All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

In anticipation for our ModNation Racers release on May 25th, and to celebrate ModNation May, we are going to drop some free ModNation DLC before we even launch the game! So what DLC are we hooking you up with?

I’d like to introduce you to Air Raid!

Get an AIRMEN CAP and FLIGHT JACKET to use on any one of your Mod creations!

Air Raid is a sweet Mod that drives an even sweeter Fighter Plane Kart. If you’re lucky enough to get a voucher for this character, you don’t just get to play as Air Raid, but you can get all the accessories that come with him to create your own “Ace” driver and slick Air Fighter-styled kart.

Pilot your Kart with a YOKE steering wheel or take aim with CROSS HAIR hood ornament.

So the big question is, “How do I get a voucher, Chuck?”

We will be giving away a bunch of voucher codes in many different ways, and we will let you know which ones right here on the PlayStation.Blog.

The first site that is hooking you up is our friends at GameSpot! They are planning on doing two code drops, with the first one being on May 10th. They have a limited quantity, so be sure to get in there before they run out.

Expect more hints about where you’ll see Air Raid next soon, right here on the PlayStation.Blog.

Is PDP's Xbox 360 controller alternative as cool as it looks?

I guess Alice would be both mutant and Posthuman? That is, if you’re following the film franchise more than the game franchise.

Guitar Hero franchise has sold 44 million units to date.

#politics Outrage over Arizona's controversial immigration-enforcement law figures to have a comprehensive effect on all business there, video games included. One indie developer says he must move operations to California because the actors he needs won't travel to the state. More »

Dragon Age: Origins is great and all, but it's a little too goody two-shoes, if you ask us. Thankfully, some new DLC is set to cater to our evil side. Darkspawn Chronicles will allow players to step into the grotesque, mud-soaked shoes of Ferelden's evil inhabitants and play out an alternate scenario: What if the good guys never won?

It appears we'll all find out come May 18.

#clips With Valve offering up weekly "Mutations" in its zombie apocalypse shooter Left 4 Dead 2, the gameplay variety will flow as thick as Boomer bile. But will Valve go this far out, adding Jockey races to the game? More »

Hardcore gamers tend to avoid kart racing games without Mario in the title -- and for good reason, too. Ever since the success of Nintendo's original SNES effort, the genre has been flooded with mediocre copycat shovelware, starring mascots of rather questionable origin. (Seriously, M&M's Kart Racing is a real game.) While it may be easy to write off ModNation Racers as just another kart racing game, I was surprised by how well-crafted and deep United Front Games' debut title is. While it has garnered a lot of attention due to its "play, create, share" gimmick, ModNation Racers stands out as a deep, satisfying racer through its gameplay alone.

For better and for worse, ModNation Racers is cut from a far more hardcore cloth than the typically "family friendly" fare in the genre. ModNation demands skill, and no amount of luck will be able to compensate for sheer ability. The weapons are more balanced than in other games: almost no single weapon is as devastating as Mario Kart's blue shell and lightning bolt. The ability to enhance weapons by saving them adds an appreciable level of depth: do you use your weapon immediately, or save up for a better one? And the shield introduces yet another strategic element to the gameplay. These small additions to the gameplay add up to make a far more challenging (and satisfying) racer.

You may have heard games are violent, dark and addictive. Turns out they can heal, too.

You may have heard games are violent, dark and addictive. Turns out they can heal, too.

You may have heard games are violent, dark and addictive. Turns out they can heal, too.

You may have heard games are violent, dark and addictive. Turns out they can heal, too.

The first Persona 3 Portable video walkthrough provided by Atlus summarized the story and gameplay of the original PS2 RPG. As promised, this second video highlights the new features of the enhanced PSP version.

The most significant difference is the ability to play as a female character, which changes various aspects of the game's overall story. The female avatar will unlock different social links, and new potential romances. There are also two additional difficulty settings: Beginner and Maniac. In addition, players can manually control their partners, something that was relegated to AI in the original console version. Do these features get you excited for P3P -- or are you as bored as this video's narrator sounds?

Activision has confirmed on its conference call today that Guitar Hero 6 will be on store shelves sometime this fall, with a new DJ Hero game coming soon after. The music game market is a changing place, admitted CEO Bobby Kotick -- it will "continue to compress," with fewer titles and brands finding success. Activision has "moved from the sell-through of higher-priced peripherals," and its new plan is for "improved economics on a higher percentage of software sales."

Kotick said that Guitar Hero "remains the leader in the category with more than 44 million games sold to date," and that both releases this year would be followed with "a full lineup of exciting downloadable content."

There's more to life than Team Slayer and Shotty Snipers.

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick addresses exodus at the studio.

#winner When Katy McGilberry of Semmes, Ala. came home from work Monday to find her husband, Wade, surrounded by cameras, holding a ridiculously large check for a ridiculously large amount, she felt like she was going to have a baby. Literally. More »

Disney is taking a multimedia approach to Mickey Mouse's return to relevance. The revived mascot won't just feature in Junction Point's Disney Epic Mickey video game; as spotted by NeoGAF's Shiggy, the Disney Epic Mickey universe will expand into a series of books as well.

Epic Mickey - It's Your Call #1 (which suggests more on the way) is a Choose Your Own Adventure-style book in which readers battle the Phantom Blot and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. In addition to that, there's a "Junior Novelization" of the game.

According to Amazon, It's Your Call will be released October 12, with the novelization following on November 23. These dates could provide a release window for the game, since we'd imagine Disney would want to use these tie-in materials to help market it.

[Via NeoGAF]

#interview During our live chat with Sid Meier earlier this week, fans couldn't help asking about classic games like Alpha Centauri and Railroad Tycoon, and while he couldn't reveal any in-development titles, he did add them to Firaxis' list of games to possibly revisit someday. More »

Check out the game in the background at the 10 second mark. That certainly looks like Cave Story to me. From character to setting, it looks like it was yanked right from the game. What do you guys make of it? Thanks to Gabriel for the heads up!

Just in case you needed any.

What isn't ZEN Studios putting into its Planet Minigolf game? Not only will it support PlayStation Move, the game already features an extensive "play, create, share" mode. In addition to the requisite online leaderboards and multiplayer modes, Planet Minigolf adds one of our favorite (and least-used) PS3-exclusive features: the ability to upload replays directly to YouTube.

Planet Minigolf is definitely shaping up to be one of the most feature-laden games on the PlayStation Network -- especially considering its $9.99 price. Expect it on the PlayStation Store in the coming weeks.

#roundup Can the combined video game reviewers shed light on the quality of Xbox 360 exclusive survival game Alan Wake? Find out in the first (and only) episode of the Alan Wake Frankenreview. More »

Speaking during an investor call tonight, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick reflected on the publisher's multi-pronged strategy behind the continuing success of the Call of Duty franchise. A key -- but still growing -- element has been digital content distribution, which has yielded some "staggering" results.

"Life-to-date on the Call of Duty franchise, we have digitally delivered almost 17 million map packs, which doesn't include the PS3 Modern Warfare 2 downloadable content that just launched," Kotick said. "To date, our audiences have played a staggering 1.75 billion hours of online multiplayer Call of Duty games."

Despite this notable impact, Kotick made it clear that Activision would still lean more heavily on event-driven retail releases. "While our direct-to-consumer digital business is growing, our continued success will come only through the tremendous support of our fantastic retail partners."

Having created the "the largest video game retail launch in history" with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Activision isn't hasty to abandon the old ways. "We have every intention of doing this again this year with Call of Duty: Black Ops," Kotick declared.

Looking for the perfect place to get all of your Cooking Mama news? 505 Games has opened up an official web portal for the Cooking Mama franchise. Just hit up the link below, and get ready for all things Mama!

Make sure to hit up the YouTube channel of the creator, as he’s added other videos that take a look at costume design, and more.

Activision confirms release window for new maps.