Two new official Smashing Pumpkins videos were released on YouTube the other day. No, not new music videos for a new single or anything, but two new montages promoting their new album in a way and basically just showing how much The Smashing Pumpkins just simply fucking rock, enjoy.
The Smashing Pumpkins - Paris, France May 22, 2007
The Smashing Pumpkins return!!! This is the first of many official videos giving a glimpse at the return of this quintessential band to the alternative music world. Set to the song "Tarantula", which will appear on their forthcoming album "Zeitgeist" in stores July 10th, 2007. Filmed in Paris, France at the Grand Rex.
Smashing Pumpkins Promotion Montage
The first video is the first official video released by The Smashing Pumpkins taken from their first show in 7 years, showing them rock at the Grand Rex in Paris, France on May 22, 2007. The montage is set to the song "Tarantula" from their new album. I had posted a bit back a video from this show of them playing a new song from the album as well as the full setlist of the show, check it out here.
The second video is a montage put together by Warner Bros. Records showcasing some old material mixed in with some new stuff, basically just showing how much they rock and why you should pick up the new album, I definitely know I am. The Song Sequence to the second video I believe is as follows: jellybelly geek usa bury me cherub rock disarm tonight, tonight ava adore doomsday clock tarantula
The last two songs would be the new stuff. These new videos just got me even more pumped for the new album, it's sounding good so far. I can't wait for them to release more footage from the Grand Rex concert as well as the new album in general.
Director Darren Aronofsky updated his blog, with a few comments about the stripped-down "The Fountain" DVD, which didn't even contain a commentary track. Here is what he had to say.
"As many of you can tell, it is light on extras as compared to my previous DVD releases. Everything at the studio was a struggle," explains Aronofsky. "For instance, they didn't want to do a commentary track cause they felt it wouldn't help sales. I didn't have it in me to fight anymore. Whatever."
But he's not giving up. "Niko, my friend who did the doc on the DVD came up with a novel idea. We recorded a commentary track ourselves. We're gonna post it on a site soon, http coming soon. You can play it and watch the flick and hopefully you'll enjoy it."
Feeling that the DVD wasn't everything that it could have been, he added: "I do hope to do a big special edition at some point, but for that to happen the DVD is gonna have to sell."
Aronofsky also added on his blog: "I got a lot of extras in my bag so who know maybe if you all write to criterion they’ll get interested (suggest the fountain as a title: mulvaney@criterion.com). They’ve been into pi and requiem but because the first run of dvd’s had so many extras they didn’t know what else they could add. but the fountain…"
Aronofsky's previous DVDs for Pi and Requiem for a Dream were extremely heavy on extras, yet The Fountain has very few special features to speak of – not even a director's commentary, which would have been really damn useful for a film so heavily reliant on symbolism and allegory. I think it would be awesome if Criterion decided to add The Fountain to their collection and distribute the DVD that way. It really is a shame the studio is such a bunch of dumb-asses not to add a simple commentary track when the friggin director was pushing for it to be in the release. I absolutely loved the film and I can't wait for the internet commentary track and hopefully a new release of the film on DVD.
RottenTomatoes spoke to Frank Miller, who cleared up a few rumors and talked briefly about his new graphic novel and his interest in 3D.
Miller's film "The Spirit," which he is directing himself, is "a masked adventure up against all kinds of nasty people and all kinds of beautiful women. Lionsgate are negotiating with Samuel L. Jackson to play the main villain; The Octopus. As far as I know the negotiations are going fine."
We've also been hearing that "Sin City 2" might not happen at all, but Miller is confident that it will. "Sin City 2 is still likely to happen, just not right away," he said. "The script is written and Robert [Rodriguez] and I are raring to go, but it looks like I'm going to be doing 'The Spirit' first and Robert's going to be doing 'Barbarella' first."
Talking about his latest graphic novel, entitled "Batman vs. Al Qaeda," Miller explained: "It's bound to offend just about everybody."
With all the rumors recently that "Sin City 2" might not happen, it's nice to know from the man himself that it will probably happen eventually, just not right away. As much as I am pumped to see another Sin City movie, I am also very excited to see Rodriguezs' "Barbarella" and Miller's "The Spirit" (in possibly 3D?). So I feel the delay isn't so bad since we're going to be seeing other films in it's place.
The vid is composed "entirely of CGI ... [paying] homage to Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey as well as the NASA spacecrafts of the 1970's." After a cool use of the abrupt outro cut from Impressions track "Ize Of The World," Fu's film unfolds, giving a futuristic spin on possibly the best Strokes song to date.
This is an alternate video/short film of "You Only Live Once", directed by a Lucasfilm art director, Warren Fu. The original video for this song was directed by Samuel Bayer, who had previously helmed the "Heart In A Cage" video, and features the band performing the song in an enclosed room while tar pours from the walls and fills the room. Enjoy this alternate version, it's quite sexy.
A love letter to video games: a celebration, a defense, and a trip down memory lane.
This is what gaming is all about. This is a very, very good video dedicated to the reasons why we love video games and it brings back a lot of memories. If you're a gamer, this video will make you feel all good inside. Brilliant. Awesome. Epic. Enjoy.
"Silent Hill" helmer Christophe Gans is returning to the realm of video game-based movies to direct the big-screen version of the Capcom game "Onimusha," reports IGN. Gans will direct for Samuel Hadida's Davis Films, the production company behind both "Silent Hill" and Gans' "Brotherhood of the Wolf."
"I have loved the 'Onimusha' story for years and am overjoyed to have the opportunity now to bring it to life for worldwide film audiences and to access the unparalleled film resources of China to do so on the scale that the story demands," Gans told ScreenDaily.
"Onimusha" is budgeted at $70 million, with Gans and Davis Films now at the Cannes film festival shopping Onimusha to prospective buyers, with several studios reportedly eyeing the project.
The screenplay is by Leslie Kruger and John Collee (Master and Commander). Filming is slated to commence in China next February for a December 2009 debut.
Onimusha is set in 16th century Japan and follows a young warrior who battles demons as he sets out to save the woman he loves.
Silent Hill wasn't a very good movie, yet it was filled with superb visuals and amazing cinematography, which atleast made it nice to look at. Gans' movies tend to be visually amazing but lack in the story department, it would be nice if we see both amazing visuals and a great plot this time around. I'm a big fan of Capcom's Onimusha video game series on PS2 and I hope this film doesn't fail to deliver, since many video game movies tend to suck.
"Today's video picks compare DirectX 9 and the messiah DirectX 10 with Crysis footage. Yes, we can actually see a difference in the clips, and GameTrailers provides big, non-embedable HDfiles on its site.
Will Crysis be the best-looking game ever, and will it require a DX10 system -- and, of course, Vista -- to earn that title?"
The giant hunter gets a graphical facelift on DirectX 10 hardware.
See the graphical difference DirectX 10 makes in this action packed jungle fight.
Crysis looks great in either case, but DirectX 10 makes it a bit more amazing, specifically in the lighting and shadows, along with a plethora of other improvements. Too bad I'll have to upgrade to Vista for DirectX 10, some how I think it's worth it, mainly since I personally haven't upgraded in many years, 8800 GTX here I come!
I recommend checking out these videos in HD by clicking here if you aren't noticing that big of a difference.
"We love [adult swim]. We also love free music. Those two have collided into a compilation album titled Warm And Scratchy, which has been put together by their record label, Williams Street Records. It features exclusive tracks from TV On The Radio, Broken Social Scene, The Good, The Bad And The Queen and plenty more. So before you gas up the car for your holiday road trip, get the perfect mixtape for FREE by downloading this cool compilation below."
Warm And Scratchy 01. TV On The Radio - "Me-I" 02. The Raveonettes - "Dead Sound" 03. Les Savy Fav - "The Equestrian" 04. The Rapture - "Crimson Red" 05. 120 Days - "Justine" 06. Broken Social Scene - "Canada vs. America" 07. SOUND Team - "Color Of The Love You Have" 08. The Good, The Bad And The Queen - "The Bunting Song" (acoustic) 09. The Brother Kite - "Half Century" 10. Jesu - "Silver" (Original Beats) 11. Amusement Parks On Fire - "Back To Flash" 12. Asobi Seksu - "Stay Awake" 13. Fennesz - "Winter" 14. Liars - "Sunset Rodeo"
"Some interesting things have come up in terms of turning this into another format of entertainment, like a television show or a movie," said Reznor. "I've had some meetings with A-list people I'm interested in possibly working with."
A-list people could mean anyone, but looking at his past relationships, one can see that he has worked with some talented folks. Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo) shot his famous "Closer" video and David Fincher (Fight Club) did the video for "Only."
While just a rumor, I think this could be a great step for Trent Reznor. "Year Zero" is a concept album and covers some really deep issues and themes; I could see it being turned into a film and I would definitely be interested in seeing it.
"The first of the Lionhead Video Diaries has arrived, and love is definitely in the air. Watch as Lionhead head explains love using a dog as an example, and other team members explain their concept of the emotion. I think creative director Dene Carter delivers the very best definition of love ever. The definitive definition, if you will."
"Love is that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you realize that somebody cares about you so much that they'll forgive you being a complete ass."
Learn about the first big feature announced for the game, emotion, and how it'll affect the way you play.
A while back I had posted the Fable 2 Dog Demo from GDC 07, which I found very impressing. This video adds onto what was said back in GDC and dives deeper into what Lionhead was getting at with the emotion of the game, specifically the feeling of true "Love" in a game. Fable 2 is one of those games I am most looking forward to on Xbox 360, I think the art direction, the use of AI, and the overall passion they put into making their games truly innovative is just awesome.
New video for the next UNKLE single, "Burn My Shadow", which features Ian Astbury (from The Cult) on vocals. The new album is titled "War Stories" and is due out in Europe and the UK on July 9th 2007, followed by a July 24th release date in North America. Cool video, cool song, enjoy.
"No surprises here. The White Stripes' video for their killer new single "Icky Thump" is awesome. The album is just a few weeks away, hitting stores in the US on June 19. The video has prostitutes, the construction of the Great Wall of Mexico, and Jack & Meg pounding out one of the best rock songs you'll hear this summer. Yup, they still have it. Be careful, this one might make your pants get all icky." I had posted a fan-made video version of this song a while back when the single was first released, but this is the new official video, and it simply fucking rocks, enjoy.
Next to Assassin's Creed, Another exciting game with new footage from Ubidays 07 was Haze. Currently being developed for PS3 but will probably be ported over to Xbox 360 and PC soon after release. Targeting mature gamers, the game aims to feature difficult strategic choices and moral dilemmas, tapping into both their rational and emotional instincts. One of the specific great features of this game is the Four-Player Co-Op. That's right folks, you'll be able to play this gorgeous FPS online and offline with 3 of your friends in the game's four-player co-op campaign. Made by the same people who created the TimeSplitters series, enjoy the following live-action mixed trailer, followed by an interview:
Do you have what it takes to serve in the front lines of a corporate war where super-soldiers reign supreme?
Two other noteworthy games with new footage from Ubidays 07 include Splinter Cell: Conviction and Tom Clancy's EndWar. Sorry I'm not going to dedicate an entire post to these games, far too many videos on a single page already thanks to the huge media explosion from Sony's Gamer's Day 07. Make sure to check out the Ubidays 07 videos of these games by clicking on their titles above. GameTrailers also has a dedicated page to Ubidays 2007 videos, which includes more than was covered here, check it out by clicking here.
From the Ubidays event in Paris, it appears Assassin's Creed will be released in a limited edition bundle, as well as a regular retail package. The limited edition will supposedly include a mini strategy guide, a Penny Arcade comic, an Altair figurine, and bonus disc of behind-the-scenes videos and interviews for the price of $69.99.
In other news, the game looks amazing:
Brand new footage of the highly anticipated title that will throw players into the role of a highly trained assassin.
Overall, things are looking very good. Nice to see a new trailer for this game, I haven't seen new footage for many months. If you want to check out more videos of this title, as well as these videos in HD, I recommend checking out GameTrailers.
Via FilmWad: "Tarantino and Rodriguez's Grindhouse is really turning in to a debacle of epic proportions. First it was the nasty, nasty bomb it made at the box office, underperforming far worse than anyone could've imagined. Then it was old Harvery Scissorhands jumping and demanding that the film be sliced in half for a second theatre release as well as the DVD release, as always undermining the concept and idea behind the project to scrape up a few more dollars.
Now its Kurt Russell, star of Tarantino's 'Deathproof', voicing his dissenting opinion on the Weinstein's decision to hack the film in two:
"I'm disappointed for any audience that they won't get the Grindhouse experience. … These [two] movies are going to go out there by themselves and they'll live their own life, but my prediction is that 20 years from now, you'll want the Grindhouse experience."
And he's right. This movie was made to emulate a much loved way of filmmaking from the 1970s. It isn't called Grindhouse for nothing. Tarantino and Rodriguez, students of this kind of film, had a fantastic concept (and from what I've heard a great execution) that was marketed poorly, and now the studios are scrambling to save their asses, in the process draining the artistic merit from the film.
I'm sure both movies play just as well on their own, but the experience is gone. Sitting in a dark theatre for three hours. Seeing two films, completely different from each, chock full of gore and sex and exploitation. Leaving the theatre absolutely stuffed with film love. That's gone."
I'm going to have to agree with Russell on this one. It sucks that European audiences are going to have to see the "double feature" as two separate films entirely at theaters, and it sucks even more that a lot of Americans missed out on the Grindhouse experience.
Via WorstPreviews: The Defamer website received a scoop stating that Sacha Baron Cohen has began shooting his $42 million "Borat" follow-up about his third most famous character, Bruno. According to the site, Cohen showed up at the Foreign Trade Association luncheon at the Omni Hotel in downtown Los Angeles yesterday.
"His get up is a little different than it was on the Ali G show. No mohawk with blond highlights, no tight t-shirt. He's dressed in leather pants, black vest and a black t-shirt. The hair is kinduva flock of seagulls/sad boy from the cure look - rusty brown hair mopped over to one side and the tips are a frosty blonde."
Apparently, Cohen brought his people with him to hand out release sheets and pay $20 to participate in a documentary that they stated was about American culture and world trade.
"Clearly, 99 percent of the people had no idea who he was. Sacha had about 10 people with him. Three people running around with releases to sign, 4 camera people, a blonde haired producer watching the whole thing and a frazzled old dude with string salt and pepper hair checking the sound at the other end of the ballroom."
Awesome news, I can't wait for pictures of his new attire to surface.
The Smashing Pumpkins' first reunion show was performed the other night at the Grand Rex in Paris, France. The band unveiled new members Jeff Schroeder and Ginger Reyes, who took over second guitarist and bassist duties, respectively. This was the first time the Smashing pumpkins played since 2000. There is currently a lot of shitty quality videos floating around of the show, this one being the best quality so far. This is a new song called "For God And Country" off their new album "Zeitgeist", enjoy.
"We are The Smashing Pumpkins. You should be very afraid." SETLIST of the show: 01 "United States" 02 "Today" 03 "Stand Inside Your Love" 04 "Orchid" 05 "Doomsday Clock" 06 "Home" 07 "Hummer" 08 "Starz" 09 "Tarantula" 10 "Bullet" 11 "Gossamer" 12 "God and Country" 13 "33" 14 "Rocket" 15 "Winterlong" 16 "To Sheila" 17 "Glass and the Ghost" 18 "Cherub Rock" 19 "1979" 20 "Tonight" 21 "Neverlost" 22 "That's the Way" 23 "Disarm" 24 "Zero" 25 "Untitled" 26 "Shame" 27 "Silverfuck" 28 "Annie Dog" 29 "Muzzle"
More videos from the show can be found here. Some pics of the show can be found here and here.
Barbarella first appeared seven years earlier in a French comicbook written and illustrated by Jean-Claude Forest.
"I love this iconic character and all that she represents, and I'm truly excited by the challenge of inviting a new audience into her universe," Rodriguez said.
De Laurentiis hinted at the flavor of the remake: "In our vision, the future is female, and I can't wait to introduce 'Barbarella' to a new generation of moviegoers," he said.
Purvis and Wade co-wrote "Casino Royale" and recently finished scripting the next installment in the Bond franchise, "Bond 22."
The film is going to be R-rated, and knowing Rodriguez it sounds like it's going to be pretty bad-ass. This is also going to be Rodriguez's next film, which means The Jetsons, Land of the Lost and Sin City 2 won’t be made by Rodriguez this summer.
"Wow, the rumour mill has really begun on the Watchmen casting with a story just appeared from one of the pesky sources that tells us the alleged leads for Night Owl, Ozymandias and Doctor Manhattan.
Now if you sit and think about them for a few moments they aren't as strange as at first they might appear, and I'm sure everyone will have their own opinion about each of the roles, but here's mine.
Over at AICN they were given a rumour from one of their long time sources for the Zack Snyderproduction of Watchmen, and it goes a little something like this. Bear in mind that these are from a source and that according to the sourse they have been offered the roles, so big if across the board.
Night Owl will be Patrick Wilson whose latest film was Little Children. I think he'll do a good job of taking the necessary world weariness to the role and playing an average bloke in his mid life uncertainty.
Ozymandias is looking like Jude Law. Now that's a good choice, although I still think that Tom Cruise was perfect for the role, I think Law is a another good choice.
Now, Doctor Manhattan, prepare yourself. Keanu Reeves. Now hold up a minute before you start shouting and think about this. Think about his performances in films such as the Matrix and films since. Serious, dead pan, often emotionless and sometimes playing a character that lacks any human connection. Now think of him massive and blue with a bog dot on his forehead. Yeh, I think he could do it."
While I think that Jude Law and Patrick Wilson would be great casting choices, Keanu Reeves not so much. I really don't think Keanu deserves to be in something like Watchmen, but based on the character he's portraying, I dunno, he could pull it off I guess.
Yes, I know I'm a couple days late on posting this, but there was sooo much to cover I took a few days to rethink what I was going to post and wait for higher quality videos to roll in. Initially I was going to make a new post for every game and post virtually every video I found, but I re-thought that idea and decided to make one big post wrapping up what games I felt were the best/most important.
Sony's Spring Gamer's Day was held in San Diego a few days ago and a total of 54 games were announced for the PlayStation 3 and PSP, almost all being scheduled for a fall/winter release. I was bombarded with trailers, interviews, demonstrations, and all kinds of gameplay videos from some truly amazing games Sony has coming out very shortly, some of which I had never heard of before and am completely blown away by. That hefty price tag of the PS3 is going to be justified very soon as these games start rolling in; I know I am extremely excited for these titles, as well as the titles coming in 2008 that were not talked about, like FFXIII, MGS4, White Knight Story, the multi-platform games, and even Ninja Gaiden Sigma which is due out very soon. Things seem to be looking up for Sony and I feel they have the brightest future out of all the consoles.
Here's a quick rundown of some major announcements thanks to Destructoid:
• Sony will release SOCOM Confrontation as a multiplayer-only title for the PlayStation 3. It will support up to 32 players online with full clan support, etc. • Sony is developing a bowling title that uses the SIXAXIS -- much like Wii bowling. • Nearly all major first-party titles will be coming out in the fall. • A Warhawk public beta will begin on May 25 with sign-ups available now. • Warhawk will be available to download over the PlayStation Network but will also be available at retail on Blu-ray. The retail package of Warhawk will include the game with extras such as developer interviews and demos. The pack will also include a Bluetooth headset for the PS3. • The PS3 version of Stranglehold will include the original movie, Hard Boiled. • A Resistance: Fall of Man add-on pack with two maps will come this fall; More MotorStorm content will also be on the way. • LittleBigPlanet will have a demo released this fall with a planned final release for just after Christmas. • There are more than 90 titles coming to the PS3 from 3rd-party developers this year, with half being for the PlayStation Network. • Peter Dille, Senior VP Marketing for Sony, said that Devil May Cry 4 was developed for the PlayStation 3 and is being ported down to other formats. • PSP hardware sales are up 40%, with software sales up 150%. There will be 140 PSP games coming out this year with nine being 1st-party exclusives.
Now onto the individual games. I know it seems like a lot, but A LOT of media was released between May 17 and today. Everything I post is only what I feel is the absolute best and must-watch videos, keep that in mind. So enjoy the following media and info on some truly incredible upcoming PS3 games:
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune: Naughty Dog's adventure game is set in a gorgeous looking jungle where you fight modern day pirates. This game is graphically lush and very next gen.
This video is a must-watch. The Onstage Demonstration is very informative and truly amazing.
Click here for more videos of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, as well as HD versions, I especially recommend the In-Depth Interview.
OVERVIEW Developed by the studio that brought blockbuster hit franchises Crash Bandicoot™ and Jak & Daxter® to PlayStation fans, Naughty Dog Inc.'s, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is the first game in a new fast-paced action-adventure franchise developed exclusively for the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system.
Taking full advantage of the power of PS3, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is developed using proprietary technology that promises to impress players with incredibly realistic characters and lifelike environments. Building on its legacy of extraordinary storytelling, Naughty Dog has created an elaborate plot that will have players guessing at every turn.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, brings players into a world ripe with realism and unexpected juxtapositions. A fallible hero akin to those depicted in pulp-adventure genre films, Nathan Drake brings a humanity and believability never seen before in video gaming, enabled entirely through PS3 technology advancements.
STORYLINE A 400-year-old clue in the coffin of Sir Francis Drake sets a modern-day fortune hunter on an exploration for the fabled treasure of El Dorado, leading to the discovery of a forgotten island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
The search turns deadly when Nathan Drake becomes stranded on the island and hunted by mercenaries. Outnumbered and outgunned, Drake and his companions must fight to survive as they begin to unravel the terrible secrets hidden on the Island.
GAME FEATURES • Using maps and ancient artifacts, uncover clues and unravel mysteries to find a forgotten island and a treasure that was thought to have never existed • Explore exotic locations. Traverse through living jungles and spectacular 400-year-old ruins. • Drake's companions and allies play an important role in the adventure through cooperative mechanics, gun play and exploration. • Experience fast-paced gunplay: use a variety of environmental elements for cover, shoot enemies off of moving vehicles in high speed chases and more. • Use an array of hand-to-hand fighting moves to put your enemy off balance. Anything from wild haymaker punches to running drop-kicks. • Naughty Dog's advanced animation techniques allow Nathan to switch seamlessly between movements and achieve a whole new level of believability in gameplay. Nathan can reload his weapon while dodging bullets and find cover behind a wall, all in one smooth natural motion. • Characters express lifelike emotion using gesture and facial expression through the use of Naughty Dog's proprietary Wrinkle Mapping Facial Animation system. • High-definition range lighting delivers full floating point color calculations yielding an unequaled level of realism and detail. • Hyper realistic water through physics based Wave Simulation paired with cutting edge Refraction/Reflection rendering techniques. • Utilizing next generation rendering techniques such as Bump Mapping, Parallax Mapping, Blend Shaders, Global Illumination, Runtime Shadows and Real Time Shadows, Naughty Dog has created a vibrant living environment.
Pain: This downloadable PS3 game is set in a destructable downtown. In the game, you launch a guy on big rubber band, and get points by smashing into stuff. Pain features ragdoll physics and gameplay reminds me of Crash Mode featured in the Burnout games, which is definitely not a bad thing.
There was some demonstration videos floating around explaining more in detail, but they weren't that great quality so I won't post them. This game looks very, very fun, addictive, and should come at a cheap price for a downloadable game.
OVERVIEW The concept of PAIN was derived from an extensive teen market research report. The findings of the report indicated that comedy, random chaos, creativity, community and competition were the central figures driving entertainment choices for the teen audience.
PAIN is much more than a game, it's actually a creative, user-driven comedic experience that presents players with the unique opportunity to control and capture the irreverent style of humor found in television shows such as Jackass or Viva La Bam. The game boldly tackles a rarely explored area of video-gaming... comedy. Many games and products have allowed players to experience scripted, comedic scenes, but none have successfully allowed the end-user to actually be the architect of these situations... until now.
One thing is certain; gamers have never seen anything quite like PAIN...
The core, unique mechanic of the game allows the player to load a character into an extreme launching device, such as a human-sized, ultra-powerful slingshot, and fire the character into an active, physics-controlled environment, filled with precarious and humorous situations. The player receives points by stringing together painful collisions and inducing chaos in the environment. The player must achieve a wide variety of goals and / or reach various scoring milestones in each of the different modes of play.
Available exclusively via download on the PLAYSTATION®Network for the PLAYSTATION ®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system, PAIN will feature a robust online community where players will be able to upload and share their comedic experiences; while other users can rank and comment on the content shared within the community.
KEY FEATURES • Based on a teen research report indicating that chaos, comedy, creativity, and community are central themes to their entertainment choices, PAIN is the first game of its kind that allows the gamer to be the architect of theses comedic episodes. • Multiple playable characters each with a very unique personality and attributes as well as character specific in-flight poses. • Dozens of ways to play - over 9 different ways to play single player alone, including modes like Spank the Monkey and Mime Toss. With multiplayer modes like HORSE and online competition, PAIN provides both the challenges and the replayability gamers are searching for. • Completely Interactive Gameplay Environment - regardless of what the player does within the PAIN thematic, the overall environment remains completely dynamic and fully destructible, waiting for the player to find new ways to create chaos, comedy or simply wait to see what happens next. • Each time a player launches into the PAINful environment, the physics and animation data is stored on PS3's HDD allowing the player to view a replay instantly. With control over various camera angles and the replay speed - slow motion and fast forward - users can edit and re-record each bruising launch. • Unique physics model created on Havok powered events, allow for amazing ragdoll animations, while insuring that duplicating incidents is almost impossible. Keeping gameplay fresh over and over no matter how many times a player is launched into the same environment. • Available exclusively via the PLAYSTATION®Network, PAIN will have a robust online community feature set that will include: head-to- head and cooperative gameplay, leaderboards, the ability to upload and download user generated replays, and contests. • With PAIN's modular backbone, the game is made to expand. More characters, more themes, more gameplay modes and most importantly more PAINful fun!
Folklore: It's an adventure/role-playing game with an innovative combat system where your attack is to spawn mythical creatures who do battle.
More gameplay videos and a Developer Walkthrough available by clicking here.
OVERVIEW Developed by Tokyo's Game Republic under legendary game creator Yoshiki Okamoto, executive producer for Onimusha™, Devil May Cry™ and Resident Evil™, Folklore™ is a unique, dark fantasy adventure inspired by western fairy tales and built to showcase the power of PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system. Set in the mysterious town of Doolin, two strangers, Keats and Ellen, are drawn together to uncover a mysterious legend in a remote village that exists on the border between dreams and reality. They soon learn that the town serves as a gateway to fantastic realms, full of creatures, spirits and monsters. In order to solve the mystery of the town, and their past, the pair must journey through these worlds to uncover its secrets.
STORY OVERVIEW Despite being a realist, Keats unhappily finds himself a journalist for a third rate occult magazine. One day Keats receives a phone call from a woman asking for his help. Through the static Keats hears the word "Doolin". Sensing something wrong, Keats rushes to the village, but the woman he believes to have called him, is found murdered. He stays on to find out more about this murder. Strange events follow that night, and he travels to the "Netherworld".
Having lost her mother as a young child, Ellen is prone to dreaming and tends to look away from reality. Strangely, she spends her holidays actively searching England's countryside for folk stories. She is not so good with people but seems to have a rapport with children and the elderly. One day Ellen receives a letter from the mother she lost as a child, the message proposing a meeting in Doolin. She finds herself in the village at the same time as Keats. Here they wander between "reality" and the 7 Netherworlds, in search of the end to their stories.
KEY FEATURES • Journey to seven incredibly vibrant realms, all uniquely designed and tailored to fit their distinct personalities. From the ruins of the Undersea City to the never-ending maze of the Endless Corridor, each destination is different from the next. • Inspired by western fairy tales, players interact with or clash against a cast of over 100 originally designed creatures, characters and monsters. • Using the SIXAXIS™ wirelsess controller, the player must battle monsters and literally "shake" them into submission and "yank" their powers from them. The absorbed powers will be used to capture or defeat the monsters that lie ahead. • Begin the game as either Keats or Ellen and learn their story and gameplay style. Keats uses traditional direct attacks while Ellen uses strategic methods to trap her enemies. Decisions made in one story line will directly impact the story path of the other.
SOCOM: Confrontation: An online only game heading to the Playstation 3's online store this holiday season. The game will support up to 32 people and gamers will be able to form clans in the game and customize their uniforms.
OVERVIEW Following its success as the number one online PlayStation®2 franchise, SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs breaches onto the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system in high-definition this holiday-season. SOCOM Confrontation delivers the ultimate next-generation online combat experience made possible by the power of PS3.
SOCOM Confrontation focuses on online play and the global community and clans that support it. With support for Tournaments, Clan Ladders, Leader Boards, this latest title in the multi-million unit selling franchise is exactly what SOCOM fans have been clamoring for. Additionally, players will be able to modify their appearance through facial and physical customization.
A global-scale experience, SOCOM Confrontation gives players the opportunity to battle against the best and brightest from the U.S., Europe and Asia.
SOCOM Confrontation deploys with five new North African themed maps, including a 32-player version of "Crossroads." Additional themed packs for SOCOM Confrontation will be made available for download via the PLAYSTATION®Store.
KEY FEATURES • Ultimate 32-player online combat experience featuring stunning high-definition visuals, advanced physics, ballistics, impact and destruction modeling • Rich interactive and destructible environments supporting multiple game types • Full support of the SIXAXIS™ wireless controller, offering greater control • Choice of playing as various International Special Forces • Advanced voice communication systems and immersive audio • Comprehensive player customization including fully featured load out, encumbrance and unique uniforms • Up to seven different game modes are available on each map • Advanced player matching, players can form a team with their friends and easily join an online game • Regional combat or challenge teams from around the world • Additional themed downloadable content packs available post launch
Heavenly Sword: "Obviously an attempt to re-create the God of War magic, which is not a bad thing. It's a really intense hack and slash. It's built around melee combat. You go from huge boss battles to fighting literally 1,000s of enemies. The setting has a vaguely Asian feel to it, and the main character is a female. Very, very cool game."
This game looks absolutely gorgeous. Be sure to click here to check out tons of other videos from this game, including an Onstage Demonstration and a direct feed of the full demo played at Gamer's Day '07. I've been looking forward to this title for a while now, and all these new videos are getting me even more pumped.
OVERVIEW Emotionally charged, stunningly beautiful, and delivering unprecedented dramatic character performance, Heavenly Sword™ showcases the power of PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system. A dramatic tale of revenge sees Nariko, a fiery red-haired heroine, embark on a quest for vengeance against an invading King and his army. The story builds around the ancient Heavenly Sword, which once belonged to a powerful deity. It can never be wielded by a mortal without it slowly but inevitably draining their life-force.
When the invading King (played by Andy Serkis) destroys the warrior clan that guards the Heavenly Sword, the clan leader’s daughter, Nariko, takes up the sword in a desperate fight for survival. Nariko must now pay the ultimate price as she embarks on one last mission of vengeance against the King and his army before her life is finally and irreparably overtaken by the omnipotent Heavenly Sword…
Andy Serkis, the world’s leading CG actor, famous for his roles as Gollum in “The Lord of the Rings” and Kong in “King Kong,” was heavily involved in the creative process. As well as starring in Heavenly Sword as the villain, King Botan, Andy was a major contributor to the character development, writing, casting, directing and performance capture for the PS3 title.
Heavenly Sword features a deep, diverse combat experience made possible only on PS3.
KEY FEATURES • The Heavenly Sword – The Heavenly Sword itself can transform into three distinct weapons, each with its own accompanying fighting stance used by Nariko to vary combat styles. • The Combat Engine – The combat engine can scale up from sophisticated one-on-one encounters to one-on-many, where enemies employ intelligent squad-based dynamics, right up to combat against battalions pushing real-time gameplay and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to unprecedented new levels. • Physics-Based Combat – The physics-based combat allows players to sweep debris against opponents, kick tables to halt an oncoming surge of fighters, smash the enemy into the scenery, or throw bodies into other enemies using “aftertouch” controls. • Wide range of Objects & Weaponry – Heavenly Sword provides a wide range of objects & weaponry including rapid fire crossbows and massively damaging bazookas. • Creative in-game Cinematography – Coupled with real-time story evolvement and amazing set-pieces, Heavenly Sword feels like a blockbuster action movie that takes combat gameplay to new heights. • PLAYSTATION®3 – Greater processing power on the PS3 enables more immersive visuals and sound effects in Heavenly Sword, heightening the character performance and combat within the stunningly beautiful environments.
LittleBigPlanet: First announced at GDC '07 when Home was announced, this game looks very fun and is sure to sell a lot of PS3s when it's released.
More videos I recommend checking out by clicking here.
OVERVIEW Developed by Media Molecule, LittleBigPlanet™ is a new PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system community-based game with a hugely innovative concept behind it. Players meet on a blue and green planet scattered with individual plots - and use their character's amazing abilities to play, create and share what they build with other gamers throughout the world via PLAYSTATION®Network.
The LittleBigPlanet experience starts with players learning about their character's powers to interact physically with the environment. There are places to explore, creative resources to collect and puzzles to solve - all requiring a combination of brains and collaborative teamwork. As soon as players begin their creative skills will grow and they will soon be ready to start creating and modifying their surroundings - the first step to sharing them with the whole community.
Characters have the power to move anything in this glued and stitched-together 3D landscape; they have the power to design, shape and build both objects and entire locations for others to view and play. There's no complicated level editor; all of these skills can be learned by simply playing the game. Creativity is part of the gameplay experience and playing is part of the creative experience. Players can make their world as open or as secretive to explore as they like. When it's ready, they can invite anyone within the LittleBigPlanet community to come and explore their patch - or can go and explore everybody else's.
KEY FEATURES • There's not just one way to play. Players craft their own individual experience based on their own creativity. • Unlimited possibilities for user-created content - players can customize everything: their characters, the landscape around them and their own patch on LittleBigPlanet. • Players learn new skills and discover new items to aid them on their creative journey Explore the massive single player game or go online to find user-generated content."LittleBigPlanet will change every day as players contribute their own levels • Online and offline multiplayer modes - play alone, work as a team or get competitive • LittleBigPlanet global community for players to get involved with: includes player comments, rankings and easy communication with new and existing friends
Lair:
Tons of gameplay videos available by clicking here. Sick graphics and all the gameplay vids I saw looked hot. I just hope the SIXAXIS controls are as tight as some people have reported. OVERVIEW In a world ravaged by endless conflict and natural disaster, a call for peace turns into a bloodbath of betrayal and deceit in Lair for the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system. Playing as a warrior named Rohn who rides a voracious dragon trained for deadly aerial and ground combat, gamers must defeat the war-hungry Mokai to save the Asylian civilization. Together, Rohn and his dragon will attempt to change the destiny of a world on the brink of extinction by scorching, clawing and smashing through thousands of enemies and their war-trained beasts.
KEY FEATURES • Epic Storyline: With over 60 minutes of beautifully rendered cinematics and professional voice-overs, Lair weaves the tale of a heroic struggle in a world of savage beasts as civilization repels the onslaught of an unrelenting army. • Incredible 1080p Graphics: With amazing 30-frames-per-second high-definition visuals, Lair is one of the first 1080p native resolution games, offering jaw-dropping, lifelike graphics. • Intense Aerial and Ground Combat: Fierce ground and air warfare catapults players into epic fights against other dragons, beasts, warships and armies comprised of thousands of armored soldiers. • Gigantic Creature Battles: Face off against enormous beasts of massive scale, including a huge sea serpent that measures over a mile long! • Full SIXAXIS™ Control: Supporting full tilt control and gesture recognition, the SIXAXIS™ wireless controller allows for 180-degree turns, dives and attacks all through intuitive motion-based controls. • Mission-based Gameplay: Smooth, seamless gameplay weaves missions and story tightly together and allows influence over the battles as a whole through destroying legions of soldiers, engaging ferocious 40-ton dragons, escorting supplies and demolishing armaments to save civilization.
• Upgrades, Medals, and Leaderboards: Gain abilities and upgrades rewarded for completing missions and for achieving medals based on performance. Then compare your statistics against other gamers via the online leaderboards and chat about how to get better scores on the online forums. • True 7.1 Surround Sound: Uncompressed 7.1 surround sound immerses users into the game as they experience the cries of battle, the roar of dragons, the crackle of fire and flame, and the intensity of all-out war. • Immersive Orchestral Score: Acclaimed feature-film composer John Debney (Sin City, The Passion of the Christ) drives the storyline and gameplay with a sweeping, emotive score.
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction: "We know that this is a huge franchise for Sony, but this latest edition is very next-gen. The visual fidelity was amazing, super-high end graphics. Plus, the game has the classic, crazy Ratchet and Clank weapons. We loved the Groovitron, basically a weapon that makes your enemies dance. Funny stuff."
More videos available by clicking here. This game looks simply amazing.
OVERVIEW This Fall, get ready for a galactic adventure filled with explosive mayhem as the multi-million unit-selling Ratchet & Clank® series makes its PLAYSTATION®3 debut with Ratchet & Clank® Future: Tools of Destruction™. Developed exclusively for the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system by highly-acclaimed developer Insomniac Games, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction marks the beginning of a brand-new series of next-generation games for our gadget-building hero, Ratchet, and his brainy robotic sidekick, Clank.
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction is the second PS3 game created by Insomniac Games, after its best-selling launch title, Resistance: Fall of Man™. As the first developer to embark on a second generation PS3 title, Insomniac Games brings the Ratchet & Clank universe to life by leveraging the true processing power of the PS3.
Combining Ratchet & Clank’s adventure roots with an epic storyline and immersive gameplay, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction draws players into a vast, new galaxy more vibrant, diverse and interactive than ever before. With bustling cities, gigantic enemies and giant boss battles, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction delivers a sophisticated, yet humorous adventure for fans of all ages.
STORYLINE After saving countless planets from dreadful doom and earning intergalactic mega-celebrity status in the process, Ratchet and Clank have taken some well-deserved R&R -- again. Yet, Ratchet remains restless. An orphan of the universe, he has never known anything of his past, his family, or his Lombax origins. And no one, not even Clank, can fill that void.
Unfortunately for Ratchet, someone else is equally interested in Ratchet’s origins: Emperor Percival Tachyon. In his thirst for revenge, the vile tyrant of an ancient race of foul insect-like monsters called Cragmites has festered an age-old grudge and is bent on wiping the last-known Lombax off the universe. As Tachyon’s forces ambush Ratchet and Clank in their home galaxy, our heroes realize they need to escape quickly to prevent its destruction. In a move of desperate irony, Ratchet and Clank steal Tachyon’s imperial warship and embark upon an adventure bigger than any they’ve experienced- one that will not only unravel the mystery of the Lombaxes, but also test the very limits of their friendship.
KEY FEATURES • Insomniac Games has overhauled its proprietary PS3 engine technology to create the most visceral Ratchet & Clank universe yet, overflowing with exotic creatures and flying vehicles. Experience many more objects on screen and in more intricate detail than what was possible on PlayStation®2 Ratchet & Clank games.The PS3 system’s superior power enables Ratchet & Clank Future: • Tools of Destruction to bring vivid worlds to life with increased draw distances, enhanced lighting and shadowing, and more fluid and exaggerated animations. • Discover an all-new galaxy spanning vast worlds such as a majestic cloud city and a space-age amusement park. • Encounter an entirely new cast of expressive characters (and some old favorites) as well as the introduction of a variety of new alien races and life forms. • Experience a more emotive Ratchet with nearly as many animation joints in his face (90) as PS2 Ratchet had in his entire body (112). This joint density applies to many of the characters featured in Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, enabling more detailed, personable and expressive characters. • Clank returns as a playable character, and Ratchet will have new enhanced abilities. • Fire a fully stocked arsenal of all-new weapons such as the Plasma Beasts and Tornado Launcher, which uses the SIXAXIS™ controller to direct tornadoes that suck up enemies and whip them around with debris. • Use the SIXAXIS controller to maneuver, destroy enemies and solve puzzles.
• Upgrade and customize weapons with a new system that provides greater power and flexibility. Players also will have the ability to upgrade Ratchet’s armor. • Utilize Ratchet’s new supply of consumable “on-demand” combat devices, such as the Groovitron, which causes enemies to dance uncontrollably to ‘70s disco hits. • Gadgets gameplay returns as Ratchet and Clank will have more gadgets at their disposal to help them bounce, fly, evade and defy gravity. Pilot Ratchet’s ship through asteroid fields while trying to destroy enemy fleets in a complete redesign of classic Ratchet & Clank space combat gameplay.
Other noteworthy games that have new videos from Sony's Gamer's Day '07 include Warhawk and the multi-platform Conan.
For more detailed coverage on Sony's Spring Gamer's Day 2007 I recommend heading over to IGN and Kotaku to name a few places. GameTrailers.com also has a dedicated page to Gamer's Day 2007 videos, check them all out by clicking here.
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