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Mortal Kombat II gets downloadable April 12th
Oh yeah! This brings back the old-school memories. Button mashing never got any better than Mortal Kombat II, and now you can experience it all over again on your PS3 this week. From the press release:"Get ready to re-live all of the classic arcade action that made Mortal Kombat II a beloved classic. Brought back and available for download exclusively on the PS3, re-experience the classic head-to-head fighting game featuring classic characters such as Sub-Zero or Goro. Players will fight their way through the Outworld and defeat Shang Tsung or battle hidden characters including Jade and Smoke!"Ten new levels, online multiplayer and smack-talk inducing leaderboards will likely make this the best $5 you've spent in a long, long time. Get ready to download it on the PLAYSTATION Store this Thursday. And try not to break your SIXAXIS ... that thing is not made for prolonged thumb attacks.
Super Stardust HD -- what Blast Factor envies?
Helsinki based Housemarque has been working on a new PSN title called Super Stardust HD, probably a follow-up to their original Stardust that was on the PC. Housemarque also helped with the PSP title Killzone: Liberation which is supposedly very fun (don't got a PSP, so can't give my impressions). The title is rumored for a summer release over in Europe -- no word on any US dates, but we'll cross our fingers.What do you do in the game? Well, you hover over a series of planets (one at a time, silly) and... shoot stuff. Different weapons have different impacts on the things you shoot (amount of debris, power, etc), but in the end your ultimate goal is to destroy it all. We'll keep our eye and ears open for more info.
Super Rub 'a' Dub makes a splash on Europe PS3 Network
Super Rub 'a' Dub, the one-time tech demo turned PlayStation Network game, is now available to download for European PS3 owners. In the game, the Sixaxis tilt control is used to balance the world and move the big duck around, akin to Monkey Ball, and try to collect all the little rubber duckies before reaching the exit. The game has an "introductory price" of 4.99 Euros / 3.49 British pounds (approximately US $6.75) until May 23. Trailer of the game embedded after the break. No word on when the US version is arriving.
Jaffe: fixing scoring gap reason for Calling All Cars delay
Insomniac Games (Resistance: Fall of Man, Ratchet and Clank series) interviewed David Jaffe (God of War) for the second episode of their new podcast, The Full Moon Show. Of note is Jaffe's explanation for the delay of his upcoming PlayStation Network title, Calling All Cars.Jaffe said that during playtests people were enjoying themselves more when the scores were close, rather than when the scoring gap was wide. He talked to some industry vets who had worked on a few Midway titles to see if they had any code that could be used to narrow that scoring gap, and sure enough they had some code."We certainly don't want to go into and put in tons of that, but we've gone in and added just a little bit," he said. He continued to say that his hope is folks who are within 20% of each other's skill levels to have very competitive matches. Jaffe also explained that this was the reason for another playtest, and if the code's effects are noticeable then they will take it out.Jaffe noted that they are still planning for a release during the month of April.The interview starts 21 minutes into the 2-hour podcast. Jaffe also talked about his frankness in discussion, his love of playtests (the fifth one is coming up) and his ambitious, now on permanent hiatus, PSP tearjerker Heartland. The podcast also includes updates on Resistance: Fall of Man and the upcoming Ratchet and Clank Future.[Via Aeropause]
Gran Turismo HD 1.2, GTA 4 trailer to hit PS Network today
Sony has sent word of their new offerings for the US PlayStation Network today. Most importantly for racing fans, Gran Turismo HD Concept will be upgraded for free to version 1.2, which enables force feedback through Logitech steering wheel peripherals. (European gamers have been enjoying GTHD 1.2 since the console's launch in the region.)The Grand Theft Auto IV trailer is also available for download in high definition, as is the Armored Core 4 demo. Microsoft's Peter Moore, proud that Xbox Live got the GTAIV trailer up before Sony, has added yet another tattoo on his arm to add to his collection of AAA-titled inkings.All of the content will be available free of charge and should be online sometime today.[Update: It's the Armored Core 4 demo, not trailer, that is released today. All parties responsible for the error have been thoroughly sacked.]
Analyst: hackers to target online consoles this year
And so we're raising the Console Terror Alert Level to intense orange-red, based on very credible, detailed information on a non-specific threat.A security analyst for Australia's Computer Emergency Response team (who, contrary to the emergency response phrasing, don't get their own vans with flashing lights and sirens) has warned that, due to the online integration of new game consoles, he expects hackers to soon target your Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles."I haven't seen any malicious code that is specifically designed to run on a PlayStation 3 or an Xbox but I would expect it is not very far away," he said. CVG notes that these predictions come after the Xbox Live account hack fears, though those turned out to be nothing more than some idiotic customer service reps being talked into divulging info over the phone.Given that Xbox Live titles are tied to the original console and gamertag only, we'd say the possibility of a theft of your games and / or save files very unlikely. Not only that, but the peer-to-peer transfer of files over any of the console's self-contained networks is not possible. (In this sense, the PS3 and Wii are more vulnerable by merit of having a web browser.) There is always a worry over any medium where you have to enter financial or personal information (in this case your credit card), and the Xbox 360's inability to let you erase that card information has been chronicled in the past. However, the likelihood that you will be the victim of a console hack (and not in the traditional sense) without instigating it through your own console modding is, in our estimations, very slim.
PSP firmware hits 3.30, with bigger vids and better PSone
We were never ones to stand in the way of excessive format support, and never ones to accuse Sony of such a deed, but it appears they're feeling generous this week, with the brand new range of 720 x 480, 352 x 480 and 480 x 272 playback resolutions of MPEG-4 AVA (H.264) video that can be yours with the new 3.30 firmware update. The update also improves PSone performance with a menu option to increase disk dreading speed in exchange for better load times and a little bit of instability. Finally, Sony is tossing in thumbnail support for video and RSS feeds, another welcome improvement. Not bad at all for a 0.1 update, but we're still holding out for PS3-free PSone downloads.
What does Game 3.0 mean to PSP?
IGN has up a feature in which they interview John Koller the Senior Brand Manager for Sony and they ask him how Game 3.0 will effect PSP as well as what changes are in store for the handheld. The PSP's role in Game 3.0 "It's a developing situation for us with PSP in terms of Game 3.0. What we've always stated is that PlayStation Portable is the cultural currency between all of our products here at PlayStation. " The PSP and Home "All I can really say to that is what Phil Harrison mentioned, that PSP certainly has a place within the Home dynamic. We're still looking at ways to optimize that, and I think more info will be forthcoming soon on what that is." PlayStation Network features "There's a place for PSP inside the network as well -- that's the same as with Home -- and what that place is will be revealed soon." PSP's Future Mr. Koller goes on to say that they are working on advancements to the PlayStation Store and Sony Connect and those as well as the GPS and Camera will be revealed in time. Most of his answers referred to changes in the future and in speaking of the future of PSP, Koller said, "We're extremely excited for it. I was talking to a group a week or two ago, we were saying that this really is the year for PSP. This upcoming calendar year is going to be fantastic. There are a ton of initiatives that are going to kick off, that are about to happen, that will be announced soon, all of which will be very exciting from a variety of perspectives." Interesting stuff indeed. I can't wait to see what Sony has in store for my favorite portable.
Rumorong: Warhawk back to being downloadable title
Wednesday's rumorang about Incognito's online-only Warhawk becoming a Blu-ray title has been gracefully tossed away once more. The "semi-official" Sony blog, ThreeSpeech, sets the record straight and rubbishes a Sony representative's previous comments to IGN about the game seeing disc-based distribution. "Sony have advised us that it will be available as a download only for the time being and that a statement will be released if that position should change."Now that we have the issue of distribution out of the way, perhaps we can start focusing on pricing and, oh yes, whether or not the game will be any good. [Thanks, ChronoZaga]
No PSP love on PLAYSTATION Store this week
Last week PSP owners had the option of downloading the first of a game series that has a newer version already on PSP. I complained about it. Well, I probably should have just been happy there was a new PS1 game to download, because this week there's no PSP content with the weekly PLAYSTATION Store update. When I think of all the possible amazing PS1 games I could have downloaded it makes me cry that I have nothing. I'm sorry I yelled at you Sony, please give me more games to download for my PSP. In the meantime I'm going to start e-mailing Sony non-stop until they release Rival Schools: United by Fate for download.
Warhawk to swoop onto Blu-ray
After Sony's unveiling of a reworked and online-only Warhawk at GDC last week, a general assumption was made that the game would be available for purchase and download on the PlayStation Network. While this may still be true, a Sony spokesperson has confirmed to IGN that, "Officially, Warhawk will be released as a Blu-ray-based product." Well, we'll assume you know what they say about assuming.Sony has not yet made any announcements regarding the price of Warhawk, though one would assume -- or rather, expect -- it to be appropriately priced for a title focused entirely on multiplayer content. At the Sony's bloggers meeting held during GDC, Incognito's Dylan Jobe said, "I don't think it should be a full-priced product." Go ahead and assume that you'll find out more before the game's late Summer release (u ass).[Via PS3 Fanboy]
GDC 07: Warhawk's transition into a Network title
At the Sony blogger's event, Warhawk's Dylan Jobe admitted that the PlayStation Network game doesn't deserve "to be a full priced game." Unfortunately, he admits, it's not his job to set the pricing. The team wanted to make a good product, but there were a few employees frustrated that the game was becoming a Network-only game. There's a stigma, he noted, and one disgruntled employee left the team due to the misconception that downloadable games are somehow lesser experiences."Crap product will sell like crap, whether or not it's on a shelf or not," Dylan admitted. He thinks that the future of Sony's Network offerings is exciting, especially because it "transcends arcade rehashes." These are "high quality titles" that will allow the company to "earn the player's trust back."Going forward, Sony admits that they're trying to get a "downloadable demo for every title." There is no Warhawk demo in the works now, but the possibility of offering a public beta for trial purpose is still being discussed.
Wipeout PS1 comes to PSP
Yet again Sony has released a downloadable game on the PlayStation Store that is already available in a better form on PSP. The original Wipeout from the days of PS1 has landed in downloadble form on Sony's PS3 market. I'm sure for hardcore Wipeout fans this is exciting and more playable games for PSP is never a bad thing, but why can't Sony focus on games that aren't already available on PSP and give us some downloadable games worth getting excited about? I'm sitting with my hands outstretched and they have money in them. Sony can take that money as soon as they give me some games I want to download and enjoy on my PSP.
GDC 07: Less than half of PS3 owners are "connected"
Sony discussed the number of people that were actively interacting with the PlayStation Network services in yesterday's bloggers meeting. According to Sony, there are about 500,000 PSN accounts open in the North America. However, according to recent sales data from VGcharts.org, one can see that there are about 1.3 million PS3 systems out there: shouldn't more PS3s be connected to Sony's Xbox Live alternative?Phil Harrison was quick to point out that the 500,000 figure represents PSN sign-ups only. You can still use the PS3's online capabilities without ever registering for Sony's online service by uploading music to your console, or by using the Internet Browser, or by downloading a firmware upgrade. The goal of Home, however, is to increase PSN sign-ups, and have people become increasingly involved with Sony's robust online services.
Resistance updates detailed, modes & maps mentioned
SCEA and Insomniac have detailed a pair of forthcoming Resistance updates in a press release today. On March 23, coinciding with PlayStation 3's European launch, the first update will introduce two new multiplayer modes, Team Conversion (Conversion with teams) and Assault (destroy the defending team's base). In addition, a 'spectator camera' will be added, allowing voyeurs to peep the action from players' perspectives or pan back and discover their own angles. Insomniac has also tweaked matchmaking optimization for the update and will re-introduce the old radar as a custom option.In May, a second update will enable global competition and offer two new multiplayer maps for purchase. The maps are apparently an extension of the game's backstory; a full explanation is scheduled to appear on the official website closer to the update's release. Anyone paying attention to Phil Harrison last week, will recall that the Sony exec blabbed that Insomniac would be "extending the story"; we speculated that this might entail episodic content. While that remains a distant possibility, it appears that the referenced 'extension' will simply be a lame presentation on the Resistance website. Cheers for keeping Resistance fresh, but let's not disguise this update as anything other than what it is: a standard dose of premium multiplayer maps.[Via press release]
What's new in the PS Store? Lots.
After peeling myself away from reading Homer's The Odyssey and completing a research paper in a Marketing course (the subject was Electronic Gaming Monthly, actually), I recalled that I had yet to announce all the new goodies available on the PlayStation Network. Many of you may know this by now, but we're going to tell you nonetheless.First up, that long-awaited PSP-gone-PS3 title, Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection is up and waiting for your $19.99... and you know what? It's games like these that really show the power of the PlayStation Network -- downloading a full game, with tons of little extras, and load times that make the PSP cry. Seriously, battles are nigh instantaneous. Also available now is a behind the scenes look at MotorStorm. Not really sure why you'd go for that, but if you just can't get enough of motors or of storms, it's probably extremely interesting to see how it all came together. Personally, I'll have to pass. Excited for MotorStorm, but not that excited. There's also a Ridge Racer 7 demo and a trailer for the Nancy Drew movie. Well, hope you guys are enjoying your PS3's! I've noticed a lot more people online a lot more often the past week. Glad to see it!
Stuntman Ignition on PS3 & Xbox 360 in summer 2007
THQ has announced that the follow-up to Atari's 2002 Stuntman will arrive this summer for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Dubbed Stuntman Ignition, the sequel is being developed by the publisher's internal studio Paradigm Entertainment (formerly of Atari). The original Stuntman was developed by another former Atari studio, now with Ubisoft, Reflections. Ignition will continue the tradition of insane(-ly frustrating) stunts, as players desperately fight to maintain a variety of careening-prone vehicles, including exotic sports cars, motorcycles, and (ever-impossible to control) hovercraft. Thankfully, an online mode will let you design the torturous routes, and then invite others to suffer the trial and error.
MGS3 Subsistence soon to be offline-only
Metal Gear Solid 3 players have just over a month to get their 'Subsistence' online. Konami has passed along a brief notice that the game's servers will be permanently shut down on April 3:"The last day of online service for Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence in North America will be April 2nd. Konami sincerely thanks all of the Subsistence online community for their dedication to the game and support of the Metal Gear Solid series."The notice concludes with a plug for Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, which also features online multiplayer modes. The PSP installment may keep fans from starving, but this latest development must stir some hunger pangs. We needs our MGS4.So what can you do for now? Start by signing the petition.
Mortal Kombat II heading to Playstation Network this March
When Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 appeared on Xbox Live Arcade this past October, folks cried out for the prequel, Jax Vs Mile- err, we mean, Mortal Kombat 2. Playstation 3 owners win this round as Sony Online Entertainment will be bringing classic kombat to the Playstation Network this March.Mortal Kombat 2 will be available for $4.99 and is being handled by the team behind UMK3 for Xbox Live Arcade, Digital Eclipse. The site for the game itself is slim on details, but if we're to believe this preview from CES, it will support online multiplayer and a 720p resolution.Enjoy the screenshots and the quick-look strategy guide provided above.%Gallery-1824%
More Resistance in April, episodic content on the menu
Fast-forwarding through another Phil Harrison interview, we smack into some meaningful chatter. When pressed about future content for Resistance, Harrison busts out a tantalizing reply: "we have some really, really cool things that will be extending the story, extending the locations, some brand new content, starting in April. So if that works well and is well-received by the audience, then that will keep the engagement with game going between now and should there be a sequel at some point in the future." (For the record, Insomniac's Ted Price has already confirmed the obvious; Resistance is a franchise, with a sequel likely already in early development stages.) What Harrison seems to suggest though, is some degree of episodic content bridging the first game and apparent sequel. Adding multiplayer maps and modes is the tired standard, but actually building upon the single-player narrative with downloadable content would represent a significant step forward for PlayStation Network -- and keep Resistance holding down the console that's sure to let loose sooner or later.
