• tokyo game show 2008

    Patapon 2 Helps You Keep Your Groove

    In Patapon you controlled an assortment of highly stylized characters by tapping out music on the four face buttons of the Playstation Portable. I was a big fan of the game, but found over time that unless I gave it 100 percent of my attention I would often lose the beat.

    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."

    12:30 AM on Wed Oct 8 2008
    By Brian Crecente
    2,220 views, 28 comments

    Most discussed phantomlink: I loved this game.... untill the rain juju.... still cant get across that fucking desert more »

  • phil harrison

    Check Out Phil's Going-Away Present From Sony

    Phil Harrison didn't just work at Sony, the dude was Sony. Cut him and he'd bleed PlayStation. So when he upped and left for Atari earlier this year, there's no way all he was going to get was a pat on the back and a "thanks for your time". No, he was due something nice. Nicer than a gold watch, even. Something like this snazzy PlayStation-themed plaque, which SCE commissioned for him so he could hang it on his wall at Atari and remember the good old days, when he got to talk about games people actually gave a hoot about.
    [via UK:R]

    11:30 PM on Fri Aug 22 2008
    By Luke Plunkett
    17,131 views, 93 comments

    Latest by GOLD5: How did you guys see it? Are you totally ninja stalking him still or what? Clearly a shot from the more »

  • The last guy

    Last Guy Looks Simple, Sounds Fantastic


    Here's a gameplay trailer for The Last Guy, due on the PSN at the end of the month (least, in Japan). They sure weren't fooling around when they said it was using Google Maps, whose services you use to lead the survivors of a zombie apocalypse to designated "safe zones". The whole thing looks nice and simple (which it will be, since it's going for under $5), but whatever, if that music makes it into the final game, this moves up a spot on our shiny white purchase board from "will buy" to "must buy".

    6:20 AM on Tue Jul 22 2008
    By Luke Plunkett
    6,435 views, 76 comments

    Latest by Hobie-wan: @humongous_mouse: *late to the party* Yeah, Gershon Kingsley is the first thing that popped into my mind. = ] more »

  • shuhei yoshida

    New SCE Boss (ie Phil v2.0) Speaks

    While I'm sure they do loads of important meeting-and-paperwork-related stuff in the office, from where we're sitting, the job of a corporate exec is simple: act as a corporate figurehead. Give us an idea of how your company's feeling, and where it's headed, from a bunch of quotes you deliver in an interview. So when new SCE boss Shuhei Yoshida - Phil Harrison's replacement atop Sony Computer Entertainment's Worldwide Studios - gave his first real interview, it was time to listen! Listen to him talk about getting SCE Japan, America and Europe on the same page, about how developers underestimated the PS3's multi-core architecture. More »

    5:30 AM on Tue Jun 17 2008
    By Luke Plunkett
    3,328 views, 30 comments

    Latest by threeve: @Rotmm: yeah, since insomniac/naughty dog/kojima/etc. make terrible games w/ piss-poor framerates and terrible graphics... /sarcasm....seriously, when some one else can more »

  • gallery

    New Echocrome Screens Make Echocrome Look *Hard*

    Either you've already played the Japanese demo or you're about to play the American one, doesn't matter, Echocrome's teaser levels make things look easy. Pedestrian. As though the dev team came up with a neat concept, but couldn't think of ways to really push it. Yeah, no, that's WRONG. Look at these new screens. These later, harder levels are built for one purpose: to take your mental ass, wine it, dine it, then kick it.

    7:20 AM on Thu Apr 24 2008
    By Luke Plunkett
    4,595 views, 56 comments

    Latest by CareyCondor: I bought Echochrome from the Hong Kong store a while ago and have been enjoying it for a while. I more »

  • clips

    Siren Trailer Creeps The Hell Out Of My PS3


    You know what? I hate Silent Hill. But loved the first Siren (or as it's known down here, Forbidden Siren). Don't know why. Critics may tell you otherwise, but you know better than to listen to critics. So, yeah, after watching this, am I excited about the prospect of a third time around (going straight past the much less-awesome second game), with the same old siren and blood but nice new graphics and sound? You bet I am.

    6:20 AM on Fri Apr 18 2008
    By Luke Plunkett
    4,174 views, 76 comments

    Latest by CoffeeLove: The graphics look amazing well too! I should include. The Siren series is quite similar to that of "Silent Hill." I more »

  • letters to the editor

    The Phil Harrison Letters

    It's no secret that we're big fans of almost-former Sony Worldwide Studios head Phil Harrison. In fact, he, J Allard, Peter Moore and Reggie make up our video game exec dream team, a crusading force that we imagine takes to the streets at night to bludgeon criminals to death with their no-nonsense quotes and fierce scowls.

    When we heard that Harrison was going the way of Moore and Allard, fleeing from his job to parts unknown, we were genuinely concerned. So concerned, in fact, that Luke made up a missing person flyer and like clockwork Harrison was spotted... by Harrison. More »

    4:00 PM on Fri Feb 29 2008
    By Brian Crecente
    14,453 views, 100 comments

    Latest by Nereos: I miss him already. As i said before, he was a genuinely decent guy. more »

  • marketshare

    Sony Wants India (India Looks At Sony As 'Just A Friend')

    India, like many countries that aren't known as massive gaming markets now, has the potential to expand massively in the next few years. And SCE (Sony Computer Entertainment) is interested, planning to build multiple retail partnerships in India's top 20 cities. From SCE's Atindriya Bose:

    The Indian gaming market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 78 per cent by 2010, and barely one per cent of the country's gaming potential has been tapped...However, we are still at a very nascent stage, even though there is a lot of potential for the industry.
    It's tough to talk about the growth of video games in an area where they aren't a very large deal to begin with. But if we can be so forward as to offer Sony two words of encouragement: "SingStar Bollywood."

    SCE to Increase Penetration in India     [via maxconsole]

    12:00 PM on Wed Dec 26 2007
    By Mark Wilson
    1,114 views, 17 comments

    Latest by df747jet: @Witzbold: Actually, it makes you a better person because your embracing other races. lol. more »

  • interactive film

    Indigo Prophecy Dev Working on Exclusive PS3 Title

    Wow, this is quite a coupé. Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios have penned a deal with Quantic Dream (the team behind Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit) to collaborate on an exclusive Playstation 3 title. Personally I thought that Quantic Dream's 2005 adventure game was one of, if not the, best game of that year.

    The press release doesn't say much more about the game other than that it will use the power of the Cell and game development technology of the PS3 to "set a new benchmark in delivering emotionally compelling experiences to gamers." With Quantic on board, I think that's quite possible. More details are expected "soon", which has to be code for at E3. Hit the jump for the press release. More »

    8:20 AM on Tue Jul 3 2007
    By Brian Crecente
    5,396 views, 69 comments

    Latest by hezz05: Great news! more »

  • volcano school of management

    Kutaragi Officially Steps Down

    The father of the Playstation officially stepped down today, ending an era that saw the launch of three consoles and Sony's entry into the gaming market. More »

    1:08 PM on Tue Jun 19 2007
    By Brian Crecente
    3,751 views, 101 comments