'Gravity Ends' in new WipEout HD trailer

The latest (final?) trailer for WipEout HD went flying onto the net just a few hours after we published our hands-on impressions of the finished game. In-between a bunch of jump cuts, you can get a good look at the venues we referred to in our post, along with barrel rolls and, of course, that blistering frame rate.

In case you didn't catch it earlier, WipEout HD is going to cost $19.99 when it debuts shortly on the PlayStation Store. Yes, we know the trailer just says "2008" at the end – but race day is actually a lot closer than you think.

Burnout Bikes Dated!

We’re finally able to announce that our latest free downloadable Burnout pack bikes will be out 18th September!!!

It’s tough to give specific dates on downloadable content, because we don’t know for certain until the last minute. But hey, we’re really excited about bringing bikes to Burnout, so we’re going to take a chance and tell you that we’re aiming for September 18 – that’s this coming Thursday!

If you missed our earlier posts, here’s what’s coming:

* Pick from 2 motorcycles featuring male or female characters and start on a whole new progression to earn your Bike License.
* 38 new against-the-clock race events – Burning Ride and Midnight Ride.
* A brand new in-game 24 hr day / night cycle that impacts traffic density and available events. (It’s fully customisable – you can make it day/night/change the clock speed – it’s up to you.)
* Dynamic weather brings an all-new look to Paradise City.
* And if that’s not enough, we’ve got 70 more Freeburn Challenges too.

Freeburn is Burnout’s uninterrupted drop-in / drop-out online play. It’s a cool collaborative experience, so it’s all about hanging out with your friends, messing around in vehicles while racing, pulling tricks and crashing in a massive open world city.

bike07

If 350 fun, co-operative challenges aren’t enough to keep you and your friends occupied, the Bike Pack throws a further 70 to the mix. These bike-exclusive challenges are split 50:50 between regular challenges and timed, against-the-clock challenges for those that enjoy a little more intensity.

bike20

We’ve got all the details on bikes at www.criteriongames.com and in our latest video podcast – Crash TV. You can see it now on iTunes.

Burnout Paradise is currently available for the Greatest Hits price of $29.99 on PLAYSTATION 3.

Agency Devs Exploring Cross-Platform Play

Sony Online Entertainment's working on massively multiplayer shooter The Agency for both PlayStation 3 and PC, which raises a lot of interesting questions about developing an online game for both platforms at once.

For example, with both versions underway for both PC and PlayStation 3, could players on both platforms interact in the same game world?

SOE is indeed considering it, says executive producer Matt Wilson -- "In fact, we're actually doing that at the office. Technology-wise, it's really not that complicated."

But there are three key barriers he says that stand in the way. First is game exploitability -- Wilson uses the example of the high quantity of hacks in a PC shooter like Counter-Strike to describe how it's significantly more difficult to secure a PC online title than it is on a console's closed platform, and maintaining the safety across platforms presents a challenge. "Being able to manage that is no simple task," he says.

The second problem is gameplay balance, as the difference between PC mouse-and-keyboard versus the PS3's controls gains particular weight with a shooter.

"We can do things to equalize them, whether that's aim assist on the console or other things on the PC, but when we've actually done focus group testing and so forth, you're always going to have the console players versus the PC players," Wilson says. "There's always a dynamic of 'It's not fair!' for whatever reason. So, it is important that we take those considerations on that."

But the third consideration is the biggest challenge, Wilson says, in terms of allowing PC and PS3 players to share the game world -- the update process.

"MMOs live and die by their updates, and we need to be able to update our product frequently," says Wilson. "The console requires a certification process, while the PC does not. And so it's going to be really difficult for us to maintain that synchronization across both platforms, and make that work really easily with the value of the MMO."

"As soon as there's an item that maybe we didn't think about and that's causing issues on the server, we need to be able to take care of that immediately, without compromising the other one. It's actually a pretty difficult proposition."

But at the very least, Wilson says game accounts will be global and cross-compatible, even if not necessarily simultaneous. "We're going to start simple," he says. "If you have a PC account, and I have a PS3, you should be able to come over to my house, and play on my PS3 game with your account. So, we want the ability for you to be able to move across worlds pretty easily."

"And then the other part is leaderboards and other things. And maybe in the future, we'll start connecting them up and doing that. Again, it's never been a technology problem; it's more game balance and update calls."

There are pros and cons, Wilson says, in dealing with a closed platform versus an open one. Most obviously, a closed platform is guaranteed compatibility for all users who own it, and it's a level playing field when improving issues like framerate and latency, key for a shooter.

"The negative is that because it's a closed platform, we have to go through a certification process," Wilson says. "I don't necessarily look at that as a negative, because in the end, I'm hoping that gives us a better quality. And if we happen to miss things, they'll catch it, and vice versa... It's just something new and different; it's not something we're used to."

On the other hand, changes to PC online games can be made immediately across servers in a way that can't happen on the PS3. "We have to actually look at designing the game differently, asking what data can we update without requiring a certification run, and what data can we not update without requiring a certification run? That's something we have to balance," Wilson says.

"The nice part about the PS3 is that it's a powerhouse console, and if we're designing it with the PS3 in mind, we're still going to have a high fidelity game on the PC. And so, from a content perspective, we're really not doing anything differently, whether it's the PC or the PS3."

Heavy Rain play target is “8-12 hours,” says Cage

Speaking to VG247 at Games Convention, Quantic Dream boss David Cage said a single walk through of top drawer PS3 thriller Heavy Rain is likely to take no more than 12 hours.

“We’re still in the middle of production, so I can’t really tell you the exact time of the game, but we’re targeting a game between eight and 12 hours in gameplay for one walk through,” he said.

Seen for the first time in Germany last month, the game showed what appeared to be unparalleled plot-branching, a fact, Cage said, likely to keep the hardcore coming back for much more.

“It’s impossible in one walk through to see everything there is to see,” he added.

“And that’s going to be OK. For most gamers, they’re going to play it once, and really enjoy it and have a great journey, but some hardcore gamers will want to come back and see everything, and all possible options.”

Heavy Rain has been branded PS3’s “most important title for next year” by SCEE boss David Reeves.

BioShock PS3 demo surfacing Oct. 2

As the most stubborn person alive, you've already dismissed BioShock's numerous awards and rapturous reception, chalking it up to a juvenile and easily swayed media. "They'll stick a ten on any old thing these days," you say, rolling your eyes at all the games-as-art debates arising in the first-person shooter's wake. The word-of-mouth may be exceedingly positive, but the word coming from your mouth is, "No."

"No, I'll play the demo first," you declare, "and then I'll make my decision." You flip your official and slightly unsavory Big Daddy calendar to the October page. "Ah, October 2nd. That's when the PlayStation 3 demo is due to arrive on the PlayStation Network!" You circle the date in one swift, confident stroke ... but suddenly feel a tinge of unease trickle down your spine.

"Wait a minute ... how did I know that? It's like ... someone else is putting these thoughts directly into my mind, dictating my very character from afar. Oh crap, was that a hyperlink?"

August NPD figures released, 360 beats PS3

NPD's released its August figures. Everything below:

Hardware Unit Sales
Aug-08
PlayStation 3 185.4K
PlayStation Portable 253.0K
Playstation 2 144.1K
Xbox 360 195.2K
Wii 453.0K
Nintendo DS 518.3K

New Socom: Confrontation Beta Patch Coming Soon

As we all know the Socom: Confrontation beta can be quite the pain. Having to wait 10 minutes to get started is about as awesome as watching paint dry. The Socom team is aware of this problem and are working around the clock to get it fixed and bring us all a better beta experience

As of right now, The Socom Team is focusing in fixing these problems:

* Abnormally long network synchronization issues when some users in a game have a poor network connection. This issue causes 4-7 minute (or longer) load times when late joining a game.
* An issue where respawn game late joiners were sometimes stuck in spectator mode and could not respawn into the game.
* Remove the latency detection network test which is causing some users with poor network connections to receive the network latency icon (red X).

There is currently no announcement for the patch’s release date but we’re hoping next week!

Resistance 2 Is "Just About Finished"

Resistance 2 drops early this November. Good thing developer Insomniac is almost finished. Whew! Insomniac's Ted Price brings the good news:

The game is just about finished as I write this. Yet the three to four weeks before we deliver a final disc to the factory are always the most difficult. This is when we're fixing bugs, adding tons of polish, making tuning tweaks, and trying to keep our builds stable for the testing team. What's great is that all of our features are in, and the game is looking, sounding, and playing fantastic. Resistance 2 has become everything we hoped it would be.

Great news. Always nice to get things done on time. Fingers crossed its up to par.

Playstation teams up with design school for LittleBigPlanet design event

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA) and the prestigious Parsons The New School For Design today announced its partnership in hosting a 24-hour LittleBigPlanet(TM) Game Jam. The event will take place September 21-22 in New York City at Parsons and will consist of a 24-hour video game design competition featuring more than 120 students from disciplines such as technology, music, fashion design, illustration and photography. Participants in the Game Jam will be tasked with creating the most inventive and challenging game levels within a 24-hour period for the highly anticipated PLAYSTATION(R)3 title, LittleBigPlanet.

"We are thrilled to be partnering with some of the most imaginative talents in the world at Parsons The New School For Design," said Scott Rohde, vice president of Product Development, Worldwide Studios America. "The LittleBigPlanet Game Jam is the perfect way to showcase the original and innovative aspects of LittleBigPlanet as well as the exceptional design abilities of the students at Parsons."

During the Game Jam, students will break off into teams of five. Each team will demonstrate their distinctive artistic talents by creating levels utilizing LittleBigPlanet's easy-to-use creation tools over the course of one day. At the end of the 24-hour period, teams will present their levels, which will be judged by a panel consisting of Media Molecule, the award-winning development team responsible for LittleBigPlanet, various Parsons faculty, and members of the media. The winning Game Jam levels will be featured in a specially branded Parsons section within LittleBigPlanet when it launches this October.

LittleBigPlanet is a community-based game for the PLAYSTATION(R)3 that allows players to play, create and share the levels they build with other users throughout the world via PLAYSTATION(R)Network. Playing as customizable SackBoy(TM) characters, players have the power to move anything in the game's glued and stitched-together 3D landscape; they have the power to design, shape and build both objects and entire locations for others to view and play. Once the level has been completed, players can invite anyone within the LittleBigPlanet community to come and explore their world - or can go and explore everybody else's. LittleBigPlanet was recently awarded several prominent accolades from its showing at the 2008 Electronic Entertainment Expo and is launching exclusively on the PLAYSTATION(R)3 in October.

What Does the PS3 Have This Holiday Season?

One of the things I remember from this year’s E3 is when Jack Tretton said that the year 2008 is the year where the Playstation 3 will rise up to its competitiors With the launching of the Playstation Video Store this year, and LittleBigPlanet finally approaching by the end of the year, is 2008 really the year of the Playstation 3?

The Playstation 3 has lost a lot of third party exclusive games this year such as Devil May Cry 4, Grand Theft Auto IV, Ace Combat 6, Tales of Vesperia, and Star Ocean 4, but this doesn’t stop Sony from going. Even though Sony has lost the faith of its third party developers, they have big studios all around the world to bring you first party exclusive titles that we await this year, such as Resistance 2 and LittleBigPlanet. Will these first party titles of Sony be enough to sustain the glory that the Playstation brand once had? Will this year’s Holiday titles be enough?

With 111 days left before year 2009 kicks in, let’s take a look of the exclusive games Sony has this fall:

NBA 09: The Inside
Release Date: 10/7/2008

For the first time on PS3, NBA 09 The Inside includes “The Life”, providing fans with a completely unique and inside experience of life in the league. This year The life starts fresh, allowing players to control the paths of three different characters while guiding them through all-new challenges and storylines in the quest to go from development league to the NBA. In addition to The Life, NBA 09 The Inside delivers a full featured Franchise Mode, allowing players to experience every facet of running their own NBA team.

Socom: Confontation
Release Date: 10/14/2008

With the power of the PS3, SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation will deliver the most intense and authentic high definition modern combat action. The title’s focus is on online play and the global community and clans that support it. With an emphasis on Tournaments, Clan Ladders, Leader Boards, the latest title in the multi-million unit selling franchise is exactly what SOCOM fans have been clamoring for.

LittleBigPlanet
Release Date: 10/21/2008

The LittleBigPlanet experience starts with players learning about their character’s powers to interact physically with the environment. There are obstacles to explore, bits and pieces to collect and puzzles to solve – requiring a combination of brains and collaborative teamwork. As players begin to explore, their creative skills will grow and they will be ready to start creating and modifying their surroundings – the first step to sharing them with the whole community.

Motorstorm Pacific Rift
Release Date: 10/28/2008

The most brutal offroad racing festival is back, with players once again descending on the wild and alternative MotorStorm Festival. However, this time the location has changed dramatically, with players attempting to tackle the diversity and unpredictability of a remote Pacific island environment. Developed by Evolution Studios exclusively for PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™), MotorStorm™ Pacific Rift revisits the intense racing action introduced in last year’s MotorStorm™, this time allowing players to navigate a radically different tropical environment chock full of lush jungle, towering peaks, and crystal-clear water.

Resistance 2
Release Date: 11/4/2008

On the brink of annihilation, mankind resumes the fight against the unstoppable Chimera on the shores of the United States. And thus the stage is set for Resistance 2™, the highly anticipated follow-up to Insomniac Games’ best-selling PS3 launch title, developed exclusively for the PLAYSTATION®3 system. Players will once again step into the war-torn boots of Nathan Hale, who not only faces near impossible odds on the battlefield, but also constantly struggles with the Chimeran virus raging inside his own body. In addition to an epic single-player campaign, Resistance 2 will offer a truly unprecedented eight-player, class-based online co-op campaign with a separate, parallel storyline and 60-player online competitive multiplayer built upon a ‘massive battles, greater intimacy’ mantra. Players can also expect a re-designed MyResistance.net featuring social networking tools designed to enhance a user’s gameplay experience whether they’re engaged in single, co-op or competitive combat

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm
Release Date: 11/4/2008

The No.1 Head-to-Head Fighting game franchise based on Naruto arrives on PS3 for the first time to reign supreme in the next generation of video gaming. Armed with gorgeous cinematic quality HD graphics, a revolutionary next-gen battle system, interactive multi-dimensional battle grounds and seamlessly explorable world of Naruto, Naruto Ultimate Ninja STORM will capture the heart of any Naruto fan! Your dream to LIVE AND BREATHE THE SHOW will come true!

Valkryia Chronicles
Release Date: 11/11/2008

Valkyria Chronicles is set in a fictitious continent reminiscent of 1930s, Europe divided in two and ruled by the Empire and the Federation. The Empire has set its sights on invading a small neutral country called Gallia, which is situated in the middle of the two great empires. The game follows a hero named Welkin and his fellow soldiers of the Federation’s 7th Platoon that are fighting against the Empire, who is intent on unifying the continent under its power. The Federation discovers that the Empire possesses a secret weapon, known as the “Valkyria”- an ancient race with special powers thought to exist only in legends. With this new discovery, the fate of the Federation’s ability to win the war and a hope for a better future hangs in the balance.

Starting October until the end of the year, 7 PS3 games worth owning for the Playstation 3 will be coming out. Due to games such as Resistance 2 and Naruto: Ninja Storm, the Playstation 3 will indeed have a great end-of-year sales, not to mention the other multiplatform games such as Fallout 3, Saints Row 2, Bioshock, and Far Cry 2. Don’t also forget the Playstation Network titles arriving every Thursday, such as Jeopardy and Fat Princess!

Even though with the recent price drop of the XBOX 360, the Playstation 3 should be able to do good this year with its blockbuster hits arriving this year. The only fanbase Playstation 3 will probably lose are RPG gamers, as AAA RPG titles such as Star Ocean 4 and Last Remnant are going to the XBOX 360.

Let’s hope 2009 will be another year for the Playstation 3… or will it?

PAIN patch adds trophies and more ... if you pay for it

The long-awaited PAIN trophy patch is now available to download. Simply load up the game and you will be prompted to download the 325MB patch. Don't forget, PAIN's trophies have been retooled, to make them a bit easier than originally intended. The patch also adds a bunch of content to the game -- but only if you pay for it. Three new characters are available to purchase, along with the new "Abusement Park" (though none of these are available on any region's PSN Store as of yet). There are also new game modes which, we assume, come with the Amusement Park expansion.

There is one free addition to the feature roster, however. Each week a new mini-level will be made available. Each of these "PAINlabs" will be an experimental concept that Idol Minds are playing with and are releasing for you, the players, to test out. An interesting idea -- and best of all? It's free. Though, having said that, we doubt anyone would pay any money for these, judging from the first one.

MK Vs. DC Character List Outed By Achievements

Up until now Midway has been revealing new characters in their upcoming unholy union, Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe, in a rather dramatic fashion. Flashing pictures on the screen after a press conference in Germany, in front of a room full of comic book fans at Comic Con, or through the old standard, magazine exclusives. How sad is it then that the entire 22 character roster should then be revealed by a list of Xbox 360 achievements? Xbox360Achievements.Org has just posted such a list, which includes 22 character-specific achievements, such as Shazam Expert: Complete Shazam's expert combos.

So who's on the full roster? Saving that for after the jump, just in case anyone wishes to be surprised. Surely some of you would like to preserve the dramatic tension? No? Okay, here we go...

Baraka
Batman
Catwoman
Darkseid
Deathstroke
Flash
Green Lantern
Jax
Joker
Kano
Kitana
Lex Luthor
Liu Kang
Raiden
Scorpion
Shang Tsung
Shao Khan
Shazam
Sonya
Sub Zero
Superman
Wonderwoman

No really big surprises here, aside from maybe the glaring omission of Johnny Cage, though creator Ed Boon did mention at Comic Con that DC Comic's Jimmy Palmiotti would be a hidden character with a rather cagey-looking character model, so don't rule out Goro's sack-smasher just yet.

LittleBigPlanet: SackBoys in the Wild

With little over a month until LittleBigPlanet hits store shelves, the SackBoys are “stuffed” with joy, because the fans have had so much fun the past few weeks. From Pre-order activity, LittleBigBillboards, LittleBigChallenge 003 (SackBoy costume contest) to tons of community activity on fansites everywhere, like Libipl.com & LittleBigPlanetGuide – it puts a big smile on SackBoys.

But how much do you really know about SackBoy? What type of environment do they live it? What can they do? What do they do? If these questions ever crossed your mind….”roll video”

Resistance 2 Public Beta Applications Now Available

The application process for the Resistance 2 Beta has officially begun. The application consists of standard online gaming related questions, pertaining to the shooter genre.

" Please fill out the following information to apply for the Resistance 2 Public Beta. Remember, to qualify, you must:

* Have access to a PLAYSTATON®3 system that is connected to the internet via a broadband connection.
* Have an active PLAYSTATON®3 Network Account.
* Be 18 years or older.

We'll notify you via e-mail if you are accepted into the Public Beta. Space is limited. So, if you want to get a chance to try out all the new multiplayer features in Resistance 2, such as the 8-player co-op and up to 60-player competitive multiplayer, apply now! Good luck!"

Dead Space dev diary: Zero-gravity gameplay

Battlefield: Bad Company Adding PS3 Trophies, Unlocking Bonus Weapons

EA's hopping on the PlayStation Trophy bandwagon, adding support for Sony's answer to Achievements after the fact in an upcoming Battlefield: Bad Company update. The game joins PSN release NovaStrike as the latest to pledge Trophy support, making it borderline newsworthy as one of the new cool kids on the block.

In addition to that change, the official Bad Company site writes that further tweaks are coming, including technical performance fixes and the availability of bonus weapons, previously only available to those who had pre-ordered or opted in to the newsletter. Boosh! Wait... that's not right.

Here's How You'll Get Your Kratos Sackboy, UK

While we found out recently how we'll get our hands on the Kratos Sackboy in LittleBigPlanet on this side of the pond, those in the UK have a more straightforward method to acquire him — one that thankfully doesn't require multiple pre-order nonsense. He'll be included in the next issue of the Official PlayStation Magazine in the UK via a unique code, ensuring that your Play.com pre-order is safe and sound.

We Americans are going to have to choose between a Nariko and Kratos, given the respective Best Buy and GameStop pre-order scheme. Here's to hoping Sony provides an alternate method that requires effort on par with downloading some PlayStation 3 wallpapers or making a post on Kotaku.

PSN shooter has funny name, scrolls sideways

Killzone 2 Multiplayer Beta on PSN "Later This Year"

UK, September 1, 2008 - The first screenshot of the cloak suit from Killzone 2 has just plopped from Sony's loins and it's starting to get us excited about the forthcoming multiplayer beta. The pic shows a group of Helghast troops running along a darkened corridor – no surprise there – but the solider nearest the camera appears to be dissolving. It's the first time we've seen the game's active camo suit in action and players who choose the Scout class in the beta (and indeed the final game) have this cloak suit at their disposal, meaning they're incredibly difficult to spot in the middle of a firefight.

Here's how it works: with the camo suit equipped, players who remain motionless are practically impossible to see, appearing only as a visual glitch much like the Predator suit in the classic '80s movie. When you move the effect lessens somewhat depending on your speed, although you'll still be partially concealed if you walk slowly through the shadows, as displayed in the screen below.



The Scout also has a secondary ability that enables them to tag all on-screen enemies with a hidden marker, broadcasting their coordinates to team-mates.

Sony has also lifted the lid on the other classes that will appear in the Beta, which is currently in internal testing and is scheduled to go live over the PSN later this year. First up is the Rifleman, who's the default troop type in the game. They start with a variety of primary and secondary weapons, including grenades, and bigger and better guns can be unlocked as you progress through the ranks. Then there's the Engineer, whose primary skill is the ability to set up an automated turret that targets the enemy, plus they can repair ammunition dumps, mounted guns and turrets that have been damaged in battle.

Although not a natural first choice to Beta players, the Medic can revive downed team-mates if they get to their bloodied bodies quickly enough, plus they can throw health packs which can be collected by other players. The Assault trooper is the heavy weapons guy and it kitted out with thick armour that can take twice as much punishment as a regular Kevlar vest. His secondary ability is a temporary speed boost that enables him to get stuck into a firefight in double-quick time, or run in the opposite direction if you're low on health.

The Tactician is the captain of the group and can drop coloured smoke grenades throughout a level, which serve as spawn points for the rest of the team. This skill proves essential on the bigger maps in the Beta as it allows for a steady flow of friendly troops on the front line. Tacticians can request air support too, calling in a sentry bot that fly low and tear through the enemy.

Finally there's the Saboteur, who can infiltrate the opposition by assuming the guise of a random enemy player and is also equipped with sticky proximity-activated C4 charges – perfect for lobbing near the enemy spawn point once you've crept through their ranks!

Here's the really interesting bit though - the classes in Killzone 2 aren't as rigid as those in other games, so if you choose to play as a Scout you're not necessarily limited to just those skills. Instead you're free to mix and match to some extent, taking a class's primary ability and mixing it with another's secondary. So, for example, if you choose to be a Scout but take the engineer's secondary skill it's possible to slowly sneak over to the enemy base without being seen, thanks to the cloak suit, and then place a sentry gun that makes mincemeat of the bad guys as soon as they appear.

Since both ISA and Heghast factions will have the same class types and abilities available to them, albeit with slight variations in the specific weapons and gear set-ups, it's pretty much an even playing field. However, with so much scope for playing around with the skills there really is every incentive to be as creative as you can, to get that much-needed advantage over the enemy.

SOCOM: Confrontation Public Beta 1.10 Patch and Server update

We will be performing server maintenance and rolling out a new patch on September 9th at 5am PDT, 1200 GMT. The SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation game servers will be unavailable during the maintenance. The server maintenance is not expected to last longer than 1 1/2 hours.

SOCOM: Confrontation Public Beta 1.10 Patch

• Adds support for European EULAs.
• Adds support for dedicated servers located in Europe and Australia.
• Addresses a number of stability and late joining issues.
• Reduce the volume of the proximity chat by 50%.

The server maintenance and patch are not meant to address all issues. We will have more updates to both the server and client in the future.

Regards,
SOCOM Confrontation Online Team

D3 Says Bye-Bye To UMD, Hello To PSN For PSP Releases

D3Publisher is bringing its PSP library to the PlayStation Store, meaning that games like Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords and WTF: work time fun will shed their UMD mortal coils, becoming glorious digital downloads at prices well below their real world retail predecessors. Over the next two months, the following PSP games will be added to the PlayStation Stores on both the PlayStation 3 and PC, giving you a chance to play some potentially missed gems without having to get up off your ass.

Cube – September 18, 2008 for $9.99.
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords – September 18, 2008 for $14.99.
WTF: work time fun – October 2, 2008 for $9.99.
PQ: Practical Intelligence Quotient – October 2, 2008 for $9.99.
PQ2: Practical Intelligence Quotient 2 – October 16, 2008 for $14.99.
Dead Head Fred - October 16, 2008 for $14.99.

You know, for ten bucks, I could maybe see some PQ: Practical Intelligence Quotient in my life.

Infamous Interview with IGN UK: "The moon's going to crack in two..."

IGN: We just saw the demo for the first time and we're seriously impressed. It's a really accomplished open world. Was that a big technical challenge?

Nate Fox: It's been difficult making an open world, mainly because the technology costs of getting the streaming working are really high. As you might imagine, it's really fun making an open world game, because when you put something new in the game it's all over the place. The whole city benefits from the addition of a traffic simulation. So everyday when I'm playing the game I'm seeing new things getting added in -- like pedestrians digging in trashcans for food -- and you're just constantly surprised. It's hard because it's so vast, but it's cool in that everybody gets to share in this thing. It's not like lots of little pieces. It's like one big cake.

IGN: Do you feel any pressure because it's a new IP?

Nate Fox: I think there is a certain pressure because you're defining what it is first time out, but it's really exciting too because you get to define what it is, you're not bound by the fiction you established in the first one. Say, for instance, we're working on a superpower and it's not much fun, we can cut it because it's not part of the canon, right? We've got the freedom to just focus on making the game as fun as possible.

IGN: The whole world seemed scalable from what we saw in the demo -- has that been difficult to implement?

Nate Fox: Our rule is that if you think you should be able to climb on it, we let you do it. It's a tough rule to stick to, but it's worth it because there's a sense of freedom. Because it's an open world game, it's freedom in all three dimensions, so it's very tactile. It has been really hard because we wanted to make our interface really easy and not a complex combination of button presses like playing the saxophone or anything. We have a full time employee, and all he does is make things be climbable, that's all he does.

IGN: How are the missions going to present themselves?

Nate Fox: Our mission structure is kind of similar to GTA in that you have this open world and then you become aware that a mission exists. Our missions are different in that they have very strong beginnings, middles and ends with a lot of scripted events along the way to make you feel like you're the star of the action. You're the big event in the city.

IGN: Are you happy that a lot of people are comparing it to Crackdown?

Nate Fox: I think it's up to journalists to decide. It's like saying 'Do you like Aliens? Do you like Star Wars?' They're both science fiction, so that's great. Fun games are fun games. I think Crackdown's a blast to play, but I don't think our game's like Crackdown. There's a city and a guy who can do a lot of spectacular things in a city.

IGN: How much of the Sly games are in there -- is it identifiably a Sucker Punch game?

Nate Fox: There are certainly aspects of the Sly Racoon franchise in Infamous. There's a love of story and character development, as well as a sense of improvisational gameplay where you make up how you interact with the environment and enemies, which is something that we really like from Sly 2.

IGN: So it's exclusively a single-player game?

Nate Fox: We'll tell you in two months time. Right now we're showing the single-player stuff, which we're excited about and it's going to be fun. That's currently our schtick.

IGN: What exactly is going to happen in two months time?

Nate Fox: The moon's going to crack in two and out of it will come all knowledge of Infamous.

IGN: How's it working with Sony Worldwide Studios?

Nate Fox: I feel very, very lucky because our Sony producers are smart. They come in and they look at our product and they give us a lot of crisp critical feedback and it's great because they make our game a lot better. The game wouldn't be half as good without them being so honest and frank and then giving us the freedom to solve things how we see fit. They've also shown us the power of user testing, watching kids play the game, see where they get frustrated and internalise it, so when you make new content you're a better designer for it. I'm grateful.

IGN: We spoke to Richard Lemarchand of Naughty Dog recently, and he said it's like a big family. Is there a real sense of community?

Nate Fox: There's a fair amount of sharing with other studios, but the big one is that our producer Brady Hunt is also the producer for Insomniac and Naughty Dog, so it does feel like a family atmosphere. Everyone's really friendly and they're willing to tell you how they've solved technical problems or artistic problems. That's great, because we shouldn't all have to reinvent the wheel. The gamers benefit from us communicating with each other because they get better games, and we benefit because we can help each other.

Japanese hardware sales, Aug. 25 - Aug. 31: Supercollider edition

Got any exciting plans for this coming Thursday? Perhaps you've got front row tickets for a Black Eyed Peas concert. Maybe you're meeting your biological father for the first time in your life, a result of him faking his death to escape a hefty mob debt while you were a toddler. Perhaps you've enrolled in Afro-Cuban disco step funk classes at your local community college. Maybe you simply plan on tending to your piñata garden, reclining in the swaying shade of the monkeynut trees. All those sound great -- which is why it gives us a heavy heart to inform you that none of those things, not your estranged progenitor, your community college, your precious piñatas, or Will.i.am, will exist on Thursday.

The Large Hadron Collider, a sixteen-mile long, seven story tall ring of death which straddles the border of Germany and Switzerland, will see to that. We're not exactly sure what it does, but we are fairly certain of a few things -- for instance, we know that despite its colossal size, it runs almost entirely on car batteries and hubris. We also know that it's the world's biggest particle collider, and that trying to shoot one particle into another from miles away is pretty difficult. Oh, also, we know that during its inaugural run this Wednesday, it's going to create a sustainable black hole that's going to devour mankind, the Milky Way galaxy, and Will.i.am.

Sure, the eight-thousand physicists that have worked on the project have assured mankind that the odds of that last event occuring are approximately one-in-a-thrillion -- but of course they would say that. We know the truth, and have already begun selling our automobiles, gaming systems, and houses to afford a sturdy craft that will carry us far from the gravity well's sinister reach. Unfortunately, we're pretty certain we bought a 1974 Gremlin wrapped in duct tape with a jumbo-size roman candle tucked into the tailpipe. We'll let you know how it works out for us.

- DS Lite: 56,439 444 (0.79%)
- PSP: 41,664 5,940 (12.48%)
- Wii: 35,755 582 (1.65%)
- PS3: 9,775 755 (8.37%)
- PS2: 8,810 390 (4.63%)
- Xbox 360: 3,124 427 (12.02%)