Upon hearing the rumor that Oblivion/Diablo-esque RPG, Two Worlds from producer Zuxxez might be headed to the PlayStation 3, QJ decided to go straight to source and find out what the deal is, and find out we did.

Official word is that developer Reality Pump already has PS3 dev kits, and is "currently checking the possibilities. But there is no final decision right now." So there you have it, it's definitely a possibility. If you're a big fan of Two Worlds, let the developers and publishers know in the way only internet armies can, and keep checking back for a big interview focusing on the Xbox 360 version of the game, also you can bet we'll let you know once we hear anything else about the possibility of a PS3 version.

Unfortunately they're barely bigger than a postage stamp, still, we'll take what we can get, especially since it's been a while since we've seen or heard anything on Artoon and AQI's multiplatform action title for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

   
   
   
   
 

So a little while back we managed to score a little interview with Cameron Brown, the man behind the directorial reigns of Pandemics Mercenaries 2: World in Flames currently in the works for Sony's just released hunk of hot new hardware, the PlayStation 3.

QJ: How long has Mercenaries 2: World in Flames been in development?

Bown: Mercenaries 2 began pre-production in March of 2005.  

QJ: What ideas had you hoped to include in the first game that are making their way into this sequel?

Brown: For Mercenaries 2, we've created a brand new engine specifically tailored to next-generation gaming consoles.  One of the most immediate advantages is the level of detail we've added to our destruction simulation.  Vehicles can be taken apart piece by piece and buildings will come down in ways that reflect the player's attack strategy.  

Also quite apparent is the sheer scale of the world.  Because of this, cities in Mercenaries 2 are much more convincing and playing in the world is a genuinely immersive experience.

Then of course, there are simply a lot of gameplay features that we are adding.  Hijacking vehicles has become more skill-based.  We've added boats and the ability for the player to swim above and below the water's surface.  And of course cooperative multi-player was something that both fans and we, as developers, wanted to see very badly and it was one of the very first new features to make it in!

Read the entire interview after the jump!

And apparently there's a noticeable difference between the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, but we'll get to that in a bit. As our friends over at 1UP pointed out, once we heard Tony Hawk's Project 8 for the PS3 would be shipping without online support (according to Neversoft Sony didn't supply them with the necessary info in time) it kinda cast some doubt as to whether other third parties could get online working in their launch games.

Consider that cast doubt uncast as Activision today officially confirmed that Call of Duty 3 will indeed have 24 player online multiplayer in a released fact sheet. Coming back to the tangible difference between the two versions of the game, the 1UP crew confirmed that the 360 version at least to them seemed to run smoother. They do go on to mention that the PS3 version isn't as far along, and that the last month of dev time is usually allocated to smoothing out performance.

"To clarify this story a bit, judging frames-per-second is highly subjective, unless we're hearing the words straight from the developer's mouth. In this case, it's from the writer's hands-on impressions, and while we can't be sure the PS3 version's running at 30 FPS or the Xbox 360 one exactly at 60FPS, it's clear there's a difference between the two, at least, and that's what matters."

So there you have it, hopefully Treyarch can get things sorted with the PS3 version in time for launch.

If the Tokyo Game Show was good to any one game, that would be Motorstorm. Having had the luck of actually getting my hands on Motorstorm at E3, I could tell there really was something special about the game, the graphics just needed a kick in the pants. TGS showed that Evolution Studios had given its title just such a kick, and then some. The fine guys at 1up sat down to chat with Pete Smith, senior producer at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe to talk specifically about the game's graphics, here's an excerpt:

1UP: Okay, so everyone knows about the E3 2005 target video by now. Are you relieved that you were finally able to show something at TGS that looked pretty close to what that video promised?

Pete Smith: From day one we knew that hitting the standard of the target video was going to be a challenge, however we created the movie as a representation of what we expected the final game to be. We're delighted we're delivering that, but we're not surprised. The movie delivered an intense piece of brutal racing, but it was non-interactive. Now you can actually pick up the pad and be a part of the action -- it reaches another level. We estimate the TGS demo is around 80% complete. The game has already progressed quite a bit since then.

1UP: When the game is 100% finished, how close do you think the visuals will be to that target video?

PS: I think we will be very close and in many places we'll surpass it. But to me it's about more than just the visuals the movie showed; it's the intensity of the action. You guys played the TGS demo so you know the action is already totally full-on. We're in the polishing and balancing phase now. This is always where the gameplay makes huge progress and that is definitely the case here. A game like MotorStorm with the variety of routes and vehicles needs this time to deliver an experience to match the visuals. The final game will definitely blow people away in terms of both visuals and gameplay.

1UP: The TGS version of the game felt a bit slower than we expected it to. Is this part of your approach, or just the result of an incomplete TGS demo version?

PS: This is simply due to the demo being incomplete. We want every vehicle to feel fast and since TGS we have made improvements to framerate and tweaked the cameras and handling and already the game is much faster. I don't expect anyone to find the final game slow.

1UP: What kind of features can we look forward to with the game's online play?

PS: Online we're targeting somewhere between eight and 16 players, offering single races and various tournaments. We're also working on some cool modes, but we haven't locked them yet, so I can't give details. Obviously we'll have in game chat, lobbies, buddies, etc. Imagine a full-on multiplayer MotorStorm experience with you screaming at your mates to get out of the way and ramming rivals into a rock face and you'll get the idea.

1UP: [There have been conflicting reports on the use of the tilt controller.] Do you have plans to use the PS3's tilt controller as an option for steering in the game?

PS: The TGS demo actually works with the tilt pad as the primary control, [but] we've not yet decided whether to include this in the final game. Some people like it, but it's pretty tricky to stay in control when you're flying 'round the track at full speed. At the moment we're looking at in-air control with the tilt pad and a few other cool little surprises.

I love me some Mike Mignola, so upon hearing news that Konami was going to be working on a Hellboy videogame I got pretty excited. I must admit I was a little bummed when I discovered they'd eschewed Mignola's highly stylised and much loved art style in favor of something a little more grounded in reality (as much as you can ground an 800lb 7 foot tall lobster red monster in reality anyway). I'm still not entirely convinced, but our interview with the guys behind the game gave me a little confidence, and even if these new screens aren't the absolute zenith of graphical wiz-bangery, they're a marked improvement over what we've seen in the past. What say you folks?

       

   

SCE Worldwide Europe VP Jamie MacDonald had a hot plate on his hands when the news broke just a last month that the PlayStation 3's European launch would be delayed till March of 2007, so far he's handled himself with grace and a sense of dignity. Recently the guys at GamesIndustry.biz sat down with him for an interview that touched on his thoughts on the PS3 delay, the consoles future, and even his opinion of the whole Wii-60 concept. Here are some of the juiciest PS3 related bits from the interview:

GamesIndustry.biz: Do you think the delay will make much difference to your chances of winning the next-gen battle?

Jamie MacDonald: If we were sitting here in five years' time, I don't think we'd really think about or notice that PlayStation 3 was four or five months later in Europe. I think in the long run, PlayStation 3 will succeed because of the great product it is and the great software we make for it.

GamesIndustry.biz: What do you think of the Wii-60 concept - the suggestion that for the same price as a PS3, consumers could pick up a Nintendo Wii and an Xbox 360? Is that something that concerns you?

Jamie MacDonald: To be honest, I haven't heard that... I suppose the challenge that we have is to make sure people aren't comparing like with like. A PlayStation 3 console comes with a Blu-ray disc player in the box, it comes with an HDMI connection in the box, and it comes with a hard disc drive - so the kind of entertainment experience you can get with a PlayStation 3 out of the box really is unique amongst the consoles.

It's not a case of either or; there is no other console that provides that high definition experience with a built-in Blu-ray disc player and the HDMI connection. It isn't comparing apples with apples.

GamesIndustry.biz: So those elements are what makes it worth the extra money?

Jamie MacDonald: I think if you compare it with other consoles, adding on all the extras you need to get a similar experience, it would end up being more expensive than a PlayStation 3. So I think PlayStation 3 is excellent value for money, given what you're getting.

GamesIndustry.biz: PlayStation remains a strong brand, but do you think that Sony has a bit of an image problem at the moment? Specifically, with regard to the hardcore gaming community - there have been complaints about the high price point, comments from executives which some perceive as arrogant, the delayed launch... How do you deal with that?

Jamie MacDonald: We'd be foolish to ignore a consumer perception of that. But from our point of view, really, when we started with PlayStation 1, we didn't have any brand equity at all other than it was Sony.

So we built up the PlayStation brand from scratch, and we did that by creating a great platform and a great product. My view is that our approach should be, if we create great platforms and great games, then the rest will follow.

Assassin's Creed is a going to be a great game, I hope. Now these might look like the same screen repeated in these thumbnails, but don't jump the gun, they're actually sequential. If you click the thumbs, you'll see Altair leaping off the top of a building and landing in a cart full of hay stories below. When you gotta go, you gotta go right?

           

Car porn alert! Regardless or not whether you're a racing game fan, you've got to respect Polyphony Digital and their amazing work on the Gran Turismo franchise. Somehow they manage to make even the ugly cars look unbelievably beautiful. A ton of new screens for Gran Turismo:HD just landed on our door step, so feel free to sift through and give each one a good gander!

   
   
   
  

There are even more luscious shots to ogle after the jump!

Hot on the heels of our story yesterday about one lucky Tokyo retailer getting their mitts on a PS3 test unit for display comes the even more exciting news that the guys and gals over at PlayStation Magazine (PSM) have received a fully functioning totally playable PS3 unit.

"...You can even see the reflection of Motorstorm in the shiny exterior. Good, eh? Finally Rich, Andy, Dave the workie and I got to grips with the lush PS3 for the first time. First impressions? The pads lighter than we anticipated and we were pleasantly surprised by the top-notch feel when controlling the vehicles with the pads motion rather than the sticks. We also got to grips with Resistance: Fall of Man too. The jury's still out on this one but it looks amazing; like proper next-gen. But it really drew in a crowd of curious gamers. Including some teary-eyed men from an Xbox magazine..."

Lucky devils, not to Sony, if you're handing them out we'll gladly take one off your hands for you. It's interesting to note that they seem to mention controlling Motorstorm with the PS3's tilt controller, that's a feature we'd never heard of before and that definitely wasn't present at E3. Now if you'll excuse us, I'm off to round up a few QJ staffers to perform a covert raid on the PSM offices.