There's much to be happy about this week in Europe. Two major titles are headed our way, both of which feature in December's 'PS3 Attitude Big Three'.

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune makes it's welcome debut this side of the Atlantic, having already been released in the US. This has to be one of the most incredible games available for the PS3 thus far and is bound to result in a new franchise that is set to run and run.

And SingStar finally becomes available. Whatever you think of party games, SingStar is one of those titles that everyone should have available in their library for those days (usually during Christmas) when you want to show off to all generations of relatives what fun having a PS3 can be.

Here's the full list:

• Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
• SingStar
• World Series of Poker - Battle for the Bracelets
• Medal of Honor: Airborne

Whereas the World Series of Poker game is more for a niche market, Medal of Honor: Airborne is also worthy of a mention. Whilst it may get lost in a sea of FPS titles, the unique gameplay element that sees you parachuting into the battlefield will win some fans. You get to choose whether to land in a flanking position, on a rooftop for sniping duty or wherever takes your fancy. Whilst it might be a challenge, we wouldn't recommend landing right in the middle of enemy territory!

Click the links above to pre-order these and have them delivered to your door on launch day.

Labels: Big Three, FPS, news, Playstation 3, PS3, SingStar, Uncharted

All this talk about upgrades and patches.

We've got Firmware 2.00 on the 'incoming' list after the PSP 3.72 update.

There's Warhawk 1.1 any time now and 1.2 coming in December.

Motorstorm 3.0 hit recently.

And now, by this evening/tomorrow morning, we'll have the latest Resistance update.

And some people say games aren't value for money! Even UK launch titles like Resistance and Motorstorm are still getting TLC from their developers.

The latest Resistance update brings:

• Ability to take screenshots in game using a USB keyboard
• Weapon balance changes and new round balancing options
• DualShock 3 support for online and single player games
• Password protection for custom games
• Bug fixes galore

Time to go dust off the Resistance disk and rediscover the joy of the PS3's first FPS. Enjoy!

Labels: firmware, FPS, Motorstorm, news, Playstation 3, PS3, Resistance, Warhawk

One of the other big reasons to travel hundreds of miles to Nottingham (instead of going a few miles to London!) was the hands-on Haze demo.

I met David Doak of Free Radical at the event and got my hands dirty with a title that I'm certain will do good business.

Playing initially as one of the 'rebels' on a split screen with another avid gamer, the first thing you notice is that the controls are immediately accessible. Haze doesn't mess with the FPS formula in this respect. Everything you'd expect would be on the buttons and triggers is there, but with a few bells added on.

For example, if you are playing as a rebel you can grab some 'nectar' from any of the Mantel fighters you've despatched and create a nectar grenade. Throwing the grenade at Mantel troops initiates an overdose of the drug in their systems. You can see the individuals who are affected since their armour turns red.

You see, when you have an overdose of nectar as a Mantel soldier you go a bit crazy. You see the Mantel troops going mad and shooting their own people under control of the drug. The nectar grenade also provide cover and, simultaneously, gets in the way of targeting troops on the other side of the fog, so you need to be careful to use effectively.

The controls are fluid, the graphics are gorgeous and the storyline is well-considered. You move seamlessly between action and the occasional story-supporting cut scene but never with that feeling some games offer where the screen goes black and you wait for the FMV to appear. It's all rendered by the PS3, and it all flows.

Playing as the Mantel troops is a lot of fun too. When you administer nectar you have to be careful not to overdose. You also have to be careful not to administer too little either, or the effect won't last long enough for any benefit.

When you are under the spell of the drug, enemies glow. When you're fighting in the jungle and the rebels are using cover, nectar is the only way you can spot them, so it is essential to get the balance of nectar application right. You also run faster under the drug's effects and you gain a slight 'auto-aim' capability which helps with picking off the rebels.

The biggest feeling you walk away with is one of true involvement. The AI is great with enemies taking up good positions and working together (when they're not shooting each other after an overdose) and that helps the atmosphere. The graphics are stunning and the sound seems excellent.

I spent a long time talking with David about the game and the state of video games in general. Some of what David said needs to be in a different story as it relates to the game industry in general. As far as Haze is concerned although the game is slick and plays beautifully, they are still working furiously to give it some extra spit and polish.

Which means to say that the rumours we've all seen about Haze going gold can't be true! However, David was keen to point out that they should still have it ready and available for Christmas. We know from a recent Ubisoft financial report that Haze is one of the three new titles they are to release between now and next March but I personally think we'll see this one hit in late November.

Many thanks to David and Free Radical for a great session with Haze. I for one can't wait to play the final product. Whilst the PS3 has many FPS options, Haze is certainly a stand-out title and deserves it's place in anyone's collection.

[Photo by Jon Jordan - thanks Jon!]

Labels: FPS, Haze, news, opinion, Playstation 3, PS3

At various points today as we reached the zero hour, Capcom Unity was down. Clearly, there's a reasonable amount of interest in what the Japanese developer/publisher is up to - enough to bring their servers to a halt at least!

So, what was the big Capcom announcement for PS3 fans we've been leading up to all this week?

Up until about 10 minutes past zero hour, I was still none the wiser. The servers were still down.

And then it appeared. Lost Planet is coming to the PS3.

So we lose Devil May Cry 4 exclusivity and then the Monster Hunter franchise and they give us Lost Planet. Wow.

The PS3 version will at least feature all the unlockables and extras from the PC and 360 versions. Gosh.

Why am I so under-whelmed. Lost Planet is yet another FPS that looks like Resistance/Area 51/FEAR/whatever. Whilst Resistance does the whole 'alien-infected wasteland' theme quite well and offers 32-player online, Lost Planet will offer 16-player online instead.

At the Capcom Gamer's Day in London today they also announced Streetfighter 4 and the aforementioned Dark Void but wouldn't confirm which consoles they would appear on.

Remember, Christian Svensson at Capcom said "let's see how they [PS3 owners] feel at the end of next week about us" after the Monster Hunter removal.

I have to respond, 'not great'.

Labels: Capcom, FPS, Lost Planet, news, opinion, Playstation 3, PS3, Resistance

Jericho looks like one of those titles that might just sneak up and take the top spot. The latest gameplay videos I've seen (both from TGS and before) certainly show what looks to be a highly accomplished FPS.

So it is with great joy that Codemasters that confirmed that a Jericho demo should be on one of the PS Stores this week.

Given my little rant about the state of the UK Store (yes, it's the Euro Store - I know - I just happen to be in the UK) I expect it will hit the US Store this week despite the fact that Codemasters is a UK-bred outfit.

Time will tell.

Labels: FPS, Jericho, news, Playstation 3, PS3

To help illustrate just how much there is to look forward to I thought I'd dig around and pull out some of the forthcoming joyfulness that will hit the PS3 before the end of the year (in alphabetical order):

Army of Two
Assassin's Creed
Call of Duty 4
DiRT
Eye of Judgement (and the PS Eye in general)
GRAW 2
Guitar Hero III
Haze
Heavenly Sword
Jericho
Juiced 2
Kane & Lynch
Lair
PlayStation Home
Ratchet and Clank Future
Rock Band
SingStar
Skate
Stranglehold
Tiger Woods, Madden and FIFA 08
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Unreal Tournament 3
Warhawk

Kind of makes the delayed GTA: IV seem like a bit more of a non-issue, don't you think?

Labels: Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty, DiRT, FPS, GRAW 2, GTA, Guitar Hero, Haze, Heavenly Sword, Lair, news, opinion, Playstation 3, PS Eye, PS3, Ratchet and Clank, Rock Band, Skate, UT III

Another video of Call of Duty 4 - one of the best received titles at E3 this year - shows the immense amount of fun that can be had blowing things up with C4 explosives.

C4 is one of the multi-player 'perks' you'll be able to get your hands on, along with extra abilities such as 'sleight of hand' (which allows faster reloads) and 'deep impact'. This allows you to penetrate through objects that would usually be classed as 'hard cover'.

Watch the video of how much fun C4 can be in multi-player mode. Naturally, I've speeded it up a little to add to the comedy effect!



Call of Duty 4 is coming to the UK in November.

Labels: Call of Duty, FPS, news, Playstation 3, PS3, video

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

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

At 12 minutes 21 seconds it's one of the longer demo videos you'll see pre-E3 but that's because much of the video includes Starsky & Hutch-style music and 'oh so funny' titles.

Once you do get through the opening sequence you'll be treated to some nice footage of how Haze is shaping up. I particularly like the concept of overdosing on the 'nectar' to the point where you can't control your fire or even distinguish foes from friends. Just like being in the real Army.

Of course Free Radical are well known for their sense of humour and have piled it into games like TimeSplitters, TimeSplitters 2 and TimeSplitters Future Perfect. Thank goodness they released Second Sight somewhere in between or else they might have started getting typecast!

Labels: FPS, Haze, news, Playstation 3, PS3, video

Sony announced an apology to the Church of England today regarding the use of Manchester Cathedral in Resistance: Fall of Man.

They also said the cathedral will never appear in another game.

And that's the end of the matter as far as Sony is concerned.

I have to say I believe that's the right approach. The CofE's demands for a donation don't make sense to me.

In the eyes of the Church surely something is either right or wrong. It can't be wrong one minute but made right after a reasonable donation. That would be hypocritical and would tell the world that the Church was just after the money in the first place, wouldn't it?

Labels: FPS, news, Playstation 3, PS3, Resistance