PlayStation

Will You Be Purchasing Twisted Metal for the PS3? (poll)

In just a week from today, Sony, along with David Jaffe and the team from Eat Sleep Play, will be bringing Twisted Metal, a long time PlayStation exclusive franchise, back to life and onto retail shelves. The first Twisted Metal launched on the PlayStation in 1995, and, since then, we’ve gone through multiple iterations of the vehicular combat franchise. The beloved franchise has had ups and downs in the past with notable strong titles from David Jaffe like Twisted Metal 1 and 2 while the third and fourth titles were handed over to 989 Studios (now a defunct game studio). While many fans complained about the direction of those titles, David Jaffe, who was not involved with them, would come to their defense (and we do agree) with:

 “….[in and of themselves] they’re good games, they’re just not good Twisted Metal games.” 

In 2001, fans would once again see David return to the helm of Twisted Metal: Black, which would take the series in a new, darker direction. Unlike the cartoony feel of previous titles, TM: Black would be set in a dark, edgy world, filled with the worst criminals possible which would mark the first M-rated Twisted Metal game. A personal favorite, Twisted Metal: Black also had a cinematic quality to it that delved deeper then previous titles into the characters and the motives behind them. Also as a 15-year-old at the time who was allowed to play any games he pleased, Twisted Metal: Black creeped the frak out of me.

Fast forward to today when, although there have been smaller iterations of Twisted Metal, most notably on the PSP with Twisted Metal: Head-On, we’ve yet to have a big-screen return of the franchise with an original take. Come February 14th, all of that will change with the reveal of Twisted Metal on the PlayStation 3. Like previous titles, the game will once again be a PlayStation exclusive and sees the return of David Jaffe and his team at Eat Sleep Play, like Scott Campbell and relative newcomer, Justin Treaste, to name a few, who’ve set out to revitalize the game’s fans and creating a new Twisted Metal world, while remaining true to the themes and characters of the past.

So what is Twisted Metal? On the surface, Twisted Metal is a game about cars, guns, and explosions. As David would put it, the shallow end of the game is:

 the explosions, destructions and interactivity with car combat fantasy 

Where the best metaphor would be a visual effects-driven title with lots of things happening on-screen to keep even the most A.D.D centric person entertained. After all, not too many games out there allow you into a 16-player online multiplayer with cars chasing and shooting each other, helicopters planning your demise, and buildings crumbling around you. In fact, if that’s your kind of game, Jaffe and the team are happy to deliver and we are happy to say the game is every bit of that and more. However, the important part is more and that’s the reason David decided to return to the franchise.

 It really is about weapons with pros and cons. If I want to use the weapon this way, if I want to use the ricocheted bomb as a charge up weapon and it has a great area affect and I can do that, but the time it takes to charge it up and the damage it does is far less then if I were to use it as a straight up projectile that has no charge and is a lot harder to hit, but does a lot more damage. 

Another example lies in the New York City map where, at first glance, there appears to be a giant arena for you to shoot and blow up everything in sight, which — it is. However, as you play more and more, you might soon begin to realize that

 as you start to master, you go “oh my god,” all this circuitry that I can connect. The museum, to the bookstore, to the stock exchange, to the subway track and you actually start to learn the shortcuts and circuits and how those feed into the pickups and how those feed into a mode like ‘Nuke’ where if you want to get the missile launcher faster, do you know what kind of car you’re driving? 

Much like Battlefield 3, for instance, where you can pick up the controller, go online, and starting shooting away, Twisted Metal is designed to give you the same ease where newcomers and old-time fans can jump in (with dual PSN account login on the same PS3!) and begin shooting and blowing things up. However, as many BF3 fans will tell you, there is a whole other world that exists within the game, where the weapons you choose, the knowledge of the maps, and enemy weapons will introduce you to another game. It’s one that is more exciting, rewarding, and long-lasting — and that’s exactly the depth Twisted Metal offers. Of course, single player fans will have plenty to chew through as well, seeing how the game will have a full story mode which will shed light on old favorite characters while taking them in a new direction. Twisted Metal is set to launch on February 14th in the United States with March 7th as the date for EU fans.

Twisted Metal Preview

One of Sony’s biggest releases for 2012, Twisted Metal, is set to arrive next week. In preparation for it, Eat Sleep Play Studios and Sony released one of it’s biggest and most featured packed demos on the PlayStation Network. Twisted Metal finally returns to grand form almost a decade from it’s last major console release, Twisted Metal: Black on the PS2.

For a behind-the-scenes look into Twisted Metal, check out our developer interview with Eat Sleep Play Studios Co-Founder and Twisted Metal creator David Jaffe.

Here’s my thoughts on Twisted Metal so far:

Mortal Kombat Vita Filled to the Brim With Extra Content

Those of you who missed it the first time around can rejoice as Mortal Kombat is set to arrive on the PlayStation Vita soon. And the best part about it? MK on PS Vita is virtually identical to its PS3 counterpart; meaning 60 frames-per-second fighting, graphical presentation, characters, stages, fatalities, moves, and—oh yeah—playable DLC characters right off the bat.

In addition to the available extra characters like Rain, Freddy Krueger, Kenshi, and Skarlet, the throwback MK1 and 2 ninja costumes for Sub-Zero, Reptile, Scorpion and other ninja characters will also be available as part of the Vita release. If you thought extra features ended there, you’ll be surprised to hear this:

NetherRealm Studios is including 15 additional PS Vita-exclusive costumes which include MK3 style garbs for the Ninja characters. As well, the developer is adding two more mini-games like the Test Your Balance (where players have to their characters balanced on a board using the sixaxis motion control) and a secret one that we’ll just have to find out about when we get the game.

And finally, according to Ed Boon, Mortal Kombat for the PS Vita will have an exclusive challenge tower in addition to the first one seen in MK (PS3). That’s 150 more excruciating challenges to conquer for high rewards. 

PlayStation Store Update (01-31-12)

This weeks PlayStation Store update is live and ready for consuming. For me personally, the biggest title everyone needs to checkout is the demo for the upcoming Twisted Metal game which will land in store shelves on February 14th, how sweet yea? Some highlights:

  • Twisted Metal demo
  • Scene It? Movie Night Sci-Fi Movies DLC ($9.99)
  • Syndicate Demo
  • LittleBigPlanet Groundhog Day Costume (Free)

After the jump, the full update.

The Best PSP Games Of All Time

The Best PSP Games Of All Time

Just a few short years ago, the world waited in anticipation for the release Sony’s very first portable handheld. Some even said that the new system would knock Nintendo off of its portable gaming throne. They said that the PSP would be the defacto choice when people wanted to game on-the-go. Well it’s now 2012, and while many of these were not realized, millions still think that the PSP was, and perhaps still is, a powerful device that didn’t quite meet its potential.

We can play the blame game and blame it on corporate bullheadedness, or the UMD, or the lack of fresh, original games. But the PSP was home to some of the best (though many underappreciated) games of this generation. Check out the list after the break.

Twisted Metal Live Chat with David Jaffe (today at 3:30 PST)

We are hosting a live chat with Twisted Metal co-creator, David Jaffe, who will be answering all of your questions about the upcoming PlayStation exclusive, Twisted Metal. With the game set to launch on February 14th, PS3 owners can now download a demo of the long-time PlayStation franchise and dive into the game’s multiplayer. We invite you to join us as we sit down and chat with David about Twisted Metal and highly recommend that you have a list of questions ready for our chat today.

For those who want to join the live chat, please click on the link bellow. The chat room itself will be open prior to David joining us which will happen at 3:30 PST. No accounts are required for this.

Join the live chat!

Monster Hunter Finally Coming To The Vita

Before any announcements had been made, a Sony official said yesterday that Monster Hunter will be showing up on the PlayStation Vita in the coming months.

CEO of PlayStation France, Philippe Cardon, stated in a recent interview that had Monster Hunter been available during the Japanese Vita launch, the system would have sold much better.

 “The games available at launch in Japan do not correspond to the typology of the Japanese public. It lacks a particular game, Monster Hunter, scheduled for the coming months; had it been there from the start in Japan, the story would have been different.” 

Many say that the Monster Hunter franchise single handedly catapulted the PSP into many Japanese homes, so many in fact that other developers started creating games that imitated Monster Hunter’s addictive quest/hunting/crafting gameplay. Given the franchise’s system selling power, there’s no doubt that the PS Vita will get a massive sales spike once the game releases in Japan.

There’s no official release date as of this writing. We’ll keep you posted as more news comes.

Ted Price Addresses End of Resistance Series

Earlier today, news broke out that Insomniac Games would be ending development of any further Resistance games. Resistance originally launched with the PlayStation 3 and quickly became a big hit for Sony. Resistance 2 and 3 were both met with great reviews but failed to hit the sales number that a developer would surely like, especially Resistance 3, which had the lowest selling numbers of the series. Between the declining sales numbers and Insomniac Games moving away from being a PlayStation exclusive studio to being a 3rd party position with EA as their publisher, it’s easy to see why they won’t be producing any future titles within the franchise. Especially with their upcoming game, Overstrike, being multi-platform (i.e. PS3 and 360) and Sony owning the rights to Resistance, not Insomniac Games, the conclusion makes even more sense.

This, of course, didn’t stop the internet and Resistance/PlayStation fans from exploding and expressing their outrage (though I wished they had shown the same passion for the games when they launched and purchased them which might have us talking about a Resistance 4 leak instead). In order to address the matter, Insomniac Games CEO, Ted Price, took took it upon himself to address fans.

While it’s always sad to see a beloved franchise and an era of fantastic exclusives for the PlayStation come to an end, I wish the talented developers and creators at Insomniac Games the best on their upcoming game, OverStrike. Remember folks, they are not ending development for the PS3, just no more exclusives (or at least none that we currently know of).

Capcom Announces Resident Evil 6

Earlier today, Capcom announced Resident Evil 6; the newest title in their venerable survival-horror franchise.

Set 10 years after the events that destroyed Raccoon City, Resident Evil 6 will star a number of protagonists led by series stalwarts Leon Kennedy and Chris Redfield. Leon’s story is set in the fictional city of Tall Oaks. It’s been overrun by zombies (that’s right, zombies are back!) and the president of the United States has become one of the undead. It’s up to Leon and his partner to survive and learn the secrets of the new infection.

PlayStation Vita 3G Cannot Play Multiplayer Games on 3G

We’ve just recently learned about AT&T’s 3G pricing structure for the PS Vita Wi-Fi + 3G model. We’ve also known from past reports that, on 3G, the PS Vita would be limited to 20MB downloads. This meant that the PS Vita with 3G would be capable of download small games, DLC material and updates for gaming. On the social side, trophies, chatting, and location updates in addition to GPS could be used to enhance your experience. So where does this leave gaming on the PS Vita with 3G?

After talking with several members of the PlayStation team during CES, it seems that the PS Vita with 3G won’t be gaming on 3G after all. The possibility is left open for some small games that might require light internet connectivity like Words with Friends (this is purely an example and I’m not indicating such a game is in the works for the PS Vita); games like wipEout 2048 and Call of Duty have been ruled out. The limitation in this case is purely reliant on the lack of 3G strength, speed, and fluctuations of signals that one can encounter versus a lack of power from the PS Vita. It’s also to easy to see why developers might not want to support something like this if they can never properly rely on the number of users in a game with proper up and down speeds. Although this might seem like bad news, the frustration that one can encounter when trying to frag someone online while they skip around due to lag is a good enough reason to not support it in my eyes and keep online multiplayer to Wi-Fi only. Multiplayer fans should be hopeful of the future with 4G coverage growing and the potential to an updated PS Vita 4G model in the future.

PSN Discounting 12 Of The Best PSN Games For 2012

Early in 2011, Sony discounted 11 PSN games as a way to welcome the new year. This year, they’re doing the same and offering up 12 of the best and most popular PSN games for up to 30 percent off. PlayStation Plus subscribers get additional discounts too. Altogether players can get up to 50 percent off their newest downloadable games.

The 12 for  12 sale definitely has a varied selection that covers most gaming genres. From first person shooters like Payday: The Heist, to fighing games like Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition, to puzzlers like Cubixx HD, there’s something for everyone.

Listed are the games and prices for the PSN’s 12 for ‘12 sale:

  • PixelJunk SideScroller – Regular $9.99, Sale $6.99, PS Plus $4.89
  • PAYDAY: The Heist – Regular $19.99, Sale $13.99, PS Plus $9.79
  • Dungeon Defenders – Regular $14.99, Sale $10.49, PS Plus $7.34
  • Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection – Regular $9.99, Sale $6.99, PS Plus $4.89
  • Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition – Regular $14.99, Sale $10.49, PS Plus $7.34
  • Eufloria – Regular $9.99, Sale $6.99, Plus $4.89
  • BloodRayne: Betrayal – Regular $14.99, Sale $10.49, PS Plus $7.34
  • Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken – Regular $11.99, Sale $8.39, PS Plus $5.87
  • Cubixx HD – Regular $9.99, Sale $6.99, PS Plus $4.89
  • Sideway New York – Regular $9.99, Sale $6.99, PS Plus $4.89
  • Rochard – Regular $9.99, Sale $6.99, PS Plus $4.89
  • Okabu – Regular $14.99, Sale $10.49, PS Plus $7.34

PlayStation Store Update (01-17-12)

After a fantastic showing at CES, Sony and the PlayStation team are reading to fill your hard drive with some more gaming content. Some highlights from this week’s newest include:

  • UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception Flashback Map Pack #1 ($9.99)
  • Gran Turismo 5 Car Pack 3 ($5.99)
  • Battlefield 3 Specact Kit & Dog Tag Bundle ($2.99)
  • Castlevania: Harmony Of Despair Demo
  • Saints Row: The Third – CheapyD Pack (FREE)
  • The Tester: Season 3 Trailer

After the jump, the full PlayStation Store update.

Mortal Kombat Review

Mortal Kombat (Originally published in JTM Games)

MSRP $59.99

1-4 Players

The Mortal Kombat franchise has been a fighting juggernaut since its inception back in 1992. Innovating with the use of digitized actors and brutal, unapologetic violence, the game went on to become a household name. Fast forward eight sequels later (and the action-brawler sidestories), the Mortal Kombat brand was starting to fatigue, having to attach itself to DC Universe to attract a new audience. With the crossover came muted fatalities, heavily censored violence, and Heroic Brutalities. It was starting to look bleak for MK fans all over the world.

But just when everyone thought the franchise was running out of steam, out came MORTAL KOMBAT, a series reboot that brings the gameplay back to basics, with a focus on catering to the hardcore and tournament gamers. This is the Mortal Kombat game that everyone wanted since MK2.

More Gran Turismo 5 DLC Incoming

Sony announced today that they will be releasing a two more Gran Turismo 5 DLC packs on January 17th.

The first DLC pack will cost $5.99 and comes with six additional cars including:

  • Lamborghini Aventador
  • Jaguar XJR-9 LM
  • Aston Martin V12 Vantage
  • 66′ Volkswagen 1200
  • Mini Cooper S Countryman
  • Nissan Leaf

The second DLC pack, called the Speed Test Course Pack, will cost $3.99 and comes with the Route X race course that can be played in online, Arcade, and Practice modes.

And finally, If you haven’t taken the plunge and bough GT5 yet, Sony’s got you covered. Gran Turismo 5: XL Edition is set to come out next week. The game has the MSRP of $39.99 and will feature the following:

  • Original Gran Turismo 5 game
  • Improved features and functionality through game updates and the Spec 2.0 upgrade.
  • Voucher for over $20 worth of DLC content available on the PlayStation Network.

Netflix Coming To PlayStation Vita

CES 2012 – Sony announced that the PlayStation Vita will recieve a Netflix app of its own. While one can watch the streaming service on their TV, Blu-Ray players, tablets, and PC’s, it’ll be great to be able to stream movies over the Vita’s 3G and Wi-Fi.

Since its release on the PS3, the Netflix app has become one of the most popular (and most used) program on the game console. For those who don’t know what Netflix is, it’s a movie streaming service with a monthly flat rate. This means that subscribers can choose to watch anything from the thousands of movies, tv shows, and documentaries available on the service.

And since the PlayStation Vita has a high definition OLED screen, it stands to reason that video quality will be much better on it as compared to Android phones and other pocket media players.

According to Sony, the Vita Netflix app is not yet completed but will be available to Vita owners shortly after release.