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More on the multiplayer is revealed.

Jess Sterzl, design/project manager for High Impact Games, recently posted information on the official PlayStation blog regarding Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters. The port will apparently contain not only the original multiplayer modes that the PSP version boasted but will also feature a new mode, Iron Lombax. This gameplay type will task players with completing specialized objects that vary depending on which multiplayer stage they choose to play on.

The blog post breaks down several of the available objectives. Island Escape has you collecting radioactive cores to launch a rocket, while Danger Valley tasks you with finding homing beacons to plant on your opponent’s base, which will trigger hover mines to glide towards their target.

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Upcoming action game to hit PS3, 360 and PCs next year.

Earlier today, SouthPeak Games announced that Edge of Twilight, Fuzzyeyes’ upcoming action title that uses Unreal Engine 3, will be released in 2009 for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Set in a steampunk inspired world where day and night no longer exist, players take on the role of Lex, a bounty hunter trapped between the conflict of two different civilizations.

“We are very excited to help bring Fuzzyeyes’ creative vision to life. The team spent a lot of time developing a comprehensive story to give the universe a history and purpose, which can change based on the players’ interaction within the world,” said Melanie Mroz, CEO of SouthPeak. Wei-Yao Lu, CEO of Fuzzyeyes, agreed, stating

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Activision is green with envy for metal.

Activision today announced two new track packs for Guitar Hero III, one of which is available as of today. The Modern Metal pack contains the tracks “Hole in the Earth” by the Deftones, Avenged Sevenfold’s “Almost Easy” and Thrice’s “The Arsonist”, all of which are the studio master recordings. The pack is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace and is slated to hit the PlayStation Network as part of Sony’s weekly update later today.

Activision will also be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with the release of a free track pack from the Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys. Three master songs from the band’s sixth album, “The Meanest of Times” will hit with this pack, including “Famous for Nothing”, “(F)lannigan’s Ball” and “Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya”.

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SCEA director speaks of imminent overhaul.

Having lent an ear to the PlayStation community, Sony is set to grant the PlayStation Network a welcome overhaul come Spring.

Sony America’s director of product development John Hight, speaking to Gamasutra, revealed, “I think you will see a pretty big change in the PlayStation Network in the early part of April, where we roll out some new interface stuff largely based on customer feedback.” Hight went on to elaborate, albeit fleetingly, on what to expect, saying a new look PSN would feature “simplification, cutting down on the number of mouse clicks, making it easier to find stuff that you want to find… that’s kind of an outgrowth of us having more content now, so we have to make sure that you can get at it easily.”

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The popular baseball title delivers the perfect blend of unique gameplay features, authenticity and realism.

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA) announced today the North American launch of MLB ‘08: The Show, available exclusively for PlayStation 3 (PS3), PlayStation 2 and PSP (PlayStation Portable). Already widely considered the most authentic baseball franchise on the market, MLB ‘08: The Show comes out swinging for the fences to deliver an unrivaled simulation with broadcast quality presentation. Developed by Sony Computer Entertainment’s Worldwide Studios, San Diego Studio, MLB ‘08: The Show looks to build on its critical acclaim and its history as the longest-running officially licensed baseball title on PlayStation platforms.

To provide the closest experience possible, next to actually trying to
make it in the Majors, MLB ‘08: The Show introduces a more immersive Road to The
Show mode. As gamers attempt to make a starting line-up in the Big Leagues,
playing on both offense and defense from a custom-created player’s
perspective, a more robust dynamic goal system and a new career advancement
system will determine when a player is eligible for a promotion.
Additionally, the custom-created players are more interactive, with pitchers
now experiencing mound visits, catchers enduring more defense situations, and
with gamers being able to further adjust a player’s positioning — all making
Road to The Show mode even more realistic.

“Baseball fans know that the MLB franchise has a long-standing winning
tradition and that we strive to create highly-innovative and intuitive
features in order to deliver the best baseball title on the market,” said Jeff
Reese, director, software marketing, SCEA. “With the advancements made to the
feature set, along with the lighting, textures and the added little nuances in
the game, MLB ‘08: The Show sets a new bar for authentic play and unsurpassed
realism.”

Providing players with some additional performance incentives, the MLB
franchise introduces the new Progressive Batting Performance feature, which
will both reward players for superior performance and penalize them for
hitting slumps. Specific to each individual batter, players will be rewarded
or punished, based on how that batter that performs beyond his “natural
ability” while under user control. Adding to the online feature set, which
includes customizable Online League Play, scrolling MLB Score Ticker and more,
MLB ‘08: The Show introduces SCOUT (SportsConnect Online User Tracking), which
allows gamers to set and store their game preferences on the MLB server, and
then enables the system to look for a Quick Match with opponents that fit
similar competitive criteria.

As the only first party franchise officially licensed by Major League
Baseball Properties Inc. (MLBP), Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM)
and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), MLB ‘08: The Show
features more than 3,000 individual player animations, including personalized
stances, pitching animations, individual swings, batting rituals and motion
captures from MLB players. Additionally, the franchise adds to the realism
by including Umpire Personalities combined with Interactive Hot and Cold Zones
and Player-scaled Strike Zones, Release, and comprehensive commentary,
featuring the three-man booth of Rex Huddler, Matt Vasgerian and Dave
Campbell.

Joining an elite group of MLB All-Stars that have graced the cover of the
MLB franchise, such as New York Mets third baseman David Wright, Boston
Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz, and Angels outfielder Vladimir
Guerrero, this year’s cover athlete and spokesman, Philadelphia Phillies
All-Star first basemen Ryan Howard, is known for his personality and work
ethic, which exemplifies the MLB franchise. Howard is just the second player
in Major League Baseball history to win the Rookie of the Year honors and
a Most Valuable Player award in successive seasons.

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The critically acclaimed television series debuts for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

Today Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, in collaboration with ABC Entertainment and ABC Studios, announced that LOST: Via Domus is available on store shelves for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and Windows-based PC. Based on the award-winning television series, LOST: Via Domus allows players to experience an untold adventure of Lost in an immersive, interactive world. The game is rated T for Teen and has an MSRP of $59.99 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 system, and $29.99 for Windows.

Lost is a remarkably captivating television program that has built a
loyal set of avid viewers, said Tony Key, senior vice president of
sales and marketing at Ubisoft. It was a natural progression to bring
the Lost universe to a video game and we are thrilled to allow fans a
new way to immerse themselves in the story of the island and the
survivors of Oceanic flight 815.

After many months of collaboration with Ubisoft and the series
producers, we are excited to bring such a truly unique gaming experience
to the marketplace, said Bruce Gersh, senior vice president, business
development, ABC Entertainment and ABC Studios. Through the gameplay,
fans of the series will have an abundance of opportunities to dive
deeper into the mysteries and intrigues of the series.

Lost series executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse said,
Playing the game, you really feel like youre on the island. The
graphics are fantastic, and the game gives players a chance to explore
on their own the places and mysteries of the island that theyve seen
for the last three years on the show.

About the Game

As a passenger of Oceanic flight 815, you survived the crash and find
yourself on an uncharted island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. As you
begin to unravel mysteries of the island, you begin to discover secrets
of your own. You will have to understand your past mistakes in order to
survive and find your way home…

Play as a survivor of Oceanic Flight 815: Confront your dark
past, seek your redemption, and ultimately find a way home.

Authentic Lost experience: Explore familiar locations, unravel
mysteries and interact with the main characters from the show.

Survive the challenges that the island throws at you: Solve
puzzles, outsmart enemies, battle the smoke monster and overcome many
other challenges to survive the island and come out alive.

About Lost

Season 4 of Lost stars Naveen Andrews as Sayid, Henry Ian Cusick as
Desmond, Emilie de Ravin as Claire, Michael Emerson as Ben, Matthew Fox
as Jack, Jorge Garcia as Hurley, Josh Holloway as Sawyer, Daniel Dae Kim
as Jin, Yunjin Kim as Sun, Evangeline Lilly as Kate, Elizabeth Mitchell
as Juliet, Terry OQuinn as Locke and Harold Perrineau as Michael.

Lost was created by Jeffrey Lieber and J.J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof.
Abrams, Lindelof, Bryan Burk, Jack Bender and Carlton Cuse serve as
executive producers. Lost, which is filmed entirely on location in
Hawaii and premiered on September 22, 2004, is from ABC Studios.

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Kojima speaks out to Famitsu.

It seems that the tech companies will never be able to keep up with the demands of a Metal Gear Solid game, with Hideo Kojima stating in a Famitsu interview that Guns of the Patriots suffered cuts in order to fit onto to a Blu-ray disc.

At 50GB, the Blu-ray offers nearly six times the storage capacity of a DVD – but it’s still not enough for the demands of Metal Gear Solid 4. Earlier last week the game’s assistant producer Ryan Payton confessed that the American and European versions would not carry the Japanese voice track due to storage limitations. Hideo Kojima further elaborated on the issue and stated in a Famitsu interview, kindly translated by Kotaku, that, “There’s not enough space. We always talked about where to cut and what to compress.”

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Rockstar confirms new street date.

In a mailer sent out in the wee hours of the morning, New York-based publisher Rockstar Games confirmed that its once-delayed, but heavily-anticipated sandbox opus, Grand Theft Auto IV would be headed to store shelves in just a few months. The official GTA IV website was updated with the same information not too long afterwards.

Officially scheduled for April 29, Grand Theft Auto IV will ship for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 simultaneously, with planned Xbox 360-exclusive downloadable episodes somewhere down the line. A release date for those episodes, however, has yet to be revealed.

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Sony working towards September release.

Sony’s great white hope - the quite wonderful looking LittleBigPlanet - looks nearer to finding its way into our homes, with Sony insiders confirming they are working to get the game out in the UK for this September.

The game - which was unveiled to universal applause at last year’s Games Developer Conference - is currently being developed by British company Media Molecule. It is one of the highest profile exponents of a new generation of games placing an emphasis on creativity, giving players a blank canvas to explore co-operatively and making full use of the PlayStation Network to deliver patches and user generated content. It’s continued to impress at subsequent outings at E3 and the Tokyo Game Show, and if it manages to realise its lofty ambitions it could well prove to be Sony’s killer app.

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Online play coming in time for Christmas.

Sony has announced a schedule for online content to beef up the driving experience in Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, set for Japanese release both in Blu-Ray disk and PlayStation Network download form later this week.

Starting on launch day, 12/13, distribution will begin on free video content for the Gran Turismo TV mode with two programs, “Tokyo Motor Show 2007″ and “First Impression Lancer Evolution X.” Sony will also start off a text news service, featuring updates from car dealers. You’ll also be able to access motor sports related news, maps and weather information for major world raceways, and a calendar.

Actual online play modes will be available just in time for Christmas. Log on to GT5 Prologue in the afternoon on 12/25, and you’ll be able to download network battle updates for the game’s arcade and time attack modes. Also available on this day will be a Museum mode, featuring histories for car manufacturers.

Other free download content set for release before the end of the year includes two GTTV downloads: The GT-R Legend Inside Story II on 12/14, and The GT-R Legend Inside Story III later in the month. Paid video content for GTTV won’t begin until the end of January.

In case you’re wondering exactly what you’ll be getting if you pick up the import copy of GT5 Prologue on the 13th, here’s a full list of features as detailed at the game’s official website:

5 Courses, 10 Layouts
Super Speedway Daytona
Road Course Daytona
Suzuka Circuit
Suzuka Circuit East Course
Fuji Speedway F
Fuji Speedway GT
Eiger Nordwand Course
Eiger Nordwand Course (reverse)
London City Course
London City Course (reverse)

37 CARS
Audi R8 4.2 FSI R
Audi TT Coupe 32 Quatro
Acura NSX
Alfa Romeo 147 TI 2.0 Twin Spark
Alfa Romeo Brera Sky Window 3.2 JTS Q4
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C6)
Suzuki Cappuccino (EA21R)
Suzuki Swift Sports
Subaru Impressa WRX STI
Daihatsu OFC-1
Daihatsu Copen Active Top
Dodge Viper GTS
TVR Tuscan Speed Six
Nissan GT-R (R35)
Nissan GT-R Proto
Nissan Skyline GT-R V Spec II Nur (R34)
Nissan Skyline Coupe 270GT Type SP (V36)
Nissan Skyline Coupe Concept
Nissan Skyline Sedan 350GT Type SP (V36)
Nissan Fairlady Z Version S (Z33)
BMW 135i Coupe
BMW WM3 Coupe
BMW Z4
Ferrari 599
Ferrari F430
Ford Mustang V8 GT Coupe Premium
Volkswagon Golf IV GTI
Honda Integra Type R (DC5)
Mazda Atenza Sports (2007 Tokyo Motor Show Prototype)
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX GSR
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR Premium Package
Mercedes Benz SL55 AMG (R230)
Lancia Delta HF Integra
Renault Clio V6 24V
Lexus ISF
Lotus Elise
Lotus Elise 111R

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Sony launching video-on-demand service that caters to game-focused programming in early 2008.

In May, Sony confirmed speculation that a new SKU for the PlayStation 3 was in the works with news that an 80GB version would be coming to South Korea in June. Later that week, the Japanese giant said to the Korea Times that a video-on-demand service that takes advantage of the PS3’s spacious new hard drive would also be available in the tech-savvy nation.

Now, Sony is preparing to launch a similar video-on-demand service in Japan, as reported by Japanese news service Nikkei Net (registration required). The service is currently slated to be available in the Land of the Rising Sun in early 2008, and it will reportedly focus on game-related programming.

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Operation: Omega Dawn looks to melt your face.

Podcast Beyond alum and Warhawk Game Director Dylan Jobe stopped by the PlayStation Blog this morning to drop all sorts of downloadable goodies on the PS3 masses.

“The team and I really wanted the Omega Dawn booster pack to add a new gameplay experience and to enhance the replay value of the core Warhawk game,” Jobe wrote. “Not be some nickel-and-dime upgrade that takes advantage of our player community!!!”

Sounds good, right? Trust us. It gets better. The Omega Dawn pack adds:

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Wii beaten for the first time ever!

Sony’s price drop over in Japan appears to have had some initial success. A report from Reuters, citing sales data from Enterbrain, places the PS3 at the top of the console heap for the month of November. The PS3, which saw its 40 gigabyte model ship at 39,980 yen on 11/11, sold 183,200 units, besting the Wii’s 159,200.

This is the first time the PS3 has beaten the Wii in Japan since November of last year. The PS3 won that month, likely because the Wii hadn’t been released yet.

Asked about the figures, Sony’s PR division said to Reuters, “We weren’t a part of the Enterbrain survey, and we don’t know Nintendo’s figures.” To this, they added, “We do feel that the platform is heating up thanks to the availability of the 40 gigabyte system, the expanded software library, and the price drop.”

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Today’s PSN update adds two rides.

Felice Standifer, senior U.S. producer for MotorStorm, announced on the PlayStation Blog that today’s PlayStation Store update will include two new MotorStorm vehicles to download and enjoy. For $1.99, you can be the proud driver of a Mohawk Roadhog Bike and a Lunar-Tec Buffalo BigRig, the latter of the two looking particularly interesting. The pack will also feature two new skins to slap on to any of the available vehicle classes:

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PS3 owners have to wait until February.

Capcom Japan announced today final Japanese release details for the PlayStation 3 version of Lost Planet: Extreme Condition. The Xbox 360 to PS3 port will arrive in its home territory on 2/21/2008, carrying a slightly reduced price of 6,290 yen.

As previously announced, the PS3 version will include all the downloadable content from the 360 version straight off the disk. It will also include secret characters who appeared in the PC version, and, of course, full online play for 16 players.

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See Yamauchi drive.

Polyphony Digital and Sony are really giving your your money’s worth with that 100% free Gran Turismo 5 Prologue demo that’s available for download from the Japanese PlayStation Store. Today, Sony announced one piece of new content for the demo.

Starting 11/30, GT fanatics will be able to download a new, totally free, video clip for the demo’s GT-TV mode. Titled The GT-R Legend Inside Story I, the clip is an original production from the Nissan GT-R development team and the Gran Turismo staff. It includes HD footage of the GT-R’s development and of Gran Turismo producer Kazunoru Yamauchi test driving the car at Nurburgring in Germany.

As indicated by the “I” in the title, this clip is the first part in what will be a trilogy. The remaining parts will be eventually distributed through the full Gran Turismo 5 Prologue game, which sees Japanese release on 12/13.

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The company is also ‘working hard’ to resolve PS3 rockers’ compatibility blues.

Some of the guitars included with the Rock Band launch bundle shipped with faulty strum bars and will be replaced by Harmonix and Electronic Arts.

In a statement released today, Harmonix said it has identified and fixed the problem in all subsequent production runs of Rock Band guitars. The Rock Band bundle, which includes the game, a microphone, a guitar and a drum set, was released last week. Soon after, wannabe rockers began complaining that some of the bundled guitars were less than stage-worthy.

“If you are experiencing a problem with your guitar or any of your other Rock Band instruments, simply visit the customer support website and we will send a replacement immediately,” the company said. “Harmonix is dedicated to creating 100% customer satisfaction and to those of you who’ve encountered any hardware issues, we are sorry for the hassle.”

PlayStation 3 owners who picked up Rock Band last week also learned that Guitar Hero III axes don’t play nice with the game. Rock Band recognizes the GHIII guitar as a traditional controller rather than an instrument. At launch, Harmonix had this to say, in part, about the issue:

“If certain controllers do not work with Rock Band, questions about those controllers should be directed to the peripheral manufacturer.”

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PSthree, come to meeee!

According to a report from Nikkei late last week, Toshiba is planning on switching manufacturing of the PlayStation 3’s RSX graphics processor to a 65nm process next month. Currently, the chip is manufacturing using a 90nm process, the same as it’s been since the system’s launch.

A smaller die size for the chip can mean cheaper production costs and less heat, contributing to lower prices for the consumer, and a quieter, more reliable PS3 system.

The latest versions of the system’s Cell CPU are being manufactured using a 65nm process. It is widely believed that the switch to 65nm for the Cell is one of the main reasons Sony was able to drop the PS3’s price down to $399 in time for the holidays.

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Exclusivity, air ships, and a world map.

Were you aware that Japan’s Dengeki magazine group recently gave out awards for the PlayStation brand’s all time best of the best?

Neither were we.

Apparently, Final Fantasy VII placed quite highly in these so-called “Den-Play Awards.” The game took the award for best story, best RPG, and best overall game. Cloud Strife took the award for best character, followed by the other vertices of his love triangle, Aeris at fifth and Tifa at eighth. Six characters in all placed in the top 50, with Sephiroth at 14th, Reno at 15th and Yuffie at 42nd.

Awards awarded, Dengeki PlayStation took the opportunity to get FFXII director Yoshinori Kitase and character designer Tetsuya Nomura to sit down for a lengthy interview recapping the past ten years with the FFVII offshoot. The two offered a few short insights into upcoming projects.

The magazine asked Nomura if Cloud’s role will expand from here on out. To this, Nomura responded with, “I have my hands full with Final Fantasy Versus XIII now, so I can’t say anything about the future, but the scenario writer, Nojima (Kazushige), says he doesn’t want to part from Cloud yet, so there will surely be something.”

Next, the PS3 Final Fantasy games. The two were first asked to comment on the changes the move from the PS2 to the PS3 brings to the series.

“On the hardware side,” said Kitase, “thanks to the storage space of Blu-Ray and the inclusion of a hard drive, we’re able to deal with load times. Regarding the production side of things, because it’s a next generation machine, any and all sections require multiple times more work, so it’s difficult. With FFVII, we advanced over previous games in all areas, but aiming for the same thing with the PS3 is difficult. For FFXIII, we’re looking at what specific areas we should focus on improving.”

As for Nomura, the Versus XIII director said, “Compared to the move to the PS2, the move to the PS3 is more difficult. Planning and so-forth haven’t changed much as far as work is concerned, but overall, the amount of graphics work has gone up considerably. You can show tiny details, so you have to make put tiny details in your illustrations.”

Getting a bit specific on the Versus project, Nomura continued, “It seems that the Versus team was, from the start, trying to get the full specifications out of the PS3, and that takes time. Just the other day, during a Versus meeting, a programmer asked, ‘Is it okay to program with PS3 exclusivity in mind?’.” I asked why, and he said, ‘If we port it to other hardware, we have to program with that in mind.’ I responded, ‘Of course, Versus is PS3 exclusive.’”

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Terrorists retake Sin City in Ubisoft sequel, set to deploy on next-gen consoles and PCs in 2008.

At the finale of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas, the titular antiterrorist team foiled the launch of a missile toward the titular desert metropolis before uncovering a traitor in their midst. As a reward, players were greeted with a black screen bearing the words “To Be Continued,” which all but confirmed a sequel.

Today, Ubisoft made it official: Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is indeed in development at Ubisoft Montreal for release sometime next year. For now, the Francophonic publisher says the game is being readied for “next-gen consoles and PCs.” No specific platforms other than the PC were mentioned, but the original Rainbow Six Vegas was released for the PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Portable. (Proposed PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of the game were canceled.)

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