Just when we thought all the relevant information to be had from GDC was out in the open, along comes this tidbit that could further open the door for budding developers in our mist. Untapped talent just waiting to be discovered? This is for you. According to Sony’s senior developer relations account manager Chris Eden, making games for the PlayStation Network is not only reasonably affordable at $1200 for the debug PS3 kit (including the freebie PhyreEngine) — but it comes with the satisfaction of knowing that Sony is going to back you up with their own promotional muscle, should your project get the green light. But don’t let that scare you into thinking that you’ve sold your soul to the devil for a quick buck, As Eden is swift to point out that your IP is still very much your IP:

“With the PlayStation Network, a lot of the land is still up for grabs. Sony wants to manage, but not own the platform. We don’t set or suggest prices, or have price slots. Sony just acts as a digital reseller, you’re free to set your own prices.”

So what about that support mentioned above? For starters, Sony marketers are willing to toss a few bones your way in the form of weekly updates via the PlayStation Blog/PlayStation.com, as well as in-store banner ads, those weekly/monthly emails that Sony sends us all, shout-outs through the PS3’s browser home page, and even the

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Last week’s PlayStation Network Update left a lot to be desired. I blame the flu. This week is much better for the PSP, but the PS3 is still flapping in the wind. I think they’re saving everything up for in-game XMB week… whenever that’s.

The PlayStation Portable sees the release of the flOw port ($7.99). The not-really-a-game looks great on the PSP, and you’ll find that it eats just as many zoned-out hours of your life as the PS3 version did. The PSP also gets the monkey minigame madness of Ape Escape: On the Loose ($14.99).

The PS3 only has one downloadable game this week: Rocketmen: Axis of Evil ($9.99). This 124MB title, based on WizKids tabletop game, looks pretty slick. There’s also a demo if you’d like to try before you purchase.

As always, the week’s add-on game content comes from Guitar Hero III and Rock Band. Guitar Hero gets the Modern Metal Pack ($6.25) which includes songs from Avenged Sevenfold, Thrice, and Deftones. Rock Band rocks a Grateful Dead Pack ($9.99).

As for other goodies, there’s a Lost Planet PS3 theme, a Condemned 2: Bloodshot wallpaper, a game video of NBA Ballers: The Chosen One, and a couple of motion picture trailers.

This is the calm before the storm, right? Sony?

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Rev those engines, folks: yesterday, Sony released the full list of courses and vehicles that will be playable in Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. The game will be out on April 17th in North America for $39.99 (PSN or Blu-ray Disc). The grand total amounts to 6 tracks and 76 vehicles: 62 regular vehicles, and 14 extra “tuned vehicles”. Along with all the good stuff that has been previously promised — 60 fps, 1080p, DualShock 3 compatibility, cockpit view with real-time gauges, etc. — the full press release (available after the jump, natch) details the game’s feature set.

North American driving die-hards will be able to race in a number of different ways, including a Drift Mode and two-player split-screen action offline. Of course, there’s also the requisite automobile tweaking, a staple of the series (gotta get that extra downforce!). Finally, there will be a variety of new racing events and time trials for offline or on the web play (the latter will support up to 16 players).

Wait, you thought that I was done when I said “finally” in the last paragraph? Pfft. It seems like Sony’s making a legitimate effort to squeeze a lot of content into the $40 package, as the press release also mentions a desire to promote the development of “an automotive lifestyle and global community”. To that end, Sony will be launching Gran Turismo TV, a video on demand PSN channel that will be dedicated to the worldwide vehicle culture. Also, the game’s interface is called My Page, and it will be personalized for each user.

So who’s a fan of vehicle porn? Come on, get those hands up high; don’t be ashamed to admit it. I’m right there with you, though I still think I’m going to hold out for the full release (whenever that comes). What about you?

Via Destructoid

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The last we ever saw of The Getaway on PlayStation 3 was way back in 2006, where Piccadilly Circus was shown off in impressive, supposedly real-time glory. Of course, that was two years ago, so you’d be forgiven for thinking the title was scrapped. You’d think wrong, however, as Sony has come out of the woodwork to confirm that the next Getaway sequel is still coming.

Screenplay writer Katie Ellwood has confirmed that the game is in development, and has promised that the PlayStation 3 will provide a more engaging experience than ever before.

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Filed under: News

Update: Some readers are letting us know that Army of Two servers are rolling back on the web now, but some are still experiencing connection drops and laggy gameplay experiences.

Email is flying in and message boards are lit like the eternal flame about Army of Two. Gamers are livid because EA servers are having multiple issues including the standard lag found in most online games all the way to not functioning at all. In some cases gamers are reporting that the only multiplayer modes currently working are local games, so no on the internet co-op for you.

Message board posters are seem to be having different experiences with the newly released EA third-person shooter, but most agree the overall on the web experience isn’t functioning properly. PlayStation users aren’t out of the wood either as messages confirm these issues are across the board, not surprising since EA uses their own server farm and does not subscribe to Xbox Live’s peer-to-peer method of hosting.

At the time of this story three of our own soldiers of the X3F Army have expressed experiences with all available online multiplayer modes within the game.

EA has yet to comment on the issues.

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Via Xbox360fanboy

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Filed under: News

When we first threw Rainbow Six Vegas into our consoles we thought Ubisoft accidentally pressed Ghost Recon with the wrong label because the game began during a raid of an enemy stronghold in Mexico. A few minutes later we realized that it was all apart of the story Ubi and Tom Clancy had magicked up for us to introduce Sin City.

With that in mind we’re glad that the folks at Inside Gamer sent in a video of the first ten minutes of gameplay from Rainbow Six Vegas 2 and showed us that the experience begins in France. Now we won’t have to worry that Ubisoft accidentally shot us over a copy of Rush Hour 3. Seriously, no one needs to relive that experience.

[Thanks, Jeff]

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Via Xbox360fanboy

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Filed under: News

We won’t lie when we say Webzen’s upcoming first-person MMO Huxley had dropped off our radar, and when new details came out about their Real Time Worlds developed All Points Bulletin (APB) we thought Huxley got the quiet ax. Well, while details are still light on the title we do know that the game is still slated to come out between now and the next leap year. However, the latest news comes to us from a Game Trailers user who swiped some footage of the character creation menus. In the video, the user goes through some of the various options available for those interested in creating a female warrior within Huxley, which is actually comes Stateside in 2009 for the PC and Xbox 360. We were joking about the leap year thing.

[Thanks, Chris]

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Via Xbox360fanboy

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Filed under: News

It’s really hard to come by interesting office stories. “So this one time, Bill-from-accounting and I were sitting in the break room, right?” See? It’s already boring. But how about this one: “Hey, remember that time when all the filing cabinets started bleeding and we were attacked by demons with mouths full of metal?” Much more interesting. It would seem, then, that this Condemned 2: Bloodshot commercial was concocted for the sole purpose of proving that an office can be scary (and not in that dead end job, “I’ll never make manager” kind of way). Indeed, the commercial is pretty frightening, but it begs the question: what other locations could use a spooky makeover? Our vote: the DMV.

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Via Xbox360fanboy

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