Sony's patent for a "Method and Apparatus For Real-Time Viewer Interaction With A Media Presentation" was filed back in April, but eagle-eyed patent watcher Siliconera spied it today. The patent essentially describes a system that would show viewers in avatar form, overlaying a "media presentation" such as a movie or TV show, letting them interact with on screen action.

That interaction as described in the patent includes behavior like throwing tomatoes at an actor's face—complete with face and target tracking—and shooting games, specifically shooting a spider off an actor's back. A third example shows on-screen avatars kicking an actor "in the behind."

Kind of like Microsoft's Xbox 360 game You're In The Movies, only appealing.

Those avatars are shown seated in the foreground of the screen, on top of existing media, not unlike the cast of Mystery Science Theater 3000. (The patent actually makes mention of MST3K in the background of the invention.)

If we're reading the patent right, it looks like it may apply to pre-existing media, like DVDs or streamed Netflix content, as well as video content that could be meta-tagged to identify interactive areas. In other words, facial recognition from video content could be targets, but specific games could also be designed around the system.

Furthermore, the patent data has advertising already in mind, with Nike logos and Coca-Cola cans offered as possible overlays on top of existing media.

The diagrams showcasing the invention show off an interface that fits with Sony's motion controller set up, which uses the PlayStation Eye and its built-in microphones in tandem with handheld controllers.

Of course, all this avatar ass-kicking and spider shootin' misses a key component of the MST3K experience—the laughs.

Method and Apparatus For Real-Time Viewer Interaction With A Media Presentation [USPTO via Siliconera]

Take for example my mild obsession with driving tanks. Valkyria Chronicles might pander to it exclusively, but in MAG, you've either got to spawn inside an armored vehicle or find one controlled by your team and get into it without getting run over. I managed to accomplish this feat after a player parked one of our tanks in an awkward corner behind some dumpsters.

I hopped in, spent 10 minutes un-parking the tank and then headed for the next objective point. I got to a gate that needed to be blown up before we could continue, so I hopped out of the tank and ran up to the gate – but an overzealous teammate I'd left in the tank shot me with the tank gun in a misguided effort to blow up the gate. I spawned back inside the tank and hopped out again to go blow up the gate, only this time some other teammate of mine ran up to the tank, took the driver's seat and drove the tank all the way back to the dumpster parking spot.

What the hell, man! I don't care if that's a clever way to protect a mobile spawn point from being destroyed. I was driving that!

What Is It?
MAG is a "massive action game" themed around constant warfare. The fiction is that it's the year 2025 and countries pay one of three private corporations to fight unofficial wars for them. Your faction choices are Valor (America), S.V.E.R. (Post-Soviet region), and Raven (I forget where they're from, but they're very high tech). Players take the role of a persistent character within a faction and begin leveling them up by participating in one of four types of game (Suppression, Sabatoge, Acquisition, Domination) and completing objectives assigned by squad leaders. Depending on the game type, there are between 64 and 256 players at any time – no AI controlled opponents, no singleplayer mode to speak of.

What We Saw
I borrowed someone's level 15 Valor character for a Suppression match in MAG's open beta.

How Far Along Is It?
The game is in open beta right now, but it'll be officially live January 26, 2010.

What Needs Improvement?
Very, Very Busy Screen: Objectives appear both on a mini-map in the upper right hand corner and on screen as bright red or blue icons and little arrows pointing to where they are. Between that and the actual people shooting at you, plus your squad mates' health bars and name tags, there's way too much to look at during combat.

I Hope The Training Mode Rocks: Unfortunately, I didn't get a look at the training modes or tutorials. However, after being instructed by the developer and then dropped into the action, I cannot stress enough just how much is riding on the training the game provides you. MAG really doesn't feel like any other shooter or war game I've played and while that's not a bad thing – it takes getting used to.

What Should Stay The Same?
Fast Paced Action: I died like eight times, but I never felt like I was out of the game too long. Once I got back in, I could pick up right where I left off in the action without missing a beat.

Sooo Many People: The more, the merrier. It helps to have groups of players separated by eight-person squads for organizational purposes. However, knowing that there are maybe 63 other people out there is both overwhelming and exhilarating. Best of all, you'll rarely ever wander into any no-man's-land zones where you can't find somebody to shoot at.

Panama-themed Map: The map were were playing on isn't modeled after a real city per se – however, it did have a distinctly Panama theme to it. It was well-made, too, with lots of alleyways and debris-cluttered streets to provide cover and ambush spots.

Good Matchmaking: I just clicked "join queue" and the game found me a match in less than 30 seconds. God, I hope it stays that smooth at launch.

Final Thoughts
If you're the type who can get along with other people and likes realistic-ish war shooters, MAG is probably for you. If you don't like other people but you do like realistic-ish war shooters, MAG is probably still for you. After all, you don't have to do what your squad leader says – you can just wander off and try to drive a tank over people like I did and the game won't penalize you. But still, with so many people in a game at once, being antisocial seems like a waste of good game design.

Microsoft?

LucasArts? Or Lucasfilm as the case may be?

Sony?

Zynga?

Candy? I mean, uh, Frog Design?

Be sure to stay tuned to Kotaku for live, breaking coverage of the keynote set to discuss the strategy for Sony Computer Entertainment for 2009.

Following the keynote executives from Capcom, Konami, Square Enix, Sony and Namco Bandai will lead a panel discussion about the strategies and visions of game develoeprs in the "global era."

On board for that discussion are Haruhiro Tsujimoto
, President & COO, CAPCOM Kazumi Kitaue
, Vice President, Corporate Officer, Konami Digital Entertainment; Yoichi Wada, 
President & Representative Director, SQUARE ENIX; Shuhei Yoshida
, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios and Shin Unozawa, 
President & CEO, NAMCO BANDAI Games.

The doors open to the press this morning to the Tokyo Game Show floor as well, so expect an evening and night chockful of news, impressions and fun photos.

It is, on its surface, a big ball of science fiction and video game cliches, but what first-person shooter isn't? What matters here isn't whether Killzone 2 tells a compelling story, but whether it delivers on nearly four years of promises. Four years of expectations stoked by glimpses of incredible graphics, deep gameplay and barely mentioned multiplayer.

Can Killzone 2 live up to its unspoken promise and deliver a game that not only sells, but sells systems?

Loved
Graphics: Graphically, this is one of the most impressive games I've played to date. Every scene, every moment of Killzone 2 is teeming with detail and nuance, from the drift of smoke, to discarded shells, to the flecks of concrete that pop off when you shoot a wall. And it's not about just the intricately detailed scenery, it's also about the artistic flair of Helghast's design. The lighting, the architecture, the landscapes all do a masterful job of capturing the oppressive ambiance of the game's undertones.

Entrancing Set Pieces: The experience of playing Killzone 2 ping-pongs between the ordinary and the sublime. There were moments when I paused in mid-play to take in what was happening around me. I wasn't just playing out a predetermined role, triggering events by pushing forward, I was engrossed in a battle—bullets zipping by, friends and foe falling on either side. The intensity, the mayhem of war, perfectly captured. It is at those moments that Killzone 2 is fully realized, when it delivers not a single-player experience, but an experience that despite its solitary nature, makes you are part of something larger. You aren't the hero in this game, you're one of the grunts and it's just as likely that any one of you will die.

Level Design: The levels almost all take place in dark locations with muddled, mild colors. But despite the outward sameness of some of their design, they offer an eclectic range of challenges for experienced gamers. Instead of having players charge across a rolling battlefield, working to get from one end to the other, Guerrilla Games made sure to keep players on their toes through skilled level design.

Story: Killzone 2 isn't a game you buy for its plot, so I was surprised to find myself enjoying the relatively light touch of a well-written story sketched across the game's campaign. When the end does finally come, it delivers a subtle look at the complexity of morality in war, without getting too heavy-handed.

Pacing: Killzone 2 is a tightly-paced shooter that walks gamers through an eclectic mix of levels in an experience that comes in at just under eight hours. But it's also another one of those games that, because of its relatively short length and its perfect pacing, can feel more like a movie or a book than a game.

Multiplayer Experience: As much as I enjoyed Killzone 2's campaign, it pales in comparison to the multiplayer experience. The game's 32-player matches includes seven classes, each with two unlockable abilities, five modes and support for four 4-player squads in a team. You also get clan support and the ability to replay your battles in a top-down 2D map on the official website battle replays. It's quickly become my favorite online game.

Multiplayer Map Design: The game's included eight multiplayer maps are some of the best I've played. Not only do they sprawl both horizontally and vertically, but they are packed with clutter, buildings, wreckage, all of which you can climb up and through. The myriad of hiding spots and routes adds a much welcome level of depth to game sessions.

Hated
Load Screen Hiccups: It's certainly no deal breaker, really more of an annoyance, but the game tends stick for just a second or so whenever it hits a loading spot. The longest I noticed lasted about three seconds.

Extremely Long Unlocks: I love, absolutely love the multiplayer gaming, and I'm OK with earning unlocks in a shooter, but Killzone 2's unlock system may turn off those who want to dabble and not grind. To unlock your first new weapons, you start with two main to choose from, you have to rank up to Sergeant 1st Class by earning 200 points. To unlock the first new class you have to earn a total of 350. To unlock the scout you need to earn 2,800 points and then to unlock their second ability you need to kill quite a few people while cloaked.

It's easy when playing a game in an over-saturated genre, like first-person shooters, to judge the title not by what it is, but by what it isn't. Too often, games concentrate more on separating themselves from the pack then on delivering a solid experience.

But Killzone 2 avoids that trap, ignoring the temptation of gimmick and instead wading into the thick of things and proving that you don't have to be unique to deliver an engaging experience.

Despite its minor shortcomings, Killzone 2 is a must-have for any owner of a PlayStation 3. It shows what the system can do and delivers a multiplayer experience rarely seen on the system. The single-player campaign is short, but enjoyable, and from my time with multiplayer, it's a game I'll be playing for quite a while.

Killzone 2 was developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It was released on Feb. 27 for $59.99. Played single player campaign to completion, played multiple battles on the PlayStation Network against other players.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ

Starting in June, Costa Cruise lines in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean will have an area called "PlayStation World" for passengers to play PS3s. There will also be PlayStations in the cabins, on the lido deck with a big screen hookup and in kids' and teens' clubs so often featured on family cruises.

According to an article on AsiaTravelTips.com, PS3s will be in the cabins with games on demand while the kids' clubs and stuff get stuck with PS2s feature Buzz! and other torture devices social games.

The cruise line also has a deal to sell Sony PlayStation products aboard the ship. Supposedly, they'll be getting "the very latest releases of the best known PlayStation video games."

So if you really want to play Aliens: Colonial Marines right when it comes out this June (or at least play it in style), it might be time to take a vacation.

Costa Cruises signs PlayStation Deal with Sony

It's a year that could witness plummeting sales with Rock Band on the sidelines, Sony's continued struggle to reinvent itself and Nintento working again to innovate with an eye toward new gamers.

It may be Nintendo’s greatest stumbling block.

How do you appeal to novice gamers first dipping their toe into the interactive world of video gaming without turning off the hardcore gamers who are the backbone of most game sales?

A recently uncovered patent filed by Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto may not be the solution to the problem, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction.

In it Miyamoto, the famed developer behind Mario, Donkey Kong and The Legend of Zelda, describes a sort of cruise control for video games, a system that would allow neophyte gamers to switch back and forth between watching and playing a video game. Think of it as having a buddy around who can play the hardest bits of the game for you, but hands over the controls when things get fun.

The concept would also introduce video play-throughs of a game which a player could bring up as a pop-up window when they get stuck.

“I think this is brilliant,” said Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter. “This just shows that Nintendo is an adult company that is very sophisticated about who buys their software.”

“I think part of what we are seeing here is Nintendo’s cultural propensity to try interesting things,” said Ben Schachter, video game analyst with UBS Investment Bank

The accidental unveiling of the patent comes at a time when game companies are feeling increasing pressure to innovate in order to avoid the bad news cropping up in the industry lately.

A number of development studios closed up shop over the past few months and earlier this week rumors hit that Sony may cut entire divisions to make themselves more competitive in a number of markets, including video games.

Sony Computer Entertainment seems to be playing the long game in this latest generation of consoles.

“They’re certainly not dying,” Pachter said. “I think they made a strategic decision back in 2004 to over engineer a box and create something they decided in their paternalistic way was better for all of us.

“ I think they’re going to be proven right, in five years we’re all going to want that.”

Schachter agrees, though he says that this past holiday season should be a “Harvard case study on how not to drive your brand.”

In the short term Schachter thinks that Sony has to cut the price of their console and convince game developers that they’re not this generation’s Gamecube.

The video game industry as a whole may soon face similar issues. While sales seem to be holding up, Schachter thinks that a coming drop in music-game sales may change that.

During the Consumer Electronics Show this week Harmonix said they wouldn’t be releasing Rock Band 3 this year, instead focusing their efforts on their upcoming Beatles music game.

That means gamers will need to buy two or three games to make up for not purchasing a new Rock Band, Schachter said. And I think he’s right. Most gamers don’t walk into a store looking to spend a certain amount of money, they come looking for fun, price is often secondary.

But what about that Beatles game?

Too niche, says Schacter, to see the same level of success as Rock Band.

Sounds like I wasn't the only one.

Sony Computer Entertainment designer Hiroyuki Kotani told us that Patapon 2 will include a couple of features that will make keeping the game-playing rhythm alive easier. Now once you hit a few stanzas of the rhythm and hop into Fever mode it's much harder to drop the ball and get kicked backed out.

The first misstep you make brings a little skull badge up on your Fever mode banner. Then the game emphasizes the rhythm with audio cues, and if you still screw it up you revert to normal mode.

"The rhythm is made much easier this time," Kotani said. "We wanted to expand the number of users, that's also why we added multiplayer."

While SOE has done its share of PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and PSP development in the past, we would expect that the alignment with SCEI will mean additional focus on PlayStation output. Potentially good news for the PS3's first-party line up and the PlayStation Network.

The official word is that SOE will continue to develop for the PS3 and PC and that president John Smedley will be one rung under Hirai on the corporate ladder. All that officialness is in the following press release on the matter.

SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC. AND SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT LEVERAGE EXPERTISE IN THE COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY

SAN DIEGO, CA & TOKYO, JAPAN (March 13, 2008) — In a strategic move to closely align itself with the strong growth of the worldwide online gaming market, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) announced today that Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) will report to Kazuo Hirai, President and Group CEO, SCEI, effective April 1, 2008. The new structure is designed to mutually benefit both companies by further accelerating the PlayStation business through SOE's strong online gaming expertise.

"I am excited to be able to work with SOE even more closely, as online games and services become a more integral part of the PS3 entertainment experience," Hirai said. "This new structure will allow us to take full advantage of the extensive breadth of expertise of the two companies and increase our range of exciting entertainment offerings to our consumers."

San Diego-based SOE is currently part of Sony Pictures Entertainment. Under the new structure, SOE will continue to develop its games for the PC and the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3®) computer entertainment system, and SOE President John Smedley will report to Hirai.

"We are thrilled to become a part of the incredible team that has made PLAYSTATION 3 the premier platform for next generation online gaming," said Smedley. "This move is going to broaden our capabilities and expand the development of our products into new and exciting directions."

About Sony Online Entertainment
Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers around the globe. SOE creates, develops and provides compelling entertainment for the personal computer, online, game console and wireless markets. Known for its blockbuster franchises and hit titles including EverQuest®, EverQuest® II, Champions of Norrath®, Untold Legends™, and PlanetSide®, as well as for developing Star Wars Galaxies™, SOE continues to redefine the business of online gaming and the creation of active player communities while introducing new genres on various entertainment platforms. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, with additional development studios in Austin, TX, Seattle, WA, Denver, CO and Taiwan, SOE has an array of cutting-edge games in development.

About Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Recognized as the global leader and company responsible for the progression of consumer-based computer entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) manufacturers, distributes and markets the PlayStation® game console, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system and the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3®) system. PlayStation has revolutionized home entertainment by introducing advanced 3D graphic processing, and PlayStation 2 further enhances the PlayStation legacy as the core of home networked entertainment. PSP is a new handheld entertainment system that allows users to enjoy 3D games, with high-quality full-motion video, and high-fidelity stereo audio. PS3 is an advanced computer system, incorporating the state-of-the-art Cell processor with super computer like power. SCEI, along with its subsidiary divisions Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd., and Sony Computer Entertainment Korea Inc. develops, publishes, markets and distributes software, and manages the third party licensing programs for these platforms in the respective markets worldwide. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. is an independent business unit of the Sony Group.

There was a little bit of a fight internally between Kawanishi-san and Kaz Hirai since SCEI has been pushing the PS3 as just a game console.

As Gamespot points out, the PlayStation 2 game comes with an included epilepsy warning, a common practice on videogame software.

We'll update when we get more details. Michael McWhertor

Vivendi, Sony sued over epileptic seizure [Gamespot]