SAN FRANCISCO (March 2008) - SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced that Viking: Battle For Asgard™ for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system has shipped to retailers in North America. Developed by acclaimed studio, The Creative Assembly, Viking: Battle for Asgard is a new and horrific twist on Norse mythology that allows players to feel the power of a true Viking hero.
Viking: Battle For Asgard™ thrusts players into a mythological world overrun with demonic warriors unleashed by Hel, the Norse goddess of the underworld. As Skarin, a rage-fueled Viking hero, players will wage all-out war to free mankind from the grip of evil and ultimate annihilation. Players can command dragons and wield fire, ice, and lightning, laying waste to enemies in either small skirmishes or epic battles featuring hundreds of warriors. Enemies will suffer graphic dismemberment with disturbing realism from an array of Skarin’s melee, range, and magic attacks. Upgradable combat skills and Skarin’s otherworldly abilities create an ever-changing landscape of epic violence and heroic victory.
Viking: Battle for Asgard for Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 systems is rated "M" for Mature by the Entertainment Software Rating Board and will retail for $59.95. For more information on the game, please visit www.sega.com/viking. Screenshots and artwork can be found on the SEGA FTP site at: http://segapr.segaamerica.com.
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue has debuted at No1 in the UK, becoming the fastest selling PS3 title within a week.
Released as a budget title, the racer beats previous fastest weekly seller Resistance: Fall of Man, which set the record back at the time of the PS3's launch.
A 50 percent drop in weekly sales sees Ubisoft's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 drop one place to No2, while Sega's Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games also falls one spot to No3.
Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 climbs seven positions to No4, the release of the Wii version helping to drive a 109 percent jump in weekly sales, while Activision's Guitar Hero III rounds off the top five.
Sega's Viking: Battle for Asgard debuts at No8, EA's Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath at No16, Sega's House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return at No21 and Sony's God of War: Chains of Olympus at No29.
01. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (Sony)
02. Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (Ubisoft)
03. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Sega)
04. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Konami)
05. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Activision)
06. Sega Superstar Tennis (Sega)
07. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision)
08. Viking: Battle for Asgard (Sega)
09. FIFA 08 (EA)
10. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training (Nintendo)
Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto IV is poised to sell 5.8 million units during its first week of availability, according to Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey.
In a note to GameStop investors, Hickey highlighted this year's top games that are expected to drive sales at the retailer.
Among titles such as Gears of War 2, Fable 2, Halo Wars, Wii Fit, Fallout 3, Mercenaries 2 and other high-profile games, Hickey singled out GTA IV, which is slated to release April 29.
"We expect [GameStop] will benefit from the release of GTA IV in their fiscal Q208 period, which could ship 5.8 million units in the first week or $360 million in retails sales and potentially $110 million for the Company," he wrote.
Hickey's week-one estimates are in line with Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter, who said in mid-March that he expects GTA IV to sell 6 million in its first week.
Pachter said he expects the game to sell 9 million during Rockstar parent Take-Two's fiscal year.
Hickey expects game industry software sales to grow 20 percent year-on-year for calendar 2008, with hardware sales growing 13 percent.
Sony has debriefed us on the upcoming SOCOM: Confrontation game for PS3.
It's online-only, as we had thought, and will allow 32 players to pretend they are in the army and shoot each other.
Key to its charms will be a clever squad and clan system where you can recruit as well as promote or demote members to whittle your way to a perfect unit.
This squad will be made up of members of special forces from around the world: the US Navy Seals, the Special Air Service (UK), the 1er Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine (France), the Unidad de Operaciones Especiales (Spain) and the Kommando Spezialkräfte (Germany).
Other special forces from around the world will be added as time goes on, as will other characters, weapons and maps.
Once you have your team you will be able to compete in regional, national, and global tournaments; the emphasis is very much on competitive play here, and events will run on weekdays and weekends to ensure those with busy schedules can join in.
There will be seven maps to tactically run around at the beginning, and those doing the winning will be the ones using their heads and working together, we're told - there's no I in team.
Sony is also launching a special website to accompany the game where you can tinker with your clan while away from your PS3.
There's no release date for the game in Europe just yet, although we heard recently that it would be available in the US this September.
Ubisoft has revealed that Rainbow Six Vegas 2 has passed the 2 million sales point.
The tactical shooter has exceeded the publisher's expectations, apparently, so it has put its profit predictions up by EUR 45 million.
"As expected, 2008 is off to be a record year for the videogame market and our games have performed remarkably well in this context," said Yves Guillemot, privileged-space filler in the Ubisoft car park.
"Assassin's Creed and our Games For Everyone brands continued their strong performance and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 had a better than expected start.
"One year after the great success of the first title, the second iteration, which provides another unique multiplayer experience in the much enjoyed Tom Clancy environment, is ranked among the top games on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in almost every country."
Rainbow Six Vegas 2 shot to the top of the charts after its first week on sale. It fell to second this week behind Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, with sales dipping by a hefty 50 per cent.
We went to Vegas 2 and enjoyed our stay; it was more an incremental follow-on than fully-fledged sequel, and whether you take that as good or bad omen should perfectly mark out if you should buy it or not.
The upcoming Call of Duty 4 downloadable map pack will arrive on PS3 around "three weeks" after the Xbox 360 version, Infinity Ward programmer Jon Shiring told CVG.
We knew the maps were coming to Xbox first, but programmer Jon Shiring, who primarily works on the multiplayer aspect of CoD 4, shone a little light on when we should look out for the PS3 downloadable content.
"The maps are coming to PS3 - they'll be around three weeks later." When pressed further for the developer's reasoning behind the decision to lead on Xbox (especially when CoD4 has made a name for itself as the FPS of choice on PS3) Shiring said, "It's just the way it worked out. We're working as hard as we can to try to get it out there."
Could it be part of Infinity Ward's efforts to maintain its lead over Halo 3 on the Xbox Live 'most played' list?
Ian Dean, editor of PSW magazine, speculates that without the threat of Halo 3, IW has a firm grip on the PS3 shooting market, and may have choose to focus its attention on the 360 DLC first to maintain its momentum over Bungie's flagship shooter.
"With the exception of Rainbow Six Vegas 2, there's nothing to compete with Infinity Ward on PS3, so they probably lead on Xbox 360 because they need to compete with Halo 3," Dean told us, pointing to Resistance 2 as IW's only upcoming threat on Sony's console.
An earlier report suggested that the 360 DLC, which was unofficially expected out on April 3, has been pushed back to April 10. Activision has still to actually confirm a specific date for either batch of DLC. But it's safe to say that it's massively anticipated on both platforms.
Look out for our full hands-on report of the Variety Map Pack soon and further insight from Shiring, who claims to be able to outrun a domestic house cat.
Let's get ready to rumble! Sony's PlayStation Blog announced today that DualShock 3 controllers are currently shipping to North American stores and should be available next week. The controller originally had an April 15 release date attached to it, but apparently it can go right on the shelf as soon as it's delivered. Just to make sure though, we've sent Sony an email asking them to confirm.
We've placed the full list of DualShock 3 compatible titles after the break; games with an asterisk require a patch (which will automatically download if you're connected online). Sony will also be adding a page later today on its official PlayStation site dedicated to listing titles with rumble. DualShock 3 compatible titles will have an icon on the box and the controller's suggested retail price is $55 [£27.73]. For those who truly don't care about rumble, keep an eye out for falling Sixaxis prices.
SCEA - Formula One Championship Edition* (PS3)
SCEA - MotorStorm* (PS3)
SCEA - PAIN (PSN)
SCEA - High Velocity Bowling (PSN)
SCEA - MLB 08: The Show (PS3)
SCEA - Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3)
SCEA - Resistance: Fall of Man* (PS3)
SCEA - Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3)
The version 1.3 patch for Warhawk will be released today between 10am and 4pm GMT, adding new equipment and other enhancements.
Between these hours, Sony will shut down the Warhawk servers for scheduled maintenance, and warns players that, while they'll be able to log into PSN and download the new patch, you won't actually be able to play until the servers are back up and running. It's a great time to get some CoD 4 time in, then.
Added features include two new pieces of troop equipment in the form of a Bio-Field Emitter, which "creates a zone of healing for allies and a zone of damage for enemies", and a Mechanic Field Wrench, "that can be used to repair allied vehicles and turrets as well as damage enemy vehicles and turrets".
And the other smaller tweaks are:
Integration of Contest Winner Insignias and Paint Schemes
.50cal turret targeting enhanced
Point value update for CTF defend and flag-carrier kill
CTF Sudden-Death trigger fix
Disabled CTF Flag throw/drop functionality
New VOIP Functionality
HOME Game-Launching
And if you Warhawk warmongers haven't heard, Sony is readying another major expansion, Operation: Broken Mirror, for release on PSN later this month for £3.99.
Back in the golden days when we did a lot of gaming on PC, installations were known as "get pumped" time. You looked through the instruction booklet, you saw if you could wear the cloth map as a scarf, you'd watch the bar grow and, in short, get totally pumped. But PS3 owners today are, understandably, a little less jazzed when it happens to them.
MTV did a little digging to find out why some games need it and some games don't and the answers may surprise you. In short, different parts of a disc move at different speeds. DVD players can read at different speeds, but Blu-ray players read at one, so DVDs being dropped onto Blu-rays causes the problems. A similar problem doesn't exist with the hard drive. There are ways around installing (obviously), but they sound like they require a bit more work for the developer.
For you PS3 owners: How much of a problem is installation? Is it a pain? Or do you welcome the return of "get pumped" time?
DigiTimes is feeling pretty confident about the rumors they started yesterday regarding the Xbox 360 with integrated Blu-ray. They are so confident that they're predicting a price war as Microsoft takes on Sony's PS3 at its own game. Their sources claim that the Blu-ray Disc drive will cost Microsoft between $95 and $100 -- much higher than the $18 to $20 DVD drives already found in the Xbox 360. Microsoft is of course, expected to sell its new Blu-ray rig at a loss as is customary in the console market. Sony may then be forced to lower the cost of the PS3 and/or retaliate by increasing Lite-On's cost for the Blu-ray components (like the BD-ROM pick-up heads) purchased from Sony. Whatever the result, the competition would be nothing but good news for consumers of HD media... you know, if the rumor is true.
This shouldn't come as much of a ... shock, but Sony is discontinuing the Sixaxis in light of the DualShock 3's arrival, according to MTV. A Sony rep says that you can likely expect them to all be gone by summertime.
The practical upshot is that if your hands have become so atrophied from a lack of physical activity that you can no longer support the DualShock's heft, you may want to stock up on featherweight Sixaxises (Sixaxi?). Good night, sweet, almost comically light prince. And flights of angels (controllable with aftertouch) sing thee to thy rest.
Are you dreading spending $55 on a new DualShock 3? Then how about spending $60 on a generic? This Zero controller by Nyko promises all the wireless rumble/tilt of the DualShock 3. But why would you spend more than on official Sony gear? It features aluminum panels, backlit LED buttons, comfortable controls and a removable NiMH batter pack good for 25 hours of play. The catch? Word is that the wireless technology isn't Bluetooth, but standard 2.4Ghz (requiring an adapter, we're guessing). Still, if this had an offset analog stick ala Xbox 360, I would consider the purchase.
The NPD Group (those same people who bring us all the neat sales numbers) just published their annual results charting how much of the US actually plays video games. And yeah, we already gave away the punchline in the headline.
72% of Americans play some sort of video games (that's up from 64% last year). Of that 72%, only 42% play games online (that's up from 40% last year). And of that 42% of online players, 90% play online with their PC. Also of note, 50% of online console gaming was on the Xbox 360. And only 2-3% of NPD's respondents reported owning more than one console. How's that for some late afternoon watercooler fodder?
“Realistic game-play and easy controls” are the two aims the makers of this popular baseball game had in mind during the development process. The game is smoother than before, even during fast action parts like defense and base running. The loading time is shorter with less black screens. The game supports two modes of game play, “pennant race” and “stardom mode”. For each of these two modes there are different levels of difficulty and the game selects them randomly to create a more realistic gaming experience for its gamers. The baseball players in the game are lifelike renditions of their real world counterparts, and as the game proceeds, the coordination between your team increase.
The graphics, motions, special effects are so polished that they practically shine. Details like the follow-through motions of the pitcher and the batter are included visually as well. The actions of throwing different balls varies and motions are captured in details during the development process.
The Japanese version of Konami's Pro Yakyuu Spirits 5 for PlayStation2™ and PlayStation3™ are in stock today and are available at respectively US$ 64.90 and US$ 74.90 only.
features
New Shot System – Check out the new shot system and see if you have the skills to take your golf score lower. The new shot system offers a high risk to reward ratio and gives players the ability to hit the ball farther and straighter, but also penalizes more on mistimed shots.
Online Action – Customize a tournament and square off with up to 50 of your closest friends, or swing into the lobby and interact with others while customizing your personal avatar with more than 300 options.
Crazy Characters & Caddies – Select one of 15 different playable characters all with their own distinct look, attributes and quirky characteristics. Six entertaining caddies wait to guide you through the open fairways and the tenacious rough.
Larger Courses & Environments – Strategically play your next shot while taking into account the neighboring holes. Larger playable environments let you play your errant tee shot from a neighboring hole, or if it makes sense take aim at a different fairway and use it as a shortcut.
6 Immaculate Courses – Play wherever golf is played. In the mountains, on the desert, along the coast or in the woods.
A Variety of Golf Outings - Multiple single player and multi-player modes of play including VS, Training, Tournament, Stroke, Match Play and more.
Downloadable Content – In between rounds, head to the PLAYSTATION®Store to download exciting content including characters, courses, clubs, clothing and other golf swag.
description
The Most Fun You'll Ever Have In Golf
Slip on the golf shoes, step out on the course and tee it up on the PLAYSTATION®3 with Hot Shots Golf® Out Of Bounds. Rip a 300 yard drive down the middle the fairway or go pin hunting on those tricky par 3s. No mulligans needed as Hot Shots Golf® Out of Bounds is all about having fun and enjoying the most entertaining and over the top golfing experience imaginable. So come on, step up and give it your best shot.
features
In-depth enemy data.
Extensive multiplayer strategy.
This strategy guide features a complete walkthrough of the entire game.
Detailed area maps.
Exhaustive listing of available weapons, powers and items.
Expert boss tactics.
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3
Pages: 144
Sony Corporation has underlined its intention to further cut production costs of its goods and fulfil more orders in an attempt to offset the reductions in export profits caused by the strengthening yen.
The current economic conditions, which have seen the yen make significant gains on the dollar in the past year, could impact the company's ability to offer any further price cuts on the PlayStation 3 in the foreseeable future - a move which spurred significant sales in the final quarter of 2007.
"As to the situation of the US dollar's weakness in the medium to long term, we already have a strategy to deal with it," said Ryoji Chubachi, Sony president, according to MSN Money.
"We will lower our production costs as possible as we can and we will choose production sites to cope with the industry's weakness, and in the short term, we will try to accept more orders."
For every JPY 1 gain versus the US dollar, Sony loses around JPY 6 billion (USD 58.3 million / EUR 37.5 million). In the past year the yen has moved from an exchange rate of 111 to the US dollar, to 102.5 - representing a loss of around JPY 51 billion (USD 496 million / EUR 318 million) for Sony.
Comic book character video games, even those based on comic book movies, love utilising power upgrades as motivation to perform well, and nowhere is this nearly as appropriate as in Sega's upcoming Iron Man game. In a diary posted over at IGN today, Game Director Jeffrey Tseng explains how the upgrade system works in the game.
Completing missions gives you cash, which I suppose is odd for a billionaire playboy, but we'll run with that. The better you perform, the better upgrades you can buy for your armour. Before each mission you can swap out various parts, much like your standard mech combat game...and I suppose that's what Iron Man is - a tiny mech. You can swap out repulsors, core systems, power cores, thrusters, and auxiliary weapons, allowing you to create a suit of armour well-suited to your armour needs. With multiple levels of upgrades available in each category, the Iron Man fanboy in me has actually caught on fire in anticipation of the game. I may even - given the opportunity - girlishly squeal.
Hideo Kojima has said Metal Gear Solid 4 might not necessarily be the last instalment in the series.
Apparently he's implied it will be the final game to avoid being press-ganged into developing more but it could live on, as a game or as a novel or comic.
"PR-wise, I really don't want to say that this the final game or this is the wrap up, but if I don't say it, people will make me create MGS again," Kojima told IGN.
"So I have to say, 'Die, Snake,' and really end it so I can move on to something else! Actually, it's a game, so even if Snake dies, the game can live on. We have to kill him at a certain point."
There is always the possibility that the series may be expanded onto the PSP as well. Kojima has a son who hates the console versions of Metal Gear Solid, but loved Portable Ops, and the opportunity to target this "very important and new" 13 to 15 year-old market is something Kojima is excited about.
However, he admitted he was getting to the stage where he had been trying to "pass the baton" to the younger members of his team, although being a stickler for perfection in all areas made it difficult to let go of.
Still, when Kojima does finally put Metal Gear Solid to bed, he'd like to try something different.
"Finally, it's the end of Snake, so I'd really want to start something really fresh and new when I create the game for the next one. Maybe the sequel to ZOE or a remake of Snatcher, for instance - if I just participate as a producer, yeah, that could be possible."
What would you like to see Hideo Kojima make next, Eurogamer reader?
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is due for release on 12th June.
Are you looking forward to the launch of Konami's concluding stealth masterpiece, Metal Gear Solid 4, on June 12? You should be, and here are 23 screens to get your stealth-cravings teeming.
You've go just over two months now to rush through the previous three games, and try to make sense of the bonkers plot, before the now grey-haired Snake will be with us in his open-world sneak off.
The final game will launch with a taster portion of the brilliant Metal Gear Online included, a preview of which you can read here.
It's about time the rest of us got to take a look inside Sony's Home. We might not even wipe our feet properly, we've been made to wait that long. But the closed beta phase now looks like it's coming to an end and we might actually get a turn with the open beta.
Speaking in the latest issue of the Official PlayStation Magazine, the senior director of the PlayStation Network is quoted as saying: "We'll be opening up Home beta to the public very soon and hope to see you there."
We wish we had more than that, but we don't. We'll get on the blower to Sony as soon as it gets to work but we know we'll only get something along the lines of "we haven't announced our plans for the Home open beta yet." And we'll say something like, "we know, that's why we're calling." It never works though...
But you never know, it can't be too far off now can it? Can it?
It may have taken more than a little time for Polyphony to warm to the idea, but Gran Turismo head Kazunori Yamauchi has confirmed that the series is finally going to be implementing damage, saying it could be included as a downloadable feature for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue as early as this Autumn.
In an interview with IGN earlier today, Yamauchi said that, "maybe by Fall we'll be able to implement it," before confirming that it would feature as a download for Prologue, which launched in the UK and across Europe last week. Gran Turismo has long been famed for its refusal to include any vehicle deformation, despite heightening demands from its fan-base, and any inclusion of the feature would be a massive boon for the series.
We'll have the full interview tomorrow, including Yamauchi's verdict on working on a Formula 1 title in the future, so check back for further details.
During an interview with Rockline Radio, a caller asked eighties rock band Def Leppard why none of their songs have been offered in any of the Guitar Hero or Rock Band games.
Guitarist Phil Collen granted fans' wishes by announcing that three of songs will be featured in Guitar Hero 4: "Photograph", "Animal" and "Rock of Ages" from their Pyromania and Hysteria albums.
The episode of Rockline will be made available on April 29.
The effects of Nintendo's mass market strategy can be felt worldwide, both in the US and in the game maker's homeland.
According to Famitsu (via Kotaku), the Nintendo DS sold over 6.3 million units during Japan's 2007 fiscal year, topping the hardware charts for the year in the country. The second slot belonged to the Wii, which managed over 3.7 million units, edging out number three PSP, which had over 3.4 million in sales.
Xbox 360, unsurprisingly, captured the last spot on the list.
Hardware charts are below (Famitsu didn't include sales of the PlayStation 2):
Nintendo DS: 6,343,547 units sold in 2007 (22,169,761 units cumulative)
Wii: 3,741,946 units in 2007 (5,695,579 units cumulative)
PSP: 3,427,971 units in 2007 (8,574,026 units cumulative)
PS3: 1,197,418 units in 2007 (2,009,492 units cumulative)
Xbox 360: 235,318 units in 2007 (602,558 units cumulative)
On the software front, the exercise-inspired Wii Fit was able to capture the top spot with 1.7 million sold. The rest of the top-selling software chart was nothing but other Nintendo titles:
1. Wii Fit: 1,762,193 copies sold
2. Mario Party DS: 1,659,315 copies sold
3. Wii Sports (unbundled in Japan): 1,616,377 copies sold (total: 2,840,389)
4. Super Smash Bros. Brawl: 1,554,852 copies sold
5. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: 1,354,447 copies sold
Atari has told Eurogamer that it is pushing the release of Alone in the Dark back from May to June.
The Xbox 360, PC, Wii and PS2 versions will now be available on 20th June in Europe and 24th June in the US. A PS3 offering is still "to follow".
The reason for the delay is because Atari and Eden want to offer the best possible game they can. The extra month will allow for additional polish and any bugs to be ironed out.
Atari was keen to get across that it has had positive responses from all who have seen the title, which is very much a flagship game for the publisher.
Former Sony bosstype Phil Harrison joined Atari at the beginning of March, bigging up "the best opportunity that exists in the industry today to redefine, refocus and re-energise an incredible brand, an incredible group of people towards that networked future".
We saw Alone in the Dark at the end of February and heavily recommended it be on your radar as one to keep an eye on.
The average price of Samsung’s BP-P1400 has risen from $319 to £339 since the beginning of the year. Sony’s BDP S-300 is up from $307 to $404. The Sharp BD-H20U is up from $386 to $400. Panasonic’s DMP-BDM30K is up from $401 to $536.
Prices for Blu-ray players had been dropping through the latter half of 2007, as the battle with HD-DVD raged. Now though, increased consumer demand has put an end to price-cutting. In contrast, HD-DVD players are now selling for little more than $100.
The report comes from TG Daily, which included a warning, suggesting that prices would come down again, “Again, although Blu-ray has been declared the winner, it is right now about the worst time to invest in a standalone Blu-ray player.”
All this is great news for PS3, showing not only consumer demand for Blu-ray, but also highlighting that the games console option is good value in comparison to standalone players.
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G for the PlayStation Portable has gone straight in at number one in the Japanese software sales chart, according to information from Media Create for the week ending March 30.
The Capcom title sold 880,000 units, over eight times more than the week's second-placed game, Pokemon Ranger: Batonnage - which itself only sold around 240,000 on its debut at number one the previous week.
Monster Hunter's stunning showing also eclipsed the week's next highest new entry, Mobile Suit Gundam 00 for the Nintendo DS in third, which sold 49,000 copies.
Wii Fit held steady in fourth place, followed in fifth by the PSP edition of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion: Lost Colors and Super Smash Bros Brawl in sixth, which broke the 1.5 million mark during that week.
The PlayStation 2 edition of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion: Lost Colors took seventh place, with Deca Sporta in eighth, SimCity DS 2: From the Past to the Future in ninth and Crayon Shin-chan: Arashi wo Yobu Cinema Land rounding out the top ten list.
The full top ten is as follows:
1. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP)
2. Pokemon Ranger: Batonnage (DS)
3. Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (DS)
4. Wii Fit (Wii)
5. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion: Lost Colors (PSP)
6. Super Smash Bros Brawl (Wii)
7. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion: Lost Colors (PS2)
8. Deca Sporta (Wii)
9. SimCity DS 2: From the Past to the Future (DS)
10. Crayon Shin-chan: Arashi wo Yobu Cinema Land (DS)
Research conducted by staff at the University of Bolton and Whitman College has concluded that some video game players can show signs of autism and character traits associated with the condition.
The researchers questioned 391 people, 86 per cent of whom were male. They apparently took notice of the relationships between addiction, 'high engagement' and personality.
Findings 'revealed' that those players who were closer to what they defined as addicted, they would exhibit traits such as neuroticism, a lack of extraversion and agreeableness.
Dr Charlton of the University of Bolton commented: "Our research supports the idea that people who are heavily involved in game playing may be nearer to autistic spectrum disorders than people who have no interest in gaming."
So basically, the University of Bolton has discovered that an introverted, neurotic and non-empathising cross-section of humanity is heavily involved in things that doesn't make it feel uncomfortable.
It's about as profound as saying moths are attracted to bright lights. Thanks UoB.
Sega has confirmed the leaks and backed up its lawyers by officially announcing its next major Sonic the Hedgehog title: Sonic Unleashed.
Sonic Unleashed is being developed by Sonic Team, and will be released late this year for Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2. It features "classic Sonic 2D gameplay" rendered by the all-new Hedgehog engine, which apparently excels at seamless 3D to 2D camera transitions. Observe them in the official, non-leaked, absolutely watertight video.
The engine's been under development for three years, with the intention of blending a next-generation look with classic Sonic gameplay mechanics. Purists rejoice. We certainly are: it looks lovely.
It wouldn't be a Sonic game without a gimmick of some kind, however, and we're promised a "completely new way to play as Sonic" when darkness sets in - lending more than a little weight to the earlier claims that he would transform into a werewolf. Combat will play a much more important role - in the werewolf sections, we're betting - while Sonic's more traditional high-speed skills will be featured in four new modes.
The plot's pretty simple: Dr Eggman has broken the world apart, and Sonic must travel around the seven broken continents, sticking it back together with Chaos Emerald power.
It all sounds appealingly old-school. Consider us cautiously optimistic, and watch out for more details on Sonic Unleashed in the coming months.
Haze script writer Rob Yescombe has dismissed all speculation that Haze would become anything but a PlayStation 3 exclusive, running contrary to earlier reports by Ubisoft that Haze was a PS3 exclusive just "for now".
"Those other versions aren't being worked upon," Yescombe responded when queried about the possibility of future PC and Xbox 360 versions.
"It's PS3 exclusive," he added.
Yescombe also stated that he wasn't worried about the limitations of a single-platform release and the size of PS3's install base.
"Now they've [gamers] got a reason to buy a PlayStation 3, haven't they?" he said. "I would hope that Haze would motivate people to decide what console they would want to get."
Look for the full interview in the next couple of days on CVG.
After receiving the official announcement regarding the PlayStation Store's impending redesign, one of the first questions asked was "will we still be able to access the PlayStation Store for other regions besides our own".
Our friendly SCEA rep "confirmed that no changes to the store will be made as part of this revamp relating to region locking". So like before, those users with multiple master accounts corresponding to different regions will indeed not be locked out of those PlayStation Stores.
The HDfury Gamer Edition is HDMI to VGA cable, all in one. For example you can connect your Playstation 3 via the HDMI port to a hi resolution VGA screen with it.
Advantages of the Gamer Edition of HDfury are as follow:
- World's First and Only One PLUG and PLAY solution !
- HDMI straight to VGA ! All in One Cable !
- HD gaming on PS3/Elite, Blu-Ray/HD-DVD and DVD playback up to 1080p !
- It transforms any RGB display into a HDCP compliant device.
- HDfury solves the BLACK SCREEN issue on Playstation 3 !
- Affordable pricing to compete with the cost of Components cable + VGA box commonly used by gamers till now to connect their PS3/Elite or any others HDMI sources to a not-HDCP compliant analog display.
- Outstanding and Unbeatable quality for the money (absolutely no competition with VGA box, it will make any VGA box looks like a toy from the dollar shop! See our reviews section on HDfury.com !)
- Allow DVD playback with upscaling up to 1080p on PS3/Elite or any others HDMI source.
According to a recent poll by research firm Interpret, 60% of the U.S. is "aware" of Blu-ray. So does this actually mean anything? We're not so sure. While brand recognition is important, it doesn't appear that Interpret asked those polled to interpret what the hell Blu-ray really meant. Our guess is that if you asked the public some basic questions (Can Blu-ray players play normal DVDs? Will Blu-ray play on a standard def TV? What new features does Blu-ray bring?) that the 60% statistic would drop abruptly. Why doesn't Sony just run a simple commercial Q&A? We don't need hip marketing. We just need a clear explanation.
Sony America VP of marketing, Scott Steinberg, admits in an extensive interview with GameDaily that the company underestimated the demand for the 80GB PS3. He says the $100 extra for the 80GB model at $499 didn't seem "that big of a deal" to certain consumers. Beyond the price and obvious drive space difference, the 80GB enjoys backwards compatibility with many PS2 games, which the 40GB does not.
Steinberg states Sony is replenishing the marketplace with the 80GB model and expects to see "mass market appeal" from the upcoming $500 Metal Gear Solid bundle. At a minimum, expect one significant change in future PS3 models with the Sixaxis being tossed out and the DualShock 3 becoming the new hotness.
Welcome to this week's Games Update, our weekly summary featuring all new product arrivals from the last seven days.
Interesting games that came out this week include the US version of Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 for PlayStation2™. The 3D rendered konoha village has a host of ninjas who specialize in all types of skills, from the powerhouses to the sneakier ones. Participate in missions and join battle royales and gain first hand experience in the dangerous and exciting lives of the ninjas.
Another thrilling game about ninjas is released this week, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword differ from Naruto by pitting the Ninjas against dragon gods from the mythical worlds. Learn the skills from these two games and become an expert ninja yourself, at least in the world of gaming.
Feel free to become other action heroes aside from a ninja. Dark Sector for PlayStation3™ and Xbox360™ takes place in a ruined Eastern European city with a dark secret where you need to conquer the people under the control of a deadly virus and the power infested within your body to survive and become a hero.
Shuriken and guns are lethal weapons that a skilled fighter can wield with grace, but you can also create your own customized weapon through alchemy in the classic RPG Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis for PlayStation2™. The story depicts the rites of passage of a youth who grew from a timid youngster to a full fledged alchemist.
Become a hero in the baseball diamond through Pro Yakyuu Spirits 5 for PlayStation2™ and PlayStation3™. Step into the shoes of your favourite baseball players and pitch, or bat against the strong opponents in this realistic game.
After all the blood, sweat and tears, a more peaceful, but just as interesting game, Harvest Moon DS Cute for Nintendo DS™ arrived. Work in the fields, attend to livestock and restore the Harvest sprites, and to make matters more interesting, aside from crops, harvest a romance in this game as well.
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™:
Dark Sector US US$ 64.90
Universe at War: Earth Assault US US$ 64.90
Viking: Battle for Asgard US US$ 64.90
PlayStation3™:
Dark Sector US US$ 64.90
Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds ASIA US$ 59.90
Pro Yakyuu Spirits 5 JPN US$ 74.90
The Eye of Judgment: Biolith Rebellion Set 2: Biolith Scourge Theme Deck US US$ 14.90
The Eye of Judgment: Biolith Rebellion Set 2: Booster Pack US US$ 6.90
The Eye of Judgment: Biolith Rebellion Set 2: Earth Emperor Theme Deck US US$ 14.90
The Eye of Judgment: Biolith Rebellion Set 2: Fire Crusader Theme Deck US US$ 14.90
The Eye of Judgment: Biolith Rebellion Set 2: Water Barrage Theme Deck US US$ 14.90
The Eye of Judgment: Biolith Rebellion Set 2: Wood Swarm Theme Deck US US$ 14.90
Viking: Battle for Asgard US US$ 64.90
Nintendo Wii™:
Obscure: The Aftermath US US$ 34.90
Octomania US US$ 24.90
Opoona US US$ 59.90
PlayStation2™:
Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis US US$ 44.90
Musou Orochi: Maou Sairin JPN US$ 64.90
Musou Orochi: Maou Sairin [Premium Box] JPN N/A
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 US US$ 44.90
Obscure: The Aftermath US US$ 24.90
Pro Yakyuu Spirits 5 JPN US$ 64.90
Silent Hill: Origins KOR US$ 39.90
World Heroes Anthology US US$ 24.90
Nintendo DS™:
1-Hi-10-Fun de Egajou Zuni Kakeru DS JPN US$ 48.90
Backyard Baseball 2009 US US$ 34.90
Best of Tests DS US US$ 24.90
Detective Conan: Kieta Hakase to Machigai Sagashi no To JPN US$ 48.90
Harvest Moon DS Cute US US$ 34.90
Kouchan no Shiawase! Kantan! Oryouri Recipe! JPN US$ 34.90
M&M's Kart Racing US US$ 24.90
Mitamekara Yomigaeru: Otona no Kikonashi Training JPN US$ 39.90
Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword US US$ 44.90
SuperLite 2500 Chotto-Aima no Colpile DS JPN US$ 25.90
Tottado! Yowiko no Mujintou Seikatsu JPN US$ 48.90
Sony PSP™:
Ford Racing: Off Road ASIA US$ 28.90
Speaker Set Portable 2 (Black) JPN US$ 34.90
Speaker Set Portable 2 (White) JPN US$ 34.90
Star Ocean Second Evolution Accessories Set JPN US$ 29.90
Star Ocean: Second Evolution ASIA US$ 42.90
Star Ocean: Second Evolution JPN US$ 48.90
Warriors Orochi US US$ 34.90
Guides and Magazines:
12Riven: The Psi-Climinal of Integral Visual Guide Book JPN US$ 36.90
Arcadia Magazine [May 2008] JPN US$ 12.90
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Signature Series Guide US US$ 17.90
Dark Sector Official Strategy Guide US US$ 16.90
Devil May Cry 4 Official Guidebook JPN US$ 24.90
Etrian Odyssey II: The Royal Grail Official Master Guide JPN US$ 24.90
Famitsu Wave DVD [May 2008] JPN US$ 16.50
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - Ring of Fates Official Strategy Guide US US$ 16.90
Last Escort 2: Shiya no Amai Ira Official Visual Fan Book JPN US$ 38.90
Mobile Suit Gundam: Giren's Ambition, Threat of the Axis Complete Guide JPN US$ 26.90
Musou Orochi: Maou Sairin Complete Guide 1 JPN US$ 24.90
Poison Pink Official Complete Guide JPN US$ 26.90
Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side 2nd Season Official Complete Guide JPN US$ 22.90
Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side Visual Collection JPN US$ 43.90
Viking: Battle for Asgard Official Strategy Guide US US$ 16.90
Video Game Soundtracks:
Bangai-O Spirits Audio Collection Plus JPN US$ 32.90
Dragon Ball Z CD Box Cho Zenshu JPN US$ 189.90
Famison 8 Bit Idol Master 02 JPN US$ 22.90
Hyper Game Music Event 2007 Extra - The Live Album Vol.1 JPN US$ 31.90
SomaBringer Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 31.90
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. So J-Pop, Anime and Movie fans, be sure to look out for that one!
Here is a quick outlook what's expected to be hot next week.
Nintendo Wii™:
Karous Wii JPN US$ 49.90
Mario Kart Wii (w/ Wii Handle) JPN US$ 64.90
Neo Geo Stick 2 JPN US$ 59.90
Killer Dr3w is a self-described ‘mature 30-year old gamer’ and contributor to Three Speech that many of you already know. His Killer Dr3w blog is his place to speak his mind so if you enjoy this get over there and take a look. Over to Dr3w…
Over the last few months the most requested feature for the XMB has got to be in-game messaging and custom sound tracks. It’s got to the point where I haven’t even seen any other feature requested for months. I thought I would throw my Top-10 users’ XMB feature requests out there to get a healthy discussion on other things that the XMB and the PS3 needs.
I am sure that a few of these feature requests are going to be made redundant when Home and in-game XMB does eventually come out, but I am also pretty sure some of these features are for will still be outstanding this time next year…
1) Better handling of headsets
Imagine the scenario, if you will. You’re kicking ass in Warhawk. Your clan is winning, but it’s a close match. The blue team has some good players on it but due to your excellent teamwork the lead is yours. Then the zone you’re guarding gets rushed, a tank stays in the distance and a jeep with three ground troops charges at you. You call for the help of your buddies but your Bluetooth headset is flat! Nooo! No fear, you still have your PlayStation Eye, you plug it in – and then realise that before it’s going to be recognised by the PS3 you’re going to have to quit the game, go to the accessory settings, change the default input device from the Bluetooth headset to the USB one and then re-load. Yes. You lost the zone; your clan lost the game.
If the PS3 could use the last connected device as the default audio input then you might have been able to call in support. Alternatively it could give the user the option to change the default audio devices in the controller I-D screen.
2) A better way of displaying any waiting messages
I can’t tell you how many times I have received a message on my PS3 and have had it sat there for some time. Two easy fixes for this. Number one: show a simple email icon when you press the PS button on the screen that shows you the controller charge. Number two: show an animated email icon on the XMB when you’re not in-game or in movie. Why not flash the controller charge icons on the SIXAXIS in a specific order, or flash the PS3’s power button from blue to green every ten seconds? Choices, choices…
3) Fix USB devices
Why are USB devices treated as second-class devices? I appreciate that you shouldn’t be able to download DRM’d games, music or video to your external hard disk, but why can’t I create an animated preview icon for my movies? Why are my albums all sorted incorrectly when they are stored on my external hard disk? Why is almost everything messed up when using an external hard disk?
4) Quicker media access
After a few weeks of owning a PS3 I realised how I can really make use of it. I started using it to hold all my CD’s, podcasts etc… The only problem is, once you have more than around 20 or 30 albums on it, it takes quite a while for all of them to show up.
On the movie side, things are much worse. A folder with around 40 or 50 movies in can take quite a few minutes to actually list all the files in the XMB. The movies seem to show up in chronological order, so if you have 30 episodes of the 1Up Show on your PS3 and you want to watch the latest one, you’re going to have to wait.
Things get much, much, worse when you’re using a USB hard disk too. So let’s tie this feature in with the above one and fix it all in one go.
5) DNLA server
I liked the PS3 so much as a media device I bought a second one, but now I have to keep both of them manually sync’d with my music and videos. Yes, the PS3 can act as a DNLA client, but I don’t want a PC server in my house sharing out my media; I want my PS3 as my media device. It makes sense to me to have my PS3 in the living room as my central media device where all my movies, photos and music is stored. This then acts as a DNLA Server for my other PS3.
6) Pre-loading of PSN network games
Okay, this one is not specifically to do with the XMB, but it’s still a great feature. Steam offers the ability for users to download games they have pre-ordered and activate them on the day of release. No downloading on release day - just launch the game and play.
This would be awesome for the PSN. Imagine pre-ordering Warhawk or GT5: Prologue knowing that it’s ready to play on the day of release, rather than knowing you’re going to have to wait hours for it to download.
While you’re at it - why not let us pre-load our firmware updates too?
7) More integration of the PSP
Being able to use your PSP in remote play mode is pretty cool, but I want to be able to use my PSP for other things too, almost like an extended media controller. I want to be able to browse the music on my PS3, choose tracks, create playlists, fast forward videos, all using the media on my PS3.
A cool example of how this could work is with movies. The PS3 doesn’t have an LCD display like a standard DVD or Blu-ray player. I want all the information (such as title, track, duration, bit rate and sound configuration) shown on my PSP while I watch the movie on my HDTV. I also want to be able to press X to pause the movie, or the control pad to skip channels.
8) Greater codec and container support
Sony shocked quite a few people when they announced XviD/DivX support a few months ago. After testing it I can say it works excellently. My only complaint is that it’s very hard to get digital movies with 5.1 sound on the PS3. It can be done, but not easily.
Sony should keep challenging its rivals by adding as many codecs and containers (Matroska support anyone?) as they can get their hands on; making the PS3 the best choice for all digital media.
9) RSS feeds
It looks like Sony are going to get around to this anyway, but I hope that one day I can quickly look at the current news on Three Speech, while downloading a bunch of 1UP Yours podcasts to my PSP and watching The 1UP Show without the need of a computer.
10) Media folders
I want to be able to create a folder called ‘Podcasts’ on my hard drive, and in that folder create a folder called ‘Insomniac Full Mood Podcasts’ and have all my podcasts stored there. Give the users the choice of how they store their media, allow folder creation for movies, games, music and photos. Right now, the ways you can organise your media is far too limited…
Well, that’s it. Almost all of the above features are related to the XMB and won’t be magically fixed by having in-game XMB access. I think its generally accepted that Sony have got the message, “we want in game XMB access”, and I am sure they are working on that. Now, lets think of other features and fixes that will help make the PS3 the best console it can be.
Some gamers are ****wads
Of all the ways I spend my free time, playing games online is the only one I would describe as "frequently barbaric". Insults of all kinds, including racist and homophobic slurs, are commonplace.
The women I know who play online avoid anything that would identify them as female -- including voice communication -- in order to avoid the unwanted, and frequently negative, attention.
And that's just how players are intentionally insulting -- what some people do while playing online can also be aggravating.
Cheating, team-killing, entering a game but not playing, quitting before the game is over, and more, are all relatively common. Common enough that it was deemed worthy of a Penny Arcade comic, speculating about why normal people become ****wads online.
So what?
Why do I care? Some gamers might be thinking "If he's so thin-skinned that he can't take the online banter, maybe he shouldn’t play online." Unfortunately, many people do just that -- they stop playing online.
Even more gamers go online a few times and then never play again. This isn't just my personal speculation; I have seen convincing data from two different sources that the biggest problem with online gaming is the behavior of others. The biggest problem isn't the cost; it isn't connectivity issues, or even the quality of the games -- it is how people are ****wads online.
To make this concrete, here's a thought experiment for you: imagine you go to a new restaurant, and decide to try the meatloaf. A big guy at the next table overhears you, looks at you, and yells: "Meatloaf? What kinda newb are you? Hey everybody, this r-tard just ordered the meatloaf!
God, I'm glad you're not at my table." Laughter breaks out at the tables around you, as they crane their heads to look at the newb. The restaurant staff is nowhere to be found, and you're not entirely certain they'd do anything anyway -- you can tell this is normal behavior at this place. How good or cheap would the food have to be to get you to go back there? Who would you bring there? The vast majority of the world population wouldn't go back there, and would warn everyone they knew to avoid it.
So again, why do I care? Because the online behavior of our customers is dramatically reducing our sales, and continues to stunt the growth of our industry. Non-gamers simply don’t love games enough to put up with the crap they get online. The reason they would consider playing online is to have fun with other people -- and right now, playing games online with strangers rarely delivers that for anyone outside the hardcore demographic.
Are these problems even solvable?
Short answer: yes. Social environments and culture can be designed. Just like good game design creates fun gameplay, good social design creates fun social experiences. Unfortunately, online games seem to have allocated very few resources to designing the social environment.
But honestly, I don't believe that resource constraints are the source of the problem -- I think that most people don’t believe that social problems can be solved. A common belief that I’ve heard used as justification for not addressing the social environment of games is that "jerks will be jerks". Essentially, many people believe that:
1. Behavior is determined by personality, and
2. You can’t change people’s personality
While I (mostly) agree with the second point, it is moot because the first point has been consistently contradicted by 60 years of social psychological research. Human behavior is complex and determined by many factors.
Personality is certainly one factor, but it is a surprisingly small factor. The largest determinant of behavior is the perceived social environment. This is the good news, because both the social environment and the perception of it can be controlled.
But me just saying that I disagree with a belief isn’t an argument; some proof is in order. Evidence about the effect of the social environment on behavior comes from two main sources: real-world observation and academic studies from social psychology.
(Although perhaps I should add "cartoonists" to those two sources. The Penny Arcade comic showing a normal person becoming a total ****wad when in multiplayer gaming situation -- anonymous, with an audience -- was pretty accurate, if a bit simplified
New figures for console sales in Japan are in with a shift in the first 3 positions shown below as follows:
Playstation Portable: 129,986
Nintendp DS Lite: 58,916
Nintendo Wii: 48,785
Playstation 3: 11,206
Playstation 2: 10,296
Xbox 360: 1,547
The PSP shoots well past both the Wii and DS to 1st place by roughly 70,000+ up from last week. The Wii in turn takes a 12,500 drop while the DS dips by about 6,100. Last 3 places are the same as usual: PS3 drops by 1,800, PS2 up 396 and Xbox 360 down 150.
Rockstar has confirmed that Grand Theft Auto IV has been cut in order to be granted a release in Australia.
The edited version was awarded the highest rating of MA15+, according to The Sydney Morning Herald, and carries the warning of "strong violence, strong coarse language, drug and sexual references".
There is no 18 rating in Australia because of all the kangaroos and dangerous spiders.
Previous instalments in the Grand Theft Auto series have also had to be edited in order to save the brains of the Australian public.
Earlier this week the BBFC cleared GTA IV for release in the UK with an 18 rating.
Grand Theft Auto IV will be released for Xbox 360 and PS3 on 29th April.
After transplanting Master Chief from his warm, green home on the Xbox 360 to the PlayStation 3, it was hard to imagine a greater iconoclastic modder offense...but one may have just happened. The newest entrant to the UTIII unlicensed mods club is this Samus Aran skin. Play Metroid, kinda, on your PS3!
As Microsoft explained before, there's nothing illegal about creating or downloading such mods. But that doesn't mean Epic will pay you $1,000,000 [£501,880] for one. Their Make Something Unreal Contest bans the use of "third party intellectual property, including, but not limited to software, images, characters, logos, names and trademarks." Still, some pranks are so good, they're worth the free work.
Criterion has pledged to "TRANSFORM" Burnout Paradise by issuing a series of hefty updates.
As previously reported, the first of these will be called "Cagney". According to Criterion's website, the updates have names rather than numbers because they're extra special.
"You may have noticed us referring to our future new content by codenames," the latest post reads. "Just to clarify - you’ll see them in this order: "Cagney", then "Davis" and then "Eastwood"." James Cagney, Clint Eastwood, yes, but Davis? As in Steve?
"What we’re working on now goes way beyond conventional content updates, so we figured the usual 1.1, 1.2 version numbers didn’t do it justice."
These aren't just patches, you see. "We will TRANSFORM Paradise over the coming year," says Criterion.
10.5 Apocalypse: The Complete Miniseries (~Beau Bridges, Dean Cain, ...) US US$ 14.99
Alvin and the Chipmunks (~Jason Lee, David Cross, ...) US US$ 39.98
Beer League (~Artie Lange, Ralph Macchio, ...) US US$ 14.99
Blackbeard (~Richard Chamberlain, Stacy Keach, ...) US US$ 14.99
Category 7: The End of the World (~James Brolin, Shannen Doherty, ...) US US$ 14.99
Coyote Ugly: The Double-Shot Edition (~Piper Perabo, Adam Garcia, ...) US US$ 29.99
Futuresex / Loveshow - Live from Madison Square Garden (~Justin Timberlake) US US$ 29.98
Hairspray JPN US$ 47.90
Hidalgo (~Viggo Mortensen, Omar Sharif, ...) US US$ 29.99
Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer (~Ben Whishaw, Rachel Hurd-wood, ...) JPN US$ 46.90
The Curse of King Tut's Tomb: The Complete Miniseries (~Jonathan Hyde, Malcolm McDowell, ...) US US$ 14.99
The Last Sentinel (~Katee Sackhoff, Don Wilson, ...) US US$ 14.99
The Simpsons Movie [English / Cantonese Dub Version] HK US$ 31.90
Unbreakable (~Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, ...) US US$ 29.99
While we fully support a baseless and antagonistic war between Rock Band and Guitar Hero III fanboys, Nyko has those profit margins to worry about. The new Front Man wireless guitar for the PS3 works with both games, and can be switched via that fancy red stomp box. Wireless range is about 25 feet, and you can get about 80 hours of rock out of the thing before you need to swap the batteries. You know, the batteries of rock and roll. Too bad the guitar costs $60, what most retailers are charging for the first party controllers.
We've seen our fair share of previews on Rockstar's crime drama opus, Grand Theft Auto IV, but we've yet to hear from someone who has enjoyed the bullet-riddled adventure in its entirety -- until Xbox World 360 editor Rob Taylor, after 24 hours of play time, triumphantly viewed the ending credits with the knowledge that he was the first person on the planet (aside from a gaggle of Rockstar employees, we assume) to finish GTA IV. Can someone be envied to death?
Fulfilling his civic duty as a gaming journalist, Taylor gave his impressions of the complete work in a spoiler-free interview with GamesRadar -- unsurprisingly, he was a fan. The fourth installment apparently "craps on all the others" in the franchise, and the main character, Niko Bellic, is "most amazing protagonist in any game [he's] ever played." We suggest perusing the remainder of his colorful commentary to help pass the remaining twenty-three days and nine hours until the game lands in our quivering, anticipatory laps.
It's been over three years since we first sighed 'awwwe' to Polyphony Digital's plans to develop a kindly, gentler racing simulation with the kid-friendly Gran Turismo for Boys. Now series mastermind Kazunori Yamauchi has come forward about the project, and in a recent CVG interview commented that Gran Turismo for Boys is still coming, though perhaps as an included feature in Gran Turismo 5 rather than a standalone game.
Gran Turismo for Boys was first revealed in November 2004 by Yamauchi as a way to hook preteens on cars, sort of like candy cigarettes, but since then there's been little said about the effort beyond the occasional footnote to let the world know that the project hadn't been run over. Tykes shouldn't get too excited yet, however, as Yamauchi admits that his team is currently spinning wheels working on GT5, and have little
