Joystiq [PlayStation]

Hideo Kojima has further reiterated his supporting role in Castlevania: Lord of Shadow in a new interview with Weekly Famitsu, reports 1UP. "This has become a big project, one with the idea that we needed to make a Castlevania which had that same kind of feverish Western support, and that's why Kojima Productions came in to help," Kojima told the Japanese publication.

With his Metal Gear Solid games beloved by everyone the world over (everyone with taste, anyway), Kojima's the right man for the job. But seeing as how this game is being developed by Madrid-based Mercury Steam Entertainment, Kojima obviously won't be on-site to aid in development. Instead, the team comes up with concepts to run by Kojima and he has them "fix things based on my objective viewpoint." An example given is the initial model for the hero's face, which Kojima had them redesign to be, well, more heroic looking. See, people, this is the kind of thing only Kojima can bring to the table!

After deftly dodging questions like, "How many polygons are there in Nathan's eyebrow?" and "Can I give Elena an accent in my fanfic?" Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells confirmed a new Uncharted 2: Among Thieves demo in an online Q&A held yesterday, courtesy of the PlayStation Blog. "Yes, we're going to have another multiplayer demo before the game hits shelves," Wells said. "The exact timing isn't finalized yet, but it should be available to an even wider group this time, so if you missed the last one I don't think you'll have any problem getting in this one."

We're hoping that by "even wider group," he's referring to everyone who can't wait to play the frantically anticipated action-adventure (which is everyone) and failed to gain entry into the recent beta. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is currently scheduled for release this Fall -- a more exact date will be announced "very soon," Wells teased.

Famitsu scans have revealed the God Eater project whose title was trademarked by Namco Bandai a couple of months ago. It's a multiplayer action game for PSP that appears aimed at the Monster Hunter market (which, let's be honest, every Japanese developer probably should be trying to do on the PSP). God Eater trades out the fantasy setting of Monster Hunter for a more futuristic, industrial venue. It features a mix of mythical creatures and big, robotic monsters.

According to Siliconera, God Eater will be out this fall in Japan. The existence of that US trademark suggests that the company will be releasing it here as well.

Everyone's favorite plastic peripheral purveyor, Red Octane, is having a bit of a deal today. The normally $60 wireless guitar and $20 wired microphone for Guitar Hero World Tour (across all platforms) are being offered together in a $50 package -- today only!

If you're less than impressed by the GHWT deal from today, why not get into your fancy schmancy time machine and head back to yesterday when you could've gotten an even better deal? Oh, what's that -- you don't have a time machine? Guess you're stuck with the $50 dollar deal over at Red Octane's website then, fancy pants.

It appears that all of the developers at Blue Omega Entertainment, the folks behind Damnation (and producer of B-movie horror flicks like Dark Ride and Danika, starring Marisa Tomei!), have been laid off. Sure, a tweet announcing this has been floating around since June 23rd, but it appears a former employee, who sent a tip to several media outlets, finally got the news ball rolling. Kotaku confirmed with "several former employees" that the entire development team was laid off.

The tipster also reveals there were bigger "issues" at the studio and mentions that, if anyone has access to US and UK legal records, digging around will reveal those problems. Shacknews followed up and found a paper trail of legal disputes and drama involving Blue Omega, publisher Codemasters and subcontractors working on the game.

Whatever all those layers of problems were, it likely had an influence on the team's product: Damnation had an average Metacritic score in the high 30s.

[Via Develop]

Among the many fascinating (and not so fascinating) takeaways from Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter's recent and massive industry report are revelations about the current console adoption rate. As much as the Wii has seemingly penetrated previously untapped demographics (see grandma's now defunct bridge club) and ostensibly raised console adoption rates to new highs, the current generation is practically dead even with the last one when comparing the two generation's first four calendar years on the market. That is, from 2005 (when Xbox 360 launched in late November) through 2008, the current generation of consoles (Wii, PS3 and 360) combined for approximately 78 million unit sales, according to Wedbush Morgan estimates. Comparatively, from 2000 (the year PS2 launched) through 2003, the previous generation (GameCube, PS2 and Xbox) combined for 78–79 million unit sales. However, in this pivotal fifth year, Wedbush Morgan predicts the current adoption rate will begin to pull ahead of the previous rate.

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Although Wedbush Morgan analyst, Michael Pachter, predicts PS2 will become somewhat irrelevant in 2009, he doesn't discount the combined strength of the PlayStation brand. He remains optimistic for the entire PlayStation family as he expects "software sales for Sony consoles to account for 31% of all game software sold worldwide."

Pachter indicated in Wedbush's annual Interactive Industry Report that, while the numbers have been dwindling for PS2, overall worldwide software sales for PS3 titles have more than doubled within the last year. In 2008, 62.4 million units of PS3 software titles have been sold -- a huge step up from the 29.6 million units sold in 2007. The momentum of this growth will carry into 2009, according to Pachter, who believes PS3 and PSP titles (the latter of which only saw a 15% increase in worldwide sales last year) will pick up PS2's slack.

PS3 titles will be the top sellers, despite the fact that Pachter predicts Sony won't "secure significant third party exclusivity" as it continues "to focus its internal development efforts on blockbuster games." It's interesting to note, in light of another report, this strategy hasn't really worked out for Sony.

Three new PSP bundles are bound for Korea, two containing the popular fighting title, Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection. The Tekken bundle is available in with either a white or black system along with the game and a 4GB memory stick. The third bundle, called the DMB Pack, includes a South Korea-specific (Read: Not import friendly) TV tuner and 32MB memory stick and the unit. Wait, a 32MB memory stick? Is that still a thing? Each bundle is priced at 278,000₩ ($218 US).

Oh, and as you would have guessed by the headline of this story, Sony is using a giant PSP with a teaspoon of sexuality to promote the bundles. Makes sense to us!

Out of all of humanity's social needs and desires, we all love the feeling of belonging the most. People just can't get along without the comfort and support that can be provided by bowling leagues, church groups, family circles or bloodthirsty para-military contractors.

The latest developer diary for Zipper Interactive's 256-man melee, MAG, reveals the three PMCs featured in the multi-multi-multiplayer shooter. You'll get to choose between the traditional military forces of Valor, the high-tech armada of Raven or the brutal, low-tech armies of S.V.E.R. (pronounced "sever"). Check out the three outfits in the video above, and let us know who you're thinking about enlisting with.

Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter already told us about the inevitable WiiHD (inevitable to him, anyway), and that he thinks this cycle will be the last, and in his massive 201-page report Wedbush Morgan sent out recently, he reiterates both, but pointed out that this console cycle will outlast any other in history's past due to two things: HD displays and console SKUs.

Pointing to the small adoption rates for HD displays, Pachter says that unless consumers start coming out in droves to pick up HD displays, these consumers aren't going to feel compelled to pick up a HD-compatible console (or upgrade from their Wii). This, he feels, adds longevity to the current cycle, stating that current-generation console sales will go long tail, and says that the lower-than-expected adoption rates for consoles suggests a longevity not seen in the past. He also suggests that the increased developmental costs of this generation will cause developers and publishers to milk this generation for all its worth, extending its life that much more. And, due to this, Pachter believes that console sales won't reach their peak until early next decade, when HD adoption rates will also supposedly hit their peak.

And speaking of higher costs, manufacturers are looking to cut costs, and that's where the value of optional SKUs comes in. Pachter points out that as console manufacturers come up with new ways to cut corners, they will offer SKUs taking advantage of this. Pachter points to the PS3 Slim as an obvious release for later this year, and the numerous different packages we've seen offered for the Xbox 360 as examples of this new mentality.

Despite the fact that the PS2 saw a sizable price cut just three months ago, Michael Pachter is claiming that the system is nearing the point of complete insignificance. In Wedbush's "2009 Interactive Industry Report," Pachter explains that he expects "PS2 software sales to decline sufficiently (around 64%) to be almost irrelevant to overall software sales growth, with PS2 software comprising less than 4% of overall software sales in 2009."

Sony's probably not ready to give up on its most cost-efficient console, but as history has proven, nothing gold can stay in the fast-paced, constantly evolving world of video gaming hardware.

Yesterday, Zip.ca announced a partnership with Sonic Solutions to become the first online streaming film and TV show rental service in Canada. Speaking with Joystiq, Zip.ca CEO Curt Millar said his company "would love" to bring the service to Canadian video game consoles -- similar to the Netflix streaming service currently available on Xbox 360's in the United States -- but no agreements are in place with any of the three game console manufacturers.

"Our whole strategy on this is to be available on every platform that we can be available on," Millar said. "We believe for consumer adoption to be high, you need to have it so that the consumer doesn't have to worry about how it works. It should just work on everything." According to Millar, partnering with an American company -- such as Sonic Solutions -- allows Zip.ca to put forth "a better presentation" when looking to secure agreements with partners, like the major console makers.

Streaming content to consoles isn't exactly new to Zip.ca's partner. Sonic Solutions recently announced it would begin offering movies from its catalog to Fujisoft's streaming Wii video service, Minna no Theater Wii, in Japan through its Roxio CinemaNow platform.

If your revolutionary Martian escapades are drawing to a close, don't fret -- it looks like there's plenty more Red Faction: Guerrilla content coming out in the next few months. THQ just announced three new DLC packs for the game -- the first of which, titled Demons of the Badlands, will land on XBLM and the PlayStation Store on August 13.

Badlands is an expansion to the game's single-player campaign which features a "mission arc that takes place in an entirely new Mars landscape outside of the existing expansive world." THQ has priced the DLC at 800 or $9.99. The developer has promised further details on the August-bound DLC and the two other upcoming expansions in the next few weeks, so keep your ear to the red, dusty ground.

Remember that costume CLAMP designed for Tekken 6? Well, feast your eyes on the gallery below, which shows Jin Kazama sporting the ridiculously ornate get-up and putting the screws to his daddy, Kazuya Mishima. We won't keep you from the eye candy, so feel free to check out the screens below while we daydream about how fun Tekken Bowling was.