Joystiq [Playstation]

LittleBigPlanet getting bluer, blurrier with Sonic costume pack

by Griffin McElroy { 15 days ago }

We're usually hesitant to spend real-life money on virtual clothing, but you can bet we'll spring at the chance to purchase the recently revealed Sonic the Hedgehog costume pack for LittleBigPlanet. See, if we dress ourselves up like the series' speedy, cerulean protagonist, then play one of the many, many Green Hill Zone stages crafted by the LBP community, we can pretend that we're playing a decent, current-gen Sonic platformer.

We've contacted Media Molecule to try and find out the North American release date and price for this costume pack. We shouldn't let the developer hear us say this, but we'd pay anything for that beautiful illusion.

[Via Siliconera]

Canadian Fallout 3 PS3 GOTY edition patch now available

by Ludwig Kietzmann { 15 days ago }

Incredibly specific patch news now, with the release of a save recognition remedy for the French Canadian version of Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition (product code "BLUS-30455"). The patch will allow the GOTY re-release of Bethesda's wasteland wandering sim to recognize save files generated by Fallout 3 sans accolades.

As a Bethesda community manager helpfully points out, your old save files will only show up if there are new saves (GOTY) present -- if you only have old saves, start a new game and, you know, save. If you have in excess of 130 save files (a sign of prudence!), you'll have to delete older ones in order for the new ones to be displayed. Oh, and one more thing: "If your saves are taking a long time to load you might want to resave them and back up or remove the old ones."

And now we've exhausted our supply of the word "save," save for one which we were keeping for the en ... dammit, we wasted it!

[One thank you "reserved" for: Harry]

Users report faulty digital copies of Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines

by Ludwig Kietzmann { 15 days ago }

Some of those eager to immerse themselves in Altair's portable crusade in Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines have allegedly been denied entry into the Animus. This has, in turn, led to animosity being expressed on Sony's message boards and our tips line. According to complaints, the downloadable version (the game is also available on UMD) freezes during its initial loading screen, regardless of PSP model.

Based on user comments, the hobbled file originated from the European PlayStation Store and has since been bumped off -- to be replaced with a working version soon, hopefully. We'll keep an eye on things (and your comments below) while we await a response from Ubisoft.

Update: Sony has replaced the faulty download and offered replacement codes to those affected.

Source -- Official PlayStation Forums
Source -- EU PlayStation Blog comments
Source -- Youtube video [Thanks, Gian]

Gravity Crash lands a global PSN release on Tuesday, November 24

by Andrew Yoon { 15 days ago }

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.

Gallery: Gravity Crash

Source - PlayStation.Blog Europe
Source - PS Nation podcast

Continued →

Sony expects PSN to pull in 50 billion yen in FY 2009

by Griffin McElroy { 15 days ago }

Though yesterday's Sony investor's conference featured a concerning reference to the PSN's "new revenue stream from subscription," another slide from the presentation seems to indicate that the platform is already making money hand over fist. According to the slide (seen above), the company has set a lofty goal for the current fiscal year: It expects the PSN to bring in ¥50 billion (roughly $561 million) in revenue by the end of FY 2009. That's three times the amount of cash collected by the platform in the last fiscal year.

Exactly how Sony plans to boost its revenues so drastically is outlined by other statistics on the slide. According to the company's calculations, the PSN currently has 33 million registered users, 1.4 million of which visit the PlayStation Store on a daily basis. We fall into the latter group -- but only because we can't stop window shopping for celebrities we can fling into oncoming traffic. We confess: It's one of our dirtiest, guiltiest pleasures.

Source – "Media / Investor Conference - November 19th 2009" [PDF]

God of War Collection players complain of freezing issues

by David Hinkle { 15 days ago }

Some folks over on the official PlayStation Forums allege to be having trouble playing God of War Collection. Several users are complaining that the game has been locking up on them, specifically after God of War's first cutscene and during the first mission. Most of the people who claim to be running into this freezing issue are running the game on 60GB launch PS3s, though a few PS3 Slim owners have also jumped into the threads to report the game is locking up on them, too.

Additionally, commenters on PlayStation.Blog have reported the same problem and specifically implicate 60GB PS3s. While we didn't experience such issues playing the final game code on a debug PS3 unit, we've contacted Sony for comment on this report and will update as necessary.

Gallery: God of War Collection

[Thanks, Scott]

Source - "God of War Collection Freezing Issues" [PlayStation.com Forums]
Source - PlayStation.Blog comments

Rock Band Weekly: Tom Petty, Go-Go's, Kelly Clarkson, Pink

by Alexander Sliwinski { 15 days ago }

A live version of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' "Mary Jane's Last Dance" is available next week within the band's Rock Band DLC six-pack. The song may not be everyone's cup of formaldehyde, but it's certainly memorable for conjuring up one of the creepiest music videos of all time. We have no idea what the song is actually about, but it will always be the story of Tom Petty stealing Kim Basinger's corpse from the morgue, dressing her up, and then at the end .... AHHhhHhHHHH!

Check out the full update after the break, no new Rock Band Unplugged DLC next week.

Update: PSN will updated on Tuesday.

Select a platform below to view complete DLC listing:

Continued →

RE5: Lost in Nightmares teaser goes back to the mansion

by David Hinkle { 15 days ago }

Jill Valentine knows what's up: Only the most refined individual understands the elegance of the crank. Chris Redfield and his personal gun show may complain that an entire mansion is being run on the archaic device in this teaser for upcoming Resident Evil 5 DLC episode, Lost in Nightmares, but that's because the dude doesn't respect the crank's noble history. We're just glad one of the two survivalists has enough class to acknowledge the significance of history's great gate opener.

Gallery: Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition

Pre-order 'Mass: We Pray' for free Dante's Inferno trailer

by JC Fletcher { 15 days ago }

We had an icky feeling when we first watched the Mass: We Pray teaser. Not because of the toll excessive devotional gameplay might take on our souls, but because we were pretty sure we were being virally marketed to in some way or another. It turns out, our unease (also felt by a few others, including The Escapist) was spot on, as We Pray has been revealed as the latest move in the Dante's Inferno marketing campaign's fight against good taste.

Clicking to pre-order the game on the website or to get a better look at the controllers, now triggers a message about heresy, along with a trailer for Dante's Inferno and a link to the Facebook app, "Go to Hell." Sorry if you were looking forward to We Pray!

[Thanks, Thomas]

Sony Online Service aims to achieve brand loyalty

by JC Fletcher { 15 days ago }

In an AP interview, Sony executive VP Kaz Hirai declared the upcoming Sony Online Service, which adds PSN-like features (possibly including game, music and movie downloads) to a wide variety of Sony devices, a major selling point. "That's the kind of combination that I think is not seen anywhere else," Hirai said. "That I think is where our core competence lies, and that's a differentiator for Sony."

Additionally, Hirai told Business Week that Sony hopes to get the service into other devices next year and, "Earlier in the year would be a lot more preferable." In the interview, Hirai said that the Sony Online Service would take the iTunes-like approach of registering users as soon as the device is powered on, to register their accounts immediately. Once invested in such an account, the implication is that users will be more likely to continue purchasing media on that same account and buy more Sony devices to get additional use out of it -- much like iTunes users are driven to continue buying iPods to play iTunes Store's AAC-format music.

Hirai also looked to social networking elements, along with the cross-device connectivity, to push Sony's future offerings. "What are your friends watching right now? There's a screen that says all the programming that's available. It highlights all the things that your friends are watching, for example. It's a community experience."

As for sharing the actual content (not just the experience), Hirai wasn't so sure. He concluded that the "debate is still going on" about how many devices will be able to share content.

Child's Play & Harmonix rock San Fran for charity Dec. 9

by Randy Nelson { 15 days ago }

Harmonix and Child's Play have announced that they're banding together for a charity benefit Rock Band night at San Francisco's DNA Lounge the night of December 9. "Ümloud!" is an all-ages event organized by GameLife's Chris Kohler, Gamehelper's Joe Markert and Telltale Games' John "Seg" Seggerson, and staffed by a number of Bay Area games bloggers, including yours truly.

The party kicks off at 7PM PT and runs through 2AM PT on December 10, with a suggested $10 donation for admission. Everyone who attends will automagically be made eligible for a chance to win some of the many raffle prizes that'll be awarded throughout the night, but those who wish to donate more can sign up for two different "band packages" -- which include reserved songs and the chance to play on DNA's main stage -- at the Ümloud! site.

Proceeds from the event will go to provide toys and video games to children's hospitals nationwide, including the local Oakland Children's Hospital.

Crytek hooks up universities with free CryENGINE 3

by David Hinkle { 15 days ago }

If you're somebody attending one of the fine institutions that offer game development courses, you could very well find yourself using CryENGINE 3 soon. Crytek recently announced that it would grant free licenses for its purty new development platform to houses of higher education. It's not the first time the company has offered its goods on the arm for universities, as students also got access CryENGINE 2 back in the day.

Just like the cigarette companies, Crytek's goal is to hook 'em while they're young, as R&D manager Ury Zhilinsky hopes that providing the engine free to schools will help students and teachers "become part of our larger CryENGINE community, so they can create their own innovations and train to become the developers of the future." You know, a future with plenty of CryENGINE 3 in it -- at least up until 2012, anyway.

[Thanks, Casey]

DigitalFoundry compares Assassin's Creed II on 360, PS3

by Justin McElroy { 16 days ago }

Okay, if you want honesty: we can't usually tell the difference between Xbox 360 and PS3 clips when put side-by-side. We've been gaming since characters were less detailed than gingerbread men, so comparison clips always look like two gateways to the future chugging along next to each other. But if DigitalFoundry tells us there's juddering, then we're inclined to believe them, no matter what juddering actually means.

Luckily, the team seems to be pretty happy with the PS3 version of Assassin's Creed II, following the original iteration's disappointing performance on the platform. That said, though the two consoles versions are much closer to each other this time, the site still leans towards the Xbox 360 version of the game for its sharper picture and smoother performance.

For what it's worth, we think they're both winners.

New Battlefield: Bad Company 2 multiplayer trailer reminds us of the good ol' days

by Ben Gilbert { 16 days ago }

Ahhh yes, flying helicopters from base to base, frantically scrambling to a good vehicle or cover, and the always prudent flag rush -- staples of any good Battlefield: Bad Company online multiplayer match. Maybe you were more into sneaking into a building's attic, blowing a hole in one corner, and carefully sniping the other team from afar? You are our bane!

Ahem, that said, the latest multiplayer trailer for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 above, serves to remind us of all the good times we had the first time around. It also, unfortunately, serves to remind us that the second game still isn't out for another three months. Luckily, some of you will get to enjoy the multiplayer beta starting today. Do us all a favor, folks -- shell the snipers!

Gallery: Battlefield: Bad Company 2

WipEout HD in-game ads return, still affect load times

by Randy Nelson { 16 days ago }

Fans of Sony's blistering anti-grav racer WipEout HD will no doubt recall the game's update to version 2.0 back in August. That's because one of the additions came in the form of advertisements that would play during race loading screens. Having to see ads in a game you've paid full price for is one thing, the fact that they nearly doubled load times is another. Thankfully, Sony responded to an outpouring of ire over the ads by yanking them. Well, as we were warned last month, they're back.

The 2.10 update for WipEout HD boldly proclaims that "Changes have been made so that any adverts shown during loading screens will not adversely affect the loading times" upon first launch. OK, ads are back, but at least they don't increase load times -- right? Not so fast. When loading a particular race, we perceived some degree of delay while the ad (in this case for Fat Princess) played. Wanting to make sure it wan't just in our ads-in-our-games-can-leave-now-please heads, we timed it. Lo and behold, the same course loads in 16.9 seconds without the ad and 21.7 with it -- an almost five second difference.

The results were more or less the same for every track we tried, with smaller venues loading faster, naturally. So, despite assurances otherwise, load times are being affected by the re-instated ads. We're working to get in touch with Sony and the game's developer, SCEE Studio Liverpool, to find out exactly what gives.

[Thanks, Ken!]

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