In a Gamespot coverage of the Phil Harrison interview with Newsweek games correspondent N'Gai Croal over at D.I.C.E 07, our ever-so-paranoid news-hamsters found the passage below. This is supposedly after Croal's set of questions were done, and they let the audience ask questions.

11:05: The next question talks about XNA (without directly mentioning it) and how it puts some of the power of making games into the hands of average users. Is Sony considering a response? Phil says that Sony started that with the Net Yaroze on the PS, continued it with Linux on the PS2, and is now continuing it with Linux on the PS3. Sony will continue to support that kind of homebrew and organized development initiatives.

The follow-up asks the obvious question about the PSP's place in all this. Phil claims that the PSP isn't well suited for homebrew. Croal name drops Dark_AleX, the hacker that's been busting open the PSP's firmware lately and opening it up for homebrew. Harrison has a sort of cryptic response about future announcements.

Now, before you folks ready your pitchforks and your vegetables, or maybe even perhaps your flying phalli, give us ample time to thank our news-hamsters. Here magical, mystical, news-hamsters of joy and joy-ness, have a food pellet!

Okay, that aside, let us re-emphasize what Phil has just claimed (that of course, if the Gamespot coverage is accurate): The PSP is NOT suited for homebrew.

Not suited? Not suited?!!!! Sigh. We'll leave the obligatory shouting of expletives, and the generation of image macros up to you guys.

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UPDATE: Okay, since some of you folks who have commented requested for some quotes from the N'Gai Croal interview with Phil Harrison, here's a portion of the interview that directly relates to the PSP (as reported by Gamasutra):

Croal: "Late last year, you told MTV News regarding the PSP, 'Our achievement has been to deliver console-quality gaming in the palm of your hand. But that could also be considered a missed opportunity -- that we have yet to really deliver PSP games that speak with their own voice and stand for what the machine can do on its own.' With the PSP’s features, why is it taking developers so long to create unique experiences?"

Harrison: "I don’t mean to belittle developers, but we’ve only managed to recreate PS2 in the palm in your hand. I think we can go deeper, I think we can explore more features of the machine, connectivity, social aspects, media aspects, and integrate it into game design that is unique to that format. It’s not a missed opportunity so much as a future opportunity."

As for quotes of Harrison actually saying that the PSP is not suitable for homebrew, we don't have his exact words... But, as mentioned above, the Gamespot coverage (which you can get access to by clicking the via link below) reports Harrison to have claimed "that the PSP isn't well suited for homebrew". He said this (as Gamespot reports) in a portion of the interview where questions were handed over to the audience. Got that?

Anyhow, there's still something slightly wrong about saying that "we can explore more features of the machine, connectivity, social aspects, media aspects, and integrate it into game design that is unique to that format" and then later saying that "the PSP isn't well suited for homebrew."

At last year's E3, Konami revealed that work on a live-action movie based on Metal Gear Solid is now underway. We all found out about this via a pamphlet for Studio Kojima, the development house headed by Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima.

Since then we haven't gotten much details about the project, much less any word on who will be will be working on the movie. This has changed recently as Sony Pictures Entertainment vice chairman Yair Landau revealed that his studio is developing the project. After Landau delivered a keynote address in Las Vegas, Landau told this to GameSpot:

We're working with the Metal Gear guys.... It's a very cinematic game, it really lends itself to movie telling. But the question is, How do you translate Snake's experience into a full arc that conforms to what audiences expect on the large screen?

Landau also hinted that the "Metal Gear Solid" movie may just be the beginning. Landau hints that they're working on ideas for a possible EverQuest movie.

The "Metal Gear Solid" movie is currently the highest-profile game-film project in Hollywood. Top spot used to be held by the Peter Jackson-produced Halo adaptation, which is now unfortunately in development limbo.

Given how much we've been burned before by Uwe Boll (we're not saying he sucks, that's a matter of opinion, we believe it's safe to say though, that we all expected a lot more from his films), we urge caution. Let's see...what else has Sony Pictures Entertainment done before? As a distributor, they've had their hands in the Spider-Man franchise. What else? Oh, and as a production company they've done what? Hmn...oh yeah, "Spider-Man 2".

We're now asking you folks: Should we all be hopeful? Should we expect something that is miles away from the fan-made film we embedded above?

 

Gamespot reports that the Sony Ericsson SO703i will be released in Japan preloaded with a mobile version of the beloved PSP "joy-fest" of a game, Loco Roco.

The SO703i is also known as the "smell'O'phone" due to a series of interchangeable fragranced "aroma sheet" faceplates, which smell when the user opens up the phone. Another thing about the phone worth mentioning is that the display of the phone utilises some of the technology already implemented in Sony's Bravia HDTVs. The cellphone will be available on the NTT Docomo network.

Sony has yet to confirm if LocoRoco will also grace Sony Ericsson phones in Europe and the US. Moreover, there is still no word if a custom LocoRoco faceplate will be available. We've always wondered what that yellow blob of joy smelled like.

Metal Slug Anthology's release for the Wii had nearly everyone's heads spinning as the confusion just wouldn't stop. Now the PSP version is bound to suffer the same fate. After the nth delay (the last release date was February 6), it now looks like SNK has pushed back the release to March 1. Again.

Metal Slug Anthology will include the original Metal Slug up to Metal Slug 6 with Metal Slug X. Who says you can't have too much of a good thing? This game brings back memories of a thousand quarters.

The question remains: how long do we have to wait for our Flameshots and Heavy Machine Guns on the PSP?

Perhaps you've remembered watching "The Warriors" back in the 70s, but for those who weren't even born yet (me! me!), maybe you've seen the show once in HBO (coz' I sure do remember watching it).

Either way, this movie adapted from Sol Yurick's 1965 novel pitted a totally innocent gang against a whole city of gangs who were after them.

GameSpot's been able to grab an early copy of Rockstar Games' PSP port from the PS2 adaptation of the movie. They say it's pretty much alike in every way possible. Only this time multiplayer mode is accessible by Wi-Fi (much like Sid Meier's Pirates! four-way Wi-Fi battles) for a  two-player odyssey, and the unlockable armies-of-the-night mode in reminiscent Double Dragon-style is already reachable from the get-go. It does sport some ghosting effects in really huge action situations with the occasional stutter, but perhaps the US$ 19.99 price tag is more than tempting to allow PSP players to get the game anyway.

For a solid conversion of the original PS2 game, The Warriors isn't half bad to have. It would be even better once the ghosting issue get resolved. If you're a cult follower of The Warriors legacy, this could just be a chance to re-experience that unforgettable, painful trek back to Coney Island.

The Warriors is set to be shipped next month.

Yesterday, we brought to you the first screens of Sega's Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars for the PSP, arriving this summer. The game, which has its roots on the Sega Dreamcast, seems like the perfect handheld game. The multiplayer mode where two cabbies try to outdrive each other via ad-hoc in either co-op or versus mode, is just the icing on the cake. We've seen the screens, now let's hear what the people behind the game are saying.

Recently, the game's associate producer, Stephen Frost gave an interview with GameSpot and he discussed certain aspects and plans for the game. In the interview, he said that one of the main reasons why they are bringing this game to the PSP is the fact that it's one of Sega's well-known franchises. They are banking on the game's history and its fan base to ensure that Crazy Taxi  on the PSP would be a hit.

When asked why Sega decided not to create an original Crazy Taxi game for the PSP, Frost said that "there were still a lot of gamers out there who either haven't had a chance to play the original two titles in the series or would enjoy playing these games on the handheld. Both of those titles are great in their own right and are especially suited to short playing sessions, which is obviously great for gaming on the go." He also mentioned that this is a good way to repay longtime fans who had been asking for a handheld version for so long.

The game will stick to its tried and tested formula of picking up and dropping off customers under time pressure, but he mentions that the multiplayer aspect is the biggest addition. Other added features include the passenger stealing feature, new music and new voice-overs.

There game also has a movie feature wherein you'll be able to record roughly 80 seconds of gameplay and then watch it via the game's replay option. If you want to brag about your mean taxi-driving skills to your friends, you could also save the movie on your (or your friend's) memory stick.

For the guys who're waiting for news on High Impact's Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters title launching for the PSP, here's an update...or two. Gamespot's crew just walked away from a press event in L. A., at which they were lucky enough to try out a pre-release version of High Impact's title.

Among other things, their first-person play involved trying some of the new weapons and features, such as the armor upgrades. For the Clank fans, you'll be happy to know the game's gonna be doing more solo missions for Ratchet's trusty droid robot, Clank. And of course, the dynamic duo's (in)famous humour is a mainstay.

As for the multiplayer aspect, the game offered the standard deathmatch, team deathmatch and capture the flag modes. Aside from these, though, the devs added two challenges that should introduce new degrees of mayhem.

The first is called the Moon Cow Disease challenge. Here, players have to load up two trucks with meat crates, which they do so by using a suck cannon - yes, a "suck" cannon - to grab space cows distributed in the level. After loading up, they point the cannon at a meat processor and fire, converting every three cows into one meat crate, which are loaded on the trucks.

The second new challenge involves homing mines. Your goal: Destroy your enemy's base by planting a beacon to lure the said mines into your enemy's turf. The catch: anybody carrying the beacon will have to run as the mines swarm them like bees, and hopefully reach their enemy's base before they themselves are blown off the map.

Those are the two major updates they've pointed out so far, aside from the graphics and sound, which the Game Spot dudes say are developing well with every update. The game's expected to hit this February '07, and given the level of improvement we're looking at each time, we're pretty optimistic about the game's release.

Do any of you guys remember Lode Runner? It's that classic game from the 80's hailed by Gamespot as one of the greatest games of all time. Now, we have just heard news that snowymydog has just released his second homebrew game, Treasure of Pharaoh v0.1. And whaddya know, it's a clone of Lode Runner! He said he spent a whole month working on this so if you like all 150 levels of it, please drop him a line or two alright? Nobody wants to feel that their work is unappreciated, yenno. Hehe. The download file below includes separate versions for FW1.0-2.x and FW 1.5. Alright, on to the more important stuff:

Controls:

• D-pad - move the player
• Square - dig a hole at left
• Circle - dig a hole at right
• Start - pause the game
• Select+triangle - restart current level. Some maps are tricky, you'll have a chance to run into a place that you can't go out. Use this function to restart the current map, however, this will costs you 1life.
• Select+R trigger - advance to next level. Costs 1 life.
• L trigger - back to previous level. Don't costs life.
  

Additional notes from snowymydog:

1. Hi-Score and Options is not working at the moment.
2. The AI is not same as the original, some map may become impossible to complete. I'm begging you to report, I'll try to fix.
3. When a level is completed, game will be auto saved and you've got an extra life.
4. Some tiles are "fake floor", they look the same as the real ground, but you cannot dig on it. When you stand on it, it will drop to next floor. **THIS IS NOT A BUG**

Download: [Treasure of Pharaoh v0.1]
Discuss: [Forum Release Thread]

In a lengthy interview over at Gamespot, Eidos' product acquisition director, Ian Livingstone gave several details on Tomb Raider: Anniversary, the future of Lara Croft, and his opinion regarding the next-generation console wars.

What? Who's Ian Livingstone and why should you guys care? Well, if in case you're too lazy to wiki him up, his game cred starts with Games Workshop and Steve Jackson, moves on to D&D, gets big during the 90s with Eidos, and reaches a high point when he got awarded an Order of the British Empire last year for "Services to the Computer Games Industry." So snotty fellow, can you top that?

Here be the pertinent details from the interview:

So how's Lara?
Livingstone says that the brand and franchise will continue. According to him she's now much like James Bond now. Hence, there are no plans to kill of the character any time soon. She's recognized everywhere and according to Livingstone there was a Time Magazine survey a few years back that ranks her as more recognizable than the pope.

In Livingstone's words:

There are other great characters, but they're all aimed at a younger audience--Zelda, Sonic, Mario--there have been none that have been aimed at the more mature consumer. If you think of other successful games, you don't always remember the characters.

Women don't object to Lara because she's strong, independent, intelligent, athletic, sexy, and essentially she doesn't need men. And of course, men wouldn't object to [her] for the same reasons... And, as she's virtual, she can be anything to anyone.

He adds that he isn't really allowed to say much about Tomb Raider: Anniversary, but he does hint that we should all be thinking about that first time Lara met the T. Rex.

Get the rest of the article after the Jump!

Sony's handheld gets the most titles for this week in Europe, with six games to be released within the week as compared to the DS, which will only be getting two, and the Xbox360, with only one game slated for release this week.

EA's FIFA 07 will be making its way to both the DS and PSP this week, while the 360 version won't come out till October. However, 360 users would be glad to know that they'll get to play World Snooker Championship 2007 before this week ends, so there's something to look forward to. But enough with this, let us just give you the full list of release titles this week:

DS:
Fifa 2007 (28.09.2006)
42 Spieleklassiker/All-Time Classics (29.09.2006)

PSP:
B-Boy (27.09.2006)
Fifa 2007 (28.09.2006)
Gun (28.09.2006)
Mercury Meltdown (28.09.2006)
Bubble Bobble Evolution (29.09.2006)
Gitaroo Man Lives! (29.09.2006)

Xbox360:
World Snooker Championship 2007 (29.09.06)