The Next Generation of Consoles: PS3, Xbox 360, Wii

Johnny · Post by **Johnny** » 6/30/2007, 12:43 pm

Yeah, I paid for it! :O

800 effin' points too!

tis worth it thoug because the new maps are awesome. Some of them are huuuuuge!

Neil · Post by **Neil** » 6/30/2007, 12:48 pm

Crap Bag wrote:Yeah, I paid for it! :O

800 effin' points too!

tis worth it thoug because the new maps are awesome. Some of them are huuuuuge!

Well....you should be getting your points back within 8-10 weeks. haha

Johnny · Post by **Johnny** » 6/30/2007, 12:52 pm

Whoop-dee-doo

ihatethunderbay · Post by **ihatethunderbay** » 7/2/2007, 7:42 pm

Have any of you guys heard of this game? It's being developed by Naughty Dog and it looks freakin' amazing. If the screens don't convince you, watch the trailer.

OVERVIEW
Developed by the studio that brought blockbuster hit franchises Crash Bandicoot™ and Jak & Daxter® to PlayStation fans, Naughty Dog Inc.’s, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is the first game in a new fast-paced action-adventure franchise developed exclusively for the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system.

Taking full advantage of the power of PS3, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is developed using proprietary technology that promises to impress players with incredibly realistic characters and lifelike environments. Building on its legacy of extraordinary storytelling, Naughty Dog has created an elaborate plot that will have players guessing at every turn.

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, brings players into a world ripe with realism and unexpected juxtapositions. A fallible hero akin to those depicted in pulp-adventure genre films, Nathan Drake brings a humanity and believability never seen before in video gaming, enabled entirely through PS3 technology advancements.

STORYLINE
A 400-year-old clue in the coffin of Sir Francis Drake sets a modern-day fortune hunter on an exploration for the fabled treasure of El Dorado, leading to the discovery of a forgotten island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

The search turns deadly when Nathan Drake becomes stranded on the island and hunted by mercenaries. Outnumbered and outgunned, Drake and his companions must fight to survive as they begin to unravel the terrible secrets hidden on the Island.

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http://www.tsurugi.co.uk/misc/ps3/drake ... eens/1.jpg
http://www.tsurugi.co.uk/misc/ps3/drake ... eens/2.jpg
http://www.tsurugi.co.uk/misc/ps3/drake ... eens/3.jpg
http://www.tsurugi.co.uk/misc/ps3/drake ... eens/4.jpg
http://www.tsurugi.co.uk/misc/ps3/drake ... eens/5.jpg

http://i11.tinypic.com/6aq3cpy.jpg
http://i16.tinypic.com/6cfyyjt.jpg
http://i19.tinypic.com/4vijgg9.jpg

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Game Informer:

The Naughty Dog folks are known as some of the most savvy programmers and technicians in the industry - and this hit home with Game Informer after they spent some time with Uncharted.

As already reported, Naughty Dog are sporting a complex animation system that governs movement and combat, and Drake will have around 3000 animations (200 for Jak on the ps2) to play with in when the game releases. One example of this is that every time Drake takes cover after shooting an enemy, minor variations will occur in his posture, hand p!osition and expression, all adding to the realism of his character.

Naughty Dog are aiming for the illusion that you never see Drake do the same thing twice and this can be achieved by a very unique feature of their engine: of the hundreds of animations, many of them can be layered on top of one another. These moment to moment combinations are possible by farming them out to the PS3's SPUs, allowing Drake to display any number of poses, emotions, and movements all at once.

For instance, picture Drake sprinting across a wide-open area to reach cover. His running is combined with frantic dunking and dodging as bullets begin to fly from a near cliff face, He's been running for a long-time so his frame is visibly shaking from hard breathing. Simultaneously he's frantically reloading his rifle so he can fire back. To top this off, his face wears a combined expression of fear and determination.

On top of the characters' clothing and faces, Naughty Dog have overlaid a wrinkle map that might best be described as a reactionary texture to the shifts in the normal map that lies beneath it. In essence, as the joints in the face or body move into new p!ositions, the wrinkle map responds to create startling realism in both flesh and cloth.

To avoid the uncanny valley, the game artists have made the decision to make the game just out of photorealism, but enough in to be emotion laden for that cinematic feel.

All character models and environments are modeled from scratch and not from scanning, to allow for complete artistic freedom in their creation. An array of complex shaders dictate the way light interacts with objects, including some amazing sub-surface lighting, such as the diffused light of a torch behind the skin of a hand, or sunshine shining both through and around a thin leaf on a tree.

With the power of the PS3, the team can create moveable joints on objects like tree-branches, so that wind shakes them individually, casting shadows on the ground.

Furthermore, with the aid of HDR lighting, your character's eye must adjust to drastic shifts in brightness. This means that if you make Drake stare at the sun for several seconds and then turn down and look into a cave, your ability as a player to see clearly will emulate his iris' dilation into the darker environment.

All these tricks combined, create a world that appears almost soft to the touch - from the hair and clothes of Drake, to the refracted appearance of the ground beneath a spinning pool of water.

Lando · Post by **Lando** » 7/2/2007, 11:38 pm

I read about this game a while ago. It could turn out to be good. I guess we'll see.

Johnny · Post by **Johnny** » 7/2/2007, 11:50 pm

Yeah, i read an article aboot it in psm. Seems cool.

Neil · Post by **Neil** » 7/3/2007, 8:12 am

Yeah I read about it a while ago, too....the article I read said its "the new tomb raider; with balls" :lol:

Its about time PS3 got a new exclusive. Seems that they can't hold on to any others.

ihatethunderbay · Post by **ihatethunderbay** » 7/3/2007, 9:23 am

Also:

Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios to Work on a Groundbreaking New Title for PLAYSTATION®3

Collaboration with developer Quantic Dream to redefine cinematic realtime entertainment

LONDON, July 3 2007 – Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS) is pleased to announce that it will be collaborating with developer Quantic Dream on an exclusive PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) title – more details of which are to be announced soon. Quantic Dream has an outstanding track record in delivering interactive, cinematic games with true emotional depth. Combined with the power of Cell Broadband Engine™ and game development technology of PS3, the project is expected to set a new benchmark in delivering emotionally compelling experiences to gamers.

Founded in 1997 by David Cage, French developer Quantic Dream has achieved international renown for its ground-breaking innovation within the games industry, particularly in the areas of interactive narration and emotional content. The studio’s record speaks for itself: in particular Quantic Dream was responsible for 2005’s award winning Fahrenheit (known as Indigo Prophecy in the US and Canada), a paranormal, interactive blend of film and gaming that was widely praised for re-imagining the adventure game genre.

Michael Denny, Vice President, SCE Worldwide Studios, said: “We’re really excited to be working with Quantic Dream for the first time and to have this opportunity to once again push the gaming experience to realise a new level of interactivity and, in particular, to engage players at an emotional level never experienced before. We’re looking forward to revealing more news on this special title later this year.”

David Cage, Founder, President and CEO of Quantic Dream, said, “We always believed that “next generation” meant more meaningful content based on players’ emotional involvement. To us, PS3 is the only platform that can truly deliver on this promise, and SCE WWS is a group that is both inspiring and pleasant to work with.”

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Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy was pretty awesome (except for like... the last third of the story) so I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do. Have any of you seen the 'Heavy Rain' tech demo? I think that might be what this game is.

Neil · Post by **Neil** » 7/3/2007, 9:27 am

I've seen the Heavy Rain demo, and yes....I was thinking this is the same while reading it. Heavy Rain looks great, but we'll have to see how it plays out.

Indigo Prophecy is one of my favorite games. Its the only Xbox title I kept for backwards compatibility.

ihatethunderbay · Post by **ihatethunderbay** » 7/3/2007, 8:43 pm

Lair hands-on preview: http://www.computerandvideogames.com/ar ... ?id=166825

ihatethunderbay · Post by **ihatethunderbay** » 7/3/2007, 11:51 pm

ROCK BAND! ROCK BAND! ROCK BAND!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9b-8LYLGq8

ROCK BAND DEVELOPMENTAL FOOTAGE JESUS CHRIST THIS LOOKS AMAZING AAAAAAAAAAAGH!

Neil · Post by **Neil** » 7/5/2007, 7:42 pm

Microsoft has now extended warrenties to 3 years instead of one year.

They know there is an issue.....

Lando · Post by **Lando** » 7/6/2007, 12:21 am

Minnesota wrote:Microsoft has now extended warrenties to 3 years instead of one year.

They know there is an issue.....

Can you show me proof of this? because I just had my 360 exchanged and my warranty expired on like the 20th of June.

Lando · Post by **Lando** » 7/6/2007, 12:23 am

Never mind. Here it is! Thanks Neil.

http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/10280.cfm

Also, do you have your msn messenger email attached to your xbox gamer profile? Because I have you on xbox, but I have never added you to Messenger.

Neil · Post by **Neil** » 7/6/2007, 8:51 am

Lando wrote:Can you show me proof of this? because I just had my 360 exchanged and my warranty expired on like the 20th of June.

Peter Moore's "open letter" that was posted on xbox.com, yesterday.

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/petermooreletter.htm

Landon; if you paid anything for your repair....you will be reimbursed. Peter explains everything in here.

Neil · Post by **Neil** » 7/6/2007, 8:52 am

Lando wrote:Also, do you have your msn messenger email attached to your xbox gamer profile? Because I have you on xbox, but I have never added you to Messenger.

I don't. Actually, I need to remember which 'effin email address I used for my messenger. haha. I'll have to get back to you on that one.

Neil · Post by **Neil** » 7/6/2007, 8:54 am

A couple things, first.....Fox News reported last night that its estimated that over 2.5 MILLION 360's have been reported for repairs. The New York Times estimates that anywhere between 30-50% of the sold consoles are effected; or expected to be effected by this extension.

Oh....and this morning I went to a yard sale; picked up a fully working PS-ONE for 10 bucks, and a fully working Gameboy Advance (Glacier color) for 5 bucks. haha!

I got my sights on a Sega Saturn, and a Dreamcast, now. I wish I would've kept my 'effin Dreamcast when I had it.

ihatethunderbay · Post by **ihatethunderbay** » 7/6/2007, 11:42 am

Was it an original PS1 or the redesigned PSone?

I still have my original PS1 w/modchip. I love that li'l guy. Oh, the nostalgia...

Lando · Post by **Lando** » 7/6/2007, 3:16 pm

Minnesota wrote:
Lando wrote:Can you show me proof of this? because I just had my 360 exchanged and my warranty expired on like the 20th of June.

Peter Moore's "open letter" that was posted on xbox.com, yesterday.

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/petermooreletter.htm

Landon; if you paid anything for your repair....you will be reimbursed. Peter explains everything in here.

Nah I didn't have to pay, luckily I had a week left on my one year warranty. Then they said that since it broke, they're extending my warranty for 3 months, but it looks like It's actually two more years

Soozy · Post by **Soozy** » 7/6/2007, 3:26 pm

I own a PS3 :O It's sitting in a box in my spare room with some games. I really should put it on ebay soon.