We're Playing This Right Now. You Probably Are Too.

Today is November 10th. That’s the day that Modern Warfare 2 officially lands on store shelves. Chances are there’s no one around to read this. Fact is, we aren’t actually around to write it. This is being written on Sunday 8th November to inform you that, today (today being the Tuesday November 10th) we are playing Modern Warfare 2. And no, we don’t intend to update the website. We intend to shoot people.

Ah-hah!

Killzone 2's Music Is So Intense It Causes Your Ears To Explode (Probably).

Finally we can live out our fantasy in which we pretend to have orange eyes and march around a dark, stormy environment listening to the sounds of Killzone 2. How? By downloading the soundtrack from iTunes.

The soundtrack was performed in the Abbey Road Studios, London (so you know it’s good) and features 74 minutes of epic, jaw-grindingly intense orchestral music.

We might pick this up actually. It’ll never better the unbelievable Linger In Shadows soundtrack, mind.

Burnout Paradise + The Need For Speed Franchise + EA's Mega Budget = Amazing, Right?

Burnout developers Criterion Games are probably the masters of the arcade racer right now. Sure, it looks like Black Rock Studio’s Split/Second is going to give Burnout Paradise a run for its money early next year; but don’t think Criterion are down and out just yet — they’re set to release a Need For Speed game “next year”.

With Criterion at the helm, chances are the next Need For Speed game will be the serious rebirth of the franchise EA needs. Need For Speed Shift was good, but it lacked personality, something the team at Criterion have with abundance.

With the Need For Speed franchise adorning the box, perhaps it’s time the excellent Criterion had their moment in the limelight. Potential to be amazing: extremely high.

Borderlands' DLC Will Still Look Pretty. It'll Just Have More Were-Skags. Obviously.

If you’ve had enough of Borderland’s on-disc content and are itching for more, you’ll be pleased to know that Gearbox are planning some Zombie based DLC for the loot-based shooter later this month.

The content is due to hit the PSN this November 24th and promises “ferocious brain-eating zombies, carnivorous Were-Skags and more.” The content will cost $9.99.

Resident Evil 5: Alternative Edition's Content Will Be Available As DLC In The West.

Well this is surprising. We originally expected Resident Evil 5: Alternative Edition to be a completely new retail package. However, according to Joystiq the new missions and Playstation Motion Controller support will be available as DLC for European and American players.

Japanese players will get the content in a new retail box.

PushSquare's Playstation Pick Of The Week: Modern Warfare 2.

So this week there’s only really one release everyone cares about. And chances are you’re playing it right now, rather than reading this.

PushSquare’s Playstation Pick Of The Week: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3)

Well, let’s face it, it wasn’t going to be anything else was it? Infinity Ward’s military tour-de-force should be available worldwide right now.

Also:

One-time XBOX Live Arcade lovely Braidmakes its way to Playstation Network in the USA this Thursday. Quiz title Buzz!: Quiz World is available in both the US and the EU. Oh, hey, and Modern Warfare 2 is out.

Whadda’re Ya Buyin’?

Buzz!: Quiz World on Playstation 3 Review.

Buzz!: Quiz World increases the variety and ups the big game show feel to make itself the best quiz game on the Playstation 3.

What’s It All About?

The third Buzz! title to hit the Playstation 3, Quiz World focuses on improving the familiar Buzz! gameplay by adding much more variety and upping the sense of big game show occasion.

The game requires the Buzz! Buzzers to play, and can be enjoyed by up to four players locally. Online options allow you to once again create your own quizzes and play Sofa vs. Sofa online.

What We Liked:

• Much greater variety. Let’s face it, Buzz!: Quiz TV was a great quiz game, it just lacked the variety to take it further. Buzz!: Quiz World is essentially Buzz!: Quiz TV but with much greater depth and a larger breadth of content. There’s a ton of new questions (literally, a ton), lots of new speech recording from Buzz! himself, but, most importantly, there are more rounds to participate in. Be it Pass The Bomb (where you switch the holder of the bomb with correct answers) or the Pie Toss round (where the quickest answers allow you to strategically pie your opponents), Buzz!: Quiz World has a range of content that make it refreshing over multiple playthroughs.
• Humour & presentation. With Buzz!: Quiz World, Relentless have really upped the presentation stakes. The game still looks great, but the use of the camera and overall presentation make it feel even more like a ridiculous gameshow than ever before.
• Questions. There are over 5,000 new questions in Buzz!: Quiz World, so you’ll have to play the game a lot before you start seeing them repeat. They are also interestingly set out with tons of categories that are accessible to literally anyone playing.
• Balanced. Even if your opponents are real brain-boxes, Buzz!: Quiz World does a great job of balancing the gameplay so that anyone can win right up until the last round.

What We Didn’t Like:

• Lack of single-player options. Without even the ability to play against AI controlled opponents, Buzz!: Quiz World is essentially pointless in single-player. There are some challenges to complete alone, but these are few and far between. This is a very multiplayer focused game, which isn’t a bad thing, it just would have been neat if there was a little something for the single player.
• Still limited longevity. Despite having a ton of questions and a few new rounds, Buzz!: Quiz World still doesn’t have the variety it needs to truly last the distance. Online multiplayer helps, but it’s unlikely you’ll be playing this game every weekend for long.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Continues To Look Absolutely Amazing.

As expected, just ahead of Activision’s “big night“, EA has released a few new shots of the upcoming Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Which predictably look rather amazing. We just feel like EA should let Activision have their moment for now – seeing as by the time Battlefield: Bad Company 2 comes around everyone will have shut the hell up about MW2.

Dude... When Did Games Become Such A Big Deal?

Well, obviously not right now, this isn’t a magic photograph. It is still a recent photograph from tonight’s Modern Warfare 2 launch event in London’s Leicester Square however. We’d be there, seeing the sights and brushing shoulders with the Zoo models but, y’know, we’re in Birmingham.

Sorry folks.

The PSN Will Be Down Tomorrow Morning For 15 Minutes Or So.

So, erm, Sony have announced some scheduled maintenance for, erm, tomorrow. Don’t bite our heads off, we know what tomorrow is. We’re just the messengers. The downtime will take place between 8AM and 11AM GMT and is promised to only affect PSN sign-in for roughly 15 minutes (so not to a big a deal).

On the plus side, the European Playstation Blog are promising a little surprise that we assume is related to the maintenance. We think we know exactly what it is but, ahem, our lips are sealed.

Your Modern Warfare 2 playing should be fine though.