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)
Just in time for the release of LittleBigPlanet on PSP, Best Buy is selling a $20 accessory pack that includes an LBP-themed case, cleaning cloth, screen protector and a sticker sheet with various Sackboys and Sackgirls. It also includes an elusive Sackboy plushy -- albeit one with slightly deformed proportions.
NAYIN wrote a very excitingreview for the bundle on the Best Buy website, which we've helpfully reprinted for you here:
"WELL, I REALLY LIKE LBP BECAUSE ITS AN EXCELLENT GAME FOR THE PS3 AND I REALLY THING I AM GOING TO ENJOY IT NOW WHERE EVER I TAKE IT. SO TO KEEP THE FUN WHY NOT DEMONSTRATED WITH THIS PARTICULAR DESIGNED CASE THAT LIKE I SAID THE CAFE-BROWN COLOR IS SUPER IN FOR THIS SEASON."
So not only will you be showing your dedication to LBP with this accessory pack, you'll be SUPER FASHIONABLE. Thanks, NAYIN!
Just in time for your Turkey Day weekend, Killzone 2 will be activating double XP on all multiplayer games from November 27th to November 30th.
In addition to double XP, Guerrilla will host a Killzone 2 "retro tournament" using only the Beach Head and Southern Hills maps from the second DLC pack, both remakes of Killzone 1 maps. If you don't have the DLC yet and don't want to drop "money" on it you'll want to check out Killzone.com -- free codes will be given away later this week.
You may laugh at the "It Only Does Everything" ads but those of us with a cot in the Joystiq Bunker understand that they're a sign that the end is nigh. Why? Because the US military is looking to make a super computer made up of 2500 interconnected PS3 systems -- wait, isn't that how Skynet is made?
The US Air Force already has over 300 launch PS3s in its arsenal, but an upcoming purchase of 2200 additional systems will greatly expand the number-crunching capabilities of its networked supercomputer. According to Information Week, the US Air Force will use Sony's Cell-powered hardware for radar imagery, HD video processing and "neuromorphic computing" or, to those of us without a PhD in Armageddon-ology, "building computers with brain-like properties."
If you're willing to download a program for your computer, then register an account at DivX.com, and then find a product registration code from your PS3, and then download a file to a flash drive to copy onto your PS3, and then use said file to initiate an activation process ... you'll be able to download one of these movies for free: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Two Weeks Notice, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Batman Begins and Green Lantern: First Flight.
Yeah that's a lot of hoops to jump through just to get to a collection of mostly outdated films. You might be better off saving your time by going to the PlayStation Store and renting something from there instead.
The PlayStation.Blog has been kind enough to make a walkthrough video of Sony's brand new adhocParty service for PSP/PS3. With this program, games that don't have Infrastructure multiplayer modes on PSP can be played online through the PlayStation Network. Essentially, the PS3 uses some evil voodoo magic to trick the PSP into thinking it's playing Ad-Hoc with others.
The program is available for free on the PlayStation Store right now. To see the video, click past the break.
It's taken a while, but Just Add Water's play-create-share dual-stick shooter Gravity Crash will be landing on both the American and European PlayStation Stores next Tuesday, November 24th.
The game has certainly come a long way since its E3 showing, especially in terms of visuals. Unlike so many other PSN games, Gravity Crash will launch with a free demo which will include access to four levels and the in-game level editor (seen after the break). The demo will give you nearly unrestricted access to the editor, with one caveat -- you'll only be able to publish levels online by buying the full game.
Gravity Crash will be available on PS3 for £6.29 / €7.99 / $9.99. A PSP version -- which also includes a level editor -- is also in the works, and is likely to arrive in December. For more details on the game, check out Episode 140 of the PS Nation podcast.
It's rare we quote someone extensively for a post, but we thought this update from PlayStation Home's Locust_Star speaks for itself:
"In celebration of the impending Turkey Day, users will approach the giant stone turkey in Central Plaza and, of course, pledge their allegiance to the almighty Meleagris Gallopavo by stating 'Gobble gobble' and/or other assorted turkey-isms ... You will be given a chance to chase a bunch of wily turkeys around Central Plaza. If you can manage to catch them all, you will unlock some truly hilarious rewards that are sure to make you an object of envy amongst your peers."
The team that's bringing you the Mushroom Wars demo is also preparing a Smash Cars demo for tomorrow. Thankfully, the trial RC racer will be available in both Europe and North American when the PlayStation Store updates.
"Just one action-packed lap around the track with real-time physics, innovative stunts and next-generation graphics will be sure to capture gamers' attention," said Vladimir Starzhevsky, co-founder and CEO of Creat Studios, Inc., in a press release. Hopefully, the demo will include more than just one lap.
Europe's totally awesome (and totally exclusive) VidZone service is finally expanding its reach. Sorry Americans, but this free music video streaming service isn't coming our way. Instead, eleven new European countries will be able to join the party by year's end. Here's the roll-out schedule:
Thursday 26th November: Netherlands, Portugal, Austria
Thursday 3rd December: Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland
Thursday 10th December: Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, New Zealand
According to PlayStation.Blog, new users will have to wait upwards of 15 minutes when initially launching the service. Why? Apparently, there's so just that much content to load when the application is launched for the first time. Each subsequent visit will only take seconds -- good, because we're confident you'll be coming back for more.
Every major Square Enix release comes with a limited edition hardware bundle in Japan. The upcoming PSP-exclusive Kingdom Hearts prequel is no different. This Birth by Sleep silver PSP-3000 will be available on January 9, 2010 for ¥22,000 (about $250). Unlike other LE bundles, this package only contains the branded PSP system you see above and a copy of the game.
We're a little disappointed that Square and Sony didn't make a special edition PSP Go bundle, as that's something we'd love to see. Perhaps that's being set aside for when Square Enix finishes its other big PSP games: The 3rd Birthday and Final Fantasy Agito XIII.
It may look like PixelJunk Monsters, but does it taste as good? You'll be able to find out when you dine on a free Mushroom Wars demo. Creat Studios is offering a free trial of its game on the PlayStation Store this Thursday for European players. (For reasons unknown to us, North American gamers will have to wait until December 10.) The demo will offer five levels to play -- a generous serving that will presumably make players hungry for more.
Infinity Ward has released the 1.03 patch for Modern Warfare 2 a day earlier than expected. The 15MB download finally fixes the party system, allowing players to properly invite friends for multiplayer sessions. With last night's server fix and today's patch release, we can finally say Modern Warfare 2 is working exactly the way it should have. Sure, it took three days after the game's launch, but better late than never, right?
Just in case your God-killing skills have rusted since the end of God of War II on PS2, QA Tester Stephen Peterson has a few tricks up his sleeve. While this video from the PlayStation.Blog is meant to illustrate how to achieve the "15 Min Fight Scene' Trophy, it provides general hints that will be useful throughout Kratos' adventure. Pay attention to the weapons he chooses, and the magic he deploys. You'll see that with these tactics, a 500 hit combo goes from "ludicrous" to "entirely possible."
Study this video like a textbook -- God of War Collection is only days away, and you won't want to miss out on two Platinum Trophies, right?
The PS3 Slim may be $299, but that doesn't mean it can't look like the launch price of $599. Colorware is planning on making five limited edition PS3 systems that have been dipped in 24k gold. Expect this Flava Flav-approved hardware to cost a tad more than a regular paint job from Colorware: $149.
If you do end up deciding to get one of these Midas-touched PS3s, let us know. We totally need to be friends.
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 
