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Naughty Dog wants to half-tuck Uncharted into the PSP
Naughty Dog's co-president Evan Wells is definitely interested in having people tuck Nathan Drake -- either halfway or all the way -- into their pockets and visit the world of Uncharted whenever they want to. He feels that there are a lot of stories to tell in that world, and that the PSP would be the perfect platform for it. Just imagine Uncharted: Sully's Adventure where you can wheel and deal in the black market, or Uncharted: Elena on Assignment where you're chasing a dangerous news story. Scoop!
"I think it would be fantastic to see the game (move) onto a handheld system," Wells told us. "Each one of the episodes is sort of like a standalone thing and I think we could do that pretty easily. If we can find a partner to work with, I'd love to do that ... we definitely wouldn't do it ourselves. We're trying to just focus on the PS3 technology and platform right now." He added, laughing, "But, if we can't find a partner, then maybe we're going to have to find a budget ourselves."
Laugh if you will, Wells. You're just toying with our heartstrings is all. We'd love to see Nathan Drake on our PSP. Make it happen. We have Ready at Dawn's phone number if you need it.
PSN Thursday: Mega Man 10, some BioShock 2 'Sinclair Solutions'
The Blue Bomber -- who is inconveniently red in the pic above -- returns in the retro-centric Mega Man 10. Those who returned to Rapture with BioShock 2 can also pick up the "Sinclair Solutions Test Pack" for $5. There's also the fourth episode of The Tester -- how's that going? Oh yeah, for those with an interest in baseball (it's a game played with a stick), there's a demo for MLB 10: The Show. For those with a PSP, it's another solid comic book update. Check out the full PSN update after the break.
Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list:
PlayStation Move requires 1-2 MB of system memory
Sony's GDC panel "Introducing the PlayStation Motion Controller was exactly that: An introduction to the newly named Move peripheral. David Coombes, Kirk Bender and Anton Mikhailov showcased a number of impressive tech demos, many of which demonstrated the Move's incredible precision and low latency. One of the most impressive demos showcased full body tracking using an on-screen body puppet, not unlike one of Project Natal's tech demos.
Body tracking is made possible by combining the Move and PS3's head tracking capability. According to the presentation, the PS3 can also detect faces, going so far as to identify individuals through face contour and feature detection. The software will be able to recognize gender, age, smiles and when eyes open and close.
Coombes explained that all the calculations necessary to handle image processing are done by the Cell CPU, which apparently excels at the doing floating point calculations. The raw data can be processed incredibly quickly by the PS3, taking "under a frame" to translate to a game experience. And while Mikhailov didn't reveal how much of the CPU's overall power the Move controller requires, he did reveal that the memory demands are truly "insignificant" -- 1-2 MB of system memory.
THQ's Bilson: Research and focus testing will 'usually destroy' creativity
During an interview at the 2010 Game Developers Conference, THQ executive VP of Core Games Danny Bilson told Joystiq that market research creates "bland" titles, citing it is not a process his group is willing to utilize for future development. "We don't do research to find out what people want to play. If you need to do that kind of research you must not be playing games yourself," Bilson said, noting that research and overusing focus tests can "misguide creative forces."
According to Bilson, his core group at THQ is ruled by creating "excellent" titles. Put simply, Bilson says he will not ship a game if it's not "really good" -- noting that doing otherwise will make it impossible for him to "sleep at night." As an example of this process, Bilson noted his decision to push Darksiders from a 2009 release into the early-2010 calendar in order to ensure the game was of high quality. (Darksiders currently holds an average Metacritic rating of 83.)
"Inspiration comes from one place and research and focus testing will usually destroy it. It will usually create 'bland' and create something for everyone and really nothing for anyone," he said, praising the idea that publishers should not ship a game until it's ready. "If my teams make really good games, in the long run, that's what people relate to. They're not buying advertising, they're not buying Wall Street nonsense. They're buying what's on that disc."
Sam and Max penetrate 'The Penal Zone' April 15 on PC, Mac, PS3
Pre-orders for the whole season on PC and Mac are currently available on Telltale's site for $35, which also comes with an episode from Strong Bad, Wallace & Gromit or a previous Sam & Max season for free. "Pre-orders on PlayStation Network coming soon."
Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes trailer offers taste of high-def wizardry
Following up yesterday's announcement that Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes is getting an HD facelift and coming to Xbox Live and PSN, Ubisoft has revealed the first teaser trailer for the game. Amidst all of the quoted accolades and plumes of smoke are some actual tidbits of gameplay.
In short: this looks purty.
February NPD: Xbox 360 and BioShock 2 sales heat up
BioShock 2 seems to have had something to do with the boost, with the Xbox 360 version topping the software charts (and the PS3 version absent from the top ten). Other notable software milestones: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is now the third best-selling game of all time, and Just Dance seems to have made a better pact with Satan than even Dante's Inferno did. See the software top ten after the break.
-DS: 613K
191K (45%)
-360: 422K89K (27%)
-Wii: 398K
68K (-15%)
-PS3: 360K83K (30%)
-PSP: 133K33K (33%)
-PS2: 102K60K (143%)
See more Move in Sports Champions dev diary
They also describe their excitement about Move and its new opportunities for control -- going so far as to compare it to the feeling of playing a 3D game for the first time. If you were developing one of the flagship games for the thing, you'd be excited too!
Mystery Dragon Age project dated Feb. 1, 2011
It would appear that the still-unnamed next project in the Dragon Age series has been given a date, as spotted by 1UP in an early retail box of Dragon Age: Origins -- Awakening for PS3. Aligning with the release window hinted at by EA hinted earlier this year during a financial call, the scarcely-detailed game will arrive on Februrary 1, 2011 -- or, in the graphic's terms, "02.01.2011."
We're not exactly sure if this is part of the two years of promised content that BioWare outlined late last year, but at very least it's an extremely early (possible) release date for more content in a critically acclaimed series. We've asked EA for more information on the date and will let you know more as soon as we do.
Harmonix gets its 'Brain Stewed' by Green Day: Rock Band
The one track we were most looking forward to from Green Day: Rock Band was, of course, "Brain Stew/Jaded" from the outfit's 1995 album. It's a powerful, triumphant tune -- and, apparently, it's also super hard. The Harmonix crew attempted the song during last night's "Rock Band Bar Night" event at GDC, and -- well, it ended in tears. Or rather, jeers.
You can check out some off-screen footage of their tremendous failure above, or footage of them actually playing the game past the jump. To be fair, the drummer didn't see the flurry of notes coming at him, due to his attempt to refresh himself with some libations. You know who else was enjoying a few beverages? The drunk dude who kept trying to throw the devil horns up in front of our camera while we were filming. Really, drunk dude? Really?
Interview: Sony's Scott Rohde on PlayStation Move
Sony Worldwide Studios VP Scott Rohde had the onerous task of introducing the first PlayStation Move games at Sony's GDC press conference last night. We caught up with the executive after the show to talk about Sony's plans for exploiting motion control and ask if hardcore gamers should be concerned about the future of the PS3 games library.
Our complete interview with Rohde follows:
It's obviously going to take internal resources to develop games for PlayStation Move. How can you guarantee that this won't take away from the resources devoted to traditional hardcore games?
Scott Rohde: The bottom line is, you know Worldwide Studios is a huge organization. I'm not sure exactly where it sits among other global publishers, but it's right up there. There's a lot of resources put into product development. I'm pretty proud of the roll that we've been on -- with Uncharted 2 kind of sweeping the awards recently.
There's plenty of resources to go around. It's our heritage: we're never going to compromise our core; great exclusive games. This is a new initiative to us. Some teams are looking into how they might incorporate motion control into some existing plans; others are totally focused on making the best sequels to the games we all love. It's not something I'm worried about.
Aliens, Predators and prey available as Home costumes
No matter which species wins, we all lose. PlayStation Home has been invaded by Aliens vs. Predator costumes, in Europe at least. The outfits are available for a limited time and leave the Home universe on March 31. Virtual cosplay prices are:
Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest makes 'Move' to PS3
The PS3 version won't be an exact port of the Wii one, but it's the same idea -- a game for which the Wii was originally the lead platform, now spreading to the PS3 thanks to the existence of a very Wii-like motion controller. It may be the first, but this is definitely not the last time we'll see this!
European PSN releases for March 11
Mega Man 10 is here, do you need anything else? Yes? Well, click past the jump to see all of this week's offerings!
Bad Company 2 to offer free March 30 'mapathy' cure
Oh man, EA's pursuit of Modern Warfare 2 just got hot, as DICE has announced via the Battlefield Blog that on March 30 -- the same day the Stimulus Package DLC will boost Modern Warfare 2's map count -- Battlefield: Bad Company 2's VIP members will receive the free "VIP Map Pack 2," which adds a Conquest mode scenario to the Arica Harbor map and Rush mode to Laguna Presa.
Both maps aren't new to the game, however neither has been available for play in the "unlocked" game modes noted above. So, that kinda qualifies as a "map pack," right? Regardless, it's free, as DICE boldly proclaims in its jab at Activision and Infinity Ward: "How to avoid 'mapathy' without paying!"
[Thanks, Qwaint]
THQ developing downloadable games based on 'core' brands
"Very aggressive" is the phrase THQ executive VP of Core Games Danny Bilson used to describe his company's plans for downloadable titles across the Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and PC platforms during a GDC 2010 interview with Joystiq. With two studios dedicated to the downloadable space -- THQ Digital Studios Phoenix (formerly Rainbow Studios) and THQ Digital Studios UK (formerly Juice Games) -- Bilson told us THQ plans to release "up to six" downloadable titles within the next year, some based on the company's biggest brands.
"We're going to be building stuff on some of our core brands," Bilson said, noting the plan is to create downloadable titles within the same universe as THQ's major franchises in order to improve brand awareness. Surprisingly, Bilson's plans include "giving away" some of the upcoming downloadable games, although he did not specify how this idea would be executed.
Bilson's theory is that by getting players "involved" in its franchises via downloadable titles, THQ can help drive pre-orders and awareness for their big-budget (in relation) retail counterparts. While he would not specify which THQ franchises would get downloadable titles, we were told the plan is to roll out this strategy on "two or three" of THQ's biggest franchises (à la Square Enix's upcoming Lara Croft game from developer Crystal Dynamics).
But the plan doesn't end there: Similar to the approach taken by Microsoft's Fable II: Pub Games experiment, downloadable releases based on THQ's major brands will unlock content within the retail releases, teasing players with potential advantages to purchasing related retail titles; retail games will also unlock content in downloadable titles, to help drive players to explore more content within that franchise's universe. "You're going to see some of our core brands built out in different kinds of gameplay to get people involved in the brands and drive awareness towards a launch."
PlayStation Move: the everything you need to know post
That's it, you ask? Oh, no -- wait till you see what we've lined up for you after the break!
Green Day: Rock Band releases June 8 worldwide
That's right, folks -- Harmonix has just revealed that Green Day: Rock Band will be available for all come June 8 on Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii. Up to 6 players (3 mics; 3 instruments) will progress through the career of the trio, unlocking collectible images (more than 100, apparently) and some 40 minutes of "rare and unreleased" footage from interviews, outtakes and performances along the way.
As alluded to above, GD:RB will also sport the same vocal harmonizing feature that made The Beatles: Rock Band such a delight for mic hogs and comes loaded with 47 Green Day tracks, including "Brain Stew," "Jaded," "Hitchin' a Ride," "American Idiot," "Wake Me Up When September Ends" and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."
Oh, and if you're looking to export these tunes, worry not: all 47 tracks are fully exportable to a console hard drive and playable in Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and the recently announced Rock Band 3. The export fee is $9.99 via Xbox Live or PSN. The export features is not available for the Wii system. Additionally, if you've picked up the six Green Day tunes already available as DLC, you can play them in the new game with added harmonies, "unique" visuals and more "exclusive archival material."
Green Day: Rock Band will be available as a standalone game for Xbox 360 and PS3 for $59.99, while Wii owners will get a bit of a price break at $49.99. A special edition Green Day: Rock Band Plus will also come to Xbox 360 and PS3 for $69.99 and includes fancy packaging, an "export" feature (we assume, a voucher to export the disc tracks to the hard drive) and the six previously released Green Day DLC tracks.
Update: The GameStop pre-order bonus for the standalone game is an export voucher (for Xbox 360 or PS3). Essentially, pre-order GD:RB from GameStop, and you can export all 47 tracks to your console hard drive for free.
Next Red Faction planned for March 2011, focus on franchise's roots
In an interview with Joystiq during the 2010 Game Developer's Conference, THQ's executive VP of Core Games Danny Bilson let a few new details slip about the upcoming sequel to the critical-smash hit Red Faction: Guerrilla. "The new game takes [Red Faction] to a whole new place, it kind of goes back to the old Red Faction because about 80% of it is underground," Bilson said. According to Bilson, the as-yet-properly-named sequel -- which he describes as a "hybrid" between the first two titles in the Red Faction franchise and Guerrilla -- is planned for release in March 2011. (In February, THQ's annual investors conference call vaguely stated a Guerrilla sequel was planned for the company's "fiscal 2011" window.)
Bilson was tight-lipped on other details but did confirm the upcoming open-world third-person shooter would be far more "structured," akin to a "narrative" shooter. The sequel will still feature the destructibility Bilson says cost THQ "a fortune" to develop for Guerrilla, but will have a much greater impact on cities built closer together in the tight confines of the new underground world.
Although Guerrilla captivated most critics (netting a Metacritic average of 85 across three platforms) the third-person shooter failed to meet THQ's sales expectations. While Bilson said it would have been easy to scrap the characters and setting in the upcoming sequel and shift it into a new intellectual property -- effectively severing its connection to Guerrilla's poor retail showing -- he felt the quality in the previous entry was too great to abandon the Red Faction universe.
The strategy now, says Bilson, is to expose gamers to the series in order to prepare them for the future, citing the recent Red Faction: Guerrilla giveaway promotion as an example of giving the title the exposure it "deserved" at launch. "Giving away the stock now, on Red Faction, is getting more people exposed to the IP because we're going bigger on Red Faction next time," Bilson told us. "If the game wasn't so good, we wouldn't be giving it away at all."
Prison Break escaping March 30; new screens released
We have no doubt you've been counting the days (likely via tick marks on the wall), waiting for more information on Zootfly/Deep Silver's Prison Break, so you'll be glad to hear that the game finally got a solid release date (March 30) and a price ($49.99 on 360/PS3, $39.99 on PC) today from its publisher.
Along with the mess of new screens we've dropped below into a gallery, this is just about the most flush we've been with Prison Break info in the entire history of the game's development cycle -- and it's coming out in just under three weeks! As the game's coming from the developer of Mr. T: The Game, we're willing to give this one a shot just so we can support the company's upcoming adventure into madness.
Impressions: Medal of Honor
It's impossible to avoid comparisons between EA's upcoming Medal of Honor reboot and Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare series ... so, I'll just get it out of the way: Medal of Honor unapologetically follows in the footsteps of Call of Duty. In fact, I'm willing to raise the possibility that Medal of Honor could be the "true" sequel to the Call of Duty 4 campaign many of us are still waiting for after suffering through Modern Warfare 2's increasingly preposterous storyline.
Recently, I got a peek at a new Medal of Honor trailer which lays it out like this: There are two sides to every war: the sledgehammer and the scalpel. What Call of Duty 4 did so well was to portray exactly how these two components work in tandem, as it featured scenarios in which large assaults aided small elite forces, and vice versa. Medal of Honor promises to recreate similar battlefield situations, with the "scalpel" represented by the Tier 1 Operators, an elite branch of SOCOM.
Darksiders dev David Adams gushes about THQ
Unlike the less than wonderful relations some developers are currently having with their publishing partners, Vigil Games' general manager David Adams says things between his studio and THQ couldn't have been better during the development of Darksiders. "We were pretty lucky, just because our publisher had this weird, insane faith in us that I don't necessarily think any other publisher would have had ... our take was that if we just did really cool stuff, people would see that -- they'd want to jump on the bandwagon and support us, and THQ did," Adams tells GamesIndustry.biz in a recent interview.
Adams adds that his studio is constantly "trying to be more efficient, do stuff quicker, using less money," so that certainly can't hurt how THQ feels about Vigil, especially given the last year of "restructuring" the publisher underwent to become financially solvent once again. "THQ went through a lot of pain and restructuring -- they took a lot of bullets so we could continue to make our game, and that's a good indication of their faith in us, and their drive to make great-quality products." We'd like to point out that, in this situation, we're all winners because THQ has seemingly become a competitive publisher again, due to producing quality products that we get to play -- and hey, tons of people don't lose their jobs.
Monkey Island Home costumes allow for Dread Pirate Quincy
Does your dead-eyed Home avatar lack a bit of that buccaneering spirit? LucasArts has a sure-fire way to fix your lack of nautical flair: During its pirate-themed party at GDC, the company announced that Monkey Island costumes (pictured above) would soon make their way to PlayStation Home.
Now, we rarely get excited over virtual duds for our virtual manifestations -- but Stan's coat could really add a certain savoir-faire to our terrifying craft.
We touched it: PlayStation Move from every angle
Click to MOVE into the gallery
Professionally taken publicity shots of new hardware are nice, sure, but nothing really compares to seeing what the thing actually looks like in the real world. It's with that in mind that we grabbed a PlayStation Move and snapped the photos you can browse in the gallery below. In them, you'll see such noteworthy features as the USB syncing / charging port; what appear to be notches for some addition doodad to lock onto at the bottom of the Move; and the select and start buttons tucked away on either side of the "wand" itself.
'Arc' lives on in PlayStation Move's logo
Even the not-so-keen-eyed observer has probably noticed by now that the PlayStation Move's logo doesn't really look like a letter "M." That's because it's a letter "A," as in "Arc," the name which, according to multiple Sony sources who wished to remain anonymous, is what the peripheral was to be called at retail until the company was refused a trademark on the Arc name. In fact, we've been told that the change to "Move" was made quite recently, which further explains the incongruous logo.
If you think "Move" is an odd name for Sony's motion controller, these same sources assured us that we got lucky - many of the other proposed names following the trademark denial were ranged from silly to awful, they said. When we suggested that "PlayStation Boogie" was about as bad as we could imagine, we were told, "Actually, that's an improvement over a lot of them."
Keep an eye on the Move logo -- we wouldn't be surprised if Sony's marketing department adds a little extra blue ink before E3, making it a true (stylized) letter "M."
Hands-on: PlayStation Move's 'Move Party'
The PlayStation Move-equivalent of the minigame compilations released for PS2's EyeToy, Move Party is an excuse to use Sony's motion controller to look like a fool in front of your family and friends. (As if holding a glowing wand and pantomiming playing a sport isn't already silly enough.)
Ludwig and I took turns looking utterly ridiculous while playing the title earlier today, trying to best one another in a series of minigames which ranged from swatting bugs with tennis rackets to painting shapes in the air - things that would have been entirely possible with Sony's older tech. We got a brief taste of the Move's potential when we needed to stab a spear at jellyfish floating up the screen - I really had to stab toward the screen pretty strongly to pop them. The precision possible with the Move was best demonstrated by the haircut minigame, where it was possible to finely cut along the scalp line to remove the comical characters' locks.
The most impressive element of Move Party, though, is by far the precision with which the various tools - paintbrushes, shears, rackets - that all mimicked how I was holding the controller exactly in the on-screen "augmented reality" video. It was ... kind of spooky. Though it wasn't announced as such, this has to be the software title Sony intends to pack in with the hardware. I can't imagine it debuting as a full-priced retail title. Maybe at $20, or, better yet, a PSN release.
Hands-on: PlayStation Move's Sports Champions
You might think it derisive to call Sports Champions (working title) the Wii Sports of PlayStation Move, but it's really intended as a compliment. Although the collection of sports-themed games are relatively simple, they adequately highlight the Move's motion-sensing capabilities and, most importantly, how they're distinguished from those offered by the Wii (something that another Move game, The Shoot, did not do). Like Wii Sports, Sports Champions seems good at selling you on the hardware's abilities -- and what they might mean in more elaborate games.
The Gladiator Duel sub-game is a simple affair of blocking and attacking (your character moves towards the opponent automatically), but the Move will take into account the height of your swings and the positioning of your shield (generated by a second Move controller). It'll also sense distance -- if you don't hold your weapon arm back, it'll swing into your own shield to deleterious effect. Aside from swinging and blocking, you can also move both arms upwards to activate a jumping attack, or shuffle the controllers to the side in order to roll out of the way from an incoming strike. Basic stuff, but natural enough to not come across as a tacked-on gesture.
Table Tennis was more promising, and easily bested the Wii's equivalent. Your paddle's angle and area of exposure is almost instantly determined by how you're holding the controller. The Move's weight, coupled with the game's quick response and predictable physics, made every swing feel ... just right. It'll be a shame if a table tennis game turns out to be one of the best launch games for Move, but at least it'll stand out as one of the best of its ilk. That's a win, right?
Hands-on: PlayStation Move's 'The Shoot'
"The Shoot" is a pretty fun title. The on-rails shooter propels you through a series of cheesy movie sets, populated by cardboard cut-out civilians, antiquated B-movie aliens and hulking robots. And then you shoot them ... on the shoot. See? What's more fun than a title with a double meaning?
Although the title is a riot, my time with the game left me feeling disappointed and annoyed. Lightgun shooters have a comfy home on Wii, and the point-and-shoot mechanics of games like House of the Dead: Overkill are a natural fit for the controller. The PlayStation Move is similarly well-suited, both in terms of aiming ability and comfortable weighting. But "The Shoot" felt like a second-rate shooting range, marked by a slow pace and obvious simplicity.
Those can't be trotted out as negatives for every gamer, but if you're a Joystiq reader, there's something you have to know: In order to activate a useful slow-motion effect in "The Shoot," you have to -- I'm not kidding -- spin around on the spot like a ballerina with an ice-cream cone in her hand. I imagine Sony would like to separate its motion controller from the Wii's stigma of vapid, gestural-overload games, so pulling an early-days Wii stunt like that makes for a bad impression.
Hands-on: SOCOM 4 (with PlayStation Move!)
There are two questions I'll try to answer with this quick hands-on preview. Firstly, is SOCOM 4 the true sequel to the SOCOM franchise we've been waiting for? Secondly, does the PlayStation Move controller work as intended?
It's hard to answer the first question, especially within the constraints of a ten-minute demo. What I can say is that even in this early state, SOCOM 4 looks very good, sporting incredibly detailed environments. While the early code has a noticeably choppy framerate, there was already a large number of objects in the environment. Whether it's a car, a trash can, a thrown-out mattress, there are tons of objects to take cover behind in the world.
Controlling your squad should be familiar to anyone that's played a recent SOCOM game. Holding L1 on the Move allows you to slightly slow down time and direct your team to move to position and await orders. You can even call in an airstrike by holding down the Move button and holding Down on a target. After sneaking down an alley, we were able to catch a large squad of soldiers lounging in an open field. They had no idea what hit them as the bombs dropped.
First Monkey Island SE coming to PSN, Mac, Telltale, InstantAction
At a GDC 2010 event, LucasArts announced that The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition is headed to a plethora of new platforms and services. First and foremost, it's been ported for both the PlayStation Network and Mac OS. Furthermore, the game is also making the jump to the Telltale games store as well as InstantAction.com. There are currently no details as to when the game will hit the services mentioned above, but rest assured we're following up with LucasArts right now.
It's worth noting that InstantAction.com is currently down for "maintenance," with the site's blog mentioning some "exciting announcements" in the near future. Regardless of when the game does show up, it's definitely good news for adventure fans that have been deprived of the remake thus far.
The Secret of Monkey Island 2: Special Edition announced for XBLA, PSN, PC, iPhone
At a pirate-themed party in San Francisco tonight (with special guests Ron Gilbert and Tim Schafer!) LucasArts announced The Secret of Monkey Island 2: Special Edition, coming "this summer" on Xbox Live Arcade, PSN, PC, iPhone and iPod Touch. This isn't simply the same "special edition" treatment applied to last year's edition; instead, fans can expect a new control mechanism. "In addition to the point-and-click interface, we've added the ability to move Guybrush around, so you feel more connected to him," said LucasArts' Craig Derrick, project lead on all Monkey Island products. They've also added never-before-seen art from Peter Chan and Steve Purcell and developer commentary (!) for you Monkey Island fanboys out there (that's you).
Of course, that's in addition to all the stuff you'd expect from the special edition treatment, including high-definition art, remastered music, full voiceover track, and the ability to swap between original and "special edition" modes. Derrick even said they've "reimagined" each character, citing fan displeasure with Guybrush's hair in the first special edition. Really? We liked his hair ...
PlayStation Move sub-controller: Don't call it a Nunchuk
In case this is your first visit to Joystiq, know that Sony has dropped major megatons this evening at its GDC press conference -- as well as one very small megaton: the PlayStation Move "sub-controller." What you see above is the little brother (if you will) to the main ice cream cone-esque Move wand and the enabler of all things analog stick-controlled.
As per Sony's announcement of Move, the sub-controller attachment is intended to "expand the game play options that PlayStation Move games can offer," and -- unlike Nintendo Wii's Nunchuk controller -- it will connect wirelessly to the console via Bluetooth. We'll have our hands-on with the PlayStation Move (and the sub-controller) for you later tonight. For now, ogle the high-res images in our gallery below.
The PlayStation Move games (we know of)
According to the block of info posted on European PlayStation Blog, there are a lot more PlayStation Move games out there to be seen than tonight's press release let on. Beyond the already revealed support for Move in SOCOM 4,
Oh, and the Euro Blog's mention of "DUKES" is just another name for that Motion Fighter game, which was mentioned onstage during this evening's press event -- so cool your heels and put the Jump to Conclusion mat back away. (We do rather like the name "Dukes," we'll admit; though we've been told it's a regional thing, and us North Americans are likely stuck with "Motion Fighter" instead.) We've yet to confirm which studios are developing which games, but you can be sure we'll ask Sony just as soon as we can. Here's the complete list of PlayStation Move titles that we know of, though, for now:
PlayStation Move trailer shows you what you'll look like whilst Moving
PlayStation Blog recently got its hands on a trailer for the very recently monikered PlayStation Move -- though it doesn't really contain any information which hasn't surfaced over the past few minutes (or rather, months). There's PlayStation Eye integration, voice support, and -- guess what! That ball on top? Totally changes colors.
The only new information this new trailer imparts is what you're going to look like while you play a game with the PlayStation Move. That is to say, infinitely dweeby. Check out the trailer above to see what we mean.
Move supported by 36 companies, 20 games this fiscal year
At Sony's special GDC event, Activision, Capcom, WB Games, Namco Bandai, Square Enix, Ubisoft, EA, Disney, Konami, Sega, Crave and Tecmo Koei all confirmed that they'll be supporting the Move in future versions of their games. Although that confirmation came in the form of a slide full of company logos and word from Sony vice-president of marketing and PSN that, "Virtually every third-party publisher" will support the new motion-control device.
Sony's Jack Tretton went on to say that 36 publishers and third-party developers will support it, and according to a press release, "In fiscal year 2010, SCE Worldwide Studios will also release more than 20 games that are either dedicated to or supported with the PlayStation Move platform. While this same group of publishers will probably support Microsoft's Project Natal as well, it's good to know that everyone is onboard. But onboard how? Are they developing Move departments that will get every possible ounce of gameplay out of these things? Or do they mean support like backrubs and cookies?
We aren't sure what titles will be supported just yet, but our team of Joystiqers are waving the Move about as you read this, and we'll have more news very soon.
EyePet to support PlayStation Move, hits North America holiday 2010
Sony announced during its GDC 2010 press conference that the upcoming US release of EyePet will feature support for its motion controller, PlayStation Move. The game will allow players to manipulate toys and also play games with their EyePets. Furthermore, it's even possible to create new toys. The promotional video during the event showed off a child using the Move to draw a car on some virtual paper, which then jumped off the page and became an object that players and the EyePet could then interact with.
In addition, Sony announced that EyePet is slated for a North American release this holiday. There was no mention of what will happen to the European version of the game, which was released last year. Presumably, Move support will be added once the peripheral launches.
SOCOM 4 to support PlayStation Move
During its GDC 2010 conference Sony has revealed that Zipper Interactive's upcoming shooter SOCOM 4 will support the (just officially named) PlayStation Move motion controller. Controlling the shooter requires the PlayStation Move and its optional secondary device known as the Move "Sub-controller" -- a wand like device which sports an analog stick.
During Sony's Game Developer's Conference keynote SOCOM 4 was demoed using the precise motion-control scheme to varying accuracy success. PlayStation Move support was also showcased in a demo for LittleBigPlanet (originally shown at TGS 2009) where PlayStation Move players could interact with the environment around Sackboy (or Sackgirl!).
Sony also featured a handful of mini-games for an upcoming compilation title titled Sports Champions, including a gladiator-style fighter and table tennis. The PlayStation Move will release later this year in a variety of bundles.
Joystiq live at Sony's GDC 2010 press conference
It's an awfully nice gesture of Sony to invite us to its GDC 2010 press conference -- and it's one where we expect to see some equally nice gestures. That's a Motion Controller joke, folks. Check back by 4:00PM PST (7PM EST) to catch our full and irritatingly detailed liveblog!
PlayStation Move bundles announced, starter kit under $100
During its GDC press conference, Sony announced that the PlayStation motion controller -- newly dubbed PlayStation Move -- will launch in several different packages to accommodate the various gamers out there. Sony is planning an "aggressive" marketing campaign around the new peripheral when it launches later this year and -- similar to Microsoft's launch plans for Project Natal -- it will treat the launch of the PlayStation Move as a separate "platform launch."
There will be multiple bundles, including a bundle that includes a PlayStation 3 console, the PlayStation Move and the PlayStation Eye. Furthermore, the company will launch a starter pack, which includes a PlayStation Move, a PlayStation Eye and an unnamed game all for under $100.
'PlayStation Move' is official name of motion controller
Though you guys had some bold, provocative ideas for what the heretofore unnamed "PlayStation Motion Controller" should be called, Sony has just squelched your creativity during its GDC event by giving the peripheral its official name: The PlayStation Move. We know, we know -- we were also really hoping for "The Seybold," too.
So, now that we can stop posting conjecture about what the device is going to be called, what other reason will we have to write about it? Sony hopes to provide that information later in the event, when it reveals a few of the killer apps that will accompany the peripheral's release. Stay tuned! Update: Follow along.
"I think it would be fantastic to see the game (move) onto a handheld system," Wells told us. "Each one of the episodes is sort of like a standalone thing and I think we could do that pretty easily. If we can find a partner to work with, I'd love to do that ... we definitely wouldn't do it ourselves. We're trying to just focus on the PS3 technology and platform right now." He added, laughing, "But, if we can't find a partner, then maybe we're going to have to find a budget ourselves."
Laugh if you will, Wells. You're just toying with our heartstrings is all. We'd love to see Nathan Drake on our PSP. Make it happen. We have Ready at Dawn's phone number if you need it.
Naughty Dog wants to half-tuck Uncharted into the PSP originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
PSN Thursday: Mega Man 10, some BioShock 2 'Sinclair Solutions'
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Continue reading PSN Thursday: Mega Man 10, some BioShock 2 'Sinclair Solutions'
PSN Thursday: Mega Man 10, some BioShock 2 'Sinclair Solutions' originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
PlayStation Move requires 1-2 MB of system memory
Body tracking is made possible by combining the Move and PS3's head tracking capability. According to the presentation, the PS3 can also detect faces, going so far as to identify individuals through face contour and feature detection. The software will be able to recognize gender, age, smiles and when eyes open and close.
Coombes explained that all the calculations necessary to handle image processing are done by the Cell CPU, which apparently excels at the doing floating point calculations. The raw data can be processed incredibly quickly by the PS3, taking "under a frame" to translate to a game experience. And while Mikhailov didn't reveal how much of the CPU's overall power the Move controller requires, he did reveal that the memory demands are truly "insignificant" -- 1-2 MB of system memory.
PlayStation Move requires 1-2 MB of system memory originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
THQ's Bilson: Research and focus testing will 'usually destroy' creativity
According to Bilson, his core group at THQ is ruled by creating "excellent" titles. Put simply, Bilson says he will not ship a game if it's not "really good" -- noting that doing otherwise will make it impossible for him to "sleep at night." As an example of this process, Bilson noted his decision to push Darksiders from a 2009 release into the early-2010 calendar in order to ensure the game was of high quality. (Darksiders currently holds an average Metacritic rating of 83.)
"Inspiration comes from one place and research and focus testing will usually destroy it. It will usually create 'bland' and create something for everyone and really nothing for anyone," he said, praising the idea that publishers should not ship a game until it's ready. "If my teams make really good games, in the long run, that's what people relate to. They're not buying advertising, they're not buying Wall Street nonsense. They're buying what's on that disc."
THQ's Bilson: Research and focus testing will 'usually destroy' creativity originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Sam and Max penetrate 'The Penal Zone' April 15 on PC, Mac, PS3
Pre-orders for the whole season on PC and Mac are currently available on Telltale's site for $35, which also comes with an episode from Strong Bad, Wallace & Gromit or a previous Sam & Max season for free. "Pre-orders on PlayStation Network coming soon."
Sam and Max penetrate 'The Penal Zone' April 15 on PC, Mac, PS3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes trailer offers taste of high-def wizardry
Following up yesterday's announcement that Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes is getting an HD facelift and coming to Xbox Live and PSN, Ubisoft has revealed the first teaser trailer for the game. Amidst all of the quoted accolades and plumes of smoke are some actual tidbits of gameplay.
In short: this looks purty.
Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes trailer offers taste of high-def wizardry originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
February NPD: Xbox 360 and BioShock 2 sales heat up
BioShock 2 seems to have had something to do with the boost, with the Xbox 360 version topping the software charts (and the PS3 version absent from the top ten). Other notable software milestones: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is now the third best-selling game of all time, and Just Dance seems to have made a better pact with Satan than even Dante's Inferno did. See the software top ten after the break.
-DS: 613K
191K (45%)-360: 422K
89K (27%)-Wii: 398K
68K (-15%)-PS3: 360K
83K (30%)-PSP: 133K
33K (33%)-PS2: 102K
60K (143%)Continue reading February NPD: Xbox 360 and BioShock 2 sales heat up
February NPD: Xbox 360 and BioShock 2 sales heat up originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
See more Move in Sports Champions dev diary
They also describe their excitement about Move and its new opportunities for control -- going so far as to compare it to the feeling of playing a 3D game for the first time. If you were developing one of the flagship games for the thing, you'd be excited too!
See more Move in Sports Champions dev diary originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Mystery Dragon Age project dated Feb. 1, 2011
[1UP]
It would appear that the still-unnamed next project in the Dragon Age series has been given a date, as spotted by 1UP in an early retail box of Dragon Age: Origins -- Awakening for PS3. Aligning with the release window hinted at by EA hinted earlier this year during a financial call, the scarcely-detailed game will arrive on Februrary 1, 2011 -- or, in the graphic's terms, "02.01.2011."
We're not exactly sure if this is part of the two years of promised content that BioWare outlined late last year, but at very least it's an extremely early (possible) release date for more content in a critically acclaimed series. We've asked EA for more information on the date and will let you know more as soon as we do.
Mystery Dragon Age project dated Feb. 1, 2011 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Harmonix gets its 'Brain Stewed' by Green Day: Rock Band
The one track we were most looking forward to from Green Day: Rock Band was, of course, "Brain Stew/Jaded" from the outfit's 1995 album. It's a powerful, triumphant tune -- and, apparently, it's also super hard. The Harmonix crew attempted the song during last night's "Rock Band Bar Night" event at GDC, and -- well, it ended in tears. Or rather, jeers.
You can check out some off-screen footage of their tremendous failure above, or footage of them actually playing the game past the jump. To be fair, the drummer didn't see the flurry of notes coming at him, due to his attempt to refresh himself with some libations. You know who else was enjoying a few beverages? The drunk dude who kept trying to throw the devil horns up in front of our camera while we were filming. Really, drunk dude? Really?
Continue reading Harmonix gets its 'Brain Stewed' by Green Day: Rock Band
Harmonix gets its 'Brain Stewed' by Green Day: Rock Band originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Interview: Sony's Scott Rohde on PlayStation Move
Our complete interview with Rohde follows:
It's obviously going to take internal resources to develop games for PlayStation Move. How can you guarantee that this won't take away from the resources devoted to traditional hardcore games?
Scott Rohde: The bottom line is, you know Worldwide Studios is a huge organization. I'm not sure exactly where it sits among other global publishers, but it's right up there. There's a lot of resources put into product development. I'm pretty proud of the roll that we've been on -- with Uncharted 2 kind of sweeping the awards recently.
There's plenty of resources to go around. It's our heritage: we're never going to compromise our core; great exclusive games. This is a new initiative to us. Some teams are looking into how they might incorporate motion control into some existing plans; others are totally focused on making the best sequels to the games we all love. It's not something I'm worried about.
Continue reading Interview: Sony's Scott Rohde on PlayStation Move
Interview: Sony's Scott Rohde on PlayStation Move originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Aliens, Predators and prey available as Home costumes
No matter which species wins, we all lose. PlayStation Home has been invaded by Aliens vs. Predator costumes, in Europe at least. The outfits are available for a limited time and leave the Home universe on March 31. Virtual cosplay prices are:
- €2.99 for a complete costume.
- €1.99 for a pair of trousers or a top.
- €0.99 for a helmet or mask.
Aliens, Predators and prey available as Home costumes originally appeared on Joystiq Playstation on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest makes 'Move' to PS3
[Wii version]
Warner Bros. Interactive has revealed that, in addition to the previously announced PS2, PSP, DS and Wii releases, it's putting Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest on PS3 -- with PlayStation Move support. The kid-friendly LOTR game will now be released this fall (delayed again!) on all five platforms, with the Wii version developed by Headstrong Games (yes, that Headstrong Games) and the others by TT Fusion. Of course, the Wii and PS3 versions will be the only ones with motion control, and they will also be the only versions featuring two-player co-op (with the second player controlling Gandalf).The PS3 version won't be an exact port of the Wii one, but it's the same idea -- a game for which the Wii was originally the lead platform, now spreading to the PS3 thanks to the existence of a very Wii-like motion controller. It may be the first, but this is definitely not the last time we'll see this!
Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest makes 'Move' to PS3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
European PSN releases for March 11
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Continue reading European PSN releases for March 11
European PSN releases for March 11 originally appeared on Joystiq Playstation on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Bad Company 2 to offer free March 30 'mapathy' cure
Both maps aren't new to the game, however neither has been available for play in the "unlocked" game modes noted above. So, that kinda qualifies as a "map pack," right? Regardless, it's free, as DICE boldly proclaims in its jab at Activision and Infinity Ward: "How to avoid 'mapathy' without paying!"
[Thanks, Qwaint]
Bad Company 2 to offer free March 30 'mapathy' cure originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
THQ developing downloadable games based on 'core' brands
"We're going to be building stuff on some of our core brands," Bilson said, noting the plan is to create downloadable titles within the same universe as THQ's major franchises in order to improve brand awareness. Surprisingly, Bilson's plans include "giving away" some of the upcoming downloadable games, although he did not specify how this idea would be executed.
Bilson's theory is that by getting players "involved" in its franchises via downloadable titles, THQ can help drive pre-orders and awareness for their big-budget (in relation) retail counterparts. While he would not specify which THQ franchises would get downloadable titles, we were told the plan is to roll out this strategy on "two or three" of THQ's biggest franchises (à la Square Enix's upcoming Lara Croft game from developer Crystal Dynamics).
But the plan doesn't end there: Similar to the approach taken by Microsoft's Fable II: Pub Games experiment, downloadable releases based on THQ's major brands will unlock content within the retail releases, teasing players with potential advantages to purchasing related retail titles; retail games will also unlock content in downloadable titles, to help drive players to explore more content within that franchise's universe. "You're going to see some of our core brands built out in different kinds of gameplay to get people involved in the brands and drive awareness towards a launch."
THQ developing downloadable games based on 'core' brands originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
PlayStation Move: the everything you need to know post
- "PlayStation Move" is official name of motion controller
- We touched it: PlayStation Move from every angle
- Interview: Sony's Scott Rohde on PlayStation Move
That's it, you ask? Oh, no -- wait till you see what we've lined up for you after the break!
Continue reading PlayStation Move: the everything you need to know post
PlayStation Move: the everything you need to know post originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Green Day: Rock Band releases June 8 worldwide
That's right, folks -- Harmonix has just revealed that Green Day: Rock Band will be available for all come June 8 on Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii. Up to 6 players (3 mics; 3 instruments) will progress through the career of the trio, unlocking collectible images (more than 100, apparently) and some 40 minutes of "rare and unreleased" footage from interviews, outtakes and performances along the way.
As alluded to above, GD:RB will also sport the same vocal harmonizing feature that made The Beatles: Rock Band such a delight for mic hogs and comes loaded with 47 Green Day tracks, including "Brain Stew," "Jaded," "Hitchin' a Ride," "American Idiot," "Wake Me Up When September Ends" and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."
Oh, and if you're looking to export these tunes, worry not: all 47 tracks are fully exportable to a console hard drive and playable in Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and the recently announced Rock Band 3. The export fee is $9.99 via Xbox Live or PSN. The export features is not available for the Wii system. Additionally, if you've picked up the six Green Day tunes already available as DLC, you can play them in the new game with added harmonies, "unique" visuals and more "exclusive archival material."
Green Day: Rock Band will be available as a standalone game for Xbox 360 and PS3 for $59.99, while Wii owners will get a bit of a price break at $49.99. A special edition Green Day: Rock Band Plus will also come to Xbox 360 and PS3 for $69.99 and includes fancy packaging, an "export" feature (we assume, a voucher to export the disc tracks to the hard drive) and the six previously released Green Day DLC tracks.
Update: The GameStop pre-order bonus for the standalone game is an export voucher (for Xbox 360 or PS3). Essentially, pre-order GD:RB from GameStop, and you can export all 47 tracks to your console hard drive for free.
Green Day: Rock Band releases June 8 worldwide originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Next Red Faction planned for March 2011, focus on franchise's roots
Bilson was tight-lipped on other details but did confirm the upcoming open-world third-person shooter would be far more "structured," akin to a "narrative" shooter. The sequel will still feature the destructibility Bilson says cost THQ "a fortune" to develop for Guerrilla, but will have a much greater impact on cities built closer together in the tight confines of the new underground world.
Although Guerrilla captivated most critics (netting a Metacritic average of 85 across three platforms) the third-person shooter failed to meet THQ's sales expectations. While Bilson said it would have been easy to scrap the characters and setting in the upcoming sequel and shift it into a new intellectual property -- effectively severing its connection to Guerrilla's poor retail showing -- he felt the quality in the previous entry was too great to abandon the Red Faction universe.
The strategy now, says Bilson, is to expose gamers to the series in order to prepare them for the future, citing the recent Red Faction: Guerrilla giveaway promotion as an example of giving the title the exposure it "deserved" at launch. "Giving away the stock now, on Red Faction, is getting more people exposed to the IP because we're going bigger on Red Faction next time," Bilson told us. "If the game wasn't so good, we wouldn't be giving it away at all."
Next Red Faction planned for March 2011, focus on franchise's roots originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Prison Break escaping March 30; new screens released
Along with the mess of new screens we've dropped below into a gallery, this is just about the most flush we've been with Prison Break info in the entire history of the game's development cycle -- and it's coming out in just under three weeks! As the game's coming from the developer of Mr. T: The Game, we're willing to give this one a shot just so we can support the company's upcoming adventure into madness.
Prison Break escaping March 30; new screens released originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Impressions: Medal of Honor
Recently, I got a peek at a new Medal of Honor trailer which lays it out like this: There are two sides to every war: the sledgehammer and the scalpel. What Call of Duty 4 did so well was to portray exactly how these two components work in tandem, as it featured scenarios in which large assaults aided small elite forces, and vice versa. Medal of Honor promises to recreate similar battlefield situations, with the "scalpel" represented by the Tier 1 Operators, an elite branch of SOCOM.
Continue reading Impressions: Medal of Honor
Impressions: Medal of Honor originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Darksiders dev David Adams gushes about THQ
Adams adds that his studio is constantly "trying to be more efficient, do stuff quicker, using less money," so that certainly can't hurt how THQ feels about Vigil, especially given the last year of "restructuring" the publisher underwent to become financially solvent once again. "THQ went through a lot of pain and restructuring -- they took a lot of bullets so we could continue to make our game, and that's a good indication of their faith in us, and their drive to make great-quality products." We'd like to point out that, in this situation, we're all winners because THQ has seemingly become a competitive publisher again, due to producing quality products that we get to play -- and hey, tons of people don't lose their jobs.
Darksiders dev David Adams gushes about THQ originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Monkey Island Home costumes allow for Dread Pirate Quincy
Now, we rarely get excited over virtual duds for our virtual manifestations -- but Stan's coat could really add a certain savoir-faire to our terrifying craft.
Monkey Island Home costumes allow for Dread Pirate Quincy originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
We touched it: PlayStation Move from every angle
Click to MOVE into the gallery
Professionally taken publicity shots of new hardware are nice, sure, but nothing really compares to seeing what the thing actually looks like in the real world. It's with that in mind that we grabbed a PlayStation Move and snapped the photos you can browse in the gallery below. In them, you'll see such noteworthy features as the USB syncing / charging port; what appear to be notches for some addition doodad to lock onto at the bottom of the Move; and the select and start buttons tucked away on either side of the "wand" itself.
We touched it: PlayStation Move from every angle originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
'Arc' lives on in PlayStation Move's logo
If you think "Move" is an odd name for Sony's motion controller, these same sources assured us that we got lucky - many of the other proposed names following the trademark denial were ranged from silly to awful, they said. When we suggested that "PlayStation Boogie" was about as bad as we could imagine, we were told, "Actually, that's an improvement over a lot of them."
Keep an eye on the Move logo -- we wouldn't be surprised if Sony's marketing department adds a little extra blue ink before E3, making it a true (stylized) letter "M."
'Arc' lives on in PlayStation Move's logo originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Hands-on: PlayStation Move's 'Move Party'
Click to enlarge
The PlayStation Move-equivalent of the minigame compilations released for PS2's EyeToy, Move Party is an excuse to use Sony's motion controller to look like a fool in front of your family and friends. (As if holding a glowing wand and pantomiming playing a sport isn't already silly enough.)
Ludwig and I took turns looking utterly ridiculous while playing the title earlier today, trying to best one another in a series of minigames which ranged from swatting bugs with tennis rackets to painting shapes in the air - things that would have been entirely possible with Sony's older tech. We got a brief taste of the Move's potential when we needed to stab a spear at jellyfish floating up the screen - I really had to stab toward the screen pretty strongly to pop them. The precision possible with the Move was best demonstrated by the haircut minigame, where it was possible to finely cut along the scalp line to remove the comical characters' locks.
The most impressive element of Move Party, though, is by far the precision with which the various tools - paintbrushes, shears, rackets - that all mimicked how I was holding the controller exactly in the on-screen "augmented reality" video. It was ... kind of spooky. Though it wasn't announced as such, this has to be the software title Sony intends to pack in with the hardware. I can't imagine it debuting as a full-priced retail title. Maybe at $20, or, better yet, a PSN release.
Hands-on: PlayStation Move's 'Move Party' originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Hands-on: PlayStation Move's Sports Champions
Click for the gallery of Champions
You might think it derisive to call Sports Champions (working title) the Wii Sports of PlayStation Move, but it's really intended as a compliment. Although the collection of sports-themed games are relatively simple, they adequately highlight the Move's motion-sensing capabilities and, most importantly, how they're distinguished from those offered by the Wii (something that another Move game, The Shoot, did not do). Like Wii Sports, Sports Champions seems good at selling you on the hardware's abilities -- and what they might mean in more elaborate games.
The Gladiator Duel sub-game is a simple affair of blocking and attacking (your character moves towards the opponent automatically), but the Move will take into account the height of your swings and the positioning of your shield (generated by a second Move controller). It'll also sense distance -- if you don't hold your weapon arm back, it'll swing into your own shield to deleterious effect. Aside from swinging and blocking, you can also move both arms upwards to activate a jumping attack, or shuffle the controllers to the side in order to roll out of the way from an incoming strike. Basic stuff, but natural enough to not come across as a tacked-on gesture.
Table Tennis was more promising, and easily bested the Wii's equivalent. Your paddle's angle and area of exposure is almost instantly determined by how you're holding the controller. The Move's weight, coupled with the game's quick response and predictable physics, made every swing feel ... just right. It'll be a shame if a table tennis game turns out to be one of the best launch games for Move, but at least it'll stand out as one of the best of its ilk. That's a win, right?
Hands-on: PlayStation Move's Sports Champions originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Hands-on: PlayStation Move's 'The Shoot'
Although the title is a riot, my time with the game left me feeling disappointed and annoyed. Lightgun shooters have a comfy home on Wii, and the point-and-shoot mechanics of games like House of the Dead: Overkill are a natural fit for the controller. The PlayStation Move is similarly well-suited, both in terms of aiming ability and comfortable weighting. But "The Shoot" felt like a second-rate shooting range, marked by a slow pace and obvious simplicity.
Those can't be trotted out as negatives for every gamer, but if you're a Joystiq reader, there's something you have to know: In order to activate a useful slow-motion effect in "The Shoot," you have to -- I'm not kidding -- spin around on the spot like a ballerina with an ice-cream cone in her hand. I imagine Sony would like to separate its motion controller from the Wii's stigma of vapid, gestural-overload games, so pulling an early-days Wii stunt like that makes for a bad impression.
Hands-on: PlayStation Move's 'The Shoot' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Hands-on: SOCOM 4 (with PlayStation Move!)
It's hard to answer the first question, especially within the constraints of a ten-minute demo. What I can say is that even in this early state, SOCOM 4 looks very good, sporting incredibly detailed environments. While the early code has a noticeably choppy framerate, there was already a large number of objects in the environment. Whether it's a car, a trash can, a thrown-out mattress, there are tons of objects to take cover behind in the world.
Controlling your squad should be familiar to anyone that's played a recent SOCOM game. Holding L1 on the Move allows you to slightly slow down time and direct your team to move to position and await orders. You can even call in an airstrike by holding down the Move button and holding Down on a target. After sneaking down an alley, we were able to catch a large squad of soldiers lounging in an open field. They had no idea what hit them as the bombs dropped.
Continue reading Hands-on: SOCOM 4 (with PlayStation Move!)
Hands-on: SOCOM 4 (with PlayStation Move!) originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
First Monkey Island SE coming to PSN, Mac, Telltale, InstantAction
It's worth noting that InstantAction.com is currently down for "maintenance," with the site's blog mentioning some "exciting announcements" in the near future. Regardless of when the game does show up, it's definitely good news for adventure fans that have been deprived of the remake thus far.
First Monkey Island SE coming to PSN, Mac, Telltale, InstantAction originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The Secret of Monkey Island 2: Special Edition announced for XBLA, PSN, PC, iPhone
Of course, that's in addition to all the stuff you'd expect from the special edition treatment, including high-definition art, remastered music, full voiceover track, and the ability to swap between original and "special edition" modes. Derrick even said they've "reimagined" each character, citing fan displeasure with Guybrush's hair in the first special edition. Really? We liked his hair ...
The Secret of Monkey Island 2: Special Edition announced for XBLA, PSN, PC, iPhone originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
PlayStation Move sub-controller: Don't call it a Nunchuk
Click for little-big size
In case this is your first visit to Joystiq, know that Sony has dropped major megatons this evening at its GDC press conference -- as well as one very small megaton: the PlayStation Move "sub-controller." What you see above is the little brother (if you will) to the main ice cream cone-esque Move wand and the enabler of all things analog stick-controlled.
As per Sony's announcement of Move, the sub-controller attachment is intended to "expand the game play options that PlayStation Move games can offer," and -- unlike Nintendo Wii's Nunchuk controller -- it will connect wirelessly to the console via Bluetooth. We'll have our hands-on with the PlayStation Move (and the sub-controller) for you later tonight. For now, ogle the high-res images in our gallery below.
PlayStation Move sub-controller: Don't call it a Nunchuk originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The PlayStation Move games (we know of)
Oh, and the Euro Blog's mention of "DUKES" is just another name for that Motion Fighter game, which was mentioned onstage during this evening's press event -- so cool your heels and put the Jump to Conclusion mat back away. (We do rather like the name "Dukes," we'll admit; though we've been told it's a regional thing, and us North Americans are likely stuck with "Motion Fighter" instead.) We've yet to confirm which studios are developing which games, but you can be sure we'll ask Sony just as soon as we can. Here's the complete list of PlayStation Move titles that we know of, though, for now:
- Sports Champion
- The Shoot
- Slider
- TV Superstars
- Move Party
- Motion Fighter
The PlayStation Move games (we know of) originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
PlayStation Move trailer shows you what you'll look like whilst Moving
PlayStation Blog recently got its hands on a trailer for the very recently monikered PlayStation Move -- though it doesn't really contain any information which hasn't surfaced over the past few minutes (or rather, months). There's PlayStation Eye integration, voice support, and -- guess what! That ball on top? Totally changes colors.
The only new information this new trailer imparts is what you're going to look like while you play a game with the PlayStation Move. That is to say, infinitely dweeby. Check out the trailer above to see what we mean.
PlayStation Move trailer shows you what you'll look like whilst Moving originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Move supported by 36 companies, 20 games this fiscal year
Sony's Jack Tretton went on to say that 36 publishers and third-party developers will support it, and according to a press release, "In fiscal year 2010, SCE Worldwide Studios will also release more than 20 games that are either dedicated to or supported with the PlayStation Move platform. While this same group of publishers will probably support Microsoft's Project Natal as well, it's good to know that everyone is onboard. But onboard how? Are they developing Move departments that will get every possible ounce of gameplay out of these things? Or do they mean support like backrubs and cookies?
We aren't sure what titles will be supported just yet, but our team of Joystiqers are waving the Move about as you read this, and we'll have more news very soon.
Move supported by 36 companies, 20 games this fiscal year originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
EyePet to support PlayStation Move, hits North America holiday 2010
In addition, Sony announced that EyePet is slated for a North American release this holiday. There was no mention of what will happen to the European version of the game, which was released last year. Presumably, Move support will be added once the peripheral launches.
EyePet to support PlayStation Move, hits North America holiday 2010 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
SOCOM 4 to support PlayStation Move
During Sony's Game Developer's Conference keynote SOCOM 4 was demoed using the precise motion-control scheme to varying accuracy success. PlayStation Move support was also showcased in a demo for LittleBigPlanet (originally shown at TGS 2009) where PlayStation Move players could interact with the environment around Sackboy (or Sackgirl!).
Sony also featured a handful of mini-games for an upcoming compilation title titled Sports Champions, including a gladiator-style fighter and table tennis. The PlayStation Move will release later this year in a variety of bundles.
SOCOM 4 to support PlayStation Move originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Joystiq live at Sony's GDC 2010 press conference
Continue reading Joystiq live at Sony's GDC 2010 press conference
Joystiq live at Sony's GDC 2010 press conference originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
PlayStation Move bundles announced, starter kit under $100
There will be multiple bundles, including a bundle that includes a PlayStation 3 console, the PlayStation Move and the PlayStation Eye. Furthermore, the company will launch a starter pack, which includes a PlayStation Move, a PlayStation Eye and an unnamed game all for under $100.
PlayStation Move bundles announced, starter kit under $100 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
'PlayStation Move' is official name of motion controller
So, now that we can stop posting conjecture about what the device is going to be called, what other reason will we have to write about it? Sony hopes to provide that information later in the event, when it reveals a few of the killer apps that will accompany the peripheral's release. Stay tuned! Update: Follow along.
'PlayStation Move' is official name of motion controller originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.