Today's PSN Update

The content available in the PlayStation Store Today will be:

Folklore - Demo in Japan Store - June 1st

Championship Sprint - $4.99 (another Midway/SOE title)

Ridge Racer 7 - Additional content, some for pay

[From NeoGAF]

New Firmware Unbans Banned 360s

A few weeks ago Microsoft dropped their ban hammer on any modded Xbox 360, but the modding community has quickly adapted. A new firmware version has just been released for all 360s with the TS-H943 DVD drive preventing against any Xbox Live detection attempts and allowing the 360 to play all "backup" game copies. This firmware update ultimately prevents Microsoft from "seeing" the modded 360 thus not allowing them to ban the console from Xbox Live.

[From Xbox 360 Fanboy]

Guitar Hero III Gameplay Video Released

Some Guitar Hero III gameplay footage for you: (Hint: Looks about the same as others with some minor tweaks and new songs)

PSP Firmware 3.50 Update

Last week, PlayStation 3 firmware 1.80 was released, which enabled a variety of extra features for the console including adding the Remote Play ability--anyone with a PSP could then access their PS3 over the Internet.

Now a firmware update for the PSP to 3.50 updates the handheld to be Remote Play ready too. Owners of both gaming machines won't be able to access DVD or Blu-ray movies or play PS3 games from their handhelds, but they will be able to access music, other videos, pictures, and their friends lists.

Firmware update 3.50 also adds a RSS channel guide for PSP owners who use their portables to receive news and other RSS feeds.

[From Gamespot]

Metal Gear Solid 4 Coming to 360 Next Year?

Over the weekend video game blog Destructoid posted about the confirmation of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots making its way to the 360 in November of 2008. In the article they mentioned they had an "insider" who told them that the PS3 version was a "Timed Exclusive" for the PS3. They stated that the reason for Konami to have the "Timed Exclusive" was because they were worried about the PS3 not having enough of an install base for the game. Later that day Destructoid removed the article and titled it Cease and Desist.

This could mean that the article was really false or really true. My guess is that Sony doesn't want any rumors about their "Blockbuster" game being put onto another console, true or false, if word of that would get out many people would lose their interest in buying a PS3 since every Sony fanboy is saying Metal Gear Solid is the reason to buy a PS3. I'm going to make a prediction and it may be entirely wrong, but I'm going to say that you can expect Metal Gear Solid 4 coming to the 360 sometime in the future, you just won't here about it until it comes out for the PS3 first.

Nintendo Wi-Fi Surpasses 5 Million

Nintendo has announced that its Wi-Fi Connection has surpassed two separate but equally impressive milestones, with more than 5 million Nintendo DS users worldwide connecting to the service, playing more than 200 million distinct game sessions since the service's launch in November 2005.

According to Nintendo, the free service is currently utilized by nearly 65 Nintendo DS titles worldwide, including the recently released Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl, both of which take advantage of the Wi-Fi connection for multiplayer and VoIP functionality.

Nintendo has also revealed the results of its own internal demographic tracking studies, indicating that in less than 18 months, Nintendo DS purchases have increased by 42 percent among women, 127 percent among people 30 and older and 212 percent among people 35 and older. This data would seem to validate the company's continuing efforts to open up gaming to a wider audience through casual and non-conventional video game experiences.

The Nintendo DS has continued to be the top selling platform in North America, with NPD's April data showing more than 470,000 units sold in the United States alone. In addition, Famitsu publisher Enterbrain recently confirmed the handheld's dominance in Japan with more than 10 million consoles sold, a milestone it reached in just 61 weeks.

"Nintendo DS gamers globally use Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection as an easy, fun place to find fellow players, all without paying anything extra for the service," explains Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. "The milestones represent millions of hours of fun and camaraderie despite miles between players."

[From Gamasutra]

New DS Lite Colors Announced for JAPAN

Nintendo's money printing machine, the DS Lite, which still is hard to find in Japan will be coming out with 2 new colors. A pinkish color called metallic rose and a silver color called gloss silver. They will cost the same amount as all the other DS Lites and will be available as of June 23, 2007.

[From Kotaku]

NEW Bioshock Footage

Just some clips of the upcoming Bioshock game later this year. I'll have to say the graphics look really good, no scratch that, they look amazing.

[From youNEWB]

LOTS of Halo 3 Goodies

With all the Halo 3 I have been cautious on what to post, well because frankly I'm not a big "rumor" hog. It's all nice to hear, but it can really put expectations and impressions on a game and the content might not even be true, which in turn gives the game negative feedback.

Now that I got that out of the way. Over the night a BUNCH of Halo 3 leaks got out, included in the leaks are videos and pictures that include LOTS of content in the upcoming Halo 3, content such as weapons, maps, vehicles, and equipment. Take a deep breath because here it comes.


All the Halo 3 information and photos listed below come from an upcoming issue of GamePro magazine thanks to The Final Fight forums. So, let's get to it.

Vehicles:
Brute Chopper
The Brute Chopper is an evil looking machine that packs two cannons and its spinning blade will destroy anything in its path.


Wraith
Big and bulky, the Wraith looks to be quite similar to how it appeared in Halo 2, except it will feature a player operated second turret.


Weapons:
Energy Sword
The Energy Sword has undergone two significant changes to help with balancing issues. Bungie has added a weapon switching delay when equipping the Sword and it will also run on a battery. Effectively eliminating sword whoring.


Magnum
Our semi-likable friend the Magnum has undergone some changes. It now holds eight rounds to a clip, still doesn't include a scope, shoots slower, but each shot will bring on more damage. An upgrade to its Halo 2 counterpart.


Equipment:
Radar Jammer
When deployed, this equipment item send everyone's radar into a flurry and flashes disco lights to disorient and confuse your opponents. Sounds fun!


Multiplayer Maps:
Shrine
"A UNSC battle cruiser looms menacingly over Shrine's sprawling sand dunes. Shrine is the largest map ever to appear in a Halo game, so Bungie put a key emphasis on vehicle-on-vehicle combat. Shrine has few ties to older Halo 2 maps, but its massive size recalls Relic."



Epitaph
"Epitaph is an arcane Forerunner cathedral-like structure that towers above the surrounding wasteland. The central killing floor is crisscrossed with elevated walkways, exterior hallways, and lifts. It's a spiritual successor to Halo 2 maps like Colossus, Gemini, and Midship."




Mystery Map
"Bungie sneakily sent us two mysterious concept paintings labeled only as 'Work in Progress Map.' We see the icey motif and pray for a new Lockout, but only Bungie knows the truth."


Last Resort
"Zanzibar, one of Halo 2's most beloved maps, has been rebuilt and rechristened Last Resort for Halo 3. This industrial site is almost twice as big, with a less cluttered internal layout and more paths into the flag room."

Create a Spartan
Aha! The rumors were true! Halo 3 will include Spartan (and Elite?) customization that'll allow you to change the look of your armor. Just take a look at the pics below. That's how we'll be rolling in Halo 3.






[From Xbox 360 Fanboy]

Now time for a video of some of the stuff in action.

This Week's XBLA Release

Well looks like Microsoft is back into the 1 release per week again, but don't be mad this weeks release is Mad Tracks. Here's some details:

Name: Mad Tracks
Price: 800 Points
Availability: Not available in South Korea
Dash Details: Single Player, Xbox LIVE Multiplayer 2-4, HD (High Definition). Admit it! You had fun playing the 2 challenges in the free version of Mad Tracks. The full game has a full 15 challenges -- some action packed, some intriguing, some just plain fast. You'll be able to see your name on the leaderboards and compare your Mad Tracks points with your friends. If that’s not enough racing action, the FULL version of Mad Tracks will also seamlessly accept future premium downloadable extension packs with an incredible 30 additional challenges already planned. Find these available for purchase soon on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace! Download the full game now.
Size: 45.2 MB (approx.)

[From Major Nelson]

Secret Nintendo E3 FACTS or RUMORS?

Over in the NeoGAF forums there is a person who claims to have went to a Pre-E3 event held by Nintendo. This person who is suppose to be held under embargo (gag order) has spilled the beans on what he has seen. Some of things in the post he talks about is Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, Super Mario Galaxy, new upcoming Wii games and channels, and he also mentions maybe a new direction in the Zelda franchise. I will not go into all the detail here, but if you are still interested you can get to the post by clicking here.

Haze to be TIMED Exclusive for PS3 on 360, PC Next Year

Previously everyone thought that the PS3 would be the only console to receive this title. Well Ubisoft has officially announced that the rumored exclusive is not so exclusive anymore. The PS3 version will come out some time in the fall of this year and you can expect a PC and 360 version sometime in 2008.

My guess is that they new that Halo 3 was going to be the hit FPS of Q4 so they are holding it back so it wont be forgotten, smart move Ubisoft.

This Week's VC Update

Just like every Monday, today Nintendo has released more games for its Virtual Console. They will be:

ActRaiser™ (SNES®, 1 player, 800 Wii Points): A masterpiece of game design originally released in the early days of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System®, ActRaiser's enduring popularity stems from its revolutionary combination of action- and simulation-based game play. The user plays the role of the Master, a dethroned deity whose once-idyllic world has fallen under the control of the Evil One. Stripped of godly power, the Master must somehow put
an end to the Evil One's reign and rebuild his desolate realm. Game play
alternates between two modes: Action and Simulation. In Action mode, the
Master must battle against impossible odds to pacify six lands. Pacifying a
land unlocks Simulation mode. In this mode, the Master must oversee the
development and repopulation of the territory he has reclaimed. In doing so,
he will gain followers who gradually restore his godly might, empowering him
to take back the next land and, ultimately, defeat the Evil One.

Kid Chameleon™ (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): The local arcade
is packed with kids, all lining up to play the latest, most realistic video
game they've ever seen. It's called Wild Side, and it uses holographic images
to immerse the player in a strange world. But there's a problem... Kids are
literally getting sucked into the game, and now several of them are trapped.
Throughout more than 100 levels, you'll take on several different forms, such
as a Berzerker, a Micromax, a Maniaxe or a Skycutter, which will make you much
more powerful. It's up to you, Kid Chameleon, the best gamer in town, to get
yourself inside the game so that you can defeat the game's boss and bring your
friends back to reality.

J.J. & JEFF (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): This comical action game
features two bungling detectives, J.J. and JEFF, as they travel through a
total of six fields. One day, a request comes into their office to take a case
that requires them to "rescue a wealthy man who's been kidnapped." Choose
between the two characters and set off alone to outwit your partner and save
the day. Each field is broken down into four areas, where enemies, as well as
your partner, will try to keep you from your goal. There are many items
throughout each area. Kick around in various locations to make them appear.
Jump and spray-paint your way toward your goal. If you find a hidden room, you
can regain health while being completely entertained by its short sketch and
surreal allure.

[From Kotaku]

New Releases: Week of 5/27

Title	Platform	Genre	Release Date
Surf's Up	GC	Sports	May 31, 2007
Halo 2	PC	Action	May 31, 2007
Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia	PC	Action	May 29, 2007
Surf's Up	X360	Sports	May 29, 2007
Surf's Up	PSP	Sports	May 29, 2007
The Secrets of Atlantis: The Sacred Legacy	PC	Adventure	May 29, 2007
The New York Times Crosswords	DS	Puzzle	May 29, 2007
Surf's Up	WII	Sports	May 29, 2007
Surf's Up	PS2	Sports	May 29, 2007
Surf's Up	PC	Sports	May 29, 2007
Surf's Up	GBA	Sports	May 29, 2007
Codename: Panzers Commander's Edition	PC	Strategy	May 29, 2007
Dream Day Wedding	PC	Puzzle	May 29, 2007
Surf's Up	DS	Sports	May 29, 2007
Tamagotchi Party On!	WII	Puzzle	May 29, 2007
Surf's Up	PS3	Sports	May 29, 2007
Legend of the Dragon	PSP	Action	May 29, 2007
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon	WII	Action	May 29, 2007
Shadowrun	X360	Action	May 29, 2007
Forza Motorsport 2	X360	Driving	May 29, 2007
Mario Party 8	WII	Puzzle	May 29, 2007
Pony Friends	DS	Puzzle	May 29, 2007
Crush	PSP	Action	May 29, 2007
Tank Beat	DS	Action	May 29, 2007
Shadowrun	PC	Action	May 29, 2007
Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia	X360	Action	May 29, 2007
Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm	PS2	Role-Playing	May 29, 2007
LA Street Racing	PC	Driving	May 28, 2007
Marine Sharpshooter III	PC	Action	May 28, 2007

[From Gamespot]

Tom Clancy's EndWar to Recieve PUBLIC Beta

Man every since the release of the Halo 3 Beta I have been seeing Beta this and Beta that everywhere on all kinds of games. Here's another to add onto the ever growing list. It may seem like I'm being a jerk about it, but honestly this is good for the industry it's about time the companies realize how important it is to value the consumers opinion. Oh and by the way the scheduled release of the beta is sometime in November.

Gears of War to Recieve Another Update

In a recent message posted on the official Gears of War forums, the Epic VP stated that his team is currently working on an update to the game that will fix a number of gameplay issues.

"In addition to the previously mentioned plan to improve roadie run we're also going to have new achievements relating to Annex and the Hidden Fronts DLC," Rein writes. "Of course no title update would be complete without more exploit squashing and the ever-popular 'general housekeeping'."

Although he also states that Epic has so far made "significant progress", Rein is reluctant to slap on even a hypothetical timeframe for the update.
[From GamePro]

LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga Officially ANNOUNCED

Yet another game that was in the rumor bandwagon, LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga will be available via PS3, Wii, 360, and DS. The game for DS will be a whole new edition. The game available via consoles will be just a collection of the previous versions of the game with a few "added" features. Check out the web site here if you are interested in any more details.

Geometry Wars for Wii, DS Officially CONFIRMED

There have been rumors everywhere about this release, and now we know officially that it is coming. When? No official date at this time, but here's the press release. And if you were expecting a port you were wrong, included in this version are several new features that will be available exclusively for the Wii and DS.

The next Evolution Of Top Selling Xbox Live® Arcade Masterpiece Geometry Wars Comes To Nintendo Wii And Nintendo DS

Geometry Wars: Galaxies Game to Feature All New Single-player and Multiplayer Modes, Enemies and Weapons

READING, ENGLAND (25, May 2007) - Sierra Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, announced today that Geometry Wars™: Galaxies, a 2D arcade shooter game, will be coming to Nintendo exclusively on the Wii Console and Nintendo DS system. The Geometry Wars: Galaxies videogame is developed by Kuju Entertainment (Surrey) and is the follow-up to Bizarre Creations' Xbox LIVE® Arcade sensation, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved.

The Geometry Wars: Galaxies videogame delivers an all new mission-based campaign where players blast-off on action-paced quests across the galaxy, defending solar systems one by one, defeating waves of alien enemies on new and classic Battle Grids. The controls have been optimized for Nintendo systems, allowing gamers to use the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ controller or DS touch screen to execute hotshot moves as never before.

For the first time ever, the Geometry Wars videogame will let players battle via hot seat, co-op, simultaneous and versus in multiplayer mode. Those that own both the Nintendo DS and Wii can link the game together using Wi-Fi to unlock bonus content. Elite players will be able to challenge the universe by posting high scores on the Wii's online leader board.

The Geometry Wars: Galaxies videogame also includes the full version of Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, winner of IGN's 2005 Best XBLA Title of The Year.

"The Geometry Wars: Galaxies videogame is an entertaining title blending old-school arcade fun with next-gen gameplay and action," said Al Simone, SVP of Global Marketing for Sierra Entertainment. "We are excited to bring the Geometry Wars brand to the Nintendo platform as both the Wii and DS enable a fun and frenetic experience for gamers."

For more information, please visit the game's official Web site at http://www.sierra.com/geometrywarsgalaxies/.

[From Kotaku]

This Year's E3 Schedule

For all you E3 junkies out there here is the official schedule for this year E3, which will be from July 11-13:

Tuesday, July 10th
8:30 - 9:30 PM - Microsoft Corporation

Wednesday, July 11th
9:00 - 10:00 AM - Nintendo
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM - Sony
2:00 - 3:00 PM - EA
3:15 - 4:15 PM - Activision
4:30 - 5:30 PM - Midway
5:45 - 6:45 PM - Konami

Thursday July 12th
8:00 - 9:00 AM - Take Two Interactive
9:15 - 10:15 AM - THQ
10:30 - 11:30 AM - Ubisoft
1:00 - 2:00 PM - Namco Bandai
3:30 - 4:30 PM - Disney Interactive

There you go, mark your calenders and prepare for a lot of gaming news.

360 Wireless Racing Wheel Price DROP

Although the price is not that much of a difference, with the release of the Forza 2 game on May 29th the price of the wheel will go from $149.99 to $129.99 a difference of $20. As I said earlier, not that much of a difference, and in my opinion still not worth it.

Why the Halo 2 for Vista DELAY?

The reason for the delay you ask? Well the answer is surprisingly nudity. Yes, nudity. You never would have thought that out of all the games Halo would have nudity. Well the reason for this "nudity" was just a programmer's joke. The nudity was never supposed to be accessed by the customers. According to the ESRB statement: "The content in question, although likely to be inaccessible to the vast majority of users, displays a photograph of an individual showing his bare backside to the user when a particular error occurs, and thus warrants a 'Partial Nudity' content descriptor in order to alert consumers to its presence in the product."

Those crazy ol' programmers are back at it again.

Sony Being Sued for Another Patent Infringement

Last Wednesday three divisions of Sony Corp. were sued by California based Target Technology Co. for allegedly violating a patent on the silver-based alloy coating used on Blu-ray disks manufactured by Sony. The three divisions accused of the infringement are Sony DADC U.S. Inc., Sony Computer Entertainment of America Inc., and Sony Pictures Inc. The claim asks for damages and the prevention of Sony to use the patent any further.
[From GamePro]

Wow, Sony sure is keeping themselves in some hot water, but if they keep doing this they will eventually get burned. You would have thought with the recent case with Immersion that Sony would have made sure they wouldn't infringe again, but for the record it is "allegedly" meaning it may not be true.

Halo 2 for VIsta DELAYED Yet Again

First, we were told the release date was suppose to be May 8th. Then it moved to May 22nd. Now it is delayed yet another week to May 31st.

Come on Microsoft, I know it takes time to release games, but this is the 3rd time. Not that I really care, but Major Nelson and some of his buddies have been playing Halo 2 for Vista a long time so there is no doubt that this is game is in fact done. I think this has something to do with the release of Shadowrun, which is due to be released on the 29th, maybe because Halo 2 will take the spotlight? Well Shadowrun is the new launch game for The Games for Windows platform.

P.S.: June 8th is the release date of Halo 2 for Vista in Europe

Guitar Hero Encore: Rock the 80's Box Cover

Released today the new box cover artwork for the upcoming Guitar Hero Encore: Rock the 80's expansion. Included on the cover is two new characters, maybe to be included in the game?

Rumble Coming to the PS3 in November?

According to the rumors section in PSM the rumble functionality that the Sixaxis obviously lacks may be on its way to the PS3's controller in November of this year. The article even mentions some specifics to the release of the new controller such as: there will be an announcement at E3 of this year and the projected release date of the new controller will be November 13th.
[From Kotaku]

With so much criticism over this feature I couldn't blame Sony for wanting to include it, but as mentioned earlier this year the PS3 games do not include the functionality for rumble. So if this new controller is indeed true, how will Sony handle previous games? Will they release updates to give older games rumble? Or will they just focus on new games for rumble?

Today's PSN Update

Today along with the new firmware update is some new content for the Playstation Store. Joust is now available for download in the downloadable games section. Also available are 7 new trailers. Among them are: MLB 07: The Show, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, and Championship Sprint. So if you own a PS3 and can get away from playing your games for a while go check out the new content, and while your at it make sure you download the new firmware update too.

PS3 Firmware Update 1.80 to be Released TOMORROW

Latest PLAYSTATION 3 Firmware Update Provides PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and DVD Upscaling Remote Play on PSP (PlayStation Portable) via the Internet and DLNA transfer of media content also enabled

London, 24 May 2007 - Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) announced today availability of the latest version of the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) firmware. Version 1.80 features upscaling of PlayStation® and PlayStation 2 games, and DVD movies up to full 1080p HD resolution when viewed on a compatible HD TV set.

The capability to upscale DVDs to HD quality is a feature normally only associated with top range DVD players, and its inclusion in the latest firmware upgrade now allows PS3 owners with an existing DVD collection to dramatically enhance the viewing pleasure of their DVD collection when viewed through a compatible HD TV set1. Not only can DVD movies be enhanced to full 1080p HD quality but so too will PlayStation 2 and PlayStation games be upscaled to provide much improved gaming pleasure.

In a comprehensive update to PS3's already impressive capabilities, Version 1.80 also allows users to enjoy Remote Play on their PSP across the internet, allowing them to access their PS3 anywhere in the world where a broadband internet connection is available2.

Version 1.80 also allows users on a home network to seamlessly view and play rich media content such as images, music and video on their PS3, that is stored on their DLNA3 enabled devices such as PCs and laptops elsewhere in the house, reinforcing PS3's credentials as a home entertainment hub that truly deserves pride of place in the Living Room.

A host of other enhancements include the ability to print photo images stored on PS3's hard disk or inserted storage media to a selection of Epson printers.

PS3 owners will be able to upgrade their PS3 with the latest Version 1.80 firmware from 24th May 2007.

[From Kotaku]

Finally some good news for PS3 owners.

Guitar Hero III Announced

We all wanted another one, and today Activision has fulfilled our wishes. The new game which I am calling Guitar Hero III (not the official name at this time) will be made available to all Next-Gen consoles and the PS2. Plus, they will all sport WIRELESS guitars. Though all the tracks have not been announced Activision has promised that there will be more tracks on this installment of the game than any other. At this time the announced tracks are:

• Paint It Black (by The Rolling Stones)

• Cherub Rock (by Smashing Pumpkins)

• Sabotage (by Beastie Boys)

• The Metal (by Tenacious D)

• My Name is Jonas (by Weezer)

• Knights of Cydonia (by Muse)

• Rock And Roll All Nite (as made famous by Kiss)

• School's Out (as made famous by Alice Cooper)

• Slow Ride (as made famous by Fog Hat)

• Cult of Personality (by Living Colour)

• Barracuda (as made famous by Heart)

[From GamePro]

And bet there will be more to come. So for those of you who are sold now, the game is scheduled for a Fall '07 release, just in time for the holidays.

This Weeks XBLA Wednesday Releases

Another double release today for the Xbox Live Arcade. Today's releases will be:

Name: Xevious
Price: 400 Points
Availability: All Xbox Live members
Dash Details: Size: 13.5 MB■Single player ■Hi-Definition ■Control your Solvalou ship and destroy the XEVIOUS forces! Use blasters against air-based enemies and bombs against ground-based targets. Destroy And or Genesis to earn bonus points! Unique enemies, interesting BGM, a variety of scrolling background environments and many hidden gameplay features differentiated XEVIOUS from other shooting games released at the time. XEVIOUS was released in 1982 and became an instant classic

Name: Rush'n Attack
Price: 400 Points
Availability: All Xbox Live members
Dash Details: Single Player, Xbox LIVE Multiplayer 1-2, HD (High Definition). Download the full version of Rush'n Attack and get all four levels of difficulty, plus a complete set of twelve achievements. So many POWs and so little time! Relive the Cold War from your warm cozy couch.
Size: 39.9 MB (approx.)

[From Major Nelson]

Bad Sony! Take That Foot Out of Your Mouth

Jack Tretton the SCEA President and CEO recently had an interview with Gamepro. In the interview Gamepro asked Jack's opinion on the rumor of Microsoft adopting the Folding@Home project that, well Sony was first to adopt. Here is his response:

"I think what's very important to us, and I think is great for our consumers, is the pride that it gives you as a company to say that we're helping to fight and research Alzheimer's and that 250K people signed up in less than 60 days. And what we're doing takes 30 times longer on a PC, and that's a great testament to the PS3, but it's more a real feel-good thing to take your machine when it's idle to help contribute to that cause.

So if other companies can help contribute to that, I think that's great. But let's face it, if your motivation is for PR, to me, that's a little shallow. We go out of our way, correctly so, to make sure that we don't try to sell PS3s on Folding@Home. We try to look at it for just what it is, which is great community service for a great cause, and I think to look at it as a marketing platform is something that a company certainly wouldn't want to do. I'm certainly not insinuating that's Microsoft's motivation, but I'm not even sure how relevant it is to what were doing.

Would they be even having this conversation if we weren't doing it? I don't know. I would guess that the medical community would take help from anywhere they could get it, but the commentary that I heard is that Stanford isn't sure that [the Xbox 360's processing abilities] would help them very much, which is odd to be because if it helped at all, it seems like they would welcome it with open arms.

It's really ugly territory to get into, but let's take fighting a disease and see if we can get some credit for that. It's not a cool game to play one way or the other, so I don't want to even give the impression that that's our motivation and I'd be very disappointed if they're looking for PR value or to try to suck off some of the goodwill that we're doing."

So they don't want folding at home for PR value or to sell the PS3?

"takes 30 times longer on a PC"

"does it when the machine is idle"

"not sure if the Xbox 360 could help"

"let's take fighting a disease and see if we can get some credit for that."

"try to suck off some of the goodwill we're doing"


Lets go through the checklist:

1.) Brag about how much faster your PS3 is than the PC- CHECK

2.) Brag even more because the PS3 does it while it's idle- CHECK

3.) Put down your competition because your "Not sure they can help"- CHECK

4.) Take credit for fighting disease- CHECK

5.) Make Microsoft the bad guy because they want to help- CHECK


Not trying to sale the PS3 or get good PR huh? Doesn't sound like it to me. And well if they actually do end up finding the cure for cancer, you'll never here the end of it.

Nintendo Annouces Summer Lineup

Today Nintendo has announced this years summer lineup and it has some goodies in it too! Here it is:

Wii:

• Mario Strikers Charged: July 30 - Nintendo
  
• Metroid Prime 3 Corruption: Aug. 20 - Nintendo
  
• Battalion Wars 2: September - Nintendo
  
• High School Musical: Sing It!: Aug. 14 - Disney Interactive
  
• Madden NFL '08: Aug. 14 - EA
  
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour '08: August - EA
  
• Space Station Tycoon: August - Namco Bandai
  
• Brunswick Pro Bowling: August - Crave
  
• Dave Mirra BMX Challenge: August - Crave
  
• Pinball Hall of fame: The Williams Collection: Aug. - Crave
  
• Brothers in Arms: September - Ubisoft
  
• Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal: September - Warner Bros.
  
• George of the Jungle: September - Crave
  
• Boogie: Fall - EA

[From IGN]

DS:

• Picross DS: July 30
  
• Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day: Aug 20
  
• DK Jungle Climber: Sept. 10
  
• Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol: Sept. 24
• SimCity: July (Electronic Arts)
  
• Namco Museum DS: July (Namco Bandai)
  
• Drake & Josh: July (THQ)
  
• Glory Days 2: July - (Eidos)
  
• Madden NFL '08: Aug. 14 (Electronic Arts)
  
• High School Musical: Makin' the Cut!: Aug. 14 (Disney Interactive)
  
• Heroes of Mana: Aug. 14 (Square-Enix)
  
• I SPY: Fun House: August (Activision)
  
• Jewel Quest Expedition: August (Activision)
  
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour '08: August (Electronic Arts)
  
• Worms: Open Warfare 2: August (THQ)
  
• Luminous Arc: August (Atlus)
  
• Mega Man Star Force (Pegasus, Leo, Dragon): August (Capcom)
  
• Operation: Vietnam: August (Majesco)
  
• Turn It Around: August (Majesco)
  
• The Wild West: August (Majesco)
  
• Full Metal Alchemist Trading Card Game: August (Destineer)
  
• Drawn to Life: September (THQ)
  
• Zoey 101: September (THQ)
  
• Crayola Treasure Adventure: September (Crave)
  
• Nancy Drew and The Deadly Secret of the Olde World Park: September (Majesco)
  
• Holly Hobbie & Friends: September (Majesco)
  
• Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations: September (Capcom)
  
• Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck: September (Warner Bros.)
  
• Pet Luv Spad & Resort Tycoon: September (Activision)
  
• Animal Genius: September (Activision)
  
• George of the Jungle: September (Crave)
  
• Jam Sessions: September (Ubisoft)
  
• Professor Brainium: September (Destineer)
  
• Indy 500 Legends: September (Destineer)

[From IGN]

Sounds good can't wait for Metroid Prime 3.

This Weeks VC Update

Today Nintendo has released 3 more Virtual Console games. They will be drum roll please:

Donkey Kong Country 2™: Diddy's Kong Quest™ (SNES®, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): In the sequel to the immensely popular Donkey Kong Country™, Diddy Kong® gets the spotlight, along with his girlfriend, Dixie Kong™ - a great little monkey with a dangerous ponytail. The action starts on the wreck of King K. Rool's Gangplank Galleon that has apparently broken up on a reef offshore from the Kremlings' Island. Diddy and his friends will have to work together to rescue Donkey Kong®, exploring all the hidden areas of the Kremlings' island: a spooky haunted forest, treacherous swamps, a giant beehive oozing with sticky honey and lava-filled caves, just to name a few.

Streets of Rage™ 2 (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): To celebrate their defeat of the Syndicate exactly one year before, Blaze, Adam and Axel met for drinks. The next morning, Axel received a frantic phone call from Eddie "Skate" Hunter, Adam's younger brother, whom he was living with on the edge of the city. Blaze and Axel found Adam and Skate's house wrecked, and a picture showing Adam chained up at the feet of Mr. X. The city then once again returned to its nightmarish state as criminals ran rampant. Unable to contact their old friend in artillery, Axel and Blaze team up with Skate and Max Thunder to free the city and rescue Adam from the Syndicate. It is up to you to take down Mr. X once and for all.

Blazing Lazers (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): Blazing Lazers is a vertical-scrolling shooter that was praised for surpassing the limitations of the hardware of its time. Players control the extraordinary firepower of their Gunhed Star Fighter to take on the Dark Squadron that has begun its invasion of Earth. Collect power-ups to increase your ship's battle strength so it can cut through enemies and defeat the bosses in all nine areas. Of course, as part of the "Soldier" series, the game contains a good combination of fast-paced speed with catchy, drum-propelled background music, coupled with the Field Thunder that can be used to destroy enemies in one fell swoop for the ultimate sense of satisfaction. With its fine-tuned difficulty levels, Blazing Lazers is a shooting game that anyone can enjoy.

[From Kotaku]

GRAW 2 DELAYED on PS3 AGAIN

Ubisoft has announced that Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 will not make it to PS3 owners in June as anticipated, instead they have assigned a new release date of August 31st.

[From PS3 Fanboy]

With this being the second delay of this game, which was suppose to be released in March I'm beginning to wonder if Ubisoft like Sony.

80 GB PS3 CONFIRMED (For Korea)

At first there were two available PS3 consoles, a 20 gig and a 60 gig. Now that Sony has discontinued the 20 gig there is only one available console, which is the 60 gig. Announced today was the new 80 gig console. The console, at this time, will only be released in Korea. The new console will be released on June 16 for a price of 518,000 Won ($558) for the Koreans this is the only PS3 console that will be available to buy in this region. Just like the previous 60 gig that was released in Europe earlier this year, the new console will be "identical to the European model in terms of all other technical specs [apart from the size of the hard drive]." Which means this console to will be lacking the backwards compatibility chip the consoles in Europe lacked. When Sony was asked about any future plans of the console they replied with "We have no plans to release the 80GB model PS3 in Europe at this time."

[From Gamespot]

Like they said in Europe at this time. They didn't mention North America or Japan. Prediction: You will see them soon.

New Releases: Week of 5/20

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End-(360, PC, PS2, Wii, PS3, DS, PSP)

Halo 2-(PC)

Odin Sphere-(PS2)

UFO: Extraterrestrials-(PC)

Dawn of Mana-(PS2)

Naruto: Ninja Council 3-(DS)

WarTech: Senko no Ronde-(360)

Brooktown High: Senior Year-(PSP)

Death Jr. and the Science Fair of Doom-(DS)

Marvel Trading Card Game-(DS)

Major League Baseball 2K7-(GBA)

The New York Times Crosswords- (DS)

XBLA Wants YOUR Opinion On New Games

Over at Gamerscore Blog they want your opinion on games you would like to see come to the Xbox Live Arcade. So head on over and let your opinion be heard!

Starcraft 2 Officially Announced

We all knew it was coming, the only question was when. Well the answer is now! Although the game was officially announced there is still no date available on its release. Also released was the official Starcraft 2 website you can get to it by clicking here. For those who haven't seen it yet here's a clip of the announcement trailer:

Riddick CONFIRMED for Next-Gen

From CVG:

A next gen redux of the splendid Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay is underway with developers Starbreeze finally confirming Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena which is due to debut on Xbox 360 and PS3 before the end of this year.

Dark Athena will be more than a simple port of the original game though, which went great guns in its original Xbox incarnation and really put Starbreeze on the development map. Dark Athena will apparently boast an additional 40 per cent single-player content set on board the scavenger ship Dark Athena. What that means we can only guess, but it certainly sounds intriguing and it looks like some kind of assault will be in order.

However, word is one of the main attractions of Dark Athena will be a superb multiplayer mode, with visceral hand-to-hand combat and shiny shiv action featuring heavily if it follows the course of the original game.

So there you have it Chronicles of Riddick: Assualt on Dark Athena, look for it on shelves later this year for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Wii Passes the 7 Million Mark

According to VGChartz in the latest worldwide console sells, the Wii has now sold 7.09 Million units. Just ahead is the 360 with 9.71 Million and the PS3 comes in last with 3.31 Million.

Xbox 360 Owners Being BANNED

From Gamerscore Blog:

Keeping Xbox LIVE Fair

One of the great things about LIVE and the unified community is that we work hard to create a level playing field for all gamers and have a no tolerance policy towards inappropriate behavior like hacking or cheating. As part of our commitment to our members, we do not allow people that we have detected to have modified their console to connect to LIVE. This is an important part of our efforts to try and maintain a fair gaming environment for the large majority of gamers that play by the rules. This topic is more important than ever given the recent release of the Halo 3 beta. As a result, some consumers that try to login to LIVE who we detect have illegally modified their console will get an error code (Status Code: Z: 8015 - 190D) when trying to connect to the service. These users will not have their account automatically banned from LIVE, but they will no longer be able to access the service from the console they modified.

We have stated in the past that customers can only enjoy access to the Xbox LIVE community through the use of a genuine, unmodified, Xbox console and we will continue to enforce this rule to ensure the integrity of our service, the protection of our partners and the benefits of our users.

I don't have a problem with this just as long as innocent people don't get hurt in the process.

Another PS3 Blunder: PGR 3 Used to Promote GT... Again!

Kia's Spanish website was the culprit this time. In an attempt to compare the Kia to a Ferrari, the automobile company used a car from obviously PGR 3 (can tell by the license plate). The only problem with this is well the giant PS3 in the the picture.

Warhawk Beta Update

The upcoming PS3 game "Warhawk" is having a Beta that will be going public on May 24th, 2007. In order to take advantage of this beta you must register on the PlayStation site. I guess this gives you PS3 owners something to do while Halo 3 Beta is out.