playstation-day-2008 posts (Subscribe to this feed)

Sony unveils the 'Media and Events' Home venue

by Jem Alexander { May 27th 2008 at 12:30PM }

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Home beta users were recently invited to try out a new Home venue. This "Media and Events" space is currently a recreation of the PlayStation Day event that took place in London a couple of weeks ago. In the future Sony plans on using the space to host "everything from new game unveilings to sports events to fashion shows." The PlayStation Day decoration of the Media and Events area included various elements from the real-world event, such as artwork and photographs from the show.

The new area includes jumbo screens on which the keynote speech was broadcast for the beta users to see. There was also a "a video stream of all the action from the real-world PlayStation Day experience." Check out our gallery below for a few screenshots and expect a video to appear online before too long. Sony has said that "following the test event's success Home will now start scheduling more elaborate and exciting productions for the Space." These will not only be available to first party developers, but to third party companies too.

This new part of Home looks like it'll be an excellent way to let gamers experience all of the trade shows that go on throughout the year. Not only that, but we're looking forward to seeing exclusive announcements being made from within Home. Once it's out, that is.

[Via Press Release]

Gallery: Home 'Virtual Events' Space

Video: PlayStation Day demonstration of PlayTV, Go!Explore

by Andrew Yoon { May 9th 2008 at 8:00PM }

Europe gets all the fun stuff! Watch David Reeve's PlayStation Day presentation about the PSP, which talks about two key PSP products available across the Atlantic: PlayTV and Go!Explore. PlayTV gives PSP owners access to DVR content, through connectivity with PS3. Go!Explore is an affordable GPS utility, which adds yet another fancy tool to PSP's ever-expanding features list. C'mon, SCEA! Give us GPS ... now!

Joystiq hands-on: Super Stardust HD Versus mode

by Jem Alexander { May 9th 2008 at 1:00PM }

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Super Stardust HD received its first expansion pack last month, one that was very well received by players and critics alike. The second, multiplayer add-on promises to do the same, judging by the time we spent with at Sony's recently PlayStation Day 2008.

The "Team Pack" adds a Co-op Split Screen mode as well as the incredible Versus Mode. While the concept of Versus Mode remains very simple, the menus add depth and a huge amount of variety to the experience. At your disposal are several gameplay modes, similar to many other multiplayer games' gameplay arsenal, including deathmatch, king of the hill and grab-and-run. This whole mode has been built specifically with party gaming in mind.

Up to four players can play against each other on the same planet, but the "layout" of the planet can be changed before the game commences. This allows you to overlay a maze of rocks onto the planet's surface in various shapes which players will need to navigate through. These rocks can be destroyed and, depending on the options settings, can either harm players who come too close or simply ignore them. For people who prefer a less restricted battlefield, there's an option for a clear level layout too.

Gallery: Super Stardust HD

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Photos from the PlayStation Day 2008 show floor

by Jem Alexander { May 9th 2008 at 12:00PM }

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PlayStation Day may have occurred a few days ago now, but our coverage has only just ended. From what we heard David Reeves say during the keynote speech, PlayStation Day will be an annual event so we look forward to doing it all again next year. Until then, you can enjoy a gallery of photographs taken from the show floor. Sadly we weren't allowed to take photos of Resistance 2 and we literally couldn't get close enough to photograph Killzone 2. There's still plenty to see, however, so go ahead and take a peek.

Be sure to check the list of PlayStation Day posts after the break in case you've missed something. Let us know what you thought of the event, and our coverage, in the comments below.

Gallery: PlayStation Day 2008

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New Buzz! Master Quiz screens straight from PlayStation Day 08

by Jem Alexander { May 9th 2008 at 10:00AM }

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Buzz! on PSP hasn't managed to entirely convince us yet. We love playing with the big red button too much! For those of you who are anticipating this release, however, we have some new screenshots as well as the boxart for the game. These screens include more questions for you to swot up on before the game is released, giving you an edge against your mates. A small, rather sad, edge -- but an edge, nonetheless.

Gallery: Buzz!

More Buzz! Quiz TV screens than you can shake a wireless buzzer at

by Jem Alexander { May 9th 2008 at 10:00AM }

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How do you fancy a scary number of new Buzz! Quiz TV screenshots? Sure, it's not the most graphically impressive game ever made, but Buzz's jump to HD is certainly nothing to be sniffed at. Take a gander at the shots below for examples of questions, game modes and menu screens. Not to mention the boxart, shown above, as well as a shot of the buzzer pack. We tried this game out at Play.com Live last month and we have to admit, we liked what we saw. Buzz! Quiz TV is due out sometime in Summer in Europe, with an American date not yet mentioned.

Gallery: Buzz! Quiz TV

PS3 Fanboy hands-on: Super Stardust HD Versus mode

by Jem Alexander { May 9th 2008 at 9:00AM }

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Super Stardust HD received its first expansion pack last month, to much praise from the Stardust community. The Solo Pack added several different modes, and the upcoming multiplayer add-on promises to do the same. We had an opportunity to try it out during PlayStation Day and we loved what we saw.

The "Team Pack" adds a Co-op split-screen mode, as well as the incredible Versus Mode. Within Versus Mode, you can partake in a number of different challenges, similar to the offering found in many other multiplayer games: there's Deathmatch, King of the Hill, and Grab and Run. This whole mode has been built specifically with party gaming in mind.

Up to four players can play against each other on the same planet, but the "layout" of the planet can be changed before the game commences. This allows you to overlay a maze of rocks onto the planet's surface in various shapes which players will need to navigate through. These rocks can be destroyed and, depending on the options settings, can or cannot harm players who come too close. For people who prefer a less restricted battlefield, there's an option for a clear level layout too.

Gallery: Super Stardust HD

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Buzz! comes to the PSN with Buzz! Junior Jungle Party this Summer

by Jem Alexander { May 8th 2008 at 4:30PM }

Buzz! Quiz TV isn't the only game of the franchise heading to the PS3 this year. This Summer a new downloadable title will be made available on the PSN "at pocket money prices." Buzz! Junior Jungle Party will utilise the Buzz! controllers, but with "wacky mini-games of skill and speed" instead of quiz-style gameplay. Obviously this is aimed at the wee nippers and will feature five mini-games from the original PS2 version. Jungle Party is the first of many, with Buzz! Junior: RoboJam and Buzz! Junior: Monster Rumble following at a later date.

Check out our gallery below to see what sort of thing you can expect from the game when it arrives this Summer.

Gallery: Buzz! Junior Jungle Party

Feel free to sneak into our updated Secret Agent Clank gallery

by Jem Alexander { May 8th 2008 at 12:00PM }

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PlayStation Day wasn't just about the PS3, there were a few PSP games available at the event too. Secret Agent Clank was among them and we have updated our gallery with all the new images from the show. These include character renders, screenshots and the boxart (as seen above). We've got our grubby mitts on the preview build and should have a review available for you before the game's release this June.

Gallery: Secret Agent Clank

European PSN Store releases for May 8th

by Jem Alexander { May 8th 2008 at 11:37AM }

SCEE has (mostly) kept their promise today with the second update of the week. While the Bourne Conspiracy demo and echochrome trailer seem to be missing, everything else has made it intact. With ten videos to watch from PlayStation Day (weighing in at a total of almost 3.4GB) there's plenty of stuff to watch from the show. Here's the full release list:

Playable content

Race Driver GRID demo (free)

Add-on content

Guitar Hero III "Def Leppard" track pack (£3.99/€4.99)
Guitar Hero III "Muse" track pack (£3.99/€4.99)
Army of Two "SSC Challenge" game pack (£3.99/€4.99)

Trailers

Mirror's Edge Gameplay trailer (free)
PlayStation Day "Introduction: Kaz Hirai" video (free)
PlayStation Day "Play has no limitations" video (free)
PlayStation Day "Play is hiding and waiting" video (free)
PlayStation Day "Play is full throttle" video (free)
PlayStation Day "Play is a thousand stories" video (free)
PlayStation Day "Play brings us together" video (free)
PlayStation Day "Play is moving hips, lips" video (free)
PlayStation Day "Play is unexplored" video (free)
PlayStation Day "Summary: Play" video (free)
PlayStation Day Compilation Trailer (free)

Be sure to check out that Mirror's Edge gameplay footage in all its HD glory. It really is stunning looking. If you're not particularly interested in PlayStation Day then there's not a lot here for you, unless you're a Guitar Hero III or Army of Two fan.

LittleBigPlanet open beta will never happen

by Jem Alexander { May 8th 2008 at 9:30AM }

We had the opportunity to speak at length with various LittleBigPlanet producers at PlayStation Day, as well as get some hands-on time with the title. Top of our discussion list was the beta. We wanted to know as much as possible about when it's coming and have done since it was implied last July. However both Sam Bennett (Community Development Manager) and Pete Smith (Producer) maintained that a public, open beta will sadly not be happening. The game will go through a beta phase, obviously, but this will be performed by an internal group at Sony.

There's a possibility of a small number of gamers and press being invited into the beta phase, but nothing has been confirmed yet. Releasing the game in its entirety to the public, free of charge would be suicide. Instead, there's talk of a demo being made available, which will curb our monstrous hunger pangs for the game until its October release. What the demo will contain and when it will arrive is still being discussed.

Check out our gallery below for some new images of LittleBigPlanet straight from PlayStation Day. Also be sure to check out the video of the cute-but-ghastly Helghast Sackboys.

Gallery: LittleBigPlanet

Home 'game spaces' being shown off later this month

by Jem Alexander { May 8th 2008 at 8:30AM }

Speaking to Daniel Hill at PlayStation Day we managed to gather a few tidbits of info about Home and where it's headed. Hill reiterated that the open beta will be happening this Autumn. He also added that the closed beta will be "extended" in July to include more gamers as well as, for the first time, European press. When asked whether Home would be fully functional for the open beta, Hill responded by saying that "Home will never be fully functional" and that it will continue to grow and evolve over time. The open beta will include all necessary features such as trophies and game launching.

Game spaces are slightly lower on the list of priorities, but not forgotten. Some are being shown off later this month to beta members and Hill stated that what he had seen of them is "really impressive." Game launching has extended beyond Warhawk to MotorStorm now, and this feature was demonstrated on the show floor at PlayStation Day. The feature allows you to select your option preferences, including track and number of laps, within Home. This allows you to almost immediately jump straight into the gameplay, rather than into another menu.

Hill also confirmed to us that trophies will be available in the XMB. "They have to be," he said. There's no word on when that will happen, but a 2D representation of your trophy list will be visible via the XMB at some point in the future. Obviously, the basic funtionality needs to be created within Home itself before being exported to the XMB, so don't expect it anytime soon.

SCEE announces first made-for-PSN TV show: Movement

by Jem Alexander { May 7th 2008 at 6:00PM }

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Mentioned during the closing minutes of the PlayStation Day keynote speech, Movement is an interesting idea that is being sadly under-reported. Sure, it's not a game, but the idea of made-for-PSN TV shows is something that definitely piques our interest. The gist is that two British blokes, Spencer and Martin, travel around Europe in a VW Camper van in search of unsigned bands, documenting their progress as they go.

The program will feature many different kinds of music, including French electronica and London "Grindie." Eventually one band will be chosen by Spencer and Martin to have a professional promo video made. There's no word on when we'll be seeing this hit the PSN, other than that it will be "soon." Movement will almost certainly be exclusive to Europe - but you never know. This, along with the GT Academy competition that was announced, shows that SCEE is clearly very interested in episodic video content for the PSN and, to be honest, so are we.

Check out the gallery below for photos of some of the various bands featured in the show.

Gallery: Movement

Twenty-nine stunning MotorStorm Pacific Rift images

by Jem Alexander { May 7th 2008 at 4:30PM }

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Who's up for a frankly indecent amount of MotorStorm Pacific Rift images? No-one? Fine, we'll keep them to ourselves. Just kidding - everyone and their dog should check out our bulging gallery for the game. There's all sorts of stuff in there: concept art, vehicle renders and screenshots. Twenty nine different images are ready for your perusal right now, so go right ahead. If you're more of a fan of motion, then make sure you saw these gameplay videos. MotorStorm Pacific Rift is looking stunning.

Gallery: MotorStorm Pacific Rift

These new WipEout HD screens make waiting even more torturous

by Jem Alexander { May 7th 2008 at 4:00PM }

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We can never get enough WipEout HD media and we're certain you're the same. New assets from PlayStation Day show off some of the vehicles in their full HD detail as well as some very snazzy artwork and screenshots from the game. We've been drooling over WipEout HD for almost a year now and we can't wait for its release, sometime in the next two months. In the meantime, grab a bib and start leering at our gallery, below.