Thursday, April 10, 2008

Old Snake on His Way to Unreal Tournament III

A skilled modeler at the Epic Community is working on a model of Old Snake from Kojima's Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for Epic's Unreal Tournament III. The model isn't quite complete yet, but it is coming along very nice and smoothly. We look forward to its finish.

[MGS4 Old Snake]

Super Stardust HD Getting Add-On with Store Revamp?

Sev1512 seems to have gotten some insider tips from Sony Computer Entertainment. It seems that along with some of the great things such as Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Warhawk's Operation Broken Mirror, and more, the PlayStation Store will be receiving a new Super Stardust HD add-on. No word on what will be in this add-on. We will label this as a rumor for now, we will confirm or debunk on Tuesday.

[Rumor: Super StarDust HD add-on coming with new PS Store.]

Coder Launches BBC PlayStation 3 iPlayer

BBC may have not made the iPlayer functional with the PlayStation 3, but a coder known as Ixalon has. Going to the below link allows the PlayStation 3 to access iPlayer content right on their TV. However, it does not allow full-screen, but some zooming can get it almost right.

[PS3 iPlayer] [BBC iPlayer comes to the PS3 with PS3iPlayer.com]

Ben Heck's PlayStation 3 Portable Laptop

Benjamin J Heckendorn (aka Ben Heck), the guy who made the Xbox 360 Elite laptop, has come back with a new PlayStation 3 laptop, displaying at a gorgeous 720p. Looking at this makes me want to rip apart my PlayStation 3 and attempt one.

Then I'll realize I just ruined my console.

[Ben Heck's Latest Wonder Project: PS3 Laptop]

Warhawk: Operation Broken Mirror CTF Gameplay


Sony Computer Entertainment released a new video today of the upcoming Operation Broken Mirror downloadable content for Warhawk today. The new content features a new battlefield called Vaporfield Glacier, an APC vehicle, and 10 bonus layouts for battlefields from the original game so that you can play with the APCs. Enjoy!

PlayStation 3 Exclusive Iron Man Armor: Ultimate

The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Iron Man from SEGA and Secret Level will be receiving their own pieces of exclusive armor in the game.

The Xbox 360 will be receiving the Silver Centurion armor, while the PlayStation 3 will be receiving the much cooler looking Ultimate armor (click left image for full-body high resolution image).

In the Ultimate Universe, an alternate version of the Marvel Universe, Tony Stark requires the help of an entire specialized crew to help maintain this bulkier Iron Man armor. As seen in The Ultimates, this ensemble functions more like a compact vehicle than a man-sized suit of armor.
Hit the link for the list of armor in both consoles.

[PS3 And 360 Get Exclusive Iron Man Armor]

Fallout 3 to Now Feature Over 500 Endings

Forget 12 or 200 endings, now we are going to a new high. In a new Fallout 3 preview, Bethesda's Pete Hines tells Destructoid that the game will now feature over 500 endings. He says the main quest can be completed in 20-25 hours, but will feature many side-quests to keep you occupied. Head to the link for the full preview.

[Pew! Pew! Preview!: Fallout 3 (Part II)]

Fallout 3: Three New Screenshots


Well, they may not be new, but Bethesda officially released these images of Fallout 3 to the other press today other than PCGames. Still looking really good, and yes, I'm still drooling. Damn drool. Enjoy!

SCEA Spills the Beans on Metal Gear Solid 4: Steel PS3, Online, More

Brandon Laurino of Konami Online posted on the PlayStation.Blog today revealing everything about Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots on the PlayStation 3.

The game is rated "M" for "Mature" by the ESRB and will be out on June 12, 2008. The game comes in the: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Standard Edition ($59.99), the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Limited Edition ($84.99), the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots PLAYSTATION 3 Hardware Bundle, and the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Limited Edition PLAYSTATION 3 Hardware Bundle. Reserving the game at a GameStop will get you the Metal Gear Saga Vol. 2 DVD with the Metal Gear Online beta code.

The full game will include the Metal Gear Online starter pack, meaning a full-fledged, fully-featured multiplayer game. It's not a demo or a teaser, it comes packed with maps, weapons and items, an in-depth character creator, a customized special abilities that you can level and improve through experience, the SOP system, and more. A deep community system will be in the game that will feature stats, communication, and other never-before-seen features.

They say they call it starter pack because it is only the beginning of Metal Gear Online. They have huge amounts of DLC pllaned for the game which includes new maps, weapons and items, and more.

The Limited Edition version of the game will be only available at GameStop. It contains everything that the Standard Edition offers as well as a collectible box, an additional Blu-ray disc with two unique and never before seen Metal Gear Solid “Making of…” documentaries, and the game Soundtrack. People who reserve the Limited Edition will receive the artbook as well.

The Standard Bundle will include an 80GB PLAYSTATION 3, a DUALSHOCK 3 controller, a PAIN downloadable game voucher, and the standard edition of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriotss.

The Limited Edition Bundle will include the Gunmetal Grey (Steel) PLAYSTATION 3, and they don't mention which version of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will be included.

They say on Monday they have a special surprise for us. Wonder what it could be.

[Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots – Product Details Revealed!]

Metal Gear Solid 4: Final Boxart Revealed

Konami today revealed the standard and limited edition boxarts for their upcoming Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. It also comes with a press release, which you can read below. Enjoy!
METAL GEAR SOLID® 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS STANDARD AND LIMITED EDITIONS
El Segundo, Calif. April 10, 2008 - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. announced today that the limited edition of the highly-anticipated release of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system will be available in North America on June 12 exclusively at GameStop, the world's largest video game and entertainment software retailer. Additionally, Konami has revealed pricing and the first images of the final packaging for both the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Standard Edition and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Limited Edition.

NeoGAF Moderator Confirms Grand Theft Auto IV PS3 Bundle

NeoGAF moderator Jim today confirmed that the PlayStation 3 Grand Theft Auto IV bundle is indeed hitting. The bundle is, according to Jim, "150% exclusive" to the PlayStation 3. He does state that the bundle will most likely not be available on Grand Theft Auto IV's launch day, but it is possible. He also confirms that as of now, all he knows is that the bundle is coming to Europe, and has no information on whether a North American bundle will hit.

[GTAIV PS3 Bundlein Europe?]

Update: Retailer Shopto in Europe has confirmed it as well.

PlayStation Store Revamped Walkthrough


Instead of a PlayStation Store update today, Sony gave us the video walkthrough of the revamped PlayStation Store. A new video from Grace Chen shows us the demo. The store looks fantastic if you ask me.

She also reveals that firmware 2.30 will include a DTS-HD Master Audio output for Blu-ray videos, meaning that the high-definition visuals of Blu-Ray will now be matched with the highest quality audio for the best movie watching experience possible on the PlayStaiton 3.

[PS3 Firmware v.2.30 Details and Store Walkthrough]

PlayStation Store Revamp: Japanese Screenshots


We were able to get some new screenshots of the Japanese version of the upcoming PlayStation Store revamp. The new store will include a preview functionality as you can see below, along with other new features as well. Enjoy!

LAIR Analog Patch Coming April 17, 2008

Yes people, it seems Factor 5's (terribly controlled) LAIR will finally be getting that rare analog control patch this April 17, 2008 (for Japan at least). We are hoping to expect the same for the North American and European versions of the game as well.

The new update adds analog stick control, better aim function, and two new dragons (Poison and Wind Dragons).

[PlayStation JP]

PlayStation 3 Firmware 2.30 Arriving on April 15, 2008

According to the Japanese PlayStation site, the firmware update 2.30 which includes the PlayStation Store revamp, will be hitting our console on April 15, 2008, meaning this upcoming Tuesday. These updates are usually worldwide, so expect the same for North America and Europe. Look below for the rough Japanese translation.

Sony PlayStation 3 online service will be renewed on April 15th, 2008 (Tuesday) evening. This will renew and expand the store by adding functionality described below:

  • New interface and navigation improvements
  • Preview video content using still images
  • New download categories added

After the update, PS3 System Software 2.30 will be available.

New download categories add? Oh really. Could this be movies? I guess we will find out the 15th. Also, SCEJ will be offering a "PlayStation Treasure Hunt" from April 15, 2008 to May 12, 2007. This will allow every 50th user to the store to download a "hidden" piece of content (game, application, demo, etc.), but we have no idea what it is.

[PS3 Firmware 2.30 available April 15th 2008]

Buzz! Quiz TV Debut Trailer



The semi-official Three Speech has today posted the debut trailer for Sony Computer Entertainment's upcoming Buzz! Quiz TV for the PlayStation 3. I own Buzz! The Mega Quiz, and I must say, when you have people around such as family, and you need something to do, Buzz will keep you occupied. This PlayStation 3 version is looking super sharp, and I think I just might pick a copy up. Now, lets switch the talking over to Buzz, he will tell you what it is all about. Enjoy!