First of all, we’d like to thank the PlayStation.Blog and its readers for supporting Amy for several months now. As we get closer to the release of the game, which will be early next year, we wanted answer a question that has been asked many times: what kind of survival-horror game is Amy? How do players cope with enemies? What kind of weapons can you use?

To answer those questions and more, we created the following video just for you:

As you can see, Amy is not about giving you huge power against enemies and giving players an action-oriented experience. Amy goes back to the roots of the survival-horror genre, and provides edge-of-your-seat suspense that will keep you wondering what’s around the next corner.

While most games in the genre choose to either be action- or combat-based, or instill fear by making players feel vastly less powerful than their enemies, Amy combines the best of both worlds. Paul Cuisset, the man behind Amy (and classic games such as Flashback), wanted to a new dimension, which is the cooperation between Amy and Lana.

Playing as Lana, you will have to decide whether you want to hide and avoid combat, or fight by using whatever weapons you can find. As highlighted in the last video, you can use Lana’s vulnerability to the infection to walk amongst enemies undetected, or use Amy’s special abilities, which you can see a glimpse of at the end of this video.

This makes you consider many options before trying to fight: hiding, asking Amy to go away, or using her special powers to defeat your opponents. But as we like to encourage players to exercise their right to choose, if you want to fight, go ahead and try. You won’t always be able to win, but those who don’t try will never know…

If you want to be get all the news about Amy, videos and goodies, please follow us on Facebook and click on Like. Thank you.

One of the more memorable action games I’ve played this year is a game uses the PlayStation Move motion controller to paint a symphony of destruction. Last seen at the E3 2010 PlayStation press conference, Sorcery captured the imaginations of PS3 owners while remaining tantalizingly out of reach. At last week’s PlayStation media showcase in New York City, I was finally allowed to go hands-on with Sorcery and speak with its design director, Brian Upton, who stated that the game is on-track to release this spring.

Sorcery is running on a heavily modified version of the Unreal engine, and the art direction has progressed by leaps and bounds since its last showing. The game now skews a bit older, with nastier monster designs and edgier spellcasting combat. Watch the video, read our full Q&A, then let us know what you think of Sorcery in the comments!

PlayStation.Blog: I’ll cut to the chase: Why have we had to wait so long to see Sorcery again?
Brian Upton, design director, Sorcery: Coming out of E3, we knew there were some things we weren’t happy with. We really wanted to re-tool the game’s look, its world. We had the gameplay we wanted, but it just wasn’t ready for public consumption.

PSB: Tell me a bit about the character and quest. What’s changed since the original debut?
BU: The hero is Finn, he’s a sorcerer’s apprentice and a real hothead: he’s always trying to learn things he’s not ready to learn yet. When the game starts, your master’s magical talking cat, Erline, dares Finn into venturing into the realm of the dead. Finn, being the guy he is, can’t resist.

In the realm of the dead, you accidentally unleash something very, very bad. The consequences are dire for you and the entire world, so the quest is to undo the trouble you’ve caused. You also begin to realize the Erline is much more than a magical talking cat: she’s central to the whole problem that you’ve created. You’re cast somewhat in the role of Erline’s protector, you’re trying to get her from the human world to the heart of the faerie world to fix this problem.

PSB: Once I got my hands on Sorcery, I was particularly surprised by the intensity of the combat. What does spellcasting bring to combat?
BU: We noticed that with a lot of motion-controlled games, it works a bit like Simon Says: you’re told to do something and you do it. But that’s not how action games work. Action games let you be creative, to craft your own solutions to the problems you face. So we wanted a game that taught you easy gestures, which became tools that you can use in combat. You can use basic spells in a variety of ways, but you can also layer them on top of each other to create more complex and powerful spell effects.

PSB: I noticed that when I combined the cyclone spell with the fire wall…
BU: Yeah, the Firenado is great. It’s one of the more powerful spells in the game. But there are lots of clever ways to use it: you can pick an enemy up with a cyclone and push it through a campfire to create a Firenado. Or you can cast a fire wall, shoot arcane bolts through it to create fire bolts, and aim them at a whirlwind to suck your enemy in and incinerate him. There’s a whole array of ways to inflict damage in this game.

PSB: Tell me about Sorcery’s approach to motion controls. What’s your philosophy?
BU: We wanted something very accessible, something you can pick up quickly. The very first spell you learn, arcane bolt, is very simple to use because you just flick it forward. It’s like throwing stuff at your enemy. As you keep using it, you start to realize its depth: you can curve bolts and arc bolts around obstacles. When you start using ice magic, you can slow down enemies, or freeze them repeatedly and smash them with another spell.

PSB: How do the gesture-based puzzles fit into Sorcery?
BU: We don’t want you fighting all the time, partly because it’s a gesture-based game and you’d get tired. So we try to mix up the intense combat with puzzles to solve. The gestures are pretty simple: You mend things, move them around. It’s less a question of figuring out how to do something; you might see something you can get on top of, and you’ll wonder how you can get up there, what you can rearrange. They aren’t intense brainteasers, but it does change the pace in the overall game.

PSB: I noticed that Sorcery employs an automated camera, a bit like God of War. How does it work and why did you take this approach?
BU: We want to keep it simple: If you have to do camera maintenance all the time, it really sucks. We’re not a shooter, but we do learn a lot of lessons from shooters. In a shooter, on a basic level, you want to establish an interesting shooting gallery and let players be absorbed in it. When you encounter a new group of cameras, the auto-camera will shift to focus on them. It’s a function of trying to streamline the game as much as possible.

PSB: Will there be any RPG elements? Will Finn be able to upgrade his abilities over the course of the game?
BU: There’s an alchemy system. As you travel through the world, you’ll discover magical ingredients and you can use them to research new magical potions. There are roughly 56 magical potions in all, and every time you drink one, it gives you a permanent upgrade. You’ll have about a dozen opportunities to do it, so these potions basically become your build tree, your stats, the way you customize Finn. Do you boost your health or your ice powers? Or maybe make your shield bash more damaging?

PSB: Is Sorcery a shooter? And if not, what is it?
BU: As a designer, I used a lot of the principles of shooter design. I have a shooter background: I worked on Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon. Coming from that shooter background, I learned a lot of lessons about how to build an encounter. But Sorcery is not a shooter. Your fire rate is much lower, you have to deal with Mana limitations, you can curve and arc your shots…we used shooter gameplay as a touchstone, but then we took it way beyond what shooters do.

PSB: Earlier you mentioned a shift in the game’s tone since E3 2010. Could you shed any light on that?
BU: What we showed at E3 was largely organized around a dungeon crawl, and we realized we didn’t want that. We wanted a full-blown fantasy world, not a series of tunnels. A lot of our re-tooling involved moving the action gameplay into a more free-flowing space. The E3 version also had a much younger hero, and the enemies were a lot more cartoonish. We though, “you know, we have a game here that would appeal to a hardcore PlayStation gamer…and it looks a little bit like Spyro!” [laughs] We didn’t want people to get the wrong impression, so we wanted to bring the visuals in-line with the gameplay.

Hey GT fans! We’re excited to announce all of the new content coming to Gran Turismo 5 next week, including our second round of DLC. Next week you’ll be able to download Car Pack 2 for $3.99 and add some fantastic new rides to your garage. Car Pack 2 includes the 2011 Mini Cooper S, 2010 Volkswagen Golf VI R, 2010 Volkswagen Scirocco R, and the new and improved 2012 Nissan GT-R Black edition R35.

There’s more good news, because as a special gift anyone who purchased anything from the first batch of DLC will get unlock the Gran Turismo Racing Kart 125 SP and five New Car Refresh cards in the game for free. The refresh cards will take any car back to being ‘as good as new’ while maintaining any modifications or paint jobs you have given your motors. To take advantage of this offer, you’ll need to install the new downloadable update hitting next week.

The free downloadable update coming next week will also add several new enhancements to GT5 as well as correcting some reported issues. A few examples of the benefits of update 2.02 include:

• Users can now change wheels on Standard cars
• The settings sheets will include a new ‘copy’ feature
• In GT Auto, players will be able to see how the oil changes, aerodynamic parts, engine overhauls, and racing modifications will affect performance points and engine power, before and after their application
• Free coupons have been added that allow you to wash cars, change oil, overhaul your engine, or refresh the car body in GT Auto (10 coupons will be distributed for free to each of those who have downloaded the 2.02 update)
• Pressing the Square button in the car coupon selection screen of the Car Delivery will now allow you to exchange all car coupons at once, rather than doing one at a time
• In screens where the [Garage] and [Driver List] buttons are displayed in the A/B Spec events, Special Events, and Seasonal Events, pressing the Square button will now show the [Garage], and pressing the Triangle button will bring up the drivers list
• In My Lounge, the room settings will feature a new ‘Max. number of participants’ setting
• In the event selection screen of seasonal events, there are now ☆(star) marks that show the number of Gold Trophies attained in each event
• Improved racing sound effects
• Elements of the steering assist controls (used when using certain controllers on Racing Karts) have been tweaked

As an additional gift to players this holiday season, everyone who downloads the 2.02 update will also receive the stunning Toyota FT-86 2012 to add to their in-game collection.

One more note: Those who purchased the course and/or vehicle DLC that was released in October will be able to download Family Upgrade unlocks for free from the store. This means that if you bought the Racing Car Pack, Course Pack, or the ‘Complete Pack’ that contained both of these, by downloading the free Family Upgrade items, the content will now be accessible to more than just the user account that purchased the content. Family members or friends using the same PS3 can all use the courses and cars. Note that the upgrade doesn’t apply to the Racing Gear Pack or Special Paint Pack, and starting next week, new purchases will not have the restriction in place.

And don’t forget, there’s only one week left to compete in the special GT5 Time Trial Challenge and unlock a special edition Nissan GT-R for your garage. We hope you enjoy the free game updates, new cars and new batch of DLC. Drive safe!

It’s a question as old as zombies themselves – How do you kill a zombie? I find that most zombie-killing machines fall into one of two main categories: guns and melee weapons. Yakuza: Dead Souls makes sure that you can experience both from the comfort of your own home. After the trailer, a brief discussion on the weapons you’ll have at your disposal in Yakuza: Dead Souls.

Guns – A reliable source of zombie obliteration. A well-timed headshot goes a long way in zombie eradication, and Yakuza: Dead Souls has more than enough guns to choose from. (Don’t forget that you can play as Ryuji Goda, whose fake arm is a gatling gun!) Additionally, Yakuza: Dead Souls allows you to “heat snipe” items for maximum zombie carnage. Horde of zombies got you craving more fire power? Well then snipe the gas tank on a nearby car and watch the explosion spread!

Melee – If you’re anything like me, you’re thinking, “Alright, guns are cool but what happens if I’m out of ammo or just plain feel like slapping a zombie around?” The answer: pick something up and slap a zombie! Yakuza: Dead Souls lets you play with reliable, time-tested zombie-killing things: chainsaws, baseball bats, grenades, etc., and also allows you to get slightly more creative with your melee weapons: Motorbike? Poles? Desk? Go for it!

Questions about available weapons? Need tips on the art of beating a zombie to death (again) with a couch? Kellie and I are here to answer your questions, and if you’re lucky I might share my super-secret zombie-apocalypse survival tips (Hint: get to a Costco that sells beer and wait for Majima and his sweet eyepatch to show up).

It’s a question as old as zombies themselves – How do you kill a zombie? I find that most zombie-killing machines fall into one of two main categories: guns and melee weapons. Yakuza: Dead Souls makes sure that you can experience both from the comfort of your own home. After the trailer, a brief discussion on the weapons you’ll have at your disposal in Yakuza: Dead Souls.

Guns – A reliable source of zombie obliteration. A well-timed headshot goes a long way in zombie eradication, and Yakuza: Dead Souls has more than enough guns to choose from. (Don’t forget that you can play as Ryuji Goda, whose fake arm is a gatling gun!) Additionally, Yakuza: Dead Souls allows you to “heat snipe” items for maximum zombie carnage. Horde of zombies got you craving more fire power? Well then snipe the gas tank on a nearby car and watch the explosion spread!

Melee – If you’re anything like me, you’re thinking, “Alright, guns are cool but what happens if I’m out of ammo or just plain feel like slapping a zombie around?” The answer: pick something up and slap a zombie! Yakuza: Dead Souls lets you play with reliable, time-tested zombie-killing things: chainsaws, baseball bats, grenades, etc., and also allows you to get slightly more creative with your melee weapons: Motorbike? Poles? Desk? Go for it!

Questions about available weapons? Need tips on the art of beating a zombie to death (again) with a couch? Kellie and I are here to answer your questions, and if you’re lucky I might share my super-secret zombie-apocalypse survival tips (Hint: get to a Costco that sells beer and wait for Majima and his sweet eyepatch to show up).

Tables starring Ghost Rider, Moon Knight, Thor, and the X-Men will be available for Marvel Pinball in the brand-new Vengeance and Virtue table pack, coming to PlayStation Store later today for $9.99! Owning the original Marvel Pinball is required for the V&V expansion – but if you don’t already have that critically acclaimed four-pack, you can download it now for FREE for a limited time as a PlayStation Plus member (more on that at the end).

Let’s take a brief look at each of the tables in the Vengeance and Virtue pack so you can understand how we’ve captured these dynamic concepts and the personalities of each character.

The Ghost Rider table captures the atmosphere and apocalyptic visuals from the comics of the past few years, inspired largely by his 2006 series as well as Jason Aaron’s 2009 “Heaven’s on Fire” storyline. The table is set up like a stunt show set from Hell, with Johnny Blaze front and center on his custom chopper and the Hellfire shotgun at his disposal. Lucifer is constantly taunting Ghost Rider, and he holds the key to several missions and modes within the table. Johnny Blaze must also fend off the Orb’s laser blasts, defeat swarms of crows sent by Scarecrow, defeat the fallen angel Zadkiel, and even make deals with the classic villain Mephisto. Needless to say, there is plenty of devilish action in this hellish carnival playfield!

Let’s be honest, you are all sitting here asking yourself, “why Moon Knight”? Let me tell you why! The integral aspects of Moon Knights story – villains, weapons and the powers of the Egyptian Moon god Khonshu – translate into an amazing pinball experience. As Moon Knight, Marc Spector wields the power of Khonshu and operates as the Egyptian god’s vengeful avatar on Earth, fighting crime on the streets of New York City. One of the coolest things this one brings to the, uh, table is the addition of actual boss fights, complete with health bars. Moon Knight faces off against some of his most classic villains, including Bushman, Midnight, the Black Spectre and Morpheus. He even pilots the Moon Copter, and Marvel allowed us to create a brand new weapon for his arsenal – the Moon Crossbow, used in a special minigame.

Now that we’ve seen what the “Vengeance” half of this collection has to offer, let’s delve into its “Virtue”-themed characters…

Thor is all about the glory of victory, and this table has no shortage of electrifying battles against some of Thor’s biggest enemies. Trigger these boss fights by activating the Gate of Asgard and then hitting the ball across the Rainbow Bridge. You can then select which boss fight to engage: Loki, Destroyer, Ymir or Surtur. The God of Thunder will unleash strikes of brilliant lighting and the powerful hammer Mjolnir as he defends Asgard and the Nine Realms. The table comes replete with nice added touches, including a ramp that circles Asgard and exits the ball through the mouth of the Midgard Serpent.

The X-Men table embodies the classic conflict between Professor Charles Xavier’s band of Super Hero mutants against Magneto and his Brotherhood. Players must deploy the powers of Iceman, Wolverine, Jean Grey, Colossus, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Psylocke and Storm as they take on such classic villains as Mystique, Juggernaut and the Blob, as well as mutant-hunting Sentinels. The table features missions inspired by actual comic events, such as Magneto’s destruction of the Brooklyn Bridge (NEW X-MEN #147) and a pinball version of the Dark Phoenix Saga that uses actual dialogue from classic issues of THE UNCANNY X-MEN (#135 and #136). There is even a confrontation with the Juggernaut in which Cyclops, Iceman, Colossus and Psylocke exemplify good teamwork as they attempt to stop the unstoppable.

Each of these tables is designed from scratch around their characters’ personality, traits, weapons and stories in place. We go through a very careful planning process to make sure each table really captures the essence of each character, and it’s great having the support of Marvel all throughout the process.

And now for more on that offer to PlayStation Plus members. Now through January 3, 2012, members can download the original Marvel Pinball pack featuring Spider-Man, Wolverine, Blade and Iron Man for FREE! The Captain America and Fantastic Four DLC tables will be 50% off, so you can pick them up for $1.49 each.

If you would like the latest information on Marvel Pinball and any of our other games, be sure to follow us on Twitter or Like us on Facebook. I will be here answering all of your questions, so fire away.

Oh, and happy holidays!

Unless you’ve been far, far away from the internet this weekend, you should already know that the VGAs afforded us our very first look at Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us. If you haven’t, watch the trailer now! Then come back.

As soon as Zachary Levi walked off stage and the lights came up (I think the credits were still rolling!) we grabbed Naughty Dog co-presidents Christophe Balestra and Evan Wells to ask them about their next title.

You surely haven’t heard the last of The Last of Us; stay tuned to the PlayStation.Blog for more.

We’re very excited to be able to reveal to you the latest title in our award-winning DiRT series: DiRT Showdown! Before I tell you a bit more about the game, take a look at our newly released announcement trailer to give you an idea of the kind of high-octane action you can expect to see in the game.

DiRT Showdown is due out on PS3 in May 2012, and is brought to you by the same team that brought you the other titles in the award-winning DiRT series. The game combines pick-up-and-play controls with electrifying events, frenzied crowds, and stunning graphics to deliver high-octane, dive in and drive thrills straight from the first event. The game’s going to feature three main disciplines built around the pillars of speed, style and destruction. To help illustrate what I’m talking about, here’s a broad breakdown of the three disciplines in question.

No holds barred racing events: Trade paint and use nitrous to blast past rivals in DiRT Showdown’s racing modes. Courses are littered with obstacles, pinch points, multiple-routes and ramps to deliver adrenaline-fuelled racing across spectacular courses, where players are encouraged to do whatever it takes to get over the finish line in first place.

Bone-crunching Demolition Derby Events: (My personal favorite!) Crash, smash, and bash your way through a range of demolition derby events, pushing our stunning damage engine to its spectacular limits.

Edge of Control Hoonigan Events: A new accessible trick mechanic lets you go wild in free-roaming, freestyle stunt parks. Gymkhana has been taken to the next level in our Joyride compounds flooded with obstacles and challenges. Hoon your car around trick runs, competitive stunt events and exploration challenges.

When designing DiRT Showdown the team researched in great detail what players look for most in racing games. What the team discovered is the things that a lot of racers look for is the rush of going at high speed, pulling off slick and stylish moves, and the thrill of the crash and the resultant destruction on your car. To give gamers what they want in DiRT Showdown, we’re offering Race modes, Hoonigan modes and Demolition Derby modes. However these modes don’t run in isolation from one another, we want you to feel as though you’re part of an action sports extravaganza, putting on the best show in town. We’ve taken to calling it a ‘Theatre of Racing’, with YOU as the star driver and main attraction.

Well I hope that’s informed you a little regarding what DiRT Showdown is all about, and I’ll be back at some point in the near future to let you know more about the game. However if anyone has any questions then please just let me know in the comments. Where possible I’ll try to reply, but obviously at this stage in the games development I won’t be able to answer everything about the game!

Finally, if you like what you saw and want to follow the development of the game more closely and get access to exclusive DiRT Showdown related competitions and giveaways, then you can either ‘like’ us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.

At this very moment, a small group of lucky testers are putting the Starhawk Private Beta through its paces. During last week’s PlayStation holiday showcase for New York City media, I had a chance to go hands-on with the beta. But I wanted to learn more about the beta’s reception among the diehard Warhawk community, so I chatted with Senior Producer Harvard Bonin to learn some key findings from the beta: the most popular weapons and vehicles, the sneakiest tactics, and what beta players can expect next.

PlayStation.Blog: Obviously, there’s a private beta going on right now. What have been some of the key learnings?
Oh, boy. There have been too many to name here, but one of the key learnings has been how closely we need to listen to hardcore Warhawk players. We made some changes to the flight controls that they reacted to negatively. We’re now in the process of addressing that, and it’s only because of the beta that we realized. Without a beta, we have no way to do that.

We’ve also seen a lot of strategies we couldn’t have anticipated. The Build & Battle configurations are pretty interesting, people placing walls backwards so enemies can get in but not get out. Some players are employing a more aggressive use of the Spawn Towers, and they’re leapfrogging across the map while planting Spawn Towers in order to progress faster.

PSB: Where do we stand in terms of another wave of beta invites?
We have a lot more invites going out next week (read: this week), and then we’ll go through December with those. At some point, we’ll need to take down the private beta in order to prep for the public beta, which will include new features. So you’ll see us going pretty dark while we prep that public beta for 2012.

PSB: Have you seen any clear trends so far in terms of favorite vehicles?
Well, it depends on the day and the balance. The mech is very popular. In earlier phases of the beta, it was majorly overpowered and was able to forcibly take advantage of enemy bases. We just made some significant changes to the mech with a live update yesterday, so we’ll see how those go.

The jetpack is also very popular because it’s so versatile. On the outer space map we’ve had players going under the map in the outer space level. Just like Captain Kirk in The Wrath of Kahn, you’ve got to think in three dimensions!

PSB: Have you had to tone down or tweak certain weapons?
Every day something is too powerful. We recently went through a nerf session with the Shotgun, maybe we overdid it. When we make balance changes, we often prefer to swing the pendulum a lot, then in smaller and smaller increments to find the sweet spot. Your initial balance change needs to be big enough.

But yeah, like you mentioned earlier, this is a real beta. It allows us to take our time with balancing: it’s not like we’re scrambling to release the game in a week or two. There’s a big window between the public beta ending and the game releasing. Games need time in the pressure cooker, you know?

PSB: What’s been the reaction to the private beta so far?
Some days they love it, some days they’ve got constructive criticism! We had originally invited very top Warhawk players to join the Starhawk private beta, and they were apprehensive at first. But now we’ve seen some of the harshest critics from before begin to evangelize Starhawk. It takes some time to get your feet wet, but once you do, you begin to find layers to the game you didn’t realize were there. That’s what’s exciting about Starhawk.

Overall, though, it’s been a very positive private beta, both in terms of the constructive criticism and the feedback.

PSB: What was the logic behind keeping the Outcast and Rifters identical in multiplayer?
Whenever you start to differentiating the skill set of players, it’s tricky. We’re already treading on thin ice with our skill system, which we’ll be introducing soon in an upcoming patch. Our system of gaining skills is different than most games; you earn them by accomplishing certain goals. All of these are designed to encourage players to play in a way that is “optimal fun,” whether it’s assists or playing in a more cooperative way.

PSB: What’s the sneakiest move you’ve seen in the Beta so far?
People love the drop pods, trying to land on an enemy when they respawn. One of the most useful tactics so far is using the jetpack to sneak close to the enemy and then knifing him from behind. It’s not exactly a science, but some of these guys are great at it.

PSB: How is the single-player campaign coming along?
Really well, we’ve recently hit alpha. All the pieces are in place, and right now we’re going into each individual mission to make sure that the core structure, the moments are as fun as possible, and that everything works. Sometimes we have to change the entire layout of a scenario; other times we just have to upgrade the presentation level.

We’re going to start talking more about the solo campaign soon in the next few months, so stay tuned.

At this very moment, a small group of lucky testers are putting the Starhawk Private Beta through its paces. During last week’s PlayStation holiday showcase for New York City media, I had a chance to go hands-on with the beta. But I wanted to learn more about the beta’s reception among the diehard Warhawk community, so I chatted with Senior Producer Harvard Bonin to learn some key findings from the beta: the most popular weapons and vehicles, the sneakiest tactics, and what beta players can expect next.

PlayStation.Blog: Obviously, there’s a private beta going on right now. What have been some of the key learnings?
Oh, boy. There have been too many to name here, but one of the key learnings has been how closely we need to listen to hardcore Warhawk players. We made some changes to the flight controls that they reacted to negatively. We’re now in the process of addressing that, and it’s only because of the beta that we realized. Without a beta, we have no way to do that.

We’ve also seen a lot of strategies we couldn’t have anticipated. The Build & Battle configurations are pretty interesting, people placing walls backwards so enemies can get in but not get out. Some players are employing a more aggressive use of the Spawn Towers, and they’re leapfrogging across the map while planting Spawn Towers in order to progress faster.

PSB: Where do we stand in terms of another wave of beta invites?
We have a lot more invites going out next week (read: this week), and then we’ll go through December with those. At some point, we’ll need to take down the private beta in order to prep for the public beta, which will include new features. So you’ll see us going pretty dark while we prep that public beta for 2012.

PSB: Have you seen any trends in terms of favorite vehicles? What have been the clear favorites so far for private beta players.
Well, it depends on the day and the balance. The mech is very popular. In earlier phases of the beta, it was majorly overpowered and was able to forcibly take advantage of enemy bases. We just made some significant changes to the mech with a live update yesterday, so we’ll see how those go.

The jetpack is also very popular because it’s so versatile. On the outer space map we’ve had players going under the map in the outer space level. Just like Captain Kirk in The Wrath of Kahn, you’ve got to think in three dimensions!

PSB: Have you had to tone down or tweak certain weapons?
Every day something is too powerful. We recently went through a nerf session with the Shotgun, maybe we overdid it. When we make balance changes, we often prefer to swing the pendulum a lot, then in smaller and smaller increments to find the sweet spot. Your initial balance change needs to be big enough.

But yeah, like you mentioned earlier, this is a real beta. It allows us to take our time with balancing: it’s not like we’re scrambling to release the game in a week or two. There’s a big window between the public beta ending and the game releasing. Games need time in the pressure cooker, you know?

PSB: What’s been the reaction to the private beta so far?
Some days they love it, some days they’ve got constructive criticism! We had originally invited very top Warhawk players to join the Starhawk private beta, and they were apprehensive at first. But now we’ve seen some of the harshest critics from before begin to evangelize Starhawk. It takes some time to get your feet wet, but once you do, you begin to find layers to the game you didn’t realize were there. That’s what’s exciting about Starhawk.

Overall, though, it’s been a very positive private beta, both in terms of the constructive criticism and the feedback.

PSB: What was the logic behind keeping the Outcast and Rifters identical in multiplayer?
Whenever you start to differentiating the skill set of players, it’s tricky. We’re already treading on thin ice with our skill system, which we’ll be introducing soon in an upcoming patch. Our system of gaining skills is different than most games; you earn them by accomplishing certain goals. All of these are designed to encourage players to play in a way that is “optimal fun,” whether it’s assists or playing in a more cooperative way.

PSB: What’s the sneakiest move you’ve seen in the Beta so far?
People love the drop pods, trying to land on an enemy when they respawn. One of the most useful tactics so far is using the jetpack to sneak close to the enemy and then knifing him from behind. It’s not exactly a science, but some of these guys are great at it.

PSB: How is the single-player campaign coming along?
Really well, we’ve recently hit alpha. All the pieces are in place, and right now we’re going into each individual mission to make sure that the core structure, the moments are as fun as possible, and that everything works. Sometimes we have to change the entire layout of a scenario; other times we just have to upgrade the presentation level.

We’re going to start talking more about the solo campaign soon in the next few months, so stay tuned.