Author Archive
Farewell, but Not Goodbye
Posted by Chris Morell in PlayStation Community, psb on April 9th, 2010
After an amazing year and a half at SCEA and just shy of a decade in the videogame industry, it’s time for me to say goodbye.
I’ve met some truly amazing people throughout my 9-year career in gaming, including many life-long friends and many people that I consider family. It seems like only yesterday that I was just a bright-eyed kid, fresh out of college, ready to embark on a career in game writing. And in the blink of an eye, here I am.
I’m extremely excited to move on to the next stage of my life and career outside of gaming, but there’s no denying the saddening feeling that comes with saying goodbye to so many wonderful people, especially here at PlayStation. And then there are the journalists, the third-party publishers, developers and beyond. These are all people that made this one big, happy family.
To everyone in the PlayStation community — you truly made this job fun. When I look back on the community meet-ups, events, live chats, online games and even the quick comment exchanges…those are the little things that brought me joy on a day-to-day basis. Being a part of something that brings people happiness, and being able to go out and share that enthusiasm with you, that’s where this job truly shined. It’s what kept me going. I thank you for that, and I’ll miss you all. Yes, even those of you who thrived on pointing out my .01MB file size mistakes in the Store updates ;-)
I am leaving you in more than capable hands. Your main man Jeff, obviously, but also the newest addition to the PlayStation.Blog family, friend and former coworker Sid Shuman. Treat him well. Minimal hazing, please.
So let’s consider this farewell, but not goodbye. Cheesy? Yes. Heartfelt? Definitely. You know where to find me:
PSN: godofgwar
twitter.com/chrismorell
Best wishes,
Chris Morell, VP of PlayStation Community Awesomeness
Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Q&A with Telltale Games
Posted by Chris Morell in PS3, PSN, PlayStation Games, sam & max: the devil’s playhouse, telltale games on April 8th, 2010
The Sam & Max franchise is making its first foray onto PS3 next Thursday, April 15. I think I speak for us all when I say, “It’s about dang time!”
The third season of Sam & Max – The Devil’s Playhouse – hits PSN next week with Episode 1: The Penal Zone. If you’re not familiar with the Telltale Games style of play, it’s all based on an episodic adventure game structure where story drives the gameplay. To break down the fine details, listen to what director and writer Chuck Jordan has to say about the premiere on PS3 in the video below.
You can pre-order the entire five-episode series now for $29.99, which secures all five installments for a $5 discount.
Visually speaking, I think we’re in line for the best version of Sam & Max yet. But hey, I’m biased. Now go tell Telltale we want Strong Bad and Wallace & Gromit!
The PlayStation Recap
Posted by Chris Morell in PlayStation Games, recap on April 3rd, 2010
- PS3 Firmware (v3.21) Update – This post has the details.
- Last Chance – Get echoshift Add-On Levels Free! — Did you get down with the 7 free echoshift level bonus this week? If not, echoshift deals go on! The game is half price this week!
- LittleBigPlanet: This Week in DLC — The weekly DLC update for LittleBigPlanet brings the Incredibles crew to LBP! Hit the weekly Sack it to Me post for all the deets.
- Meet The Tester Cast Members Amped and Cyrus in PlayStation Home Tomorrow — Amped and Cyrus dropped in PlayStation Home to chat it up. Did you drop by?
- Celebrate TikGames/Creat Studios Dedicated PSN Publisher Page with a Half-Off Sale! — Scott swings by to talk about this week’s Creat/TikGames sale on the PlayStation Store. Lots of great games like Cuboid, a personal favorite. If you don’t have many of these, this is a great chance to start.
- PlayStation Eye Chat: Shatter Multiplayer — Remember Shatter? I do. And when we got word of a multiplayer update, we went directly to Mario from Sidhe for the straight dope.
- This Week in PlayStation Home: Easter City Huntdown Event, MAG and Irem Virtual Items, The Tester Marathon, and More! — Check out Home this week for Easter events, MAG items and much more, as usual.
- Qore Episode 23 – Featuring God of War III, Split/Second, 3D Dot Game Heroes — Split/Second looks rad. But there are few other games I’m more excited for than 3D Dot Game Heroes.
- Hey LA, Come Try Some New Fat Princess Features! — If you live in LA, you’ve got the chance to test out new Fat Princess features!
- New PS3 Greatest Hits Titles Available Now — Loads of new Greatest Hits bring great deals, included slashed prices on God of War Collection and many more.
- The Tester – Episode 7 Available Today — Who makes it in to the final three? Check out this week’s episode of The Tester featuring God of War III’s John Hight!
- PlayStation Comics Store Update — The Comics Store gets updated with Stan Lee’s Daredevil and much more.
- April Updates for BUZZ! Gamers On-the-Go — BUZZ! Master Quiz hits PSN, plus three more add-ons for BUZZ! fans including Sports, Space and National Geographic.
- PlayStation Store Update — This week’s Store Update brings a huge amount of sales including echochrome and echoshift, a bunch of Creat/TikGames titles, plus a massive amount of add-on content and more.
- PlayStation Network Video Content Update — A huge sale, UFC fights, Sherlock Holmes and a whole gigantic heap of other movie and TV additions.
- Download the Lost Planet 2 Demo, Save the World — It’s really as simple as that. You get a sweet multiplayer demo, and in turn, you donate to charity. It’s a win-win!
- PAX East 2010: The “Naughty Dog LIVE – Game Design with the Dogs” Panel — Tag along with the Dogs as Arne walks you through the PAX Game Design panel.
- ModNation Racers PSP: Track Studio Walkthrough — SCEA’s Vernon Mollette walks us through the PSP version of Track Studio. See how in-depth you can get making your own tracks.
- LittleBigPlanet – Sack it to Me: “Smells Like Sack Spirit” Edition — Loads of info on the Incredibles costumes coming to LBP, community levels and a lot more in the world of LittleBigPlanet.
- Hey Seattle! Come try out PlayStation Move — To the peoples of Seattle! Abandon your beloved Mariners and come see PlayStation Move!
PlayStation Eye Chat: Shatter Multiplayer
Posted by Chris Morell in Developer Corner, PS3, PSN, PlayStation Games, playstation eye, shatter, sidhe, soundtrack on March 30th, 2010
Shatter is easily one of my favorite PSN games from last year. So when we heard rumblings of multiplayer and other modes/features coming to the game, we went to go straight to the source for all the details.
So I’d like to welcome back Mario Wynands, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Sidhe, whom you originally met here. If you still haven’t downloaded Shatter on PSN/PS3, you’ll get a nice intro to the game in this video. But beyond that, Mario talks about some in-the-works stuff including Home integration, the inclusion of multiplayer modes and even the release of the game’s soundtrack. And if you make it to the end of the video, you’ll get a close-up of the physical CD version of the soundtrack, which you can snag by paying close attention to our Twitter feed today.
The PlayStation Recap
Posted by Chris Morell in MAG, PlayStation Games, recap on March 27th, 2010
- Coming to PSN this Week: Hamsterball — Seriously, with a name like Hamsterball, what could possible go wrong?
- BUZZ! Quiz World Delivers PS3’s First In-Game Facebook Publishing Features — The first to offer direct Facebook publishing from in-game, check out these brand new BUZZ! features.
- LittleBigPlanet: This Week in DLC — It’s all about Sonic this week in LBP DLC. Get a Sonic Costume pack, or pick and choose the Sonic costumes you want!
- Coming to PSN this Week: High Stakes Poker Add-On — High Stakes Poker adds 30 Trophies, plus a host of other news you’re going to want to check out.
- Coming to PSN this Week: ZEN Pinball: Earth Defense Table — The newest in ZEN Pinball tables has a lot to offer. Check out the brand new Earth Defense table!
- ModNation Racers PS3: Bringing Back the Split-Screen — You’ve asked for it. And now you got it. ModNation Racers for PS3 is bringing back the split-screen…and big time. Check out why it’s going to rock your couch in May.
- Get Ready for Opening Day, Win A PSN Voucher Code for MLB 10: The Show PSP — The 2010 MLB season is about to kick off. To celebrate, check out the trailer for MLB 10 The Show on PSP, and a handful of vouchers were given away.
- Groovin’ Blocks Out Now on PSN — Groovin’ Blocks is right up my alley. Looks like a really cool play on games like Lumines and Tetris.
- Happy 5th Anniversary PSP! — The first 5 flew by. Check out the pic to see just how far the PSP has come.
- Meet The Tester Cast Members Big D and Nauseous in PlayStation Home Tonight — Home-bodies. Lots of cool events are happening in PlayStation Home. So make sure to go bug the tester cast as much as possible!
- Coming to PSN this Week: Blue Toad Murder Files — We’ll excuse Jeff for almost saying “Blue Turd” on camera. But this is a game you definitely want to check out. See the walkthrough video in the post.
- This Week in PlayStation Home: Assassin’s Creed II Space, Aliens vs. Predator, SingStar VIP Room Opens for Stereophonics, and More! — Is it me, or is the weekly list of new stuff in Home getting bigger every Wednesday. This time you get Assassin’s Creed II space, AvP, SingStar VIP room and more.
- Spring Fever Returns on PlayStation Network! — Get in the spring spirit with huge PSN game sales throughout the spring season! This week, it’s shooter mayhem with Everyday Shooter and Gravity Crash!
- Fat Princess PS3: Fat Fan Fare with Patch 1.05 — A fat patch for a phat game (yes, I went there). See what’s included in patch 1.05!
- The Tester – Episode 6 Available Today — Things are heating up if you’re been following along. Check out episode 6 free on PSN!
- 3D Dot Game Heroes Trailer! — Yes, it’s EPIC! This game is really shaping up to take off. See the official trailer, massive sword play and all…
- PlayStation Comics Store Update — Lots of great new comics this week. The list is growing by the week.
- PlayStation Store Update — Wakeboarding HD hits PSN, along with Blue Toad, Hamsterball, LBP DLC for PS3 and PSP, and much more!
- PlayStation Network Video Content Update — We know a lot of you are closet Twilight fans, or at the very least were forced into the theater by a significant other. So get your fix on PSN now.
- ModNation Racers PS3: Bringing The BOOM with Weapons! — ModNation Racers is going all out with weapons. Nick from United Front Games stops by to give you the in-depth info on all things booming!
- Warhawk Tournament 2010! — Mr. Warhawk Dylan Jobe swings by to let you in on the Warhawk Tournament 2010
- PlayStation Move Sweeps the Northeast — Jeff and SCEA brought move out east! See how it all went down in New York City and PAX East in Boston!
Courtesy of Jeremy Dunham
- MAG Skills Explained: Electronics – How does your high-tech skill tree really work? We explain!
- Free MAG DLC and Double XP All Weekend – You can’t beat getting new stuff for free.
3D Dot Game Heroes Walkthrough
Posted by Chris Morell in 3D Dot Game Heroes, PS3, PlayStation Games, atlus on March 17th, 2010
You’ve heard about natural sword enhancement. Over on the PlayStation.Blog.Europe you can see the most interesting hero in 3D.
Now we know what you REALLY want. An extended in-game walkthrough of 3D Dot Game Heroes. Well, your old pal Aram Jabbari from Atlus was kind enough to swing by our HQ, and prop himself in front of our camera with the game. Now that’s a big-ass sword!
Don’t forget, 3D Dot Game Heroes hits PS3 May 11 for $39.99. But I’m sure you’ll hear from Mr. Jabbari well before then.
PlayStation.Blog God of War III GDC 2010 Meetup Recap
Posted by Chris Morell in Events, PS3, PlayStation Community, PlayStation Games, gdc10, god of war III, meetup, santa monica studios on March 15th, 2010
Can you say, “Biggest meetup ever?” Because if you made it out to San Francisco on Wednesday, you experienced it first-hand. Not that we didn’t expect an early God of War III hands-on event to draw a mega-crowd. But still, hats off to you guys for making it out in spades. A HUGE thank you to everyone who came out for an entire day’s worth of festivities, culminating in a chance to play God of War III before it hits stores tonight/tomorrow! Thanks also to those who followed along at home — hopefully it will make picking up the game even more exciting!
And you East-coasters that have been asking and asking for us to come to you…well, it’s official. The PlayStation.Blog is coming to New York City and Boston (PAX East) next week! Specific details coming soon.
As for San Francisco, it was a day-long celebration of God of War III. Several of you lined up as early as 5am to secure a spot in our massive tent. (Check out ALL the pictures of our God of War III GDC 2010 Meetup on Flickr!)
At around noon, we unleashed the burrito truck upon the line! Now that spells CHAOS!
Shortly after, we opened the tent “doors” to the masses. Everyone was greeted inside by PlayStation 3s loaded up with God of War Collection, and a special challenged awaited. The test? Complete the God of War II Challenge of the Titans “Blind Fury” the fastest…in one try. You die, you’re out. And the winner would lock down a God of War III Ultimate Edition!
We thought we’d see plenty of quick deaths, but in fact, many of you utterly blitzed this challenge. But only one came through with a time that could arguably last through the ages. 16 seconds! 16 freakin’ seconds! Here’s your winner:
Throughout the day, we raffled off TONS of games, posters and other unique PlayStation goodies. Anyone who brought a PSP took home God of War: Chains of Olympus, but we also gave away MLB 10: The Show PSP, Heavy Rain, Fireteam Bravo 3, Killzone 2 and much more.
The highlight of the meetup was definitely the presence of Stig and the Sony Santa Monica Studio team who stopped by to sign autographs for everyone who came! All attendees also scored a limited-edition God of War III art book!
And finally, there was the chance to take your picture and create a personalized God of War III cover! There are some truly great shots in Flickr, so flip through ‘em!
The PlayStation Recap
Posted by Chris Morell in Featured Post, MAG, PlayStation Games, god of war III, recap on March 13th, 2010
- Hey, Why is the PlayStation.Blog White? — By now, you probably know why it’s white. But if you’re reading this and STILL can’t figure it out, well, you might have to see an eye doctor. Hope you like the new look!
- LittleBigPlanet: This Week in DLC — Get your Sackboy digitally smashed with the St. Patty’s Day costume. Plus, check out the other happenings in the world of LBP.
- God of War III Path To Olympus Experience Launches on GodofWar.com — God of War III is three days away. But it might have been a while since you’ve played I and II. Worry not, warriors. Path To Olympus will get your memory back in order to prep you for Tuesday.
- FINAL FANTASY XIII on Store Shelves Today, Includes PS3 Exclusive Bonus Offer for FINAL FANTASY XIV — Who picked up FFXIII on Tuesday? How far in are you?
- Hustle Kings Adding Video Chat, Voice Chat, Game Launching and More — Your comments never go wasted! Hustle Kings is adding video and voice chat, game launching and much more. See the full list inside the post.
- PlayStation Network First to Deliver HD Movies from All Six Major Movie Studios — That’s right. If you haven’t jumped on board the Video Store train, get on now. PSN is the first platform to host HD content from all six major studios.
- Yakuza 3 Hits Western Shores! — It may have taken some time, but Yakuza 3 is officially available here in the west on PS3. Anyone get it yet?
- It Only Does Epic Trilogies — Peter Dille kicks off the brand new Kevin Butler TV commercial (awesome!), plus a new 15-second TV trailer!
- Reminder: God of War III GDC San Francisco Meetup is Tomorrow! — Our biggest meetup yet! Honestly, this was one of the most rewarding, successful gatherings we’ve had yet, and I want to personally thank each and every one of you that showed up. Hopefully you had a great time.
- Qore Episode 22 – Featuring Final Fantasy XIII, Dead to Rights: Retribution, Lost Planet 2 and the God of War Graphic Novel — Qore Ep 22 kicked off on Thursday featuring (of course) FFXIII, the GoW Graphic Novel and a lot more. Check out the post for the preview video.
- PlayStation Home 1.35 Launching Tomorrow — Home Director Jack Buser explains exactly what’s in the newest version of Home.
- FINAL FANTASY XIII Comes to PlayStation Home + Sodium Updates, Indiana Jones Items & a Huge Sale! — Lots of Final Fantasy this week, and where else would you expect additional FF content but in Home!
- Live from GDC 2010! PlayStation Press Conference — “Live.” That’s a scary word. Hopefully you watched along with us, as me and Jeff tackled introducing the PlayStation Move at the PlayStation GDC Press Conference. If you missed it, watch the replay as we interview SCEA President and CEO Jack Tretton!
- THE EYE OF JUDGMENT LEGENDS Hits PSN Today — You may have played it on PS3, but pick up THE EYE OF JUDGMENT for PSP on PSN now!
- EyePet Available this Fall with PlayStation Move Support! — You may have seen EyePet before, but it just got a whole lot better. PlayStation Move brings a whole new element of control to the table, and we’ll have a great video soon that shows you exactly what to expect.
- MLB 10: The Show PS3 Demo Available Today! — You’ve been asking for a demo. We’re heard you loud and clear! Log on to PSN and get it today, for free!
- The Tester Episode 4 Available Today — Four episodes in, and now things are really heating up!
- PlayStation Comics Store Update — The amount of digital comics piling up in the PlayStation Store is impressive to say the least. Comic-heads, get in there!
- PlayStation Move Developer Diary #2 — You saw the press conference. Now see just how creative developers are getting with PlayStation Move!
- Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Coming to PSN — Sam & Max hit the PlayStation 3 for the first time. See how you can get a discount on all episodes inside.
- PlayStation Store Update — Mega Man 10! Plus, your MLB 10: The Show demo, Qore Ep 22, Feeding Frenzy 2, lots of sales and more.
- PlayStation Network Video Content Update — Get a deal on the Bro Code Six Pack, a selection of How I Met Your Mother episodes!
- New Gran Turismo 5 Trailer: Night Racing — GT5 goes dark. See the newest trailer and a batch of new screenshots!
- God of War III’s Stig Asmussen: Your Questions Answered — We promised we’d get him. And we did! See Stig answer your questions 4 days before God of War III hits stores!
Courtesy of Jeremy Dunham
- Patch Alert: MAG v1.04 and Bonus Armor – New fixes for your favorite 256-player shooter and a special surprise!
The PlayStation Recap
Posted by Chris Morell in MAG, PlayStation Games, god of war III, recap on March 13th, 2010
- Hey, Why is the PlayStation.Blog White? — By now, you probably know why it’s white. But if you’re reading this and STILL can’t figure it out, well, you might have to see an eye doctor. Hope you like the new look!
- LittleBigPlanet: This Week in DLC — Get your Sackboy digitally smashed with the St. Patty’s Day costume. Plus, check out the other happenings in the world of LBP.
- God of War III Path To Olympus Experience Launches on GodofWar.com — God of War III is three days away. But it might have been a while since you’ve played I and II. Worry not, warriors. Path To Olympus will get your memory back in order to prep you for Tuesday.
- FINAL FANTASY XIII on Store Shelves Today, Includes PS3 Exclusive Bonus Offer for FINAL FANTASY XIV — Who picked up FFXIII on Tuesday? How far in are you?
- Hustle Kings Adding Video Chat, Voice Chat, Game Launching and More — Your comments never go wasted! Hustle Kings is adding video and voice chat, game launching and much more. See the full list inside the post.
- PlayStation Network First to Deliver HD Movies from All Six Major Movie Studios — That’s right. If you haven’t jumped on board the Video Store train, get on now. PSN is the first platform to host HD content from all six major studios.
- Yakuza 3 Hits Western Shores! — It may have taken some time, but Yakuza 3 is officially available here in the west on PS3. Anyone get it yet?
- It Only Does Epic Trilogies — Peter Dille kicks off the brand new Kevin Butler TV commercial (awesome!), plus a new 15-second TV trailer!
- Reminder: God of War III GDC San Francisco Meetup is Tomorrow! — Our biggest meetup yet! Honestly, this was one of the most rewarding, successful gatherings we’ve had yet, and I want to personally thank each and every one of you that showed up. Hopefully you had a great time.
- Qore Episode 22 – Featuring Final Fantasy XIII, Dead to Rights: Retribution, Lost Planet 2 and the God of War Graphic Novel — Qore Ep 22 kicked off on Thursday featuring (of course) FFXIII, the GoW Graphic Novel and a lot more. Check out the post for the preview video.
- PlayStation Home 1.35 Launching Tomorrow — Home Director Jack Buser explains exactly what’s in the newest version of Home.
- FINAL FANTASY XIII Comes to PlayStation Home + Sodium Updates, Indiana Jones Items & a Huge Sale! — Lots of Final Fantasy this week, and where else would you expect additional FF content but in Home!
- Live from GDC 2010! PlayStation Press Conference — “Live.” That’s a scary word. Hopefully you watched along with us, as me and Jeff tackled introducing the PlayStation Move at the PlayStation GDC Press Conference. If you missed it, watch the replay as we interview SCEA President and CEO Jack Tretton!
- THE EYE OF JUDGMENT LEGENDS Hits PSN Today — You may have played it on PS3, but pick up THE EYE OF JUDGMENT for PSP on PSN now!
- EyePet Available this Fall with PlayStation Move Support! — You may have seen EyePet before, but it just got a whole lot better. PlayStation Move brings a whole new element of control to the table, and we’ll have a great video soon that shows you exactly what to expect.
- MLB 10: The Show PS3 Demo Available Today! — You’ve been asking for a demo. We’re heard you loud and clear! Log on to PSN and get it today, for free!
- The Tester Episode 4 Available Today — Four episodes in, and now things are really heating up!
- PlayStation Comics Store Update — The amount of digital comics piling up in the PlayStation Store is impressive to say the least. Comic-heads, get in there!
- PlayStation Move Developer Diary #2 — You saw the press conference. Now see just how creative developers are getting with PlayStation Move!
- Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Coming to PSN — Sam & Max hit the PlayStation 3 for the first time. See how you can get a discount on all episodes inside.
- PlayStation Store Update — Mega Man 10! Plus, your MLB 10: The Show demo, Qore Ep 22, Feeding Frenzy 2, lots of sales and more.
- PlayStation Network Video Content Update — Get a deal on the Bro Code Six Pack, a selection of How I Met Your Mother episodes!
- New Gran Turismo 5 Trailer: Night Racing — GT5 goes dark. See the newest trailer and a batch of new screenshots!
- God of War III’s Stig Asmussen: Your Questions Answered — We promised we’d get him. And we did! See Stig answer your questions 4 days before God of War III hits stores!
Courtesy of Jeremy Dunham
- Patch Alert: MAG v1.04 and Bonus Armor – New fixes for your favorite 256-player shooter and a special surprise!
God of War III’s Stig Asmussen: Your Questions Answered
Posted by Chris Morell in PS3, PlayStation Games, gdc10, god of war III, santa monica studios on March 12th, 2010
See, I told you we’d get him! As you could imagine, God of War III Game Director Stig Asmussen is a very busy man. But as promised, we managed to lock him down for about 10 minutes to bombard him with your questions at the GDC PlayStation.Blog.Lounge (also, check out our chat with Designer Director Todd Papy who filled in for Stig last week). With T-minus four days until Chaos, Stig is looking very relaxed, and so he tackles your inquires with ease. And I promise there are no spoilers here, so no need to worry for those of you that are struggling to stay in the dark.
Can you believe March 16 is just around the corner?