Ninja Gaiden Sigma demo now up

Unfortunately its US owners only.

My only reason for bringing this up is due to my near fanatical love of the first Ninja Gaiden on the xbox. The definition of brilliance and possibly the best game that ever came out on the original xbox. PS3 owners are in for a treat...

Can't wait for Tecmo to announce Ninja Gaiden 2

You can read the full story here

The Bat Cave

Not sure if I mentioned this in a previous email but in a couple of months Debbie and I will be expecting our second child, which is great news but does mean I loose the spare room for my Study/Gaming Room!

Thankfully my kind generous wife [yes she might read this;-)]has let me convert the old utility room to Study and has given me free reign to do with it what I like! What I have in mind is an hi-tech looking uber study/gaming room. I have dubbed it "The Bat Cave". I have been working on the conversion for the last few months and it is nearing completion. I have uploaded photos of the development and have registered www.the-batcave.co.uk!

The next stage it rigging the desk and mounting the PC, then the cold cathodes and water cooling! I'm working on a completly custom setup built into the desk.
Need to do a bit of a write up for custom PC once it's all done and hopefully I'll get an entry in Custom PC's Readers Drives! ;-)

Playstation Eye

Playstation Eye due in Summer, 2 modes, one for focused stuff, another for full body tracking, would be cool if you could do some Wii stuff with it, gestures etc.

Specs

Q+A

Apparently the Beta for PSHome is about to start too, heres hoping i can get in on that one!

More PGR 4 Details appear.. drools

My fave racing series of all time... I'm pretty sure we're going to see the xbox live camera incorporated due to the comment about "extra polygons for the driver). It sounds (and looks from ths scans) beyond incredible, the idea of dynamic weather, tracks freezing up etc mid race.. This game can't arrive soon enough, especially considering the fact Bizzarre are saying this is the first game they've developed without any pressure. Read the article, check the scans, keep tissues handy to wipe the drool from your lips!

Full article here

• All PGR3 Enviroments to Return
  
• Joined By Shanghai and Two Other New Cities TBA, and a “Fantasy Track”
  
• Ditched The 170mph and Up. This Time It’s Iconographix.
  
• Cars to feature are: 1960s Mini, ‘63 Corvette Stingray, ‘54 Maserati 250F, Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano and many more…
  
• Fully developed fog, puddles turning to ice, windshields collecting frost
  
• Fully rejiggered Career Mode totally mapped out a la Tiger Woods. You create a driver, their nationality etc
  
• AI now has character. You know the drivers and they have their own style.
  
• In car view features more active driver (fist pumping) and more shaky craziness.
  
• Online physics improved to cut down on cheesers.

Those damn cheesers!!!

Geomtetry Wars Still As Popular as Ever.

Couldn't help noticing that we have all cracked open Geomtery Wars recently.
Coincidence? Or is it just that it still remains one of the most addictive games on the 360?
Either way, I have definatley lost my touch, couldn't even scrape 100K!

I have also been enjoying a spot of Texas Hold Um. Never really been into Poker but a friend recently introduced it to me and I've got the bug. Thank god it's not real money! My bank roll is currently -200K!
Give me a shout if you fancy a game some time! Maybe I can get some money back! ;-)

Halo 3 rumoured to be native 1080P 60fps

Not sure if Bungie can pull off 1080P 60fps with Halo 3, but if they can manage it, WOW!

I think they will fallback to 720P and let it upscale when the games released, the demo is going to be 720P. I guess it depends how well that performs in the live beta test.

You can read the article here

Forza 2 Video

Looks Stunning!

PS3 1.7 Firmware Update

PS3 1.7 Firmware Update released today.

- Play PS One games (downloaded for your PSP) on your PS3 as well!
- PS3 Saved Games for PSOne titles are compatible with the PSP too.
- Vibration added for emulated PSOne and PS2 titles.

Nice update, i think this means Sony will be introducing a Rumble controller for the PS3. Yay!

Round up..

Round up of a few happenings...

God Of War 2 will run at 576p on Euro PS3's, very nice! Europe gets the best looking version of God of War 2, i guess thats something for the £420 we paid out for our PS3's, which is criminal at the current exchange rate. (or £399 if you hung on for a few days after launch!)

Rumours are the Xbox 360 Elite is not going to hit Europe until November (altho HMV disagrees and says late summer), official lanch date in the US is April 29th, i might be interested if any of the UK stores offer some kind of trade in deal for my current 360. GameStop in the US is going to. It comes with all the stuff you need to copy across your current 360 hard drive to the 120 gigger too.

SCEE (Sony Europe) is looking to shed 10% of its workforce, difficult times for sony at the moment, those big PS3 titles need to start arriving! Altho Super Rub a Dub and Motorstorm are still keeping me busy!

The Wii is going to get Neo Geo Virtual Console support in the summer, if this means i can get my grubby mitts on Metal Slug again then this is great news!

Too Human, a much anticipated title, has changed completely now allegedly after its jerky slide show demo from last years E3, 4 player Co-op is being mentioned, whilst IGN said it was still stuttery, they aim to hit a constant 30 fps in the finished game.

Halo 3 Multiplayer Vid

Yummy, this looks awesome :) Lee, your gonna need to find a copy of Crackdown ;)

LittleBigPlanet

A Chat with the LittleBigPlanet Dev's.. had to find something to counter the Splinter Cell Post ;)

'We had soft body physics and things like that running early on because we got lots of other smaller things sorted out or decided before hand – and even with all that in place there’s still loads more headroom. The PS3 has this insane quantity of power, which seems to take a cloth simulator, and then lots more you want to throw at it. It’s just a really enjoyable machine to code for.'

But, cautions another team member: "We’ve come to the PS3 without baggage. If you arrive with legacy code it just doesn’t work."

Hmm.. so great for new stuff, nasty if you want to port something from the 360.. (Splinter Cell)

Nice to know it has oodles of power tho, i think its gonna take another 12 months before PS3 really shows what it can do.

Most of the big titles arent due till September, some stuff is earlier though which will help, Lair, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Colin McRae DIRT.. i might have to get something on the 360! if i can shift my Super Rub a Dub addiction that is!

Linky

Sony discontinue 20Gb PS3 model

And manage to take another pop @ MS.. As is the custom

SCEA has announced that the 20GB version of PlayStation 3 is to be discontinued in North America after consumers overwhelmingly favoured the 60GB model, GamesIndustry.biz reports.

An official statement reads, "At launch, we offered two separate models of PlayStation 3 to meet the diverse needs and interests of our PlayStation fan base. Initial retail demand in North America was upwards of 90 per cent in favor of the 60GB SKU, so we manufactured and shipped-in accordingly.

"Due to the overwhelming demand for the 60GB model from both retailers and consumers, we have ceased offering the 20GB model here in North America."

SCEA spokesperson Dave Karraker confirmed that the decision to stop selling the 20GB PS3 is "based purely on consumer and retailer demand" - adding that the lower-spec model is being outsold by the 60GB model "10 to 1". According to Karraker, this illustrates that "consumers are willing to pay more for advanced technology in a gaming console".

There are still "very limited" stocks of the 20GB PS3, and these will continue to be sold at the official price of USD 499 until depleted.

Karraker said those who own a lower-spec machine will continue to be "100 per cent supported with software and services, since all PS3s have the same basic architecture". Unlike all Xbox 360s, he added - "If [Microsoft] were to stop selling their Core system, [it] would allow publishers to actually use their hard drive for gaming purposes, leaving the Core user out in the cold."

The news comes just days after it emerged that several US retailers - including SonyStyle - were no longer selling the 20GB PlayStation 3. The 60GB model is the only one currently available in Europe, and it now looks extremely unlikely that the lower-spec model will ever go on sale in the region.

Wii Browser

Woke up to a glowing blue Wii this morning (ooer missus!) new release of Internet Browser is out, its very nice too, shame i never really use it!

Free until June.. after which its 500 Wii Points. I still dont get why they havent put gesture recognition in, would have thought it ideal with the wii-mote, interface is definately improved anyway and its much quicker.

Grand Theft Auto 4 Details leaked

Hmmm.. I think this is sounding very, very promising....

New details for Grand Theft Auto IV have spilled their way onto the Internet, expanding on what we can expect when the game launches on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this October.

The game will be as significantly different as GTA III was to the previous top-down crime capers, Rockstar founder Dan Houser told Game Informer, and will offer much wider choice and freedom to the player.

As we already know from the trailer, GTA IV will take place in Liberty City (New York) in 2007, and will revolve around an Eastern European fellow. This chap, the main character, is Niko Bellic - an immigrant in search of the "American Dream".
His cousin Roman persuaded him to make the move by boasting a life of luxury, but it eventually turns out he was using this as a cover to hide his own failures. He'll be your only contact until you can find your feet, and ultimately carve out your own destiny.
One of the biggest differences in the new game will be the way you interact with other people. In previous iterations you've been at the beck and call of others, picking up your phone to receive orders. But this time around you'll be able to dial out, calling people to arrange rendezvouses and correlate your own plans. There will still be an element of following someone else's game plan, but the freedom of choice is something Rockstar is proudly standing by.

In GTA IV, four of the five boroughs of New York have been recreated for you to explore, as well as parts of New Jersey. Broker is the equivalent of Brooklyn, Manhattan is now Algonquin, Queens becomes Dukes, the Bronx is Brohan, and New Jersey transforms into Alderney.

While that doesn't give the fourth game the largest geographical playing field in the series, the level of detail and freedom should apparently more than make up for it.

We've already seen the impressive lighting effects, sumptuous skyline, and next-gen sheen from the trailer. What is less evident is the vastly enhanced AI, where NPCs will walk and talk much more convincingly, going about their daily routines around you. And apparently the game will only look better as we get closer to launch.

As with other games you can expect voice acting and an impressive array of radio stations to choose from while you're joyriding in Liberty City. However, it's unlikely we'll see Hollywood actors in the lead roles in this game, as Rockstar is making an effort to choose less well-known talent, both for voices and for the track listing.

Multiplayer is also going to be included this time around, but it isn't going to be an MMORPG. It's going to be something separate to the single-player experience that will be fun, interesting, and progressive.

Technically the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions will look and feel the same, and loading screens should be non existent after your initial entry into the world.

However, Microsoft's console will offer that exclusive downloadable content its boasted about at every opportunity, though there's still speculation as to whether the Blu-ray disc will include more to begin with.

It's all shaping up very well indeed. Be sure to go and see the very first trailer for the game over on Eurogamer TV if you haven't already. And you should have, really. Everyone else has.

Say it with me... Can't wait.

Splinter Cell X360 vs PS3...

I thought this blog about the differences in Splinter Cell on the 360 and PS3 says it all, look at the great HDR on the 360 it was so easy to spot which one was the 360. Also look at the PS3 textures, are they 16x16 icons? ;)

Here's the link.

Xbox Update and Keyboard Addon

Major Nelson yesterday listed the main changes to the next update of the 360 dashboard, you will be able to background download with the 360's fans off in a low power mode. Excellent news! I'm glad they have added the gamerscore and achievement name when you gain an achievement, it really does get annoying having to open the guide to see what you got (especially when the guide freezes so you loose you point in Crackdown!).

I stumbled upon some pictures of the dashboard update and the new keyboard addon for the 360 controller that Major Nelson has put on Flickr. I think the keyboard looks ace what do you guys think? It should be a good thing to buy once the MSN/Windows Messenger update is released. I will be picking one of these up when they come out.

Halo 3 Beta!

Starts 16th of May..

Linky

You gotta laugh..

Pretty funny stuff.. Dunno where this was taken.

GOW Update includes new multiplayer game

The next title update for Gears of War is currently going through the certification process. We'll have more detail about the update next week but I can tell you that in addition to fixing a whole bunch of glitches, and providing 720p for VGA users running at 1280x1024, it will contain a brand new multiplayer gametype called Annex.

Some folks who got to play it a few weeks ago said they think it is our best multiplayer gametype yet but I'll leave it for you fans to decide what you think for yourself when it shows up soon on Xbox Live. More details next week.

http://gearsforums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=566619

XBLA: Sensible Soccer will feature Online multiplayer

Yuup. I'm shedding tears of joy! It'll be weird not playing this with a keyboard (and scoring my patented SWOS banana shots!) but I really, really can't wait for this one.

Now PLEASE MS, NBA Jam TE, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, Chase HQ, Robocop 2, Final Fight, Streets of Rage (all of them!)...

I remember the days - and nights - of playing Sensi endlessly back at college and we're sure the updated Xbox Live Arcade and PC versions due later in the summer are going to appeal to both old and new fans.

We think it's important to stay true to the original and we'll be delivering what fans of the original SWOS have been eagerly waiting for years, SWOS online multiplayer!

Taken from Kotaku

Forza 2 demo.. Soon

Just checked, we should see a Forza 2 demo in the next few weeks. Quite looking forward to this, I never gave Forza 1 as much play as it deserved (blame my PGR addiction), but I'll definitely be picking this up, here's the article from Eurogamer

Microsoft has confirmed reports that a Forza Motorsport 2 demo will appear on Xbox Live Marketplace fairly soon. "The rumours this week of a downloadable demo are true and the details on timing will be confirmed in the coming weeks," the publisher said in a statement.

As is now tradition, the company revealed a number of new cars going into the game, which is due out next month, and this time it's the turn of "Aftermarket Tuner Car Classics". See below for a full list of those, and scour the official website for more details on each if you fancy.

You can also start looking forward to our hands-on coverage of the ambitious racer, with playable code expected at the office within a similar timeframe to the demo. We're already fighting over the steering wheel. Well, I say fighting - there's really no contest.

Can't wait.

Wii goes Hardcore!

Miyamoto on the Wii.

"I prepared myself for the possibility that Wii might face an uphill battle in America, so to see that it has become this big of a hit is something I wasn't particularly expecting... There are other enhancements to the Wii interface and developments being planned that are going to really make games for hardcore players a lot more fun and interesting... A lot of people have the misunderstanding that Nintendo is not interested in network gaming."

Im still dubious, no decent releases for months, horrible 16 digit 'friend' system, no online to speak of (yet)... im bored of mine right now, it hasnt been on in weeks, Wii Sports is great but its had its day in the Mal household... wheres Mario Galaxy, Metroid, Smash Bros... hell.. anything!

Its cheap and cheerful i agree but look at the gap between Zelda to something like GTA4.. not sure how long cheap and cheerful will work for them..

Kojima on MGS4

"I think it's up to each project, and the individual producer. If they want to take it multiplatform, they will. But like I said, MGS4 is aimed for the movie theatre, it's aimed for the PS3, so the game's scenario and graphics need this theatre-type hardware. It's when a producer has a game that can work on the 'DVD level' that a game will go multiplatform"

Not quite sure about the theatre aspect of the quote but its obviously related to the PS3 having BluRay built in.

"The PS3 is like the theater, it's a little bit high-priced but it has to be high quality as well. The 360 is a DVD, it still needs to be high quality but you need more variations, while the Wii is almost like a TV channel, because every game you have it with your family".

Why the persistant rumors of it coming to the 360? "Because 360 owners want it on 360, obviously"

Rumour is it might even be > 50 gigs, 2 bloody BluRay discs!

I think sticking with a 9 Gig DVD limit is going to hurt 360 in the long term, all these Next Gen titles with high quality texture streaming like Gears of War, The Getaway, Resistance e.t.c need absolutely huge amounts of storage.

PS Store

Ok, as ben has dissed MS, in the spirit of taking one for the team.. this is actually very true, come on sony, sort it out!

Link

Comfy Vista

Made me chuckle. Plus thought it'd be good to a have poke at M$ for a change! See I'm not a M$ fanboy!

First PGR4 screens?

This is over a year away and I really, REALLY can't wait

I've been a fan since MSR on the DC, and PGR2 was practically a religion. I have a feeling that without the pressure of having to make launch etc, Bizzare are set to release a classic we'll still speak of 20 years from now.. Here's a bit more news and a couple of screens (taken from Eurogamer)

Reports on the preview's contents have yet to be verified by Bizarre, but claim that the game will feature all of the series' previous locations along with Shanghai-based tracks, while name-checked cars include a 1963 Corvette StingRay, a 1954 Maserati 250F and the much newer Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.Graphically, scans of the screenshots suggest claims that the weather system is much fancier are on the mark, with freezing temperatures covered this time (snow, anyone?), weather that deteriorates mid-race, and even troubling fog in some areas of Nurburgring. Those of you who use the in-car view will find that the weather creates new problems, reports reckon, while the driver inside the car will feed the wheel as he turns into corners to add to the realism there.Things get a bit sketchier from thereon out, but you can find lots more discussion on Xbox forums, while screenshots and cover artwork hint at graphical improvements. But beside all that, what would you like to see in PGR4? (Apart from Slitherlink.)

Why does it have to be so pretty.. but so far away :(