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A title like that doesn’t write itself very often, so I’m happy to take advantage. The new Rocketmen expansion pack, It Came From Uranus, is now available on the PlayStation Store. You’ll also now find two new Hot Shots Golf characters, each of which cost $.99, and are small enough that I reckon they’re already on the Blu-ray disc you hold in your hands.

Rounding out the DLC scene is this week’s installment of Rock Band tracks and 21 new Karaoke Revolution: American Idol tracks.

You’ll also find demos of both Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit and Overlord Raising Hell, new videos, trailers, themes, and wallpapers.

Hit the break to see all of the today’s new content.
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The PlayStation Store has gotten a great update this week with three solid demos, new music for both Guitar Hero III and Rock Band, the expansion pack to PixelJunk, PixelJunk Monsters Encore ($5.99), and Rocketmen: Axis of Evil ($9.99). In addition to all that, there’s a number of trailers for games and movies, including an Iron Man trailer and one for WipEout HD and Mercenaries 2.

Check it all out after the break.

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Ubisoft and Free Radical announced today that the fully playable demo for Haze, the new FPS set in a harsh future where war is never quite what it seems is now available for the PS3 over in the UK. North American gamers who own a PS3 will be able to get a hold of the demo tomorrow, May 8th.This playable demo gives gamers a taste of not only the single-player campaign in Haze, but also allows for up to four-player, drop-in drop-out co-op play online, via LAN or even 2 player split-screen. Read what I culled from the press release:

Take a Nectar-induced romp solo style, or with 3 of your friends in fierce co-op action through the Salva Region, a bright and high-octane environment, where explosions are huge and delightful, and deaths are fleeting and meaningless. It’s the only place on earth where you can blow a stranger’s head off with a jolly smile on your face. The green-orange vegetation teams with primary-coloured, unthreatening wildlife for the marines to trample all over. The sunshine beats down in comforting waves as you merrily murder your fellow man. This world makes you feel confident. Artificially so and like a dream.

Makes me wish even more that I owned a PS3. For more information on Haze, check out our previous posts. You can also check out some of the new screens they sent our way this morning by clicking here.
Via: Press Release

When a performance starts with the words, “This is a special song we wrote for a video game,” you know you’re in for something interesting. The rock group Korn apparently recorded a song specifically for the upcoming video game Haze that’s titled — surprise, surprise — “Haze.” The video pretty much just mixes some game footage with video of them performing the song live. The whole thing though just gives me flashbacks to high school, followed by a sudden urge to listen to a bunch of classical music to wash my brain.

It’s been two weeks now since there’s been a real update to the PlayStation Store, so much of what’s been released today is catching up for missing out on the past few weeks – Rock Band songs, videos, and a UEFA Euro 2008 demo.

Of course, the big news is that Gran Turismo 5 Prologue has been released. I’ve spent some time today playing it, and I think it’ll be a fine holdover for diehard Gran Turismo fans.

The new Warhawk Broken Mirror pack is also now available for $8, as well as a bundle with both the Broken Mirror and Omega Dawn DLC packs.

Hit the break for the full list of content. Read the full article

The developers of Haze would like to remind you once again that, yes, the game really is exclusive to the PS3 (judging from the fact that they mention that about three or four times in their press release). But more importantly, they’d like to let you know that a demo for the game will be making its way to the PSN early next month. The demo will allow you to sample the campaign mode and even test it out the 4-player co-op. The full game is set to finally be released on May 20th, so we’ll have to wait until then to see if all those delays paid off.

Via Press Release

I hate it when things that sound too good to be true actually end up being too good to be true. Last week, the internet was abuzz about a new flyer from GameStop in Canada that said anyone who pre-ordered the upcoming Haze would have the option to return the game for a full refund within a week. It sounded like a really good (and easily exploitable) deal, but it seems the promotion will actually never come to pass. Ubisoft has now stated that there was a miscommunication between the developer and GameStop, and that the promotion has since been canceled. So if you pre-ordered Haze in Canada to get in on this deal, looks like you’re outta luck.

Via MTV Multiplayer

The oft-delayed Haze is almost ready to launch, so Strategy Informer got to chat with project lead Derek Littlewood about the game’s many delays, development cycle, and which part of Haze he likes most. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t really peg any one reason for the delays but said that’s thankful for gamers patience.

What has been the most challenging aspect of the game so far in terms of development and why?

Definitely the way the game constantly streams throughout, meaning the player can play from start to finish without seeing a single loading screen. The amount of data you’re streaming on the fly to create the sort of high-res, lush environments you’ll see throughout Haze is just insane, and the amount of technical problems we had to solve that we’d never encountered before were huge.

But when you see its effect on people, you know the effort’s been worthwhile; one journalist who came to see the game had to be dragged away after about three hours because he’d just been rolling through the entire first third of the game without noticing that he was progressing from one level to the next. He described it as ‘relentless’, which pretty much sums it up for me too.

When asked what he would be working on next, Littlewood wouldn’t go into specifics on any games or platforms, other than saying, “[Y]ou can be assured they won’t have the word ‘exclusive’ anywhere near them.”

Read the full interview at Strategy Informer.

GameStops in the US and Canada have apparently been sending out flyers that essentially say you will be able to get the upcoming Haze for free. Of course it’s not that simple. Really, you have to pre-order the game, pick it up upon release, and then return it within a week. After that, you’ll be issued a full refund in the form of in-store credit. Pretty swanky deal if you aren’t interested in the game’s multiplayer I suppose (and you’ve never heard of rentals). It’s an even swankier deal from GameStop’s standpoint though, since they can essentially take your money and then resell the game again at a reduced price. This would actually be a cool deal if it were offered on all new games. I know I’ve made some poor gaming purchases that I wanted to rectify in less time than a week.

Via DarkZero

It’s been awhile since we heard anything new about the drug-fueled shooter, Haze. So now Ubisoft is rolling out a new trailer along with a release date of “May 2008.” At least that’s a much narrower time frame than the previous “April 2008 to March 2009″ since the game got delayed yet again. The PS3-exclusive will have you playing as a soldier who gains super-human abilities through a drug called “Nectar”; but you can also overdose on the stuff, which causes you to go crazy and shoot your own teammates. It’s been a long time since I got my hands on the game at PAX, but I’m still betting this will be one more for the finally-growing list of solid PS3 titles.

These past few months have been ripe with games being delayed over and over again, and it looks like Haze is being pushed back once more. Ubisoft has now posted that Free Radical’s FPS will be showing up sometime between April 1, 2008 and March 31, 2009, their 2008 fiscal year. The game will be released only on the PS3 (though whether it will remain exclusive has not been confirmed) and will have gamers using an in-game drug called “Nectar” to heighten their abilities. Hopefully we get a more concrete date soon, as the hands on time I got with the game at PAX has already convinced me that this is going to be one seriously fun game.

Via ShackNews

Just in case any of you missed it, the highly anticipated Battlefield 2 modification, Forgotten Hope 2.0, was released over the weekend. For those who have not experienced the original Forgotten Hope modification for Battlefield 1942 (one of the best mods in the BF scene), take note here. Forgotten Hope, both original and the newest iteration, are attempts to bring a “more realistic” WW2 battlefield experience to the player. This, of course, results in a less arcade feel that is the staple of the Battlefield series. That’s not to say that making a more realistic game is any less fun.

(For those wanting to skip the wordy analysis, head straight to the goods by clicking here.)

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Matthew Murray, who killed five people including himself in two Church shootings in Colorado last weekend, was denied access to videogames and other evil influences.

According the Denver Post, Murray was forbidden to play videogames, watch DvDs or listen to rock music.

On another website, a poster named nghtmrchld26, believed by police to be Murray, said he rebelled against an upbringing that forbade him from buying rock music, video games and popular DVDs.

All Spin Zone has collected the posts Murray wrote under the name nghtmrchld26. The comments paint a pitcure of an abused individual wading through a haze of rage and depression culminating in the shootings. Social isolation seems to have been a big factor in Murray’s upbringing.

When I was a teenager my mother would do a pat down to check for music, DVDs and video games whenever I came out of an electronics store like Best Buy or Circuit City.

I’d still obtain things anyways, it was like getting drugs from a drug dealer, EVERYTHING had to be done in secret. lolI remember getting thrown around the room and hit while getting interrogated about whether or not I had video games and DVDs. Then there were the constant interrogations by the church pastors… I remember having to listen to everything in secret, at very low volume levels or with headphones, whether it was video games, TV, DVDs, or music/radio.

It’s unfortunate that the press would focus in on videogames and other taboo forms of entertainment as the trigger rather than years of sexual, physical, psychological, and emotional abuse in a restrictive environment. However it’s the perfect fuel to feed certain peoples agendas.

No matter what this young man has gone through, nothing excuses his actions.

via  GamePolitics

I’m a big fan of achievements; while the score that accompanies them on the Xbox 360 is an annoyance in my eyes, Valve’s achievements system in The Orange Box was perfect – no points, just achievements that are truly meaningless except to act as achievements, and not a platform for bragging. Playing through Episode 2 in particular made me really yearn for achievements in Episode One and the original Half-Life 2, and if this rumor is true, we might just see that, as well as new achievements for my beloved Team Fortress 2.

A forum poster by the name of “slugz” claims to have received a message from a Valve staffer that read: “We’re planning on adding achievements to all of our games you touched on in your mail [Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode 1, Day of Defeat: Source and Counter-Strike: Source]. We’re just now coming out of the post-shipping haze, so these should start showing up on Steam pretty quick here. We’re also planning on adding a bunch more to TF2, starting with an achievement pack for the Medic in the next week or so.”

I really hope this is true, even though it’s not like I need any incentive to play TF2 anymore than I already do.

via Joystiq

With sales of Assassin’s Creed topping the $1 million mark, one would think that Ubisoft would be on top of the world, and I am sure they are. Add to this the fact that the company’s fiscal report for the months leading up to September showed a 52% increase in sales, one would think Ubisoft would be trying to surpass these figures with the highly anticipated Haze and Rainbow Six Vegas 2.Unfortunately for us, the PS3 exclusive Haze, which was supposed to be released sometime in December, has now been officially pushed into the first part of 2008. While this is bad news for gamers excited about the game, it may be good news for Ubisoft because the fiscal year 2007 does not end for them until January 2008. Therefore, they can still release the game in January and claim victory for 2007. Funny hour the year plays out in the world of finance.

Ubisoft has also announced that Rainbow Six Vegas 2 will be released in North America in March of 2008. Being developed by the original Vegas team, very little is known about the sequel, but Ubisoft claims that the game is set to “break new ground in both co-op and adversarial modes, while providing unprecedented interaction between the solo and multiplayer modes.” Alrighty then, back that up with some screens and a trailer so we can judge for ourselves Ubi.

There’s a load of content on the new PlayStation Store, so if you don’t feel like browsing through the site to find every last piece of content, we’ve got you covered. After the break you’ll find a full listing of content currently available on the Store, including UMD Legacy Titles, downloadable games, demos PS one Classics, videos, themes, and wallpapers.

Some noteworthy titles include Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Wipeout and Twisted Metal 2 for PS one Classics, a demo of SOCOM Tactical Strike, and the full Syphon Filter Combat Ops game.

PlayStation Store via PlayStation.Blog

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Sony has dropped so many release dates for their exclusives, that we really don’t know for sure what is going to happen. We do know that at least one big exclusive will be on the shelves for this holiday shopping season. Kotaku reports that it will more than likely be Haze. This could be huge for Sony and boost console sales in December. Haze is being billed as Sony’s Halo, so it’s going to be a real big deal. I don’t know about everyone else, but I have already asked Santa for Haze this Christmas, so it better happen.

Via Kotaku

 Derek Littlewood took time to talk with Gamasutra about Free Radical’s narrative-driven FPS in development, Haze. As creative lead on the project, Littlewood gives players insight on the origin of Haze, how difficult it is to “communicate the core message of the game through interactive sequences”, the importance of themes, three-dimensional character design and beta testing. He also talks about breaking into the industry and his career as well as his take on video game violence, Hideo Kojima, Apocalypse Now, and why the industry is so immature.

Littlewood explains a bit more on the concept of making “a war game that becomes a game about war”.

I think the idea of trying to tell a story that is mature in the sense of not treating the player like an idiot, and of actually trying to highlight and explore the complex moral issues associated with shooting human-like characters in games, rather than simply ignoring them, was our core motivation for making Haze.

There’s nothing wrong with a game that’s just a game… But at the same time, I’ve always felt that creative media are at their most compelling when they actually speak to the person experiencing them about their own life, and cause them to ask questions, or look at things from a different perspective, than they’d considered before.

Read the entire interview with Derek Littlewood on Gamasutra .

Sony Computer Entertainment America is gearing up to launch a massive ad campaign this weekend as it introduces its new 40G PS3 in the US.

Sony will be pushing the PlayStation Network service as well as the Blu-ray capabilities and new price point of the console and the line-up of available software this Holiday season.

“The games are here, the price point is now USD 399 and we wanted to make the news loud and clear,” said Peter Dille, VP of marketing for SCEA.

“Beyond the brilliant HD games that the PS3 delivers, you’ll also see a big focus behind the PS3’s Blu-ray movie capability and, for the first time, you’ll see a major focus behind the PlayStation Network and the exclusive gaming content available on the PlayStation Store, as well as break through services like Home,” he added.

The Public will be seeing 60 second commercials featuring Heavenly Sword, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue as well as third party games including Haze, Burnout Paradise and Assassin’s Creed. Dille will be billing Konami’s delayed Metal Gear Solid IV: Guns of the Patriots as “the mother of all exclusives.”

“We have the 40GB PS3 ‘officially’ launching tomorrow at a price point that will appeal to a wider audience and the 80GB PS3 which is demonstrating phenomenal sales growth since we announced the USD 499 price point,” continued Dille.

“Add to that the inflow of great games and a PS3 brand campaign – our largest ever behind a hardware platform – and we think it’s going to be a great holiday season for PS3.”

via GamesIndustry.biz 

It seems more developers are jumping out of the way of the atomic blast of game releases that drops this holiday season. After several titles like Smash Bros. Brawl, Army of Two, and Harvey Birdman being nudged into next year, it looks like Ubisoft is preparing to do the same with one or more of it’s high-profile titles. In a recent financial report put out by the company, they made a note that some games’ releases would be postponed. Unfortunately, they didn’t note specifically which ones:

“As a result of the positive trends observed during the first half of the year as well as the positive outlook for the third quarter, Ubisoft has decided to postpone the release of certain games…Six franchises are now scheduled for release in 2007-08 (Brothers in Arms, Far Cry, Rayman Raving Rabbids, The Settlers, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell and an unannounced franchise), compared with the previously announced seven…Three new brands are now scheduled for release in 2007-08 (Assassin’s Creed, Haze, Tom Clancy’s End War), compared with the previously announced six … the four games concerned will now strengthen Fiscal 2008-09.”

It should be noted that Ubisoft’s Fiscal 2007-08 year ends on March 31, 2008. The wording is quite vague in the report, but they do specifically say that some games will be getting pushed back. We’ll just have to wait and see which ones. Personally, I’m okay so long Assassin’s Creed stays on time…and by saying that, I’ve probably just jinxed it.

Via 360 Gamer