Brought To You By The Tsuj…

PSP is Go!

The great thing about video game rumors is that they typically endup being true. Thatʼs why when we recently reported on rumors ofthe Sony PSP 2 being released this year with a bevy of awesome new features such as a sliding touch screen, I allowed myself to get excited. Last week on a podcast from the folks at the recently downsized 1up.com, the gang discussed the new PSP which they claimed to have seen. Apparently named PSP Go!, the new handheld has all the features that it was recently rumored to have including the sliding screen, but sadly it lacked the dual sticks that gamers have been clamoring for. The 1up editors say that this information iss from a source directly involved in the systemʼs development which lends it credibility. The podcast was subsequently taken down which makes this juicy information all the more interesting and likely to be true. While this new information seems fairly reliable, it remains mere speculation so weʼll have to wait until E3 to see if the new PSP is a Go! after all.

One Reason Not To Be Excited About Bioshock 2…

In what may be the best and worst thing to happen to one of the finest video games in recent memory, Bioshock 2 has been given exactly what it didnʼt need, a multiplayer mode. 2K Games announced in a press release the following information regarding Bioshock 2ʼs multiplayer mode:

• Evolution of the genetically enhanced shooter - Earn experience points during gameplay to earn access to new Weapons, Plasmids and Tonics that can be used to create hundreds of different combinations, allowing players to develop a unique character that caters to their playing style.

• Extend the Rapture fiction – Players will step into the shoes of Rapture citizens and learn more about the fall of Rapture as they progress through the experience.

• See Rapture before the fall - Experience Rapture before it was reclaimed by the ocean and engage in combat over iconic environments in locations such as Kashmir Restaurant and Mercury Suites, all of which have been reworked from the ground up to deliver a fast-paced multiplayer experience.

• FPS veterans add their touch to the multiplayer experience – Digital Extremes brings more than 10 years of first person shooter experience including development of award-winning entries in the Unreal® and Unreal Tournament® franchise.

The multiplayer mode is being developed by Digital Extremes, co-creators of the Unreal games, which according to 2K means that it is in good hands. Honestly I donʼt think Unreal Tournament when I think of Bioshock, but it could work……right? Hmmm, Digital Extremes also made Dark Sector and that game was a stain on the face of the video game industry. Thatʼs a bad sign, but until we have more information Iʼm just nit-picking. Check back in with us here at Flixnjoystix after E3 for additional information on multiplayer for Bioshock 2.

Donʼt Mess With Texas…

New bill HB 22 currently passing through the Texas House of Representatives looks to make Xbox Live, Playstation Network, and other similar sites a little less populated with sex offenders. The bill intends to ban registered sex offenders from social networking sites and the language could be reasonably interpreted to mean that these offenders be banned from gaming networks like XBL and PSN. As much as I hate encouraging and praising anything happening in Texas, with the increased popularity of gaming networks and the lack of an ethical overseeing body in online gaming, it is perhaps time that the law stepped in to protect the children. What about the children?! Hopefully this bill isn’t a slippery slope and Texas starts banning not just sex offenders, but mere perverts as well. Flixnjoystixʼs own The Factor lives and games in Texas and we would hate to see his gaming privileges revoked just because he is into sadomasochism.

This Week In Vin Diesel News…

The movie based on the Wheelman video game in production with Paramount is a reality and predictably stars none other than Vin Diesel himself (as if there were any other option). This week the news is that a director has finally been attached to the finished script and that director is Mr. John Singleton. Singleton and Diesel worked together in the 2003 film 2 Fast 2 Furious, a favorite film of Jewshʼs. Diesel is not only handling the lead role in the film but also co-producing it with Lorenzo Di Bonaventura. Wheelman the video game had all the makings of an over the top, in your face, balls to the wall, extreme, no holds barred, rollercoaster ride of an action movie containing the cliche moments you would expect from an action movie. I have little doubt that a video game movie starring Vin Diesel and directed by the man behind Baby Boy can go wrong…