QuickJump QuickPeek 21: Of Pandora projects, PS3-XBL birthday celebrations, and DBZ Piccolo’s secret life as a vampire

(Editor’s Note: Are your wallets feeling cobwebbed inside lately? Not surprising – it’s raining game releases all week like white on rice. And that’s across all consoles, across all platforms – just the way we like it!)

Whew! Too many games, too little time! QuickJump QuickPeek 21 is rounding up news from this week – “this week” here, A.K.A. “Assassin’s Galaxy Crysis Ops+ week“. Ok, that’s probably forcing it. Let’s just let it slide for now, shall we? From last week’s QuickPeek, let’s roll out!

Article originally posted Nov 17, 2007 at 01:45PM

(Editor’s Note: Huzzah! To borrow a familiar image from Saturday morning TV cartoons, are your wallets feeling rather emptied and cobwebbed inside lately? Or probably your moms’ wallets, at least? Not surprising, considered it’s been raining game releases all of this week like white on rice. And that’s across all consoles, across all platforms – and just the way we like it! Your or your mothers’ wallets might be on the thin side of  things, but see, the same thing can hardly be said about this edition of our weekly updates! It’s fatter than ever with news items!)

Whew! Too many games, too little time (and too little cash)! QuickJump QuickPeek 21 is now about to round up the thrills and spills of this week – “this week” here, A.K.A. “Assassin’s Galaxy Crysis Ops+ week“. Ok, that’s probably forcing it. Let’s just let it slide for now, shall we? Ha!

Last week’s QuickPeek was rather monumental – monumental in size, and monumental in that we’ve added a new section! Aside from the whole slew of game releases we’ve had this week, we’ve also had a lot of interesting news, including (but hardly limited to) a long overdue TV-movie franchise finally getting a video game reincarnation, promises made of future firmware/dashboard updates, and oooh, an end of the world scenario loosely prophesied by Big Gay Al of South Park?

Through the week, some of you may have even caught whiff of how busy we’ve been – what with all these game reviews shuffling in and out – one of which is none other than a review for Assassin’s Creed. This week paves a good way to next week’s Thanksgiving celebration!

Next week, we see the “Battle of the Exclusives” in the form of Uncharted and Mass Effect (so make sure you still have money left!), but before then, time to get it on with QuickJump QuickPeek 21!

StrmnNrmn’s been a tad bit busy this week. The homebrew emulator developer known for his Daedalus PSP N64 emulator dropped a couple of R14 updates and some details about the little design contest that he’s started.

First off, he’s had some progress in working on the PSP Media Engine. He was actually able to try out a PRX version of the PS2‘s Media Engine and take it from there. One of his hurdles right now is audio synchronization. Meanwhile, the emulator developer is busy with other things as well. He just announced the ten finalists of his Daedalus design contest and that the winner will finally be revealed this Monday.

Link: StrmNrmn discusses Daedalus R13 issues and future plans for R14
Link: Strmnrmn makes progress on PSP Media Engine
Link: StrmnNrmn: Daedalus design contest finalists announced

As for other homebrew news, _HellDashX_ from the other week released an update to the CFW 3.72 HX-2. Which is mad fantastic! The greatest feat accomplished in this version is that it incorporates the latest changes in the 3.71 M33-3 changes (which Dark AleX released just last week). CFW 3.72 HX-2 comes with two updaters to help out on installation.

Link: Custom firmware 3.72 HX-2 released

More note on homebrew find us with a couple of Pandora updates with “easy installers.” This is to make the installation of Pandora batteries, well, easier. The basics: you’ll be needing a memory stick, a PSP battery, and just three minutes of your time. And though the first version of the brew had a couple of issues, a freshly made Extended version was just released earlier, complete with Kernel 1.5 compatibility and it’s in English! Perfect!

Link: Install Pandora v0.9 beta
Link: Install Pandora v0.9 Extended – kernel 1.5 support, now also in English

Falling under the Pandora project umbrella is yet another homebrew which caught a lot of attention since it brings a lot of the best things from both worlds: Pandora Creator for 3.72 HX-1. It’s actually based on the Pandora Downgrader from HellCat, but now, it’s been given some HX-1 support. Considering that HX-2 has now been released, you can probably expect this baby to get updated as well.

Link: Pandora downgrader for CFW 3.72 HX-1 to FW 1.5

And for something slightly off-topic, recent news have brought a 25 year old man in the spotlight. He’s been a victim of an attempted PSP mugging in their local library. Two suspects had approached the victim, Joseph Morales, and asked for his Sony handheld. Not letting up, Morales was able to secure his PSP until a witness arrived and was able to call off the two robbers.

Link: Man beaten after refusing to give PSP to muggers

What happens next week? You can bet we’ll be hearing from StrmnNrmn, about the contest or Daedalus R14. Meanwhile, maybe DAX would show himself again? One never knows, so all we can ever do is wait…

– QJ.NET’S PSP team

The only valid reason we’ll probably accept as to why you are not reading this weekly update right now is because you’re playing Assassin’s Creed. But if you are on a break from the Crusades though, check out the following announcements made this week. You won’t be let down, that’s for sure.

First off, QJ.NET’s PS3 team, and the whole of QJ.NET at that, would want to give a warm birthday greeting to the Cell Processor-ified home entertainment video games console that is the PlayStation 3! Last year, on November 17, the PS3 finally rolled into North American retail. It’s sure been a long wait since Sony first unveiled their next-gen console during the 2005 E3 conference. And now, the rest is history.

Lots of revelations have been made since Day One (i.e. E3). From then on, until release, and from the PS3’s release to today. To say that it’s been one heck of a ride might be an understatement.

Link: Happy birthday, Sony PlayStation 3!

Now, on to the future. Tthe Microsoft camp has long been wanting some DivX loving, however, it’s now Sony who seems to be getting some action. It’s just been confirmed that the popular video player will be lending its technology to the PS3. DivX support is said to be bundled at some unannounced firmware update in the future.

Meanwhile, the current PS3 FW 2.0 seems to be having some problems. Over at the US PlayStation forums, detected bugs ranged from a noticeable slowdown in the menu and even up to the unit suddenly shutting itself down in the middle of a game. Other reports even included the machine not being able to detect a game or movie disc.

But before you can even say ohnoes, PlayStation Network operations director Eric Lempel just announced that PS3 FW 2.01 will be rolling out in a few days’ time. Although specific details for the firmware were not given, what we do know is that 2.01 is “a minor update that will improve the stability of PLAYSTATION 3,” as stated in Lempel’s blog post.

Link: Confirmed: future PS3 firmware gets DivX technology
Link: PlayStation 3 firmware 2.0 update causing problems?
Link: PlayStation 3 Firmware version 2.01 going live in a few days

Another thing to expect from the PlayStation Network would be PlayStation Home! When is it coming out really? Well, if we’re to take some observations and forecasts a second glance, we might see Home hitting PSN as early as November 29. Why such an exact date? Various clues like advertisements and a hint by none other than Phil Harrison makes a lot of people hopeful.

Link: Rumor: PlayStation Home Beta to go live on November 29?

Meanwhile, a couple new AV cables will be rolling out from the Sony labs. New bundles of cables will be released for various Sony gadgets and platforms, including the PSP, PS2, and, of course, the PS3. These are for interconnectivity and further bolster their marketing strategies of Sony machines acting as media hubs.

Link: SCEA releases HDMI, Optical, USB 2.0 cables for PlayStation consoles

On the lighter side of things, someone’s been able to create a little guide on how to create your very own PlayStation 3 theme. What do you need? A PC, a memory stick, and a little creative flair. Some of you may know how to do it already, but for those who want to experiment and try their hand at it, then by all means…

Link: Create your own PlayStation 3 theme

Next week, Drake’s Fortune finally gets charted! Battle of the Exclusives, here we come! Wohoo! For now, it’s climbing and stalking around in Jade Raymond’s Cree – ahem, Assassin’s Creed (which, BTW, you can read more of in the Xbox 360 section below).

– QJ.NET’S PlayStation 3 team

The PS3 might be having it’s merry celebration this week, but equally, the Xbox 360 camp has something to celebrate about as well. Quite a lot of things too, actually.

As with the PS3, QJ.NET would also extend its merry greetings to what a lot of you guys might call the backbone of the Xbox 360: Happy Birthday, Xbox Live! November 15 clocks the fifth anniversary of the solid network that Microsoft’s built, and to mark the occasion, they’ve launched a promotional campaign with the slogan of “Live at Five” and complete with freebies and limited-edition controllers. Suhweeeet!

Link: Happy 5th birthday, Xbox Live!
Link: Xbox Live Anniversary promo: get 500 MS Points for free
Link: Limited press-only Live Turns Five Xbox 360 controllers

Here’s some extra good news for the Halo fans and probably the biggest news all week. It’s just been announced that the Xbox 360 Dashboard Fall Update will go live on December 4. That’s just a few weeks from now. And with it, we get the much-anticipated Video-On-Demand feature! Now we can check out what everyone’s been eagerly waiting for.

Other content that comes with the Dashboard Update are orginal Xbox games like Halo, Fable, Burnout 3, and more, with each game costing 1,200 Microsoft Points.

Link: Halo to come with Xbox 360 Dashboard update on December 4

There’s also been a lot of Assassin’s Creed updates this week. Not surprising since the game’s both versions were simultaneously released last November 14. Already, there have been reports of the game bogging down – whether it’s being run on the PS3 or 360. But just in case your still undecided which version to pick up, there’s also that comparison video we posted the other day.

In other Ubisoft-related news, the company issued an online web forum a cease-and-desist order regarding someone’s webcomic depicting their very own Jade Raymond in an untasteful way. The offending webcomic has now been pulled down, after swift action of the administrator.

Link: Assassin’s Creed PS3 vs Xbox 360 graphical comparison video
Link: Assassin’s Creed for the PS3 and Xbox 360 bogged down by crashes?
Link: Ubisoft issues cease-and-desist over Jade Raymond webcomic

While the PS3 may have its DivX deal pretty much signed and penned for the future, the Xbox 360 on the other hand is still keeping the prospect of incorporating DivX features under wraps.

Coming in even before the announcement of Sony and DivX’s deal, we hear from DivX CEO Kevin Hell that they are indeed having discussions with Microsoft about it. Anything more than that though, we’ve yet to hear more details about.

Link: DivX on your XBox 360? There’s still hope

Isn’t it just wonderful to be a 360 owner right now? Mass Effect week is looming just behind the corner. Do you guys still have money?

– QJ.NET’S Xbox 360 team

Ahh. While the PS3 and Xbox 360 have their own deal going with Assassin’s Creed, the Wii has been living in its own world this week. Ok, correction. The Wii has been living, not in its own world, but in its own Galaxy altogether. Yep. Super Mario Galaxy just got released, and with it came some midnight launches galore.

Super Mario Galaxy may have indeed wowed us all, but that game was not without a couple of hitches nonetheless. This involves an eyebrow-scrunching moment after someone’s discovered a supposed boss battle glitch that prevents the gamer from progressing further. We say “supposed glitch” because as some people point out, this could be just a clever hack.

Link: Video: boss battle glitch spotted in Super Mario Galaxy

If you had the time and money after Super Mario Galaxy, you may even have picked up that copy of Capcom’s entry into the Wii light gun platter. They’ve also released Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles this week. Here’s some more great news though. (And here’s when the chill factor starts to set in…)

Sega’s finally confirmed the existence of House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return for the Wii. It’s going to be a game to cater to Wii Zapper enthusiasts, and offers six different gameplay modes, including multiplayer co-op! Expect this body munching title come Spring of 2008!

Link: House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return confirmed for Nintendo Wii

If that’s not enough to fill your craving for the undead and all things spooky, Atari’s just announced this week that Alone in the Dark will head to the Nintendo Wii as well! While the PS3, 360, and PC platforms have their own version of the game, the Wii version will be using full Wiimote and Nunchuk support.

Link: Alone in the Dark officially announced for Wii

With all that said and done, it’s time for the weekly Smash updates. Headlining in Super Smash Bros. Brawl news this week are details about a couple of features for the game. First up, we have the taunts. As some of you might now, a Smash title isn’t a Smash title without a bit of a teasing element.

There’s also handicap configurations which allow players new to the Smash series have a bit of damage gauge buffers when in battle. If you still find yourself getting pwned within the first two minutes of a brawl, then up your enemies’ sensitivity to damage, why don’t you?

The best new thing about Brawl though is Spectator mode, which allows any player in the world hook up via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and watch matches online! Think of it as a broadcasted match. Heck, you can even bet with your in-game gold coins! Talk about replay value!

Link: Super Smash Bros. Brawl taunts controls, screenshots
Link: Super Smash Bros. Brawl DOJO update: Handicaps
Link: Super Smash Bros. Brawl: watch the action through Spectator mode

The Nintendo Wii might not be part of the “Battle of the Exclusives” next week, but see, we’re still probably going to be busy collecting all those stars and coins in Galaxy. And for all intents and purposes, that secret ending sounds like it’ll make things worthwhile.

– QJ.NET’S Nintendo Wii team

Oh yeah. It’s been long overdue indeed! Years after the Ghostbusters movies have been shown on the silver screen, it’s finally heading right into your TV screens (or handheld, as in the case of the DS version).

Yup yup! This week saw a whole slew of news about Zootfly’s upcoming multi-platform title. Yeah, they got quite some history of issues to deal with before they could fully claim the rights, but now, we can formally start gushing out in pure bliss. Ghostbusters The Video Game has finally been unveiled for the PS3, PS2, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, DS, and PC. Game details, a teaser video, screenshots… Hellzyeah, we’re on top of it all!

Link: Video game of Ghostbusters 1, 2 films unveiled
Link: Stay-Puft Marshmallow graces first ever Ghostbusters screenshot
Link: Ghostbusters: The Video Game – teaser video, screens, game info

World of Warcraft players also have a reason to celebrate. The 2.0.3 game patch that everyone’s been waiting for has finally been released. As a recap, WoW’s patch 2.3 will offer several new additions, including the new Zul’Aman instance, Guild Banks, job talent tree restructuring, and improved levelling mechanics. Go get ’em, kids.

Link: World of Warcraft: Game patch 2.3.0 released

Ah, seems like this new section was a good decision to knock up in our QuickPeek articles. Besides, after all the announcements and controversies getting passed around the industry, it’s always nice to hear some news items that aren’t quite connected to games per se, but something we can all still relate to nonetheless. So what are we talking about here?

We’re talking about the upcoming Dragon Ball Z live-action movie! It was announced a while back, and now, we’ve got details! For one, Stephen Chow will be the producer – you might know him from Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle. One of the cast members confirmed is James Marsters (A.K.A. Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) who will play Piccolo.

Best of all, a release date! It’s DBZ red letter day on August 15, 2008! Kame… hame… haaaa!

Link: Dragon Ball Z live movie launch date, partial cast revealed

We’ve got some good news and bad new, folks. Good news is we might not have to deal with the guesstimated impact of the Apophis meteor in 2029. Bad news is… we might have to deal with something even sooner than that.

See, it’s been known that Yellowstone National Park has been sitting on top of a super volcano. And though it has long been revealed that Yellowstone is way past its due date for explosion, recent findings show that the 30-mile gap between the magma and Yellowstone’s surface has now been substantially reduced to only 6 miles!

Is it getting hot in here or what? There’s still some hope though… “I’m super, thanks for asking…”

Link: Head for the hills: Yellowstone ready to explode?

In light of hearing Konami’s sentiments about no console dominating the next-gen market, Billie commented as a reply to an ongoing thread started by Mister Common Sense. From what we could see, though you might find Billie’s comments starting out sounding like a biased fanboy’s sentiments, it’s only once you’ve read between the lines that you’d realize what the point of it all is.

No need to take it against the person whom Billie was replying to. Because when you think about it, maybe all of us can learn a thing or two from what Billie has to say – whether it’s something new to learn, or something to encourage us with our own beliefs resounding true to the rest of the world: