All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

#e3 Keiji Inafune is worried that you might think that Capcom doesn't want to work with Western game developers anymore, that the studio that made Mega Man, Street Fighter and Resident Evil would happily just back games made in Japan. More »

To master the soul is to master the self.

Time for fishing.

Wondering why we didn't see a Kinect version of Guitar Hero or a Move-enabled Call of Duty at E3? COO Thomas Tippl told Gamasutra it's because Activision is hesitant to dive into the motion market, mostly due to the high price point of Move and expected high price of Microsoft's Kinect.
"I think as a publisher, you have to be concerned about how the price drives a lot of the outcome of how big of an install base there's going to be," he said. "The bigger the install base, the more likely that you can make sense out of your investment. So, the lower the price, the better. In this economic environment, it's probably more important than ever." He makes a solid point: a lot of the driving power (not all) behind Nintendo's Wii has been its low price point, which many feel has helped sell the idea of motion-based gaming to the mainstream -- the exact audience both Microsoft and Sony are trying to captivate with their new motion control tech.

Tippl also added that, while this new tech affords interesting new opportunities for developers and third-party publishers, it's not an experience suited for every type of game, yet he feels it could benefit some of Activision's brands. "We have a few franchises where we think this could be an interesting value to improve the experience for the player. Tony Hawk is an example. We have our Rapala Fishing franchise. But it's not going to be something that will be in every game, because I don't think it's one size fits all. It's not going to enhance the experience for every game."

On the 25th May, to celebrate the release of the video game Transformers: War for Cybertron, a nationwide competition was launched to find the nation’s biggest Transformer aficionado. Over four weeks and 300 entries later, we can finally reveal who this fanatical enthusiast is….12yr old Jack Gaughan from Glasgow!! With over 600 toys, games, official merchandise [...]

More gnarl for your buck.

Over 100 sharks to adopt, love and play with! Choose from over 101 baby sharks or simply adopt them all! Discover their personalities as you feed, clean and care for your new pets. Bring out your pet’s talents by training your shark in a variety of fun and wacky activities. Enter your shark into pet shows [...]

Wondering why we didn't see a Kinect version of Guitar Hero or a Move-enabled Call of Duty at E3? COO Thomas Tippl told Gamasutra it's because Activision is hesitant to dive into the motion market, mostly due to the high price point of Move and expected high price of Microsoft's Kinect.
"I think as a publisher, you have to be concerned about how the price drives a lot of the outcome of how big of an install base there's going to be," he said. "The bigger the install base, the more likely that you can make sense out of your investment. So, the lower the price, the better. In this economic environment, it's probably more important than ever." He makes a solid point: a lot of the driving power (not all) behind Nintendo's Wii has been its low price point, which many feel has helped sell the idea of motion-based gaming to the mainstream -- the exact audience both Microsoft and Sony are trying to captivate with their new motion control tech.

Tippl also added that, while this new tech affords interesting new opportunities for developers and third-party publishers, it's not an experience suited for every type of game, yet he feels it could benefit some of Activision's brands. "We have a few franchises where we think this could be an interesting value to improve the experience for the player. Tony Hawk is an example. We have our Rapala Fishing franchise. But it's not going to be something that will be in every game, because I don't think it's one size fits all. It's not going to enhance the experience for every game."

PlayStation Nation — First off, thank you for all of your feedback regarding PlayStation Plus. There have been a lot of comments and questions surrounding some of the details of the new subscription service so we wanted to provide a little clarification leading up to its availability on June 29th. It’s a lot of info, but hopefully this helps answer most of your questions.

First off, at launch, PlayStation Plus will offer subscribers the full PlayStation Network game, WipEout HD, PSP minis and PS One Classics such as Fieldrunners, Age of Zombies and Rally Cross, full game trial of inFAMOUS, as well as free monthly episodes of Qore – our high-definition, interactive gaming lifestyle show.

With that, here are the basics of the new subscription service that lives on top of the current PlayStation Network:

• The current PSN features will remain free. We are still very committed to PSN as a free comprehensive entertainment service and are certainly not planning on reducing this service following the launch of PlayStation Plus.
• PlayStation Plus is an evolving service and the features included at launch will be:
  • Games
  • PS Store Discounts
  • Exclusive offers on select demos, betas and early purchases
  • Full Game Trial
  • Automatic Downloads

(More info on these below)

PlayStation Plus can be purchased through PlayStation Store on PS3 as a one-year package or a three-month package. The three-month package is available for $17.99 and the one-year package will be available for $49.99. We will also be offering three additional bonus months for free if you purchase the 1-year package — that’s 15 months total for $49.99. Payment is a one-time fee for either package and can be purchased with any of the current PSN Store payment methods – credit card or PSN Cards.

Here are more details on the features of PlayStation Plus:

Games & Special Offers: As a subscriber, you can expect to get your hands on free monthly PSN games, minis and PS One Classics from the PSN Store. You will be able to download these games during the month they are available until the new selection replaces them.

Once downloaded, the games are yours to keep and play as long as you are a member of PlayStation Plus. If your subscription lapses and then you re-subscribe, the games you have already downloaded will reactivate, so you still have access to them. Additionally, if you delete one of the titles from your PS3, but decide you want to get it back, then you can re-download from the PlayStation Plus section of the PSN Store if the game is still there, or, if the game has expired from the PlayStation Plus section of the PSN Store, you can simply search for it on PS Store and download it again at no extra cost.

Each month there will be dynamic themes, premium avatars and premium game elements/add-ons for you to download and many will be exclusive to PlayStation Plus members only. These are yours to keep forever once you have downloaded them.

PlayStation Plus subscribers will also be given exclusive PlayStation Store discounts each month that are above and beyond the current PSN Store discounts available to everyone. These discounts will range from 20% to 50%, and anything you buy with these is yours to keep and enjoy forever.

Finally, wherever possible we’ll be making sure that members are included in selected demos and beta trials before they go live to everyone else, so you can be the one to tell all your friends about the next big game they ‘must’ get.

Subscribers will get hundreds of dollars of value through the year and, in the first month alone, will receive more than $50 worth of content.

Full Game Trial: Each month we will be offering members the chance to download full games and try them out for a period of time (one hour, unless otherwise stated). After the game trial is complete, simply purchase the game to carry on where you left off. This is a unique way to trial the full game experience and means you don’t have to be restricted to certain levels/game modes when you test out a game.

The games in Full Game Trial will become available to all PS Store users to purchase, but only PlayStation Plus members will have the chance to ‘try before you buy’.

The other great thing about this feature is that you can continue from where you were at the end of the trial period if you decide to buy the game. All game saves and trophies earned during the trial will be unlocked and will show up on your trophy list and your trophy level when you purchase the game. You don’t even have to re-download the game, just purchase and go back to the XMB to access the game.

Automatic Download: Subscribers will be able to set their PS3 to wake up from standby at any time of the day or night, download and install any game updates for the games you have been playing so you don’t have to think about it. Also, select demos and videos will be pushed to your PS3 ready to go. System software updates will also download automatically (manual install still required) and then the PS3 will turn itself off again.

Game updates and demos will also automatically install and the next time you turn on your PS3 you will see a brief on-screen message letting you know what has been downloaded and updated.

Here are some more answers to frequently asked questions from the last blog post:

• Cross-game voice chat is a feature we know our passionate user base has asked for and we’ll continue to look at as a viable offering for the PlayStation Network.
• You need to be the master account holder on the PS3 and be over 18 to purchase PlayStation Plus, but other accounts on that PS3 will be able to play the games you download for as long as you are a subscriber.
• The “free” games you can download each month are yours to keep for as long as you are a subscriber.
• PlayStation Plus is for PS3 owners as subscribership can only be purchased on the PSN Store. However, some of the content – minis and PS One Classics – available each month will also be playable on your PSP if you have one. Download them on the PS3 and transfer to your PSP, or download directly from the PSP Store or Media Go for PSP.

PlayStation Plus is a continually evolving service and we are always working on identifying new partnerships, developing new features and providing new content that our users want. So thanks again for all your comments and questions and please continue to offer more ideas at PlayStation.Blog Share.

Get your match 3 on.

#e3 The next Halo game will probably have the toughest enemies in series history, I learned this morning when I wasn't flying a spaceship (!) in Halo: Reach. But they'll only be tough if you force their hand. More »

Legend says that music has the power to change the world… so we're gonna see if it can destroy it, too.

New content on the way.

New release marks completion of Virtual Fairground's virtual world and MMOG engine 'The Ride.'

Download the new expansion pack exclusively on Steam.

#ncsoft If you've ever wished your City of Heroes mutant character could mutate just a little bit more, now's your chance, as Paragon Studios unleashes Super Booster V: Mutant on the NCsoft online store. More »

- demo provided one short stage - split into chapters - orchestrated soundtrack - demo goal was to enter the sewer and take down a boss - demo had players referring to the Magic Master book - Magic Master pages are of high quality - Magic Master cover is hard, with a clear plastic jewel in the center - reference the book [...]

A six-year-old boy who was almost blind in one eye can see properly after a specialist prescribed daily sessions on a Nintendo games console. The treatment was recommended for Ben Michaels by consultant Ken Nischal of Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital. Mr Nischal believes the therapy could help thousands of children with weak [...]

The trailer for Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City demonstrates the kind of stories you can create, with typical in-game experiences described as real adventures by the game's characters. It also makes us glad the series doesn't have voice acting. The seafaring dungeon RPG will be in stores September 21.

EU price and content explained ahead of June 29 launch.

Still no release date on this game. We just know that it’s slated to release in the ‘next few months’. Thanks to Fraz for the heads up!

Street Fighter IV iPhone players might want to hop on iTunes for the latest free update, which adds Cammy and Zangief to the roster. Props to Aertea for tipping us off. More »

#interndeathmatch Four interns enter, one game gets picked apart: That's right, it's time for Intern Deathmatch. More »