QuickJump QuickPeek 47: Of the Sony-Microsoft Gamer’s Days, Niko Bellic’s World Records, and copious amounts of hair gel in a DBZ movie
(Editor’s note: With all the events happening around the gaming industry this week, we’ve been churning out news reels like cuh. ray. zee.)
Busy, busy week, folks! Both Sony and Microsoft held their Gamer’s Day events this week and we’ve got a lot of updates from both! We’ve also got the skinny on the recently launched WiiWare service, and what’s this? Guitar Hero has… drums? Time to get the ball rolling, head over to the full article!
(Editor’s note: The QJ.NET staff’s been pretty busy this week, what with all the events going on. Looks like some press embargoes have been lifted in the industry – which of course means double-time for us in reporting all we could about the biggest items that dropped this week. Confirmations, lengthy interviews, and some healthy doses of controversy here and there. And hey, an honorable mention for comment of the week!)
Busy, busy , busy! Welcome to QuickPeek 47, where we recap the biggest video game news that’s happened this week! And what a week it’s been. Both Sony and Microsoft had their respective Gamer’s Day events, Nintendo finally launched WiiWare outside of Japan, Grand Theft Auto IV‘s got itself two Guinness World Records, and we even got news on the upcoming live-action Dragonball movie! Time to get the ball rolling!
PSP: Of Kratos’ departure from the PSP, Clank-Fu, and Custom Firmware 3.95
Sad news for PSP gamers this week. Ready at Dawn, the studio behind the massively popular God of War: Chains of Olympus, won’t be making games for the Sony handheld for a while. The studio says that they’ll instead be focusing more on the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 for the present.
On the other hand, the studio’s creative director did express some very encouraging words for the platform and hopes that there will be more big productions for it in the future.
Link: Ready at Dawn: life after Chains of Olympus, on PSP’s game library, more
Time to give bad guys a taste of Clank-Fu! There are few things cuter than a tiny robot in a suit. Clank doesn’t quite have a James Bond accent, but seeing as he’s got more gadgets packed into him than all of the other Bonds do combined (heck, he is a walking gadget), we don’t mind at all. Watch out for Secret Agent Clank next month, as Sony has announced that the game’s gone gold. A free demo is also up on the PlayStation Network.
Link: Secret Agent Clank goes gold, new screenshots, demo available soon
Link: PSN US May 15 update: Secret Agent Clank PSP demo, Rock Band DLC, more
Making waves in the PSP homebrew scene this week is Custom Firmware 3.95. The CFW is already in its test phase and is expected to be released soon. No release date has been announced yet though, but a new video of the CFW in action has been released, which you can check out after the link below.
Also big on the homebrew front this week is the Ubuntu beta, which is a GNU-slash-Linux shell program for the PSP. As its namesake suggests, it’s a completely modifiable and redistributable shell. It also comes with an initial set of handy dandy features.
Link: PSP Custom Firmware 3.95 undergoing test phase, release soon
Link: Video proof for CFW 3.95
Link: Ubuntu 7.10 v0.1 beta – a GNU/linux shell program for PSP
Ending this week’s PSP updates is a mod, courtesy of the PspHackersTeam. This mod has been around for a while, but judging from the number of jumps it received, it’s still pretty popular. The mod replaces your PSP’s UMD drive with a speaker. Great way to pump up the volume. Check out the instructions for the mod after the link.
Link: PSP speaker mod: get more bang out of your speakers’ buck
That’s it for this week’s PSP updates, folks! Stick around for more video game news below!
– QJ.NET’s PSPUpdates team
PlayStation 3: Of a month more before Metal Gear, Gamer’s Days, and console MMOs
Big this week is the release of firmware version 2.35, said to improve the PlayStation 3’s stability. Rumors and speculation have cropped up that the update has something to do with Grand Theft Auto 4 freezing on the console, but Sony has stated that the update has nothing to do with it at all. At any rate, you’d better upgrade if you haven’t yet!
Link: PlayStation 3 firmware version 2.35 is out
We’ve got lots of news for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots this week folks! The game’s already complete and we’re really itching to get our hands on the game next month, especially after Konami revealed new details on the game, and the UK Official PlayStation Magazine gave the game a solid 10 rating.
If that’s not enough for you though, feast your eyes on the latest epic trailer from Konami that shows new scenes from the game. And in case you haven’t heard, Solid Snake’s getting himself a new outfit which he robbed from Altair. Nah, we kid, he didn’t beat up Altair (he could, though), but he is gonna borrow Altair’s costume as an unlockable in MGS4.
Link: Kojima says MGS4 ‘is complete’, new details out to spoil you
Link: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots – ad spots, epic trailer
Link: UK Official PS Mag: Metal Gear Solid 4 gets perfect 10, more
Link: Solid Snake gets Altair’s costume in Metal Gear Solid 4
Remember how Guerilla Games announced that Killzone 2 won’t be coming out this year? Bet a lot of you hoped it was just a bad dream. Looks like the dream isn’t going to end anytime soon. The delay is finally official (dang it) with the announcement of a new release period: February next year.
Guerrilla Games rubbed salt into its own injury by saying that the game has the “usual fault” of this generation’s games, saying that the game has great visuals when it comes to long distance shots, but would fail upon closer inspection. At the least, the delay is a good thing if it means a better looking game.
The good news is, the studio released four new walkthrough videos for Killzone 2 at the Sony Gamer’s Day. It’s a small consolation, but at least it’s something.
Link: Sony America unveils PSP and PS3 launch lineup for 2008 to early 2009
Link: Killzone 2 to feature the “usual graphic fault”?
Link: Four Killzone 2 walkthrough videos from Sony’s Gamer’s Day released
Here are a few quickies to round up the updates on some of the biggest events from this week. From E3 Judge’s Day we get new screenshots and details on the Resistance 2. From Sony Gamer’s Day we have new videos for LittleBigPlanet. And from… no specific event, really, are details for the upcoming Warhawk Tournament later this month. It’s also been promised that there will be more details on the 1.4 update soon, so watch out for that!
Link: More screenshots, info on Resistance 2 from E3 Judge’s Day
Link: Sony Gamer’s Day 08: new videos for LittleBigPlanet
Link: Upcoming GGL Warhawk tournament details, 1.4 details coming soon
MMOs on consoles aren’t big right now, but Sony Online Entertainment’s planning to do something about that. You know their upcoming MMO for the PlayStation 3, The Agency? They’re not stopping with just that, saying we can expect more “great ones” in the future.
Speaking of The Agency, SOE has announced that the MMO will allow microtransactions, allowing gamers to buy in-game items using real money.
Link: SOE President: MMOs to be a selling point for PS3
Link: SOE announce microtransactions in The Agency, Free Realms
Whoa, that was a great week for PlayStation 3 gamers. It ain’t over yet though, head down to the General Gaming section for more video game news!
– QJ.NET’s PlayStation 3 team
Xbox 360: Of great games, debunked rumors, and the number Threeie
It’s the mark of a good game when we still get news even weeks after its release. Having said that, it’s no surprise that Grand Theft Auto IV news is still coming in. Thanks to the game, Xbox Live membership shot up to 12 million registered users. The game’s also rocking the already leaky boat between Microsoft and Sony, who are having a catfight over the game’s sales numbers.
Remember how Microsoft claimed that the Xbox 360 version sold better than the PlayStation 3 version? Sony shot back saying that this is only true because the Xbox 360 has a larger install base, and that the PlayStation 3 has a larger ratio of the market. VP of Microsoft’s Game Studios Shane Kim has a different view however, saying that gamers who have both platforms still prefer to get the Xbox 360 version.
At any rate, a great game is a great game, right folks?
Link: Xbox 360 hits 10 million mark in the US, GTA 4 boosts XBL membership
Link: GameStop: Xbox 360 has 2-1 advantage over PS3 in GTA 4 sales
Link: Microsoft’s Shane Kim: 2008 line-up, Halo Wars, and the success of GTA 4
Updates for Microsoft’s Gamer’s Day! Aside from a new demo of Gears of War 2, some updates were also revealed for several other games. Perhaps the best news to come out of the event is confirmation that Fable 2 is finally at the end of its development period, although we might not see a demo before the game comes out.
Announced during the event is the official title of the third Banjo Kazooie game. Players who were expecting the name “Threeie” will be disappointed as the new name is Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, although the game will remain faithful to its platformer origins. Check out other updates from Microsoft’s Gamer’s Day after the link!
Link: Microsoft Gamers Day update: Gears of War 2, Fable 2, Penny Arcade Adventures, and more
If you’ve been keeping your ears to the ground news on the Valhalla chips, you might have heard of a little rumor going around that Microsoft will release a slimmer version of the Xbox 360 in order to take advantage of the chip’s size. Microsoft quickly responded to these rumors, saying they don’t have any plans to release a new console by next year. Of course, there’s always the year after that, so who knows?
Microsoft’s been doing more rumor-squashing this week. Have you guys seen the supposedly leaked “Xbox 360 Spring update” list? The really gilongnormous one (blogger Enrico S.’s term, meaning “gigantic, long and enormous”)? Well, it’s been debunked. We know press releases can be really vague sometimes, but it’s a little hard to misinterpret when they said “we’ve never seen this list before. “
Link: Rumor squashed: no Xbox 360 slim in the works
Link: Rumored Xbox 360 Spring update features list surfaces *UPDATE*
Ending this week’s Xbox 360 updates is news on the long-awaited release of Too Human. There’s good news and bad news. Bad news first: co-op multiplayer’s been cut from four players to two. The good news is, Silicon Knights is still planning to release a demo. Unfortunately, they haven’t announced a release date yet.
Link: Microsoft Spring Showcase 08: Too Human co-op changes, demo to push through
When will the Grand Theft Auto IV news end!? Hopefully not for some time yet, folks. Especially since we’re still expecting news on the upcoming episodic content. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on that, but in the meantime, check out more video game news below!
– QJ.NET’s Xbox 360 team
Nintendo Wii: Of WiiWare, shovelware… and crackware?
WiiWare’s finally launched in the US this week, with six games already up for grabs and with more on its way. The service will go live in Europe on May 20, with a launch roster of eight games to make up for lost time. LostWinds, one of the more prominent names on the service right now, is already being pegged for a sequel.
Link: Nintendo announces first eight WiiWare titles for Europe
Link: Frontier Development confirms LostWinds sequel
Unfortunately, there are some nay-sayers who are saying that WiiWare will just be a shovelware service, basically focusing on the quantity of games rather than the quality. Some would tend to agree, but one indie developer argues that you’re bound to find a gem among all the shoveled games.
Link: Indie developers: WiiWare, Wii shovelware, and the power of choice
It’s not even out of its first week yet, but reports have already come in that WiiWare games have been hacked and are being illegally distributed. The most prominent name making the rounds is Final Fantasy: My Life as a King. Remember folks, the best way to support developers is to actually buy their games.
Link: WiiWare games cracked?
This week in the WiiBrew scene is the USB Mass Storage Device Tester v3, a new application from developer svpe. It only does a simple command for now, but its application in future programs might prove invaluable. Perhaps future versions may even allow users to play games or run programs from an external hard drive.
Also this week for Wii homebrew are new versions of the Mii Extractor and Installer programs, which fixes a bug from the previous versions. If you’re a fan of old-school arcade games, you might also want to check out the SDLMame emulator from nuvalo.
Link: USB Mass Storage Device Tester v3 now out
Link: Wii homebrew: Mii Extractor v1.1, Mii Installer v1.1
Link: SDLMame 0.125 on Wii (UPDATED) – fixed random resets for smaller ROMs
If you haven’t noticed yet, we’ve added a new category for WiiWare now that it’s launched. You can check that out for the latest updates on the service. We’ll keep you posted, so check back for more news and updates for more Wii and WiiWare news!
– QJ.NET’s Nintendo Wii team
General Gaming: Of 24-hour records, controversies, and Rock Band Heroes
The numbers are in. The verdict? Grand Theft Auto IV rules. Despite being released at the very tail-end of April, the game was still the best selling game for the month. While it wasn’t able to meet its expected number of sales, it’s still undoubtedly one of the best-selling games released for this generation of consoles.
If you want solid proof of it, ask the Guinness World Records. The game has two honors to its name: it’s both the Highest Grossing Video Game in 24 Hours, and has the Highest Revenue Generated by an Entertainment Product in 24 Hours. Natch.
Link: NPD’s April numbers are in: GTA4 sells 2.85 million
Link: It’s official: Grand Theft Auto 4 now Guinness World Record holder
A lot of you may have heard of the big controversy that hit GameTrailers recently, where they released a comparison video of the graphical differences between the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 version of Race Driver: GRID. A mislabeling between the two versions caused the sparks to go flying through the respective communities.
It wasn’t long before GameTrailers’ Editor-in-Chief explained that it was a sincere mistake from the video editor. A corrected comparison video was uploaded soon after, along with an apology and an assurance that it won’t happen again.
Link: GameTrailers explains controversial Race Driver: GRID comparison video
Remember Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock? Yeah, only one of the biggest titles last year. We probably won’t be able to rightfully call it that for long though. It’s been known for a while now that the next game in the franchise will feature new instruments, but some probably didn’t believe it. Well, believe it.
New scans from Game Informer reveals the new drum set that will be included in Guitar Hero 4 (or should we say, Rock Band Hero?). Game Informer also revealed that a bass guitar and vocals will also be added.
Link: Game Informer: Guitar Hero 4 comes with song creation, instruments, more
Link: Guitar Hero 4 drums revealed in scans
More bad news for E3 this year. Remember how Activision, Vivendi, and bunch of other developers are dropping out from the Entertainment Software Association? It seems that one other major studio is joining them: LucasArts, the big name behind the Star Wars series. The studio will still appear at this year’s E3, but it’s not looking good for the annual convention if this catches on.
Link: LucasArts no longer part of ESA, but still participating at E3 this year
Jeez, there sure were a lot of big events this week. First, both Sony and Microsoft had their respective Gamer’s Days, then there’s the E3 Judge’s Day, and Sega’s own Gamer’s Day. This update comes from the Konami Gamer’s Night, where the studio revealed all new videos of Silent Hill: Homecoming, and their line-up of games for 2008.
Link: New game lineup announced on Konami Gamer’s Night 08
Link: Konami Gamer’s Day 2008 unveils five new Silent Hill: Homecoming videos
Science and Technology: Of a seismic tragedy
Tragedy struck China this week when a massive earthquake shook the province of Szechwan (SiChuan). The seismic energy measured in at a devastating 7.9 on the Richter scale, the seismic equivalent of 600 megatons of TNT underground. The earthquake caused an initial report of 12,400 deaths, with 26,206 injured, and 3.5 million homes destroyed.
Around 1,000 people were found buried under the ruins of the chaos, and around 18,000 more are thought to still be under the rubble. Rescue squads, disaster workers, and soldiers were dispatched but aftershocks measuring in at 4.0 on the scale kept coming, and the death toll kept rising. As of this writing, it is little less than 29,000.
International efforts have been given to assist China. The US pledged US$ 500,000 for relief efforts. Teams from Japan, Russia, the Republic of Korea, and Singapore have arrived in quake areas for rescue missions.
Link: China gets hit by 7.9 earthquake, over 12,000 people killed
Odds-and-Ends: Of hair gel and casual gaming
A lot of anime-lovers and gamers alike out there are waiting for news and updates on the upcoming live-action Dragonball movie (largely hoping that the producing team doesn’t mess up). Here’s the first-ever official promotional image for the movie, featuring Son Goku, played by Justin Chatwin. We’re wondering how much hair gel he has to use on the set every day.
Link: First official Dragonball movie promotional image, cast details
Just what is casual gaming anyway? Does “casual” mean the time you spend on gaming, or the type of games you play? The question is something Nintendo Europe’s Marketing Director Laurent Fischer tried to answer, saying that “There is no casual gaming. There is just a different way to play.”
His point was that people who play “casual” games can still be hardcore gamers, seeing as even the most simple games can be hard when played at a high difficulty level. Some gamers expressed their own ideas when we posted the article, giving their own insight on what “casual” really means.
Perhaps the easiest definition is to clarify the difference between the game and the gamer. There is a difference between casual games and casual gamers, just as much as there is a difference between hardcore games and hardcore gamers. Several gamers have expressed as much, which brings us to the final leg of QuickPeek, the comment of the week.
Link: Nintendo Europe Marketing Director: “There is no casual gaming”
Comment of the Week: Of the word “casual”
Our comment of the week comes from Rental_Ninja, who shared an insightful thought on the meaning of casual gaming. Earlier this week, Nintendo’s Laurent Fischer remarked that “There is no casual gaming. There is just a different way to play,” which got several gamers to say otherwise.
Rental_Ninja approached the subject from a different angle, which perhaps clarifies on the subject. It may or may not be what Fischer intended to say, but nevertheless, it is a valid point worth pondering on:
(Editor’s note: Props go out to DisposableDweeb though! Your comment on this week’s MGS4 Character Countdown would have made it here for the sole reason of catching our attention and making our day. Unfortunately, we had to delete it due to some rather… revealing details about your “alone-time” with the women of Metal Gear. *wink wink* We still have your comment screencapped for posterity’s sake and if the readership would so allow it posted… Then maybe… Hmm…)
Article originally posted May 17, 2008 at 01:14PM
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