Category: Videogames

Sony Unleashes Uncharted: Eye of Indra Motion Comic Prequel

Uncharted 2 Eye of Indra

Sony Computer Entertainment of America has released Uncharted: Eye of Indra, a motion comic that fleshes out the Uncharted universe. The first episode is available now on PlayStation Network. Naughty Dog lead game designer Neil Druckmann wrote the following on the PlayStation Blog:

For all of you wanting more Nathan Drake, you’re in luck — hitting the PSN today is Uncharted: Eye of Indra – a four episode Motion Comic — it’s an original prequel story to Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. We’ve been working on this baby for the past year and it’s been brutal not being able to talk about it.

There are a millions of Uncharted and Naughty Dog fans out there, so I’m sure a lot of people will watch Eye of Indra. I’ll be one of those people, but I’m not yet sold on the whole motion comics thing. Perhaps it’s nostalgia, remembering all those great times I spent curled up with comic books, but the format doesn’t work for me (yet). That aside, this is a great way for Naughty Dog and Sony to further expand and market Uncharted.

If you check out Uncharted: Eye of Indra, I’d love to know what you think!

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Dragon Age: Journeys Unlocks Content for Dragon Age: Origins

Dragon Age Journeys 3

BioWare has revealed that playing the Dragon Age: Journeys Flash game unlocks content for Dragon Age: Origins for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. That’s right, all three platforms! Here’s a juicy tidbit from BioWare’s blog:

By completing certain accomplishments in Journeys, you can unlock 3 items for use when you purchase a copy of Dragon Age: Origins for the PC, Xbox 360 or PS3. By playing DAJ while signed in with your EA account, these items will automatically be added to your inventory in DA:O when you sign in with that same account. These entitlements work across all three platforms.

That’s a very, very clever way to get people to sign up for an EA account.

Are you going to play Dragon Age: Journeys? If so, are you going to take advantage of the bonus items for Dragon Age: Origins?

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Trophy Support for Final Fantasy XIII Confirmed

Final Fantasy XIII a

Square Enix director Motomu Toriyama has confirmed trophy support for Final Fantasy XIII for PlayStation 3. IGN translated some of his word in an interview with Famitsu:

Toriyama also shared some technical details on the game. Save data will take up 500KB. Trophy data takes up 3,080KB (yes, it looks like the game supports Trophies!). In case you were stocking up munitions for a big system wars battle, there won’t be a hard disk installation.

Trophies are always welcomed, but I found it odd that there won’t be a hard-drive option. If it decreases load times and optical-disc access, I’ll always go with that option. Curious, eh?

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Coffee Talk #9: Is Peter Molyneux Hurting Project Natal?

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Manny Ramirez taking a shower while his team is still playing, Barnes & Noble’s Nook e-reader, or Google’s upcoming iTunes competitor, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Peter Molyneux is one of the most polarizing figures in game development. He talks big and dreams big, but a lot of gamers believe that his games do not live up to the hype. Whether it’s deserved or not, he has a reputation for over-promising and under-delivering. With that in mind, is he really the best person to be pushing Microsoft’s motion controller, Project Natal?

Fable III

Molyneux recently revealed that Fable 3 will have support for Natal. He mesmerized the crowd at E3 2009 with his Milo virtual indentured servant boy demo for Natal. Microsoft seems happy with having him be one of the project’s faces, but I question if he’s the best man for the job. There’s no doubt that he’s one of the most ambitious and creative people in game development, so it’s easy to argue that he’s a good choice for an ambitious and creative endeavor like Natal. However, he has that pesky reputation. A lot of hardcore gamers already have issues with Natal, so maybe using the “over-promising under-delivering” guy to push it isn’t the smartest thing to do.

What do you think? Does Molyneux’s heavy involvement with hurt or help Project Natal? Is it better to have a dreamer like Molyneux pushing the project? Or would it be wiser to use a high profile developer that delivers results that are much closer to their hype?

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer Says Blu-ray on the Way for Xbox 360

Blu-ray logo boxMicrosoft CEO Steve Ballmer says that a Blu-ray accessories are on the way for Xbox 360, though he was quick to point out that the console will be emphasizing on-demand movies. In a recent interview with Gizmodo Ballmer said:

Well I don’t know if we need to put Blu-ray in there — you’ll be able to get Blu-ray drives as accessories.

Our immediate solution for Blu-ray-quality video on an Xbox 360 is coming this fall with Zune Video and 1080p instant-on HD streaming. As far as our future plans are concerned, we’re not ready to comment.

After betting on the wrong horse with HD-DVD, there really wasn’t much of a choice for Microsoft. While a lot of gamers are satisfied with streaming or downloading movies, some customers prefer the superior video quality of Blu-ray, while others rather have physical media instead of a digital download.

Are any of you surprised that Blu-ray is coming to Xbox 360? Will you be picking up a Blu-ray peripheral for your console?

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Sony Patents New Mystery Controller

Sony has applied for a patent for an upcoming controller. The controller appears to be for simple games that require minimum input, such as the Buzz series of quiz games. According to Siliconera:

A design patent application for this unannounced device was filed in the US by Sony Computer Entertainment. The document is light on details, but calls the device a “hand held game controller”.

It seems like this controller is being developed in the USA since all of the inventors are from southern California. More specifically, one of them works at Sony’s Electronics Design center in Los Angeles.

Sony Mystery Controller

Judging from the pictures, I can’t see this being for anything but games like Buzz. That said, it could be more complex than it looks. I also find it curious that Sony will have three distinct first-party controllers: the DualShock, the magic sex toy of motion, and this thing. While gamers like you will know what’s what, this might confuse casual consumers.

Any thoughts on the controller?

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Datel Whines About Microsoft’s Stance on Xbox 360 Memory

Datel Xbox Memory Card

Datel was unhappy to learn that Microsoft’s Major Nelson warned Xbox 360 gamers about using “unauthorized memory”. The good Major said that gamers that continue to use unofficial memory units will not be able to access their profile or game saves. A Datel rep told CVG:

If the Major Nelson blog is to be taken at face value then we’re disappointed to see that Microsoft are taking these steps to prevent customers from exercising their freedom of choice. Everyone is looking for ways to make their cash go further at the moment and we believe that Max Memory offers a good value, high capacity, alternative to the official Memory Unit.

I’m split on this one. On one hand, gamers should absolutely have a choice. On the other hand, there are a lot of crappy third-party peripherals out there and many of them aren’t certified by Microsoft. Also, Datel’s Xsata memory card has been used by gamers to hack save files and add unearned achievements. If you’re going to sell a product that can be used to violate Microsoft’s terms of service then you shouldn’t whine when you get shut out.

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Coffee Talk #8: Why You Should Support Borderlands

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, A-Rod discovering how to play in the post-season, Apple’s $999 unibody MacBook, or T-Mobile’s mysterious Project Dark, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Borderlands is one of those games that I hope sells likes crazy, but probably won’t. While I won’t go as far as to say the game has been “sent to die”, like Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter did, I acknowledge that it has several things going against it. Even though it’s an action-RPG, a lot of people view it as a shooter based on screenshots and Gearbox Software’s history. This is an extraordinarily crappy time to release a shooter — especially a new franchise. Halo 3: ODST recently came out and Modern Warfare 2 is a few weeks away. While all three games are different enough, there’s definitely a lot of audience overlap and a limited amount of dollars that can be spent. Most people are going to go with the sequels to established franchises instead of the new game with the funky art.

Borderlands

I hope I’m wrong — I really do. Borderlands is the kind of game we should all be supporting. The developer has a strong track record, the reviews have been great, the game is unique, and the art style rocks (well, it rocks me anyway). A lot of people complain that the gaming business is too sequel happy and not enough effort has been made to generate new IPs. Well here’s your chance to stand up for originality and against sequel-itis!

Of course it’s your money and you should do what you want with it. You should buy whatever game you think will entertain you the most. It’s just upsetting that a good, original game from a quality developer is likely to get brushed aside in favor of sequels. Again, I hope I’m wrong and Borderlands sells millions of copies.

With all of that in mind, here are my questions for you this morning. Does supporting originality or developers come into play when you buy games? Or is it all about entertainment for you?

Sony Australia Hurls PS3 Slim into Bravia LCD at 50MPH

What happens when Sony’s irresistible force (PlayStation 3) meets its immovable objects (Bravia LCD television)? Sony Australia has the answer in this stylish commercial. I’m not sure what the point is, but the spot is pretty cool.

And also — Aussie Aussie Aussie!!!

Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep Japanese Release Date

Square Enix’s highly anticipated Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep for Sony PlayStation Portable has been slated for January 9, 2010 according to Andriasang. While a general January time frame was given by the company during Tokyo Game Show 2009, the date is now set in stone by way of keyblade.

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

Hopefully localization will be quick and North American Kingdom Hearts fans will get Birth by Sleep a few months later. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days was released on May 2009 in Japan and September 2009 in North America — a four-month gap. However, that’s a Nintendo DS game; Birth by Sleep will require more localization time, especially with the voice acting. I’d love an American version by June, but wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t arrive until August.

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