This is some way to announce a new downloadable game for the PS3. The man behind God of War is so sorry he could not make it to TGS 2006 because, well, uh, you see, He's in jail! (He "blames" Capcom for realizing that he stole all their ideas for God of War). Well, what better way to demonstrate SCE-Santa Monica's Criminal Crackdown, a Cops-&-Robbers party game that will be available for download to PS3 consoles?

Which kinda explains why this video was released by GameTrailers just recently, three weeks after TGS. They must have had to smuggle it out through the laundry or something.

Well, let's present another bonus from GameTrailers as well: gameplay video! It's a quirky reversal of the cop chases from Need For Speed, complete with requisite giant cartoon hammers, missiles, giant magnets, Wile E. Coyote, Tom, and Mr. Jinx - okay, we're kidding about Wile, Tom, and Mr. Jinx. The game gives that kind of cartoonish and comedic feel - I mean, have you ever been busted in GTA or NFS by a giant magnet tugging at your car? Didn't think so. Just make sure them magnets aren't manufactured by Acme.

Announcement from behind bars


Getting those crooks behind bars

Here we have another of Epic Games' Unreal Tournament 2007 gameplay clips, courtesy of GameVideos. Like the rest, this almost-half-a-minute long vid stream shows off the game's new raw-and-dirty-look environments, as well as a Paladin Tank (you know it's a Paladin because it's got eight wheels and an energy shield), a turret, and lots of running.

Then there's the soundtrack. Hmm... I was half-expecting either something orchestral-epic or something heavy metal for a game with this much kaboom! in the background. But the moody BGM's not half-bad either.

But we're not going to stop there. We don't know how this one slipped past us - this one's actually more than a couple of weeks old, yet we haven't seen this yet! - but there's this Gamasutra TGS 2006 interview where Epic CEO Tim Sweeny mentioned that they're planning for PS3 users to be able to mod their own game content for Unreal, just like PC users and modders. Sweeny says that the mod community is "an essential part of [Epic's] success", and further, "We would love to transfer this mod community over to the console platforms."

You'll still need a PC to create the content in the first place, Sweeny mentions, but he believes that everything will be in place so that these content can be uploaded to the PS3 and distributed online. The CEO rather praised Sony's "open" and "enlightened" online business model that would allow this sort of user-created content to be used on the PS3.

Sorry if this bit is more than a couple weeks old for that kind of news. Heck, we're surprised that we didn't have much stuff for Unreal during TGS (just one look at our coverage says it all). But there you have it.

Apparently, Sony-North America's pushing the "invasion" theme for their PS3 ads even further. Although the adjective used here should be more benign, like ET benign, like "visit."

Kotaku caught this video playing online and in cinemas nationwide. They've dubbed it "The Wait" because, well, it was the best way to dub it. In fact, when you first see the clip, you'll have no clue at all this is even PS3-related. To quote Kotaku: no game footage, no PS3 sightings, and the only clue you'll have that this is a PS3 ad - a distinctive "3" shadow for those who want to look for it - is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it affair.

But you know what? The Kotaku staff member who uploaded the vid loved it. We'll agree it's simple and subdued - I'd even go out on a limb to say that it seems anticlimactic, especially after the PS3's more explosive TGS 2006 rollout. "11.17.06," the ad ends (in the PS3/Spiderman font). Just one more month, and those kids will be able to take ET home. Well, kids from around 400,000 households in North America, anyway.

Yeah. We think the commercial's nice, too.

At the third annual DigitalLife held at J. Javits Center, New York, Sony had the spotlight all for themselves after snagging the Best in Show award. It seems that Sony is really trying their best to take back its luster after the news of PS3's delay in PAL territories was announced, leaving not a few fans disappointed.

Aside from the said award, the company also bagged a merit in Gaming Software category (for Final Fantasy XII, Square Enix's RPG for the PS2 console). Although Square Enix has already confirmed a Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings being developed for the Nintendo DS console (a trailer has already been previewed at the TGS 2006 and the game's official website is already up), this is definitely another feather for Sony's cap. Not to mention that they also took home the Best in Booth badge.

The complete list of winners await after the jump!

It's been a month since the conclusion of this year's Tokyo Game Show and Famitsu magazine's released the survey results they took on-site during the celebrations. The survey had around 4,000 attendees, with 2,500 to 3,000 answering all the survey questions. The survey covered some of the more pressing issue of the TGS, such as which console they felt were gonna choose as the next-gen console. Here were the results:

• PS3 - 58.3%
• Wii - 33.8%
• Xbox 360 - 7.9%

These aren't official statements, mind you, just the added up opinions of the dudes over at Japan, courtesy of Famitsu.

Other survey questions involved the next-gen consoles' pricing, two PS3 models, Wiimote, purchasing plans, and the most expected titles.

See the survey results after the jump!

(Please note that the following is a dramatization of the story, and is not meant to be taken as the actual event/s that occurred.)

Dear Ted Price of Insomniac Games,

A Lot of People have a lot of questions being posted up in the IGN forums and in the IGN dev blog about Resistance: Fall of Man. Could you spare some time to answer them?

Signed, A Lot of People.

Dear A Lot of People,

Ted Price has been quite busy with TGS 2006, so he's sorry if he's been kinda out of the loop. But he's here to answer all those questions via the IGN dev blog. Ted is very pleased with the quality of the questions he's received, a few of which even surprised him, and he hopes his answers were informative and clear to all concerned.

Signed, Ted Price of Insomniac Games.

Dear QJ readers:

Since there were A LOT of people who submitted questions to Ted, there's A LOT of stuff to talk about here - too much, in fact, for the average blog post. So what we'll do is post up these short, summarized tidbits we've extracted from the IGN blog post. If you wish to know more, there's always the Read link below. Based on Ted's answers, Resistance is shaping up to be a potent title on its launch day.

Signed, QJ.

• If the aiming seemed jerky in gameplay video previews, it's because the team had to strike a balance between smooth camera controls and quick response, and as is with most FPS titles, quick response was where the balance fell towards. In any case, controller sensitivity can be adjusted in the options.

• Insomniac's got no plans for a re-release, even with more content. Our plan from the start was to create a story that unfolded over multiple chapters... Also, (someone) point(ed) out that many launch titles have limited replayability because of shortened development cycles. But we didn't skimp on this one - we never have with any of our games."

• There are three playable vehicles in the game, Ted describes two: a British jeep-type vehicle and a Chimeran heavy weapons platform. No, the dropship is not playable, sorry!

• Insomniac is an independent developer. They do have a smooth working relationship with Sony, but no, there are no plans for Sony to acquire them. Yes, Insomniac can make games for other platforms, too. There are just no plans for doing so.

• Speaking of which, regarding Insomniac's opinion that Resistance can only work on the PS3 and nowhere else: "Sure we could have done Resistance on the Xbox360 or Wii or even PS2 but it would be a different game. How different? We'll never know." And no, Ted will not get sucked into any console debate. He and the rest of Insomniac are all about fun games.

• And speaking of fun games, they're busy working on Ratchet & Clank for the PS3 as well.

Nero, Dante, Dante, Nero. Which will it be? Is this going to be a Snake-Raiden redux? There were some rumors that Dante may be available on the early part but eventually, you'll end up with Nero on most of the game. Does it matter? As long as the character looks and acts cool, slashes and shoots down a couple of enemies, most players are happy. But is it enough? GameDaily gives some preview on the game and why Devil May Cry 4 will be way better than most thought.

The writer bases most of his preview on the TGS 2006 presentation, (which we have) where the main hero, Nero, makes more room in the underworld by taking out some demons; slicing them with his sword, unloading some ammunition via-his pistols and punching them to oblivion with his demon fist. He continues by saying that all of the main protagonist's offensive moves can be attached together to form combos. Like a diving competition, he'll be graded on how well he combines gunning, smashing, and cutting up demons. Looks like Nero could be more of a match than ol' Dante.

They went on to say that the graphics looks strong enough to stand on its own (as we reported on a few days ago), but since it's still in heavy development, he's expecting better once this comes out 2007. While we all wait, practice some with the previous Devil May Cry as you may need all the moves mastered to finish this game with flying colors.

Maybe the price cut did work. In a recent poll by Japanese tech site ITmedia, 40% of respondents said they plan to buy the Wii by the end of the year. But the PS3 became the comeback kid of the block, with a close 39% of respondents saying they are thinking about getting one before the New Year. The Next Generation article we've sourced this from correlates this spike in PS3 interest with the 20GB price drop announced in TGS 2006.

Older polls by Gamaga and Famitsu indicated that the Wii held the most - or the greatest? - interest among Japanese consumers, around 65-70% or thereabouts in both cases, with the PS3 and the Xbox 360 far behind. Maybe the interest spike was because of the price drop. We also think it could also be all those playable PS3s in TGS 2006.

We guess the true test will be the sales figures by New Year's. Hey, the holiday's a-comin', as are the Wii and PS3's launch dates, and so are everyone's Christmas shopping lists. Ho-ho-ho!

Citizen high, citizen low. While that story about the PS3 purportedly overheating at TGS 2006 continues to rumble both through the press and through the stock market, an old, familiar name is "upbeat" about Sony being able to meet their target of two million PS3 units shipped by the end of December. That, even with the launch cut.

P.J. McNealy of American Technology Research (you know he's a familiar name because we got him tagged) says that, based on his research, he believes that production of the console is now at full steam: "It is our opinion that given the 13 weeks or so of production time, SNE can still come close to its forecast of 2 million units worldwide by the end of December."

He's done game industry-related research before, and, well, he's got mixed results. For example, he did blow the call he made to CNN Money that Sony would cut PSP prices. On the other hand, he did note back in early July that Sony would have a bit of a problem manufacturing the PS3.

Well, economics can be a *female dog* - take it from one who has studied it as a profession - but let's hope that McNealy's right on this one, and that he did his homework well on this.

SEGA's game line up during the Tokyo Game Show, which included games for Next-gen consoles Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic and the Secret Rings, Virtua Tennis 3 and Virtua Fighter 5, received mixed reviews from gamers.

Some say that Senior Production Manager for SEGA Erica Mason, is dishing out the generic PR about SEGA being on the cutting edge of technology and their dedication to be one of the best multi-platform developers, which dampened their mood.

However, just keep in mind that the games are more important than all the PR stuff. To fully enjoy the games, maybe it's good to get some background on them first. Get to know more about Virtua Fighter 5's two new character's El Blaze and Eileen, to give your kicks and punches much more ooomph.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz for the Wii just went more bananas, with the addition of two new characters, YanYan and the Doctor. And would they miss any updates on their posterboy Sonic, being his 15th Anniversary and all? Sonic and the Secret Rings for the Wii and Sonic the Hedgehog, (which now has a demo at the Marketplace) received the bulk of the media hype.

If you've already gotten your hands on the demo, don't hesitate to share your thoughts on the comment section, as well as the other games featured in the SEGA booth.

Download: [SEGA at TGS round up video]