Do you have what it takes to immerse yourself in the underground world of mercenary warfare? Find out in this new trailer for Soldier of Fortune: Pay Back.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Soldier of Fortune 3: Mercs Wanted Trailer
Do you have what it takes to immerse yourself in the underground world of mercenary warfare? Find out in this new trailer for Soldier of Fortune: Pay Back.
Gran Turismo 5 To Feature 900 Cars?
Top Gear was able to get Sony to let them have a test drive for the upcoming Gran Turismo 5.
The latest iteration of the Gran Turismo series will be fully online, using the PLAYSTATION Network, alongside lapping the TG circuit, players will be able to download classic episodes of Top Gear via a dedicated motoring channel called Gran Turismo TV.
The full version of the game is due to arrive around Christmas 2008 and, again, details are yet to be confirmed. Top Gear then writes:
"We have been told to expect around 900 cars and, of course, our track."If Gran Turismo 5 has 900 cars, and your a race fan, it might be hard to get bored.
[Via Top Gear]
Stranglehold Finally Gold, Woo Fans Rejoice
Today, Midway anounced that Stranglehold has gone gold for the Playstation 3. The action third-person shooter done in collaboration with John Woo will pack the film "Hard-Boiled" in the Collector's Edition for $69.99.
"The 50GB capacity of Blu-ray disc allows PS3 content publishers to do things simply not possible on our competitor's 9GB DVD-based systems. Thanks to the advanced technology found in PS3, developers like Midway can truly realize their visions, bringing consumers even closer to the game," said Riley Russell, senior vice president Third Party Relations from SCEA. Stranglehold continues the story of Inspector Tequila, played by Chow Yun-Fat that started in 1992 with John Woo's "Hard Boiled"As you wait for it's October 29th release date, enjoy the video trailer that Gaming Bits has provided us above.
[Via Gaming Bits]
Ratchet & Clank Future Developer Diary #1
Insomniac Games has some developer diaries they would like to share with us. In their first entry, they focus on one Brian Hastings, who is the Chief Creative Officer at Insomniac Games. Brian contributed to the overall story concept in Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction and the fine tuning of several other critical elements such as gameplay and voice acting to help ensure RRatchet & Clank Future went from good to great. He’s also an accomplished programmer, serving as the lead gameplay programmer on the first two Ratchet & Clank games.
In this developer diary, Brian discusses what Insomniac wanted to accomplish with Ratchet & Clank Future, how the team found decided what to keep in the game and what to cut, and shares his favorite joke in the game.
[Via PlayStation.Blog]
PES 2008 Goals Can Bounce Your Balls
A pretty funny video of a tiny glitch that occurred in the PLAYSTATION 3 version of Pro Evolution Soccer 2008. It seems someone went for a free kick and the glitch kicked in. Take a look for yourself. Oh, one thing to note is that GamesRadar writes:
"It's likely that the mirthsome moment comes from the next-gen demo, like the one on PlayStation Network"Last time I checked, it wasn't on there.
[Via GamesRadar]
The Elder Scrolls IV: The Shivering Isles Going Standalone
The second full expansion pack to Oblivion, The Shivering Isles allows players to explore The Isles of Mania and Dementia, reachable through a door on an island that appears in Niben Bay near Bravil. The expansion will extend Oblivion's gameplay for another 30+ hours and includes new quests, creatures, and dungeons. Among the new monsters are the Gatekeeper, a collection of bodyparts that have been stitched together, and the Knights of the Order, made up of tree roots.
The Shivering Isles standalone disc will be released on November 20, 2007.
[Via IGN]
Motorstorm: The 3.0 Update
The 3.0 update for Evolution's Motorstorm will be available for download tomorrow, October 25, 2007. The update includes:
- Added vibration support for DUALSHOCK 3 controller with adjustable sensitivity settings.
- Grid order has been randomised for first race in any online lobby.
- Finishing positions in your last race now determine your starting grid position in the next race within the same online lobby.
- On-screen indicator has been added to show whether voice comms are issuing from TV or headset – As before, please press and hold L1 (R1 if using control scheme ‘B’) to toggle headset output through TV or Headset.
- Sensitivity Settings for SIXAXIS™ Motion Sensor control have been added.
- ‘Gloating Index’ has been added to the Stats card – The Gloating index gives guidance as to a racer’s online prowess. It takes into account the number of people you’ve beaten in each race and the number of people that have beaten you. Use the gloating index to spot the players to beat in each race! Try and rank your Gloating Index up to the perfect ‘10’!
- Several causes for an occasional snagging issue which would destroy vehicles on suspension impact have been addressed.
- Further fixes to prevent the occasional statistics reset issue have been applied.
- Fixed an occasional issue with inaccuracies in Eliminator finishing results.
- Fixed an issue where winners leaving Eliminator before race completed could cause issues for other players in lobby.
[Via PS EU]
PLAYSTATION 3 BlackSite: Trouble In Development?
Just yesterday, we reported on the missing voice chat in the PLAYSTATION 3 version of BlackSite: Area 51. Now, we have even more news from an "insider".
"The PS3 version is experiencing issues and missed deadlines," he tells Opposable Thumbs. The insider also notes Midway's unhappiness with these issues; the PS3 demo and launch will likely end up being delayed as a result.
"Midway isn't happy at all about the progress, and it's a story I've heard over and over this year across the industry when it comes to the PS3 and cross-platform titles," the insider states.
BlackSite: Area 51 uses the Unreal Engine 3, which powers Midway games such as Unreal Tournament III and John Woo's Stranglehold, which are also being delayed on the PLAYSTATION 3 console.What could the problem be? Maybe Sony should step in and lend a hand.
[Via Opposable Thumbs]
New Street Fighter 2 HD Work-In-Progress Images
Capcom Digital posted some new work-in-progress images of Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD, the revamped version of Street Fighter 2 coming to the PLAYSTATION Network and Xbox Live. Take a moment to give these three a look, we think they look prety good, no pixels baby, no pixels.
[Via Capcom Digital]
GTA: Vice City Goes To The Future
The thing that sucks about the PLAYSTATION 2 version of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is the no modifications situation going on. The PLAYSTATION 3 is starting to change that with Unreal Tournament III, hopefully we can see mods for Grand Theft Auto IV as well. This Back to the Future mod for the PC version of Vice City, and it's really quite cool.
It has the scorching tire marks, time travel, the flying DeLorean, the hoverboard, and another surprise at the very end, courtesy of the imagination of Doc Brown.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Game Informer: Ratchet & Clank Score 9.25/10
Yet another review for Ratchet & Clank is in, and this one is from Game Informer. They give Insomniac's latest release a whopping 9.25/10. Here is their breakdown:
CONCEPTRead the full Ratchet & Clank Future review at the link below.
Take the tried and true Ratchet & Clank formula and use the PS3’s power to shoot the production values through the roof.
GRAPHICS
In its own colorful way, this is as impressive as BioShock or Gears of War. The cutscenes really do resemble an animated CG movie.
SOUND
As always, the hilarious voiceovers are top-notch, as is the rousing score.
PLAYABILITY
The Clank levels are a bit lackluster, but the core platforming and shooting is better than it’s ever been.
ENTERTAINMENT
While not doing much in terms of innovation, this is as much pure fun as you’ll have this fall playing a video game.
REPLAY
Moderate.
[Read: Ratchet & Clank Future GI Review]
Ratchet & Clank Bring On The Videos
Today was a big day for Ratchet & Clank. It's debut PLAYSTATION 3 title was released (in most stores at least), it received mostly good reviews (just GameSpot gave it a 7.5 for some strange reason), and to add on to that, we have a ton of new videos for you to enjoy. So now, enjoy them or go play the game yourself!
NBA 08 On The Television
Return to the court with all the excitement and passion of the NBA on your PLAYSTATION 3. Like what you see?
Turok: Dino Luring Vignette
Trying to kill some Dinosaurs? Don't know how? No problem, watch this new Dino Luring Turok Vignette and discover how. It's quite interesting at the least.
GameSpot: Ratchet & Clank Scores A Wait, 7.5?
Wow, this is a turn of events, with all of the nines we've been seeing for Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, you'd never think we see a 7.5/10 for it. Here is GameSpot's breakdown:
The GoodRead the full Ratchet & Clank Future review at the link.The Bad
- Shooting and platforming gameplay is fun.
- Lots of different and useful weapons.
- Beautiful, colorful visuals.
- Tight controls.
- There's some good humor in it, but the story isn't very interesting, and the ending is a letdown.
- So many different, often unnecessary gameplay mechanics that the game lacks an identity.
- Difficulty is too easy and only the last hour or so is remotely challenging.
[Read: R&C GameSpot Review]
PLAYSTATION 3: Big Exclusives Montage
GameDominator, a member of GameTrailers has created a montage of the upcoming and released PLAYSTATION 3 games most gamers are excited for. This includes HAZE, Heavenly Sword, Metal Gear Solid 4, and more. Enjoy.
[Via GT Forums]
PLAYSTATION 3: The Advertising & Third-Party Plan
Another subject to expand on.
E-Mail Advertising
Is anybody here subscribed to PLAYSTATION Underground's weekly subscription e-mails? If so, tell me what you see. What? Not subscribed? No problem. Take a look for yourself below.
What do you see here? A normal e-mail sent to Sony viewers, yes, but what type of games do you see being advertised? First party games. Now lets compare an e-mail from Xbox with this one.
What do you see in these e-mails? Sure, the bigger highlights are first party titles as well, but there is much mention of the third party titles. The difference between Sony and Microsoft is that Microsoft knows how to get in touch with third parties, therefore bringing it more content on Live such as demos, videos, and what not.
TV Commercials
Lets take this a step further, lets look at TV Commercials, multiplatform commercials. The list below:
- Madden NFL 08
- SEGA Rally Revo
- SKATE
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2008
- Stanglehold
Alright, lets stop as you probably get the point. None of these videos mention anything about a PLAYSTATION 3 version of the game, because Microsoft funds the money needed to air the commercial, which Sony doesn't.
GameStop Advertising
Let me ask you something else now. Ever visit GameStop? Have you ever seen their posters on the wall? GameStop makes those posters. The boxart for most of the multiplatform posters showcase the Xbox 360 box, not the PLAYSTATION 3 box, probably because of the same reason of the commercials.
Now if I had pictures of these posters, I'd show you, but sadly I do not. Just give them a visit, you'll see my point. Take a browse through their reserve book, look at the pictures, it will be 360 everything unless it's Wii.
Seen their demos they give out? As of now they are giving out free Tony Hawk's Proving Ground demos and are soon going to give out free Turok demos with Xbox 360 pre-orders.
Been to GameStop lately? Seen the Guitar Hero III display, what system is it displayed on? Xbox 360.
Younger Audiences
Another thing to mention is, the Xbox 360 is getting games like Looney Toons: Acme Arensal, Bee Movie The Game, and even though we may not be much attracted to that category of games, it will attract a younger audience, bringing more console sales.
Developer Troubles
Another thing to look upon, developer troubles. Ever notice the extremely long delays for PLAYSTATION 3 games? Stranglehold has been out on the Xbox 360 since September 5,2007. The Orange Box was released on the Xbox 360 early this month, and the PLAYSTATION 3 version was delayed till December 11, 2007. Army of Two was just delayed because of trouble on the PLAYSTATION 3 version.
Developer Crap
You'd think by now, Sony would step in and help them out.
Another thing is even developers who probably have no trouble at all with the console, like Electronic Arts are treating the console basically like crap. You heard the NFL Tour situation? Apparently, the Xbox 360 version runs at 60fps and the PLAYSTATION 3's version runs at 30fps, even after Peter Moore said "starting with NBA Live 08, all PLAYSTATION 3 games are running at 60fps". NBA Live 08 released, 30fps.
It's third party relations people.
We like to expand on our topics, and this issue was brought up in the "Thoughts on the Network" article, expect to see more expanding.
Q&A: Everyday Shooter Creator Jonathan Mak
Everyday Shooter is the console debut for the one-man studio Queasy Games, also known as Jonathan Mak. The game was released on the PLAYSTATION Network earlier this month. It's artistic approach to the typical shooter game won it an award for design at the Independent Games Festival. GameSpot interviewed him today:
GameSpot: What previous experience in the game industry do you have?
Jonathan Mak: In the industry? I guess none. But I've been programming games on my own since about '97 or '98. And about two years ago, I was working for some guy as a game programmer on contract. I don't know if that's "in the industry." Probably not, but I've never worked for a studio or whatever.
Read the full interview at the link.
[Read: Jonathan Mak Interview]
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