Well, it looks like our long international nightmare is finally over. Earlier today, a mandatory PlayStation 3 firmware update was pushed through to users. The update was ostensibly released to prepare users for the inevitable return of the PlayStation Network, and it seems that’s already happening! The news has been flying fast and furious, here’s what we were given to start with:

We have been working on a new PS3 system software update that requires all PSN users to change their password once PlayStation Network is restored. The update (v3.61) is mandatory and is available now.

If using a PS3, your password can only be changed on your own PS3 (or a PS3 on which your PSN account was activated), as an added layer of security. If you have never downloaded any content using your account on the system, an email will be sent to the registered sign-in ID (email address) associated with your account when you first attempt to sign-in to PSN. This e-mail will contain a link that will enable you to change your password. In this email, click on the link and follow the instructions to change your password. Once you have changed your password you can sign-in to your account using your new password.

We strongly recommend that all PSN account holders with PS3s update their systems to prepare for when PlayStation Network is back online. The release of this update is a critical step as we work to make PlayStation Network significantly more secure. Thank you for your continued support and patience.

Then, we were given a video by Sony’s Kaz Harai announcing the PSN’s return trip:

Finally, we were given a literal road map of PSN’s return. It isn’t everywhere in the country as of this writing, but service is expected to be up everywhere by this time tomorrow (excepting PlayStation Store and actual monetary transactions). Here’s Sony’s official word on that piece of news.

Please note that these services will take a bit of time to be turned on and rolled out to the whole country. The process has begun and some states are being turned on now, so please be patient as we reach your city and state. We’ll be updating the map below as service comes online in individual states. It will take several hours to restore PSN throughout the entire country, so please keep checking back for the latest updates. In the meantime, now’s a great time to get your PS3’s firmware updated, which is required to get online.

And finally, here’s the current progress of the restoration (last updated 9:04 pm PST)

I’ll be honest, I’m still not 100% certain that things are up to snuff yet, on the comments at the PlayStation Blog, it seems everyone who can sign in with a PlayStation Network ID is seeing their name show up as “jtender”

All I’ll say is, when the PSN comes back up in your neck of the woods, go ahead and do the whole password reset thing, then make damn sure your credit card information isn’t attached to your account anymore. Other than that, Game On, I suppose.

Let’s just jump straight out the gate with the update on what will surely be the biggest story in gaming news for 2011. There is no new information on the PSN outage, and currently no date scheduled for turning it back on. However, it does seem the previously reported date of May 31 may not be completely accurate. It is likely that some services will be available before that time, with the planned resurrection of ALL services to come by the end of May. The delay has sparked all kinds of rumors about just how broken PSN was before the hack even occurred. Despite gossip to the contrary, there is no reason to think Sony will just discontinue the service.

The outage hasn’t only affected online sales for Sony and its developers either. Many retailers that offer trade ins for consoles have noted a rise in PS3 stock. A few retailers have released their numbers and it appears the first weeks of May have seen an increase in traded PS3s of around 200% compared to the entire month of March. About half of those trades are asking for cash, while the other half seems to be switching to XBox. No formal research has been done on motivating factors, but the retailers did note (anecdotally) that most of the players switching consoles were also picking up copies of Black Ops or Modern Warfare 2. I guess it’s good that my gaming addiction is based mostly on single player games. The worst I’ve gotten of it is just that I want to download The Arrival for Mass Effect 2 and I can’t.

Sony is also suffering on the retail front because many multiplatform games have had their preorders switched to XBox in the last few weeks as well. These signs point to an urgent need for Sony to fix the problem before it snowballs any further. Five years ago I never would have expected the lack of online service to be so tragic. In a modern light, this actually has the potential to not only kill the console, but possibly the entire games department of Sony along with it.

Speaking of mismanaging companies, Atari‘s legendary disconnection between upper management and their developers may see some changes soon. That is, if Atari actually bothers to notice the recent strike by Eden Games. The developers of Test Drive Unlimited 2 recently had a one day strike, ostensibly with the intent of capturing the notice of Jim Wilson, Atari’s CEO. Patrice Beranger, a Development Engineer at Eden, seems to be the spokesperson for the strike. You can read his full post on the TDU2 forums. For an easy recap, his key points are: a) “communicate and interact with the CEO, Jim Wilson, who has never introduced himself to his employees,” b) “Have a constructive negotiation on the terms of the redundancy plan, and not one-sided as is the case now,” c) “be sure that an employee of Eden Games is compensated the same way as an employee of Atari,” and d) “have real visibility on the future of the studio after the restructuring, especially in giving us the financial records requested by our accountant.” This seems reasonable, though striking without a collective bargaining agreement is dangerous territory. If this were a political article, not a gaming one, I would explain further. I expect Atari will not react in the way Eden is hoping. I would actually expect Jim Wilson to give into the demands, after he cuts several key people loose, Patrice Beranger among them.

For possibly the first time I am excited about a Wii item in VGQH. After first meeting with great success on the SNES in 1995, Chrono Trigger (800 Wii points) is now coming to a whole new generation. The game has an impressive pedigree, coming from the creators of top series such as Dragon Ball, Final Fantasy, and Dragon Quest. The time traveling mechanic and multiple endings were an awesome breakthrough in gaming at the time and the gameplay is still fun today. The game will hit the Virtual Console for 800 Wii points on May 16.

Over on the XBLA front, one of the upcoming pieces of DLC seen recently is the Rockstar Pass add-on for L.A. Noire. The add-on will run 800 points ($10) and will be available at the same time the game launches (likely come to PSN eventually). But what is it? No one seems to know at the moment. The most likely rumor is that it’s related to used game sales. These $10 online passes are becoming common for used or rented copies of games with a strong online component. But L.A. Noire isn’t a multiplayer game. Could this function like Mass Effect 2‘s Cerberus Network instead, providing additional content or access to pre-order incentives? Maybe it’s just a way to link to the Rockstar’s Social Network. I guess we’ll find out on May 17.

Speaking of L.A. Noire, I mentioned last week that a short story collection related to the game would be releasing on e-readers in June. If you’d like a preview of that collection, or just can’t wait until Tuesday to immerse yourself in the lore, two of the included stories are now available for free download directly from Rockstar. Duane Swierczynski’s Hell of an Affair “reveals the dizzying spiral of duplicity that drives L.A. Noire character William Shelton into a headlong collision with the wrong side of the law.” What’s in a Name?, from Jonathan Santlofer, is “a tale of murder and identity that is both heartbreaking and terrifying.” The download site also has an excerpt available from Megan Abbott’s The Girl, as well as descriptions for the remaining stories.

Another piece I’ve mentioned recently is the Honest Hearts DLC for Fallout: New Vegas. This may be a reason for me to be happy about the PSN outage. I really want to play it, but I’m so sick of the glitchy bullshit that is the PS3 version of this game that I’m glad for a reason not to spend the $10. Regardless, the add-on, which takes the Courier to Utah’s Zion National Park, is scheduled for release next week and the first screens have surfaced. I must say, I was hoping for something a little more gruesome in the Burned Man:

Are you looking forward to Mass Effect 3? If the answer is no, I’m guessing you haven’t played the series yet. Go do that now, then come back. Okay. Now that you’ve changed your answer to yes, you may want some more information about the upcoming end to the trilogy. Here you go:

1. The twelve person squad from Mass Effect 2 was a little overwhelming. While all of the main characters from the series are returning in some form or another, the squad will be much smaller.
2. The smaller squad means stronger interpsersonal relationships, particularly with Liara and Kaidan/Ashley.
3. Character appearances have been redesigned by the original team. Their appearance will change throughout the game as armor and equipment is upgraded.
4. Regardless of how you settled your relationship with Cerberus in the last game, they’re your enemy now. And, considering their troops now have all of Shepard’s capabilities, they’re not to be trifled with.
5. Alien locations, like Tuchanka, are returning. You’ll also visit Palaven and Rannoch, the homeworlds of the Turians and Quarians, respectively.
6. But, the main locations will be actual Earth cities. Notably, Seattle and Vancouver have merged into one giant city. You’ll see this area twice. Before the Reapers arrive, the layout is very much like the current version of Vancouver. When you go back after the invasion, things are… different.
7. Areas of the game are taking the Unreal Engine to new heights, including a battle with a 600 foot reaper and a ship’s nuclear core blowing up in atmosphere while Shepard is in a ground battle.
8. By now we’re all aware of the continuous storyline that changes based on the player’s decision in previous games. But what if this is your first time in the game? Don’t worry, there will be a story recapping “save game generator” for noobs. It probably won’t be in the same comic book style as the one used on PS3’s version of ME 2, but it will serve the same purpose. Do yourself a favor though. If you didn’t already take my advice, don’t count on the recap element. At least play the second game, and probably the first if you have the option.

Music fans will enjoy the preorder bonus for Suda 51 and Shinji Mikami’s upcoming Shadows of the Damned. The 12-song soundtrack from Akira Yamaoka (of Silent Hill fame) is being offered as a digital download for preorders from GameStop, Amazon, and the EA Store.

Great news for Alien fans. A new game based on the movie franchise is coming from Creative Assembly and SEGA. They’re just now hiring for the project so don’t lose focus yet. While we have no details, Mike Hayes of SEGA West is setting a high standard: “We want this to be a peer to the likes of Dead Space 2.”

So you’ve been playing the new Mortal Kombat and it’s been awesome, right? But it’s also been making you think about how great the first games were back in the day. Wouldn’t you love to be able to play the first three games again? And wouldn’t it be really great if all three came in one download package to PC, PSN (someday), and XBLA. Just to make the package all the sweeter, it should be about $10. If this is your thought process, consider Ed Boon your personal genie. “We are very excited to finally have the first three Mortal Kombat games available in one download package for long-time and new fans to play. With the release of our 2011 Mortal Kombat, and its return to 2D gameplay, players have been asking for these classic titles and we are happy to deliver them.” That’s right, Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 will be available this summer as Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection for the low, low price of $9.99. I’m pretty sure I spent more than $3.50 on each of these games the very first day I played them. And back then it didn’t include online play or trophies/achievements. Though leaderboards did exist in a somewhat different fashion (i.e. the dude that never paid when it was loser pays, winner stays). Welcome back, Friendship Fatality.

If you’ve been following VGQH for the last couple of weeks you know I’ve been getting excited about the return of Agent 47 in Hitman: Absolution. Until now we’ve only had a few obscure screenshots and the possibly cryptic subtitle. Finally some details are being announced, although no game play information has been released yet. Keith Carradine will be voicing Blake Dexter, 47’s nemesis and the game’s villain. Agent 47’s handler, Diana Burnwood, has a new voice, Marsha Thomason. According to Tore Blystad, director, “We had actors like Marsha and Keith come in and do full-body acting with facial and voice being captured simultaneously in scenes. Some of these scenes were very complex with all kinds of props and interactions amongst the actors.” In addition, some recording sessions had up to seven actors in the booth at a time, indicating the game will have some complicated scenes.

Ubisoft recently mentioned that a restructuring forced them to cancel some games in development. Obviously this panicked the internet and started a spate of rumors about rampant cancellation of highly anticipated games. The company has clarified, with a spokesman stating the “terminated projects were unnannounced projects.” Don’t worry, Beyond Good and Evil 2 is still happening, it just might take a while.

Before I get to my last topic I just want to drop a few dates. Starhawk, the sequel to Warhawk, has been officially announced for release in 2012. The Speedhunters DLC for Shift 2 will be available on May 17 for $10. Ubisoft has put Ghost Recon: Future Soldier back on the radar, declaring it will be available first quarter 2012.

NAMCO Bandai held a pretty big press event, LevelUp, in Dubai this week. Lots of news came out of it and I’ll do my best to give you the vitals here:

First, as shown above, Soul Calibur V has been announced. According to the press release, the game takes place 17 years after IV. New, old, and guest characters will all make an appearance. Having Link, Yoda, etc. in previous editions has been great fan service. While none of the new guest characters have been announced, it’s doubtful any of them will be as cool as Kratos in Mortal Kombat. The game is scheduled for sometime in 2012.

Meanwhile, the Tekken franchise is being juggled around quite a bit. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is already on its way to arcades. Tekken: Blood Vengeance is the full stereoscopic 3D film that’s coming this summer. The movie covers ground from Tekkens five and six and is completely unrelated to the dogshit live-action movie. But with all that work, where does the company lie with Tekken x Street Fighter, scheduled for next year? According to Katsuhiro Harada (Project Lead), they “haven’t really started on that yet.” I’m not sure how much of this will be using existing franchise assets, but don’t good games normally take years to develop? I am now officially wary of the quality of that game.

Dark Souls has been given a release window. It will release as a PS3 exclusive in Japan this September. The rest of the world will get it on PS3 and 360 in October. The European release will include a free upgrade to the limited edition for pre-orders. The limited edition includes the basics: a soundtrack, art book, and “making of” video.

NAMCO Bandai apparently likes that free upgrade concept for pre-orders because they’re doing it with Ace Combat: Assault Horizon as well. This edition will have a steel case, soundtrack, autographed note from the dev team, and DLC code for an exclusive jet. The game is set for release on October 11.

I thought the series died years ago, but Armored Core V is being scheduled for October release in Japan, with a 2012 follow-up for Europe and North America. The game has mechs beating the oil out of each other. Just like every other game in the series since 1865. The five of you that buy it can even break each others mechs online. Wheee.

And that’s it for this week’s late edition. Check back Tuesday for the weekend’s Quick Hits. Better check before you get started on L.A. Noire. I know you’ll be zombied into that game for a few weeks once it gets loaded into your system.

If you play Halo: Reach there’s a good chance you’ve encountered more than your fair share of armor-locking n00bs. These cowards will do battle, but at the first sign of trouble they crouch into the Halo version of the fetal position and activate their six seconds of immovable invulnerability hoping that the superior players on their team will come save them.

Generally, these players are fairly easy to dispatch of. It’s just a matter of waiting them out then delivering that final blow followed by either humping or smacking around their limp corpse just so they know how much of a bitch-button using n00b they are – but, these types of players can still be extremely frustrating to encounter during a game.

Last night, Kill-tacular-tron,  ‘Bigcheezhead” and I encountered a team of these pussies armor-lockers during a game of “Splockets” (Spartan Laser + Rockets = Madness). Despite the general annoying nature of this team, we of course prevailed and one player in particular learned a hard lesson in the dangers of trying to jump in and out of this cowardly armor ability too quickly:

Play Halo: Reach? Have an awesome video of you PWNING some n00bs? Send them our way and we will feature them as part of our “You Got PWND” series here on BSR! Send a link to your video to admin@bigshinyrobot.com

We have a bit of local sports/geek news hitting the interwebs for you folks today!

If you were watching the local news last night here in Utah – where Big Shiny Robot’s “home base” is located – you may have seen a picture of this:

That is Utah Jazz small-forward Andrei Kirilenko’s new tattoo. According to the local media it is a depiction of Kirilenko’s World of Warcraft character – a level-80 Paladin, riding a dragon.

Heh.

So, I guess for the twelve people out there who have been thinking to themselves, “Boy, I wish somehow my love for the NBA and my love for WoW would somehow collide!”, here you go . . . I guess. Way to go Kirilenko, nothing says “bad ass” as you go up for a rebound like a giant tattoo depicting your fantasy character from a video game associated with 40-year-old recluses who lock themselves in their mother’s basement desperately trying to disassociate with the real world and aren’t exactly known for their athletic prowess (relax WoW players, it’s a joke.).

I know, “This is a geek-oriented website, shouldn’t you guys be all about this?!” No. I am one of those particular (and rare?) types of geeks who you will find reading the latest issue of Amazing Spider-Man while watching the Jazz loseplay the Lakers on TV. This is just bizarre and really bothersome to me for some reason. Perhaps it’s because it’s causing a conflict with the two versions of Arse-bot that coexist within the same metallic body, and my collective thought process can’t sort out exactly why I/they hate this? Either way, as a Jazz fan, I’ve never been a fan of “AK” and I believe his contract is up, so I hope this dude takes his expensive homage to a lame-ass fantasy game to a different city next year.

Update: On our Facebook fan page, Mr. Benny Wallace was kind enough to point out that this piece was done by Vic Back from Painted Temple Tattoo & Art Gallery. Despite my personal feelings on the subject, there’s no denying this is a very well done tattoo.

Source: City Weekly

While Arse-bot’s geek side and sports side try to come to an agreement on exactly why they hate this and can form a coherent argument as to why, sound off with your thoughts in the comments below!

So it’s not video game related, but since it’s today, happy birthday Mrs. Baldassbot. In gaming news:

An odd glitch in downloading the “Escalation” map pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops from XBox Live has created a spate of rumors about the next possible pack. I’m not entirely sure what happened, but apparently a user tried to download the DLC when it wasn’t available in his region. After some to do he was able to access his install folder, where he saw files related to a “Retaliation” map pack. This might not mean anything. It could be a rejected name for “Escalation” or a localized name in another region. Or, it could be the next pack planned for the game. If it is the next map pack, Activision will probably be commenting on it soon. Say what you will about Activision (and I do, often), they’re one of the better companies about responding to leaks with a positive spin.

Whether the Black Ops information is correct or not, there is a “Retaliation” DLC coming for a different game. Crysis 2 will get a new map pack on May 18th (probably later for PSN). The pack will include four new maps: Park Avenue, Transit, Shipyard, and Compound. They haven’t announced a price yet, but $10 is likely.

Ubisoft dropped some big news last year at E3 when they announced a new Rayman downloadable game. They’ve now upped the ante, revealing that Rayman Origins has become a full retail release for this holiday season. While we know the game will feature four player local co-op, we’ll have to wait until E3 to get more details.

Sticking with Ubisoft for the moment, a few more details have come out about Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. Playing as a 50 year old Ezio (who apparently doesn’t become a father until much later in life) in Constantinople, we’ll get access to a new weapon/tool. The hookblade can be used for riding ziplines, as well as Vaudeville caning enemies in closer for combat. Other new additions include 300 different, craftable bombs. Eagle Vision has also evolved into something very similar to Batman’s detective vision in Arkham Asylum, letting you see footprints and predict guards’ patrol paths. In addition to Ezio, players will also take their turns as Altair and Desmond. Multiplayer is returning, but unspecified changes are being made. I am definitely looking forward to more information about this one. With E3 next month we might even get a release date and a trailer.

It turns out your grandparents were right. Rock and Roll is the devil’s music. At least it is in the world of Candygun/Digital Reality’s upcoming downloadable game, Dead Block. The game (coming to XBLA, PSN, and PC later this year) takes place in 1950s America. Music is turning people into zombies. As Jack Foster (construction worker), Foxy Jones (traffic warden), and Mike Bacon (Boy Scout), players will have combat options as a last resort. Instead of fighting, the focus will be on defensive barriers and traps to save yourself from the shambling droolers. There will be a full single player campaign, as well as a slightly smaller, split-screen co-op mode with up to four players.

The PSN debacle has certainly left Sony with egg on their face, and it seems to be getting worse as time goes on. Rants and ravings aside, Sony has serious problems on their hands, and it seems much of it could have been preventable, being that the vulnerability had been known for years but was ignored because the PS3 was “unhackable.” In a phone conversation with Bloomberg, Sony’s Shigenori Yoshida stated the “plan to restart the services fully by May 31 is unchanged.” May 31st? The PlayStation Blog said May 3rd almost two weeks ago. To be fair, that date specified only some services, not all services. Still, the network has been down since April 20. The “Welcome Back” promotion Sony plans to offer is also not free from deserved criticism, but they have announced an expansion to it. In addition to the temporary Plus subscription already announced, users will get to download two games, of five being offered. While the games offered have yet to be announced, I fully expect to see a few people get upset that they already own all five. Which essentially would mean Sony is unintentionally burning some of their most loyal users. Clearly there is no way out of this for Sony that makes everyone happy. The benefit now is that they will no doubt have the most over the top, insanely strong e-security available in the future. And, despite the internet assurances that such a thing is impossible on XBox, have no doubt that Sony’s competition is also checking and upgrading their safeguards as well.

For a little bit lighter fare (with less fear of hacking or identity theft), you might be interested in the upcoming Manny Pacquiao game, Pound for Pound. Being released by Karkadann Games this summer for casual audiences on PC, Facebook, and iDevices, the game will take Manny far beyond the ring and into the realm of a martial arts beat ’em up. This clearly looks like something that just adds Pacquiao for marketability, when it really wants to be Double Dragon with Bruce Lee.

If you’ve been wanting to play the upcoming Deus Ex: Human Revolution on PC, Square Enix has announced you don’t even have to go to the store. Both the standard and augmented versions will be available on Steam this August, with all of the benefits you’d expect from the online game service. They’re even running a pre-order special for a limited time ($44.99 or $53.99, respectively for the two editions). Too bad you can’t get into your Steam account right now because you’re at work and your net nanny blocks it.

Activision’s investor call for first quarter should bring a smile to a few people’s faces, especially fans of 007. During the call, Eris Hirshberg (CEO) stated “For the balance of the year, we plan to launch games based on the best-selling X-Men and Spider-Man franchises, James Bond and the toy phenomenon Bakugan as well as the latest release in the long-standing Cabela’s Hunting franchise, which we’re expanding this year to include new peripherals and an incredible Kinect experience.” [Emphasis added by me.] The Marvel stuff has been known and the Cabela’s game should have been at least expected if not announced. But the fate of the 007 franchise was up in the air following the lackluster Blood Stone and the subsequent problems a Bizarre Creations. Now it looks like he’ll be back sooner rather than later.

That seems to be it for the Tuesday edition. It doesn’t seem like anything truly groundbreaking, but hopefully you found something you like. Check back on Friday for the late edition of this week’s gaming news.

We have a guest post from Dagobot!

Enjoy:

They say that every hero needs theme music. A little pick me up to energize you to get by in your day to day. That extra push to get you to level up and button mash your way through the second to last miniboss. Music is important in our lives. Whether it’s that louder than anything on earth latest top 40 ringtone coming out of your friends cell or that one tune you remember couples dancing to what’s her name back in high school. Music can be a place where there is no stress and absolute escapism. Even if its only to break away for couple of minutes at a time throughout the days of our ever so busy lives. Here is a quick rundown of a few releases that have caught my eyes and ears recently.

Mega Ran: Black Materia (Final Fantasy VII)

While the Final Fantasy series might not be that near and dear to my heart, I would be stupid not to acknowledge the amount of love that this iconic touchstone commands. Actually, I have only attempted to play one of the chapters…once and then I gave up on it all too quickly. Mega Rans’ a.k.a. Random’s ‘Black Materia’ is making me rethink my hasty decision. What separates this project from the host of other video game meets rap, rock, polka, etc. efforts are Randoms skillful and precise lyrics about gaming, in this case Final Fantasy VII. He elevates over his ‘Nerdcore’ peers by being able to craft a concept album that is creative and pushes the boundaries of what hip hop and music can be. In a nostalgic way, it reminds me of Deltron’s 3030 LP (google that). I would assume it helps to be a fanboy (or fangirl) of Final Fantasy VII to connect with this universe and pick up on all the shoutouts. However, being the novice that I am with the FF identity it spoke to me on a musical and an RPG level. Random tells the plot and builds this epic tale…rhyme-by-rhyme and song-by-song. His passion for his subject matter shines through. The REALLY crazy thing is that this ambitious LP (running time of over 70 minutes!) blends nonstop with classic rap sensibilities and powerful production. Lost Perception (the albums ‘beat maker’) weaves together a tapestry of electronic and classical sounds filled with more progressive resonance then what is often heard with contemporary producers. Let’s hope some downloadable content drops in the months to come. Must haves: ‘Cry Of The Planet’ & ‘Aerith’s Theme’

Beastie Boys ‘Hot Sauce Committee Part Two’

It’s been seven years since the Beasties dropped the underappreciated ‘To The Five Boroughs’ and while that album was more on the heavy handed side than antic ‘Hot Sauce Committee Part Two’ showcases the three emcee’s and their back to basics party rocking signature. Don’t bother pressing the ‘not interesting’ button, the 16 tracks of distorted melodic strut and rap eclecticism displays the fact that even after thirty plus years in the game their best days might be ahead of them. They sound like they are having a blast while still flexing their talents in new directions. Think more of an electronic ‘Check Your Head’ with nods to Ad-Rocks’ short-lived side project ‘BS 2000’ (google that). ‘Hot Sauce’ has all of the staples that we’ve come to except from a B.B. album; Infectious party mantra (Make Some Noise), Swank instrumental (Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament), Hard hitting punk scat (Lee Majors Come Again) & pitch perfect interludes that let you catch your breath before the next sonic assault (The Bill Harper Collection). ‘Hot Sauce’ is a welcome breath of fresh air in this postmodern ruse of generic musical soundscapes. As usual, the Beasties play it cool by just being themselves and the video for the jump off single ‘Make Some Noise’ is a HOOT. While this is not technically ‘Video Game’ based music it IS recommended listening while playing Co-Op dungeon crawlers and or anything that fits within the action adventure category.

L.A. Noire Soundtrack(s)
Possibly the most anticipated video game title of 2011, Rockstar’s detective simulator ‘L.A. Noire’ is set to drop on May 17th. I have never regretted buying a Rockstar game (The GTA series, Red Dead Redemption). In my opinion they are in an elite class of publishers/developers (Bioware is still number one!) and consistently reach for the upper echelon with each and every release. In their games, the devil is in the details from the meticulous environments to the polished scripts…and even in the sound design. The game boasts not one but two soundtracks. The official soundtrack, composed by Andrew Hale (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World), draws heavily from the sounds of the 1940’s. A homage in the likes of Jerry Goldsmith and Max Steiner. It’s a mosaic mingling commonplace symphonic arrangements with re-visioned Jazz originals. It also boasts more than 30 classic tracks including Thelonious Monk, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday & others. The second, ‘L.A. Noire/Remixed’ is a six song mash up EP. Taking musical compositions of Jazz greats and having their songs reworked by some of today’s most diverse and creative producers & disc jockeys (I.E. Louis Jordan- Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens DJ Premier remix). Still, I can’t help to think what Danger Mouse, Gaslamp Killer or Damon Albarn could have done to some of these standards. Maybe, Rockstar and Verve records s saving that for the sequel. Both Soundtracks will be available on Itunes the same day that the game launches.

-Dagobot

Multiplatform:
Virtua Tennis 4
Brink
LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean
MX vs ATV Alive

XBox 360:
The First Templar

Nintendo DS:
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s Wolrd Championship 2011 Over the Nexus

Brink is the newest multiplayer role playing shooter. It comes from Bethesda (Elder Scrolls, Fallout). It looks pretty cool even though it’s not my typical gaming style. I only highlight this one because I know it’s very anticipated among online players. If you have options, considering the state of the PSN, you’ll probably want to pick it up for your 360.

If you think you’re too old or too cool for LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean you’re wrong. The LEGO games have all just been plain fun. Don’t skip a good time just because it’s marketed to kids.

If nothing here is interesting you, don’t worry. Your game-boner should already be rising for next week’s L.A. Noire.

I’m a little sleepy after staying up last night to watch Thor so I’ll skip the lofty introduction. I won’t be doing a full review of the movie so suffice to say that I enjoyed my time, but I’ve seen better. Unfortunately, it felt like a two hour origin story more than its own movie. Regardless, the news:

It’s not unusual to see multimedia crossovers for video games. Sometimes it’s a prequel comic book, maybe news about a movie-based game, but Rockstar’s recent announcement of L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories is one of the best concepts I’ve seen. Noir, as a genre, is most at home in books and movies. Other attempts to breach the genre in games have had varied success, but this one looks poised to change all that. That’s why I find it so interesting that they are cross-promoting it with a step back and a step forward at once. The anthology, featuring classic noir writers (Megan Abbott, Lawrence Block, Joe Lansdale, Joyce Carol Oates, Francine Prose, Jonathan Santlofer, Duane Swierczynski and Andrew Vachss), will tell further tales of characters from the game. According to Sam Houser, Rockstar’s Founder, “L.A. Noire draws on a rich history of not just film, but also great crime literature for inspiration. Using the game’s world as a springboard, we worked with the genre’s best writers to create stories that lived up to the finest traditions of crime fiction.” Another thing about this concept that I love is that the book won’t be seeing print publishing. Instead, it will be available through all of your major eBook sellers on June 6th for $0.99. Publication duties are being done through Mulholland Books (Little, Brown, and Company). The game is scheduled for May 17th.

Yoostar 2: In the Movies may have passed you by if you’re not on Kinect or Move. But, to many gamers, this is the new Rock Band. The game is basically movie karaoke, with you doing the physical acting and reciting the lines from the some of the most memorable senes in film history. Another comparison to Rock Band is the continually updating downloadable content. The month of May will be very exciting in that arena as they have planned 45 new scenes! Typical pricing is $2 per scene with discounts for multi-packs. While The Wizard of Oz (getting three new scenes) is one of my all-time favorites, BSR! readers likely have other interests. Here’s the list:

• 300
• American Graffiti
• Apollo 13
• Beverly Hills Cop
• The Big Lebowski (2)
• The Blair Witch Project
• Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie
• Clash of the Titans
• Crank
• Fast and the Furious
• Fletch
• Forrest Gump
• GI Joe
• The Godfather
• The Hangover (4)
• Kick Ass (2)
• Marathon Man
• Matrix Revolutions
• Men in Black 2
• On the Waterfront
• Platoon
• The Princess Bride (2)
• Rio Grande
• Rocky 2
• Sands of Iwo Jima
• Saw II & V
• Scarface
• Star Trek: Generations
• The Terminator (2)
• Three Amigos
• Tropic Thunder (2)
• Weeds

Saints’ Row: Drive-By has been cancelled. The 3DS and downloadable game was to lead into the upcoming Saints’ Row: The Third in much the same way Red Faction: Battlegrounds leads into RF: Armageddon. Poor sales reception for Battlegrounds (mostly unrelated to the PSN fiasco) has apparently led THQ to change the plans. Obviously other factors could also be involved.

But just because they’ve cancelled that piece doesn’t mean they’re not still adding new stuff. The Initiation Station is a new feature for Saints’ Row: The Third, allowing you to share your created protagonist with other users (a la ModNation Racers). You can get access to the free service a week early by preordering Red Faction: Armageddon.

I really have to wonder about THQ. While it appears they are cancelling a downloadable tie-in to a premier franchise, they also are going forward with 360 and PS3 versions of their uDraw tablets. The peripheral released for Wii in November, making it possible to play things like Pictionary on your TV. Why? Better things already exist for PC/Mac for any serious artistic use. Do consoles really need another expensive hunk of plastic to play three more crappy games?

If that’s not enough to make you wonder about THQ’s business strategy, let me throw one more at you. The demo for Red Faction: Armageddon is out now and they’re aiming for one million downloads. If that goal is met, there wil be an additional weapon for the full game: Mr. Toots, the rainbow farting unicorn. Some days games are an art form. Other days they feature mythical animals shitting rainbows all over martians. The continued existence of the human race needs to be questioned.

SEGA is another company that’s been hit or miss in the last few years. Here’s to hoping their latest endeavor will be a hit. They’ve recently filed a US trademark for Samurai Bloodshow: Les Vagues Blanches, Les Nuages Rouges for use in video games. The title translates roughly to “The White Waves, the Red Clouds” but that doesn’t tell us any more about it. Stuff like this typically happens just before E3 when developers actually start showing things off. If it helps, here’s the logo SEGA released along with the news:

Not much to say about The Darkness II except that it has a confirmed release date. You can get your evil, little hands on this one October 4th.

Meanwhile, a game I actually want to play is getting pushed back into 2012. This one really hurts, but Mass Effect 3 is being delayed to first quarter next year. This is probably a good thing because that time frame is usually lacking in quality games and it’s also got time to get the high level of polish that a title this huge needs. But I want to be playing RIGHT NOW.

 I’m not actually on Facebook myself, but if you’re desperate for news about Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, you probably should be. The game’s Facebook page is continually updating with more little secrets and clues about the upcoming game. If you can wait a little while though, Game Informer has a 12 page cover story coming. The highlights are the three playable characters, Ezio, Desmond, and Altair. While Ezio heads to Constantinople and Desmond picks up right where Brotherhood left off, Altair will apparently be continuing his part of the story in 1165 in the Middle East. I’m just not sure how that will work considering Bloodlines took place immediately after the first game and Desmond should have none of Ezio’s memories past that time. Could this be before his weapons were stripped from him by Al Mualim?

Yet another studio has fallen victim to cuts and cancellations. Disney Interactive Studios has confirmed that about 40 people have been laid off at Black Rock Studio. The company was possibly making a sequel to Pure, which is no longer happening, and their Split/Second 2 has been cancelled. Instead, their recently limited resources are now devoted to a “new and risky” title.

“Today our global network and security teams at Sony Network Entertainment and Sony Computer Entertainment began the final stages of internal testing of the new system, an important step towards restoring PlayStation Network and Qriocity services.” That’s according to a post on the PlayStation blog yesterday (boldface added by me for ease of scanning by readers). Sony also recently announced is a new feature for PSN once it’s restored, free ID Theft protection. As of the time I hit publish, the network is still down.

And that’s it for today. Some good, some bad, some just the announcement of a title that’s way too long. Check back Tuesday to catch up on anything I hear over the weekend. Poor me, I won’t be gaming much this weekend. My lovely wife will be getting her bachelor’s degree this afternoon (congratulations Sara) and I’ll be spending most of my time with the family that’s come to celebrate.

This week: K-On movie announcement, Akira issues 1 – 6 re-printed and flying off the shelves, some new Netflix streaming titles, and a new digital manga app. for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. (Bonus at the end: Japanese Zelda commercial with subtitles!)

First up: K-On! – a show about a group of high school girls who join their school’s “light music club” in order to save if from collapse – already has a movie in the works. This is no surprise considering the huge popularity of the show (especially in Japan). You can check out the Japanese trailer here. If you watch the show, you’ll get the idea. There’s not really much to translate – Yui introduces the group and explains that they will be back in an upcoming movie in which you’ll get to see some more of their high school adventures. The movie’s release date is currently set for December, 2011 and considering the speedy release that this series got I’m sure we’ll see the movie get subbed and dubbed pretty quickly.

Second on the list: The highly acclaimed manga version of Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira has recently been re-printed by Kodansha comics. Volume 6, which just released on April 12th, has already made its way onto the New York Times Bestseller’s: Manga list. If you’re interested in reading this story in its original form, and getting the rest of the story if you’ve only seen the movie, definitely pick these up before they goes out of print. Volumes 1 – 6 are available at all major stores and Amazon has a deal on Volume 6 for $19.79.

Third: here’s another great chance to watch some more staples of anime if you are a Netflix subscriber! As of this week, both Death Note and FLCL (pronounced: “fooli cooli”) will be available in the “watch instantly” section. FLCL is a title I would highly recommend to anyone new to anime – it’s a strange combination of fun, weird and crazy that works quite well. Allow me to suggest that you watch all six parts in one sitting to really take in the weirdness of the plot.

Lastly: if you’re an iPhone or iPod Touch owner and a manga reader, you should know that Viz Media has just announced that their Manga App will now be available on these devices (plus the iPad). It’s a great way to get access to tons of digital manga titles and take them with you (I really enjoy reading manga on the train.). Viz currently has 28 series available in full through the application.

They’re giving away a discount to those who decide to pick up some titles. Download of the application itself is free. Check out more details and available series over at Viz’s website.

To support the launch, we’ve also kicked off a special promotion for 40% off select Volume 1 manga (only $2.99 ea, through midnight May 9th)! This is across all devices – iPhone, iPod Touch AND iPad!

Here's a preview of what the app looks like on an Iphone.

Well, that’s all for today. Remember to stay caught up with all your anime, manga and geeky news just stay surfing on BSR!

Since this week was a bit light on anime news – I give you this fantastic and hilarious Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past commercial from Japan in the early 90’s. It’s one of my favorite videos on youtube. Enjoy!

Red Fly Studios, who most recently brought us Ghostbusters and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 for Wii, drops the might of Mjolnir on the unsuspecting public today, and we were there to cover their launch party at Austin Books and Comics here in Austin, TX.

So I showed up, took some amatuerish video, played the game, talked to some folks, and here you go:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miCXb1G4sqk

So let me say a bunch of stuff about Red Fly and Austin Books and Comics. I first met the developers for Red Fly at SXSW, and they pulled me over and forced me to play the Thor game. It was awesome, and I gushed about it a little in my mini-review.  There are a lot of “developers” who just port over next gen console games for Wii, DS, etc and…. they. just. suck.  Red Fly is not that.  They take an incredible amount of care into adding value into the games they work on, and the incredible fun factor in the games they’ve done (Ghostbusters and SW: FU 2 especially) shines through.  They’ve really pulled out the stops for Thor, and beyond that they are a bunch of great human beings. After SXSW they reached back out to us and we’ve been talking about Thor ever since.

Next, Austin Books and Comics.  This is my favorite comics store.  I drive past two others to get there, and it’s worth it. Knowledgeable (and nice!) staff, it’s amazing just how much they want to talk about comics with people. My first experience with them was walking in and saying “I haven’t kept up on (insert titles) for several years- what do I need to get caught up so I can understand the new crossover event?  I dropped almost $100 that day, but it was sooooo worth it. Also, they are incredibly kid-friendly and love it when I bring in my kids. In short, they can keep up with you at the highest and nerdiest level, but also aren’t “that” type of comic book guy who barely tolerates children. As an example, in the video below you’ll see I talk to one of the employees who is dressed up as Syf.  Not only did she play with my kids, who were dressed as Thor as Wonder Woman, she actually went and found a back issue of Thor where he was turned into a woman, as that related to a conversation we had in the video above.  Awesome, awesome people.

So this was just a match made in heaven to have Austin Books and Comics play host to the launch party.

I also spoke with Chris Frechette, the AI/Combat designer for Thor about some of the overall concepts of the game:

Me: I once heard from some of the developers on the first Force Unleashed that their underlying concept for the game was “Kicking someone’s ass with The Force.”  Especially when thinking about making this game playable for Wii, was there a similar underlying concept for you?
CF – While making Thor, our focus was to make the player feel like the Wii remote was Mjolnir!  This meant making gesture attacks have strong impact and really be the exclamation mark as combo finishers!  At the same time, with a character like the God of Thunder, it was extremely important that we empower the player use his Storm Powers frequently and not horde them for a boss.  When combat gets hot and heavy there should be lightning and cyclones and Mjolnir swinging all over the place!

Me: The Wii brings a whole different style of gameplay to this game compared to other consoles, as well as others RedFly has worked on. When designing for Wii and motion gaming, what do you aim for, what do you try to keep in mind?
CF – With an action basher like Thor, it could have been easy to go overboard with motion controls.  We tried multiple control schemes in an attempt to keep it impactful and really correspond to what the character is doing.  Combo Finishers, Storm Powers and QTEs are the real focus of the motion controls. Thor also has a couple point and shoot style Storm Powers (Lightning Bolt and Wind Cage).  The Wii also has exclusive flight levels that show Thor off in a complete different way and utilize the same point and shoot style of gameplay… he flies through the trenches of Nifelheim and Muspelheim casting down lightning and destroying everything in sight.

Me:What’s your favorite combo/power that you have in this game?

CF – Thor has several combos… my favorite is the Thunder Quake (A, A, gesture, gesture), which is a group juggle attack.  It is not his most powerful combo finisher, but it can launch multiple enemies into the air!  Its really gratifying to follow it up with a Storm Burst and send them all flying!  There is a clip in the Wii trailer that shows this off… right about 42 seconds in.

#t=42s” target=”_blank”>httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCw4ovL0P0s&feature=player_detailpage#t=42s

Me: Any reason you chose to give it that particular motion/button combo?
CF – We did a lot of playing around with combos branching based on remote gesture directions… it was originally A, A, Right, Down.  After a bit of focus testing, it was obvious that players would commit to gestures at various levels of intensity and were getting misreads.  We went to a system that only cared about generic gestures for combos.  So in the instructions it will say do A, A, Down, Down… but truthfully it is A, A, any gesture, any gesture.

Me: Thor’s a god. How do you balance giving someone god-type abilities without either making him too invincible or too weak?  How do you make the gameplay graceful while also exuding all that power?
CF – Designing a game around a god was tough.  How do you platforming if he can just fly?  The door is locked, why doesn’t he just bust it open?  We didn’t want to go the traditional route of humbling him and stripping his powers and having him start really weak and grow stronger.  We did it from the direction of Thor is continuously presented w/ situations that requires him to use powers that he hasn’t had to use before.  In the end, it is a game and you do earn XP to unlock combos and powerful storm powers.  Thankfully Thor has a rich history of fighting some of the biggest baddies in the Marvel Universe.  So we can go from throwing hordes of fodder enemies at the player to then putting them toe to toe against Surtur who is the size of a building!

Me: Have you had a chance to play this on another console and if I’ve got an XBox 360 (let’s not include PS3 in this discussion for various, obvious reasons) and a Wii at home, why do I want to play Thor on Wii?
CF – The Wii version of Thor is a unique title… it is not a port of the 360 game.  The fast paced fluid combat and responsive motion controls really make this a fun game to play!  It is an action basher the likes of which the Wii hasn’t seen. Plus, the Wii version has exclusive Flight levels, Midgard levels, Vanir Spirit enemies in the final chapter, Motion Comics, Combat Challenge levels (the player can create custom battles), and the entire Thor episode of the Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heros cartoon!

Me: With the advent of Kinect and PS Move, do you think the future of arcade smash em up games like this/Force Unleashed 2 is going to be using motion-gaming, or are we going to stick to the buttoned controllers?
CF – It will be interesting to see what the future of motion controls in this genre are.  I’m afraid hard core gamers will prefer sticking to their familar stick and buttons.  But with what we’ve done with the combat and controls in this game, it is not only fun for young gamers but will give those hard core gamers a really unique basher experience.  I bet we’ll likely see developers supporting traditional controllers and Move in the future.

Me: In my previous mini-review of the game from SXSW, I compared this game favorably with Force Unleashed 2, which you also worked on.  How did working on Force Unleashed inform what you were going to do with Thor or were they very separate development projects?
CF – Part of the development process was done in parallel.  I don’t know that FU2 informed us much on the design side, but there were technical advancements made on our engine that ultimately got incorporated into Thor as well.
Me: What’s next? Redfly, in my mind, is batting 1.000 with thee games in a row you hit out of the park (Ghostbusters, SW: FU2, and Thor). I expect more great things from you- what’s on the horizon?
CF – We can’t say much about our currently project except that it is a PS3/360 game.  You can trust that in the same way we pushed the envelope on the Wii, we will strive to create another beautiful exciting game!

Me:. Speaking of what’s next, we’ve heard a lot the past few weeks about the follow up console to the Wii. Do you have any more information than the rest of us about what to expect?  As a developer, what do you hope we see?  What would you like to add to the mix that you think Nintendo can capitalize on?
CF – I don’t know anything other than they plan to show something at E3 and it could be pretty powerful.  Obviously graphics is where the Wii is lacking.  I think Nintendo would be smart to package a traditional controller if they really want to get hard core gamers.  Also I hope that Nintendo does a better job of supporting 3rd party developers early on so that better quality product can be created.
Me: And finally, there’s always a lot of skepticism from gamers about both movie tie-in titles and superhero titles. Why is Thor worth picking up?
CF – Thor: God of Thunder is not your typical movie tie-in game.  The game shares vary little with the movie.  Our characters share the likenesses of the actors and some of the VO is done by the actors themselves.  Other than that, the story is different.  We worked in conjunction with Matt Fraction and Liquid (Thor PS3/360) to create an epic tale fit for a game.  Comic fans will especially love it and really enjoy throwing on some of the classic Thor costumes, like the original Jack Kirby… bright blue, yellow and red!

So there you have it, folks. The only reason, and i do mean the ONLY reason I’m not picking this game up today on Wii is because my job is killing me until the Texas Legislature gets out at the end of the month. At that point, I am going to take an entire week off, and probably spend a great deal of it getting my Thor on.

Pick this up, and pick it up on Wii.