Friday, January 16, 2009

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin demo now in Qore, free for all next week


Annual subscribers to Qore will be able to download an exclusive demo of Project Origin right now. Simply load the latest issue and download it from the Download Center.

Those that don't have a Qore subscription will be able to get it for free in next week's PlayStation Store update. The horror-themed M-rated shooter has you fighting Alma, a girl with mysterious and overwhelming powers. You'll be able to download it on January 23rd.

[Image Credit: PSP GadgetZ]

Get 20% off used games at GameStop


Christmas has come and gone. Y'know that means -- trading in the lackluster games your family sent you for the holidays. If you have any GameStop store credit lying around, this might be a good opportunity to start shopping. Print this coupon and go to your local GameStop retail store. You'll be able to get 20% off your used PS3 game purchases. Limit 3 games per coupon; offer expires 1/22

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Watching YouTube on your PS3 got a whole lot better


One of our most-used bookmarks on the PS3 browser has to be popular video sharing site YouTube. It's a great, easy way of watching the most-talked about videos on our big-screen TVs. YouTube has now crafted a special PS3-optimized version of their page which you access by going to youtube.com/tv on your PS3 browser (it won't work on your computer, sorry!). It makes the entire process a lot more streamlined. Check out a YouTube video of YouTube's new PS3 page, after the break (how meta).

No pre-order? Killzone 2 demo available February 26


Don't want to bother pre-ordering Killzone 2 at GameStop? Still want the Killzone 2 demo? Well, you're going to have to wait until February 26, one day before the game officially hits store shelves.

MTV Multiplayer asked SCEA why the early demo is restricted to those that are most interested in buying the game. Scott Steinberg offered a response: "Offering a playable demo to motivate preorders speaks to our confidence in the appeal of a game such as Killzone 2. We take this approach when we are convinced that the experience will cement a consumer's interest in purchasing."

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Uncharted 2 enemies have improved since you last met


Looks like Nathan's enemies will be enjoying an expanded skillset in Uncharted 2. CVG has been nattering with Bruce Straley, one of the game's directors, who has revealed that the baddies in Uncharted 2 will feature improved intelligence. Specifically, they will now "hunt" and "investigate" based on movement in their peripheral vision. "When Drake enters this peripheral vision the enemies will look over in the direction they think they saw him in and depending on how long he was in this vision cone, they may just look or they may walk over and check out what they think they saw."

"If they lose eye contact with Drake for a few seconds, one or more enemies will start hunting around the area, starting with his last known location, and then spread their search out if he's not found." This hunting behaviour means that the enemies will need to be able to follow Drake wherever he goes, which means jumping and climbing around the environment. "The benefit to this was our combat wasn't limited to flat terrain anymore."

Sounds great to us. One of our biggest gripes with Uncharted 1 was that at any given point you were either fighting or platforming. Hopefully we'll see more of a crossover in the sequel. Apparently more details will be forthcoming once CVG posts the full interview with Straley tomorrow.

Flower flies to PSN in February


You won't have to wait too long for thatgamecompany's next game, Flower. The soothing downloadable game has you controlling a flower pedal as you navigate it through a dream world using the SIXAXIS controller. A recent preview of the game at IGN UK has revealed that Flower's planned release is some time in February.

We're thinking it'll be a good way to calm the nerves after a session of Killzone 2. A more concrete date and price should be coming in the next few weeks.

Play Resistance 2 with Insomniac this Friday

This Friday Resistance 2 fans will have the opportunity to play the game against members of Insomniac. The event will take place between 7pm and 8pm GMT (that's 2pm and 3pm EST). Details on which room this will take place in will be revealed at 7pm GMT on Friday in the announcement thread on the European PS3 forums. So if you've always wanted to show the guys who made Resistance 2 just how much better than them you are at their game, this might be your chance.
Announcement Thread

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Danish police respond to gunfire reports ... was only PS3


Like to play shooters with the volume at full blast? Sure, that home theater setup might give stellar surround sound and it can even make things sound as real as possible, but it could also land you into a lot of trouble. Take the case of two 21-year old gamers from Valby, Denmark for example; just over the weekend, the boys were detained by Danish authorities who were responding to gunfire reports in the neighborhood.

Neighbors mistook the gunshots heard from the boys' "PlayStation game" as actual gunfire and reciprocated with emergency calls to the police authorities. The volume was turned up so loud that the boys could not initially hear the police calling out to them via megaphone. Luckily, no one got hurt when the boys were finally detained. The cops searched the apartment, found no weapons and came to the conclusion that the noises were coming from the game playing on the television. The two were allowed back into their apartment without any further incident.

So what have we learned today, children? That gaming has become such a viscerally real experience that its world of imagination can be misconstrued as real. Oh, and make sure to keep the volume at a moderate level, please.

[Via N4G]

Sony gives away money in PlayStation Home ... in Hong Kong




This is a promo we'd love to see in our region. Sony Computer Entertainment Asia is giving away HK$10 (about $1.30) in PlayStation Network credit to those that are able to find a "mysterious avatar" in Sony's virtual world. Clues can be found on posters in the service.

The money certainly isn't enough to buy anything significant, but it is enough to buy a trinket from the PlayStation Home's in-world store. Participate in a game and win free virtual pants? We like the sound of that. Hopefully, SCEA or SCEE will do something similar in the future.

report: Sony Could Post $1.1 Billion Loss for 2008


According to reports, there could be a significant loss in Sony's future. Instead of the predicted $2.2 billion profit for its 2008 fiscal year (which ends on March 31st, 2009), Sony could post a loss of $1.1 billion.

The report comes from the Nikkei Business Daily which was picked up by Reuters. This possible profit loss could make the planned restructuring get completed earlier than March 2010 -- which would cut 4% of Sony's workforce or 9000 jobs.

This would be Sony's first posted loss in 14 years and only its second publically reported loss ever. Ouch.

'Lord of the Rings: Conquest' Launch Trailer Preps You For Battles Sized Epic+

The creators of Star Wars Battlefront work their magic on the classic J.R.R. Tolkien's literary property and the result... Lord of the Rings: Conquest. Pandemic and EA have released the official launch trailer with plenty of pretty words to aid you in deciding what you shall be within the game.

It's shipping to stores as you read this. The game is available for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Being a fan of the Battlefront series, I've tried the demo online and the ol' rule still holds true... multiplayer online is just too much fun. Favorite class so far is the rogue, as nothing seems to satisfy as much as climbing up a treant to stab it in the face, cloak, one-shot a mage, and cap the territory all within one sequence.

Will you guys be checking this one out?

Mirror's Edge DLC rolls onto PSN on 1/29

Ea Sports Gets Into The Sneaker Business



Game sneakers? Old news! But it's new news for EA Sports and the Skate series, with skate company Etnies unveiling a new sneaker designed to cash in on the impending launch of Skate 2.They're called the RVM Skate 2, and should be out in the US later this month at Zumiez stores, with an international release to follow. Not the most eye-catching pair of shoes you'll ever see, but then, as a collabo between a sneaker company and a video game publisher, they could have been worse.

Stream Whatever's On Your PC To Your PS3

Golden Stream now you have a problem. You have an extensive porn digital movie collection, want to watch them in the living room but don't have a PC connected to your TV. What to do?

You buy Golden Signals' $50 "Display Share", that's what you do. Display Share is a PC program that, once installed, lets you stream whatever's running on your PC screen to your PS3. Anything. Pictures, music, movies, the works (well, except for games, there's too much lag).

Sure, the PS3 can handle some digital movie files pretty well, but there are others it won't pick up. This gets around that. It'll even pipe the sound through your TV speakers.

MLB 09 The Show - Franchise Mode Enhancements

When we set out this year’s plan, one of our goals was to blow out the personnel aspects of the Franchise experience. Starting with the beginning of spring training, the rosters you will carry into spring will be those of their real-life counterpart, the long awaited 40-man rosters. Now you will have to manage your Spring Training roster a little more carefully to ensure your young players get the looks they need.
Moving on to the regular season, you will now be dealing with many of the various roster-related items all GMs have to deal with. You will be in control of designating players for assignment, waiver transactions, handling Minor League options, and managing your 40-man roster. Once in June, you will have the Amateur Draft to participate in. Along with drafting players, the Amateur Draft also includes Supplemental picks for those teams that failed to re-sign Type A or Type B free agents in the offseason.

Once your season hits September, your 25-man roster will expand to the full 40-man where you will then have to decide who get’s the call and who doesn’t. If your Franchise is successful enough to make the playoffs, you will have to manage your rosters accordingly, and will only be able to replace players on the roster between series.
Via PS Blog

Fallout 3 Bug Fix Update Hits PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 Today

A patch to fix quite a number of bugs in Fallout 3 hits all versions of the role-playing game today, Bethesda says.

The update is available for the English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish versions. The patch will also be required to play the downloadable content, Operation: Anchorage, coming to the Xbox 360 and Games for Windows on Jan. 27. Now for those fixes. Here's the short list:

Bug Fixes
Friends notification no longer causes the game to pause. (Playstation 3)

Fixed occasional crashes during loading and waiting.

Friendly or neutral NPC health bars, when taking damage, no longer flicker repeatedly.

Fixed issue where certain NPCs would occasionally disappear from the game.

Fixed issue where dead NPCs would occasionally come back to life.

Fixed rendering issue with the Gatling Laser gun's tracers.

Fixed issue where the haircut menu would occasionally not appear properly.

Added ability to remap your VATS and pip boy buttons.

Fixed rare load/save issues that would cause NPCs to behave incorrectly.

Fixed issue where quest objectives would occasionally not update properly due to talking activators,
intercoms and conversations.

Using Radaway from the Pip-Boy's Status Menu repeatedly no longer crashes the game.

Player no longer gets stuck in level up menu if their skills are maxed out.

Fixed issue where multiple followers would occasionally not load into an interior.

Fixed rare issue with getting stuck in VATS mode.

Fixed rare crash with fighting NPCs with corrupted data.

In game radios will now play properly if player was listening to the radio in the Pip-Boy first. (Playstation 3)

Fixed rare crashes while loading and saving games.

Fixed rare issue where player would fall through the floor while in VATS.

Fixed occasional crash after scoring a critical hit in the head with a Railway Rifle.

Prevent NPCs from inadvertently dying from falling.

Fixed occasional issue where the controller would stop working properly.

Fixed crashes related to repeatedly equipping and dropping clothing and armor into the world.

Quest Fixes
Fixed several instances where quest item stayed in inventory permanently after completing quests.

Fixed an issue where the distress message would occasionally not play in Trouble on the Homefront.

In The Waters of Life quest, the Citadel gate will open properly if the player fast travels away after exiting the Taft Tunnels but before reaching the Citadel gate with Doctor Li.

For the Home Sweet Home quest, the broken protectrons in Big Town become active at the proper time.

In The American Dream quest, fixed specific issue which prevented the player from accessing their belongings in the locker by the door if they left the room first.

Fixed infinite caps exploit in Strictly Business quest.

Fixed rare instance where Dad would have no valid dialogue during The Waters of Life quest.

Prevent issue during the Finding the Garden of Eden quest where player would fade to black, instead of traveling to Raven Rock, while in combat with a follower.

Fixed several XP speech exploits with certain NPCs.

Fixed XP exploit with a robot in Fort Bannister.

Fixed issue where player's controls can become locked permanently during The American Dream.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Pachter predicts PS3 price drop to $299 in April

We were so hopeful that PS3 would get a price drop this year. But no. Michael Pachter, analyst at Wedbush Morgan, had to "predict" a PS3 drop in April. Drats, we were looking forward to this one too. Unfortunately, with Pachter's track record, it's pretty good to bet that he'll be wrong.

"Once the PS3 is at a more affordable price point (we expect a cut to $299 in April), we think that sales of that device will once again begin to grow," he states. However, don't expect Microsoft to take that sitting down. "We expect another cut in price for the Xbox 360, with the feature-laden Pro model likely to come down in price to $249 at or before this year's E3 show in June." Nintendo, however, has no reason to lower its price and will unlikely drop the price of the bestselling Wii.

Pachter is right once in a while, so we're optimistic that a price drop will happen. Perhaps it won't be as significant as $100 off, or perhaps it won't happen in April. It'll be interesting to see what Sony chooses in '09: their bottom line, or making a more aggressive attack in the console wars.
Via PS3 Fanboy

Use DualShock 3 with rumble on PC thanks to new hack

People have been using Sixaxis controllers on PCs for a long time now. But, what about DualShock 3s with rumble support? Apparently, it's now possible. A Japanese coder has released four drivers which allow Windows users to play games on PC with a DS3, tweak some of the controller parameters and subsequently employ rumble. It sounds like a fun experiment to play around with, though, from the looks of it, the driver menus are mostly in Japanese. Check DCEmu UK for instructions in English.

Sony products invading new Yankee Stadium


Whilst on stage at CES, Sony CEO Howard Stringer announced a partnership with the new Yankee Stadium that will see Sony product placement appear all over the place. 550 HDTVs will be scattered liberally about the stadium, in "luxury suites, lounges, concourses, restaurants and administrative offices." PS3 games will be available to play, such as MLB: The Show and its ilk, along with more surprising titles such as SingStar.

Games will be rotated periodically and it's possible that PSP and PS2 games could make an appearance, too. Sony Vaio laptops will also be dotted around for people to try out while theyre visiting. Stringer states that the "new home of the world's most renowned sports franchise -- with its storied history of leadership and excellence -- is the perfect place to showcase all that is Sony. It is thrilling for Sony to be playing a part in this new chapter in Yankee history."
Ps3 Fanboy

No plans for a FFXIII demo outside of Japan

Hoping to get your hands on the Final Fantasy XIII demo this year? You might have to try your luck with a Japanese copy as Square Enix has said that "at present the FINAL FANTASY XIII demo will only be available in Japan with the Blu Ray release of Advent Children Complete, but we hope to have further news in the coming months." Feel free to keep your fingers crossed for that.

With FFXIII releasing on both PS3 and Xbox 360 outside of Japan we imagine demo distribution will be a bit more complex. Especially since development on the 360 version hasn't even started, so a demo will be a long way off. We have a feeling us English speakers are going to be sitting here twiddling our thumbs for quite a while as our Japanese cousins are having a whale of a time.
Ps3 Fanboy

Saturday, January 10, 2009

EA Sports Arena Appears to be Dope

Electronic Arts dropped a little bit of coin on a new Sports Complex in the PlayStation Home Universe so that any Home user can go in and play around with the latest EA stuff. You can watch trailers for upcoming titles or interact with and challenge other users to games exclusive to the EA Sports Arena. Looks to be a pretty happenin' place to chill with fellow PS3heads who are into EA Sports games.

It's "coming soon," so until it comes out, you may just have to make due with interacting face to face

Street Fighter IV:Akuma vs. Gouken Trailer


Very cool vid!Check it out.

PlayStation 4 in 3D

CES 2009 is currently underway in Las Vegas, and while there are tons of home audio systems, DVD and Blu-ray players, touchscreen phones and other miscellaneous cool gadgets to be seen and played with, perhaps the biggest theme this year is 3D. Long gone are the days of the blue and red paper glasses, replaced with polarized lenses or even standalone displays that promise they can provide the effect without having to wear anything on your head.

3D is getting big in Hollywood as well, and fast. James Cameron has long been working on Avatar, a 3D-only film, and has said that all of his future work will be shot in 3D. At Sony's CES press conference this year, there were announcements that Toy Story 1 and 2 would be re-released in 3D, and a third film would be coming in the same form. Dreamworks announced that all of its future projects would be in 3D. The list goes on and on…

But that's not all. At Sony's booth, a handful of PlayStation 3 titles were running 3D demos, including WipEout HD, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue and MotorStorm: Pacific Rift. Our guys that have seen it say it's pretty amazing.


Via IGN

Killzone 2 Preview


Blur the line between reality and the radical.

CES 2009: Inside EA’s upcoming Home Sports Complex


Via Playstation Blog

CES 2009: Resistance Retribution Release Date & Latest Trailer RevealeD


Looks Pretty Cool.
Via Playstation Blog

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