Word on the Street: PS3 price drop next week

"Ps3 needs a price drop" has been the mantra of gamers for and against the system for a while now. Developers have been saying it. Analysts have been saying it. Everyone has been saying it. Well, the word on the street is that next week, people are going to get their wish.

Originally posted at 2old2play.com, an EB Games employee mentioned a PS3 price drop would be occurring Sunday March 22nd, just in advance of the Game Developer's Conference (GDC) this year. Internal memos and store paperwork are said to confirm this. If true, Sony's console will be in the thick of the current-gen pay scale with the 360 and the Wii. Which, in turn one would think, would start turning people on to picking up a PS3 and Sony can start making up some ground in North America.


Me? True or not, I don't think that a price drop will help with hardcore detractors of the system. Chances are that they will just find something else to bitch about the PS3 not doing or having. Valve isn't going to start making PS3 games due to a price drop. Home isn't going to start being good in the eyes of most due to $100 being knocked off. "Still no backwards compatibility" will become the new tagline of the PS3, replacing the now standard "PS3 needs a price drop."

But hey, I could be wrong. Those Killzone 2 commercials are still on.......alot.


J.

Word on the Street 9/20

In an effort to keep the Driver ID chugging along, here is a weekend edition of Word On the Street with some recent news.

PS3 Loses Exclusive Game… Or Does it?

Australia’s Team Bondi’s president, Tom Crago has recently spoke about its collaboration with Rockstar, L.A. Noire at GC Asia ’08. Crago said that the game “still has a year or so to go,” and speculated that it "could be the biggest budget video game in development anywhere in the world." The really interesting news is that he said it was in development for both PS3 and Xbox 360.

While some were thinking L.A. Noire to be the exclusive PS3 Rockstar game, EGM’s rumor-monger Quartermann quashes that possibility, stating that “whatever it is…it’s currently being made by Rockstar North, the fine Scotland-based lads behind Grand Theft Auto IV.”

Sounds like Sony may be getting their money’s worth for this exclusive!

Mega Man 9 Finally Gets U.S. Release Date

For those of you chomping on the bit to play Mega Man’s retro-cized DLC adventure, it’s time to get ready! Wii will get the game first on Monday (the 22nd), PSN lands it next, on Thursday (the 25th) while XBLA won’t get it until Oct. 1st. Whenever it hits your system, fans of the Blue Bomber shouldn’t miss it…provided they’re prepared for a challenge.

Bungie Announcement Imminent

There was a rumor floating around during the week that Rare and Bungie would be announcing new games next week at a Microsoft event. The rumor seemed sketchy, though now Bungie’s website seems to be teasing an announcement, bringing back the mysterious Superintendent—last seen just before E3—with the message “KEEP IT CLEAN.” As everyone probably painfully remembers, Bungie was set to announce its next project at E3, only to have it yanked from Microsoft’s Press Conference to talk about “more important” things. Like Mii rip offs I guess? Or maybe real important stuff like FFXIII coming to 360…? Whatever it was, it finally seems we’ll soon be learning what Bungie’s up to. Anything Halo related seems a little doubtful to me, as they broke from MS to get away from the franchise. You never know though…

As for Rare, there’s not been any similar indication if they’ll be announcing stuff too. But if they do, it’s very unlikely it will be another classic franchise. Direct from Senior animator, Elissa Miller’s mouth comes word that there are no plans to revisit old material: ”We’ve always got to have a reason to revive a franchise, we don’t just do games for the sake of them,”

So there go the on-again, off-again rumors of a new Killer Instinct, and hopes for a new Blast Corps, Jet Force Gemini, Sabre Wulf, or any other Rare property you were hoping to see revisited in the near future.

Geoff Johns Going Digital

In a bit of new that excited me, it was revealed earlier this week that comics scribe extraordinaire, Geoff Johns, will be providing the story to DC Universe Online. Johns, who has written JSA, Flash, Green Lantern, Teen Titans, Booster Gold, Action Comics and Infinite Crisis for DC Comics had this to say:

"Taking comic books into the online space presents an exciting and unique opportunity for me as a writer." He added, "I'm looking forward to creating a thrilling story that explains why the DC Universe has suddenly been populated with millions of new heroes and villains in a way that will engage players."

Jim Lee is handling the game’s character designs, and Lee is very excited to work with Johns, as the two have only brainstormed before and never actually collaborated. DC Universe is due on PC and PS3 sometime in 2009 (and is probably going to be the reason I purchase a PS3. I’m a hardcore comic geek!)

A Little Big Planet of PAIN!

I had to post this next bit for J. It looks like Little Big Planet’s mascot, Sackboy, will be ready to be jettisoned, battered and bruised as a new additional character in the simple-but-awesome PAIN. Good news indeed, but there’s no word of when this will happen.

That’s all I have for now. Hopefully, I’ll be able to post about some other stuff this weekend, like what I’ve been playing since my 360 went kaput and games I’d like to see remade.

’Till then,

Max

Word on the Street 9/18

time for word on the street. i got some new stuff from around the internets.


Keep waiting for the 360's GTA4 DLC

sounds like 360 owners might have gotten a boner for the console war killer exclusive GTA4 DLC too early. despite Microsoft assuring gamers that you made the right choice buying the 360 version of GTA4, seems that MS maybe was hoping out loud about the mystery DLC. we'll see, sooner or later.

Rockstar is being very quiet about it, but Rockstar is always quiet about their plans. they might be even more quiet on this because of what happen with GTA4 missing it's release date in the first place.

(via gamepro.com)


Fracture demo out today on XBL/PSN

i've heard about this game, but i couldn't tell you anything about it. but, the demo is out today on PSN and is out now on XBL. we'll rock a DEMO-lition about the demos soon. until then, here's a gameplay video via youtube.




Life with Playstation out today

announced at E3, Life with Playstation was an extension of the folding @ home program. adding news and weather to the number of things your PS3 can do. it's ok. i watch the news almost 8-10 hours out of the day, but it's something that is interesting and outside the scope of what game consoles can do. check out the details here.

Burnout Paradise "bike pack" is out, more crashing eminent

having played the the new bike content this morning, i'll say that Criterion should be your new heroes in game development. they have adding more content for Burnout Paradise FOR FREE then most developers have for ridiculous prices. (halo 3 maps, house armor) the bike challenges are cool and long. i did a burning route that the target time was 8:14! i beat it, but not by much. the whole thing is amazing to me and would hope more people would follow their lead. if you don't have Burnout, A) why not it only $30 bucks and B) who doesn't like free shit?

to end this, here's some footage of Fallout 3. what reason do you need to see more of this one?



for more, go to Bethesda's youtube channel.


J.

Word on the Street......new segment

Lumines Supernova coming to PSN

that's the word going the internets today. no word on when it's coming out here, but the word is that it's coming to Japan's PSN as soon as next week! if we here in the lower 48 get this and get online play, all i'll say is about fucking time! (props to IGN for the image)

TF2 PS3 Version Might Be Developed By Valve

The Orange Box on PS3 was good. really good. it just wasn't great. the online worked, just not as well as on other systems. Team Fortress 2 was one of these situations. it "worked" in the way that your lazy coworkers work: very inefficiently. it was fun, but the waiting to connect to a game got very boring. After Valve's boss saying that the PS3 was a difficult piece of machinery, and the growing view of EA fucking the game up seems to be leading Valve to maybe....i don't know.....make their own games for the PS3 rather than dump it on the company that just now got Madden right. Left 4 Dead on PS3? maybe. well...maybe not.


thoughts?
J.Whittaker