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Warhawk PlayStation 3Warhawk is set for release later this month in two forms; retail and as a downloadable game from the PlayStation Store. The retail package will include a Bluetooth headset and will go for $59.99 – but they’ve flat-out refused to make any comment pertaining to the pricing of the downloadable version. When contacted by 1UP, Sony continued refusing any attempt to discover what the price might be.

“No news yet on the pricing of Warhawk for download. I would recommend you keep your eye on our blog for an announcement soon,” said SCEA Senior Director of Corporate Comm. Dave Karraker. “Response to date from those in the Warhawk beta has been outstanding, so we think it will do very well. We will be pricing it to match what we are delivering in terms of graphics, gameplay, fun-factor and repeat playability, which we think is quite high.”

It’s an interesting situation, as Electronic Gaming Monthly is in the process of reviewing the game, but they’ve been unable to get any word on the price of the game – which will, understandably so, affect the review score of the game.

Sony won’t tell us the pricing plans are, and as a result, EGM reviewers have been forced to include caveats in their write ups. Lead reviewer (and former OPM editor) Joe Rybicki actually placed a note in his review to EGM Reviews Editor Greg Ford that his score should be dropped a whole point if the price was announced above $30, and the other reviewers have expressed concern over how they should judge the game.

“What I don’t understand is why Sony can’t give us a price when it seems like internally they have one ready. The game is done, our reviewers have been playing it, and each one has asked about the price, which we certainly take into consideration in our reviews,” says Ford. “Because of the lead time for a print publication, we’re forced to go to print with a caveat in our review addressing this issue. Not ideal, and it seems unnecessary. It’s too bad because otherwise, the company has been great getting us the review code, setting up multiplayer play sessions, and providing assets to go along with the review…just no price, which for some consumers is what matters most.”

Read More | 1UP

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Blast Factor PlayStation Network

The $4.99 expansion for the PlayStation Network’s Blast Factor has been released today, alongside several free demos and trailers. It’s nothing too exciting, but if you’ve been contemplating picking up a copy of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 or The Darkness, you’ll want to give the demos a shot before you drop your hard-earned money.

  • Blast Factor: Advanced Research expansion ($4.99)
  • Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 demo (free)
  • The Darkness demo (free)
  • Michael Clayton movie trailer (free)
  • Get Smart movie trailer (free)
  • The Game Plan movie trailer (free)

Blacksite Area 51 screenshot

Originally scheduled for a September release, Blacksite: Area 51 has been pushed back until November 5. The announcement was made during a Midway conference call, where the European release date was revealed to be October 26.The game is set for release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

This is a smart move be Midway, as Blacksite would otherwise be competing more directly with Halo 3, and by releasing in November, they also manage to space the title away from heavy-hitter Grand Theft Auto IV.


Latest Gear Live Videos

Lair boxartOver on the official PlayStation blog, Ryan Hamlyn has announced that Factor 5’s PS3 exclusive, Lair, has been delayed in the US. Originally planned to come out on August 14, Lair will now hit store shelves on September 4. Hamlyn claimed it was due to an extra step in the QA testing process – so it probably isn’t in response to the poor review scores the game received in EGM, which have created quite a buzz around the Internet.


LittleBigPlanet

In the latest issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, senior producer on LittleBigPlanet, Pete Wilson, confirmed that LBP is going to be more than just a platformer.

It’s funny—I don’t think we actually mentioned this previously, but yes, we will certainly have enemies in the game; I think that’s a fundamental part of good gameplay,” said Wilson. “They will range from little robots that simply roam from left to right to spectacularly complex beasts that pose quite a challenge. We’ve recently built this big, huge giant, and, as with other objects in the game, he’s composed entirely of materials that you wouldn’t expect. He’s quite intimidating, and shows the possibility of what designers can create.

Sounds pretty sweet. If the game enables you to create enemies, then that throws another major dynamic into the mix.


GameVideos has posted a video of an interview with Sony Computer Entertainment’s Phil Harrison, head of worldwide studios, which took place during this year’s E3. 1UP.com’s Sam Kennedy and EGM’s Dan Hsu talk with Phil about Home, LittleBigPlanet, Madden’s 30 FPS woes, the Wii’s success, and more.

Be forewarned that if the pronunciation of the word “beta” as “bee-tah” irritates you, you may want to skip the portion pertaining to Home.


Gran Turismo 5 Prologue

The latest Famitsu magazine has an interview with Gran Turismo producer Kazunori Yamauchi, and 1UP has highlighted some parts of the story. Among other things, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will include two online modes – one with chat and one without. There will be “about” 40 cars and four courses with eight different layouts for those courses. (I smell reversed courses.) The game will feature 16 cars in offline races, but the number may potentially be only 12 when racing online.

For more details on the game’s integration with PlayStation Home and the My Page feature, check out the 1UP story.

Read More | 1UP

At the 20th anniversary celebration for Metal Gear Solid, Hideo Kojima presented a 15-minute long demonstration of the upcoming PS3 exclusive(?) Metal Gear Solid 4. It’s all real time, and actually being played – and considering the game won’t be out until early next year, there’s still time left for Konami to make it look even better.

Dare I say it? Gears of War, eat your heart out.

Check out the HD version of the trailer here.


Guitar Hero 3 Xbox 360 PlayStation 3 Wii Les Paul

Frankly, I don’t really care what the guitar looks like when I jam out in Guitar Hero. On account of the fact that there are colored buttons near the end of it, the realism of the rest of it doesn’t strike me as particularly important. But for those interested, above you can see the Les Paul model, which will be what’s used on next-gen versions of the game. Below is the Kramer for PlayStation 2 owners. And for those wondering, you’ll need to drop your Wiimote into a slot in the back of the guitar to play – don’t ask me why they couldn’t just develop a wireless guitar.

Guitar Hero 3 PlayStation 2 Kramer

Read More | Gaming Today

Rock!Well lookee here, it seems we were right. If you want the full Rock Band experience, it looks like you WILL be paying almost as much as a new console (well, almost as much as a new Wii at least). Pre-orders for Rock Band have begun to be listed on Amazon.com, and the going rate for the game + microphone, drum set and guitar looks to be $199.99.

Of course, you can always purchase just one or two of the peripherals, and then form a band online. But you don’t want to be that sorry-ass gamer that doesn’t have all the peripherals when your friends come over to jam, now do ya? The solutions, of course, are 4-fold. It looks like it’s either time to 1) start saving, 2) start picking your favorite instrument, 3) start finding some online friends, or 4) start getting rid of some real-world ones.

Rock Band will release for the Xbox 360 and PS3 on 11/20/07.

Read More | Amozon.com

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