via Eurogamer


Media Molecule's David Smith has confirmed trophies will feature in LittleBigPlanet - and offered a hint at what you can expect.

During a live text interview with Eurogamer Smith said, "We've been having a lot of fun working out what trophies most fit our game. Because we have this catchphrase of 'Play, Create, Share', the trophies (and indeed some of the other scoring systems) reflect this."

He was responding to a question from reader 'will.', who wrote, "Personally, I'm looking out for 'Rocket sack - launch your sackboy into the heavens!'"

Smith co-founder replied, "One of the trophies is close to what you've suggested - for somehow making your sackperson be thrown at some huge velocity. You'll probably need to make a machine using the create tools."

Earlier on in the interview, Smith confirmed LittleBigPlanet is down for an October release and said there are still plans for a beta trial. Read the full live text interview for more, here. ...

Okay. Sony has released the much anticipated 2.40 firmware update for the Playstation 3. You can update via System Update on your console or download it onto a memory card or other via PC. The full changelog from 2.36 is as follows taken from the company's european website:


Main features in system software update version 2.40

• You can now access the PS3 Home Menu screen while playing PLAYSTATION 3 format software.
• You can now perform an Internet search directly from the PS3 Home Menu screen.

Other new or revised features in version 2.40

Overall

• You can now see the system clock on the PS3 Home Menu screen. The date and time that were set under Settings > [Date and Time] are displayed.
• When using a keyboard, you can now clear the entire text entry field at once.
• An icon is now displayed when you press the PS button for an operation that cannot be performed.
• Users
• You can now turn off the PS3 system from the PS3 Home Menu screen using the [Turn Off System] option.

Settings

• You can now set the PS3 system to turn off automatically after updating the system software.
• [Reassign Controllers] and [Controller Vibration Function] have been added as options under [Accessory Settings].

Photo

• You can now print images from a playlist.
• You can now sort items that are grouped in a folder by month or year using the [Film Date] options.

Music

• You can now use a mini-size control panel while playing music.
• You can now play music content encoded in MP3 Surround format.*

* MP3 Surround can only be played in Linear PCM output.

Video

• You can now use the [Frame Noise Reduction] and [Block Noise Reduction] settings for video content that is saved on the hard disk or storage media.
• You can now play upscaled video content that is saved on the hard disk or storage media. When the video content is played, it is upscaled automatically to fit the screen size.
• Upscaling of Blu-ray Disc (BDAV) video content is now supported.
• For DTS-HD playback on DVD-Video and Blu-ray Disc media, DTS-ES and DTS 96/24 for DVD-Video and DTS-ES Matrix for Blu-ray Discs are now supported.*

* "DTS" is a trademark of DTS Inc.

Game

• The procedure for quitting PLAYSTATION 3 format software has been changed.
• You can now collect trophies in games that support the trophy feature.

Network

• [Search] has been added as an option in the browse mode menu of the Internet browser.

Friends

• The number of Friends who can be added to a Friends list has been increased from 50 to 100.
• The [Information] screen has been redesigned and renamed as [Profile].

...

via Computer and Video Games


THQ has sent us six new screens and a brand new video for its Wii platforming game, de Blob.

Dubbed (somewhat incorrectly) as the Wii's answer to Katamari Damacy, deBlob pits a lump of goo against a greedy co-operation that turns the city of Chroma into a colourless, sterile landscape.

It's been getting some pretty good previews, which we recommend reading on the game info page.

de Blob is due out on September 26 of this year, only on Wii.


Screenshots
Trailer ...

via Computer and Video Games


Director of PlayStation Network operations Eric Lempel has posted some answers to the most asked questions regarding Sony's latest PlayStation 3 firmware update.

The FAQ covers subjects like voice messaging and private chat, web browser access, in-game invites and even Eric's favourite cheese. Sounds pretty intensive. Here's the full thing:


Will voice-messaging/private chat be featured in 2.40 as well? If not, can we expect to see this feature added in the future?

We are evaluating the opportunity to offer voice chat, but for this update, we wanted to focus on text messaging as the key priority for communications that our users have asked for.

Can you use the web browser in game?

No, you must exit the game before browsing the internet.

Will In-Game XMB come up during playback of PS2 games, Blu-Ray discs, and DVDs?

The XMB is an exclusive feature for PS3 game titles. Accessing the XMB during gameplay was the top request from our users, which we focused on for this update. However, we continually engage PS3 owners for feedback and will evaluate the opportunity to offer XMB access during movie playback in the future.

Can we go to the display settings and change anything there in-game (resolution, input, etc)?

No, you must exit the game before changing these settings.

Will it be possible to change in-game the sound output?

Yes, sound output changes are supported.

Will we be able to access the PLAYSTATION Store while in-game?

No, but you can view your downloads in progress.

Will we be able to stream music (either via media server or USB drive) for custom soundtracks or is it relegated to music stored on the HDD?

Currently only music stored on the HDD is accessible in games that support this feature. We'd also like to reiterate that Firmware v2.40 merely enables custom soundtracks. It's up to developers to include this feature in upcoming games (or to patch existing ones).

Does 2.4 enable cross game invites? Will it down the line?

No, cross-game invites are not available in this system software update. We are evaluating opportunities to expand on the new features delivered in 2.40.

Will trophies be mandatory for all games release here on out?

We are working with developers to ensure that Trophies are supported across the board in the future.

Where is each player's trophy stat info held? I am going to upgrade my hard drive and I don't know if the trophies will still be on my account if I earn some and then get a new hard drive.

Trophies will be attached to users' PSN ID. Trophy data needs to be synchronized to the online account on PSN to be transferred to the new PS3 system.

Will the patch automatically allocate unlocked trophies according to your saved files or would you have to do it again?

No, Trophies aren't retroactive.

Can we view PSN profiles/Trophies from a PC using a Web browser? Will there be an API for web developers to access the PSN data, so online profiles can be created?

We're evaluating these opportunities to expand where Trophies can be experienced.

Can you only compare trophies with friends that are online?

As long as a friend has a PSN account, you can compare trophies with them regardless of their online status.

Is there a limit to how many trophies the devs can put set by Sony?

There's not a limit on number of trophies, but there's a value assigned to each trophy. Developers must balance out the trophies that are available to stay within an overall value based on whether the game is considered large-scope or small-scope. Essentially, a user that has unlocked every trophy in one game would have the same level as a user that unlocked every trophy in another title, all titles (depending on scope) have the same overall impact on a users' level.

Will new games have a cool little icon on the back saying "trophy compatible?"

We're currently working on how Trophy support will be messaged to the consumer on our software packaging.

When you get a trophy, does it make a noise?

How quickly things can change - there *will* be a sound effect when you unlock a Trophy.

What is Eric's favourite cheese?

Mozzarella ...

via Computer and Video Games


Sony has denied that it plans to offer PlayStation 2 titles as digital titles via the PlayStation Store.

As we reported yesterday, a forum post on N4G allegedly quoted a Sony London insider saying that the store would get PS2 games this summer. They posted a nice screen, too.

According to Sony's Patrick Seybold though, this is not happening. "I'm not sure where the image came from," he said to GamePro. "At this point, we haven't made any announcements, and there are no plans for PS2 downloadable titles on PS3."

Pretty decisive words. The source did claim that Sony would reveal the service at E3 this year though, so there's still a possibility Sony is just staying tight-lipped until the big reveal. ...

via Eurogamer


Nintendo is hosting a series of events across the UK offering you the chance to try out Wii Fit and get a free health and fitness check.

It's all part of the platform holder's Feel Great Britain initiative, which comes complete with an extremely lifestyle website full of white.

Visit the site for full listings of when and where Feel Great Britain events are taking place, get fitness tips from the likes of Rosemary Conley and win an exotic holiday to the Lake District.

Alternatively, you could just read our review of Wii Fit to find out whether it's right for you. Perhaps while eating some chips. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Microsoft will drop the Australian arcade edition of the Xbox 360 by $50 to $349. That's in Australian dollars, in case you thought you missed a newsflash where the US invaded Oz.

The move now makes the Xbox 360 Arcade console the cheapest system on the Australian market. The Wii is selling at $399.

The console war is quite tight in Australia and New Zealand, according to IGN. Whilst the Wii is in the lead with 456,000 units sold, the Xbox 360 is only slightly behind at 410,000. The PS3 is still playing catch-up on 285,000.

Those of us in other territories shouldn't hold their breath for a price cut, however. When asked if this was the first step in an international pricing strategy, Australian Microsoft rep Jeremy Hinton replied:

"Today we're only announcing Australia and New Zealand and what you will see is that certainly over the next 12 months that price drops and price activity will not happen globally. We've been given more authority to do what's best for the Australian consumer." ...

via Games Industry


Treyarch has apologised for comments calling Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway "a crappy war game".

The Call of Duty: World at War developer said it found the statement made by an Activision representative "offensive", and that it had "nothing but respect" for its World War II competitor Gearbox.

"Over the weekend, we learned that some disparaging comments were made by an Activision rep at a recent Call of Duty: World at War press event. We want to let everyone know that we found those remarks offensive, and they do not in any way represent the feelings of any developer at this studio or at Activision," said "JD", Treyarch community manager, on the Xbox forums, as reported by Kotaku.

"We hold all of our peers in the development community in the highest regard. We have nothing but respect for the guys and gals at Gearbox."

The offending comments were made to Eurogamer Germany by Noah Heller, senior producer on COD5. He concluded that Hell's Highway wasn't "in the same league" after watching a trailer for the game.

"They're not a game we even think about when we're playing, we think about the best shooters, we play [Call of Duty 4] Modern Warfare, we play Gears of War, we play Halo. That's the competition. We want to look at the games that do great storytelling," Heller told Eurogamer Germany during a video interview.

"We don't want to look at someone who's just making a crappy war game."

Treyarch share the Call of Duty franchise with the franchise's originator Infinity Ward and developed the third in the series before working on the current fifth title. ...

via Eurogamer


Activision will be offering you the "Top Gun Anthem" for Guitar Hero III this Thursday.

It's to celebrate Independence Day and so it will be completely free, and Eurogamer's been told that the song will be on the European PS3 Store the same day.

"Top Gun Anthem" is an instrumental guitar piece. We could hum it to you but you're better off listening yourself. Importantly it isn't "Danger Zone" or "Take My Breath Away".

Did you know that Top Gun instructor Jester is played by Michael Ironside, who is known as the voice of Sam Fisher? You probably did actually. We're not special. ...