Sony may have a multi-colored console in U.S. before Nintendo

You've always been able to get a PLAYSTATION 3 in any color you'd like in the United States, as long as that color is black. It appears that soon there will be an option for consumers to purchase a PS3 in white as well. With white being the "new black" of consumer electronics, Sony has been a bit behind by only offering their premiere console in the color of empty space, except in Japan where a white model is already offered. Usually Nintendo is the king of releasing the same device in multiple colors, but with their latest console, they are still only producing a single variant. The tip off that Sony might be releasing a new color came from a recent FCC filing, in which pictures clearly show a console that is not available in stores.

The photos submitted showcase a very sleek looking white system from a variety of angles. As is typical for the 40GB model, it appears it only has two USB ports in front, and no memory card readers.

Still just a rumor, it would be nice for Sony to finally offer colors in North America that they've showcased since announcing the PS3, including the picture leading this article, which is from E3 2006. Now if only Nintendo would do the same.

FCC filing for PS3 updated with white model [PS3 Fanboy]

RAGE, id Tech5, Quake Zero lead QuakeCon 2007 announcements

QuakeCon sees the congregation of thousands of gamers every year, revolving around the FPS genre, and specifically around the company that started the trend, id. Each year brings new announcements in 3D engines and games, and this year was no different. 2007 saw the announcement of a new title, RAGE, which showed off the company's new engine, titled id Tech5. Another project announced was a free, browser-driven version of Quake Arena, although no specific details were given.

RAGE is a slight departure from the normal Quake/Wolfenstein/Doom formula, with the addition of significant racing and "road warrior" type levels. The new 3D engine allows for large, but extremely detailed environments, using Megatextures. As the game is still in production, not much is being said, although early trailers show off advanced character rendering and animations, pushing the level of detail beyond what was seen in Doom 3.

The id Tech5 engine will be used on titles for both Xbox 360 and PS3, including RAGE, but will not appear on the Nintendo Wii, due to hardware limitations.

Quake Zero, still an unofficial title, is planned to be an iteration of Quake that can run from a website, and will be free for users. Much like simple flash games found around the web, Quake Zero will be advertiser supported, but will integrate within the website's framework. The goal is to use Quake Zero to drawing people to a site, and build a community. With a relatively small budget and developer group, id is hoping their free, online experiment will be fruitful.

E3 2007: The Simpsons Game melts faces, relies on team work

While watching a friend play The Simpsons Game, I asked the representative on hand if I could jump in and help. "Sure!" he said, and I took over the controls of Bart Simpsons while my friend played as Homer. Together we would have to work together to defeat Lard Lad, who, just as in Treehouse of Horror VI, had come to life and was terrorizing the city. Not an easy task, it required team work, and a little luck.

Each of the main Simpsons characters (sorry Maggie) is playable at different points throughout the game, and each has special abilities that aid in completing the various levels. Bart has the ability to use a grappling hook to reach high areas, and can float to the ground after jumping when in Bartman form. He has a slingshot for shooting projectiles, giving him an advantage over other characters when needing to attack enemies at a distance. This came in particularly handy for shooting Lard Lad in the back, thus stunning him and giving us access to his wiring within.

The graphics looked good, but it was easy to tell the game was still in development, as there were bugs with the camera and the character controls were not quite refined enough. The representative explained the cell-shaded graphics were a bit different than traditional cell shading, as the models actually changed shape to help give the characters the right look from every angle. I never noticed this "face melting" visually as I was playing the game, but the characters did appear more true to their animated form than 3D renderings usually allow.

The Simpsons Game doesn't tie into the movie in any way, except for being released in the same year. We're told that the game will be a video game parody of video games, with references to many many games throughout. The Lard Lad battle was being given a "play by play" in game by Kent Brockman, in the same vein as games like Madden NFL 08.

If the crowds around the game at E3 are any indication, there will be a lot of "D'oh" and "Woo Hoo!" moments in front of the television later this year. End Communication.

E3 2007: Avoid PAIN with Super Startdust HD

The PlayStation Network has had a slow start, and the promises of a vibrant environment for content have gone unfulfilled. Two titles have appeared recently, Super Stardust HD And PAIN. While Super Stardust HD follows a formula similar to Geometry Wars, simple arcade space action using the dual joysticks for control, PAIN is a game heavy on physics and user-created fun. I sat down and played both of these games at E3, but I only would want to play one of these again.

PAIN has been a highly anticipated title since it first appeared on the PlayStation Network radar several months ago. But even after watching someone play in free play mode for a while, and trying myself, I never saw the crazy crashes from early previews. Most shots ended with a thud against a wall, sometimes landing in a trash bin or breaking a window. Perhaps a tutorial could explain what to look for that would cause something interesting to happen, but it definitely wasn't obvious.

Super Stardust HD, on the other hand, was a lot of fun to play. The playing field surrounds a planet/moon/asteroid/sphere, which means you never hit an edge. But your shots don't orbit the planet you're defending, so you have to keep circling, breaking large asteroids into pieces a la 'Asteroids.' Other enemies appear, like worms (space worms I suppose), and ship-seeking mines. A few different play modes match the style of gameplay you want, either quick arcade-style games, or a more involved mission mode.

So avoid pain by avoiding PAIN, and get a lovely arcade space shooter with Super Stardust HD.

E3 2007: Sony shows original thought with echochrome

A lot of people have asked me, "what was the best thing you saw at E3?" That's a hard question because every game is aimed at a different market, and will appeal to different people. One game that is going to appeal heavily to the geometric puzzle market is echochrome, a new game in development by Sony Studios. With the simplest graphics of any game seen at the show, it had one of the most unique ideas I've seen in gaming in a while.

The concept behind the game is a cross between Lemmings and M.C. Escher. A single modeling figurine walks the map, falling off ledges, into holes, and flying off launch pads. That is, until you rotate the level and change your perspective. That gap in the walkway? If you rotate the level it's hidden behind a vertical pillar. And when the character walks, he no longer falls in the gap. Ben Kenobi might say "there is no gap... from a certain point of view." And if you change your view again, the walkway will go to another part of the level, instead of off into nothingness.

Echochrome was definitely the most unique title I saw Sony present, and if they can get it done before the attack of the clones appear, they may have a hit on their hand.

For more pictures of echochrome, visit our Sony Keynote Press Conference Gallery

E3 2007: Sony flips on price cut, phasing out 60 GB PlayStation 3 in US

SCEE (Sony Europe) president, David Reeves, let out a significant bit of news with regards to the US market. When Sony introduced a 80GB version of the PlayStation 3 with Motorstorm bundled at the system's original price point of $599, no one ever thought that it would be the only model available for purchase after July 31st. Many people simply assumed that Sony would still be offering the 60GB version from here on out at the $499 price. It appears that those assumptions are false as Sony will be phasing out the 60 GB model in the US market by the end of this month.

How concerned are you about possible criticisms that you should have given European consumers what SCEA has given US consumers, i.e. the option to pay a lower price?
Well, they're not really are they, because what the US are offering from the 1st of August is a USD 599 version with one game. All they're doing is taking their stock in trade that they've got at the moment of the 60GB model, marking the price down and it will all be gone by the end of July.

So once the 60GB is gone, that will be the end of the 60GB then?
In America, yes.

Why not offer the 80GB model in Europe?
The difference between 60GB and 80GB is not really necessary. The difference in cost between a 60 and 80 is just Euro cents; it's nothing, because the cost of memory is so small.

Probably we could have gone for 80GB, but does it really make any difference? We just know that we get a better supply on the 60GB than we will on the 80GB. So we chose to continue with the 60GB until we find that we can get something better, maybe lower cost. It just didn't seem necessary to us.

So if you want to pick up a "cheaper" model of the PlayStation 3 with the 60 GB drive, you had better do so soon; however, even at this point in time the $499 PlayStation 3 still still hard to recommend as the game lineup is still very weak and will be for the next few months. Perhaps that bit of information wasn't mentioned was to see if Microsoft would take the bait and drop the price of their console. It appears that Microsoft made the right decision in holding off their plans for the price reduction.

E3: David Reeves Talks PS3 [gamesindustry.biz]

Stranglehold Impressions

There's this new Jon Woo game whose name I can only seem to remember for a few seconds at a time. Seriously, I think I had to ask my friend the name of this game like 11 times today.

It stars Jackie Chan Jet Li Chun Li Chow Yun Fat as the main character and has all kinds of kick ass action movie type shit that you can do. You can dive and shoot in all kinds of directions, slow the action down with bullet time, and even take a shit on your enemy's chests. Okay, I may have made that last part up, but overall the game is pretty cool.

The only drawback I see is that it pretty much utilizes every single trigger, button, and switch on your controller which is confusing as hell. I like games that use a maximum of three buttons (one of which can be the directional pad). Why? Maybe it's because the last console I owned was a NES. Or maybe it's because I have a learning disability (asshole). Bottom line is the controls take some getting used to.

I think I spent the majority of my time playing this game at the airplane hangar because it was either that or play one of the other two games that were on display. Just funnin' ya, pee wee, it's actually a decent game. You should buy it. In fact, buy two copies and give one to me as payment for this awesome review.