Atari have apparently been listening to the criticisms of their much-hyped rethinking of the adventure classic, Alone in the Dark. So much so, in fact, that it looks as if Eden are going to improve the game in several areas ready for the PS3 release.
The following are some of the changes that will apparently be taking place:
- Full 360 degree camera control: enhanced camera controls allows complete freedom of the camera and better handling of third person movement for even more immersive gameplay enabling players to view the fire and mass destruction they are causing in all of its glory.
- Fine-tuned controls: quicker and smoother reactivity of the hero’s movements in third person view increases the pace of the game and makes for faster, reflexive gameplay during tense fighting scenarios;
- Inventory system more accessible: more logical jacket inventory system with the ability to scroll rapidly through the inventory with the D-pad or analog stick to combine objects. In addition, gameplay is paused when accessing the inventory system to allow maximum creativity in combining items to create unique flammable weapons;
- More tips: additional on-screen tips will help players quickly adapt to controls and easily understand how to overcome tricky situations;
- Spectral Vision tuning: a tutorial earlier in the storyline explains the need to burn roots in order to gain spectral vision (a power that grants you the ability to see the unseen) and difficulty tuning means less spectral vision is required to reach the end of the game;
- Improved car dynamics and handling: driving has been tuned with increased suspension and reduced drifting giving overall better handling to make driving a fun walk in the park every time;
- 59th Street level tuning: one of the game’s most exciting sequences just got better. 59th Street has been tweaked for a more satisfying race against the fissure with difficulty tuning, an added checkpoint at Columbus Circle and clear voice directions given by Sarah;
- Brand new thrilling action sequence: an exclusive new sequence has been added in Episode 6 for even more excitement and variety of gameplay in the episode.
This begs the question; how well spent were the gazillions poured out by Microsoft in securing staggered “exclusive” releases, if it gives developers an extra six months to listen to any criticisms, and release a better version of the game on the competitors’ console? Also, with the changes seemingly being so significant, will they be released via a patch for 360 owners?
We can all find out just how improved the game will be when the demo sets PSN alight in early November.
UPDATE: Folks seem to think I’m saying AiTD was one of Microsoft’s paid-for exclusives. It was not. My point was; what does this mean for those games with staggered release dates in terms of developers having an extra six months’ potential development time. AiTD is just an example of a developer having enough time to alter a build between platform release dates.
Yet another game series that has made its way across from Sony. Namco’s beat ‘em up, Tekken 6, has just been confirmed as a multiplatform game, releasing simultaneously on the PS3 and the 360 at launch.
I would go into how all the good series seem to be going multiplatform if they were PS3 exclusive, but that’d be fanboyish of me. Seriously though, with Tekken having been a mainstay to the Playstation arsenal, this is almost as big of a blow as FFXIII going to the 360.
Thats right you guessed it, It’s THURSDAY!… It is a day so intense that it must be typed in capital letters.
OK, maybe I’m exaggerating but It does differ from every other normal day in the Playstation network week for one reason… And that reason is, that it is the day the Playstation Store Updates with a whole host of new content.
I will now proceed to list all the new content while detailing some of my top picks from this week… Read more »
Got a full day in which to sit and absorb the main events from E3? Well guess what, you can do so right here. With thanks to Gamespot, who actually live in America, rendering it much easier for them to actually be there. Obviously.
Ahem, the videos!
Mini-review: Watch the last 2 minutes, it’s the only bit of decent news in the whole show…
Mini-review: Nintendo in self-indulgent stories about their own families shocker!
All in all, not particularly exciting, strangely. We’ll be bringing you any videos from the show floor that catch our eye as we dig through the flood of content hitting the intertubes right now.
Have a fun day with that! I’ll just be here in the corner if you need me.
It has been heavily rumoured that PS3 owners can hope to see in-game XMB and trophies (Xbox 360-style achievements) in the next firmware update…
At the moment, Sony have only announced that it will be out this summer and have not announced an official release date yet, but “unnamed sources” from Holland say it will be here on the 18th of this month (June).
I will now run through some features we should expect to see in this highly anticipated update:
Full In game-XMB
Custom In Game Soundtracks
Trophies
Improved Audio/Video Communication
Videogaming247 Has also acquired some information on how compatible current/old games will be with the new in-game XMB feature amongst other things…
Sony’s currently going through PS3’s library to check whether or not in-game XMB’s full compatible. While it’s expected that the the new menu system, in-game messaging, and so forth, will work with virtually all games, for a minority of titles the current black menu screen will be retained. It’s not known yet which games, if any, won’t be able to use in-game XMB.
The user-music functionality is only included in the new development tools, which have now gone out to coders. This means that existing games won’t support it unless they’re patched. That’s right: you won’t be able to play GTA IV with your own music unless Rockstar updates the game, if what we’ve been told this morning is true.
Same for Trophies. They tools required to add these are only just in the hands of developers, which means it’s going to be some time before you see the feature appear in a major game.
Some aspects of the XMB, such as the photo viewer, won’t be available in-game after the 2.40 Firmware update. If you select these features in-game, you’ll be asked if you want to drop out of your game to access them.
It looks as if the first reviews for Haze are filtering through and leaving the proverbial glass half empty. There are only about 3 or so official reviews at the moment but suffice to say, the highest score it has received so far is a 65. Need I say more? This is without a doubt a surprisingly thunderous disappointment. When I say “surprising” I am referring to the look of shock which must be bleeding out of numerous Sony gamers, many of whom who were anticipating this First Person Shooter at least a little.
It looks as if Sony have been talking out of their backside once again with all the hype and promotional videos which they have published in the continual fashion of rarely fulfilling their wild prophecies (which attracted many to invest in their latest console in the first place). Talk about “fan service”, the only service their offering their fans so far appears to be a sharp kick where the sun doesn’t shine.
Hit the jump for the reviews as of yet… Read more »
“Extra, extra, read all about the best burgers in town from all around, people from around world come and get it; the line goes around like a merry go round”
That hopefully has caught your attention. Some of you gaming geeks out there will recognise these lyrics from the popular cult game, Parapper the Rapper 2. You should also remember that Parappa is a rhythm game. The Parappa series gained a cult following which I am secretly a member of so it only seems fit that I am reviewing a game that has just as big a following. The game I am talking about is… Gitaroo man, Publisher Koei’s first foray into the Rhythm game genre.
The story is centred around a shallow nob-head who calls himself U-1, a translation from the original Japanese name, Yu-ichi. The plot involves guitars that save the world, a love triangle, a mad bastard hell bent on world-domination… you get the picture. Also there’s an archetypical “cute” sidekick animal, with an annoying voice (Which is strangely reminiscent of Inspector Gadget’s- Ed), helping/hindering you along the way.
First impressions are good, with a wacky intro the sort you’d expect from a game strictly aimed at the Japanese market, similar to the like of Parappa, Um Jammer Lammy (which came from the creators of Parappa) and We love Katamari. The style is similar to Parappa, with a more Anime/Manga advertising edge. The game throws you straight in at deep end with a brief tutorial, then pack your bags and off to your first opponent.
Yes, you guessed it… It’s Thursday, also known as New PSN Store Content Day. This week they’re pulling out all the stops and are spewing gloopy, gaming goodness all over our unsuspecting faces.
Read on as we dissect the towering update and pull out the new content and my personal recommendations… Read more »
Sony’s PlayStation Day was held today at the O2 arena in London providing us with lots of new gameplay footage of their upcoming lineup, and a trio of delays. LittleBigPlanet is moved back to October, Home to the end of the year and Killzone 2 to February ‘09.
Ted Price, president of Insomniac, confirmed on stage that Resistance 2 will feature 8-player co-op and 60-player online. Squads within the 60 players should keep the game a little less hectic but I’m still not convinced this many players can work, especially when a much smaller base has access to a headset compared to the 360.
Now, I was planning to post the new videos of Resistance and Killzone, but it seems Gamevideos.com where a bit hasty posting them, as they have now both been taken down. So for now your just gonna have to put up with the new gameplay footage of Mirror’s Edge from DICE. Its another fps, but there trying to take it in a different direction with lots of free running and an emphasis on melee combat.
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Oh and Motorstorm 2 has a name, Motorstorm: Pacific Rift, exciting…
Seriously though, because I have very little time before I bundle off to work, and I know that most people will just read the top few because they’re funny, and then spend the rest of their evening in Liberty City, I will make it easy on you. I’m just going to link to the articles themselves, and call it at that. OK? OK.
Daily Mail was obviously the first to link the stabbing to a violent video game, despite how quickly it was pointed out that the victim wasn’t even in line for the damn thing.
The PS3 version is the one that has been listed for both points of failure listed above.
People will always, without doubt, try to wring anything for money (but that’s a given, yes?)
demo, industry, microsoft, news, preview, ps3, sony, xbox360 | Dave Barlow | 
Comments (5) 
It has been heavily rumoured that PS3 owners can hope to see in-game XMB and trophies (Xbox 360-style achievements) in the next firmware update…
It looks as if the first reviews for Haze are filtering through and leaving the proverbial glass half empty. There are only about 
