Another year, another reason to celebrate here in Canada, and another PlayStation Holiday Event! We had such a tremendous response last year that we couldn’t for one second forget about you. I’d like to invite each and every Canadian PlayStation fan out again this year.

Right around the corner now, our Holiday Event will be taking place on October 12 from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. at the Liberty Grand in “The Artifacts Room” in Toronto.

This year has been a big one in terms of great titles launching, and we’ll be giving you exclusive access to play them before they hit retail shelves. No matter what gaming appetite you come with, we will try to appease you, for example:

 

 

• Hungry for a desert adventure – Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
• Looking for an apocalyptic, “I need to save the world’, alien shooter – Resistance 3
• Limbs twitching, solid moves, confidence – Everybody Dance
• You never minded the balloon animals, or the clown that made them – Twisted Metal
• You thirst for a mysterious game, a break from the traditional – Journey
• Tired of playing by yourself? – Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One

We can’t forget hardware, and we’re happy to announce that the PlayStation Vita will be there! We’ll also have the 3D Gaming Display, Sony’s new 3D Headset, and much more 3D related products all at your button mashing fingertips.

Quite a few third party publishers will also be in attendance showing off their hottest games this holiday season. Activision, Bethesda, Capcom, Disney, Konami, EA, Namco, Sega, THQ, Ubisoft, Warner and many more just to name a few.

I can promise that we’ll have great titles, live music and a solid evening of gaming. So if Wednesday is a good night for you, come on out, invite your friends, your family, your neighbors, everyone! All you have to do is RSVP below through our PlayStation Canada Facebook page below.

To RSVP to the PlayStation Holiday Event, please visit our Facebook event page.

With the clock ticking down to the release of Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One (October 18th!), I wanted to share some insight into an arcane corner of the video game industry: How the box art is made. But first, I’m happy to confirm that the final version of Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One will mark the continuation of a recent PlayStation tradition started with Insomniac’s Resistance 3 — reversible box art! The piece — illustrated by Insomniac’s Greg Baldwin, with back cover concept art from Dave Guertin, began its life as an April Fool’s Day PlayStation.Blog post from Captain Qwark. Behold the secret inner box art that we’ve been chuckling over for the last few weeks.

Finally: Captain Qwark gets his moment of glory! Flip over the cover art of Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One on October 18th and you’ll find this sweet surprise.

Now back to the making of the box art. Believe it or not, there’s a lot that goes into that rectangular piece of art that sits on store shelves (although I’m sure many colorful commentators would beg to differ). Before we kicked off packfront exploration, we collaborated with Insomniac Games to set our goals. The goals? Make something that not only popped on shelves, but spoke to the core principles of the game:

• Cooperative gameplay
• Unique characters
• Things that goes boom

We also wanted to make sure that something was designed with new audience members in mind: If you’ve never played a Ratchet & Clank game, what would you need to see to understand the characters? With our goals set, we began work on the various pieces of art that would start representing the game.

The tale begins in May of 2010, well before we revealed Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One at gamescom. As we worked on the reveal art, we pondered a direction for the game’s cover art (which is called the “packfront, “front of box” or FOB in biz-speak). At the time, we were noticing that a lot of recent game covers were looking very minimalist with clean, high-contrast colors — all-white or stark black backgrounds showing the hero in a dramatic pose. Ratchet & Clank is a colorful series, so we wanted to try this contemporary style while highlighting the bright color palette that makes All 4 One so visually appealing and unique.

From the start, we decided that it would be important for us to continue our tradition of working directly with Insomniac for the art; we didn’t want to go through some vendor and have them try to awkwardly emulate Insomniac’s style. This was especially important because Insomniac was making some minor tweaks to the character designs with All 4 One. So, after our initial discussions with Insomniac, we agreed to explore three basic directions for the cover artwork, which you can see below.

“Static Heroes.” This is the traditional, iconic movie-poster-style where you focus strongly on the characters’ faces. When it works, it’s because you know who they are. Note the game’s working title of “Ratchet & Clank: 4 Play,” which didn’t pass final approval for obvious reasons.

“Ready for Action.” This is your classic hero shot where the team is armed, ready for battle, and up against stiff odds. In these early comps, marvel at Qwark’s huge body and (understandably) tiny head — it was a constant design challenge to fit him into frame.

“Team Smackdown.” This is an approach often seen gracing comic book covers – say, part three of a five-part series. The heroes are in the throes of combat, in the middle of the destruction. For this to work, we have to show them working together: jumping into battle, rushing towards the screen, or firing their weapons.

Based on our early compositions, we quickly determined that the Team Smackdown approach looked too busy to be effective: it showed lot of weapon effects, enemies getting shredded, tons of motion, with some characters looking too small or disappearing in the chaos. Qwark alone took up to a third of the entire image in some of comps! The Static Heroes approach was tempting, and we’d used it for Tools of Destruction, but we walked away from it because you had to know who these characters are for the effect to work. And with All 4 One, we wanted to introduce the characters to a new generation of gamers in addition to longtime series fans.

We took a step back and thought it might be smart to use the art more consistently, to try to communicate who the characters were through the art and then show it again and again. After kicking ideas back and forth, we settled into the next phase of the art design. We ultimately opted to focus on the Ready For Action theme, with a dash of Static Heroes by pulling the camera in close so you could identify the characters. From there it was a back-and-forth process of tweaking the thumbnail sketches until we got the effect we wanted.

As we made progress towards the final version, we gradually learned that it was best to show the characters from the waist up. Throughout this process, you have to consider so much: weapons can add a lot of clutter, but at the same time if we had left the characters empty-handed, people who saw the art might think it was a game where four guys punched everyone in the face — not what we wanted!

Throughout the entire process, our collaboration with Insomniac was an excellent experience. Insomniac Principle Artist Dave Guertin, took our suggestions and reworked the image until we hit the design goals of both teams. Our creative collaboration with Insomniac wasn’t just nodding and smiling – we were on the same page and we gave each other what we wanted.

This version is getting close, but we wanted Ratchet to sport a mischievous grin and instead he looks kind of… evil. We asked Dave to raise his head a bit and subtly brighten his eyes. We wanted him to look like he’s ready to kick butt, not like he’s going to kill you in your sleep!

Meanwhile, as we worked towards the final version, there were so many factors to keep in mind. You need to make room for the game’s logo to stand out (and it’s a big one!), so you have to be very economical and make smart design decisions. We also wanted to showcase the game’s weaponry — a key gameplay feature for the series since day one — so we slapped a Combuster into Ratchet’s hot little hands.

Once we were homing in on our final designs, we conducted an experiment to see how the art options would hold up in the real world. We headed down to our retail staging area, which has shelf mockups that mimic the ones you see various retailers. We smacked the artwork onto the shelf, and we immediately saw that a bar covered up both Ratchet and Clank’s faces. D’oh! So we had to creep the logo and artwork higher to keep them above that bar. It’s the little things…

Between concept, direction, approvals, renders, tests and internal reviews, the packfront design process lasted between seven and eight months of constant iteration and refinement. Dave painted the final image in February of 2011, just in time to debut it on the PlayStation.Blog a few weeks later.

And there you have it, our journey towards a final packfront. As you can see above, it can take a lot of time, effort, trial, error and discussion to get to the final piece that we reveal our gaming audience. It may seem easy when you take a glance, but it’s anything but.

We hope you enjoyed the read and found it educational. Let us know what some of your alternate favorites are below and be sure to pick up a copy of Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One when it releases this October 18th!

Its been a couple of months since we were last here talking about OKABU, our upcoming PSN-exclusive action-adventure, and we’re thrilled to be part of this month’s “Only On PSN” program, sitting alongside such awesome titles as Pixeljunk Sidescroller, Eufloria and Rochard.

So the big news is that we finally have a release date! OKABU will be hitting PSN on October 18th, and there’ll be a demo available on launch day that’ll let you take our cloud-flying heroes for a test flight. With launch only a couple of weeks away, we wanted to share a few more details about the game, and what you’ll be doing as you guide Kumulo and Nimbe through the four worlds that make up the story campaign.

Since we started development one of our biggest goals has been to pack a ton of gameplay variety in the game, from physics-play and drivable vehicles to the ability to control the creatures that fill the world. These powers come from the cloud-flying heroes in the game, which you can pick up and drop off to swap abilities on the fly.

With our previous trailers we’ve been keen to show off everything that you can do in the game, but I realize that there is a lot to take in such a short amount of video! With launch coming up, we thought it would be good to go into a bit more detail with each hero and give you a taste of what each of them brings to the table. Without further ado, here’s a video showing each of the characters in action:

The four guys you see surfing on the backs of the cloud-whales are Okabu’s cloud-flying heroes: Captain Monkfish, Picolo, Roki and Kat. Each provides a unique set of abilities to the player: need to pull down a drawbridge? Pick up Captain Monkfish and fire his harpoon. Need to charm a bull to smash through a wooden barricade? Pick up Picolo and get charming!

The puzzles and action challenges that make up each level center around the skills of these heroes, and its up to you to work out how best to use them together. If you’re playing single player, you can swap between the two clouds by pressing Triangle (so you can always have two heroes handy). If you’re playing with a friend, each of you can take control of a cloud-whale as you work together to progress through each level.

We can’t wait to get OKABU into your hands, and can’t believe we are so close to launch! Next week we’re going to delve a little more into the puzzles and co-op mode, so join us back here on the PlayStation.Blog, or follow us on Twitter for more details as we get closer to October 18th.

Calling all Sodium fans! This Thursday, October 6th Lockwood will unveil a SodiumOne Salt Shooter public game space. This new version of the classic tank combat shooter comes with a selection of exclusive rewards, a new interactive gallery of enemy units, and connections to Sodium2. Head into the Salt Shooter public game space when it launches tomorrow to play SodiumOne and collect new rewards. Also, be sure to log in this Saturday, October 8th and Sunday, October 9th to take advantage of Lockwood’s SodiumOne Double Resources weekend event. Players that enter the Salt Shooter public game space will receive double resources that can be converted to Sodium credits and used to buy items from the Sodium Hub and upgrades in Sodium2!

The PlayStation Home Mall receives an update this week with some new, nerdy additions to Mass Media’s hilarious line of Weird Wear, some truly spooky Halloween decorations courtesy of nDreams (also available as a Horror Pack bundle), additional Access All Areas’ Alice Cooper items, new Granzella swimwear for the ladies, and more!

Starting this Thursday, gamers that register through the PlayStation portal at Playstation.Extra-Life.org will receive a voucher for a special PlayStation Home virtual item. Extra Life is an annual 24-hour video game marathon that raises money to help kids at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. It’s never been this much fun to do this much good. Register today to get your own personal page and begin tracking your progress. To learn more about the Extra Life charity event, click HERE.

Novus Prime: Escalation fans take note: Our friends over at Hellfire Games are ready to hook you up with the exclusive Pirate Chainsword weapon. Originally salvaged from the ruins of an old pirate stronghold, the Novus Prime engineers have re-examined and perfected the pirate technology to bring you this fantastic new item. Since no pilot should ever be caught unarmed, the folks at Novus Prime have decided to outfit everyone with this weapon absolutely free. All you’ve got to do is head over to their promo page and join the Hellfire Games mailing list. Not only will you get a voucher for your own Pirate Chainsword but you’ll also be kept in the loop about any cool new stuff coming from the Hellfire Games team.

In other news, nDreams’ Aurora game space is receiving an update with new games and rewards. They’ve uploaded a teaser trailer to the nDreams Facebook fan page – check it out!

Like clockwork, the mega-popular PlayStation Home Community Theater receives an update this week. Log in the Thursday to watch as HomeCast Rewind gives a walkthrough of Granzella’s hit Southern Island Hideaway game space. Next PSX Extreme discusses the eagerly-anticipated PS Vita. That’s not all – players that visit the Community Theater this week will receive special rewards to help you ease into the Fall season. Enjoy the cool weather in style with these fashionable coats, courtesy of your friends on the PlayStation Home Community Management team.

See you in Home!

With our first post in July, we introduced you to our upcoming title Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken, and for our second post in September, we touched a bit on the genesis and character design of the Rocketbirds. In this third post, we wanted to talk a bit about the cutscenes and music videos we created for the game.

But first, here is the preview trailer of the game!

Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken takes you on a cinematic platform adventure through Albatropolis, as you hunt down the Penguin’s corrupt leader, Putzki. Along the way you’ll have to kill many penguins, solve puzzles, incite revolution, and maybe pilot a few jetpacks.

Originally, for Rocketbirds: Revolution! (the Independent Games Festival 2010 triple finalist browser game) we created the first opening sequence (‘Robot’ music video) as a way to keep people interested while the first game assets were being streamed to people’s computers. When we’d completed it, it worked well to bridge the waiting time (it’s a lot more entertaining than watching a download status bar), but it also helped us infuse attitude to the game’s presentation and provide people with a more complete gaming experience. This has prompted us to provide all our cutscenes in this cinematic format – and yeah, making them was a lot of fun too!

Our movies start out as rough thumbnail sketches, which we cut and scan together into storyboards and weave into an animatic, which allows us to time the shots with the music. During this stage, most of the creative magic happens, as we can work and iterate very quickly. Once we were happy with the shots, we’d start fleshing out all the required assets for each shot and bring all the pieces together. Here are the comparative shots in those clips:

The other type of cutscene we call “talking heads” – these type of scenes are pretty easy to do since we use the actual fully-rigged game character assets to act out the scenes. First, we start with the script and storyboard and do the voices – then produce an animatic to check the timing. Some of these clips remain animatics until almost the very last moment, so we can stay flexible in moving / removing these to suit the structure and pacing of the game.

We introduce the game’s two antagonists in the animatic strip above. Just like Hardboiled Chicken, both Putzki (Penguin) and Brno (Albatros) needed to be larger than life. I thought it’d be funny if the bodyguard, Brno, was such a bad-ass that he wasn’t afraid to slap his own boss (Putzki) around a bit. Putzki too, with his posters naming him, “Our Fearless Leader” had to be a first-class yellow-bellied twit, having a Paxton-freak-out moment, obviously borrowed from “Aliens,” in this scene.

We’re very proud of this title! Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken will be coming exclusively to PSN October 18, 2011.

Greetings Sony fans and Yakuza enthusiasts! Today is an exciting day, both for PS3 gamers and for us here at SEGA – the PS3 exclusive, Yakuza: Dead Souls is coming to the west! It seems like only yesterday we were all sitting on the edge of our Sony-branded seats, hoping desperately that Yakuza 3 would see the light of day overseas. In the years since, we’ve seen not only the US release of Yakuza 3, but Yakuza 4, too – and, thanks to the fantastic support of fans and PS3 gamers like you, we’re proud to now announce the latest chapter in the Yakuza franchise. What was once Of The End is now Dead Souls!

So, what is Yakuza: Dead Souls all about? I traveled to the top of the mountains and spent two weeks meditating to bring you the answers. In the end, that failed, so I just played the entire game instead. It was awesome, and in doing so, I found that this game is a mix of:

• Zombies in Tokyo
• Yakuza with guns
• Beautiful Hostesses

And while I’m not able to reveal how much content from the Japanese version is coming over, let me just say that you fans are going to be very, very happy when you hear how much we’ve included.

The version we’re bringing to the west features the entire storyline, as well as its brand new mini-game: Pachislot. Yakuza: Dead Souls returns you back to the streets of Kamurocho, which is now under attack by hordes of Zombies. Though you won’t be restricted by Zombies as your only threat, as you’ll also face powerful mutants, and, perhaps most dangerous of all, members of the Japanese underworld.

The name Dead Souls has multiple meanings within the game, beyond the obvious “Oh-hey-that’s-totally-a-Zombie” angle. But did I mention the Zombies yet? Well, there are Zombies. Lots of Zombies. So many Zombies I’m going to start using a capital Z when I type Zombies, just to spite all those English professors back in college who said I couldn’t. Zombies, Zombies, Zombies!

Yet even for all the wacky and hilarious Japanese culture laden within the game – and in past Yakuza games, too – there is a strong layer of serious, emotional storytelling taking place here. This game has also convinced me that, without a doubt, Kazuma Kiryu is more manly than both Chuck Norris and Duke Nukem fused together – but that’s for another blog.

If you’re a fan of the series, we’d like to end by saying THANK YOU for going out there and picking up the western releases of Yakuza 3 and 4. Even now, every copy of Yakuza 4 sold, and every pre-order of Yakuza: Dead Souls helps this franchise continue to survive and grow here in the west.

Got a question about Yakuza: Dead Souls? Want to know more about the game or leave a comment below? Please do – I’m aiming to top my previous response numbers with a 100% response ratio this time. All I ask is that you keep the questions Yakuza related, where possible. Thanks guys – and stay tuned for more Zombie goodness from us soon!

If you have been keeping up with GT5, you know Polyphony Digital has been very diligent about releasing free updates to improve the game, especially the online racing mode. Ever since the launch, Kazunori Yamauchi and his team have been carefully studying posts on forums, reading comments on PlayStation.Blog posts and across Twitter, talking to fans at events, and more. The game has evolved a lot since last November, thanks in part to the dedicated GT fans voicing their opinions.

Now I’m here to share with you some very exciting news about the biggest FREE update yet, releasing in the next few weeks. It will add new features and even more functionality to your GT5 experience.

Polyphony learned that a lot of fans out there love driving using the game’s interior view, and has given some serious thought to it. With this new update, all cars in the game will now have interior views. Although the level of visual details will vary based on what car you choose, you can now race from behind the wheel of any car in the game. In addition, you’ll be able to get the 2011 season versions of the 11 NASCAR race cars for the first time.

Some of the other improvements introduced are greatly reduced load times when loading races, quicker menu response times, and adjustable opponent AI in Arcade Mode. Players will now have the option to save their progress during lengthy racing events so they can come back and finish at a later time, and can also adjust weather conditions for races using a slider function that goes from mild to severe.

The wildly popular Photo Mode has been updated to allow players to take pictures with their personalized driver avatars with customizable racing suits and helmets. You can even fast-forward and rewind race replays now to better capture that key moment in the race.

For those who enjoy racing online with your fellow gearheads, we’re expanding the shuffle race mode. As with the same feature in Gran Turismo PSP, this allows friendly competition between players of different skill levels. Players setting up online races will also have a host of new regulations available to customize their own events. New bonus incentives are introduced for players who log in and play on a consistent basis.

Truly hardcore racing fans will be stoked to hear that GT5 will now officially and fully support the Logitech G25 and G27 Racing Wheels.

The final piece of big news is that there will be a full batch of downloadable content for Gran Turismo 5 in the coming weeks. This DLC will of course include new vehicles and tracks, plus some additional surprises.

We’ll have more details very soon on the specifics of the DLC, so stay tuned, and check the blog and the official Gran Turismo website for further details.

I am ending this post with a comment from the man himself, Kazunori Yamauchi, president of Polyphony Digital and creator of the Gran Turismo franchise:

The coming Gran Turismo 5 Spec 2 update is an update that contains the feedback from the users playing GT5 online every day. We have added cars such as the newest NASCAR race cars, but many of the updates are those that improve usability and expand the field of game play. I believed from the initial release of Gran Turismo 5 that it would be the users that would make the game grow thereafter, and we added things like interior views for the standard models because there was a lot of request for it from our users. You could say that this update is the shape and form of GT5 that was created through the opinions of our fans.

And if you don’t have Gran Turismo 5 yet, now is the perfect time to get into the best-selling racing game. In addition to all of the great new content and free updates, as of this week you can pick GT5 up for only $39.99.

Hello PlayStation Nation,

Early last month, with some ambiguity, we announced that we were looking for a few good gamers to assist us with a special assignment related to our freshly launched Long Live Play campaign. Long Live Play honors gamers from all walks of life and recognizes you for making PlayStation who we are today.

We asked members of the PlayStation Nation to email us with pictures of themselves holding their PS3 controller and in 30 words-or-less, describe how they epitomize the ultimate PlayStation gamer. I know that PlayStation gamers are some of the most impassioned fans in the world, but I was blown away by the thousands of responses that flooded my email.

After weeks of anticipation, I can finally reveal the complete ambition behind Long Live Play. I’m delighted to announce that we’ve painstakingly reviewed each submission and selected a dozen or so die-hard gamers to represent the PlayStation Nation in a brand new Long Live Play campaign that will air on national TV starting October 5th. We think this film provides an insider’s look into what it’s like to be immersed in our universe and why it’s so compelling to game on the PS3.

For those already initiated into the Nation, I think you’ll find this film almost like a game itself. You’ll see a rich layering of different characters from some of your favorite game franchises – including cool everyman Nathan Drake from UNCHARTED, the mighty Kratos from God of War, the nimble Sackboy from LittleBigPlanet, and a monstrous Chimera from Resistance – all gathered together saluting “YOU” the PlayStation gamer. We spent months building out this experience and loaded it with numerous PlayStation Easter eggs. I’m pretty confident it will take several viewings before you find them all. Towards the end of the film be sure to notice the collection of photos of your fellow members of the Nation. This is one small way of demonstrating our sincere “Thanks” and to celebrate your tremendous commitment to PlayStation’s thriving community. And with PS3s available for under $250 – we welcome all gamers to come on board to experience the best in Blu-ray gaming.

It is our hope that this film showcases to all gamers the incredible characters and experiences that make PlayStation 3 the ultimate platform for people who love to game. You know that PlayStation has the industry’s best line-up of exclusive software titles, features highly immersive motion-control and 3D gaming, and free access to vast amounts of sports, movies, TV, games and more on PlayStation Network. Now, with your help, we’re spreading the word so the world knows that PlayStation continues to be the top destination for gaming.

Long Live Play!

Hi Everyone –
As announced yesterday, Only On PSN will be bringing 8 exclusive titles throughout the month of October. Rochard is already available, but this week brings Eufloria, an ethereal journey into an ambient universe where you control the destiny of an intergalactic garden. Relax with the Chilled mode, or give Dark Matter mode a try to go more on the offensive. It’s a strategy game like none other, and it’s Only On PSN. As with all titles of Only On PSN, Eufloria is 20% off for PlayStation Plus subscribers for its first week in the Store.

Call of Duty fans, time to gear up. Call of Duty ELITE is almost here and to get ready, you can pre-order your access today and get an exclusive theme for your PS3. ELITE includes access to the premium features as well as all Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 downloadable content. You’ll also receive ‘Founder’ status on your membership to cement your COD legacy.

We’ve had a great time celebrating the Resident Evil 15th anniversary, and we’re wrapping things up with the release of Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition! Continue the saga with breakthrough co-op gameplay and drop dead gorgeous visuals as you unravel the mysteries of the Resident Evil universe. PlayStation Plus subscribers can grab this title for 25% off as well!

For some off-the-walls sports arcade action, NBA Jam On Fire Edition is here! Get some epic 2 on 2 basketball games going with new features like Tag Mode and Team Fire. Sporting deeper strategy with over 1,000 gameplay adjustments, you’re in for the most fun NBA Jam experience ever.

Lastly, your October PlayStation Plus updates start today with Costume Quest, Elemental Monster, and the PSone Classic Warhawk, free for subscribers. There are already sales on Explodemon! and Tales From Space: About A Blob, but subscribers will find additional price drops on these titles. Snag an additional 30% off the sale price for Explodemon! and an additional 40% off the sale price for Tales From Space today! And don’t forget to download the new episode of Qore, which is free and early for subscribers. There’s much more to see, so make sure you check out the full details below.

Don’t forget that through the entire month of October, spend $60 in the Store through the month of October, and receive $10 back in November! That goes for anything that uses funds from your Wallet. Drop your feedback or questions in the comments, or join in the discussion on the Official PlayStation Store Update threads hosted by PSN Community Manager, Morgan Haro.

Here is the weekly PlayStation Store update:

PlayStation Plus

Free PSN Games and DLC: Costume Quest – 10/4
Elemental Monster – 10/4 Free Minis: 1000 Tiny Claws
Speedball 2 Free PS one Classics: Warhawk Full Game Trials: Resident Evil 5
Shift 2 Unleashed Exclusive Discounts: Eufloria – 20% off –
Explodemon! – 30% off
Tales From Space: About a Blob – 40% off
Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition – 25% off
Elemental Monster Online Card Game Booster Box DLC – 50% off Avatars Lost Planet 2 Avatar Bundle (2O Avatars)- PS Plus Exclusive ($1.99) Media: Qore Episode 41 – October Early Access Pre-Order

Call of Duty ELITE Pre-order 1Yr Membership + Exclusive Theme ($49.99)
1-year Premium membership to Call of Duty ELITE, the online service that transforms your multiplayer experience. Includes access to Premium features and all Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 downloadable content. Pre-order to get Founder status and the exclusive Call of Duty ELITE Theme!
ESRB Rated M
File Size: 2.86 MB (Theme)

Downloadable Games

Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition ($29.99)
This special edition contains 2 additional episodes (“Lost In Nightmares” and “Desperate Escape”) as well as 2 costume packs, and “The Mercenaries Reunion” mode.
ESRB rated M
File size 7.36 GB

Crysis ($19.99)
A team of US scientists makes a frightening discovery on an island in the South China Sea. A massive alien ship reveals itself and now the US and North Korea must join forces to battle the alien menace through tropical jungle and into the heart of the alien ship for the ultimate Zero G showdown.
ESRB rated M
File size 2.96 GB

NBA Jam On Fire Edition ($14.99)
HE’S ON FIRE! NBA JAM: On Fire Edition from EA SPORTS is heating up and now available for download.
ESRB rated E
File size 859 MB

Shift 2 Unleashed Digital ($39.99)
SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED combines real physics, g-forces, race data and driver insights to deliver the most realistic and immersive racing game ever made.
ESRB rated E10+
File size 5.87 GB

Eufloria + Trial (exclusive) ($9.99)
Experience “Eufloria”, an addictive game of space exploration, strategy and conquest, plant growth and bio mechanical evolution! Explore a beautifully realized universe in a game that is unique and compelling.
ESRB Rated E
File size 222 MB

Sega Bass Fishing ($9.99)
Explore the exciting sport of bass fishing! Motor out to eight different fishing locations to catch the biggest and baddest bass possible! Start off as an amateur, and work your way up to the pros in the Masters Classic tournament. Get hooked!
ESRB rated E
File size 399 MB

Space Channel 5 Part 2 ($9.99)
Meet Ulala, the grooviest reporter in the galaxy! Help her get the scoop on an unidentified Dance Troupe that has captured thousands of people and is forcing them to dance! Will you be able to free the hostages, and uncover who’s behind the kidnappings all while bustin’ groovy moves to sweet beats?
ESRB rated T
File size 1.55 GB

Game Demos (free)

Eufloria Demo
Experience “Eufloria”, an addictive game of space exploration, strategy and conquest, plant growth and bio mechanical evolution! Explore a beautifully realized universe in a game that is unique and compelling.
ESRB rated E
File size 222MB

Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 Demo 2
Be one of the first to experience the awesome PES2012, with this complete demo version. Try new Teammate Control, Active AI system, and Off the Ball Control.
ESRB rated E
File size 1.56 GB

Add-on Game Content

NBA Jam On Fire Edition – Time Is Money Pack ($4.99)
We all know that Time is Money. That’s why we’ll let you save some time by giving you every Legend, Mascot, Privilege, 12+ Special Teams, and oh yeah, 10,000 JAM BUCKS to spend. Make sure you check out JAM CENTRAL to see all the goodies you’ve unlocked, and spend some of those Jam Bucks
File size 1.92 MB

Portal 2: Peer Review (free)
Peer Review is the FREE first DLC for Portal 2, the year’s most brain-bending action-adventure game. Featuring a devious new co-op track that continues the story of Atlas, Peabody and GLaDOS, the DLC also includes both single and multiplayer challenge modes, plus leaderboards so you can compare your portal placement and time scores with the Portal community.
File size: 1.35 GB

Magic The Gathering: Duels Of The Planeswalkers 2012: Foil Conversion “Auramancer” ($0.99)
Convert all uncommon, rare, and mythic rare cards in Ajani Goldmane’s “Auramancer” green-white deck to premium foil cards. Additional content for Magic: The Gathering — Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012.
File size 100 KB

Magic The Gathering: Duels Of The Planeswalkers 2012: Foil Conversion “Cloudburst” ($0.99)
Convert all uncommon, rare, and mythic rare cards in Ral Zarek’s “Cloudburst” blue-red deck to premium foil cards. Additional content for Magic: The Gathering — Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012.
File size 100 KB

Magic The Gathering: Duels Of The Planeswalkers 2012: Foil Conversion “Grave Whispers” ($0.99)
Convert all uncommon, rare, and mythic rare cards in Liliana Vess’s “Grave Whispers” black deck to premium foil cards. Additional content for Magic: The Gathering — Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012.
File size 100 KB

Magic The Gathering: Duels Of The Planeswalkers 2012: Full Deck “Auramancer” ($0.99)
Ajani Goldmane’s fully unlocked “Auramancer” white and green deck. Enhance your creatures using mystical enchantments to form unstoppable behemoths. The totem armor ability will make sure your creatures are well-protected. Additional content for Magic: The Gathering — Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012.
File size 100 KB

Magic The Gathering: Duels Of The Planeswalkers 2012: Full Deck “Cloudburst” ($0.99)
Ral Zarek’s fully unlocked “Cloudburst” blue and red deck. Command the forces of storms: ferocious lighting, booming thunder, and splintering winds. Light up the skies with sizzling burn spells and awesome flying creatures. Additional content for Magic: The Gathering — Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012.
File size 100 KB

Magic The Gathering: Duels Of The Planeswalkers 2012: Full Deck “Grave Whispers” ($0.99)
Liliana Vess’s fully unlocked “Grave Whispers” black deck. Liliana’s deck combines the mightiest of the undead with crippling discard spells to make sure you stand without equal. Additional content for Magic: The Gathering — Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012.
File size 100 KB

Cabela’s Big Game Hunter 2012: Alaskan Rocks (free)
That’s right, Alaska rocks! You’ll find some of the best hunting around in this shooting gallery. Don’t miss out on the fun all in the warmth of your own house. In this arcade shooting gallery challenge, players will shoot their way through this level earning points to clear checkpoints as they go. Challenge your friends in 2 player co-op, 2 player versus, 3 and 4 player hot-seat variations.
File size 4.86 MB

Cabela’s Big Game Hunter 2012: Chile Plateau (free)
Exotic animals galore in this shooting gallery. Cabela’s is bringing the adventure of a lifetime to you. In this arcade shooting gallery, players will shoot their way through this level earning points to clear checkpoints as they go. This shooting gallery allows 2 player co-op, 2 player versus, 3 and 4 player hot-seat variations.
File size 4.86 MB

Cabela’s Big Game Hunter 2012: Texas Woods (free)
This shooting gallery is Texas-sized. You’ll have so much fun, you won’t want to leave the lone star state! In this arcade shooting gallery challenge, players will shoot their way through this level earning points to clear checkpoints as they go. This shooting gallery allows 2 player co-op, 2 player versus, 3 and 4 player hot-seat variations.
File size 4.86 MB

Rage – Wasteland Sewer Missions (Store Release) ($9.99)
A foul stench seeps from beneath the Wasteland. Long abandoned sewers echo with the screams of horrified victims. Word of mutants has spread like wildfire. Prepare to face the danger that lurks below. This RAGE Add-on content is included in all new copies of the game sold at retail. If you have purchased a new retail copy of RAGE, please do not purchase this content as you will be charged again.
File size 327 MB

Dead Rising 2: Off The Record Free Support Pack (free)
This support pack is required to play co-op with other users who have purchased downloadable content.
File size 27 MB

Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition Match Pack 1 (Fight For The Future) ($3.99)
Watch matches from an exclusive tournament, featuring the best players from around the world.
File size 45 MB

Rock Band 3
Build your Rock Band library by purchasing these song game tracks. For song credits, visit www.RockBand.com.

• “Gold Cobra” – Limp Bizkit ($1.99)
• “My Way” – Limp Bizkit ($1.99)
• “Nookie” – Limp Bizkit ($1.99)
• “Re-Arranged” – Limp Bizkit ($1.99)
• Artist pack ($6.99) – Build your Rock Band library by purchasing this song game album: Limp Bizkit Pack 01. This pack includes “Gold Cobra,” “My Way,” “Nookie,” and “Re-Arranged” by Limp Bizkit.

File size: 27 – 35 MB (singles), 125 MB (track pack)

Rock Band Network v2.0

• “Bagatelle No. 25 – Fur Elise (Beethoven)” – Thomas Walker ($0.99)
• “Farewell, Mona Lisa” – The Dillinger ($1.99)
• “Glow” – Alien Ant Farm ($1.99)
• “Heroes Don’t Cry” – Free Spirit ($1.99)
• “Pendulum” – After the Burial ($1.99)
• “Ship With No Sails” – Neonfly ($1.99)
• “Stabbing The Drama” – Soilwork ($1.99)
• “The Window” – Raven Quinn ($1.99)
• “These City Lights” – Rose of Jericho ($0.99)
• “Trying Hard” – Loni Rose ($0.99)

File size: 6.35 – 50 MB (singles)

Updates

Explodemon! – Sale (PS3) (now $6.99, original price $9.99)
Tales From Space: About A Blob – Sale (PS3) (now $5.99, original price $14.99)
Enigmo – Sale (PS3) (now $1.99, original price $3.99)
Jane’s Hotel – Sale (PS3) (now $1.99, original price $3.99)
Zombie Tycoon – Sale (PS3) (now $2.99, original price $4.99)
Zombie Tycoon French – Sale (PS3) (now $2.99, original price $4.99)
Stardrone – End Sale (PS3) (now $7.99, original price $4.99)
Bulletstorm – Digital Download – Price Change (PS3) (now $29.99, original price $39.99)

Avatars

Lost Planet 2 Avatars (x20) ($0.49)

Rocket Knight Avatar Collection 2 ($2.99)

Red Faction Armageddon Avatar Bundle ($0.99)

Game Videos (free)

Pulse 10/4 Edition

NBA 2K12: Momentous Trailer

NBA 2K12: 3D Trailer

Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning Gamescom Trailer

Need For Speed The Run – Porsche Reveal Trailer

House Of The Dead: Overkill Gameplay Trailer #1

Final Fantasy Xiii-2 2011 TGS Trailer

Jurassic Park: The Game – Action Montage Trailer

Metro: Last Light – E3 Gameplay Trailer

Metro: Last Light – Teaser Trailer

Saints Row The Third – Killbane: The Walking Apocalypse Trailer

Twisted Metal Vengeance Trailer

Resistance 3 Follow Capelli Trailer

Resistance 3 No Mercy Trailer

GT Academy Behind the Scenes – Helicopter Cam

GT Academy Behind the Scenes – Rally Course

Resistance 3 Radio TV Spot

PS3 Themes

Rochard Skyrig Theme (free)

Rochard Theme (free)

Rage Wellspring Dynamic Theme ($2.99)

Rage Premium Theme ($1.99)

A Murder of Crows Dynamic Theme ($2.99)

Amphibian Delight Dynamic Theme ($2.99)

Bombshelter Blues Dynamic Theme ($2.99)

Flirty Girl Dynamic Theme ($2.99)

Xuriga Theme ($1.49)

Tatsuka Theme ($1.49)

Misti Dawn Playtime Theme ($1.49)

PS3 Wallpapers (free)

4 Elements Hd: Wallpaper 2

Rochard: John Rochard Wallpaper

Rochard: Wallpaper

Qore

Qore Episode 41 – October 2011
In October’s Episode 41 of Qore, Presented by the PlayStation Network Veronica Belmont enters the treacherous streets of Batman: Arkham City, heads for the front lines in Battlefield 3, enters the mind of Double Fine’s creative genius Tim Schafer, and uses the Move in five brand new experiences.

PSone Classics

CHRONO TRIGGER ($9.99)
File size 282 MB

PS2 Classics

Odin Sphere ($9.99)
Step into the middle of a war between five nations and use your Psypher to gain supremacy in this Action RPG!
ESRB rated T
File size: 3.28 GB

Maximo: Ghosts To Glory ($9.99)
Take on the role of the young knight Maximo as he teams up with the Grim Reaper in an attempt to save his beloved Sophia and defeat evil Achille.
ESRB rated T
File size: 713 MB

GRIMgRiMoiRe ($9.99)
Lillet Blan woke up one day to find everyone in her prestigious magic school dead. Follow her quest to find the reasoning behind everyone’s death and how to prevent it from happening to others in this beautiful RTS.
ESRB rated E10+
File size: 1.33 GB

Ring of Red ($9.99)
Take on an alternate history in this thrilling turn-based strategy game!
ESRB rated T
File size: 580 MB

God Hand ($9.99)
Give danger a hand in God Hang! Become a larger than life hero who has been given ultimate power!
ESRB rated M
File size: 1.48 GB

PlayStation Store for PSP Downloadable Games (also available from PS3 Storefront)

FIFA 12 PSP Digital ($39.99)
FIFA Soccer 12 delivers a true soccer experience with authentic club and league licenses, and intelligent gameplay that mirrors real-world soccer, making FIFA Soccer 12 the complete soccer simulation for PSP (PlayStation Portable) system.
ESRB rated E
File size 1.2 GB

Game Videos (free)

Pulse 10/4 Edition

Space Channel 5 Part 2 will be boogieing into the PlayStation Store later on today along with SEGA Bass Fishing – can you say Double Dreamcast Tuesday? Pick up either one for a smooth $10 each. Man, that’s refreshing.

SEGA Bass Fishing has been an arcade favorite for years, gobbling up quarters since 1998 here in the US. Bass Fishing then caused quite a splash when it launched with the Dreamcast on 9/9/99 – a day very dear to all of us Dreamcast fans.

In terms of gameplay, Bass Fishing is surprisingly easy to pick up and get into, and it keeps you coming back for more with layers of depth added by the different fishing conditions and locations. Cast out in 8 different locations and lure in the biggest, baddest bass. Want to look like a pro? Use your Move controller! If you’re fishing in the morning try a surface lure. If you’re fishing in the middle of the day, use a heavier lure to drop down to the cooler waters and pick up the prize bass you’ve been huntin’. The biggest one I’ve caught is 33lbs – can you beat me?

Last but not least I thoroughly recommend playing Bass Fishing while blasting my favorite song: “I’m on a boat, I’m on a boat, everybody look at me coz I’m sailing on a boat…”

What is Space Channel 5 exactly? Excellent question. It’s a rhythm action dancing game. Throughout the game you encounter “Dance Offs”, where your challenger will spit a bunch of moves at you, and it’s up to you to show that you’re not going to be one-upped, out-fancied and out-swaggered. Get your timing right to free the hostages, shoot robots, and generally show off your killer dance moves.

Space Channel 5 Part 2 never made it over to the US for its original Dreamcast release, instead it was first playable on the PlayStation 2 as part of a bundle with the original Space Channel 5 game. Today you can grab it with HD graphics, full 16:9 support, a 2 player co-op mode, and a substantial cameo appearance from the late King of Pop himself – Space Michael.

We here at SEGA have a special soft spot in our hearts for Dreamcast games, and we know there are a lot of Dreamcast fans out there who’d love to get their hands on some of those other Dreamcast gems. Tell all of your friends about Space Channel 5 and SEGA Bass Fishing, and we’ll do our best to get some of those other gems out for ya as soon as possible.

This month’s Qore covers two ginormous titles along with a profile of Double Fine’s creative genius Tim Schafer.

Soaring into the depths of Gotham’s shadows, Qore’s Episode 41 takes us into the world of Batman: Arkham City. Qore’s high definition preview covers the story, environments, improved fighting mechanics plus all the familiar bat-villains.

With fighter jets, awesome vehicles, and authentic weapons, Qore jumps into Battlefield 3 with Dice Executive Producer, Patrick Bach, to preview both the 32 player combat and immersive single player game play.

Veronica Belmont also catches up with industry leader Tim Schafer for a trip down memory lane, as he remembers his early days at LucasArts , working with Jack Black, and his more recent work on innovative games such as Stacking.

October is also a big month for PlayStation Move. With many new titles set to launch, Veronica gets into the groove of Everybody Dance, Little Big Planet Move edition, Eyepet & Friends, and Carnival Island.

Enjoy October’s Qore!

You’ve read the profiles, seen the videos, and cast thousands of votes to narrow the pool to the final Top 20 contenders of our casting contest for The Tester – Season 3.

The final round of voting is now open to determine who becomes the first member of the cast and will get a chance to compete for a production position at Sony Santa Monica Studio. Here’s the Top 20:

 

CoinBeast

Full Name: Anthony Ortiz
Hometown: Lauderhill, FL

 

DaYaShA

Full Name: David Smith
Hometown: Raleigh, NC

 

 

Deathrette
Full Name: Todd White
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV

 

 

delusionownzyou
Full Name: Gus Mendoza
Hometown: simi valley, CA

 

 

egoraptor
Full Name: Arin Hanson
Hometown: Burbank, CA

 

 

Frawlz
Full Name: Joseph Frawley
Hometown: San Diego, CA

 

 

Fungo_
Full Name: Dusty Kelly
Hometown: Kenmare, ND

 

 

GUNJACK11
Full Name: Mike Rodriguez
Hometown: Indio, CA

 

 

holloSTRIFE
Full Name: Jason Magno
Hometown: Earlimart, CA

 

 

KrystiPryde
Full Name: Krysti Pryde
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, FL

 

 

MomoCandyGoblin
Full Name: Moriah Soto
Hometown: Jacksonville, NC

 

 

Nicky7k
Full Name: Nicky Grant
Hometown: Matthews, NC

 

 

PhiMattic
Full Name: Matthew Myrick
Hometown: Newark, DE

 

 

pMpnIt
Full Name: Feliberto Salgado
Hometown: Pingree Grove, IL

 

 

Riotsister
Full Name: Katherina Burkett
Hometown: Montrose, CO

 

 

Schmoo
Full Name: David Segal
Hometown: Upland, CA

 

 

SoopaKilla
Full Name: Carlos Nuniz
Hometown: Albuquerque, NM

 

 

thamanofny
Full Name: Etanislao Abreu
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

 

 

ThatEnglishDude
Full Name: Jack Claxton
Hometown: Austin, TX

 

 

TheJoeDelFranco
Full Name: Joseph DelFranco
Hometown: Westerly, RI

 

 

If you haven’t cast your vote yet, sign up on the casting site and head over to the Top 20 now to pick from the top 20 potentials, and get your voice heard.

And, keep an eye out for the final winner later this month…

It is very exciting for me to be able to say that the original Crysis is coming to the PS3! Some of you may be wondering how we are going to bring the large open environments that Crysis is known for to console. The expansive jungle sections, the pure white sand beaches, the open vehicle levels… maybe you’re shaking your head that it cannot be done. I’m here to tell you that we’ve accomplished this and you will be able to experience the remastered, single-player campaign for Crysis on October 4th in North America and October 5th in Europe.

So how did we do it? As Egg Shen said, it wasn’t easy! Without the power of the CryENGINE 3, we would never have attempted it, but with fully deferred lighting, a PS3-specific rendering pipeline and SPU-enhanced physics code, together with more efficient memory layouts and more intelligent algorithms, we brought the experience of Crysis to consoles without compromise.

With that said, we didn’t just want to port the game straight onto console; we wanted to make sure we tailored the experience to suit it. We’ve brought the Crysis 2 Nanosuit and controls into the console version of Crysis and we have greatly improved the ease with which players can perform their Nanosuit powered exploits. The Nanosuit gives players options on how they want to play Crysis – from stalking your prey like a stealth predator, to hurling yourself into battle like the Hulk – with the intuitive Crysis 2 controls, nothing gets between the player and the impressive action. We’ve also rebalanced all the combat and weapons to suit the DualShock 3 controller and made improvements to the AI. Also, if you have a 3D capable TV, you can immerse yourself in the beautiful Crysis world with fully integrated stereoscopic 3D support!

For those of you who missed Crysis the first time around, this experience delivers intense, stealth-action and furious battles in large, open jungle environments with jeeps, tanks, boats, helicopters and intelligent AI. If that isn’t enough, you also take the fight to an unknown alien race and board their ships where the laws of physics no longer apply. When you finally emerge, a shocking surprise is awaiting as you discover that the world you once knew has undergone a dramatic alteration.

Crysis comes to PS3 on October 4th in North America for $19.99. On behalf of everyone at Crytek, I really hope that you enjoy playing it as much as we enjoyed developing it!

PlayStation 3

Dark Souls — The spiritual sequel to Demons Souls, the action RPG Dark Souls is set in a rich, dark fantasy universe. Intense action within the dungeons, encounters with terrifying enemies and innovative online features combine for a unique gaming experience. Dark Souls’ world breaks down barriers with a fluid design encourages exploration and promotes an adaptation experience. At a time when the players come face to face with terrifying enemies and find new areas, the infallible system and reward challenge takes possession of everything to offer a sense of achievement without equal.

Rage – Rage is a groundbreaking first-person shooter set in the not-too-distant future after an asteroid impacts Earth, leaving a ravaged world behind. You emerge into this vast wasteland to discover humanity working to rebuild itself against such forces as raider gangs, mutants, and the Authority — an oppressive government regime that has a special interest in you in particular. Featuring intense first-person action, vehicle combat, an expansive world and jaw-dropping graphics powered by id’s revolutionary idTech 5 technology, Rage continues the legacy of design studio Id Software in delivering an experience like no other.

NBA 2K12 (Also on PSN: PSP Digital Download) — For its 2K12 edition, the NBA 2K franchise is back and bigger than ever, providing fans with the opportunity they’ve always dreamed of — to finally end the debate as to who are the best teams and players of all time with the all-new NBA’s Greatest Mode. Featuring 15 NBA legends (including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Dr. J.) as well as all of your favorite NBA players of today, NBA 2K12 is packed with new and exciting features. Along with innovative gameplay features such as Total Shot Stick Control and a new Post Game System, NBA 2K12 puts fans center court for an unprecedented basketball experience.

Spider-Man: Edge of Time — Playing the roles of the Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099, Spider-Man: Edge of Time propels gamers on a high-octane, adrenaline-fueled adventure in which the heroic web-slingers must urgently work together across time to save each other and prevent a disaster that ultimately leads to the death of the Amazing Spider-Man. Against the backdrop of a rich, tightly crafted narrative by acclaimed Marvel veteran writer Peter David, the game features two individual timelines evolving in parallel, as well as “cause-and-effect” moments driven by the narrative. The game utilizes “picture-in-picture” moments where the actions of the Spider-Man in the present immediately affect the Spider-Man in the future and his surroundings.

PlayStation Network

Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition — As Chris Redfield (former S.T.A.R.S. member and now part of the BSAA unit), your life is in danger as you strive to complete your most dangerous mission yet in a sweltering desert colony where a new breed of evil has been unleashed. Swarms of marauding evil beings will charge at you when your pulse is racing at a heart-shattering pace. Environments will play a bigger factor than ever here, using the power of next-gen systems to create a world where terror might lurk in any alcove or shadow. Powerful lighting effects overwhelm the player with mirage movement and blinding brilliance, and even in the light of day, there is no safe haven in this Resident Evil.

This expanded Gold Edition improves on the original Resident Evil 5 in a number of ways, packing in four content packages — two downloadable episodes of all-new RE5 action (including a chapter that pairs RE5 hero Chris Redfield with RE series veteran Jill Valentine) as well as a host of new costumes for the game’s characters.

Crysis — Set in 2019 after a colossal asteroid crashes to Earth, Crysis begins amidst a tense military standoff between the North Korean and United States governments for control of the impact zone. Amid rising tensions, the asteroid suddenly bursts open revealing a massive alien ship, which begins freezing vast portions of the island and altering the global weather system. The invasion of Earth has begun. Crysis features an epic three-act story of alien invasion where players are able to customize their armor and weapons in real time to confront an ever-changing enemy and a harsh, dynamic environment.

NBA Jam: On Fire Edition — The second edition of EA’s rim-rocking rebound of the NBA Jam arcade b-ball franchise, NBA Jam: On Fire Edition features exciting new gameplay enhancements, including ground-breaking artificial intelligence that will change the way gamers play NBA Jam. This ’011 edition utilizes the ground-breaking AI system used in the Fight Night franchise, allowing the game to learn your tendencies and throw them back in your face. Play solo, or team up with friends on the couch and and online!

Shift 2: Unleashed – Need For Speed Shift 2 Unleashed builds on the true driving experience that the NFS franchise is renown for by introducing the driver’s battle, an even more authentic and primal feeling of power and speed which elevates the fundamental competitive race into a struggle for supremacy against other drivers and even the track itself.

Eufloria (Demo Available) — Eufloria is an ambient real-time strategy game with abstract visuals. The game is a real-time strategy / colonization game in which you must take control of an entire asteroid belt. You start as a single seedling that produces a tree on your starting asteroid. Your tree in turn produces new and unique seedlings which can be used to conquer other asteroids. However, the astro belt features up to ten AI opponents that provide fierce resistance and have their own drive for conquest. To defeat them you have to explore the strategic possibilities of the game. Eventually you can build up very large armies and witness some epic battles.

Space Channel 5, Part 2 – This downloadable game brings the classic Dreamcast game to the PS3. Space Channel 5 Part 2 follows famed reporter and dancer Ulala as she battles the Rhythm Rogues—a group of villains led by the mysterious Purge and his right-hand man Shadowin. Players will need to help Ulala move and “chu chu chu” her way to victory before they succeed in taking over the universe with their ultimate dance-control weapon.

SEGA Bass Fishing — You’ll have everything you need to bring in the big one, like 14 different lures, each with its own purpose and difficulty setting. There are also three different play modes that will challenge your skills and test your determination. The Practice mode acts as a training tool, teaching you everything from choosing the right lure to reeling the rod once you’ve got a bite. In Arcade mode, you’ll hit three different lakes in an effort to bring home enough fish to meet your quota. Original mode it lets you enter a series of tournaments where you can improve your skills and move up the rankings. If you’re ready to catch “the big one,” then get your hands on Sega Bass Fishing and go for it.

PSone Classics

Chrono Trigger — Living in the seemingly peaceful kingdom of Guardia in 1000 A.D., the child Crono was chosen by guardian spirits to save the world from ultimate devastation. Though Doomsday will not happen until the year 1999, the ancient seeds of destruction were planted long ago the the evil LAVOS. Your mission in the world of Chrono Trigger is to travel back and forth through time to change the course of history, and stop LAVOS from succeeding in his dark plan. On your journey, you will battle monsters and meet many helpful people in both the past and the future. Some will become your faithful and powerful companions, while others will give you clues by telling you stories. Pay attention to what they say, and good luck in your adventure.

[Editor’s Note: The following dates are subject to change. Game details are gathered from Press Releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]

The calendar now reads October, though I realized it not from the changing of the weather (it’s still warm here in the Bay Area), but because of the density of new game releases. I’m still exploring the HD remake of ICO, and Dark Souls is already looming in the shadows of a Tuesday release. From the looks of the reviews (some links below), it’s every bit as good as Demon’s Souls, and even more difficult – however that’s possible.

The rest of the new release list will follow later on today, but it also includes Rage, a game I’ve thoroughly enjoyed at events. I’m curious to see what everyone else thinks of it as well.

It’s also a great time for PSN-exclusive games. The links below include stories about Amy, Journey, Sideway: New York, Rochard, Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken, and Elemental Monster Online Card Game.

The PS.Blog weekly reading list (Week of September 26, 2011)

• Rochard Review from GamePro
• Dead Nation: Road of Devastation DLC Impressions – PlayStation 3 Preview at IGN
• Vive la Revolution: A Look at Deus Ex’s Unlikely Comeback – Giant Bomb
• Interview: Amy’s guiding hand, Paul Cuisset – Joystiq
• Let loose the fowls of war – Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken – Joystiq
• Hands-On: Living Graffiti Slides Through the City of Sideway – Wired.com
• Elena’s Voice Actress Talks Uncharted – PS3 Feature at IGN
• Dark Souls Review – PlayStation 3 Review at IGN
• Subway holds secret to getting early ‘Uncharted 3′ access – USA Today
• FIFA 13 Move compatibility won’t be a ‘gimmick’ – EA – CVG
• Saling The World: ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Collection Heads Domestic Charts – Gamasutra
• Sony uniting strengths at online network – AFP
• NFL Sunday Ticket on the PS3 – Sports Illustrated
• REVIEW: ‘Resistance 3′ for PlayStation 3 is a keeper – ABC Action News
• Review: Elemental Monster Online Card Game – PSNStores
• Journey: Robin Hunicke Talks Sand, Indie Games, and thatgamecompany – G4TV
• Motion Control Euphoria: Child of Eden and PlayStation Move – Vgblogger
• PlayStation (PS3) Move.Me Game Designed to Help Kids Cope with Cancer – About.com
• ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Collection is a love letter to fans – CBS News
• Sony Video Unlimited Takes Content Browsing to the Next Level – Ubergizmo
• Top 5 visually stunning PS3 exclusives – PlayStation Universe
• Uncharted 3 interview: physics and vulnerability in the world of Nathan Drake – The Guardian
• Child of Eden PS3 Review – GameSpot.com
• Hands-on With Starhawk’s Space-combat, Straight From Fantastic Fest – PSNation.org

Too many games! This weekend will be a busy one on the PSN multiplayer front, with the Battlefield 3 Open Beta in full swing and the launch of the UNCHARTED 3 Complete Competitive Multiplayer Experience last night via download codes at your local Subway restaurant. Are you playing either of these — or both? Give us your full report in the comments.

In other news this week: Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Trilogy and the ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Collection hit PS3; Journey was confirmed for a Spring 2012 release timeframe; our own Jeff Rubenstein went hands-on with PSN-exclusive new release Rochard, plus upcoming PSN exclusives Retro/Grade and Sideway: NY; a new Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One video revealed the Octomoth boss battle; and a hilariously violent trailer confirmed the upcoming PSN release of Zombie Driver HD.

What are you playing this weekend?

• I’m playing: UNCHARTED 3 Full Multiplayer Experience, Battlefield 3 Beta
• I’m watching: Contagion, The Adjustment Bureau
• I’m reading: The Whisperer in Darkness by H.P. Lovecraft

Most-Watched Video of the Week: Sony Network: Video Unlimited Tour

The 10 Most-Viewed Posts of the Week

PlayStation Store Update — Highlights this week: PSN exclusive Rochard, Resident Evil: Code Veronica X HD, Splinter Cell Trilogy, Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, Mercury Hg, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 Digital, Dead Nation: Road to Devastation DLC and the Video Unlimited Preview for PlayStation Plus users.

Welcome to the Battlefield 3 Open Beta, Now Available on PSN — I’m only an hour into BF3′s competitive multiplayer and I can already tell that it’s a very different breed of shooter than Call of Duty. What do you think?

Video Unlimited Preview Coming to PlayStation 3 — PlayStation Plus members can try out a preview of this slick, intuitive new UI that will soon enable easier, faster, and more enjoyable browsing of PSN’s 40,000+ shows and movies.

UNCHARTED 3 Storms AMC Theatres Near You…in 3D! — Tickets are essentially sold out for this limited-engagement UNCHARTED 3 AMC Theatre experience, but keep your eyes on the PlayStation.Blog for another way to gain access. More details soon!

PlayStation Home Update 1.55 Coming Thursday — New update adds a new start-up experience, updates to the Wardrobe and Furniture browser, and general enhancements that will result in improved stability and smoother operation.

UNCHARTED 3 Multiplayer Experience is Just Hours Away — Make that “available now.” UNCHARTED 3′s full competitive multiplayer experience is live on PSN all month long, and all it requires is a quick trip to a participating local Subway restaurant. Full details inside!

Chrono Trigger Hits PSN This Tuesday — Finally! Square Enix kindly confirms the PSN release date of this hotly anticipated PSone classic.

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Trilogy Deploys on PS3 Blu-ray, PSN Tuesday — Stealth legend Sam Fisher slinks back to PlayStation with the Blu-ray and PSN HD collection that adds 3D support for the first time.

Battlefield 3 Q&A: DICE Talks Fistfights, Vehicle Upgrades — With Battlefield 3 less than a month away from its PS3 launch, now’s the perfect time to get refreshed on the key features of this anticipated military shooter that wages war on land, sea and air on PSN.

Dead Nation: Road of Devastation Out Today — Here’s another game I need to play! This beefy Dead Nation expansion adds an entirely new mode jam-packed with new zombie types, new equipment, and new survival scenarios.

We’re just about a month away from the launch of UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception and I’m sure everyone’s craving a Taste for Adventure. Yes, I just said that. We’ve been working with our friends at SUBWAY to help satisfy these cravings with a promotion that’s never been done anywhere else, ever! Beginning this Saturday, if you go into a local SUBWAY Restaurant and purchase one of the specially marked UNCHARTED 30 oz drinks, you will receive a code that will provide you with access to the full competitive multiplayer experience throughout the month of October. Don’t believe me? Check out the official word from our favorite adventurer, Nathan Drake.

The full competitive multiplayer experience, which begins Saturday, October 1st, at 12:01am Pacific Time, will give you the chance to dive into the fun and get a head start on leveling up your profile while learning all of the new UNCHARTED 3 multiplayer maps before the full game is released on Tuesday, November 1st.

Along with access to the competitive multiplayer experience, keep your eyes open for exclusive Subway items hidden throughout the maps to unlock additional content.

We know you’ve been waiting patiently for all the nitty-gritty details, so get the full download on the multiplayer experience you’ve been waiting for, right now!

Earlier this week, I was treated to a new demo of the rapidly approaching military shooter Battlefield 3, which promises to raise Battlefield’s sprawling formula to soaring new heights. After watching a 10-minute demo of the game’s campaign running on PS3, I secured a few minutes with DICE Producer Patrick Liu to address some questions from PlayStation community members…plus a few of my own!

Are you playing the Battlefield 3 Open Beta on PSN? Share your thoughts (and winning strategies!) in the comments below. For more information on the Battlefield 3 beta, or to report bugs, please check out the official Battlefield 3 Beta FAQ.

PlayStation Blog: There are a lot of military shooters these days. What’s the biggest thing Battlefield 3 is bringing to the table?

Patrick Liu: It’s a number of things. For a very long time, the core pillars of Battlefield have been the destruction, the sandbox experience, the scale, and the vehicle gameplay. Those are all still pretty unique to Battlefield, I’d say. My first Battlefield game was Bad Company.

PSB: You showed off some new, complex fistfights in the single-player games. How did those come about? Why not stick with knife swipes like every other FPS in the last five years?

Patrick Liu: Apart from shooting and driving vehicles, we wanted to bring something new — something we’d never seen before. We asked ourselves the question, “what happens when enemies come near you?” So we focused on melee combat, making it a more visceral experience. It feels different and unique, and breaks up the combat in the campaign.

There are different kinds of melee sequences throughout the campaign. Some of them are a bit more scripted, but there are also fancy execution-type kills if you can get behind your enemy — and if you do it in multiplayer, you’ll collect a dogtag too!

PSB: Tell me about Battlelog. Was the concept inspired by Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit’s Autolog?

Patrick Liu: In some ways it was. I would say that Need for Speed’s Autolog is more geared towards competing with your friends — beating their records and so forth. Battlelog is more of a social network: your battle feed shows what’s happening to you and your friends in real-time. We built the server browser right into Battlelog, so you can actually join all your games right from Battlelog. What’s good is that Battlelog is web-based, so we can update it on the fly. Some players have been concerned about how that works, but I can assure you it’s no problem: everybody can access it, and you can access it from any PC or mobile platforms. It lets you interact with your Battlefield 3 multiplayer experience when you’re not sitting in front on your PS3. Battlelog lets you form up squads, form up platoons, track your stats, compare your progression with your friends from anywhere.

PSB: Dense urban combat is a bit of a departure for Battlefield, traditionally. Why did DICE want to pursue it? What are you bringing to urban combat?

Patrick Liu: A lot of guys on the team, myself included, wanted to try out more urban environments versus the open landscapes you’ve seen in previous Battlefield games. We’re still doing those open landscapes and the sandbox experience, but now we’re offering a wider range of gameplay and flavors. The urban environments also give us more types of destructions, from the micro-destruction of chipping away at cover to the macro-destruction of big buildings in Paris falling down over you. If you stand below that, you’re going to die!

PSB: On that note, how have the destructible environments been improved or refined over Battlefield: Bad Company 2?

Patrick Liu: I’d say it’s mainly down to the range of different types of destruction. As we showed in the office shootout in the campaign mode, you can shoot through cubicles and walls in the office – papers are flying around, it’s chaotic. We couldn’t do that kind of destruction in Bad Company 2.

PSB: Shooting through the cubicle walls: I’d never seen a shootout quite like that.

Patrick Liu: Yeah. We’ve seen other games spraying out a lot of particle effects, but I’ve never seen destruction like that, integrated into the environment and into the gameplay in that way, where you’re shooting out cubicle panels to catch the enemies off-guard. It’s pretty fresh, I think.

PSB: You showed off a lengthy campaign scenario from the PS3 version, and it covered a huge amount of space – it was a very large level. But there weren’t any load times or hitches in the pacing. That’s technically very difficult for many games – is that a benefit of Frostbite 2?

Patrick Liu: You’re right — that’s Frostbite 2 and our new streaming technology. We didn’t have that in Frostbite 1. It enables us to build bigger maps, whether they’re interior maps or open exterior sandbox environments. We wanted to push the scale as much as possible, and our new streaming technology is essential for that.

PSB:That level you showed on the PS3 was huge, but it was also highly detailed — I saw mirrored floors, reflective surfaces, tons of special effects and physics with a smooth frame rate. Are you confident that PS3 players are going to get a great experience?

Patrick Liu: Oh yeah. We’re very confident – we’re pushing the hardware big-time. Of course, we have a performance budget that we have to hit. Everything counts into that: the scale costs performance, destruction, animation, special effects…those are all the things we cram in there. I feel really good about where we ended up with on the PS3.

PSB: On the multiplayer side, how does the character progression stack up? What will I be able to unlock when I play multiplayer, and what’s different from other multiplayer shooters?

Patrick Liu: Battlefield 2 kind of started that formula, with the persistent multiplayer character and unlockables, and we continued it with the Bad Company games. Battlefield 3 will push it even further, with tons of weapon customization. And for the first time, we’ve brought vehicle customization: you can increase your speed, increase your armor, add different gadgets to your favorite vehicle, different missiles for your jet, UAV-type radar to your jeep, and so forth.

PSB: So far, what’s your favorite multiplayer mode?

Patrick Liu: I would say probably any of the Squad versions of the game, Squad Rush and Squad Deathmatch. It’s a little more intimate: each player counts. It really brings out the teamwork.

PSB: And what about your favorite weapon in multiplayer?

Patrick Liu: Probably some of the LMGs, such as the M240, maybe. It’s fun to spray down the subway in the Operation Metro level — laying down suppressive fire is super helpful. Suppressive fire is something completely new that I’ve never seen in another shooter, and gives the Support class a much clearer role: supporting the team! If you spray fire near somebody, it will make their vision blurry and impede their aiming. It also earns you points, so it’s rewarding.

PSB: Tell me about the Sniper class — how are you balancing campers?

Patrick Liu: Either you love or hate snipers. We wanted to make snipers much more of a recon class, so we’re giving that class a lot more gadgets and features to aid their spotting ability. And to counter camping snipers, look for the gleam of his scope if you can’t tell where the sniper fire is coming from!

PSB: Just a few days ago, DICE announced that full-blown expansion packs would debut first on PS3. Can you give PS3 owners a peek at the DLC plan?

Patrick Liu: We have a plan of long-term support for Battlefield 3. The launch is just the beginning for us, so you can expect new content and tweaks regularly. The expansion we’ve announced is Back to Karkand, which is free if you pre-order Battlefield 3. It’s going to be an epic map pack and it’s just as ambitious as the Vietnam expansion to Bad Company 2. It brings back Strike at Karkand, which is probably the most popular Battlefield map ever in addition to three other popular Battlefield 2 maps, new weapons and mods.

Sony Online Entertainment is really making its mark on PSN this fall. Rolling out alongside the excellent Rochard and the highly-anticipated PAYDAY: The Heist, Sideway: New York brings an impressive visual flourish to 2D platformers. Painted protagonist Nox keeps switching planes in 3D as he hugs the walls and jumps from building to building. Take a look at the trailer.

At last week’s Fantastic Fest in Austin, I caught up with Scott Simpson, director of Canadian developing studio Playbrains (and blog comment-reply record holder with a 100% reply rate!). While he’s answered most of the questions out there, Sideway still holds few more details yet to be revealed, including bite-sized, intra-level time trials to earn collectables and “birds that poop bombs.” I recorded our conversation as we played through some of the game’s early levels.

PlayStation Blog: Where did your character Nox come from?

Scott Simpson, Playbrains: You are Nox, a graffiti artist in New York, but you’ve painted over the wrong man’s tag. That man is the evil Spray, and he has sucked you into his world and you are now graffiti yourself, and you will always be on a surface – on a wall or a rooftop or something.

PSB: Was there an influence from other games where graffiti was a gameplay element, like, say, Jet Grind Radio?

Scott Simpson: Obviously it’s got a lot of Jet Set in it. The game was originally conceived by our partners at Fuel entertainment, their creative director Mike Burns was on a trip to NY one time and was just taken by all the graffiti and looking at it as art and not vandalism. The idea started in his head about living inside the graffiti world. So they’re creating a cartoon series about these characters that’s in development now. [The game] is the lead property in this IP. That where we, Playbrains come in. We just really wanted to make a kick-ass platforming game that we call an “adventure platformer,” meaning it’s got a lot of exploration, there is a some puzzle solving, some action, some melee combat, but at its core there’s a platformer, because we just really like platformers.

PSB: A lot of people were commenting on the use of color in Sideway. We don’t see a lot of pink, for instance. Talk about the artist style.

Scott Simpson: The cartoon series is being done in conjunction with Wild Brain, the people behind Kid Robot, Yo Gabba Gabba, the Ricky Gervais Show animations. So the animations come through there and are being done by those guys. It’s funny, when we originally pitched Sony it had a much more realistic look. Nox looked similar, but the backgrounds were all very real-world looking, so it was very striking. But we just thought for the game we liked the more Team Fortress 2-like look for the buildings; not always right angles, they’ve still got that cartoony look to them. I think if that harms us in any way it might make people thing this is a kids game – it’s certainly not. You’re going to be needing a lot of dexterity to finish the game.

PSB: Let’s talk about the controls. I played Sideway at Gamescom, and it felt like Nox has quite a lot of moves in his arsenal, especially for a platformer.

Scott Simpson: There are actually 16 unlockable moves in the game as you progress. We’re huge fans of exploration and finding secret ways and hidden pieces inside of a level, so the game is set up so that even in the first few levels, it’s impossible to pick up all the [collectable] tags. You just don’t have all the abilities; you don’t have a double jump to start with, and you need a double jump to get to a certain place. We tried to put in as much replayability into the game as we could by making it so you can go back to those secret areas later in the game now that you have a new slide ability or whatever.

PSB: Can you tell me about some of these moves?

Scott Simpson: We’ve got one called Airtime – it’s the one ‘cheat’ mechanic we do have where you can become paint spray and leave the wall. You can only leave the wall for a little bit at a time and only in certain areas or else you drift into the wind.

The glide allows you to spray some paint onto the wall behind you to sort of slow your descent. The paint shield will allow you repel ranged attacks back at your attacker.

As much as we wanted to be in a place where you could make your own graffiti on the wall, it’s very difficult to do with a standard controller. So the paint shelf is a way to quickly spray in an area where you can fill in some paint and create steps in an area.

A lot of these aren’t even necessary to finish the game. You’ll never be at a place where you’ll need an ability and have not had the chance to pick it up yet.

PSB: Tell me a bit about this drop in-drop out couch co-op.

Scott Simpson: It is fun to play with a friend. You’ll be on the same screen at the same time. It gives you a different way to solve puzzles. It’s not intended to be a “girlfriend mode” where you’re just tagging along (see what I did there?), but you’re actually both advancing the story equally. If you play as the second player you’ll play “Fume”, your Yoda-like sidekick who’s actually guiding you through the world here.

Sideway: New York is just around the corner, if you will. A PSN exclusive, you can pick it up on October 11 for $9.99.

Hey there PlayStation Land! I’m, here to tell you what to expect when NBA Jam: On Fire Edition hits PSN this Tuesday for $14.99. NBA JAM: On Fire Edition is all about three things: Value, Gameplay, and Community.

We wanted to make NBA JAM: OFE an irresistible item for PS3 owners, something all your friends are going to be playing… and, if they’re not, we want you to tell them “Get this game! You’re crazy not to!” Your $14.99 gets you a co-operative campaign against all 30 NBA teams (and some special teams too!); a competitive online mode that will give everyone a chance to be the best, every week; and a deep and persistent career system that unlocks the most teams, legends, and other swag than has ever appeared in an NBA Jam game ever before. For less than the price of a movie and a bucket of popcorn, you can get in on this without ever leaving your living room!

We’ve made over 1000 gameplay tweaks and additions to NBA Jam since you’ve last seen it. A lot of these tweaks are under the hood; uncompressed animations, changes to the shot timing, and so forth. but what you will notice right away is Tag Mode. That’s right — the way you played in the 16-bit era where you controlled both players is back! Also, by hitting R1, you can send your partner up for an alley-oop or call them to shove by hitting L1. We all know about getting three buckets in a row to catch on fire, but now hitting three alley-oops in a row will catch you on TEAM FIRE! Razzle Dazzle moves take the trash talk out of the living room and onto the court; Sit down and sink a 3, do the “Dougie,” and poke your opponent instead of shoving him. NBA Jam: OFE is the ultimate evolution of Jam gameplay. Don’t believe me? Download the upcoming demo!

We know NBA Jam is best enjoyed with buddies on the couch. But we also know that these days, it’s way harder to get all your friends together. This is why we wanted to make sure that we put as much of your friends in every possible part of the game. JamNet is, at its simplest, an integrated set of leaderboards that will constantly call out how you’re doing in your Jam Career in relation to your friends. JamNet tracks your career 3-pointers, total points, backboards smashed, and a ton of stats so you can show off to your friends and get those competitive juices flowing. When you’re playing NBA Jam: OFE, we never want you to feel like you’re alone.

With all this, how can you say no? Go get the demo on Tuesday and check it out, then get the game and call your friends. You’ll be playing with them and against them for months to come. It hits October 4th for $14.99, so get ready…

BOOMSHAKALAKA!