From GRIN to grim. Talk about wiping that grin off your face. The development team just bid goodbye through their site now that they've officially shut down as a result of "an unbearable cashflow situation." It ain't over yet though, ex-GRIN members got together and formed a new team, under which they'll be waving a new banner, Outbreak Studios.

*Originally posted on Sep 02, 2007 at 01:07PM

Lair on the PSP? Pictures of it were posted in the official PlayStation forums earlier, and yes, we know what you're thinking: it sounds fake. And honestly, some of us even thought that it looked Photoshopped at first. But y'know what? It's not!

Dozens of people have now also confirmed (and re-confirmed) that Lair works via Remote Play on the PSP! Now before you go all frothing at the mouth, we clarify: the PSP doesn't run the actual game; it's on Remote Play. It's being run on the PS3, but the game is being controlled on the PSP. There's a difference.

Of course, the control framework isn't the same, and the game won't handle as it would on the PS3. For example, dragons are controllable with the PSP's nub, but due to the lack of R2 or L2, you won't be able to land.

Though you definitely won't be able to finish the game on the PSP, if anything, this is still cool. Something you can show your friends to geekgasm over. The way some see it, it could actually simply be an Easter Egg that Factor 5 has put into the game for the fans. Despite this, a lot of other people are already spouting out all of these implications of future titles.

Props to the first person who can get a video of this up on YouTube!

(On a related note, other people have tried Warhawk and GRAW 2 on Remote Play too, but sadly, it doesn't work.)

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*UPDATE* Props to AngelsPlague for posting a video on YouTube!

In the shaky cam video, he showcases... what else? Lair on the PSP via Remote Play. Check out the video after the jump and believe.

 

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 is about to be released for the PS3 on August 21, and we can't help but be excited to find out how the game will look like on Sony's shiny black console.

To help appease Ghost Recon fans' curiosity, Ubisoft Paris' Lead AI Engineer Olivier Didelot talked with Kotaku about the challenges that were presented in developing a game for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 simultaneously.

Didelot clarified that GRAW 2 for the PS3 is not a port of the Xbox 360 version, because the game for both platforms were developed side-by-side with Ubisoft Paris and Red Storm studios working on the Xbox 360 version, and Ubisoft Paris and Shanghai developing the game on the PS3.

Since PS3 hardware is different and required them to come up with ways to tackle game development, GRAW 2 for the PS3 is actually an original development. Furthermore, the differences between the Xbox 360 and PS3 prompted Ubisoft in making sure that the GRAW engine will enable cross platforming.

This then allowed Ubisoft to develop the basic features of the game and optimized it according to the demands of the specific version they're dealing with. Didelot did not expound on each consoles' difference, but he explained:

For an engineer, the two platforms are critically different, with different strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, we feel that there's a real difference in the philosophy behind it. The very primary differences, in the way the processors are designed & combined or the way the memory is handled make them very different challenges for engineers.

Despite the differences however, the AI code is exactly the same for both consoles. Didelot said that the differences lie in how the AI code is handled by the hardware. If there were any discrepancies between the two versions, he assured that it will be invisible to the players.

GRAW 2 for both systems will have teammate's AI use voice feedback to help players out in locating enemies, while enemy AI will present considerable challenges by making full use of the terrain in attacking.

That certainly was a handful of useful information, straight from Ubisoft's Lead AI Engineer himself. For PS3 fans waiting for the game, why not check out the PS3 demo? Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2's PS3 release is just around the corner, but it won't hurt to experience the game in advance.

E3 is over and done with, leaving some of us hopeful for games queued up for the next couple of months. That doesn't necessarily mean we should turn a blind eye to this week's releases though. There are still a couple of gems not worth passing up.

While Nintendo doesn't have anything up for this week, it's going to be a busy one for the Sony and Microsoft camp as things heat up on the gridiron with All-Pro Football 2K8 and NCAA Football 08, both available on the 360 and PS3.

Over at the handheld side, we've got a rapping dog in the form of PaRappa the Rapper and Namco Bandai's latest Tales installment, Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology, for the PSP.

Desktop gamers also find a treat this week: the PC version of GRAW 2 is to be released, as well as the Mac OS X version of World War II Online.

On with the festivities then! We've got a touchdown to score.

All-Pro Football 2K8. Sports-buffs wanting to scratch their jock-itch for more football titles might want to give this a try. Boasting realistic football mechanics and, more importantly, a roster of football legends like Jerry Rice and Joe Montana could make this a sports title that competes with the likes of Madden.

• PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 - July 16, 2007
• US$ 59.99
• ESRB E (Everyone 10+)
• 2K Sports

PaRappa the Rapper. Kick-punch-block your way through this rhythm-based remake of the classic PSOne title. Help PaRappa rap his way to Sunny Funny's heart, as this journey into music will have you encounter a strange lot of characters, including a moose as your driving instructor, a Rastafarian frog at a flea market, and the ever-famous Master Onion.

• PlayStation Portable - July 17, 2007
• US$ 29.99
• ESRB E (Everyone)
• NaNaOn-Sha and Sony

Check out this week's "On Shelves" list by clicking on the Full Article link below!

  

Ubisoft has announced that Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 for the PlayStation 3 has been delayed to August 31. This news came a day before Ubisoft's announcement in Paris of the video game offerings being set for the next few months.

While no reason was given for the delay, some people have conjectured that it could be because of the new features that Ubisoft added in the game. Being a GRAW fan, this news isn't very disheartening as long as the guys at Ubisoft release a game which lives up to the high standards that they have set in their previous games. So what's new in this iteration of GRAW 2?

Features of the GRAW 2 version for the PS3:

• SIXAXIS controls for character movement
• A whopping 14 New Maps
• Two new adversarial maps which can handle up to 16 players
• New weapons and character customization options
• An optimizing re-spawn system
• More Co-op Modes in the form of Evasion and Exfiltration, both modes have six missions each.
• New female operatives

Fans of the game will have to wait a bit more to get their hands on the game. Hopefully, the wait will be worth it. Be sure to keep checking back here for more updates on Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2.

We've got a trailer of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter Throwback Pack for the PC, Sony PlayStation 3, and the Microsoft Xbox 360. As the developers promised, the game lives to the franchise's tactical FPS tradition with a hodgepodge of past and current maps in store.

Such maps as Bonfires (Ghost Recon 2 DLC), Desert Gulch (GRAW), Fishing Village (GRAW), and many more are available to add more replay value and to invoke nostalgia among fans. The old maps look a little better than they did before with the advances in 3D modeling and that can only spell out more fun for all you soldiers out there.

The GRAW 2 Throwback Pack is now available for you. If you don't have it yet, this video should help you decide. Chances are you'll shell more cash out.

 

What do 3volution Productions, Tom Clancy, and Jeremy Blair have in common? 3volution Productions is a company that produces songs, remixes, ambient sounds and voice-overs for video games, films, and the net. It is further noted for having done the soundwork for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter for the Xbox 360, and PC. Jeremy Blair, on the other hand, is the latest addition to 3volution's crew, as the company announces that he (Jeremy) is their new chief engineer and producer.

"Based on our previous experiences with Jeremy, and the extensive list of hit records he has been involved with, we are confident he will help 3voultion realize its goal of being the premium music production company for Videogame, TV and Film music," said 3volution Productions co-producer Raymond Herrera. Stationed at the 3volution Production’s Temple Studios in Los Angeles, Blair is expected to be in charge of all music engineering for the company.

Blair himself is noted to be a trained guitarist, bass player, and keyboard player, and has been credited with engineering for albums like Guns N Roses’ "Live Era" (1999), Coal Chamber’s "Dark Days" (2002), Fear Factory's "Archetype" (2004) and Mnemic’s "Passenger" (2007). On the gaming side, Blair is accredited with helping produce Frank Black & 3volution’s "Gimme Danger" track, which is part of the GRAW 2 soundtrack.

Popular Mechanics asks that question: how does the technology used by Capt. Mitchell and his Ghosts stack up to that used by the Army today?

Okay, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 is a (Xbox 360, PS3, PC, PSP) game, so there are compromises made so that it can be played by someone who hasn't gone through boot camp or Ranger School or its equivalents. Still, with the Tom Clancy prefix as a hallmark for researched (and at least plausible) realism, PopMech wanted the comparison.

The closest equivalent and real-world inspiration to CrossCom 2.0 and the rest of the Ghosts' combat system is the US Army Land Warrior System, a similar integration of high tech and hot lead. Of course, the plausible-fictional tech of 2013 is most certainly a (fictional) step forward from the still-being-evaluated tech of 2007, but there are drawbacks that bite into their tactical utility. For example:

• While CrossCom's ability to keep track of friendly assets is real-time, Land Warrior's equivalent GPS tracking was found to have a lag time "of at least a minute." It's better used as a strategic tool to help in the deployment of large forces in conventional warfare, than at the squad-level urban combat as in GRAW2.
• Land Warrior literally is a load on a grunt's shoulders: that plus the soldier's basic load equals eighty pounds to heft - and it affects his movement. Ghost tech certainly didn't feel that heavy to Capt. Mitchell.
• PopMech suggests it's going to take a massive leap in real-world AI for a computer to tell the difference between a neutral and a bad guy, and superimpose a red "Shoot Me" diamond on the bad guy, as it's done in GRAW2.

To be fair - and not fair as in "the tech will get smaller and lighter, the AI will become smarter" that PopMech used - GRAW was deigned to be playable, so even if it draws its inspiration from real-world equivalents like Land Warrior, because it's still a game, accessibility and fun factor are still priorities over "unflinching realism". On the other hand, PopMech's suggestion that

it's time for a game where military planners make mistakes, high-tech gear falls short in the field, and warfare feels as visceral, as uncertain and as terrifying as it always has been

might not be too bad either. The high-tech really is ultimately meant to make the soldier's job easier (or at least more survivable). It would be interesting (if not pants-wetting harrowing) to see a GRAW where the tech ultimately fails you in the middle of a firefight.

We know that everyone may be familiar with the online video game news site called Eurogamer. Now, this site recently put up a new community portal for -who else?- video game fans and players.

Basically, the portal is somewhat like MySpace, or Friendster for that matter, and Eurogamer itself is not ashamed to admit this. Community members will be able to set up their own page, update their profile, join and create user groups, and ultimately communicate with other members.

Eurogamer Managing Director Rupert Loman is quite happy with this development and mentioned that they are actually planning to launch the site in five different European languages later this year. He added that there is more to come but for now, they are quite contented with what they have,

The Eurogamers launch is the first step in our plan to offer new ways of interacting with gamers. The reaction to the site from our group of beta testers has been overwhelmingly positive, and we're looking forward to developing the site to its full potential.

Lastly, Ubisoft pledged its full support to Eurogamers by promoting its latest Xbox 360 title Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (GRAW 2), which will also become available in Europe on PlayStation 3 (PS3) a little later.

We've got the rankings on the top ten best selling games in Australia in the period ending March 18. Final Fantasy XII still sits atop while the Sims 2: Seasons and Sonic and the Secret Rings are second and third respectively. It may surprise some of you but Bratz Forever Diamonds is still riveted at sixth place while Happy Feet and Nintendogs: Dalmatians round up the top ten.

Here are the complete results:

 1. Final Fantasy XII
2. Sims 2: Seasons
3. Sonic & the Secret Rings
4. GRAW 2
5. WoW: Burning Crusade
6. Bratz Forever Diamonds
7. The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess
8. Cricket 2007
9. Happy Feet
10. Nintendogs Dalmations

It's pretty interesting to compare the Aussie charts to its UK counterpart. We ran an article on that yesterday and you can check it out by following the link.