Monthly Archives: January 2009

Talking with Edge, Xbox 360 product manager Aaron Greenberg said he expects Sony to drop the price of PlayStation3 sooner rather than later.

“We absolutely expect the PS3 price drop to happen in the next couple of months,” he said. “We’re frankly surprised it’s taken this long. … I would expect they’d have to move on price, sooner than later, for sure.”

Greenberg has been in vocal mood today after he announced earlier that 2008 was the “biggest ever year in Xbox history.”

However, an imminent price drop seems unlikely as SCEE boss David Reeves insisted that the PlayStation division turning a profit in 2009 was paramount in the short term.

More through the Edge link.

By Mike Bowden

Patients in Seacroft Hospital in Leeds, England, are able to practice using their prosthetic limbs with the help of Wii Fit and the balance board, writes NintendoWorldReport.

Many prosthetic limb patients have trouble “getting their weight through the prosthetic limb,” says senior physiotherapist Lynn Hirst. Wii Fit helps them to see “where they are taking their weight.”

Patient David Crossland, 60, reckons Wii Fit is “marvelous” and that “it makes sure you have got your balance” which is important when “learning to walk again.”

Hirst also points out that the it has allowed Crossland to do things like “ski down a mountain or head a football during sessions using the machine – even though he has a prosthetic leg.”

Nintendo UK declined to comment “as this is led by the hospital and not any official Nintendo activity,” said a rep to videogaming247.

More through the link.

By Mike Bowden

Shacknews has them. The Blizzard strategy extravaganza is looking better and better, if we’re being honest.

Go check out the new images and see what we mean.

Starcraft II is out sometime this year.

By Mike Bowden

Mark Rein has announced on the Epic forums just what the next Gear of War 2 patch will contain.

In his own words:

As I mentioned before the break we’ve been working on a major title update for Gears of War 2. This update will address bugs and exploits as well as add some new achievements related to downloadable content. We don’t have an exact date for it but all indicators are it will go live within January. If that changes we’ll let you know.

We’re fixing a whole bunch of online exploits. For example we’ve fixed the ability to wield an invisible shield, melee through some walls, gain infinite Lancer ammo and equip a shield and a two-handed weapon simultaneously plus many more.

We’re also making several small changes to improve the overall online gameplay experience. A few of the ones that might interest you are; increased penalties for quitting matches early, adding additional spawn protection against planted grenades and chainsaw attacks, and adding the ability to see the Submission flag carrier destination by using Tac/Com.

We know you folks love achievements so on the achievement side we’re adding achievement progress numbers to the War Journal, increasing the frequency of in-game Achievement progression notifications and adding some new Achievements for DLC.

This is just a very small list of some of the things that will be in the next title update…

So there you have it.

By Mike Bowden

Microsoft Japan has revealed two new bundles for potential Xbox 360 owners in Japan: Star Ocean 4 and Resident Evil 5.

Due for release on February 19, the Arcade Star Ocean 4 bundle is priced at ¥24,800 and comes with a Star Ocean 4 soundtrack and faceplate.

On March 5, the Resident Evil 5 bundle is a 60Gb Premium that will come with a 48 hour LIVE Gold member trial member card, and the RE5 deluxe edition with collector’s tin and soundtrack. This will cost ¥34,800.

Thanks, Kotaku.

By Mike Bowden

Japanese consumers will be treated to a rather shiny, white, dragon-embossed PS3 when Yakuza 3 goes on sale on February 26.

Included in the ¥45980 (some random € number) bundle is a white 80GB machine with a single DualShock controller and a copy of the game.

More pics at Kotaku.

By Mike Bowden

An insider source has revealed to videogaming247.com that it is unlikely the UK will be treated to a similar pre-order-the-game-get-the-demo-early deal as our American cousins.

As far as the rest of Europe is concerned, the decision will be down to individual territories if they want to sanction such an incentive, our source claimed today.

Killzone 2 is out on Feb 27 in the US, whilst a release date is still unconfirmed for Europe.

Update: Eurogamer has a source saying that the demo will be released before the European version of the game, so nothing’s too clear on this one at the moment.

By Mike Bowden

The Major’s announced that this week’s Xbox Live Arcade game will be Interpol: The Trial of Dr. Chaos.

The TikGames puzzler will costs 800 MS Points and should be live tomorrow morning.

Official blurb here.

By Mike Bowden

In continuation of a claim made early December last year, administrator ReSovle Partners has told GI that interest in the purchase of Free Radical is still “very strong.”

“At this stage interest has been very strong,” said ReSovle’s Cameron Gunn.

“We’re advertising the business and assets for sale and there’s been some significant interest expressed from all over the world, so we’re now in the process of exploring that interest.

“The sale process itself will take a few weeks to run through, so we are thinking at this stage probably towards the end of January we should be in a better position to know whether or not we’ve got a decent sale – mid to late January,” he added.

Free Radical Design cut its workforce from 140 to 40 on December 31 in a bid to stay afloat.

More through the GI link.

By Mike Bowden

Speaking to videogaming247.com, Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter says he expects attendance at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to be 15 to 20 percent down on last year.

“I expect it to be down 15 – 20% this year, but still crowded,” he said. “I cover Best Buy and Netflix, so am looking at streaming, consumer electronics, etc.”

Despite Pachter’s predictions, “Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony Online Entertainment, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Nyko, Capcom and probably many, many more will be at CES 2009,” writes Kotaku.

Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer and Sir Howard Stringer from Sony will both be headlining their respective company’s keynotes.

CES 09 is being held at Las Vegas Convention Centre from January 8 through 11.

By Mike Bowden

CCP has announced that it has reached what it consider a milestone by recording 45,186 Eve Online users playing simultaneously.

“It is truly a testament to our loyal fans that 5 years into EVE’s existence we are still breaking records and more people are flying in New Eden than ever before,” said a company rep on the website.

Congratulations to everyone involved.

More over at IGN.

By Mike Bowden

Design company Kaarbo Designs has leaked the first images of Turn 10s racer Forza 3 which appear to be ‘menu poster’ art, reports CVG.

This isn’t the first time Forza 3 media has gone public from sources other than MS as back in June research firm Intellisponse revealed pricing, DLC and a collectors edition of the game.

Microsoft has declined to comment on what it considers rumour and speculation.

More images through the CVG link.

By Mike Bowden

If you were expecting a pre-release demo of Killzone 2 to hit US PSN then think again, as the taster will only be available through Gamestop’s exclusive pre-order campaign.

However, a demo will be forthcoming to everyone else, but only after the game has been released, writes PS3F.

We’ve asked Sony whether a similar offer will be available for Europe.

That is not the end of this Killzone 2 news-fest, as below you can find two brand new, simply excellent looking video of this Guerilla which is due for release on Feb 27 in the US, with Europe still unconfirmed but in the same time-frame.

Enjoy.

By Mike Bowden

More »

Screenshots are here, videos after the break.

It’s pretty safe to say that if you were a fan of the first game, then its sequel won’t disappoint as you can see from the first four levels shown below.

Take a look.

By Mike Bowden

More »

In the latest Crysis monthly update it is revealed that a new patch and level editor for the game are in the works and although no specific time-frame is given they will arrive “sooner rather than later.”

“The Editor and SDK are being worked on and will be available for release in the new year, we currently don’t know when this will be, but good progress is being made and we’re hoping it will be sooner rather than later. Crysis Warhead will receive a patch in the new year, it’s almost finished thanks to some hard work from the Warhead team, so thats something to look forward to.”

Thanks, Blue.

By Mike Bowden

In an article at PlayStation.com featuring leading industry figures talking about what they are looking forward to most in 2009, SCEE president David Reeves has said that turning a profit is Sony’s main, short-term goal.

“The most important thing for us as a company in the very short term is for us to start making money,” said. “This is a pledge that was made last March and is something that we are still very much on target to achieve.

“Once we have achieved this, I think it will be a very exciting time for PlayStation. Once we have alleviated that specific pressure, we can move forward at a rate of knots.”

SCEE Worldwide Studios president, Shuhei Yoshida, said “2009 will be the year of big, exclusive PS3 titles.

“Just to name a few, the year will start with the much anticipated launch of Killzone 2, followed by a fresh, new take on the superhero/anti-hero open sandbox genre inFamous, a mind-bending thriller Heavy Rain, a massive 256 player simultaneous online shooter MAG, an augmented reality, virtual pet in your room experience EyePet, and some more big titles that we have not even announced yet.”

Loads more through the link including Phil Harrison saying he’s most looking forward MMOs on PS3.

Microsoft issued a statement yesterday announcing that 28 million Xbox 360s have now been sold worldwide.

Following on from his European colleague’s comments yesterday, 360 product manager Aaron Greenberg said in the statement that 2008 was the “biggest year ever in Xbox history” and this in spite of a troubled global economy.

Greenberg cited price as the main reason for the season success of 360 despite the current financial plight: “the $199 price point (of the Xbox 360) was really critical to our success this holiday,” he said.

Update: Full release after the break.

By Mike Bowden

More »

In a statement issued last night, SCEA vice president Ian Jackson said 2008 was “pivotal” to the PlayStation brand and that PS3 had the “best software line-up in the industry”.

“We’ve had a solid holiday season and have delivered consistent growth throughout this year,” said Jackson. “Two thousand eight was a pivotal year for PlayStation with the best software line up in the industry, a dramatic expansion of PlayStation Network including the launches of the video delivery service and the beta of the PlayStation Home.”

“Early internal data points to an increase of more than 130 percent of PS3 hardware sales for the holiday season–since Black Friday–and we’re also seeing a growth of nearly 40 percent in total PS3 hardware sales for the calendar year.

“We remain confident this momentum will continue into the new year.”

By Mike Bowden

Just a quick heads-up to let you know that a minor patch has been released for Atari RPG, The Witcher: Enhanced Edition.

It’s a “hotfix for EAX and graphics blur issues,” apparently.

Anyway, grab it here.

By Mike Bowden

In an interview in this month’s EGM, Raven’s Dan Vondrak has listed the games that have influenced the development team working on Marvel brawler, X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

“God of War was an influence. Devil May Cry, even Super Smash Bros., to a point,” he told the mag.

“When we play [games like that], we just like the simplicity. Every character has their basic set of moves — that’s simple. People get that, and mass market gets that, so we’re making sure we bring that to Wolverine.”

Vondrak goes on to say that the speed of Wolverine will leave other games in its wake “People are going to play Wolverine and then be annoyed with how slow other action games are,” he said.

“We’ve gone back and played highly touted action games we all love, and you’re in these attacks forever. And it’s not just the speed — it’s the ease in which you’re able to [break] out of your attacks at any time.”

Game’s out in May.

Thanks, 1UP.

By Mike Bowden