PC

• Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway (Limited Edition also available)
• Guitar Hero: Aerosmith (game only)
• Nancy Drew: The Haunted Castle of Malloy
• Everlight
• Dark Horizon
• Etch-A-Sketch
• Can You See What I See?
• Sniper: Art of Victory
• Exodus From The Earth

Nintendo DS

• Bleach: Dark Souls
• Prey The Stars
  
• Pop Cutie: Street Fashion Simulation
  
• Imagine: Babysitters
• Crash: Mind Over Mutant
• Imagine: Fashion Designer New York
• The Legend of Kage 2
• Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals

Wii

• Line Rider 2 Unbound
• Game Party 2
• Crash: Mind Over Mutant
• 10 Pin Alley 2
• NBA Live 2009: All-Play
• Army Men: Soldiers of Misfortune

PlayStation Portable

• NBA 09: The Inside
• My Spanish Coach
  
• NBA Live 2009
• Midnight Club: LA Remix
• Cake Mania Baker’s Challenge

PlayStation 2

• NBA 2K9
  
• Crash: Mind Over Mutant
• NBA Live 2009
• NBA 09: The Inside
• Cake Mania Baker’s Challenge
• Avatar – The Last Airbender: Into the Inferno

PlayStation 3

• Fracture
  
• NBA 09: The Inside
• NBA Live 2009
• NBA 2K9

Xbox 360

• Fracture
  
• Guilty Gear 2: Overture
  
• NBA 2K9
• Crash: Mind Over Mutant
• NBA Live 2009

- Geoff

[Source: ArsTechnica]

It has been reported that a memo from Blockbuster has leaked and it contains information about the discounted 40GB Playstation 3s and how they will be gettinga  price cut soon. The 40GB Playstation 3 will be gettinga  $40 price cut, bringing the final retail price to $359. The memo also mentioned a PS3 bundle that icludes a HDMI cable, Spiderman the Movie, and the Transformers game. This seems to be the only price cut that any Sony PS3 will be getting. So if you are in the market for a new PS3, this is the deal to take advantage of.

- Geoff

[Source: Gizmodo]

PC

• Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Colonization
• Command & Conquer 3: Deluxe Edition
• The Settlers VI Gold
• EA Sports 08 Collection
• Medal of Honor 10th Anniversary Edition
• Everlight
• Flight Simulator X Gold Edition
• Hired Guns: The Jagged Edge
• Mount & Blade
• Battlelord: King’s Bounty
• Nostradamus
• Line Rider 2 Unbound
• LEGO Batman

Nintendo DS

• Disgaea DS
  
• Kirby: Super Star Ultra
• Di-Gata Defenders
• Brain Quest Grades 3 & 4
  
• Brain Quest Grades 5 & 6
• Nancy Drew: Hidden Stair Case
• My Little Pony Pinkie Pie’s Party
• Drop Cast
• SimCity Creator
• Shaun the Sheep
• My Japanese Coach
• Dinosaur King
• Barbie Fashion Show: Eye For Style
• LEGO Batman
• Time Hollow
• My SAT Coach: Princeton Review
• Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure
• Pipe Mania
• Margot’s Word Brain
• Hi! Hamtaro Ham-Ham Challenge

Wii

• De Blob
• Wario Land: Shake It
• SimCity Creator
• Samba De Amigo
• Brothers in Arms: Double Time
• Twin Strike: Operation Thunder
• Rebel Raiders
• Lost in Blue: Shipwrecked
• Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2009
• Pitfall: The Big Adventure
• LEGO Batman

PlayStation Portable

• Buzz Master Quiz
  
• LEGO Batman
• Pipe Mania

PlayStation 2

• LEGO Batman
• SingStar Pop Vol.2
  
• Onimusha: The Essentials
• Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2009
• Pipe Mania
• Dragon Ball Z Trilogy
• Warriors Orochi 2
  

PlayStation 3

• Baja: Edge of Control
• Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway
• LEGO Batman
• Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2009
• BUZZ Quiz TV

Xbox 360

• Baja: Edge of Control
  
• LEGO Batman
• Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway
• Warriors Orochi 2
• Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2009

- Geoff

[Source: ArsTechnica]

Sony has just released a Playstation 3 firmware update, firmware 2.43, that is exclusive to Japanese PS3 consoles. Now what makes this update interesting is that the Sony Playstation 3 blog announced the update, but mentioned that this update was only required for Japanese Playstation 3 consoles. Gamers in other regions have the ability to download the firmware update, but they are not “required” to do so. So what exactly does this firmware update do? Go download the update and remember to come back here to comment on your experience with the new update. What changed? What’s new? What do you think?

- Geoff

[Source: Wired]

Here is an interesting article from Don Reisinger from CNET regarding the future of the Playstation 3 and what to expect with the Playstation 4…if that ever happens.

Why the Playstation 4 won’t have Blu-ray

One of the key components in the Playstation 3 won’t be in the Playstation 4 if Sony plays its cards right. And which component is that?

It’s Blu-ray drive.

I know Sony zealots will probably scoff at the very thought of Blu-ray not being included in the Playstation 4 because of their belief that so much of Sony’s future is tied to Blu-ray, but I’m not willing to sip the Kool-Aid.

To me, Blu-ray is the LaserDisc of its time. It’s not nearly as useful as the DVD that it’s trying to supplant, and the future is coming on so quickly that it may not have the time to cement itself in the industry before HD downloads become the next big thing in the space.

To make matters worse, I simply don’t see how we can categorically say that Blu-ray was such a major part of Sony’s success this year with the Playstation 3. Let’s be honest–is the average mainstream user who isn’t tech-savvy at all, really buying a Playstation 3 to watch the same movies they have on DVD already?

But the fact that the Playstation 4 won’t feature Blu-ray goes far beyond the fact that it’s not as coveted in the Playstation 3 as some want to believe. In reality, it’s more likely that the Playstation 4 won’t have Blu-ray than you may think.

The Playstation 4 should be made available in the next three to five years. During that time, Sony will need to work on getting Blu-ray into more homes and try to supplant DVD as the leader in the media space.

But how will it do that? The main advantage DVD still enjoys is that it’s mobile and ubiquitous. You can bring a DVD from your house, play it in your car en route to your buddy’s place, and finish it when you get to his house. You can’t do that with Blu-ray and the chances of it happening soon are slim.

It took DVD almost a decade to reach that kind of saturation, and Blu-ray simply doesn’t have that much time. With companies like Apple, Amazon.com, Netflix, and others quickly moving towards a home environment that doesn’t require a disc, but rather a download or streaming service, Blu-ray can’t compete.

It’s becoming easier and easier to stream movies from your computer to your HDTV. A Roku Netflix box means Blu-ray isn’t even needed anymore, and cable companies offer VOD service for those that don’t feel like popping a DVD into the player. And as broadband speeds increase, making HD downloads more relevant, Blu-ray finds itself squeezed out by the past and the future.

And all the while, Sony is left to make the decision of whether or not it wants to tie its next video game console to an irrelevant format.

But don’t take my word for it. Andy Griffiths, the director of consumer electronics at Samsung UK–a strong Blu-ray supporter–told Pocket-lint earlier this month that Blu-ray would be dead in five years and forgotten in 10.

“I think it (Blu-ray) has 5 years left, I certainly wouldn’t give it 10,” he told Pocket-lint in an interview.

Sony has also been making waves with a new brand of Bravia HDTVs, which will work with the company’s MovieLink technology, making Blu-ray and even DVD useless by streaming content directly to the HDTV without the need for a set-top box. If that doesn’t make Blu-ray irrelevant, what does?

Granted, the next iteration of the Playstation will need a format to play games on and it might be easier for Sony to use Blu-ray, but I’m not so sure it has to. Microsoft has done just fine using DVDs with the Xbox 360, and game developers have shown that DVDs can still be a fine solution. Even better, DVD production will be even cheaper when the next generation rolls around, and although Blu-ray will be too, it’ll undoubtedly cost more to use that format instead of DVD. And in an industry that’s being dominated by high cost and diminishing returns, developers will want to save money in any way they can.

The argument is oftentimes made that DVD was experiencing the same issues Blu-ray is today and everything will turn out just fine. And while that’s true on a number of levels, the argument fails to address the fact that DVD wasn’t being impacted so heavily by the future the way Blu-ray is. After all, the idea of HD downloads and streaming movies to an HDTV were hopes and dreams when DVD first made a splash.

Sony learned quite a few lessons during this generation. It learned that developers really do matter and making them happy is a key component in being successful. It learned that people want a video game console first and an entertainment device second. Not the other way around. And most importantly, it learned that providing a worthwhile experience while keeping the device’s price down is just as important as the games.

Can Sony truly learn from those mistakes if it hitches itself to the format that representatives from other companies say will die soon and even its own strategy suggests the same outcome?

Assuming what the analysts say is true–Sony will release a new console in three to five years and Blu-ray will be dead in five–how can the company justify putting a Blu-ray player into the Playstation 4? Does it really want to tie itself to a loser even though it spent so much money trying to make it a winner?

Given the company’s financial woes in the video game space as of late, that could turn into its greatest blunder.

The technology industry is pushing Blu-ray aside as more capable offerings become available. I think Sony knows that already and will try to milk Blu-ray for as long as possible. But once the Playstation 4 is announced, the company will make its strategy known: it will forgo support for Blu-ray in the video game space and start focusing on streaming and HD downloads–the future of the industry.

- Geoff

[Source: CNET]

PC

• S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Clear Sky
• Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
• Crysis: Warhead
• The Witcher: Enhanced Edition
• American McGee’s Grimm: Beauty and the Beast
  
• Pure
• Line Rider 2: Unbound
  
• Discovery
• Cooking Academy
• Hell’s Kitchen
• The Settlers VI Gold
• The Price is Right

Nintendo DS

• Dragon Quest IV
• Drawn to Life: Sponge Bob Squarepants edition
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
• Line Rider 2: Unbound
  
• Di-Gata Defenders
• Animal Paradise
• Igor
• Red Bull BC One
• My Secret World
• Unsolved Crimes
• Happy Cooking
• Imagine: Fashion Designer New York

Wii

• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
  
• Rebel Raiders
• TNA! Impact
• Kidz Sports: Crazy Golf
• Igor
• Zoo Hospital
• Littlest Pet Shop

PlayStation Portable

• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
• Yggdra Union
• B-Boy

PlayStation 2

• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
  
• Speed Racer
• Namco Classic Fighter Collection
• Naruto Ultimate Collection
• Pac-Man Power Pack

PlayStation 3

• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
• Armored Core: For Answer
• Pure

Xbox 360

• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
• Battle Fantasia
  
• Armored Core: For Answer
  
• Pure

- Geoff

[Source: ArsTechnica]

PC

• American McGee’s Grimm: The Devil and His Three Golden Hairs
  
• CSI Super Pack
• FlatOut: Head On

Nintendo DS

• Lock’s Quest
• Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise
• Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir
• Hell’s Kitchen
• Mazes of Fate
• The Price is Right
• Rain Drops
• Air Traffic Chaos

Wii

• NHL 2K9
• Cabela’s Legendary Adventures
• Hell’s Kitchen
• The Price is Right
• Active Life Outdoor Challenge
• Ten Pin Alley 2

PlayStation Portable

• Cabela’s Legendary Adventures

PlayStation 2

• Yakuza 2
• TNA Impact!
• Dance Dance Revolution X Bundle
  
• Dragon Ball Z Trilogy
• Cabela’s Legendary Adventures

PlayStation 3

• NHL 2K9
• NHL 2009
  
• TNA Impact!

Xbox 360

• Rock Band 2
  
• NHL 2K9
• NHL 2009
  
• Zoids Assault
• TNA Impact!

- Geoff

[Source: ArsTechnica]

With last week’s news that Sony was forced to recall 438,000 Vaio laptops over burn concerns, it got me thinking about Sony, its place in the tech industry, and what’s really going on at this once powerful company.

Sony’s stock price is down more than 30 percent this year as its Vaio laptops fail to captivate audiences, its Playstation 3 still lags behind the competition, and its ill-fated attempts at holding on the Walkman brand have proven detrimental to its growth. And all the while, the company believes that it’s doing everything right and it can hold on to its position as the single company in the industry that can release products in practically every market and be successful.

For years, Sony was successful because it brought high-quality products at an affordable price to store shelves. As it gained in popularity, the company was able to rely more on its name and solidify its brand as the single most popular in the entire industry. But as that happened, I feel like Sony lost its way.

When we rank some of the best products in each market, Sony once came to mind in every instance. But right now, I’d say that Sony is only in the top five in HDTVs, Camcorders, and gaming. Everywhere else, Sony products need not apply.

With that in mind, it’s time Sony forget about being the company that releases products in every single market and start working on offering only those products that people want. If Sony relies on its name for too much longer, it may lose all the credibility it once enjoyed.

There’s no debating the fact that Sony is an extremely profitable company. Last year alone, the company realized a net income of almost $4 billion. But that doesn’t mean that everything is going well for Sony. Sony is a mainstream brand, a household name. How much longer can it release products that are barely useful before it’s forced to call it quits in some markets?

I’ve had the opportunity to use a slew of Sony products and compare those to others in the respective market. Aside from camcorders, HDTVs, and gaming, Sony doesn’t stack up nearly as well as it used to. Cell phones? No. Computers? Irrelevant. Digital cameras? No way.

Taking all that into account, we can’t downplay the fact that Sony products still sell extremely well. Some say it’s because Sony knows how to market a product. I think it’s based solely on the fact that Sony is on the top of everyone’s mind when they go to the store.

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve spoken with someone about buying a certain product, only to be looked at with a quizzical look and be asked if Sony has a product in that market. Worse, I hear people look for digital cameras and as soon as they see Sony’s digital camera, they put the Canon down and opt for the Cyber-shot. We may know that Sony products aren’t necessarily the best, but the mainstream has no clue. They see Sony’s brand and they buy it.

But how much longer will that last? Once those people bring Sony’s digital camera home and compare it to their neighbor’s Nikon, will they really want another Sony product?

Evidently, the answer is no. Sony’s market share in key markets like the PC industry and the cell phone market have been nominal at best, and there’s some indication that the vitality of the Sony brand is diminishing as it slowly but surely falls from top of the best-selling list.

Sony has relied on its name for too long. The company needs to get out of those markets where it’s barely relevant and become a more agile company that’s capable of putting its money into those endeavors that matter most. Being an also-ran isn’t acceptable anymore for Sony and it needs to start realizing that the future is in being the best in every market it competes in.

- Geoff

[Source: CNET]

In a recent interview with Gamasutra, Julie Han of Sony’s corporate communications department has stated that “there’s a lot we can do on the marketing front. We don’t talk enough about Sony’s future-proofing strategy. With this recession, as people are … on tighter budgets, they’re going to be much more conscious of how they spend their money.”

Despite the price cuts on Microsoft’s Xbox 360s, Sony has stated that they have no plans of cutting the price of Playstation 3 consoles for the upcoming holiday season. We’re really confident that consumers are making choices driven by value,” she says, “and we know PS3 offers that value across the board, with the built-in Blu-ray player the broadest and deepest software lineup in the industry, with LittleBigPlanet, Resistance 2, Motorstorm [Pacific Rift]… we’re quite confident our holiday sales will be good.” Hopefully Sony will follow Microsoft’s strategy of cutting prices of their consoles, but as we have reported before, this seems very unlikely as Sony is just trying to make up for production costs.

- Geoff

[Source:Gamasutra]

Early today, there were reports that Activision and Treyarch’s Call of Duty: World at War beta version would be made available to Xbox 360 and PC gamers. Unfortunately, there was nothing mentioned for Sony Playstation 3 gamers. Many Sony Playstation 3 gamers felt left out of the Call of Duty: World at War beta testing. Later in the day, MTV’s Multiplayer asked Activision if PS3 gamers would be able to access Call of Duty: World at War. At first it seemed as if PS3 gamers would get their wish, but now there are reports that the Call of Duty: World at War beta version for the PS3 may not be likely. Although there is no official statement from Activision or Treyarch, a beta version for Call of Duty: World at War should be made available for the Playstation 3 as it seems to be the most logical approach. Only time can tell. Stay tuned folks as more information comes our way.

- Geoff

[Source: MTV Multiplayer]