After a fairly lengthy stint as a Community Manager, maintaining websites for Konami, Square, Namco, and others, I became absorbed by the Joystiq crew, and work blog full-time. I was the lead of the PlayStation Fanboy sites, and currently operate as the Joystiq Network East Coast Editor.
Noteworthy games: Ikaruga (DC), Pokemon (GB), Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64), Half-Life 2 (PC), Metal Gear Solid (PS), God of War II (PS2), Resident Evil 4 (GC), Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA), Otogi (XB), Chrono Trigger (SNES), Gitaroo-Man Lives! (PSP), Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! (DS), Braid (360), Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii), Everyday Shooter (PS3)
Do you want to transform your boring morning commute into an epic war set in an alien battlefield? If the answer is "yes," you may want to pick up the newly released Killzone 2 soundtrack from iTunes. The 29-track digital album can be downloaded for $9.99 and includes composer Joris de Man's orchestral accompaniment to warfare. With titles like "Heavy Resistance" and "Nuked," you can expect every piece of this score to be quite rousing.
If you didn't pick up Ratchet & Clank's latest adventure yet, you're in luck. Amazon.com is selling the game for an already-discounted rate of $49.99. But, with coupon code ratchet3, you'll be able to get an additional $5 off. With free shipping and no sales tax in most states, you'll be able to pick up A Crack in Timefor $44.99 -- 25% off the current retail price. For such a new game, this is a really sweet deal.
Most likely, you'll have to rush to take advantage of this promotion. And unlike Clank, you probably don't wield a staff that lets you rewind time just in case you miss this opportunity.
With LittleBigPlanet's first birthday coming up, it won't be long until Sackboy grows up and turns into acne-riddled, smelly, moody Sackteen. Before he joins Myspace and listens to Linkin Park, enjoy these precious moments by grabbing a free birthday cake costume from the PlayStation Store this Thursday, November 5th.
If Sackboy's edible outfit wasn't good enough for you (selfish!), Media Molecule has upped the ante just a little bit: the launch-exclusive Spacesuit costume will also be made free for all this week. The spacesuit will certainly come in handy when traveling underwater in the new LBP levels that are coming up.
The Roses Design Awards have recognized Killzone 2 with six nominations and one award, according to a report by GI.biz. This is the first time games have been allowed to compete alongside graphical, visual design and architecture categories.
Axis Animation won a gold award for "Best Use of Animation" for its work on the Killzone 2 CG intro (embedded above). Described as one of the studio's "most ambitious projects," the intro features over three minutes of footage from Vekta to Helghan in one seamless sequence that's free of cuts until the final climatic shot. Director Stuart Aitken is certainly deserving of high praise for setting the stage for one of the PS3's most visually involving games to date.
It's not often we tell you not to click after the break. But this time around, you're going to have to make a choice: will you watch the ten minutes of unedited gameplay footage of Heavy Rain from G4TV, or will you restrain yourself? Let's not forget that David Cage believes multiple playthroughs of the game "kill the magic of it." This scene, which takes place in the Blue Lagoon nightclub, has some revealing moments you may want to enjoy during your own playthrough.
Should you refrain from taking a look, we'll reassure you that the game looks absolutely gorgeous. Heck, even the load screen is beautiful!
If you're looking for a UMD version of Half-Minute Hero in Quebec, stop trying. A Destructoid reader looking for the game was surprised it had skipped a release altogether in the Canadian province -- and it's all thanks to the law. "Canadian distribution is always tricky because of the bilingual law that Quebec enforces, so for titles with limited distribution we do not create a second bilingual version specifically for Canada because it's too expensive. Unfortunately, that's what happened to Half-Minute Hero," an XSEED representative stated.
Thankfully, digital distribution offers a workaround. PlayStation Network appears to be exempt from Quebec's bilingual laws, so a simple visit to the PlayStation Store is all it takes to bypass the French language police.
WipEout HD (and Fury) will be receiving a 2.10 patch soon. In addition to "small improvements to front-end functionality" and some minor fixes, the 2.10 patch will change the way in-game advertisements are displayed. You'll recall, Sony was largely criticized for the game's State Farm ads which increased load times – a "no no" for the in-game ad model. SCEE marketing executive Mikel Arrien says they've learned from the controversy: "We have therefore focused on ensuring that the advertising is embedded as sympathetically to the overall experience as possible."
That doesn't mean ads have been completely removed from the picture with 2.10! In fact, more advertising is about to hit the game -- at least in European territories. "WipEout and in-game advertising and sponsorship have gone hand-in-hand since 1996, when a now famous energy drink appeared in the seminal Wipeout 2097 and over the years many brands and products have been associated with the series," Arrien said, trying to explain why the WipEout HD platform seems so ripe for commercialization.
At first, we doubted MLB 09's simulation of the World Series between the NY Yankees and the Philadelphia ... Phillies (a bit redundant, no?). However, the Phillies' dominant performance in Game 1 of the series made us reconsider our position.
According to the San Diego Studio-developed baseball game, the World Series will last all seven games this year, with Philadelphia ultimately the victor. So far, MLB has correctly predicted the victor of Game 1.
This may be upsetting to New York fans, especially as the Yankees are the heavily favored team in this match-up. However, video game AI has had a pretty successful track record so far. Look at Madden, which has managed to correctly predict the winner of 6 out of the last 7 Super Bowl games. We'll find out soon enough if MLB has the same accuracy.
Don't want to bother going outside with friends on Halloween? Good! PlayStation Home is hosting two different virtual events, one for Europe and one for America.
On Halloween Day, from 6-8PM GMT, SCEE will be hosting a virtual party in the Burn Zombie Burn space. Participants that purchase and wear appropriately undead attire will receive a special "treat" upon arriving. For more details, visit the EU PlayStation.blog.
SCEA is celebrating one day earlier, on Halloween Eve. At 11:59PM EST, the Central Plaza will feature a zombie rally that will put Hamsters vs Humansto shame (cough). Once again, virtual prizes will be handed out to all that participate -- and isn't that so much better than going outside, only to get tooth decay? For more details on America's festivities, visit the US PlayStation.blog.
Source - Halloween comes to PlayStation Home Source - Celebrate Halloween PlayStation Home-Style at the Zombie Rally
After a fairly lengthy stint as a Community Manager, maintaining websites for Konami, Square, Namco, and others, I became absorbed by the Joystiq crew, and 
