PlayStation Vita

PS4 Mobile App to Come to PS Vita, Will be Called ‘PS4 Link’

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 7, 2013 | 0 comments

We already know that Sony will be bringing a PlayStation app to iOS and Android devices that will allow you to chat and make purchases to name a few. Now, SCE Worldwide Studios head Shuhei Yoshida has revealed that the app will be coming to the PlayStation Vita in the next software update. Dubbed PS4 Link, the app much like its smartphone/tablet counterpart will allow you to message players, view profiles, watch and share gameplay and much more. It’s also likely that this app and the next Vita firmware will enable the PS4 to PS Vita Remote Play functionality.

Sony Began PlayStation Vita 2000 Development Right After Original Vita Launch

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 2, 2013 | 5 comments

With the PlayStation Vita 2000, the new thinner, lighter and less costly Vita set to be released in a week’s time in Japan, Sony has begun to talk more openly about the new portable console. As a quick recap, the PS Vita 2000 offers all the same functionality as the original Vita and will be sold along side the original model. While the new Vita will be offered in an array of colors and features a 15% lighter and 20% thinner design with better battery performance, it does lack an OLED display with Sony opting to use a traditional LCD. These combinations have allowed Sony to also after the Vita 2000 at a lower price. The new Vita also offers 1GB of internal memory. According to Sony, development on the new Vita began right after the launch of the original PS Vita.

PlayStation Store Update (10-01-2013)

by Trevor Rodenberger | Oct 1, 2013 | 0 comments

Welcome to the PlayStation Store update for October 01, 2013. The update this week is packed full of great games and sales! Get ready to hit the hardwood yet again this year as NBA 2K14 releases today. The highly anticipated PlayStation Network game rain also releases today alongside a remake of the classic side-scroller Flashback.

PlayStation 3 users will also see several sales and a few demos today, including deep discounts on several games published by Atlus. The absolutely fantastic JRPG Persona 4: Golden for the PlayStation Vita is also on sale this week, so pick it up now!

Finally, PlayStation Plus users will be receiving Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (PlayStation 3) for free along with various discounts on several games. Keep reading to see a complete list of content available on the PlayStation Store this week!

PS4 Remote Play Won’t Be Coming to Tablets and Smartphones

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 27, 2013 | 5 comments

The always kind and revealing SCE Worldwide Studios President, Shuhei Yoshida, has revealed a bit more news on the PS4’s remote play strategy. While the feature which will allow your PS Vita to expand your PS4 experience by playing games that are streamed to it is a highlight of the PS4’s capabilities and the power of the Vita nearly two years after its launch, it won’t be making it to tablets and smartphones, including Sony’s own fleet. When asked about it on Twitter, Yoshida responded,

PlayStation Store Update (09-24-13)

by Trevor Rodenberger | Sep 24, 2013 | 1 comment

Welcome to the PlayStation Store update for September 24, 2013. The update this week is packed full of great games and sales! Soccer is king this week as both FIFA Soccer 14 and Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 Launch Edition both land on the network today.

PlayStation 3 users will also see several sales and price drops today, including deep discounts on the every game in the Assassin’s Creed series. The psychological survival horror adventure game Lone Survivor: The Director’s Cut arrives in Cross-Buy form for both the PlayStation 3 and the PS Vita.

Finally, PlayStation Plus users will be receiving Rayman Origins (PS Vita Version) for free along with various discounts on several games. Keep reading to see a complete list of content available on the PlayStation Store this week!

PlayStation Store Update (09-17-13)

by Trevor Rodenberger | Sep 17, 2013 | 0 comments

Welcome to the PlayStation Store update for September 17, 2013. The update this week is packed full of great content! Rockstar is back and invites you to explore Los Santos today in the long awaited Grand Theft Auto V for PlayStation 3. For the first time in its storied history, Grand Theft Auto V features three main characters instead of one.

PlayStation 3 users will also see several sales and price drops today, including a colossal discount on the fantastic JRPG Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. Ni No Kuni was also recently featured in a “Gaming With Heather” article, so check out Heather’s thoughts on this wonderful game!

Finally, PlayStation Plus users will be receiving both ICO (PlayStation 3) and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (PSP/PS Vita) for free along with various discounts on several games. Keep reading to see a complete list of content available on the PlayStation Store this week!

‘Sound Shapes’ Review, A Year Later and Still a Must Buy

by Allegra Osati | Sep 13, 2013 | 2 comments

Now that Sound Shapes has been out for just over a year, I’ve finally purchased the game and completed the campaign (all in 1-2 weeks of casual yet addicted gameplay). “Good for you, Allegra,” you might be thinking. “Way to be A YEAR TOO LATE.” Yeah, well, you’d be right. I am late. But, with the revived love for the game that comes with the one-year anniversary, I write to you as a big fan who can’t help but sing praises for this simple and deceiving (read: not actually simple) game. I am here to remind you how amazing of a game Sound Shapes is, especially a year after its release.

If you’re a music person like I am, buy this game. The team at Queasy Games (and Sony Santa Monica) pulled out all the stops with this one. They start you off with some fantastic beats that get you dancing, and your successful gameplay enhances the music throughout each level. If you miss just one note, you are missing out on a part of the music that makes it that much cooler, and it gives you a reason to want to go back for another round. Not that you need one. I played some of the levels over and over again just to listen to the music and to see if I could do it just a little faster. At this point you might be thinking, “What the heck is Sound Shapes?”

PlayStation Store Update (09-10-13)

by Trevor Rodenberger | Sep 10, 2013 | 3 comments

Welcome to the PlayStation Store update for September 10, 2013. The update this week is packed full of great content for both the PlayStation 3 and the PS Vita. Puppeteer, NHL 14, and Dragon Fantasy Book II (See our recent review of this Cross-Buy title here) highlight the offerings this week for the PlayStation 3.

The highly anticipated Killzone: Mercenary finally comes out of Beta and releases on the PS Vita today. Be sure to have plenty of space on your memory card as you will need 4.6GB of free space to download the entire thing.

Finally, PlayStation Plus users will be receiving Galaga Legions DX for free along with various discounts on several games. Keep reading to see a complete list of content available on the PlayStation Store this week!

‘Dragon Fantasy Book II’ Review

by Trevor Rodenberger | Sep 10, 2013 | 1 comment

The JRPG Dragon Fantasy Book II continues the story started in Dragon Fantasy Book I which came out on both PlayStation 3 and PS Vita in April of this year. Unlike the first game, which was done in an 8-bit graphic style and paid homage to the Nintendo era, Dragon Fantasy Book II instead focuses on imitating the graphics and game-play mechanics the great RPGs from the time of the Super Nintendo. While there are many enjoyable and positive things to say about The Muteki Corporation’s latest offering, there are a few things that keep the experience from being everything it could be. Keep reading to see our full review.

PS Vita TV Announced for Japan, Provides Game and Media Streaming, PS4 Remote Play

by Brien Bell | Sep 9, 2013 | 3 comments

Andrew House Unveils PS Vita TV: Newest, Smallest PlayStation Hardware Yet

Vita, in Latin, means ‘life,’ and Sony Computer Entertainment’s latest addition to the Vita family brings your games, movies, and media content to life in a whole new way. The PS Vita TV, announced this afternoon at Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia’s 2013 press event, is an all-in-one media hub that brings your PS Vita library, media features like Hulu and niconico, and Remote Play for your PS4 to your television for just 9,954 yen (including tax), or just around US $100.

Utilizing the chip set and software found in Sony’s eponymous handheld device, the PS Vita TV works similarly to content streaming systems like Apple TV, Roku, and the Ouya. According to Sony’s press release, “users can enjoy various video services in high quality” in addition to access to “more than 1,300 software titles for PS Vita,” PSP and PlayStation Classics. PS Vita TVs will support DualShock 3 controllers at launch, with DualShock 4 support expected to come with a firmware update at a later date.

PAX13 Preview: Dragon Fantasy Book II is a Love Letter to the SNES Era

by Brien Bell | Sep 5, 2013 | 1 comment

There’s a charm and verve to the Dragon Fantasy games that immediately grab your attention once you get your hands on them. Even for newcomers to the series, Muteki Corp’s loving homage to the JRPG genre instantly teleports you back to the days of early Final Fantasy and Dragonquest games, a comparison the team is eager to point out. “Dragon Fantasy Book I is our homage to the Nintendo era, so it is just like Dragonquest 1, 2, and 3 and Final Fantasy I, II and III,” according to Anna Marie Privitere, PR and social media manager for Muteki. “It’s going to be a little more difficult and a little more grind-y than your usual game.” Owners of Dragon Fantasy Book I already understand this; Muteki’s first installment released on iOS and Android in fall 2011, with PC, Mac and Linux releases shortly thereafter, followed by an April 2012 debut of the original 8-bit and enhanced 16-bit version on PlayStation Network as part of Sony’s PubFund initiative.

Dragon Fantasy Book I was only the beginning, and Muteki is getting ready to bring the next three chapters of their saga to PS3s and Vitas with Dragon Fantasy Book II. “Book II actually picks up directly after Book I finishes, but you don’t need to have played Book I to enjoy the story,” explained Privitere. The first Dragon Fantasy game consists of chapters 1, 2, and 3 while Book II plays through “approximately chapters 4, 5, and 7 while Book III is going to finish up the trilogy with 6, 8, and 9.” Billed as a love letter to the Super Nintendo era, Privitere said “if you could sort of squeeze together Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI, Earthbound, and Lufia II into a cartridge, that would be Dragon Fantasy Book II.” Based on my fifteen minutes with the Vita version of the game at Muteki’s showcase at PAX’s Indie Megabooth, the comparisons are apt and welcomed.

PlayStation Store Update (09-03-13)

by Trevor Rodenberger | Sep 3, 2013 | 0 comments

Welcome to the PlayStation Store update for September 3, 2013. The update this week is packed full of great content. Several new pre-orders along with the console port of Diablo III highlight the new releases for the PlayStation 3 .

The highly anticipated sequel to Rayman Origins, Rayman Legends along with the rhythmic kung fu game Kickbeat comes to both the PS Vita and the PlayStation 3 today.

Finally, PlayStation Plus users will be receiving Resident Evil: Chronicles HD Collection for free along with various discounts on several games and pre-orders. Keep reading to see a complete list of content available on the PlayStation Store this week!

Editorial: A New Vita Price Means Less Money For Me

by Sarah Ingram | Sep 3, 2013 | 4 comments

At Gamescom this year, Sony finally announced something that the industry, and myself especially, has been waiting on for awhile – a permanent Vita price drop. One of my first editorials focused on what games I needed to convince me to get a Vita, but I also said that a price drop could sway me as well. And, considering both the games that have been released since that editorial, and the ones that are coming, it is safe to say that my time has come.

There are a few reasons why I’ve been wanting a Vita. For one, there are some amazing games on the handheld that I can’t play on my PS3. As a JRPG fanatic, it almost hurts me that I have yet to play Persona 4 Golden. I also have my eyes on Ragnarok Odyssey, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, and AC: Liberation. There are a few PSN games I would also love to have on the go, including some older PSP games, and the old school Final Fantasy games that I love: 7,8 and 9.

Deals: PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale for $9.99 (PS Vita)

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 1, 2013 | 4 comments

If you don’t know, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale is a brawler fighting game for the PS3 and PS Vita which pits some of your favorite PlayStation characters against one and other. Released by Sony Santa Monica Studios, the game even allows for cross play between PS3 and Vita. Now, Amazon has a deal that you can’t refuse, pricing PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale $9.99 for PS Vita.

PlayStation Plus Content Announced For September

by Trevor Rodenberger | Aug 29, 2013 | 6 comments

Are you ready for more information about free games? If so, you have come to the right place! The PlayStation Blog has announced all of the new content coming to North American PlayStation Plus subscribers for the month of September.

Resident Evil Chronicles HD Collection for the PlayStation 3 will be free for subscribers starting on Tuesday, September 3rd. This collection features high definition versions of both Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles and Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles. Rayman Origins for the PlayStation Vita headlines the remainder of free games available in September.

Keep reading to see a full list of free games available this month!