Realm Media Networks - PLAYSTATION 3

Perform on Fake Instruments on a Real Stage for Real Money

Luke Wallace — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 09:03:08 -0700

The idea behind games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band is to give you the sensation of playing in front of a huge crowd and rocking out, but usually these games are played in a living room with a very small group of people. Occasionally there are competitions that allow you get on stage, but even then, they are usually on a small, temporary stage. But fear not, little rocker dude, because Saturday July 12, 2008, Maximedia Studios will be offering the chance for anyone to play on a professional stage in front of a roaring crowd. The "Ultimate Guitar Hero / Rock Band Contest" will be challenging rockers from the Dallas/Fort Worth area to compete with each other for an as-yet-unspecified amount of cash in front of a live crowd on a real stage. There will be prizes given away throughout the day, and it should be fun for anyone. The full press release at the "read more" link below. For more information, check out the event website at www.liveatthemax.com/rockband.

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

Luke Wallace — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 08:56:25 -0800

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

Luke Wallace — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 11:25:46 -0700

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

Luke Wallace — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 19:56:57 -0700

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

Luke Wallace — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 12:30:47 -0700

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

Luke Wallace — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 12:15:49 -0700

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

Jeff Greeson — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 10:10:32 -0700

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

Jonathan Wilcox — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 22:20:52 -0700

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.

E3 2007: The sleeping giant appears to be waking up as Sony begins to kick things up a notch

Jeff Greeson — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 15:27:57 -0700

Everyone knew what Microsoft and Nintendo's plans for the future were before the beginning of E3 this year. Microsoft had their Halo 3, while Nintendo was selling out their hardware worldwide on the broad based appeal of their system. Sony's future, however, wasn't so clear. A price cut within less than one year of the console's release, the loss of several key PlayStation 2 franchise exclusives to the Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation brand last year saw a big hit that caused "massive damage," leading to the ultimate departure of the father of the brand, Ken Kuratagi. Nevertheless, Sony pressed on and presented as much positive news they could muster.

New Slimmer PSP
First off Sony announced an updated design to the PlayStation Portable syem. The new system will be 19% thinner, 33% lighter, a faster UMD drive and feature better power consumption resulting in longer battery life. It can also output a high quality video signal via a component connection directly to TVs, bringing a much needed feature for the success of the UMD movie format, which unfortunately has been all but abandoned. The new PSPs will be released in September and also come in two new colors which are also part of two new entertainment packs. First is the Ice Silver, part of the $199.99 Entertainment Pack that comes with a 1GB Memory Stick, Daxter, and the Family Guy Frickin' Sweet Collection on UMD. The other color is a white Star Wars-themed PSP that will retail in October for $199.99, packed with Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron.

PlayStation 3 Platform Drivers
While many of the first-gen next-generation titles will be multi-platform due to development costs, Sony has a very healthy lineup to counteract the same releases on Xbox 360. Sony highlighted the following third-party games in a video montage: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Assassin's Creed, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, Resident Evil 5, Burnout Paradise, Madden NFL 08, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, The Simpsons Game, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Medal of Honor: Airborne and Rock Band.

First-party Titles
Sony has quite the development deck when it comes to first party games. Looking to expand their IP catalog, Sony announced several new franchises. But first off was Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction from Insomniac Games. Next was an seasonable update of Sony's NBA franchise NBA 08. The new titles include Heavenly Sword, a hack and slash title with many nods to the God of War franchise. Folklore, a real-time action game with RPG elements similar to Devil May Cry. GDC hit Little Big Planet, a physics-based puzzle game. Infamous, from the creators of the Sly Cooper series, a MMO-style sandbox game similar to Crackdown. Finally, Gran Turismo 5 and 5: Prologue on the PlayStation Network.

PlayStation Network
Speaking of the PlayStation Network. Sony is pumping a lot of effort and money into making the PlayStation Network as unique of an experience as possible. Start off with the PlayStaion Home, Sony is bringing the essence of Second Life and The Sims to the base functionality of the PlayStation Network. While fundamentally similar to Xbox Live, Home is a much different experience with the ability to customize your space and your virtual avatar. Features to launch games from within Home and download and watch videos are in the works. While it may seem a bit much for the entire PlayStation 3 audience to embrace, it is definitely different than anything out there and may prove to be a great idea in the end.

Exclusive Titles for PlayStation 3
Aside from the PSP slimdown, the other big news at Sony's press conference was the reiteration of the exclusivities that PlayStation 3 will feature. First off, Korean publisher and online game developer NCSoft announced that they were going to bring their online games to the PlayStation 3 exclusively, along with a new game based on entirely new IP. Ubisoft then announced a new sci-fi shooter Haze would be a time-based exclusive title.

Help us Kojima-san! You're our only hope!
Lastly, Sony introduced Hideo Kojima, noted creator of the Metal Gear Solid series. Sony made it absolutely clear that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots [View the E3 07 Trailer Now!] was a PlayStation 3 exclusive right before Kojima took the stage. While everyone anticipated a new trailer, many were shocked when Kojima revealed that a playable version was unable to be completed in time for E3. While Kojima joked that those who were in Japan next week were invited to come play it, many left disappointed that Metal Gear 4 was once again unplayable, three E3s in a row. But what was the biggest shock of the entire conference was the end of the trailer declaring a simultaneous worldwide launch of Metal Gear Solid 4 in Early 2008, missing the crucial holiday season for Sony.

Just getting warmed up
It appears that 2007 will be looked at as the year that Sony started to get their act together. The company is definitely not hitting on all cylinders, it is making its case that they will return to the juggernaut status they so enjoyed with the PlayStation 2. The loss of several exclusive big-hit franchises has clearly hurt Sony, as evident of the complete snubbing of Grand Theft Auto IV throughout the entire press conference. With the price drop of the 60GB model, Sony has a better shot at correcting their initial false start this year. It will take a few more big-named games the beginning of next year for Sony to ride the wave of momentum it will see when Metal Gear Solid 4 is released in Early 2008. Once Sony figures things out, these early years will be easily forgotten. But if they don't seize this opportunity soon, it could be all she wrote for the once king of the video game industry.

E3 2007: All eyes on Santa Monica as Min-E3 kicks off tonight

Jeff Greeson — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 10:09:04 -0700

The gaming industry spotlight once again shines on southern California as the remnants of what once was the Electronic Entertainment Expo gathers today in Santa Monica for the E3 Media & Business Summit. This is the first year of the scaled back conference which once touted a carnival atmosphere many industry companies deemed too costly to continue participating in.

While the event is no longer being held in the cavernous Los Angeles Convention Center, opting for a myriad of hotel ballrooms and conference centers, there are still a few major announcements that will debut at the new E3. While yesterday saw the PlayStation 3's price slashed $100, rumblings around the industry has Microsoft following suit. For the past two years, Microsoft has had the opportunity to spend that time tweaking and cost reducing the major cost components of its Xbox 360. With the anticipated move to a 65nm manufacturing process, Microsoft will be able to cut costs drastically by being able to produce more chips cheaply and scale back cooling designs for the revised silicon. Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan expects a similar pricing move to counteract Sony's. Pachter believes that both the Core and Pro models of the Xbox 360 will see $50 reductions to $249 and $349 respectively, while the 120GB Elite model will step $70 down to the $399 mark.

In addition to all of these hardware discounts, many eyes are now focused onto Sony's dwindling exclusivity lineup that had provided the PlayStation 2 its position of unrivaled dominance. After losing the coveted Grand Theft Auto franchise, Sony's grip seems to be loosening on the last of its exclusives with Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. In an interview with Reuters, Konami exec, Kazumi Kitaue, provided a decidedly cryptic yet telling quote. "Since Metal Gear Solid was born for the PlayStation, we would like to keep it a PlayStation game. But we might have to take some steps." While the Metal Gear Solid series is no stranger to the Xbox, it took many months for a version to appear on platforms other than Sony's. But with the sky rocketing development costs associated with creating games for this generation, companies are going to have to rethink their strategies with respect to how they sign exclusivity agreements.

This is merely a taste of the drama associated with this year's E3. While it is scaled down from years past, it appears that the heat still exists in its new form. Expect more coverage from Santa Monica as we bring you live coverage from the event starting tomorrow.

PS3 Still Too Expensive, MGS4 Future Uncertain? [Kotaku]
Microsoft cuts costs, analyst predicts price drops [Joystiq]