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!

GT.TV Episode 108: Iron Man Gameplay, Incredible Hulk Debut

The next episode of GameTrailers TV is going to be full of Marvel magic. They will be showing the first gameplay video of Iron Man (which you can see a brief two seconds of in the preview) along with the armor suits we could expect to see in the game. They will also have the first footage of the upcoming The Incredible Hulk video game as well. Stay tuned Friday at 1:AM for the new episode.

Rumor: New Tidbits on Eight Days and The Getaway 3

In a supposed chat with one of the developers at Sony Computer Entertainment Studio Soho & London, the developer revealed some tiny information on a few anticipated titles.

• Gran Turismo 5 Prologue's London track is using assets taken from The Getaway 3.
• Designer reckons The Getaway 3 looks a little better than the Gran Turismo 5 Prologue London track, only on a bigger scale. Essentially The Getaway 3 will look similar.
• When quizzed about how this was possible, he merely stated that it's easier to manage when you don't have to worry about 60fps or 1080p.
  
• The Getaway 3 will run at 720p and 30fps.
• This time around The Getaway will focus more on crime/thriller suspense.
• Eight Days is coming along very well. First proper public showcasing of gameplay will be this summer.
  
• Eight Days will not be quite as revolutionary as some have mentioned, but will have numerous innovations.
  
• Designer reckons Eight Days looks so good, he wouldn't be surprised if it gets 10's from reviewers for visuals.
• Eight Days and Getaway 3 are visually quite different, namely in contrasting art styles.
• When asked which game of the two he thought looked better, he said he thought The Getaway 3 looked "a little bit better", but that both looked fantastic.
• He also mentioned what kind of mock scores early play tests of Eight Days had been getting. Ranging from 8.5 - 9's for gameplay and 10's for visuals. But said he wouldn't go in to much detail or blow his trumpet, as we could decide for ourselves later this year. I'll take that as a hint the game is being released later this year. But he didn't budge on the subject.

For now, we will classify this as a rumor, due to the fact we have no idea whether this user is telling the truth or not.

[NeoGAF]

X-Blades Official Site Launches

SouthPeak have launched the official website of the upcoming PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC title, X-Blades. The game is a nex-gen hack n' slasher, and follows the story of a hunter named Ayumi who needs to kill her enemies to get what she's after. You can view the site at the link below, along with screens, and other forms of media.

[X-BLADES]

BAJA: Debut Trailer

Well, here is the first trailer of BAJA, coming to you from 2XL and THQ. When I first watched the beginning, I was amazed, then I realized that they using half the trailer to show real dirt cars, and the other half to show the actual game. Looking at it, it's not spectacular, but it's alright.