Hey friends, as you may or may not have read in my other writings, I own a Playstation 3. However, my friends list is not as big as it should be! It would be really great if I could add a few of you guys and girls to my list so we can play games together. I own several multiplayer games, including LittleBigPlanet, Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Hot Shots Golf, and more. I’ve been playing alot of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 though! Please add me:

kurisumaku

p.s. This post originated nearly after I started the site back in 2008, but wanted to repost it again to add more friends.

The Playstation 3 is about two and a half years old at this point and has been subject to great accolades and controversy. However, what remains above and beyond the criticism is that it has truly delivered some incredible, hilarious, and satisfying gaming experiences for me. While I don’t have the time to play like I used to, there are still several games coming out in 2009 that I am very excited about. I decided to choose eight that I will most likely be purchasing and share, and invite you to write a list of your anticipated games in the comments.

Tekken 6. Don’t even get me started with this franchise. I’ve been playing Tekken off and on since its inception, but my fondest memories are of Tekken 4 & 5. I probably spent the most time on the PS2 playing Tekken 4, and a considerable amount of time getting my ass kicked in Tekken 5 Online (for PS3). I always played Christie, which is odd, but I can make her spin like a top. Tekken 6, which will include the new features of Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion, will arrive on PlayStation 3 on October 27, 2009. Tekken 6 will have online modes, six new characters for a total of 42, tons of new features, and players are able to create and customize their own characters and take any in-game or created character online.

Modern Warfare 2 was officially announced in February and a release date was later set for November 10, 2009. No other information about the game has been revealed. However, as this is the successor to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, which has sold over 10 million copies, we can assume this will be an amazing follow-up to arguably one of the best FPS games of all time. I put a ton of hours into Call of Duty 4 and had some very memorable experiences – at one point, I only used a knife to kill and would go on ridiculous sprees while my friends on Ventrilo were in awe.

God of War III is currently in development for the PlayStation 3. It is the fifth chapter in the series chronologically, after God of War: Chains of Olympus, God of War, God of War: Betrayal and God of War II. Best Buy has the release date as 12/31/2009, which might be inaccurate and may see a 2010 release. God of War III takes place where the end of God of War II left off, with Kratos upon Gaia’s back eager to exact vengeance on the Gods and make them “suffer”. As seen in the trailers, the whereabouts of the Blade of Olympus are unknown, even though Kratos had been wielding the blade at the ending of God of War II. Little information has been released on the battle between the Gods and Titans that will explain the end of Greek Mythology. A more recent screen shot shows Helios on his knees with a bloodied face, Kratos is also in the picture grasping the god’s head, about to tear it off with his bare hands. Seen in a gameplay trailer are iron or bronze boots with wings on them that greatly augment Kratos’ acrobatic abilities. The wings and nature of the boots suggest that Kratos, at some point in the game, battles and/or kills Hermes, before taking his boots.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2, to be released on Fall 2009, is the sequel to my favorite war-based game of all time. Battlefield: Bad Company was the best first person shooter I’ve ever played – multiple classes, tons of unlocks, and destructable environments. Nothing is sweeter than blowing away a wall and finding enemies inside that just realized they’re dead meat. Or how about the thrill of locking onto a tank or other vehicle with a JDAM missle and guiding it in to destroy them while you’re perched hundreds of yards away behind a bush. I’ve spent too many hours in that game and I hope that this sequel doesn’t disappoint. We also give props to the upcoming Battlefield 1943 for PS3 that is coming this summer, another title I will be sure to buy.

Uncharted 2, coming in Fall 2009 via publisher Naughty Dog, will feature new gameplay mechanics, such as stealth action segments, and will change the climbing mechanic to allow free movement over walls, in a manner similar to Assassin’s Creed. Uncharted 2 follows the adventures of protagonist Nathan Drake as he uncovers the mysteries behind 13th-century explorer, Marco Polo, and the ships that he “lost” while returning home to Italy. Following him on his quest will be Chloe Frazer, a new character voiced by Claudia Black of Stargate SG-1 and Farscape. Drake is looking for the Cintamani Stone, a crystal which is said to grant the holder of it a wish, but someone else is also seeking the treasure.

The game is also stated to have no loading screens. Drake himself will have a darker side in this outing, and the player will learn what makes him a thief, hence the title. Bruce Straley, the game director for Uncharted 2, has revealed that the artificial intelligence of the enemies will be updated to match the new action-stealth gameplay. Enemies will have peripheral vision, so that they will hunt for Nathan if he briefly appears in their vision cone. Additionally, the enemies will interact with the environment more, following Nathan as he climbs on buildings or jumps from ledges. In addition to new gameplay mechanics, the game engine will also be revamped to take advantage of Naughty Dog’s increased understanding of the PlayStation 3′s architecture. Naughty Dog are aiming to maximize the utilization of the Cell’s SPUs, as their estimates for utilization in the first Uncharted were around 30%. As a result, the game is expected to have more realistic environments and animations.

BioShock 2 is a first-person shooter video game due for release in late 2009, developed by 2K Marin as the sequel to the critically-acclaimed BioShock. Set ten years after the events of BioShock, a number of towns around the world have been reporting kidnappings of young girls by attackers described as “thin”, with red lights often reported as either being worn by the attacker or spotted nearby in the sea. This single attacker, who is the Big Sister, one of the Little Sisters from the first entry in the series, has mechanised herself in a similar fashion to the Big Daddies — and has become the ruler of the underwater city of Rapture, which under her control has reached an equilibrium in which she “actively maintains the city’s infrastructure, and viciously hunts anyone down who disrupts the balance of power”; Tenenbaum, discoverer of ADAM and original creator of the Little Sisters, states that the Big Sister has begun kidnapping girls and turning them “into creatures… like her”.

Returning features from the first game include the ability for the player to regenerate (though not by the use of Vita-Chambers), and audio diaries. In addition to the single-player story, multiplayer will be a feature in BioShock 2, but this will not take the form of co-operative play.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix exclusively for the PS3, and is due sometime in late 2009. The game focuses on a mysterious protagonist who is the last heir of a dynasty ruling over the only remaining city to control crystals. Under unforeseen circumstances, he makes a stand against marauders seeking to take the crystal as their own. Unlike Final Fantasy XIII, there is scarcely any information surrounding the gameplay and battle system of Final Fantasy Versus XIII because no formal footage has been shown by Square Enix of the gameplay online or within video game magazines.

Within recent Japanese gaming magazine interviews, Tetsuya Nomura (director) has stated that Versus XIII’s gameplay will be a realistic derivation of Kingdom Hearts battle system with some elements of a third-person shooter aspect similar to Square Enix’s Dirge of Cerberus. Versus XIII will depart from the light and magical aesthetic of his previous directorial games (i.e. Kingdom Hearts) and opt for a darker, bleaker world that is intended to counter previous Final Fantasy installments. In contrast to previous Final Fantasy titles, Versus XIII had a greater display of graphic violence with an instance of blood.

MAG: Massive Action Game is the tentative name for an upcoming MMO shooter exclusively for the PlayStation 3 in development by Zipper Interactive. The game will utilize a new server architecture to support online battles with up to 256 players in a server simultaneously, with users divided into 8-player squads. Each squad will be led by a player who has advanced through the game’s ranking system. Character statistics and development will also increase with frequent gameplay. The players most advanced in rank will be able to either direct the battle or participate directly in combat.

Basic battles with multiple vehicle options (from tanks and APCs to airplanes) will take place within ongoing, faction-based campaigns to encourage the player to actively play, with at least three factions being considered for inclusion; including American, European and Middle Eastern factions. The game will boast numerous classes for players to specialize in; including medics, commandos and field demolition specialists.

The PS3 firmware update (v2.60) is designed primarily to enhance the system’s media capabilities. The key feature is a new Photo Gallery application, which delivers a suite of tools for sorting through and displaying your digital photo collection. Digital pictures can be organized in groups according to various criteria, including the camera used to take the photos, the event date and time, colors in the photos, as well as the number, ages, or facial expressions of the people pictured. You can also create slideshows set to music and build photo playlists with an easy-to-use interface. The Photo Gallery application will need to be installed separately from the XMB after you update your PS3’s firmware. To install the Photo Gallery application, go to the Photo section on the XMB, select Photo Gallery and press the X button.

The 2.60 update also includes:

• Guest access to PlayStation Store – This enables non-PlayStation Network members to browse through the storefront to check out the latest games, demos, videos, etc.
• DivX 3.11 support – Videos in this format can now be played on PS3.

Here’s a video walk-through of firmware 2.60 that shows off some of what the Photo Gallery can do.

Sony has revealed worldwide release dates for LittleBigPlanet. We already knew the game would be available in the UK on October 24th, but now a October 21st release date for North and Latin America has been confirmed. As for Japan, they can expect to see the game arrive on the 30th of the month and Europe, Australia and New Zealand will get their hands on it on the 22nd. That’s not all, though. An 80GB PS3 bundle will be made available on the 29th in Europe and the 31st in the UK.

To recap:

• North & Latin America: 21st October
• Europe, Australia & New Zealand: 22nd October
• UK & Ireland: 24th October
• 80GB PS3 Bundle in Europe: 29th October
• Japan: 30th October
• 80GB PS3 Bundle in UK & Ireland: 31st October

To celebrate the launch of the game, there will also be some limited-time-only DLC made available for early adopters. Specifically, these are a “Spaceman” costume (shown above) and a rare T-shirt.

Life for Playstation has been delayed once again after Sony promised it to consumers by August. Touted as Sony’s all in one solution for news, weather and other functions such as music playback, gamers have been waiting anxiously for the free software from Sony. Noam Rimon, Sr. Development Manager for SCEA’s R&D department stated over the weekend that, “I’ve got some good news and some okay news. We’ll start with the okay part. We’re still pushing some paperwork on Life with PlayStation — so hold tight just a bit longer. Now on to the good news, the Life with PlayStation application is looking great and to quench some of the curiosity around what it’s all about, here’s what I can share today.

We’re going to offer this as a free service that will be easily accessible directly from the XMB. Life with PlayStation will feed live content to your PS3 with updates on news and weather on a visually stunning and interactive global map. Imagine being able to wake up to your PS3 to see if you need to pack an umbrella for the day. Or just relax as you listen to your favorite tunes while reading up on top news from around the world.

We’re also very excited to share that Life with PlayStation will be combined with our Folding@home project. What does this mean? While you’re tuned into Life with PlayStation, you’ll also be helping Stanford researchers cure diseases like Alzheimer’s and various types of cancer while Folding@home is running in the background.

We know you’re eager to check it out for yourself, so we’re working hard to get it in your hands. Stay tuned.”

Sony, please, would you stop announcing release dates you don’t intend to keep? I’ve lost count of how many times you’ve done this. Also, check out our previous coverage of the application Life for the PS3.

French retailer FNAC (link now removed) accidentally leaked specifics and an image of a new LittleBIGPlanet PS3 bundle, which includes the game, the 80GB hard drive and a DUALSHOCK controller. While this bundle hasn’t been officially confirmed by Sony, it is common to see retailers accidentally slip and reveal details about new hardware before the manufacturer. There is no word as to if this LittleBIGPlanet bundle will be available in only France, but we assume it should be a general European release. The game LittleBIGPlanet has been one of the most anticipated Playstation 3 games ever, perhaps even moreso than Metal Gear Solid 4, and is set to debut on October 29th. LittleBIGPlanet has been displayed in numerous trade shows and events, and was even used to create Sony’s press presentation during E3.

Before the listing was removed on the French retailer website, the LittleBIGPlanet PS3 bundle had been listed for a price of 399.99Euros and had an official release date of November 5th.

Information courtesy of Computer And Video Games.

As part of Sony’s ongoing effort to extend the PS3′s horizons beyond that of a purely gaming device, SCEE CEO David Reeves announced the launch of the new Vidzone video and music on demand service for the PS3. The free service will debut in Europe in 2009 allowing users to pick from a list of over 10000 songs. The service will allow users to listen to a variety of free tracks as often as they want. They can also build their own libraries and playlists. Songs will also be accesible via remote play on the PSP and can also be purchased as ringtones.

Vidzone precedes a full music download service that will arrive for the PlayStation 3 and PSP later in 2009, and the PS3′s movie choices will be expanding in Europe as well, with a PlayStation Network-based movie download service that will rival what already exists on the PS3 in North America also planned for 2009.

The announcement was made at the ongoing Games Convention currently taking place in Leipzig, Germany.

Photo courtesy of 1UP.com

PlayTV is a twin-channel DVB-T tuner peripheral with DVR software which allows users to watch and record television programs to the hard drive of a Playstation 3 console for later viewing. Sony announced it around this time last year and it has been delayed several times. Fortunately, the delays are no more – Eurogamer is reporting that PlayTV should arrive in the UK by September 19th for GBP 69.99. The price is pretty fair considering the features included, as well as the possibility of further software updates. Unfortunately, North American markets, including the United States, Canada, and Mexico all be use the ATSC digital standard (and the latter two are currently early in their digital transition), it is unlikely they will see the PlayTV device because of compatibility issues. It isn’t completely impossible however that if the device is a huge hit in the UK (and eventually Europe) that the Americas could see this device.

Several of the expected features include..

LiveTV: The Live TV feature allows access to the widely available DVB-T network. In the UK this is known as Freeview. Whilst using the Live TV option, live programming is cached as it is displayed, so that users can pause, rewind and fast forward through any recently-viewed material, as well as record and turn subtitles and audio description on/off. Screen size can also be changed. PlayTV allows users to watch one programme whilst recording another. Live TV also has a now and next bar enabling users to scroll through live TV and see what is on other channels and what is coming on next.

Guide (Electronic Program Guide): The software features a 7-day electronic program guide. PlayTV allows users to set recordings and change channel from the Guide; also selectable is a Favourites guide which is a list of a user’s favourite programmes. The Guide shows a full description of all programmes. Whilst setting recordings, users can set whether they would like to repeat the recordings daily or weekly to record the same programme again in a series – similar to the ‘series link’ feature on Sky+.

Library: The PlayTV Library is where all the recorded content is stored. The content can be viewed in a list view or in a thumbnail view. Its also fully sortable by date, channel and name. The library is also where content can be exported to the PlayStation 3′s main menu to be stored with the rest of the user’s video files. Whilst playing back the recorded content, users can pause, fast forward, rewind, skip to/from and turn subtitles and audio description on/off. Screen size can also be changed.

Schedule: The schedule feature allows users to edit their future recordings. It is also fully searchable.

Find and Record: The find and record feature allows users to search the next 7 days worth of TV programs by searching with a key word in the title of the programmes and/or the description of the programme. Find and record also lets users set manual recordings using the channel, date and time that you wish to record.

Mobile TV with PSP: Wi-Fi connectivity with a PlayStation Portable allows for portable viewing of live or recorded television programming. By using the Remote Play feature of the PlayStation 3, owners can use a PlayStation Portable to access their PlayStation 3 console from anywhere in the world via the Internet. The Remote Play feature has the ability to ‘wake up’ the PlayStation 3 from stand-by mode, allowing the user the ability to watch live TV, set recordings and watch previously recorded content anywhere in the world direct from their PlayStation 3 to their PlayStation Portable via the internet.

Recorded programs can be transcoded and transferred via USB to the PlayStation Portable. The recorded files will not contain DRM meaning the programs will be copyable to any mass storage device connected to the PlayStation 3. This feature also allows the export of radio shows allowing users to make their very own podcasts for on the go listening. You can also record while playing games.

Eurogamer has an excellent preview (with additional screenshots) of PlayTV.

PlayStation 3 platform is gaining momentum with introduction of movie and video download service which is going to be available in North America tonight on July 15th. Sony has partnered with a number of studios (Fox, MGM, Lions Gate, Warner, Disney, Paramount, Turner, and Funimation) that will be pumping more content in SD and HD quality each week to your PS3 (time to upgrade that hard drive huh?). Just log on to PlayStaion Store and look for the Video tab, once you are there you will be greeted with smooth interface to rent or buy movies. Movie purchases will run from $9.99 to $14.99, while rentals will be $2.99 – $5.99. Another exciting feature is if you are an owner of a PSP, you are more than welcome to bring that movie or TV show with you as well – just connect it to your PS3 or your PC (PC Store will have the same content), download it and you are good to go; connect it to your TV with Video Out cable and watch it in your dorm room or your pool house.

Check out the E3 Sony keynote which will be available soon on your PS3. Looks like Apple video service has a competitor now in this field…

Sony has announced during their E3 Keynote that they will be releasing a new PS3 hardware model with an 80gb harddrive. This model will run on the cooler chip like the current generation 40gb unit so that means it will not have backwards compatibility. This should be a strong competitor to consumers eyeing the similarly priced 60gb Xbox360 elite with live package.