EA have announced that they will be closing down even more of their online servers.

Almost all of the games having their servers closed down are pretty old ones that no one is really playing, well I assume that that’s why is closing them. The list includes a bunch of titles such as the Godfather for PS3 and Xbox 360 as well as Mercenaries 2 for PC, Lord of the Rings: Conquest for Xbox 360 and PS3 as well as Army of Two in Asia and for PS3 only.

You can see all of them here .

I guess that this all makes a lot of sense, you can’t keep running these servers forever, and especially not if there are only a handful of people ever using them. When are Microsoft and Activision going to be shutting down the servers for Halo 3 and Modern Warfare 2?

I hear that nobody plays those games anymore.

Source: VG247

One of the benefits of working in the industry is that you get to meet tons of PR people and industry insiders and I can tell you now that virtually every single one of them are great guys and girls. You do get the odd exception but in general it’s a nice industry to work in.

However the flip side to that is when you meet a hugely excited PR person who is actively trying to convince you that the crap they are peddling is the best thing since sliced bread, you like the person, you know they are just doing their job but sometimes you just want to grab them and shake some sense into them.

For instance… Sony’s John Koller has recently come out and stated that Sony is excited about the entrance of the iPad and do not see it as a threat to their portable gaming experience.

According to John

“Apple’s entrance into the portable gaming space has been a net positive for Sony,”

Say what?

“When people want a deeper, richer console, they start playing on a PSP”

… so while people are enjoying their touch sensitive games on the huge iPad screen they are going to think

“I know, lets try a smaller screen with no touch sensitivity to see how much better gaming can be”

You see I just don’t see it… I also doubt they are going to want to upgrade/downgrade to a Nintendo DS either seeing as the graphics will not be on par and the touchscreen isn’t even nearly as cool.

PR people, you gotta love them.

Source: Kotaku

We’ve seen all 3 console manufacturers sales figures, but let’s take a closer look at their year-on-year revenues, based on console and software sales figures. slightly alarming is that despite good sales on each platform, all 3 console makers saw a significant drop in revenue in 2009.

Both Microsoft and Nintendo seem to have suffered a loss in revenue – to the tune of about $200M -based on a lower console selling price, because they each sold more units than the year previous. Most alarming though was Sony’s $1.3 Billion drop in revenue over the previous year.

This is mostly due to the Playstation 2 becoming largely obsolete, and PS2 software revenues to the tune of an estimated $700 million no longer being applicable. With the PSP platform in decline – with regards to both hardware and software – the PS3 is doing pretty well and is now Sony’s primary earner, but the reduction in PS2 and PSP sales has overshadowed that triumph.

With regards to marketshare, Nintendo are unstoppable – now account for a full 50% of the video game console and handheld market, with both Sony and Microsoft having lost significant marketshare over the past two years. From this, one thing is clear; It’s time for Sony and Microsoft fanboys to put aside their differences and attack the real enemy – Nintendo. Oh, and PC gamers. The smug bastards.

Read more of the analysis over at Gamasutra

Ten-year-old Kade Goodman’s Christmas – and quite possibly his life – was ruined by the unfortunate sight of exposed male genitalia, when it was discovered that the used PSP he’d received for festivus contained an explicit picture of a penis.

The offending image was discovered by the lad’s 13 year old brother, who found it in the background images. Kade’s father Shon was rather upset by the ordeal.

“At first I thought it was a joke,” he said. “Maybe it will come off. But when I started getting into it and started to erase it and couldn’t, the more I thought about it, the madder I got.”

Unable to remove the picture they took the system back to CD Tradepost who – while they should’ve cleaned it completely before reselling it in the first place –  promptly cleared the image and gave the family a free game. 10 year old boys should never be exposed to the genitals of other men. Had the image been a lovely set of breasts though, I don’t think anyone would have really been too upset.

This wouldn’t be the first time a penis has ruined Christmas. Last Christmas I found out my girlfriend had a soft spot for my best mate. Unfortunately, it was her vagina.

Source : Kotaku.

Hideo Kojima strangely turned his back on the PS3 a few months back to develop the true Metal Gear Sequel on the PSP instead.

Apparently the reason for this was to target the youth of Japan but now after seeing how truly awesome Modern Warfare 2 is he has decided to reverse his decision and head back to the PS3.

But don’t get overly excited he is still planning on releasing Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker on the PSP in May before returning to the PS3 and more than likely heading the team that is currently developing Metal Gear Solid: Rising on the PS3.

Source: ConnectedConsoles

Hey, comic book fans! You remember how firmware 6.20 added a completely useless comic book reader to you PSP? Well, today it become un-useless, as the comic book service has gone live.

The US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and  – ohmigosh – South Africa now has access to a slew of digital comics from your favourite major and independant publishers to be read on your PSP, whether it be a Phat, Slim or PSP Go. Setting it all up is a breeze: Make sure your PSP is updated with the latest firmware (6.20) and click the Digital Comics icon under the “Extras” column on PSP’s XMB menu to install the application. From there you can browse the digital storefront from the comfort of your PSP.

If you’re a cheap bastard, there’s a range of free comics to get you started. You can browse the entire catalogue online, here.

Yesterday I posted that the 3.15 firmware update for the Playstation 3 was apparently on it’s way, and soon.

At the time I didn’t realise exactly how soon, as the update is now up and available for download. If you didn’t see the post yesterday, the basic update includes the ability to copy data across PS3’s using a network cable as well as the ability to play PSP Mini’s on your big-ass TV.

Sweet deal. Remember, it’s optional.

According to CVG, their internet ninja spies have uncovered information that Logitech is crafting an external peripheral that’ll allow existing PSP users use their extensive UMD collections on Sony’s new drive-less PSPGo!

The only problem, according to the source, is that the peripheral would make the sleek and sexy Go! a little bulky, nullifying its point, and making the regular PSP a smarter buy. While all 27 PSP Go! owners worldwide have been clamouring for a solution allowing them the use of their UMDs, I think the chance of this seeing release is slim. An external UMD drive would blow the doors off an already alarming PSP piracy problem – something Sony’s probably not exactly keen to let happen.

Source : CVG

A press release hit my inbox late yesterday that informed me of a rather peculiar announcement.

Why is it peculiar? Well, it’s because a new Prince of Persia has been announced, but isn’t the sequel to last years re-imagining. The new title goes by the name Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands.

It looks like Ubisoft will be blending in some of the control system from the previous game. What also surprised me is that it’s coming sooner than you might think.

Full details below.

Johannesburg, South Africa – November 30, 2009 – Today Ubisoft announced that Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands™ video game is in development and is scheduled to be released May 2010 for consoles and handhelds.

This new instalment in the critically-acclaimed franchise marks the return to the Prince of Persia® Sands of Time storyline. Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands™ will feature many of the fan-favorite elements from the original series as well as new gameplay innovations that gamers have come to expect from the Prince of Persia brand.

When I first saw the title I was almost sure that it was going to be an announcement for a new Prince of Persia based on the Jake Gyllenhaal movie set to release next year. Then again, we don’t have that many details yet, so you never know.

If it is, is it a good thing or a bad thing? You tell me. Let us know in the comments.

As you might be aware the PSP’s last firmware update included a Digital Comic reader which was a very exciting time for all PSP owning graphic novel fans.

Unfortunately the day was a bit of an anti-climactic experience as Sony forgot to release any actual comics at the same time which meant the functionality was entirely useless.

However that is about to be rectified with Sony giving away a free Star Trek comic and Destructoid being kind enough to create a video demonstrating the reader functionality.

The code to get your copy of the Star Trek comic is

724K-A4BG-JLD7

And for Transformers: All Hail Megatron #1 use

4R9A-AMB9-QR9M

But make sure you use it before the 16th of December to avoid disappointment and for some weird reason you can’t download the comic via the PS3 but have to download it directly to the PSP. I can only imagine that is to help thwart pirates.

Keep an eye on the local DigitalComics store for more free codes and news

Source: Destructoid