After the secret source code for its then-unreleased shooter Half Life 2 showed up on file sharing services in 2003, game-maker Valve Software cooked up an elaborate ruse with the FBI targeting the German hacker suspected in the leak, even setting up a fake job interview in an effort to lure him to the United States for arrest.
The gambit ultimately failed, and Axel "Ago" Gembe remained safely in Germany. He was indicted last month in Los Angeles on new charges of creating the Agobot malware, and sharing it with a crew of U.S. hackers who used it to stage denial-of-service attacks in 2003.
In September 2003, the source code for the much-anticipated Half Life 2 game turned up online, and Valve's managing director, Gabe Newell, revealed that the company's network had been breached. In a post to the company's Web forum, Newell asked for gamer's assistance in finding the hackers responsible.
"If you have information about ... the infiltratio... More »
Apparently White Knight has been kept heavily under the wraps in spite of the persistent fans outcries for more footage and/or screenshots.
Even during TGS 2008 (where we all believed we'd finally get to see some serious footage) everything was more or less cloak and dagger.
During TGS though, certain visitors to the White Knight Chronicles booth received a card that allowed them to download and watch a special 14-minute video of the game featuring some in-studio footage, in-game footage, and a pretty awesome transformation into the White Knight.
That video is now available below, courtesy of Joystiq. Enjoy!
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe today announced a new initiative called Shoot!.
Shoot! will deliver series of short films that will be free to download from 13th November via PlayStation®Network for PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) or PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable), allowing owners to watch cutting-edge film from up-and-coming directors and experience this unique content.
The films will also be screened across Europe on ShortsTV from January 2009.
Press Release: Six of Hollywood’s award winning filmmakers Armendariz, Bruckheimer, Kounen, Rothermund, Vinterberg, Winterbottom have chosen an emerging film director from their own country to mentor for the project. The emerging directors then created a short film, shot in High Definition, based on an open brief, shaped only by one of a number of words that capture the essence of PlayStation: Play, Create, Share, Connect, Discover and Challenge.
The emerging directors will showcase their mo... More »
Update: The LittleBigPlanet servers are now up and running once again.
It appears that even with the last minute delay they still could not get the servers working properly. It may have helped detect the problem if the BETA had been open to more people or if they released a demo to PSN a couple of weeks prior to official release.
To quote: As is the case with many online-integrated games these days, the LittleBigPlanet servers appear to have imploded by the weight of a large influx of gamers trying to play, create and share.
According to Media Molecule, "the servers are down while we try to fix the glitching issues some players have experienced. They will be back online as soon as we have fixed the problem."
While many are eager to jump online, let's not forget that these kind of issues are sadly common during the first few weeks of a product launch. (Examples: SO... More »
Social Media Manager Jeff Rubenstein shared the following via PS Blog:
You’ve probably already heard the news: this coming Monday, October 27th, there will be an update made available on the PlayStation Network to unlock the entire Trophy system for Grand Theft Auto IV on PLAYSTATION 3.
Rockstar Games asked that I share a bit more info with you.
Make sure to download and install the update before playing in order to start attaining Trophies. There will be 51 total trophies, broken down by four different levels: bronze, silver, gold and platinum - all contributing to your overall experience level on your PlayStation Network profile.
Among the 51 trophies to be released Monday, look for:
One Man Army - only those that are wily enough to survive a 6-star wanted level for a full 5 minutes will be rewarded with this one.
Dare Devil - an award for those who find and execute all of the Unique ... More »
Per Matt Morton (Associate Producer, SCEA-Santa Monica Studios) today:
Hi PixelJunkies! I’m Matt Morton, Associate Producer at SCEA Santa Monica Studio and I’ve had the great fortune of working on the PixelJunk series since the very first title, PixelJunk Racers. We’ve been working hard to keep spreading the PixelJunk Love (as Deb Mars calls it) and wanted to give you a heads up on the upcoming patch for PixelJunk Monsters and PixelJunk Monsters: Encore.
Recently, Jeff Rubenstein got to visit Q-Games in Kyoto (the lucky so-and-so) and shot an interview with Dylan to talk more about the patch for PixelJunk Monsters. Check it out...
The patch will be releasing VERY soon, with Japan getting the first patch release on October 23. If all goes well with final testing, you will see the patch in SCEA and SCEE territories on October 30. If there are any delays to the above mentioned dates, we w... More »
Evolution Studios has returned to the dirt and mud with MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, but this time the studio also brings fire, water and foliage in tow.
The game improves on most all of the major issues that I had with the first title, and proves that the MotorStorm franchise is no one trick pony.
The first game relied heavily on its dirt and mud deformation technology. As vehicles cut through the mud, it would leave tracks in the soil that other competitors would have to deal with, and this hook worked pretty well. Whereas the first title was situated out in the desert, Pacific Rift takes place on an island, and focuses on other elements rather than just the dirty stuff.
Firstly, there's plenty of water present this time around, which has two effects. Driving through it will slow you down a great deal, which is obviously a bad thing, but it will also quickly cool down your engine. If you lay off the boost button while in the water, your engine can... More »
After unveiling the first details nearly two weeks ago of FROM Software's Demon's Souls, PS3FanBoy has now made available a hands-on review from this year's Tokyo Game Show as follows:
Immediately the demo begins and I'm confronted by a character customization screen, allowing me to change various aspects of my appearance. I didn't tinker, mostly because I wasn't sure what did what thanks to the language barrier.
Customizing my appearance would've been a waste of time anyway, as the camera sits behind the character for the majority of the time and his face is hidden by a large medieval helmet.
The gameplay starts in a courtyard in front of a large castle. A small fountain lies ahead, slowing down the game with its unnecessary, though meager, particle effects.
Despite some fairly decent graphics, the game has an overwhelming sense of... More »
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