PlayStation

MotorStorm: RC Free On PS Vita For A Limited Time

by Jan Hutchings | Mar 6, 2012 | 8 comments

Already a game that has received critical praise since it’s release in the UK, MotorStorm RC is coming to the PlayStation Network later today; and it’s going to be FREE to download for Vita owners. Thanks to Sony’s partnership with car-maker Scion, the PlayStation Vita version of MotorStorm: RC will be free for a limited time, with no additional purchases necessary.

This is a big coup for Vita owners as MotorStorm: RC is one of the more awaited launch titles on the system. In addition to being free, RC for the Vita will also feature the Scion as an extra drivable vehicle in-game.

The game will feature four different locations each representing past environments from past games in the series. Players will be able to drive their RC cars in the classic Monument Valley from the first Motorstorm; blast through the jungles, waters, and magma, of Pacific Island from Rift; race through icy courses from the PSP’s Arctic Edge; and survive through the destroyed urban cityscape from Apocalypse.

Players will be able to control uniquely customizable RC cars including buggies, superminis, rally cars, muscle cars, trucks, supercars, big rigs and the all-powerful monster truck; with more to come in the way of DLC’s in the near future.

Note that there is also a PlayStation 3 release for MotorStorm: RC but will cost players a fairly cheap $9.99. After the jump, your comments and a trailer for MotorStorm: RC.

Upcoming PS3-Exclusive ‘Dust 514’ Now Free-to-Play, Vita Version a ‘Companion App’

by Chris Quibol | Mar 6, 2012 | 0 comments

Upcoming PS3-exclusive MMO first-person shooter Dust 514 doesn’t have a release date quite yet, but it is going to be free to download and play. Developer CCP recently announced to Eurogamer that their massively online first-person shooter set in the Eve Online universe will be free to download on PSN.

Originally slated to have a price somewhere from $10 to $20, instead CCP is offering the game for free, with in-game purchases being the primary source of funding. However, executive producer Brandon Laurino is adamant in his stance that those purchases won’t be necessary in order to be successful.

“It’s very important as we take steps into this topic to unambiguously state that it is not a pay to win game. There is no micro-transaction that you can do that gives you an unfair advantage over someone who hasn’t paid anything. It’s the classic micro-transaction dynamic of, ‘I can pay and get this item,’ or, ‘I can invest my time and get this item.’ But neither of those options will give me an unfair advantage over the other.”

Players will be able to buy currency bundles anywhere from $1 to $100, which can go towards the purchase of things like cosmetic changes, character re-specs, and variants of weapons that are supposedly not stronger than their freely available counterparts. While maps won’t be available for purchase, Laurino told Eurogamer that all of the maps would be available for players who choose not to spend money.

Hit the jump for information on the Vita version of Dust 514.

Should You Buy the PlayStation Vita Cradle? (video)

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 5, 2012 | 20 comments

I’m a sucker for docks when it comes to purchasing new gadgets like my iPad or PlayStation Vita. In my mind, there is something very Feng Shui about devices having their own place on my desk and even better when the dock is capable of charging and synchronizing the gadget with a Mac or PC. Enter the PlayStation Vita Cradle from Sony. This simple and sleek dock is designed to give people like me, who hate having cords laying around on their desks, some sanity. Priced appropriately at $19.99, the PlayStation Vita Cradle is a very minimalistic dock with no lights and no buttons. Instead, the metallic brush finished dock opts to display a PlayStation logo on the front with a USB 2.0 and line out on the back.

The dock itself serves a few different purposes, with the most simple one being the capability to watch movies on your PS Vita at just the right angle. In order to get more milage from your dock, you’ll then have to plug in the USB cable and power brick which came with your PS Vita. Once plugged into an outlet, the PlayStation Vita Cradle can then elegantly power your Vita, perfect for having it next to your bed and or in an office setting. Still, my favorite feature is to skip out on the power brick all together and opt for using only the PS Vita’s USB cable. When the PlayStation Vita’s Cradle is plugged into your Mac or PC with a USB cable (which came with your Vita), you can now charge your device and synchronize content back and forth with the Content Manager Assistant program from Sony. Milage from that program will vary but that’s for another article. While on the topic of the dock itself, Sony also took into consideration the weight and size of the Vita and has appropriately weighted down the dock, giving it a solid feel.

Aliens: Colonial Marines Preview

by Jan Hutchings | Mar 2, 2012 | 18 comments

Ever since watching Aliens in the theatres, I’d always wondered what it would be like to be one of Apone’s Colonial Marines as they fought to survive the xenomorph-infested LV-426. Sure, there were the Alien vs. Predator games, and sure they were plenty fun, but once I finished the Marine campaign, the Predator and Alien campaigns definitely weren’t up to par. To be honest, I just bought the game to play as the Colonial Marine.

Picture this: You and your squad have just entered the darkness that is LV-426, the long hallways of cold black metal and the eerie silence surround you and keep you on edge. Suddenly the loud ‘ping’ coming from your motion tracker pierces your ears. There’s something or things coming, and it’s coming fast….

Hit the jump for an in-depth preview of Aliens: Colonial Marines.

PlayStation Vita Augmented Reality Overview (video)

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 1, 2012 | 17 comments

One of the frequently overlooked features of the PlayStation Vita that Sony hopes to expand over time is its augmented reality capabilities. The PlayStation Vita, which comes equipped with a front and rear facing camera, is powerful enough to be able to capture a given environment in real time and allow it to be utilized in a game. An example of this is the launch title, Little Deviants, which takes advantage of the front facing camera and has you moving your PS Vita around in the air to shoot at flying ships.

Fighting games are another genre that seem to be taking advantage of this technology, allowing you to have immerse your characters in the world that is facing you and giving you real life backdrops, because they are indeed real. To introduce PS Vita owners to this tech, Sony has made three augmented reality titles available for free on the PlayStation Network. Fireworks, Cliff Divers, and Table Soccer all utilize the augmented reality cards that came inside of each PlayStation Vita. Our video will highlight Fireworks and its use of this technology.

Playstation Store Update (02-28-12)

by Chris Quibol | Feb 28, 2012 | 8 comments

Now that the Oscars are over, the biggest awards left to give out are the 2012 Gamer’s Choice Awards, which have taken over this week’s Playstation Store update. But beyond the nominees, this week’s update is full of quality releases, demos, and extras.

First and foremost this week, the multiplayer component of Killzone 3 is now available as a full, stand alone download. The game is available for free with a level cap or you can access the complete version for fifteen dollars ($7.50 for Playstation Plus subscribers). Other prominent releases this week include Storm, an elemental manipulation puzzle game from developer IndiePub, and a full download of last fall’s Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

Playstation Plus members this week get half off on Killzone 3 multiplayer and 20% off on Touchdown Fever Mini, as well as the 13 free games previously available.

Hit the jump for this week’s full update.

Sony Santa Monica helping to complete ‘The Last Guardian’

by Chris Quibol | Feb 28, 2012 | 20 comments

For those of you feeling apprehensive about Team Ico’s next and often-delayed project The Last Guardian, you can now sleep just a little easier. In an interview with Wired, Sony Senior Vice President Shuhei Yoshida provided a few details about the development process behind Team Ico’s highly anticipated game.

Yoshida divulged to Wired that members of Sony Santa Monica, among others such as Worldwide Studios, have gone to Japan to help Team Ico on the completion of The Last Guardian. Sony Santa Monica is most famously responsible for developing the God of War franchise as well as collaborating with other studios on various Sony exclusives such as the Pixeljunk series and most recently Twisted Metal. No details were provided on what exactly Sony Santa Monica members would be doing to aid in the development of the game.

Late last year, Sony also confirmed rumors that lead creative director (and the man behind cult classics like Ico and Shadow of the Colossus) Fumito Ueda had left the company. Most people had assumed that Ueda would not be staying on to finish The Last Guardian; however, Yoshida confirmed in the interview that Ueda would be staying on to finish the project.

“There was a rumor that [creative director Fumito] Ueda had left the company, which we confirmed. But its not like he left the making of The Last Guardian. He’s on top of the game and coming into the office. He could be the person who’s in the office for the longest time. The difference is that he used to be a regular employee. But now we have a contract to define his role. It’s a very special contribution and role that he plays and we agreed; let’s make it more official, more special. That’s the only difference.”

Yoshida goes on to mention that while progress on the game is being made and that it is currently playable, The Last Guardian is still far enough from the finish that a launch date can’t be discussed.

“But the progress is slow and sometimes the team has to go back and review things. There’s a vision that we want to realize but it’s very, very tough and technical issue that the team is tackling and some plans have to be made to evaluate and go through the process. At one point the progress was great, so we talked about the timing of the launch in the past. But now it’s making progress, but still not to the level — it’s playable, but not to the point that we can talk about the timing of launch.”

With Ueda still on the project and help from outside agencies like Sony Santa Monica, The Last Guardian is still looking like one of the most anticipated Playstation 3 titles; however, whether or not the game releases this year still remains to be seen.

Sony Announces PSN Gamers’ Choice Awards

by Jan Hutchings | Feb 28, 2012 | 17 comments

Sony recently announced the nominees for their upcoming PSN Gamers’ Choice Awards 2012 in which PlayStation fans can vote for their favorite PSN games. Like the Gamers’ Choice Awards last year, players can choose their favorite games from the various categories like ‘Best PS3 Game’, ‘Best PSP Game’, and ‘Best PlayStation Classic.”

The winners will be announced on March 6, 2012 on the PlayStation Blog. In addition to that, games that win each category will be discounted by 30% in the PlayStation Store for exactly one week. PlayStation Plus subscribers will recieve a 50% discount on all Gamers’ Choice Awards winners.

Hit the jump to find out the award categories and nominees.

Sony: “Vita Cards Necessary To Fight Piracy”

by Jan Hutchings | Feb 27, 2012 | 20 comments

In a recent interview with Gamasutra, Scott Rohde, Senior VP of Worldwide Studios organization said that Vita cards are in fact necessary to help fight piracy. Remember, quality PSP games were few and far between and those that were of AAA quality were easily pirated. These were two of the biggest reasons were why Sony handheld had a hard time in retail.

With the Vita, Rohde said Sony needed technology that would help them secure their games and their IP’s against rampant piracy. This new proprietary format includes custom security that Sony believes will help protect them against pirates in the long haul.

“That was front and center in the early specs of this machine. We needed to have something that would combat piracy from day one, and that’s why the cards that you can purchase for the games are in their own proprietary format. And these days, so many people say the word “proprietary” is a bad word, but it’s something that we felt was completely necessary to make sure that people could not pirate these games. I mean, it’s a custom security solution on each one of these cartridges. That is something that we are confident will protect us from piracy for the long term.”

With the Vita releasing worldwide today, it will only be a matter of time before we see if Sony’s investment on this new proprietary format will indeed protect their games from piracy.

Sega Teases Return of Jet Grind Radio; Heading to PSN

by Chris Quibol | Feb 26, 2012 | 8 comments

After ten years since its last console release, one of the most beloved and funkiest franchises is set to make a return. Sega recently released a short teaser for what is looking like a PSN rerelease of 2000’s Dreamcast title Jet Grind Radio. The 22-second teaser features music from the original game, the logo, and that a new Dreamcast game is coming to Playstation Network and Xbox Live Arcade, though the short video never outright mentions the title.

Not much is known about this downloadable rerelease, like whether or not the graphics are going to be enhanced or whether the licensed music that was so popular in the original is going to remain the same.

The last console release for the franchise was in 2002, when sequel Jet Set Radio Future came out for the original Xbox. Jet Grind Radio will be joining Sonic Adventure and Crazy Taxi as Dreamcast titles available on the Playstation Store.

Hit the jump to check out the full teaser.

Our PlayStation Vita 3G EU Unboxing

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 24, 2012 | 12 comments

While there’s been plenty of PlayStation Vita unboxings during the past two days from the US release, there’s been less coverage of its European release. Launched alongside the US release, European territories were also treated to a PlayStation Vita Wi-Fi and PlayStation Vita 3G + Wi-Fi model. The following video puts our newest member of the team, Gar, front and center on camera with a PlayStation Vita 3G EU unboxing for your viewing pleasure. If you got a PlayStation Vita, we’d love to hear about your experience in the comments section.

Editorial: How I Accidentally Bought a PlayStation Vita

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 23, 2012 | 34 comments

Editors Note:
In lue of the PlayStation Vita one year anniversary, this post is being bumped to the top for your reading pleasure and or dismay. But hopefully pleasure!

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Let me begin this story by setting the mood and, if you prefer (and I would highly recommend so), you reading it with a 1920’s detective noir film narrator in mind. It was Tuesday morning, to be specific, February 21st. Like most days, after a quick workout and coffee, I began to wander the internet in search of stories to bring to the site. Of course, that’s a routine I follow every day, but something about it was different today. Today marked the day before the PlayStation Vita release, Sony’s newest portable gaming device. Now, I might not be the world’s most hardcore gamer, but, ever since I was a little kid, I’ve never missed out on a PlayStation launch before. PSone, PS2, PSP, the bonanza that was the PS3 launch, and, finally, the PSPgo. However, this time, things would be different. I’m older now, a bit wiser (I hope) and a little more conscious about spending my money. So unlike past events, this time, I would stick to the sidelines.

I decided that the coverage on the site wasn’t enough for this device so I began to look around blogs and tweet people that I knew at Sony. What was I looking for? A chance to win a PlayStation Vita which, of course, I wanted? No, because I’ve never won a contest like that. Instead, I wanted to see if there were any Sony-sponsored launch events in the LA area. If New York was getting the PlayStation team out there, along with DJs and head Sony VPs, surely LA, where teams like Sony Santa Monica and Naughty Dog are based, would have an event? Heck, Sony’s US PlayStation division is in Foster City while San Diego houses the PlayStation Q/A division. Surely there would be an LA event.

My digging would point me towards Sony Century City, the first Sony rebranded retail outlet that is to pave the way for a new generation of Sony retail stores. The store, which has already been a host to many events, would surely have something planned and low and behold, they did. From 7:00pm-3:00am was the planned event with giveaways, a chance to be in the next Uncharted DLC and of course, the midnight launch of the PS Vita. I already knew that I wasn’t planning on buying one. So why was I going there, you ask? Coverage for the site is the simple answer. With my Cyber-shot in one pocket and Bloggie Live in our editor’s purse (My god those things are useful! Indy with his satchel was on to something!), we were off to Sony Century City.

Retro City Rampage Preview – Coming To A PS3 And Vita Near You

by Jan Hutchings | Feb 23, 2012 | 18 comments

Originally only to be released for Xbox Live Acade and WiiWare, Indie mega-game Retro City Rampage is now set to release on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in May of this year. Announced as part of the PAX 10 in 2010, Retro City Rampage is an 8-bit game that plays like an open-world modern shooter. The game takes the best parts of classic and modern games and puts them into 8-bit form.

I had been following the game’s development since its first announcement almost two years ago. A few months ago, I had a chat with VBlank Entertainment’s Brian Provinciano, the creator and developer of Retro City Rampage and he game me an overview of what the game was about.

“It’s kind of like Super Mario meets GTA meets a celebration of the entire history of video games. So steal cars, shoot people, jump on them like Mario stomps Goombas, collect coins, collect powerups and you get the idea.”

Hit the jump to learn more about Retro City Rampage.

Playstation Store Update (02-21-12)

by Chris Quibol | Feb 23, 2012 | 16 comments

Amidst the big launch of the Playstation Vita this week, Sony dropped a huge update on the North American Playstation Store. As expected, the Playstation Store is filled to the brim with whole game downloads like Touch My Katamari, Plants Vs Zombies, and the critically-acclaimed TALES FROM SPACE: MUTANT BLOBS ATTACK, as well as a ton of augmented reality games like Table Soccer and Fireworks. Also available for the Vita are apps for Twitter, Flickr, and Netflix.

On the Playstation 3 side of things, Playstation Plus members are treated to free downloads of some Sega classics, including Sonic The Hedgehog, Comix Zone, and Altered Beast. The star of the downloadable demos this week is definitely SSX, which according to the Playstation Blog, will be the definitive version of the game, as the PS3 version will have Mt. Fuji as an in-game exclusive. Also, after a little bit of initial difficulty, the Uncharted 3 Flashback Map Pack #2 is finally available for download as well.

Hit the jump for this week’s full PlayStation Store Update.

Playstation Vita: Top 5 Most Anticipated Post Launch Games

by Chris Quibol | Feb 22, 2012 | 1 comment

With games like Uncharted: Golden Abyss, WipEout 2048, and Lumines: Electric Symphony launching alongside the Playstation Vita, there isn’t a shortage of great games to play on the brand new portable. However, the strength of a system comes with future releases, and the future lineup for the Vita is shaping up to be a diverse bunch. Augmented reality games, games that utilize the system’s front and rear touch screens, and console-like experiences fill the Vita’s future releases. So, what games will you be playing past this initial launch lineup?

We break down our top five most anticipated Vita games post launch. Hit the jump to see the full list.