As you can see, PS Fanboy has now transformed into Joystiq PlayStation. I hope you agree in thinking this is one sexy redesign. The Fanboy sites have been working with the same ol' ugly interface for years. We're relieved to say that CHANGE IS GOOD.

Although we may have dropped the Fanboy moniker, rest assured that the content you've come to know and love will remain the same. In fact, it'll only get better as the new site has access to tons of new resources.

We're hoping that the transition from the old site to the new one goes without a hiccup. However, bear with us if you notice a few glitches here and there. Let us know what you think about the new site -- we can't wait to start revving up some stories for you soon.

Once again, thank you for the years you've supported the sites. We've grown so much and I can't wait to keep on writing for you guys in 2009 and beyond.

- Andrew


P.S. If you're looking for the trophy portal, it's here: playstation.joystiq.com/trophies
(We'll have a proper button for it soon.)

P.S.P. If you're looking for PSP news, it's coming soon. The server just needs a little bit of time to process through it.

Have a copy of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe? You can play against the developers tomorrow (1/23) on the PlayStation Network. Players include:

• Ed Boon - Creative Director/Team Lead
• Paulo Garcia - Senior Designer
• Brian Lebaron - Designer
• Ryan Rosenberg - Environment Artist
• Eddie Ferrier - Designer
• Adam Hernandez - Design Support
• Hector Sanchez - Producer
• Dave Bulvan - Lead Software Tester
• Derek Kirtzic - Gameplay Tester
• Shaun Himmerick - Producer
• Hans Lo - Producer

The developers will be available to play from 10PM to midnight EST. If you're interested in joining up, you're going to need to add a few names to your PSN friends list, available after the break.

Beating up people with the most unlikely objects, collecting debt and cutting off pinkies are all rather taxing elements of any young, struggling gangster's life. As one can imagine, these guys don't have much time for anything else, but they need to keep their strength up. So how do they do that? What do they eat? Sega suggests they eat instant noodles; but not just any noodles ... Yakuza 3-branded noodles.

It's been a long standing tradition for these tattooed ruffians to eat the incredibly easy-to-make, readily available, MSG-laden snack. And starting on March 2, you too can spice up your own soup bowls with some Yakuza 3 ramen. That is, if you happen to live in Japan and have ¥231 ($2.50) to spare.

[Via Kotaku]

Love it or hate it, Hideo Kojima loves making his games feel like movies. So what are the movies he draws inspiration from? Tsutaya is currently showcasing Kojima's top 15 films, and here's what they look like:

• The Guns of Navarone
• The Great Escape
• Goldfinger
• 2001: A Space Odyssey
• Planet of the Apes (original work)
• The Deer Hunter
• Dawn of the Dead
• Full Metal Jacket
• Predator
• Die Hard
• Heat
• Black Hawk Down
• Children of Men
• Bourne Series
• 007 Casino Royale

This is rather manly list of films and sounds exactly like our Blu-ray collection. Seriously, Kojima -- how are you going to attract female gamers like this? Where's "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days"? "Sleepless in Seattle"? C'mon, Hideo! You gotta broaden your horizons!

[Via Siliconera]

And, we're back! Missed us? We missed you -- and all your questions, too. You know what that means. Yep, we're going straight into them. Send us some questions!

Keep checking back every weekend -- we'll be sure to answer all intelligent, fun, and relevant questions that you may have. If you haven't asked us anything yet ... why haven't you? Send an e-mail to majed @ ps3fanboy.com with the subject "Ask PS3 Fanboy." We'd like to stress, if your e-mail doesn't include that subject heading, your question will not be answered. If you've got PSP-related questions, be sure to ask them on Ask PSP Fanboy.

There's only one way to show appreciation for any given object of desire and that is through the loving building blocks of dreams known as LEGO. Yes, LEGO. Metal Gear Solid 4 fan Samuel Lafleur knows this one simple truth in life and has made a worthy tribute to his beloved game. He has made, out of LEGO, Solid Snake's preferred weapon of choice: the M1911 Operator pistol.

It's a rather gorgeous design; he's even got several modifications to it on his web page, so check out all the pics over there. Also, Sam, can we make a request for a full-sized Solid Snake bust which is opening up its mouth ready to shoot itself with that Operator? Only then will your tribute be complete. Well done.

Are you a Valkyria Chronicles fanboy or fangirl? You have a chance of getting a free limited edition art book if you go to New York Comic Con ... dressed up as a character from the game. Sega has a huge presence at the show this year, with playable demos of MADWORLD and The Conduit on display.

A recent blog post on Sega's website also notes that DLC for the game will be available soon. Stay tuned for more info.

This Friday Resistance 2 fans will have the opportunity to play the game against members of Insomniac. The event will take place between 7pm and 8pm GMT (that's 2pm and 3pm EST). Details on which room this will take place in will be revealed at 7pm GMT on Friday in the announcement thread on the European PS3 forums. So if you've always wanted to show the guys who made Resistance 2 just how much better than them you are at their game, this might be your chance.

[Thanks Poggins]

Who's better at Street Fighter? Well, from a very limited sample of people that could make it to Capcom's brawl at CES in Las Vegas this year, we can conclude that PlayStation fans are the Street Fighting champs. Team PlayStation was represented by Joe C., who uppercutted Major Nelson's representative, Josh, to victory. Professor PlayStation (Jeff Rubenstein) awarded him a Star Wars Battlefront PSP and a chance to get obliterated by Street Fighter legend Justin Wong.

Kudos to all that participated. As PS3 fans, we have to thank Joe for representing PlayStation and showing Xbox gamers all over the world that we're a force to be reckoned with. At least in Street Fighter.

Do you remember last month's story? The one about Brit mag Simply Knitting having a feature article on how to knit a Sackboy? Surely you do, because we just linked to it. Anyway, back then you had to buy the mag to get the instructions, but now, all you have to do is click right here.

It's all thanks to The Sun, who has teamed up with Simply Knitting to bring this free PDF version of the spread for the enjoyment of everyone. Now that the issue has probably been taken off the newsstands, there's no problem with letting the internet go wild and have their fun. Go at it and make some Sackpeople!

[Thanks Sarah S.!]

The console wars have gotten real. The PlayStation.Blog is looking for a capable Street Fighter to take on Team Evil Xbox in a fight for console supremacy. CES, which begins this week, will play host to this intriguing event which pits Professor PlayStation's team of PS3 wizards versus Major Nelson's Xbox soldiers. Think you're ready to represent?

If you're in the Las Vegas area this Saturday, you'll have a chance to represent PS3 gamers everywhere. Only 20 players can represent PlayStation in this truly extraordinary showdown. Shoot an email to iwannaplaystreetfighteriv@gmail.com with your name, PSN ID, and why you think you should have a chance to compete. You must be 18 years or older. Good luck. Make us proud.

2008 was "The Year of the PS3?" Pfft. Excuse me, but even PS3's fantastic 2008 library won't be able to compete with the likes of 2009. In one year, you'll see the likes of Killzone 2, Uncharted 2 and Heavy Rain. And there's tons of other exclusives, PlayStation Network titles, and third party titles that are bound for the system. (And to think, there are still games that haven't been revealed yet!)

The following list includes games that are currently scheduled for a 2009 release. However, as was the case in 2008, some of these games may stumble into delays. The list is broken up in order, with PS3 exclusives coming first. (And boy, are there a lot!)

• PS3 Exclusives
• PlayStation Network Exclusives
• Multiplatform Titles

How dedicated is the vocal cast of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots? So dedicated that they believe they are the characters to which they breathe sound and life into. Is it some form of hypnotic gene therapy which brings out such wondrous talent? Maybe ... it's the work of the Patriots? *Cue dramatic music* Whatever the reason be, they now meet up regularly to (jokingly) discern between what really is game and reality.

Dr. Sadie, records one such session documenting how far our beloved actors have had one too many serums in the neck. Paul Eiding (aka Colonel Campbell) is on a junkie binge for some Scissors 61. While Christopher Randolph (aka Otacon) reveals he's been turning his cat "Mark" into Mark II ... by strapping a camera to its back. David Hayter (Old Snake), Jennifer Hale (Naomi), and Quinton Flynn (Raiden) are all there with their buddies with some hilarious consequences. See it all after the break. Thanks go out to Dr. Sadie for totally breaking doctor-patient confidentiality!

[Thanks LAZoftheTamarinds!]

Choosing a GOTY in 2008 was far more difficult than in 2007. Why? The number of great games on PS3 exploded in 2008. However, the writers and readers of PS3 Fanboy both agreed on one game: Metal Gear Solid 4. It was a tough vote, with LittleBigPlanet creeping in right behind it.

Last year, critics were pretty much unanimous about one choice: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. However, the diversity of PS3's lineup this year shows how even the critics are varied in their choice for PS3 GOTY. Here are what some other outlets chose:

• GamePro chose LittleBigPlanet as PS3 and overall GOTY. "Despite the deluge of ultra-violent shooters, our favorite game this year was the user-fueled platforming fun of LittleBigPlanet."
• GameTrailers chose Grand Theft Auto 4 as PS3 and overall GOTY. "The game manages to create characters and situations that make you genuinely care."
• GameSpot chose Metal Gear Solid 4 as PS3 and overall GOTY. "It's surprisingly easy to pick up and, at the risk of sounding cliche, it's almost impossible to put down even after you've beaten it."
• GameSpy chose LittleBigPlanet (but chose Fallout 3 as its overall GOTY). "There's nothing like this game anywhere else, and that's the beauty of LittleBigPlanet."
• IGN chose Metal Gear Solid 4. "Metal Gear Solid managed to tie almost every plot point together, piled on the cinematic flair and played more accessibly than any previous game in the series"
• Joystiq chose Metal Gear Solid 4 as their top PS3 game of the year. "MGS4 experiments with previously unknown possibilities of the medium (you know, it's "innovative"), while sticking to some established conventions."

At the very beginning of the year, we made some bold predictions about the state of PS3 in 2008. Let's see how well those turned out for us, shall we?

PS3 Prediction #1: Warner Bros. will go Blu-ray exclusive.
Looks like we were right about this one. In fact, Warner Bros. went Blu-ray exclusive just days after we made this prediction. We were a bit wrong in assuming that the HD format war would continue in 2008. We're glad to be wrong about that one.

PS3 Prediction #2: A new color for PS3 will be introduced.
We were right about this one, especially the part about a new color being bundled with Metal Gear Solid 4. It didn't take long before the "Limited Edition" systems were on eBay. We also stated that "America may introduce a new premium bundle in White that includes an even larger hard drive and a hotly anticipated game." We were wrong about the White color, but we got the premium bundle correct: an Uncharted bundle was released late this year with a 160GB hard drive.

PS3 Prediction #3: Video rental service will begin this year.
Three in a row? Nice! At E3, Sony announced plans for a video rental service, which is now available in Japan and America. We were slightly off in thinking Sony wouldn't offer fully downloadable movies, thinking "Sony won't want to cannibalize its own Blu-ray sales." The video rental service doesn't offer HD downloads, but SD movies can be purchased and even transfered over to the PSP.