1875. In a small town called Santa Monica the Rapp Saloon saw it's fair share of Wild West action.

132 years later the 'big guns' of the gaming industry took their fight to town. Or so you would think based on all the 'Sony won E3', 'MS won E3' and 'Nintendo won E3' threads that pepper the 'net today.

E3 2007 is now over. And just to make things clear, I've seen all three major keynote speeches (before anyone says I can't be objective!).

I'll be honest, there's only one clear winner - us. Regardless of whether you're a 'fanboy' or someone who buys every console, or even someone just in-between, there's something for everyone.

I already covered the Sony keynote in detail and followed up with my thoughts on why Sony did a fantastic job. I think MS spent too much time talking 'figures', which is what they do best anyway, but we all need to remember they had a year of selling over PS3 and Wii so it's no great surprise they've outsold everyone to date. Nintendo had some fun stuff but personally I still see the Wii as more of a last-gen toy than a next-gen gaming or entertainment centre.

Here's a complete wrap-up of my thoughts about Sony's E3 and what it means for everyone who owns a PS3.

First of all, we need more games for our beloved black monolith. And Sony came with new games. Over the next 'financial year' we're going to see literally hundreds of releases on both Blu-ray disk and via the Playstation Store (that's before March 2008).

PS Store downloads will include the likes of Warhawk (also available on BD), Socom, Wipeout HD and Pain. The new puzzler Echochrome will have user-generated content (but no-one can say what or how yet). We know that via the Store you'll get more and more additional content for your existing games, extending their life and adding new features. We've already had additional game modes for Motorstorm but look out for new tracks and extra levels over the next month or so.

New games coming along this Summer, Autumn and Winter include Heavenly Sword, Assassin's Creed, Haze, Guitar Hero III, Rock Band, Killzone 2, Lair, Eye of Judgement, Skate, GTA: IV and Unreal Tournament III to name just a few. 100s of titles before March next year, 15 of them exclusive to the platform.

Secondly, we needed to see improvements to the Playstation network experience. When I first saw Home at GDC I was blown away. But I wasn't prepared for the vast improvements already when Phil Harrison took the stage at E3 2007.

Now, not only do we get the single best 'network' experience available on any platform, we get to interact with it via our PCs and mobile phones. Thanks goodness I only buy Sony Ericsson phones! And we get to launch games from BD or our hard drives directly from within Home with our friends around the world. The entire Home exprience looks so compelling, and it's still free. No monthly subscriptions for us PS3 owners...

When they do launch video-on-demand for the PS3 and PSP, we'll have everything covered.

Finally, we wanted to see that the pre-rendered 'target renders' we saw at E3 2006 were actually achievable.

And we did. Oh boy, we did.

Killzone 2 looks just incredible. I wasn't a huge fan of the original Killzone - it never really grabbed me. Killzone Liberation on the PSP has been one of the outstanding titles for our mobile brother and that has kept me interested in the Killzone brand since the original PS2 game. Now it looks like the PS3 has yet another stand-out title that will shift units worldwide, and I can't wait to waste some Helghast scum!

And Metal Gear Solid 4? The latest trailer showed that the PS3 is capable of producing, in realtime, the kind of cinematic content that ensure you really feel part of the action. I'll be looking out for that demonstration in Tokyo next week...

There were issues at E3, of course. Assassin's Creed didn't look like it was close to finished by all reports - too many glitches. Some people say that's because they felt pressured to get the demo up regardless, but the issues did create a little extra pressure for the PR machine.

And then there's the whole $100 price drop/60Gb phase out thing. It's all over the 'net as you'd expect and Sony's execs seemed to be tripping up over each other to state and counter-state differing points of view.

But here's the deal. Personally, I could care less about the 80Gb model. I already have a PS3. I can upgrade the hard drive in my PS3 to 160Gb tomorrow for £50 and it will take me 5 minutes. Anyone who is buying a new PS3 may as well have the new one with the larger hard drive, but it they want to buy the smaller one and add in a new hard drive, they can.

That's because Sony made the hard drive a standard SATA unit so it's easy to upgrade. Try doing that in any other console right now.

And the 80Gb version isn't coming to Europe/UK anyway right now. Hate to be all UK-biased, but that means I really couldn't care less about the new SKU!!

There you have it. A brilliant E3 for all of us whether you own a PS3 or any of the other units. I believe that Sony really did bring everything we needed to see from them and more. Don't expect to see a Wild West undertaker coming out of his store to measure Sony up for a box any time soon...

Labels: Assassin's Creed, E3, GTA, Guitar Hero, Haze, Heavenly Sword, Killzone, Lair, MGS4, Motorstorm, news, Playstation 3, PS Eye, PS Store, PS3, PSN, Rock Band, Skate

Rockstar are giving you the chance to feature on WKTT Radio, on of the many stations being featured in GTA: IV.

A new WKTT Radio website let's you phone in and have a rant about the state of the 'war on terror'! Head over to read the full terms and conditions before you call in and stake your place in gaming history...

You need to be over 18 and be able to dial a US phone number. If you're outside of the US don't forget to add +1 to the number on the website. If you can't dial Internationally, try downloading Skype and doing it from there using a PC and a headset...

Labels: GTA, news, Playstation 3, PS3

PS3 Attitude's man in the US has found another way to get a PS3 for less than $499.

Though many developers have been complaining that Sony's recently reduced pricing for the PS3 isn't enough, sales would prove otherwise for the 60Gb model. Amazon posted a 2800% increase in sales of the PS3 within a day of the price cut. Other websites and retail stores across America are seeing the same trend. Many stores in the San Francisco Bay Area around me are sold out as of the moment the price dropped. I even found a few stores with employees that say they didn't even know the price dropped until the units they had in stock suddenly were sold right in front of them within seconds!

Well for those developer-disbelievers there is another price point they are overlooking. Its the refurbished market. Hop over to Overstock.com and you can pick up on a refurbished 60Gb PS3 for around $475.

That's right! A whopping $20 less than anyone else! But hey, now it's the same price as the M$ machine that will guarantee to break within 3 years.

I have to say this looks like a great deal. As we know, the PS3 is ridiculously reliable so getting a refurbished model that was probably just a return rather than a faulty box seems like a good idea. You can put the money you save aside for the forthcoming PS Eye...

[Thanks to KosmoCrisis]

Labels: Hardware, news, Playstation 3, PS Eye, PS3

Thanks to our friends at PS3 Fanboy you can now get all excited about playing Heavenly Sword before the end of the month in Europe.

The 'Fanboys' report the following list of available content for the Euro Store during this month:

• Heavenly Sword
• Crash Bandicoot 2 - PS1 game for PS3/PSP
• Spyro 2 - PS1 game for PS3/PSP
• Gateway to Glimmer - PS1 game for PS3/PSP
• WipEout 2097 - PS1 game for PS3/PSP
• MediEvil - PS1 game for PS3/PSP

They also report the possibility of a Blast Factor expansion, Snakeball and Feel Ski but aren't certain whether these will be coming to Europe and the UK in July (maybe August instead). Since Snakeball is going to be a PS Eye compatible title it's my guess it will only happen after the UK/Europe release of the hardware and Eye of Judgement.

As we know from the E3 liveblog there will be a new track for Motorstorm (Eagle's Nest) coming soon but PS3 Fanboy think the Coyote Weekend VIP Pass will launch in the not too distant future as well (not necessarily in July or August). With Warhawk, Echochrome, Socom, Pain and Wipeout HD on the way soon it's looking like the PS Store is the place to be...

[via PS3 Fanboy]

Labels: Heavenly Sword, Motorstorm, news, Playstation 3, PS Eye, PS Store, PS3, PSN

Another day another dollar - if you're in the US at E3. For us poor limeys over here we can but give you, the hapless reader, another remote round-up of the day's action. Enjoy!


Lair - hands-on impressions
Destroy All Humans: Path of the Furon - gameplay video, HD trailer
Legendary: The Box - video
Darksiders: Wrath of War - video, game presentation
European PS3 Starter Packs - announcement and story

Labels: Destroy All Humans, E3, FPS, Lair, news, Playstation 3, PS3, video

I don't know about you but I'm still reeling from all the positive announcements made during the Sony keynote speech at E3 yesterday. As promised here's my take on what was said.

1. People think the console it too pricey - they cut the price - sales are rocketing
2. People think there's not enough games - they announced hundreds of games before the end of their financial year
3. People think that some Sony standards are becoming multi-platform titles - they aren't
4. People are worried that there's no new IP - they announced a raft of entirely new titles
5. People think that Xbox Live is better than the PSN - Home blew everyone away
6. People were worried that realtime couldn't match the pre-rendered movies of yesteryear - but they pretty much did

That's my view. It's surely an exciting time to be a PS3 owner.

For day 3 of E3 2007 we have a few extra morsels for your enjoyment:

Stuntman Ignition - video
Frontlines: Fuel of War - video
Iron Man - story (along with other Sega announcements)

See you tomorrow people.

Labels: E3, Frontlines, news, Playstation 3, PS3, Stuntman Ignition

Because sleep is for wimps:

Jack Tretton is on stage. After a couple of PSP announcements Phil Harrison takes the stage.

He shows 'Echochrome' for the PlayStation Store which has the 'least graphics but the most gameplay'. It seems to be a puzzler based on the mind-bending drawings of M.C. Escher. Certainly has the least graphics - it's all black and white line art...

He announces both a 1080p 60 fps version of Wipeout called Wipeout HD with full online multiplayer - Pain (the Jackass-inspired game that's already been covered elsewhere) - Warhawk - and Socom Confrontation, the first next-gen Socom title. All of these titles are for the PlayStation Store. Warhawk and Socom will be available on Blu-ray disk also.

Phil talks about the new additions to Home. He shows Home running on his Sony Ericcson mobile phone!! It doesn't allow 3D but it does allow you to connect to Home to get messages etc. and has a mini-XMB interface. He takes a picture with the phone and puts it in his pocket.

Phil goes on to show a vast array of Home spaces for purchase to show the variety of new properties that will be available. He shows a Singstar video playing on a virtual TV in his virtual house which leads to a video about Singstar on the PS3 and it's downloadable content and PS Eye compatibility. Look at that! The picture he took is in a picture frame on the wall! Home Mobile uploads automatically to your Home space.

He also shows the PC element of Home where it is a full social networking experience linked to the PlayStation Home network. This is almost too much!

Is there any more? Yes - you can also launch any game from BD disk or your HD directly inside Home! He launches Motorstorm which goes straight into a multiplayer game on a NEW track called Eagles Nest that will be available for download next month... It will go straight back to Home wherever you left off when you quit the game. Stunning.

Phil leaves the stage and we go back to the announcement on the 80Gb model of the PS3 at $599 in North America and the $100 price drop on the current version. Sony announce that the PS3 has helped Blu-ray reach a 2:1 sales ratio against HD-DVD.

NC Soft is announced as a new Sony developer! NC Soft is the famous MMO developer and they will be developing MMO titles exclusively for PS3 - excellent announcement.

As expected Haze is announced as a timed exclusive on PS3. Words were chosen very carefully - "if you want to play it this Summer you'll only be able to do that on PS3" - which means it will go to other platforms but not until Autumn/Winter at least. Ensuing Haze video shows features such as vehicle control, gun control on helicopters and the ability to 'play dead' to catch out enemies.

A multi-stage deal with Epic and Midway is announced that allows for a fully optimised version of the Unreal Engine for the PS3. 100 games are in the works for this engine and Unreal Tournament 3 is confirmed as a PS3 exclusive this year! User created mods from the PC version can be brought over to the PS3 version. UTIII is released this November in the US and the video Sony shows looks absolutely stunning.

Sony show other titles that are coming this year. They include Call of Duty 4, Assassin's Creed, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, Resident Evil 5, Burnout Paradise, Madden NFL '08, Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix, The Simpsons Game, Guitar Hero III: Legend of Rock, Medal of Honour: Airborne and Rock Band (see, it IS coming for PS3).

One more exclusive is announced. It is available only on PS3. It's Metal Gear Solid 4. Hideo Kojima takes the stage. He says "I safely made it to E3 again! MGS is celebrating it's 20-year anniversary this year. I've been creating this franchise for 20 years but MGS4 will be the FINAL in the series. The story of Snake will end in this game and this will be my last game in the series. So all the story plots and mysteries will be revealed. The game itself will be a stealth game but with new elements in the battlefield. Stealth in the battlefield. I promise you I'm putting all my skills and experience of the last 20 years into MGS4. Today I brought with me the newest trailer. It's not a movie, it is real-time footage from the PS3 so welcome to the premiere".

The trailer is completely outstanding in every way. You'll be able to download it via the US PS Store today. Afterwards Kojima-san asks "How was it!" and gets a big round of applause. He assures everyone that what they saw was real-time footage and you will be able to play in that quality. He says that next week at a show in Tokyo he will show a real demo of the gameplay!

Phil Harrison re-takes the stage. He's back in the Home theatre to show some more exclusives. Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction is the first up. It is said that the level of detail and sophistication is only achievable on the PS3. Next up is Folklore. Folklore looks incredible and seems to have a real mix of action, RPG, beautiful graphics and a 'dark' storyline. Heavenly Sword now features. There's been so much news about this game I need to add nothing extra!

NBA '08 is announced next and looks incredible in 1080p 60 fps with realtime roster updates direct from the real NBA. If a player gets an injury in real life, he gets an injury in your game! One of my personal favourites, LittleBigPlanet, is next. Sony show a video of the 'create' part of the game, with the concentration on the game evolving naturally as players create new levels and share them with the entire PSN. The final game Phil wants to show us from his virtual self in Home is Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Once again we're treated to an awesome video where the lead character has over 3,000 animations alone all seamlessly linking to provide realistic movement, emotion and characterisation.

Next up from the real Phil is Infamous, another exclusive from Sucker Punch. A teaser trailer is shown that gives you a sneak preview of an 'anti-hero' game where you have to decide whether your superpowers save or destroy the world.

GT5 Prologue is announced with full online multiplayer as a stopgap whilst we wait for the full GT5 experience. It looks outstanding and should appease the masses who are always complaining about the delays in the current stock of GT titles.

One more announcement from Phil. A video starts and it's Killzone 2. Everything we are about to see is realtime. They show a video similar to the one I featured earlier in the Day 2 round-up, so go experience it for yourself now. This video shows much more real gameplay and the game looks completely amazing. Imagine everything you wanted Resistance to be and more...

The press are invited to play many of the games in the room next door which of course I can't do because I'm stuck here in the UK watching this all on a live feed. That's it. It's all over. Frankly, it's a great keynote from Sony with lots of brilliant announcements and I can't wait to see what the real writers make of the advancements in Home and the batch of exclusives Sony announced. Goodnight all..

Labels: E3, Guitar Hero, Hardware, Haze, Heavenly Sword, Killzone, Lair, MGS4, Motorstorm, news, Playstation 3, PS Store, PS3, PSN, Rock Band

Another day, another E3 PS3 round-up...

Killzone 2 - HD video (the one we've all been waiting for!), developer interview
Rock Band - HD video (not the same gameplay video that Viacom keep pulling from YouTube)
Assassin's Creed - HD video
Soul Calibre IV - video
Skate - video

If you have a US PSN account, you should be able to get the latest MGS4 trailer direct via the PlayStation Store by now - enjoy!

It's Sony's keynote today at 11:30 PST (19:30 UK) so look out for a round-up of the big event tomorrow.

Labels: Assassin's Creed, E3, FPS, Killzone, MGS4, news, Playstation 3, PS3, Rock Band, Skate, Soul Calibre, video

So E3 has begun. A new leaner, meaner E3.

I'll come clean. It's not so easy covering E3 from the UK due to the 8-hour delay. There comes a point where I do actually have to sleep!

So each day I'll be bringing you a summary of the top PS3 stories followed by a more substantial wrap up once the dust has settled...

• Destroy All Humans : Path of the Furon - story, story
• Mirror's Edge - story
• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - story, multi-platform story (P.S. someone should tell Konami that the price drop has already increased sales by 2800%)
• Guitar Hero III - story, story

See you tomorrow for more...

Labels: E3, Guitar Hero, MGS4, Mirror's Edge, news, Playstation 3, PS3

Whilst we're asking for your involvement in helping to write for PS3 Attitude, we may as well go the whole hog and ask for beta testers for the new PS3 Attitude Forum.

If you want to get involved send an email to [email protected] and set the subject as FORUM BETA.

Labels: news, Playstation 3, PS3

Remember, we're looking for writers who can share their thoughts and opinions on the latest PS3 stories.

See the very first post on this site for instructions on how to get involved...

Labels: news, Playstation 3, PS3

A GameTrailers user going by the name of 'Brotha' has recreated the GTA IV 'Looking for that special someone' trailer entirely in GTA: San Andreas.

Enjoy watching both the original and this remake to see just how far we've come...

Labels: GTA, news, Playstation 3, PS3

PS3 Fanboy (certainly one of the best PS3 sites around) publish the worldwide releases each week. For your ease of use I'll be putting them here too.

US Game

• No new games
  

EU Games

• No new games

Asian Games

• Gundam Musou
• Railfan: Taiwan High Speed Rail

It's just before E3 so there's no shock that it's a bit sparse out there. Mind you, I'm still deep into Ninja Gaiden Sigma to care too much right now!

[via PS3 Fanboy]

Labels: news, Playstation 3, PS3

There's a buzz around the Interweb that because Sony's logos aren't appearing on a Rock Band E3 invite that it's going to be an exclusive for the Xbox 360.

I just wanted to put everyone's mind at ease.

Apart from the 2,207,000 hits you get on Google if you search for '"Rock Band" +PS3', you can always read the official word at Harmonix' Rock Band website

Q: What systems will this be available on?

A: We are putting this out for Xbox 360 and PS3 for Holiday 2007. We're looking into putting it out on other platforms but we haven't announced anything specific.

Easy really. Damn - people read all sorts of things into a simple launch invite. It's probably that everything is running on Xbox's for the demos and Sony wanted no part in it...

Labels: news, Playstation 3, PS3, Rock Band