Wyclef Jean's Fast Car Features PlayStation 3, PSP, Burnout

Wyclef Jean's music video for his song, Fast Car, features Criterion's Burnout Paradise, and a Sony PlayStation 3 and PSP. It seems Sony thought he was the right one to promote it, and the video is actually pretty interesting if you watch it. Enjoy!

SOCOM: Confrontation: New Details

Here are some new details from the recent blowout of SOCOM: Confrontation information. Lets get to the breakdown.

• Your clan can talk via open chat, but you can L2 to chat to everyone on your team. Or if you have proximity chat then you chat with who ever is around you.
• The new Crossroads has an extra outer ring that the PS2 version didn’t have. There are two towers now.
• Confrontation is 32 players but you can make smaller maps for 16 players total.
• The SIXAXIS tilt can be tweaked for sensitivity
• There will be 7 maps total at launch. All maps will be based in North Africa.
• There are exploding barrels and cars.
• There is an underground map that has a collapse part triggered by the enemy.
• View distance is big, so no more fog like SOCOM 2.
• Clan support will be available on SOCOM.com where the leader can change their clan, add players etc.
• Audio has changed. Sounds around a corner sound muffled.
• There is now a run/sprint mode. You can run/sprint but you can't shoot and your gun will not be accurate after running. So basically just use this too avoid snipers.
• Ranked matches are automated. If you want to set up your own room with specifics (no grenades, etc) it wont be ranked. This stops cheaters and rank ups.
• They are planning on having a new headset for SOCOM. (could this be it?)
• They are bringing back a new game mode called “Elimination ” like in SOCOM 2. Kill the whole other team or take a draw.
• You can no longer set up a match exactly defined to your teams exact strengths and create a honeypot to raise your clan ranking. For you clan to have a global ranking you now have to be a rounded team with good strategies for dealing with all the maps. Now , you can build all the custom games you want - the room system is still there, which i know is really important to socom fans. you can do all your clan tryouts and training in those rooms. and even playing within those games aggregates different stats, because we track a lot of information about the player, but it doesn’t directly go into the global clan ladder” (no rank up).

[SOCOM: Confrontation BLOW OUT!]

50 Cent II: To Find The Treasure We Must

A new IGN interview with Aaron Blean of Swordfish Stuidos, developers of the upcoming 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand game. In the interview, Aaron discusses the story. Lets take a look.

"...what's inspired the title is, 50 and G-Unit are putting on a sold-out performance somewhere in a fictional Middle Eastern setting. This is where the 'blood on the sand' comes in. They put on the performance; the people are pleased, but the concert promoter stiffs them and doesn't give 50 and G-Unit their payment.

So, of course, 50 isn't going to leave until he gets paid, so he hassles the concert promoter, [saying] if he doesn't come up with the money now, there will be consequences. And instead, the promoter offers him a very valuable gift - something that's valuable to this particular country - a diamond encrusted skull.

So 50 gets the skull, and as he's about to leave this war-torn country, when they're ambushed and the skull is taken. They escape the ambush, but they're without the skull. So 50's motivated to get what belongs to him. So basically, throughout the game, he's trying to track these people down and find out who they are and why he was ambushed."

Woah, national treasures? Skulls that make me think of an episode of Family Guy? A rich billionaire who cannot stand to loose a couple hundred thousand. Weird.

They also mention some of the game modes, such as the drop-in, drop-out cooperative mode (like in Gears of War) where your friend can drop in being either Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo or DJ Whoo Kid. Unfortunately, they cannot reveal if the only two characters that matter, Eminem and Dr. Dre, are in the game.

[50 Cent: Blood on the Sand Interview] [Kotaku]

SOCOM: Confrontation Arriving on September 16, 2008

Seems like we are going to have to wait a bit longer than we thought till we get our hands on SOCOM: Confrontation. The game is officially hitting Stores on September 16, 2008.

To celebrate, Sony Computer Entertainment will be launching SOCOM.com tomorrow. It is a site devoted to the game with regular updates, news, and a community for fans.

Sigh, why do all the good games have to be so far away?

[SOCOM Confrontation Marching Out on September 16]

UEFA Euro 2008 to be on EU PlayStation Store Tomorrow

Tomorrow, the European PlayStation Store will be receiving the UEFA Euro 2008 soccer demo as part of their Thursday update. Whether this applies to the US update as well, we are not sure.

"I'm sorry that you have tried downloading the file and are experiencing problems with it, however, the UEFA EURO 2008 PC demo is scheduled for tomorrow (March 27). The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 demo's are also scheduled for tomorrow too!"

[UEFA Euro 2008 demo to materialize this week]

Gran Turismo 5 Still About a Year Away

On a new post about the Gran Turismo 5 Prologue mixtape, a commenter was wondering whether or not he should get the game depending on how long Gran Turismo 5 will take to come out. Chris Hinojosa-Miranda of SCEA responded.

"You could borrow it from someone, but that’s like licking the bowl after someone’s finished the ice cream…

Also, to further clarify, GT5 is still about a year away. You should just decide now to buy it, enjoy it, go online and race against anyone and everyone, rank number one worldwide, get the girl (or guy) and become the most popular kid in town. The end."

There you have it, we still got a year, so all you out there still undecided, you might as well pick up Prologue to tide you over.

[PS.Blog Comment #4] [Thanks Justin!]

The Bourne Conspiracy: Three New Gameplay Videos

Vivendi and High Moon Studios has released three new gameplay videos of their upcoming movie-based game, The Bourne Conspiracy. The new videos show some guns, fighting, and finishing moves. It certainly is looking good. Enjoy!

LittleBigPlanet, KILLZONE 2, and Resistance 2 Get UK Release

VideoGamer.com seems to have gotten their hands on a release schedule for Sony Computer Entertainment UK. According to the release, KILLZONE 2 and LittleBigPlanet will be arriving sometime in September, with Resistance 2 following after in November. This was even confirmed by Sony.

Summer to Fall is going to be a great time for PlayStation 3 owners. No word on a North American release schedule, but they are probably around the same.

[Killzone 2, LittleBigPlanet, Resistance 2 get release window in UK]

Take-Two Opens Doors to Third-Party Publishers

Take-Two has opened it's company to third-party offers today, since it has been receiveing interest from a number of third-parties. Earlier, their board of directors dismissed Electronic Arts' offer until after the release of Grand Theft Auto IV on April 29, 2008.

"The board has commenced a process for considering strategic alternatives in order to be prepared to engage in discussions with any parties, including EA, interested in a strategic business combination following Take-Two's release of Grand Theft Auto IV," said the company in a statement.

"The company has received indications of interest from third parties with respect to possible business combination transactions involving the company since EA's announcement, but no substantive discussions have yet occurred," detailed Take-Two.

"Our Board, after careful review, has unanimously determined that Electronic Arts' offer continues to provide insufficient value and remains opportunistically timed to capture the value of the upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV launch at the expense of our stockholders," said Zelnick.

"We are effectively working toward a process to review all available options to maximise this value, either as an independent company or in combination with a third party, and are open to beginning informal discussions starting now.

"Our stockholders' interests would hardly be served by accepting an offer from EA at the wrong price and the wrong time," he added.

I don't know what your thinking, but I'm thinking Sony should try and get at this deal, if Take-Two allows them.

[Take-Two opens door to third-party offers]

50 Cent II Announced for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360

We knew the announcement was coming. Vivendi has announced 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. By the looks of it, 50 Cent is in the middle-east this time, but the developers won't say.

"Once we get the game out there ... I think people will realize right away where our focus for the sequel is," Vivendi Games producer Aaron Blean told MTV News. "We've emphasized the gameplay quality [more] than anything this time around. We can't wait to show the game around."

"50 is going to create exclusive tracks for the game that you can only listen to in the game," Blean said, describing the game as the "ultimate 50 Cent experience."

Maybe Vivendi will get it right this time around. Seriously though, it's 50 Cent, he was good years ago. Where is my Talib Kweli video game?

[50 Cent Video Game: 'Blood On The Sand' Details]

Sonic Unleashed: Rumors and Rumblings

A trust-worthy source seems to have leaked some more information regarding SEGA's Sonic Unleashed to Kombo. Whether it is true or not is unknown, but they state it's trust-worthy. Lets look.

• It's being said that a good chunk of this is a real leak, and SEGA isn't happy about it. Word is that ONM in the UK and Play were supposed to have exclusives, but now? No telling where that stands.
• In addition, the screens are said to have been taken from the FTP server, but the video? That came from somewhere else. And SEGA's trying to perform damage control and get it removed from YouTube wherever they find it, or so they say; we aren't having any trouble finding it, and no "this video has been removed" yet. But let's face it, this cat is well out of the bag.
• While confirmation for any system is sketchy, it seems that the PS3 and Wii are the main ones right now, with the screens and video coming from the PS3 dev kit. No Wii pics yet, but it's said to be in the works. 360? Never say never, but at the moment, it remains "unconfirmed," as different SEGA people seem to be saying different things.
  
  This makes some sense, given the presence of what appear to be Secret Rings-styled segments, and the 360's lack of motion control.
• For gameplay, it's said that the game will be using the same engine as Sonic Rush for the Nintendo DS (not graphics engine, of course). Wolf Sonic, Were-Sonic, call him what you will, he's supposed to be real. But it's said that no details have been revealed as to his gameplay, regardless of what you may have read.

Hmm, and exclusive Sonic game to the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii. I wouldn't mind, but Sonic should be enjoyed by all fans, especially if this is the "good Sonic" we've all been waiting for.

[Rumor: Sonic Unleashed Rumblings]

Grand Theft Auto IV: OXM Multiplayer Preview

Here comes yet another multiplayer preview for Grand Theft Auto IV. There is a lot to read, so read, imagine it, bash your head against the wall for having to wait 33 more days, then love it.

• In all multiplayer modes entire Liberty City is available (Host sets what area people respawn at this is the main battle area but you can go anywhere).
• Your online character can be male or female.
• The money you get determines you rank online.
• You get money by killing people.
• Host can set how the game chat works (everyone hears you, only teams can hear eachother, or proximity chat).
• In race mode anything goes (you can use helicopters, boats, or even run across finish as long as your first you win).
• Shooting and driving is fairly difficult (as it should be).
• Hangmans NOOSE is 4 players and starts at airport where you must take Kenny Petrovic to safe zone in city while persuade by the NOOSE team (National Organization of Security Enforcement).
• You can skip rockets across the ground if aimed correctly.
• Free roam is just that: no rules, no cash, host decides weapons.
• OXM believed that free roam will be Grand Theft Auto IV's app and said it was incredible fun and will last for years and years they believe.
• Jeronimo Barrera, a senior developer at Rockstar, says it takes testers playing 4 hours a day "a good 2 weeks to get through the whole single-player game".
• Rockstar's Steve Hahnel says the ambition of Grand Theft Auto IV is the reason the game was delayed. Multiplayer was one of the main things responsible for the delay. Gameplay needed to be balanced, and "an authentic Liberty City had to be created for 16 players to explore and destroy simultaneously."
• In multiplayer, as stated previously, the host gets to decide on a number of options such as weather, vehicle types, spawn location, etc. The host also gets to decide if auto-aim can be used.
• Health, armor and cash pickups are available during multiplayer. The cash determines your online rank - from 0 to 10. Kill people and steal their money to boost your online credibility.
• You can wander anywhere during multiplayer, but if you die you will respawn in the area that the host has set.
• You can't play as Niko during multiplayer, but you can create your own character (male or female) using different clothing.

You can view the scans of the multiplayer mode (with actual new screenshots) at the link.

[OXM Multiplayer preview]

HAZE Officially Coming May 22, 2008

Ubisoft has finally revealed that HAZE is schedule for release in Europe (and probably the US as well) on May 22, 2008. The game has seen massive delays, but this is finally it.

[Haze confirmed for May 22]

Turok Multiplayer Maps Are Coming Soon

Propaganda today announced that it will be releasing new multiplayer maps for Turok tomorrow, along with a new cooperative map. The maps should go live on the PlayStation Network tomorrow during the Thursday update for around $5.00.

[Turok Multiplayer Maps Coming Soon; Game With Developers Today]

Grand Theft Auto IV: Map & PlayStation 3 Controller Layout Revealed

The first images of the double-sided map to be included with the PlayStation 3 version of Grand Theft Auto IV have appeared on the net. The new screenshotso show the PlayStation 3 controller layout for the game as well on the last screenshot. The map shows every landmark, restaurant, store, and street in the game. Talk about a city. [GTAGaming]

tri-Ace Blowout Next Famitsu

This week's issue of Japanese gaming magazine, Famitsu, comes with an announcement that next week's issue will feature a "tri-Ace Blowout". That means more screenshots of possibly Star Ocean IV and such. Every issue always keeps us waiting for the next.

[Famitsu: Tri-Ace blowout next week]

New Soul Calibur IV Character: Fia Angol

The latest issue of Japanese gaming magazine, Famitsu, reveals a new character in Namco Bandai's upcoming Soul Calibur IV. Her name is Fia Angol (super-sized picture here). She was designed by manga writer Mine Yoshizaki, who best known for creating Keroro Gunso.

Yes, her nipples look like they could kill someone.

[New Soul Calibur IV Character, Has Sharp Nipples]

Resident Evil 5: Famitsu DVD Footage

The latest issue of Famitsu Magazine came with a DVD with two and a half minutes of Resident Evil 5. The footage is all in Japanese, so we have no idea what he is saying, but as he talks you can see him playing the game, so a bit of gameplay is revealed. You can download this at the link below (right click -> save as). Enjoy!

[Download]

Write for the New onAXIS

The new site could just be right around the corner (you'll never know till' we launch it, hehe). Check out our latest preview here. So far, we've gathered up one more writer who goes by the name of Matt, who told us why SEGA needs to make a new Jet Set Radio title. Matt is going to be a feature writer and reviewer for the new site.

Although we now have me and Matt, we need at least four writers on the new site. We'd like to have one for nights on the EST for normal updates and features, and possibly a writer from Japan who speaks English to keep the rest of the world updated on whats new in PlayStation Japan.

Even if you don't apply for the above, and would like to write, shoot us an e-mail at: admin[at]onaxisonline[dot]com. Replace the [brackets] with their proper sign. We will require your name, previous sites (if any), and a piece of writing to see what you can do. Thanks!