If you haven’t seen the video yet, go watch it.  (The link is to a remixed version with bad music, you should download the original instead if you can find it.)  Better yet, download it on the PlayStation Network and watch it in HD on an HDTV to do it justice.  If you have surround sound setup with a powerful subwoofer, pump it up.  Click on the link for a large picture and imagine that in smooth motion.  They announce that as in-game footage so hopefully they will live up to the hype they are creating for themselves.

I don’t remember being this excited about a game after watching only a small, tiny little video like that.

Yes it seems like its on rails and you can only choose from a few options but I am more sold on the experience, as short as it may be.  Like a short, test roller coaster, its a ride you won’t soon forget and a taste of things to come.  Some of what they show in this video I would love to see integrated into other games.

Here is what I think from what little they show you of the video.  Faith, the protagonist, is a courier with sort of cat burglar/assassin/ninja training.  Perhaps its a family thing?  You can choose different paths.  I think the different paths you take are highlighted in different colors.  Red, dangerous, Orange medium and Blue safe?

During some scenes you notice blurring around the edges.  I think this hints at some sort of turbo function that you need to use to scale walls, etc.

Is it like Bouncer?

Is it in a city like Dubai?  I like the high contrast visuals and the bright white futuristic look.

Interesting to note is the fact that this is using the Unreal Engine 3! XO  That was a real surprise for me.

Here is the EA publicity spin.

"Mirror’s Edge - In a city where information is heavily monitored, agile couriers called runners carry sensitive information on foot via the rooftops and skyways. Usually the police leave them alone - they have bigger fish to fry - but now something has changed…

Play as Faith, the best and most agile of all runners, in an adrenaline-fuelled race to save her sister’s life as she unveils a bigger plot involving the whole city and the runners. Mirror’s Edge is an action-adventure game that revolutionizes the genre by introducing a full body experience with dynamic 1st person movement and combat, in an immersive modern-day universe and with a socially charged storyline."

Check out this rarely shown screen of the action running/sliding away from the S.W.A.T. team.

Its been a while since we’ve seen any innovative updates to the XBox 360 operating system.  If the list circulating the internet is even partly true, this time around we may see some major improvements to our beloved bricking behemoth.

Xbox LIVE
1. Option to delay sign-in to Xbox LIVE on boot to allow user to set online status.
2. Option to promote child account from family settings.
3. Disable ability of child accounts over 18 to override family settings by launching privacy settings through a title.
4. Option in family settings for child accounts to enable child-oriented/non-mature advertisements.
5. Introduce a 4 person group chat for private chat and conferences through video chat.
6. Support to indicate media being watched to gamercard status (video content from Marketplace only).
7. Extend height for bio field in personal profile, easier navigation through text.
8. More fields present in personal profile - recent achievements, interests, games, movies, links, custom section.
9. Compact personal profile for new fields (navigating to field will open it up).
10. Mandatory option to delete duplicate titles from gamercard (excludes Games for Windows - LIVE). User disconnected from Xbox LIVE when booting any title until action complete.
11. Option to remove payment information from gamertag.
12. New payment methods for international users.
13. Download history on account management better organized - games, genre, type, download date, miscellaneous.
14. Long descriptions of items on marketplace can be scrolled using right stick. <–This should have been done long ago.  Perhaps prior to the release of Rock Band?
15. Better organization of free content on marketplace. <–This wouldn’t have been an issue if I hadn’t seen the much nicer way the PlayStation Network does it.
16. Option to ‘ping’ when testing connection.
17. Allow re-connection to Xbox LIVE if ethernet cable is re-inserted whilst powered on.  <–This is big for me.  Sometimes I unplug my router or switch and I hate having to go through the entire process to re-connect to XBox Live.
18. New strip colors available to developers, staff gamercards.  <–Different colors for Recreational and Pro gamers?
19. New corner icon available to ambassadors.  <–Ambassador?  Game with Fame?
20. Re-introduce messages button for Inside Xbox updates only.
21. Option to store up to 10 messages permanently on server excludes invites, status messages.
22. Increase character limit for text messages between friends only.  <–This doesn’t make sense if they enable Live Mail.
23. Option to disable invites from non-friends or all players.  <–I don’t get that many anymore so it doesn’t bother me much.
24. Option to disable invites from titles not on gamercard excludes demos.
25. Option to have smaller items moved up in active downloads.
26. Automatically re-connect to Xbox LIVE if disconnected unexpectedly at set intervals.
27. Option to download gamer picture, if available, from a gamercard being viewed.
28. Display random tips to replace static text on Xbox LIVE and games blades.
29. New button on Marketplace for optional dashboard features - uses storage device memory.
30. Option to donate Microsoft Points to anybody with a Windows Live ID.  <–Kind of cool.  Opens the door to tournament rewards or payment options for custom content like they promised years ago.  PGR4 Paint Jobs, etc.
31. Option to purchase membership for charities includes benefits.
32. Integrate file-sharing for selected titles on Xbox LIVE and Games for Windows - LIVE.  <–More hints about that custom work.
33. Disable notifications to friends of user repeatedly signing into service for a set period.
34. Option to see ’snippet’ of text message in notification.
35. Windows Live Mail integration - includes support for Xbox LIVE Vision.
36. Web feeds integration - text, images, audio. Includes support for specific item codes on Marketplace.
37. Option to display gamer picture or standard picture as display picture in Windows Live Messenger.
38. Support for headset, Xbox LIVE Vision in Windows Live Messenger.
39. Support for limited ‘winks’ that display on dashboard interface. Option to disable ‘winks’ and ‘nudges’ added.
40. Notifications separate from Windows Live Messenger to Xbox 360 notifications.
41. Disable multiple languages from being used in any Xbox LIVE editable fields.

Games
1. Option to delete titles from gamercard with 0 gamerscore and 0 achievements excludes some titles that will be re-added to launch another title.  <–This is kind of cool.  A bit late to the game, but nice.
2. Organize My Games at the games library section better, includes disc-based titles, - sort by genre, platform, Games for Windows - LIVE and percentage completion.
3. Support to display friends leaderboards for disc-based titles.
4. Show dates of an achievement unlocked when comparing.
5. Preload games library upon dashboard bootup for faster access.
6. Game updates now shown as items in memory, increased amount of updates on storage device.  <–I don’t completely understand the second part of this.  They increased the amount of updates allowed or this update increased the amount of updates in general?
7. Option to delete game updates, removed ‘cheat code’ as no longer needed.
8. Support for more titles to display banner when accessing guide in-game.
9. Option to re-introduce awarded gamer pictures from titles that do not have their own re-introduce feature.  This requires a saved game.  <–Special rewards for getting 100% in Crackdown?  This is cool.
10. Disable gamer pictures from being awarded from trials.
11. Support for titles to store installation data on storage device for faster loading.  <–I’m assuming they don’t mean caching.  After all Halo 3 already did this.  So installation support.  This will be a pain for anyone but those few with the 120 GB hard drive.
12. Synchronization to achievements offline/online that were deleted and then re-added from developers.  <–They are deleting achievements now?  Limited time achievements for early adopters?  What can this mean?

Media
1. Option to hold LT and RT for rewinding/fast-forwarding video content.
2. Option to delete individual music tracks from storage device.
3. Option to rip music CD at different quality.
4. Copy non-protected files like pictures, music and videos from USB storage devices, CDs and computers to proprietary storage devices.
5. Support for menu, top-menu features on video content downloaded from Marketplace.
6. Section added for audio delivered through feeds such as podcasts. Option to stream, download to storage device.  <–I hope, but seriously doubt, that this means we can play podcasts directly through the connected iPod.  I already have podcasts streaming from my home server to the 360 so this won’t add any new functionalities.
7. Support added for video titles/description to gamercard status.  <–Hey everyone!  Nelson is watching porn again!

Dashboard/Miscellaneous
1. Option to navigate quickly out of several menus back to respective blade home.  This applies to games, media and system blades.
2. New blade trim styles added.  <–New blade styles?  So not just different color schemes?  I wonder if they will continue to charge for them?  The PS3 themes are VERY different, you can create your own and best of all, they are FREE.  XBox Live charges you a monthly fee then charges for these items on top of that.  Ouch.
3. Introduce expanded Inside Xbox as a portal to news, weather, entertainment, help and community features.
4. New sounds for various functions such as, notifications, blades and navigation.  <–Customized sounds for themes?
5. Calibration options for display/sound.
6. Calibration options for motion sensor devices.  <–Motion, Sensor, devices.  This could mean ANYTHING.  Lets not jump the gun and expect a Thrii-mote.
7. New effects for Xbox LIVE Vision and dashboard background.  <–Cool, but I hope they don’t charge.
8. Disable changing of theme when on memory to prevent lock ups.
9. Preload recent, limited items upon dashboard bootup on memory.  <–This means it is going to take longer to boot up.  Oh joy.
10. Faster loading of themes section on guide.
11. Option to see what items will not work offline due to DRM license changing from memory.  <–DRM is never good news.  But I guess this makes sense.  If you buy a game on XBox Live Arcade and you disconnect your 360, the least they could do is let you know that it won’t work.  Don’t bother taking your 360 to friends if they don’t have internet access people.
12. Option to automatically associate new DRM to items downloaded for free.  <–Question:  Why DRM free stuff?
13. Indicate charging status on guide when Play & Charge kit is connected.
14. Option to change text colors on guide to better contrast some backgrounds.
16. Language improvements.
18. Word censor updated for fields.
19. Privacy settings and family settings updated for new features.
20. Voice, picture messages can be read at Xbox.com exclusively for Gold accounts.

Kotaku believes this is fake.  I’m not so convinced.  These things are likely.  No one truly knows if they will ALL show up, but I think we will see most of them this Spring.

The blue blur that just won’t go away no matter how many times you flush.  How many times must Sonic jump the shark before someone just trips him into the lake to get swallowed whole?

When a great game like Ratchet and Clank on the PS3 falls under the radar, what hope does a has-been like Sonic have?  What began with a little toe-tap evolved into an ever so annoying attitude that Sega insists to be cool.  The speed of the game was the selling point back in the Genesis days.  Blast processing took Sonic into the "extreme."  Speed alone won’t cut it anymore.

They seemed to pull it off alright on Sonic Adventure.  It was a good game reminiscent of Sonic but it didn’t feel the same.  I wouldn’t put the blame squarely on Sega’s shoulders for this though.  Even Mario and Samus lost a little of their identity when they entered our third dimension.

Developers spent many hours translating 2D game mechanics into a 3D world.  Sometimes it made some sense but more often then not it was an exercise in frustration for everyone involved.

After a long streak of miserable, mediocre titles, Sega somehow still has the funds to keep crapping out these little blue pellets of disappointment.  With what appears to be a greater concentration on the mechanics that made Sonic such a hit in the 16-Bit era, they are doing it again with Sonic Unleashed.

What Sega fails to accept is that some games just don’t hold up too well.  I could play Super Mario Bros. 1, 2 & 3 today and still have a lot of fun.  I can’t say the same for the Sonic the Hedgehog series.

Sega, please keep Sonic on the portables or as Arcade titles.  Or just let him die with whatever honor he has left.  Don’t force him to keep reliving his painful failures with excruciating repetition.

As a relatively early adopter myself, I got stuck with the sans rumble pak Sixaxis.  Today the controller that should have come packed with the PS3 hits U.S. shores.

Engadget Reports sightings in a Maryland Circuit City.

For the price of a game you too can feel firsthand the innovation first brought to you originally on the Nintendo 64.  Back then Nintendo had the foresight to include a ugly, but functional port on the bottom that would allow for such modifications.  So as not to exclude any early adopters.  I really wish Sony would have paid attention to that.

The Rumble Pak on the Nintendo 64 came as a free pack in with Starfox 64.  A well reviewed first party title.  Can we possibly see a free DualShock 3 with MGS4 in our immediate future?

I wouldn’t take that bet.

Rumors are flowing accross the internet from a few reliable locations.  Here they are.

According to Famitsu and PS3 Fanboy, Angol Fear from Keroro Gunsou, will be an additional character selectable in Soul Calibur IV.  No word yet on whether this character will be available in the U.S.

PS3 Greatest Hits proposed list of titles to include; Heavenly Sword, MotorStorm, Resistance, Lair, Formula One, Ridge Racer and Genji.  No confirmation on pricing but I’m betting $30-$40.

Notable features.

• DivX content can now exceed 2GB
• Resume play for Blu-Ray or DVD’s even if the disc had been removed
• Most importantly Blu-ray Profile 2.0 now supported

Rock Band is finally coming to the masses.  Wii owners will finally be able to rock out starting June 22nd for $169.99 with a few bonus songs for waiting and a wireless guitar.

It was only a matter of time, and a few cases of Red Bull, before some enterprising modders created this.  Unreal Tournament mods have allowed the Master Chief, as well as other Final Fantasy and Gears of War characters to fight it out on the PS3.

Get them here.

Now where’s my Simpson’s Doom?

For all you Rock Band players out there…

An update was recently released to bypass the very ugly 360 and PSN downloadable content interface solutions.  I was playing around  with the 360 version this weekend and came away very impressed.  It isn’t just a simple list of clickable links.

You can reorganize the songs by release date, difficulty, and a few others.  One of the features I greatly appreciate is the ability to preview the song.  Find one you don’t remember to well?  Click on the song and then select preview and a short snippet of the track will download to your 360’s hard drive.  The preview will stay on your hard drive until the next reboot.

If there is one thing I could change about this update it would be to have the ability to keep the preview on the drive permanently.  I have the 120 GB drive so I’m not fighting for storage space as I was with the 20 GB my 360 came with.

In addition to the music store, there are also some updates to the core gameplay.

Adjusted fan limits for World mode: Those playing from Easy to Hard will be able to earn more fans, therefore allowing bands to get further along on the tour. Easy players will be able to cross the Atlantic, Medium players can get access to more venues, and Hard players on the Xbox 360 can unlock the One Million Fans achievement.

Better randomization of setlists: Senior Designer, Dan Teasdale was quoted from the Rock Band forums, “You’ll be glad to know that we’ve tracked down and fixed the issues that triggered these very repetitive moments in Band World Tour.”

Improved detection and scoring for mic recognition: “If you had trouble on songs like ‘Timmy and the Lords of the Underworld’ and ‘Blitzkrieg Bop,’ you should have an easier time beating these songs now” Teasdale continued.

Faster loading of DLC: DLC loads faster and only once, instead of each time the game is turned on.

Microphone latency on PS3 is “improved”: Microphone latency has been reduced.  High-end AV set-ups had mic and drum fill lag issues that affected a small but vocal amount of users.

Xbox 360 band logos visible on Xbox Live: Parental controls previously stopped band logos from being visible on Xbox Live.

ENCORE ladies and gentlemen!  If you stopped playing the game now you have an excuse to jump back in and pick up the mic!

Just when I thought they couldn’t makeup for the mistake that will be Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, here comes Four button Guitar Hero on the DS.  It looks like it might only be fun for a short while but that fits right in with most Nintendo systems and products.  They burn quickly, but burn brightly.

I know quite a few people who would buy this so this product will be straight money for everyone.  The buttons jack into the GBA port and strap on to your hand.  It looks, from the video, like they will support wireless multiplayer and some other DS specific gimmicks…err…functions.

It might be fun with a group of friends.  "Rock on with your strap-on!"

Read more at VideoGamesZone.de. 

Unboxed versions of Valve’s Orange Box game suite including; Portal, Team Fortress 2, and  the Half-Life 2 Episode Packs will be available for PC April 9th in the U.S. and April 11 globally from $20 to $30.

Capcom strong arms (padumpum) Microsoft into unlocking the chastity belt known as the 150MB XBLA limit to let publisher achieve "complete feature and graphical parity" when compared to their PSN counterparts of SSFII Turbo HD Remix and Bionic Commando Rearmed.

Lost Planet "Enhanced" to add a range of new single-player, multiplayer modes, in-game items and cross-platform play starting May 27 for $29.99.  No word yet about a patch for early adopters but no one is holding their breath for those of us left out in the cold.

GTAIV online multiplayer to support up to 16 players including co-op missions.

Burnout Paradise creators, Criterion announce downloadable add-on packs including new cars, new islands and different gameplay modes.  But more importantly, it will all be free!  Wait a minute, is this EA?