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June 17, 2009 12:07 PM PDT

Battle of the suspiciously similar superhero games: Infamous vs. Prototype

by Dan Ackerman
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Hollywood brains occasionally act in unintended tandem, producing simultaneous movies about, say, dangerous volcano eruptions, or killer meteors threatening to wipe out mankind. It's all completely unintentional, at least according to the lawyers, so we shouldn't be surprised to see the same seemingly cloned concepts come to game consoles.

Two of the most buzzed about current games are the PS3 exclusive Infamous--an open-city game with a superpowered anti-hero--and Prototype--also an open-city game with a superpowered anti-hero. How deeply do the similarities go? We've created a handy chart to sort it all out. ... Read more

The following products mentioned are available.

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On Sale Now: $25.00 - $49.99
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Originally posted at Digital City Podcast
May 28, 2009 1:27 PM PDT

Video game interview: Nate Fox, director of inFamous

by Jeff Bakalar
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The PlayStation 3 has already had the benefit of a triple-A title this calendar year as Killzone 2 certainly helped fill a gaping hole in the console's exclusive games library. With the release of inFamous, developer Sucker Punch hopes to extend the list of quality 2009 PS3 exclusives.

We sat down for a phone interview with Sucker Punch game director Nate Fox and chatted with him about the story in inFamous and how players' actions can dictate the narrative. While most superhero games offer somewhat of a linear experience, inFamous strays from the usual pack of games by offering an open-world "sandbox" experience.

Fox talks about why Sucker Punch chose the superhuman ability of shooting electricity for the main character, and how the developer was able to create the effect of feeling like a superhero in city torn by anarchy.

Make sure you listen all the way through as Fox sheds light on the future of Sucker Punch and whether we can expect to see a Sly Cooper game in the PS3's future.

Listen to the entire interview below

Download the interview

inFamous is out now exclusively for PlayStation 3. Make sure you listen to The 404 every day to find out how you can win a copy.

May 13, 2009 2:50 PM PDT

Six video game trailers you should be watching

by Jeff Bakalar
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Last week we gave gamers plenty of reasons to be excited about the month of May's anticipated releases. Now we're providing video sneak peeks at some of the latest in digital interactive entertainment.

We've got the latest trailer from The Conduit, a first-person-shooter built from the ground up exclusively for the Nintendo Wii. Also for the Wii is Let's Tap, a title that offers a brand-new way of interacting with games. You control Let's Tap by doing just that, tapping right in front of your Wii remote.

The unbelievably realistic graphics in Fight Night Round 4 will simply knock you off your feet. It's by far the best-looking boxing simulator we've ever seen. Speaking of graphics, the PlayStation 3 exclusive inFamous provides plenty of drool-worthy eye candy. In the game you play as Cole, a man with the superhuman power of creating lightning. Will you use your powers for good or for evil?

Finally, two franchises from the days of the NES are back. Punch-Out!! returns with Little Mac's quest to glory as he battles new and familiar foes. Bionic Commando brings back all of the robotic arm swinging fun you had 20 years ago, with updated graphics and brand-new storyline.

July 15, 2008 2:39 PM PDT

Sony E3 2008 press conference wrap-up

by Jeff Bakalar
  • 11 comments

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News)

Sony on Tuesday afternoon concluded the trio of press conferences kicking off E3 2008. Here are some of the highlights:

We first got a glimpse of the highly anticipated sequel Resistance 2, set to ship in the fall. The gameplay looked gorgeous and featured a battle with a 300-foot monster. Next up was some time with LittleBigPlanet, shipping in October 2008, a game that will allow users to design, create, and share their own custom levels over the PlayStation Network. MotorStorm: Pacific Drift and SOCOM Confrontation were also briefly shown.

Other PlayStation 3 games were just teased as we saw a short trailer for God of War III, but we got no real information on its release. We also got to see a glimpse of Infamous, scheduled to ship in spring 2009. It's a title where you play a superhero who must decide the fate of an entire city. Next was DC Universe Online, a massive online role-playing game that will have you roaming around and interacting with your favorite DC characters. We were also introduced to MAG (Massive Action Game), a title that boasts online battles involving up to a whopping 256 players.

Sony also announced a new 80GB PlayStation SKU that will go on sale in the fall for $400. The console will mirror all of the functionality in the current 40GB version and looks like it will also include a DualShock 3 controller.

PSP owners will be glad to see a handful of releases, including the newly announced Resistance Retribution, which will ship in spring 2009--an original adventure set in the Resistance universe. Other PSP titles shown off included Patapon 2, Loco Roco 2, Stardust Portable, and Buzz Master Quiz.

The PlayStation Network is also getting a lot of love. Available immediately is the video store that will let you rent and buy movies and TV shows. Sony has sealed up content support from major studios such as MGM, Warner Bros., Fox, Lionsgate, and Disney. Titles bought can be sent to your PSP for viewing on the go. Also, your PlayStation ID will now allow for universal logon including Web integration.

Also announced was a hefty list of exclusive PlayStation Network games. Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest For Booty will be a shorter adventure continuing the story from Tools of Destruction and available for just $15. Other titles include Crash Commando, Fat Princess, PixelJunk Eden, PAIN: Amusement Park, Flower, Siren Blood Curse, and Rag Doll Kung-Fu.

Sony gave us another look at PlayStation Home, which included game-themed environments. But it still did not disclose a release date for the service.

That does it for the opening press conferences. Keep checking Crave for up-to-the-minute updates from the show.

July 13, 2007 1:35 PM PDT

E3: 'Infamous' trailer

by Jeff Bakalar
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First impressions mean a lot in gaming (I'm looking at you, Killzone 2), and sometimes developers choose to leave the us in the dark. Such is the case with the PS3 exclusive, Infamous, which comes to us via SuckerPunch, the makers of the cel-shaded classic series, Sly Cooper. So far the only detail we have is that in it, you must decide whether you become a superhero or villain to the people of the city it takes place in. The trailer premiered during Sony's E3 2007 press conference, and no release date was announced.

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