aspect of the techno-toy that is beginning to spur on the return of the PlayStation brand.
In my opinion the answer is a bit of both, sales have steadily increased arguably in line with the rise of HD TV. But similarly world-wide sales of the Wii and Xbox 360 have also increased almost in parallel.
The big jumps in PS3 sales have occurred on a regional basis because of significant software releases, for example, in Japan there were spikes of PS3 sales for the release of Virtua Fighter 5, Gundam Musou, Hot Shots Golf 5 and more recently for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue.
Amongst the differing tastes of Western regions on the other hand, it is hard to find a PS3 exclusive that became a console seller. Unlike Halo 3 for Xbox 360, games such as Lair, Heavenly Sword and even Uncharted: Drake's Fortune caused only minor ripples of increased hardware sales.
No, the single significant event that has started the resurgence of sales in the PS3, which now matches the Xbox 360 world-wide, was the price adjustment in early November . Across all regions, the spike in sales and continued success of the machine has been simply due to making it cheaper.
Remember when Sony took backwards compatibility out of the PLAYSTATION 3? That hurt. But, don't worry, it appears as though Sony hasn't totally given up on BC. A job listing for a development engineer has popped up on the Sony Computer Entertainment site. The job entails:
"Implementing and improving software emulation for the PS/PS2/PSP/PS2 for the PS3 and the next generation system."
Supercomputing in education is a brand-new game thanks to a cluster of Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) consoles and some creative thinking.
In 2005, when University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth physics professor Guarav Khanna first learned of Sony's plans to release a new open-platform PlayStation device with a high-power microprocessor, or a "Cell Broadband Engine," he had a feeling the new video-game console would hold great promise beyond gaming.
Now, Khanna's suspicions have paid off, as he conducts high-level scientific research on a supercomputer he built with his colleague Glen Volkema late last year, using a cluster of eight PS3 consoles running Linux.
Because of the unique features and easy accessibility of the PS3, Khanna believes the console has huge potential for use in settings other than research institutions--such as in classrooms and school computer labs.
According to Khanna's calculations, each PS3 cell processor--which he dubs a "supercomputer on a chip"--is equal to about 25 processors in a traditional desktop computer. The PS3 has a "lot more legs" than other processors, Khanna says--"a lot more potential."
The raw power of Khanna's PS3 supercomputer is perfect for highly calculation-intensive research, such as his own on small stars and black holes. But it's the machine's low cost that is the real story.
Whereas a mid-range desktop computer with decent processing power costs about $1,000, a single PS3 console sells for about $400, even though the production cost of the device runs around $800. As with other gaming consoles, the cost of the PS3 is subsidized, Khanna explains, so Sony can make money from the sale of video games.
"We're talking about saving a tremendous amount of money," Khanna says, referring to the use of multiple PS3 consoles to create a supercomputer.
Khanna's eight-PS3 supercomputer has tremendous implications for the research community, especially as the wait time for supercomputer use has skyrocketed in recent years.
According to a new survey conducted by product pricing site kakaku.com, as reported by Dow Jones, Japanese gamers care more about software than pricing. Of the 3,422 gamers polled 49.2 percent said their top concern when considering a console to purchase is whether it's "compatible with the games they absolutely want to play."
28 percent said they planned to buy the Wii next compared to 27 percent who said the PS3 would be their next purchase.
Perhaps, however, these numbers are so close because so many gamers have already purchased a Wii at this point. One quarter said they already own the Wii compared to just 10 percent who own the PS3. Another quarter own the DS, while just three percent have the Xbox 360.
Baroque, a role-playing game on the way for the Wii and PlayStation 2 from Japanese developer Sting, has been pushed back a month, according to the game's publisher, Atlus.
Here's what Atlus had to say when they announced the game back in December:
"You awaken to find the world in ruin, your heart beset with unexplained guilt. A cataclysm has destroyed the cities and empires of men and disfigured the spirit of humanity. In this nightmare, it falls to you to descend a mysterious tower in search of absolution. Battle merciless foes through treacherous dungeons, scour for new items to aid you in your travels, and unlock the secrets of a devastated land. You will find death in the depths, yet learn that death is not the end of the story; in the twisted world of Baroque, it is only the beginning."
Dark stuff, that.
Atlus has also released new details about the Wii version of Baroque:
- 16:9 widescreen support
- Progressive scan support
- "Subtle" motion control integration for power attacks
- "Intuitive" controls using Wii Remote and nunchuk
- Classic Controller support for traditional play
Here are some of the items and weapons that will be available in the game, with descriptions by Atlus, followed by our thoughts in italics:
Angelic Rifle - A uniquely shaped rifle that can annihilate any meta-being with one shot. However, its specialized ammunition is very limited.
Sword - A melee weapon to attack the enemy. There are swords that will possess enhanced attributes and added effects.
Coat - Protective gear to resist attacks. There are some coats that will have other effects besides just raising defense.
Torturer - Item that causes a variety of area effects depending on the type of Torturer. They can be combined with others to enhance their effects.
Parasite - It can grant a variety of effects by fusing it with the protagonist or equipment. You can also fuse a parasite with another parasite.
Wings - Imitation wings that provide the protagonist with special abilities
Flesh - Eat this to restore HP. Rotten flesh will cause stomachaches.
Heart - Eat this to restore VT. Rotten hearts will cause stomachaches.
Bone - Bite on it to restore HP or VT or throw it at the enemy to deal damage. Because they are small in size, the protagonist can hold quite a few of these
Fluid - Liquid that gives an instantaneous effect by injecting it into the protagonist. Most of them can heal status ailments and raise stats.
Box - An item is usually in the box and it can be obtained by opening it successfully. If the box explodes while opening it, the item is destroyed and you will take damage.
Brand - Special statuses can be obtained by using brands. It cannot be removed unless an Unbrand Brand is used.
Disk - Item that activates by stepping on it. It can be set anywhere. The effect varies depending on if it is placed face up or face down.
Idea Sephirah - The purified, crystallized form of one's true self. Information about the being prior to its crystallization can be gleaned if the crystal is formed from a living specimen
Baroque is set in a near future in which the world has been destroyed by a cataclysmic "Blaze" that has shifted the laws of nature and given rise to twisted "Meta-Beings." In order to stay sane, the population clings to delusions, called Baroques.
Crystallized selves, weaponized bones, torture devices and rotten flesh? Count us in.
Forget the talk of which secret characters will be making an appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, because surely this revelation is more significant: SEGA’s Alex Kidd will be appearing in the upcoming SEGA Superstar Tennis, his first videogaming outing for over 17 years.
The news comes plucked from the latest issue of Game Informer magazine and the beady eyes of Seganerds. The article writes:
In addition to featuring Sega’s top roster of talent like Sonic, Dr. Eggman, and Aiai, the game will include some of the company’s cooler, albeit bearly-forgotten characters. We’re happy to see Space Channel 5’s Ulala, Jet Set Radio’s Beat and Sega’s defunct mascot Alex Kidd from Alex Kidd in Miracle World back in action.
Alex Kidd, with his ape-like ears and bright red attire was SEGA’s primary mascot between 1986 and 1990, when the firm dropped him in favour of Sonic the Hedgehog.
SEGA Superstar Tennis will be released for the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS this March.
Portable gaming is on the rise according to the 2007 NPD numbers issued this week. While the increase in handheld hardware and software didn't make quite as significant a leap in 2007 over the previous year as the console market, the spike was still significant.
Handheld systems, which includes the Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, and Game Boy Advance, bumped up about 7% in 2007 over 2006. Portable software sales showed a slightly higher spike, showing an 11% increase in sales last year compared to the same time frame in 2006.
In the system battle between the Nintendo DS and Sony's PSP, Nintendo clearly came out on top in 2007. Nintendo sold through more than 8.5 million DS units, more than a third of those systems (2.47 million) came from holiday sales in December. All told, the Nintendo DS has sold through more than 17.65 million system since the debut in November 2005.
PSP system sales were nothing to scoff at however; in 2007, Sony sold more than 3.82 million handheld systems, with just over one million sold in the month of December. Combine that with 2006 sales and Sony has put its system in the hands of more than 10.5 million gamers.
First, bring up a terminal.
Applications > Accessories > Terminal
Then, in the window that comes up, type
sudo sysctl -w vm.swappiness=10
To make the change permanent, do the following:
in the terminal, type
sudo gedit /etc/sysctl.conf
(if you don't have gedit, type sudo apt-get install gedit, then perform the above step)
In the sysctl.conf file, add this line at the bottom of the page:
vm.swappiness=10
Afterwards, either click File > Save
Or just click the Save icon.
Close the window afterwards.
Congratulations! You just forced Linux to use the PS3's RAM more often instead of virtual RAM on the Hard Drive (known as swap file...it's 100 times slower than RAM access).
You all remember the video of the Playstation 3 XMB being something like you see in Minority Report but on screen? The Playstation 3 might be getting the interactive XMB and all you need is the Playstation Eye. You be able to browse through your friends list, music, movies, games ect using your hand movements...cool huh!
As stated above they "might" so for now it just be a rumor and please do take it lightly and enjoy the games thats coming out for the Playstation 3...
Team Ice has posted details of a possible exploit for the PS3:
First we found an exploit to run SELF files in gameos. Then we coded an application which converts ELF files into runable SELF files. We can load these with our exploit. The coding is not finished, we still have to clean the code, that we will get an screen output. The SELF files are running, but screen doesnt show this atm. When this is fixed we could release a hello world
We don't keep you updated with every Wii sold like our friends at Kotaku, but the NPD's 2007 sales numbers have been released, so we thought that the occasion merited a rundown to fuel your fanboy flame wars. Here are the total consoles sold in the United States during 2007:
Nintendo DS - 8,500,000
Wii - 6,290,000
Xbox 360 - 4,620,000
PlayStation 2 - 3,970,000
PSP - 3,820,000
PlayStation 3 - 2,560,000
So what about the total cumulative US sales numbers to date? Those numbers paint a slightly different picture:
PlayStation 2 - 41,120,000 Nintendo DS - 17,650,000 PSP - 10,470,000 Xbox 360 - 9,150,000 Wii - 7,380,000 PlayStation 3 - 3,250,000
Our reaction: it's so easy to underestimate the success of the PSP hardware (and it's currently selling like hotcakes in Japan).
Everyone knows about the Xbox 360 RROD (red ring of death) thanks to some 33% of games consoles getting this problem, now we have proof of the Sony PS3 death with a so called YLOD (yellow light of death).
THQ has declined to confirm or deny rumours the PlayStation 3 version of Frontlines: Fuel of War has been canned.
The rumour began via that ever-reliable fountain of truth, the Xbox.com forum.
The flames were fanned by an administrator posting on the Kaos Studios boards. "Please do not overeact to rumors or, like with release dates, take what retailers say as truth," he advised.
However, the admin didn't go so far as to deny the rumour, stating, "The timing of this was unfortunate as it was the weekend but there will be actual info shortly."
Another poster claiming to be from Kaos sought to offer reassurance Frontlines is still in development for at least one console. "Don't fret," he wrote. "The Xbox 360 version is great!" Great.
We went to publisher THQ for clarification - but went home disappointed. "THQ does not comment on rumour and speculation," a spokesperson said.
Frontlines: Fuel of War is due to arrive on PC, Xbox 360 and possibly even PS3 on February 29th. There's already a demo on Xbox Live and you'll find all manner of screens, videos and typing about it over on the gamepage.
Despite the fact it's already been sitting on the shelves for over a year on PS2, another ruckus is being kicked off over Rockstar's Bully, reignited thanks to the upcoming release of Xbox 360 and Wii versions of the game.
The Daily Telegraph describes the updated version, Scholarship Edition, as an "even more realistic" take on the 2006 original, which "encourages players to act out assaults on pupils and teachers." Beating a dead horse much?
The game's also sparked additional rows by changing its name from Canis Canem Edit back to Bully, which in itself is enough to get Daily Mail readers all riled up.
Niall Cowley, of the charity BeatBullying, said: "We're disappointed this game was created in the first place. Some mindless people thought this was a fun, interesting piece of software to create, but it undermines all the hard work that organisations like ours are seeking to do."
Cowley said that when the original was launched last year, Rockstar tried to persuade his group to back Canis by offering a donation. "It was the most distasteful thing in the world - the idea that we could be bought off like that," he said.
"We have the interests of the children of this country in our mind, not of the shareholders of this company."
PC World and Currys have already refused to stock the Xbox 360 and Wii updates, as they did with the PS2 original. The National Union of Teachers meanwhile has called for a wider ban on the game.
In a statement, a Rockstar spokesperson said: "It is a comedic romp. The last game sold fabulously in the UK and was critically acclaimed.
"It is not a game about playing a bully. It is about the trials and tribulations of a boy in his first year at school. He protects children against other characters. People have to be able to make their own decisions and to judge for themselves, with an open mind."
Is it really worth wasting our words over this anymore? Anyone who's actually played the game will realise it's a very tongue-in-cheek action game which mostly has you protecting people from bullies rather than picking on pip-squeaks at random.
It's one of Rockstar's better games in recent times, so we definitely recommend a look when it arrives in the UK this March.
Activision has announced that its Guitar Hero franchise has set an industry record, surpassing USD 1 billion in North American retail sales in just 26 months.
"Guitar Hero is one of the biggest brands and one of the most powerful distribution platforms in all of entertainment today," said Michael Griffith, president and CEO of Activision Publishing, Inc.
"Guitar Hero's popularity with broad audiences is a confirmation that video games have become a true mass medium."
Since its initial release in fall 2005, the Guitar Hero franchise has sold in excess of 14 million units in North America alone, according to The NPD Group.
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock was the number one title in units and dollars for calendar year 2007, making it the number one best-selling video game of all time in a single calendar year according to Activision.
In the ten weeks since the game's launch, consumers have already downloaded more than five million songs.
Ask any Gran Turismo 5 Prologue player what's missing from the GT5 sampler, and they'll likely answer with Moon Over the Castle. The franchise theme song didn't make it into the Prologue version, suggesting that we'd have to wait until the real GT5 release before hearing it again.
Today, we learned that this won't be the case. The new version of the theme song, titled Moon Over The Castle GT5 Prologue Version, will be included in an upcoming soundtrack for the game which was announced today in Japan. The theme song was newly recorded in Los Angeles.
Set for Japanese release on February 20, the Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Original Game Soundtrack will include a total of 18 tracks. Village Music will publish the soundtrack, which will retail for pre-tax 2,200 yen.
Here's a list of tracks, listed with composer/lyricist.
1. SURV1V3 (daiki kasho/ayesha cole)
2. ROAD STAR (Nittoku Inoue/-)
3. Back 2 U (MAKOTO/-)
4. Love&Peace (KENMMEI/-)
5. Flatout (Mitsutoshi Sato/-)
6. Constructor's Blues (Mitsutoshi Sato/-)
7. When The Rains Come (Satoshi Bandoh/-)
8. Farewell (Satoshi Bandoh/-)
9. Are you ready? (Yudai Sato/-)
10. The Last Helping (Mitsuharu Ura & FUNAI/-)
11. GT-FORCE (cargo/-)
12. Current of the times (Yudai Sato/-)
13. Wind from Rio (Yasuo Sako/-)
14. twieky 4 (naomee/-)
15. sky high mountain breeze (naomee/-)
16. EDGE OF THE WORLD (daiki kasho/Jonathan Underdown)
17. GET AWAY (Nittoku Inoue/-)
18. Moon Over The Castle GT5 Prologue Version (Masahiro Andoh/-)
Do we continue to write Lost Planet posts no matter how insignificant simply because the headlines practically write themselves? No. Don't be ridiculous: We're professionals. Now, do we post about Lost Planet because our collection of Photoshops based on it continue to make us laugh? ... Yeah, OK. You got us on that one.
But hey, don't scroll away just yet, this is Lost Planet info that you might actually find pretty useful. Capcom has announced that the PS3 version of the shooter will be arriving on February 26. In case you've forgotten, this version also ships with a new playable female character, Luka, in tow. We're just happy to hear she got off the second floor.
Although Japan Today doesn't realize that Blu-ray discs aren't DVDs, they do have some interesting stats that shed some light on why Warner might have chose to go BD exclusive. The report is from a study of 2,300 Japaneese electronic retailers, and shows that 90-percent of HD movie player sales -- not counting the PS3 -- were owned by Blu-ray. The other interesting thing to note is that although Americans couldn't care less about recording to shiny round discs, the Japanese continue to love it, and HD disc recorder sales were up to 20-percent in November and December from 6.1-percent in October. Leading the way in recorder sales was Sony, followed by Panasonic and Sharp.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games has returned to the number one position in the UK's All Formats Top 40 chart according to data released by Chart Track.
It is the third different title to reach the top spot so far this year in as many weeks, as Activision's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare dropped to second place.
Nintendo exclusives - either for Wii or DS - made up over half of the All Formats Top 10 charts for the first time since September 2007.
With the exception of The Simpsons Game, which moved up one place, every multi-format game in the top 10 lost sales. Sega's Ghost Squad and Capcom's Zack & Wiki debuted in the Top 40 charts at number 20 and 25, respectively.
For the week ended January 19, the top selling games in the UK were:
1. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
2. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
3. The Simpsons Game
4. Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training
5. More Brain Training from Dr. Kawashima
6. Assassin's Creed
7. FIFA 08
8. Super Mario Galaxy
9. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
10. Wii Play
Developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, JAPAN Studio, THE EYE OF JUDGMENT presents a new style of gameplay where collectible trading cards, embedded with a CyberCode, are brought to life in the 3D game through use of the innovative "9 Fields" battle mat and PLAYSTATION Eye. Players compete by selecting a card and placing the coded card in front of the PLAYSTATION Eye for their respective creatures to come to life and battle on screen. Players take turns placing cards as they jostle for control; the winner is the first player to conquer five of the nine squares of the "9 Fields" battle mat. The gamers task is to conquer the board by deploying their cards more skillfully than their opponent.
Filings at the Federal Communications Commission reveal that Sony will be releasing the Ceramic White PlayStation 3 in North America.
Originally released in Japan in November, the 40 GB units comes with a white DualShock 3 controller and retails for JPY 39,980 in the region.
A covering letter from Sony Japan shows that the unit was submitted to the FCC and the American Telecommunications Certification Body in October of last year, requesting short-term confidentiality "to avoid premature release of sensitive information prior to marketing or release of the product to the public."
The US Ceramic White PS3 is Model: CECHH01. No release date or pricing but it shows that the US will be getting. Its just a matter of time.
Games for Sony's PlayStation 3 have surged into the Spanish software sales chart top ten, finally ending a lengthy run at the top for various Nintendo platform games, according to sales data from Media Control GfK International for the week ending January 13.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 for Sony's next-gen console topped the chart, with Uncharted: Drake's Fortune coming in third and Assassin's Creed taking seventh - the most titles that the PS3 has had in the top ten for many months.
Titles for the DS and Wii were still well represented, with More Brain Training in second, Super Mario Galaxy in fifth, the original Brain Training in sixth and other titles in the last three positions.
Meanwhile in Germany Nintendo continued to dominate the software sales top ten, with More Brain Training leading the way, followed by Wii Play in second.
PC titles Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, World of Warcraft and its expansion The Burning Crusade took third, fourth and seventh places respectively, while Sony could only muster one game for its consoles - SingStar: Apres Ski in eighth place.
The full charts are as follows:
Spain
1. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PS3)
2. More Brain Training with Dr Kawashima (DS)
3. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3)
4. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PS2)
5. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
6. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training (DS)
7. Assassin's Creed (PS3)
8. New Super Mario Bros (DS)
9. Big Brain Academy (Wii)
10. Practice English (DS)
Germany
1. More Brain Training with Dr Kawashima (DS)
2. Wii Play (Wii)
3. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC)
4. World of Warcraft (PC)
5. Mario Party DS (DS)
6. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
7. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (PC)
8. SingStar: Apres Ski (PS2)
9. Mario & Sonic at the Olympics (Wii)
10. Eye Training (DS)
Sony has declared PlayStation 3 had a bumper Christmas in Europe, with more consoles sold over a five-week period than ever before.
The company reckons 1.2 million PS3s were shifted in total. According to big king chief man Kaz Hirai, that figure is in line with high US sales during December.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Hirai said Sony would continue to ramp up support for its shiny black box. "We want to promote games only available for PlayStation 3," he said. "The introduction of the 40 gigabyte model is in line with that strategy."
According to analysts, Sony is unlikely to meet its target of 11 million PS3 units shipped by the end of March. A figure of 8 million is more likely, apparently. But Kaz sounds very relaxed about everything.
"We haven't made any conclusion whether we have to give it up," he stated. "It depends on how aggressively dealers buy our PS3 inventory."
A new advert for the PS3's PlayStation Network has appeared online and it seems to be taking a slight dig at Microsoft's subscription-based Xbox Live model.
"The fun's always free" is the tagline for the ad, pointing out that it costs PlayStation 3 owners precisely bugger all to download content and play online, where as paying Xbox Live Gold subscribers cough up £40 for the same privileges.
Of course you could also argue (and we will) that Xbox Live Marketplace is a superior service to the PlayStation Store (what's with the month-late PS3 demos?) and integrated friend lists also give XBL the edge. But is it really worth the full cost of a game?
If anything, it's great to see that Sony's finally pushing one of the PS3's greatest selling points. If the public starts taking notice of the PS3's online service it can only mean good things for us, and hopefully less wallet pain on the Xbox 360 end too.
Let's just hope Sony doesn't turn round some time this year and start charging for PSN. That would make them look a little silly...
It has endured a horrible introduction to the world, but PlayStation 3 has survived. Now it's set to prosper. Next-Gen's editor-in-chief Colin Campbell explains...
* The decision to go with Blu-ray was good because Blu-ray is going to emerge as the winning platform in the war against HD-DVD. It was good because millions of people will be upgrading to hi-def over the next five years. It was good because a significant percentage of them will make PS3 a central part of that upgrade process.
* Up until this point, Xbox 360 has represented the best value. No longer. PS3 is $50 more expensive than Xbox 360 but you get a bigger hard drive, you get a Blu-ray drive and you get to play online for free. It is becoming extremely difficult to argue the case that Xbox 360 is better value than PS3.
* For many people, it looks like a tres-moderne piece of under-the-telly technology. And, what‘s more, it carries the Sony logo and the PlayStation logo. For those of us entrenched in the biz, both these brands carry baggage. But for them out there - the Year 3 Console Adopters, the people who bought a DVD player after the Millennium - these are brands to trust. They speak of sophistication and quality.
* Will PlayStation Home make a difference? When I saw it a year ago, I was convinced that this piece of software would play a major role in the console wars. I still believe it has a touch of genius, the common touch, to take virtual living out of the machismo ghettoes of Xbox Live or the vacant loonyness of Second Life. If it works, it's an amazing thing.
This hardware cycle has confounded most of what we thought we knew about the console games market. We used to believe that there would always be an ultra-dominant console and a distant second-place. We used to believe that third place was no-where. It was once a central belief that games consoles ought not try and be something else; that convergent devices were anathema.
Those things don't seem to hold any longer. All three console manufacturers are in a strong position to take a win from this generation; simultaneously.
There's a rumor that began circulating on the CheapAssGamer forum stating that the PlayStation 3 would be seeing a price-drop soon. Certain other members chimed in with their own "knowledge" and vouched for the rumor. The alleged details are a price-drop for the 40GB PlayStation 3 down to $299, which will occur on January 28th.
Now before you get all excited, do note that the chances of this being real are extremely thin. Seeing as how Sony only recently dropped the price of the PlayStation 3, I wouldn't expect them to do so again.
Sony Corp., the world's largest video-game console maker, sold a record number of PlayStation 3 machines in Europe during the holiday shopping season after lowering prices to compete against Nintendo Co.'s Wii.
Sony, which began selling PlayStation 3s in Europe in March, shipped about 1.2 million consoles in the region during the five- week period ended Dec. 31, Kazuo Hirai, president of Sony's game division, said in a Bloomberg Television interview aired today. That's in line with U.S. shipments during the period, he said.
Price cuts and the introduction of a cheaper model helped Sony approach its goal of selling 11 million PlayStation 3s in the year ending March. Still, analysts at Nikko Citigroup Ltd. and Daiwa Institute of Research Ltd. predict the Tokyo-based company will miss the target after being outsold by the Wii and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360.
Sony, which generated 12 percent of revenue from the game unit during the three months ended Sept. 30, has posted seven straight quarters of losses at the division.
Higher sales, coupled with lower production costs, will reduce the company's operating losses related to PlayStation 3s by 90 percent to $158 million in the fiscal second half ending March 31, according to Dec. 27 estimates by Nikko Citigroup.
A new PS3 custom theme maker from an unofficial developer has bettered the official theme-making software because it allows you to change the sounds effects for your theme.
Official themes made downloadable from the PSN Store, like the Heavenly Sword theme, feature different icon sounds, which showed that such a change is possible. Yet Sony's official custom theme maker doesn't allow you to change sounds at all.
The Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia (IEAA) today announced that sales for the videogame industry in Australia reached $1.3 billion dollars in 2007. That's a new record for the industry, and an increase of 43.6% on the $925 million sales figure in 2006. It's also much stronger growth than the 7% rise in sales the industry achieved from 2005 to 2006.
The Australian figures come hot on the heels of a bumper year in the United States as well. The U.S. market saw a similar upturn – a 43% increase from the year before, with total sales of US $17.94 billion.
So how many games were sold in 2007? According to independent market research group GfK Australia, Australian gamers purchased 15.4 million games, with more than one third of those titles – close to 6 million – sold in the final quarter of the year. It's also worth bearing in mind that these figures don't take into account games purchased via digital distribution, and with high profile releases such as The Orange Box on Steam, and the ever-growing market for new and classic titles through the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii online services, the true figure is even higher.
"Last year, Australians welcomed the arrival of the PS3 and marked a full year since the release of the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii," Ron Curry, the CEO of the IEAA, commented. "The launch of highly anticipated next generation gaming drove console sales to almost $500 million, nearly double the $270 million sold in 2006. Sales figures also indicate a resurging popularity in handheld consoles with 2.3 million units of software for the Nintendo DS system purchased last year compared to the 840,000 purchased in 2006."
"The gaming industry is no longer a niche market appealing only to traditional gamers," he continued. "With a wide variety of games available, interactive entertainment is attracting people from all ages and all walks of life. It is interesting to note that as more Australians embrace the most advanced gaming innovations and purchase the latest games, the average age of gamers has risen to 28 years old."
We asked each of the platform holders for comment on the figures. Nintendo Australia's PR coordinator Heather Murphy told us that "It's exciting that Australia's gaming industry nearly doubled its sales in 2007. From Nintendo's point of view, we're finding a broad range of people playing our games. We have games for everyone, which is evident from something as addictive as Brain Training and More Brain Training, to the popular Super Mario Galaxy. We've even seen seniors in nursing homes embracing Wii, particularly Wii Sports; and schools using the Nintendo DS as part of the curriculum.
"What Ron Curry said is spot on," Murphy continued, "the gaming industry is no longer a niche market; the market has broadened. Nintendo has such a wide variety of games available to cater for everyone - games for the family, core gamers, young females, even seniors."
Adrian Christie, the Communications Manager of Sony Computer Entertainment Australia, believes that the boom is a good thing for everyone, telling us: "As a member of the IEAA we're extremely pleased with the collective success of the interactive entertainment category in 2007. Everyone (all manufacturers and publishers) can claim a 'win' or 'best of' in one category or another. This means the industry is strong and healthy, a great platform to build strong game titles and innovative technology applications. Bring on '08."
Last but not least, Jeremy Hinton, the Xbox Product Manager, commented that: "In 2007 the interactive entertainment industry went from strength-to-strength with Australian consumers delivering a record-breaking year for the whole industry. The Xbox 360 platform remains at the heart of that success, generating more revenue across the board than both our next-gen competitors. It's this kind of momentum – spurred on by major releases such as GTA IV, Rock Band and Halo Wars – that will ensure another great year of gaming ahead for all of us in 2008."
The first signs of HD DVD's ultimate demise may be coming from the UK on March 10. After the news on Universal and Paramount abandoning the exclusive HD DVD deal, it seems that Amazon UK is listing three Paramount Blu-ray titles with that definitive release date: Trading Places, Coming to America and Anchorman, the latter of which was never available on Blu-ray before (as far as we can see). Amazon UK doesn't list the HD DVD versions, and these are all new Zone 2 releases, not US imports. Could this be an error on Amazon's part or just a sign of things to come?
The previously 360 and PC-only Splinter Cell Conviction is now also set for a simultaneous release on PS3, according major UK retailer GAME.
The site also pens the game to release on all three formats on April 1, despite previous announcements only stating a vague early 2008 release.
As we all know, retailers have a tendency to let slip on things publishers don't always want revealing. Just look at Konami's latest announcement, of which first word came from a very similar posting.
However, Ubisoft UK has told CVG that neither a PS3 version of Conviction, or any proposed release date, have been confirmed by the publisher.
We knew that though, that's why we called. We'll keep the sniffer dogs out on this one...
The fifth entry in the gonzo racing series, Burnout Paradise gives players license to wreak havoc in Paradise City, the ultimate racing battleground, with a massive infrastructure of traffic-heavy roads to abuse. Gone is the need to jump in and out of menus and aimlessly search for fun like many open world games; in Burnout 5, every inch of the world is built to deliver heart-stopping Burnout-style gameplay. Every intersection is a potential crash junction and every alleyway is an opportunity to rack up moving violations. Feel the adrenaline course through your veins as you take to the road for the first time in Paradise City, where the action is all around you. Explore the city, discover events, and look for the best opportunities to crash, jump and pull signature takedowns. In Burnout Paradise yo'’re given the keys to the city, but it's up to you to earn the keys to the meanest and most dangerous cars on the street, and earn your Burnout license.
According to the latest NPD group report, during the month of December Blu-ray players held 60 percent of the HD media player market -- despite the fact that HD DVD players were considerably cheaper. While that might've helped Warner in its decision to go Blu, the move has definitely had a dramatic effect on player sales since. According to the same study the week after the announcement, Blu-ray players were able to grab 93 percent of the market, which puts the year to date (short, we know) share for Blu-ray players at 70 percent. Granted, it's hard to put too much stock in just a week or two of data, but if this and the recent media sales numbers (85 percent) becomes a trend, maybe this won't be such a slow death for HD DVD after all.
We thought WipEout HD looked decent enough when we posted the first shots of an early preview version, but these new shots show the game has come on in leaps and bounds.
The textures have more... texture, and the lighting has been massively improved by the looks of it.
Hopefully all these improvements won't come at the expense of the luscious 60fps smoothness in the demo we have here.
You can see videos of that in action (and in comparison to our old favourite, WipEout 2097)
in an earlier feature.
We're also hoping the handling has seen as much attention as the visuals, because we thought it was far too tight to be a believable hovering ship. 2097 had the handling spot on - why change it?
Halt; Capcom Europe has told Eurogamer that European Xbox 360 gamers will get the Devil May Cry 4 demo the same day as their American counterparts - January 24th.
However it won't appear on PlayStation Network until one week later, to be precise. You could mock up a US account if you fancied downloading it tomorrow, mind.
Sorry for any confusion, we will look both ways before crossing the road from now on.
Interested in turning your PS3 into a TV tuner / recorder? If so, then you need to take a look at this handy little video that guides you through the process.
PlayTV will initially be available in UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain in "early" 2008 with other PAL territories following in due course.
The movie (in the player on your right) should answer most other questions you've got about the system operates. It all seems pretty straight forward. What it doesn't do though is tell us how much the box costs and when we're likely to see it down the shops. And that's quite important, don't you think.
Square Enix promises that "2008 will be the year" for new info (and maybe the release?) of the latest in its epic RPG series, Final Fantasy XIII, as it reveals plans to release a demo.
Not even a rough date was given for the demo, only that it main objective will be to give fans a hands-on with the new battle system.
The only hint of the full game's release was the quote: "I wonder when we'll be able to sleep...". Eh? We plan to have a kip tonight - is that when it's coming out?
Because we know you FF fans are keen on the smallest of details, here's a few more tid-bits plucked from the translations of the Japanese mags, courtesy of FF-XIII.net.
Nomura: "2008 will be the year. There will be tons of news bits, info on characters and summons, and an unexpected connection between the keywords Cocoon and Farushi.
We're aiming for a demo to give players a hands on on the battle system.
FF13's theme: determination.
Farushi: Their existence surpasses humans.
Rushi: Those chosen by Farushi to carry out a mission. The pigtail girl is a Rushi. Farushi is not the Crystal.
Mr. 33cm is also a Rushi.
This time summons are in digital form.
A new monster that looks like a cross between a turtle and elephant.
The red thing on Carbuncle's head is a ruby.
Hint on release date: "I wonder when we'll be able to sleep..."
After flexing his muscle in last year's God of War 2, Kratos may need to take a little break. Games Radar is claiming (via Games World UK) that inside sources tell them God of War 3 won't be released until at the earliest Christmas 2009. That date seems to fall under common sense, given that two years passed between the first two God of War titles and the next iteration is taking a leap to the more technically-proficient PlayStation 3.
An earlier rumor from EGM suggested the game would come out this Christmas alongside an also-rumored release of Gears of War 2. The third God of War, sans outgoing lead developer Cory Barlog, is expected to feature ultra-fancy graphics, motion controls and rumble.
Deadline Games has revealed brand new shooter Faith and a .45, due for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.
The developer is yet to announce a publishing partner for the new IP, which is one of two next-gen games currently in development at the Nordic studio.
"Since we at Deadline have our roots in movie production, we value original stories, settings and characters very highly," commented Chris Mottes, CEO of Deadline.
"Our previous games are testament to this, but we believe Faith is going to take our creative might to a whole new level."
The developer, whose previous titles include Total Overdose and Chilli Con Carnage for Eidos, will be showing the game behind closed doors at the Game Developers Conference next month.
2008's first look at the near-finished Grand Theft Auto IV has arrived, and it's the most in-depth look we've had yet at the genuinely exciting sandbox sequel. It's also only the second.
The 4000-plus word rundown of the latest demo describes the missions, gun fights, series-shaking action sequences and everything else Rockstar allowed us to eyeball - including a gorgeous boat trip around Liberty City's waterways.
"Of course Rockstar's 100" TV might have something to do with it, but IV isn't looking dated considering it should have been out for a few months already.
"In fact, it's running visibly smoother at the beginning of our demo. Niko stands on the waterfront at a dock in Broker. It's the kind of rusty, tramp-ridden area of town you'd expect to find flaming barrels and lots of pigeons and that's exactly what surrounds us here."
"The game is in a very, very different place now," boldly claims our Rockstar PR aide. "It's improved in virtually every single way imaginable.
"When we first showed the game a year ago, we said it was really early - it was the earliest we've ever shown a GTA game. A year later and just three/four months away from release you're looking at a game that's virtually complete."
We're expecting a release date any day now but to help fill the gap here's a fist-full of new screenshots. Don't forget the preview either, it took us ages to write.
The Ceramic White PS3 unit is currently only available in Japan, having been released in the region on November 11, 2007, although filings submitted with the Federal Communications Commission indicate that is soon to change.
Sony Computer Entertainment America told Next-Gen via email that it was happy with the existing PS3 models on the market.
"As you may know, there are many FCC filings like this each year. We haven't made any announcements about upcoming PS3 plans, but are comfortable with our current two sku strategy."
However, the statement went on to add, "We are continually evaluating the market trends and consumer input to determine the appropriate PS3 models for our territory."
Welcome to this week's Games & Toys update, our weekly summary featuring all new product arrivals from the last seven days.
After a relatively calm period of about three weeks, we've finally received the first 2008 gaming hits. EA's Burnout: Paradise (PlayStation3™ / Xbox360™) and an English/Chinese language edition of Mistwalker's RPG hit Lost Odyssey have been the most popular next gen console sellers.
Popular PlayStation2™ release has been the anime based girl advanture game Lucky * Star (also available as DX Pack).
Excellent handheld gaming refill has also arrived with Nintendo's Advance Wars: Days of Ruin and Konami's The Prince of Tennis: Driving Smash! Side King for Nintendo DS™ as well as Winning Eleven Ubiquitous Evolution 2008 (Japanese / Asia) and Yggdra Union for PSP™.
It's also been a fantastic week for toy statues collectors with arrival of First4Figures' long-awaited Metroid Prime Samus - Varia Suit Statue and The Legend of Zelda - Skull Kid Collectible Statue as well as Gaya's Virtual Legends Resident Evil - The Umbrella Chronicles Pre-Painted 1/6 Scale Statue: Tyrant.
Last but not least some interesting gaming soundtracks have arrived this week, including Lost Odyssey Original Soundtrack, No More Heros Original Soundtrack and Naruto Shippuuden: Narutimate Accel Best Sound [CD+DVD Limited Release].
As usually, here's a summary of all new releases from this week, followed by a quick preview of what is expected to be hot next week.
Xbox360™:
Burnout: Paradise ASIA US$ 44.90
Lost Odyssey (English language Version) ASIA US$ 49.90
PlayStation3™:
Burnout: Paradise ASIA US$ 49.90
Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights JPN US$ 64.90
Shin Sangoku Musou 5 KOR US$ 79.90
Nintendo Wii™:
CSI: Hard Evidence US US$ 44.90
Furu Furu Park US US$ 24.90
Indianapolis 500 Legends US US$ 44.90
Nitrobike US US$ 49.90
PlayStation2™:
Lucky * Star JPN US$ 64.90
Lucky * Star [DX Pack] JPN US$ 89.90
TOCA Race Driver 3: Ultimate Racing Simulator JPN US$ 64.90
Nintendo DS™:
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin US US$ 39.90
Daikoukai Jidai IV: Rota Nova (Koei the Best) JPN US$ 29.90
Hijouguchi: Exit DS JPN US$ 48.90
Kawaii Koneko DS JPN US$ 48.90
Mahjong Taikai (Koei the Best) JPN US$ 28.90
Miami Nights: Singles in the City US US$ 34.90
SuperLite 2500 Brickdown JPN US$ 25.90
SuperLite 2500 Joshikousei Nigeru! Shinrei Puzzle Gakuen JPN US$ 25.90
Takahashi Shoten Kanshuu: Saihinshutsu! SPI Perfect Mondaishuu JPN US$ 29.90
The Prince of Tennis: Driving Smash! Side King JPN US$ 48.90
The Prince of Tennis: Driving Smash! Side King [Konamistyle Part.12 Special Edition] JPN US$ 139.90
The Sims 2: Castaway JPN US$ 48.90
Sony PSP™:
Clear Case Portable (Crystal) JPN US$ 9.90
Clear Case Portable (Graphite) JPN US$ 9.90
Lumines II (The Best Collection) JPN US$ 29.90
Winning Eleven Ubiquitous Evolution 2008 ASIA US$ 46.90
Winning Eleven Ubiquitous Evolution 2008 JPN US$ 48.90
Yggdra Union JPN US$ 48.90
Toys & More:
Amaha Collection No.3 1/6 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Wild Cat Anna (Limited Edition) JPN N/A
Another Days To Heart 2 1/8 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Yamada Michiru JPN US$ 39.90
Another Days To Heart 2 1/8 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Yuzuhara Konomi (Maid Version) JPN US$ 44.90
Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 1/6 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Lei Fang on the beach JPN US$ 64.90
Doubutu Nechan Series Tandem Twin Animal Girl 1/6 Scale Pre-Pianted PVC Figure: Panther MOMO JPN US$ 69.90
Dr. Slump Collection Pre-Painted PVC Mini Figure: Gacchan JPN US$ 6.90
El Cazador Scale 1/8 Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Nadie JPN N/A
Fate/Zero 1/8 Scale Pre-painted PVC Figure: Emiya Kiritsugu JPN US$ 59.90
Final Fantasy VIII Play Arts Pre-Painted Action Figure: Squall Leonhart JPN US$ 38.90
Fist of the North Star 200 X 1/8 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Kenshiro and Kokuoh JPN US$ 189.90
Guilty Gear XX 1/7 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: I-No JPN N/A
Gun x Sword 1/8 Scale Pre-Painted Figure: Wendy Garret (Removable Cloth Vers.) JPN US$ 54.99
Jingai Makyo Chaos Gate Non Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Makimoto Misae Fantastica Version JPN US$ 49.90
Metroid Prime Samus - Varia Suit Statue US$ 79.90
Naruto Shippuuden Phone Strap Gashapon Vol.2 JPN US$ 2.49
Nohohon Dancing (Green) US$ 9.90
Nohohon Dancing (Orange) US$ 9.90
Nohohon Dancing (Pink) US$ 9.90
Nohohon Dancing (Yellow) US$ 9.90
Original Generation Super Robot Taisen: Super Robot Wars 1/144 Scale Pre-Painted Model Kit: Real Personal Trooper R-1 (Re-Run) JPN US$ 34.90
Original Generation Super Robot Wars Non Scale Pre-Painted Model Kit: DGG-XAM1 Dygenguar (Re-Run) JPN US$ 34.90
The Legend of Zelda - Skull Kid Collectible Statue US$ 79.90
Togainu's Blood - PS2 Soft Sale commemoration Non Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Shiki JPN US$ 29.90
Treasure Figure Collection Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu 1/10 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure Set: Tsuruya-san & Kyon's sister JPN US$ 49.90
Ultimate Transformers Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Bumblebee JPN N/A
Virtual Legends Resident Evil - The Umbrella Chronicles Pre-Painted 1/6 Scale Statue: Tyrant Europe US$ 199.90
WagaMama Capriccio 1/8 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Melissa Seraphy JPN N/A
Zero no Tsukaima 1/8 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Louise (Bustier Version) JPN N/A
Video Game related Soundtracks:
Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon: The Labyrinth Of Lost Time Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 19.90
Forest of Glass JPN US$ 29.90
Jikkyo Powerful Pro Yakyu Power Pro Ongakukan 4 JPN US$ 33.90
L.II remixes JPN US$ 19.90
Lost Odyssey Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 34.90
Minna No Golf Portable 1 & 2 Perfect Sound Collection JPN US$ 31.90
Naruto Radio Shippu Jinrai 2 JPN US$ 24.90
Naruto Shippuuden: Narutimate Accel Best Sound [CD+DVD Limited Edition] JPN US$ 34.90
Neo Romance Stage Haruka naru Toki No Naka De Maihitoyo Stage Music Shu JPN US$ 28.90
Neo Romance Stage Harukanaru Toki No Nakade Maihitoyo Stage Music Shu JPN US$ 28.90
No More Heros Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 34.90
Sekai Ga Yume Miru Yume No Naka (Suzumiya Haruhi No Yakusoku Outro Theme) JPN US$ 19.90
Shining Wind Drama CD Vol.2 JPN US$ 27.90
Super Eurobeat Presents Initial D Special Stage Non-Stop Mega Mix JPN US$ 29.90
True Blue: The Best of Sonic the Hedgehog JPN US$ 23.90
Here is a preview of what is expected to be hot next week. Please note that due to a huge supply cut of Dairantou Smash Brothers X / Super Smash Bros. Brawl, we are only expecting to fill around 10-20% of all preorders coming week. We will post an update and notify all customers that have preordered this title on its release date.
PlayStation3™:
Devil May Cry 4 JPN US$ 72.90
Devil May Cry 4 ASIA US$ 59.90
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness 3 ASIA US$ 59.90
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness 3 JPN US$ 64.90
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness 3 [Limited Edition] ASIA US$ 79.90
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness 3 [Limited Edition] JPN US$ 89.90
Xbox360™:
Devil May Cry 4 JPN US$ 72.90
Nintendo Wii™:
Dairantou Smash Brothers X / Super Smash Bros. Brawl (shipping date unconfirmed) JPN US$ 64.90
Family Ski JPN US$ 64.90
PlayStation2™:
Suzumiya Haruhi no Tomadoi JPN US$ 64.90
Suzumiya Haruhi no Tomadoi [Limited Edition] JPN N/A
Tales of Destiny Director's Cut JPN US$ 59.90
Tales of Destiny Director's Cut ASIA US$ 54.90
Tales of Destiny Director's Cut [Premium Box] ASIA N/A
Tales of Destiny Director's Cut [Premium Box] JPN N/A
Xyanide JPN US$ 59.90
As part of its recently-announced effort to trim the fat from its production pipeline, THQ has announced that it will cancel some upcoming games, kill two of its franchises and close a studio.
As part of an updated financial outlook the company released today, THQ said it has canceled the PlayStation 3 version of Frontlines: Fuel of War and the PlayStation 2 version of Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed. The PC and Xbox 360 versions of the former game and the PlayStation Portable version of the latter appear to still be alive.
Despite recording a killer fiscal third quarter, fueled by hot sales of SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 and MX vs. ATV Untamed, THQ said games like Ratatouille, Conan, Stuntman: Ignition underperformed and two unannounced games were costing more than expected.
The two unannounced games, under development for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, were scheduled for release in 2010. THQ has pulled the plug on at least one of those titles and closed the studio behind it - Concrete Games.
In today's financial report, THQ also said it no longer plans to "pursue its Juiced and Stuntman" franchises. The company did not say if it plans to sell off the intellectual properties or hold them for future use.
"In October, we announced certain product quality initiatives, including personnel and structural changes in product development and a more rigorous internal and external product evaluation and feedback process," said Brian Farrell, president and CEO of THQ. "Consistent with these initiatives, we have taken actions to strengthen our pipeline and position ourselves to compete aggressively with compelling, high quality games."
The game, developed by Free Radical Design, was previously scheduled for a fiscal Q4 release, which would've been sometime in the January-March quarter.
Ubisoft said in an earnings release Wednesday it would raise 2008-2009 sales forecasts to €1 billion because of the game's delay, up from previous guidance of €975 million.
Ubisoft recently delayed upcoming war games Tom Clancy's End War, Brothers in Arms and Far Cry 2 into next fiscal year.
Everyone knows that Square Enix can produce some incredible CG images, but will the PS3 Final Fantasy games be the first to look nearly as good in-game?
Square has sworn to use the "full specifications" of the PS3 with the RPG sequels, and Japanese Famistu magazine has unleashed the first glimpse of its latest work - Final Fantasy Versus XIII.
Although the slightly grainy images on FinalfantasyXIII.net probably don't do the game justice, the character models look nice, and they show off some of the game's flashy magic effects.
It's not much, but it's a start, and we expect a flood of proper in-game screens within the next week or two. Come on Square!
Europe will be backing Play.com Live, the consumer event to be held at Wembley this March, GamesIndustry.biz can reveal.
The event already has the backing of Activision, Ubisoft, Microsoft and THQ, and offers the chance for consumers to play games before release, as well as take part in events – including two chances to win GBP 50,000.
VIP tickets for the event, which takes place March 15 and 16, are on sale now for GBP 16.
Sony has yet to give full details of its involvement with the event, and it's expected more developers and publishers will be signing up for the Wembley show in the coming months.
"Play.com Live provides a great platform for all games publishers to showcase their games for 2008 and Wembley provides a fantastic venue for an entertainment show," said Gian Luzio, head of games at Play.com, announcing the event last year.
The retailer hopes to attract around 40,000 consumers to the show.
The first image of Team Ico's much-anticipated PS3 debut has appeared on the internet - though it's just a bit of a tease.
The image, which could be either an in-game pic or artwork, shows lots of detailed stonework surrounding a gigantic chain. The only thing of interest, in fact, is that Team Ico's fantastic artistry thankfully seems to be intact.
It appeared on the dev team's updated recruitment page, which is advertising for planners, animators, artists and effects designers for the Shadow of the Colossus developer's next game.
We expect to (hopefully) see more of Team Ico's PS3 offering at next month's GDC in San Francisco. After the stunning Ico and Shadow of the Colossus quests, we can't wait to see what this mysterious title has in store.
It's being reported on a few European-based websites that SCEE has finally dated Gran Turismo: Prologue.
Update: Sony's finally made it in and has told us the following: "We have yet to confirm a European release date for GT5 Prologue, and will be making an announcement in due course." Now before you go crying into your cornflakes, or bacon butty, that doesn't mean it won't be out in March. it just means they're not saying. Yet. Update out
We'd still wait until the official press release drops into our laps, or at least wait until Sony gets into work and give them a bell, but March sounds about right to us.
Some reports claim the date has been set as March 28, but we're hoping that's wrong because it's clearly the wrong side of the month we're hoping for. All of this is coming from a reported SCEE website update.
We do know that Sony's been making moves to PR the game across Europe, which doesn't take a marketing analyst to figure out that a launch window has been set. Especially when you consider that the Japanese version was out before Christmas.
While we wait for Sony to get off the Tube and into work, hit this link and check out our exclusive, direct feed movies that you may have missed a while back. More soon.
The PS3 pricing structure is like a really wily monkey. You may think you have him, you've got your stun club and net all ready and then ... poof! He loses you, leaving behind only a monkey-shaped cloud of dust. In what appears to be its latest juke, the 80 GB version of the PS3 will apparently go closeout (read: no new shipments) at Best Buy stores, according to an internal memo sent to PS3 Fanboy.
What does this mean for the PS3 exactly? We've checked with our team of experts and are now able to report that we have absolutely no clue. It's worth noting that in Japan, the 20 and 60 GB SKUs of the system were dropped to focus all efforts on the 40GB model, but we don't know if that's what's happening here. The only facts now seem to be that something is up, and Sony's saying it's business as usual. We'll let you know when we hear more.
Rockstar Games has finally answered assumptions that PlayStation 3 development trouble was the reason behind GTA IV's 2008 delay, admitting that it "definitely" contributed to the slip.
Speaking to MTV's multiplayer blog, Rockstar's Jeronimo Barrera said: "It's really no surprise to anybody that the PS3 was definitely a contributing factor to that." Now though, he says, "we're neck and neck".
"Back then that was something we were taking into account. That's not to say there's anything wrong with the PS3 version. It's awesome. They're both identical."
When it was revealed that GTA wouldn't make its original October 2007 date, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick told investors that "technological problems" were the reason behind the slip.
Those techy niggles were widely assumed to be PS3 dev troubles, after a summer of delays plagued multiplatform PS3 releases including Stranglehold, Rainbow Six Vegas and others.
Thankfully, Barrera says it's "not an issue anymore", and an international release date of April 29 has been set for both versions.
Hopefully then, Rockstar will come good and give us a near-identical game on both platforms - something we expect to see much more of in multiplatform releases this year.
It looks like Pandemic's tardy explosion-em-up Mercenaries 2 has been delayed yet again, this time to the end of the year in August 2008.
That of course, is if we can believe the word of internet retailers Amazon and Game Stop, which have both coincidently opted for an August 25 ship date for Pandemic's free-roaming action-fest.
The sequel, which is in development for Xbox 360, PS3, PS2 and PC, was delayed before from its Christmas 2007 release date into 2008.
Now that it's probably been pushed back again, we're really hoping it manages to impress more than the initial hands-on we had last year.
We've left a message with EA's PR department and hopefully they'll be able to shed some light. Otherwise, the wait is on. Again...
Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA), a proud sponsor of ESPN's 12th annual Winter X Games, will enable attendees to experience their own extreme gaming experience at the world's premier action sporting event. While waiting for favorites of more than that 250 of the world's best athletes to compete in skiing, snowboarding, and snowmobile sports, fans can warm up with hot, new pulse-pounding games on PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) and PSP® (PlayStation® Portable) in PlayStation® tents.
Athletes and attendees will have the opportunity to play the latest PS3 and PSP titles at this year's X Games at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen/ Snowmass, Colorado on January 24-27. In addition, PlayStation will be hosting a hands-on game competition featuring last year's Winter X Games champions such as Aspen local, Gretchen Bleiler (2007 Winter X Games Gold and Olympic Silver medalist for snowboarding); Simon Dumont (2007 X Games Silver medalist for skiing); and Tucker Hibber (2007 X Games Gold Medalist for snowmobiling). Consumers and fans will have the opportunity to play Gran Turismo™5 Prologue, complete with 1080p graphics and authentic car physics, against some of their favorite X Games athletes.
The following PS3 software titles will be featured on-site:
• Gran Turismo™5 Prologue is a the latest iteration of the best-selling Gran Turismo™ racing franchise and is one of the most anticipated PS3 titles for 2008. GT5 Prologue continues to blur the line between simulation and reality and sets the bar to unprecedented heights of realism, quality of design and physics technology.
The following PSP software titles will be featured on-site:
• Pursuit Force™: Extreme Justice is the second chapter in this pulse-pounding adventure and driving franchise. This chapter increases the thrills with new multiplayer capabilities and promises to bring all of the excitement of a Hollywood blockbuster film.
• wipEout® PULSE is the next title from the multi-million selling wipEout franchise, offering fans fast-paced, futuristic, anti-gravity racing. Developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's (SCEE) award-winning Liverpool Studios, the iconic PlayStation racing franchise is racing back to the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system with a full tank of innovation, including new racetracks, ships, teams, game modes and new music tracks.
In the PlayStation VIP and athlete lounge, third party titles will also be making an appearance in including Burnout with the PLAYSTATION®Eye and the critically acclaimed EA Sports NFL Tour titles. Also, PSP's onsite will feature the new Internet Radio via AOL's SHOUTCast service, where users can choose from more than 20,000 stations of all musical genres.
SCEA is proud to support talented individuals who live life to the extreme within the sporting arena and contribute to the promotion of an active lifestyle.
PS3 installed base in PAL territories will eclipse Microsoft's Xbox 360 by the end of the summer, Sony has claimed.
"In terms of installed base in some of our major markets, such as France, Spain, Germany, Italy, plus some distributor territories in smaller markets like Switzerland, our current cumulative installed base is now higher than that of the Xbox 360, " said Reeves. But what of PAL territories as a whole?
According to Reeves Sony expects "to overtake installed base of Xbox 360 across PAL territories in late summer." To add some weight to Sony's belief, Reeves added that "last week we outsold Xbox 360 in PAL territories by a ratio of 3:1."
Rock Band
* “Wonderwall” - Oasis ($1.99)
* “Live Forever” - Oasis ($1.99)
* “Don’t Look Back in Anger” – Oasis ($1.99)
* Oasis Pack 1 ($5.49)
Need for Speed ProStreet Extender Pack Premium Car Bundle #1 ($5.99)
Need for Speed ProStreet Extender Pack Premium Car Bundle #2 ($5.99)
Stranglehold
* Stranglehold Map Pack ($14.99)
Pack features:
• 10 additional multiplayer maps including Kowloon Market, Wong’s Estate Grounds and the Rooftops of Chicago.
• 21 all-new multiplayer character skins.
* Stranglehold CE Map Pack ($14.99)
The Stranglehold Collector’s Edition Map Pack features:
• 10 additional multiplayer maps including Kowloon Market, Wong’s Estate Grounds and the Rooftops of Chicago.
• 21 all-new multiplayer character skins.
Demos
Devil May Cry 4 Demo (free)
The Club Demo (free)
PS one Classics for PS3 / PSP
Jet Moto 2 ($5.99)
Movie and Blu-ray Disc Trailers
Step Up 2: The Streets Trailer (free)
Dragon Wars Trailer (free)
Game Videos (free)
Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground – Stevie’s Skater Story
Soul Calibur IV Trailer
Lost Planet Promotional Movie
Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway Trailer
Dynasty Warriors 6 Trailer
Borderlands Trailer
A piece at the MTV Multiplayer blog is exploring the issue of kids and gaming, wondering aloud how old is 'old enough'. A recent CES talk indicated that you should wait until at least seven to introduce your children to Mario, and we've talked in the past about the educational role games can have. MTV's Tracey John spoke to a pair of mothers who offered their own opinions on this topic:
"When I asked Alisa why she thought that games weren't imaginative and explained that many games have challenging, puzzle-solving elements, she conceded a little but remained skeptical. 'Honestly, I haven't really explored video games thoroughly, and I'm sure there are video games that fit more the bill of something that I'd be interested in, but I'm kind of hard-pressed to find a game that's like reading a book or something like that. I understand the kids like it, so I allow them to do it; it's monitored but it's not my favorite thing for them to be doing.'"
What's the right age for a kid to start playing games? Do you see games as more or less acceptable than traditional kid pastimes like TV or reading? Does it matter if the parents are gaming-savvy?
Germany's Gaya Entertainment brings Resident Evil to life on your shelf.
Coming with a series of 6 fabulous Resident Evil High End Collectible Statues 1/6 scale, licensed by Capcom and each of them limited to only 1500 pcs, 2008 will be a festival for all Resident Evil fans.
The first character to be released will be the powerful Tyrant, followed by Chris Redfield, the beautiful Jill Valentine, the terrifying "G" William Birkin, the mysterious Albert Wesker and last but not least the indestructible Nemesis!
Each piece comes in an exclusive box-packaging, hand-numbered and with incredible details.
Console hardware sales in Japan seem to have reverted to normal now, just with some levels lower from the last reading. Figures are shown below:
Nintendo DS Lite: 88,575
Nintendo Wii: 81,638
Playstation Portable: 79,923
Playstation 3 : 38,117
Playstation 2: 13,539
Xbox 360: 4,552
All console experience a drop by roughly 400 and 11,000 except the PS3 and Xbox 360, rising by about 800 and 100 respectively. Wii manages to regain second place and puch back the PSP the 3rd as usual.
Rockstar's battle to get Manhunt 2 on to the shelves of UK stores took another twist yesterday as the High Court ruled against the Video Appeals Committee, who had previously overturned the British Board of Film Classification's decision to prevent the game from going on sale.
Mr Justice Mitting told the committee that it must reconsider its decision, reached by a narrow majority, because it had committed a "clear error of law" in relating the game to the question of harm.
According to a report in The Metro the BBFC had argued that the VAC's original decision had threatened to undermine its position as a content watchdog, not just for videogames but for other entertainment genres, such as film.
The result means that publisher Rockstar, who had attempted to submit a new edition based on the cuts made for the now-passed and M-rated US edition of the game, is still unable to sell the game in the UK.
Ryan Payton, assistant producer at Kojima Productions, promises there will be no MGS 4 demo next month.
Payton sought to clarify some of the MGS-related rumours floating around the net this month, with the big one being PSW's that a playable demo would be on PSN in February.
Discussing the rumour in a webcast on an official blog, Payton admits that while everyone may have gotten excited about the possibility of a demo, despite the wide-spread rumours, "that's not the case".
Oh well... there's not long to wait for the full game now anyway.
Sega's Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games was the top-selling game in Australia for the week ended January 20 according to sales data released by GfK Australia.
Four Nintendo DS games also made the Top Ten, allowing titles for Nintendo platforms to dominate half of the chart. Four of the Top Ten titles were for the PlayStation platforms.
The only Xbox 360 game to make the Top Ten - Activision's Call of Duty 4: Modern Combat - dropped to the number seven spot. Call of Duty 4 was also the best-selling PC game for the week.
The Top Ten best-selling titles were as follows:
1. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii)
2. The Simpsons Game (DS)
3. SingStar R&B (PS2)
4. New Super Mario Bros. (DS)
5. More Brain Training from Dr. Kawashima: How Old Is Your Brain? (DS)
6. SingStar Pop Hits (PS2)
7. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (360)
8. Sight Training (DS)
9. Assassin's Creed (PS3)
10. SingStar Rocks Ballads (PS2)
The chief executive of Sony Corporation, Sir Howard Stringer, has revealed that he believes the company is performing well, but has expressed concern about the impact a strengthening yen could have on the business.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum, he admitted: "There is always an impact on exports. The yen is volatile...We watch it with some anxiety," reports Reuters.
Because a significant proportion of the company's goods are exported for sale overseas, a rise in the strength of the native currency automatically makes its goods more expensive for other countries to import.
But despite that, he said, the consumer electronics arm is holding up well so far, buoyed by a better performance in the last month or so by the PlayStation division.
"PlayStation 3 has now gone past Xbox on the Christmas market. It's moving into its own as it gets into higher bandwidth...PS3 is out of the woods and beginning to hold its own," he said.
His comments echo others made separately by SCEE boss David Reeves, who earlier revealed the extent of sales in Europe, and claimed that the PS3 would outsell the Microsoft machine by the summer.
Rockstar has questioned the High Court of Justice's decision to send Manhunt 2 back for re-evaluation.
The publisher said it was unable to comprehend spending more public money on censoring a game that was well within the rules of an adult rating.
"We believe the Video Appeals Committee decision was correct and do not understand the court's decision to expend further public resources to censor a game that contains content well within the bounds established by the British Board of Film Classification's18-plus ratings certification," Rockstar said in a statement.
The VAC decision was overturned by Mr Justice Mitting who said an "error of law" had been made.
This error was related to the definition of what constitutes harm. Mitting said VAC had misinterpreted it as actual harm, rather than, as he put it, a wider sense of potential harm.
Manhunt 2 will now be re-evaluated by the Video Appeals Committee under new guidelines.
If Rockstar receives a negative response that would effectively end the appeals process, as it is unlikely the House of Lords would want to know.
With Blu-ray destroying the competition, the availability of cheaper units is going to be a big part in the future success of the format. That is why Sony's recent success in shrinking the basic Blu-ray reader/writer module is a turn for the better. The new modules will pave the way for thinner drive bays and cheaper players.
The units are only 3mm thick, and Sony is confident that the smaller size will allow Blu-ray functionality to become mainstream in standard 9.5mm laptop drives. Sony are further hoping that this move towards greater ubiquity is secured by the end of this year.
The cost effectiveness will be due to a simpler manufacturing process, and the 3mm modules will also be able to read dual layered BDs with organic dye in the recording layers. Such discs can be produced from traditional DVD production lines, again driving down the costs. Sure, this may all sound like great news, but do you not recall the movies, people? The hardships that were faced by a tiny Thomas Brown still bring a tear to my eye.
features
Separate signal input ports for Wii™ and PS3™
One RGBHV signal output, 15 pin, can be connected to PC monitor or HDTV
Red and white stereo signal output with RCA ports
Green RCA port is a colorless video output port, which is used to adjust the output format of game consoles.
No need for an extra power supply
160cm length VGA cable
description
Transfer pictures from the Wii™ and PS3™ console that can be displayed on a PC monitor or HD TV. The resolution of the pictures is 480p (640*480) when connecting with the Wii™ game console. The resolution of the pictures is controlled through the game console. The resolution of the output pictures is 480p/720p/1080i/1080p when used with the PS3™ game console.
The frequency of the output pictures is 50/60/75hz. Audio output signal port is compatible with speakers and a headphone. Power consumption: 150MA-200MA, supplied by game console.
Much like the dim-witted kid you constantly taunted in kindergarten, Activision is having extraordinary difficulty making it past the number "1." Constantly cited in press releases, it appears uno is the only number the publisher cares to count on: #1 US publisher in 2007; a $1 billion dollar franchise in Guitar Hero; and #1 game in last week's Xbox Live Activity. Perhaps you too would be laughing all the way to the bank if you weren't such a mean-spirited brat in your early years.
Activision's latest claim to #1 fame is based on sales figures obtained from The NPD Group, Chart Track and The GFK Group, which label Infinity Ward's critically acclaimed Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare as the best-selling game for 2007. The frantic first-person shooter is said to have sold in excess of 7 million units worldwide, a particularly impressive victory considering the game's relatively recent November release. Of course, those keen on the shooting of the aliens will recall that Microsoft claimed an 8.1 million sales 'splosion for Halo 3 earlier this month, bringing the title of "Best-selling Game of 2007 OMG" title into minor dispute.
We've contacted both boasters to clarify the figures ... just so we can be sure to stick the air pump into the right ego. Regardless, you'd best take this as a sign to start counting down the months until the inevitable Call of Duty 5 arrives. Let's just hope it's not a #2.
I got a region A (American) copy of Shoot 'Em Up which is region locked (which i did'nt know about at the time).
After i put it into my UK PS3 and clicked onto the filmes icon (BDMV), the machine thought about it and a message came up in big letters saying REGION INCOMBATIBILITY. Then it goes back to the PS3 menues
Tried it a few times and it done the same over and over again.
So on the last try when the "region incombatibility" message came up i pressed the triangle on the controller, which brings up the pop-up menu and clicked on "TOP MENU" then BINGO the films menu came on .
Everything on the film works OK and the film plays all the way through.
I dont know if this would work on other titles?. But it works on this one
Other reported region A(region locked) titles that also work are (Which are all from New Line):
Hairspray
Mr woodcock
Rush Hour 3
GameDaily BIZ has heard from a corporate retail source - not from Best Buy, but at another major retailer - that something is definitely "afoot" but he "can't really comment (until the 80GBs are gone.)" [parentheses statement added by source, not us - Ed].
Moreover, we spoke with Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey who told us, "Sony is likely dumping the 80GB version because it has failed to meet internal sales projections."
UPDATE2: Well, this is interesting. We just heard from The NPD Group who told us, "In the last quarter (when both were on the market), the 80GB sold more units than the 40GB." When pressed for a more exact breakdown of the sales data between the two SKUs, NPD said they could not provide that. It's certainly a surprise to us, however, that the more expensive 80GB would have sold more than 40GB, which many have attributed the PS3 sales spike to.
* How is PlayStation Network doing in PAL territories?
* One thing that has surprised us is in network purchases and the level of interest that has been shown around the network business. We've gone from zero to almost double digit millions in terms of what people have purchased in euros. And we're obviously very happy about this. I suppose you might ask whether the retail trade would be worried about it. But what we're seeing is that most of these purchases are incremental.
And we're working very closely with the retail trade, particularly countries like France, where Carrefour has its own online retail programme. Even in emerging markets some of the trade are already looking to work with us on joint marketing programmes.
We've now got about two million PlayStation Network registrations. That's about 40 per cent of users who are registering. We've also had about 33m downloads which is a huge, huge number. And we've got 25 stores up and running across the PAL territories. That, of course, is one of the reasons why it's sometimes slow to get some of the uploads onto the European PlayStation store; we have so many stores.
* What everyone is interested in, of course, are the top line numbers...
* Well, Sony Corporation will be announcing the full numbers shortly, so we have to steer away from installed base. But I can give you some figures...
I would call December something of a trinity, because we sold just over a million PlayStation 3s during the month. That's across all PAL territories and that's a sell-through figure.
About 20 to 22 per cent of that figure was sold in the UK alone; we're very happy with our performance in the UK.
Sales data for HD-DVD and Blu-ray players and movies has been misconstrued lately by various outlets, with reports implying that HD-DVD sales have fallen at an amazing pace while Blu-ray sales have blasted through the roof.
The NPD Group attempted to quiet the storm of online scuttlebutt with the following statement:
"The facts are that during the week that is being singled out, both Blu-ray disc players and software were being given away for free with the purchase of 1080p TVs. It is also important to note that the instant rebate promotions that had previously netted Toshiba's players' MSRPs to $199 and $249 had actually ended on Jan. 5th -- causing an increase in HD DVD's MSRP back to $299 and $399 during that same week. Since Toshiba's retail price move on Jan. 13th to $149 / $199 -- Toshiba is seeing very positive sales trends at retail. This reinforces the fact that price is a significant driver of sales."
"Toshiba's HD DVD players represent a significant value to the consumer and the marketing campaign that just began is proving effective."
Play FPS and other advanced games on your Playstation 3 the way they should be, with a clear technical advantage with the XFPS Rate Up Adapter.
With this smart device, you can use a mouse and keyboard on your Playstation 3 by remapping the Dual Shock 3/Six Axis buttons to be used on the keyboard and mouse.
With great compatiblity and high sensitivity, it is a must have for all hard core FPS gamers on Playstation 3!
Specifications & extra information
- Compatible with all PS3 games
- Compatible with all versions of PS 3 (NTSC/US , PAL, NTSC/JAP)
- Can map the controller button keys to any key of the Keyboard
- Compatible with 95% of mice and Keyboards models and brands.
- High sensitivity, precision and smoothness.
- Can adjust the mouse sensitivity from 2 extra wheels with 16 levels of adjustment for X and Y sensitivity to adapt perfectly to every mice.
- Built in Turbo (Auto Fire) functionality. Independent Auto fire buttons: Eight customizable auto-fire buttons (no soldering required)
- Plug and Play - Just connect the XFPS RATEUP to PS3. (no PC required)
- Ease of use: Just use the original PS3 controller to re-map itself to the keyboard.
- Both controllers analog stick keys can also be mapped to the keyboard.
We know that Final Fantasy games, much like fine wine and Radiohead albums, take some time to come together nicely -- still, it's hard for us to believe that Final Fantasy XIII (in all its shapes and forms) will be dropping by its latest release date of "this year". We've had our hearts broken so many times by delays for hotly anticipated titles that we've sadly come to expect them.
Fear not, says the comforting voice of long time series character designer Tetsuya Nomura, the long wait for the Fabula Nova Crystallis collection will be over soon enough. Not only does he swear by the game's 2008 release date, he teases at a playable demo for FFXIII on the PlayStation Network a while before the game is released, to show off the game's revamped battle system. So don your steepled hat and cuddle tight your cactaur plushie -- your chance to sit down with the unluckiest chapter in Square Enix's seminal RPG franchise could be just around the corner.
The mainstream media and other non-consumers of video games have been portraying gamers as pasty, bleary-eyed shut-ins since the 8-bit days -- aside from some bruised feelings, that stereotype never really did us any harm. However, a recent proposal of the powerful environmental organization The Sierra Club to the New Mexico state legislature may put a dent in the pockets of consumers and retailers living in the Land of Enchantment.
The proposal calls for a 1 percent sales tax on televisions and video games; the proceeds of which would go to "outdoor education programs". According to an article in the Huffington Post, these programs would counteract the negative effects of video games -- "lower academic scores, obesity, and increased attention-deficit disorder." Supporters of the "No Child Left Inside" movement tried to pass a similar bill last year, but were unsuccessful.
Unsurprisingly, gaming advocacy groups have spoken out against the bill's obvious shortcomings, such as its assumption that video games are the sole contributor to childhood obesity, lower grades and ADD. We couldn't agree more. The only weight we've gained from being gaming enthusiasts is from our skin growing thicker due to constant attacks on our lifestyle.
Have you ever experienced this feeling after playing a real-time strategy game? You get used to the controls, learn all the hotkeys, become efficient with the mouse, and find that the best way to win is to build units and firepower as fast as possible and throw them at the opponent in successive, inexorable waves.
It's not that the game ceases to be fun, but that it ceases to be fresh: the basic strategy never really changes. Essentially, your only viable strategy -- your overall plan for success -- is to wear down your opponent and destroy him.
I have experienced this feeling. As empowering -- and, at least initially, as fun -- as real-time strategy (RTS) games are, I often find that they turn into real-time tactics (RTT) games after a while. So often, there is no other viable plan for success beyond attrition. Sure, I may construct that building here instead of there, or gain control of those resources over there instead of these here, but I can never really change my basic plan for victory.
I cannot win by convincing my opponent to lay down his arms, since he knows that the only way I can win is for me to destroy him. I must collect more resources than my opponent in order that he not wear me out first. The threat of force or the limited use of force would not convince my opponent that I would win if our military forces engaged one another. Since there is only one viable strategy -- attrition -- victory will go to the best tactician, not the best strategist.
DecalGirl PlayStation 3 System Skin
Manufacturer: DecalGirl
Site: Buy from DecalGirl
Price: $14.99 (system skin only); $4.00 each (controller skin purchased w/system skin); $4.99 each (controller skin only)
Overview : Say what you will about the new Playstation 3 - it sure is glossy black. Like it's little brother the PSP, the PS3 collects dust and fingerprints with a vengeance. Plus, your mega-purchase looks like every other console out there...
Enter the new line of full-color PS3 skins from DecalGirl, with all the features you've come to expect - no fading, no goo or residue, and a washable surface. They're thin enough to conform easily to the curves, yet thick enough to prevent scratching the OEM finish. And, they're right here at our facility in the USA.
Quality/Usability : What does the PlayStation Portable and the Sony PlayStation 3 have in common? No. Not because their made by Sony, have PlayStation in the name or both being black. They're both magnets for fingerprints. We all hate the finger marks that the Sony systems attracts as it looks nasty and horrible.
With the DecalGirl PlayStation 3 Skin Kit, not only will it prevent fingerprints, it will protect your expensive investment from scratches and spice up the looks of your console. DecalGirl is well-known for their high quality vinyl skins. Skins produced by DecalGirl are vibrant in color and durable. There are a lot of skins to choose from and there will be some that will catch your eyes. You can even match all your consoles such as DS, Wii, Xbox 360, etc. to have the same skin.
The PlayStation 3 kit includes a skin for you PlayStation 3 ($14.99) and a skin for your SIXAXIS/Dual Shock 3 controller ($4.00 each). You dont have to get the kit. If you just need controller skins, you can purchase them for $4.99 each (savings of $0.99 each when purchased with system skin).
The system skin comes on one sheet. On this sheet are 3 vinyl skins (top, memory card door, front panel). The controller skin comes also on one sheet. There are multiple pieces for top front of the controller. You can even use the smaller pieces to to cover the buttons if you choose to but its your decision.
To apply the console skin, I simply started by matching the corners of the skin to the corner of the PlayStation 3 for all three sections. Once matched, I did it to the other 2 corners and left the fourth corner alone. Considering the skins are fairly big, it should not be a problem applying the skin. There are a couple of ways to smooth out the skin. You can use a credit card or something similar, your fingers or a rag. I personally use my fingers first to set the skin in place and use a rag to flatten and smooth the skin out. I dont use a card because it has sharp edges/corners and if there is a small hard particle that got trapped underneath the skin, it can ruin the skin.
The controller skin, can be a little tricky especially when it comes left (d-pad/joystick) and right (buttons/joystick) side of the controller. Since the left and right side are circular, I started off the biggest circle (d-pad and buttons). Once I aligned majority of the section around the d-pad and buttons, I started from the other end (joysticks). From here, I can place the skin around the joystick. This will also allow me to adjust the skin if needed. Once applied successfully on both sides, I applied the middle. The middle is fairly easy and I only had to worry about the skin going around the PlayStation Home, SELECT and START buttons. Last but not least was right about the L1 and R1 trigger buttons.
The controller skin also includes d-pad and buttons. Its up to you whether or not you want to apply these or just leave the controller alone.
Although everything fit perfectly, there was a problem. Since the PlayStation 3 has a sensor on the power and eject buttons and the skin covering the sensor, this prevents the buttons from functioning. This may be a major drawback for some. Yes, you can use the controller to turn on and off your system and eject your Blu-Ray disc but you still have to get up to remove the disc from the slot. So while you're up, why not power on/off and eject your system? You're up already. To solve this problem, you can either not apply the skin which wouldnt look right or cut out that section only, leaving a empty hole. Although this works, this may make the skin look ugly.
Conclusion : Overall, the DecalGirl PlayStation 3 Skin Kit looks great just like all other DecalGirl skins. Everything fit perfectly on both the controller and system. But the only drawback was the ability to use the power on/off and eject button. To some it wouldnt matter but to others, it would. DecalGirl would probably be able to fix this by adding a metallic piece under the vinyl or have a cutout of the buttons? This may require additional work and a change in their printing process or template. Then again, with DecalGirl's creativity, they might be able to think of a way.
Several "anonymous sources" have this weekend emerged from the woodwork to spread news of the 80GB PS3 being pushed aside to make giving way to a new larger SKU.
Stories suggest that the 80GB SKU currently on sale in US is due for the chop, with a 120GB version set to replace it.
This would go hand-in-hand with a previous statement from SCEE president and CEO, who hinted last year that a 120GB PS3 could be possible.
"The difference between 60 and 80GB is very small, we just feel that going up 20GB is not worth it," he said, adding: "if you go to double it, it's worth it ... so maybe you'll see something a little bit later."
Sony UK, however, dismissed this weekend's reports as "rumour and speculation".
If the rumours turn out to be true, the 80GB console will be the third SKU axed in just over a year since the console's release. But does Sony really need to release another new PS3 so soon? It might be a different story once PlayTV is up and running.
Korean developer Blueside is teaming up with Phantagram to create a Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders sequel.
It will take the series back to its tactical roots after upcoming action RPG spin-off Circle of Doom, and will be a self-confessed pioneer of the MMOARTS genre (massively multiplayer online action real-time strategy).
This, ambitiously, means you and thousands of others can siege castles and wage war online, as any one of three factions: Human Alliance, Dark Kingdom and mysterious new addition.
There will be a single-player campaign to romp through as well, promising a deep storyline and lots of drama between characters. Like Neighbours.
On top of all of that are boasts of spectacular graphics which, judging by the first batch of shots, sounds reasonable.
Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders appeared on Xbox in 2004 and blended action with RTS. It was well received and followed by KUF: Heroes a year later.
Kingdom Under Fire II is due out on PC and consoles in 2009.
Three new screenshots from Grand Theft Auto IV have found their way onto the internet.
Last week Rockstar confirmed the massively anticipated sequel will go on worldwide release on April 29, while admitting that PS3 contributed to the game's delay to this year. News that like writes itself.
We recently tripped over the Rockstar's UK HQ for a new look at GTA IV, and in case you missed it you can read our MASSIVE in-depth report here.
Until now we've only seen scans of Resistance 2 - but here we have the first seven proper screenshots from the PS3 sequel.
Recent info on the game revealed the Chamelion and Stalker, beasts that have stealthier tactics than the Chimera, with the ability to cloak themselves invisible and sneak up on you. Insomniac has apparently listened to feedback from the first game, and focused on improving the enemy AI, checkpoints and health system in the new game.
The sixty-player multiplayer gameplay will take on a new focus on squad-based gameplay. There will be three main classes of player, a Tank class who have the big guns, Special Ops handle the long-range sniper action, and the Medic to patch up the n00bs.
The world of dodgy console peripherals has struck again with another laughable invention, this time to add rumble to your bog-standard SixAxis controller.
If buying the £300 console left your wallet too empty to import a DualShock 3 controller, peripheral company PEGA wants to help with its $17 [£8.55] contraption pictured below.
It's called the Vibrating Bag, for some unknown reason, and features a vibrating unit that straps to your SixAxis, with a transmitter that is attached to your PS3.
Only, the transmitter has a massive '80s-style aerial antenna on it, ruining the neo look of your PS3, and by the looks of it, the shaking unit responds to sounds in the game (like a sort of small vibrating speaker), not the game's proper rumble signals.
But don't let that put you off because it also has a built-in FM radio tuner - cutting edge stuff. And according to the packaging it was "specially designed for PS3 game chip" so it must be good.
Why did we ever spend £40 on a DualShock 3 when we could have just got this?
It been confirmed that the controversial Grab Bag Achievement in the new Turok game, which would reward players for killing members of their own team in an online multiplayer game, will be removed via a patch on the day of the game's release.
Josh Holmes, VP of Propaganda Games, told CVG last year that his team was considering readying a patch to remove the Grab Bag achievement should it prove to be ruining the game for players. After the noise we made about it, Propaganda evidently decided to go ahead with the fix.
Wired, who quotes CVG as calling the Grab Bag achievement the "worst multiplayer achievement in the history of games," reports that the patch will be made available online on February 5, and will change the Achievement (or the "accomplishment" in the PS3 version) so that you only need to kill an enemy, a creature and yourself.
Rumble functionality and 1080i support will also be included in the patch for the PS3 version.
Gartner, the fat lady of research firms, is singing HD DVD's swan song this morning. Hiroyuki Shimizu, Principal Research Analyst in Japan, says in Gartner's Semiconductor DQ Monday Report that, "Gartner believes that Toshiba's price-cutting may prolong HD DVD's life a little, but the limited line-up of film titles will inflict fatal damage on the format." He goes on to call the recent price cuts "useless resistance" in avoiding the inevitable. What's that, you coyly ask?
According to Shimizu, "Gartner expects that, by the end of 2008, Blu-ray will be the winning format in the consumer market, and the war will be over." With 5 of the 7 major studios now backing Blu-ray exclusively, Gartner's certainty on the subject doesn't appear to be much of a stretch.
ELSPA investigators have discovered consoles stashed full of cash in the home of an industrious illegal chipper - not, in this case, someone unlawfully happy.
The bloke in question, a resident of Tower Hamlets, had secreted an impressive £12,210 inside a hollowed-out Xbox 1 and PS2s.
Unsurprisingly the fat-boy Xbox - probably now the only one in existence used for something other than a toe-stubbing doorstop - won the cash-stash hands down, with £5,925 apparently where the hard drive would normally be.
Just as well he didn't stick it in an Xbox 360. It would have probably caught fire.
As well as illegally chipping Xboxs and PS2s, the man was selling PSP games on SD memory card. Naughty.
"I've heard it all now", beamed Michael Rawlinson, managing director of ELSPA. "It never ceases to amaze ELSPA and its investigators the lengths criminals go to make money - and always to the detriment of honest, hard working businesses. I congratulate Tower Hamlets Trading Standards on bringing to an end this illegal business operation."
Our inside source of all things video gaming has been right almost every time it comes out of the shadows to give us information, so I'm going to dispense with the back story. Wherever his or her information is coming from, it's usually solid. After I spoke to Sony about the possible discontinuation of the 80GB PS3 model, I lit the mole-signal.
Working late into the night on Saturday, I heard a noise behind me. For both of our safety, I didn't turn around. "You've talked to Sony," the mole said in a gravelly whisper. "Tell me what they told you."
I repeated the information we reported on Friday: Sony is sticking to a two-model approach at retail, but the company won't comment on whether or not the other model would be the 80GB system. The 40GB system seems safe. I asked the mole what information he had.
"Sony is, in fact, phasing out the 80GB PS3. Sony is going to stay with the two-SKU approach though, and the prices look to stay the same," the mole told me. I heard sirens in the background, and the mole seemed nervous. "The Spiderman 3 pack-in will disappear as well once the 80GB unit is gone. In order to maintain a similar value proposition to the 80GB/Spiderman 3 bundle, I expect to see a storage increase to 120 or 160GB at the same price point, plus the new Dual-Shock 3 controller..."
No word on when this is released if true. Theres also no information as to whether it will have backwards compatibility, card reader or how many USB ports it will have. If this new SKU'd PS3 is the same exact thing as the current 80GB and same price just only bigger harddrive and includes Dual Shock 3, early adopters will be screwed over by Sony,
GP2X Store have today revamped their online store, they previously sold GP2X, Treamcast, Tapwave Zodiac, GP32 and JXD301 but today have reopened and selling a massive range of memory cards and more for the PSP, Wii, DS, One Station and the Homebrew Phone sensation the Neophone.
Full details at GP2X Store.com and this store comes highly recommended.
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has told GamesIndustry.biz that there are currently no plans to introduce a 120GB PlayStation 3 in the region.
Rumours are circulating that Sony America is due to launch a new model PlayStation 3 in the US, as stocks of the 80GB model begin to disappear from shelves.
Gaming blog Ars Technica has reported that a 120GB sku is due shortly – complete with DualShock 3 controller and retailing for the same price as the 80GB Spider-Man 3 bundle – although Sony has made no comment to confirm this.
However, if any 120GB unit is to be launched in North America, there's no such roll-out on the cards for Europe.
"We do not currently have any plans to release a 120GB PlayStation 3 in the UK," said a spokesperson for SCEE.
Sony has hinted in the past that it could release PS3 units with larger hard-drives if consumers demanded it, to take advantage of the increasing supply of digitally delivered content via services such as the PlayStation Network.
Sony has constantly chopped and changed prices and hardware configurations in all three of its key territories, most recently discontinuing the 20GB and 60GB skus in Japan.
2K Games has announced that the Wii version of Civilization Revolution has been put on hold indefinitely.
A spokesperson told Eurogamer developer Firaxis wants to put all of its efforts into building the "next-generation" versions.
Which means PS3 and 360 outings, plus a DS game, are still due out this spring.
Civilization Revolution is a fully-fledged instalment in the series - no worries about a quickly cobbled together and dumbed down port here. 2K Games is also keen to emphasise it is spending hours and hours on getting the interface right for consoles, believing few have nailed it so far.
Specifically it will have a strong online component, with streamlined games for fewer day-long head-to-head matches. On top of that will be voice and vision chat so you can see the effect of your plans on your opponent, and 16 civilizations to test your tactical tenacity with.
Gran Turismo 5: Prologue will be available in the US from April 17 in shops or as a download. We're sitting tight about a European release date though...
Sony has sent word that the long awaited GT5 will be out in the US mid-April. Or a few weeks before GTA IV to be more precise. "It's official - SCEA announced today the April 17 North American ship date for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue" beams the official PlayStation blog.
Sony UK told us, "April 17 is a US date only. We have yet to confirm a release date for GT5 Prologue in Europe, and will do so in due course."
The title will be available for $39.99 [£20] on Blu-ray Disc or as a download via the PlayStation Store. Curiously Sony hasn't said how much cheaper the download version will be, if at all.
But if you opt for the Blu-ray version you'll also get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of the game dubbed, Beyond the Apex, which translated into UK English means Round The Bend.
"This video will offer some awesome access to the folks at Polyphony and give some background on how they are able to create such a realistic and beautiful driving simulator," says Sony.
We're promised more in the run up, but if you can't wait that long take a look at our recent GT5 movies, taken straight from the Japanese version, which went on sale the other side of Christmas. It's all good.
Konami has kindly offered a helping hand to CRT-owning PlayStation 3 Pro Evolution 2008 players, with a new patch available today over the PlayStation Network ironing out frame-rate issues experienced by our lo-def cousins.
While it may come as a surprise to some that PS3 owners may still be hooking up their console to older televisions, the news will be welcomed by the large number of current-generation gamers yet to make the switch to HD, and marks a welcome stance from Konami following some other publishers shunning of older technologies.
The download will be initiated automatically upon next booting up PSN via the game.
Burnout Paradise has crashed into the number one spot in the UK all formats charts, pushing aside a top ten of pre-Christmas releases.
Sales of the latest Electronic Arts' racer are fairly evenly split between the two formats – Xbox 360 accounts for 53 per cent of all units sold while 47 per cent is attributed to the PlayStation 3.
The first blockbuster releases of the new year knocks Sega's Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games off the top spot to number two, despite a sales increase over last week of seven per cent.
Activision's seven million-selling Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare also benefited from a rise in sales by five per cent, although it was also nudged down the charts to number three.
Continuing success for the Wii has seen Wii Play climb the charts from ten to four this week, while chart stalwart Dr Kawashima's Brain Training is at five.
The Simpsons Game and Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed are at six and seven respectively, with FIFA 08 at eight.
THQ's Ratatouille is the biggest climber this week, shooting up the charts to number nine from last week's 30, while More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima completes the top ten at ten.
Nintendo's DS brain training games remain popular in Germany and Spain, with both the original and the follow-up title appearing on the top ten charts.
According to data released by Media-Control GfK International, the second DS title - known as Brain Age 2 in the US and UK - was the most popular game in Germany and Spain for the week ending January 20 .
The original game was number four in both countries, with the Wii's Big Brain Academy charting at number two in Spain.
Nintendo games took up half of the German top ten chart, with four PC games and a single PS2 game. In Spain, Nintendo games accounted for six of the top ten, with the PlayStation 3 managing to place three titles on the chart.
The complete charts for the week ending January 20 are:
Germany:
1. Dr. Kawashima: Mehr Gehirn-Jogging (DS)
2. Wii Play (Wii)
3. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC)
4. Dr. Kawashima's Gehirn-Jogging (DS)
5. World of Warcraft (PC)
6. Super Mario Galaxy (DS)
7. Augen-Training (PC)
8. Mario Party DS (DS)
9. World of Warcraft - The Burning Crusade (PC)
10. Singstar: Apres Ski (PS2)
Spain:
1. Mas Brain Training (DS)
2. Big Brain Academy (Wii)
3. Assassin's Creed (PS3)
4. Brain Training Del Dr. Kawashima (DS)
5. Uncharted: El Tesoro de Drake (PS3)
6. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PS3)
7. Wii Play (Wii)
8. Practice English - Ingles Para El Dia a Dia (DS)
9. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PS2)
10. New Super Mario Bros. (DS)
Related Information
This comes straight from Insomniac's brochure released on 1ts January,2008.
SPUs
All our systems started off as RAW mode. The only long term (not finished this frame) asynchronous processing is the collision on the raw SPUs. We use [Job Manager] but not all systems use it in the typical way of fire and forget. Most of our system require the SPU to be running a particular system at the same time as the PPU. To ensure the SPU is doing what we want at the correct time we send [Job Manager] the job and use our own thin synchronization and job buffering schemes using the locked-line for communication
10-20% total SPU utilization
Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced that Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will ship on April 17 in North America.
The game will be available as both a Blu-ray disc and a PlayStation Store download. The disc version, priced at USD 39.99, will feature an exclusive behind-the-scenes HD video feature called "Beyond the Apex."
"Ten years following the introduction of Gran Turismo on PS One, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue delivers the most realistic and technologically advanced racing experience on any platform," said Jeff Reese, SCEA's director of software marketing.
"With 1080p graphics, revolutionary online features like Gran Turismo TV and the new in-cockpit racing view, the world's best-selling racing franchise will once again set the standard for racing games."
Prologue, a precursor to Gran Turismo 5, will feature over 60 vehicles from manufacturers such as Ferrari, Audi and Nissan. Players will be able to race online for the first time in the history of the franchise with up to 16 vehicles racing at once. SCEA is promising a frame rate of 60 fps in 1080p HD, along with support for the new DualShock 3 controller.
A new dedicated online channel from the PlayStation Network, Gran Turismo TV, will offer worldwide motorsport programming and manufacturer content.
Men in their mid 20s and 30s need to put down the Xbox controller and grow up, says writer Kay Hymowitz in an opinion piece published in the Dallas Morning News.
Thanks to the emergence of pop culture such as television and gaming today's mid-20-something male
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