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First Brutal Legend DLC dated Nov. 3, initially free on PS3

by Ben Gilbert { Oct 27th 2009 at 11:41AM }

EA announced today that the "first DLC" (that means there'll be more, right?) for recently released Brütal Legend will be arriving November 3 and November 5 on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, respectively. Named "Tears of the Hextadon," the two, totally not RTS maps ("Circle of Tears" and "Death's Fjord") will set you back 400

($5) on Xbox 360. If you're a PS3 owner, however, the map pack will be free of charge for the first two weeks. "We love the PS3," EA's Brent Dady said over on PlayStation Blog, speaking on the publisher's decision to offer the DLC for free on PSN until November 19.

Those who get the DLC on either console will also get a free in-game axe -- the intimidating "Blade of Ormagöden." We suggest you start looking for the game's creative lead Tim Schafer, who claims in the release that he plays online "every night." Get him Joystiq Biomass! Get him.

Gallery: Brutal Legend

Banned PSN player appeals court decision, sues Sony again for $180k

by Andrew Yoon { Oct 27th 2009 at 9:21AM }

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Erik Estavillo made headlines in the gaming blogosphere last summer for his $55,000 lawsuit against Sony, launched in retaliation for being banned from the PlayStation Network. As predicted, the judge dismissed his case after determining the First Amendment did not apply to Estavillo's claim.

Estavallo isn't going to be stopped by a mere district judge's ruling, though. In addition to filing an appeal, Estavillo is also filing another lawsuit against Sony -- this time, a civil suit seeking $180,000 in damages; more than three times the amount of his original, dismissed suit. According to GamePolitics, Estavillo will once again opt out of using a lawyer, choosing to represent himself for both upcoming cases. We wish Estavillo the best of luck.*

*Ed.'s Note: While we'd normally end on a punchline, our fear of irrational and baseless lawsuits prevents us from doing so.

Netflix is coming to the PS3 [update]

by Andrew Yoon { Oct 26th 2009 at 12:19AM }

So this is why Netflix's stock went soaring. After countless rumors, Netflix's streaming service is finally coming to the PlayStation 3. Even better: it'll be free for PlayStation Network members that have a Netflix account. According to the press release, "Netflix expects to begin streaming via the PS3 system next month at no additional cost to Netflix members in the United States who have a PS3 system."

It looks like you'll also be able to manage your Netflix streaming queue directly from your PS3; no need to have accessed the site via computer first. It'll be interesting to see how Microsoft responds to the loss of Netflix exclusivity -- perhaps it will open up the service to free Xbox Live Silver accounts? And will Nintendo ever join the fray?

Update: Michael Pachter of Wedbush Securities noted that the Blu-ray disc required for Netflix playback on the PS3 may circumvent exclusivity clauses instituted by Microsoft. "We believe that the exclusive arrangement limits Netflix's ability to appear on the 'dashboard' for the PS3 or the Wii." Additionally, Pachter believes Netflix streaming will expand to Nintendo's console next year. "We anticipate that a similar arrangement will be announced for the Wii in the next 12 months."

Third parties not required to release PSP games on PlayStation Store

by Andrew Yoon { Oct 16th 2009 at 9:15AM }

What do Undead Knights, Naruto Shippuden: Legends: Akatsuki Rising, NBA 2K10, Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes and Cars: Race O Rama have in common? All of these are PSP games released on UMD after the PSP Go's October 1 launch -- and all are currently without a digital equivalent. Owners of the Go system are unable to play these games because they simply aren't available on the PlayStation Store.

Once again, Sony's hands-off approach to the PlayStation Network means third parties are responsible for getting their content on both UMD and the PlayStation Store. "It's up to individual third parties to decide if and when to publish their UMD releases on PSN. Most, if not all, are on board, as this is a revenue opportunity for them," we were told by Eric Lempel, SCEA's director of PlayStation Network operations. Namco, the one publisher that returned our request for comment, noted specifically that "there are currently no plans to release Akatsuki Rising on PSN right now," despite its October 6 release on UMD.

We highly encourage Sony to make simultaneous digital releases of PSP games a requirement for publishers, not merely a suggestion. The company previously issued a mandate for PS3 games to include trophies in 2009 -- a similar policy must be enforced on the PSP. Without it, there's no guarantee that all future PSP games will ever be playable on the PSP Go.

Interview: SCEA's Eric Lempel on Amazon's PSN offerings

by Andrew Yoon { Oct 8th 2009 at 2:30PM }

Yesterday, SCEA announced a partnership with Amazon.com to sell PSN codes through the online retailer. We chatted with Eric Lempel about the deal and how it came to fruition. Lempel revealed to us that the program had been in the works long before Amazon started selling XBLM codes, and said that Sony would be "looking into" offering direct access to the PlayStation Store on the web. Read on for more.

Joystiq: Is Amazon.com an exclusive retail partner with Sony, or will we see this program expand to other retailers?

Eric Lempel: Amazon offers a lot of great benefits, but we're definitely open to exploring other retailers in the channel. There's nothing exclusive about this. If it makes sense, and works for both sides, yeah, we'd definitely be open to exploring this with other retail partners.

Which party was responsible for getting the project rolling? Was it Sony, or was it Amazon?

We have a lot of meetings with [Amazon] on a regular basis, because they are one of our customers for all of the physical product. So, we're talking with them all the time. I've been in meetings with them for years, so I can't really say who brought this up but we've all been talking about this for a long time. And I will say we've been talking about this way before the Xbox integration as well, so it wasn't one of these, "Hey, we're doing this, do you guys want to do this as well?" We've thought about this, we've been talking about it. We've kind of had to get the right timing where all of us can do the implementation. We thought now would be a great time just in light of PSP Go being released and the surge of digital content that's become available over the last few months.

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PSN Thursday: In time with Turtles, Silent Hill and George Takei

by Alexander Sliwinski { Sep 10th 2009 at 5:49PM }

Oh, my! Although the release of Turtles in Time and Silent Hill on PSN this week is certainly noteworthy, it's the appearance of George Takei in PAIN that takes the cake. The original Star Trek star will be at your disposal to shoot from a canon and ... seriously, why would you want to hurt George Takei? He's awesome! The Andy Dick hurtable PAIN DLC character from a couple weeks back was a far more understandable option. Check out the rest of the update after the break.

Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list:

(Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)

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Sony seeks participants for PSN reality show, 'The Tester'

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Sep 3rd 2009 at 3:30PM }

Sony has announced an open casting call for a new reality series, created specifically for PlayStation Network, dubbed "The Tester." Participants will run a gauntlet of elimination challenges, with the aim of outshining their fellow competitors in the fields of "mental prowess, dexterity and video game knowledge." The winner will, of course, receive "every gamer's dream job" and become "The Tester," who is a tester of PlayStation games.

Those looking to put this wacky and mildly voyeuristic job interview on their resumes are encouraged to submit their details and a short video to Sony's official website. To be considered, you must be older than 21, a resident of the United States and have an unflappable desire to tell someone that they need to tighten up the graphics on level three. The series, which will eventually comprise eight HD episodes, will debut this winter on PSN -- at an unannounced price. How's that for reality?

74% of you have watched a Blu-ray movie

by Andrew Yoon { Sep 1st 2009 at 8:00PM }

Yes, the "17 Again" Blu-ray promotes that it is "Packed with Zac!" We don't make this stuff up.

Did you hear? "It Only Does Everything." In addition to playing games, PS3 can perform a number of multimedia functions, many which will be highlighted in upcoming marketing materials. Central to PS3 is Blu-ray, Sony's proprietary HD movie format. Just as PlayStation 2 introduced the masses to DVDs, Sony planned to make PS3 the Trojan horse for this new disc format -- and it appears to be working.

SCEA's Eric Lempel spoke with Variety's Video Business, and he said that a significant majority of PS3 owners have tested its Blu-ray capability. "Right now, 74% of the users who have PS3s have spent time watching Blu-ray movies," he said. However, while PS3's key demographic of 20-something year old males may be allured by the 1080p boobs and explosions, Lempel says that PS3 can expand its audience through the PlayStation Network.

"Ever since we've introduced services like the video download service, we're getting more of the household on the PlayStation Network. Some of the top rentals and sales on the video side have been content that probably doesn't appeal exactly to that 28-year-old male. It's more those movies that are geared toward women," Lempel added. Perhaps that explains the success of the Zac Efron vehicle "17 Again" on the PlayStation Store versus the Blu-ray -- although who wouldn't want to see Efron's dreamy eyes in 1080p?

[Via Kotaku]

US SingStore adds Blondie, individual Coldplay tracks

by Xav de Matos { Aug 31st 2009 at 6:00PM }

Brace your faces, karaoke fans -- SingStar's US store has added even more content to help you sing the night away. This week the US SingStore has added a Blondie song pack comprised of five hits from the 70s-80s phenom as well as individual Coldplay tracks, originally released together as a package a few months ago.

The store is also adding a few international flavors with tracks from (the awesome) Los Delinquentes with fellow Spanish star Bebe and Portugal's ironically named (because he's totally not a giant) Sir Giant. Full track listing can be found after the break.

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Capcom rolls out Fate/Unlimited Codes on PSN next week

by Xav de Matos { Aug 29th 2009 at 5:00PM }

Capcom's latest downloadable title, Fate/Unlimited Codes, is set to drop on the PlayStation Store on September 3. Developed by Eighting (the team behind Tatsunoko Vs Capcom), Fate/Unlimited Codes is a fighter specifically designed for the PSP Go, based on a popular Japanese anime franchise.

Originally a PlayStation 2 title in Japan in 2008, Fate/Unlimited Codes has been available for the PSP in the Far East since June, but the pseudo-3D fighter hopes to make a splash when it lands on North American and European shores next week. The story of Fate/Unlimited Codes goes like this: Seven masters and servants battle for control of a small Japanese town's "Holy Grail," which can grant the winner anything they wish. What would we wish for? For it to be September 3, so we can get our hands on Capcom's latest. Oh, and a pony!

Gallery: Fate/Unlimited Codes

PSN's Topatoi now available in Australia, New Zealand

by Xav de Matos { Aug 29th 2009 at 11:00AM }

Australian and New Zealand gamers are in for a treat, as the adorable Topatoi is now available for purchase on the PlayStation Store. Pardon, Stateside PlayStation 3 owners? "What's Topatoi?" It's an adventure platformer currently available to European gamers, but not planned for a North America release until later this year.

If you hail from the place people think Flight of the Conchords are from, versus where they are actually from, the platformer is available for 15.95AUD or 18.9NZD, respectively. Those looking for more Topatoi action will be happy to hear the game's developer has confirmed that the second chapter in the saga will release later this year, via the PlayStation Europe Blog.

Gallery: Topatoi

Sony cuts bandwidth fees, publisher penalties from PSP Minis service

by Andrew Yoon { Aug 24th 2009 at 12:00PM }

For its PSP Minis service, Sony is doing away with many of the fees associated with other digital networks to attract the attention of developers. As discovered by GamerBytes, the PlayStation Network's bandwidth fee -- for which publishers are charged per gigabyte of data transferred over PSN -- is revoked for the PSP Minis service. It's a somewhat odd decision, considering each Minis game will be limited to under 100MB. Certainly, a bandwidth charge would be one of the smallest fees a PSP Minis developer would have faced.

The PSP Minis program also does away with many of the practices common to WiiWare and Xbox Live. Unlike WiiWare, there is no minimum sales quota for developers to reach before they get paid. Additionally, PSP Minis publishers are allowed to choose their own release dates, instead of joining the growing queue of games awaiting release on both the PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Arcade.

It's clear that Sony is taking measures to make the Minis service appear lucrative to third-party developers, especially indie studios. The question is: Will PSP gamers buy into this new platform, or will Minis be a retread of the floundering Xbox Live Indie Games project?

Everybody is kung fu fighting in this Invincible Tiger gameplay footage

by Xav de Matos { Aug 22nd 2009 at 4:30PM }

The kung fu action of Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao is crane-kicking the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Store sometime soon, and we've got a pair of gameplay videos to showoff the over-the-top action. Sweep in and take on wacky enemy forces in an arena style combat game. One-inch punch Evil Overlord's (yes, that's the bad guy's name) minions and reclaim the Star of Destiny. Do some other karate named thing and be, uh ... awesome? You get the idea. Check out more Invincible Tiger action after the break.

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PlayStation Network to go offline tomorrow, 8/18

by Andrew Yoon { Aug 17th 2009 at 8:45PM }

The PlayStation Network will be undergoing a few hours of downtime tomorrow during what Sony calls "maintenance." The entire PSN will be down from noon EST to 2PM EST. Ignore that this is happening exactly at the same time as Sony's press conference tomorrow. While the PSN is down, PS3 and PSP owners will not be able to access the PlayStation Store or play games online.

Wait, you're not ignoring the fact that this is happening during the press conference? Well, it's time for your conspiracy theories. See you in the comments section.

[Thanks, falcon!]

PlayStation Network cards to be available in $10 denomination

by Andrew Yoon { Aug 10th 2009 at 1:15PM }

Prepaid PlayStation Network cards currently come in two flavors: $20 and $50. For those of you that don't want to shell out the big bucks on the PSN will be glad to know that a new variation is coming: the $10 denomination. Best Buy has a listing for the cheaper card, in addition to a $20 prepaid LittleBigPlanet-branded "collectible art" card. While this isn't the most exciting news around, it's nice to know our credit card-less friends have a few more options than they did before.

[Thanks, gm914!]