Hello, and welcome to the first VGQH of May 2011. Once again, PSN is at the forefront of the gaming news, but I’ll save that to the end. There’s actually plenty more to stroke your excitement and waggle your controller before we get to Sony.

For anyone that looks forward to my normal In Stores This Week that didn’t show up yesterday, sorry. I had a few things come up over the weekend, including a very sick dog. Thor: God of Thunder is coming today to every console ever built. Despite the source material it will probably suck just as bad as every other SEGA game based on a movie. Also, Motorstorm Apocalypse finally sees its release. Apparently Sony has decided the crisis in Japan doesn’t overshadow their own troubles right now. There’s some other stuff too, but those were the two games I would have highlighted.

Soooo, Portal 2! Does it get more awesome? Well, maybe if PS3 users could finally get to their online co-opping. And maybe if they would expand it with some DLC. And especially if that DLC had new test chambers, and challenge modes for single- and multiplayer. Of course it would have to already be in development in order to release this summer. Oh yeah, that’s happening.

Accidental leakage is something that normally only happens after a night of too many tacos and too much beer. But in the video game world it tends to happen a lot. Maybe because developers, like their customers, have a penchant for tacos and beer. Anyway, the latest slip occurred on Ubisoft’s Facebook (see, it is good for something besides office party tit shots). The slip may hint at the next chapter in Assassin’s Creed. Ubisoft has since posted a teaser page on Facebook that seems to be evolving. Sign in to Facebook and “like” the game to see the whole thing. It looks like the next title will be another expansion on a current character, not the anticipated AC III. Which character? That seems to be answered by the original leak that’s since been pulled. The posting apparently had Altair’s name written in Arabic along with this logo:

I’m not much for racing games. They’re fun, but I tend to lose interest fairly quickly. Find me one with a good hook though, and I’m willing to give it a try. Oddly enough, the latest one to catch my attention is Dirt 3. Even more odd, is that the hook I see with it is actually the online multiplayer, a mode I generally don’t explore too deeply. Three modes have been announced for the game. “Invasion” is basically capture the flag and strikes me as more frustrating than entertaining since you can steal the flag by simply hitting the vehicle that possesses it. “Transporter” and “Outbreak” look a little better. In “Transporter” you’re basically vying with your opponents to run over cardboard cutouts of robots to score points. You lose points for hitting cardboard buildings. Seems silly, but in a gymkhana arena, this should be filled with “did you just see that” moments. “Outbreak” is zombie mode, but not what you’re thinking. As much as I’d like to have a zombie smashing gymkhana competition…. Actually, one car begins as patient zero and needs to clip another car to spread the plague. As the infected masses grow, it becomes harder to avoid them. Points are earned through survival time and spreading the virus once you’ve contracted it. These three modes won’t convince me to buy the game, but they’ve put it on my radar.

There are a few games in history that can truly be called “cult classics” and, for my money, one of the best franchises to fit that category is Oddworld. It’s unfortunate that the series has been MIA for so long. But there is great news for Oddworld fans, news in HD. It’s been known for some time that Stranger’s Wrath was getting the remastered treatment, but Just Add Water has now announced a full collection for release this fall. I am currently seeing announcements for the Oddboxx only in relation to PS3, but I would be shocked if it didn’t make it to 360. So, look for Stranger’s Wrath, Munch’s Odyssee, Abe’s Odyssee, and Abe’s Exxodus in October. In related news, the Oddworld RTS, Hand of Odd, is now back into production, likely seeing release to PC, Mac, and portable devices but with no release date currently set.

As if Atlus’ upcoming Catherine isn’t strange enough, they’ve now released details on their $80 deluxe edition. It’s… unique? The deluxe set comes packaged in a Stray Sheep pizza box. Bonus items incldue a pillow case, a pair of boxer shorts, and a t-shirt featuring a nearly empty heart-gauge. Huh? Preorders for either version of the game will net you a soundtrack CD and 36 page art book.

I swore to myself that after getting the platinum trophy for Fallout: New Vegas that I would never play that glitchy freak show ever again. But it’s such an awesome game. And the next three DLC packages ($9.99 each) have just been announced. Ooooohhhh. Honest Hearts (May 17th) sees the courier’s caravan attacked in Zion National Park. S/He’ll have to fight back to the Mojave through the middle of war between the Burned Man and a New Canaanite missionary. Old World Blues (June) sees your courier involved in a lab experiment, one related to the existence of mutant monsters in the Mojave. Do you rebel against your captors, or join them to stand against an even greater threat? Last is Lonesome Road (July). Hinted at in Dead Money, this chapter sees your courier being contacted by Courier Six, Ulysses. He explains why he never delivered the platinum chip to Mr. House and you’ll head into the disaster-ridden Divide to face off. All three chapters will release for PC, 360, and PS3 simultaneously.

And now for the 800 pound gorilla. While the idea of another digital attack on Sony may delay their plans somewhat, PSN is expected to begin a phased restart today. What can you expect with the first phase?

• Online gameplay for PS3 and PSP restored
• Access to Qriocity’s Music Unlimited for existing subscribers
• Account management and password reset (mandatory)
• Unexpired movie rentals from PS3, PSP and MediaGo
• PlayStation HOME (I can’t believe this was a priority)
• Friends List and Chat functionality

While I don’t see it specifically mentioned, I imagine trophy syncing is included with that last bit. Also, although it hasn’t been mentioned, I would expect a firmware update for both PS3 and PSP before you can continue.

Further, from Kaz Hirai (Executive Deputy President, Sony Computer Entertainment):

This criminal act against our network had a significant impact not only on our consumers, but our entire industry. These illegal attacks obviously highlight the widespread problem with cyber-security. We take the security of our consumers’ information very seriously and are committed to helping our consumers protect their personal data. In addition, the organization has worked around the clock to bring these services back online, and are doing so only after we had verified increased levels of security across our networks. Our global audience of PlayStation Network and Qriocity consumers was disrupted. We have learned lessons along the way about the valued relationship with our consumers, and to that end, we will be launching a customer appreciation program for registered consumers as a way of expressing our gratitude for their loyalty during this network downtime, as we work even harder to restore and regain their trust in us and our services.

A customer appreciation program? What would that entail?

• Current subscribers to Music Unlimited by Qriocity get 30 days free
• Current PS Plus subscribers get an additional 30 days free
• Current PSN users without a Plus subscription get one free for 30 days
• Selected content will be available for free download. Content will vary by region. More details will be announced soon.
• Additional “Welcome Back” content will be available in time

There will be some complaints about this, especially considering the 30 day access to PS+ is as much a marketing tool as an apology. But I’m in the camp that thinks it’s great Sony is doing something. Because they don’t have to. Paid subscribers are a different story, but free users are not entitled to more free stuff. So, thanks Sony. I appreciate your efforts in a troubling time. I’ve lost some electronic contact for a couple of weeks. You’ve lost millions of dollars. And you’re responding by restoring that contact and losing some more money by giving me free stuff. I’m glad Japanese culture no longer requires Kaz Hirai to publicly disembowel himself. I, for one, would miss his hilarious presence at E3 conferences.

Once again, I encourage you to check with the Playstation Blog for the most up to date official information.

Come back Friday for this week’s late edition of VGQH. It will keep you occupied while you stand in line for Thor.

Game Informer is reporting that the Sony (this time Sony Online Entertainment) was once again hacked last night, hot on the heels of their last major security breach, just over a week ago.

It seems as though the attack was targeted to credit card numbers and approximately 12,700 were stolen. It is believed that 4,300 of them belonged to Japanese customers.

People are having a field day vilifying Sony for these security breaches, but the real bad guys are the criminals perpetrating the attacks. And if this is some half-assed retaliation for Sony working to protect their intellectual property (appropriately in a court of law) that makes all of these breaches twice as childish. Sure, I think Sony is wrong to try to prevent people from changing the software on machines they own, but they are pursuing what they believe their rights to be in a suitable arena. If the hackers wanted to do some good and benefit everyone, they wouldn’t steal our data (and make no mistake, they’re hurting us, not just Sony) they would step out of the shadows of internet anonymity and file a class action lawsuit to protect the rights of users who wish to modify their systems (if that’s what this is even about.)

It’s important to note that Sony should be doing everything it can to protect the data of its users. Even if that means flushing it all down the toilet and asking its users to start over. Sure, that might be annoying to users, but it’s far less annoying than having some thoughtless hacker steal your data and make himself rich with it.

Sony is responsible for not keeping the data better protected, sure, but ultimately it’s the hackers that are doing the wrong here. It’s important to keep that in mind.

While you’re keeping that in mind, I’d be sure to report your credit card number as stolen if you had it kept in the Playstation Network. It’s a hassle, sure, but it’ll be worth it in the long run, just in case.

When Tuesday’s edition came up pretty short on news I expected today’s update would be more robust. I wasn’t wrong. Obviously there’s news related to the PSN debacle but there’s also other stuff.

First up, let’s talk about Supremacy MMA. This isn’t necessarily the most anticipated game among BSR! readers but if you’re into the sport it looks to be a good alternative to the cage, instead of EA’s glossy version. The UK preorder incentives have been announced, and I feel it’s safe to assume the North American bonuses will be similar at the various retailers. Two places get you a new venue: HMV’s is The Glass Slipper (a strip club), and Play.com is giving away the Slaughter House (for the Rocky fans?). If you’d prefer additional fighters, you should order from Amazon.co.uk (Bao Quach) or GAME (Shane del Rosario). The US release date is June 7th. If/when I can confirm US bonuses I’ll bring the update here in VGQH.

FEAR 3 has been delayed. Originally scheduled for May, Neil Castle (Community Manager) has confirmed the push to an unspecified date in June. According to Castle, “The F.E.A.R. 3 launch date will now be in June 2011 as we look to deliver the best possible game for you, the players. The reason for this delay is so that more time can be spent on optimization in order to provide the best experience possible.” Warner Bros. has promised a definitive date soon.

If you played Hydrophobia or its update, Hydrophobia Pure, on XBLA you’ve been able to enjoy a great game that had a few issues. Steam users will get their chance at the game in its new form, Hydrophobia Prophecy, on May 9th. It will be coming to PSN soon after. “We could’ve just ported Hydrophobia Pure over to Steam and PSN after the positive response it received, but we decided to go much further,” says Dark Energy Digital’s Pete Jones. “The community really blew us away with the incredible response to Hydrophobia Pure and the outstanding level of feedback on the listening post, so we wanted to return the favour and ensure we created a bigger and better experience in every possible respect with Hydrophobia Prophecy for Steam and PSN.”

More news on the Hitman Absolution front (probably) comes from IO Interactive’s not so subtle “leaking” of footage. In addition to licensing the title (as reported on Tuesday) they’ve changed their Twitter picture to a clear shot of 47’s glove. Additionally, Tore Blystad, known for his Hitman work with IO, has been tweeting pictures from their “next big project” that they can’t comment on yet. they aren’t fooling anyone, this is clearly Hitman.

Treyarch has released a few details about their upcoming Escalation DLC for Call of Duty: Black Ops. The zombie level included in the pack (XBLA on May 3rd, PSN to follow) has quite the star power. They’ve dedicated the zombie add-on to the legendary George A. Romero and included him in the game. Other icons of undead media are also contributing their voice and likeness, including Sarah Michelle Gellar, Danny Trejo, Robert Englund, and Michael Rooker.

Gatling Gears, the next big thing in downloadable titles from EA, has been given a release date. Like so many downloadable titles, this one has been developed and planned pretty quietly, but looks fun. It’s a top down, twin stick shooter featuring mechs and giant bosses. Surely their claims of it “setting the bar for downloadable titles” is overblown marketing, but it looks like a top tier title. We’ll find out on May 18th when it releases for PSN and XBLA for $15.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is still planned for release next month on PC. But what about consoles? CD Projekt’s Michael Kicinski recently made an appearance on a Polish TV show. During the show, he let slip that they are developing console versions of the game as “separate projects.” The publisher, Namco Bandai, has been mum on the subject. Kicinski admitted consoles are a new territory for the developer and hinted that we’d hear more about it at E3.

With the announcement of an SSX reboot, fans have been trying to find out which characters will make their return. Guess what fans, it’s up to you. That’s right, EA has opened a poll on their Facebook for you to pick which characters will make it into the reboot. First, you have to be on Facebook (guess I’m out). Next, “like” SSX. Finally, you’ll get your choice of four characters. This week it’s Kaori, Moby, JP, and Viggo. Next week’s options are Zoe, Mac, Nate, and Allegra; week three is Psymon, Eddie, Griff, and Tyson. I’m not sure how far into development they are with the project but I’d be shocked if they cut nine characters based solely on the voting. They’ll clearly pick at least the top two from each poll, or relegate the losers to DLC.

I’m not sure what exactly this means, but Eidos Montreal has released encouraging news for those awaiting Thief 4. The studio’s recent focus has been on Deus Ex: Human Revolution. That game is nearing completion and is scheduled for August 2011. As the studio starts pulling resources from its development, they are moving them to Thief 4. This makes sense for a project-based company like a video game developer. You can work on many projects at once, but some areas have high intensity staff requirements. As you finish those intense sections of one game, moving on to the more delicate work, you can shift the heavy laborers to another project. This still doesn’t tell me when Thief 4 is coming though.

L.A. Noire is swiftly becoming one of the most anticipated games of the year. With that popularity many “casual” gamers have shown an interest but worry that it may be too difficult. Apparently there were a lot of players who didn’t finish GTA IV due to some difficult combat stages. With L.A. Noire‘s focus on detective work, an easy mode isn’t exactly an option. To appease the less skilled gamers, they have chosen to include an option to skip combat after multiple failures. It does not appear you’ll be able to skip the detective work though. Plenty of the “hardcore” gamers are up in arms about catering to the lowest common denominator. To them I say, get over yourself. Don’t use the option. I doubt I’ll use it, but I’m glad there is a way for people to enjoy what looks to be an incredible story without getting tied down in gunplay they don’t enjoy. Now there will be a wider audience meeting crime boss Mickey Cohen, shown below:

Then again, maybe you’re good at combat, but the detective portions get too hard for you. Rockstar has a plan for that as well. Enter the Social Club. First thing you’ll get is the Chicago Lightning suit that improves your aim with certain weapons, those closely associated with Al Capone’s style of “aggressive negotiations.” Also included is an “Ask the Community” section. If you’re having trouble getting information out of a suspect, check the Social Club. The answer will presented in the form of what percentage of players suggest each method for the suspect. Again, this is optional, so the purists can ignore it if they like. Frankly, plenty of players were going to go to the internet guides anyway, might as well just build it into the game.

Doug Lombardi, VP of Marketing for Valve, has some good news for fans of Portal 2. PS3 users clearly haven’t finished the co-op missions yet if they were planning to play online, but they can still look forward to DLC coming this summer. Lombardi didn’t give any specifics, just saying they’ll “be putting more details out about that in a week or so. We’ll support that with more videos or more comics.” Is it co-op, single player, a new mode? Guess we’ll find out this summer.

Driver: San Francisco has been given a firm release date of August 30th in the US. While the players will once again be assuming the role of master wheelman, Tanner, it’s in a bizarrely different form. Tanner has suffered a terrible accident and is stuck in a coma. Which, in video game world, now means he can send his consciousness into any car he chooses, jumping from rust bucket to muscle car and back again at will. Huh?

If that’s not your driving cup of tea, EA has good news for you. After it was accidentally leaked by an onliner retailer they’ve decided to go with a full announcement. Need for Speed: The Run is scheduled for November 15, 2011. Expect the typical NfS style, this time going cross-country. Yup, “The [Cannonball] Run” means you need to be first from San Francisco to New York. That’s a long race, but I’m hoping you’ll be turning right around and going back in the master quest.

Red Faction: Armageddon has been delayed by one week. It’s now coming on June 7th. If you can’t wait that long to get your hands on the magnet gun and nano forge, you can get the demo next week. It’s skipping PC, but XBLA and PSN (assuming it’s up) will have the demo available on May 3rd.

Speaking of the PSN being down (and my poor segue skills), it gets its own special section today:

For those lucky few who got their beta codes to inFamous 2 and managed to redeem them, I hope you’ve been having fun. How is it? I hope you like it, because you’re getting more of it. For those who have a code they can’t redeem right now, don’t delete the email. Sucker Punch has decided to prolong the beta. They haven’t decided how much longer to run it, and won’t until the PSN outage is resolved. But at least you will still get a chance to experience the gameplay and make some levels. The full game is scheduled for a June 7th release.

There’s a lot of speculation flying about the internet, some true, some exaggerated, and some outright incendiary. The ‘bots here at BSR! have been doing their best to sort the credible news and keep you up to date, but I would suggest you get your news directly from Sony. The best place to do that is the PlayStation blog. They aren’t updating as quickly as some people would like, but at least you’re getting it from the people you know have the most correct information.

Those of you fearing the worst about the electronic break in at Sony may have some good news. According to their official Q&A (follow the link at the bottom of this section):

• Sony is working with a respected third party security company and law enforcement to track the criminals that invaded their network.
• Credit card data was encrypted and electronically locked.
• Personal data was locked, but not encrypted.
• “While all credit card information stored in our systems is encrypted and there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken, we cannot rule out the possibility.” This data does not include the CVC, CVS, CVV, or whatever your company calls it – it’s that three or four digit code on the back of your card that you give when ordering online or over the phone. [By the way, paying for your pizza over the phone with a card to the methed out teenager is a way bigger security risk than giving your info to Sony, but the internet commenters aren’t mentioning that one.]
• “For your security, we encourage you to be especially aware of email, telephone, and postal mail scams that ask for personal or sensitive information.” You should be doing this anyway. Also, once PSN is restored you will be prompted to change your password. Do it! And if any of your other online identities (gmail, Facebook, etc.) share the same username and password, change those too.
• In addition to contacting the media, Sony has been contacting all 77 million registered users via the email address used in the account. This takes time, but you should have received your email by now.
• Moving forward, Sony is not only beefing their e-security, the actual data center is being moved to a more secure physical location as well.
• Restoring PSN services is expected to begin on or before May 3rd. However, they will take as long as they need to make sure it’s secure.
• Your download history, friends list, trophies, Cloud saves (PS+), etc. will all be recovered once the PSN is back online.
• What about your paid services? “We apologize for any inconvenience players may have experienced as a result of the recent service interruption. As a global leader in online gaming, SOE is committed to delivering stable and entertaining games for players of all ages. To thank players for their patience, we will be hosting special events across our game portfolio. We are also working on a “make good” plan for players of the PS3 versions of DC Universe Online and Free Realms. Details will be available soon on the individual game websites and forums.” Other compensation should not be expected, but they are “evaluating ways to show appreciation” for our patience. I don’t know how they would separate us patient users from the whiners though.

Again, please check the official blog rather than swallowing some internet commenters pessimistic conspiracy theory. Yes, there’s always a possibility that they’re lying. But your wife could be too. Do yourself a favor and don’t live your life that way. I’ve tried and it’s not worth the stress. [Feel free to blast me as a Sony apologist in the comments now.]

That’s what we’ve got for now. Come back Tuesday for more gaming news (assuming I don’t die in my first triathlon attempt tomorrow). And keep checking the site for more updates on PSN, we’ll be covering any new information as best we can.

I have been waiting for this book ever since it was announced at New York Comic-Con. Today, not only did the standard first look come out, but there is also a really cool motion comic-style trailer. The art and coloring on these are amazing! It looks like the official character art by Capcom in comic form! I’ll admit that I am not a fan of the writer/artist team on this book, not being a fan of the Sonic books. I’m willing to give it the benefit of the doubt though, and you should too. If you’ve ever played a Mega Man game, you may already know the story, but even so, the obvious care taken in this book is infectious! If you want to get in on the ground floor, Archie is offering a subscription on their site. For now, enjoy the Super Fighting Robot goodness!

MEGA MAN #1
“Let the Games Begin!” Part One: The future looks bright when brilliant and benevolent Dr. Light unveils his latest creations: the Robot Masters! But when the nefarious Dr. Wily steals them for his own sinister purposes, there is no one left to stop him. No one – except Mega Man! Don’t miss the first issue of this brand new ongoing series!
SCRIPT: IAN FLYNN
ARTIST: PATRICK “SPAZ” SPAZIANTE, JOHN WORKMAN, MATT HERMS
COVER: PATRICK “SPAZ” SPAZIANTE
1 IN 5 SKETCH VARIANT COVER: CHAD THOMAS
Shipping Date: 4/27/2011
On Sale at Comic Shops: 5/4/2011
Newsstands: Week of 5/17
Comic, 32 pages, 40 lb. glossy stock, Full-Color
$2.99 US

It’s no secret that just about everyone here at BSR is a fan of pinball. Sadly, we can’t get to a local arcade (or even find one), when we want to knock around silver balls. Thankfully, companies like Zen Studios know the score and make incredible, amazing and uncanny pinball tables for home use. Their next endeavor is well, fantastic!

Coming next month for download on both Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStation Network (if it ever goes back up), is the first DLC for Marvel Pinball: Fantastic Four! Personally, I’m really excited about this. When the original Marvel tables came out, I was pretty disappointed that the FF weren’t there already. Marvel’s first family definitely deserves to be represented in pinball form. Judging by the trailer, I’d say that the wait is definitely going to be worth it, take a look for yourself, and then I’ll gush some more.

Just awesome. I love love love the way that each member of the FF is integrated into the table mechanics themselves. You could probably replicate The Thing manipulating the ball, and have transparent ball saves like the Invisible Woman’s on a physical table, but there is just no way that Mr. Fantastic could do his thing on anything but a video table. And that vortex mid-playfield? forget about it! I can hardly wait for May 17th when it releases! I’m hoping that with Dr. Doom, the Mole Man and freaking Galactus showing up means the boss battles will be epic, but Zen’s track record is pretty good, so I’m pretty hyped. Here’s some nice high-res screenshots to further whet your appetite.

We’ve touched on the PlayStation Network (PSN) being down due to a hack attack previously, but the new details coming from Sony is much graver than just a service outage. Every single one of PSN’s 70 million users has had their account information compromised. This includes their sign-in ID, passwords, address information, and most egregiously, possible credit card information. Here’s the skinny, straight from Playstation.Blog.

“Although we are still investigating the details of this incident, we believe that an unauthorized person has obtained the following information that you provided: name, address (city, state, zip), country, email address, birthdate, PlayStation Network/Qriocity password and login, and handle/PSN online ID,” wrote Patrick Seybold, senior director of corporate communications for Sony Computer Entertainment America. “It is also possible that your profile data, including purchase history and billing address … and your PlayStation Network/Qriocity password security answers may have been obtained. … While there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken, we cannot rule out the possibility.”

The way that is worded is cause for concern. It intimates that one person has done all of this damage. This has got to be one of the biggest thefts of personal data in history! Although many, myself included, are understandably livid, there is a silver lining in all of this news. The fact that Sony has taken down the PSN and is rebuilding it from the ground up means that if account access is needed to obtain the sensitive information, it’s been impossible to get to. That hasn’t been confirmed though, and we would advise you to check your account balances for fraudulent activity, just to be safe. We’d also recommend that you change your PSN account information, but since PSN isn’t accessible, you can’t at this time.

No one has taken responsibility for the downtime, although hacker/activist group Anonymous was suspected, they have denied involvement, while simultaneously stating that a rouge or splinter from their group is not out of the realm of possibility. There has been no official word on to whether or not Sony will be giving any sort of compensation to PSN subscribers. While the service is free, the premium PlayStation Plus service is not. At any rate, it’s pretty clear that this is a disaster for Sony, and time will tell how they pull out of it. Regardless of the damage done, it is my personal opinion that Sony’s beating around the bush and not informing customers the second they thought something was up is morally reprehensible.

At any rate, what follows is the content of an email that’ll be sent to each PSN subscriber, giving details on the attack, as well as steps that can be taken if you fear your credit is at risk. If you’ll excuse me, I think I’m going to fire up my Xbox.

Valued PlayStation Network/Qriocity Customer:
We have discovered that between April 17 and April 19, 2011, certain PlayStation Network and Qriocity service user account information was compromised in connection with an illegal and unauthorized intrusion into our network. In response to this intrusion, we have:

1. Temporarily turned off PlayStation Network and Qriocity services;
2. Engaged an outside, recognized security firm to conduct a full and complete investigation into what happened; and
3. Quickly taken steps to enhance security and strengthen our network infrastructure by re-building our system to provide you with greater protection of your personal information.

We greatly appreciate your patience, understanding and goodwill as we do whatever it takes to resolve these issues as quickly and efficiently as practicable.

Although we are still investigating the details of this incident, we believe that an unauthorized person has obtained the following information that you provided: name, address (city, state, zip), country, email address, birthdate, PlayStation Network/Qriocity password and login, and handle/PSN online ID. It is also possible that your profile data, including purchase history and billing address (city, state, zip), and your PlayStation Network/Qriocity password security answers may have been obtained. If you have authorized a sub-account for your dependent, the same data with respect to your dependent may have been obtained. While there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken, we cannot rule out the possibility. If you have provided your credit card data through PlayStation Network or Qriocity, out of an abundance of caution we are advising you that your credit card number (excluding security code) and expiration date may have been obtained.

For your security, we encourage you to be especially aware of email, telephone, and postal mail scams that ask for personal or sensitive information. Sony will not contact you in any way, including by email, asking for your credit card number, social security number or other personally identifiable information. If you are asked for this information, you can be confident Sony is not the entity asking. When the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services are fully restored, we strongly recommend that you log on and change your password. Additionally, if you use your PlayStation Network or Qriocity user name or password for other unrelated services or accounts, we strongly recommend that you change them, as well.

To protect against possible identity theft or other financial loss, we encourage you to remain vigilant, to review your account statements and to monitor your credit reports. We are providing the following information for those who wish to consider it:

U.S. residents are entitled under U.S. law to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit bureaus. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call toll-free (877) 322-8228.

We have also provided names and contact information for the three major U.S. credit bureaus below. At no charge, U.S. residents can have these credit bureaus place a “fraud alert” on your file that alerts creditors to take additional steps to verify your identity prior to granting credit in your name. This service can make it more difficult for someone to get credit in your name. Note, however, that because it tells creditors to follow certain procedures to protect you, it also may delay your ability to obtain credit while the agency verifies your identity. As soon as one credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the others are notified to place fraud alerts on your file. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, or should you have any questions regarding your credit report, please contact any one of the agencies listed below.

Experian: 888-397-3742; www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013
Equifax: 800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
TransUnion: 800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

You may wish to visit the web site of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission at www.consumer.gov/idtheftor reach the FTC at 1-877-382-4357 or 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580 for further information about how to protect yourself from identity theft. Your state Attorney General may also have advice on preventing identity theft, and you should report instances of known or suspected identity theft to law enforcement, your State Attorney General, and the FTC. For North Carolina residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; telephone (877) 566-7226; or www.ncdoj.gov. For Maryland residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; telephone: (888) 743-0023; or www.oag.state.md.us.

We thank you for your patience as we complete our investigation of this incident, and we regret any inconvenience. Our teams are working around the clock on this, and services will be restored as soon as possible. Sony takes information protection very seriously and will continue to work to ensure that additional measures are taken to protect personally identifiable information. Providing quality and secure entertainment services to our customers is our utmost priority. Please contact us at 1-800-345-7669should you have any additional questions.

Sincerely,
Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Network Entertainment

The early edition of VGQH this week is a strange one. There’s not really much to update, and what little I’ve got is a mixed bag.

Firstly, Square Enix has filed for a trademark on the title Hitman: Absolution. This basically just confirms that the fifth game in the series is coming, which has been known for some time. But giving it a title is encouraging that it will be on its way pretty soon. I expect you’ll see some big exposure for this one at E3. And, if you’ve been following Agent 47 for the last 11 years, you should definitely recognize why Absolution is such a great title.

The outage on Sony’s PSN continues. Sony has occasionally updated the masses with postings on the PlayStation Blog, but they don’t have an ETA for online gaming. The outage started last Wednesday and, as of this writing, is still down. Based on Sony’s limited reports to the public, the servers were attacked by an outside source (hackers) that has since been stopped. The continued maintenance errors you get when attempting to log in come from Sony upgrading their security measures. Time will tell what this means for trophies you’ve synced to their servers, cloud based saves you’ve loaded, DLC history, etc. It’s also unclear what data may have been lost or stolen in the hacking of the server. I imagine Sony would have contacted their users by now if credit card information was breached. While Sony has not mentioned it, I have to think that users who pay for subscription services (Plus, DCU Online, Qriocity, etc.) could request some compensation. For those who use their PS3s to watch Netflix, you may not realize that still works. The program will bug you about signing in to PSN, but as long as you keep exiting the log in screen it will eventually let you watch your movies. [Also, please note, any attempt to start a console flaming war in the comments because of this outage will be deleted. Unless you’re a representative from Valve, because this has got to hurt after the Portal 2/PS3 team up.]

If you’ve heard anything about Atlus’ upcoming game, Catherine, your response has probably been WTF? That’s consistently what goes through my head every time I hear more about it. Apparently the game focuses on Vincent and his internal struggle with his relationship to two women, Catherine and Katherine. While earlier screens may have hinted at it being interactive Hentai, that does not seem to be the case. The new screens look less explicit, and having English subtitles means most of the western world is just now discovering that the game seems to be questioning our society’s moral traditions. I’ve included one of the shots below, but you may just want to check Game Informer’s whole batch. The US release is scheduled for this summer.

That’s really all for the early edition? I guess. My excitement for a franchise has been invigorated at the same time that my excitement about gaming is being tempered by hackers creating a network failure. Meanwhile, the half of my brain that wants to play interactive Japanese porn has been sent into confusion with talks of marriage. Hopefully we’ll have a bigger news week and more clarity for the late edition on Friday. Happy gaming!

Multiplatform:
Man vs. Wild (360, PS3, Wii)

I can’t decide which is a bigger waste, a week with one game release, or a video game based on a fake outdoor survival TV show. I realize video games are all about living vicariously since most of us will never hunt demon dogs through the galaxy or kick dragons into lava pits on our quest to rescue a princess made of mushrooms. But no one who watches this show is likely to ever wander through a South American jungle with fewer tools than MacGyver. If the extent of your personal exercise comes from Wii Fit, you’re not going to be able to do anything you might learn from the game anyway.

Pinball FX 2 for Xbox LIVE Arcade is one of the highest rated downloadable titles of last year, winning many awards and accolades, as well as the hearts and minds of those enamored with it. Not content to rest on their laurels, ZEN Studios developed and published the Marvel Pinball Tables which were heaped with even more praise. Everyone was wondering what was next to be released on the Pinball FX 2 platform, and now we know. The newest addition to the FX family is Mars, released on Wednesday. Clobber-Tron and Shaz-Bot are two unabashed pinball fanatics, and here are their impressions of the table.

Before we get started, I wanted to mention that the Mars table has been available on the PlayStation 3’s Zen Pinball for a while now, but neither of us had played it before, so this is a “it’s new to me!” type of review.

This can be really jarring if you aren't expecting it, but it's damned cool.

SB: My first impressions when I saw the table were that there wasn’t much going on. The table looks as barren as the Red Planet itself, at least at first.
As I played the table, I found that it is completely packed with features, modes, and cool effects. I’ll elaborate on these a bit later, but what were your first thoughts, Clobby?

CT: The playing field looks like a smiley face and reminded me of the Watchmen in an odd way and does seem a little empty, some boards seem really ‘busy’ this one looks very uncomplicated until you launch the ball. Also, the ramps look a little far away from the flippers so I wasn’t sure if I could hit them consistently.

SB: I see, very astute. I ended up having a 5 hour marathon play session last night to get to the highest score I could, and in so doing, I discovered a bunch of different modes, and I have to say this table is both easy and fun, which makes for a really addictive combination. Unlike say, the Iron Man table, this table is fun for experienced and novices alike. The ball doesn’t insta-drain and if you can manipulate the outlanes correctly, you can have a ball last long enough to unlock a special event! I got to experience stuff such as the magnetic crane, a pyramid transmitting, later having to battle against the pyramid, and my personal favorite, zero-G multiball. In fact, the only mode i didn’t like was the teleports, which I’ll elaborate on after you have your say.

CT: I love these pinball tables as much as you but I’m nowhere near as experienced. The first game I played was actually my most successful. I had not yet read through the missions so I was relying on the dot matrix display to guide me. I did a little of everything including sample collecting with the crane and hit the five hologram icons, but that was about it. I couldn’t start ignition on the ship and I’ve yet to get to the multiball. I think I need to have a huge marathon session too.

They look innocuous, but those holographic yellow gates are killer.

SB: I get what you’re saying, that actually kind of underlines what I like most about ZEN’s pinball tables. The more you play them, the more you learn the ins and outs of any particular table, thereby increasing your enjoyment. So keep playing, and you’ll get to see all that stuff eventually.

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows though, as I mentioned before, I am not a fan of the teleport mode. You get all of these translucent yellow gates on the playfield, and if you shoot your ball into one, you have no idea where it’s going to come out resulting in an instant drain if you’re not expecting it (which I wasn’t). The only other real complaint I had was that my preferred view doesn’t really give a good look at the lanes at the top of the playfield. I eventually compensated and was even able to get a 10x multiplier/extra ball, but at first, it was a pain.

If you use a view that doesn't show these lanes, the handy video window will.

CT: The only negatives I have on ALL of the FX Pinball tables is the table bump. I just can’t get the hang of it, luckily this table is very easy to navigate without losing the ball in the side gutters. These really are fun to play alone or with friends, I thank you for turning me on to them, I always wanted to buy an arcade pinball machine but these tables are just as good.

SB: All in all, I have to give the Mars table a big recommendation. It’s perfect for someone who just wants to kill a few minutes with a quick game, or the truly dedicated that will stay up until 4 am just to beat some one’s high score. (guilty)

CT: I totally agree, thanks to Mel and the Staff at Zen studios for the incredible tables. Highly recommended from the BSR staff.

A nice, uncluttered view of the whole table.

Mars is available on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace, or withing the Pinball FX 2 game itself for 240 Microsoft Points. You can also grab it for the PS3’s ZEN Pinball for $2.50. Codes were given to us by the developers for review purposes.

If you are like me – you are a precarious mix of loving video games but really really terrible at them. (Maybe like me – you are so horrible that you also have not owned a gaming console since Sega Genesis? No? Well, okay then moving on….) The wonderful human beings over at rewindreplay.com have been cool enough to post a video of various fatalities that the skilled gamer (unlike me) can expect to find in the new Mortal Kombat game that dropped last week. I figure you can look at this at least three ways; 1) If you suck at and thus abstain from games – so having No hope of ever pulling a fatality this can satiate your curiosity. 2) If you are good at games this is sort of a spoiler. 3) If you play but are not that good at games this is sort of a cruel tease as it shows the goods, but NOT the codes to pull them off (no cheating, sorry).

Being that I am no longer 12 and don’t have the blood lust I did in my tween years I am not all that jazzed by the fatalities. If anything the excessive amounts of blood and the physics defying mutilations are almost comedic to me. But inline with Mortal Kombat’s tradition for controversy this game is AMAZINGLY bloody and graphic. While the graphics are wince inducing sharp – the kills seem to reuse some of the same animation over and over again. But when else in life can you say “I’m tired of how the blood gushes from the ripped off arms the same way every time” that DOES NOT involve a probability of going to prison?

(WARNING: VERY Graphic content! Mortal Kombat has a video game rating of M for Mature audiences only!!)