alan tsang
Articles by alan tsang
CES 09: DC Universe Online developer walkthrough
We missed these from a couple of days ago, but these latest videos, provided after the jump, are a developer walkthrough detailing the "early 2010, late 2009" superhero MMO DC Universe Online. The clips showcase a number of elements from the game, such as the action-based gameplay, the "composition" of the player-controlled characters, a "private instance" where your hero is called upon to assist Superman in a fight against Doomsday, different movement modes, improvised weapons and more. The game appears to be coming along nicely; the graphics look better than in earlier videos and the ability to change your character's specialization is appealing. However, will the possibility of a subscription fee and the rumored lack of interoperability between the PS3s and PCs hinder its success on the console of our choice?
Which game is David Jaffe 'most jealous' of? MGS4
David Jaffe is the focus of The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' weekly feature Ten Questions, where a member of the industry is subjected to ... well, ten questions. When asked about which title the acclaimed video game designer is "most jealous" of, he named Metal Gear Solid 4 as his choice, praising it as "an amazing achievement of both gameplay and mastering the process of game production. To make a game of that scale and at that level of quality clearly took a whole hell of a lot of tenacity and vision."You know what we think? Jaffe states in the feature that if he wasn't a game developer, he would be a movie director or film editor -- and we gotta say, MGS4 is as film-like as they come.[Via Joystiq]
Rumor: Killzone 2 bundle headed for Europe
Word on da street is that a Killzone 2 bundle is headed for Europe -- there's even a picture of the bundle to accompany the rumor. From the looks of it, the bundle will include an 80GB PS3, a single DualShock 3 controller and a copy of the PS3 exclusive first-person shooter. No release date was given, but we are assuming it will be around the same time as the release date for the game, February 25th.If this proves to be true, we think US gamers can officially be jealous of gamers on the Old Continent. Source -- GamekyoSource -- GOONL!NE
Tenchu 4 PSP trailer showcases plenty of ninja action
From Software just released a Japanese trailer for the PSP version of Tenchu 4 and it has everything one would expect from a game of the stealth-action franchise. Check it out after the jump -- badass ninjas sneaking around at night, check. Villain with a maniacal laugh, check. Blades piercing various people, check. Damsel in distress, check. The graphics also look like they haven't suffered a downgrade compared to the Wii version. Still no word yet on a US release.And last but not least, the trailer confirms the inclusion of kittens in the game. Is it too early to crown Tenchu 4 GOTY?[Via Siliconera]
Blu-ray releases for the week of January 11th
Let's start things off with a Blu-ray special: Amazon is having a Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale on 247 different Blu-ray titles right now. Take advantage of this deal here. Now, let's take a look at this week's releases:Theatrical releases: Appaloosa Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence Mirrors My Best Friend's Girl Swing Vote Superhero Movie Without a Paddle: Nature's Calling We had an excellent time with Appaloosa, an old-school Western helmed by Ed Harris that features stellar acting and solid writing. Mirrors starts out okay, but by the second half one couldn't wait for this dull excuse of a horror movie to end. Theatrical releases are above, everything else (including TV releases) are after the jump:
Sony: Home was probably announced too early
When asked about the reception Home has had amongst developers, game director Peter Edward admitted to Develop that the social networking service was unveiled a little too soon. "Initially, there was real excitement from people, because we were showing something really different and that had a lot of potential. And then there's the realization that, well, we probably announced it too early -- GDC 07 was a long time ago. I think there was sort of recognition amongst developers of 'Oh, this is interesting, but there's still a lot of work to be done.'"That attitude is changing though, according to Edward. "It's mature and everybody's starting to produce some really interesting stuff. As soon as developers start seeing what other people have done, it really starts to build on the excitement." We think most of you will agree with Edward -- the wait for Home was simply too long. Would our opinions have been different if the wait was shorter? Hopefully, as time goes on, the service will evolve into something that both gamers and developers can get really excited about.
SOCOM 1.30 patch brings Trophies and more tomorrow
SOCOM: Confrontation's highly-anticipated 1.30 update, which has been met with delay after delay, will finally be released on January 9th, at 5AM EST/2AM PST. Hey, that's in a couple of hours! The patch brings with it Trophies (a list of them can be viewed here), D-pad lean-in, a Quick Match/Party system, as well as key bug fixes and new features.The update will take an hour or two to happen, so the game will be down until approximately 7AM EST/4AM PST. And ouch -- this patch will also wipe out all player statistics. It's been a long time coming, Slant Six! Let's hope everything goes smoothly.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Huh? Hilton Garden Inn made a training game for the PSP
Who says the education sector gets to have all the fun? Last year, Hilton Garden Inn of the Hilton Hotels Corporation developed an internal training game called Ultimate Team Play. The player is placed in various positions at a hotel such as front desk, housekeeping, maintenance or food service. A "unique scoring system" that is also utilized in real Hilton hotels to assess employees is present to keep track of your progress.This game will obviously not be released commercially, but it has been revealed that a demo will be shown as part of a "30-minute Case Study" at Game Developers Conference 2009.
Exploit that works on the PSP Brite found in GripShift
Famous for its imperviousness to hackers, the PSP Brite has now been hacked by one MaTiAz over at lan.st. An exploit was supposedly found in the 2005 title GripShift and has been described as "a buffer overflow vulnerability when loading savegames [sic]." It is now available for download, as well as an accompanying new SDK. Remember however, this exploit doesn't grant the all-important kernal access. A video of this proof of concept in action, after the jump.[Via Engadget]
PSP software sales in the UK dropped dramatically during 2008
The UK sales figures for the PSP during 2008 are looking downright abysmal. According to PocketGamer.co.uk, 4.1 million games for Sony's portable were sold during 2008, meaning sales have dropped approximately 27% from 2007's figure of 5.6 million. It looks even worse if you go by revenue -- 70 million pounds in 2008, as opposed to 111 million pounds in 2007, indicating a decline of about 36%.It is hard to say this comes as a surprise to anyone; there just weren't any high-profile releases during the latter half of the year for the PSP. Hopefully, Sony can get third party publishers interested in the platform again in this new year. Incidentally, there are still a few games we are looking forward to in 2009 -- take a look at our picks here.
Rock Band DLC: Roy Orbison, Jethro Tull and more
Due to Sony's holiday break last week, we didn't get any Rock Band DLC. As a result, everything has been pushed back a week. Hopefully Harmonix/Sony will adjust this soon -- we'd hate to think it will become standard practice for PS3 owners to get their DLC a week later than everyone else. "Space Truckin'" -- Deep Purple "Funk #49" -- James Gang "Hymn 43" -- Jethro Tull "Take Back the City" -- Snow Patrol Roy Orbison Pack "Claudette" "In Dreams" "Mean Woman Blues" "Oh, Pretty Woman" "Ooby Dooby" "You Got It" Each song will be priced individually at $1.99 while the Roy Orbison Pack will cost $9.99. Look for the Roy Orbison tracks next week on Thursday, January 15th while the other songs will debut this Thursday on January 8th.Source -- Rock Band DLC announcementSource -- Rock Band DLC announcement
Blu-ray releases for the week of January 4th
Already hailed by Empire magazine as one of the best TV shows of all time, Dexter's charming self arrives on Blu-ray this week:Theatrical releases: Babylon A.D. Bangkok Dangerous Disaster Movie Friday Night Lights Hard Gun The Last Emperor Opium and the Kung Fu Master Pineapple Express Righteous Kill The Wackness The Criterion Collection continues its peculiar (though certainly not unwelcome) practice of releasing their Blu-ray releases at prices lower than their DVD counterparts with The Last Emperor. Pineapple Express is a charming fast-paced comedy that even non-stoners can enjoy. Finally, a movie that truly lives up to its name: Disaster Movie. Theatrical releases are above, everything else (including TV releases) are after the jump:
Weekly Shonen anniversary ensemble fighter announced
A crossover fighting game featuring characters from rival manga magazines' Weekly Shonen Sunday and Weekly Shonen Magazine has been announced for the PSP. Apparently, this is all part of their 50th anniversary celebrations -- both publications made their simultaneous debuts on the same day back in 1959. No gameplay details have been announced except special moves can be executed with a single button and that the title will be developed by Konami. No release date has been set. A list of IPs that will be make an appearance for the brawler, after the jump.[Via Kotaku -- thanks, David B.!]
Pre-order Killzone 2, get the demo or a theme for your PS3
We already know Amazon is offering some exclusive skins for your avatar in Home if you pre-order Killzone 2 from the popular online retailer. Looks like Gamestop and Best Buy wants in on some of that pre-order action, too -- reserving your copy at Gamestop will grant you access to an exclusive demo of the game that begins on February 3rd while patronizing Best Buy will yield you an exclusive PS3 theme. Strangely, Best Buy's pre-order page makes no mention of the complimentary theme [Update: Actually, the free theme from Best Buy is mentioned here], but a promotional e-mail from Sony does. So, which pre-order goody seems the most enticing to you? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!] Source -- Gamestop Killzone 2 pre-order Source -- Best Buy Killzone 2 pre-order via PSN e-mail
Deals: Call of Duty: WaW $35, 50% off Blu-ray discs
Didn't get what you really wanted for holidays? Like Nazi zombies? Not to worry, Call of Duty: World at War is on sale for today only (or until supplies run out) for $34.98.Did your girlfriend get you Sex and the City: The Movie on Blu-ray and claimed it was a present for you? Don't shed those manly tears, my friend -- there's a sale going on right now for all sorts of Blu-ray titles, some of which will surely resonate with your macho self. About 200 titles are on sale, including Band of Brothers for $37.49, so check out the selection here.For those of you with children or are just simply young at heart, you can buy The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2-disc edition) and Wall-E (2-disc edition) together for $29.98, just click here and then scroll down to "Best Value" and click "Add both to Cart". This discount is also available here (again, just scroll down) for the 3-disc editions of both movies for $39.98. Finally, if you don't mind waiting for it to come back in stock, The Chronicles of Narnia Blu-ray Bundle, which includes both movies in the franchise, is on sale for $31.99.Source -- Call of Duty: World at War for $34.98Source -- Save Up to 50% on Blu-ray Discs [via Cinematical and Slickdeals]
Dissidia is #1 in Japan, sells nearly half a million copies
Surprising no one, Dissidia was numero uno on last week's Media Create Japanese sales charts, selling an astonishing 489,126 copies. Did it have the best debut week ever for a PSP title in Japan? Of course not, not even close -- that honor belongs to Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G, which managed to push 820,000 copies out the door in its first week, according to PSPHyper. However, it did beat out another Final Fantasy spinoff, Crisis Core, by 3,000 units.On the hardware side, it was also a healthy week for the PSP: our beloved portable saw 145,957 units in sales, though it was still bested by the DS, which sold 204,144 units. Now the real question is, does Square Enix's fan-service brawler have the momentum it takes to be top dog again next week? Sales numbers and ranking for the top 10 Japanese games of the week are after the jump:
Blu-ray releases for the week of December 28th
Nothing too exciting in terms of Blu-ray releases this week, but Firefly fans will be extremely glad to see Serenity make its debut in the HD format of our choice: An American Carol Days of Thunder Event Horizon Ghost Last Holiday (2006) Serenity Surfer, Dude The Truman Show Wedding Crashers Oh, you mean you didn't get enough of Matthew McConaughey's hair plugs and shirtless torso in the tabloids and Fool's Gold? Then we highly recommend Surfer, Dude. If you liked Dead Space, you should check out Event Horizon -- both are of the sci-fi/horror genre with religious overtones. The rest of the theatrical releases are above.
Yep, Disgaea 2 is coming to the PSP
Ah, so the rumors were true. Nippon Ichi has announced that Disgaea 2 will be headed for the PSP on March 26th in Japan. This upcoming portable version of the SRPG will feature a 30% longer story as well as new characters. A screenshot also suggests that the Magichange system found in Disgaea 3 will be added to the port, but this has not been officially announced. No word yet on a stateside release, but we see no reason why there wouldn't be one. [Via Siliconera]
PSP Fanboy hands-on: Star Ocean: Second Evolution
Star Ocean: Second Evolution, as the title implies, is a remake of the second Star Ocean game released back in 1999 on the original PlayStation. It is a direct sequel to another PSP remake released earlier this year, Star Ocean: First Departure. Besides the updated graphics, what other new elements can RPG lovers expect? Read on to find out.%Gallery-27198%
Engadget reviews the PS3 wireless chatpad
Engadget got their hands on the recently released PS3 wireless chatpad peripheral and they seem to have mixed feelings about it. They were generally happy with typing aspects of the keypad, although they felt the buttons were a bit small and they didn't provide enough tactile feedback. On the other hand, the touchpad functionality was said to be lacking precision and "just doesn't work very well." In summary, the peripheral is perfect for those of you who are typing away all day on your PS3, but the $50 price tag is simply too expensive in their opinion. Take a look their full review here.Oh, and the best part of the review? Their picture gallery which includes a comparison picture (as seen above) with the infamously complex Atari Jaguar controller.Update: A tip from the PS Nation about calibration:1. Go to Internet Browser2. Activate Touch pad (the hand with index finger pointing)3. Hold blue and orange shoulder buttons for 2 seconds until the light flashesNow your touch pad should be calibrated. ENJOY!