PlayStation News Message Board older than one year ago

Check out the prologue for Sega's new Yakuza game.

Gamers demanding additional services and innovations, publisher says.

Some folks measure the length of time it takes for a new console to be hacked wide open by how long it takes to display a "Hello, World!" message. For us, that metric is determined by how long it takes to get a Sega CD emulator running on the system. For the PSP Go, that period of time has been finalized: 43 long, lonely, Night Trap-less days. A YouTube video by "Neon" from "Team Typhoon" (is that some sort of gang?) appears to prove that on some PSP Go, somewhere in the world, one can play Sonic CD. Don't get your hopes up -- the video's annotations repeatedly promise that the hack will not be released to the general public, so for the time being, you're going to have to keep playing that old copy of Wirehead on your clunky, Voltron-esque home console. Still, our heart swells knowing that our wildest dreams are possible -- if not slightly out of reach. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Okay, so Modern Warfare 2 sold more copies than there are people on the planet -- let's not get so lost in the hub-bub of everyone's new fling that we forget about the practically ancient Uncharted 2. Aren't you curious how it's been selling? Well, earlier today, at the BMO Capital Markets "Digital Entertainment Conference," Sony America VP of Business Development Phil Rosenberg announced that "as of last week, we've already sold over a million copies [of Uncharted 2] in just a couple weeks on the market." We have no way of knowing whether that number is accurate, though with the NPDs due out later today, we imagine we'll be finding out soon if it's as inflated as Nate Drake's ego, or if it's as accurate as Nate Drake ... using ... using a sniper rifle. And shooting stuff. Like, in an accurate manner. [Via G4TV]

Just when you thought Sony had nothing left to leak…

Sony's blockbuster sequel putting up excellent sales numbers.

Does anyone really care about connectivity?

Retailer will begin selling downloadable add-on content in stores next year.

Square Enix reviving classic RPG series.

Nippon Ichi, Namco Bandai and Sony all count down to new games.

EA's looking at one franchise to take on the road and then back home.

Okay, so there's a metric ton of add-on content in this week's European PSN update (including new stuff for EyePet and Rag Doll Kung Fu), but once again, it skimps somewhat on the playable goodies -- not that you need anything else to play at the moment. Still, PlayStation.Blog promises that next week will bring a "nice stream of content" which will make us "pleased." Speculation, engage! Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)

Handhelds have a penchant for donning new colors, and the PSP Go is likely to be no different. A Destructoid reader was invited to take a survey conducted by UK marketing firm Research Now. The survey pictured a number of colors, including the already-available Piano Black and Pearl White systems. Some of the colors catch our eye, like Bright Red and Blue -- but colors like Lemon and Coral look a bit too much like urine and vomit, respectively.Of course, new colors don't really matter without the appropriate software. We wonder if anything will ever be able to dethrone the best PSP bundle ever.

1999 "You can communicate to a new cybercity. Did you see the movie The Matrix? Same interface. Same concept. Starting from next year, you can jack into The Matrix!" 2000 PlayStation 2 launches. 2005 "The PS3 is not a game machine." 2005 "[We want] consumers to think to themselves 'I will work more hours to buy one'. We want people to feel that they want it, irrespective of anything else." 2006 "It's probably too cheap ... This is the PS3 price. Expensive, cheap -- we don't want you to think of it in terms of game machines. Because the PS3 is like nothing else." 2006 PlayStation 3 launches. 2007 "As a matter of course, I have the vision of PlayStation 4, 5 and 6, which will merge into the network." 2007 Ken Kutaragi forced into "retirement" by Sony Computer Entertainment 2009 Ken Kutaragi forms his own company: Cybereye-Entertainment, for "next generation Internet service". True, this isn't entirely gaming-related, but who knows when we'll be able to write about Ken's exploits again! And, to be honest, we've ... we've missed him. He's been out of the spotlight for over two years and no public video game figure since has mastered the unique art of the Kutaragism. [image]

A new (and free) title update, now available for the PSN-exclusive Comet Crash, introduces new levels, maps, battle settings and an "expert" difficulty mode to the Tower Defense-style game. What sets Comet Crash apart from other titles in the genre is the game's offensive gameplay, allowing players to send waves of their own forces against an ongoing alien threat. Aliens as enemies in a video game? Creativity! According to the PlayStation Blog, the 1.03 update includes: "Expert" difficulty setting for seasoned Comet Crash players. 4 new Resurgence levels -- one unlocked at the end of each comet during the Campaign. 4 new Battle maps. Battle timer setting. After the timer runs out, all mobile units generate at 8x the normal rate. Thorium setting to tweak available resources in Battle mode.

Click to enlarge Earlier today, website Scrawl stumbled upon what appears to be an unintentional first glimpse at a major PS3 firmware update. The somewhat tiny images Scrawl found buried, yet publicly accessible on Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's website, seem to hint at native Facebook integration on the console, along with the ability to change "gamer card" colors (as if the current friends list wasn't obnoxious enough) and view thumbnails of photos in a grid layout.The images are still up as of this posting, but we'd imagine Sony will be pulling them before too long -- legit or not. After all, these could simply be mock-ups of design ideas meant for internal eyes only, just ... bungled. The one element that isn't design-related, the Facebook settings subsection of User Accounts, has us thinking there's a higher than average chance these aren't simple mock-ups, but rather the result on a Sony slip-up. We contacted SCEE regarding the images and were told by a spokesperson that the company "doesn't comment on rumor or speculation."[Thanks Alex!]

What Nathan Drake possesses in charm and acrobatic adroitness, he seriously lacks in luck. Much like that fedora-capped, state-named adventurer, he never seems to end one of his adventures with the loot he set out to obtain, leaving his cash-flow as non-existent as his reservations over killing thousands of pirates and mercenaries. Therefore, we're not surprised to see he's been branching out, and is now putting his keen analytical mind to work as a detective in Big Fish Games' PC puzzle-solving title, The Broken Clues. Of course, the preceding paragraph only makes sense in a world where video game characters are sentient beings, capable of performing activities outside of the scope designated for them by a hard-working team of programmers and designers. In reality, it seems that Drake's likeness was straight-up yoinked by Big Fish, in a brazen display of copyright infringement that's reminiscent of Limbo of the Lost, only without the added bonus of being unintentionally hilarious. [Via PSU Forums]

Going back to school never sounded so sweet.

Despite focusing on established franchises, publisher will still explore new titles.

The PS3 Slim may be $299, but that doesn't mean it can't look like the launch price of $599. Colorware is planning on making five limited edition PS3 systems that have been dipped in 24k gold. Expect this Flava Flav-approved hardware to cost a tad more than a regular paint job from Colorware: $149.If you do end up deciding to get one of these Midas-touched PS3s, let us know. We totally need to be friends.

Brutal Legend, Borderlands, Forza Motorsport 3 also to be big sellers

Ever have one of those days when you're up really late, just lookin' at art, and then you end up getting sucked into a dreamworld where you have to run through a series of levels based on surrealistic paintings, collecting crystals while avoiding nightmarish monsters? It's an extraordinarily relatable experience, and one that's serving as the premise for Halfbrick's soon-to-be-released PSP Mini titled Echoes. A recent press release from Halfbrick has revealed a Nov. 19 release date for the game, which will sell for the low, low price of $2.99. If you're curious what being inside a painting feels like, check out the game's debut trailer, which we've posted after the jump. Otherwise, just load up this image and put your face really close to the screen.

New Need for Speed confirmed for release next year.

*Not what you're getting. This probably wasn't what fans had in mind when they demanded an Uncharted game for Sony's handheld. A series of new ESRB ratings reveals a new pinball franchise, most likely under the PSP Minis label, based on various first-party PlayStation properties. Pinball Heroes: Uncharted is the most noteworthy of the bunch which according to the ESRB descriptor, is based on Drake's Fortune. "Players use flippers to hit the ball around a crashed airplane, into silhouetted character targets, and off bumpers shaped like gold coins to score points."In addition to Uncharted, other franchises will be getting the pinball treatment, including High Velocity Bowling, PAIN and Hot Shots Golf. Wait, no Pinball Heroes: God of War? That's a missed opportunity!Unfortunately, no further details of the Pinball Heroes franchise can be garnered from the ESRB listings. We're submitting a few questions to Sony (like "how much?" and "why?") and will update when we hear back.[Via GamerBytes]

We corner Sony's resident car nut to talk about GT5, SEMA and his hot car of the moment.

Famitsu has posted the first screens of BlazBlue Portable, the PSP adaptation of Arc System Works' stunning high-definition 2D fighting game. The game has made the transition to the PSP pretty well, at least from what we can tell in still images. The sprites are a lot less smooth, but still detailed, and the screen is still covered with flashy effects. The screens also show the new Legion Mode, in which territory you capture by winning fights is represented by connected nodes. BlazBlue Portable supports ad hoc multiplayer for up to four players, and can be played online with the PS3's Ad Hoc Party mode.

We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.Recommendation of the Week: The Shield: The Complete Series (DVD [What, no Blu-ray?] $159.95, lower at many retailers)Vic Mackey isn't the first hardass cop to come down the line and smack miscreants into place, but he's definitely one of the most effective and most memorable. If you haven't had the pleasure of watching Michael Chiklis in The Shield, then this has your name all over it. If you have ... well, your name is still on it. It's the complete series, filled with extras, and packaged to look like a nifty coffee table book, embossed with a copy of the misaligned badge logo from the opening of the show. Forget everything else, this is hands down one of the best cop shows ever created, and it captures the underbelly of Los Angeles perfectly. Some people would argue that Los Angeles is all underbelly. Hopefully that means there's plenty of Mackey to go around. As usual, we'll see you at the popcorn sta -- well, actually, we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over.

Flickr user co.pirate has posted images of one of the best-looking replicas of Fallout 3's Shishkebab (which he notes is "in progress") we've ever seen. It's so detailed, in fact, that we're a little scared that it could be functional before we'll require it as a slayer of Capital Wasteland baddies after the nuclear apocalypse. We already live in constant fear that science will create Bubble Bobble dinos that'll encapsulate us in spherical prisons floating up to the sky ... the existence of a real Shishkebab is just too much. For those not up on their Fallout weaponry, the Shishkebab is a flaming sword found in the game's irradiated universe. The burning blade does significant damage in the right hands -- just like one would in the real world.

Elemental puzzlers get new low price with arrival on PSN.

Tipster Otis got the Netflix PS3 streaming disc in the mail today and set immediately to work capturing it, providing the first look at what we'll all be checking out later today. After the break, you can see (but not hear -- there's no sound in the recording) what the PS3 Netflix interface looks like. Unfortunately, the early report of the service doesn't sound quite perfect. Otis says in the YouTube description that all video renders at 480p and doesn't scale properly. We'll be testing these claims ourselves when we get the chance to check out the service. Let us know with a comment if there's any other feature of the PS3's new Netflix capability that you'd like us to investigate! [Thanks, Otis!]