SCRAWL Launches on May 11, 2008

Here it is readers, SCRAWL, the new home of onAXIS, has finally launched (yeah, we are for real this time). We are very excited and we hope you are. Bear with us as we install the forums. Visit the welcome post below.

[SCRAWL]

New Official PlayStation Magazine Australia Editor Says Unnannounced PlayStation 3 Game Will Blow Your Mind

In a new interview with new Official PlayStation Magazine Editor for Australia, Vanessa Morgan, they ask what are her top five upcoming PlayStation 3 games that she is most excited about. She answers.

"1. LittleBigPlanet
2 Motorstorm 2
3. MGS4
4. An unannounced title coming to PS3 for the first time
5. Another unannounced title coming to PS3 that'll BLOW you away

Sorry, not meaning to rub it in but OMG! The titles are BIG and so were the forms I've had to sign about not releasing any info until after the embargo dates pass BUT all will be revealed in the next two issues of the mag. We've had to fly to London, Paris, San Fran, Vegas and LA to nab this info. We're tired and our eyes are square."

What can this huge title be? What can the other unannounced title on the PlayStation 3 for the first time be as well? I guess we will have to wait for the next two issues of the magazine.

[Introducing Vanessa Morgan]

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe: Scorpion Revealed

Game With a Brain put up the in-game render for Scorpion for Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe yesterday. His uniform update is pretty nice, and we have no complaints. So until more footage and character renders come, just enjoy this.

[MK vs DC: Heeeeere's Scorpion]

More Evidence Niko Will Be Visiting San Andreas?

We posted a rumor yesterday about a ticket appearing on Rockstar's Social Club website for a plane ride from Liberty City to San Andreas for a Niko Bellic.

Now, there is possibly more evidence that Niko will be visiting San Andreas in Grand Theft Auto IV. Here is a billboard in the game with a price for a plane ticket to visit Los Santos in San Andreas. If you recall, Grand Theft Auto III had billboard ads for Vice City as well.

[Niko Bellic's San An Flight Priced By Airways]

Race Driver: GRID PlayStation 3 vs. Xbox 360 Comparison Is Fishy

Here is yet another comparison for an anticipated upcoming game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Race Driver: GRID. They both look almost exactly the same, but I noticed at the end when they changed from PlayStation 3 to Xbox 360, the buttons at the bottom for the PlayStation 3 stayed. What is GameTrailers up to? Or is it just a mistake?

Update 12:10AM: GameTrailers have taken down the video.

Update 9:24AM: A gamer has gotten it up on YouTube showing the lies of the video. It came from this discussion thread.

New Site Opening Tomorrow Night, IRC Chat for Site Names

Well, we are launching the new site tomorrow night, and right now you can catch up with us in the IRC Chat located in the right sidebar of the site labeled "onAXIS mIRC Chat". We ask you to join us in the chat with any last minute names for the site you have that may just bring the spark to this site it needs. Or if you have any questions, or just want to chat, feel free to come in and ask.

Meet us there!

Persona 4 Opening Is Awseome

Atlus always gets me with these Persona openings. The opening to Persona 3 was great, so why wouldn't the opening to Persona 4 be? Take a watch if you'd like to spoil it, and if you do, enjoy it.

Kitase Dreaming of Final Fantasy VII Remake

During an interview for French TV program, "Next Gen", on French TV channel MCM, Yoshinori Kitase, producer of the Final Fantasy series, said that he is hoping to do a Final Fantasy VII remake after XIII and Versus XIII.

He said "Every day I wake up and the project is moving slowly, although it is still at the stage of reflection."

It will come, my readers!

[Kitase is dreaming about a remake of Final Fantasy VII] [Image]

PlayStation Day 2008: Conference Videos Including Summary

Here are three new PlayStation Day 2008 videos showing the conference they've held in crystal clear HD. The same conference were Hirai delays Home and KILLZONE 2 once more. The summary can be seen above, other videos are below.

Face Breaker: Steve Talking Head Trailer

Here is a new character profile for EA's upcoming Facebreaker. This character is named Steve weighing in somewhere between Superman and The Incredible Hulk. This new video shows off some of his fantastic moves. Enjoy!

Call of Duty 5 Already Playable?

Thanks to some sources alerting Kotaku, we have word that Call of Duty 5 is already playable.

The game, developed by Treyarch, is set in a World War II Pacific environment and will be using the same engine as Call of Duty 4. That engine will also be used on the upcoming 007: Quantum of Solace.

[Call of Duty 5 Already Playable]

Microsoft's Greenberg Says Sony Fails on Promises

Microsoft's Aaron Greenbeg, Director of Product Management for the Xbox 360 and Live, spoke today on promises made by Sony that they've failed to keep. Read his "speech" below.

"I know a lot of folks enjoy watching the console wars and we would never underestimate our competition. But answer to your question specifically, didn't Sony promise all of this last year including Home as well? We have been fighting Sony's promises from the day we entered the market and if you remember at that time it was all about PS2 being an online cybercity with partner announcements from the likes of RealNetworks and AOL. Then three years ago at E3 they showed what PS3 games would supposedly look like with the Killzone 2 video, that we are now learning will ship four years later. That means that we will have shipped Gears of War and Gears of War 2 before they can even get Killzone out the door," he said. "Think back to GDC 2007 when Sony promised to leap ahead in online with the Sony Home unveil. Here we are two years later and multiple delays for a product that appears to have little to no buzz. Where are the achievements? The friends list integration across all games? Where is the long-promised video store? Where are all the other products using and networking with their CELL chip? How come Blu-ray did not result in better games? What happened with Sixaxis and rumble? Where is the complete 1080p game library we were promised? If Blu-ray as they said would be such a catalyst to PS3 console sales, then why have PS3 sales over the past couple months not seen any lift since the format victory?"

The regular PlayStation 3 owner will probably agree with the statements of Greenberg. He makes a valid point, as we still have not received our in-game XMB, Home, or any of the other stuff he mentioned. Games continue to come with required installation even though Blu-Ray is available. Can Sony turn this all around?

[Exclusive Destructoid interview: Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg on GTA IV]

Gran Turismo Hits the 50 Million Mark

Sony Computer Entertainment has announced today that the Gran Turismo series has hit the 50 million mark. The list of sales for each games puts Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec in the lead, with 5 Prologue in dead last. View the press release below.

Gran Turismo(TM) Series Shipment Exceeds 50 Million Units Worldwide
Remarkable Sales Achieved In Only 10 Years And 4 Months Since The Original Gran Turismo Launched In 1997

TOKYO, May 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) announced today that the cumulative worldwide shipment of the Gran Turismo(TM) franchise, a genre-defining racing and car-life simulator available on PlayStation(R), PlayStation(R)2, and PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(R)) computer entertainment systems, has exceeded 50 million units as of April 30, 2008. This remarkable sales figure was achieved in just 10 years and 4 months since the launch of the first title in the franchise - Gran Turismo, in December 1997.

The Gran Turismo franchise, from the original Gran Turismo to the latest Gran Turismo(TM) 5 Prologue, has continued to evolve alongside the PlayStation platforms. With its outstanding game play, beautiful graphics and the true to life driving feel, the franchise is recognized as the world's number one automotive game title on the PlayStation format, receiving high regard not just from game fans, but also from professional racing drivers and people in the automobile industry.

The seventh installment of the world's best-selling racing franchise, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue introduces entirely new entertainment modes by taking advantage of the broadband network, such as online head-to-head racing for up to 16 players, "GRAN TURISMO-TV"; a new in-game online channel that delivers automotive video contents from around the globe, and downloadable additional contents including new cars and courses, only possible on PS3. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue has recorded strong sales since the first launch in Japan in December, 2007, followed by North America and Europe in Spring of 2008, with more than 2 million units of cumulative shipment worldwide and contributing to the further expansion of the PS3 platform.

For all Gran Turismo fans around the world, SCEI and the developer of the Gran Turismo series -- Polyphony Digital Inc., will continue hereon to vigorously promote development of the Gran Turismo series, which can be expected to evolve even further through the PS3 platform and broadband network environment.

"Initially, Gran Turismo was an 'alternative' racing game, kind of an outsider in the genre," said Kazunori Yamauchi, Producer of Gran Turismo. "And we made it thinking that it would be okay as long as it reached out to 'the select few who would agree with us.' So this figure -- 50 million units -- is simply astounding. If you go to a game store and look for a particular package, and pay for it at the cash register, though the time may be very brief, it still takes at least 3 minutes or so. It's simply mind boggling and hard to believe that this has been repeated 50 million times all around the world in the last 10 years. I would really like to thank all the fans who have supported the Gran Turismo series over the years, for all their passion and love of the game. We'd like to continue making every effort to create cutting edge, high quality games, so that we don't disappoint anyone's expectations."

Title Release Dates in North America

Gran Turismo May 12, 1998
Gran Turismo 2 December 23, 1999
Gran Turismo 3 A-spec July 10, 2001
Gran Turismo 4 February 22, 2005
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue April 15, 2008

About Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Recognized as the global leader and the company responsible for the progression of consumer-based computer entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) manufacturers, distributes and markets the PlayStation(R) game console, the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, the PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable) handheld entertainment system and the PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(R)) system. PlayStation has revolutionized home entertainment by introducing advanced 3D graphic processing, and PlayStation 2 further enhances the PlayStation legacy as the core of home networked entertainment. PSP is a new handheld entertainment system that allows users to enjoy 3D games, with high-quality full-motion video, and high-fidelity stereo audio. PS3 is an advanced computer system, incorporating the state-of-the-art Cell processor with super computer level processing power. SCEI, along with its subsidiary divisions Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd., and Sony Computer Entertainment Korea Inc. develops, publishes, markets and distributes software, and manages third party licensing programs for these platforms in the respective markets worldwide. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. is an independent business unit of the Sony Group.

PlayStation, PLAYSTATION, PS3 and the PlayStation logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Gran Turismo is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

All manufacturers, cars, names, brands and associated imagery featured in this game are trademarks and/or copyrighted materials of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

US PlayStation Store Gets JP Feature

For those of you that have Japanese accounts on the PlayStation Network, you may have seen this when you were downloading your Mainichi Issho game or Siren: New Translation demo.

It has finally come the US store now, however. What I'm talking about here is the "Featured Games" and "Top Downloads" on the side there. It's always a good new feature to have.

[PSN@Home]

PlayStation 3 Lets DICE Push Texture "Much Higher" for Mirror's Edge

Digital Illusion CE has said that the PlayStation 3's cell processor has allowed them to "push the resolution (of Mirror's Edge) of our textures much higher".

Sean Decker spoke during PlayStation Day 2008 in London on Tuesday saying that the PlayStation 3 has "a lot of little quirks to it that we really like and our engineers love as well as our designers".

During Sean Decker's on-stage presentation at the keynote, he said that "thanks to the incredible processing power of the PS3" DICE was able to make its "vision of what the game really is".

Off-stage, he was quized on what else the PlayStation 3 is allowing the developers to do. He said: "The great thing about it is that there's a lot of little things like, Faith there when she's walking like this (points to Mirror's Edge trailer showing Faith tightrope-walking across a beam), Sixaxis controls, super easy to implement and say, OK well just balance it and then you've got it there, as opposed to teaching a player to say, oh let's push this button or that button."

He continued: "The other thing is the Cell really allows us to push the resolution of our textures much higher and we've taken full advantage of that as well. So there's a lot of little quirks to it that we really like and our engineers love as well as our designers."

So will the PlayStation 3 version be better than the Xbox 360 version? Decker refused to say.

"The controls are different," he said. "The other thing is the way the architecture in each one of the machines is different. It allows you to do different things with them and emphasise things, like let's try a higher texture resolution on this one, and if you want to push the GPU or the CPU, and how the engineers want to balance out what's most important in this game and how you want to bring that out in each one of them.

"At DICE we have lead engineers on all of our major platforms and they're the ones who really architect it and say, you know what this is, what this platform is great for and this is how we're going to bring it out on it. I wouldn't say one's better than the other. Again they have different quirks. It's kind of like driving several different SUVs and saying one's better than the other."

[PS3 Cell lets DICE push texture res "much higher"]

Mirror's Edge Will Not Be 1080p, Only 720p

Mirror's Edge developer Digital Illusions CE have revealed today that their upcoming title will not be in 1080p on either the PlayStation 3 or the Xbox 360.

At PlayStation Day 2008 in London on Tuesday, DICE's general manager Sean Decker said that gamers can expect "crisp, clear texture resolutions" at the high definition minimum of 720p.

"It's more about in certain situations you're going to see very crisp, clear texture resolutions there and, again, this is more for the tech-file, somebody like me who's sitting up there and looking at every single little detail and saying, OK what's the difference between this one and this one, putting them side by side." Decker said.

[PS3 Mirror's Edge won't be in 1080p, DICE confirms]

Motorstorm 2: SCEE Gamer's Day Trailer

Thanks to GameVideos, we have the SCEE Gamer's Day (PlayStation Day 2008) trailer for Motorstorm 2. Once again, it looks like nothing but Island Paradise. Enjoy!

Rumor: Niko Going to San Andreas?

On the Rockstar Social Club official website, you are able to drag the objects around that are under the Story Gang book (you need to have completed the story to see it). A plane ticket can be clearly seen under the book for Niko Bellic from Liberty City and to San Andreas. Could this be an upcoming sequel to Grand Theft Auto IV? Or possibly just that exclusive Xbox 360 DLC? Or perhaps even exclusive PlayStation 3 DLC. Remember Mr. Reeves?

[SPOILER? Possible 'Sequel'?, Source: R* Social Club]