Free PS3 News Free PS3 | PS3 News for the UK and US

Some retailers already sold out of PS3 Slim

Looks like some retailers have already sold out of PS3 Slim.

According to a report from Gamespot, local GameStop and Best Buy stores in or around San Francisco started selling the console a bit early, and have subsequently ran out of the fist shipment.

Amazon still has some left though, at least in the States.

Regardless, like most console launches, the merchandise will go fast, so if you want to be able to yell “FIRST!” into your friends’ faces - you better get on it.

Via Engadget.

Guild Wars 2 art to be put into lovely book form

An official art book for Guild Wars 2 will be released, according to the official GW2 website.

Called The Art of Guild Wars 2, the hardbound book contains 128 pages of work by ArenaNet artists.

Looking through some of the concept art on the site, it does indeed look like a “must have” for Guild Wars fans. Heck, even just straight up fantasy fans should love it.

We have posted a few past the break, but head on over here to have a look at the rest.

Via Massively.

Batman: Arkham Asylum awarded Guinness record for ‘Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever’

Batman: Arkham Asylum has been awarded a Guinness World Record for being the ‘Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever’.

It has achieved the highest average score of 91.67 from reviews around the world. Cool.

“We are so pleased to be awarding Batman: Arkham Asylum a Guinness World Record,” said Gaz Deaves from Guinness. “It is a fantastic new game and due to the reaction of gaming experts we believe it has a well deserved place in the Guinness World Records book.”

Congrats to Eidos and Rocksteady.

Press release follows the break.

28th August 2009 London, UK - Today the highly anticipated Batman: Arkham Asylum™ game has been awarded a Guinness World Record for the ‘Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever’.

Batman: Arkham Asylum, out today in the United Kingdom, has been given top scores across the board from National newspapers and specialist game reviewers. The game has broken the Guinness World Record in this category by achieving the highest average score of 91.67 from reviews around the world.*

Developed by Rocksteady Studios and based on DC Comics’ Batman license, Batman: Arkham Asylum offers players diverse gameplay that pushes the envelope for action, adventure and superhero games and exposes players to a unique, dark and atmospheric adventure taking them to the depths of Arkham Asylum.

Gaz Deaves from Guinness World Records states, “We are so pleased to be awarding Batman: Arkham Asylum a Guinness World Record. It is a fantastic new game and due to the reaction of gaming experts we believe it has a well deserved place in the Guinness World Records book.”

In Batman: Arkham Asylum, BATMAN finds himself trapped inside the confines of Gotham’s psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane, ARKHAM ASYLUM. THE JOKER has set a trap for the DARK KNIGHT and has conspired with the deranged inmates to eliminate BATMAN once and for all. Adding to the authenticity of the game are veteran animated Batman voice talents Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy, who reprise their roles as The Joker and Batman respectively.

Batman: Arkham Asylum features an original story by Paul Dini, Batman writer and five-time Emmy Award winner whose credits include Lost and Batman: The Animated Series. Gamers will move in the shadows, instill fear amongst their enemies and confront The Joker and Gotham City’s most notorious villains, including HARLEY QUINN, BANE, KILLER CROC, POISON IVY and SCARECROW, who have taken over the asylum.

Batman: Arkham Asylum is rated “BBFC 15” and available for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 Computer Entertainment System for the suggested retail price of £49.99. It will also be available for Games for Windows® LIVE at retail outlets for the suggested retail price of £34.99 on September 18, 2009. For more information, please visit www.batmanarkhamasylum.com.

Kurt Cobain a playable character in Guitar Hero 5

Activision has announced that Kurt Cobain will be a playable character in Guitar Hero 5.

Hi likeness, controlled by you, will be performing two of the band’s singles from their 1991 album Nevermind: “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and a previously unreleased live recording of “Lithium.”

“Kurt Cobain is one of the most recognizable frontmen in rock ‘n’ roll history and it’s an honor to have two of Nirvana’s masterpieces included in Guitar Hero 5,” said Tim Riley, Vice President of Music Affairs for Activision. “This is the first time the original recording of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ has ever been licensed in an entertainment property and we’re thrilled to offer Guitar Hero® fans exclusive access to the unreleased live version of ‘Lithium.’”

Wonder how much of a cut Courtney Love got out of this.

It’s out next month for the usual suspects.

Press release through the break.

GRUNGE ROCK PIONEER AND ICON KURT COBAIN TO MAKE HIS VIDEO GAME DEBUT THIS SEPTEMBER IN GUITAR HERO® 5

In-Game Model of Former Lead Singer and Guitarist of Nirvana to Perform Two Hit Singles from the Ten-Times Platinum Album Nevermind in Guitar Hero 5

Santa Monica, CA – August 28, 2009 – Remembered as one of the most iconic artists in the history of alternative rock, Kurt Cobain’s enduring legacy continues with his video game debut as one of five exclusive in-game artists in Guitar Hero® 5. The former lead singer and guitarist of Nirvana will be featured as a playable character, performing two of the band’s hit singles from their 1991 genre-defining album Nevermind: “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and a special, previously unreleased live recording of “Lithium.” The band’s breakthrough hit and one of the greatest rock songs of all time, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” helped define the 1990s and will speak to a whole new generation in Guitar Hero 5.

“Kurt Cobain is one of the most recognizable frontmen in rock ‘n’ roll history and it’s an honor to have two of Nirvana’s masterpieces included in Guitar Hero 5,” said Tim Riley, Vice President of Music Affairs for Activision. “This is the first time the original recording of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ has ever been licensed in an entertainment property and we’re thrilled to offer Guitar Hero® fans exclusive access to the unreleased live version of ‘Lithium.’”

Guitar Hero 5 features the strongest, most varied set list to date comprised of master tracks from more than 80 of the hottest bands of today and the biggest classic acts; including Kings of Leon, The Rolling Stones, The White Stripes, Santana, Vampire Weekend, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, plus more than 25 artists from a variety of music genres that will be making their music video game debut. Among the first-time-ever features of Guitar Hero 5 are: Party Play, where players can jump in or drop out of gameplay seamlessly; RockFest, a comprehensive competitive experience available featuring five new head-to-head modes playable online or in your living room; and the ability to play the entire set-list from the first time the game is turned on.

Guitar Hero 5 refines the player experience, enhances the art style and redesigns core features such as GH™Music Studio, making it the most accessible, fun-to-play and authentic experience for seasoned music gamers as well as first-time players. New innovations such as Band Moments, where bands are rewarded for hitting special note streams together and song challenges where gamers are tasked to play through a song a specific way, add a new competitive layer of excitement and accomplishment to the music rhythm genre.

Blizzard’s Paul Sams talks licensing, marketing

During BlizzCon, Paul Sams, chief operating officer for Blizzard, sat down with IncGamers and talked a bit about how the company has changed over the years, especially with marketing.

“When I think about what we have in store, what we have done, and how big BlizzCon has become, let alone our products - I mean, World of Warcraft has over 11 million subscribers so the marketing and the types of marketing we do have expanded to try and support that.

“With licensing, I always joke with our team that it’s the snacking in between the meals. We don’t put out our videogames that often, we are very focused on making sure that they’re great when they come out so it takes a long time. Because we only put out one or so a year, those licensed products are the snack between the meals so that people who are really geeked up about Blizzard and these franchises have a way to kind of feed that hunger.”

The full interview is posted below the break.

Talking Heads, RATM coming to Rock Band next week

Harmonix has just tweeted the Rock Band line-up for next week. It’s rather awesome.

Looks like Talking Heads, Rage Against the Machine, and Avenged Sevenfold round-out the list.

Here’s what you’ll get:

• Avenged Sevenfold – Bat Country
• The Jam – A Town Called Malice, Going Underground
• Oasis – Supersonic (Live)
• Rage Against the Machine – Guerilla Radio
• Talking Heads – And She Was, Crosseyed & Painless, Girlfriend is Better, Once in a Lifetime, Take Me to the River

Tracks are to be made available on September 1 and 3 for Xbox 360 and PS3, respectively.

Each will set you back 160 MS Points ($1.99/£.99/€1.49) or 680 MS Points ($8.49/£5.25/€6.59) for the Talking Heads Track Pack.

Bethesda to show off Brink at PAX 2009

Bethesda has decided to show off Brink at PAX 2009.

Apparently, the game is going to be shown to the public on the hour every hour all weekend.

Don’t worry though, Doom II, Quake Arena, Rogue Warrior and WET will be on-hand as well, and if you are attending, Bethesda will be handing out swag as well.

PAX takes place next weekend, September 4-6.

More over on D’toid.

Early ODST players won’t be banned as long as they bought a copy

Xbox Live’s Stephen Toulouse has said that French Halo 3: ODST players who got copies early will not be banned from playing online as long as it is a legitimate copy they’e playing.

“We will not be banning legitimate customers from Xbox Live who play early”, he tweeted.

Microsoft is still trying to figure out how this snafu happened and have not gone into major detail on the investigation either.

More through Kotaku.

Realtime Worlds gets new Dundee office

Realtime Worlds has taken on a new 8,000 square foot office in Dundee in an effort to “grow towards a successful APB launch” early next year.

The developer currently employs 265, but plans to grow to 300 in 2009.

APB will be amazing. Go to work for RTW in its smart new office purely on the strength of that.

PR after the break.

For Immediate Release:

REALTIME WORLDS CONTINUED GROWTH IN DUNDEE

RTW opens additional office space to house continued growth

DUNDEE, Scotland – August 27, 2009 – Realtime Worlds, the leading independent video game developer, proudly unveiled its latest office space with an open evening tonight. The 8,000 sqft premises in addition to its existing 26,000 sqft location allow the company to continue to grow towards a successful APB launch in early 2009, currently standing at 265 in Dundee, with that set to grow to in excess of 300 by the end of the year.

Studio Manager, Colin Macdonald, explained the importance of the evening: “When we opened our current facility less than three years ago we hadn’t yet shipped our first game. Since then we’ve had tremendous commercial and critical success, and have done the lion’s share of the work towards a successful launch of our online title APB. This additional space allows us to continue to grow at the pace needed to attain the quality of a game like APB, and build the infrastructure required to support its online launch.”
Realtime Worlds currently has over 40 vacancies, listed at www.realtimeworlds.com

King of Fighter XII slips to September 25 in UK

The King of Fighters XII will launch on September 25 for both 360 and PS3 in the UK, Ignition said today.

The new date’s a slip from the previously announced August 28 release. Which is today.

Hand-drawn, blah, fighting monkeys, blah. PR after the break.

PRESS RELEASE

Ignition Entertainment and SNK PLAYMORE Next Generation Game THE KING OF FIGHTERS XII Announces New Release Date for the UK and Europe & Awards from E3

28th AUGUST ‘09 – Ignition Entertainment Ltd., a UTV Enterprise - a worldwide publisher and developer of videogames confirm a new release date for UK, Europe and Australasia of 25th September 2009 on Xbox 360™ and PLAYSTATION®3

Commemorating the 15th anniversary of the franchise, KOF XII serves up 22 characters each with their own unique moves and styles in a stunning 2D production incorporating all-new, high-resolution fighters fluidly animating across painstakingly detailed, 100% hand-drawn backgrounds.

Many fan favourites such as Terry Bogard, Robert Garcia, Ash Crimson, Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami make a welcome return, along with two new additions to the home console version of the title – Elisabeth and Mature.

Online support for both formats allows players from around the world to battle it out to see who is truly the ‘KING’ of the fighters. Online Rankings and Voice chat are also supported.

THE KING OF FIGHTERS XII, has come away from this year’s E3 show with a number of awards and nominations including the prestigious IGN editors award of Best of E3 2009 – Best Fighting Game on PlayStation®3.

GameFocus – Best of E3 Fighting Game – Winner

GameSpy – Best of E3 2009 – Best Fighting Game – Runner Up

1UP.com – Best of E3 2009 – Best Fighting Game – Runner Up

GameSpot – Best of E3 2009 – Best Fighting Game – Finalist

IGN – Best of E3 2009 – Best Fighting Game – Winner (PS3)

IGN: ‘THE KING OF FIGHTERS XII is not only one of the best-looking fighting games around, it’s also one of the most rewarding. Putting hand-drawn sprites into a current-gen game is a difficult task, but KOF XII is entirely hand-drawn and it looks fantastic. The gameplay is equally enticing, as it represents a slick update of the classic King of Fighters combat. Even if you’re not a fan of the franchise, this is one to look out for.’

‘We are thrilled that IGN, the world’s biggest gaming media, has nominated THE KING OF FIGHTERS XII as best fighting title on PlayStation®3’ said Peter Rollinson, Product Manager, Ignition Entertainment ‘There is a huge positive buzz within the gaming community. KOF XII has improved over its predecessors in many ways, offering a fresh yet familiar experience to all fighting fans’

For more information on THE KING OF FIGHTERS XII including screenshots, trailers, and loads of details on new game play features! please Visit http://www.kingoffighters12.co.uk/

THE KING OF FIGHTERS XII is released in the UK and Europe on Xbox 360® and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system on 25th September 2009