The PS3 Weekend Warrior: 2.40 issue addressed, E3 looms large, and a bummer from down under

This is the third edition of QJ.NET’s PS3 Weekend Warrior and we’re rounding up some of the most notable stuff that dropped in the week prior to E3 2008. Sony has been pretty busy cleaning up its act in the aftermath of its firmware 2.40 fiasco, while big publishers have started announcing their E3 line-ups. We also have a few interesting stories, particularly that of Fallout 3‘s fate in Australia and an announcement of a big Final Fantasy VII announcement. More after the jump.

It’s time for another edition of the PlayStation 3 Weekend Warrior! We’re on the third edition now and it happens to cover the week before E3 of 2008. As expected, big announcements have been made and big developments have dropped. We’ll break this past week down into three major sections – big stories that are directly involved with Sony, significant news from the E3 nook, and other points of interest. Let’s get this show underway.

On the PS3 turf

Last week would have been a really good one for the PS3 but there was one chilly detail that rained down on its parade: the same  firmware 2.40 update that made a lot of people happy gave some owners a world of problems. Some users complained of freezes while others reported bricked consoles. Fortunately, Sony was on top of the matter and immediate action was taken.

This week, we got confirmation that firmware 2.41 was coming fast to make sure everyone got their goods issue-free. To top it off, SCEE issued an explanation as to why the malfunctions happened and SCEA just came out with an announcement that any PS3 suffering from freezing issues will either be replaced or repaired free of charge. Nice going, Sony.

Link: SCEE explains 2.40 firmware problem in recent 2.41 announcement
Link: Sony PlayStation 3 firmware 2.41 update is finally here
Link: SCEA to fix 2.40-bricked PS3s for free

Speaking of the latest firmware updates, we can see that a lot of older games won’t be getting Trophies implemented. That’s sad but at least the upcoming big titles will get the feature for sure. An example of this is the PS3 version of BioShock from 2K Games. Details were announced earlier this week and they’re looking good.

Link: 2K Games confirms and explains Trophies for PS3 BioShock

Heading into this year’s E3, the buzz for another PS3 price cut has been floating around. Don’t get your hopes too high, though, as Sony says it won’t be happening anytime soon. In another noteworthy rumor, a scan of a retailer’s spreadsheet marks the 40GB PS3 as an item “to be replaced” next month. Do we smell a new SKU? Maybe. Or maybe not.

Link: Sony Chief Financial Officer: no plans for PlayStation 3 price cut
Link: Scan: 40 GB PS3 “will be replaced” this August

E3 looms large

E3 is just around the corner and we can’t wait for Sony’s big announcement. There’s no telling what it is right now, so everyone is free to try and speculate on it.

Game publishers who chose to remain in the E3 fold are also gearing up for the event. Two of them have already announced their line-ups and everything looks pretty impressive. Watch out for Capcom to bring on the big guns with Resident Evil 5, while Midway will give us a peek into its new intriguing IPs.

Link: Capcom announces game line-up for E3 2008
Link: Midway announces its E3 roster

In other news

The big merger between industry powerhouses Activision and Vivendi has finally come to pass. Effective now, they’ll be known as Activision Blizzard and the company’s head honchos say they’re “thinking big.” We guess we’ll see what they mean in the years to come.

Link: Activision Blizzard finally completes transaction for merge

By the way, Australia’s OFLC has finally opened up on why it banned Bethesda’s Fallout 3 in the ol’ Commonwealth. It turns out that this is due to drug use-related themes in the game which it deemed unsuitable for public display.

Moving on to more games, how about the fact that Chris Redfield’s cute new partner in Resident Evil 5 now has a name? Yep, a scan recently revealed that she goes by the name of Sheva Alomar. Pretty strange, but fitting nonetheless.

Moving on, remember when Gears of War 2 developer Cliff Bleszinski labeled Metal Gear Solid 4 as “passive entertainment?” A lot of you were pretty miffed about it, but he also has a few good things to say about the game. He said in a recent interview that he thinks MGS4‘s cutscenes are “phenomenal” and unparallelled in today’s industry. He did maintain, however, that he still thinks long cut scenes are not for him.

Link: OFLC: Fallout 3 banned in Australia because of drugs
Link: Resident Evil 5 mystery mercenary gets a name
Link: CliffyB: MGS4’s cutscenes are “phenomenal”

Before we end this news round-up, there’s one last thing that’s getting a lot of attention the past few hours. Square Enix said that a “big announcement” on Final Fantasy VII was at hand. They didn’t say much more, so that leaves plenty of room to wonder about this announcement of an announcement.

Link: Phoenix Down for hopefuls: big FF7 announcement soon

Quick jabs

• There’s no denying that the 2.40 freezes were a letdown, but Sony’s efforts to make things right is deserving of commendation. The swift action that led to firmware 2.41 getting released was a nice development, and the free repair offer is reflective of fantastic service. Keep it up, Sony!

• Fallout 3 getting shot down in Australia is what we’d like to call “Bummer Down Under.” It’s just sad to think that this one is looking pretty good and some gamers who want it can’t play it because of its supposed drug-related undertone. Bethesda better find a work-around to appease the Australian conscience committee.

•  Here’s an idea: Bethesda, if you’re reading this, replace the syringes with caviar. That seems harmless enough and it’s just as expensive and addictive.

• No PS3 price cut? Well, not for now at least. It’ll come in due time. I’m just hoping it’s not too far off. These holidays perhaps?

• Oh, another FF7 announcement? You bet. And this time, Square Enix says it’s a real big one. Nothing specific, but there are lots of possibilities. A new movie?? A new spin-off? A remake? Better yet, a true sequel? Ah, what sweet prospects!

• Or Square Enix could leave us all gnashing our teeth in anguish by announcing another private party this time with an FF7 theme. Or maybe more merchandise. Guh. Please, Square Enix, don’t do that.

• An FF7 remake sounds good to a lot of people. It doesn’t for others. If it ever comes out and you feel that it might dent the IP’s legacy, don’t buy it. This blogger wonders how hard it will be to resist it knowing millions will get it, good or bad.

• That’s all for this week. the next PS3 Weekend Warrior should be a loaded one with all the E3 fireworks set to go off.