None
The Week in Review news piece summarizes and highlights the most important gaming related news over the past week. This weekly article will keep you plugged in and in-tune. On the heels of the TGS 2008 announcements, the PS3 and PSP firmware updates were detailed by Sony. PS3 firmware update (v. 2.50) will include the implementation of advanced voice chat features for the PS3 Official Bluetooth Headset, the ability to capture screenshots in-game with supporting titles in the future, and enhancements to make the PlayStation Trophy interface more intuitive. PSP firmware update (v. 5.00) will add direct access to PlayStationStore on PSP, enabling consumers to browse the store and download games whenever they’re at a Wi-Fi hotspotFor more details click HERE . Turbine, Inc. announced the opening of a new studio located in Redwood City, CA. The new studio will help drive Turbine’s rapid growth and further accelerate Turbine’s goal of becoming a global leader in online entertainment. Turbine also announced the hiring of Dave Brevik as Creative Director, Jeff Lind as Engineering Director and Matt McKnight as Studio Director of its new California studio. The new studio will be a vital part of Turbine’s corporate vision as it brings new titles to market, expands the platforms it supports and introduces new technologies to expand and grow the communities that are the foundation of online games. Electronic Arts announced that two expansion packs for Spore are in the works. In fact, the first of the additional content will release on November 18. This expansion, known as Spore Creepy & Cute Parts Pack, will include a veritable smorgasbord of creature creating goodness. The second, as of yet, unnamed expansion will add significant content to your creatures’ space stage of evolution. Players will be able to explore new planets and accrue rewards for completing missions. Also, a new “Adventure Creator will allow players to build and share online their own custom missions, providing almost endless gameplay possibilities.” Look for the second expansion to be available in Spring 2009. Midway Games Inc. is expecting Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe to be on store shelves and available for purchase throughout North America on November 16th, 2008 , and Europe on November 21st, 2008. Microsoft is offering qualified Xbox owners (those who purchased Arcade SKUs) free memory cards and deeply discounted, refurbished 20 GB HDD. Click HERE to be connected to the Microsoft page, fill in your serial number, and follow the prompts. Upon completing BioShock for PS3 on any difficulty, players will have access to the following teaser trailer for BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams from the Extras tab on the main menu. No hard details about the upcoming game’s content have been confirmed, but the trailer displays a series of sand “castles” that seem to form a Rapture-like cityscape, but the blue butterfly that hatches from one of the barnacles on the logo seems to point to some dry land settings as well. Check out the YouTube video HERE and decide for yourself. On October 20, 2008, gamers will be able to relive the heyday of GTA with Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. That’s right; your favorite GTA title is getting rereleased for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Originals. The game will cost you 1,200 MS points. According to the BioWare website, the November issue of GameInformer will reveal that Dragon Age: Origins, BioWare’s next major RPG title, will be making its way to the Xbox 360 and PS3 Holiday 2009 in addition to PC. Sony has decided to recall all copies of LittleBigPlanet from retailers worldwide, as phrases from the Koran were inadvertently included in the platformer. Consequently, the North American release date is now set for Monday, October 27. During the Singing Safari level, SCEA stated “the background music tracks licensed from a record label for use in the game contains two expressions that can be found in the Qur’an.” GameSpot translated the phrases from the Arabic as “Every soul shall have the taste of death” and “All that is on earth will perish.” Sony apologizes for any offense they may have caused and has promised that the oversight will be rectified. Thanks so much everyone and we will see you next week! |