via Eurogamer


Sony has decided to turn popular quiz show Jeopardy! into PSN game, which should be available today on the PS3 Store.

Word comes by way of the US PlayStation blog, which means European whereabouts are shakey. Nothing on the Store so far.

Jeopardy! has been running for around 25 years, and has provided the Buzz! series with more than a liberal dose of inspiration. The core idea is that contestants must pick answers and then guess the questions to them.

SOE Los Angeles, which makes PC and mobile versions of the quiz show, is behind the adaptation. Multiple choice answers have been added, controversially, but only flash up after you buzz in and stake some money on delivering the correct response.

There are around 2500 questions, online and offline multiplayer for four of you, plus expansion pack plans for 2009. There's no word on the price, though. ...

via Eurogamer


Sony has announced that WipEout HD will cost GBP 11.99 when it launches, but the release date has yet to be confirmed.

WipEout HD is 60 frames-per-second, 1080p downloadable PS3 take on the classic futuristic racing series, featuring tracks borrowed from the excellent PSP duo, WipEout Pure and Pulse.

The game was held up recently by a specific technical problem - believed to be a failed safety test for epilepsy.

However, Sony went on to deny that, claiming the real reason for the delay was to add new features like Trophy support, eight reverse tracks, four extra tracks and two-player split-screen.

Whatever the reality, you can expect to read our review of the finished game very soon, and can check out our WipEout HD hands-on preview in the meantime. ...

via Eurogamer


Rare has vigorously denied suggestions that its Avatars for Xbox 360 are a deliberate attempt to copy Nintendo's popular Mii template, claiming that it began work on the project before Wii had launched.

Speaking to Eurogamer TV for today's show, head of art Lee Musgrave revealed that it was only after Microsoft had seen the original concepts for customisable in-game characters that it decided to put Avatars at the centre of the New Xbox Experience, the forthcoming dashboard overhaul due to launch this autumn.

Musgrave said: "It was an idea we had, even before Miis were part of the gaming scene, of putting these characters that you have an affinity with, not necessarily as part of the Xbox dash, but somewhere in the Xbox that you would play multiple games with, that you would have multiple experiences with that same character."

Seeking to hammer home the point that any similarity between Avatars and Miis was purely coincidental, producer Chris Sutherland added: "We had a project up and running that had Avatars in them and the aim was always to have this component where you were able to customise your character and apply clothing to them."

And just in case there was any remaining confusion, Musgrave assured us that "Microsoft did not turn up one day in a speeding car and say, 'They've got Miis - do something!' It wasn't like that at all; it was something that fell into place over a period of time." More likely a private jet anyway.

The lovely chaps at Rare also told us there was some confusion early on as to what form the Avatars should take. "Should these things be little animals, should they be quirky characters, should they be Spore-like creatures, should they be ultra-real humans? We landed in the place that we have from the overriding theme that is approachability," said Musgrave. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Not content with consistently topping Xbox Live's most played list, Infinity Wards seems to want to snap Live in half this weekend, confirming half price DLC and double XP for Call of Duty 4.

It's slicing 400 points off the price of the Variety Map Pack, so you can grab it for just 400 points on September 12-14 only - it goes back up to 800 points next week. Get it if you haven't already...

And double XP, as previously confirmed, means rapid ranking-up in half the time.

This is all going down on Xbox Live only, but it'll be PS3 gamers' turn next. "Don't worry PS3 players, because we'll be doing the same for you guys; but due to schedule conflicts we couldn't do them back to back so the PS3 weekend will be closer to Sept the 18th (I'll have a dedicated post for our PS3 users on that event), but you can expect some of the same benefits and festivities," says IW on its official site.

Anyway, have some spare controller batteries ready for the weekend...


Screenshots ...

via Eurogamer


Sony has decided not to release a Blu-ray version of Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty in the UK after all.

The rest of Europe will still get the disc, but according to a spokesperson, Sony decided - when the time came - that the existing PSN download would be enough for us.

Bad news for those living in caves or trees or underwater, then. Or, simply, those not keen on sitting through a 3.2GB download for a slightly unremarkable add-on.

Quest for Booty, in case you didn't know, has Ratchet (but not Clank, who is missing) chasing treasure, drinking rum, exploring caves and bopping robot pirate baddies. ...

via IGN


Sega is bringing the Phantasy Star series to the DS. The new game is titled PS0. No, this is not a new version of Phantasy Star Online. The "0" is actually "Zero" (which you may or may not have figured out depending on your browser's character set).

While the magazine describes PS0 as a completely new title, it does inherit a bit from its predecessors. On top of a story mode, which is not detailed in the magazine, players have access to a four-player multiplayer mode which offers both local and Wi-Fi Connection-based play.

One of the coolest new features for the multiplayer mode is visual chat. Players have access to a scratch pad on the bottom screen, which they can fill with doodles and send to fellow players. The drawings appear in bubbles above the characters, giving the game a comic look (assuming you're good-enough at drawing, that is).

Players can also communicate using pre-set symbols.

Outside of the chatting, the bottom screen is used to display your stats, a map, and your action palette (this is the name that Phantasy Star gives to the player's move menu). It appears that you can select moves from the palette using either the stylus or the R button.

PS0 features all the Phantasy Star character types of old, along with a few new ones. The characters are drawn a bit younger here, as if they've gone back to their teenage years, but PSO fans will have no problem recognizing them.

For this first DS installment, Sega has brought in some new additions to the development staff. Toshiyuki Kubooka, from the Idol Master and Lunar series, is overseeing character creation. Tooru Shiwasu, who previously headed up the online quests in Phantasy Star Online but went on to become an author, is working on PS0's scenarios with another author, Teru Arai.

PS0 is set for Japanese release this Winter. ...

via Joystiq


Poor Vigilante 8 Arcade. The car combat game has gone from a sweet spot in June (where it could have been a cool oasis in the summer doldrums) to being all but finished in August and now, the game has hit yet another snag with a few obscure bugs in the Microsoft certification process. So now, Luxoflux is looking at more QA with Activision followed by a second certification attempt.

Don't get us wrong, we appreciate everyone taking the time to get it right. But we're entering that time of year when it would take something huge to wrest our attention from the torrent of retail releases, and we're just not sure Vigilante 8 has that kind of pull anymore. Here's hoping we see it soon. ...

via Eurogamer


Sony has confirmed the contents of the MotorStorm: Pacific Rift demo due to be distributed to Qore subscribers in the US and randomly selected European PSN users starting this Thursday, 11th September.

The track you get to play is Rain God Spires - an Air Zone track that takes you along a bumpy coastal mountain circuit with plenty of ups and downs to highlight the game's massive draw distance.

There's no online play in the demo, but you will be able to play it in two-player split-screen as well as single-player.

If the name sounds familiar, it should; Rain God Spires is a sort of sequel to Rain God Mesa, the mountaintop track that starred in the original MotorStorm demo and gave us our first glimpse of what Evolution's racing game - now series - has to offer.

Check out today's MotorStorm: Pacific Rift hands-on preview for a bit on Spires, and more on the Cascade Falls and Wildfire tracks, along with some of our observations about track layout in general, the game's visuals and the new monster truck. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Sony has launched a competition for you to design your own Sackboy, with the winning entry making it into the game for all to download.

Over on the PlayStation community page you can print out a blank Sackboy on which to scribble your creations.

"Send us your inspired outfit ideas for Sackboy or Sackgirl, and Media Molecule will pick out the best one and transform it into new attire. The winning design will be available to download for free from the PlayStation Store for use in LittleBigPlanet," says the dev.

The competition runs until September 30. ...