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<title>PS3 News / triple7 / PlayStation 3 News</title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:25:34 -0500</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
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<title><![CDATA[Hands-On Preview: Need for Speed: Undercover]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/hands-on-preview-need-for-speed-undercover-1/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/hands-on-preview-need-for-speed-undercover-1/</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:25:34 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/hands-on-preview-need-for-speed-undercover-1/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[It's a sobering thought that when the original The Need For Speed came out in 1994 - on the ill-fated 3DO, no less - the original PlayStation wasn't even on shop shelves. The series is now over 14 years old, which makes it one of the oldest racing franchises that's still active today; Only Mario Kart and Ridge Racer are longer in the tooth.Over the course of the past decade the Need For Speeds have adopted several different styles and forms, but they reached a new level of popularity after the release of Need For Speed Underground. The sequel introduced a free-roaming element and the series never looked back, making its debut on the current crop of consoles with Most Wanted. It is to these instalments, prior to the disappointing ProStreet, that Undercover harks back, with a strong emphasis on criminal goings-on and baiting the police in the manner of the borderline motor-porn that is The Fast and the Furious. As it goes, this latest Demand For Velocity outing will feel closer than ever before to the petrol-soaked antics of Vin Diesel and chums. While we were only shown a brief cut scene during our recent rendezvous with EA, it's clear that the devs at Black Box have stepped up their efforts when it comes to the game's back story. Unless you've been avoiding Undercover news like the plague, you'll know that Hollywood actress Maggie Q is taking a starring role in the title's supporting narrative. The delectable Ms Q plays the federal agent who asks you to infiltrate a naughty troupe of car smugglers - so she'll be the one dishing out advice as you work your way up the network of bad guys. The developers promise that plenty of other decent actors have been enlisted for the FMV, so expect something a cut above the ham n' cheese of Most Wanted. To be fair, we really haven't watched enough footage to pass judgement on this claim - but what is immediately apparent is that the cut scenes themselves will be as polished as Mr Sheen's privates: Film sequences combine real footage with pre-rendered backgrounds, creating a seamless transition into the main gameplay. In both cases, the action will be glossed with an aesthetic EA is calling the Magic Hour effect - an attempt to recreate the golden quality of light during the first and last hours of sunlight. This look will be familiar to you if you're into photography, or more likely if you saw the stab-happy action film 300. At any rate, it looks lovely.We could prattle on more about Underground's production values, but we suspect that some of you would like to know how it plays. The first thing to note is that EA has returned to the open world structure of the games pre-ProStreet, so you'll have 160km of the Tri-City Bay area to explore, encompassing three cities and a large expanse of surrounding highway; it'll take you eight minutes to do a lap of the area at top speed, apparently. A handy little pop-up GPS system will guide you to assignments around the game world, or you can warp straight there - but if you're like us, your first instinct will be to simply go for a spin. Between missions you're free to drive where you like, and getting into impromptu car chases is always an option.As soon as you wind up the boys in blue, you'll realise that they're a lot smarter than in previous Need For Speeds. They'll ram you, head you off at a junction up ahead, set up road blocks - in fact, they'll generally do anything they can to make life hard for you. This means that losing the cops can be quite challenging, but it's also that much more satisfying when you pull it off. EA Blackbox has kindly blessed the map with several 'chasebreaker' sites, where scenery can be used to take out pursuing vehicles: it's highly amusing to ram through a set of scaffolding, triggering a cut scene that shows your opponent being crushed under a tonne of debris. Realistic damage modelling is now in place, so you'll be able to fully enjoy the fruits of your destructive labours.Out-running and out-manoeuvring the authorities is also pretty fun in its own right, thanks to the ease with which you can pull off 180 degree turns and other slick moves; your brake and accelerator triggers can now both be used simultaneously - a touch that affords you a surprisingly high level of control, given its simplicity. Vehicle handling seems to be a decent halfway house between simulation and arcade, and the cars themselves have a pleasing sense of weight - which makes smacking into things that much more enjoyable. They move at a fair old lick, too. There was quite a bit of stop-start level loading in the rough build we played, but we hardly expect this to be present in the game's final form.If we're honest, cop-baiting was the clear highlight of our hands-on with Undercover. Spontaneous chases proved to be quite addictive, and the ante was further upped by a test mission which asked us to steal a high-speed police cruiser from right under the authorities' noses. That's not to slight the other assignments we tried, though. The drag race we sampled ticked all the right boxes, and we think there's quite a lot of potential in the new Highway Battle mode too. Here you'll have to take on a rival driver in a one-on-one race across the land - the catch is that there's no set finish line. Instead you'll have to simply get over 1000 ft ahead of your opponent, a goal that encourages you to disrupt your rival by driving like a lunatic through oncoming traffic. Like the cops, civilians have received a brain boost for Undercover: they'll drive carefully, slowing down and indicating when they switch driving lanes - and they'll also panic if you manage to freak them out. The idea, then, is to scare Johnny Straightlace so that he drives into your competitor. It's a neat idea, and though we ended up concentrating more on our own driver, we can imagine it being a useful tactic once you've become more seasoned in the game's controls.Undercover looks to be shaping up rather nicely. It was a smart move on EA's part to listen to their fans, and while slick production values are certainly a stylish touch, it's the return to illicit motor mayhem that will grab the attention of the NFS crowd. You may be playing an undercover cop, but law-abiding driving will get you nowhere here. Somehow, we can't imagine that's going to be a problem for most of you.Need for Speed Undercover will be out on Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, Nintendo DS, PSP and PC on November 21.<br/><br/>134 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[BioShock Developer Details PlayStation 3 Improvements]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/bioshock-developer-details-playstation-3-improvements/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/bioshock-developer-details-playstation-3-improvements/</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:19:57 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/bioshock-developer-details-playstation-3-improvements/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[2K Marin programmer Jake Etgeton reveals that the PS3 version of BioShock will feature new interactive load screens and graphical enhancements due to the use of Blu-ray and the ability to install data on the PS3 hard drive.To quote: &quot;There are improvements, such as interactive load screens which takes advantage of the increased space on the Blu-ray disc,&quot; said Etgeton. &quot;The downloadable Challenge Rooms also offer a slew of new graphical and gameplay content, albeit outside of the fictional universe.&quot;When asked about the PS3 install and how it will affect the game, Etgeton explained, &quot;BioShock PS3 uses a standard one-time 5 GB install. It only takes 10 minutes, and there's even a fancy movie accompanied by Bing Crosby's 'You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me' to help pass the time if you're not off making a tasty, preparatory sandwich.&quot;&quot;Installing to the PS3 hard drive allows us to 'stream' textures and audio faster than the Blu-ray drive can deliver,&quot; he justified.For those of you who want to pick up the PS3 version of BioShock, look for it in stores on October 21.<br/><br/>121 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Puzzle Quest Plus Expansion for PlayStation 3 Coming to PSN]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/puzzle-quest-plus-expansion-for-playstation-3-coming-to-psn/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/puzzle-quest-plus-expansion-for-playstation-3-coming-to-psn/</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:50:19 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PS3 Online</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/puzzle-quest-plus-expansion-for-playstation-3-coming-to-psn/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[D3Publisher has announced plans to offer a downloadable PS3 version of Puzzle Quest.The game will come bundled with the Plague Lord expansion this winter. No price has been mentioned, although we'd guess at around 10 pounds it feels right.There's little more we can say about Puzzle Quest other than &quot;buy it&quot;; the game has appeared on just about every other system since the DS and PSP originals caused a riot in 2007.Puzzle Quest is a blend of Bejeweled and an RPG; there's a fantasy tale to unravel, but monsters and baddies met along the way must be defeated in head-to-head puzzles. Those battles are spiced up with the arrival of abilities and spells as players progress.<br/><br/>116 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Martin Frain: Mirror's Edge Projects 3M Sales]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/martin-frain-mirrors-edge-projects-3m-sales/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/martin-frain-mirrors-edge-projects-3m-sales/</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:51:53 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/martin-frain-mirrors-edge-projects-3m-sales/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Martin Frain, marketing director for developer DICE says Mirror's Edge is proof that an IP can come out of nowhere and capture imagination, &quot;just by being different.&quot; He is targeting worldwide sales of 3m. &quot;We're being helped immensely, just by the look of the game,&quot; Frain says.  &quot;You look at a screenshot of Mirror's Edge, and you know what it is.&quot; Frain says that within most genres, all screenshots will look the same as other games in that same genre. &quot;Some games do a good job with a unique look,&quot; he admits. &quot;You see a screenshot of Bioshock, and you'd know it was Bioshock.&quot; Mirror's Edge has that, too, Frain believes. &quot;And we were quite frugal with our assets.  So we had a lot of people questioning, 'What is this game about?'&quot; All these swirling questions, Frain continues, generated a lot of interest. &quot;If it's not interesting, then you can withhold whatever you want - no one's going to talk about it.&quot; &quot;But I think if we'd flooded the market straight away,&quot; he concludes, &quot;People would have become immune.&quot;  Frain also says that it was a risk to create a whole new genre - first-person action-adventure. But in the case of Mirror's Edge, he says, it's being hailed by critics as a bold thing, and is becoming accepted. Sales are another measure of success. In this case, it's hard to project, because a new genre is always untested. &quot;It's not like we can model it on shooter games - it's not a shooter game.&quot; Frain gives the example of Call of Duty 4 selling over ten-million units. &quot;That's a huge number. Great game, huge success.&quot; When Frain put together his projections for Mirror's Edge, he considered some factors: it's a hot game, in a new genre - untested - but gathering a lot of attention. &quot;I would look for world-wide sales of over 3 million, on three platforms,&quot; Frain tells Edge, adding, &quot;as a conservative number. I think it has the potential to do a lot more than that.&quot;<br/><br/>97 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Steinberg Outlines PS3 Advantage; Warns Competitors]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/steinberg-outlines-ps3-advantage-warns-competitors/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/steinberg-outlines-ps3-advantage-warns-competitors/</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:44:12 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/steinberg-outlines-ps3-advantage-warns-competitors/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[SCEA's VP of product marketing Scott Steinberg outlines his vision for PS3's future, and the benefits he believes will drive it to market dominanceIn a Keynote, he covers the benefits Sony will be promoting to consumers this Holiday season. They include PS3's Blu-ray drive, first party games, PSN's increasingly diverse product portfolio and community features.Steinberg writes, &quot;In the next few years, you're going to start to see us separate from the herd. Some of the other platforms are going to look very dated because their life spans are so much shorter than ours.&quot;He adds, &quot;If you're a competitor I've got bad news for you because we've got some absolute blockbusters that are in the works, some of them new IP, some of them existing IP, that we're building specifically for the PS3&quot;From a competitive standpoint our competitors are going to have a tougher road now then even in 2008. But for PlayStation 3 consumers, it means more quality and more choice.&quot;<br/><br/>140 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Burnout Paradise PS3 Trophy Update Now Live, Not Retroactive]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/burnout-paradise-ps3-trophy-update-now-live-not-retroactive/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/burnout-paradise-ps3-trophy-update-now-live-not-retroactive/</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:35:29 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PS3 Online</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/burnout-paradise-ps3-trophy-update-now-live-not-retroactive/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Criterion Games has released its update for Burnout Paradise on PS3 which adds Trophy support. Dozens of trophy challenges have been added, including awards for both the Cagney and Bike update content.The only mishap though - especially for such a massive game - is that you'll have to start again to start earning trophies, because none of them are retroactive.&quot;We had hoped to use this to retroactively award trophies, but we discovered during testing that this is not possible,&quot; admitted Criterion.&quot;If you're familiar with PS3 trophies already, you'll recognise that this works in the same way as all other games that have added trophy support post-release,&quot; it added.A full list of the trophies can be found on the official site|http://www.criteriongames.com/article.php?artID=350.<br/><br/>134 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Moore: Microsoft's XBox Strategy Completely Fixated on Sony]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/XBox360/moore-microsofts-xbox-strategy-completely-fixated-on-sony-1/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/XBox360/moore-microsofts-xbox-strategy-completely-fixated-on-sony-1/</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:58:55 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>XBox 360</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/XBox360/moore-microsofts-xbox-strategy-completely-fixated-on-sony-1/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Ex-Xbox head Peter Moore has revealed how Microsoft was &quot;completely fixated on Sony&quot; with its Xbox Strategy.Speaking in the second part of an interview with The Guardian, Moore revealed that Nintendo wasn't even considered when discussing console strategies with Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer (and now Wii's at the top).&quot;In January (2003) I flew up [to Redmond] and had lunch with Steve Ballmer and you don't say no to Ballmer,&quot; Moore said, discussing his route into Xbox. &quot;We had a great lunch and he convinced me that Microsoft was going to take on Sony; so I get to put on my suit of armour, get on my horse and take on Sony again - but with a little bit more money this time!&quot;It was a classic &quot;build or buy&quot; conversation, said the now EA Sport boss. &quot;Xbox had launched but it was an aggressive black box for shooters, and how do we evolve that, how do we build the next Xbox, how do we get after Sony?&quot;Interestingly, we were just completely fixated on Sony,&quot; Moore revealed. &quot;Nintendo didn't even come into the conversation. But Steve was very compelling, particularly when you're one-on-one with him in his office - we talked about what we'd done to compete with Sony, where I felt their weaknesses were.&quot;Microsoft had &quot;a little bit of a concern&quot; with Sony, Moore added. &quot;We wanted to keep them out of the living room, from a software and services perspective,&quot; he said.&quot;He wanted my attitude, he didn't care what I'd achieved at Sega, he wanted to know how I was going to win for Microsoft, how we were going to take on Sony, how would we compete with - or acquire - Nintendo. Those were the conversations in those days.&quot;And now Microsoft's out there chasing Nintendo's mainstream success. We won't point out the irony - that'd be mean.<br/><br/>132 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[White Knight has Aspects that are only Possible on PS3]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/white-knight-has-aspects-that-are-only-possible-on-ps3-1/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/white-knight-has-aspects-that-are-only-possible-on-ps3-1/</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:45:51 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/white-knight-has-aspects-that-are-only-possible-on-ps3-1/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In the latest issue of Famitsu magazine, Famitsu ran an interview with the developers over at Level-5. In addition to formally announcing the release date of the title as December 25, the interview revealed some other interesting tidbits. Expectantly so, the game has a huge budget, and is the biggest game the developer has dealt with thus far. Also, White Knight is possibly only one episode in a series of many, and a prequel is already on the drawing board.Finally, and most interestingly, there is one aspect of White Knight that has yet to be detailed. This unknown feature goes far beyond anything seen in any RPG before it. It's also something that Level-5 claims can only be done on the PS3.So what is this tightly-kept, secret aspect? It sure has piqued our attention! More on it as the game comes closer to release.<br/><br/>136 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Another Sony Star jumps to Atari: SingStar's Paulina Bozek]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/another-sony-star-jumps-to-atari-singstars-paulina-bozek-1/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/another-sony-star-jumps-to-atari-singstars-paulina-bozek-1/</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:04:10 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/another-sony-star-jumps-to-atari-singstars-paulina-bozek-1/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Looks like the French games company is targeting proven Sony stars. Their high-profile acquisition of former Worldwide Studios giant Phil Harrison took the industry by surprise. Many of us were shocked to see such a successful reign at Sony Computer Entertainment move to a company with a track record like Atari.Today, it's been revealed that the gorgeous Paulina Bozek, creative director of Sony's popular SingStar franchise, is also finding a new home at Atari. She will head a new studio, based in Hammersmith, London, that will focus on developing other mass-market games for &quot;online-enabled devices,&quot; including PCs and consoles. &quot;I am very excited to be joining Atari at this pivotal time for both the company and the industry,&quot; said Bozek.Phil Harrison, Bozek's former boss at Sony, added: &quot;This is a significant step in expanding Atari's online game development capability. Paulina is one of the industry's most respected creative leaders with an outstanding track-record of commercial and creative success and I'm delighted that she will bring her unique vision, consumer insight and proven ability for creating amazing entertainment experiences to Atari.&quot;<br/><br/>86 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Hands-on: Red Baron Arcade for PlayStation 3]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/hands-on-red-baron-arcade-for-playstation-3/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/hands-on-red-baron-arcade-for-playstation-3/</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:00:49 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/hands-on-red-baron-arcade-for-playstation-3/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Many of you wisely noted in our debut trailer for the upcoming PSN game Red Baron Arcade that it looks fun, in spite of its antiquated graphics. After playing a few missions from the downloadable title, I'd have to agree with that assessment. Red Baron Arcade is true to its namesake: it provides a very arcade aerial combat game, one which is easy to pick up and play. The simplistic nature of the gameplay is part of its appeal, but also limits the depth one may come to expect from a genre like this.Planes are incredible maneuverable, able to turn at a moment's notice. Obviously, these planes aren't meant to handle like their real-world equivalents. Various evasive tactics, like U-turns and barrel rolls, are done easily with a single press of a button. While this makes it very easy to jump into the game, it also makes everything feel completely unnatural.While the controls are far from realistic, they do get the job done during the massive dogfights featured in the game. Even the first missions had dozens of enemies to shoot down. Your opponents will go down rather easily, allowing you to dominate the skies. Various power-ups and collectibles are scattered throughout each level, making it easy to restore your health, energy and bombs.Anyone that has played an arcade shooter like this knows exactly what to expect out of the missions. You may simply need to take out the requisite number of enemies, or you may need to guard certain points on a map. Later missions promise to get a bit more complicated and challenging, as you need to take out ground troops with your bombs. There are hidden collectibles scattered throughout each level, which encourages players to explore the maps.While Red Baron Arcade offers the rudimentary fun expected out of a genre like this, we can't ignore the incredibly low production values of the game. When someone glanced myself playing the game, they thought I was playing a Dreamcast game -- and for good reason. Everything about this game screams last generation. However, in spite of the low-tech look, the build we played still couldn't manage a solid framerate, especially when using bombs.It's also disappointing to note that a few key features are missing. For example, while there is online multiplayer, there is no split-screen multiplayer. This would've been an excellent addition to a game that doesn't appear to be drawing any of the PS3's power. There's also no XMB Trophy support, in spite of the game's built-in medals system. Perhaps a vocal enough outcry from the community will get that patched in, because the various achievements are rather well thought out.So yes, Red Baron Arcade is fun. In fact, I plan on playing the game to completion. However, it's hard to ignore such low-tech production values, especially when PSN users have been so accustomed to absolutely gorgeous downloadable games as of late. But hey -- at least it's a lot more fun than Lair. Expect to see Red Baron Arcade on the PLAYSTATION Store later this month.<br/><br/>95 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Hands-On - MotorStorm: Pacific Rift for PlayStation 3]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/hands-on-motorstorm-pacific-rift-for-playstation-3/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/hands-on-motorstorm-pacific-rift-for-playstation-3/</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:57:55 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/hands-on-motorstorm-pacific-rift-for-playstation-3/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[We had a chance to check in with MotorStorm: Pacific Rift once again. An &quot;80% complete&quot; demo we played gave us access to four different levels: two single player and two split-screen races. Easily the most impressive level we played had to be the Wildfire level. This level takes everything that's good about MotorStorm and amplifies it to the extreme. Pacific Rift's play on hot versus cold goes into full effect here, in this dark volcanic level. It's unlike anything we've seen from the game so far, and it's a terrific contrast to the usual lush greens of the game.With deadly lava and fire everywhere, this is quite possibly the most dramatic level in the MotorStorm series so far. Of course, with the heat so high, your vehicle will have a rather easy disposition to overheat whilst boosting -- we even went so far as to explode our bike. Ouch! Thankfully, there are numerous showering stations scattered throughout the branching course, which will cool down your vehicle and take out any fire which may still be clinging to your vehicle. The constant switch between molten lava and refreshing water is not only visually arresting, but creates a very good gameplay balance. Do you opt to take a shorter route to shave a few seconds off your time, or do you go headstrong through the water to cool down your vehicle, and earn a little bit more boost?Fans of the MotorStorm series should know how the game will control. For us, we found it rather difficult to navigate many of the courses, simply because of the multiple branching paths, and the overwhelming amount of environmental detail. Perhaps once we've learned the layouts of these &quot;roads,&quot; we'll become a bit better at the game. Until then, first place still seems like an impossible goal just beyond our reach.Handling is just as difficult as ever, especially in comparison to other similar racers, like Pure. The breaking and powersliding mechanics just aren't as responsive as we'd like -- especially in a game as fast and arcadey as this. However, it's undeniable that MotorStorm is a blast: jumping over fiery pits of lava as you try to fight other racers is intense.Pacific Rift will launch exclusively on PS3 this October.<br/><br/>108 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Konami hands out two more MGS4 codes, one download]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/konami-hands-out-two-more-mgs4-codes-one-download/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/konami-hands-out-two-more-mgs4-codes-one-download/</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:50:01 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PS3 Online</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/konami-hands-out-two-more-mgs4-codes-one-download/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Here are some more Metal Gear Solid 4 codes for all of you who want &quot;free&quot; stuff. It's technically free because you don't have to exert any effort in getting them, but it's all content already on the disc, which means you already paid for it. Go figure. Anyway, these items are not as great as last week's, but we're sure you'll enjoy them just the same.- skynytktjp - Scanning Plug S.- mgo2play - Subsistence Action iPod MusicJust like last week, there's another item for download in addition to the codes. &quot;Metal Camo&quot; is available which causes Life and Psyche gauges to decrease at half the normal rate. Your Camo Index will also go down by 10 percent. You can grab all three items by accessing the &quot;Extras&quot; menu.<br/><br/>231 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Asia gets PlayStation Home in Autumn]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/asia-gets-playstation-home-in-autumn-1/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/asia-gets-playstation-home-in-autumn-1/</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:14:36 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PS3 Online</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/asia-gets-playstation-home-in-autumn-1/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[While the wait for Sony to confirm a long overdue release date for Home, it's just confirmed that PS3 owners in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan will get access to the online virtual world this autumn.Sony will also begin closed beta testing in the region in mid-September, the release confirms (via Kotaku|http://kotaku.com/5042768/home-hits-asia-in-fall-2008), with details of how to get in on that appearing on the official site|http://asia.playstation.com/hk/promo/home/ tomorrow.As it stands, Home is expected out here in autumn too, and SCEE president David Reeves promised that it was well on track for that release.However, both E3 and the Leipzig Games Convention have passed without a mention of Home's release.<br/><br/>97 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Preview: Killzone 2 for PlayStation 3]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/preview-killzone-2-for-playstation-3/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/preview-killzone-2-for-playstation-3/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 24 Aug 2008 18:56:45 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PS3 Online</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/preview-killzone-2-for-playstation-3/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[What's the game about? By now you should be nicely familiar with Sony's long awaited first-person shooter for the PS3. It's been the highlight of several of the company's E3 press conferences, and has been steadily gaining hype as we've seen its cinematic visuals nearing the experience Guerrilla set out to achieve in the incredible target video released early on.What's new for Games Convention? At E3 last month, Sony gave a rundown of all the multiplayer options that Killzone 2 will support -- a pretty darn substantial offering. At the Leipzig Games Convention, Sony allowed us to actually get our hands-on the multiplayer game. Sony also confirmed that there will be AI bot support, allowing you to include bots in multiplayer games for when there's not enough human players in a match; according to Sony, they'll mimic human behavior so well it'll be hard to realize the difference. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see them in action to judge this for ourselves. What's our take? Up until now I'd viewed Killzone 2 primarily as a single player experience -- it's always just struck me as a very cinematic FPS, making an emphasis on story and staged events. Having played it for a good while at Leipzig, I'm convinced the multiplayer is getting just as much attention -- Killzone 2's multiplayer should be able to hang with the best of them.There are eight different maps to choose from (more will be available for download later), with some better suited for massive 32-player skirmishes while others designed for just a handful of players. Before entering battle, you choose your character's badges, which essentially dictate how you want to play by offering you different abilities. For example, you could choose a medic badge which gives you the ability to revive players and carries a health pack, or you could choose an engineer badge that lets you repair things and use sentry turrets. Since you can choose two badges and combine them, you could then create, for example, a medic engineer who can revive people and repair things. The neat thing about the badges is that you can switch these on the fly before respawning. And speaking of respawning, one neat aspect regarding that is that you can see real-time video feeds of what's going on in each spot, so you don't accidentally end up spawning into the middle of a firefight. Also cool is the ability to respawn wherever the team's leader is. 20880Killzone 2 offers all sorts of map customizations, such as choosing your mission types (i.e. Assassination, where you hunt down an enemy soldier chosen at random, Search &amp; Destroy, where you have to trigger explosives, Body Count, where it's all about how many kills you pull off, etc.) as well as the weapons you'd like available. We got to play rounds on both a small and large map, plus modes like Assassination. I'm happy to report that it was fantastic -- multiplayer felt great and was tons of fun. The available weapons were nicely varied and all felt substantial, the map designs were cool (with a good mix of open and confined areas, staircases, and windows), and there was a fair amount of strategy, such as placing sentry guns in key locations. I had so much fun playing that it was hard to pull me away to let others check it out.The only concern I have at this point is the occasional slowdown I noticed when the action got a bit too intense. It wasn't bad at all -- it didn't affect the gameplay -- but it was certainly noticeable at times. Here's hoping this is something Guerrilla can polish up before the game hits, though it may just be an irreparable side effect of just how much detail it's pushing on-screen (an all-out firefight in Killzone 2 multiplayer really is a sight to behold). Still, with the multiplayer gameplay already so good, and with all of the other multiplayer goodies Guerrilla is supplying, from clan support to online leaderboards, I'm convinced Killzone 2 is going to keep playing long after the single campaign is complete.<br/><br/>173 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[What Would Kill Mirror's Edge]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/what-would-kill-mirrors-edge/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/what-would-kill-mirrors-edge/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 24 Aug 2008 18:52:25 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/what-would-kill-mirrors-edge/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[This year holds many candidates for Game of the Year. EA announced Mirror's Edge developed by DICE. When the first trailer hit PLAYSTATION Store, everyone was shocked by the graphics and how Faith interacts with the world. DICE said that this game would be based on free running and would blow the world away. Unfortunately for them, there were some details announced that was not talked about - like some parts of the game would be in 3rd person. Being able to control Faith right in 1st person looks beautiful as of right now, and I wonder what it would look like in 3rd person. However, there is something that would kill Mirror's Edge and would be a huge factor in its reviews.Take Heavenly Sword for instance - brilliant game, amazing graphics and fun game play, yet it lacked in a major key function of any game being made - which is longevity. Heavenly Sword was in development for more than 4 years. This game gave off the wrong messages to us gamers, 4 years of development would mean a long game with amazing features. But when I finished Heavenly Sword I was shocked with the little amount of hours of game play I put in to it - it was way too short.Uncharted was another game which followed in the same steps as Heavenly Sword. The developers Naughty Dog created such games as Crash Bandicoot on the PlayStation and Jak and Daxter on the PlayStation 2. The first Naughty Dog game on the PLAYSTATION 3 also shocked us with the things they were showing in trailers, and what was going in to this game. Just like Ninja Theory, the developers of Heavenly Sword, Naughty Dog put years of work in to Uncharted. However, when I finished Uncharted in under 8 hours I stood there saying to myself, &quot;that was another short game for the PLAYSTATION 3.&quot;Mirror's Edge looks like, in my opinion, it will be in the same situation as Heavenly Sword and Uncharted. Beautiful graphics, amazing story and then to no surprise under 10 hours of game play. It seems like the better the hardware the shorter the game. They are too worried about polish and graphics, but then fail to deliver on the content within the game, and the game play length itself. This is what would kill Mirror's Edge.<br/><br/>154 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[LittleBigPlanet Kratos sackboy costume can be shared]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/littlebigplanet-kratos-sackboy-costume-can-be-shared/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/littlebigplanet-kratos-sackboy-costume-can-be-shared/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 24 Aug 2008 18:48:57 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PS3 Online</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/littlebigplanet-kratos-sackboy-costume-can-be-shared/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Thanks to Evander from NeoGAF, we have some details regarding the popular Kratos sackboy costume for LittleBigPlanet. First of all, the card is given to you immediately when you preorder in-store. According the GameStop Web site, if you preordered online or you arranged for in-store pickup, your code will be e-mailed to you one week before the game ships. The code must also be redeemed by January 8th, 2009.Lastly, like PSN games, each code will be associated with a PSN account -- which &quot;allows download of the LittleBigPlanet in-game costume on 5 PS3 systems per account.&quot; Too bad you don't get five pouches to share with your friends, huh?  To quote:&quot;Upon receiving your game, follow these instructions closely to download your new costume:1. Open an account on the PLAYSTATION Network (or use an existing account) on your PS3.2. From the PLAYSTATION Network icon on the Xross Media Bar, select 'Account Management'.3. Enter 'Transaction Management'.4. Select 'Redeem PLAYSTATION Network Card or Promotion Code'.5. Enter promotion code. Please note that the promotion code is case sensitive and must be entered exactly as displayed.Once the promtional code has been entered correctly click continue. Once you accept the terms you will be taken to the download screen.&quot;<br/><br/>382 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[LGC: Need For Speed goes "back to its roots"]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/lgc-need-for-speed-goes-back-to-its-roots/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/lgc-need-for-speed-goes-back-to-its-roots/</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:03:59 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/lgc-need-for-speed-goes-back-to-its-roots/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[EA has released the first proper details on Need for Speed: Undercover, which'll no doubt sit somewhere near the top of this Christmas's sales chart.After the disappointing Pro Street, Undercover takes the NFS series &quot;back to its roots&quot; says EA, with high-speed pursuits with rivals while dodging the old blues 'n twos to take down an International crime syndicate. All whilst undercover, obviously.There's 80 miles of road to explore in the open-world Tri-City Bay area, says EA, and a totally new AI mechanic which delivers &quot;aggressive and intelligent cops whose sole purpose is to take down the player quickly and by any means necessary.&quot;The new game also introduces an all-new 'Heroic Driving Engine', a unique technology that generates &quot;incredible high-performance moves at 180 miles per hour&quot;. We've no idea what this means.Of course you can also expect tons of car customization, vehicle damage and licensed motors such as the Audi R8, BMW M6 and Lexus IS-F.It's out in North America on November 18 and in Europe on November 21.<br/><br/>121 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[PS3 is Criterion Collection's Blu-ray player of choice]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/ps3-is-criterion-collections-blu-ray-player-of-choice/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/ps3-is-criterion-collections-blu-ray-player-of-choice/</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:44:50 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/ps3-is-criterion-collections-blu-ray-player-of-choice/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The movie experts over at the Criterion Collection, known for their Laserdiscs and DVDs of unparalleled production values, uses the PlayStation 3 as their reference Blu-ray player. Considering their other equipment, which includes &quot;a Denon AVR-3808CI receiver, an Axiom Epic 80/500 speaker system, an Anchor Bay DVDO VP50 Pro video processor with HD SDI option,&quot; this is quite an honor for the PS3.No one is actually surprised by this though, even as just a plain-ol' Blu-ray player, the PS3 has been rated quite highly. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the PS3 allows for firmware upgrades for any functionality tweaks. Oh yeah, and games!This October, Criterion will also begin releasing movies on the Blu-ray format, and we are simply quivering with anticipation.<br/><br/>107 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Video: New LittleBigPlanet trailer available!]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/video-new-littlebigplanet-trailer-available/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/video-new-littlebigplanet-trailer-available/</comments>
<pubDate>Sun, 10 Aug 2008 20:24:58 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/video-new-littlebigplanet-trailer-available/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Amazon.com is apparently in cahoots with SCEA in pushing Sony's up and coming exclusive LittleBigPlanet. Earlier today, Amazon posted a new exclusive trailer of the game, showing some new possibilities, including a really impressive monster character and some vehicle ideas. LittleBigPlanet is due out for the holiday season this October. Check out the trailer here:VKiWm8od5Kw<br/><br/>133 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Cool New Rockstar Game in the Works]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/cool-new-rockstar-game-in-the-works/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/cool-new-rockstar-game-in-the-works/</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 02 Aug 2008 21:29:57 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/cool-new-rockstar-game-in-the-works/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Rockstar is working on a new game based on a 'cool' license, according to the latest issue of the Official PlayStation magazine.There is no mention of what it is or whether it's PlayStation 3-exclusive, but this certainly has Team PlayStation Beyond well and truly stumped.We would have suggested LA Noire if it weren't for the key word 'new'. It could be well off the mark, but to make guesswork of the quote, we're assuming it's a snowboarding game, hence the term 'cool'. After all, many scoffed at the announcement of Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis and then ate their words when it turned out to be a brilliant sports title from the Grand Theft Auto developer. We'll keep our eyes peeled!<br/><br/>211 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[F1 game will be a Sim, says Codemasters]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/f1-game-will-be-a-sim-says-codemasters-1/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/f1-game-will-be-a-sim-says-codemasters-1/</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:28:28 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/f1-game-will-be-a-sim-says-codemasters-1/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In an attempt to calm the panic storm of nervous F1 game fans, Codemasters has promised that its F1 title will definitely have &quot;full-on sim options, physics, rules and regulations&quot;.After having transformed its traditionally sim-focused racing portfolio into the arcade-heavy Colin McRae Dirt and Race Driver Grid, fans fear that Codies, who now has the official F1 licence, will make an arcade title out of its first F1 effort. Not so, promises the game's executive producer. &quot;Right, I haven't read every post in this thread, but I get the jist and just to stop you all from panicking too much... GRID and DiRT are aimed at an arcade audience and they do that very well,&quot; he said, posting on the Codemasters forums under the alias Uncle Chewy. &quot;F1 has different requirements and will get a completely different treatment from our in-house team, including full on sim options, physics, rules and regs etc,&quot; he goes on to promise. &quot;We will also have arcade requirements catered for as well. How this will be split we do not know yet, but split it will be.&quot;<br/><br/>274 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Konami Levels Lawsuit Over Rock Band]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/konami-levels-lawsuit-over-rock-band-2/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/konami-levels-lawsuit-over-rock-band-2/</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:27:04 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/konami-levels-lawsuit-over-rock-band-2/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Gaming is big business, and just like any big business, it has its fair share of courtroom proceedings. The latest big lawsuit is Konami Corp. vs. Viacom Inc.'s Harmonix studio; the former party claims Harmonix's Rock Band game violates patents.According to Bloomberg, Konami issued patents in 2002 and 2003 that &quot;relate to simulated musical instruments, a music-game system and a musical-rhythm matching game.&quot; They are now arguing that Rock Band goes against Konami's acquired patents, and they're demanding cash compensation, plus an order that would stop Viacom and Harmonix from utilizing those inventions in the future. Now, Konami has revealed they plan to issue a competitor to the likes of Rock Band and Activision's Guitar Hero; it's Rock Revolution, which is scheduled to arrive later this year. But it seems they want one of those competitors to pay them for stealing what Konami claims was part of those patents. Viacom and Harmonix have yet to issue a response to the suit.We really don't know what's going to come of this, but it could turn into a serious issue for the Rock Band makers. Then again, these things tend to drag on for a while...we might see Rock Band 3 and Rock Revolution 2 before everything is settled. Courts these days, you know?<br/><br/>202 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Study Finds 87% of PS3 Owners Watch Blu-ray on Console]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/study-finds-87-of-ps3-owners-watch-blu-ray-on-console/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/study-finds-87-of-ps3-owners-watch-blu-ray-on-console/</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:35:42 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/study-finds-87-of-ps3-owners-watch-blu-ray-on-console/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The PlayStation 3 appears to be the Blu-ray player of choice, as 87 percent of PS3 owners watch Blu-ray movies on their console, says a report from the Entertainment Merchants Association.The 2008 Annual Report on the Home Entertainment Industry|http://www.entmerch.org/annual_reports.html says the PS3 will remain the driving force behind Blu-ray sales until 2009.Microsoft, which did not integrate a HD DVD drive into the Xbox 360 sold only 316,000 HD DVD add-ons for the console in 2007, the reports says.PS3 sales, in large part because of its Blu-ray compatibility, were close to 3 million by the end of 2007.And that's just one of the reasons the PS3 should be the Blu-ray player you install in your customers' home theater.The report also says Blu-ray will outsell standard DVDs in 2012, generating more than $9.5 billion in sales.<br/><br/>148 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Cave Story for PS3 Linux is nearly done!]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Linux/cave-story-for-ps3-linux-is-nearly-done-3/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Linux/cave-story-for-ps3-linux-is-nearly-done-3/</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:28:22 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PS3 Linux</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Linux/cave-story-for-ps3-linux-is-nearly-done-3/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[From Pete today: Oh well, that's graduation all done and I'm now back at work full time. Surprisingly though, because I'm not both studying and working, I've got a little more free time in the evenings!After working so much with Quake, I felt quite fed up of looking at its code. I needed to work on something else.So I've been beavering away on a PS3 Linux version of Cave Story and I'm happy to say it's nearly done. This is a fresh port based on Pixel's source code, instead of the earlier SDL/GP2X/x86 Linux port by Simon Parzer and I. There were a few things which I wanted to do a little differently in the code to make it more portable to systems which didn't have SDL, such as the iPhone or WiiWare.Those ports sadly fell through, but because Pixel gave Simon and I permission to port to Linux, I thought it would be a nice idea to port to this particular flavour of Linux that a few folks may have in their living rooms.But anyway, I still need to do a few things before I can release it:    * Get my wireless controller working in Linux.    * Make a configuration file which maps the controls suitably.    * Some memory usage optimisation.    * Write up some documentation.    * Work out how to make an .RPM.Cave Story looks great on the big screen, so I'm quite excited that it's nearly finished. I just hope I've found all the byte order bugs!<br/><br/>338 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Trophies: Super Stardust HD for PS3]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/trophies-super-stardust-hd-for-ps3/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/trophies-super-stardust-hd-for-ps3/</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:36:44 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PS3 Online</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/trophies-super-stardust-hd-for-ps3/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The popular PSN arcade shooter now includes trophies. Download the free 4.00 patch and you'll be able to acquire these 17 trophies:Bronze Trophies    * Hero of Lave - Complete planet Lave    * Hero of Coventina - Complete planet Coventina    * Hero of Nemain - Complete planet Nemain    * Hero of Taranis - Complete planet Taranis    * Hero of Segomo - Complete planet Segomo    * The Tokenizer - Collect 5 tokens with a single boost in Arcade    * Scrooge MacBoom - Get 10 bombs in Arcade    * Extra Ships Optional - Survive 7 minutes without dying in Endless*    * Close Encounters - Survive 45 seconds without shooting or using bombs in Survival*Silver Trophies    * Token Hoarder - Collect 15 tokens with a single boost in Arcade    * Well Prepared - Get 20 bombs in Arcade    * Shield Blaster - Collect 5 shield tokens while already having a shield    * Scenic Route - Complete a planet without using boost    * Late Boomer - Get 15 bombs in Bomber*    * Shock and Awe - Destroy 10 nukes in Endless*Gold Trophies    * Multiplier Hero - Get 10x multiplier    * Split screen Co-op - Get 3 minutes of continuous Co-Op weapon boost on Segomo** These trophies require the purchase of additional expansion content.<br/><br/>323 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Warhawk v1.5 Patch: 56 Trophies]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/warhawk-v1-5-patch-56-trophies/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/warhawk-v1-5-patch-56-trophies/</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:22:41 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PS3 Online</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/warhawk-v1-5-patch-56-trophies/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Warhawk remains one of the best PlayStation 3 games available; it's an excellent online multiplayer title that continues to deliver on a daily basis. This is mostly due to the tireless Incognito team that keeps offering up new game versions and booster packs, and perhaps not surprisingly, more are on the way. Furthermore, Dylan Jobe has revealed the Trophies that will be on tap for Warhawk over at the official PlayStation Forums|http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/message?board.id=warhawk&amp;thread.id=636957. In the future v1.5 patch, Jobe says there will be a grand total of 56 new Trophies to capture, and they'll be separated into the following categories:&quot;There are 10 trophies based on the Warhawk's current stats/rank/awards system. Like getting all your Bronze badges, attaining a specific rank, or earning a number of medals.There are 34 trophies that are entirely *new* rewards based on Warhawks core game and not based on our current stats, ranks or other awards. There are then 4 trophies per booster pack that are, of course, completely new awards.&quot;He goes on to say that the v1.4 patch, which hasn't been released yet, is &quot;very very very close to being released&quot; and they actually went out of their way to create the v1.5 patch &quot;in parallel, but staggered&quot; with the v1.4 update. Of course, the logical question now is, when is v1.5 coming with all those cool Trophies? Well, Jobe says it won't be too far behind v1.4, so you probably won't have to wait for very long. However, this is one game where many players would hope the Trophies could be retroactive...can you imagine how many hours avid gamers have already logged?<br/><br/>314 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Activision Still Calls Console Hardware Prices "Prohibitive"]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/activision-still-calls-console-hardware-prices-prohibitive/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/activision-still-calls-console-hardware-prices-prohibitive/</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:11:49 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/activision-still-calls-console-hardware-prices-prohibitive/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[When the PlayStation 3 launched with a $600 price tag for the full 60GB version, many began to question if the price of video game hardware had suddenly gotten a bit out of control. Now, though, the $400 price tag for the PS3 and 360 is far more agreeable, and the Wii retails for an even cheaper price. Recently, we've seen plenty of evidence to indicate that consumers are having less difficulty with the price of consoles (especially the PS3), but Activision still thinks it's all too expensive.According to a Times Online interview with Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, one of the world's leading game publishers holds firm to the belief that console price cuts are essential, especially in this economy. He did admit to seeing a &quot;real demographic expansion with the industry's customer base,&quot; but at the same time, the cost for running out and picking up a game console is still &quot;prohibitive.&quot; Kotick does add, however, that the game industry tends to do very well in slower economies for the simple fact that more people tend to stay home (it just gets too expensive to go out). This much, the NPD has all but proven in recent months, and games like Grand Theft Auto IV and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots have helped to spur hardware sales.But you'll still find plenty of gamers who are still holding off on buying a new system just because of the relatively high cost. In terms of inflation, if you remember the PS2 costing $300 at launch, $400 and even $500 isn't crazy high, but hey... gas wasn't $4.50/gallon then, either.<br/><br/>116 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Sony greens the PlayStation 3]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/sony-greens-the-playstation-3-1/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/sony-greens-the-playstation-3-1/</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 28 Jun 2008 16:56:06 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/sony-greens-the-playstation-3-1/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The PlayStation 3 can be a significant contributor to your power bill, but Sony is reacting to recent criticism with a third-generation hardware version that we will be shipping this holiday season. According to media reports, the updated console will consume about 10 - 20% less power than current systems.The transition to the new generation will mainly consist of a 65 nm shrink of the RSX GPU, which will join a 65 nm Cell processor. Combined with a new cooling architecture, which replaces copper heatpipes with smaller aluminum plates, the new PS3 is expected to consume only 100 - 120 watts, down from 135 watts today. The initial PS3 with a 90 nm Cell processor was estimated to consume up to 180 watts in normal operation.    It is unclear whether the reduction power consumption will be enough to allow Sony to drop the hardware into a slimmer case.To us, it seems to be rather unlikely that Sony will change the form factor of the PS3 this year. Such a move is much more once the Cell processor hits 45 nm: Sony claims that a 45 nm CPU will consume 40% less power than the 65 nm version.<br/><br/>436 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Top Three things that Sony should copy from Microsoft]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/top-three-things-that-sony-should-copy-from-microsoft-1/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/top-three-things-that-sony-should-copy-from-microsoft-1/</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:31:37 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/top-three-things-that-sony-should-copy-from-microsoft-1/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[I'm a huge PS3 fan, and (IMO) it's easily the best system. However, here are some things that I think Microsoft does better that I would like to see Sony imitate. This is intended to be lighthearted, so please make comments accordingly.1. Timely Western Releases of Japanese Games.There are great Japanese PS3 exclusives like Yakuza 3 that take forever to get released in the west. Yakuza 2 is taking at least two years. WTF! The game is done: the code, art, plot, game mechanics, everything is built, written, finished, and tested. Does it really take years and years to add some sub-titles? Of course, not. There's absolutely no good reason for such a long holdup. Westerners love Japanese games. Even the smaller niche titles are important to the influential taste makers in the west. Microsoft knows that and has nipped this issue. There are no three year localization periods for Japanese developed 360 titles. Sony needs to do the same thing: Get on the phone, schedule some meetings, knock on some doorsa4 make it happen.2. Shift PS2 Developers to PS3.Microsoft was smart. When the Xbox 360 was coming out, they moved all Xbox developers over to the new system very early. Obviously, PS2 is a little different in that it's more profitable and still very popular among a certain demographic. Clearly, games like Madden and Guitar Hero sell very well on PS2, and some poorly reviewed budget priced license heavy titles such as Iron Man even sell better on PS2 than on newer systems. However, why are we still seeing new titles like Persona 3 FES, coming to the PS2, even in 2008? That kind of highly-detailed niche RPG title appeals to the enthusiast crowd in the west and that's the exact type of crowd that has lost interest in the PS2 platform. If they just did a quick and dirty recompile and put the same game in a PS3 box it would have sold much better and it would have served as a brand halo as well.3. Milk your back catalog.Microsoft has developed quality remakes of every back catalog title that has a shred of credibility. Look at games like Marathon. Fans love this stuff, and it's way safer and cheaper than doing original game development. Why can't Sony give it's fans the same thing? Sony has a much larger back catalog to draw from and plenty of untapped PS1/PS2 gems. People would kill for downloadable emulated versions of older favorites, and enhanced remakes would be even better. This is low hanging fruit. Take the fruit, Sony. I don't want to hear about legal complications and IP restrictions: Maybe your legal team can scale back on some of those three hour lunch breaks and get the paperwork done to make this a reality.<br/><br/>749 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Riccitello: Next game titled Need for Speed: Undercover]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/riccitello-next-game-titled-need-for-speed-undercover/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/riccitello-next-game-titled-need-for-speed-undercover/</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 21 Jun 2008 16:27:47 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/riccitello-next-game-titled-need-for-speed-undercover/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The next Need for Speed game from EA will be titled Need for Speed: Undercover, EA boss man John Riccitello has confirmed.Little-to-no gameplay details were revealed when we contact EA, but Riccitello did reveal during a recent speech that the game would feature a &quot;very strong mission structure&quot;, and an embedded storyline, according to various reports.Riccitello also admitted that the previous game, Pro Street, wasn't quite up to scratch (as this review|http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=175759 will tell you), but to make sure that doesn't happen again, he went on to reveal that the series has been shifted over to a two-year development cycle, which has two separate teams working to release games biannually.Just as Pro Street tried to take the series in a new direction, Undercover is expected to try new things with the franchise too, but our EA contact declined to reveal any further info, other than that more details will be revealed soon. Obviously.No platforms were specified, so we'll assume it'll be on everything. Absolutely everything.<br/><br/>275 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Sony: Restoring TV and Game Profits is Priority]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/sony-restoring-tv-and-game-profits-is-priority-1/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/sony-restoring-tv-and-game-profits-is-priority-1/</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 21 Jun 2008 16:24:48 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/sony-restoring-tv-and-game-profits-is-priority-1/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Sony CEO Howard Stringer has expressed the company's desire to turn around the losses of its games and television divisions this year.Stringer said at a recent shareholder meeting that restoring profitability in its TV and game businesses is now the top priority, after the company posted losses of $3.4 billion in two years in the PlayStation division, and it revealed in May that the Bravia division had losses of $678 million last fiscal year (ending March 31).Sony, however, forecasts PS3 to sell 10 million units this year, along with nine million PS2s, and expects the games unit to post its first annual profit in three years.Stringer says the company is striving for innovation. &quot;Three years ago, we were criticized for the lack of innovation. Three days ago, in a UK brand poll, Sony was ranked No.1 this year,&quot; he said, referring to a poll we reported on previously.&quot;But, we are not No.1 in my mind yet,&quot; he noted, according to Bloomberg.<br/><br/>171 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Infinity Ward Insider Rumor: Call of Duty 6 goes Sci-Fi?]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/infinity-ward-insider-rumor-call-of-duty-6-goes-sci-fi/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/infinity-ward-insider-rumor-call-of-duty-6-goes-sci-fi/</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 21 Jun 2008 16:22:10 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/infinity-ward-insider-rumor-call-of-duty-6-goes-sci-fi/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Ahead of this weekend's Call of Duty: World at War reveal via Xbox Live Marketplace, comes a tasty little rumour hinting that the COD4 developer's next game will be a bit on the science fiction side.Take it with a pinch of salt for the time being but an insider from Infinity Ward is reported to have said, &quot;we are currently working on a new sci-fi title, we cannot release any more information as of yet, we may or may not announce it at E3.We're not sure how much into the future we're talking here and we hope we're not shooting little green men or vampires on Mars. We've done a little digging only to be greeted by blank looks, which doesn't actually rule anything out in our experience. But it doesn't confirm anything either.Usually we wouldn't go for such randomness, but we've got a funny feeling about this one. More soon maybe...?<br/><br/>119 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Prince of Persia devs planned something special for PS3 owners]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/prince-of-persia-devs-planned-something-special-for-ps3-owners/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/prince-of-persia-devs-planned-something-special-for-ps3-owners/</comments>
<pubDate>Sat, 21 Jun 2008 16:19:52 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/prince-of-persia-devs-planned-something-special-for-ps3-owners/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[You may or may not be aware that there's a vote taking place on the official Prince of Persia Web site|http://prince-of-persia.us.ubi.com/index.php?page=achievement. This poll allows people to pick one of three Xbox 360 achievements for the final game. Not much use to PS3 owners, but Ubisoft has done its best to keep us sweet. The poll itself states that PS3 fans need not take umbrage and that they have &quot;planned something special&quot; for us too.Whether this will have anything to do with the upcoming trophies for the game, or something else entirely, there's no real indication. Needless to say, however, we're looking forward to seeing whatever it is Ubisoft comes up with. What can we say, we love surprises!<br/><br/>103 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Atari creator honored to be played by DiCaprio]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/General_OffTopic/atari-creator-honored-to-be-played-by-dicaprio/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/General_OffTopic/atari-creator-honored-to-be-played-by-dicaprio/</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:02:25 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>General/Off Topic</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/General_OffTopic/atari-creator-honored-to-be-played-by-dicaprio/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Original Atari founder Nolan Bushnell says he's &quot;thrilled&quot; to be played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the film about his life.The news of DiCaprio's signing came earlier this week|, when it was revealed that Paramount Pictures had picked up the project.&quot;I'm very, very thrilled and honored that would be the case,&quot; Bushnell told MTV Multiplayer.&quot;There's been a lot of books [about Atari],&quot; he said. &quot;Some correct, some incorrect. I've kind of gotten used to being portrayed by others. I kind of thought that this [a movie] might happen. I kind of thought that it wouldn't happen until maybe after I was in the ground for a little while.&quot;The movie is currently without a director, but it will be written by Brian Hecker and Craig Sherman. &quot;I felt that these guy got it in a very, very real way and [knew] what Atari stood for,&quot; said the Atari man.&quot;To me, one of the things that happened with Atari was that it was really almost against all odds,&quot; he said. &quot;Nobody thought that video games represented a business. That's the part that I think a lot of people don't understand; if you really work it, you can turn your dream into a reality.&quot;<br/><br/>129 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Preview: Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/preview-ferrari-challenge-trofeo-pirelli-1/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/preview-ferrari-challenge-trofeo-pirelli-1/</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:37:34 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/preview-ferrari-challenge-trofeo-pirelli-1/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Some racing games tread the fine line between realism and fun. If it's too realistic you need to be Hamilton to get around the course without writing off your motor, and if its too forgiving, hardcore gamers cast it away as arcadey.But it's this balance that Ferrari Challenge seems to have struck just right. When you slam down the accelerator, the eruption of the engine and the speed on screen gives you a great sense that you're powering along in a super car. It's that feeling of raw speed sims like Gran Turismo usually lack.In that sense, it's a thrilling racing game that the not-so-serious gamer can get a real kick from. But then, the more hardcore of you will get kicks from its other handling intricacies, like the need to break really early to make it around bends. The game is relentlessly realistic in its approach to how long it takes in bringing a ton of metal down from 180mph.You slam on the brakes and feel the weight of the car lunge forward as the rear becomes unsettled as you throw it into the apex. Then, on the exit of the corner you've got to nurse the car's 500 horses slowly into the rear wheels. Slam the accelerator while you're still turning and you be going sideways - not the fastest way to go.You can feel all that happening in the pad and it's good. It feels like a proper racing game that'll make an excellent time trail racer. You can change settings on your car too, like brake bias, dampers, ride height and other titbits, which the more hardcore will do to improve their times.And yet, it's not overly punishing like other sims. If you brake a little late, put a wheel on the grass or hit that accelerator a little early out of a bend, with reasonable reactions you can usually recover the situation.You still lose time - it's not Burnout - but you won't end up facing the direction you came from at every little slip up. It's friendly. We screamed around unfamiliar courses in the game for an hour with only a few major spin-outs to speak of.Then you have the CPU cars, which have been programmed to behave more realistically than the usual AI drone that simply follows the same path around a course regardless of what's happening around them.If they see you coming up in their rear-view mirrors they come off the racing line to block you on straights, guard the line going into bends, and tussle between each other, too. You'll occasionally see plumes of dust kicked up a few hundred feet ahead of you, which you later see is one of CPU cars that has stuffed a turn and ended up in the kitty litter.All that is great but there was one problem - the AI was too bloody easy to beat. They take corners so slowly that, starting a race in 16th place, we could fight our way to the front in the first lap and be in first place with a five second lead before the end of the second lap. That's in a six-lap race, and we were in the same Ferrari F430 as the rest of the field.Admittedly, that was with the racing line assistance on - a line in the road that shows you where to steer your car and turns green and red to indicate when to brake and accelerate. With that turned off, it was more of tussle to the front, but once you know a course well enough to hit braking points you'll slaughter these guys.We'd hope that later stages in the game will turn up the difficulty a fair few notches, but if not the game will be a cakewalk for any competent racer.That's where we'll be looking to the online racing mode to step in and rescue it. With 16 other racers actually trying to go fast, all shoving into bends and slip-streaming in straights, this could be brilliant. And System 3 CEO Mark Cale promises CVG that it has totally abolished any lag issues already, saying confidently that it'll be silky smooth for all 16 racers. We'll hold you to that.We'll also see if System 3 can live up to the bold prospect of delivering monthly DLC to the game, shoving new courses and cars into your PS3 until, presumably, every last Ferrari car is in there.Ferrari Challenge has shaped up nicely. It's more realistic than Race Driver: Grid, and a more complete package than Gran Turismo 5: Prologue.It seemed a bit on the easy side against CPU players, but with 16-player online racing and regular downloads promised it could be great. More ahead of the game's July release.<br/><br/>233 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Dualshock 3 Controller delayed in Europe!]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/dualshock-3-controller-delayed-in-europe/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/dualshock-3-controller-delayed-in-europe/</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:57:00 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/dualshock-3-controller-delayed-in-europe/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[According to toy shop Bartsmit, the highly anticipated Dualshock 3 controller won't be out in Europe until 1st July.If thats the case, then MGS4 fans may be extremely disappointed with the news, as the contender for game of the year is probably one of the best excuses to shell out for one.The controller offers rumble (for supported games) along with improved buttons and unit weight. It's been out in America and Japanese territories for a few months now and over 30 games support it already.For those desperate for one however, importing from the US or Japan seems to be the best option at the moment, and it isn't too expensive either.When we here a solid release date for Europe, you will be the first to know.<br/><br/>351 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Introducing Qore; First Episode will be available this Thursday]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/introducing-qore-first-episode-will-be-available-this-thursday/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/introducing-qore-first-episode-will-be-available-this-thursday/</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:51:52 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PS3 Online</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PS3Online/introducing-qore-first-episode-will-be-available-this-thursday/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Sony Computer Entertainment of America have annouced a new downloadable subcription service known as Qore. Qore will be avaible at at Price of $2.99 per episode or $24.99 for an annual subscription.Qore will give PlayStation owners a chance to access game related content from upcoming games, along with special access to game demos, special beta invitations, game add-ons and other downloadable game-related content and it is also noted that everything will be filmed in HD.The first episode will be available this Thursday and will include new content on games such as Socom Confrontation and Soul Calibur 4, however the main draw for this episode of Qore will no doubt be the invitation to the SOCOM: Confrontation BETA, which will be taking place very soon. This episode of Qore will be presented by Veronica Belmont.<br/><br/>162 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Yoko Shimomura anticipates no Musical Limitations on PS3]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/yoko-shimomura-anticipates-no-musical-limitations-on-ps3-1/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/yoko-shimomura-anticipates-no-musical-limitations-on-ps3-1/</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:48:53 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>PlayStation 3</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation3/yoko-shimomura-anticipates-no-musical-limitations-on-ps3-1/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[While most of this interview|http://www.music4games.net/Features_Display.aspx?id=269 with Yoko Shimomura is regarding the release of the Drammatica album, an orchestral compilation of 20 years of Shimomura's games (Kingdom Hearts, Seiken Densetsu, etc), there's a stint at the end which really shows the potential the PS3 has for allowing composers to really dish out some serious musical numbers.After talking a bit about utilizing streaming as a means to create more complex musical numbers (and noting how things like the Nintendo DS require more clever ways to create excellent music, but stating that can be fun, too), Shimomura said that &quot;with the PlayStation 2, sound production was mainly based on the internal sound chip, not streaming. It was a constant battle with memory and limitations, such as the number of sound channels. With the PlayStation 3, I'm expecting to have it sound the way I please, without limitations.&quot; So rest assured, any Square Enix titles on the PS3 will have, as always, impressive soundtracks. Now without limitations thanks to streaming.<br/><br/>198 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Hands-On: Far Cry 2 for Multi-platform]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/General_OffTopic/hands-on-far-cry-2-for-multi-platform/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/General_OffTopic/hands-on-far-cry-2-for-multi-platform/</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 28 May 2008 14:50:28 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>General/Off Topic</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/General_OffTopic/hands-on-far-cry-2-for-multi-platform/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Open worlds aren't exactly new in gaming nowadays. Just look at Grand Theft Auto. There's something liberating about an open world, as you're able to go where you want when you want; you don't feel like you're being funneled along a very narrow path. With Far Cry 2, Ubisoft and its Ubisoft Montreal team want to deliver what is quite possibly the most convincing and realistic open world yet, but instead of trying to build urban jungles they're building actual jungles, as well as Serengeti plains, forests, and more. We finally got our hands on Far Cry 2 this month to explore its African setting for the first time, and it's an impressive game in terms of technology and gameplay.The mission that we got to play demonstrates the complex open world that's being created for the game. You play as a mercenary (you get to select from a pool at the start of the game) who is tasked with bringing down a merciless arms dealer who is arming both sides of a civil war in Africa. However, you need to work your way up the ladder to get to him, which means that you'll have to do missions and align yourself with various factions.You start in a swampy area, with a safe house nearby. Go to the house and you'll meet a couple of characters, one of whom will task you with destroying a nearby pipeline that is a requirement for the mission, while another will give you an optional mission of destroying a transmitter in an enemy camp. That's pretty much all the guidance you'll get; how you accomplish your mission after that is entirely up to you. For example, you could walk outside the safe house, get in the junky old car nearby, and drive to the enemy pipeline. If you do this, you can barrel into the middle of the enemy camp like you were part of The A-Team and go guns blazing (though this isn't going to be easy, as the AI in Far Cry 2 are pretty good about firing back). Or you could go on foot and trek through the jungle, sneaking around any of the various sides of the objective. You get the idea.For kicks, and because we got to play the demo twice, we tried the frontal assault as well as the not-so-frontal assault. Driving into the enemy camp certainly had its benefits, as we ran one or two guys over in the process, but getting out of the car surrounded by bad guys will make your life exciting and short. The mercenaries that you battle are pretty sharp for AI opponents; they like to move around a lot rather than stand in place and just shoot at you. That means they're unpredictable; just because you see an enemy in one place doesn't mean that he's there a minute later when you go after him. The thick jungle foliage and the cluttered nature of the camp also means that you and your opponents can easily duck out of sight.Ubisoft is going for a realistic feel to the gunfight; the guns feel very authentic, and you won't want to stand around in the open. You can take a decent amount of damage before you go down, but you're not invulnerable. It's worth noting that the health system continues to evolve. When we first saw the game last year, the idea was that if you were hurt then you would need to perform some kind of first aid to get back to full health. For example, you might need to use a knife to gouge a bullet out of your flesh. However, this process took far too long if you had to do it over and over in a fight, so now there's a segmented health meter. If a segment of health drains partially, it will regenerate if you're not hit for a few seconds. If a segment is drained entirely, you'll need a first aid kit of some sort to restore it. If you're down to your last health segment and are about to die, you might have an NPC come to your rescue, just like in the movies. He'll run up, pick you up by the shoulder, and move you to safety. While he covers you, you can then perform the first aid animation to get back to full health. It's a very cinematic moment.After finishing up at the pipeline it was on to the second, optional objective. Using a map and compass, we navigated across the landscape, hoping aboard a river skiff for part of the journey. The best part was sneaking into an enemy camp, jacking a truck, and taking off. The AI is smart enough to jump in another truck and pursue you, and this can result in a high-speed pursuit across the African plains. Deal with them, and you can get to the secondary objective, which is an elevated fishing village above a dried-out lake bed. The variety of terrain is just impressive; this isn't just about jungle but you get the wide range of Africa's geography in this game.What is technically amazing about Far Cry 2 isn't just the impressive visuals, but it's the complex real-world environment that's being created. This means that your actions can and often will have inadvertent results. Dry grass can be set afire, either deliberately or accidentally by say an explosion. The fire will actually spread depending on the variable winds (there's a full weather system, as well as a day-and-night cycle). The fire can produce smoke that gets blown by the winds and can obscure visibility; not to mention, the fire itself can burn objects as people as it spreads.Far Cry 2 is such an ambitious game that it's hard not to admire it; Ubisoft really wants to push the boundaries of what is often termed emergent gameplay. This looks to be an incredibly immersive game, though, and we're looking forward to unlocking more. It's going to launch simultaneously on the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 later this year, and all three games are going to be identical in terms of content. The console versions should be extremely comparable to one another, as well.<br/><br/>209 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Far Cry 2 Development Team Interview]]></title>
<link>http://www.ps3news.com/General_OffTopic/far-cry-2-development-team-interview/</link>
<comments>http://www.ps3news.com/General_OffTopic/far-cry-2-development-team-interview/</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 28 May 2008 14:44:30 -0500</pubDate>
<dc:creator></dc:creator>
<category>General/Off Topic</category>
<guid>http://www.ps3news.com/General_OffTopic/far-cry-2-development-team-interview/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[With the original Far Cry developers departed and Far Cry 2's development in new hands, you'd have been forgiven for expecting the sequel to be nothing more than a prettier version of its predecessor - playable and enjoyable but hardly special.Imagine our shock then, when Far Cry 2 was revealed to not only be one of the most graphically impressive games we've seen on PC, but also a title attempting to push current boundaries of AI, characters and player freedom.To find out what the development team aimed to achieve with the epic quest, we dropped Ubisoft a line and spoke to the chaps working on bringing Africa to your British bedsit.A number of previous games have boasted of having independent AI, but usually they follow predictable routines regardless of whether they're scripted or not. What's different in Far Cry 2?Dominic Guay, Technology Director: You are right to point out that having an autonomous AI does not make it automatically unpredictable.It all depends on the array of possible actions and behaviours you provide the autonomous AI to work with. It's a bit scary to give an AI a lot of actions because it means it will not be as predictable for us developers and that makes our job harder.I saw in some games &quot;autonomous AIs&quot; that would basically only run to the nearest cover as soon as they were bothered and stick there forever, shooting at the player.For FC2, considering our goals for the game, we needed the AI to be able to handle a vast array of possible situations.And we suppose the massive emphasis on player freedom makes that even more complicated, right?Guay: The player can come from any direction, at day or night, using any weapons, long range or short range, setting fires, using boats or trucks, etc. So our AI needs to be able to deal with all of those situations, to adapt to the extent of the player's freedom of play and freedom of tactics.Outside of battle, our AI is driven by its needs, mixing work, social activities and rest. This is also necessary considering the player can visit an area at an unpredictable time from an unpredictable place or visit the same area multiple times.If the behaviours were predictable it would hinder the replayability. All this said, I'm still regularly surprised by our AI, I think that's a good sign.You seem to be approaching the whole immersion sim/RPG genre, what with the unpredictable world, different NPC's, weather patterns, day &amp; night cycles. What about people who just want to blow stuff up?Guay: That's something we have kept in mind all along. The team really wants to do a new style of game with FC2, not just &quot;another shooter&quot;.That said, we also want the user to play the game they want to play, the way they want to play it. If a player wants to focus on main missions and play an aggressive style, it is possible to do so.Even though we communicate a lot on what we feel makes FC2 unique, we actually spent a lot of effort making sure that the controls and weapons were finely tuned and fundamentally fun to use.Ultimately, the unpredictable world, the dynamic and destructible environment, the propagating fire and the large open battlefields are things that we believe will thrill the people who &quot;just want to blow stuff up&quot;.As the new engine takes advantage of multi-core processors, what sort of system requirements can we expect for Far Cry 2 on PC?Guay: That is still in flux. This said, the game is very scalable, including to single-core processors and GPUs that are many years old.We keep all game features across the quality settings, it is only the detail and quality of the rendition of them that is changed. A little while back, I played the game on a gaming PC that is almost 4 years old.At the other extreme, I sometimes play the game on a 4 core system running in dual GPU mode. Our development team uses a large array of PCs and they all run the game.We are still focused on optimizations but as we near the ship date we will be able to give clear requirements.Players can choose from a variety of different characters at the start of the game. How have you managed to keep a tight story going for so many possible characters without making them bland and overly similar?Clint Hocking, Creative Director: Much like Gordon Freeman, the character you play in FC2 becomes a sort of 'blank slate' once you choose him. There is no dialogue from the player character, because we want the player to be the character and to be completely immersed in that experience.The journey for the player is a personal one - not one written by a writer that tells him how his character feels that may have no real relationship to how he feels. In service of this, the entire story of the game has been made interactive and dynamic. That's why we have so many characters.Depending on how you play, who you ally with, and who lives and who dies, some of those characters will be very important, while others will be minor characters, and still others you may never encounter.Our dynamic narrative seeks to construct certain elements of the story based on your actions. We believe it is much more interesting to make a decision about the life or death of a character who you have build a real relationship with through the mechanics of play than it is to make a life or death decision about a character in a cutscene that has been made important for you by the writer. Games, after all, are about the player's story - not the writer's story.We've seen a phone and a buddy system in another game recently. In fact, aside from location there are a lot of similarities between Far Cry 2 and GTA IV. Was this just a coincidence?Hocking: I think the way you work with a Buddy in FC2 and the way it is done in GTA are completely different. In any case, it's pretty clear if you look back to Leipzig where our Buddy System was first detailed, well, there was basically no information about GTA IV at that time - we definitely came up with our buddies independently.That said, there is no doubt that girlfriends in GTA: San Andreas were a minor influence or inspiration on certain elements of our Buddy System.Soldiers in the original X-Com were another influence. In fact, any game from Ico to Bioshock that has ever attempted to use game mechanics to forge meaningful relationships between the player and game characters has been some kind of influence.So no - it's not coincidence. It's a case of people with similar aims and similar inspirations working on similar problems at the same time.Co-op play is a big thing in games at the moment. Did you ever think about going down this route?Louis-Pierre Pharand, Producer: At some point we did. We decided to abandon it for this instalment simply because of the complexity and size of the game.Just on single-player alone, gamers can potentially have close to 50 hours of game play. Add the multi-player experience and the map editor... gamers will have their money's worth with Far Cry 2.What did you think of the trailer to Uwe Boll's new Far Cry movie?Pharand: Nothing in Particular.How are the PS3/360 versions shaping up and did they impose any limitations on developing the PC version?Pharand: The console versions look and play great. They're stunning!After the Games Conventions in Leipzig last year, the engineering team had as a mandate to port our engine (DUNIA) to console. So it could be used by other Ubisoft titles.The team wanted to push its limits and decided to use Far Cry 2 data. The game looked great and we decided at that point to do some R&amp;D to see the feasibility of having the same game on consoles.They did it! So why not have more gamers enjoy the experience? That being said we started as a PC game and we are still a dedicated PC team. Since we want to have as many PC gamers enjoy the experience, the console developments actually helped the mid-requirement settings on PC.That's the long answer, the short one: we did not impose limitations on the PC version.You've said you're not trying to control the player's experience. In such a vast area and without an overriding goal, aren't you worried about players getting lost and bored?Pharand: That is a very good question. Yes, that was definitely a concern we had and we worked hard to find ways to solve this design problem.First, the missions are definitely there to guide the player towards a goal to assure he knows how to progress in the world without hesitations.Second, while following those goals, it will be very easy to spot optional locations where it is possible to save, gear up, gather intelligence and buy weapons to spice things up.Third, on top of those optional areas which are literally identified on the map, we have a diamond tracker that makes it pretty easy to know if diamonds are nearby which renders exploration more enjoyable.Since diamonds are used to unlock new weapons, they will definitely be something handy for everyone.Fourth, AI is also completely autonomous and therefore no patrols or small guard posts will feel the same twice, which is definitely one of the key factors at work here.The amount of emergent moments generated out of that is pretty impressive and still keep us excited when we play even after 3 years... so we believe that will definitely help keep the excitement levels higher than pre-mashed experiences that last only once.We firmly believed it was better for Far Cry 2 to let the player fully express himself, so we decided to deal with the design challenges related to that instead of going the easy route and control everything.Players will always know what the current goal is and will be free to act as they please along the way. The important part is to make sure the options are well understood so players do not get bored.In the end, power of choice is quite exciting as long because you know what the choice is all about...<br/><br/>180 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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