Sonic 4 Preview: Episode 1

Sunday, June 27th, 2010

sonic4Sonic has been a frequent first console experience for many a gamer, and now Sonic is aiming to ‘jump’ (pun intended) into the new millenium with Sonic 4: Episode 1. There’s now an official preview video posted up for all to see.

It also appears that, unlike the original game, it’s not all going straight ahead as fast as you can. It’s still important to go fast, but in Sonic 4 you can’t just run straightforward to conquer the level. This time you’ll need to jump, use homing attacks and speed dash frequently – and that’s not all there is to it. You’ll also find yourself swinging from vine to vine, running through various loops, and bouncing from bumper to bumper, among other activities.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is scheduled to release on the PS3 Network sometime late Fall or so. No price has been set yet, but we’ll keep you updated as to the status. Want to watch the video? Its right here: Link

E3 Hands-On Preview: Killzone 3

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

v3banner-killzone2-525x136Killzone 2 is considered one of the best first person shooters of any generation, so it follows that many were eager to get their grubby hands on the very ambitious sounding sequel. Many of the reports from E3 filtering in indicate that Guerilla Games is working very hard to silence the few critics the original game had.

Here’s a hands-on review from a blog site (written by Robert Strick) regarding the time they spent with it at E3 2010:

The first and most notable difference is how Killzone 3 plays. Gone are the heavy movement, dead weight, and input lag from Killzone 2. The reticule snaps precisely while still managing to keep a sense of momentum. This change is welcome and helps Killzone 3 play much better than its predecessor. One of my biggest complaints with Killzone 2 was the inability to crouch, aim, and reload smoothly. GG have squashed those issues allowing the player to do these actions simultaneously without any issues. It’s these types of refinements that will help keep Killzone 3 on top of the multiplayer charts for years to come.

What about the graphics? It’s no secret that Killzone 2 was one of the graphical powerhouses of this generation and Killzone 3 follows that trend. Despite the game being in pre-alpha, it already looks fantastic. The amount of detail and visual effects are stunning and there’s much more action on screen than there was in Killzone 2.

PS3 users have much to look forward to in early 2011 when the game will be released. It’ll be one we cover when it comes out, no doubt about that.

More Details: Talking Call Of Duty – Black Ops

Monday, June 7th, 2010

Blackops-crossbowAussie blog site games.on.net recently interviewed Dan Bunting and Mark Lamia, Senior Producer and Studio Head at Treyarch respectively, to speak about Call of Duty: Black Ops, and they had some light bragging and thoughts for the PS3 fans to mull over for their upcoming FPS opus.

It’s clear from the videos leaked that the developer is aiming quite high with this year’s installment of the hugely popular FPS series, vowing to create “the best game [they] can possibly make”, which is truly saying something given the previous history of the series.

The title will include a big action-adventure component, an online multiplayer – of course - and a specially-crafted cooperative mode and of course, the great scoped crossbow we’ve already seen that people are drooling over. All of that sounds pretty amazing.

Tech aspects are also upgraded and include better animation and better overall graphics quality as well with their ‘texture streaming’ thing incorporated into the game as well. We’re definitely looking forward to this one coming out.

Sequel-itis: inFAMOUS 2 in the works?

Friday, June 4th, 2010

infamousbannerSequels can be good and bad, and even the PS3 is no exception. It appears another sequel to a popular

According to Scrawlfx.com, “the latest issue of  Portugal’s PlayStation: The Official Magazine is teasing the reveal of inFAMOUS 2 in their next issue.”  While this isn’t confirmed, it’s certainly likely given the picture appearing at the end of the magazine.

Like Sal at Scrawlfx.com, we share his concern that E3 may become over-saturated with sequels. Sony looks to have an large amount of titles in various development stages, many of them some form of follow-up or sequel, which isn’t always the best trend for a platform. It depends on the quality, which we’ll see down the road.

What do you think, folks? Are you eager to continue Cole’s adventure, started in the first one? Or did you get enough with the first game?

Delayed: Sonic 4 pushed back for ‘polish’ reasons

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

sonic4We reported a bit ago about Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Chapter 1 and its upcoming release soon for the PS3. Well, apparently they intend to push it back a bit for ‘extra work on the design of levels and more time to polish the game for a classic Sonic feel’.

While we appreciate the extra work being put into the game, we now know that this will be summer without Sonic now more than likely, which is the part of this story we don’t like.

It’s good to see the care taken to ensure a quality Sonic product, though. The good news is the first gameplay trailer has been released and is looking very promising for its future. Check it out here: Link

We’ll keep an eye on this as it approaches release, of course. It should be pretty awesome (or you would hope so with the extra time being taken).

Marvel vs. Capcom 3: First preview and screenshots

Monday, May 17th, 2010

marvel-vs-capcom-3There have been rumors of a follow-up to Marvel vs. Capcom for the PS3, and now according to a site here: information and a few screenshots, the game is on its way and here’s the scoop being reported from several sources:

The first scan shows nine confirmed characters for the game, 3 of which are new: Dante (Devil May Cry), Chris Redfield (Resident Evil series) and Deadpool. The rest of the nine fighters include Captain America, Iron Man, The Hulk, Wolverine, Felicia and Morrigan. How odd there is no Ryu on the character bios page but however there will be more information on the characters in the game.

For those who are rather keen to know which DMC Dante is from, we can only guess that he has been taken from the third entry as that he is younger self but this is not confirmed by any means. The veteran zombie killer Redfield seems to be from RE5. Interestingly he’s packing a shotgun in the game play which probably does even up the odds. The rest of the screenshots shows Ryu going up against Wolverine and Morrigan fighting Iron Man. As a side note, one of the arenas seems to be on top of the Daily Bugle or at least near the area. This probably has implied that Spiderman will return to the series as well. So far the art direction of the game is indeed mixing a bit of Street Fighter IV with its own brand. As ever though, we can only speculate till we see actual game footage which is most likely to be released at E3 to hype fans up.

Hopefully, the same lives up to the same standards as the rest of the series.

Leaked: Little Big Planet 2 Info/Screenshots

Monday, May 10th, 2010

Little-Big-Planet-2Well, it was only a matter of time before word leaked, and now it has. Screenshots of the sequel to the ultra-popular ”Play. Create. Share.” genre-buster LittleBigPlanet were leaked yesterday at CVG, and you can head over there to see more info and shots.

These screenshots reflect tons of updates the new game offers, such as very customizable AI known as “Sackbots”, and full integration with the Playstation Move motion controller, giving it an almost-Wii like quality. The graphics have also been polished further with the new version, and should capture the attention of millions of gamers worldwide.

LittleBigPlanet 2 is being created by Media Molecule (which happened to be acquired by Sony last year) and released  exclusively for the PS3. Current rumors give the game a late-summer/early Fall 2010 release date, so we shouldn’t have long to wait to see the finished product.

Cat Out Of The Bag: New Tony Hawk game news released (sort of) by accident

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

Tony-HawkA bit ago on his Twitter account, well-known skateboarder Tony Hawk blurted out (seemingly without consent from the company making his game) that the next title in the long-running smash hit Tony Hawk videogame series will be called Tony Hawk: SHRED. Cool title, but interesting circumstances involving the title.

Here’s a snippet of what he tweeted:

“Tony Hawk: Shred. There, I said it. Actually, I named it. Somewhere a PR team is reeling.”

And he wasn’t wrong; sure enough, his comment was removed within hours. But we aim to bring you the latest breaking news, so here it is.

Activision has since confirmed this news is correct, however, and more details will be released in the coming months. We’re excited, but hoping no pricy or bulky side peripherals will be needed for this one to play. The PS3 controllers are more than adequate for many gaming purposes.

We’ll give you more details as we learn them.

Delay News: Batman – Arkham Asylum 2 release put off?

Saturday, April 24th, 2010

batmanarkhmasylumbannerAccording to several sources, Warner Bros. will delay releasing Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 until early next year, including the PS3 version. Gamers had been hoping for a pre Christmas release though this was never made official, and gamers should know better than to always trust rumors regarding release dates.

The game was so popular that a Game of the Year edition was recently released into the marketplace, and the game overall has sold quite well.

Furthermore, Warner Brothers bought a large stake in the developer, Rocksteady Games, a move meant to secure more money and profit for WB. The supposed theory from the retail source (and common sense) is that Warner Bros. would like to release the game in the first quarter of 2011 to avoid the pre Christmas rush and be able to dominate the first quarter when other publishers are not out in force. Is this a good strategy? What do you guys think?

We’ll see if it makes the game better in the long run.

Game Prediction: Splinter Cell – Conviction coming soon

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

E3-2009-Splinter-Cell-Conviction-a-360-Exclusive-Trailer-1It’s been no secret at all that Splinter Cell: Conviction may appear on the PS3, however a few leaks have more or less confirmed that Conviction will appear on the PS3 sometime this year. Us being the curious sorts we are, we wanted to report to you the latest juice regarding this popular, much-awaited game.

Glancing at the resume of Ubisoft 3D Animator Michael Donnell, a PlayStation 3 version of Splinter Cell: Conviction is listed, which is usually a pretty good sign that a game of that title is in the works. This isn’t the first time it’s been listed on an Ubisoft staffer’s resume either, another rather clear sign.

GamesRadar, a popular gaming site with a decent track record of predicting upcoming games for various platforms, also took the liberty of predicting when they think Splinter Cell: Conviction will arrive on PS3 as well, probably mid to late-summer or so. E3 may carry a more official announcement of the date, hopefully.