Gaming Console Platform

Attention Sony PlayStation Portable owners in Europe! We got an email from Fireflymr from PSPWereld with news of Patapon’s pricing and release date. According to the said email, a recent interview with Folkert Langeveld, Brand Marketing Manager for Sony Computer Entertainment Benelux (SCEB) revealed that the upcoming rhythm video game will be arriving in shores in February and will go for EUR 45 (around US 66).

In case you missed the previous reports, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan’s (SCEJ) Patapon got Famitsu’s Platinum Review and was released in Japan a little over two weeks ago. If you remember our post last December, Sony UK announced that Europe will be getting Patapon at the same time as North America and that sort of confirms the February ETA for the title.

Anyway, we’ll file Patapon’s Europe pricing and release date as rumors for now, until we hear an official announcement. You’ll know as soon as we do, so check this space.

Thanks again to Fireflymr for the tip!

Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3, PC) is supposed to “take the franchise to new heights with new gameplay features and groundbreaking co-op and multiplayer modes,” but we’re not exactly that picky, so we’re very happy even with just these new screens from the game. What we’re looking at don’t have excessive amount of bloom, but they do get us excited about the next Rainbow Six title from Ubisoft.

It’s got guys in uniform, guns, and blood-stained floors - this sequel of Tom Clancy’s successful Vegas and the sixth chronological Rainbow Six title has your typical next-gen first-person shooter fare. You can choose to gander at the screenshots below, or speculate about how the actual game will be. After all, it sounds promising with 11 new weapons and customizable clothing that should make the experience of being in the special forces a lot sweeter.

Tom Clancy s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 is scheduled for release this March, and it’s going to coincide with Rainbow Six’ 10th anniversary so it won’t be surprising if Ubisoft goes all out. Our eyes are peeled for any new snippets the devs will be willing to reveal about Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, so watch this space for updates!

  
 

  

 
Admit it - playing Counter-Strike’s no fun when all you’re going up against are computer controlled bots. Which is why we’re letting you guys know that developer Stealth Kill has released CS Combined Assault version 0.7 over at the QJ.NET PSP Development Forums.

The homebrew game’s 2008 release hosts several new additions and tweaks, at the forefront of which is the inclusion if Adhoc wireless support. The game has also been renamed to CS Portable. As for the rest of the changes:

• Added Equipment to buy menu
• Added Crouch function
• Added Spectator mode
• Added 4 Counter-Terrorists
• Added 4 Terrorists
• Added Team Deathmatch
• Added ChatMenu
• Added BuyMenu (not 100 finished)
• Added Orders Menu
• Added Team Menu
• Added Money on Hud
• Added func_ladder
• Added func_water
• Added func_breakable
• Added New Sounds
• Added 5 Crosshairs
• Added Crosshair selection to options menu
• Added Sniper scope
• Added Random Fall Damage
• Added Smaller Hud Icons
• Added Adhoc
• Added Bullet Holes
• Added 2D Muzzleflash
• Added Maps:
• aim_ak_colt2_cz
• de_2×2dust.bsp (small stupid map)
• de_dust2long
• de_dust
• de_dust2 (fixing textures)
• cs_italy
• cs_italy_remake
• cs_italy2
• he_soccer
• fy_spongebob
• fy_simpsons
• fy_mariolworld
• Added Guns:
• Glock19
• USP
• AWP
• HE Grenade
• MP5
• AK-47

CS Portable version 0.7 has been tested on PSPs running on firmware 1.50 and 3.71. The Adhoc support will only work for units running on 3.xx kernel. Given that the file bundle does not come with a readme, we advise readers to visit Stealth Kill’s thread over at the QJ.NET PSP Development Forums for further details.

Download: CS Portable v0.7
Visit: QJ.NET PSP Development Forums

---

UPDATE PlayStation Portable homebrew developer Stealth Kill has just released an update for CS Portable version 0.7. It’s a file (progs.dat) that provides a fix for the weapons bug. According to Stealth Kill’s post in our forums, all you need to do is download the file, unzip it and drop the file on CS Portable’s files folder (PSP/GAME/CS Portable 0.7/files). Enjoy!

Download: CS Portable v0.7 - progs.dat

Name at least one cool feature that Yggdra Union’s PSP port will be packing that you can’t find in the GBA. A fully animated intro, it seems, based on this new trailer we recently picked up.

The said video gives a short narration of the game’s plot along with introductions to some of the characters you can expect to meet. We certainly enjoyed the trailer and all the moe goodness it featured, despite it being in Japanese.

Yggdra Union: We’ll Never Fight Alone from Sting will be arriving in Japan by this month. No word has been announced on a North America release at the moment, although we imagine that won’t stop the more determined fans from mail-ordering their copy via the usual import sites. Enjoy the video!

Sony PlayStation Portable gamers are all hyped up about the upcoming Skype for the PSP, and we’ve got something to heat up the already boiling hot hype: here are some pictures of the PSP headset that will be used with Skype, and it looks definitely sleek.

The headset with microphone comes in a nice silver-gray color, and is the kind that you slip over your ears. The microphone itself looks like its bendable, so there will be no problems in adjusting it.

One thing that we’ve noticed though is that the Skype headset is colored differently compared to the extension cord (that’s the one with the volume controls and connects directly to the PSP and colored white), which may hint that the Skype headset may not be a part of any future PSP Value Pack.

More details as they come!

 

It looks like North America’s World of Warcraft scene isn’t the only one out to balance its server population issues. Blizzard blue-texter Thundgot passed by Europe’s WoW Forums earlier to announce that their region has also commenced with its slew of free character migrations ending January 15. Here’s a list of the realms that will be affected:

• From
• Crushridge
• Frostmane
• Grim Batol
• Outland
• To
• Dentarg
• Haomarush
• Mazrigos

Adventurers will want to take advantage of this offer as soon as possible - Thundgot reminds us that the migrations will close if a destination realm’s population becomes too high. First-timers interested in moving out of their realm will want to visit the official WoW site via the source link for a proper step-by-step guide.

Remember the Metal Gear Solid 4 demo that was reported over at the ongoing Consumer Electronics Show? While it was a relief that this demo reiterated on the game being a PS3 exclusive, we imagine that you guys - much like us - were wondering: Where’s the accompanying footage? And that’s where this snippet takes us.

We’ve just managed to pick up a gameplay video of Konami’s MGS4 over at CES uploaded by PunchJump This latest segment throws us into a rooftop firefight between Solid Snake and several unidentified shooters. The grainy YouTube quality aside, those textures seem to be looking as photo-realistic as ever. Care to see for yourself? The video’s available for your ogling pleasure below. Enjoy!

Here’s a quick update in case you’re wondering when Ubisoft plans to launch Dark Messiah of Might & Magic: Elements for the Xbox 360.

The company has announced that the game is currently confirmed for a February 8 launch. While that’s a pretty long wait, at least we’ve got the free Xbox Live demo to keep us company, right?

Aside from Dark Messiah, Ubisoft sends word that P for the Wii will also launch on the same date.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Hard Evidence, also for the Wii, has been re-dated for a March 14 release. Haze currently remains TBA, though a previous announcement indicates it’ll be coming out within the next few months.

Player Housing in Blizzard’s World of Warcraft? Yay or nay? A disgruntled WoW player named Backster expressed his sentiments about the issue, asking the Blizzard devs to stop focusing on other features and focus on developing player housing in World of Warcraft. To quote Backster:

We the consumer, the 9 million people that are giving you 15 a month…..WANT HOUSES!!!!! So the devs dont want to put this on top priority….well we do. Come on everyone show the devs we mean it, and fill up this thread with your support.

However, it turns out that majority of the other gamers who posted in the thread either does not want player housing or do not consider it of any importance. But luckily for Backster, Blizzard poster Drysc said that Blizzard is still considering adding player housing in WoW in the future, and will definitely add the feature “if the time and place are right”.

Jesse Divnich of simExchange has an interesting prediction: Nintendo’s party game pack for the Wii, Wii Play, will turn out to be the top title in global lifetime sales, topping other great Nintendo Wii titles, even the highly acclaimed Super Mario Galaxy or even the much awaited Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

We’re not sure if we should be surprised or not, but it should be noted that Wii Play, along with Wii Sports, dominated the Media Create Wii software sales numbers.

Divnich also mentioned that the handheld Nintendo DS may set a new record once the December tally is completed. To quote:

Confirmation of this is observed in December 2007 sales as the Nintendo Wii is expected to sell over 1.8 million units and the DS to sell over 2.9 million units. Interesting enough, the DS selling over 2.9 million units would be an industry record for consoles or portables sold in one month.

As for DS games, Nintendo’s chart-topping Pokemon Diamond/Pearl is expected to come out as the highest-selling game in terms of global lifetime sales for the DS platform.