What’s even more amazing, is that some 10,000 (yes, ten thousand) games have been released for the PS2, developed by over 450 different developers, and there have been sold over half a billion PS2 games in the US alone. Wow.

With all the hype about Guitar Hero and Rock Band, it was just a matter of time before another controller in the form of a musical instrument (in this case another guitar) would come out. And Logitech will not allow itself to be outdone as it unveiled its Logitech Wireless Guitar Controller for PLAYSTATION 3 and PlayStation 2 computer entertainment systems.

Following the introduction of the Logitech Wireless Guitar Controller, Premiere Edition (previously available only in select markets), the new black guitar controller is expected to be available worldwide later this month. The Logitech Wireless Guitar Controller is licensed by Activision Publishing, Inc. for the award-winning Guitar Hero franchise.

“Logitech’s new guitar controller delivers the same unparalleled Guitar Hero experience offered by our previous premiere edition to an even broader group of gamers and at a great value,” said Ruben Mookerjee, Logitech’s director of product marketing for gaming. “Everything about the Logitech Wireless Guitar Controller is premium – from the authentic wood material and flawless black finish, to the noise-dampening design of the strum bar and buttons, to the authentic accents provided by the metal frets.”

The Logitech Wireless Guitar Controller for PLAYSTATION 3 and PlayStation 2 computer entertainment systems is expected to be available this month in the U.S. for a retail price of $199.99 (U.S.) and will be available in Europe in June.

(Source) Press

Now available for the Playstation 2 and Xbox 360, and with a sequel that I’ll be tackling later, Warriors Orochi posits the combining of two different time periods, the Three Kingdoms era of China, and the Warring States period of Japan.  These two are separated by about fourteen hundred years, so this is actually quite an achievement.  Anyway, this massive time rift was brought about thanks to the demonic efforts of Orochi, the Serpent King, who decided that life was entirely too boring what with wars going on and all, and instead decided to bring a couple totally different wars together and then get personally involved.  When you actually answer to the name “Serpent King”, you shouldn’t expect a whole lot in the way of sanity, so I’m sure on some basic level this whole thing really must make sense to Orochi.  Anyway, you’ve got a whole lot of disparate warriors taking on the various armies, including Orochi’s own demon-fuelled army where most of the lieutenants seem to be named after snakes, in an attempt to get back to their proper space and time.

On the one hand, this is a pretty sweet story.  This actually puts Eric Flint’s 1632 novel, and resulting Grantville Saga, to shame in terms of sheer epic.  The problem, of course, is that you’re going to have almost NOTHING to do with this epic aside from running around and hammering the quick attack button until your thumbs begin to ache sullenly, as though every throb is saying “Why are we even bothering with this ridiculous tripe?”  Seriously—in the first level alone I killed over five hundred men.  The fact that I had to take on a LIGHT BATTALION (seriously—a battalion is comprised of between five and fifteen hundred troops) armed with a giant pointy stick (a spear, really) alternately excites and horrifies me by turns.  But sadly, I’m not sufficiently excited to go on nor am I sufficiently excited to recommend it.  Maybe if I’d had a laser cannon instead…no.  No, it really doesn’t matter because all I did was run around a field swinging my big pointy stick and prematurely ending the lives of an entire light battalion’s worth of men in just one stage.  At the rate I was going I probably would’ve exterminated an entire brigade of men by the time I got to Orochi, and all I ever did was pound that light attack button fully two thousand times.  Possibly more.

Not that’s the only problem with this—just the biggest.  The graphics and sound are strictly mediocre and, while you can upgrade your weapons throughout the game, it really doesn’t seem to make a fat lot of difference to the gameplay.

And worst of all, they’ve got a plotline here on par with the greatest of alternate history science fiction, but your involvement with it comes down to pound a button several thousand times.  If you’re into repetitive action and racking up a kill count that would make Freddy Krueger hang his burn-scarred head in shame and admitting that he is a TOTAL pussy compared to you, then Warriors Orochi will give you that sweet bloodlust taste you’ve been craving.  Otherwise, I’m sad to say, give this one a pass.

Based on the upcoming feature film which itself is inspired by one of the most beloved characters of all time, ASTRO BOY: THE VIDEO GAME will allow players to become Astro Boy, a young boy robot with incredible powers. ASTRO BOY: THE VIDEO GAME is slated to ship worldwide this fall to coincide with the North American and international release of the movie in October 2009 from Summit Entertainment.

“We are confident that the ASTRO BOY: THE VIDEO GAME will be a faithful adaptation of the movie by successfully blending action gameplay with immersive storytelling,” said Alison Quirion, vice president of marketing, D3Publisher. “Players of all ages will interact with the much-loved characters from the movie and square off against powerful foes from the movie for a rock solid gameplay experience from start to finish.”

ASTRO BOY: THE VIDEO GAME for Wii, PlayStation 2 system and PSP system is under development by High Voltage Software and Nintendo DS by Art Co. Ltd. The game is currently rated “RP” (“Rating Pending”) by the ESRB.

(Source) Press

Sony has cornered a small part of the market for this highly anticipated game however as non-Sony platform versions of the game will only be launching in North American markets. For Europe and PAL territories it’s going to be a Playstation exclusive title, with the PS3 and PS2 versions launching on June 19th along with the re-release of the film on Blu-ray. The PSP title will be available for those territories in Autumn of this year.

This time around, there will be some differentiation as Quantum of Solace incorporates events from TWO different Bond installments–Casino Royale and its namesake Quantum of Solace, with a few events unique to the game–Bond is out to recover Mr. White, and fights his way through a small army.  Getting Mr. White back to Siena, Bond discovers that Quantum, an organization Mr. White is part of, has agents that have managed to infiltrate MI6.  From here, Bond proceeds onward through a whirlwind, worldwide adventure, gaining his vaunted Double O status, and ultimately attempting to take down Quantum.

And indeed, what I believed would be the case before I slapped the game in my system was to be—it was a first person shooter that mirrored the events of the movies fairly closely, albeit with some noticeable differences, and I thought that it was going to be yet another in a long string of games that I had already played before.  The unusual thing about the whole mess was that I actually had some fun with this one.  Maybe it was the smoothness of the controls, or the way I got a variety of weapons right out of the gate.  I don’t know what it was, but I both had fun and did NOT get seasick, relative rarities as far as first person shooters go.

And that’s the problem, isn’t it?  It’s a first person shooter game.  If you’re not a huge James Bond fan or really into first person shooters then there’s only so much fun you can have here.  Indeed, I started getting bored with the whole thing after I shot up Mr. White’s pocket army at his house.

There is some further help on this one—there are several multiplayer modes to help improve playability and long-term replay value.  A first person shooter DOES make a good party game with lots of action, so there’s some value here, unless you’re chronically playing alone.

Let’s be clear—Quantum of Solace may be one of the best first person shooters I’ve ever played, but still, it’s only the best first person shooter I’ve ever played.  It’s like finding that particular brand of rat poison that makes you throw up the least when you mix it in a milkshake.  Or maybe the particular brand of anvil that hurts the least when you drop it on your foot.  I’ve only seen a handful of really entertaining first person shooters in my time, and admittedly, Quantum of Solace is one of them.  It’s a good rental, but sadly, not much else than that.

You might think that, once again, I’m wasting time covering a game like this.  After all, you’d think, everyone knows how to play Trivial Pursuit.  And again I say, that not only is this for the benefit of those two or three random people out there who’ve never seen a copy of Trivial Pursuit–and you’d be surprised; they probably do exist– but also because entirely new game modes have been added to this game, and those require discussion.

Of course, the standard mode is fully available to play right from the beginning, in which you and a collection of friends go forth to see who knows the most about the least relevant stuff in a series of different subclasses of knowledge including Arts & Literature, Games and Leisure, and of course, Entertainment.  Your primary goal is to collect six scoring wedges in your round playing piece with six notches capable of holding the wedges. Those of you who refer to the wedges as “pieces of pie” are not alone.

However, there is a new game mode available called “clear the board”.  Designed for the single player, you’re basically out to get as many scoring wedges as possible, and when you collect a wedge, all questions in that category are removed from the board.  Your goal therefore is to do exactly as the game mode is entitled and clear the board.  For each question you get right in a category, the number is added to a multiplier which in turn gives you a higher score for collecting that scoring wedge.  However, time is also a factor, and the faster you clear the board the better.

Once again I find myself bemoaning the lack of online capability with a game like this because it’s entire point is to be played with people.  And there aren’t always people around, so it’s good to have online capability so that you can find people to play with.  While the single player mode is not without its charms, it’s clear that this was meant to be a party game.  And if there is no party, or a party cannot be assembled around it, than the game’s value becomes somewhat limited.

This isn’t, however, to say that there isn’t fun to be had here– it’s just that the fun is somewhat limited when the game is not being used as is clearly intended.  Make no mistake, this is a party game.

There is plenty to like here; the graphics are fun and even single player gameplay is entertaining, plus the purchase price is a downright bargain especially if you’re the kind of gamer who loves to get together for a game.  Especially considering how easy it is to add questions to the game– one downloadable pack is already available full of movie trivia– it’s definitely the kind of game worth talking about if you’re the party gaming sort.

If you don’t get out of the house, however, this is one game that you won’t want to take out of the box.

While their competitors in the gaming console market are slashing prices to obviously entice sales and make their game consoles affordable in the market, Nintendo is taking its sweet time following their lead. Priced at $250, it has already made an achievement as far as the number of game consoles sold.

And with recession obviously forcing the hand to somewhat put game consoles out of their circle of needs, Nintendo may be still studying the market before making any hasty decisions on price slashes.

“Price drops are just not needed by Nintendo at this time,” said Van Baker, a Gartner analyst. “The console occupies a unique position in the market as a fun game console that is for the whole family.”

Nintendo may not have to cut prices just yet, but consumers may wonder about price reductions since Nintendo rivals have already made the cut. Microsoft slashed its Xbox 360 price, and last month Sony cut the price of its PlayStation 2 after 10 years of the device’s availability.

“Microsoft and Sony cannot position their consoles in the same way [as the Wii] because it would alienate their core gamer customer,” said Gartner’s Baker. “There is little price pressure from either competitor.”

The only exception is the PlayStation 2, which will put some pressure on the Wii, noted Baker, adding that the pressure will be minimal because the device is seen as the last generation’s console.

Since the launch of Microsoft’s Xbox 360, 28 million units have been sold worldwide. The console’s figures put it ahead of Sony’s PlayStation 3, which has sold approximately 20 million units since its launch in 2006.

(Source) NewsFactor

Sony has recently announced that they’ve teamed up with Nike to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Playstation 2’s launch in Japan. Yes, it has been that long.

Anyways, what you see above is the Playstation Air Force 1 from Nike. Don’t expect to see this pair in your local shoe market as only 50 of them will be produced. And, apparently, those 50 pairs will be given to Sony execs, press, and VIPs. Bummer.

But wait, there is an auction up on eBay that has the very first pair of the Playstation Air Force 1s ever produced. How much are they goin’ for? Well, the bid is at $2,135 as of writing this article and the auction doesn’t end until the 24th.

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