All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

If you've downloaded firmware 6.20 for your PSP, you'll be able to access the Digital Comics service, featured under the new "Extras" section of the XMB. While the PlayStation Store won't offer comics until next month, Sony is offering fans an early sneak peek at the service by offering free codes through the official PlayStation Comics website. Americans will be able to get the first issue of Transformers: All Hail Megatron, while Europeans can download the first issue of Aleister Arcane. Each issue will take about 40MB of space on your Memory Stick / PSP Go. To get your trial codes, visit the PlayStation Comics website. [Thanks, Simon R.!]

Speaking to VentureBeat, Xbox Live general manager Marc Whitten discussed the recent round of Xbox Live bans. According to Whitten, banning users from Xbox Live is "a cat and mouse game." Said Whitten, "These were people that were pirating software." He added that Microsoft looks at banning users "from a safety and anti-cheating perspective" and that the company looks out for its partners. Responding to the widely reported story that Microsoft banned over a million Xbox Live users, Whitten said that the figure is inaccurate. "I cannot explain to you why people would think it was a million people," said Whitten, then adding quite succinctly, "It wasn't a million people." Whitten went on to state his belief that Microsoft does "a really good job" of monitoring the activity on Xbox Live, specifically in terms of piracy and online harassment. He concluded that the company is "committed to making [Xbox Live] better and better." The interview also covers the recent integration of Facebook on Xbox, the effect Modern Warfare 2 had on Live activity (hint: a big one) and whether or not we'll be playing Facebook games on our consoles anytime soon. Don't expect a straight answer on that last one though, as the closes Whitten gets is, "In the future, they will move much closer together."

Walmart will also be offering a bundle for $269 and $289, each featuring different games and accessories.

As many guessed a few days earlier, Namco Bandai has opened up their RPG teaser site to reveal Digimon Story: Lost Evolution. There’s not much to see at the site that you can’t see in the image above, but you can check out some rather uninspired music if you like.

Sometimes we do crazy things -- in this case, it's something crazy for you, dear reader. You see, when PS3 Attitude reported users who had run into freezes or other bouts of unsatisfactory performance from their PS3 could report the issue to Sony thanks to firmware 3.10, directly through their console, we thought it was something we'd try to recreate on our own. After scratching our noggin for a few minutes, trying to come up with the best way to put our PS3 into danger, we figured a swift and hard power-down via the back button on the console would be the best bet to trigger this supposed new error report system. Lo and behold, we received the message you see above. So that's new, right? After winning that battle in the war of trying to break our PS3, we then decided to pick up our console and shake it like some kind of crazed British nanny, but that did not get us the results we were looking for. As such, we contacted Sony and a spokesperson told us that, yes, firmware 3.10 does add a feature to the console where users can report issues following console freezes and the like. So, now you know!

Yahoo’s top 10 searches of the day… Looks like Mario still has what it takes to draw in some major attention. Too bad he’ll never take down that damn Oprah! Thanks to Juan for the heads up.

Survival of the fittest at its most basic form.

Did you know that WireWay is already out? I honestly didn’t know, and I’ve been paying attention to the game! When I learned earlier today that the game was out, I snuck out to GameStop to grab myself a copy! The local GS said they didn’t have it, but they actually did. [...]

I sure hope you guys like Sakura Wars, because I have over 80 screens for you!

Should you get on-board or skate for the hills?

The PlayStation.Blog has been kind enough to make a walkthrough video of Sony's brand new adhocParty service for PSP/PS3. With this program, games that don't have Infrastructure multiplayer modes on PSP can be played online through the PlayStation Network. Essentially, the PS3 uses some evil voodoo magic to trick the PSP into thinking it's playing Ad-Hoc with others. The program is available for free on the PlayStation Store right now. To see the video, click past the break.

This impressions article has to do with the second temple in The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. If you don’t want to have that ruined for you, I suggest you don’t read this article.

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: North by Northwest: 50th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray) It's been 50 years since Alfred Hitchcock's classic North by Northwest first appeared in theaters, and Warner Bros. has put together an amazing package that includes a new one hour documentary about Hitchcock called "The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style," and a new half-hour documentary about the film itself. It also carries over older extras like a documentary about Cary Grant, commentary and more. It's packaged in the Warner Blu-ray Book format that I loathed at first, but now love: No inserts or booklets to lose, and they look fantastic on a shelf. You've probably seen the iconic image of Cary Grant running in terror from a biplane, but never seen North by Northwest. For my money, it's his best film. Read on for the rest of the recommendations, and 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.

More time leads to more killing, so lock and load.

After being banned from the PlayStation Network for hateful comments stated in Resistance's online community, Erik Estavillo launched not one, but two, lawsuits against Sony for infringing on his "first amendment rights" -- an argument that was shot down by Judge Ronald Whyte simply because "Sony is not part of the government." However, what Estavillo lacks in civil online discourse, he makes up for with sheer determination and persistence. In addition to Sony, he now has both Microsoft and Nintendo in his sights. Estavillo is seeking $75,000 from Microsoft for the "undue stress" and "sadness" caused by his Xbox 360's RROD. "Microsoft should have to bear the burden that is now put on the shoulders of this disabled plaintiff," his claim states -- a burden that is equivalent to the sum of 375 Xbox 360 systems, apparently. Nintendo is being sued for interfering with Estavillo's "pursuit of happiness." And how exactly is Nintendo doing that? "Deleting, blocking or prohibiting the Homebrew Channel and Ocarina applications" via a system update. We're hoping you can see the sheer brilliance of Estavillo's strategy. He's offering the perfect opportunity for PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo fans to agree on something for once.

Exclusive: Nintendo's vice president of corporate affairs, Denise Kaigler, is leaving the company.

The blobs return with even harder challenges.

Difficulty is the most important part of gaming. Too bad it's so misunderstood.

Difficulty is the most important part of gaming. Too bad it's so misunderstood.

Why are videogame chores so much more enjoyable than real ones?

Difficulty is the most important part of gaming. Too bad it's so misunderstood.

An array of customized vehicles and characters wreak havoc on the open road.