The hearts of Playstation 3 users will, no doubt, start beating faster as they read the title and -yes- it’s true: The first teaser trailer for Resistance 2, sequel to Resistance: Fall of Man, has been released. Those of you who aren’t aware should know that Reistance: FoM was one of the few launch titles for the PS3 that didn’t put people immediately to sleep… so this sequel is hotly anticipated. The video is parked over at Kombo (courtesy of Youtube), and relatively little is said about the it other than “Enjoy, you Resistance-loving freaks” (more or less). Note, however, that this is just a teaser; no in-game footage appears (that’s promised for June 13 on GameTrailersTV), but it should get the hair on your arms standing up nonetheless.

There are also some tasty screenshots over at Kombo, too.

This piece from Eurogamer about mod support on the Xbox caught my eye, and with games like Unreal Tournament and Half Life 2 - two games with a healthy mod-making community - playing such a prominent role in the Xbox’s history (and popularity), it does give one pause to ask why it is that the Xbox doesn’t support certain kinds of user-based add-ons. Microsoft XNA general manager Chris Satchell cited several concerns with user-created mods becoming commonly supported for the Xbox, some of which included security concerns:

Really what works in this industry is the people who have access to that native metal of the console, that go through these processes, are financially invested in this industry; they wouldn’t do anything bad. Developers want to do good things because they want this industry to work. There’s a lot of people out there that just want to prove they can screw things up.

I think there’s very mature, sensible hackers who just want to prove how good they are, and they don’t cause harm, and there’s malicious hackers, and any platform that let’s you do that, and doesn’t have the right security measures in place - whether it’s Sony, whether it’s Nintendo, whether it’s Apple, whether it’s anyone - you’re inviting trouble, because sooner or later someone will want to prove they can do it.

This begs the question of whether or not Satchell is suggesting that PS3 users are exposed to security threats that the Xbox 360 is not (as there are no such restrictions on the PS3). He didn’t totally answer the question.

Get a look at Kotaku’s coverage of the neatest little peripheral device to accompany a triple-A game that you’ll see in a long while: The Metal Gear Solid 4 headset, to be released on June 12 (the same day as Metal Gear Solid 4), is a sexy little piece of $60 shwag. “You’ll be getting up to 8 hours talk time, a 30ft range, an auto-shut-off function to save battery life and a snazzy little carry case.” According to Kotaku, it’s already showing up in retail catalogues and databases in both Europe and the US and will be good to go on zero day.

And yes, you can wear it with a headband of some kind.

Bethesda’s cult-classic franchise, Fallout, will be receiving its third installment (rumored to arrive this October), and GameStop has cried “ta daaa” and shown off a special collectors’ edition for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. The verrrrrry special box will include a Vault Boy Bobblehead, a hardcover art book and a making-of DVD (the box itself will be a Vault-Tech Lunch Box). According to Shacknews, the Collectors’ Edition will be $79.99 (whereas the PC version is $69.99), and the “standard” version will be $59.99 for consoles and $49.99 for PC. Shacknews also has some nice impressions in their preview of the game in case you want to get a sense of whether or not it’s good enough to fork out $79.99 to get it in a special lunchbox.

The Ant Commandos are a manufacturer who, today, showed off lots of new Rock Band and Guitar Hero peripherals for the Playstation 2 and 3… including a wireless bass guitar and a pack of two wireless mics. According to Ant Commandos, “All of our Guitar controllers are designed to provide 100% 4-in-1 compatibility, even down to the most minute features, with Guitar Hero 1, 2, and 3 and Rock Band for both the PS2 and PS3 platforms”. They’re also releasing a PS2/PS3 guitar adapter to make the PS2 guitars work for both games on the PS3.

Most folks who are following emerging news about Grand Theft Auto IV will know that there are Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions on deck, and a lot of people also know that the Xbox version boasts something that the PS3 doesn’t: Downloadable content. Joystiq decided to rub some salt in Playstation 3 owners’ wounds by running a little poll to see which of the two would be the one gamers want to grab. Not surprisingly, the Xbox 360 version came out on top (capturing 58% of votes where the PS3 grabbed a more modest 42%). It’s an interesting poll, and Joystiq reports these findings:

The top reasons cited for playing Grand Theft Auto IV on the Xbox 360 were achievements (24), the downloadable content (24) and more friends on Xbox Live (20). As for those who picked the PlayStation 3, the reason commenters most often gave was hardware concern for the Xbox 360 (17), either the Red Ring of Death or the loud cooling fan, especially after 100 hours of gameplay. Surprising to us was the number of people who said they didn’t care about downloadable content (10).

Personally, if I own one console or the other (few people own both) then I’d have to learn to live with the fact that certain titles that the other guy can get aren’t available to me… or aren’t available with all the same features. Obviously, if I own a PS3 I’m going to vote for the PS3 version (cause I’m gonna buy a second console to play a game I can already play on the console I have?), so I wouldn’t say the methodology was rock-solid… but it IS interesting to notice which features matter most to those who voted.

If you were listening to pop and rock in the 80’s then your life, like mine, has in some way been touched by a music legend… and that legend’s name is Motley Crüe. Their heyday may be 25 years behind us now, but they’re bringin’ The Dirt to Harmonix’ Rock Band this week when their song, “Saints of Los Angeles” is made available as downloadable content. You’ll be able to get it Tuesday on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 80 MS points. The Playstation version follows this Thursday for $0.99.

Saints of Los Angeles is off their upcoming album, The Dirt, which you’ll be able to get for yourself in June when Gen X’ers all over the world will be Shouting at the Devil.

(See what I did there?)

Kotaku has a bone to pick with Gran Turismo creator Kazanori Yamauchi, and should mind the invitation for a libel lawsuit while they’re at it. After calling Yamauchi a “total liar” because he’s claiming one thing about GT damage:

We’ve had a lot of discussions with the manufacturers and although at the beginning they hated the idea of deformation, now they’re slowly coming around to it. We’ve still got a few to convince, but we will. Expect deformation in the very near future: very, very soon.

…and Kotaku claims another:

Rubbish. If I can demolish an exquisitely-modelled Ferrari in Project Gotham Racing, I can do it in Gran Turismo. Quit being such a ninny over scratching your lovely, shiny car models and bring a dash of realism to the series, will you? This excuse is as wafer-thin as the arse-end of my favourite jeans.

Gran Turismo players, step forward would you? Post some comments about what your take on this is. I don’t play it, myself, but Kotaku is making some solid points here.

Game Infowire has some terrific shots from Metal Gear Online, the upcoming game for Playstation 3. This is one of those moments where a picture says more words than… uh… words.

There’s a nice range of shots to admire over at Game Infowire. Check ‘em out.

This weekend some sites brokes some leaked screenshots from this trailer. That’s just fine, but I’m going to take my time if it’s only screenshots. I mean, with rendering tech what it is these days, those could have been from some fan-made thing. But no, the movie from official sources kind of proves it.

FINALLY! A Sonic game that captures the feeling of speed. Jeez, about time, people.

Hm, coming “soon.” Where’s the rolleyes icon…

I admit, however, the Wii guy in me wonders what’s so great here that requires the power of the XBox 360 and the PS3. I mean, how about a little Wii lovin’?

PS3 Fanboy has ten reasons listed about why the Playstation 3 is relevant again. The title strikes me as kinda weird because of the way it sounds like the PS3 was relevant, then not relevant, and now is relevant… which doesn’t totally jive with the console’s history. But whatever.

Anyhow, as you can tell from the title of the site, it’s a somewhat glowing review of the PS3 and its various attributes which, to be fair, is very realistic and based in actual fact. Reasons for applauding the PS3 include the triumph of Blu-Ray, the (now) affordable cost, frequent firmware updates, and my favorite… Little Big Planet.

Originally shown off at GDC 2006, LittleBigPlanet captured gamers’ imaginations with its adorable characters and innovative gameplay. The biggest draw of the game, which sees its release later this year, is the ability to create your own levels to be uploaded and rated on by your peers. With promises of special levels from other Sony first party developers and a wealth of player-created content, you’ll never run out of levels to explore with up to three friends online. There’s rumor of a beta coming this summer in order to bolster the online content for the game’s release.

Solid reasons, to be sure, but I still argue that the PS3 was ever not relevant.

Gaming Today is reporting that Ray Maguire of Sony UK let it slip that the Playstation 3 will be getting an in-game communication feature which is similar to that found on the Xbox 360 (i.e. in Xbox Live games). This feature would unquestionably bring the PS3 up to an even higher standard of online gaming and make it an even more formidable rival to the XBox (which is a good thing after the PS3’s well-known slow start at launch).

Maguire stated, “Our momentum will continue with the introduction of in-game communication in the summer, firmware update 2.4 and the strongest line-up of games through our third party partners and our own studios. I’d personally like to thank our trade and business partners for helping us on the start of the PS3 journey.”

Gaming Today poses the important question: “Hopefully v2.4 will include in-game XMB support, and that will be what enables you to chat with friends while in-game” and, frankly, I have a hard time imagining how it would work without that support… but what do I know?

Those who have even a cursory knowledge of the Playstation 3’s history will know that its launch was pretty weak, but Sony has worked double-time to reclaim lost ground and establish their flagship console as a presence in the market. BBC takes a look at the PS3 and discusses how it got its groove back with great games and a more reasonable unit price. In particular, writer Darren Waters talks to Mark Rein of Epic and gets a little dirt on Unreal Tournament 3: “We’ve surpassed what Halo 3 offered”, Rein says (…yeah, ok).

Needless to say, UT3 on the PS3 is the kind of boost that the console needs, and Waters discusses exactly that as well as some of the future offerings as well. An interesting article if you’re curious about how the PS3 is looking these days.

A little hard to believe? Maybe… but sales figures show that Sony’s Playstation 3 has pegged the 10 million mark… four months ahead of the XBox 360. Folks who remember the PS3 launch a couple of years back will recall that it didn’t have the most auspicious start: Not that many kickass games, and the ones they had were delayed considerably… Nintendo coming out of left field with the spunky Wii to make the PS3 look bloated and mirthless by comparison… and let’s not forget the insanely high price of $600+. As time went by, however, Sony fought back… reduced the feature bloat, dropped the price, pushed some nifty titles out the door and beat their marketing department with frozen garden hoses until they got results. The Xbox also had a few problems (*cough*redringofdeath*cough*) that may have put a bit of a dent in their sales and gave Sony a bit of a boost in that area.

Wanna see some official-looking chart type stuff? If it’s on the internet, it must be true!

If you own a Playstation 3, one of the first things you’ll notice after you’re done gaming and you’re just exploring the menus is that it offers certain science software which networks with other PS3’s and creates simulations that are only possible when massive computing power (the kind which requires the networking of a lot of machines) is available.

This is why scientists *heart* game consoles. As discussed in an article from The Telegraph, that computing power allows them to access certain data which they could only guess at otherwise.

Reprogram a PlayStation and it will perform feats that would be unthinkable on an ordinary PC because the kinds of calculations required to produce the realistic graphics now seen in sophisticated video games are similar to those used by chemists and physicists as they simulate the interactions between particles ranging from the molecular to the astronomical.

Incidentally, I know that’s not a photo of a Playstation 3 in the attached image. I was just testing you.

Could the downloading of Playstation 2 games for the Playstation 3 become a reality? Sony has hinted that it just might be, despite currently-existing problems with backwards compatibility between the two. According to dbtechno.com, Sony may make the PS2 games available for download from the Playstation online store.

The director of the Sony PlayStation Network, Eric Lempel, told EGM in an interview that “We haven’t talked about that yet, but there are possibilities through technology and software emulation to make that possible.”

Having cured cancer, illiteracy and starvation, people with money to burn now turn their attention to the next frontier of human evolution: The most obnoxiously gigantor Playstation 3 setup ever seen on the face of the earth. Words won’t really do justice to the gallery of images found at Playstation.com, but I will share that my first impression at seeing the little, tiny PS3 squirreled away as the nucleus for the bigger-than-life, $6m theater setup reminded me of the V’ger from the first Star Trek movie.

Don’t worry if you don’t get the reference. It’s not that funny, really.

The development team known as 2K Boston (famous for creating the successful “Bioshock” game for Xbox) is rounding up PS3 programmers. An article from PS3 Fanboy discusses what they’re after, and even has quotes from 2K Boston about what they’re looking for.

Tools Programmer: “PS3 and production experience using Python or Ruby will be highly regarded”

Programmer: “PlayStation3 experience highly desirable”

Senior Programmer: “Experience with PS3 development is highly desirable.”

PS3FB asks “Could the sequel to Bioshock be coming to PS3?” They think so. And so do we. Because they do. Not because we’re smart or we know anything.

Yeah, you read that title right: Game Infowire reports that StreamMyGame.com released its free Linux player - an application which allows you to play PC games on your Playstation 3 through Linux. Basically what the player does is it converts the video and sound into a “Game Stream” that gets sent on your local network to another device (in this case, your PS3) which allows you to play the game, essentially, by remote control. You don’t need the game installed on the other player; just the Linux player. The server software works with Windows XP and Vista and anything based on DirectX8, 9, or 10.

“Playing the latest PC game on the PS3 is now a reality at HD resolution and fast frame-rates,” said Richard Faria CEO. “I have a PS3 in my living room and PC in my office and my two kids both have old PCs in their bedrooms,” he said. “Now we can play games anywhere around the home. StreamMyGame’s technology networks the power of a main PC so it can be used to play high end games on other PCs, PS3s and Linux devices”.

I’m trying to think up a good joke for this, but the truth is it actually sounds pretty good to me.

Team Fortress 2 fans will be happy to know that two new maps for Valve’s awesome Team Fortress 2 will be released in the next two months or so. One map is reportedly a remake of the old “Badlands” map from days of yore. Shacknews spoke to Valve guy Robin Walker and he claimed we’d see the maps within 60 days, but “We expect to ship other new content before that.” The content of which he speaks is a new “Medic achievement pack” which gives the Medic more achievements and some gameplay changes (Walker reports all classes will get buffed the same way eventually). Shacknews goes on to mention that Walker confirms these maps for PC, but can’t say yet whether we’ll see them on the Xbox or PS3 versions.

Sony takes a step in the right direction to Kaz Hirai’s dreams and manages to slice down the production costs of the PS3. After getting hammered by both the Xbox and the Wii, the PS3 can now make substantial cuts to cost which bring it in line with other consoles. Consoles can now be produced for $400 apiece rather than $800 (which is how the cost rang in about 14 months ago), and this is accomplished by scaling back on components and options. Even now the PS3 rings in at a price comparable to the Xbox 360, and when you consider the options that come standard on the PS3 which are a substantial additional cost on the Xbox (such as wifi), one might even postulate that the PS3 is cheaper. Curiouser and curiouser.

The man behind Playstation, Mr. Kaz Hirai, has decided that the PS3 will be profitable by next year. Kotaku has a story on just that, and it does kinda make one wonder “Why did he wait so long to make this decision?”

Seriously, though… anyone who has been keeping even a casual eye on gaming news for the last six months will easily have noticed Sony’s huge push to bring the PS3 back from the edge. After the monster success of the PS2, it must be a bitter pill for Sony to swallow that the PS3 has been met with lukewarm response from the market. Lower prices, more features, and the slow-but-steady advent of Blu-ray add up to Kaz possibly having a shot at his dreams coming true.

A sequel to Resistance: Fall of Man? You’d better believe it. According to PS3 Fanboy, the latest issue of Game Informer is crammed with info about Resistance 2, sharing both story details and pictures. Apparently, “There are two separate story modes, one intended for single player and one that will support two-player co-op offline or eight player co-op online. On top of this the online competitive mode will support sixty players per server… There will be new vehicles, semi-randomly generated levels and a class system for online play.”

Hot damn.

Sony has discontinued their 20 and 60GB Playstation 3 models in Japan which, according to Ars Technica, has k-lined backwards compatibility support there. The 40GB model will not play PS2 titles, and is the only Playstation 3 model still available after the other two SKU’s are sold from shelves.

Earlier today, we reported about Soul Calibur IV’s secret Star Wars content and showed some sweet screens of lightsaber-swishing goodness. A short editorial over at Intelligentgamer looks a bit closer at the phenomenon of license-mingling and touches upon possible down-sides.

The consistency of both universes is lost. The fantasy setting is tainted by an alien and a reconstructed human with a respirator. The light saber, which can cut through metals in the Star Wars universe, now clashes harmlessly against the other metal swords rather than slicing through them like butter.

Our official response to this editorial would have to be this: Dude. It’s not real. Say it with me: It’s not real. Someone made up Star Wars. Someone made up Soul Calibur. It can be whatever either or both of them decide it should be. The point of games is to have fun first and then be concerned about keeping the pristine character of every 40-year-old IT guy’s favorite fairy tale intact. I promise that Lord Siddius himself will not put his lawyers on anyone’s back if Voldo manages to deflect a lightsaber with his knife-thingies.

Namco has announced the console-specific characters that will be appearing in the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Soulcalibur IV.

The PS3 version of the game will feature a playable Darth Vader, while the Xbox 360 version will allow gamers to play as Jedi Master Yoda. Namco has included characters from other games ever since Soulcalibur II, which featured Link, Spawn, and Heihachi Mishima (from Tekken) on the Gamecube, Xbox, and PS2 ports respectively. Soulcalibur III was only ported to the PS2, but the create-a-character mode allowed you to make lookalikes of KOS-MOS from the Xenosaga series and Arthur from Ghouls ‘n’ Ghosts, amongst others.

Screenshots of the two in action after the jump.

LittleBigPlanet, the cute-as-a-button PS3 game that lets you create side-scrolling puzzle worlds and then play them, is rumored to show up on the PS3 this September. According to Eurogamer.net, “A source nestled within Sony has whispered to Eurogamer that LittleBigPlanet will be on our shelves in September, echoing the same suggestions made elsewhere”. No official release date is currently announced, but the game has had some delays over the course of its production. Naturally, this rumor is only worth whatever your favorite psychic hotline tells you it is, but it’s fun to cross your fingers and hope for the best… especially because this game looks really damned good.

Sony has been quite the rabid little dog when it comes to getting its gaming products more entrenched in the market, and their recently reported sales numbers speak largely to the success they’re enjoying. 1.2 million PS3 consoles, 1.4 million PSPs, and 1.3 million PS2 consoles. As pointed out in an article at Joystiq.com, that’s a total of 3.9 million console units sold in two months. With Warner Brothers going Blu-Ray exclusive (and rumors that New Line will do the same), the PS3 is going to look a whole lot more appealing to gadget nerds in 2008… so expect even more sexy numbers from Sony in the year to come.

A Dutch website, gamed.nl, recently announced that the 40GB PlayStation 3 console had failure rates as high as 40%, and Sony has stepped up to quash the rumors.

According to Sony, the 40GB PS3 has a failure rate comparable to the 60GB PS3, which Sony says is “industry leading” in how low it is. David Reeves, president of Sony Europe, called the report “sloppy journalism” and said he was “disappointed” in the inaccurate story. “Since launching the 40GB PS3, we have experienced a fantastic jump in sales and the failure rates have remained at the very low level that we not only strive for, but have been achieving since the launch of PS3,” he said.

While I can’t comment on whether Sony’s failure rate is industry leading, 40% of their consoles being broken would cause a massive backlash. Since nothing of the sort has been seen, it’s safe to conclude that the console are perfectly fine.

I was on the fence about the Simpsons Game, but I think Mr. Sparkle here has changed my mind. Best. Character. Ever.

The Simpsons is due in US retail channels October 30, 2007. A week later for Europe. Releasing on just about every platform being sold these days.

Straight from the We’ve Run Out of Ideas Department, Capcom is preparing the way to release the Bionic Commando into the exciting world of bad camera control, plastic looking character models, and needless in-game cut scenes. That’s right! Bionic Commando is making the Next-Gen jump, leaving gamers scratching their heads and asking, “Why?”

Bionic Commando on the NES was the pinnacle of non-sequitur 8-bit adventure platforming. It stands the test of time. You can’t just make it brown, slap some bloom lighting on it, and call it a day. Here’s an idea: instead of retreading your old properties with million-dollar tires, why don’t you try creating a story instead? Oh, you say you have a story?

Taking its inspiration from its 8-bit namesake released on the Nintendo Entertainment System back in 1988, Bionic Commando features Nathan Spencer (voiced by former lead singer of Faith No More, Mike Patton), a government operative who represents the ultimate fusion of man and machine. After distinguishing himself in a fierce conflict against the Imperials, Spencer is betrayed and falsely imprisoned by the very people he unquestioningly served.

You know what? Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes took “inspiration” from the original, too. And what did that give us? Marky Mark avoiding snogging Helena Bonham Carter in a monkey suit.

I have an idea: I’ll go back to bed, and someone wake me when a game company actually has a good idea.

Perhaps I’m being too harsh. It’s possible that the new Bionic Commando will redefine the next-gen adventure game — that the gameplay mechanic will be so refreshing and new that Bionic Commando will immediately shoot straight to the top of everyone’s Game of the Year list. For my money, I’ll take the lady in the monkey suit.

In closing, I leave you with Hitler’s exploding head.

Thank you.

Oh, all right. The press release is after the jump.

London – 16 October, 2007 – Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today confirmed a return for one of its classic franchises with the announcement that Bionic Commando is in development for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Sony Computer Entertainment’s PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) and PC platforms.

Taking its inspiration from its 8-bit namesake released on the Nintendo Entertainment System back in 1988, Bionic Commando features Nathan Spencer (voiced by former lead singer of Faith No More, Mike Patton), a government operative who represents the ultimate fusion of man and machine. After distinguishing himself in a fierce conflict against the Imperials, Spencer is betrayed and falsely imprisoned by the very people he unquestioningly served.

Three years later, on the day he is due to be executed for his supposed crimes, an experimental weapon detonates in Ascension City, unleashing an immensely powerful earthquake coupled with a radiation shockwave that leaves the city in ruins, wiping out its populace. Military intelligence suggests that a large terrorist search force has moved in and occupied Ascension City, but as yet their motives remain unclear. With the terrain in ruins and the terrorists in control of Ascension City’s air defences the FSA has only one option open to them – the reactivation of Nathan Spencer.

Bionic Commando harnesses the power of the latest generation of hardware to fully exploit the swing mechanic that made the original title so unique. The ruins of Ascension City and its surroundings provide an engaging environment of towering buildings, suspended roadways and monorails, deep canyons and sheer rock faces that allow gamers to traverse each area via multiple routes using swinging, rappeling, climbing and wall-walking techniques.

An expertly trained operative, Spencer is able to target and take out enemies while hanging upside down, climbing a building or even in mid-swing. At close quarters, the bionic arm packs a mean punch, while from a distance, objects such as boulders and cars can be grabbed and launched at enemies.

The development team behind Bionic Commando represents a unique and compelling collaboration of cultures and skills, consisting of an American Producer living in Japan, a Japanese Creative Advisor and highly-rated Swedish developer GRIN providing a European influence. This partnership provides a further example of Capcom’s strategy to work with the best developer talent, whilst maintaining the unique elements of creativity and approach to game design for which Capcom is renowned.

The official Bionic Commando website is now live at www.bioniccommando.com

Digital Leisure has announced the upcoming release of Space Ace in high definition. If you young whippersnappers don’t know what Space Ace is, I’ll explain.

Space Ace was originally released in 1984, shortly after the release of Dragon’s Lair, both of which were created by master animator Don Bluth. You take control of Ace, the defender of justice, truth, and the planet Earth, on his way to rescue the beautiful Kimberly from the clutches of the evil Borf. While attempting his daring rescue, he’s hit by Borf’s Infanto Ray and turned into the adolescent version of himself, dubbed Dexter.

Gameplay is a simple matter of pressing up, down, left, right, or fire at the right moment of animation. If you hit it at the right time you’ll continue on, and if you hit the wrong button or pick the wrong moment you’ll die in a variety of humorous ways. The gameplay is simple and, I’m sure, sounds incredibly boring, but the game is incredibly fun and can be quite challenging. Plus it’s simply beautiful to watch.

I’m done with my soapbox. The HD version will be released on Blu-ray and HD DVD sometime in 2008.

Being ported to just about every system out there right now, Spiderman: Friend or Foe is looking pretty good. We all know looks aren’t everything, but the developers would be hard pressed to mess it up much worse than the utterly craptacular Spiderman 3 game.

Here’s hoping the gameplay will be tight, won’t have too much needless waggle on the Wii, and will match these excellent little videos.

Friend…

or Foe…

See? It’s not just a clever title.

Here’s the trailer entitled, “Meet the Squad.” If that’s really in-game footage, it looks pretty slick. Mmmm. Destructible environments.

You can find a developer walkthrough over at Gametrailers.com, too.

Now, I liked Battlefield 1942, despite being mind-numbingly complex with its keymappings. It was fast, fun, and my friends didn’t try to exploit the game, so that was nice. The release of 2142 was terrible. There, I said it. It would be hard for EA to do worse with Bad Company than the ridiculous 2142. Luckily, if these videos are to be believed, it seems that this release may bring redemption for the Battlefield series for me. Waiting and seeing.

Sony and Sidhe Interactive have announced that they are releasing a free upgrade for North America owners of GripShift.

The two main upgrades for the game are improved loading times and more accessible leaderboards. The leaderboards are now accessible without having to first beat the level for which users are trying to look at the scores. The boards have also been expanded to show all entries, and now include the car type and number of resets for each entry. Other features include allowing players to change their vehicle without exiting the gaming sessions, and a number of new options on the in-game pause menu.

Players can find more information on the game’s website.

Sony has announced that they have lowered the price of the 60GB Playstation 3 and introduced a new 80GB model.

The 60GB Playstation is now priced $100 lower and can be had for $499. Beginning in August, Sony will release a new 80GB model with a suggested price of $599, which will come with the online-enabled racing game MotorStorm.

Sony says the 80GB model is designed to appeal to the online gaming enthusiast.

“As we move into the next phase of PS3, it’s important that we continue to evaluate our product line, offering consumers the technology and features that meet their growing needs for new forms of media and the way in which it is delivered,” said Jack Tretton, president and CEO of Sony America. “The introduction of the 80GB PS3, the new pricing for the current 60GB model, the availability of more than 100 new software titles this fiscal year and, finally, the expansion of services for PLAYSTATION Network, will provide even more options for users and will help bring new consumers into the PS3 fold.”

Ubisoft has announced that they have shipped Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas to stores nationwide.

This time around, the long-running tactical FPS series takes players to the streets and casinos of Las Vegas to face a terrorist threat. The PlayStation 3 version of the game features 20 multiplayer maps and 10 game modes. This includes 10 maps and 2 game modes that were not released in the earlier versions of the game.

The game is available now for an MSRP of $59.99.

Namco has announced Time Crisis 4, latest in the long-running shooter series.

Gamers play as operatives Giorgio Bruno and Evan Bernard as they prevent a top secret weapon from falling into terrorist hands. The game includes a first for the series–a fully fledged FPS mode. In addition to the standard arcade mode, where you simply control aiming and shooting, players can now roam freely in the game world in 5 FPS-only missions. The Guncon has been specially re-designed to handle the new game, and includes dual analog sticks to control movement, crouching, and jumping. Time Crisis 4 also brings back the popular Crisis Missions, and includes an updated arsenal, allowing you to use grenade launchers and even mounted machine guns in the FPS version.

The game is due out for the Playstation 3 in November.

Sony has announced that they are developing a new first person shooter called The Agency for the PC and the Playstation 3.

Players assume the role of elite agents in the modern day, choosing either a UNITE spy or a tough ParaGON mercenary. Either way, you’ll spend time doing drug smuggling, assassinations, espionage and counter intelligence. Along the way you’ll pick up exotic gear and skills, as well as being able create an agency of your own, with a roster of Operatives. The Operatives you pick up are your to command, able to do everything from build you a new sports car to gather recon for the next mission.

“The inspiration for The Agency came from the spy and espionage genre. We want to put players in the heart of the action to experience what it’s really like to live the life of an elite agent,” said Hal Milton, Lead Designer at Sony Online Entertainment. “Players will jet set around this virtual world to exotic locales, infiltrate enemy organizations to steal secrets and perpetrate sabotage, all the while building their own agency with an eye towards global domination.”

There’s no word yet on a release date.

Sony has announced that the PlayStation 3 firmware has been updated to version 1.80.

The firmware is software on the PlayStation 3 that controls some of its most basic functions, such as DVD playback and the opening menu. This latest version brings a number of enhancements to the console. Firstly, it will upscale PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games, as well as DVDs, up to full 1080p high-def resolution. It also allows PSP users to use Remote Play to access their PS3, giving access to it from anywhere with a broadband connection. This will require a firmware upgrade to the PSP, which is coming later this month.

The latest upgrade also includes the ability to stream images, music, and movies from compatible PCs, and the ability to print photos to compatible printers.

The firmware upgrade will be available to PS3 users starting tomorrow.

VH1 has announced a contest where players can win a PlayStation 3 customized with their own artwork.

To enter, contestants simply need to describe, in 150 words or less, their favorite game from the original PlayStation. VH1 wants to hear funny stories and anecdotes. The contest closes on May 21st and VH1 will announce the winner sometime later. The contest winner will receive a brand new PlayStation 3 laser-etched with their choice of artwork.

Click here to describe your entry and see an example of the laser-etched PS3.

Sony and developer Media Molecule have released information on an upcoming PlayStation 3 game called LittleBigPlanet.

LittleBigPlanet is a community-based game where players meet on a blue and green planet scattered with individual “plots” which can be modified by their owners. The game offers places to explore, resources to collect and puzzles to solve. As gamers experience more of the game world, they will unlock and learn powers which allow them to modify the game world to their heart’s content. Once satisfied with their creation, players can then invite others in the game to come share the experience.

There’s no word yet on a release date for the game.

Implementia has announced the official launch of their site PS3Comp.com, which allows users to track backwards compatibility on the PlayStation 3.

The site has a list of over 13 thousand PlayStation 1 and 2 games and allows users to rate and comment on each game. Players can rate games from 0 to 5 stars, with 5 stars indicating total compatibility and 0 indicating none.

“Since the beta release a month ago the site has already had 17,000 hits. That’s great news for all us PS3-owners. It underlines the need for an impartial compatibility site. Everything else is letting the wolf guard the sheep,” said Jesper Joensson, co-founder of www.ps3comp.com. “Many use the site for checking changes in firmware compatibility. Newer firmware doesn’t necessarily mean better compatibility, so before upgrading they make sure their games are as compatible with the new firmware version as the old.”

Sony, in a very brief press release, has announced that Home has entered closed beta.

Home is Sony’s free online virtual community. Players create an avatar and interact with other PlayStation 3 users in an interactive environment. Users can communicate with each other, join online games, shop, and even build their own personal space to share with other users.

The closed beta has started with a small group of internal testers and other known beta testers. Sony promises that the beta will open to many others sometime this summer, including those registered on http://www.homebetatrial.com/.

Electronic Arts has released information on the six titles they will be releasing at the PS3’s European launch.

The games are: Def Jam: Icon, an action game where you build a hip hop empire.

The Godfather The Don’s Edition, which expands on the current-gen features of the game and adds new hits, compounds, families, hubs, mini-games, and more.

Need for Speed Carbon, a racing game which takes you from the streets to the canyons as you battle for Palmont City.

NBA Street Homecourt, a street basketball game with a number of new features like the Trick Remixer, which allows you to string together easy and complex moves with ease.

Fight Night Round 3, a boxing game allowing you to use any of the great boxers, or to create your own and train him from amateur to pro.

Lastly, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07, which features Universal Facial Capture for some of the most realistic looking golfers ever.

Sega has announced five titles that will be available on the Playstation 3’s European launch date, March 23rd.

Virtua Fighter 5, Virtua Tennis 3, Sonic the Hedgehog, Full Auto 2: Battlelines, and World Snooker Championship 3 will all be available at the PS3’s launch. “SEGA is thrilled to have one of the strongest lineups for the launch of the PS3 in Europe” commented Gary Knight, European Marketing Director. “The outstanding quality of software across such a range of genres means we will have something for everyone to enjoy from day one!”

Bethesda Softworks has announced that The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is now shipping for the Playstation 3.

Oblivion is an incredibly open role playing game, featuring high quality graphics, free-form and very non-linear gameplay, cutting edge artificial intelligence, and voice acting by people such at Patrick Stewart, Sean Bean, Terrance Stamp, and Lynda Carter.

After the mysterious death of the emperor of Tamriel, the gates to the netherworld Oblivion open and demons march across the land. To stop the destruction of your homeland, you must find the lost heir to the throne.