PS3

Killzone 2 Delay Is Marketing-Related

Sony always takes lumps for PS3 game delays, even if, like Haze, they’re not first-party games. While Haze’s debut on the system has been less than stellar with critics tagging it as a mediocre by-the-numbers shooter at best, SCEA is hoping their first-party shooter Killzone 2 will wow the critics and bring a high quality gaming experience. When they announced recently that it was delayed from Fall 2008 to February 2009 everyone assumed that there were problems making the game. For what it’s worth Sony has gone on record to say that this delay isn’t due to game quality issues, but is instead due to marketing issues.

They have perhaps wisely decided to hold the game until February to give two other big shooters on the system — SOCOM Confrontation and Resistance 2 — room to dominate this fall. SOCOM games have historically been very good and fit the more-realistic military shooter crowd, and Resistance 2 has high expectations with Insomniac’s consistently high quality delivery after the highly rated Resistance and silky-smooth Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction games. Even if it’s being used as an excuse to work on Killzone 2 some more, further nudging our expectations upward, it makes me think that Sony is taking their first-party and second-party developers seriously by giving them breathing room to sell into a highly competitive segment of the gaming market. A guy can dream, can’t he?

Seen on PS3Fanboy, image from here.

Thoughts On Guitar Rock Hero Band IV: With Instruments

So I just read through the entire article in the new Game Informer that discusses the new Guitar Hero IV and all the new features and instruments that come with it, and I became conflicted.  Everything sounds so good, and all the things that they have mentioned really could move the genre forward several steps, but I have two lingering issues that are really bothering me and should be bothering other Guitar Hero fans around the land.

First is the whole “be like Rock Band, but with more” mentality that has come over Neversoft.  I understand that Rock Band was met with a lot of critical success, even in the face of the huge numbers that Guitar Hero III made at the register.  But if you asked people that own both, they will most likely lean towards Rock Band as the better of the two games.  I know in my case, Guitar Hero III has seen limited play by myself or my wife since Rock Band came out, because Rock Band is just a lot more fun to play and gives me several avenues to play the game.  If I get stuck on guitar, switch it up and play vocals and so on.

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Splinter Cell: Conviction Back to the Drawing Board

CVG.com has put out a story that talks about Ubisoft going “back to the drawing board” with the latest Sam Fisher game, Splinter Cell: Conviction.  There is no real reason given as to why, but CVG is speculating that it has to do with the look and development of some of Ubisoft’s other projects, like Assassins Creed.

Currently two years into development, and delayed once already, it seems that the Ubisoft execs are pushing for gameplay and graphics that match up with their current gem, Assassins Creed.  Ubisoft Montreal is the current design team tasked with bringing this game to fruition.

The plot of the game hopefully will still involve Sam Fisher on the run, a rogue agent of the United States, and link into the whole End War convergance that has been building through all the Tom Clancy games.

Platinum, formerly Clover, resurfaces with new games for just about everyone.

A few days ago, we finally heard some real noise from the talented folks who formerly comprised the inarguable core of Capcom’s Clover Studios team back until shortly after the release of Okami. Here’s a refresher in case you missed the last thirty or so I gave you: Clover underperformed at the cash register, so Capcom closed them in an attempt to reabsorb those Capcom legends who had created profitable franchises like Resident Evil and Devil May Cry, but ended up losing them altogether when they walked out the door instead. It wasn’t long before we heard they had formed their own studio called Seeds, which later became Platinum Games. I was starting to wonder if they were actually doing anything, and eventually I stopped thinking about them. Not long ago there was a leak of some video that was allegedly of some gameplay of Platinum Games’ work, most notably a black-and-white gorefest called MadWorld. It turns out, it’s all real, and there’s a lot to share, thanks to… Sega? That’s weird.

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Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit demo impressions

The Dragon Ball Z anime has found its way into an absurd number of video game iterations… including a ridiculous six games in the Budokai series on PS2. As you can guess, DBZ has been on franchise burnout for a while now. But a new gen means a new stab at reinventing a fan-favorite, sweetened with the promise that the horsepower of 2008 can provide. Burst Limit, coming June 10 to PS3 and 360, is the latest bout of what Cartoon Network used to call the greatest action cartoon ever made… but is it still just your father’s DBZ?

The demo version of Burst Limit has now arrived on both systems, and like Goku on Raditz, I took it for a spin.
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Beyond Good And Evil Sequel May Happen

Anyone that has taken the time to play through Michel Ancel’s Beyond Good and Evil, understands that a lot was left unfinished at the end of the game.  Originally planned as a trilogy, the first game had to go up against another Ubisoft property, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, and got railroaded at the register.

After looking at the sales data for the game, Ubisoft decided to put the game to sleep and forget about the other two games, regardless of fan outcry, or critical praise.

Now five years after its release, word from Ancel is that he has been working on the second part of the game for a while now, and that he is hopeful that Ubisoft will green light the project soon.  The story is suppose to follow the continuity of the first game, and should have most of the gameplay mechanics of the first game, with some refinement.

No word from Ubisoft on this, but it would be great timing, considering the game recently came to Steam for a mere pittance of a price ($8.99).  All I can say is that I hope all this comes to fruition, because it is one of the best games I have ever played, with a well though out story and compelling characters.  Ubisoft, make it happen already.

via 1up.com

Haze Demo - Quick Impression

Last week when the Haze demo hit PSN I was as giddy as a school kid with a handful of cupcakes, but after playing the game for a good hour I came away seriously unimpressed. I decided not to write anything about the demo because I was getting ready to leave on a trip to Chicago to see a Cubs game, and I thought that maybe my judgment might have been affected by the hype and the fact that I was distracted planning my trip. So I went to see the game (CUBS WIN! CUBS WIN!) and gave myself a few days to recover, then I dived back into the world of HAZE. After another hour I came away with an even more contemptible view of the game then I had before. Almost everything about Haze is mediocre, except the graphics…those are bad! The developers have been touting the use of the nectar substance as a cool gameplay element, when in fact it feels like a gimmick and just isn’t fun to use at all. Beyond the nectar Haze plays just like any other FPS, which is not a horrible thing, but there is nothing worth $60 going on here. If there is one good thing to point out about Haze it would be that the controls are solid, and the sound is decent, but overall this demo made me take Haze off my buy list and I am not so sure if it will even see a rent.

Let me know what you thought of the Haze demo in the comments section.

GTA IV: Everyone Has An Opinion

Presenting us with his utmost experienced opinion, John Blyth a “Professional Video Game Player”, attempts to convince gamers and game bloggers alike into rethinking the way we play and write about Grand Theft Auto:

via videosift.com

GameTrailers TV To Debut Resident Evil 5 Trailer

GameTrailers TV, with host Geoff Keighley, will be showing off the fresh new Resident Evil 5 trailer as an exclusive on May 30th, 2008 at 1AM EDT/PDT.

The trailer will show cutscenes, but will also show off a series of gameplay sequences from the game.  The trailer will also give us a glimpse into the story and how it relates to the game’s hero, Chris Redfield.

GameTrailers TV can be found on SpikeTV.  Click the jump to read the full press release.

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PS3 2.40 To Add Trophies In June

Last night the 2.35 firmware update for the PS3 was released to address stability of certain unnamed titles. Immediate comments on the PlayStation Blog thanked Sony for addressing GTA IV problems, but an official Sony response, always highlighted in red to stand out, noted that this update doesn’t have anything to do with GTA IV and that users should contact SCEA support for a solution. The more interesting news is that 2.40 will apparently include 2D trophy support in the XMB, as opposed to full 3D trophy support that will debut in Home.

The guess is that the 2.40 update will hit next month, perhaps close to Metal Gear Solid 4. PixelJunk Eden’s official page notes a Summer 2008 release date and “Trophy support” — that’s where Sony spilled the beans on the trophy update on the game’s official page. If the rumored release of the 2.40 SDK to developers happens in June, and the assumption that trophy support is only available in that update is correct, then I don’t believe we’ll see trophy support patched into any existing titles for a while.
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