GREAT CONFIRMATION, BUT.........

It was a wonderful thing to hear when Christophe Balestra, VP at Naughty Dog, confirmed Uncharted 2 in an interview, as reported by Jeux France. I'm curious if the people at NAUGHTY DOG will lead the story underwater and search for the LOST CITY OF ATLANTIS. We've all seen the photoshop images and Uncharted is and AMAZING title for the PS3, but why hasn't the people at NAUGHTY DOG mentioned a new JAK for the PS3?
posted by blip74

IN FAIRNESS

This is my opinion and I'm going to use this platform to have my voice heard. With all due respect to the other consoles on the market and not taking sales figures into account, "WHAT MAKES SONY THE LEADER, WHAT MAKES THEM THE BEST?" Is it their content, their durability, is it the fact that they have a well established base in the gaming industry, or are we label whores following a brand, where anything with the name Sony on it is a seller. I believe it is the latter. I have enjoyed playing on a Playstation since the first console entered on the scene and just blew away the competition, and in my opinion they haven't looked back since then. Nintendo who is now enjoying a large portion of the market with the Wii and who once held the position as being the dominant console with the ORIGINAL NES just doesn't speak to me, as a GAMER who needs something more mature. The XBOX 360 is a strange machine to try and pinpoint. It is both freeing and VERY CONFINING at the same time. I like what they have done with their online service, but at the same time they try and hold you HOSTAGE with too many of their services. Why do I have to pay to play my games online, why with the additional chat features of the system, I can't hold a chat room with more than one person, why can't I purchase third party products for my machine ala (wi-fi, hardrive, mics, etc.). I could list other things but no need. My main question is, "WHY AND THE HELL DOES THE SYSTEM BREAK DOWN SO MUCH?" Microsoft probably doesn't even have an answer for those questions and if so they probably don't wanna tell their consumers. In fairness it comes down to the games. I PERSONALLY feel that my Playstation 3 has a better variety of games for my particular taste. I've already mentioned the Wii and how I don't feel they offer anything mature. Nintendo themselves have said they are in a market all by themselves. They don't see themselves as being apart of this console war. That shifts the attention onto Sony and Microsoft. Once again I PERSONALLY don't think that the XBOX console offers me the wide range of versatility I look for in a console. The majority of the games they offer can be found on my PS3 and the EXCLUSIVE games they boast for the console don't appeal to me enough to overlook the flaws in their system. That is not to say the PS3 is without its flaws. They are in a lot of ways trying to achieve and implement what Microsoft has in its online service. It has taken them some time from them and a lot of patience from us the consumers and together we have achieved a small step in our goal, 2.41. I believe with the release of the home beta there will be a large shift in what the online experience should be. When the online battle becomes a wash, being that many of the third parties are going multiplatform the war may come down to who has the best exclusives.
posted by blip74

THE TALE OF THE SWORD BEGINS...

I'm writing this because I'm happy with what I've read. You may have already heard reports of this, but some were just speculation and rumor. I'm here to tell you that my favorite fighting game will have ONLINE! Yes, it will have online, so be on the look out for blip74. Not only will it have online, but it will boast the tag team feature like DOA and TEKKEN TAG...Mitsuguri and Taki all on your ass. Now I've also read that it will not support rumble, but I'm not going to believe that do to the source it came from. Many source sites our saying that, "SOULCALIBUR IV is probably the best fighting game of 08."
posted by blip74

TROPHIES

We don't like to copy things here, but a lil copy is necessary. With the amount of interest invested into people wanting trophies we thought it would be best to bring you the article here:


The trophy support list (work in progress)

Jul 26th, 2008 by Jamie S

It seems that developers are starting to support the Trophy system more and more. This is great, it finally gives all the players a better chance to receive their first trophy if not more. So we have compiled a list of games that are and will support trophies. If we missed any or if any are wrong comment below and we will look into it.

Confirmed

Super Stardust HD (already available)

Ferrari Challenge (undated)

Pixel Junk Eden (soon)

Uncharted (August 22nd)

Warhawk (soon in v1.5)

Rockband 2 (undated)

Bioshock (on release)

Pain (around sound time as expansion, theme park)

Resistance 2 (on release)

Little Big Planet (on release)

SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation

NBA: 09

Buzz Quizz TV

MotorStorm Pacific Rift

Killzone 2

Since Socom, NBA 09, Buzz, Motostorm, and Killzone 2 don't say anything specific will assume these titles are getting trophies on release.

Project Origin (on release)

Borderlands (on release)

Brothers in Arms Hell’s Highway (on release)

Aliens: Colonial Marines (on release)

WipEout HD (on release)

Burnout Paradise (patch)



Rumoured/ possible

Bionic Commando Rearmed (They are looking into it)

Mirror’s Edge (they are looking into it)

Battlefield Bad Company (are them the trophies? or?)



Not getting

Ratchet and Clank: quest for booty (not on release and no word if after)

Devil May Cry 4 (they believe it has it’s own ‘little’ trophy system)

Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (the team behind this has moved on)

Call of Duty 4 (they feel its arrived to late to be integrated)

Resistance: Fall of Man (don’t want to postpone development on R2)

Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction (focusing on R2)

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (No plans for trophy support)

1942

Credited to N4G and That is Gaming

Killzone 2 awarded best graphics of E3 On GameTrailers

Everyone knows about GameTrailers being biased and such. This is very surprising for GameTrailers to give killzone 2 best graphics of E3. Blade206 a member of the Games On Smash crew expected something like Gears of War.
Posted by WorseCase

PS3 Exclusive announcement: HARDWARE 2 (concept name)

Every gaming forum is waiting impatiently for the new exclusive game information, today i’m honored to announce the following game: (please note that it is a concept name, and still can be different when it comes out) Hardware 2.

However I do know that some of you will be disapointed because most people thought Hardware online arena was average, well don’t be… Hardware 2 (concept name) will be different, just like the first hardware you’ll be able to fight in Tanks and Jeeps, Bikes and Helicopters are added in the frag competition. You can fully customize every part on your vehicle including color, items, weapons and more. The biggest change however are the environments: You can fight in a Living and breathing world and you can destroy everything, you can even just kill your enemies by letting an appartment building crash into it. The damage will be unbelievable because everything is linked together, when you destroy a building it can crash onto another building and get damaged realisticly.
Decapitation of Limbs or smashing people under buildings or just be a happy guy that runs over people for a living is something thats normal in Hardware 2 (concept name). You can look at it as the next gen Carmageddon meets Twisted metal. Did I mention that you will fight 50 vs 50 yet? You can even go beserk and do a deathmatch against 99 other players. You got the basic stuff like deathmatch, team deatchmatch ,CTF and King of the hill but you got several original game modes, a total of 14 game modes are already created and being tested. You will also have the ability to play mini games online like do the most damage or kill the most pedestrians.

A cool feature about Hardware 2 (concept name) is something similar like the Snapshot in Burnout. Everytime that you kill an enemy you’ll see a box with a camera inside the vehicle and you see how the character dies and believe me when i say some deaths are very painful to look at. The online part will be very important and they are going to make sure that Clan support is included. You can have a clan emblem, create your own tournaments, and build up your reputation. The reputation is something special, some games encourage that you destroy buildings and kill innocent people, well Hardware 2 is different, you should avoid it… You will need to take the decision if your shot will be accurate enough or else you will kill 50 people, that’s what military is all about. The more ‘clean’ you play, the better your reputation will become.

Source : http://playstationlifestyle.net/2008/07/24/ps3-exclusive-announcement-hardware-2-concept-name/

Sony: ‘Final Fantasy XIII’ Going To XBox 360 Creates ‘Jump Ball’

It is true that FFXIII may have a negligable effect on hardware sales much like GTAIV… But as MGS4 shows, if FFXIII was exclusive it would’ve moved hardware! And in any case Sony still has FFXIII where it really matters… Exclusive in Japan, which is sure to sell a smorgasboard of consoles much like Monster Hunter or FFVII: Crisis core did for PSP.

And the more you think about it, if any Square FF fan considers which console to get FFXIII for, the fact that FF Versus XIII is still currently exclusive to the PS3, and that movies like FFVII: Advent Children Complete are only available on blu-ray, there’s a lot more incentive to get a PS3. Add to that the possibility that the PS3 version may end up being better than the 360 port as Square have confirmed that they will have to compress the HD cutscenes and sound for the 360 version, for those who care enough about the audio/visual experience and pixel couting on their HDTVs, the PS3 is the better choice. And for those hardcore who wish to import the Japanese version of the game at launch will only have the PS3 version to consider.

Besides, seeing as how the game will probably only make it out of Japan around 2010, the market in the US and Eu could be a much different story. PS3s will have sold more, and blu-ray will be more popular, and the price of the PS3 will have come down even further, and with a slew of other exclusive games under its belt, the PS3 will be an incredibly strong contender by that time. And if Sony’s smart, then like they did for GTAIV, they can nab the rights to an exclusive bundle that gives you a PS3, a copy of FFXIII and perhaps even Advent Children complete on blu-ray in one value priced package! That would definately help draw more attention to them, there are many ways to turn the situation in their favor.
Posted by Lex_Yayo_407

WHAT IS NEEDED....

I've read many articles that have been written as to what is needed and should be available is firmware 2.5. In all the articles I've read the lists weren't to exciting. For the most part they were very unimaginative. Here are so of my picks and the GAMES ON SMASH PICKS as to what should be offered in 2.5.

VIDEO MESSAGING
Awhile ago I was having a conversation with someone about video messaging being offered to the PS3 and why not now? The 360 has it, and its not a far fetched feature to be offered.

FORWARDING
I've said for the longest that the messaging features for the PS3 needs to offer Copy, Forward, and Paste. Also they need to expand the text box in how many characters you are able to write in your message.

CUSTOM SOUNDTRACKS
I'm putting this here because a member of our CREW is crazy about the feature, but I try and stress that its already there and just needs to be taken advantage of by developers.

MULTIPLE PAIRINGS
I should be able to pair multiple bluetooth devices (headsets) to my PS3.

I think this would be a very nice firmware update. In reading whats been posted on other sites what should added in firmware 2.5, I think the IN-GAME VOICE CHAT, CROSS GAME INVITES, and other features will be added once home comes out.
posted by blip74

R2 D2 Added In Soul Calibur IV

Hey Everyone, I've just received the scans of a character that may be in Soul Caliber IV. He might be associated with Yoda or Darth Vader or both? Here are the scans of the charcter R2-D2 below.

Age: Unknown
Race: Astromech Droid
Place of Birth: Industrial Automation
Height: 96cm
Weight: Depends on add on gear
Birth Date: Unknown
Blood Type: None
Weapon: Stun Arm, Saber Launcher
Style: J Type Defense Program
Family: Many Others of the same type
Posted by WorseCase

Qore episode 03 to have Resistance 2 Beta Invite

Qore episode 03 is to contain and invite to the Resistance 2 Beta supposedly starting in September! I'm definatly am going to be in this beta although I personally don't like online sifi shooters.
Posted By WorseCase

WHY NOT?

I was rappin with my homie esko from the GAMES ON SMASH CREW and we were discussing SOULCALIBUR IV and how everyone knows of the rumors of Kratos being in the game as a secret character or dlc, but he said, "you know what would be better than Kratos would be NARIKO from HEAVENLY SWORD."

I just finished posting a small contest of VIDEO GAME VIXENS in the G.O.S picks section with a picture of Taki and was thinking to myself that would be a better fit. Not only is her fighting style more suited for the game, I think that SOULCALIBUR could use a stronger female pressence in their game. That goes for games in general. I think they should develop more games with lead kick ass female charcters and stop putting female characters in fighters who can't fight...DC vs MK SONYA SUCKS!
Developers we wanna see some more BAD ASS BITCHES!...NARIKOOOOO!!!!!!
posted by blip74

Univeral To Make Video Games

Universal Studios today announced that they will enter the video game market. They decided to make the move in order to work closely on tie-in movie games whilst getting rid of the outside publishers.

WANTED will be the first game from the studio due to hit in early 2009 in which it follows off from where the successful Jolie/Mcavoy film left off.

Interestingly people may remember Universal publishing games before becoming Vivendi Games. Most famously they published the original Crash Bandicoot series on the Psone under Naughty Dog’s reign.

Whilst I like the idea off continuing films such as WANTED I think we all know where this is going. Yet more crappy, rushed and licensed games in an already saturated market. Hooray.

It is also worth nothing that many other large Film Studios deal with video games in-house such as Paramount and Warner Bros.
Posted by WorseCase Credited To http://brutalgamer.com/2008/07/universal-studios-to-make-video-games/

The Ultimate Proof Sony Is Winning

Posted By:Jane Wells
Topics:Video Games | Movies & Film Studios
Sectors:Travel and Leisure
Companies:Sony Corporation

Forget the analysts. Forget the NPD sales figures. Forget the CEO’s. I live with the ultimate expert on the video game industry—my 16-year-old son.

He not only plays video games, he watches every show about them on G4, he participates in chat rooms about them on the internet, he competes in a variety of games on a variety of platforms. He always tells me the latest trend three months before I read about it in the media.

But he’s never been a PlayStation fan. Sure, he had a PS1, but as soon as the Xbox came out, it was game over. He loved the Xbox graphics, and once he was old enough to play “Halo,” he loved the games. He graduated to the Xbox 360, Xbox Live, “Gears of War,” etc. He even hung in there during the overheating Xbox “red ring of death” phase. Other than a two-year detour/obsession playing “World of Warcraft” on his computer, he has always been an Xbox fanboy. Sony just didn’t have great games.

Last week he recorded all of G4’s E3 coverage so he could watch it after work (he’s got a summer job to save money to buy gas and videogames, in that order). He was very excited after Microsoft had its news conference. “You can stream Netflix movies onto the Xbox 360!” he exclaimed.
After hearing about “Metal Gear Solid 4”, as well as other PlayStation exclusives in the pipeline and the awesomeness of Blu-ray, he promptly packed up his Xbox 360 and all his games and went down to Game Stop to trade them in. He bought a PS3 and “Metal Gear Solid 4.” I had to be there to approve the purchase of the M-rated game since he’s not yet 17, and I was surprised at how rapturous the Game Stop employees were about Sony. They then sold him a USED copy of “Metal Gear Solid 4.” “How can the game already be used?” my son asked. “Because some people get frustrated if they don’t have ‘cheats’,” he was told. But the cashier assured him that the game “was just as good as new.” My son asked, “How can that be?” “Because PlayStation players are ninjas!” was the response.

I’m happy to say my son didn’t accept this answer. Perhaps that’s because he’s now spending his own hard-earned money to purchase these games. He said, “Seriously, how does that work?” And the Game Stop fanboys explained that Sony now has a special coating on Blu-ray game discs which makes them virtually scratch-proof. We shall see.

One thing we do know. We may not be able to stream Netflix movies onto the console (yet) but now we can start ordering them on Blu-ray.

As we left the store, I said to him, “I never thought I’d see you with a PlayStation.” “Neither did I,” he replied.

Original post location from; www.cnbc.com

Little Big Planet Update

Media Molecule the developers for Little Big Planet reveals more about its content. It has been confirmed Little Big Planet has 50 levels with a boss fight at the end of all of them. The level of difficulty of this game is a promise that everyone can play this game. There will also be more challenges identified for gamers. Now obviously, it will be possible to die in Little Big Planet but there will be a great amount of checkpoints. Some bosses will be very difficult to beat, and in some cases impossible if you are playing by yourself.However, you can not listen to your own music in Little Big Planet(which is a little bit of a let down for me WorseCase), developers have preferred to create many music tracks to make the action even more immersive.
Posted By WorseCase