If a rumor stemming from an Australian Gamer piece is to be believed, Pandemic’s Batman game movie tie-in with The Dark Knight has been given the proverbial axe. Apparently, development on the title was lagging behind schedule, leaving “higher-ups” at the studio’s Australia-based Brisbane location no choice but to can it in fear of losses.

If true, this wouldn’t exactly be a surprise. Previous reports, one citing an anonymous EA manager, speculated that the quality of the project was not up to snuff and deadlines were being missed.

Why so serious Pandemic? [Australian Gamer

Despite being promised for a “nationwide” rollout last Spring, pre-paid PSN cards are still a scarce commodity. That is, unless you have a Meijer nearby. Truth be told, many of us don’t, so it is reassuring to hear that Sony will be expanding availability of the cards to Blockbuster, 7-Eleven and Riteaid stores across the continental United States later this September.

This is no doubt good news for those without access to a credit card or debit card account. We just can’t fathom why it took them this long though.

PLAYSTATION Network Card [Sony]

Ryan Payton, predominately known for serving as assistance producer for Kojima Productions throughout the duration of Metal Gear Solid 4 development, has revealed that he is officially no longer a part of the company. Payton cited personal reasons, specifically being hit with some “pretty heavy news” concerning his mother, for stepping down from the position:

Back when I joined Kojima Productions in 2005, I hit the ground running and didn’t stop until we shipped Metal Gear Solid 4. Then, for the first time in three years, I wasn’t working on any games and I had a three month vacation ahead of me. I went back home to my family’s place in Washington state and literally three weeks after MGS4 launched we were hit with some pretty heavy news concerning my mom. I don’t think I need to go into details, but all of this has reminded me about how important family is. So this past month I decided to leave Kojima Productions and look to continue my career working closer to my family in North America.

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Sierra Entertainment today announced that Red Baron Arcade, a World War I based air combat game originally seen on PC, will hit the PlayStation Network later next month on September 18.

In addition to an expansive single-player campaign sprawling 36 missions, the game’s online multiplayer aspect features three gameplay modes in all — Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Capture the Flag — each with support for up to eight players.

Sounds great, but seeing as the original received fairly mediocre reviews across the board, it’d be wise to try this one before buying. Thankfully, a playable demo will be available on release day.

According to a CVG report citing a “development source,” PS3 firmware 2.5 will include an option for screen capturing, allowing users to take a direct-feed shot of what’s currently running on their PS3 - either in-game or from within the XMB.

Seeing as development firmware for both PSP and PS3 has had a built-in screenshot function for some time, file this one under probable, but aside from this rumor - there’s been no other indication that it will show up in firmware 2.5. We’ll see.

First PS3 firmware 2.5 details [CVG]

Electronic Arts let its buyout offer valued at $2 billion for Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two expire earlier this month, but that doesn’t mean the two companies have stopped conferring behind closed doors.

According to an SEC filing dated August 25, Take-Two has entered into a confidentiality agreement with EA, prohibiting the parties from “publicly disclosing the status or terms of any discussions or negotiations.” The filing further states that until a definitive transaction has been made, or discussions between both EA and Take-Two have been terminated, an announcement regarding the status of any discussions or negotiations will not be made.

In other words, the EA and Take-Two saga is far from over. more »

Tired of waiting around for PlayStation Home? You’re not alone, as so are millions of other gamers. Good news is, it’ll definitely be out this year if Sony keeps its word. Speaking to IGN, Home producer Van der Meulen has promised with confidence that there will be no more delays, the service will launch by this year’s end - 100 percent guaranteed.

Yeah, it better. Otherwise there’s going to be a whole lot of disgruntled PS3 owners out there.

GC 2008: Home Update [IGN]

European folks: You know the deal, enduring the agonizing wait for a new game release to be localized in a dozen or so languages for PAL territories can be frustrating at times. Or so it seems. Outspoken Sony Computer Entertainment Europe head David Reeves believes the wait is a clear advantage for Europe at times:

People say, ‘Well, why do we always get things last? Why can’t we say things?’ Well, I’ve said this many times before: sometimes it’s an advantage to be last in Europe, you know, when everything’s ironed out.

“This time, we do have things to say in the European [market]. We have the music service, and we’re doing great things on SingStar and there’s more to come. These are global announcements.

“They recognize that the [Games Convention] in Europe, whether it’s in Leipzig, Cologne or London: we can do the announcements wherever. So they said to us in Tokyo, ‘Do you want to do it here?’ And we said, ‘Yeah, we’d love to do it here.

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It’s no secret that Valve hasn’t exactly been staunch supporter of the PlayStation 3, especially given that company bossman Gabe Newell has called out the console on numerous occasions, going as far to label it as a “waste of time.”

But, hey, that was nearly a year ago. Now things are different! Sales of the PS3 have gone up worldwide, making the console more viable in Valve’s book. According to marketing director Doug Lombardi, there’s a 50-50 chance that future titles like Left 4 Dead may come to PS3 in the future. Just don’t expect it this year.

50-50 right now.

There’s zero chance of [Lead 4 Dead coming to PS3] this year. It’s something that’s being talked about right now as the game is gaining popularity and looking like it’s going to be a hit.

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So, the Xbox 360 is receiving a hefty price cut across all models early next month, does Sony feel pressured to do the same? In short, no, not yet. Speaking in a recent interview, SCEE head honco David Reeves explained that software like LittleBigPlanet will drive PS3 sales throughout the remainder of this year and that there would not be a price cut announcement:

No. We’re not going to drop the price this year.

Too bad! But then again, maybe it’s PR-speak for “we’re dropping the price in a couple months.” You can’t really expect them to announce a price cut early, can you?

Reeves: There will be no PS3 price cut this year [VG247]