PlayStation Europe boss David Reeves is on the verge of extending the long arm of Sony onto the mat and tapping out -- exclusivity is just getting too darned expensive. "I think we have to accept that exclusivity is not a thing of the past, but it is probably with publishers," Reeves told GamesIndustry.biz in a recent interview. Of course, Reeves is only referring to the millions upon millions of cash money papers console manufactures might be expected to fork over to a publisher for exclusivity these days. There is still hope in striking deals with developers that haven't been scooped under a corporate umbrella. (See Quantic Dream, for example.) "[Developers] need a little bit of funding, external development," Reeves explained, "In exchange, it's exclusive -- that works."

Nothing goes together like drinking brewskis and the PlayStation Portable, right? Apparently, that goes doubly so if you're a sales representative in the land down under. Stella Artois is the number one international draught beer, but they haven't cracked the Australian market. So, instead of sending boring brochures and glossy guides down to the land of Oz, they sent 50 custom-made Stella-branded PSPs to the sales teams.

Not only were they in hand-stitched black velvet Stella bags, but they also had Stella themes loaded on them, and were packed with information about the beer. Plus, since they have wi-fi built-in, they can download updated beer data when they aren't playing God of War: Chains of Olympus or listening to Kylie Minogue MP3s. Now that's a marketing tool we can get behind. We wonder how long it'll be before one of these babies is up on eBay.

[Thanks, Dan]

We had a little trouble picking our favorite release this week. Though Mario Super Sluggers made a compelling case, in the end, we had to go with the little game that helped the 360 rise, phoenix-like from the ashes in Japan (before, you know, it dug right back in to those comfy ashes the following week): Tales of Vesperia.

Portable players get some good news this week too with the handheld release of N+. Check the full list right after the break.

This week's big game on PS3 Fanboy? A little gem called EyePet, which actually generated four times more traffic than Heavy Rain. We don't think anyone here (or at SCEE) could've predicted the incredible response for this cuddly critter. On the PSP, everyone focused on the newly announced PSP Brite, but we're itching to learn more about the other big announcement: Everyday Shooter -- on the go?! Where do we sign up?

New Pages

• Everyday Shooter [PSP]
  
• Heavy Rain [PS3]

Previews

• Pipemania [PSP]
• Pure [PS3]
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed [PS3]
• Yggdra Union [PSP]

Reviews:

• Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty [PS3]

Here's a fun fact you may not be aware of -- a majority of Joystiq's readers fall into the 65 - 80-year-old age bracket, explaining why a majority of our ads are for prescription arthritis medication, Stouffer's Seasoned Bread Stuffing, and seasons of Matlock on DVD. As such, only a select few of you know that many schools across the country will be back in session tomorrow. The anguish among the nation's young people is almost tangible -- excluding those whose schools operate on a quarterly schedule, or homeschoolers, or Guitar Hero aficionados with irresponsible hippie parents.

With all the superb, high-quality games that dropped this summer, we wouldn't blame you for feeling like your scholastic minds aren't exactly at their sharpest. Instead of doing your summer reading of The Sun Also Rises or attending your bi-weekly Algebra Club meetings, you focused your attention on moving up the ranks of Battlefield: Bad Company or toiling through the story modes of Soul Calibur IV. Luckily, the repercussions of your educational neglect aren't as severe as you might fear -- somewhat subliminally, these Japanese hardware sales posts have provided subtle instruction over the long, humid summer months.

Don't believe us? Perhaps you don't recall the various history lessons we've snuck into your consciousness. It seems you also don't realize the firm understanding of the statistical sciences we've surreptitiously imbued into your unaware mind. How quickly you've forgotten the important baking lesson that will certainly serve you well as you enter your incredibly challenging Home Economics course. Finally, think back to the valuable lessons of acceptance, resourcefulness, and stick-to-itiveness we imparted as we faced our own work-related hardships.

Hemingway is for the birds; we'd wager that as you grace the halls of your learning establishment tomorrow morning, you'll find yourself better equipped than your contemporaries for the mental challenges provided by your educators -- and for that, we have just one thing to say. You're very, very welcome.

- DS Lite: 78,666 18,232 (30.17%)
- PSP: 64,413 5,912 (10.11%)
- Wii: 53,036 14,530 (37.73%)
- PS3: 11,393 1,720 (17.78%)
- PS2: 10,168 1,665 (19.58%)
- Xbox 360: 7,358 17,604 (70.52%)

[Source: Media Create]

See: The scholastic archives

Sony may be experimenting with a new retail strategy for their first-party titles, evidenced by two PSP games which will be released in stores and on the PSN simultaneously in Japan this October. Agoraphobic gamers will be pleased to learn that Bleach: Soul Carnival and Yuusha no Kuse ni Namaikida or2 will both be available via digital distribution on the same day that their respective physical manifestations are shelved at Japanese brick-and-mortars -- better still, the downloadable versions of both games will cost around 1,000 yen (a little over $9) less than their tangible counterparts.

We wonder if Gamestop's recent show of boastful confidence was in response to this seeming victory for the digital distribution business model, or whether Sony's plan just happened to make an inconvenient appearance following Gamestop's announcement -- proving that the gods of gaming retail have a wicked sense of humor.

As our stack of thick, leather bound binders filled from end to end with valuable Pokémon cards will attest, we're suckers for collectible card games. You could probably also tell from our proclivity to creep around the local Wal-Mart with a black bandana crudely wrapped around our greasy mullets that we're also diehard fans of stealth action. As such, it would seem logical to assume we're big supporters of the PSP-exclusive Metal Gear Acid titles -- unfortunately, one look at our barren ludological library will show that we possess a powerful, unnatural fear of video game packaging.

Thankfully, our hopes for a downloadable version of the Acid titles were lifted somewhat by a brief blurb from series creator Hideo Kojima at Leipzig yesterday. Kojima explained that while there's currently no plans concerning the two titles, it's "possible" that the card battlers could be uploaded onto PSN. We certainly would have preferred a more substantial tease from the Metal Gear maven, a "probable" or "likely", perhaps -- but we suppose beggars can't be choosers.

In honor of the new PSP Brite moniker, we present the Lite Brite. Here's what we'll be playing this weekend. Be sure to let us know what games will be occupying your time!

• Alexander Sliwinski: Well, after a debilitating incident where some new RAM killed my PC weeks ago, I should have my baby back to me today with several new upgrades. First up: Some glorious all-levels-on-max Sins of a Solar Empire. Also making some headway with the Fable II Pub games (without cheating) and some Civ Rev multiplayer.
• Andrew Yoon: Finally, I'm going to spend some alone time with Braid. <3
• Christopher Grant: I've got a full plate of partially played games – I need to hunker down, pick one, and make some progress. Too Human, Fable 1, Bionic Commando Rearmed, Pixel Junk Eden, and Siren. Oh, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed should be in my hands next week, so I don't have much time to take care of all this. Why is life so hard?
• Griffin McElroy: I'm still working on Final Fantasy IV, which I've purposefully slowed progress on as I approach one of the saddest moments in video game history. I don't want to get all misty-eyed in public, you see. Perhaps I'll play a little more Geometry Wars 2 as well, if Justin can finally manage to beat my score on Pacifism (the only reason I could be persuaded to return to that unforgiving grid).
• Kevin Kelly: Fable 2 Pub Games for me, plus I'm demoing a tabletop game called Monsterpocalypse that looks like a ton of fun. And I'm still finding a way to cram Halo 3 into the nooks and crannies of my free time, and I'm looking to have that addiction checked out soon.
• Kyle Orland: Now that I'm done with "Moving to Pittsburgh: The Game" I'll be practicing my drumming for the impending Rock Band 2 release. I'm also still struggling to get those last few puzzle pieces in Braid and resisting the urge to use an FAQ because Jonathan Blow doesn't want me to.
• James Ransom-Wiley: Jonesing to finish up Bionic Commando Rearmed, but I'm headed out of town ... why is Remote Play so laggy? Thinking I might cop Bangai-O Spirits...
• Jason Dobson: With one week to go till I move across the country, the consoles are packed and the only game I'm playing is fighting with the moving company to make sure my stuff is there when I arrive. I've lost two men so far.
• Justin McElroy: If there's a merciful God in heaven above I'll be able to solve the Too Human game tape and finally move on with my life.
• Ludwig Kietzmann: With a patch on the way, I've decided to halt my progress through Alone in the Dark. I still have a survival-horror itch to be scratched and/or violently torn out, so I'll return to Silent Hill: Origins on my soon-to-be-outdated PSP Slim. While I'm there, I'll kill Crisis Core's final boss and close the chapter on that time-sucking mess of side missions. Lastly, I'll try and make some time for No More Heroes, which I've neglected for far too long.
• Randy Nelson: I'm off on a Quest for Booty this weekend – after I've finally gotten my fill of saving the same several hundred people over and over (and over) again in The Last Guy demo.
  
• Ross Miller: I'm taking a break from the ION drum set until I can try it with Rock Band 2 (the verdict with RB1 wouldn't be so good, as the cymbals don't register without some serious drum thwacking). Instead, I will be working through his first week of homework (one more semester to go!) and, when time permits, run through The Force Unleashed demo. Maybe I'll pick up Too Human and see what all the fuss is about.

Oh Myst, whatever happened to you? We loved you when you were original, and we loved you even more when Riven came out. Then we were rudely slapped in the face when the game left Cyan and Ubisoft released Myst III: Exile and later Myst IV: Ages of Revelation. We tried to be chipper when you went back to Cyan and Myst V: End of Ages came out, but honestly too much water had passed under the bridge. Maybe because of the Uru: Ages Beyond Myst / Myst Online: Uru Live debacle.

But... what's this? You're coming to the iPhone? And you're being developed by Cyan? Well, glory be. However, you promised as a PSP version, and we're still waiting on that. It came out in Europe in 2006, so what gives? We know your DS version came out recently, but it is not being universally loved.

We know you might be too busy and Hollywood now, with your movie deal and iPhone announcement. But, we're still smarting from our past experiences. We'll give you another chance, but you'll need to hurry along while we're still smitten with the iPhone. And please, don't call it iMyst. Myst will do just fine. You wouldn't want us to get Pyst all over again.

[Update: We just heard from one of the gents working on the game (Yeah, that's the kind of pull we have) and they tell us "I'm pretty darn sure we're only calling it iMyst internally as a goofy moniker. I really doubt you've got anything to worry about with regards to rebranding of the game. Who knows, maybe if it does well, other Cyan games will follow." Good news all around!]

"3000" no longer. We hereby dub thee: PSP Brite. Wait, wait, wait: PSP BRITE

(Damn, aren't they some tasty lookin' berries?)

[Props to PSP Fanboy for the nicknaming!]

Now that we've got a new PSP-3000 model on the horizon (October 14, to be exact), it's probably a good time to look back at some of the best, affordable titles for the handheld. Our friends at PSP Fanboy have done just that, looking at the top 20 titles that'll cost you less than an Andrew Jackson to buy. Our favorite picks are Patapon and the Final Fantasy Tactics remake, but definitely check out the other 18 while you're at it.

Use PS3 Fanboy's printable 25% GameStop coupon to make this list even cheaper. Happy shopping!

Now that Clank isn't hanging around, Ratchet can finally tap some ... oh, booty also means treasure? Well, isn't that just clever, it's like one of those double entendres. Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty is available on the PSN this week for $15. There's also the Kratos DLC for Hot Shots Golf on PS3 and the demo for The Last Guy. Actually, there's a lot more stuff that might be of interest, so the full list of this week's NA PSN update can be found after the break.

PS3 Fanboy has this week's European update over in their corner of the internetz. Go visit and bring your laundry, they'll do it over there for you.

Sony officially unveiled the third-generation PSP yesterday, with a PS button, built-in mic and an improved LCD screen. Our friends at Engadget Japanese have learned a few more details straight from Sony about how exactly the screen has improved. Compared to the PSP-2000, the new 3000 model has twice the color gamut, five times the contrast ratio and, what we're most excited about, a response time that's twice as fast. The PSP-3000 is arriving on North American shores in mid-October.

Update: LCD's response is twice as fast, meaning the response time itself is halved. Fixed, thanks everyone!

[Via PSP Fanboy]

To be blunt, after some of the series' most disappointing entries, Need for Speed Undercover has something to prove. Today, EA revealed some of the features of the November release, the opening salvo in the battle to win back our hearts (unless you count the announcement of Maggie Q's involvement ... which we do not.)

You'll be taking down a crime syndicate with Ms. Q (if you're nasty), a story that will be presented with the help of live-action footage (hooray!). From a gameplay perspective, the big draw seems to be the Heroic Driving System, which EA describes as "a unique technology that generates incredible high-performance moves at 180 miles per hour during breathtaking highway battles." ... So, it's an emergency brake?

Maybe it's just our relief from the yucky, Far 2 Fast and Uncom4tably Furious aesthetic that's plagued the series recently, but this new entry sounds like a breath of fresh air. Well, Undercover, it would seem we, much like the Ghostbusters, are ready to believe in you.