PlayStation News Message Board older than one year ago

Hello everyone! First of all, we want to thank you all for the warm welcome we received last time when we announced our game for PlayStation! You’re a great community and we’re happy to join it.

For those who have missed our last announcement, we are Grimm Bros, a small indie team of five developers working on Dragon Fin Soup, a classic RPG with Roguelike elements.

We’re back, all amped up, motivated, and eager to share our latest news with you. Right now we’re crazy busy getting ready for PAX East, where we’ll have a booth, cosplayers, and a playable demo for people to try out.

Today we’d like to share with you a longer gameplay video with commentary by Randis to talk about more of the details and nuances of the gameplay and world of Dragon Fin Soup. As we point out in the video, the footage is from an Alpha build and some of the gameplay elements and UI may be subject to change.

As we are nearing the end of our Kickstarter campaign, we hope to be able to hit some more of the stretch goals so we can add our second playable character, Morgiana, who would come with her own storyline, featuring new abilities, magic, and additional dungeons and monsters.

We are also giving out some free signed prints, LE plushies, and games on our Facebook page.

Last but not least, we’d like to give a big shout-out to the super nice guys from Blit Software who have already started working on moving Dragon Fin Soup to PS3, PS4, and PS Vita!

Please feel free to ask us questions — it would be our pleasure to respond to each post.

Take care everyone and talk soon!

Randy Pitchford wants more characters and other add-on content for 2K Australia's prequel.

Because of restructuring within the Sonic and mobile departments of SEGA, people have been let go at the company's London office.

Just a little over a month ago, we announced that our first game — the crazy fast-and-colourful space shooter, Futuridium — was coming to PS Vita in an all new, exclusive, greatly enhanced and expanded version titled Futuridium EP Deluxe.

And what was one of the first reactions we received from our dear PlayStation.Blog readers?

“We want it on PS4, too! And fast!”

Duly noted. We just couldn’t ignore such heartfelt appeals, and so after some help from the amazing European PlayStation team — and some wizardry (read: programming and boring stuff) — we can now announce that Futuridium EP Deluxe is coming soon to PS Vita and PS4, exclusively. Here’s a little gameplay preview from the big console version:

For the readers not familiar with the game, Futuridium EP Deluxe is a fast, old-school shooter inspired mainly by the 8-bit classic Uridium, with an added hint of Zaxxon. Shake all that up in low-poly graphics, topped by a ton of fullscreen post processing effects, and served ice cold for your cube blasting pleasure.

As a lone starship pilot lost in a dimensional loop with a depleting energy bar, you’ll encounter endless waves of giant space dreadnoughts. Your only hope? Destroy the blue energy cubes on them to refill your tank and expose the main power core, which must be destroyed to move on to the next ship.

Your weapons? Your skill as a pilot, and the amazing speed of your starship — with the added ability to turn 180 degrees on the spot at the press of a button.

Your mission? Earn as many points as possible, aiming for the top of the different leaderboards, of course! To do so, you must hone your reflexes and master the nuances of Futuridium’s score system, based on multipliers and frantic cube chaining.

While we’re still not ready to uncover all the new stuff we’re adding to the game — you’ll need to wait for another PlayStation.Blog post for that — you can already have a glimpse of some new features in the gameplay trailer.

Turbo zones? Check. New enemies? Check. Teleport portals? Check!

And about the PlayStation 4 version, here’s what you can expect:

• 1080p in glorious 60 frames per second
• Even more dazzling visual effects thanks to the PS4′s added power
• Leaderboards shared with the PS Vita version
• Cool DualShock 4 features
• Full sharing support so you can stream your best run
• Simultaneous PS Vita / PS4 launch
• Cross buy

Thanks for your time — we’ll share more info about our games here on PlayStation.Blog in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and our website to read more about Futuridium EP Deluxe and our action adventure game, forma.8, also coming to PS4 and PS Vita by the end of the year.

If you have any questions, I’ll be lurking in the comment section down here, ready to answer!

This weekend, evil takes hold of our Bethesda Booth at PAX East in Boston, MA. Throughout the day, we’ll be doing the first North American public demonstrations of The Evil Within – the new survival horror game developed by Shinji Mikami and his Tango Gameworks team based in Tokyo, Japan. During the demo, the game’s main protagonist, Sebastian Castellanos, will square off against one of the game’s most terrifying creatures: Boxman.

Be sure to stop by our booth and check out the presentation. And if you happen to dress up with The Evil Within cosplay, we’ll reward you with a spot in the front of the line.

Can’t make PAX? Be sure to watch our new PAX East trailer for a glimpse of the Boxman boss battle.

Stay tuned for more info on The Evil Within – coming to both PS4 and PS3 on August 26th.

Featured Releases Now Available, Week of 4/8/14:

Check out what’s new on Sony Entertainment Network’s ultimate entertainment services! Read more below –

Music Unlimited Highlights:

• A soundtrack of songs inspired by the movie inspired by Need For Speed, including tracks from Aloe Blacc, Kid Cudi & more.
• SoMo’s debut album, the Texas-based R&B artist whose YouTube cover videos gained several million videos & subsequently, a record deal for his own material.
• The debut solo album from The Cool Kids’ Chuck Inglish, which features appearances by Chance the Rapper, Action Bronson & more.
• New singles from Augustana & Andy Grammer, plus Atmosphere’s oddly-titled track about ”loving something so much that you submit to the moment.” Take that as you will.

 
For further exclusive access to all the new album releases – see details here.
 

Video Unlimited Highlights:

 
This week’s new release recap offers an eclectic mix films, including a documentary, horror flick and animated series. Get the chills with Lizzie Borden Took An Axe, go nuts with The Nut Job and get the scoop on the rise of our favorite boy band in One Direction: Clevver’s Ultimate Fan Guide. See the full list of new releases below!
 
Lizzie Borden Took An Axe: You’ve probably heard the popular (and incredibly creepy) children’s rhyme of the same name, based on one of the last century’s most infamous crimes. Christina Ricci stars in this gripping tale of a schoolteacher on a trial that grabbed the hearts of the nation.
 

 
The plot surrounds the double murder of the Bordens in 1892 Massachusetts.  As the case unfolds, the Bordens’ daughter, Lizzie (Christina Ricci), becomes the prime suspect. Her lawyer, Andrew Jennings (Billy Campbell), maintains her innocence because he believes no woman could possibly be guilty of such a horrific crime. The gripping ending will send chills down your spine.
 
One Direction: Clevver’s Ultimate Fan Guide: Two years ago, X Factor host Simon Cowell chose five contestants to form a boy band. Little did he know that they would become the worldwide sensation One Direction.
 

 
See how Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan stole our hearts in this ultimate fan guide. Hosts Dana Ward and Joslyn David from YouTube’s ClevverTV channel tell the story of One Direction’s rise to mega-stardom with exclusive celebrity interviews from Robert Pattinson and Miranda Cosgrove.
 
Want to get more Video Unlimited scoop on all the new releases? View further details here.

More Borderlands? Yes please!

2K just announced Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, a new entry in the awesome/ridiculous/ridiculously-awesome FPS series from Gearbox. It takes place between Borderlands 1 and 2, and explores the rise of the latter’s charmingly sadistic villain: Handsome Jack. Oh, and it’s on the moon.

Offensive opportunities will be plentiful, with new laser-based and “Cryo” weapons joining the already gargantuan armory present on Pandora, and you can play as one of four new characters — including Claptrap.

Read on for full details about Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, straight from 2K.

Handsome Jack is back with a whole new cast of playable characters and he’s taking you to the moon of Pandora in the next standalone AAA game in 2K’s best-selling franchise – Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. 2K announced today that the game is being co-developed by Gearbox Software and 2K Australia, and will be available later this fall for the PlayStation 3. See, aren’t you glad you kept your PS3!?

Narratively, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel takes place between the original Borderlands game and Borderlands 2. For the very first time, you’ll play on the other side as four new playable characters fighting alongside Handsome Jack, and you’ll witness Jack’s transformation into the megalomaniacal tyrant that you loved to hate in Borderlands 2. Fans of the franchise will no doubt remember some of these characters from past games. There’s Athena – The Gladiator, Wilhelm – The Enforcer, Nisha – The Lawbringer, and Claptrap – The Fragtrap. That’s right, you can play as THE Claptrap! Oh, and did we mention that you’re fighting on the moon!?

Pandora’s moon is called Elpis, and it’s inhabited by a whole bunch of new baddies – Scavengers, Lunatics, giant bandits in 70s-era NASA spacesuits – you know, the type you’d enjoy blasting off the surface of the moon. And that’s just it, because you’re off of Pandora, gravity is different and so is the atmosphere. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel has an all-new oxygen system that not only allows you to breathe in the moon’s zero-atmosphere environments, it gives you an oxygen-powered jetpack that enables you to perform insanely long moon jumps, or even double jumps. Combining your double jump with the crouch button performs a ground-pounding slam that deals area of effect damage, and can also deal crazy elemental damage. Oxygen is a lootable resource just like ammo, which has been plentiful in past Borderlands games, so you don’t have to fear that you’ll run out.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Borderlands game without gazillions of new guns, but not just guns, all-new weapon and elemental damage types. In Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, you’ll shoot ‘n’ loot with laser guns – the type that ‘pew pew’ like in Star Wars, and the type that shoot continuous beams like in Ghostbusters. You’ll also freeze bandits in their place and shatter them into hundreds of bloody pieces using an array of Cryo weapons. Cryo is an all-new elemental damage type, and the combination of fire from laser and ice from Cryo has us itching to jump back into Borderlands.

What do you think? Are you excited to jump around Pandora’s moon, blasting bandits in the face with laser guns? Let us know in the comments below. Also, if you’re headed to PAX East this weekend, you have a chance to get a first look at Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel in action at 2K’s booth #962.

Want to see what the best-selling games on PS4, PS3, and Vita were last month? Look no further.

This week's PlayStation Store update brings with it LEGO The Hobbit on all three PS platforms, as well as other new games for PS3, PS4, and Vita.

PS4 Pre-Orders Child of Light ($14.99) The daughter of the Duke of Carniola is transported to Lemuria, a mysterious world that needs her help. Identified as the Child of Light and granted the power of flight, she takes on the minions of Lemuria’s Dark Queen in her quest to recover the sun, the moon and the stars to return home. Along the way she’ll discover that her destiny may be far greater than she ever dreamed. PS3 Pre-Orders Child of Light ($14.99) The daughter of the Duke of Carniola is transported to Lemuria, a mysterious world that needs her help. Identified as the Child of Light and granted the power of flight, she takes on the minions of Lemuria’s Dark Queen in her quest to recover the sun, the moon and the stars to return home. Along the way she’ll discover that her destiny may be far greater than she ever dreamed. Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion Xl ($19.99) Did you ever wonder what would happen if Humungousaur and Samurai Jack met up in a dark alley? What if Dexter took on Mac and Bloo? The possibilities are endless! If only there was a way to get all your favorite cartoon characters together… Well you don’t have to wait any longer… Get ready for a Punch Time Explosion! PS4 Games Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (Free to Download) Be amongst the first to explore a land embraced by Gods and forged by Heroes. Embark on the adventure of a lifetime and save the realm of Eorzea.
* All the hallmarks of the FINAL FANTASY franchise, including an engaging storyline, genre-leading graphics, and majestic music
* Robust and varied gameplay—such as Free Companies, story-focused missions, and exhilarating public battles—designed to bring players together
* A flexible class system that allows players to change roles on the fly, simply by changing their equipped weapon or tool
* A breathtaking musical score that accompanies your adventures and changes dynamically while you play
*Requires monthly subscription King Oddball ($6.99) End the world with boulders! The King swings a boulder back and forth with his tongue and you get to release it by pressing a button. Time the release accurately and crush as many targets as possible with each boulder. Simple but addictive! LEGO The Hobbit ($59.99) The interactive game of LEGO The Hobbit allows gamers to play along with their favorite scenes from the films, and follows the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins as he is recruited by the Wizard Gandalf to aid Thorin Oakenshield and his Company of Dwarves. Strike Suit Zero: Director’s Cut ($19.99) In the year 2299, an interstellar war rages. Take control of the Strike Suit – a craft with the ability to transform into a hulking suit of space armor – in a bid to save Earth from destruction. Immerse yourself in massive fleet battles where your dogfighting skills will directly affect the fate of the cosmos. PS3 Games LEGO The Hobbit ($49.99) The interactive game of LEGO The Hobbit allows gamers to play along with their favorite scenes from the films, and follows the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins as he is recruited by the Wizard Gandalf to aid Thorin Oakenshield and his Company of Dwarves. Sonic Unleashed ($19.99) Sonic the Hedgehog is on an adventure unlike any other! Powered by an all-new engine, Sonic Unleashed merges classic Sonic gameplay with the latest in next-generation innovation. Merging blistering 2D action with meticulously rendered 3D environments, players race through intriguing locations across the globe as Sonic to save a chaotic world. PS Vita Games LEGO The Hobbit ($29.99) The interactive game of LEGO The Hobbit allows gamers to play along with their favorite scenes from the films, and follows the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins as he is recruited by the Wizard Gandalf to aid Thorin Oakenshield and his Company of Dwarves. PS2 Classic Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 ($9.99) A rumor is going around school that by looking at a TV screen at 12:00 AM on a rainy night, the face of your soulmate will be revealed. But is that all? A chain of murders appears to be connected to the rumor, and you and your team of Persona users must brave the mysterious TV world before another schoolmate dies. App Updates Crackle (PS3/PS4/PS Vita) Crackle’s acclaimed original series “Chosen” returns with a vengeance with the exclusive early preview only on Crackle on PlayStation. For the third season, Rose McGowan joins the cast including Chad Michael Murray and Brandon Routh. The first two seasons of “Chosen” followed Ian Mitchell (Milo Ventimiglia) and Jacob Orr (Murray) as they were swept into a deadly game that forced them to kill or be killed. The third season is packed more thrills, suspense and jaw-dropping moments than ever before. Watch the new season of “Chosen” only on Crackle on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita starting today. Check out the show here. Hulu Plus (PS3/PS4/PS Vita) Deadbeat is an all new original comedy series. Kevin Pacalioglu (Tyler Labine) may have no money and no clue, but he can see dead people, so that’s pretty cool. Faced with a constant stream of stubborn spirits, Pac goes to whatever lengths require the least amount of effort to help New York City’s most frivolous ghosts finish their unfinished business. Check out the show here. Netflix (PS3/PS4/PS Vita) Now on Netflix—Mad Men Season 6. Catch up on all seasons of Mad Men through Season 6, now streaming on Netflix. Set in 1960s New York City, this series takes a peek inside an ad agency during an era when the cutthroat business had a glamorous lure. In Season 6, Madison Avenue’s most notorious advertising executive, Don Draper, returns to battle more personal demons stemming from his mysterious past. Not a member? Try Netflix free for one month at Netflix.com. Qello Concerts (PS3/PS Vita) As always, a scan of some of the new releases on Qello Concerts is like a trip in a time machine. We begin by hurtling back about 40 years to one of Pink Floyd’s greatest albums. The Story of Wish You Were Here is in the mold of the Classic Albums series, and that’s a good thing. We jump into the early ‘90s, and onto Oasis with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds: Live at the O2. Sign up for a 15 day trial here. Redbox Instant by Verizon (PS3, PS4, PS Vita) This week in Redbox Instant, we have a lot of great titles available this week to watch. Check out Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, Homefront and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug to buy/rent. For our streaming subscribers, we now have Rocky 1-5, Mud, The People vs. Larry Flynt and Dragonslayer. Plus to get you ready for this summer’s onslaught of Marvel movies, check out the 2012 box office hit, The Avengers. Demos

• Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle (PS3)
• King Oddball (PS4)

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Title Plus Price Original Price Strike Suit Zero: Director’s Cut (PS4) $15.99 $19.99 Sales Title Sale Price Regular Price Crazy Market: Crazy Market Coin Doubler $0.49 $2.99 Crazy Market: Crazy Market Vitamin Superpack $0.49 $2.99 Flying Hamster HD $0.49 $3.99 PS All-Stars PS3 Isaac Clarke, Zeus and Graveyard Pack $1.99 $9.99 R.I.P.D. $2.99 $9.99 Sunflowers $0.49 $3.99 Price Changes Title New Price Original Price Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Collector’s Edition $44.99 $59.99 Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Standard Edition $24.99 $39.99 Ride To Hell Retribution $19.99 $29.99 Ride To Hell: Retribution Cook’s Mad Recipe $1.99 $3.49 Sacred Citadel $9.99 $14.99 Sacred Citadel: Jungle Hunt Bundle $1.99 $4.99 PS3 Add-ons Atelier Escha & Logy Alchemists of the Dusk Sky

• Atelier Series BGM Package / Additional (Free)
• Additional Collection Area/Palace Of Paupers (Free)
• Atelier Escha & Logy – Additional Party Character – Wilbell ($4.99)

Ragnarok Odyssey Ace

• Ephemeral Swimsuit (Free)
• Giant King Mask (Free)
• Tales Of Symphonia Set (Free)

Rocksmith 2014

• Bob Dylan – Just Like A Woman ($2.99)
• Bob Dylan – Like A Rolling Stone ($2.99)
• Bob Dylan – Subterranean Homesick Blues ($2.99)
• Bob Dylan Song Pack ($7.99)

The Wolf Among Us

• Episode 3: A Crooked Mile ($4.99)

PS Vita Add-ons Destiny of Spirits

• Destiny Orbs 105 ($7.99)
• Destiny Orbs 200 ($14.99)
• Destiny Orbs 300 ($19.99)
• Destiny Orbs 500 ($29.99)

Toukiden: The Age of Demons

• Additional Missions 10 ($0.99)
• Additional Missions 8 ($0.99)
• Additional Missions 9 ($0.99)

Ragnarok Odyssey Ace

• Ephemeral Swimsuit (Free)
• Giant King Mask (Free)
• Tales Of Symphonia Set (Free)

PS3 Themes

• Aquarium Dynamic Theme ($2.99)
• Chelsea Champions Dynamic Theme ($2.99)
• Chelsea First Team Dynamic Theme ($2.99)
• Chelsea The Blues Dynamic Theme ($2.99)
• Chelsea Victory Dynamic Theme ($2.99)
• Digital Blasphemy Mystic Rainbow Dynamic Theme ($2.99)
• Dynamic Cat Rainbow Theme ($2.99)
• Dynamic Flirty Girl 10 Theme ($2.99)
• Dynamic Flirty Girl 11 Theme ($2.99)
• Dynamic Laser Cat Gl Theme ($2.99)
• Chernobly Dynamic Theme ($2.99)
• Marines Static Theme ($1.99)
• MLB: Calendar 2014 Dynamic Themes ($2.99)
• Paradise Dynamic Theme ($1.99)
• The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Dynamic Theme (Free)
• Thief – Theme ($1.99)

Premiering today exclusively for PlayStation owners, Crackle’s original psychological thriller TV series, “Chosen,” starring Chad Michael Murray (“One Tree Hill”) and Rose McGowan (“Charmed”) returns for its third season. PlayStation fans now have early access to all six episodes on PS4, PS3 and PS Vita before Chosen premieres on Crackle on April 15.

Chosen follows the Mitchell Family and Jacob Orr, who are transformed into unwilling assassins when they receive mysterious boxes forcing them to kill marked targets. PlayStation fans can watch the third season first in the Crackle app.

Crackle can be found in the app section in PlayStation Store on your PS4, PS3 and PS Vita.

One Beyonder writes in saying his DualShock 4 is falling apart -- and that it's a wide-spread problem.

Borderlands 2 on Vita was looking a little shaky, so Sony brought in a new build for us to play with. Written and video impressions within.

Today, we can confirm when Borderlands 2 will come to PS Vita... and we can also tell you about a very special way to score the game before it comes out.

The all-new PS Vita model was released in Japan last year and in Europe earlier this year. Now -- finally -- Americans can get in on the act, too.

inFAMOUS Second Son and Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes rocked the PlayStation Store PS4 charts in March… you could have probably guessed that, though. But did you know South Park: The Stick of Truth grabbed the #2 spot on the PS3 list, beaten only by the mighty Minecraft? It even triumphed over my beloved Dark Souls II!

Square Enix’s HD remaster of Final Fantasy X and X2 Jecht shot (that pun is a real stretch, sorry) to the top of the PS Vita charts, and the Classics list looks… well, pretty much as you’d expect it to.

Worth noting: Fez landed in the PS Store top sellers on all three platforms it launched on last month!

Head over to the EU PlayStation.Blog to see how these games fared over there. Any guesses for next month?

PS4 inFAMOUS Second Son METAL GEAR SOLID V: GROUND ZEROES Awesomenauts Assemble! Thief FEZ TowerFall Ascension Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition SteamWorld Dig Outlast STRIDER Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition Call of Duty: Ghosts Assassin’s Creed Freedom Cry NBA 2K14 Battlefield 4 Flower PS4 Need for Speed Rivals Rayman Legends EA SPORTS FIFA 14 DYNASTY WARRIORS 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition PS3 Minecraft: PlayStation 3 Edition South Park: The Stick of Truth METAL GEAR SOLID V: GROUND ZEROES Need for Speed Most Wanted Dark Souls II Grand Theft Auto V FINAL FANTASY X/X-2 HD Remaster inFAMOUS Festival of Blood Grand Theft Auto IV Call of Duty: Ghosts Need for Speed Hot Pursuit NEED FOR SPEED THE RUN Battlefield 4 BioShock NBA JAM: On Fire Edition Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City FEZ BioShock 2 inFAMOUS 2 Thief PS3 Add-Ons Call of Duty: Ghosts – Onslaught The Last Of Us Left Behind The Walking Dead: Season 2 – Ep. 2, A House Divided Call of Duty: Black Ops II Apocalypse Call of Duty: Black Ops II Vengeance Call of Duty: Ghosts Season Pass Call of Duty: Black Ops II – Revolution Call of Duty: Black Ops II Nuketown Zombies Map Call of Duty: Black Ops II Uprising The Walking Dead: Season Two – Season Pass PS Vita FINAL FANTASY X/X-2 HD Remaster Need for Speed Most Wanted Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA f FEZ PS Vita LUFTRAUSERS PS Vita SteamWorld Dig Terraria PS Vita Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z Killzone: Mercenary The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season Classics Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Grand Theft Auto 3 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories Metal Gear Solid (PS3/PSP) PlayStation Mobile Trolly Bird Sola Weather Translate Helper Sola Gallery Beats Trellis PSP Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories Star Wars: Battlefront II Need For Speed Carbon Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

Sony's brawler rediscovers its balance with tweaks and changes across every character.

Strike Suit Zero: Director’s Cut is out today on PS4. Space combat has returned to consoles for the first time in what feels like millennia.

Strike Suit Zero was born out of a passion for space combat and the sad realisation that the genre was severely under-represented. As game developers, we had the opportunity to rectify that. The Born Ready Games team grew up on a steady diet of Wing Commander, X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter, Freelancer, Freespace — all the classics from the 90′s heyday. We wanted to create a space dogfighter in the same vein, but with an updated look and feel that would make it relevant to today’s audience.

The first thing we did was introduce a mech to the heart of the game. The Strike Suit — a fighter that can transform into a devastating suit of space armor at the touch of a button — eliminates issues with older games we refer to as “jousting” and “circle chasing.” The Strike Suit is quick and agile, allowing the player to turn 180 degrees quickly and take out any enemies that have got behind them. As a result, Strike Suit Zero has a much quicker pace than older space combat games.

The Strike Suit itself was designed by Junji Okubo, the mechanical designer behind Appleseed, Steel Battalion, and Infinite Space, among others. We combined Junji’s designs with an original soundtrack from Paul Ruskay (Homeworld), who collaborated with Japanese singer-songwriter Kokia on a number of tracks. As such, there’s an interesting blend of East-meets-West across all facets of the game’s design.

As developers, it’s not often you get the chance to revisit your game; to spruce up the visuals, add anything time didn’t permit the first time around, and to make improvements based on community feedback. The resulting game — the Director’s Cut — is the definitive Strike Suit Zero experience. The campaign’s been restructured, meaning the player gets into the Strike Suit — and thus the meat of the action — much quicker. We’ve added a load of new VO, expanding the story and — crucially — updated the look of the game.

Dan Lodge, Lead Artist, writes:

It’s not often an artist gets a second chance at doing the art for the same game. Luckily for the artist team here at Born Ready, that’s exactly what we’ve had the opportunity to do. One of the first teams in recent times to take on the challenge of producing a modern space combat game, we had very few direct references to draw from when we made Strike Suit Zero. This resulted in us cutting some corners that, as a small indie developer, we simply didn’t have time to fix for the original release.

Strike Suit Zero: Director’s Cut has given us the opportunity to directly apply the lessons we learned the first time around and revisit so many of the things we had wanted to before. With over a gigabyte of extra texture memory unlocked for us to use on the PS4 version, we immediately ditched the tiling texture technique we had to use in the original.

We set about diligently rebuilding assets from the original game at an incredible pace and with a dramatic increase in quality. Great leaps were made in our approach, particularly to texturing, both technically and stylistically. Many of the ships in game are now truer to the original designs by Junji Okubo and they all have a much more coherent and convincing look.

When our time had run out, the team had exceeded our targets and replaced almost every asset in the game; the difference is clear.

Strike Suit Zero: Director’s Cut is available on PlayStation Store today for $19.99. To address a couple of questions I anticipate being asked: the PS4 version of the game takes advantage of DualShock 4′s speaker for radio-chatter, and the touch pad for targeting. You can also remote play the game using your PS Vita. Lovely.

Other questions? Hit up the comments section below and I’ll do my best to answer. Alternatively, find us on Twitter at @StrikeSuitZero and @BornReadyGames. Thanks for reading, and from everybody at Born Ready Games: we hope you enjoy the game.

We played MLB 14: The Show on PlayStation 4, and it's looking mighty fine.

Big and small. Those two words best describe the visual improvements San Diego Studio has implemented in MLB 14 The Show on PS4. From the detailed stitching and fabric of a glove to the 4x texture resolution of entire stadiums, the team has pushed itself — and PS4 — to create an unrivaled experience in baseball.

The PS4 version of MLB 14 The Show boasts plenty of obvious enhancements over its feature-rich, PS3 counterpart. Players look better even at a glance, with uniforms and helmets that wrinkle and flash under the grace of a new lighting model. While stadium crowds in the PS3 version were made up of about 40 different models, the PS4 version hosts 1,000 individual models in varying clothing and gear — and each model has approximately the same number of polygons as the actual players did on PS3.

The list goes on. Individual blades of grass provide a subtle accent against a player’s shoe. Stubble grows on his cheek. These details, big and small, push the PS4 version ever closer to visual parity with a game broadcast on television.

For those that haven’t played the PS3 version yet, MLB 14 The Show brings a litany of new features and improvements over last year’s outing. Quick Counts simulate the pitching counts in a game, reducing the number of total pitches while preserving the outcome. This allows gamers to jump in and out of a game in less time, while still experiencing much of what The Show has to offer. Series favorites, including Road to the Show, have been improved. Cross save support across all three platforms encourages baseball enthusiasts to bring their progress on the go, or between PS3 and PS4. As an added bonus, year-to-year saves enable gamers to bring their progress this year to future entries in the series.

A less obvious addition, though no less addictive, is the new player lock feature — something San Diego Studio dubs “Road to the Show, anywhere.” This locks the camera — and the action — to any individual player in a game. Player lock opens up the tremendous diversity and strategic richness in each position on field, from the planning and quick thinking of the catcher to the patience and precision of an outfielder.

Each position plays a bit different, and unlocks a whole new way to experience The Show. If that player happens to be out, The Show can simulate all the “in-between” moments in a slick interface brimming with statistics, or gamers can watch it all play out in real time. The amount of options and customization is staggering, inviting the most devoted baseball fans to plunge into a sea of possibilities and fine-tune the experience to their liking.

In fact, MLB 14 The Show aims to cater its fun to all types of players, from those with a craving for a quick fix, to gamers in it for the long haul. And with player lock running underneath every game, each position on field is a new perspective into America’s pastime.

MLB 14 The Show hits PS4 on May 6th, and is already available now on PS3 and PS Vita.

If you’re planning on attending PAX East 2014 this weekend in Boston, we’re excited to share news that you’ll be one of the first to play Wolfenstein: The New Order on PS4! The game will be playable at our booth Friday through Sunday.

Additionally, from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM on Saturday night at the Royale Boston, the game’s faux record label, Neumond Recordings, will be hosting a record release party. During the event, you’ll be able to grab some awesome swag, food and drinks with friends, and listen to live music from Neumond’s finest bands. And like our PAX East booth, you’ll be able to play an early chapter from Wolfenstein.

As announced late last month, Wolfenstein: The New Order arrives on PS3 and PS4 worldwide on Tuesday, May 20th, and pre-ordering will get you access into the beta for the next DOOM game from id Software.

Happy Monday! We’re excited to share this first extended look at MLB 14 The Show on PS4. In this dev diary, Ramone Russell, Community Manager and Game Designer, shows off some of the improvements and graphical upgrades the team at San Diego Studio has made to the environments of some of the most storied and iconic stadiums in all of baseball.

Each of the 30 Major League stadiums and ballparks have their own personality and vibe — no two are alike. With the power of the PS4, the team has been able to recreate these unique cathedrals like never before. A new lighting engine, a nearly 10x increase in polygon count and over 1,000 unique character crowd models bring these stadiums to life.

Find out why Baseball is Better with MLB 14 The Show when it launches on the PS4 May 6th.

I’m excited to announce that PlayStation is now the Official Gaming Partner of Top Rank Boxing, the world’s leading boxing promotions company. As a part of this new partnership, the PlayStation brand will be featured front and center during several premier Top Rank events that will be broadcast live on Pay-Per-View, HBO and Unimas (a part of the Univision Network).

Top Rank promotes some of the biggest boxing events in the world, including the World Welterweight Championship rematch between “Fighter of the Decade” Manny Pacquiao and undefeated two-division world champion Timothy Bradley. Greatness awaits these incredible athletes when they match up on April 12, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

In addition to Pacquiao vs. Bradley 2, PlayStation will be featured in the June 7 match-up at Madison Square Garden between three-time-division champ Miguel Cotto and reigning middleweight champ Sergio Martinez. Additional events to feature PlayStation integration include the May 17 bout between Juan Manuel Marquez and Mike Alvarado at the Forum in Los Angeles.

The main event is right around the corner and we can’t wait to have the PlayStation brand highlighted in front of the millions of boxing fans around the world.

Hello readers — exciting times! It’s been pretty frantic bringing King Oddball over to PS4 from PS Vita, but we’re really happy to have it as our first PS4 release. We can’t wait to see how the game is received on the big screen.

I’ve covered the game pretty well on Playstation.Blog in earlier posts, so I’ll shed some light on the various special level sets and how they came to be. First, a quick recap: King Oddball is a skill-based, physics puzzler, where your goal is to clear the screen of enemies with three throwable rocks. So far so ordinary, but in King Oddball, you don’t get to fling the rocks any way you please.

The King swings a rock back and forth like a pendulum, and the rock is released when you hit X. Gravity takes over, and you hit your target if your timing was good. Accurate timing takes you only so far though, because soon enough you need to be strategizing about where the rock will bounce after the first, second, and even third impact. Tip: it’s often good to start from the topmost targets, as the rock will fall down eventually, possibly taking out enemies on the ground.

This basic gameplay is fun and strangely addictive, but as there are dozens and dozens of levels, some variety is good. Enter the Boom Challenge and One Rock Challenge. In Boom Challenge, the rocks are replaced with hand grenades which explode a few seconds after release. These levels obviously play quite differently than the basic levels.

In One Rock Challenge, you only get one rock to complete the level. King Oddball’s basic gameplay is (on the surface) very simple, but we wanted to include levels where we got to strip it down even more. The question “How hard can it be?” is quite pronounced here.

Finally there’s The Hall of Diamonds. Originally we made the conscious design decision not to include the ability to replay levels, display a score, or have the three star rating typically seen in pretty much all physics-based puzzles. We wanted King Oddball to be simply about clearing the levels and moving on.

After a substantial amount of player feedback, we caved in a bit. In The Hall of Diamonds, you get to replay the basic levels, but you fully” clear” them only by not throwing the last rock, which is now a diamond. It’s a feat that very much equals earning a three star rating.

King Oddball launches for PS4 on April 8th, and it comes with a free trial. It’s $6.99 and cross buy with the PS Vita version. Give it a go!

Put on your sneaking suits, folks, it’s time to escape a deadly lab in Stealth Inc. A Clone in the Dark. This puzzle platformer requires you to stick to the shadows, ‘cause if you’re spotted you’ll be terminated on sight. Rough crowd. There are 80 levels to maneuver through, so make sure you don’t get vaporized by a laser, okay? As an added bonus, because Stealth Inc. is a Cross-Buy title, PS Plus members can download both the PS3 and PS Vita versions of the game.

You can download Stealth Inc. A Clone in the Dark after the PlayStation Store updates tomorrow, 4/8.

Stealth Inc. A Clone in the Dark (PS3, PS Vita)

Free for PS Plus members

Stealth Inc is a fast-paced stealth platformer featuring brutal hazards, ruthless enemies, fiendish puzzles and red pixels galore. Jump, sneak, and be chunked through 80 levels. Will you make it out alive? Armed with only your wits and a pair of top of the range Stealthing Goggles, it’s your job to sneak your way through a deadly facility that’s determined to extinguish your fragile little life. With no weapons and no armour, being seen means instant death.

Title Plus Price Original Price Strike Suit Zero: Director’s Cut (PS4) $15.99 $19.99

Last Chance (Leaving on 4/15)

Instant Game Collection
Dyad (PS3)

Discounts
Atomic Ninjas (Ps3)
Atomic Ninjas (Ps Vita)
Foosball 2012 (Ps3)
Foosball 2012 (Ps Vita)
The Impossible Game
9-In-1 Mega Pack

What’s your favorite content from this week’s update?

If you’ve got feedback on today’s Plus update make sure vote in the poll and leave a comment below. To discuss all things PlayStation, including this update, you can also head over to the PlayStation Community Forums where you’ll find topics you can contribute your thoughts to, or start one for yourself.

If you missed our first announcement, then hear us roar again. For the first time ever, five of PlayStation’s Worldwide Studios community teams have banded together to construct a community-focused booth at PAX East. Come hang out with your PlayStation family in booth #608 at the Boston Convention Center April 11-13. Not only will we be selling exclusive merchandise and highly collectible PlayStation memorabilia, you can also discuss, share, and create PlayStation memories with community team leads from Guerrilla, Media Molecule, Naughty Dog, Sony Santa Monica, and Sony Xdev.

Wait! There’s more! We have a slew of daily booth and online activities planned for all attendees, even those who cannot make it to Boston. Join the conversation today and continue it all show long by using #PSPAX whenever you talk about PAX or PlayStation online. Here’s the grand rundown of events and our full booth schedule below!

Share with #PSPAX to win

Create or find any of the PlayStation symbols – Square, Triangle, Circle, and Cross – from wherever you are in the world and post pictures or video directed at us on Instagram or Twitter. Every day during PAX East our PlayStation studios will select random winners for our mystery prizes, which include the rare Tearaway PAX Exclusive Iota pinny!
Follow our studios on Twitter and Instagram, and then participate by sharing your photos and videos using #PSPAX. You must include #PSPAX in the post to enter. There is no limit! Let your creativity rule!

Cosplayers — Come one, come all!

If you are cosplaying at PAX East as any PlayStation character, stop by our booth, and we’ll award you the Tearaway PAX Exclusive Iota pinny while supplies last. Let’s see your best PlayStation character! We like cosplay!

Daily Booth Contests

The following contests will be running all day, every day at our booth:

Killzone Shadowfall Botzone Challenge

Take on the Botzone Deathmatch challenge to rack up as many bot kills in the set time. The daily Top 3 on our PAX Killzone Leaderboard will claim Dogtags, DLC Season Passes, signed posters, and a Custom Killzone DualShock 4 controller.

Sound Shapes Speed Run

Race the music of Deadmau5 “Invaderoids” in Sound Shapes. The Top 3 daily fastest times on our PAX Sound Shapes Leaderboard will win a bundle of DLC, full game codes, and a rare poster.

Name That Tune

How well do you know OUR PlayStation music? We’ll be blasting tunes from our games all day at the booth. Find the designated “jar next to our speaker” and tell us a game you think the music is from. Random correct winners will be selected at the end of every day for great prizes.

Live Booth Schedule

You didn’t think we’d just stand around flipping PlayStation controllers in the air now did you? We have a number of live activities planned, including a live AMA with each studio.

Friday

11AM – Trivia Contest with Naughty Dog & Media Molecule
12PM – Tearaway Poster Giveaway
1PM – AMA w/ Naughty Dog Community Managers – Ask Away!
2PM – Trivia Contest with Sony Santa Monica & SonyXDevEurope
3PM – Tearaway Poster Giveaway
4PM – Trivia Contest with Guerrilla Studios

Saturday

11AM – Trivia Contest with Guerrilla Studios
12PM – Tearaway Poster Giveaway
1PM – AMA w/ Media Molecule Community Managers – Ask Away!
2PM – Trivia Contest with Naughty Dog & Media Molecule
3PM – Trivia Contest with Sony Santa Monica & SonyXDevEurope
4PM – AMA w/ SonyXDev Community Managers – Ask Away!
5PM – Tearaway Poster Giveaway

Sunday

11AM – Trivia Contest with Sony Santa Monica & SonyXDevEurope
12PM – Tearaway Poster Giveaway
1PM – AMA w/ Sony Santa Monica Community Managers – Ask Away!
2PM – Trivia Contest with Guerrilla Studios
3PM – AMA w/ Guerrilla Studios Community Managers – Ask Away!
4PM – Trivia Contest with Naughty Dog & Media Molecule
5PM – BLOWOUT GIVEAWAY! WHATEVER WE HAVE LEFT!

Whew! We’re going to have some sore throats when all is said and done but there’s just one more thing…the Molecules and all of us want to make sure the PAX Exclusive Iota Pinny will get in the hands of those who interact with us. The pinny game of PAX has a simple rule: trade or kindly ask for it. Chat with any of us at the booth wearing a World Wide Studios PAX T-Shirt and perhaps we will pin Iota to your lanyard, shirt, or give to you at our discretion. Maybe we’ll even trade you for an Ellie pinny.

The PAX PlayStation Community Exchange is a constant conversation, come join and get to know us. We can’t wait to see you all! #PSPAX

Borderlands 2 is set to get a prequel game on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC later this year, according to a new report.

Aussie hip hop star Seth Sentry joins the IGN AU Pubcast to talk Titanfall, Goat Simulator, Oculus Rift and more.

I did it! I beat Dark Souls II! After I finished it, I said I was going to take a break from games for the weekend, but I already kind of want to hop back in and clean up the three optional bosses I missed…

Anyway! This week’s PlayStation.Blog highlights. Sucker Punch listened to fan feedback and they’re adding some new features to inFAMOUS Second Son, Ryan got to play the first two hours of Ubisoft’s beautiful new RPG Child of Light on PS4, Minecraft PS3 players can get some new Uncharted, Killzone, and Heavy Rain skins, we’re going to be giving away some rare PlayStation loot at PAX East, you can raise a puppy on you PS Vita (YOU CAN RAISE A PUPPY ON YOUR PS VITA), Joe Danger on PS Vita gets playable Sackboy, Iota and Atoi, Square dropped some FF14 knowledge (beta 2 is live!), we got a crazy creepy new SOMA trailer (by the way, it takes place underwater… yeah), and more. Phew, did I miss anything?

With Dark Souls II finally completed, I think it’s high time I step into the dimensionally ambiguous world of Fez. Cross save means I can work my way through while I’m waiting for Captain America to start, then come home after the movie and keep playing on PS4!

What are you guys and girls playing this weekend?

• I’m playing: Dark Souls II (beaten!), FEZ
• I’m watching: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
• I’m listening to: Minibosses

This Week’s Top 10 Posts Second Son Update Incoming: Change Time of Day, HUD Off, 30FPS Option Mercenary Kings Out Today on PS4 The First 2 Hours of Child of Light on PS4 Latest Minecraft PS3 Update Adds Uncharted, Killzone, Heavy Rain Skins PlayStation Vita Pets Coming on June 3rd Road Not Taken on PS4, Vita: Living a Full, 15-Year Life Killzone Shadow Fall Insurgent Pack Out Today Ragnarok Odyssey ACE Out Today for PS3, PS Vita PAX East 2014: PlayStation WWS Community Exchange New Combat Trailer Revealed for Bound by Flame on PS4

This Week’s PlayStation Store Update

This Week’s PlayStation Plus Update

PlayStation Blogcast 115

Most-Watched Video of the Week

Child of Light comes to PS3 and PS4 on April 30th in North America, and we’ve got a new interview with writer Jeffrey Yohalem. Plus: New releases for April 8th, 2014, South Park: Stick of Truth talk and much more.

Subscribe via iTunes or RSS, or download here

Stuff We Talked About

• Child of Light
• inFAMOUS Second Son
• Dark Souls II
• South Park: The Stick of Truth
• Diablo III
• Batman: Arkham City
• Persona 4
• Best Vita games

Recent Episodes

• Episode 114: Batfriends
• Episode 113: Meet Morpheus
• Episode 112: Praise the Son!

Send us questions and tips: blogcast@playstation.sony.com or leave a voice message! 650-288-6706 The Cast

• Sid Shuman – PlayStation Social Media Manager
• Nick Suttner – PlayStation Account Support Manager
• Justin Massongill – PlayStation Social Media Specialist
• Ryan Clements – PlayStation Social Media Specialist

[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]

• Thanks to Cory Schmitz for our beautiful logo and Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music.