Most Recent: PS3

PS Store Yesterday: Virtua Fighter 5, LittleBigPlanet 2, Instant Game Collection, more

Posted on June 6, 2012 by John Scalzo

In addition to announcing the “Instant Game Collection” for PlayStation Plus subscribers, Sony added a quartet of new games to the PlayStation Store late last night.

These new releases include Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown, the revamped fighting game from Sega; Bang Bang Racing, a top-down racer for the whole family; Madagascar 3, the video game tie-in to this weekend’s new movie; and LittleBigPlanet 2, Sackboy’s most recent adventure.

More details on all of those games, as well as this week’s new game add-ons, can be found at the PlayStation Blog.

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Prepare for another zombie paradise, Dead Island: Riptide announced

Posted on June 6, 2012 by John Scalzo

Get all your Weekend At Bernie’s jokes ready, because the dead will walk on an island paradise again in Dead Island: Riptide.

Publisher Deep Silver didn’t reveal much about the sequel, but they did confirm that the game will be available on “consoles and PCs” and that Techland is once again handling the development duties. A more complete reveal is planned for later this Summer.

And don’t forget, the Dead Island: Game of the Year Edition will also be available later this Summer. On June 26 to be exact.

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

Persona 4: Arena gets August 7 release date, dual language support

Posted on June 5, 2012 by John Scalzo

Atlus has announced that the Persona fighting game, Persona 4: Arena, will include dual language support when it’s released in North America on August 7. Players will be able to toggle between the original Japanese dialogue and a brand new English language track on both the PS3 and Xbox 360.

“While it remains a feature we are unable to add in every one of our releases due to any number of factors, we are incredibly excited to be able to offer our fans the frequently requested dual language option in as highly anticipated a title as Persona 4: Arena,” said Tim Pivnicny, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Atlus.

Fans of the Persona series are no doubt thrilled at this news, and hopefully they get even more giddy after viewing the new E3 trailer above.

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

PlayStation Plus subscribers to receive “Instant Game Collection”

Posted on June 5, 2012 by John Scalzo

Between all the free games and the ridiculously awesome sales, PlayStation Plus has always been a better subscription service than Microsoft’s Xbox Live Gold. But with its latest gambit, Sony is going for the throat.

Announced last night during their E3 2012 Press Conference, starting today, PlayStation Plus will receive an “Instant Game Collection” of 12 PS3 titles. And these aren’t the dregs of the PlayStation Store either. This is good quality, amazing stuff.

Just take a look at the list of free games you’ll receive as long as you’re a PlayStation Plus subscriber:

  • Choplifter HD
  • InFamous 2
  • Hard Corp: Uprising
  • Just Cause 2
  • Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
  • Little Big Planet 2
  • Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One
  • Saints Row 2
  • Sideway: New York
  • Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown
  • Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
  • Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone

Downloading all of these games individually from the PlayStation Store would cost over $260. So purchasing a PlayStation Plus subscription for $49.99 per year is a much better option. Especially when you add in all the other monthly bonuses a Plus subscription includes.

Your move Microsoft.

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Battlefield 3 follows Call of Duty into war zone of paid subscriptions

Posted on June 5, 2012 by Andrew Rainnie

Following in the murky footstep of Activision’s Call of Duty Elite service, EA has announced a similar subscription service for their FPS, Battlefield 3, entitled Battlefield 3 Premium.

Priced at $49.99, Battlefield Premium carries the same price as its Elite competition. In return, players will receive five expansion packs; essentially it is five “Project Ten Dollars” shoved together. Battlefield 3 Premium subscribers will also have access to “a host of exclusive in-game items including the ACB-90 knife, a set of Premium dog tags, and soldier and weapon camos – all complemented by unique Battlelog features, Double XP weekends, and other exclusive events and videos.”

EA Games Executive Vice President Patrick Soderlund claims that gamers will save $25 buying in bulk rather than buying the DLC packs individually, and that those who subscribed would receive new updates two weeks before normal players.

While the move is unsurprising, one cannot help but feel this is the road to Hell, paved with good intentions. Perhaps it is a question of lack of originality. Star Wars: The Old Republic was criticised for being too much like rival MMO World of Warcraft, while this new move sees Battlefield 3 merely following in Call of Duty’s footsteps. And when a game and subscription package costs over $100, players are more likely to only pick one.

And I can’t help but feel that EA is looking to gouge their players with little charges for any sort of perceived “extra.” But maybe it’s just me.

[Source: Reuters]

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Lord of the Rings is next franchise to get Lego treatment

Posted on June 5, 2012 by Andrew Rainnie

After Lego Star Wars, Lego Indiana Jones, Lego Harry Potter and Lego Batman, the Lego Group, along with Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment and TT Games, have announced the rather clumsily worded Lego The Lord of the Rings.

Surely they should have taken the definitive article out of the title? Regardless, the new game will encompass all three films from the trilogy, and will be released for all current consoles, including the 3DS, PS Vita, DS, PC, Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360. In a break from the traditional “Lego Something” format, the game will also feature voiced dialogue.

Tom Stone, Managing Director at TT Games, expressed the company’s enthusiasm for the game: “We are huge aficionados of The Lord of the Rings franchise and are incredibly excited to put our special Lego family-friendly touch on this classic fantasy adventure. We’ve taken what fans are familiar with and love about The Lord of the Rings films and combined it with the playful Lego style, which makes the story and gameplay accessible to gamers of all ages.”

Perhaps it is just me, but it is hard to get excited about yet another Lego transformation of a licensed film series. What’s next? Lego Fast and the Furious? Or maybe a move into TV with Lego Game of Thrones and Lego Sex and the City? The toy brick company has a number of original franchises, such as the Lego Hero Factory or Bionicle, the latter made into a mediocre game by Argonaut and EA and therefore in need of a decent reboot. I find I am much more excited by the upcoming Lego City Stories for Wii U.

Nevertheless, cutesy brick versions of Gandalf, Frodo and Legolas will be winging their way to you in the Fall.

Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS3, Vita, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

Sony @ E3 12: The Last of Us is brutal and gritty

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Naughty Dog was on hand to show the first gameplay demo for The Last of Us, which feels like a grown-up version of Uncharted. Not that Uncharted isn’t grown up, but The Last of Us can be downright brutal. The realistic fight scene stretched over several rooms, starting with the main characters trying to stealth, but then being forced into battle.

Your pint-sized companion jumps in at just the right moment to distract one of your assailants, helping you to take him out. She also jumps on top of another enemy and stabs him in the back. You then wrap it up by shooting him in the face with his own shotgun.

Like I said – it’s brutal. I couldn’t see Nathan Drake being quite so cold-hearted, no matter how many dudes he’s tossed over cliffs.

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Sony @ E3 12: God of War: Ascension has a new release date

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Nicole Kline

There’s really not much new about God of War: Ascension (except for the multiplayer, of course). Well, there is a new ability where you can put things back together, but that’s about the only thing. OK, that is pretty rad. But really, it’s just another God of War game. Why isn’t the Sony Santa Monica team working on a new IP? Or at least a new mythology?

Either way, the game still looks awesome, regardless of how many times we’ve seen Kratos pull a dude’s head off. God of War: Ascension will smash your PlayStation 3 on March 12, 2013.

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