See, in the US, it was released in convenient, standalone form. But the only way PAL customers will be able to get their hands on a copy is if they grab the European version of the God of War III Ultimate Edition, as it'll be included within, along with a ton of other stuff.

Who knows, there might still be a chance the collection will be released individually early next year, but with the God of War franchise not as big in Europe as it is in the US (hence the fact the collection hasn't yet been released), I wouldn't hold my breath.

Yes, Sony are going all-out in the game's home market, offering the game in a "specially embossed" box (to make it look like it's been rained on) that includes episode 1 of the Heavy Rain Chronicles, the game's soundtrack and a dynamic XMB theme for your PS3.

By 2009 standards (well, 2010's), that's pretty thin for a special edition. What, no collectible vinyl of that woman sobbing in her kitchen, gun in her mouth?

See for yourself in these pics. It goes a little beyond "typo", since they actually created a little bubble logo for the console. So it's either an elaborate, embarrassing mistake (which, to be honest, seems more likely), or accessory manufacturers 4gamers figured that nobody outside the "industry" would bother reading MCV's mag, so they could slip mention of a fourth iteration of the original PSP in there and hope nobody noticed.

Whichever it is, you can see the original ad below.

[MCV DIGITAL EDITION]

Reader Brenna sent us PDF files containing the Sony survey, which begins with the following bit of text:

Sony is considering offering a premium PlayStation Network subscription in the future. The subscription offering would provide new premium features you could choose to pay for and are in addition to the features currently available for free such as access to online multiplayer gaming (current features would remain free).

Following the introduction is a series of definitions of terms such as Token Wagering - a set number of tokens given to subscribers per month that can be used to be on games and exchanged for PSN content - and Cloud Storage Space for Games, which would allow players to save their game online rather than on their hard disk, protecting their data.

Other notable services listed as potential premiums include loyalty reward programs, automatic updates, member-exclusive Facebook Connectivity, an online music service and music video service, Hulu TV catch-ups, member-only game content, discounts, demo-sharing (sharing exclusive member-only demos from your full games with friends), and Netflix without a disc.

By far the most attractive premiums are full title trials, which give the user one hour access to full PlayStation 3 games, and free access to PSOne Classics, PSP minis, and premium themes.

The list also indicates that some eagerly awaited features could be subscriber only, such as cross-game voice chat. Having waited so long for the feature, I doubt fans would be particularly happy to have to pay for it.

The chart below details four potential plans, with three costing $69.99 a year or $9.99 a month - more than an Xbox Live Gold subscription, and one running $4.99 a month and $29.99 a year.

We've contacted Sony for comment on the survey, but have yet to hear back as of press time. Just keep in mind that companies regularly test the waters by sending out questionnaires like these, and they by no means represent any concrete plans on Sony's behalf.

It seems as if they simply want to gauge customer reaction to the various plans and features. Your reactions, please?

According to Dan Hill, Sony's European Home Business Manager, "PlayStation Home is fast becoming the meeting place of choice between users and developers."

For developers, Hill explains, Home helps to drive interest in games by offering an interactive, hands-on experience built around the game itself. "A game space in PlayStation Home ought to be a core element of every studio's marketing strategy for new titles."

While Sony clocks in ten million registered Home users, new game spaces for Ratchet and Clank: A Crack In Time and Uncharted 2 have opened up virtual spaces in Home.

Public beta testing for Home began in late 2008.

Mauer, the Twins' catcher, follows the 2008 A.L. MVP Dustin Pedroia, who appeared on the cover of MLB 09 The Show. His appearance coincides with a new "catcher mode" in which players may call pitches and defenses, the same as Mauer and other backstops do in real games. SCEA's blog also said players may expect 11 new stadiums, daytime transitional lighting, improved pick-off capabilities to cut down on excessive stealing, better online performance to compensate for lag, plus online season leagues.

According to ESPN.com, which posted a first look at the game yesterday, MLB 10 The Show will even feature manager-meltdown animations, one recreating minor league skipper Phillip Wellman's infamous blowup from 2007 - complete with the military crawl and hurling the rosin bag grenade-style.

2009 American League MVP Joe Mauer Named Cover Athlete for MLB 10 The Show [SCEA Blog]

Granted, 2009 will be hard to top, let alone match, thanks to releases like Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Killzone 2, Demon's Souls, Infamous, a solid PlayStation Network line up and some strong multiplatform contributions. 2009 was the year that the PlayStation 3 reached a more consumer palatable price point and got a whittled down redesign.

But PS3 owners are getting two Final Fantasy games next year alongside original efforts like MAG, White Knight Chronicles, Heavy Rain and—fortune willing—The Last Guardian. And PS3 owners are getting their own motion controller, the PlayStation Eye enabled magic wand that may be known as the PlayStation Gem, plus some games to go along with it.

Third parties appear to be on board more than ever before, with more PlayStation 3 games expected day and date with their Xbox 360 counterparts. (We're looking at you, sequels to former Xbox 360 "exclusives," Dead Rising 2, BioShock 2 and Lost Planet 2!)

Let's take a look at the PlayStation 3's announced and expected 2010 line up, minus a few titles—we're talking about you, Metal Gear Solid: Rising—that we just don't think will make it here before 2011. Let's begin.

Note: We'll be looking at every platform's currently announced and estimated 2010 slate over the course of the rest of the week-and much much more.

God of War III
The third installment in Sony's epic God of War franchise makes the leap to the PS3, adding to the list of mega-blockbusters in Q1 2010. Word on the street is it's nifty.
Gran Turismo 5
Polyphony Digital's car sim is finally here. No more HD demos, no more Prologues. This is the real deal.
Heavy Rain
This story driven investigative mystery asks the question, "How far will you go to save someone you love?" And how far will the unique, graphically impressive Heavy Rain go in winning over PS3 owners?
The Last Guardian
Hate to say it, but The Last Guardian feels like something of a long shot for 2010. But we hope that Team ICO, creators of two of the PlayStation 2's finest adventures, can impress us with their first PS3 outing next year.
White Knight Chronicles
Level 5's traditional role-playing game finally makes it stateside.
Yakuza 3
Sega gives North American and European PlayStation owners one more chance to recognize the beat 'em up gangster greatness that is Toshihiro Nagoshi's Yakuza series. The Japanese action adventure game joins a crowded Q1, but offers something unique.
MAG
Zipper Interactive, famous for its SOCOM shooter franchise, goes that much more massive with MAG, the 200-plus person multiplayer shooter. Will SOCOM fans follow?
ModNation Racers
Play, create and share your own track levels, characters and vehicles in this adorable kart racer that may evoke thoughts of LittleBigPlanet.
EyePet
This fuzzy virtual pet, a cute monkey-dog thing, is already being enjoyed by PAL PlayStation 3 gamers, but North America gets EyePet next year. Hopefully, that means some extra time to tweak the PlayStation Eye sensitivity of the pet sim.
PlayStation Motion Controller
It may be called Gem, eventually, but we know for sure that Sony will be tackling a new motion controller in 2010, one that relies on the PlayStation Eye camera and some smart engineering to get things done. Software support is initially strong, but we look forward to future original efforts more than retrofitted support.
Final Fantasy XIII
Square Enix's long-promised, gorgeous role-playing game is finally here. Already out in Japan, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 game is the first multi-console release in the series, the first for Sony's current gen console.
Final Fantasy XIV Online
The sequel of sorts to Square Enix's first Final Fantasy MMO, Final Fantasy XIV Online gives the PlayStation 3 double the fantasy.
Army of Two: The 40th Day
EA Montreal's co-op shooter leads a very long list of shooters coming in 2010. The 40th Day improves upon the first in many ways, including the toning down of some of the "bromance."
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Another shooter bound for the PS3 is Battlefield: Bad Company 2, which will fight MAG for big, bombastic multiplayer FPS for the year.
Bayonetta
PlatinumGames witchy woman Bayonetta brings more Devil May Cry-like action to the platform, but with a much more attractive package. The PS3 version may get knocked for lagging behind that other version, but Bayonetta is worth playing on whatever platform you prefer.
BioShock 2
Be the Big Daddy in 2K Games' sequel to the mega hit BioShock. The prequel adds multiplayer, if you consider that a positive or negative.
Dark Void
Capcom's oft-delayed jetpack hero adventure may have a hard time standing out in a crowded early 2010, but the third person shooting, climbing, flying and UFO hijacking sounds like a good combination.
Dead Rising 2
Zombies require killing in Fortune City and you're just the right guy to do it. Kill 'em again with motorcycles, roulette wheels or moose antlers. Your choice.
Dead Space 2
Visceral Games follows up on the excellent Dead Space (and very good Dead Space Extraction) with a new Necromorph dismembering adventure for old Isaac Clarke. Rocket boots? Yes, please.
Dante's Inferno
If God of War III leaves you wanting more God of War, why not try Visceral Games very God of War-like descent into Hell, Dante's Inferno. It has decaying purple boobs...
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
Another Prince of Persia? Yes! And this one looks a lot like the Prince of Persia movie that will hit theaters around the same time. And it looks not too dissimilar from the Prince of Persia game the movie is based upon.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
Just recently revealed, we're mostly excited to see just how LucasArts fits this new Star Wars adventure into the timeline.
Lost Planet 2
Get up in them giant bug guts with the sequel to interplanetary adventure shooter Lost Planet. Everything's bigger!
Red Dead Redemption
Rockstar returns to the Red Dead realm, now with a more open-world environment, filled with random encounters, train robberies and all manner of varmint to shoot.
Super Street Fighter IV
New characters, new old characters and new online modes—plus a more budget minded price—make the quick addition of Super to Street Fighter IV that much easier to swallow. But when's Cody going to get some new clothes?
Castlevania Lords of Shadow
Hideo Kojima's game that will likely make a 2010 release could result in the best 3D Castlevania yet. Just try not to think too much about developer MercurySteam's other games.
Medal of Honor
EA reboots Medal of Honor, taking the series from World War II theaters and into the modern age. Could have more beards than any other first-person shooter released next year.
Mafia II
Shoot things '40s style with Mafia II, another game that should've been released in 2009, but will settle for a 2010 release nonetheless.
Max Payne 3
Max is back and far less attractive to women. The paunchier, less follicled Payne is drawn back into the dive and shoot at things world he tried to leave behind him. Expect this one late in 2010.
Blur
Bizarre Creations gets colorful with Blur, a frantic arcade racer with kart racing-style power ups, but none of them banana peels.
Resonance of Fate
Sega's futuristic RPG collaboration with developer tri-Ace follows a group of sharp dressed teens who have access to guns, but not clean air, in this forthcoming adventure.
Aliens Vs. Predator
Aliens and Predators settle their differences in this, the first Sega game that will actually take advantage of the Aliens license. Rebellion is at the helm again, which can only mean good things.
Fallout: New Vegas
Crap, they got Vegas too? We don't know too much about Bethesda's follow up to Fallout 3, only that gambling and mutant showgirls are likely to be involved.
EA Sports MMA
EA Sports challenges the UFC's dominance in the mixed martial arts space. Can EA compete? Or will Dana White put them into a headlock?
UFC Undisputed 2010
THQ sees more success for next year's UFC Undisputed, now with additional Kimbo Slice.
Alpha Protocol
The espionage RPG!
3D Dot Game Heroes
Dungeon crawling and role-playing go modern-retro in From Software's PS3 original. Atlus brings it stateside next year.
No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise
Travis Touchdown and crew get the high-resolution, waggle-free treatment in this remake of the Wii original from Grasshopper Manufacture
Brink
Splash Damage's squad based and class based tactical shooter is brighter and more promising than most, featuring a unique movement method dubbed SMART.
Singularity
Raven's time-traveling first-person shooter was moved out of Modern Warfare 2's way, but now lands directly in the middle of 2010's busy first half. Perhaps that time glove will find it a better spot to find an audience...
R.U.S.E.
Real-time strategy? On my video game console? From Ubisoft? Yes, at least based on our hands-on time with the game, which seems to work quite well.
Darksiders
Be the Apocalypse as one of four horsemen in this gritty action adventure game from THQ.
Joe Danger
Hello Games handsome stunt 'em up is already on our short list of PlayStation Network games to watch in 2010.
After Burner Climax
Still unofficially announced by Sega, but that won't stop us from rabidly anticipating the long awaited port of this intense arcade game.

I'm not sure how it works in other countries, but here in the U.S., comic book fans have received Pavlovian conditioning that starts them drooling once the clock rolls over from Tuesday to Wednesday. Wednesday is when the new comic books arrive, making it a fitting day for Sony to launch its digital comics service for the PSP. Of course there's still no sign of DC Comics, but Marvel and Disney fans are sure to be pleased.

I've been a Marvel reader for most of my life, but with Green Lantern Blackest Night event going on and my recent love affair with Vertigo's Fables series, I'm not sure I'll be putting down my DC books long enough to purchase digital Marvel comics anytime soon.

The comic store goes live at 5PM GMT in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. North America will get it when they get it - which is noon West Coast time, according to the PlayStation Comics Twitter.

Digital Comics Service Launches Today [PlayStation Blog Europe]

The new "PlayStation Network Game Trailers Channel" (catchy!) has recently gone live, and allows you to both stream a whole bunch of clips for PS3 games, and if applicable, buy the game itself from the PlayStation Store as well.

At the moment it's only available for those with a US account. Like, people with a real one, in the US; I couldn't access the channel using my American account in Australia.

IDW, one of the initial lineup of publishers whose works will feature on the PSP's comic store, have revealed that Wormwood will feature commentary from artist Ben Templesmith, an inclusion Sony say is open to every label selling comics on the store.

As someone who likes buying "art of" books and trade paperbacks just for the background info, this is a good idea. Let's just hope more publishers take advantage of it.

[IDW, via Joystiq]

As we've seen this holiday season, a year can be as notable for what didn't show up as for what did. And 2010 will be no different.

Here are some things that you may hope will be coming over the next 12 months, but really, probably won't.

New Nintendo Hardware - The Wii is faltering at retail, and with each passing year looks worse and worse stacked next to a HD console. Sony and Microsoft are going to steal some of Nintendo's motion-sensing thunder in 2010. The DS is still selling well, but it's getting a little long in the tooth. All signs that new Nintendo hardware may be on the way, right?

No. Just because the Wii doesn't have quite the same buzz it did 12 months ago doesn't mean it's dead. It's still selling millions, and will probably do so for another year or two at least. And Nintendo couldn't care less how old the DS is, because all they need to do is keep re-releasing the thing with different casings and a new accessory or two and people will snap it up.

An R18+ Rating For Australia - Sure, changes to Australia's archaic video gaming classification guidelines may be on the table, but we're still a long way from reaching a decision, let alone enacting change. These are constitutional changes we're talking about after all, which at the best of times move at a snail's pace. And that's assuming South Australia's attorney-general, Michael Atkinson, has a change of heart. Which he won't.

One day, in the future, Australia will join the rest of the developed world in having an adults-only video game rating. But that day won't be in 2010.

The Year Of The PS3 - It's been a rallying cry since 2007 rolled around. "This will be the year of the PS3!" And what a call it is. After all, everyone loves an under-dog. But just what does that mean?

I'm 99% sure it means, based on the context it's been used previously, that "this will be the year the PS3 outsells the 360".

(Almost) Every year, the PS3 has got cheaper, and every year, AAA exclusive software is released for the console. Uncharted, LittleBigPlanet, Metal Gear Solid 4, Uncharted 2, the list goes on. Yet every year - and almost every month - it's outsold by the Xbox 360.

Things have been looking better of late, with a price cut, snappy advertising campaign and Uncharted 2 helping generate the most sustained period of positive "buzz" for the console since its launch. Yet despite all of that, in November, the year's biggest shopping month in the US, it was still outsold by the Xbox 360.

Now, this isn't to say the PlayStation 3 will forever remain lagging behind the 360. It may not! But we're not talking forever here. We're talking 2010. And if Home, Blu-Ray, a movie store, Killzone 2, an all-new piece of PS3 hardware and a hefty price-cut couldn't put the PS3 ahead of the 360 in sales in 2009, I can't see games like MAG, God of War III and GT5 (all games I think will appeal primarily to those already owning a PS3) doing the trick in 2010.

If you think it means something else - like "the PS3 finally has a good year" - well, that's a different story.

The Year Of Motion-Sensing Gaming - The Wii ushered in the era of motion-sensing in video games, but really, it wasn't until Wii MotionPlus earlier this year that it could do so with any real accuracy. And how many games do we have that use it properly? Wii Sport Resort, some EA Sports games, and...

Now, however, with both Microsoft and Sony launching motion-sensing controllers in 2010, you're probably going to see news reports proclaiming this will finally be the year it stops being an idle curiosity and impetus for a Wii party, and gets real, becoming the standard across video gaming.

Uh, no. The Wii launched in 2006, and a treasured few games aside, has done little to promote the merits of motion-controlled gaming. Most games either don't use the motion controls properly, or accurately, or they don't use them at all. And the Wii launched three years ago. Natal and Sony's controller may not take quite as long to get things "right", but they won't get it right straight out of the box, either.

There will be busted games, ill-advised ports and titles which simply don't work with motion controls. It's a learning process, and learning takes time. We'll eventually see most, if not all games controlled via some kind of motion-sensing device, but that certainly won't be in 2010. Or 2011, for that matter.

A Tiger Woods Game - Despite early claims of support, there's no way EA Sports will continue their association with disgraced golfer Tiger Woods, especially now he's walked away from the sport for an indefinite period. It won't be the end of EA Sports' golf games, of course, just the end of ones called "Tiger Woods".

Expect something a little more mundane, yet which also emphasises EA's favour for all things officially licensed. "PGA Golf Tour", or something.

A New Zelda Game - Come on. It hasn't even been officially announced yet. No screenshots, no movies, no information, Nintendo haven't even settled on an art style for the game. Wish all you want, Zelda fanboys, and as one I'll wish right along with you, but deep down, you know there's no way in hell a new Zelda game for Wii will be out in 2010.

EverQuest Underfoot, available today at EverQuest.com for $39.99, substantially adds to Norrathian real estate by going deeper underground than ever before. Players can expect to encounter plenty of new creatures as they venture forth, hunting for tradeskill recipes so they can make the powerful new items afforded by the addition of Master Tradeskilling.

Other new additions include an expanded target window, which lets players assign group members to specific roles for ease of targeting, and an achievement system, much like the one already implemented in World of Warcraft.

"Celebrating a decade of EverQuest throughout this year has reinvigorated our community and development team alike, and that passion is clearly on display with the latest expansion," said Thom Terrazas, Producer, Sony Online Entertainment. "Underfoot presents a world unlike anything you've experienced in Norrath, providing a deep and fun experience for all our players."

I've not played EverQuest for years, but there are times I miss my bard something terrible. Then I remember this, and the melancholy fades.

Last month during a Sony investor presentation, the company made mention of a potential subscription service for the PlayStation Network. While there's still nothing to announce on that front, Chatani once again brings up the possibility of monthly fees while discussing the cost of maintaining the PlayStation Network.

Servers and the like have running costs, and we would face difficulties if our business depended solely on the sell-and-forget model. After we sell the hardware, though, we continue to sell products such as content and services. We expect to see considerable growth in digital content, such as game download services, avatar items and the like. We can also accept payment in a growing number of ways. In addition to single-payment packaged software, there are also schemes like monthly fees or per-item charges. I think this variety of payment methods will bring about a diverse range of playing methods, too.

It doesn't sound to me like Sony would be charging for the PlayStation Network as much as they would be offering additional services and content on top of what players already get for free on PSN. Of course that's merely speculation.

Would you be open to paying a small monthly fee for easy access to downloadable content and items, or would you prefer to pay as you go?

PS3, PSP Made Smaller, Lighter to Capture New Customer Segments [Tech-On]

In an interview with Nikkei, SCE's Masayuki Chatani, from the company's strategy planning department, has revealed that not only were Sony looking at making the Slim even smaller, but that they were looking at some fairly radical solutions to the problems of HDD sizing.

One of those was to use flash memory instead of the conventional HDD the PS3 currently uses, which would have cut down on the size, running costs and even noise levels of the console.

Another was to leave local storage out of the equation altogether, and instead rely on the PlayStation Network to save all of a user's game data, personal files and settings (similar to how Gmail works, for example).

Chatani says Sony "considered both options", but in the end, "felt that the price would be too high for the amount of storage capacity the PS3 needs", so they stuck with a conventional HDD.

He also says, when comparing the Slim with the PS2's redesign - a model that made far more drastic cuts to the dimensions of the console than the Slim has managed - that reducing the size of the PS3 even further was a possibility, but that in order to do so, the machine's power supply would have to have been made external (as it was on the PS2 Slim), which "would have imposed restrictions on transport and use, making it harder to use freely."

PS3, PSP Made Smaller, Lighter to Capture New Customer Segments [Nikkei]

Sony Computer Entertainment America's Chris Hinojosa-Miranda has told Destructoid that the game is currently - and vaguely - gunning for a "summer 2010" release.

Which, if correct, means June 2010 at the earliest. Bummer.

Wonder if the European version will be out earlier...

Gran Turismo 5 gets targeted for 'Summer 2010' release [Destructoid]

According to a report on iSuppli - who have been doing this kind of thing for a while now - the total cost of manufacturing a PS3 Slim as of December 2009 is $336.27. And they sell for $299. Meaning Sony are still slugged with a $37 loss for every console sold.

Sounds bad - and when you multiply that $37 by millions, it certainly seems that way - but it's a damn sight less money than they were losing this time last year.

With the cost of materials continually on the decline, provided Sony can stick at a $299 price point for a while to come, you'd expect the PS3 to start generating a profit sometime next year.

Sony Gets One Step Closer to Breakeven Point with Latest PlayStation 3 Design [iSuppli]

SCEA's Patrick Seybold confirmed to Kotaku the consolidation of the company's first-party QA operations, saying the decision was made to reduce costs and streamline its QA work through a single facility.

A source with knowledge of the Foster City operation told Kotaku that SCEA's location there had roughly 100 contract employees. Seybold didn't comment on exact numbers but did say "We also aim to have a contingency work force in San Diego," dependent on seasonal need, the same as in Foster City. Regardless, while Foster City's tester positions might be headed south this winter, the testers who held them probably won't.

The EA chart was shown at an investor's conference, designed to appeal to people who EA hopes will think positively of the company's stock, which is labeled as ERTS. So they show off unusual stats, as you can see above, such as the number of games delayed or not delayed. That sends the message that: You can trust our company to deliver on its promises when we say we will.

That's sort of interesting, but how about this idea that EA puts out the most good games? The chart you see above was created by EA and pulls from Metacritic, the aggregator site that pulls review scores mostly from gaming outlets that publish review scores (i.e not Kotaku). EA had gone into the site and counted up the games released between January 1 and November 30, 2009 that scored an 80 average or more. The evidence points to EA not only improving quality year over year — I haven't met a gamer who would deny that — and now leading in quality — which is more controversial.

Shall we check that?

The Beatles: Rock Band (92)
Dragon Age: Origins (91)
FIFA 10 (91)
Left 4 Dead 2 (90)
Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box (89)
Skate 2 (89)
NHL 10 (88)
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (88)
Fight Night Round 4 (87)
Boom Blox Bash Party (86)
The Sims 3 (86)
Madden NFL 10 (85)
Tetris (85)
Battlefield 1943 (84)
Need for Speed Shift (84)
Brutal Legend (83)
NCAA Football 10 (83)
Dead Space Extraction (82)
Henry Hatsworth and the Puzzling Adventure (82)
Mirror's Edge PC (81)
The Sims 3 World Adventures (81)
EA Sports Active (81)
EA Sports More Active Workouts (81)
Left 4 Dead Crash Course (80)
NBA Live 10 (81)

I can see why EA didn't count some of the above 25 in its chart. In fact, I can get to their 19 easily. Let's knock out six listings: 1) Mirror's Edge PC, because it's a port of a 2008 game 2) Burnout Paradise Ultimate Box (compilation of an '08 game), 3) The Sims 3 World Adventures and 4) EA Sports More Active Workouts (which both expand and somewhat require ownership of their earlier edition or edition's peripherals), 5) Left 4 Dead Crash Course DLC and... Well, 6) could go one of two ways. We could not count Rock Band, which EA distributes but doesn't publish, or we could not count the PSP Minis release of Tetris.

This is a hefty amount of 80+ games. If we average the full 25, we get this: EA's average 80+ metascore is 85.20. Let's not count six games. We'll include Rock Band but not Tetris. Then we get 85.95. It goes down only to 85.58 if I use Tetris and not Rock Band.

[UPDATE: I originally used the 360 Dragon Age metascore of 86 but have since updated the math above using its PC score of 91. Seemed only fair given PC was its lead platform. I've gone through this post and updated all listings to reflect the highest score given to any PC or console version of these games.]

Let's see if EA counted its competitors correctly.

Modern Warfare 2 (94)
Guitar Hero 5 (89)
Guitar Hero: Metallica (86)
DJ Hero (87)

A little math shows that: Activsion's average 80+ metascore is 89. Better than EA's, but it's only four games, and really, if you want to do a fair comparison of publisher quality, you'd have to do an average of all their games. Also notable is that there was a wide disparity between some versions. I used the highest Guitar Hero score, which was an 89 on the Wii. The game averaged an 85 on the Xbox 360.

Assassin's Creed II (92)
Might and Magic Clash of Heroes (86 *Game was released in December)
Dawn of Discovery (82)

More math: Ubisoft's average 80+ metascore is 86.67 with Might and Magic. It is another publisher with just one 90+ game.

Dawn of War II (85)
Red Faction Guerilla (85)
UFC Undisputed (84)
WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2010 (82)
Rocket Riot (80)

Result: THQ's average 80+ metascore is 83.2. They had no 90+ games.

GTA Chinatown Wars (93)
GTA IV: The Lost and Damned (90)
GTA IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony (89)
Borderlands (84)
NBA 2K10 (83)
Beaterator (80)
The Bigs 2 (80)

I do Take Two no favors for the average here by including The Bigs 2, but I did just make them look better by counting it in the overall tally, right? Anyway, Take Two's average 80+ metascore is 85.57. And look! They have two games with a 90 or above.

Metroid Prime Trilogy (91)
Mario and Luigi Bowser's Inside Story (90)
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (87)
New Super Mario Bros. Wii (87)
Punch-Out (86)
New Play Control Pikmin (84)
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (84)
Art Style Digidrive (83)
Art Style Pictobits (83)
Rhythm Heaven (83)
Pokemon Platinum (83)
Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again (82)
Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon (81)
Art Style Box Life (80)
Wii Sports Resort (80)
Wii Fit Plus (80)

You could load up this one with caveats, noting that the Metroid and Pikmin games aren't new, but let's include them. Nintendo's average 80+ metascore is 84 even. Credit them with a pair of games at 90 or above.

Uncharted 2 (96)
God of War Collection (92)
Killzone 2 (91)
MLB 09 The Show (90)
Wipeout HD Fury (89)
LittleBigPlanet PSP(88)
PixelJunk Shooter (87 *Game released in December)
Flower (87)
PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe (86)
Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time (86)
infamous (85)
Patapon 2 (81)
Resistance Retribution (81)
Buzz! Quiz World (80)
Zen Pinball (80)

Let me average that up for you. Sony's average 80+ metascore is 86.6. Not shabby at all. Plus, the company can boast four 90+ games, albeit one of them a compilation of PS2 hits.

Forza Motorsport 3 (92)
Shadow Complex (88)
Trials HD (86)
Splosion Man (84)
Halo 3 ODST (83)
Halo Wars (82)

Let's crunch that. Microsoft's 80+ metascore average is 85.83.

EA didn't tally the top scorers for Capcom, Sega and Warner Brothers. All had a batch of stellar games, so I figured I'd do the work.

Street Fighter IV (93)
Resident Evil 5 (85)
Marvel Vs Capcom 2 (82)
Monster Hunter Fredom Unite (81)

Capcom's average 80+ metascore is 85.25.

Empire Total War (90)
Football Manager 2010 (88)
MadWorld (81)

Sega's average 80+ metascore is 86.3

Batman Arkham Asylum (92)
Scribblenauts (80)

Warner's average 80+ metascore is 86. They've got a 90+ as well.'

It's no surprise that EA's chart accurately showed that the publisher had the most well-reviewed games, though, thanks to Kotaku, you can now see what those games were. This breakdown shows a couple of other things:

1) While EA had the most games that received 80+ scores, its average score for such titles settled between its two most prolific game-publishing competitors. It beat Nintendo but was beaten by Sony.

2) It's clear that no matter how many well-reviewed games a publisher has, getting an 80-89 score is far easier than getting a 90+. That seems to be the big equalizer among these top publishers. No one makes lots of those and few make more than a couple.

So which company made the most good video games in 2009? Probably the one you like the most. But if you want to try using numbers to back it up in 2009, I think you have to go with EA for quantity or Sony for 90+ excellence and a higher average score from its 80+ titles.

This question was raised by one Mr. Raccoon, a Kotakuite who found himself faced with exactly that sort of decision earlier this week. Walmart seems to have a surplus of the Hannah Montana bundles, which come packed with a memory card, a special lilac-colored PSP-3000, and a couple of Hannah Montana UMD discs, one a game and the other some sort of entertainment program I probably wouldn't enjoy.

Some of you would pick this up in a heartbeat. Hell, I would, if I didn't just spend $250 on a PSPgo. I had this in my hands the other morning, pondering picking it up for my girlfriend as an ironic Christmas gift (she maintains that I am the girl in this relationship.) I went back and forth from the case to the counter several times, before deciding to go in a different direction.

Mr. Raccoon on the other hand, like many of our readers I am guessing, found himself weighing the embarrassment against the value.

"Now theoretically the Hannah Montana bundle is a great deal seeing that it includes a game and a 2 GB memory card. But for a dude like me, it would be very embarrassing to be walking around playing a purple Hannah Montana PSP hahaha. The question is, is it really worth the embarrassment for that kinda deal? Oh, the regular 3000 PSP was out of stock too at my Walmart too. The Hannah Montana one wasn't lol."

lol indeed, Mr. Raccoon!

To me, the idea of being embarrassed buying any product seems silly, but then if you knew some of the shops I frequented you'd understand why. No, I am not going to elaborate. Simply put, there is no reason you should let something silly like packaging stop you from partaking in an excellent deal on an a fine Sony product. I dream of a day when our PSP systems are judged not by the color of their plastic, but by the content of their game library.

Besides, if you're a man worrying about being seen with a borderline-pink handheld, let me tell you a little secret. Girls find that sort of thing adorable. They'll see you as a cool, confident guy with a cute and quirky side. At least that's what I keep telling myself whenever I'm out rocking my pink DSi.

If you decide to take the plunge, here are a few tips:

- Don't mention getting it for your girlfriend, daughter, niece, etc. Retail clerks are trained to see right through this, and will ridicule you horribly as soon as you are out of earshot.

- Remain calm. Try not to sweat or behave in a nervous fashion. This will make your fellow shoppers assume you are some sort of perverted adult Hannah Montana fan. They will actively shield their children from you. Believe me, that's embarrassing.

- Just buy the damn thing already. It helps if you psyche yourself up before hand by telling yourself you have to be somewhere in the next 10 minutes, and buying the PSP is wasting your time. The store clerks won't think you are a pervert or a liar. They'll just assume you're an asshole, like the rest of their customers.

See? It's easy. I think I might have just talked myself into heading back to Walmart later today. Make sure you guys leave one for me!

Speaking at the UBS 37th Annual Global Media Conference on Wednesday morning in New York, Riccitiello apparently said "In the coming year, both Sony and Microsoft have announced new controllers. Motion sensor controls, Natal and Gem, these are likely to bring new consumers into the marketplace".

"Gem", hey? Sony have instantly issued a "No official name for the PlayStation motion controller has been announced" statement as a counter, but you have to wonder, he's the boss of Electronic Arts. If anyone outside of Sony was going to know the name of the PS3's motion controller, even if it was a working title (which this may well be!), it'd be Riccitiello. Well, Riccitiello or Bobby Kotick. But Kotick isn't the one spilling the beans here.

PlayStation 3 Motion Controller Finally Named? [IGN]

[UPDATE: Sony tells Kotaku Gem was a prototype name, does not reveal if it's the final name. Full story here.]