Gamernode: Latest PlayStation 3 News

Home launch just a beta expansion

In a recent interview with GamesIndustry, Sony's Jamie MacDonald discussed the online network/virtual world Home, and how it would be delivered to the public. As it turns out, October will not be a full-scale launch of the service, but more of an expansion of the current beta.

MacDonald answered GI's questions about the service in a very vague way, but it was enough to let the gaming community know that they won't be going Home anytime soon:

When do you intend to release Home to the public?

Well that's the interesting thing. One of the challenges that we have is to get over the mentality of Home being your typical product launch. In the past we'd make a game, put it on a disc and launch it in the shops. But this is so different. It's already out there in a closed beta and we're going to an o...

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No DLC for Heavenly Sword?

As I'm sure most of us have done already, we've gone ape over Heavenly Sword. But my question is, how much carnage and over-the-top action sequences can you cram into one PS3 game and not have it flake out only after a few hours of gameplay? In other words, how much replayability will Heavenly Sword have?

While the rumored Heavenly Sword trilogy is still on the back-burner, the game won't be getting any downloadable content, according to PSU.

When speaking with Nina Kristensen, co-founder of Ninja Theory, about any removed content due to time constraints during the game's production, she mentioned that they had to cut planned DLC.

"We would have loved to do downloadable content but when we sat down and thought hard about where our efforts should go, it became very clear very quickly that we ...

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Metal Gear Solid 4 at TGS 07

The Tokyo Game Show is getting all Snake-y.

Word from the Kojima Productions Report is that there will be a playable demo of Metal Gear Solid 4 on the show floor this year. For those of you who won't be making the trip to the Makuhari Messe, there will also be a brand new trailer spilling forth from the show. Apparently, Konami may have put a bit much in this new video, making it semi-spoileriffic.

I DARE you not to watch it. You know you can't resist.

Finally, Konami plans to reveal who exactly is narrating the "beauty and the beast" trailer that has been circulating the internet over the past few weeks.

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Sony opts for low-key launch for “Home”

Sony's Home, is a free networking system for PS3 owners intended to bring all the online services together. Think of it as Sony's version of Xbox Live with an upscaled Nintendo "Mii" setting. It allows you to communicate, play games, shop etc. Sounds great and exciting right?

Well apparently Sony doesn't want to make a big deal about it. Jamie MacDonald, a Sony representative announced in an exclusive interview with gameindustry.biz that the launch will be under the radar, stating "There isn't going to be this ‘big bang' launch."

That's really too bad, seeing as that would really add some stock to the struggling PlayStation 3. In fact that's one of the huge advantages Xbox has over PlayStation, a fully integrated online service that makes networking easy and streamlined. Sony should d...

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Yakuza 3 is going to the PS3...but not the US

Anybody remember the game Yakuza? It made its debut last year and featured a storyline about a former Yakuza member who was released after a 10-year prison term for a crime he did not commit. The game was hailed as a very accurate portrayal of the Japanese "mafia" and its involving plot.

However, in spite of good game reviews, Yakuza did not fare well enough to merit the sequel's release to the rest of the world. Yakuza 2 was only available in Japan last year. It was given high marks by fans of the game and a very high score by the Japanese gamesite, Famitsu.

The Yakuza franchise is alive and well in Japan and they, and we hope everyone else, will be treated to the third installment of Yakuza--for the PS3.

Details about the Yakuza 3 are barely existent, but rumors are flying about that Europ...

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Unreal Tournament 3 is not delayed, yay!

Back on Monday, a quote from Epic Games' president Mark Rein said that Unreal Tournament 3 was delayed, which certainly put many eager UT3 fans in peril. Fortunately, his quote was taken out of context and a follow-up chat with Rein says that the game is still on track for a November release.

Originally, his quote stated, "We do not know exactly when the game will be completed. All we've said is that we're hoping for a November release but as you know we value getting it right over getting it right now so there's no guarantee of that," and was pretty blunt and straight to the point.

A follow-up interview with Rein on GI.biz notes that the release date hasn't changed. Also he addressed some rumors about the PS3 version of the game. He said that the PS3 version is still on track, along side wi...

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Ratchet & Clank demo coming October 4th

Good news, fans of chaos, Sony has announced that a demo of Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction will be hitting the Playstation Network on October 4th.

Prior to the official confirmation, the information was hinted at by a nameless Insomniac employee. When interviewed by TheDaily.com.au, he said, "We essentially flat-out demolish the symbol of PlayStation 2 Ratchet & Clank: the city of Metropolis [in Tools of Destruction]. Players will get a sneak peek of this level via a downloadable demo that should hit the PlayStation Network Store in the not-too-distant future."

He certainly seems excited about the news, and so are we. We'll find out why in just about three weeks.

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PS3 Rock Band=Wireless, 360=not so much

The Official Xbox Magazine Podcast is reporting that the PS3 version of Rock Band will feature wireless instruments, while the Xbox 360 version will wrap players up in a maze of wires.

Harmonix big wig, Alex Rigopulos, went on the show and confirmed that which had been speculated for a while now. No details were given as to why exactly this will be the case. It could be something as simple as copyrights of some kind are keeping the 360 plugged in, or it could be something as far fetched as Sony paying them off (although that's pretty far removed.)

In this day and age it's getting increasingly rare for any two versions of a multiplatform title to actually be the same. In fact I would say that the vast majority of multiplatform titles offer an advantage to one systems users.

Whether it's Stra...

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Lair pushing the limits of PlayStation 3?

More often than not, new consoles pack a lot more hardware power than video game developers can initially handle. In a recent interview with freep.com, the associate producer of the recently released Lair, Ryan Hmlyn, claims his game is the one that will be about to take advantage of all this power.

Lair has multiple battle systems, and a flight mode in a huge digital world. Bringing all that together with it's beautiful graphics into a seamless piece... well that takes a lot of processing strength.

Hamyln states that Lair is able to utilize everything that the PS3 can support: "1080p Graphics, 7.1 uncompressed surround sound, an epic musical score, motion control on the SIXAXIS and enough content to fill 25 gigs, all in the service of telling this fantastic story."

Lair may push the limits ...

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Insomniac speaks on PS3 Ratchet and Clank game

Like most classic titles, it's always exciting to see familiar games revamped with next-gen graphics and expanded game play. That's what makes the anticipation for Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction so high.

The New Zealand Herald's Mad Gamer recently had the chance to sit down with the developer of the Ratchet and Clank series for an exclusive interview.

Insomniac games really believes that the PlayStation 3 has opened up new horizons by not only allowing the obvious -- better graphics, but also "enabled [them] to use some of [their] favorite ideas from over the year but balance them in order to keep the game fun."

I don't know about you, but the weapons arsenal has always been one of the more exciting aspects of the R & C series. Naturally, Insomniac was asked about this. They s...

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Final Fantasy VII Remake: A New Hope

Last Friday, a GamerNode article appeared about a sliver of hope that a next-gen Final Fantasy VII would surface. The people have spoken! Over the weekend, more than 20,000 fans signed a petition, letting Square-Enix know "we want some mo'!"

Our friends over at Square-Enix were kind enough to send a personal response to this petition, stating:

We hope this letter answers your questions.

Our parent company, SQUARE ENIX of Japan, has no current plans to create a sequel or remake to that particular title at this time. This is not to say that it will never happen, it's just that their development teams are currently focusing on numerous other projects.

We hope this information has been of assistance.

Thanks,

Neil- SQUARE ENIX Customer Support"

NO Neil, thank you. Although this letter is pretty much a...

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European gamers want comparable DLC on PS3

It's been an industry norm for some time now - European gamers usually get the shaft. Lately, though, our friends across the pond haven't been as acquiescent of their situation as in the past.

They're mad at the crappy selection of downloadable content available to them, as compared with other regions, and have complained en masse to Sony Computer Entertainment Europe via the official Sony website Three Speech.

One poster's comment: "I guess what we all mean to say is, in a nutshell: GET A GRIP! Sony is taking its European customers for granted, and that might be their biggest mistakes yet."

Cosidering the rate at which Playstation 3 consoles sold in the region (faster than any other) he may very well be right, but there are a few possible reasons for the subpar European content. Issues ...

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Sony's PS3 backwards compatibility tool

Backwards compatibility has been a fairly big issue for the Playstation 3. The reason for this is that the early Plastation 3 - the U.S. 60GB and 20GB models - were designed to handle older games via hardware. The Emotion Engine chip made it like having a PS2 inside of the PS3. Later, Sony decided to remove the chip in favor of a software emulation solution, greatly reducing the system's compatibility with older titles.

Sony has recently released a tool that allows PS3 owners to check for specific games' compatibility on either system, returning results ranging from "No major problems for this title," to various fmv issues, to completely bogged down in-game performance.

Using the tool makes it very clear that the 60GB model handles older titles much better, so if you're in the market for a...

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Hard programming for PS3 is okay!

Developers have repeatedly stated how programming for the PlayStation 3 can be a headache. But Sony doesn't see this as a bad thing. Games Radar is reporting that Sony Computer Entertainment President Kaz Hirai thinks the problems programmers are having is a good sign.

While it sounds convoluted, Kaz's quote does make some sense."If you look back at the commentary we received when we launched PS2, there was a lot of talk to the effect that 'It's very difficult to program for' and 'It's easier on a Dreamcast'. It's happened before," Hirai told OPM, acknowledging that PS3 is a more complex animal for developers to work with compared to its rivals. "If they came back and told me, 'PS3? We can do this in a heartbeat,' that would be worrying because what it is telling me is that we're not pushi...

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Killzone 2 wins "Dumbest AI" award

Oh man, I'm just stoking the fanboy fires with this one. Still, the question needed to be asked. Why? In their October issue EGM awarded Halo 3 Smartest AI, while Killzone 2 earned the dubious distinction of having the Dumbest AI.

Now, I've played neither and thus have no reason to question their judgement (at least anymore than usual), but the fact that best and worst were awarded to both flagship FPS's for either console is bound to have spawned plenty of fanboy hatred.

Of course, that's what happened. In a blog post, Dan Hsu, EGM editor, responded to allegations of bias:

But there's gotta be some other, lesser-profile games with worse A.I. than Killzone 2. - Based on what we've seen and what we voted on, totally fairly, Killzone 2 nabbed the award. Part of the problem is, the Killzone 2 s...

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Motorstorm DLC pack doesn't rip us off

It's about time somebody figured out how to do downloadable content correctly (i.e. don't screw us.) A new downloadable pack has been released over the Playstation Network for Motorstorm, and it's a good one.

The DLC pack will contain a new level, nine new events, and five new cars all for $5.99. Here's the nice part about it. If you would prefer, you can purchase four of the cars individually for $0.99 each. The fifth car needs to be unlocked by playing through the events.

With so many download packs being released these days that seem to deliberately aim to empty our pocketbooks, it's good to see some folks that understand that DLC is meant to enhance both the profits of the game makers, as well as the enjoyment of the game by users. It's hard to enjoy anything when you get taken to the cl...

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Square Enix reopens talks on a PS3 FFVII Remake

When the PlayStation 3 was first announced in 2005, they dazzled the world with a jaw dropping demo of a Final Fantasy VII remake. Shortly after, Square-Enix pulled the carpet out from our feet by officially stating that they had no intention of remaking it for the PS3.

And for the longest time, we were all broken hearted about the tease.

Earlier this week, Famitsu interviewed the creators of Crisis Core for the PSP. This game is part of the Final Fantasy VII compilation series, and looks pretty awesome. At end of the interview executive producer Yoshinori Kitase was asked about Square-Enix's future projects.

During the talks, producer Hideki Imaizumi revealed subtle intentions of the Final Fantasy VII remake. The only thing that seems to be holding them back is that everyone at Square-Enix...

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Boy saves dad's life. Gets a PS3 as reward, aww

Last month, we ran a heart-warming story about a nine-year-old boy who saved his father after he fell asleep behind his tractor-trailer. When asked what the boy would like for a reward, he, like a true Sony fan, requested a PlayStation 3.

Today, we have an update and the family was given a PlayStation 3, courtesy of friendly readers.

Initially, the boy refused the reward but eventually accepted the reward on benefit of his father. The father said, "We've seen this topic talked about as far away as the UK and all over the U.S. People like the story a lot."

In a gesture of love, young Matty decided to give his father the first game test through. If this doesn't melt your heart a little bit, then nothing will!

Altogether now...awwwwwww.

[Via KGW]

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Lair "Hot Coffee" Code

This really isn't what you think. I promise.

There's no disturbing sex mini-game tucked away neatly inside Lair's code. I just thought I should get that out of the way. Although the headlines will probably grab Jack Thompson's attention all the same, there's no depravity involved in this video at all.

This is really more like Factor 5's attempt at a joke. Sorry guys, but you're three years too late. You'll understand, dear reader, once you watch the video.

Stupid and unncecessary. It would have been kind of funny if it was just embedded code that someone randomly stumbled upon. But instead they threw it in our face and practically said, "Hey guys, isn't this a great joke?"

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Dave Karraker Leaving Sony

Everyone's favorite Sony representative, David Karraker, has announced that he will be leaving the company after less than a year of employment. The senior director of corporate communications for SCEA will work his last day with the company tomorrow, September 7th.

Karraker signed on with Sony just after E3 2006, where his mettle was repeatedly tested as he dealt with an ever-increasing flood of bad press for Sony.

Said Karraker of his departure, "I have enjoyed immensely my tenure at SCEA and think the company and its brands are very well positioned to have an exceptional holiday and a very bright future."

Dave will begin his bright (and possibly drunken) future with Skyy Spirits on October 1st, 2007.

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