Halo Wars, Looks like something I’d be interested in.

If I had a system to play it. Looking through this concept art collection, I see some stuff that would make for a rad RTS. Aliens with little glowy sword things that can jab a man to death? Awesome. Err.. guys in armour.. Okay, I admit that little stabber dooby is all I know about Halo, but I know that aliens generally make for killer RTS games. 

I haven’t previously taken much notice to Halo Wars, but the concept art xbox360fanboy unearthed really pulled the right strings with me.

LittleBigPlanet Beta to be unleashed on Japanese PS3s

If you live in Japan, or own a Japanese console – you are in danger. Danger that your system may be destroyed. Destroyed by awesome. PS3s from the rising sun have access via the PSN to a shiny new LBP theme, a theme that as an added bonus allows access into a LittleBigDraw for beta access, the same as home has previously.

Your downloads will be entries from now until September 23rd, and the beta will take place over two weeks, from Sep 29th to October 12th. The download will be 950MB – 20,000 testers will be accepted from Japan, Europe and North America, so 60,000 all up. So make sure you grab your theme if eligible.

 

Source

Life With PlayStation included in Folding@Home update

You know that 2.43 firmware that dropped just now? The one that Sony even told us wasn’t real flash hot – well apparently there was a little undocumented feature hidden away.

Installing the update will unlock access to an update for Folding@Home. An update that adds Life with Playstation to your xmb. So what exactly is Life with Playstation - think the Wii Weather and News channels, with F@H running in the background.

Sony have been a bit sneaky…

Unlike previous updates, firmware v2.43 is specific to the Japan region, and only PS3 users there will be required to
install the update. PS3 users in all other regions will not be prompted to download v2.43.

Users outside of Japan do not need to perform this update if your PS3 system software is on version v2.41 or later.

So there you go, I guess we’re just lucky they didn’t sneak in a Rick Roll.

 

Update: Looks like this was a little mistake from Sony,

while testing the application, Life with PlayStation was available for download temporarily, by mistake.

Update: It’s now actually live. Read more here.

 

Via Playstation Lifestyle.

Guitar Hero 4 has a new instrument and PS3 users should take notice

See you guys – It has been a good ride but it’s time for me to now go it alone.
/me jumps off the Guitar Hero hating bandwagon.

So the oft rumoured secret weapon for Guitar Hero: Word Tour has been revealed, and in a bit of a surprise move the Playstation 3 fanbase may have a good reason to start seeing things the Guitar Hero way.

 As it turns out, the latest addition to World Tour is not (yet) another instrument – the game will include a full featured midi sequencer, allowing tracks to be created on PC and transferred into your game. 

So why should Playstation 3 users specifically be excited about this announcement? Although the 360 will also receive this functionality only the PS3 is capable of supporting the hand crafted (and not necessarily by yourself, I’m sure someone will create an online community for sharing this content) sequences with all instruments. The xbox on the other hand is left wanting, midi playback will be limited to drum tracks – due to “hardware issues” with the console.

So what do you think, does this make you a little more eager to get your hands of World Tour? I’m sure there are some audophiles who will be very interested in this feature. 

 

Shacknews, via Kotaku

Details on PS3 COD4 week – 18th to 25th

Are you a Playstation user and a Call of Duty 4 fan?

Rejoice, as fourzerotwo has today, as promised, announced details of the PS3 COD4 celebrations.

Here is what to expect:

Kicking off on Thursday the 18th (through until the 25th), the Variety Map Pack will be reduced to $4.99US. If you don’t own this already, this is your time to pick it up. There is no excuse.

Make sure the dogs have enough food for the weekend, because from Friday through to Sunday, we’ll be earning Double XP, you’ll also have a chance to play against the IW dev team on Friday (from noon to 4PM, pacific time) – this is the best time to frag them, although the guys will be on and off all week long.

Be sure to add the following PSN IDs to your friends list or send us invites if you see us online:
Fourzerotwoiw
COD4qaBurx
COD4qaEd
COD4artist_OLO
COD4qaNairb
COD4studioVince 

So be sure to keep those (very) few dollars free if you haven’t picked up the Variety Map Pack yet, and be responsable – tell a friend before disappearing for the weekend.

Study shows teen gaming positives outweigh negatives. Critics ignore study.

Pew Internet have conducted a first of its kind study, surveying over 1000 teens between the ages of 12 and 17 about their gaming habits. Ever since we began fending of that alien invasion, there has been controversy about whether video games are good or bad. That controversy has fueled debate, a debate focused on the impact of  video games on the world’s youth.

Although Pew Internet’s survey doesn’t attempt to solve global issues (all participants are American residents), some interesting results do stem – many of which actually paint gaming as having diverse, positive effects on teens. 

Traditionally, the image of a gamer is that of a loner who prefers spending his or her time playing video games over spending time with friends. Our survey refutes this stereotype, revealing that the most avid, frequent gamers are just as communicative and socially engaged as less-active gamers.

 Even when they are not playing games with others, teens talk and engage with others about games—by posting comments on discussion boards and websites or by writing reviews and “walk-throughs” that assist newcomers to a particular game by showing them how to play the game. 

But apparently video games are more than just a great social tool, they can give teens a hands on education on political and ethical issues. 

Those playing games often simulate civic action, help or guide other players, participate in guilds or other groups associated with the game, learn about social issues, and grapple with ethical issues.

Mega Man 9 box art has broken my retrometer.

Never thought retail packaging could be sexy? Well Capcom is here to experiment with those boundaries, and make you question yourself, your upbringing, and the world in which we live.

Everything from the NES cart CD case (another picture after the jump) to the $9.99 bargain priced sticker just screams awesome. But to everyone’s dismay, these babies are reserved for press – which makes me about 999612 daily hits short of getting my hands on one. 

So unless this manages to generate an f-load of traffic, I guess I’ll just keep drooling over these pictures.