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Indie developer Cellar Door Games revealed that its side-scrolling roguelike platformer Rogue Legacy is coming to the PlayStation 3 in 2014, arriving alongside previously announced ports for the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita.

Sony spotlighted Rogue Legacy during its Gamescom presentation this week, noting that it had partnered with multiple indie developers for a series of console-exclusive launches.

"The game had only been out for about two weeks before we were contacted by Sony, so we're blown away by how fast they reached out to us," Cellar Door Games designer Teddy Lee explains. "We were able to get the a-okay to develop Rogue Legacy for all Sony platforms in a ridiculously short period of time."

Sony opened its Gamescom 2013 press conference with a subdued presentation of the PlayStation 4's interface by Sony Worldwide Studios head Shuhei Yoshida. The exec explored the menus, watched and then joined a game stream, showed off some social functionality and concluded with a tweet to start the show.

Hang on, we're not sure we can use the word "subdued" to describe a video with several minutes of Killzone: Shadow Fall gunplay, so let's say "confident."

Helldivers, the next title from Magicka developer Arrowhead Game Studios, has added the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita to its landing schedule. The top-down shooter was first shown on the PlayStation 4 during Sony's Gamescom press conference,

"As part of the elite unit called the Helldivers, you choose your deployment zone and dive into battle on procedurally-generated battlefields," Arrowhead boss Johan Pilestedt said in a new PlayStation Blog post.

Helldivers features "Cross-Play and Cross-Save" between the PS4, PS3, and PS Vita versions, allowing a mixture of up-to four players across all platforms either locally or online. Whether the game is Cross-Buy as well, however, is unclear.

Arrowhead Game Studios says it is partnering with Sony Computer Entertainment and Foster City Studios - a development squad responsible for overseeing first-party development at Sony - to bring Helldivers to PlayStation.

Any man's debt diminishes me,Because I am involved in mankind,And therefore never send to know for whom the deal applies; It applies to thee.Read more...

Minecraft is coming to the PlayStation 4 at launch, Sony announced during its Gamescom press conference today.

Minecraft launched on PC in 2011 as an early access alpha, and from there it gained unprecedented, worldwide sales and mainstream acclaim. It's since launched on Android, iOS and Xbox 360 - during its E3 press conference, Microsoft announced Minecraft for Xbox One. This month Minecraft on XBLA passed 8 million sales.

Update: On Twitter, Markus 'Notch' Persson wrote "PS4, PS3 and Vita," following a tweet referencing Sony's Minecraft announcement. "Minecraft+Sony=true." Get a room, you two! It's unclear if the PS3, Vita version will arrive alongside the PS4 launch.

The weekly PlayStation content update has downloads of Saints Row 4, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, Splinter Cell Blacklist and Divekick. On the PS Vita side, The Walking Dead makes its platform debut.

PlayStation Plus subscribers can snag a free pair of games today: Star Wars Pinball and Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower. Rounding out this week's update is the public multiplayer beta for Killzone: Mercenary, the PS Vita installment in Guerrilla's glowy-eyed shooting gallery.

Voting on the Best Gaming Mouse in our first Moneysaver Co-Op ends on Wednesday at midnight. Don't miss out.Read more...

You know what they say: All in a day's work for a Watch Dog. (Wait, do they say that?)Read more...

I’m excited to announce that the PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) system is now available for $199.99 MSRP in North America, making it a compelling value for gamers. With some amazing games coming out in the next few months, including Killzone Mercenary and Tearaway, along with connectivity to the PlayStation 4 (PS4) system through “Remote Play,” now is the perfect time to become a PS Vita owner.

The brand new price applies to all PS Vita systems available at retail, including the limited edition PS Vita Walking Dead bundle that launches this week. We’re also dropping the price of the PS Vita memory cards, as you can see in the chart below.

Memory Card Size

Previous Price

New Price

Memory Card for PS Vita 4GB

$19.99

$14.99

Memory Card for PS Vita 8GB

$29.99

$19.99

Memory Card for PS Vita 16GB

$59.99

$39.99

Memory Card for PS Vita 32GB

$99.99

$79.99

Along with the new price, we’re currently celebrating PS Vita with two promotions on the PlayStation Store. The PS Vita Japanese Games Sale , running through August 26, offers discounts of up to 50% off on PS Vita games from Japanese developers, including Metal Gear Solid HD Collection and Muramasa Rebirth. PS Plus members can enjoy up to 75% off in the Japanese Game Sale. Additionally, four of the summer’s most anticipated PS Vita titles will launch as part of PS Vita Summer Select , running from August 20 through September 16, with launch week discounts of 20 percent off for PS Plus members. Games featured in PS Vita Summer Select include Spleunky from Mossmouth and Dragon Fantasy: Book II from Muteki Corporation.

Beyond the 900+ games currently playable on PS Vita, we also have a strong slate of content on the way from our third party and indie partners, including games like Rayman Legends, Batman Arkham Origins: Blackgate, FIFA 14, Luftrausers, Terraria, KickBeat, Stick it To The Man, Lone Survivor, and Proteus. Phew!

PS Vita will be the ultimate companion device to PS4 through key features like “Remote Play,” which allows PS4 games to be instantly playable on PS Vita at home via Wi-Fi.  We currently anticipate that many, if not most, PS4 games will be Remote Play enabled.

If you already own a PS Vita, share your top three favorite games for the system in the comments below. Let’s help new owners decide what to buy!

My God, what colorful explosions. Straight from Gamescom, here's the unveiling of Resogun, the next game from the makers of Super Stardust HD. It'll be on PS4, and guess what? It features some incredibly colorful explosions. And a lot of other chaotic business that I'm guessing will make more sense while actually playing the game.Read more...

Well then. At their Gamescom press conference, Sony just announced a bootload of indies that will be making their exclusive console debuts on PS4 and/or the PlayStation Vita, including Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number and Rogue Legacy.Read more...

Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Shahid Ahmad at PlayStation Europe. Strategic Content is the name of the game. It’s a fancy corporate-sounding term, but it’s also a bit “black-ops” sounding, so that’s cool. Our focus has been working with the indie dev community over the last year and a half, but it’s not all we do. We also work with larger publishers. In this post, we’ll be focusing on the indie story.

At gamescom, we’ve just underlined our commitment to bringing PlayStation fans the creative work of the some of the best indie talent in the world. Many of the games we’ve announced from our indie development partners will be making their console debut on PS4 and PS Vita. We’ve also got titles continuing to come to PS3.

Remember, at PlayStation, we allow the smallest indies to self-publish on the PS Store alongside the biggest publishers, we’re democratic like that. We’re also working hard to make things better for our partners, large or small, all the time.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the titles we announced.

Rogue Legacy (Cellar Door Games)
The genealogical Rogue-LITE which has you throwing countless number of children into an ever changing castle will soon be portable. Also non-portable depending on what system you play it on. But either way, you will die. A lot. But no worries, because all the money you made is inherited by your children. Children who will try to avenge you, or die trying. It’s a vicious cycle, and it’s one that only YOU can break. So prepare yourself, because the McRib is back (the enemy, not the sandwich).

Our fans have asked for this game endlessly. Imagine how hard it was for me to keep my mouth shut about this. We’re really incredibly happy about Rogue Legacy coming to PlayStation. And just in case you were wondering, that’s PS4, PS3 and of course, the love of my life (but don’t tell my family), PS Vita.

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (Nicalis)
Edmund McMillen has made a career of creating intensely personal gaming experiences, pouring himself into worlds of twisted monsters – all with his signature art style and gameplay that’s tough as nails but never unfair, and always satisfying. When we met up with him over hamburgers, he shared his full vision for The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth. Nicalis are completely remaking this smash hit, adding a whole new game’s worth of content, from co-operative play to new characters and bosses, and a full optional 16-bit makeover.

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth will make its console exclusive debut on PS4 and PS Vita next Spring; and for PlayStation Plus customers, it’ll be available at no additional cost.

N++ (Metanet)
Mare and Raigan, the tiny team at Metanet Software, have been working tirelessly on the final and definitive instalment of their addictive ‘N’ series, the gold-collecting standard for action-platformers. N++ will feature a striking new art style, innovative new multiplayer modes, thousands of hand-crafted levels, and the tools to create, share, and compete worldwide across endless levels of your own. N++ will debut exclusively on PS4 this Winter.

Volume (Mike Bithell)
What’s not to love about this? Mike is a star now and not without good reason. I remember decades ago there was an advertisement about whether a game could make you cry. Well, with Thomas Was Alone, Mike managed to inject more personality into rectangles than anyone could have imagined was ever possible. It takes a great storyteller and someone who really understand creative characterisation to achieve that.

Mike is now revisiting stealth in an exciting new way. What I really like about Volume is that it’s still quite a way away, but it’s already so exciting and so different. The great thing about being indie is the freedom it affords you. My team has a motto – “Support, steer, don’t interfere.” It’s how development works best. We know Mike is a good developer, so we trust him to make a great game. We’re just proud as punch that Volume is coming to PS4 and PS Vita first.

Guns of Icarus Online (Muse Games)
Howard Tsao and his team at Muse Games are ambitious. Pursuing their vision, refusing constraints, they’ve continued to evolve and refine their dream project, where you pilot a variety of majestic airships, through the war-torn skies, of a steampunk universe.

We’re happy to announce that Guns of Icarus Online will make its console exclusive debut on PS4. Majestic steampunk airships. Come on. What’s not to like here?

Wasteland Kings (Vlambeer)
Vlambeer are the very essence of indie. Totally free, fixated on the detail and utterly devoted to crafting the deepest gameplay experiences from the simplest elements, I’ve always understood why so many people love their games.

As for Wasteland Kings, well, Rami brought a build of this to our offices a while back and we were just bewitched. It was utterly magnificent. You know when you think you’ve got a game and then you see something new arise from a combination of gameplay elements you didn’t foresee? And you want to get mad, but because you realise it’s totally fair, you sit back, exhale, smile and salute the designers’ genius? Well that’s what Wasteland Kings did for me and the tiny Strategic Content team.

I’ll tell you something else for free – the music Rami has been teasing me with raises the hairs on the back of my neck. Vlambeer know how to play with feeling and watch the rest of the world have fun with what they make. I’m so pleased Wasteland Kings is making its console exclusive debut on PS4 and PS Vita next year.

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number (Dennaton Games/Devolver Digital/Abstraction Games)
And finally, Hotline Miami by Dennaton Games has been one of the outstanding success stories in the indie world. It blends a powerful story with razor-sharp action, backed up by one of the most loved soundtracks ever.

We worked with Devolver Digital and Abstraction Games to make Hotline Miami best on PS Vita. This has freed Dennaton Games to focus on Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, which we’re absolutely thrilled to tell you will make its console exclusive debut on PS4 and of course, PS Vita next year.

This is a game I’ve played a lot of on my Vita. I found it best played at sunset on late summer evenings with headphones on and the screen popping its majestic ‘80s neon as I found myself drawn deeper and deeper into the astonishing story. Hotline Miami plays with your mind. Tell me that isn’t the very essence of the provocative creative process…

The full gamescom PS4 indie list…

• Assault Android Cactus (Witch Beam)
• Fez (Polytron Corporation)
• Final Horizon (Eiconic Games)
• Guns of Icarus Online (Muse Games)
• Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number (Dennaton Games and Devolver Digital)
• N++ (Metanet)
• Rogue Legacy (Cellar Door Games)
• Samurai Gunn (Teknopants)
• Starbound (Chucklefish)
• Switch Galaxy Ultra (Atomicom)
• The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (Nicalis)
• Velocity 2X (FuturLab)
• Volume (Mike Bithell)
• Wasteland Kings (Vlambeer)

I can’t tell you how excited I am about these games coming to PlayStation. It was so exciting working with some of these partners in the run-up to gamescom, and now we’re looking forward to working with them more openly as they bring their creative energy to the PS4. Of course, many of these titles are also coming to PS Vita. Just in case you were wondering!

I wish it were possible to talk about all of these games and developers in more detail, suffice to say, I’ve been so proud to work with some of these brilliant people and they are a credit to video games and to PlayStation.

For now, please bear with me as I give some shout outs… — Sanatana at Witch Beam — thanks for your patience! Simon and everyone at Eiconic — you guys are a micro powerhouse! Beau — love your enthusiasm, can’t wait to play Samurai Gunn on PlayStation! Gary at Atomicom — from the 98 bus to the stars my friend!

PS Vita

And now to talk about the love of my life again. I know you must get tired of me talking about the PS Vita, but really, if there is a better way for me to get my gaming wherever I’m at, I’ve yet to hear about it.

Here are some of the highlights that we’re delighted to be bringing to the PS Vita. These are the cream of the indie crop. The dev budgets are big by indie standards because the aspirations and content go much further than the stereotype would suggest. There comes a point where the label just falls away and you just end up playing a fantastic game and really, isn’t that what it’s all about?

Starbound (Chucklefish)
In Starbound, you take on the role of a character who’s just fled from their home planet, only to crash-land on another. From there you’ll embark on a quest to survive, discover, explore and fight your way across an infinite universe.

You’ll encounter procedurally generated creatures and weapons, discover populated villages and abandoned temples. Explore planets dotted with dungeons, eyeball trees and treasure. Build vast stone castles or lonely, secluded cabins, and do all of it alone or with friends!

Starbound lets you live out your own story of space exploration, discovery and adventure. Settle down and farm the land, hop from planet to planet claiming resources, or make regular visits to populated settlements, taking on jobs and earning a living. NPCs are scattered about the worlds, offering quests and challenges for those looking for a little extra excitement in their lives.

The meeting with Tiy from Chucklefish was great. It went something like this. “We’d love to see you on PlayStation.” Tiy said “Yeah, we’d love to be on it.” We said “Okay, let’s get you started.” And that’s how business should be. People who respect each other’s work creating something wonderful together.

Fez (Polytron)
Fez is a game developed by Polytron coming to PS Vita, PS3 and PS4. In it, you play as Gomez, a 2D creature living in what he believes is a 2D world. Until a strange and powerful artifact reveals to him the existence of a mysterious third dimension!

I cannot tell you just how happy I am to have Fez on PS Vita so I can play it on the go. Obviously, I’m delighted it’s coming to PS3 and PS4 too. I want everyone who has a PlayStation to be able to play this charming game, which is quite rightly, one of the most acclaimed indie titles of all time, by one of the indie community’s true creative masters.

Velocity 2X (FuturLab)
Weaving together two classic game formats into one seamless experience, Velocity 2X features puzzle-platforming action alongside the award-winning top-down shoot ‘em-up gameplay.

Velocity 2X gives players an opportunity to experience two beloved genres combined into one adventure. Players will take control of the teleporting Quarp Jet to outsmart enemies in race-tuned space combat, and then dock their ship, jump out and run around on foot to infiltrate enemy space stations. Once they’re done with the action on-foot, they can jump back into the Quarp Jet and continue their mission in space!

FuturLab is one of my favorite developers in the world. They combine exceptional focus on quality with a professional approach that never loses its indie spark. Some of the highlights of my day are when FuturLab send us something new to look at. They know how to make us happy, because they know how to please gamers. Velocity Ultra is one of the highest rated shooters of all time on the PS Vita. With Velocity 2X coming to PS Vita and PS4, I expect FuturLab’s success story to continue.

And now, here’s a full list of titles we’re announcing at gamescom, the vast majority of which my tiny team has been beavering away at signing up to PS Vita, and some of which will have PS3 or PS4 versions.

The full list of PS Vita indie titles

• Age of Zombies (BlitWorks/Halfbrick)
• A-Men 2 (Bloober Team)
• Assault Android Cactus (Witch Beam)
• Avoid Droid (Infinite State Games)
• Broken Sword: the Serpent’s Curse (Revolution Software)
• Eufloria HD (Omni Systems)
• Fez (Polytron Corporation)
• Final Horizon (Eiconic Games)
• Flame Over (Laughing Jackal)
• Gravity Crash Ultra (Just Add Water)
• Gunslugs (Abstraction Games)
• Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number (Dennaton Games and Devolver Digital)
• Joe Danger 1 (Hello Games)
• Joe Danger 2 (Hello Games)
• Kick & Fennick (Green Hill Studios)
• Rogue Legacy (Cellar Door Games)
• Samurai Gunn (Teknopants)
• Supermagical (Tama Games)
• Switch Galaxy Ultra (Atomicom)
• Table Top Racing (Ripstone)
• The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (Nicalis)
• Volume (Mike Bithell)
• Wasteland Kings (Vlambeer)

Crikey, quite some list, right? Remember, these are just some of the new games we’ve announced for PS Vita. There are actually a ton more games that we’d already announced that are on the show floor and you’ll really want to go check them out to see what’s in store for you in the very near future. Remember, the likes of Terraria, Spelunky and TxK are yet to come, and they’re going to be awesome.

Take a look at that long, long list above to see just how much love there is for PS Vita. We’re just getting warmed up. Watch this space. It’s going to be a lot of fun.

Thanks for being awesome.

Mike Bithell's stealth-craft game Volume maximizes onto PlayStation platforms first when it arrives next year. As announced at Sony's Gamescom press conference, the next game from Thomas Was Alone creator Bithell comes to PS4 and Vita a month before extending onto PC and Mac.

Volume features another Bithell-authored script, but swaps out platforming rectangles for a top-down Metal Gear Solid-like. The story revolves around a criminal with a penchant for theft, but not for murder - like an evil Batman with a slither of his ethical roots. The other half of the game is the level editor, which allows players to tinker with Volume's levels to create their own terrains for theft.

Bithell will be hoping Volume carries on the building blocks success of Thomas Was Alone, the PS3, Vita, PC, Mac, and Linux game shifting over 700,000 copies to date.Volume blowout: PS4 & Vita first, PC & Mac a month later

Polytron's acclaimed puzzle-platformer Fez is coming to the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PS Vita, Sony announced today at Gamescom.

Polytron producer Marie-Christine Bourdua confirmed the news afterward. A release date is not yet known.

Gearbox's hybrid RPG-shooter is making a portable appearance on the PlayStation Vita, Sony announced today at their GamesCom conference.Read more...

Good news, Fez fans. Today during their Gamescom press conference, Sony announced that the brilliant indie platformer Fez is coming to Vita. Team that game up with Spelunky, and it looks like my Vita's gonna gradually transform from a JRPG machine into an indie platformer machine.Read more...

Music festival tycoon: Big Fest, a new game in which players become a virtual music promoter, will be coming to PlayStation Vita, Sony announced. Sony said the game's soundtrack will feature unsigned real-life bands, giving players a chance to help a new act get discovered.Read more...

This is Murasaki Baby, a newly-announced Vita game that looks absolutely fascinating.Read more...

Heads up, PS3 and Vita owners: Sony announced that the PlayStation Network will be undergoing maintenance this Thursday, August 22, closing off access to the PlayStation Store and other online features. The outage will begin at around 12:00 Noon PT (1:00PM MT / 2:00PM CT / 3:00PM ET) and will wrap up at approximately 6:30PM PT (7:30PM MT / 8:30PM CT / 9:30PM ET).

The PlayStation Store will roll out an update later tonight, giving players a couple of days to queue up their downloads for the debuting Divekick and this week's new batch of PlayStation Plus freebies. It may help to think of Thursday's outage as an opportunity to hone both your jumping and your kicking skills in Divekick's single-player mode.

Sony's Gamescom press conference from Cologne, Germany, begins at noon EST (9AM PT, 6PM CEST). We're expecting another rockin' roller-coaster of announcements from the PlayStation 4 manufacturer. We'll share our analyses and hopes from the front row in a liveblog, right here, right when it starts. At least we hope it's the front row, with Ritter Sport chocolates placed delicately on the cushions. We dream big.

Sony will share its "release plans" for the PS4 during the conference, and the presentation will touch on news for the PS3 and Vita, the PlayStation Europe Blog reported last week.

The Sony E3 press conference was one to remember - your move, Germany.

Spelunky is finally out on the PC, and it'll be out on PS3 and Vita on August 27th. Chris Person and I sit down to play through the game and explain why we like this game enough that I bought wired controllers to hook up to my PC instead of just playing it on the Xbox.Read more...

Indie darling Thomas Was Alone has sold a rather impressive "over 700,000" copies to date. The game's creator, Mike Bithell, revealed the figure in our first Gamescom podcast*, which you should be able to listen to shortly. The figure comprises PC, Mac, Linux, PS3, and Vita sales, and does not include copies obtained through PS Plus for free. Not bad for a 'rectangle game,' we'd say.

Bithell recently unveiled his very different next game, Volume, which mixes Metal Gear Solid with a dollop of user-generated content. While it's definitely a departure from talking rectangles, Bithell said Thomas Was Alone's narrative roots continue in Volume through a "very strong authored story," and may extend into the game's level creator, since Bithell wants to "make a game that allows people to tell their own stories as well."

*Bithell said "around 700,000" copies on the podcast, but confirmed "over 700,000" after. Technicalities!

Antsy to get your hands on The Walking Dead for PS Vita? The wait is over! Look out for PS Vita versions of all five episodes of The Walking Dead Season One, PLUS the special 400 Days DLC episode, in the PlayStation Store tomorrow (The bundle will also be available!).

This version is an awesome way to experience The Walking Dead, whether you’re dipping your toe into the water for the first time, or looking to catch up on any episodes you might have missed. Even if you’ve already played through the whole season on PS3, there’s an additional set of Trophies for playing the series on PS Vita. We’ve even added some special features just for PS Vita: you can play with analog controls and face buttons, or get a little more intimate with the interaction by switching to touchscreen only.

Remember, fans of the series should keep those save files, because Season Two is expected to hit PS Vita later this year as well. Hope you’re ready for the portable undead onslaught!

Check out gameplay and dates for Divekick, Spelunky, and more as they come to Vita.

... with a balsamic price reduction.Read more...

"Going big" to Fantastic Arcade - the annual indie showcase in Austin, Texas - means building custom arcade cabinets for eight indie games. This year, the Spotlight games getting the full-cabinet treatment are Samurai Gunn, Wasteland Kings, Goblet Grotto, Panoramical, QED, Starwhal: Just the Tip, No Brakes Valet and Towerfall.

"Fantastic Arcade's Spotlight games are selected by a hard-to-define quality we like to call 'arcadiness,'" says Juegos Rancheros co-founder Wiley Wiggins. The Spotlight games were chosen by Wiggins, Adam Saltsman and Brandon Boyer, the founders of Austin indie collective Juegos Rancheros, and Arcade Technical Director Joshua Fields.

Towerfall has been a convention and Ouya favorite of ours for a while, while Wasteland Kings was just outed today as the next game from Vlambeer. It's an action roguelike starring mutants as they attempt to capture the Wasteland throne, and it's "a happy place where weird shit happens all the time," Vlambeer tells us.

These games are part of more than 20 total coming to Fantastic Arcade, an offshoot of genre film showcase Fantastic Fest. We've been impressed with Fantastic Arcade's offerings in the past, and this year is poised to please as well.

A pet sim/adventure game featuring talking dogs? PlayStation Vita Pets bounds through the forest next year to rescue the unfortunate handheld gaming device trapped in the well.Read more...

The latest NISAmerica newsletter reveals Dragon's Crown is coming to Europe, Australia, and other PAL regions on October 11, and confirms the art book pre-order bonus is available at select retailers. The PS3 and Vita brawler is already out in North America and Japan, getting off to a storming start in the latter after shipping 300,000 copies in its first week.

The game proved sovereign with our Danny, too, notching four and a half stars in his review: "Vanillaware breathes new life into a worthwhile but rarely attempted style of gameplay with Dragon's Crown, a brilliantly executed tribute to arcade gaming's past that offers up an endlessly satisfying loop of questing, looting, and character progression."

For those about to save we salute you.Read more...