Via Joystiq

With that Killzone sequel stuck somewhere in the PlayStation 3 pipeline, Sony and Guerilla have opted to keep the franchise alive with a PSP spin-off, releasing this week. Guerilla was not up to the task of proving FPSs could be done well on PSP, so Liberation is brought to us in third-person, which has proved more stable and successful on the platform. But releasing alongside Vice City Stories and a pair of Q Entertainment puzzlers could mean Liberation gets slept on.

Here are some mixed critiques:

IGN (90/100) opines Killzone's got "depth" and "accessibility," making it "one of the best games on [PSP]."

GameDaily (80/100) gives a clear-cut endorsement: "Killzone: Liberation is definitely worth buying."

Game Informer (73/100) applauds Guerilla for "actually trying to do some quality work on the PSP," but warns, "this game will kick your ass" because of awkward controls and difficulty balance. ...

Amazon has decided to honor "several pre-orders" for Wii that slipped through the cracks as the site performed system maintenance on Friday. Pre-orders were accidentally reactivated for testing purposes during an unspecified window of time, and anyone who happened to purchase the non-item will be entitled to a Wii console, though not necessarily at launch.

Amazon's video games editor also confirmed that the site will re-launch pre-orders on a future date -- Amazon briefly offered pre-orders in September. Interested parties can sign-up to be notified of pre-order availability on Wii's product page. Anyone reading get lucky this past Friday? ...

Ars Technica reports that someone has dug up the details on the Broadway chip used in the Wii.

Looking at the details, the site reports that the Broadway chip is really just an over-clocked Gekko chip, used in the GameCube, that runs cooler and with less power.

This confirms what we've all suspected, the Wii is really the GameCube 1.5... but that's only looking at the specs. What Nintendo is really selling with the Wii is a new way to play games, not a new way for developers to show us the same games we've been playing for years. So when you open that box on Nov. 19, remember it's really just about the controllers. ...

The New York Times reports on Nintendo's visit with the AARP. The Association for the Advancement of Retired Persons held a products show this past weekend, and Nintendo showed up in force to demonstrate the 'new generation' of gaming products they're offering. From the article:
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Ubisoft executive Alain Corre has said he believes Microsoft is set to reap the benefits of the European PS3 delay this Christmas in the form of extra hardware and software sales.

Speaking in an exclusive interview, Corre - who is executive director of EMEA territories - said, "We had three PS3 games down for Christmas. I would have preferred the PS3 to come in, but it wasn't a big part of our business plan this year, and it can easily be replaced by the extra sales we'll do on 360 games that would have been cannibalised by PS3 games.

"I think that Sony giving an extra Christmas to Microsoft is an issue because the more 360 is established in homes, the less PS3 will be," he continued.

"The PS3 and the 360 are not cheap, so once people buy a machine they won't neccessarily by a second one three months after that or even a year after that. So I think for Sony, the earlier the better now."

According to Corre, the PS3 delay will not just benefit Microsoft but also Nintendo, which is set to launch the Wii in Europe on December 8 priced at GBP 179 / EUR 249.

When asked if the relatively low price point for the console is set to give Nintendo a much bigger advantage over its rivals, Corre replied, "I think it is. Thanks to this machine, Nintendo will convert a lot of non-gamers to the gaming community.

"Women, parents, gamers that used to play on NES or SNES and think games have got too complicated - the Wii might bring them into this business, which is good news for all of us."

Corre believes the games industry is currently going through a transition unlike any that has come before - the major difference being that previously "there were two and a half systems. This time we have three new consoles, which have each a strong possibility to perform and to achieve huge installed bases.

"That's the very first time that's happened in this industry. If you look back 15 or 20 years ago, we had two systems. This time we have three, and that's very good for all of us," he concluded. ...

Microsoft has once again denied that there are any plans to cut the price of the Xbox 360 - at least, not before the end of 2006.

Rumours of a cut began to emerge as early as May, resurfacing in June and July - but each time, MS dismissed them. However, in August, the price of the Core system did drop from GBP 209 to GBP 199, with retailers claiming the initiative was driven by Microsoft and vice versa.

There has recently been speculation that a price cut could be on the way in time for Christmas, in a bid to give the Xbox 360 an extra boost as the Nintendo Wii hits shelves worldwide and the PS3 arrives in the US and Japan.

But speaking to SeattlePI.com, a spokesperson said there are "no plans to adjust the price of the Xbox 360 this year".

It would seem that the company is sticking to its guns for the time being, with more than 6 million consoles sold and a year's head start over Sony and Nintendo. There's also the fact that the PS3 has been delayed in Europe until March, giving Microsoft even more time to establish a healthy installed base over here.

Analysts speaking to SeattlePI.com agreed that a price cut for 360 is unlikely in the near future, with Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter explaining that the price gap between Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 gives Microsoft "the luxury of waiting". ...

Nintendo has confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that there are plans to launch a new version of the Wii featuring DVD playback functionality in Japan.

The Wii's original spec sheet said the console would come with a DVD player as standard, but Nintendo later elected not to include the feature - observing standalone players are now widely available at low cost.

However, an article in the latest issue of Edge magazine states that an "enhanced" Wii with DVD function is due out in Japan some time next year.

Speaking to GI.biz, a spokesperson declined to comment on when the new machine will hit the shops, but did confirm, "There are currently plans to release a version of Wii in Japan featuring DVD playback."

He added, "There are currently no plans to bring this model to Europe or the US."

The Edge article also claimed that CNN has already signed up to provide content for the Wii news channel in the US and Japan - but according to Nintendo's spokesperson, "We have currently announced no deals with any news or weather service provider for Wii channels."

He also dismissed suggestions that Nintendo originally intended to price the Wii at GBP 150 / USD 200, but was forced to increase the price to GBP 180 / USD 250 following pressure from retail chains concerned about profit margins.

"Price is set by retailers, not by manufacturers, so there is no truth in this assumption," the spokesperson said. ...

Kingdom Hearts producer Tetsuya Nomura claims that Disney's already clamouring for Square Enix to do a third in the cross-over RPG series.

Speaking to Dengeki PlayStation in an interview partially translated by IGN, Nomura says Squenix has "already been approached by the Disney side saying that they want us to make it".

But whether that'll happen is something he can't predict at the moment, with the team's schedule full up with the likes of Final Fantasy Versus XIII. "We have various ideas, but we're not at the point where we can say [we'll do it]," Nomura admits, adding that the hectic schedule means "it's physically impossible at the present".

The Kingdom Hearts team is currently working on the Japanese "Final Mix" edition of the sequel, which recently came out in Europe and won critical acclaim in most quarters. ...

Peter Jackson and WingNut Films officially "postpone" making the Halo movie. Official statement inside

After Universal Pictures and 20th Century Fox pulled out of co-financing the Halo movie, Bungie and Microsoft were quick to state that work would carry on regardless.

A statement has now been released from Jackson and WingNut Films saying all work on the movie has been postponed: "As was previously confirmed, we deeply regret that both Universal and Fox did not choose to move forward with financing the Halo film under the original terms of the agreement.

"At this time Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, along with their partner, Microsoft, have mutually agreed to postpone making a feature film based on the Halo video game universe until we can fulfil the promise we made to millions of Halo fans throughout the world that we would settle for no less than bringing a first class film to the big screen.

We are fully supportive of Director Neill Blomkamp's vision of the film. Neill is a tremendously gifted filmmaker and his preliminary work on Halo is truly awe-inspiring. While it will undoubtedly take a little longer for Halo to reach the big screen, we are confident that the final feature film will be well worth the wait."

The Halo movie was loosely scheduled for a summer 2008 release. Don't expect to see it for a very long time now... ...