Filed under: Videos and Screenshots, Blu-ray

Please Square Enix, make the title for this movie longer. Thanks! But in all seriousness, we’re excited to see the first footage of this upcoming Blu-ray re-envisioning of Square’s ultimate piece of fan service. As you can see, character’s clothes will get ripped, characters will get bloodied, and things are just generally dirtier in this “Ultimate” edition. You’ll also see some new footage not found in the original cut. It’s true that this yet another double dipped movie meant to squeeze every last dollar out of eager fans … and it’s working.

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Filed under: Best of 2007

Stay tuned all this week as we reveal the our nominees for the very best games of 2007. Winners will be declared on December 27th.

This year some of the PS3’s biggest games had some stunning musical talent behind them. As a result a number of titles really stood out as some of the best sounding games this year.

And the nominees for PS3 Fanboy - Best Original Soundtrack of 2007 are:

Call of Duty 4’s urban, military flavour of music is striking and engrossing at the same time. At times the game’s soundtrack is reminiscent of Quake 2 (a shining gem in the history of video game music) and, while the game is more commonly lauded as an example of amazing graphics or multiplayer gameplay, the soundtrack certainly deserves a mention as one of the best available in games this year.

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Everyday Shooter
Queasy Games | Sony Computer Entertainment

The way Everyday Shooter’s music is intertwined with the gameplay makes the score stand out all the more. Music that changes according to the player’s actions means that the soundtrack will never be exactly the same as the last time you played. It will, however, continue to be awesome. Quirky guitar riffs that remain appropriate to each level’s special aesthetic quality make for a wonderful aural experience.

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Lair
Factor 5 | Sony Computer Entertainment

Lair’s music is arguably the best thing about this otherwise disappointing game. With sweeping orchestral scores reminiscent of Lord of the Rings the game’s soundtrack has that fantasty epic feel to it. The score received a BAFTA nomination and is available to purchase on iTunes. Lair may not have been the huge success people were hoping for, but that’s definitely not because of its soundtrack.

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Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Insomniac Games | Sony Computer Entertainment

The Ratchet and Clank series has always had a great soundtrack and the latest of the pair’s adventures is no exception. With a great amount of variety throughout, the Ratchet and Clank future music is continuously quirky, cartoony and fun. Of particular note is the Pirate theme which borrows liberally from a certain other Pirate based theme, yet still remains unique and endlessly listenable. The great soundtrack really marries perfectly with the game’s amazing graphics, making it one of the most aesthetically pleasing games available today.

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Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
Naughty Dog | Sony Computer Entertainment

Having worked on the soundtrack for the TV show “Firefly”, Greg Edmonson has already proved himself as a great musical artist. Uncharted’s soundtrack does not disappoint. Working together with the story to provide a truly cinematic experience, the game’s score is full of deep jungle drums, coupled with a selection of string instruments which have the feel of an epic adventure about them.

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Stay tuned to PS3 Fanboy on December 27th for the winners. Best of 2007 image based off of work from Studio469.

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Filed under: Best of 2007

Stay tuned all this week as we reveal the our nominees for the very best games of 2007. Winners will be declared on December 27th.

This year multiplayer gaming has been taken to a new level with quality online experiences that are also great fun in an offline, living-room setting. Shooters occupy the majority of our nominations this year, but they’re also joined a couple of the most innovative multiplayer titles we’ve seen to date.

And the nominees for PS3 Fanboy - Best Multiplayer Game of 2007 are:

Call of Duty 4’s RPG style leveling system, perks benefits and unique classes, along with its server-filling double EXP weekends, make it one of the most addictive online games of the current generation. Coupled with the fact that the game is a blast to play with friends, this is the strongest first-person-shooter on the PS3.

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The Eye of Judgment
Japan Studio | Sony Computer Entertainment

Taking a multiplayer experience from real life to a computer game has been done countless times before, but never has a game so fully integrated the original feel of the activity into the emulation. With its classy card-reading technology, The Eye of Judgment retains the original collectible card game experience, but mixes it with high quality graphics and the ability to play against anyone in the world - and that’s where its genius really lies. Never again will you need to venture down to the comic shop basement, you can play against anyone you like from the comfort of your own living room.

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Rock Band
Harmonix | Electronic Arts

We wonder how many thousands of people had the same down-the-pub conversation that we did. “You know, someone should mix Guitar Hero and Singstar together. Maybe add a drum set in there? That’d be awesome.” Well Harmonix did just that - and it is awesome. It’s also one of the most engrossing multiplayer games around. Totally accessible for gamers of all abilities it becomes the centerpiece of any gathering, staying on the screen until the last person either gets a cab home or passes out.

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Unreal Tournament III
Epic Games | Midway

The Unreal Tournament franchise has been synonymous with fast, fun online shooting. While they might have lost their way with the “200x” episodes, Unreal Tournament III is a return to its roots and feels much more like the first game in the series. A multiplayer marvel for two reasons, UTIII is excellent fun to play online against your friends, but the inclusion of downloadable mods made by PC owners makes it a true community experience. This is expected to be improved on in the future with official contests.

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Warhawk
Incognito | Sony Computer Entertainment

Arguably the first of the PS3’s “must-have” lineup, Warhawk is still one of the best online multiplayer games available. With jump-in, jump-out gameplay you’re never more than a couple of minutes away from shooting up your buddies. Huge environments and a variety of vehicles spice up the game and this will be expanded upon before the end of the year with a whole new level as well as a new vehicle.

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Stay tuned to PS3 Fanboy on December 27th for the winners. Best of 2007 image based off of work from Studio469.

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Filed under: Best of 2007

Stay tuned all this week as we reveal the our nominees for the very best games of 2007. Winners will be declared on December 27th.

To say that graphics have improved over the last couple of years is like saying your mother’s cooking tastes better after being away from home for one thousand years (assuming, of course, both you and your mother live over one thousand years). It’s both obvious and true. But who will take the crown for having the best homemade cooking graphics?

The nominees for PS3 Fanboy — Best Graphics are:

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Infinity Ward | Activision
What makes Call of Duty 4 so brilliant looking isn’t just the incredibly detailed levels or the insanely well done character models, but sometimes having a story with realistic movements aids in making a game “look good”. Let’s not ignore the fact, however, that its proprietary graphical engine allowed for some of the best dynamic lighting and shadow effects we’ve seen. In fact, every bullet shot at objects goes through intense calculations to properly reflect the damage it would cause against a wall or car. Destructible objects abound and having such excellent touches find their way into a multiplayer experience is nothing short of awe-inspiring.

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Heavenly Sword
Ninja Theory | Sony Computer Entertainment
From the very outset of Heavenly Sword, you can see the unbridled potential of the PS3. A zoom in from a war-torn field of thousands of enemy soldiers and into the intricately detailed pupil of heroine Nariko really shows how far graphics have come. In the arenas where you fight enemy troops, the way every table, chair, jar, or discarded weapon are broken or thrown through the air are a big part of what define next-gen video games and that generation is now.

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Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Insomniac Games | Sony Computer Entertainment
Pixar quality graphics. That is how Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction has been touted by Sony and Insomniac Studios, not to mention a few critics who felt that claim was not far off the mark. Gigantic environments and cleverly designed enemies only help to suck you into the cartoony universe Insomniac has unleashed upon the PS3. As far as artistic design comes, no other title in the current generation of consoles comes close.

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Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
Naughty Dog | Sony Computer Entertainment
It’s interesting to see how well Naughty Dog, generally a development team with a cartoon-like animation tendency, pulled off the realistic movements, environments, and attention to detail inside Uncharted. Slick jungle areas are replaced by ancient stone castles, replaced by dank dungeons, replaced by mysterious bunkers and so on. The motion capture used in the game is excellent and could easily fool someone into thinking they are watching an interactive movie. Subtleties like the varied positions Drake takes each time he ducks for cover is a nuance that more games need to take advantage of. This game, like the others mentioned, is a graphical powerhouse that shows off what this latest generation of consoles can do. And this is just the beginning.

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Stay tuned to PS3 Fanboy on December 27th for the winners. Best of 2007 image based off of work from Studio469.

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Filed under: Firmware Updates

The European Playstation website lists a new firmware update that will be released tomorrow. Version 2.10 is mostly a visual media-based update, with none of the listed features having any impact on gameplay. In other words, you can stop holding your breath - there’s no in-game XMB here. Instead, we the arrival of two highly anticipated features. Blu-Ray profile 1.1 and DivX support will heavily increase the PS3’s standing as a media hub.

There’s a smattering of other little additions, all of which we’ve listed after the break. There are also a couple of stipulations with regards to DivX - namely, that copyright protected files, v3.11 encoded videos and files larger than 2GB cannot be played.

[Via NeoGAF]

PS3 Firmware v2.10 features:

• Voice changer

The Voice Changer feature has been added to voice / video chat.

Using this feature, you can change the tone of a voice that is input from an audio device such as a microphone. High and low-pitched tones can each be adjusted to five preset levels. You can vary the tone when using voice / video chat under Friends.

• You can now select [Type 3] as an option under Settings > [Music Settings] > [Bitmapping]. This bitmapping process was developed specifically for the PS3^TM system to enhance audio playback.
• DivX and VC-1 (WMV) have been added to the types of files that can be played.
• Blu-ray Disc Profile 1.1 is now supported. **

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Owners of Apple’s Mac Pro and Power Mac G5 computers will be able to upgrade to the FastMac 4x Dual Layer Blu-ray drive upon its release late last week. This 5.25″ tray loading drive offers up to 50GB of storange on a Blu-ray disc without sacrificing DVD and CD media compatibility. SATA connectivity allows users to burn a whole 50GB worth of data in less than 50 minutes. The FastMac 4x Dual Layer Blu-ray drive retails for approximately $600 and is accompanied by a 1-year warranty. Average home users probably don’t need something like this for at least a couple more years, but those who want to sift plenty of media can always use this as an alternative to a portable hard drive.

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Cube-Kun is a robot that can solve Rubik’s Cube within seconds. I know solving it is not a big deal these days for humans, and there has since been variants of the classic puzzle game released. Having said that, I can’t get beyond the second layer of colors. Cube-Kun might not look as menacing as the RuBot II, but he is able to solve this timeless puzzle within seconds, although he needs to scan all half dozen sides beforehand, taking a short pause to figure out the solution and letting his hands get to work. The Cube-Kun is created by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. I wonder who would win if the Cube-Kun goes up against RuBot II?

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Intel has released what is most probably the smallest solid state drive in the world at the moment - the Z-P140. Meant for use in portable media players, handheld devices as well as other devices where the tiny 1.8″ flash drive is considered to be still too large for its own good. It weighs a mere 0.02 ounces and is no larger than a penny, and yet packs more than enough punch to be faster than the majority of flash-based memory cards in the market - touting a 40MB/s read speed and 30MB/s write speed. You get only 2GB of storage currently, although Intel has plans to roll out a 4GB version before 2H 2008 is over with plans for a 16GB model sometime down the road.

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The Fuga car will be the first vehicle in the world to boast Distance Control Assist and navigation-enabled Intelligent Cruise Control systems. The fformer will determine the following distance of the driver’s vehicle and the relative speed of both vehicles thanks to a radar sensor located in the front bumper. Whenever you start to tailgate the vehicle in front of you too closely, the system will push back the accelerator if you’re stepping on it, but if you aren’t, the brakes will activate automatically. Pretty neat - sounds like the speed matching feature found in TIE Fighter back during the good old DOS game days. As for Intelligent Cruise Control system, it will cruise at the driver preset speed if there are no cars in front, while slowing down appropriately if there is a slowpoke in front of you. Do you think such technologies will help prevent or reduce accidents, or will it just make drivers lazy?

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Jennifer Love Hewitt is reportedly pregnant. The I Know What You Did Last Summer actress is said to be expecting her first baby with fiancé Ross McCall in June.

A source said, “Jennifer was shocked, but at the same time she was ecstatic with the news. It wasn’t planned, but now that it’s happened, Jennifer and Ross are both very happy.” Jennifer, 28, allegedly discovered she was pregnant around the same time Band of Brothers actor Ross proposed her.

The happy couple marked their double celebration by jetting off to Hawaii for a romantic break, where Jennifer was pictured in a bikini looking larger than usual.

Her curvy figure sparked rumours of her pregnancy. However, Jennifer hit back at the jibes about her weight saying she was proud of her body.

She said, “Size two is not fat! Nor will it ever be. And being a size zero doesn’t make you beautiful. I know what I look like, and so do my friends and family.”

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