Joystiq [Playstation]

Hands-on: Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond

by Andrew Yoon { 10 days ago }

As disastrous as the first game was, there's no denying that the Matt Hazard concept has potential. The games industry has been around for decades now, and it's ripe with material to poke fun at. Blood Bath and Beyond, D3's upcoming download-only sequel to the first Matt Hazard, embraces the legacy of retro games by becoming one: this side-scrolling 2D shooter is unapologetically old-school.

Matt Hazard's "in your face" attitude is immediately evident from the moment you see the difficulty select screen. You can traverse the game through "Wussy" mode, but real gamers will want to play in "Damn This is Hard" mode -- with the most daring playing the Contra-inspired "F**k This S**t" mode, which kills players in just one hit.

Like its retail predecessor, Blood Bath and Beyond struggles to be innovative. However, at least this iteration of Matt Hazard succeeds far more at getting the basics right. This is a simple game: simply run around shooting enemies. Weapon selection is gone, as well. You can run over power-up boxes and use upgraded weapons (like flamethrowers and shotguns) with finite ammo.

Gallery: Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond

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Borderlands console patches go live, Lilith gets some loving

by Griffin McElroy { 10 days ago }

We felt so bad for Borderlands' stealthy female protagonist, Lilith. While other characters' abilities were in perfect working order, her top-tier "Phase Strike" power was, well, broken. Enemies who experienced the attack began to make fun of Lilith, referring to the maligned ability as "Phase Wrist-Slap" or "Phase Hug," for which her cohorts constantly teased her.

Fret no more, dearest Lilith! Gearbox released a patch earlier today for the PS3 and 360 versions of Borderlands which, in addition to improving load times and fixing a number of small technical snafus (the full list of which are after the jump), also fixes your Phase Strike ability. Just make sure you savor the experience when you first use the renovated power -- the surprise on your combatant's face is going to be delectable.

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Rock Band Weekly: Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Joan Jett

by Alexander Sliwinski { 10 days ago }

Next week's Rock Band DLC could have been a little Dave Grohl fiesta, offering up tracks from his days back in Nirvana and now with Foo Fighters, but it turns out that he wasn't with the genre defining grunge band until after Bleach, which happens to be part of next week's DLC. But, we're pretty sure Grohl was with Foo Fighters during the time they recorded the tracks that make up the band's third DLC pack for the music game.

Completely unrelated to Grohl (maybe there's a six degrees of separation in there?), there will also be one track from Ms. Joan Jett thrown in the mix. Check out the update after the break, along with what portable players can expect from Rock Band Unplugged's DLC.

Select a platform below to view complete DLC listing:

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PS3 has lost Sony $4.7 billion, may be profitable next year

by Griffin McElroy { 10 days ago }

First the bad news: Sony's recently released FY Q2 2009 financial report included some pretty upsetting figures for investors to witness -- namely, that the company's "Networked Products and Services" division, which includes video game hardware and software sales, reported a ¥58.8 billion (or $654 million) operating loss during the quarter. The drop off was attributed to "a decrease in PS2 hardware and software unit sales, and the impact of the appreciation of the yen." Indeed, the PS2 took a hit this quarter to the tune of 600,000 units year-over year.

Now, the worse news: The financial report included enough data for various GAFers and VG247ers to slap a number on the amount of money that the PS3 has lost Sony: $4.695 billion. Sure, that number seems outrageously high -- because, well, it is -- but it's hardly an apocalyptic loss. Actually, it's reminiscent of losses incurred by Microsoft with the release of the original Xbox, which drained the company of $4.202 billion over a similar four-year period.

Finally, the good news: Shortly after the financial report was published, Sony CFO Nobuyuki Oneda claimed the PS3 was getting cheaper to produce, stating, "the difference between sales and materials cost has been reduced to between 10 and 20%. Within the year, it could be in the single digits." He later added, "we'll be able to reach profitability at some point in the next term." Considering PS3 sales jumped 800,000 year-over-year with the launch of the Slim, we've got a bit of advice to aid in this endeavor: Keep making it skinnier.

God of War III Ultimate Edition to rip apart your wallet

by Andrew Yoon { 10 days ago }

You'd think that with a box as obnoxiously large as this, the God of War III "Ultimate Edition" would be overflowing with goodies. However, don't expect an abundance of physical goods in this 8.3" wide x 10.5" long x 5.9" tall "High-End Sculpted Replica of Pandora's Box." With the exception of the God of War III art book, all the bonuses packaged into this collector's edition are downloads:

God of War Combat Arena containing an exclusive environment and seven challenges
Premium Kratos Skin – Dominus
God of War: Unearthing the Legend Franchise Documentary – a full-length movie documentary depicting the history of the God of War franchise
God of War Trilogy Soundtrack – God of War, II, and III scores from the game (mp3 digital download).
God of War: Blood and Metal EP – a heavy metal homage featuring original music inspired by God of War (mp3 download).

So how much will this big box o' digital goodies cost you? $100!

Of course, a big-budget game isn't complete without a requisite pre-order bonus. God of War III's pre-order bonus is none too surprising: a downloadable demo of the game you just put a deposit on! With the same demo releasing via the God of War Collection and the District 9 Blu-ray, chances are good you'll end up with more than one access code to the GoW demo before it ships next year -- heck you might even see a code pop up in your e-mail this weekend!

Naughty Dog teases spooky Uncharted 2 image

by Griffin McElroy { 10 days ago }

We figured that Naughty Dog would tire of its propensity to tease us once Uncharted 2: Among Thieves had finally hit store shelves. However, if the developer's recent late-night tweet is any indication, its still got a few surprises up its sleeve. The aforementioned tweet simply read, "working late tonight, got a ton of things that need to get done," and included a link to the unsettling image above.

If we were to wager a guess as to what those ... things are, our early analysis would be Helghast skeletons. Now, with Halloween coming up, the skeletons thing makes sense. Helghast, though? That's just garishly non-canonical.

Keita Takahashi 'not completely satisfied' with Noby Noby Boy, blames budget

by Andrew Yoon { 11 days ago }

Was Noby Noby Boy misunderstood by the gaming masses? Creator Keita Takahashi seems to think so, as he believes the game's limited resources didn't fully realize his vision. "Ultimately, with Noby Noby Boy, I wanted to break the barriers between toy and game," Takahashi explained to Develop. "But for me personally, a bit more could have been done to the game. I'm not completely satisfied with the game, in terms of quality, due to the restrictions on budgets."

Takahashi, famous for his work on the original Katamari Damacy, has been surprisingly forthcoming on Noby's budget (or lack thereof). Had Takahashi been given additional resources he believes the game would have reached a much larger audience. "I won't go in to what I wanted to add to the game, because that's a really long list of things, but as an overall assessment, I think the game could have been much more detailed and easier for everyone to understand."

It appears Noby's shortcomings won't stop Takahashi from working on an even crazier design. Already, he's thinking of a new project, one that "is even harder to explain than Noby Noby Boy." Fans of Takahashi's works wouldn't want it any other way -- but we wonder if publisher Namco Bandai will embrace an even more experimental game.

PSN Thursday: Take Ratchet, Fat Princess, LocoRoco, Jak and Daxter for a test drive

by Alexander Sliwinski { 11 days ago }

There are plenty of nice demos to try out with this week's PSN Update. For PS3 owners, the second Ratchet and Clank demo is available, with players taking control of the lombax with a weapon fetish. Also, there's the demo for the big girl inside of us all, as Fat Princess stuffs herself into a smaller size offering. Meanwhile, on PSP, the happiest blobs in this LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival world, along with the very angry Jak and Daxter, offer up demos. Check out the full PSN update after the break.

Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list:

(Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)

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Marvel dates, prices upcoming Ultimate Alliance 2 DLC

by Richard Mitchell { 11 days ago }

Marvel has finally confirmed the price and release date for the first batch of DLC for Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2. The pack will debut on November 5 for $9.99 on the PSN and 800

($10) on Xbox 360. Included in the pack will be new simulator missions, boosts and, most important of all, three new characters. Namely, players will be able to get their hot little hands on Carnage, Psylocke and Cable.

In addition to the DLC pack, Juggernaut will also be released as a downloadable character. Originally, he was available only as a pre-order bonus but, starting November 5, anyone will be able to tell Charles to get out of their head for the price of $1.99 on PSN and 160

($2) on Xbox 360.

Pre-order Modern Warfare 2, trade it in by Dec. 13, get $40 from GameStop

by David Hinkle { 11 days ago }

GameStop would like to rent you a copy of Modern Warfare 2, it seems, as the company has revealed a trade-in plan for the standard and Hardened editions of the game. If you pre-order the game through GameStop's site, you''ll be eligible to get $40 back should you trade it in before December 13. GameStop will email pre-orderers a coupon on November 15 to that effect, which will only work for trade-ins on the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions.

Considering this "deal" also applies to the Hardened edition, we have to wonder how the company will handle the included Call of Duty Classic. We've contacted GameStop for some additional info on that and will relay what we hear back.

[Thanks, Marques!]

This Tekken 6 merchandise is pants

by JC Fletcher { 11 days ago }

No, really. We're not just using awkward British slang -- Namco Bandai is really offering a series of licensed Tekken 6 underwear, perfect for the man whose underwear isn't threatening enough. The three designs, created in collaboration with an underwear shop called Luscious Tokyo, retail for ¥4,200 ($46) each.

Other, somewhat more sensible Tekken 6 merch includes a line of t-shirts (¥3,150, or $34), Jin and Lass rings (¥10,500, or $115), and Devil Jin lighters (¥13,650, or $149). It's no Sega console lighter, but it'll still light your Yankee Candles for just the right ambience for a King of Iron Fist tournament.

Gallery: Tekken 6 merchandise

[Via Andriasang]

Demon's Souls to be even harder on Halloween

by Alexander Sliwinski { 11 days ago }

The land of Boletaria in Demon's Souls will be plunged into "pure blackness" on Halloween for players connected to the internet. Publisher Atlus' announcement about its sleeper hit can be interpreted to mean that all players will have their world tendency shifted to black for the day (or a little longer), which affects enemy strength and player stats. A pure black tendency can mean that new passages and enemies may also exist.

"World Tendency" in Demon's Souls is another aspect of the challenging RPG that has a significant impact on the player's experience. If you're a new player who happens to pick up the game on Halloween ... don't panic. Yes, the game is hard, but it'll be a little bit more so with the entire world black aligned.

Rising Star's Q1 lineup for Europe includes Fragile, Way of the Samurai 3

by JC Fletcher { 11 days ago }

Rising Star Games has announced a European release for Fragile (as Fragile Dreams), Namco Bandai's action-adventure game about exploring a haunted, post-disaster Japan, in March 2010. That's around the same time XSEED plans to bring the Namco Bandai title to North America.

Also in March, the publisher will release Rune Factory Frontier on Wii, and Avalon Code and My World My Way on DS. Before that, in February, Rising Star will release Half-Minute Hero on PSP, and, through "affiliate label" Gamebridge, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Way of the Samurai 3. We've got Rising Star's full lineup listed after the break.

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Team17 details Alien Breed episodes structure

by Richard Mitchell { 11 days ago }

At the Eurogamer Expo -- in Europe! -- Team17 has revealed its plans for the episodic structure of its upcoming downloadable title, Alien Breed Evolution. It was previously revealed that the game would be released in three separate episodes, and now Team17's John Dennis explains that each episode will contain a prologue and five levels that are "much larger than they should have been." In addition, each episode contains two major "set pieces" -- large scripted events -- as well as two boss battles and a multiplayer level. Each episode should last five to eight hours.

The first episode of Alien Breed Evoluation should release fairly soon, as it was originally slated for "around October." The XBLA version will enjoy an unknown period of exclusivity before the PSN and PC versions are released.

First DJ Hero DLC mix pack today; David Guetta pack dated Nov. 24

by Griffin McElroy { 11 days ago }

Activision and FreeStyleGames aren't wasting any time in expanding DJ Hero's already fairly expansive 93-mix-long track list. The "Extended Mix Pack 01" DLC will be added to the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Store today and includes the following two mixes for 480

and $5.99, respectively (and not sold separately):

"All Of Me" by 50 Cent featuring Mary J. Blige vs. "Radio Ga Ga" by Queen
"DARE" by Gorillaz vs. "Can't Truss It" Performed by Public Enemy

In a recent interview with IGN, FreeStyleGames' Chris Lee explained that the $3-per-track price can be attributed to the extra work and licensing required to synthesize the two songs in each mix. The Extended Mix mash-ups will be making their way to Wii sometime in late November -- around the same time the game's second DLC bundle, the "David Guetta Mix Pack," is scheduled for release on PSN and XBLM. That pack, which is slated for November 24, incorporates three of Guetta's songs: "When Love Takes Over," "On The Dance Floor," and "Sexy Bitch," which was presumably written about us. Rawr.

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