Ubisoft yesterday announced that Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas for the PlayStation 3 has shipped to retailers. So if you missed the series' earlier releases, this might be a good chance to try out this FPS and see what it's about. At US 59.99, it isn't cheap, but if you're a fan of tactical shooters, it's worth every penny.

The game, as the title implies, revolves around the bright lights of Vegas. It has become a hotspot for terrorists so the big guns need to be called in - enter your team of highly trained counter-terrorist operatives codenamed Rainbow Six. While the storyline may not seem that compelling or original, you'll have to trust us when we say it can get addicting after some time. Apparently we're not the only one who feels this way since this game has already sold a good 5.5 million copies on other platforms worldwide.

If multiplayer is your thing, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas has 20 multiplayer maps and 10 game modes for you to play. If...

Sony is keeping mum about the rumored WipEout HD title reportedly revealed by WipEout Pulse director Tony Buckley to video game news site 1UP.

According to European gaming news site Eurogamer, a Sony UK representative said that the company can't confirm anything about a WipEout title for the PS3 at this time. The 1UP news piece mentioned that WipEout HD should be "officially announced in August or even earlier at E3".

In the 1UP report, WipEout HD was supposedly going to be a precursor to a Sony Liverpool's WipEout title for the PS3. The Sony Liverpool project is slated for release sometime in 2008. WipEout HD would reportedly feature an online multiplayer mode and possible HD-enabled tracks from WipEout Pulse.

Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) rumor meister Quartermann has a bunch of rumors that are sure to warm eager gamers' hearts...if only we have any way of confirming these rumors.

Quartermann reports that Epic Games and Sony are working closely together regarding the Unreal Engine 3 license to improve its performance on PlayStation 3. Epic Games, Quartermann adds, may also be funding a PS3-exclusive game.

Fans brokenhearted over the announcement that Parasite Eve 3 is a mobile phone game may find comfort in Quartermann's report that a Parasite Eve title for the console is already in development.

Also, the Q has sniffed out some info that Hideo Kojima (of Metal Gear Solid and Zone of the Enders franchise fame) is working on another PS3-exclusive game.

There's another rumor but it got thoroughly debunked by Sony themselves: that Sony is working on a Wii-fied PlayStation 3 controller. Sony had this to say about that one: "This rumor is absolutely not true...

In an earlier post, we reported that the Entertainment Software Rating Board (d sESRB) "requested" that the Dark Sector trailers be removed from the internet. Destructoid, one of the websites that got curious about ESRB's request, got in touch with ESRB to get further explanation how Dark Sector's trailer - which had an age gate - merited a recall. AO-rated trailers with age gates can be posted on the web, so what did D3 Publisher's video game do to earn the ire of ESRB?

Here is part of the email that Destructoid received, which is one of Patricia Vance's statements handpicked by a press relations personnel in the ESRB:

Since 2005, ARC guidelines have required that trailers for M-rated games on publisher websites be displayed behind an age gate to help restrict viewing to those visitors who are 17 and older.

Then the next paragraph continues with:

The mere presence of an age gate does not permit a publisher to simply put whatever content it wishes in...

For all you Call of Duty fans out there, Gary found this excellent video for us to enjoy. Call of Duty 4 - New Content and Customization Interview HD Tags: Sony, PS3, PlayStation 3, Call of Duty 4

There are 9 in total. Click Here to view the rest and download them, it’s near the bottom of the page. Tags: PS3, Lair, Videos

I’ll be getting Rainbow Six: Vegas for the PS3 when it’s finally released on Friday, so here is a little teaser video of the PS3 exclusive map “Wartorn”: Looks pretty cool and I think my clan mates and I will have a lot of fun online with this. Anybody else picking up RSV for [...]

Do you love to write? How about crafting fan fiction? Do you own either an Xbox 360 or a PlayStation 3? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you have to read this post. GamePlasma.com and 2K Games will be holding a fan fiction contest for eager Darkness fans. Just do your own take on how the Darkness came about, and how it works, and what The Darkness really is, and you may find your work published in GamePlasma.com.

At stake are copies of The Darkness games for both next-gen consoles as well as complimentary copies of "The Darkness: Level 0" comic books, a prequel to Top Cow's supernatural-noir series featuring Anthony Estacado, Jackie's predecessor.

The contest will be judged by GamePlasma's panel of editors, who will then pick out the 5 best entries, and will choose one entry among the five to post on GamePlasma.com.

GamePlasma.com will be accepting entries until July 2nd, and the winners will be posted on July 6. For the contest rules and mo...

  
Whether it's for hiding your diary or keeping your stash of Hello Kitty figurines, everybody needs a metal safety deposit box. Rockstar Games certainly understands this important need, which is why the Grand Theft Auto IV Special Edition package will be coming with its very own lockbox.

Thanks to the folks over at Destructoid, we now have a full listing of everything that'll come with special edition of GTA IV. What's in the Special Edition, you ask? In addition to the safety deposit box, gamers will also get the following items:
Grand Theft Auto IV on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system or the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, both with special packagingThe Grand Theft Auto IV Art Book, featuring never-before-seen production artwork from Grand Theft Auto IVSelected soundtrack CD from Grand Theft Auto IV, featuring new material from top artists, only available on this releaseAn exclusive Rockstar keychain for the safety deposit box...

Over on Sony's PlayStation Blog, there's news of the upcoming PS3 firmware update 1.82, which is actually set to come in a matter of days.

According to Eric Lempel, Director of PlayStation Network Operations, the main feature of the update is actually AVC High Profile (H.264/MPEG-4) playback support, but that only seems to be a preliminary reporting of the details.

Lempel also mentions increased PS2 software compatibility, so you can probably expect a follow-up article from the PlayStation Blog once the firmware update is ready. Hopefully, the next update will also include an actual release date, so you guys know when to turn on your PS3s to receive FW 1.82.

Thanks to Geo for the tip!