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Interview: Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells

by Kevin Kelly { Mar 13th 2010 at 3:00PM }

Evan Wells doesn't look like he's old enough to be co-president of Naughty Dog, does he? Even after shepherding Uncharted 2 through development, which has picked up just about every award on the planet, he still maintains his youthful vim and vigor. While we don't know what his eternal youth secret is, he did give us the inside scoop on the workings at Naughty Dog when we spoke with him at GDC.

Besides letting us know about their new studio and the hectic days just before shipping Uncharted 2, he also talks PlayStation Move development, Jak and Daxter plans (he wants to see one on the PS3), and expanding Uncharted to the PSP. Pause your game and head on through the break for the full interview.

Gallery: Naughty Dog Studios

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Naughty Dog wants to half-tuck Uncharted into the PSP

by Kevin Kelly { Mar 11th 2010 at 10:30PM }

Naughty Dog's co-president Evan Wells is definitely interested in having people tuck Nathan Drake -- either halfway or all the way -- into their pockets and visit the world of Uncharted whenever they want to. He feels that there are a lot of stories to tell in that world, and that the PSP would be the perfect platform for it. Just imagine Uncharted: Sully's Adventure where you can wheel and deal in the black market, or Uncharted: Elena on Assignment where you're chasing a dangerous news story. Scoop!

"I think it would be fantastic to see the game (move) onto a handheld system," Wells told us. "Each one of the episodes is sort of like a standalone thing and I think we could do that pretty easily. If we can find a partner to work with, I'd love to do that ... we definitely wouldn't do it ourselves. We're trying to just focus on the PS3 technology and platform right now." He added, laughing, "But, if we can't find a partner, then maybe we're going to have to find a budget ourselves."

Laugh if you will, Wells. You're just toying with our heartstrings is all. We'd love to see Nathan Drake on our PSP. Make it happen. We have Ready at Dawn's phone number if you need it.

PSN Thursday: Mega Man 10, some BioShock 2 'Sinclair Solutions'

by Alexander Sliwinski { Mar 11th 2010 at 9:40PM }

The Blue Bomber -- who is inconveniently red in the pic above -- returns in the retro-centric Mega Man 10. Those who returned to Rapture with BioShock 2 can also pick up the "Sinclair Solutions Test Pack" for $5. There's also the fourth episode of The Tester -- how's that going? Oh yeah, for those with an interest in baseball (it's a game played with a stick), there's a demo for MLB 10: The Show. For those with a PSP, it's another solid comic book update. 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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February NPD: Xbox 360 and BioShock 2 sales heat up

by JC Fletcher { Mar 11th 2010 at 7:02PM }

Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg is thrilled with February's NPD numbers, and for good reason. The Xbox 360 took the top spot in home console sales last month, despite not being a Wii. According to the NPD, it's the first time this has happened since the Halo 3 launch in 2007.

BioShock 2 seems to have had something to do with the boost, with the Xbox 360 version topping the software charts (and the PS3 version absent from the top ten). Other notable software milestones: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is now the third best-selling game of all time, and Just Dance seems to have made a better pact with Satan than even Dante's Inferno did. See the software top ten after the break.

-DS: 613K

191K (45%)
-360: 422K

89K (27%)
-Wii: 398K

68K (-15%)
-PS3: 360K

83K (30%)
-PSP: 133K

33K (33%)
-PS2: 102K

60K (143%)

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Lengthy MGS: Peace Walker gameplay video floats in

by JC Fletcher { Mar 11th 2010 at 12:31PM }

Wanna watch 9 minutes of a guy sneaking around, tying people to balloons? What if we told you it was Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker footage? Kojima Productions has uploaded a lengthy gameplay video of the former "Metal Gear Solid 5," in which our hero Big Boss does a bit of recruiting for his cause -- in this case, that means knocking dudes out and floating them back to his base on a balloon.

We also get to see the "Sonic Eye" and "Analyzer" tools in action (a radar device and an item used to determine the stats of potential recruits), as well as the ninja-inspired "Stealth Mat," which allows Naked Snake to hide in plain sight while he's holding it up. Check it out after the break!

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Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest makes 'Move' to PS3

by JC Fletcher { Mar 11th 2010 at 11:40AM }

[Wii version]

Warner Bros. Interactive has revealed that, in addition to the previously announced PS2, PSP, DS and Wii releases, it's putting Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest on PS3 -- with PlayStation Move support. The kid-friendly LOTR game will now be released this fall (delayed again!) on all five platforms, with the Wii version developed by Headstrong Games (yes, that Headstrong Games) and the others by TT Fusion. Of course, the Wii and PS3 versions will be the only ones with motion control, and they will also be the only versions featuring two-player co-op (with the second player controlling Gandalf).

The PS3 version won't be an exact port of the Wii one, but it's the same idea -- a game for which the Wii was originally the lead platform, now spreading to the PS3 thanks to the existence of a very Wii-like motion controller. It may be the first, but this is definitely not the last time we'll see this!

European PSN releases for March 11

by Alexander Sliwinski { Mar 11th 2010 at 11:30AM }

Mega Man 10 is here, do you need anything else? Yes? Well, click past the jump to see all of this week's offerings!

Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list:

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

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Dead or Alive Paradise demo on Japanese PSN this week

by JC Fletcher { Mar 10th 2010 at 6:15PM }

Those of you who have Japanese PSN accounts will have your own private paradise on the PlayStation Network this week. Sony announced that a demo of Tecmo's Dead or Alive Paradise -- which is precisely the kind of game you'd want to try out by downloading, without having to make eye contact with anyone -- will be available for download in Japan this Friday, March 12.

We're now on the edge of our seats to find out which girls we'll get to interact with in the demo. Will it be the supposed martial artist with the ridiculous proportions, or the other one?

Ubisoft prepping short film, a Ghost Recon: Future Soldier prequel

by Richard Mitchell { Mar 10th 2010 at 5:40PM }

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Ubisoft will release a short film ahead of the release of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. The film will be helmed by Francois Alaux and Herve de Crecy, the duo that just won an Academy Award for their short film Logorama. We're assuming the Ghost Recon film won't be quite as cheeky. The short, which will serve as a prequel to Future Soldier, will be a 20-minute live-action film, reportedly with a budget between $8–10 million. It's being written by Tim Sexton, co-writer of Children of Men.

The project is in line with Ubisoft's ongoing strategy to expand its scope of media to include more than just video games. Last year, the company released the Assassin's Creed: Lineage short film series to promote Assassin's Creed II. Later in the year, Ubisoft Montreal's Yannis Mallat envisioned a future where Ubisoft crafts films and games using the same assets, which is precisely what it did with Lineage. Given the talent and financial backing behind the Future Soldier film, it looks like Mallat's future could be a bright one.

[Via Big Download]

Sony's free PhyreEngine expands to PSP

by Andrew Yoon { Mar 9th 2010 at 11:46AM }

In what's becoming a GDC tradition, Sony today announced an update concerning the PhyreEngine, a free, cross-platform middleware tool offered to developers interested in creating PS3 games. First introduced in 2008, the PhyreEngine has since been utilized in games like Critter Crunch, Shatter and Flower. Today, SCEA has announced the expansion of PhyreEngine compatibility to the PSP.

"We're very happy to see the continued popularity of PhyreEngine with the global game developer community," SCEI senior VP of technology Teiji Yutaka said. "PhyreEngine for PSP was developed in response to requests from the game developer community, and we hope that the release of the PSP version demonstrates our commitment and support for game developers on all our platforms." The engine will be demoed at GDC this week.

The PS3 version of PhyreEngine has been praised by studios like Capybara and Sidhe. Perhaps the PSP iteration will be met with an equal amount of enthusiasm and help bolster the portable development community.

Now Playing: March 8-14, 2010

by James Ransom-Wiley { Mar 8th 2010 at 1:20PM }

"Dude!"

Choose your platform to jump to a specific release list:

Last updated: Friday, 9:37 AM

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Sony files patent for game demos that lose features over time

by JC Fletcher { Mar 5th 2010 at 10:15PM }

A patent dug up by Siliconera details a new system conceived by Sony for limiting the content found in game demos. "Degradable" game demos, as described in a patent filed by SCEA, would initially include either a full game or a large amount of content, but that content would gradually disappear over playtime, to unlock again once the full game is purchased. Examples in the patent document include a weapon that becomes less effective over time, and race tracks that become unavailable one at a time.

Essentially, it's the DIVX rental system, but downloadable and for games. You know, DIVX, the system in which you "bought" a cheap disc that would only work for a short time unless you paid a fee to "unlock" it. That lasted less than a year because it was too popular, right?

JBO: Joystiq Box Office, March 1 - March 5

by Kevin Kelly { Mar 5th 2010 at 8:45PM }

We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.

Recommendation of the Week:

Ponyo (Blu-ray, $39.99 MSRP, much lower at most retailers)
If you don't know who Hayao Miyazaki is yet, then you need a crash course in gorgeous Japanese animated films with amazing storytelling. He's like the Japanese Walt Disney, and Ponyo is his latest film. It's a wonderful fantasy that was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid and he's put his own particular spin on it. A young boy named Sosuke rescues a female goldfish, Ponyo, and they set off on an adventure together. The Blu-ray disc includes an ultra-crisp transfer of the film, which features hand-drawn animation, and a look inside Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli. We're offering up five sets of Miyazaki films with this Joystiq Box Office, so read the rules at the bottom of the post to enter. Five winners will receive Ponyo on Blu-ray, and standard DVDs of My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service and Castle in the Sky. Truly magical filmmaking.

Read on after the break for the rest of our recommendations, and let us know what you're watching!

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Advance! Protect! Fight! On your PSP! Sideways!

by Andrew Yoon { Mar 5th 2010 at 3:15PM }

The DS has been gifted with games that force players to hold the system in all sorts of weird ways: upside down, to the side, and sometimes even completely closed. PSP is joining the play-your-system-the-wrong-way trend with the newly announced Advance! Protect! Fight!. According to Andriasang, you hold the system vertically. The analog stick is used to move the cursor, with the R button used to click. Essentially, it's meant to simulate a mouse.

Advance! Protect! Fight! should be interesting to play on the PSP Go. In fact, you could probably play the game with just one hand with the Go. Too bad Tecmo couldn't think of this control scheme first, right?

Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 tops PSN sales for February

by Andrew Yoon { Mar 5th 2010 at 3:00PM }

The PSN Top 10 sales charts don't look very different from previous months, do they? With the exception of Hustle Kings, the top 10 is populated with familiar faces, including Mortal Kombat II, which debuted on PSN nearly three years ago. Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 takes the top spot for the month, likely boosted by the half-off sale it had. With little new scheduled for March on PSN, it seems likely next month's list will look very similar.