One of the most attractive promised features of PlayStation Home was the ability to meet up with friends in Sony’s virtual space, pick a PS3 title and join in the multiplayer offerings of said title as a group. Sony’s delivered on that promise by adding this functionality for a few select titles, such as MotorStorm and Street Fighter IV. However, these capabilities are going “universal” with the release of Home Patch 1.3, which will add “simplified game launching” to the service.

No, this form of launching won’t allow you to group up with friends in Home and jump into a game of your choosing as a single, conglomerated entity. Rather, it lets you … well, launch your games without having to return to the XMB. It was a wise choice to cut the middle man out of the game-booting equation, but it seems for the “full” game launching experience, Sony’s going to have to add that functionality one title at a time.

Also added in the update is an in-game camera, in-store item previewing, new categories of clothing, new emotes, new spaces, and whole lot more. Check out PlayStation.Blog for the full scoop on the update.

PlayStation Home patch 1.3 adds universal game launching … kind of originally appeared on Joystiq Playstation on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LinkedIn continues to provide our only link to the status of a true sequel to Dead Space. A recent job posting on the professional networking site, created by EA senior recruiter Jeff Ballard, reports, “The previous installment in the Dead Space franchise received numerous awards … and the same core team is in place to create an even better follow up.” The posting adds, “The game is in the later stages of pre-production, ready for production in the next few months, with many of the navigational and combat mechanics in place.”

With the point-n-shoot spin-off, Dead Space Extraction, releasing this week for Wii, confirmation that the core-series sequel (expected for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC) will soon roll into production phase comes as welcome news to fans looking for the franchise to stay the traditional course. Hopefully, EA and developer Visceral Games’ transmissions will continue to pick up from here on out.

[Via superannuation]

Dead Space 2 entering production in ‘next few months’ originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Despite word from a few European retailers that Sony’s download-only handheld, the PSP Go, won’t be sold in their stores, the company’s UK product manager isn’t afraid of poor sales. Even with no ability to read physical media (read as: nothing for retail to sell other than the console), and a £224.99 price point ($362.07 — seriously), Sony’s Claire Blackhouse says retailers are happy to have the new console in their stores. “We were very aware of concerns when we went into it and I actually expected a lot more negative responses than we actually got,” Blackhouse told GamesIndustry.biz. “[The retailers] were really quite fine with it.”

Furthermore, she says that retailers see the console launch this week as a “way of getting people into the store,” that those not able to afford the new hardware will “aspire to it” and “might buy the PSP 3000 instead.” She even riffs on a PSP-ified family, where “dad might buy the PSP Go but the kids might get PSP 3000s.” Sony’s 180° marketing shift we’ve seen recently for the PSP 3000 certainly helps to serve as proof of the company’s belief in this strategy. Only time will tell if it’ll work.

Retailers pleased with PSP Go … because it helps sell the PSP-3000 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With Sega still refusing to respond to inquiries about Alpha Protocol’s release date, it seems retailers are doing the talking for ‘em: GameFly has changed its release date of “the espionage RPG” from October 27th to TBD. The video game rental site has a long-standing history to “simply post information as it is supplied to [GameFly] by the publishers.”

Further requests for clarification from Sega continue to be met by the Sega Wall of Silence[TM]. We have been told by the company’s development director that we should expect “an update shortly via PR.” And for the record, the official release date for Alpha Protocol is still next Tuesday. Sega?

GameFly changes Alpha Protocol release to ‘TBD’ originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When Jun Takeuchi surprised Tokyo Game Show attendees with a motion-controlled version of Resident Evil 5 (subtitled “Alternative Edition”), he also revealed some new included content, reportedly a flashback scene set in the Spencer Mansion featuring Jill Valentine.

According to an IGN translation of a Dengeki Online article, the new scene (and whatever else Alternative Edition includes) may not be constrained to Sony’s platform. Dengeki says that the new content may come to 360, but in a “different format,” possibly implying a DLC release on Xbox Live Marketplace.

It’s great news, but keep in mind: there will only be motion control-support on one platform.

New Resident Evil 5 content may also come to Xbox 360 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With Activision already asking consumers to plunk down over $100 for the DJ Hero peripheral later this month, it’s only fair that more games use it — but only if those titles belong to the publisher. With that, GI.biz reports that “at least one independent UK games developer” is working with Activision’s Freestyle Games on DJ Hero 2. Go on … pretend you’re in any way surprised.

Considering what Activision has done with the Guitar Hero franchise, it wouldn’t exactly be a shock if DJ Hero 2, DJ Hero 3 and DJ Hero: Scratch the ’80s all hit within a year of each other.

Feign surprise: DJ Hero 2 allegedly in the works originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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From the day Atari first announced it would be doing a new video game installment in the Ghostbusters franchise to the day said installment was released, we had to maintain a careful linguistic balancing act. We had to ration out quotes and references to the Ghostbusters films in our posts, working tirelessly not to exhaust our resources. We made it to the game’s release by the skin of our teeth — but earlier today, Atari did us the great discourtesy of announcing that the title is coming to PSP. We’ve just … we’ve got nothing left.

The debut trailer for the title is posted above. It looks like a fairly faithful recreation of the console versions, only, y’know, tinier. It’s got a launch window of November, meaning you can look forward to a month of uncreative, reference-free posts from our end. Just make sure you don’t … cross the … oh, forget it.

Atari announces Ghostbusters for PSP, we’re left speechless originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The 200+ Game Crazy stores expected to close by the end of October will begin a liquidation sale, starting this weekend. Locations expected to shutter have received boxes and a list of items that are to be sent back for redistribution, which allegedly includes “all systems, major first party accessories (controllers, memory, etc).” The “majority” of games released within the last year will be also be sent out, “both new and used.” Several employees have commented that closing stores will likely be “pretty bare” by the time the sale starts.

The timetable for the liquidation, corroborated by several sources:

• 10/3-10/9: 30% off everything in the store
• 10/10-10/16: 50% off everything in the store
• 10/17-Closing: 80% off everything in the store

There doesn’t seem to be a consistent date for when the stores will close, but we haven’t heard of any location staying open beyond October 27.

We continue to work on getting a master list of which stores are closing, as well as a list of items sent back for redistribution. Request for official comment from Game Crazy corporate on several issues, including what customers with pre-orders at closing stores should do, have gone unanswered. If you’re a Game Crazy employee with more details, please feel free to contact us*.

*Tips will remain confidential, please leave a valid email address in case we have further questions. Thank you!

[Thank you to everyone who contributed to this story!]

Closing Game Crazy stores begin clearance sales this weekend originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you didn’t pre-order, reserve or otherwise “guarantee” your day-one copy of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (we hear the game’s pretty good!), your waiting to try out the game’s life-eating multiplayer modes has come to an end. As promised by Naughty Dog, the multiplayer demo for Nate Drake’s latest adventure is now available (albeit a bit behind schedule) via the PSN’s PlayStation store for everyone.

If you own a PS3, it’s pretty much your honor-bound duty to download it. You should also track down your pre-orderin’ friends and prove that the head-start they got on you isn’t going to help them in the slightest. (Insert diabolical laughter)

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

PSA: Uncharted 2 multiplayer demo is live for all on PSN originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Now that Joystiq has gone on record regarding Naughty Dog’s sequel, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, we figured it prudent to scour the webotron for more organized words on the PS3 exclusive so we could present you this Metareview. Let’s not waste any time — the reviews await your anxious eyeballs!

• Eurogamer (100/100): “Whether or not the multiplayer sticks, however, is arguably a footnote, because at the core of Uncharted 2 is an action-adventure masterpiece whose minor flaws are washed away on a tide of rhythm and spectacle — one that would still be an essential experience even without the option to pull your friends off cliffs and play capture-the-heirloom.”
• GamePro (100/100): “The A.I. is a little suspect, the camera can be stubborn, and you will die your fair share of cheap deaths. But it’s still a fantastic effort and Naughty Dog deserves full credit for building upon the momentum of the first installment. PS3 owners should definitely experience it, especially if they liked the original.”
• 1UP (A+): “Uncharted 2 is simply a vast improvement over its predecessor, and it’s a damn great PS3 game. Let’s leave the “are games art?” question for another time; what Uncharted 2 proves is that games are, at the very least, craft. Just as Raiders is Spielberg at the top of his game, Uncharted 2 is Naughty Dog at the top of theirs, and further proof that they are masters of their craft.”
• IGN (95/100): “It’s very, very good. It’s easily one of the best games on the system, blending fantastic presentation and visuals with gameplay that is practically second to none. And then there’s the stellar multiplayer which you’ll probably be playing until Uncharted 3 ships. No, Uncharted 2 is not perfect, but it’s closer than pretty much any other game out there these days.”
• Videogamer (90/100): “Uncharted 2 does so many things right, that its problems (a less than perfect cover system, some frustrating combat and unfortunate glitches) are easy to overlook. The single-player adventure packs in so many incredible moments that you’ll be talking about it with friends for months, the multiplayer functionality is superb and rammed with content, and the whole game looks beyond anything you’ll have seen before.”

Metareview: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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