Back in March, the good folks at Digital Leisure sent over a pre-release copy of the Blu-ray version of Space Ace so I might take a look and share some thoughts with all of you. Well I’ve finally finished evaluating things, and can share the long and short–mostly long–of it.

For those who have no clue who or what this game is, it’s a real retro number, dating back to the early-mid 80s when technologies like Laserdisc were struggling with VHS as a home video format. A precursor to the DVD format, Laserdisc offered superior video and audio quality to VHS and also interactive functionality similar to that in modern DVD menus via directional controls on the remote. Some clever companies figured out these controls could lend themselves to game-like experiences by requiring timed button presses during live playback of video, not unlike the cut-scene action in modern games like God of War and Heavenly Sword. Compared to even the best arcade graphics of 1984, a ‘game’ with full frame cel animation from the legendary Don Bluth was no contest…it blew everything else away completely. Even today, games like Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda: the Wind Waker, and EA’s The Simpsons Game while technical achievements in cel shaded in-game animation, cannot match the quality of pre-rendered animation. Space Ace was the studio’s follow-up to the cult-classic Dragon’s Lair, which has appeared on a number of platforms and formats since its release.

Visually, the title looks really good in full 1080p. All colours and bright and textures crisp, which is somewhat uncommon for cel animation from that era; it’s clear the material has been remastered and restored to take advantage of high-definition source and displays. Even the bonus features were filmed in 1080p, which is uncommon even on most Hollywood releases. The game also offers a choice of the original aspect ratio (fullscreen), or a widescreen mode, which unfortunately letterboxes the fullscreen version and clips–albeit an arguably negligible amount of–the animation. Read the rest of this entry »

Pre-order is available for the God of War Entertainment Pack on Amazon.com. The package includes the red PSP, God of War: Chains of Olympus, Syphon Filter: Combat Ops and a Superbad UMD. You can pick it up June 3rd for $199.99. My birthday is June 7th, FYI.

[Via PSP Fanboy]

More at ComputerandVideogames.com

New Little Big Planet Screens
Resistance 2 Screens

Kaz Hirai commented on the yet to appear HOME at PlayStation Day in London, and dates its release as fall of this year, only, we aren’t sure if he means an open beta or the full game:

“I said at the Tokyo Game Show [last year] that I would not open up Home until I was completely happy with it, and I still stand by that statement,” Hirai said in his PlayStation Day keynote on Tuesday.

“We have been testing Home for some time and I simply feel that, as great as it currently is, it needs a little bit more time before it is ready for the wider public, something we firmly believe we can provide in the autumn.”

There’s a ton of information in from Sony’s show in London…and a lot of news about delayed games.

LittleBigPlanet? Not coming till October ‘08. That’s just a month later than expected, so it’s not so bad, so far. Killzone 2 can be expected in February ‘09, not much of a surprise there. Resistance 2 is scheduled for November, with new multiplayer details emerging:

Multiplayer will support up to 60 players and include Chimera, again, it will also be structured in a way to bring back a sense of intimacy. There will be squads within these mammoth fights, making the game feel more personal and filled with skirmishes instead of giant, faceless wars. The game will use some sort of system to make sure you always respawn near the same group of players, so you can really start to gun for them. MotorStorm 2 becomes Motorstorm: Pacific Rift; GT Racing Academy gets announced. Europe will get their MGS4 bundle after all, and PSN is opening up to indie music:

Seeking out the greatest unsigned bands from across Europe, Movement is an exclusive PSN music experience which will open your ears, your PS3 and PSP to the best in international music. From French electronica to London grindie via melody driven rock from Germany, you’ll hear it all courtesy of hosts Spencer and Martin who are tracking down the sweetest sounds across the continent in their VW Camper. With exclusive downloads on PSN and performances at PlayStation Day, movement will culminate with one band being selected by Spencer and Martin to have a professional promo video made. Look out for the entire madcap adventure on PSN soon.

For more info check out GameSpot

Here’s another PSP device, this one dreamed up by Mat Brady, that seeks to encompass all your mobile needs into one. Battery life? Half an hour.

Via PSP Fanboy

So, I’m not a huge survival horror gamer (mostly because I am not good at them), but I’ve loved Siren since I first played it on the PS2. It is great, because you can just be standing around in the shadows, trying to find a key for 2 hours, while a bunch of absolutely terrifying people shamble about but never quite kill you. Especially when that is all after you just knocked out your gym teacher with a wiffle bat, while he was trying to render you limbless, barehanded. It is a superb example of visual and audio horror. Unidentifiable noises coming from all around you, and unspeakable horrors to make you claw out your eyes in a Lovecraftian fashion.

This new one for the PS3 is a retelling of the original, which will be a great starting point for a lot of people. Think a subtle mix of Silent Hill and Condemned. It is easily one of my most anticipated games of the year. I can’t wait to play it at 2am.

Trailer
Picture dump @ Kotaku

And for even MORE Siren excitement, downloadable episodic contentis dropping on the PSN. From the looks of it, it will flesh out some back story about the cursed village of Hanuda. A TV crew tries to gain some insight to the area, as things go horribly wrong, in the vein of Diary of the Dead and [REC].

Info @ Kotaku

http://www.r3ysgameday.com

I’ll be Frank.. you be Jane. We’re not expecting a whole lot of people to be watching tonight. You guys have better things to do. Walk the dog, take a shower, play some GTA4. If you do tune in. We promise you a fun filled two hours. Here’s a few things we’ll be revealing on this masterpiece of a title tonight!

• Actual production cost too pre-plan, code and gold press GTA4.
• The best ways to get an instant boost of health & getting rid of that wanted level with one phone call!
• Some neat sight seeing with Heli-tours and taxi drives.
• Some funny discreet locations to some hidden packages (yes they do exists).
• What exactly lives out in the vast seas outside of Liberty City. Vice-City?

We dedicate this show to all the kiddies out there that haven’t been able to grab a copy! Tune in and watch. Shoot us over your questions and comments in the chat-room or LIVE web-cams.

Hey everyone! This is Deux from GoneMicrosoft.com and from the GoNintendo podcast crew dropping in to give my review of Crisis Core. Basically, I am such a FFVII fan that I had to give up Microsoft and Nintendo for a second to play! Just kidding, but I did get a good 20 or so hours into it. I know it’s a little late, but please let me know what you think.

Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core Review

Let me begin by saying that I am a huge FFVII fan. It was the first RPG that I ever played and it urged me on to try FFVIII, FFIX, and even go back and play III, IV, and VI. I never felt the same way about the other Final Fantasy’s unfortunately and I feel that my love for VII has clouded (no pun intended) my judgment on all turn based RPG’s. Keep in mind that I’ve been a huge loser and played FFVII through at least 3 times with countless other hours starting a new save and then doing it over and over again. It’s safe to say that I know the story inside and out and was very worried about how the PSP prequel, Crisis Core would turn out… but I just couldn’t stay away.

Read the rest of this entry »

Yes, it’s GTAIV day…and it seems some pre-ordered copies ended up in the hands of mailmen who wanted a copy themselves. More or less ironic than stealing a copy of say, Postal? Anyway…there’s something I need to do right now, perhaps you can guess what it is…

“When we have a [big name release], we communicate it to operations and security teams. We have security in place at the facilities, and we make sure they understand to keep an eye out for things to exit the building,” he explained. How did they find where games were stolen? “We had tips from people inside, and some of them were discovered at intermediate hubs… it’s easy to spot: flaps torn, some boxes are re-taped.” In most cases, the bust is as easy as finding the last person who scanned the box as full and interviewing them.

“They’re not selling them, these people are stealing one copy,” he told me—all of the thefts seem to be for personal use. It seems many people think stealing a game a few days before release is worth it, and this is far from the perfect crime.

“As long as the people loading the packages are doing their jobs, it’s easy to track down,” our source told Ars. “It’s kind of funny, isn’t it? It’s a game about theft, and people are stealing it.” His eyes began to shine as he said, “and I get to terminate them.”

More @ ArsTechnica

[Via Jamie @ Strategy Informer

Review @ IGN