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$60 PS3 Greatest Hits & DualShock 3 bundles on Amazon
First-party PS3 controllers are still retailing at the relatively lofty price point of $45 (plus tax!) -- wouldn't you rather pay just a little bit more and get a game to go along with your peripheral? Amazon will give you the opportunity to do just that with a selection of $60 bundles, which include a DualShock 3 controller and your choice of "Greatest Hit" in LittleBigPlanet: GOTY Edition, Resistance 2, Killzone 2 or inFamous. These pairings seem to be an extension of the Uncharted/DualShock bundle offered last December. Like the Uncharted deal, these bundles will likely be available at a number of other retailers -- but we've highlighted Amazon because it offers free shipping! [Via CheapCollegeGamers]
Sony secures inFamous 2 web domain
Sony recently made yet another addition to the growing mound of evidence for a sequel to last year's electrifying action title, inFamous. Superannuation has discovered that SCEA has registered the domain: infamous2thegame.com. You can try visiting it now, if you'd like. You're going to get a "Server Not Found" error, though. And then you're going to feel really silly. As with all web domain registrations, this could just be a case of Sony locking down the name for potential future use and preventing the uncomfortable situation of having to seize it from a third-party registerer. Still, with E3 just over a month away, the timing of the inFamous 2 domain registration could indicate that an official announcement is coming soon. Especially if, before then, Sony registers: infamous2isrealanditwillbeannouncedate3.com.
Sly Cooper makes glorious return ... in ModNation Racers
Sorry if we got your hopes up, but we couldn't help but highlight Sucker Punch's recent addition to the ModNation Racers universe. Using the character creator, the team was able to whip up a Mod recreation of its PS2 mascot, Sly Cooper. While he may not be thieving on PS3 quite yet, we're glad to see Sucker Punch hasn't completely forgotten about the anthropomorphic, rascally raccoon. Of course, Sucker Punch couldn't forget to also pay homage to its PS3 hit, inFamous. A new "Artist's Spotlight" video for ModNation features a Mod version of Cole MacGrath and his lightning-themed kart. However, more impressive is Sucker Punch's track creation inspired by Empire City, complete with blast crater. With play-testing and careful attention to detail, this addition could undoubtedly be one of the most polished tracks you'll be able to play in the ModNation online community. Check out the video after the break.
10 games added to PS3 Greatest Hits lineup, Sony confirms
Looks like the Walmart ad we posted yesterday actually undersold the number of PS3 games that Sony will soon add to the $30 Greatest Hits collection. The following 10 titles will be decked in red and reduced in price in the U.S. and Canada within the next few weeks: inFAMOUS (Sony Computer Entertainment) God of War Collection (Sony Computer Entertainment) Killzone 2 (Sony Computer Entertainment) LittleBigPlanet Game of the Year (Sony Computer Entertainment) Resistance 2 (Sony Computer Entertainment) Dead Space (Electronic Arts) Fight Night Round 4 (EA Sports) Resident Evil 5 (Capcom) Soulcalibur IV (Namco Bandai Games) UFC 2009 Undisputed (THQ) That's a pretty good assortment of quality titles -- assuming, of course, that this isn't some kind of horribly distasteful April Fools' Day joke.
Rumor: inFAMOUS, LBP GOTY and others joining Greatest Hits
According to a recent Walmart ad dug up by NeoGAF user ghostmind, a whole slew of new PS3 titles will soon be added to the $29.99 Greatest Hits collection. Featured on the ad are five games which will apparently get the red box treatment: LittleBigPlanet: Game of the Year Edition, Killzone 2, inFAMOUS, Resistance 2 and UFC 2009 Undisputed. Actually, according to the flyer, the games are being offered for $29.83. That, dear readers, is the Walmart difference. We've contacted Sony America to find out if the Walmart ad is authentic, but we have no reason to believe it's a mock-up. We mean, all those games are "hits," and they're all pretty "great," right? [Via 1UP]
GDC: How Sucker Punch built inFamous' big city with a small team
Last year's shockingly awesome superhero title inFamous boasted a massive sandbox world known as Empire City -- a playground full of climbable, grindable, shootable objects. It was an impressive environment, made all the more impressive by a startling piece of information revealed by Sucker Punch's Nate Fox during a recent GDC panel: The whole city was created by a team of just 12 artists. Fox explained that this feat was accomplished with the liberal reusing of the game's catalog of environmental assets. For example, there were only two types of cars in the game, differentiated by hue shifts and decals. The map was partitioned into a hexagonal grid -- the inspiration for which came from the popular board game Carcassonne, Fox explained. Edges of each hex were designed to effortlessly fit together, allowing designers to make minor changes to each compartment, and paste the location into another chunk of the city. This might sound like a cheap tactic for a developer to employ, but Fox explained that a developer's time and resources are limited. By swiftly executing the creation of a game's setting, the developers are given more of an opportunity to focus on designing "evil lairs" and other memorable landmarks. Oh, and according to Fox, the industry term for these outstanding structures is "Weenies." Yes, for that reason. Yes, that is wonderful. %Gallery-26262%
inFamous is temporarily inExpensive, $27 on Amazon
Did you miss out on Sucker Punch's shockingly awesome superhero simulator, inFamous? Today's the perfect day to rectify your oversight -- Amazon's offering the title for just $26.99 until the end of the day. If you're wondering whether or not it's worth this price, we'd remind you that this is a game where you can electrocute large groups of innocent civilians with a single, errant bolt, provided they're standing in a large enough puddle. Of course it's worth it.
PTOM rumor: inFamous 2 coming in 2010
The latest issue of PlayStation: The Official Magazine (detailing Crysis 2) has a seemingly innocent feature called "Second to None" in its news section. Promising "the scoop on three hugely anticipated sequels slated for 2010," the magazine details Batman: Arkham Asylum 2, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2, and inFamous 2. Wait, what? If you didn't notice, one of these three games hasn't been officially announced. The magazine speculates that inFamous 2 will "[pick] up a significant time after the first game, offering a reshaped metropolis." A Sony representative shot down the magazine's report though, stating, "we do not comment on rumor or speculation." While Sony remains hush about an inFamous sequel, it seems reasonable to assume that it's only a matter of time before the game comes to fruition. However, the 2010 date pegged by the magazine is likely speculation: The sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum, while announced, hasn't been dated for a release this year. Would both Rocksteady and Sucker Punch be able to turn over sequels to their summer blockbusters just one year after they release? And most importantly, would gamers even want that?
Joystiq's Top 10 of 2009: inFamous
The likelihood that any of us will walk outside one day and -- BAM! -- suddenly have superpowers bestowed upon us is -- let's face it -- pretty much nil. (We say "pretty much," since, well, you never know.) Thankfully, in the realm of video games, such a scenario is commonplace. For the most part, we only ever get to watch as a game's lead character becomes a superhero in a cutscene, or, most commonly, the game is based on a long-established character from another medium, mainly comic books. There are a lot of reasons behind our enjoyment of InFamous, but the fact that the game let us play as an everyman while he gradually became a superhero (or supervilain) gave us a rare chance to fulfill that "what if?" fantasy in the role of a total unknown, much as we'd be. Of course, if the game only let us experience what it would be like to be a guy who could only, oh, levitate paperclips and small rocks, what'd be the point? So InFamous gradually doles out power after power, all based around electricity (with a clever mechanic for recharging oneself), the most basic of which is firing lighting from your hands. The powers not only increase in oomph -- they significantly change how the fictional open-world Empire City, with its distinct districts and demilitarized zone atmosphere, is navigated by players. Cole McGrath boasts parkour and climbing skills that put Assassin Creed II's protagonist Ezio to shame ... and that's before he can electro-grind around the city's railways or, oh, fly. While the game is great at conveying how considerable having such powers in the real world would be -- use too much force and you'll send cars flying into a crowd of innocent bystanders -- it also changes to reflect whether you're choosing to use the powers for good or evil. (Maybe you meant to toss that four-door into the crosswalk.) This introduces some twists in the fairly uneven plot, but, more importantly, changes the powers you command and the way the city's inhabitants react to you. Travel too far down one path and there's no going back. Superhero games that aren't based on comics, movies or TV shows are rare, and we can't imagine another topping this electrifying experience anytime soon. %Gallery-26262% << Back(6) | Comment | 4. Here, there be excellent games >>
Amazon offers Assassin's Creed 2 for $40, other PS3 titles get Gold Boxed
We know that we've approached that proximity to Christmas where you feel bad buying things for yourself, but Amazon's got a pretty enticing offer running today. For just $39.78, the online retailer will let your grab a copy of Assassin's Creed 2 for the 360 or PS3. Yeah, it's probably money you should be spending on presents for your stupid family -- but once they see Ezio's first double-blade assassination, we're sure they'll understand. But wait, there's more! Today's Gold Box offers are all for games on the PS3 platform. You can find a full list of the clues for each of these time-released sales after the jump. The next clue, which goes live at 12 EST, references "an electrifying adventure in Empire City," so we're guessing that a discount for Hannah Montana: The Movie: The Game is right around the corner. What? Her concerts are freaking electrifying.
inFamous becomes almost-Greatest Hits game, drops to $40
Click to read the inFamous comic. Sucker Punch's superpower game has sold 1.2 million copies, according to a recent update by the PlayStation.Blog. According to Sony's rules, that's enough to make the game a certifiable "Greatest Hits" title. However, a game can't don the ugly budget box art until ten months after the game's original ship date. Until then, inFamous will get an almost-Greatest Hits price for its almost-Greatest Hits status: $39.99, effective immediately. Also, the former GameStop-exclusive power-up Gigawatt Blades will be available for all as a free PSN download, starting December 10 -- a nice freebie for latecomers to the game. Considering Black Friday has already passed, it seems like Sony may have missed the best opportunity to announce a price drop on inFamous. Of course, there might be another motive behind this move: to keep this game on the mind of video game editors (and fans) readying their GOTY lists.
Sucker Punch hiring network programmer, adding online support to next game
Normally, we wouldn't write a story simply stating that a developer's next, unannounced title will include some form of online multiplayer support -- however, based on the cliffhanger ending from InFamous (and the apparent re-casting of Cole MacGrath's voice actor) it would be completely logical to assume that Sucker Punch is working on a sequel to its electrified superhero sim. Therefore, one might also assume that the company's recently posted job listing, which requests the services of a network programmer who has "experience building on-line components of video games," means InFamous 2 will have some form of online mode. We know, we know -- that's a whole lot of assumptions. Still, we're sticking to the old adage of "when you assume, you make an ass of you and me, but sometimes, you can totally predict things before they happen by simply making an educated guess." We'll contact someone over at Sucker Punch to try and help our chances. [Via CVG]
Actor's Twitter hints at inFamous lead recasting
Before a game is really, totally announced, you've got to keep an eye out for little hints that it may be on the way. Take, for instance, the sequel to inFamous that may or may not exist. We already knew developer Sucker Punch was looking to add an artist familiar with the "urban style" that figured prominently in the first inFamous game. Now, actor David Sullivan has tweeted (as spotted by G4) that he's being considered for the role of Cole, which he says is being recast for a sequel. You may know Sullivan from the indie hit Primer, or as the subject of actor Jason Cottle's forthcoming book, Job Stealers I Totally Hate.
250GB PS3 Slim bundles also coming to Europe [update]
Earlier this week, we got our hands on a few European GameStop listings for 250GB PS3 bundles. Earlier today, SCEE and SCE UK confirmed the hardware packages and included games. Earlier this hour, we went to Whole Foods and purchased some really crisp bok choy. (Sorry. We got into a rhythm there.) Europeans will have their choice of two bundles, both of which will be made available throughout October. One of the collections includes Need for Speed: Shift, while the other includes FIFA 10. Needless to say, both bundles come with the recently GB-boosted console. A price point for these two bundles has not been specified, but we've contacted Sony for clarification. Bizarrely enough, the UK's getting a different set of bundles than the rest of the continent. On October 1, United Kingdomites will have their choice of a 250GB PS3 bundled with Infamous or two unnamed Platinum Hits. Their options will be further expanded on October 16 with the release of an Uncharted 2 bundle, and once more on October 19 with a bundle that includes the X-Men Origins: Wolverine and The Dark Knight films on Blu-ray and a film-friendly remote control.SCE UK has graciously provided a price for its bundles -- £284.99 ($450) -- making it our certified favourite European Sony chapter of the day. That's as legit as being knighted by the Queen, you know.Update: After the break, we've posted a snapshot of the FIFA bundle provided by a GameStop employee in Norway.
What's in a Name: Sucker Punch
We loved inFamous despite its unfortunate capitalization decisions, but since it's considered rude to ask about that sort of thing, we instead grilled the folks at Sucker Punch on how they came up with their studio's name: "The other company founders and I had worked at Microsoft for a decade or so before starting our new company. Having chafed under corporate policies about what constituted an acceptable project code name, we were looking forward to giving the company a name we'd never ever get away with at Microsoft. "We came up with a list of ten or so names, and eventually my lovely and talented wife saw the list. She said (and I quote), 'I don't care what you call the company -- as long as it isn't Sucker Punch.' We figured that the best way to choose a name a 14-year-old boy would think was cool was to choose a name that a lovely and talented 38-year-old woman thought was unacceptable ... so 'Sucker Punch' it was! "After twelve years, I believe I've been forgiven." - Chris Zimmerman, Sucker Punch co-founder and development director Liked this story? Be sure to check out the What's In A Name archives.
Sucker Punch looking for an artist hip to 'urban style'
When we read on superannuation that Sucker Punch was looking for a lead character artist -- one that "should be aware of current urban style and street fashion" -- we, like you, thought, "Oh, that's nice, Sucker Punch is making another inFamous game." But, since we're professionals, we went beyond our first instinct to see what else we could come up with. We then decided that we were pretty sure about the inFamous thing after all. So remember, if Sucker Punch is making a sequel to Marc Ecko's Getting Up (which has got to be called Marc Ecko's Going Back to Bed) or a new Jet Grind Radio, you saw the possibility roundly dismissed on Joystiq first.
Rumor: Best Buy offering new PS3 buyers a free game to discourage Slim trade-ins
In order to dissuade recent PS3 buyers from returning their systems in exchange for newer, slimmer ones, Best Buy is reportedly offering a free game to customers who come in for such an exchange. According to our tipster, who snapped the picture above (Kotaku also claims to have verified the story), Best Buy sent out an internal memo instructing employees to try to convince customers not to return their recent purchases for Slims with the offer of a free copy of either inFamous, Killzone 2, or MLB 09. The memo also states that there is no official "street date" for the system, so it could be out on the shelf already. Is a free game sufficient salve for the burn of just missing out on a Slim? Or will irate customers with valid receipts ignore the offer entirely in pursuit of a less monolithic console? If you are in the position of having just bought a PS3, do let us know if this sends you scrambling back to Best Buy in search of some kind of better buy. And if you're a high-level Sony executive, don't (try to) hide your immediate plans from your consumers. As it turns out, people like being informed about the things they're planning to buy. Nobody would have bought a PS3 in the last couple of weeks if we had known about the Slim, and there wouldn't be any emergency programs like this as a result of it. %Gallery-70349%
inFamous to sizzle on the big screen
Sony Pictures wants to bring Cole MacGrath to the big screen, with THR.com reporting that inFamous has already been drafted into a screenplay by Sheldon Turner. Best known for his work on The Longest Yard remake and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, Turner managed to pique the interest of Hollywood hotshots Avi and Ari Arad, who will both produce the new film. It's not exactly a stretch, considering the two are also working on the Uncharted movie. InFamous makes for good film fodder, if we may say so. There's plenty of super badassery to watch, a love story (which all movies have to have nowadays, we guess) and – with the right lead (we're thinking Samuel L. Jackson, or maybe Gene Hackman) – this could make for one entertaining flick. Of course, being a video-game-turned-movie, the odds are certainly stacked heavily against it. [Via VG247]
inFamous costume hitting LittleBigPlanet on August 6
inFamous may be two months old at this point, but it's never too late to reignite the flame with some LittleBigPlanet downloadable content. That's exactly what you'll be seeing next week, August 6, when two new costumes will be made available on the PSN store. Both of the costumes allow you to recreate the likeness of inFamous' Cole MacGrath though, just like in the game, you'll be able to decide whether your Sackboy will be good or evil. You can check out the good costume after the break. With this DLC already having been pushed back, it doesn't look like we'll be getting any new LBP content this week. There's also no pricing info for this inFamous costume, but we're expecting it to cost as much as other similar packs.
Happy 4th of July! Here's Alex Mercer with boobs, Cole McGrath in a bikini
In the celebration of all things great and American, we're proud to present the characters of inFamous and Prototype cross-dressing. YAY! (See inFamous' Cole after the break.)Okay, so you're probably wondering where these images came from. Yahtzee presented a challenge to the development teams of these two games after he couldn't decide which game was better in a recent episode of Zero Punctuation. So, he jokingly said the "winner" would be whichever team sends in an image of the other game's protagonist cross-dressing.And now the world is a much better place.
