MotorStorm: Pacific Rift Demo: Impressions

Title: MotorStorm: Pacific Rift
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: Evolution Studios
Demo Release Date: October 16th (Non Qore)
Release Date of final game: October 28th (NA), November 7th (EU)
Size: 617 MB


Introduction: Following up on the flawed (but generally positively received) launch title "MotorStorm", Evolution Studios return to the racing genre with the inevitable sequel, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift. Once again, rather than discussing the virtues of the game itself, we focus on the demo; noting its specific qualities in an attempt to gauge whether or not it has served the collective purpose of not only driving interest in the final product, but being a self-contained unit to be enjoyed and deleted when finished.

Of course this demo is not necessarily something new, considering it was originally available for Qore subscribers back in September but us mere Outer Qore members however now get our chance to race around a tropical setting avoiding pit-falls and the hyper-competitive nature of our fellow racers.

Initial impressions: Of course you can't judge a demo without commenting on the quality of the final game its representing so let's just say that the MotorStorm 2 (easier that writing Pacific Rift all the time) gameplay presented is polished, fun and mighty purty. The graphics have received a noticeable upgrade with frame-rates and effects all appearing smoother and in greater detail respectively. Speaking of upgrades, this author also noticed some considerable tweaks to the bike handling with driving at lower speeds now no longer akin to almost getting trapped in a perpetual circle due to over sensitive controls. It's a small point but it's worth noting as it was a personal peeve from the first game.

From a gameplay perspective we get one track (Rain God Spires) which actually harks back to the original demo course with the twists, turns and dead-falls not a million miles away from how the Mesa track played. We get eight vehicles comprising of a bike, a monster truck, two buggys, two racing trucks and a couple of rally cars for good measure. Most importantly (for some), we get two-player split screen action; a mode long maligned as being painfully absent from the original game. Quite sizeable for a demo but, considering it's just one track, the balance is kept in check. It should be noted however that two laps is noticably short when it comes to actual race-time.

A final nod is given to the music selected for the demo as, once again, the developers have chosen some excellent pounding tracks to keep the adrenaline pulsing. With Pendulum's "Slam" featuring heavily in the first demo, I definitely noticed the heavy riffs of Ministry permeating this outing.

Who's Going To Like This: Fans of the first MotorStorm obviously but also those who enjoy fast-paced racing fun in a bite-sized format. In fact, fans of Burnout should also give it a whirl considering the crashes (to us at least) appear more cinematic in nature than before. Let us know if you agree with this assessment in the comments.

Interest Radar: The MotorStorm 2 demo excels where the Mercenaries 2 demo crashed and burned. There is just enough content here to pique your interest, it shows off the game's qualities without muddying the waters (pun intended) with superfluous game modes, vehicles or objectives and delivers with the "fun" element. Once again, size shouldn't be an issue, but it's nice to note that the moderate download shouldn't cause many people to wait for hours in order to check it out.

The MotorStorm: Pacific Rift demo is rated as a Category 4 storm, missing out on the ultimate classification of a Cat 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale purely because the actual time presented per race is quite short and the track doesn't show off much of the often reported destructive environment factor. Considering a Category 4 will still pick up your house and relocate it to a different country, this demo is highly recommended.

Remember: demo impressions are based on the demo and not on the game. Great games have been known to have lousy demos, with the opposite also holding true.

European PS Store update for 16th October

The update has arrived, although a little later than the usual '11:30 on a Thursday' routine.

So what were we waiting for?

Two good demos, some Eye of Judgement goodness, a new golf course and the usual Rock Band/videos/themes mix.

For all your trophy whores, remember the Eye of Judgement set 3 includes some shiny new hardware for you to get your hands on. And yes, I still refuse to spell it without an 'e' - I'm British don't you know.

Demos (all free)

Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway
MotorStorm: Pacific Rift

Add-ons

Eye of Judgement - Biolith Rebellion set 3 (£6.99/€9.99)
Eye of Judgement - Biolith Rebellion set 2 & 3 (£10.49/€14.99)
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 - Firestone County Club (£4.99/€7.49)
Rock Band DLC (check below for track listing)

Videos (all free)

Far Cry 2 - "Bara Bara" trailer
Tom Clancy's Endwar - trailer
PAIN Amusement Park - trailer

Themes (all free)

Killzone 2

Rock Band track listing (£0.99/€1.49 each)

Don't go away Mad (Just go away) - Mötley Crüe
Dr.Feelgood - Mötley Crüe
Kickstart My Heart - Mötley Crüe
Rattlesnake Shake - Mötley Crüe
Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.) - Mötley Crüe
She Goes Down - Mötley Crüe
Slice of Your Pie - Mötley Crüe
Sticky Sweet - Mötley Crüe
Time for Change - Mötley Crüe
Without You - Mötley Crüe

Earth, Wind and Fire in Motorstorm: Pacific Rift

Before you get too worried, we're not suggesting that the popular 70's beat combo are making an appearance in the game.

It has been revealed today that Motorstorm: Pacific Rift will feature four zones; Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. Each zone has four tracks, and every track sports the multi-route feature that made the original Motorstorm such a great racer.

Earth Zone is all about the jungle, with peril at every corner (some of it covered in vegetation). Air Zone is where you'll catch the biggest air and, no doubt, fall of a cliff edge or two. Fire Zone takes you through four lava-infused tracks and Water Zone is all about the canyons, waterfalls and coastlines of the island paradise.

Want to see what the tracks look like? You're in luck. Head over to the European Official PlayStation Forum for plan views of every track and much, much more.

Pure Motorstorm Fuel: Off-Road Racing Comes in Threes

In the early PS3 days Motorstorm languished in an unchallenged pole position on the console. With some of the most dazzling graphics to be found anywhere in the current generation of consoles, it earned a deserved following of fans.

Never before had brutal off-road racing been so well executed through the combination of a great physics engine and extremely impressive AI programming.

Baja and Colin McRae: DiRT followed later to a race hungry audience. DiRT was brilliantly designed to build on what had come before in the series, and impressed gamers and critics alike with a mighty Metacritic score of 83. It lacked the open-world feel of Motorstorm, opting instead for a larger number of tracks and a more realistic approach.

It was only a matter of time before the gaming public had confirmation of Evolution Studios’ upcoming sequel, Motorstorm: Pacific Rift. This time things are different though. Whilst the success of Motorstorm was still shining, a couple of developers were squirreling away on new IPs, namely Pure (from Black Rock Studios) and Fuel (from Asobo Studios).

Pure is now available on the high street and has been doing well with a Metacritic score of 83 – beating the lofty heights set by the original Motorstorm by just one point. With some beautiful graphics, clever trick systems and a huge variety of customization options, Pure has clearly been very carefully designed.

Previously, I was rather short with my hands-on with Pure. Having played some more of the game I feel that it is only fair to address this now. Pure is an exceptionally playable game. All the pieces which constitute a “good” racing game are there in spades. It simply comes down to personal taste as to which a player prefers between Pure and Motorstorm.

I maintain that the latter is my first option, but hasten to add that this is only because it released first.

What about Fuel? Four years in the making and not due for a release until 2009, does this extraordinary racer have the drive to throttle the competition?

The game certainly can’t be criticized for a lack of ambition; containing a predicted 5,000 square miles of continuous terrain this is surely the (physically) largest game that has been attempted. With a proprietary engine doing some serious number crunching behind a veil of dazzling graphics the gaming populous is sure to fall over its collective self to get hold of this when it is released next year.

The big question is, will it beat the Evolution powerhouse that has been building up the hype train in recent months?

Set on a Pacific island crammed full of new dangers such as lava and water hazards, Motorstorm: Pacific Rift is the very epitome of brutal off-road racing. With new vehicles, split-screen multiplayer options and a bigger and better overall package than its predecessor, can MSPR pull ahead of the competition in the coming year?

Only time will tell, and we’ll probably have to measure the difference in hundredths of a second.

MotorStorm Pacific Rift Gets Release Date, Umbrella in its Drink

Is your motor stormless at the moment? Get your umbrellas ready, MotorStorm Pacific Rift is raining down upon you October 28th.

This sequel gets bonus points for not adding a number to the original title (I'm looking at you Resistance and Killzone), doubling the number of tracks from 8 to 16, adding a new gameplay element (water/lava affects your boost temperature), adding the split-screen mode missing from the original, real time deformation of tracks and those twins. That last one may be wishful thinking though...

You may start your excitement...whenever you want, I don't care. I just started playing the original under this rock I've been living under.


Source [PlayStation.Blog]

Motorstorm Q&A; lacking Home support, long jump trophies and lava

Motorstorm: Pacific Rift is nearly here.

The follow up to one of the most successful titles on the PlayStation 3, expectations are high for the sequel. When we had a chance to play a 70% complete build of the game recently (video below), those expectations were certainly met.

Nigel Kershaw, Game Director at Evolution Studios, spared us some of his valuable time, giving us more details of what to expect from their new baby. Be prepared for water, lava and... Special Brew?

[PS3A] Why did you decide to host Motorstorm: Pacific Rift on a tropical island, and what different environments can we expect to race in this time around?

[NK] Monument Valley was a fantastic location for the first MotorStorm game but for the second we wanted somewhere where we could really stretch our visual and technology muscles. Picking a tropical island gave us a lot of new interactive technology that we felt we could finally do justice with PlayStation 3. Thus you will find interactive water, interactive vegetation, lava and a whole host of destructible scenery.

[PS3A] We have seen the new Monster Truck vehicle class. In the original Motorstorm, your choice of vehicle determined your route and strategy. What should people be thinking about when choosing to race with these huge vehicles?

[NK] The Monster Truck is designed to be the top of the food chain in the MotorStorm line up; its big wheels makes it capable of running right over opposing vehicles. So when you are racing in one aggression is your main weapon. When you are racing against one stay out of the way! These big wheels also make it a good climber, capable of climbing rough terrain that leave other vehicles as twisted wrecks.

[PS3A] What are the biggest differences in gameplay between Motorstorm and Motorstorm: Pacific Rift?

[NK] Pacific Rift is still MotorStorm but we have enhanced and refined the gameplay in a number of areas, making sure that the player has more decisions to make, more control over his vehicle and a much wider variety of game modes to experience.


[PS3A] We remember the furore around split-screen multiplayer in Motorstorm. What new offline and online multiplayer modes feature this time around, and did bringing split-screen modes compromise the graphics in any way?

[NK] With the technology we had developed for the first MotorStorm split-screen was impossible. When we started Pacific Rift we decided that it had to be a key feature of the game, so we went back to the drawing board and completely re-wrote our rendering technology. In terms of graphical compromise it has not affected the single player or the two player split-screen. We are still working on polishing the four player split-screen, so I can't say whether the tracks will be perfect replicas of the single player ones, but we are aiming to make all modes as fun and enthralling as they can be.

[PS3A] What Trophies can we expect, and will the title be Home-compatible? Are these 'day-one' launch features, or will the game require a future patch?

[NK] Trophies are in day 1 with the usual crop of 'finish the game' and 'progression through the game' awards, but there are also some surprises in here that will really have you hunting out the places to make that perfect long jump, finding a driver to knock over etc. Home support will be along later, but rest assured we have some awesome trophies to really integrate into the game.

[PS3A] We remember all the great DLC you brought to Motorstorm. What plans do you have to extend Motorstorm: Pacific Rift with DLC in the future?

[NK] Sure we have lots of plans for downloadable content for Pacific Rift. We have got some exciting ideas where to extend the game, so keep your eyes on the PlayStation Store in the future.

[PS3A] We've seen people like Criterion almost change their game entirely with DLC, such as the addition of motorbikes and maybe even planes. What do you think of this direction in game design, and is it something we can expect from Evolution?

[NK] We’ve got lots of exciting ideas we are working on, but I wouldn’t want to let the cat out of the bag this soon. DLC does offer us the opportunity to develop the game in many ways. Watch this space!

[PS3A] We were jealous when we saw the 'making of' Motorstorm, and your visits/jollies to Monument Valley. Did you manage to stretch the development budget to a tropical paradise field trip this time?

[NK] The research trip for MotorStorm: Pacific Rift involved us spending three long, gruelling weeks exploring Hawaii on foot, in helicopters and on speedboats. (Ed: nice work if you can get it!)

[PS3A] In honour of the tropical setting, what is your favourite Tiki-bar cocktail? And can you buy one anywhere in Runcorn?

[NK] The Mai-Tai is the perfect drink for the island, but as it doesn’t involve Special Brew, you are unlikely to find one in Runcorn!

Our thanks to Nigel and the team at Evolution Studios.

If you're a US reader and you get Qore, there's a demo of Motorstorm: Pacific Rift scheduled for release on the 11th September, so you don't have long to wait before you can experience a small taste of island paradise.

Pure 1st Impressions: Should Motorstorm be Worried?

When it comes to looking at the PSN's shiny new Pure demo you first and foremost think it has got to set itself apart from the competiton. Surely that's a given?

In this case said competition is Motorstorm. This game automatically has a lot to live up to.

So here I am. I Fire up the demo, get through the tutorial, and the first song that comes on? Woman, by Wolfmother.

Erm. Is that not a bit familiar Disney? To me that song is an automatic reminder of Motorstorm.

The race is underway and the controls are familiar to a degree. The graphics are pretty enough although they seem to be a bit soft focused; like viewing everything through a greasy lens. Not distracting but certainly noticeable.

Then there's the 'race' part of it. I was so busy doing tricks and working to get my meter up for boosting for the next trick that I wound up finishing 13th. Not that I expected to get into first place or anything but there seems to be a lack of motivation to place well.

Riders seem to lack the interaction that made Motorstorm so personal. This is Disney so no swearing is a given. A shove or two would have been nice though! As a result of the kid-friendly Disney badge, the great time-sapping slo-mo crashes so loved in Motorstorm have been replaced by a wipe screen. Ho hum.

Admittedly it is nice to get straight into the action after a wipe out though it would have been nice to get a bit more grunt out of a fall or collision. Instead you get the Mickey Mouse Magic Wand of Restoration waved over you after every spill.

The full game promises over 40 tracks, 70 tricks, etc. and may well prove to be a real winner, though my gut reaction is that Motorstorm developers Evolution can breathe easy tonight.

Just some initial thoughts on it. This is by no means a review, rather my initial opinion on the demo version publicly available at you ever-so-local PSN.

Motorstorm: Pacific Rift - split-screen gameplay, controls

Yesterday we had a chance to try out the split-screen gameplay at the Red Bull Air Race in the Motorstorm Tour truck.

The build we played was only 70% complete, but the split-screen was slick, fluid and fast. We noticed the controls have also had a facelift with the addition of features like a bunny-hop. These additional controls have been assigned to the d-pad, which will make for some interesting moments as you align your vehicle before attempting a new trick.

Despite the beta build, everything looked great and the action seemed as smooth as any other title, even in split-screen mode.

Here's our shaky-cam footage of the game along with a couple of photos of the Tour and the new controls... (click the images to zoom)

Motorstorm: Pacific Rift at the O2 Arena

Here's a first look at the Motorstorm Tour, located at the O2 as part of the London leg of the Red Bull Air Race.

Check back later for our hands-on and some storming gameplay footage.

Motorstorm: Pacfic Rift on tour

The guys and gals behind Motorstorm: Pacific Rift are taking the game on tour across the UK over the next few weeks in readiness for the new game's lunch in October.

You can find out more at their official MySpace page.

The tour starts with the Motorstorm entourage hitting the Red Bull Air Race at the O2 Arena in Greenwich, makes it's way across to Cornwall, up to Alton Towers, Leeds and Manchester before heading down to Bluewater Shipping Centre via the Birmingham Bullring.

We'll have more on Motorstorm: Pacific Rift and the tour soon...

E3 2008; ThreeSpeech Got (Video)Game

Our friends over at ThreeSpeech have been getting a little frisky with their video posts of late.

You may have already seen some of these via your local PS Store, but if you've not been able to download them, here's a handy link list that will take you to high-quality moving pictures for your favourite upcoming game.

• Resistance 2
• Motorstorm: Pacific Rift
• Killzone 2
• LittleBigPlanet

Enjoy!

PlayStation Day 2008; European PS Store update for 6th May

As we revealed earlier today, there was going to be an additional update to celebrate the PlayStation Day event in London.

We knew about some of the items on the list, but were surprised to see the likes of High Velocity Bowling finally appear in Europe.

Here's the full list of items you can download today:

Games

Blast Factor Advanced (£4.99)
High Velocity Bowling (£4.99)
Street Skater - PS1 game for PSP/PS3 (£3.49)

Demos (all free)

Haze
Condemned 2

Add-ons

High Velocity Bowling - Mike (£0.69)

Videos (all free)

Buzz! Quiz TV
Secret Agent Clank
Siren: Blood Curse
Motorstorm: Pacific Rift
PS Day Showcase

Amongst all these updates you'll have noticed two name changes; one we knew about a few days ago, the other was announced today. Yes, Motorstorm 2 is officially subtitled Pacific Rift, and Siren: New Translation has been, erm, translated to Siren: Blood Curse.

Look out for another date as usual this Thursday.

Haze demo and Motorstorm 2 on the PS Store today

To coincide with the PlayStation Day event in London, there will be an additional update to the PlayStation Store today.

Look out for an update later on this afternoon that includes a new Motorstorm 2 trailer and, most importantly, a Haze demo.

The Haze demo will take you through the opening level of our new favourite FPS.

We'll have more news from the PlayStation Day event as it unfolds.

Motorstorm first to hit the 3 million mark

Motorstorm has become the first PS3 game to pass the 3 million sold mark.

Whether it's because it was one of the only two decent games worth having back in the beginning (Resistance being the other), or if it's down to being bundled along with the hardware, it doesn't matter. As long as the ball goes in the back of the net, as pundits might say.

This is a great thing for the guys at Evolution, who are now owned by SCEE and are producing Motorstorm 2 for release later this year.

Close behind Motorstorm are Call of Duty 4, Resistance and Assassin's Creed, all of which are hovering around the 2.5 million mark right now.

Good Friday news wrap-up

As we're taking a short break for Easter, here's a quick summary of the news:

1. In the comments section of a post on the Official PlayStation Blog, SCEA's Takau Imasaki said of GT5: Prologue "Private races with buddies and in-game chat are all in the works... but will not be ready from day one. Will keep you posted on the progress!"

2. Staying with the PS Blog, the new official logos for Resistance 2 have been posted there as well as concept art for the multiplayer classes.

3. The new maps for Call of Duty 4 will be on the Xbox 360 for 21 days before appearing on the PlayStation 3. There's a chance this exclusivity will backfire on Infinity Ward, since this places the release of the extra four maps close to GTA: IV's arrival - we suspect CoD4 will be put back on many people's shelves for a while around that time.

4. Motorstorm 2 gets a proper name - Motorstorm: Pacifica. We know game developers are fond of their colons (make up your own joke) so it's no surprise to see one appear in the title of the next Motorstorm game.

That's it for today. Have a great long weekend and we'll keep an eye out for the best stories on Easter Monday for you.

New Motorstorm 2 teaser shows an island paradise

A little earlier than expected (we were waiting for 6 p.m. GMT), IGN UK have put the first teaser trailer up for Motorstorm 2.

We'll have our impressions of the video, and we'l have our own version of the trailer 'sans IGN watermark' tomorrow.

For now, enjoy the madness and marvel at the destructable environments, lush tropical rainforest and the sheer scale of the island the new Motorstorm tournament will be set in.

Our favourite part so far? The ending, harking back to the infamous 'target render' video of the original Motorstorm - except this time we know it's for real!

US PS Store updates for 7th February

Continuing our new format, we'll be discussing the US update each week rather than reporting it due to the time difference.

Looking at the update this week, details of which are available on the Official PlayStation Blog as usual, it seems fairly even-handed versus the European update.

Both sides of the Atlantic got the Sky Diving game, both got the free add-on for Motorstorm and both got a trailer or two.

The US did get the Lost Planet online demo, which we have yet to get to work on our UK machine (we fear it may not have worldwide servers yet). Personally, I'm not that worried about Lost Planet - it didn't excite me when Capcom announced it was coming to the PS3 so I'm not going to feign excitement now.

Other differences include another PS1 game for the US (yet another Crash Bandicoot title) and there was the obligitory Rock Bank DLC as promised by MTV but other than that it seems that we had a week where both the US and Europe got a pretty decent update.

It will be interesting to see what happens as the year progresses, especially with news that Sony are committing to solving the problem of disparate regional releases within six months. There still seems to be a big list of titles available in the US that haven't shown up over here yet (such as PAIN and Everyday Shooter to name just two), and I for one would like to see that fixed sooner rather than later.

European PS Store updates for 7th February

Not a bad update today in our opinion.

As well as a full game we get two demos (both of which had appeared in the US already) and two free add-ons.

The game in question is Sky Diving and will also be released in the US today. It's nice to see a game appear in each store at the same time.

On the add-on front, not only is there a Motorstorm skin in honour of the Chinese New Year (The Year of the Rat), but you get the Folklore competition winner's folk (the Malion) to download as well.

I just hope they don't forget to release the two final Folklore add-on packs in Europe, since they're already out in the US.

Here's the full list:

Games

Sky Diving (£3.49)

Demos (all free)

Turok
Conflict: Denied Ops

Add-ons (all free)

Motorstorm - Chinese New Year Gift
Folklore - Malion Pack

Trailers (all free)

Lost Planet

US PS Store updates for January 17th

Courtesy of a lack of clarification either on our part or on the part of Touchstone, we ended up with a sizeable amount of egg on our faces yesterday when we stated that the Turok demo wasn't coming until February. It still isn't, if you don't have a US account that is.

So whilst European PS Stores lack a Turok demo, it did appear yesterday for our friends in the US.

Here's the list of what else arrived in the US yesterday:

Demos (all free)

Turok
FIFA Street 3

Games

Mesmerize: Trace - requires PlayStation Eye ($1.99)
Tori Emaki - requires PlayStation Eye ($1.99)
Blast Factor bundle ($12.99)

Add-ons

"Double Track" - Motorstorm ($2.99; Eagle's Nest and Diamondback Speedway tracks)
Rock Band tracks ($1.99 each; includes Sweet's "Action", The Monkees' "Last Train to Clarksville" and Blink 182's "All the Small Things"

Trailers (all free)

PixelJunk Monsters
Syphon Filter: Combat Ops
Lost Planet
Brother In Arms: Hell's Highway
Dynasty Warriors 6
Borderlands

European PS Store updates for 10th January

Unfortunately no Riff: Everyday Shooter as we might have expected, but we're sure it is just around the corner.

However, if you like PS1 games and add-ons Europe is the place to be.

The Motorstorm track pack we revealed arrived on time and there's a free Folk for you as well.

Here's the list in our handy new 2008 format:

PS1 Games

Hardcore 4x4 (£3.49)
N2O (£3.49)

Add-ons

'Pigly Pack' - Folklore (Free)
Track Pack - Motorstorm (£3.49)

Trailers (all free)

Bionic Commando
PixelJunk Monsters
DMC 4 - TGS 2007 No. 2

Wallpapers (all free)

DMC 4 (4 wallpapers)

New Motorstorm tracks; here are the screenshots

We were quite pleased to beat most people to the punch in announcing the two new tracks for Motorstorm. I think we were even quicker than ThreeSpeech for once!

So it's good to see our friends over there release a bunch of screenshots of the track, due out tomorrow on the PS Store.

We've collected them all together in a PS3 Attitude Photo Gallery below. Download them for your PS3* by hovering over the 'person' icon in the bottom-left corner and clicking through.

*(other supercomputers are available)

Motorstorm gains two more tracks

Get ready for even more Motorstorm madness!

This week the PS Store will see another great Motostorm update, further extending the appeal of this seminal PS3 title.

The expansion offers up two new tracks - Diamondback Speedway and Eagle's Nest.

Eagle's Nest originally came to out attention during E3 in 2007 when it was revealed during the PSN section of Sony's leynote speech. This track promises a tightly fought race on narrow and precarious cliff-edges.

Diamondback Speedway puts you in a natural ampitheatre for some good ol' fashioned banked speedway racing.

Look out for both tracks this week on the PS Store. More details as we get them...

US PS Store updates for 20th December

Many of the updates in the US Store mirror what we received in Europe, which is a step in the right direction. And the US finally get some PS Eye love to spread around as well.

Snakeball is one of the titles available in the US that we don't have, and there's a Blacksite: Area 51 demo and a special GH III track too, but otherwise the updates are fairly comparable.

If you own a US account you'll enjoy all the free video, theme and wallpaper content too. I haven't tested whether the High Stakes: Poker Edition add-ons will work with the EU version of the game, but since I only play No Limit Texas Hold'em anyway I'm not too bothered!

Here's the full list:

Games
Toy Home ($9.99)
Snakeball ($9.49; download the free demo, and then purchase in-game)
Trials of Topoq - PS Eye ($4.99)
Mesmerize (Distort) - PS Eye ($1.99)
Warhawk - PS1 game ($5.99)

Demos
Snakeball (Free)
Blacksite: Area 51 (Free)

Add-ons
Guitar Heroes III - Holiday track pack - "We Three Kings" (Free)
MotorStorm - Holiday Paint Job (Free)
Warhawk - Operation Omega Dawn ($7.99)
Folklore - Holiday Pack (Free)
2 x High Stakes: Poker Edition add-ons (extra game modes) (Free)
Rock Band - track packs - "Buddy Holly", "Brass in Pocket" and "My Iron Lung" ($1.99 each)

Videos (all free)
GT 5 Prologue
DMC4 final
Warhawk Omega Dawn
PS3 'Only On'
PS3 Universe of Entertainment
Tony Hawk's Proving Grounds - Mike V's Skater Story
Turok Dino Mauling
PSP Feature
Uncharted Animation - behind the scenes

Wallpapers (all free)
High Stakes: Poker Edition

Themes (all free)
Warhawk
PAIN Cookie
PAIN Santa

Movie Trailers (all free)
Strange Wilderness
Shakira 'Oral Fixation' Tour (Blu-ray)

Another great update.

European PS Store updates for 20th December

The final update before Christmas, and both SCEE and SCEA are spreading the cheer around.

In this update, you'll find two complete games (including one classic), a demo, some free GH III goodness, a Christmas present for Motorstorm and a stack of wallpapers and themes.

The 'classic' I speak of? Populous makes it's way on to the PS3. I used to play this game to destruction on my Amiga 500 so this is sure to bring back loads of great memories.

Here's the full list:

Games
Toy Home (£4.99)
Populous: The Beginning (£3.49)

Demos
Timeshift MP Demo (Free)

Add-ons
Guitar Heroes III - Boss battle track pack (Free)
MotorStorm Holiday Paint Job (Free)
Warhawk - Operation Omega Dawn (£3.99)

Videos (all free)
DMC4 TGS
Sega Rally - Canyon
Sega Raly - Arctic
Kane & Lynch Fragile Alliance - Walk in the Park Trailer
Kane & Lynch TV AD
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men - Fragile Alliance & Co-op
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men - Insider Video 1
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men - Insider Video 2
MGS4 TGS 2007 Trailer
Assassin’s Creed TV Spot
Sky Diving
GTA IV Trailer 3 Move up ladies

Wallpapers (all free)
High Stakes on the vegas strip: Poker
Uncharted Forum Prize Winner
Pain - Jervis Bowler
Pain - Jervis Rapper
Pain - Jervis Vs Cow
Pain - Wallmime

Themes (all free)
Retro
Nature
Manga
Pixels

Movie Trailer (all free)
CJ7

A great update to take us into the Holidays.

Motorstorm 3.1 patch adds to gameplay

Motorstorm receives another patch today. Despite the version number moving up to just 3.1, this patch adds a couple of nice options that will aid gameplay and provide more variety.

Firstly, you can now decide on a 2D car selection grid instead of the traditional 3D view. This is designed to speed up vehicle selection so you can get into your game quicker.

A proximity meter has been included to show where your competitors are, much like the one in Eliminator mode.

The biggest change is the option to reverse the geometry of every track when hosting a game. Now, you'll have to get used to turning left where you once turned right, which will spice things up somewhat.

All-in-all, it's another example of the incredible value for money PS3 games seem to exhibit as developers continue to improve and add features to their games.

US PS Store updates for 6th December

Wow. What a difference a region makes.

Fipping over to the US store is like a revelation some days. There's new games to play (PS3 and PS1), new add-ons to buy and even a multiplayer demo. If you couldn't watch the GTA: IV trailer due to internet meltdown yesterday, they've even put that up for you.

I didn't realise that by living in Europe I'd be missing out on so much. Maybe I should move to the States.

Here's the list for all you lucky US PS3 owners:

• High Velocity Bowling - game ($9.99)
• Wild Arms - PS1 game ($5.99)
• GTA IV "Move up, ladies" - trailer (free)
• Timeshift Multiplayer - demo (free)
• "Falfer Domino" - Motorstorm add-on ($0.99)
• Folklore - add-on 1 ($3.99)
• Folklore - add-on 2 ($3.99)
• Folklore - add-on bundle 1 ($5.99)
• Rock Band "Black Sabbath" - pack 1 ($5.49) (Also available, the individual tracks "N.I.B", "Sweet Leaf" and "War Pigs" - all at $1.99)
• Metal Gear Solid 4 TGS 2007 - trailer (free)
• Uncharted "Environments" - video (free)
• Timeshift "FPS Video 3" - video (free)
• Turok interview - trailer 1 (free)
• Battlefield "Frostbite" - video (free)
• The Legend of Zorro - Blu-Ray trailer (free)
• Uncharted - theme (free)
• Ratchet & Clank - theme (free)

Enjoy your update US of A... we're jealous. Here - we'll let you download the Kane & Lynch demo you didn't get in case it helps redress the balance. It doesn't, but we can pretend it makes a difference...

European PS Store updates for 6th December

Disappointed.

That's one word to describe this week's European PS Store update.

No Guitar Hero III packs yet, despite them being available in the US.
No Everyday Shooter yet, despite being available almost everywhere else.

What do we get in their place. Themes.

Now whilst we all like customising our PS3 experience, I personally wouldn't mind playing some games instead. I'm not falling in with the 'PS3 has no games' crowd - especially after all the brilliant titles I've bought on Blu-ray lately. It just would have been nice to download some additional content and play something fresh like John Mak's great game. Especially after the US have had all this great stuff for so long now.

We did get some more Motorstorm and Folklore updates, but even they can't brighten my day.

So, here's the list of things you can grab from the Euro Store right now:

• Kane & Lynch - demo (free)
• "Domino & Adventure" - Motorstorm vehicle pack (£1.49)
• "The Origin of Belae" - Folklore add-on pack (£1.49)
• Blazing Angels 2 Multiplayer - trailer (free)
• Mesmerize - theme (free)
• Tori Emaki - theme (free)
• Heavenly Sword - theme (free)
• Snakeball - theme (free)
• Lemmings - theme (free)
• Killzone 2 - theme (free)
• Singstar - theme (free)

Remember, if you want lots of great themes that you can download directly from your PS3, click the link in the left sidebar to visit PS3-Themes.com

I'm off to log in to the US Store where, as you'll read in a moment, they faired rather better. What a surprise.

US PS Store updates for November 29th

The US store received it's weekly update and, as is usual, they faired slightly better than Europe.

Those two weeks where Europe had better updates than the US were just a blip then. Normal business has been resumed.

There's a couple of things to get excited about if you're a US user - PAIN and the Shivering Isles add-on for Oblivion. At one time Bethesda said that the expansion pack would only come on disk, so it is nice to see it appear on the PSN for those of us who shirk exercise.

And while we get zero GH III song packs, the US are in full swing and receive their third. Nice.

Here's the full list:

• PAIN - full game ($9.99)
• "Bracknell/Axbridge" - Resistance: Fall of Man map-pack ($4.99)
• Motorstorm - vehicles and skins pack ($1.99)
• Guitar Hero III "Boss Battles" - song pack (free)
• "The Shivering Isles" - Oblivion expansion pack ($29.99)
• "David Bowie" - Rock Band song pack ($5.49) (also, "Heroes", "Moonage Daydream" and "Queen Bitch" available seperately at $1.99)
• Ratchet and Clank "Weapons" - video (free)
• Timeshift - video (free)
• Stop Loss - movie trailer (free)
• Resident Evil: Extinction - Blu-Ray movie trailer (free)
• Memoirs of a Geisha - Blu-Ray movie trailer (free)
• Aquatopia - wallpaper (free; known as 'Aqua Vita' in Europe)
• PAIN - 6 wallpapers (free)
• Resistance - 5 wallpapers (free)

I do hope Europe get PAIN, some GH III song packs and the Oblivion update next week, or I'll have to take things into my own hands. Now, where did I last put my balaclava?