I'm sorry to inform you that I'm going on a short break, mainly due to the fact I'm traveling to another country. I should be back, though, within a week.
Recently, a group of Muslim gamers found some offensive material of Qu'ran scripts in a song in LBP. They quickly sent a message to Sony demanding them to remove that offensive material immediately before any unnecessary controversy reach media's attentions. Sony now announced that it's sorry for this slip up and that the game is still on track for release, just a bit later. 27th, October 2008 is the new date for the Top Game of The Year!
I recently found this leaked clip of Final Fantasy Agito XIII that was shown at this year's TGS. So, with further delay, here's the clip:
via (FF-XIII.net)
I found this clip at Gametrailers. It clearly shows the footage shown at this year's TGS. It looks authentic, so here you go:
When you registered for PlayStation®Network, you accepted our Terms of Service and User Agreement and our Privacy Policy. The Terms of Service and User Agreement contains important provisions about your activity in PlayStation®Network and your purchases from PlayStation®Store. The Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect from you and how we use it. We have recently made some changes to the Terms of Service and User Agreement and Privacy Policy to improve them and to reflect updates to the services available on PlayStation®Network. These changes include: > Information about your PlayStation®Network Online ID > More details about the information we collect via PlayStation®Network and who we share that information with. > Information about how we may monitor your activity in PlayStation®Network > Our rights in user created content uploaded via PlayStation®Network We encourage you to review our updated Terms of Service and User Agreement and Privacy Policy at http://eu.playstationmail.com/ The revised Terms of Service and User Agreement and Privacy Policy will apply to all future use of PlayStation®Network by you and your Sub Accounts. Thank you, 
Changes to PlayStatioDear PlayStation®Network user
I don't know what the changes are, but you I thought to post this anyways.
Japanese magazine Shonen Jump has a first look at the battle screen for PSP title Final Fantasy Agito XIII
There has been a flow of news circling the web about official statement from the mastermind, Kojima-san, himself! Well, after some digging, I found out that piece of news dated back to 2005 and only involved the demo version! I also emailed Kojima Productions (not that I'll get an answer) asking if there was in truth in this. If I get an answer, I'll definitly get back to you on that! But until then, MGS4 is still PS3 proberty.
I’m certainly in the fan club that would love to see Kojima-san’s masterpiece come our way. It would be wonderful to play Metal Gear Solid on the Xbox. It could become another of the many franchises that started their life on another console that are now coming our way. I can’t speak on behalf of Konami, but I can shed more light on the fact that we definitely have the power to run MGS4. There are a lot of recent examples that are in true high-def on our platform and aren’t on PS3. We’ve got an amazing amount of horsepower and graphics power.
Recently, Microsoft issued a statement regarding the playability of Sony's blockbuster, MGS4. Please note that this followed suit the announcement made by a Konami PR. With more games going multiplatform, they think it's possible. FFXIII is going multiplatform, but that doesn't mean that the X360 can/will handle PS3's quality! With that said, let's see what Microsoft's John Schappert, the firm's corporate vice-president of Live, Software and Services had to say:
I kind of laughed at the last statement, There are a lot of recent examples that are in true high-def on our platform and aren’t on PS3. We’ve got an amazing amount of horsepower and graphics power.
Yeah, right. Name just one game that's true high-def and better than a PS3 game! This makes you wonder, however, when will Microsoft and their fans put this whole "a good game exclusive on PS3? we'll take it, mind you!" BS?! Only Konami could tell.
Besides, Xbox 360 doesn't have what it takes to run the game! You've got storage issue for one. Also, hardware issues. I mean, who would, in their rightful minds, buy a system that plays russian rolutte on you?! I, for one, wouldn't! I'd happily pay extra bucks and stick with one machine that will rot with me, rather than crossing my fingers in hope it doesn't get infected with RRoD! Oh, and don't forget the whole class action lawsuit!
California , Microsoft sued over Xbox 360 hardware failures.
The outbreak from the "red rings of death" seems to still haunt Microsoft. Now they're facing a class action lawsuit in California.
1up (via Kotaku (via Daily Games News)) is reporting that the lawsuit was filed under California's consumer protection statutes, and alleges that Microsoft knew that the system would suffer a 50 percent failure rate, but concealed the knowledge to compete with the Nintendo Wii and the PlayStation 3. The suit cites articles from sources such as VentureBeat and Yahoo! to support its claims. If Microsoft loses the suit, they will potentially have to implement a refund program in California as well as surrender profits relating to Xbox 360 sales.I say this serves them justice! All they do is serve us some crappy software and hardware and expects us to say nothing! You go, California! If Microsoft didn't get back in shape, they will surely will face heavy losses!
Since its release, LittleBigPlanet had been reviewed by several sites. Since I don't own the game, nor will I in the near future (lack of money), I can't post my review here. I'll update this post when I do review it myself.
Metarecritic's score is based on 16 reviews (96/100). Other reviews below:"There simply isn't anything else like LBP on any system, anywhere. It's a beautifully elegant and powerful creative tool that puts unlimited potential in the palm of your hand."
"LBP is a unique game. It disguises itself as a 2D platform game but surprises the players with a set of editing tools and level sharing absolutely amazing. With a distinctive style and an everlasting future potential, we can say that Sackboy already conquered this industry. [Oct 2008]"
"LittleBigPlanet is like a magic trick, and in that respect it feels less like a video game than an incredible concept executed perfectly. LittleBigPlanet is like LEGO (the blocks, not the game), it’s like Monopoly, it’s timeless... it’s lightning in a bottle – and if Sony play their cards right it could well save the PS3, and propel the console into the stratosphere."
"Undoubtedly one of the finest games in recent years, LittleBigPlanet deserves every single shred of a 10. You won't find a more polished or rewarding videogame this year, and for quite some time we'd imagine."
"There's really nothing I can say other than this: if you own a PS3 and you don't buy LittleBigPlanet, you are robbing yourself of one of the most unique gaming experiences ever designed."
"You'll look for inspiration for levels, mechanical dilemmas or puzzles in every corner of your life. And in your sleep. It will take over your conversations with fellow players. You will become obsessed. You have been warned."
"Media Molecule has created a brilliant platformer, and then given you the tools to recreate the whole thing over again, or better yet, to create your own ideas from scratch. It's not perfect - the controls could be tighter, automatically shifting between planes can be problematic, the editor isn't quite as robust as you might hope - but what's there is nothing short of astounding."
"The promise that anyone could create something simple and fun and personal with LittleBigPlanet hasn't come true. In a way, it's the opposite of Spore, which makes it easy and fun for every single player to have creative input, but doesn't let any of them change the fabric of the game. LittleBigPlanet lets them run wild, with unprecedented results, but it locks the majority out of the creative process, because it's time-consuming and simply not very enjoyable."
With a score like this, it's really a no-brainer when it comes to purchasing this game! But be forewarned, every X360-moron (not saying all X360 are!) will flood the forums crying for a port of the game to that lousy sorry-excuse of a console!
Well, I only say that because I hate blackmailers and lazy-stealing-asses! Yeah, you know I'm talking about M$! They produce lousy consoles (everything-wise) and steal other platforms successful franchises rather than making their own! Also, whenever a console (specifically, the PS3) makes a good feature or addition to their console, M$ steals the idea and implement it in their system. NXE = ripoff Home! Rumors of adaptation of Blu-ray Drives to the X360 = Already implemented PS3's Blu-ray Drives. Also, cheap HDDs = rivaling PS3's mandatory HDDs!
I'll bash M$ when the time warrents it, but now it's all about LittleBigPlanet! :)
Tokyo Game Show organizer CESA has announced its best of show winners, under the "Future Division" banner, awarded to unreleased titles.
Twelve titles have made the cut -- voted on by attendees -- and they cover all consoles except for the PlayStation 2.
Without further ado, this year's winners are:
Recently, it was announced that PSP's new firmware would be released the same day as the PS3's. As to what new features it will have, PSP store would be the most important. Now, you can access PSP store, ala PS3 store, and download games there.
It was also announced that future PSP releases could all be downloadables rather than UMDs. Sony announced that two of its upcoming games would be downloadables, LocoRoco 2 and Patapon 2.
Square Enix seems to join the ranks as it'll offer its upcoming fight 'em up RPG-style game, Dissida: Final Fantasy. It's unknown if the downloadable version (as it will also be in UMD form) will have a price discount. But for all of you importers out there, the importing part is made easier provided you have a Japanese PS account.
The game will be released on December 18 in Japan.
While at TGS, Konami PR mouthpiece Yoshitaka Arai told Morningstar:
The worldwide demand for an Xbox 360 version (of MGS4) is quite high, and it is something we are currently looking in to.
Eds Note: The original quote has been pulled. There's a new quote from a different Konami PR person (named Chiaki Nakajima) that doesn't even refer to the Xbox 360, but just about how the company was going multi-plat from now on and hoped to take advantage of each platform. Make of this what you will.
It was last week that Microsoft announced that its new NXE upgrade required 128MB of space, excluding arcade owners out. Microsoft promised some kind of solution, and here it is.
www.xboxstorageupgrade.com recommends either clearing some space by removing saved content or entering your Serial Number and Console Id to see if you are eligible for either a free 512 MB memory card or a 20 GB hard-drive for $19.99. This site, as confirmed by Microsoft, is genuine.
Kotaku.com made a post earlier about current generation educational games. With Denise Kaigler, Nintendo of America’s vice president of Corporate Affairs; John Koller, director of hardware marketing, SCEA; and XNA General Manager Boyd Multerer.
Do you think educational games are a good fit for your console either via a standard disc title or downloadable title?
Kaigler
The response of consumers to games like Brain Age for Nintendo DS demonstrated to the entire industry that games with an educational theme were viable. Brain Age remains a top seller, which tells us people are hungry for different kinds of entertainment, including those that stimulate your brain. We have already seen Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree for the Wii console. Wii is a good fit for educational games because the pointing and motion-sensing abilities of the Wii Remote controller allow for more dynamic inputs than simply pressing a button.
Koller
Consoles and handhelds can be a great platform for educational games because they leverage advanced technology while providing an interface that’s intuitive to users. Teens and younger children in particular are familiar with how to interact with games on these systems, so whether it’s for entertainment or education, consoles and handhelds are a natural fit. As far as the medium, both disc and downloadable titles would be appropriate.
Multerer
As part of the XNA team, I don't want to speculate as to the overall strategy of the console. What I can tell you is that with Xbox LIVE Community Games, we're opening the floodgates to the community to create any type of game they want to see on Xbox 360, including educational games. What we've seen through programs like Imagine Cup, Dream-Build-Play, Games for Change and the Community Games beta is that developers are interested in making games that are educational and socially responsible, and we're now giving them a forum to do that and reach millions for the first time on any console.
When Xbox LIVE Community Games launches as part of the new Xbox Experience this holiday, we fully expect to see fun titles that span the entire spectrum of gaming. That means we'll see games that intentionally have an educational focus like "City Rain," "Future Flow" and "Clean Up" which were all created by teams of university students to teach concepts of environmental sustainability.
You can read the rest at Kotaku.com.
Here's a new gameplay footage of the awesome Killzone 2. Enjoy ;)
That was the gameplay footage shown at TGS. As you can see, the game clearly sucks! But since we're gamers, we shouldn't judge a game by its mechanics! We should rather wait until full release to trash talk it :P
Here's the information I dug on this game (1up.com):
While details are still scant on Demon's Soul, SCE Japan producer Takeshi Kajii described the game to Famitsu as a spiritual successor to King's Field, the From Software-developed first-person RPG that first hit it big on the original PlayStation. "I am a fan of From Software, but naturally that also means there are parts of their games I'm not satisfied with, too," he said. "If this was a new King's Field game, there would be areas we wouldn't be able to touch since they're part of the series; working together like this, we can try to make something really new"...
Demon's Souls takes place in the kingdom of Boletaria, currently enshrouded in a deep fog thanks to its king inadvertently unleashing an ancient monster from his slumber. You, a nameless hero who you're free to customize Elder Scrolls-style, must penetrate into Boletaria and save the kingdom -- but like many US RPGs these days, the game is slated to be extremely open-ended. "You get only the barest minimum of a goal, and there's nothing forcing you to do anything in the game," Kajii said. "People say to you 'Save the world,' but you can ignore them and keep going if you like."
The way Kajii and From Software director Hidetaka Miyazaki described it, Demon's Souls is a bit of a hybrid -- an RPG that uses the PS3's hardware to the hilt while still retaining the challenge and exploration of traditional role-players. Your hero can use a wide variety of weapons, each of which has different attacks and animations depending on how skillful you are or whether you're using one hand or two, and the game's physics system places natural limits on what's possible in any given tactical situation. "We gave a lot of thought to how to make the fun and charms of a classic RPG interesting all over again with the latest technology at hand," Miyazaki noted. "We figured that doing the things that previous hardware ignored -- having long weapons bump into walls, lighting the area in realtime with the torch in your hand -- would make the game that much more fun. We're taking the things you did through menus in Wizardry and letting you carry them out in real life." (Miyazaki also hinted that while Demon's Souls won't have multiplayer, he would still like to "find a way to use the Internet to make the single-player mode more interesting.")
Level 5 has come to this year's TGS with some good announcements. Starting off, we have 2 PSP games due release sometime in 2009. The first is a PSP RPG horror game with the unusually strange name, Ushiro. Ushiro, which means in Japanese "behind/butt", is a horror RPG game where a shinigami clings on behind (hence the name) people that have exhausted their lives to experience their lives. As a shinigami you observe, possess, and fulfil the wishes of the person you're attached to. Seems kind of a new idea is being developed here. Here's TGS Debut trailer:
The game sure is interesting! I would love to see more of it soon.
As for the second PSP game, Danboru Senki, in which the player takes the role of a small combat robot called LBX, in environments made out of cardboard. The game is due for release in 2009 in Japan.
Also, Level 5 has confirmed 2 DS RPGs in development.
The PS3 exclusive White Knight Chronicles, yet another Level 5 RPG, was announced to feature online content. Think of the online content as some kind of mini-MMORPG. Early in the game, you will be prompted to create an avatar, which is a custom character, to play with. This character won't come into the picture until later in the story. With this character, you'll be able to engage in online play with other players via the Play Station Network.
Level 5, in an effort for balance, has made some restrictions to the kind of quests and items you can get online. It appears that you won't be able to get any item/weapon/armor/accessory/etc... that's above your level. Meaning, you wouldn't be able to overpower yourself early in the game. The same applies to quests, wherein you unlock new ones as you progress. To the right a picture of the online gameplay that wll be present in White Knight Chronicles.
It seems that at any given time, no more than 16 players can gather in town centers and no more than 4 can party up and go questing. Seems a little low on numbers, but for a game that just
announced recently its online component, I'd say that's impressive. (Most online FPS' have the same or near that number of players in a single room, so it's understandable). Another picture of two players fighting what appears to be over-grown wisp. As you can see, the online gameplay will be rewarding in so many ways. You can, as well, trade items and stuff with other online gamers.
The story mode, as stated by Level 5's developers, is very long and has a lot of content. Over 100+ hours of gameplay. That's very long for an RPG! But also very suitable, too.
The game will run at full HD resolution : 1080p. So cheer up, full HD screen owners!
Kojima, as he clarified before, won't be taking the lead on any future Metal Gear projects stating that he'd rather let the younger generation handle it. But knowing Kojima, he might actually come back again to work on MGS5 nonetheless! He has alsosaid before that he won't be working on MGS after MGS2, and then again after MGS3 and now MGS4. He said"I always intend to stay true to these statements, it's like when Hayao Miyazaki says he is not going to do more, and then always ends up doing it. I have other ideas than Metal Gear, and I want to go on to make other new games, but for political, business, or technology reasons, there is always a time when I have to return."
Kojima also talked about the lengthy cutscenes in MGS4 which many fans (and critics alike) hated so much for removing the player from the experience and rendering the gamer to a watcher seat instead.
"Halo, BioShock -- I see their approach, and I think they are brilliant in some ways, but I still feel they lack a kind of deeper storyline or the expression of the feelings of the characters. In MGS4, yes, I put everything in the cut sequences, which I kind of regret to some extent, because maybe there is a new approach which I should think about. I'm always thinking about it -- making it interactive but at the same time telling the story part and the drama even more emotionally."
So Kojima realizes what went wrong with MGS4. Now it appears that Kojima is traveling to "rival" FPS studios, like Infinity Ward and Guerrilla Games. But Kojima has been known to go to studios of the games he likes, so probably there's nothing there. But maybe his next non-MGS game could be a FPS? Who knows, time will tell. Oh speaking of time, Kojima said that he's busy with MGO right now, but also to expect something new on next year's TGS!
"Until the end of this year, I have my hands full with Metal Gear Online, but at next year's show, I think it's okay that I should be able to announce something."
Kojima expressed earlier at TGS that Japan has lost compared to Western games.
"If you honestly compare Japanese games with Western ones, Japan has lost."
During the talk, Kojima compared the western games industry to Hollywood -- they bring the world's best creators together and give them huge budgets for their projects. He went on to call the current disparity "dangerous," particularly when it comes to how far western technological development has come over the last few years. (via 1up.com)
Here's this year's TGS Microsoft's keynote presentation details.
I have not been to the presentation, so sadly I have to copy off someone else's hardwork :( Here's Joystiq take on it.
