Sony has always promised gamers better content on the PSN, the Xbox Live rival has a long way to go, before it can match content on the Live service. A new initative called Qore will be launching on the PSN, as described on the blog it is a highly interactive, monthly lifestyle gaming program covering the world inside PLAYSTATION. The following is the official blog post:

“Our premier episode will be available on Thursday, June 5. The premier episode includes in-depth exclusive and never-before released content on upcoming PlayStation titles such as SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Secret Agent Clank, Soul Calibur 4 and Afro Samurai, as well as the latest Blu-ray Disc trailers, an exclusive SOCOM: Confrontation theme with an invitation to the SOCOM: Confrontation beta, art galleries and other surprises. We also know that many of you are big fans of Veronica Belmont, the widely-known host of numerous online video programs and podcasts and an avid gamer, so we’ve chosen her to be your host.


From Crackle: Qore preview

The catch here is that the service is not free and one needs to pay up to $24 for the full years subscription, monetized content isnt new on the web, but this is still new for a console. you can get a sneak peek at the show above and decide if you would actually pay for the service.

With the hotly anticipated MGS4 just days away from hitting the stores, reviewers of the game revealed that the publisher, Konami had barred them from speaking about what we already knew. Namely lengthy cut-scenes and a 4.64GB installation. These two things however, seem to be the tip of the iceberg:

 According to two anonymous gaming media sources speaking to MTV Multiplayer, Konami representatives asked print reviewers to omit details concerning the cut-scene length and installation size. Moreover, a recently published MGS4 review on IGN UK says that the concessions were made in exchange for a pre-release review.

“In return for letting us play Metal Gear Solid 4 before its release,” wrote IGN UK editor Dave McCarthy. “Konami issued us with a list of things that we’re not allowed to discuss. This list of prohibited topics is pretty long, and even extends as far as several facts that the company itself has already made public.”

Most of these requests are reasonable such as being asked not to talk about the last two levels of Ninja Gaiden 2, popular gaming magazine, Electronic Gaming Monthly has taken offense to the massive barrage of restrictions for MGS4. So much so that they’ve carried a roundtable discussion of the game rather than a regular review.

Is this a sign of things to come or is it just standard industry practices coming to light? Watch this space.

Hot on the heels of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith comes another Guitar Hero title, this time featuring Metallica. Scheduled for release in 2009, the details were uncovered in an SEC filing made by Activision.

While this bodes well for the series commercially, one can’t help but feel that this series is being milked to proportions that would make EA’s usual treatment of their franchises seem normal (NFS: ProStreet anyone?).

“In fiscal 2009, we plan to publish Guitar Hero: On Tour for the NDS; Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Guitar Hero: Metallica, and Guitar Hero IV across multiple platforms,” the company said in the filing.

The charm of the Guitar Hero series was to play songs from bands you never even heard of rather than bask in the already popular tracks from well-known acts.

According to our sources (the voices in our head) Activision plan to release Guitar Hero: Madonna and Guitar Hero: Britney Spears as soon as possible.