Monthly Archives: June 2010

PlayStation 3 News

Is a Team Ico collection coming to PS3?‎

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Normally, GamePro is hesitant to report a rumor, since so many of them turn out to be false. However, when two separate developments point to the validity of rumor, it’s a bit of a different situation. Said rumor is also one that any sane gamer would love to see come to pass — that Team Ico’s PS2 titles (Ico and Shadow of the Colossus) will join the ranks of the God of War collection and the upcoming Sly Collection on the PlayStation 3.

Earlier today, VG247 pointed out a listing on the French version of Amazon.com for The Team ICO Collection, a PS3 exclusive title due in June 2011. On the more official side of the spectrum, Sony Europe revealed the box art for the fall-due Sly Collection (shown to the right), which bears branding for what seems to be a new line of PS3 games — “HD Classics.” Joystiq discovered that the line will also incorporate the already-released God of War Collection, and that the two games are the only titles in the series “thus far.” Any video game line worth its salt consists of more than two titles, which could mean that more PS2 franchises — like Team Ico’s titles — could be HD-bound.

PlayStation 3 News

PlayStation Plus included with PS3 firmware v3.40‎

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If you’re interested in reaping the goods and rewards from the new PlayStation Plus service, today is your day.  PS3 firmware 3.40 not only introduces the new service, the Photo Gallery feature has been updated and a new Video Editor and Uploader does what it says on the tin.

The revamped Photo Gallery now has network features to upload images to Facebook, Picasa, and other PlayStation Network users on your friends list; there’s also a new Facebook PSN app that lets you post your PSN profile, view your friends’ online status, and more.  As for the Video Editor and Uploader, it offers some basic video editing and allows uploading to Facebook and YouTube straight from your PS3.  Here’s what a Japanese PSN user managed to put out with the editor, including text, slow or speed up video clips, cut out clips, and add a soundtrack:

Some minor additions are also present in 3.40: users can now rate their PSN purchases with a 5-star rating scale and power settings for PS3 consoles will now default to shut down after being idle for two hours.  PSP owners are also encouraged to update to firmware 6.40 to make use of PlayStation Plus features.  Also, if you’re worried about the sort of things Plus will add or change, Sony’s got a FAQ going to answer your questions.

PS4 News

Gran Turismo 5: Premium cars have enough details for PlayStation 4, Yamauchi says

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Gran Turismo 5 is overdue. The wait is unbearable. But it will be worth it. For the reason for the long wait is not that Yamauchi Kazunori and his team would be lazy. Quite the contrary. It is this incredible, almost manic richness that makes the development of Gran Turismo 5 so time consuming. Art E3 2010, we sat down with Gran Turismo’s creator Kazunori Yamauchi who explained the reasons behind the long time development. GT5 comes with 200+ premium cars and 800+ standard cars. The premium cars are hyper-realistic. “Actually, they are so good that we could use them in any PlayStation 4 game,” said Kazunori Yamauchi. The richness of detail is unbelievable.

Tiny mesh, 3d lettering on tires, cables in the cockpit, underbody details and much, much more. “We realized, however, that we lost a lot of time with such an amount of details. We also wanted as many cars as possible, hence the standard cars,” Yamauchi said. The standard cars are the most popular and famous cars from previous GT games. Of course, they were optimized for the PS3. All cars in the game have physics-based damage, get scratches, dents, are dirty. Great! Only in the premium car parts can fall off, and only they have an elaborate interior. To demonstrate the sensational appearance of the cars Yamauchi showed photos of real cars photosand screenshots from the game side by side. It was hard to tell the difference! Gran Turismo 5 will support stereoscopic and 3D Head Tracking via Playstation Eye.

PlayStation 3 News

E3 2010: Silent Hill 8 Revealed, Coming to PS3 and 360

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The name won’t stick, but as of now it’s called Silent Hill 8 (wow, 8, really?) and it was officially revealed today during Konami’s E3 conference.

The game is being developed by Vetra Games, a new developer, and will maintain the series’ standard third-person view. It will put players in the role of Murphy Pendleton, a prisoner who finds himself stranded in Silent Hill when his prison transport bus crashes.

“In honoring the rich history and strong following of Silent Hill, we’re working hard to build a next generation horror game that the fans truly deserve,” said Shinji Hirano, President of Konami. “This Silent Hill introduces an all new thought provoking storyline. Players will once again find themselves face to face with their deepest sins and fears in the strange world of Silent Hill.

According to the press release, gamers will “encounter mind-bending puzzles, as well as horrific creatures and other world terrors using everyday objects from wooden chairs to glass bottles to fend off their enemies.”

“The natural response, fight or flight is left to the player as they unravel a dark, thought-provoking storyline which will appeal to fans of the early, classic Silent Hill series, as well as anyone who enjoys a deep, psychological horror experience.”

“In addition to the main storyline, players will also be presented with variable side quests along the way that can change depending on their play style, revealing unknown evils within the town.”

So is Silent Hill going open world? It kind of sounds like it with the side quests. It sounds interesting as well that the game features environmental weapons such as wooden chairs and glass bottles. Could there be a new physics engine in place?

It will be arriving in 2011 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, so we should be hearing a lot more about it over the next few months.

PlayStation 3 News

E3 2010: Supremacy MMA Preview

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The folks at Kung Fu Factory know exactly what kind of game they want to make. EA Sports’s MMA Fighter, also seen at this year’s E3, is too tame, too “TV” for them and their audience. Their upcoming MMA game- revealed only a few days ago- is shaping up to be a brutal look at underground MMA fighting. Rather than opting for realistic combat, Kung Fu Factory wants to keep the game fun, fresh and fast, while accurately capturing the “culture” surrounding the MMA phenomenon.

Kung Fu Factory liken themselves to the Harmonix of their respective genre, in that, well, they’ve been around for a while making solid games. They created what they claim to be the first UFC game on the Dreamcast, as well as numerous titles since then, including last year’s UFC Undisputed 2009.

The version of the game they showed us today was only 35-40% complete, according to the developers, and it was admittedly pretty rough. They assured us, though, that every aspect will be massively improved, from the graphics to the sound and everything in between. What was made apparent, however, especially through a trailer shown behind closed doors today, was the tone the developers are shooting for.

They want to explore “no-holds barred fighting and the origin of the sport” in the most authentic way possible. Despite the early stage the game was in, much of the combat was playable, and Kung Fu Factory showed off two fighting styles: Karate and Muay-thai. They stressed that the various fighting styles, when pitted against one another, will create the bulk of the game’s depth and replay value. Characters’ power and stats will be less important than how players use their styles advantageously. Button mashing will also be effective, though, as they want players of all abilities to be able to pick up the game and have fun.

The studio has apparently done extensive research to make the game’s environments and atmosphere authentic, including watching Youtube videos- and attending international underground MMA fights. That may be where they got the idea to include strippers and a cockfight in the environment they showed off during today’s presentation. They also remarked that the game will feature online, though they weren’t ready to go into detail, and that they’re “keeping an eye on” their competitors.

PlayStation 3 News

E3 2010: Mortal Kombat Preview

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The Mortal Kombat franchise has seen better days over the past few years, but now that the franchise is in the hands of Warner Bros. and NetherRealm Studios, it looks like much better days are ahead for Sub-Zero, Scorpion, and friends. The new Mortal Kombat (no subtitle or iterative digit here) aims to bring back the best aspects of the original arcade trilogy with a modern update with fresh visuals and design updates. The game was not playable at the show, but I was able to watch two of the developers duke it out across several familiar locations with eight beloved playable characters. It looks that Mortal Kombat is finally on its way back to glory.

Long-time Kombat fans will be glad to see the return of Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Johnny Cage, Mileena, Nightwolf, Sektor, Kung Lao, and Reptile. Each of the kombatants has been given a visual makeover, yet they are all immediately identifiable at first glance. Palette swaps are a thing of the past, as previously similar characters such as Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Reptile are all now visually distinctive. Reptile is now obviously part lizard with green skin and lizard-like features. Scorpion’s costume retains its yellow shade, but now sports extra flair. Sub-Zero is still Sub-Zero, of course. Sektor is even more of a cyborg and Mileena wears even less (if that is possible). Moreover, each character has their own motion capture animations, giving each one a distinct appearance and style. They each even have stylized entrances such as Scorpion rising from Hell. Stages such as The Pit II and The Living Forest are back for revised encores. It’s invigorating to see this much care given to a franchise that many had written off, which brings us to to fighting action itself.

Each character retains their familiar attacks. Scorpion still has a way with “GET OVER HERE!”, Reptile still has his acid spit, and Sub-Zero can still freeze characters in mid-air. There are plenty of new tricks to learn though, as the Dial-A-Combo system from the old days has been replaced with conventional fighting game mechanics. The speed has been cranked up to keep everything moving, appearing to bring it on par with Super Street Fighter IV. A super combo bar has been added as well, bringing larger regular attacks into the mix. The most brutal addition are the special x-ray attacks that cause the action to zoom in and slow down at key moments to show characters’ bones breaking and organs crushing on impact. The small audience watching the gameplay demo cringed at seeing and hearing snaps and pained grunts.

Speaking of pain, the infamous fatalities are back as well. The developer staff was reluctant to show them at first, but eventually the crowd “convinced” them to show us Sub-Zero yanking out spines. Reptile chewing on faces, and – most scarringly memorable – Kung Lao turning his trademark hat into a buzzsaw, grabbing his opponent by the legs, and bisecting him/her right down the middle before holding up the bloody halves in triumph. It’s gory, over the top, and everything one would expect from the Mortal Kombat franchise. At the end of the demo, the crowd was treated to a fatality montage for every currently announced character, and I believe I can call it right now that parents have a new bloody scapegoat when it comes to video game violence.

With plenty more characters waiting to be announced and planned DLC, there’s a lot more to see about the new Mortal Kombat before it releases next year.

PlayStation 3 News

E3 2010: WWE All-Stars Hands-On

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There was a little surprise sitting on the back side of THQ’s booth. When you walked by, there was a long lineup of arcade style cabinets standing up for play. Inside these cabinets was a collection of machines running WWE: Superstars. THQ was trying to make a point. This isn’t your typical overly complex, inaccessible grapple fest. This is a freaking arcade game.

Say hello to the spiritual successor to WWF: The Arcade Game. In place of complex pins, slow plodding wrestlers, realistic depictions, and strategy are giant comically over powered character models, high flying super moves, two button combos, and lots of button mashing. Superstars is an arcade game at its core meant to appeal to that generation of WWF/E fans from the 90s that enjoyed the balls-to-the-wall bullshit style of face smashing insanity that wrestling games of the era touted. Its made to appeal not only to WWE fans, but also mainstream fighting fans with its more traditional six button style of fighting (strong/quick attacks and strong/quick grapples) and dual button press super combos. If Smackdown Vs. Raw 2010 is like Street Fighter, think of this as Marvel Vs. Capcom. Its total random, crazy, bullshit fun.

The comparison to Marvel isn’t totally unwarranted. All the wrestlers have been jacked up to Incredible Hulk scale. All of their trademark attacks and finishers have been included in the game, but everything is done in an over-the-top style that is nothing short of laugh educing. Muscles are steroid levels, and characters get bruised and red after taking some abuse. Clearly the game wasn’t finished yet, but things looked plenty cool as is.

The L1 & R1 buttons serve as your two block/counter buttons. L counters grapples, and R counters blocks. Its a gambling game to guess which attack your opponent is going to throw and block it appropriately because the grapple block button isn’t going to block a punch or kick to the groin. If you can keep guessing each others moves, a grapple reversal fight can start. You can keep calling your opponents grapples and attempt to reverse them into an offensive attack. Reversals can get very tactical, but the combat system is so easy to wrap your head around that we were throwing reversals and super moves like pros within eight minutes. Each confrontation is a little different Combination button presses trigger super moves, which are really exaggerated versions of their real trademark moves. Its all incredibly easy to get into, yet with tons of depth. Air juggling is incredibly easy. Slam your opponent into the ring hard enough, and they bounce back up into the air ready for another hit/grab. In one particularly awesome fun beta bug while playing with Matt Green (him playing as John Cena and me as The Rock), I was slammed into the ground so hard that I went through the floor and completely vanished, only to reappear in the sky and crater back to the Earth with a comedic bounce. Awesome.

WWE All-Stars is the kind of wrestling game that they used to make, and its just goes to show that arcade wrestling is just as wild of a party game now as it ever was.

PlayStation 3 News

E3 2010: Killzone 3 Hands-On

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Killzone 3 (KZ3) is a very much anticipated title for the PlayStation 3 this winter, and at E3. The PlayStation booth not only had stations for two dimensions but also the 3D version of 3D. With Sony’s big push for 3D Kombo was very excited to see how 3D impacted a well known franchise. The three demos offered featured the jetpack, an on rails turret experience and another that was not detailed. Wanting to know most about the newest feature we chose jet pack mission.

The pre-alpha demo started by having Sev, returning from the previous Killzone jump in to a jet pack in a glacier environment. The 3D effect was met with mixed reactions as some Kombo reviewers saw double vision through the 3D glasses, this wasn’t consistent as others saw it normally. This may be because of glasses or contacts but either way this was disconcerting for an upcoming flagship 3D title. Working with the 3D effect gave everything a depth to the game and structures such as Helghast outposts and crumbling glaciers. Enemies didn’t look too different in the 3D setting.

The demo had Sev work the jet pack to eliminate an enemy presence on a snowy Helghast facility. The jet pack frame could hover, fly vertically and speed boost throughout the map. The enemy soldiers fell like swiss cheese to the jetpack’s machine gun and it was a blast to hover and eliminate enemies from above.
The movement with the jet pack was very solid with the right amount of unbalanced fusion of power and stability. We finished the demo by hopping from glacier to glacier, emphasizing the speed boost feature of the jet pack to catch on to the edge of the glaciers. The end of the demo finished by having Sev eliminate all combatants, no story elements were revealed as to why Sev was in an arctic environment and no multiplayer details were released.

In the end the 3D stayed consistent with all of the sporadic movement of the jetpack and it didn’t feel overwhelming or blurry at any time, but I was one that didn’t get any headaches during Avatar. KZ3 looks like a solid visual title with the previously acclaimed gameplay and hits all of the right features with the new direction of the jet pack. The 3D will be an interesting element to play with not breaking or making the game in any particular way.

KZ3 will ship this winter on the PS3.

PlayStation 3 News

E3 2010: First impressions of PlayStation Move

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The principle applies to just about any new piece of tech hardware: it is only as good as the software it features. The PlayStation Move is no different. Having tried out Sony’s motion control device during E3, it’s pretty entertaining thanks to a solid collection of titles, although not every game is a great fit.

The primary piece to Move is the main controller, which looks like a microphone with a glowing bulb on top. At the center is the Move button, which players will use most often. Surrounding this are the four face buttons PlayStation 3 users are accustomed to seeing on a standard controller. On the opposite side is a trigger, while the select and start buttons are placed on the side.

Move also features a secondary navigation controller with an analog stick, directional pad, two shoulder buttons that sit near the top, and X and circle buttons. Both controllers are wireless and feel extremely light.

Overall, Move feels responsive, and the PlayStation Eye camera seems to track movements well. For a better idea of what Move had to offer, here’s a rundown of some of the games I experimented with.

The Fight: Lights Out. My favorite of the bunch. The game tracks any punch thrown using the two main controllers, from uppercuts to hooks. Players can raise the controller up and slam down for a hammer punch, or bring their hand across their body and move sideways for a backhanded strike. To head butt, players hold both controllers in front of them, press the triggers and quickly pull in. The Move buttons allow players to slide left or right.

The Shoot. A straightforward rails shooter set inside a series of themed movie sets, ranging from a Haunted House Party to Robot Rebellion. Most of the action is a simple point-and-shoot mechanic using the main controller, but players can perform special moves as well. A quick jab performs a melee attack, while pointing the controller toward the floor and firing performs an shockwave attack striking multiple foes. Shooting precisely felt comfortable.

Start The Party!. A fun party title featuring about 20 different mini-games. The interface places the player themselves on screen framed within the game. One mini-game requires players to move baby birds to their nest using a portable fan, while another has players swatting bugs. Players can turn their wrist to hold objects at different angles. It’s a very entertaining game to play with a group.

SOCOM 4. It’s hard to say whether this tactical military shooter is a great fit. Part of the problem stems from trying to maintain controls meant for a standard controller on Move. Aiming and firing wasn’t too bad, but managing other tasks felt awkward at times. Reaching for that directional pad on the navigation controller during a firefight was not very fun.

PlayStation 3 News

PS3/PC Modern Warfare 2 Resurgence Pack DLC Officially Dated for July‎

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Modern Warfare 2 PC and PS3 players craving new options now can plan to spend some money the week after American independence day.  I mean who wouldn’t want to shoot enemies in a carnival or at a gas station am I right? I mean seriously.. only Zombie apocalypse games have nailed those locations up till now.

Though 360 owners have had the DLC as a timed exclusive since June 3rd, the paid content goes universal to PC and PS3 in July. American PS3 and all PC players can buy the pack July 6th while Europe will pretty much get it at the same time only a day later – since July 7 in Europe is July 6 in the US.