Nick Doerr
Articles by Nick Doerr
Guerrilla Games talks Killzone 2 with X-Play
This interview is from X-Play and it is by Adam Sessler (who some will decry has a bias against Sony, but all things considered, he knows what he's talking about). Guerrilla Games spokesperson Steven Ter Heide talks a bit about Killzone 2 -- not a lot of information is really new, but if you've been confused about the hype surrounding the game or missed out on some informative bits, this interview may catch you up to the rest of the crowd.[via PS3Forums]
Gran Turismo 5: Prologue SPEC II Nurburgring caught on camera
For those of you racing fans who've been looking around the world of Gran Turismo 5: Prologue for your favorite tracks and walking away depressed, it seems a new dowloadable expansion may coming (it isn't said to be an expansion, but releasing another full demo/game seems silly). The expansion seems to be labeled as SPEC II and will have the race track "Nurburgring" for download. It sounds as difficult as it looks. Lots of small, tight turns to master. PS3Forums has a few off-screen shots as well as several different links lending credibility to the claim. Keeps your eyes and ears open for more info -- we'll keep ours ready as well.
Resident Evil 5 to have pop-in co-op, flashbacks, more
UK magazine Xbox World 360 (we are not dyslexic) and GamesRadar (link seems to lead nowhere now, but just in case we've got it for you) revealed quite a few juicy bits about Resident Evil 5. Do you remember the new female character seen in Famitsu scans? She's guided by AI when playing solo, but like in Army of Two, if you're online, anyone can jump in at any time and play some co-op with you.Also revealed to return is the "Mercenaries" mini-game from Resident Evil 4. A few more features/tweaks were mentioned as well: still no strafing, but a cover system has been implemented so you can press against walls and/or shoot around corners. You can now also dodge and duck using the right analog stick.Stop now if you don't want to read any spoilers at all about the game. We don't want to write them, but we feel obligated to. Consider a small part of us dying as we type these. The game takes place in a small African country near a line of active volcanoes stretched across Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Kenya. Volcanic activity is what unleashes the virus upon the masses. Classic characters abound -- Sherry Birkin and Albert Wesker have been confirmed -- with playable flashbacks to fill in some story bits otherwise untold.Look for the game in 2009, the preview concludes. We said it would be out in fiscal year '08, which goes into March of '09. So, look for the game in March. Then delayed to September. Just kidding![via 1UP]
Prince of Persia speed art video reveals Elika as a character
While most of the video is dramatic music as an artist at Ubisoft does a speed drawing on the computer of the newly-revealed female companion to the ... "prince" ... in the upcoming Prince of Persia title, there's still a little bit of information about this mysterious Elika. She'll be integral to the plot, naturally, since she's supposed to give players and the main character someone to connect with and someone to grow attached to. That's mostly PR speak for "she's going to be around, she'll be cool, and sparks may or may not fly". Either way, it's just cool to see the drawing take form in a time-lapsed fashion.
Monster Hunter 2nd G gets even more downloadable content
It's quickly becoming one of those games whose life gets extended further and further thanks to downloadable content, but we're not complaining because Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G deserves it. Their latest downloadable quest is going up tomorrow. It's called "Challenge Quest 05" and allows hunters to get dressed up in chef outfits (muffin hats and all) and battle against some Dosfango for slabs of meat. Look for this content tomorrow and let us know if you found it most scrumptious![via PSPHyper]
Resident Evil 5 planned for release this fiscal year
Capcom has unleashed their infinitely exciting financial report upon the world and it holds a few pieces of neat news. We already expected the new Bionic Commando and MotoGP to come out in 2008, but we didn't expect to get an estimable release date for Resident Evil 5 until next year. However, it's listed as a fiscal year 2008 release -- which extends to the end of March, 2009. Our vote is that the game won't be out this holiday season. It will, however, come out in March. Just our guess. What do you guys think?
Stick it to the reviews: buy a real Haze outfit, be a Mantel soldier
Tired of hearing bad things about Haze? Played the game and thought it wasn't all that bad? Or just looking for a new outfit that just screams "you"? Check out Universal Designs' new Haze Costume: now you can be a Mantel soldier overdosing on some mad Nectar (sold separately in your neighborhood grocer; the label says Honey just to trick the masses). Our only issue is a design flaw meant to keep you comfortable: the helmet is insanely huge compared to the cranium-hugging ones in the video game. Otherwise, nice.
PixelJunk news tomorrow: it's supposed to be special
It would seem that Q Games has e-mailed TheSixthAxis about an upcoming PixelJunk announcement tomorrow on the PlayStation Blog. Dylan said it was going to be something "quite special", but any other details are scarce. Chances are it's a release date for PixelJunk Eden, or the announcement of their fourth title (which may be named PixelJunk Dungeon as it is a dungeon crawler, if memory serves). Either way, we'll keep looking tomorrow for the announcement.
Tears to Tiara video shows off cutscenes, combat
Aquaplus was put in charge of completely redesigning Tears to Tiara. Initially a 2005 PC title, now a PS3 "exclusive" (sort of ... this new version appears radically changed from its earlier incarnation), Tears to Tiara looks to deliver on the PS3 gamer's desire for a JRPG. The style seems taken right out of the pages of the Fire Emblem franchise, which should translate to challenging and fun battles. There is a lot of potential in this remake and Aquaplus obviously spent a lot of time on it. Will we see it outside of Japan? If Sony is smart, perhaps. They seem to have forgotten a large portion of their fanbase they built with their previous consoles hinged on the fact they delivered the most JRPG's of all. C'mon Sony, throw us a bone here!
The reason behind the Killzone 2 delay is anti-climactic
Some of you may be wondering why Killzone 2 was pushed back to February of 2009. It's not because the game is glitchy and needs extra work, or isn't performing up to the devs standards. Replying to comment #44, it seems SCEA looked at the Fall 2008 lineup and decided that there were enough high-profile titles (and two other shooters: SOCOM and Resistance 2) competing for holiday dollars. Killzone 2 was the one chosen to move into its own space next year. The decision was purely managerial. The game's fine -- the delay is pretty lame, but at least we know the title is doing just fine.
Sony provides earthquake relief with autographed swag
There was an earthquake in Sichuan recently -- a pretty bad one. Corporations and individual people have been taking care of donations, including Sony Computer Entertainment Hong Kong. They have put together some eBay auctions for autographed PlayStation paraphernalia. All proceeds go to World Vision Hong Kong.SiliconEra has put together a listing for the items and some of them are still without bids! The only problem is you have to be physically present in Hong Kong to claim these prizes. So if you want some pre-paid PlayStation Network cards signed by some pretty famous Sony folk, or a model, a singer, or an actress, go for it. It's for a good cause, but since it forces you to be in Hong Kong, it's a bit difficult to be the good Samaritan.
Resistance 2 video interview covers multiplayer squad tactics
Here's another insight into the world of Resistance 2 -- the community relations manager, James Stevenson, covers all the aspects of Insomniac's upcoming shooter as far as multiplayer is concerned. A lot of the interview is focused on clearing up what is meant by "squad-based" play. That is, groups of squads in a match tackling separate objectives, while still working together. It's a lot less confusing if you listen -- that is, if you aren't mesmerized by the gameplay in the background.
Stay up to date with Prince of Persia screens and artwork
While the new Prince of Persia is still a little ways off, we have a few pieces of artwork and some old-ish screenshots for you to look at thanks to Game Informer Online. What we'd really like to see is this game in motion -- taking on the Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter art style is a big risk, especially for an established franchise. Still, it looks pretty nice on its own and the artwork shows off some potential areas to explore as well as the new main character's blade. Enjoy!
Valkyria Chronicles, Alpha Protocol get more solid release dates
Sega has a pretty big list of games in production. Their espionage title, Alpha Protocol, was recently slapped with a February 2009 release date. That means it's going up against Killzone 2. Their other high-profile title, Valkyria Chronicles, got a release date of November 2008. This is a little easier to stomach since most of the big PS3 titles are hitting very soon, in September, or October. The spacing is beneficial to gamers, as we can probably get more games one at a time than a single massive purchase.
PS3 Poll Police: Another mandatory install -- do you care now?
This week we learned that Haze will demand you to free up 4GB of space on your PS3's hard drive so it can eliminate load times from the game completely. The internet set itself on fire when Capcom revealed Devil May Cry 4 would come with a PS3 install as part of the deal, but there's been little hubbub over this game. Is it due to its PS3 exclusivity? Either way, we want to gauge how you feel about these constant installs and if it's impacted your hard drive space at all. Haze brings another mandatory install -- do you care now? I think all installs should be optional! Sometimes it really does benefit my gaming experience. I don't mind them, really. People should just upgrade their hard drives. I make sandwiches during my installs. What, install? Like, grathnode crystals? My opinion is different than those listed! pollcode.com free polls We just slapped a 350GB hard drive into our PS3's at the Poll Police Headquarters, so we're not hurting for space. Our wallets, on the other hand, are a bit frazzled. Still, those who purchased a 20GB machine will either be forced to make a similar purchase, or selectively delete and re-install older games. If you want to see last week's poll results, they're right after the cut.
Alex Evans of Media Molecule talks up LittleBigPlanet
Here's an interview with Alex Evans, co-founder of Media Molecule, the developers of LittleBigPlanet. The gameplay footage in the video is mostly old news, but Evans spits out some really good narrative that'll give you more of an idea about the open-endedness (it's a word for today) the game offers. A very interesting and creative part of the interview comes when Evans is talking about creating a "race" level where everybody sprints to the finish -- but the creator of the level put the sign that says "finish" on wheels, so it keeps "running away" from the sackboys. That's really funny and rather creative. He says the game should be done this Fall and it's got an October date slapped on it, so let's hope that remains the date of release.
Mirror's Edge interview discusses PS3's 'quirks'
An interview with Mirror's Edge devs, DICE, has swept onto the internet and we're collecting the information to relay back to you. The title is multiplatform, but was showcased only at the PlayStation Day event. DICE's general manager, Sean Decker, explained it was because Sony has been a great partner and developing on the PS3 gives them a lot of little quirks to work with (Sixaxis balances Faith, Cell helps push higher texture resolutions). This is interesting because Decker goes on to explain how each version of the game (PS3, 360, PC) will be different -- imagine, a developer taking the time to tweak a game to perform optimally on each platform.The developers are aiming for a 720p experience across all platforms, to keep a super-smooth frame rate at all times. There's not going to be any user interface in the game whatsoever other than a dot in the middle of the screen, a "focus point" for players, which will minimize motion sickness for those susceptible to such an ailment.The game isn't about combat, Decker explains, but about movement. Even when you get a weapon, it's more of a tool to get through an obstacle than to take out other people. Any online elements are being kept secret until summer (E3, we presume), along with information on any sort of demo. No release date yet, but that's also going to get discussed this summer. We'll keep looking.
Catch a nasty ghost in this Ghostbusters gameplay footage
Thanks to this fairly recent Ghostbusters gameplay footage, we certainly aren't afraid of ghosts anymore. The game looks pretty nice and we hope it jump-starts the classic franchise back to life -- a lot of lesser movies and TV series' have been getting brought back, after all. What's interesting, but not in the video, is the use of Sixaxis for the PS3: apparently, you use it to control the trajectory of your ghost-bustin' stream. Of course, crossing them is a bad idea unless you're facing the final boss, we'd imagine.
This crystal-clad PS3 seems strangely phony
Chock this one up to some weird collector who doesn't mind spending several thousand dollars on what is most likely a 40GB PS3 with a few cheap crystals in a separate container or glued on with rubber cement. Either this is the most random fake eBay auction regarding PS3's to date, or someone really is able to commission a PS3 to be decked out with Swarovski crystals. Either way, you should at least watch the bid to see if someone actually buys it. We can all laugh at them, then cry when we see they have a PS3 carved from a single, gigantic crystal.[via Kotaku]
Learn the story of Dead Space in this video
The tagline is "if they're not dead, they will be." After watching the video, we're fairly excited to take the role of the survivor and prove that tagline wrong. If the promise of a survival horror title with the ability to keep you on the edge of your seat isn't enough, take a look at the awesome sights of space in the video. It's like Sunshine turned into a video game; the views of space are epic and will give us a sense of awe and helplessness as we play. The narrative in the video describes the basics of what's going on, so give it a look and a listen and let us know what you think of this game hitting shelves at the end of October.