After a fairly lengthy stint as a Community Manager, maintaining websites for Konami, Square, Namco, and others, I became absorbed by the Joystiq crew, and work blog full-time. I was the lead of the PlayStation Fanboy sites, and currently operate as the Joystiq Network East Coast Editor.
Noteworthy games: Ikaruga (DC), Pokemon (GB), Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64), Half-Life 2 (PC), Metal Gear Solid (PS), God of War II (PS2), Resident Evil 4 (GC), Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA), Otogi (XB), Chrono Trigger (SNES), Gitaroo-Man Lives! (PSP), Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! (DS), Braid (360), Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii), Everyday Shooter (PS3)
Hey, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be enjoying the holiday weekend? (Also known as plain ol' "Saturday" to our friends in Europe.) Our Michael Jackson-related coverage has been -- for better or worse -- rather lacking. For those of you who haven't tired of the media surrounding the late pop star, you may want to entertain yourself with this rather creative recreation of the singer's classic "Smooth Criminal." This time, the action is recreated in PSN game Rag-Doll Kung Fu.
Check it out after the break and enjoy the holiday!
It looks like God Eater may be much more than a simple Monster Hunter clone. While the gameplay is focused on multiplayer monster slayin', we're digging the game's dark anime look. The music is particularly exciting to listen to. Check out the official website for another soothing piano ballad. We have to admit -- we're really getting pumped for this one.
... And for good reason, too. The company is bringing out two PS3 exclusives this year: Quantum and Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2. Considering its third-party status, Tecmo is really risking a lot by abandoning a traditional multiplatform approach.
"Whenever I discuss this with Sony reps I always ask them: 'Please cut the price'," Tecmo's Kenji Matsubara told CVG. "Sony introduced cutting-edge technology in the PS3, that's why people in the industry accept that the PS3 cost is so high, but we'd welcome a price cut."
That's certainly a change of tone from a different third-party publisher, Activision. That company most recently made waves when it half-heartedly "threatened" to remove support for PlayStation products. In spite of the difference in approaches, it's clear that the PS3's price needs to be lowered. Not only does the customer want it, but publishers are demanding it as well.
Just like its Japanese counterpart, the English language version of Monster Hunter Freedom Unite will feature weekly downloadable content. Best of all, it'll be free! Expect updates every Friday for the next few months. The first content update, available today, is a new "Epic Hunting Quest" called "The Triumvirate of the Sands." This quest will feature the monsters Daimyo Hermitaur, Tigrex, Plesioth, and will take place in the desert (hence the "Sands" part, you see?). Survive and you'll be able to net 12300z.
In order to download the DLC, all you need to do is boot up the game in your PSP and click Download from the start menu. No need to log on to the PlayStation Network or download anything from the PlayStation Store. Not bad, huh?
You've probably read the laundry list of all the things that are new to the PS3-exclusive version of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2. Among the list of three new playable characters is Momiji, first introduced in Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword on Nintendo DS. Check out the footage after the break and watch as a proficient player (ie. not us) slashes through a horde of ninjas -- and don't miss her sweet bow & arrow.
We're still a bit miffed that his version is missing the gore that made the original Ninja Gaiden 2 notorious. Guess we'll have to stick with this improved -- and artsier -- version.
For a limited time, you'll be able to download free episodes of two Bravo reality shows from the PlayStation Store. The first episodes of The Real Housewives of New Jersey and NYC Prep are available to download for free. These reality shows will lift your spirits, making you thankful for not being these people. Watch comedy ensue as cameras follow a series of desperate New Jersey housewives banter about their hair, and a group of spoiled rich kids complain about how rich they are.
Sony is printing money with its slowly expanding library of PSone classics on the PlayStation Store. Playable on both PSP and PS3, these downloadable titles have been an easy way to prey upon gamer nostalgia. Unsurprisingly, the most iconic games of the PS1 era take the top of the PSone downloads chart in the month of June:
Final Fantasy VII
Street Fighter Alpha
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Crash Bandicoot
Twisted Metal 2
Spyro the Dragon
Crash Bandicoot: WARPED
Crash Bandicoot 2
Wild Arms
Tekken 2
It shouldn't be too surprising to see multiple Crash Bandicoot games take positions in the top 10. He was, after all, PlayStation's official mascot back in the day. Let's remember him with some classic PS1 ads after the break.
Are you one of the few people who visit our site every day, only dreaming of owning a PS3? Well, maybe now's the time to change that dream into a reality. Newegg is having a special coupon-only deal, which will take $40 off the standard price of a PS3. It's not a price drop, but it's pretty close. To take advantage of the deal, use promo code EMCLVLN52. For $360, you'll be able to pick up an 80GB "Core Pack." Sure, it doesn't come with the nice bonuses of the full-priced Best Buy bundle, but the $40 you save can go towards buying some PSN games. Maywerecommendafew?
Tecmo is prepping not one, but two PS3 exclusives. Quantum is Tecmo's take on Gears of War for the PlayStation audience. When questioned by Siliconera on why the team chose PS3 exclusivity, director Makoto Shibata said that they wanted to work on the most powerful hardware around. "The PS3 [is] the hardware with the highest specs," he said.
With Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 and Undead Knights also coming from Tecmo, it appears the company has shifted gears towards being a largely Sony-oriented development company. That's strange, considering the large number of high-profile Xbox-exclusive titles the company is known for: Dead or Alive and the original Ninja Gaiden games. This apparent change in platform choice isn't intentional, though. "It's not that Tecmo is shifting away from the Xbox 360. It's about timing. From the beginning this was seen as a PS3 title and it happens to be coming out at the same time as Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2."
For more details on Quantum (like DLC), read the full interview at Siliconera.
The Hot Shots series has seen golf and tennis. What's next for the franchise? Well, we're about to find out, as Sony and Clap Hanz are working on a brand new sport for the franchise. A brand new teaser site hides the full name of the game, but we'll find out soon enough: a playable demo will be released simultaneously with the game's reveal this Friday.
The demo will be available for PSP, and will most likely be downloadable through the Japanese PlayStation Store. (So you'll need to register for a Japanese PlayStation Network account, folks.) We can't wait to get our hands on the next Hot Shots game. Hot Shots Bowling? Hot Shots Soccer? Hot Shots Curling? All will be revealed soon enough.
The PSN's Trophy system continues to get updated. Most recently, PlayStation.com users (in Europe and America) have been able to track their Trophy progress online. The next update to the European site (and presumably, the American site as well) will allow users to compare Trophies with friends and even see leaderboards for specific titles. This example image shows friends going up and down in rank with their completion of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.
Certainly, this isn't a revolutionary feature, but it's certainly a welcome one. Update: The European site already features portable PSN cards -- will America ever join in? What other Trophy-related features do you want on the PlayStation site?
The free DLC continues! Make sure you log on to the PlayStation Store soon, so you can pick up the free Druid costume. It'll only be available for a few more days ...
Then, you'll be able to download this free Sacktue of Liberty costume, in celebration of the upcoming Independence Day holiday weekend. This too will be a limited time offer, so don't get too drunk over the weekend and forget to download it. This costume will be available during this Thursday's (July 2nd) PlayStation Store update.
Let's be honest: this shirt isn't all too cool. That's a shame, considering we love our PixelJunk, and would love to wear some tees showing off our fandom. This rather uninspired shirt is from premium t-shirt maker The King of Games, and will cost a premium price: 3800円 (about $40). Considering the stylish look of all the PixelJunk games so far, we have to admit we're disappointed by this offering. Thankfully, an equally priced PixelJunk Eden Encore t-shirt is a bit more eye catching.
In a recent post on the PlayStation.Blog, SCEA's Katie Reid revealed a few random inFamous facts. According to the post, the inFamous demo is the fastest demo ever to reach 1,000,000 downloads. Will those demo downloads all turn into purchases?
The biggest news hidden in the post must be the revelation of an inFamous space for Home. No other details (or images) were revealed, but we're sure it will let you walk around in a small section of Empire City. Odds are low that you'll get magical electricity superpowers when entering.
My, my how things have changed. The former Xbox 360-exclusive Ninja Gaiden 2 is now the PS3-exclusive Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2. Is this the first game that's been able to wear the "Only On" stickers for both the PS3 and 360? Perhaps. While Sigma 2 may be an enhanced port of the original Ninja Gaiden 2, it features a number of new features that are, as the box says, "only on PlayStation."
Most exciting of the new features are the new playable characters: Ninja Gaiden's Rachel, Dead or Alive's Ayane, and Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword's Momiji. The PS3 version will also feature a new online co-op mode not found in the original that lets you and a friend take on ten different stages. Finally, the game is touting "variable AI," which allows "the gameplay [to differ] each time you appear in a level as enemies engage in a variety of different actions as they assess the situation." Whatever that means.
After a fairly lengthy stint as a Community Manager, maintaining websites for Konami, Square, Namco, and others, I became absorbed by the Joystiq crew, and 
