Late Night Consoling

Speaking to Japanese publication Famitsu, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios head Phil Harrison stated that, across Sony's various Worldwide Studios, the company currently has some 190 games in development for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and PSP. Of these, a surprising 100 are in development for PlayStation 3, representing an enormous amount of output for the system from a single publisher. Sadly, Harrison stopped short of listing each game.

Viacom subsidiary MTV Networks today announced that it will be acquiring independent developer Harmonix Music Systems. Harmonix is the studio behind games such as Frequency (PS2) and Amplitude (PS2) and is best known for its recent Guitar Hero (PS2) and upcoming Guitar Hero 2 (PS2). Since November 2005, MTV has featured Guitar Hero in various programs and promotions. MTV announced the terms of the deal, which will see the youth network pay out $175M in cash, as well as additional future payments to Harmonix shareholders if various financial goals are exceeded.

According to 1UP, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios head Phil Harrison has confirmed six specific titles which will be running in 1080p resolution when they ship for PlayStation 3. These are Factor 5's Lair, BEC's Mobile Suit Gundam: You'll Get Caught Up in the Crossfire, SEGA AM2's Virtua Tennis 3, Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo HD, Namco's Ridge Racer 7, and EA Canada's NBA Live 07. Of these, all are playable in 1080p on the TGS show floor with the exception of NBA Live 07, which was shown only at a private Sony event last night.

Various other games are targeting 1080p as well, including PS3 launch title Insomniac's Resistance: Fall of Man, but the six listed above are those that are currently confirmed for the resolution.

Yesterday during a post-keynote question and answer session at the Tokyo Game Show, Sony Computer Entertainment revealed that in Japan, the 20GB PlayStation 3 model will be priced at 49,980 yen ($427.11) rather than the originally stated 59,800 yen ($511.02). Today, the company confirmed that this pre-launch price cut is indeed only for the Japanese market. However, it did also reconfirm that the addition of HDMI to the lower-end PS3 model is a worldwide change.

The existence of Team NINJA's Ninja Gaiden Sigma for PlayStation 3 has been reported by various Japanese sources in recent days and was included in Sony's official PS2 lineup released during TGS, but now Japanese publication Famitsu has outlined the upcoming game in more detail. Ninja Gaiden Sigma will essentially be the "complete" version of Team NINJA's acclaimed Ninja Gaiden (Xbox), which was already re-released and tweaked with Ninja Gaiden Black (Xbox). Sigma adds various new features, such as improved graphics, dual wielding of weapons, and the ability to play as heroine Rachel.

Developer and publisher SNK today announced that one more Metal Slug game will be gracing its upcoming Metal Slug Anthology headed for Wii and PSP: Metal Slug 6, released in arcades just this year. Already announced for the compilation are Metal Slug, Metal Slug 2, Metal Slug X, Metal Slug 3, Metal Slug 4, and Metal Slug 5. The game was previously set as a Wii launch title, yet the game was conspicuously absent from recent launch lineups for the system. However, today's press release from SNK indicated that both versions of the game are still on track for release this November.

Tokyo Game Show coverage continues from GameSpot, IGN, and 1UP.