I played a quick half of an NBA Jam game at EA's booth between a couple of E3 appointments. In that short session, I had a great time -- but I think my AI partner had a much better time than I did. That's not to say I didn't enjoy myself: in my admittedly brief experience with EA Canada's renewed version of the classic arcade basketball game, I found that pretty much everything about the game is scientifically designed to deliver maximum fun.
#wow
Stephen Gillett was at one time the youngest chief information officer on the Fortune 500. How'd he get there? Playing a ton of World of Warcraft, of course. More »
Initially given an uncertain release date of "soon," PS3 firmware 3.40 is live in North America as of last night, enabling PlayStation Plus subscription, video editing and more. The new PSN Facebook application is also now available, allowing you to make new PSN friends and show off your trophies.
#clips
The new PlayStation 3 firmware as gone live. The big thing might be the addition of Sony's paid online service PlayStation Plus. The cool thing is the totally free video editing software. More »
For every Batman: Arkham Asylum or Epic Mickey, there's got to be someone out there bringing shoddy licensed games to the floor of E3. Bless Crave Entertainment then, because the publisher was back at it this year, showing off titles based on Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch and Man vs. Wild TV shows, and a Brunswick-licensed PlayStation Move bowling game. The trio was quite generally terrible -- unpolished, unfinished, pretty blatant attempts to take a familiar name, slap it on some semblance of gameplay and make a few bucks from people buying something for the name on it.
So don't read the rest of this post because you're thinking of buying any of these games -- even if you happen to be a Deadliest Catch or Man vs. Wild fan, there are better and more enjoyable ways to spend your time with the properties (like, you know, watching the shows, which are both pretty well done). Instead, read on about the three most awkward moments of my time spent in Crave's E3 booth.
#squareenix
Final Fantasy Versus XIII was first made public in 2006. Square Enix has shown screenshots and trailers. And now, Versus XIII's designer is happy to report, the game's story is finished. More »
#ps3
Demon's Souls has only just come out in Europe, after an agonising delay. If you thought the wait would mean most of the target audience would have imported and passed on the local release, though, you're dead wrong. More »
Judging by some recently discovered website listings, two brand-new Activision titles are in the works. First up is Death Drive, which has a GameFly page and not much else. The rental outfit lists it as set for the Xbox 360 and PS3 with a November 2010 release date. Superannuation, for its part, says this is not related to the new James Bond title. That game -- Bloodstone -- had its own GameFly page. Past tense.
Meanwhile, over on the Australian Classification Board's website, there's a listing for a game called Above and Beyond. We've got even less information on this one -- apart from the fact that it's rated M for violence. In both cases, we've contacted Activision to try and see exactly what these games are all about.
In case you're still hazy on the precise services included with Sony's PlayStation Plus subscription (and, let's be honest, that's not your fault), Sony recently detailed the initial offerings on PlayStation Blog. This should help you decide whether or not to subscribe when the service becomes available later today. (Protip: You'll need the latest firmware update -- install it now.)
Basically, you pay either $18 for three months or $50 for a year (plus 3 additional months if you sign up for the full year now). Each month new games will be available for you to download and play as long as you keep your subscription active. For the initial month, you'll get access to Wipeout HD, selected Minis, including Fieldrunners and Age of Zombies, PSOne Classic Rally Cross, Qore epsidoes, and an inFamous "Full Game Trial" (with option to purchase the full downloaded game and continue where the trial ends).
You'll also be able to set up automatic downloads of this content, if you want to feel like you're paying your PS3 to bring things to you.
#rumor
Alongside the new PS3 firmware update, the PSP has been updated as well. And it looks like this one brought with it a nice little surprise. More »
Etrian Odyssey III adds a new element to the series' gameplay beyond dying in dungeons and drawing maps. You'll be able to explore the ocean, as depicted in new screenshots. Don't worry, you'll also be dying in dungeons and practicing your cartography. Etrian Odyssey III sets sail September 21.
I just received my first official artwork to hang in my new office! Thanks to the guys behind Furry Legends, I now have an original piece of artwork to promote the game. A canvas painting that is far too nice for the likes of someone like me! With Furry Legends coming out [...]
You may have heard that The Silver Lining is back on track for a free release. Now read Big Download's interview with Phoenix Online Studios and learn how the project began and what the team has planned for the future, including its first original project, Corridor 9.
#activision
Transformers: War For Cybertron is good enough to deserve a sequel, but that doesn't mean a second game in the universe will be another shooter. More »
- once again, attaches to Wiimote
- aims to bring the arcade experience home
- buttons are arcade-sized
- push down and twist the sword as you do in the arcade version
- officially licensed by Nintendo
- operates like a classic controller
- all classic controller buttons and analog stick on a panel in front
- ¥12,800
- comes with codes for [...]
#tetris
Alexey Pajitnov, creator of Tetris, may be semi-retired these days, but he still likes to dabble in a bit of game design from time to time. At the moment, for example, he's working on multiplayer Tetris. More »
