Playstation 3

Do We Still Need Backwards Compatibility?

Back in 2006 when we first got our hands on the shiny new Playstation 3 Sony released two models, one premium model and one basic. The basic model missed out on WiFi, it had a smaller hard drive, and it didn’t have a multi card reader like the premium did. But other than that the two models were actually very similar. They both had 4 USB ports compared to the 2 you get on all models now and, crucially, in the US both of the launch versions had PS2 backward compatibility. This means that at the time Sony thought backward compatibly was important enough to even fit on the base model.

PSN and Retail Releases for the Week of 8/8/10

Playstation PLUS content returns this week with free versions of the PSone classic Syphon Filter, an hour long trial of Red Faction: Guerilla and the latest episode of Qore. Syphon Filter dealt with themes like bioterrorism and clandestine government agencies and was one of the better stealth third-person shooters available when it was released back in 1999. Red Faction: Guerilla effectively reboots the Red Faction franchise into an open-world action game. A free hour is more than enough time to experience the game’s most impressive feature— fully destructible environments. Episode 27 of Qore continues to keep you updated on all things Sony and even includes a demo of Ter-Rover.

Half Minute Hero Sequel Set for Japan

Half Minute Hero is one of my favorite titles for the PSP, with its common universe synonymous with an RPG, but very unique gameplay.  For anyone who doesn’t know what the first game was about, I’ll give you a very basic rundown, you have 30 seconds to complete certain objectives with some RPG elements thrown in.  A simple idea but it works really well and you just have to see it to understand why.

Insomniac’s Newest Game Revealed Soon

Insomniac Games, the people who brought you Ratchet and Clank and the Resistance series, have announced that they will be revealing their new game sometime between now and PAX, which is in September.  They have talked a little about the forthcoming releases in a newsletter:

“Want to be the first members of the public to see our new game being played with your own eyes? We’re bringing our new game to a very special Penny-Arcade Expo panel on Saturday evening (September 4th), at 6:30pm in the Serpent Theatre. G4TV’s Adam Sessler will moderate a panel with key creative talent from Insomniac Games as we discuss (and demo!) our upcoming PlayStation 3 project.”

Three Split/Second DLC Packs Announced for this Month

Black Rock Studio’s Split/Second, the high speed, explosive stunt racing game will be getting 3 content packs on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace “in the next couple weeks.” Additionally, a 4^th pack has been announced by the studio, though not expected to launch until next month.

Doesn’t Killzone 3 Make Resistance 3 Futile?

A PS3 exclusive where aliens are invading our planet and humankind is on the brink of extinction from an enemy that has us outmatched and outgunned, okay… now the question is am I talking about Killzone or Resistance? That’s the problem with Sony publishing both of these games. To take a step back, after E3 it struck some people as a bit odd that Sony showed off Killzone 3 before a Resistance sequel. Mainly due to the fact that Resistance 2 came out before Killzone 2, so logic would dictate that Resistance 3 would release prior to Killzone 3. Especially with Resistance developer, Insomniac Games, development schedule of alternating between releasing a Ratchet and Resistance game every year.

Last Guardian at Tokyo Game Show

Fumito Ueda, the director of Team ICO and the mastermind behind ICO and Shadow of the Colossus, has just hinted on his Twitter page that we will finally get some more details on the highly anticipated Last Guardian at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show.

Up until now the details available for this PS3 exclusive have been thin. We know the game centres around the friendship between a giant bird called Trico and a young boy. But other than this, and what has been extracted from a few teaser trailers, there have so far been very few concrete facts. Judging by the team’s last two games though it seems likely that this outing will again contain a rich open world with the now familiar, but still completely unique, sense of style and solitude. The player will control the boy, while caring for and working with the bird, in order to solve puzzles and advance through the story.