[Event + Update] Launch Event and the Day our PS3s Stayed Silent...

And so...it shall soon be the 9th March 2010...which means I'll soon be enjoying the delights of Final Fantasy XIII. Excellent!

To celebrate the launch of the newest major Final Fantasy game HMV are to host the official UK Final Fantasy XIII Launch Event at their store on Oxford Road in London. The games producer, Yoshinori Kitase and the games art director, Isamu Kamikokuryo will both be signing autographs at the event. Prizes can also be won by attendees.

I was tempted to attend from the second I heard the news, however, I live a fair trek away from London, and with my work being as it is at the moment, I wasn't too sure if I'd get the time off.

But...I'm pleased to say... I'll be there!!! I'm planning on interviewing a number of attendees on the day, as well as recording a video or two that will be posted on here (thanks to my friends Pete and Becky, who'll both also be attending).

In other news this week, Sony released a statement on March 1st 2010 asking Sony Playstation 3 users, (specifically owners of the older generation units, the 40, 60 and 80 GB units) to not switch their consoles on until further notice. The reason for this was down to a bug in the consoles firmware, causing users to become unable to access the Playstation Store, unable to play certain games and even corrupting some trophy data.

The full statement reads:

As you may be aware, some customers have been unable to connect to the PlayStation Network today. This problem affects the models other than the new slim PS3.

We believe we have identified that this problem is being caused by a bug in the clock functionality incorporated in the system.

Errors include:

• The date of the PS3 system may be re-set to Jan 1, 2000.

• When the user tries to sign-in to the PlayStation Network, the following message appears on the screen; “An error has occurred. You have been signed out of PlayStation Network (8001050F)”.

• When the user tries to launch a game, the following error message appears on the screen and the trophy data may disappear; “Failed to install trophies. Please exit your game.”

• When the user tries to set the time and date of the system via the Internet, the following message appears on the screen; “The current date and time could not be obtained. (8001050F)”

• Users are not able to playback certain rental video downloaded from the PlayStation Store before the expiration date.

Apparently this is down to the console thinking this year was a leap year (when it obviously isn't). Early the next day, Sony released another statement, stating that users can now continue using their console as normal:

"We are aware that the internal clock functionality in the PS3 units other than the slim model, recognized the year 2010 as a leap year. Having the internal clock date change from February 29 to March 1 (both GMT), we have verified that the symptoms are now resolved and that users are able to use their PS3 normally. If the time displayed on the XMB is still incorrect, users are able to adjust time settings manually or via the internet. If we have new information, we will update you through the PlayStation.Blog or PlayStation.com."

Oh dear... I'm no hardware/software programmer, but this seems like quite an oversight that can be traced back to before the PS3 hit the shelves. The timing of this couldn't have been worse for some people, as a couple of my friends found themselves unable to play this weeks top selling PS3 exclusive, Heavy Rain.

Owners of the newer Slim PS3 units were completely unaffected.

With thanks to Eurogamer and The Guardian Blog.

[Announcement] Blast Off!!

That venture I mentioned in the previous post? It's gone live!!

Blast Process is a new blog written and created by Michael Davies, Tom Parry and myself. We're going to be looking back at old retro titles, remakes of retro titles on Xbox Live/Playstation Store/WiiWare as well as current generation games.

Since the sites gone live, Tom's taken a peek at the new Sonic 4 after new footage had leaked online while I've done a small preview of the upcoming remake of Perfect Dark. Mike however, has made a mysterious discovery in the site's first video, in an un-boxing video of the new Alien vs Predator Hunter Edition.

Make sure you pop by and check it out!

[News] Feeling Nostalgic?

I've been lucky enough to join a couple of friends on a new online venture, a blog which will hopefully bring back memories you may have of some old classic titles as well as some more up to date ones!

Think classic videogame reviews, news on upcoming Xbox Live/WiiWare/Playstation Store arcade games...and so much more.

I'll be posting a link in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

[News] Decision, Decisions....

Usually it’s just before Christmas when we struggle to buy, and then play a barrage of new releases. Last year however, many of the games we were expecting to play over the Christmas holidays were delayed until this year. I believe it was something to do with Modern Warfare 2...

So, here we are, nearing the middle of February...and already we've had big releases, Bayonetta, Mass Effect 2 and the recently released Bioshock 2 to name but three. And it only gets busier, with Aliens Vs Predator, Final Fantasy XIII and Pokémon Heart Gold/Soul Silver meaning regardless of what consoles you play or own their shall be something new to purchase and enjoy.

[Preview] Return of (a Little Known) Hero - Rocket Knight Preview

Last night I was given the chance to play the trial version of Rocket Knight, which is a new title being developed by Climax Studios for Xbox 360, PC and PS3. I originally posted an article a few months back when the game was announced. Will it meet my expectations?