PS3 Game and News

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Always one to sniff out new trademarks, Siliconera points us in the direction of "Metal Gear Solid Existence." It's a name Konami filed in the Japanese Trademark database. We can't say for sure what this title will be used for -- is this some sort of new game altogether or is it the name of an MGS4 re-release a la Substance and Subsistence? It certainly seems to fit the shoe of the latter category.

However, all we have to go with right now is a name; there's not enough facts and evidence to say for sure. It might not ever be used. So for now, we're filing this under 'rumors.' Perhaps with Tokyo Game Show just around the bend, we might hear of something official soon.

[Thanks Kspraydad!]

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Saturday, September 20, 2008

Life with PlayStation®

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe announces the release of Life with PlayStation for PS3.

Life with PlayStation is a new lifestyle service that offers users a new visual and interactive way to use their PLAYSTATION 3 to access news and information from around the world.

LIVE CHANNEL will be the first content to be released for Life with PlayStation, delivering worldwide news and information centering on the themes of place and time using a world map interface.

Some of the live content includes cloud imagery (provided by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Space Science and Engineering Center), along with weather information (provided by The Weather Channel), news headlines (provided by Google News™), and live camera images (partially provided by The Earth Television Network) of nearly 60 cities around the globe.

Through LIVE CHANNEL, PS3 users will be able to enjoy worldwide news and live information free of charge. In addition to LIVE CHANNEL, Life with PlayStation will continually deliver a wide variety of interactive content and channels to living rooms through network connected PS3 systems to enhance the world of entertainment made possible by PS3.

PS3 users can easily join Life with PlayStation by simply clicking the Folding@home icon under Network on the PS3 Home Menu (XMB) that will update to Life with PlayStation.

With the latest update, Folding@home will support more advanced simulation of protein fold, and will also support a unique Folding@home ranking system for PS3, which enables users to see where they stand among the worldwide contributors based on their level of contribution.

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LA Noire one of the most expensive games ever, may be coming to 360 too

It's been a while since we heard from LA Noire, Team Bondi's mysterious noir game which was announced ... and well, that's about all. Originally announced for the PS3, it appears the game's incredible production costs may have transitioned it to a multiplatform title. Tom Crago, CEO of Team Bondi called their upcoming game as one of "the biggest budget videogame in development anywhere in the world. It would certainly ... in terms of console titles, be in the top ten... LA Noire is a massive massive project."

According to IGN, Crago supposedly mentioned the project was hitting both PS3 and Xbox 360. Could PS3 have lost yet another exclusive? We'll have to wait and see once Team Bondi makes an official statement.

[Thanks, frankym!]

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Trophies: LittleBigPlanet

This is the list you've been waiting for, folks! Get a look at all 48 Trophies you'll be vying for in the upcoming LittleBigPlanet. Thanks to our friends at PS3Trophies.org.

Bronze Trophies
The Gardens - Complete all levels in The GardensThe Savannah - Complete all levels in The SavannahThe Wedding - Complete all levels in The WeddingThe Canyon - Complete all levels in The CanyonThe Metropolis - Complete all levels in The MetropolisThe Islands - Complete all levels in The IslandsThe Temples - Complete all levels in The TemplesExpert Creator - Complete all levels in the tutorialsArtist - Place a stickerHomemaker - Place 10 stickers or decorations in your podFashion Sense - Choose a costume for your sackperson with at least one item on your head, at least one item on your body, and a materialForager - Collect 25% of the prize bubbles on the story levelsSticky Fingers - Collect 50% of the prize bubbles on the story levelsTreasure Hunter - Collect 75% of the prize bubbles on the story levels2X Multiplier! - Get a 2X Multiplier8X Multiplier! - Get a 8X MultiplierIncredible Speed! - Travel at incredible speedIncredible Height! - Travel to an incredible heightFriendly - Complete a level with more than one player Party Person - Complete a level online with 3 other players who are on your friends listSocialite - Complete a level online with 3 other players who are not on your friends listTop of the Class - Win a 4-player gameTraveler - Complete a community levelFIRST! - Be among the first 10 people to complete a community levelOpinionated - Tag a community levelNeighborhood - Watch Heart 5 community levelsNetworking - Heart 3 authorsTalkative - Post a comment on a community levelCreator - Build and save a level with the thermometer more than 30% fullTeam Creator - Build and save a level with more than one player with the thermometer more than 30% fullPublisher - Publish a levelLook What I Made! - A level you published was played by 5 or more peopleTrendsetter (Hidden) - Place a sticker or a decoration on another player's sackpersonCranium Collector (Hidden) - Kill 100 Creatures across all levelsSecret Stickerist (Hidden) - Unlock the race in First StepsSackbird (Hidden) - Spend 8 seconds or more in the airSilver Trophies
Just Beginning - Complete all the main path story levels20X Multiplier! - Get a 20X MultiplierHi Score - Collect 1,000,000 points over all levels you have playedBooty Master - Collect all the prize bubbles on the story levelsDr Frankenstein - Create a living creature with at least 2 eyes, 2 legs or wheels, and a brainCrowd Pleaser - A level you published was played by 50 or more peopleFeel the Love - A level you published was hearted by 10 or more peopleCelebrity - You were hearted by 5 or more people as a playerGold Trophies
Play - Complete all story levels without dying, with the exception of those levels that only end when you dieCreate - A level you published was hearted by 50 or more people and you were hearted by 30 or more peopleShare - Play 150 community levels, tag 50 community levels and heart 10 community levelsPlatinum Trophy
Earn all LittleBigPlanet trophies to unlock this platinum trophy

Trophies: BioShock
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Friday, September 19, 2008

"Knock yourselves out"

Kenny Young, Lead Audio Designer on LittleBigPlanet, explains how you can create your own soundtrack for the game that keeps on giving.

“The interactive music in LittleBigPlanet came about as an evolution of the system that the chaps had developed for Ragdoll Kung Fu – in that game there was just one piece of music which played from the moment you started the game up, all the way through the cutscenes and gameplay, and didn't stop until you'd had your fill. What kept it fresh was that the mix would change depending upon the context – triggering a cutscene or progressing through a level would adapt the mix to suit the vibe of what was going on at that particular moment. With LBP, the challenge was to come up with an interface which allowed level creators to do the same thing; mould the music to fit their creations.

“The way you do this is to select the interactive music track you want to use from your POPIT [menu], slap down its music object, then tweak the mix sliders till its got the vibe that suits that part of your level. Now, when a sack person runs past that music object it will start the track playing with your specified mix settings or, if that piece of music is already playing, it will adjust the mix over a couple of bars to the new mix settings. Simple! This allows you to do things like just play the percussion during an escape sequence before throwing everything in for the end of level boss battle; the choice is totally up to you.

“In the developer levels that I’ve worked on here I've tended to use just one piece of music, or musical style in each level, but you won’t face any such limitations. You can't have more than one piece of music playing at any given time as it would sound hideous but there's nothing stopping you from mixing up different pieces of music in your level or, indeed, mixing up interactive and non-interactive tracks. I can’t wait to hear how the different pieces of music are juxtaposed and mashed up in the myriad user created levels published. Knock yourselves out.

“Another way to customise the audio in your creations is with the use of sound objects. As with the music objects, sound objects play when their trigger zones are activated or the switch they're connected up to gets thrown. There's one slight difference here due to the abstract nature of sound as a resource and the challenge of representing it nicely in POPIT – rather than collecting individual sound effects, such as a cow moo, you would pick up an animals sound object, each object being a collection of themed sounds.

“One of these sound objects, potentially the most interesting, is a collection of musical samples which paves the way for the creation of your own Heath Robinson-esque musical contraptions – drum machines and sequenced melody machines, anyone? Don’t expect a serious composition tool, it’s far from being that advanced, however it is a boatload of fun to play with and I’m particularly looking forward to seeing what people come up with using the sound objects coupled with the insane flexibility offered by the physics and switch systems.

“Right now, in this last stage of development, I’m handling the implementation of the localised voice assets for the tutorials, mixing the game and generally just ensuring that everything is up to scratch in audio land. At this time in a project I need to be on the lookout for bug fixes happening in non-audio areas that have knock-ons for the audio, and that means playing the game, then playing it some more. Which reminds me, I really must get back to testing my drum machine. I swear it sounds totally different depending upon whether it's made from green felt or polystyrene.

“I seriously can't wait to see what people come up with using LittleBigPlanet – particularly when it comes to levels. I’ve been playing the levels we’ve designed here for so long now it’d be great to see something completely different. That's where you come in. I'm intrigued to see how the community is going to use the audio features in the game – mixing things up and generally doing all those things I hadn’t thought of!”

Kenny Young, Lead Audio Designer, LittleBigPlanet

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How will you play it?

PlayTV is here!

PlayTV lets you watch, pause and record digital television on your PLAYSTATION 3, and it’s out now.

PLAYSTATION 3 already offers cutting-edge gaming and a High Definition Blu-ray Disc movie player, and soon you'll be able to watch, pause and record free-to-air digital television, thanks to PlayTV.

It couldn't be easier to set up; simply plug a TV aerial into the back of the PlayTV Tuner, connect the PlayTV Tuner to your PS3 using a USB cable and then follow the on-screen instructions.

And once you're up and running, you can record one channel while watching another or playing a PS3 game; see what's on now and next, with the easy to use Programme Guide; and watch TV when you're out and about, using Remote Play for PSP. In fact, you can enjoy all of PlayTV's great features on your PSP, whether you want to watch your recorded programmes or schedule new recordings. All you have to do is find a Wireless hotspot and activate the Remote Play feature.

PlayTV is another reason to have PLAYSTATION 3 and PSP at the centre of your entertainment set-up, and it's available now.

For more information, including videos and guides, head to playtvps3.com

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