Category: PS3

Blockbuster Video adopts Blu-Ray exclusively, HD-DVD pouting currently

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It looks like Sony got something right this generation after all. After dogging the HD-DVD format in sales during this year’s first quarter, Sony-backed Blu-ray has gained a powerful ally in the format wars. Blockbuster Video rental stores have announced that going forward they will carry Blu-ray DVD exclusively in-store, although they will continue carrying HD-DVD in 250 initial test stores and online. They report that Blu-ray accounted for 70% of rentals between the two formats. This may deal the killing stroke to HD-DVD in a valiantly fought, yet futile, battle. And if it isn’t, rumor has it Target plans to do the same soon. Oh Noes, HD-DVD!

The North American HD DVD Promotional Group (what a name) says Blockbuster is jumping the gun, and that their decision was skewed by the success of Blu-ray titles released the first 3 months of this year. That’s right, the “TNAHDDVDPG” says that Blockbuster’s decision was skewed by RATIONAL THINKING! Logic ftw!

Thank Science I didn’t buy that HD-DVD player for my Xbox 360!

BlackSite: Area 51 Screenshots

When Midway came out saying that BlackSite: Area 51 would be released around the same time as Halo 3 I laughed. I thought that there’s no way BlackSite: Area 51 could compete with the mega Halo 3. Midway’s latest batch of screenshots has changed my mind. Sure BlackSite: Area 51 will not be able to sell nearly as many units as Halo 3, but BlackSite: Area 51 will sell a great amount! The creatures in this game look fantastic! Check them out for yourself in The Pipeline’s Video Game Screenshot show.

Sony has just about beaten the church, baby jesus cries

Now, if you haven’t heard of the battle between the Angelican Manchester Church and Insomniac, then let me give you the quick version. Insomniac games has created Resistance for Sony’s PS3, giving them one of their few, if not only, good launch title. Well in the game you go through a famous British Church, this church being the Angelican Church in Manchester. The Bishop, amongst others presumably, having a war being fought in their Church in such a Photorealistic manner due to gun control with in Manchester.

Well Sony and the Church have fought back and forth, like children over a small toy, about the subject. Well it seems that, according to British solicitor Alex Chapman, the church is going to be fighting an uphill battle against Sony. According to British copyright law, infringement cannot be brought against buildings or sculptures that are on permanent public display. Simply put, unless the church finds some clause with in British law, or have the hand of God smite the heathen Sony corporation, there’ll be no pulling of Resistance from the retail market.

For more information hit up this lovely Kotaku page giving you all the up to the minute information

The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault On Dark Athena

Sierra Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, announced today that The Chronicles of Riddick will blast onto Microsoft’s Xbox 360, and debut on the PLAYSTATION 3 system, for the first time. Taking advantage of new hardware technologies, the game will present a reinvention of Escape from Butcher Bay, delivering 2004’s award winning experience in high definition with stunning enhancements. Also included is the Dark Athena chapter, an expansion of the original game with an exciting new story and new gameplay features. Scheduled to ship later in 2007, it is being produced under license from Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group, in association with Vin Diesel’s Tigon Studios, and is being developed by Starbreeze Studios, acclaimed developer of the original edition.

With The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, players will not only be challenged to survive Butcher Bay, but will also engage in a new single-player experience and, for the first time in the Riddick universe, take action in intense multi-player combat. The game introduces the ominous Merc-ship Dark Athena, which sits silent like a marauding spider, awaiting helpless prey in the dark reaches of the galaxy. Players must face a large, bloodthirsty operation led by the dreaded Captain Revas and her slaves-turned-controllable combat drones, storm though death-defying events and fight fierce enemies in a battle of malice and gore.

First released in 2004, The Chronicles of Riddick game features an original storyline that provides insight into the mythology of Universal Pictures’ films The Chronicles of Riddick and the cult classic Pitch Black, which first introduced Vin Diesel as enigmatic anti-hero Riddick. The game blends action and stealth elements, as players navigate Riddick through the harsh environments of dank tunnels, dimly lit corridors, and other hazardous areas filled with guards, savage inmates and deadly creatures that prowl the darkness.

“The Chronicles of Riddick is a genre defining game that helped shape the modern first-person shooter,” said Al Simone, senior vice president, global marketing for Sierra Entertainment. “We are proud to not only take this ‘Best in Class’ title to the next level for both the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3, but to create a new single-player experience and multi-player campaigns for a truly robust product offering.”

“When the original The Chronicles of Riddick game exploded on the scene, gamers were taken with its fantastic graphics and hard-hitting gameplay,” said Bill Kispert, Vice President and General Manager, Interactive, Universal Pictures. “We are excited to now introduce new players to this character and world, while thrilling existing fans with the surprises and additional features this edition will offer.”

“The Riddick universe is incredibly rich source material for creating on-going stories and games,” said Cos Lazouras, Head of Production, Tigon Studios. “This next chronicle will take us to new, dark corners of that universe, which when combined with Starbreeze’s fantastic next-gen techonology, will deliver the compelling player experience gamers have come to expect of Riddick.”
“We’re very happy to be working in the Riddick universe again.” said Ian Stevens, Lead Game Designer, Starbreeze Studios. “Assault on Dark Athena gives us an opportunity to revisit the original game and share it with a new audience, as well as offer a continuation of the Butcher Bay gameplay and storyline. We’re also thrilled to be bringing Multiplayer to the game.”
Moving and attacking in darkness is particularly effective for Riddick as his haunting “eye shine” gives him the ability to see without ambient light. However, stealth won’t serve every situation and players will be able to take the action up close and personal. As Riddick, players will be able to sneak up behind enemies and snap necks or fight face to face using fists, elbows and grapples. Additionally, players will be able to capture weapons such as shanks, shotguns, or assault rifles and use these to cut a swath of destruction through anyone who gets in their way.

Perspective On Console Wars

What does the world need? Love, of course! But we have yet to figure out a way to massively manufacture emotions (though we try). So what’s the next best thing? Video games, (duh)! Video games have forever changed the course of history. Jack Thompson would even attest to the fact that games like Call of Duty 3 inspired WWII. I know what your saying, “Oh Burbank, greatest blogger in the world, we are not nearly as brilliant, hansom, or awesome as you! We’re homeless people and video games are expensive!! How will we ever get our hands on a video game?!!” and this is where the problem lies.

One solution to this problem is to try to pass a law which gives everyone infinite money, but I’ve already tried that and found that no one in congress will listen to good logic these days (Bush administration). Besides that, there’s nothing much you can do, but shop thrifty. Frugality alone will get you nothing, but a pack of bubble gum. You must multi-task and look for the highest quality and most hyped games as well. Good games = fun. Bad games = whatever the opposite of fun is, I don’t know since I only play good games (be like me). Your choice of games is very important, entertainment is not the only thing you must consider, it also has many social implications. If you bring a game like, hmmm….. lets say….. “The Teletubbies” to your friends, they will reject you forever and you’ll go blind, but if you bring a game like “Gears of War”, you are insured eternal life in heaven, plus you have an awesome game to play there. “But Burbank, we cannot think for ourselves, please guide us,” just hold your horses.

The first thing you must you must consider is your choice in what are called “systems”. “Systems” are machines used to run video games. There are various systems out there. As of now, the main systems are the Wii, 360, PS3, DS, PSP, and the computer. That’s right, you can even use your computer as a system and it may seem most logical to do so since you already have a computer at your disposal, but this may not be the best choice. The “console” systems run on your TV which may be far more convenient. They are the Wii, 360, and PS3. Let us examine them for a moment.

The 360 was the first to be released. It was nothing revolutionary, it was exactly what everyone expected. One cool looking wireless controller with a bunch of cool looking buttons connected to a cool looking box which sends cool looking HD graphics to a cool looking HDTV(not included). Many Wii fans have argued that graphics alone cannot sustain a system, but the beauty of the 360’s power is that not only does it create the possibility of awesome graphics, but allows for far greater expanse, detail, and even gameplay innovation which was simply not possible with the predecessor generation systems. Some blaring examples of this are games like Crackdown, Saints Row, Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, and the upcoming GTA IV and Assassin’s Creed, though there are many others. The 360 has a somewhat moderate price of $400, but you can buy it used for as low as $250. It is also famous for it’s “X-Box Live” service which allows you to play and communicate with other players online or download extra content, it has a price of $50 per year which is not bad. Another good thing about the 360 is the fact that since it has been out longer than both the Wii and the PS3, it already has a large lineup of great games. Unfortunately (or fortunately) there aren’t many Japanese games for the 360 (no RPGs? GASP!) so you will mostly be playing first person shooters.

The second console to be released is the PS3. The PS2 was the winner of the last generation’s console war and Sony, creator of the PS systems, was confident that with all the the support it had that it would win the war this generation as well, oh how wrong they were. The PS3 boasted an extreme amount of horsepower which greatly surpassed that of the 350 and even the 360, a power so extreme that some PS3s have even exploded and I do remember that the day they came out there was a black out here where I live. This power, unfortunately (or fortunately), was not so much greater than that of the 360 that much a difference could be seen in graphics. And what about games? Well, most of the PS3’s good games will be simultaneously released for the 360 and besides those, most of it’s games suck. It also costs $600. So why would you want a PS3? Well, it has all these cool non-gaming features which you don’t really care about. It’s shiny. You can get attacked by muggers if you’re caught with one (and use the opportunity to become Batman). Yeah, don’t buy a PS3.

Now, the third console to be released is the N-Gage. The N-Gage is probably the greatest system ever invented, you’ll definitely want to look into this one. It’s a cell phone and a game system combined into one! It also has internet! (NO, don’t buy the N-Gage under ANY circumstances)

Now, of course, the Wii. The Wii does things far differently than any of the other consoles. Instead of falling into the same trap the PS3 fell in, the Wii does not concentrate on the quality of the graphics, but on the quality of the gameplay. The Wii uses some new fangled motion sensor technology to mix up the gaming experience. When shooting at alien monkeys, you are actually aiming your controller at your screen and shooting. When flipping a pancake, you actually make the flipping motion with the controller. Needless to say, this is hilariously fun. It also has a great price of $250! Unfortunately (it’s unfortunate any way you look at it, sorry), the Wii’s lack of graphical capabilities is it’s Achilles’ heel. It’s not bad that the Wii doesn’t have HD graphics since most people don’t have HDTVs, but even so, the Wii’s graphics suck, even on normal TVs. They look even worse than that of the Gamecube, some say they border along N64 quality which I must say is a complete lie, Goldeneye 64 definitely looks better then some of the games I have seen for the Wii. The Wii also lacks good games, of course the game developers had little time to develop for the Wii since they just got the developer kits last Summer and the good games are bound to come eventually, but the fact still stands that most of the Wii games that have been released suck. The Wii also has a new “Virtual Console” system which allows the player to download cool games from old systems which is cool except that it seems that only a handful of games are currently available and why would you want to buy them when they are all widely available in ROM format? The Wii also boasts of online play which hasn’t been seen yet either. So do you want the Wii? Maybe, but I think it will be better to wait for the “Wii Too” to come out when all the bugs are cleaned out and HD graphics are added.

For the time being, I can safely conclude that of all these systems, the X-Box 360 is the way to go. So go buy it. Now. If you already bought a PS3 or a Wii, don’t fret, your time will come, but the 360 is really your best bet if you’re looking for a good system right now.

Ah, and what about games? Well, you have already found the answer, my enlightened apprentice. The answer to that question is to keep checking STUFFWELIKE.COM

Your truly,
Burbank

P.S.
DON’T BUY THE N-GAGE!!!!!!!

Damn you LittleBigPlanet and your cuteness!

Long time no write, but that’s besides the point. At GDC this year Sony unveiled their new Online sandbox platformer, LittleBigPlanet. The title blew me away, and made me giggle like a little school girl. It combines sandbox creativity, ala Garry’s Mod, online co-op, ala Crackdown or Gears of War, and 2.5D platforming, ala Viewtiful Joe.

In the title uses small canvas fabric dolls as a small pallet. With the doll you can create your own character in almost anyway you can imagine. You can add small items you collect through the game, like hats and shirts, to your character. If that’s not enough you can add stickers and items that you usually use to decorate the level on your character.

Level design is also a big part of the game. On top of the levels that the game comes with you can create unique levels from scratch using everything you come across by playing through the premade levels. After you’ve made the levels using anything from large rocks, stickers, and soccer balls you can set them up on the PSN where millions of people can try the game, rate it, and endorse it.

Now this all sounds kind of boring if it’s not fun, right? Well the development team that’s making LBP is the same team that made a small indie game that popped up on Steam years ago called Rag Doll Kung Fu. Just like RGKF you use physics and rag doll to control your character, but not as freely as rag doll did. The characters walk just like they would in any 2D platformer, and then use rag doll physics to hold and control items around the environment, like large oranges, small pullies, large skateboards, or even your own friends.

The features are many and exciting. The design is cute and creative. The music is adorable and addictive(think Katamari Damacy or LocoRoco). If you don’t have a PS3, or just lack a reason to get one, look into LittleBigPlanet. You’ll want to pick one up just for it, I know I do.