Valve has been quite vocal regarding its disdain for the PS3, but it seems a complex CELL architecture is not the only factor that’s driving the famed Half Life developer to keep its distance from Sony.

Speaking in a recent interview with CVG, Valve project manager Chet Faliszek took a sharp hit at the Sony’s online community, proclaiming that Xbox Live is “head and shoulders above the PS3.” This apparently is a factor that weighed in heavy when deciding to keep Left 4 Dead exclusive to two platforms only, those being the Xbox 360 and PC. more »

It’s been a long time coming, but Jonathan Blow’s time-bending platformer Braid will finally make the jump to PS3 next week. Slated to hit the service on November 12, developer Hothead Games is handing the port. A European release is scheduled to follow at a later date.

The PSN version of Braid will be appropriately priced at $14.99, same as its Xbox 360 counterpart.

In what we presume is a last ditch effort to move copies of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and associated downloadable content in preparation for the release of its follow-up, Activision has slashed the price on Infinity Ward’s Variety Map Pack, bringing it down to $4.99, a 50 percent reduction. That translates to 400 Microsoft Points on the 360 side of things. The pack was released last year as the final piece of DLC for CoD 4 and features four additional maps, namely Broadcast, Creek, Chinatown and Killhouse. more »

SCEE may not feel PlayStation Home is a priority right now, but the opinion of SCEA differs radically. Speaking in response to comments made by Pete Edwards, U.S. PS Home director Jack Buser says the service is currently bustling with activity, with over 200 events and parties hosted in the virtual community since its soft-launch last December. Suffice to say, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen both divisions on separate wavelengths. more »

Sony is preparing for the release of God of War III in a way that would make Kratos proud. Today the company revealed its $100 Ultimate Edition offering of the game, which features oodles of premium collectibles and exclusive digital content, sure to appease even the most diehard fan.

The contents of this package are listed below. Beware, it’s quite an exhaustive list. more »

In preparation for the imminent launch of Modern Warfare 2, Activision is running a weekend sale on Steam for the previous installment.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare can be now be had for 40 percent off the usual purchase price, bringing it to a total of $23.99. Not a bad deal if you’re one of the few who have yet to play this one. It’ll keep you busy until the sequel hits, that’s for sure.

Remember PlayStation Home? We’re not sure if you log-on the service regularly anymore, but at one point in time, it was a pretty big thing for Sony, being touted as a cross between a virtual world and social network for PS3 owners. Fast forward to today and we rarely hear about it at all, aside from the infrequent addition a new Home space every now and then. Not to mention, updates on the service have been few and far between as of late. Has Sony placed Home on the backburner? It seems so. And for now, the answer is yes, according to director Pete Edwards. more »

It’s the PlayStation Store update leading up to Halloween and Sony is celebrating by running a sale on select on select PSN offerings. Super Stardust Portable, echochrome, Myst, Brain Challenge, and Unbound Saga can all be had for 50% off their original purchase price, this week only. Additionally, Manhunt 2 is now available at the permanently reduced price of $19.99.

Elsewhere, Inferno Pool and Hasbro Family Game Night emerge as downloadables on the PS3 front, as does a playable demo of Ratchet And Clank Future: A Crack In Time. On the PSP side of things, Zombie Tycoon and Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam make their to way to the Minis catalog this week, along with UMD legacy titles Mega Man Maverick Hunter X and LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival.

Full listing after the break. more »

It’s one thing to have dreams about assuming the life of a video game character, but taking those actions into reality is another, and is telling of when you’ve overstepped your bounds. That’s what Jan H. did when he shut off the main power switch at Sophia Hospital in the Netherlands last April, blaming his actions on Silent Hill, Konami’s hit survival horror franchise.

A court ruling that wrapped up last Tuesday concluded that the man was not guilty but did suffer from psychosis, which led to the subconscious belief that he was solving a puzzle from the game. As a consequence, he will now undergo psychiatric treatment in order to combat this condition. Luckily patients in the hospital remained unharmed throughout this whole ordeal, which resulted in a 45-minute blackout.

Insane. That’s all we can say. more »

Speaking in a recent interview with CVG, Rockstar North’s Imran Sarwar stated that both pieces of Grand Theft Auto IV DLC were planned “from the beginning.” Rather than building on top of the expansive world in GTA IV after completion, Rockstar decided to flesh everything out at the start, from concept to creation. Additionally, the aim for Niko’s persona was “to make him feel like a small part of a much larger world.”

Further, Sarwar elaborated on why including the DLC with the retail product was not possible: more »