News Pre-order LittleBigPlanet Karting for Kevin Butler DLC
VP of bonus content
News - 2012, Week 12
Sunday25th Mar 2012
News Capcom Explains Resident Evil's Action Approach
Survival horror isn't popular enough
These days the Resident Evil franchise is all about fist-pumping action, but that hasn't always been the case. Those of you old enough to remember the early PSone days will recall the series being much slower and, arguably, atmospheric. It’s a format that fans still long for, but according to Resident Evil...
Saturday24th Mar 2012
Review Mass Effect 3 (PlayStation 3)
Cause and effect
Mass Effect 3 is all about the big payoff and no, we’re not talking about its controversial conclusion. Those who’re returning to BioWare’s sci-fi epic will have already invested many hours trawling the galaxy, zipping through mass relays, forming alliances with races from distant worlds and making difficult decisions that...
Feature PlayStation 3 Retrospective - Part One
The third place
As our celebrations for the PlayStation 3’s fifth anniversary continue to march on, we’ve taken a moment to reflect on some of the key events from the system’s life so far. It’s been a turbulent half-decade for Sony’s black behemoth, with more drama packed into its formative years than the entire series of a police...
News Capcom's Yoshinori Ono Rushed to Hospital
Get better soon
Capcom’s jubilant Yoshinori Ono has been rushed to hospital, the Japanese publisher has announced. The company wrote in an official blog: Shortly after the Street Fighter X Tekken promotion in Asia, Ono-san’s physical condition rapidly and heavily deteriorated and he had to be taken to the hospital. Because of his hospital...
Rumour Sony to Close Zipper Interactive
So gone
It sounds as though the lights could be dimming on SOCOM developer Zipper Interactive. Kotaku reports that Sony is currently in the process of laying off staff at the American studio, where project cancellations have put its future in doubt. Zipper Interactive recently released the decent Unit 13 on PlayStation Vita and SOCOM 4 on PS3 last...
Rumour Bethesda to Cancel Prey 2
Pray for Prey
It seems there’s no end to the bad news today. In addition to rumours surrounding the closure of Zipper Interactive and the unfortunate announcement of Yoshinori Ono’s ill health, PSFocus.nl is reporting that Bethesda is on the verge of cancelling anticipated sequel Prey 2.
Friday23rd Mar 2012
News Move Support Confirmed for The Amazing Spider-Man
Moving through Manhattan
Activision’s upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man movie tie-in will feature full PlayStation Move compatibility, developer Beenox has confirmed. Our friends over at iWaggle3D got suspicious when a boxart for the game uploaded to Amazon included a “PlayStation Move Compatible” bubble. This prompted Jonathon Grendon, PR...
News Pre-order LittleBigPlanet Karting for Kevin Butler DLC
VP of bonus content
LittleBigPlanet Karting was only announced yesterday, but retailers are already vying for your pre-orders. Amazon.com is the first to make a convincing case, confirming that any pre-orders placed at the online retailer will be rewarded with an ex
News More Virtua Fighter Combatants Destined for Dead or Alive 5
Crossover chaos
Why wait for the character roster to be announced for your favourite fighting game, when you can hack the demo and discover it for yourself? That’s exactly the mindset one NeoGAF poster adopted, having hacked the source code of a recent Dead or Alive 5 demo in order to make a series of interesting discoveries. It turns out, as...
News Slant Six Responds to RE: Operation Raccoon City Reviews
Biohazard
Developer Slant Six has spoken out about Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City’s less than stellar review scores, telling Eurogamer.net that it believes it “accomplished what Capcom wanted us to do”. Studio producer Mike Kerr revealed that while Slant Six would have preferred the game to have seen higher review scores, he's confident...
News Disney Releases First Epic Mickey 2 Footage
Squared
Following this week’s official announcement, Disney’s released the first footage of upcoming PS3 platformer Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. Judging from the trailer, the game’s managed to maintain the twisted art style of its Nintendo Wii exclusive predecessor. The sequel will allow you to take control of both Mickey Mouse and Oswald...
News Ridge Racer Unbounded Launch Trailer Crashes Online
Race without restraint
With Ridge Racer Unbounded gearing up for release next week, publisher Namco Bandai’s driven the game’s launch trailer out of the garage. The footage focuses on the game’s destruction elements but also takes a moment to show off the racer’s construction suite. It’s hardly ModNation Racers, is it? Still, props to...
News Feast Your Eyes on 30 Minutes of DUST 514
The future
Developer CCP debuted 30 minutes of DUST 514 footage as part of a keynote at its EVE Fanfest event last night. The footage shows off everything from the game’s lobby system right through to its interaction with PC MMO Eve Online. While the gunplay looks decent, it’s the cross-platform integration that’s really the star of the...
News Mass Effect 3 Face Import Bug to be Fixed with Next Patch
Shepard... is that you?
Much of the appeal of the Mass Effect franchise comes from building up a character over the course of multiple games. So the fact that BioWare somehow managed to mess up the face import feature of Mass Effect 3 is, in our opinion, more unforgivable than the game’s disappointing ending. Thankfully, BioWare community...
News Sports Champions Developer Working on Next Generation Title
Next move for motion studio
Zindagi Games – the developer behind the brilliant Sports Champions and the likable Medieval Moves – is readying itself for the next generation. In a job opening advertised on Gamasutra, the proficient PlayStation Move studio notes that it is "moving on and working on the next generation home console"...
Thursday22nd Mar 2012
Feature PlayStation 3's Best Games
The best of the best
PlayStation 3 reaches its fifth birthday in Europe this week, where it finally released on 23rd March 2007 after a lengthy delay. In that time the system has been through highs and lows, but ultimately has proven to be a dominant beast in the living room, embracing multimedia such as TV and film streaming services, Blu-rays and...
News Disney's Brave Coming to PS3 with Move Archery
Arro' there
PlayStation Move is set to get another taste of Disney when Disney Pixar's Brave comes to the motion controller this summer. The third-person action adventure uses Move in an archery segment, though hopefully the full game will be Move compatible; you can't beat a bit of wand-waving in a fantasy setting. Disney's not telling us much...
Rumour Tales of Xillia Heading to Europe
Trademark says so
The latest entry in the long-running Tales series, Tales of Xillia, could be coming to Europe if a trademark is to be believed. Seasoned snoops Siliconera uncovered a listing for the title that was filed by publisher Namco Bandai earlier in the week. These things usually turn out to be true. Namco Bandai has yet to comment on the...
News Foosball 2012 Shoots onto PS3 and PS Vita
Practice your wrist action
Grip Games is well known for its output on the PlayStation Minis platform, but with today’s announcement it has stepped into the big league. The Prague-based developer has taken a quick detour onto the PlayStation Blog to reveal Foosball 2012 – a digital table football simulation pledged for PlayStation 3 and...
News LittleBigPlanet Karting Powerslides onto PlayStation 3
Crafty
ModNation Racers studio United Front Games has revealed itself as the developer behind the rumoured LittleBigPlanet Karting. The adorable racer – due out on PlayStation 3 at some point in 2012 – promises a full creation system similar to that in the mainline LBP games, which will allow players to craft new levels, racers, and even modify...
News Take a Look at Bayonetta in Anarchy Reigns
Anarchic manes
Platinum Games has released the first images of Bayonetta in online brawler Anarchy Reigns. The crossover was announced earlier in the week, and will see all first-edition copies of the game bundled with a code opening up access to the hairy witch in the title’s 16-player online component. With Madworld
News The Simpsons Arcade Game Tops February PSN Charts
Woohoo!
Almost 25 years after their original debut, The Simpsons are still topping charts. Sony has revealed that the recently re-released The Simpsons Arcade Game has topped the PlayStation Network charts for February, beating out strong competition from the likes of Gotham City Imposters and House of the Dead III. Escape Plan took the honours on...
News Max Payne 3's "Crews" to Carry Over into GTAV Multiplayer
Persistent posses
Rockstar Games' Dan Houser casually dropped a tidbit concerning Grand Theft Auto V’s multiplayer in an interview with IGN today. The traditionally shy executive confirmed that the “crews” players form in Max Payne 3’s multiplayer mode will carry across into GTAV via the Rockstar Social Club. He said: Multiplayer is an...
News Find Out How Kara Came to Life
Behind the scenes
There’s no doubt that Quantic Dream’s Kara tech demonstration was one of the most interesting reveals at this year’s GDC. Designed to plot the progression of the French studio's performance capture technology, the short movie detailed the transformation of an android named Kara from cyborg to emotional human. It’s...
News Grasshopper Considering Shadows of the Damned Sequel
Spurred on
Shadows of the Damned didn’t get the respect it deserved. In what other third-person shooter do you feed crying babies strawberries in order to open locked doors? Exactly. If you haven’t played it, you’re part of the problem. Still, despite the game tanking like a weight in water at retail, former Silent Hill composer (who worked on...
Wednesday21st Mar 2012
News Saints Row: The Third Explains the Trouble with Clones
Gat's back
It’s probably telling that Saints Row: The Third’s latest DLC pack – which sees former series protagonist Johnny Gat brought back to life as a thirty-foot clone – seems a bit tame. Don’t get us wrong, we like the idea of gaining superpowers from drinking the Saints’ own brand of energy drink (Saints Flow for those curious),...
News BioWare Seeking "Closure" for Mass Effect 3 Ending
Under fire developer responds
Earlier in the week we reported that fans had started a petition against Mass Effect 3’s disappointing conclusion. At the time of writing, the lobby had raised $66,000 for US charity Child’s Play. Since then that number has jumped by approximately $10,000, with an additional 600 players adding their name to the...
News BioShock Vita Was Announced Before Development Started
Would you kindly...?
Sony kindly asked Ken Levine to announce BioShock Vita before the game even started production, the developer has revealed. Speaking in an interview with Eurogamer.net, the series creator said that he agreed to the request due to Sony being such a great partner to Irrational Games: Look, generally when I announce something...
News Final Fantasy XIII-2 Gets Mass Effect 3 DLC
Sure, why not?
Good job Final Fantasy XIII-2 is all about time travel. The title’s already taken a trip into the past in order to steal Ezio’s robes, and now it’s preparing for a trip into the future too. Square Enix has announced that an upcoming DLC pack will see Mass Effect costumes integrated into the JRPG sequel. Protagonists Serah and...
Rumour Trademark Teases Dawnguard DLC for Skyrim
Awaken, Dovahkiin
The last we heard about Bethesda’s post-release plans for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the publisher indicated that we wouldn’t be seeing any additional content for a while. But a trademark filing posted by parent company Zenimax Media has indicated that the RPG’s first expansion might be closer than we expected. The...
Store Update 21st March 2012 (Europe)
Ubisoft meltdown
Ubi wants a big ol' slice of your money this week, with Altair, Ezio and Rayman all competing for your digital funds. Here's what's up this week for those with European Store accounts. PlayStation Plus: Assassin’s Creed Revelations – 50% Discount (ends Monday, March 26th)Rayman 3 HD – 20% Discount, 1 week onlyBionic Commando:...
Store Update 20th March 2012 (North America)
Sumioni and Rayman 3
After the thrill of Journey and other high profile releases in recent weeks, this Store Update might disappoint some, but there's still some quality downloading to be done. Here's what's up. PlayStation Plus: Free Dynamic Theme: Journey Dynamic Theme Spring Fever Discounted Games:Rayman 3 HD (20% off)
News Epic Mickey 2 Paints its Way onto PlayStation 3
Disney lets the mouse out of the bag
If Warren Spector’s appearance on this week’s GameTrailers TV wasn’t enough to convince you that Disney Epic Mickey 2 was on the horizon, then an Associated Press story should do the job. The article confirms that a sequel to 2010’s popular Nintendo Wii platformer is in development for PlayStation 3, with...
News Bayonetta Struts into Anarchy Reigns
Hair she is
Platinum Games’ pert protagonist Bayonetta is set to make a cameo in the upcoming arena brawler Anarchy Reigns. The sassy star will be made available for all those that pre-order the game (known as Max Anarchy overseas) ahead of its Japanese release. Publisher SEGA’s yet to share any gameplay details, but more information is expected...
News Starhawk Features Dual Log-ins
Friends with benefits
There was a time when gaming was all about hanging out with mates and competing on the couch. That time has since become a distant memory, as the importance of online gaming grows. But Lightbox Interactive is aiming to bring split-screen back... Well, sort of anyway. The thing is, Starhawk will not feature four-player...
News Slant Six Announces Strata Scavenger
Next on the agenda
With Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City done and dusted, former SOCOM developer Slant Six is turning its attention to its first new intellectual property. Named Strata Scavenger, the currently platform-less title is due out in 2013. The company explained: Though we’re keeping this one close to our collective chests, we can...
News Dylan Jobe Updates You on Starhawk Development
To infinity and beyond
Starhawk is mere months away from its 8th May release, a date which is all too soon for Lightbox Interactive’s Dylan Jobe. In a brand new video posted to the PlayStation Blog, the classy CEO has shared some last minute thoughts on the game’s development, its beta and the importance of crunch time. We can’t help but feel...
Tuesday20th Mar 2012
Review Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (PlayStation 3)
No braaains
Set as a side story during the events of Resident Evil 2's Raccoon City outbreak, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City drops you in the heavy boots of an elite Umbrella commando squad. Your assignment: retrieve the G-Virus or, failing that, destroy all evidence of Umbrella's connection and remove any dangerous survivors — Leon S...
Review Binary Domain (PlayStation 3)
Binary dismemberment
Global warming has flooded Earth, killing millions. With human manpower severely diminished, the mass production of robotic workers went into full force to assist with rebuilding the devastation around the world. Governmental powers crippled in the wake of the disaster, laws and regulations weren’t properly enforced: in Binary...
News God of War 'Demake' Now Available
Free for PC
The God of War series is arguably amongst the best-known franchises on PlayStation 3, and one recent release that has grabbed our attention is an 8-bit re-imagining of these titles' universe. It may seem like an unlikely project, but that's exactly what indie developer Holmade Games has produced. The indie developer decided that it...
News Resistance: Burning Skies Trailer Lights Up
Isn't futile
Your first look at footage of Resistance: Burning Skies on PS Vita is right below these very words. Nihilistic's shooter is heading for release at the end of May, with more details to be revealed next month including the first information on its multiplayer mode. Until then get watching the video below and see how many new weapons and...
News Virtua Fighter Legend Chibita Talks Final Showdown
The 'little kid' speaks
SEGA's Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown is out in a few months, hoping to draw in a new breed of players to its "speed chess" gameplay. If you practise for years and years and years, you might be as good as VF legend Chibita. The Japanese pro talked to the official SEGA Blog about his play style, career and the...
Rumour Crystal Dynamics Working on Soul Reaver Reboot
Something to sink your teeth into
Reports emerging this morning indicate that Crystal Dynamics is working on a full reboot of the vampire series, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. VG247 has the scoop, suggesting that the game will be a “full reworking of the vampire action classic” with a new art direction. The site notes that a reveal was previously...
News Capcom Releases RE: Operation Raccoon City Launch Trailer
An assault on your eardrums
Before you press play on this Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City launch trailer, make sure you turn your speakers down. Capcom’s set the latest footage of its spin-off squad based shooter to the noisiest dubstep soundtrack of all time. There’s no melody here, just vibrations. You can find out whether Slant Six’s...
News BioShock Infinite's "Boys of Silence" Are Surprisingly Loud
Frightening, too
Of all the Heavy Hitters developer Irrational Games has revealed for BioShock Infinite, the so-called “Boys of Silence” are by far the most terrifying. Look, we don’t particularly fancy coming up against a mechanical George Washington either, but we’d prefer it to one of these faceless menaces. We'll be having nightmares...
News There's a Lot of Dialogue in BioShock Infinite
Chatterbox
The original BioShock was a fairly chatty game, but the upcoming BioShock Infinite is poised to puts its predecessor to shame. Series creator Ken Levine has revealed that there is “three or four times” more scripting in a single level of Infinite than in the entirety of the original game combined. That leaves a lot of room to say...
News Assassin's Creed: Revelations Sneaks onto PSN This Week
Pay the price
If, like us, you’ve come to resent changing discs when you want to play a new game, then Ubisoft’s got the perfect announcement for you: Assassin’s Creed Revelations is coming to the PlayStation Network this week. You’ll have to pay a premium to witness the conclusion of Ezio’s tale directly from your hard-drive (£49.99),...
News I Am Alive Lives on PSN From 4th April
This is living
After a short period of exclusivity on the Xbox 360, Ubisoft has announced that it is bringing its ambitious survival title I Am Alive to the PlayStation Network on 4th April, 2012. Ubisoft has yet to reveal full pricing information for the game, but it has announced that PlayStation Plus subscribers will be able to take advantage of...
News Hydrophobia Prophecy Developer Enters Administration
Drowning in debt
Hydrophobia Prophecy developer Dark Energy Digital has been shut down, according to a report on GamesIndustry.biz. The site reports that the company’s assets have been passed onto the recently founded Dark Energy Publishing, a new upstart created in January by Dark Energy Digital owners Pete and Deborah Jones. GamesIndustry.biz...
Monday19th Mar 2012
Review FIFA Street (PlayStation 3)
Quality street
A lot has changed in the football genre since EA released FIFA Street 3 back in 2008. The mainline FIFA franchise has enjoyed an impressive transformation over the past five years and, consequentially, has knocked former champion Pro Evolution Soccer from the top of the league. It’s telling, then, that the latest FIFA Street comes...
News BioWare Responds to Mass Effect 3 Backlash
Unhappy endings
Disgruntled Mass Effect fans have now raised over $66,000 for US charity Child’s Play regarding the ending of Mass Effect 3. The paid petition – which now has over 3,000 signatures – launched just under a week ago and has taken the video game industry by storm. The demand of its supporters is for BioWare to consider fleshing...
News Developer Expected Mixed Reception for Asura's Wrath
No surprise
Asura’s Wrath is not a conventional game. In all honesty, it’s not really a game at all. It’s an experience – an utterly ridiculous one, but an experience all the same. It’s unsurprising, then, that the president of developer Cyber Connect 2, Hiroshi Matsuyama, expected the game to be met with mixed reactions. He told Joystiq:...
News PSN Maintenance Returns This Wednesday
Heads up
It’s that time of the month again where we hop online to school you about Sony’s latest PlayStation Network maintenance plans. Comes around quick, doesn’t it? Posting on the official community forums, Sony’s announced that the latest batch of network repairs will begin on 21st March at 15:00PM GMT and will run right through until...
News EA Announces More Server Closures
Online pass titles part of the cull
It turns out that the money raised from online passes is not being put towards server maintenance after all. EA has basically squashed that theory by announcing that it is closing down the online portion of EA Sports MMA – a title which less than 18 months ago required an online pass for multiplayer gameplay. EA...
News New Sorcery Footage Waves its Wand
Wingardium leviosa
Sorcery’s certainly come a long way since its initial unveiling. The original concept seemed like a pretty bog standard dungeon crawler, but based on the evidence of this new footage, the game’s blossomed into something of an adventure title. The question is, valued reader, are you still excited for the game or not? There was...
News FIFA Street Shoots to the Top of the UK Charts
Messi masterclass
FIFA Street dodged and weaved its way past Mass Effect 3 in the UK sales charts this week, topping the list with a rabona finish. The urban soccer sim headed a robust week for the FIFA franchise as a whole, with mainline release FIFA 12 still managing to scoop a Champions League spot in fourth. Mass Effect 3 naturally dropped to...
News Runner 2 Delayed Until November
It's a bit of a trip up
Sony gamers have enjoyed some spectacular and exclusive download titles, though the BIT.TRIP series from Gaijin Games is perhaps one group of Wii exclusives that will have attracted envious glances. Thankfully, the developer's latest title, Runner 2 - Future Legend of Rhythm Alien, is confirmed for the PlayStation Network, so...
