All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

More than 40 hours of gameplay not enough? SEGA has you covered.

#spoileralert My favorite moment in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is a cameo by a very special alternate universe version of Spider-Man. Don't click play if you don't want to spoil the surprise! More »

Try before you buy. It's a simple concept, and it's been a key element in marketing games this console generation -- at least on platforms that aren't WiiWare. But Nintendo did give demos a chance once upon a time ago and Gaijin Games' Bit.Trip Beat was one of five titles consumers could try free of cost. According to Gaijin Games, it helped.

Alex Neuse, CEO of Gaijin Games, told Joystiq that when the "demo was active," his company "started to see sales more on par with our projections." We've heard the same WiiWare story over and over again from developers and publishers: Nintendo doesn't promote; many Wii consoles aren't hooked up to the internet; nobody is buying these games. It's interesting that something as small as a playable demo could affect sales in such a positive manner.

"I think this is because Bit.Trip Beat is the type of game that people really have to play to understand," Neuse said in regards to the success of his demo. He went on to say that "a screenshot just doesn't do it justice" and that he's "sad to see that the demo program has ended."

We are, too -- WiiWare developers work very hard to create games and support the platform. It's gotta be frustrating when there's no reciprocation.

This shirt will only be available for 24 hours, and that sale kicks off Saturday! Make sure to keep tabs on the official site to get your chance to grab a shirt!

We’ve received a lot of questions in regards to PlayStation Plus: How to use it, what content is available, and more. Today we’d like to present some answers to some of the common questions we’ve heard.

Q: What is PlayStation Plus?

A: PlayStation Plus is a subscription service offered to enhance your experience on the already free PlayStation Network. It offers you, the user, exclusive services for added convenience:

• Automatic downloads where select game demos and other content get delivered straight to your PS3 system, so you don’t have to think about it.
• Full game trials which allow you to play up to 60 consecutive minutes of a game. When you purchase the full game (or when you insert the Blu-ray disc of that game), you will get the PSN trophies that you earned during the trial.
• Special discounts on the PlayStation Store and exclusive opportunities like select betas and select early demos.

Our goal is to deliver a valuable enhancement to your gaming experience.

Currently, you can purchase a three-month subscription at $17.99 or an annual subscription at $49.99 with an additional three months free. Subscriptions can be downloaded from the PlayStation Store, or you can purchase PlayStation Network cards at a retailer near you now; dedicated PlayStation Plus cards are coming in October.

Q: How do I use PlayStation Plus?

A: After you purchase your three-month or one-year subscription, your account will be branded as a PlayStation Plus account with a Plus logo next to your PSN ID. There is a PlayStation Plus category in the PlayStation Store where you can see all the offerings available to you at that time, or you can peruse other parts of the PlayStation Store and you will be able to see discounts, exclusive content and games, themes and avatars that are available to you in each category.

Q: What is the PlayStation Plus release schedule?

A: PlayStation Plus has a monthly rotating schedule of content that we post on a bi-weekly basis or, to rephrase, we post new content every other Tuesday. We plan to feature PlayStation.Blog posts the following Wednesday so you will see what’s coming (and what’s being taken down) for the next PlayStation Plus update.

Some content that was posted will be removed from the Plus category but not from the PlayStation Store. As long as you have downloaded the content and are an active PlayStation Plus subscriber, you will be able to re-download your content, even if it is removed from the Plus rotation or if you have deleted the content.

Q: What happens when my PlayStation Plus subscription ends?

A: The content you have downloaded as part of your PlayStation Plus subscription at no charge is only accessible as long as you are an active subscriber. The exceptions are free themes and avatars, which you will continue to have access to, even if you are no longer a subscriber. Anything you have purchased (even if you purchased it at a discount) will remain available to you even if your subscription ends.

Q: My subscription expired, but I renewed it late. Will I get my content back?

A: Yes you will.

Q: What do I currently get with PlayStation Plus?

A: PlayStation Plus offers a variety of discounts, games and exclusive content. In general, you will have access to at least the following, which rotate monthly:

• 1 PSN game or PSone Classic game
• 2 minis
• A monthly Qore single episode

Currently, there are categories from our partners at Midway and Tik-Creat Games that offer 20% off PSN games and free add-ons.

We will continue to regulaly update PlayStation Plus with XMB themes and avatars, exclusive items, select game demos and additional discounts. We will also offer exclusive opportunities only made available to PlayStation Plus members such as our current Hulu Plus Preview and the discounted two-year PlayStation Protection Plan.

Q: Is Qore included in PlayStation Plus?

A: Yes, the current monthly single episode is included in PlayStation Plus — the same episode found on the PlayStation Store (regular price $2.99 per episode). Annual Qore subscribers still receive their monthly subscription including their additional downloadable content.

Q: What about those exclusive game betas?

A: Betas have limited invites and based on selection criteria not every PlayStation Plus member will get access to every beta; however, we’re working with game developers to make qualified PlayStation Plus members the first to gain access.

Many game betas are done to test certain parts of a game or certain functionality (like previous game add-on integration) so that when the final version of the game launches, it’s the best it can be. Oftentimes, betas are extremely limited as well. We need to ensure that members of Plus meet that individual beta’s requirement to be issued an exclusive invite.

There are two betas for PlayStation Plus members coming up shortly and more details will be announced soon.

Q: Why did X country get this and we didn’t?

A: Different countries have different rights, release schedules and, as many of you know, have different things available in their PlayStation Store for this reason. We are constantly working to align our content globally, but to also ensure that our North American audience gets the content that is available to them as some games are released globally on different schedules.

Q: What about Cross-Game Chat (or other functionality)?

A: We are constantly working on new services and features to enhance your PlayStation experience; however, Cross-Game Chat was not announced as a part of PlayStation Plus’ features. We know that Cross-Game Chat is a functionality our fans are extremely interested in and we are always striving to improve the PlayStation Network experience and services.

We invite you to send us your feedback and suggestions using the PlayStation.Blog Share tool (located to the right of this post) and stay up to date on what we are doing by signing up for newsletters, our forums, and following us on the PlayStation.Blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

They say ignorance is bliss. Based on this tutorial video for Hothead's Swarm, however, ignorance is apparently tantamount to suicide. Watch the video for an extended look at Swarm's gameplay, and to learn just how delightfully expendable your little Swarmites are.

#pax Some people look amazingly cool when they try upcoming PlayStation 3 motion game Kung Fu Live. They step in front of the PlayStation Eye and do their kung fu moves with panache. But how do cosplayers look? More »

#blizzard Think you can just stock up on healing potions to keep your character alive in Diablo III? Think again. Blizzard has released an in-depth guide to how health and healing help promote strategic play in the eagerly anticipated sequel. More »

It's still not in HD, but it is exclusively on Wii. Check out the first screens of TAR.

Want to play the Michael Jackson video game on PS3 and Xbox 360 this year? You'll have to beat it, because Ubisoft has delayed the HD versions of the game to next year. It's not all bad news, though. The publisher told IGN that "we're giving our teams more time to develop the Kinect and Move versions to ensure we deliver awesome experiences that take full advantage of the new technologies."

Before you say they don't care about us, the Wii and handheld versions of the game are unaffected by the delay. The Wii, DS and PSP versions are still planned to ship this November. Will you be there?Michael Jackson Xbox & PS3 delayed to 2011, Wii and handhelds unaffected

Tracing the evolution of Combat Evolved. Did you know that Halo 2 was supposed to finish the fight?

There's nothing quite like John Rhys-Davies getting into a voice acting role on camera to cap off a week. Sure, him and fellow voiceover actor for Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest Sean Astin talk about the game a bit, but we're much more entertained by Rhys-Davies' proclamation that "Behind every Aragorn, there's a dwarf!" See for yourself after the break.

Straight from the SEGA Sonic blog… 1) Orbot’s compatriot is indeed called “Cubot” as some detectives have been able to deduce. He’s a cube shaped robot – ‘Cube-Bot’, much like Orbot is spherical, (quite literally ‘Orb-bot’ and also an anagram of robot if you hadn’t noticed) who is… er… a little defective shall we say. 2) Since [...]

Swedish development house Keldyn Interactive was cutting it close, but managed to clinch a last-minute win for "best game title heard this week." That title would be Dead Meets Lead, the name for its upcoming top-down shooter for PC in which players take on hordes of -- wait for it -- the undead.

This one looks to have a pretty neat twist, though, as it's set in the year 1716 -- the period leading up to the American Revolution -- and casts players as a gruff, white-wig-wearing British captain stranded on a zombie-infested island with only a sword and custom blunderbuss with which to fend the creeps off. While the screenshots are a little on the plain Jane side, the concept art, also in the gallery below, is really something special.

Keldyn Interactive has yet to set a date for when the dead will meet lead, but we'll let you know just as soon as one's announced.

Would be more fun with actual joints.

#capcom A blurry "photo" that's appeared on Dead Rising 2's Tape It Or Die blog shows the game's protagonist Chuck Greene getting a little help from a journalist who has been known to cover wars. More »

Take a peek at your upcoming adversaries in Thongs of Justice.

#pax Dragons can be good guys. One fire-breathing flying lizard can be if you're the dragon. In Hoard, princesses and happy towns are on the wrong side of history. More »

We’re super excited about the upcoming 9/28 launch date of Dead Rising 2. We’re also excited because Dead Rising 2 marks the debut of the series on the PS3! The game looks and plays fantastic on the PS3 and we’ve been showing it off the last few months at all the major trade and consumer events (Captivate, E3, Comic Con and PAX).

Tomorrow night we’re hosting an awesome community event in Los Angeles where Dead Rising fans can attend (for free!) and get their hands on the game. In addition to being able to play Dead Rising 2 prior to release we’ll have prizes, food, music, contests and more. Be sure and get there early as we’ll be giving away some cool, exclusive Greene’s Hardware t-shirts too (created by iam8bit). If you’re in the SoCal area, here are the specifics for tonight’s event:

What: Greene’s Hardware Super Sale (Dead Rising 2 Community Event)

Where: 2147 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

When: Friday 8PM – 12 Midnight

If you haven’t heard about the game yet, here’s my 30 second elevator pitch….

Dead Rising 2 takes the zombie survival horror franchise to Fortune City, America’s latest and greatest entertainment playground. It features a new storyline, a brand new cast of characters, two online multiplayer modes (two-player co-op campaign and a four-player “TV show”-themed Pay-Per-View event that pits humans against zombies), thousands of on-screen zombies and more. As Chuck Greene, you have 72 hours to save your infected daughter, clear your name and survive the hordes of hungry zombies before the military comes in and nukes the city. To ensure your survival, you can combine everyday objects to create deadly combo weapons to use against the zombie horde. The weapon combos in Dead Rising 2 have to be seen in order to be believed and are the true “stars” of the game. There are loads of them in the game and besides being deadly they’re hilarious! My favorite is probably the Freedom Bear.

Dead Rising 2 for the PS3 ships on September 28th. Be sure and grab a copy before the zombie apocalypse hits…

Hope to see folks on Friday night in LA for the community event!

Do you know who this guy is? Do you know what company he works for? If not, it might be a good think to read the article below! That man is Ryozo Tsujimoto, and he’s responsible for the Monster Hunter series. You know, the huge franchise that Japan loves? Yeah, [...]

We don't know what you guys are pumped for most in Halo: Reach, but for us it's easily the new Firefight mode. That's why we had to share this video, which does an amazing job at slowing down time and making our wait that much tougher. Join us by checking out the video past the break.