Are you a Playstation 3 owner? Do you play online Call of Duty: Black Ops? Do you also happen to be running it on hacked firmware or cheating via server hacks? If you meet all 3 conditions in order, you may find yourself getting barred from playing Cod:Bops online.

Reports from Ripten says Sony's recent v3.56 firmware update in response to the PS3's total hacking early this January has earned some players permanent bans, though some say they're innocent. So tell us, have you been affected? Tell us via comments below. ...

via Eurogamer


Square Enix has told Final Fantasy XIII fans it's probably a good idea to keep hold of their save files if they plan to play direct sequel Final Fantasy XIII-2 – there could be a surprise in store for them if they do.

Exactly what the surprise is, however, is unknown. All we know is the development team is investigating the possibility of giving something to players who have save data in place.

In an interview with Japanese magazine Famitsu (translated by Andriasang), Yoshinori Kitase and Motomu Toriyama revealed more details on the hotly anticipated Japanese role-playing game.

Kitase and Toriyama divulge story details that discuss the ending of Final Fantasy XIII throughout, so beware of spoilers.

The role-playing game features a brand-new story and an evolved battle system. It will be a darker tale than Final Fantasy X-2, the last direct Final Fantasy sequel.

Final Fantasy X-2, released around two years after FFX on PS2, followed X's Yuna and her friends Rikku and Paine in more of an action-adventure style than usual, a move that proved intriguing to some but still divisive.

XIII-2 sounds as though it will stick closer to the XIII template in combat terms, although some changes to the battle system will be unveiled later in development.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is due out for PS3 and Xbox 360 in PAL territories next winter. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Sony's PSP2 will NOT be digital-only, despite the suggestions of some high-ranking execs at the firm over the last year.

Sony's New Generation Portable (NPG), as it's being called, will still carry physical media - but the firm's done away with PSP's UMD in favour of a new flash memory-based card format. This will be dedicated for NGP software titles.
NGP will come equipped with two cameras on its front and rear, as well as three motion sensors, gyroscope, accelerometer and electronic compass. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Treyarch's launched a 'hotfix' for the PS3 version of Call of Duty: Black Ops addressing a number of issues that came to light following the launch of Patch 1.06 yesterday.

According to the developer, the quick fix addresses "wonky Killstreak selections" and control configurations resetting to default settings.

Community manager Josh Olin also said about an hour ago that he's working on an ETA for the latest Black Ops Xbox 360 patch, Title Update 6.

Yesterday, Treyarch released Black Ops PS3 Patch 1.06, which was designed to address numerous issues with the shooter, add a few new features and tune the gameplay. ...

via Eurogamer


BioWare has fixed the PS3 Mass Effect 2 bug that was corrupting save files and throwing away hours of gamers' time.

That fix will be part of a patch that also speeds loading and level streaming; adds telemetry (an information reporting system); corrects spelling mistakes (!); alters the picture in Shepard's Cabin so that it reflects the love interest chosen during the interactive comic; and eradicates a bug causing the PSN download version of ME2 to crash in Shepard's Cabin.

But alas, the patch first needs to be delivered to Sony for validation and distribution. BioWare - wrote community manager Chris Priestly on the company forums - will do this "ASAP". Friday is his best estimate of when the patch will be submitted.
Priestly said BioWare had data showing that only a "very few people" encountered the save game problem.

He went on to explain that "there is a very simple work-around to ensure the freezing and corruption issues are minimised".
...

via Eurogamer


Square Enix developer Tetsuya Nomura has told Final Fantasy fans anxiously awaiting news on the release of mysterious PlayStation 3 exclusive Versus XIII to forget about it for now.

The game will take more time than Type-0 and XIII-2, he explained to Japanese magazine Dengeki PlayStation (translated by Andriasang), because Square Enix is trying to do "a number of incredible things".

This is something he hopes players understood from the Japanese-exclusive trailer, released last week as part of a Square Enix Tokyo press conference.

Given Type-O and XIII-2 are slated for release this year, Nomura's comments suggest Versus XIII will launch during 2012 at the earliest. Our next update on the game will come at the earliest at E3, Nomura told Dengeki.

Little is known about the action-RPG, despite the fact it was first announced in 2006 alongside sister title Final Fantasy XIII.

The main character is a chap called Noctis Lucis Caelum. He's a prince, and is quoted as saying, "Fools set the rules in this world. Just take a look around. It's Undeniable." Cheer up, mate.

Noctis is said to have great physical ability and a secret power that only the royal family possesses. During combat commands for Magic, Item, Summon and EX-ARTS are available.

Combat is party based, granting players control over a maximum of three characters at a time. During early parts of the story the game will swap party members in and out for you. However, as you advance in the story, you'll be able to freely switch out members.

Interestingly, the game has a realtime event system that seamlessly transitions attacks and other gubbins into the flow of gameplay. Examples given include a plane crashing into the road and a beast attacking when Noctis reaches a bridge.

Development of this aspect of the game takes a long time, said Nomura. ...

via 1up


Japanese publisher Kadokawa Games released the first info today on Tenku no Kishi: Rodea, the latest title from Yuji Naka's Prope studio and the first to be released on the Nintendo 3DS.

Rodea, which will be hitting both the 3DS and Wii systems, offers flight-based gameplay that's a bit like Naka's 1996 classic Nights, except with more emphasis on shooting enemies and taking down enormous bosses. Control on the Wii version is handled entirely with the remote -- instead of directly controlling Rodea, you point to onscreen locations and tap the B button to direct him over there. A, meanwhile, is the attack button; you can press it down to fire at will, or point to objects or enemies and hit A to target them.
Rodea's story and world design is being handled by Takumi Miyajima, a game-industry veteran who's worked on RPGs like Tales of the Abyss and Arc Rise Fantasia. The game is set in a fantasy world where two kingdoms compete for natural resources. The titular character, an android who's just been woken up after 1000 years of stasis, is thrown into the midst of this conflict and has to figure out which superpower to side with as he fends off his pursuers.
No release date has been given for either version of Rodea yet. ...

via 1up


Japanese publisher Kadokawa Games released the first info today on Tenku no Kishi: Rodea, the latest title from Yuji Naka's Prope studio and the first to be released on the Nintendo 3DS.

Rodea, which will be hitting both the 3DS and Wii systems, offers flight-based gameplay that's a bit like Naka's 1996 classic Nights, except with more emphasis on shooting enemies and taking down enormous bosses. Control on the Wii version is handled entirely with the remote -- instead of directly controlling Rodea, you point to onscreen locations and tap the B button to direct him over there. A, meanwhile, is the attack button; you can press it down to fire at will, or point to objects or enemies and hit A to target them.
Rodea's story and world design is being handled by Takumi Miyajima, a game-industry veteran who's worked on RPGs like Tales of the Abyss and Arc Rise Fantasia. The game is set in a fantasy world where two kingdoms compete for natural resources. The titular character, an android who's just been woken up after 1000 years of stasis, is thrown into the midst of this conflict and has to figure out which superpower to side with as he fends off his pursuers.
No release date has been given for either version of Rodea yet. ...

via Eurogamer


PlayStation Plus members will get automatic access to the impending SOCOM 4 beta, Sony has announced.

The news came courtesy of the EU PlayStation Blog's Twitter feed, although no firm start date was revealed.

Things will work slightly differently in the US however. There, anyone picking up a specially-labeled copy of Killzone 3 when it launches next month can expect to find a code within granting them access to the beta.
PlayStation Move-compatible squad shooter SOCOM 4 is due for release later this year. Its predecessor, SOCOM 3: US Navy SEALs, launched on PlayStation 2 back in 2006 scoring 6/10 from Eurogamer's Matt Martin. ...