Joystiq [Playstation]

Lego Harry Potter trailer previews cast of 'Spellbinding' characters

We admit it: This latest trailer for Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 resonates with us in a big, big way. How could we not be on board with a video that shows how nearly every character from the first four books has been transmogrified into Lego form? That's like a sure-fire recipe for nerd ambrosia.

So, Lego Harry's good at flying on brooms, Lego Hermione is good at puzzle-solving and Lego Ron is good at ... being a good friend? We guess?

FIFA Soccer 11 hits the pitch this fall -- with 'Personality'

by David Hinkle { 1 hour ago }

With the 2010 FIFA World Cup (the video game) now a thing of the past, EA has announced the next iteration in its long-standing soccer series: FIFA Soccer 11. The next FIFA will introduce "Personality+," a feature designed to highlight individual abilities and create a unique identity for each player in the game.

The feature relies on a deep database, which houses grades for each player across 36 attributes and 57 traits. Developer EA Canada will also employ new models and body types, as well as a new passing system, dubbed "Pro Passing."

FIFA 11 will ship this fall for the PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP, PS2, Gizmondo, Virtual Boy, ColecoVision and mobile platforms ... Did we miss any?

Gallery: FIFA Soccer 11

Bad Company 2's Onslaught mode deploys June 22 for $10

by David Hinkle { 3 hours ago }

DICE has finally dated its upcoming co-op-friendly Onslaught mode in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 on Xbox 360 and PS3: June 22. It'll be available that Tuesday for $10 on PSN and 800

on Xbox Live -- European PS3 owners will have to wait an extra day, until June 23. Oh, and if you're a PC user, scratching your head and wondering why you aren't getting the DLC, you should probably read this.

Onslaught mode allows up to four players to engage in objective-based missions cooperatively. If you'd like to know more, check out our hands-on from last month.

[Thanks, Brian]

EA's 'Spare Parts' to be assembled on XBLA, PSN

by JC Fletcher { 4 hours ago }

EA's Bright Light is working on the next Harry Potter game, but the studio evidently has got something else in the pipeline as well: Spare Parts. It's a downloadable title for XBLA and PSN about robots working together to rebuild their spaceship, according to EA's E3 lineup announcement.

In this cooperative "online action adventure," robots Mar-T and Chip collect "upgradable action parts" to enhance their abilities, according to the official description, so they can survive long enough to find the necessary parts to repair their ship before Lord Krung and his Super Huge Mega Laser destroy them. Along the way, they hope to rescue other robots.

Spare Parts kind of sounds like a robotic Metroidvania crossed with Toe Jam & Earl, based on EA's description. We'll learn more during E3!

Trine 2 revealed as part of Atlus E3 lineup

by Griffin McElroy { 6 hours ago }

Atlus today distributed a list of titles it will showcase at the (extremely impending) Electronic Entertainment Expo next week. One of the names mentioned on the decidedly vague list of games is Trine 2, the follow-up to Frozenbyte's 2009 PC and PSN action-platformer -- and to think some folks assumed Atlus was just going to announce an XBLA version of the original game. How silly!

Also included in the publisher's E3 lineup is another unannounced title: Rock of Ages, which is being developed by Zeno Clash creator Ace Team. Additionally, localized versions of Etrian Odyssey 3: The Drowned City and the PSP port of Knights in the Nightmare will be at the show.

MotorStorm: Apocalypse announced, racing to E3

by Andrew Yoon { 6 hours ago }

Sony's pre-E3 reveals continue with confirmation of MotorStorm: Apocalypse (a.k.a. "MotorStorm 3"). Confirming previously leaked details, Apocalypse takes the franchise to a new urban setting, with a focus on destruction -- not unlike the recently released Split/Second. Players will be (foolishly!) racing through a city in the middle of an earthquake, driving through collapsing buildings.

"This isn't post-apocalyptic. It's apocalyptic. You are there when it happens. It's survival racing," the PlayStation.Blog adds. In addition to the new setting, developer Evolution Studios is promising a greater emphasis on online and split-screen multiplayer, offering split-screen team racing in online, 16-player matches.

MotorStorm 3 will be playable at E3 next week. Expect our full hands-on report then.

Gallery: MotorStorm Apocalypse

Five free comics added to PSP Digital Comics

by Andrew Yoon { 6 hours ago }

The PSP Digital Comics store is still going strong with its weekly updates. However, it's been a while since the store has been updated with free comics to try. Starting today, you'll be able to download these five issues for zero dollars:

GI Joe Cobra #1
Star Trek Mirror Images #1
Astro Boy Prequel #1
The Ghoul #1
Dreamland Chronicles #1

To access the Digital Comics store, you'll need to connect to the PlayStation Store on your PSP and hit the Comics tab on top. Then, find the "Free Comics" tab to download one or all of the 22 free comics currently available.

Fallout: New Vegas gets retailer-specific pre-order items

by David Hinkle { 6 hours ago }

Click image for a rundown of the pre-order bonuses

Anxious to wade through the wastelands of Fallout: New Vegas this fall? It's already got a plethora of pre-order bonuses available through select retailers. Walmart, Best Buy, GameStop, Amazon and Steam are all vying for your pre-purchase dollars through custom in-game bundles, featuring armor, guns and some useful items.

Head past the break for a description of each and check out the gallery below for shots of the bonuses in-game. Enjoy your additional decision-making process!

Gallery: Fallout: New Vegas (pre-order bonuses)

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E3 2010 Bingo: Sony

by Xav de Matos { 7 hours ago }


No PSP2 To Be Seen	PS2 Retired	Premium PSN Unveiled	Bungie Name Drop	More Hardcore Move Support
PS2 Software on PSN	Day-and-Date on Demand	Last Guardian Detailed	MMO Push	Uncharted 3 Teased
LBP2 Detail Flood	Move Gets A Real Date	Have A Free One On Us!	Sony Discusses 3D Future	Cross-Game Complexity
Sly Cooper 4 Hinted At	Kevin Butler Appears	A Mass of HD Collections	Jaffe Reveals New Title	PSP on PS3 Demos
GT5 Locked Down	Brotherhood Beta Exclusive	Ready At Dawn Reveal	Killzone 3 Demonstrated	Another Agent Tease

We're days away from the industry's biggest event, making today the perfect time to launch Joystiq's (3rd Annual) E3 Bingo Extravaganza! This year, each card is developed to consider the entire event and not only the conferences.

Originally, our plan was to utilize a series of super-computers specially designed to accurately predict the events of E3 2010; however, the "Joystiq Probability Index" (or JPI-3000) only delivered results as a string of "dingbat" characters. Development of an ultra-computer (JPI-4d3d3d3) to decipher the codes is expected to be complete in the year 2014. Stay Tuned.

For day two in our three-part series, we take a look at Sony's E3 2010 offerings. Click on each of the squares above for more information (and the completely accurate but indecipherable rating). Sony's E3 press conference is scheduled for Tuesday, June 15, at 12:00 pm PT (that's 3:00 pm Joystiq Time / ET). As always, Joystiq will be on hand to liveblog all the details.

Download a copy (PNG file) and play along (Remember, it's just for fun)! Check out yesterday's Microsoft E3 2010 Bingo Card and stay tuned tomorrow for our Nintendo E3 Bingo card.

Dreamcast Returns on PSN and XBLA this year

by JC Fletcher { 7 hours ago }

"I want to go to the baseball stadium, and then the image gallery"As hinted by the ESRB -- and predicted on our Xbox E3 Bingo card, Sonic Adventure and Crazy Taxi, two of Sega's standout games for its dearly departed Dreamcast, will be released on PS3 and Xbox 360. But they're just the first Dreamcast titles.

Sega announced that those two games will be available this fall in North America and Europe, calling them the "first two classics" to be released as part of Sega's plan to republish Dreamcast games on PSN and XBLA. The games will include improved resolution, surround sound, and modern amenities like online leaderboards, Achievements, and Trophies.

We're going to spend the rest of the day fantasizing about the release of our favorite Dreamcast games. For example, all of them.

Gallery: Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast Returns)

Gallery: Crazy Taxi (Dreamcast Returns)

Eagle-Eye peripheral adds keyboard support to PS3 FPS games

by Andrew Yoon { 8 hours ago }

Most games don't take advantage of the PS3's native ability to support a USB keyboard and mouse, much to the chagrin of those who veer away from the console's regular controller. However, Penguin United wants to capitalize on this shortcoming with its upcoming Eagle-Eye peripheral. Debuting at E3 next week, the Converter offers a key-mapping feature that lets you re-map all the buttons of a PS3 controller to a standard keyboard. According to the company, the Eagle-Eye will offer "1 to 1 translation from a PS3 controller to the mouse."

Set to retail for $59.99, the Eagle-Eye is "compatible with all PS3 console versions" and will be "future proof with firmware updates." It's certainly an interesting claim and one we'll definitely get our hands on next week during E3. Until then, these demonstration videos (after the break) will have to sate your curiosity.

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'Moon Diver' now called Necromachina, added to Square Enix E3 lineup

by Griffin McElroy { 9 hours ago }

We don't think Square Enix appreciates the genuine toil that goes into producing a high-quality photoshop. That one we made yesterday, of the guy diving into the moon? It will never be relevant for anything ever again. The publisher recently announced that the Feelplus-developed, side-scrolling action title formerly known as Moon Diver will come to the U.S. PSN and XBLA under the moniker Necromachina. (How are we supposed to make a photoshop out of that? It is virtually impossible.)

Accompanying the announcement was a fast-paced gameplay trailer, which is posted after the jump. It looks awfully slick, with sharp 2.5D visuals and old-school action-platforming -- but even from this very first trailer, we can already tell it's going to be punishingly difficult. We'll get a chance to test that hypothesis when we get our hands on the game at E3.

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WB's new 'Mortal Kombat' tests our might in 2011

by JC Fletcher { 9 hours ago }

Warner Bros. announced a new Mortal Kombat game this morning, and Seven of Nine is nowhere to be found. The game, called simply Mortal Kombat, appears to be a return to the classic Mortal Kombat 2/3 style of gameplay -- extremely quick, 2D fighting -- which has been given a fresh coat of 3D paint and a very noticeable 60 frames-per-second framerate. It also features a man being sliced open at the groin with a spinning hat.

It adds a new tag team mode for up to four players, allowing teams to play through a "co-op arcade mode" or compete online against other pairs of e-murderers.

The game is being developed by Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon and NetherRealm Studios (the former WB Games Chicago) and is slated for launch on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2011.

Rock Band 3 keyboard revealed by USA Today

by Justin McElroy { 10 hours ago }

Details have been pretty scant on Rock Band 3 so far, despite the best efforts of some. That all changes today as USA Today dishes on the game's 25-key piano peripheral, some of the new features and even a partial song list, which we've got after the jump (Smash Mouth, guys? Ballsy.) along with some on-video ivory tickling.

USA Today also fleshed out the "Pro" mode Ars Technica had the scoop on last month. As expected, the mode will endeavor to teach actual musical technique, either with the new keyboard, a three-cymbal upgrade for the drum kit or a hybrid controller/"full-sized, fully functional six-string Squier Stratocaster" made by Fender. Mad Catz is making a miniature Fender Mustang Pro controller for the mode too, but we're not going to miss the chance to play on instruments that don't make us look like sweaty giants.

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CESA: 5.2 million illegal downloads of Dissidia: Final Fantasy in Japan

by Mike Schramm { 15 hours ago }

Siliconera has some more insight on those Consumer Entertainment Software Association piracy figures, and while the "money lost" totals are still a little inflated (it's very hard to agree with the sentiment that all pirated software would otherwise have been purchased legitimately at full price if not for piracy), the actual downloads are pretty surprising. Dissidia: Final Fantasy is the big winner (loser?), with over 5.2 million illegal downloads onto Japanese PSPs.

Phantasy Star Portable 2 and Dynasty Warriors Strikeforce were also heavily pirated, with 4.6 and 2 million illegal copies downloaded, respectively. Fortunately, outside of a few major titles, downloads drop off pretty sharply -- by the end of the top 20 in sales, they're at a few thousand or 10 thousand downloads each, rather than millions. Piracy is definitely still an issue (and a growing one -- the first Phantasy Star Portable only saw just over half a million illegal downloads a few years ago), but in Japan it appears confined to a small group of extremely popular titles.

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Lego Harry Potter trailer previews cast of 'Spellbinding' characters