The Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection that includes the original Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2 and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 will be released at the end of the summer, via Xbox Live, PSN (we hope…) and PC. This port is described as “arcade perfect” by VideoGameWriters.com, and will not be sanitized by the “Mothers United” groups that pointed their fingers at the franchise back in the 90s. Ed Boon, creator of the series, says his personal favorite was Mortal Kombat 3 and wants to see how the new generation will feel about the game. I remember first getting my hands on it for the Super Nintendo, and being shocked and amazed at the level of violence in a video game. Oh the wonderful memories…

Nintendo will soon give the 3DS its first update, and add two new features. The first of these is an internet browser, so now you can alternate between Facebook and perfecting your hadokens with Ryu. The other feature is the Nintendo Eshop where you can browse and purchase downloadable content for the 3DS, similar to the way you do it via Xbox Live and the PSN store. There might also be a chance to purchase some DS titles from the Eshop that have been given a 3D makeover. The Americans will receive the update on June 7 while us Brits have to wait until the following day.

Nintendo fans will get the chance to control Solid Snake in the jungle in Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater, coming to the 3DS this November. Series creator Hideo Kojima says there will be extra features that will be unique to the 3DS release. Elements from Peace Walker as well as completely new additions will make their way into the game.

With Ocarina of Time already announced, the 3DS is looking to make some serious noise in the highly competitive handheld gaming market, although I would’ve rather seen a 3D version of the original and genre-changing Metal Gear Solid.

Source: Pocket Gamer

I never knew Playstation had an online community, I really didn’t. Call me ignorant, but I thought the only rabid and active online world was located on the Xbox 360. I never saw myself writing this kind of article. So what if the PSN is down for a few days? Aren’t the only games worth playing on that console single-player games?

Well, it was only when I saw the hundreds of comments online and the complaints from all those PSN users that my view on this changed. My allegiance, as you all know, is with Microsoft, but this past month I have enjoyed the extra media features PSN has to offer. Features that the 360 doesn’t have. So yes, I have also been hurling expletives at my PS3.

“Error code 8002A203” was the dreaded message that PS3 users saw over the Easter weekend. No matter how many times we tried to sign in, we were faced with this error code. At first, it was thought this was a temporary maintenance issue that would last a day. Then that day turned into days, and those days turned into uncertainty. Sony released their statement blaming the Anonymous group, they denied it, and the hours with no PSN continued to flow. Apart from the obvious frustration of the service going down, I want to look at the real effects this problem will have. These come two-fold, one being security, and the other, competition.

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It is now the fifth day, and the PlayStation Network is still down. The Easter weekend was a complete wash for PlayStation users looking to get some online gaming in. Everyone has been pressing Sony for an explanation, and the company is blaming the notorious “Anonymous Group.” At present, Sony is unsure of the full extent of the external intrusion, which does not bode well for them. How long will dual adopters wait before jumping over to Live? If I see that error message when signing into PSN one more time, I may slice my PS3 in half.

We can all agree that we have seen some incredible games in this current generation of consoles, but according to what Crysis 2‘s R&D graphics principle engineer, Tiago Sousa, told Eurogamer, things can look even better.

“My finger-pointing at Microsoft/Sony would really be on the memory side,” Sousa says. “It’s way too low, and the biggest crippling factor from a visual perspective.” He adds that he wants “a minimum of 8GB” on the next generation of consoles.

According to unconfirmed information obtained by CVG, Grand Theft Auto V will arrive January 15. Fingers crossed, if that date turns out to be legit, we should be seeing something this June at E3. I’m personally hoping they fuel my guilty pleasure with another 80s setting. All should be revealed soon.

With E3 coming up in June, a lot of eyes will be on Rare and their work with Kinect. They have already said that they have only scratched the surface of the device’s capabilities, claiming only 10% has been used. Now, we are hearing a bit of what that the other 90% may be.

The power to use your voice with your Xbox is something Rare is excited about. Scott Henson, Rare’s studio manager, told MCV, “The ability to say ‘Xbox Pause’ and it pauses is just the beginning. It’s magic, but it should be just like having a conversation moving forward.”

L.A. Noire‘s release is fast approaching, and for those that have the luxury of both a PS3 and an 360 it’s always tough trying to decide which version to buy. According to Destructoid, however, PlayStation may have made a move to entice you with exclusive content. Consul’s Car Traffic Chase is believed to be a new mission that will be available only on the PS3. Rockstar has not confirmed anything yet, but if it is true, it makes opting for the PS3 version (and its better graphics) even more tempting.

Kameo was one of the launch titles for the 360 back when the machine was first finding its stride. It had the the more cartoony approach to its presentation and prided itself more on its ideas and gameplay than realistic graphics. Your protagonist had the ability to morph into different creatures that ranged from a boxing plant to a spiky ball that could leap across ledges, each suitable to different situations. Think Crash Bandicoot surrounded by lush, colourful surroundings with constant shape-shifting, and you get Kameo. It was a decent enough game that deserved a sequel, but unfortunately Microsoft did not greenlight one.

While Microsoft saw something different in the people at Rare, they decided to cut costs by letting a lot of regular staff go and brought in some temps to work on the avatars for the Marketplace, and later Kinect Sports. Sergey Rahmanov was one of those that fell victim to Microsoft’s heavy hand. He was part of Rare for a healthy part of a decade and was Kameo‘s graphic designer. He has now released some images of the character models for the sequel that you can see below. At first glance, it looks like the sequel would have taken a more realistic approach. The leap in graphics is notable, when compared to what the protagonist in the original game looked like.

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Ubisoft has finally confirmed that Child of Eden will be playable for PlayStation Move. There were rumors previously, but now it’s official. Most of the footage seen of the game was from the Kinect, which led many to believe that it wouldn’t be available for the PlayStation. Now, if you have Move and are anti-Microsoft (I know who you are), you should be pleased that you will be able to play Child of Eden.

Console superiority is an argument that rages on and on, in bars, online and in other places. Even industry analysts can’t agree on which console is the leader in this current generation. They give interesting arguments as to which they believe has performed better. Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter believes that the PS3 needs to cut its price to succeed. He also added that “Microsoft are determined to ‘win’ and won’t allow PS3 to gain a pricing advantage, ever.” On the other hand, Billy Pidgeon of M2 Research acknowledges that the 360 is ahead now, but if the PS3 can continue delivering AAA games, then it can overtake the Xbox. “PS3 penetration is also contingent on Sony’s continued release of quality first-party, system-selling games,” he says. So what do you guys think? Do you feel Xbox Live and the Kinect have sealed the deal in this current generation, or do the likes of God of War 3, Heavy Rain and Uncharted give Sony something to shout about?

Source: Playstation Universe

The Xperia is the world’s first officially certified PlayStation smartphone and it is now available for purchase. The roster boasts an impressive 60 games for launch and it is available in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria (did you score one Dan?), Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Russia, Hong Kong and Taiwan with a further 6 markets to get the product over the next 2 weeks. With titles such as Assassin’s Creed, Splinter Cell and Syphon Filter on this nifty device, could this become the new leader in this emerging market?

This is perhaps one of the greatest teaser trailers I have ever seen for a video game or film. Honestly, be prepared to see what will go down in history as one of the greatest things you will see…ever. If you are truly ready, then press play now. DON’T BLINK!

According to Rare, the company behind the Kinect, only 10 to 15 percent of the device’s capabilities has been used to date. So we should be expecting a lot more ground being broken by the device in the future. Director, Nick Burton, said that he wanted the Kinect to conform to the player’s control and not the other way around. It will be very interesting to see just what kind of games Rare can produce for Kinect, and if they can pry the hardcore gamers away from their beloved joypad. I’ll never give up my controller!