Sackboy Is... The Law!

Coming later this month on the 28th, Sackboy will be getting a ton of new DLC for Judge Dredd and others from the 2000 AD comic universe. Watching the video, while completely silly in itself, makes it feel like a perfect complement to the Sackboy universe. I can't wait!

Killzone 2 (PS3) Review

Not sure what the hubbub is about - I found Killzone 2 to be as generic as they come. No real innovation, just lots of density smoke, a decent draw distance, and lots of fancy lighting effects in an attempt to mask gameplay that would've been somewhat cool in 2001. Wait a sec, it's 2009. So sorry folks, nothing to see here. Oh, and don't get me started on the controls. 7.4/10.

Noby Noby Boy (PSN) Review

Yeah, this one was weird. It was like a train set with no instructions and a bunch of moving parts. Except for a train, you have this weird worm thing that does nothing but stretch. A pointless endeavor really, but one would hope that it would hold a little more substance given the fact that it was made by the same makers of Katamari Damacy - one of my favorite games of all time. Unfortunately, the quirkiness only goes so far with stretching (versus Katamari's rolling) and I would imagine many would become bored within minutes into the game. A shame, really, but it's still an interesting piece worth noting. Just not of Katamari proportions. 7.1/10.

Flower (PSN) Review

Like a poem, Flower really has no form or function other than to mesmerize you. It's definitely a nice break from all the lame shooters and zombie fiestas I've been experiencing lately. So kudos to the boys at Sony for getting more and more creative games up on the network everyday. While superb and innovative, it's short as hell. Taking you about 2 1/2 hours to complete and another few just to get the trophies, you won't be getting much mileage for your money. It might be worth $5, but nowhere near the $10 that comes retail. Still, a sweet little experience if you've got some extra cash laying around. 8.0/10.

OMG! PSN Games Are Free!

A bit of an oldie, but a classic example of epic failure nonetheless:

A member at Gametrailers forums had only 3 dollars in his store account. He went and bought the COD4 map pack and he was shocked to see that he could buy a map pack that is 7 dollars. He then thought that they where all free and continued downloading almost everything in the store, only to realize a few hours later that the store saves your account info and takes out money without having to add funds. I'd hate to be that kid right now.

ok..i have about 3 dollars on my account and i tried to download the COD4 maps and it worked!!! and i started to download almost everything on the PSN!!!!
OMG!!!

How To Share Games On PSN (Playstation Network)

This tutorial will tell you how to share PSN games with other people, bought or free (I believe this also includes Playstation Home items).

For the "sender":

1. Purchase and download a game from the Playstation Store
2. Go to account management for the account and delete the billing information from your personal information if the PS3 saved your credit card info
3. Change your password temporarily for the share
4. Give login info (email address and password) to the receiver
5. When the share is completed, change the password

For the "receiver":

1. In the PS3 XMB menu, add a new user account on your PS3 and sign in to it
2. Select the network on the XMB and create an existing Playstation Network account
3. Use the login information given from the "sender" to create the existing account
4. Login into the account
5. Enter into the Playstation store
6. Click on "Download List" on the upper right near the person's userID and select the game you wish to download and hit download
7. After game is downloaded, notify the "sender" that the download is complete so they can change the password to the account
8. Enjoy!

New Final Fantasy XIII Character Gets The Perfect Fro

Overdrive Gauge now = Groove Gauge. Get your funk on to activate super psychedelic attacks! But no really, in all seriousness, it's nice to see Square Enix finally reintroducing the brotha' to the franchise again. Just take a look at Barret - the angry guy with a machine gun on his arm - he's got to be one of the best characters ever created for any video game.

Illegal? Pretty Much, But It's Still Damn Cool

Sorry, but I just had to share. If you're using your PS3 and want to view full movies for free, try this:

1. In your PS3 browser, type in divxcrawler.com.
2. From there, select a movie of your choice and press the Triangle button over the Download link provided.
   
3. Go to File > Save Target > and save it to your PS3 hard drive.
4. Voila! Instant downloads direct to your PS3.
   

Update: Nevermind. It downloads at 1.4 KB/sec max. What a major bag of fail.

Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3) Review

I've heard great things about the Ratchet & Clank series, but have never had the opportunity to do a complete run-through of their first PS3 entry until recently. I gotta hand it to the boys at Insomiac - they really know how to make a kick ass video game. The level design and weapon upgrade system is so well-paced and integrated that time literally flies as you're running around trying to figure out your Lombat history. And it's in no way a short game either - expect a full 40 hour gameplay experience that's full of twists and turns, entertaining characters, and excellent production value. 9.3/10.

Tversity Alternative: PMS (PS3 Media Server)

If there's one thing I've slowly become aggravated about is the complexity of streaming media to my Playstation 3. Not only does the Tversity method seem to take forever (with slight modifications here and there, crashing, and other nuisances), but the fact that I had to write up an entire "method" to get it to work correctly is just ridiculous.

This is why I'm dropping Tversity altogether for this new Java-based no-BS version of the same idea implemented in a way where you don't need to install a single codec, modify a single service entry, or do a million tweaks in order to get it to stream a single file. It's called PMS (yeah, super name choice) and is a great solution for people looking to stream any type of media to their PS3 without the headaches that tend to accompany such a task. It's still in beta form, but my initial impressions have been nothing but positive. Check it out - it's worth a shot.

Not To Start A Fanboy War But...

I'm with Japan on this one. Their latest survey of 15,000 games across the country of top 10 most wanted games in the upcoming year pretty much sums up my own.

1. Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, Square Enix)
2. Dragon Quest IX (NDS, Square Enix)
3. Biohazard 5 [Resident Evil 5] (PS3/Xbox360, Capcom)
   
4. Dragon Quest VI (NDS, Square Enix)
5. Chrono Trigger (NDS, Square Enix)
6. Final Fantasy Versus XIII (PS3, Square Enix)
7. The Last Remnant (PS3, Square Enix)
8. White Knight Chronicles (PS3, Sony)
9. Ryuga Gotoku 3 [Yakuza 3] (PS3, Sega)
10. Kill Zone 2 (PS3, Sony)

UPDATED: Stream Any Type of Video To PS3

Watch any subbed anime, movie, or TV show on your PS3 now.

1. Uninstall any codec packs you have on your computer.
   
2. Download TVersity without their included codec pack.
   
3. Install FFDShow Tryout rev1726 0071224 from here.
4. Grab the MP4 Splitter: here. (For better MOV support, get Quicktime Alternative)
5. Grab the FLV Splitter: here.
   
6. Grab the 1.0.2.9 "Gabest" splitter: here
1. Install Gabest, MP4, and FLV Splitter by hand:
   Use "Release Unicode" if you're running XP.
2. Extract MatroskaSplitter.ax and MP4Splitter.ax to C:\windows\system32.
3. Start > Run > Type "cmd"
   cd C:\windows\system32
   regsvr32 matroskasplitter.ax
   regsvr32 MP4Splitter.ax
   regsvr32 FLVSplitter.ax
   (You can uninstall with: regsvr32 /u matroskasplitter.ax)
   
7. Go to ffdshow video decoder settings.
1. Enable Subtitles.
2. Make sure the following are checked:
   Accept embedded subtitles
   Accept SSA, ASS, and ASS2 subtitles (experimental)
   Decode closed captions
8. TVersity Tweaks
1. General > Media Sharing Device > Playstation 3.
2. Transcoder > Always Transcode
3. Use 1280x720 res, optimize Quality, Wired, and Minimum compression.
9. Further Tweaks
1. Edit profiles.xml in install directory with Notepad.
   
2. Search "Playstation" and look a few lines below it.
   
3. Change the following from mpeg16 to mpeg2.
   
4. video="video/mpeg2" photo="image/jpeg"
   onlineAudio="audio/mpeg" onlineVideo="video/mpeg2" onlinePhoto="image/jpeg"
   adjustReadStartPos="false" audioFailFutureSeek="false" videoFailFutureSeek="true" />
10. Even More Tweaks
1. Start > Control Panel > Windows Firewall Settings/Security Settings > Exceptions Tab > Add Program > Search your TVersity directory for mediaserver.exe
11. Enjoy media streaming to the max! You now have the ability to stream every single type of media file to your PS3 (except Real format, who uses that anyway?).

Note: These instructions work only if you're running Windows XP Professional SP3. If you're running Windows Vista, run the regsvr32 in the Start Search Bar instead of going into the command prompt. Also, if you're having trouble starting the service, consider creating a user password and then going into services.msc and enabling the Tversity service to log in as your specific user name on your computer, instead of Local system (this applies to ALL USERS, not just Vista users).

DIY: Playstation 3 HDD Upgrading, Save Game Backups

A meticulous and frustrating task may drive one nuts when doing it without a guide. Let's avoid that step by reading some guides.

If you're looking to upgrade your PS3 internal hard drive, you'll need to prep. You need first backup your save data because after a clean wipe, you're never seeing them again. You can do this by plugging in a USB stick (2GB should be more than sufficient) and copying over the save files directly onto the drive. This process usually tosses it onto the main folder so you'll need to plug it back into your PC and move the files manually to the following folder (X:\PS3\SAVEDATA).

As for the actual hard drive removal process, you can read the guide at GamersReports.

After installing your new HDD, you may plug it back in, go into your save data folder on the PS3, press triangle, and copy back over the old save files.

Ryu's Back For More

Looks good, no? Finally a true sequel - none of that Puzzle Fighter crap. Although, I must say, I'm getting pretty good at the downloaded demo off the PSN. Any challengers?

Bomberman Ultra Comes To PSN

This Winter, supposedly. I can't wait to blast all my roommates and friends. Shit, I need more controllers! More info here.

Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) Review

Poor Snake, they really worked you hard this time around. Get ready for an epic end to his journey, with cinematography, back story, and action to make a weekend Lord of the Rings trilogy a mere walk in the park. And to just be clear, this is no walk in the park. The game played on hard will give you quite the run for your money and will test the most skilled of gamers. Litter that with Hideo's ingenious vision and dedication to send Snake on a righteous fairwell, and you've got millions of more dollars coming in for them boys at Sony. 8.8/10.

Devil May Cry 4 (PS3) Review

While level may design may not be its strongest points, the old school RPG elements is what keeps the player coming back for this game and adds (somewhat) to the replayability. Otherwise, it's just a pretty version of the same game you played on the original Playstation. 7.7/10.

Street Fight IV Adds More Dragon Ball Style Fire

Looks like the new Street Fighter is shaping up to be just the 2D inspired combat we've all come to love. The direction is pretty different, but I'm definitely looking forward to the final product.

Pixeljunk Monsters (PSN) Review

Combining some real time strategy with tower defense, Pixeljunk gets it dead on with Monsters. Especially the co-op mode, if you got a friend around who thinks Wii graphics are cutesy, presents an surprisingly rich, engaging, and fun experience that'll keep you dreaming of coins and gems in your sleep. For the small price of just $10, the value is extremely high. Then again, newspaper Sodoku is free, so you could just go with that. 8.5/10.

Metal Gear Solid 4 Dated, Ready To Rumble

Oh Snakey-poo, how I've missed you. After having such a kick ass time on my Playstation 3 so far with Call of Duty 4 and Devil May Cry 4, another final sequel to my one of my favorite games on the original Playstation is more than welcome. Come, my Best Buy gift cards are awaiting your spectacular arrival on June 12, 2008.