Talk Playstation 3 News

Here’s a gameplay video of Final Fantasy XIII where Odin is summoned.

Summon your trusted steed into battle to help turn the tides in Final Fantasy XIII.

Great news for Sony and Playstation 3. VGChartz is showing that the Playstation 3 has passed the 30 million mark worldwide this past week. It is now only 5.7 million behind the Xbox 360.

Playstation 3 dominates in Japan and Europe, it just has some caching up to do in America.

Will it do it?

LittleBigPlanet has been updated to version 1.23 and is now live. Below are the list of fixes.

* Water now available to creators who own the Pirates of the Caribbean Premium Level Kit, and playable via community levels for everyone. Check the FAQ for more information on controlling water.
* Added 11 new trophies. See details here.
* Scuba Gear Powerup -The Scuba Gear object gives Sackboy an infinite air supply when he is underwater.
* Bubble Machine -The Bubble Machine refills Sackboy’s air supply if he is in close proximity to the object. It can be operated on or off by a switch object.
* Water Switch – The Water Switch is a switch that is activated when it is submerged in water. It can be connected to the same objects as other switches.
* Global Water Object – Similar to the Global Lighting Object the GWO can change the water’s settings over a specified time when it is triggered.

General:

* You can now save your decorated POD – When in the pod, if you open Popit you will see a POD (rocket ship) icon next to the Heart icon, opening this takes you to the My Pods section, where you can save and load 100 pod decorations
* Ability to reset avatar to default (PSN) avatar
* More Details page – on a level’s info bubble there’s now a page of stats about the level.
* You can now disable the Thermometer in Create Mode if you are worried about screen burn: Go to Settings > Display Settings and there will be an option to show or hid the HUD when in Create Mode.

Source.

Sony has confirmed the Q1 lineup for the Playstation 3. Here’s the list.

• God of War
• Heavy Rain
• Massive Action Game

The above are the exclusive games, there’s alot of non exclusive games coming out in between.

Source.

many people are wondering what services and extra features premium subscribers will get. Thanks to TheSixthAxis, we finally have the details.

• Customer Service Priority Access
  Priority access to PlayStation’s customer service both online and via phone should you need technical help or have questions about your products. This feature gives you support with little to no waiting.
• Exclusive Experiences with Sony Brands
  Get member-only access to attend exclusive Sony events and experiences throughout the year, including those offered by PlayStation, Sony Pictures, and Sony Music.
• Extended Console Warranty 3 Years
  Get your PS3 warranty extended to 3 years as part of your overall subscription (requires you to keep your subscription active). The standard warranty on your PS3 is 1 year.
• Access to Beta Games
  Get access to Betas of popular games not yet released at retail (Betas offer bigger experiences than typical game demos). You will have the ability to play these games before others do.
• Early Access to All Store Content
  Get early access to select free and purchasable game related content on the PlayStation Store before it’s available to everyone else. This includes games, add-ons, themes, avatars, as well as free game demos.
• Member Demo Sharing of Full Game
  Share a level of a game that you just purchased for your PS3 with a subscriber who doesn’t own the game. Your friends could do the same. This would be an exclusive demo not available otherwise to those who haven’t purchased the game.
• Cross-game Voice Chat Access
  Get exclusive member-only access to cross-game voice chat. This is the ability to use your headset to voice chat with friends on your PS3 regardless of what they are doing on the PS3.
• Full Title Trial – 1st Hour Is Free
  Download full versions of select Blu-ray and PSN game titles and have the chance to play the entire game (single or multiplayer) for free for the first hour. After that time you will have the option of purchasing the game to continue playing.
• Token Wagering
  Get a fixed number of tokens per month you can wager with other players in competitive online games. These tokens could then be built up and redeemed for free PlayStation Network games and other content.
• User-to-user Challenges
  Unlock developer-created challenges while playing games. Compete with your friends to see who can be the first to complete these challenges. The PS3 will automatically offer and track challenges and winners and would post results. An example of a challenge is ‘first to get 10 trophies’ in a particular game.
• Free Access to PSOne Classics, PSP Minis, and PS3/PSP Themes
  Get a fixed number of PSOne Classic games, PSP Minis (bite-sized games), and PS3/PSP themes per month to keep for free for as long as you are a subscriber. The PlayStation Store offers these types of content for $2-6 each.
• Discounts on Store Content
  Get weekly member-exclusive discounts on specific games, game add-ons and themes on the PlayStation Store. Discounts may range from 20-50% off regular retail prices.
• Member Only In-game Content
  Get exclusive member-only in-game content for your PS3 or PSP such as new game play options, unlocked in-game weapons or player slots, exclusive levels, costumes/skins, and PlayStation Home spaces.
• Trophy Alerts
  Get automated alerts on your PlayStation XrossMedia Bar, PlayStation.com, and via text message (if you so choose) that alert you when your friends get any trophy or a specific one. This feature is customizable – you can choose which friends to receive alerts from and what kinds of alerts.
• Cloud Storage Space for Games
  Store your game saves on a virtual secure saver. This would allow you to access your game saves at any point in time, and from any PlayStation 3 or PSP console you are logged in on.
• Online Music Service
  Get a streaming music service that allows you to choose your channel based on music style, artist type, etc. and listen to an unlimited number of tracks. This service would be for use outside of playing a game and similar to Pandora or a Last.fm.
• Online Music Video Service
  Get a streaming music video service on your PlayStation 3 that lets you stream music videos from a continuously growing catalog of music and allows you to create a custom playlist to play back.  [Presumably an ad-free VidZone? ~Watchful]
• Automatic Downloads and Updates
  Customize the types of updates you want your PS3 to download automatically. These include game updates (patches) for games that you own, firmware updates, and game demos downloaded on your PS3 without manually having to select them and wait for them to finish downloading. Your PS3 can be set to automatically turn on for updates and turn off after completion.
• Loyalty Program Rewards
  Get rewards the longer you are a subscriber and also earn rewards by engaging with PlayStation such as buying games, downloading movies, and rating products. Rewards can include full versions of PlayStation Network games and digital movie rentals from the PlayStation Store.
• Facebook Connectivity
  Access to member-exclusive Facebook features on your PlayStation 3, such as viewing and linking your Facebook accounts with their PSN ID’s, updating your status, editing, uploading and sharing photos, and viewing photo albums of your friends on your TV.
• Catch-up TV
  Get access to popular TV shows and movies through service providers such as Hulu, simply by clicking an icon on your PS3 XrossMedia navigation bar.
• Netflix Access Without Disc
  Access the Netflix video streaming service on your PS3 without the need to insert a special disc into the drive each time to access the service. A separate Netflix subscription would also be needed to enjoy the service. Netflix offers over 17000 popular movies and TV shows for streaming on your laptop or a supported device such as a PS3.

What do you make of them?

The European Playstation Store has updated, December 22 2009 and the following has been added:-

PlayStation Store via PS3

Additional Special Offers

(Until the 7th of January)

• Fat Princess (was – £11.99/€14.99 now – £7.99/€9.99)
• WarHawk (was – £14.99/€19.99 now – £7.99/€9.99)
• Monster Hunter Freedom Unite (PSP) (was – £23.99/€29.99 now – £16.99/€20.99) (reduced until the 21st of January)
• Resistance: Retribution (PSP) (was – £24.99/€39.99 now – £14.99/€19.99)
• LocoRoco 2 (PSP) (was – £19.99/€29.99 now – £7.99/€9.99)
• Numblast (PSP) (was – £3.99/€4.99 now – £2.39/€2.99)

Available from the 24th of December:

• Trine (was – £15.99/€19.99 now – £7.99/€9.99)
• Worms (was – £7.99/€9.99 now – £6.29/€7.99)

Special Offers

(Until the 7th of January)

• Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (was – £19.99/€29.99 now – £14.99/€19.99)
• Burn Zombie Burn! (was – £6.29/€7.99 now – £3.19/€3.99)
• Bomberman Ultra (was – £7.99/€9.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
• Battlefield 1943 (was – £9.99/€12.99 now – £6.29/€7.99)
• Red Alert 3: Commander’s Challenge (was – £7.99/€9.99 now – £5.19/€6.49)
• High Velocity Bowling (was – £6.29/€7.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
• Lemmings (was – £3.99/€4.99 now – £3.19/€3.99)
• 3 on 3 NHL Arcade (was – £6.29/€3.19 now – £3.19/€3.99)
• Burnout Paradise (was – £24.99/€29.99 now – £13.99/€17.99)
• Burnout Paradise – Big Surf Bundle (was – £27.99/€34.99 now – £19.99/€24.99)
• Fight Night Round 4 – Champions Pack (was – £3.99/€4.99 now – £2.39/€2.99)
• Skate 2 – Maloof Money Cup Pack (was – £1.59/€1.99 now – £1.19/€1.49)
• Skate 2 – Time is Money Pack (was – £3.19/€3.99 now – £2.39/€2.99)
• Skate 2 – Filmer Pack (was – £4.79/€5.99 now – £3.19/€3.99)
• Skate 2 – Dyrdek’s Fantasy Plaza Pack (was – £3.19/€3.99 now – £2.39/€2.99)
• Skate 2 – San Van Classic Pack (was – £3.19/€3.99 now – £2.39/€2.99)
• Dead Space – Scorpion Pack (was – £3.19/€3.99 now – £2.39/€2.99)
• Dead Space – Obsidian Pack (was – £3.19/€3.99 now – £2.39/€2.99)
• Dead Space – Military Pack (was – £3.19/€3.99 now – £2.39/€2.99)
• Dead Space – Tank Pack (was – £3.19/€3.99 now – £2.39/€2.99)
• The Godfather 2 – The Corleone Bundle (was – £7.99/€9.99 now – £4.79/€5.99)
• Burnout Dominator (PSP) (was – £17.99/€24.99 now – £11.99/€19.99)
• Burnout Legends (PSP) (was – £14.99/€19.99 now – £11.99/€14.99)
• Def Jam Fight for New York: The Takeover (PSP) (was – £15.99/€19.99 now – £7.99/€9.99)
• EA Replay (PSP) (was – £15.99/€19.99 now – £7.99/€9.99)
• Crash Team Racing (PSone Classic) (was – £3.99/€4.99 now – £2.39/€2.99)
• Kula World (PSone Classic) (was – £3.99/€4.99 now – £2.39/€2.99)

Downloadable Games

• Hustle Kings (£6.29/€7.99) Rating: PEGI 3

Availability: All locales

PSone Game (emulated for PS3/PSP)

• Vagrant Story (£4.79/€5.99) Rating: PEGI 16

Availability: All locales

Demos (free)

• Dante’s Inferno – Gates of Hell Demo: Rating: BBFC 18/PEGI 18

Availability: Not available in Germany, Saudi Arabia, South Africa or UAE

• Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues: Rating: PEGI 7

Availability: Not available in Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia or UAE

• MX vs. ATV Reflex:  Rating: PEGI 3

Availability: Not available in Czech Republic, Greece, Luxembourg, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa or UAE

minis (emulated for PS3/PSP)

• Cubixx (£2.49/€2.99) Rating: PEGI 3

Availability: Not available in Australia or New Zealand

• International Snooker (£3.99/€4.99) Rating: PEGI 3

Availability: Not available in Australia, New Zealand or Portugal

• Tiger Trouble (£2.49/€2.99) Rating: PEGI 3

Availability: Not available in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain or Switzerland

Add-On Game Content

• LittleBigPlanet
  • Pirates of the Caribbean Will Turner Costume (£1.59/€1.99)
  • Pirates of the Caribbean Tia Dalma Costume (£1.59/€1.99)
  • Pirates of the Caribbean Elizabeth Swann Costume (£1.59/€1.99)
  • Pirates of the Caribbean Barbossa Costume (£1.59/€1.99)
  • Pirates of the Caribbean Davy Jones Costume (£1.59/€1.99)
  • Pirates of the Caribbean Sack Sparrow Costume (£1.59/€1.99)
  • Pirates of the Caribbean Costume Kit (£4.79/€5.99)
  • Pirates of the Caribbean Level Kit (£4.79/€5.99)

Rating: PEGI 7

Availability: All locales

• PAIN - Kato-San Character (Free) Rating: PEGI 16

Availability: All locales

• Dragon Ball Raging Blast – Ginyu Force Pack (free)

Rating: PEGI 12

Availability: All locales

• EyePet – Lucky Dip Styling Pack 10 (free) Rating: PEGI 3

Availability: All locales

• Rock Band
  • (If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To by Weezer (£0.99/€1.49)
  • Beverly Hills by Weezer (£0.99/€1.49)
  • Let It All Hang Out by Weezer (£0.99/€1.49)
  • Weezer Pack 03 (Contains the three tracks listed above) (£2.49/€3.99)
  • A Lot Like Me by The Offspring (£0.99/€1.49)
  • Build A Bridge by Limp Bizkit (£0.99/€1.49)
  • Ocean Avenue by Yellowcard (£0.99/€1.49)

Rating: PEGI 12

Availability: Not available in Czech Republic, Greece, Luxembourg, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and UAE

• Guitar Hero 5
  • Harder To Breathe By Maroon 5 (£1.59/€1.99)
  • Hark The Herald Angels Sing By Steve Ouimette (£1.59/€1.99)
  • New By No Doubt (£1.59/€1.99)
  • Our Song By Taylor Swift (£1.59/€1.99)
  • Celebrity New Years Rock Track Pack (£4.39/€5.49)

Rating: PEGI 12

Availability: Not available in Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and United Arab Emirates

Applications

• Adhoc Party Application (free)

Availability: All locales

Premium Avatars

• LittleBigPlanet – (£0.20/€0.25 each)
  • Sackboy Avatar
  • Craft Earth Avatar
  • My Moon Avatar
  • Sky Avatar
  • Arrr! Avatar
  • Marvin Avatar
  • Gloria Avatar
  • Great Blue Avatar
  • Frost-E Avatar
  • Hugo Avatar
  • Lily Pad Avatar
  • Christmas Tree Avatar
  • Santa Avatar
  • Giftboy Avatar

Availability: All locales

Videos (free)

• Digger HD Trailer
• Savage Moon: The Hera Campaign Trailer
• James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game Launch Trailer
• Hustle Kings Trailer
• PixelJunk Shooter Trailer

Themes (free)

(static themes)

• Gravity Crash Theme
• Mushroom Wars Theme

Premium Theme

(static theme)

• Disruptive Theme – Tropical Paradise Theme (£1.19/€1.49)

Wallpapers (free)

• Gravity Crash Wallpaper
• Gravity Crash Sun Wallpaper
• Gravity Crash Planet Wallpaper
• Gravity Crash Space Wallpaper

PlayStation Store via PSP and Media Go

Additional Special Offers (also available via the PS3 store)

(Until the 7th of January)

• Monster Hunter Freedom Unite (PSP) (was – £23.99/€29.99 now – £16.99/€20.99) (reduced until the 21st of January)
• Resistance: Retribution (PSP) (was – £24.99/€39.99 now – £14.99/€19.99)
• LocoRoco 2 (PSP) (was – £19.99/€29.99 now – £7.99/€9.99)
• Numblast (PSP) (was – £3.99/€4.99 now – £2.39/€2.99)

Special Offers (also available via the PS3 store)

(Until the 7th of January)

• Burnout Dominator (PSP) (was – £17.99/€24.99 now – £11.99/€19.99)
• Burnout Legends (PSP) (was – £14.99/€19.99 now – £11.99/€14.99)
• Def Jam Fight for New York: The Takeover (PSP) (was – £15.99/€19.99 now – £7.99/€9.99)
• EA Replay (PSP) (was – £15.99/€19.99 now – £7.99/€9.99)
• Crash Team Racing (PSone Classic) (was – £3.99/€4.99 now – £2.39/€2.99)
• Kula World (PSone Classic) (was – £3.99/€4.99 now – £2.39/€2.99)

Downloadable Games (also available via the PS3 store)

• Savage Moon: The Hera Campaign (£6.29/€7.99) Rating: PEGI 7

Availability: All locales

• Thrillville: Off The Rails (£7.99/€9.99) Rating: PEGI 7

Availability: Not available in Russia

PSone Game (emulated for PS3/PSP)

• Vagrant Story (£4.79/€5.99) Rating: PEGI 16

Availability: All locales

minis

• Bowling 3D (£3.99/€4.99) Rating: PEGI 3

Availability: Not available in Saudi Arabia, South Africa or UAE

• Cubixx (£2.49/€2.99) Rating: PEGI 3

Availability: Not available in Australia or New Zealand

• International Snooker (£3.99/€4.99) Rating: PEGI 3

Availability: Not available in Australia, New Zealand or Portugal

• Tiger Trouble (£1.99/€2.99) Rating: PEGI 3

Source.

The first set of Premium Avatars have been released for Playstation 3 owners in Europe. The cost of each Avatar is 20pence and the list is below.

Sackboy Avatar
Craft Earth Avatar
My Moon Avatar
Sky Avatar
Arrr! Avatar
Marvin Avatar
Gloria Avatar
Great Blue Avatar
Frost-E Avatar
Hugo Avatar
Lily Pad Avatar
Christmas Tree Avatar
Santa Avatar
Giftboy Avatar

Source.

Final Fantasy XIII has been released in Japan, many have imported the game but don’t understand Japanese. This won’t help you with the game but the below is the English fact sheet for the game.

Square Enix proudly presents FINAL FANTASY XIII, the latest installment in the world-renowned FINAL FANTASY series, which has shipped over 85 million units worldwide. To celebrate the 13th title in the series, Square Enix has undertaken a colossal project involving the development of various content for multiple platforms. FABULA NOVA CRYSTALLIS™, defined in Latin as “the new tale of the crystal,” is made up of several different titles based on variations of the FINAL FANTASY XIII universe.

While each title in the project features different characters, different worlds and different stories, all are ultimately based on and expand upon a common mythos. Overview In FINAL FANTASY XIII, players will embark on a journey through the cityworld of Cocoon and the outerworld of Pulse, encountering and fighting alongside a diverse group of allies. Execute powerful attacks with weapons and magic, and summon the enigmatic Eidolons with an evolved Active Time Battle system. Experience seamless transitions between real-time gameplay and in-game cinematics. Do you have the courage to face your destiny?

Features:

• Take Part in a Gaming Experience that Sets New Standards – The first in the series developed for a simultaneous release on multiple high-definition consoles, FINAL FANTASY XIII pushes new boundaries in cinematic presentation, sound and gameplay.
• Experience the Unity of Speed and Strategy with the Ultimate Active Time Battle system – The familiar system has evolved, granting players the freedom of executing numerous commands in a single turn with the multi-slot ATB gauge. Whether inputting singular commands in each slot for consecutive attacks, or expending multiple slots at once to activate a devastating blow, it’s up to the players to respond effectively to the battle conditions at hand.
• Adapt to the Ever-Changing Tide of Battle with Paradigms – A brand-new game mechanic enabling players to assign roles to their party members at any time during battle, shifting between combat paradigms. Consisting of various combinations of the game’s six roles, ranging from Commando, the offensive specialist, to Medic, the quintessential healer, paradigms allowplayers to respond and adapt instantly to any given situation to turn the tide and seize victory.
• Witness the Battle Scene Transform with an All-New Summon System – Introducing Gestalt Mode, a powerful dimension of the summon system that elevates the action to a whole new level. In Gestalt Mode, characters and their transformed Eidolons fight as one, dealing massive damage to enemies through simple button commands.
• Delve into an Emotional Experience – An immersive storyline connects players to an intriguing cast of characters. Will they have the strength to confront their cursed fates, or will destiny prevail over all that they believe in?

Source.

Famitsu/Enterbrain has revealed the first week sales for Final Fantasy XIII that was released on the 17th of December 2009 in Japan.

During the week of release, FFXIII has sold 1,516,532 units. Furthermore, the game has helped bost the hardware sales of the PS3 to 245,406 during the first week.

Source.

For those of you that have Final Fantasy XIII (out in Japan) you’ll realise that their is a campaign code for Final Fantasy XIV and we bet you are wondering what it’s for.

The twenty digit code packaged with the first shipment of Final Fantasy XIII gives future Final Fantasy XIV players a secret item when the MMO debuts next year. Before that happens, the campaign code is also a ticket to apply for the PlayStation 3 Final Fantasy XIV beta.

So keep hold of the code for now and keep it safe as it will become useful one day.

Source.

Jeremy Dunham, Sr. Community Manager at Zipper Interactive has let everyone know on the US Playstation Blog that their 256 player first person shooter has gone gold in North America, Japan, Korea, and the rest of Asia.

The European discs are finishing up final quality assurance rounds right now and we expect to see those editions go gold sometime in the next few weeks.

This isn’t the only great news, the MAG Beta 5 will be available to everyone to play it!

North America starting tomorrow, December 22! Additionally, PS3 owners in Asia can start downloading the file on December 25, while the European store will make it available on January 4. Check back for details on Japanese PSN store access in the near future.

1. Log on to the PlayStation Store (tomorrow) and download the MAG Beta file like you would any other freely-available PSN video or demo (298 MB)
2. Launch the MAG Beta program from your XMB to download a special patch that will restart MAG once the update has been received (another 38 MB)
3. After the reboot, the beta will reconnect and download the actual game data so that you can play (1.8 GB – 2.3 GB depending on your region)

For more information, click here.

Here’s a gameplay video of Final Fantasy XIII.

Lightning, Snow, and Vanille boldly brave their frozen surroundings.

Final Fantasy XIII Crystal Cavern Gameplay Video

Call of Duty Classic is available for download on the Playstation Network and has shot to number 1 of being the most downloaded. Check out the top 20.

01. Call of Duty Classic
02. LittleBigPlanet PSP
03. Madden NFL Arcade
04. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
05. Final Fantasy VII
06. Borderlands Zombie Island
07. Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines
08. Marvel vs. Capcom 2
09. Resident Evil 2
10. Battlefield 1943
11. Tekken 6 PSP
12. Dragon Age: Origins Warden’s Keep
13. Fat Princess
14. Dissidia: Final Fantasy
15. Call of Duty: World at War Map Pack 3
16. Rock Band Nirvana Pack 2
17. Diner Dash
18. Gran Turismo PSP
19. Braid
20. Madden NFL 10 PSP

Source.

David Jaffe, the man behind the Twisted Metal and God of War I & II has given an update about his next game. The game is currently untitled but many people believe it will be a new Twisted Metal game for the Playstation 3.

Hey all-Jaffe here.Team is busting butt 2 get final milestone of year zipped up and sent to Sony! Looking so good! Can’t wait 2 share w/u!

Whew, finally wrapped up a major milestone. Time to paaarty!

Dude, I work with such a great f’ing team. Playing thru the new build now and so proud to be associated with these guys/gals!

The updates were done via Twitter.

Desperate Escape is the second downloadable content for Resident Evil 5 and will be released early next year in 2010. The pack will contain new characters Jill Valentine and BSAA Agent Josh Stone.

The Lost in Nightmares DLC and Costume Pack 1 will arrive on February 18 on PS3, the Desperate Escape DLC and Costume Pack 2 will follow on March 4 on PS3. Also there will be a Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition that will arrive at retail on March 9 in the US and March 12 in Europe.

Source.