Great news for fight fans, Tecmo-Koei and Team NINJA’s Dead or Alive 5+ is coming to the PlayStation Vita this March. Featuring over 20 characters, all the stages from the console version, as well as a number of PS Vita specific features that’ll get your blood boiling, your heart pumping, and your fists flying.
Learn more about Dead or Alive 5+ and it’s PS Vita specific features after the break.
Over the last few months Sony has been stepping up their support and releases for their PS Mobile store. In order to bring generate more interest in the store, Sony is to offer a free PS Mobile game every Wednesday for the next six weeks.
Free this week is the rythm-action game, Samurai Beatdown. Normally priced at $0.99, Samurai Beatdown is perhaps one of the most fun games for PS Mobile. Samurai Beatdown is a sidescrolling action game that has players slashing their way through demons. Each attach has to correspond to the level’s music or else the samurai takes a hit and the player loses their combo.
You can download this week’s free game from the PS Mobile store directly from your PS Vita or a smartphone that’s “PlayStation Certified.” Then, check out the PlayStation Blog every week to find out which PS Mobile game will be offered for free.
The first game I played from developers Ninja Theory was the PlayStation 3 exclusive launch title Heavenly Sword. Filled with a lush world, rich story, and beautiful graphics, nearly 6 years later, I still consider the title a true showcase for the PS3. A bit more disappointed by Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, the team’s multiplatform title which obviously suffered from also having to work on the Xbox 360 (extremely apparant in characters’ facial features and lip syncing), the game still showcased what a wonderful team Ninja Theory is. I mention this to put things into perspective that I have nothing but respect for them and yet I couldn’t have been more upset at their take on Devil May Cry. Introduced as an exclusive series on the PlayStation 2, the series followed an adult demon hunter named Dante. While the game’s true gem was the gameplay, fans all over soon fell in love with the badass hero and his witty remarks.
So when I and other fans saw the new rebooted Dante, to say we were pissed off is an understatement. I should note though that my form of being upset is displayed by an article like this and my decision to not purchase this game. Any fan who feels like it’s appropriate for them to send hate letters and death threats to the team needs to reevaluate their life priorities and figure out a real cause to be passionate about, not video game characters. I, like many of the fans, was put off by the new Dante who seemed like a emo boy band heroin addict and not the big and tough Dante that we so wanted. I don’t have problems with reboots and different takes on a franchise, be it movies or games. Still that doesn’t mean every take is one I agree with. And while yes I do agree that the idea of a video game is gameplay which I’ve heard is amazing in the new DmC, for me personally, the world and the characters are something that truly capture me in a series and the new Dante does not fit the bill for my personal taste.
You can call it being cheeky or call it blowing off steam which is understandable, considering the fan outrage, but I call it giving old fans of DmC the finger. After the jump, an easter egg in the new DmC: Devil May Cry game from Ninja Theory to old DmC fans that will either make you chuckle or make you swear off the developers.
One of the most memorable – and scariest – moments from SIREN.
Sony announced earlier this week that the PS2 classic SIREN is coming to PSN this Tuesday. For those of you who haven’t heard of SIREN, it’s a Japanese survival horror game for the PS2 that became well known for its unique facial animation technology, multi-character story-line, and sight-jacking game mechanic.
If the name sounds familiar to you, it’s probably because you’ve seen or played SIREN: Blood Curse on the PSN. SIREN: Blood Curse was a re-imagining of the original game with characters and story that catered towards a North American audience. It’s a great game for what it was aiming to achieve, however, for the authentic Japanese characters, scares, and scenarios, you’ll have to play the original coming soon as a PS2 Classic on PSN.
Learn more about SIREN for the PSN after the break.
If it wasn’t obvious enough after the PlayStation 3 passed the 70 million mark, it should become obvious now that the PlayStation 3 is officially the worldwide leader this generation (note that I don’t take the Wii into consideration), beating the Xbox 360. Games Industry International cites a “market analysis” document by Lewis Ward of IDC that by the end of 2012, Sony managed to ship a total of 77 million PS3 units, versus 76 million Xbox 360 devices. While quite a win for Sony and the PS3, the milestone becomes that much more impressive when you consider that the 360 has always held a much lower price point than the PS3. The Xbox 360 has also been on sale for a year longer, launching in November 2005 versus the PS3’s November 2006 launch.
Corpse Party Book of Shadows Preview
Next week sees the release of XSeed Games’ highly anticipated sequel/prequel to PSP’s Corpse Party. Corpse Party: Book of Shadows tells multiple stories set during, before, and after the events of the original game.
Last year, I gushed about how much I loved the original Corpse Party for the PSP. Corpse Party was an old-school survival-horror adventure that combined Asian supernatural and North American gore-horror elements, and a 16-bit retro look to portray an interactive amalgamation of modern and classic horror. Now that the sequel is almost upon us, I think it’s high time to take a look at why you should pick up Corpse Party: Book of Shadows for your Vita.
Learn about Corpse Party: Book of Shadows for PS Vita after the break.
Skylanders Giants is a game where you physically place action figures into a platform to transport them into the colorful world in your television screen. While a unique and neat concept that warrants a review, let’s forgo that and take an in-depth look at the game’s soundtrack. I believe the soundtrack to a game can be an important part of the experience and its success. We’ve come a long way from the monophonic 8-bit synthesized sounds to using full blown orchestras all in order to help make games that much more exciting.
Skylanders Giants’ soundtrack is composed by Mr. Lorne Balfe, whose mastery of music composition was seen in another big title, Assassin’s Creed 3. Now that we’ve seen Mr. Balfe’s compositions in a very serious game setting, how will his music be on a completely different game with a different drive and a different audience? Our Skylanders Giants soundtrack review, after the jump.
Great companies rise and fall. It’s the norm of the cycle and with so much competition from large and small firms, it’s hard for any company to stay unique to its original vision and quality, be it a tech company or a video game maker. Nowhere is this trend more apparent than in Square-Enix, formally known as the beloved SquareSoft. The once famous RPG maker in the era of the PlayStation One could do no wrong and released Final Fantasy 7, 8, and 9 to critical acclaim. If three smash hits were not enough, SquareSoft would also release a bevy of titles like Brave Fencer Musashi, Chrono Cross, Secret of Mana, Parasite Eve, Romance Saga, and a personal treasure, Xenogears. Though not as vibrant during the time of the PS2, Square would still release solid titles, like Final Fantasy X and Kingdom Hearts. Enter the current generation cycle and Square Enix seems to have forgotten entirely what RPG stands for. Final Fantasy 13 was met poorly with gamers and its sequel with even lower sales. How does Square Enix fix this? One would assume by going back to what made them king and releasing a proper RPG. Sadly, that’s not what the once-great RPG makers have done. After the jump is a trailer for Lightning Returns – Final Fantasy 13 which is the third FF13 game released this generation which no longer resembles anything that might be considered an RPG.
PlayMemories Studio, the companion app for PlayMemories Online, Sony’s answer to services like Photo Stream from Apple is getting an upgrade on the PS3. The app which till now has allowed you to view images and edit them to Sony’s cloud based service is gaining a few new tricks on the PlayStation 3 with the most recent updated. While there are some lesser additions to this update like 10 new background music tracks and 29 extra sound effects, the real upgrade lies in the addition of 4K image support.
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
With Christmas less than two weeks away, many parents have started their Santa has started his hunt for Christmas presents. Be it the elusive iPad mini, a copy of The Amazing Spider-Man on Blu-ray, or a new gaming console, he wants to get you the thing you want most, as long as you’ve landed on the nice list. Those on the naughty list only qualify for a Nintendo Wii mini. So if you could choose what you’ll find under the Christmas tree, would you ask for the brand new PlayStation 3 or a PlayStation Vita?
If you’ve been on the fence about PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale for the PlayStation Vita, Amazon might have just the deal to entice you. For a limited time, the online giant has marked the game down by 50% to $19.99. Not bad for a AAA title which allows for Cross Play with the PlayStation 3. Would be buyers should take note that if you purchase the game for PlayStation 3, that you will receive a free copy for the PlayStation Vita though that game still retails at the full price of $59.99, even on Amazon.
Updated:
Amazon now has LittleBigPlanet listed for $20 as well. If the deal doesn’t appear on the main page, make sure to click ‘More Buying Options’ on the right hand side.
After the jump, the link to purchase both games.
One of the big announcements during the VGA was the May 7th, 2013 release date for The Last of Us. The PlayStation 3 exclusive from Naughty Dog (Uncharted) has been a hotly anticipated game which only saw its hype grow after a killer new trailer. Sadly, the trailer was pulled shortly after being posted on YouTube by the games official Facebook account. They soon would post:
May 7, 2013 worldwide. Get ready for more news Monday! Sorry for the video trailers being removed, but will have to wait for official video to be uploaded – can’t say when but soon –
Now the official The Last of Us VGA trailer is live and available for your viewing pleasure, after the jump.
Updated:
After the jump, a new official trailer in HD from Sony.
In a recent article by Forbes contributor Erik Kain, it’s pointed out that the Xbox 360 sold like hotcakes during Black Friday, beating the PlayStation 3 and Wii U, the latest console from Nintendo. The success of the 8-year-old console led Mr. Kain into concluding that you should buy an Xbox 360 over the PlayStation 3 this holiday season. While the facts he presents aren’t off, we’d like to humbly disagree and provide a rebuttal with 7 reasons why the PlayStation 3 is the perfect choice this Christmas and beyond. It’s also worth noting that, despite the PS3 having been out for only 7 years while continuing to cost more than the Xbox 360, in some time periods by more than $200, the PS3 has officially caught up with its rival system and achieved 70 million units sold world wide. This was reported a week before Sony announced PS3 Black Friday sales which tallied past the 525,000 sold mark.
After the jump, 7 reasons to buy a PlayStation 3 instead of a Xbox 360 this holiday season.
If you’re one of the 30 million customers of Nexflix and enjoy watching movies and TV shows on a non-portable device, chances are that you’re doing it on a PS3. The service which is available on just about every device possible, including many others from Sony like the PlayStation Vita, and their Tablet S has become a staple in recent years. Microsoft, who seems to be heavily gearing the Xbox 360 and Xbox brand in general as a media hub, has always gone out of their way to tout that they give more traffic to Netflix, more than any other device out there, including iOS and Android smartphones/tablets.
Not so fast, says Reed Hastings in a press release, stating that the PlayStation 3
“this year, at times was delivering more hours of video to subscribers than regular computers to become our No. 1 platform overall.”
Although Hollywood might have already given us a God of War movie (Clash and Wrath of the Titan) in so many words, we’ve yet to have our beloved web give us their take on God of War. Thanks to a new Kickstarter, we might be closer to one than you think. Blue Goggles Films, the team behind the BIT Parts series is looking to raise $30,000 to help fund their shorts. As it stands, the team has already written 24 episodes and your pledges could fund another 6 as they’ve already paid for the first 6 from their own pockets. Other games featured include Metal Gear Solid, Halo, and Grand Theft Auto.
While we have a full 24-episode first season already written, it would take a good amount of money to film the remaining 18 episodes at once, so we’re breaking it up into six at a time. We made the first six with money out of our own pockets. Now, we want to work with you on creating the rest of the series here on Kickstarter.
The average cost for an episode is $5,000. Even though we keep a small cast and crew, the cost adds up quickly when you consider that this amount has to cover cast, crew, locations, props, costumes and equipment.
More details and their past Twisted Metal short, after the jump.
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