SCE
Latest
Reader hands-on: Killzone infrastructure [Update 1]
One of our readers, Kade, has prepared a special treat for PSP Fanboy readers. He was invited into the Killzone: Liberation infrastructure multiplayer beta, and he's written a rant/preview/hands-on about his experience. It's detailed enough to make you get jealous! Check it out, after the break. It'll make for some good, relaxing Saturday morning reading. [Update 1: Disabled comments.]
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.
Sony prices first-party PS3 games for Euro launch
Those walking out of a UK store next month with a PS3 under the arm will no doubt be concerned about the retail price of launch games -- doubly so if they actually paid for the console on their way out. Sony has announced a £39.99 (€59.99) price point for first-party launch games, placing the likes of Motorstorm and Resistance: Fall of Man in the same bracket as Wii and first-party Xbox 360 titles. Presumably, the games will contain all of the content from their American and Japanese releases. Sony also notes that an "introductory period" will see PlayStation Network games priced between €2.99 and €9.99, with game-specific downloadable content starting at €0.99 and increasing depending on the product's scope. Previously: European PS3 not so backwards compatible Sony incentivizes Euro PS3 with Casino Royale Blu-ray Sony UK sales boss quits before impending PS3 launch
God of War II dev bets against the game, must lease Maserati Quattroporte if wrong
God of War II developer Eric Williams is urging you not to buy his game -- until after April 1. During one of his most loopy moments in the development cycle, Williams was baited into a wager, betting that God of War II would not sell 500,000 copies by April 1 (it releases March 13). Losing means leasing a Maserati Quattroporte and becoming lunch chauffeur for a year. According to LeaseTrader, a 49-month Quattroporte lease would be rated at $1,695 a month (a 12-month lease would run higher). "I might have to blow my entire savings on this bet, NOT COOL AT ALL," laments Williams.The cynic in us wonders if this is merely a perverse marketing stunt: buy our game, make a developer suffer. Even if it's not, there are easily a half-million PS2 owners anxiously awaiting God of War II's release. Consider that similarly worded 'epic' Gears of War managed to sell one million units in two weeks; and Xbox 360's user base is a mere notch on the yardstick used to measure PS2's base. Factor in that PlayStation 3 has yet to replace PS2 as most owners' go-to console, and Mr. Williams, the (soon-to-be) poor fool, has made an awfully careless bet. Think the rest of the development team will hold him to it?[Thanks, Yoon]
God of War II 'not' in HD on PS3, just 480p
IGN's God of War II review is so ahead of its time that it (admittedly) fails to provide feedback on two key features of the retail edition of the game -- neither of which apparently would affect the review's overall score (9.7/10). The first is simply a bonus disc bloated with fanboy fluff (behind-the-scenes doc, etc.). The second, and more significant, is that God of War II will run in 720p (HD) resolution when played on PlayStation 3. The question for PS3 owners with HD displays, who are still holding onto their PS2s, becomes: is now the time I trade rumble for a sharper image? (PS2 owners wondering if this is the reason to upgrade to PS3 should know that it's not.)Update: Doh, IGN got mixed up: "we've gotten word from an SCEA representative that the game will support 480p on the PlayStation 3 but not 720p. Our error was due to crossed information and we're sorry for the confusion." So when does Sony announce PS3 is packing its own 'Ana' chip? We want upscaling![Thanks, jonathan]%Gallery-1588%
Next Wipeout to feature more downloadable content
Who doesn't like free stuff? Sony's getting the big picture: we like free content downloads. As reported by develop, SCE Worldwide Studios VP Michael Denny states, "All games, whether they are launched on disc or electronically, need to create a community and have active community websites and extra content." One of PSP's launch titles, Wipeout Pure, featured tons of downloadable content after release. In fact, the various packs released over the months following release doubled the amount of content available in the game. It was free for the consumer, and undoubtedly boosted sales. "Downloadable content helped keep the game on the shelf and encouraged people to not trade the game in," explains development director Clemens Wangerin. The game also delivered more than 800,000 downloads and became the first PSP title to reach Platinum status. While speaking about Wipeout, it looks like Sony accidentally revealed that sequels were being made for both the PSP and PS3 platforms. If you haven't figured it out, the next iterations of Wipeout will also deliver even more downloadable content. Hopefully, it will still retain the nice price that Pure set: free. [Via Joystiq] See also: Killzone Liberation online beta coming soon
WipEout sequels on PS3, PSP inspiring PlayStation Network growth
Speaking with SCE Liverpool, Develop magazine has seemingly uncovered news of a pair of WipEout installments bound for PlayStation 3 and PSP. The unsurprising revelation has been tied to Sony's downloadable content strategy. Liverpool's WipEout Pure showed promise, registering more than 800,000 downloads of add-on content, but subsequent Sony efforts have failed to follow suit. Liverpool plans to pick up the slack with upcoming versions of WipEout. "Downloadable content helped keep [WipEout Pure] on the shelf and encouraged people to not trade the game in," explained development director Clemens Wangerin, adding, "Being able to cater to a much finer resolution of gamers' tastes and maybe create more byte-sized or customizable gaming is a massive advantage." Sounds like Sony's starting to understand the importance of PlayStation Network. [Via CVG]
Shadow of the Colossus cameo in new Sandler, Cheadle flick
GameBump spotted this Shadow of the Colossus appearance in a trailer for the upcoming Adam Sandler drama Reign Over Me, which also stars Don Cheadle. So does Fumito Ueda's wonderful PlayStation 2 epic play a significant role in the plot? Probably not. Still, that a major Hollywood production would opt to use a game that is not easily recognizable to a mainstream audience is significant enough. Unfortunately, the cameo, as framed by the trailer, is pinned to the old stereotype that when guys get to playing video games they neglect more important obligations (okay, sometimes we do), but the usage of Shadow of the Colossus also ties into an overarching maturation of the games industry; one that is forcing mainstream perception to shifts its view and embrace the critical impact games have on many adult lives. Nice work, Mr. Binder. [Thanks, Aaron]
Shadow of the Counter-Strike
We don't typically cover custom-made Counter-Strike maps, but this one is unique in its high level of detail and its tribute to one of our favorite games of the PlayStation 2's golden years. Meet de_wanda and its giant reference to Shadow of the Colossus. Weighing in at 160 MB, this map is one you're going to have to require everyone to download in advance if you plan on playing online. The creator, Soenke C. "Warby" Seidel, has an impressive collection of artwork and maps, including some 3D Shadow of the Colossus-inspired scenes, if you would like to peruse the artist's portfolio. Color us impressed. Very impressed. [Via bit-tech]
God of War 2 demo soon
God of War 2 director Cory Barlog, using gentler language than tends his predecessor David Jaffe, has revealed that the game demo is nearly complete. "We are going to be breaking off the demo code pretty soon and tuning the final tuning pass on the demo level so that is pretty damn exciting. It means that those of you who emailed earlier about the demo will soon be holding your sweet copy of the God of War 2 Demo," Barlog wrote on his blog Wednesday.Barlog failed to cite an exact release date or means of distribution for the demo, which will feature a single level. By his own declaration, the entire game will be finished 60 days from now, suggesting a late-March to early-April release window for God of War 2. Our guess: demo in February. Will a version land on PlayStation 3's PlayStation Store?[Via 1UP]
Killzone: Liberation downloadable demo
While Killzone: Liberation didn't take PSP Game of the Year honors, it still has a legion of fans that love its action-packed top-down gameplay. If you missed this game last year, now's your chance to try a sweet downloadable demo. 1. Download the demo ZIP file. 2. Extract the contents of the ZIP file. 3. Connect your PSP to your computer using a USB cable. 4. Go to the PSP/GAME folder. 5. Copy UCES00279-Demo folder into directory. Check out our new demos site: demos.pspfanboy.com
Sony shuffles PlayStation management, Ken on the outs?
We're still waiting for the dust to settle here, but it looks like the "Father of the PlayStation," Ken Kutaragi, has been bumped out of his top spot as President of Sony Computer Entertainment, to be replaced by Kaz Hirai, the President of CEO of SCE America. Ken will now be Chairman and Group CEO, while Kaz while take on the role of President and Group COO, effective December 1st. While Ken will have oversight of the PlayStation in his new roles, it sounds like he's been largely been removed from the day-to-day operations to make way for the talented Kaz to do his thing. Speculation is rampant as to whether this is a "promotion" for Kutaragi, in order for him to think "big picture" for his console prodigy, or a demotion in response to the numerous PS3 launch foibles -- we're guessing the latter. What we do know that SCEA will, for the first time, be helmed by an American: Jack Tretton, who we're sure to be seeing plenty of over the next few years.[Via Joystiq]Read - SCE Press Release [Warning: PDF file]Read - SCEA Press Release
MotorStorm stalled
Sony has pushed back MotorStorm's Japanese release another week, vaguely citing production-related issues as the reason for delay. MotorStorm will now launch alongside Armored Core 4 on December 14.Just a reminder: Westerners won't be ridin' dirty until next March. As a consolation, Evolution will include an online mode for the 2007 release of MotorStorm. So why rush an incomplete Japanese version off to retail?
Killzone is back, ready to redeem itself... with money!
There has been a lot of controversy regarding whether or not the original Killzone was all that great. Some say it was awesome, some say it was awful, still others say it was pretty good, but the hype detracted from the good game it would have been. If you expect something amazing and get something "just good", relatively, it's a bad game. But it's not. Make sense? Let's get on with the news, then. The PS3 Killzone had dropped out of sight ever since making an appearance at E3 2005. An article over at the Dutch newspaper "de Volksrant" was titled "A video game more expensive than the most expensive film," and lo and behold they were speaking of Killzone for the PS3. It's worth noting that the title was comparing costs to Dutch films, not worldwide films. But that means Killzone is costing more than $21 million. In addition to this news, the game will have downloadable content, adding a more episodic feel. So now we know -- Killzone isn't dead. Just really expensive.
Jeanne d'arc impressions, fresh from Japan
Anoop from IGN Japan was able to get an extended play session of the recently released (in Japan) Jeanne d'Arc. He explains that Joan is sent on a quest from God to destroy the evil troll-infested British empire. Although there's a hefty amount of dialogue and cutscenes in the game, Anoop notes that the story feels a little "disjointed." The real focus of the game is the gameplay, and it appears that Jeanne d'Arc gets all the conventions of the SRPG genre... including its flaws: "The focus with this title is on gameplay, and if you're into Japanese style strategy games, that should be just fine. You'll recognize the grid-based strategy from games like Final Fantasy Tactics... Jeanne d'Arc suffers from some of the flaws that tend to plague games of this type. Preparing your characters for battle with new equipment and accessories is too much of a chore." The game features some annoying loading times, but it appears the game is compelling nonetheless. "I keep coming back for more," the preview says. It appears that strategy RPG fans have a lot to look forward to, if this game ever comes to the States.
3.01 update? Blame Jeanne d'Arc!
According to Game Watch, the impressive-looking Jeanne d'Arc may be responsible for the insanely quick 3.01 firmware turnaround. 3.0 seems to have a glitch where the UMD load times were significantly increased for that game. Apparently, some users were experiencing game crashes, where players would be stuck at Loading screens. Strange. Could any other games be afflicted by strange 3.0 firmware glitchiness? [Via PSP-Vault]
PS3 launch: Overheard on Resistance
Dude #1: We camped for four days. Bought a couple cots and stayed in sportings goods -- 'til they kicked us out. So we got some tents, barbeque grills -- partied outside. Dude #2: Yeah man, we camped for two days. I love that shit! Dude #1: Ah, that shit is so cool! [Resistance: Fall of Man; unranked deathmatch]
Video Sandwich: November 16, 2006
More ads from Sony for tonight's Video Sandwich. These two are from the other side of the Pacific, and they show a very different style than what's available here in the States. First, from Japan is a ridiculously awesome ad for Jeanne d'Arc. You might not know Japanese, but seeing Japanese business men go crazy is always funny, no matter what language you speak. Finally, we have this pretty awesome Korean ad for the Talkman. Man, they make the most romantic ads over there in Korea!
New Jeanne d'Arc trailer showcases gameplay
This new Jeanne d'Arc trailer shows a few of the game's 150 characters, some more awesome cut scenes and some mouth-watering grid-based combat action, which the first trailer lacked. If you've been stuck underneath a rock the past few months and don't know much about Jeanne d'Arc, the game takes place in a fictional world based on the true story of Joan of Arc. It will feature 40 to 50 stages and should take anywhere from seven to 25 hours to complete. The game should ship Nov. 20 in Japan and is currently not scheduled for a US release.
Metareview - Killzone: Liberation
With that Killzone sequel stuck somewhere in the PlayStation 3 pipeline, Sony and Guerilla have opted to keep the franchise alive with a PSP spin-off, releasing this week. Guerilla was not up to the task of proving FPSs could be done well on PSP, so Liberation is brought to us in third-person, which has proved more stable and successful on the platform. But releasing alongside Vice City Stories and a pair of Q Entertainment puzzlers could mean Liberation gets slept on.Here are some mixed critiques: IGN (90/100) opines Killzone's got "depth" and "accessibility," making it "one of the best games on [PSP]." GameDaily (80/100) gives a clear-cut endorsement: "Killzone: Liberation is definitely worth buying." Game Informer (73/100) applauds Guerilla for "actually trying to do some quality work on the PSP," but warns, "this game will kick your ass" because of awkward controls and difficulty balance.
