Talk Playstation 3 News

Here is some walkthrough footage of DC Universe Online at Comic-Con. Senior Producer Wes Yanagi is the commentator

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Part of of a interview with Gamedaily, John Smedley, President of Sony Entertainment Online told them that they are counting on the PlayStation 3 to bring in half of SOE’s future business.

SOE is known for games like Star Wars Galaxies, EverQuest, The Matrix Online and Vanguard Saga of Heroes to name a few.
And with upcoming titles like Free Realms, DC Universe Online and The Agency, Mr. Smedley is looking forward to the audience on the PlayStation Network.

I think PS3 will be close to half our business. There’s an audience now waiting for online games on the PS3. I believe PSN has over 15 million users today. It’s growing so quickly, we see a great user base potential there

He’s sure that MMO’s will bring a lot of new players to that genre. Mostly people that have played on consoles for years instead of the PC with games like Resistance, Metal Gear Solid and Killzone to name a few.

I think we can bring this kind of gaming to this audience and I think it’s going to be huge

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MTV News had an interview with Geoff Johns one of the writes for DC Universe and some not so great new came out of it.

He said

It launches I think in early 2010, it could be late 2009. I’ve written the overall story and the path that gets you into the game and the areas of the universe and how to explore them, but not every line of dialogue. That’s a fulltime job, it’s too frigging big, too intense to write every line of an MMO. I’d probably jump off a building.

Another MMO disappears into 2009. But is that bad? It is hard to say but it does send doubt into gamers mind that they will be able to play a proper MMO on their console.

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SOE let slip in an interview that gamers of the upcoming game The Agency can expect micro-transactions and in-game ads instead of monthly payment schemes. Though not 100% certain that it will swing this way, it looks that this is the best option for SOE to enter the market in the current state.

We’re acutely aware that shooter players are not used to playing monthly fees, so I doubt we’ll go for an outright $15 a month, which works on some of our other projects.”

“So we’re checking out Free Realms to see how they’re going to do with their micro-transactions, and we might incorporate some of that. We’ll definitely have some ad revenue models. The Agency’s the perfect place for some in-game product placement

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If you live in the US you probably already noticed that there is a full game on the US Playstation Store by the name of Jeopardy.
For those of you that don’t know this game, it has been one of America’s longest running and popular quiz shows till date.

Shalom Mann studio head of Sony Online Entertainment, announced that the game would be coming to the Playstation 3 as the first of many PSN games developed by SOE.

Wonder if you could use your headphone in the game he said

We looked into the idea of using voice recognition, which would have been a lot of fun. The PS3 has the power to do it, and we saw great middleware that would have made it all possible. However, we felt that by making the game require a Bluetooth headset, it would limit its accessibility. Maybe in the next version

For people thinking they’ll buzz first and then try and answer the question might be left short on money as they’ve implement a system where you will be required to commit to dollar amounts upfront before getting a chance to see the responses. This was after there were some concerns about the game having multiple choice questions

Some features that will be included in the game:

• More than 2,500 clues and categories randomized for multiplayer games.
• Single-player games versus AI with three levels of difficulty (Average, Smart and Genius).
• Online and offline multiplayer games.
• Voice chat for online multiplayer games.
• Expansion packs with new content (coming in 2009).

So go out an be a winner

He also slipped that Wheel of Fortune is in production. We’ll be hearing more on that.

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Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has announced that they plan to bring The Agency, Free Realms, and DC Universe Online to PAL territories. After teaming up with Sony Online Entertainment it is certain that Europe will see the named games.

Here’s the press release.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) announced today that SCEE has joined forces with Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) – developer of groundbreaking online Massive Multiplayer Online (MMOs) games including the wildly popular EverQuest® — in an arrangement that will bring a whole new dimension to PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) gaming.

Under the new agreement, SCEE will publish and distribute three MMOs developed by SOE for PS3 throughout the PAL territories. In addition, SCEE will also publish the PC versions of DC Universe and The Agency on behalf of SOE in the PAL territories. The new arrangement allows SCEE to benefit from SOE’s experience in a different area of video gaming publishing, one which opens up a whole host of possibilities for PS3.

The games included in the agreement are The Agency (PS3 and PC), a fast-paced, action shooter set in an present day online persistent world of bullets, bomb blasts, and betrayal; DC Universe Online (PS3 and PC), an action-focused super-hero game in a fully realized DC Universe Online; and Free Realms (PS3), a vibrant new world for younger players with an exciting mix of reality and fantasy.

And about the games.

DC Universe™ Online (PS3 and PC):
Explore one of the greatest fictional universes in history: the world of DC comics. Create your own hero or villain and run loose across famous DC locations such as Gotham City or Metropolis, alongside legendary characters of good and evil including Superman, Batman, Huntress, Joker, Wonder Woman and Green Arrow in scenarios written by DC writers and in an art style overseen by renowned DC artist Jim Lee.

The Agency™ (PS3 and PC):
Get your target in your sights with this dark, gritty, online action PS3 shooter, a persistent world of spies, mercenaries and double dealing for aspiring agents everywhere. As you rise through the ranks as a spy through the various missions and in-depth story mode, you can build your own spy faction, recruiting new members to your cause.

FreeRealms™ (PS3):
An all new social networking service and massively multiplayer online role-playing game in one, FreeRealms gives players freedom across a world where exploration and spell casting is as much a part of life as decorating your house or growing a vegetable garden. You chose how you live your life in FreeRealms from day to day – be a wizard one day, play with your virtual pets the next.

DC Universe Online, The Agency and FreeRealms are the first massively multiplayer online role playing games to result from the arrangement between SCEE and SOE – a partnership that will bring gamers together across the world.

For those wondering if you’ll be playing PC gamers via the PS3 in The Agency will be left slightly dissapointed. According to Hal Milton, the lead designer, at Sony Online Entertainments annual Fan Faire in Las Vegas said:

“There’s no technological reason why you can’t play cross-platform, but there’s a philosophical reason why design doesn’t want to do it. If we have to compromise one platform to support both, then we won’t.”

“A couple of members of our team gained a lot of experience working on Shadowrun, and no matter how well you fine-tune it, you end up with a player-base that’s polarised,”

Design Director, Matt Wilson suggested that with a single account, you’ll be able to create characters on both PS3 and PC versions of the game. You will not be able to pick up on the PS3 where you left off on the PC version or vice versa.

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John Smedley, President of Sony Online Entertainment has said that Massively Multiplayer Online games is going to be Playstation 3’s extra weapon to pull away from the Xbox 360.

Speaking with the Seattle Times he was asked a question regarding MMO:

Q: Does the realignment of your group, from Sony Pictures to Sony Computer Entertainment, mean that you’re going to try boosting PlayStation 3’s online network with your MMO [massively multiplayer online] games.

A: I think MMOs are going to be a real strong selling point for the PS3 long term — there’s going to be some great ones on the PS3. You’re not going to find “The Agency” on the [Xbox] 360.

so for all your MMO fans out there, look forwards to the future as PS3 plans to deliver more MMO games.

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