PlayStation News Message Board older than one year ago

We use 7-Eleven for all sorts of purposes it wasn't intended. For instance, since our diet consists solely of pizza burritos and bags filled with two different flavors of Doritos, it's pretty much our grocery store. They're happy with our custom, but they're not satisfied. 7-Eleven wants our video game dollars really bad. In fact, they've set it up so that the best place you can pre-order MAG is probably the same place where you buy your Slurpees. Pre-ordering at 7-Eleven will net you an exclusive recruitment kit with background info about the game's factions and a poster, the best way to tell guests that you like to get your Parliaments, tampons and video games in the same transaction.

Santa Monica-based development studios interested in "medium casual video game development" for Sony handhelds, watch out! There's a new cat in town and, even though it lacks opposable thumbs, this kitten can code. Enter: Broodworks, a new independent studio headed by former Sony Santa Monica executive producer and director of internet development Shannon Studstill. Given Studstill's previous position with Sony and the location of Broodworks, superannuation surmises that Broodworks is a second-party studio working closely with SCEA. We'll keep you posted as the story (and the company's website) develops. [Via superannuation]

PSP minis are supposed to introduce bite-sized iPhone-esque games to Sony's handheld. While minis feature small file sizes and reduced functionality, they certainly don't carry smaller price tags. The first batch of minis have all been priced between $4.99 and $9.99, making them no cheaper than the average PlayStation Network exclusive. Which sounds like the better deal for $9.99? Yet another version of Tetris ... or the 3D online multiplayer shooter Syphon Filter: Combat Ops?Even worse, many of these minis are priced higher than their iPhone counterparts. While Hero of Sparta costs $1.99 on iPhone, it costs $5.99 on PSP. Fieldrunners costs $2.99 on iPhone, but $6.99 on PSP. We chatted with SCEA's Eric Lempel to talk about the lack of apparent value in the minis program. He explained that Sony has no hand in determining the prices of minis. "As far as pricing goes, the publisher of the title sets the pricing," he explained. When quizzed if publishers were allowed to create a $1.99 game on PSP, he told us: "Yes, absolutely."Lempel agrees that publishers must seriously think about the kind of prices they're setting on the Store, to ensure their content offers the same value as other PSP titles. "I think they have to carefully look at that, carefully price their content. Minis was intended to be something a little different and we wanted to see a lot of different types of content through minis. If it's not priced correctly, consumers may be turned off at the proposition and say 'I'd rather just go for this kind of stuff instead of minis.'"

The managing director of Chips, the UK's largest independent game store chain, doesn't see a bright future for Sony's new PSP Go. In fact, during a little pow-wow with GI.biz, Don McCabe said, "I'm 99.9 per cent sure it's going to fail miserably, in which case it's going to put back other potential people coming into that digital space." Wow, that's a lot of certainty! McCabe doesn't point to any one thing about the new handheld as a deterrent for potential customers (examples: price; no UMD; crazy cable accessories), but seems adamant that the system isn't destined to "go anywhere." Of course, this comes in stark contrast to Sony's opinion that PSP Go sales are meeting expectations. If both end up being correct, those must have been some weirdly low expectations.

Digger HD was launched during the PSN Thursday deluge last week in the States, and now the EU PlayStation Blog brings word that the game will make its way under the Atlantic for this week's update. Creat Studios updated the '80s classic to appeal to those who prefer less jaggy graphics and more pleasing bleeps and bloops from the sound spectrum -- then again, you can always play the game in all its retro glory within the "vintage mode."The game comes with 60 levels and costs €9.99/£7.99. Check out the video after the break to get a better idea of what you'll be digging into with a purchase.

PlayStation Network games are now available for purchase through Amazon.com, meaning Sony has joined Nintendo and Microsoft in offering its digitally distributed goods through the online mega-retailer. In some cases, the benefit of this middle-man purchase is avoiding those pesky sales taxes that several states place on goods bought directly through the PlayStation Network. At the moment, we don't see any deals that jump out at us, but if you do, feel free to note 'em in the comments. [Thanks, Jason]

Once again proving that regular people don't care about what critics have to say, TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled managed to climb to the top of the PSN download chart for September. With Final Fantasy VII and Marvel Vs Capcom 2 also maintaining enviable positions, it's clear that people love paying for nostalgia.1) TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled2) NBA 2K10: Draft Combine3) Final Fantasy VII4) Marvel Vs Capcom 25) Fat Princess6) Battlefield 19437) Zombie Apocalypse8) Silent Hill9) Final Fantasy Tactics10) SimCity 2000We'd also like to point out that this may be the first month Mortal Kombat II is not in the top 10. Did everyone in the world finally buy it?

You would assume, perhaps wisely, that a Persona 4 postmortem would refer to performing an autopsy on a poor soul who died of old age while trying to finish the epically long RPG. But all we've got for you today is the game's creators discussing the highs and lows of development with Gamasutra. As is usual, the "lows" are actually just the difficult parts of designing the game rather than what didn't work about the title, but it's still worth a read to see how Atlus tackled the Herculean task of creating a 100-hour game that at least some of you lived to see the end of.

The adorable art style of Capybara Games' PSN puzzle title Critter Crunch can't be contained within the boundaries of its own franchise. A recent post on the developers' blog shows off a number of doodles from the game's character artist, Nick "Qiqo" Stephan. These illustrations peer through temporal doorways into other worlds, where Biggs, the game's protagonist, was dressed in the skin of characters from other PlayStation titles. (Okay, it's less creepy than we just made it sound.) Check out all 15 of these concepts after the jump -- we guarantee that you've never such a lovable Kratos. (Sackboy, eat your heart out.)

Tim Magoolaghan is quite the modder and has made a Frankensteinian PSP. Aside from the second analog nub he slapped on this custom PSP-2000, he's also added a built-in camera, 32gb of Flash memory (eliminating the UMD slot) and a dedicated charging port that allows USB charging no matter what the handheld is currently doing. In the video interview where he shows off his creation (video past the break), there's also some emulation stuff going on due to the custom firmware, but we don't condone that kind of thing.Tim's whole motivation behind this custom PSP is that he wants to show consumers the older model can do wonderful things that the new PSP Go cannot. He says Sony's new device isn't very consumer friendly and while we think he has something there, it's overshadowed by the fact that he's sitting next to the most annoying woman on the planet. [Thanks, Robin!]

SNK Playmore has announced that it's bringing Metal Slug XX ("double X") to the PSP. The title is set to release on December 23 in Japan, with an asking price of ¥5,040 ($56). A remixed version of Metal Slug 7, the game includes ad-hoc cooperative play, over 70 mini-games and, as is tradition, lots of bullets. SNK was kind enough to release a trailer for the game, so you won't have to imagine how chaotic the game will undoubtedly be. If you just can't handle all that action, we have some nice, quiet screenshots too.

The autumnal onslaught continues, but its efforts to overwhelm us have redoubled this month. Uncharted 2 and Brütal Legend on the same day? What do they think we are? Game-playing machines? (No, not Billy Mitchell. Like, literal game-playing machines.) The big releases, like the aforementioned titles and Forza 3, are dropping every week, so how badly will your wallet be bruised?

Amazon is currently offering a pretty good deal for the declining number of gamers that prefer receiving their news on paper. Specifically, the site is offering a one-year subscription to Playstation: The Official Magazine. But you'd better hurry. Like really fast, as over half of the subscriptions Amazon has on sale have already been claimed. No, seriously. You should go now. Why are you still reading this? What's that? You prefer reading your news on the internet? Touché.

Oh hey, were you about to jump on the PlayStation Network for a quick round of gaming on your lunch break? Actually, we can answer that for you: you weren't, even if you thought you were, because PSN is currently unavailable.Trying to log in brings up the message "Site Maintenance Notice: The server is currently down for maintenance. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please try again later." We'll do our best to find out when a good time to try again will be, but in the meantime you're on your own. Perhaps you could get some laundry done, or find a new sandwich recipe.Update: A Sony rep tells us that "this maintenance should be completed by 1pm Pacific."[Thanks, Matt!]

Oh hey, were you about to jump on the PlayStation Network for a quick round of gaming on your lunch break? Actually, we can answer that for you: you weren't, even if you thought you were, because PSN is currently unavailable.Trying to log in brings up the message "Site Maintenance Notice: The server is currently down for maintenance. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please try again later." We'll do our best to find out when a good time to try again will be, but in the meantime you're on your own. Perhaps you could get some laundry done, or find a new sandwich recipe.[Thanks, Matt!]

What's New? For one: a class action lawsuit filed by John Kennedy, who accuses Sony's 3.0-version PlayStation firmware update of breaching implied warranty and signaling an act of negligence (among other complaints). As detailed by Courthouse News Service, the suit alleges that "thousands" of PS3 owners downloaded the update, only to find that it caused the system to malfunction and suffer damage to hardware.While Firmware 3.0 was reported to be problematic (particularly in unison with Naughty Dog's popular action game, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune), Sony soon issued an update to quell concerns. The manufacturer was also quick to separate hardware failures -- such as disc drive errors -- from the firmware update. It's the resulting $150 repair fee that provided impetus to Kennedy's suit, which aims to determine appropriate restitution during trial.[Via Gamasutra]

Remember how dejected we were when we realized that Ben Heck's recently crafted PS3 Slim laptop would never appear in our quivering, wanting hands? That script just got irrevocably flipped by Franklin, Tennessee-based gaming retailer/event organizer The Score, who is raffling the modded console off to anyone who purchases their goods or employs their party planning prowess from now until mid-December. The full list of rules and regulations for the raffle can be found on The Score's site, but it basically breaks down to "the more you spend, the more chances you have to win." This process is impeded by the fact that the store has no online support, but does allow for over-the-phone shopping. Yes, it's a lot of hassle for a quazi-portable PS3 -- but that extra effort is what really separates the men from the fanboys. [Thanks, Bradley.]

Relentless Software is prepping the first episode of its PSN adventure game, Blue Toad Murder Files: The Mysteries of Little Riddle, for a December 17 release. The studio's first self-published game is inspired by classic murder mysteries of yesteryear, with players having to figure out "whodunnit." The first screenshots of the game showcase interrogations and puzzles, making good on our wish for a game "like Professor Layton meets ... uh, murder."Unique to the Blue Toad Murder Files is the promise of "one to four player co-operative gameplay." Our interest is certainly piqued by that feature, and we're hoping it'll amount to something a bit more significant than one person holding the controller while three other people yell in their ear.

Do you want to listen to someone talk about video games for about an hour, but you're too impatient to wait for the next Joystiq Podcast? GamerBytes has a really interesting video you might want to check out -- especially if you're currently in the process of developing the next world-changing downloadable title for Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network or WiiWare. Melbourne, Australia recently played host to the Digital Distribution Summit, where a number of industry figures and successful independent developers came together to discuss the future of downloadable gaming. One of the most interesting segments (and the subject of the aforementioned video) was the keynote speech delivered by former worldwide XBLA portfolio manager David Edery. To learn how to fund, pitch and create the next Braid, Trials HD or I MAED A GAM3 W1TH ZOMBIES 1N IT!!!1, check out Edery's entire speech after the jump.

Following the first weekend of PSP Go sales, at least four UK retailers are offering sale prices on the new handheld. Amazon.co.uk, Play, HMV and GAME have all discounted the device to £199.99, which - while still really expensive (it converts to around US $319) - is a significant drop from the MSRP of £224.99. While it's tempting to just write this off as the PSP Go bombing, we're guessing that the MSRP includes some room for retailer profit (unlike the standard price points for most consoles), and these stores are cutting the margins a bit in the interest of competitiveness. Of course, we don't know what the margin is for a Go, but we doubt all these companies would resort to a price drop so soon if they weren't still going to make a lot of money on the venture.

We wish for a million dollars! ... Well, after the return of classic adventure games -- and now Sparkster -- our magical roll of granted wishes was bound to come to an end. 1UP and Konami have revealed a brand new game for the powerfully propelled opossum, set to debut on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and Steam in early 2010. The 2.5D sequel (not a remake!) comes 15 years after the last game, which is a period more wasteful than the gap between the original Star Trek TV series and the first feature film. Sorry, our nerd analogies flare up when we get excited. Rocket Knight (as the game is tentatively dubbed) is being developed by Climax, which previously worked with Konami producer Tomm Hulett on Silent Hill: Origins. The team is currently finishing up the promising Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.

Did you know: The 2K Sports game storage locker doubles as a coffin for all of your outdated sports games? It's just one of several spectacular bonuses bundled in NBA 2K10: Tenth Anniversary Edition. Yours now for just $100! Choose your platform to jump to a specific release list: Last updated: Monday, 2:01 PM