American PSN update for March 13th

by Jem Alexander { Mar 13th 2008 at 5:00PM }

As if to purposefully annoy Europeans even further, SCEA has released one of the best store updates we've seen in a long time. Plenty of add-on packs, videos and even a demo. We like this week's update and hope to see the year continue with similar results. Here's the full release list:

Toy Home expansion pack ($6.99)
Major League Baseball 2K8 demo (free)
PAIN character add-on "Ginger the Nurse" ($0.99)
PAIN character add-on "Muffy the Cheerleader" ($0.99)
Rock Band songs

Black Tide's "Shockwave" ($0.99)
Paramore's "Crushcrushcrush" ($0.99)
Serj Tankian's "Beethovan's C***" ($0.99)

Guitar Hero III "Dropkick Murpheys" song pack (free)
Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds "Characters and courses" video (free)
Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds "New shot system" video (free)
Viking: Battle for Asgard teaser trailer (free)
Viking "Episode 1 - Skarin's Calling" video (free)
Viking "Episode 2 - Siege of Caldburg" video (free)
God of War: Chains of Olympus theme (free)
PAIN "Ginger" theme (free)
PAIN "Muffy" theme (free)
2 Condemned 2: Bloodshot themes (free)
Condemned 2: Bloodshot wallpaper (free)

Sony Europe - take note. This is a PSN update. We're pleased to see a God of War: Chains of Olympus theme, even though it's a PSP game. As for the Toy Home expansion, that's a pleasant surprise, indeed. Though it's a little pricey. We're intrigued to see if the additional content is worth more than half the price of the original game.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

aaron_k7 @ Mar 13th 2008 5:29PM

Wow, so much for PS1 classics...are we not doing that anymore? Oh, only in Japan? Forgot.

Tim Parsons @ Mar 13th 2008 5:37PM

you want PSone games I have a great suggestion,.. Go buy a PSone and find the games you want and STFU , stop whinning!

Watcher @ Mar 13th 2008 5:17PM

Oops, guys fix your link for Toy home expac. You have Pa3fanboy instead of ps3fanboy.

Brian Spence @ Mar 13th 2008 5:17PM

I pretty much play video games by myself, so I have no interest in guitar hero or rock band (playing pretend instruments by yourself seems like the height of sadness to me). So most of these updates have been really lame. I'm not into baseball, I don't have a PSP, and PAIN hasn't had the greatest reviews.

Overall, not that great an update in my opinion. Anyone else feel the same?

Tim Parsons @ Mar 13th 2008 5:29PM

I have PAIN and I really don't have any interest in these add-on characters i'm wondering if anyone actually buys them

HAAS599 @ Mar 13th 2008 5:34PM

i would buy a new launch enviroment

Lars @ Mar 14th 2008 1:24PM

I buy the add-on characters. Not really for the characters themselves, although they can be quite amusing. I just buy the characters because I really like the game, and I want to encourage them to do more to it, so buying a 99cent character is my way of donating to the cause. Plus... hey, it's only 99cents, that couldn't even buy me enough gas to get to work.

Tim Parsons @ Mar 13th 2008 5:18PM

Blah,. nothing of remote interest in this update for me ,. this is the worst update yet in my opinion as not even so much as one video is of interest to me. & anyone getting excited over MLB 2k8 demo ,. well no comment

aaron_k7 @ Mar 13th 2008 6:18PM

Maybe learn how to write while you're at it. I had trouble using the same bad grammar and punctuation as you did.

Tim Parsons @ Mar 13th 2008 6:13PM

wow your too funny kid, P.S XBOX SUCKS!! If i wwanted a block heater i'd go buy ,. a block heater !

aaron_k7 @ Mar 13th 2008 6:46PM

What's your profile picture?

Clownzy @ Mar 13th 2008 5:25PM

the GoW theme is also a ps3 theme!

Tim Parsons @ Mar 13th 2008 5:44PM

all themes PSN released Themes are soooo Boring. There are much better ones out there user created,. the SONY released ones are lame and boring

Lars @ Mar 14th 2008 1:27PM

You're just full of flames Tim, aren't you?

I have yet to find a theme that I like better than the original one. Love the original. Actually I'd like to see the original in black, if we could change the color of text too. Then I could use light backgrounds.

Popfrogs @ Mar 14th 2008 11:24PM

@Lars: I found a theme that I keep coming back to. Actually there are 2 hand drawn icon themes that look nice.

http://www.ps3-themes.com/art-graphics/gant.html and
http://www.ps3-themes.com/animals-nature/buuf.html

chris.westermann @ Mar 13th 2008 5:27PM

I don't know, is Pain trying to be porn? Just goes to show you that all the Pain team is doing is coming up with sexy characters rather then doing anything else, like say, making it a good game.
As for the new shot system for Hot Shots, I just hope they didn't hack in some lame Sixaxis control scheme where I have to whip the controller forward to hit the ball. Leave the motion control nonsense for Nintendo as its all they have going for them. So far with a few rare exceptions most sixaxis controls schemes are lame and almost unusable rather then being fun and innovative. Sony should just start to quietly ignore sixaxis and pretend it never existed, I am trying to.

Vincent @ Mar 16th 2008 10:55AM

No it doesn't use the sixaxis tilting. You can download Hot Shots Golf demo on the EU PSN, just make an acc there.

Lars @ Mar 13th 2008 5:39PM

A fiver nets me 3 Rock Band songs and 2 PAIN characters!? Sweet!

bluefrog @ Mar 13th 2008 6:45PM

Unless you live in Canada, then you pay $1.99 for everything that's $0.99 in the US...and the dollars are worth the same.

Lars @ Mar 14th 2008 1:32PM

At least in Canada you get healthcare, low crime, lower cost of living, and so on.

Parker @ Mar 13th 2008 5:44PM

I really wish they would give us new Pain levels, instead of new characters.

Tim Parsons @ Mar 13th 2008 5:46PM

How true

E-Rich @ Mar 14th 2008 8:19AM

I had bought PAIN, and they said that the next new level wasn't coming until like May. I deleted it. It was really a waste of ten dollars. I should've just got Flow instead.

Mein Bratwurst @ Mar 13th 2008 5:53PM

Man, that God of War theme is HAWT. I usually get bored of themes easily but I think i'll be keeping that one for quite some time.

Kodros @ Mar 13th 2008 5:58PM

Do you get extra points if her breast implants explode upon impact?

mayamayouidiot @ Mar 14th 2008 1:53AM

Wouldn't watching that happen be enough of a reward itself? ;)

sUKi @ Mar 13th 2008 5:59PM

Toy Home: It is a 100kb write file [or license] the actual download for the expansion is 818mb when you start the game up after you install that file.

SG @ Mar 13th 2008 5:59PM

So... where the hell is our COD4 features update that the 360 got two weeks ago? I know it wouldn't be a PSN store item, but this is as good a place as it'll get to point out that the patch has been bouncing around in certification for like three weeks now. WTF.

Andrew @ Mar 13th 2008 6:28PM

Does anyone know if the US free Guitar Hero III content will work on an EU console running the EU version of the game? I am thinking of getting it and it would be nice to know.

klexam @ Mar 13th 2008 8:30PM

What the heck are these Rock Band songs? They suck! You gotta have Freebird. Also, throw in some Queen. PSN has been a real dissapointment so far this year.

never$$hort @ Mar 13th 2008 9:06PM

These updates haven't done much for me the past couple months, well, besides Rocketmen... yes.. I actually like Rocketmen quite a bit and I'm not afraid to say it.. haha

blue69corvet @ Mar 13th 2008 9:24PM

What about ps3 update 3.17 any one got any info on it? im d/l right now. Just got home from work so im just geting my crap together

Mein Bratwurst @ Mar 13th 2008 9:53PM

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2008/03/12/firmware-update-v217/

farfisa @ Mar 13th 2008 11:58PM

Well, this update has quantity anyway.

mayamayouidiot @ Mar 14th 2008 5:09AM

Nice to see Jem not shitting on all the sports fans on ps3fanboy this time around.

mayamayouidiot @ Mar 14th 2008 1:58AM

There's also a Wipeout Pulse demo, according to the Playstation Blog. All these PSP demos coming out lately somehow make me want a PSP so badly...

mayamayouidiot @ Mar 14th 2008 2:00AM

And it's nice to see Jem not attempting to alienate all the ps3fanboy sports fans this time around...

flynn @ Mar 14th 2008 9:34AM

saying "SCEA has released one of the best store updates we've seen in a long time." is not saying much, as every store update in the past few weeks has been terrible. this one is not far behind.

chillski @ Mar 14th 2008 12:37PM

PS3FANBOY WRITERS... STOP DEFENDING CRAPPY PSN UPDATES !!!

We are all getting screwed here by these crappy updates, THEY SUCK... If sony wants to be gay and only give us this kind of crappy selection imight accutally get a XBOX where i can download MOVIES AND MUSIC..

gee music and movies wouldnt that be nice, if only sony had the rights to movies and music OH WAIT THEY DO THEY HAVE RIGHTS TO LOTS OF THEM !!! so why do they leave us with this unentertaining bullsh*t

Lars @ Mar 14th 2008 1:30PM

Don't encourage people to have a negative attitude like your own.

Tru-blu @ Mar 14th 2008 10:35AM

One of the best updates? PAIN add-on characters and a bunch of GH3 & RB extra songs, baseball demo along with game video and a few new Themes? Although the GOW Theme for the PS3 & PSP is pretty nice.
But, for me, an outstanding update would consist of new downloadable games or more game demos.

Lars @ Mar 14th 2008 1:36PM

I checked out the Viking videos... wow, am I dissapointed. I was pretty excited about the game when I heard about it, but it looks TERRIBLE. Well, if it's a PSN downloadable game at a budget price then I'm all over it, otherwise don't expect 60 bucks from me. Looks like they were "inspired" by --or stole-- Rune's viking art style.

ICON[o]clast @ Mar 16th 2008 6:47AM

Wow... I had already bought the best Baseball game there is to have out,of course im talking about the Sony exclusive MLB 08:The Show. But i decided to check out the demo for 2K8 (seeing as i USED to be a 2K supporter,for Baseball at least) and let me tell you now..IT..IS...CRAP.

The graphics arent that good compared to 08 and the wind effect on the jerseys are a cool idea but sometimes it looks baaaad. The fielding is uncomfortable. They do got some cool ideas that have potential but havent been used fully correctly. Like using the right-stick for the pitching and batting. I liked using the right stick to throw to the bases though.

Besides that, the demo is nothing special. I dont expect any more from the game itself. Fenway's Monster doesnt even LOOK green..it looks blue-green. For christ sakes im hearing the same commentary from all the way back in 2K5!! But yea.. im just going on now..... dont even download the demo.

The only demo ive deleted right after i played it.