Hey guys! First, I would like to apoplogize for the recent lack of posts. See, this site was originally intended to be an easily accessible site for Playstation owners. Unfortunately, we have not held our end of the bargain very well, but school can be a pain. What can I say? However, my last post had an unprecedented reaction. This made me realize that there certainly are readers out there. A LOT of readers. Within 30 minutes of posting the article, this site went from 10 hits a day to almost 2000! In return, I feel obligated now to write as much as possible. Be it news, rumors, complete speculation, it will surely be found here. But now that we have A LOT of readers, I think we might need A LOT of writers! So shoot me a message at my email: Smidgy3000@aol.com or my PSN account: HebrewHammer, and I will surely get back to you. Be sure to check back here for some awesome news and intriguing rumors we have in store for you this week!
Oh and by the way, a lot of you have been speculating as to what the countdown at the top of threespeech.com is for. Well, its for the Motorstorm 2 trailer, and if you thought Motorstorm 1 looked fantastic, you aint seen nothing yet.
Boy, what a headache this last year has been for all of us Playstation 3 owners. From the lack of AAA titles, to the loss of long time exclusives (DMC, GTA, etc.), Sony has certainly been hit from all angles. For a moment there, I was almost worried. But as the new year came into effect, something happened. Things started to change.
First was the Xbox Live issues which everyone beleived would cease after a matter of mere hours. Now it seems that the issue is still ongoing, and even expanding. Across the web, Xbox 360 owners are issuing complaints that their system will not connect to Xbox Live, run downloadable games, or even play single player games. This, on top of the ongoing red ring of death plague, is surely going to cost Microsoft dearly.
The second thing to happen, which I cant say was unforseen, was Warner Brothers announcement to go to Blu Ray exclusively. This means that movies like the eagerly anticipated Batman sequel, The Dark Knight, will be exclusive to Blu Ray and DVD. As of Now, Blu Ray has control of 70% of the HD format market, making it a reasonably large threat to Toshiba, Microsoft, and other HD DVD supporters. Not just that, but huge names in the movie industry are starting to sound off on the situation. Michael Bay, after Warner Brothers announcement, stated that soon enough, Transformers and other Paramount films will shift to Blu Ray (Paramount is one of the last studios supporting HD DVD exclusively). Of course, movies mean nothing to gamers such as myself. However, it is good to see that Blu Ray is pulling through after so many people assured its failure once the PS3 launched. With all these studios backing Blu Ray, that On Demand service for the Playstation Store is looking good right about now.
2008 is the golden oppertunity for the PS3 to make its mark in the gaming industry. While 2007 saw few titles, 2008 promises to be one of the biggest years in gaming history, if not the biggest. In 2008, PS3 owners will be playing these huge titles:
Burnout Paradise
Devil May Cry 4
Turok
Resistance 2*
Dynasty Warriors 6
Gran Turismo 5 / Prologue*
Condemned 2: Bloodshot
Lost
Turning Point: Fall Of Liberty
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
Army Of Two
Rainbow 6: Vegas 2
Haze*
Battlefield: Bad Company
Dark Sector
Brothers In Arms: Hell’s Highway
Civilization Revolution
Killzone 2*
LittleBigPlanet*
Mercenaries 2: World In Flames
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Tom Clancy’s End War
SingStar*
Alone In The Dark
GTA IV
Legendary: The Box
Metal Gear Online*
Metal Gear Solid 4*
Midnight Club: Los Angeles
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
Fallout 3
Ghostbusters
Heavy Rain*
Prototype
Borderlands
The Agency*
Brutal Legend
Dead Space
Eight Days*
Ember*
Eyedentify*
Final Fantasy XIII / Versus*
flOwer*
The Getaway*
Gothic IV
Hot Shots Golf 5*
INfamous*
Indiana Jones
Just Cause 2
L.A. Noire*
Motorstorm 2*
Project Origin
Saboteur
Saints Row 2
Socom: Confrontation*
Tekken 6*
Tomb Raider: Underworld
Resident Evil 5
* Represents Games Exclusive To PS3
That is not even half of the games we will see in 2008. There are many more that are unnanounced or still pending. Crytek, the makers of Crysis, have made it clear that they are well into the development of their PS3 project, which will probably come to 360. Its just good to know that the PS3 is their lead platform. Another peice of good news was the recent announcement that the heavily awaited PC game, Far Cry 2, will be making it to Ps3 as well as 360. Not only that, but EA’s recent purchase of Bioware will most likely see future Mass Effect titles come to PS3. EA did not drop over $800Million for Bioware to make games only for one console. The next iterations in the Mass Effect Series will surely come to PS3. The only question is will the first one be remade for the PS3 now that its already out for the 360. 2008 should see a sharp increase in exclusive games for the PS3 since ‘07, especially considering all of the first party studios that Microsoft has lost over the past year.
Lastly, the most crucial key to the success of the PS3 in 2008 is Home. This interactive place where online users can chat, play games, or share music, movies, or pictures may very well be the Ace up Sony’s sleeve. It is just a matter of how Sony approaches it. Personally, I have always thought that the 360’s gamerscore was the greatest thing ever. I would be as bold as to say that the implementation of the gamerscore may have been more innovative that the Nintendo Wii’s controller. With Home, Sony seems to be including this award system, but upping the ante a little. Rather than points, players will have entire 3d trophies that other users will be able to view and examine. It is clear that Sony is going to institute this award system from all of their first party games. Games such as Pain, Resistance, High Velocity Bowling, Uncharted, and R&C Future already have medals and ribbons which will likely translate onto Playstation Home. What Sony needs to do is ensure that third party will support this trophy feature as well. Implementing such a feature ensures hours of replay value, which I feel is the most important thing that a game has. Not graphics, not the story or narrative, but the replay value. With $60 games these days, you can always use more bang for your buck, and Home will give Playstation owners just that. Downloadable content, new homes, clothing, games, and a large community all unified into one space: Home.
So here’s to a great year of Playstation 3 gaming! As always, see you out there!
It has been a long time coming, but today we are finally introducing our first formal Playstation Network Clan, Game Up! With the impending release of the hotly anticipated Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for the Playstation 3, we figured now would be a better time than any to get started. This site will now be the official home for the clan. Here, you will find our roster, gamebattle dates/records, and current titles that we are competing in. Apart from that, we will soon be opening the forums with an exclusive thread just for clan members. Once Call Of Duty 4 is released, check back here for updates and news on our clan’s progression. Should you wish to tryout for Game Up, you can contact me at smidgy3000@aol.com or you can send me a message to my PSN name, PREREQUiSiTE. Here is a list of our current roster for Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare:
HebrewHammer
DRUMclip
Organ-Donor
Akademiks-
MatRicuLaTeD_
NECROTiZiNG
jeremy1030
HebrewHummus
Once Call Of Duty 4 releases, be sure to check you PSN mail. I will be making rounds to get your gamebattle account names. Should you not have a gamebattle account yet, I suggest you do so ASAP to avoid any hassle once we start engaging in actual matches. See you out there!
Right when I thought the nightmares had ended, this article pops up on Kotaku.com. It appears that UK entertainment retail store, HMV, is presently offering preorders for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots. However, along with the available PS3 pre-order is an Xbox 360 one as well. The website shows that the PS3 version will arrive on April 18, 2007, and the 360 version much later on September 26, 2008.
Despite Kojima’s presence during the Sony Press Conference at E3 2007, this rumor continues to run rampant. Now, that does not mean that MGS will never make an appearance on Xbox 360. In fact, I firmly beleive that one day we will indeed see a MGS game on 360, but I highly doubt it will be MGS4: Guns Of The Patriots. The most probable situation is that Metal Gear Online will make an appearance on the 360 after the PS3 version is released. Never did Konami, nor Kojima Productions say that Metal Gear Online was exclusive to the PS3. All we know about that title currently is that is is in development for the PS3 (how many times have we heard that, only to see that other versions were in fact in the mix…. ehem…..Mercenaries 2). The way I see it, MGS4 will always remain a PS3 exclusive while Metal Gear Online will be a timed exclusive for the PS3, with a not so distant 360 version. After all, Xbox Live and Metal Gear Online would work perfectly well together. Fortunately, HMV has quite a reputation for false information. In the meantime, lets hope HMV uphold this reputation of bogus rumors and speculation.
Recently, Threespeech managed to get their hands on some very impressive images from the hotly anticipated PS3 exclusive racer, Gran Turismo 5. Normally, this would usually avoid my attention, but the image of the in car camera angle is simply fantastic.
Looks like GT5 is pushing itself into an all new gear thanks to the PS3 hardware. Check back for more details on Gran Turismo Prologue and GT5.
Many have been eagerly awaiting this announcement for quite some time and now we finally have it. Dylan Jobe had some very interesting things to say about his hotly anticipated title, Warhawk, on the official Playstation blog:
“Hells Ya! The PSN and Blu-ray versions have gone “GOLD,” completely finished and will go on sale August 28th … just a few weeks away! We’re all really proud of the game, and those of you who got a chance to participate in the BETA know why. We can’t wait to get online with all of you so we can beat the hell out of each other!”
“The PlayStation Store version will be $39.99 and I’m really glad that SCEA came through with a “good value” price for this – it’s the right thing to do.”
“Warhawk is a great looking, great playing multiplayer game but at the end of the day, it’s a multiplayer-only game and if you decide not to get the premium version at retail with the headset, this is a great option for you – at a great price.”
“Like I said previously, those of you who’ve had a chance to play Warhawk, know how good it is, and why a game that is fun to play for 70+ hours offers more gameplay than a lot of single player games that cost a great deal more.”
“…and yes, that’s just one of the statistics that is tracked by Warhawk’s Stat system. During the BETA we saw users log crazy high numbers – 70 was by far *not* the largest … most users had over 30 and we had to ultimately turn the servers off!. Who knows how high those numbers would be if we were to keep the BETA open?”
“Speaking of the BETA, I’d like to let you guys know that we were watching the Warhawk Statistics database during the BETA, looking for the top players. We ultimately used the Bonus Points category since it covers all play modes, levels, vehicles, troops, weapons, kill types, etc.”
“So…for the top 100 players, we have prepared a “Top-BETA-Players” award that you will be receiving in the mail soon. It includes a really nice print of the box-art, signed by the team *and* a very, very limited edition metal Warhawk Wings pin! So guys and gals, please keep your eyes out for this in the coming weeks!”
I hate to continue to emphasize my concern, but once again, looks like Sony have pushed all their 1st party titles out within a month of eachother. Yesturday I reported that Lair and Heavenly Sword were a mere one week away from eachother. Looks like Sony is gearing up to give consumers a holiday season they wont soon forget. At least we will finally have some more games to play! Be prepared to save up for what looks to be one expensive Fall season.
Developed by Ninja Theory, Heavenly Sword is ready to slice its way into retailers in early September. Sony Computer Entertainment have announced that it will ship on September 12, 2007 for the Playstation 3. The demo is now available in the Playstation Store and after playing it for a few times, I have to say, I am quite excited. Take this news with a grain of salt however. With Lair and Heavenly Sword set to release within about a week of eachother, you cant help but wonder why Sony would release two of their major titles so close to eachother. Also note that we have yet to see a Lair demo. Strange indeed. Nonetheless, should these two titles ship on these dates, September should be a very intriguing month for PS3 owners. Perhaps we will finally get our hands on a Lair demo next Thursday. But hey, thats just me speculating.
It seems that this generation, exclusivity rumors simply do not die. I thought that the industry, fanboys, and press alike could learn a very valuable lesson after the whole Metal Gear Solid 4 atrocity. Looks like everyone has set their speculation sights on Bioshock once more. In a recent Gamepro interview with lead developer, Ken levine, was asked wether or not Bioshock would make a presence on the PS3. He simply replied that “right now” they are focusing their complete attention to the PC and Xbox 360 versions of the title. Be sure to check back here for more developing news on a potential Playstation 3 version of Bioshock.
