We Americans are going to have to choose between a Nariko and Kratos, given the respective Best Buy and GameStop pre-order scheme. Here's to hoping Sony provides an alternate method that requires effort on par with downloading some PlayStation 3 wallpapers or making a post on Kotaku.

Get Kratos Sackboy with OPM [CVG]

OPM rises again this November with a new set of letters and a brand new publisher. Exactly one year after Ziff-Davis set Official Playstation Magazine adrift into the sea of dead print media, Future U.S. will relaunch Playstation: The Official Magazine.

Future, publisher's of the UK version of OPM, also managed to snag Rob Smith, former editor-in-chief of PSM, to run their new mag. The first edition of the 13-issue-a-year magazine will hit in late November with a 300,000 circulation run.

"Future US has a strong heritage delivering cutting-edge insight into the industry, and we are looking forward to a long standing relationship to deliver unrivaled exclusive content to PlayStation fans," said Peter Dille, Senior Vice President, Marketing and PLAYSTATION(R)Network, SCEA. "We're very excited to be working with a group that is nearly as passionate about our brand as we are ourselves and we look forward to working with Future on many innovative ideas they have to create a best in class enthusiast publication."

The fact that PSM UK seems to be doing quite fine overseas leads me to believe that maybe Ziff-Davis' retreat from the pub was more about their financial stability than the well-being of the magazine itself.

Sony Computer Entertainment America and Future US Announce the Creation of
'PlayStation(R): The Official Magazine'

Future US to Publish First Monthly Issue in Time for Holidays

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Oct. 1 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) and Future US, Inc, the leading publisher of cutting-edge special interest magazines and websites, today announced that they have agreed to terms to publish PlayStation(R): The Official Magazine. The first full Future US-published issue of PlayStation(R): The Official Magazine will be the Holiday 2007 edition, on sale in late November. The initial circulation will be 300,000 copies and the frequency will be 13 issues per year. Future US will produce and oversee all the editorial and advertising sales for the magazine.
PlayStation(R): The Official Magazine will be the definitive news, previews and reviews publication for PlayStation(R) enthusiasts and users. It will offer users unprecedented access to the world of PlayStation and product special features made possible by the magazines' exclusive relationship with SCEA. Rob Smith, formerly editor-in-chief of PSM-Independent PlayStation Magazine, will be the new editor-in-chief of PlayStation(R): The Official Magazine. Future US' parent company, international special-interest media company Future plc, publishes Official Sony PlayStation Magazine in the United Kingdom and licenses it in numerous other countries.
"Future US has a strong heritage delivering cutting-edge insight into the industry, and we are looking forward to a long standing relationship to deliver unrivaled exclusive content to PlayStation fans," said Peter Dille, Senior Vice President, Marketing and PLAYSTATION(R)Network, SCEA. "We're very excited to be working with a group that is nearly as passionate about our brand as we are ourselves and we look forward to working with Future on many
innovative ideas they have to create a best in class enthusiast publication."
"We are enormously pleased to be selected to publish the Official title for one of the world's great entertainment brands," said Simon Whitcombe, Publishing Director, Future US. "Future's international heritage is as a PlayStation publisher. PSM sold more than 40 million copies over its lifetime and we have published the Official PlayStation Magazine in the UK since 1995. We're honored that SCEA recognizes the excellence and experience that we can
bring to the license and to PlayStation fans all over the world."

They take away one of the staples of bathroom reading in the states, and the UK version gets a partnership with SCEE to toss out a Blu-ray disc every month? I know Europe is the most important continent and all, but come on. Makes you wonder what Ray Maguire, the managing director of SCE UK is thinking...

We are very excited to partner with Future to offer a playable Blu-ray disc to UK PlayStation 3 owners. The high capacity of Blu-ray media is the perfect method to distribute large volumes of unique existing, and user-generated content in HD, showcasing PS3's multimedia capabilities to the full. Combined with the PlayStation Network Store, we're offering a content distribution channel unmatched anywhere else in the industry.

Probably for the best that we don't get it here, actually. I can't open a drawer in my house without finding an old, untouched OPM or OXM disc in it. The demos will be downloadable via the store, and I finished building my demo disc fort in the backyard months ago. Michael Fahey

Monthly Blu-ray disc for Official PlayStation Magazine

Sony Computer Entertainment and Future team up for world's first Blu-ray covermount

11/04/07 - Future, the UK's leading games media publisher, is delighted to announce that, in partnership with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), Official PlayStation Magazine will carry the world's first monthly playable Blu-ray covermount from June onwards.

The first playable Blu-ray disc comes with issue 7 of Official PlayStation Magazine, on sale Friday, 1st June. The disc promises to be packed with playable demos of key SCEE and third party software titles, with full details of content being announced shortly.

As the disc develops, Future fully intends to support the advanced capabilities of the PlayStation 3 (PS3) and the Blu-ray media, delivering multimedia content and unique user-generated content. The disc will also include Hi-Definition (HD) game and movie trailers. Official PlayStation Magazine will be the ONLY title to offer gamers a playable demo disc, direct from SCEE.

Ray Maguire, Managing Director, Sony Computer Entertainment UK (SCE UK) said:

"We are very excited to partner with Future to offer a playable Blu-ray disc to UK PlayStation 3 owners. The high capacity of Blu-ray media is the perfect method to distribute large volumes of unique existing, and user-generated content in HD, showcasing PS3's multimedia capabilities to the full. Combined with the PlayStation Network Store, we're offering a content distribution channel unmatched anywhere else in the industry. Furthermore, it also marks another key development in the pioneering relationship between SCEE and Future, which began in 1995.

Publisher of Official PlayStation Magazine, Matt Pierce added:

"We are delighted that Official PlayStation Magazine will deliver to its readers a monthly playable disc, and the world's first covermounted Blu-ray disc. Future has worked closely with Sony since 1995 to offer playable demo discs for PlayStation, PlayStation 2 (PS2) and PlayStation Portable (PSPT), and we will be working hard to ensure gamers get the very best content for their PS3 as well"

Issue 7 of Official PlayStation Magazine - with the world's first covermounted Blu-ray disc, hits stores on Friday, 1st June, priced 5.99.

According to an interview with Sony designer Teiyu Goto in an upcoming Official PlayStation Magazine, Ken "Father of the PlayStation" Kutaragi "insisted" that the typeface be used to represent the console. Further, Goto contends that the Spider-logo may have been "the motivating force behind the shape of PS3."

I've always been a fan of the design. It's simple, beautiful, classic. It's, like, "How much more black could this be?" And the answer is, "None. None more black." Michael McWhertor

Kutaragi "insisted" on Spider-Man font for PS3 [CVG]

The folks at 2k Games just can't make up their minds whether their new hybrid first person shooter, Bioshock, will be coming out for the PS3. When first announced, the title was set to be released on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. Then at the X06 event back in September, Microsoft stated that, in fact, Bioshock would not be released for the PS3, but would be a PC/Xbox 360 exclusive.

Now it seems they've changed their minds yet again. According to the latest issue of UK Official Playstation Magazine, the title is once again confirmed for Sony's next gen console. Certainly, having such a highly anticipated title on their new system would be a boon for Sony, but what's with all the back and forth? It also brings up questions about exclusive titles. How important are they in helping to sell a system?

Have you ever bought a console because it had an exclusive title that you just couldn't resist? Flynn De Marco

Bioshock No Longer PC & Xbox 360 Exclusive - Heading to PS3! [Maxconsole - Thanks, Tristan]

Ziff Davis announced today that the long running Official PlayStation Magazine (aka OPM) will see its last issue hit in January of 2007.

Why end it now, when the PlayStation 3 is on the cusp of launch and over 100 million PlayStation 2's and... um... some PSP's are in gamer's hands? Why, the PlayStation 3, of course. And that new fangled internet.

Let's face it, we certainly weren't buying OPM for the articles. It was for the demos. With the PlayStation 3 featuring an integrated networking platform with an embedded digital distribution center (the Store, natch) to offer up PS3 and PSP downloadables, that pesky printed material just seems like dead weight.

And, with the rise of 1UP and the huge investment in GameVideos.com, what do we need an antiquated paper magazine for? That's right. Nothin'.

Press release fetishists, make the jump for your jollies. Michael McWhertor

Ziff Davis Game Group to Discontinue Publication of Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 14 — Ziff Davis Game Group, the leading integrated media company focused on the video game sector, today announced that it will discontinue publication of Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine after the January 2007 issue. The Game Group is laser-focused on continuing to expand its rapidly growing digital media presence and on further strengthening its multiplatform properties and powerful integrated network. As such, the Game Group has determined that Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, a property licensed from Sony Computer Entertainment America and limited to print, no longer fits its strategic vision.

"Ziff Davis has had a great run with Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine for the past nine years," said Scott McCarthy, President of Ziff Davis Game Group. "We are very proud of the magazine and its outstanding editorial team, and we're obviously sad to see it go. Unfortunately, given where we are taking the Game Group, it doesn't easily fit into our integrated media network or afford us digital media opportunities."

Mr. McCarthy continued, "In addition, it's a new world. The powerful online capabilities of the exciting PlayStation 3, coupled with ever- increasing broadband penetration in the U.S., allow for much more efficient distribution of game demos, videos, and trailers. With this next generation of game consoles, the days of having to bundle a disc with a magazine to distribute games-related content are over. And the disc has clearly been a major driver for consumer interest in premium-priced, platform-specific magazines in the past, when the magazine disc was the only way gamers could get such content."

Sony Computer Entertainment America will remain a key content and marketing partner for Ziff Davis Game Group, which will cover SCEA's PlayStation 3 and first-party games extensively across all of its media outlets, including EGM, 1UP.com, and GameVideos.com. The Game Group editorial team will also work closely with SCEA in the development of digital content for the PlayStation Network, accessible only through the PS3.

"We are as excited about the PlayStation 3 as the rest of the world, and gamers will be sure to see us reporting extensively on the platform — and on the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable — across our various media assets," said John Davison, Senior Vice President and Editorial Director of Ziff Davis Game Group. "We enjoy working with SCEA and look forward to continuing our relationship for many years to come."

Ziff Davis Game Group's digital media presence has expanded greatly over the past year. The reach of the 1UP Network in the third quarter of 2006 was nearly six times larger than in the same quarter in 2005, and the Game Group has launched several new online properties including GameVideos.com, MyCheats.com, the 1UP Show video podcast, and the ESPN.com Video Games Channel in partnership with ESPN.

The Game Group is also aggressively integrating its print and online media properties wherever possible. For example, its flagship multiplatform magazine EGM, the leader among videogame magazines, is now closely aligned with 1UP.com in terms of visual design, content, and its games rating system.

Looks like some bad, bad people (who love great games) have hacked their Guitar Hero II demos to unlock the hidden, final retail release songs. From the ScoreHero forums:

As some people who've digged a bit may know, the main datafile of the 10-song GH2 demo actually contains a lot more songs (~30), so I wrote a small tool that allows me to easily exchange the various songs.

I've created a small PPF patch for people to try, it exchanges the following songs in the demo:

"Who Was In My Room..." -> "Heart-Shaped Box"
"Psychobilly Freakout" -> "Sweet Child o' Mine"
"War Pigs" -> "Freebird"
"You Really Got Me" -> "Jessica"
"Strutter" -> "Crazy on You"
"John the Fisherman" -> "Killing in the Name of"
"Shout at the Devil" -> "Laid to Rest"
"Trippin' on a Hole..." -> "Beast and the Harlot"
"Madhouse" -> "Trogdor"

Shame on you! Still, I wish I were playing Mother on Expert right now. Thanks for the heads up, Eddie. Michael McWhertor

This week's radiOPM podcast featured Full Auto 2 producer Mike Gallo from Sega of America who talked in great detail about the company's upcoming PlayStation 3 exclusive launch title. The OPM guys prodded Gallo about the online portion of the game and what user experience we can expect when taking our PS3's through a series of internet tubes.

We use Gamespy as part of our backend. And we do support your user profile, or whatever the final name for that's gonna be for the [PlayStation 3], that'll be what gets logged for stats.

OPM: SO WHEN YOU GO INTO NETWORK PLAY, YOU'LL SEE SORT OF A BROWSER?
When you first turn on the machine it logs you in automatically, I think you can change that in the settings. You have a user ID and an online profile, thats set up through the PlayStation, we don't have anything to do with that. That's all done through the PlayStation Network. When you log in and as long you have an ID and you're an active online member, when you go to the online mode, you'll get a menu option, you'll get to pick ranked or unranked play, then you'll see what games are available and then jump into one of those.

More about stats, what was dropped from the 360 version, and more after the jump.

OPM: AS FAR AS STAT TRACKING, IS IT ALL WITHIN FULL AUTO? IS THAT OUTSIDE? When you play ranked play, your stats, pretty basic set of stats, wins, losses, will get uploaded to Gamespy. You'll be able to see, I think we actually have it sortable by... its world wide and monthly or all-time, so you'll get to see who's ranked where. You'll be able to access it from our Web site, as well, so you can look at those stats independently of the game.

OPM: ACHEIVEMENTS ARE BIG ON 360, DID YOU GUYS THINK ABOUT THROWING IN THAT CONCEPT FOR THE PS3?
We actually do not have that in Full Auto 2. It's a feature we had to regrettably not support, a lot of it was just because of that moving target with the development timeline, we had make sure our online modes and network play was solid before we added some of that other stuff. Unfortunately, that was one of the things we had to drop.

Bummer. Sounds like Sony won't be requiring an Xbox Live level of standard feature sets for all online games, but at least the online portion sounds as simple to get into. Gallo also confirms that the game will run at 1080p, feature two-player split screen, pass on SixAxis control features, and a host of other sexy features.

Check out the full podcast for more. Michael McWhertor

RadiOPM Podcast

The songs to be covered?

• Shout at the Devil - Motley Crue
• Strutter - Kiss
• YYZ - Rush
• You Really Got Me - Van Halen

I'm going to have to import this issue. Florian Eckhardt

Guitar Hero 2 Demo [Official Forums]

Hell, even the folks at the Official PlayStation Magazine aren't ready to drop 600 bones on the thing. Editor Dana Jongewaard updated her OPM blog with an opinion popular with many gamers:

I can't justify it. $600 is a lot of money, especially when I can get what—for me at least—will be a very similar experience for $400.

That's right. She's going to go to the "dark side" and snag an Xbox 360 (and maybe a Wii!).

With few announced marquee exclusives hitting on or around the launch window, many folks, including those paid to shill Sony's wares, are going to ask themselves "Am I getting my money's worth?". Let's hope Sony wows us at Leipzig and TGS, making that massive price pill easier to swallow. Michael McWhertor

Why I am buying a 360 this November

By groups they mean EGM, OPM, CGM and websites 1Up and GameTab. I sure hope any possible sale doesn't lead to "restructuring." Brian Crecente

Ziff Davis for Sale? [VE3d]