DARKSIDERS 2

I recently started playing DARKSIDERS and found it to be a blast. Bought it at Gamestop, used, for just a couple dollars. Well worth it. I feel like I am playing a hybrid of GODS OF WAR and DEVIL MAY CRY. They even have a fun Website Darksiders. 
Now I am barely into the game, fought a couple Bosses and today I come across news for Daksiders 2.
Looks like it's been a rumor for over a year, but with E3 closing in, fresh info comes around for some of our favorite games and new titles.
Here's a little of what I found.


Darksiders 2 Info Probably On its Way

We may be getting an official Darksiders 2 announcement sometime between now and E3. Danny Bilson of THQ recently revealed that there is news on the game coming "in a big way". If there was any doubt that Vigil Games would be making a follow up to the 2010 Hack & Slash/Puzzle Platformer, you need not look further than the ending cut-scene to realize that the three other hor***** of the apocalypse have made their may to Earth.

Last November, Danny Bilson revealed that Darksiders 2 was definitely heading our way, when he made statements about the franchise at IGDA Leadership Forum.

QUOTED TEXT:  "“When we do the Darksiders sequel, it’ll be a different character and take place simultaneously to the other story. There’s only one apocalypse I couldn’t very well have four different apocalypses, one for each rider. It has some new mechanics and some very robust features that differentiate it a lot and grow it from the first game because you have to build on the first one, you can’t repeat it. I think that’s very important in franchise-building.”

The game which was said to be aiming for a 2012 release date could have a large prescence at E3.  The first game was recieved well as a first offering from Vigil games, and was thought to draw from The Legend of Zelda franchise as inspiration for the gameplay.  Coupled with the fantastic art behind the game, Darksiders was a great start to what could be a long running franchise.

PlayStation Network Hack Attack to cost Sony $171 million

PlayStation Network hacker attack to cost Sony $171 million

• From correspondents in Tokyo, Japan
• From: NewsCore
• May 24, 2011 9:57AM

AS part of its revised earnings projections, published overnight, Sony said it estimates the April hacker attack on its PlayStation Network (PSN) will cost the company ¥14 billion, or $171 million. 

 

The cyberattacks, which kept the PSN offline for 23 days, involved the theft of personal data that included names, passwords and addresses from more than 100 million accounts on the online service.

The estimated cost to Sony includes the personal information theft protection program it launched after the attacks, the "Welcome Back" program to compensate customers for the outage, customer support, network security enhancement, legal experts and the impact on profits due to a possible future revenue decrease.

"So far, we have not received any confirmed reports of customer identity theft issues, nor confirmed any misuse of credit cards from the cyber-attack," the company said.

"Those are key variables, and if that changes, the costs could change."

Class action lawsuits have also been filed against Sony and some of its subsidiaries.

"However, those are all at a preliminary stage, so we are not able to include the possible outcome of any of them in our results forecast for the fiscal year," the company said.

The costs will be incurred during Sony's current fiscal year, which ends on March 31, 2012. The company will report results for fiscal year 2011 this Thursday.

The projections aren't good for the electronics giant, which today warned investors it would run some $3.2 billion in the red, the second consecutive year it has made a loss after a 13-year run of profits.

The projection of a net loss for the fiscal year ended March 2011 was largely due to writing off $4.4 billion related to a tax credit booked in the fourth quarter.

The company had earlier projected a $860 million profit.

Like many other Japanese manufacturers, Sony has been hampered by the production disruptions set off by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that killed more than 25,000 people, destroyed many factories and sent the nation's economic recovery into reverse.

Sony has seen plunging sales of flat-panel TVs and other gadgets, and was likely to remain in the red in its TV business for the seventh year straight.

Sony has also taken a beating in music players and other portable devices to Apple's iPod, iPhone and iPad.

PlayStation Restoration Announcement with Video from Kazuo Hirai

Kazuo Hirai: PlayStation Network Restoration Announcement

+ Posted by Patrick Seybold // Sr. Director, Corporate Communications & Social Media

PlayStation Restoration Plan with v3.61

Play On – PSN Restoration Begins Now

+ Posted by Patrick Seybold // Sr. Director, Corporate Communications & Social Media

Thank you for your patience and encouragement over the last few weeks. As covered in the post from earlier today, you can now update the firmware on your PS3 and change your password. Kazuo Hirai just announced that we have begun the phased restoration by region of some of the services, starting with online multiplayer functionality.

Please note that these services will take a bit of time to be turned on and rolled out to the whole country. The process has begun and some states are being turned on now, so please be patient as we reach your city and state. We’ll be updating the map below as service comes online in individual states. It will take several hours to restore PSN throughout the entire country, so please keep checking back for the latest updates. In the meantime, now’s a great time to get your PS3’s firmware updated, which is required to get online.

Map updated 12:03m Pacific

Notice: If your state is illuminated but your service has not yet been restored, please be patient – it can take a little while for the servers to populate fully.

Gamers hoping to get back onto Sony's PlayStation network will have to keep waiting.

Gamers hoping to get back onto Sony's PlayStation network will have to keep waiting.

The company Saturday said it would delay the restart of the network for an unspecified period of time, according to a Reuters report.

Last Sunday, Sony had said it would begin restoring the network by the end of this week, but a company representative Saturday said that would not be possible, the report said.

Also Saturday, Sony said it removed personal information of 2,500 people that had been posted on a Web site affiliated with Sony Electronics without Sony's knowledge, according to a report on The Wall Street Journal's Web site. Sony said the data on the people, who were sweepstakes participants, did not include credit-card information.

The company is trying to assess the security of the PlayStation network after hackers infiltrated it in mid-April, possibly compromising private account details of some 77 million users.

This week, Sony divulged another security breach, also in mid-April, in which hackers may have stolen personal information from about 24.6 million accounts at its Sony Online Entertainment division, which makes multiplayer online games.

Sony Offering FREE "ALLClear ID Plus" Theft Protection in the U.S.

Sony Offering Free ‘AllClear ID Plus’ Identity Theft Protection in the United States through Debix, Inc.

+ Posted by Patrick Seybold // Sr. Director, Corporate Communications & Social Media

Last weekend, Sony Computer Entertainment announced that we will provide complimentary enrollment in an identity theft protection program. Here are the details of this program for PlayStation Network and Qriocity account holders in the United States only. We are working to make similar programs available in other countries/territories where applicable. Information will be posted on local websites/blogs when available.

Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Network Entertainment International have made arrangements with Debix, Inc., one of the industry’s most reputable identity protection firms, to offer AllClear ID Plus at no cost to PlayStation Network and Qriocity account holders for 12 months from the time an account holder registers for the program.

Please note that we will start sending out activation emails for this program over the next few days, and you will have until June 18th to sign-up and redeem your code. You will need to sign up directly through AllClearID, not on Sony’s websites, and details, including step-by-step instructions for the program, will be emailed to United States PSN and Qriocity Account holders soon.

The details of the program include, but are not limited to:

• Cyber monitoring and surveillance of the Internet to detect exposure of an AllClear ID Plus customer’s personal information, including monitoring of criminal web sites and data recovered by law enforcement. If his/her personal information is found, the customer will be alerted by phone and/or email and will be provided advice and support regarding protective steps to take. The customer will also receive monthly identity status reports. Debix works with an alliance of cyber-crime experts from the government, academia and industry to provide these services.
• Priority access to licensed private investigators and identity restoration specialists. If an AllClear ID Plus customer receives an alert, or otherwise suspects that he/she may be the victim of identity theft, the customer can speak directly, on a priority basis, with an on-staff licensed private investigator, who will conduct a comprehensive inquiry. In the case of an identity theft, the customer can work with an identity restoration specialist to contact creditors and others, and take necessary steps to restore the customer’s identity.
• A $1 million identity theft insurance policy per user to provide additional protection in the event that an AllClear ID Plus customer becomes a victim of identity theft. This insurance would provide financial relief of up to $1 million for covered identity restoration costs, legal defense expenses, and lost wages that occur within 12 months after the stolen identity event.

More information will be available on the enrollment page, a link which will be included in the email you will receive.

We continue to work around the clock to have some PlayStation Network services and Qriocity services restored, and will be providing you specific details shortly.

Thank you.

UPDATE: Sony says 2nd attack affects 25 mln more users

As Posted on Reuters this evening.

 

UPDATE 4-Sony says 25 mln more users at risk in second data hack

Mon May 2, 2011 10:17pm EDT

* Sony says personal information hacked on PC games system

* Says personal information of 24.6 mln users stolen

* Says debit card records for 10,700 users in Europe taken

* Facebook games also suspended

* Japan mkts shut, shares down 4 pct since revealing breach

(Recasts, adds TOKYO dateline, Sony comment from Tokyo)

By Isabel Reynolds and Liana B. Baker

TOKYO/NEW YORK, May 3 (Reuters) - Sony's Internet security crisis deepened on Monday with the company revealing hackers had stolen data of another 25 million users of its PC games system in a second massive breach for the consumer electronics giant.

Sony's latest revelation comes just a day after Sony No. 2 Kazuo Hirai announced measures had been put in place to avert another cyberattack like that which hit its PlayStation Network, hoping to repair its tarnished image and reassure customers who might be pondering a shift to Microsoft's Xbox.

The attack that Sony disclosed on Monday took place a day before a massive break-in of a separate video game network that led to the theft of 77 million users accounts. Sony revealed the initial attack last week.

The Japanese electronics company said it discovered the break-in of its Sony Online Entertainment PC games network on May 2. The breach also led to the theft of 10,700 direct debit records from customers in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain and 12,700 non-U.S. credit or debit card numbers, it said.

The PlayStation network lets video game console owners download games and play against friends. The Sony Online Entertainment network, the victim of the latest break-in, hosts games played over the Internet on PCs.

Sony said late on Monday that the names, addresses, emails, birth dates phone numbers and other information from 24.6 million PC games customers was stolen from its servers as well as an "outdated database" from 2007.

A spokesman for the online games unit based in San Diego said the service was taken down at 1:30 am Pacific time on Monday.

Sony spokeswoman Sue Tanaka, asked about the risk other data could be at risk, listed the precautions that the company has taken such as firewalls,

"They are hackers. We don't know where they're going to attack next," Tokyo-based Tanaka said.

The PlayStation Network incident has sparked legal action and investigations by authorities in North America and Europe, home to almost 90 percent of the users of the network, which enables gamers to download software and compete with other members.

On Monday, Sony declined to testify in person in front of a U.S. congressional hearing, but agreed to respond to questions on how consumer private data is protected by businesses in a letter on Tuesday, said a spokesman for Rep. Mary Bono Mack, a Republican Congresswoman from California, who is leading the hearing.

SONY FACEBOOK GAMES DOWN

The incident that Sony disclosed on Monday also forced it to suspend its Sony Online Entertainment games on Facebook.

Sony posted a message on Facebook saying it had to take down the games during the night.

A Sony spokesman said the Facebook games make money from microtransactions and the sale of virtual goods like costumes and weapons.

It was not immediately clear if the data theft included data from players of Sony games including "PoxNora," "Dungeon Overlord," "Wildlife Refuge" on Facebook.

Facebook could not immediately be reached for comment.

Sony Online Entertainment is a division of Sony Corp , the global electronics company that operates online games such as "EverQuest" and is separate from the PlayStation video game console division.

The servers for both the Online Entertainment unit and the PlayStation Network are based in San Deigo but are completely separate, said Sony's Tanaka.

Sony denied on its official PlayStation blog on Monday that hackers had tried to sell it a list of millions of credit card numbers.

The news comes less than a week after Sony alerted customers that a hacker broke into Sony's PlayStation video game network and stole names, addresses, passwords and possibly credit card numbers of its 77 million customers.

Sony alerted customers a week after discovering the break-in.

Sony executives apologized on Sunday and said it would gradually restart the PlayStation Network with increased security and would offer some free content to users. [ID:nL3E7G101C] (Additional reporting by Edwin Chan in Los Angeles and Alexei Oreskovic in San Francisco; Editing by Andre Grenon, Richard Chang and Lincoln Feast)

Sony's Latest Press Release 5/2/2011 On Security Update

PlayStation Network Security Update

+ Posted by Patrick Seybold // Sr. Director, Corporate Communications & Social Media

On Tuesday, April 26 we shared that some information that was compromised in connection with an illegal and unauthorized intrusion into our network. Once again, we’d like to apologize to the many users who were inconvenienced and worried abut this situation.

We want to state this again given the increase in speculation about credit card information being used fraudulently. One report indicated that a group tried to sell millions of credit card numbers back to Sony. To my knowledge there is no truth to this report of a list, or that Sony was offered an opportunity to purchase the list.

One other point to clarify is from this weekend’s press conference. While the passwords that were stored were not “encrypted,” they were transformed using a cryptographic hash function. There is a difference between these two types of security measures which is why we said the passwords had not been encrypted. But I want to be very clear that the passwords were not stored in our database in cleartext form. For a description of the difference between encryption and hashing, follow this link.

To reiterate a few other security measures for your information: Sony will not contact you in any way, including by email, asking for your credit card number, social security number or other personally identifiable information. If you are asked for this information, you can be confident Sony is not the entity asking. When the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services are fully restored, we strongly recommend that you log on and change your password. Additionally, if you use your PlayStation Network or Qriocity user name or password for other unrelated services or accounts, we strongly recommend that you change them, as well. To protect against possible identity theft or other financial loss, we encourage you to remain vigilant, to review your account statements and to monitor your credit reports.

We continue to work with law enforcement and forensic experts to identify the criminals behind the attack. Once again, we apologize for causing users concern over this matter.

Our objective is to increase security so our customers can safely and confidently play games and use our network and media services. We will continue to provide updates as we have them.

Sony Press Release 5/1/2011 Concerning Network Outage

This press Release is directly from their PSN Blog site.

Press Release: Some PlayStation Network and Qriocity Services to be Available This Week

+ Posted by Patrick Seybold // Sr. Director, Corporate Communications & Social Media

SOME PLAYSTATION®NETWORK AND QRIOCITY™ SERVICES TO BE AVAILABLE THIS WEEK
Phased Global Rollout of Services to Begin Regionally;
System Security Enhanced to Provide Greater Protection of Personal Information

Tokyo, May 1, 2011 – Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) and Sony Network Entertainment International (SNEI, the company) announced they will shortly begin a phased restoration by region of PlayStation®Network and Qriocity™ services, beginning with gaming, music and video services to be turned on. The company also announced both a series of immediate steps to enhance security across the network and a new customer appreciation program to thank its customers for their patience and loyalty.

Following a criminal cyber-attack on the company’s data-center located in San Diego, California, U.S.A., SNEI quickly turned off the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services, engaged multiple expert information security firms over the course of several days and conducted an extensive audit of the system. Since then, the company has implemented a variety of new security measures to provide greater protection of personal information. SNEI and its third-party experts have conducted extensive tests to verify the security strength of the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services. With these measures in place, SCE and SNEI plan to start a phased rollout by region of the services shortly. The initial phase of the rollout will include, but is not limited to, the following:

• Restoration of Online game-play across the PlayStation®3 (PS3) and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) systems
  -This includes titles requiring online verification and downloaded games
• Access to Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity for PS3/PSP for existing subscribers
• Access to account management and password reset
• Access to download un-expired Movie Rentals on PS3, PSP and MediaGo
• PlayStation®Home
• Friends List
• Chat Functionality

Working closely with several outside security firms, the company has implemented significant security measures to further detect unauthorized activity and provide consumers with greater protection of their personal information. The company is also creating the position of Chief Information Security Officer, directly reporting to Shinji Hasejima, Chief Information Officer of Sony Corporation, to add a new position of expertise in and accountability for customer data protection and supplement existing information security personnel. The new security measures implemented include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Added automated software monitoring and configuration management to help defend against new attacks
• Enhanced levels of data protection and encryption
• Enhanced ability to detect software intrusions within the network, unauthorized access and unusual activity patterns
• Implementation of additional firewalls

The company also expedited an already planned move of the system to a new data center in a different location that has been under construction and development for several months. In addition, PS3 will have a forced system software update that will require all registered PlayStation Network users to change their account passwords before being able to sign into the service. As an added layer of security, that password can only be changed on the same PS3 in which that account was activated, or through validated email confirmation, a critical step to help further protect customer data.

The company is conducting a thorough and on-going investigation and working with law enforcement to track down and prosecute those responsible for the illegal intrusion.

“This criminal act against our network had a significant impact not only on our consumers, but our entire industry. These illegal attacks obviously highlight the widespread problem with cyber-security. We take the security of our consumers’ information very seriously and are committed to helping our consumers protect their personal data. In addition, the organization has worked around the clock to bring these services back online, and are doing so only after we had verified increased levels of security across our networks,” said Kazuo Hirai, Executive Deputy President, Sony Corporation. “Our global audience of PlayStation Network and Qriocity consumers was disrupted. We have learned lessons along the way about the valued relationship with our consumers, and to that end, we will be launching a customer appreciation program for registered consumers as a way of expressing our gratitude for their loyalty during this network downtime, as we work even harder to restore and regain their trust in us and our services.”

Complimentary Offering and “Welcome Back” Appreciation Program

While there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken, the company is committed to helping its customers protect their personal data and will provide a complimentary offering to assist users in enrolling in identity theft protection services and/or similar programs. The implementation will be at a local level and further details will be made available shortly in each region.

The company will also rollout the PlayStation Network and Qriocity “Welcome Back” program, to be offered worldwide, which will be tailored to specific markets to provide our consumers with a selection of service options and premium content as an expression of the company’s appreciation for their patience, support and continued loyalty.

Central components of the “Welcome Back” program will include:

• Each territory will be offering selected PlayStation entertainment content for free download. Specific details of this content will be announced in each region soon.
• All existing PlayStation Network customers will be provided with 30 days free membership in the PlayStation Plus premium service. Current members of PlayStation Plus will receive 30 days free service.
• Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity subscribers (in countries where the service is available) will receive 30 days free service.

Additional “Welcome Back” entertainment and service offerings will be rolled out over the coming weeks as the company returns the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services to the quality standard users have grown to enjoy and strive to exceed those exceptions.

SNEI will continue to reinforce and verify security for transactions before resuming the PlayStation®Store and other Qriocity operations, scheduled for this month.

For more information about the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services intrusion and restoration, please visit http://blog.us.playstation.com. or http://blog.eu.playstation.com/

About Sony Corporation

Sony Corporation is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, game, communications, key device and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, computer entertainment and on-line businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to be the leading electronics and entertainment company in the world. Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of approximately $78 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2010. Sony Global Web Site: http://www.sony.net/

About Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Recognized as the global leader and company responsible for the progression of consumer-based computer entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) manufactures, distributes and markets the PlayStation® game console, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system and the PlayStation®3 (PS3®) system. PlayStation has revolutionized home entertainment by introducing advanced 3D graphic processing, and PlayStation 2 further enhances the PlayStation legacy as the core of home networked entertainment. PSP is a handheld entertainment system that allows users to enjoy 3D games, with high-quality full-motion video, and high-fidelity stereo audio. PS3 is an advanced computer system, incorporating the state-of-the-art Cell processor with super computer like power. SCEI, along with its subsidiary divisions Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd., and Sony Computer Entertainment Korea Inc. develops, publishes, markets and distributes software, and manages the third party licensing programs for these platforms in the respective markets worldwide. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, SCEI is an independent business unit of the Sony Group.