E3 2009: Check Out The Sony E3 Booth

Credit to the YouTube uploader.

Cool stuff!

E3 2009: We Could Release GT5 Now , Says Yamauchi

Gran Turismo's dad Kazunori Yamauchi has told Eurogamer that Gran Turismo 5 is "at a point we can release it any time we want".

"I want to release it as fast as I can," Yamauchi told us, "but GT5 for us, when you talk about its status, it's at a point we can release it any time we want, but we can always keep working on it. It's very important for us to make sure everything is done perfectly and everything is done in detail."

Yamauchi also discussed possible connectivity between Gran Turismo PSP - due out with the PSPgo on 1st October - and GT5. "We're hoping maybe to make it so you can share the garage with the PSP version so that cars you unlock on PSP will be available immediately on GT5," he said.

Elsewhere, Yamauchi said the PSP version would hopefully be about a gigabyte in size when it's released for digital download, but it's unlikely to receive any downloadable content afterwards.

E3 2009: HOME Gets Picture Frames Feature

The highly touted promise of picture frames in Home has finally come to fruition, but at a price...

Yes, you can now display pictures from your PS3 HDD, in the form of picture frames, in your personal spaces in Home.

The only downside is that there are no starter frames whatsoever, so you must drop $2.99 for the initially released frame in the Home Mall.

Here are a few limits to consider as well, regarding the amount of frames which can be used in each personal space:

Harbor Studio - 4 Frames Max
Summer House - 2 Frames Max (Why? I have no idea.)
Lakeside Cabin - 6 Frames Max
Chamber Apartment - 12 Frames Max
Loot StageSet - 0 (!?)

Also, for some odd reason, this feature was not implemented into the club system, at least not yet, so you're confined to only using them in your personal spaces. Guess that club logo will have to lay low for awhile, eh?.

Overall it's good to see this feature finally hit Home, but c'mon Sony, you could have at least gotten us started with a freebie frame or something because $2.99 is a steep price to pay for a static image that few people will probably end up seeing.

E3 2009: Sony Hits Many Highlights At E3 (Recap)

Sony took the stage Tuesday during E3 to announce a laundry list of games. Some of the most impressive were on the PSP and the recently announced PSP Go! There are several exclusives, new IPs, and the suddenly popular motion control. Also know that the Uncharted 2: Among Thieves beta started 2nd june, at midnight. Let me just say that God of War III looks sick.

Take a look at the recap.

PSP/PSP Go!
Sony focused a chunk of its presentation on the PSP brand. The PSP Go! was leaked over the weekend. But not many details were known. Sony announced during E3 that the new PSP model will be available Oct. 1 for $249.

It will have the same operating system as the PSP-300, built-in WiFi, and Bluetooth. It will be 50 percent smaller and 40 percent lighter than the original PSP. Though it will only use downloaded content, Sony promises it won't replace UMD.

The PSP-300 will continue to get support, Sony said. Both versions of the handheld will have access to the upgraded Playstation Store, which will allow direct downloads to the PSPs.

After going though the PSP hardware, Sony announced a string of new portable games.

Grand Turismo - Oct. 1- It will feature 800 cars and 35 tracks with 60 different layouts.
- Users will be able to share vehicles with friends.
- It will have an Ad-Hoc mode where four people can race together.
- There will be several single-player modes, including the license skills tests.
- It will run at 60fps.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker - 2010
- Hideo Kojima said this is the sequel to Metal Gear 3.
- It takes place in the 1970s, 10 years after MGS3.
- Kojima is writing the script.

Sony then showed a montage video of the other games coming for the PSPs. Included was Resident Evil, Fat Princess, Jak & Daxter and PixelJunk Monsters.

PS3

God of War 3 - March 2010
The demo included the first few minutes of the game. It featured a mix of small cutscenes and typical God of War gameplay. The game is going to be very violent.


Final Fantasy XIII, XIV
So we all know about Final Fantasy XIII and its migration to the XBOX 360. Well, Sony announced today that Final Fantasy XIV: Online will come exclusive to the PS3. Both games will come in the Fall.


Agent
The rumors of a Rockstar exclusive are confirmed. Only a few details were given and no trailer was shown. But the game will be set in the 1970s and will center around an assassin.


Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
The demo showed a new level with very intense gameplay. The game still looks like a Game of the Year contender.


MAG - This Fall
Zipper Interactive did a very cool demo of the game. It had 256 live players and really showed what this game will be about. Players were split into eight player platoons and carried about small objectives as part of the bigger battle. Respawn points were dynamic and changed as the platoon advanced. Nothing about a price was given. Nor did they talk about what type of game modes there would be. They also didn't talk about how the communication system would work.


ModNation Racers
This is going to be a new racing IP that the developers said would allow users to share content. Think Mario Kart mixed with Little Big Planet.

Last Guardian
I'm not going to lie. By this point of the press conference, I was working on the recap. All I got was that it's an exclusive game.

Motion Control
Last but not least, Sony showed us their version of motion control gaming. It was a prototype presentation, but it has great potential. The video will do it more justice than my words. But it uses a controller to play off of the Playstation Eye.

The kid playing it was able to do many things, including shooting an arrow into the head of some hobbit looking thing. He also grabbed virtual items, turned the screen into a first-person shooter, and created a makeshift strategy game.

All in all, PS3 users have loads of really cool stuff to look forward to in 2009/2010.

E3 2009: Metal Gear Solid: Rising Confirmed For PS3, 360 And PC

Konami has announced Kojima Productions is working on a new Metal Gear Solid title, which will mark the series’ first simultaneous multi-format release. Entitled Metal Gear Solid: Rising, the game will be available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

The first Metal Gear Solid game in the series’ history to be released simultaneously on three platforms, Metal Gear Solid: Rising stars Raiden – one of the most popular characters within the MGS universe. Raiden made his debut as a playable character in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty for PlayStation 2, and appeared as a non-playable cyborg in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for PlayStation 3.

Martin Schneider, European Marketing Director for Konami

"The Metal Gear Solid series has always pushed the bar with its cinematic visuals and entertaining story line. Now even more gamers can immerse themselves in the franchise and experience the groundbreaking series as Metal Gear Solid: Rising heads to the platform of their choice".

Killzone 2 Patch 1.27 Is Now LIVE

Patch weighs in at Patch is 76mb.

NewsReviewsTrophiesForumsMediaContactUser: Pass: Remember
RegisterPSLS » News » DLC & Patches » News » Developer » News » PS3 / PlayStation 3 » PSN / PlayStation Network
Killzone 2 v.1.27 Patch Now Available06/04/2009 Written by Louis EdwardscloseAuthor: Louis Edwards Name: Louis Edwards
Email: ftwrthtx@sbcglobal.net
Site: http://teamholeshot.com
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Killzone 2
Now available to Killzone 2 gamers around the globe, Guerilla Games has released v 1.27, their 9th patch for their flagship title.

The patch adds new functionality that has been requested by the Killzone community and addresses several other issues as well. The patch is 75MB in size (272MB for Asian release).

Here are the details:

•DLC - Enables support for downloadable content pack #2 “Flash & Thunder”, released on June 11th on the Playstation®Store
•Network errors – Improved handling of large message groupings to decrease network errors on heavy loads. Should decrease some instances of network errors
•Stability - Fix for potential Quick-join stability issues when DLC pack “Steel & Titanium” is not installed
•Stability – Removal of DLC could result in stability issues when using game pre-sets
•Stability – Crash fix for potential Search & Retrieve issue
•Stability – Fix for infrequent hang on loading when using spectator mode
•Exploit – Search & Destroy objective exploit fix
•Exploit – Collision fix for map MP04 – Visari Hammer
•Exploit – Collision fix for map MP07 – Blood Gracht
•Exploit – Collision fix for map MP07 – Blood Gracht (2)
•Exploit – Collision fix for map MP08 – Corinth Crossing
•Exploit – Collision fix for map MP08 – Corinth Crossing (2)
•Stats – Fix for clans not always receiving the clan match win medal
•Controls – Addition of High precision mode option for both Single Player and Multiplayer. New accounts will have this mode set as standard and existing users will have to enable it manually.
•Feature – Players will be automatically placed on the same faction, if they are friends upon using the ‘Join Friend’ option
•Feature – Players will be automatically placed on the same squad, if they are friends upon using the ‘Join Friend’ option
•Feature – Squads will remain constant over multiple rounds unless disbanded.•Feature – Faction balancing only checked when entering the game to the pre-game lobby or spawn-select New faction select screen on spawn-select
•Feature – In-game faction changing now allowed on heavily unbalanced factions
•Feature – Skirmish – All Badges and Abilities are now unlocked for Skirmish mode to allow users with lower bandwidth network connections to experience the full range of weapons and abilities available in Multiplayer mode
•Gameplay – Invulnerability when spawning on a deployable spawn-point outside of a base-camp is now disabled
•Gameplay – Armor of Assault class reduced from 100 to 50 hit-points
•Gameplay – AI and health of the flying Sentry Bots has been tweaked upwards
•Gameplay – Firing rate of the Sentry Turret’s rocket system has been reduced slightly
•Bug – Cooked grenades dealing friendly fire damage despite the option being disabled
•Bug - DLC Pack 1 “Steel & Titanium” front end text fix for Japanese sku
•Moderation – Enhanced moderation tools for SCE Moderators
•Killzone.com – Revived players now appearing correctly in Battle Replays
•Misc - Various minor bug fixes

E3 2009: Call Of Duty 6: Modern Warfare 2 Trailer

E3 2009: VidZone Trailer

E3 2009: Jack Buser Discusses New Home Spaces Coming Soon

Director for PlayStation Home SCEA, Jack Buser, discusses and demos what new spaces we can expect to see in the near future as well as what features and games they'll convey.

Well, that's three new spaces right there, looks like Sony just might live up to their promise of several new Home spaces each month.

Credit to the YouTube uploader for the video.

E3 2009: VidZone To Have 10.000 Videos At Launch, And Get 100's More every Week

Today the producer from VidZone has confirmed at the E3 that VidZone will have 10.000 music video's at launch. Also it will have a weekly update with every week more than 100 new music video's.

"Our ultimate dream is to have every music video ever made on the service, as well as classic live performances dating back to the 1950s, in their entirety.” Our ultimate dream is to have every music video ever made on the service, as well as classic live performances dating back to the 1950s, in their entirety".

VidZone will be released on 11th June in UK, Ireland, Australia, Italy, France, Spain and Germany.

E3 2009: Persona 5 Coming To PS3

Fans of Atlus' Shin Megami Tensei Persona series have been anxiously awaiting a next-gen update to the cult favorite series. That wait might not be too much longer.

Today, Atlus told our E3 reporting team that Persona 5 "probably won't be on the PlayStation 2," and will likely be making the jump to the PlayStation 3 and/or Xbox 360. It's much too soon to talk about release schedules, but just the notion that the game is in development is good enough for me.

The PlayStation 2 versions of the series were highly enjoyable, and if Atlus gives the same love and attention to this next entry, you can be sure they'll have another critical darling on their hands. Be sure to check back later for more on Coop and Sarah's visit with the publisher.

E3 2009: Final Fantasy VII Comes To PS Store 4th June

Get ready to return to Midgar. Final Fantasy VII, one of the most beloved and critically acclaimed Role Playing Games of all time, makes a long-awaited return this week, via digital download on the PlayStation Store.

The original PS one release has long been out-of-print and unavailable to a new generation of console owners and Final Fantasy fans. Now players will get another chance to own and experience the original adventure that brought us such memorable characters as Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart, Aerith Gainsborough, Barret Wallace, Vincent Valentine and the fearsome Sephiroth.

John Yamamoto, president and chief executive officer of Square Enix. comments, “Final Fantasy VII is the most highly-respected entry in the history of the Final Fantasy franchise, possessing possibly the most memorable storyline in the history of videogames. It brings me great pleasure to see Final Fantasy VII available to play once again and I am sure that it will create a whole new generation of fans.”

Features

- One of the most critically acclaimed Final Fantasy games ever made returns

- Experience a classic storyline with some of the most shocking and memorable moments the Final Fantasy series has ever delivered

- A cast of legendary heroes and villains that have become fan favourites of players around the world

- The game that introduced Limit Breaks, spectacular near-death special moves to shock your opponents

- Master the Materia system to make your attacks stronger and unleash greater summons

- Playable on both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable (PSP)

Final Fantasy VII is available on the 4th June in all PAL countries where the PlayStation Store is available.

E3 2009: EyePet Trailer

E3 2009: New Uncharted 2 Trailer

E3 2009: VidZone Hits PS Store 11th June

Today Mike Kebby (PlayStation Store Team Europe) has confirmed that we will be able to download VidZone on 11 June. If it's coming on this day to America is unknown at the moment. But in Europe can download VidZone free on 11 June in the PlayStation Store.

E3 2009: God Of War III Gameplay Blowout

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3


Awesome stuff!

Breaking News: Uncharted 2 Beta Gameplay Footage

Uncharted 2 BETA (co-op mode)

Uncharted 2 BETA (deathmatch mode)


Credit to the YouTube uploader, awesome stuff.

E3 2009: FREE Playstation HOME Items

Free Playstation Home items for E3 conference, the codes are:


Presentation Podium:

* NPLH (No place like Home) Grey on Red T-shirt (Male) code: N4GI-6NBC-JPHH (Removal Date: 6/5/09)

* NPLH (No place like Home) Blue on Yellow T-shirt (Female) code: N4GI-6NBC-JPHH (Removal Date: 6/5/09)


Central Plaza:

* NPLH (No place like Home) Red on Blue T-shirt (Male) code: AH6D-5CB4-3NMD (Removal Date: 6/5/09)

* NPLH (No place like Home) Pink on Blue T-shirt (Female) code: AH6D-5CB4-3NMD (Removal Date: 6/5/09)

Grab them why ya can!

Breaking News: Uncharted 2 Beta Available To Download NOW

That's right, confirmed reports are coming in now of EU residents being able to download the Uncharted 2 beta. Get it while it's hot!

E3 2009: PS Store Content Update

Video's:

E3 Content:

Buzz! Quiz World

Eyepet

Fat Princess

Gravity Crash

Heavy Rain

Hustle Kings

Numblast

Pixel Junk Shooter

Ratchett & Clank: A Crack in Time

Replay (Working title) trailer

VidZone Trailer

Battlefield 1943 Wake Island Trailer

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Squad Story

Brutal Legend

Dante's Inferno Announcement

Dragon Age Violence

Red Dead Redemption trailer 1

Front Misiion: Evolved

Nier

Batman Arkham Asylum 'Play as Joker'

Gran Turismo PSP trailer

MotorStorm Arctic Edge trailer

PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe trailer

SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3 trailer

LittleBigPlanet PSP trailer


Besure to check out the PS Store daily for more E3 content!

E3 2009: Lost planet 2 Confirmed For PS3

Sneaked into Jack Tretton’s briefing, he announced that Capcom’s Lost Planet 2 would be coming to the Playstation 3 this year. There had been some confusion as to whether the game was an XBOX 360 exclusive; apparently not.

E3 2009: PS Store Revised

While everyone has their eyes on Sony’s E3 conference, the EU and US PS Store’s have been given a little freshen up.

No major new features; however there is a darker shade of blue to the background and new borders to each segment (e.g. Latest, PS3 Games etc). The load times of the content is swifter and there is a new noise when scrolling through the products available.

Overall, it looks fresher and is an improvement over the older style, but this is not a massive change by any means. We will let you know if there are any improvements other than purely cosmetic as soon as we find anything.

E3 2009: God Of War III Coming March 2010

Sony Santa Monica showcased a decent chunk of God Of War III at this year’s E3, and typically the game looked absolutely amazing. However, they also announced that the game will be released March 2010, somewhat missing optimistic expectations the game will be available this year.

To say it looks incredible would be an understatement.

E3 2009: Final Fantasy XIV Online trailer

Sony dropped a JRPG bombshell when they announced that Square Enix's next next Final Fantasy will be PS3 exclusive. The trailer is below.

E3 2009: New Sony Motion Controller

E3 2009: Gran Turismo 5 Teaser Trailer Revealed

After all the last minute speculation that Gran Turismo 5 may not have been coming to E3, it is finally here. For now we just got a great tease but no details.
What now seems to be confirmed is the damage model, as we saw a Subara with a little bit of damage on it.

E3 2009: Square Enix Reveals Final Fantasy 14 PS3 Exclusive

Square Enix has officially announced their PS3 exclusive Final Fantasy 14. It'll release in 2010.The game will have online play and new modes not seen before in a Final Fantasy title.

E3 2009: Sony Announces Rockstar’s Agent, A New PS3 Exclusive IP

Jack Tretton has just announced at E3 that a brand new Rockstar IP called Agent is heading exclusively to PS3.

The game takes players across world of late 70’s and Sony wants the game to become another GTA in terms of importance.

E3 2009: Sony Reveals Media Go!

Sony have unveiled Media Go!, A new way to access the PlayStation Store content - via your PC!

Breaking News: PlayStation Home v1.22 Now LIVE

The newest version of PlayStation Home is now LIVE on the PlayStation Network. We're not sure if there are any new features, but we do think it is related to the E3 Press Conference.

E3 2009: Prototype Trailer

E3 2009: Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 trailer

E3 2009: Ghostbusters: The Video Game Trailer

E3 2009: Need for Speed Shift Trailer

E3 2009: Mafia 2 Trailer

E3 2009: The Saboteur Trailer

E3 2009: Batman : Arkham Asylum

E3 2009: Crysis 2 Trailer

E3 2009: Nier Debut Trailer

E3 2009: Tekken 6 Trailer

E3 2009: Colin McRae: Dirt 2 Trailer

E3 2009: PSP Go Leaked Via Early Release Of US Qore Mag

Watch Sony’s E3 Press Conference Online

If you are not attending this year’s E3, there is no need to miss out on Sony’s Press Conference. You can catch the big announcements online from 7:00PM BST (11:00AM PST) tomorrow at IGN and GameSpot, and from within PlayStation Home. The Pavillion Space is all setup within PlayStation Home, though we’re not sure wether the conference will be streamed live into PlayStation Home.


Make sure your alarm is set for the relevant time. We’ve included the times for the Microsoft and Nintendo Press Conferences below too.

Monday, 1st June 1009

Microsoft: 6:25 PM BST, 10:25 AM PST

G4
GameTrailers (HD)
Official Xbox Site
IGN
GameSpot

Tuesday, 2nd June 2009

Nintendo: 5:00 PM BST, 9 AM PST

G4
GameTrailers (HD)
IGN
GameSpot

Sony: 7:00 PM BST, 11 AM PST

G4
GameTrailers (HD)
IGN
GameSpot

UK Software Sales Charts PS3 Week Ending 30th May

1. InFamous
2. UFC 2009: Undisputed
3. Guitar Hero: Metallica
4. Virtua Tennis 2009
5. Terminator Salvation
6. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
7. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
8. Fifa 09
9. Killzone 2
10. Bionic Commando

Nice to see 'Infamous' top of the chart. If you hav'nt already checked out the PS Store Infamous demo, I'd recommend it to anyone.

Rumour: Secret Game To Be Unveiled At E3, Says BBC Reporter

Darren Waters, the BBC reporter that wrote of a PS3 exclusive game he saw last year as, "step change in what games consoles are capable of in terms of story-telling and immersion." Believes it might be unveiled at this years E3.

E3 2009: WipEout HD Fury Expansion Pack Details And Trailer

Today Sony announced the first expansion for WipEout HD, WipEout HD: Fury on the PlayStation Blog. Fury will add 8 tracks, 3 new game modes and 13 new ship models. Also Sony has released the first trailer from the expansion.

Sony's Shockers Inbound

The PSP Go(pictured above with the existing PSP model)seems to have already rocked the cradle, with a whole bunch new games being announced for the new hardware revision of the handheld platform including Jax and Daxter, Warhawk, Metal Gear Solid, Gran Turismo one would see this as a major pre E3 victory for Sony, but this piece of information is only the tip of the iceberg, since the company plans to announce a whole new bunch of shockers at E3 2009.

All the rumors seem to falling in line one after another, so a virtaul bloodbath is practically confirmed this E3.

PlayStation®Home: Presentation Podium Space Now Available

Log into PlayStation®Home and check out the new Presentation Podium. PlayStation®Home E3 has started.

So far all you can do is watch a few trailers on the big screen and sit on this nice covered patio area with cool hanging lamps and S shaped couches. I”m sure more things will be added over the next few days as E3 gets going.

E3 2009: Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time Trailer

Crytek Announces Crysis 2 For Consoles And PC

Today EA and Crytek announced Crysis 2 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.

The next instalment of Crysis will be the first game built on Crytek's CryENGINE 3 and will be released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. EA will publish the game.

"The development of Crysis 2 marks a major stepping stone for our studio," said Cevat Yerli, CEO of Crytek, who had hinted at a multiplatform console game in April.

"This is not only the next game in the Crysis franchise, it’s the first title we are developing for consoles and the first title being built on CryENGINE 3. We are excited to have the support of EA Partners again as we work together to make the launch of Crysis 2 a huge event."

Following the announcement of CryENGINE 3 for consoles, it was inevitable that Crytek's next game would be for multiple platforms, but it wasn't obvious that it would be Crysis 2.

"Nothing speaks more to the success of the EA Partners program than when a studio the calibre of Crytek continues to work with us," said David DeMartini, Senior Vice President and General Manager of EA Partners.

"Crytek is already one of the elite PC development studios in the world and we are excited to have the opportunity to partner with them in bringing their award-winning technology and gameplay to more platforms and a wider audience with Crysis 2."

As soon as we hear more about Crysis 2 we'll let you know.

Fat Princess Confirmed For June

The European PS Blog has just confirmed that Fat Princess will be with us this month. The game will land “late June” and will come with the lovely 32 player multiplayer mode we loved from the beta.

The Blog also confirms that Trash Panic will be with us soon, alongside Numblast, the cute puzzler, and the exclusive Ghostbusters demo will appear “shortly after E3″. Great stuff.

Playr: “Become a Street Fighter Master” Video Tutorials

Ok, you’ve just unbagged Street Fighter 4 and are now gettin your ass whupped! So you’d be advised to watch these 4 video tutorials. We got one of Europe’s best SF IV players to reveal all. Well, almost!


Ok, you can defend yourself, now try combos for size.

You’ve got the basics, now learn some more advanced tips for one of the game’s most popular characters.

Rufus is new to Street Fighter 4. Discover some powerful tips for playing with the big guy.


Source

God of War III Design Interview

God of War III Epic Scale Trailer

European PS Store Update - 12/02

The Playstation Store has had an early update this week, which should please fans considering Flower and SuperSonic Acrobatic Rocket Powered Battle Cars. If you are short on cash however there are a few demos up this week too, in the shape of Resistance Retribution (PSP), Pacific Rift and the afformentioned SuperSonic car game.

Sadly the demo for Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X has been delayed due to a last minute hitch, however there is still plenty here to keep you busy so enjoy!



Here is the full update for 12th February.


PS3 Add On’s Cost
LittleBigPlanet Ape Escape Costume £1.59 / €1,99
LittleBigPlanet Toro Costume £1.59 / €1,99
NBA All-Star Weekend Pack Free

Guitar Hero Content Cost
Dig Out Your Soul - Oasis £13.99 / €17,99 or £1.59 / €1,99 per track
Acoustic Pack £4.39 / €5,49
Southern Rock Track Pack

Rock Band Content Cost
The Fratellis Track Pack 01 £2.49 / €3,99 or £0.99 / €1,49 per track

PS3 Demos Cost
Motorstorm: Pacific Rift Demo Free
Resistance Retribution Demo (PSP) Free
Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket Powered Battle Cars Demo Free

PS3/PSP Games Cost
Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket Powered Battle Cars £7.99 / €9,99
Flower £6.29 / €7,99

PS3 Trailers Cost
Tekken 6: New Year Trailer Free
Inside FIFA 09 Interactive Free
Flower Trailer Free

PS3 Themes / Wallpaper Cost
Need for Speed Undercover Theme Free
Pain: Hasselhoff Theme Free


What do you think of this weeks store update? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Killzone 2 demo hits Euro PSN this Thursday

SCEE has confirmed that the Killzone 2 demo will be available to download from the European PlayStation Store on February 5th. That’s this Thursday.

The demo will include the first two sections of ‘Corinth River’ (the first level of the game) and will also include the tutorial sequence from the final game.

We’ll have a lot more on Killzone 2 over the coming days, but in the meantime why not prepare yourself for its impressive multiplayer component by checking out our video feature.

Killzone 2 releases exclusively on PS3 on February 27th.

Playr Killzone 2 special airs on Bravo UK this weekend!

Standard Definition


Playr, the leading video game TV show, has created a special half-hour programme dedicated exclusively to Killzone 2. There’s a sneak (standard definition) preview here, but we highly recommend you take a moment to watch it in all its HD glory (below), in order to get a true flavour of the Killzone 2 experience.

Hi Definition


The episode filmed at Guerrilla Games’ HQ in Amsterdam presents a definitive and comprehensive guide to the highly anticipated PS3 shooter.

Featuring never before seen multiplayer maps, new single player campaign, brand new vehicles and game features such as automatic sentry turrets, and a complete illustration of the game’s 6 character classes, this programme is everything you want to know about the PS3’s killer shooter.

It also goes behind the scenes to reveal the technology and people behind what’s undoubtedly one of the most ambitious games ever made.

Producer Jason Kilshaw commented, “If you’re still unsure whether Killzone 2 is a GOTY contender, then watch this!”

Killzone 2’s Reviews Scores So Far…

Killzone 2 seems to be one of the most hyped up games ever, let alone on the PS3 and it also may be the most highly anticipated game in the world right now! That being said let’s take a look at some of the review scores the game has landed already…

Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)

Score- 5/5

"Without a doubt Killzone fans, action and shooter fans of any stripe will instantly tag this sequel as a powerful contender for best game of 2009".

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Playstation Official Magazine Australia

Score- 10/10

"I’ll say it again: Killzone 2 is the best console first person shooter ever. It will be bested one day, and that is as it should be, but this game has set the proverbial bar so high we reckon it’ll be the king for a good long while… Hail to the king, baby".

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

MEGamers

Score- 99/100

"To put it short, this game makes “Gears of War 2″ look like a high school attempt at gaming and that is a HUGE compliment!".

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Playstation Official Magazine UK

Score- 90/100

"This is a PS3 showing what it’s truly capable of and delivering a landmark piece of explosive entertainment you can’t afford to miss".

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gameplay Magazine (Croatia)

20/20

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

576KByte (Hungary)

9.7/10

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Official Playstation Magazine (Spain)

9.5/10

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

So far so great! Killzone 2 may just live up to the hype yet, we still have to wait till February 3rd (the day the embargo lifts) for reviews from major gaming websites like IGN and GameTrailers but you can probably expect the same things from them. So, what do you guys think?

Report: Sony Cutting 2,000 Jobs, PlayStation Division Unaffected

According to a report from Japanese Business site Nikkei, Sony’s CEO Howard Stringer will announce an additional 2,000 job cuts on Thursday.

Sony had already announced that it would be cutting 16,000 jobs last month. With the new reductions, it would bring the number up to 18,000.

It had been rumored that Sony would be making additional job reductions, and there were a plethora of reports that raised the possibility of the PlayStation division being affected.

However, these new job cuts will only affect Sony’s television business, according to the report. It will close down one of Sony’s TV production plants that it has in Japan.

Stringer is also suspected to lower 2008’s fiscal earnings outlook, which has been rumored to be dismal.

Killzone 2 Gone Gold

We have just received confirmation that Killzone 2 has gone gold for America, UK and Europe.

This means that Killzone 2 can finally hit the presses. With the European mainland release scheduled for February 25, we along with alot of gamers are hoping that it will hit the shelves in time for the official release date.

European & US press invited to exclusive God of War 3 sneak preview

Sony has confirmed to videogaming247 this morning that European as well as American press will invited to the God of War III exclusive sneak preview.

“Yes, the GOW3 development team will be holding an exclusive sneak peak in February, for a very select number of US & European press,” a Sony representative told videogaming247 this morning.

LBP DLC resumes from January 26th: Wipeout, God of War, Valentines pack and many more!

Over at Littlebigplanetoid.com community Team Leader 'MusterBuster' has today confirmed that LittleBigPlanet DLC will resume on January 26th. New content was expected tomorrow (January 22nd), but unknown circumstances have forced a one week delay.

To make up for the delay, a whole slew of updates have been unveiled, and it's impressive!

• Chinese New Year Cosume - available 10 days only.
  

January 29th

• God of War mini pack
• Kratos Costume
• Groundhog Day Costume - available for 1 week only.
  

Feburary 5th

• Valentines Day mini pack - available for 2 weeks only.
  

Feburary 12th

• Toro Costume
  

• Ape Escape Costume
  

Feburary TBC

• Wipeout Costume Kit

Source

PS3 Firmware Update Has Gone Live

PS3 firmware V2.60 has gone live. I'll report back once I find out more on what the new features can do.

More PS3 Firmware V2.60 Details Emerge

There are some more details emerging about tomorrows PS3 Firmware Update.

According to our source, on top of the already announced Photo Gallery feature, and Divx 3.11 support, here are some more of the expected feaures of FW 2.60:

• Safe Mode
• Blu-Ray Disc Theme Support
• HDD Data can be accessed and deleted in-game
• 3-D Secure Support
• Improved System Stabilty

We are not exactly sure what these features offer, especially the Blu-Ray Disc Theme Support, and the Safe Mode, but we are looking forward to finding out.

PS3 Firmware V2.60 Update Confimed By Sony

This has now been confirmed via an official SCEA Press release. Here is a snippet of the official press release:

Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) today announced details of the next system software update (v. 2.60) for PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™), which includes several new features designed to enhance the PS3 system’s entertainment functionality. The system software update 2.60 will become available on January 21and deliver a new Photo Gallery application, enabling consumers to better organize and view their photos stored on PS3 system. Other new features include DivX 3.11 video support and PlayStation®Store guest browsing.

Sony Unveils Official Killzone 2 Bundle For UK

Sony has announced the new Killzone 2 bundle for the UK.

Release date still TBC.

Sony has confirmed to VG247 that European territories are getting the bundle however no price has been set..

Official Killzone 2 Box Art Unveiled

Sony has revealed the official box art from Guerilla Game's mega-shooter, Killzone 2.

We're going Killzone 2 crazy at the moment and this packshot just feeds our addiction.

Limited Edition Final Fantasy VII PS3 Coming in April

Square-Enix has revealed the first image of the limited edition Final Fantasy VII PS3. Pictured on the below, you'll see the Final Fantasy VII style PS3. Dubbed 'Cloud Black', this PS3 will come individually numbered and packaged with a Blu-ray version of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete. Of course, the real appeal of getting Advent Children Complete on Blu-ray is the Final Fastasy

XIII demo. Oddly enough, Advent Children will have the option of English voices, but it'll lack the option for English subtitles if watching in Japanese. Also, the Final Fantasy XIII demo will not feature English subtitles or voice work. Too bad.

Complete package details:

• "Cloud Black" HDD 160GB PS3
  
• Final Fantasy XIII Trail Version Set (FFXIII demo)
  
• Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete Blu-ray disc

The Cloud Black PS3 will come with a 160GB HDD and release on April 16th for 49,980 yen ($550 give or take a bit). No word on an oversea release, though.

Killzone 2 PS3 Bundle Coming to Europe

It seems that all we’re posting lately is Killzone 2 releated. From hands on impressions to release dates.

Now it seems that there is some more news that needs posting.

It seems that Sony are all set to release a official PS3 bundle with the game and a PLAYSTATION 3 if this packshot is anything.

The bundle is for Europe only right now with no current plans from either SCEA or SCEJ as of now but we’ll hedge a bet that SCEA will do something similar and announce it just before launch.

No price has been given yet but we’ll assume it’ll be out with the game on Februrary 25th in Europe and February 27th in the UK

While a bundle seems to be the most obvious thing right now in the world, it’s still a good move for the game as there are alot of people who are buying a PLAYSTATION 3 just to get Killzone 2.

Anyways, pack shot below:

Future Gran Turismo Titles In 3D Vision?

Over at the 2009 CES Convention, the folks at Ars Technica got a chance to preview some of Sony’s new 3D gaming technology, which is supposed to take the visual experience to a totally new level. Some of the games on display at the booth were Wipeout HD and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, both in 3D format. For now though, the details are still tightly under wraps and how they achieved that 3D effect is still unknown to the public. The technology is still a work is progress and is not definitely confirmed for the future, but it still looks promising.

“This probably won’t be the last 3D display we see at CES, but as a proof of concept, our appetite is whetted. Sony claims that they have Gran Turismo Prologue playable on the display, but I just wanted to take one home. The company is hedging its bets about how long it will take to get this level of 3D into your home, but if this tiny taste was any indication, there is a ton of promise.”

For now, there is not really much to say about it, but if this 3D technology does become a reality, we may be lucky enough to see it in future Gran Turismo titles (not GT5 though, so don’t get over excited).

Source

Record high for videogaming sales

Sales of videogames in the UK hit an all time high of 82.8m in 2008, figures from the industry trade body show.

The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) said that consumers spent £4.03bn on video game hardware and software.

Total video game sales were in excess of £1.9bn, 23% more than the previous year and more than double the total earnings over the past five years.

Console sales accounted for another £1.422 billion.

Figures from ELSPA suggest that video games for the Nintendo Wii made up almost a quarter of all software sales, with more than 20m games sold. This was an increase of 112% on the previous year.

Software for the firm's handheld game console - the Nintendo DS - also proved popular, with more than 19.1m copies sold.

Games for Microsoft's Xbox 360 also did well, with a 51% rise in sales.

And there was some good news for Sony.

Sales of software for its PlayStation 3 console role by 145%, selling 10.4 million units - more than double the 4.2m games sold in 2007.

ELSPA's managing director, Michael Rawlinson, said the growth of games pitched at the casual user had help fuel the growth.

"Videogaming is increasingly bringing families together with the introduction of so many outstanding family-based console titles.

"These have really opened up the market to those who may never have even considered playing a videogame before," he said.

But with economic worries, and a shortage of blockbuster titles, some experts think 2009 may not be so rosy.

Speaking to the BBC, veteran game designer Peter Molyneux said he had concerns.

"While there is stuff in 2010 we can look forward to, off the top of my head, I cannot think of anything this year that really excites me."

"Everyone says games are good value for home entertainment, despite the relatively high price. I'm not so sure.

"I think we're going to see a lot of price pressure put on games," he added.

Source

Evolution and WipEout Team to merge under one roof

Two of the best PlayStation 3 racing game developers are to eventually merge under one roof.

Developer Evolution Studios were purchased by Sony Entertainment in 2007, and have since released a successful sequel to their racing classic MotorStorm.

It's well known that the team shared not only their PlayStation 3 engine but also their knowledge with Sony Studio Liverpool in the creation of WipEout HD. The collaboration resulted in a stunning full-1080p, 60 frames-per-second futuristic racer.

The studios have always been intertwined, in a similar way to the connection between Ninja Theory (the developer of Heavenly Sword) and Sony Cambridge. Evolution Studio was formed in 1999 by Martin Kenwright and Ian Hetherington. Ian had previously founded Psygnosis, which is now...Sony Studio Liverpool.

Sony's head of Worldwide Studios in Europe, Michael Denny, tells Gamesindustry.biz of the relationship between the two Northern studios;

"You may be aware that Evolution and our Liverpool Studio have now merged in terms of management structure and using combined resources. Liverpool had great success this year with Wipeout HD and they also helped on MotorStorm as well.

"Each studio has its own internal concepting group which will always be looking at new opportunities and new IPs, and we'll continue to extend and innovate within our existing franchises as well."

When asked whether the studios would merge completely in the future, Denny replies;

"Yes, it was always the intention with them being in the same geographic location and working so closely together, it would be ideal if they could be housed at some point within the same site, but it's not happening overnight."

This wouldn't necessarily mean that the teams would collaborate together to create one game. The teams would remain separate, but being under one roof would allow them to more efficiently share resources.

In our opinion this is great news for Sony's internal development studios.

Source

Killzone 2 Demo Primed for Launch

Sony has confirmed that a demo edition of Guerrilla Games’ Killzone 2 will be available on PSN before the full game officially launches.

SCEE has confirmed that the demo will be available to European PS3 owners, while Americans eager to sample the FPS will have to pre-order the full game GameStop to get access.

Commencing February 3, GameStop will hand out demo download codes to customers in return for their pre-order deposit. Access to the Killzone 2 demo will remain this way until the title's official US release on Feb 27, afterwhich it'll be free to all.

And while SCEE couldn’t provide precise details on the demo’s release date in the UK, a spokesperson told news site VideoGamer that it will be released in Europe in a “normal manner”.

Panasonic, Dolby Fight to Land 3-D Blu-ray Standard

Earlier this week, news broke that Dolby Laboratories is pushing its 3-D Blu-ray Disc technology with content providers in hopes of scoring the prized industry standard when Blu-ray in 3D debuts. Dolby's standard would utilize existing Blu-ray players, 3-D equipped TVs and glasses with specs determined by TV manufacturers.

Today, an article in The Nikkei Japanese newspaper today is reporting Panasonic will be unveiling their 3-D Blu-ray technology, that would be built into software and hardware, at CES this week. It would utilize special glasses viewing alternating left-and-right eye images at 120fps to achieve a 3-D effect on-par with what you'd find in the movie theater today.

These two proposed standards likely won't be the last. The future of home entertainment, for both movies and videogame consoles like the next iterations of Xbox 360 and PS3, is pointing more and more towards 3-D with each passing day.

The fear many, including us, don't want to face is another "format" war like HD DVD and Blu-ray where multiple 3-D standards are released to the marketplace. One war slowed the adoption of Blu-ray already. In this economy, the clearer options are to consumers, the better.

If a standard can be adopted relatively soon and manufacturing gets underway with relatively little issue, the first 3-D Blu-ray hardware, software and TVs are expected to hit the marketplace in mid-to-late 2010.

Source

Reeves: Profit is number one priority in 2009

President of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, David Reeves, has said that the priority for the PlayStation business in 2009 is to finally make a profit.

Speaking on the official PlayStation website, the exec noted that the company must reduce the pressure to turn a profit before concentrating on pushing games and services.

"The most important thing for us as a company in the very short term is for us to start making money," he said.

"This is a pledge that was made last March and is something that we are still very much on target to achieve. Once we have achieved this, I think it will be a very exciting time for PlayStation.

"Once we have alleviated that specific pressure, we can move forward at a rate of knots," added Reeves.

As well as previously announced titles on the horizon, Reeves also highlighted the launch of music and video download service Vidzone, for the PlayStation Network, as key to the console's offering in the coming year.

Vidzone was previously announced to go live in Q1 2009, but Reeves mentioned the service will not go live until later in the year.

"2009 promises to be a very exciting year for PS3, with blockbuster titles such as Heavy Rain and Killzone 2 coming out, whilst we have the music and video download service becoming available towards the end of the year."

"We have built our reputation over the years on great entertainment, and innovation and 2009 will be a prime example of PlayStation at its very best," added Reeves.

Source

European PSN releases for December 24th

Merry Christmas from SCEE. Today's update brings three full games, three demos, the normal extreme amounts of music-based DLC and, of course, the LittleBigPlanet Metal Gear Solid pack. There are also a bunch of price drops on some excellent PSN games (though, is it just us or has WipEout HD always been that price..?). Savage Moon is good fun, particularly if you're a tower defense fan. Here's the full release list:

Playable Content

• Savage Moon full game (£6.29/€7.99)
• Mahjong Tales: Ancient Wisdom full game (£7.99/€9.99)
• Street Fighter Alpha Warriors' Dreams PS1 game (£4.79/€??)
• WipEout HD demo
• Metal Gear Online demo
• Sonic Unleashed demo

Seasonal Offers

• WipEout HD (£11.99/€14.99)
• Super Stardust HD (£3.99/€4.99)
• PAIN (£3.99/€4.99)
• The Last Guy (£3.99/€4.99)
• Toy Home (£3.99/€4.99)
• echochrome (£4.79/€5.99)
• Toy Home: Second Gear expansion (£1.59/€1.99)
• Snakeball Team Mode add-on (£1.59/€1.99)
• Eye of Judgment Set 2 & 3 combo pack (£8.39/€11.99)
• flOw (£3.99/€4.99)

Add-on Content

• Shaun White Snowboarding "Glamour" pack (£3.99/€4.99)
• Buzz! Quiz TV "National Geographic: Undersea" pack (£6.29/€7.99)
• Everybody's Golf: World Tour "Mainichi Issho Lobby Character Headwear" (free)
• Everybody's Golf: World Tour "Toro" character pack (free)

LittleBigPlanet DLC

• Metal Gear Solid costume kit (£4.79/€5.99)
• Metal Gear Solid level kit (£4.79/€5.99)
• Metal Gear Solid "Raiden" costume (£1.59/€1.99)
• Metal Gear Solid "Screaming Mantis" costume (£1.59/€1.99)
• Metal Gear Solid "Meryl" costume (£1.59/€1.99)
• Metal Gear Solid "Solid Snake" costume (£1.59/€1.99)

Rock Band DLC

Foo Fighters Pack 1 (£2.49/€3.99)

• "DOA" - Foo Fighters (£0.99/€1.49)
• "This is a Call" - Foo Fighters (£0.99/€1.49)
• "Times Like These" - Foo Fighters (£0.99/€1.49)

Rockin' the Holidays 2008 Pack (£1.69/€2.29)

• "Blue Christmas" - The Pretenders (£0.59/€0.79)
• "Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You" - Billy Squier(£0.59/€0.79)
• "Hanukkah Blessings" - Barenaked Ladies (£0.59/€0.79)

Guitar Hero World Tour DLC

• "Because of You" by Nickelback (£4.39/€5.49)
• "Light It Up" by Rev Theory (£1.59/€1.99)
• "Use Me" by Hinder (£1.59/€1.99)
• Hard Rock Track Pack (£1.59/€1.99)

Videos

• 2x Mirror's Edge trailers
• MotorStorm Pacific Rift "Water Zone" trailer
• Shoot! episode 6 -- "The Dreaming"
  

Enjoy.

List of Spike video game award 08 nominees and winners

Game of the Year

Gears of War 2
Grand Theft Auto IV
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Fallout 3
LittleBigPlanet

Best Independent Game

World of Goo
PixelJunk Eden
Braid
Audiosurf

Studio of the Year

Media Molecule
Rockstar North
Harmonix
Bethesda Game Studios

Big Name in the Game Female

Dame Judi Dench as “M”
Eliza Dushku As “Shaundi”
Liv Tyler As “Betty Ross”
Jenny McCarthy As “Tanya”

Big Name in the Game Male

Liam Neeson As “Father”
Kiefer Sutherland As “Sgt. Roebuck”
Ricky Gervais As “Himself”
Daniel Craig As “James Bond”

Best Performance by a Human Female

Debi Mae West As “Meryl Silverburgh”
Keeley Hawes As “Lara Croft”
Paula Tiso As “Silvia Christel”
Nathalie Cox As “Juno Eclipse”

Best Performance by a Human Male

Stephen Fry As “The Narrator”
David Hayter As “Old Snake”
Jason Zumwalt As “Roman Bellic”
Michael Hollick As “Niko Bellic”

Best Multi-Player Game

Call of Duty: World at War
Resistance 2
Left 4 Dead
Gears of War 2

Best Original Score

LittleBigPlanet
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Spore
Fallout 3

Best PC Game

Left 4 Dead
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
Crysis Warhead
Spore

Best PS3 Game

Grand Theft Auto IV
LittleBigPlanet
Resistance 2
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Best Wii Game

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
No More Heroes
Wii Fit
Boom Blox

Best Xbox 360 Game

Fallout 3
Grand Theft Auto IV
Gears of War 2
Fable II

Best Soundtrack

Guitar Hero World Tour
Rock Band 2
Grand Theft Auto IV
LittleBigPlanet

Best Action Adventure Game

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Mirror’s Edge
Grand Theft Auto IV
Dead Space

Best Driving Game

Mario Kart Wii
Midnight Club: Los Angeles
PURE
Burnout Paradise

Best Music Game

SingStar
Wii Music
Guitar Hero World Tour
Rock Band 2

Best Game Based on a Movie or TV Show

Naruto: The Broken Bond
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Quantum of Solace
LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures

Best Graphics

LittleBigPlanet
Gears of War 2
Fallout 3
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Best Original Score

Fallout 3
Spore
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
LittleBigPlanet

Best Handheld Game

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Patapon
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
God of War: Chains of Olympus

Best Individual Sport Game

Skate It
Wii Fit
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09
Shaun White Snowboarding

Best Fighting Game

Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
Soul Calibur IV

Best RPG

Fallout 3
The World Ends With You
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
Fable II

Best Shooter

Gears of War 2
Left 4 Dead
Resistance 2
Far Cry 2

Gamer God award given to Will Wright

Harrison: "Sony took absolutely the right decision" to recall LBP

Atari president Phil Harrison has told GamesIndustry.biz that he believes Sony took "absolutely the right decision" in recalling LittleBigPlanet over the controversial references made to the Qur'an.

Harrison, who was previously president of Sony Worldwide Studios before taking on his current role - and who championed the title from the very beginning - also thinks that the delay won't affect the game's ultimate success "one iota".

Source