Soulcalibur IV cheats

Unlockable Honors

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Honors are basically Achievements without adding points to your gamerscore. You can use them to unlock things in the game.

10,000 Strikes of Proof - Land 10,000 attacks.
Chosen by History - Create a Custom Character.
Death on the Battlefield - Perform 100 Critical Finishes.
Distance will not Betray - Reach over 10,000 meters in total movement distance in battle.
Divine Punishment - K.O. with an Unblockable Attack.
Encounter with the Unknown - Fight against Darth Vader. (vs. mode doesn't count)
Endure 1,000 - Guard 1,000 times against attacks.
Engraved into History - Fight 100 times (Online).
Equal Skill and Power - Use all skill points and set up 4 skills.
First Step as an Artist - Customize a regular character.
Gathering of the Best - Complete CHAIN OF SOULS.
Gladiator - Win consecutive Ranked Matches (Online).
Hero King - Level up to 20 (Online).
Hero on the Battlefield - Clear ARCADE MODE with over 450,000 points.
Iron Hammer - Land an attack on a taunting opponent.
Legendary Hidden Treasures - Acquire over 30 treasures in TOWER OF LOST SOULS.
Like a Flowing Stream - Perform 200 Impacts.
Looter of the Battlefield - Collect all accessories.
Lost in the Moment - Perform 20 Just Impacts.
Mad Destroyer - Perform 100 Soul Crushes.
Mystery of the Swords - Clear STORY MODE on difficulty: HARD.
Never Ending Advance - Descend 20 floors in TOWER OF LOST SOULS.
Numeric God - The last two numbers of total play time and remaining time in a victorious battle are the same.
Observer of Souls - Collect all illustrations in Art Gallery.
Phoenix - Win with all equipment destroyed.
Pursuer of the Secret - Clear STORY MODE on difficulty: NORMAL.
Quick Strike - Perform 5 First Attacks in a row in Arcade.
Repel All Blades - Win 30 times with a perfect.
Return to the Galaxy - Clear STORY MODE with Darth Vader.
Reversal Wizard - Win 20 times with low HP.
Scorpion's Sting - Win a battle with Critical Finish.
Sharpened Teeth - Maximize a style's level.
Smasher - Destory all of the opponent's equipment.
Start of a New Era - Welcome to the new world of SOUL CALIBUR! (Automatically award for playing)
Swift Strike - Perform 100 First Attacks.
Sword Hunter - Collect all weapons for 5 characters.
The Controller - Get Soul Calibur (Final Form).
Tower of Gold - All is shrouded in mystery. (Collect 1,000,000 gold)
Tower's New Guardian - Clear all upper floors of TOWER OF LOST SOULS.
Transcend History and the World - Acquire all weapons and equipment.
Two Cannot Exist Together - Exhaust each other's power.
Unknown Swordsman - Win 10 times (Online).
Violent Storm - Perform 50 Wall Hits.
Wandering Assassin - K.O. opponent with over 20 types of weapons.
Wandering Weapon Merchant - Collect 350 pieces of equipment.
War Veteran - Clear ARCADE MODE.
Water Moon - Perform 30 grapple breaks.
Wild Run to Tragedy - Get Soul Edge (Final Form).
World Class Fighter - Fight against 20 different fighting styles (Online).
World Traveler - Fight on all stages (Online).

Ascending - Tower Of Lost Souls Items

01f Soldier's Hat - Clear stage while taking no damage
02f Warrior Trousers - Clear stage with no ring outs from either side
03f Pauldron - Switch with ally more than 2 times
04f Warlord's Belt - Perform 3 attack throws
05f Clergy Clothes - Defeat an enemy with a ring out
06f Wonder Jacket - Throw an opponent
07f Warrior Trousers - Clear the stage without missing any attacks
08f Armor Ring: Ice Mirror - Switch characters twice
09f Scarlett Blossoms - Guard against the opponent's attack 3 times in a row
10f Silver Boots - Guard the opponent's attack 10 times in a row
11f Grim Horn - Defeat all enemies with a critical finish
12f Magus Cloth - Defeat all enemies with ring outs
13f Pegasus Sallet - Destroy all the walls
14f Stage: Phantom Pavilion Seesaw - Perform gaurd impact more than 3 times
15f Submissions Belt - Clear the stage using only the A and G buttons
16f Warlord's Belt - Clear the stage with 0 time remaining
17f Arm Bandages - Execute a 5+ combo
18f Kouchu Kabuto - Stand on all corners of the stage
19f Longhua Qippo - Switch with ally more than 5 times
20f Life gem: Sun - Clear the stage with a critical finish
21f Longhua Qippo - Voluntarily ring yourself out
22f Honor Boots - Perform more than 4 counter hits
23F Frilled Skirt - Guard more than 3 times in a row
24f Protect Gem: Cardinal Directions - Perform a combo with more than 240 damage
25f Zhuque Changpao - Throw more than 5 times
26f Warthog Cuirass - Execut a 10+ combo
27f Iron Gauntlets - Clear the stage with no damage taken
28F Aculeus Suit - Opponent guards a guard break attack at least twice
29f Menghu Boots - Switch with ally 5+ times
30f Spirit Gem: Noniple Heads - Clear stage without guarding
31f Longming Qippo - Perform 5+ Just Inputs
32f Vane Mask - Perform a low throw
33f Battle dress - Perform 3 attack throws
34f Power Gem: Warrior Princess - Perform guard impact 3+ times
35f Warthog Pauldrons - Clear without switching
36f Parlor Blouse - Clear stage with 0 time remaining
37f Siren's Helm - Defeat all enemies with critical finishes
38f Gorgon Fauld - Defeat all enemies with ring out
39f Kingfisher Greaves - Clear the stage without changing position
40f Deer Head - Execute a 5+ combo
41f Minotaur - Perform 5+ Just Inputs
42f Demonic Gloves - Clear the stage without letting opponents invoke a skill
43f Repel Gem: Iron Shell - Perform an over the back throw
44f War Cloak - No ring outs either side
45f Tiger Lily Kabuto - Defeat enemies without using any skills
46f Butterfly salet - Defeat enemies without using any skills
47f Succubus Boots - Throw 5 times
48f Life Dem:Jade - Clear stage with a character equipped with the "invisible" skill
49f Horns of Calamity - Clear stage with no attacks missing
50f Tiger Lily Breastplates - Execute a 10+combo
51f Tiger Lily Fauld - Perform more than 4 counterhits
52f Feathered Wings - Clear stage with a critical finish
53f Blade Ring: Demon Lord - Defeat all enemies with a ring out
54f Leviathan Paoldron - Destroy all the walls
55f Priestess Kimono - Perform 3 attack throws
56f Leviathan Burgonet - Perform a combo with more than 240 damage
57f Voodoo Armlets - Voluntarily perform a ring out
58f Tiger Pauldrons - Defeat all enemies without any skills equipped
59f Voodoo Greaves - Guard an enemies attack 10 times in a row
60f Voodoo Breastplate - Clear the stage without switching character

Descending - Tower Of Lost Souls Items

B05 - Dark Knight's Cloak
B10 - Blade Ring: Raging Thunder
B15 - Lapin Chapeau
B20 - Repel Gem: Fox Demon
B25 - Succubus Gauntlets
B30 - Demonic Armor
B35 - Demonic Pauldrons
B40 - Voodoo Crown

Rewards For Unlocking Honors

Advanced Equipment - Earn 20 honors
All Weapons - Clear Story mode with that Character
Animal Head Equipment - Earn 25 honors
Basic Equipment - Earn 5 honors
Intermediate Equipment - Earn 15 honors
Leviathan and Voodoo Equipment - Earn 30 honors
More Equipment - Earn 10 honors

Unlockable Characters

Algol - Beat Story mode with a character that faces him as the last boss (Mitsurugi, Taki, etc)
Amy - Purchase her in the Character Creation for 4000 gold
Angol Fear - Defeat her in Story Mode
Ashlotte - Defeat her in Story Mode
Cervantes - Purchase him in the Character Creation for 4000 gold
Hong Yun-seong - Purchase him in the Character Creation for 4000 gold
Kamikirimusi - Defeat her in Story Mode
Rock - Purchase him in the Character Creation for 4000 gold
Scheherazade - Defeat her in Story Mode
Seong Mi Na - Highlight and purchase for 4000 gold
Setsuka - Highlight and purchase for 4000 gold
Shura - Defeat her in Story Mode
Sophitia - Purchase her in the Create a Soul mode for 4000 Gold.
Talim - Buy her for 4000 gold in Character Creation mode.
The Apprentice - Beat Arcade mode with Yoda
Yoshimitsu - Highlight and purchase for 4000 gold
Zasalamel - Buy him for 4000 gold in Character Creation mode.

9 things you didn’t know about SoulCalibur IV

1. The classic Story mode is gone.

Remember that whole “trekking across the world” thing? You’d choose the next location and there would be some crazy rules for each match, like “you’ve been poisoned” or “the arena is made of quicksand” or “avoid the burning rats”? It was brilliant, and considered by many to be the best story mode in the history of fighting games. Yeah, that’s been thrown out. So has Chronicles of the Sword mode from SCIII, in which you moved your fighters around the map like a strategy board game.

Instead, every character has a unique storyline that takes them through a whopping (or not) five or six matches – so it’s not even as long as arcade mode. And while the plotlines are unique, the actual fights tend to follow very similar themes as far as number of enemies fought per match, location, final boss and so on. It’s not as good as before.

Luckily, there’s also the Tower of Lost Souls mode, which is basically a never-ending series of matches with unusual conditions, very similar to the old story mode. But it’s not as good as the old story mode either.

2. PS3 owners are going to want to install it.

15-20 seconds of loading before story matches might not seem like a long time, but when you’re waiting to shove a lightsaber down Ivy’s cleavage, it might as well be an hour.

3. There are more than 30 characters, but somehow there are still some missing.

Obviously, Link, Spawn, and Heihachi from Soulcalibur II are gone, but they’re not the only ones.

Edge Master? Absent. Inferno? AWOL. That bizarre owl-headed dude Olcadan? Off delivering letters for Harry Potter, apparently.

Hwang’s been hung out to dry. Charade is gone. Necrid’s nowhere. Arthur, the katana-wielding Mitsurugi-alike from SCIII (and also the Korean version of the first SC, we’re told by the internet) has vanished, and almost none of the zillion minor characters from SCIII, like Abelia, Luna, Abyss, Chester and Strife, have returned.

4. We take it back – Link IS in the game. He’s just dressed in drag.

Okay, we’re kidding, but take a look at elf-eared, rune-foreheaded anime princess Scheherazade and tell us she’s not hiding out from some RPG. It’s pretty obvious she was designed by a guest artist (a famous one in Japan, actually).

5. Some of the new characters are considered scrubs, even by the game.

Angol Fear (not to be confused with Algol, the new boss), Shura, Ashlotte, Kamikirimusi, and Scheherazade don’t get their own portraits on the character select screen – they’re all just under a single tile called “extra characters”. They also have fewer customization options and you can’t select their fighting styles when you’re creating your own character.

It’s probably because they’re mostly just palette swaps of existing characters (Shura is just Cervantes with lady parts, for example), but it’s still odd, especially because Shura’s story definitely seems to be setting her up as a major player in the next game.

6. The Secret Apprentice is Luke Skywalker’s brother.

Maybe. The game doesn’t state this explicitly and we’ve no idea how it could be explained in canon – it’s not like cloning is an epidemic in the Star Wars universe or anything, right? And LucasArts claims the face of Darth Vader’s secret apprentice Starkiller is modeled after that of his voice actor Sam Witwer. So there’s evidence against our theory, we’ll admit.

However, after all that is said, all we see and hear when playing as Starkiller is Hayden Christiansen, only cooler, almost like how we wanted Anakin Skywalker to be. Now, what movies has Hayden been in lately?

7. Random characters aren’t entirely random.

In SOULCALIBUR III, the randomly generated combatants often utilized weapons and fighting styles that none of the main characters possessed. Now, while their appearances still vary greatly, their skills and weapon are always cut-and-pasted from one of the existing characters. It’s probably better balanced this way, though.

8. Yoda is totally coming to PS3 and Darth Vader is totally coming to Xbox 360.

Another educated hypothesis (and it’s been rumored for ages) but you know what’s odd about the character selection screen? That empty panel between Darth Vader and Starkiller on the PS3 version, and right near Yoda and Starkiller on 360. It’s the only empty panel left. Why would Namco leave that blank, we wonder? Oh well. Maybe a downloadable character will show up at some point…

9. There’s nudity

We can’t believe we weren’t playing it on our office video capture rig when this happened, but during one match against a randomly-generated opponent, we saw an ass. Not the kind of smooth, exquisitely-curved female badonkadonk some of us are willing to pay good money to see on the intertubes. No, we’re talking about a big, meaty, hairy man ass.

It was sneaky - our opponent was wearing some sort of long, chain mail-like leggings and a long shirt. But when he did a spinning kick there was no mistaking it: they were actually chaps and our boy was going commando.

Eventually, we realized that TECHNICALLY, this isn't nudity - it's a leather diaper that's part of the chain mail costume. But we say, if it looks like nudity at full speed and grosses everybody out when you see a big, ogre-ish man wearing it, it's close enough.

How To play Sony PlayStation (PSX) Games on your PC

Wikipedia says that “an emulator duplicates the functions of one system, using a different system, so that the second system behaves like (and appears to be) the first system.” This means that we can make our PC mimic a specific system, which thereby enables us to run those system-specific games on our computers.

In this series, we’ll take a closer look at the software needed to run PSX, PS2 and Xbox games on your PC. This time we’ll discuss Sony’s Playstation (PSX) and the ePSXe emulation software.

Part One - PlayStation 1

A lot of people had fun with the first PlayStation, including me, and we can’t seem to get rid of it (in a good way). All of the original PlayStation games were playable on the PlayStation 2, and most of them on the PLAYSTATION 3. These days you can even play them on your PSP, so why not on our PC as well?

To play Playstation 1 games on your PC, you need to download a program called ePSXe.

Step 1 - Download and install ePSXe

The latest version can always be found here.

As there’s no installer, you just have to unzip it in the folder of your choice. You’ll also want some shortcuts, so right-click on the ‘ePSXe.exe’, ‘send to’ and choose ‘desktop’.

Step 2 - Getting the PSX’s BIOS

The installation is far from complete though, as this is only the base of the emulator. Among the other things we’re going to need are the PSX’s BIOS files. These are essential for the emulation, but there is a catch.

You are only allowed to own these files if you also own a PSX. Make Use Of does NOT encourage piracy!

You can obtain the BIOS in two ways. You can dump it from your PSX, but that is the long route. You can also download it somewhere (direct link here), but again, only if you actually own a PSX.

We’ll extract these files in the \bios directory (you can also delete the ‘erase.me’ file)

Step 3 - Getting image

Again, we are not ready yet. Next we need the video plug-in.

There’s a wide variety of video plug-ins available, and (depending on your graphics card) some might work better for you than others, so I can’t tell you which one to use. I can point you in the right direction though, as Pete’s and P.E.Op.S. plug-ins have made a good name for themselves. If these do not work (well), try out a few and see which works best (all Linux plug-ins are at the bottom of the page).

We’re going to extract the downloaded package(s) into the \plugins directory. You might need to overwrite the ‘gpu.dat’ file.

Step 4 - Make some noise (optional)

The ePSXe core has built in sound plug-ins, but in case they didn’t work for you, check here for alternatives (scroll down a bit). You can put these plug-ins in the \plugins directory.

Step 5 - Disk driver plug-ins (optional)

The ePSXe core also has built in plug-ins for your disk drive, but in case they didn’t work for you, check here for alternatives (about halfway down the page). You can put these plug-ins in the \plugins directory.

Step 6 - adding zlib1.dll

In their haste to please us, the developers of ePSXe forgot to add zlib.dll to the latest release (v 1.70). You can get it here (just drop it in the same directory as ePSXe.exe).

Step 7 - configuring ePSXe

You’ve got all the files you need now and are just a few steps away from playing your games. Upon opening ePSXe.exe, or the shortcut you made to it on your desktop, you will encounter a configuration wizard.

First you select the correct BIOS for your region (PAL being Europe, Australia and a part of Asia). You’ll notice that there are different alternatives for your region, but all should work.

Next, select your video driver. When you press ‘Config’, you can change the video settings (like screen resolution, FPS limit, and so on. Apart from the resolution, only change these settings if you know what you’re doing.

Press next and select your sound plug-in and CD-ROM plug-in.

Last but not (at all!) least, you can configure your controller settings. First press on the controller you want to configure. In my opinion, the two best options here are either using a gamepad (USB, or an original one with a converter), or your keyboard (‘Digital’ in the menu).

Step 8 - Boot and play

Finally, in the ‘file’ menu, either choose ‘run CDROM’ or ‘run ISO’ to start playing!

You can make ISO’s of your PSX games without special procedures. Just use Nero, or another CD burning suite.

Sandberg intros wireless keyboard / touchpad combo for HTPCs

Wireless keyboards with built-in pointing devices are usually pretty ugly, and Sandberg's new HTPC-oriented keyboard is no exception: sure, the dedicated Media Center Keys and 32-foot range are nice, but that two-tone color scheme is straight out of 1987. Plus, check the placement of the Media Center button -- yeah, that'll never get accidentally pressed. On the plus side, it's just £49 ($97), so you'll have plenty of scratch left over for fiber-optic lights and white shag rugs.

Philips Wireless Internet Cam Concept

In case you thought you were looking at something rejected on the drawing board of Minority Report, you should know that Philips is considering this concept web camera in reality.

You can also rest assured that this arachnid camera does not actually walk on walls, or even the floor for that matter. Yes, the legs on the concept camera are for looks only, but they help to position the camera in all sorts of viewing positions.

The camera wirelessly syncs to your computer via USB. So far, this Philips wireless concept is still under development by Flynn Product Design, but I’m not certain whether it should become reality or not.

After all, who really wants a creepy bug-thing on their desk that is always watching you?

10-megapixel compact camera Pentax Optio E60 Announced

Pentax is offering yet another casual point-and-shoot device - the Optio E60 compact digital camera. Features of the E60 include :-

• 10.1 megapixels CMOS sensor
• Optical 3X zoom lens
• Auto Picture and Face Recognition modes
• High Sensitivity Digital Shake Reduction
• Image Recovery function (a Recycle Bin for the clueless)

Since this camera targets beginners, it naturally uses AA batteries that are easy to find no matter which part of the world you're in. The Pentax Optio E60 won't break the bank either, coming in just one color (black) this October for a shade under $140.

Counter-Strike coming to XBLA?

In an interview with OXM, Valve's marketing man Doug Lombardi has said that bringing older games to Xbox Live Arcade (like Counter-Strike) is something the developer would "certainly consider".

Portal: Still Alive will be Valve's first entry into the Xbox Live Arcade scene. The Combine-less portion of The Orange Box is being released on Xbox Live for those who didn't fancy playing some of the best games ever made.

"It's designed to give Xbox 360 gamers the chance to get Portal, for those who didn't want to go through the Orange Box. It's Portal, the game we all played and loved last year, plus 10-20 new challenges that you'll unlock," explained Lombardi adding that the extra challenges will be "exclusive to Xbox 360 in 2008".

When asked about the possibility of older Valve games appearing on XBLA, Lombardi sounds interested though he stopped short of saying anything was actually in the pipeline. "We'll certainly consider it. If you look at what we've done on Steam, we try to make all our games available and we're always reviewing the prices to keep them current. We'd love to do that, but Portal: Still Alive is our first step at doing that beyond the PC."

As usual, none of these plans yet include PS3 or Nintendo, although Portal on Wii would be a awesome. "Right now, Valve's doing PC and 360 stuff, so anything we would iterate on would be on Xbox. We don't have any immediate plans to do this on PS3 or Nintendo."

Star Wars Wii Laser Sword

Fans of the Star Wars franchise who own a Nintendo Wii can finally have a more realistic gaming experience with the Laser Sword add-on. Although it would work best with the Star Wars universe in mind, the Laser Sword would still double up as a decent weapon for sword-based games on the motion-capable console. A strong light covered the entire sword's surface, powered by three AAA batteries. You can choose to permanently leave the light on, or use motion detection instead where the sword will light up only when you move. I think the latter would be way more irritating as a flickering effect is introduced. How many Wiimote-based games do you play anyway that doesn't require you to move it? No idea on how much it costs though.

Unreal Engine 4 in 2012

Epic boss Mike Capps predicts that the next iteration of the company's stupidly popular Unreal Engine will be out in 2012, no doubt raking in even more cash from developers who don't quite fancy building their own tech.

"We've got Unreal [Engine] 4 in production right now," Capps told Gamasutra. "It's going to be in the next console generation--our rough guess is 2012 [up to] 2018."

As above, Epic has previously gone on record that its fourth engine will squarely target PlayStation 4 and Xbox... well, whatever Microsoft decide to call the next one. "PCs will follow after that," mastermind Tim Sweeney said earlier this year.

"The Unreal engine is really tied to a console cycle," he said. "Version 4 will exclusively target the next console generation, Microsoft's successor for the Xbox 360, Sony's successor for the Playstation 3 - and if Nintendo ships a machine with similar hardware specs, then that also.

"We have a small Research & Development effort dedicated to the Unreal Engine 4. Basically, it is just me, but that team will be ramping up to three to four engineers by the end of this year - and even more one year after that."

After Unreal Tournament 3 will Epic ever truly return to where is stated, on PC?

Three dimensional COMPUTER-MOUSE !

A Brand new concept for a computer-mouse that maps the intuitive movements of the user as input, to manipulate two and three dimensional objects in virtual space on the computer. It relies on our inherent knowledge of how to move objects in the real world. The extended field of motion serves to prevent muscle and tendon damage, and it's wireless capabilities ensure ubiquitous use throughout the household.

Tiny Solar Fan Makes You Look Crazy, But Will Keep You Cool

I don’t know about where you live, but the county fairs are in full swing in my part of the States. I live in the sort of area that is surrounded by corn, and people love to train farm animals to do tricks. It’s also rather hot out, and the people that attend such fairs have no issue with using strange contraptions to keep themselves cool. I really wouldn’t be surprised to walk past a farmer wearing one of these.

This little fan clips on your hat and gets power from soaking up the sun’s rays. Sure, it’ll probably weigh down your hat, and you’ll look pretty funny, but I guess it beats having a sweaty face. You can pick one up for just $10.

Buffalo's 8x Speed Blu-Ray Disc Recorder, World's Fastest (for Now)

Buffalo's upcoming internal and external BD recorder units can burn both single or double-layer BDs up to a sizzling 8x speed, and DVD ±R up to 16x. Of course Blu-ray technology is going to improve, probably following a similar pattern to DVD burning tech. But here's a funny: these drives use Panasonic SW-5584 units inside... and the speed may actually outstrip the currently fastest available Blu-ray burnable discs. Amusing, and a situation that can't last long. The drives are SATA-based (with USB 2 on the external unit) and will be available in Japan at first for around $380 for the internal and $440 for the external drive.

DanBall Shiatsu Finger Massager

If you’re looking for a better way to relax after a long day at work, the DanBall from Ekbo claims to be the latest technological breakthrough when it comes to relaxation therapy. Just stick 3 of your fingers into the holes on the DanBall and it will automatically apply an intense shiatsu massage to the pressure points on your fingertips for a full minute. At the same time your fingernails will be treated with infrared rays, which supposedly promotes growth, and a soothing melody/LED light show will help calm the rest of your body. The built-in lithium ion battery is also good for about 50 1-minute massages before needing to be recharged which takes about 3 hours.

Like with most devices that promise relaxation and relief from stress, there’s really no single technique that will work for everyone, so hopefully the Japan Trend Shop has a good return policy if the DanBall doesn’t work for you since it has a price tag of $1,999.

Yahoo! Music Store taking DRM servers offline, freezing out customers

In a move which at best could be described as unsurprising, Yahoo! has announced that it's taking its Music Store DRM license key servers offline come September 30th... and freezing customers from ever registering their music with another computer. Ever. Like a twin-sister rehash of Microsoft's PlaysForSure / MSN Music DRM debacle , this moves ensures that the only way you can take your tracks with you will be the (suggested!) technique of burning the songs to CD then ripping them back to your PC -- thus ensuring the absolute worst possible quality. Normally, we'd expect to see a massive backlash over a move like this, but given the near-insignificant nature of the Yahoo! Music Store, it may not be the firestorm Microsoft got itself into. Regardless of the outcry, this is a terrific reminder of the failure of DRM in general, and a slap in the face to the people who actually went to the trouble of buying their music in the first place.

Alpha Protocol to feature SEX

Players making their way through spy role-playing game Alpha Protocol will be able to pick-up "a lot of love interests" and have sexytime with all of them.

"It all depends on how you treat them," senior producer Ryan Rucinski said to MTV at E3.

The developer confirmed it was possible to have sex with all of the love interests and the sex scenes would be similar to those seen in Mass Effect. "It's a mature game, it's not [adults only]," he added.

Rucinski also revealed the game would contain a date mission. "It's the funniest [voice-over] we've ever recorded," he said.

If this all sounds a bit sappy to you, don't panic. Whilst interacting with the women is integral to the plot, you're not forced to pursue them outside of professional capacity. You will even get an achievement for being a lone bachelor.

Expect to see Alpha Protocol in shops early next year and on Fox News shortly after

Brando USB Super 16-Port Hub

Nothing too fancy from Kingston Technology today, just a couple of more capacious flash drives and an all new one for good measure. For starters, the DataTraveler 400 with MigoSync software and the DT100 are both now available in roomy 16GB flavors. Meanwhile, the DT101 arrives on the scene with security software, capacities up to 8GB and in cyan, pink and yellow hues. Each of the newcomers should be available now, with the 16GB DT400 demanding $196, the 16GB DT100 costing $85 and the DT101 line ranging from $14 to $44.

Networks of carbon nanotubes find use in flexible displays

Carbon nanotubes may very well kill you (okay, so that's very much a stretch), but you'll have a hard time convincing the dutiful scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to stop their promising research. Put simply (or as simply as possible), said researchers have discovered that "networks of single-walled carbon nanotubes printed onto bendable plastic perform well as semiconductors in integrated circuits." So well, in fact, that the nanotube networks could one day "replace organic semiconductors in applications such as flexible displays ." Granted, there is still much to do before these networks are ready for product integration, but you can bet these folks aren't hitting the brakes after coming this far.

Bionic Commando Rearmed BTS

Capcom has released the first part of its 'Making Of' videos for Bionic Commando: Rearmed, the PC, XBLA and PSN remake (not the proper console one) of the NES platformer.

According to this Japanese interview it's out next week on both Xbox 360 and PSN, which would come as a surprise as the services are already receiving massive releases in the form of Geometry Wars 2 (on Xbox) and Pixel Junk Eden (on PS3).

So far Capcom UK's hasn't got back to us to confirm or deny the report on the release date, but enjoy the video anyway - we're sure it's not far off.

Blogspot.com cited as the No. 1 host for malware

According to a report out Wednesday, antivirus vendor Sophos says it detects one Web page with malicious content every 5 seconds--a trend that is up 300 percent from 2007.

In its Security Threat Report for the first half of 2008, Sophos says it finds just over 16,000 malicious pages each day, mostly the result of malicious SQL-injection attacks on legitimate Web sites such as the attack on Sony's U.S. PlayStation site in July. Tricks used by criminal hackers include using simple HTML code to place via SQL-injection a 1x1 pixel element (about the size of a pin prick) on an infected page. In loading the page, the Internet browser would then contact a server running exploit scripts and malicious code. But because the sites are legitimate, some security vendors struggle with blocking infected Web pages.

As for illegitimate sites, Sophos notes that Geocities and Blogger both make it easy for anyone to set up a Web site without much identification. Blogger, owned by Google, is particularly problematic, says Sophos, with the blog site alone accounting for nearly 2 percent of all malware hosts. I is not only possible for the Blogger sites to host malicious code, but criminal attackers can also inject links to malicious sites in the comments sections of the blogs.

A spokeperson for Google said "Google takes the security of our users very seriously, and we work hard to protect them from malware. Using Blogger, or any Google product, to serve or host malware is a violation of our product policies. We actively work to detect and remove sites that serve malware from our network."

First image for Massive Action Game

The only real announcement in terms of cake on Thursday for the Playstation 3 at the Sony conference at E3 2008 (with CD Universe Online, my breath Virgil), MAG is illustrated today by a small image that we do learns not so much that the trailer visible below.For small malignant that would have missed the conference (our record), is a small reminder of principle, Thursday MAG game is an action massively multiplayer allowing 256 players divided into eight squads, 's face in a war ahead without thank you. We do not know so much at the moment, if this is a system of hierarchy will order all the bazaar that can make a cohort of more than two hundred people.

Sony Reader goes open, will be able to work with other booksellers

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While Sony's Reader has never received the the enormous press or enjoyed the supposed whirlwind sales of Amazon's Kindle e-book, and is certainly lacking in, erm, EV-DOness, the Reader is about to get one trick the Kindle doesn't have yet: openness. Sony will be shooting out an update on Thursday to allow the Reader to use purchased books in the protected EPUB format from whoever is peddling them, instead of being tied to the Sony's e-book store, or just DRM-free text and PDF documents. That openness should help Sony beef up its selection -- which is lagging behind Amazon's -- and will hopefully mark a bit of a turning point in the e-book market to more standards and, more importantly, more books.

Creative Decks Out Zen Range with Patterned Mozaic PMP

X-Fi,Creative is clearly in some kind of rush to get new media players out into the world: first the then the Krystal and now the Mozaic. It's a pretty standard offering, with music and video playing function, a 1.8-inch screen, FM radio and voice recorder, but, like the Nokia Prism, it's its keypad that makes it a teeny bit different. It's a mosaic-themed one, which you may either think is a tasteful dash of creativity, or a daft way of confusing the controls. In black, silver and pink colors, it's in either 2, 4 or 8GB versions for $99, $129 and $unknown.

Interesting iPhone tip - play music and a game at the same time

Some games can come with some pretty annoying, repetitive music. Sometimes you just want to listen to your own, or maybe even a podcast. Up until now, you would just have to deal with it. However, if you want to play your own music while you game on your iPhone, or just find that Super Monkey Bal music annoying, there is an answer. An interesting trick from Mac OS X Hints provides the solution to this question, and although it’s weird, it’s cool.

To achieve the ultimate music serenity, you must start by listening to your music. Then, start the game and wait for its music to take over yours. After that, press the sleep/wake button on the top of your phone. Press it once more to wake your phone and, voila, you now have your own music. You could also simply double tap the home button to bring up the iPod controls, but where is the fun in that?

Clean Your Keyboard With Magic Goo

Keyboards are gross and disgusting. Just think about the number of things your hands come into contact with every day. Now imagine how long you spend with your fingers on that keyboard in front of your computer. Finally, think back to the last time you actually cleaned your keyboard. Yea, that’s pretty freaking gross, and unless you have a dishwasher-safe keyboard, they aren’t very easy to clean. However, this Cyber Clean could really come in handy.

This stuff looks like a cross between Silly Putty and that Nickelodeon Gak stuff that they used to sell. Apparently you need do little more than roll this gunk around on your keyboard for a little bit, and your keys will be squeaky clean. You can get a pot that contains a little over a pound of this stuff for right around $16.

Sanyo offers clever Eneloop solution for Wii wireless controllers

Wii users may never have to take the batteries out of their wireless controllers again. Today Sanyo announced [JP] it has teamed up with Nintendo to develop a Wii battery and charger set that is based on the Eneloop concept. These low self-discharge NiMH batteries feature longer shelf life.

The Eneloop battery pack is placed on the back of the Wii controller. All you have to do after playing is to pop it into the charger stand and wait 220 minutes. The Wiimotes can then be used for up to 6.5 hours.

Up to 4 controllers can be charged by one AC adapter. Users don’t need to take off the silicone jacket from their Wiimotes as Eneloop cells are charged by magnetic induction (contactless recharging).

This is a great idea but it’s yet unclear whether Sanyo and Nintendo will offer the Eneloop set outside Japan as well (it hits Japan August 25th). Wii owners in this country will have to pay $23 each for the battery pack and the charger stand. The AC adapter will retail for another $9.

Hitachi rolls out new hybrid Full HD camcorder

Today Hitachi unveiled [JP] its newest Full HD camcorder, the Woo DZ-BD10H, which will be available in Japan from August 9th. The company plans to produce 6,000 units per month.

Here are the main specs:
- recording on 8cm Blu-ray discs (BD-R/RE) and DVD (DVD-R/RW/RAM)
- integrated HDD (30 GB) that can hold 4.5 hours of video in Full HD
- support of recording in AVCHD
- support of SD and SDHC cards
- 7 megapixel CMOS sensor
- 10x optical zoom
- ports: HDMI, USB, component
- 2.7-inch LCD display

The DZ-BD10H will be priced at $1,500 and is Japan-only as of now.

Crysis Warhead Preview

If minds sorrows criticized some aspects of Crysis first name, the fact remains that the title of Crytek has clearly been one of the events of the end of last year.Since then, Crytek has not worked and has taken on a sort of suite / extension which will not need the basic game and we contera a story parallel to that of Crysis.Subtitled Warhead, this "result" should happen before the end of the year and there was obviously no question of Crytek / Electronic Arts miss the rendezvous at E3 2008 ...It falls quite well because we did not intend to ignore. Impressions.

A sort of a hypothetical extension before next?

Change in continuity, Crysis: Warhead will be a sort of test for Crytek that still seems reluctant to prepare ourselves for a Crysis 2.Pending this hypothetical result, Warhead we will resume the service, however, changing character.In the skin of Psycho, we will follow a story parallel to that of Crysis.A story that we were able to discover during the E3 thanks to a playable version limited to the second level of the full game.The principle of the mission was there could not be simpler, and we placed in command of a military vehicle.It was therefore simply follow another vehicle of our squad, mitrailler on what was on our path while joining various crossing points to reach a port area.

According to the difficulty level selected, the address of the player and his style, this mission will loop in 30 / 60 minutes and the whole Crysis Warhead should be able to finish in just under ten hours, knowing that once again the total is widely variableSuddenly, Warhead will be significantly shorter than Crysis first name, a choice that Crytek explained by the greater density of missions where the challenges should be coming at a good pace.In the example that concerns us, we have barely time to take the road with our enemies VOTL that arise on both sides of the road for us canarder.The shortest path is a straight line, it does not really them merely to explode here and there of fuel and vehicles too exposed.

This relatively basic gameplay is the image of what Crytek wanted for the entire Crysis Warhead If the game will keep all the original features of the game, it will be more action-oriented show with a large force explosions and several passages in vehicles.We have already spoken of VOTL, but we've also been able to try steering the truck or hummers through this unique level present at E3.The full version of the game, the number of vehicles available should also be significantly more important in order to bring some variety to what players already know Crysis. It must be said that level sets, Crytek has not sought to innovate and we will find ourselves in the same environments.

In any case the impression that we gave this unique level with a plot in the middle of a jungle more or less dense, the passage through a camp and arrived in a port area: none of this would change really what we proposed Crysis, in any case the level graph.Crysis Warhead, however, should incorporate some improvements more or less subtle and propose a level of optimization still higher so that the game may seem a little less heavy.Another element that is important to note: even if the style of play is clearly focused on action, the presence of this combination allows for varying approaches since, according to the method chosen, it increases the resistance of heroes, strength or speed.

Last mode, camouflage can be froler enemies without that they would realize. Note however that artificial intelligence has been improved and, although not visible on our video, the enemies react more quickly and more adequately to our actions ..Of course, we will have other levels and a little more time with the game between the hands to confirm these improvements.In the same way, the multiplayer mode was not presented in Los Angeles and we hope to test the latest thing at the Games Convention; Crytek actually speaks many innovations to put the tooth In the meantime, even if it looks more like an extension than anything else, Crysis Warhead seems perfectly calibrated to delight fans of the first title ... Especially it should be sold less than 30 euros.

• Platform: PC
• Publisher: Electronic Arts
• Developer: Crytek
• Distributor: Electronic Arts
• Genre: Action / Doom-like
• Genre: Solo, Internet, LAN, Up to 32 players
• Official: Website Crysis Warhead
• Configuration : Minimum Win XP and Vista Processor: Athlon / Pentium IV - 2800 MHz RAM: 1024 MB Graphics Card: 256 MB, Compatible DirectX 9 Diskspace: 12000 MB Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible DirectX version: DirectX 9 Media: DVD

Bioware: Mass Effect Trilogy Exclusive to 360 - Mass Effect 2 in '09? (XboxOZ360)

In the just released September issue of Australian 360, comes the commitment of Bioware CEO Ray Muzyka "to bring the Mass Effect trilogy exclusively to the Xbox 360."

Speaking exclusively to Australian 360 at EA's European Showcase, Muzyka also stated "we said we were committed to supporting Mass Effect as a franchise and have the trilogy on the Xbox 360, and that's still our goal", before adding to the question of the trilogy staying exclusive with what appears to be a subtle jibe at Sony, saying "we're always very ambitious in our goals and the most important thing is quality, so we're never going to compromise that."

Not only will the trilogy stay exclusive to the 360, but it will be released entirely on the 360 platform. And for our gaming colleagues who enjoy their PS3's and Wii's there's still hope that they may yet get to experience the wonderful world of Mass Effect, albeit not within the Commander Shepard based trilogy.

But beyond all the console positioning and future IP speculation are some juicy details for the current trilogy that should get fans excited for what appears to be a 2009 release for Mass Effect 2...

5 reasons why Final Fantasy on the 360 wont be A PS3 Killer.

Final Fantasy 13 was the biggest moment of what turned out to be a damn squib of an E3, but even this could turn out to be over-shadowed by events Square can’t control, Minimum Wage Gamer has tasked their best investigator to find out 5 reasons why Final Fantasy on the 360 wont be A PS3 Killer. So Click the link below ,grab a beer or your respective drink and get ready for Minimum Wage Gamers (www.mwgamer.com) 5 reasons why Final Fantasy on the 360 wont be A PS3 Killer.

5.Final Fantasy WON’T be released on the xBox 360 in Japan.

This is really the biggest kick in the teeth, considering now that Sony believes that the PS3 has sold more than the 360 in Europe. But over in Japan, Final Fantasy is an obsession on a national scale, the money generated from that exclusivity in Japan should be enough for Sony not to worry about Europe and America.

4.Final Fantasy 11 was on the 360.
Remember 11, or as the more optimistic like to remember ‘The 6^th most played Xbox live game’. Although this also appeared on the PS2, the game was mainly for Microsoft, as an early MMORPG. Unfortunately, bar the hardcore, the game never took off for 2 years on the platform, the same thing may happen again for 13.

3.Final Fantasy 7 – Will History strike twice? No

If message boards had be the domain of the ignorant and stupid back in 1997, many Sony and Nintendo fans would be sprouting the same kind of verbal sewage that is being spilled today. Final Fantasy was a Nintendo game, no one would dare dream releasing it on a different console, and for a time, the cartridge was going to support Final Fantasy 7, but Square in the end plumbed for the CD, and there was still a whopping 3 of them to go through.

2.Blu-Ray
Ok, come on, you knew this one was coming. DVD’s can hold around 8GB, Blu-Ray 50GB. That’s roughly 6 DVD’s worth of gameplay that could be fitted onto a Blu-Ray disc. If Metal Gear Solid 4 filled the disc up, then there’s a strong chance that Final Fantasy 13 will push the media, and the more disc’s and possible installation on the 360 could cause problems for the Hard Drive.

1.Spin-Off’s and DLC.
Versus, the spin-off for the PS3, is still PS3-exculsive for the time being. Now not exactly world shifting I know, but it’s still Final Fantasy and fans will still lick it up. But the interesting part could be DLC, with Microsoft securing it for GTA and Fallout 3, Sony may have an ace yet to play and have secured for Final Fantasy 13. Having said that, watch as Microsoft sweep it now for the 360…

Spot On: The GameSpot AU Blog Saints Row 2 gets rated down under

Censorship has been a hot topic in Australia this year, with ratings body the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) making plenty of controversial decisions. So far, three games have been banned down under this year, with the highest-profile title being Fallout 3. Even the biggest game of the year so far--Grand Theft Auto IV--didn't get away unscathed, with publisher Rockstar having to submit an edited version to the OFLC to ensure it passed our censors.

With such a precedent set in 2008, one could be forgiven for thinking Saints Row 2--THQ's upcoming open-world action game--may have been in for a tough time. The game, after all, looks set to rival GTAIV when it comes to violence and sexual themes. The good news is that THQ has now confirmed that Saints Row 2 has passed through the OFLC, earning an MA 15+ rating along the way. And in even better news, the game didn't need to be edited in any way. "The full version of the game has been rated by the OFLC and Australian gamers will get to play the same version of the game as those in the rest of the world," a THQ spokesman said in a statement.

Saints Row 2 will be released down under on October 16.

Is This the Next PSP?

It's tough to make out much from these shots, but according to their source, they are of the next PSP (the PSP model 3000). The specs include a built-in microphone as well as an updated button set that replaces the "Home" button with a PlayStation button (to more closely resemble the PS3).

Other than those tidbits, we have little more information on the alleged update other than that it could include "cellphone support." And from the looks of this back casing, it doesn't seem that the next PSP will be much, if any, thinner than its predecessor.[PSP China BBS via Kotaku]

New Wii Channel for Japan; Digital Photo Channel

A new Channel for Wii owners in Japan has been launched by Nintendo and FujiFilm, that allows for special Photos to be taken and ordered online.

According to Kotaku, the channel will allow users, through the SD Card slot and a selection of photos, to create Fuji digi picture prints, photo albums and Mii business cards, and order them online with a Credit card.

A cool idea, although the likelihood of the channel appearing outside of Japan is remote, like the TV Guide Channel that was released as Japan-exclusive not long ago.

Have your say on this news below.

Microsoft gaming segment posts full-year profits

Nintendo's Wii may have finally overcome the Xbox 360's one-year head start last week when its US retail sales ,surpassed those of Microsoft's latest console but it wasn't all bad news for the software giant. While the gaming world was focused on the E3 Media & Business Summit , Microsoft released its financial results for the fourth quarter and full fiscal year.

Sales and net profits were up for both the quarter and the full year on a company-wide scale. The Entertainment and Devices division that houses the Xbox 360 line also posted positive results, including its first-ever full-year operating profit.

For the 12 months ended June 30, the Xbox division raked in $426 million in operating profits off more than $8.1 billion in sales. That's up 34 percent from about $6.1 billion in revenues the year before, with an operating loss of nearly $2 billion.

Just in the three months ended June 30, revenues for the division were almost $1.6 billion, up 37 percent from nearly $1.2 billion the previous fourth quarter. Entertainment and Devices also posted an operating loss of $188 million, trimmed considerably from more than $1.2 billion in last year's fourth quarter.

Microsoft attributed the full-year spike to increased Xbox 360 sales, and singled out Halo 3, Xbox Live, and accessory sales as specific revenue drivers. The publisher shipped 8.7 million consoles for the full fiscal year, compared with 6.6 million in the previous 12 months. For the fourth fiscal quarter, it shipped out 1.3 million Xbox 360 ystems, up from 700,000 for the comparable time period of 2007.

Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices division includes the Xbox 360, Zune, and Windows-based PC gaming, as well as other products like the Surface touchscreen table and Mediaroom Internet TV service.

GT5 could be as late as 2010

Sony's main GT man, Kazunori Yamauchi, has come out and crushed any hopes we had of playing a full version of Gran Turismo 5 any time soon.

We've been waiting for it for ages and our pain was eased a little with the launch of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. But Sony and Polyphony Digital are taking things a little to far now.

In an E3 interview with IGN (missed due to all the noise), Polyphony Digital boss Kazunori Yamauchi said, "There's no plans in the works for GT5 yet - that might be 2009, or it might be 2010... But we're totally focused on getting the updates through for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, and that's all we're focused on."
So it's not even on his radar yet. Quite an astonishing admission if you ask us.

Fingers crossed something got lost in translation.

Dell offers inexplicable Xbox 360 Elite bundle with certain XPS M1730 purchases

There's just one problem with this, the way we see it: most folks with $3000 earmarked for a gaming laptop probably already own an Xbox 360. Just a thought. Other than that we see little to dislike about this little promotion. Dell is offering up its top-of-the-line XPS M1730 system with an Xbox 360 Elite bundle tossed in for good measure. The bundle includes, a pair of faceplates, two game and of course the Xbox itself, and while it's not exactly "free" -- you're looking at a couple hundred dollar premium over a similarly specced M1730 -- it's still a savings of over $300, and should be eBayable, if nothing else. Offer expires July 24th.