PlayStation 3 news, views, reviews and interviews from PS3 Attitude - a daily news site with bite! 100% philanthropic website - all revenues derived are donated to charity...
Tuesday, 21 October 2008
Eternal Sonata to ship with exclusive PS3 characters and quests
Stephanie Fernandez from Namco Bandai has released some information at the PlayStation Blog about exclusive PS3 Eternal Sonata content. Since the game was announced for the PlayStation 3 we have known that there will be new story content to expand on the characters' backgrounds and motives.
It has been confirmed that there are also two new exclusive playable characters who have their own very useful and unique abilities. The development team has included some new quests, new dungeons and three new Chopin musical scores. There will be alternative costumes hidden around the game world and new items some of which are only usable by the new characters.
The game will be shipped with a extra dungeon which will only become available after the story has been completed once.
The additions look as if they will add a lot more depth to the game and will expand on an already good story. The game ships in America tomorrow, with a European release date down for early 2009.
Hitting the PSN Store for download this Thursday will be more downloadable content for Mega Man 9. This time around will be 3 extra modes:
Hard Mode – Dubbed Hero Mode in Japan, this mode enables you to play the entire game on an increased difficulty level with alternate enemy distribution and spawning points. Hard Mode is not compatible with Rankings or Challenges Modes.
Expert Mode – Dubbed Super Hero Mode Japan, this mode represents the apex of Mega Man 9 difficulty settings and is not for the novice Mega Man 9 player. This mode triples the level of difficulty from the default Mega Man 9 game. Expert Mode is not compatible with Rankings or Challenges Modes.
Special Time Attack Stage – This DLC gives you an additional stage for Time Attack Mode, complete with an all new level and Robot Master Boss, “Fake Man.” Similar in difficulty to the Wily Stages, players will have a fun time tackling this time sensitive competitive stage. Special Time Attack Stage is not compatible with Challenge Mode
So for those of you who think the game was too easy to begin with, then this content is for you. Me, I'm happy with its current difficulty.
Good news for our European readers, NOVASTRIKE is coming to the PSN on Thursday. Our source tells us that it will be priced at €7.99 and will come with in game XMB music. Having played the US demo I'm looking forward to passing away lots of time on this.
I'm sure the PS3 Attitude writers will be pleased to hear that NOVASTRIKE will be launched with trophies, giving us yet another game to compete on.
News is reaching us that people eager to get their MotorStorm 2 demo fix on have come up against a bit of a snag. It appears the PlayStation Store is throwing a 80023017 error for some (or all?) of us*. Error code aficionados might recall that this code translates as "Store down for maintenance".
*Update: Patrick Seybold over at the official PS blog has confirmed that they have "temporarily taken down some functions of PlayStation Network - specifically access to the PlayStation Store". The downtime is also noted as being "unscheduled."
When asked for an ETA or why this unplanned outage has occurred, Jeff Rubenstein has responded to one of the comments by saying: "We’ll keep you posted right here. The Store Update will likely follow as soon as things are back to normal."
Don't fret too much as "Online gameplay will remain uninterrupted".
Update: NavySeal74, who is a member of the PlayStation community with apparent contact to the PSN team, has updated over at the EU PlayStation site that the store will not be back up until "the early hours of the morning". That's roughly a worse case scenario of six hours from now. We're looking forward to the "post mortem" of why this has happened so soon after the scheduled 5 hours of downtime already this week. Once again, speculation is building regarding the source of this unscheduled hiccup from Home to SOCOM. Considering it's just the Store that seems to be affected however (along with Registration functionality which may disrupt access to your betas - if you're in any) we really can't tell. Check back tomorrow for further updates. We'll also put a call out to SCEE to see if we can get any "official comment".
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
Amidst the usual PSN Store update tomorrow, High Velocity Bowling will be getting a new makeover. Those lonely nights bowling alone are a thing of the past. This update will bring head-to-head online play along with voice chat and leaderboards. If that's not enough, 12 trophies are being added as well; 7 bronze, 4 silver, and 1 gold to be exact.
Still not enough? Custom soundtracks, more trick shot challenges, new ball bags, alley selection, and even more add-on content are being included in this massive update. The best news of all is that it's free. That's right, you won't be having to add funds to your online wallet for this one. Be sure to check out the PlayStation.Blog for all the details.
PSN to be down tonight for five hours due to "maintenance"
Community Team Leader "Munster Bunster" (gotta love that name) over at the official PlayStation forums has announced that there will be essential maintenance performed on the PSN tonight at 8 p.m.* lasting for five (long) hours. As you obviously don't tune a car while it's moving, likewise, the PSN will be down during this time.
Speculation is rife regarding the reason behind the need for such a lengthy cessation of services. Might it be an upgrade to the servers for the upcoming onslaught that is LittleBigPlanet? Supporting requirements for firmware 2.50 and its new fancy headset settings? Or, dare we say it, laying some foundations for the mythical Home release?
Let us know what you think in the comments.
And yes, we're specifically not mentioning that this maintenance is on the same day as SOCOM's release for a lot of people. We're specifically not mentioning that.
*World Clock Manipulation being a speciality of mine this equates to a start time of 9 p.m. in Central Europe, 11 a.m. for you guys on the West Coast of the U.S., 2 p.m. for our East Coast buddies and even 12 p.m. in the awesomely sounding MOUNTAIN Standard Time.
I got home today and - with nothing else catching my fancy - splurged on Linger In Shadows. Here comes the science bit about this £1.99 PSN download: This is NOT a game. In the menu itself there is a section about the demoscene and the fact that this is considered to be interactive art designed to make you want to just look around and interact as things unfold around you.
Interactive art, it has to be said, has never looked so good! There is great brushed look to the whole thing with everything being 'drawn' around the field of view as you progress through the piece.
First I would recommend using the first option in the menu screen called "watch". This lets you simply watch the story unfold. Once done I recommend only then moving onto the "Linger" section, as this is some seriously screwy stuff.
Using the motion controls and face buttons you control various aspects of the scenes in sequence such as switching on a creature's 'eyes'.
This is not technically a game though I must say I found the experience to be cathartic in the same vein as Flow; you simply enjoy the experience and let it wash over you after some serious Call Of Duty fraggage.
Overall I really like the concept and execution of this piece. However be warned - this is not going to replace your latest LBP fixation. It will simply be a pretty diversion for an hour or so at a time.
The best thing about this groundbreaking purchase? A steal at £1.99 combined with trophy support for those silverware junkies out there.
If you have a spare £1.99 in your online wallet, I highly recommend showing Linger In Shadows some love. If you go in with an open mind you are unlikely to be disappointed.
By word of the Playstation Blog, new 'premium' themes are due out on the PSN Store today. What makes these different from the current ones you ask? Well, these new themes will have special backgrounds, XMB Icons, and some will even include sounds. There will also be a preview option in case you want to try before you buy. So what do you think? Do they sound premium enough to warrant a purchase?
Our friends over at the Playstation Blog have announced that the latest version of Qore will be released on the American PSN this Thursday.
It sounds like they have a great issue prepared for us, including new info on:
Fallout 3 Resident Evil 5 Dead Space Shaun White Snowboarding
There will also be a round up of the newest Blu-Ray releases.
Probably my favourite part of the episode is that there will be an exclusive Valkyria Chronicles demo. The demo will have three parts to it, if you complete them all you'll receive a bonus video of the game.
I'm really excited today because Sega Europe have announced the release of a Valkyria Chronicles demo to the PSN on of 9th October. The demo will feature two playable levels and will give us just enough time to get drawn into the RPG goodness before the release of the main game on of 14th November.
WipeOut! WipeOut! WipeOut! WipeOut! WipeOut! WipeOut! Burnout! Burnout! Burnout! Burnout! Burnout! Burnout! Burnout! Mega Man! Mega Man! Mega Man! Mega Man! Mega Man! Mega Man!
What is a GEON?
Downloadable Games WipEout HD ($19.99) Burnout Paradise PSN ($29.99) GEON Emotions ($9.99) Mega Man 9 (free demo, $9.99 to buy)
Add-on Game Content BUZZ! QuizTV Question Pack, National Geographic: Safari ($7.99) BUZZ! QuizTV Question Pack, Videogames ($5.99) BUZZ! QuizTV Question Pack, Sci-Fi ($5.99) Soul Calibur IV Customization Equipment 2 ($1.99)
Rock Band “Limelight (Original Version)” – Rush ($1.99) “Tom Sawyer (Original Version)” – Rush ($1.99) “Red Barchetta” – Rush ($1.99) “The Camera Eye” – Rush ($1.99) “Vital Signs” – Rush ($1.99) “Witch Hunt” – Rush ($1.99) “YYZ” – Rush ($1.99) “Moving Pictures (Album)” – Rush ($10.99) This pack includes “Tom Sawyer (Original Version),” “Red Barchetta,” “YYZ,” “Limelight (Original Version),” “The Camera Eye,” “Witch Hunt,” and “Vital Signs” by Rush.
“Bandage” – Hot Hot Heat ($1.99) “Love Spreads” – Stone Roses ($1.99) “She Sells Sanctuary – The Cult ($1.99) “Shoot the Runner – Kasabian ($1.99) “Sorrow” – Bad Religion ($1.99) “You’re No Rock n’ Roll Fun” – Sleater Kinney ($1.99)
Game Demos (free) NBA 09 The Inside Demo NBA Live 09 Demo Mega Man 9 Trial
Game Videos (free) PAIN Amusement Park-New Characters Video Resistance 2 Shattered History Trailer Brothers in Arms: Hell’ Highway Eyes Only Network Trailer Burnout Paradise Bikes Network Trailer Dead Space Animated Comic Issue #5 Network Trailer Dead Space Animated Comic Issue #5 Tomb Raider: Underworld Gameplay Network Trailer
Movie and Blu-ray Trailers (free) 88 Minutes Blu-ray Trailer Made of Honor Blu-ray Trailer
PS3 Wallpaper (free) Soul Calibur IV #5 Tira Witch Soul Calibur IV #6 Voldo Jack-O-Lantern
PS3 Themes (free) Buzz! Quiz TV Wipeout HD Theme - All Teams #1
SCEE and Future Publishing have announced an agreement today to bring a digital magazine to the UK, in exactly the same way SCEA and Future combine in the US to bring Qore to the North American masses.
Whether the UK version of Qore will share the same name is unclear. What we do know is that the new digital mag will include the same mix of HD video, previews and 'exclusive content' (i.e. wallpapers, demos,Beta invites) that Qore already delivers to our US readers.
The new venture will launch in early 2009.
"We are very excited to further strengthen our relationship with Sony, working together on this ground-breaking product. As the publisher of Official magazines and digital content for Sony PlayStation in the US and UK, we are creating powerful integrated media solutions for readers and advertisers across different platforms, in print and online. This product will provide a unique way for advertisers to connect directly with gamers through their consoles using the very latest high definition content." - Robert Price, UK Chief Executive at Future
So, the sweepstake is open as to what to call the UK mag. Since the US does seem to be SCE's 'Qore' market and us Europeans tend to get everything late, maybe ours will be called 'Qlose but no cigar', 'Qeep on waiting' or 'proQrastinate'.
The PS blog has announced an upcoming exclusive for the PSN in the form of "Punisher: No Mercy". The first FPS game to tackle the Marvel multiverse the game will see Frank Castle in a new adventure of vengeance, skull-symbolism and, no doubt, ultra-violence.
The Punisher has had a troubled past, and we're not just referring to that whole "family getting wiped out" business. A previous PS2 version of the game was criticised by some as taking its violent element a step too far with graphic torture scenes yet still managed to shift buckets of units for a character recognised by Marvel as probably their most "anti-hero" in nature.
The new game will utilise the Unreal 3 engine and is being developed by Hungary based Zen Studios. Game producer Zsolt Kigyossy has promised to answer questions directly on the blog about the future title and we'll also see if we can "extract" some screenshots out of the guys from Budapest. We won't be putting heads through windows of course; we'll be relying on our natural charm and, if that doesn't pan out, pleading usually seems to work.
Time after time we see interesting and innovative games appearing on other platforms that we would love to see on the PlayStation Network.
With that in mind, we got some time with Jonathan Blow and Thomas Pilgaard to talk about their respective creations; Braid and Flipside.
Along the way we find out what inspired them and the chances that two of our favourite non-PS3 titles might eventually make it on to the black monolith, and how Braid may even get a PSP outing.
Let's begin with Jonathan Blow and Braid.
[PS3A] Thanks for sparing us some of your time Jonathan. Tell us more about the original concept for Braid...
[JB] I wanted to make a game that was about visiting different worlds, where time would behave differently in each world. When creating the ways that time behaves, I wanted to explore some of the paradoxical things about relativity and quantum mechanics and the ways in which those branches of physics seem to contradict our daily, human-scale existences.
In presentation, I wanted the game to tell story the way a book tells story rather than a film (which is what games usually pattern themselves after). Italo Calvino's book "Invisible Cities" was the primary influence.
[PS3A] We've seen a few 'time shifting' games in the past. Why do you think Braid has caught people's imagination where others in the genre failed to ignite an interest?
[JB] Braid is designed differently from those games. Time manipulation is in the absolute core of Braid's gameplay, whereas in other games it has been a tacked-on feature. The rest of Braid's design had to conform to the time manipulation in order to make the most harmonious construction.
For example, there are no "lives" in Braid; you can never really die. What is the point in that if you could just rewind whenever you want to anyway? So now if you can never die, it doesn't make sense for the game to be about life-threatening action situations, because all the tension would be gone from those. You know you can't die and you know you could just flail your way through even the hardest challenge, so the game had to become something else. That's why it's a puzzle game.
[PS3A] Have you considered bringing Braid to the PS3 and PlayStation Network? Is there anything stopping you from approaching SCE about this?
[JB] Yes, I have considered it. There is a time-limited exclusivity clause in place that prevents me from going to Sony now, but in the future I could if they are interested. I could do the PSP now, but I am not sure how technically feasible that is and most publishers don't seem very interested in that, anyway; I guess they think it won't sell.
[PS3A] What forthcoming games excite you right now?
[JB] I'm interested to see how Flower turns out. Also, whatever Jonathan Mak is working on, whatever Rod Humble is making next, and whatever non-sketch game Jason Rohrer is making next.
[PS3A] Where do you get the inspiration for your games, and what's next for you?
[JB] The inspiration just comes from somewhere. The idea for Braid had some initial seeds that had been hanging around for a while, but when I sat down to work on the game, it just all popped up at once. The same thing happened last month, when I started seriously thinking about my next project. I'm not saying much about that project right now because I might change my mind. In some ways it is related to the ideas in Braid, but in other ways it has absolutely nothing to do with Braid at all.
Another game that has raised our interest is Flipside. Developed by 13 Danish students from universities and art schools, this title captured the imagination when it was released. Thomas Pilgaard told us more about this unique game.
[PS3A] Thomas, please tell us more about the original concept for Flipside.
[TP] The main character of Flipside suffers from split personality disorder and rapid mood swings which is manifested in the way the player can flip between playing on either side of a flat level in a three-dimensional game world.
The two-dimensional game world in three-dimensional space paved the way for the card-board aesthetics that was considered in all aspects of art, sound and animation. The player plays out an imagined escape from an asylum. Depending on which point of view the player decides to take it will be either very lush or gloomy to reflect the main characters extremely volatile state of mind. The possible actions of the player are reflected by this, which means that he can do no harm to his surroundings on the lush side but move around rapidly whereas the gloomy side enable him to deal damage while movement is somewhat obstructed.
[PS3A] I understand you created it using the Half-life engine, but it couldn't look any more different to that game if you tried. Why did you choose that route? And what benefits did the engine deliver for you?
[TP] Using the Source engine was a requirement from the Danish National Academy for Digital, Interactive Entertainment. This is a collaboration between universities and art schools in Denmark that makes student game productions such as this one possible.
We definitely set out to challenge preconceptions about what a Source engine modification should be. Rather than accepting that we had to do a FPS-style game we wanted to explore the possibilities more freely. This presented some challenges and occasional show-stoppers that directed our work towards the result that is seen today.
Even though the Source engine is well-documented in comparison to many other alternatives out there it can be very difficult to work with once you dive into the more esoteric aspects of the engine. However I am sure other engines work similarly; I expect it would be difficult to do a FPS in a RTS engine for instance.
[PS3A] Have you considered bringing Flipside to the PS3 and PlayStation Network? Is there anything stopping you from approaching SCE about this?
[TP] When we first considered whether or not to continue work on Flipside we also discussed advantages and disadvantages of many different platforms and distribution models out there. There are definitely a lot of interesting ways of bringing games with smaller budgets to their audiences today than just a few years ago.
Flipside in its current form does have many things going for it. However there are also quite a few risky aspects. For instance, however enjoyable the prototype level in its current form, it does not prove its potential to entertain players beyond the first 10-15 minutes of play. The main reason for this was the one month of intensive development that went into Flipside with the goal of creating 3-5 minutes of gameplay represented through a vertical slice of an intended game experience.
Taking the potential and difficulties of making Flipside into a full-fledged game into consideration the PSN is an intriguing possibility, but something that is unlikely to happen unless current circumstances are significantly changed.
[PS3A] What forthcoming games excite you right now?
[TP]There is a lot of great stuff in the works with a lot of developers, but to keep some restrain on myself I'll just stick with one game on each of my favourite platforms: Spore on the PC, LEGO Batman on the Wii, LittleBigPlanet on the PS3 and finally Fable II on the X360. LittleBigPlanet is particularly interesting as we actually toyed with some ideas for a physics-based gameplay in Flipside.
[PS3A] Where do you get the inspiration for games like Flipside?
[TP] The inception of the game concept happened as a collaboration between the game director and myself. However the realisation of our dreamy vision required the creativity and professional competencies of the rest of the team of students we were a part of. The expression and reinterpretation of the initial game idea through art, sound, animation and code was necessary for it to form the whole of the experience that is Flipside.
As we began conceptualising what would become Flipside I was very attentive of the inspirations of the game director on the project. From the beginning he was intrigued by Danish artist Hannibal Hildorf, a musician/entertainer who is extremely happy and positive as well as the aesthetics of two-dimensional cardboard pieces and the ways in which their arrangement/size can be used to simulate depth.
Through a joint creative process we bridged the concepts by introducing a dark contrast to the seemingly eternal happiness of Hannibal Hildorf and fusing them in the mental instability of the main character. This came together with the idea of using flat objects in the game world as either side could be used to express one of the two mindsets we were working with.
Keeping in mind the technical limitations and possibilities of the game engine we were required to use we came up with the idea that the player should have freedom to experience the game world freely from both extreme moods and with the differing abilities that could be derived from them. This put the flip in Flipside and led us to the solution of turning the camera 180 degrees around the player character when switching sides.
We'd like to thanks both Jonathan and Thomas for giving us their valuable time. Maybe one day we'll see their brilliant creations on our favourite platform...
Good demos (oh no you didn't), great Rock Band content (brutal), a butt load of AST Dew Tour videos (why?) and a special price break for you COD4 nuts. Here are today's PSN goodness:
Rock Band “The Conjuring” - Megadeth ($1.99) “Wake Up Dead” - Megadeth ($1.99) “Bad Omen” - Megadeth ($1.99) “Devil’s Island” - Megadeth ($1.99) “Good Mourning/Black Friday” - Megadeth ($1.99) “I Ain’t Superstitious” - Megadeth ($1.99) “My Last Words” - Megadeth ($1.99)
Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying? Album ($10.99) - this album includes “Wake Up Dead, “The Conjuring,” “Devil’s Island,” “Good Mourning/Black Friday”, “Bad Omen,” “I Ain’t Superstitious,” and “My Last Words” - Megadeth.
“Hands Down” - Dashboard Confessional ($0.99) “One of THOSE Nights”— The Cab ($0.99) “She’s a Handsome Woman”— Panic at the Disco ($0.99) “Natural Disaster”— Plain White T’s ($0.99)
Rock Band Live 2008 Tour Pack 1 ($3.99) - includes “Natural Disaster” - Plain White T’s, “She’s a Handsome Woman”- Panic at the Disco, “One of THOSE Nights” - The Cab, and “Hands Down” - Dashboard Confessional.
Game Demos (free) Fracture Demo Mercenaries 2 Demo
Game Videos (free) NBA 09 The Inside: Life (x4) Valkyria Chronicles GC Trailer EA Sports Hockey League Video AST Dew Tour - Portland FMX Jam Session AST Dew Tour - Portland Skate Thrills AST Dew Tour - Portland BMX Highlights AST Dew Tour - Rob Darden Profile AST Dew Tour - P Rod Profile AST Dew Tour - Skate Park Stars AST Dew Tour - Behind the Scenes with Andy M. AST Dew Tour - PlayStation Pro Moments Portland Play the Pros: Baltimore
Rock Bandits rejoice, both PAX and Locksley track packs are up along with the song export key. It would be nice to have a place to use that key though... A nice demo trifecta blesses our brothers from across the pond to round up this latest Euro PSN update:
Demo Soulcalibur IV, FREE NBA LIVE 09, FREE Fracture Demo, FREE
Videos Pain: Amusement Park Clown Toss Trailer, FREE Pain: Amusement Park Hot and Cold Trailer, FREE The Last Guy Launch Trailer, FREE Play TV Trailer, FREE Resistance 2 Twisted History Movie, FREE FALLOUT 3 OFFICIAL TRAILER, FREE Pure Exhilaration trailer, FREE
Wallpapers Pain- Go Kart, FREE Pain- Kenneth, FREE Pain- Kids, FREE Play TV, FREE
Themes infamous theme, FREE Pain-Amusement Park, FREE Pain- Kenneth, FREE Pain-Yeony, FREE Pain-Tati, FREE Play TV, FREE
Packs - Rock Band All Over Again, £0.99/€1.49 Don’t Make me Wait, £0.99/€1.49 She Does, £0.99/€1.49 Livin? At The Corner Of Dude And Rock Band - ‘Catastrophe’, £0.59/€0.79 Shhh?, £0.59/€0.79 Skullcrusher Mountain, £0.59/€0.79 Locksley Pack 1, £2.49/€3.99 The Pax 2008 Collection, £1.69/€2.29 Rock Band Song Export Key, £2.49/€3.49
European PS Store update for 12 September (A Day Late Edition)
Better late than never as they say, the European PS Store was updated today as promised. What is up with RockBand's "developing artist" track packs? Anyone?
Game METALLICA ‘DEATH MAGNETIC’ FULL ALBUM, £11.99 1942 Joint Strike, £6.99 Siren Blood Curse™, £19.99
What's here besides the PAIN-tastic PAIN Amusement Park? You Qore-heads have access to the MotorStorm: Pacific Rift demo to calm you until October 28, Metal-heads (yo!) can enjoy Metallica's Death Magnetic album in GH III form tomorrow (boo) but can enjoy the GH: Aerosmith demo today, and futbol-heads can try out the new FIFA demo.
Qore Digital Magazine Just a quick note to let you know that the MotorStorm: Pacific Rift demo is now available to all Qore annual subscribers and those customers that have purchased Episode 04.
How to get the MotorStorm: Pacific Rift demo: -Go into Qore Episode 04 under the game drop on the XMB -Go to the Download Center -Go to the “MotorStorm: Pacific Rift - Demo” box -Hit the “X” button and let the downloading begin!
Downloadable Games JEOPARDY! ($14.99)
Add-on Game Content PAIN Amusement Park ($5.99) PAIN: Yeony Character ($0.99) PAIN: Tati Character ($0.99) PAIN: Kenneth Character ($0.99)
Rock Band “Two Weeks” - All That Remains ($0.99) “This Calling” - All That Remains ($0.99) “Charlene (I’m Right Behind You)” - Stephen and the Colberts (Free) All That Remains Pack 1($2.99) - includes “This Calling,” “Two Weeks,” and “Chiron”
Arriving Friday 9/12/08 Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Metallica “Death Magnetic” Album ($17.99) “That Was Just Your Life” “The End Of The Line” “Broken, Beat & Scarred” “The Day That Never Comes” “All Nightmare Long” “Cyanide” “The Unforgiven III” “The Judas Kiss” “Suicide & Redemption J.H.” “Suicide & Redemption K.H.” “My Apocalypse”
Game Demos (free) FIFA 09 Demo Guitar Hero: Aerosmith Demo
Game Videos (free) Golden Axe: Beast Rider Trailer 2 FIFA 09 Trailer NHL 09 Teaser Trailer NHL 09 Defensive Sizzle Trailer Blitz: The League II - Trailer 2 Saints Row 2 – Uncle Gary Sticky Bombs Trailer Saints Row 2 – Uncle Gary Throwing People Trailer NFS Undercover Launch Trailer BiA: Hell’s Highway Brutality of War Gameplay Video Legendary Behind the Scenes Episode 2
PS3 Wallpaper (free) PAIN Amusement Park Wallpaper (x3)
PS3 Themes (free) Mirror’s Edge #1 Theme NFS Undercover Theme PAIN Amusement Park Theme PAIN: Kenneth Character Theme PAIN: Tati Character Theme PAIN: Yeony Character Theme
Trophy collectors get ready, the update for the PSN title Novastrike is a go. Highlights include toned down difficulties for those of you who have smashed one too many controllers, customizable controls, XMB playlist support, and the pièce de résistance, trophies. There is also so much more. More than I can talk about so why don't you visit the Official Playstation Blog to find out? Anyways, why are you still reading this? You should be downloading the update and earning those trophies.
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.
Rejoice Qore junkies, your digital fix is here. Besides that, we got the Pure demo someone was looking forward to and more videos that you can shake a stick at (who does that anyway?).
We would like to mention the Rock Band PAX Pack 1, all proceeds will go toward Child's Play charity. Of course, do not forget PS3 Attitude's very own charity fund for GamesAid. Donate what you can, all the cool kids are doing it.
Qore Digital Magazine Qore Episode 04: September, 2008 ($2.99 Issue, $24.99 Annual Subscription) Downloadable Games NFL Head Coach 09 ($49.99) Add-on Game Content HAZE Destruction Pack ($9.99) Rock Band “Skullcrusher Mountain” - Jonathan Coulton ($0.99) “Shhh….” - The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets ($0.99) “Livin’ at the Corner of Dude and Catastrophe” - MC Frontalot ($0.99) PAX Pack 1 ($2.99) - includes “Shhh….” by The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets, “Livin’ at the Corner of Dude and Catastrophe” by MC Frontalot, and “Skullcrusher Mountain” by Jonathan Coulton.
Game Demos (free) PURE Demo Game Videos (free) JEOPARDY! Trailer Super Stardust HD Tips Video 1 Super Stardust HD Tips Video 2 PAIN Call Da Shot Mode Video Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway - Making Of #3: Counter Attack Legendary Behind the Scenes Episode 1 Midnight Club Los Angeles Trailer 2 Midnight Club Los Angeles Trailer 3 Red Baron Arcade Trailer Saints Row 2 – Uncle Gary Motorcycles Trailer Saints Row 2 – Uncle Gary Taunting Trailer
Movie and Blu-ray Trailers (free) The Ultimates Featurette Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist Trailer The Fall Trailer
This week's update is short but somewhat sweet considering we get 2(in my opinion pretty good) demos and 2 addon packs(among them the Warhawk triple pack that I was hoping for last week) Well it's finally here and it all equals some really good playing time. Although I still have'nt got past Trafalgar Square in The Last Guy, anyone else having trouble there?
D'arrr, it be the tin'ternet meme that keeps on a-kickin' like a scurvy dog. Ok, we're a couple of weeks early to be speaking like this but it's somewhat appropriate considering Pirates Vs. Ninjas : Dodgeball is not only about to get an Xbox live release but looks to be now possibly heading our way to the PSN.
And just in time too as, hopefully, the 8 player online game can now finally put to rest an age ole question which has sparked drunken brawls at BBQs and church congregations alike. Pirates ... or Ninjas?
When asked in an interview over at Joystiq if the game was PS3 bound, Christopher Stockman, studio director at Blazing Lizard, revealed that production on a PSN version was "[...] not hypothetical. But I can neither confirm nor deny that it's in progress ... but it's not hypothetical". Which confirms it? No? Or is this something like Schrödinger's Cat? Production on the PSN version of the game both exists and does not exist - at the same time. Just don't look at it or we're in trouble.
Considering the guys at Blazing Lizard had some issues with certification for the upcoming 360 release don't expect to see a PSN version appearing on the horizon, shiruken and Jolly Rogers a-waverin', for a while yet.
We didn't report it (because it was quickly confirmed as a breakdown in communication) but there was much furor across the gaming world last week when Sony's David Reeves announced that EA DICE's upcoming kinetosis flavoured Mirror's Edge was a PS3 "timed" exclusive.
It seems there was a grain of "exclusivity" truth in the rumour however as EA has confirmed to Eurogamer that there will be PS3 exclusive DLC content made available via the PSN. Considering EA DICE developed the game on the PS3 as the lead console, and certain maneuvers that Faith can perform (balancing on crossbeams for example) have been seen to be controlled by the Six-Axis motion sensors, it will be interesting to see if DICE will make use of these specific PS3 features for this new content.
What's this? The PS3 getting exclusive content over its nearest rival? Excuse me while I check outside to see if there's a chap on a white horse.
Guys that come last, stars that fall down, souls with some sort of caliber and figure skating for tough guys...what a great PS Store update!
Downloadable Games The Last Guy ($9.99) Warhawk Fallen Star Pack ($7.99) Warhawk Booster Combo ($15.99)
Rock Band “She Does” - Locksley ($0.99) “Don’t Make Me Wait” - Locksley ($0.99) “Don’t Make Me Wait” - Locksley ($0.99) “All Over Again” - Locksley ($0.99) Locksley Pack 1 ($2.99) - includes: “All Over Again,” “Don’t Make Me Wait,” and “She Does” by Locksley.
Game Demos (free) NHL 09 Demo SOULCALIBUR IV Demo
Game Videos (free) SOCOM Confrontation Extraction trailer LittleBigPlanet Leipzig “Sackzilla” Trailer Motorstorm Pacific Rift Leipzig Trailer PAIN Trauma Mode Trailer GT5 Prologue Play the Pros with Tanner Foust! Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway Machine Gun & Bazooka Video Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway Squad Gameplay Video Facebreaker Audition Video #1 Facebreaker Audition Video #2 Facebreaker Audition Video #3 Madden NFL 09 Gameplay Trailer Madden NF
[JB] I wanted to make a game that was about visiting different worlds, where time would behave differently in each world. When creating the ways that time behaves, I wanted to explore some of the paradoxical things about relativity and quantum mechanics and the ways in which those branches of physics seem to contradict our daily, human-scale existences.
