E307: War of the Lions Dated, Crisis Core Absent from E3

Good news: Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is PSP-bound in the states and other non-Japanese territories October 9th. Bad news: we hear NOTHING of a stateside or European/Australian release date for Crisis Core nor Dissidia, two PSP exclusive titles that were previewed at Square Enix’s 20th anniversary party back in May. This is terribly sad, and Square Enix is doing nothing to prove that any of its attempts to bring the top-selling genre are profitable and worth anything. And this doesn’t make it any better for E3, as we expect Square Enix to announce nothing of an English build of Crisis Core…

[Via Joystiq]

Yes! Oui! Si! Previewrama2 Coming This August!

Enough crying about wanting Previewrama to return; it will return this August thanks to popular demand! August 6th will begin Previewrama, aiming to preview the hawtest games on the horizon. Last time, it was Crisis Core, Oblivion Travels, Chains of Olympus, WipEout Pulse, and our favorite: a LocoRoco sequel! But this time, where will we go for our BIGGER THAN EVER Previewrama. You surely don’t want to miss this big event, so mark your calendars and get ready, because Previewrama2 is on its way!

Kotaku: European PS3 Price Cut or 80GB Announcement at E3

It now seems pretty obvious that SONY is ready to admit that the PS3 price was way too high and a price cut should be in order (just like how they lowered the price of the PSP earlier this year). It may or may not result in an immediate increase in sales, but it’ll obviously make it easier to reach than previously. Now, Kotaku is reporting that on Thursday at the E3Expo, SCEE is planning to announce the 80GB version AND a possible price-cut or just simply the 80GB. This is good news for our European friends, who seemed to be duped once they received the $600 vert only from the beginning and ALSO had to pay more than Americans and Japanese did for it. It could be a sign that SONY finally cares, which is what we’ve been waiting for…

[Via Kotaku]

Hot PX–Err, Pixel Final Build Looks Impressive

In a land where casual games like WarioWare: Smooth Moves and Brain Age are selling better than the hardcore games, it seems obvious that it’s time for the PSP to jump in on the craze. What with Hot Brain and the ill-fated Mind Quiz, it shows that the demand for casual games on the PSP are higher than before. the looongg delayed Hot PXL, recently renamed Hot Pixel, contains hundreds of odd minigames and GameSpot’s hands-on with the final build of the game shows that the game actually looks a bit impressive. They call the game “a cool visual style” with “infectious enthusiasm”, which can only mean that it’s as addictive as those mini-game collections before it, but with the pizazz and style of something unfamiliar to the gaming industry. While it’s already available in European territories, it arrives stateside September 18, 2007.

WWWF~ Post-July 4th

What We’re Writing on the Forums is a weekly series showing what our forum community, Beyond Loco, is chatting up on the forums. Join us! For the post-July 4th holiday week and weekend, our forums was as busy as ever, boasting 40 members and yet again shattering records. Besides kicking off our E3 coverage (as we are also doing on the blog…), we finally made it easier to access our Shop and Arcade–right from the navigation at any page. Here’s what we discussed:

• E307: [Speculation] PSP2 Coming and Is it a Good Thing?
• E307: Potential E3 Lineups
• Animeniac starts selling Super Special Loco House
• Reorganization Projects for Custom Levels Teh DONE!
• Re-post: Gregg Tavares Interview with Beyond Loco

Like what you see? Well, if you’re not a member, you need to join in on the fun! Joining is just a CLICK away, literally, and the benefits are endless: this includes access to tons of user-created levels and a dedicated and devoted community. Get chatting on our forums, nao!

It’s Official: PS3 60GB $499, 80GB $599

After SONY’s continuous denial and attempts to slow down all the “price-cut” PS3 rumors, it seems official now that the PS3 price cut is finally in order. With the discontinuation of the 20GB $500 model, which was sold in low quantities, it was about time we saw this coming. The 60GB model will cost $499 and the 80GB model will cost $599. The 80GB model is a brand new edition to the PS3 lineup–but everyone has pretty much known about it for a while now, since it was released in Korea. Perhaps the most ambitious piece of news in this whole price cut confirmation is that SONY will include a copy of Motorstorm in the 80GB version. This is extremely big and it could benefit the PS3’s attempt to return to sheer domination of the gaming industry.

[Via Engadget]