PlayStation Network

PlayStation Store Update (04-24-2012)

by Chris Quibol | Apr 25, 2012 | 15 comments

Yes, I know I’m a bit late with this week’s Playstation Store update, but it definitely wasn’t my fault. When I wasn’t spending my time yesterday trying to survive a zombie apocalypse or fighting off mythical beasts, I was on Skype on my Playstation Vita telling everyone how awesome my day was. Unfortunately, that means a Playstation Store update that’s a day late, but fortunately for all of you, all of this week’s great content (and there is definitely a lot of it this week) is already up and ready for you to download.

The biggest release this week is The Walking Dead, ‘A New Day’ from Telltale Games. This first episode a five-episode long series costs $4.99, or you can pre-purchase all five episodes for $19.99. The Walking Dead is already getting rave reviews, so be sure to, at the very least, check out the demo for the zombie-filled comic book adaptation.

For all you PS Vita owners out there, make sure to download Skype for free this week for some free video and voice calls through your gaming handheld. Playstation Plus subscribers have the usual discounts on games like Sonic Unleashed and Hot Shots Golf: Our of Bounds, and are also treated this week to a full game trial of last fall’s blockbuster first-person shooter Battlefield 3.

And if you’re low on funds, check out the demo to Capcom’s upcoming hack-and-slash adventure epic Dragon’s Dogma, available free of cost.

Hit the jump to see the rest of this week’s Playstation Store update.

Playstation Store Update (04-17-2012)

by Chris Quibol | Apr 18, 2012 | 22 comments

This week’s Playstation Store update has a couple of huge titles for everyone to enjoy, particularly the first home release of arcade shooter House of the Dead 4 on Playstation 3 and the release of Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention on the Playstation Vita. Short on cash this week? You can download a demo for physics-based pinball game Stardrone Extreme for PS Vita or free Vita app Paint Park, which lets players create and share sketches and drawings.

Playstation Plus members are also treated to exclusive early access to the beta for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, as well as a free download of Frogger Returns and 30 percent off House of the Dead 4.

Also available this week are downloadable content for Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception and a full download of Dead Rising 2: Off the Record for PS3.

Hit the jump to see the rest of this week’s Playstation Store update.

PSN Maintenance Scheduled For Today (April 16, 2012)

by Jan Hutchings | Apr 16, 2012 | 8 comments

Aw shucks, gamers won’t be able to access the PlayStation Network for most of today, Sony will be performing routine scheduled maintenance on the network on Monday, April 16th. It will start 6:00 am PDT / 9:00 am EDT and is supposed to last for 13 hours. Expect the service to return to working order around 7:00 pm PDT / 10:00 pm EDT.

During the PSN’s routine maintenance, PlayStation Network websites will be unavailable for access. As well, PS3 and PS Vita users will not be able to access the PlayStation Store, PlayStation Home, Account Management or play online-enabled games.

Matthew Harper, part of the recently-formed PlayStation Digital Platforms Community Management team has said that they will keep gamers updated throughout the entire process.

“We will continue to provide as much information as we can regarding any future maintenance we need to schedule.”

Once the maintenance begins, players will have to check the PlayStation Twitter feed for a notice when PSN is fully back online.

Playstation Store Update (04-10-2012)

by Chris Quibol | Apr 10, 2012 | 18 comments

A couple of big releases highlight this week’s Playstation store update, with 2D fighter Skullgirls available for download and the last of the add-ons for the Fortune Hunters Club of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, which includes new maps and content for the popular multiplayer.

Skullgirls is an American-developed 2D fighting game with an eccentric cast and a system developed by lovers of the fighting game genre. The game was developed with both competitive and casual players in mind, so look for Skullgirls to appeal to a wide array of people, from tournament veterans to button mashers alike. Be sure to download the demo, also available this week.

Playstation Plus members are also treated this week to discounts on GTA IV: Episodes from Liberty City, an exclusive demo for House of the Dead 4, and a free download of PS Mini Defenders of the Mystic Garden. If you’re not a Plus member, there’s still a ton of content to get excited for this week, especially the soundtrack to indie-darling Journey, the Mass Effect 3 Resurgence Pack that includes new maps, weapons, and characters to the multiplayer side of things, and PS2 classic Persona 3: FES.

Hit the jump to see the rest of this week’s Playstation Store update.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES Coming To PlayStation Network

by Jan Hutchings | Apr 9, 2012 | 10 comments

JRPG fans will love this one. According to Sony, the critically-acclaimed Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES will be available for purchase on the PlayStation Store starting April 9, 2012. FES is the complete SMT Persona 3 game with brand new content and the expansion epilogue called “Gojitsudan.”

Basically, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES includes the 40+ hour original campaign along with an additional 30+ hours of additional gameplay. That’s a lot of bang for your buck.

Learn more about Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES after the break.

Court Sides With Sony on Its Terms Of Service Changes

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 5, 2012 | 18 comments

Most companies, like Apple, Microsoft, and Sony who offer vast services like iTunes, Xbox Live, and the PlayStation Network, change their terms of services on occasion to address to features while also protecting themselves from competitors and lawsuits. Last year, Sony would do just that for the PSN, introducing a term where users were required to take disputes to arbitration, rather than court. The new clause introduced by Sony is one that is found in most popular services like the ones mentioned above. It goes without saying that most people don’t the many pages of TOS and blindly agree to them and in this case, if you wanted to continue using PSN, you had to adhere to the new rules. This however, didn’t sit well with some users who did actually read the new document from Sony and in true American way, decided to file a class action lawsuit against the PlayStation maker.

Playstation Store Update (04-03-2012)

by Chris Quibol | Apr 4, 2012 | 19 comments

Apparently, the folks over at Playstation have made me out to be a liar. I stated here last week that the annual “Spring Fever” sales event would be coming to an end; however, this week, Sony decided to extend the sales an extra week with huge discounts on “Twisted Metal meets Team Fortress” hybrid Wheels of Destruction and discounts across the entire Mortal Kombat franchise. Wheels of Destruction is $9.99 with Playstation Plus subscribers receiving an extra 20 percent off, and games and add-ons for the Mortal Kombat series are all 30 percent off, with Plus subscribers receiving an extra 20 percent.

If destruction isn’t your thing, be sure to check out survival adventure game I Am Alive, where players have to fight for survival in a world crumbling around them. It is also a very good month to be a Playstation Plus subscriber, with action sidescroller Shank 2 and arcade racer Shift 2: Unleashed, as well as the original PSone Silent Hill, all for free.

And finally, be sure to check out the brand new Amazon Instant Video app under the “videos” portion of the XMB. The Amazon app brings with it over 120,000 movies and television shows, and Amazon Prime members have access to a ton of free shows and movies.

Hit the jump to see the rest of this week’s Playstation Store update.

‘Journey’ Surpasses Expectations And Becomes PSN’s Fastest Selling Title

by Jan Hutchings | Mar 30, 2012 | 7 comments

Released just a few weeks ago, thatgamecompany’s Journey surpassed everyone’s expectations and quickly became the most purchased game on Sony’s PlayStation Store.
Jenova Chen, Journey’s creator thanked fans for their continued support of the game and in gratitude, posted exclusive Journey images and artwork on the Official PlayStation Blog.

“Thanks to you, Journey has officially brokenPlayStation Network and PlayStation Store sales records, surpassing all first and third-party games to become the fastest-selling game ever released in the SCEA region on the PlayStation Network.”

Chen also talked about thatgamecompany’s past and their experiences with fans as well as the amount of people they inspire and the emotions they evoke with the types of games they create.

“We owe a lot to our fans. In fact, idea of forming the thatgamecompany team to create games with Sony Santa Monica originated from several dozen emails that players sent in after playing our first student game, Cloud, from our time at USC. It was the players who told us how moving the game was and how it is important that we keep making these types of games so that more people in the world will realize what video games can be, and can grow to love games through our work. To me, that was a life-changing moment. I knew making games was my life calling.”

Should You Buy ‘Journey?’

by Chris Quibol | Mar 30, 2012 | 18 comments

Videogames at their worst are trivial and unfulfilling distractions, used purely for entertainment, and tossed aside seconds after completion, never to be looked at again. However, at their very best, videogames can be genuinely inspiring works of art, things that elicit discussion and awe whenever mentioned while still remaining fun to play. These are games after all. And while a lot of talk has floated around lately about how much of a “game” Journey really is, there is no doubt in my mind that Journey represents the very best that videogames have to offer, simultaneously innovating and inspiring during the memorable, albeit short, trip through its excellently-crafted world.

It’s not an exaggeration when I say that Journey is unlike any other game I’ve ever played. Everything in the game feels deliberate. The developers at thatgamecompany have really crafted one of the tightest game experiences ever, where no second feels wasted or unnecessary. Journey doesn’t have any dialogue or any traditional exposition, nor does it have any sort of combat or real conflict. The heart of Journey lies in exploration and movement.

The premise behind Journey is simple: get your character from point A to point B while occasionally solving simple puzzles. Your character can jump, float, and use the wind to glide across the often vast landscapes; though unlike most games that focus on movement, very little skill is necessary to accomplish your goal. Still, thatgamecompany manages to make the movement feel intensely satisfying, and the details in how your character moves or how the wind sometimes blows in the direction you travel to give you a slight boost of speed help players get lost in the beautifully designed world.

Playstation Store Update (03-27-2012)

by Chris Quibol | Mar 28, 2012 | 22 comments

The last week of Playstation’s annual “Spring Fever” sale brings huge discounts on games from the Tom Clancy franchise. Fans of the series can get modern classics like Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell, Rainbow Six, and Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 for up to 75 percent off for a limited time. Also on sale this week is Closure, an award-winning indie puzzle game in the same spirit as critical darling Journey, which released on the Playstation Store two weeks ago.

New games on the Playstation Store include full-game downloads of FIFA 2012 on Playstation 3 and Supremacy MMA for Playstation Vita. If you’re short on funds this week, then you can download demos for Closure, Blades of Time, and 2D action-platformer Zack Zack.

Also, be sure to check out episode eight of the latest season of “The Tester,” hosted by SonyRumors’ special guest Meredith Molinari. You can find “The Tester” under the “Game Videos” tab of the Playstation Store.

Hit the jump to see this week’s Playstation Store update.

Playstation Store Update (03-20-2012)

by Chris Quibol | Mar 20, 2012 | 14 comments

Besides sunshine, blooming flowers, and allergies, spring also brings Playstation’s annual Spring Fever sale and Final Fantasy fans are in for a huge treat this week. This week’s sales include all PSone era Final Fantasy and PSP Final Fantasy iterations, including Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions, Final Fantasy Origins, and Final Fantasy V and VI, and Dissidia: Final Fantasy, all of which are 30 percent off (50 percent for Playstation Plus members) for a limited time. Also on sale this week is Rayman 3 HD, which is discounted to $10, with an extra 20% off for Playstation Plus members.

Big news games on PSN this week include massive action shooter Warhammer 40K: Space Marine and feudal hack-and-slash title Warriors Orochi 3, both available for full download. On the PS Vita front, Sumioni: Demon Arts makes its way on to the Playstation Store, an action/platformer from Acquire and XSEED Games that utilizes both touch interfaces to attack enemies and summon thunderclouds and other spiritual powers.

Hit the jump to see the full rundown of this week’s huge Playstation Store update.

‘I AM Alive’ Heads to the PS3 in April

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 20, 2012 | 8 comments

Well that didn’t last too long but the long delayed game, I Am Alive which began its life as an Xbox 360 title is now headed to the PlayStation 3 after a short one month exclusive stay on Xbox Live Arcade. Shown off nearly 6 years ago, I Am Alive is an survival horror game which follows an unnamed hero and his pursuit to find his wife and daughter, 12 months after “The Event” which is believed to have caused the catastrophes that you now deal with. The multiple times delayed game which was originally announced in 2006 and now finished and released by Ubisoft Shanghai has met with mixed reviews since its March 7th release on Xbox 360. Scores for the game have averaged around 7.0 from the press while the fans have placed the game at a higher 7.7 average.

Playstation Store Update (03-13-12)

by Chris Quibol | Mar 14, 2012 | 19 comments

This week’s Playstation Store update has something for everybody. While Playstation Plus members have been able to experience the wonder that is Journey for the past week, now everyone can experience the critically acclaimed indie game from developer thatgamecompany. Playstation also kicked off their annual “Spring Fever” sales event, with 30-50 percent off full downloads of games from the Call of Duty series, available for a limited time. On the PS Vita front, augmented reality game Reality Fighters and popular racing franchise Ridge Racer are now available for full download. If you’re lacking on money this week, check out the PS3 demo for Shoot Many Robots, a four-player run-n-gun shooter from Ubisoft.

Hit the jump for this week’s full update.

Playstation at GDC: Digitally Publishing to PSN an ‘Easy’ Process

by Chris Quibol | Mar 12, 2012 | 1 comment

Have you ever played a downloadable game on PSN and thought you could make something better? If you answered yes, now is your chance to prove it. According to a talk given at last week’s Game Developers Conference, SCEA’s Ted Regulski claimed that digitally self-publishing on PSN is an easy process.

Markets like the Apple App Store, Android Market, and PC have long been popular with amateur game developers; however, there is a perceived barrier of entry into publishing onto the Playstation Store. Regulski says that barrier doesn’t actually exist. The process is as easy as contacting your area’s developer relations office, signing agreements, submitting your game’s code, and getting final approval. Once the game goes live, you’ll start receiving monthly payments. Regulski also stated that getting promoted on the Playstation is also fairly easy after a game gets approval.

In the United States, amateur developers can also get Sony backed support through PubFund, which gives developers money before a games release to help with the creation process and the money eventually gets paid back in future royalties. While getting PubFund loans is somewhat competitive, Regulski said that with the recent release of the PS Vita, Sony is definitely in need of content.

Hit the jump for a step-by-step process of PSN publishing.

Playstation Store Update (03-06-12)

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 6, 2012 | 16 comments

With the PlayStation Vita’s launch now behind us, Sony is looking to step up support for the new and powerful handheld by feeding the demand for new games in a big way. This weeks new release games for the Vita include the 3rd person shooter, Unit 13, MLB 12: The Show, and Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7. PlayStation Plus members are also in for a treat as they are able to download Journey, from the makers of Flower, a week early while fans of the PlayStation exclusive show, the Tester will also be happy to know that they can now download episode 5.

Still, the big news from this weeks PlayStation Store update comes in a small size and is fitted for your PlayStation Vita. Developed from the ground-up for the PlayStation Vita, MotorStorm: RC is the latest in the fast paced series and Sony will be offering the game for free for a limited time to PlayStation Vita owners, thanks to a promotion with Scion, the car makers. PS3 users need not fret as Evolution Studios also built a PS3 version of the game, priced at an affordable $9.99.

After the jump, the full PlayStation Store update awaits you.