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PSN gardening game to exercise green thumbs
There's nothing we enjoy quite as much after a long evening of gaming than tending to our resident houseplants, one of which teeters on the edge of death while the other, greener replacement waits for when the original inevitably shuffles off its leafy coil. Now, however, it seems that players in Japan may soon be able to take on this diversion with controller in hand as well, as Famitsu has revealed a new PSN title from SCEJ and movie house Premium Agency called Shikitei (literally translated as "Four Seasons Garden"), that premises to let us plant a garden and watch it grow.Watch being the operative word here, as it seems that even virtually Sony doesn't trust our green thumbs, the report revealing that the game, or "environmental simulator" according to IGN, will focus more on letting players design gardens before letting the program have its way with them. In fact, according to producer Rie Nakamura, the title will include no gaming elements at all. Fun! Still, for all of its hands-offness, Shikitei will include elements such as custom soundtracks, as well as the ability to take a stroll through the virtual eden, no doubt offering solace in the fact that this is one garden that won't meet an untimely end at our hands. At least until we turn off the power.
Europeans barred from Afrika
It seems that you residents of Europe itching to go on an exotic wildlife safari will either have to import a copy of the PlayStation 3's Afrika, or have someone push you through the downtown supermarket on a trolley. And hey, if you have extra money lion around, you could pay a visit to the real Africa (the one with a "c") and snap some pics of those really tall horses.Speaking to Eurogamer, Sony has declared that its plans to publish the nebulous Afrika in Europe are currently non-existent. It was confirmed that the game would still be coming out in Japan, however, with zebra new teaser website promising something "soon." We'll keep our ears to the ground, listening for that stampede of information.
Save the Sixaxis: New MGS4 'Welcome Box' bundles announced for Japan
Not one to sit back and let the Sixaxis suffer into extinction, Sony Japan will carefully package the feathery gamepad into a trifecta of new Metal Gear Solid 4 bundles. Dubbed the "Welcome Box," the new limited edition bundle will be offered in three standard flavors (Clear Black, Ceramic White and Satin Silver) and will include a 40GB console, rumblin' DualShock 3 and copy of MGS4 -- oh, and yes, one's very own Sixaxis. The Welcome Box (shouldn't it be "Goodriddance Box?") will be made available in concurrence with the worldwide release of MGS4 on June 12 for a reasonable ¥49,800 (roughly $470). Comparatively, the "Hagane" Grey MGS4 bundle will retail for ¥51,800; and so essentially, Sony's offering a savings of ¥2,000 (about $20) to folks who adopt a Sixaxis. Too bad no Welcome Box's been announced for North America. We'd so love to join the cause: Save the Sixaxis! %Gallery-21973%
Famitsu reveals 'Siren New Translation' for PS3
Much like the ancient evils that plague the survival-horror genre, it seems Siren is about to be resurrected for a new, thrill-seeking audience. The pages of Famitsu have apparently revealed "Siren New Translation," an alleged PlayStation 3 remake of the 2003 scare-a-thon. The original game saw ten unlucky souls attempting to escape a Japanese village, aided only by the occasional blunt object and the ability to see through the eyes of nearby creatures. One of those was considerably more useful than the other.Siren New Translation seems set for a July 24th release, with a demo expected to boo-come* available on the Japanese PSN next week. Is that it for the mysterious countdown on Sony's Japanese site?[Via PS3 Fanboy, Kotaku]*Alright, that one probably deserves an apology.
Revamped PlayStation Store goes live April 15 [updated]
Sony KONPYUTAENTATEINMENTOJAPAN has announced that the revamped PlayStation Store will open its virtual doors on Tuesday, April 15th. Update: SCEA has confirmed that loud-mouthed, spendthrift American PS3s will be allowed to roam the aisles on the same day, as will systems from around the globe. The store revamp will be facilitated by enhanced firmware (version 2.30) and should mark the return of weekly content updates which have been absent since April 3rd. Once the more user-friendly interface is up and running, PS3 owners will be able to download fun things like Warhawk's Broken Mirror expansion and the 'Still Alive' DLC for Rock Band.%Gallery-19777%[Via PS3 Fanboy]
New Japanese PS3 targets Satin worshippers
Never one to cast judgment upon any potential customers, Sony has announced a new PlayStation 3 color aimed at Japanese kids in service of Satin. Packing a 40GB hard drive and a matching SIXAXIS wireless controller, the "Satin Silver" model is scheduled for release on March 6th at the price of ¥39,980, or approximately $666 $376. Those hoping to feel Satin's rumblings in their idle hands can also pick up a similarly colored Dual Shock 3, which releases on the same day for ¥5,500 ($52). If you were foolish enough to pledge your allegiance to that Ceramic White model, consider this your chance to repaint. %Gallery-15364%[Via Engadget]
Forty PS3 titles to be playable at TGS
According to IGN, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan has unveiled a list of PlayStation 3 titles expected to be playable at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show. The event, which runs from the 20th to the 23rd of September, will host 40 demos -- some new, some already released and judging by the presence of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean, some playable only in the very general sense of the word.You'll find the complete list situated after the break, sans four mystery games Sony has yet to announce. You'll also spy a new untitled project from Tetsuya Mizuguchi's Q Entertainment, the developer behind mesmerizing block dropper Lumines. We can only hope that when they flip a coin to decide between Lumines for the PlayStation Network and a sequel to Ninety-Nine Nights, the forces of the universe act in our favor.
Yamauchi reveals GT5 details to Car & Driver
Auto industry tome Car and Driver made the trek out to Japan for a feature on Gran Turismo creator Polyphony Digital studios in its August 2007 issue. Among the obsessively detailed descriptions of the Polyphony offices and some ridiculously simplistic analysis of the console wars, the article managed to squeeze in a few details about Gran Turismo 5 from creator Kazunori Yamauchi. Among the salient news: Programming detailed car models on the PS3 is a ridiculously time-consuming process. "For Gran Turismo 1, one car was one day's work for one man," Yamauchi said. "For GT3, one car was one man's work for 30 days. For GT5, one car is one man's work for 180 days." Since programming 700 new cars for GT5 would take the Polyphony team five years, the game will launch with what the article calls a "a much smaller collection," with downloadable updates to follow. This seems to somewhat confirm earlier rumors of a focus on downloadable content for the GT series. Yamauchi said the PS3 is powerful enough to handle in-game car damage , but implementing it realistically would require "double the work" in physics and artistic modeling. So will it make it into the game? As the Magic 8-Ball might say, signs point to no. While comments from Sony seem to indicate a vague Spring '08 release for GT5, the Car & Driver article speculates that Sony might have to indulge Yamauchi's artistic temperament, "even if it pushes Gran Turismo 5's release date to the end of 2008 or beyond." We just hope the game doesn't get shoveled over to the PS4, or worse, end up in perpetual vaporware development like Gran Turismo Mobile.
PS3 shipments hit 2 million worldwide
Better late than never, right? Though Sony missed their initial goal of shipping 2 million Playstation 3 consoles by the end of 2006, two weeks spent in the new year brings them up to speed. According to a GameDaily Biz report, Sony Computer Entertainment has announced a 1 million shipment milestone in Japan, thus bringing the global total to 2 milllion. Officials point out that in the Playstation family, the PS3 has been the quickest in reaching this number.Next up, Sony will tackle a lofty 6 million shipment target for the end of March, with success largely depending on how the system fares in Europe when it launches in the same month. Japanese analysts aren't particularly optimistic, with Nomura Securities predicting that only 4.5 million units will ship by then. Further numbers revealed by Sony are the 5 million in collective PS3 software shipments, 500,000 Playstation network users and the over 300,000 downloads enjoyed by the Gran Turismo HD demo.
Preliminary: Sony missed 2M shipment target in '06
According to a market survey released yesterday by Japanese game publisher, Enterbrain Inc., Sony is falling short of both its Japanese and global shipping targets. Having shifted 466,716 Playstation 3 units since the November 11 launch, the electronics giant appears to be missing its goal of shipping 1 million units in Japan by a considerably wide margin. An ABC News report notes the more successful situation in North America, where Sony hit their 1 million unit target, but concludes that the combined results fail to satisfy Sony's desire to ship 2 million consoles worldwide before the end of 2006. Production woes and steep competition from Nintendo's Wii, which sold close to a million units in Japan since early December, are the chief culprits cited. Sony is expected to release their own shipping estimates soon and warn that there may be discrepancies between their data and the results obtained by Enterbrain.See also: Japanese hardware sales charts
Metareview - LocoRoco (European version)
Aside from the peculiar Metal Gear graphic novel, our PSP's UMD drive has been empty for months. And while we're looking forward to the Valkyrie Profile update (out this week), we're most excited about LocoRoco. Granted, the North American version isn't slated for release until September, but there are plenty of reviews rolling in based on the European version, which was released in late June -- Japan received its version last week.Here's what critics are saying across the Atlantic: Eurogamer (90/100) heralds LocoRoco as "the perfect distilation [sic] of everything a handheld game should be," but admits that 'perfection' is hard to describe: "it feels equal part puzzle and platform game, but fresher, funnier and more satisfying than words could ever make it sound." Gamers Europe (90/100) says Sony's finally gotten it right: "[LocoRoco has] got me using the PSP again, as opposed to just my DS. Unlike so many PSP ports and rehashes, it's perfectly suited to the system and perfectly suited to handheld gaming." PALGN (80/100) declares the game is "insanely addictive," but "[the] major downfall with LocoRoco really is the lifespan."
