Chris Powell
Articles by Chris Powell
PSP Fanboy Theatre: Volume 49
Echochrome Japanese trailer (17.8MB) Also featured: The Club, Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds, Wipeout Pulse, Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden
Wanna see nine minutes of Condemned 2?
We don't know about you, but we still haven't grown tired of mercilessly beating homeless people to death. Of course, we're not talking about real life – that would be mean. But it comes in spades in Condemned 2: Bloodshot as proven in this glorious nine minute gameplay clip. The video helps to further explain the revamped combat system, which was actually pretty good in the first game. However, now you'll be able to punch, throw weapons and slam your enemy's heads into objects. Condemned 2 promises to be the most scary, visceral, in-your-face title yet on the PlayStation 3, and we can't wait for some more homeless on homeless violence.
New Killzone 2 concept art discovered
Using some first-rate detective work, the guys at ripten have unearthed a slew of gorgeous concept art spanning the entire Killzone series, including the highly anticipated Killzone 2. The person responsible for these amazing pieces of art is Xavier Marquis, a concept artist born in France who has worked for video game companies such as Sony, Eidos and Ubisoft. Several of the Killzone images were published in the June 2007 issue of ImagineFX, a fantasy and sci-fi digital arts magazine, but up until now, we really haven't seen many of them. The series has always had a great artistic look to many of the characters and Marquis really fleshes them out in his work. Hopefully, we'll continue to see his work for a long time. Go here to see the full set of Marquis' Killzone concept art. [Via ripten]
Second Eye of Judgment set begins to be translated
With the second set of Eye of Judgment cards coming soon to Japan, Gamespot's Japanese site has published images of several of the cards, and the EOJ community has quickly set out to translate them. Not surprisingly, the new set of cards will bring with them several character abilities not found in the first set.A quick rundown of some of the new abilities include magic protection; nullification of an opposing enemy's dodge attempt; spell interrupt, which disallows your opponent from using a spell for two turns; and pile search, just to name a few.What's exciting is with just a few of the cards translated, there's already signs of the second Eye of Judgment set bringing in some drastic tactical changes that are sure to keep the game interesting for a long, long time. This set is scheduled to be released at the end of March in Japan.[Via Black Cubic]
Satin Silver PS3 bundled with Yakuza 3
After our initial wave of disappointment dissipated with the announcement that SCEA had no plans of bringing the Satin Silver PS3 stateside, we were actually starting to feel pretty good, that is until we saw the Satin Silver Yakuza 3 bundle. Now our feelings of woe have returned tenfold. Limited to only 1,000 units, the Yakuza 3 PS3 bundle will be released in Japan on March 6 (the same day as the regular Satin Silver PS3) for about $440 and will include some really neato dragon stickers. However, like the regular Satin Silver PS3, it won't come with a DualShock 3, but who needs that when you can come home with Yakuza 3, right? What makes this even worse for us is that Sega has yet to confirm a Western release of the game. Sega, can you please end our agony and just tell us when we can expect Yakuza 3? [Via Kotaku]
SCEA: No plans for silver PS3 in North America
Do you remember last generation when Japan seemingly received new colored PS2s each week and then Sony never bothered to bring them to the West until much, much later? Well, it appears as if that trend is continuing with the PlayStation 3 as Sony Japan announced that the 40GB Satin Silver PS3 will hit Japan early next month.But do you think Sony Computer Entertainment America has plans to do the same? Not so much according to an SCEA representative who told IGN, "there are no plans for a silver PS3 in North America at this time."While the news is disappointing for those few gamers who have been holding off for a different colored PS3, we rest assured knowing that Sony will surely bring these over at some point. After all, didn't the PSP just receive a silver makeover?
PSP robbery turns deadly
There's been several stories, even one recently, of people getting their PSPs robbed from them, but this one is, by far, the most disturbing. It appears the robbery began like many others with an unsuspecting youth who was attacked by two older teenagers trying to steal his PSP.However, when James Felton-Maitland fought off his attackers and fled across the street still holding onto his PSP, he was struck and killed by a truck after sustaining severe head trauma. Now, Jamila Brown and Keith Goa, Jame's attackers, are being charged with second-degree felony murder and strong-arm robbery, according to the Miami Herald.What's worse is Brown confessed while Goa continues to claim his innocence, despite overwhelming evidence linking him to the crime. The bottom line is that this is a senseless tragedy, but gamers also need to be on the lookout while using their PSPs in public, especially while walking down the street or in less populated areas.[Via CVG]
See why Hel has it in for the Vikings battling for Asgard
Up until recently, Sega's been relatively tight-lipped about the storyline surrounding Viking: Battle for Asgard. Sure, we know the basic premise – Hel, the aptly named goddess of the underworld, unleashes her minions of wannabe Uruk-hai upon the vikings of Midgard. After Hel slaughters everything that breathes, the goddess Freya shows up to resurrect one of Midgard's fallen, Skarin, and imbues him with extraordinary powers. It's now up to Skarin to avenge his fellow vikings. While that may sum up enough for some, we've been left wondering why Hel is hatin' on the poor vikings in the first place. Well, Sega recently cleared the air on Hel's intentions by giving us a full character background with some saucy images of this naughty little vixen and even more gameplay screens. Read on to see Hel's full character background straight from Sega's mouth. %Gallery-6254%
Burnout Paradise demo's online mode extended
Have you been too cheap to actually buy Burnout Paradise and have been running off the fumes of the demo the last couple weeks? Well, whether you have or haven't had the chance to play it yet, you should be happy to know that EA is planning to give us a few extra weeks with the demo's online mode.EA originally planned to end the online mode functionality at the beginning of the month, but it's now decided to extend it until Feb. 14. "Seeing how the social online multiplayer gameplay is such a huge part of Burnout Paradise, we've decided to keep the multiplayer demo functionality on for a bit longer," an EA spokesperson told GamesIndustry.biz.This is certainly a nice gesture on EA's part. Burnout Paradise is truly an amazing game, and we only hope this move serves to get the full retail version in the hands of more gamers.
UTIII finally gets a European release date
It was notable late last year the great job Epic did in ensuring Unreal Tournament III hit its promised stateside release before 2007 ended. While seemingly all the attention was focused on North America, gamers in Europe were left on the outside looking in as Epic couldn't nail down a firm release date for the region ... until now.Eurogamer has learned from Midway that the game will be available on Feb. 22, ending the weeks of impatient waiting from the series' longtime fans. With the mod cooker released and user-created mods now showing up, it looks like European gamers will be in for quite the treat when they finally get their hands on it.
Sony: Platinum PS3 titles likely coming to Europe
After learning of Sony's plans to release a budget lineup in Japan, the most shocking news of the day appears to be that Sony also plans on doing the same throughout other regions, as well. A Sony representative told GamesIndustry.biz that,"we have introduced a Platinum range of best-selling titles for all of our platforms to date, and it is likely that we will do so in the future for PS3. However, no decisions have yet been made on timing or line-up."Of course, we all knew it was just a matter of time before Sony released it's PlayStation 3 the Best, Platinum, Greatest Hits or whatever else it chooses to call them throughout the world. Now, the questions that remain are when they'll arrive, how much they'll be priced at and if the same games will get selected across all major regions.
EA thinks PS3 will outsell Xbox 360 this year
If you've been following the goings on at Electronic Arts in regards to the PlayStation 3, you're likely come away a bit perplexed. It seems that one minute, EA is disappointed with Sony's console, and the other minute they're praising it. Well, it looks like EA woke up on the right side of the bed this morning as it's still saying some pretty nice things about the PS3.EA recently released estimates on how it believes this year's hardware sales will shape up in North America and Europe, and while it thinks the Wii will outsell everything, it pushed the PS3 past the Xbox 360, claiming a respectable second place. In total, EA says the PS3 will push 9.5 to 11 million units compared to only 6 to 8 million from the Xbox 360.Moreover, according to EA's estimates, the PS3 will dominate the Xbox 360 in Europe, with the PS3 selling between 5 and 6 million units, and the Xbox 360 managing a paltry 1.5 to 2.5 million. We should all keep in mind, however, that these are just estimates and should by no means be taken as fact. But we did hear that some top EA execs had the Giants over the Patriots in the Super Bowl, so who knows?
Daxter surpasses two million worldwide sales
The news of the PSP's holiday success just keeps on rolling in. Sony made sure everyone knew how well its consoles sold during the blitz, and now Ready At Dawn is getting in on the action as it announced that Daxter had one of its best-selling months in December, despite being on store shelves for almost two years.With the December surge, it put worldwide sales of Daxter past the two million mark, which is extremely good for any game. It's not clear, though, if that's individual sales of the game, or if Ready At Dawn is also including sales of the Daxter PSP bundle.Either way, two million sales isn't enough for Ready At Dawn's next game, God of War: Chains of Olympus. "We can only look forward to God of War: Chains of Olympus doing even better. The bar has been set and we're just about to raise it!" That's a lofty goal, but God of War might just be the most anticipated PSP title to date, and we wouldn't be surprised if it reached that mark in its first year.[Thanks for the tip, Merc25!]
Budget-priced PS3 titles on their way to Japan
It appears that Sony is set to launch a PlayStation budget line in Japan titled "PlayStation 3 the Best." A Japanese retailer posted the first lineup, which includes Resistance: Fall of Man, FolksSoul, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Gundam: Target in Sight and Ridge Racer 7 priced at 3,800 yen with a March 19 ship date.Like the Xbox 360's Platinum Hits, PlayStation 3 the Best line will be more expensive than the last generation, and while there's been no official announcement, it's probably fair to reason that once the budget titles come stateside, they'll be priced at $30.It's about time the Greatest Hits comes our way, and we think it's a great way for Sony to continue the positive momentum it gained over the holidays.
Worldwide PSP releases for the week of Feb. 3
Despite the fact that there's not much PSP action in North America this week, the two other major regions are getting some games that should please just about all PSP owners.North America Games Downstream Panic! Europe Games Final Fantasy Final Fantasy II Asia Games Mobile Suit Gundam Gundam: Giren's Ambition - Axis no Kyoui Bomberman Land Portable (Hudson the Best) Coded Soul: Uke Keigareshi Idea NBA Live 07 (EA Best Hits) It seems weird that the Final Fantasy remakes are just now getting their European releases, since they were released Stateside in June and July last year. In Asia, gamers are getting yet another Gundam title, and they usually sell like hotcakes so it will be interesting to see how well it does.[Edit: Oops, we were wrong, or should we say Sony's official PSP site failed to list Downstream Panic! as shipping this week.]
Blu-ray movie releases for the week of Feb. 3
If you're looking to get your wife or girlfriend hooked on Blu-ray, this might be the week to do it as several chick flicks and other girlie shows are being released. The Assassination of Jesse James Across the Universe The Brave One Celine Dion: A New Day... Live in Las Vegas Crimson Tide Wall Street The Jane Austen Book Club Me, Myself & Irene Breaker Morant Suburban Girl Deadliest Catch: Season 3 It's a verifiable fact that 91 percent of all women love Celine Dion. We don't know exactly why, but it's true, and if that's not enough, there's Suburban Girl and The Jane Austen Book Club. However, if they fall in that minuscule nine percent, there's Crimson Tide, Breaker Morant and The Assassination of Jesse James. Either way, there's something for everyone this week.
PS Fanboy Wallpapers: Volume 18
Every week, PSP and PS3 Fanboy will bring you new backgrounds for your Sony consoles, in resolutions up to 1080p. Download them directly to your PS3 by accessing PS3 Fanboy on your system. Download PSP wallpapers directly to your PSP by accessing the site wirelessly at m.pspfanboy.com. For those having trouble accessing the site on your PS3, please visit m.ps3fanboy.com or disable Javascript.This weekend, we're focusing on EA's upcoming PS3 title Army of Two.
PS Fanboy Wallpapers: Volume 18
Every week, PSP and PS3 Fanboy will bring you new backgrounds for your Sony consoles, in resolutions up to 1080p. Download them directly to your PS3 by accessing PS3 Fanboy on your system. Download PSP wallpapers directly to your PSP by accessing the site wirelessly at m.pspfanboy.com.This weekend, we're focusing on EA's upcoming PS3 title Army of Two.
PSP Fanboy Theatre: Volume 48
Star Ocean: First Departure intro (10.6MB) Also featured: Devil May Cry 4, Dark Sector, NiGHTS Into Dreams, Condemned 2: Bloodshot
Monolith Productions developer talks Condemned 2
There's not much to say about this newly released developer walkthrough for Condemned 2: Bloodshot that the video doesn't tell you, with the exception that this game is going to kick much more ass than the previous game. Condemned 2's lead game designer, Frank Rook explains how the game's chain attacks work and shows the more in-depth forensic system. Despite the fact that all the video is in the pre-beta stage, the game is already looking great, and we can't wait to see more.