Coming Soon: Explodemon explodes on the PS3

Saturday, July 31st, 2010

explodemon-PS3.thumbnailPS3 owners will be treated to the release of Explodemon!, which will be hitting PlayStation Network with a bang this early Q4, and it’ll be interesting to see how it performs.

More about via their website:

Explodemon! is a 2.5D platform action game brought kicking and screaming into the HD era. Influenced by classic Japanese games from the golden era of the SNES, players use Explodemon’s self-destructive nature to combat enemies and fly through the air, all the while solving a huge variety of physics-based puzzles (and, naturally, causing incalculable collateral damage).

When the peaceful planet of Nibia is attacked by the malicious Vortex forces, the fate of the star system is thrust into the one pair of hands it shouldn’t be: the malfunctioning Guardian robot Explodemon. His comic quest to repel the onslaught and restore peace will take him across three distinct planets over twelve levels, with new abilities and gameplay mechanics introduced throughout.

We like the description: sort of a Japanese platformer combined with elements of Myst and a dash of Final Fantasy. We’ll update as this story warrants.

Delay Update: SOCOM 4 put off until 2011

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

socom41It appears the new is official: SOCOM 4 for the PS3 and other platforms will be delayed until 2011, according to people in the know in the company and blog pennings on the web. We assumed and surmised this might happen, but still can’t believe it, really.

Here’s Jeremy Dunham, Senior Community Manager at Zipper Interactive with the official scoop:

“While we’re certainly aware that you’ve been looking forward to playing SOCOM 4 this year, we don’t want to take any shortcuts. Instead, we want to deliver the best and most immersive SOCOM game we possibly can and we’re going to use our extra time to do just that.”

We like the idea, even if we’re bummed about the delay. Hopefully, they can do some awesome things with the time and not just delay it for no reason. We’ll see.

Seasons (and Features) Change: inFamous 2 once again changing

Monday, July 26th, 2010

infamous2According to IGN, our beloved protagonist Cole McGrath will be under-going another character transformation, and game feature/art will be changing and being added to (once again), and quite late in the production process. The tale of this game being made has already been a roller-coaster ride in the best and worst sense of the word, as the direction seems sorta wandering as it is now. But hey, some of the best games get made on the seat of the producers pants, we figure.

The PS3 version (according to Gaming Everything blog) will have the following game changes:

  • Comic cut-scenes from the first game are returning
  • New cut-scene was shown at Comic-Con
  • inFamous 2 being made faster because a number of tools from the first game have already been developed
  • inFamous 3 not ruled out, but the team says they are still working on the second game
  • Not set in stone whether or not saves will carry over
  • City in inFamous 2 chosen because they wanted players to recognize the setting easily, and Empire City was mostly destroyed
  • Ideas for powers in the first game that weren’t used haven’t really come into play for the sequel
  • Fan feedback have influenced inFamous 2, including people’s opinions of Cole and his voice
  • Should be able to move about the city more quickly with new abilities
  • On multiplayer: No announcement today, but fans were told to “stay tuned”

Interesting decisions all the way around, we think. We’ll see how it turns out.

Update: Mafia II demo coming to PS3 August 10th

Saturday, July 24th, 2010

Mafia_2_PS3.thumbnailIt seems that 2K Games has announced that its upcoming big-time action crime game, Mafia II, will have a demo you can download available worldwide on August 10 for the PS3, among other platforms. Here’s is the company’s promo announcement for your reading pleasure:

Set in the fully realized and immersive 1940’s and 1950’s American urban cityscape of Empire Bay, soon all gamers will be able to experience the meticulously crafted atmosphere, intense shooting and driving gameplay, and character narrative in Mafia II that is set to be released on August 24 in North America, August 26 in Australia and August 27 around the world.

The Mafia II demo invites gamers to dive into the “Buzzsaw” level, where Vito and his buddies, Joe and Henry, are sent to take out a mobster known as “The Fat Man”. While the epic game spans two decades, the Buzzsaw demo takes place during the summer of the ‘50s – a time considered the “Birth of Cool”, and with it, rock ‘n’ roll, hot rods, and rebellious attitudes. The demo showcases the type of vibrant edge-of-your-seat action, as well as a slice of the expansive city of Empire Bay in the colorful era.

We are certainly looking forward to seeing how this plays and looks.

News: Castlevania – Lords of Shadow to release this year

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

castlevania_lords_of_the_shadow_ps3boxIt seems the news of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow for the PS3 being pushed back to 2011 wasn’t accurate, as a recent announcement has it pegged as late this year, and the box art and early details have been released for public ogling.

The folks over at Konami were kind enough to finally announce a release window for the highly anticipated title Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. When will it release? A specific release date has not been announced, however we can expect this title to released sometime in mid-October or so.

Here’s the (preliminary) box art for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow as the pic accompanying this article. It’s pretty spiffy and the early word on the game is that it will introduce lots of new elements to the gameplay, and some truly breathtaking graphics being on display as well.

First Comment: Assassin’s Creed 3 Details

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

assassins-creed-2-flight-5-590x442Many have been waiting anxiously for more details (official ones anyway) regarding AC3 for the PS3, and now we finally have word about its direction and general details about where the project is headed:

Production Manager Jean-Francois Boivin spoke for the first time about Assassin’s Creed 3, confirming that it will feature a new setting and a new protagonist.

Unlike Ubi’s approaching Assassin’s Creed entry Brotherhood, the fourth title in the series will wave farewell to Ezio Auditore da Firenze and Renaissance Italy: “Assassin’s Creed 3: new setting, new hero. That’s the way it works. We know what we’re doing; we’ve had a plan for a long time about where this license is going to go.”

The project has had some controversy and turmoil (the departure of Creative Director Patrice Desilets a month ago for example) but is now on track for a early 2012 release, according to reports and rumors. We’ll update you of course, if this changes.

Whitewashed: White PS3 rumored to be arriving in US, already coming to Japan

Saturday, July 10th, 2010

white-ps3Haven’t you ever wondered if classic black is the only color option available for the PS3? Up until now, there wasn’t another choice (without the use of spray paint that is).

Well now you can buy a white PS3 model in Japan, and possibly the United States and Europe very soon.

Not only is Sony bringing a new “classic white” color to the marketplace, they are also bringing two new hard drive builds: 160GB and 320GB models. They say that these will be replacing there older 120GB and 250GB ones at some point.

The new units will be going for about ¥29,980 or $350 USD for the 160GB, and ¥34,980 yen or $400 USD for the 320GB. According to reports, these will be arriving July 29. It’s not yet clear if we will definitely be getting these in North America and Europe, but a Sony spokesperson has made this statement publicly (which means very little, we realize):

“We will consider every possibility based on the market demands, but have nothing to announce at this point in time.”

Hopefully Sony considers us deserving folks in the US for the new slick color scheme.

The Color Black: Deep Black title announced by 505 Games

Saturday, July 10th, 2010

deep_black_ps3_1.thumbnailNew game release details are something we always enjoy bringing you, and here is yet another example. 505 Games announced an agreement with Russian developer Biart Studio, to publish Deep Black on the PS3 and Microsoft’s Xbox360 systems. Here are more details from the company press release coverage:

Deep Black lets players experience for the first time the thrills of a third-person action shooter in an underwater setting.

With the release set for Q1 2011, the unique setting of Deep Black combines action-packed battles with an immersive story line, of complex science-fiction mystery, espionage and bio-terror. Offering realistic physics in an underwater environment brings new “depths” to in-game challenges in Deep Black.

Players will take to the murky depths armed with a wrath of underwater equipment from specialized underwater jet packs with integrated harpoons, mini submersibles and other high tech equipment in pursuit of enemies. With the majority of the game play taking place below the water’s surface, action-adventure fans will need to master new skills to fight hostile enemies and infiltrate enemy bases.

Sounds pretty cool to us, we’ll update you as we hear more, as usual. January 2011 is pegged as the early rumored released date.

Progress Report: Need For Speed – Hot Pursuit

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

img_230402_nfshp_3Criterion Games’ Twitter page has definitely been buzzing since Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit was officially unveiled at this year’s E3 Expo, and reports indicate the game is worth waiting for, to be sure.

The British company, who created the highly-successful Burnout series, is on track to restore the Need for Speed franchise to its former glory, and many fans are wanting to find out all they can before the game’s early November PS3 release. Over the last few days, the company’s Tweets have let eager gamers know what could be coming in the near future regarding the game, which is quite awesome.

Here’s a rundown of the some of quick details to be considered noteworthy:

  • Like Burnout Paradise, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit will be an open-world game, just bigger and better! Chases will take place all over the game’s map, not on predetermined routes
  • There will be no options to tune or upgrade the game’s cars. Similarly, visual customisation will be very limited
  • Most if not all cars will be exotic by classification, though unfortunately Ferrari will not be appearing in the manufacturer line-up
  • Hot Pursuit will feature two individual campaigns of almost equal length, one for the police and one for the criminal
  • The custom soundtrack feature will be supported
  • Multiplayer modes will be online-only. There will be no split-screen mode
  • A cockpit viewpoint will not be available
We like many of the features so far (lack of a cockpit viewpoint and lack of upgrades kinda makes us sad a bit), but overall we can’t wait. Bring it on!

Gamestop Offer: $200 towards a new PS3 Slim, with old model trade-in

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

gamestop-signHave one of those older PS3 models with the chunky body? Well, Gamestop is here with one of the more interesting solutions/offers out there:

Thats right, Gamestop is offering customers $200 trade-in credit toward a new PS3 slim. The old console must be in working condition, and include both the A/V Cables and a working controller.

Not a bad deal at all, if you ask us…it will encourage more PS3 owners to ‘go slim’, but at the same time, owners with a launch model with backwards capability probably won’t bother with the offer at all. The offer also has a limited time period as well: it ends July 18th, so you’d better hurry if a slimmer model is something you’ve always dreamed of.

No word on whether these traded in models will be resold to other customers later on; our guess would be probably so, in one form or another. It’s a Gamestop thing.