Majed Athab
New York, NY - http://playstation.joystiq.com
Majed Athab is a long-time gamer and a seasoned games journalist working primarily for the Joystiq Network's PS Fanboy blog. He also contributes to the various other blogs on the network, including Joystiq itself.
He got his first break in the industry writing for the RPGamer website shortly after graduating from the University of Portsmouth in the UK. As of right now, he's joyously writing from his Manhattan home and virtual office.
by Majed Athab 
{ 4 months ago } 
It's no surprise that the PS3 is seeing a great amount of support with a strong lineup of original first-party titles, but some see this strategy as a problem that might actually be hurting the PS3, not helping it. According to an in-depth piece over at
GameSetWatch, Sony's strategy for the PS3 over-emphasizes new properties and its first-party titles as system sellers, but is ultimately not doing enough to pull in consumers when compared to the other consoles.
Look at the chart above and compare SCEA-published titles to the exclusives for other consoles like
Halo 3 (which sold more than 4.8 million copies in its first year) and
Mario Kart Wii (which has sold over 6 million units). Cleary, SCEA isn't anywhere near Nintendo's or Microsoft's numbers (all figures excluding bundle sales), but why can't SCEA games achieve that sort of level of sales? GSW points out it's mainly because of Sony's focus on risky new IP instead of safe bets (like sequels), noting third-party franchises like
Call of Duty: World at War (1.1 million),
Grand Theft Auto IV (1.7 million) and
Metal Gear Solid 4 (1.1 million) have all sold better.
It's all a rather interesting interpretation of the NPD sales data, and there's even further analysis to be read over at GameSetWatch. Head over there for the
full read.
by Majed Athab { 4 months ago } 
Half-Minute Hero wasn't always meant to be a commercial title; it was originally just an ordinary flash game until producer Kenichiro Takaki saw its potential. Takaki, along with the game's director Kotaro Yoshida, explained in the latest issue of Famitsu PSP+PS3 (via
PSP Hyper) that
Half-Minute Hero was inspired by some of Yoshida's work he had done during his spare time, specifically a Flash game that only took him a day to make.
Takaki was amused with the concept and pitched the idea of making a retro game for PSP, liking the fast-paced gameplay and old-school art style most of all. From there, the rest was history. If you've yet to see
Half-Minute Hero, be sure to check out our
gameplay clips. We instantly
fell in love with it and we think you just might, too.
by Majed Athab { 4 months ago }
Bethesda has already released several DLC packages on other platforms hosting its post-apocalyptic RPG,
Fallout 3, but not yet on PS3. Bethesda's Peter Hines, speaking to
Eurogamer, says this will all change very soon as the company is nearly done coding
Operation: Anchorage for PS3 usage. Unfortunately, Hines did not reveal a specific release date for the DLC.
It's interesting to note that, while Xbox 360 and PC owners have already enjoyed
Operation: Anchorage and other such DLC, these DLC packs have encountered
numerous problems in the past. Hopefully, these issues will not arise again in the PS3 versions, given the extra amount of time put into them.
by Majed Athab { 4 months ago }
Perhaps there's no real point to releasing these new bundled sets, considering just about every person in Japan already has a copy of
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (aka
Freedom Unite). If, by some off chance, they don't have one (or even a PSP), then, sure, this looks like a pretty good way of getting into the
addicting craze. The new bundles, which include either a radiant red or vibrant blue PSP Brite (both with a copy of
Freedom Unite packaged inside), will hit Japanese retailers on July 23 for ¥21,000 ($220).
These
carnival color PSPs seen in the bundles are not all-new; they've been available in Asia for some time now. Technically, a customer could pick up both a copy of the game and either PSP color (or another)
right now, get the same value as next month's bundle and only spend a trivial sum more. Also, it's not as intricate and wonderful as the one that
appeared at launch. Why'd SCEI even bother?
by Majed Athab { 4 months ago }
By now, you must have heard about
MAG -- an ambitious 256-player online shooter. We've seen it in action and have even
tried it out for ourselves, but what's it all about, and what's this
Shadow War we keep hearing of? Luckily, this developer video diary (posted after the break) gives us a look into the storyline of
MAG and its fictional Shadow War backdrop and answers all those questions.
We get a closer look at the maps, weapons and characters seen in the game, while Zipper details the various PMC groups vying for power in the Shadow War. The clip also shows off some all-new gameplay footage, so make sure you don't miss it.
Continued →
by Majed Athab { 4 months ago }
According to
MCV, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has renewed its contract to continue sponsoring the UEFA Champions League until 2012. SCEE has been with the European football league for over nine years, bringing PlayStation products to footy fans.
For all the Americans reading this, wondering:
wait, they play football in Europe?, here's a
little clip to get you up to speed. Oh,
that football.
[Via
VG247]
by Majed Athab { 5 months ago }
Xi is done; it's finished. The alternative reality game found within
PlayStation Home is now complete with an ending. Some of you may have already discovered the super secret finish to
Xi, but some of you haven't yet. This doesn't mean those of you who haven't won't ever get to -- there's still time.
As detailed by the
PlayStation Blog, all
Xi-related spaces in Home will still remain active "for a few weeks." It looks like all you latecomers have some time to catch up. So get out there and start searching!
by Majed Athab { 5 months ago }
Utilizing the most epic form of storytelling -- the hand puppet -- this new commercial from Japan sheds some light on the upcoming
Katamari Forever game. Two animal puppets guide us through a series of gameplay clips, showing off some more of
KF's classic levels (most seem to come from
We Love Katamari, such as the Snowman and Race Track levels).
Katamari Forever will hit Japan on the 23rd of next month, while a worldwide release hasn't yet been determined. But don't worry, it shouldn't be too long before the game
rolls our way.
by Majed Athab { 5 months ago }
A minor firmware update for PSP arrived this morning. This brings the portable handheld up to firmware version 5.51. The
EU PlayStation blog notes this new update "improves PSP System software stability during use of some features," though doesn't provide any further details. We here at Joystiq hypothesize this quick little fix is readying PSP for the
VidZone service which just launched today.
The firmware is roughly 27MB, which is a file size close to the
VidZone update on PS3 (23MB). For those unfamiliar with
VidZone, it's a service that gives PSP and PS3 users free access to music videos via PSN. It's currently only available in specific European countries, so don't go rushing out to download all at once.
by Majed Athab { 5 months ago }
In two weeks time,
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite will make its way to North America and Europe. For Europe at least, the release of this new
Monster Hunter title will be marked with a special PSP bundle. Arriving day-and-date with the regular software, the bundle will include a copy of the game, a silver PSP-3000, a
Monster Hunter-branded carrying pouch, screen wipe and a branded skin cover.
Expect to see this bundle on June 26 -- the official European release date. As for North America, the game will arrive three days earlier on June 23, although no special bundle has been mentioned.
by Majed Athab { 5 months ago }
Style doesn't come cheap, especially if your name is Liquid Snake -- or if you just want to pretend you're him. For $360 ($400 Canadian) you too can dress up like Solid Snake's villainous brother. The coat he wore in the first
MGS has been tailored for real-life wear by
AbbyShot and can be purchased off its online store.
The coat is full-length and features Liquid's signature shoulder pads. Perfect for a night out in the 80s, we think. Still, buying this may make you
look like Liquid, but it won't make you as bad-ass as Liquid.
[Via
Kotaku]
by Majed Athab { 5 months ago }
Expect the upcoming PSP-exclusive
Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny to have less polygons than its console counterpart,
Soulcalibur IV; however, this doesn't mean a drop in the quality "visuals" the series has become known for. Namco recently showed off a comparison of the two
Soulcaliburs, using Ivy and her voluptuous form to show off the seemingly lossless quality.
It appears that
Broken Destiny will use not more than half the polygon count of
Soulcalibur IV. The graphical disparities appear to affect clothing textures and shadow/lightning effects most of all. Still, with the PSP's relatively small screen it won't be too noticeable. That, and you'd be looking elsewhere, we think.
by Majed Athab { 5 months ago }
MotorStorm fans can't seem to get enough content, judging from the constant stream of new DLC. It's either that or Evolution Studios is just not tired of giving fans more of
MotorStorm: Pacific Rift. Promising two new major content packs,
Pacific Rift will expand with a slew of new tracks, new vehicles, Trophies and more. Check after the break for details on both the Speed and Adrenaline expansions.
Continued →
by Majed Athab { 5 months ago }
The
ESRB has revealed a list of games that could appear on the PSN soon. All six games (as detailed in the image above) are PS1 titles that have yet to appear on the PlayStation Store.
Are these the games Sony's
John Koller was talking about when he said PSN was to receive more from the classics library? This list may not be the ultimate, but it's a start. With the mention of this, and
Resident Evil having been loaded onto
PSN yesterday, it looks like SCEA is fulfilling its promise of more PS1 classics.
Here's some further information on the six titles:
- Contra: Legacy of War - top-down version of classic Contra shooting action
- Dead in the Water - Think Twisted Metal ... on water
- Ford Racing - Hmm, we think it may have something to do with racing
- Mobile Light Force - Vertical-scrolling shmup
- Spec Ops: Airborne Commando - More shooting action
- XS Junior League Soccer - Soccer!
by Majed Athab { 5 months ago }
XSeed just announced its E3 line-up, which includes two PSP games we've heard about before:
Half-Minute Hero and
Lunar: Silver Star Harmony. You might remember
Half-minute Hero as
Hero for 30sec (the new name sounds so much better), which was that bizarre micro-RPG we've been drooling over for the past couple of months. As for
Lunar: Harmony, it's a remake of the original
Lunar game from Sega CD.
Both games were previously Japan-only titles but are now coming to North America. Expect both to arrive sometime in the fall.
