Sony preps Develop 3D showcase as Japan freezes on TV upgrades

Sony is preparing to stake its case for 3D gaming at Develop in Brighton this month, despite a Japanese survey today showing that nearly 70 percent of those questioned have no intention of upgrading to 3D TVs this year. Why? Because the glasses are turning them off.

Japanese hardware charts – DS goes top as 360 receives Slim boost

Another week, another win in Japan for P… hold the phone. Best sit down for this.

DSi LL’s new colour scheme has properly done the trick for Nintendo: sales of it rocketed, giving the handheld the top spot with 41,000 last week.

Jaffe: Twisted Metal in development for 18 months

David Jaffe has revealed that Twisted Metal has been in development by Eat, Sleep, Play for around 18 months.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is “a fresh start on the franchise”

Deus Ex: Human Revolution’s game director Jean-Francois Dugas has said that the development team behind the game are “dedicated to re-creating” the Deus Ex experience “for a new generation of gamers” that missed out on it previously.Speaking with Gamespot, Dugas said that as action RPG, the game has a “compelling narrative”, a “great cast of characters” and will allow you to play it the way you want.

Epic gives Gears of War 3 audio tour

Gears of War 3 executive producer Rod Fergusson and design director Cliff Bleszinski have provided an audio tour of Gears of War 3 in video form.

Each video includes screens and art from the game and are rather large, so they may take a while to load. But if you are a Gears fan, it should be worth the time and effort – depending upon your perspective.

Source: games news and review

Rumor – Sonic Free Riders coming, has Natal support

Looks like SEGA has a new Sonic Racer game in the works for Natal, and it’s to be launched via XBL and announced at E3.

Bethesda: Doom 4, Rage will show id’s “true potential”

Bethesda’s Pete Hines has said that id’s “true potential” will be shown soon, thanks in part to Doom 4 and Rage.

Molyneux: Fable III touch mechanic inspired by Ico

Ico was the inspiration behind Fable III’s touchy stuff, Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux’s told OXM.

Molyneux said the game’s touch feature is “not a gimmick and is actually quite a big part of the game.”

Yet more Alpha Protocol movies detail protagonist, old man, fit woman

Sony’s reportedly released a hardware update for PlayStation 3, adding in an improved, cheaper RSX graphics chip that makes the console less likely to be affected by YLOD and uses 15 percent less power.

Yoshinori Ono says to ask Capcom for another Darkstalkers

Super Street Fighter IV producer Yoshinori Ono has said that if you want another Darkstalkers game, start bugging the living hell out of Capcom.

Third Bad Company 2 map pack getting ready for release

Looks like Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is getting set for the release of a third map pack, going by the listing for any VIP owners online.

ModNation Racers PS3 to release on May 21 in UK

ModNation Racers for PlayStation 3 will release on May 21 in the UK, VG247 can exclusively reveal. Sony’s just confirmed the date to us via email just now. The firm insists that the date for the PSP version, announced back in February, is still “TBC”. The racer from United Front Games will now launch in the UK and Europe before it does in the US: it’s due to launch there on May 25.

Bungie: Halo: Reach almost “content complete”

Halo: Reach’s creative director Marcus Lehto has said the game is days away from being “content complete”.In the latest entry on the game’s development blog, he said the team at Bungie intends to make sure it will be “the best damn thing” that you’ll ever put in your 360 disc tray.

MGS: Peace Walker nabs 40/40 in Famitsu

Stop the presses! Famitsu’s given top marks to the latest entry in a big-name videogame franchise!What’s that? The sky is blue? Woah. No way.No, no, dear reader. We haven’t come down with a serious case of “how the world works” amnesia.

Musician mentions “Sony” and “LittleBigPlanet 2″ in tweets

A tweet from musician Ochre has said he’s licenced a song for an upcoming first-party PS3 game. The game in question: LittleBigPlanet 2. The tweet in question seems to have been deleted since then, but LittleBigLand screencapped the tweet before being removed. “Pleased to announce the licencing of ‘Infotain Me’ to Sony for Little Big Planet 2 on PS3,” the tweet reads.

Crytek taking 3D “very seriously”, working close with Move, Natal

Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli has revealed that the developer is working “very closely” with Microsoft and Sony’s new motion controls. While he admitted that the firm was working with Move and Natal, an NDA forbade him from speaking further on the matter. He revealed as well that the CryEngine platform supports the technology.

Nolan North: Uncharted 3 is “common sense”

Uncharted 3 is an almost certainty, yes? Nathan Drake himself Nolan North isn’t going to come out and say it, but he tells us to use “common sense” on it.

“I’m not supposed to talk about that,” North said on the most recent episode of the PlayStationChat podcast when asked if a sequel from Naughty Dog was inevitable.

“I’ve been told I can’t say one way or another. But I will ask a question back: Do you think it would be financially responsible of Sony to not make a third game that has made hundreds of millions of dollars for their company?

“You’ve just got to use your common sense. What do you think? I’m not supposed to say one way or the other. I would encourage everyone to tap into their common sense.”

North further added: “I’m sure if we all used our common sense, I’m sure that decision from Sony will be very, very soon.

“Not that I would know anyway. I would think that we would just have to hope that our senses are finely tuned into how the industry works. Not that I’m saying anything one way or the other. You should understand that… You should all think about what would be sound decisions.”

So it’s “common sense” to assume there will be Uncharted 3, then? Would it be “common sense” to see it at E3 as well, eh? Please do, Sony.

Via PSU.

Uncharted 2 “the perfect example” of storytelling, says Crysis 2 writer

Halo? “Bullshit”. Modern Warfare 2? “An immense disappointment”. Uncharted 2? According to Crysis 2 writer Richard Morgan, it was “the perfect example” of storytelling in games.

“There is absolutely no reason why you can’t weld a really good narrative to a really cool shooting game,” Morgan told NowGamer.

“Uncharted 2 is the perfect example…it’s tongue-in-cheek, but it’s a compelling story and it’s a very straight-forward gameplay dynamic.

“Crysis 2, fine, it is fundamentally about firefights – about shooting stuff – but so was BioShock. The whole point about BioShock was the texture that made it.

Crysis 2 releases this Holiday season for PS3, 360 and PC.

Four more development vets flee Infinity Ward

When it rains and your old bosses open up a new studio, it pours. Or at least, we’re pretty sure that’s how the saying goes. Another day, another troop of Infinity Ward veterans packing their bags.

Gears of War 3 formally announced

Gears of War 3 has just been formally revealed live on US TV.The announcement was made by Epic Games’ lead designer Cliff Bleszinski on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. A teaser was also shown, confirming an April 2011 release.It brings to an end nearly half a year of speculation as to when we’d see the final chapter in the Gears trilogy. Last September, Epic president Michael Capps said if Gears 3 happened, it’d be on the next-gen consoles.