Playstation Update

Gamebrink has released a very detailed review (including 11 hours of video) of Phantasy Star Universe, the new multiplayer online followup to Phantasy Star Online. Sounds like it will be a fantastic game, and includes a full 30 hour single player mode. Release is currently set for October 24th in the US.

Technorati Tags: Phantasy Star, Sega, Phantasy Star Universe, Games, Playstation 2

As you may have heard, Electronic Arts has recently pushed back the release of “The Godfather” to March 21. According to David DeMartini, executive producer of the game, this gave the team enough time for the game to evolve from a “good game” into a “great game”.

And it had better be a great game. The fans of the movies, and, to a lesser extent the Mario Puzo novels, will likely accept nothing less than excellence.

Creative Director Philip Campbell says of the game:

The Godfather movie story is exactly as we know and love it–a journey from Connie’s wedding to the climactic baptism scene–and we don’t monkey around with that too much. But it’s actually only one of the many stories we tell in the Godfather game.

Using the story from the first Godfather movie as a kind of spine to the game progression, we let the player go out into the Godfather world (a “living city” set in New York from 1945 to 1955) and create his own story by “freelancing”–that is, deciding, for example, what rackets he wants to shake down, which family he wants to take down–and which bad guys he wants to whack. All this, of course, with a little guidance from the Corleone family!

(from Gamespot)

Technorati Tags: godfather, playstation, ps2, games, reviews, mario puzo, ea, electronic arts

According to a recent article in Business Week, Microsoft may or may not actually be doing anything resembling working on a portable media and/or gaming device.

The official line from the company: “We’re not either confirming or denying or whatever we generally say.”

Some earlier rumors had stated that the external hard drive of the XBox 360 would double as a self-powered media player device. That obviously didn’t come to pass. I think it’s safe to say that sometime in the not too distant future, Microsoft is almost going to have to create their own portable device. The market is just too big for them to ignore.

Then again maybe they’ll just buy Sony and call it a day.

Technorati Tags: microsoft, sony, xbox, xboy, portable media, mp3, ipod, apple

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has just confirmed that Nintendo’s next generation console, the Revolution, will sell for less than $300 when it’s released here in the US. Rumors had been flying for quite some time that the new system would undercut both the XBox 360 and PS3 in price. Seemed to make sense, given that the specs on the console are slightly less impressive than those of the competition. But hey, it’s definitely cute. And small. Kind of cuddly looking actually.

Technorati Tags: nintendo, revolution, nintendo revolution, xbox 360, playstation

Call of Duty 2: Big Red One should not be confused with the game bearing nearly the same title, released for PC and XBox 360. “Big Red One” has been released for PS2, XBox, and Gamecube. Yet another WWII first person shooter, Call of Duty 2: Big Red One doesn’t quite do enough to distinguish itself from everyone else in the genre.

One good thing about the game is the variety of the missions. You’ll drive tanks, and shoot down planes with antiaircraft guns. The major complaint across the board seems to be that the single player campaign is just too short, at maybe 7 or 8 hours.

Full story » PS2 Review - Call of Duty 2: Big Red One

Technorati Tags: call of duty, big red one, call of duty 2, playstation, ps2, playstation 2, reviews

Last week, Ubisoft released the first Prince of Persia game for the PSP: Price of Persia Revelations. A good part of the game is simply a port of Warrior Within, but there’s also a good amount of new content. Prince of Persia series executive producer Yannis Mallat says that a good 1/3 of the game is actually new, so it might be worth looking at, even if you’ve already played Warrior Within on PS2.

Full story » PSP Review: Prince of Persia Revelations

Technorati Tags: psp, playstation, prince of persia, prince of persia revelations, games, gaming, reviews

Unreal fans rejoice. Epic Games announced that Unreal Tournament 2007 will be coming out for the Playstation 3. Featuring the massively improved graphics of the new Unreal Engine 3, the game should be impressive. If it’s good enough, and it should be, this has the potential to attract “serious” first person shooter PC gamers, who scoff at silly consoles.

One problem with first person shooters on consoles has always been control. Having two analog sticks is good, but it just doesn’t do justice to games that were designed to be controlled using a keyboard and mouse. Thankfully, Sony will be including keyboard and mouse support in the PS3.

Hope to see you in a killer deathmatch sometime soon.

Technorati Tags: playstation, playstation 3, ps3, unreal, unreal tournament, unreal 2007, epic

According to PS3Portal.com, the Playstatition 3 is still on track to launch in 2006. Or at least Sony says it’s working hard to make it so. As far as we know, Spring 2006 is still the target. Whether this is a Japan-only or a combined Japan and US launch is still unknown. My guess is they don’t have enough time to get it ready for the US as well. Guess we’ll see.

It’s expected that Sony will give us a more official update on their progress at the upcoming Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in January.

Technorati Tags: sony, playstation, playstation 3, ps3, CES

Soul Calibur 3 is being called one of the best fighting games around. That’s impressive, considering the previous title of “best fighting game” went to none other than Soul Calibur 2. The third game in the successful franchise introduces some really interesting features. Most notable is “Character Creation Mode”, in which you can create a completely customized fighter from scratch.

Full story » PS2 Review: Soul Calibur III

Technorati Tags: playstation, ps2, playstation 2, reviews, soul calibur 3, soulcalibur 3

If hack and slash interests you, Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows is the perfect game. There is hacking, there is slashing, and then there is some more hack and slash thrown in for good measure. It’s really a love it or hate it sort of game. If you need engaging story lines to make you happy, stick with Final Fantasy. If, on the other hand, online multiplayer bloodshed is your thing, this is your game.

Full story » PS2 Review: Gauntlet - Seven Sorrows

Technorati Tags: playstation, playstation 2, ps2, reviews, gauntlet, seven sorrows