A new firmware update for the PS3 is live, but a significant number of reports indicate it's locking users out of their systems. Posters on the official PS3 Support forum noted they couldn't boot their systems after the update, and some users said restoring file systems didn't resolve the issue.

According to the PlayStation Twitter account, the 4.45 update includes trophy notification options and improves system stability - hmm.

We've reached out to Sony to clarify the situation. While the issues don't seem to be affecting all users, it might be wise to stay clear of the update for the time being.

3DS firmware update v6.0.0-11 should satiate the needs of those who have collected every single StreetPass puzzle piece and beaten StreetPass Quest twice (or more). The update, only available in Europe at the time of writing, adds four purchasable Mii Plaza games in addition to the original two. Those four are StreetPass Squad, Garden, Battle, and Mansion.

We'd love to tell you about the games themselves, but StreetPass Mii Plaza has crashed on us every time we've loaded up the new Shop page - reports on NeoGAF indicate others are also struggling with crashes. One NeoGAF user reports each game costs £4.49 ($7), while all four can be obtained in a value bundle going at £13.49 ($21). There's no official word from Nintendo, perhaps indicating the patch went out earlier than scheduled.

What we can confirm is another feature in the new update, and that's the ability to create save data backups. Accessible via 3DS Data Management in System Settings, the new feature lets you create or restore backup save data, but only for software downloaded to the 3DS. The new feature may not be compatible with every single game; we tried it for our freshly obtained Animal Crossing: New Leaf, only to be greeted with a message telling us "this software's save data cannot be backed up."

Team2Bit's 2D brawler, Fist Puncher, is preparing to light up Steam on June 21. You can pre-order Fist Puncher right now for a buck off its $10 asking price.

Fist Puncher, published by Adult Swim Games, stars black belt holder and neurosurgery practitioner Dr. Karate, who is out to save the city of Los Cruces from the evil grips of the Milkman. Fist Puncher was financed through Kickstarter last April, and an alpha for the game was made available back in September.

The Oculus Rift creators recently secured $16 million in funding from investors, on top of their September Kickstarter bounty of $2.4 million – and they're going to use that cash to bulk up the team.

"We're using the funding to ramp up on hiring more smart people, the best and brightest that we can find," Oculus Rift CEO Brendan Iribe told Engadget. "The dev kit as it is now, that we're shipping, will stay the same, and the software side will just keep getting better."

Oculus Rift currently employs fewer than 50 people, and the new hires will be mostly engineers, Iribe said. Right now the headset is in development for PC games, but that doesn't mean other platforms are out of the running completely.

"We're always looking at other platforms, looking at consoles; we're also looking at Android and the mobile side in a big way – but right now we really are focused on the PC platform," Iribe said.

Sony President Shuhei Yoshida said he loves the Oculus Rift, though the PS4 doesn't currently support the VR headset. Yoshida wouldn't say if the PS4 will support Oculus Rift in the future – and he said it with a big smile, Engadget noted.

No More Heroes and Killer is Dead dev Grasshopper Manufacture is "heavily relying" on Unreal Engine 4, with next-gen games in mind. Speaking to Joystiq at E3, Grasshopper CEO Goichi Suda, most commonly known as Suda 51, confirmed his studio's use of Epic's next-gen engine when asked about his thoughts on the PS4 and Xbox One.

"As a developer, we're heavily relying right now on Unreal Engine 4," Suda told us. "That works really well with both systems – or in the sense that we could go either way."

Grasshopper recently revealed it has a stylistic action game in development that isn't Killer is Dead - and it isn't No More Heroes 3 either. As Suda told Siliconera back in April, it's a new game coming to one or more consoles. He also teased to Siliconera the game was either running on Unreal Engine 3 or Unreal Engine 4, adding that if he said which one then "you would know about the platforms."

Suda told Joystiq we can expect Unreal Engine 4 in Grasshopper games "if it's a big title, or if it's suited to that title," all of which suggests a next-gen landing for said secretive game.

As for the future possibility of No More Heroes 3, Suda told us, "Travis [Touchdown] is one of the characters I'm really fond of, that means a lot to me. So if there was the opportunity to create another sequel then yeah, I'm always up to the idea."

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is ready to fire off its next DLC salvo on July 2 on Xbox Live, with PS3 and PC versions to follow. The Vengeance map pack includes new multiplayer maps Rush, Detour, Cove and Uplink, which a remake of Summit from the original Black Ops.

Buried, a new Zombies mode variant, is included with Vengeance along with the Ray Gun Mark 2 weapon, available exclusively in Zombies mode. No pricing is announced in the video above, though the two previous DLC offerings – Revolution and Uprising – were both priced at 1,200 MS Points ($15) each.

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This is Portabliss, a column about downloadable games that can be played on the go.

There was a time when the beat-em-up was king, a time when Streets of Rage, Final Fight and Golden Axe were at the top of the heap. Combo Crew on iOS and Android looks to return to those days, offering several unique fighters, lots of combos and plenty of bosses to bruise, clobber and otherwise pummel.

The impressive part is that it does all of that with just two fingers.

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We spoke with Bungie's Chris Butcher, engineering lead for online shooter Destiny, about the overall concept of the game and its mishmash of genres. Destiny is primarily a shooter, as shown in gameplay footage released at the show, but we also discuss some of its other flavors and social components.

Butcher, being the engineering guy, also gets some time to geek out about the game's lighting and animation.

A "bigger" and "beefier" version of 17-BIT's tactical strategy game, Skulls of the Shogun, will hit Steam next month, boasting six new maps, a multiplayer progression system, and a new four-chapter epilogue.

Skulls of the Shogun: Bone-a-Fide Edition features all of the content found in the Xbox Live Arcade and Windows 8 versions of the game, including real-time multiplayer, hotseat support, and asynchronous multiplayer modes. The Steam version's exclusive chapter introduces a new playable protagonist, along with a new unit type equipped with teleportation spells.

Buyers who pre-purchase Bone-a-Fide Edition will receive instant access to a beta version, which includes the first single-player campaign chapter and all 36 multiplayer maps.

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The weekly PSN update is live, unlocking Capcom's collected quest classics, Dungeons and Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara. Joining the 2D beat-em-up is Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams, which finally makes its way to PSN after its Xbox Live Arcade debut back in March.

The Jak and Daxter Collection – which includes all three original PS2 games, Jak and Daxter, Jak 2 and Jak 3 – steps up on PS Vita today, along with Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. Rounding out this week's update are free PS Plus games Saints Row: The Third and Gods Eater Burst.

For the full list of this week's PlayStation Network content, hit up the PlayStation Blog.

Max Payne 3 is due to land on Mac on June 20, after launching on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC in May of last year. We found the shooting in Max Payne 3 to be so satisfying that we questioned our overall perspectives on video games, violence and probably life itself.

Check out the game's Mac specifications here, and prepare to have your world rocked by some stellar shooting. From mid-air.

While Capcom's arcade brawler compilation Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara hits the PlayStation Network in North America tonight (and Xbox Live Arcade tomorrow), D&D fans in Japan might want to hold out for an upcoming PlayStation 3 retail release, which offers exclusive features and enhancements not found in the digital version.

The PS3 retail version's Facebook page describes the release as a treasure trove for retro gaming connoisseurs, comparing it to the well-received Street Fighter Alpha Anthology on the PlayStation 2. The collection includes a color-edit feature, and allows multiple players to play as same character. The retail edition also offers an in-depth series of options, allowing players to toggle features like random damage and breakable weapons. A similar "House Rules" system was announced for the digital release.

The digital version set for release this week is developed by Iron Galaxy, who previously produced arcade compilations like Darkstalkers Resurrection and Marvel vs. Capcom Origins. NeoGAF member toypop notes that the PlayStation 3 Blu-ray version of Chronicles of Mystara is developed by an internal Capcom team staffed by developers of the original Dungeons & Dragons arcade games.

The PlayStation 3 retail version of Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara will launch in Japan this August. Capcom confirmed with Joystiq that the retail edition is exclusive to Japan, and is not scheduled for a North American release.

Nintendo is working on a free-to-play version of Steel Diver, the 3DS launch title that served as a submarine simulator, shoot-em-up and strategy game, Nintendo executive Shigeru Miyamoto told IGN at E3. Nintendo will develop a fresh game, with new design, for the free-to-play version. Miyamoto didn't announce any platforms, but said Steel Diver will be available at retail along with the digital launch.

"There is something we're doing with the Steel Diver idea that I think is going to open things up with that game," he said. "It's going to be very fun. We're exploring from a perspective of where we can take that from a multiplayer standpoint – it's going to have this four-player battle mode that I think is going to be very interesting."

Nintendo was unsure about how to handle the free-to-play model, whether with microtransactions or subscriptions, but the team's main focus was to retain entertainment value, Miyamoto said. The free-to-play Steel Diver should pop up direct from Nintendo "relatively soon."

Last year during E3, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata noted (again) that the company wasn't interested in developing free-to-play games, but reassured investors that the Wii U supported that structure.

After a rocky and disappointing first year, the 3DS has transformed into a juggernaut of Japanese RPGs, with developer Atlus leading the charge. This year alone, the company will have four first-person RPGs to its name: Etrian Odyssey IV, Soul Hackers, Shin Megami Tensei IV, and the upcoming Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millenium Girl – not bad for such a relatively niche product.

The only issue comes from the fact that this particular subgenre rarely offers the accessibility of your typical Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, though Atlus hopes to remedy this issue when The Millenium Girl launches this fall.

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Humble Bundle 6 lasts for two weeks and includes PC, Mac, Linux and Android versions of five games for the low, low price of "anything": Aquaria, Fractal, Organ Trail: Director's Cut, Stealth Bastard Deluxe and Pulse. Pulse is the outlier, available for Android only.

Pay more than the average and snag Frozen Synapse and Broken Sword: Director's Cut. Frozen Synapse is in late beta on Android and has some known issues, and it's best played on tablets, the developer notes. All games come with their respective soundtracks, too.

Currently the Humble Android Bundle's average is below $5, so act fast and get seven games for less than one single-digit piece of American money. Or, knowing that you can allocate your money among charity, the developers and Humble itself, you can pay the equivalent of a double-digit piece of money. Or triple-digit. All of these games would cost $95 separately, and it's safe to expect more additions before the sale ends in two weeks. Because that's how Humble Bundles roll.

Shadowrun Returns is scheduled to release for PC and tablets on July 25, a slight delay from developer Harebrained Schemes' original release window, which in itself was already a delay. Harebrained has also gone ahead and noted some highlights on its site from backers using the game's editing tools, which will ship with the game.

If you've missed checking out Shadowrun Returns, here's 20 minutes of footage.

Vlambeer founders Rami Ismail and Jan Willem Nijman didn't think Ridiculous Fishing would win an Apple Design Award. Sure, it was in the running, but it was a long shot, and they had other places to be during the ceremony at WWDC on June 10 (E3, anyone?). Just in case, they asked Ridiculous Fishing collaborator and indie extraordinaire Zach Gage to go to the show, and he did. In flip flops. And shorts. And Ridiculous Fishing won.

"Holy shit," Ismail laughed during our chat at E3. He was still getting over the fact that Ridiculous Fishing won an Apple Design Award, and that Gage collected it in what's commonly considered summer beach attire.

So far Ridiculous Fishing sales have hit the "hundreds of thousands," Ismail said, and after the Design Award, sales spiked again. Even Elijah Wood got hooked on Ridiculous Fishing – or, as Ismail put it, "The Hobbit played it!"

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Ampltude Studios' Endless Space will launch its first premium expansion, Disharmony, on June 26 through Steam. Publisher Iceberg Interactive will also have an English retail version – key-only box with 16 page artbook – two days later. The expansion is priced at 10 in both $ and € Earth currency forms.

The Disharmony expansion will add a new faction ("The Harmony") to the 4X strategy game, as well as new ship types, targeting and redesigned weapon systems, better AI, along with an "enhanced invasion mechanics."

Endless Space has sold over 300,000 copies and the developer has been quite generous with free add-ons, having done four since last year's July launch.

With all of the hubbub about next-gen at this year's E3, Earth Defense Force 2025 stood out as the product of an entirely different generation, one where wildly idiosyncratic Japanese-developed games both delighted and confused gamers willing to take a risk on untested and out-there concepts.

Technically, it's a complete mess, though I'm sure any fan of Earth Defense Force can tell you the series has never been known for its impeccable graphics or silky smooth action. Despite its rough edges in comparison to the polished Xbox One and PS4 games on display in the very same convention center, EDF 2025 still carries a unique charm.

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