playstation uncensored #42

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Mirror’s Edge ‘Level 3′ gameplay

Mirror's Edge 'Level 3' gameplay

Xbox 360 ‘New Xbox Experience Walkthrough

Xbox 360 ‘New Xbox Experience Walkthrough

Xbox 360 'New Xbox Experience Walkthrough'

PS3 Far Cry 2 Home space

podcast show #40

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Tekken 6 confirmed for 360

Mega-news from Microsoft’s TGS keynote: Tekken 6 will release on 360 next autumn.

It’s not clear whether or not the game will also release on PS3, but this announcement will send shockwaves through the Japanese industry: Tekken and PlayStation are like cookies and cream.

Fallout 3 leaked and now available on torrent

Two weeks before its official release, Fallout 3 has just surfaced on torrent sites.
Updates:
More gameplay images surface:
http://i35.tinypic.com/opprvl.jpg
http://i35.tinypic.com/dh98pu.jpg

playstation uncensored podcast

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EA Admits Pirated Copies Do Not Equal Lost Sales

Electronic Arts says that it understands how an illegally downloaded copy is not, in any way, a copy that was lost as a sale to the company. Mariam Sughayer, who is working for the corporate communications
department of EA, says that “Stepping aside from the whole issue of DRM, people need to recognize that every BitTorrent download doesn’t represent a successful copy of a game, let alone a lost sale”. Understanding this, the company is getting ready to shift its approach so that it rewards the customer rather than punishing everyone for the sins of pirates.

At launch, Spore had a three installation limit and also a limit of only one account per game copy owned. If you wanted more installs, you had to call Electronic Arts and if you wished more accounts, you had to buy more copies of the game.

Gamers launched a backlash, which included Amazon one star reviews and anti-DRM creatures on Sporepedia. On the one hand, Electronic Arts resorted to the usual hard line, going so far as threatening to ban people talking about DRM on their forums, but on the other hand, the company understood that most of the complaints were pretty much founded, so they recently announced that the installation limit would be raised while an iTunes like “activation” mechanics would be added. They also said that the very next patch would include a feature which allows for more screen names per game copy.

Expect Electronic Arts to emphasize the social and downloadable aspect of the game in order to fight piracy. Pirated copies cannot access the Sporepedia and cannot get creatures from other people in their games. So, if EA manages to select content and emphasize this aspect of the game, it will encourage more people to get the game in order to access this aspect of Spore.

star wars

THQ today announces that Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is now available on mobile handsets the world over. This includes the iPhone, where it has been lurking for quite awhile, Nokia's N-Gage gaming platform, and more than 850 different cellular handsets. Should you pick it up? Well Star Wars plus iPhone equals extra nerd chic of course, and Star Wars plus N-Gage equals you might as well, you obviously went out of your way for an N-Gage platform supporting phone.

dead space

Electronic Arts has announced that players who pre-order Dead Space for Xbox 360 and PS3 at GameStop online, EB Canada online and at selected retailers and websites across Europe, will receive a promotional code for an exclusive downloadable Scorpion Suit. The Scorpion Suit will feature a new look, increased toughness and increased inventory slots. Dead Space follows Isaac Clarke, an ordinary man on a routine mission to fix the communications systems aboard a deep space mining ship. Isaac soon realizes that the ship's crew has been ravaged by an alien infestation, so he must fight through the dead silence and darkness of deep space to stay alive.

konami

Konami Digital Entertainment has released a playable demo for Pro Evolution Soccer 2009, giving you the chance to try out this upocoming game due to hit the store shelves on October 16th. Players are able to select fully licensed Manchester United, Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Barcelona club teams, or the licensed Italian or French national sides. All new visuals with completely remodeled players and animations, and new physics routines to ensure the ball behaves more realistically have been included, while the AI of the CPU sides has been enhanced to provide an ever evolving challenge.

Killzone 2 Beta: New 7min Gameplay Video

home japan

Home: prepare to be a bit bored

home_01.jpg

Play was invited to the Home beta, earlier in the summer. After much analysis of the PS3’s long-awaited social networking tool, here are our thoughts…

After entering our secret login from Sony, downloading the 200mb file and its 89mb update, we finally had access to Home on the PS3. The expectations are ridiculously high for this virtual, Second Life-esque social space. Prior to sampling Home, we didn’t really know what to expect, despite our months of writing news pieces on the service and interpreting Sony’s idealistic spiel. What were we dreaming of? GT5 garages? Trophy cases showcasing our Uncharted skills? Whorehouses? If not these things, we were hoping for a fresh, vibrant and innovative way of networking on the PS3; this, though, is not the first opinion that strikes you, upon entering Home.

At the beginning, the outlook is much more depressing. The initial process of designing your character is fun, given that everything from lips, head size and build can be adjusted to your satisfaction, but it’s those first moments of aimlessly walking around that can be quite alienating. You begin in your empty apartment, with a door leading to the outside world and a seaside view from the windows in your room. Upon walking through the door, we were greeted with a sight that is unfortunately indicative of the Home experience: a download screen. For every new building that we entered, a 30-50mb additional update was needed, which was a little bit frustrating– why not condense everything into one 500mb download, and cut out the middleman? Perhaps this is something they’ll work on before it’s unveiled to the public.

Once we’d overcome this process, we were in Home Square. Eerily, this hub of Home activity was 100% deserted. Around us, tons of advertising posters for Sony products were hanging on the walls, while huge video screens donned trailers of the latest Sony products. In all honesty, it was like walking into some kind of nightmarish, Sony-generated Dystopia. Home seemed a bit…Orwellian. Hardly an image you want to provide, when users are discovering it for the first time.
home_02.jpg

From Home Square, you can access a theatre full of game/movie trailers, a mall containing different stores and a games zone, for leisure activities. With all being completely devoid of people, though, Home was terribly off-putting. A better experience came that very night, however, during an organised Sony press event that showcased two of their biggest titles, inFamous and Resistance 2, as well as smaller title Ratchet & Clank: Quest For Booty. To mark the occasion, developers Insomniac and Sucker Punch were dragged out to answer the numerous, mostly banal questions of the gaming press.

Stepping into Home Square was different, this time. Now populated with upwards of thirty users, we finally engaged in some relaxed and non-terrifying conversations with other people. Our scheduled time with Insomniac and Sucker Punch was coming up, however, so we had to visit a place in Home called the Events Space. This is something of a showroom; Sony had big bits of inFamous artwork sprawled across the walls, and trailers playing in the background. The space is wide open, with a fountain in view. Podiums were dotted around where the developers stood, as users queued up to ask questions.

These were, as a matter of fact, the most relaxed conversations we’ve ever had with games developers. The speech bubbles make Home feeling like a moving comic book, of sorts, while the different expressions of each avatar almost distract from the conversation itself. Sucker Punch’s Darren Bridges put it best: “It’s hard to ask someone difficult questions when they’re doing the flamenco dance.” Quite. Were we hanging around with friends, rather than folk we’ve never met, the Home experience would surely be richer and more fulfilling.

We asked Insomniac’s Ryan Schneider about the potential of Home for developers, and he answered enthusiastically: “I think the main opportunity for Home is expanding the game into a larger universe, so people can experience the game for themselves in their own way”. Presumably, Schneider was referencing the availability of downloadable content related to each product. The Mall in Home Square only contains a few items, at present (all with names like ‘summer lamp’), but the service will be exponentially updated in the time it takes to finish Home, as well as the extensive period after release. Schneider, though, stated that Home content is ‘not bundled’ with Resistance 2.
home_05.jpg

Technically speaking, the service is quite impressive, but then they have been working on Home since 2005. “Each room can hold 50 people before it makes a copy of itself, but people can still visit their friends [with ease],” said the_e3_mc, who hosted the event. To visit any of your online friends at any time, all you have to do is bring up the in-game PSP, choose a friend off your Network list, and click ‘Go To’. That creates the instantaneous link that people require, in order to streamline the process to its very basic social function.

As the service became populated, we saw how it all came together. Home, when brimming with life, excitement and conversation is something that you’ll want to be a part of, and it could genuinely work as a social tool. The PS3 lacks a decent community aspect, and Home, if implemented properly, could very well bring the Network to a higher standard. It could be worth the wait.

PLAYSTATION UNCENSORED GAMING PODCAST

OFFICIAL LIST OF PS3 GAMES THAT SUPPORT [ UPDATED ]

PS3 Trophy Game List

Last Updated: September 12th, 2008

This is the internet’s most comprehensive and most frequently updated PS3 Trophy list, with direct links to sources of information and lists of Trophies where known. If you have anything to add to this list, please get in touch.
Already Supporting Trophies

Buzz! Quiz TV: Trophy List.
PixelJunk Eden: Trophy List.
Super Stardust HD: Trophy List.
Uncharted: Trophy List.
Warhawk: Trophy List.
NovaStrike: Trophy List
Pain: Trophy List.
Will Support Trophies (At Launch)

Aliens: Colonial Marines: Source.
Alpha Protocol: Source.
Bayonetta: Source.
BioShock: Source.
Blitz 2: Source.
Borderlands: Source.
Call of Duty 5: Source.
Crash Commando: Source.
Dead Space: Source.
Endwar: Source.
Far Cry 2: Source.
HAWX: Source.
Heroes over Europe: Source.
Killzone 2: Source (E3 demonstration).
Legend of Spyro: Source.
LittleBigPlanet: Source.
Mirror’s Edge: Source.
Mortal Kombat vs DC: Source (podcast 2).
MotorStorm 2: Source.
NBA 09: Source.
Project Origin: Source.
Quantum of Solace: Source. New
Ragdoll Kung Fu: Source.
Resistance 2: Source.
Rock Band 2: Trophy List.
Saints Row 2: Source.
Shaun White’s Snowboarding: Source.
SOCOM: Source.
Söldner X: Source. New
Stormrise: Source.
Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars: Source.
The Godfather II: Source.
The Wheelman: Source.
This is Vegas: Source.
Two Worlds: Source.
WipEout HD: Source.
X-Blades: Source.
Will Support Trophies (Via Patch)

Battlefield: Bad Company: Source.
Bionic Commando: Rearmed: Source.
Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway: Source.
Burnout Paradise: Source.
Fallout 3: Source.
Ferrari Challenge: Soon.
Might Support Trophies

1942: Source.
Disgaea 3: Source.
Elefunk: Source.
fl0w: Source.
Heavenly Sword: Source.
Need for Speed Undercover: Source.
PixelJunk Monsters: Source.
Sonic Unleashed: Source.
Star Wars: TFU: Source.
Street Fighter HD: Source.
Unlikely To Support Trophies

Devil May Cry 4: Source.
Hail To The Chimp: Source.
Jeopardy: Source. New
Soul Calibur 4: Source.
Super Puzzle Fighter HD: Source.
Won’t Support Trophies

Alone in the Dark: Source.
Armoured Core: For Answer: Source.
Call of Duty 4: Source.
Civilization Revolution: Source.
Colin McRae DiRT: Email from Codemasters.
FIFA 09: Source.
Mercenaries 2: Source.
Naruto: Source.
Prince of Persia: Source.
Race Driver GRID: Source.
Rainbow Six Vegas 2: Source.
Ratchet and Clank: Source.
Ratchet and Clank Quest For Booty: Source.
Resistance: Source.

Yoshida interested in getting Wii consumers to stay with PS3

When Nintendo dominates the NPD charts month after month, it's unsurprising that competitors (like Sony) would want to follow suit. Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida notes that the Wii has been incredibly successful in capturing the casual gamer -- a demographic that used to be PS2's bread and butter. "[Social gaming] has been massive on PS2 as you know," he tells IGN UK. "Nintendo Wii's success is really helping that, as is the success of music games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero -- they're bringing in these people, creating the style of playing games with your parents, and that continues to be important for the success of the PS3 as well."

While Wii has been doing a great job of introducing gaming to a new audience, Yoshida is hoping that some of the Wii audience will learn to move on to other platforms, such as the PS3. "After they've played a Wii and played some of the games, some of those consumers might try something else. I'm really interested to try and convince those consumers to stay with us."

How will Yoshida be able to capture that audience? He points to the SIXAXIS as just a small part of the strategy: "[it's] really important to us to create a new experience. And that was what we've been doing with the EyeToy camera, the SingStar mic and the Buzz controller. We always look for a new way to give users interaction with games." As for a brand new "dedicated motion controller" ... well, "that's a possibility."

Rock Band weekly DLC: Megadeth album, RB Tour Pack

This week's Rock Band DLC starts off with one of the six promised albums: Megadeth Peace Sells ... but Who's Buying? The tracks are as follows:

* "Wake Up Dead"
* "The Conjuring"
* "Devil's Island"
* "Good Mourning / Black Friday"
* "Bad Omen"
* "I Ain't Superstitious"
* "My Last Words"

The title track is not part of the track pack; that will be on the Rock Band 2 disc. Each Megadeth song will be $1.99 while the entire album will be $10.99. The second track pack consists of bands on the Rock Band Tour MTV will be doing to promote the game:

* "One of Those Nights" -- The Cab
* "Hands Down" -- Dashboard Confessional
* "She's a Handsome Woman" -- Panic! At the Disco
* "Natural Disaster" -- Plain White T's

This Rock Band Tour Pack will be $3.99 and each individual track will be priced at $0.99 for 30 days after its release. After 30 days the Pack will be $6.99 and each song $1.99. Peace Sells ... but Who's Buying and the Rock Band Tour Pack will be available for download next Thursday, September 18th on the PS Store.

Bad Company assaulted by DLC, free weapons, update

IGN reports a veritable cornucopia of news regarding Battlefield: Bad Company. The leaderboards have been expanded to include 500,000 players (up from 50,000), which should give more gamers a chance to see their names up in lights. Also, two of the campaign levels -- Acta Non Verba and Par For The Course -- are being retooled for multiplayer and will be available in an upcoming map pack (no word on when it will release or how much it will cost). Along with the map pack, an update is being prepared that should fix server and Dog Tag lag. Finally, and perhaps most interesting, codes are being given out to unlock three of the five (somewhat controversial) weapons that were only available to those who took part in the game's launch promotions. To unlock the different weapons, simply enter the codes below in the unlock section in Bad Company.

* Recon Kit - QBU88 - your3mynextt4rget
* Special Ops Kit - UZI - cov3r1ngthecorn3r
* Support Kit - M60 - try4ndrunf0rcov3r

The remaining weapons can still be unlocked by checking your stats on the Bad Company website and joining the EA Veteran's Program.

BioShock demo dated for October 2nd

A new news item has been posted on the official BioShock website, The Cult Of Rapture. It's short and sweet and says only what we need to know. That being the date when we can expect to grab a vertical slice of the upcoming atmosphere-em-up, BioShock. The demo will be made available (worldwide, no less) on October the 2nd. So you don't have too long to wait before you adventure in Rapture begins. And to think that this time last year we were to-ing and fro-ing between rumors that the game was coming PS3wards and developers who swore it wasn't. We're glad that PS3 owners get an opportunity to experience one of the most impressive games of 2007, even if it is a year later.

If you plan on building (or upgrading) a PC around the upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto IV, the official Games For Windows web site has a helpful rough estimate for what kind of hardware you're gonna need. To make it look as pretty as the version we saw, which ran just shy of 2560 x 1600, expect to bring some serious computing power to the table. While the minimum system requirements for the Windows version of GTA IV are still a mystery, the recommended requirements are yours for the studying. Recommended operating system? Windows XP SP2, natch. For the hard stuff, make the jump.

Processor: Dual core processor (Intel Pentium D or better)
RAM: 2GB
Hard Drive: 18GB free hard disk space
Video Card: 512MB Direct3D 10 compatible video card or Direct3D 9 card compatible with Shader
Drive: DVD-ROM dual-layer drive

18 gigabytes, eh? In the age of the terabyte home storage solution, Grand Theft Auto IV spreading out across that much platter isn't shocking, just a tad hard to absorb. (Ask me about my 80GB drive some time!)

We're checking in with Rockstar to make sure these figures are on the up and up, but until someone says otherwise, we'd think it's safe to start trolling NewEgg for whatever your needs may be.

Thanks to Mikko for the pointer.

Wii Music Gets More Cowbell

We had our doubts about Wii Music after the "dog incident," but we're skeptics no longer. Nintendo, you had us at "dink dink dink dink dink dink DOONG! dink dink dink dink dink dink DOONG! dink dink dink dink dink dink DOONG!" See you there on day one.

Man Steals Cheque, Kills Parents, Buys Xbox

Sad story. In 2007, Russell Bramlage killed his parents, Dr. Terry Bramlage and Lynda Bramlage, after they confronted him when he stole two cheques from them. Shot them both in the back, with a shotgun, in cold blood. Three days after the murders, seemingly without a care in the world, he cashed one of the cheques in and bought...an original Xbox. Bramlage was later arrested by police, and pleaded guilty to murder charges, for which he'll face up to 20 years in prison without parole.

Battle of the Rock Bands Tonight on SPIKE

Disturbed, Judas Priest and Cheap Trick (pictured) are challenging the top three user bands in the nation tonight on SPIKE TV's "30 Minutes to Midnight," the official countdown show for the launch of Rock Band 2. The three bands challenge the users to play their songs, among the hardest in the game, with other competitive twists. There will also be a guy who can finish a song playing all four instruments at once. If you're one of those people transfixed by watching others play this game really well, you might want to flip over.

More details, plus exclusive screengrabs from the show (taped live before a studio audience, like "Cheers") on the jump.

"30 Minutes to Midnight" airs at, well, 30 minutes to midnight US Eastern time tonight. The user bands are from the Xbox 360 community (Earth Wind and Centaur! Die! In a Fire, and Here Comes a New Challenger). In addition to playing straight up, there will also be a challenge mode in which they have to play the notes from memory with none on the screen. So we'll see if Rock Band really has taught anyone to rock out.

Game characters that time forgot .

There's one thing more annoying than a game character that outstays their welcome, and that's a game character that vanishes too quickly. They may live on in memory, or eke out an existence on XBLA, Virtual Console or old-school compilations, but they are caught in the curious predicament of staying forever young while ageing horribly in today's hyper-fast world of mega-power gaming.

This article is dedicated to some of the game characters that deserved more (except Croc), but were, for whatever reason, left behind. Forever frozen in the past like 16-bit popsicles. These are the game characters that time forgot.






Memory dump: Monkey-a-like bouffant sporting one-hit-death generously eared snubbed in favour of Sonic cheeky cherub-faced rice-ball munching wielding fists of 'Shellcore' rock-smashery couldn't save the Master System II pro paper-scissors-stone player definitely-not-a-Mario-beating Sega contender.

Best Game: Alex Kidd in Miracle World (Master System, 1986)

Current status: Recently dusted off for an 'unlockable character' appearance in Sega Superstar Tennis. Has also joined the swollen ranks of retro has-beens on Virtual Console.





Memory dump: Dream-bothering elemental magic casting dungeon-sacking mute murderer of demons casino patronising bastard-haired solver of bastard-hard puzzles top-down 2D loyalist from 3D obsessed 32-bit era cheaply disregarded as a Legend of Zelda clone typically effeminate elf-eared elf boy completely absent from the nothing-to-do-with-the-original Alundra 2.

Best (and only) Game: Alundra (PSOne, 1997)

Current status: Completely forgotten. It's like everyone who ever owned a PSOne was spiked with amnesia pills.



Memory dump: Ninja Turtle bandwagoning skin-condition based moniker fun-poking enemies of the hot looking for a 2D-sprite Dark Queen side-scrolling heavy-fisted pork punching stars of a never made it past the pilot cartoon show amphibious ambassadors of incredo NES graphics and snot-gobbling sadistic gameplay.

Best Game: Battletoads (NES, 1991)

Current status: Recently enjoyed an internet-inspired renaissance. See the evidence here. XBLA is probably the best bet for a bonafide revisiting seeing that Battletoads developer Rare is now on the Microsoft payroll.



Memory dump: Once-upon-a-time fictional face of Capcom 15 minutes of fame in underrated Final Fight-a-like punch and kick them down brawler energy glove fitted sunglasses in outer space enemy burning Blanka-style electricity attacks protector of Universe against Scumocide best boss name ever more famous for Marvel Vs Capcom cameos undisputed narcissistic Captain of Commandos.

Best game: Captain Commando (SNES, 1995)

Current Status: Last seen 2002 trading blows in Marvel Vs Capcom 2.

Sold out: PS3 Survival Edition

Just a head’s up, we’ve received word from the folks at Amazon that the Fallout 3 Survival Edition for PlayStation 3 has sold out. So if you’re looking for it on their site, now you know why it’s not there. For those wanting to order the Survival Edition on Xbox 360 or Games for Windows, we’re told these are expected to sell out soon as well.

f you missed it, the Survival Edition includes:
-Fallout 3 (yes, it has the game)
-A life-size replica of the Pip-Boy 3000, the wrist-mounted device worn by characters in the game.
-Vault Boy Bobblehead: Your very own Vault Boy collector’s item is direct from Vault-Tec.
-The Art of Fallout 3: Features nearly 100 pages of never-before seen concept art and commentary from Bethesda Game Studios artists.
-The Making of Fallout 3 DVD: An exclusive, inside look at Bethesda Game Studios and the team behind the game.
-Vault-Tec Lunch Box: A fully customized metal lunch box.

The package will be exclusively for Amazon.com

The Complete Guitar Hero World Tour Set List

ctivision has released the entire track listing for their upcoming upgrade to the Guitar Hero franchise, Guitar Hero World Tour. Rock Band 2 might have shown their hand a bit early, as Activision trumps their 84 songs on disc by two, delivering 86 master recordings, the largest selection of on-disc music in the genre until the next iterations come out. While many of the songs on the list we've heard about over the past few months, trickling out in various press releases or in news articles, it sure is impressive to see the complete list all at once. See for yourself, after the jump!

ACTIVISION UNVEILS FULL GUITAR HERO® WORLD TOUR SET LIST

Featuring 86 Master Tracks, Game Delivers The Biggest Selection of On-Disc Music In The Music-Rhythm Videogame Genre To Date

Santa Monica, CA – September 12, 2008 – Delivering unparalleled depth and diversity featuring some of the most prolific artists of all time including Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Van Halen, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Michael Jackson and more, Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today revealed the highly-anticipated full set list for Guitar Hero® World Tour, the definitive rock ‘n’ roll music videogaming experience. Spanning over 40 years of rock history and featuring 86 tracks, comprised entirely of master recordings, the game will deliver Guitar Hero® fans the largest selection of on-disc music in the music-rhythm videogame genre to date. The complete Guitar Hero World Tour on-disc set list available on October 26, 2008 will include:

* 311 - “Beautiful Disaster”
* 30 Seconds To Mars - “The Kill”
* Airbourne - “Too Much Too Young”
* The Allman Brothers Band - “Ramblin' Man”
* Anouk - “Good God”
* The Answer - “Never Too Late”
* At The Drive-In - “One Armed Scissor”
* Beastie Boys - “No Sleep Till Brooklyn”
* Beatsteaks - “Hail to the Freaks”
* Billy Idol - “Rebel Yell”
* Black Label Society - “Stillborn”
* Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - “Weapon of Choice”
* blink-182 - “Dammit”
* Blondie - “One Way or Another”
* Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - “Hollywood Nights”
* Bon Jovi - “Livin’ On A Prayer”
* Bullet For My Valentine - “Scream Aim Fire”
* Coldplay - “Shiver”
* Creedence Clearwater Revival - “Up Around The Bend”
* The Cult - “Love Removal Machine”
* Dinosaur Jr. - “Feel The Pain”
* The Doors - “Love Me Two Times”
* Dream Theater - “Pull Me Under”
* The Eagles - “Hotel California”
* The Enemy - “Aggro”
* Filter - “Hey Man, Nice Shot”
* Fleetwood Mac - “Go Your Own Way”
* Foo Fighters - “Everlong”
* The Guess Who - “American Woman”
* Hush Puppies - “You're Gonna Say Yeah!”
* Interpol - “Obstacle 1”
* Jane's Addiction - “Mountain Song”
* Jimi Hendrix - “Purple Haze (Live)”
* Jimi Hendrix - “The Wind Cries Mary”
* Jimmy Eat World - “The Middle”
* Joe Satriani - “Satch Boogie”
* Kent - “Vinternoll2”
* Korn - “Freak On A Leash”
* Lacuna Coil - “Our Truth”
* Lenny Kravitz - “Are You Gonna Go My Way”
* Linkin Park - “What I've Done”
* The Living End - “Prisoner of Society”
* Los Lobos - “La Bamba”
* Lost Prophets - “Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)”
* Lynyrd Skynyrd - “Sweet Home Alabama (Live)”
* Mars Volta - “L'Via L'Viaquez”
* MC5’s Wayne Kramer - “Kick Out The Jams”
* Metallica - “Trapped Under Ice”
* Michael Jackson - “Beat It”
* Modest Mouse - “Float On”
* Motörhead - “Overkill”
* Muse - “Assassin”
* Negramaro - “Nuvole e Lenzuola”
* Nirvana - “About a Girl (Unplugged)”
* No Doubt - “Spiderwebs”
* NOFX - “Soul Doubt”
* Oasis - “Some Might Say”
* Ozzy Osbourne - “Crazy Train”
* Ozzy Osbourne - “Mr. Crowley”
* Paramore - “Misery Business”
* Pat Benatar - “Heartbreaker”
* R.E.M. - “The One I Love”
* Radio Futura - “Escuela De Calor”
* Rise Against - “Re-Education Through Labor”
* Sex Pistols - “Pretty Vacant”
* Silversun Pickups - “Lazy Eye”
* Smashing Pumpkins - “Today”
* Steely Dan - “Do It Again”
* Steve Miller Band - “The Joker”
* Sting - “Demolition Man (Live)”
* The Stone Roses - “Love Spreads”
* Stuck In The Sound - “Toy Boy”
* Sublime - “Santeria”
* Survivor - “Eye of the Tiger”
* System of a Down - “B.Y.O.B.”
* Ted Nugent - “Stranglehold”
* Ted Nugent’s Original Guitar Duel Recording
* Tokio Hotel - “Monsoon”
* Tool - “Parabola”
* Tool - “Schism”
* Tool - “Vicarious”
* Trust - “Antisocial”
* Van Halen - “Hot For Teacher”
* Willie Nelson - “On The Road Again”
* Wings - “Band on the Run”
* Zakk Wylde’s Original Guitar Duel Recording

When the house lights go down this fall, a new generation of guitarists, drummers and fearless frontmen will come together and rock with Guitar Hero World Tour. The latest installment in the #1 best-selling video game franchise of 2007, Guitar Hero World Tour transforms music gaming by expanding Guitar Hero’s signature guitar gameplay into a cooperative band experience that combines the most advanced wireless controllers with new revolutionary online* and offline gameplay modes including Band Career and 8-player “Battle of the Bands,” which allows two full bands to compete head-to-head online for the first time ever. The game features a slick newly redesigned guitar controller, drum kit controller and a microphone, as well as an innovative Music Studio music creator that lets players compose, record, edit and share their own rock ‘n’ roll anthems. Music creators will also be able to share their recordings with their friends online through GHTunesSM where other gamers can download and play an endless supply of unique creations.

Guitar Hero World Tour is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. The Wii™ version is being developed by Vicarious Visions. The PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system version is being developed by Budcat. The game is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB. For more information on Guitar Hero World Tour, please visit www.guitarhero.com.

Eternal Sonata PS3 Coming In October

While it might be old news to some of you, last we'd heard the long-awaited and greatly enhanced PlayStation 3 version of Eternal Sonata was scheduled for a release sometime in the fall. Well while we weren't looking, sometime in the fall became sometime in October, which then got narrowed down even further to October 21st. While it's only been a year or so since I played the original, the improvements made between that version and this one - new characters, extra cutscenes, new outfits, etc. - might just be enough for me to pick it up again. Besides, it will be novel to play a relatively high quality Japanese RPG on the PS3 for once.

First DJ Hero Details: Turntable Controller, Mash-Ups, Guitar Co-Op

Recent Activision acquisition FreeStyleGames is hard at work on DJ Hero, a music rhythm game that will let gamers scratch to the beat of popular mash-ups with a laptop turntable peripheral, informed sources tell us today.

The game, which has been in development for nearly two years, is expected to hit shelves next summer and will likely include the ability to use Guitar Hero guitars for versus mode face-offs.

The controller, key to the game's success, has been through nearly a half-dozen iterations.

In the latest form, the device looks a lot like a simplified DJ Deck. There is a platter for scratching which will act like the strum toggle on a Guitar Hero guitar. Above the platter are three buttons for sampling. The controller also includes a cross fader and a sound effects dial which will act like the whammy bar in Guitar Hero.

Instead of flowing the musical notes down a guitar neck, DJ Hero will flow the music down and around a virtual record in a half arc. Either left top to middle bottom if you are left handed, or right top to middle bottom if you are right handed.

To play you will have to either hold a sample button and scratch, just hold a button or just scratch as the neon icons flow around the virtual vinyl.

Currently the wireless controller has grooves molded into the bottom so it will sit comfortably in a player's lap, though the team is also looking into legs for the deck so gamers can play while standing up.

The game in its current form features all mash-ups, think Beyonce Vs Jimi Hendrix, 50 cent Vs Beastie Boys. If they can nail the interface and get licensing for the music this could be a mammoth hit. Then again I love mash-ups.

MotorStorm 2 Demo Invites Going Out Via Email

Looks like Motorstorm: Pacific Rift's pre-release demo isn't strictly limited to the Qore subscribing elite. We've heard from many a tipster that Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has been sending out invites for the demo version of the Motorstorm sequel, freeing it from its shackles as a strictly pay-to-play demo. That means you should definitely check your inbox, your spam filter and get in touch with your friends across the pond. They might have a spare for you. Thanks to everyone who sent this in — Philip took the first place tip spot and gets the Kotaku no-prize.

So, Who Sells The Most Games in Japan & Europe?

Let's find out! As part of its annual report, published today, Capcom included a handy little chart that shows (as of the end of the last financial year) the breakdown of market share between software publishers in the Japanese and European markets. North American figures weren't included at the request of the NPD Group. The results may surprise you! While Nintendo's dominance in Japan is to be expected, Capcom's lowly 15th place finish in Europe is not. Nor is Sony managing to muster only a 2.8% share of its home market, nor is EA beating out Nintendo to the top spot in Europe. Just goes to show Wii Play and Brain Training can only do so much against the unstoppable force that is FIFA.

'Classic' PSP games coming to PlayStation Store

While it doesn't quite fulfill our wish list of PSP games we'd most want to purchase by download and run from a single Memory Stick, D3 Publisher's "classic" catalog is coming to PlayStation Store (the PC one) this September. Props for being ahead of the curve. Up for digital delivery will be:

* Cube ($9.99)
* Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords ($14.99)
* WTF: work time fun ($9.99)
* PQ: Practical Intelligence Quotient ($9.99)
* PQ2: Practical Intelligence Quotient 2 ($14.99)
* Dead Head Fred ($14.99)

Once a true PSP Store is in place, we'd love to see all publishers follow suit. Now tell us that wouldn't send a chill up your spine GameStop!

Yoshida - PS3 hardware, cost and pricing "now coming together"

It’s all happening. Speaking to VG247 at Games Convention, Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida said that Jack Tretton’s claim that 2008 would be the “year of PlayStation 3″ is coming to fruition.

“All the things are now coming together in terms of the right hardware, cost and pricing, and we are increasing our hard disc space as we are increasing the content we’re offering through the network and the big titles we’re working on, coming out this Christmas,” he said. “All that is coming together this year.”

And, obviously, next year’s plans are continuing apace.

“I definitely hope so,” said the dev chief when we asked if he believed 2009 would be another “PS3 year.”

“We are feeling very comfortable about the momentum we have on all PlayStation platforms, and especially the way things are going in Europe. It’s very, very encouraging.”

Yoshida wouldn’t be drawn on unannounced product for 2009, but assured there’s plenty we haven’t seen yet.

“That’s not to say we’re not working on product for next year,” he added. “We have some titles that we have announced this year for release next year, like Heavy Rain and MAG, our big 256-player online title.

“Also there are some titles that we are targeting to launch next year that we have not announced yet. We still have a lot to come.”

Sony stole the show in Germany this year with SKU announcements for both PS3 and PSP and a first showing of Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain.

More soon.

GET OVER HERE! over 8mins of new MK vs. DC footage.

Still think the upcoming MK vs. DC fighting game from Midway is gonna suck? Check out this video with over 8 mins of new footage showcasing some cool ass moves, destructible environments/clothing, brutalities,fatalities, and new combo system. Plus an explanation of just how much control you have over your character even while being grabbed or thrown! Midway has stated time and time again about how they’re going back to their roots with this latest iteration of Mk and it’s apparent from this video. Check it out below and peep the scene were old Bats gets burned by fan favorite Scorpion…GET OVER HERE!!!

GOT TROPHIES?

Do you have one of those friends that constantly goes on about getting trophies? Pretty much everyone has one and I am no exception. One of my friends kept talking about all of his trophies and how he got them and what he had to do. I often just called him a trophy whore and laughed it off. This week I got my first chance to get a trophy on Warhawk. I started getting off by getting one then another and I just kept going. Soon I found myself a full fledged trophy whore. Now I am planning to get games just for the trophies because I found myself so caught up in the excitement. If you haven't got a trophy yet get one. If you think that you won't get addicted to getting trophies then you are dead wrong. And just think all of the work you put into the trophies will pay off when Home comes out and you have a giant trophy room filled with all of you achievements.

square drops out of the tecmo bid

Less than 24 hours after Tecmo said no thanks to its $200 million offer, Square Enix has officially withdrawn it. Initially, the Japanese role-playing game giant didn't rule out a hostile bid for Tecmo. However, the day the Ninja Gaiden maker announced it was pursuing a union with Dynasty Warriors publisher Koei, Square Enix president Yoichi Wada threw in the towel.

"If they truly dislike Square Enix, there is no point," Wada told the Reuters news service. "All [game] creators would leave the firm the moment the deal was done. It would be the equivalent of buying a building."

But while the Tecmo takeover may be dead, that doesn't mean the minds behind Final Fantasy XIII aren't laying plans for other buyouts or mergers. "We are talking with quite a few companies in and outside of Japan," said Wada.

While Wada did not go into further detail, and downplayed any on going negotiations as "routine," the fact Square Enix is talking to non-Japanese parties raises an array of intriguing possibilities. First, that the Tokyo-based company might acquire a Western developer, as Sega did with Secret Level (US) and The Creative Assembly (UK). There's also the possibility of some sort of agreement with a Western publisher, such as the recent Grasshopper Manufacture/Electronic Arts deal.

WELL THAY BUY PS3 OR 360/THIS WINTTER

PS3 has always been more expensive than Xbox 360 Arcade and pro consoles and the PS3 still has outsold(By several thousand each month) the the Xbox 360 six out of seven months of this year and the one month it didn't the Xbox 360 only sold 900 more console than the PS3. From what I can tell the PS3 will have outsold the Xbox 360 in August as well and that's with the price reduction on the Xbox pro 20gig($299.95). The price cut for Europe didn't make much difference for the Xbox 360. Even with the Xbox 360 more than a year head start in Europe the PS3 and Xbox 360 are running neck and neck in the number of consoles sold.

With all the me too stuff and the price cut, just seems that Microsoft are a little desperate.

In my oppinion the PS3 80gig is a way better deal with its built Wi-Fi and Blu-Ray than any of the Xbox 360 models, and your guaranteed to have a hard drive with every unit. You can add hard drive(a overly priced hard drive) but then your not really saving any money and you still don't have the value that the PS3 has.

xbox 360 price cut

Microsoft said on Thursday that it was cutting the price of its Xbox 360 game console. Starting this Friday, its base model will now sell for $199, down from $279. That makes the 360 the cheapest of the new generation of consoles — and, pointedly, cheaper than the $249 Nintendo Wii.

The consoles, of course, aren’t interchangeable, and price is hardly the sole arbiter of whether a console sells. Among the other bits of context here worth noting:

* Microsoft also cut the price of the Xbox last year at this time, so such a cut is unsurprising. Console makers have traditionally cut the prices of their machines over time to expand the user base.
* Xbox, which jumped out to an early lead on its competition — Sony’s PlayStation 3 and the Wii — has struggled more recently. In July, Microsoft sold 205,000 units, which was less than both the PS3 (225,000) and the Wii (555,000), according to figures released two weeks ago by the NPD Group, a market research firm.

Aaron Greenberg, director of product management for the 360, said Microsoft’s decision to drop the price was partly in keeping with an effort to stimulate demand over the holidays. He noted that 75 percent of console sales happen in the fourth quarter.

He also said Microsoft’s research showed that 75 percent of the sales of the original Xbox and the PlayStation 2 happened after the price fell below $200.

“There’s a huge audience that aren’t willing to pay more than $200,” he said.

He argued that Wii sales don’t come at the expense of Xbox sales.

“We’re a complementary experience to the Wii,” he said.

Is the Xbox 360 reaching the limit of its capabilities?

When any totally new gaming platform reaches developers for the first time they are at the bottom of a learning curve. Not only that, they are usually in a big hurry to get a game out as soon as possible after the platform launches. So early games on a new platform are usually little better than the best games on the previous generation platform.

As time passes the developer climbs up the learning curve. How fast this happens depends a lot on the complexity of the platform’s architecture and the availability of good engines, tools and libraries. The Microsoft Xbox 360 has a relatively straightforward system architecture and has had very good development tools from very early in the availability of dev kits. So we would expect developers to be getting close to optimum performance out of it fairly quickly. And this has been borne out by it delivering superior performance in virtually every cross platform game so far. But has the top of the learning curve been reached?

Rod Fergusson is franchise senior producer for Gears of War at Epic games and has just given an in depth interview for Gamasutra. Interestingly he says: “……with the two to three more years of optimization that we’ve had, we’re much further along than I think, three years ago, we thought we were going to get. So I think we’re certainly approaching the upper end of it, as far as what developers are able to do with it, but just looking at all the demos we saw today — ours and others — it’s clear that all the games just keep improving, and keep pushing that bar.”

And that is the thing really, although they are near the top, games will continue to get better and better on the 360 over the next few years as developers learn new tricks and wrinkles that allow them to coax more out of it and as the engines and tools become further optimised and more powerful. Rod Fergusson says as much: “There will be games in development that won’t ship until 2010, and I’m sure they’ll look killer, just because, again, they’ll have more time with it, and learn from mistakes and optimizations of others. So, I don’t know; I think we’re getting up there, but I still think there’s room to grow.”

Just like previous generations the absolute limit of capabilities is never reached, these systems are very complex and there is only so much time that can be put into wringing that last ounce of capability out of them. However it must be true that now the developers are nearly getting the most out of the 360 and that further improvements will be slower to come. It is the same in every platform cycle.

Angry Video Game Nerd: Battletoads

tekken 6 delayed until 2009

It looks like fighting fans may have to wait just a bit longer for Tekken 6 to hit the PS3. Earlier today, the Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion upgrade was announced for the arcade version of Tekken 6. Like Dark Resurrection, Bloodline Rebellion should add new stages, sound tracks, costumes, characters, and bug fixes to the existing version of Tekken 6. Bloodline Rebellion will hit arcades in December of this year.

Originally slated for a 2008 release, the console version of Namco Bandai's fighter was sidelined in order to get its other fighting franchise, Soul Calibur IV, out on the market. The console version of Tekken 6 will be most likely be delayed to incorporate these new updates, possibly even into 2009.

spore

You can now pre-load pre-Spore if you pre-order the pre-game
Electronic Arts announced that those who pre-ordered the PC version of Spore can now pre-load the game and be among the first to start playing on the day of release. Spore was developed by EA Maxis and is due to ship on September 5th 2008 in Europe and September 7th 2008 in North America, for PC, Mac, DS and mobile phones. Spore is a simulation game that will take you from the origin and evolution of life through the development of civilization and technology and eventually all the way into the deepest reaches of outer space. You will begin your odyssey at the dawn of life as a simple microbe just trying to survive, then use the fun, intuitive Editors to evolve the creature from its microscopic origins into an intelligent, tool-using race. You will guide your species as it builds (and the player designs) villages, buildings, cities, and vehicles. Along the way to becoming a global civilization you can choose whether to hunt or forage, attack or trade, be nice or play rough.

Warhawk trophies (patch 1.50)

What are Game Developers Thinking

Killzone2 Hands On

Killzone 2, while pretty freaking gorgeous, has been a bit of a tough sell since we started going hands-on with the game around E3 time. The graphics can’t seem to make up for the been-there-done-that feel that the gameplay provides, not differentiating itself enough from the FPS competition. A prettier, more sci-fi Call of Duty 4, in summary. So while the single-player could still use some more innovation, the developers are clearly putting all that and more into the multiplayer component, which is easily one of the most promising online experiences on the PS3.


Killzone 2 multiplayer is class-based, complete with ranks, tournaments, persistent experience and unlocks. But there are several elements that really set the experience apart. Lets go through them now:

1) The Graphics
It’s been said before, butt Killzone 2’s graphics rock my socks. They are some of the best we’ve ever seen in any game, and incredibly, those graphics don’t even drop a hitch when you play online. There is no noticable visual difference between the online and single-player graphics, which means it may very well be the best looking online game ever. So woo for that!

2) The Badge System
Badges make up Killzone 2’s class structure. There are five primary badges for your standard character classes. These range from Assault to Heavy Weapons to Scout to Engineer, and so forth. Now picking a primary badge does not only select your primary weapon load-out (there are multiple weapon options per primary badge), it selects your ability. The Medic, for example, has the predictable ability to revive fallen comrades. The Assault badge has a booster injection that lets you run much faster than normal. Scouts can actually cloak themselves. Very cool indeed.

But that’s not all. You can also pick a secondary badge, which determines yet another skill. For example, the Medic’s secondary badge allows him to throw down medkits for teammates (or yourself) to use. The Scout drops a beacon which scans the area and pops enemies up on friendly radar.

But the best part is that you’re not limited to picking both Medic badges. If you want to be able to revive people, but also be able to perform radar scans, you can select the Medic badge as your primary and the Scout as a secondary. You can mix and match each of the five badges, resulting in way more character classes than you’d expect. Plus, add in the different weapon loadouts for each badge and you really can create your character from the ground up.

3) Multiplayer Missions
In Call of Duty 4 (or most multiplayer games), you select a mode and stick with it. Domination, Search and Destroy, etc. Killzone 2 allows you to customize everything about your matches, including the ability to mix and match several modes in the same multiplayer match.

So say you’re playing a Capture the Flag variant. You recover the object, winning a point for your team. Instead of just doing the same thing all over again until the timer runs out, the game immediately switches to another mode…Assassination, for example. There’s no load screen, you’re just in the next mode, with your point carrying over from CTF. In a single match you can queue up a wide variety of different modes, which ensures that multiplayer shouldn’t get stale anytime soon.

4) Web-based Stats
It’ll be hard to match the powerhouse that is Bungie.net, but Guerrilla and SCEA are definitely going to try. Killzone.com will allow folks to track all of their personal stats, kill ratios and the current status and roster of their clan. It’ll give you info on upcoming tournies and allow you to see who’s the best around the world. What better way to procrastinate at work than to see if you’ve got the most melee kills with the rocket launcher?

5) It’s Not SOCOM
SOCOM has a huge following, but people generally feel a little overwhelmed by the still that folks have online. For fans, it’s great…for newbies it’s a nightmare. Killzone 2’s more cooperative modes allow you to hang in the back of the lines and provide support, lay down turrets, and so forth. You don’t need to be a twitch master to succeed here…but it helps!

So there you have it. Hopefully that gives you a taste of what you can expect. While the single player in Killzone 2 should be a fun jaunt, it appears the multiplayer is going to be this game’s bread and butter, and we can’t wait to hop online and pwn some Helghast in the coming months.”

PS3 IS KILLING

Ps3 is closing the gap between 360. The ps3 is been playing couch up and that gad is slowly closing on the 360. The 360 price drop cant stop it. So i cant wait to see what this fall is going to look like. The ps3 is really rolling out the big guns. This fall the open beta of home is coming and so is littlebigplanet. With that two things right there could keep the ps3 on top. But that's not all Sony has they have monster storm 2 resistance 2 and every good 3rd party game that the the 360 is getting. The games coming out this fall for the ps3 are amazing and the 360 it just cant find any loop hole to try and save it self. The games that Sony is pushing out this fall well help the ps3 win the console war. So all i can say to you is that the PS3 IS KILLING

Folding@home DaW team

Folding @ Home may seem complicated when you look and read about it but really it isn't at all. Folding @ Home is funded by Stanford University. What they did instead of getting a super computer which costs millions of dollars is made a deal with Sony. This software studies the foldings and misfoldings of proteins which can cause cancer and many other diseases. So Stanford sends a little bit of a model of folding and misfolding proteins. Your PS3 runs the model through and then sends all of the information back to Stanford in which case they send your PS3 another model. So in its simplest form Folding @ Home can cure cancer. As my friends and I have theorized not only does "Folding Home" help Stanford but it also helps boost your internet connection for online play. Please join our Folding @ Home team. The team number is 118417. To join the team go into your Folding @ Home application. Hit triangle and go to identity. Then click join team. Next type in the team number you want to join (118417) and click ok

Home is almost here

With home now coming out for sure some time this year. I know it cant live up to the hype. Why do i say this only because poeple expect it to be some thing its not. Home was made just for poeple to interact with each other. Its not some sexel game with real people. Home has rulls so its not secand life. Home is not a game its a community its like a town. With millions of people in it. Sony has spent 40 million dollars on home. So you know its going to be good but it cant live up to the hype.



Home to me cant go rong because i only just want home to see my friends avatars and see there home and just chill. So a cant wait but if your some one who wants home to be an ass and try to do stupid things like steal things. You wont be able to because sony well kick you out. To me this is great so i can just chill with my firends. Home is going to change the web gaming and the why we interact with are online friends.

Killzone 2 co-op to be patched after launch, bots confirmed

After watching the Killzone 2 multiplayer trailer, we wondered how much more fun the game's online mode would be without your typical multiplayer douche. Well, now we can find out! The upcoming FPS will, indeed, feature bots. These will be fully customizable difficulty-wise, and can fill in for players either online or offline, allowing any Billy-No-Mates to enjoy a friendly match every once in a while.

Additionally, vehicles are currently only available in the single player mode. Multiplayer vehicles will be patched in after the game is released. Also being patched post-launch is a co-op mode for the story. Whether this will be online or not, we're not entirely certain. Considering the long delay Killzone has suffered enjoyed, we're surprised this won't be included from the get-go. Perhaps we'll have to pay for it, but we're used to that by now, right? Be sure to check out our full Killzone 2 hands-on impressions, coming soon.

Update: Guerrilla has a history of making free DLC with Killzone: Liberation (PSP). They released an Infrastructure multiplayer mode and an extra single player level months after the game's release.

Killzone 2 Multiplayer Hands On - Five Good Things

I spent the better part of an hour today playing through several rounds of Killzone 2 multiplayer at Sony's Games Convention 2008 headquarters, and rather than spend several paragraphs lying about how well I did, I figured I'd just round up the finer points of the session and present them here in easy-to-ingest numbered form.

5.Combat Itself: Killzone 2 multiplayer manages to maintain the fluid speed of the single player experience without sacrificing the looks that get the game featured in so many “look how pretty this game is” magazine spreads. Combat takes place at the perfect speed for me - not Unreal quick, but not Lost Planet slow. Just right.

4. Spawning Mechanics: Dying in Killzone 2 multiplayer brings up a map of possible spawn points, as well as a camera displaying what is going on at each locations, allowing you to pick the location that best fits your play style. When playing with a squad, players can choose to respawn on their squad leader to get right back into the action. Very handy when your squad leader finds himself all alone guarding an objective with tons of enemy inbound.

3. The Badge System: The Badge system represents the different classes you can play in multiplayer, from scout to engineer to medic. Each of the six badges have their own skill sets. Where Killzone 2 makes things interesting is that you can combine the power of two badges to create your own class based on your own particular play style. Want an engineer with healing skills? A stealthy soldier with a bazooka? Knock yourself out!

2. Dynamic Missions: Instead of playing one mission type and then waiting for the new map to load before beginning another, Killzone 2 features dynamic missions, which allows you and your friends to play through multiple game types on one map without loading.

1. Fully Destructible Toilets: Yes, I checked.

While I never was a big fan of the original game, Killzone 2's multiplayer is definitely an impressive effort. Of course the experience of playing with 8 people in the same room when you can yell at them when they team kill you is one thing, and true online multiplayer is another, but they are off to a very entertaining start.

MK vs. DC: Joker Will Shoot You In The Face

This Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe video should put any fears to rest that the game won't ship with a respectable amount of murder intact. The game's producer, Hector Sanchez, walks us through the Joker's move set, explaining that "Rage Mode" that we half-understood during our latest hands-on with the title. Mr. Sanchez ends it with a bang, demonstrating how the Joker takes people out, Mortal Kombat style.

If you haven't seen this one yet, don't skip it. It's full of win.

Sony: LittleBigPlanet *Not* Region-Locked

And that comes from SCE Development. In PlayStation's Europe message board, he says the producer who spoke yesterday was confused when he said LittleBigPlanet would be region-locked. All shared levels will be available in the game worldwide. Verbatim from Sony:

Hi all, as many of you may have heard already in an interview at Leipzig the senior producer for LittleBigPlanet announced that the game is region locked. This is in fact not the case, and all shared levels in the game will be available worldwide. The confusion arose out of regional differences in how moderation will work as there are different legal rules each region have to play by, and at one point this looked like it may require the game to be independent in each region - however this has been worked around and there will only be one region for the game.... a LittleBigRegion.

Sony Playstation 3 at Leipzig game event (Gaming News Ep#4)

Assassin's Creed

This game is absolutely amazing. There is nothing else you can say about it. The graphics are so realistic that you find yourself really getting into this game. The gameplay is flawless. If you are someone that is not good at strategy games or doesn't like them this is not a game for you. The main point of this game is to follow the target that you are to assassinate and wait for the perfect oppurtunity to strike. It isn't as easy said as done, though. There are always guards and when on an assassination mission as soon as they see you they become alerted of your presence and begin to chase you through the city.

One of our favorite things about this game are the chases. You end up running balls to the walls through the city until you break the gaurds line of sight. Once you have escaped their sight you must hide. You can either hide in one of the many rooftop gardens, dive into a haystack, or blend in with a crowd of monks.

This game is highly recommended. If you don't have an online connection for your PS3 then this will be an excellent addition to your collection of games if you do have internet it will still be a good game to pick up and play.