You're right, it is flash (which IMO is even worse, and surely doesn't help with performance).

Your last statement is a bit dubious, at least most websites I've seen using AJAX don't allow those links to be opened in new tabs.

Oh, something I just noticed - it doesn't make any sense to have the "most popular stories" on the left while the "recent headlines" are centered. The old website emphasized the popular stories much more, which makes more sense.

That I took this long to notice this also shows how cluttered the page is. I know there isn't much more information than before, but it's all just so close together that it's just too much.

I finally got it! The new colour scheme is a clever hidden advertising for Killzone 2!!!

Update: of all the Flash elements in the home page, the first to die is often the top one including the main menu. How annoying...

Anybody having trouble with the site try clearing out your internet cache, cookies, etc. If they're tweaking the site constantly problems with your cache could cause problems that aren't the fault of the site. Also make sure you have the most recent version of your browser.