As announced a while ago, Common Wordage is going BIG. With bigger monthly updates, a dedicated news team and those long awaited Game Nights. So with this a crack team was assembled to make Common Wordage the main Sony / PlayStation brand union on GameSpot. (Well second if we count our friends over at ESLS).

Meet the CWUnion team. (Near Final Revision)

Editor in Cheif: StanBlocker
Contributions Director: SilentCapybara
Community Manager: The_pims

Lead News Editor: darkgamex2k
News Editor: R-Force
News Editor: gekidami

Lead Forum Moderator: Burnout_Avenged
Forum Moderator: Dark_Spector
Forum Moderator: Boukhari

Graphics: Art Monkeys that work long hours for low pay

(All listed staff will become a CWUnion Officer on accepting to role. For an indepth look at the roles listed click here)

The new team will (hopefully) have its first issue out at the end of April. This will be issue 016 May. Due to the ammount of responces I recieved for the role call I had to make a few new postions, thus the increased news and moderator teams. In addition to this I am also creating a few more positions to hopefully CWUnion staff.

Game Night Director (Controls all aspects of Game Nights, From the game we play to player questions)
Assistant Game Night Director (Will assist the Game Night Director, Helps host larger games e.g. that require multiple lobbys)

If you wish to pick up one of these new roles PM me (StanBlocker). Any questions or editing of current team members positions should also PM me.

This is either a blog entry, or Telegram from one of the unions you follow.

Issue 015 of Common Wordage is almost upon us. This is set to be the biggest issue yet and as such a little help is needed. If you are unaware of what Common Wordage is then head on over to the Union to see.

I'm on the lookout for friendly GameSpot members willing to lend a little of there free time to make Common Wordage a better point of interest to the GameSpot Community.

Currently I run the show, doing pretty much everything. This took it's toll and forced a slip in the weekly issues. Now I'm focusing on a monthly thing, similar to how a print magazine would work. So if you've looked over the Union and would like to be a part of it, send me a PM.

Things I would need people to do:

Contributions Director (Decides what should be in the issue)
Lead News Editor (Manages all news related items, and news team)
News Editor (Posts news)
Lead Forum Moderator (Manages the forum content and users)
Forum Moderator (Moderates the forum)
Community Manager (Deals with problems within the community)

Of course these are all un-official and un-paid positions within the Common Wordage Union here on GameSpot and have no meaning beyond the Union. Thus the reason for needing dedicated GameSpot members with some intended perpose of being on the site.

As you may be aware there have been a huge lack of activity around the Common Wordage Union. This is primarily due to having to manage the whole thing every single week. It can get a little tedious. I also needed to take a brake from what felt like an almost constant amount of time popping in to Photoshop, dragging news up, changing text boxes and uploading images and videos. Putting a weekly issue up with about 3 new items and linking it all is hard work. Previous version of Common Wordage where uploaded as and when I felt like it or monthly, thus giving me a brake from everything.

I intend to get the union back on track soon with what might turn out to be just 2 updates a month as opposed to the current 4. Either that or I will need some serious help around here with new posters, content administrators, forum moderators and general helping. So if you want to see the union stay weekly I'll need your help.

GDC is next week and I am looking to get something from that up. So look for a fresh issue before long.

Issue 014 of Common Wordage now available.
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Issue 013 of Common Wordage now available.
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Its a little late but it's still here. Issue 012 of Common Wordage is released.
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PS3 production costs cut by half
Sony Pictures Television to bring downloadable shows via DivX
"A lot of new PS3 features to come," says Eric Lempel
Resistance 2 revealed in latest Game Informer
PS3 Cell chip powers super TV
Tomb Raider Underworld delayed

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MGS4 packaged with MG Online starter pack
Warner move spells win for PS3, say analysts
20GB, 60GB PS3s axed in Japan
CES 2008: Sony thanks Warner for dropping HD-DVD
CES 2008: Sony Press Conference Highlights
CES 2008: Sony Lists MGS4 as 'Exclusive'
Screenshots of new MotorStorm Tracks
Sony confirms LittleBigPlanet's planned September release
Warner preparing Blu-ray profile 1.1 movies
Motorstorm 2 gains a new GUI from scratch

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Today makes another win for the Sony backed Blu-ray format with Warner Bros. Entertainment annoucing it is to go Blu-ray exclusive with its HD releases as of May 2008. Many may remember the recent Paramount decision to go HD DVD exclusive, leaving the constantly changing battle for a HD standard in a stalemate situation. With todays news things finially seem to be shifting again. With more support than ever before, is Blu-ray about to finish off HD DVD. Back in October Panasonic predicted Blu-ray would win by new years. Its a little late but also a little closer, lets also not forget Blockerbusters decision to stock only Blu-ray as the HD format of choice. So with some many factors leaning towards Blu-ray will Universal Pictures see fit to tip Blu-rays way and finish the fight.

PRESS RELEASE

Warner Bros. Entertainment to Release its High-Definition DVD Titles Exclusively in the Blu-Ray Disc Format Beginning Later This Year

January 04, 2008

In response to consumer demand, Warner Bros. Entertainment will release its high-definition DVD titles exclusively in the Blu-ray disc format beginning later this year, it was announced today by Barry Meyer, Chairman & CEO, Warner Bros. and Kevin Tsujihara, President, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group.

"Warner Bros.' move to exclusively release in the Blu-ray disc format is a strategic decision focused on the long term and the most direct way to give consumers what they want," said Meyer. "The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger. We believe that exclusively distributing in Blu-ray will further the potential for mass market success and ultimately benefit retailers, producers, and most importantly, consumers."

Warner Home Video will continue to release its titles in standard DVD format and Blu-ray. After a short window following their standard DVD and Blu-ray releases, all new titles will continue to be released in HD DVD until the end of May 2008.

"Warner Bros. has produced in both high-definition formats in an effort to provide consumer choice, foster mainstream adoption and drive down hardware prices," said Jeff Bewkes, President and Chief Executive Officer, Time Warner Inc., the parent company of Warner Bros. Entertainment. "Today's decision by Warner Bros. to distribute in a single format comes at the right time and is the best decision both for consumers and Time Warner."

"A two-format landscape has led to consumer confusion and indifference toward high definition, which has kept the technology from reaching mass adoption and becoming the important revenue stream that it can be for the industry," said Tsujihara. "Consumers have clearly chosen Blu-ray, and we believe that recognizing this preference is the right step in making this great home entertainment experience accessible to the widest possible audience. Warner Bros. has worked very closely with the Toshiba Corporation in promoting high definition media and we have enormous respect for their efforts. We look forward to working with them on other projects in the future."

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You'd be a FOOL not to have expected a sequel to Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, but the news still fills us with warmth on this chilly morning as we're massive fans of the original.

Yup, Naughty Dog vice president, Christophe Balestra, has confirmed work has already begun on the sequel, although he refrained from giving out any further details.

The first game follows the exploits of Nate - a sort of treasure-hunting type person - on his mission to uncover the secrets of one of his supposed ancestors, Sir Francis Drake. It's bloody brilliant by the way. Take a look for yourself here, and read the review here.

Fingers crossed Sony comes out and backs the developer up. Until then you need to shoot your way through the first game if you haven't already.

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Source: CVG | Discuss: Common Wordage Union Forums

The release date for Radical Design's delayed PS3 shooter, Haze, is as cloudy as the game's title. But is could be out this month, according to Sony's official site.

The official US PlayStation page lists Haze for a January 15 launch, despite the fact that no-one - not even Ubisoft UK (who declined to comment) - seems to know exactly when the game will hit shelves.

Haze was originally planned for a November 2007 release, before being pushed back first to December, then back further into early 2008.

As it stands, the official line is that it'll be out during Q1 this year, so either way you've not got long to wait. That is if it doesn't slip again...

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Source: CVG | Discuss: Common Wordage Union Forums

The ever-chatty vice president of Epic, Mark Rein, has posted on the official Unreal Tournament III forums to let us know that they're in the final stages of testing the public code that allows for "cooking" mod code for the PS3. Rein believes that testing should be finished sometime next week and the update can then be immediately released. This will open the flood gates and we will then see a huge amount of user generated content being played on the PS3. We can't wait.

Once the "cooker" is finally released, we at PS3 Fanboy will be running a new feature showcasing the best UTIII mods available for PS3. More on that next week, hopefully!

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Source: PS3 Fanboy | Discuss: Common Wordage Union Forums

Sony could introduce a subscription fee that allows users unlimited download access to PSP and PSone games for a monthly charge.

Sony has launched a questionnaire in Asia quizzing customers on their use of the new PlayStation Store on PC, in which one of the questions suggests a "Monthly subscription plan (1 price for unlimited download)".

It also asks users to choose from a selection of UMD titles they'd "Very agree" to see as downloadable titles, including LocoRoco and Tekken.

Subscriptions are a brilliant idea, so long as Sony gets more than the currently weak selection of PSone titles up onto PSN.

Who wants to play the first WipEout (Oi, I bought it - Ed)? 2097 is what we're all waiting for (True - Ed).

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Source: CVG | Discuss: Common Wordage Union Forums

The Consumer Electronics Show is set to start rolling next week in Las Vegas, but details of the show tend to be a bit leaky each year. This year's first leak comes from Sony's CES 2008 page, which mentions a PSP feature -- Skype support -- not seen before, reports Videogamer.

In the PlayStation Portable page, the site mentions the ability to "call friends, talk trash to fellow gamers or catch up with acquaintances via Skype for PSP system." For those not familiar with Skype, the popular Web service allows free PC-to-PC calling. It's also starting to be picked up by cell phone manufacturers to appeal to tech-savvy owners who want free and low-cost calls near WiFi hot spots. Giving this functionality to the PSP makes it one step closer to the oft-rumored PlayStation Phone, without quite dipping into disastrous territory.

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Source: 1UP | Discuss: Common Wordage Union Forums