Mark Cerny to be inducted into AIAS Hall of Fame

Written on January 17, 2010 at 5:39 pm, by James Fudge

The godfather of Crash Bandicoot to be inducted into the AIAS Hall of Fame.

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) has announced that Mark Cerny will be the 13th inductee into the Academy’s Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame Award will be presented by Brian Allgeier, Creative Director at Insomniac Games, at the 13th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards. The Awards, hosted by Jay Mohr, will take place during the 2010 D.I.C.E.. Summit on Thurs., Feb. 18, at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, and broadcast on IFC-TV February 25.

Cerny will join an elite group of interactive entertainment industry luminaries in the AIAS Hall of Fame including Trip Hawkins (Electronic Arts), Peter Molyneux (Lionhead Studios), Yu Suzuki (Sega), Will Wright (Maxis), John Carmack (id Software), Hironobu Sakaguchi (Square Enix), Sid Meier (Firaxis Games), Shigeru Miyamoto (Nintendo), Richard Garriott (origin Systems), Dan/Danielle Bunten Berry (Ozark Landscape), Michael Morhaime (Blizzard Entertainment) and Bruce Shelley(Ensemble Studios).

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Dragon Age: Origins Return to Ostagar DLC January 5th

Written on December 29, 2009 at 1:45 pm, by James Fudge

Return to Ostagar DLC coming January 5

BioWare’s first bit of downloadable content for Dragon Age: Origins, Return to Ostagar, will be released on January 5 in North America and Europe for the Xbox 360 and PC for 400 BioWare Points or 400 Microsoft Points.  BioWare had intended to release the DLC in December, but something happened.. The DLC will be available for the PlayStation 3 later in January. Return to Ostagar allows players to exact their revenge and embark on a quest for the mighty arms and armor of the once great King Cailan when they revisit Ostagar, the site of the Grey Wardens’ darkest hour, to reclaim the honor and learn the secrets of Ferelden’s fallen king.

Return to Ostagar sends players on a brand new adventure to collect the arms and armor of the once great King Cailan in Ostagar, the site of the Grey Wardens’ greatest loss. Players will have to find these mythical arms and weapons and learn the secrets of Ferelden’s fallen king, discovering his secret political agenda and going behind enemy lines to revisit a place that many believed was forever lost to history. This location is particularly foreboding for a Greay Warden, because it was here that the powerful force was almost wiped out.

You can learn more about this DLC by visiting dragonage.bioware.com.

New PS3 Bundles Include Killzone 2 and MGS 4

Written on July 6, 2009 at 3:29 pm, by Jason McMaster

The PS3, as most of us are aware, hasn’t sold as well as expected and rumors of price drops have been circulating about it for quite some time, though mostly proven false. However, a new report from Kotaku might be just the clue we’ve all been looking for. Recently, Kotaku received an image from a Best Buy employee of a new PS3 bundle that will come with Killzone 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4 for $400 – the current price for a PS3 without a game.

Is this the beginning of the price cuts or is Best Buy trying to liquidate stock? Either way, this is a great deal for anyone who wants a PS3. The new PS3 bundle is, according to Kotaku,  going to hit the stores this Sunday.

Sony gives Kunimasa Suzuki a promotion

Written on June 26, 2009 at 3:12 pm, by James Fudge

Sony Computer Entertainment has appointed Kunimasa Suzuki to Representative Director, Deputy President of SCEI effective July 1, 2009, in addition to his current role as SVP, Deputy President, Networked Products & Services Group, Sony Corporation . Suzuki will report to Kazuo Hirai, President and Group CEO, SCEI, and EVP and President, NPSG, Sony, and assist him in managing the day-to-day operations of the PlayStation business overall. He will specifically be tasked with strategy and product planning, with both divisions reporting directly to him.

Suzuki joined Sony in 1984. From April 2008 to March 2009, he served as the EVP Sony Electronics in the United States. In April 2009, Suzuki assumed the position of Deputy President, NPSG, and is now working in tandem with Kazuo Hirai in formulating strategies and business direction as well as executing various key initiatives.

Activision not keen on PlayStation family

Written on June 19, 2009 at 2:49 pm, by James Fudge

Activision’s top executive Bobby Kotick has told The Times that his company is not keen on the PlayStation family of consoles systems. In that article Kotick has gone as far as saying that, at some point, his company may have to stop supporting the PS3 and PSP.

“They have to cut the price, because if they don’t, the attach rates [the number of games each console owner buys] are likely to slow. If we are being realistic, we might have to stop supporting Sony,” Kotick told the Times Online.

“If we are being realistic, we might have to stop supporting Sony…When we look at 2010 and 2011, we might want to consider if we support the console – and the PSP too,” he added.

If Activision actually did this it wouldn’t be good for Sony. PS3 owners would miss out on a lot of key franchises including Guitar Hero and Call of Duty. We’ll continue to follow this story as it develops.

Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce DLC released

Written on June 5, 2009 at 9:35 pm, by James Fudge

KOEI’s first set of add-on content for Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce is available now on PlayStation Network. KOEI will offer a new Quest Pack a month for an undetermined period. Quest Pack #1 includes five new missions and challenges:

Arena Challenger – Assault Wu and gain rare materials. (Difficulty: 2)

Battle of Guan Du X – Return to Guan Du to finish the fight. (Difficulty: 5)

Multi Attack! – Use Multi Attack with your allies to take on Cao Cao. (Difficulty: 1)

Battle of Mei Castle X- Return to Mei Castle to finish the fight. (Difficulty: 5)

Ice Bi Xie Appears! – Defeat Ice Bi Xie at Hu Lao Gate. (Difficulty: 9)

For the latest updates on new add-on content visit www.koei.com/strikeforce.

Sony Under Pressure to Cut PS3 Price

Written on March 16, 2009 at 12:01 pm, by David Chapman

Okay, okay … so we know that the console wars will never end, and as long as there are video games, there will be people staunchly defending their console of choice. Still, in business, the bottom line is all about the numbers, and Sony is starting to feel the heat as its numbers continue to drop … at least as far as video game publishers are concerned. In an article on Bloomberg, Sony is being pressured to cut the price of the PlayStation 3 in an effort to build the consoles install base with consumers. The former leader of the console market has been hit hard with its current generation of hardware, with the PS3 consistently placing a solid third in sales behind the Wii and Xbox 360. Making matters worse, U.S. sales of the PS3 have steadily declined for three months straight.

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