PlayStation Store Update, July 31st Edition

Do you love PlayStation Trophies?  Well then get out there you rookie!  The very addictive ‘PixelJunk Eden’ has joined the PSN today for $9.99.  It’s the first game to support trophies at its release.  And don’t forget that you can upload your in-game footage to Youtube.  Grab your “Grimp” and get swingin’.

Also in this weeks PSN update, ‘Facebreakers’ will have you reaching for Neosporin.  Check out the rest of the list below:

Playable content

• PixelJunk Eden full game ($9.99)

Add-on content

• Soul Calibur IV “Customization Equipment” pack 1 ($1.50)
• Rock Band DLC
  • “They Say” - Scars on Broadway ($2)
  • “This is it” - Staind ($2)
  • “Electric Crown” - Testament ($2)
  • “Yomp” - The New No 2 ($1)

Demos

• LEGO Indiana Jones demo (free)
• Facebreaker demo (free)
• Madden 09 demo (free)

Game Videos

• The Last Guy trailer
• Vampire Rain Altered Species trailer 3
• Beijing 2008 “track” trailer
• Beijing 2008 “swimming” trailer
• Bionic Commando Rearmed Making of - part 2
• AST Dew Tour - BMX Progression trailer
• AST Dew Tour - BMX Rewind trailer
• AST Dew Tour - FMX Unleashed
• AST Dew Tour - Skate Highlights

PS3 Wallpapers and Themes

• Killzone 2 theme
• 2x PixelJunk Eden themes
• 2x Siren Blood Curse wallpapers
• 2x Soul Calibur IV wallpapers
• Street Fighter IV Summer 2008 wallpaper

Game Music

• 17x Sould Calibur IV tracks ($0.99 individually, $14.99 as a set)

Via PlayStation.Blog

Game Review: SIREN: Blood Curse

“SIREN: Blood Curse, Sony’s Horror game split up into 12 Episodes is the scariest game of 2008!”

Title: SIREN: Blood Curse

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA)

Studio: SCE Japan Studio

Platform: PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™)

Distribution: 12 downloadable episodes via PLAYSTATION®Network

Genre: Survival Horror, Adventure

Rating: M for “Mature”

Pricing: $39.99 for the full game or $14.99 per 4-episode bundle. This is all available only through the PS Store.

Release: July 24th, 2008

So, for those of you looking for a great horror game, SIREN: Blood Curse literally scared the crap of of us. The games’ eerie sounds and gritty views make this our ‘Horror Game of 2008′.

If you don’t mind downloading 12 separate episodes (9 gb total), and painfully installing each episode while trying to figure out why Sony couldn’t make it an easier process, SIREN:Blood Curse is for you! In all honesty, I feel this is the only con SIREN has, although the idea of having the game installed and ALWAYS ready to go is something we got VERY comfortable with. I mean, getting up to put a blu-ray disc in, is soo 2007.

Really never playing the previous version of SIREN, I was excited to wet-my-pants scared playing this game. Sure, I’ve played horror games before (Resident Evil but SIREN is different. It leaves you thinking all the time “What the hell was that?”. The Asian Zombie infused “bad guys” are intimidating and it seems like you’d rather run than fight these monsters. The houses are filled with very detailed bloody Asian styled decors. There’s a new style called Sight Jack. Sight Jack is when your screen splits and you have the advantage to scout the area by going into the nearby character’s mid and seeing the world through their eyes. It’s an important part of the game that gives you the feeling that the game around you is breathing and living, and Sight Jack allows you to witness it. For you horror fans out there, continue reading. For everyone else, well, check out my review where I try to give you a detailed “like your there” type of feeling.

Enjoying SIREN’s ‘mini series’ approach was easy. They very briefly Introduced each character before your turn to play them. Here’s also how they did it:

- First off, you know it’s 12 episodes.
- Within each Episode are chapters that allow you to continue from them. Almost like checkpoint chapters.
- Starting with Episode 2, it begins the level with a recap of what happened in your previous Episode.
- End of each chapter shows you a preview of the next Episode. It has a Sopranos feeling, with (amazingly) more blood.
- No children are harmed in this game, they just curl up and cry. Almost like the movie Willy Wonka.
- Several different sub plots

Nevertheless the subplots intertwine nicely with each other and each chapter leaves you wanting more.

Gameplay

Controls - Controlling your character seems to be a bit of a learning curve. When you first control your 3rd person view character, you want to use both L3 and R3 to walk forward and look around. These controls are a bit different. The L3 moves your character and the R3 is strictly for looking. Again, a learning curve but you get used to it.

Items - This is also one of the first games where your flashlight is essential to finding your way around. You’ll also notice that some weapons are only accessible to certain characters. Lastly, your archive shows you all the items you’ve picked up to eventually help your mission and solve this mystery of the game.

Health System - Not a true health system, but similar to Call of Duty 4 and Gears of War’s regenerative style. Your clothes become more red with blood as you’re attacked. 8/10

Audio

The screechy noises whether something is about to happen or not constantly keeps you on your toes. The characters and for that matter, the enemies do a great job of giving the game depth. In this game, where hiding is key, you know when an enemy is near and approaching you. 10/10

Replay Value

With most horror games, replay value is tough when you’ve played the game through. Because it’s almost like, “Hey what’s this.. oh another zombie chasing me”, but SIREN does a good job of highering the volume which throws off your hand-to-eye coordination. (I know, it’s an excuse) After playing several Episodes a couple of times, I was still startled and noticed the enemies were not always located in the same spots. 7/10

Uniqueness

SIREN nails it with their innovative approach with the split screen camera view of ‘Sight Jack’. The automatic and seamless sight jack system allows players to see exactly what their enemies or nearby friends see. Hiding in strategic spots and moving the camera to see your surroundings has been done, but in this game your so scared to move it actually feels like YOU’RE hiding from a mumbling, drooling Police Zombie. The DualShock 3 is also a must while playing SIREN. When an enemy is near not only do you hear your heartbeat get louder but your controller vibrates with every pump. There’s also a hazing smoke that fills ups the screen when a Shibito see you, and let’s you know you’ve been spotted. 9/10

Closing Statement

SIREN: Blood Curse is a great game to add to your PS3 collection. Many horror games are made to scare, with most having a terrible story or lack uniqueness. I would recommend this game to any horror action adventure gamer. Twelve scary episodes laid down with an eerie soundtrack makes SIREN: Blood Curse our list of games to download to your PS3. Best of all is the convenience of having the game installed on the PS3 HDD, which allows you to play the game anytime. Better than loaning it to “that guy who doesn’t return games” guy!

+Great meaningful cut scenes.

+Gritty camera angles.

+Nerve racking soundtracks.

-12 episodes to download, slow installing process

New ‘NBA Live 09′ Screenshots

Nine new screenshots have been released by EA for NBA Live 09.  This game series has come a long way since ‘Lakers vs. Celtics’ was released in 1989.  09 features Tony Parker on the cover and is set for an October 7, 2008 release.  Some of the new features include “pick and roll control”, “signature playcalling”, “NBA Academy”, “lockdown control” and “Quickstrike AnkleBreakers”.  According to EA, the AI has also been upgraded.  I haven’t actually played the game yet, but from what I’ve seen, it looks like it is a considerable improvement over NBA Live 08.

Living under a Fascist Curtain

Read the following quote and let it sink in:

Naturally the common people don’t want war, neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.

–Hermann Göring, for former nazi

Every Generation needs a new revolution.

–Thomas Jefferson

Wish you would have paid more attention in social studies class?  Or that you didn’t have a teacher who was too scared to speak the truth.  In the past 7+ years George Bush has committed mass murder by killing over 300,000 civilians in Iraq. 

This morning, on the Howard Stern show, I heard a very interesting commentary from former governor Jesse Ventura.  He was a navy Seal and an underwater demolitions expert.  There is not one demolition expert who was on his team that thinks that the planes knocked down the towers on 9/11.  Explosives were planted, Bush needed a major event to perpetuate his oil war and control the oil in the MidEast.  Please if anyone thinks I’m wrong…

Tell me how.

 

Game Review: Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 (Xbox 360)

When the Xbox Live Arcade initiative was just being rolled out back in 2005 with the launch of the Xbox 360, a genuine neon-emblazed classic came out day one on the service, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved. Fast-forward three years and we finally get a sequel for it; is it worth your 800 Microsoft points?

The short answer: yes. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 is not only an upgrade to the first title, but a real step forward in accessibility, variety, and fun even if you weren’t a hardcore player of the first. Whereas GW1 let you putz around the game and easily blast a few of the geometric enemies for ONLY a few moments (before quickly dying after the barrage of enemies were released), GW:RE2 is a longer, more rewarding experience.

First off, the higher ticket price means you get new modes and added four-player support. The game is split up into six different modes and each one has its different leaderboards — the scores amongst you and your friends are prominently displayed at boot up — and each one varies the gameplay slightly.

A couple of the standouts modes are “Pacifism” and “King,” but the rest are welcome additions, as well. What once used to be an achievement in the first game, becomes a reality in GW:RE2 with the first mode mentioned as you’re stripped away from your power to shoot and have to, instead, traverse the map shot-less and hit “gates” that explode as you pass through them. The latter mode asks you to only shoot in designated “zones,” or circles, moving from one to the next weaseling through the numerous baddies.

Faithful fans of the first game shouldn’t fret though, as the original “Evolved” mode is included along with a few other great modes. Fundamentally, Bizarre Creations has made a few significant changes with this iteration that introduces a “geom” system to the original gameplay. Geoms are specks that the enemies leave behind after shooting them and each one adds to your overall multiplayer. Before, when you died that’d be the end of your multiplier, but GW:RE2’s geom system keeps it going when you’ve respawned. Expect even higher scores this time around.

Multiplayer in Geo Wars 2 comes in two flavors: co-op and competitive. You can play with up three of your buddies and take on every mode that’s available in single-player. Unfortunately, you can’t upload the scores that you acrue with your team of crackshots, but its still an entertaining diversion for when you have company over. Online is noticeably absent, but for a game that relies on split-second reactions and decisions its understandable why it was omitted; sometimes unreliable net lag would’ve killed the experience. Make sure to play multiplayer on a bigger screen than the 13-incher reserved for the kids’ table, though, as the camera pans out far enough to make your ship look like a distant star.

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 does so much with the single “map” that it easily warrants the 800 Points ($10) price of entry without going into Geometry Wars: Galaxies territory and adding tons of levels. The six different modes (including the meaty, 20-level “Sequence” mode) are more than enough game for this DLC marvel. Log into your Xbox Live account and download it now.

Audiosurf: Dylan Fitterer Interview

“Tune Racer”? Audiosurf on consoles? Metal Gear Solid or Half-Life? We talk to Audiosurf creator Dylan Fitterer about what spawned Audiosurf, why interactivity is so beautiful and ask why cutscenes are still around in the industry.

What was your main inspiration for the concept of the game? What made you want to do it?

Well, it mostly just sort of grew out of other things I was trying. The idea stuck around because I loved the concept of a music visualizer that was worth giving your whole attention to for an entire album. One where you could really focus on the music and the experience instead of just having it on in the background.

Back when Audiosurf was Tune Racer (an early prototype) there was very little gameplay. It was then a big challenge to come up with a game that enhanced the musical experience instead of just getting in the
way.

Yes, but gameplay evokes different emotions than music. That’s part of the reason they go together so well.

Playing a little MGS2 was enough to convince me that I didn’t need any more of that. It’s surprising to me that cinema games are still popular at all. I expected them to die with 7th Guest. Comparing that to Half Life 2 (one of my favorite games) is completely unfair

Yes, but to me this question is too broad. Can games evoke emotions in players? Yes. Can creators express themselves through games? Yes. Can playing a game change how you look at a real-life situation? Yes.

I think that’s already happening and will continue as our populations shift to younger generations. Also, maybe we’ll find better ways to overlap the skills you learn in games with the skills you need everyday.

Yes, I think there’s some interesting possibilities there for manual edits to generated rides. The more players can make the experience their own the better.

It does take a lot of time so it can be hard to keep up, but it’s well worth it. There’s no better way to stay in touch with what players want. I’ve even learned new strategies from the players who outscore me.

I don’t see growth in casual games as detrimental to core games. It’s just growth for games. It turns out there’s a lot of people who like to play games, but have no interest in combat, camera control, cinematics, or framerates. I doubt casual games will ever be as large on XBLA or PSN as they are on PC. Strictly casual players probably have a PC for other reasons, but why would they have a console?

Have you been in talks with Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo to bring Audiosurf to consoles? Why would/wouldn’t it work on consoles?

Consoles are definitely a possibility, but as music platforms they’re not as strong as PC.

Is there a sequel planned?

We’ll see. I’m open to a lot of possibilities and am taking some time to experiment.

I’ve got a lot of ideas. The ones where I can mentally see the finished game aren’t very interesting to me though. I’d rather start on something that seems to have promise and eventually find the fun.

Team Fortress 2: Accessibility to get you going and depth to keep you there. I didn’t think any game would get me interested in playing a shooter with random people again, but it did.

Heroscape: A tabletop wargame with simple rules, custom armies, and high amounts of both skill and luck. Everybody has a good time whenever we play.

Name a couple of your favorite songs to play Audiosurf to.

Now That’s Sacred: Jack Conte
Sunspots: Nine Inch Nails
Galvanize: The Chemical Brothers
Eternal Life: Jeff Buckley

New ‘LEGO Batman: The Video Game’ Screens, The Dark Knight Appearing?

Batman’s New arch-LEGO-nemesis makes his way into LEGO Batman coming this Fall 2008.

PLATFORMS: Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the Wii™ and Nintendo DS™, PlayStation®2 and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment systems, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system and Windows PC.
RELEASE DATE: Fall 2008
PUBLISHER: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
DEVELOPER: Traveller’s Tales
ESRB RATING: Expected - Everyone 10+
GENRE: Action-Adventure

Although many characters are appearing in the game, expect to see ‘The Dark Knight’s Batmobile to make an appearance in LEGO Batman: The Video Game.  You’ll also see Batman is his old school light grey suit, same goes for Robin’s suit.  The Dark Knight’s release will help the popularity of the LEGO series, but at this point the LEGO Series has done quite well making games after very succesful movies.

List of Characters

Heroes

• Batman
• Bruce Wayne
• Robin
• Nightwing
• Alfred Pennyworth
• Commissioner James Gordon
• Nighthawk

Villains

• The Joker
• Catwoman
• The Penguin
• The Riddler
• Two-Face
• Mr. Freeze
• Harley Quinn
• The Scarecrow
• Poison Ivy
• Bane
• Killer Croc
• The Mad Hatter
• Clayface
• Man-Bat
• Killer Moth

PS3 Firmware 2.42 Out Now, Nothing Special

As of now, nothing special to report.  From the keyboard on PlayStations Blog:

“Just wanted to give everyone a quick heads up that a PS3 firmware update (v2.42) is now available for download. This update improves the playback quality of some PLAYSTATION 3 and PlayStation format software.”

Some sites were reporting the release of Life with PlayStation.  Here is what Life with PlayStation is all about:

Via PlayStation Blog

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