All Articles: PS2

WTF? Sony can’t keep up with PS2, PSP demand

Posted on February 28, 2012 by John Scalzo

What kind of weird hell is this?

OK, perhaps that’s a bit harsh. After all, Sony probably isn’t selling very many PlayStation 2 and PSP systems anymore. So it stands to reason that they aren’t producing very many either. But however many they’re making, it’s not enough to satisfy the demands of the American consumer.

Here’s what SCEA President and CEO Jack Tretton had to say about the situation in an interview (which mostly dealt with the Vita’s launch) with Forbes:

Forbes: What is going to happen to the PlayStation Portable line?

Tretton: The PSP will continue to sell on at $129. Right now there is more demand for PSP than there is production capacity… that is pretty much truth with the PlayStation 2 as well. PlayStation 2 will continue to sell as long as we can build it profitably and there is an audience for it, and PSP will follow that same trend.

I have to tip my hat to Sony. The fact that there’s still demand for the PS2 after 12 years is an amazing accomplishment.

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Justin Verlander’s Major League Baseball 2K12 box art revealed

Posted on December 28, 2011 by John Scalzo

This wintry Wednesday can definitely be classified as a slow news day. Thankfully, 2K Sports has added some Spring to our steps with the reveal of Justin Verlander’s Major League Baseball 2K12 cover. The Detroit Tigers pitcher went 24-8 with 250 strikeouts in 2011 en route to winning the AL Cy Young and AL MVP award. He also threw his second career no-hitter and took two other potential no-hitters into the 8th inning before surrendering a hit.

That’s quite a resume for a guy who’s only 28.

Major League Baseball 2K12 will be released on the DS, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, and Xbox 360 on March 6, 2012.

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Rockstar answers your questions: Is GTA3’s Claude a mute?

Posted on December 17, 2011 by John Scalzo

In honor of Grand Theft Auto III‘s release on iOS and Android devices, Rockstar has decided to answer your burning questions about one of the most famous video games ever. They even revealed the origins of Claude’s lack of vocality.

Turn back now if you don’t want to know THE TRUTH…

Rockstar says:
It may now seem obvious that people should all talk in games, but this was not necessarily the case in 2001, certainly not in an open world game. We were making up a lot of procedures as we went along, and we decided that the NPCs (Non Playable Characters) should talk and we would have to figure out how to make them talk (using motion captured cutscenes, something that had never really been done before, at least not on the scale we were doing it). So we decided that the game’s protagonist would not talk, partly to aid people identifying with him, but mostly because we had so many other problems to solve and this did not seem like a major issue. […] Oh and in San Andreas, CJ calls Claude a mute because he does not talk and CJ finds this unnerving.

So there you have it. Claude isn’t a mute, he’s just the original Johnny Tightlips.

Rockstar also confirmed that the three GTA “eras” are completely separate universes and will never cross over. So if you’re hoping to see Claude again, you can forget it:

[T]he “universes” are the worlds interpreted at different definitions, 2d, 3d and high definition, so we felt brands and radio / back ground characters would exist in both, but 3 dimensional characters would not. This is the logic (as far as it could be considered logical) behind it – so no, we don’t believe any GTA3 characters could exist in the GTA4 universe.

But following Rockstar’s logic, this means that Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto V will take place in the same “universe.” So who knows, we might get to see Niko one more time.

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Persona 4 stage play hitting Japan in March

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Brian Bishop

Atlus’ RPG/school sim Persona 4 has been seeing a lot of attention lately in it’s home country of Japan. At the Tokyo Game show this year, two new games in the franchise were announced, Persona 4: The Golden for Vita and Persona 4: Ultimate Mayonaka Arena for Xbox 360/PS3. Even an anime based on the series, called “Persona 4: The Animation,” has begun airing in Japan and is on episode six.

The video game is breaking some entirely new ground as well… ground in REAL LIFE. The new production company Marvelous AQL has greenlit Visualive Persona 4, a stage play based on the popular video game. The play is set to run from March 15, 2012 through the 20th at the Sunshine theater in Tokyo.

The voice actor for Teddie (Kuma in the Japanese version) is even reprising his role from the video game on stage.

[Source: Anime News Network]

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The Madden Curse Strikes Back: A Midseason Report on All 32 Cover Finalists

Posted on November 11, 2011 by John Scalzo

The 2011 NFL season is only at the halfway point and the Madden Cover Curse has already claimed another victim. Fans selected Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis as the Madden NFL 12 cover athlete, and while some joked about the curse at the time, few gave it much thought as the lockout consumed all NFL news. But here we are: the lockout is over and it’s safe to say that few players have been victimized by the curse like Hillis has.

The running back has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury and he has already been ruled out for this weekend’s upcoming game against the St. Louis Rams. Hillis also missed the Browns’ week three game against the Dolphins with a serious strep throat infection. Some reports say he lost as much as ten pounds in a single week.

As if these injuries weren’t bad enough, Hillis has only had one breakout game the entire season. In week two, against the Colts, Hillis ran for 94 yards and scored two touchdowns in a 27-19 Browns win. He even managed to catch four passes as well. It’s a disturbing return to form for the Madden Cover Curse, which spared Vince Young, Brett Favre, Larry Fitzgerald, and Drew Brees in recent years. Troy Polamalu (who shared the cover of Madden NFL 10 with Fitzgerald) was the last victim of the curse, missing 11 games in 2009.

But what about the other 32 players that Hillis defeated in EA’s single-elimination tournament to select the Madden NFL 12 cover athlete? Have they been cursed by association? All told, seven players besides Hillis have succumbed to the Madden Cover Curse, even though they were never on the cover! Two more are currently nursing injuries and may join their ranks.

I’m not sure if I believe in curses and superstitions. But the Madden Cover Curse has affected nine of the 13 cover athletes chosen since John Madden gave up his spot on the box, and while a regression to the mean is to be expected for the top players of the previous season, the curse seems to go beyond that. I’m sure some statistics grad student could create an interesting paper out of the percentage of NFL players that suffer a statline reduction from season to season. But until then, this study is the best we have. (more…)

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2K fills out “NBA’s Greatest” roster in NBA 2K12

Posted on August 19, 2011 by John Scalzo

After teasing NBA 2K12‘s new “NBA’s Greatest” mode at the beginning of the month, 2K Sports is ready to announce the full roster of 15 basketball greats:

  • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1986-87 Lakers vs. 1986-87 Celtics)
  • Larry Bird (1985-86 Celtics vs. The 1985-86 Hawks)
  • Wilt Chamberlain (1971-72 Lakers vs. 1971-72 Knicks)
  • Julius Erving (1984-85 76ers vs. 1984-85 Bucks
  • Patrick Ewing (1994-95 Knicks vs. 1994-95 Magic)
  • Magic Johnson (1990-91 Lakers vs. 1990-91 Blazers)
  • Michael Jordan (1992-93 Bulls vs. 1992-93 Hornets)
  • Karl Malone (1997-98 Jazz vs. 1997-98 Spurs)
  • Hakeem Olajuwon (1993-94 Rockets vs. 1993-94 Nuggets)
  • Scottie Pippen (1995-96 Bulls vs. 1995-96 Sonics)
  • Oscar Robertson (1970-71 Bucks vs. 1970-71 Lakers)
  • Bill Russell (1964-65 Celtics vs. 1964-65 Lakers)
  • John Stockton (1997-98 Jazz vs. 1997-98 Lakers)
  • Isiah Thomas (1988-89 Pistons vs. 1988-89 Bulls)
  • Jerry West (1970-71 Lakers vs. 1970-71 Hawks)

“Fans across the country were ecstatic to see Jordan, Bird, and Magic on the cover of NBA 2K12, and have speculated for weeks about who would fill out the rest of the ‘NBA’s Greatest’ roster,” said Jason Argent, Vice President of Marketing for 2K Sports. “These 15 legendary athletes will allow sports fanatics to create the NBA’s most storied matchups – and lock in bragging rights for their favorite teams in NBA 2K12.”

Players who pre-order NBA 2K12 for the PS3 or Xbox 360 will receive access to two additional teams/players in NBA’s Greatest mode. The bonus babies include the 1990-91 Golden State Warriors (with Chris Mullin) and the 2001-02 Sacramento Kings (with Chris “Timeout!” Webber). According to 2K, these teams will only be available to those who pre-order NBA 2K12.

NBA 2K12 will be released for the PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360 on October 4.

[Source: ESPN]

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NBA 2K12 soundtrack revealed

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Nicole Kline

NBA 2K12‘s soundtrack was released today by 2K Sports, featuring tracks and collaborations by Eminem, Cee-Lo Green, Busta Rhymes, and many more. Alex K. and D.J.I.G. made the soundtrack through a contest called “Duck Down,” giving them the opportunity to collaborate and create the track “Now’s My Time.”

2K Sports’ Vice President of Marketing, Jason Argent, emphasized how important music is to the series. “Music has always been an integral part of our NBA 2K video games, as it further immerses players into the world of basketball and enhances their gaming experience,” he said. “It was important to us that the NBA 2K12 soundtrack was not only what you hear while navigating the menus, but also in real-life situations like pre-game highlight introductions and during timeouts, just as you would hear a song while at a game or watching on TV.”

NBA 2K12 will be available October 4 for the PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, and Xbox 360. Hit the jump for the full track list. (more…)

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NCAA Football 12 is the valedictorian of July’s NPD chart

Posted on August 12, 2011 by John Scalzo

The NPD Group has revealed the top ten bestselling games for the month of July and NCAA Football 12 jumped to the head of the class. None of the rest of the month’s new releases managed to crack the list (including the awesome Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon or the alluring Catherine). Even the heavily-hyped Duke Nukem Forever was unable to maintain its place in the top ten.

With few new releases, only 17 titles were released during the month, gamers spent their money on other things in July. According to The NPD Group’s Anita Frazier, July was the “lowest month [for game sales] since October 2006.”

Maybe that’ll show publishers that the gaming community is pretty desperate for new games in the Summer. So maybe they shouldn’t backload every worthwhile game into the September-November period. In the meantime, check out the full top ten after the break. (more…)

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