Developers of MAG, Zipper Interactive, have revealed the statistics to the latest MAG Beta which took place earlier this month. Just like the statistics for the previous betas, the Beta 5 stats were astonishing, with over 1 million downloads of the beta client and over 619,000 gaining at least one experience point in the six-day window that beta was available on.
Earlier this week we reported that GT5 was being delayed in Japan, with a new release date to be announced. Well, it turns out that the game isn’t completely finished yet. Speaking in an interview with USA Today at CES earlier this month, Polyphony Digital boss Kazunori Yamauchi said: “About 90% of the game is done. We are just working on the last 10% and polishing up everything.”
During Ubisoft’s fiscal report from earlier this week, it was disclosed that sales of Assassin’s Creed II has broken the six million mark. The game sold over 1.6 million units worldwide in the opening week and has continued to sell well. The publisher expects Assassin’s Creed II to sell some 9 million units by the end of its current fiscal year in March.
Firmware 3.15 which came out in early December 2009 is now mandatory to install. The firmware is needed for many new and upcoming titles, though most of you probably already have it installed. If you have already installed the latest update, this new does not affect you. Gamers who haven’t updated will be prompted to download it when they boot up their PS3.
A new Assassin’s Creed title is under development according to Ubisoft, and is being developed by the same studio behind AC2: Ubisoft Montreal. The new title will star Ezio and will be a “follow-up” to AC2. CVG reported yesterday that Ubisoft was hard at work on a sequel, which the company is due to release before March 2011.
Sony is readying a new PS3 accessory that will let owners turn the console into a digital video recorder. The kit, dubbed “Torne”, is set to become available in Japan this March. Torne comes with a digital tuner that plugs into the PS3 via USB and the software required for viewing, browsing and recording programs. The latter comes on a Blu-ray disc and can be installed onto the PS3’s hard drive. Torne works similar to the PlayTV device that was released in Europe back in September 2008.
The creator of PS3 psychological thriller Heavy Rain and boss of development studio Quantic Dreams, David Cage, has defended the game’s sex scenes – insisting they are “definitely not porn”. In an exclusive interview with PSM3 Cage said that the game’s steamy moments were “about real characters doing what adults do when they fall in love”. “There are a couple [of sex scenes], but it’s definitely not porn,” he said.
In a message posted on the official UK Final Fantasy XIII website, Motomu Toriyama has stated that the International version of the upcoming Square Enix title is “finally complete.” Unfortunately, the game won’t be available to purchase until March 2010, when the game is officially released in Europe and North America. Currently, the developers are waiting for approval on the final version of the game before the disc goes into production.
Gamers seem to be reluctant in support Sony’s upcoming motion controller, but the development community is excited as ever. According to MVC, EA is working on a few games which will launch alongside the motion controller. So far, 13 games have been confirmed for launch but other developers including David Cage, the boss at Quantic Dream, said the studio is interested in experimenting with the PS3 motion controller, especially in with more mature games.
The US version of PlayStation Home will be updated later today to include new spaces for you to enjoy. First up is the legendary IREM Square, a dusk-flanked carnival scene based upon a traditional Japanese festival that is a veritable reward heaven. Check out the pics below for a sneak-peek at what this cool new space has in store for you. You can also purchase a new personal space: Wizard’s Den.
