Yes, TDK, who said they were going to make 200GB discs, went and made 200GB discs. Who'da thunk it? Well, unfortunately for everyone on the planet, there isn't any drive or player out right now that can read 200GB discs. Oh well.
The 200GB monster is single sided, but has six layers with 33.333333333 (continuing) GB on each layer. First 100GB discs, now 200GB discs. What's next, TDK?
Emulation and Gaming fans of any console know about Zelda, probably the most well liked RPG for normal gamers and newcomers to Role Player Games, the Zelda Games have been on every Nintendo console bar the Virtual Boy.
Whats your Favourite Zelda Game ?
having played them all, the one i cherish the most is Zelda 3 on the Snes, decent graphics, good music and great gameplay and storyline, simply excellent
Thats mine out the Way, whats your Favourite ?
Capcom has updated its official Devil May Cry 4 website, with a new flash intro showing off the game's updated logo and a countdown timer ticking down to next Friday.
Hopefully - we would presume - this means that we can expect the first solid info and media on the game to arrive next week, as currently we don't have much to go on in terms of gameplay details. However, the new DMC4 website seems to suggest a radical new gameplay addition for Capcom's fourth Dante-slasher, mostly fuelled by the intro message "From that day forth... my arm changed" and the updated logo which appears to show Dante with an unusually pointy-arm, perhaps suggesting that the half-devil man will sport a new bladed-limb in the PS3 instalment.
Still, this is all obviously with the great hat of speculation wrapped firmly around our ears. There's only seven days left to find out if our wild guesses are correct, and hopefully some new media and gameplay info will makes its way onto the net too. Stay tuned.
Square-Enix has announced its lineup for the 2006 Tokyo Game Show, which is being held from September 22 until September 24 in Makuhari Messe via Chiba, Japan. As expected, their lineup is very Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy-centric, with titles being shown across a wide variety of platforms.
Unfortunately, the next generation Final Fantasy will be shown in video form only, though it's not known if the video shown will be from E3 or if it will be totally new. Additionally, there has been no word on the possibility of title announcements, but if that happens, we'll let you know.
Playable Demos
Chocobo no Mahou Ehon (DS)
Dragon Quest Monsters (Mobile)
Dragon Quest Monsters Joker (DS)
Dragon Quest: Fushigi na Dungeon (Mobile)
Final Fantasy III (DS)
Final Fantasy XI (PS2, X360)
Front Mission 2089 (Mobile)
Pokemate (Mobile)
Project Sylpheed (X360)
Seiken Densetsu IV (PS2)
Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden (Mobile)
Non-Playable (Video Only)
Fabula Nova Crystallis - Final Fantasy Versus XIII (PS3)
Fabula Nova Crystallis - Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)
Final Fantasy V Advance (GBA)
Final Fantasy VI Advance (GBA)
Final Fantasy VIII: Crisis Core (PSP)
All right folks the first round of nominations are over. After this new threads will be opened to vote for the four finalists that came out on top in each category back in the nomination phase.
It may take some time to tally up your guys votes and select the finalists. But be sure to keep checking back and to vote for your favorite finalist's!
A new independent Gaming Magazine has just been released called Game Tunnel, heres the news from the site:
Thanks for checking out the first issue of Game Tunnel Magazine!
This magazine sprang from the hard work of many people who volunteered their time to make it happen. We love games and enjoy playing all types of games. However, there is a special place in our hearts for the small Independent Game developer and the passion that they put into their games. Like punk music from back in the day independent games can sometimes be a little raw, but it's always a worthwhile experience.
We hope that you'll enjoy the magazine and find a whole new world of games to enjoy. If you have feedback, and we hope you will, please send it on!
Just a quick update on the PS3. It's been confirmed that the PlayStation 3 will not ship with an HDMI cable. After Sony's been talking up how they will be "true HD", and how HDMI will kick component's ass, they now decide they can't spring the $5 for an HDMI cable? Great.
The videogames industry is no longer focused on improving graphics, according to Sony Computer Entertainment UK boss Ray Maguire, with attention now turning to artificial intelligence to make games more compelling.
Speaking at the BAFTA headquarters in London, at an event designed to underline the British Academy's new commitment to the videogame medium, Maguire said that the power of the central processors in the next-generation consoles meant that graphics were no longer top priority for developers.
"We are no longer interested in graphics per se, because graphics chips can do that for us," he commented, "but the central processors of all the new games machines are about making games more compelling by adding in artificial intelligence."
"The Cell chip is so powerful it can do 256 million calculations per second... That means one thing for us in the videogames industry: artificial intelligence."
Maguire told the audience that since he started working in the videogames industry in 1991, the focus had been strongly on improving graphics - but that graphics have now reached a point where they are so good that developers must look elsewhere for the next big step forward.
As an example, he asked the audience at BAFTA to consider the game character of Lara Croft and her movie counterpart, played by Angelina Jolie - arguing that the most important difference between the two is not visual, but lies instead in the fact that Jolie has a brain and human emotions.
He showed off a proof of concept video showing a rendered female character auditioning for a movie role, and talking through her relationship with her husband from meeting him, through to her decision to murder him after discovering that he was having an affair. Maguire highlighted the gamut of emotions which went through the character, claiming that this kind of emotional impact will be possible in game characters on next-gen systems.
"We're not talking about graphics any more," Maguire concluded. "We're talking about performance and we're talking about art."
Just to let you all know that the links for every release is on the sites they correspond to.
Also we have split the PS3 and Xbox 360 News away from the PS2 and Xbox sites, it just means youll get purer news from now on if your a fan of PS2/Xbox.
Got some news coming later for homebrew fans/coders but until then enjoy the day
Its our Honour at DCEmu to start a new coding competition for Homebrewers for just about every scene going, heres all the information you need:
Introduction
The DCEmu Dream Coding Grand Prix 2006 is the first Multi Console Homebrew and Emulation Coding Competition to take in all the Consoles below at one time. We are taking submissions for all the following consoles.
PSP
Nintendo DS
GBA
PS2
Xbox
Gamecube
GP2X
GP32
Tapwave Zodiac
Gizmondo
Dreamcast
Sega Saturn
Nokia N-Gage
Rules - Please Read Them
The Coding Competition will start on September 2nd 2006, Closing Date will be December 31st 2006 at 11.59pm GMT.
After all entries are in there will be a public poll that will account up to 25% of the vote, that poll will last for 14 days and start January 1st 2007.
Another 35% of the Vote will come from the private coder forums at DCEmu via coder judging.
The last 40% of the Vote will come from the Admin and Staff of DCEmu.
The winners will be announced on the 17th of January 2007.
Entries must be made using Legal SDK, ie no official Xbox SDK etc.
Entries must be New versions and not released anywhere else. (you can submit a new version of an already released program, (The forum must be the release point for at least 3 days).
You can submit as many entries for as many consoles as you please (the more the better)
Entries can be uploaded from Now until the end of December 2006
Entries can be games, demos or applications but nothing such as iso loaders (for obvious reasons)
Entries must be uploaded to the forum and with a Screenshot and Description/ information.
Prizes
1st Prize) GP2X Console (mk2)
Gamepark Holdings new multimedia device is very inexpensive and yet it can compete with any other multimedia device out in the market today! Featuring a dual CPU core, 64MB of memory, SD card storage, and its Linux operating system gives the GP2X the potential no other handheld can offer.
2nd Prize) $120 Voucher to Spend at Decal Girl
3rd Prize) $50 Voucher to Spend at Extreme Mods
DCEMU Homebrew Community Donation Prize
This is where everyone can help and donate
In addition to the guarenteed prizes above we will also be taking Donations to the contest Via this PayPal Account (thats the email to send to), when all money is counted at the final date the money will be split like this:
So if the coder wins he or she will win a GP2X (mk2) and also 45% of the Donated Cash Fund (however big that gets). Remember that the community can give to this contest and also help to judge on it, its great for everyone.
Then there was Sony Connect, the corporation’s attempt to come to terms with the download generation. It worked like any other online music service and came with a range of sleek devices to play the sounds on – but the company decided to ignore the universally accepted MP3 format and come up with its own, completely incompatible audio format. The results were predictable.
There are many who would argue that all of this is the result of a policy which was responsible for making Sony a household name in the first place. Formed in 1946 as part of the post-war reconstruction of Japan, Sony was set up to be the perfect factory, with teams of engineers working in vigorous competition with each other. This policy of internal isolationism created the transistor radio and the Walkman, but today it seems more of a hindrance than a help.
Sony has squandered the market advantages it once enjoyed. The Walkman brand that fuelled it through the 1980s is now virtually non-existent, the Wega television range of the 1990s has been superseded and now the firm faces an uphill struggle to capitalise on the games console range it hopes will secure its future.
“The strange thing here is that Sony is actually very good at manufacturing slick, attractive devices that work well,” says technology brand consultant Francis Stewart. “If they had just stuck to doing that and avoided tying themselves in knots over industry politics, then I very much doubt that there’d have been even the slightest doubt about the company’s future.”
With share prices tumbling and confidence in the once-unshakeable brand severely dented, only time will tell if Sony can continue to maintain its position at the forefront of consumer electronics.
But the company itself seems unperturbed. There may have been setbacks, it claims, but it remains the brand leader in entertainment and will continue to do so.
According to Sony sources, not only will the Blueray format ultimately prove a global success, but within months of launching the PlayStation 3, its position at the top of the heap will be reasserted. It claims that the new console is so advanced it will simply blow the competition away.
Anyone who has been a gamer for many years will have played a beat em up game, but what do the DCEmu Members rate as the very best beat em up ever ?
To answer my own question i would have to say that theirs so many and if you count wrestling games as beat em ups then id say WWF Smackdown on the PS1,
If you want to plug your PS3 into an HDMI socket, you'll have to fork out even more wedge
The freshly minted Official US PlayStation 3 website confirms that even the pricier version of Sony's next-gen console will not ship with an HDMI cable in the box.
Which may strike as a tad underwhelming, but considering that Sony is touting HDMI -- the spiffy new HD-specific interface -- as the means of getting the best graphics out of the PS3, and as something which makes it unique compared to the Xbox 360 (which currently has no HDMI out support, although speculation suggests it may soon acquire it), it seems odd.
And, of course, it provides another example of the constant PS3-related flak that Sony has endured since E3. At least the company is finally preparing to reveal all at the Tokyo Games Show later this month. naturally, we'll bring you all the low-down from that when it gets under way.
As Sony have yet to announce a confirmed release date (Nov. 17th is still only a provisional date) or how many units are being shipped to Europe, let alone the UK, we have stayed off opening up forward orders on this item for fear of massive under supply.
You can register your interest on the internet page and once we have the details from Sony we will be able to advise whether you can pre-order. Pre-orders will now only be taken from customers who have registered an interest as the latest from Sony hinted at under a million units throughoutthe whole of Europe before Xmas.
We currently have no idea how many our allocation will be, but we expect it to be much less than we would like it to be.
Dixons Direct
Lets start with the bad news - the launch lineup is shrinking. Originally, the list was 30 titles (1st and 3rd party). Currently, the list is about 15 titles (can’t get more specific because at this stage it literally changes by the hour). There is an up-side, however. The extra development time is making a world of difference. Some of you saw Heavenly Sword at E3 and it looked pretty good... that is, it looked like your typical 360 game. The team has been hard at work piling on layers and layers of detail and as of right now, it looks like ****ing Advent Children (you thought Metal Gear looked good? You gotta see this). It's also being given a God of War type violence upgrade, since they found out the graphical realism and brutality of the combat (bloodless though it was) was getting it a Mature anyway. Seriously, it will blow your mother****ing mind (although it’s sad that having really awesome graphics influences the ESRB ratings these days). The current release target is March.
Killzone 2 - This one has been MIA since last years E3. It is still in development and it is, unequivocally, the PS3s big "secret weapon." Announcements are being held back until closer to the PS3 launch as it's going to generate a monumental amount of buzz. It's one of those things that I can't get into too much detail about. However, it looks exactly like the video. Yeah. That video.
As a quick side note, Bethesda is working on a special edition of Oblivion just for PS3. We were shown some screenshots (sadly, not the actual game) and it looks like an entirely different game. Every texture is being replaced with new extremely-high resolution ones. It’s basically what Bethesda wanted to do the first time until they ran into the DVDs capacity limit. BluRay fixes that little bottleneck.
Those DVDs you love so much, they’re the reason PS3 games are going to ****ing destroy anything available on the 360. 85% of the games currently in development for PS3 will not fit on a single DVD9. To give you an idea of the implications, Resistance: Fall of Man is currently 20GB, and could be around 35GB once cinematics and things are added. Publishers are not being forced to use BDs, but it’s expected that 95% of all PS3 games will use BD discs. The big exception is EA, who uniformly develops for the lowest common denominator. Sony is dedicated to helping companies develop for the superior PS3 then downgrade for the weaker systems. The fruits of this labor will probably not be seen for another year at least.
There was a demo, side by side, of an upcoming sports game (can't tell you which one). One was playing on 360 (DVD9) connected to an HDTV running at 720P. The same game was running on a PS3 (BD50) on an identical HDTV at 720P. The differences were unbelievable, simply because the BD has the space to hold all those extremely high resolution textures. The 360 could probably handle them, but they just plain won't fit on the disc. This is just one example of how storage capacity is hurting the 360. Of the parade of developers that spoke to us, the BDs capacity was the number one item of praise. No more having to cut corners or find creative ways to make your game fit on the disc. DVDs are just plain obsolete when you're talking about High-Definition hyper-detailed 3D environments.
Shock horror, Argos has got it wrong in their mag, heres what they wrote:
Playstation 3 is the most advanced games console ever, designed for you to enjoy the next generation of entertainment in your home. Features include:
Blu-ray disc playback
Pre installed Hard Disc drive
Latest RSX processors
High Definition output Motion sensing Dual Shock controller
Compatible with all Playstation and Playstation 2 games
Of course you should know that Dual Shock isnt in the PS3 console, time for shops to learn to double check their magazines ;
Just a small update, the donated prize money currently stands at $30
But for those that can not use paypal or have no money you can support the site by clicking the ad on the contest page! All money generated from that ad goes to the prize money fund and if you want you can bookmark it and click an ad everyday
Publisher THQ has knocked itself off the top of the charts in the UK, as Saints Row nudges Cars to the number two position to claim the top spot in its first week of sales.
The gang-based action adventure game has benefited from heavy promotion on satellite channels and becomes the second fastest-selling Xbox 360 title after Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter.
Rockstar’s crime sim Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories drops a place to the number three position, followed by DS exclusive New Super Mario Bros.
The Sims 2: Glamour Life Stuff is the only other new entry in the top ten, making its debut at number five, with The Sims 2 nestling behind at number 6.
Both Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training and Pro Evolution Soccer are nudged down the charts to number seven and eight respectively, while Eidos’ Reservoir Dogs breaks into the top ten at nine, in its second week of release. Another DS exclusive title, Animal Crossing: Wild World drops three places to number ten.
There are two other new entries in the top 40. Sony’s PSP exclusive Getaway spin-off Gangs of London charts at number 23, while Sega’s Let’s Make a Soccer Team! debuts at number 31.
Next week sees the release of two Xbox 360 titles set to challenge Saints Row for the number one position: Capcom’s Dead Rising and Atari’s Test Drive Unlimited, both of which have received encouraging media coverage.
Toshiba has confirmed that the first standalone HD-DVD player to reach Europe will hit the shops on November 15 - just two days before the launch of the PlayStation 3.
Speaking at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, Toshiba's Olivier Van Wynendaele said the first player to go on sale will be the HD-E1, priced at 599 Euro - the same price as the 60GB PlayStation 3. A higher-end model, the HD-XE1, will follow in December, and will retail for around 1000 Euro.
Both players are slimmer than similar models released in the US, where HD-DVD began to roll out in April. They can output from HD-DVD discs at 720p or 1080i, and the HD-XE1 can also output at 1080p.
Toshiba claims to have sold 50,000 HD-DVD players in the US and Japan already, and predicts year-end sales of 200,000. The company plans to ship 10,000 units to Europe for the first phase of launch.
The HD-DVD format is backed by Microsoft, which has already announced plans to release an external drive for Xbox 360 and is expected to do so in time for Christmas.
Sony's rival Blu-Ray technology, however, will be incorporated into the PlayStation 3. The 60GB model will launch alongside a 20GB version, priced at 499 Euro, on November 17.
North American consumers planning to purchase a 60GB PlayStation 3 will need to purchase a HDMI cable separately if they want to fully exploit the console's graphics capabilities.
That's according to the specs page on the official US PS3 website, which notes: "HDMI cable not included. Additional equipment may be required to use the HDMI connector."
Sony has long promoted the 60GB PS3's HDMI output as a key feature of the machine. The 20GB model, however, does not feature HDMI - and nor does Microsoft's rival Xbox 360 console.
SCE UK declined to comment on whether the 60GB PS3 will also ship without a HDMI cable here. However, sources close to Sony speculate that Europe will follow the US example by not including a cable in the box, due to the fact that the majority of console purchasers will not own a HDMI-ready TV - and those that do will already own a HDMI lead.
Instead, PS3 is highly likely to be sold with a composite cable and SCART adaptor - just like the PlayStation 2.
With just over two months to go until the launch of the PlayStation 3, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has launched a new online campaign to promote the console.
The new website, which has been developed in co-operation with ad agency TBWA, features the slogan 'This is Living' and six 'PS3 stories' - short films designed to reveal more about various aspects of Sony's new machine.
The first film to be released focuses on the theme of real-time. The other films, which cover blu-ray, high definition, cell processing, tilt sensitive control and cinematic production, will follow at two week intervals.
The website also features a new specs page which confirms that, as predicted, the PS3 will not come with a HDMI cable as standard. As previously announced, the console will weigh in at 5kg, feature four USB ports and will be compatible with third-party 2.5 inch serial ATA hard drives.
According a statement issued by Sony, the new 'This is Living' campaign "moves away from conventional 'cryptic' pre-launch campaigns" - such as the 'Third Place' campaign which was used to launch PlayStation 2, complete with a surreal television advert from David Lynch.
"This audience is hungry and savvy - it wants to be inspired and informed, not teased and frustrated," said TBWA's Robert Hardwood-Mathews.
Sony product manager Luke Southern added: "PlayStation 3’s primary audiences are entertainment enthusiasts who spend a lot of time online.
"We want these stories to become the property of the Internet commons - shared, remixed, hosted on YouTube, linked, blogged about - so that they gain their own momentum and inspire the online communities. We want to create a campaign as dynamic as the PS3 itself."
The films, which are said to have been inspired by Phil Harrison's demo of the PS3 at E3, each feature the tagline: "Where the old rules don't apply... PS3." They will also be shown on TV and in cinemas, and the campaign will run across Europe, Australia and New Zealand "until at least November 2006", according to Sony.
Electronic Arts, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Bizarre Creations are just some of the companies confirmed for Nottingham’s GameCity event.
With the dust barely settled on both the Leipzig Games Convention and the Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment Festival, Europe will once again be the focus of the games industry when the GameCity event takes place from October 25th - 31st.
Individuals already confirmed for the show include Lorne Lanning, president of Oddworld Inhabitants; Jonathan Smith, development director at TT Games; Jamie Fristrom, technical director of Torpex Games; and musician Richard Jacques and Jim Purbrick of Linden Labs, the studio behind Second Life.
The healthy list of developers confirmed for GameCity includes Blitz, Bizarre Creations, Freestyle Games, Monumental Games, Rare, Introversion and Climax, with more to follow.
Publishers already committed to the festival include THQ, Electronic Arts, SCEE and Take 2, with more names to be announced in the coming weeks.
GameCity’s organisers describe the event as "a street-level cultural celebration of videogames and interactive entertainment, and an opportunity for the games industry an public to meet and explore economic, social and educational opportunities within interactive entertainment".
More details are set to be revealed shortly, including finalised dates and times for conference sessions, workshops, screenings and the premier of a new film, plus news of what the organisers describe as a "big name" who will open the festival.
Kynogon, the leading A.I. middleware developer, has announced today that SEGA has licensed Kynapse to develop its million-seller title, Sonic on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.
Since his birth 15 years ago, Sonic The Hedgehog has been a phenomenal mass-market success. More than 44 million units have been sold worldwide and the legendary Sonic mascot has become one of the most recognized and celebrated video game characters of all time.
“We are very proud to be working with SEGA on an icon title like Sonic for next generation platforms”, said Pierre Pontevia, CEO for Kynogon. “As one of the true leaders of the industry, SEGA sets the tone for game development. It is a great opportunity and a true recognition for Kynogon to work on a next generation title with them.”
LONDON - Sony has unveiled an online campaign for its much-trumpeted PlayStation3 'entertainment super computer', which consists of a series of short films or 'stories' to demonstrate several of the console's unique features.
Created by STREAM\, TBWA\London's brand entertainment arm , the pre-launch campaign kicks off today online, where the six three-minute stories can be watched and downloaded.
In the first film "real time", Bradley Skeet, a lightweight boxer and Olympic hopeful, is shown training and sparring in an urban gym, to demonstrate how PS3 simulates real life. In the first film "real time", Bradley Skeet, a lightweight boxer and Olympic hopeful, is shown training and sparring in an urban gym, to demonstrate how PS3 simulates real life.
"Blue ray" highlights the vast storage capacity and search and recall ability of the console, explained through a story from a collector's perspective.
Other films include a story about ordinary objects exploding in an apartment to show how High Definition enhances game play and a film about a new kid's craze called "speed stacking", highlighting PS3's chip capabilities. The last two films show Flatland BMX athletes demonstrating how they use human movement and a behind-the-scenes look at how motion capture technology was used to produce the new 'Heavenly Sword' game.
In addition to the online push, the "stories" will be shown in cinemas nationwide.
Luke Southern, PlayStation3 European product manager, said: "We want these stories to become the property of the internet commons so that they gain their own momentum and inspire the online communities."
Robert Harwood-Mathews, client services director at TBWA\London, said: "This audience is extremely hungry and extremely savvy -- they want inspiring and informing not teasing and frustrating."
Media agency is OMD and production company is STREAM\. Director on the spot is Colin O'Toole through post-production company St Anne's.
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has announced that the release date for PlayStation 3 in PAL territories has been pushed back until March 2007.
In an official statement, Sony said the decision to revise the launch date was taken following "the delay in the mass production schedule of the blue laser diode within the Sony Group, thus affecting the timely procurement of key components to be utilised in PlayStation 3."
Consumers in Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Africa and Australasia will now have to wait until March to get their hands on a PS3. However, the console is still on track to launch in Japan on November 11 and in North America on November 17. Sony still plans to ship 6 million PS3 units globally before the end of the 2007 fiscal year.
Blue laser diodes are a key component of the PS3's Blu-Ray drive. Rumours of a shortage began to emerge just days ago, with reports suggesting that Sony had suspended shipment of the diodes to customers making standalone Blu-Ray players - but it would seem that wasn't enough to ensure there would be enough consoles to go round in November.
Sony's plans for a global launch in November were first announced by Ken Kutaragi back in March. The announcement came as a surprise to many industry observers who had predicted a staggered release schedule and a 2007 launch date for Europe - but at E3, SCEA president Kaz Hirai confirmed November release dates for all three territories.
News of the delay will no doubt please executives at Microsoft, which managed to pull off a global launch of the Xbox 360 last year. There were problems with hardware shortages but last month, Microsoft Europe boss Chris Lewis pledged that there will be no shortfall this Christmas - and with only the Nintendo Wii to compete against, MS could be set to clean up.
really did anyone think it was comming out this year in europe?
Ken Kutaragi, president of SCEI, revealed the reduced numbers following the news that Europe would not see the release of the PlayStation 3 until March 2007.
According to Kutaragi’s statement, only 400,000 consoles will be available at day one in the US, with around 100,000 units for the Japanese launch.
The reduced numbers are in line with Kuturagi’s comments from May of this year, where he stated two million PS3 units “is a number we announced having made sure we can definitely prepare it.”
However the reduction of the figure to two million units is in contrast to a Sony statement made last month suggesting the shipment figures would indeed reach four million by the end of the year.
Ray Maguire, managing director of SCE UK, has told GamesIndustry.biz of the company's disappointment at the news that the PlayStation 3 will not arrive in Europe until March 2007.
"We are extremely disappointed at news of this delay. We can truly empathise with everyone who was looking forward to PS3's imminent release," Maguire stated.
"We will however be working tirelessly to ensure that the March 2007 launch is the biggest and best in the company's history."
News of the delay broke this morning after Sony issued a statement revealing that the PS3 will no longer launch in PAL territories this November, as planned.
However, the console is still slated to launch in Japan on November 11, with a US release to follow on November 17.
SCE UK has dismissed claims that it is shelving the GBP 40 million PS3 ad campaign in the wake of the console's delayed launch as "categorically not true".
The claims were made this morning in an article on the Media Guardian website, following the news that the PS3 will now be arriving in Europe in March of next year rather than November as previously announced.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, a Sony spokesperson said: "We don't know where the Media Guardian got it from, but we are not shelving the PS3 marketing campaign."
The spokesperson confirmed that the new PS3 website, which launched yesterday, will remain live - and that the short films made to promote the console, otherwise known as 'PS3 stories', will continue to roll out.
"Now more than ever is it necessary to promote the key USPs of PlayStation 3, and we believe the 'Stories' campaign is an excellent way of doing this," the spokesperson concluded.
Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter has told GamesIndustry.biz that he believes the European PS3 delay proves Sony is out to win North American consumers over first and foremost.
"The allocation to the US - 80 per cent of initial shipments - is shocking, and it is clear that they intend to ship as many PS3s here till they crush Toshiba," Pachter said.
"I really think it's unfortunate for European consumers, but the delay makes clear that Sony intends to fight the Blu-Ray - HD-DVD battle on US soil."
The PS3 was due to hit European shops on November 17, but this morning Sony announced that the console won't be arriving till March due to delays in production of the crucial blue laser diode component.
According to Pachter, hardware shortages are still likely to occur and could continue well into next year. "I'm not as optimistic that there will be a supply-demand balance in Europe until late 2007, as the diode supply situation may take some time to balance," he stated.
However, Pachter does not believe the delayed release date will have "a tremendous amount of impact on the publishers" - noting that Ubisoft, which has at least six PS3 titles currently in development, is likely to be most affected.
"Much of the shortfall in PS3 software sales will be absorbed by higher purchases of Wii and Xbox 360 hardware and software, assuming that Nintendo has no component supply issues.
"I think on balance, this is just a bad headline, and that it will be forgotten in a year or so," Pachter concluded.
But March launch will open up major sales opportunities
Microsoft is set to take full advantage of the lack of Sony competition at retail this Christmas, but UK specialists are warning that the PS3 is still likely to clean up come March 2007.
Speaking exclusively to GamesIndustry.biz, leading UK retailers have expressed surprise at the PS3 delay - but also relief that there's one less console to worry about in an already crowded Christmas market.
"I have to admit this is pretty disappointing news as we've been gearing up for the launch for some time now," said Tim Ellis, head of games at entertainment retailer HMV.
"It also presents a major opportunity for Microsoft to consolidate Xbox's position in the market, while Nintendo has a great chance to launch and firmly establish Wii," he added.
“We’ve got a substantial amount of orders for the PS3, so from a consumer point of view they’re going to be gutted,” revealed Don McCabe, MD of Chips.
“But from a logistical point of view trying to deal with all this hardware - with all these pink SKU’s, the DS, PSP, PS2 and Wii – it’s going to be a hardware Christmas, even without the star turn."
The lack of a solid pre-ordering scheme for the PS3 had led many UK retailers to initiate their own plans, which now leaves UK stores with the unenviable task of placating the disappointed customer.
"This will be all about managing the consumers’ expectations,” commented Steve O’Brien, MD of Action Replay and Gameshop.
“With the absence of any concrete pre-order scheme in place for the UK from Sony, many retailers have taken it upon themselves to be pro-active in this area. Now it's a case of managing the aftermath.”
“Ultimately, it will have very little financial impact for retail this Christmas as the consumer has very attractive alternatives. I'm sure Microsoft and Nintendo will grab onto this opportunity with both hands," he added.
With the retail sector looking forward to a bumper Christmas, the delay of the PlayStation 3 until March next year represents a new opportunity for stores in a traditionally quiet period.
“The delay means we now have a major sales opportunity to look forward to next Spring instead, and hopefully this means there will be plenty of hardware produced to go round, so there will be no shortages,” said Ellis.
“In many respects it will give a really good boost to the spring period. It’s going to be like the second coming and it will make this Easter an extremely good one for retail,” offered McCabe.
He added: “All the other hardware manufacturers are going to benefit from this delay. And that’s without a doubt. But I don’t think it’s going to affect PlayStation 3. The PS3 is going to sell in significant quantities, but it gives Microsoft longer to grow its installed base and maximise its abilities.”
From Software's Xbox 360-exclusive RPG not so exclusive, if reports are to be believed
Recently released Xbox 360 RPG Enchanted Arms is apparently heading to PS3.
According to reports, the game's developer, From Software, blabbed about a planned version for Sony's next-gen console to Japanese magazine Famitsu.
Presumably - and if this all turns out to be true - it'll be more or less a direct port of Xbox 360's Enchanted Arms outing, but with no further information to go on currently, that's open to speculation.
Enchanted Arms has been described as one of the first true next-gen RPG adventures and finds players embarking on the usual epic quest in a fantasy world. You play Atsuma, a young enchanter who is living during a time of war and eventually develops into a kick-ass fighter and magic wielder who'll save the day. Hooray!
News of new game from Genji developer Game Republic hits the internet with a thwap
There's very, very brief reports floating around the interweb that our old pal Famitsu has revealed that developer Game Republic is working on a new PS3 title for Sony called Unknown Realms. We've no further details, other than that it appears the game is Japan-only at this stage.
Game Republic has previously developed samurai-powered hack 'n' slash effort Genji for Sony's PS2, and is also working on sequel Genji 2 for PS3. The studio's headed up by Yoshiki Okamoto, who is responsible for some high profile titles including Street Fighter 2, Resident Evil and Devil May Cry. Good pedigree of course, but the rest of the details on those realms for the moment remain ...erm unknown.
Just a few days prior to the launch of its official website, the first hard gameplay info on the next PS3 Devil May Cry has finally reached our ears, from the highly-respected Japanese mag, Famitsu.
According to the mag, the fourth Devil May Cry will take place between the first and second series entries and have you playing not as Dante, but DMC1 demon-man Nero, who - going by the mag screenshots - looks like a bit like an angsty version of our old hero.
Play mechanics are said to be familiar, although you can now use Nero's right arm to perform "devil actions", an ability apparently not possible on the PS2. Further more, the article reveals that Yuji Shimomura will once again be returning to direct the game's cut-scenes, and everything will play out in a silky-smooth 60 fps - and indeed, DMC4 is looking gorgeous in the mag shots.
That's all we have to offer at the moment, although we're sure more info - and hopefully screens - will surface when the official DMC4 website opens its doors on Friday. Oh, and we've included a new high-res teaser trailer to the right to get your fangs itching.
The first three-minute wonder created in order to showcase the PS3's myriad abilities
In light of the news that we won't be getting the PlayStation 3 until next March, the arrival of six short films commissioned by Sony to explain and extol various aspects of the PS3 now seem a touch premature. But nevertheless, the short films have been made and are being aired: and we are providing the first one for your perusal.
Entitled Real-Time, the three-minute epic created by TBWA London's offshoot Stream features young London amateur boxer (and Olympic hopeful) Bradley Skeet, as he heads to the gym, using the contrast between pummelling punchbags and sparring against real-life opponents to highlight the idea that AI characters in PS3 games will be able to produce real-time, rather than scripted, responses. The end of the film also sports a clip of Resistance: Fall of Man.
Five other short films have been made, using subjects such as obsessive collectors, the children's craze of speed-stacking, BMX trick-riding and a behind-the-scenes look at the special effects in Peter Jackson's King Kong in order to get their messages across. Sony will be premiering the films on its new official European website and will also apparently put them on YouTube and MySpace. That is, if you can bring yourself to watch them during the agonising wait for the PlayStation 3's launch.
Burnout 5's speedsters will atomise stupendously during crashes, with more than six times as many breakable pieces in each car compared to Burnout Revenge. This will mean you can tear your car in half, rip the roof off or achieve other satisfying shunt stunts. And all of this carnage is down to one thing: Star Wars.
Well, not quite. But developer Criterion takes its inspiration from everywhere, and director of game design Alex Ward only wants fun from his physics: "Real physics don't make for great gameplay all of the time. If we want to blow the car up, we'll blow the car up. Like when they blew up the Death Star - there's no fire in space." In other words, expect ridiculously entertaining levels of explosions when Burnout 5 launches on Xbox 360 and PS3 next year.
According to Sony, the official US PlayStation 3 site's caveat that the HDMI connection is required for 1080p signals in Blu-ray movies is fallout from uncertainty over the Image Constraint Token - a next-generation anti-piracy measure.
Sony has made an issue of pointing out that 1080p, which the Xbox 360 is incapable of, is the Holy Grail of "full HD". As it stands now, the only game that is running in 1080p, said Fargher, is Gran Turismo HD - a tech demo crafted by Polyphony to showcase what the system is capable of.
This is in line with our earlier report, where a development source told Kikizo that, "even with [final hardware] in mind, reaching good frame rates at 1080p with next-gen graphics is almost impossible. Instead many developers, ourselves included, are reworking so they run at 720p. "
In other words, movies will play at 1080p. Games won't, and maybe never will. Not that this is really new, but it's always distressing to have the obvious reiterated officially.
This will probably be obvious, but with nothing to actually launch in Europe this Christmas, Sony has dropped an axe on the meaty neck of its Europe and UK advertising campaign.
The campaign was set to cost about 50 million pounds across Europe and Australia, and was hailed as the most important advertisement campaign since, well, the launch of the PS2. What did Sony have in store for us? Well...
The first two - called "Real-time" and "Blu-ray" - feature a boxer and an avid collector respectively.
In the boxing ad, the short film dramatises the power the PS3 has to learn and counter a player's moves.
The film featuring the collector aims to illustrate Blu-ray technology's capability for storing information.
Other films include a children's craze called "speed stacking" to show the processing speed of the PS3; BMX trick riders to demonstrate how to play using body movement; and a behind-the-scenes look at King Kong and Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson's special effects studios to underline the console's cinema-level production quality.
In other words, 50 million pounds worth of bullshit.
Our Dream Coding Grand Prix which has started now and will finish on the Dec 31st now has a great new Sponsor and none other than Lik Sang who are sponsoring us with a Nintendo DS Lite Console.
So that means that the prizes have changed a little and now theres 4 guarenteed prizes as well as any moneys collected.
For those who dont know Lik Sang are a major worldwide supplier of games and consoles and actively support the homebrew scenes of many console systems
Check out the Dream Coding Grand Prix Page for full details of our Coding Competition for most consoles of today
PS3 exclusive gets support for controller tilt; plus we bring you new screens
Developer Factor 5 has told Famitsu that its PS3-exclusive dragon-flying-and-fighting game Lair will use the motion-sensing capabilities of the PlayStation 3's controller.
So, it seems that games which feature flight are particular well suited to the high-tech yet rumble-free gamepad, as the only other PS3 game with confirmed full support for the controller is WarHawk.
If you're having trouble visualising what that might entail, fear not -- as we've also got some hot new Lair screens for you. Lair is hotly tipped to be a PS3 launch title in the US and Japan, and is almost certain to be a launch title when the PS3 finally pitches up at these shores. No doubt, we'll learn more when Sony makes its big splash at the Tokyo Games Show, so stay on the lookout for our TGS reports.
These uncut videos allow you to see three full matches of Virtua Fighter 5 goodness, demonstrating its eye-busting good looks and fluid animation... even if little else seems to have changed.
We'll let you judge for yourself as floppy-haired Lion gets a beatdown at the hands of Shaolin monkn Lei Fei, whilst Lai Chan takes parental discipline to new levels in a scrap with his daughter Pai. Of more interest to fans is the footage of one VF newcomer, the not-so-Chinese-sounding Eileen, whose monkey kung-fu takes it to usual suspect Akira.
It remains to be seen however as to what extent the series has progressed beyond its dazzlingly sexy looks.
PlayStation founder Ken Kutaragi has apologised to European PS3 fans and admitted that he's sorry for the delay to the European launch, telling AP: "We decided to focus on the Japanese and U.S. markets. I am so sorry not to be able to answer to all the expectations. We've been working hard to try to tackle the problem, but we see the delay is inevitable."
Kutaragi also had bad news for Japanese and US fans of the console with just 500,000 machines earmarked for global launch, with Japan -- Sony's home territory and its single most crucial market -- getting just 100,000 on PS3 D-Day and the US getting 400k, if our very simple mathematics droid hasn't short-circuited.
Kaz Hirai, Sony's US boss added, "The change in the release date for PlayStation 3 in the SCEE territories will not impact our launch for the system here in North America. Our plans remain unchanged, and we are on track to meeting our goals with this important launch. It is also important to note that the previously announced global shipment forecast of six million units within the fiscal year ending 2007 has not changed."
After shares in a number of leading publishing companies dipped on the NASDAQ following Sony’s announcement of a delay to the European launch of the PS3, Electronic Arts has reiterated its support for the console.
Shares in Electronic Arts, the world’s largest videogame publisher, fell USD$ 1.19 to USD$ 50.69. EA has number of titles lined-up for the new home consoles, including Fight Night Round 3 - which was due for release this winter.
However, the delay didn’t dent the publisher's public face, which offered GamesIndustry.biz the following statement: “EA will have a great portfolio of games ready when the console arrives in Europe, and we’re looking forward to bringing our PS3 line up to gamers in the region this March.”
Shares in EA’s closest rival, Activision, fell 20 cents to US$ 12.81, while THQ recorded a dip of 35 cents to US$ 25.79 and Take-Two registered a fall of 14 cents to US$ 11.46.
News of the PS3 delay may have left European gamers and retailers disappointed, but SCEA has been quick to highlight the advantages for the North American market.
SCEI president Ken Kutaragi yesterday announced that the US will be allocated 400,000 PS3 units for day one of launch.
Speaking to IGN, Sony spokesperson Dave Karraker said, "The North American number is just below what we had available at launch for PS2 and is higher than what Microsoft had for Xbox 360.
"More importantly, in my mind, is that we will have 1 to 1.2 million units available by December 31 in North America," he continued.
"This is more than double what Xbox 360 sold through during the same period (TRST data) and should assure there aren't significant stock dips at retail."
However, Microsoft did manage to pull off a global launch - and sold around 500,000 Xbox 360 units in Europe during the same period.
According to NPD figures, more than 320,000 Xbox 360 units were sold in North America within two weeks of launch - and hardware shortages followed across the region.
When Saints Row was first shown off at the unveiling of the Xbox 360 during an MTV special, its resemblance to Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto series was more than apparent. As further details and screenshots of the game came to light, the word "resemblance" was replaced with "carbon copy." And now that THQ's gangsta-themed sandbox game is out, critics have even said the game looks like a "Grand Theft Auto rip-off," while reviewing the game positively.
Well, if you're THQ, there's one place you really want Saints Row to mimic Rockstar's best-selling franchise--in the sales charts. That's exactly what the game did on Best Buy's sales charts for the week of August 28 to September 4. The Xbox 360 game took the top slot in its first week in retail, pushing even the almighty Madden NFL franchise down from its usual throne.
Madden wasn't standing idly on the sidelines, though. The pigskin sim held four of the top-10 rungs, down from its dominating seven from the previous week. The Xbox version came in second, followed by the PlayStation 2 (fourth), Xbox 360 (eighth), and PlayStation Portable (10th) editions. Madden's collegiate cousin, NCAA Football 07, showed its longevity, as the PS2 version of the game rushed into sixth.
New Super Mario Bros. recovered from its tackling and double-jumped back into familiar territory in third, up from 10th the previous week. Where there's Mario, there's Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day--the edutainment title held fast in ninth. Another Nintendo icon, Fox McCloud, made his debut on the DS last week and landed in fifth with Star Fox Command.
Rounding out the top-10 list was another debut, From Software's Enchanted Arms for the Xbox 360, which took seventh.
Best Buy console charts: August 28-September 4, 2006
1 Saints Row
Platform: X360
2 Madden NFL 07
Platform: XBOX
3 New Super Mario Bros.
Platform: DS
4 Madden NFL 07
Platform: PS2
5 Star Fox Command
Platform: DS
6 NCAA Football 07
Platform: PS2
7 Enchanted Arms
Platform: X360
8 Madden NFL 07
Platform: X360
9 Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day
Platform: DS
10 Madden NFL 07
Platform: PSP
The PLAYSTATION 3's plight to store shelves has been surreal. If you think things have been hard on the consumer end, try making games for it. How bad have things been? For months, we've been hearing reports of Sony's lack of developer support. Worst yet, the company is now apparently running short on developer hardware and leaving everyone in the gray. Our Mole (no, not an Insider, a Mole) dishes:
Sony has run out of PS3 test kits to give to developers. Since the announcement of the European launch being delayed, nobody has any idea what's going to happen with the PS3 port of F.E.A.R... specially since we only have the one PS3. And it's a devkit. In case you haven't seen those things, they sound like giant vacuum cleaners. They're reportedly ridiculously complicated to use, specially when upgrading the firmware. It has just the one controller, and it's not even the proper PS3 one even! It doesn't have those "innovative" changes from the PS3 controller, it's just a Dual Shock 2 with a USB Mini port.
The first Devil May Cry 4 artwork - along with new PS3 gameplay details - has finally trickled onto the internet, thanks to the official website opening of Capcom's latest devil slash 'em-up this morning.
As we revealed earlier in the week, DMC4 has you playing not as Dante but a new character, Nero. The story - which is said to feature more heavily in the fourth instalment - puts you in a city called Fortuna, where you're apparently out to resurrect the legendary dark knight Sparda. In an odd twist, this puts Dante - who is out to stop your plans - in the role of the bad guy, and some explosive scuffles are no-doubt in the making.
Gameplay-wise Nero has many new combat abilities that differ from Dantes, the most notable of which is the 'Devil Bringer' ability, which lets you 'grapple' enemies towards you with your fancy, glowing arm. Speaking in the latest Famitsu magazine, the game's director said that this is one way the development team are allowing combos to extend beyond when all the badguys have died, as you can move and rearrange enemies at will with Devil Bringer.
Fresh from the battlefield we've got brand new Call of Duty 3 screens and movie, showing more gorgeous next-gen visionings of our boys campaigning against the Nazi war machine, in Treyarch and Activision's massive WWII shooter three-quel jumping into combat later this year.
As ever we have our suspicions that this latest Call of Duty 3 media is from either the PlayStation 3 of Xbox 360 versions of the game, but it's not currently clear. For more info on the latest seminal entry in the WWII shooter series, click to our preview by sliding your eyes rightward soldier - and don't forget to check out the other gorgeous footage showing off next-gen WWII action.
Call of Duty 3 is expected to begin its campaign by deploying in shops this autumn.
The internet. Not a place to be if you happen to be in any way affiliated with Sony Computer Entertainment right now, as both Microsoft and that supposedly nice fella Nintendo are taking sneaky pot-shots. And if the men-in-suits are publicly mocking Sony, you can guarantee that the rabid internet geeks are doing the same.
ThisIsWaiting.com is at the vanguard of this Sony-baiting, taking Sony's 'This is Living' campaign and photoshopping it within an inch of its life. From the mass punning of "Wii wish you a merry X-mas" to an apt parody of Sarah Jessica Parker boredom-flick 'Failure to Launch', the claws are firmly in Sony's back at the moment.
Sure, it's easy for us here in the States to throw in our two cents on Sony's recently announced PS3 delay, but it's mainly an academic pursuit -- a quick chance to feign some empathy for our brethren across the ocean. For a more meaningful reaction to the delay, you have to go to the people that are directly affected -- the foreigners that will have to do without the system for an extra few months.
With that in mind, here's a quick round-up of some of the more noteworthy and memorable quotes from foreign press, bloggers and retailers in reaction to the delay announcement..
"All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put this disastrous mess of broken egg back together again" -Rob Fahey, EuroGamer
"In a few years' time, this might look like the beginning of the end ... unless they can come up with something remarkable to stop the rot." -Bobbie Johnson, Guardian Unlimited
"This is pretty disappointing news for PlayStation fans as well as for retailers, who have been gearing up for this launch for some time now." -British retailer HMV, quoted in a Scotsman.com article
"We were never anticipating a substantial amount of PS3 in 2006. We expect to see some mitigation of profit impact with a strong line-up of other products now in free supply." -Sources close to British retailer Game, quoted in a Times Online article
"Sony Europe said when they first announced the PS3 simultaneous world wide launch 'This is an exciting first for Europe, and is a huge endorsement and vote of confidence in the strength of the European market and its importance globally,' so with them now going back on this promise we can assume that they assume Europe to be 3rd rate, behind Japan & USA" -UK Technology blog Tech's Message
"Sony have got a lot to lose from having the PS3 delayed: not just poor figures for 2006, but also a loss in market share as parents buy their kids XBoxes for Christmas, and a boost for HD-DVD which looks set to get to market far quicker than its arch-rival." -UK blogger Chris Doidge
"The previously announced PlayStation 3 shipment forecast of 6 million units globally within the fiscal year ending 2007 is not changed, suggesting that Sony wasn't expecting to sell any units in the PAL territories." -UK tech site Pocket Lint
"Can anyone else hear a lone church bell clanging mournfully in the background...?" -Yahoo Video Games UK
More gamers than ever before are having their say in this year’s Golden Joystick Awards – but there’s still time to make your mark on the industry’s most prestigious awards ceremony.
The Golden Joystick Awards are officially the world’s oldest and most respected gaming awards show and have taken place since 1982, when Sony was famous for the Walkman and the Commodore 64 was a mere infant! This year, the awards are announced at a glitzy award ceremony on Friday, 27th October at the Park Lane Hilton, London and for the first time, will be streamed live at www.computerandvideogames.com.
Smashing organisers’ expectations – almost 400,000 votes have already been received across 17 award categories, almost doubling last year’s total. With voting open until Friday, 12th October – there are still no clear winners, with potential receivers of the time-honoured Golden Joysticks changing on an hourly basis.
For the first time in living memory, a handheld game could potentially scoop “Ultimate Game of the Year” with New Super Mario Brothers leading the charge. Axe-fans are backing Red Octane’s Guitar Heroes to win the “Innovation Award”, whilst Halo 3 is out in front in the “One to Watch” category, surprisingly beating both the Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation 3.
In the hotly-contested “Retailer of the Year” award, as five-way scrap has broken out, with Amazon.co.uk, Gameplay.com and Play.com battling it out with high street giants Game and GameStation, for gamers hearts, minds and wallets. In the “Publisher of the Year” category, EA Games, Rockstar and Ubisoft are currently neck and neck for the winning position, with both Nintendo and Microsoft Game Studios recording a massive surge in recent weeks.
John Houlihan is Editor of computerandvideogames.com:
“The record number of votes, especially in a difficult year between major console launches is great news for the Joysticks and the games industry as a whole. It just shows gamers are extremely passionate people and thousands are taking the opportunity to have their say and select the worthy winners of gaming's ultimate accolade, a Golden Joystick Award."
DS Lite once again totally dominates the Japan Market, if Nintendo can repeat the success with Wii then the next gen race is going to be very interesting. Especially if they make use of the DS with the Wii ?
- DS Lite: 228,939
- PSP: 27,499
- PS2: 22,703
- GBA SP: 2,751
- Game Boy Micro: 1,791
- Xbox 360: 1,250
- Gamecube: 855
- DS Phat: 320
- GBA: 22
- Xbox: 0
What we do know is that we'll be getting a ton of news about games and accessories as we near the launch of the system, and here is the first bit that jumped out at me: it seems as if Lair is confirmed to be another game that supports the motion-sensing technology in the PS3 controller. That brings the total number of games confirmed to use that technology up to two, in addition to Warhawk.
This is all according to Famitsu and there is of course a chance that this could change before launch, but I'm hoping for as many games I can control by tilting the controller as possible. I just think it's fun. I'm looking forward to seeing how many games are going to be available at launch that use the controller in this way; this is Sony's time to prove that this is a feature they actually believe in and not a cheap knockoff of the Wiimote.
Of course, the other feature I'm hoping for is the ability to toggle the motion-sensing controls in the games off and on. I can see some consumers preferring to use the traditional analogue stick, and I always think the more choice we have in how we play games the better. This is going to be an interesting two months.
If i only had 5 Pounds for every member registered
Today we hit the magical 100 thousand member mark, a lot came since we had to stop sites leaching our downloads but it shows you what a great network this is becoming with so many sites that cover homebrew that are totally up to date, a downloads system that uses the forum for downloads and that means that coders get linked to and they get feedback they deserve, a feature lacking from so many PSP and DS (and download archives) sites who post the news but dont link to the source no matter what site/forum it came from.
The Network wouldnt be the same without the members, staff and most important the coders who we owe all our congrats too.
Its my great honour to announce our new affiliate and the site in question is PlayerAdvance, if you have never been there before your missing out, even though it is French it is one of the very best sites for GBA, Nintendo DS and PSP development and releases, many of the best releases in our homebrew scene come from the forums at PlayerAdvance so im especially pleased to call them our newest affiliate
The site is also very well respected throughout the homebrew scene and probably the biggest non english dev community.
Heres another of those questions to get the community talking and one im sure you all have an opinion on.
So onto the question, what is the best FPS game ever across all formats?
answering the question myself i would have to say Duke Nukem 3D comes very high on my list but my fave at the moment are the Conflict Global Storm games.
Whats your fave FPS Game ?
Sony boss Ken Kutaragi has expressed further regret over last week's news that the PlayStation 3 will be delayed in Europe until March 2007, apparently admitting to news agency Reuters that Sony's strength in hardware is in decline.
The man known as the father of PlayStation apparently told reporters, "If you asked me if Sony's strength in hardware was in decline, right now I guess I would have to say that might be true."
It's certainly a surprising admission if the quote is genuine and it certainly appears to be as it's been widely reported. However, as is so often the case, it should be taken in context and in this case, there's no more context than the raw quote to examine.
Kutaragi is undoubtedly right in some senses as PlayStation hardware is in decline, facing an extremely serious challenge from Microsoft and to a lesser extent Nintendo for the hearts and minds of gamers in the next generation - a challenge it didn't have to deal with during the launch of the PS2. The delay to the PS3 in Europe has been a major blow, given Microsoft more or less managed a full global launch of its own last year and the Redmond giant now has a chance to cash in on the lucrative European Christmas market this winter.
Perhaps Kutaragi's qualifier of 'right now' might be the crucial phrase in that quote, suggesting more optimistic times are on the way. Kutaragi could also be referring to the general challenges Sony faces in all hardware markets, including TVs and consumer goods where the Japanese electronics giant is also under attack from new challengers.
But whether that means a decline in PlayStation hardware overall, we're not so convinced, as we still see PlayStation 3 being a major success when it does eventually launch in Europe, although it will also undoubtedly yield some significant market share to both 360 and Wii. We're sure you won't be afraid to share your thoughts on Kutaragi's statement in the comments field below.
Several of Capcom and Koei's PlayStation 3 titles will be playable at next week's Tokyo Game Show, while Capcom has also spoken of new game announcements.
With expectation starting to build ahead of Tokyo's annual showcase, Capcom has pledged 12 demo units of Devil May Cry 4, while Koei aims to have playable versions of some of its PS3 titles on-hand, likely to include Fatal Inertia (a launch title), Bladestorm, Ni-Oh and Mahjong Taikai IV.
Koei will also be demonstrating Samurai Warriors Wave for Nintendo Wii, while Capcom will be offering hands-on time with Xbox 360 exclusive Lost Planet, but with PlayStation 3 making its public playable debut in Japan the Sony console is understandably the focus.
Elsewhere on Capcom's line-up is obscure PlayStation 2 fighting game God Hand, developed by Clover Studio, along with PSP titles Power Stone Collection, Monster Hunter Portable 2nd and Capcom Classics Collection. The DS will be represented by a new Phoenix Wright title and Megaman Rebirth.
Koei, meanwhile, is largely focused on Sony formats, with PS2 titles Sangokushi 11, G1 Jockey 4 2006, Harukanaru Toki no Naka De, Samurai Warriors 2 Empires and Nobunaga's Ambition on show, and Dynasty Warriors Mahjong appearing on PSP. That title will also be visible on DS, along with Pocket Scenario Series Harukanaru Toki no Naka De.
Tokyo Game Show 2006 takes place between September 22nd and 24th.
Unknown Realms, a new action-RPG for PS3, has been revealed in the build-up to the machine's Tokyo Game Show appearance.
The game has been created by the developer of impossibly pretty PS2 slash-'em-up Genji (and its PS3 sequel), and that much is obvious in the colour-soaked screenshots below. Billed as a 'dark fantasy', the game follows the exploits of university student Ellen and journalist Keats through a series of dream-like realms - including a war-torn battlefield, a coral-strewn underwater setting and enchanted forests shimmering with all the lighting effects that PS3 can crank out.
Unknown Realms will be shown at TGS in a couple of weeks' time - as fresh games are a welcome sight on Sony's delayed supermachine, we'll be sure to bring you more information during the show.
This brand new trailer for Metal Gear Solid 4 showcases the insane skills of Solid Snake's most imposing enemies ever, the weirdly leggy cyborg assault drones.
We're still not sure if it's blood the drones leak, or just oil - or even which would be worse - but the sight of one of these monsters high-kicking a soldier dead is at once disturbing and thrilling. Go hit the movies tab and see the carnage for yourself.
If you missed the previous clips - which we also have nestled in our MGS4 video library - this trailer gives a stripped down heads-up on the game's plot and Snake's new mission. Liquid, the boss from Metal Gear Solid on PSone, has gained control of a private army big enough to challenge America's own military might and Snake must do everything he can to stop a new World War.
Game site IGN offers a first look at the PLAYSTATION 3 box art and points out the small changes the new design offers. The PlayStation logo, which previously was set against a black background, is now contrasted with white. The text alignment on the spine also returns to left aligned as it was in the PSX days. The ESRB and the Sony Online Entertainment logos are unobtrusively located in the corners. While the art is real, IGN also whipped up this mock-up of the Blu-ray case, which kinda sticks out. The rest of it, not bad, not bad at all.
Sony reckons it can air-freight a further 800K consoles to the US before the year is out
Sony has told US analysts that, following the launch-date shipment of 400,000 PlayStation 3s to the US, it should be able to airlift another 800,000 units Stateside before the end of the year, according to Next Generation.
Apparently, the split between 60Gb and 20Gb consoles will be roughly 80:20, and Sony is confident it can build 1.2 million PS3s per month from January onwards, which will equate to an impressive, shortage-busting first-year production of 14 million units.
The analyst briefing also touched on the PS3's Online Network, confirming that it will sport features such as video, audio and text chat and gamer rankings, and will support downloads such as casual games and updates.
The news that Sony is confident about swiftly overcoming its PS3 production problems bodes well, suggesting that a significant amount of PS3s will be available for the delayed March 2007 European launch. But it also raises the spectre of a healthy grey market springing up in the intervening period, a phenomenon on which Sony has attempted to crack down heavily in the past.
When the Xbox 360 launched last fall, many prospective buyers were faced with a dilemma. The $399 premium pack--which included a wireless controller, 20-gigabyte hard drive, and hi-definition video cables--was almost always the first model to sell out. That forced gamers to buy the $299 "core" Xbox 360, which had no hard drive and a wired controller, to the chagrin of many.
Last week, Sony announced it would only have 400,000 units available during the US PlayStation 3 launch--around 74,000 more than the approximately 326,000 Xbox 360s that were sold in the five days after that console went on sale. Following the news, many wondered that, of those PS3s, how many would be the $599 premium model, which comes with a 60GB hard drive and HDMI high-definition video output, and how many would be the $499 model, which only sports a 20GB hard drive.
Today, gamers got the first clue as to how the initial PS3 shipment will break down. "The split between premium (60GB) and core (20GB) units at US retail stores should be roughly 80/20 [percent]," Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian asserted in a note sent out this morning.
Sebastian's report came following a recent meeting with unidentified members of "Sony PlayStation management." He also reports that Sony plans "to ship another 800,000 units via air freight through the end of the year (1.2 million units total in calendar year '06) and another 1.2 million units for Japan." Sony officials also reportedly asserted that the company "can ramp monthly PS3 production to 1.2 million units by January due to anticipated improvements in Blu-Ray laser supplies," referring to the console's problematic next-gen media format.
Sebastian's report also predicted that Sony would unveil the PS3's online service at the Tokyo Game Show in two weeks and that it would be online at the same time the console debuts. "We believe services available at the PS3 launch are likely to include basic community features such as video, audio, and text chat, gamer rankings, as well as limited content downloads such as casual games and game updates." He also reported that he believes that Sony will leverage its media divisions to "full music and video downloads" available on the service.
The Lazard Capital Markets report also said that the PS3 would support Internet browsing, which is in line with Sony executives' claims that the console would have many functions heretofore relegated to the PC. However, Sebastian also said that, "[Sony] management indicated that full downloads of [PS3] console games will not be practical in the near term due to storage and bandwidth constraints."
Joystiq reports the news that, for the time being, Spore will be only on the PC. This, despite Will Wright's hopes that it would see publication on the Wii, 360, PS3, Gameboy, DS, and PSP. EA seems to be wanting to 'get it right' on the PC to begin with, though, and is discounting the game's publication on those platforms at this time. From the article:
"The Wii reference may be a direct result of UK magazine NGamer's recent article that suggests Spore is coming to Nintendo Wii in Spring 2007. As it stands, Wright's team is '100% focused on finishing Spore on the PC and PC only.' That said, you'd have to be pretty foolish to believe Spore will remain exclusive to any format. Like The Sims before it, Wright's latest project will likely invade every screen -- television, computer, mobile phone, etc. -- on Earth."
All the talk about professional gaming has focused largely on who can race the fastest, who can frag the most, and who can fight the best. That may all change now, as a prize of $1 million was given to the gamer who could break the most jewels, play the most cards, and bust the most bubbles over the weekend.
Kavitha Yalavarthi of Odessa, Texas, was crowned World's Best Casual Gamer by Fun Technologies at the first-ever WorldWide Web Games held in Hollywood, California. Three games--Bejeweled 2, Solitaire, and Zuma--were featured in the competition, which took place over 12 hours and featured 71 contestants.
Casual games, called so because of their appeal to the non-gaming crowd, have garnered a lot of attention in recent years because of their revenue potential and low development costs. Many industry experts believe the sector is due for considerable growth domestically over the next five years, with some pegging it as a billion-dollar industry by 2011.
Devil May Cry protagonist Dante is being replaced for the fourth installment in the series, a move the game's developers explained in the new Famitsu PS2. The magazine interviewed Devil May Cry 4 producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi, whose credits include Basara 2 and the GameCube version of Resident Evil 4, and Devil May Cry series veteran Hideaki Itsuno.
Itsuno revealed some of the reasons why Dante was replaced with his younger look-alike Nero. "First of all, Dante sort of peaked out in the last game. Also, the introduction of the new protagonist, levels the playing field for veterans and new players," Itsuno told the magazine.
As for the similarities in appearance between Dante and Nero, Kobayashi gave a couple of reasons for that design choice. "The silver hair and coats are symbols that make it easier to recognize the series' protagonist," Kobayashi said. "There is also a deeper meaning [to their similarities]..."
Nero is a member of a religious group called the Kyoudan Kishi, or "Order of Knights." Kobayashi said he will have some new powers, including the abilities to pull enemies toward him or throw them. The awakening of these powers in Nero will apparently make up one of the plot elements in Devil May Cry 4. Regarding Nero's ability to pull or repel enemies, he said: "Nero's right arm uses a new system we're calling the 'Devil Bringer.' This system could have been done on the current hardware, but due to problems with the PlayStation 2's specs, it would have looked primitive. However, with the PlayStation 3 we were able to get the visual aspects right."
A close examination of the screen shots provided in Famitsu PS2 reveals a strange, life-bar-like graphic in the upper left-hand corners. Itsuno explains, "This is like the throttle and clutch on a motorcycle... The sword has a sort of will of its own. Nero has tuned it himself, turning it into a very powerful weapon. I can't talk about the specifics of the system, but we'd created a new style of game-play for the sword."
Despite the focus on Nero, it seems that he may not be the game's only playable character. When asked if it would be possible to play as Dante, Kobayashi replied with another question. "Do you want to be able to play as Dante," he laughed. "In order to proceed through the story, the player's point of view will change but...who knows?"
Expect more details about the game to be revealed later this month at the 2006 Tokyo Game Show. Kobayashi noted that in addition to the playable demo of the game at the show, "the stage event will include a real-time demonstration of the game... There will also be some surprise announcements!"
Australia's top Xbox executive, Microsoft's David McLean, spoke to GameSpot AU last week and provided his company's perspective on the PlayStation 3 launch delay in territories outside of Japan and the US--specifically, the console's delay from November 2006 to March 2007 in Australia. He said the delay didn't catch him or anyone else at Microsoft by surprise. In fact, McLean brought up the topic of even more delays for Sony's next-gen console.
"[The PS3 delay] doesn't surprise me--and it further wouldn't surprise me if this product wasn't seen in March next year either," McLean said.
"We have always been comfortable with our strategy for Christmas irrespective of Sony. We are completely unsurprised by this situation. We have actually been a little surprised at how surprised other people have been."
McLean hinted that Microsoft would unveil some retail-focused strategies this holiday season to entice gamers who had money saved up for a PS3 to switch to an Xbox 360 instead. McLean was close-mouthed when it came to providing exact details, however.
"We may well look at working with our retail partners to come up with some opportunities to give gamers more choice," he said.
McLean said the only downside for Microsoft with the PS3 delay was that consumers would have to wait longer to finally compare the 360 and the PS3 side-by-side.
"It would have been nice for people to really contrast what the Xbox 360 had to offer versus Sony this Christmas, so the vapourware aspect could go away," he said.
But when it comes to the other next-generation console still expected to reach Australian shores this year--the Nintendo Wii--McLean was more benign. "I actually think the Wii is very innovative. I think it will have an interesting niche market for that controller. I do think that it will lend itself to some new experiences around gameplay--but I also do think that in terms of true power, next-generation content and true digital lifestyle scenarios, the game is still with Xbox 360," he said.
Sony Computer Entertainment Australia declined to comment to GameSpot AU about Microsoft's reaction.
Its late and quiet for news so thats have another question
Whats the very worst game you have ever played or you can list more than one if you so getsthose comments coming in.
Worse game ever eh
Well for me bearing in mind its a matter of taste my worst game ever was Myst, i couldnt stand the game and really hated it, infact so much i chucked it in the bin.
LucasArts has released a 'Force-power' video shown at this year's E3 that provides indication on the direction the company is taking with technology that'll be employed in its new Star Wars project.
The company is keen to point out that the footage on display is pre-rendered and not a tech demo, but nevertheless the prospect of physics tech that lends a whole new dimension to the use of Force powers - as seen in the video - is mouth-watering. LucasArts is confident that the Star Wars game will look as good as what we're seeing here - in fact, it reckons it may even end up looking better than this in the end product.
Currently, the Star Wars project, which is being developed exclusively for next-generation consoles, remains unnamed, but LucasArts has stated the it's set between Episodes III and IV and "represents the first entry into a new series of Star Wars titles." The company's also said that the game "places a strong emphasis on unleashing the Force" and that the Jedi use of Force lightning in the video "will all make sense as you learn more about the game...".
All three next-generation format holders are expected to have an equal footing in the next-generation console battle, according to publisher Electronic Arts.
In the eyes of the world’s largest games publisher, Sony’s traditional dominance of the home console market will not continue in the face of the launch of Nintendo’s Wii and the steady growth of Microsoft’s Xbox 360.
“Over the course of the new cycle, EA expects a more even playing field among the three video game consoles in contrast to Sony’s dominance during the previous two cycles,” said Colin Sebastian, senior research analyst at Lazard Capital Markets.
The publisher has also expressed minimal concern over the delayed launch of the PlayStation 3 in Europe, according to Sebastian.
“EA management does not appear surprised by Sony’s announced delay of the PS3 launch in Europe, though we believe there could be a few tweaks to EA’s launch line-up.”
“However, we do not expect a meaningful impact on the fiscal year outlook,” he added.
With the playing field levelled, publishers and retail look set to benefit from three strong performing consoles.
“Based on our conversations with EA, we maintain our overall positive view of the company, specifically the prospects for healthy long-term growth,” said the analyst.
“According to EA, the retail channel remains relatively clean ahead of the important holiday selling season,” said the analyst.
Jamie MacDonald to discuss PS3’s ‘network-centric future’
Sony is rolling out the big guns in support of the PS3, with vice president of SCE Worldwide Studios Jamie Macdonald due to keynote at London’s Games Developers Conference, GamesIndustry.biz can exclusively reveal.
Macdonald’s keynote will explore the shift from a ‘package-centric world to a network-centric future’. With emphasis on the PlayStation 3, Macdonald will focus on new forms of content, organisation development, nurturing a development ecosystem and exploring new revenue streams.
Macdonald was founding director of SCE London Studio, where he was responsible for the EyeToy, SingStar and Getaway franchises. Prior to Sony, he held a key position at Criterion charged with planning the RenderWare middleware solution.
Electronic Arts will also be in attendance at the LGDC, with a session entitled Harry Potter: Film Meets Game.
Presented by Harry Potter animation director Wayne Stables and art director of Battlefield Modern Combat Will Byles, the session will discuss the challenges faced by artists and engineers, and how to produce more sophisticated content within timeframes and on budget.
GDC London takes place October 2nd – 4th. Those registering by September 15th are eligible for a discount.
1up is reporting on Sony's 'answer' to Microsoft's Xbox Live system: XFire. The PC-based game networking service is already extremely popular among FPS and MMOG players. Financial reports indicate the service will now be extended to the PlayStation 3 as well. From the article:
"By incorporating an existing service into their own PlayStation Network Platform (PNP), Sony hopes to circumvent existing problems in the console space that Microsoft has had to sort out and in using Xfire -- a company with an established messaging, matchmaking and gaming client -- Sony hopes to narrow the four-year gap in online gaming services that Microsoft currently enjoys (Xfire has been around since 2002)."
This is where the real voting begins. We've carefully counted all the nominations and selected four finalists for every possible category.
All voting will end on Christmas Day, which should give you plenty of time to decide who and what will get your valubale votes. Remember each and every vote counts so participate to get your favorites to win!
It will definitely run the online aspect of Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom, but will it take on a wider role?
Speculation that a console version of PC online gaming service Xfire will be integrated into the PlayStation 3 Online Service - after parent company Viacom appeared to reveal precisely that in its Q2 financial report - has sparked a welter of denials, although both Sony and Xfire admit that a version of the latter is being developed for the PS3's Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom.
1Up managed to acquire a transcript of Viacom's Q2 earnings report conference call (how deliciously American), in which president and CEO Tom Freston said: "Importantly, Xfire just signed a deal with Sony to create a version of their platform for the new PS3, which will now enable Xfire to extend its reach further into the huge console gaming market." This led to speculation that a PS3 Xfire client would handle responsibility for messaging, matchmaking, patching, stats profiling and so on - all services that the PC client offers.
But a torrent of denials soon followed. Sony Online Entertainment's Chris Kramer said: "SOE has been in talks with Xfire about potentially including some of their technology in Untold Legends Dark Kingdom, our PlayStation 3 launch title. This proposed deal is completely separate and independent from the PlayStation Network Platform, and is something that SOE was examining specifically for Dark Kingdom."
Xfire CEO Mike Cassidy chipped in with: "Xfire is not part of the PlayStation Network Platform. We are in discussions with Sony Online Entertainment, but I cannot comment any further."
Doth they protest too much wethinks? It would make sense for Sony to have a unified matchmaking and general online gaming service with a consistent interface, and Xfire is highly regarded for its ease of use and approachability. Sony, bidding to make maximum impact at next week's Tokyo Games Show, is currently loath to announce anything, so it will be interesting to see what it says about the PS3 Online Service and Xfire at TGS.
Evolution Studios' mud-plugging desert-racer MotorStorm was one of the titles accused of caught up in the smoke-and-mirrors row surrounding the PS3 at E3 2005, but recently -- most notably in video shown at the Leipzig Games Convention -- it has been looking stunning. And here are the screenshots to prove it.
MotorStorm is almost certain to be a PlayStation 3 launch title -- and one of the most desirable ones at that. As will, doubtless, be confirmed at the Tokyo Games Show next week. In the meantime, feast your eyes on these visuals.
Capcom's bloody adventure title Dead Rising has bludgeoned its way to the top of the Chart Track all-formats charts this week, becoming the fastest-selling Xbox 360 title to date.
Sales of THQ's gangster shooter Saints Row have dropped by 43 per cent, although the game sits in the number two position ahead of two other new entries - TT Games' Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy at number three and Atari's 360 exclusive Test Drive Unlimited, debuting at number four.
THQ's Cars is still continuing to perform well at number five, while the rest of the top ten has been bumped down due to new releases. The Sims 2: Glamour Life Stuff sits at six, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories represents for Rockstar at number seven and New Super Mario Bros. for the DS is at number eight.
The Sims 2 and Dr Kawashima's Brain Training both slip three places to the number nine and ten positions respectively.
The week's highest climber is Sony's PSP Getaway spin-off Gangs of London, up from number 23 to number 11, while the only other new entry in the top 40 is Ubisoft's Xbox 360 title Enchanted Arms.
Releases due this Friday include Sega's brawler Yakuza and a range of PC titles including shooter Joint Task Force from Vivendi, race sim GTR 2 from Atari and THQ's adventure Broken Sword: The Angel of Death
Via Joystiq, an article on Gaming Horizon defending the PS3 from its detractors. The article looks at a number of the biggest concerns about the system (price, HD, rumble, blu-ray), and attempts to explain why most of these problems are nothing to worry about. From the article:
"As Sony is a company that manufactures HD-TVs, it's in their interest to add that compatibility to give consumers another reason to upgrade. There's various numbers about how long it'll take for HD to 'replace' standard-feed televisions (just as broadband has all but eliminated dial-up), but it's conceivable that HD televisions will become affordable during the PS3's lifecycle, and for those of us that have been blessed by the high-def gods, it's another reason to take advantage of the highest-quality visual equipment available."
In a presentation at the Merril Lynch Media and Entertainment Conference this morning, Electronic Arts chief financial officer Warren Jenson talked to investors about the changing face of the game industry and how EA intends to position itself to succeed in the future.
Jenson laid out five changes in the industry that EA is looking to adapt to: increased online connectivity, more mobile gaming (including cell-phone gaming, handhelds, and now iPods), growth in user-generated content, the increasingly global development marketplace, and the transition to next-gen consoles.
In a postpresentation Q&A session, Jenson was asked to give an update on how the publisher's PlayStation 3 launch titles were shaping up relative to its Xbox 360 launch efforts from last year.
"We feel real good about where we are," Jenson said. "Relative to where we were with the Xbox [360], we're further along, but we're developing for a more complicated machine." Jenson's comments were likely in reference to the PlayStation 3's powerful central Cell processor, codeveloped by IBM and Toshiba, and its RSX graphics chip, designed by Nvidia.
Jenson isn't the only one feeling good about where EA is in regards to the PS3 launch. In a report on the industry's holiday outlook today, UBS Investments Research analyst Michael Wallace said the publisher was better suited to take advantage of the PS3 launch than its competitors.
"Of all the third parties, EA will have the most exposure to the PS3 launch in terms of its number of titles available," Wallace said, "but we feel it would be hurt less from a PS3 shortfall than other companies (i.e., Activision) would be, given that EA will have a more balanced lineup targeting both current-generation and next-generation platforms over the next two quarters."
While GamesConvention in Germany, there were pictures published showing the PS3 with scratches and dust everywhere. Now we got our hands on a
new exclusive picture showing, that the PS3 actually had a protection foil over the case! This means, that the case of the PS3 might not be as
sensitive as many sites claimed. On the picture there is a marked area!
And by the way: Our insider told us, that all PS3s on GC (that were in non-debug cases) were real RETAIL PS3s, which were supposed to be shipped to retailers, before!
A 1UP user passed along the suggestion that we check the patent records for the name 'Sixaxis' and see what turned up. Scanning the trademark's text it's clear that this could be any number of things (see image above).
However, the term "six axis" has appeared frequently in Sony PR, including multiple times in the May 8, 2006 announcement of the controller's motion sensing functionality:
The controller for PS3 employs breakthrough technology of high-precision, highly sensitive six-axis sensing system that does not require any devices other than the controller itself for seamless interactive operation, thus eliminating additional settings to TVs. With this technology, ways to enjoy PS3 will be further enhanced by accessing PS3 through the network, while retaining the six-axis sensing capability.
1) The PlayStation 3 costs too much!!!
2) The specs for the PS3 keep changing, no HDMI support for the $499 version.
3) Conversely, not many people have High Definition televisions yet. Isn't it a bit early to start pushing so hard for a technology most can't afford?
4) No "shock" in my Dual Shock. Is cheesy tilt-sensing worth the loss of force-feedback?
5) Sony says they won't have enough consoles to ship for launch. Only 500,000, they say.
6) Sony is putting way too many figurative eggs in their metaphorical Blu-Ray basket. End users don't really care about formats so long as they work.
7) Developers say that the PlayStation 3 is difficult to work with or that the Cell processor is a pain to program for.
8) The PS3 launch library is pretty slim, only 13 titles or so.
9) Where's the innovation? Xbox and Nintendo are trying new things and the PS3 seems like "Just another PlayStation."
10) Why is Sony staying so quiet about the PS3 if this huge new system is going to be launching in 2 months? Where are the ads and the hands-on reports? Are they hiding something? I've fallen and I can't get up!
Agree or disagree, let us know via comments
Nottingham's GameCity festival is to be opened by former National Film and Television School chairman Lord Puttnam.
Puttnam became the first European-born boss of Hollywood's Columbia Studios and later went on to found SkillSet, which trains young people to become members of the film and television industries.
"Videogames are at the cutting edge of the future of the creative industries in the UK and it's an index of the success of their journey into mainstream culture that something like GameCity is able to happen at all," commented Puttnam.
"Videogame culture is important and the ability of videogames to celebrate and translate themselves to new audiences through inclusive and innovative events like GameCity is massively encouraging in a sector so often under attack from the mainstream," he added.
Puttnam will open the festival on October 25th at Nottingham Council House, before the European premier of the Into the Pixel exhibition. GameCity runs from October 25th to the 29th.
Official figures for this years' Tokyo Game Show reveal that 573 titles will be on display to the trade and public.
With Sony expected to use the event as a showcase for the upcoming launch of its next-generation home console, there are 18 PlayStation 3 titles confirmed to appear at next weeks' event.
Rival next-generation platform holders Microsoft will benefit from 20 games on display, while Nintendo's Wii will only be supported by five.
Of the 573 titles at the show, 129 slot into the action genre, with 76 role-playing titles and 49 simulation games.
PC and mobile platforms make up 252 of the titles on show, while 52 will be available for the Nintendo DS and 33 for the PSP.
Tokyo Game Show takes place September 22nd to the 24th.
There has been some confusion about the use of copyright material in entries for the contest, so the rules have been up dated to make this clear
No use of copyrighted images, sounds, or code without explicit permission from the author (this can include the author having released the materials under a license which allows you to reuse it in the manner in which you are).
No ports allowed without explicit permission of the author (also includes license. Please check the license carefully as some otherwise 'open source' licenses specifically bar the use for profit) GPL ports are allowed without the author premission.
If at any time an entry is found to be in violation of any of these rules, it may be disqualified from the competition.
In other news I would like to thanks 1timeuser for donating $5 and to all of you that have been clicking on the ads on the contest page, your clicks have earned $8.48 so far.
That all brings the total prize money to $41.56, and the total value of all the prizes to $571.45 (£300+)(€450+)
Ubisoft's Sin City tactical-shooter, Rainbow Six: Vegas has spawned another glitzy gameplay trailer - and surprise, surprise; it's looking gorgeous.
If you haven't been paying attention, we're unhappy to report that Ubi's 'Vegas isn't the tale of the Rainbow Six Team's terrorist-busting stag do, but their mission to take down international terrorist Irena Morales, who fancies his chances at blowing up Las Vegas. As Rainbow leader Logan Keller, you and your team have a real-time-ish limit of one night to stop him.
Rainbow Six: Vegas is gunning for release on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 at the end of the year.
Im sure most of you want to know as much about the new Nintendo Wii as possible, well check out our Nintendo Wii News site to get all the latest on prices and much more about the soon to be released console.
The saying goes, "What goes up must come down." However, in the case of New Super Mario Bros., it goes back up again. The plucky DS game has once again topped the latest console-game sales rankings from Bestbuy.com. During the week of September 5-11, it edged out the previous week's champion, THQ's Saints Row (Xbox 360), which now finds itself parked in fifth place.
New Super Mario Bros. also edged out Madden NFL 07, the latest installment in the top sports franchise of all time. The PlayStation 2 edition of the game was relegated to the number-two slot, just in front of the Xbox 360 version. No other versions of Madden made it into the top 10, although another Electronic Arts sports title, NASCAR 07 (PlayStation 2), raced into sixth place.
Another new entrant on the list was LucasArts' Lego Star Wars: The Original Trilogy for the PlayStation 2 (ninth). The rest of the top 10, was all about the DS. Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day stayed strong in fourth, Mario Kart DS cruised along in seventh, Star Fox Command ruled eighth place, and Tetris DS was tail-end Charlie in 10th.
Best Buy console charts: September 5-11, 2006
1 New Super Mario Bros.
Platform: DS
2 Madden NFL 07
Platform: PS2
3 Madden NFL 07
Platform: X360
4 Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day
Platform: DS
5 Saints Row
Platform: X360
6 NASCAR 07
Platform: PS2
7 Mario Kart DS
Platform: DS
8 Star Fox Command
Platform: DS
9 LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
Platform: PS2
10 Tetris DS
Platform: DS
The price of next-gen console games was a hot issue last year when the bulk of Xbox 360 launch titles carried a $60 price tag. This week, Activision CEO Robert Kotick confirmed what many gamers already expected or even assumed: the company's PlayStation 3 games will retail for roughly $60.
In a presentation to the Merrill Lynch Media and Entertainment Conference yesterday, Kotick indicated that the company is taking a next-gen pricing approach to its next-gen software, thanks in part to its success pricing PlayStation Portable games at $50, and Xbox 360 software like the best-selling Call of Duty 2 at $60.
"We have not seen a lot of consumer resistance at the higher price points and we expect that all of our next-generation products will be launched at $60 price points," Kotick said.
On the surface that would suggest $60 Wii games from the company, but an Activision representative confirmed for GameSpot that Kotick was only referring to PS3 and Xbox 360 games. In fact, the publisher's Activision Value label is already preparing a pair of Wii launch titles: Rapala Tournament Fishing and World Series of Poker.
Since the Xbox 360 launched last year, some publishers have defended the $59.99 standard price for next-gen releases by citing the increased development costs associated with the new platforms. While Kotick did not bring the example up specifically in relation to the company's pricing strategy on games, he did mention that Spider-Man 3 has cost the company more than $35 million to develop on all formats. He did not specify on which consoles the game would appear."
"That is the most expensive product that we've created, and for good reason," Kotick said. "You'll see how much it really takes advantage of the assets and the capabilities of the hardware."
Call of Duty 3, Tony Hawk's Project 8 and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance will all be available at the US launch of PlayStation 3 this November, according to Activision big-wig Robert Kotick.
Kotick then went on to unveil publisher Activision's plans for the next 12 months, with Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third and Transformers set for a June release, followed by a new Call of Duty, Tony Hawk Next, The Bee Movie, a Marvel title and a new Guitar Hero game later in the year.
Several of these are working titles but it's no surprise that Activision plans to continue releasing new versions of its strongest games.
During his revealing presentation at a recent conference, Kotick also confirmed that Activision's PS3 games would be priced at the same level as its 360 games: "We have not seen a lot of consumer resistance at the higher price points and we expect that all of our next-gen products will be launched at $60 (£31) price points".
Which is depressing, really, as it suggests that Activision could go lower if it were forced to.
Of course, don't expect to see that dollar-to-pound converted price of around £30 slapped on PS3 titles in our neck of the woods. Despite 360's high-priced games, Dead Rising, Saints Row and Test Drive Unlimited have all shot high into the charts this week at an RRP of £50, and you can bet your last penny that we won't see a change to the premium pricing in the near future.
The figures are in and a PSP game tops the charts:
1 Tales of Phantasia Full Voice Edition - PSP - Bandai Namco - 66,263
2 New Super Mario Bros. - DS - Nintendo - 53,011
3 Final Fantasy III - DS - Square Enix - 49,475 /
4 Mogitate Tingle no Bara Iro Rupee Land - DS - Nintendo- 32,792
5 More Brain Age - DS - Nintendo - 32,054
6 Shaberu! DS Cuisine Navi - DS - Nintendo - 25,458
7 Rhythm Tengoku - GBA - Nintendo - 24,676
8 Animal Crossing Wild World - DS - Nintendo - 24,027
9 Phantasy Star Universe - PS2 - Sega - 20,431
10 Mario Basket 3 on 3 - DS - Nintendo - 20,372
Toshiba Corp. said profit will rise at its system LSI unit, maker of the processor powering Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3, as Japan's largest chipmaker produces more semiconductors for flat-screen televisions and digital cameras.
Operating profit margins at the unit will rise to 10 percent by as early as 2010, Masashi Muromachi, head of the Tokyo-based company's chip operations, said in a Sept. 12 interview. The unit accounts for 41 percent of Toshiba's chip sales.
Toshiba cut development costs of system LSI chips, which combine multiple computing functions on a single piece of silicon, to bring the business to break even last fiscal year. The company is counting on demand for flat-panel TVs, game consoles and digital cameras to improve earnings at the unit and narrow the gap with Texas Instruments Inc.'s 21 percent margin last year.
It’s not hard to say, that at this point, the PS3 version of Fight Night is hands down the champ of boxing games — and it’s not even finished. In fact, besides Resistance: Fall of Man, I would say Fight Night Round 3 is the best reason to own a PS3. So, besides the added first-person view, this Fight Night also sports greatly improved visuals all around. You can tell how EA has really fine tuned the look of a boxer when he breathes, bleeds, and sweats. It’s actually the best next-gen title I’ve seen to date.
Heres the top 20 games for consoles in the USA for AUGUST, no DS Domination here, heres the charts:
1. Madden NFL 07 (PS2)
2. Madden NFL 07 (360)
3. Dead Rising (360)
4. Madden NFL 07 (Xbox)
5. Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus (PS2)
6. New Super Mario Bros. (DS)
7. NCAA Football 07 (PS2)
8. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (PS2)
9. Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day (DS)
10. Ninety-Nine Nights (360)
11. NCAA Football 07 (360)
12. Naruto: Ultimate Ninja (PS2)
13. Big Brain Academy (DS)
14. Guitar Hero bundle (PS2)
15. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2)
16. Star Wars: Battlefront II (PS2)
17. Madden NFL 07 (PSP)
18. God of War (PS2)
19. Mario Kart (DS)
20. NCAA Football 07 (Xbox)
Tonight is the start of a long process to update each site and possibly merge some and sort out forums etc as well as try and direct members towards the forums that are lesser used.
To those of you who dont know Alternative Handheld Emulation is, its an emulation and homebrew site for the Tapwave Zodiac, Nokia N-Gage, Symbian 60 and UIQ phones and tonight we have remerged the Gizmondo section back into the site. AHE is what we call it for short and also covers emulation and homebrew on consoles and devices that arent supported by major scenes or sites.
The site is fully up to date with all releases on those consoles mentioned above.
September 15, 2006 - Sega will be at the PS3's launch over in Japan with one of its lesser-known arcade titles. The company announced today plans to release Sega Golf Club for the PS3, in time for the system's 11/11 launch.
The exact name of the PS3 version is "Miyazato San Kyoudai Naizou Sega Golf Club." This translates to the somewhat bizarre "Sega Golf Club, with the Miyazato Siblings Built In." The Miyazato siblings are a brother, brother, sister trio of professional golfers, consisting of Kiyoshi Miyazato, Ai Miyazato and Yusaku Miyazato.
Sega's made a few modifications to make the arcade title suitable for the PS3. The arcade version used a special control setup with a small analogue lever for swinging. The PS3 version will use the left analogue stick to replicate the lever. To swing, you first tilt the left stick, then rotate it to set your power. Let go of the stick at the right time, and you'll swing.
Visually, the PS3 version looks like a next generation version of the arcade title. The arcade version ran on Sega's GameCube-based Tri-Force arcade board, so a visual update was expected. Check out our high resolution screens for a closer look.
In addition, Sega has added new modes of play to the PS3 version:
Round: 18 holes played with a single player and three computer players, following the standard rules of golf. You can set the computer player level and can chose between arcade mode, where you have a time and shot limit, or original mode, where all limits are removed.
Putter Golf: This mode offers wacky greens for your to test your golfing skills. By successfully striking item boxes, you earn new items.
Challenge Mode: This mode has an Outrun-like progression system. That is to say, when you clear one hole, you're allowed to select two additional holes of varying difficulty. Each hole presents a specific goal, with some even asking you to hit your ball into the water!
3 Hole Match: A 3 hole battle mode where players bet items on each hole. The game expects that each player will use his own memory card.
You're free to select from the three Miyazato siblings for each of these modes of play, or you can make use of a custom character that you've created on your own.
Currently, four courses have been announced for the PS3 version: Taiheiyo Club, Phoenix Country Club, Bali Hai Golf Club and St. Andrews Links. While these are all real life courses, the game will also, like the arcade version, have courses made exclusively for the home.
Sega is going to have some big competition in the golf genre come launch, as Sony's own Minna no Golf 5 (Hot Shots Golf 5) is also expected to launch with the PS3 in Japan. We'll get a chance to see how the two titles stack up to one another at the Tokyo Game Show next week
Sega Golf Club, I never heard about a golf game by Sega before.. Great news
With their ears to the rails, listening intently for the faintest sounds of an oncoming hype train, our buddies at PS3 Fanboy finally heard the much delayed Sony marketing machine leave the station, albeit a couple months late.
During their routine screening of the OPM podcast, they learned that the November issue of OPM (Official PlayStation Magazine) would reveal a title "that you have not heard of and won't heart about" ... until November that is. Choo-choo!
We're just wondering how OPM is supposed to oversee the review of the game when their Managing Editor already said she's not buying a PlayStation 3?
This presentation of ultra-super-fantastic-glee-splenderific hype machine has been brought to you by OPM.
At its press event in Tokyo yesterday, Sega revealed, or rather boasted, that Virtua Tennis 3 runs in 1080p on the PS3. Displaying the game on slick HD sets with 1080p placards next to them, it looked absolutely glorious in high-res.
This makes Virtua Tennis 3 the second PS3 title confirmed to run in 1080p, next to Gran Turismo HD, and demonstrates that third party publishers are able to achieve what's been dubbed the holy grail of full HD. Sony has touted the PS3's ability to render 1080p images as a large benefit over the Xbox 360, which is incapable of generating them at such a resolution.
The quality is greater on PS3. It has now been annouced that it will also run at 1080p
Traveller's Tales was on to something when they decided to take the popular LEGO brand of Star Wars toys and make a video game based on our favorite bricks. The resulting LEGO Star Wars was a novel, family-oriented romp through the galaxy far, far away. LucasArts was more Force sensitive this time around and assumed publishing duties from Eidos for the sequel, LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy. Overall marks are only slightly higher than the first game, but critics agree the stronger source material makes The Original Trilogy worth its weight in galactic credits.
GameSpy (90/100) thinks the sequel's enhanced "born to build" features will appeal to the kid in all of us: "There are a lot more LEGO elements scattered throughout each stage than there was in the first game. By blowing up LEGO objects, you'll often be able to rebuild the scattered bricks into new items that can be used to reach otherwise hidden areas. It really gives you the feeling that you're playing within a living LEGO world."
1UP (80/100) knows the only substitute for a good blaster is a good ship: "While the vehicular stages vary in terms of quality, the mere fact that so many exist really adds to the scope of the game. Lego Star Wars II offers a surprising amount of playtime, and is much larger and longer than the original game (which was one of its biggest criticisms)."
GameSpot (77/100) discovered that fancy next-gen visuals not make one great: "The current-gen console versions all look slightly better than the original Lego Star Wars, while the PC version looks a bit better than those, since it can run at much higher resolutions. The Xbox 360 version has the most graphical flair, with better reflections, better explosions, and a cool lens-focus effect. It's definitely the best-looking version, but it's also got a very minor frame rate problem that crops up when there are a lot of particle effects."
Hi all im sure you have noticed on some of the sites that the login area has some text saying fault or whatever, im fixing that asap but also there seems to be a problem with a very few attachements, even im having to upload big files twice, our server admin Martin isnt here at mo but if you come across files that when you click the page goes to some error page or you cant upload then let me know via this topic and ill take a look at the problem.
Hopefuly things will be as normal asap and to be honest its only affecting a few downloads but ill fix any probs until the problem can be fixed serverside.
The first gorgeous Devil May Cry 4 screenshots have swung, shot and slashed onto the internet, which should have series fans hugging their monitors with delight, contemplating the latest instalment of Capcom's monster action series.
The screens show off DMC4's two main characters - old hero, Dante and new face, Nero, who basically looks like the former with a prettier face. Action plays out in the city of Fortuna, where playing as Nero you can use your 'Devil Bringer' ability to grapple and re-arrange enemies, and chain-up potentially endless combos. This is certainly one title on our PS3 most-wanted list.
Devil May Cry 4 is due to appear in playable form at the Tokyo Game Show next week, so stay tuned to CVG for fresh media and gameplay details arriving from the Japanese bash.
No new console would be complete without a top-ranking beat-em-up, and the PlayStation 3 will have the latest incarnation of Sega's pioneering 3D punch-and-kick legend, Virtua Fighter 5. Although not, it seems, at launch - Sega's quoting a ship date of spring 2007, which could, admittedly, make it a launch title in Europe.
Can't wait that long? Well, you're going to have to, but while you do, you can build up your anticipation further by casting your eyes over these screenshots. Sega is promising that VF5 will boast a host of enhancements, including two new characters - Mexican wrestling champion (so expect a gimp mask) El Blaze and Chinese Monkey Kung Fu expert Eileen - and an "Offensive Move" technique that allows players to move around their opponents. Players will also be able to compete in the game for prizes, which they'll be able to exchange for items at the in-game shop.
Developer Neversoft has dropped online play from the PlayStation 3 version of Tony Hawk's Project 8, a key third-party launch title for Sony's next-gen console.
The developer has only recently received development kits for the PlayStation 3 and has not had time to implement online play ahead of the consoles' US and Japanese launch in November, according to an article on IGN.
"Neversoft is confident the PS3 version of the game will ship at launch in November, but it still hasn't received all of the software libraries and has no indication of how the online components will work on PS3, so it's not offering them," detailed the report.
With online play a major battleground for all the next-generation consoles, the loss of online features for a key third-party franchise could prove to be another blow for Sony - already dealing with the aftermath of a delay to the European launch of the console.
Neversoft was the first developer to offer online play for the PlayStation 2 with the launch of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 in October 2001, well ahead of Sony's official online service.
Tony Hawk's Project 8 for the Xbox 360 will support up to eight players online, as well as other features over the Xbox Live service.
Publisher Activision was unable to offer comment at the time of writing.
Ubisoft today announced the arrival of Open Season, a multi-platform game attack based on the upcoming animated film of the same name. Regardless of which version you choose, Open Season will put you, the player, directly into the fur-filled world of the movie -- so bring one of those pet hair rollers.
Open Season: The Movie, Sony Pictures Animation's first full-length film, is the story of a bear (voiced by Martin Lawrence) lured into a forest just before hunting season by a mule deer (Ashton Kutcher). Together they rally the woodland creatures in a revolt against the hunter-oppressor humans to stop the seasonal slaughter.
Open Season: The Videogame's single-and multiplayer modes allow players to throw skunk bombs, hurl rabbits, operate acorn-firing squirrels, and "pull outrageous woodland pranks" to fight back against those who seek to turn you into Elks Lodge décor. The title was created at Ubisoft's Montreal studio.
The game is now arriving for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, PSP, GameCube, PC, Nintendo DS, and Game Boy Advance. Look for the film to hit theaters on September 29.
Sony is targeting hardcore market with new console, says Bonnell
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Games Industry.biz, Atari CEO Bruno Bonnell has confirmed that the publisher has no plans to release any PS3 games before 2007.
Bonnell said Atari intends to support all three next-gen consoles "fairly equally", adding, "It's just that we're lacking information about the PS3 at this stage, because we have basically a rough release date and a high retail price point.
"As far as the Wii and the Xbox 360 go, we'll be there for this season; for PS3, we'll probably have to wait a little later in the year before we release some new titles." And, according to Bonnell, that means no Atari titles on PS3 until 2007.
The PS3 is slated for a global launch this November, priced at 499 Euro for the 20GB model and 599 Euro for the 60GB version. But Bonnell does not believe that the console's high point puts it at any risk of failure: "I think that by deciding to put the PS3 at this price, Sony has chosen to really differentiate itself from the other consoles.
"The fact that you have Blu-ray, and the fact that it's HD compatible - all this is driving me to think that Sony is picking up the high-end of the market, the hardcore, passionate fans. There will be a time they can reduce the price and access more people, but clearly that's a technical choice that Sony has made to be selective on the field at stage one," he added.
Activision's Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is flexing is superhero pecs this morning in three new movies. Like, they've ripped open their shirts and thrust their superhero logo-branded chests in our faces. Or something.
Anyway, the movies focus on superhero gods Spider-Man, The Thing and Thor, and they're viewable right here on this page.
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is an action-RPG featuring a wealth of famous Marvel superheroes, players able to create their own super-powered team and then fight for justice and attempt to save the day. You'll be going up against super-villain Dr. Doom, who has reformed the Masters of Evil (lots of the baddest bad guys ever) and is attempting to take over the world.
The game should be out at the end of October on Xbox 360, PS2, PC, Xbox and GBA. Wii and PSP versions should arrive before the year is out and a PS3 version hits Europe next year.
TT Games and LucasArts have fought their way to the premier position in the UK all-formats charts, as Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy becomes the highest-selling title this week.
Xbox 360 titles Dead Rising and Saints Row both suffer from Lego's climb this week, being pushed back to positions two and three, respectively.
THQs movie tie-in Cars nudges up the charts one place to number four, proving a better ride than Atari's Test Drive Unlimited, which drops back to number five.
The Nintendo DS continues to perform well, with the BAFTA-nominated Dr Kawashima's Brain Training climbing four places to number six, and New Super Mario Bros. stepping up one place to number seven.
The only other exclusive handheld title in the top ten is Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, which drops a place to number eight.
The platinum release of the first Lego Star Wars also benefits from its sequels' marketing, breaking back into the top ten at nine, with The Sims 2 just behind at number ten.
While no new releases made the top ten this week, there is still a healthy number of new games elsewhere in the top forty.
Sony's handheld version of the popular Tekken titles, Dark Resurrection, takes the number 12 spot, with Sega's most recent IP, Yakuza, making its debut at number 20.
Namco's air combat title Ace Combat: The Belkan War swoops into the charts at number 31, and PC adventure game Broken Sword: The Angel of Death makes a modest entry at number 33.
It's alive! An anonymous insider at the PS3 Forums snapped a pic of a working PLAYSTATION 3 with a mobile phone. What's more, the insider said the machine is relatively quiet, save for some booting noise. The console had apparently been on for 12 hours with no overheating problems. Another pic, after the jump, shows the console's back. The closer cable is the power cable, while the other one is the HDMI cable. As we get mentally prepared to pay for the machine, this inside info is comforting.
Irrational's BioShock is up there in our most wanted next-gen titles. As we mentioned in news earlier this month it's been known for some time that the game would be making its way to PS3 in 2007, in addition to already confirmed versions on PC and Xbox 360.
So it is with the minimum of surprise that we just received the first PS3 screens of BioShock, which, we think you will agree, look simply delicious. We've put calls in to publisher Take 2 today regarding BioShock, and we aim to bring you a more detailed and updated preview on the title very soon. Hopefully we will also be able to see a little more at Microsoft's X06 shindig in sunny Barcelona next week.
Meanwhile, our guys in Japan will be keeping their eyes peeled for all the latest news from the Tokyo Games Show, which kicks off this coming Friday, so we will be sure to let you know all the latest news from the showfloor as soon as they stop playing the damn games and decide to phone us.
A new PlayStation 3 instalment of Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden series is in the works, says the latest issue of Japanese gaming mag Famitsu.
Titled Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Tecmo's latest high-kicking action-em-up is listed as having a 'TBA' release in the mag, and will apparently let you play as large-breasted baddie, Rachel - which will certainly make for an interesting distraction from the beefy, ninja bloke we usually have to flip around the screen.
It was largely assumed after hints dropped from series creator, Tomonobu Itagaki, that the next Ninja Gaiden would be heading for the Xbox 360. Considering Tecmo's long-standing support of Microsoft's console, the appearance of Ninja Gaiden Sigma on PS3 has certainly come as a surprise.
At this point it's unclear whether Ninja Gaiden Sigma is a completely new instalment or just a next-gen redux - and internet speculation is already suggesting that it's just a prettier version of Xbox offering, Ninja Gaiden Black. We're not convinced of either theory at the moment, but we'll let you know when more details on Sigma reach our ears.
According to a post at Beyond3D an interview with Kazunori Yamauchi about the new Gran Turismo on PS3 in the latest issue of Famitsu has more details on microtransactions in the game.
According to the article, shortly after PlayStation 3's launch there will be two versions of the new Gran Turismo HD, both have online multiplayer. Gran Turismo 5 will not arrive until 2008.
Gran Turismo HD: Premium is a GT5 prologue that comes with two courses and 30 cars. Gran Turismo HD: Classic has no cars or courses and is meant to be a platform for the online multiplayer, which according to this report supports up to 20 cars in a race.
Up to 750 cars and 50 tracks will be available for purchase. The cars are reportedly 50 - 100 yen (approx. $0.43 - 0.85) and courses are 200 - 500 yen (approx. $1.71 - 4.26). You will not get cars via in game events, only by purchasing and downloading. Apparently, there are also plans to release limited numbers of downloads for special courses.
IGN contacted Sony who would not comment at this time. Does this mean that to own all the cars and courses in GT HD a PS3 owner would have to drop up $500-845 bucks on Gran Turismo? What if you don't download all the courses, but your friend does? Can you not race on that track unless you buy it? Hopefully, these questions can be answered later this week at Sony's Press Conference from the Tokyo Game Show
Featuring a small amount of next-gen content, but largely based on the Gran Turismo HD demo shown at E3
Sony plans to launch a new Gran Turismo title on PlayStation 3 before the end of the year in Japan, but it will not be the next-generation sequel Gran Turismo 5.
Instead the company plans to release a smaller title split into two distinct modes, one of which will showcase the standard of content expected to make up GT5, due out in 2008.
The other, an online multiplayer element, will be more akin to the demo content seen at E3, which was based on PlayStation 2 title Gran Turismo 4, but presented in high-definition resolutions.
Speaking to Famitsu Weekly, creator Kazunori Yamauchi said that both elements would offer premium downloadable content - and in the "Classic" version's case, that would be the main way to play.
In other words, GT HD Classic will ship with virtually no content, and Japanese consumers will be expected to pay between 50 and 100 yen for each car they want, and between 200 and 500 yen per track.
GT HD Premium, meanwhile, will ship with two tracks and around 30 cars to begin with, although some 30 cars will also be available to buy.
Although the strategy has already met with sharp rebukes from several commentators, Sony has yet to comment on whether it will apply to Western releases for the titles.
The company has made it clear that it sees downloadable content as a serious revenue stream in the next generation, however, devoting a section of its E3 press conference to demonstrations of in-game interfaces for buying playable content.
And one of its proposed launch titles, karaoke-based game SingStar, will be based largely on the idea of buying and downloading new music to sing along to.
Ubisoft is "displeased" that a number of unannounced titles have been revealed on the internet, including new titles in the Far Cry and Splinter Cell series.
A 2 gigabyte file had been posted in a location accessible by the public, since removed, containing artwork, logos and screenshots for announced and unannounced titles, including a tech demo for Far Cry 2.
"We are clearly displeased that confidential information from Ubisoft has been distributed on the internet," said a representative for Ubisoft
"The publication of this type of information can only be harmful to the game development process and we will take all steps necessary to prevent this from happening in the future."
"We are still investigating the events that lead to this information leak and at this time have no further comment," said the representative.
This is the second high profile mistake to cause headaches at Ubisoft.
Back in March of this year, a release schedule appeared on a US consumer site revealing release dates for multiple titles, many of which hadn't been announced at the time, while also pointing towards a November release for Sony's PlayStation 3 console.
The full list of titles included in the archive are:
Metal Gear head honcho Hideo Kojima has revealed to Famitsu that new Metal Gear Solid 4 details will debut at TGS. No surprises there. However he also noted that a new trailer will feature our first look at the gameplay of the new stealth game. And one of the most interesting aspects is that you won't have to use stealth.
The Famitsu article, translated by IGN, quotes Kojima as saying that the game is no longer specifically about sneaking missions, with the gamer free to determine how they reach their set goal. So does this mean the end of our bandana-clad hero mincing about in a cardboard box?
Not necessarily, as Famitsu appears to have seen this new trailer, providing screenshots of Snake updating his stealth kit to include the new warzone chic of sneaking around in an oil drum. They also go into detail about his new Octocam, or 'Octopus Camoflage' which allows the aged soldier to change colour to blend into his environment. But combined with an improved CQC combat system and Snake's Metal Gear Mark II robot buddy capable of electrocuting enemies, it is clear that combat will indeed be opened up somewhat.
Those of you desperate to get your mitts on Snake's new game will have to be patient as Kojima also revealed in the article that the sneak-'em-up won't show its face until the latter part of 2007, as it still needs a solid year's development.
LEGO Star Wars II shifts 1.1 million copies in a week. Please can we have LEGO Indy next?
LucasArts - a company we'd like to think has staff toilets sculpted from emeralds and gold - has shifted over a million units of the game after only a week of it being on sale. With that much LEGO, we estimate that you could build over 2,000 LEGO Star Destroyers, and three LEGO Rick Wallers.
As we exclusively revealed a few weeks ago, the LEGO franchise with extend into new areas with a game based on DC Comics Dark Knight, Batman, which we're sure will sell more than a few copies as well.
"There's definitely something for everyone in LEGO Star Wars II, and the sales and reviews so far are proving it," said LucasArts boss, Jim Ward. "This is the type of fun, accessible game everyone in the family can enjoy. It appeals to so much more than just the traditional gaming audience."
EA's latest street racer demoed in fresh gameplay vid
Filling the ground with neon like a Sainsbury's car park on a Friday night, Need for Speed: Carbon has sped-in another wheel-spinning gameplay trailer, that shows off more fancy next-gen graphics and sweat-inducing canyon-racing.
EA's latest entry in its street racing series pits you against rival-gangs on rickety canyon roads, fighting for territory inside the more-traditional ghetto locals.
In the car customisation department, Carbon is using EA's new 'Auto-Sculpt' technology which lets you use sliders to alter bodywork, rims, paint tints and more, making for literally millions of potential car designs.
Need for Speed: Carbon is penned in for a November release on Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 3 (US), Wii and virtually every other current gen console. Look for the review soon.
Phew. It's all fine. The PlayStation 3 will be a roaring success after all.
That's because according to IGN, which has been rifling through the latest issue of Famitsu Weekly, Ridge Racer 7 will be among the games that appear alongside the console at its Japanese launch on 11th November.
Also on the list is everyone's favourite historical simulation of giant enemy crabs, Genji 2, while there's also something called SEGA Golf Club, Namco Bandai's Gundam: Target in Sight, and Konami's Mahjong Fight Club.
Presumably the first rule of Mahjong Fight Club is that you don't talk about it, which shouldn't be a problem since we don't cover Mahjong games. Although IGN notes that KOEI's Mahjong Taikai is listed as "November" as well, with Gran Turismo HD down as December.
Presumably there'll be other launch titles too. Tune in (very) late tonight for Ken Kutaragi's keynote address, when we might hear about some of them.
Following on from yesterday's revelation that Microsoft plans to launch its HD-DVD drive add-on in Japan this November, Sony has offered a reaction.
You can probably guess how it goes.
Sent to Kotaku by SCEA's senior director for corporate communications David Karraker, it reads as follows:
"It's unfortunate that Microsoft's external HD-DVD drive will not enhance the experience at all for the gamer.
"Sony realises that to truly take gaming into the next generation requires a larger data format for both games and movies.
"PS3 uses the Blu-ray format for gaming, giving developers 50GB of high-definition storage on a single disc, while Microsoft's 9GB DVD gaming format is an obstacle for storing HD content.
"Furthermore, Microsoft's announced HD games patch is really just a compatibility feature - upscaling lower-resolution content does not make it Full HD (1080p), something that PS3 can do out of the box."
Microsoft's position, of course, is that it's wrong to charge consumers extra for a next-generation DVD format that only some of them will care about.
It's argued the point vigorously in the past, repeatedly asserting that HD-DVD will not be used for games, and has also pointed out that it views 720p as a better target standard for high-definition gaming.
For more from Sony, tune in at 2AM BST on Friday morning to hear what Ken Kutaragi has to say in his Tokyo Game Show keynote address, entitled "Next-Generation Entertainment Created by the PS3".
Perhaps he's going to play a video of their E3 conference.
The days leading up to the Tokyo Game show have already seen the Xbox 360 Media Briefing, an event that set out Microsoft's next-generation console strategy in bold strokes. Yesterday, a far more low-key, but no less important event took place. The Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan held a professional luncheon with two of the game industry's most knowledgeable experts: Enterbrain president Hirokazu Hamamura and KBC Securities research director Hiroshi Kamide.
Both are widely quoted individuals whose opinions carry significant weight among their respective constituencies--Enterbrain publishes the widely-read weekly game magazine Famitsu, while Kamide covers the game sector for KBC and is often quoted in newspaper and magazine articles read in Japan as well as the West.
The luncheon was held in an area of Tokyo which straddles the Marunouchi business district and celebrated Ginza area. This neighborhood is eccentric to say the least. Amid the buttoned-down, suited masses shuffling to work, one finds a series of bizarre cow sculptures, apparently placed as part of an art-in-the-street campaign. A Shinto shrine guarded by two stone foxes grace the front of the glass and concrete pillar that is the Yurakucho Denki Building, where the FCCJ's offices are housed. Further underlining the contrast between the two districts--or perhaps offering an attempt at harmonizing the two areas--are the lush green grounds of the Imperial Palace, located just a block or two from the venue.
About 25 guests, including journalists from The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg wire service and London's Guardian newspaper, feasted on sautéed salmon or more blue-collar roast beef sandwiches in the club dining room. Wolf Blass Bilyara Chrdonnay and Mommessin Cotes-du-Rhone wines were also supplied, possibly to encourage guests to freely speak their mind about the upcoming battle royale in the Japan game industry.
After the gastronomic activities concluded, it was time for a photo op. A number of bright studio-sized lights were focused on the two men to facilitate the taking of snaps. And then, with a few words of introduction from Birga Becker, moderator for the event, the gloves came off and the talk began.
While much territory was covered, the core of the conversation dealt with a topic on most gamers' minds--the three-way competition between Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony.
Hamamura fired the opening shots, opening with a slide presentation and speech that incorporated some of the vast raw data and projections the Enterbrain organization puts into its yearly gaming white paper.
He gave an overview of the Japanese game market, which is currently booming, thanks to traction from the Nintendo DS.
"With ten million units sold to date, this is the fastest growing console in the Japanese market," he said. "No console has ever exceeded 19 million units, but I think the DS will." The success of the DS may be due to more to an overall and evolutionally trend than Nintendo's genius.
Just as small, agile mammals replaced the enormous dinosaurs, Hamamura's figures show handhelds have been steadily devouring market share over the last four years. This share grew from 25 percent in 2002 to about 45 percent in 2005--before jumping to over 60 percent as of July 2006. But this sort of thing has happened before in Japan.
"You can compare this with the emergence of mobile phones," he said. "Mobiles have been growing while fixed phones have not. The shift has been from one phone per household to one phone per person." He also stressed that much of the DS's success has been due to word of mouth--players finding a fun game and telling their friends about it. Due to these factors, Hamamura said "I expect the DS to exceed 20 million, or maybe even 30 million in [worldwide] sales."
Hamamura then proceeded to dissect each of the next-generation consoles. He had a lot of praise for each, beginning with the Nintendo Wii, which he called a "sure bet" for the end of this year.
Hamamura believes the Wii will build on the word-of-mouth effect enjoyed by the DS to eventually reach ten million units over its lifetime. Showing a graph of project sales curves for the current Nintendo consoles, he said: "The growth pattern will be very similar to what we've seen with the GameBoy Advance." That is to say, moderately paced, stable growth in sales.
"They will at least sell double the number they sold with the GameCube." He also pointed out that Wii's advertising campaign focuses on the players interacting with the hardware, not spectacular graphics.
Moving on, Hamamura then lavished praise on the PlayStation 3, outlining its features and "unparalleled graphics." However, he was not sure that these would guarantee it instant success. "In a poll we ran, 50 percent of the respondents said they wanted a PS3. But when asked if they could afford to buy one, most said they would wait for a price drop. ... In the case of the PlayStation 2, the DVD player was a very attractive feature. But I don't think the Blu-ray feature in the PS3 is as attractive now as DVD was then."
Hamamura feels that growth in the sales of the PS3 will coincide with price drops, with sales of about 9 to 10 million over the next . However, the key to the PS3 is its potential longevity. "The PS3 is two generations ahead of the competition technologically and Sony says it envisions a ten year life-cycle for the system." With such a long life cycle, Hamamura said it could reach 15 million in sales in the Japanese market.
Regarding the 360, Hamamura noted "Sales have been quite low, unfortunately. Probably lower than the original Xbox." However, with the price cuts, HD DVD player and a slew of new, Japan-friendly software on the way, he didn't think things were all that bleak for the console. So, while he does not see the 360 playing a dominant role in Japan, he predicted sales will build to 1 or 2 million units.
To wrap up his presentation Hamamura showed sales projections for software and hardware over the coming year. "If you figure in online gaming," he said, "the size of the Japanese market will reach an unprecedented level in 2006-07."
Hiroshi Kamide gave a very concise, informative speech, starting with an explanation of the stakes involved for each player. Although born in Japan, Kamide spent some 20 years living and studying in the UK. He spoke with authority to the audience as he laid out the historical facts.
"If we think back to when Nintendo first released a console--the Famicom--they managed to get a 90 percent market share. Right now, Sony with the PS2 has around a 70 percent market share in the industry with 15 percent each held by Microsoft and Nintendo. So, this is to say that this market is pretty lopsided. It's pretty much a case of winner takes all."
Kamide, however, was quick to add that the market is incredibly fickle.
"No manufacturer has ever dominated over two cycles of the hardware," he said. "So, in that respect, Sony is perhaps looking rather risky at the moment." This is not the only problem he sees with the PS3.
"Thirdly I want to comment that pricing has always been an issue in this industry. Any game console that is a head above everybody else in terms of pricing has always failed." This is not to say the toppling of Sony is in any way certain. "At the moment, the games industry is at a bit of a crossroads. The strategies of Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft are diverging quite significantly. It's quite hard to read what's going to happen going forward..."
Kamide feels growth potential is at its highest in casual gaming, "globally, not just in Japan."
He was not quite as euphoric about the state of the market as Hamamura: "Despite the market pie growing, by the looks of things, costs are escalating significantly at the development and game companies. So to be fair, financial conditions and performance have actually been pretty poor for the past three years or so." Kamide said this explains why many companies have closed ranks, giving us the large number of mergers--Sammy Sega, Square Enix, and Bandai Namco to name a few.
Looking ahead to the next generation of hardware, Kamide saw a clear leader in terms of mindshare. "From a cost leadership perspective, as well as a product differentiation perspective [the Nintendo Wii] does look very attractive. ... It is so different from anything else we've seen before---it's designed to appeal to hardcore gamers and casual gamers alike. ...I think it's safe to say right now it is attracting most of the media as well as consumer interest."
As for Sony, Kamide asserted that while the price point was not attractive, and that "Sony must lose a ton of money every time one of these things walks out the shop." He said that barring "fantastic news from Kutaragi [at his TGS keynote speech] tomorrow," Sony will be playing catch up.
Regarding the Xbox 360, Kamide felt the pricing was about right and the online capability "a head above everybody else." According to Kamide, third-party support for the 360 in Japan is also a factor that bodes well, but he does not see the 360 making a big dent in the market here simply because Microsoft will focus on the US and EU markets (which have traditionally been its bread and butter regions).
"At the moment at least, it seems that the Wii does the upper hand." But he stressed that "this won't happen over night. It's a five year battle."
Commenting further on the Wii, which Kamide favors at the moment, he said it will act as a much needed revitalizing element in the market. "In order to really grow this market going forward, and offer gamers and non-gamers something new, somebody needed to take a risk and go with something completely new and innovative. Basically there's only one player in this industry that can do that, and that's Nintendo."
While both experts agreed that the future is unclear, they both favored the Wii as at least the near- and mid-term winner. However, as the market becomes more diverse, it may become harder to see the various consoles as being in direct competition with each other.
Hamamura commented, "users choose different consoles for different scenarios." The Wii, he holds, is more oriented for players who want to play with family and friends. The PS3 will appeal to gamers who want to indulge in a high end experience. "The Wii is like beer, the PS3 is brandy."
PlayStation boss Ken Kutaragi kicks off Sony's TGS action tomorrow with his keynote speech. The Tokyo-based conference kicks off at 10am local time (1am over here) and our sister mag PSM3 will be bringing you live updates from the ground as Ken tells us more about Sony's plans to dominate next-gen gaming.
To find out all the news from the Sony conference as it happens, keep your eyes on PSM3's blog in the early hours of tomorrow morning for live updates - technology permitting, of course.
A new story trailer has been released for Resistance, the PS3's WWII shooter set in an altogether different World War II where it's our world versus the aliens - and they're the winning team.
Check the movies tab HERE for an introduction to playable character Nathan Hale's UK tour of duty. Starting off grim, with the alien Chimera overrunning Europe, it finishes on another less-than-happy note, with its awfully British narrator Rachel Parker explaining that Hale was never seen again after the events of the game.
We'll have to play Resistance after the PS3's American launch in November to discover exactly what Hale gets up to (apart from shooting a whole lot of Chimeran troops, which is a given). Those of you with stronger wills will want to avoid impressions from our lucky American cousins until the game invades our shores in March 2007.
We got this link to Gamespot's Korean arm (who knew?) from a tipster. It's a six image gallery apparently of a huge pile of PlayStation 3s being boxed and placed in their retail packaging.
They appear to be the 20GB, $499 variety. In some of the pictures, a non-descript Asian man bends over to place a finished unit in the box; his jeans are curiously rolled up to his knees. It appears as if he's wrapping them up for shipping.
Clearly, it's the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard of. In fact, the mere suggestion that a premier racing game would be released without vehicles or courses (arguably two of the most important elements in such a game) is so beyond what is defined as "ridiculous", things like tap dancing unicorns and flying kangaroos can actually gaze at said suggestion through a telescope. That reason alone is worth marking this story as a rumor, though it's certainly not the only one. If we're to believe the forum-posted translation of the latest interview in Famitsu, Kazunori Yamauchi has big plans in store for his beloved automotive franchise -- big plans composed of teeny tiny transactions.
Gran Turismo HD will supposedly see release in two versions. The first, entitled Gran Turismo HD: Premium, amounts to nothing more than a demo of, you guessed it, Gran Turismo 5. The 30 included cars and two undoubtedly exciting tracks are rendered in pristine PS3 glory and are meant to give you a solid idea of what Yamauchi and friends are putting together for a full release in 2008. Two more tracks and 30 extra cars can be purchased and downloaded for this version. If you prefer purchasing a full game instead of an extended prologue, perhaps Gran Turismo HD: Classic would be more your speed. Or perhaps not.
Though the Classic moniker may stem from the fact that you're getting a high resolution PS2 game, you may distinctly recall the original game actually giving you hundreds upon hundreds of cars for your $50. Not so with this version. Every car and every track may be purchased and downloaded from Sony's online network. The interview mentions a price of 50-100 yen per vehicle ($0.43 - $0.85) and 200 - 500 yen per track ($1.71 - $4.26). Being generous and sticking to the low end of the scale results in $408 spent if you want all 750 cars and all 50 tracks (roughly what you got in Gran Turismo 4). Moving up on the scale approaches values that surpass what you paid for the PS3 (newsflash: a lot) to begin with.
Is any of this true? 1UP's Luke Smith points to a more utopian quote (his version actually gives you one car!) by Sony's Phil Harrison that seems to match up with this story: "Imagine Gran Turismo shipping on a disc with one car and one track. And then you can browse, online, a dynamic circuit of vehicles that's growing every day because either the car manufacturers are adding new vehicles or we're adding new vehicles. And you can see a specific-type car that's being called up and say, 'I think I'll play with that one. Let me download and play it.'" Seems more likely that the quote created the story. Until Sony confirms (unlikely) or denies it later this week, consider this an entertaining vilification of the microtransaction and nothing more.
Media Molecule, the studio recently formed by the team responsible for Rag Doll Kung Fu, has revealed it is making a new title for the PlayStation 3.
The original IP will be a full-priced game and published exclusively for the PlayStation 3 by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.
"Working together on Rag Doll convinced us that a focussed and efficient team had the ability to deliver exciting and innovative content," said Mark Healey, creative director at Media Molecule.
"The ambition for Media Molecule is to take that a step further and prove that a small and passionate team can deliver a world class, triple-A, next generation product."
"Sometimes the very unwieldiness of a massive team renders it much less efficient," he said.
Alex Evans, technical director for Media Molecule, added: "I think it is fantastic that a massive company like Sony has the vision to see that a smaller outfit can create a world class game."
"Even after six months of working together, we're beginning to create something very special for PS3," said Evans.
"We were immediately struck by Media Molecule's ambitions for what a next-gen title could be," commented Michael Denny, VP of Sony's worldwide studios.
"Innovation is the key to our shared vision and everyone here at SCEE is highly impressed by Media Molecule's ability to deliver on that vision. We're excited to have extended our partnership on an exclusive basis and look forward to presenting the game publicly in due course."
DCEmu is here to provide the latest news and downloads from so many homebrew scenes even after they seem to die, but homebrew never dies because with the release and hacking of each new console, the homebrew released on early consoles can be played on the new consoles so that the scene recycles itself.
For over 10 years now ive been a follower of emulation and homebrew and witnessed many of the greates releases in emulation and homebrew and in that time made many friends inc some of the most gifted amateur coders and communitys second to none.
In that time ive seen the scenes for every console rise and demise, the main 3 consoles for homebrew at the moment are Nintendo DS, PSP and GP2X but will they be soon with the new consoles around the corner.
The Xbox360 could very soon see the first homebrew release and the release of the Wii and PS3 soon its going to be extremely exciting.
An homebrew scene that requires no modchips will always be popular but who knows what the hackers will be able to do to get brew working.
So Will the new next gen consoles take over or will the current consoles still rule the homebrew waves.
Ken Kutaragi has spelt at the TGS(Tokyo Game Show 2006) that apart from PSOne and PS2 titles to be playable on the PS3 based on the e-distribution initiative, he has also announced that Genesis (Megadrive) software also would be offered. The e-distribution initiative from Sony looks promising
While it's no mystery Half Life 2 is being brought to Xbox 360 and PS3, there is a chance that the prequel to the PC smash could follow suite be remade.
When Gamespy asked about whether he'd remake HL, Valve's Director of Marketing Doug Lombardi answered that "It'd be cool to have Half-Life running with new visuals on the Source Engine if we wanted to freshen it up. I suppose I'll clarify by saying that it's not on the boards right now, but it's not out of the question." Of course Valve has already breathed new life into the old game, re-releasing the original with a Source-tweak when the sequel hit our shelves two years ago.
The company is also exploring the possibility of bringing the Steam distribution service to next-gen consoles. Lombardi claimed that due to increased hard disk sizes, "It's technically possible. There are just two catches. Console owners hold the key to a full-sized game on their system, which would be something totally new. It's unclear if it would be an open key, or how Microsoft or Sony would manage it. It's really up to them. Also, in this generation, hard drive consistency will have a high variance across the user bases. Right now, the viability of it is unclear." But he added "we like the infrastructure of Xbox Live; it's a lot like Steam".
So it's all a big fat 'maybe' from Valve at the moment. We're keeping our fingers crossed that a Source version of Gordon's first adventure could make the leap to a next-gen console near you (hopefully) soon.
Half Life 2 for Xbox 360 and PS3 should hit shelves early next year.
Looks like all the bellyaching over the price of Sony's PlayStation 3 has done some good. Sony exec Ken Kutaragi just sent jaws to the floor over at Tokyo Game Show with an announced price cut of the 20GB PS3 base unit from ¥62,790 to ¥49,980 in Japan. Closer to home, we'd be looking at a move from about $538 to $428 (looking at current exchange rates) representing a drop of some 20% when the PS3 hits later this year, or uh, early next if the cut applies across the board. Not exactly cheap when looking at the Wii or Xbox 360, but that Cell processor, Blu-ray Disc player, and HDMI 1.3 output supporting Deep Color will certainly draw a premium. Yeah, you read that correctly, Ken announced HDMI support too, making the 20GB PS3 one fine Hi-Def movie machine on the cheap. Hoozah!
Update: Price reduction confirmed for Japan only. Waiting on rest-of-world price cuts, if any.
Sony Computer Entertainment America has reportedly clarified that the Japanese PlayStation 3 price drop announced overnight will not affect US pricing.
At the end of his keynote address on the opening morning of the Tokyo Game Show, SCE president Ken Kutaragi said that the console would retail for 49,980 yen (EUR 335 / GBP 225).
That's a drop of EUR 85 / GBP 57 since E3, and apparently came in reaction to a poor response from consumers and retail.
However, it sounds like we've not been shouting enough, because SCEA has told 1UP that the US$ 499 and US$ 599 pricing for the respective 20GB and 60GB versions of the consoles will remain in place.
There's no word yet on whether pricing in Europe will see a reduction ahead of the launch here - currently set for March 2007.
There is some good news though - as well as a Japanese price drop, Kutaragi also revealed that both versions of the console would incorporate an HDMI slot, and the company has confirmed that this will also apply across the globe.
Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi bucked expectation on the opening day of the Tokyo Game Show by delivering a keynote address almost devoid of major game announcements - but he did reveal that the Japanese 20GB version of the console had been repriced.
During his address, Sony's "Father of PlayStation" focused on the technology that underwrites the PlayStation 3 offering, explaining that advances in computer hardware and Internet technology would enable a range of previously inconceivable services over the course of the next decade.
In a Q&A session at the close, Kutaragi also apologised to software creators for delays in PlayStation 3's over-ambitious production schedule, but said the company is now focused on ensuring no further delays occur.
But the response that won applause from the largely Japanese crowd concerned the inclusion of an HDMI port on the 20GB version of the console, and a repricing for Japan. The 20GB version will cost 49,980 yen (EUR 335 / GBP 225), down from 62,790 yen (EUR 421 / GBP 283), Kutaragi said.
He also said that there would be 200 playable consoles available on the show floor during the three days of the Tokyo Game Show.
Kutaragi showed trailers for previously announced titles including Ridge Racer 7, and announced plans to allow users to play emulated PSone and PlayStation 2 games directly over the Internet - initially offering games that place a relatively small burden on the network, but expanding the offering as technology progresses.
The console's online service will also offer Mega Drive and PC Engine titles, he said - a line-up for which will be decided in conjunction with the specific games' respective publishers.
Users will also be able to exchange data and videos, and Kutaragi revealed that PlayStation 3 will offer something called the Global Mapping System (GMS), which will allow users to upload photographs and data about their surroundings, creating a detailed view of the world around them.
It's Kutaragi's hope that through this system, and direct interaction with developers, consumers will be able to play an active role in future game development - although he offered no hints as to when the high-concept service would come to fruition.
Kutaragi's Tokyo Game Show keynote had been considered by many to be Sony's last chance to make a big impression on an international audience prior to the November US and Japanese launches of its next-generation games console.
But while Ridge Racer 7 was confirmed as a launch title and shown running in high-definition, and there were also spots for Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight, Virtua Fighter 5, Final Fantasy XIII and Afrika, the company's decision to offer a focused technological discussion rather than specifying new products and features is likely to come under intense scrutiny.
Sony's decision to reduce the price of the PlayStation 3 in Japan before the console has even launched has been branded "ridiculous" by a Japanese financial expert.
The outburst comes following Sony's announcement at the Tokyo Game Show that it is due to cut the Japanese price of the 20GB version of the console from 62,790 yen (421 euro) to 49,980 yen (335 euro).
"It's ridiculous to decide to cut the price before they start selling the PlayStation 3," said Yoku Ihara, head of equity research at Retela Crea Securities, speaking to Bloomberg.
"They may cut the price again if sales don‘t go well," he added.
Sony will take a bigger hit on a launch it is already losing money on, as highlighted by Naoki Fujiwara of Shinkin Asset Management, who stated the price reduction, "is negative in the short term because the company may not be able to sell enough consoles to cover an instant loss caused by the price cut."
Although Sony has yet to reveal full details of the launch titles for the PlayStation 3, six games have been confirmed for the Japanese launch on November 11th.
Insomniac's shooter Resistance: Fall of Man will be joined by Ridge Racer 7, Genji: Days of the Blade, Sega Golf Club, Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight and Mah-Jong Fight Club Online.
F1 Championship is due in December, as is Gran Turismo HD and MotorStorm from Evolution Studios.
Titles pencilled in for a 'winter' release include Enchant Arm, Railfan, Fatal Inertia, Sonic the Hedgehog and Need for Speed Carbon.
Games due in spring of 2007 include the Eye of Judgement, Heavenly Sword, Lair, Monster Kingdom: Unknown Realms, Virtua Fighter 5, Virtua Tennis 3 and Wangan Midnight.
The list grows for a 'summer' release and the rest of 2007, with Everybody's Golf 5, Warhawk, Afrika, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Coded Arms: Assault all scheduled to appear.
Devil May Cry 4, Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War, fl0w, Shirokishi, Final Fantasy XIII and Rainbow Six Vegas have all been listed as 'TBD'.
The titles and dates have been revealed at the Tokyo Game Show, which continues until September 24th.
Software for the US launch in the November, and the European launch in March 2007, have not yet been announced.
Gran Turismo HD - previously thought to be merely a technology demo - is coming to the PlayStation 3 as a game in its own right. Indeed, it will be on sale in Japan before Christmas, and in the US and Europe in 2007 - it could even be a European launch title for the PS3.
Polyphony Digital president Kazunori Yamauchi gave a talk about and demonstration of GT HD at the Tokyo Games Show. He revealed that the game will comprise two parts, entitled GT HD Premium and GT HD Classic. He said: "The idea of GT HD Premium is that it will give a sneak preview of Gran Turismo 5. It will be a cutting-edge game, maximising the power available from the PS3." GT HD Premium will not have an online component, but will boast 30 cars and two (as yet unspecified) tracks; Yamauchi's TGS demo showed a public-roads track in the shadow of The Eiger mountain in Switzerland.
Yamauchi explained the thinking behind GT HD Classic: "We wanted to pursue the possibilities behind network gaming offered by the PS3. We took the Gran Turismo assets and recreated them in full HD, then focused on the online aspect of the HD experience." Essentially, GT HD Classic imports most of the assets from Gran Turismos from the past, and assembles them into an online game which, among other things, will allow players to create their own track days and have drifting competitions. GT HD Classic will have 770 cars, 51 tracks and over 4,500 items in all -- as Yamauchi explained: "All downloadable. This is where the PlayStation Store comes into play. Prices for the downloads have not yet been decided, or the structures of the business models."
Yamauchi added: "We are coming to a transition in gaming style. In 1997, Gran Turismo offered over 100 hours of condensed gameplay, and you needed to play it to the full extent to get all the items in the game. With GT HD, we thought we would take a different approach. We would give it casual gaming-style accessibility, so players can maybe play for 10 to 30 minutes, every day. That is one of the reasons why we decided not to call it Gran Turismo 5".
Japanese price-drop aside, there's another reason for PS3 fans to be happy this morning; this latest jaw-dropping Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer fresh from TGS, showing the first gameplay scenes and more plot revelations from Hideo Kojima's stunning PS3 stealth instalment.
We don't want to spoil the hair-raising scenes and set-pieces shown off in the trailer, so we can only urge you to boot up our fancy video player on the right and soak-up the latest footage from Solid Snake's first - and perhaps last - PS3 epic.
Metal Gear Solid 4 - with any luck - will be out late next year.
Earlier this week at the 2006 Tokyo Game Show, Microsoft took the wraps off its external HD-DVD drive for the Xbox 360. The add-on, which will cost 20,790 yen (about $177) when it starts selling in Japan on November 22, will play movies on the next-generation video format. HD-DVDs can hold up to 30GB of data on a dual-layered disc. However, Xbox 360 games will still only be available on standard DVDs, which can hold around 9GB on a dual-layered disc.
Both models of the PlayStation 3 come equipped with internal drives that play Blu-ray Discs, the HD-DVD rival that can hold 50GB on a dual-layered disc. Unsurprisingly, this contrast was seized upon by Dave Karraker, the new senior director of corporate communications for Sony Computer Entertainment America.
In a rebuttal issued late last night, Karraker criticized Microsoft's decision to make the 360 drive optional. "It's unfortunate that Microsoft's external HD-DVD drive will not enhance the experience at all for the gamer," he said. "Sony realizes that to truly take gaming into the next generation requires a larger data format for both games and movies. PS3 uses the Blu-ray format for gaming, giving developers 50GB of high-definition storage on a single disc, while Microsoft's 9GB DVD gaming format is an obstacle for storing HD content."
Karraker also took a potshot at Microsoft's recent announcement that the 360 would support 1080p video resolution. "Microsoft's announced HD games patch is really just a compatibility feature," charged the executive. "Upscaling lower-resolution content does not make it full HD (1080p), something that PS3 can do out of the box."
While the software update for the Xbox 360 will upscale existing games to 1080p, a Microsoft rep told GameSpot earlier this week that it will also be able to handle content made specifically for 1080p, if developers choose to create it. However, Microsoft today declined to comment on Karraker's statements, which are the latest salvo in a war of words between the big three next-gen console makers.
Source: A Famitsu interview with Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi that sprung up in the Beyond3D.com forums.
What we heard: Microtransactions are a white-hot topic in the gaming biz. Publishers love them because it's an easy way to scoop up easy revenue. Gamers love them because they can pick and choose what they want to add to their game for a few bucks.
Well, that's the theory at least. Some of the more vocal gamers have expressed displeasure over the choices and prices of content, claiming that several items aren't worth what publishers are charging (horse armor ring a bell?). On the other side of things, some publishers are being forced to lower prices on online content after dismal sales. In short, the business of microtransactions is off to a cool start.
If a post on the message boards of Web site Beyond3d.com is true, gamers haven't even seen the tip of the iceberg. A forum member who goes by the nom de plume "one" posted his/her translation of an interview with Gran Turismo creator and Polyphony Digital president Kazunori Yamauchi that originally appeared in Japanese game magazine Famitsu.
The interview allegedly says that the Gran Turismo debut on the PlayStation 3 will come in two forms, one called Gran Turismo HD: Premium and one called Gran Turismo HD: Classic.
Premium will feature "the full graphics power of the PS3" and include 30 cars and two courses, with the option to buy more of each later. There will allegedly be one mode--a casual racing mode--that doesn't include the typical GT gameplay of winning races and acquiring cars and medals.
Classic will (racing fans brace yourself) come with no cars or courses and is basically the demo that was playable at E3. According to the translation, 750 cars will be downloadable for 50-100 yen ($0.43-$0.86) each and 50 race tracks will be downloadable for 200-500 yen ($1.72-$4.30) apiece. The translation also states that cars will be released on a monthly basis, with some being available in limited quantities. New modes and tuning kits may also be downloadable.
There was no mention of how much the games would cost, or if they would be included as a pack-in with the PlayStation 3.
It's obvious that publishers are still a bit confused as to how microtransactions are going to sit with gamers. But if such a scenario comes to pass, Sony could have a full-fledged riot on their hands, if the scathing comments in the Beyond3D forums are any indication.
The official story: Sony had not responded to requests for comment as of press time.
Bogus or not bogus?: We're hoping bogus, but abstaining until something more official emerges.
A long line of jet-lagged foreign journalists lined up at the overseas press registration booth in the cavernous lobby of the Makuhari Messe, longtime venue of the Tokyo Game Show. Today marks the opening of the show, which was presided over by two of the Japan's most prominent and outspoken game executives: Sony Computer Entertainment President Ken Kutaragi and Square Enix president Yoichi Wada.
Starting off the day was Kutaragi's keynote, which many expected would be a massive download of PlayStation 3 information. Simply put, it wasn't: the executive talked mainly about "big picture" issues for the console, showed a few game trailers, and avoided speaking specifically about the console's upcoming launch. However, after the event, he did tell reporters the lower-end, 20GB-equipped version of the console would come with an HDMI port--and enjoy a significant price drop in Japan.
Kutaragi ran a bit late, postponing Wada's address to the crowd. When the latter took the stage, though, it was clear he was there not as the head of one of the world's biggest role-playing game developer, but as chairman of the Computer Entertainment Suppliers Association (CESA), the game-industry lobby which is roughly Japan's answer to the Entertainment Software Association.
After first taking the stage, Wada joked that he "had absolutely no surprises in store," eliciting laughter from the audience. He then gave an overview of the current state of the worldwide game industry, which is now worth an estimated 1.9 trillion yen (about $16.3 billion) annually. Despite some analysts' gloomy predictions, international retail games sales have expanded an average of 9.3 percent annually over the last four years. If income from online games is added to the equation, that growth rate shoots up to 11.9 percent. "You will not find any other segment that enjoys such high annual growth," he told the crowd confidently.
Journos line up to hear Wada speak.
Ironically, given his position, Wada has been a longtime vocal critical of the game industry in Japan. In his hour-long speech, he once again stressed the sector's need to move forward. His message was clear: Wada feels there is a lot of potential for growth in the ever-changing game market--and publishers must take advantage of this, or be left in the dust.
"Games will have to cater to a much broader spectrum to succeed," he said. "The crisis in the game industry is not volume, but quality. As far as volume goes, there is no need for concern. If you take a business-as-usual approach, there will be a crisis."
The executive's thoughts on untapped game markets seemed to echo those of Nintendo, which is attempting to reach out to non-traditional gamers with its Wii console--and already has with its DS handheld, which is extremely popular amongst diverse age groups in Japan. He said that although people associated games with teenagers, 50 percent of men and two-thirds of women under 40 want to start gaming.
From there, Wada gave a brief overview of pivotal events in Japanese game-business history, such as how the original PlayStation's introduction of discs as game media slashed production costs. "The appearance of the PlayStation has created a richer system for game [production]," he said. "SCE has brought down the cost of the hardware, and they have redistributed the savings rather well to their customers."
Wada then mentioned how the proliferation of increasingly complex electronics makes virtually any device a potential game platform. "I think the industry can respond to this challenge, as all kinds of devices are available," he declared. "Devices found in living room, in your office, and on your desktop can be used for games. Games will be available in all aspects of your life. Thus we see a wider range of people, such as females, with a growing interest in games."
However, going after that wider audience means a fundamental rethink on how games are made, according to the executive. "In the past, game users were young men," said Wada. "We have to grasp the needs of new customers, as lifestyles differ from customer to customer. We need to choose what is best for them. Until now, gaming machines were specialized devices. From now, almost every electronic device will be able to play games. There are great possibilities, but it will be very challenging for developers, because each machine will require different programming."
The Makuhari Messe, longtime home of TGS.
The Square-Enix chief also said that soon, games will no longer be confined to the flat screen. He gave many futuristic possibilities for graphics, such as the projection of images on retinas, output through robots, laser beam graphics, and holograms.
However, in the nearer term, Wada sees the biggest advances coming from networked gameplay over the Internet. "Communication with certain rules is what games are all about," he proclaimed. "Until now, only creators produced content. From now on, though, users will also produce content, and consumers can join game-creation networks." This, in turn, will change the emphasis of development itself. "The community itself may soon become the value of the content," he said.
The key to this new online paradigm, Wada asserted, was the massive exchange of data now possible between gaming machines. That, in turn, will also allow for "a historic change in cost" via digital distribution of games and new business models such as scalable pricing. "There are huge opportunities in the game market, but these require huge changes from the publishers," Wada concluded.
While Sony's 2006 Tokyo Game Show keynote speech was something of a letdown for gamers looking for announcements of anything PlayStation-3-related, the same could not be said about Sony's press site. Shortly after the keynote speech concluded, Sony made screenshots and info available for 32 PS3 games, including five that were previously unannounced.
Leading the pack is the official announcement of Ninja Gaiden Sigma for the next-gen system. The game will once again be developed by Tomonobu Itagaki's Team Ninja, and will be the first Ninja Gaiden game since Ninja Gaiden Black for the Xbox. Few details have been released about the game, other than its Japanese release date--spring 2007. However, screenshots released indicate that the blonde-haired Rachel will be a playable character.
From slicing up bad guys to slicing golf balls, it also appears that there will be another golf game to choose from for PS3 owners. In addition to the previously announced Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf 07 and next-gen version of Hot Shots Golf, Sega is offering up Sega Golfclub featuring the Miyazato Family. The game will feature the Miyazoto siblings, a trio of famous Japanese golfers, on real-life courses such as St. Andrews. The game will be a launch title in Japan.
Another new game announced was a PlayStation 3 version of the Flash-based Web game flOw (working title). According to Sony, the game features "a new style of entertainment provided by the download capability of the PlayStation 3," and players will be able to "dive into the blue with the 6-way motion-sensing controller." The price and release date of the game were listed as TBA.
Next on the list is Genki's driving game Wangan Midnight, based on the Japanese comic of the same name that runs in Young Magazine. Slated for release in spring of 2007, Wangan Midnight will have players racing through the streets at speeds over 300km/hour. Genki has previously developed games based on the license for the PlayStation 2 and arcades.
Japanese consoles love their mahjong games, and Konami is bringing another one to the PS3. Arriving day-and-date with the system in Japan will be Mahjong Fight Club Online. The game will allow gamers to test their mahjong mettle against one another, or one of 48 computer players based on real-life experts from the Japan Professional Mahjong League.
One previously announced game was also given a tentative subtitle. The next Monster Kingdom game will have the suffix Unknown Realms (working title) tacked to its name, and will be released in spring 2007.
Some of the listed games had new features confirmed for them as well. When Sony first unveiled the PS3 controller's motion-sensing capabilities, Warhawk was the only game confirmed to make use of them. However, a number of other games included variations of the phrase "new motion-sensing controller" on their feature lists.
Among them is a trio of Sony titles: the action-slasher Heavenly Sword, the dragon-riding Lair, and the first-person shooter Resistance: Fall of Man. Third-party titles making use of the motion-sensing feature include Capcom's Monster Kingdom Unknown Realms and Namco Bandai's Ridge Racer 7. Both of those games, as well as Lair, will also support downloadable content.
[UPDATE] Two mysterious black boxes initially labeled "coming soon," were revealed to be Gran Turismo HD, which had been conspicuously absent, and Shirokishi, a new role-playing game from Level 5, the studio behind Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King.
As part of its effort to promote its wares at the 2006 Tokyo Game Show, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan fired off a fusillade of press materials this morning. Besides revealing five new titles for the PlayStation 3--Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Sega Golfclub, flOw, Wangan Midnight, and Shirokishi--the releases partially lifted the veil off the Japanese PS3 launch slate.
When the PlayStation 3 goes on sale in Japan November 11, six games will definitely be available: Genji: Days of the Blade, Mah-Jong Fight Club Online, Mobile Suit Gundam: Target In Sight, Resistance: Fall of Man, Sega Golf Club featuring the Miyazato Family, and--wait for it--Ridge Racer 7. Sony also confirmed Armored Core 4 would arrive sometime in November.
In December, Sony has locked down a trio of games: F1 Championship (aka Formula One 06), Gran Turismo HD, and MotorStorm. Three more carry a general "winter 2006" release date in Japan: Need for Speed Carbon, Enchant Arm, and the railroad sim Railfan. Another pair will ship during "2006": Sonic the Hedgehog and Fatal Inertia, though the later is only "projected" to make that vague release window.
According to Sony, 2007 will see at least 12 more PS3 titles come to market across the Pacific. Virtua Fighter 5, Virtua Tennis 3, Heavenly Sword, Lair, Monster Kingdom: Unknown Realms, The Eye of Judgment, and Wangan Midnight will all arrive in the "spring," while Everybody's Golf 5 and Warhawk will land in the "summer." Other games confirmed for the year are Afrika (working title), Coded Arms: Assault, and the much-awaited Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.
Sony listed a sextet of several high-profile titles with the most nebulous release date of all, "TBD." Those included Shirokishi, fl0w (working title), Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War, Devil May Cry 4, and Final Fantasy XIII.
While informative, the release dates revealed today are in no way a complete Japan PS3 release schedule, which has yet to be released by Sony. It also must be emphasized that the list is not reflective of the PS3 launch lineup in North America. There, Activision has publicly committed to having three games--Call of Duty 3, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, and Tony Hawk's Project 8--go on sale alongside the console. Electronic Arts is expected to have four to five games for the PS3 launch, while Take-Two is predicted to have three by January 2007, according to analysts. Ubisoft has also committed to have at least one game available.
The PS3 games featured by Sony at TGS 2006 are listed below, in order of release. The company has also released information on how far along each game is in overall development--the percentages completed are also listed below. (Another brochure listing floor-demo build development was also distributed with slightly different percentages.)
JAPAN SHIP DATE / TITLE / STATUS
11/11/2006 / Genji: Days of the Blade / 70% complete
11/11/2006 / Mah-Jong Fight Club Online / 60% complete
11/11/2006 / Mobile Suit Gundam: Target In Sight / 80% complete
11/11/2006 / Resistance: Fall of Man / 80% complete
11/11/2006 / Ridge Racer 7 / 80% complete /
11/11/2006 / Sega Golf Club featuring Miyazato Family / 70% complete /
November 2006 / Armored Core 4 / 80% complete
December 2006 / F1 Championship (working title) / 60% complete
December 2006 / Gran Turismo HD (working title) / 70% complete
December 2006 / MotorStorm / 60% complete
Winter 2006 / Need for Speed Carbon / 70% complete
Winter 2006 / Enchant Arm / 70% complete
Winter 2006 / Railfan / 30% complete
2006 / Sonic the Hedgehog / 80% complete
2006 (Projected) / Fatal Inertia / 90% complete
Spring 2007 / The Eye of Judgment / 70% complete
Spring 2007 / Heavenly Sword / 65% complete
Spring 2007 / Lair (tentative for Japan) / 40% complete
Spring 2007 / Monster Kingdom: Unknown Realms (working title) / 30% complete
Spring 2007 / Virtua Fighter 5 / 70% complete
Spring 2007 / Virtua Tennis 3 / 50% complete
Spring 2007 / Wangan Midnight / N/A
During tonight's little corporate get-together, Phil H. gathered the press types around one of the 1080p displays to let us in on some secrets. He walked us through the Cross Media Bar to show off the user interface.
Phil demoed the photo viewing capabilities of the PS3, displaying high resolution photos, showing off the transitions, letting us have an intimate look at some anonymous Sony employee's cat. He walked us through nearly all of the menu picks—3D music visualization, texting friends, video and voice chat—he burned through them all with lightning speed.
One surprise was that Phil gave us a preview of the embedded PS3 Web browser, shipped default with every unit. Users will be able to quickly switch through multiple windows with ease and at 1080p those Web pages should be easy as pie to read. Rightly so, as this will be the interface for purchasing through the Sony network.
Oh, right. Speaking of 1080p, Phil confirmed that multiple games (Ridge Racer 7, Gran Turismo HD, Virtua Tennis 3, NBA, and Mobile Suit Gundam: Target In Sight) at the show were running at both "true" HD resolution and at 60 frames per second. He then rubbed that accomplishment in the face of Sony's distinguished competition, who apparently said this feat couldn't be done.
Yesterday at Sony's TGS 06 conference, Ken Kutaragi announced that the Playstation 3 will allow you to download PC Engine and Genesis titles to your PS3.
You know, I'm really tempted to knock Sony for this one as another half-hearted grab at ticking off a feature on another console. But, really, every other console is now supporting downloads of retro games. Xbox Live's Arcade titles have predominantly been arcade ports — right now, their library of retro games looks weakest. Nintendo Wii, of course, will have the Virtual Console, which will offer a huge number of Nintendo and Sega titles.
If you like retro games and are some how morally opposed to emulation, this is all great news. It's hard to fault a company for offering it, even if you are suspicious of the quick slide into microtransactions. Then again, we haven't heard the price yet on these titles from Mr. Ken "Gran Turismo HD Will Cost $1,000" Kutaragi.
Your next Panzer Dragoon Orta fix might be coming from Eragon, based on the book and movie of the same name. According to Vivendi Games producer Tim Ramage, you'll spend one third of the game engaged in glorious aerial combat on the back of your dragon, Saphira. Unfortunately, there are the other two thirds of the game, which at this point appear to be standard third person combat and puzzle-solving fare. GameTrailers has some in-depth gameplay vids and interviews.
Eragon will be shipping this holiday season on every platform except the Wii and PS3, and fans of Chistopher Paolini's bestselling novel also have the film to look forward to in December.
To the right of a long wall of playable PS3 demos (and a few trailers running on PS3s), Sony had on hand two PlayStation 3 units encased in cylindrical glass. Unlike previous viewings, this time Sony showed off what we presume is the final case design for its PS3 games.
The two cases shown were for Grand Turismo HD and Heavenly Sword. The case designs were identical to what IGN reported about a few weeks back. However, both their mockup and our my speculation were off regarding the outside shell, which is translucent and features only a tiny Blu-ray engraving in the top-left corner of the box.
The Tokyo Game Show is known as the world's largest game and entertainment event. Taking place once in a year, the TGS 2006 is currently held under the theme "New Excitement. New Sensations. A New Generation.", apparently an allusion to the next generation game console hardware (Wii™ and PS3™).
A total of 143 exhibitors in 1,710 exhibit spaces (compared to 131 in 1,433 booths from last year) are making this tenth anniversary event the largest TGS ever. Game software companies from all around the world (including USA, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and of course Japan) are showing new titles for all existing and shortly upcoming gaming platforms as well as for the (Japanese) mobile phone market.
Just like the last 3 years, we have once again attended today's first press & business day of the show and have taken the effort to compile a quick newssheet directly from our hotel room. As there's plenty of excellent coverage available on most of anyone's favorite video gaming news site, we are dedicating our news post to a very few topics only, combined with a number of videos and of course lots of pictures.
PlayStation3™ 20GB model price update, HDMI clarification, official videos & classic game download
Sony has announced a price drop of the Japanese 20GB model from JPY 59,800 (approx. USD 513 / EUR 400) to JPY 49,800 (approx. USD 429 / EUR 335). The 60GB model price remains as an open price model, targeted at JPY 62,790 (approx. USD 539 / EUR 421). Further, Sony has clarified that both PS3™ hardware models will be equipped with HDMI as standard.
Sony Press Release (Japanese)
At the same time, Sony also announced a download service for Mega Drive and PC-Engine classics, similar to Nintendo's Virtual Game concept available for Wii™. Pricing as well as lineup is yet to be confirmed. Next to PlayStation™ game download, Sony also plans to offer PlayStation2™ software for download at a later time.
Official video downloads of some upcoming PlayStation3™ releases:
Genji
Resistance: Fall of Man
Gran Turismo HD
Heavenly Sword
Monster Kingdom Unknown Realms
Lair
Warhawk
Everybody's Golf 5 / Minna no Golf 5
Afrika
White Knight Story / Shirokishi]
Metal Gear Solid 4
Virtua Fighter 5
Armored Core 4
Miyazato San Kyoudai Naizou Sega Golf Club
TGS without Nintendo (as usual) & a few new Wii™ video downloads
Just like in previous years, Nintendo has also not been present on the TGS this year, consequently there were not many Nintendo™ Wii related news to report. Nintendo's new console was not playable by visitors on any booth we have seen.
Some new official video downloads by Sega have however been made public:
Sonic and the Secret Rings
Sonic and the Secret Rings Interview
Super Monkey Ball: Uki Uki Party Daishuugou
Super Monkey Ball: Uki Uki Party Daishuugou Interview
Bleach
Bleach Interview
New Naruto game coming for Nintendo™ DS and Nintendo™ Wii
Two new interesting Naruto games have been displayed on TakaraTomy's booth. Firstly, there's finally going to be a cel-shaded Naruto fighting game for Nintendo™ DS, reminding us a bit about the extremely popular Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen (Naruto: Clash of Ninja in the US) GameCube™ series and secondly Naruto will make its debut on the upcoming Nintendo™ Wii.
Unfortunately, neither of the two new titles was playable at TGS, but we have taken a couple of shots from the booth itself, giving all Naruto fans out there a very first small impression.
Gallery 1 - 222 pictures from the Tokyo Game Show 2006
Our first gallery contains 222 pictures from the Tokyo Game Show 2006. Dominant has been the PlayStation3™ coverage on this year's show.
Gallery 2 - 135 booth babe pictures
Last but not least, not to be missed on any Tokyo Game Show are pictures of the astonishing booth babes.
If you were wondering just how big Sony's game development studios have gotten in the 10+ years since the release of the original PlayStation, you only need to hear this bit of news. Phil Harrison, head of Sony Worldwide Studios, revealed to Japanese site Famitsu.com today that the company's vast array of international studios now has around 190 titles in development for the PlayStaion 3, PlayStation 2, PSP and other systems.
That's a whole lot of games, especially considering how many games currently bear the Sony Computer Entertainment name on release charts in the likes of Famitsu.
Of the 190 titles, Harrison disclosed that 100 are for the PlayStation 3. Sony's focus has clearly shifted to the new generation of gaming.
Famitsu also asked Harrison to share the World Studios title that he most recommends. Harrison cited Resistance as a game that's getting lots of attention in the US and European markets. He also noted that Level 5's White Knight Story is getting attention throughout the world.
The Famitsu interviewer mentioned a personal interest in Sony's mysterious Afrika title. To this, Harrison responded, "Afrika is a perfect example of a game that expresses the crossing point of real and virtual."
We're still not sure what the game is all about, but we're getting more and more excited.
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) has been a long time coming. Five years ago Sony announced its intention for the next generation console when it declared publicly it would develop the Cell, the powerful chip at the heart of the next generation console.
Last year the electronics giant announced to eager gamers everywhere that the third PlayStation would finally hit shelves in Spring 2006.
Two delays later and Japanese and US gamers will finally be getting their fix of the sleek black machine this November, while European console addicts will have to wait until next spring.
The PlayStation 3 looks, sounds and plays as you would hope
Since the first machines were shown in Los Angeles in 2005, the closest most gamers and journalists have ever come to a machine is in a photograph or in a glass case.
But at the Tokyo Games Show (TGS) this year Sony finally delivered on its half a decade of promises.
TGS is the first show where anyone can get up close and personal with the console.
The PlayStation 3 is five years in the making
Sony has 200 of the finished machines and is showing more than 20 titles here in Tokyo, including the first person shooter Resistance: Fall of Man and the Grand prix driving game F1 Challenge.
But the question on everybody's lips when they step up to the machine is: has it been worth the wait?
And luckily for Sony after stepping away from the machine, grinning, the consensus is yes.
The PlayStation 3 looks, sounds and plays as you would hope.
More realistic
The first thing you notice is the landscape created in the games look more realistic than ever before. Waters glimmer, glaciers shine and trees beckon to be touched.
The machine is released in November in Japan and the USA
Playing the action adventure Gengi: Days of the Blade there is a scene when you must fight in a river near a water fall. As you tackle the samurai-styled warrior, water flows past your feet carrying with it curled autumnal leaves. Carp dance around you feet as you slash at the bad guy.
The landscape is also the first thing you notice while playing the latest instalment of the driving series Gran Turismo.
The Swiss Alps look almost photorealistic, with sunlight glinting off the snow-capped peaks and hanging glaciers.
Detached from surroundings
But look past the landscapes and not all is well. The cars in Gran Turismo HD, as the latest version of the game is called, seem to hover above the ground. They don't seem to interact with the road surface. The basketball players in NBA 07 suffer a similar problem. The hoop-shooters seem to skip across the floor without actually setting foot on it. The characters too seem to be detached from the surroundings of the court.
With nothing in real life to compare it to you get sucked in
Some games also suffer similar problems to those seen on some HD movies. The clarity of the picture and the vibrancy of the colours sometimes make pictures seem too real and in turn they look unrealistic.
None of this really detracts from the gameplay and the developers of the titles were at pains to point out that they were still in development.
Many of the games on show do not have these problems. In particular those that take place in worlds where you are asked to suspend your disbelief and enter a fantasy.
Sucked in
With nothing in real life to compare it to, you get sucked in.
Lair is a good example. In the game you are a warrior in control of a dragon swooping through a dream landscape.
Rival console Xbox 360 hit shelves last November
To control the mythical beast you use the PS3's new tilt sensitive controller.
The motion sensors in the wireless controller give you six degrees of motion allowing you to control the attacks of your dragon.
Comparisons with the Nintendo Wii's controller are necessary but difficult.
Like the Wii's controller Sony's gives a compelling and natural feel to games. When playing driving games for example most people seem to tilt the controller without thinking. The motion sensors exploit this.
Two-handed affair
But unlike the Wii's two controllers, one for each hand, the PS3 controller is a two-handed affair. For large or fast gestural movements using both hands can feel awkward and at times the controller is slow to respond.
But overall it makes gameplay more interesting and fun. What gamers have lost in the dualshock controllers of the PS2, that vibrated to provide game feedback, they have more than gained in the new motion sensitive controller.
The on-screen interface of the PS3 is also intuitive. It uses the same menu system as the PlayStation Portable (PSP) and gives you access to internet settings, photo libraries and downloads for example.
Photos can be displayed using the onboard software to create slide shows, while video conferencing and instant messaging allows you to chat to your gaming pals.
Slick software
The menu also gives you access to the inbuilt web browser, a slick piece of software that allows you to have multiple pages open at any one time on screen. The controller allows you to cycle through them or display them in tiles across the screen.
Although these extras are nice touches they feel rather like solitaire coming as part of your PC's operating system.
It is nice to have but not the reason to buy the system.
Sony is marketing the PS3 as an entertainment hub, and for some it will be. The inclusion of a high definition Blu-ray DVD player certainly drives this message home.
But in the first instance the PS3 will probably attract the gaming purist to open their wallets and part with a not insubstantial amount of cash for the sleek, lacquered black box of graphical joy.
At least they will have had five years to save up for it.
1. Minna no Tennis (PS2) - 226,976
2. Rurouni Kenshin: Enjou! Kyoto Rinne (PS2) - 75,007
3. Final Fantasy III (DS) - 57,057
4. New Super Mario - 53,089
6. More Brain Age (DS) - 34,959
7. Ridge Racers 2 (PSP) - 28,232
8. Atama Scan (DS) - 27,890
9. Animal Crossing Wild World (DS) - 24,792
10. Cooking Navigator (DS) - 20,766
PS2 taking the top 2 spots and a PSP release in the top 10
Looks like Namco's Ridger Racer 7 is too taxing on the PlayStation 3. We caught this poor floor rep tending to the overheated, bugged out PS3 that shit the bed during the first day of TGS. Yeah, we know this sort of thing happens all the time when you've got unfinished code running on unproven hardware, but we also know that even though you've got a Bravia television and a high end PlayStation 3, your cooling solution is wicked ghetto.
Plus, 1080p and 60 frames per second don't mean squat when you're rendering a blank screen.
We've seen a couple of kiosks and machines go down, but can somewhat safely assume this is just software related and not an issue with the PlayStation 3 machines themselves.
We'll have more gratuitous fatal system errors soon, coupled with frustrated game producers and booth reps. We promise.
THE Tokyo Game Show was the event that gaming fans had been waiting for: a chance, at last, to play the much-hyped — and much delayed — PlayStation 3.
For Sony, it was a chance, after a series of embarrassing mistakes, to prove that PlayStation still deserves to dominate the video games market.
What the machine actually delivered was a dazzling array of graphics. The dozen games on show yesterday have reached such sophistication that eyelashes, blades of grass and droplets of water can be animated individually.
But fans and analysts were united in the view that the PS3, despite the superiority of its technology, has failed to demonstrate its “wow” factor.
It will be an expensive, complicated machine, and must make early gains before Christmas to win over the Japanese market, where it will be sold for 50,000 yen (£226). Britain will not get any PS3s until March.
Fans criticised a lack of innovation. The controller was almost exactly the same as the one that came with the original PlayStation and PS2.
It also relies heavily on recycled hits. The games set to be released with the machine bear tell-tale “more of the same” titles such as Everybody’s Golf 5, Virtual Fighter 5 and Ridge Racer 7.
As a result, industry observers have tipped Nintendo as the likely victor in the console war.
Its new machine, the Wii, features a revolutionary motion-sensitive controller. It will cost 25,000 yen in Japan and £179 in Britain.
The new sword-fighting game Bleach, where players swish the controller around the room and their actions are mimicked by armour-clad knights on the screen, may convert newcomers to Wii.
Other titles being tipped by include Bladestorm, based on the 100 Years’ War; Coded Arms Assault, a futuristic shooting game set in Tokyo; Elebits, a bizarre game where players control a swarm of tiny egg-shaped creatures with bolts of electricity as they attempt to tidy the room; and Dead Rising, an unremittingly gory title for the Xbox 360.
Today i had a bit of time spare to sort out our PS3 News site called PS3 Evolution, eventually it will be one of if not the premier site for PS3 emulation, hacking and homebrew when it is cracked for that.
For now though we are posting as much PS3 News as we can find and thats a lot of bloody news. So far theres 840 items of news in the forum that supplies the PS3 Evolution.
If theres any PS3 fans who want to find news please do, all help is graciuosly received .
The folks at the Tokyo Game show are sending back high resolution screens of titles like Heavenly Sword and Warhawk, but a smaller title that will be on the console is available to play now. Recommended by Tycho in Friday's post to Penny Arcade, the game fl0w has more to offer than just good looks. It's actually a part of a designer's thesis, using the concept of flow theory to make a title more enjoyable for the player. Despite its roots in academia, this beautiful gem may go on to have a fond place in the hearts of console gamers. Joystiq has a hands on with the PS3 version:
"FlOw was running at 525p (480p) -- the graphics were akin to what we've seen the Nintendo Wii produce. We aren't sure if the title will available brick-and-mortar or as a download (or even packaged in the console's hard drive). If priced correctly, flOw could end up an essential title similar to what Geometry Wars represents for the Xbox 360 -- a small, casual game with mass appeal sold for pure profit." Download the game, and give it a try.
Following Ken Kutaragi's keynote address at the 2006 Tokyo Game Show, Sony announced that the 20GB-harddrive equipped model of the PlayStation 3 was getting a price drop in Japan. The lower-end version of the console, which will now boast HDMI high-definition video output, will now cost just 49,980 yen (circa $429) when it hits stores in Japan on November 11. That’s about 10,000 yen (approx. $85) less than its prior price, which was around 60,000 yen (about $515).
Kaz Hirai on PS3 SCEA prez talks up the next-gen console.
Watch | Download
Although Sony's announcement only applied to Japan, news of the discounting spread quickly across the globe. Wire service reports with headlines saying "Sony slashes price tag for delay-hit PlayStation 3" surfaced in numerous local newspapers in the US. These, in turn, fueled a rumor firestorm that the 20GB PS3's $499 US sticker price would also be cut before it goes on sale November 17.
Sadly, though, Sony is sticking firm with its North American PS3 plans. "In the US, we're comfortable with the pricing that we announced at E3--$499 for the 20 gigabyte version and $599 for the 60-gigabyte version," Sony Computer President Kaz Hirai told GameSpot. "There are no plans right now to adjust the pricing for the US market."
Though disappointed, potential PS3 purchasers in the US did get a bit of a consolation prize from Hirai. The executive confirmed that every 20GB PS3 worldwide will have an HDMI port, not just in Japan, as some had speculated.
Sega of Japan decided to respond to the erroneous reports today. "Distribution of Mega Drive content through e-Distribution is something that cannot be formally announced by our company," said the Sega statement, making use of the Japanese name for the Genesis. "We're now at the step of looking into it."
At the very least, Sega's statement suggests that the company is willing to put its classic Genesis properties on something other than the Wii's Virtual Console.
As for the Turbo Grafx comments, we attempted to contact representatives of Turbo Technologies Inc, but the number was disconnected.
Capcom
œ Devil May Cry 4 ~Capcom Studio 1, Q4 2007~
œ Monster Hunter 3 ~Capcom Studio 1, 2008~
œ Resident Evil 5 ~Capcom Studio 4, Q4 2007~
~
œ Untitled ~Action~ ~TBD, TBA~
Codemasters
œ DIRT: Colin McRae Off-Road ~In-house, 2007~
D3 Publisher
œ Dark Sector ~Digital Extremes, TBA~
Eidos
œ Untitled ~Action~ ~TBD, TBA~
Electronic Arts
œ Army of Two ~EA Montreal, TBA~
œ Battlefield: Bad Company ~DICE, 2007~
œ Def Jam 3 ~EA Chicago, 2007~
œ Fight Night Round 3 ~EA Chicago, Q4 2006~
œ Half Life 2: Complete Pack ~Valve/EA, Q1 2007~
œ Lord of the Rings: The White Council ~EA Redwood Shores, Q4 2007~
œ Madden NFL 07 ~Tiburon, Q4 2006~
œ Medal of Honor: Airborne ~EALA, 2007~
œ NBA Live 07 ~EA Canada, Q4 2006~
œ NBA Street Vol. 4 ~EA Canada, 2007~
œ Need for Speed: Carbon ~EA Black Box, Q4 2006~
œ Skate ~EA Black Box, 2007~
œ Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 ~EA Redwood Shores, Q4 2006~
œ Call of Duty 3
œ Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
œ Resistence: Fall of Man
œ Tony Hawk's Project 8
PS3 Launch Lineup - Japan (Nov. 11)
œ Genji: Days of the Blade
œ Mahjong Fight Club
œ Miyazato Sega Golf Club
œ Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire
œ Resistence: Fall of Man
œ Ridge Racer 7
Entertainment retailer HMV has underlined its commitment to the games market with an in-store magazine produced by Future Plus.
The first issue of HMV Games will benefit from a print run of 150,000 copies and be available at the end of the month from all 230 UK and Ireland stores.
We've been saying for some time now that we're totally serious about games, and this new publication will underline the strength of our commitment and, I trust, will further bolster our specialist credentials - both to core gamers as well as to more mainstream games purchasers," commented Tim Ellis, head of games at HMV.
The 40-page magazine will include money-off vouchers to be redeemed in-store, as well as gaming content for all major consoles.
Simon Tapscott, account director for Future Plus added: "We are delighted to be working with HMV and look forward to helping them increase their share of the competitive games retail market ahead of the transition to next-generation consoles."
- Compatible with all consoles and AV devices - x-box, PSX2, PSX ONE. PSX, NGC, SFC. FC. N64. VCD, DVD, VCR payer or PC VGA.
- High resolution <300000> - magnify up to 50".
- Support AV, S-video or VGA input.
- Built in stereo sound amplifier and speakers.
- Comes with a remote controller
- Comes with a multi-voltage A/C adapter : 100-240V
- Comes with 3in1 S-AV cable, VGA cable, 3.5 Audio in & out cable
Sony's top execs have reiterated that the PlayStation 3 will be region-free for games, although not for Blu-ray movies. We'll cry about that one later.
Wired's games-blog spoke to Phil Harrison, head of worldwide development, during the Tokyo Game Show and the big man said as much.
They also ran into Ken Kutaragi, whose keynote last week quietly announced a drop in the Japanese PS3 price and the inclusion of HDMI in the 20GB model worldwide.
Ken was a bit more elusive, but when asked whether downloadable games would be region-free as well as packaged games, SCE's president said there would be "no physical barriers in that case - only language barriers".
Comments during Ken Kutaragi's keynote to the effect that Mega Drive and TurboGrafx games would be available to download via PlayStation 3 appear to have been misinterpreted.
At least that's what SEGA reckons, having released a statement in Japan, picked up by IGN, which says, "Distribution of Mega Drive content through [PS3] e-Distribution is something that cannot be formally announced by our company. We're now at the step of looking into it."
SEGA has confirmed that it will be offering certain Mega Drive titles through Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console, with Sonic the Hedgehog also pledged to Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade, but it sounds like Kutaragi was speculating on the possibility of a similar push on PS3, rather than confirming one.
As to why it was interpreted that way in the first place - our money's on the headset translation offered to English-speaking journalists during the conference, which wasn't quite in command of all the salient details of Kutaragi's address.
The PS3 price drop, for example, didn't hit headlines until after the keynote concluded and Japanese-language wires started reporting it.
Great News article and more about the recent Tokyo Show from Lik Sang:
Celebrating its 10th anniversary last weekend was the Tokyo Game Show, held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan. Unlike the ‘press only’ E3 Expo, two of the three days here open the doors to the public, meaning the wait to play some games like Blue Dragon on the Xbox 360 for example, was nearly 3 hours! Before looking at those though, and with Nintendo not having a booth, the next gen hardware wars were raging here between the PS3 and the Xbox 360. First for Microsoft’s entry, the HD-DVD drive was announced to launch on Nov 22nd for 19,800 yen (about US$ 170). Also revealed was that the console will receive a software upgrade to support 1080p (although there’s still no HDMI port), and the core package now includes PGR3 and Ninety-Nine Nights free for a limited time.
It takes a huge property to dominate sales charts in the game industry. This week, two behemoth licenses jumped into the sales battle to take on BestBuy.com's top 10 list of best-selling games. Unfortunately for other games trying to get onto the list, both properties were in the same game.
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy bumped off a few top-10 list mainstays, sending all but two editions of Madden NFL 07 and Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day packing. The LucasArts game took four spots in the top 10, including the number one spot with the PlayStation 2 edition. The GameCube edition of Lego Star Wars II gave a rare appearance for the platform at number five, followed by the Xbox edition at six and the Xbox 360 version at eight.
Madden NFL 07 continued to show why it's an annual juggernaut, with its PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 versions landing in second and seventh, respectively.
The DS, which enjoyed outstanding sales this past spring and summer, had four games in the list. Star Fox Command led the charge in third, New Super Mario Bros. fell to fourth, Mario Kart DS slid to ninth, and Animal Crossing: Wild World placed 10th. As noted above, Brain Age failed to make the top 10 list.
Best Buy console charts: September 11-17, 2006
1 LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
Platform: PS2 Category
2 Madden NFL 07
Platform: PS2
3 Star Fox Command
Platform: DS
4 New Super Mario Bros.
Platform: DS
5 Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
Platform: GC
6 Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
Platform: XBOX
7 Madden NFL 07
Platform: X360
8 Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
Platform: X360
9 Mario Kart DS
Platform: DS
10 Animal Crossing: Wild World
Platform: DS
Over 190,000 eager Japanese gamers packed out the Tokyo Game Show at Makuhari Messe over the weekend, a record number of attendees according to the event’s organisers. Total attendance from Friday until Sunday, was 192,411 people, compared with 176,056 from last year.
The busiest day was Saturday, with 84,823 people cramming in and willing to wait for hours in the long queues outside the exhibition centre, and then patiently wait to get a few minutes hands-on time with a demo unit once inside, according to the Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association.
The organisers had originally estimated only around 160,000 attendees making the trip this year, which just goes to show the massive appeal to Japanese gamers of finally being able to get a hands on with PlayStation 3.
Games which generated the biggest hype (and longest queues) were the trailers for Blue Dragon (Xbox 360) and Final Fantasy XIII (PS3) with well over two hour waits for each. Unsurprisingly, the new Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) trailer was also a favourite, as were playable versions of next gen Sonic The Hedgehog (PS3/360), Devil May Cry 4 (PS3) and Ridge Racer 7 (PS3).
Next year's Tokyo Game Show will take place from September 21 to 23 - time to start saving up for the airfare.
Finally, the following eleven titles have been voted "best games showing particular promise" from attendees at the show:
Elebits (Konami) for the Wii
Gyakuten Saiban 4 [Phoenix Wright] (Capcom) for the DS
Gran Turismo HD (Sony) for the PS3
The Eye of Judgment (Sony) for the PS3
Seiken Densetsu 4 [Dawn of Mana] (Square Enix) for the PS2
Tales of Destiny (Namco Bandai) for the PS2
Blue Dragon (Microsoft) for the Xbox 360
Heavenly Sword (Sony) for the PS3
Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops (Konami) for the PSP
PS3 is taking to the battle-scared land and skies this morning as new screenshots from Warhawk scream in.
A remake of the PSone game, Warhawk chucks you into aerial combat and ground assault scenarios, with you taking charge of an advanced war machine - the Warhawk - and blowing opponents into little pieces. Massive battles are promised as hundreds of enemies flood the screen and, as well as piloting the Warhawk you'll additionally be fighting on foot and in ground vehicles and taking advantage of Sony's PS3 tilty goodness.
Sort-of-fresh from this weekend's Tokyo Game Show is this trio of screenshots showing off Resistance: Fall of Man, the alternate-reality shooter from Insomniac - perhaps the most solid-looking PS3 title yet.
Shamelessly touted as a "blend of epic military action and unnerving horror," Resistance is the tale of a war-torn alternate-reality England, where those good old Americans have to save us poor Brits from a mysterious species of 'Chimera'.
Obligatory single-player shenanigans aside, co-op and multiplayer modes are also touted, with 32-player online campaigns looking particularly exciting.
Resistance will be out alongside the PS3 - ahem - early next year.
Continuing our PS3 media explosion, three new shots of Factor 5's Lair have spread their wings and glided into the CVG screenshot viewer.
Freshly sporting support for the PS3's motion-sensing controller, TGS impressions suggest that Lair could shape up as one of PS3's premier titles - which is coming from the developer who brought us the excellent Star Wars: Rogue Leader.
Like the X-Wing blaster, Lair is also looking graphically spectacular - and the dragon-hopping gameplay sounds exciting.
Lair is hotly-tipped to be a launch title alongside the PS3 - although now that the console has been pushed backed to 2007, we suppose that's quite likely anyway.
We didn't make a big fuss over those crazy 'spensive Japanese PS3 game prices announced yesterday, since it was pretty much a given that the US prices would be lower than the straight Yen-to-Dollar conversion, and it turns out that's exactly the case. Sony is matching Microsoft's main Xbox 360 pricepoint at a "mere" $59.99, with all 7 games now available for pre-order at the Sony Style online store. Sure, we wouldn't have complained if Sony somehow decided to undercut MS on next-gen game prices, but we suppose that's wishful thinking at this point. Ah well, there's always the Wii, right?
Following last week's contentious Gran Turismo HD announcement, Sony America and series creator Kazunori Yamauchi have shed more light on Polyphony Digital and Sony's plans for the racer's first PlayStation 3 outing.
Due out this December in Japan, Gran Turismo HD consists of two game modes: Premium and Classic. The offline Premium mode will feature high-fidelity content - the sort you'd expect in a PS3 GT game - and will start with 30 cars and two tracks. Classic is a head-to-head online game, with no content at launch - the idea being to download the cars and tracks you want from the PS3's online shop. The team is aiming to introduce 770 cars, 51 tracks and 4,500 "items" on an ongoing basis for Classic, with 30 extra cars and one more track available to download at launch for Premium, and more to follow. Classic cars will cost 50-100 yen each (22 to 45 pence), while tracks will go for 200-500 yen (90p to £2.25). Phew.
A subsequent press release from Sony America during the Tokyo Game Show added that Classic's online mode will allow you to "manage race regulations, online competition and communities, and organise race events", while TGS itself revealed the inclusion of Ferraris in GT HD, and the introduction of "Normal" and "Professional" driving model options.
So anyway, speaking to members of the Japanese press, Yamauchi explained some of that. According to Japan's Impress Watch, translated by IGN, he said that Sony hopes to make GT HD available for a very low price - as little as the cost of the game disk and instruction manual - as most revenues will be made through the digital distribution model. It'll be interesting to see whether other heavily digi-dist-based games, like SingStar, adopt a similar approach.
He said that "Professional" mode would offer a more realistic driving experience, although we'll presumably have to wait for a bit to gauge exactly how, while he also added that the 770 car/51 track/etc. figure is a "target" rather than a specific number. He also said that he hopes to make content downloaded for GT HD available for use in Gran Turismo 5, which is due out exclusively on PS3 in 2008.
GT HD will also see the much-desired introduction of car damage, Yamauchi said, although not immediately. Given the online game element, Yamauchi says he prefers to start small and then build the game up as the player-base matures, and so that will see damage-modelling introduced in 2007, while the first half of 2007 will also see more advanced opposition AI routines made available. Both updates will be downloadable, although there's no word on whether you'll have to pay for them.
Another reason we're having to wait a bit longer for all of this is simply how complicated the development process is, he said. "Creating a car for GT4 took approximately one month. This time, it takes half a year. The amount of data for each car is approximately 20 times that of GT4." Ouch.
Not content with all that, Yamauchi also noted that Polyphony Digital is "of course" considering connectivity between PS3 Gran Turismo (he wasn't specific) and Gran Turismo Mobile on PlayStation Portable, which was recently put on hold while work was completed on PS3, although he said he couldn't comment on it.
One thing he did have time to do though was mention that "Gran Turismo for Boys" is still in development for PS2, and not - as IGN noted - just something he'd drunkenly made up at the GT4 launch party.
Rockstar has signed a deal with Getaway creator Brendan McNamara's Team Bondi to publish next-generation crime thriller L.A. Noire.
Neither company's talking about specific formats just yet, but the game had previously been in development for PlayStation 3.
"Brendan and I have known each other for a long time, and to finally have the opportunity to work together on a game is exciting," said Sam Houser, founder of Rockstar Games.
Originally announced in January 2004, the game's been quietly taking the shape of an interactive detective story set in the noir period of the late '40s.
It promises a blend of action, detection and complex storytelling as part of an open-ended challenge to solve a series of gruesome murders in Los Angeles.
"The longstanding mutual respect and the combined experience between the two of us make this a great partnership," added Brendan McNamara, CEO of Team Bondi.
Sales of Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy may have dropped by 49 per cent, but the cute sci-fi makeover continues to hold the number one spot in the Chart Track All Formats Chart for the second week.
Eidos' new IP for the Xbox 360 makes a strong debut at number two, as Just Cause becomes the latest in a new line of properties to establish itself on Microsoft's next-generation console.
Two favourite sporting franchises also break the top five, with Electronic Arts' Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 entering at number three and Codemasters' LMA Manager 2007 at number four.
THQ's movie tie-in Cars is nudged down one place to the number five position, while DS exclusive Dr Kawashima's Brain Training holds fast at number six.
Capcom's Dead Rising and THQ's Saints Row have been pushed down the charts after initially strong debuts, sitting at the number seven and eight positions, respectively.
EA's The Godfather has climbed dramtical up the charts from number 24 to number 9 after the release of the PSP and Xbox 360 versions of the title, while New Super Mario Bros. just hangs in at ten.
Microsoft's recent Xbox 360 bundle for retail which includes Project Gotham Racing 3, has helped the title re-enter the charts at number 26.
Sega Europe has confirmed that the PlayStation 3 version of its popular sports title Virtua Tennis 3 does not have any online features.
The news follows developer Neversoft's recent clarification that the PS3 version of upcoming extreme sports game Tony Hawk's Project 8 for Activision will not feature online play.
"Virtua Tennis 3 PS3 does not have an online mode confirmed at this time," said a statement from Sega.
The lack of online play raises questions regarding Sony's online service for its new home console.
The company last week revealed a range of online features for the PS3, including downloadable content and the ability to play emulated PSone and PS2 titles over the internet.
Sony also discussed the Global Mapping System, which allows users to upload photographs and data about their location and create a detailed view of the world around them - in the hope that consumers can help developers gather information for future game developments.
But with titles from key publishers such as Sega and Activision dropping online features for the PS3, Sony is handing a distinct advantage to Microsoft, in a next-generation battle where online play is becoming an essential - and standard - offering.
Virtua Tennis 3 is due for release in spring 2007 for the Xbox 360, PS3, PSP and PC.
Immersion Corporation, who you may recall from their rumble-controller suit against Sony, has released a study. Engadget reports that (somewhat unsurprisingly), it indicates gamers will miss the rumble feature in PS3. The 'SIXAXIS' gamepads planned for the PS3 will only have the 'tilt' feature, as far as is known so far. From the article:
"Not only does the (completely unbiased) poll report that 72% of the 1,075 respondents agree vibration feedback enhances their game experience, it goes on to note that 59% of those surveyed would prefer rumble on the PS3 controller, while only 8% care about motion / tilt sensing (sorry, Nintendo). As if these numbers didn't paint a clear enough picture of the message Immersion is trying to convey, two further questions spell it out even more explicitly: when asked if the lack of rumble capabilities would affect their buying decisions ... 5% said that it would definitely cause them not to buy a PS3 and 32% claimed that they were less likely to pick one up for this reason and this reason alone. "
Lego Star Wars II exerted a Sith-like grip on the Australian game charts in its first week of release, with LucasArts' and Traveller Tales' latest taking up three of the top 10 positions in the overall sales charts, according to data trackers GfK Australia.
Lego Star Wars II for the PlayStation 2 was Australia's best-selling game for the week of September 11 to 17, with the game's Xbox and Xbox 360 versions landing in the fourth and eighth positions, respectively. The game was also a prominent feature in most other console-specific top 10 charts.
Xbox 360-exclusive Dead Rising had to settle for second place on the overall charts in its debut week, although it did manage to beat the Star Wars juggernaut in the Xbox 360-specific charts. Saints Row continues to be a strong seller in Australia, landing in third spot this week, after being number one in the previous two.
Full figures, including console-by-console breakdowns, can be found below.
Top 10 Full-Priced Games
1. Lego Star Wars II, PS2
2. Dead Rising, Xbox 360
3. Saints Row, Xbox 360
4. Lego Star Wars II, Xbox
5. New Super Mario Bros., Nintendo DS
6. AFL Premiership 2006, PS2
7. SingStar Anthems bundle, PS2
8. Lego Star Wars II, Xbox 360
9. Cars, PS2
10. EyeToy: Play 3 pack, PS2
Top 10 Game Boy Advance Games (over AU$40)
1. Lego Star Wars II
2. Pokemon Emerald
3. Cars
4. Pokemon Ruby
5. Pokemon Sapphire
6. Pokemon Leaf Green
7. Simpson's Road Rage
8. Donkey Kong Country 3
9. Pokemon Fire Red
10. Star Wars Trilogy: Apprentice of the Force
Top 10 GameCube Games (over AU$50)
1. Super Smash Bros.: Melee
2. Pokemon xD: Gale of Darkness
3. Mario Party 7
4. Super Mario Sunshine
5. Mario Smash Football
6: Paper Mario: 1000 Year Door
7. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
8. NFS: Most Wanted
9. Resident Evil 4
10. Cars
Top 10 PC Games (over AU$20)
1. The Sims 2: Glamour Life Stuff
2. World of Warcraft
3. The Sims 2: Open Business
4. The Sims 2
5. Lego Star Wars II
6. The Sims 2: Family Fun Stuff
7. The Sims Deluxe
8. Age of Empires III
9. The Sims 2: Nightlife
10: Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth II
Top 10 Nintendo DS Games (over AU$40)
1. New Super Mario Bros.
2. Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training
3. Nintendogs Chihuahua
4. Lego Star Wars II
5. Mario Kart
6. Tamagotchi Connection
7. Cars
8. Animal Crossing: Wild World
9. Big Brain Academy
10. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Top 10 PS2 Games (over AU$50)
1. Lego Star Wars II
2. AFL Premiership 2006
3. SingStar Anthems Bundle
4. Cars
5. EyeToy: Play 3
6. Buzz: The Big Quiz Bundle
7. GameTrak Real World Golf
8. SingStar Rocks! Bundle
9. NFS: Most Wanted
10. FIFA 2006 Platinum
Top 10 PSP games (over AU$40)
1. Tekken Dark Resurrection
2. Gangs of London
3. Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror
4. GTA: Liberty Cities
5. Loco Roco
6. WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 06
7. NFS: Most Wanted
8. Lemmings
9. NBA Live 2006
10. Crash Tag Team Racing
Top 10 Xbox Games (over AU$50)
1. Lego Star Wars II
2. NRL Rugby League 2
3. Cars
4. Black
5. NFS: Most Wanted
6. V8 Supercars 3
7. FIFA 2006
8. Over the Hedge
9. 50 Cent Bulletproof
10. Madden NFL 2007
Top 10 Xbox 360 Games (over AU$50)
1. Dead Rising
2. Saints Row
3. Lego Star Wars II
4. Call of Duty 2
5. Enchanted Arms
6. Madden NFL 2007
7. Perfect Dark Zero
8. Project Gotham Racing 3
9. Dead or Alive 4
10. Genuine Wireless Fun Pack (compilation)
Via Opposable Thumbs, an article at GamePro in which Phil Harrison clarifies that Blue-ray on the PS3 is a 'game design' decision. From the article:
"Once we had that storage capacity on Blu-ray Disc, adding the movie playback functionality was extremely cost-effective, [the cost] is actually non-existent. So games like Resistance which, as a launch title, is up to 20-something gigabytes already. And that's day one -- think about four years, six years from now. We'll be pushing the 50 gigabyte limit with dual-layer Blu-ray very quickly. So we absolutely need it as game designers, and in that regard, the consumer is getting the movie functionality effectively for free."
I probably would have had a follow-up question there, but that's where the interview ends. So what do you think? Which came first for Sony: Blue-ray as new movie media, or Blu-ray as answer to design challenges?
Let’s face it, if the PlayStation 3 ships without any kind of demo disc, there’ll be uproar. Given Sony’s record with bundled console/disc packages at the PlayStation and PS2’s respective launches (dinosaurs and bathroom sinks, remember?) don’t expect to be able to play a one level demo of Resistance or Genji 2 or Warhawk.
Anyway, never mind the games – the rumour mill creaks into gear today with much Internet discussion regarding the possible inclusion of a Blu-ray demo disc designed to erm, demonstrate how lush films can look given the high-def treatment. Marvel at the shape and shine of Kate Beckinsale’s leather-clad arse in Underworld Evolution? Don’t mind if we do. Marvel at the shape – just the shape - of Natasha Henstridge in Species? Oh, alright then. ?HD in Memento in on going what’s out work and try. Well very.
These and more – Basic Instinct 2, xXx, RV, Training Day, Hitch, Resident Evil Apocalypse, Black Hawk Down, Layer Cake and Saw to name a few – could well be available to sample with the PS3 launch. Then again, maybe not.
Yes, the rumors are true: Oblivion is heading to PlayStation 3, and an upcoming cover story in Official PlayStation Magazine has the exclusive first look.
Here's what we know so far. The game will introduce a new faction to the Oblivion world, one that's available right at the beginning called Knights of the Nine and described by the developers as "the good Dark Brotherhood." The goal here is to become the Divine Crusader (think part warrior, part priest), and the quest features new locations, characters, armor and weapons.
"Oblivion has these really good character archetypes for evil," says executive producer Todd Howard. "It has the Dark Brotherhood: You get your outfit, you feel like an assassin, you feel like an evil guy, [and] you role-play like an evil guy. We [didn't] have the opposite end of that. There [was] very little reward for being a goody two-shoes."
"As opposed to adding content that allowed your character to just experience new quests, we wanted to create something that allowed your character to become something new," he continues.
Fans may also be excited to hear that the series is heading to PSP in Elder Scrolls Travels: Oblivion, a game that plays very similarly to its big brother but takes place in a completely different setting.
For more information on both games, check out the cover story in the November issue of Official PlayStation Magazine, on store shelves soon. Check out the first screenshots of the PS3 game here, and look for many more in OPM.
Last month, Rep. Cliff Sterns (R-FL) introduced the Truth in Video Game Rating Act in the US House of Representatives. Yesterday, Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) introduced its counterpart in the Senate. While the text of the bill has yet to be released by the Government Printing Office, Brownback's announcement about the introduction suggests it is functionally similar to Stearns' own legislation.
In a statement, Brownback said the Entertainment Software Ratings Board needed improvement, in part because they don't even play the games they rate. He said his bill would "direct the Federal Trade Commission to require that reviewers consider the full content of a video game before issuing a rating."
Currently, the ESRB rates games based on a video tape of each game's most objectionable content, as determined and compiled by the publisher submitting it for review.
"For video game ratings to be meaningful and worthy of a parent's trust, the game ratings must be more objective and accurate," Brownback said in a statement.
Brownback's bill would also prohibit publishers from withholding or hiding the content of a game to the ratings board and charge the FTC with defining parameters for describing game content and what constitute a mischaracterization of it.
The bill would require the US General Accounting Office to study the efficacy of the ESRB, as well as possible alternative systems, including a universal ratings system that would also cover movies and TV.
Entertainment Software Association president Douglas Lowenstein went on the record about Stearns' bill last month, saying it wouldn't accomplish its goal. He said it would make hardcore gaming skills a prerequisite for raters, and that those people would not be representative of average American parents.
At the 2006 Electronic Entertainment Expo, Nintendo unveiled its "Playing is Believing" motto for the Wii, with the idea being that if gamers tried the console out, they'd be more eager to buy the machine. Now it seems as though Sony is adopting the same idea.
Speaking with Bloomberg, Sony Computer Entertainment America COO Jack Tretton said that 15,000 PlayStation 3 demonstration kiosks will be deployed to American and Canadian retailers over the holiday season. By contrast, only 3,000 demo kiosks were used for the PlayStation 2 launch.
The cost of the operation will be $30 million, reports Bloomberg. There's no indication whether or not that price tag includes the costs of the PS3 units themselves.
"Once the consumers get their hands on a PS3 and understand what's under the hood, I think price will not be a factor in the decision-making process," Tretton told the news service.
An EB Games employee sends word that the company, in conjunction with Sony, has launched a training website that is meant to get their sales people up to speed on all the Playstation 3 has to offer.
Most of the information on the site is already known, but there are a few tid-bits of note. First the page has this to say about PSP connectivity with the PS3:
The HDD will become a storage space for the massive amounts of media you will be sharing with your PSP (movies, music, TV shows, game content.).
That's right, they list TV shows, music and movies, which has me hoping that the PS3 will have the ability to stream television, music and movies directly to your PSP live over WiFi. That would be sooooo sweet.
There's also a bit on the site about Sony's online service for the PS3. Something we know next to nothing about.
Unfortunately, the information is presented in a laundry list. Instead of trying to figure it out and risk getting it wrong, I'm just going to present it here.
A couple of things pop out to me. It sounds like it's going to offer just about everything that the Xbox 360's Live offers, though it's not clear what the interface will be like. I'm not too happy about that word subscription in that second batch of descriptors. And why are they calling Entitilements "user access rights"? I thought they were supposed to be like achievments, or did I miss something?
Well Sony only has a month and a half left to explain PSP conncectivity and PS3 online to us. I expect the info to hit something in the next few weeks.
Eidos has revealed it plans to release a brand new Tomb Raider title during its 2008 financial year (July 2007 to June 2008), "including a PS3 version" it's stated in a recent financial report.
In addition, as part of its '2008 and future product pipeline', the company has said to expect new projects from Tomb Raider: Legend developer Crystal Dynamics and Hitman and Kane & Lynch dev IO Interactive.
At this year's Tokyo Games Show it was announced that Gran Turismo HD would rise to full product status rather than lingering in tech-demo hell. So, hot on the heels of this revelation, we tracked down Polyphony Digital president Kazunori Yamauchi at his headquarters to find out more from the horse's mouth...
"Looking back to the first Gran Turismo in 1997, it included 100 hours of condensed gameplay, and you needed to play it to the full extent to get all the items in the game. With GT HD, we thought it was maybe time to take a different approach, with casual gaming accessibility. Players can connect and play for maybe 10 to 30 minutes per day. That's one of the reasons why we chose not to call it Gran Turismo 5."
Ubisoft president Yves Guillemot has hailed Microsoft's X06 showcase, warning that the growing strength of 360 is putting market leader Sony under pressure to react with its rival PlayStation 3 console.
Speaking exclusively to GamesIndustry.biz at the aftershow to the glitzy Barcelona event, Guillemot, whose firm significantly pledged an exclusive Splinter Cell title to the next-gen Xbox, said increased competition will benefit everyone in the market.
"What Microsoft is showing is that even if Sony has a lead in market share, Xbox is going to get better penetration in Europe," he said. "It's good to have many players on the same battlefield; I think it will push Sony to react, and also Nintendo to look at how they position themselves to make their machine a success. When the manufacturers are making great games and pushing each machine hard it can help everybody make the videogames business a better business."
But Guillemot refused to be drawn on whether Sony's market-leadership was now under seriously under threat, adding: "Sony is very far ahead in terms of market share so it's not possible to say today - we will see how Sony reacts. But there is more competition, which we think is good."
Ubisoft proved one of the biggest third-party 360 cheerleaders on the night, with the announcement of the Splinter Cell exclusive and an on-stage demo of the stunning Assassin's Creed proving one of the highlights of the conference.
On the decision to hand the next instalment of the lucrative adventures of stealth operative Sam Fisher to Microsoft, Guillemot explained: "Splinter Cell was created on the first Xbox, so we thought it was important to come back for one volume with Microsoft to create a very good quality title focused on using the full power of the system.
"And especially for next year when the big guns will be out, it's very important to have a game that will use 360 to the full, because you will need that to fight against all the other games that will be there. For us it's a good way to win the next-gen battle. We love Xbox 360 because it's easy to develop on and that's why we want to put great quality products on it."
Elsewhere, the French publisher boss also praised Microsoft's partnership with movie director Peter Jackson as vital to the development of interactive entertainment.
"I think this was a great presentation not just because it showed great games, but also great future games," Guillemot insisted. "The most important thing was the alliance between the movie industry, the CGI industry and the videogames business. I think that's a good move in creating games that will bring more emotion to the experience - those guys know how to create emotion so they are going to help us as an industry to deliver that."
Ubisoft worked with the Academy Award-winning filmmaker on the chart-topping Kong Kong videogame in 2005, and has previously expressed an intention to make film tie-ins account for 20 per cent of the publisher's overall business in the future.
PLAYSTATION 3 Japan launch? Hell. Pure, uncut hell. To build up everyone in this island nation for the ensuing bitch fights, retailer Yodobashi Camera is getting demo machines. Make that, one demo machine. I have neither seen nor heard of other stores yet installing any sort of demo unit, and Yodobashi's Akihabara branch seems to be sole recipient. Checked the Shinjuku and the Umeda branches, but turned up nothing. The unit will apparently be running Genji, Warhawk, The Eye of Judgement, Hot Shots Golf 5 and Afrika. And according to Yodobashi staffer I spoke with, these games are not playable, and these are just apparently looped clips. Swell. More INfo
The cross platformer ARMORED CORE 4 will be hitting the PS3 on December 14th and will retail for 8,190 yen. It's Xbox 360 drop date and price has yet to be announced. While I'm not personally dying to pick up ARMORED CORE 4, the third person shooter does give a better window as to pricing for the PLAYSTATION 3 in Japan. Previously, we mentioned that Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog would retail for 7,140 (around US $60), but looks like ARMORED CORE 4 will command around US $70. Okay, I've hit PS3 software price quote post quota, but somewhere in the back of my mind I dread seeing the hundred dollar PS3 game. Sony, don't let that happen. For your sake.
Famitsu Wave Magazine
Japan's No.1 selling video game magazine
Check out all the latest game news every month
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Since EDI's [Sony’s E-Distribution Initiative] announcement at GDC six months ago, what has the reaction from publishers and developers been like?
The reaction has been overwhelming - on a worldwide basis. The announcement immediately struck a chord with the development community - from startups to veterans, from small to large. There have been lots of quality ideas for both PSP and PS3 (both game and non-game related applications), many of which we are moving forward with. The key for us is to find innovative ideas that try to offer new experiences. Certainly many developers have targeted the feature set of PS3 (in particular the tilt controller and in built hard drive). This has opened up many possibilities for a variety of content gameplay experiences that we can produce and distribute digitally.
What do you think of the notion some publishers have had in releasing a retail product that still requires a large amount of paid-for downloadable content (such as Test Drive Unlimited, or the suggestion that MMO items will all have to be paid for): is this a business model to be seized, or do we need to be careful that customers don't feel cheated?
We have to stop thinking in terms of a product launch being a finite offering and, in effect, the end of our involvement with that game. In the future, when we launch games on either PSP or PS3 (whether the initial launch be on disc or by way of digital download), we should see this as the start of the product's life cycle. The launch should mark the beginning of a relationship with the consumer that we need to develop and service. The key to the launch of a successful product or service will be measured by the creation and retention of an active community built around the initial content launch. I believe consumers will readily pay for quality content and service delivered on an ongoing basis.
The PS2 and DS dominate the software charts with no other console getting a lookin. heres the software charts.
1. PS2 Minna no Tennis 87814
2. NDS Final Fantasy III 56596
3. NDS New Super Mario Bros. 56045 / 3136171
4. NDS Gintama DS: Banji Ousoudou! 39737
5. NDS Brain Training 2 34879
6. NDS Animal Crossing: Wild World 25617
7. PS2 Rurouni Kenshin: Enjou! Kyoto Rinne 24712
8. NDS Tingle RPG 23168
9. NDS Cooking Navi 22504
10. PS2 Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Maihitoyo 22100
The hardware charts look the same as every other week with the DS Lite thrashing all, heres the chart:
DSL 139,835
PS2 32,673
PSP 23,118
GBASP 2,145
GBM 1,186
Xbox360 1,109
GC 763
DS 316
GBA 20
Xbox 8
