Just Cause 2 owners can download a free vehicle today or spend money to access a few goodies that used to be pre-order incentives.

The new vehicle, pictured below, is called the Tuk Tuk Boom Boom. Yes. Apparently it's available for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

"Pimped-out and bumped-up, this auto-rickshaw rolls with style, grace and a roof-mounted weapon of mass destruction," apparently. BOOM.

It's got reinforced shields, an armoured windscreen and "quad front-mounted air horns", for her pleasure.

So that's free. Rico's Signature Gun, the Bull's Eye Assault Rifle and the Chevalier Classic limousine, however, are 80 Microsoft Points (£0.68 / €0.96) apiece.


BOOM!
Just Cause 2's previous downloadable packs were the Black Market Aerial Pack and Black Market Boom Pack, which were 160 MSP / €1.99 each and introduced planes and weapons.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/fr...r-just-cause-2 ...

Sledgehammer Games has relaunched its website and revealed that it has a proper office now, having hired more than 50 people to work on its new Call of Duty game.

"We are currently in production on a Call of Duty FPS game. More details coming soon or sooner if you pass our interview process and become an employee!" the main page jokes.

According to co-founder Glen Schofield, the studio now consists of "well over 50 developers" and is "still hiring", having moved into an office on 27th February.

Photos of the facilities include a shot of the room where the team reviews progress on the game, with PS3 and Xbox 360 development kits visible, along with some PCs, but no sign of a Wii or any other formats.

Sledgehammer was formed in late 2009 by Schofield and his colleague Michael Condrey, who left EA's Visceral Games studio after working on the likes of Dead Space.

The team's Call of Duty focus came to light following the ousting of Vince Zampella and Jason West from Infinity Ward earlier this year and publisher Activision's subsequent COD reshuffle.

At the time we were told Sledgehammer would "extend the franchise into the action-adventure genre", although job adverts - and now the official site - indicate that, whatever the variation, the game will be played from the first-person perspective.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/sl...ng-for-cod-fps ...

CNET is reporting that a fifth of Android apps expose private data. The Android market threat report details the security issues uncovered. Dozens of apps were found to have the same type of access to sensitive information as known spyware does, including access to the content of e-mail and text messages, phone call information, and device location. 5% of the apps were found to have the ability to make calls, and 2% can send text messages, without the mobile user doing anything.

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/06/...e-Private-Data ...

It seems Sony's proposals regarding PlayStation Plus - its new paid-for PSN service going live on June 29 - weren't clear enough, and the bombardment of questions has lead it to post a more detailed brief on exactly what you get for your cash money.

This should answer all your questions but it's fairly long so we'll leave Sony to it:

Ok, here are the basics of the new premium subscription service, PlayStation Plus:

* Launching on the 29th June

* The current PSN features will remain free. We are still very committed to PSN as a free gaming service and are certainly not planning on reducing this service following the launch of PlayStation Plus.

* Plus is an evolving service and the features included at launch will be:
- Games
- Discounts
- Exclusive items on PlayStation Store
- Full Game Trial
- Automatic Downloads
(More info on these below)

* Membership to Plus can be purchased through PlayStation Store on PS3 for either 90 days or a whole year (365 days)

* Local prices for membership can be found below, payment is a one off fee for either of the memberships and can be purchased with any of the current Store payment methods - Credit Card or PSN Cards

* If you sign up between the 29th June and 3rd Aug for the 1 year subscription then you will also receive a downloadable copy of the original LittleBigPlanet game for PS3, completely free! This is yours to keep and is not tied to the period of subscription

Here are the features in more detail -

Games & Special Offers: As a member you can expect to get your hands on at least 4 games a month at no extra charge. Each month there will be a selection of 1x PSN game, 2x minis and 1x PS One classics. A list of the games available in month 1 and 2 can be found below. You will be able to download these games during the month they are available, until the new selection replaces these.

Once downloaded, these games are yours to keep and play as long as you are a member of PlayStation Plus. If your subscription lapses and then you re-subscribe the games you have already downloaded will reactivate, so you still have access to them. Additionally, if you delete one of these titles from your PS3 but decide you want to get it back then you can re-download from the Plus section of the Store if the games is still there, or, if the game has expired from the Plus section of the Store, then you can simply search for it on the Store and download it again at no extra cost.

Each month there will be 2 dynamic themes, 2 premium avatars and premium game elements/add-ons for you to download and many of these will be exclusive to members only. These are yours to keep forever once you have downloaded them.

Plus members will also be given exclusive PlayStation Store discounts each month that are above and beyond the current Store discounts available to everyone. These discounts will range from 20% - 50% and anything you buy with these is yours to keep and enjoy forever.

Finally, wherever possible we'll be making sure that members are included in some selected demos and beta trials early, before they go live to everyone, so you can be the one to tell all your mates about the next big game they 'must' get.

As I mentioned, just the games themes and avatars are worth over £200* a year and with unrestricted access to 48+ games each year and all the other features, we think this service is great value for money.

Full Game Trial: Each month we will be offering members the chance to download 2 full games, try them out for a period of time (1 hour unless otherwise stated). Then you will have the choice to either buy the game and carry on from where you left off, or delete the game from your hard drive. This is a unique way to trial the full game experience and means you don't have to be restricted to certain levels/game modes when you test out a game.

The games in full game trail will become available to all Store users to purchase but only Plus members will have the chance to 'try before you buy'.

The other great thing about this feature is that you can continue from where you were at the end of the trial period if you decide to buy the game. All game saves and trophies earned during the trial will be unlocked and will show up on your trophy list and your trophy level, when you purchase the game. You don't even have to re-download the game, just purchase and go back to the XMB to access the game.

Automatic Download: Members will be able to set their PS3 to wake up from standby at any time of the day or night, download and install any game updates for the games you have been playing and we will also send you new game demos that will be ready and waiting for you to play when you next use your PS3. System software updates will also download automatically (manual install still required) and then the PS3 will turn itself off again.

Game updates and demos will also automatically install and the next time you turn on your PS3 you will see a brief on screen message letting you know what has been downloaded and updated.

Some other answers to frequently asked questions from the last blog post -

* Cross-game chat is not currently included in PlayStation Plus.

* You need to be the master account holder on the PS3 and be over 18 to purchase a Plus membership but other accounts on that PS3 will be able to play the games you download for as long ...

It seems Sony's proposals regarding PlayStation Plus - its new paid-for PSN service going live on June 29 - weren't clear enough, and the bombardment of questions has lead it to post a more detailed brief on exactly what you get for your cash money.

This should answer all your questions but it's fairly long so we'll leave Sony to it:

Ok, here are the basics of the new premium subscription service, PlayStation Plus:

* Launching on the 29th June

* The current PSN features will remain free. We are still very committed to PSN as a free gaming service and are certainly not planning on reducing this service following the launch of PlayStation Plus.

* Plus is an evolving service and the features included at launch will be:
- Games
- Discounts
- Exclusive items on PlayStation Store
- Full Game Trial
- Automatic Downloads
(More info on these below)

* Membership to Plus can be purchased through PlayStation Store on PS3 for either 90 days or a whole year (365 days)

* Local prices for membership can be found below, payment is a one off fee for either of the memberships and can be purchased with any of the current Store payment methods - Credit Card or PSN Cards

* If you sign up between the 29th June and 3rd Aug for the 1 year subscription then you will also receive a downloadable copy of the original LittleBigPlanet game for PS3, completely free! This is yours to keep and is not tied to the period of subscription

Here are the features in more detail -

Games & Special Offers: As a member you can expect to get your hands on at least 4 games a month at no extra charge. Each month there will be a selection of 1x PSN game, 2x minis and 1x PS One classics. A list of the games available in month 1 and 2 can be found below. You will be able to download these games during the month they are available, until the new selection replaces these.

Once downloaded, these games are yours to keep and play as long as you are a member of PlayStation Plus. If your subscription lapses and then you re-subscribe the games you have already downloaded will reactivate, so you still have access to them. Additionally, if you delete one of these titles from your PS3 but decide you want to get it back then you can re-download from the Plus section of the Store if the games is still there, or, if the game has expired from the Plus section of the Store, then you can simply search for it on the Store and download it again at no extra cost.

Each month there will be 2 dynamic themes, 2 premium avatars and premium game elements/add-ons for you to download and many of these will be exclusive to members only. These are yours to keep forever once you have downloaded them.

Plus members will also be given exclusive PlayStation Store discounts each month that are above and beyond the current Store discounts available to everyone. These discounts will range from 20% - 50% and anything you buy with these is yours to keep and enjoy forever.

Finally, wherever possible we'll be making sure that members are included in some selected demos and beta trials early, before they go live to everyone, so you can be the one to tell all your mates about the next big game they 'must' get.

As I mentioned, just the games themes and avatars are worth over £200* a year and with unrestricted access to 48+ games each year and all the other features, we think this service is great value for money.

Full Game Trial: Each month we will be offering members the chance to download 2 full games, try them out for a period of time (1 hour unless otherwise stated). Then you will have the choice to either buy the game and carry on from where you left off, or delete the game from your hard drive. This is a unique way to trial the full game experience and means you don't have to be restricted to certain levels/game modes when you test out a game.

The games in full game trail will become available to all Store users to purchase but only Plus members will have the chance to 'try before you buy'.

The other great thing about this feature is that you can continue from where you were at the end of the trial period if you decide to buy the game. All game saves and trophies earned during the trial will be unlocked and will show up on your trophy list and your trophy level, when you purchase the game. You don't even have to re-download the game, just purchase and go back to the XMB to access the game.

Automatic Download: Members will be able to set their PS3 to wake up from standby at any time of the day or night, download and install any game updates for the games you have been playing and we will also send you new game demos that will be ready and waiting for you to play when you next use your PS3. System software updates will also download automatically (manual install still required) and then the PS3 will turn itself off again.

Game updates and demos will also automatically install and the next time you turn on your PS3 you will see a brief on screen message letting you know what has been downloaded and updated.

Some other answers to frequently asked questions from the last blog post -

* Cross-game chat is not currently included in PlayStation Plus.

* You need to be the master account holder on the PS3 and be over 18 to purchase a Plus membership but other accounts on that PS3 will be able to play the games you download for as long ...

Aaron Greenberg has claimed that the combination of Xbox 360's exclusive games and franchises coming to the system for the first time - such as Metal Gear Solid - mean that "if you're a gamer, you have to have an Xbox".

Speaking to VG247, the Microsoft product boss said Hideo Kojima's demo of Metal Gear Solid: Rising at the Xbox 360 E3 conference was "the perfect follow-up [to 2009's E3]".

He added: "As we thought about this generation, you've seen that our strategy is to have the most exclusives and the biggest blockbuster games. We've invested in Halo, and Gears of War, and Fable, and Alan Wake, and Crackdown 2, and a lot of the big titles that we think you'll buy an Xbox 360 for.

"At the same time we realise there's a whole set of big franchises that we never had on our platform, things like Final Fantasy; Metal Gear was a great example of that. We feel like we've kind of removed that. Now, all the biggest games are really available now on Xbox 360. If you're a gamer you have to have an Xbox, because that's where those games are at."

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...VG-General-RSS ...

A new study suggests that Americans spent $168 million on mobile virtual goods in 2009, with over 70 million Americans - 23 per cent of the population - now owning some kind of smartphone.

Research firm Frank N. Magid Associates and mobile social gaming network OpenFeint created the Magid Media Futures 2010 Wireless and Consumers study to examine the specifics of the mobile virtual goods market in the US.

They found that 45 per cent of smartphone owners play mobile games and 16 per cent of those spend an average of $41 per year on in-game virtual goods.

A total of 55 per cent of smartphone gamers expressed an interest in buying virtual goods, with the largest demographic being men between the age of 18 and 34.

Smartphone gamers were found to download an average of 14 games per year, paying for four games on average and obtaining the rest for free. Application store reviews and word of mouth proved to be the most influential factors on downloading a game.

"Everybody knows free-to-play social gaming models on PC platforms have been making a killing, but mobile virtual goods aren't as well understood," said Mike Vorhaus, president of Magid Advisors.

"With almost 20 per cent of smartphone gamers already making purchases, there's a lot of room for the market to keep taking off as smartphones continue to increase in popularity," he added.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-worth-USD168m ...

Nintendo's 3DS handheld has the potential to attract an older, broader audience to handheld gaming, according to Sega West's president Mike Hayes.

Speaking in an interview published today on GamesIndustry.biz, the publisher boss suggested a number of mature Sega franchises could work on the 3DS, if the handheld appeals to a wider demographic than previous Nintendo consoles.

"With the quality of the device they've got it's possible they can expand their audience into an older, broader audience," he said.

"It was interesting to see games like Saint's Row on the device. If we could bring, let's say, a House of the Dead or an Aliens title, if the audience for 3DS is much broader it could give us much more scope in that market, and that's as exciting as well as Mario & Sonic and Monkey Ball games."

Publishers are already committing triple-A franchises to the 3D console, with Capcom's Resident Evil, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed and Konami's Metal Gear Solid projects already in development.

A number of publishers, most significantly Sega, Capcom and Electronic Arts, tried to reach a mature audience on the Nintendo Wii with mixed results, eventually abandoning efforts to reach hardcore game consumers on the home console.

But Hayes sees new potential, and praised Nintendo for its vision of 3DS, highlighting the fact that while many manufacturers can jump on the home 3D bandwagon, Nintendo has created its own unique, self-contained technology.

"The 3DS is Nintendo through and through, this is Nintendo's brilliance," he offered. "They're almost in their own technological world, doing their own thing.

"Whilst 3D TV is quite an amazing technology advancement, and many companies will get into that, Nintendo will now create this huge business with their own unique piece of technology that very few if any, will be able to copy. That's Nintendo over and over again, it's fantastic. For us as a third-party it's a great leg up in terms of the portable business."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...andheld-gaming ...

EA Sports boss Peter Moore has told Eurogamer that there are no current plans to resurrect the SSX series of snowboarding games.

Moore was speaking to Eurogamer at E3 in a wide-ranging and slightly bonkers interview that also touched upon Andrew Wilson's golf skills at the Sony conference, Kirby's Epic Yarn and one of our readers' use of the word "milk".

"SSX is a fabulous piece of intellectual property. You never say never, but there's nothing to say right now," Moore told Eurogamer.

When asked what kind of approach EA might take were the publisher to look at restoring the series, which debuted on PlayStation 2, Moore indicated that it would not be enough simply to approach it with the same ideas in mind.

"Well, everybody talks about Tricky," he said. "I think we'd have to look at how you bring back SSX's snowboarding mechanic and make it relevant.

"It's been a number of years, some people may not even have played an SSX game. You've got to look at the current marketplace and Shaun White coming back again."

EA Sports' last SSX title was the disappointing SSX Blur on Wii.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/mo...ord-on-new-ssx ...