Ken Levine, well-known game designer and creator of BioShock, is to pen the script for the remake of the sci-fi film Logan's Run (1976). Reportedly, Levine will remain creative director at Irrational Games (the studio responsible for BioShock Infinite).

I've actually seen this movie twice. It was a great sci-fi tale for its time. Also, I have nothing against Ken Levine moving on to script-writing, but I must admit that there seems to be a lot of this going on in the industry lately. Hollywood writers working on video games and the other way around. A game designer is supposed to be a game designer. So it was decreed...

Okay, I don't want to come across as jerk here. It's understandable. Games are big-budget projects now. After all they make more money than movies. Still, from some angles I just don't like the way the movie industry has intertwined with the video games industry. Also, if Levine decides to call it a day, as far as games are concerned, well, that's one proper game designer less and that's not a good thing.

Gspot via Deadline.

Sony released PlayStation firmware update 4.45 yesterday with their store update, but it's already been taken down after numerous reports on their support thread claiming that the update bricked consoles. According to the thread, it seems that only PS3s over 500GB were affected by this severe problem.

My PS3 doesn't have a 500GB hard drive, but I'm still thankful my hard drive is so full my PSPlus account can't activate any updates on its own right now.

No word yet on what Sony will do for those who now have a useless machine or what they believe the problem has been with this firmware update.

[Source]

So, several months from now, hopefully during the Holiday season of 2013, people will be able to buy a PlayStation 4 for 400 bucks (£349 in the UK and €399 in Europe). When questioned about a possible price deduction for their current-generation console, the PlayStation 3, here's what Sony had to say:

"There's no plans as yet," said Sony Computer Entertainment UK managing director Fergal Gara told to GI. "The PlayStation 3 is a system where it hasn't been particularly easy to get the costs down. "We continue to look at opportunities, there may or may not be any more, I genuinely can't answer to that."

"But it will certainly be a more keenly priced machine in relative to PlayStation 4. It will sit there as a viable entry level machine for years to come. It will be different by territory as to how long its life is. There's still a lot of love for PS3."

No price reduction for the PS3 then? Damn, that's a shame. Still, buying one next month though.

In the mech-flavored action game, Hawken, you can be the Technician healing class. Check it out:

Develoment studio Harebrained Schemes announced that they won't be releasing their RPG Shadowrun Returns this month June, as originally planned. They have now officially changed the release window to July 25th. Here's the word, posted on the game's Kickstarter page:

The Official Release Date for Shadowrun Returns is July 25, 2013.

We know we’ve been saying June for some time, but now that we’ve reached this final stage of development, and although our Kickstarter funding was spent some time ago, we've decided to invest additional time in bugfixing and polishing the game. That means a longer crunch period for a tired team, but everyone agrees that it’s worth it.

One of the most common pieces of Backer feedback we've received over the past year is that we should take the time we need to ship this game. We really appreciate that, and we know we've thanked you already about a hundred times already, but we're doing it again because we mean it. Thanks.

This is a promising game, I must admit. What's more, it's a proper RPG, and we don't have many of those around these days.

So, Man of Steel is getting mixed reviews and from what I've been reading, it appears that the humorless tone of the movie (or the darkish Batman-style ambiance) isn't exactly best suited for old Supes. Also, rather unsurprisingly, the movie seems to focus on action and a lot of it, as has been the tendency of big-budget flicks. It seems, however, that it's always boils down to the same complaint - they make epic, explosive and elaborate action scenes, but fail to deliver more on the story front.

Soldiers in the United States Army have shown disdain for Microsoft's Xbox One policies, and now the United States Navy is joining in.

Navy Lieutenant Scott Metcalf has published a heartfelt plea to Microsoft in the latest issue of Navy Times dubbing the Xbox One as practically useless for deployed service memebrs. His article states:

But, the reason that I am so influriated about it is that I, and my brothers and sisters in arms, will not ever be able to play Xbox One when deployed or on detachment.

He continues:

Do not do this to us, the video game industry has made a fortune breaking not just video game records, but entertainment records as a whole, with properties that simulate what my brothers, sisters and I do on a daily basis. Don't alienate us with online requirements for games. It will cost you money and respect.

The Xbox One's DRM has earned nothing but negative press since the console's announcement. Director of programming Major Nelson and president of entertainment business Don Mattrick have responded to warranted concerns by saying the online requirement is more than made up by the console's cloud computing, online library, and other Xbox Live features. Mattrick has even gone as far to suggest that those who are disconnected from the internet should just get an Xbox 360.

Microsoft has a lot of convincing to do between now and the Xbox One's launch later this year, because as it stands now there are few people who are willing to support such anti-consumer measures.

Without Dead Space the horror genre would have been crippled this generation. But after three releases it's worn thin, and now Visceral Games is moving on indefinitley.

EA Games label boss Patrick Söderlund shared with Eurogamer that the decision wasn't easy to move on from Dead Space, especially given its success. He said:

Is it better to put them on the fourth version of a game they’ve done three previous versions of before? Or is it better to put them on something new that they want to build, that they have passion for?

Its answer to that question has been to move forward with a new game, and that new game is an untitled Star Wars release. Nobody can really argue with that. Dead Space 3 was arguably the weakest of the series, and it's been too long since we've seen a good Star Wars game. Visceral Games has a lot of experience under its belt dating all the way back to 2001 with James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire. Given the failure ratio of Star Wars games, such a hardened studio is just what the IP needs.

Each and every month, various games and DLC are permanently discounted on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

For June 2013, you have a couple of Batman outings, along with some XBLA titles getting their prices reduced:

• Hybrid - 400
• Boulder Dash XL - 400
• Karateka - 400
• Quake Arena Arcade - 400
• Shred Nebula - 400
• Alan Wake's American Nightmare - 800
• Batman: Arkham Asylum - $19.99
• Batman: Arkham City - $19.99
• Mortal Kombat - $19.99

Since E3 caused the June 11th update to be postponed indefinitely, this June 18th update will represent everything that appeared both last Tuesday, as well as today.

Check out the full list of content after the break.

One of the incentives for subscribing to PlayStation Plus for the PlayStation 3 was its auto-updates for the console's firmware and your games. With the PS4, this will no longer be a perk of PSPlus, as everyone will receive auto-updates (as long as you're connected online, of course) for free.

A PSPlus account is also not required for any "social features" of PS4 or any TV and online movie services, such as Netflix and Amazon Video. Sony may look into requiring a fee to access older titles once Gaikai is up and running next year, but nothing is definite yet.

The subscription will be required for multiplayer access and of course, PlayStation's massive Instant Game Collection for the PS3, Vita, and PS4.

[Source]

The Xbox One, Microsoft upcoming gift to the gaming world, has spent a few moments in the spotlight on the Jimmy Fallon show. Killer Instinct and Forza Motorsport 5 were on display. 

Jimmy Fallon isn't exactly a beacon of objective journalism, so I really wasn't expecting an honest review of the console. This was clearly for fun and for promoting the console itself. Still, it would been nice if he had the guts to say something about the PS4... 

After receiving an email from a reader asking what in the world is going on with the West release of Phantasy Star Online 2, Kotaku took the question directly to Sega itself.

The game has already released in Japan, and Sega did originally say they would release it in the US in early 2013. Then it was delayed. And then no one has heard a word since, until now. Word is that it is still delayed. The following is the official statement they sent to Kotaku:

SEGA can officially confirm that PS02 has been delayed. We don’t have any specifics but will update everyone as soon as there are more details to share.

At least it's not outright canceled, right?

GOG.com has announced a 2013 #NoDRM Summer Sale, and they're kicking it off with a free copy of Torchlight for the next 48 hours.

This summer sale will run for 17 days and includes over 500 games. Over 150 of these games will sell for up to 85% off from now until July 5th.

In case nabbing Torchlight for free doesn't interest you, today's daily deal is Alan Wake for 90% off.

Okay, I feel like we're in Deus Ex: The Fall territory again. No, they're not making a direct sequel to XCOM: Enemy Unknown. What 2K and Firaxis have done instead, was give us the official word that the excellent turn-based strategy os going to become available for iOS devices in two days (on June 20) for $19.99.

According to the devs, "XCOM: Enemy Unknown for iOS is a universal app that includes GameCenter support and utilizes iCloud functionality so players can save games across their iOS devices. While not included at launch on June 20th, the popular head-to-head multiplayer mode in XCOM: Enemy Unknown will be added to iOS at a later date as a free update."

Complete list of supported iOS devices includes the iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad mini, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 and iPod touch 5th Generation. Hm, okay, I fail to understand why they should name all these devices. Now, I don't own any of them, so I can't claim to know much about iOS platforms.

Last week's chaotic E3 is behind us. Well, alright, it wasn't too chaotic, but there were plenty of games on the showfloor. So, here they are and it's time you take your pick. Which one tickled your fancy the most?

Best game of the E3 2013:

• Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
• Watch Dogs
• The Evil Within
• Mirror's Edge 2
• The Wonderful 101
• Sunset Overdrive
• Dark Souls 2
• Batman: Arkham Origins
• FIFA 14
• Killer Instinct
• The Order: 1886
• Dead Rising 3
• Dragon Age III: Inquisition
• Titanfall
• Bayonetta 2
• Call Of Duty: Ghosts
• Quantum Break
• Splinter Cell: Blacklist
• The Division
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
• Mad Max

People should put a stop to trailers. Not entirely, of course. But the way they are now, they just seem a bit pointless. They reveal too much. I'm talking about both movie trailers and trailers for video games. Some years back when you went to see a movie, you hardly new what to expect and as a result, the movie was all the more exciting (if it was a good movie). Video games are a bit different. I remember watching some of those early Red Dead Redemption trailers and then still enjoying the hell out of the game when it finally arrived. Maybe it was all down to form. The RDR videos were made to intrigue viewers and show them just how vast a world they'll be able to explore. With movies, you don't want some things to be spoiled because you'll know what will happened when you're sitting their in the cinema, instead of enjoying the suspense. 

I think I should definitely stop watching movie trailers. Yeah... like that's gonna happen.