e-distribution
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Rubber duckies and trailers collide on PSN
At last! North Americans can now splash alongside Europeans in PSN's virtual tub. Anyone up for a game of Super Rub-a-Dub? ... Didn't think so. The tech demo turned 'bath-time nostalgia action-puzzler' has been tossed into the PlayStation Store pool today, treading water with (previously announced) Gauntlet II and some trailer filler. Here's a breakdown of the new content: Super Rub-a-Dub ($6.99); free trial also available Gauntlet II ($4.99) Super Stardust HD Trailer (free) Rampart Trailer (free) BlackSite: Area 51 Trailer (free) Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Movie Trailer (free) [Via SCEA press release]
Look out PS3, it's raining ... PS1?
You know how Nintendo's Virtual Console Monday has become like this totally reliable weekly retro-release date? Well, apparently Sony's keen on catching up. Tomorrow, the Japanese division will release a PS1 title for every week PlayStation 3's been on the market, and then some; 25 games in all. While the list is cluttered with oldies you've never heard of -- Marl Oukoku no Ningyou Hime, Yaku Tsu Noroi no Game, etc. -- the massive outpouring is perhaps a sign that Sony's ready to settle into an e-Distribution rhythm. (Hopefully one not marked by random bursts of content.)It's possible that Sony sat on this stockpile in anticipation of PS3's firmware 1.7, which unlocks the system's "virtual console." But then, only 11 of the releases are actually compatible with PS3. Seemingly odd, until you consider that maybe Sony really has locked these downloads away for tomorrow's discharge; that is, perhaps the 14 games only playable on PSP are of the old, profoundly incompatible sort that will be straightened out by May. One thing's certain, working on PS3 or not, all 'Game Archive' titles are now subject to a new tax-inclusive price, bringing the cost per download up from ¥525 to ¥600 (about a 63-cent hike).[Via PSP Fanboy]
Factor 5 fidgets with two PS3 e-distribution titles
Factor 5 is working on two games to be released via PlayStation 3's e-distribution network. According to a Gamasutra interview with company president Julian Eggebrecht, Factor 5 is excited to return to tacking on smaller projects, noting that "people who work on these two and a half year, three year projects have a chance ... to work on something small again."The developer is currently working on the gorgeous PS3 title Lair, pictured, and has a long history of making technically gorgeous games, making the Rogue Squadron series for both Nintendo 64 and GameCube. Given Factor 5's expertise and beauty and Sony's 500MB cap on downloads, we're excited to see what they can conjure.See Also: Joystiq impressions -- Lair (PS3)
flOw on Dec. 19 for PS3, 2 more titles from USC devs in the works
thatgamecompany's expansion of flOw onto PlayStation 3 has finally been targeted for release on December 19*. Coinciding with this announcement is word of a three-game deal signed between Sony and the former USC Interactive Media Division students who founded thatgamecompany. Details about the two additional games have not been provided, but Sony has reserved a space for the team at its Santa Monica base. "This is a watershed moment in the history of the school," recognized USC Dean Elizabeth M. Daley, "It builds on our tradition of expanding relationships with the professional community, and opens the door for our students and graduates to showcase their creative talents in an incredibly dynamic market." Guess the gang is sorta like the Bushes and Leinharts of the Interactive Media Division. Go Trojans! *flOw will be offered as a premium downloadable title on the PlayStation Store. Play flOw now.
Sony has 40 e-Distribution projects in pipeline, PS3's new focus?
It's on. Sony looks to takeaway Microsoft's edge -- you know, Xbox Live Arcade -- by aggressively pursuing developers who will create downloadable titles that suit PlayStation 3's hardware. Here's Phil Harrison's take on Sony's new strategy:"[What] we've seen on other systems tend to be retro 2D games, and we're pushing the 3D capabilities of the PlayStation 3. Plus, the fact that every PS3 has a hard disk drive means that we're not restricted by the size of the download, and that has a huge impact on the kind of game design that you can do."But is this what our $600 console was built for? Is it too far out to imagine Sony (and Microsoft) slipping into a pattern; buttering us up with little e-Distribution titles all year long, and then releasing a couple big-budget franchise sequels during the holidays? Downloadable games are a nice bonus, but the novelty seems to be attracting a disproportionate amount of our game companies' attentions. How far off is the PS3 Jr., a console with no optical drive, tailored solely for the e-Distribution era?
Sony speaks more of customizable, downloadable content
According to Michael Denny, VP of SCE Worldwide Studios Europe, the ability to personalize, customize, and download extra game content is an essential part of next-gen gaming success. To quote, "We face more than just a console generation transition. An 18-year-old today has never known a world without broadband, mobile phones, or MP3s." That's stretching it. This blogger is older than 18, but only by a few years and he can easily recall life without any of those devices. Heck, before 56k even. Life was nice and ignorant.Another interesting quote: "Today's games are competing for time share even more than cash." This is actually pretty true. When I, personally, plan on what games to buy, I limit myself to a certain number because of the time they'll take to beat, not because of their cost. So much time passes that sometimes entire games will go unpurchased because of the length of time put into other games. If anyone watched South Park last night, you'd see that World of Warcraft is pretty much the lord of "time share", game wise.Finally, "Today's gamer wants to customise their games to fit their own personality and style and [wants] games to be more interactive than ever before. Today millions of ordinary people have the tools and the role models to become amateur producers... It is the desire to participate and create that becomes the enduring entertainment experience itself." So there's another hint at Sony's home-brew campaign -- if only we knew anything about the dang online service! Still, the thought of finally upping those RPG Maker 2003 games for others to enjoy... bliss. Also mentioned was the ability to alter actual games... the best way to think of that is probably The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind. Making your own towns, dungeons, etc, and upping them for others to download and enjoy. Good stuff.
Details on David Jaffe's "casual" game
God of War's David Jaffe had dropped hints on his blog a long time ago about not wanting to make just epic titles, expressing also his desire to make more casual games. What he meant, nobody knew. Initially, he had a game titled HL in work for the PSP, but it got shelved for now. Jaffe expertly drops a few hints on the new casual title he's working on: "It's totally NOT a game like HL was going to be, or God of War for that matter. It has stuff in common with Twisted Metal, Bomberman, and...well, a few other things that I ain't gonna talk about yet!" So... it's like a destructive party game?The game wasn't at TGS, but it's supposed to be floating around the "air waves" in the next couple of months. Let's piece this together. It's a smaller, casual title. It's like Bomberman and Twisted Metal meets "other things". It'll be floating around the "air waves" this holiday season. Jaffe is a Sony employee. The game runs in 1080i. Can you say: launch title for Sony's e-distribution? Let's hope so, since we've seen very little on the online experience from Sony.
Will SEGA allow PS3 gamers to download their library?
Well, Sega is awesome. Sega is also putting up their entire gaming library up for grabs on the Nintendo Whaa Wii. But... will Sega also let the lovely owners of the lovely PS3 have access to Vectorman, Phantasy Star II-IV, Shinobi, Sonic, and so on (a personal underground favorite of mine is Sub Terrania... emulate it and try it out! It's very hard)? On this topic, they've issued a resounding "maybe". More accurately, they issued a "it is a stage being zealously examined now." Which we can hope will turn into a very positive result. Would any of you guys take advantage of the Sega library? Just a ballpark shot in the dark guesstimation, let's say Master System games were $3, Genesis $5, Saturn $7 (this is assuming they go all out and include every system). Oh, and Dreamcast... $10. But I don't count the Dreamcast as dead. Because it's turned on right now, loaded with the port of Elemental Gimmick Gear. Pretty bad translation in that game... but mind-numbingly fun.
Sony says: PSP will become a virtual PS3
Sony Computer Entertainment corporate executive Izumi Kawanishi shared some insights today in a report titled "PSP will become a virtual PS3." The article goes over emulating PS1 games on the handheld, and the obvious difficulties in translating some games that involve using more than one analog stick and use more shoulder buttons. According to Sony, emulation was always technically possible, but only now is the broadband penetration high enough to warrant 600MB downloads for players. "We felt that there was now an environment where true e-Distribution could be realized."It appears that e-distribution of games is a high-priority for Sony. Services like Steam (PC) are becoming more and more popular with users and publishers, and Sony understands the appeal for many of us. Downloadable demos will be a continued trend for all kinds of games: PS3, PSP and PS1. Also, it was confirmed that you will not need a PS3 to download content to your PSP (for those that were worried).But the future of digital distribution doesn't stop there:
Sony talks up XBLA-killing E-Distribution initiative
Announced during Phil Harrison's GDC keynote, Sony's E-Distribution initiative promises to be an integral and revolutionary feature of their new console ... just like Xbox Live Arcade has for the Xbox 360. Kutaragi (like Bill Gates) even says it will be the future. Answering what Sony sees in digital distribution, Sony's John Hight outlined for Gamasutra the usual suspects: remote markets, cheaper distribution, inventory risk and, of course, piracy. Most telling is how Hight sees the service in relation to Microsoft's XBLA: "We're looking for fresh, new ideas that fully exploit the power of PlayStation 3. Our 1st party projects are all unique to PS3. Some of our games, by virtue of their design and hardware demands, simply couldn't work on Xbox 360." For starters, it's great to hear that Sony is supporting the service with first-party projects; we have yet to see anything on XBLA made internally by Microsoft Games Studios (just give us Marathon already) Microsoft's Carbonated Games has given us Hexic and UNO, but we're still waiting on something a little more AAA, size constraints be damned! Come to think of it, we've yet to see anything on XBLA in quite some time. Now, if you believe that the PS3 and Xbox 360 are fundamentally identical systems with a few minor technical differences (Blu-ray, 1080p, DualShake controller), then the design and hardware demands Hight alludes to suggest unique tilt-sensor gameplay. Yup, we're thinking Marble Blast with the DualShake also.[Thanks, Angelcurio][Update: Added Carbonated Games info. Thanks, Ben!]
