PlayStation

PAX13 Preview: XCOM Meets ‘Titanfall’-Sort Of-in ‘Enemy Within’

by Brien Bell | Sep 14, 2013 | 2 comments

Last year, Firaxis brought back the classic PC strategy series X-Com in a big way with XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Released on console for the first time since X-Com: UFO Defense on the original PlayStation, Enemy Unknown brought turn-based strategy to the PS3 in a way that few other games had done this generation. Just a few days before the PlayStation 4 arrives in North America, 2K Games and Firaxis are bringing a major expansion to the Enemy Unknown story to PS3 with XCOM: Enemy Within. Firaxis brought a hands-off demo of Enemy Within to PAX Prime, and here are a few of our takeaways from that session.

SCE America President Jack Tretton Talks PS4 With Fox

by Jonathan Nolan | Sep 13, 2013 | 2 comments

This week Fox had an interview with Sony Computer Entertainment America CEO and President, Jack Tretton. Jack revealed more on why the PS4 will own the competition, how manufacturing is going and the most important reason why Sony has got the long-term gaming strategy right.

‘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!

Editorial: 2013 – The Rise of Sony (Updated)

by Jonathan Nolan | Sep 10, 2013 | 5 comments

Xperia Z, Ultra, Z1, Z1 Mini, Tablet Z, PlayStation 4, more EISA awards for Bravia TVs, QX10/QX100 camera lenses, Smartwatch 2 – Sony is undoubtedly on the move this year as multiple investments reach a pinnacle in their cycle. Some of them, such as the PlayStation 4, represent a multi-billion dollar investment spanning several years that is only appearing above the horizon now as it prepares for major release. Economic, political and cultural events in the background may mean that 2013 is not only the year that Sony is back, but as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says: “Japan is Back“.

PAX13 Preview: A Return to Form with ‘Ratchet and Clank: Into The Nexus’

by Brien Bell | Sep 10, 2013 | 0 comments

Ratchet & Clank are a force of nature. Ever since the heroic Lombax and his robotic companion debuted on the PlayStation 2, Insomniac’s dynamic duo has spawned a dozen games across multiple Sony platforms, becoming one of the most prolific exclusive franchises in the PlayStation family. Unfortunately, interest in the adventures of Ratchet and Clank has waned, with Insomniac’s efforts to experiment with different gameplay styles–including four-player co-op and tower defense–meeting some resistance (no pun intended) among faithful series stalwarts. Many hoped for a return to the height of the characters’ popularity, and Insomniac seems ready to deliver this holiday with Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus.

Coming to PlayStation 3, Into the Nexus is the final game in the “Future” series of Ratchet & Clank games that included Tools of Destruction, Quest for Booty, and A Crack in Time. While eschewing the title of Ratchet & Clank Future, Into the Nexus plays and feels like the return to form fans had waited for. James Stevenson, marketing and community lead for Insomniac, walked me and other PAX goers through the demo, showing off just a sample of the new gadgets, worlds, and puzzles that Ratchet and Clank will encounter in their journey.

‘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.

PlayStation 4 Launches in Japan February 2014

by Brien Bell | Sep 9, 2013 | 2 comments

This afternoon in Japan, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia revealed that the PlayStation 4 will be coming to its home territory on February 22, 2014. The PS4 base model will retail at 39,980¥, and customers who pre-order the launch edition will receive a download voucher for Japan Studios’ Knack and a one year extended warranty, in addition to The PlayRoom which comes pre-installed on every PS4. A second model of the PS4 will be available to Japanese consumers for 43,980¥ and will include the console and the PlayStation 4 Camera, which currently is not included in other worldwide SKUs.

Gaming With Heather: Ni no Kuni and Trophies

by Heather Atkinson | Sep 8, 2013 | 6 comments

There are very few games that actually make me want to collect and do everything in-game. At this point, I can’t even seem to finish the main story in most games. Depending on what genre of games you love, completing games could take quite awhile if you are a busy gamer. I am a busy gamer and I always fall hard for games that are like 50 hours long. This time is no different. So after hearing the announcement of Miyazaki’s retirement this week, I knew I had to make time to finally finish Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch.

PAX13 Preview: Tiny Brains, Big Fun

by Brien Bell | Sep 6, 2013 | 4 comments

Consider the following question: you’re a brilliant scientist… what’s the very first thing you do? If your answer is ‘genetically enhance a collection of lab mice with telekinetic abilities and run them through a gauntlet of increasingly more difficult and dangerous mazes for your own amusement,’ then Tiny Brains from Montreal-based Spearhead Games is exactly what you’re looking for when the PlayStation 4 launches November 15.

On the sixth floor of the Washington State Trade & Convention Center, the team from Spearhead, composed of former Ubisoft, EA, and Square Enix developers, brought in teams of three at a time to show off their PS4 launch title. What seems at first to be a cute, colorful puzzle game quickly gives way to a nuanced and deep co-op strategy session between you, two fellow players, and a member of the dev team. Each player’s ‘tiny brain’ has a different kinetic ability: force (push), vortex (pull), teleport (swap places with an object), and create (deploy a new movable object). Using these abilities, each of the four players must work together to solve puzzle chambers designed to require the use of most or all of your player abilities.

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.

Sony – ‘No Free FIFA 14 as PS4 Pre-orders are Breathtakingly High’

by Jonathan Nolan | Sep 3, 2013 | 0 comments

Gamers in Europe got excited when they found out at Gamescom in Germany that they would get FIFA 14 free with Xbox One pre-orders, but are now disappointed by a clarification from Microsoft that this would involve launch day console packages only. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe vice president Jim Ryan calls the pre-order promotion ‘…a bit odd.’

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.