Review: Tetris HD (PSN)

Check out my full review for Tetris HD for the PSN/PS3 here!

Launching Today: HKS Racing Controller for PS3

Pic o' the Week: Epic PS3 phat casemod!

Sony's PS3 digital recorder gets dated for Japan

On March 18, "Torne" will go on sale in Japan. The torne is a terrestrial digital tuner that connects to the PS3 via USB cable. It offers players an easy and colorful interface that lists programs. It's possible to look up programs and search the menu by genre or keyword.

Using a timer, it's also possible to record in advance, and torne automatically records when the console is on stand-by or even while games/DVDs/Blu-rays are running. Besides recording directly to the PS3's hard drive, the torne can be used to record to an external hard drive as well.

Torne is priced at ¥9,980 (US$109) and bundled with the 250GB PlayStation 3 and available for ¥42,800 (US$467).

PS3 goes 3D this Summer

Through two firmware updates, one for 3D gaming and one for 3D Blu-ray, the PS3 will be able to bring the 3rd dimension into your room.

3D is a major part of our initiatives in 2010 and we're currently developing 3D stereoscopic games to come in conjunction with the launch of Sony's 3D compatible BRAVIA LCD TV in summer 2010. The amazing thing about the PS3's technology is that all PS3 units that exist in homes and markets will be able to play 3D stereoscopic games as well as 3D BD movies through separate firmware upgrades - something that other platforms are unable to do. We'll be announcing actual game titles separately later, but we think that 3D stereoscopic gaming has a ton of potential, particularly in placing consumers within the actual experience.

PS2 and Dreamcast games coming to PSN? + Sony's Motion Controller semi-dated

SCEA Meeting Aug 5th Notes
Aug 6 2009 – DRAFT FOR COMMENTS

Objectives of Meeting
Dyer agreed to regular quarterly meetings with SOA

Sony PS3
SCEA reiterated plans to sell 13 million PS3s this year
Big announcement back half of year they can’t talk about (potentially price cut of PS3 to reach hardware goals)
SCEA commented on indexing between PS3 and 360 SKUs, should be around 2:1 to garner most favorable treatment.

Motion Controller
Spring 2010 launch (March in JP)
No bundle/pricing details yet, should come Sept 1
Plan on selling 4-5MM units WW
SCEA agreed to provide a list of Sega IP that would work well with the motion controller, Virtua Tennis was an example
Motion Controller support allows easy way to differentiate PS3 SKU
Other differentiation opportunities include PSP/PS3 interoperability – think of features that would make users want to buy both PS3 and PSP SKUs.

Alpha Protocol
Michael Foster, product evaluator, said AP felt barely RPG. Initial level too challenging for players. “Mass Effect felt more RPG.”
Review notes sent to John Merlino a few weeks prior. After meeting Gerald mentioned AP is a high priority for his team.

Planet 51
Sell in of PS3 SKU – SCEA noted that other movie titles on PS3 had underperformed as well (inc. Transformers) this cycle.
Dyer suggests contacting Susan at Walmart and asking what she wants in the pack to sell this SKU (movie tix etc)
Other possibilities are Hybrid movie disc (BD 25 or 50 with Game and Movie on same disc).

Bayonetta
Collectors edition with Bayonetta Action Figure
Novo recommended launching PSN demo around Xmas based off a Jan 5th Ship date with 2-3 week run out to launch.
3-4 weeks is usually ideal demo timing with fresh content every week leading up to launch (trailers, insider video about PG heritage, video blogs).

Vancouver 2010
HOME, Olympic destination would garner a lot of positive attention from SCEA
Should be doing same with Bayonetta, Marvel etc. Easy to launch in all territories.
HOME merchandizing opportunities (clothes etc).

Sonic Racing
Open to DLC to differentiate PS3 SKU – not ratchet and clank but other characters
maybe characters from Rare or Fable universes

Yakuza
Could put Japanese games directly on PSN for download in a special Japanese Import section (pricing $9.99 to $39.99 for full game).
Might need to localize menus at least with subtitles.
SCEA interested in helping on MKTG side if they can have period of exclusivity.

AVP
Another great HOME candidate
AVP avatars
Hybrid BD disc with movie

Iron Man 2
Great candidate for HOME space – explore Tony Stark’s lab etc.
Should have one for Marvel in general.

PSU2
Could do bundle at GameStop with PSP 30-35K units on UMD, Go, or both.

Valkyria 1937
Could bundle with PSP as well.

Vanquish and Aliens: CM
Opportunity for PS3/PSP interoperability (see Eidos Batman, Army of Two, Assassin’s Creed for good examples).
If we offer that SCEA would be really interested in having us at their booth next E3.

Thor
SCEA would like a look at the code soon.

Sonic Anniversary
Could put out collectors edition with all old sonic games on one BD disc.
“Best of Sonic” for around $99.
SCEA would love PSN exclusive power ups/different game modes (like Castlevania’s flip it over/backwards)

PS2 emulator for PS3 (confidential)
SCEA wants to sell all PS2 titles on PSN (GTA Vice City/Sonic/etc)
For co Marketing money show PS3 controller on TV ads – similar to EA Madden Spots, NCAA, etc…

London Olympics
Perfect opportunity for Motion Controller integration.

DC Digital Titles
If we provide a list of DC titles SCEA will let us know which ones they’re interested in having exclusively.
If we give them a long period of exclusivity they’ll give us more marketing support.

PSP Titles
For SKU differentiation it’s best to offer features that are slightly different from PS3 version.
Titles that are coming up on PSP are Assassin’s Creed II, GTA China Wars, Resident Evil, Little Big Planet – all massive franchises.
SCEA has a specific PSP deck which they can send up with their hardware director for a chat.

PS3 Motion Controller demo

PS3 v3.0 firmware shown off + PSN Video Store and the PSP's comic book reader

The full list of features in v3.0 can be found after the jump.

Hi everyone, PlayStation 3 (PS3) firmware update (v3.00) adds a number of great new features that we’re excited to share with you. The latest update incorporates changes that improve navigation on your PS3. First, you’ll notice some cosmetic changes to the design of the XMB (Xross Media Bar). We’ve enhanced the look and feel of the XMB so that it’s easier and even more intuitive to use. We’ve also added network improvements and personalization options to help enhance your PS3 experience.

Additional highlights from update 3.00 include:

* “What’s New” – The “Information Board” will be replaced with a “What’s New” section, which allows you to enjoy interactive PlayStation news every time you start the PS3 system. Located under the PlayStation Network icon, “What’s New” displays the latest and greatest game, video, PlayStation Network and PlayStation news and releases, as well as your recently played games, in a sleek, new animated format.
* Status Indicator – In the top right corner we’ve added an indicator bar, which displays your user icon, friend icon, the number of friends you have online and a small message icon to let you know if you have any new messages. The indicator also includes a scrolling ticker that features the latest news from PlayStation Network. In addition, when you press the PS button, the battery life indicator will no longer cover up the clock.
* Friends List – Now your PlayStation Network friends will appear in a slightly redesigned format on your Friends List. Also, messages will now be viewable from each of your friends’ respective profiles.
* PlayStation Store Shortcuts – We’ve added a handy shortcut icon to the PlayStation Store under both the Game and Video categories so you can access the latest content quickly and easily.
* Personalization – Personalize your PS3 with new dynamic custom themes and avatars. Dynamic themes as well as free and premium avatars will be available through PlayStation Store. A dynamic theme takes your screen to a whole new level as it incorporates animated objects into the background.
* Trophies – Showcasing your hard earned trophies just got better. Update 3.00 gives game developers the ability to modify how they display trophies for add-on content. Base and add-on game trophies will continue to be combined into a single list so you can see where you stand in a game as a whole. Within that list, trophies will be broken out into subcategories—base trophies and add-on trophies—that way, you can easily view the percentage of your base game trophy collection, and separately track your trophy progress in add-on packs. Look for this enhancement to be included in upcoming games.

Breaking! Slim PS3 coming in September!

Launching in the first week of September, The Slim PS3 will have the same features and functions of the current PS3, with a 120GB drive. It will be 33% smaller and 36% lighter. The unit will cost $299 in the U.S., 299 Euro, 29,980 Yen.

Get the Full Spec Sheet after the jump!

PlayStation®3 (CECH-2000A)

Product name

PlayStation®3

Product code

CECH-2000A (Charcoal Black)

CPU

Cell Broadband Engine™

GPU

RSX®

Audio output

LPCM 7.1ch, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, DTS-HD, AAC.

Memory

256MB XDR Main RAM, 256MB GDDR3 VRAM

Hard disk

2.5” Serial ATA

120GB *1

Inputs/

Outputs*2

Hi-Speed USB
(USB 2.0)

2

Networking

Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T) × 1

IEEE 802.11 b/g

Bluetooth® 2.0 (EDR)

Controller

Wireless Controller （Bluetooth®）

AV output

Resolution

1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i　(for PAL 576p, 576i)

HDMI OUT connector*3

1

AV MULTI OUT connector

1

Digital out (optical) connector

1

BD／DVD／CD
drive (read only)

Maximum read rate

BD × 2 (BD-ROM)
DVD × 8 (DVD-ROM)
CD × 24 (CD-ROM)

Power

AC 220 – 240, 50/60Hz*4

Power consumption

Approx. 250W

External dimensions

(excluding maximum projecting part )

Approx. 290 × 65 × 290 mm (width × height × length)

Mass

Approx. 3.2kg

Included *5

PlayStation®3 system × 1
Wireless Controller (DUALSHOCK®3) × 1
AC power cord × 1
AV cable × 1
USB cable × 1

*1 Hard disk capacity calculated using base 10 mathematics (1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes). System software versions 1.10 and later calculate capacity using binary mathematics (1 GB = 1,073,741,824 bytes), which will display lower capacity and free space. A portion of hard disk capacity is reserved for system administration, which varies depending upon system software version, and is not available for use.

*2 Usability of all connected devices is not guaranteed.

*3 "Deep Colour" and "x.v.Colour (xvYCC)" defined by HDMI ver.1.3a are supported.

*4 Power changes depending on countries or regions.

*5 For certain regions, Euro-AV cable will be included.

Note: This product is not compatible with PlayStation®2 games.

Cross Edge Review

Cross Edge (PS3 Only)

Cross Edge is a JRPG mashup that involves the Disgaea, Darkstalkers, Spectral Souls, Atelier Marie, Mana Khemia and Air Tonelico franchises. This game originally came out in Japan nearly a year ago and I’ve been patiently waiting ever since for someone to port it. But, should I be thankful that NIS America brought this game stateside?

Graphics

This is where most reviewers will hammer the game, just like they did with Disgaea 3. Yes, the graphics are simple – mostly 2D sprites that remind me of the SNES or PSX days. So what? This game isn’t about graphics, it’s about gameplay! To me, the graphics bring back a very sweet nostalgia. Furthermore, the spells, elemental attacks and EX skills that you can pull off (similar to limit break or overdrive in Final Fantasy titles) are very flashy and smooth. The EX skills will encompass the entire screen in a spectacular fluid, flashy, colorful display.

One issue with the game is that there are moments of slow down; especially when you enter into battle (the first few times I thought the game had frozen). Honestly, there is absolutely no reason why this should happen, and yes, I even installed the game. This could have easily been a PSP or PS2 title, so to come to the PS3, there shouldn’t been in graphical/gameplay issues/glitches.

- 14/20Sound

The voiceovers can be put to English or Japanese. Unlike some ported titles, I found the English voiceovers to be great. The music in the game is excellent, as well.

- 17/20Story

The main three characters are original creations for Cross Edge. The beginning of the game starts off with two of the main characters awaking in an area that they’ve never been before. After a battle, you run into one of the characters from one of the series mentioned above (I’ll let you find out who, but it’s my favorite character in the game) and you decide to look for the missing third main character. Later on, you run into a few other characters, all of which really have no idea where they are, and then you eventually find out that the Fantasy World, Demon World and Earth have all been thrown into an apocalyptic event.

Basically, it’s up to you and your crew to stop the approaching catastrophe from happening and to return everyone and misplaced souls to their rightful world. The story is written very well and the voiceovers make it all the better.

- 18/20Gameplay

This game plays out like your standard RPG, but with a twist. You can place up to 4 characters into battle on a 4 x 3 grid in order to attack. You have a counter that ticks down. Each of the character’s attacks cost AP, as long as they have AP they can use skills and attack until the counter reaches zero and your turn is over. The game doesn’t really do a good job at running you through its unconventional and unintuitive battle system and menu structure. I found myself going to the internet and message boards for help on how to play the game. The instructions help a little bit, but basically you just have to play the game for a long, long time to get use to everything. To get the “True Ending” you will have to play through the game on the Hard difficulty setting.

- 12/20Replayability

This game offers a New Game+ option that will allow you to bring a certain amount of stuff over from your previous game, depending on what difficulty you played on. There are a lot of different characters to use and level up and unlock skills and costumes, too. As far as replayability goes, this title is pretty solid.

- 18/20
Conclusion

Cross Edge is a huge fan service product that involves many notable franchises. It has a very unique battle structure, which in some ways hurts it. The sound is good, but the graphics and gameplay issues hinder this title greatly. I think this title may become rare in the future (my GameaStop only got my reserved copy and one other copy for sale), so its value could increase. Honestly, it’s up to you whether or not to buy this game. It has its moments of cool and awesomeness, but it definitely has its frustrating moments, too.

Final Score

- 79/100

You can grab a copy of Cross Edge for the PS3 below.

inFamous Review

inFamous (PS3 only)

The summer is known for many things, heat, rain (lots of it) and, of course, the dreaded “video game drought.” However, it seems that this summer might not see a video game drought, with titles coming out, such as, Cross Edge, Bleach: Heat the Soul 6, Plants vs. Zombies, Devil Summoner 2, inFamous, Prototype, King of Fighters XII, BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger… I think I’ve made my point. Among these titles is a highly anticipated, hugely hyped “summer blockbuster.” Does inFamous live up to the hype? Or does it become another infamous bust?

Graphics

inFamous isn’t the best looking game ever, but it doesn’t disappoint. For a sandbox game, the environment is quite realistic and the explosions give a satisfying visual display. The one big gripe I have, personally, is that when you jump off of a building from 10 stories above and land on the ground, you will notice that the ground gets cracks in it and depress into the earth some with dust and dirt swirling around. However, after about 3 seconds, this effect rebounds and everything looks normal again. If you land on a car from 10 stories above, nothing happens. I expected to see events like this to stay permanent and destructive; especially considering the kind of horsepower that the PS3 houses.

- 17/20
Sound

The voiceovers are adequate; reminding me of an indie movie. The music that plays during the game is good when it grabs your attention. There were many occasions where I didn’t notice music was playing because it was somewhat muted; not very immersive.

- 16/20
Story

After a massive explosion takes place in Empire City, Cole (the main character), finds himself with super human powers involving electricity. As Cole, you can either fight enemies to protect the city and help restore it back to normal or help further drag the city down into chaos. While you do this, you will be looking into what caused the massive explosion, as well as, regain the memories that you have lost. inFamous reminds me of a comic book; the cutscenes even play out like one. The story is actually very intriguing from what I’ve experienced so far.

- 19/20
Gameplay

This game has a good and evil side to the story. As you choose your path, Cole’s appearance will change, the city’s look will change and the availability of powers will change. As a sandbox game, you can go anywhere and do anything, think Assassin’s Creed or Mass Effect. From scaling tall buildings to jumping from building to building, Empire City is a fairly large city to explore. The overall missions and side missions that you complete seem to get a little bit repetitive after awhile, though. As you play through the game, you may run into a few glitches; they won’t ruin the game, but they are noticeable.

- 18/20
Replayability

Because of the story, with its good and evil parts, you’ll really want to play through the game twice; once as a really good hero and once as an infamous villain. However, with the somewhat limited missions, it could become tedious to play through the game twice, back-to-back. I have found inFamous to be an excellent pickup and play game, however.

- 18/20Conclusion

inFamous isn’t perfect, but no game is. If you’re looking for a fun, enjoyable PS3 only title, buy this game. As far as this title being the “game of the summer,” well… let’s see what the next few months bring us before we start giving out titles like that.

Final Score

- 88/100

Grab you copy of inFamous for the PS3 below!

Dark Void - Developer Documentary