QuickJump QuickPeek 39: Of PSP FW 3.93’s Easter egg, 50GBs worth of Psycho Mantis, and Easter bunnies in the court room
(Editor’s Note: The weekend has landed! Easter eggs are rolling all over the place in this edition of QuickJump QuickPeek.)
From the ubiquitous Konami code that unlocks 99 lives all the way up to GTA: Vice City Stories‘ very much, err, literal “Easter egg” via the helipad, gamers have a different meaning for the Easter bunny’s painted gifts. Start scouring through the bushes! Here in QuickJump QuickPeek 39, we’re touring around gaming town for Easter eggs. Wohoo!
(Editor’s Note: The weekend has landed! And yeeeap. We love Easter eggs indeed. No, not necessarily Easter eggs delivered by a huge pink bunny during the end of Lent, but this time around, we’ll be finding the Easter eggs that rolled into gaming industry in this edition of QuickJump QuickPeek.)
Easter eggs can mean different things to different people. For gamers it can be anything sneaky put in by the developers, ranging from the ubiquitous Konami code that unlocks 99 lives all the way up to GTA: Vice City Stories‘ very much, err, literal “Easter egg” via the helipad.
So get your woven basket and start scouring through the bushes. Here in QuickJump QuickPeek 39, we’re touring around gaming town for Easter eggs. Wohoo!
PSP: Ready and waiting…
Have you guys managed to squeeze out what’s left of your savings? Crisis Core hits next week – as if we needed to remind you guys. We’ll hit you up with some CC:FF7 updates in just a few, but for now, some firmware news.
The official Sony PSP FW 3.93 is now out. It’s mostly to do with the usual “expanded support for PlayStation Network titles” but something new that some of you PSP users might appreciate is the addition of 20 new Internet Radio players.
Though some of you might not find this FW update that exciting, do note that other people use their PSP handhelds extensively for listening to music or whatnot. If clouds have a silver lining, then PSP FW 3.93 has its own Easter egg too! So, for those of you who haven’t updated yet, hook into your nearest Wi-Fi hotspot and hit up that System Update icon.
Thanks to zakir and Noreen S. for the tip!
Link: Sony ramps up PSP firmware: now at 3.93
Now, on to some Crisis Core updates! The game is set to stream into retail on March 25 for North America. But for those in Europe, you might be feeling a bit upset about having to wait. Well, you know what they say… about good things coming to those who are patient enough.
Though Crisis Core is scheduled to be released sometime June in Europe, it’s already been confirmed that they will be getting a Limited Edition, offered to those who pre-order a copy. The Limited Edition comes with a 48-page hardbound art book for the game. Sweet. That’s like the Holy Materia right there.
Link: Crisis Core website confirms European limited edition of Crisis Core: FF VII
Guess what dropped in this week though? Dark AleX may have been quite silent during the past few weeks, but in homebrew spirit, we felt him still, care of Yellow_Rain’s patch. Dark AleX’s most recent custom firmware 3.90 M33-2 was patched and reversed to allow some FW 3.93 features on 3.90 M33-2.
Thanks to JumpR for the news about the update!
Link: Patch to use 3.93 features in 3.90 M33-2
This week, even more entries for the NeoFlash Spring Coding Competition have piped in. And alongside those, we got a steady flow of other homebrew as well. Sakya’s LightMP3 was updated for a NeoFlash release with its own additional features. Another media player application, PMPlayer Advance Build 20080317 was also released this week with even more changes.
Meanwhile, Royale’s popular PSP-Maps was updated twice this week, with v0.5 adding support for Yahoo! Maps and Virtual Earth, while the latest v0.6 – released as an entry to the NeoFlash competition – also has some more tweaks incorporated into the Google Earth-patterned PSP ‘brew.
Credit goes out to Nocturnal for giving us a heads up on PSP-Maps v0.6!
Link: NeoFlash Spring Coding Competition: LightMP3 v2.0.0 Beta 1
Link: PMPlayer Advance Build 20080317
Link: PSP-Maps v0.6 – new splash screen, new features
Here at QJ.NET, we also welcome other homebrew that are specifically tailored for other PSP users that speak other languages. We’re all family here, right? (Yeah, we know that those Todo Espanyol releases from andayauff last year – look them up in PSPUpdates if you have the time – were well received too!)
With that said, two interesting “internationally acclaimed” projects we heard of this week are PSP Filer (which now supports Bulgarian text) and Portable Program Guide (which allows the user to download some French TV program schedules).
Link: PSP Filer v4.9 – Bulgarian language support, .wav file bug fix
Link: Portable Program Guide v0.1 – a TV guide on your PSP
Get ready for the Crisis Core week up ahead! And we’re just curious… did you guys do some prep work and play (for the nth time) FF7 or Dirge of Cerberus? Both? Or maybe at least just watch Advent Children?
PlayStation 3: You’ve been playing Super Mario MGS Sunshine, haven’t you?!
MGS4 fever is creeping in. As if it hasn’t already for the past couple of months. But no, really, we’ve still got a couple more months to wait before the game gets released, but this week alone has seen more than your usual amount of MGS-related news.
Before that though, something else to look forward to before Solid Snake does his last mission: Sony’s finally announced that the BD-Live firmware update will be rolling out soon. Like… Later this month-soon. Probably next week? Next week could be already considered “end of the month” for some people.
Following last week’s FW 2.17, this coming firmware update will be version 2.20… Which is different from Ray Maguire’s supposed FW 2.4 with its “in-game communication” thing.
The coming FW 2.20 which will be released late March will incorporate BD Profile 2.0 functionality into the PS3 system. This means… Blu-ray discs supporting online connectivity functions for some additional content, among others.
Thanks to Super Vegeta for the tip!
Link: Sony: upcoming PS3 FW 2.20 to include interactive Blu-ray movie features
With all that over and done with, let the MGS barrage ensue. First up, a pleasant surprise from Konami: Metal Gear Solid 4 will come packed tight – tight!, we tell you – into a 50GB Blu-ray disc. This, instead of the regular 25GB disc.
Of course, this has fired the lot of you to speculate what the rest of the 25GBs worth of content has. From CGI scenes to audio, anyone’s guess is as good as the next.
Maybe the Konami code Easter egg would unlock the rest of the 25GBs and – gosh, who knows? – endless lines of a Psycho Mantis clone uttering the famous “You’ve been playing Super Mario Sunshine, haven’t you?!” Ha! We kid, we kid.
Link: Metal Gear Solid 4 to be packed in a 50GB Blu-ray disc
There’s also been some talk about the “Steel”-finished PS3 SKU MGS4-bundle in Japan. It’s dubbed the “Hagane” model, and gets released the same time the game gets launched worldwide. It’s a 40GB unit that comes with a special edition copy of the game plus extra content, and a DualShock 3. The whole bundle costs JPÂ¥ 52,000; converted, that’s around US$ 530.
Link: Famitsu reveals MGS4 bundle pricing details, MGS1 for PSN
Link: A closer look at Japan’s ‘Steel’ PS3 MGS4 Premium Pack
But wait! We’re not yet done with Solid Snake! As previously heard this week (see related link above), Japan, the land of where most things get released first, finally got Metal Gear Solid over at their region’s PlayStation Network. We’re talking about the first (well, not really the chronologically-first, but the PlayStation-first) MGS title that chronicles Snake’s mission with Meryl. “You’ve been playing Super Mario Sunsh -” err, wrong version, never mind.
Link: Metal Gear Solid, other titles now available on PSN Japan
Lots and lots of updates for other games. (including GTA4, of course – which we’re sure you know by now where to look for *cough*Xbox360section*cough*.) From news abotu LittleBigPlant finally hitting Alpha stage soon to more info on Resistance 2‘s multiplayer classes. The full title for MotorStorm 2 was also revealed this week, while the patch for the PS3 version of The Orange Box rolled out too.
Thanks to xploren and NarooN for the heads up and added info about the Orange Box patch!
Link: Media Molecule: LittleBigPlanet entering alpha stage soon
Link: PlayStation Blog reveals Resistance 2 multiplayer classes
Link: MotorStorm sequel title revealed
Link: PS3’s The Orange Box gets 1.10 patch
Link: Changelog for patch 1.10 of PS3’s The Orange Box revealed
Those of you guys who are asking for a little loving on the DLC-side of the matter will find quite a lto to chew on. Two free demos, more Rock Band add-ons, some content for your PSP… The works.
Link: PSN and PC PS Store update: Condemned 2, Sega Superstars Tennis demos
Man. Lots of Easter eggs for the PS3, ya? See you guys next week! Probably by then, we can have that BD-Live update drop in on the next couple of days. Keep your eyes peeled!
– QJ.NET’s PlayStation 3 team
Xbox 360: Male kissable unlocked
You can’t talk about Easter eggs without ever talking about Rockstar Games’ franchises. Their sandlot games indeed contain quite a handful of unlockables enough to smother you with all the love (male-loving, too, mind you).
Grand Theft Auto 4 got quite a big chunk of updates yet again, but for you Xbox 360 users, there’s a special treat from Microsoft. They come in the form of GTA4 Xbox 360 Elite consoles. Those are lookin’ mighty purtee.
It’s slick-black with GTA4‘s cover art splashed on the side with automotive paint. Microsoft only rolled out 500 of these units, so chances of getting one of these babies could be pretty slim. In the day and age of e-Bay though, who knows?
Link: Microsoft rolls out GTA4 Xbox 360 Elites
Now, more about the game! (PS3 users, you guys still with us? Cool!) We heard last week that the fourth trailer for GTA4 will be coming in on the 27th, but before then, we’ve got some updates from the official website from Rockstar: screens, artwork, wallpapers, music… all to tide over the wait.
Meanwhile, the ESRB has officially labelled the game; they’ve given it an M-rating for a couple of reasons – partial nudity, strong language, etc. Why is this important news? Well, 1) it’s a step closer to its eventual release (hey, at least the ESRB didn’t ban it), and 2) well, some people – ace attorneys perhaps? – get off on these kinds of things.
Another piece of news… Shocking news, at that. Well, ok, maybe shocking for just some people, but for those in other regions, it isn’t all that surprising. What are we talking about? GTA 4 being sold for AU$ 120 in EB Games Australia. Ooh, that’s Quixand’s turf!
Link: Grand Theft Auto 4 website update: new screenshots, wallpapers, more
Link: Grand Theft Auto IV Rated M By ESRB
Link: Grand Theft Auto IV: 120 Dollars in Australia
Those who are having a hard time getting around Bullworth Academy get something special unlocked this week: the bug fix that was previously promised by Rockstar has finally gone live. Unfortunately, a changelog wasn’t given, and we’ve also gotten some reports that it seems to be a hit or miss.
Some people say that some issues that should have been addressed weren’t patched up. And in some reports, problems actually worsened. Oof, looks like Jimmy’s in a bit of a tight spot with Gary. Meanwhile, the devs have yet to release a statement about this.
Link: Bully: Scholarship Edition patch out now on Xbox Live
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Or so say some people. For one Ben Heck (of 360 laptop mod fame) though, it’s not so much as not fixing it, but rather, if it ain’t broke, he’d actually improve it! Thus was the case of his custom one-handed Xbox 360 controller. He’s come up with a revision of the hardware mod and has tweaked it to make it that much more ergonomical.
It’s even got one of the analog sticks sticking out from the bottom of the grip – it’s created as such because it was designed to be propped on your leg or on top of a table. We’re sure it’d take some getting used to, but it’s going to be quite an experience to play a game with this type of rig.
Link: Mod: Ben Heck remakes one-handed Xbox 360 controller
In other news, Target still seems to be selling Xbox 360 HD DVD player add ons at full price rather than the supposed US$ 50. Currently, based on other reports, even some retail outlet chains haven’t lowered the add-ons to their officially Microsoft-tagged price.
Link: Target still selling Xbox 360 HD-DVD player at full price?
Aaaand… we’re done! Check back next week, folks!
– QJ.NET’s Xbox 360 team
Nintendo Wii: WiiBrewWare
Big man Reggie Fils-Aime gave a bit of a teaser this week to Nintendo fans. With Brawl successfully rolled out (more on this below), one has to ask what else we can expect from Nintendo from here on out. Yeah, there’s Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit… but is there anything more? Apparently, there is.
Set your eye on the prize: E3 2008 is the event where Nintendo will be revealing another big video game, and more than that, it’s going to be released come holiday season. Already?!
Link: Video: Reggie Fils-Aime hints on big holiday video game title for Nintendo Wii
Surprise, surprise! Or… not. Considering the good reception of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, this could have been expected. Nintendo of America has communicated to the press of how happy they are. The facts… are these:
- 874,000 copies sold during the first day (in US)
- 1,400,000 copies sold as of last recording of sales date
- after calculation: an estimate of 120 copies sold per minute
That’s a lot. (Why, thank you, Captain Obvious!) Only time will tell if Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit will rake in the same success as Brawl has.
Link: Nintendo of America: SSBB smashes records with 1.4 million units sold in U.S.
Now with Super Smash Bros. Brawl settling well into the hands of the market, we avert our gaze to other matters. Put that Wiimote down for a second and listen up – in case you haven’t heard, Nintendo’s rolled out a couple of software updates.
There were two of them, actually. The first system update prepared consoles for the onslaught of the WiiWare service to be made available via the Wii Shop Channel. It’s basically to allow access to the WiiWare menu. The second update came and went without any word of a changelog however. Hmm…
Link: Wii Shop Channel update gets us ready for Wiiware
Link: Nintendo rolls out Wii console system update yet again
Speaking of Wii Channels and updates, let’s move into the homebrew front now. Because this is something that totally blew us away – and quite a lot of you too. Team Twiizers of Twilight Hack fame just released a video of their latest project: the Wii Homebrew Channel.
Though there’s still no public release of this “o_0” inducing project, what we do know is that it runs off of the Twilight Hack itself. After installation, the homebrew channel will appear as a duplicate of the Mii Channel.
As for the Twilight Hack, it also got an update this week. For those who have been getting error messages when running elf files, this could probably fix the problem. This Alpha 3b isn’t an update for everyone though, because as Team Twiizers recommends, you won’t need to update your Twilight Hack if you haven’t been getting the errors.
Acknowledgments go to TrashWolf for the tip on the Homebrew Channel vid.
Link: First Wii Homebrew Channel video demo
Link: Twilight Hack v0.1 Alpha 3b
We’ll be leaving you with an Easter egg down at the Odds-and-Ends section! Some of you might find it amusing, while some others… well… let’s just say some people actually find it creepy.
– QJ.NET’s Nintendo Wii team
General Gaming: The Practice
First, some light news for the gaming industry! Japanese publication Famitsu has revealed their top 25 Easter eggs (read: video games) that came out in 2007. Of course, we’re talking about games that were released in Japan here – which is why Super Mario Galaxy, only released last month here in the US, is tucked somewhere in the list.
Phantom Hourglass on the DS topped their list, as compiled by the editors of Famitsu. Other interesting bits to take note of: the list is pretty Xbox 360-heavy, which comes as a surprise because of its console’s low hardware sales in Japan.
You might also think that the Wii platform would have landed a handful of games on the list too, however, if you take a closer look, it’s only Galaxy on the list.
Link: Famitsu’s top 25 games for 2007: Phantom Hourglass leads
Switching onto a more serious tone now, Gibson guitar threw out some lawsuits left and right this week like the Easter bunny handing out eggs. This news comes in after the company filed a lawsuit against EA’s Guitar Hero for patent infringement. Now, the situation has strummed into full chords.
Activision has sent out a response, saying that Gibson’s claims about the replication of their guitars lack any justification. Meanwhile, Gibson has thrown major retailers – six of them, actually – into the fray for selling the video game in question.
While that as much leave a bit of a bitter after taste as it is, Gibson has filed yet another lawsuit (on top of the patent infringement one) to include Harmonix, MTV Networks, and EA for Rock Band. Harmonix has responded to the lawsuit, saying just about the same thing that Activision said in response to the accusations about Guitar Hero.
Link: Activision: Gibson’s claims are ‘disingenuous and lack any justification’
Link: Gibson Guitar sues six major retailers for selling Guitar Hero
Link: Gibson sues Harmonix, MTV Networks, Electronic Arts in another lawsuit
And finally, even more legalese… Jack Thompson was given a sanction by the Florida Supreme Court for his “continued inability to maintain a minimum standard of decorum and respect for the judicial system to which all litigants, and especially attorneys, must adhere.”
Link: Jack Thompson gets sanctioned by Florida Supreme Court
Science and Technology: The butterfly effect (in high-def)
We’ve seen the format war between Blu-ray and HD DVD come to a close when Toshiba finally announced the withdrawal of their support for HD DVD. The weeks following that saw some after shocks that eventually whittled down into mere ripples. This week, we’ve probably seen the last of it. The actual curtain-close.
Though a previous estimation of Toshiba’s loss was clocked by Reuters to be about a couple hundred million dollars, a new estimate has been made by Nikkei Business Daily of Japan. They have a new esitmate of Toshiba’s loss: just a little less of one billion dollars. Man. Talk about a mind job.
Link: War casualties: Toshiba loss estimated at US$ 1 billion post-HD DVD
Odds-and-Ends: “They’re not just video games, they’re works of aaahh-hhart…”
Now admit it. Mario holds a special spot in most every gamers’ heart. He’s like a milestone in the entire history of gaming. And through the generations, we’ve seen dozens and dozens of reincarnations of the plumber, from 2D to 3D, from cupcakes to cos-play… Now we have an artist’s attempt at rendering a realistic Mario Mario. Suffice it to say, it could be a bit traumatic for some of you. This is something no amount of GameJew exposure will ever prepare you for…
Link: Fan takes a shot at realistic Mario render
Comment of the Week: Next-gen adult stores
We’ve seen all sort of comments this week, from people accusing other people of broken sarcasm detectors… the typical ISOHaven-MCS-demondirk triangle… a bit of Austrailan trivia from Quixand… quite a lot of conversations happened among commenters this week indeed.
Here’s an interesting comment from Billie – one that caught our attention in the sense that it gave us a fit of chuckles at first… but once it settled in, our giggles were reduced to nervous laughter. Who knows? If the “games as porn” bill gets approved…
Link: Massachusetts will consider legislation of ‘games-as-porn’ bill this week
Article originally posted Mar 22, 2008 at 03:50 p.m.
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