PSP Remaster series announced

From the small screen to the big screen!
And in HD, too!

Expanding their catalog of remastered hits from the past, Sony announced this weekend that a new PSP remastered series will be arriving on PlayStation 3, beginning in Japan.

The press release (which you can view here) states that this new series will see the games receiving a new high definition coat of paint, downloadable content (the release didn't elaborate on whether or not this would be specific to the new release or not), stereoscopic 3D, as well as compatibility with the original PSP releases. Save data, for instance, can be shared between the two version, allowing one to play on the go and then pick up on the PS3 later. Ad-hoc multiplayer support will also be present in the PS3 releases.

Japan is where the new line will debut, with no immediate confirmation for other territories (not hard to imagine it heading elsewhere, though). The first game to receive the treatment will be Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, the latest portable installment in the popular hack-'n-slash series, though no release date or window was given. Portable 3rd has shipped over 4.5 million copies in Japan since its release in December 2010.

Footage of Monster Hunter in action can be seen below (or here, alternatively).



I'm hoping the Patapon games will be included as part of this. Being able to play 'em without needing to buy a PSP would be great. Make it happen, Sony!

Source: Joystiq

PSN begins restoration

It took over three weeks, but PSN is finally going back up after being taken down due to an outside intrusion that resulted in the personal info of millions being stolen. It's been a turbulent three weeks, but we're finally on the road to getting past this fiasco. I'd say I'm relieved, but the outage hasn't really affected me. (Not much of an online game player, you see.)

Still, good to see that everything is going back up. It was looking like they were going to never get PSN back up for a while there. Hope those new security measures will be strong enough to prevent another attack like this from happening.

Though if all those statements about Sony's old security measures were true, then they should be good. A lot of security experts claimed that Sony's infrastructure was erroneously out of date and quite primitive. One expert said that Sony didn't even have a firewall installed -- the most basic security measure imaginable! That firewall claim was based off forum conversations held on a security forum, which the speaker didn't disclose. All the other stuff, however, looks to be true.

Experts revealed, through a quick Google search of all things, how poor their measurements were. I don't understand all that technical mumbo jumbo (I never have been very technically proficient; I just select things randomly and hope things work in my favor), so I'll just quote one of the articles on the matter (that being Reuters):

Through a series of Google searches, Bumgarner was able to find a software program that Sony developed in 2001 to run a SonyStyle.com Christmas gift registry and sweepstakes program called Sony Santa.

That program gathered users' names, addresses and ages. The names and partial addresses of some 2,500 of those sweepstakes contestants were posted on a website.

Sony said on Thursday that it learned of the error on May 5. The site has been taken down and Sony is working to remove any residual links to the list, a spokesman said.

Bumgarner also found an access point to a server running an identity management system that he said controls access to logins and passwords for employees throughout Sony Pictures Entertainment. He located that system by conducting a Google search using the terms "site:.Sony.com identity."

Most companies attempt to hide these servers from the prying eyes of potential hackers because these systems are linked to sensitive employee account data, he said.

In a file on Sony's website that alerts search-engine crawlers to which sections of the site that Sony wants a search engine to avoid cataloging, the company provided a link to an internal password-protected software application.

Bumgarner said the domain on Sony Corporation of America's network where the application was located was carefully hidden from view, so a web crawler or casual surfer would not have located it. But putting the URL in the file effectively served as a red flag to potential hackers who might see it as a potential weak spot in Sony's armor, Bumgarner said.

So yeah, that was poor design on Sony's part. Hard to believe they let that stand for so long. Maybe now that they have someone in charge of security employed amateur mistakes like this won't happen anymore.

As of now, only a few states have regained access to PSN. The rest to follow over the next few hours; other regions will go through the same process once the whole US is connected to PSN again. You can see which states have regained access here.

Now all that's left for Sony to do is get the PlayStation Store back up (that's coming later for undisclosed reasons) and to announce what this "Welcome Back" package will offer -- easily the most urgent matter on people's minds second to PSN itself.

Portal Review

They say the cake is a lie; I argue otherwise.

I'm gonna go ahead and make a harebrained statement: The cake referenced in the popular Internet meme, and line from Portal, "the cake is a lie," isn't actually a lie; rather, that cake is Portal itself. My basis? Like cake, Portal is a treat -- a very special treat. One that doesn't last long on account of our tendencies to quickly devour it (or in Portal's case, quickly play through it). While it lasts, though, it's exquisite. Portal's like that, but better (in some ways).

Burnout Crash sounds amazing

So just add some UFOs and lobster monsters
(presumably giant ones), and you'll basically
have an accurate depiction of Burnout Crash.

So after the Austrailian Classification Board unveiled, and subsequently detailed some of what Burnout Crash is about (it's a crash mode focused installment), the Entertainment Sofware Ratings Board (these ratings board guys sure are revealing a lot about this game) went ahead and posting one of their famous summaries for the game. And if the summary is any indication, this game sounds amazing.

This is an action game in which players earn points for creating traffic pileups. From a top-down perspective, players initiate crashes by driving 'cartoony' vehicles (e.g., cars, trucks, vans, buses) into busy intersections; multiple crashes trigger score multipliers and rack up large 'bills' of property damage. Each level is accompanied by crashing sounds, small explosions, and vocal encouragement (e.g., 'Cool,' 'Maximum Carnage!'). In some levels, players are instructed to crash into police cars (e.g., 'Crash them before they bust you!'); in other sequences, oversized airplanes, tornados, lobster monsters, and UFOs slide across the screen, destroying any vehicles in their path.

So a top-down crash mode focused Burnout game with all manner of maddness (lobster monsters, anyone?): sounds like a recipe for success! Hope some screens or video footage gets released soon. Would love to see how all this looks in action.

Source: Giant Bomb

Crazy: Guy remakes Crash Bandicoot with the Crysis engine

In today's utterly ridiculous news (or rather, old-news-that-I-just-heard-about-today-for-the-first-time), a man who goes by the name "Lenox" -- his Internet handle, which he prefers to be called by -- has remade a level from Crash Bandicoot using the game engine from Crysis. And it looks as ridiculous as it sounds. Take a look:

Incredible work, I must say, though still totally absurd. Why did Lenox do this? Because he could, basically. This write-up on the matter by Giant Bomb's Patrick Klepek has all sorts of info on it, and is highly recommended reading if you're interested in hearing more about this insanely absurd project. It's good stuff.


Source: Giant Bomb

Little late, Nintendo: Wii Vitality Sensor still coming, says Iwata

I guess you could say its still got a pulse,
am I right? Eh? Eh?

Anyone remember the Wii Vitality Sensor? You know, that thing you clamp onto your index finger so that it can gauge your pulse? Yeah, I barely do, too. Details on the device have been mostly nill since its debut at Nintendo's E3 2009 press conference. The only details we've gotten since then were from a patent that uncovered a bit of how the Viality Sensor will be used in games back in October of last year. Given the dearth of info, you'd think the thing was quietly canceled or something.

Not so, surprisingly enough.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata stated today, as part of a Q&A with investors, that the peripheral hasn't been canceled and is still on track for release... eventually. What's the hold up? The individuality of human biology and the difficulties it provides.

As the quote Joystiq pulled puts it: "This is a totally new type of entertainment," Iwata said, "and there are large individual differences in the biological information of humans. For example, if it was acceptable that only 80% of the users thought the result was natural, then we could propose this to consumers right now. However, we are aiming for a level of quality in which 99% percent of consumers feel comfortable, and that is why this project is taking time to complete." He also added that he "cannot clearly say when we will be ready to put this on the market." So a release window is still up in the air.

It's also unclear whether or not the Vitality Sensor will still be Wii peripheral or not. With a new console on the horizon, I'd think that it would at the very least be compatible with the new platform. But then, it might be something that Nintendo will hold back purposely to try giving the Wii some extra life, much like how the PlayStation Move and Kinect were made with the intent of expanding their respective platforms' lifespans. Who knows. Here's hoping this year's E3 will shed some light on this matter.

Source: Joystiq