Naughty Dog says no to single-player DLC for Uncharted 3

DLC is all the rage this season (along with dead raccoon headpieces), and publishers are charging the inflated prices expected with such a widespread trend. But trends don't appear out of nowhere -- they come from someone doing it differently, turning left at the fork, zigging where others zag and other motivational business terms.

Naughty Dog is doing just that -- those trailblazers -- announcing that there will be no single-player DLC for Uncharted 3. Naughty Dog said it would rather build a new game than release episodic content, mainly because its DLC ideas are just too awesome. "Dialing back our ambition is difficult," community strategist Arne Meyer said. Justin Richmond, game director, explained in more detail the trials of having such an abundance of amazing ideas: "Whenever we sit down and think we should do some single-player DLC, someone pitches something and we realize -- that's a five hour level," he said. "We'd rather build out another game than we would do episodic content. We're so small that we can't afford to have a whole team working on DLC." We're going to add this approach to DLC to the extensive list of Naughty Dog's fantastic ideas.

Angry Birds studio head claims $1.2B valuation too low, 'maybe' going public next year

Angry Birds is way, way popular -- sure -- but it is so popular as to elevate its progenitor's valuation beyond that of its already sky-high $1.2 billion estimate? CEO Peter Vesterbacka seems to think so, telling Bloomberg, "We're happy with our valuation but we think it's probably a bit north of that," referring to the aforementioned insanely high number.

Beyond astronomical sales of the hit fowl flinger, Vesterbacka's company has been pulling in additional revenue from merchandising. Millions of dollars every month, in fact, via the company's website -- apparently just the stuffed toys are selling "a million units a month," which doesn't account for Halloween costumes, movie licensing, clothing, and various other tchochkes. "We are very, very profitable. We're not a publicly traded company yet we can fund our own growth," Vesterbacka boasts in the interview, all the while attempting to bolster his company's value when it does go public. He doesn't offer an exact date, but says, "maybe a year from now" Rovio will be making its public stock offer. When we last asked market analysts back in March how Rovio would fare an IPO, we were answered with reservation. And despite another seven months of earnings under the company's belt, we'd wager Vesterbacka's valuation estimates are a bit more lofty than the reality of things. But hey, we're not running any multimillion dollar corporations.

Burnout Crash coming to iOS

EA has announced that it will bring Criterion's latest, tiniest iteration in the Burnout franchise, Burnout Crash , to the iOS platform this holiday season. The punishing puzzle game, which originally launched on the PSN and XBLA, seems like a perfect fit for handheld devices -- though we don't suggest playing it while driving in real life.

A post on EA's blog makes the upcoming version of the game sound true to the original, including "three game modes, 18 traffic junctions and six unique locations." As long as Dr. Beat and his nitroglycerin-infused ambulance make an appearance, we'll be satisfied. Burnout Crash (iOS)

Embrace your obsessive inner typefacer with 'KernType,' a game about kerning

It's rare that we separate ourselves from our readers when choosing pieces to post on Joystiq, but with Method of Action's "KernType," we had to make an exception. You see, folks, our love for games is important, but our distinctly less relatable love/obsession with visual design is just as strong, which is why we immediately fell head over heels for KernType.

Oh, we should probably explain what "kerning" is, eh? It's the space between letters in words. Yup, thrilling stuff, we know. But it's important! And in KernType, you're tasked with fixing the kerning of various typefaces (represented by words such as "wave" and "type"), which then compares your own skill with that of proportional computations. Call of Duty deathmatch it is not, but if you're of the very particular niche that is both obsessed with games and the written word, KernType is right up your alley. Also, hey, it's free right here!

Trophy Cabinet

This website requires Flash Player 7 or higher. It looks like you do not have this installed. Visit the Adobe website to download the latest version of player.. JavaScript needs to be enabled on your PC in order for you to view this content. Please enable JavaScript and try again. Check out the most satisfying platinum trophy hunts on PlayStation 3, as voted for by you. We asked you, the PlayStation Community, to tell us which games provided you with the most enjoyable platinum trophy hunts, along with some helpful hints for your fellow gamers on the trail. In future issues of Trophy Cabinet, we'll focus on one game at a time, so you can tell us about the particular challenges you encountered in more detail. We want you to think about inFamous 2 – tell us how you battled to grab that elusive platinum trophy by heading to community.eu.playstation.com.     In the meantime, here's what you came up with for the inaugural Trophy Cabinet. Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds "All the trophies in this game were quite easy to obtain, except one which challenged you to complete 320 missions! And you have to master long, complex combos. The only tips that I can offer are: be very patient, and practise on as many fighting games as you can, to get used to them." (solid_sammy, France) Grand Theft Auto IV "This is a really long and difficult challenge. To finally win the platinum trophy, you must be prepared to scour every inch of Liberty City in a really long campaign. Just put your head down and plough through it." (Dieuneo, France) EA SPORTS FIFA 11 "The best advice I can give you when trying to win a platinum trophy is to focus on one match at a time, and enjoy playing it. For the recent FIFA games, it's a great idea to be involved with the community at easportsfootball.com, so your friends can help you obtain trophies." (NunoVale, Portugal) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 "The Mission mode is incredibly difficult. I'd recommend researching different approaches to completing it – and make sure your co-op partner is up to a high standard too. You need to be able to rely on each other." (Chrisdenimes, France) inFamous 2 "The best platinum trophy to obtain, for me, was the one awarded in inFamous 2. I think anyone can do it, thanks to some really imaginative, fun missions. You have to push yourself as Cole MacGrath." (InfiniteStates, United Kingdom) SingStar "Choose your favourite songs so that trying again and again remains fun. Play with your voice too – singing in other pitches can greatly improve your score!" (magmar126, Netherlands) The Saboteur "You just have to play this game right the way through and do one or two extra-curricular activities – side missions and exploration – and you get the platinum trophy. I'm of the opinion that more games should follow the lead of The Saboteur." (pl_splisbon, Portugal) Mirror's Edge "You need a lot of patience and perseverance with this one. Oh, and on YouTube you can find plenty of routes which give you quite a bit of extra time. This helps when you make a poor landing." (Lijpo, Netherlands) LittleBigPlanet 2 "Get some friends and have some fun in Create mode, then go and collect stickers together. All stickers have to be collected, so you sometimes need three players with you via PlayStation Network. Finally, you need to create a level that has been played 50 times by the LittleBigPlanet community, so you really want to go to town on your designs." (Twilight_Rico, Netherlands) Heavy Rain "Pay attention to how you play through the story, so you can get all the different endings after your second run-through. You need to be careful with the choices you make, otherwise it could cost you hours of effort." (MissSouthampton, United Kingdom) Need a little friendly advice about trophy hunting? Then put your questions to the experts of the official PlayStation Forums at community.eu.playstation.com – and come back next month to find out how to strike platinum in inFamous 2.

EA SPORTS FIFA 12 and PES 2012 arrive on PS3

This website requires Flash Player 7 or higher. It looks like you do not have this installed. Visit the Adobe website to download the latest version of player.. JavaScript needs to be enabled on your PC in order for you to view this content. Please enable JavaScript and try again. Take to the pitch as the latest outings of two sporting juggernauts get ready to grace PlayStation 3. EA SPORTS FIFA 12 The popular football sim arrives on PlayStation 3 with a raft of new features, including - for the first time in several years - a completely overhauled presentation including new side-scrolling menus rather than the familiar vertical ones that have been a staple of the series on PS3 in recent editions. Developer EA SPORTS has also implemented what it's calling a trinity of major gameplay changes, including the use of the Impact Engine, Tactical Defending and Precision Dribbling. With Precision Dribbling, you now have much more control of the ball and can even shield it with your body while seeking out an unmarked teammate to pass it to. Tactical Defending allows for precise tackling, even letting you grab on to an opponent's shirt if they pass by you. However, the most notable change in EA SPORTS FIFA 12 is the implementation of the Impact Engine, which means that if another player barges into you at speed you'll tumble over or, if you have the ball, lose your momentum. Off the pitch, there's EA SPORTS Football Club, an online community that can be accessed via PlayStation Network that allows you to contribute to the success of your favourite club by earning experience points when competing against other players. EA SPORTS Football Club is a feature focused on the club you support in real life, which you'll be asked to select when you first access the feature. On top of all these great new features is the game's meaty Career Mode, where you can play through each season as a player, manager or both. When scouting for new talent and acting on information about a new player, other clubs will be alerted to your interest and may beat you to the punch by buying that player before you get the chance. The developer has spent the past 12 months refining and improving everything you know and love about one of your favourite sporting titles in a bid to bring you the ultimate gaming interpretation of life on and off the pitch, so ready yourself for the best FIFA yet on PlayStation 3. PES 2012 Next up on your sporting calendar for the year is Konami's PES 2012, the latest iteration from acclaimed producer, Shingo "Seabass" Takatsuka. Developed by Seabass and his team at Konami, PES 2012 features a lot of gameplay enhancements and is exclusively licensed by UEFA to feature the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup. Among some of the new features that you'll experience in PES 2012 is the Teammate Control system, which enables you to take charge of a secondary player during play or during a throw-in, free kick or penalty. Having this new level of control allows you to place a player precisely on the pitch and guide them to a particular spot so you can pass to them and set them up for a shot on goal. Another new feature is Active Artificial Intelligence, which is what Seabass and his team have worked on as much as possible to recreate the flow of a real life football match. With the new Active AI system in PES 2012, computer-controlled players do not chase the ball every time it's free, instead making smarter decisions such as creating free space by grabbing the attention of a defender in a bid to move them out of position. The strength of a player and their fitness stats will also play a major role in the game. Depending on how a player on the pitch is tackled, their strength will determine whether or not they can stay on their feet and break free of the tackle, or fall to the ground. Referees have been overhauled too; now they will allow the match to flow more freely, pausing play only if it is absolutely necessary. Alongside these fantastic new features, numerous presentational elements have been tweaked in a bid to make matches as lifelike as possible, including lighting effects and facial expressions. Both the developer and Konami have worked tirelessly to make PES 2012 the best that it can possibly be, so get ready for one of the most in-depth football games on PlayStation 3 in 2011. Head to PlayStation Store now to download demos for both games and warm up for the new season on PS3. 

Top Tips: Burnout CRASH!

This website requires Flash Player 7 or higher. It looks like you do not have this installed. Visit the Adobe website to download the latest version of player.. JavaScript needs to be enabled on your PC in order for you to view this content. Please enable JavaScript and try again. Find out how to become a smash hit in Burnout CRASH! on PS3 with these top tips from Criterion and Electronic Arts. Want to crush the competition in addictive arcade smash 'em up, Burnout CRASH! on PlayStation 3? The game's producer, Dan McDonald, and creative director, Richard Franke, have the perfect tips to make sure you leave an impression on this downloadable PlayStation Store game. 1. General tips Know your cars All the vehicles have their advantages and disadvantages. Try using the lighter vehicles in Pile Up, the bigger vehicles in Rush Hour and the mid-sized ones for Road Trip. Shoot for skill Skillshots are when you use your Crashbreaker to fire traffic into other traffic, holes and water. You can stop traffic from escaping and earn a massive score - just make sure you time it well... Careful Crashbreaking Even though your Crashbreaker meter refills automatically, the secret to a really high score is to use it only when you really need to. Colour coding Use the yellow arrows at the edge of the screen to pinpoint which direction traffic will come from. Green arrows show where a special feature vehicle is approaching from. 2. Road Trip mode Don't become distracted Sit in the middle of the junction and work on blocking anything that tries to go past you. You may be tempted to smash up the surrounding environment, but stay focused until you have a nice roadblock built up that will let you take some risks. To get really big scores you need to survive until the Super Feature event occurs, so don't take too many gambles early on. Keep an eye on the weather Use your Crashbreaker to avoid any incoming Asteroids or you will have to drive into the scene again, giving traffic time to escape. Aim for the stars Get a star in all the Road Trip missions to unlock the Elite vehicles - their upgraded stats will help in the quest for destruction and more stars. 3. Pile Up mode Might doesn't equal right Try to crash all the traffic using the minimum amount of force possible. So when the Inferno multiplier kicks in you'll have plenty of fuel to keep the Inferno going, and all your scores will be much bigger. Similarly, damage as little as possible. Crash everything but don't touch any of the other destructible parts of the environment until Inferno comes into play. Then you can get a multiplier on everything and improve your score. Where there's smoke... Smoking cars are almost on fire, a useful clue when trying to keep the fires burning during Inferno. Light 'em up Use a lightweight vehicle with a small explosion radius as you need to be able to move around easily during Inferno. You also don't need a Crashbreaker which is too powerful as it will damage the vehicle too much. Get yourself into a hole When Inferno hits, jump down the road hole - it will allow you to take one of the alternative routes when you reappear on-screen to perform a Smash Chain.  4. Rush Hour mode In the middle of a chain reaction The last explosion in Rush Hour sets off a chain reaction, so make sure you are near plenty of unexploded vehicles and buildings when the timer hits zero. You can easily double your score this way. Weigh things up Use a heavy and more explosive vehicle as you get a much bigger blast radius to destroy other vehicles in the time limit. It's harder to move around due to its weight, but you can perform skillshots easily as you have a more powerful Crashbreaker. Are you ready to take the crash crown? Put these tips to good use and download Burnout CRASH! from PlayStation Store now.