As you all know, we have been involving you, the lovely Three Speech community, in writing articles for Three Speech. Here is another one for you… DolphGB is Editor-in-Chief at PS3 Attitude, in his own words ‘a UK-based daily news site that stamps on the bones of speculation and instead concentrates on reporting what is really happening in the wonderful world of the PlayStation 3′. Their scarily accurate PS3 Attitude Calendar helps you to determine the real launch dates for software and hardware releases as well as giving you the heads-up on worldwide events and exhibitions. Also check their monthly ‘Big Three’ feature and GameFlirt Chart which details happenings in the world of UK PS3 game rental. Be good to know your thoughts on this one…

According to all the recent research, it seems that the average age of ‘the gamer’ is 33.

This is great news for me, since if you’re the ‘average gamer’ (or a little over-average like me) this article is all about games that you should have played at some point in your life. If you do happen to be too young for the titles in this story, think of it as an education of what used to float our boat back in the ’80s.

The PSN is all about easily accessible games that are simple to play. Just look at the brilliance of games like Everyday Shooter, Super Stardust HD, PAIN and Warhawk.

Of course, Super Stardust HD is a remake of an old Amiga title I used to play. Warhawk is similarly an old IP brought back to life.

So when I was looking for games that could be re-imagined for the PSN I decided on a few criteria that would be most important; they should be instantly accessible, they have to be fun, they need to have been loved in the past by many and they should be able to be remade in a small, downloadable package.

So sit back, relax and read about the top 5 games from my youth I’d like to see re-imagined for the PlayStation Network.

Read more…

The European box art for Konami’s up and coming sneak-fest Metal Gear Solid 4 has found its way onto the internet, sporting a similar design to the covers of previous titles by featuring Old Snake in concept sketch style. New details on the game’s cut scenes have also recently been revealed. The game is said to contain cut scenes that last 30+ minutes, all of which are real time. Some cut scene are even interactive, with players being able to alter the camera angle of the scene.

If you haven’t already seen this April fools joke clip of Metal Gear Solid 4 yet then make sure you check it out. This also shows some unseen in game footage of MGS4.

We can’t wait for this one.

The latest PSP firmware is now out and enables two new features. First up is a PSP/PS3 connectivity feature that means gamers can now turn off their PS3 after leaving remote play, rather than leaving the unit in stand-by mode. Secondly, gamers now have the ability to customize PSone control settings when playing those titles on the PSP. If you don’t have the new firmware here is the link.

Official details below:-

* You can now quit Remote Play and choose to turn off your PS3 or leave it on after quitting. This is useful if you are performing a download and want to quit Remote Play, but still want your download to continue on the PS3. Select [Quit and Turn Off the PS3 System] or [Quit Without Turning Off the PS3 System] from [Quit Remote Play] when you press the HOME button on the PSP system.

* While playing PSone games on your PSP, you can now customize how the buttons are assigned by going to [Controller Settings] > [Assign Buttons] and select [Custom].

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue has managed to hold on to the number one spot in the UK charts for a second week running, something that no other game has been able to do since February.

The latest European sales numbers at VGchartz.com show that GT5P (Blu-ray) sold 402,093 copies in its first week of release, with week two figures currently at 268,198.

These figures do not include PSN sales or the million European pre-orders the game received. Very impressive indeed although we’re not surprised as, let’s be honest, it is amazing.

Keri Allan returns with number two in our series of TS Trumps. This time it’s the turn of Metal Gear Solid hero, Solid Snake.

For many, Solid Snake IS stealth gaming. First appearing in 1987 (yes we can’t believe it was that long ago either!) the original Metal Gear Solid (MGS) game was a runaway hit with its focus on stealth and survival using only your wits and a cardboard box.

Since then we’ve seen Snake spawn a little empire of his own, appearing in six of the seven main MGS games - his dad Naked Snake takes the main role for his own in MGS 3 - and also leaving the bosom of Sony’s PlayStation to appear in the port of the original game on the NES, and to cameo in Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros Brawl, where they loved him so much they even dedicated a level design to him.

Read more…

As you all probably know, Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi has revealed that a major update is coming for GT5P later in the year with the prospect of damage being one function held within it. Is this the best racing sim ever???

CVG

I was racing my colleague in the office on GT5P this morning and I got to thinking, could this be the one game I couldn’t live without??? What would be yours?

Killer Dr3w is a self-described ‘mature 30-year old gamer’ and contributor to Three Speech that many of you already know. His Killer Dr3w blog is his place to speak his mind so if you enjoy this get over there and take a look. Over to Dr3w…

Over the last few months the most requested feature for the XMB has got to be in-game messaging and custom sound tracks. It’s got to the point where I haven’t even seen any other feature requested for months. I thought I would throw my Top-10 users’ XMB feature requests out there to get a healthy discussion on other things that the XMB and the PS3 needs.

I am sure that a few of these feature requests are going to be made redundant when Home and in-game XMB does eventually come out, but I am also pretty sure some of these features are for will still be outstanding this time next year…

Read more…

Condemned 2 looks vile, truly vile. But vile is good right? We have three copies of the game to give away and three lovely exclusive t-shirts to go with each. Answer the following question and email your answer to blog@threespeech.com and if your name is pulled out of the hat next Thursday the game and a t-shirt will be yours. Put Condemned 2 in the subject of your email please people.

In Condemned 2 you are on the trail of a psychotic serial killer - but what is his name? Is it…

a) SK8
b) SKX
c) E17

This competition is open to UK residents only and you must be over 18 to enter.

Click through to see the t-shirt.

Read more…

Joe Bennett, who contributes to a number of websites, including the Totally Network, questions whether the industry has a bit of an inferiority complex when it comes to size.

As a homeowner, husband, holder of two jobs (writer and online marketer) and a person of many varied interests, I’m not against the idea of a short game. If a fellow reviewer mentions that a game is too short and knocks a point off the score just for that, I instantly add the point back on. For me the experience is far more important; if the game took me through a journey of different emotions, if it made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck and if it left me fulfilled yet still wanting more and counting down the days to the expansion pack or sequel, then that game has delivered. Whether it lasted three hours or 30 hours would be completely irrelevant, as either one would be worth experiencing in my opinion.

Read more…