PlayStationSpot

The postcards keep rolling in from Leipzig Games Convention 2008 today. This one’s from Lee Clare, producer on the Buzz! series of quiz games.

So, it’s been hectic today - the stand is looking great, and we’ve had a lot of attention. I type I’m sitting in the Buzz! bus, an area laid out in the shape of a large camper-style van with satellites on the top. There are bench seats and plasmas with room for 8 people, all playing Quiz TV. I seem to get challenged by pretty much everyone who stops by the bus, but I have to turn them down as I’d just win every time (actually, in both the games I’ve played today I came last!).

Buzz himself is walking around greeting people, waving and generally being friendly. It seems everyone is enjoying having their photo taken with him.

Most impressive is the part of the Buzz! area which is set up like an actual quiz show. Eight lecterrns are in place, where people can come up and play against each other with a real host, behind them is a huge screen, laid out quiz show style, very Buzz! and very cool.

There are grassy areas where people are sitting, or lying down playing Buzz! Brainbender, and Master quiz, and even a pinboard with pictures of people getting their Buzz! faces on. Happily, all the games seem to be going down really well - a big convention like this is a pretty perfect way of showcasing the social fun of gaming and quizzing.

Thanks Lee - Team MotorStorm is next!

More Games Convention 2008 now, straight outta Leipzig. I just received this update from Pete Smith, Senior Producer of LittleBigPlanet.

Day 1
We’ve arrived for the first day at The Leipzig Game Convention and I’ve been blown away by the PlayStation stand - even though I say so myself it’s the best thing here and considerably bigger than the other stands. Within the stand, the LittleBigPlanet area is buzzing - we’ve got 25 pods with the game on and they’ve been full all day long. We’ve had a crowd before we let the public in, so we’re expecting some queues. THERE IS a special 3 pod area set up for Danny, Jim and Craig (the designers from Media Molecule) to show off the Create mode from LittleBigPlanet. They’ve been doing an awesome job at showing just how crazy this part of the game is.

I’m sure some people saw the Sony press conference where I was demonstrating the game - I was interrupted by a famous comedian from Germany (although I’d not seen him before) and he did a good job at making my presentation more ‘entertaining’. Apparently he asked me my name and my response was ‘hello’ - perhaps I need to brush up on my basic German.

The main thing to report is that the game is very popular indeed! Whenever we do a demo, people start playing and creating they don’t seem to want to leave! Everywhere you look around the LittleBigPlanet area you’ll see people laughing as they’re playing, which for me, is the best thing ever.

Day 2
Uh Oh! The public have arrived! It’s much more busy than yesterday, the guys from Media Molecule are working their socks off demoing constantly. There are over one hundred seats available to play the game from and every one is occupied - plus there’s a queue.

Once again, everyone is really enjoying themselves. The level we’ve chose to demo is the construction site from the Metropolis theme and it’s pretty tricky, people seem to be loving the challenge, and there is plenty of laughter as SackBoy gets it wrong on numerous occasions!

Danny, Jim and Craig are looking exhausted!!! I would be too after demoing non-stop for 2 days! They’re talking about getting an early night, which I can’t say is surprising, however I’m going to take a look around the rest of the show - some of the booth babes are demonstrating some really interesting games…

I saw the SackBoy on the side of the tower block last night - it looks ace! LittleBigPlanet is absolutely everywhere, our team in Germany have done an incredible job.

It was also good to see Rag Doll Kung Fu being demonstrated today! That was the original concept behind LittleBigPlanet believe it or not! Look for it on PSN soon!

Thanks, Pete! Still more to come from Leipzig !

If you’re like me - you’re not in Leipzig today. You’ve no doubt heard the hardware and software announcements coming out of Games Convention 2008, but what else is going on? I just got this letter from Eric Boltjes, the senior online gameplay designer for Killzone 2.

Today was the first time ever that we showed the online version of the game, hands-on, to anyone outside of the SCEE family and I have to admit, it was quite nerve-wracking. We’ve worked on this online portion for over two years and putting your baby out there is not an easy thing. I am very happy to say though that today could not have gone better and we got some really good responses from all of the journalists we showed the game to.

There is something almost magic about seeing people playing the online game for the first time and more importantly, seeing them really get into it! Some of the journalists were so into the game that they almost forgot to ask questions for their articles! Lots of smiles and lots of good feedback as well.

That is another good part of today; listening to dedicated gamers and hearing what they do not like as well. We are still at a point in the project where we can change and tweak specific aspects of the game so getting this kind of feedback from our audience (even though they might be journalists ) is a tremendous help to getting this project done and out the door.

One more day of Leipzig remains and then it’s onto the Public Beta which is coming soon! Getting even more feedback and putting our game to the test once more. It is a lot of work but it is also a lot of fun and I am really looking forward to getting the whole world to get a glimpse of Killzone 2 Online Multiplayer…

Thanks Eric - more to come!

Well, *we* are, but you already knew that. Following up on the success of our first ever PlayStation.Blog Reader Meetup at E3, we’re considering holding another event during the Penny Arcade Expo later this month.

So who out there is going to be in Seattle at the end of the month? Would you be up for some free food (and coffee, presumably), games, and meeting some of your fellow PlayStation fans?

And if so, where should we hold it? Which developer-types should I beg to attend? Which PSP game should we network together for competition?

And should there be a mandatory 90’s Seattle grunge dress code and soundtrack featuring Mudhoney, Alice in Chains and Screaming Trees? I’ll go ahead and pencil in a “No” for that one.

Let me know, we’re doing this for you.

Calling all adrenaline junkies! The ESPN X Games is hitting Los Angeles tomorrow through Sunday, August 3 — and for those that are on the fence about attending, we’ve sweetened the pot with some pulse pounding opportunities to show off your gaming skills at designated PlayStation areas.

Here are a few of the PlayStation activities you don’t want to miss:

• PlayStation Experience Truck: on hand at the XFest at the Home Depot Center, we will be offering jam-packed interactive and hands-on social gaming and competition areas, including access to some of this year’s most-anticipated titles prior to their general availability like Little Big Planet, and fan favorites like Rock Band (Take the Stage) and SingStar (Show Us Your Vocals).
• “Play the Pros” competition with Tanner Foust: on Friday, August 1 on the PlayStation Experience Truck, you might have the chance to go head-to-head against former rally racing X Games champion, Tanner Foust, on Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, the fifth installment of the world’s best-selling racing franchise and intense precursor to Gran Turismo 5. One catch, you’ll have to compete on Gran Turismo 5 Prologue earlier in the day and make it into the top five ranking to compete with Tanner and win bragging rights.
• You may also be the first to watch yourself play MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, the intense racing sequel to MotorStorm, on the STAPLES jumbotron on Friday, August 1.
• PSP Zones: located at the XFest at the Home Depot Center will offer gameplay opportunities (including Internet Radio and remote play) on titles like Secret Agent Clank, MLB 08 The Show, and Hot Shots Golf Open Tee 2, and entry into a sweepstakes for the “PSP Frequent Gamer” for a chance to win a prize pack including a new PSP and games.

For more information on X Games ticket prices and availability, please go to http://expn.go.com/expn/story?id=3452745

Another update from the just-completed Comic-Con International 2008 …

I managed to catch up with Rob Roy, the man who puts the Navy SEAL is SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs, just at the launch of a SOCOM: Confrontation tournament. Roy has been on the cover of almost every SOCOM game to date, and it’s not just ceremonial. In this interview, he reveals how real SEALs contribute to the only game accurate enough to bear their name.

For the latest updates on SOCOM: Confrontation, please visit SOCOM.com.

During recent E3 and Comic-Con Blog posts, viewers like you have been asking for more info about Sony Online Entertainment’s DC Universe Online. So yesterday, I fought through the throngs of people to SOE’s booth, where I mic’d up Creative Director Jens Andersen, and had him give you the same walkthrough you’d get if you were standing right there.

It was a bit loud in the hall, so apologies for that.

Feel free to post questions below, but since the SOE team is still in San Diego, don’t look for them to jump in with answers quite yet. As Jens states in the video, we’ll have more on DCUO here on the blog - and I’ll make sure that the team sees your questions.

If you’re planning on attending Comic-Con between now and Sunday, feel free to go drop by the SOE booth (#4319) to go hands on with DCUO.

I have to admit: my first Comic-Con International (this one) is not what I expected. While it’s got everything you’d expect – cosplayers, “limited edition” everything, and, yes, comics – there’s really a lot more. I’d venture to say, even if you’re into videogames and couldn’t care less about comics – this is still the place for you.

As we indicated yesterday, the PlayStation area is where the public gets hands-on access to our upcoming games – many for the first time. Because I know that many of you can’t make it down to San Diego this week/weekend, and because tickets have become rather hard to acquire, I shot this booth tour during yesterday’s “Preview Night.”

Sorry for the “but wait, there’s more!”-style, but if you can make it, we’d love to have you drop by.

BTW, here’s that Sweepstakes URL referenced in the video: http://www.us.playstation.com/ep/promotions/321/?ILC-psblog&PRMO=comicconsweeps08

Even if you can’t make it, you can still try to win a free PS3!

More from Comic-Con tomorrow!

Hey PlayStation.Blog Fans, SCEA is heading to Comic-Con this week and giving you the opportunity to play some of the new games from E3 last week. Each morning from 9:30am to 12:00pm, we’ll be holding BUZZ! Quiz TV competitions on the stage, come test out your knowledge of trivia and win prizes. In the afternoon, the stage will become the showcase for new talent with SingStar for PS3 from 1:00pm to 7:00pm.

Come by Thursday and Friday to play SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation with real Navy SEALs in the competition area. They will be making appearances at 11:00am, 2:00pm, and 5:00pm.

Saturday and Sunday, the competition area will feature Motorstorm: Pacific Rift. Race head-to-head and win free stuff.

All four days will also give you the opportunity to learn the in’s and out’s of creating and playing levels with LittleBigPlanet. Onstage demonstrations will take place daily at 11:00am and 2:30pm, but the LittleBigPlanet feature area will let you get hands on time with this falls most highly innovative title.

The PSP and PLAYSTATION Network will be making appearances as well. Come learn more about Skype, the PC store, internet radio and more for PSP; and see some of the hottest downloadable titles coming from PLAYSTATION Network.

For the swag lovers out there, we’ll be giving away bags everyday at 9:30am and 3:00pm along with a chance to win a PS3!

Our booth number is 4901, we hope to see you all there! For the rest of you, stay tuned for updates here on the PlayStation.Blog!

OK, here’s the PS Blog’s plan for E3, tell me what you think (suggestions are welcome): Live Blog the PlayStation Press Conference, show floor updates, previews, Q&As, more developer interviews (including folks from Insomniac Games).

We’ll start off tomorrow with: This week’s PLAYSTATION Store plan (this will answer most of the questions you’ve been asking recently) and a big update on a game we *haven’t* been talking about for a little while.

Below you’ll find the stories we found interesting over the past week. As always, feel free to share your favorite links in the comments below. Comments may take longer than usual to appear - we’re on our way to LA.

Speaking of which, I hope to meet you Tuesday!

The PS Blog weekly reading list (Week of 6/30)

• LocoRoco 2 is 75% complete, more biting confirmed - Destructoid
• Stream YouTube videos directly to your XMB - PS3 Fanboy
• Konami continues MGS4 DLC support with new music - PS3 Fanboy
• 10 Questions: Insomniac’s Ted Price - GameDaily
• LocoRoco 2 Confirmed, Detailed - 1UP
• Make Sackboy papercraft, Media Molecule shows how - PS3 Fanboy
• PS3: Sony Combines Zombies And… Google Earth - Kotaku
• Patapon 2 Announced - 1UP
• Siliconera and PSP Fanboy present the Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 charity tournament - PSP Fanboy
• Meet with PS fanboys in LA next week - PS3 Fanboy
• 2.41 Firmware Brings New PS3 Platinum Trophy - Kotaku
• Editorial: Why I Prefer Sony Controllers - PSXextreme