Telltale Games has today announced that legendary Freelance Police crime-busting duo Sam & Max will be coming to the PS3 via the PlayStation Network for a five-game series entitled Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse, with the first episode, The Penal Zone, due for release on April 15^th.

The story kicks off with Max in possession of a set of powerful psychic abilities that have been bestowed on him by a mysterious ancient source. Max and Sam set out to find the origin of these special powers, and on the way they meet up with intergalactic simians, eldritch gods, under-dwellers, and an arcane scholar, all of whom are on the same quest.

If you’ve not had the pleasure of encountering Sam & Max before, you’ll see from the teaser trailer below that the dog and the bunny are quite a pair of characters, and have been entertaining comic fans and gamers since 1987, so it’s fantastic to see them back in such an exciting looking adventure. Here’s what Sam & Max’s creator, Steve Purcell, has to say about the new game:

“Telltale continues to excel at channeling Sam & Max’s extremely peculiar sensibilities. For each subsequent season they somehow manage to toss ever more mind-addling scenarios at the Freelance Police. The creative team inhabits these characters so well that if I were their parents I’d be worried about them.”

I for one am just thrilled to see them back!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sony finally gave its new motion controller its long-awaited grand unveiling yesterday at the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco. The controller’s official title is the PlayStation Move motion controller, and according to Sony it will be released this fall, offering a motion-based, high-definition gaming experience. Along with the Move, Sony will also be releasing a sub-controller (just don’t call it a nunchuk, okay!) for use in conjunction with the motion controller for intuitive navigation of in-game characters and objects. You can also use the regular PS3 controller instead of the sub-controller if you’d prefer.

The Move and sub-controller system is designed to work in conjunction with Sony’s PlayStation Eye camera, with the Eye able to detect the precise movement, angle and absolute position in 3D space of the Move controller. Sony claims that the Move has “unmatched” accuracy through its advanced motion sensors, which include a three-axis gyroscope, three axis accelerator, and a terrestrial magnetic field sensor, plus a color-changing sphere that is tracked by the Eye. The system can detect both fast and subtle motion, such as the swing of a tennis racket or stroke of a paint brush.

And it’s not all about the motion, either. The Move motion controller also has traditional action buttons to press and an analog trigger, and can receive physical feedback from rumble functionality, and visual feedback from the different colors displayed by the sphere.

Sony says that there are over 20 Move-compatible games due to be released in 2010, including bare-knuckle brawler Dukes, party game Move Party, western gun-slinging game The Shoot, and Sports Champion. Stay tuned for much more news on the Move and Move games throughout the year.

As much as everyone loves playing band games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band by pressing buttons on instrument-shaped controllers, it was surely only a matter of time before a games developer took the next logical step and came up with a game that uses real instruments. Well, that time has finally come, with Seven45 Studios today announcing Power Gig: Rise of the SixString for the PS3.

Seven45 Studios is a new publisher, developer and hardware manufacturer, and the sister company to music instrument makers First Act, which of course puts it in the ideal position to make the first major band game to use a functioning six-string electric guitar.

The guitar features Seven45’s proprietary technology that can distinguish and recognize gamers’ input all along the guitar, making it as easy to pick up and play as the usual band game button controllers. Seven45’s guitar can also be plugged into an amp and used as a real electric guitar though, as well as a game controller. Here’s Seven45 Studios Chairman and CEO Bernard Chiu talking about the game.

“Power Gig: Rise of the SixString is meant to be the answer for all of those gamers who have wanted to take their band game experience to the next level; we’re confident that players will agree that the transition from the existing games is both seamless and exhilarating. We believe that there is something unmatchable about the feeling of an authentic guitar in your hands, and Power Gig brings that excitement to all gamers with an instrument that absolutely anyone can pick up and play.”

Power Gig: Rise of the SixString will be available for the PS3 this fall.

Codemasters has today announced a new First Person Shooter  for the PS3 called Bodycount.  The game is currently in production at Codemasters Studios in Guildford, and is being designed by Creative Director Stuart Black (co-creator and designer of 2006’s Black). The development team is creating the game using the EGO Game Technology Platform. In the game, players become embroiled in a secret global power struggle as they take on the role of a powerful combat asset eliminating targets on behalf of a clandestine network.

The aptly named Bodycount will feature state-of-the-art weaponry, which players can use to tear through destructible cover and execute explosive kills. It will also feature the by now almost obligatory online multiplayer and co-operative game modes. Here’s what Stuart Black has to say about his and the team’s vision for the game:

“We’re all massive FPS fans and believe that there’s room for a refresh of the shooter experience. Everything in Bodycount is absolutely centered on the bullet and its impact on the world. Our shredding tech enables us to create a different kind of gameplay, where players and AI can’t hide behind indestructible cover and rely on whack-a-mole mechanics. Here the environment is constantly changing as the game world is shot to hell; it’s going to be a huge amount of fun.”

Them’s fighting words indeed! Bodycount is scheduled for release in Q1 2011, which is way too long to wait after having seen these first two jaw-dropping screenshots!

SEGA Europe and Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami have today unveiled some screenshots and nuggets of information about forthcoming third-person action-shooter, Vanquish. Developed by Platinum games and directed by Shinji Mikami, Vanquish is an epic sci-fi shooter with a frenetic combat system and an immersive storyline set in the near future, where Russia and the US are at war over the planet’s dwindling energy resources. Players take the role of Sam, a government agent who wears a futuristic battle suit and wields an impressive array of weapons, as well as being a skilled martial artist. This is what Shinji Mikami had to say about the game:

“Vanquish is a game where we’ve tried to inject the extreme pace of an action game into a shooter. The gameplay and staging are all put together around the keyword ‘intensity’. I think it’s very rare to come across a game where shooting loads of robots is so much fun.”

Vanquish is due for release in Winter 2010 on PlayStation 3.

Tecmo Koei Europe and NSP have today announced that they will be releasing cult classic Fist of the North Star on the PS3 in Europe this summer. The game pays homage to the old side-scrolling beat-‘em-ups of the past, but brings the genre right up to date with ground-breaking physics, combat, and gore, inspired by the cult comic. The game is set in a ravaged, post-apocalyptic Earth. What few survivors there are left live in small communities, trying to keep themselves safe from the vicious gangs who prowl the wastelands. The sole protector of the innocent civilians and the downtrodden in general is a mysterious martial artist called Kenshiro, who bears seven scars on his chest and is the chosen practitioner of the legendary assassin’s art of Hokuto Shinken.

Players can look forward to exploring destructible and interactive environments as they play the part of Kenshiro, facing down dozens of enemies at once, and stringing combos together to unleash killing moves and special attacks. As they progress through the game they’ll unlock secret moves and hidden characters taken straight from the Fist of the North Star Universe, including Mamiya and Rei. Every playable character has had their story faithfully reproduced from the source material, and every character will have a new original story and ending especially created for the game. Fans can rest assured that the FNS visual style has been faithfully reproduced in the same style as the original comic series.

Note that the final game name has yet to be confirmed.

Crystal Dynamics, the developer who revitalised the Tomb Raider franchise, has today issued a somewhat cryptic and tantalising announcement of a new game called Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, which will be available as a digital download. Note that the words “Tomb Raider” are nowhere to be seen! All very curious. The game is due to be shown strictly behind closed doors at this year’s Game Developers Conference which starts on March 9^th.

Crystal Dynamics is being so secretive about the new project that it won’t even say what platforms the game will be on at the present time, but we’re assuming and hoping that PS3 will be one of them. They’ve put together this nice looking website for the game (not much on there right now, but the logo looks nice anyway!) which would indicate that the game is going to be on the major consoles. Crystal Dynamics is currently working on two games, so maybe the first is a Tomb Raider game and the second is this extra downloadable game? One thing’s for sure, Crystal Dynamics is not giving much else away at the moment, as these words from Darrell Gallagher, General Manager of Crystal Dynamics, indicate:

“This is a really exciting project for Crystal Dynamics. We have created something completely new and very different to what people might be expecting. Lara Croft is such an iconic character in videogames, with Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light we have created what we believe is a truly original digital experience.”

Stay tuned for more news as and when we get it.

After the runaway success of the first Test Drive Unlimited game, which saw over one million players creating online accounts, Atari has today announced Test Drive Unlimited 2 for the PS3. Test Drive Unlimited 2 expands on the traditional racing experience with its Massively Open Online Racing (M.O.O.R) environment, enabling players to compete, team up, and share their achievements and creations online. TDU2 blends the open-world experience with realistic vehicles and performance dynamics, and for the first time features vehicle damage, weather effects, day and night cycles and a new island location to explore.

As with the first game in the series, TDU2 aims to seamlessly blend the single and multiplayer experiences. The game is “always live”, with automatic updates and online/offline integration. A revamped single-player narrative mode can be played offline or as part of the multiplayer narrative, and this latest game in the series also introduces all-new race types, vehicle classes, environmental challenges and locations.

The stunning limited-edition vehicles of TDU2 are flawlessly replicated with developer Eden Games’ finely tuned driving technology. Players get to define their online persona by customizing their vehicles and collecting property, clothing and much more. Here’s Jeff Lapin, CEO of Atari, SA, talking about the game:

“After the highly successful Test Drive Unlimited which redefined the genre with massively open online racing, Test Drive Unlimited 2 will be an innovative evolution in racing games, expanding its unparalleled multiplayer experience and immersing players in a world full of new online content and lifestyle customisation.”

Test Drive Unlimited 2 is due to be released on PS3 this autumn.

Konami has today released new artwork and screenshots for the forthcoming PS3 game, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, which is due for release some time in 2010. These are the first screenshots we’ve seen since way back last August, so go ahead and feast your eyes on the beauties! The game marks a new beginning for the Castlevania series, with Madrid-based developer Mercury Steam working closely with Konami’s Kojima Productions studio led by the man behind Metal Gear Solid, Hideo Kojima. The PS3 title will mix combat elements with a fully interactive 3D realm populated by all sorts of undead abominations and evil beings.

The game is set in the ravaged Europe of the Middle Ages, after the planet has been all-but devastated by powerful magic, leaving dead souls trapped and doomed to roam the earth, alongside other monsters. The hero, Gabriel, a member of the Brotherhood of Light, sees his wife Marie murdered and then trapped in limbo by the creatures and goes on the hunt for those responsible, namely the Lords of Shadows. During his epic quest, Gabriel must face and battle the evil Lords, armed with his trusty Combat Cross.

The gaming environments range from snowy mountains to Gothic castles and desolate wastelands, and as you can see from the screenshots, the locations are simply stunning. This is what Dave Cox, producer, had to say about the game:

“Castlevania: Lords of Shadow will take the Castlevania series into brave, uncharted territories, and is a breath-taking adventure that boasts stunning aesthetics, deep and challenging gameplay, and a truly inspirational voice cast to deliver the game’s dramatic depth. This is a world’s first! A dream team-up between a western development studio and one of Japan’s most revered and innovative creators.”

Psychological crime thriller Heavy Rain has stormed its way to the top of the UK All Formats Top 40 in its first week of release, knocking last week’s newcomer, Aliens Vs Predator, down to the number 2 slot. Quantic Dreams’ long-awaited PS3-exclusive game is, in the words of the developers:

“The place where action gaming meets film-noir head on, in an adventure unlike any other. A game where your mind, emotions and human nature will be put to the test like never before, Heavy Rain takes interactive entertainment down a dark, compelling path rarely ventured in the gaming world.”

Indeed, Heavy Rain has proven to be so popular that MCV is today reporting shortages of the game in UK stores. It’s been heavily advertised on TV in the UK, and has also received incredible scores from some of the biggest games sites in the UK and Europe (Eurogamer – 9/10, IGN – 9/10, Total Video Games 10/10). It really is encouraging to see a genuinely groundbreaking game proving to be so successful both critically and commercially.