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All Articles: PS3
Sony CES 2011 Keynote: 3D, TV, and Qriocity, oh my!
Sir Howard Stringer, Kaz Hirai and the gang presented Sony’s unified strategy going forward in 2011, with bold claims that it will be the premier consumer electronics manufacturer in the US by 2013. As the title suggests, the highlights were 3D, Bravia televisions, and Qriocity, Sony’s video and music cloud-based service. The company is implementing 3D into every device imaginable, from TVs and PS3s (including Gran Turismo 5 and Uncharted 3 demos) to camcorders, Vaio laptops, and Ericsson Xperia smartphones. Consumers looking for a new TV will have many options with the Bravia line, including choices in 3D and/or Internet TV, the latter of which includes partnerships with Google and Time Warner. Qriocity also takes a multiple device approach, allowing you to sync your music library across multiple devices to take with you.
Notably absent from the keynote was any talk of the all but officially confirmed PSP Phone or PSP2. The PSP Phone is rumored to have the Xperia branding, but all that was shown was an extremely slim Android-running phone. Hopefully when these devices do get announced, they’ll carry some of the 3D, Internet, and Qriocity features we heard of tonight, provided Sony can maintain some pricing discipline.
Next Modern Warfare may be a prequel; Raven likely working on Call of Duty
An anonymous source who previously identified many Xbox-related rumors leaked that Infinity Ward’s next game will be a prequel to the original Modern Warfare, Call of Duty 4. The details were a lot of negatives – the game will not be called “Modern Warfare 3,” will not use a new engine, and will not be released this year. The alleged game focuses on Ghost and will revisit many of the areas of the first two Modern Warfare games, but through a different perspective. This seems to align with rumors from 2009 that Ghost would be getting his own spin-off game like the comic mini-series. If this rumor is true, Infinity Ward must have been hit pretty hard by its talent exodus to not be able to complete a game on its two year cycle, especially using older scenery with no new engine.
In a related matter, the rumors that Raven Software (the studio behind Singularity, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Wolfenstein) have been conscripted to the ever-growing roster of studios working on Call of Duty seems more likely. Their website currently lists a job for Lead FX Artist on “an established console-based, realistic, first-person military shooter.” Raven has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision for some time now, making the established “military shooter” an obvious reference.
[Source: ThisIsXbox]
Posted in News
Tagged Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
THQ has the power (to make games based on Mattel toys)
Like two action figures that come together to form an even bigger action figure, THQ will raid Mattel’s toy chest in a multi-year deal to create games based on many of the company’s biggest properties.
THQ currently has multiple Mattel-inspired games in the works, with the first scheduled for release this Fall. The deal will ultimately result in new THQ-published games based on many of Mattel’s biggest toy lines, including Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, Monster High, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, Polly Pocket and He-Man: Masters of the Universe.
THQ wasn’t ready to talk about specific games on specific platforms, but they did confirm that the agreement allows them to create games for consoles (both disc-based and downloadable games), handhelds, PCs, mobile devices and social networking platforms. However, THQ did reveal that at least one game will support the publisher’s uDraw GameTablet on the Wii.
Tune in with Q-Games on PixelJunk Radio
The hotly anticipated PSN title PixelJunk Shooter 2 is reportedly close to completion and the folks at Kyoto-based Q-Games have launched the inaugural episode of their podcast, PixelJunk Radio. Ariel Angelotti, Bear Trickey, Duncan Flett, and the man himself, Dylan Cuthbert sit down over Kirin beers to discuss life in Japan, particularly the toilets. It’s just over 11 minutes so I’d highly recommend it if you’re interested in some laid back banter among the team (about toilets). You can follow the chatter at their YouTube channel or subscribe to it on iTunes.
The PixelJunk series has consistently been among the best downloadable games this generation, so it’ll be interesting to get insight from the team, especially as they answer fan questions. For more on podcasts, you can expect the inaugural episode of our very own Warp Zoned Podcast to drop in the coming days, starring Ryan Littlefield, Nicole Kline, and yours truly.
You can also watch the first episode right here:
Posted in News
Tagged PixelJunk Shooter 2, PS3
Tee it up at The Masters with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12
EA Sports wants players to prepare to chase the most coveted prize in golf, The Green Jacket, as they’ve announced a special Masters edition of Tiger Woods PGA Tour is in the works.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters recreates the famed Augusta National Golf Club in a project that’s been three years in the making at EA Tiburon. Players will be able to tee it up at the virtual Augusta on March 29, a week before the pros tackle the real Augusta.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 will be available in two versions: a PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 standard edition and a PS3-exclusive Collector’s Edition that will include five additional courses. Both PS3 releases will also include PlayStation Move support.
For The Masters, EA Sports utilized a new laser scanning technology at Augusta National Golf Club to scan every hole featured in the game. According to the developer, this will ensure that “every tree, every azalea and every undulation in every green was recreated down to the smallest detail.”
Other new features players can look for when the game releases on March 29 are “Masters Moments” (Play through memorable Masters moments), “Tiger at the Masters” (see if your score can measure up to Tiger’s best performances) and an all-new Career Mode.
Posted in News
Tagged PS3, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters, Wii, Xbox 360
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX Review: Power Pellets Are An Addicting Drug
The original Pac-Man Championship Edition was a textbook example in how best to do a reboot of a classic franchise. It was respectful of its heritage without feeling old-fashioned. But it was also a completely fresh take on Pac-Man that made maze running feel brand new and was more addictive than ever. The sequel, Pac-Man Championship Edition DX, takes everything you loved about its predecessor and cranks it up to 11. There are more mazes, more modes, more ghosts and an even more addictive hook in the form of Leaderboards that are an ever-present part of the game. (more…)
Posted in Reviews
Tagged Pac-Man Championship Edition DX, PS3, Xbox 360
MicroBot coming to PlayStation Store tomorrow after last week’s XBLA launch
After quietly adding it to the Xbox Live Arcade last Wednesday, Electronic Arts has revealed that MicroBot, their “cure for the common arcade shooter” will be available on the PlayStation Store starting tomorrow, January 4. Developed by Naked Sky Entertainment, the PSN version of MicroBot will be priced at $10, which is equal to the 800 Microsoft Points the XBLA version is going for.
Players (either alone or as a two-player team) will dive inside the human body in MicroBot as they “travel through the bloodstream, bones, lungs and brain” to battle “malicious enemies.”
“When we set out to create MicroBot, we wanted to ensure it provided a unique gameplay experience setting it apart from other offerings in the digital download marketplace. By taking players inside a place they have rarely visited before – the human body – and giving gamers endless customization options, we made a game that lives up to that vision and, most importantly, provides an addictive gameplay experience for anyone who plays games on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network,” said Jason Haber of Electronic Arts.
You can add MicroBot to your Xbox Live Download Queue right now.
Operation Hastings unlocked for BFBC2 Vietnam on consoles
Last year’s Battlefield 1943 saw a unique kind of community challenge where the final map in the DLC game would unlock on each console version once its community achieved 43 million kills. EA and DICE implemented a similar challenge for Battlefield Bad Company 2 Vietnam, but while PC players racked up the requisite 69 million support actions in no time, console players have had the competition ended early. To celebrate the new year, Operation Hastings is now unlocked for the 360 and PS3, before either community got a chance to do it themselves.
It makes you wonder if there’s simply a more “lone wolf” mentality when it comes to shooters on consoles, but in any case you can expect our own review of Battlefield Bad Company 2 Vietnam on Warp Zoned shortly.
Posted in News
Tagged Battlefield: Bad Company 2, PC, PS3, Xbox 360