Upcoming Title Preview: FIFA 2011

Friday, August 20th, 2010

FIFA_2010The PS3 is known for some very cool sports sims with amazing graphics, and the upcoming soccer (or ‘football’, as its know across the pond) title from EA FIFA 2011 is no exception certainly. We’ve heard thru the grapevine (the grapevine in this case being several well known PS3 blogs) that FIFA11 will arrive on the PS3 on October 1st, 2010, give or take.

Seeing some of the screenshots for the game, we’re super jazzed about its release. The World Cup should have whetted your appetite for what’s often called ‘the beautiful game’ around the world.

Take a look at this: Link

More news and possibly a review coming down the line in the near future for this one.

Release Details: Gran Turismo 5 Collectors Edition Info

Saturday, August 7th, 2010

GT5-special-1jpgToday on the PlayStation 3 EU Blog, Penrose Tackie – European Brand Manager for PlayStation EU has given many juicy details about the upcoming epic GT5 racing game for the PS3, and here’s the skinny:

“I am absolutely delighted to be able bring what will hopefully be very exciting news to those patiently (or impatiently) waiting for more information on Gran Turismo 5. During E3, our American colleagues unveiled their rather tasty looking Collector’s Edition. Today I can now confirm the special editions of Gran Turismo that will be heading Europe’s way later this year.

First up, we have a very special version of the game; one that, with its artfully sculpted exterior, glossy black finish and meticulously designed premium content, exemplifies everything the Gran Turismo brand has always stood for – beauty and precision.”

Pictured is the Collectors Edition, which won’t be cheap (€179.99 EU price), but will come with loads of exclusive goodies, including:
  • Metal sculpted box finished in SLS AMG Obsidian Black
  • Exclusive GT branded SLS AMG 1:43 model car
  • GT leather wallet containing Signature Edition competition entry card
  • Branded USB key with Polyphony/Mercedes-Benz trailer
  • GT branded metal key fob
  • Signature Edition coffee table book featuring the beautiful cars and locations of Gran Turismo 5
  • 200 page Apex drivers magazine with hints on driving technique, car tuning, future technologies and more

Trailer: Mafia II

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

Mafia-II-1Yes, its coming, and yes it will be pretty impressive, from E3 previews and reports filtering in through various blogs and sources. Now can safely bring you a full-on trailer of the game in all its glory (barring any last minute changes and additions, which anyone who follows games or has worked in the industry knows is pretty much standard operating procedure) via GameTrailers.

Here’s the link to the trailer, in various formats: Link

Check it out and we’ll soon be bringing you more of an in-depth preview of the PS3 version when we get a chance.

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.

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.

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!

No Extra Content: Assassin’s Creed will be as is, according to reports

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

assassins-creed-brotherhoodFrom what we’ve been reading and recent interviews concerning the project, we’re sorta not shocked, but a little sad to report that it doesn’t look like there is any post-release content in the pipeline for Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, the first game to embrace online multiplayer in the series.

Despite the increasingly important role download addons play these days in adding fresh blood to an existing game, Ubisoft is confident there will be enough in Brotherhood out-of-the-box to keep the community interested for a long time. Odds are, it won’t be enough for very long, but we could be wrong.

In a recent interview with video game blog VG247, developer Mathieu Gagnon was quoted:

“There are absolutely no plans for DLC at this time. By ‘no plans,’ I mean I have no clue of the plans. If we have plans, I’m really not aware.”

No shock here. Probably an act of a company a little short on funds to save some cash, and play on an existing name that already has a fanbase. The game is scheduled to be released for the PS3 in early November or so, but we may have to admit: our enthusiasm for the game has diminished a bit.

Simply Marvel-ous: Marvel characters coming to LittleBigPlanet

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

untitled1LittleBigPlanet will be quenching our thirst for Marvel flavored content very soon, it appears. While we’ve been happy enough dressing our boys and girls as animals, Incredibles, Judge Dredd and Jack Sparrow, this hasn’t stopped the community wanting Marvel Comics’ iconic characters. On July 7th, their cries will finally be answered. We like to cover all things PS3.

Media Molecule will release a total of four Marvel Costume Packs on the PlayStation Store over a period of four weeks, and here’s a full list of all the super characters joining the parade:

  • Captain America
  • Daredevil
  • Doctor Octopus
  • Elektra
  • Ghost Rider
  • Green Goblin
  • Hulk
  • Invisible Woman
  • Iron Man
  • The Human Torch
  • Magneto
  • Mystique
  • The Punisher
  • Rogue
  • Spiderman
  • Storm
  • The Thing
  • Thor
  • Venom
  • Wolverine

Also coming soon with this is Marvel Level Kit, four specially-crafted levels of adventure that will pit our courageous superheroes against the evil Magneto, and the ability to create your own levels as well with a bevy of special items and such to go with it. We like the direction this is going in, for certain.