LittleBigPlanet SackBoy Costumes

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SCEA Prepping LBP Merchandise 8/7/08

LittleBigPlanet impressed everyone at E3, and it's rapidly shaping up to be one of the biggest releases of the year. Better yet, Sony is definitely going to churn out the uber-cute extras and collectibles for all those potential fans out there. If you check out the official PlayStation blog, SCEA Marketing Manager Mark Valledor fills us in on a lot of the great stuff that awaits us this fall.

Check it out; ain't it all just so darn adorable? In addition to the MiniGuide by Brady Games ("a primer" for the game's create/customize tools), SCEA is preparing a LittleBigStickerBook, a LittleBigPouch (perfect for safe transportation of your copy), and two very cool Sack dolls in the form of God of War's Kratos and Heavenly Sword's Nariko. Chances are, this is one title that's going to generate hordes of adoring fans, so to have the added merchandise makes perfect sense. And if you still have a machismo complex and can't wrap your head around these dolls, don't call them "dolls." Just think of 'em as small, stuffed action figures. Yeah, that oughta work.

Depending on the retailer and the region, there may be different pre-order campaigns for LittleBigPlanet, which means you may receive any of the preceding collectibles with your pre-purchase. Check with your local retailer a little ways down the road to see what's what.

Source: PSXextreme                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

PS3 FFXIII demo in March, Parasite Eve, Agito PSP-bound 8/3/08

TOKYO--Unlike the past two summers, Square Enix isn't holding a general-admission event. Instead, the company invited select fans to a private party held today cryptically called "DK Sigma 3713." At the ongoing event, attendees played the latest demos and saw the newest trailers from Square Enix--which also used the proceedings to make some newsworthy announcements.

First, the Shinjuku-based publisher re-confirmed that Final Fantasy XIII is planned for worldwide release in sometime in 2009. It also announced that next March in Japan, a playable demo disc for the PlayStation 3 FFXIII will be bundled with the Blu-ray edition of the computer-animated film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. The demo disc will also include new high-quality trailers of Final Fantasy Versus XIII, which remains a PlayStation 3 exclusive, and Final Fantasy Agito XIII, a mobile game which is also now coming to the PlayStation Portable.

Square Enix also announced some new steps in its multiplatform strategy, which was highlighted last month by the E3 announcement that Final Fantasy XIII was coming to the Xbox 360. Parasite Eve: The Third Birthday and the aforementioned Final Fantasy Agito XIII, both originally announced for mobile phones, are now officially making their way to the PSP. The Third Birthday is the Parasite Eve series' latest installment, and is set to ship sometime in 2009. However, there is currently no release date for Final Fantasy XIII Agito.

Square Enix also re-confirmed its all-star game Dissidia: Final Fantasy is set for release this December in Japan on the PSP.

Source: Gamespot                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Left 4 Dead Port Confirmed For PS3 8/3/08

Unless you're a raving optimist when it comes to future game potential - like us! - you may want to either cry or laugh at the following bit of news.

In the realm of the survival/horror genre, most fans are anxiously anticipating Resident Evil 5. For now, the only other decent possibility is the downloadable title, SIREN: Blood Curse, as Eden and Atari's Alone in the Dark was mostly a dud. But RE5 won't arrive until 2009, and the only other really promising survival/horror game - Left 4 Dead - was a Xbox 360 and PC exclusive...until today. If you check out this leaked pic from this month's Official PlayStation Magazine, you can see that PS3 owners will also get the game. But there are several facts that may make you cringe: 1. it's another silly port, 2. it's a Valve game, and 3. EA is going to be handling much of the duties "in-house," which is what they did with The Orange Box. The PS3 version of that game didn't turn out so hot, especially in regards to the online component.

Left 4 Dead for the 360 and PC has a November 4, 2008 release, but we don't know when the PS3 version will hit store shelves. Of course, if they muck it up again, you probably don't really care. But hey, EA has said, very clearly, that they've "caught up" in terms of PS3 development, and just because Valve are a bunch of elitist PCers living in the past doesn't mean they can't make a great survival/horror game.

Source: PSXextreme                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Force Unleashed Demo Set For August 7/29/08

A few avid "Star Wars" fans have been concerned regarding the current position and future of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. The recent round of layoffs at LucasArts prompted widespread uneasiness for the highly anticipated game, and there were several rumors that said the game may be postponed or even canceled indefinitely.

But LucasArts turned a deaf ear to the rumors and continued to motor along, and now they're ready to release a playable demo to the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace some time next month. As GameCenterOnline shows in this video featuring Marketing Manager Matt Shell, the demo will become a reality within the next few weeks. We will play through the Tie Fighter Construction Facility level, enjoying our special powers as we sample what should be some finely polished action. Something about a "special ending" not seen in the full game was mentioned as well, although we admit to being a bit confused...we're going to see an ending in the demo? And it's an "ending" that won't be seen in the final product? Hmm...

Anyway, we'll let you know when they nail down an exact release for the demo; we're sure many of you will be eagerly awaiting its arrival. "Star Wars" can never die!

Source:PSXextreme