It’s a pretty good week for lovers of the music rhythm genre, as not only is Guitar Hero 5 begging for you to spend even more money on plastic instruments but The Beatles finally get their own game in The Beatles: Rock Band. Yes, it may just be Rock Band stuffed with 45 of The Beatles best songs but, come on now, it’s The Beatles!

Colin McRae: DiRT 2 is there for all you Rally lovers, and Championship Manager 2010 comes along just as we’re getting over our addiction from the last one. Section 8 is the odd one of the bunch, but it does look pretty damn good if the videos are anything to go by.

Guitar Hero 5 (PS2, PS3, Wii, X360) 11/9 (PS2 is 8/9)

Kurt Cobain wouldn’t exactly be thrilled at being included in a game with mass market appeal, but Activision knows how to push a few buttons. Cobain or not, Guitar Hero 5 is still going to sell by the bucketload and the updated graphics, 85 songs (with more for download) and the Guitar Hero Studio (which allows anyone to import their songs, providing they own the copyright) will do a lot to bolster that appeal.

The Beatles: Rock Band (PS3, X360) 9/9 (X360) 11/9 (PS3)

The Beatles, on the other hand, were no strangers to milking their success. I suppose being the biggest band in the world gives you a bit of an excuse though. As stated above there will be 45 The Beatles songs, with more available for download, and various dreamscapes that will make you believe there was more in that can of coke than you were lead to believe. Don’t worry though, you can calm yourself down with your free copy of Guitar Hero: World Tour.

Colin McRae: DiRT 2 (DS, PS3, PSP, Wii, X360) 11/9

Colin McRae may be gone, but Codemasters makes sure his name lives on in the videogame world. Thankfully the game is a good homage to the legend, with a new engine and whole roster of events and tracks to keep you occupied. Just make sure you don’t get stuck in the mud!

Section 8 (PC, X360) 11/9

At first glance you may think it’s just another futuristic shooter, with that word that describes a ring of light around someone’s head coming to mind. Then you see the unique ‘burn-in’ feature that allows you to drop onto the battlefield from 15,000 feet above the surface. This is supposed to eliminate fixed spawn points, but it remains to be seen if the game on the ground will be able to successfully follow an awesome start to each level.

Other releases:

• Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s Wheelie Breakers (Wii) *Out now*
• Taisen!! Ka to Chan no Kororonpe! (DS) 9/9
• Windy x Windam (DS) 10/9
• Mean Girls (DS) 11/9
• SingStar Motown (PS2, PS3) 11/9
• Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (DS, PS3, PSP, Wii, X360) 11/9
• Diva Girls: Princess on Ice 2 (DS) 11/9
• Mary King’s Riding School 2 (Wii) 11/9
• Love is… in Bloom (Wii) 11/9
• My Beauty Salon (DS) 11/9
• My World My Way (DS) 11/9
• Championship Manager 2010 (PC) 11/9
• Mini Ninjas (DS, PC, PS3, Wii, X360) 11/9
• Time of Shadows (PC)  11/9

(All images sourced from Gamespot)

The triumphant return of ‘Latest UK Releases’ (it has been on a holiday to a nice sunny beach and, as a result, is now sporting one hell of a tan) is admittedly a rather boring one. I’ve highlighted only two games that I think are worth it this week (ok, Metroid Prime Trilogy is also pretty good but the games aren’t new so it only gets the bulletpoint treatment), complete with the usual short commentary from your’s truly.

Champions Online (PC) 4/9

Champions Online may not be coming to the Xbox 360 anytime soon but at least PC gamers can enjoy its lovely cel-shaded (or ‘comic shading’ as the developers refer to it) visuals. One of the more intriguing ideas the game employs is the ability to create your very own nemesis once you reach level 25. Defeating your nemesis’s minions will give you clues to the whereabouts of him or her, leading to a showdown. The level cap is 40, which may not seem like a lot but I’m sure it will be expanded upon in the years to come (providing the game lasts that long of course).

Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PSP) 4/9

Similar to a fighting game the one big difference is that it includes characters from nearly every single main Final Fantasy game in the franchise. Ever wanted to see Cloud and Squall fight it out? Well, here’s your chance. I don’t think Final Fantasy fans need any more prompting than that.

Other releases:

• Silas (PC) *Out now*
• Pool Hall Pro (Wii) 31/8
• Fate/Unlimited Codes (PSP) 3/9
• Il-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey (DS, PS3, X360) 4/9
• Guilty Gear 2: Overture (X360) 4/9
• Zorro: Quest for Justice (DS) 4/9
• I Did It Mum! Dolls House (DS) 4/9
• Warriors Orochi 2 (PSP) 4/9
• Metroid Prime Trilogy (Wii) 4/9
• SuperCar Challenge (PS3) 4/9
• The Humans (DS) 4/9
• SoulCalibur: Broken Destiny (PSP) 4/9

(Images source)

EyePet, this cute little monkey type furby thing with big ears… You know, I have absolutely no idea what it’s meant to be, but even with the risk of shattering my non-existent tough guy image I have to say that it’s still really cute. Anyway, as I was saying… What? Now it’s hopping around trying to get me to play with it? Ok, just for a few minutes.

….

Damn loveable monkey thing!

Right, let’s get back to business. EyePet, the PS3’s new virtual pet, will be out on 23 October here in the UK – which has only just recovered from the great Furby invasion of the 1990’s (the things I saw in those years, Furby’s taking over entire towns and enslaving their populations. Those times are far too horrible to talk about) – so you can stop watching videos and actually play with the thing yourself pretty soon.

Oh, go on then, here’s one more video. Well, actually it’s above this post so you’ve probably already clicked on it, but for those of you who didn’t then I’m politely asking you to continue to read until the end of this post.

Still with me? Good, let’s continue. EyePet makes use of the PlaystationEye (yes, it IS actually useful for something), meaning that the monkey hybrid thing will appear on whatever surface you have the camera pointed at (it won’t actually appear in reality of course, but it will on your TV). You can then interact with the pet, such as reacting to a tickle, or scaring it when you make a loud clap. There are far cooler things you can do with it of course, such as drawing an object on a piece of paper, holding it up to the camera and having the pet draw a copy. If, for example, you draw the parts of a plane then a plane will appear and the pet will take off with a cackling laugh. You will then never see the pet again, and you will be about £50 out of pocket. Ok, the last part doesn’t happen but there are still plenty of things to keep your kids happy with. There will also be a wide range of customisable options; such as changing the colour of your pet’s fur, or dressing him up in cute little outfits.

Although I begged for one for months I never had a Furby, and I was always a bit sad that I missed out on that craze. Maybe I can relive my childhood fantasies with EyePet, even if it is just a virtual monkey thing on my TV screen.

Because I’m nice you can have one more video. This one is a developer giving a demo, so it actually shows how the game works and doesn’t just throw a cheesy promotional video at you.

(Image source)

Sony has finally confirmed that the previously rumoured ‘slim’ version of the Playstation 3 is real and will be in shops during the first week of September (yes, that’s next month people!). It’s apparently 33% smaller and 36% lighter that the current PS3 (you can see a comparison shot below), has a 120GB hard drive, and will cost 299 Euro’s or £249.99, which means that we’re unfortunately still getting the short straw when it comes to comparing prices here and prices in the US.

The news was revealed during Sony’s press conference by Sony Computer Entertainment America head Kaz Hirai at GamesCom. The press conference also revealed that all current models will finally be getting a much requested price drop from tomorrow. The price will be the same as the PS3 Slim, so you can either buy one now or wait less than a month for a newer and slimmer version for the same price (it’s really a no brainer, just wait). Before you complain that the price of the PS3 Slim should be cheaper than the original PS3 (like the PS2 Slim was for a while), due to cheaper components or whatever, it’s obvious that this move is intended to replace the original once stocks of its predecessor have all left the warehouse (ASDA certainly believes the old one will be phased out anyway).

Personally I’m not sure I dig the new look, but I suppose the loss of shininess will lead the less finger prints all over your console. It doesn’t really matter about the look though, as it finally means that the PS3 can now compete with the other consoles at a more reasonable price point. It’s no longer that expensive when comparing it to the Xbox 360, and with a great stable of games lined up for release (and a number of good ones already out) it’s now easily worth owning one.

Good one Sony, even though it took you long enough.

The ongoing rumours that Sony may currently be working on a ’slim’ version of their Playstation 3 have seemingly gained further strength. Taiwan’s DigiTimes say that Sony has recently “placed significant orders for key Sony PS3 components” from local manufacturing companies. What’s interesting about this news is that the quantities are far greater than the orders that Sony normally place.

Apparently Sony have ordered enough parts to produce one million PS3 consoles in the third quarter of this year, which is double the average of the last quarter.

Of course, Sony may only be ramping up production because of expectation for a higher demand for PS3’s in the next quarter (demand is pretty low at the moment), especially as Christmas is included in the financial quarter and there are a number of big games hitting in the months leading up to it. Another reason for the increase is that Sony are about to discontinue the 80GB model in Japan, leaving Japan open for the 160GB model that the country has yet to receive (the model is already available in PAL and NTSC territories).

So, when you consider the two reasons above does the PS3 ‘Slim’ rumour actually have any legs? Well, there were the so-called ‘leaked’ photos of a prototype from Taiwan. Ars Technica speculated that we would see the new model during either August or September, citing their ‘trusty inside source’. Finally the Amazon.de retailer posted a listing for a PS3 ‘Slim’, although this was later removed from the site.

All we really know is that based on the smaller versions of both the Playstation and Playstation 2 – and now the PSP in the form of the PSP Go - it would be a bit strange for Sony not to take the same route with their current generation console. Anything else is just pure speculation at best. In any case, a price drop is what most people want at the moment and not a revamped console. Obviously if Sony follow the price cutting trend of the ‘slim’ versions of their older consoles then a price drop would be inevitable anyway; just don’t expect it to fall below £200 anytime soon.

Sony PS3 components demand growing significantly - DigiTimes

(Image source)

You may have heard that those who purchase the Modern Warfare 2 Hardened or Prestige editions will get a token to download Call of Duty Classic (which, obviously, is the original Call of Duty) on Xbox Live Arcade and PSN. However, if you don’t want to pay the, quite frankly, ridiculous prices for these editions (the standard edition is bad enough, retailing at a staggering £55!) you will have to wait a little while longer to get your Call of Duty Classic fix.

The game will eventually be made available to everyone via Xbox Live and PSN, complete with working multiplayer, but Infinity Ward is not saying when. I understand that they want to offer people incentives for paying more, but why not release it at the same time anyway and just charge for it? I don’t see the point in limiting it to certain people. I suppose there’s the exclusivity aspect, but you’re also limiting the amount of people available to play against online.

“Prestige and Hardened Edition buyers will be getting access to Call of Duty: Classic first. It’ll eventually be coming out for both Xbox Live Arcade and PSN as a stand-alone arcade game.

However, price and release date are unknown at this point. It’s the true original Call of Duty including full multiplayer.” - IGN

In any case, at least we will be getting it eventually. I’ll probably be downloading it as soon as it becomes available, simply because Call of Duty remains one of the best FPS experiences I’ve ever had. I cannot begin to count the amount of hours I sunk into playing the game online on my PC, and I also made some pretty good friends through it too. It’s a shame that user created levels probably won’t be available in Call of Duty Classic, as that was one of the main draws for me in the original release, but people should be aware that Call of Duty still enjoys a somewhat active fan community on the PC and you will still be able to find an online game if you’re interested.

The major problem with this move is that, well, will people actually bother to play Call of Duty Classic when they’re busy playing Modern Warfare 2?

A few days ago I saw a trailer for an upcoming movie called “Pandorum“. It’s one of those “scares-on-a-spaceship” films that have been knocking around in the film industry for a long while (spawning both b-movies such as It! The Terror from Beyond Space and, of course, big budget classics such as Alien). However, after I had viewed the trailer I wasn’t really thinking about films and, instead, felt like it shared a lot of similarities with Dead Space. We won’t be sure what the monsters actually are until we see the movie, but I’m willing to bet that the monsters are actually the crew just like in Dead Space.

Anyway, my point is that I was thinking that Dead Space might actually make at least an average guilty pleasure flick (I know there was a short animated film, but I’m talking live action here). Maybe “Event Horizon” with lashings of gore and an absence of Sam Neil tearing his own eyes out. A day later Variety had to go and make me think I’m psychic by revealing that EA are currently about to try and sell the idea of a Dead Space film to various studios.

Variety says that EA will produce the film with Temple Hill partners Marty Bowen (”Twilight“) and Wyck Godfrey (”Alien vs. Predator“, “I, Robot“). D.J. Caruso (”Eagle Eye“) is also set to direct the film, which EA are set to auction off to studios after they secure a writer. Apparently this could be as early as September, but that doesn’t mean we’ll be seeing the film at our local cinema anytime soon.

EA have recently secured a deal for a film version of their upcoming game Dante’s Inferno, and since that game doesn’t have the sales to go with the name yet the likelihood that Dead Space may get its own film has slightly increased. Couple this with the news that Dead Space may be getting two sequels (along with the already announced Wii game Dead Space: Extraction) and EA has a budding franchise to exploit.

At least we know that the guys who worked on the Resident Evil films have their hands full with “Pandorum” (because, let’s face it, we don’t really want yet another game franchise to be butchered when it makes the jump to the silver screen), but then again “Eagle Eye” wasn’t exactly great so I’m not holding my breath for a decent video game flick just yet.

D.J. Caruso to direct ‘Dead Space’ - Variety

(Image source: IGN)

The Playstation 3’s LittleBigPlanet amassed an impressive 1 million user created levels this week, showing us again that users love to create their own content. They also love to play this content, as those million-plus levels have been played a total of 244 million times.

Media Molecule, developers of the game, state that a level has been published every 21 seconds since last year’s launch. That’s nearly five years worth of content if you’re thinking about playing each and every level. It’s also a jump of 400,000 since March.

To celebrate their achievement Media Molecule have released a video (which you can see above) showing off just a few of the levels that make up that giant number. The blog posting on the news also tells players to come back on the 18th of August for some more news. However, before the date you will be able to download a ‘History Pack’ come 13th August. The pack contains Sackboys in the guise of various people from history; Boudica, Countess of Lovelace, Genghis Khan, Mozart plus a number of stickers and decorations. There will also be another bit of DLC that includes sound effects and a new level kit.

Of course, not all of those million-plus levels are worth playing. There are probably a fair number of duds in there, but there are also a lot of cleverly and tenderly crafted levels in there for you to enjoy. There’s plenty of bang for your buck!

Why not pick up your very own Sackboy while you’re at it?

LittleBigPlanet Community Reaches One Million Creations - Playstation Blog

Related posts:

• Sackboy is the law!
• LittleBigPlanet Now Has Over 600,000 User-Created Levels.

Is there any better way to kick off the weekend than presenting you with a statistics report? Most definitely, but you will just have to make do with this for now.

Sony used Brighton’s Develop 2009 to unleash a bunch of statistics on the gathered audience, some of which pertained to the usage of the Playstation 3’s ‘virtual world’ service Playstation Home. Home director Peter Edwards let us know that “only 80 percent of users fall into the 18-35-year-old male demographic”, which means a 10 percent drop in traditional console usage. He also said that between 25 and 35 percent of PS3 users have used the Home service “at least once”.

“Home has a significantly broader spectrum of users than your typical console audience,” he said, “We are slowly broadening the appeal of the console demographic.” - Gamasutra

He declined to mention what percentage of those who have logged on to Home are currently active users, which is probably Sony’s way of saying “a lot less than we hoped”. We also don’t know who makes up the remaining 20 percent of users. For instance, how many of those users are female? Are most of them just males under the age of 18? The quote below is just one reporters experience of using Home:

A more recent dip into Home had fewer people saying lewd things to my avatar, though the surrounding conversations still seemed reminiscent of an adolescent-filled AOL chatroom (”a/s/l?”). Some users claimed to be as young as 11 years old, and proceeded to call surrounding users “gay dudes.” - Game|Life

The bottom line is that if you see female avatars in Home it’s more than likely that the person sitting in front of their TV is actually male. Given that some males seem to barrage those that are using female avatars it makes you wonder if some females are actually using male avatars to avoid being harassed.

Home is slowly getting more content, and some of it (such as the Red Bull air race) is worth logging on every now and again though. Unfortunately unless Sony comes up with something that makes you log in day in day out Home is not going to be the success they hoped it would be.

As it gets hotter I’ve found myself actually playing more games than usual, simply because I prefer sitting half naked in front of a fan than having to face the searing heat outside. I should have actually been on holiday in Turkey this week (I had to cancel it), so I guess I should be grateful that we’re getting some of Turkey’s good weather back home.

Anyway, if you want to get away from the sun here’s some new games that you could be playing instead of getting burnt to a crisp.

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood (PC, PS3, X360) 3/7

The prequel to 2007’s Call of Juarez follows the story of the McCall brothers as they shoot their way through a civil-war era US and Mexico. The gameplay will be slightly different depending on which brother you select. For example, one brother uses a lasso while the other brother likes to use dynamite. Co-op play will allow you to compliment your chosen characters abilities with those of a friend. Check out the trailer here.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (PS3, Wii, X360) 3/7

I find it hard to write something positive about a golf game, as I personally find it one of the most uninteresting sports on the planet. However, if you are interested a new “Tournament Challenge” mode allows players to replicate famous shots and moments from the PGA Tour’s history, while the Wii version supports MotionPlus; allowing for more authentic and accurate golf swings.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (DS, Mac, Mobile, PC, PSP, PS2, PS3, Wii, X360) 3/7

The game tie-in with the book and film of the same name comes to pretty much every current platform, as well as one of the old ones. It’s pretty much similar to the previous games, with some multiplayer thrown in so you can go up against other crazy Potter fans. Apparently EA didn’t bother to include some of the locations from the previous books, so don’t expect it to be completely canon.

Moon (DS) 3/7

Moon is a first-person shooter that uses the same engine as Renegade Kid’s previous DS game, Dementium: The Ward. It takes place….um, take a wild guess? While the game features plenty of the narrow corridors it’s predecessor had in abundance the developer stresses that an updated version of the engine allows for more open environments and larger groups of enemies (source). All in all it doesn’t look like a bad attempt for a handheld that doesn’t have all that many FPS games.

Other releases:

• Divinity 2 - Ego Draconis (PC, X360) *Out now*
• Music: Music for Everyone (DS) *Out now*
• Pro Cycling Manager/Tour de France 2009 (PC) *Out now*
• Ride to Hell (X360) *Out now*
• Modern Warrior: Special Tactics (PC) *Out now*
• 2025: Battle for Fatherland (PC) *Out now*
• Kirby Super Star Ultra (DS) *Out now*
• Crime Scene (DS) *Out now*
• Worms 2: Armageddon (X360) *Out now*
• Diabolik: The Original Sin (PSP) 3/7
• Space Camp (DS, Wii) 3/7
• King of Fighters: Maximum Impact 3 (PS3) 3/7
• Drama Queens (DS) 3/7
• Classic Word Games (DS) 3/7
• Summer Sports Party (Wii) 3/7
• My Friends (DS) 3/7
• Ready Steady Cook (DS) 3/7
• Fallout 3 Game Add-On Pack: The Pitt and Operation Anchorage (PC, X360) 3/7
• Street Fighter IV (PC) 3/7
• Virtua Tennis 2009 (PC) 3/7
• Rygar: The Battle of Argus (Wii) 3/7

(Images source: Gamespot)