Joystiq [PlayStation]

As per the deluge of tips we received regarding an 80GB PlayStation 3 bundle with Killzone 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4, the Best Buy website is now reflecting the deal. The bundle retains the price of a regular ol' 80GB PS3 ($400), but will include both of the PS3 exclusive titles. Rumors surrounding the 80GB bundles suggest it's an effort to make space for an upcoming PS3 Slim on store shelves -- and considering the $90 worth of free games Sony is throwing at consumers, it's quite possible that shelf space will open for the next console iteration.

[Via Engadget]

The latest post on the Platinum Games blog comes from an employee named Kudo, who is currently working on effects for Bayonetta. To explain what that means, he demonstrated what Bayonetta looks like both with and without effects in two video clips, embedded after the break. The fog, flashes of gunfire, and ... ethereal purple mist are all surprisingly important to the look of the game!

Discussing another effect, Kudo recounts a rather amusing encounter with producer Hideki Kamiya. Kamiya decided that he wanted Bayonetta's blood following an attack to appear as a rose, because, " If it isn't pretty, then it isn't Bayonetta!!" He then went on to physically, and vocally, demonstrate Bayonetta's damage animation. "She just goes, 'Wuhhh!!'" Kamiya said. "You know... 'Wuhhh!!'"

You can see footage of the results of that meeting after the break as well.

Continued →

Is the drum kit above (to the right) what Guitar Hero 5 will be shipping with when it hits this September? We're not 100% sure, but a trusted source at our sister site Engadget sent in the blurry shot, leading us to believe it could very well be.

The new set bears a strong resemblance to that other full band music/rhythm game -- hey, there's even a lower bar support where the kick pedal could possibly hook on! Additionally, as Engadget rightly points out, the system controls have been moved in front of the pads. The back of the set allegedly features two kick pedal jacks and a "mysterious black mini jack" as well. We've asked for comment from Activision for confirmation of the set and have yet to hear back.

After finishing and loving Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, I was so smitten that I went back and dug out the original, which I had never played. After a couple of hours, I switched it off, fueled by a gross combination of frustration and boredom. It's then that it occurred to me that BiB, while not perfect, is a great example of how best to make a sequel to a flawed product.

1. Ditch what doesn't work: In Bound in Blood -- a prequel to the original cowboy FPS -- what's most notable is perhaps what hasn't made the journey from the original game. There's no more crummy fisticuffs, no more holstering your irons to do a special move, no using a whip for frustrating platforming and no weapons that fall apart after use.

Developer Techland has, as William Faulkner suggested, killed their little darlings, and the Juarez followup is so much the better for it. If something you treasure was left by the wayside, I apologize. I can, however, assure that it was, in fact, terrible, and you were wrong to like it. Wrong.

Continued →

Sony has made big strides in developer relations in Taiwan, as the Taipei Times reports the manufacturer has signed a new deal with Taiwanese developers in an effort to help boost the PS3's and PSP's presence in the region. It's been down due to consumers flocking to the cheaper Wii and, consequently, causing the development manpower to follow.

Through this new deal with Sony Computer Entertainment Asia, six different independent developers will work on PlayStation products. The Taipei Times implies that digital content on the PS3 and PSP Go is likely to result. In addition, the deal will see the Taiwanese government subsidizing development costs by 40%, hopefully making Taiwan a much more attractive place to make games.

Sony has finally revealed the answer to its LittleBigPlanet-related teaser question, "Who ya gonna call?" It turns out that it was the Ghostbusters. You are gonna call the Ghostbusters.

The PlayStation Blog revealed a poster of a Sackboy wearing a white, hooded sweatshirt, which makes the LBP avatar resemble the ghost character from the Ghostbusters logo. While it doesn't answer all the questions we have (is this a downloadable costume? Is it free? Will there be Ghostbusters-related levels? Is the "no" symbol part of the costume?) the latest update on LittleBigPlanet suggests that some Ghostbusters-related content is on the way. We think.

Nintendo is king of the UK retail gaming jungle, according to ELSPA GfK-ChartTrack data. The House of Mario holds the top four spots for titles sold on the isles during the first half of 2009.

1. Wii Fit
   
2. Wii Play
   
3. Mario Kart Wii
   
4. Professor Layton And The Curious Village
   
5. Killzone 2
   

Yes, surprisingly, Killzone 2 did take the fifth spot, beating out Resident Evil 5. ELSPA's director states that the figures indicate "gaming is now mainstream in the UK." And that a lot of people in the UK think they (or a loved one) need to lose 10 lbs.

[Via VideoGamer]

Remember a couple weeks ago, when Ars Technica's trusty, eerily accurate "mole" prophesied that the 80GB PS3 would be ushered off store shelves in order to be replaced by the 160GB model, ultimately leading to the introduction of the oft-rumored PS3 slim? Remember when he (or she) said the 80GB model would have boosted sales thanks to the creation of new, attractive bundles? Did you notice the image above? Do you see where we're going with this?

One week after releasing an 80GB bundle containing Wall-E and LittleBigPlanet, Best Buy will supposedly be upping the ante with the package you see above, which includes Killzone 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4. Said photo was sent in to Kotaku from a Best Buy employee, and several other Best Buyers have confirmed its legitimacy. We won't know for sure until the bundle hits store shelves, but it certainly looks like the ol' "mole" might have another notch in his accurate-prediction-belt.

Update: We've received confirmation from two Best Buy employees stating the bundle is real. One employee's store anticipates the bundle will go on sale within the next week (possibly on Sunday), while the other employee says the bundle is on sale in his store in Louisiana. They claim the price of the bundle is the standard $399 price point for the 80GB system. We recommend asking your local store if it's carrying the bundle, and finding out when it'll hit shelves! Thanks, guys!

Don't expect any major revelations from this set of Katamari Forever videos. The upcoming PS3 hodgepodge of Katamari classics looks exactly like you'd expect, i.e. the prince continues his crazy job of rolling an ever-growing ball. It's cute, but will it warrant a full Blu-ray release? Or, should this be a PSN-only affair?

More videos after the break.

Continued →

After the announcement of Two Worlds II, we assumed -- erroneously, it turns out -- that developer Reality Pump had ditched the subtitle attached to the previously announced Two Worlds: The Temptation, and gone with a number. In reality, there was a lot more to it than that.

The short version, from publisher Zuxxez PR director Joerg Schindler: "The Temptation had been canceled due to technical outdating [sic]. We use a complete new engine for Two Worlds II."

Continued →

Atlus has announced that From Software's PlayStation 3 action-RPG, Demon's Souls, will be released in North America on October 6. Of course, Atlus is throwing extra stuff into the package, in this case an art book, for pre-ordering.

But it is also going beyond its usual Atlus Spoils content and offering a "deluxe edition," with a 150-page strategy guide and a fancy slipcover for $69.99. According to Atlus, pre-orders for both versions will begin on July 8. Giving away extra stuff seems like a smart way to entice a repeat purchase out of the many Demon's Souls players who already imported the English-language Asian edition of the game.

FCC documents originally believed to have revealed that the PSP Go had a 480MHz processor -- over 40% more than the PSP (1000-3000) -- were actually talking about another part of the device ... the USB. Sony Computer Entertainment has stated that those extra megahertz are being used to clock the USB transfer and not the CPU.

So, other than the body and a slew of new accessories, it appears the PSP Go continues to be the same as its non-flipping cousin -- at least the processor won't put any extra drain on the handheld's batttery.

[Thanks, Rooshma]