Author Archive
PlayStation Move Bundle: Final Retail Unboxing
Posted by Jeff Rubenstein in PS3, PlayStation Games, PlayStation Hardware, playstation move on September 2nd, 2010
You may have seen some new impressions of PlayStation Move recently. A number of sites, both gaming and mainstream, received their press kits last week, hence the new reviews. We’ve been linking out to many of them on the sidebar, and we’ll fully recap on Sunday’s What We Read.
But what about you, the customer? How will your Move experience begin? We just got in the final retail packaging for the PlayStation Move Bundle. Here’s what you get in the box:
Like we said in the video, the included demo disc is so stuffed with content – 11 games! – that we decided to make a whole seperate post on it. Look for that one soon.
Valkyria Chronicles II Marches Today – Multiplayer Preview
Posted by Jeff Rubenstein in PlayStation Games, psp, sega, valkyria chronicles II on August 31st, 2010
Every time we post anything on Valkyria Chronicles, someone pipes up about how they never got past Chapter 7 in the first game. That battle threw a late-level boss and a massive (but by no means the game’s massive-est) tank at you – at the same time. It separated the men from the boys, if you will, and if you beat that chapter, you probably went on to beat the entire game.
SEGA has heard your pleas. In Valkyria Chronicles II – out today – you can bring a friend or 3 for the ride. I tried out the multiplayer recently, and it didn’t behave how I’d expect; even though this is a turn-based Strategy RPG, the you and your colleagues move at the same time, in real time. SEGA’s Aaron Webber tells us more:
Valkyria Chronicles II is out today, both on UMD and via the PlayStation Store.
PlayStation Around the Web: What We Read
Posted by Jeff Rubenstein in PlayStation Community, What We Read, recap on August 29th, 2010
Two meetups in a week; we just returned from Washington DC’s Move Meetup, and we’re about to take off for the other Washington – the one where Seattle is found. If you couldn’t make the first one, I hope you can make the PAX Meetup. If not, we’ll still have all kinds of video interviews from the Expo.
We’ll definitely be covering our first party games like Killzone 3 and inFAMOUS 2 – but are there any other titles you’d like us to investigate on your behalf? Let us know in the comments.
The PS.Blog weekly reading list (Week of August 23, 2010)
- Heroes on the Move for PlayStation 3 – Preview – G4tv.com
- Let’s Look At Gran Turismo 5 Parts – Kotaku
- Telltale Games is bringing a DeLorean time machine to PAX – Destructoid
- A Horde Of Localized Z.H.P. Screens – Siliconera
- All About Trinity: Souls Of Zill O’ll And How Tecmo Koei Designed It For The West – Siliconera
- Ys Seven for PlayStation Portable Review – G4tv.com
- Why inFamous got a new Cole (and why he was changed back) – Joystiq
- Back to the Future Trilogy Finally Coming To Blu-ray – G4tv.com
- EA boss: MOH won’t submit to ‘Taliban’ outcry – Develop
- This is what UFC Undisputed 2010 looks like on PSP – Joystiq
- Video: John Daly’s ProStroke Golf – G4tv.com
- Resistance 3 Coming 2011, Skipping PAX – IGN
- Red Dead Redemption’s Liars And Cheats Pack Is Two Packs In One – Kotaku
- NBA 2K11 Supports PlayStation Move and 3D – IGN
- Shank review: Always Be Murdering – Joystiq
- PAX: PS Blog and IGN Meet & Greet – IGN
- Feeling your way through thatgamecompany’s Journey – Destructoid
- Dead Rising 2: High Stakes Edition Announced – IGN
- Planet Minigolf Receiving Move Support – IncGamers
- All About the PlayStation 1′s Design – 1UP
- PlayStation Move Meets Top Gun – IGN
- Eyes-on With Infamous 2′s New Cole, New Tricks – Kotaku
- GOW III Ultimate Edition Giveaway – GamesOnSmash
- Ys Seven Review for PSP – GameSpot
- What Killzone looked like before it was Killzone – Joystiq
PlayStation and IGN Team up for PAX PlayStation.Blog Beyond! Meetup
Posted by Jeff Rubenstein in Events, IGN, PlayStation Community, meetup, pax10, psp on August 26th, 2010
During Comic-Con a few weeks ago, IGN’s Greg Miller asked me if I had my PSP and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker with me. As it turns out, I did. Greg, a dude named Dennis Miller (not *that* Dennis Miller), and I then proceeded to take down Metal Gear Rex in an intense co-op match. Oh yeah, this was in the middle of G4’s party.
In that moment, an idea was born.
A few days later, Greg asked if I was interested in getting a bunch of Peace Walker fans together to tackle the hardest levels – the ones that are best handled cooperatively. Sounded good to me. As we began to plan it, we realized that such a group is already going to assemble… next week at Penny Arcade Expo.
So here we are, doing this thing, and you’re invited. We’re renting out Top Pot Donuts in downtown Seattle next Thursday evening and will fill it with new and upcoming PSP games such as Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep, Valkyria Chronicles II, Split/Second, and God of War: Ghost of Sparta.
Also, we have ordered 34 dozen donuts. They’re tasty. Very tasty.
While it’ll no doubt be fun to try out those games, we also strongly encourage you to bring your own PSP for friendly competitive or cooperative matches in games like Hot Shots Tennis, SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3, and, of course, MGS: Peace Walker. We’ll even lend you a copy if you wanna jump in but don’t already have one.
Are you sold on this yet? Wait, there’s more!
As you sample the games, we’ll be keeping track of the best players, and the top performers will get a special behind-the-scenes tour of our media-only area, where you’ll be able to check out games that won’t be on the show floor like inFAMOUS 2 and the recently announced Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One.
And every attendee will walk out with a voucher to download the demo for God of War: Ghost of Sparta – before anyone else gets to play it. Please tell me this is reason enough to attend.
Still want more? Ok, I’ll give: Greg Miller will autograph your bare chest if you ask politely.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Thursday, September 2, 2010
- Top Pot Donuts (2124 5th Ave., Seattle, WA 98121)
- Time: 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
- RSVP here
RSVP today, and don’t forget to bring your appetite for fried dough – we’ve got 408 donuts and we’re going to make Rey eat any leftovers.
PlayStation Around the Web: What We Read
Posted by Jeff Rubenstein in PlayStation Community, What We Read, recap on August 22nd, 2010
New Ratchet and Resistance revealed, big showings for Gran Turismo and PlayStation Move, and the announcement of Mass Effect coming to PS3 – it’s been another big gamescom for PlayStation fans. So no surprise, this week’s What We Read serves up a (metric) ton of stories from Germany.
And one last reminder, I’m off to Washington DC tonight to share an early hands-on with Move – hope to see you there if you can make it.
The PS.Blog weekly reading list (Week of August 16, 2010)
- Parasite Eve could come to PS3 – VideoGamer.com
- This is the full 83-track Rock Band 3 setlist – Joystiq
- Valkyria Chronicles II Academy Also Trains Students To Use Swords – Siliconera
- Valve: ‘PS3 is incredibly important to us’ – Destructoid
- Journey for PlayStation 3 – Preview – G4tv.com
- Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One Gamescom 2010 Interview – G4tv.com
- Teh Bias: Big heroes – Destructoid
- Video: Innovative Musical Themes Drive SOCOM 4’s Gameplay – GameLife | Wired.com
- Killzone 3 for PlayStation 3 – Multiplayer Preview – G4tv.com
- Square Enix Hits Gamescom with Two Epic PSP Trailers – VGBlogger
- LittleBigPlanet 2 Lets You Make Music (That Makes Levels) – Kotaku
- Mass Effect 3 on PS3 is Probably a Safe Bet – PlayStation LifeStyle
- Gran Turismo 5 speeds off with Gamescom’s top prize – GameSpot
- Scott Pilgrim game soundtrack coming to iTunes next week – Joystiq
- Heroes On The Move Gains Momentum – Kotaku
- Gran Turismo 5 Injects Some RPG Into Your Hardcore Racing Sim – Kotaku
- We Went To Sony’s GamesCom Presser And All We Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt – Kotaku
- gamescom interview: BioWare confirms intro content for ME2 PS3, included DLC, more – VG247
- Gamescom: No More Heroes Will Move on PS3 – PlayStation 3
- Gamescom: Kung-Fu Live Preview – PlayStation 3
- Playing R.U.S.E. With Playstation Move – Kotaku
- I Survived I Will Survive In Singstar Dance – Kotaku
- Sega serves up Virtua Tennis 4 for PS3 – GameSpot
- Tesla car to ‘burn virtual rubber’ in Sony game – San Francisco Business Times
- GDCE 10: Guerilla talks Killzone 3, new IP for Sony – Destructoid
- Cladun: This Is A Release Date – Siliconera
- David Cage opens up about Heavy Rain – GameSpot
- Valkyria Chronicles II Community BLiTZ: Day 1 – New Canvas – SEGA America Blog
- SCEA Releases PlayStation Move ‘Launch Brochure’ – PlayStation LifeStyle
- Flight Control PS3 supports 3D, comes with exclusive map – Destructoid
PlayStation Move in Washington DC Next Week
Posted by Jeff Rubenstein in Inside PlayStation, PlayStation Community, PlayStation Games, meetup, playstation move on August 18th, 2010
Next Tuesday, we’ll be bringing PlayStation Move out to the nation’s capital to show to some local and national media outlets. But why should they have all the fun?
We cordially invite you, the PlayStation community in the Washington DC area, to go hands-on with PlayStation Move a month before it starts showing up in stores. We’re going to outfit Current Sushi & Lounge in Dupont Circle with final or near-final versions of Sports Champions, Kung Fu Rider, echochrome ii, Start the Party!, Tumble, and some brand new tech demos showing what the future of motion gaming may look like.
Attendance is, of course, free, and we’ll pick up the tab on hors d’oeuvres and drinks (for those 21 and up). And all attendees will score the much-in-demand PlayStation Move tee.
Here’s what you need to know; be sure to read and then RSVP:
- When: Tuesday, August 24, 6-9pm
- Where: Current Sushi & Lounge, Dupont Circle, Washington DC, USA, Earth
- Who: PlayStation fans 18 and up (must have valid ID). Kids under 18 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
- RSVP here.
Our previous Move Meet-ups have been a great time – but they’ve taught us that showing up early is a good idea.
Now, does anyone have a connection to get the President to show up?
gamescom 2010 Live Blog
Posted by Jeff Rubenstein in Events, Featured Post, Inside PlayStation, gamescom10 on August 17th, 2010
I’m not in Cologne, Germany, for gamescom. You’re not either. But that’s OK; James Gallagher from PlayStation Blog Europe is – and he’s liveblogging today’s PlayStation press conference for all of us.
The event gets underway at 9am Pacific/noon Eastern/6pm CET.
Once the press conference is over, the fun begins – make sure to refresh the Blog at approximately 11:30am Pacific to see some of the trailers James was just describing to you.
PlayStation Around the Web: What We Read
Posted by Jeff Rubenstein in PlayStation Community, What We Read, recap on August 15th, 2010
As you may know, this week brings us one of the biggest gaming conventions in the world: Europe’s gamescom. Last year at this event, we announced our redesigned, lower-priced PS3. What will we be talking about this year?
Head on back to this Blog on Tuesday morning to find out; PlayStation.Blog EU’s James Gallagher will be reporting live from Cologne, Germany – a city filled with people that I’d imagine smell very good (or very bad). Then, throughout the week, James and others on-site will be transmitting new trailers, interviews, and other news from gamescom to our shores.
It should be a very fun and exciting week, so we hope to see you back here! Figuratively, of course… it’s not like we can see you. That’d be creepy.
The PS.Blog weekly reading list (Week of August 9, 2010)
- PS3 250GB on sale for $300 at Kmart – Joystiq
- DDR coming to PS3 this fall with YouTube and Move support – Joystiq
- PSN version of Castle Crashers to be ‘around’ $15 – Destructoid
- John Daly’s ProStroke Golf Dated: October 8 – G4tv.com
- 15 Excellent Corporate Blogs to Learn From – Mashable
- Let’s Look At The 46 Games Confirmed To Support PlayStation Move In Some Way – PushSquare.com
- Hands On: PlayStation Move – TheSixthAxis
- Video: Battlestar Composer Kicks Up SOCOM 4 With Taiko, Gamelan – GameLife | Wired.com
- David Jaffe Talks Twisted Metal with Loot Ninja – Loot Ninja
- A beat ‘em up with poutine: Ars reviews Scott Pilgrim – ars technica
- Time Crisis in real life is pretty amazing – Destructoid
- Yakuza 3 reviewed by Yakuza – Boing Boing
- Bungie Looking For PlayStation 3 Engineer – G4tv.com
- Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep for PlayStation Portable – Preview – G4tv.com
- Review: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game – Joystiq
- PSP Offers Great Content for Every Member of the Family – Tech Savvy Mama
- Review: Widgets Odyssey II – VG Blogger
- Patapon 3 Comic-Con 2010 Interview – G4tv.com
Kung Fu Rider – PlayStation Move’s Most Unique Launch Title
Posted by Jeff Rubenstein in PS3, PlayStation 3, kung fu rider, playstation move on August 13th, 2010
When PlayStation Move launches in North America this September, there will be no doubt about which game is the weirdest – it’s Kung Fu Rider. At our past Move Meet-ups, I’ve been describing this game as the latest in the escaping-from-the-mafia-on-office-furniture genre.
It is not a crowded genre.
When we first saw this game (as “Slider”) at Game Developers Conference 2010, we weren’t sure if this was going to be a simple downloadable title or something more. As Producer George Weising tells us in this demo, Kung Fu Rider is going to have a lot more to it than we initially anticipated.
Scott Pilgrim vs The World vs PSN today!
Posted by Jeff Rubenstein in PS3, PSN, PlayStation Games, scott pilgrim vs the world, ubisoft on August 10th, 2010
Three months ago, how many of you had heard of Scott Pilgrim? I’ve got to admit, I hadn’t. But after seeing the game at E3, I got really interested in the world created by Bryan Lee O’Malley. Now I’ve read all six of the books (highly recommended), will be seeing the movie this week (again!), and will definitely be playing Scott Pilgrim vs The World later today when it debuts exclusively on PSN.
First take a look at this brand-spanking-new trailer:
If that doesn’t convince you that this game is for you, I’m not sure what will. If you’re all about the 8-bit beat ‘em up style and chiptune music, do read on.
Recently, I (along with writers from a few other gaming sites) had the opportunity to chat with both Bryan Lee O’Malley (the creator of Scott Pilgrim) and Edgar Wright (the director of the upcoming Scott Pilgrim vs The World movie). Both have serious gaming cred; the Scott Pilgrim books are laden with gaming references, and Wright’s Shaun of the Dead and Spaced both prominently featured PlayStation games.
Now I was going to spend a couple of hours carefully transcribing the half-hour conversation and placing the reams of text here. Then I noticed that Game Informer’s Ben Reeves, who was sitting about 4 feet to the right of me during the interview, already did that. You should read it.
My questions were about PSP appearing in Book #6 (O’Malley is a fan of Half-Minute Hero) and how Anamanaguchi got involved in making the game’s (awesome, chiptune) soundtrack.
If you’ve got any further questions, feel free to drop them in, and I’ll see what I can do to get them answered. Otherwise, keep an eye out for the full game (and the free demo) later this afternoon.