Sony are upgrading www.playstation.com so that it integrates more PSN features. They are also getting rid of the Playstation Underground service and integrating it into the PSN to create a more streamlined experience. The update will also allow us to check out our friend’s lists on the site. Other features are rating and reviewing games but I’m not sure if you can build a collection to show what you own. These all seem like good additions to me and I really like the design in the screenshot above. I look forward to when it launches next week.

full details and links to creating an account can be found here;
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2008/11/19/playstationcom-continues-to-evolve/g

In addition, we are making enhancements to the gamer profile features. Your profile will include your PSN online ID, your avatar, and a short “about me” section. You’ll also be able to display your friends list and, on the game detail pages, you’ll be able to include ratings and reviews for all of your favorite games. These features were created so that you can make new friends, learn new tricks and tips, talk trash, offer advice, console the defeated, praise the winners, and more.

If you have an Underground account on PlayStation.com and haven’t already merged it with your PlayStation Network ID, click here to do so. If you don’t have an Underground account but would like to create a PlayStation Network account to participate in the new features on PlayStation.com, click here.

We decided to dissolve the PlayStation Underground program in order to provide more PlayStation fans with a glimpse into the PlayStation Network world via the web. We hope you enjoy this next step in the evolution of PlayStation.com.

Stay tuned; before this year is over we’ll have more enhancements for your gamer profile.

And I thought finding Tabula Rasa for a buck was strange.

Valve has announced that the original Half-Life is officially 10 years old today. In honor of the game that essentially drove them to their status as one of the most dependable developers around, they’ve decided to drop its price down to 98¢. Of course, this offer is only available on their video game download service, Steam, and it will only last until Friday. But now anyone can check out the game that continues to top numerous “Best of” lists even to this day. Unless you’re really hungry for a Double Cheeseburger, that is.

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Gallery: BOOM BLOX

Variety spills Boom Blox 2 development originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• New screenshots from Soul Eater: Battle Resonance
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Mark Betteridge, Rare studio manager, believes that videogames are a “niche experience” and will remain so until the industry’s culture of sequels changes. “The trouble with the business now is that we’ve got this sort of hamster-wheel mentality. If you look at the chart you’ll see a lot of sequels in there, and people re-spinning those ideas for new sequels as fast as possible for next year.”

Speaking in an interview with gi, Betteridge continues, “We’ll never really attract any new audiences from doing that, and that’s my problem with it. The box comes down cheaper, we’ll get a few more people who were waiting on the sidelines, but the lady that showed us to our table today - I bet she’s not got a 360, and has no intention of buying one… So to me, games are still somewhat of a niche experience compared with music, television and most art forms.”

There is truth in Mr Betteridge’s words, but the jaded old cynic in me reads ‘broader audiences’ and sees my Gran tottering around on a balance board, or my little cousin playing Ponyz. I’m all for new experiences and IPs, but if this is what he means then nail me to the Call Of Duty 9 hamster wheel, I’ll continue to enjoy our little niche thanks.

To be honest, I don’t know anyone playing this game, although I happen to encounter new WoW players (too!) often, and each time I hear about Lord of the Rings, I remember the single player RTS with the same name, a game that left me with a very bitter taste in my mouth.

Anyway, let’s see the feature highlights of the Mines of Moria expansion now, shall we?

Ø Forge Legendary Items! – The Mines of Moria introduces Turbine’s revolutionary new item advancement system to LOTRO. Players can now forge unique weapons and class-related equipment and evolve them to build a legacy the likes of Bilbo’s Sting and Gandalf’s Glamdring™. These legendary weapons grow in power along with the player through their adventures and are customized by advancing the item’s virtues, adding runic legacies and modifying its title.

Ø Discover Two New Classes — The Rune-keeper and the Warden, the first new classes to be introduced since the launch of the game, offer players the opportunity to create all-new characters and experience LOTRO in exciting new ways.

I guess that if you’re a fan of the movies, the online game is also “a must,” and this reminds me that, one fine day, I won’t be able to keep avoiding this and enter the Mines of Moria to live the adventure myself, once again.

Here is a glimpse of the game in the latest trailer:
Click here to view the embedded video.
John Mulkey, the lead designer for F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, describes the game as being “a more open environment” noting that “a destroyed city opens up an incredible amount of opportunities.” Also, Mulkey mentions that the enemies will be much more varied than in the previous game.

Watch the developers discuss details of the design of the game:

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin