US PlayStation Store Update: March 27th 2008

This is what will be added to the PlayStation Store this week:

Demos:

• R-Type Command Demo (PSP)
  

Add-ons:

• UT3 Map Pack
• Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore Downloadable Songs
• Turok Multiplayer Map Pack 1
• High Stakes On The Vegas Trip: Poker Edition Multiplayer Video Chat
• Rock Band Boston Pack

Videos:

• Grand Theft Auto IV Trailer 4 - "Everyone's a Rat"
• God of War: Chains of Olympus - TV spot
  
• Winter X Games '08 Play the Pros
  
• Gran Turismo 5 Prologue - Mars Volta Video
  
• Gran Turismo 5 Prologue - Thin Lizzy Video
  
• Gran Turismo 5 Prologue - Weezer Video
  
• Warhawk Update v1.3 Trailer
  
• PURE Gameplay Trailer
  
• PURE CG Trailer
  
• Jean Wyclef’s “Fast Car” Music Video
  

Downloadable Games:

• flOw Bundle
  

simExchange Got Their Numbers Wrong

NPD Group had published their sales number for video game consoles. But it seems that they have made a little mistake, the total hardware sales for the month is not 1,799,000, it is 2,149,900.

NPD February Sales:

• US Hardware in February 2008

  Title	Actual units	Expected units	% From Expected
  Nintendo DS	587,600	427,300	+37.75%
  Nintendo Wii	432,000	400,700	+7.81%
  PlayStation 2	351,800	--	--
  PLAYSTATION 3	280,800	269,900	+4.04%
  Xbox 360	254,600	249,200	+2.17%
  PlayStation Portable	243,100	255,000	-4.67%
  Total Hardware Units	1,799,000	1,602,100	+12.29%

NPD Numbers

BioShock 2 Announced, Due To be Released On Q4 2009

Kotaku writes: "Take-Two Interactive announced today that BioShock 2 was officially in the works, under the development wing of the recently formed 2K Marin. The sequel to the Xbox 360 and PC shooter is planned for a fourth-quarter fiscal 2009 release date. Take-Two's fiscal year matches the calendar year, so expect it to hit unspecified platforms before the '09 holidays".

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Hideo Kojima Working on New Title

IGN writes: "Metal Gear Solid 4 will bring an end to the Solid Snake line of Metal Gear games. But, just in case you've heard rumors to the otherwise, it won't bring an end to series creator Hideo Kojima.

Speaking with Japan's Nikkei BP website, Konami president Fumiaki Tanaka revealed that Kojima is working on the concept for a new game outside of the Metal Gear universe. Pressed further on this mystery title, or possibly titles, Tanaka said that he couldn't reveal anything at this point and that a formal announcement won't be coming this year. Instead, we can probably look forward to hearing something after Kojima has written the new title's scenario, which won't happen until after MGS4 has been released and Metal Gear Online has been given a major push".

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NPD data: PS3 outsold Xbox 360 in February, says Pachter

VG247 writes: "Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter has told videogaming247 that his firm expects that PS3 outsold Xbox 360 in February, ahead of the release of NPD data on Thursday. PS3’s lead over the Microsoft machine, Pachter reasoned, was due to continuing supply issues for Xbox 360.

His view is in contradiction to The simExchange’s prediction that 360 had moved ahead of PS3 in February".

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Game Informer April Issue Info, Reviews and more

Alpha Protocol

(1 player action/RPG)

Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Platform: PS3/360/PC
Publisher: Sega
Release: Spring 2009

"A modern day espionage focused action/RPG that takes you on a suspenseful ride in the vein of James Bond, Jack Bauer, and Jason Bourne. Take a wet-behind-the-ears greenhorn agent up through the ranks to become a bona-fide super spy."

-Main character is Michael Thorton, a fully trained but inexperienced young operative who has the world turned upside down when a mission goes wrong.

-Title "Alpha Protocol" is a phrase that is used when operatives go underground to work off the grid. Usually reserved for senior agents.

-Battle system is similar to Mass Effect but have more in common with Uncharted. It revolves around real time combat with an emphasis on gun play and high tech gadgets.

-Third person perspective, action orientated gameplay

-Close quarters combat can be a last resort or primary method of fighting depending on how you spend skill points you have earned.

-Skill system is based most closely on Fallout. It's classless, you have 10 skills and 10 ranks in each skill. Skills don't simply improve things like accuracy, they improve the way your character will perceive situations.

-The game will suit all play styles from the run and gunner to the stealth assassin.

-Extremely in depth dialog system that is a mix of Mass Effect and Indigo Prophecy. Once conversations happen, that's it, no revisiting the NPC to try to talk again and again. System is named the Dialog Stance System. You dictate your characters tone in a conversation by pressing a corresponding face button. Options can be cool and suave others can be brash/impatient.

-You can have multiple active missions in different countries and travel freely between them.

-Lots of girls and romance subplots. You'll meet tons of different girls on missions and yes you can bag them all.

-Current control scheme for selecting powers and weapons is similar to Bioshock.



Other items of interest in the April Issue

Guitar Hero Aerosmith

Final Fantasy A2: Grimoire of the RIft confirmed for release in NA this summer
PREVIEWS:

Saint's Row 2
Prototype
GTA4
The Bourne Conspiracy
Battle of the Bands
This is Vegas
Spore
Stargate Worlds
The World Ends With You
Boom Blox
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
The Incredible Hulk

REVIEWS: (SO = Second Opinion)

Rainbow Six Vegas 2: 9.25 (SO: 9.5)
Army of Two: 7.5 (SO: 6.75)
MLB 2K8: 8.5 (SO: 8)
Condemned 2: Bloodshot: 8.75 (SO: 8.75)
Frontlines: Fuel of War: 7.25 (SO: 7.75)
Turning Point: Fall of Liberty: 3 (SO: 3.5)
Conflict: Denied Ops: 5.75 (SO: 6)
Bully SE: 8.5 (SO: 8.5)
Lost: Via Domus: 6.75 (SO: 7.25)
Twisted Metal: Head On Extra Twisted Edition: 7.25 (SO: 8)
Lost Odyssey: 8.5 (SO: 8.75)
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic: Elements: 8 (SO: 8.25)
Sins of a Solar Empire (PC GOTM): 9 (SO: 9)
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (GOTM): 9.5 (SO: 9.5)
Opoona: 5.5 (SO: 5)
Final Fantasy VII CC: 7.25 (SO: 7)
Professor Layton and the Curious Village: 7.5 (SO: 8.75)
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: RoF: 6 (SO: 7)
Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles: 6 (SO: 5)

Loose Talk:

Xbox Live 2.0?

Talks about the recent job posting for a program manager.

Bionic Terminator.

Rumored that next gen Bionic Commando developer Grin is getting started on the next Terminator video game project.

What Else is EA Planning? A Console?

Speculates that EA may enter the console arena in 2010. They're waiting to see if PS3 sales pick up first.

PSM3 Reviews: Dark Sector, Army Of Two, Condemed 2 and More

Dark Sector: 76%. A solid shooter that looks absolutely beautiful. But the lack of variety hinders it.

Rainbow Six Vegas 2: 78%. Despite neat adjustment to the gameplay, Vegas 2 feels like an expansion pack.

Condemned 2: Bloodshot: 81%. Gorgeous visuals, tough hand-to-hand combat and insanely creepy. Shame it's so damn dreary.

Sega Superstars Tennis: 73%. Addictive minigames, great arcade tennis and sunny visuals. But a bit basic at its core.

Army Of Two: 87%. Air guitars all round, as EA finally serve up one of the better third-person shooters on PS3.

Blacksite: Area 51: 51%. It has some great ideas, but ruins them with mediocre shooting and a truly shocking frame-rate.

Lost: Via Domus: 42%. Authentic presentation, but you wouldn't want to be stuck on a desert island with it.

Xbox 360 Price Drop Confirmed for the UK

VG247 writes: "Any announcement is going to be a little late, from the look of it. Amazon UK has cut the price of all its 360 SKUs this morning, following news last night that a Dutch retailer had detailed euro price cuts and the German FT had run a story saying Microsoft is to drop the price of the console today.

The Arcade pack on Amazon is now under £150, at £149.99. The retailer is selling the Premium pack for £189.99 and the Elite for £249.99.

The drop now means Xbox 360 is the cheapest current gen console in Europe. A British Wii currently costs £179.98 on Amazon".

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Dark Sector Achievements and Entitlements Revealed

ACHIEVEMENTS (X360) / ENTITLEMENTS (PS3)

LEVEL COMPLETION - 300 PTS

• Name: Prologue - Completed Chapter 1 (Score: 10)
• Name: Exposure - Completed Chapter 2 (Score: 10)
• Name: Baggage Claim - Completed Chapter 3 (Score: 10)
• Name: Moths To The Flame - Completed Chapter 4 (Score: 10)
• Name: The Shipment - Completed Chapter 5 (Score: 10)
• Name: The Bait - Completed Chapter 6 (Score: 10)
• Name: Industrial Evolution - Completed Chapter 7 (Score: 10)
• Name: Unnatural History - Completed Chapter 8 (Score: 10)
• Name: Threshold Guardian - Completed Chapter 9 (Score: 10)
• Name: The Dark Sector - Completed the game (Score: 100)
• Name: Dark Sector - Brutal Difficulty - Completed the Game on Brutal Difficulty (Score: 110)

COMBAT - 200 PTS

• Name: Headhunter - Decapitate 30 enemies(Score: 10)
• Name: Incinerator - Incinerate 30 enemies (Score: 10)
• Name: Electrician - Electrocute 30 enemies (Score: 10)
• Name: Jack Frost - Kill 30 frozen enemies. (Score: 10)
• Name: Finesse - Kill 30 enemies with Aftertouch (Score: 40)
• Name: Hardball - Kill 30 enemies with Power-throw (Score: 35)
• Name: Sharpshooter - Get 30 headshots (Score: 10)
• Name: Glaive Master - Complete a level by only using the Glaive (Score: 10)
• Name: The Finisher - Perform 30 finishers (Score: 10)
• Name: Double Decap Latte - Get two decapitations in one shot (Score: 15)
• Name: Jack the Jackal - Take the Jackal for a ride (Score: 35)
• Name: Skeet Shooter - Shoot 10 projectiles in mid-flight (Score: 10)
• Name: Weaponsmith - Apply 5 upgrades in the market (Score: 10)
• Name: Greed - Collect over 50,000 rubles (Score: 10)
• Name: Researcher - Collect 10 weapon upgrades (Score: 10)
• Name: Master Researcher - Collect all the weapon upgrades (Score: 15)
• Name: Rebound - Kill an enemy with a reflected projectile (Score: 15)
• Name: Ghost - Use cloaking to get a finisher (Score: 35)

MULTIPLAYER - 200 PTS

• Name: Glory - Finish best overall in a ranked match (Multiplayer) (Score: 30)
• Name: Veteran - Scored 500 points (Score: 30)
• Name: Hero - Scored 5000 points (Score: 40)
• Name: Champion - Finish best overall in a ranked team game (Score: 30)
• Name: Comrade - Score 500 points in ranked team games (Score: 30)
• Name: Hero of the people - Score 5000 points in ranked team games (Score: 40)

Source

Konami Looks To Future with "major" Title

PSU writes: " With Metal Gear Solid IV set to release worldwide this June, exclusively for the PlayStation 3, Konami is not taking any breaks which elucidates why they have recently teamed up with the Spanish videogame developer, Mercury Steam, to develop an unannounced title for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms.

Konami explains that this title will be a major role-player in their 2009-2010 lineup. Dave Cox, the head of product planning at Konami Digital Entertainment explains"

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US PS3 Release for the Week of March 9th

• Condemned 2

• Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
  

Scores From the April Edition of PTOM

God of War: CoO - 5 Game Of The Month
Dynasty Warriors 6 - 2
Downstream Panic - 2.5
MLB 2K8 - 3
NFL Tour - 1
Twisted Metal:HO:ETE - 3.5
Patapon - 4
Conflict: DO - 3.5
Obscure:tA - 2.5
The Club - 2.5
Wipeout Pulse - 4
Pinball Hall of Fame: TWC - 3
Sonic Riders:ZG - 2
Iridium Runners - 2

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Information from PTOM April 2008

The latest issue of PlayStation: The Official Magazine (April edition) has a cover feature for LucasArts' upcoming game, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Here is the information:

• Controls
• Force Jump - X
  
• Force Push - O
• Lightsaber - Square
• Force Grip - R2
• Game uses 3 physics engines (Euphoria engine, Havok engine, and DMM engine).
• Timed button presses do more damage than button mashing.
• Takes place between Episode 3 and 4.
• Huge plot twists for the entire series.
• Camera follows enemy bodies when spectacular moves are done.
• Force powers take more force the stronger they are but are usable with any amount for desperate attacks.
• You can grab flying TIE fighters and toss them into stormtroopers.
• Blocking lasers is automatic, but pressing L2 increases chance of blocking and reflecting.
• After completing missions you get points to upgrade powers and unlock new combos and skills.
• Force talents are separate and are used to upgrade health, energy, deflection chance, and lightsaber damage.
• Exploration is encouraged by finding holocrons. Sith holocrons, grant powerups, and Jedi holocrons unlock new costumes, lightsaber hilts, and crystals.
• Enemies can grab onto things like railings to stop your force grip.

PSP World Reviews God of War: Chains of Olympus

PSP World writes: "In an age where Gods ruled over man and make their presence known through out the world, dominating those that dare question their power. However it seems that the Gods can't keep things under control without the help of a mortal to keep things in order. Introducing to you God of War Chains of Olympus for the PSP where Kratos returns in this prequel set before he went against the gods, instead he was a slave to them. Even though he is portable doesn't mean he can't keep things bloody. Keep on reading to see this eye popping review"

Full Review

Ripten Reviews Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Ripten writes: "Ask anybody who had a hand in developing the original Super Smash Brothers for the N64 back in 1999, and they would have told you that they thought that the quirky brawler was destined for the bargain bin. Who knew that a game featuring a battle to the death between all of Nintendo’s famed mascots would become such a sensation? Nintendo fans, that’s who.

And make no mistake, Brawl is a phenomenon. Nintendo has done a masterful job of stoking anticipation for the sequel to the bestselling GameCube game of all time, and it’s backed up the hype with a bona fide system seller. Super Smash Brothers Brawl’s addictive mix of nostalgia, platforming and multiplayer party action is the kind of game that can keep Nintendo fans going for months, if not years".

Score 9.5 out of 10

Full Review

Dark Sector Goes Gold

IGN writes: "D3Publisher of America, Inc. (D3PA), a publisher and developer of interactive entertainment software, today announced that Dark Sector will ship to retail stores in North America on March 25, 2008 for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system. Developed by acclaimed developer Digital Extremes, co-creators behind the award-winning Epic Game's Unreal franchise, Dark Sector is an all-new and original action-thriller that will offer players a dark, gritty experience packed with fast action, incredible superpowers and an engaging story".

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Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis Launching New Site

Ex Gamespot employees Ryan Davis and Jeff Gerstmann are planning to launch a new gaming website called the Giant Bomb. I cant wait to see the new things that they are bringing to us.

If you want to visit the site click here.

Rumor New Killzone 2 trailer to be shown at Play.com LIVE

ThreeSpeech have posted an updated list for the games they will be showing at Play.com LIVE

PS3

GT5 Prologue - playable code
Everybody’s Golf: World Tour - playable code
Time Crisis - playable code
Echochrome - playable code
Killzone 2 - trailer
LittleBigPlanet - trailer (w00t)
Play TV - trailer

So it seems that they are showing a new trailer. Only time will tell.