Category: Videogames

Sony Unveils UMD Passport Program For PlayStation Vita

Sony Computer Entertainment has unveiled information on the UMD Passport program, which allows PlayStation Portable owners to re-download their games on the PlayStation Vita for a reduced cost. Details for the program apply to the Japanese market, but hopefully a…

Sony Computer Entertainment has unveiled information on the UMD Passport program, which allows PlayStation Portable owners to re-download their games on the PlayStation Vita for a reduced cost. Details for the program apply to the Japanese market, but hopefully a similar (or better) solution will be available globally.

PSP owners will have to download a program, insert their UMD games into their system, and connect to the PlayStation Store. Once this is done, a downloadable version of their (participating) game will be available on the Vita for ¥500 to ¥2,400 (roughly $6.50 to $30). An initial list of participating publishers and games was posted by Sony but, again, this applies to the Japanese market.

I like that Sony is rewarding its PSP customers with this program. I also expect many gamers to bitch about having to re-purchase their games. The reality is that there was no easy solution for this “problem”. No matter what Sony did, it was going to get dinged. I see it as a, “Hey, they’re trying!” situation.

What do you think of the UMD Passport program for PlayStation Vita? Is Sony doing its best to reward loyal customers? Or is it double dipping?

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What Are You Playing This Weekend?

This weekend will be all about the PlayStation 3 for me. My copy of Disgaea 4 finally arrived (thanks Ted!) and I can’t wait to jump into it. I love, love, love tactical RPGs and it has been way too long since I’ve enjoyed one. That changes this weekend. Hopefully I’ll have time for The ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection too. I love that a whole new generation of gamers will get to experience ICO. Hell, I’m glad I get to experience it again!

How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?

This Week’s Videogame Releases (Call of Duty, Skyrim!!!)

Between Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, this might be the most loaded videogame week of the year! But wait, there’s more!!! Kojima Productions fans will definitely want to pick up the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, while wizards and witches of all ages will want LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (spoiler: Dumbledore dies!). Fans of cinematic adventures should check out Heavy Rain: Director’s Cut…even though it’s not really a director’s cut. You can get retarded (in here!) with The Black Eyed Peas Experience. If all this videogame excitement is too much for you then you might want to chill out with Deepak Chopra’s Leela.

Any of you picking new games this week?

Casper Van Dien Talks Noobz

Justin Leeper and I were lucky enough to get to chat with the legendary Casper Van Dien on the set of the upcoming videogame movie Noobz. The Starship Troopers star talks about his roles (multiple) in the movie, whether he can take on Dom from Gears of War, New Jersey vs. wherever the hell Justin is from, and more. It’s a fun and loose interview with a great man. Check it out and let me know what you think (please!).

Jason Mewes & Blake Freeman Talk Noobz (Videogame Movie)

Actor Jason Mewes (Clerks II) and director Blake Freeman talk about their upcoming videogame movie Noobz in this excellent video. In addition to the movie, the two talk about Gears of War 3, discuss first-person vs. third-person action, send a special message to Epic Games’ Cliff Bleszinski, and go off-topic in a hilariously lewd way. The legendary Casper Van Dien also pops up in the video making it extra awesome. Warning: this interview contains lots of naughty language and dirty references.

Special thanks to Justin Leeper for conducting the interview while I cracked up behind the camera.

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

I’d love to be playing games on my home consoles this weekend, but I’m flying off to Boston for a quick shoot. I’ll use the airplane time to play some Jetpack Joyride, Civilization Revolution, and Scribblenauts Remix on my iPad 2. I’ll catch up on some movies as well. You guys and dolls have any movie recommendations for me?

How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?

Heavy Rain Director’s Cut Coming November 8

Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced that a “director’s cut” of the outstanding Heavy Rain for PlayStation 3 will hit store shelves on November 8, 2011. It’s not a director’s cut in a movie sense. It’s more like a special edition…that’s being released a few years after the original. Here’s the features rundown of Heavy Rain: Director’s Cut:

  • Complete, original game, Heavy Rain
  • Heavy Rain Chronicles: Episode 1 — “The Taxidermist” DLC
  • Heavy Rain Original Videogame Score by award-winning film and television composer, Normand Corbeil (16 tracks)
  • New front-end menu and interface with built-in Move support
  • A series of 8 “Making of” Bonus Videos
  • Three Dynamic Themes (Heavy Rain, Heavy Rain ARI Forest, Heavy Rain ARI Mars)
  • 15 additional pieces of new concept art
  • 2 bonus Trailers (Thank You Trailer, Love Trailer)

As many of you know, I’m a big fan of Quantic Dream and really enjoyed Heavy Rain. That said, I think it’s misleading to call this a director’s cut. When I first heard about this product, I was hoping for additional chapters or scenes that were omitted from the original game — you know, the type of content you’d expect from a director’s cut of a film. While this is a nice package for Quantic Dream fans and those that haven’t played the game yet, I wouldn’t classify it as a director’s cut…at all. Having said that, this will probably fall into the category of games that I buy over and over again.

Do you think this package should be labeled as a director’s cut? Any of you planning to pick up Heavy Rain: Director’s Cut next week?

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Photos From the Set of Noobz (Jason Mewes!!!)

Here are some photos from the set of the movie Noobz, including a few with actor Jason Mewes and director Blake Freeman. Today’s set was the finals of a huge tournament with the competitors shooting it out in Gears of War 3. It was cool chatting with the cast and crew, particularly the legendary Casper Van Dien and his daughter India Oxenberg. And really, it was just cool hanging out with people that are also in IMDB. I kid, I kid.

I’ll write about my experience with the Van Dien family in another post. That was too cool. For now, enjoy these photos!

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On the Set of Noobz, a Videogame Nerd Movie

I’ll be spending a large chunk of today on the set of Noobz, a videogame movie starring Jason Mewes, Zelda Williams, Jon Gries, and more. The movie is about a group of friends and their dream to conquer a videogame tournament. From what I understand, the finals use Gears of War 3.

I’m excited about this movie for several reasons. First of all, it’s cool when gaming is portrayed in a cool way. Jason Mewes was awesome in all the Kevin Smith films and I’m excited to meet him for the second time. Jon Gries has a special place in my heart for playing Lazlo Hollyfeld in Real Genius and Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite. Noobz will make him an even bigger hero in the nerd community.

As always, I wish you guys and gals were with me on set. Please let me know if you have any questions about the movie. Check out its IMDB listing and let me know if you have any questions for the stars. If I have the chance, I’ll ask them.