A news article recently came up in which God of War developer David Jaffe seemed to make fun of Miyamoto by saying "I've been trying to figure out why the f_ing go-karts shoot banana peels." Some readers were upset by this, so David Jaffe made a response video. Watch the video in the full article.

PlayStation.com Japan has a few PlayStation Home screenshots up, and boy are we drooling over them. If Home is part of the PS3's push to steal the Wii's thunder, then we expect a lot of thunder to be stolen. Go to the full article to see the shots (Read more... Read more... And start thinking about the Sony Online Entertainment game tie-ins too.)

We posted an article one month ago that invited readers to do a little thought exercise. Here's what we said: "On the 5th of November we're going to post an article or two about video games, gadgets, technology, and general geekness ... the things about video gaming and technology that ought not be forgotten."

So here's our list of some video gaming and technology moments worth remembering. Hope this gets you thinking (and feeling nostalgic too!). And we look forward to your comments (and arguments). What do you remember and wish that the world will never forget?

Today is October 5. That means that November 5, Guy Fawkes Night, is one month away.

While we don't celebrate this day in the US (it's not even a public holiday in the United Kingdom - it's only a yearly celebration), many of us know of this day thanks to the DC Comics / Vertigo graphic novel (comic book) series V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd and its movie adaptation (with inimitable performances by Natalie Portman as Evey and Hugo Weaving as V).

Still, any "holiday" that gives people an excuse to light fireworks and go door-to-door begging for spare change sounds like something worth celebrating. So we at QJ.NET invite you to get into the spirit of things to remember, remember the 5th of November.

On the 5th of November we're going to post an article or two about video games, gadgets, technology, and general geekness - what moves us and affects us and touches us, and all the things about video gaming and technology that ought not be forgotten. Pretty much like the QuickJump QuickList articles in our Opinions & Analysis section at the front page and the other articles in the Opinions & Analysis sections of our many video game, science, and gadget blogs.

We invite you to plan ahead and consider what you want to remember on that day - because our articles obviously can't be the final word - that's what comments and the QJ.NET Forums are for. (Besides, now that we've turned off anonymous comments - and now that comments are smarter, funnier, and more meaningful - you have a good venue to share your reactions.)

We look forward to your thoughts. See you on the 5th of November.

Sony's press conference. Game Head talked to Jack Tretton about some of the highlights of Sony's press conference at E3 2007. This video is basically just chatting and playful banter about the PlayStation 3 and Killzone 2 (with a playful jab at Peter Moore) and the new PSP (the PSP Slim, PSP Lite, PSP Slim & Lite, or whatever "official" name the tech blogs have come up with this week).

There's a short segment showing Kazuo Hirai introducing the new PSP. And the video moves to Tretton quickly mentioning the new PSP's weight, video out (!), and bigger cache memory (making life easier for developers and giving us faster loading times!).

Then there's Killzone 2, the highly anticipated game developed by Guerrilla Games with Sony Computer Entertainment as publisher. Sorry, it won't be out for a while. Tretton managed to elude all attempts to pin down a concrete release date. But Tretton added that the PS3 has so many great exclusives and so many great games right now that fans should be able to wait until next year.

Submission wrestling and more in UFC. Then Quinton "Rampage" Jackson shows up at about 3:50 to talk about the awesome UFC game: Ultimate Fighting Championship 2009. At around 4:48 he starts screaming about how he wants to be in Halo (don't we all?). But if you're Quinton Jackson, you can make all the noise you want - nobody's going to stop you (except maybe Wanderlei Silva).

Booze and babes? About 5 minutes into the video they look at the different booths. We thought they said "we got all different booze for different companies" - which would probably have made for a wilder video, but booths are fine - although there are no booth babes in sight.

Super Mario Galaxy and Wii Fit at around 5:45. Call of Duty 4 at around 5:54. And that's about it. We agree with Geoff Heighley (the host). This E3 looks so empty.

The Leipzig Games Convention (GC) scheduled for August 23 to 26, 2007, will be the venue for big announcements from Sony regarding its PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable.

Well, you already knew that there would be some big announcements - after all, that's what David Reeves said (David Reeves is the CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, SCEE). If you recall, Reeves said that SCEE will be revealing three new features and services for the PlayStation Portable that are exclusive to Europe - as well as some good news about the PS3.

 

MCVUK believes that that a PS3 price cut is very much possible. We agree. Yes, it was established at E3 that there would be no price cut now for the PS3 in Europe, but that doesn't mean that there won't be a price cut months from now.

After all, with 60GB PS3 units selling at US$ 499 in North America with the successful introduction of the 80GB PS3, it only makes sense that a similar marketing move will be implemented in Europe soon after the Leipzig Games Convention and GC Developers Conference (GCDC) - meaning that buyers can enjoy a PS3 price cut come late August or early September.

MCVUK also expects SCEE to reveal video-on-demand and Freeview TV services. We can't find any solid evidence to support such claims, but MCV has a point: if Reeves said that Sony would release some "fireworks" at Leipzig, then video-on-demand and Freeview TV both fit that promise.

Correct us if we're wrong, but Freeview is a UK service. Is it available elsewhere in Europe? While a price cut is easy to implement everywhere in Europe, we're not so sure that Freeview has Continental counterparts willing to extend a similar service to those on the mainland.

Orson Scott Card, author of Ender's Game (the Hugo Award winner and Nebula Award winner), is a recovering game addict - or at least that's one interpretation you can give his interview over at Gaming Today. Ender's Game is being turned into a movie by Warner Brothers, and at the same time Orson Scott Card is open to the possibility of his book becoming a video game.

For those not familiar with Ender's Game, just understand that it's one of the best sci-fi books ever written (in our honest opinions). A fast-paced story about violence, evil, war, and leadership. It's required reading, or so Wikipedia claims, at the Marine Corps University at Quantico.

And if it's good enough for the US Marines, it should be good enough for you gamers out there, right? Anyway, back to the interview. Orson Scott Card talked about being addicted to gaming:

The weird thing was that even when I wasn't playing, I felt a tremendous anxiety. I had responsibilities - there were cities waiting for me to tell them what to build! Now, I'm not insane. My conscious mind knew that it was just a game, and when I wasn't running the program, nothing was happening at all. But I invested so much tension in the playing of the game that it didn't go away when I left the computer. The call of duty was still there.

The interview also tackled what goes into writing a story for video games. Card said:

Games CAN'T have the kind of storylines that movies and books have, or they wouldn't be playable. ... What makes a game work is the opposite of what makes a story work. In a story, you are seeking to find out what really happened - why people do what they do, what the results of their choices are. ... In a game, the opposite illusion must be created. Even though most games absolutely force you to follow preset paths, the gamewrights try to give you the illusion that you are making free choices (even though you are actually, in almost all games, still being channeled through certain puzzles with fixed solutions).

As for Ender's Game, it won't just be one game in Card's vision:

• The Battle Room. This pivotal set in the book can be several game modules in real life.
• Space war games. The three wars (back in Mazer's time all the way to Ender's time).
• Story-based games. Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow.
• MMORPG. This one is based on the Battle School in Ender's Game.
• The Fantasy Game. The "mind game" from the novel.
• The Hive Queen. It's like Civilization (a game franchise that Card was addicted to).
• Post-war war. Card describes this as being like Risk.

Well, Mr. Card, there are quite a few fans here at QJ.NET who would be first in line to get a game that follows the Hegemon.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (CoD4) is the fourth installment in the Call of Duty series. It'll be released for PS3, Xbox 360, and Windows / PC. This "Modern Warfare" version is the first Call of Duty game that isn't set in World War II. Instead, it's set in a fictional modern-day conflict in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

   

The Call of Duty games stood out as WWII games - that was the franchise's niche, and the franchise did very well. The first Call of Duty game (made by Infinity Ward) won the 2003 Game of the Year award from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Call of Duty 2 (also by Infinity Ward) received near-perfect and perfect ratings from the major gaming news sites.

Heck, even Call of Duty 3 (this time developed by Treyarch) came out as a good game that was worth playing - and that was despite the bugs and glitches (that is, bugs and glitches would've made most gamers throw out the game, but we still played and finished Call of Duty 3 despite it all because it was that good).

So let's look at Call of Duty 4. Will branching out to modern warfare reduce the CoD franchise into nothing more than a clone of other modern warfare games? We think not. Far from being a clone of other modern warfare games, Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is already setting out to carve its own niche in the image of the earlier CoD games.

   

Read the rest of this article by clicking on the Full Article link below. (Sorry, this article was just too long to fit on the front page.)

Those who didn't get into the Warhawk for PlayStation 3 beta got this polite rejection letter that hints at future beta phases:

Dear G.A.P. member,

Thanks for you recent interest in the Warhawk beta test. At the moment, we have all the beta testers we need for this phase. But don't lose hope: there may be more Warhawk beta test opportunities in the near future. Keep an eye on your inbox. We'll contact you if we have space in any further phases of the Warhawk beta test.

Thanks!

The PlayStation Underground

At this point it's not clear how the beta testers in future phases are going to be selected. It's possible that Warhawk will select from the names of people who signed up for this current beta, because it seems a bit unfair for those who got rejected to have to sign up all over again.

And it is a beta worth getting into. Have you seen the videos? Like the recent rocket launcher video and the video before that from the beta? And the gameplay video on defending your base in Warhawk? And the screenshots? This game is looking good - not just in terms of appearance and graphics, but in terms of physics and gameplay.

Warhawk for the PS3 is the successor to Warhawk on the PSOne. It's being developed by Incognito Entertainment (Incog Inc.) and will be published by Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA), and the game is set to be released in September 2007 in North America for about US$ 59.99. There will also be a European release at around that same time.

 

Need for Speed: Pro Street (what others are calling "Need for Speed XI" or "Need for Speed 2007") is the newest game in the Need for Speed franchise. The recent teaser trailer flashed a date ("31 - 05 - 07") so we're all expecting the official details and release information will be released on May 31, 2007.

The game is being developed by Electronic Arts Black Box, and it's also going to be published by EA. Here's some of the things we hope will be confirmed by EA on May 31, 2007:

1. The juicy details on whatever whole new game engine technology they've been working on.
   
2. Drag racing will be included in the game.
3. The game title. Soft Club (the Russian publisher) said that the game will be called "Need for Speed: Pro Street" - but then they removed that bit of info.
4. The release date. Soft Club said November 2007, but they also removed that bit of info.
5. A bigger, better, and stronger AutoSculpt feature (the car customization feature).
   

Everybody "knows" that the game will be for Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3 (yet another thing that should be confirmed once and for all on May 31, 2007).

By the way, there was a bit of news a few weeks ago. Other than that, very very very little is known for certain about this game. Other than the fact that it looks awesome, like these scans from JeuxFrance for "des versions Xbox 360 et PlayStation 3":