PS3 Attitude

PlayStation 3 news, views and gossip from PS3 Attitude - a daily news site with bite!

Thursday, 13 March 2008

European PS Store updates for 13th March

Another week, another poor showing on the EU PS Store.

This week we do get some more GH III content, but that's about all you can look forward to.

After last week's announcement that PAIN would be coming in March, we're now absolutely certain it will hit next week. We're also pretty sure that Europe will finally see the Shivering Isles add-on for Oblivion soon following last week's trailer.

But all of this anticipation isn't helping SCEE's cause. The natives are getting restless on this side of the pond, and we need to see some decent content arrive in order to even begin to fix the lasting reputation the EU PS Store is getting.

Let's hope that next week sees the beginning of better times ahead.

Here's the list:

Add-ons

Guitar Hero III - Modern Metal track pack (£3.99) - three songs from artsists such as Avenged Sevenfold, Thrice and Deftones

Videos (all free)

Elefunk trailer

Themes (all free)

PixeJunk Monsters

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Thursday, 6 March 2008

European PS Store updates for 6th March

The PlayStation Store has been updated once again. Will we get more than we did last week? Well, we couldn't get any less, could we?

In fact, it's not a bad update at all if you like add-ons.

The flOw expansion pack has made its way over to Europe. flOw has always been a little but of a favourite here at PS3 Attitude. When you've had a stressful day, it has a happy knack of unwinding the knots in your muscles faster than a massusse on crack - and with no pressure to have a 'happy ending'.

Guitar Hero III content is always welcome, and No Doubt is as good a track pack to have - even if it's just for 'Don't Speak'.

Here's the full list:

Add-ons

flOw expansion pack (£1.99)
Guitar Hero III - No Doubt Track Pack (£3.99)

Videos (all free)

Oblivion Shivering Isles trailer
WipEout HD trailer
Uncharted 'DJ Shadow' trailer
The Pursuit of Happyness Blu-ray movie trailer
Reign Over Me Blu-ray movie trailer
Perfect Stranger Blu-ray movie trailer

Themes (all free)

Graffiti

So - two add-ons amongst a bunch of videos and a theme. Like I said - it can't be worse than last week!

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Thursday, 14 February 2008

European PS Store updates for 14th February

On Valentine's Day, what did Sony send us by way of saying 'Be Mine'?

Only one of the games we've been waiting an age for. Oh Sony, how you tease us.

Yes, Riff: Everyday Shooter is finally here as expected and we're as happy as can be.

Whilst it is tempting to stop the update right there and not worry about anything else, there were some other downloads available today. There's some additional GHIII tracks and a demo of the briliant Everybody's Golf.

Hey, maybe this will be the third week in history where we beat the US for content...

Here's the full list:

Games

Riff: Everyday Shooter (£4.99)

Demos (all free)

Everybody's Golf 5

Add-ons

Guitar Hero III - Classic Rock track pack (£3.99)

Videos (all free)

Conflict: Denied Ops - 1 x trailer and 2 x 'developer diary'
Spiderwick movie trailer

Wallpapers (all free)

Resident Evil 5

Themes (all free)

Super Stardust HD

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Monday, 4 February 2008

This week's PS3 releases - w/b February 4th

As usual, you can keep track of the releases each week using the PS3 Attitude PlayStation 3 Events Calendar.

This is the week you can finally order a seperate Les Paul guitar for Guitar Hero III so you and your friends can battle each other in person rather than over the internet.

This week also sees a whole glut of releases, including the much anticipated Devil May Cry 4. You can also get your 'shooter fix' via Turok, The Club and Conflict: Denied Ops (pushed back from last week).

With DMC4 and The Club both feature in this month's PS3 Attitude Big Three, it could be an expensive week for some!

If none of those take your fancy, there's always NFL Tour.

Visit the calendar to find out more about each title and pre-order the for delivery on release day. You can also pre-order through any of the links above.

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Thursday, 17 January 2008

European PS Store updates for 17th January

If you're after some extra Guitar Hero III goodness, today is your lucky day. There's a total of six new tracks to rock out to included in the update.

In addition we get two demos, another Folklore add-on and a smattering of trailers.

Still no Everyday Shooter or PAIN though. Hmmm. I wonder if they will ever turn up.

Here's the list in our handy new 2008 format:

Demos (all free)

NBA 08
FIFA Street 3

Add-ons

Warner Track Pack - Guitar Hero III (£3.99; includes No More Sorrow by Linkin Park, Sleeping Giant by Mastodon and Pretty Handsome Awkward by The Used)
Die fantastischen Vier track - Guitar Hero III (£1.49)
Extremoduro track - Guitar Hero III (£1.49)
Trust track - Guitar Hero III (£1.49)
Visions of the Tower - Folklore (£1.49)

Trailers (all free)

GT5 Prologue
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
Borderlands 'Debut'

Movie Trailers (all free)

Cloverfield

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Friday, 21 December 2007

US PS Store updates for 20th December

Many of the updates in the US Store mirror what we received in Europe, which is a step in the right direction. And the US finally get some PS Eye love to spread around as well.

Snakeball is one of the titles available in the US that we don't have, and there's a Blacksite: Area 51 demo and a special GH III track too, but otherwise the updates are fairly comparable.

If you own a US account you'll enjoy all the free video, theme and wallpaper content too. I haven't tested whether the High Stakes: Poker Edition add-ons will work with the EU version of the game, but since I only play No Limit Texas Hold'em anyway I'm not too bothered!

Here's the full list:

Games
Toy Home ($9.99)
Snakeball ($9.49; download the free demo, and then purchase in-game)
Trials of Topoq - PS Eye ($4.99)
Mesmerize (Distort) - PS Eye ($1.99)
Warhawk - PS1 game ($5.99)

Demos
Snakeball (Free)
Blacksite: Area 51 (Free)

Add-ons
Guitar Heroes III - Holiday track pack - "We Three Kings" (Free)
MotorStorm - Holiday Paint Job (Free)
Warhawk - Operation Omega Dawn ($7.99)
Folklore - Holiday Pack (Free)
2 x High Stakes: Poker Edition add-ons (extra game modes) (Free)
Rock Band - track packs - "Buddy Holly", "Brass in Pocket" and "My Iron Lung" ($1.99 each)

Videos (all free)
GT 5 Prologue
DMC4 final
Warhawk Omega Dawn
PS3 'Only On'
PS3 Universe of Entertainment
Tony Hawk's Proving Grounds - Mike V's Skater Story
Turok Dino Mauling
PSP Feature
Uncharted Animation - behind the scenes

Wallpapers (all free)
High Stakes: Poker Edition

Themes (all free)
Warhawk
PAIN Cookie
PAIN Santa

Movie Trailers (all free)
Strange Wilderness
Shakira 'Oral Fixation' Tour (Blu-ray)

Another great update.

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European PS Store updates for 20th December

The final update before Christmas, and both SCEE and SCEA are spreading the cheer around.

In this update, you'll find two complete games (including one classic), a demo, some free GH III goodness, a Christmas present for Motorstorm and a stack of wallpapers and themes.

The 'classic' I speak of? Populous makes it's way on to the PS3. I used to play this game to destruction on my Amiga 500 so this is sure to bring back loads of great memories.

Here's the full list:

Games
Toy Home (£4.99)
Populous: The Beginning (£3.49)

Demos
Timeshift MP Demo (Free)

Add-ons
Guitar Heroes III - Boss battle track pack (Free)
MotorStorm Holiday Paint Job (Free)
Warhawk - Operation Omega Dawn (£3.99)

Videos (all free)
DMC4 TGS
Sega Rally - Canyon
Sega Raly - Arctic
Kane & Lynch Fragile Alliance - Walk in the Park Trailer
Kane & Lynch TV AD
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men - Fragile Alliance & Co-op
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men - Insider Video 1
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men - Insider Video 2
MGS4 TGS 2007 Trailer
Assassin’s Creed TV Spot
Sky Diving
GTA IV Trailer 3 Move up ladies

Wallpapers (all free)
High Stakes on the vegas strip: Poker
Uncharted Forum Prize Winner
Pain - Jervis Bowler
Pain - Jervis Rapper
Pain - Jervis Vs Cow
Pain - Wallmime

Themes (all free)
Retro
Nature
Manga
Pixels

Movie Trailer (all free)
CJ7

A great update to take us into the Holidays.

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Friday, 14 December 2007

European PS Store updates for 13th December

Is this the week the European Store fights back?

There are three momentous changes in the Store today.

1. Guitar Hero II add-on packs have finally arrived in Europe
2. A new game (new to us, anyhow) has appeared with a note saying "this is in English only", therefore avoiding any further delay due to language localisation issues (something I've been saying should happen for some time)
3. A major demo arrived in the US and Europe on the same day

These three shifts are enough to make us very happy here at PS3 Attitude. And the content itself? Brilliant. The Burnout Paradise demo on it's own would have been enough, but the rest of the update is great too. There's even a bit of festive joy for Folklore being given away for free.

Here's the list:

  • Piyotama - game (£3.49)
  • High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition - game (£4.99)
  • Christmas Present - Folklore add-on (free)
  • Burnout Paradise - demo (free)
  • NBA2K8 - demo (free)
  • Conan - demo (free)
  • Velvet Revolver - Guitar Hero III track pack (£3.99)
  • Foo Fighters - Guitar Hero III track pack (£3.99)
  • Dark Mist - trailer (free)
  • High Velocity Bowling - trailer (free)
  • High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition - trailer (free)
  • Piyotama - trailer (free)
A brilliant update, I'm sure you'll agree.

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Thursday, 13 December 2007

Activision's Guitar Hero is a problem child


Activision are battling more than just Slash when it comes to Guitar Hero III.

Harmonix, who were the people behind the original Guitar Hero series, went off to create Rock Band with EA and MTV, which obviously created some bad blood. As is well known, the guitar controllers for Rock Band are incompatible with GH III, and vice versa.

So the people at Harmonix put their differences aside and produced a patch to let GH controllers work on Rock Band. Nice.

However, the people at Activision don't like this 'freedom of choice' and so are blocking the release of the patch. The patch is with Sony, but Sony won't release it due to "Activision's continued objection".

On the other side of the coin, Activision are now being sued over an issue on the Wii version of the game. Instead of the advertised Dolby Pro Logic II output, the Wii version apparently produces mono audio output instead.

Although a patch has been promised for early 2008, this isn't quick enough for one consumer and they have brought action against Activision for 'continuing to engage in deceptive practises' - in other words, still selling the game without so much as adding a sticker to the box that states the truth of the current audio output.

Maybe Activision should allow one patch and create another (a sticky box patch) to fix their problems, rather than letting their legal team lead the way. After all, think of the additional controllers they will sell for people who want to rock out on both GH and Rock Band with their friends whilst the additional Rock Band controllers are unavailable.

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Tuesday, 11 December 2007

European PS Store 'missing PerSoNs'


For whatever reason, the European PS Store has not had the best time of things when you compare it against the offerings available to the US and Japan.
Heck, even our Australian friends get some extra content we don't see in the form of HD music videos from Sony BMG.

So here's a list of the key titles we have yet to see over here. SCEE - if you're reading this, please figure out how to make these titles possible in Europe:

  • PAIN
  • Guitar Hero III track packs
  • Rock Band track packs
  • Oblivion Shivering Isles add-on
  • High Velocity Bowling
  • flOw expansion
  • Everyday Shooter
Since it is out in two days, I was tempted to add GT5 Prologue to the list. However, we already know that the game is supposed to be available in the US next February. It would be good to see this hit Europe on the same day, and not weeks later.

So, are we missing anything else of note?

Other than games and key add-on packs, the US Store has a breadth of additional content such as wallpapers that we never seem to get here. And as mentioned, wouldn't it be great if we all could get music videos from local artists and not just on the store 'down under'.

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Friday, 7 December 2007

US PS Store updates for 6th December

Wow. What a difference a region makes.

Fipping over to the US store is like a revelation some days. There's new games to play (PS3 and PS1), new add-ons to buy and even a multiplayer demo. If you couldn't watch the GTA: IV trailer due to internet meltdown yesterday, they've even put that up for you.

I didn't realise that by living in Europe I'd be missing out on so much. Maybe I should move to the States.

Here's the list for all you lucky US PS3 owners:

  • High Velocity Bowling - game ($9.99)
  • Wild Arms - PS1 game ($5.99)
  • GTA IV "Move up, ladies" - trailer (free)
  • Timeshift Multiplayer - demo (free)
  • "Falfer Domino" - Motorstorm add-on ($0.99)
  • Folklore - add-on 1 ($3.99)
  • Folklore - add-on 2 ($3.99)
  • Folklore - add-on bundle 1 ($5.99)
  • Rock Band "Black Sabbath" - pack 1 ($5.49) (Also available, the individual tracks "N.I.B", "Sweet Leaf" and "War Pigs" - all at $1.99)
  • Metal Gear Solid 4 TGS 2007 - trailer (free)
  • Uncharted "Environments" - video (free)
  • Timeshift "FPS Video 3" - video (free)
  • Turok interview - trailer 1 (free)
  • Battlefield "Frostbite" - video (free)
  • The Legend of Zorro - Blu-Ray trailer (free)
  • Uncharted - theme (free)
  • Ratchet & Clank - theme (free)

Enjoy your update US of A... we're jealous. Here - we'll let you download the Kane & Lynch demo you didn't get in case it helps redress the balance. It doesn't, but we can pretend it makes a difference...

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Friday, 30 November 2007

US PS Store updates for November 29th

The US store received it's weekly update and, as is usual, they faired slightly better than Europe.

Those two weeks where Europe had better updates than the US were just a blip then. Normal business has been resumed.

There's a couple of things to get excited about if you're a US user - PAIN and the Shivering Isles add-on for Oblivion. At one time Bethesda said that the expansion pack would only come on disk, so it is nice to see it appear on the PSN for those of us who shirk exercise.

And while we get zero GH III song packs, the US are in full swing and receive their third. Nice.

Here's the full list:

  • PAIN - full game ($9.99)
  • "Bracknell/Axbridge" - Resistance: Fall of Man map-pack ($4.99)
  • Motorstorm - vehicles and skins pack ($1.99)
  • Guitar Hero III "Boss Battles" - song pack (free)
  • "The Shivering Isles" - Oblivion expansion pack ($29.99)
  • "David Bowie" - Rock Band song pack ($5.49) (also, "Heroes", "Moonage Daydream" and "Queen Bitch" available seperately at $1.99)
  • Ratchet and Clank "Weapons" - video (free)
  • Timeshift - video (free)
  • Stop Loss - movie trailer (free)
  • Resident Evil: Extinction - Blu-Ray movie trailer (free)
  • Memoirs of a Geisha - Blu-Ray movie trailer (free)
  • Aquatopia - wallpaper (free; known as 'Aqua Vita' in Europe)
  • PAIN - 6 wallpapers (free)
  • Resistance - 5 wallpapers (free)
I do hope Europe get PAIN, some GH III song packs and the Oblivion update next week, or I'll have to take things into my own hands. Now, where did I last put my balaclava?

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Monday, 26 November 2007

Activision announce new Guitar Hero III controllers for 2008


Today Activision have announced some new wireless stand-alone controllers for Guitar Hero III.

The PS3 version of the game will gain a Gibson Les Paul lookalike whilst PS2 owners will get a Gibson Kramer doppleganger.

The new wireless controllers will be available in good stores (and some bad ones) in early 2008.

The plastic fantastic versions will look as similar as possible to their real counterparts (pictured).

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Friday, 9 November 2007

US PS Store update for 8th November

It was a big day in the US. After so many weeks of waiting, the Uncharted: Drake's Fortune demo finally hit the Store.

So everyone with a US account headed over to download the massive 1.2Gb file only to discover that if you were outside the US and Canada there was a little surprise waiting for you.

That doesn't take away from the awesome update given to the US Store. After two weeks of having better updates than the US, it seems the norm has been restored for the EU PSN.

Here's the full list of what is available:

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune - demo (free; doesn't yet work outside of US and Canada - fix coming apparently)
College Hoops 2K8 - demo (free)
Motorstorm "Devil's Weekend" pack - add-on ($5.99)
Guitar Hero III "Velvet Revolver" pack - add-on($6.25)
Guitar Hero III "Foo Fighters" pack - add-on ($6.25)
Pink, Nature and Pixel - PS3 Themes (free)
Devil May Cry 4 Tokyo Game Show - trailer (free)
Motorstorm "Devil's Weekend" - trailer (free)
Ratchet and Clank launch - trailer (free)
WWE Smackdown vs RAW - trailer (free)
Burnout "Carson GT" - trailer (free)
Burnout "Manhatten" - trailer (free)
One Missed Call - movie trailer (free)
Sweeney Todd - movie trailer (free)
Hostel Part II - Blu-Ray movie trailer (free)
Call of Duty 4 - wallpapers (free)

Given we don't have Guitar Hero III in the UK yet, that doesn't bother me. It would have been nice to be playing the Uncharted demo but since Ratchet & Clank and Call of Duty 4 are released in the UK today, I think I'll be busy anyway.

In addition, the US got the Motorstorm v3.0 patch today as well. Launch Motorstorm's online mode to get it before you go downloading any of the add-ons.

What does still concern me is that content which clearly works everywhere, such as wallpapers, the new PS3 themes and trailers - for example - still arrive on separate stores at separate times (or sometimes not at all). I mean, what mad licensing issues have Sony created for themselves where they can't distribute a bunch of Call of Duty wallpapers worldwide?

If SCEE or SCEA are listening, would you care to explain?

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Sunday, 28 October 2007

November fireworks; PS3 Attitude's Big Three

The PS3 Attitude Big Three is here, so let's count down the titles we think you should be aiming for this November.

1. Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction

Quite simply, this game is close to perfection. We've played the demo and we've had a view of the finished product and I have to tell you, it's superb in every way. Ratchet & Clank have always been favourites of mine, but the PS3 really takes them to the next level in every way. A must for PS3 owners.

2. Assassin's Creed

Whether you buy the regular version, or the special edition, Assassin's Creed should make it's way into your collection without fail. Beautiful graphics and awesome gameplay where everything has a reason. Every crack in the wall is something for Altair to climb up and your actions change the way other characters respond to you, including the crowd. Take a look at the latest trailer to get a feel for the game.

3. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

It was a hard choice to pick number three, especially with Call of Duty 4 and the possibility of Haze still coming in November (despite the fact that it hasn't yet gone gold). But in the end it had to be Guitar Hero III. It simple. Haze and CoD are both different and yet brilliant FPS titles. CoD was the toast of E3, and Haze looks quite incredible. But since Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II were incompatible with the PS3 I've been suffering huge withdrawal symptoms! Get your rock god on this coming month.

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Wednesday, 26 September 2007

October is nearly here; PS3 Attitude's Big Three

Only a few more days until October, and that spare cash is already being earmarked for some new PS3 goodness.

In what might become a regular feature, here's the PS3 Attitude Big Three for October:

1. Skate

Tony Hawk has had his day. I'm sick of pulling crazy 10m point combos by sitting there and flatland tricking until my thumbs bleed, only to find out someone else did it for longer and scored 50m. For those of use that skate, used to skate or dreamt that they could skate, this is the one game that seems to finally capture reality and make it feel believable on a controller.

2. The Eye of Judgement

Being packaged with the seriously next-gen PlayStation Eye, this title promised to bring in old card player fans and win new one's alike. Think of it as a way to get into card battles without actually needing to still be at school, or have any real friends (like me).

3. Guitar Hero III

It's Guitar Hero. It's got a wireless guitar. It's on PS3. Nuff said.

Disclaimer: There's a slim chance Guitar Hero III will slip to 1st November over here. In the event of an emergency, replace this title with Jericho, which would have been number four if we'd called this feature PS3 Attitude's Big Four!

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Monday, 20 August 2007

Latest UK release dates for upcoming PS3 AAA titles

In an attempt to add to the general level of joy that has been created by this week's GRAW 2 release, I thought it would be a good idea to get the latest release dates for the PS3 AAA titles I listed recently to help show how much we've got coming along in the next few months.

I got these by comparing the GAME UK and Amazon UK dates and picking the most pessimistic of the two dates. I've purposefully not gone to the rumour-mill or other news sites to pick up the latest 'guaranteed' dates (which rarely prove to be right, including my own past predictions!).

I'm also not saying these are the final dates for any of these releases. In any case, I still think this list is pretty close to the truth and will help you work out how much overtime you need to clock up to afford your favourite titles!

And in case you're not up to speed on these titles, you'll find video links against all of them - just click the [vid] link. Enjoy!

Army of Two 16 November 2007 [vid]
Assassin's Creed 16 November 2007 [vid]
Call of Duty 4 30 November 2007 [vid]
DiRT 21 September 2007 [vid]
Eye of Judgement (and the PS Eye in general) 30 November 2007 [vid]
GRAW 2 24 August 2007 [vid]
Haze 23 November 2007 [vid]
Heavenly Sword 14 September 2007 [vid]
Jericho 26 October 2007 [vid]
Juiced 2 25 January 2008 [vid]
Kane & Lynch 16 November 2007 [vid]
Lair 26 October 2007 [vid]
Ratchet and Clank Future 30 November 2007 [vid]
Skate 12 October 2007 [vid]
Stranglehold 28 September 2007 [vid]
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune 23 November 2007 [vid]
Unreal Tournament 3 30 November 2007 [vid]
Warhawk* 14 September 2007 [vid]

*Warhawk listing is the retail version - we already covered the supposed date for the download version of Warhawk

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Wednesday, 15 August 2007

Rock Band unlikely to appear in 2007; worldwide delay



Due most likely to a difficulty in producing sufficient quantities of the various instruments for Rock Band, it is being reported that EA are now unlikely to have the much-anticipated title out before Christmas.

There have been reports that this delay would only affect Australia and New Zealand, but fresh information suggests it is a worldwide issue.

This means that Guitar Hero III will get a serious drop on the rival title and should, by all reports, take the Christmas sales top-slot.

Watch this space for any further news on the Rock Band delay...

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Monday, 6 August 2007

Upcoming PS3 releases for 2007

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?

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Thursday, 2 August 2007

European premiere of Guitar Hero III in Edinburgh this month

It's been announced that along with two world premieres (Rise of The Argonauts and Turning Point) the Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2007 will see the European premiere of Guitar Hero III.

Taking place during the 13th and 14th August, the Edinburgh Interactive Festival is focussing heavily on the gaming industry and has a full programme of events. The 'screenings' which take place at the Odeon on Lothian Road will also include showings of Unreal Tournament III, DiRT, Haze and Assassin's Creed.

Unfortunately the ticket price to get in to the festival is extortionate. Considering the companies that are shwing up at the event you'd expect that they would have subsidised the cost to make it easier for people to get involved. Because much of the content is geared up for the gaming industry, I'm sure they can cover the cost on their expenses report...

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Saturday, 14 July 2007

E3 2007: 60 fps; now that's a 'quick draw'!


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...

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Wednesday, 11 July 2007

E3 Day 2 Extra: Liveblogging the Sony Keynote Speech

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..

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Tuesday, 10 July 2007

E3 Day 1: Destroy All Mirror Patriots III

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...

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Friday, 6 July 2007

Have Viacom lost the plot?


Rock Band is one of the most highly anticipated titles this year. Taking the Guitar Hero format and adding in drums, microphones and multiple guitars is just a master stroke.

So when the first actual game play footage hit the 'net a couple of days ago everyone went crazy for it.

Dozens of uploads to YouTube later, ad the whole world seems to be talking about the game.

That is until Viacom pulled every last one of them. Viacom own MTV, who acquired Harmonix (the makers of Guitar Hero). And it's not the first time they've summarily pulled their content from YouTube. Viacom are well known for flexing their copyright muscles.

Do they not realise the buzz that's being generated by the footage? Other companies would be laughing all the way to the bank with this much free publicity. But alas Viacom have signed a deal with Joost so don't want their content on any other delivery platform.

You can still find the footage on YouTube (search for "rock band gameplay") as it gets uploaded and then blocked, and uploaded again...

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