Woa this one went under our radar for far too long! During May an ABC segment ran about the filming of the Prince Of Persia movie directed by Jerry Bruckheimer. So far the movie looks like a solid action film! Lets count the must have items for a PoP movie:

• Persia-like setting. Check!
• A prince… of Persia. Check!
• A love interest. Check!
• A hellish maze of traps conquered by crazy acrobatics. Che… Wait a minute!

Where are the acrobatics Jerry? So far we can see the Prince fighting 30 warriors at the same time but not a single jump. Really Jerry? Are you going to give us Prince of Persia without the acrobatics? I sure hope you’ve got the prince doing parkour like its running out of style by the next time we see new footage or else you’ll suffer my NERD RAGE.

[Movie Chronicles]

This video was taken at Campus Party 2008 in Valencia, which is an event I’ve never heard of, but there is a lot of cool stuff in here. For those of us that didn’t get to try out Mirror’s Edge at E3 or Comic-Con, this lengthy clip still captures much of the play experience.

While of course the play isn’t as smooth-looking as in the trailers, things still seem to flow fairly naturally, and the levels look a bit like Prince of Persia meets Half-Life 2 (a very good thing!) in terms of pacing, object manipulation and platform placement. Speaking of levels, there’s a shot of the level select screen (which lets you start from checkpoints) that shows tons of discrete levels scattered throughout the city.

Some other prime footage shows Faith using a sniper rifle and engaging in some melée combat. Another detail: it appears that Faith will take damage if she falls even a moderate distance without rolling. In terms of music, things also follow a Half-Life 2 approach, dynamically adjusting to battles. All in all I am thoroughly impressed; the game seems to deliver on all the promises it made in its trailers and then some.

[videogaming247]

The conference started a few minutes behind schedule, and then got off to a slow start, giving us a history lesson about the PlayStation Brand’s success, then talking about PSN, PSP, and finally the PS3 lineup. Here are the big announcements you need to know.

• 130 Titles coming to PS2 in 2008
• PS3 Greatest Hits line, games for $29.99
• You can download Movies and TV Shows for rental or purchase on the PlayStation Network Store
• Home service can access custom environments based on games in your library
• Some version of Valkyria Chronicles will be available for PSP
• A partnership with Google that has to do with news and user-based content via PSN
• 80 GB PS3 for $399.99
• New Game: Infamous by Sucker Punch. Gritty action game with telekinetic hero
• New Game: Massive Action Game, fight with up to 256 people in online skirmishes

Honestly I am really looking forward to Infamous, and the Store/download stuff sounds cool. IMO, it was the best conference of the hardware camps; Sony delivered a few new games, price cuts, and new online functionality. Their goal of highlighting the increasing value of the PS3 seems to have been achieved.

Full details after the cut.

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In response to critics of Ubisoft’s poor showing on the Wii, company forum moderator Raide made some comments that have alienated many Wii owners recently, dropping bombshells like “If you look at the most successful Wii games, they are not amazing new AAA titles,” and “Parents who are buying a console for their children do not really care about Prince of Persia, Rainbox Six, or Far Cry on the box, they want games that are going to be good for their children and not get them in the local newspaper.”

He also noted that they have “started venturing into the casual gaming market,” and is putting less focus on the mature kind of games Ubisoft used to be known for. Of course ,these comments only helped cement the beliefs that these critics already had about the company. The post was just dripping with cynicism, and to put it simply, if Ubisoft thinks like this guy, then they really have sold out.

[Kotaku] [Destructoid]

In a surprising casting decision, Jake Gyllenhaal has been charged with starring in the upcoming The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Unfortunately we won’t get a real Persian prince as older rumors once claimed. Alongside him will be starlet Gemma Arterton as Tamina, whom I’ve never heard of before. Mike Newell is directing, and looking at his odd track record (responsible for a wide range of projects like respectable gangster film Donnie Brasco, slightly above-average chick flick Mona Lisa Smile, and blockbuster Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) it’s hard to guess how he’ll spin this story.

[Joystiq] [Hollywood Reporter]

Click to enlarge

People on the official Prince of Persia forums have apparently found the first movie poster leaked online. We have talked about the movie before and while a year prior to opening is about time to have some posters made this one you should take with a grain of salt. If you ask me its too generic, nothing intriguing about the poster, no tagline, cheap composition. I will go ahead and call it a fake, what’s your take?

[DarkZero][tag]Prince of Persia, Movies, Video Games, Art[/tag]

Because no one demanded it, and due to an overdue “A Look Back @” column still in the works, I bring you yet more equations that may amuse or bewilder. I’m surprised Gamers(TM) hasn’t lodge a complaint on my inspired “borrowing” of their shtick. I’ll get on with serious stuff soon, but for now, enjoy:

Technorati : celda, chrono cross, dragon quest, games TM, humor, katamari damacy, manhunt, of flames and forums, prince of persia, simgolf, zelda

Why this guide, of all times? Because there are other games worth playing apart from Halo 3.

Nine months just fly by so fast. For the gamers, who may have stumbled upon this page by chance, by now you have already “finished The fight” with the Master Chief and tried to pull off an aerial loop 8 out of 10 times on your PS3 Sixaxis controller. For the rest of you, you’re probably bored with Wii Sports and the Greek pantheon-sized library of portable puzzle games and brain trainers on your DSs and PSPs. Regardless, your consoles are gathering the proverbial dust until the next year when the next Final Fantasy, Grand Theft Auto or Metal Gear Solid will come out. Three months of nothing is indeed a long wait.

Fret not, dear wanderers of the world wide web, as I have compiled a list of future must-own titles for all the major consoles the average joe (and the hardcores) would be using in 2007. Yes, the PS2 does count, you next-gen elitist snob. These games will be released in between the month of October up until the Yuletide grasp of December, minus the snow and the occasional fat guy miraculously sliding down chimneys without fear of getting stuck. Not convinced? Here’s a few potential hits to keep you salivating to your mouth’s content:

Mass Effect (Xbox 360)

Release Date: November 28

This hyped-up coming attraction needs no introduction, but just as a refresher: you control a lieutenant in charge of a rag-tag group of humans and aliens as you attempt to save the world from mass planetary genocide from the Geth. With Bioware’s well-known reputation for creating immersive and epic storylines, evident in their take of the Star Wars and Dungeons & Dragons franchise, the space-opera that is Mass Effect boasts a way to change a direction of a conversation with a flick of a thumbstick, meaning you can go from seducing that blue alien hottie, to “kowtowing” her beliefs the next instance. Coupled with life-like graphics and the elements of a tactical first person shooter (FPS) into the combat system, and you will not be disappointed by Bioware’s latest.

Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo Wii)

Release Date: November 12

Even with the recent E3 announcement on Nintendo making their stand on casual games, they still do care for their hardcore audience in a form of Mario’s latest platforming antics. Our plump and proper plumber now jumps across from planets to planets, which could mean a breakthrough from the medium’s norm. Just like his previous games, you have a plethora of powerups at your disposal, ranging from a Bee Suit which makes him float and fly, to the Ice Suit which lets you tread water easily as well as create blocks of frosty platforms ala Bobby Drake from the X-Men movies. I’m guessing everyone who owns a Wii probably had their calendars marked for this “second coming”.

Rock Band (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii)

Release Date: November 20

Remember Guitar Freaks and the Taiko Drum series that were abundant in the local and international arcades? Well, Rock Band for both PS3 and Xbox 360 is a combination of the tools used in those games, except you also have a bass guitar and a microphone peripheral in the mix. And instead of playing alone, you can grab three of your friends and jam together to legendary tunes like Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” and Radiohead’s “Creep”. No actual guitar, bass, drum or mike skills required; anyone and everyone can join in, because this game can make you unleash your inner rock star.

Jump for more titles you need reminding of.
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(Missed me? This was originally suppose to be a two-parter, but due to work and health issues, I merged both to make up for last week’s lack of update on my part).

Picking up a controller, one does wonder: do you control the hero, or does he control you? Do you feel like you are in control, or does it seem like as if the developers pigeonhole you to follow a certain path to complete a game, thus making the hero seem more like an icon rather than a real character? Good Playable Characters (or PCs) in a game make you resonate with his or her action and emotions. Not many developers can see this. Rather, they would treat a main character as a means to an end (i.e: a tool), rather than someone they can feel a connection with.
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A Look Back not focused on the Genesis? Shock and awe, people! Intrigued? More after the jump.
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