Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Atari Might Lose Dragonball Z License

Dragon Ball Z license holder FUNimation has leveled an accusation against the publisher, claiming breach of contract.

According to GameSpot, FUNimation sees the license agreement as terminated, with Atari disagreeing and continuing to sell the games based on the series.

Atari has a history of making great Dragonball Z fighting games such as the upcoming Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3. Hopefully, they will work out the situation.

[Via Kotaku]

Grand Theft Auto IV NYC Ad Completed



We posted an incomplete New York City Grand Theft Auto IV wall ad a while back, and today, that wall advertisment is complete. The final image can be viewed above.

[Via Niko Bellic]

Kane & Lynch: Cause Corruption


Watch and learn as Jens-Peter Kurup, Game Director for Eidos Interactive, takes us on a game walkthrough. Showing us how to start, and how to end, with a take out of your enemies in the game, the Police.

Kane & Lynch Coming a Week Before Ahead of Schedule



Eidos Interactive announced earlier today that it's upcoming action title, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men is coming a week ahead of schedule. The game will be arriving in stores on November 13th, 2007.

If your planning on getting games like Assassin's Creed or Super Mario Galaxy (Wii owners), then, your going to be in quite a money jam.

[Via Kotaku]

Call of Duty 4 Online Game Modes Revealed



Brian of the COD4Forums has gotten a copy of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, develpoed by Infinity Ward, and has posted the online modes for the game, along with descriptions, and an image (above). The online modes are:
Free-for-All - Every man for himself. (Deathmatch?)

Team Deathmatch - Use teamwork to kill opposing players and reach score limit.

Team Objective - Domination and Search & Destroy. Capture flags in Domination, with respawning. Destroy and defend objectives in Search & Destroy, no respawning.

Team Tactical - Small team Deathmatch and Search & Destroy.
f two bomb sites, and defenders try to defend the bomb sites. If explosives are planted, defenders must defuse. Players only have one respawn per round. A round is over when all players on one team are killed, or when the bomb explodes or is defused.

Headquarters - A radio spawns somewhere on the map. Your goal is to capture the radio for your team. If Team A captures the radio, they must defend it from being destroyed by Team B. Team A will only have one respawn until the radio is destroyed or the max time limit for the radio is reached. Team B will respawn at set intervals. Team A earns points for every second the radio is held. To capture/destroy a radio, you must stand in the area of the radio. The more players, the faster you destroy it. New radio spawns when time limit is reached or the radio is destroyed.

Domination - There are flags at certain points around the map. All flags start neutral. Teams battle to hold the most flags. Game ends when the time limit is reached, or the score limit is reached.

Sabatoge - Two teams fight over one bomb and try to plant it at the target. Each team has a different bomb site.
Of course, there is more, but those alone are some great game modes for the upcoming game. Call of Duty 4 is coming early November.

[Via COD4Forums]

Eternal Sonata Coming With Tons of Bonus Content



Do you own an Xbox 360, are you a multiplatform kind of guy/girl? Been playing some Eternal Sonata and are almost done your quest and achievement list? Well, fact is, your not, your playing the unfinished version of the Namco Bandai title.

The PLAYSTATION 3 version includes extra, that adds to the storyline. Non-playable characters Serenade and Prince Crescendo join the party and Tri-Crecendo is adding extra story sequence.

Want to finish the full story?

[Via Siliconera]

Uncharted Halloween Trailer


There are no pumpkins included in this trailer, sadly. But it is a treat indeed. This new Uncharted: Drake's Fortune trailer from Naughty Dog features nothing but awesomeness. The demo is coming November 8th, 2007 with a US release following the 19th.

TimeShift: Looking At An FPS Differently


The first in a series of videos on how you can master time to become the ultimate weapon. Are you prepared for TimeShift?

Call of Duty 4 Halloween Surprise Trailer


Infinity Ward likes to give out videos instead of candy, so they surprised us Halloween goers with a new trailer for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Enjoy!

Uncharted Demo Coming Next Thursday, US Release Sooner



Yes, the Uncharted: Drake's Fortune demo is going live next Thursday, November 8th, 2007. Along with this announcement, the game will release a day earlier in the US (Novebmer 19th, 2007). Amy Henning writes:
"Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune will now be available in the U.S. on November 19, so you’ll be able to set out on your adventure a day earlier than expected!"
So expect the game earlier than you originally had.

[Via PS.Blog]

Insomniac Officially Blogs Resistance Update



We may have posted it yesterday, but it's always good when the official PLAYSTATION Blog posts it. Greg Phillips posted the major details about the new patch, view the full list at the link from our previous post.
-Ability to take screenshots in game using a USB keyboard.
-Weapon balance changes and new round balancing options -Dual Shock 3 support added for online AND single player.
-Password protected custom games.
-Numerous bug fixes.
Like I said before, this is going to be a great update.

[Via PS.Blog]

Midway May Be Making PLAYSTATION 3 Lead SKU



In an interview with Mike Bilder of Midway Games and Stranglehold, GamaSutra asked and Mike replied:

It's pretty ubiquitous, yeah. What do you think you could have done differently from the start, to alleviate that stuff? Because you said, hindsight...

MB: I think a lot of people and a lot of focus as far as games that we have internally that are going to be multi-SKU are trying to put the PS3 out in front now, make that your lead SKU. And in the same way I think a lot of people put the PS2 as their lead SKU in the last hardware generation, and then Xbox came after.

Does this mean that Midway's games are going to be lead on the PLAYSTATION 3?

[Via GamaSutra]

Condemned 2 Debut Trailer


Today is the perfect time for the debut trailer of Condemned 2: Bloodshot, as it is Halloween. Happy hauntings.

Alone In The Dark In Central Park


New York's world famous land mark has now become the one place you don't want to be left alone. Now tell us, are you afraid?

Uncharted: Sequels, DLC, and More Goodness

Opposable Thumbs got in touch with Christoph Balestra, developer of Naughty Dog's upcoming Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. They start off the interview with:

Walk us through the history of Uncharted. Where did the core ideas come from?

The history of Uncharted … wow, it's been a long process. We started about three years ago with a tiny group and once we were done with Jak X, everybody moved over to start working on Uncharted. The development was difficult at the beginning because we started with zero lines of code. The fact that we had our own language on the PS2 helped us back then, but not very much with this transition. We wanted our technology to be shared within Sony and maybe outside of Sony as well, so we had to rewrite everything in C++. It has also been a learning curve to get familiar with the shaders but I feel that we did more than catching up, we really pushed the envelop in terms of shaders and lighting. Animation was the thing we wanted to push more than anything else. We had to write very specific tools and get animators and programmers to work together constantly to get the quality of Uncharted.

Read the rest at the link below.

[Read: Uncharted Interview]

Assassin's Creed: First PLAYSTATION 3 Footage


Here is a new gameplay video taken from TV displayed footage of Assassin's Creed for PLAYSTATION 3. Enjoy.

Insomniac Rips on Aaron Thomas of GameSpot

In the latest fullmoon show from Insomniac Games, the crew discuss some reviews of the their recently released Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction. They appreciative of the reviews after looking at Metacritic and GameRankings. They state that out of 21 scores, only 4 are below 90 with 3 perfect scores. They were concerned about critics to the "returning to roots" approach to the game, but people have received it very well.

One of the reviews had sticked out to them which prompted the crew to say "If you hate variety, than you've got a problem.", "play more sports games", and "we will not mention the media outlet".

After the discussion with their mystery guest, they speak to Ross Macintosh . The crew discusses their "GameSpot Resistance: Fall of Man Tournament." Ross quickly reminded the rest of the crew that the tournament is now called "The Resistance: Fall of Man Tournament with the website whose name we shall no longer mention" in a jokingly manner.

[Via N4G]

Metal Gear Solid 4 Delayed to Q2 2008



According to the Konami's latest press release, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots has been delayed to Q2 2008 and is now scheduled to hit between April and June. The press release is below.

KONAMI announced today that "METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS", the latest in the METAL GEAR series, is scheduled to be released in the second quarter of 2008.

KONAMI had initially intended to release "METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS" this winter and has been working on the production of the title. KONAMI has decided to delay the title's release in order to make further improvements to the quality of the game and provide even greater enjoyment for more customers worldwide.

KONAMI will continue its efforts to make "METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS" meet everyone's expectations.

Further information regarding the release date will be announced as soon as possible.

Title: "METAL GEAR SOLID 4 GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS"
Expected Release Date: the second quarter of 2008
Genre: Action
Platform: "PLAYSTATION 3"

[Via Konami]

Uncharted & Ratchet Bundles Coming to Europe



Seems Spain is getting some new PLAYSTATION 3 bundles, lets take a look:
Bundle #1: PLAYSTATION 3 + Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction - 439.99 euros (Nov. 15, 2007)

Bundle #2: PLAYSTATION 3 + Uncharted: Drakes Fortune - 439.99 euros (Dec. 15, 2007)
Two great bundles coming to Spain, make sure you pick one up upon their release if you don't already own one.

[Via NeoGAF]

SingStar Delayed for US



It seems that the US version of the upcoming singing game that is most likely going to sell a major number of consoles in Europe, SingStar is delayed. It is launching in Europe & Australia this December, but not quite for us.

Due to some licensing issues with the game's online marketplace, the citizens of the US are going to have to wait to get their groove on. Sony's Peter Dille states the game is delayed "a little bit", which is most likely a Q1 2008 release.

[Via Kotaku]

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

October 31 Famitsu News & Reviews: Ratchet, Dynasty Warriors, etc.

The latest reviews and information from the latest weekly Famitsu Japanese magazine are in, lets take a look see.

Reviews
- NBA Live 08 - 8,8,8,8 - 32/40
- Shin Sangoku Musou 5 (Dynasty Warriors 6) - 8,9,8,8 - 33/40
- Ratchet & Clank Future - 9,9,9,9 - 36/40
Along with those reviews, we have some Lost Planet information along with Devil May Cry 4.
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (PS3, Capcom, Q1 2008)
- includes all DLC from 360 version, plus extras in PC version

Devil May Cry 4 (PS3/360, Capcom, 1/31/2008)
- early buyers will get a special DVD (two versions - dante and nero)
- devils make an appearance (apparently): Echidna and Assault
- Assault is the devil that was in the first game, looks like a blade (?)
- Echidna is like a snake and a woman comes from its open mouth, as it spits out more it's appearance changes.
Special DVD with two versions, hmm, it will most likely contain behind the scenes and the making of's. Ebony & Ivory is what I desire.

[Via GT Forums]

Mark Rein Says PS3 Unreal Tournament III Is Fantastic

Isn't it great quoting every single thing that Mark Rein says? You know why it's great? Cause' Mark Rein is a nice dude that understands gamers and actually interacts with them instead of hiding in secrecy. You can tell this by his 765 posts on the Epic Forums.

On the Epic Forums, in the "PS3 Users" topic, Mark Rein adds into the discussion by saying:

"I was playing the PS3 build for a few hours tonight and it is really, really fantastic. Amazingly smooth and solid. I think you PS3 users are in for a huge treat with UT3."
Could thing it's not coming out tomorrow, or else it would be a huge trick or treat, and that could go either way.

See what I did there? ...... Eh, nevermind.

[Via Epic Forums]

Night Note: Hallows Eve & A Bag of Chips

To: onAXIS Readers
From: onAXIS Administrator

Whoever said your too old to go trick or treating? My cousin is having a kid, and he still goes out to score some of that tooth rotting goodness. Whoever is going tomorrow, reply with an "I".

Last year, I went trick or treating with some friends and we rang an old man's house, and he opened the door and gave us a piece of paper that said "Bag of Chips". We thought it was pretty funny. But some old people don't know how to take or make jokes.

A new firmware for the PSP was released today, 3.72. The interesting thing about it was the global remote play included with it required firmware 2.00 for the PLAYSTATION 3, so I'm happy that it's coming soon.

Anyway, if you got your costumes and want to share pictures or just who your being for tomorrow's event, go ahead and comment it. I'm going formal for tomorrow's event, call me a Mafioso if you like, or simply Don.

Hot Stories for October 30, 2007
Call of Duty 4 Splitscreen 4-Player & More
Resistance Patch Details
HAZE Delayed 12/4/07?
Playlogic Developing New PS3 IP
Wal-Mart Selling 40GB PS3s Early
PSP 3.72 Requires PS3 2.00

Condemned 2: PLAYSTATION 3 Screenshots



Here is a nice pre-Halloween ~treat~, seven Condmned 2 images to view as you shiver in your ~seat~.

Couldn't resist. GamerSyde received a bunch of new images of the upcoming horror sequel, Condemned 2: Bloodshot, one of them is pretty disturbing, take a look below.




[Via GamerSyde]

Armored Core 4 Asian Version for $17.00

If your looking to get into some robot fighting action or just to try out a next-gen version of the game, today we got your best bet.

The Asian version of Armored Core 4 is now on sale at SuperUFO for a mere $17.00 USD.

Now, your probably thinking "why would I want the Asian version?". Well, you can play it on your PLAYSTATION 3 and there is also an English option.

Anyway, if you want to buy this title, then head over to the link below.

[Buy: Armored Core 4 Asian]

Ratchet & Clank Television Advertisment


It's great to see commercials for anticipated exclusives, because we didn't see any for games like LAIR or Folklore, and this says that Sony is stepping their game up little by little to get their word out.

This is a sixty second TV spot for Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, currently broadcasting in North America.

Kim Jong Il's Reviews Call of Duty 4


It seems the Ward has been bringing up the pranks with the upcoming Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Last week, Vladimir Putin, Russian President reviewed the game.

This week, we have Kim Jong II, leader of North Korea. Watch above and listen to what the military man has to say about the first person shooter.

NCAA March Madness 08 Trailer


Is it just me, or is it weird that NCAA March Madness 08 comes out in a month that is not March? Pretty odd if you ask me.

EA has released a new trailer for the upcoming hoops title, and the only anticipation that these players need is the crowd, the band, the girls, and the hoop.

HAZE: Mantel Vehicles



Over at the HAZE IGN blog, they posted some the vehicles of MANTEL, the evil corporation in the title. To view the BoxCart, and the BigBoy, head over to the link below.

[View: MANTEL Vehicles]

Call of Duty 4: Supports 4 Player Splitscreen, & More



As you can see from these images there is a host of multiplayer options in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Pictures include the 4 player split screen mode as well as available game modes etc.

Many thanks to Adams828 from AVSForums for taking the images.



[Via AVSForums]

Bioshock Creators Working on PLAYSTATION 3 Title?

According to a JobSeeker message, 2K Boston is looking for an experienced Senior Console Programmer. In the bottom of the message it says:

"Experience with PS3 development is highly desirable".
Now could this mean they are working on a title for the PLAYSTATION 3? You be the judge of that. Follow the link to read the message.

[Via JobSeeker]

Is Capcom Picking on the PLAYSTATION 3?

Brian Ashcraft over at Kotaku posted a very good short article on how he thinks Capcom may be picking on the PLAYSTATION 3.

He starts with the whole exclusives situation. First, Capcom decided to make Devil May Cry 4 a multiplatform title, giving it releases for both the PC and Xbox 360. Then, they switch over their much anticipated Monster Hunter 3, and develop it on the Nintendo Wii instead of the PLAYSTATION 3 due to "high development costs".

Zak & Wiki came out in Japan yesterday for the Nintendo Wii. Inside the game was a survey for Capcom, which asked which genres you like and such. One of the questions asked what consoles you currently own. Here is a translated English version:

Please put a check next to the console you own:
1. PlayStation (PS one)
2. PlayStation 2
3. GameCube
4. Dreamcast
5. Xbox
6. Xbox 360
7. Gameboy Advance (SP, Micro)
8. Nintendo DS (Lite)
9. PSP
10. Other
Notice anything? The PLAYSTATION 3 is completely missing along with the Nintendo Wii. It's obvious for the Wii to be missing because if you bought Zak & Wiki, you obviously own a Wii.

Is Capcom picking on Sony's console?

[Via Kotaku]

Resistance: Fall of Man Patch Details



The latest Insomniac Mooncast reveals some new details about the upcoming patch for Resistance: Fall of Man. Here are the features:
Features
  • Turn off 40s and Tags.
  • Private Game with Password.
  • Roundbalancing More Aggressive.
  • Rumble Ready.
  • Weapon-Balancing.
  • Decrease damage and range of shot range.
  • Increase Laark reload - decrease radius of explosion and the speed.
  • Frag grenade - less radius.
  • More damage with Hedgehog - put smaller chance of One-Hit kill.
  • Increasing the range of fire of Arc Charger + damage increased.
  • Decreasing the damage of secondary Arc Charger.
  • Clip-Fire reduced.
  • Bullseye Tag Re-fire is slower.
  • Custom Game Mode - Voicechat with EVERYONE in the game.
  • Some bug fixes.
  • Elite Soldier and Assains Medal recorded in all game modes.
  • Defender Medals in CTF record in ranked too.
Unlockables
  • Clank Backpack.
  • Magna Boots.
  • Ratchet's Wrench.
Wow, thats one hefty update, look forward to it. It's coming soon as Insomniac states "Patch will be availabe in the "near future." That's about all we know for now".

[Via PS3Forums]

HAZE Delayed Till December 4, 2007?

Following the rumors of a HAZE delay, GameStop now lists HAZE for release as December 4, 2007.

Could one of the PLAYSTATION 3's best hitters be getting a week or two delay?

We will keep you updated.

[Via GameStop]

40GB PLAYSTATION 3 Runs Cooler Than Others

Sony has revealed that the new 40GB PLAYSTATION 3 (coming Nov. 2) features less power consumption than the already released. Sony has stuck the 65mn version of the cell in the new SKU reducing power usage to 135 watts instead of the average 200 watts.

To state it in simpler terms, the console runs quieter. In my opinion I don't mind my console, I never really hear it with the TV on anyway.

[Via Engadget]

Playlogic Developing New IP for PLAYSTATION 3

Playlogic, a Netherlands based game company, have told MCV Magazine, that they have a new IP in the works for the PLAYSTATION 3.

The game is still in early stages, but Playlogic is confident that it will be a great addition to the console. Playlogic are known for games like Obscure 2 and Xyanide Resurrection for the PS2.

More information on this new IP as it comes in.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

Alabama Wal-Mart Already Selling 40GB PS3s



A Wal-Mart in Birmingham, Alabama is already stacking green off of the new 40GB PLAYSTATION 3 model bundled with Spider-Man 3 on Blu-Ray.

If your in the location, call up your Wal-Mart and see if the 40GBs are in stock. Maybe they won't tell you on the phone, who knows, you could be a Sony represenative, hehe.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

PSP System Firmware Update 3.72, Requires 2.00


Today, October 30, 2007, a new PLAYSTATION Portable firmware update was made available, and there is one interesting little detail noticed in here, which we bolded below in the features.

Network

  • Support for PLAYSTATION Network titles have been expanded.
  • Support has been added for [Remote Start]* of the PS3 system under [Remote Play].
    • To use this feature, the PS3 system software must be version 2.00 or later. For detailed information about [Remote Start], visit the PS3 Help & Support section at eu.playstation.com and select Connecting to other devices in the General Guides area.
Yeah, those are all the features, you shouldn't expect much for a 3.72 PSP update. But hey, this means 2.00 is coming soon, right? Or else no point of the update.

[Via PS UK]

Game Informer Shows New FFXIII Screenshots



Game Informer has posted five new screenshots of Square Enix's upcoming PLAYSTATION 3 exclusive, Final Fantasy XIII. We've posted them above and below, enjoy.




[Via Game Informer]