Monthly Archives: September 2009

Former Stooges frontman Iggy Pop is bringing his immaculately waxed chest to Lego Rock Band. Well, we guess he’s bringing the rest of himself as well, but come on, look at that.

Iggy will be shrinking down and rocking out to his own “The Passenger,” along with whatever else you might want to play. If it’s not “The Passenger,” though, he won’t enjoy it.

Jeux Video has a video of the pint-sized plasticine rocker in action. Do you think he looks a bit like Sephiroth, or is it just us?

Thanks, Kotaku.

Atlus just sent over a note telling us that Persona PSP’s digital release won’t be making its originally scheduled date. Instead, it’ll be ready to go a week after the game’s September 22 retail release.

“While we’d previously announced that a digital version would be available at launch (on 9/22) along with the retail UMD version, it will in fact slip a few days until 10/1/09,” said Atlus.

However, the publisher added that the brick-and-mortar edition will include all sorts of collector’s content – like a jam-packed soundtrack CD – for no additional fee.

We hate waiting and love music. Sounds like a no-brainer to us.

Another retailer in the UK has confirmed to Eurogamer that consumers can soon expect a 250Gb PS3 Slim Bundle, going to far as to call it a “definite for October”.

The source, who asked to remain nameless, said its suppliers didn’t know “which game or games will be combined with the console”, but that Sony plans to unveil all at TGS later in the month.

This new bit of confirmation lends possible credence to earlier reports during the week of Assassin’s Creed II, Gran Turismo 5 and Uncharted 2 bundles.

Still, keep it as rumor until an official announcement is made by Sony.

More through the link.

Thanks, Jadeskye.

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time has been confirmed for 720p at 60FPS like the previous Ratchet & Clank title.

To prove that is okay, Insomniac has released some screens from the game, as well as some footage.

Gameplay changes this time around include an easier Casual Mode, and a harder Normal and Hard mode.

Neato.

Full thing through Examiner, and NeoGAF.

Polyphony Digital CEO Kazunori Yamauchi has said that players of Grand Turismo PSP will be able to transfer cars from the handheld game to GT5.

Cool.

Posted after the break, the video featuring Yamauchi details the Ad-Hoc multiplayer modes (Standard, Party, and Shuffle).

Apparently, Party mode balances the playing field by “sending more skilled players farther behind”.

Game’s out October 1 alongside PSPgo.

Thanks, Joystiq.

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Microsoft has responded to last night’s NPD figures by stating that Xbox 360 was the only console showing growth in the US this year, with sales increasing 17 percent year-over-year within the first eight months of 2009.

Sales for Xbox 360 reached 215,000 units for August and the company attributes this to the console’s starting price of $199, along with Netflix, and new stuff coming down the pipe (Last.fm, Facebook).

Additionally, the recent price reduction of the Xbox 360 Elite model to $299 has “set the stage for continued growth this year”, according to Microsoft, with the first week of sales “surpassing expectations”.

“Third-party sales on Xbox 360 totaled $130.4 million in August, more than any other system, and Xbox 360 has maintained the streak of leading third-party sales for every month of 2009,” said Microsoft. “Xbox 360 is also home to some of the season’s most-anticipated blockbuster titles with a line-up of exclusives that include Halo 3: ODST in September, Forza Motorsport 3 in October, and Left 4 Dead 2 this November.

“Fans across the country continued to make Xbox 360 the most popular way to play Madden NFL 10, and two other Xbox 360 titles, Batman: Arkham Asylum and NCAA Football 10 also made the top 10 console games list, showing that third-party titles continue to find success on Xbox 360.”

In the 12 months through August, Live has garnered over 20 million active members worldwide, with sales of this year’s Summer of Arcade more than doubling that of last year.

Next month, we will see just how high of a sales jump 360 attained with the recent price cut. It should prove to be very interesting.

Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter believes that the new price scheme for PS3 and Xbox 360 has put pressure on Wii, and expects a sales growth for PS3 in September; therefore a price cut is necessary for Wii to continue to compete in the market.

“Until the late August PS3 price cut, the Xbox 360 appealed to consumers, likely due to a higher perceived value proposition (the Xbox 360 ‘core’ model was priced $100 lower than the PS3),” he wrote. “With the core PS3 and Xbox 360 models priced only $50 higher than the Wii, we expect year-over-year sales of Wii hardware to continue their annual declines until the company either changes its bundle or lowers price.

“Wii unit sales are 50% below last year’s level over the last five months, and we think that September sales will repeat the pattern.

“The late August price cut for the PS3 clearly drove a pickup in demand, with that console’s sales up 73 percent sequentially, and we expect another 50 – 100 percent sales growth in September.”

The NPD figures for August showed a hardware sales were down 25 percent with Wii selling 277,000 units representing a 39 percent decline. Xbox 360 blew through 215,000 units garnering a 10 percent increase, while Sony’s PS3 moved 210,000 units and jumped 13 percent in sales, which is a 73 percent increase from July’s numbers.

Thanks, IndustryGamers.

Steve Jobs has stated that the reason iPod Touch does not have a camera, is because it’s a game machine, therefore you have to make it as inexpensive as possible.

“Originally, we weren’t exactly sure how to market the Touch,” Jobs told The New York Times. “Was it an iPhone without the phone? Was it a pocket computer? What happened was, what customers told us was, they started to see it as a game machine.

“We started to market it that way, and it just took off. And now what we really see is it’s the lowest-cost way to the App Store, and that’s the big draw. So what we were focused on is just reducing the price to $199.

“We don’t need to add new stuff. We need to get the price down where everyone can afford it.”

So there you have it. No camera on iPod Touch. If you have to have that feature, the redesigned Nano has you covered.

Via Kotaku (NY Times).

SCEE’s Zeno Colaco has stated that some PSP Minis are to be transitioned to UMD or on PS3 in order for developers and publishers to access revenue from retail as well as the PS Store.

“The most successful Minis titles will probably transition to UMD,” Colaco told Develop. “I think that a package of multiple Minis games on a single UMD is a real possibility at a later stage, where even a studio or publisher will put a collection of their own games on a single disc. We’d be open to that.”

“These games won’t need to necessarily be built for the home console, and I think these games will find their true life and identity in those micro-bursts of play. But I do think there’s a possibility that Minis could find themselves on other consoles down the line.”

Minis go live on the PS Store October 1.

During PAX, GameTrailers TV chatted with Uncharted 2′s creative director Amy Hennig, who shed some light on the game elements, story and visuals for the sequel.

“I can honestly say, that even though I was very proud of the last game, this one blows it out of the water,” said Hennig. “Instead of resting on our laurels and doing a typical sequel, we revamped the game’s engine completely, along with the graphics engine and the technology as well as adding a ton more gameplay into the single-player mode, from stealth to combat…. the game is at least a third longer than the previous game.

“Everything we did well in the first game, we have done in spades on this one.”

Hennig goes on to discuss Nathan’s character, the storyline, locations, and loads of other stuff you want to know about Uncharted 2 – like just how far it pushes the console.

“The PlayStation 3 hardware is amazingly powerful, and it was something we were able to tap into a little bit on the last game. People always laugh when you throw out numbers, ‘is performance actually measurable?’, and I think it is. We have said before that we are using about a third of the power of the PS3 and I think this time we’ve maxed it out – last time was 30 percent… it feels almost like a hardware jump from one game to the next.”

Cool.

Watch it after the break. Thanks, Monk.

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The list of HD offerings on the US PS movie store are a bit slim this week, but to make up for it, some of your favorite TV shows’ first season are up for grabs for just 99 cents.

Sale ends September 17.

Meanwhile, here is your list of HD offerings for the week, as usual, the full thing can be found over on the US PS Blog.

HD Movies

• No Country for Old Men
• The Fifth Commandment
• The Hurricane
• Anger of Death (2009)

HD TV Shows

• Mad Men S3 – The Arrangements
• Sons of Anarchy S2
• Warehouse 13 S1 – Breakdown

One lone screen “new” for God of War III has popped up over on GamesWire, and while it is indeed just one screen, it’s worth the click – he’s fighting Hades.

Getting really pumped for this game, we are.

It’s out next year.

Thanks, Monk.

A demo for Supreme Ruler 2020 Gold, which includes the original game along with the Global Crisis expansion., has popped up over on BigDownload.

Here’s the official word on the game:

“In Supreme Ruler 2020, it is up to the player to lead a nation in a world that has fallen into anarchy. In Global Crisis, players face an even more devastating and realistic experience through a sandbox-style campaign that takes into account real-world headlines for a chilling portrayal of tomorrow’s chaotic world.

Grab control of one of more than 250 territories from around the world, in a sandbox-style campaign that incorporates real-world headlines for a chilling glimpse of a world on the brink of World War III.”

Full game’s out September 18.

If the recent addition of PSN Trophies to Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and news of the Ultimate Sith Edition wasn’t enough to get you pumped, Sony has done one better.

Over on the US PS Blog, Sony sat down with the game’s assistant production manager, Cameron Suey, who showed off the new Ultimate Sith Edition which includes some “What if?” levels onto the original game.

There is a video of this posted after the break, and through the link as well. Have a watch.

More »

According to a report from the NPD Group, households that inhabit children up to 12 years of age account for 24 percent of videogame industry unit sales, while households with children in this age group account for 45 percent of total industry dollar sales.

This information was derived from a report titled “Kids & Cross-Entertainment Behaviors”, compiled by NPD, which cites that with an average of 68 leisure hours each week, the largest share of leisure time goes to entertainment; thus, children have a major impact on the industry.

“According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 53.4 million of them ages 12 and under in the U.S., accounting for 17 percent of the population. Yet for many industries, games included, they account for a much larger portion of total sales,” said NPD’s Anita Frazier.

“For the 12-months ending June 2009, this group of consumers comprised 24 percent of games industry unit sales. Tweens in particular are a highly involved group of consumers as 75 percent of this age group play video games and 81 percent are on the computer for non-homework related activities.”

According to the report, 57 percent of children ages 2-12 play video games, and 62 percent of them use a computer, representing an area for future industry expansion.

Via GoNintendo.

Sony has announced its line-up for the Tokyo Games Show, running from September 24 – 27, and a total of 60 titles will be on hand for PS3 and PSP combined.

Gran Turismo 5, and Uncharted 2: Drake’s Fortune will be at the Sony booth, and while there, attendees can experience the latest large-scale LED video broadcast, which will also display exhibits of hardware and peripherals.

Good stuff. Wish we were going.

More through the link.

Thanks, Monk.

Microsoft and Turn 10 announced this morning that Forza Motorsport 3 has gone gold and will launch on October 23 and 27, in the UK and US respectively.

Something else that will make you happy, is that a demo for the game is set to go live on Xbox Live Marketplace September 24.

The demo will feature the new cock-pit view, refined damage, the new rewind function and allows players to pull barrel rolls around the full Camino Viejo circuit should they wish

Five playable vehicles are included in the demo as well:

• 2007 Porsche #80 Flying Lizard 911 GT3-RSR
• 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro
• 2009 Ferrari California
• 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR
• 2009 Mini John Cooper Works

The demo also supports the official leaderboards. Awesome.

Thanks, Joystiq.

Bethesda has filed a lawsuit against Interplay for trademark infringement, and breach of agreement over the Fallout MMO.

Citing failure to “commence full scale development by April 4, 2009 and to secure certain funding for the game”, Interplay has disputed the claims and maintains that it still holds the rights to develop Project V13 with Masthead Studios.

This lawsuit comes months later after Bethesda challenged Interplay’s rights to the game back in April, when Interplay was actively seeking financing or income, without which it will be forced to liquidate assets, sell the company or face bankruptcy.

On a brighter note, Natiq “Defonten” Aghayev, Project V13 concept artist and Fallout fan community member, has released a bit of his concept sketches done for the game, which is featured in the header image.

More regarding all of this can be found over on, The Vault, which has a link to the legal documents filed.

Sony has pulled its offending commercials featuring the Nigerian millionaire bit, and have replaced them with an edited version, according to Kotaku.

Issuing an apology on the official PlayStation website, Patrick Seybold, senior director of corporate communications at SCEA, stated:

“It has come to our attention that a recent TV advertisement for PlayStation may have offended some members of the Nigerian community. We never intended to create a situation that would upset anyone, and we have taken action to immediately remove the advertisement from the air. We apologize to anyone this may have offended.”

The new line reads: “You can’t believe everything you read on the internet. That’s how World War I got started.”

Below the break is a video of the new advert.

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Johnathan Kessler, the manager for Depeche Mode, has told VG247 that the band’s inclusion in Valve’s Left 4 Dead 2 was a way to get their music out to a younger generation.

“There is no storyline in the game with the band, as they do not appear in the game,” Kessler told VG247 exclusively.” Their music was included as a way to get their songs out there, so that the kids can be exposed to it in a way that differs from conventional radio.”

As far as this being a stepping stone for the band to possibly be included in Rock Band or Guitar Hero in the future, Kessler says that there are “no plans for that at this time”.

So, being able to rock out on our plastic guitars to “I Feel You” is not in our future for the present, kiddos.

However, we can console ourselves by shooting zombies in L4D2 to Fletcher, Gahan and Gore’s music instead.