TheSixthAxis News Feed

SingStore Update Tonight

The Sixth Axis — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:45:00 G5T

Just a quick reminder that our story from a week or so back is now relevant - check out the SingStore tonight for another great update. Most of the titles on that list (see link) are still going to be there, barring a couple like the Beach Boys track, which we will get next week once the Harmony mode is available for download.

Enjoy your pub, and enjoy your SingStar afterwards!

Sony announce 2008/9 line-up

The Sixth Axis — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:15:00 G5T

Looks like a nice rounded selection of first-party games for the remainder of this year and into the beginning of next, then:

wipEout(R) HD — PSN (Available Summer 2008 / Rated E10+)

One of the most beloved PlayStation franchises of all time returns with wipeout(R) HD for PS3. Available exclusively for download on PlayStation Store, players race at blazing speeds and experience adrenaline-filled, anti-gravity racing action in full-1080p High Definition (HD) running at a breathtaking 60-frames-per-second. Featuring a selection of the best tracks from previous versions of the wipEout franchise meticulously reworked for PS3, wipEout HD supports up to eight player online multiplayer racing in addition to various other race modes like Tournament, Time Trial and Speed Lap. Featuring a new Pilot Assist option to help players navigate tracks at blazing speeds, wipEout HD also includes a Photo Mode, support for the SIXAXIS wireless controller's motion sensing controls, and a bumping soundtrack with Dolby 5.1 surround.

Elefunk(TM) — PSN (Available Summer 2008 / E for "Everyone")

Elefunk(TM) is a PS3 construction puzzle game exclusively for download on PLAYSTATION Network. In Elefunk, players are tasked with building bridges and structures capable of supporting elephants as they stroll across treacherous ravines, rivers, fire pits and swamps. Using various materials with real world physics applied to them — ranging from metal to wood and rope — players must select the proper materials and pieces to build a structure that will hold up the crossing elephants. With single and multi-player gameplay both on and offline, Elefunk delivers simple and fun gameplay for the casual fan, with leaderboards and challenging modes for the more competitive gamer.

PixelJunk(TM) Eden — PSN (Available Summer 2008 / Not Yet Rated)

PixelJunk(TM) Eden is the third PSN title from the addictive PixelJunk series by Japanese developer Q-Games. In this stunning platform game, the player feels like a small insect seeing a garden for the first time. Within this constantly evolving and vibrant 2D plant environment, the player leaps and swings between lush plants, smashing into approaching enemies and navigating around the undergrowth to gather treasures. Through various levels, the player is treated to stylish 1080p graphics, a dynamic soundtrack and addictive gameplay. PixelJunk Eden supports both single and co-op play.

SIREN: Blood Curse — PSN (Available Summer 2008 / Not Yet Rated)

Released in twelve downloadable episodes, SIREN: Blood Curse delivers a haunting and horrifying story exclusively to PS3. Set in the Japanese village of Hanuda, an American TV crew has arrived to research and film an expose on the legend of a "vanished village." Controlling seven different playable characters, the player must discover the mystery behind the curse that grips the eerie village of Hanuda. The unique "sight jack" system allows the player to see from the point of view of the Shibito, or living dead, to avoid their detection or watch as they close in on the crew. Intense graphics, realistic character animation, and a gritty film-like graphical presentation add to the horror of SIREN: Blood Curse.

SOCOM: US Navy SEALs Confrontation — PS3 (Available September 16, 2008 / Not Yet Rated)

With the power of PS3, SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation will deliver the most intense and authentic high definition modern combat action. Delivering a global-scale combat experience that has been refined over four generations of the SOCOM franchise, SOCOM Confrontation gives players the opportunity to battle against the best and brightest from the U.S., Europe and Asia. Players will be able to modify their appearance through facial and physical customization and battle across seven North African environments, including a 32-player version of the most popular SOCOM map of all time "Crossroads." Additional themed packs containing new Special Forces, weapons, maps and features will be made available for download via the PLAYSTATION(R)Store.

LittleBigPlanet(TM) — PS3 (Available October 2008 / Not yet Rated)

Developed by Media Molecule, LittleBigPlanet(TM) is a new and hugely innovative PS3 title that establishes a new genre called "creative gaming." LittleBigPlanet allows players to Play, Create and Share inside a glued-together and hand-stitched 3D landscape. Players customize and control their burlap Sackboy (or Sackgirl) character and can PLAY alone or with up to three others, exploring a variety of developer-created levels. Also, using a simple tool system, players can CREATE their own objects and even full levels. Players can then SHARE these creations with their friends or with the world through the online PLAYSTATION Network community.

NBA 09 — PS3, PSP, PS2 (Available Fall 2008 / Not Yet Rated)

Developed by SCEA San Diego, NBA 09 builds on the technology and features of NBA 08 with more advanced graphics and gameplay control to deliver an experience catering to hardcore basketball fans and casual gamers alike. For the first time, NBA 09 brings "The Life" mode to PS3, delivering gamers the most detailed and engaging NBA experience both on the court and behind the scenes. Additionally, NBA 09 will feature a full Franchise mode, where gamers can run their own virtual team on every level — from determining salaries, to deciding playing time, to making trades. Progression mode, where players are rewarded experience and attributes during gameplay, returns with players now able to track "team progression" for all five characters. Extending playability, NBA 09 will bring back NBA Replay mode, where players will be able to re-enact highlight performances from the real NBA season to gain additional rewards. Other key features include expanded commentary, a variety of mini-games, and full online gameplay action.

BUZZ!(TM) Quiz TV — PS3 (Available Fall 2008 / Not Yet Rated)

This fall BUZZ!(TM), the popular quiz show franchise, makes its way for the first time to PS3 with BUZZ!(TM) Quiz TV. BUZZ! Quiz TV comes stocked with five different channels of questions including Music, Movies & TV, Sports, Brainiac and Lifestyle, combining to deliver over 5,000 questions. Extending the quiz show network beyond the disc, up to four players from anywhere in the U.S. can team up for trivia showdowns in the online multiplayer mode, Sofa vs. Sofa, and new quiz packs to be available for download from the PLAYSTATION(R)Network. Also, for trivia fans wanting to see if they can trump others with their own vast library of knowledge, Mybuzzquiz.com will provide a global community for players to create and share their own quizzes online and make available to download on PS3.

MotorStorm(TM) Pacific Rift — PS3 (Available Fall 2008 / Not Yet Rated)

The most brutal offroad racing festival is back, with players this time attempting to tackle the diversity and unpredictability of a remote Pacific island environment. Developed by Evolution Studios exclusively for PS3, MotorStorm(TM) Pacific Rift revisits the intense racing action introduced in last year's MotorStorm(TM), this time allowing players to navigate a radically different tropical environment chock full of lush jungle, towering peaks, and crystal-clear water. Players will experience a greater selection of tracks and vehicles to choose, as well as extensive multiplayer options including four player split screen and races with up to 20 players online. Additionally players will be able to utilize a new photo mode to save images within the game and for the first time be able to take music from their PS3's HDD to create a customized soundtrack.

Resistance 2(TM) — PS3 (Available Fall 2008 / Not Yet Rated)

On the brink of annihilation, mankind resumes the fight against the unstoppable Chimera on the shores of the United States. Thus the stage is set for Resistance 2(TM), the highly anticipated follow-up to Insomniac Games' best-selling PS3 launch title. Players will once again step into the war-torn boots of Sgt. Nathan Hale, who not only faces near impossible odds on the battlefield, but also struggles with the Chimera 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 and 60-player online competitive multiplayer built upon a 'massive battles, greater intimacy' mantra. Also, players can expect tightly integrated community support via MyResistance.net.

Killzone(TM) 2 — PS3 (Available February 2009 / Not Yet Rated)

Developed by Guerilla Games, Killzone(TM) 2 is the highly anticipated first-person shooter created exclusively for PS3. Killzone 2 brings a highly detailed, ultra-realistic "theater of war", where players encounter lifelike and adaptable artificial intelligence (A.I.) from enemies as well as fellow soldiers, destructible environments, and stunningly detailed scenery. Set on the hostile enemy planet of Helghan, players will once again join the ranks of the ISA with a directive to battle through the harsh environment to capture the Helghast emperor and bring the enemy war machine to a halt. With an extensive single-player campaign and thrilling multi-player mode, Killzone 2 delivers a host of new weapons, vehicles, and gameplay elements all wrapped in an intense storyline.

Source.

A Guide To GTA IV Online (Part 1)

The Sixth Axis — Fri, 16 May 2008 13:00:00 G5T

Remember, TSA loves you so we (Gamoc) has compiled a list of GTA IV hints and tips for playing online. Note that most of these are for all the modes unless noted otherwise.

Use Cover - Seriously, we just don’t understand why people don’t do this anyway. There are numerous times when I personally have destroyed teams of enemies in deathmatch simply because they were screaming towards me like trigger happy zombies, and I was taking cover behind a rock with an M4. Find somewhere to take cover, and pop out when you need to, instead of standing in the middle of a road - you wouldn’t do that in real life, would you? Note that when you’re behind something solid (a wall, for example), it doesn’t matter how hard someone crashes into it in a car, it won’t move and you'll be safe.

Team Work - for anything that involves teams, try to use teamwork. You’re much more effective if you charge into a group of enemies with a group of your own allies than if you go in there on your own. You can take them all out if you’re good enough, but it’s much easier with allies.

Voice Chat - Linking in with the previous point, voice chat can be a powerful tool, and a lot of fun too. You can either use it for teamwork, which is especially useful in the coop modes and the real team-based modes (like Cops ‘n’ Crooks), or you can laugh along with the people you’re killing, which is a lot of fun, especially in Sandbox modes - you can use it to organise a mass exploration of the city, which is hugely entertaining.

Work on Your Driving - Whether you’re burning your way through Liberty City chasing after the crooks, escorting NPCs to the escape point or just mowing down enemies in a deathmatch, driving is hugely important. With the new driving physics in GTA IV, even the Banshee can be controlled effectively (shock), so get used to them and you’ll be driving better than you ever imagined you’d be able to in a GTA game.

Help Your Allies - Chivalry is a wonderful thing; you might not be able to hold the door open for anyone, but you sure as hell can blow up the guy who’s trying to murder your mate, so do it. You never know, maybe they’ll return the favour.

Do NOT Kill Allies - Whilst teamkilling is rarely turned on, if you shoot a rocket at someone’s feet, they’ll fly away from the explosion and the landing will kill or hurt them. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should - you’ll get barrages of rockets coming your way if you’re not kicked from the server before they get chance to retaliate.

Be Nice - Most of all, even if you suck at the game, if you’re nice, it doesn’t matter. Remember it’s all about having fun, if at any point you’re not having fun, you may as well just stop playing right now, because that’s what it’s for. Don’t argue with other players, don’t insult them, and most of all, do not be racist/sexist/etc - that kind of idiocy is why people hate Xbox Live, because it’s stupid, ignorant, immature and it wrecks everyone else’s fun.

So, go have fun shooting people (IN THE GAME), remember what you’ve read, and do not forget to have fun.

Shuhei Yoshida Becomes President Of SCE

The Sixth Axis — Fri, 16 May 2008 08:30:00 G5T

Shuhei Yoshida will become the president of SCE WWS beginning today, marking what may be the beginning of a new era for PlayStation's software division. Yoshida is currently SVP of U.S. Studios at SCE WW. When he assumes his new position, he'll be filling shoes left by the highly visible Harrison, who departed Sony in February this year, and took a job with French game publisher Infogrames.

Yoshida has been with SCEI since 1993, and was an initial member of the PlayStation business, according to a Sony statement. In 1996, he became producer of the product development department, and in 2000, joined SCEA as VP of product development.

Source.

Sega Unveil Bayonetta

The Sixth Axis — Fri, 16 May 2008 08:00:00 G5T

You might have seen this news leaked on other sites recently, but the official embargo has only just lifted and it was one we wanted to respect, as Sega's partnership with PlatinumGames Inc is a great moment in videogaming and one worth savouring a little.

If you're a fan of Japanese developers, you'll be wanting to keep an eye on what PlatinumGames have got lined up for you next year, including titles for Wii and DS, but naturally we're focusing on Bayonetta, which is due for release in 2009 on both PS3 and Xbox 360. In what Sega are calling a game of 100% pure, unadulterated all-out action, Bayonetta, directed by Devil May Cry creator Hideki Kamiya, pushes the limits of the action genre. Kamiya was also responsible for Viewtiful Joe and Resident Evil 2.

A witch with powers beyond the comprehension of mere mortals, Bayonetta, must face off against countless angelic enemies, many reaching epic proportions. Outlandish finishing moves are performed with balletic grace as Bayonetta flows from one fight to another. With magnificent over-the-top action taking place in stages that are a veritable theme park of exciting attractions, Bayonetta pushes the limits of the action genre, bringing to life its fast-paced, dynamic climax combat.

Official press release site.

Games Aid Launches Tomorrow

The Sixth Axis — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:30:00 G5T

Games Aid, a new industry charity, arrives tomorrow without specific targets or aims, but with a desire to include everyone from developers to retailers – and even consumers. It has been established with seven trustees: Greg Ingham, chairman (MediaClash), Andy Payne, vice chairman (Mastertronic), Andrew Eades (Relentless), Paul Gardner (Osbourne Clarke), Sarah Seaby (GameCock), Rupert Loman (Eurogamer) and Miles Jacobson (Sports Interactive).

It is likely that the majority of monies will go to UK children’s charities – although, again, the trustees will look to the industry for guidance. Payne commented: “It’s important to note that this is ‘an’ industry charity, not ‘the’ industry charity. We won’t be dictating, it’s about creating a broad-based membership which comes up with ideas and inspires each other.”

We'll be in touch, guys.

Source.

Haze Requires 5GB Install

The Sixth Axis — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:00:00 G5T

Thankfully, we've got 160GB to play with because it looks like Haze requires a 5GB install, as is becoming the norm with PS3 games these days.

PS3 exclusive Haze, due out on shelves next Friday, is a game creating much discussion around the web, and has done for the last 12 months in one form or another. We're sure this new nugget of information will simply add fuel to the fire, but rest assured that this is one game worth keeping an eye on.

PSN Content: 15/05/08

The Sixth Axis — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:10:00 G5T

We've already bought and completed Dark Mist via the Japanese PSN Store, but we'll be buying it again, it's that good. Also, as we stated earlier this morning, Pixeljunk Monsters Encore has also landed, present and correct.

Along with PSP downloads for Wipeout Pure and the PS1 classic Command and Conquer Red Alert, this is one of the best PSN Store updates for a while!

Playable Demos
Overlord - Free, obviously

Full PSN Games
Dark Mist - £4.99

Game add-ons
Everybody's Golf Characters:
Gloria - 69p
Alex - 69p
Pixel Junk Monsters Encore - £1.99

Themes
Pain
Eye Of Judgement
Warhawk
Overlord (plus a wallpaper)

Game Trailers
Brothers In Arms
Burnout Paradise
Dark Sector

PSP
Wipeout Pure - £14.99

PS1
C&C Red Alert - £3.49

Enjoy!

FW 2.35's Secret Ability

The Sixth Axis — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:00:00 G5T

According to Watch Impress PS3 Firmware 2.35 allows developers to give players the option to upload videos to YouTube directly from within the game. This feature can already be seen (as from this morning) with Mainichi Issho, the Japanese-only interactive news reading service, which is great fun.

Home Closed Beta To Extend In July

The Sixth Axis — Thu, 15 May 2008 11:00:00 G5T

IGN has a great interview up just now with Ron Festejo, Creative Director and John Venables, Lead Artist where they discuss time scales, beta dates and plans for the future. Whilst the World and his dog eagerly await news of a beta date, Ron Festejo had this to say:

'So we're kind of at a point right now where we have between eight and ten thousand participants in the closed beta – and we're very close with them as well. Come July, we'll be extending that closed beta phase and expanding it as well. That ends in mid-November, where we do an open beta, and that'll be available to download from the PlayStation Store for anyone who wants to use it. That's not the launch, however. It's just the open beta – and we'll continue to do it until we see fit to do the final release.'

So Sony will be extending the closed beta in a couple of months, but to whom we have no idea. However, if you're unlucky enough not to have access you need only wait until November which is when the doors will be open to one and all. Interestingly enough, it appears that Home might outlive the PS3, with Festejo again spilling the beans:

'The thing is, it's important to know that Home is a free service and it's continuously evolving. We don't see this as being tied to a particular console. We see this as tied into the PlayStation Network; with every console iteration, the online portion of that will only get bigger and bigger. I think Home is there to stay, and it's a great project to work on when you can see the kind of areas it'll go on to expand to.'

Whether this is referring to simply the PSP or it's successor, or even something like an eventual PlayStation 4, it's clear that Home has a considerable lifespan, and will remain a free service throughout. And as to whether it was revealed too early, what with the recent delays and so on:

'It could be said that we might've mentioned it too early, but I think that if we hadn't, we wouldn't be in the position where we are now – courting companies to be involved in Home. So yeah, I think it was okay.'

'Home will eventually touch other areas; I think we've just got to make sure we find the right kinds of experiences that tie it to the core client. Personally, I don't want to see something released on PSP that doesn't really replicate the experience that you have on PS3. But it's about thinking about those right experiences with the core client and how it adds value to that; absolutely, it's something that'll be considered in the future.'

As ever, as soon as there's anything to report on Home, we'll have it right here on TheSixthAxis...

Firmware 2.35 Released

The Sixth Axis — Thu, 15 May 2008 08:05:00 G5T

The PS3 has just got yet another minor firmware update this morning to improve the stability of certain titles, although Sony are quick to point out that this isn't related to Grand Theft Auto IV. Not sure why - seems like the perfect way to patch up some of the issues, and it would tie in with what Take 2 were meant to have said over the weekend.

So, it's there for download right now, and here's looking forward to the mythical 2.4...

Monsters Encore Coming TODAY!

The Sixth Axis — Thu, 15 May 2008 08:00:00 G5T

We've just had word from Dylan over at Q Games that Pixeljunk Monsters Encore will hit the European PSN today! In addition to that, he's also exploring a way to release the full soundtrack to the game as MP3s (at a very low price) so expect some news from Sony very soon on this.

We're also expecting more information on Pixeljunk Eden as it is due to be demoed at a pre-E3 press event very soon...

Solid Goes Limp?

The Sixth Axis — Wed, 14 May 2008 19:30:00 G5T

In celebration of MGS4 going gold Konami held a celebration in Japan. There some questionable product tie-ins were revealed such as motorcycles, iPods, energy drinks and more. But most important of all Kojima proved once again to be the biggest tease in the industry by hinting at an upcoming project which is a sequel. People assume that the sequel is for the Metal Gear franchise but it might potentially be for any of Kojima's other games, such as Zone of The Enders, Policenauts or Snatcher.

A sequel to Snatcher is not unlikely as Goichi Suda has previously expressed his interest in working on one with Kojima. But the event being Metal Gear specific it is more likely a Metal Gear related project, and since Kojima has said that he is definitely done with Snake and will be moving on after MGS4, we can assume that the next Metal Gear title is no longer going to be Solid.

Haze: 720p, really, honest guv

The Sixth Axis — Wed, 14 May 2008 17:25:00 G5T

Well, last week it was 576p, and now it's 720p, with Aymeric Evennou,Community Developer on HAZE claiming that [contrary to] other comments I read, I wanted to clarify that the game runs at 720p resolution.

Clever wording, or the truth? Sure, the game runs at 720p, but is this because it's being scaled from 576p, as Quaz51 claims? Or is the full game natively 720p as the demo was a somewhat older build? Us? We don't really care to be honest, this ridiculous pixel-counting crap isn't helping anyone and most people wouldn't ever notice.

Haze Scores 34/40

The Sixth Axis — Wed, 14 May 2008 16:00:00 G5T

Gamefront is reporting that Japanese gaming mag Famitsu has scored Haze 9/8/9/8, giving it a total of 34/40, which is roughly equivalent to about 50% in Western mags. Just kidding. Sounds great.

The Orange Box got 34/40 too, with scores of 9/7/9/9. That's roughly equivalent to about 75%. Just kidding.

Haze is out next Friday, so we'll be able to see for ourselves very soon.

Sightseeing in Liberty City

The Sixth Axis — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:00:00 G5T

This is wonderful, a detailed, thoughtful comparison of New York and GTA's Liberty City, all organised by Flickr member Matthew Johnston.

Perfect for your afternoon coffee break, check out just how close Rockstar were with some of the game's key areas, including Manhattan Bridge, the Morgan Stanley building and the Paramount Theatre. Impressive stuff.

Resident Evil 5 Not Racist After All

The Sixth Axis — Wed, 14 May 2008 13:45:00 G5T

Oh, thank the heavens, we can all rest now, safe in the knowledge that Resident Evil 5 isn't racist. It can't be, because this week's Famitsu magazine shows a new female character, dressed much like Jill in Resident Evil 3, but sporting a very anti-racist brown skin. So, there you go.

Other, more useful nuggest of info include the fact that Chris can now use a flashlight in dark areas, with an intense contrast between light and dark sections of the game, and we'll be getting a new trailer in the very near future.

Source.

Trophies, FW2.4 Coming Next Month?

The Sixth Axis — Wed, 14 May 2008 09:30:30 G5T

Insiders, gossip and pure conjecture. We love it, and today we've got fresh rumours on Firmware 2.4, which will apparently bring trophies (the PS3 version of Achievements) to the XMB, albeit in a 2D format until Home is widely adopted. The source claims that this will kick off around about the launch of Metal Gear Solid 4, which makes sense to us.

Source.

War Has Changed

The Sixth Axis — Wed, 14 May 2008 09:00:30 G5T

Yes, Metal Gear is everywhere today, and here's the intro for you, during which Snake, with his famously lust-raising gruff voice, describes the changes in war in the not too distant future. We can confirm it is devoid of any spoilers, so watch until your heart cries.

PS3 Playboy Forever Advert

The Sixth Axis — Tue, 13 May 2008 19:20:00 G5T

We don't know if this is legit, but it's certainly thought provoking. Apologies if you're at work or having your tea, but here's a picture of a naked man with his penis photoshopped to look like a thumb:

Ah, the joys of advertising, eh. Via NeoGAF.

N4G Sucks - A Rant

The Sixth Axis — Tue, 13 May 2008 19:10:00 G5T

So, yesterday we reported on the potential firmware fix for GTA IV issue that an alledged Rockstar employee had posted about on the official PlayStation forums. Fair enough, until someone decided to then add said story to N4G under a sudden torrent of 'fakes' and 'bullshits' the likes of which we've never seen before. Sure, it might not be true, and is most likely some forum user with a big ego, but for a while it was big news before being pulled from the site...

Until this afternoon, when both PS3 Fanboy and JoyStiq pick up on the rumour (with only PS3 Fanboy giving a link back to the forums) which then appears back on N4G again without the abuse. So if PS3 Fanboy posts the exact same story suddenly it's not fake, guys?

If anyone's not familiar with N4G, this is the site that made how to change the PS3's video settings one of the hottest stories a couple of weeks back. And to everyone else - if you want your news on the day it happens, stick with us. ;)

Hideo Kojima NOT Disappointed with MGS4

The Sixth Axis — Tue, 13 May 2008 19:00:00 G5T

A while ago, there were many articles saying that Hideo Kojima, the creator of the upcoming behemoth Metal Gear Solid 4, was disappointed with the graphics of aforementioned MGS4.

Well, they were wrong. Apparently, what he said was mis-translated, and he was in fact just being humble, because he doesn't like to brag, you see.

Here's what he said:

"On the internet, there's stuff saying "Hideo Kojima" isn't satisfied with the PS3. I'd like to talk about that today. I just got back from Paris and did 15 interviews and everyone asked me about it, did I say that. The meaning of what I said has totally been changed, made totally different. Today, I'd like to talk about that. Why did it turn into that? When I'm doing an interview, I answer in Japanese, and I can't control how the writer will interpret that into English... What I say is then translated in English, and the writer then changes that into their own words and writes that. So, right there, the meaning of what I say changes a lot."

Also in the article, he says he doesn't like to say he's the 'amazing Metal Gear guy'. You know what Kojima, you are the amazing Metal Gear guy, and we're on the edge of our seats waiting for the fourth installment of Snake's story.

Really, we're wetting ourselves, it's embarrassing.

TV Channels Coming To PS3?

The Sixth Axis — Tue, 13 May 2008 08:30:00 G5T

If you've downloaded the "What You Need" video on the PS Store you might have already seen this, but if not we suggest you check it out immediately and try to spot the section that clearly lists a set of American TV channels, such as HBO, Discovery Channel, CBS and MTV.

Naturally the PS3 will be getting some kind of movie download at some point, but we never imagined we'd get to watch live TV, if indeed this is the case.

Source.

Update: here's the video on Youtube:

EA Announces Skate 2

The Sixth Axis — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:20:00 G5T

EA has confirmed that it is working on a follow-up to the hardcore skating 'sim' Skate. The sequel, titled Skate 2 (naturally) will hit PS3 and Xbox 360, but we don't yet know when. This is in addition to a Nintendo-specific subset franchise called Skate It, available on DS and Wii (which will use the Balance Board).

The news comes as Activision announce that there will be no console version of Tony Hawk this year - the only new Hawk game being a DS exclusive.

Source.

MGS 4 Gets 10/10

The Sixth Axis — Mon, 12 May 2008 13:00:00 G5T

So, apparently Metal Gear Solid 4 is pretty good, like 10/10 good, according to this month's UK Official PlayStation Magazinee. Also good is Race Driver: GRID. Less good is Echochrome. Even less good is Iron Man.

Here are the scores on the doors:

10/10 - Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots
09/10 - MLB 08: The Show
09/10 - Race Driver: GRID
08/10 - Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare: Variety Map Pack
08/10 - Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PSP)
08/10 - Echochrome (PSN)
07/10 - Singstar: Summer Party (PS2)
06/10 - American Idol: Encore
06/10 - Brooktown High: Senior Year (PSP)
06/10 - Silent Hill: Origins (PS2)
04/10 - Fading Shadows (PSP)
04/10 - Iron Man
03/10 - King Of Clubs (PSP)
02/10 - Reel Fishing (PS1)

MGS 4 Limited Edition Coming To Europe

The Sixth Axis — Mon, 12 May 2008 09:45:00 G5T

Just got this in from Konami. Looks like we're getting the Limited Edition MGS 4 too:

Consumers who pre-order a copy of Metal Gear Solid 4 can receive an exclusive DVD entitled Metal Gear Saga Vol. 2. This seven-part documentary details the origins of previous Metal Gear games and the evolution of Hideo Kojima’s epic series. This gripping documentary offers a valuable insight into the series and the history of Metal Gear’s iconic hero, Snake.

Konami will also produce a Limited Edition collector’s package. Destined to be a highly sought-after compilation, the package includes a soundtrack CD, a 6" Old Snake action figurine, and an exclusive ‘Making Of’ Blu-ray disc. The Blu-ray disc contains two high-definition documentaries which offer a candid, behind-the-scenes look at the development of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, with interviews with series creator Hideo Kojima and key Kojima Productions personnel. The Limited Edition will carry a £79.99 RRP.

So, pre-order to get the DVD, and buy the Limited Edition pack to get the soundtrack, making of and the 6" figure.

GTA IV Will Require New Firmware

The Sixth Axis — Mon, 12 May 2008 08:00:00 G5T

According to a poster on the official PlayStation forums GTA IV might require a firmware update just to fix the problems early model PS3 owners have been having with the game, due to the custom circuit board. The email reply (from 2K tech support) is as follows:

There is an issue with the launch edition of the PS3 and this game, the game was checked over and passed as 100% compatible with the current version of the PS3, of course the earlier version has custom chips which mean that it is a very different animal from the current PS3 on sale.

Sony are aware of this difference and are looking into producing a new firmware just for the earlier version of the PS3.

We've been OK since the recent patch, but a lot of early adopters are still struggling with freezing and crashing, according to reports.

Source.

GameTrailers - Finally Outed as Biased

The Sixth Axis — Sun, 11 May 2008 10:00:00 G5T

We remember when Gametrailers used to be great - before they started filling their site with their own creations. Seemingly they're now almost entirely focused on ridiculous fanboy-baiting comparison videos, but this time they've gone too far.

It's been taken down, but the latest 'comparison' they did was between the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Codemasters' Race Driver GRID, claiming that the crashes in the PS3 version are vastly inferior to those in the 360 version. At first glance of the video you'd agree, until you realise that both videos contained PS3 controls in the bottom left...

The video was uploaded onto Youtube, which you can view here along with an explanation of what's happening:

To further fuel the fire, Gametrailers are now deleting any thread that dares to mention the fiasco. Sadly, any credibility they once had is rapidly washing away.

Via OnAxis.

No LittleBigPlanet Open Beta

The Sixth Axis — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:05:00 G5T

According to PS3Fanboy, there is not going to be a LittleBigPlanet open beta, though some gamers and press may get an invite to test it.

Sam Bennett (Community Development Manager) and Pete Smith (Producer) both said that there will be no open beta, which is a shame, but it makes sense. Releasing the whole game to the public for free just wouldn't be too clever, so we understand. On the other hand, it would be mind-blowingly awesome if they did, so we don't actually understand at all, you scummers.

However, there will be a demo, though when it will be coming and what will be in it has yet to be clarified - when we know, you'll know too, because we love you.

TSA is just hoping it isn't delayed again. Please.

2009, The Year That Was 2008, And May Become 2010

The Sixth Axis — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:00:00 G5T

It's Friday, which means it's time for more words of wisdom and a bit of SONY bashing.

SONY, you are a tease. Nobody likes a tease, mind you, that is why they often, after having been forced there, emerge from behind a bush with their knickers around their ankles and their mascara running. Then, even as they are giving their statement to the men in blue they know what that judging glint in their eyes means. They know what they are thinking, they know they think it is their own fault for being such a bleeding tease.

Well, SONY, ever since E3 2005 you have been the biggest tease imaginable, so if I were you I would abstain from taking strolls through the park after dark, because you know I am going to be waiting for you there, and don't even think about struggling or bringing mace, you deserve it.

The collective minds of the Internet were blown during your keynote speech for E3 2005, I watched it live via some website, and unlike most people the only thing of mine which was blown was my right brow, causing it to raise slightly. I could see that all you were showing us was a bunch of pre-rendered concept trailers for games. Then not too long after pulling off that scam and setting our hopes so high that it rubbed shoulders with stars, you managed to reveal to us that instead of looking up we should look for our hopes somewhere in that deep ditch, because that was where it belonged. We got our first glimpses at actual game footage and our hearts sank. Then the PS3 was delayed by almost a year in most of the world and by well over a year in Europe. Thanks for that by the way, but I did manage to get mine from overseas at launch through a friend, so I was good.

Meanwhile your competitors were slowly building up steam and before you knew it they were waving goodbye as they passed you by, about the same time people were shooting each other over coveted PS3 units to be sold on EBay, for a loss no less. Indeed 2006 was not a good year and 2007 started off as pretty much a disaster when a strange new trend of hating SONY swooped over the globe. In 2006 your loyal fans thought to themselves, "well, Q1 2007 is looking pretty sweet with all those games coming out, we can wait that long." Then it turned out that the chrono-retarded date plotters in the industry had struck once again, as pretty much all the games slated for Q1 2007 were pushed to Q3 2007 and beyond.

Then when they finally did come out most of them turned out to blow whale giblets. At the same time your competitor was busy discharging his amazingly large, thick and sticky load all over the poor sods, millions as they were, who were attracted to its amazingly mediocre consistency and the unnatural overhyped qualities it possessed. In short, things were looking pretty bleak, not even the amazing GDC surprise unveil of Home, Little Big Planet and the amazing Killzone 2 E3 2007 video were effective when all the momentum they were designed to give you was punched in the gonads by the Delay Fairy giving each of them a savage beating with his delay stick. Not to mention Metal Gear Solid 4, the promised saviour of 2007 that was to show the wandering gamers out of the desert and deliver them to the promised land decided that not even his divine powers were a match for how much 2007 had been bollocksed up, and so did jump ship to 2008 as well.

Then people, me among them, started to realise something, when looking past at all the multi million selling items of your competitor, hailing directly from the Emperor's new wardrobe, it was hard to miss the fact that their release schedule looked admittedly empty for 2008. Pretty soon the Internet meme was born claiming 2008 sure to be the year of the PlayStation. Your competitor recovering from his recent orgy of million seller exclusives was apparently going to sit this year out to recuperate and replenish his bountiful mojo. It looked like 2008 was going to be a stellar year for the PS3, the year the old champion was finally going to get some punches in.

Yes, your competitor having knocked himself out was chilling his jewels in an ice bowl due to them overheating after the all out clusterfuck he unleashed upon you in 2007. So, we all thought, SONY, old boy, you've learned your lesson, to never again underestimate your competitor or overestimate your own strength. We all thought you were going to sprint into 2008 chest protruding, arms swinging and head held high. But low and behold, 2008 rolls in and we see you half sleepily sitting on the couch pulling gunk out of you navel, what the hell?

Recently you held "PlayStation Day 2008", where people expected you to unveil your overall strategy for 2008, sure half of the year is pretty much already gone with that finger still being stuck you know where. But surely you would pull it out, surely, at least half the year is still here, right? You didn't of course, it seems your strategy for 2008 is to take that carrot you dangled in front of gamers faces to get them from 2007 into 2008 and now slyly move it over to dangle in 2009 instead. Brilliant, SONY, brilliant, kudos for the cost saving forward thinking way of attracting new gamers and keeping the old. Instead of giving them concrete things to consume and enjoy just continually tease and entice them by lifting your skirt and giving them a peek at what lies just beyond the horizon, just a short year away. Yeah, let us all wait for next year, it is sure to be amazing, too bad it will always be a year away.

Where is White Knight Story, Final Fantasy XIII and Infamous? Not even announced for 2009 it seems. Killzone 2? Well, no one in their right mind thought they were going to see it Q1 2008, but we sure as hell were counting on holiday season 2008, alas, delayed by a year, to 2009 it went to join all its other friends. Not to mention that whatever momentum it had is slowly seeping out of it as gameplay footage is showing nothing there to look forward to beyond stunning visuals.

Pray tell, what then of the next game from the ultra talented gods from Team ICO? Not even announced yet, count yourself lucky if it turns up in 2009. God of War III, then? You only did tease us with it, and I quote, "coming soon", on the back of the Chains of Olympus booklet. 2008? Yeah, right, dream on. 2009 then? Maybe. 2010 then perhaps? Definitely a much more realistic timeline for a game that you prolly just started working on. But if so why even bother with the tease? Perhaps with all those delays the people populating your marketing anthill actually think that 2 years - 24 months - is somehow soon?

So what are we looking at this year, Metal Gear Solid 4, the fashionably late saviour of yesteryear and Little Big Planet at the very, very end of the year, maybe, if we pray to a dark god and do a pagan dance around a pole of human sacrifices, then maybe. Resistance 2, yay! Insomniac always delivers on their release dates, right? Indeed they do, unfortunately Resistance 2 is looking about as generic as the first one and this time it does not have the luxury of being the only somewhat drinkable mud puddle in the dry desert of a console launch. Then there is the eternally omnipresent Home, the latest news from that corner is that the Beta will come late 2008 with the full release maybe following sometime in 2009, huzzah! Adding to this you have recently stated that perhaps marketing Home aggressively to advertisers and sponsors while pretty much totally ignoring the gamers was perhaps the wrong approach to that as of yet undefined service. Great, if it took you over a year to come to that little gem of wisdom then it suddenly seems much more clear why things keep getting delayed over there.

SONY, I sincerely hope that the whole 10 year life cycle thing is not just a fart joke you are passing around over there at the head office. Because with everything on your side getting continually bludgeoned with 1-2 year delays it would seem that while your competitors sheit all came into its own in 2006 the PS3 is currently scheduled to have its testicles finally drop sometime in 2009, a short 3 years after launch. The average console cycle being approximately 5-6 years means that by the time you are busy planning that bar mitzvah celebrating PS3's crossing into manhood, you have 2, maybe 3 years before your competitor can happily abandon this generation, leaving everyone satisfied, while you will get hisses and claws if you even think about doing the same that soon.

Jaysus on a stick, 2008 sucks a dried cactus! Thank god I got a 60GB PS3 and plenty of PS2 games I still want to play otherwise I might have cared, for my own sake. I do however care about 2008 for your sake, SONY, the year was wide open for you to gain lost ground, but all you seem to be doing is gloating over the fact that you managed to overtake the competition in Europe. Yeah, it did happen, but so help me gods if you make even the tiniest try to attribute it happening to anything but pure clean dumb luck. Because then I will be tempted to ask you what it was you did for Europe to deserve it? Was the PS3 launched here first? Oh, no it wasn't. Do we get more demos, downloadables and free crap via the PSN? Oh, no we don't. But I also got a Canadian and Japanese PSN account, so I am good. Did we get the Dual Shock 3 here yet? Oh, right, no, but I did import mine from Japan over 6 months ago, so I am good. Better prices and deals here? Nope. Better bundles perhaps? Nope, not even a Dual Shock 3 with the Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle.

Yeah, SONY, you sure did right by your loyal European fans, you really fully deserve all the support you got from us, you ungrateful sodding git.

Racism In Resident Evil 5

The Sixth Axis — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:15:00 G5T

PS3 Attitude have a frank discussion on whether or not Resident Evil 5 is racist. Well, specifically whether or not last year's E3 trailer was racist.

'So this trailer doesn't need to fill us in with reams of back-story detail about 'good vs. evil' or 'humans vs. zombies'. We don't need to know that a virus is killing humans off only to bring them back as the undead, because we gamers already know this. And the location of the premiere of this trailer put the message out loud and clear to the correct target audience.

But in the 21st Century, such trailers don't stay local for long. The Internet made the trailer, and the subsequent 'extended version' available to the masses.' ~ PS3 Attitude.

If you didn't see the trailer, here it is:

Naturally, there was uproar and fear and swearing and people blogging like crazy, including N’Gai Croal (a 'journalist') who PS3 Attitude claims has made racist views himself in relation to this particular trailer.

'In terms of his specific points, it worries me that he believes certain characters in the game are portrayed as Neanderthals. They happen to be Haitians who have contracted a deadly virus and are, to all intents and purposes, 'dead men/women/children walking'.'

Their race is not the reason they don't look so good - the fact that they're infected and zombified are the reasons they look a bit 'peaky'. ~ PS3 Attitude.

Us? Well, we've just re-watched the trailer. As to whether as a site we think it's racist or not I'm not prepared to discuss, but as an individual it certainly makes you feel uncomfortable...

Niko Bellic Flying To San Andreas?

The Sixth Axis — Fri, 09 May 2008 12:00:00 G5T

Looks like Niko's got himself a ticket to San Andreas, according to this picture found on the Rockstar Social Club site by members of the GTAForums.

Is this a possible sequel, or maybe even a glimpse of the download content planned for 360 owners? Probably just Rockstar messing with us, to be honest, but great find anyway.

Codemasters Working On F1 Game

The Sixth Axis — Fri, 09 May 2008 09:45:00 G5T

According to Autosport.com, Codemasters are working on an F1 game based on the 2009 season. The game will use the Ego engine (used in DiRT and GRID) and at the moment 350 people are working on the project in house, including some from the old Sega Racing Studio, which is great news.

UEFA Euro 2008

The Sixth Axis — Fri, 09 May 2008 08:00:00 G5T

Here's the thing: EA's UEFA Euro 2008 is almost certainly the best football game ever to grace a console. From subtle improvements to the way the game flows to remarkable advances in presentation, this is a wonderful example of what PS3 owners should want from the beautiful game - the mechanics are unmatched and the feeling of immersion is outstanding, so why isn't this another 10/10 from TSA?

It's simple: as brilliant as it is, there's an unshakeable feeling that you're only going to be playing this for a couple of months. It's not just that FIFA 09 is presumably just around the corner, as this is a common issue with all these 'mid-season' releases (see: Road To The World Cup), but that EA themselves have placed at least one time-limiting cap on what we consider one of the game's main draws: Battle of the Nations.

Battle of the Nations is a smart new idea that essentially routes all of your successes (for any team) through your favourite country. Proud Scotsman? Then pick Scotland as your Nation when you first boot the game and no matter which team you play as from there on in, all your points (gained from goals, wins etc) will be added to Scotland's global tally, polled from gamers around the world. Brilliant idea, but the whole thing ends during the Summer, and after that the feature is dead.

Another thing to notice is that EUFA Euro 2008 plays very similarly to last year's FIFA 08, which is by all means no bad thing, but whilst the positive incremental upgrades reinforce this title as the best simulation of football you can buy the differences are minor for the most part and some gamers might struggle to justify the full price of admission for what are relatively small tweaks to the core game.

It's also somewhat cut-down in terms of teams, with this game not holding the official FIFA license EA have obviously only including international teams, and only those from Europe. Thankfully those countries that didn't make it into the finals proper are still included in the game, so don't worry about not being able to play as Rooney as he's here and looking as realistic as ever. The visuals throughout are quite superb, with special attention to the animations and incidental details getting the most attention. The framerate isn't perfect, but it's perfectly functional and only really slows down when you're using the fully zoomed out camera.

There's the obvious full complement of local and online game modes, but the best new option is the Captain Your Country mode. This takes you from the lowly ranks of the B team right through to participating in friendlies and then hopefully progressing to ultimately captain the A team, with rivalries amongst the other players to keep you on your toes. This, and the 'Be A Pro' mode change the normal side-on camera to something closer to a third person view, and the way the camera focuses and shakes as you sprint for the goal is very akin to the roadie run in Gears of War - a stunning effect.

Sound is also well covered, with Martin Tyler and Andy Townsend providing the commentary and a full complement of sampled crowd chants and player shouts rounding off the presentation, which is slick and intuitive throughout. The decision on whether this is an worthwhile purchase depends on whether you have to have the very latest game or not - it is the best football title we've played since launch, but it's also clearly a filler between FIFA 08 and 09.

We can't account for your love of football (and the size of your wallet) but we can guarantee that footy fans will have a blast with Euro 2008.

Home Open Beta - October or November

The Sixth Axis — Fri, 09 May 2008 07:30:00 G5T

In an interview published on CVG SCEE's David Reeves has confirmed that Home, the much delayed and still cruelly locked down avatar-based network 'game' is 'definitely coming out in autumn. Whether that's October or November, I don't precisely know, but it is an open beta.'

'We've realised that maybe we were too ambitious with the non-gaming applications within Home, getting sponsors and stuff like that,' he said. 'In that sense we were deserting gamers. So, we're concentrating on the gaming by launching games in Home, and attracting people who are into gaming in first - instead of the Nike people, or Adidas people who are into fashion and not necessarily into gaming.'

Worryingly, he's also thinking like Nintendo did with the N64: 'We did Buzz, we're doing LittleBigPlanet, Killzone, and there are obviously others that we're developing. We're becoming less dependent on third parties.' Not a phrase we're comfortable hearing, but let's hope he's not assuming the PS3 will survive on first party titles alone...

Live Blog A Success

The Sixth Axis — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:00:00 G5T

We're all for trying new things here at TSA, and our live blog of PlayStation Day 2008 on Tuesday has been our most viewed page since we started the site last June, with close to 10,000 individual viewers during the conference.

Despite major site meltdowns during the hour or so we were live, most of you stuck with us throughout the entire keynote, with eager PlayStation fans coming from all over the globe to read our protracted ramblings. Major refering pages include neogaf.com, cheapassgamer.com, the official PlayStation forums and the blu-ray.com forums, so thanks to everyone that chose us over the other live blogs from Eurogamer, IGN and Gamespot.

Apologies once again for the intermittent downtime you may have experienced but we're working on ensuring that doesn't happen again. We hope you enjoyed the broadcast, and we look forward to doing it again very soon...

Lord Of The Rings - Conquest Announced

The Sixth Axis — Thu, 08 May 2008 12:30:00 G5T

We're big Lord Of The Rings fans here at TSA, and we also loved the Star Wars Battlefront games - massive open battlefields full of human and AI characters, richly enhanced with the visuals and lore of the films they were based on. So when Pandemic announced Lord Of The Rings - Conquest this morning, we were jumping for joy in our Legolas costumes.

The game will allow players to take part in any of the battles seen in the films, plus a couple of book-only sections, controlling any of the relevant characters, both good and evil. This means you'll be able to pick from Hobbits, Dwarfs and Elves, or even venture over to the dark side and fight with Orcs, Goblins and even the Balrog. 150 characters will be on-screen at once, although the game maxes out at 8 human players.

There are two campaigns: one closely following events in the films (we won't say books, here) and another based on what would have happened if Sauron had managed to get his mitts on The One Ring. 'Our Pandemic Studios creative teams have years of expertise bringing giant battlefields to life,' says Andrew Goldman, Pandemic Studios co-founder and general manager. 'We've always wanted to harness our experience in a fantasy universe with warriors, archers, mages and castle sieges. Of course, there is truly no better fantasy world to recreate than the enormity of 'The Lord of the Rings' realm.'

Expect this epic game this Autumn. We'll have more on it soon.

Haze Demo Impressions

The Sixth Axis — Thu, 08 May 2008 11:45:00 G5T

Well, the demo of the kinda-bored-of-waiting-for PS3 exclusive Haze was released onto the EU PSN as a nice little treat for Playstation Day. It's a shortish demo, with a fair bit of fighting, a dash of story and a moment that will make you fall out of your chair.

Please note that this article may contain spoilers, so if you'd like to experience it yourself please do so prior to reading. If you read first, it's your own fault.

First, we'll start at the skin. The graphics suck. Sorry guys, but the graphics are not impressive at all, it's not that well textured, the guns don't look too impressive, there's just no visual flair of impressiveness that we would have liked to see. On the other hand, it looks different to the screenshots we've seen of the game, so maybe this is not going to be what the graphics will look like in the finished product. The HUD is nicely contained on the helmet's visor - there are a few times when your visor flips up and the HUD goes with it, which is a nice touch. You'll also notice you can see the edges of your helmet, which is another nice touch.

The game drops you into a firefight in a jungle, which is a nice place for a firefight, and begins by giving you a mini-tutorial on the Nectar system. We like Nectar. The difference Nectar makes is surprisingly large enough to make us want to use it, and when you come down from your high you really notice the difference. You hold L2 to give yourself a shot, the longer you hold it down the more you inject. Be warned though, if you inject too much you'll overdose and begin shooting your teammates into little pieces, which they probably won't appreciate too much.

Nectar does a number of things to you; it makes you stronger (as the game tells you by saying you should test it out by meleeing an enemy or two), it makes you noticeably faster, it makes your aim steadier and it gives you a longer field of vision (ie, you can see further). It also makes enemies glow, giving their position away. Once you get used to the Nectar system, it's surpising how efficiently you can kill, and how much difference there is when you're not dosed. We found ourselves running at enemies and taking them all out, instead of using cover like we would in CoD4.

At one point, during the middle of the demo, there is a Nectar Disruption. What this actually is we don't know because it isn't explained, but it scared the crap out of us. You walk nicely forward and suddenly there's a loud screaming and your screen blurs for a second, flashing 'Nectar Disruption' on your HUD. After you jump back into your skin, everything is back to normal, and your in game character questions an NPC about the screaming, who replies by saying it was an animal, which we obviously don't buy.

You proceed to a few more fire fights, and you'll find a dying pilot who tells you something about his life before (we assume) becoming a soldier (he was a semi-pro wrestler/boxer/martial artist/canine behaviourist, if you're interested), before dying. Then another fire fight follows before you're extracted on a copter and the demo ends.

As far as the single player goes it's pretty average. There isn't much that really stands out short of the Nectar highs, overdosing and jumping out of your skin. It's fairly average and doesn't really seem like it will come anywhere near to beating CoD4 as it is. However, we do have some hope. The story looks like it could be interesting, and seeing what Nectar does and how the soldiers that use it were lied to could, indeed, be very intriguing. We think that this game, if the graphics are actually better in the full version and the storyline lives up to what is hinted at, could be good, or at least better than average.

Now, we move past single player and sample the limited delights that come with the online cooperative play. You can play with 3 other people who replace the NPC controlled characters in the single player (and if they drop out they are replaced by an NPC again, and if someone else drops in the NPC is replaced).

The coop gameplay is about 10x better than single player for a couple of reasons. First, the AI is ass-retarded - at one point an enemy soldier and an ally NPC were back to back fighting off their respective enemies, which is just stupid. When actual players take control the demo runs by a lot quicker, on the count of everyone being high on Nectar and speeding through with superhuman agility which is surprisingly enjoyable. There is also no noticeable lag at all, at least none whilst we were playing.

A problem is the overdose feature of Nectar. On your player's back in their Nectar pack, if this gets shot a few times (by enemy or friend) you'll instantly overdose and your gun will shoot randomly. This is a problem for a few reasons - when you're playing with actual people you don't want to shoot them because they'll develop a grudge and shoot you, and we can easily see this being abused by the morons that play online to wreck it for everybody else.

Other than that, the coop is better than the single player, which is predictable, really. So the Haze demo was moderately enjoyable, but it hinted at better things to come with the full version of the game. We're interested to see what the competitive multiplayer modes will be like, namely, will they keep Nectar for us to use in online deathmatches and such?

We're cautiously optimistic about Haze, and we hope our optimism will pay off.

PSN Content: 08/05/08

The Sixth Axis — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:30:00 G5T

Today's European PSN Updates look a little bit like this:

Game Demos:

* Bourne Conspiracy
* Race Driver: GRID

Expansion Packs:

* Army of Two
* Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock - Def Leppard Track Pack
* Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock - Muse Track Pack

Trailers:

* Echochrome Apple
* Play Compilation
* Press Conference

If there's any changes, as ever, we'll let you know.

PixelJunk Eden To Offer 3 Player Mode

The Sixth Axis — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:45:00 G5T

Just had an email from Dylan over at Q-Games, who tells us that PixelJunk Eden will sport a three player mode (see screenshot below) and that whilst Monsters Encore is out tomorrow in the US, a European release could be as early as next Thursday. Great news.

SingStar Volume 2 Song List

The Sixth Axis — Wed, 07 May 2008 14:30:00 G5T

So, you want to know what's on SingStar Volume Two, huh? Look down. Look back up. Now you do know. Some great tracks on there - Hot Chocolate, Pulp, Suede - all of which will be available to download for SingStar Volume One (as it's retrospectively known around here) we think. Can't remember. This heat is getting to us.

Aerosmith: Dude Looks Like A Lady
Blur: Country House
Bobby Brown: My Perogative
Eminem: Without Me
George Michael: Freedom 90
Gorillaz: Dare
Gossip: Standing in the Way of Control
Hot Chocolate: You Sexy Thing
Kaiser Chiefs: Ruby
Kool and the Gang: Celebration
The Lovin' Spoonful: Summer In The City
Maximo Park: Our Velocity
Morrissey: Suedehead
Nirvana: Lithium
Panic! At The Disco: But It's Better If You Do
Paul McCartney & the Frog Chorus: We All Stand Together
Pulp: Common People
Radiohead: Street Spirit (Fade Out)
Shakespears Sister: Stay
Spandau Ballet: TRUE
Suede: Metal Mickey
The Cure: Pictures of You
The Killers: When You Were Young
The Libertines: Can't Stand Me Now
The Offspring: Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)
The Police: Don't Stand So Close To Me
The Proclaimers: I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)
Tom Jones with Mousse T: Sexbomb
Tone Loc: Funky Cold Medina
Young MC: Bust A Move

Pass the ice lollies, George. Not our words, but the words of Spilzonen.

The Prince Gets a Surprise Makeover

The Sixth Axis — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:34:00 G5T

Back when I believed western games had been created for the sole purpose of torturing naughty gamers my outlook was changed by one game. That game was the original 3D remake of Prince of Persia by Ubisoft. In the spirit of the time Ubisoft put that franchise to rest after the conclusion of the third game, making the series a trilogy.

No one believed that they had seen the last of the Prince and as flawed as Assassins Creed was its similarities with Prince of Persia wet peoples appetites for what a new game in the series might look and play like on new generation consoles. Well, it seems now people are going to get what they wish for, and the old warning of being careful what one wishes for comes to mind when looking at the way the Prince is being resurrected.

For better or worse Ubisoft seems to be determined to take the new Prince of Persia game into a very new direction. Personally the new concept seems to be borrowing a little too much from Assassins Creed for comfort. Like the fact that linear progression will be scrapped in favour of the ever popular western sandbox approach to progression.

The exquisite visual style of the old Prince of Persia trilogy games is to be thrown away in favour of a cell shaded look. The Prince and all the old characters from the trilogy have also gotten the boot as this will be a completely new story. A story that seemingly will be heavily steeped in the lore of the ancient Persian religion Zoroastrianism.

All fighting is going to be through duels, and since Ubisoft Montreal does not have the best track record for creating solid fighting mechanics that makes me a little worried.

A new Prince of Persia with the visual style of Assassins Creed and the gameplay of the last generation games would have been awesome, but we are not going to get that. Instead let us hope Ubisoft knows what they are doing and this second rebirth of the Prince of Persia franchise will be the best one yet.

Valve Insists They Develop only for Dead Platforms

The Sixth Axis — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:30:00 G5T

We shall all forever remember Valve and their ignorant stupid remarks in the past. Neither shall we ever forget the travesty that was the PS3 port of Orange Box. Now those poor delusional lads are at it again since they are apparently working on a new game called "Left for Dead" for the PC and its red-headed inbred step cousin.

Apparently this time they will only grace our PS3's with their blessed presence through a quarter-assed port if the game becomes a smash hit. Well, Valve, let me save you the trouble, don't even bother, we are not interested in ports from archaic long dead platforms nor the developers left for dead developing for them.

Via CVG.

GTA IV Makes $500M

The Sixth Axis — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:20:00 G5T

Just got the official press release in, sorry for the delay there but we were waiting for confirmation: Grand Theft Auto IV has surpassed all-time entertainment records for day one and week one sales by dollar value. The game sold 3.6 million copies on launch day, and is now at 6 million globally. Outstanding.

'Rockstar's goal is to make each new title in the Grand Theft Auto franchise even better than those that preceded it, and Grand Theft Auto IV is a smashing success on that score. Grand Theft Auto IV makes full use of the power of next generation technology, and offers players an experience unique in the interactive entertainment medium. This game sets a new standard in the industry, with critics hailing it as both an artistic and technological masterpiece,' said Ben Feder, Take-Two's Chief Executive Officer.

SingStore Update: 16/05/08

The Sixth Axis — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:15:00 G5T

Seems like the online SingStar site has issued next week's lists a wee bit early, but regardless it's another great week for SingStar fans. Here's what you can expect on the 16th of May:

Aslan - This is
Avril Lavigne - Complicated
Avril Lavigne - My happy Ending
Beach Boys - Good Vibrations
Buzzcocks - Ever fallen in Love?
Coldplay - The Scientist
Coldplay - Shiver
Cutting Crew - Died in your Arms
Duran Duran - The Reflex
Erik Faber - Not Over
Golden Earring - Radar Love
Golden Earring - Twilight Zone
Good Charlotte - I Just Wanna Live
Hard-Fi - Hard to Beat
The Hives - Hate to Say I Told You So
The Hoosiers - Cops and Robbers
Moloko - Sing it Back
Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack - Tonight I Celebrate My Love
R.E.M - Everybody Hurts
Roy Orbison - Only the Lonely
Shocking Blue - Venus
The Vines - Get Free
The Sixth Axis - Caught You Out
Westlife - Queen of my Heart
Wilson Phillips - Hold on

Definite buys: Beach Boys, Buzzcocks, Coldplay's The Scientist, Cutting Crew and R.E.M. Another damned fiver when we're tipsy on a Friday, Sony, damn you.

GTA IV Patch Today

The Sixth Axis — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:00:00 G5T

Sony is planning a patch for release today to ease the online problems that we've all been facing with the PS3 version of GTA IV. Apparently the patch will fix the connectivity errors, but will not directly address the freezing and hanging bugs, something that Rockstar suggests you disconnect from PSN to get around.

Quite how you'll get the patch without being connected to the Web is anyone's guess.

Source.

Team Ico Join Nordic Game 2008

The Sixth Axis — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:00:00 G5T

Team Ico, the masterminds behind the astonishing Ico (obviously) and Shadow of the Colossus have joined the Nordic Game 2008 special event lineup, says QJ.net.

Fumito Ueda, the creator of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus will apparently be speaking about new gaming niches, he is amongst over 100 other speakers who are all high profile members of the video game scene. As a side note, we at TSA really, really, really want some information about the two games Team Ico are reportedly working on.

Haze Demo is 576p

The Sixth Axis — Wed, 07 May 2008 08:30:00 G5T

Some people like to play games, have a blast, talk about them at work on the school yard, and generally have a bit of fun. Some people are rather more dull though and like nothing more than a spot of pixel counting on a Tuesday evening to while away the hours.

The result of Quaz51's latest endevour? The Haze Demo is 576p, running at just 1024x576 with no anti-aliasing. Judging by the demo, that's the least of Haze's problems: the textures are flat and low-res, the animation's clunky, the dialog is risible and the weapons (apart from the pistol) feel really weak. Still, we'd rather play games and have fun, so YAY for Haze.

Say, did you see the bit with the dropship?

PlayStation Day For Lazy Bastards

The Sixth Axis — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:00:00 G5T

So, you're lazy, and don't want to trawl through our Live Blog, huh? Well, here's what you need to know in the shortest time possible:

1. Killzone 2 is due in February 2009
2. LittleBigPlanet is due this October
3. Europe will get the MGS4 Bundle, just Sixaxis, no DS3, on 12th June
4. Home open Beta still set for the end of the year
5. PS3 has sold 5,000,000 units in Europe, has outsold the 360
6. Men In Black is the first European BD-Live Blu-ray movie
7. Play TV due September, roughly £80
8. Somebody good at GT will win a ride in the new Nissan GT-R
9. Resistance 2 is six months away, thank goodness
10. Motorstorm 2 will rock
11. TSA cannot cope with Live Blogging, we had a massive visitor spike that killed the site for an hour or so...

So there you go. See you at E3...

PlayStation Day 2008 Press Releases

The Sixth Axis — Tue, 06 May 2008 19:30:00 G5T

We've just received the entire press pack from today's PlayStation Day. Handily, it's divided up into the same sections as the keynote, so let's get going...

FRIENDS AND FAMILY

With PlayStation, games have never been more family-friendly. We’ve created up the genre of ‘social gaming’: games where players of all ages socialise through gaming. For the kids and the young-at-heart, there are EyeToy® games that burn physical as well as mental energy. We’ve got puzzle games that everyone will want to try– whether at home or in the car – and we’re also allowing you to take TV on the move. You can even team up as a family to challenge your overseas relatives to a round of online quizzing over PLAYSTATION®Network (PSN) – and when it comes to keeping in touch further, we’ve just given PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) video and voice chat capabilities.

PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™): the next generation system that brings you High Definition gaming, Blu-ray movies, internet browsing, music, TV and entry into the online community of PLAYSTATION Network.

Buzz!™: Quiz TV (PS3)

Buzz!: Quiz TV for PS3™ is the next-gen game that takes the Buzz! experience into the future and across the world via the online PLAYSTATION Network. Arriving this June, it’ll give you instant access to quizzes on almost any subject you can think of, and will be supported by vast downloadable and user-generated content. The game’s Blu-ray disc comes with wireless buzzers and contains a whopping 5000 questions, divided into five selectable channels to suit every quiz fanatic – it’s a quiz where you choose the content. Not enough questions on your subject of choice? Write your own. New online quiz community MyBuzz!™ links directly from the internet to the game and allows players to write and upload personalised quizzes plus download quizzes created by other online players which suit their questioning needs. The disc is also your gateway to online gaming and content, connecting you to Sofa vs Sofa mode, in which you can team up with everyone at home to challenge up to three other teams of gamers online, as well as to extra downloadable quiz packs and quizzes written by other Buzz! users.

echochrome (PSP and PS3)

In echochrome, it’s not what you see, it’s the way that you see it – and the more pairs of eyes involved, the better your chances of solving the dozens of fiendish puzzles ahead. The world of echochrome consists of a series of crazy mazes inhabited by the endlessly wandering Walker, and your goal is to help him get where he wants to go – despite being faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles and hazards. The trick is to open your mind and let your imagination run riot: by rotating each maze and changing your perspective on the action, you might just be able to change reality… A brand new and brain-busting puzzle experience, echochrome will have you asking everyone you know: “Can you see the answer?”

PlayTV™ (PS3)

Television how, when and where you want it; Play TV lets you pause, rewind and record free-to-air digital television using your PS3 and, best of all – after a one-off payment for the peripheral, the service is completely free. End family squabbles as you watch one channel while recording another through a dual TV tuner, stream television anywhere using a wi-fi connected PSP or pause television should household events demand your attention – Play TV offers access to great TV without the pocket-punching bills this later this year.

Folding@home (PS3)

Developed by Stanford University, Folding@home uses the combined power of interlinked computers around the world to perform mathematical calculations that help with research into protein folding – research that could lead to breakthroughs in the fight against diseases such as Alzheimer’s, CJD, Parkinson’s and various forms of cancer. In 2006, it was realised that a network of interlinked PS3 processors could boost the project’s output to unprecedented levels thanks to the power of the PS3’s Cell processor. All you need to do to play a part in Folding@home is to select the project’s icon in the Network column of the Cross-Media Bar (XMB), then leave your machine running.

PLAYSTATION®Network (PSN)

The online home of PS3, PLAYSTATION®Network is where you’ll find some of PlayStation’s most innovative and fun games for you to download at wallet-friendly prices. You’ll also find downloadable extras, free online gaming, voice chat, video chat, web surfing and more.

Elefunk™ (PSN for PS3)

A herd of elephants needing safe guidance through a series of perilous levels requires a guide, so help steer the jungle giants to safety this May. Across 20 levels, create safe passage across ravines, rivers, fires, pits and swamps with the materials available to you. Plus, swap construction for Deconstruction in a specially designed multiplayer game where players must disassemble a structure as carefully as possible without letting the structure, or imperilled elephants, fall…

Buzz! Junior™ (PSN for PS3)

This summer, we’re bringing the fun of the children’s Buzz! Junior range to PSN with bundles of mini-games for PS3 owners to download at pocket money prices. Buzz! Junior titles offer all the fun, easy play of Buzz! controllers, but with wacky mini-games of skill and speed rather than trivia-based play – they’re perfect for youngsters to play with friends and family. Buzz! Junior: Jungle Party will be the first to arrive on PSN in a download featuring five great mini-games from the original PS2 version – now in 720p High Definition; it’ll be followed by similar downloads from Buzz! Junior: RoboJam and Buzz! Junior: Monster Rumble.

PixelJunk™ Eden (PSN for PS3)

After sowing seeds with its Racers and Monsters, PixelJunk puts down roots on PLAYSTATION®Network with PixelJunk Eden. Leap and swing between lush alien vegetation in a truly innovative platform game which constantly evolves over time as you move through the perfectly realised undergrowth, hunting treasures and smashing enemies from his path. Destroyed enemies scatter pollen across the landscape, which the player must collect and use to pollinate seed pods before using the new growth to progress further.

PlayStation®2 (PS2™): the world’s best-selling entertainment system that offers you great gameplay and the biggest social gaming brands

EyeToy® Play: PomPom Party (PS2)

Limber-up for the first cheerleading game for PS2, which comes bundled with real pompoms to help every wannabe-cheerleader pull off some groovy moves. As you follow the directions on-screen and shake your pompoms to the music, the EyeToy Camera will detect your movements and score your routines. So keep that rhythm going, and soon the whole block will be bouncing to your cheers in EyeToy Play: PomPom Party – it’s arriving in time for Christmas in late 2008.

EyeToy® Play: Hero (PS2)

The ultimate quest for all budding adventurers – embark on a fantastic journey through a colourful, exciting fantasy world. EyeToy Play: Hero includes its own toy sword for you to wield; the EyeToy Camera will detect your sword’s movements as you perform feats of bravery throughout the land. Watch your adventure unfold on-screen, hone your swordplay, and maybe one day you’ll be considered a true hero of the kingdom! It’s arriving in time for Christmas in late 2008.

PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable): the handheld entertainment system that offers games, music, film, TV, communications, GPS mapping and more

Buzz!™: Master Quiz (PSP)

Turning PSP into the ultimate social gaming experience, Buzz! makes his handheld debut in Buzz!: Master Quiz. Keep friends and family amused and entertained on the move, on holiday or on the bus as Buzz! hits the road, free from its front-room beginnings. Play solo or get involved with new multiplayer rounds such as Pass Around (which enables six players to play Buzz! with just one PSP!). The ultimate PlayStation quiz experience has hit the road – are you along for the ride this July?

Go!Messenger™ (PSP)

Keep in touch using your PSP with a revolutionary new addition, which turns your handheld system into a wireless communication tool featuring video chat, voice chat and instant messaging. It allows PSP owners to instant message each other– then, just add a headset and voice messaging and voice calls become possible. Add Go!Cam, the USB camera for PSP, and video calls and video messaging become a possibility. Go!Messenger is out now – it’s another reason why PSP is becoming a travel essential.

SKYPE™ (PSP)

Skype, the online communication software that allows Internet users to call each other free of charge*, has now arrived on the new Slim and Light PSP. Talk to any one of the hundred million Skype users worldwide with free voice calls, managing your contacts list and checking which of your friends are online via your PSP. You can opt into the SkypeOut and SkypeIn features, which connect Skype callers with landline and mobile users – and you can do all of this from any wireless hotspot – anywhere in the world.

FILM

Moving images are crucial to everything we do, so it’s no wonder we’ve had a long love affair with film and the arts, encouraging creativity through sponsorship and endorsement of artists, musicians and film-makers If you love watching movies with visuals and sound of the highest quality, we can offer you one of the best Blu-ray players on the market as part of the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) package. With our games, we’re blurring the lines between gaming and cinema, with big Hollywood names now playing our characters and creating our animation and music. And, if your passion for movies extends to playing their characters, we’ve got the official games of some of the biggest movies out there.

Blu-ray/ BD Live (PS3)

We’re always developing firmware updates to make your PlayStation experience better, and the recent 2.20 System enhancement brings you BD-LIVE*, a set of interactive movie features that will take you even deeper into the Blu-ray movie experience. BD-LIVE offers the potential for Blu-ray movie viewers to download bonus scenes, shorts, trailers, subtitles, stills and even ringtones. It also facilitates interactive movie-based games that movie fans can play with a pal in the same room or with someone across the world**. The 2.20 System enhancement also allows movie lovers to resume playing a Blu-ray or DVD movie at the point it was stopped – even it it’s been removed.

Siren™ Blood Curse (PS3)

The most terrifying game in the iconic horror survival Siren*** series to date, Siren Blood Curse is coming to PLAYSTATION®Network (PSN) in twelve TV-style, suspense-packed downloadable episodes this summer. The next-gen horror-survival title is set in the Japanese village of Hanuda, where a TV crew from America arrive to research the legend of the ‘Vanished Village’ where human sacrifice is said to have taken place thirty years ago. Players discover the horrific curse that haunts Hanuda and battle to save the village’s survivors from the living dead – a spine-tingling struggle that involves using the unique Sight-Jack system to view events from the angle of your undead pursuers. In a gaming first, Siren Blood Curse will be released episodically, keeping gamers on the edge of their seats until the next download arrives in PSN.

Go! View™ (PSP)

A portable video library which allows PSP owners in the UK and Ireland to watch video on demand. As the first official PSP video download service in Europe it will allow millions of PSP owners to load their entertainment system with a personalised library of programmes to watch wherever and whenever they choose.

Wall-E™ (PS2 – Third-Party Title - THQ)

Pulling another inevitable summer blockbuster out of their animated hats, Wall-E is Disney-Pixar’s latest cartoon hero and he’s making his gaming debut in his first on PS2. Join Wall-E, his robotic love EVE and a misfit band of robots on an intergalactic quest to deliver a message of hope from an all but forgotten world. Blast through a high-octane action adventure ride through the movie world and beyond on a series of intense missions, with puzzles to solve and dangerous enemies to defeat. It’s down to you and a motley crew of tin-can heroes to put the spark back into the galaxy…

Ghostbusters (PS3 - Third-Party Title – Vivendi)

The Ghostbusters are back in a PlayStation adventure written by original Ghostbusting legends Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis – a.k.a. Stantz and Spengler from the original movie! Join the film’s original cast and creators as you track, wrangle and trap paranormal threats with unique upgradeable weapons and gadgets. Your favourite ghosts are all included – hunt down Slimer and Stay Puft in addition to a host of new paranormal adversaries, trapping and tangling ghosts with an arsenal of crazy gadgets. Play solo, in teams or online in this authentic ghost-busting adventure for PS3!

LEGO Batman™: The Video Game (PS3 – Third-Party Title – Warner Bros)

Batman begins once again, this time built from bricks as LEGO Batman explodes onto PS3 and criminal playground Gotham City becomes a toy town overrun by villainous thugs and devious masterminds! Reshaping the comic and movie world of Gotham, Travellers Tales - the team behind LEGO Star Wars re-envisions the Joker’s dark domain, allowing players to help build Gotham City as the dynamic duo or destroy it in the guise of any number of classic Batman villains. LEGO Batman puts high tech gadgets, vehicles and suits at your disposal as you fight across a classic movie cityscape in this true Hollywood brick-buster.

Short Film and Sponsorship

PlayStation’s long-standing relationship with the arts around the world has spanned from short animation competitions in Australia to PSP virtual art galleries in France to the UK sponsorship of the world famous Royal Opera House. As communities come together to experience and share on PlayStation, we will see new and innovative projects centred around the arts. One of the initiatives this year is a pan-European programme bringing together senior film industry figures with young directorial talent to create new and challenging short film content – it’ll be available to download via PSN.

METAL GEAR SOLID 4

London – 6th May 2008: One of the legends of the PlayStation® generation has taken his partnership with the platform to the next level. Solid Snake, the hero of the Metal Gear Solid® (MGS) franchise, is, this summer, being bundled with PLAYSTATION®3 and a SIXAXIS controller offering millions of PS3 and MGS fans around the world the ultimate gaming combo.

Concluding Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid saga, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is set in a battle-scarred future where huge conglomerates fight for supremacy using armies of hand-picked mercenaries. This devastated world is seen through the battle-weary eyes of an older Solid Snake who has been charged with infiltrating a number of key locations across the globe, including the Middle East and South America. As such, the epic end to Snake’s story offers ground-breaking combat elements, a refined control system that offers unprecedented control over the aged hero, and the tying up of key plot lines and loose ends.

Similarly, the accompanying Metal Gear Online features all the stunning stealth and combat elements of Guns of the Patriots, as it drops the player into a series of war zones and game options. With all-out ‘Last Man Standing’ battles to rescue and protection missions, Metal Gear Online effortlessly transfers the sublime control system of the series to an online competition, creating an absorbing battle between like-minded fans.

Available from June 12 and priced at 439,99 Euros this offer is one of the most exciting bundles to date – bringing two great servants of the games industry together for the conclusion of what has been one hell of a ride!

PLAY

The world really has never been such a small place thanks to the online capabilities of PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) with a growing community of gamers testing themselves against the best of the best worldwide. The speed of play, the ease of use and the quality of the game offering that comes with PS3 is unparalleled; it’s the ultimate online arena to meet, interact and play with fellow gamers across the world. So if words like teamwork, precision, competition, strategy and ‘never give up’ are your mantra, PLAYSTATION®Network, is the place for you.

Resistance™2 (PS3)

Team up with seven other players in eight player co-op mode and also in massive online battles involving up to 60 gamers in multiplayer mode - Insomniac Games’ sequel to phenomenal history re-write Resistance: Fall of Man features an unprecedented level of online play. Upping the stakes with new Chimera enemies and vast online battlefields, the action has moved across the Atlantic and will take place in a devastated America. Once again, the Chimera threaten the very future of mankind itself as the terrifying alternative history of Earth’s last days continues to unfold, November 2008.

SOCOM™: Confrontation (PS3)

Recruit the best soldiers from across the world to form an elite team and lead your hand-picked squad against other highly-skilled outfits. Released in late 2008 and exclusively online, join specially organised events or take the back seat as a spectator on massive multiplayer campaigns where you’ll communicate in-game via headsets. SOCOM: Confrontation demands strategy and teamwork to win the war and see your tooled-up soldier rise through the ranks. Reward your troops not only when they are brave and fearless but when they use intelligence and work as a team.

Warhawk™: Operation Broken Mirror expansion pack on PSN (PS3)

Since the first Warhawk expansion pack (Operation: Omega Dawn, available now) was released, online gamers have been stepping up the attack around the world, battling for domination on the ground and in the air. The next pack, Operation: Broken Mirror, brings the mighty Armoured Personnel Carrier into the fray as troops battle it out in the seven arenas of the new Vaporfield Glacier. Available now, the battle will be decided across seven arenas capable of holding different numbers of players – up to 32 gamers can fight in Tundra Assault, for example, while Olsavik Village is designed for smaller battles with four to eight players.

Haze™ (PS3 – Third-Party Title - Ubisoft)

Play both sides of the same war in Haze – a new, PlayStation-exclusive first-person shooter set in a futuristic world where governments have outsourced military operations to private corporations. You play Shane Carpenter, an idealistic young soldier in the pay of Mantel Global Industries, a military company that feeds its troops the performance-enhancing drug Nectar as part of its hi-tech onslaught against vicious rebel group the Promise Hand. An unforeseen revelation leads you to switch sides halfway through the struggle, eschewing your hi-tech weaponry for the cunning tactics of the Promise Hand. It’s a stunning new title for PS3, brought to you by the developers of the TimeSplitters® series.

CREATE

PlayStation® has always been about turning dreams and imagination into reality – and with the latest technology in the form of PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™), we’re making it happen on an unprecedented scale. Meanwhile, we’re opening up a new gaming experience that so defies convention that it needs its own genre: creative gaming.

LittleBigPlanet™ (PS3)

Tired of being stuck inside the imagination of others? LittleBigPlanet is a game where creativity is part of the gameplay and playing is part of the creative experience. It’s a game which is endless because it enables players to make their own content and share it with others. It’s a game where you can interact with every single item and create as many more as you want. This is LittleBigPlanet – home to the small but mighty Sackboy – an irresistible new world created by Media Molecule and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe for you to play, create and share in.

MySingStarOnline™: (SingStar™ PS3)

Let’s not mess around here; we all want to be a star – but now, dreams could finally become reality with My SingStar Online, an online community in which to showcase your performance skills in front of a world of fellow budding megastars. Use the power of PS3, SingStar and PLAYSTATION®Eye camera to record your special moments and upload videos, audio playbacks and snapshots to My SingStar for viewing and ratings by the global SingStar community. Just remember; for every Spice Girl there’s a Britney Spears; for every Elvis there’s a Robbie Williams – which one will you be?

PLAYSTATION®Eye (PS3)

EyeToy® revolutionised gaming, allowing the introduction of titles like EyeToy: Kinetic and EyeToy: Play. PLAYSTATION Eye for PS3 expands on EyeToy’s market-leading heritage to bring gamers a wealth of new technical developments that’ll boost your creative output as well as your game experience: it’ll work in low light, you can adjust the field of vision for close-ups; the microphone recognises speech easily and cancels out background noise.

Go!Cam™ and Go!Edit™ (PSP)

Transform your PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) into a camera and movie editing suite. Go!Cam™ is a fun, handy, attachable camera that allows you to shoot stills and movies, while Go!Edit is a simple software solution that allows you to cut, blend and edit on the move.

INTENSE ACTION

Given the choice of sleeping at night or immersing yourself completely in the latest game, which do you take? If it’s the latter – if it’s so indisputably the latter that the question is pointless – you already know about PlayStation’s offering for the intense action fans. Pure, unadulterated next-gen gameplay – that’s what it’s all about. Gameplay that you can master and make your own; after all, you take this seriously – as does the worldwide community of gamers that you belong to. If you approach your gaming from the mindset of the professional, we’ve got the professional-grade supplies you need to get the job done.

Killzone®2 (PS3)

The battle continues as Killzone 2 comes to PS3, with the ISA taking the war to the Helghast in an all-out assault on the hostile planet Helghan, where the Helghast will prove an even more formidable foe on their own turf. You’ll find yourself immersed in an all-encompassing theatre of war where no piece of the environment remains untouched by the carnage. Play as Sev, a battle-hardened veteran of Special Forces unit The Legion. Your mission: to secure Pyrrhus, Helghan’s capital city. February 2009 will see the arrival of this truly next-gen Killzone title and a conflict more destructive than you’ve ever witnessed before.

Mirror’s Edge (PS3 – Third-Party Title – EA)

Introducing a new PS3 icon –Faith-In a city where information is heavily monitored, agile couriers called Runners transport sensitive data away from prying eyes. In this seemingly utopian paradise, a crime has been committed and now you are being hunted. You are a Runner called Faith - and this innovative first-person action-adventure is your story.

Mirror’s Edge delivers you straight into the shoes of this unique heroine as she traverses the vertigo-inducing cityscape, engaging in intense combat and fast paced chases. With a never before seen sense of movement and perspective, you will be drawn into Faith’s world. A world that is visceral, immediate, and very dangerous. Live or die? Soar or plummet? One thing is certain, in this city, you will learn how to run.

Super Stardust HD™ Team Pack on PSN (PS3)

Give your trigger finger a boost with Split-Screen Versus mode and Split-Screen Co-op for Super Stardust HD, the reinvigorated, High Definition version of the asteroid-blasting format that’s been a classic since the early days of video arcade games. Split-Screen Co-op allows players to work together at blasting the asteroid menace, while Split-Screen Versus features game modes including ‘Deathmatch’ and ‘King of the Hill’ for up to four players. The pack also features a Ship Editor feature that allows gamers to customise their spacecraft as well as enhanced visual effects.

MUSIC

Whether you’re looking to test your musical skills, searching for an audience, or love the hottest and heaviest in-game soundtracks, PlayStation helps you and your friends hit the right notes. If you’re all about combining good tunes and good company with the cutting edge of technology, come and join the party. Here’s the deal: you supply the energy; we’ll bring the games, the equipment and the expertise.

SingStar™ PS3 Vol. 2

SingStar™ fans are in for a treat this summer with the launch of SingStar® Vol. 2 on PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™). The new addition to the multi-million selling franchise features 30 new tracks, a brand new harmony duet mode, PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) Remote Play functionalities, increased levels of personalisation and an entry point to MySingStarOnline™ – the rapidly growing online SingStar community. Whether you’re an entertainer, a diva, a rocker, a crooner or hip hopster - or even a shy star – there will be something for you with artists including The Killers, Eminem, Kaiser Chiefs, Gorillaz and many many more. SingStar Vol. 2 will of course give you access to SingStore™ where you can browse, select and download new songs and create your perfect playlist. Vol. 2 will feature a harmony duet mode: a new way of playing that allows two players to sing different lines to a song at the same time, showing off their harmonising skills. Special tracks have been included to showcase this new mode such as Kool and the Gang: Celebration, the Paul McCartney & the Frog Chorus: We all Stand Together and The Mamas & The Papas: California Dreamin'.

SingStar™ Summer Party (PS2)

Summer is on its way – at least for all SingStar players it certainly is, as the latest PS2 release offers nothing but sunshine soaked hits for anyone tuneful enough to wield one of the famous SingStar microphones. With hits from current pop favourites Amy Winehouse, Girls Aloud and Rihanna alongside vintage tracks from Pulp, David Bowie and Elton John, SingStar Summer Party is 2008’s definitive summer music experience.

DancingStage™ SuperNOVA 2 (PS2 - Third-Party Title – Konami)

The original interactive dance series, the Dancing Stage titles have sold over two million copies across Europe to date, and DancingStage SuperNOVA 2 adds more footwork fun to the gameplay. Hop on the dance mat controller and attempt to match the complex moves that flash up on the screen as big-name dance tracks play. The better you get, the more complex the moves become. DancingStage SuperNOVA 2 features an all-new Hyper Master mode, which challenges you to clear courses of four to eight missions followed by a boss battle – only by outdancing the boss can you move forwards. With tracks from Justin Timberlake, Bobby Brown and Goldfrapp, you’ll be moving for a long, long time.

Movement (PSN)

Seeking out the greatest unsigned bands from across Europe, Movement is an exclusive PSN music experience which will open your ears, your PS3 and PSP to the best in international music. From French electronica to London grindie via melody driven rock from Germany, you’ll hear it all courtesy of hosts Spencer and Martin who are tracking down the sweetest sounds across the continent in their VW Camper. With exclusive downloads on PSN and performances at PlayStation Day, movement will culminate with one band being selected by Spencer and Martin to have a professional promo video made. Look out for the entire madcap adventure on PSN soon.

MP3/PS3

PS3 might not be the first thing that springs to mind when talking about MP3s, but when it comes to digital music, PS3 is second to none. Use its vast memory and processing to store and manage your MP3 files – and then play them back straight into your living room for a digital musical experience that’s sure to eliminate a connecting cable or two…

SPORT

Immerse yourself in sports with PlayStation. From our sponsorship of UEFA and the PlayStation Schools Cup to our videogaming innovation, we’re giving it our all – now it’s down to you to give yours. Put your foot to the floor and hold on tight for brutal off-road racing on a tropical island; or race the best players online in both real and futuristic settings. It’s not all motorsports, though: there’s football, golf, wrestling and even ten-pin bowling. If you love to compete, we’ve got just the challenge for you.

Motorstorm™ Pacific Rift (PS3)

Peace is shattered and the ground torn to shreds on a formerly tranquil pacific island with brand-new monster trucks revving up at the starting line as the sequel to the multimillion selling MotorStorm roars onto PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™). With 16 brand new massive multi-route tracks hosting MotorStorm’s unique mixture of vehicles, prepare for no-holds-barred racing action through thick swamps, dense jungle, towering peaks and steaming volcanoes, all with 4-player split-screen. The overgrown jungle landscape will prove as tough an adversary as the other racers, throwing barbed vegetation, free flowing rivers, winding mountain roads and sudden precipices at all who dare enter this island. It’s brutal, dangerous, relentless, unpredictable and more than a game - MotorStorm is way of life. So stay tuned, the festival is back this autumn and promises to be bigger than ever before when it arrives this autumn.

Everybody’s Golf™: World Tour (PS3)

Yes - there is an elephant on the course and no: this is not your average golf simulation. This is Everybody’s Golf: World Tour for PS3, where rounds are played across global locations including the African savannah and the coast of Okinawa. Play with up to four players offline, or against the other 49 people you have just met in the online club house. There will be downloadable extra content for the ultimate social sporting experience – the first two downloadable characters (Gloria and Alex) are on their way this May, with more characters and courses (and a few surprises) coming soon. This isn’t just a golf game for golfers – this is a golf game for everybody.

WipEout®HD on PSN (PS3)

The fastest anti-gravity racer is back this spring with a true next-gen anti-gravity racing experience available exclusively as a download from PLAYSTATION®Network. WipEout HD features online multiplayer, 1080p visuals, 60 frames per second animation, motion-sensitive SIXAXIS™ play and a big-name electronic soundtrack featuring the likes of Kraftwerk and Booka Shade all in Dolby™ 5.1 surround. Players will race on eight of the best tracks from previous WipEout titles, fully reworked and meticulously recrafted in High Definition and updated with next-gen track features. WipEout HD will pull you over the edge of your seat and straight into the cockpit: get ready for an adrenaline-fuelled racing experience.

High Velocity Bowling™ on PSN (PS3)

Time your swing, pace your velocity, check your spin – SIXAXIS becomes your virtual bowling ball in the ultimate motion-sensitive bowling experience. Played across ten authentic-looking themed alleys - each one home to a colourful bowling fanatic with a unique style who’ll put your skills and nerve to the test - HV Bowling works on your power, speed and accuracy. Experience the rumble and clatter of the bowling alley in the comfort of your own home this May.

Beijing Olympics™ (PS3 – Third-Party Title – Sega)

Bring home a gold medal with the only official game of the 2008 Olympics. Compete alone or with up to seven friends online and strive to break records as you lead your chosen national squad to victory. Beijing Olympics delivers 38 stunning High Definition events including track and field, aquatics, gymnastics, cycling, judo, table tennis and even kayaking. Every split-second counts, so be sure to use the In The Zone feature to pull yourself into the action to control the toughest moves. This is a next-gen sports simulator that will demand every ounce of your mental agility and coordination – will you return home with a medal?

UEFA EURO 2008™ (PS3 Third-Party Title – EA)

Step out onto the pitch alongside your real-life football heroes with UEFA EURO 2008, creating your in-game likeness and working through eight levels to earn the captaincy of your team. Lead your nation onto the pitch and take part in online matches where you’ll represent your country across the world, working your way up online leaderboards where your every performance is rated and recorded on the international league table. With ultra-realistic game conditions right down to the mud, rain and authentic stadiums – all in stunning High Definition – the next-gen football experience UEFA EURO 2008 is almost better looking than the real thing.

PlayStation Schools Cup

PlayStation’s love of football is the power behind the PlayStation Schools Cup - the world’s most exciting international schools football tournament. Inaugurated in 2001, the Cup sees each participating country select a number of school five-a-side teams for a national tournament, sending the winners to a pan-European final. The aim is to enable children to shine at their sport and to let them experience the fun, the teamwork and the friendship of playing it at the highest level.

FIFA World Interactive Cup

This May, in Berlin, we’ll find out who’s the best virtual footballer in the world. Football-fixated gamers worldwide are currently competing in national FIFA 08 tournaments, exclusively played on PS3 and on May 24th, the finalists will converge in Berlin to battle it out for the world title. It’s a truly global tournament with players from across Europe and beyond competing – one of which will be named the world’s greatest virtual footballer and net a cash prize of £20,000.