Gamescom 2009: PS3 Slim Unveiled

Everybody already knew that the PS3 Slim was coming out - fans were just waiting for Sony to officially reveal the thing. Fortunately, they did just that at this year's Gamescom in Germany, and it looks quite impressive. The price will be set at a meager $299, and will be released September 1, 2009.

The side-by-side comparison of the original and the Slim is astounding. With this new price and new size, the sales of the console could definitely soar - I am even considering getting a PS3 Slim of my own.

In other Sony news, the PSP and PSPgo will be getting a sort of App store. Basically a smaller version of the PlayStation Network (PSN), "PSP Minis" will allow downloads on both models of the PSP, though it will certainly be more useful on the PSPgo, which lacks a UMD Drive. No prices have been released, though it is likely most downloads will be around $10 or less.

Image credit: Kotaku (here and here).

PS3 Slim Rumors Intensify

For months, rumors have been flying over a possible newer version of the PS3, dubbed, "PS3 Slim". But one of the biggest developments came just days ago, when a version of the PS3 Slim appeared on the German version of Amazon, seen below.

The item was taken down once the media picked up the story, though that didn't quell the rumors. While fans were busying themselves with the rumor, Amazon dropped the price of their 160 GB version of the PS3 by $50. No one is totally sure why, though it seems that they are trying to clear their stock of the old PS3 to make room for the slimmer version.

Seeing as the PS3 has sales far below the Wii and Xbox 360, Sony will definitely need to do something to boost their sales, and the PS3 Slim might just help that. If that is the case, we can probably expect to see this new model released to the public by Christmas-time. We will likely hear an announcement about this later this month at Gamescom in Germany.

Image credit: IGN (here).

Digital Versus Physical: The Future of Distribution

Xbox Live. WiiWare. PlayStation Network. Undoubtedly, all of these are changing the way we purchase video games. For over twenty years, gamers had to travel all the way to the video game store to pick up the latest release - but nowadays, we can simply download games onto our systems by using 'Points'. This is obviously more convienent, but does it spell the future for the way all games are distributed?

With a quick look at some forums on the Internet, you'll realize that players have some pretty strong feelings about the topic. Those on the side of Digital Distribution list some of the more obvious benefits of their choice of distribution: more convienence, less trash produced without packaging, and lower cost due to the lack of packaging. Being able to play demoes of the games you are downloading is also a bonus.

Of course, despite the growing prevelance of WiiWare and DSiWare, Nintendo is still sticking to it's old ways. Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of the Mario and Zelda series, as well as many others, stated, "Personally, I'm one of those guys who, even if I have all the songs from iTunes, I want the CD as well. It's something that makes me - I feel more reassured with the physical media." Miyamoto is a pretty big name in the video game business, so his support of "traditional" distribution is definitely a big deal.

That "reassured" feeling is not the only benefit of Physical Distribution, however. Without a physical copy of the game, used copies can't be bought, and the game cannot be shared with friends unless you carry around your entire console. And if games went completely digital, game stores would go completely out of business, which would seriously hurt the economy.

The Verdict: We'll never reach such an extreme that all games are released digitally, but that doesn't mean that format will go away. Digital Distribution will likely grow to a comforatable size within the next few years, and find a perfect balance with the Physical Distribution that we have all come to know and love.

Image credit: MSXbox World (here), Second Hand Karl (here).

New Michael Jackson Game

Some rumors have been persisting about an upcoming game based on Michael Jackson - and, apparently, they are true. MJJ Productions, Michael Jackson's personal company, is developing the title. But is it a 'tribute'?

Apparently not. MJJ Productions has been working on the title "for months", and it even includes dialogue from the King of Pop himself. It has been confirmed that Jackson's death has not interfered with the planned release of the game, set for Christmas of 2009.

It will be released for the Xbox 360 and PS3, and is purported to contain a number of hit songs.

Image credit: P.I.D. Radio (here).

Blast From The Past: Spyro The Dragon

Spyro has seen many changes as of late; several games have been released for a multitude of systems, and were often met with less a than positive reaction. However, with The Legend of Spyro being a "reboot" for the series, Spyro has just about reached his former glory - the final stepping stone may be the upcoming movie, The Legend of Spyro.

The first game in the series, plainly named Spyro The Dragon, was over-all well received, with critics citing the colorful graphics and appropriate music as giving a good over-all experience. The gameplay was centered around certain hub worlds, in which many portals allowed the player to enter different Worlds; worlds

which would contain (in the case of the first game) Dragons that have been frozen by Gnasty Gnorc.

The sequel, Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage, played on the success of the original game while giving Spyro a whole new world to explore: Avalar. While the gameplay remained largely the same (with Spyro searching for orbs as opposed to dragons), critics praised the expansive new levels, and often humorous story.

Arguably the most popular game in the series, and the final game in the series developed by Insomniac Games (thus ending the first "saga" of Spyro), Spyro: Year of The Dragon, also built on the original idea of hub worlds, but added considerably to the formula. Each world boasted

several mini portals of it's

own, which

would allow the player to play certain mini-games to earn Dragon Eggs (the equivalent of orbs from the second game). Other playable characters were added, such as Sheila the kangaroo and Sgt. Byrd; because of this, the game got overwhelmingly positive reviews.

Although the series has somewhat floundered since Insomniac Games stopped developing the games, the Spyro series will always live on as a popular platformer, and one of the most successful games on the original PlayStation.

Image credit: GameCyte (here), GiantBomb (here).

News Overview

Next Wii Zelda: According to Shiegru Miyamoto, the creator of the Zelda series (along with many others), the next Wii Zelda game won't be "that radically different". However, he has already stated that the game will certainly use the Wii MotionPlus, and has pointed out that this "older Link" is not wielding his famous Master Sword. While it seems that the art style of Twilight Princess will remain, it still seems that something will change - and not just the controls.

Transformers: The new Transformers movie, Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen, has been raking in over $450 million, only beaten by Angels & Demons, which garnered $469 million. This has all been against poor reviews, with critics claiming that the movie was worse than the original - but fans are still, clearly, excited.

The A-Team: The status of The A-Team movie is about to change, as the cast begins to settle in. With Liam Neeson set to play Hannibal Smith, and Bradely Cooper set to play Templeton Peck, the movie is truly coming along. And now, strong rumors are swirling that rapper "The Game" will play B. A. Baracus - stay tuned as more updates appear for The A-Team, set for realease June 11, 2010.

Bioshock 2: A strange, promotional record has appeared regarding the upcoming Bioshock 2. It seems to hint at a plot, though it is certainly left open to interpretation. Read more about it here. Bioshock 2 is set for release on November 3, 2009, for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Image credit: IGN (here)

More Info Released On Sony's Motion Controller

At this year's E3, Sony unveiled a wand-like motion controller that received positive feedback at the show for it's accuracy. And now, a few weeks after the Expo ended, Sony has revealed more details on the accessory, and it's launch date.

Telling developers that the controller will work "with any games across all genres, from casual to core", Sony has seemingly ignored an angry fan reaction. As Sony "fanboys" mocked the Wii for it's "childish, gimmicky" controls, their future games might force them to buy this new controller for themselves.

But Sony remains confident. They are "currently looking into the possibility" of using the motion controller in combination with the DualShock (the regular controller) to play games. The example they used was being able to use "the motion controller as a sword and use DualShock 3 as a shield". The new peripheral is set for release in Spring of 2010.

Activision Wary Of Playstation's Future

Activision, undoubtedly the biggest independent publisher in the world of video games, may no longer be showing support for the Playstation 3, and perhaps even the PSP. In an interview, Bobby Kotick, the CEO of Activision, said "They have the cut the price, because if they don't, the attach rates are likely to slow. If we are being realistic, we may have to stop supporting Sony."


Since the Playstation 3 launched, thus beginning the console wars for the seventh generation, it has fallen far behind both the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. But despite this, it seemed like it was always a true competitor. Are we going to have to accept that it may "fail", just as the Sega Dreamcast did before it? While Sony has a loyal fanbase, without Activision supporting it, it seems that they have no shot.

Kotick went on to explain when the might stop supporting Sony. "When we look at 2010 and 2011, we might want to consider if we support the console - and the PSP, too." Kotick went on to explain that a "physical interface", such as the Wii, could be good for Sony. But is Activision gaining too much power? Console developers have long since been the most powerful figureheads in the gaming business. Will Activision become just as powerful, bending console developers to fit their needs?

Image credit: That Videogame Blog (here). Quote credit: TimesOnlines (here).

Sony Getting More Confident?

According to IGN, Andrew House, President of SCEE (Sony Computer Entertainment Europe) is claiming that many Wii owners will eventually upgrade to the PS3.

He claims that Sony has "lots of data" from the days where many bought the N64 and later upgraded to the PlayStation2. However, he failed to note that the Gamecube, Nintendo's console after the N64, was already receiving negative attention.

House also fails to note one of the most important rules of statistics - "correlation does not imply causation". Sony's console is still selling quite poorly in Japan, and unlike Nintendo, they don't have many "secret weapons" to boost the sales.

Wii Falters?

March seemed to be a good month for Sony - in Japan, anway. The PS3 sold nearly 150,000 units in the country last March, compared to the 100,000 units of the Wii sold by Nintendo.

Does this mean that Sony will usurp Nintendo's role as the top console seller? Probably not - the release of Resident Evil 5 was most likely the only reason that the PS3 sold so well, despite the fact that Resident Evil 5 also launched for the Xbox 360 (whose sales will never be impressive in Japan).

And although Sony might be confident now, the DSi sales in the U.S. will most likely continue to beat Sony's sales of the PSP.

Preview: Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2

After two wildly popular X-Men Legends games, Activision created the Marvel Ultimate Alliance series, which has it's second installment aimed for release this fall.

This new installment of the series follows the Civil War story arc, straight from the comics. A few characters are forced onto one of the sides (Registration and Anti-Registration), but other then that, you can choose which side each character goes on.


The gameplay is largely the same as it's predecessors, with the addition of the new Fusion attacks, which allow you to combine the special attacks of two characters to create a brand new, much more powerful attack. Trailers show Iron Man blasting a laser at Wolverine, who uses his claws to spread the beam across the area.

There will be a change in playable characters, with a few being cut and some others added. Song Bird and Iron Fist, two little known heroes, will make appearances as playable characters. Villains will even get a shot at being playable - Green Goblin and Venom are both included.

This game seems even more polished then the previous one, with excellent graphics and sharp gameplay. Stay tuned for a review coming this Fall.

Sweet, Sweet Memory Lane

I hate change. And while I've learned to accept that things will always change, that doesn't mean I'm above doing everything I can to re-create the past. And that's why last weekend I decided to dig up my old PS1, break out Final Fantasy VII, and just go on an all-day gaming run.

Unfortunately, my only Playstation controller has broken, so I had to get a pair off eBay. But they just arrived today, and I'm working on a list of things I need to make this day/week perfect:

- Playstation 1 (Check)

- Controller (Check)

- Giant inflatable mattress in the middle of my living room (Check)

- Yoohoos (Check)

- Lunchables (Check)


Well, it seems like everything is in order. I'll post updates within the next week as I begin my descent into becoming a total and complete nerd. (Also, am I the only person who heats up their Lunchables? It seems weird to eat them cold)

Insane Inmates

Recently, there has been a lot of excitement over the sequel to last summer's blockbuster hit, The Dark Knight - who will the villain be? who will be casted? - but it seems like some of us are overlooking another major milestone in the world of Batman; the new videogame, Batman: Arkham Asylum.

The reason I consider this game a "milestone" is that it's actually the first Batman game not based off another form of media (such as a movie) - meaning that it is a completely original story that blends themes from the entire comic book history of Batman to create an exciting new adventure.

The game, being released June 9, 2009, for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC, will feature a sandbox style game, such as Grand Theft Auto, but will also include "detective" elements, allowing Batman to solve forensic puzzles with all of his gadgets.

The actual plot revolves around The Joker, who has recently been caught by Batman and imprisoned in the aforementioned asylum. However, The Joker uses the defenses of the asylum against our dark hero, and Batman must not only defeat The Joker, but escape from the asylum alive.

I'm excited for this game (I'll be getting the PC version) and while a few parts of the game sound like they might not be the most fun, you must realize that the game is still being polished so it's ready for all the comic book fans, and the fans of The Dark Knight, who will most likely assume that the game is as good as the movie.

Blast From The Past: Final Fantasy VII

Ah, yes, the old Final Fantasy VII. One of the greatest games of all times, it has recieved numerous awards and recognitions, and has even been credited with the popularization of RPGs (Role Playing Games) in the United States.

Although many people claim that the game was "over hyped" and many still claim it is over-rated, I believe the game deserves everything it's gotten. The gameplay is rich and exciting, and the Materia system is very in-depth. And even though the game was on PS1, the gameplay graphics are not bad, and the video graphics are absolutely stunning.
The story is long and interesting, spanning an entire 3 discs. It involves a wide range of characters, from your party to your enemies (and sometimes both).
I must state one of the best parts of the game: the music. A team of expert composers created the soundtrack to this game, which includes classical music along with more modern pieces. I strongly suggest you head over to ffonline.com to hear all of the amazing tracks in this game.
I give Final Fantasy VII a 10/10 - truly stunning. One of the greatest games in history.
** Edit: I've added some music from the game.