Sony's handheld pricing drops starting tomorrow.
By 1UP Staff, 04/02/2007
Edit: 1UP has confirmed that Sony intends to make a significant announcement tomorrow, further lending credence to this report.

Original Story: According to Kotaku, Sony's PlayStation Portable will drop from $199 to $169 tomorrow. Previously, we speculated that something, anything had to happen with Sony's handheld, with a price drop and/or redesign being the two most likely scenarios. Last month, we reported that major retailers were considering pulling the system from store shelves if there wasn't a price drop -- whether or not retail had to play hardball with Sony, now stores (and consumers) have their price drop.

They are just trying to get me to buy a PSP for Castlevania aren't they? Dirty, Dirty Sony!

Epic Games has announced that a title update is coming soon as it is going through the certification process. A post in the official Gears of War forums revealed that the update will include a brand new multiplayer gametype:

The next title update for Gears of War is currently going through the certification process. We'll have more detail about the update next week but I can tell you that in addition to fixing a whole bunch of glitches, and providing 720p for VGA users running at 1280x1024, it will contain a brand new multiplayer gametype called Annex.

Some folks who got to play it a few weeks ago said they think it is our best multiplayer gametype yet but I'll leave it for you fans to decide what you think for yourself when it shows up soon on Xbox Live. More details next week.

As to what to expect from this new multiplayer game type, its name suggests it could be a territory based game mode.

Epic clarified it will be free.

Anyone else excited to see this movie?

TLB reader Lawl has sent me quite the conspiracy theory. I emailed him back calling him crazy as usual, and told him to I need proof. Minutes later he hit me back with something I wasn't expecting to see - the image above. Where the fuck is the PS3 graphic? If you search Rockstar Games' support database, you'll only find an Xbox 360 version of GTAIV listed, not a PS3 one as well. It's been established that Grand Theft Auto IV is coming to both PlayStation 3, and the Xbox 360, but that each will have original downloadable content over time, so why wouldn't each be listed on their support page?

Has Microsoft worked its money magic yet again and stolen away another game from Sony's PS3? Well, Take Two Interactive, the publisher for the GTA series, isn't doing so well right now financially. In fact, they even postponed a financial meeting until tomorrow, where they're probably going to get a lot of shit from shareholders. That's where Lawl's theory kicks in - tomorrow is also the day that the GTAIV trailer is revealed, as well as the other half of Microsoft's big announcement - the first part of course being the not so surprising Xbox 360 Elite. Coincidence?

Thanks to Lawl on Arrogantics for the rumor tip. Has Microsoft really gained GTAIV as an exclusive title? This is obviously a huge rumor, and could be written off as simply careless site updating on Rockstar's behalf, but with the big puzzle pieces still missing in tomorrow's puzzle, it's time to play the speculation game. Your thoughts? Entirely possible? Pissed? Meh?

1UPs comparison

So the way they break it down is that the two are only $8 different in value. Kinda makes you look again at buying a PS3 eh?

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and TT Games Announce LEGO® BATMAN™: THE VIDEOGAME

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Will Publish Games On Multiple Platforms in 2008

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and TT Games will bring LEGO® BATMAN™: THE VIDEOGAME to next-generation and current generation platforms and the PC in 2008 with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment serving as the game’s North American publisher, including all sales and distribution functions.

In LEGO BATMAN: THE VIDEOGAME, TT Games brings the world of DC Comics’ Caped Crusader to life in an entirely new way. Players can explore a richly interactive LEGO Gotham City as Batman and Robin, capturing infamous villains – and even take control of the villains themselves.

“Batman spans several generations as one of the most popular DC Super Heroes, and LEGO BATMAN will appeal to several generations of gamers who grew up idolizing the Dark Knight and playing with LEGO toys,” said Samantha Ryan, Senior Vice President, Development and Production, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “Working with TT Games, we are confident they will continue their LEGO games’ success with this title, and we will expand our publishing endeavors with the introduction of the LEGO BATMAN franchise.”

“We’re sure our fans will be excited to know that we have the same fantastic team at Traveller’s Tales responsible for LEGO Star Wars and LEGO Star Wars II working on LEGO BATMAN,” said Tom Stone, Director of TT Games Publishing.

“There’s a special magic to the LEGO incarnation of Batman that makes him accessible to a younger generation of his fans," said Paul Levitz, President, DC Comics. “We look forward to the videogame version extending this fantasy.”

The LEGO BATMAN: THE VIDEOGAME story unfolds with Batman’s greatest foes escaping from Arkham Asylum and creating mayhem throughout Gotham City. Tracking criminals, including The Joker and The Penguin, players will utilize Batman’s gadgets as well as build and operate fantastic vehicles in one or two player cooperative gameplay.

Goody goody goody! I love the TT Lego games. I think them doing a Batman game is going to be lots of fun. I will be picking this one up for my 360, I can almost guarantee it!

You really don't need much transportation to get around in Crackdown. Swallow a few hundred agility orbs and leaping from one side of the map to the other is effortless. But, now that most gamers have started replaying the game simply due to lack of anything better to do until the Halo 3 beta goes online, the team at Real Time Worlds is prepping their downloadable content -- and it could include some surprises.

Speaking to Eurogamer, producer Phil Whilson mused on how they had originally ruled out including airborne vehicles into Crackdown because of the focus on player agility and possible engine limitations. At the end of development, however, they realized the engine could certainly handle allowing players to rule the skies:

"Since nothing's announced for the forthcoming downloadable content I have to be careful what I say about it, but flying vehicles are something that we initially decided to steer well clear of. As it happens that latter concern was irrelevant because, as you can see in the finished game, the existing engine can handle immense draw distances and rapid streaming... so airborne antics is definitely not off the table going forward."

Also arriving in an upcoming content patch are new game modes (including one co-op one that was actually influenced by a YouTube video) and the ability to reset gangs for players who'd rather continue playing with their current character, rather than starting over.

Being able to fly into a gang member and kill them would probably get me to play this game. But for now it is sitting in it's GameFly sleeve awaiting my decision of sending it back, or waiting for the Halo 3 Beta. What do you guys think? Will it be worth the wait?