WE all love our Playstation 2’s, some of the best games ever made have been a part of this amazing console’s roster. The system may be dead to about 40 odd million gamers who go beserk on HD graphics, and online play, but there are still the same amount of people who wait eagerly for a new PS2 release. I recently got my hands on a few interesting press assets to the upcoming Merc’s2 game, one of which included an in-game video of the PS2 version of the game. Now to be honest the graphics are dull, but the gamplay looks solid, see for yourself.

I am glad that some developers still consider the PS2 a worthwhile platform, any loyal PS2 owners out there?

After Guitar Hero: Aerosmith and Metallica we now have more interesting news. Movie Maker Brett Ratner known for “God of War” recently said that he would love to make a movie on Guitar Hero. But the “X-Men” and “Rush Hour” director doesn’t think Activision would want him to.

Brett Ratner said

“I love ‘Guitar Hero’ and I think it’s a part of pop culture. I would love to do a ‘Guitar Hero’ movie, if Activision would ever let me. I’m trying to convince them, but why would you have a movie screw up such a huge franchise? Not that I would make a bad movie. So that would be cool, to do a ‘Guitar Hero’ movie.”

This is his idea for the plot:

“It could be about a kid from a small town who dreams of being a rock star and he wins the ‘Guitar Hero’ competition. One of these dreams-[come-true] kind of concepts.”

What do you guys think about the plot?

Recently Halo Wars box art cover was revealed. Just when I was thinking about laying my dirty hands on the new Halo series I came across this rumor. It seems that Gearbox has approached Microsoft for the next Halo installment, Halo 4. It is that Halo 4 will be targeted at a refreshed XBOX 360 console. I would suggest all of you to not get excited unless everything is finalized.

Now something regarding Halo 3:

While everyone was speculating that Bungie was planning to add AI bots to the multiplayer aspect. Bungie says

Not a chance.  Luke Smith, Bungie’s community rep, on the matter: “There will be no insertion of Campaign objects, enemies or friendlies via the Forge as folks have speculated. There will be no “bots” added to the game. […] Do consider this issue a closed one. Calm yourselves down, pump the brakes, and take a breath.”

I guess we need to keep our fingers crossed and wait for the next announcement.

Recently TeamXbox interviewed 3D Realms’ George Broussard about Duke Nukem 3D on XBL. The Interview is as follows

Duke Nukem 3D on Xbox Live Arcade…that’s got to be pretty exciting. After a dozen years, are you expecting that you’re going to get a lot of those who played it to revisit it or more likely introduce him to a new audience…or both? And how do you think Duke holds up over time?

George Broussard: We see a lot of old fans who want to play the game again or on a new platform. I’d like to think that we can attract some new fans as well, even with it being a classic game. I’d hope some new players get the game just to co-op or DukeMatch with their buddies. For a game the scale of an XBLA game, we’re pretty proud of the features we were able to put into it. I think it has a lot of value.

Duke Nukem 3D on Xbox Live Arcade…that’s got to be pretty exciting. After a dozen years, are you expecting that you’re going to get a lot of those who played it to revisit it or more likely introduce him to a new audience…or both? And how do you think Duke holds up over time?

George Broussard: We see a lot of old fans who want to play the game again or on a new platform. I’d like to think that we can attract some new fans as well, even with it being a classic game. I’d hope some new players get the game just to co-op or DukeMatch with their buddies. For a game the scale of an XBLA game, we’re pretty proud of the features we were able to put into it. I think it has a lot of value.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask what everyone wants to know…what’s up with Duke Nukem Forever?

George Broussard: It’s going really well. There are several hours of fairly polished game to play. We’re actively testing parts of the game and getting feedback from play testers and things are coming together. It’s fun, it’s in focus, we know what bits are fun and which are not, and it’s just a matter of time now. I’ve probably never been as happy or excited about the game as I am these days.

Click here to read the entire interview.

Duke Nukem History:

Duke Nukem is an action hero created by computer game developers Todd Replogle, George Broussard, Allen Blum and Scott Miller of 3D Realms/Apogee Software. Duke Nukem made its first appearance in 1991. The game was written by IBM.

The first Duke Nukem game title was changed to Duke Nukum when Apogee learned that this name might have already been trademarked. Later the name was restored to Duke Nukem when they released that the name was not trademarked. Hence, the spelling Duke Nukem was restored for Duke Nukem II and all successive Duke games.

Duke Nukem is a hard core brain fu**ing machine and people just love it. Duke Nukem is forever.

Square Enix has released new screenshots of upcoming PSP title Final Fantasy Agito XIII.

Regarding Final Fantasy XIII:

It is an upcoming console role-playing game both developed and to be published by Square Enix for PlayStation 3 worldwide, and Xbox 360.

Final Fantasy XIII is the flagship title of the Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy XIII collection. The game contains a common mythology with Final Fantasy Agito XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII, although they are not directly related to each other. Motomu Toriyama, who was Director of Final Fantasy X-2 and Director and Scenario Writer of Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, will direct and write the story for the game.

pic source

All Halo game fans here is a chance for you to have a sneak peek at box art of new RTS, Halo Wars, from Ensemble and Microsoft Games Studios.

The assault rifles, shot guns, fighter planes are surely delight for my eyes. What say guys? For more info about Halo click here.

The new Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood - Combat Trailer says: You might get taken by surprise.  But you’ll be ready. Make them feel your Pow moves. When everything fails , you better hit them hard.

Though I am not much impressed by the video but I would still love to fancy my chances with the game. I would like to know your views about the video.

Sony had a fantastic GC 2008, showing off some of the most awaited games of the year. Check out all the big updates via video below…

 Little Big Planet has a new member and his name is Sackzilla. THe offical quote had this to say “A new force has arrived on the scene to create havoc and destruction on PLAYSTATION 3. LittleBigPlanet is about to feel the fearsome presence of… Sackzilla?

Games Convention 2008 is home to many games and goodies, but the Leipzig hosted event certainly has a monster on its hands in the shape of the mighty Sackzilla; destroyer of cities! Ravager of towns! Crusher of people! There’s a lot to be said for the ability to build a diverse array of content in platform based creation title, LittleBigPlanet - and this video is a great expression of that. Sackboy shows exactly how you can form a lovely and fully working monstrosity that bears more than a passing resemblance to a well known giant fire breathing lizard.” Check out video below…

It’s the intricacies that make the whole thing as good as it is. Notice how you can select the material of your creation (each having its own properties - glass is smooth and forces characters to slide off it, metal will be heavy, and so on), cut out the exact shape of what you want and then piece it together. In this case, arms, legs, a torso and an appropriately massive head are formed with ease by the similarly costumed Sackboy.

The genius of the game’s creation tools means each of these parts can be attached by connectors in the Gadgets menu, giving Sackzilla mobile joints that dolly up and down for a humorous, if slightly disturbing puppet style movement. This is all adjustable, too, so if you feel your design isn’t roaming with the pace or style you wish, it can be fine tuned.

Another big and cute announcement was the Virtaul Pet, a new product that can best be explained via video….

Command and Conquer is one of those games which have always kept me busy. The Command & Conquer series was initially developed by Westwood Studios between 1995 and 2003, with development being taken over by Electronic Arts with the liquidation of Westwood Studios in 2003. Since then it has been a delight for the game lovers.

Since the New Command and Conquer Red Alert 3 has been in news for some time now. We are now presenting you the star cast for the same. The star cast also includes a former playmate, guess who is she?

Gemma Atkinson (the UK’s Hollyoaks), Tim Curry (Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Hunt for Red October), Andrew Divoff (LOST), Kelly Hu (X2, The Scorpion King), Jenny McCarthy (Scream 3, former Playboy Playmate of the Year), Ivana Milicevic (Casino Royale), Jonathan Pryce (Pirates of the Caribbean), J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man,Juno), Autumn Reeser (The OC), Peter Stormare (Prison Break, Armageddon), George Takei (Star Trek, Heroes), and two of the most recognizable names in competitive mixed martial arts Randy “The Natural” Couture (former UFC Heavyweight champion) and Gina “Conviction”Carano (Undefeated Elite XC fighter, American Gladiators).

The former playmate Jenny McCarthy said

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I came in to work on a video game, while playing Tanya, Allied commando and the most beloved heroine in the history of the Command & Conquer universe. What I realized is Red Alert 3 is not just a video game, it’s absolutely an interactive movie. This is where the people at home get to move the story forward, and where seeing the plot thicken is a reward for a job well done. And that’s really cool.”

I am eagerly awaiting the release as I wish to see the former playmate Ms McCarthy kick some ass. I hope my statement does not make Jim Carrey mad.

I am all out of words, Sony has gone all guns blazing with some awesome announcements at the Games Convention 2008, Germany. Sony has always had big plans for its PS3 and its showing them off now, here is a brief from the Playstation blog, visit the blog for full coverage….

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune PS3 Bundle with 160GB PS3 System

The 160GB PS3 system announced at the GC will be available here as part of a new limited-edition bundle that includes the hardware, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune game, a PLAYSTATION Network voucher for PAIN, and a DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controller. We’re hearing from a lot of you that more PS3 storage space is important, particularly since the launch of our video delivery service, and this new model delivers more memory and a whole lot of content packed-in….

New PSP Entertainment Packs with updated PSP (PSP-3000)

We also unveiled at Leipzig an updated PSP system (PSP-3000), which we’ll be offering here initially through the previously announced Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters PSP Entertainment Pack and a new PSP 4GB Memory Entertainment Pack. I’m personally excited about the 4GB Memory bundle because we’re including a - you guessed it - 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo, which is the biggest Memory Stick we’ve ever bundled with a PSP.

PS3 Wireless Keypad

Lastly, we’ve announced a new Wireless Keypad for PS3 that will make text communications and Web browsing much easier. The Wireless Keypad snaps onto the top of a SIXAXIS or DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controller and comes with some cool features, including a mode that turns the main key area into a touch pad (similar to a touch pad on a Laptop computer). Once in this mode, you can slide your finger on this area to move the cursor on the screen and tap to enter.

Also check out the newly released Heavy Rain Trailer here