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Starhawk preview: The final frontier
Rather than just remake Warhawk with spaceships, Texas-based developer LightBox Interactive built Starhawk into something that maintains the DNA of its predecessor, while adding a few major components that turn it into its own thing. It's got a single-player mode, for example -- with a storyline and everything.%Gallery-123409%
Sony Santa Monica hiring devs with open world and shooter experience
God of War developer Sony Santa Monica has posted two new job listings, one for a Level Designer that specifically asks for experience with "'open world' games," and another for a Senior Combat Designer that mentions both first- and third-person shooters, as well as "experience working with, developing or designing vehicle combat." That's all in addition to the job listing posted at the studio last month, which had the team looking for a Senior Online Programmer with lots of experience developing social tools. So we're not sure just what they're working on over in Santa Monica -- we drove by there the other day to try and sneak a peek, but all we heard coming out of the doors was a few band saws and loud hammering. It could be anything!
Rumor: New God of War coming September 2012, PSM3 says
Look, PSM3, can't you just be happy with the crowded slate of titles we're already expecting in 2011? Do you really need to start stoking the fires for 2012? Whether we want it to or not, the UK-based magazine is fanning the flames on rumors of a new God of War for PS3 early, citing a source who claims the game will be out in September of 2012. Sure, we've heard murmurs about another installment in the franchise, and Sony Santa Monica is supposedly looking into online functionality in a future title, but who says the studio has to make another God of War? It's not like the last one sold that well or anything. What? Oh.
God of War development team hiring online programmer
Sony Santa Monica isn't really known for creating games with compelling online user experiences, or ... um, any online user experiences ... but that might be changing with the developer's next project. The God of War developer has posted a hiring notice for a senior online programmer with experience in "Designing and implementing systems and tools to support networking needs," specifically in-game chat systems, matchmaking and leaderboards. It would be irresponsible to jump the gun and say Sony Santa Monica's working on an online-enabled God of War game, but we'll be damned if that's going to keep us from coming up with a bunch of prospective titles. God of War: Kratos and the Gang. God of War: Massively Mythological RPG. God of War vs. Free Realms. Gods of Wars.
God of War 2's lost Atlantis level pulled from the abyss
When God of War 3 director Stig Asmussen recently revealed that "we cut less" from the PS3 game than from its PS2 predecessors, he wasn't kidding! As PlayStation Blog has unearthed, God of War 2 has the entire "lost" city of Atlantis buried in its design history. In the video after the break, level creator Jonathan Hawkins guides us through the blueprint. This was his first "big chance," recalls Hawkins, who says "knowing what i know now, it cracks me up how all out I went." He reckons three to four months were spent on the intricate Atlantis level before it was eventually scrapped as the game's story evolution went in a different direction. (Kratos does take care of unfinished Atlantis business in the new Ghost of Sparta PSP game.) "As a designer you have to have tough chops and, you know, roll with the punches," Hawkins warns with a chuckle about the unsentimental creative process. "I wish you guys could have played it."
Have a look at what God of War 3 left on the cutting room floor
Few would describe God of War 3 as an abridged action-adventure. "I would say we cut less" compared to the previous games, director Stig Asmussen told 1UP in a video interview covering the topic of the game's "deleted scenes." Still, cut they did. "There were a couple of big moments that we lost," Asmussen recounted. "We had a [water-based] puzzle with this guy named Ixion [...] He was a really cool character. The inspiration was -- I don't remember his name -- but he was the flying guy from The Road Warrior." The objective, of course, was to drown Ixion. "The big cut," Asmussen then revealed, "was the end of the game" -- an unpolished, three-way rumble between Gaia, Zeus and Kratos (pictured). "It was a tough cut, but it's something that needed to be done." Hear more from Asmussen and producer Steve Caterson and see alpha footage of the deleted scenes in the video embedded after the break.
God of War Collection coming to PSN in November
Does the very thought of standing up, walking to your PlayStation 3 and inserting a Blu-ray disc incite utter, uncontrollable rage? In an effort to counter vengeful rampages against Sony's higher management, the publisher has announced a downloadable version of God of War Collection. Set to arrive on Tuesday, November 2, alongside God of War: Ghost of Sparta, the PlayStation Network compilation will feature the remastered God of War and God of War 2 -- both running in 720p native resolution at 60 frames per second -- but will not include any of the bonus content from the Blu-ray release. According to the European PlayStation Blog, the greek growl-a-thons will be sold separately for €18/£14 each, or as a bundle for €30/£24. That's quite a bit higher than the cost of the Blu-ray collection, and we hope the observation won't apply to the US price when it's announced. You have enough reasons to be angry as it is -- just look at how far away the remote control is today. %Gallery-75756%
God of War: Ghost of Sparta demo arrives on PSN tomorrow
Are you anxious to finally find out what new methods of dude-hurting have been introduced in Kratos' next outing, God of War: Ghost of Sparta? Put on your angry face, friends -- PlayStation Blog has announced that a demo for that ultraviolent romp through Greek history will arrive on the PlayStation Store with tomorrow's content update. We're not sure how many minutes of chain-swinging will be included in said demo, but we do know that it probably won't be enough to tide us over until Ghost of Sparta's November 2 release date. Unless, of course, we play it a thousand times. Man, we'd be so good at that one part.
God of War: Ghost of Sparta coming Nov. 2 alongside PSP hardware bundle
Your next chance to brutally eviscerate mythological beasts without eliciting the concern of your peers will come on November 2, when Ready at Dawn's second handheld Kratosian adventure, God of War: Ghost of Sparta, hits U.S. store shelves. The PlayStation.Blog mentions the game's arrival as "just in time for the holidays" -- we assume they're talking about Thanksgiving, which, much like God of War's ashy protagonist, places a heavy emphasis on carving. Also announced were the game's pre-order bonuses, which include PSP and PS3 Themes and Avatars, the game's soundtrack, an in-game "Legionnaire Skin" and a video roundtable of the game's creative directors. In addition, a Ghost of Sparta PSP bundle will launch alongside the game, which comes with a red and black PSP-3000, a copy of the game, a download voucher for Chains of Olympus, Kick-Ass on UMD and a 2GB Memory Stick Pro Duo. It is, quite possibly, the most violent thing upon which you could ever spend $199.99.
Get your first taste of God of War: Ghost of Sparta gameplay
By now, we've all seen the God of War: Ghost of Sparta trailer about a few hundred times, but Sony's finally hooked us up with the good stuff -- actual gameplay footage. Past the break, you can soak your eyes in just over a minute of footage of Kratos doing what he does best: cutting down fools and harvesting their sweet, sweet orbs. We get the guy is all mad about his dead family and stuff, but does he have to eat his enemy's souls? Does he have to go that far? %Gallery-95857%
Fat Princess getting plumper with Fat Roles DLC on June 29
Next Tuesday, Fat Princess' roster of playable classes will be fattened considerably when the Ninja, Pirate and Giant archetypes (which have been frequently teased over the past year) hit the PSN as part of the "Fat Roles" pack. The expansion, which will cost $4.99, includes the three classes and four new maps, all of which are previewed in the trailer posted after the jump. If you're strapped for cash, the game is also getting a free update adding four-player couch multiplayer to the game, which should lead to some noisy banter to concern your neighbors. "Put down the girl, stuff that cake in her mouth, and then let's kill this priest!"
God of War 3 for $37 on Amazon today
We'd like to imagine even a dude as angry as Kratos could stow his seething rage when stumbling upon a good deal. It's got to be tough to be upset with the Gods when you've just saved a bunch of money, right? Today Amazon is offering God of War 3 for a reduced price of $37 -- the equivalent of about 1,782 red orbs. And, frankly, it's easily worth that much.
Los Angeles residents invited to playtest Ghost of Sparta
If you live in Los Angeles, and are at least 18 years old, and you know your way around a God of War game, and you're capable of signing a Non-Disclosure agreement, then this is one heck of a coincidence. Sony is currently looking for people matching that very description to come check out Kratos' next handheld adventure: God of War: Ghost of Sparta, this Thursday. To apply, just email SCEA Santa Monica with your name, address, phone number, and whether you'd prefer to join in the 11 a.m. to noon session, or the 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. session. We suggest going with the first one, so that you don't have to see them cleaning up the goat offal left over from their bacchanalian lunchtime feast.
God of War: Ghost of Sparta brings Kratos back to PSP
God of Whoa: Click to browse high-res gallery. It looks like we finally know what the "Spartans Stand Tall" teaser site was all about. Sony has just announced God of War: Ghost of Sparta, a new PSP-exclusive game developed by Ready At Dawn Studios, the same team responsible for Chains of Olympus. "Excitement for the God of War franchise is at an all-time high and we're thrilled to continue that momentum with God of War: Ghost of Sparta," Scott A. Steinberg, vice president, product marketing, SCEA, said in a press release. "This new adventure will showcase Kratos on PSP like never before in an experience that fans and newcomers can enjoy on the go, anytime, anywhere." Ghost of Sparta features Kratos once again, this time in an adventure that takes place after the first God of War on PS2 and delves into Kratos' rise to power. According to Sony, Ready At Dawn will utilize "state-of-the-art visual technologies" that will allow "higher quality environments and characters." In addition, Ghost of Sparta will offer "over 25% more gameplay" than its PSP predecessor, while adding more enemies on screen, and a greater number of boss encounters. God of War: Ghost of Sparta is planned for release "later this year." We expect a lot more to be revealed at E3. %Gallery-92258%
How God of War 3 could have ended
The God of War trilogy ended in the recent God of War 3 with Kratos [redacted]. But each God of War game before 3 (directed by Stig Asmussen) had a different director, and, as Asmussen told GamePro, each director had a different idea of how to end the saga of Angry Man Kratos. Series creator David Jaffe had stories in mind beyond Greek myth. "Basically, you destroy Greek mythology and then Norse mythology is right around the corner," Asmussen recounted. "That's the next thing that Kratos would go after. It becomes clear at the end that he's going to become this harbinger of death across different mythologies in the world and maybe carry the series on from there." God of War 2 director Cory Barlog's ending, according to Asmussen, would turn Kratos into Death. "He pretty much becomes the Grim Reaper at the end of the game and his blades become sickles." 1UP points out that Jaffe had issues with both claims. On Twitter, Jaffe said that the Norse mythology idea was more complicated than Asmussen made it sound. "There is an element of truth but it goes far beyond." Later, he
PSA: God of War Trilogy retail partners still being worked out
There seems to be a tiny bit of confusion going on over in Europe after the God of War Trilogy bundle was removed by some retailers. Eurogamer clarifies that the set isn't canceled, but that Sony is still working out who the retail partners will be for the special edition. The takeaway here is that not all shops will sell the item, which explains the pre-order cancellations we've received tips about. Barring any hiccups, the Trilogy should release the last week of April in PAL lands for €89.99 (£64.99). Oh, and if you're wondering about picking up God of War 3, well, we liked it. %Gallery-75756% [Thanks, Miguel B.]
Dille: God of War 3 took 'just a couple days' to sell one million
Its star may be known for constantly seeing red, but the latest installment in the God of War series evidently has Sony seeing a whole lot of green. IGN reports that Peter Dille, senior VP of marketing for SCEA, told the audience at yesterday's MI6 marketing summit that God of War III had surpassed the one million unit sold mark in "just a couple days." The figure was provided without any other details, so Dille could have been lumping sales from other regions into it. We're getting in touch with SCEA for clarification and to see exactly where sales of the game stand as of this week. [Via 1UP]
Hands-on: Fat Princess: Fistful of Cake (PSP)
Fat Princess: Fistful of Cake is a great match for the PSP. The game's structure, its very nature, means it can be segmented in a very effective way on a handheld platform -- a quick match during your morning subway ride or while taking a break from work is when Fistful of Cake works best. [Note: Be sure to check out our video preview, as well. We spent all night slaving over a hot stove to bake it just the way you like it!] %Gallery-83725%
God of War III launch trailer reveals violent tendencies of the PS3
There are a lot of totally awesome things in the God of War III launch trailer above: skydiving demigods, mountain-sized Titans, giant blue scorpions, and, of course, everyone's favorite chained antihero, Kratos -- to name a few. However, we'd like to specifically highlight the bit of PS3 marketing that ends all commercials for Sony-published games. This time around, it brags that the console only does "vengeance," "rage" and "everything," in that order. We're imagining a scenario in which a Best Buy shopper asks a friendly sales clerk which gaming system would be the most appropriate for his kids ... and which one would be capable of "doing vengeance" on his in-laws.
God of War 3 'right within budget' -- a $44 million budget
Anger management simulator God of War III cost $44 million to create, according to director of production development John Hight, which is "right within budget." Speaking with Giant Bomb, Hight revealed that the team of 132 staff required to finish the third installment was more than double the crew (of about 60) on hand to wrap up God of War II, with the biggest growth occurring in the graphics and art departments. Considering the ultimate Kratos adventure will likely go on to become a phenomenal sales hit, the $44 million budget isn't as ridiculous as it might seem. Consider that Gran Turismo 5's budget, at last count, had reportedly ballooned to around the $60 million mark. On the other hand, Ken Levine previously put the first BioShock's budget at about $15 million. With such variation in current-gen development costs, in the end, the price is just a number -- and in the case of God of War III, it was certainly worth the dough. %Gallery-44594% [Via Edge]
