Sony is launching its long-promised video download service on the PlayStation 3 this summer, though it has yet to get most of Hollywood aboard.
At a Tokyo press conference on Thursday, vidgame topper Kaz Hirai announced plans to allow users to download movies and TV shows via the PS3 game console starting this summer in the U.S. and soon thereafter in Europe and Asia. Company has said such a service was in the works since the PS3 debuted in 2006.
Read the full story @ PS3.iBlogGames.com
A rumor was flying around the internet that MGS4 would have 90 minute cut-scenes. Well a Gamepro editor says this rumor is false.
“I’ve beat the game twice, and am the author of the forthcoming [GamePro] review,” Shuman said. “Ninety-minute-long cinemas in MGS4 sounds like an exaggeration. Like the other MGS games, MGS4 definitely has a cinematic quality. And yes, some of the cut-scenes in the game are elaborate and occasionally lengthy. But not a one, to my recollection, even approaches 90 minutes.”
The U.S. midnight release of the fourth “Grand Theft Auto” video game Monday, comes with a new wave of concern about its violent content, critics say.
The game features mobster-like characters who have the ability to fire grenades, shoot police helicopters and punch cab drivers in the face, among other acts, as they follow game’s unique story lines.
Controversy regarding the game’s release prompted the Chicago Transit Authority to take down ads promoting it in the city, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Critics of the game reportedly argue it influences children with violent themes and ideas.
“People think video games equal kids, and that if it’s just a game, it should be fine. But the idea that a game is made for a mature audience, we (as a society) don’t have our arms around that yet,” said Robin Burke, a game-development professor at DePaul University.
The game is projected to pull in at least $400 million in its first week, said Wes Sand, Game Crazy senior vice president.
We already know that Call of Duty 5 is in the works, and should be released later this year. We also have been informed that Treyarch will be going back to WWII instead of staying put in the Modern Warfare setting Infinity Ward created for the fourth game in the series. At the time of that revelation many were upset, seeing it as a step back from the great reaction COD4 got from critics and gamers alike.
However, recent info suggests that Treyarch will not be stepping straight back into familiar territory with their upcoming game, and will not be yet again placing the player in a European or American setting. They will instead be taking the battle over to Japan, and will likely put players in the shoes of soldiers who took part in the Pacific Campaign of World War II. The exact details of where the battles will take place still remain a mystery, but the focus of the CoD5 story will be on their side of the world rather than in Western Europe this time round.
Hopefully recreating the Battle of Iwo Jima along with other memorable battles that formed part of that campaign in virtual form is a possibility. In addition, the change in setting may be just what Treyarch needs to get people interested in their vision of CoD instead of having to continually listen to people complaining IW are not involved.
Wow - this one is a mind trip. GamesRadar UK has managed to secure the first reveal of the new Mortal Kombat game. But your favorite spine-ripping warriors are no longer alone.
In Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, releasing this fall on 360 and PS3, they’ll be joined - and challenged to battle - by your favorite justice-serving superheroes as well.
We reckon these less-than-hyped titles might just be the real stars of 2008. Yes, and we’re not just talking about GTA IV.
Sure, you’re probably more than aware that Grand Theft Auto IV is out on April 29th, but there are plenty of potential hits in store for gamers in 2008 that don’t quite share GTA IV’s marketing budget. Here’s eight somewhat lesser known titles that we reckon could be the quiet achievers in 2008:
Empire: Total War (PC, November 2008): It takes a certain amount of chutzpah to declare that your game is going to be (and we quote) “the greatest and most awe-inspiring Total War experience ever”. Still, developers Creative Assembly haven’t let us down before, and their latest Total War experience — which promises detailed battles across the planet in the 18th and 19th century, including naval combat — should be just as much addictive fun as Rome and Medieval II were.
Lego Batman: The Videogame (Every format known to mankind, September 2008): Sure, Lego Indy’s getting the hype right now — but after somebody’s picked Indy in his Nazi-free sanitised Lego realm, who are you going to choose? Short Round? We don’t think so. Better suited is Gotham’s Dark Knight, his perky teenage sidekick and a host of villains strangely suited to blocky format.
Alone In The Dark (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, May 2008):
Technically Alone in the Dark 5 — has it really been sixteen years since the original game? Anyway, Atari’s update promises to mix puzzles, horror and, strangely enough, New York’s Central Park into its gameplay mix. While Resident Evil get most of the kudos for survival horror, it was Alone In The Dark that started it all, and hopefully the latest instalment won’t disappoint.
TNA: Impact! (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, June 2008): THQ’s Smackdown series might rule the sales charts for wrestling games, but it’s undeniably stale, with a ton of broken gameplay mechanics. TNA Impact! (the TNA stands, rather stupidly, for “Total Nonstop Action”, and not what you were thinking…) should give it some solid competition — there’s very little more fun than creating a ridiculous wrestler and diving all around a ring — six sided, in this game’s case.
Sins Of A Solar Empire (PC, April 2008): The Australian release date for this isn’t until the end of the month. Right when GTA IV launches. Which do you think will sell better? That aside, Ironclad’s real-time strategy/micromanagement/space sim has managed plenty of solid reviews in the US, where it’s been available since January. If Master Of Orion style games are your thing, this could eat up your entire year.
LittleBigPlanet (PS3, September 2008): Plenty of drooling is being aimed at Gran Turismo 5 right now, but that’s not due in full until 2009. Meanwhile, LittleBigPlanet — a quirky, semi-user-generated physics-based platformer is due for release in September 2008 in European PAL territories — and although an Australian release date is still pending, it’s hopefully not too much further away than that.
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (PC, Late 2008): Can anything beat World Of Warcraft in the MMO arena? Warhammer at least has the pedigree — Games Workshop’s been selling tiny lead Orcs and pitting them in mass battle for a quarter of a century now, and with EA’s marketing muscle behind it, Age Of Reckoning could be something special. On the other hand, the world’s millions of WoW devotees might not even look up from their keyboard grind long enough for it to register…
Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Late 2008): By the time Ubisoft’s done paying for the exclusive Tom Clancy rights, we will have seen all sorts of games — can Tom Clancy’s Raving Rabbids be far away? Anyway, the next TC game on Ubisoft’s roster is a multiplayer combat flight simulator — so presumably nobody has to play the role of harried stewardess. With four player co-op or up to sixteen planes screaming through the air in deathmatch style, this could be rather special.
Hm. Is there space enough to note that “Teenage Zombies: Invasion of the Alien Brain Thingys!” probably has the best game title of 2008? No? Pity…
Originally Posted @ PCAuthority.com
With the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 hardware, many developers claim they’re finally able to achieve destructible environments. The thing is, Red Faction achieved it in 2001 on the PlayStation 2. With that background, it’s not surprising to see Volition pushing the envelope once again with Red Faction: Guerilla, which ships for PS3 and Xbox 360 later this year. As the third game in the series, Red Faction: Guerilla marks a step forward for the franchise, both in plotline and technology. But more important, it marks a step forward for third-person shooters, as it takes environmental destruction and strategy to the next level. READ THE FULL ARTICLE @ DailyGame.net
New GTA IV PS3 bundle revealed
Swedish retailer Webhallen has today revealed the first image of a new PlayStation 3 bundle.
Posted @ PS3.iBlogGames.com
THQ has released the first videos of Saints Row 2 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The the first video shows the taunting system and the second shows combat using satchel charges.
See the Videos Here >>>
Developed by THQ’s critically acclaimed internal studio Volition, Inc. using their proprietary open-world engine, Saints Row 2 will offer vastly expanded customization options, a totally transformed and expanded city of Stilwater, all new vehicles, sandbox tools and toys as well as both online co-op and competitive multiplayer.
If you’re intereested in signing up for the Japanese beta of Metal Gear Online….
Posted @ PS3.iBlogGames.com