More than two years after its announcement, we have our first glimpse of the current version of The Scourge Project: Episode 1 & 2 in motion. Even if the early footage leaked to YouTube in 2007 is genuine, the game has since transitioned from first to third person and received a dramatic graphical update. It practically qualifies as a new game.

With its garish colours and plasticine physiques, The Scourge Project puts me in mind of Tecmo’s soon to be released Quantum Theory. Both are sci-fi themed third person shooters. Both are powered by Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 3. It’s probably fair to say that both are direct descendants of Epic’s own Gears of War series.

Developer Tragnarion Studios has indicated that this initial two episode instalment of The Scourge Project will feature more than five hours of solo or cooperative gameplay along with numerous multiplayer adversarial modes.

The Scourge Project is due for release via Steam in March 2010, with XBLA and PSN releases planned for later in 2010.

Nintendo has released a new trailer for its on-rails shooter Sin & Punishment: Star Successor. Set in the near future, the game challenges you to speed across the landscape at dizzying speed while dispatching opponents with sword and gun.

Star Successor is the sequel to one of the N64’s worst kept secrets. Although the original game in the series was exclusive to Japan, it was later published on the Wii Virtual Console, raising its profile among western gamers. Both the original and the forthcoming sequel were developed by Treasure, the shoot ‘em up specialists responsible for Gunstar Heroes and Ikaruga.

The game supports an impressive array of control options, including the Wii Remote and Nunchuck, the Classic Controller, the Classic Controller Pro, the Wii Zapper and even the GameCube controller. Still, unless it supports the Dance Dance Revolution floor mat, I’ll not be satisfied.

Nintendo is yet to confirm a local release date for Sin and Punishment: The Star Successor.

Without a PS3 to distract him, Ethan saw for the first time just how outdated his décor had become.

UPDATE 2: Sony has published a statement indicating that all PS3 consoles should now be functioning normally, though some users may have to manually correct the system’s internal clock to overcome the issue.

UPDATE: Sony has revealed that the system’s clock functionality may be the source of the error. It has advised customers that it is aiming to resolve the problem within 24 hours. It has also warned customers not to use their original PlayStation 3 consoles (again, the Slim model is apparently unaffected) until the issue is addressed.

Has your PlayStation 3 console just given up the ghost? Mine certainly has and, by all accounts, I’m not alone. Users throughout the world are receiving the following message when attempting to load games. “Registration of the trophy information could not be completed. The game will quit. 8001050F” True to its word, the console then returns players to the XMB. Further attempts to load the game are met with the same error.

Though Sony has acknowledged the issue, it hasn’t yet identified the source of the error or outlined a timetable for addressing it. According to Sony’s Jeff Rubenstein, the error has thus far been limited to original PlayStation 3 consoles, with the more recent Slim models continuing to function as normal.

The Heavy Rain session I had planned for this evening looks like a bust. Fortunately Channel Nine has come to my rescue with back to back episodes of Two and Half Men. Alternatively, I could destroy my own eyes with a Phillips head screwdriver.

More details as they come to hand.

Commander Shepard holds strong views on modern art.

When BioWare omitted the widely criticised vehicle sections from Mass Effect 2, it couldn’t have predicted the backlash the decision would trigger. Granted, I was the only participant in the backlash, and yes, I do acknowledge that the Mako was a nightmare to control. I maintain, however, that decision resulted in an (otherwise superb) sequel that felt narrower in scope and more repetitive than its predecessor.

Fortunately, it seems that BioWare has not entirely abandoned the idea, announcing new vehicle themed away missions in the form of DLC. The Firewalker Pack grants players access to the Hammerhead, a low flying and highly manoeuvrable assault vehicle armed with guided missiles. By soaring above the battlefield, the Hammerhead will hopefully avoid the Mako’s fate of becoming repeatedly ensnared in the environment. Five missions supporting the new vehicle are included in the expansion.

Available in late March, the Firewalker Pack will be free to for players who have already downloaded the Cerberus Network DLC.