GamerNode: Latest PlayStation 3 News

Live in Australia? Get LBP free with PS3 purchase

In the second of what's likely to be three LBP posts by yours truly today, there's some good news for Aussie gamers: even with the delay, the "Buy a PS3 and get LBP for free!" deal is still on. Originally supposed to start on October 23, the deal will instead start when LBP is released (by November 7) and run until "around New Year's." Some retailers in Australia are reportedly giving vouchers for LBP with PS3 purchases until the game is re-distributed to retail, but your mileage may vary.

Don't even want LBP? Doesn't matter. If you buy ANY new PS3 from retail, it's yours. Supplies aren't limited, it's not at certain stores, and you don't have to buy a bundle pack. I think I speak for all of us outside of Australia when I say I hate you guys. 

(And don't be surprised if, come next year, yo...

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LittleBigPlanet to ship Oct 27 in NTSC, Nov 7 in P...

For now, that is. If you haven't heard, Sony issued a worldwide recall of LBP due to one of the music tracks containing lines from the Quran. After several gamers and religious groups (who had likely never heard of the game until they read that it contained those phrases on the Internet) called and emailed Sony asking for a patch to release the song, Sony one-upped them and just asked every store to return their copies so they could issue a re-print. That's right, Sony recalled a game which was already fully done and ready to sell in stores, and re-printed every damn copy. A pretty nice gesture on their part, all things considered.

The bad news was that they had no idea when we would see LBP. Could have been a week, could have been a month. This weekend, however, Sony has revealed that the...

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Bioshock 2 teaser trailer

For over a year, fans of 2K Boston's sci-fi first-person shooter Bioshock have been wishing for a sequel. All the while, PlayStation 3 owners have simply been waiting to play the game, which will finally be released on the console this month. It's PS3 gamers, though, who will be treated with an exclusive teaser for Bioshock 2: Sea of Dreams as a reward for completing the game. Yes, I said Bioshock 2.

A number of YouTube members have posted footage of the trailer, and GamerNode has got the goods for all to see. Is Rapture coming to the surface? Take a look:

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Sony says no more PS3 price cuts for you

As the holiday season approaches, it might be a great time for Sony to reduce the price of the PS3 in order to attract more business.

Each time the company has discounted the machine, there has been a surge in buying PlayStation 3s. But another price reduction isn't going to happen anytime soon according to Sony.

Instead, Sony has faith that its upcoming game offerings will be the driving force in selling lots of PS3s in December.

Patrick Seybold, director of corporate communications at SCEA said:

"With PS3 titles for this including Resistance 2, LittleBigPlanet, SOCOM, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift to name but a few of our multiple exclusives, combined with PlayStation Home and increasing multimedia features for the hardware, we expect to have continued momentum going into and beyond this holiday...

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Valkyria Chronicles gameplay video

Valkyria Chronicles turned a lot of heads at E3 this year with its animated look and tactical gameplay. Unfortunately, only Eddie had a chance to try the game out, so I was stuck with seeing a trailer on the show floor. Now, SEGA has sent out a gameplay video of the game showcasing how it works. I have to say I'm pretty interested... Look for it to come to the PS3 this November.

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Can you resist the Resistance 2 Special Edition?

Well, well, well, another special edition. But wait, this one is for Resistance 2 for the PS3.

I enjoyed Resistance: Fall of Man, thoroughly, and hearing about an SE for R2 made me cringe just a little bit...another wallet draining edition? After the initial non-shock wore off, the goodies packed with this version started to make me drool just a bit.

R2:SE will feature the game, of course, in your choice of box art, a bonus DVD packed with behind the scenes videos, a preview of the Resistance novel, "Resistance: The Gathering Storm, an in-game Wraith multiplayer skin, a double-sided art book, a digital copy of issue number 0 from Wildstorm on Resistance, and last but not least, a 5.5 action figure of your favorite bad guy, a Chimera Hybrid.

All this will set you back $79.99. Expect the specia...

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PS3 to have exclusive Mirror's Edge DLC

For a while there were reports that Mirror's Edge would be a PS3 exclusive; then people said it would be a timed exclusive; now, those have been put to rest and a new tidbit has arisen from the falsified ashes.

After a few days of confusion, Sony and EA have finally come out and made statements on the issue of Mirror's Edge, and revealed that while the game won't be a PS3-exclusive by any means it will feature exclusive DLC available only on the PlayStation Network. (Karma, PS3 GTA4 owners?)

No one knows yet what form the exclusive content will take, and whether or not the PC and 360 will get their own exclusive goodies. Still, I'm sure PS3 owners will be glad to hear that finally they'll be getting something their 360-owning brethren will not - and with a non-Sony title.

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Sony shows off new hardware at Leipzig GC

The Leipzig Game Convention kicked off earlier this week, with a variety of the industry's most prominent publishers in attendance showing off their latest titles slated for release this fall in addition to what's coming out next year.

Of the three console manufacturers, Sony, without a doubt, possesses the largest presence there, with Little Big Planet displays and banners located all throughout the convention center.

Though the industry veteran is tightly crossing its fingers that its charming title will be the system seller it wants it to be, it also has more to offer before the end of the year.

Since its release a little over two years ago, the PS3 has received a few revisions to cut the cost of manufacturing the console in an effort to offer it to consumers at a more attractive price po...

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Longest demo in history? FFXIII: Two hours long

For many RPG fans, Final Fantasy XIII is high on the list of "games I must buy." It certainly is on mine. We've seen the screenshots, what may or may not be in the game, and the rumor mill churning out juicy tidbits as the launch for FF XIII approaches.

The latest news on this highly anticipated game, originating from Japanese game magazine Famitsu, is that the demo for Final Fantasy XIII will be a two-hour long experience.

The demo will be included with the release of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete. The Blu-ray movie will be an extended-cut version of the original film and will also include deleted and unfinished scenes in the release. FFVII: ACC will be available in Japan in March 2009.

It's debatable, even for the hardcore FF fans, whether the lure of a two-hour FF XIII demo ...

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Burnout Paradise coming to PSN

One of my favorite things about the PlayStation Network is the ability to download recent games. Numerous Sony titles are available in either Blu-Ray or download format, and now one of EA's biggest current-gen hits joins their ranks: Burnout Paradise.

This fall, Criterion's best-selling game will be available on the PlayStation Network for the greatest hits price of $29.99 in North America. Earlier this year Criterion kicked off the Year of Paradise campaign, which involves regular updates to Burnout Paradise available via PSN and Xbox Live. The first update launched this month, and features three new game modes, new cars, and 70 new multi-part challenges.

Owners of both the disc and downloaded versions of Burnout Paradise will be entitled to the free content updates. The Year of Paradise up...

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More LittleBigPlanet pre-order details

Last week, we reported that the PlayStation 3's creative social platformer LittleBigPlanet would be marketed with a 5-layered pre-order incentive extravaganza. Depending on the retail outlet through which customers reserve their copies of the game, they will be treated with one of five different bonuses.

The folks over at the official LittleBigPlanet news blog have revealed exactly where you can get your hands on two of those five goodies. Pre-ordering the game through Amazon.com will score you Bradygames' official "LittleBigPlanet Creator" miniguide, while GameStop customers will be rewarded with the downloadable in-game Kratos SackBoy costume.

Sony and Media Molecule have yet to announce where to get the LittleBigStickerBook, LittleBigPouch, and Nariko SackBoy costume, but at this point I ...

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Sorry Internet, no surprise Final Fantasy 7 in Aug...

It wouldn't be the Internet without a daily dose of random rumors creating new hope in Final Fantasy VII fanboys. Today's winner comes courtesy of numerous sites via Best Buy's latest advertisements, which claim an August 18 release of Final Fantasy VII on the PS3.

The images taken with various iPhones and cameras at multiple Best Buys throughout the US gave hope to some that Square has pulled another Song Summoner, keeping a new game hidden Apple style until it's ready for release, but sorry to say that's not the case. (And if you're one of the people who knew the whole time this was just something messed up on Best Buy's end, keep in mind how desperate and hopeful FF7 fans are for a remake of the game.) 

After being emailed for their stance on the issue, Square Enix had this to say: "That ...

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New "Survivor Mode" in Bioshock for PS3

In October, the PS3 crowd will not only get a chance to sample their share of plasmids and partake in genetically altered states, they'll also be able to experience something that their Xbox buddies were not able to see...a new game mode called "Survivor."

According to 2K Games' official website, Cult of Rapture, Survivor mode will be harder than the hard mode currently found on the Xbox 360 version of the game. Ok, so just what is Survivor Mode?

2K says:

"It's a new, highly challenging difficulty mode exclusive to the PlayStation 3 version of BioShock.

"When we designed the original three difficulty modes of BioShock, we tried to define a spectrum encompasses as much of the shooter audience as we could, balanced as optimally as possible. However, we know there are gamers out there - ourselves...

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LittleBigPlanet pre-order gift from the gods

Sony's highly anticipated and frequently delayed platform game LittleBigPlanet is finally coming to PlayStation 3 owners this October.  And to kick off the awesome fest that will be the game, Sony has announced what is shaping up to be the best preorder bonus I have ever seen.

Keep in mind that this isn't a special edition, this is a freebie just for putting 5 dollars down at your local gaming pawnshop.  You get the LittleBigPlanet Creator from Brady Games (a guide to creating awesome levels),  LittleBigStickerBook (self-explanatory), LittleBigPouch (a small pouch to hold your game, pictured), and two exclucive pieces of SackBoy downloadable content in the form of Nariko and Kratos.  You can grab all the actual details on the Playstation.blog site.

I haven't been this excited about the extr...

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More about LittleBigPlanet to be revealed in time

Media Molecule technical director and co-founder Alex Evans has hinted that there is still more to LittleBigPlanet that the gaming community is completely unaware of.

Speaking with Eurogamer, he said:

"I really want to be able to do another [Game Developer Conference 2007] reveal. A lot of people say to me that when we first did that Sony GDC reveal of LittleBigPlanet, that was a big shock--people didn't see it coming. I want to do another LittleBigPlanet reveal that people don't see coming.

It's still LittleBigPlanet, but people will be saying, 'I thought it was this--now you're telling me it's this as well?!' That excites me hugely."

That excites me hugely! LittleBigPlanet is due for release this October, so Media Molecule still has both the Leipzig Games Convention and the Penny Arcade Exp...

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Team Ico making "something really, really good"

In a recent interview with Official PlayStation Magazine, Sony's Senior Vice President of Product Development Shuhei Yoshida talked a little bit about Team Ico's next project. The take-home message from Yoshida is that the game will be "really, really good," will be on the PlayStation 3, and will take four years to complete.

"They are working on a title. I started the ICO project. Ueda-san joined my team in Japan as a cinematic animator, but he created a short movie and presented it to me and said, 'I want to make this game.'

I said, 'Yes, let's do it, but you have never made a game. We have to have experienced people do it,' so it took a while, recruiting one person at a time. And because Fumito Ueda doesn't compromise, we had to move the development from PSone to PlayStation 2. Then I cou...

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Sony doesn't need senior citizen gamers

Scott Steinberg, vice president of marketing at Sony, tried to distance the PS3 from the Wii by saying that his company wasn't trying to convert "senior citizens" into gamers.

His remarks were made to underline Sony's direction in trying to convince PS2 owners to go over to the PS3 camp rather than trying to appeal to a broader audience.

"And as a brand, Nintendo's got their thing, and we're not trying to get the senior citizen group to get into gaming, we're looking to convert the PS2 owners and the tens of millions of installed base that were playing DVDs and playing games on their PS2, to now play Blu-ray movies and Blu-ray games with their PS3."

To offer a counterpoint, Blu-ray movies have not taken off in popularity as quickly as Sony hoped because of the higher price points, and as for ...

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The Last Guy trailer looks very creative

Sony Computer Entertainment have released the first trailer for their upcoming satellite imagery-powered PSN title, The Last Guy. The arcade-style action game looks very interesting, to say the least. It's about a heroic zombie who travels to large urban centers to rescue the human survivors of a strange ray that has turned half of the population into monsters.

The gameplay is a simple matter of rounding up the frightened citizens and having them follow you, duckling-style, to the cities' escape zones. There's no release date for the game at this time, but you can enjoy this video until one is announced:

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Afrika renamed an embarrassing Hakuna Matata

The upcoming PlayStation 3 game centering around photography of natural African wildlife looks like it will be renamed in Asian territories outside of Japan. I'm not sure if this is a joke or not, but Afrika's new title will apparently be...Hakuna Matata.

Honestly, I am feeling embarrassed for Sony Computer Entertainment and Rhino Studios right now, because that title is just awful. The last I heard (and saw), Disney was in no way involved in the production of this game, and Timon and Pumbaa did not have starring roles, so why on Earth would anyone choose to change the title from an iconic and alluring one to...Hakuna Matata?

I just hope the game A) reaches western shores, and B) retains its original name. What do the GN readers think about this change? Is it good? Is it bad? Does it even ma...

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Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest For Booty dated

Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest For Booty, which is a short PlayStation Network expansion of the well-received Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, has received pricing and release date information as of this morning.

The downloadable title will cost $14.99, and will be available in the U.S. and Europe on August 21st, with the Japanese version arriving on the 22nd.

Weighing in at three to four hours long, the new quest will feature Ratchet in a search to locate Clank, and apparently a bunch of pirate treasure.

From the announcement:

"As for the gameplay, Q4B focuses heavily on exploration and platforming, along with some of new experimental action for the franchise. For example, Ratchet will use the new kinetic tether on his Wrench to manipulate the environment, and he'll use elements ...

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