"We've come a long way... Square Enix's biggest RPG franchises, Namco Bandai bringing their top titles including Tekken 6. A lot of great arcade titles that the Japanese publishers continue to really recreate for this whole new generation, and we're finally at a price the world can afford."

Greenberg also threw in: "We're the platform they're looking to to help bring and grow their franchises around the world."

Of course he's couching this in terms of global reach, not the Japan market, because there ain't no such thing as a Japan release of Final Fantasy XIII for the 360. And I think if Microsoft really wanted to put a finger in Sony's face over this, maybe they could make the comment somewhere other than a podcast they run.

Of further note, in the same podcast, Major Nelson and Greenberg try to put to bed Blu-Ray 360 rumors yet again.

TGS 2008 [Major Nelson, via GamesIndustry.biz]

Those mature PS3 titles include Way of The Samurai 3, Resident Evil 5, SOCOM: Confrontation, Killzone 2, Resistance 2 and Demon's Souls. There weren't wait signs for these titles (only play time ones), but the lines for all these titles save for RE5 were 45~60 minutes. The wait for Resident Evil 5 at the PS3 booth was 120 minutes. The noon LittleBigPlanet line ran 50 minutes, and the Gran Turismo 5: Prologue was a mere 12 minutes. The line for the White Knight Chronicles trailer was 80 minutes.

PSP titles also drew sizable crowds: DISSIDIA, Kingdom Hearts: Death by Sleep and THE iDOLM@STER SP all drew big crowds, causing Sony to suspend the lines.

Microsoft also drew large crowds at noon. The Last Remnant line clocked in at 75 minutes, and the Star Ocean 4 line was 100 minutes. Fallout 3 was packing them in with a 90 minute line, while Saints Row wasn't. The 12:00pm line was a 20 minutes long. The Resident Evil 5 line at the Microsoft booth was 100 minutes.

Developer Level-5 hasn't exactly been open about the game. During the White Knight Chronicles Powerpoint event yesterday, the game's producer, Kentaro Motomura, remained tight lipped on key online modes like whether there will be voice chat or not. The game is supposed to be out in 2 and a half months.

The answer of course is no. We don't want that. It would be a tremendous waste of the work all the beta testers have put in, and would rob so many people of the inspiration the works so far provide. This isn't an MMO, we don't have to worry about anyone having an advantage over us in PVP (Planet versus Planet). Vote no on Operation Tiny Wipe, just like the majority of respondents already are.

LittleBigPlanet Beta Created Levels - You decide [LittleBigPlanet News]

Sony plans on releasing 6-10 new premium themes per month, giving PS3 owners ample opportunities to pay good money for something you should ideally hardly ever see. Hit the jump for a few more examples, including a rather attractive BioShock offering that I am seriously considering picking up.

New Premium Theme Options on PlayStation Store [PlayStation Blog]

Let your readers know that USATODAY.com is the place for their chance to play LittleBigPlanet before it hits stores Oct. 21. They can go to http://littlebigplanet.usatoday.com and there will be a link that gets them a free access key (beta code) from Sony to download the trial version of the game to their Net-connected PlayStation 3.

You hear the man, folks. Make sure that PS3 is net-connected, or else you're missing out on a good 75% of the system's entertainment value.

[2ch.net]

"......"

So...yeah, LocoRoco 2 looks pretty neat, and...uh, Mr. Kouno? Hello?

"......"

So went some parts of today's interview with Tsutomu Kouno. Just a few. And the guy wasn't being rude at all. He's a really sharp, really nice guy. He was just totally into LocoRoco 2. Couldn't stop tapping his feet during the new rhythm-action sections, couldn't stop humming along to the new character's songs.

It's great to see that, despite having done nothing but work on LocoRoco for the past 3-4 years, Kouno can still completely lose himself in the game. It's definitely a lot more encouraging sign for the game than any bullet point or press release could ever manage.

Use Your PSP as an Extra PC Monitor

I can see the DSi being successful. The DS lite was obviously very successful. Will DSi do well with [the DS's] demographic? It probably will. Will it be a product that expands their user base [beyond] under 12? I'm not sure.

Uh...how can you expand a market that’s already full?

Sony Fondles New DS with One Hand, Bitchslaps with the Other [Gizmodo]

And it’s not just the PS3 they’re warming to. The Wii has, last time we checked, sold a ton of units as well. Same story, then?

If we were going for the Wii we'd have to go for a whole new game that's designed for that platform. That's an expensive proposition and riskier than just getting some good PS3 developers on board.

It's something that we're still evaluating, but certainly the install base is the thing that rules all. If there's an opportunity there you've got to take it seriously.

Yup.

On the topic of the PS3… if Valve are suddenly warming to the PS3, what does this mean for the prospect of a PS3 version of Left 4 Dead? It means things are looking up! Well, maybe not up, but at least “50-50”. And a 50% chance is a lot better than a 0% chance.

Valve: Doug Lombardi [CVG]

Really though, is this true, and if so, is it a good idea? Part of LBP's appeal is that it managed to create iconic characters that have no other presence outside this particular world. To have Mickey, Minnie and or Goofy tromping all over creation seems more than a little inconsistent with that look. It sounds like Kingdom Hearts meets LBP.

EGM November 2008 Reviews and Rumors [NeoGAF via Joystiq]

Here’s the full list of 16 tracks featured in MotorStorm Pacific Rift:

Kanaloa Bay: “Sun-kissed, secluded, sandy, and slightly more treacherous than its good looks first suggest, Kanaloa Bay is a great track to be a spectator at. It’s an awesome beach party with a welcome smattering of vehicular carnage running through it. But beware the dark territory beyond the lagoon – space gets real tight, real quick in that steamy jungle stretch.”

· Sugar Rush: “Only MotorStormers would think to stage a race in and around an old sugar plantation. The sharp machinery and rusty metal, those rust-weakened floors and rotten walls, and the zero-visibility of the cane fields all combine to make this track a sickly-sweet rush that’s going to ruin more than just your teeth.”

· Mudslide: “The clue’s largely in the title: Mudslide is like one of those crazy rides you get at water parks, except with mud instead of water.

· Still, there’s plenty of slip-slidey action to engage in, with high routes available for those of you without the tires to tackle the mud.”

· Cascade Falls: “Dense jungle, thick with haze, gives way to wide-open plateaus and rickety scaffold. The tropical setting makes for a fascinating blend of beauty and danger – much like my ex-wife. The key to success is to keep it honest – don’t take any unnecessary risks, and don’t get caught making out behind the start gantry.”

· Beachcomber: “The black sand is evidence of the awesome power of nature, created by lava flowing into the ocean which explodes as it is supercooled by the water. The WWII airbase and the unexploded bombs are evidence of the awesome destructive power of man. The sheer carnage created when these are combined is evidence of the awesome power of the MotorStorm. Let battle commence!”

· Colossus Canyon: “This track has it all – beautiful forest, vibrant fauna, and a picturesque mountain stream that courses through a narrow gorge, over brook and water-meadow, and plummets over an enormous waterfall. Let’s face it; if you’re only going to accidentally plummet over one giant precipice in your MotorStorm career, this is the one to do it on. Today is a good day to fly.”

· Caldera Ridge: “The race organizers looked long and hard to find some driveable routes here, but in the end decided it’d be more fun driving vehicles over the edge of an enormous crater and barrelling out-of-control down a near-vertical slope. And that’s exactly why the race organizers don’t get invited to make race tracks for anyone else. Ever.”

· Badlands: “A giant track, racing at the feet of a giant cinder cone, Badlands has a name that’s perfectly descriptive. Wait until you see the enormous active crater you need to jump over, or the blind, sheer precipices you need to tear round at high speed if you’re to have any chance of winning. And let’s not get into the collapsed tunnels and the huge canyon jump that crosses the track 75 feet in the air. These are MotorStorm lands. These are Badlands.”

· The Edge: “There’s at least half a track here that isn’t ridiculously dangerous. The other half is on a camber so extreme that descriptions like ‘gnarly’, ‘radical’ and ‘utterly ridiculous’ don’t begin to convey it. This is all about keeping traction, and keeping nerve. Seasoned MotorStormers are already declaring ‘Don’t lose your bottle on the Edge – because if you do it’ll probably fall and kill someone half a mile below you”. Wise words indeed.”

· Paradise Beach: “Paradise Beach was perfect. Clear skies, gentle surf, warm water. It was a small town, and the living was good. Was, that is, until 30 years ago when the fire-God Pele cruised into town in his fiery hotrod of molten death, and literally tore up the strip. Now all that remains is dust and bones. Welcome to Paradise.”

· The Rift: “The Rift: a mile-long tear in the world that is said to be the serpentine trail to the dark underworld of the God Milu. Formed from multiple interlinking lava tubes created over millennia, the Rift is a tight, claustrophobic journey through the jaws of the underworld, where death awaits the wearied traveler at every turn.”

· Scorched: “Fire, steam, lava, craters – Scorched is about as far away from the golden beaches and cool blue ocean as possible. The heat and dust make a real mess of your engine, and the lava will make a real mess of you. Once you’re out of the barren lands, you may think you’ve escaped unharmed, but the thick forested area on the back section of the track throws up plenty of its own unique hazards.”

· Razorback: “The Daddy. Mud, dirt, flora, caves, rock, water. Deadly drop-offs, dangerous jumps, spectacular falls and fast-flowing rivers. This is the big one – the whole MotorStorm ethos showcased in a single, epic track. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, your time to shine is now.”

· Rain God Spires: “A humid, slippery, unfeasibly dangerous track set at the summit of a towering cathedral amongst heavy, pendulous tropical clouds.

· With immense slick precipices over immense drop-offs, Rain God brings hell to the Heavens and provides one of the Festival’s most dangerous and deadly roller-coaster rides.”

· Wildfire: “Trapped in no-man’s land between a deadly lava deluge and an unforgiving ocean, Wildfire is the rock between two hard places - a very temporary island-hopping race over the elemental battlefield where fire and water collide. Smoke and steam conspire to reduce race visibility to a minimum while the route screams along perilous cliff-edges and leaps across rifts and chasms.”

· Riptide: “The crowd-pleaser down on the beach, Riptide is the unholy offspring of MotoX and MotorStorm. From MotoX it has inherited ramps, big jumps, whoops, rollers, tight banked turns and technical hairpins, and from MotorStorm its blue eyes, cute little button nose and sandy complexion.”

• Hardware:
Nintendo DS (DS and DS Lite)
First half of the year: 1,314,919
Total units sold: 23,484,680

PSP (PSP-1000 and PSP-2000)
First half of the year: 1,583,731
Total units sold: 10,157,757

Wii
First half of the year: 1,105,174
Total units sold: 6,800,753

PLAYSTATION 3
First half of the year: 352,457
Total units sold: 2,361,949

Xbox 360
First half of the year: 138,740
Total units sold: 741,298

•Software
Mario Kart Wii
First half of the year: 1,744,387
Total units sold: 1,744,387

Monster Hunter Portable 2ndG
First half of the year: 1,602,386
Total units sold: 2,425,651

Pokémon Platinum
First half of the year: 1,481,725
Total units sold: 1,481,725

Dragon Quest V
First half of the year: 1,152,229
Total units sold: 1,152,229

Wii Fit
First half of the year: 845,238
Total units sold: 2,607,431

エンターブレインが2008年度上半期ゲーム市場の速報データを発表——ハードの販売台数はPSPがトップ [Famitsu]

Sony says PlayStation 3 sales better than expected [Reuters]

"There's definitely scope for a PSP version," said Healy in an exclusive interview with (GamesIndustry.biz) sister site Eurogamer TV, to be broadcast next week. "We've had discussions and talks, [but] nothing concrete at the moment."

So the idea has certainly been kicked around, which is lovely indeed. What could be sweeter than a portable version of LittleBigPlanet? How about portable LittleBigPlanet utilities?

"It'd be great to make, for the people who are really into the Create side, some kind of companion products that allow you to create things while you're on the train," he said. "One thing that I'd love to add is the ability to create you're own music, for example, that you can import into the game. That seems like an obvious one to do and it'd be quite easy really."

Now these are some excellent ideas, and in my opinion exactly the sort of applications the PSP should be used for. The key lies in making the PSP a living, breathing extension of the PlayStation 3, to the point where a built-in PSP dock is a serious consideration when designing future iterations of the console. That'll be when the portable truly hits its sweet spot.

LittleBigPlanet boss reveals PSP vision [GamesIndustry.biz]

Sony Pictures and CAPCOM® Present an All New CG-Animated Feature Film, RESIDENT EVIL: DEGENERATION

World Premiere October 10th at Tokyo Game Show

North American Premiere November 13th at New York City Horror Film Festival

Fangoria-Sponsored West Coast Premiere in Los Angeles November 18th

CULVER CITY, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Seven years after the destruction of Raccoon City, Leon and Claire are back as the war against the zombies rages on in RESIDENT EVIL: DEGENERATION, a co-production of CAPCOM Co., Ltd. (CAPCOM®) and Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan Co., Ltd. (SPEJ) based on the popular video game franchise.

Making its worldwide theatrical debut in Japan on October 18, 2008, RESIDENT EVIL: DEGENERATION will be exhibited in the US at the New York City Horror Film Festival on November 13th and at a screening in Los Angeles on November 18th hosted by Fangoria.

Produced by renown gaming producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi (associate producer of Resident Evil: Apocalypse and video game producer of Resident Evil® 4 and Devil May Cry® 4) and directed by Makoto Kamiya (special effects director of L: Change The World, Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack), RESIDENT EVIL: DEGENERATION is a spectacular, CG-animated thrill-ride that takes the terrifying zombie action of the blockbuster Resident Evil franchise to a whole new level with jaw-dropping visual effects and heart-pounding suspense.

The "Umbrella Incident" that took place in Raccoon City ended with a missile attack ordered by the government intended to wipe out the deadly zombie virus. Following this catastrophe, the Umbrella Corporation’s stock plummeted, bankrupting the business giant. Seven years later, at an airport in the Heartland of America, a commercial airliner unwittingly delivers some deadly cargo. Now, in an airport beginning to fill with the undead, the horrific disaster is about to repeat itself.

More information available at http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/residentevildegeneration/

What's more, using an upgraded Cell in the PS4 would obviously lower the cost of production with a smaller chip, too. That right there could be a key factor in why Sony could very well be investigating this possibility. What's more, it seems more in line with what Nintendo has successfully done with the GameCube and the Wii. Goto goes on to theorize if the next PlayStation will have 32 cores (compared to the current 8), but Goto doesn't have any concrete information about Sony's plans.

While the original Xbox had trouble trailing the PS2 (and all the PS2 developer kits that were sent out), Sony has been playing catch up against the Xbox 360. So, for example, if Sony wants to get the PS4 out in 2011 before the next Xbox, it will need a shortcut because actual chip development, Goto writes, takes 3 or 4 years.

PLAYSTATION 4は拡張版Cell搭載へ向かう [PC Watch]

Sengoku BASARA: Battle Heroes
Shin Sangoku Musou: MULTI RAID
Musou OROCHI: Maou Sairin
KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep
DISSIDIA FINAL FANTASY
Clank & Ratchet: Maru Hi Mission Ignition!
Sarugetchu Pipo-Saru Senki
Patapon 2 Donchaka
BLEACH ~Soul Carnival~
Mainichi Issho Portable
Yuusha no Kuse ni Namaikida or2
LocoRoco 2
THE iDOLM@STER SP
Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam
Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2

There will be three unannounced titles from Sony Computer Entertainment. PS3 titles after the jump

Guitar Hero: Legends of Rock
FIFA 09 World Class Soccer
Street Fighter IV
Resident Evil 5
Lumines Super Nova
Metal Gear Online
Way of the Samurai 3
Sonic World Adventure
SOCOM: Confrontation
PlayStation Home
Mainichi Issho
MotorStorm 2
LittleBigPlanet
Resistance 2
WWE 2009 SmackDown vs RAW
Gundam Musou 2
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm

The are unannounced titles as well. One from Irem Software Engineering, one from Konami, and nine from Sony Computer Entertainment.

[via 1UP]

Will it arrive with the much goofier, but potentially more marketable title of Hakuna Matata? Oh, we can hardly wait to find out!

Update: VG247 says that SCEE says there are "no plans" to bring Afrika to Europe. One more for the No Plans Watch pile.

Afrika coming to Europe? [CVG]

Apparently reports of beta testing this game in Europe are on the level. PlayStation Universe found this video, which shows Killzone 2's menu screens and gameplay between players online. Here we pass it along to you for your perusal.

Seven Minutes of Killzone 2 Beta Footage [PlayStation Universe]

Honestly not sure if this is NSFW or not —it's Sunday after all, who the hell is working? — but I'll flag it anyway. Especially if you have a 4-year-old running around who points at the screen and wants things explained. This here's "Sac-boy" (intentional) playing with a pee-pee and what looks to be like a condom with reservoir tip. Fair warning, whomever built this included a money-shot mechanism. LBP's release is not for another three weeks; does this count as a day-zero penis exploit?

The survey featured "at least 15 questions related to payment plans for the game," says Bitbag. "Seems Sony’s plan is to charge a yearly or monthly fee, while also one time fees for content downloads. It also mentioned hosting partners being EA, Sony, and Activision."

Conveniently, no screen grabs of the survey itself exist, although Bitbag did provide some of the email. If anyone in our community's taken this survey, or has additional info about it, let us hear it. Thanks.

Sony to Charge Monthly/Yearly Fee for MMO MAG? [The Bitbag, thanks Tevin]

The battle is far from over, and Sony have more up their sleeve right now than Microsoft appear to be able to muster, but by stealing hardcore loyalty from their market rivals, Microsoft has gained an edge that could allow them to give Sony a seriously bloody nose this time around. But if it came to 360 versus Wii in a battle for the mass market, Microsoft should save their warchest and call it quits – it may be the hardcore gamer’s ideal machine right now, but even in a dream scenario the 360’s installed base is probably going to top out at about 40 million (not coincidentally, roughly the size of the installed base of Sony’s hardcore-friendly PSP handheld).

The Wii might not have the legs to beat Sony’s 140 million PS2’s, since that was the consequence of a convergence between gamer hobbyist and mass market support which doesn’t exist now that the console manufacturers have torn the market dynamic into two very different halves, but with a good tailwind it could match or exceed the 75 million DS handhelds Nintendo have sold. I suspect it will outsell the 360 by 2:1, perhaps 3:1.

And the PS3? It’s final unit sales may depend more on the uptake of the Blu-ray format than anything else, so at least it will help Sony with the promotion of their media format, even while it teaches the multinational the lesson the N64 taught Nintendo: you still have to be nice to people when you get to the top, as it’s a long way down...

I'm still irritated with Sony for a variety of reasons, most tied to the lead up to the PS3 release, but Bateman points out some PS3 features that may broaden its mass market appeal (e.g., Blu-ray). I'm am so not looking forward to whatever these companies have to dish out the next 'next-gen' release time around, which hopefully won't be for a while. In any case, the essay is worth a read — an interesting analysis of what is and what may be happening.

The Battle for the Hardcore [Only a Game]

"Following the release of WipEout HD on PLAYSTATION Store yesterday, we’ve been following the reports by some members of the community regarding problems with game freezes," SCEA reps confirmed. "We’d like to reassure you all that the WipEout team is working hard to resolve this issue as quickly as possible."

As far as the cause, SCEA tells us that anything we might have read about the source of the issue is, at this point, "rumor and speculation." It is worth noting though, that some WipEout HD players are noting that they're having better luck with a leaner friend list. Just sayin'.

In the next few years, you’re going to start to see us separate from the herd. Some of the other platforms are going to look very dated because their life spans are so much shorter than ours... If you’re a competitor I’ve got bad news for you because we’ve got some absolute blockbusters that are in the works, some of them new IP, some of them existing IP, that we’re building specifically for the PS3... From a competitive standpoint our competitors are going to have a tougher road now then even in 2008. But for PlayStation 3 consumers, it means more quality and more choice.

Don't blame EDGE! EDGE has oodles of industry folks writing for them. Thing is, they don't seem as blatant. Well, at least Steinberg doesn't beat around the bush. We guess. Nothing quite like the hard sell!

My Belief in the PlayStation 3 Advantage [EDGE]

The BETA thread [PlayStation Forums - thanks, James!]

I think going into next year we’re going to see significant growth. We’re counseling retail to be ready for it. We have a number of very strong franchise games on the docket that will be launching next year. We haven’t gone public with those, and many third-parties have not yet either because they’re concentrating on holiday, but we have a number of very strong titles coming.

There's even been a demographic change for the PSP: Sony research says that over the next 12 months, young mothers will have the "highest propensity" to buy the handheld for their young children. Not exactly the urban hipsters it was originally targeted at.

Sony: PSP Support Will Improve [EDGE]

The technology base has shifted from Japan to the US and Europe... There are also talented people, engineers… in the US and Europe, and it’s relatively easy to form a large team that required to create this generation of games... That’s not the case in Japan. Because they don’t have a large base, like the movie industry; there aren’t [a lot of people] in the high end of computer graphics. That’s making the many great developers in Japan make slow progress.

Yoshida went on to state that Japanese developed games like Metal Gear Solid 4 are the exception to the rule, not the rule.

Yoshida: Games tech power “has shifted from Japan to the US and Europe” [VG247]

Without a killer app in the West on the level of Japan’s Monster Hunter series, the PSP may just be crowded out of a competitive marketplace, an appealing piece of hardware people buy and never use.

There's data and numbers, too! It's not all gloom and doom. Here's the irony: "The numbers here show PSP hardware sales are growing at a steady clip every year, which is the proper behavior for a healthy platform." So there you go.

Third Parties Abandoning PSP [EDGE]

Still, with the site being so crowded, you might just be able to wiggle your way in their and snag one before they're all gone. Kotakuite Richie Rich managed to, and he's downloading the beta as we speak, so if all else fails you can live vicariously through him. Good luck! What do you mean this is even more traffic? We're helping!

Eurogamer Little Big Planet Key Giveaway [Eurogamer.net]

The Punisher: No Mercy Coming Exclusively to PSN [PlayStaton.Blog]

A user on the Ars Technica forums had to remove a movie to make some space and was unable to re-download it. "I tried to back up the videos, you can't," said the user 'Noise', "If your PS3 dies or hard drive dies you lose."

To be fair to Sony, the PS3 Support Page does confirm: "Content cannot be redownloaded once it has been downloaded to either a PLAYSTATION 3 or PSP system." but this will still leave movie fans in the lurch if they accidentally delete their downloads or decided to swap out their hard drive for a bigger unit.

Sony say that they will grant one additional courtesy download (if you ask nicely) but that's your lot.

PlayStation 3 video DRM: two strikes and you're out [Ars Technica]

The smaller processor uses around 40% less power than the current 65nm chip and generates proportionally less heat. It also costs substantially less to manufacture.

It would be lovely to think that Sony will pass these savings on to the consumer, but given the less than stellar sales of the PS3 we may just see a smaller, more slimline incarnation of the console at a similar price point.

Cell Processors to Go 45nm in '09; Smaller, Cheaper PS3s Likely to Follow [Gizmodo]