Good morning North American SingStore,

With all the New Release insanity this week we completely forgot that you received a bunch of brand new content. Let’s have a look at the list … Oh, Britney Spears, MGMT and Vanilla Ice, among others. Well, at least you’re keeping busy — and even promised “a lot in the pipeline” for the SingStar franchise. We expect that pipeline to be filled with music.

A complete list of this week’s content can be found after the break.

Continue reading SingStore Update: Britney, MGMT, ‘Ice Ice Baby’ & more

SingStore Update: Britney, MGMT, ‘Ice Ice Baby’ & more originally appeared on Joystiq Playstation on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve all heard this story before: Boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy and girl produce child, boy decides to create next child by himself, girl sues boy for infringing on legal rights of girl … alright, so maybe this is a little different. Bohemia Interactive, creators of Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis, this week posted a press release on its company forums, stating that Codemasters upcoming OFP sequel (Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising) isn’t a true “sequel.”

Leora Hermann, a lawyer representing Bohemia Interactive, states in the release, “In the license agreement, Bohemia Interactive expressly reserved the exclusive right to develop sequels to the original OFP game.” Hermann expands upon the agreement between Codemaster and Bohemia Interactive, claiming, “Codemasters also acknowledged that Bohemia owns all the intellectual property in the game — except the words ‘Operation Flashpoint.’Since Codemasters has no right to use the Bohemia Interactive game engine or any other component of the Bohemia-developed game, how can it rightfully claim to produce a ’sequel’?”

Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis, a Cold War-era FPS, was developed by Bohemia Interactive and published by Codemasters for PC in 2001. Codemasters has since developed a sequel (in name only, according to Bohemia Interactive) internally as Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising; while Bohemia Interactive has continued using updated versions of the original Operation Flashpoint game engine in its ArmA series. We’ve seen this kind of franchise catfight before (see:Call of Duty, F.E.A.R.), though this one seems likely to bare some deeper scars.

We’ve put in word to Bohemia Interactive and Codemasters for comment and will update as necessary.

Codies’ new Operation Flashpoint ‘not a sequel,’ original dev insists originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Action

It might seem as though the once-strong relationship between Rockstar Games, developers of the highly profitable Grand Theft Auto franchise, and Sony, the progenitor of the consoles said franchise once almost exclusively appeared on, is on the outs. Following the 360-exclusive Lost and Damned DLC, and the movement from the series’ portable appearances to the DS with GTA: Chinatown Wars, it appears Rockstar has jilted all things PlayStation in hopes of attracting younger, more lucrative suitors.

However, this isn’t exactly the case. In a recent interview with MTV Multiplayer’s Stephen Totilo, PSP hardware marketing chief John Koller explained that Sony isn’t ready to let that particular cash cow go out to pasture. Koller commented that the two PSP-based GTA titles sold like bullet-riddled hotcakes, adding that there’s “definitely continued conversations with Rockstar” regarding future Grand titles on Sony’s handheld. We can only pray that they’ll be as Phil Collins-centric as the last one.

Sony in talks with Rockstar for more GTA on PSP originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We thought we saw everything there was to see regarding the upcoming PSP version of Disgaea 2, recently subtitled: Dark Hero Days. Little did we know a trailer for the portable upgrade was hiding up someone’s sleeve at developer Nippon Ichi’s home office. After giving the trailer a good once over, we’ve come to the conclusion that … well, it’s Disgaea — plus more stuff. An additional storyline starring the dark hero Axel, new game play features and easier pickup-and-play ability on the go are just a few of the enhancements made to Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days. Check out the trailer after the break.

Continue reading Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days PSP trailer

Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days PSP trailer originally appeared on Joystiq Playstation on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ryu Ga Gotoku 3 (Yakuza 3) may lack an exclamation point in its title — unlike predecessor Ryu Ga Gotoku Kenzan! — but that doesn’t mean the excitement over it is any less. In fact, Sega made sure that Yakuza 3’s February 26 launch would go off with a bang (figuratively, not literally! No gangster shootings here) with signing sessions and free swag give-aways.

IGN was in Japan to capture the festivities, snapping pictures of the crowd and checking out the signing sessions with Producer Toshihiro Nagoshi. Surprisingly, Toshihiro went around to three different retail stores in the Tokyo area for launch day signing events. That’s some love for the hardcore gamer right there. Some stores were raffling off prizes such as post cards, clear files and limited edition Yakuza t-shirts. Check out IGN for more pics.

Sega launches Yakuza 3 in Japan with a bang originally appeared on Joystiq Playstation on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Retired PlayStation creator and SCE president Ken Kutaragi is quite a successful business man (he’s even got a lifetime achievement award to prove it). It’s for that reason Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan is offering him an honorary lecturing position to educate MBA students. Starting in April, Kutaragi will be guest lecturing in business and he’ll be doing it for a year. His reign as a professor will end in March 2010, so if you want to sit in his class, better make plans now.

[via Kotaku]

Ken Kutaragi to lecture at Japanese university originally appeared on Joystiq Playstation on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NIS America is bringing quirky (and low budget) JRPG Cross Edge to the States. While it was expected to release this March, Siliconera has found out the game has been quietly delayed. The reason? Nippon Ichi is spending a bit more time on the game, adding a feature missing from the original Japanese release of the game: Trophies. Perhaps Sony’s “mandator Trophy support” mantra has finally kicked in?

Currently, NIS is aiming for a May release, although no date has been set in stone.

US release of Cross Edge delayed for Trophy support originally appeared on Joystiq Playstation on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Own a copy of Street Fighter IV? You can totally take down a Capcom representative today. Log on to the PlayStation Network today at 6PM EST (3PM PST) for your chance to play. Look for PSN ID: Snow_Infernus. This Capcom n00b won’t have his arcade stick — just his DualShock 3 — so he’s asking for you to all go easy on him.

You won’t do that, right?

Capcom challenges PS3 owners to Street Fighter IV today originally appeared on Joystiq Playstation on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We don’t expect this new PlayStation Home space to leave Japan any time soon. Irem, most famous for their R-Type games, has unveiled “Irem Plaza,” a branded space that’s meant to look like a traditional Japanese festival. The various stalls in this virtual world will feature items for sale, mini games, and a place to perform a bonodori.

This is just the beginning of Irem’s plans for PlayStation Home. Their upcoming Spelunker HD will also receive its own Home space in March.

Irem creates Japanese festival-themed Home Space originally appeared on Joystiq Playstation on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Like two lovers caught in a seductive tango, chief executive Howard Stringer has taken the lead as president of Sony’s electronics division, taking on a more intimate and hands-on role with the company’s future. The previous president, engineer-turned-exec Ryoji Chubachi, will undertake a new role as vice chairman and stay on to assist Stringer. This recent move is part of Sony’s attempt to manage the huge losses the company has suffered recently. The reorganization doesn’t stop there, oh no, Sony is really shaking things up.

The company is forming two new divisions, one of which will oversee PlayStation and Vaio PCs, while the other takes charge of Bravia TVs, Cybershot digital cameras, and Handycam camcorders. The man in charge of the new PlayStation and Vaio division is none other than Kaz Hirai, head of Sony’s gaming business. Heading up the other division will be Hiroshi Yoshioka, who currently oversees Sony’s TV business.

On the video game side of things, one of the opportunities presented by this restructuring will be the expansion of PSN beyond the realm of games. Sony wants to offer real network-based content that works across all Sony devices, including its game consoles, Walkman brand, and even the e-Reader. With Sony reorganizing all of its divisions, the prospect of SCE having greater access to other divisions in the company becomes higher. This leaves the possibility of new synergistic ideas within Sony, such as PSN on your cell phone or an MP3 store for PSP. This corporate shuffle will allow Sony to be the “united company” it has been telling us it will be … for years.

Source - Stringer adds president post in shake-up [Via Edge]
Source - Strategy Analytics: Sony Brings Down Silos To Address Connected Consumer Opportunities

Sony reorganizes divisions, has big plans for future originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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