According to IGN , Ubisoft has confirmed the release date of “Child of Eden” for the PS3, which will be on September 20th. The late release for the PlayStation 3 will have move support and will sell for $49.99.

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Child of Eden release date and price confirmed

First of all, be warned, as this is a long post and its many inquiries might feel unanswered at end, but if you also feel like the industry is increasing the size of the cookie factory and you keep getting the same batch of bland chocolate chip cookies, you might like it. Without further ado, let’s begin: What is the most innovative game you’ve seen lately? That’s a question I won’t try to answer at this point, I’ll let you guys think about it for a couple of minutes… OK, so what is the first thing that came up on your mind? Not so simple, isn’t it? I’ve noticed (and probably most others have) that the most noteworthy titles these days are sequels, and that got me thinking, is that all we want to see? I own a very small collection of PS3 games (about 16) and astonishingly, 50% of those games are sequels to games featured in the same platform; if I consider sequels to a series, that number jumps to 70%. It’s incredible how many developers we’ve seen lately seem so scared of trying something different. If you just think about your “top 10″ most expected titles this year, you’ll see what I’m talking about. Probably 90% of those games are sequels. Just as alarming is the time frame those sequels are being released. A good example is the Assassins Creed franchise. The first game released November 2007, the second, greatly improved, November 2009, the third, which brought nothing new except multiplayer, came a year later, and yet, another sequel is coming this November. This is debatable, but there isn’t that much difference between the titles and the story (which started strong) just felt rushed on the 3rd title. Who’s to blame? Should we not buy rushed titles or should they not be released? As a (industrial) designer I’ve come to accept the concept of a collective imagination, where people from the same society or group come to think alike and have similar ideas and references. I think games are very much similar. If we just go back a little and think about the time when inFamous came out, you’ll all remember a similar game called Prototype, both games shared many ideas, from story to gameplay (I haven’t played Prototype, so I’m speculating based on what I’ve seen and read about it). Many other games share mechanics just like those two, for example Bioshock and Mass Effect both feature the capacity to wield powers and guns at the same time (released September and May 2007 respectively). In the same way games share concepts, mechanics that worked for a title will be seen in many games. Sneak attacks, silent take downs, and cover are most sure to play a part in any shooter (and many other genres as well) these days, but this wasn’t the case not that many years ago. Multiplayer and creation tools are also becoming more and more common, but most of the time, it might feel rushed and shallow. Mere numbers used to measure the “greatness” of a game. It would be unwise not to mention Little Big Planet, a game where all kinds of crazy things can happen. This might be one of the most creative games of the last 5 years (that I’ve played at least), and it came as a fresh breeze to one of the oldest game genres of all times. However, that by itself isn’t as impressive as what became of it, with support from thousands of players worldwide creating content for it and therefore it came the be one of the most creativity inducing games I know. The funny thing here is, it’s not really the game that’s awesome, but what we players make from it. In a recent post, people discussed the importance of small developers to the market and I would say huge. With online stores like the AppStore or XBLA and PSN “anyone” can release a game, and what really separates those is how different they feel and how unique they are. An easy way to look at it is just think about how many “artistic” titles we can find on those places, games like Journey, Flower or Sword & Sorcery (iOS) are most definitely a “work of art” and that’s an “easy” way to make a statement of each game’s uniqueness. We’re going though stale waters and I really believe it’s time to stir things up. The small fishes can only do so much to move this giant boat. We should rely on the big developers to turn on their engines and venture into unknown waters. Instead, they seem to prefer keeping their big whales in captivity and extracting every single ounce of Ambergris from them (those who like Futurama should understand). I guess we should ask ourselves, is it worth the risk? I can tell you for sure it does, if it wasn’t for brave men who would cross the oceans looking for the unknown, we might not be here today (this ends my navigation metaphor). So, my friends, I’ll ask again, what is the most innovative game you’ve seen lately? All I can tell you is I have no idea and I believe no one does, so I invite you to discuss this question (and this overly inquiring article) here and we might even come to a conclusion (though I very much doubt it). I’ll leave you to the following thought: true innovation might be gone but imagination has always been (and will always be) the gamers most important resource when experiencing a game, so at least as long as we can hold on to it, we will always have something new and fresh to look for.

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Is There a Place Left for Innovation ?

In an article from develop-online.net , Yoshida has been quoted saying that we must support our smaller garage developers or the industry will stall in innovation. This was said with the Playstation Vita in mind. He went on to say that the dev kits for the Vita were kept inexpensive so that smaller devs could more easily obtain them and that they could make some amazing games even just using a small portion of the control schemes the Vita offers. What does this mean for us? It means we could see a vast library of smaller, cheaper games akin to the iPhone today. Regardless of what the future holds, we can honestly say that Yoshida is a guy that “gets it” when it comes to gamers and the industry.

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SCE Chief Shuhei Yoshida Says Industry Innovation Will Stall Without Supporting Our Smaller Devs

Konami has finally announced that Castlevania Harmony of despair will be landing this summer on PSN! The PR statement Says it all: El Segundo, Calif. – July 7st, 2011 – Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced that Castlevania Harmony of Despair will be coming to the PlayStation®Network later this summer. Players will now have the opportunity to be reunited with Dracula featuring fast paced, 2D side scrolling action that the series has become known for with a new local 4 player co-op mode added to compliment the excising 6 player online co-op mode already in place. Also added into the PlayStation version is the “Beauty, Desire, Situation Dire” Map pack, which is known as the Pyramid of Ruin level as well as downloadable characters Julius Belmont and Yoko Belnades, all available with the regular purchase of the game. In Castlevania Harmony of Despair, fan favorite vampire hunters from throughout the series come together in order to return Dracula to his eternal slumber. Joining forces with friends on the PlayStation Network, up to six players can explore massive levels inspired by the worlds of Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin and Order of Ecclesia via online co-op play. Players will also be able to join in on the fun locally as a new 4 player local co-op mode has been added to the PlayStation version. As players employ their cooperative skills to unleash devastating attacks and fight the forces of darkness, they can discover hidden locations, special items and equipment to help in their quest. Fearless players can even choose to engage in competitive Survival Mode with friends to and determine the best slayer of evil. Featuring detailed 2D art and now including bonus content in the form of map and character packs on the first day, Castlevania Harmony of Despair will provide players with a thrilling, next generation gaming experience coupled with the classic Castlevania aesthetic. Castlevania Harmony of Despair will be available this summer on the PlayStation Network. For more information, please visit www.konami.com The Multiplayer and classic Castlevania feel should make this a must have for any fan of the original series. Source: Gamingeverything / Konami

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Castlevania Harmony of Despair finally hitting PS3

If you thought the wait for the PSN to return was painful. People in Japan are still without use of the PlayStation Network. But it will finally be restored this Wednesday .

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PlayStation Network Services To Be Restored In Japan This Wednesday

According to a news report in Japan. A 19 year old unemployed Japanese man threatened to blow up a train station for reasons unknown. What is known however is that the man used his PlayStation 3 to write the message in Japanese bulletin board. Authorities traced the man’s IP address and they discovered that he used his PlayStation to write and send the message. The threat read “”Tomorrow, I will blow up Hiroshima Station.” The next day, he was arrested. Source: Nikkasports Japan

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19 Year Old Arrested For Using PlayStation 3 To Make Bomb Threats

The NHL 12 cover The 2011 iteration of the annual National Hockey League awards show, held in inexplicably a desert Las Vegas, Nevada, was filled with embarrassments. “Comedian” Jay Mohr made a bunch of unfunny comments, two ladies mispronounced Martin St. Louis’ name (it’s “ Mar-TAN Saint lou-EE “, not “ Mar-TIN Saint lou-IS “. It’s a French name.), and that horrible “Like a G6″ band, the Far East Movement, played “music”. Oh, and some hockey players got trophies. Besides that, Electronic Arts revealed the coverboy of their yearly NHL simulation: Steven Stamkos, the young cetreman of the Tampa Bay Lightning (personally, I was more partial to my own Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins, but at least I get this nice fake cover to comfort me ). Anyway, Stamkos was selected first overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Lightning, and since then the Lightning have improved drastically, coming within a hair of knocking out my Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Finals (thank god they didn’t). In the 2010-2011 season, Stamkos played in all 82 games, scoring 45 goals and netting 46 assists for 91 points. He had an even better 2009-2010 season, scoring 51 goals and 44 assists for 95 points. Since 2K’s NHL series seems to be dying a slow and horrible death on the Wii, EA’s NHL series will be the only PS3 hockey sim for the second straight year. As Madden has shown us all, without competition between two developers developing yearly sports titles, stagnation in the yearly game occurs. Here’s hoping that 2K can come back and compete with EA. North American NHL cover athletes since only one player began appearing on the cover: NHL 97: John Vanbiesbrouck, Goalie, Florida Panthers NHL 98: Peter Forsberg, Center, Colorado Avalanche NHL 99: Eric Lindros, Center, Philadelphia Flyers NHL 2000: Chris Pronger, Defense, St. Louis Blues NHL 2001: Owen Nolan, Right-Wing, San Jose Sharks NHL 2002: Mario Lemieux, Center, Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 2003: Jarome Iginla, Right-Wing, Calgary Flames NHL 2004: Dany Heatley, Wing, Atlanta Thrashers (original release) , Joe Sakic, Centre Colorado Avalanche (re-release) NHL 2005: Markus Naslund, Left-Wing, Vancouver Canucks NHL 06: Vincent Lecavalier, Center, Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 07: Alexander Ovechkin, Left-Wing, Washington Capitals NHL 08: Eric Staal, Center, Carolina Hurricanes NHL 09: Dion Phaneuf, Defense, Calgary Flames NHL 10: Patrick Kane, Right-Wing, Chicago Blackhawks NHL 11: Jonathan Toews, Center, Chicago Blackhawks NHL 12: Steven Stamkos, Center, Tampa Bay Lightning For more awesome fake NHL covers, check out this guy over at PicturePush .

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NHL 12 Cover Athlete: Steven Stamkos

Mortal Kombat’s first kombatant DLC, Skarlet, is now available for download on PlayStation Network. Skarlet comes with a unique move set and two fatalities. You can pick up this bloody kombatant on the PlayStation Network for $4.99, or US PSN members can try their luck and win a code here. I will randomly select one winner this Friday, June 24, 2011, at approximately 3:30 PM Pacific daylight time. To enter, all you need to do is re-tweet the following on Twitter, make sure you are following @PS3blogdotnet, and then leave a comment here saying you did so, with your Twitter name: @PS3blogdotnet is giving away a US #MortalKombat #Skarlet DLC RT, Follow, and see http://bit.ly/jrRZ13 to win!!

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Mortal Kombat: Skarlet Now Available (Win Her Here)

I listened to a local news story about how video games are causing marital issues. They reported that 15% of women say their husbands’ obsession with gaming is cause for their divorce. It was only 5% a year ago in the same survey. I think part of this is due to them not working out the real issues in their marriage, or maybe it’s just that some guys are really addicted to games and don’t care about anything else. If you are playing games for 8+ hours every day, and your aren’t getting paid to do it, I think that’s a little much for a married guy. Unless your wife if out of town. Then get in all the gaming you can! I’m married myself and I don’t game as much anymore. More so because I’m busy with other things; having less money to spend on games is a issue as well, but I also make time to spend with my wife. When I do play games, it’s usually when my wife is working on her own project or is out of the house. Sometimes she works on her projects on the couch and I sit by her and play my games. We do play together, but that’s a rare thing. The game we’ve been playing together lately is Pac-Man Championship Edition DX. She also plays her own games on the computer from time to time, like the classic Burger Time or Reversi . Honestly, I think wives are to eager to attack their husbands for playing video games because they already have a bad rap, so it’s an easy target. They need to be understanding that this is something men enjoy, and to let them have their gaming time. Men don’t complain about when their wife does scrap booking, watching soaps, shopping (unless they get to go with, noooooo), Facebook, etc. But that doesn’t mean husbands can spend all their time gaming and leave no time for their wife either. There needs to be a balance, it’s up to you to find that balance. Better yet, try to get her to play games with you! How do you get your gaming time in? Does your wife bother you about your gaming or is she more understanding? What are your thoughts on this matter?

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Are Video Games Causing Marital Trouble?

Fallout: New Vegas’s third DLC, Old World Blues will be released on the PlayStation 3 on Tuesday, July 19th. “Prior to release, we will release a new title update for New Vegas. Along with adding support for Old World Blues, the update will bring improvements to performance and stability in major areas.” For three new screens from this DLC, hit the jump.

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Fallout: New Vegas’s: Old World Blues Available July 19th