PlayStation

The SRN Call of Duty Vita Wish List

by Jan Hutchings | Feb 21, 2012 | 22 comments

Now that we know that Activision is going to be releasing a Call of Duty title on Sony’s brand new PlayStation Vita this fall, What should the publisher do to make Call of Duty: Vita worth it’s price?

Here is our wish list:

Multiplayer – Whomever is developing the game should take the time and include a fully-featured multiplayer experience like that available on consoles. Don’t skimp out on game modes, weapons, and killstreaks. If you’re going to bring Call of Duty to the Vita, might as well bring the big guns

Elite Compatible – With millions of players already part of the Call of Duty Elite program, it would make a lot of sense to add the COD Vita game’s stats to the subscription. Be it the free version or the premium, Vita players should be able to access Elite as an in-game or vita main screen app. This would bring a multiplayer and community focused atmosphere that the Vita would stand to gain from.

Touch Compatible – Being able to control killstreaks like chopper gunners, mortars, or even UAV using the Vita’s touchscreen would definitely add to the experience. Imagine being able to manipulate and customize weapon loadouts by having to touch your on-screen gun and adding accessories onto it by dragging. Kind of like Ghost Recon: Future Soldier’s “Gunsmith” mode but on a smaller screen.

Perfect Controls – Yeah the Vita has two analog sticks, but Activision must (MUST) ensure that the controls are smooth and are as tactile as the console version. Without L2/R2 for grenades will become a problem for many COD vets and the developers have to find some way to make grenade throwing much easier for Vita players. (Perhaps use the Vita’s back touch pad as a grenade button?)

Communication – Because the Vita has a built-in microphone, this will require all players to use it for communication with their teams. Be it for trash-talking, griefing, cooperation, or just plain conversations, Call Of Duty: Vita should take advantage of it’s built-in mic for a better community.

Developer Pedigree – If you’re going to bring COD to the Vita, get your best developers working on it. Please DO NOT pass it on to a brand-new developer with no COD experience. Basically Activision has two choices, Infinity Ward/Sledgehammer Games or Treyarch Studios. (I’d much rather have Treyarch working on it since I loved World at War.)

Character-Centered Story – The problem with Modern Warfare’s campaign is that players who haven’t played the first two games have no idea why Soap and Price were vital to the story. Not only that, but they ended up playing too many characters and too many viewpoints to actually give a crap why World War 3 was happening. A Vita COD experience should focus on one character or squad that’s knee-deep in either political or wartorn situations. This would help players empathize and follow the protagonists throughout the length of the adventure.

Despicable Antagonist(s) – As dangerous as Makarov was in MW3, I didn’t hate him at all. Basically because the game didn’t spend enough time giving me reasons to hate the guy. He didn’t even kill Ghost in MW2. Give us a bad guy that everyone will truly love to hate. Then we’ll give you our wallets.

PlayStation Vita System Software Update v1.61 Goes Live

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 20, 2012 | 4 comments

Just ahead of the PlayStation Vita’s US release, Sony has issued a new firmware update v.161 for the portable console. The PS Vita system update v1.61, which is now live and ready for download for those who may have imported or gotten their console ahead of time, is designed to bring some new features like maps while enhancing previous apps like the Photo application.

A new application, Maps, has been added to the home screen.
In addition to photos, you can now take videos using the Photo application.
You can now publish stories about the products that you rate in PlayStation Store to Facebook.
In Near, players’ information is now displayed on the Discoveries screen. On this screen, a list of the online IDs of up to 100 players that you have encountered, and the number of times that you encountered each player, are displayed. Tap an online ID to display that player’s profile screen.
The Mac OS version of Content Manager Assistant for PlayStation has been released. The Windows version has also been updated.

For those lucky enough to have a PlayStation Vita already, simply navigate to Settings > System Update and download away. The majority of those who pre-ordered will have to do this starting tomorrow, when the PlayStation Vita officially launches.

Call of Duty Coming To PlayStation Vita This Fall

by Jan Hutchings | Feb 20, 2012 | 24 comments

PlayStation Vita just hit the jackpot

According to Guy Longworth, Senior Vice President of PlayStation Brand Marketing at Sony, Activision’s extremely popular Call of Duty is coming to the PlayStation Vita later this year.

As of this writing, there are not definite details on its developer, its title, or if it will be a port or a brand new game. All we know so far is that the game will be a first-person shooter and will replicate the home console experience (including multiplayer) on the PlayStation handheld.

A Call of Duty game on the Vita would do much to help the platform sell in North America. Just like how Monster Hunter sells PSPs by the millions in Japan, a COD title will definitely bring Sony’s newest handheld into the the casual gamer’s hand. That’s not including the millions of hardcore gamers that salivate at the news of a new COD for their Vita.

Discuss:

Would you prefer a port of Modern Warfare 3 or a brand new Call of Duty game on your Vita? Let us know in the comment section below!

“Journey” Development Complete, hits Playstation Store March 13

by Chris Quibol | Feb 19, 2012 | 2 comments

If you were wondering when you could finally get your hands on highly-anticipated PSN game Journey, the wait is finally over. Jenova Chen, lead Creative Director at thatgamecompany, announced over at the Playstation Blog that their newest game will be available through the Playstation Store on March 13 for $14.99. Journey is thatgamecompany’s third game, after flOw in 2007 and the critically-acclaimed Flower in 2009.

Chen also provides a few details regarding what players can expect from the game, which has largely been shrouded in mystery since its announcement. Journey, much like thatgamecompany’s previous outings, is largely experiential and played completely online.

PlayStation 4 in 2012? SCEA Boss Says Don’t Count On It

by Chris Quibol | Feb 19, 2012 | 1 comment

If you were hoping to be playing video games on a next generation Sony console by year’s end, prepare to be a bit disappointed. In a recent interview with IGN, Jack Tretton, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America, confessed that the chances of seeing the PlayStation 4 this year are slim to none.

The PlayStation Archives – “Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne”

by Jan Hutchings | Feb 18, 2012 | 18 comments

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne

Playstation 2 Exclusive

Price: $29.99 to $39.99

1 Player

SMT: Nocturne or, what I like to call Devil May Cry: Nocturne, is a rare traditional Japanese roleplaying game that deals with mature content and some really dark overtones. SMT: Nocturne casts the player as a nameless high school student with an interest in the occult. The protagonist gets caught in the end of the world, The Conception. Luckily the silent protagonist escapes death, and Lucifer himself transforms him into a demi-fiend (heart of a human, body of a demon) and he is then given a great power to arm him in his journey.

Hit the jump for more information on SMT: Nocturne and its crossover with Devil May Cry.

PlayStation Certified Games Coming to HTC Phones?

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 17, 2012 | 7 comments

Over a year ago during their CES presentation, Sony announced a new initiative called PlayStation Suite. The program, which directly targets Android smartphones and tablets, is designed to expand the PlayStation brand and experience by offering PlayStation Certified devices access to catalogued PlayStation titles. Sony hopes that, not only will this keep the PlayStaiton brand relevant in the mobile world, but it will also create a halo effect where users will come back to the full PlayStation experience on the PS3 and PS Vita. Sony also vowed that the program would be open to any manufacturer who is willing to opt into the program’s certification process.

Till now, PlayStation Suite had been available on select Sony products like the Xperia PLAY and the Sony Tablet S. Now, keeping to their promise, another manufacturer has seemed to join the party. HTC, makers of the popular Android Evo phones, will be the first non-Sony manufacturer to offer access to PlayStation Suite. The announcement is expected to come at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where HTC will bring the services to their ever-growing lineup of Android smartphones and tablets.

With more companies potentially jumping onboard with the PlayStation Certified programs, this could also give Google and their Android platform a proper challenger to Apple’s Game Center which is available to all iOS devices though, currently, the two services are completely different. Still, PSone games can just be the beginning of this service, seeing how Sony’s PlayStation Network which is available on the PS3 and PS Vita also offers PS2 titles and smaller games like Mini’s.

“Twisted Metal” Server Status Update (updated)

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 16, 2012 | 24 comments

Taking to his Twitter account like he normally does, David Jaffe gave the latest rounds of updates in regards to Twisted Metal server status and its online component. As a recap, since it’s Valentine’s Day launch, Twisted Metal fans have been reporting issues with online match making. The errors which are plaguing users tend to appear as a ‘cannot connect’ issue and can happen in any mode. One cause of this has been narrowed down to a code glitch where when a user enters a full game and instead of being notified of a full room, is instead told that the server ‘cannot connect.’

To address this, Sony is taking down the servers shortly for 15 minutes to push a patch which should hopefully address this code glitch. Once in place, Sony will once again restore the servers and begin assessing the true ‘cannot connect’ error and begin to work on a fix. I’ve said before and I’ll say it again, it’s always refreshing to see someone like David so passionate about his work and giving it to players straight.

Help with that. Thx for sticking it out with us- Twisted fans are not only bad ass sick fucks, they are also- mostly!-,understanding gamers

After the jump, David’s full Twitter response.

iFixit Rips Apart a PS Vita. We Cry

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 16, 2012 | 0 comments

It’s sometimes referred to as gadget porn and other times, it’s the best way to make a grown man, techie, or gamer cry. Whatever your views are on iFixit, it doesn’t matter as the folks over there have once again taken a brand new and perfectly-functioning device and taken it apart. This time, the upcoming PlayStation Vita handheld was at the tip of the scalpel where the team over there took their time taking apart the PS Vita and documented with photos for your viewing pleasure. Though nothing shocking was discovered, it’s easy to see why the device is so powerful with circuits and boards crammed in every part of the machine Sony engineers could find in order for it to offer all that it does.

A few more scandalous shots and source link after the jump.

David Jaffe Comments on “Twisted Metal” Online Status, Skins Feature

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 16, 2012 | 2 comments

Twisted Metal, the longest running PlayStation franchise, returned to the PlayStation 3 on February 14th (Valentine’s Day) with more destruction, mayhem, and deeper gameplay then ever before. The vehicle shooter game, which can best be described as Street Fighter converted into cars with guns, has been posting some great sales numbers, despite its long absence from the PlayStation. Since the game’s launch, Sony and creator David Jaffe have been doing their best to advertise the game and raise further awareness for the title with events like #ShootMyTruck where users could enter and get a chance to literally shoot Sweet Tooth’s ice cream truck with a machine gun via their computer.

While the game is off to a good start with positive reviews and fun promotions, many owners of the title are beginning to notice errors with the game’s online component and rightfully complain. Promising to pit 16 players against each in different game modes like team death match and nuke, online play was designed to be a core component of Twisted Metal. Two days into the game’s launch, David Jaffe took to his YouTube page to address the game’s online errors and soon-to-be-released Skins feature:

In short, David. like the fans, seems to be frustrated and upset by the game’s online component. However, with nearly 100 Sony engineers working on the problem, he is quite confident that things should be improving soon, if not better for some already. Another error that users seem to encounter is when entering a room which is full. The game, in this instance, gives you a “network error” message when this is actually a script error and should instead be notifying you that the game room is full. Finally, the recent ‘Skins’ feature for Twisted Metal, which allows players to log online and create unique designs for the game’s vehicles, should be launching later today (though that is still subject to change).

In a day and age where games tend to shift with patches in the pipes, while more are released in the future to address the game’s errors and bugs, it’s nice to see David address the fans directly (as opposed to waiting for corporate press releases) and genuinely care about their wants and frustrations.

Binary Domain Preview – Gears Of Vanquish?

by Jan Hutchings | Feb 15, 2012 | 15 comments

What do you get when you mix the squad shooting of Gears of War, the creative team behind the Yakuza franchise, the high-octane stylish action of Vanquish, and lots of armored mechs?

You get SEGA’s Binary Domain.

A totally original squad-based shooter by Toshihiro Nagoshi, the brainchild of the massively successful Ryu Ga Gotoku (Yakuza) franchise, Binary Domain brings a western style attitude to game design that the Japanese game industry have been struggling with for many years. Not only has the action, the animation, the graphics, and the gameplay matched its western counterparts, in many ways Binary Domain even shines brighter than most western-made third person shooters.

PlayStation Store Update (02-14-12)

by Chris Quibol | Feb 14, 2012 | 21 comments

Sony has decided that the best way to celebrate Valentine’s Day is to give you the gift of games, as this week’s Playstation Store update is stocked full of content to snuggle up with. We’ve got the highly anticipated Mass Effect 3 demo, full game downloads of Grand Theft Auto IV and Worms Ultimate Mayhem, and tons of downloadable versions of PS Vita games like Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3 and Uncharted Golden Abyss. The PS Vita drops later this week, so if you plan on picking one up, you should think about downloading some games in advance. Playstation Plus members also get free access to Far Cry 2. After all, there’s no better way to celebrate the day of love than to shoot mercenaries in the face.

Hit the jump for this week’s full update.

Starhawk Limited Edition Details

by Jan Hutchings | Feb 14, 2012 | 14 comments

In just a few short months, Sony Santa Monica’s StarHawk will be available to the masses. Those who’ve played the beta have all agreed that the game is a vast improvement over the original multiplayer classic WarHawk on the PSN.

Those who are willing to spend a little bit more cash will be able to get their hands on the StarHawk Limited edition bundle. This bundle has an additional $20 worth of extra content including extra maps, character skins and other such features.

Starhawk Limited Edition Contents

Maw of Despair Outcast Pack: Includes the Maw of Despair Co-op Map and Shade Warrior MP Skin
This challenging co-op mission takes place deep beneath the planet’s surface in a particularly dangerous Rift mine. The Maw of Despair is home to the oldest Outcast tribe, the Shade Warriors. The heart of each Shade Warrior blazes with pure Rift energy, granting them extra toughness and combat ability. The firefights you’ll encounter in the Maw of Despair co-op mission will push your shooting skills to the edge!
Echo Scrapyard Rifter Pack: Includes the Scrapyard Homeworld and Huxley Ardin MP Skin
An exclusive player Homeworld, the Echo Scrapyard features Huxley’s mechanics shop and junkyard — known throughout the Frontier as the best place in the Frontier for Rifters to get spare parts for their Razorbacks and Sidewinders. And in the canyon basin below, Huxley’s shop is a network of roads and trails for players to hone their own Razorback 4×4 and Sidewinder Jetbike driving skills.
Starhawk Concept Art PS3 Theme: Decorate your PS3 with the amazing concept art that help bring the Starhawk Universe to life. Only available through the Starhawk Limited Edition.
Copy of the Original Warhawk (PSone): Download and play the title that started it all!
Official Starhawk Soundtrack: Christopher Lennertz’s sweeping original score available as a PSN download.

StarHawk is coming to the PS3 and PSN on May 8, 2012.

Sony Announces Vita-Compatible PSP Games

by Jan Hutchings | Feb 9, 2012 | 20 comments

Less than a week before the First Edition PlayStation Vita hits retail, Sony announces more than 275 digital download PSP and PS Mini games that are compatible with the Vita on day one. Now in addition to the 25+ Vita launch games, players can still enjoy their favorite PSP games on their shiny new handheld.

So if you’ve ever purchased a PSP game from the PlayStation Network, you’ll be able to download and install that same game on your Vita for no extra charge.

Hit the jump for the full list of Vita compatible PSP games.

No PSP Discs To Vita Transfer For the US

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 8, 2012 | 14 comments

During the PlayStation Vita’s Japanese launch in December, Sony also revealed a program where PlayStation Portable owners could insert their UMD into their PSP, register the game with PSN, and re-download it for the PlayStation Vita for a small fee which usually ranged between $6-13. Not a bad way to bring games like Final Fantasy: Crisis Core and Metal Gear: Peace Walker to the PS Vita. With the PlayStation Vita releasing date nearly upon on us (February 22nd for those playing at home), Sony has slowly trickled out news for soon-to-be Stateside owners, and, this time, it isn’t good.

Unlike Japan, the US will not be gaining access to similar programs where you can technically re-buy an old PSP game for a small fee. Currently, the UMD Passport program will stay exclusive to Japan though the folks at Kotaku have reached out to Sony for further explanation. Though a bummer, we have to take into account that most people will probably want their PS Vita for new games and new experiences so I doubt this will be a big deal to the majority of would-be owners. However, it’s still a blow for those who were looking to ditch their PSP while being able to relive the old glory days. Expect the internet to be up in arms in 4..3..2..