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Alright, Europe. We're not sure what you did to get into Sony's good graces, but we wish you'd share that information with your pals in the States. Not only do you guys have access to the PSP Go incentive program, which grants owners of UMDs three free game downloads through March 31, but Sony Europe just went ahead and threw another complimentary game on the pile. Anyone living in Europe who owns a PSP Go is eligible to receive a free copy of Gran Turismo, MotorStorm: Arctic Edge or Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines (or, in Germany, LittleBigPlanet) until January 10.

For more details on the promotion, visit Sony Europe's official site. We've contacted Sony America to find out if we'll be getting a similar offer stateside.

The development team at Bigbig Studios -- who are ironically comprised of employees under 5 feet tall on average* -- will face off against Motorstorm: Arctic Edge players tomorrow in an evening multiplayer event. According to the PlayStation UK Blog, the event will take place on European servers from 17:30 GMT (1:30PM EDT) to 19:00 GMT (3:00PM EDT).

Along with (probably) destroying the community at the PSP racer they made, the developers will offer a live Twitter commentary to the Europe-only event. That's right. Bigbig Studios is so confident they will destroy the opposition they will be tweeting as they race. That, kids, is called confidence.

*This information is probably not accurate.

Here's the takeaway message from the first installment in a series of four developer diaries for Motorstom: Arctic Edge: It's a lot like Motorstorm, only smaller, and covered in snow.

However, this omnipresent precipitation introduces several subtle nuances to the gameplay, including avalanches, crumbling ice bridges and vehicular bobsledding. If you're now looking forward to feeling de rhythm and feeling de rhyme, check out the video diary after the jump.

If you're looking to get downright chilly in Sony's upcoming Motorstorm: Arctic Edge, know that you won't have to sweat the summer heat much longer, because PlayStation Blog has confirmed that the PSP version of the game will slide into retail September 29 and become available as a PSP Go launch download on October 1. Both releases are priced at $39.99 and include 12 reversible tracks and eight vehicle classes.

If, however, you were hoping for yet another excuse not to upgrade your console hardware (but how can you resist?), you're going to have to a wait a bit longer for the PS2 version of Artic Edge, which will release "later this fall." The console port features everything in the PSP game, plus an old-school, in-your-face, split-screen multiplayer mode.

Sony's increasing focus on digital software distribution for PSP -- heck, it has a whole new model dependent on the concept -- has lead to a logical question: When pre-order bonuses are being offered for PSP games at retail, will one still get them if one buys the games from the online PlayStation Store? The answer is "yes," and the process will be quite simple.

According to a Sony rep's PS.Blog response to yesterday's news of MotorStorm Arctic Edge pre-order goodies, those who buy the game via PSN will be able to download the bonus content if they make their purchases within 30 days of the game's release. The same is true for pre-order extras being offered for the upcoming Gran Turismo for PSP. See, nice and simple.

[Via PS3center.net]

It's a rare thing for a portable game to best its console predecessor, but that's what might be happening in MotorStorm: Arctic Edge. BigBig, the team behind the cult PSP Pursuit Force games, know how to work the handheld and they've crafted an experience that handles far better than the console games. MotorStorm is known for its visceral races, but the juxtaposition of more "sim-like" controls in such an arcadey game didn't jive with us fully. Arctic Edge adopts the game a bit, by tweaking the controls to be a bit more responsive.

The end result is a game that's a bit more accessible, but no less fun and intense. Obviously, the PSP isn't capable of producing the visuals of a PS3, but BigBig has developed a brand new engine for Arctic Edge and it shows. This new generation engine far surpasses the last Pursuit Force game, by throwing an impressive amount of particles in fast, detailed levels. The animation on the vehicles is particularly terrific as each of the wheels respond to the various bumps on the ground.

While the controls are slightly tweaked, the overall gameplay should remain largely familiar to those that have played the previous two games. Once again, players will want to effectively manage boost and navigate a dynamic branching race course. Racing against a multitude of vehicle types is one of the highlights of the console games, and we're glad to see BigBig has expanded the garage with two new vehicles: the Snow Cat and the Snow Plow. Those of you that like the Monster Truck will get a blast out of this. The monstrous vehicle races at a surprising speed, and it's quite the intimidating vehicle to race against.

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