Night Note: Welcome to the Family

To: onAXIS Readers
From: onAXIS Administrator
Subject: The Don Gives Out Cake.

Yeah, I'm including subjects from now on.

The most ironic thing happened today. I went out to meet up with a friend of mine who works at GameStop. He told me of the store down the street, Game Planet, got a new banner. So I happen to know the guys over there too. So I go say whats up to my buddies Chao and George and I notice they have a new copy of The Godfather: The Don's Edition behind the counter for only $29.99.

Me, forgetting my wallet at my house, decided I'd have them hold it and I'll pick it up tomorrow. So I do that. I had the game for PS2, but sold it before I ever completed it.

I come home, realize the store has been updated, and post it. And look at what add-ons we receive. They were all for The Godfather: The Don's Edition, isn't that ironic? I'm planning on buying that Don Collection for $7.49 that comes with the payed items and free items.

I guess if you ever watched Family Guy, you can agree with me, The Don really does give out cake. Anyway, take a look at todays stories.

Hot Stories for November 1, 2007
Iron Man Interview
Elder Scrolls Going MMO?
Midway PS3 Tech Issues End
Warhawk v1.1 Tomorrow
PLAYSTATION Store Updates
Europe PSN Releases Calendar
2.0 Info Coming Tomorrow
Boondocks for PS3?

Uncharted "El Dorado" Trailer

This new Uncharted: Drake's Fortune trailer by Naughty Dog was released on the PLAYSTATION Network today. Enjoy it's truly stunning magnificence.

Official Trailer for The Club

We let 'em into The Club and then they want to start with us?

The first official movie for SEGA's upcoming modern shooter, The Club, brings nothing but action. The movie is semi-long and introduces all the characters. For Disney fans, we have the hunchy Nemo, he's not a fish though, sadly. Great watch if you like your titles to be an Army of Two mixed with Def Jam.

SEGA's Justin Lambros Talks Iron Man

Currently, SEGA has an Iron Man game in the works for next-gen and last-gen consoles for the upcoming movie.

Vice President, Interactive, Marvel Studios and Executive Producer on the Iron Man video game Justin Lambros was able to answer some questions on the game, taking time out of his busy schedule:

1. What pressures are you under from fans of the franchise to really deliver a game that stands out above other movie tie-ins?
[JL] Iron Man definitely has a die-hard following, and the movie is going to be really impressive, too, which is great, so that’s a lot to live up to. But the development team has set high standards for what they want to do, so there’s a lot of internal pressure as well as the obvious external ones.

2. How are you mixing up gameplay so that it’s not all just flying and shooting, level after level?
[JL] Iron Man can do a lot more than just fly and shoot, so we’ve got a bunch of different kinds of combat for him. Also, there are a huge variety of enemies with some pretty cool strategy elements required to take them on. Plus, there’s the suit customization part of the game, which is pretty significant.

3. With big movie stars such as Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow appearing in the Iron Man film, can you confirm whether these stars will be lending their voices to the Iron Man game?
[JL] We’d love to have everybody from the film in the game, so we’re trying to work it out. We’ll definitely have updates in the future.

4. What does the developer think is the essential Iron Man experience, the one that they try to capture the most in the game?
[JL] The development team really wants to capture all of the different things that Iron Man can do in battle. They’ve dubbed him a “one-man army”, and they are delivering on all his core abilities: flight, ranged combat and melee combat. Plus they’re adding a cool layer of tech customization across it all.

5. Does the game feature classic Iron Man villains such as Fin Fang Foom, Crimson Dynamo or Mandarin?
[JL] We definitely wanted to bring some iconic Iron Man villains into the game, but we needed to make sure they fit into the movie world of the character. So, while a 100-foot tall dragon may not, one of the coolest villains from his early days, Whiplash, fits in very well with the tone of the game.

6. Previously you said that there would be side quests. Which kind of them will there be? Will they vary depending on the stages or will there be more or less the same?
[JL] Side quests really implies a different kind of game experience than what Iron Man is delivering on, which is a military battlefield experience. But optional objectives and side missions are definitely a core part of the gameplay, something to mix it up and give replay value.

7. Fans of Iron Man are obviously expecting to see some of Iron Man’s signature weapons, like the repulsor beam, in the game. Can you give us some other examples of what Tony Stark will use to defeat his enemies in the game?
[JL] We’ll use his array of weapons showcased in the film, plus we’ll add some unique things from the comics. There’s definitely a lot to choose from and we’ll be unveiling some of that high-powered Stark technology closer to the game’s release date.

8. Will the game follow the exact same plot as the movie or will we get some extra missions with, maybe, classic characters from the Marvel Universe?
[JL] We will take the central storyline from the film and expand on it with subplots and extra characters taken from the comics. We definitely want gamers to relive the coolest parts of the movie and have the additional material feel like a natural extension of that.

9. Iron Man is a difficult character to work with. Tony Stark is a businessman with so many problems that affect his relationship with his armour. Are you going to be faithful to this special connection? How are you going to make players feel that interaction with the armour?
[JL] The character is faithfully portrayed to his comic roots in this regard in the movie, so we’ll follow that lead and add some more elements along those lines. We’re developing a customization system so that gamers will be able to make the suit match the way they want to play the game, and we will also include strategic elements on the battlefield, which will hopefully make them feel connected to the suit.

10. What has been the best part of your working at Marvel. Do you think these non-game companies are understanding and embracing games more then ever?
[JL] Marvel has always understood that its characters needed to be faithfully recreated in multiple mediums. While Marvel Studios is definitely a film-centric company, they are very open and interested to all the products that come along with their films. Many of the people in my office are gamers, even some of the filmmakers, which really helps to be able to collaborate with them. It’s been an amazing experience to have the video games play such a big role in a franchise. It’s very exciting and gratifying to have film producers, directors and actors engaged in the game content.

All seems well. Good to hear from you, Justin!

[Via El33TOnline]

Burnout Paradise: New Vehicle Trailers

EA's Burnout Paradise is going to be featuring a nice set of cars for you to wreck. Among those cars we have the Watson R-Turbo Roadster, Montgomery Hawker, Carson Annihilator. Three American Dreams. Take a look for yourself.

NFS ProStreet TV Spot

The new TV commercial for Need For Speed ProStreet shows just how realistic they can make game commercials look. Need For Speed ProStreet is set for release in the US November 13, 2007 and you can play the demo now on the PLAYSTATION Store.

The Simpsons Game: Game Engine Stage

This new video released by EA Shows the Game Engine level of The Simpsons Game. In the Game Engine, your going to see parodies of Madden, Donkey Kong, and even Street Fighter's Ryu. Pretty good watch.

IGN Interviews Uncharted's Evan Wells

IGN decided to find out what's going to be in the demo for Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and even if we might see a Jak title on the PLAYSTATION 3. The interview reveals some interesting details.

The Uncharted demo weighs in at around 1.2GB of data and it will probably be about 20 minutes of gameplay. It starts off with a bit of setup with the story and then lets you get warmed up with some traversal, and then throws you into several sequences of combat. We've left the selectable difficulty in there too so you can try it out in any of the three modes.

It seems that Naughty Dog is not planning any downloadable content for Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. They do, however, want to take advantage of any HOME integration features that they can.

Wells was also questioned about a Jak & Daxter game for the PLAYSTATION 3, he answered:

"We're all very excited about the technology, engine, and development environment that we've created during the production of Uncharted. Believe it or not, even though the push to the end of this project took a huge effort, everybody is already champing at the bit to get started on what's next. We're doing a lot of post mortems to identify what worked and what could be improved across all departments so that we can achieve even more with our next project. As for Jak and Daxter, there are still a lot of people here who would love to work on the franchise again, especially using all of the cool tech that was developed for Uncharted. However, exactly when you might see that is still anybody's guess."

Read the full interview at the link.

[Read: Evan Wells Interview]

Only On PLAYSTATION 3 Ad Wows

A new PLAYSTATION 3 advertisement has surfaced today, displaying the new ad campaign that Sony had recently announced.

The commercial above is the "Only on PLAYSTATION 3" commercial. The commercial below is the "Universe of Entertainment" commercial. If there is one word to describe the commercials, it's "wow". Give it a watch.

Making of Call of Duty 4 Overgrown

Get a behind the scenes look at how Infinity Ward creates a level of the upcoming and anticipated Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Enjoy.

Elder Scrolls Online?

Robert Hawarth over at Voodoo Extreme was doing some internet searching, and he came across something interesting. ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks, recenly purchased the domain name, ELDERSCROLLSONLINE.COM.

ZeniMax Media recently opened up a online game division headed up by Mythic co-founder Matt Firor. If you know how to add, combine the domain with the sentence before this. Could a massively multiplayer online Elder Scrolls be arriving?

We will keep you updated.

[Via VE3D]

Midway: PS3 Tech Issues Over, 'Ambitious Open-World Game' Coming Soon

Midway CEO David F. Zucker today said the company has learned from the PLAYSTATION 3 development process of Stranglehold and Unreal Tournament 3, and that the company's multiplatform releases would be more closer to release than before.

He explained, regarding the issues with Midway titles being delayed on PLAYSTATION 3:

"For our first wave of next-gen games... lead development has been on the Xbox 360, due to its earlier introduction and larger installed base. We ran into some technical issues developing for the PlayStation 3 that have taken more time to finalize than we expected.

These include... making sure that the framerate, networking, and graphical features are at parity between the platforms. We've also encountered challenges as a result of shipping two of the very first PS3 games using Epic's Unreal Engine 3."

He is speaking of Stranglehold and BlackSite: Area 51. He finished:

"We do believe that these technical issues are now complete at a core level in our engine. Looking ahead to 2008, we expect the PS3 versions of our titles to ship day and date..."

Additionally, Zucker said that the company's production plan regarding Sony exclusives and Epic's Midway-published Unreal Tournament 3 would not change, explaining:

"Our expected product plan is to release a PC version of Unreal Tournament 3 this November, and a PLAYSTATION 3 version as soon as it’s ready. At this point, we have not announced any timing for an Xbox 360 version of Unreal Tournament 3."

Finally, elsewhere in the call, Zucker hinted at an "ambitious open-world game" from Midway, to be announced shortly, and said to be one of the highlights of their upcoming slate. However, no other information was given.

[Via Gamasutra]

Burnout Paradise Gets Smooth

EA UK has revealed a new boxart for their upcoming Burnout Paradise. The box really swerves away from their previous boxarts of smashed up cars or cars smashing eachother.

View it above.

[Via Operation Burnout]

GT5 Prologue Demo Staying Till November 30, 2007

Sony and Polyphony Digital have announced that the Gran Turismo 5 Prologue demo will be staying on the Japanese PLAYSTATION Store than originally announced. Instead of getting removed on November 11, the free demo will be available on the Japanese PLAYSTATION Store until November 30, 2007.

The Gran Turismo 5 Prologue demo shows off the Suzuka racing circuit as well as seven different cars including the Nissan GT-R, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR and the BMW 135i Coupe. The demo isn't online-capable, but you can still simulate one hell of a driving experience by having 16 cars on the track all at once.

The full version of Sony and Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will be available on both the PlayStation Store and in retail stores on December 11.

[Via QJ.net]

Warhawk v1.1 Coming Tomorrow

The new Warhawk patch is going to be globally deploying the v1.1 during an extended maintenance window Friday, November 2nd between 5am and 9am Pacific Time.

Here are some of the issues the patch addresses:

Server-Side

• Stat database stability improvements
• Improved server stability
• Max Clan limit changed from 32 to 64
• Viral Rank-up bug fixed and correct for players that were accidentally ranked up.
• “Time-in-Vehicle” Stats fixed so certain awards can now be granted properly.
  

Client-Side (this is the one that you will actually download to your PS3)

• Stat connection, fetch/post fixes
• Significantly improved client connection stability
• Quad “????” Ping display bug fixed.
• Added support for Player-Ranked Servers.
• Game synchronization fixes due to fluctuating network conditions (packet-drop).
• Crash fixes for end of game and split screen.

Dylan Jobe also points out:

"A couple of things that I want to point out. Some of you were able to download the v1.1 patch before it was "officially" ready. Since this occurred without the server-side updates to compliment it, not all of the fixes would have functioned. Specifically the viral-rank-up fix and the time-in-vehicle stat fix. Once we bring the system back online Friday, 9am Pacific, these fixes will be functional.

Also, once we deploy the patch, when you boot Warhawk, you will be prompted by the XMB to download the v1.1 patch. This is a fast download so it's not a time killer. Once the XMB has pulled the patch down, Warhawk will boot back up and be happy! You will also notice a "v1.1" in the lower right corner of the screen."

Be prepared for it's coming tomorrow.

[Via PS Boards]

Uncharted Launches New Site: Sullivan's Stories

Sony recently launched an interesting new website related to their upcoming game Uncharted: Drakes Fortune. The website is called Sullivan's Story and is a journal by Victor Sullivan of the game.

The journal contains 3 entries about hunting for treasure (what the game is all about). The latest post contains a link to Craigs List. The CragsList page has a high resolution of a map that’s believed to have once belonged to Sir Francis Drake.

[View: Sullivan Stories]

Fidel Castro Reviews Call of Duty 4

Another review from the minds of Infinity Ward, and this time it is by Fidel Castro, leader of Cuba. Other reviews for Call of Duty 4 were already done by the likes of Kim Jong II and Vladimir Putin. Enjoy.

US PLAYSTATION Store Update: November 1, 2007

The latest PLAYSTATION Store update for the US is now up. It's contents are listed below.

PSone Classics

• Twisted Metal 2 - $5.99
  

Demos

• TimeShift demo
  
• Need For Speed: ProStreet
  

Add-Ons

• The Godfather®: The Don's Edition Don Collection - $7.49
  
• The Godfather®: The Don's Edition Level 4 Weapons Bundle - $4.99
• The Godfather®: The Don's Edition Level 4 Tommy Gun - Spectre Minigun - $1.25
  
• The Godfather®: The Don's Edition Level 4 Shotgun - Lupara Semi-Automatic - $1.25
• The Godfather®: The Don's Edition Level 4 Magnum - Annihlator - $1.25
• The Godfather®: The Don's Edition Level 4 Pistol - Herzstopper - $1.25
• The Godfather®: The Don's Edition Level 4 Revolver - Black Widow - $1.25
• The Godfather®: The Don's Edition In-Game Money - $250K - $1.99
• The Godfather®: The Don's Edition In-Game Money - $100K - $0.99
  
• The Godfather®: The Don's Edition In-Game Money - $50K - free
  
• The Godfather®: The Don's Edition Mob Face Bundle - 5 Items - free
  
• The Godfather®: The Don's Edition Hired Assassin - $3.49
  
• The Godfather®: The Don's Edition Favor Pack - 3 Favor Missions - free
  
• The Godfather®: The Don's Edition Corleone Challenges - $3.49
  

Game Videos

• Uncharted: Drake's Fortune "Massive" trailer
• Gran Turismo 5 Prologue TGS video
• Need For Speed ProStreet TV Spot
• Burnout "Annihilator" trailer
• Burnout "Hawker" trailer
• Burnout "Roadster" trailer
• Beowulf The Game trailer
• PLAYSTATION Eye video
  

Movie Trailers

• The Bucket List trailer
• Close Encounters BD trailer

Talk about a massive attack of the Italians. This is actually great news, because five minutes ago, I literally just bought Don's Edition.

[Via PS Store]

PLAYSTATION Store Worldwide

• EU PLAYSTATION Store Update: November 1, 2007
  

PLAYSTATION Network Releases for Europe

Three Speech has just posted a release list for the PLAYSTATION Store for Europe. The list is below.

November Releases

Games

• Feel Ski
• PS Eye Mesmerize Distort
• PS Eye Tori Emaki
• PS Eye Mesmerize: Trace
• Toy Home game
• Snakeball game

Trailers

• Uncharted: Meet the Dogs/The Characters & Music: English Only - localised versions to follow
• Lair: Call of the Beast trailer
• MotorStorm Revenge Weekend Trailer
• Uncharted Animation Overview
  
• Ratchet and Clank launch trailer and TV ad
• Riff: Everyday Shooter trailer
• Uncharted - A Living Environment
• Blast Factor: Advanced Research
• MotorStorm Rascal & Governor vehicles pack
• Dark Mist trailer
• PAIN trailer
• Devils’ weekend trailer
• Uncharted Hunting El Dorado

Add-Ons

• Folkore - Bottom of the Sea pack
• MotorStorm Devil Crossing pack:
• Track - Devils crossing
• 4 new tickets containing 10 races2 new vehicles with 3 liveries each. One unlockable vehicle with 3 liveries upon completion of the mini devils crossing festival (as per Coyote revenge pack)
• Tekken 5: DR Online pack and full game
• MotorStorm Livery packs 1 &2
• PSP Wing Mirror (F1 CE)
• Folklore: The Alchemist pack
• flOw Expansion pack
• Resistance: Fall of Man Pack 2
• Two maps pack

PS One Classics

• Coolboarders
• G-Police
• Destruction Derby
• Colony Wars
• Motor Toon Grand Prix 2
• Syphon Filter 2
• Bust-A-Groove
• Crash Bandicoot 2
• Crash Bandicoot 3

Demos

• Uncharted DEMO

December Releases (Highlights)

Games

• High Velocity Bowling
• Riff: Everyday Shooter
• PAIN Game
• Piyotama game - English only game
• Dark Mist game

Trailers

• Uncharted TV ad
• Wipeout HD Trailer

Add-Ons

• Warhawk expansion pack 1
• MotorStorm Domino & Adventure vehicles

Demos

• Everybody’s Golf Demo

PSone Classics

• Kula World (PS One)

Enjoy the list.

[Via Three Speech]

Firmware 2.0 Details or Information Coming Tomorrow

On a new blog post from Three Speech about all the PLAYSTATION Store releases coming soon, a commenter asks about the much anticipated firmware 2.0.

ThreeSpeech replies in comment number eleven saying:

"@9 - News on that is coming tomorrow but it will be [out] within the next two weeks!!"

So, we will keep you updated tomorrow with a press release.

[Via Three Speech]

Uncharted: Unseen Jungle Gameplay

This piece of the action features Drake traversing his way over a beautiful, if rather dangerous, waterfall, and is one of the many standout moments you’ll encounter in the relatively early stages of the game.

The demo is coming on next week's update, and the game will follow shortly after that on November 19, 2007.

[Via GamesRadar]

PES 2008 for PS3 Locks Online to Console

Tired of hearing bad news about PLAYSTATION 3 versions of multiplatform games, then join the club. In the GameSpot UK review of Pro Evolution Soccer 2008, they write:

"It's also worth noting the online registration process, which locks your copy of the game to your Konami account for online play. This means that if you ever want to sell your copy of the game, the next person will be unable to play online unless he or she has your registration details."

So that basically locks out buying a used version of the game.

[Via NeoGAF]

PES 2008: GameSpot Rates 6 for PS3

The PLAYSTATION 3 version of Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 was rated a 6 out of 10 on GameSpot. They claim the game:

• Adds no new features to last year's game
• Laggy, unplayable online code
• Slowdown when running in hi-def
• Poor presentation in every respect
• Graphically and aurally under par.

The Xbox 360 version received a 7 out of 10. Konami has heard and are reacting to the graphical, lag, and framerate problems. They will be releasing a patch soon to fix these problems.

[Via GameSpot]

EU PLAYSTATION Store Update: November 1, 2007

Thursday is here, so that means a PLAYSTATION Store update is as well. Let's take a look at the update for Europe:

Games

• Tori Emaki - £1.99
• Feel Ski - £4.99
• Mesmerize - £1.99
  

Demos

• Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights Demo
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 Demo
  

Game Videos

• Motorstorm Revenge Weekend Trailer
• PLAYSTATION Eye Trailer
• Lair Trailer
• Uncharted Behind The Scenes
  
• Eye of Judgment Trailers
  

Movie Trailers

• Alien vs. Predator Requiem trailer
• Hitman trailer

Wallpaper

• Uncharted Wallpaper

We can all be happy now that the PES 2008 demo is here.

[Via PS UK]

Uncharted Massive Attack Trailer

This new trailer for Uncharted: Drake's Fortune from Naughty Dog highlights some of the game’s finished environments and teasing just a little more of the story, Nathan Drake's adventure is shipping to stores a full day early in the US, November 19th, 2007.

IGN Rewards Ratchet & Clank Game of the Month

IGN posts a game of the month, well, every month, and this much Insomniac's heavy hitter got a go at the award. Yes, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction is this month's game. IGN explains:

Why We Picked It: Insomniac has proven itself to so far be the surest bet on the PlayStation 3, with Resistance: Fall of Man being the must-have launch title for the system last year, and now with the release of Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction. The game takes all of the elements seen in the previous incarnations of the franchise and turns them up to 11. A visual masterpiece, it also serves as the best-looking PlayStation 3 game to date. It's a title that will appeal to practically any gamer out there, and should absolutely not be missed if you own a PlayStation 3.

IGN originally scored Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction with a high 9.4 out of 10.

[Via IGN]

Call of Duty 4: Batch of New PS3 Screens

GamePlanets has a ton of new Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare screenshots for the PLAYSTATION 3 console. Visit the link below to view them.

[View: CoD4 Screens]

The Boondocks: PLAYSTATION 3 Bound?

Before I get started on this article, I was not tipped by a an unnamed source on an upcoming Boondocks game, this is just an opinion article.

First off, Sony owns the rights to The Boondocks series, so securing it as an exclusive title would not be hard for them at all. Second off, around January last year (2006), Aaron McGruder, creator of The Boondocks comic strip was looking to turn the series into video game properties.

So, we already know a video game is coming, but we have no information on it whatsoever. Now, the thing to think about is, when the game is released, what type of gameplay will it incorporate?

First, let's back up a bit on the story of The Boondocks series. This is not your typical cartoon adult swimmer. This cartoon features excessive use of the N' word, little kids who know Judo, one crazy ass granddad, and an old black man who thinks he is white.

The one known as Grandad is Robert Freeman, legal guardian of his grandkids Huey (10) and Riley (8) Freeman. He moves them from the south side of Chicago to the quiet and safety of the suburbs for a better life.

Other characters in the show include Tom, Sarah, and Jasmine Doubis, friends of the Freemans. Another character is Ruckus, the old black man who hates black people, and loves white people (kind of odd).

As the title is in development (the video game) most likely, you'd think what kind of style they would be choosing. Will it be open world in a Grand Theft Auto type style? Or level by level in a Mario type style? Or even the cartoonish humor in a Simpsons Game like style.

A combat system? Huey knows Judo (chop chop chop), Riley is a gangster, Robert Freeman has his ways, and even Ruckus mastered the nunchaku.

We can only wait to learn more of the title. But knowing Sony, if this title is in development for Next-Gen consoles, it is most likely PLAYSTATION 3 exclusive.