Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Latest Tekken 5: DR Update to Contain DualShock 3 Support

Famitsu is reporting that Namco Bandai's Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection will be receiving a patch soon with some nice new add-ons. The patch will include DualShock 3 support (vibration), a few online tweaks such as a 1-on-1 pickup match and some lobby interface tweaks as well. We'll have more when we know more on the update.

[Tekken 5 Online Getting DualShock 3 Support In Latest Update]

EA Quiet on Command & Conquer 3 for PlayStation 3

In a new interview, Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath Associate Producer Jim Vasella commented on the possibility of the series heading to the PlayStation 3.

When asked if Command & Conquer 3 and its expansion would ever see a release on the PlayStation 3 Vesella said: "Right now Command & Conquer 3 is sticking to the Xbox 360, but stay tuned for any future announcements!"

EA's Red Alert 3 is coming to the PlayStation 3 meaning EA wants to bring it to Sony's console. If you ask me, it's very likely this is going to come to the PlayStation 3 as well.

[EA quiet on C&C3 for PlayStation 3]

How Do You Feel About There Being No GTA IV Episodic Content for PS3?

We want to know, how do you feel about the PlayStation 3 version of Grand Theft Auto IV not receiving the downloadable content that the Xbox 360 will be receiving. Microsoft previously mentioned the two downloadable episodic content they payed Rockstar $50 million to receive will equal the size of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and San Andreas.

A recent preview in the latest issue (April 2008) of PlayStation: The Official Magazine stated that Rockstar's Jeronimo Barrera said the PlayStation 3 will most likely receive it's own form of downloadable content as well. However, a new Take-Two release states that the Xbox 360 will be receiving it's downloadable content in 2008, and they plan on issuing more content for (most likely) both consoles in 2009. That means the PlayStation 3 will never see those San Andreas and Vice City sized pieces of episodic content.

If you would like to know how I feel, I'll tell you. I'm not just a blogger, I'm a proud PlayStation 3 owner as well, and will be picking up Grand Theft Auto IV for PlayStation 3 no matter what. Seeing as how San Andreas and Vice City went to Xbox, I see that it's only right Rockstar does the same with these two new pieces of episodic content (possibly Bully as well). So I guess as we near the release of Grand Theft Auto IV, you can take it that I'm pretty upset.

Too bad this isn't Russia back in World War I, where we can just threaten to revolt if the government (meaning Rockstar) doesn't listen to the people (meaning PlayStation 3 owners). How do you feel about this? Go ahead, tell it all.

In other news, I may be picking up San Andreas for PC. I hear that the multiplayer modification for the game is pretty fun. And why wouldn't it be. I mean killing random people online. That's enough to buy me.

Grand Theft Auto IV Search Engine Spoof: EyeFind

One of the newly released screenshots of Grand Theft Auto IV that shows Times Square shows an EyeFind.Info logo where a Yahoo logo is supposed to be. If you visit the URL, you'll see the registration is under Network Solutions, and it's WHOIS is protected under privacy. It could be an in-game search engine that Niko uses while surfing the web.

[In Game Search Engine?]

Army of Two Multiplayer Region-Locked

It seems that Electronic Arts' Army of Two online co-op play and multiplayer modes are region-locked, meaningn Europeans and North Americans need to play with people in their areas.

The game’s instruction manual informs, “”NOTE: The online game modes in Army of Two are not cross region compatible and is only supported between PAL discs.”

Basically, that sucks. A pal of mine lives in Europe, so I guess we can't do co-op together.

[Army of Two has region-locked multiplayer]

Metal Gear Solid 4 Creator Already Working on New Title

Well, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is releasing in June, but that doesn't mean it's creator, Hideo Kojima, is going to take a rest.

Konami president Fumiaki Tanaka revealed that Kojima is already working on a concept for a game outside the Metal Gear series. Unfortunately, he couldn't reveal anything at the moment, but said we can look forward to hearing something after he's written the title's scenario, which probably won't happen until after Metal Gear Solid 4 and Online is released.

What could this mystery game be? A whole new IP? Knowing Hideo Kojima, it's going to be great.

[Hideo Kojima Working on New Title]

Take-Two Delays Borderlands To 2009

Take-Two Interactive today announced that Gearbox's upcoming Borderlands which was supposed to hit Holiday 2008, is delayed to see light sometime in 2009.

Take-Two states the delay is due to the need "to allow additional development time for this highly anticipated game and provide a better balance in the release of Take-Two's triple-A titles."

[Borderlands Delayed To 2009]

Crysis Warhead Filed for Trademark

Crytek has patented the name Crysis Warhead. Not Electronic Arts, Crytek did it. What could it be? Many things. It could be a sequel to the PC edition of the game, or a console adaption from the PC version of the game. The game wasn't made to be a trilogy, so it could mean a console adaption. Considering the fact of all the rumors that rose and that they've optimized the CryEngine2 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, it's highly probable.

When we find out more we will let you know.

[Crytek arming Crysis Warhead?]

Bioshock 2 Confirmed in Development

Take-Two released their financial announcements today, which also stated that their 2K Marin studio is developing Bioshock 2, which is due for release towards the end of 2009.

"We're focused on continuing to bring new brands and cutting-edge gameplay to market with the creation of the 2K Marin studio. 2K Marin will build upon our success in creating and leveraging triple-A franchises," Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K, commented at the time.

Let's hope it arrives on the PlayStation 3 this time around.

[2K Marin developing BioShock 2]

Heavy Rain: New Information from Chief

Dutch gaming magazine Chief, has some new information the PlayStation 3 exclusive title, Heavy Rain, from Quantic Dream.

Thanks to a Kotaku reader, we have some translations from the important parts of the article. Lets take a look.

On Locations
"I don't want to do a big free-roaming city like GTA, because the flow of the story will then be hard to control. Nevertheless, I do want to incorporate big sets, with a crowd, heavy populated areas like a mall and a subway are going to be in there. Of course, the gameplay has got to make use of that aspect too."

On Graphics
"People will be surprised. Internal (Sony's) feedback on graphics has been great. This is going to be a truly next-gen game. But still, we want to do something unique with the graphics, going beyond just making the most photorealistic world we can."

On Gameplay
"With the release of Fahrenheit, we gave the adventure genre a new grammar. We brought new ways into the genre, new words if you want to see it like that, a new vocabulaire. With Heavy Rain, where going to expand on that same grammar."

On Story
"Heavy Rain is about normal people that have landed in extraordinary situations. I wanted a much more personal story. The first thing that came to my mind, as a father of two little boys, was that the main theme should simply be a father's love for his son. This is not a game about saving the princess or the world. Its purely about a father's love."

"The main story will revolve around 4 different characters, and we're putting the spotlight on their perceptions. The question 'what is good and what is evil' is the key here, that will be just a matter of viewpoint...I believe heavily in moral choices, I'm going to use them A LOT. They're not about being good or bad, but about finding the right balance."

Sounding good, can't wait to hear more.

[New Heavy Rain Details Spilled, Lapped Up]

NOVASTRIKE Fact Sheet & Information

The official website for the upcoming PlayStation Network downloadable top-down shooter, NovaStrike, has been updated today. We now know that it will be released in Q2 2008, and a lot more. Lets take a look.

NOVASTRIKE is a top-down arcade shooter in which the player takes control of a prototype advanced Scythe fighter and combats invading aliens over various planetary surfaces. The player fights both air and ground opponents ranging from enemy fighters to capital ships and ultimately an end-Boss. As the player progresses the Scythe unlocks its full potential through upgrading its weapon systems and overall capabilities.

Features include:

  1. Seven expansive challenging stages driven by objective-based goals
  2. Free-roaming flight: there aren't any rails here allowing flight in any direction
  3. Progressive weapon acquisition and upgrade system: as the player successfully collects weapon drops from enemy ships the weapons themselves become available to the Scythe - there are nine base weapon systems, each with three subsequent upgrade levels
  4. Air and ground targets: two separate weapon systems allow the player to combat both air and ground opponents
  5. Multi-sectioned enemies where individual components can be destroyed; for example, Carriers have hangars that launch fighters - these hangars can be destroyed independently of destroying the Carrier preventing the Carrier from launching additional fighters
  6. Multitude of enemies: the player will combat enemy fighters, bombers, kamikazes, aces, carriers, and destroyers, all leading to an end-Boss fight
  7. You're not alone: friendly fighters, bombers, and destroyers will aid you in your efforts to vanquish the Draelus invasion
  8. DualShock 3 support
  9. Uses Tiki Games own graphics engine technology
  10. Continuing support: Tiki Games will be developing additional content for NOVASTRIKE

NOVASTRIKE is targeting a second-quarter 2008 release on the PLAYSTATION®3 via the PLAYSTATION®Network.

[NOVASTRIKE] [Thanks Joe!]

SCEE to Start Allowing PlayStation Network Logins on March 16, 2008

It seems the PlayStation forums for Europe has been sending out some e-mails that have caused some eye-brows to rise. The e-mail reads:

"Hello [user name],

As a member of the Official European PlayStation Forums, this email is to inform you about some upcoming changes that will affect your Forum account.

During the next two weeks, the Forums will be joining forces with PLAYSTATION®Network. Soon, you will be able to use your PSN Sign In ID to log in to the Forums.

To ensure that your Forum account is preserved, you will need to link it to a PLAYSTATION Network account before 23:59hrs GMT on 16 March 2008.

This is an easy process that should only take a few minutes of your time to complete. Just head over to the Forums using the link below and log in to your account to get started.

http://community.eu.playstation.com/

More information about these upcoming changes can be found in our Announcements & Events forum:
http://community.eu.playstation.com/forumdisplay.php?f=138

Best regards,
The PlayStation.com Community Team"
You can head over to the forums to have it link to your PlayStation Network account now. All you need to do is log-in and presto, instructions will appear. That combined with the big April PlayStation Network update brings signs of change to me.

[Curious Behavior: SCEE Forums to accept PSN Login on Mar 16th]

NovaStrike: Debut Trailer for PlayStation Network Title


Tiki Games is developing a new top-down shooter for the PlayStation Network called NovaStrike. The game looks pretty fun, and the graphics are sharp. Give the trailer a watch and comment on what you think. Enjoy!

Condemned 2: Bloodshot Delayed a Week for PlayStation 3

We should normally be seeing SEGA's Condemned 2: Bloodshot shipping to stores today, but thats not the case for the PlayStation 3 version. Our version has been delayed a week due to duplication issues it seems. Look at it this way, it's only a week.

['Condemned 2: Bloodshot' (PS3) Gets Delayed A Week]