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New Sony PS3 and PSN Releases

June 17, 2013 by Harpermac

ps3remotes-flickruserjoo0ey

This week’s PS3 and PSN releases run the gamut from FPS games with a twist to new quest games from established franchises to games that utilize choice to affect gameplay. Consider adding some of these top picks to your must-have list, then spending a hot summer weekend in the air conditioning with your system, checking out the gameplay.

The Last of Us: This survival game uses gamer’s choice to both develop the relationship between the two main characters, Joel and Ellie, and to advance gameplay. The setting is Earth after the apocalypse, the only world that Ellie has ever known (Joel was alive before the apocalypse). Work through a series of levels to smuggle Ellie out of the quarantine zone while fighting off infected citizens, gangs of scavengers and military power. Since weapons are scarce, you’ll need to spend time foraging for supplies.

Aliens: Colonial Marines: Play as a member of the United States Colonial Marine squad and battle the aliens in the latest from the Aliens franchise. This Alien assault is bigger and badder than ever before, but as a Marine you’ve got a large stock of fire power with which to fight off the enemy. Aliens: Colonial Marines offers two gameplay modes: A single-player mode and a cooperative four-player mode where every player in the game assumes a distinct Colonial Marines persona and has a unique role to play in the battle.

Final Fantasy XIII 2: Final Fantasy fans will enjoy this game, which focuses on familiar characters Lightning, Cocoon and Serah. Set several years after Lightning saved Cocoon, the survivors have settled on Gran Pulse and started to rebuild. Lightning has disappeared and is presumed dead by some, but Serah holds out hope. As Gran Pulse is invaded by monsters, a stranger comes to save Serah and says he knows where Lightning is. Together, they go to find her.

Contra: Shattered Soldier: Releasing in demo version the week of June 10, Contra: Shattered Soldier revives the legendary NES Contra series. The demo even includes the scrolling 2D action form the initial release, which is sure to please established fans of the game. And young and old fans alike are sure to love the stellar 3D graphics and rotating cast of human, alien and machine enemies. Fight through the level to battle Contra’s signature big boss, and call in a friend using the 2-player cooperative mode if you need help to battle the big boss.

Pirates: Legends of the Black Buccaneer: Also releasing in demo form the week of June 10, Pirates: Legends of the Black Buccaneer follow the story of Francis Blade, a shipwrecked man. The game is set in the 16th century Caribbean. Wander around a mysterious island to find the medallion, which allows Blade to summon the spirit of the Black Buccaneer. Fight off natural forces and wander the island to collect washed-up ship parts so you can reassemble the ship and sail to safety. Play either as Francis Blade or as the Black Buccaneer, a supercharged character who you can only assume for a short period of time.

Try out some of these games or add them to your gift list for the game lover in your life. You just may ignite love for an old game franchise or discover something new for your system.

Filed Under: PlayStation 3 Tagged With: gameplay, new games, ps3

How Will We Be Interacting With Our Video Games In The Future?

September 22, 2011 by Angus Shaw

In a season of price cuts and with the Wii U only a year away, people are naturally wondering what the next big thing is in the world of video games. And since controllers have been such an important element of the current generation, how are we going to be controlling our games in the future? Here’s my thoughts on the technologies out there:

Touchscreen Gaming

Hey, this is easy. Turns out that some elements of the present of video game hardware will probably be around in the future (no, really!). The DS brought us touchscreen gaming over half a decade ago now, but that technology looks especially primitive compared to the offerings from the current wave of smartphones (though the simplicity of smartphone games still leave something to be desired). What’s the future of this technology? Essentially, going bigger and better. Invest in a tablet pc and you’ll immediately see the difference that having a screen nearly three times the size of smartphone can make: precise control over the field of play, as well as far more superior visuals. With a large screen area, you also have more space to integrate input areas, allow for more complex games.

Nintendo’s Wii-U is the immediate future of this tech: a handheld display for a TV-based console providing full touch-screen interaction with the game onscreen (or alternatively, interaction with other information relevant to the player). For me, this is exciting because there are plenty of stagnant game genres that have been consigned to the PC because neither joypads nor motion control have been adequate replacements for the mouse and keyboard. The strategy game springs to mind instantly: games in the vein of Starcraft and Command & Conquer could be revamped for home console play (and touchscreen monitors may ensure that PC versions remain relevant).

Motion Control

Motion control has sold millions of consoles (Wii), and shifted many peripherals (PS3 Move and Xbox 360 Kinect), so is there any doubting that it’s here to stay? Well, flying in the face of overwhelming evidence, I still completely believe that this has been a very successful gimmick. Wiis collect dust, and nobody seems to have the enthusiasm sufficient for developing games for the competitor’s systems. And it all seems like a bunch of daft flapping to me: gesture based control, rather than literal ‘motion’ control.

But in the long term, motion control has the potential to be a cornerstone of interactivity. Microsoft’s Kinect technology is most interesting, as it potentially solves the problem of interactivity solely being about our hands, bringing our entire body into play. But even this kind of motion will always be a source of detachment: objects we pretend to hold will have no weight, we’ll have to ‘pretend run’ to move anywhere. Visions of full-body robotic motion suits arrive in my head with B-movie gusto.

Virtual Reality?

We are, however, getting into the dangerous realm of controllers that would be incredibly immersive, but would be incredibly difficult to sell to people. For all of its motion control innovation, the Wii controller’s most intelligent feature was the fact that it was shaped like a television remote control. It gave consumers something familiar to latch onto when seeking a new experience. Even 3D cinema glasses have found success only by adopting the familiar Wayfarer design.

Full-body motion suits? Scary science fiction nonsense. And another classic idea we’re always going to have trouble accepting is the VR helmet. After decades of uncomfortable, daft looking products and bad science fiction featuring them, we just can’t take them seriously. Perhaps someday someone will develop something sufficiently lightweight and ordinary looking that becomes a mass market favourite. Sony’s new HMZ-T1 3D Virtual Reality Headset is part of the evolution, but don’t expect it to be a huge success. But how are we supposed to interact with games if we can’t see our hands whilst using these things? Motion control probably isn’t the answer, at least if you like not smashing expensive VR visors.

Gamepads

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Video game controllers have reached a sort of equilibrium in the last decade, and though the number of triggers and the position of the two joysticks will vary, there’s a definite formula. Any future console could take a cue from the Vita and feature a rear-mounted touch pad, and motion control seems a likely candidate for inclusion too. But the simple tactile feedback, durability and ease of use of a button has been grossly underestimated in the last few years.

Steph Wood is a copywriter and gaming blogger working on projects for Comet, a UK based retailer who stock cheap iPad 2s and other gadgets.

 

Filed Under: Security Tagged With: consoles, ps3, video games, videogames, Wii, xbox

PS3 Slim models to get lighter, use less power

June 22, 2011 by Rogue

With the last two generations of gaming consoles, it’s become a common practice to release periodice updates to the hardware. Sony did this with the Playstation 2 and their incremental updates to the Phat line and then the announcement of the PS2 Slim. Microsoft has done this as well with their processor upgrades for the Xbox 360, which was one way of trying to solve the Red Ring of Death problem that plagued the first iterations of the console. The 360 then changed the chassis altogether with its “slim” lineup. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Consoles, PlayStation 3, Sony Tagged With: PlayStation 3, ps3

Sony announces PS3 motion controller coming Spring 2010

September 24, 2009 by Andy Merrett

ps3Not wanting to be overshadowed by Microsoft’s announcement that Project Natal is gaining support from a number of major games manufacturers, Sony has declared that its motion controller for the PS3 console will be available early next year.

Linking up to a PlayStation Eye camera, the system allows face, voice and body movement recognition in order to control games in a completely different way.

This motion controller (which doesn’t have an official name yet) is equipped with two motion sensors, three axes gyroscope and three axes accelerometer that can detect the controller’s angle and movement held in the user’s hand.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Consoles, Gaming, PlayStation 3, Sony Tagged With: motion controller, PlayStation 3, ps3, Sony

Sony commits to 3DTV products by 2010

September 3, 2009 by Andy Merrett

sony-logoWe already know that the Sony-created Blu-ray format is to go 3D sometime soon, and now Sony has committed to 3DTV development in the coming year.

Speaking at this year’s IFA conference, Sony announced that it would launch a 3D-compatible BRAVIA LCD HDTV next year, based on a frame sequential display and active-shutter glass system (a method of 3D display where the TV set alternates the image for the left and right eye, and glasses open and shut in sync with the image on the screen).

[Read more…]

Filed Under: HDTV, Sony Tagged With: 2010, 3d, Blu-ray, bravia, ps3, Sony, vaio

New slimmer PS3 coming this September

August 19, 2009 by Andy Merrett

That slimmer PS3 rumor from a couple of months ago has finally come to pass, with Sony announcing that a new PlayStation 3 will be released in September.

The new PS3 will feature a 120GB hard drive, Blu-ray drive, new system software (version 3.00) and BRAVIA Sync (for tying up to your Sony TV). It’ll cost $299.

Sony’s making a big thing of the re-branding, changing the name from PLAYSTATION 3 to PlayStation 3 (note the capitals — I’ve obviously been getting it wrong all these years as I’ve often referred to it the “new” way) and introducing a “PS3” logo to be engraved on the surface of the new console.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Consoles, Gaming, PlayStation 3, Sony Tagged With: 120GB, Blu-ray, console, PlayStation 3, ps3, september, Sony, thinner

The Beatles: Rock Band – we now know all but one of the featured tracks

August 18, 2009 by Andy Merrett

beatles-rock-bandThe much-anticipated Beatles edition of Rock Band will contain 45 music tracks, and we now know all but one of them.

Today, MTV Games and Harmonix revealed 19 more of the on-disc tracks. With venue, they are:

  • “Boys” / Cavern Club
  • “A Hard Day’s Night” / Ed Sullivan Theater
  • “I’m Looking Through You” / Shea Stadium
  • “If I Needed Someone” / Shea Stadium
  • “Ticket to Ride” / Shea Stadium
  • “Drive My Car” / Budokan
  • “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” / Abbey Road Dreamscape
  • “Getting Better” / Abbey Road Dreamscape
  • “Good Morning” / Abbey Road Dreamscape
  • “Hello, Goodbye” / Abbey Road Dreamscape
  • “Hey Bulldog” / Abbey Road Dreamscape
  • “Dear Prudence” / Abbey Road Dreamscape
  • “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” / Abbey Road Dreamscape
  • “Helter Skelter” / Abbey Road Dreamscape
  • “Something” / Abbey Road Dreamscape
  • “Come Together” / Abbey Road Dreamscape
  • “Don’t Let Me Down” / Rooftop Concert
  • “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” / Rooftop Concert
  • “I Me Mine” / Rooftop Concert

The game will be released worldwide on 9th September (09/09/09), and you can get all the details at the official web site.

Filed Under: Gaming, Music Tagged With: beatles, playstation, ps3, rock band, track listing, Wii, xbox

SingStar Queen hits PlayStation: don’t stop me now

August 5, 2009 by Andy Merrett

singstar-queen-ps3Sony has announced the latest instalment of its popular SingStar software for PS2 and PS3 consoles, with the addition of SingStar Queen.

Sony in London collaborated with the band to pack over 20 classic Queen songs into the package, including “We Are The Champions”, “Another One Bites The Dust”, “We Will Rock You”, “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Under Pressure”.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Gaming, Music, PlayStation 3, Sony Tagged With: game, Music, playstation, ps2, ps3, queen, singstar, Sony

Sony To Announce Non-Blu-ray PS3?

February 27, 2009 by Mr Butterscotch

ps3
According to a city analyst (not that they ever get anything wrong mind you), there’s rumours abound that Sony is to announce a price cut for their hardware, along with, perhaps, a non-Blu-ray version of the PS3.

“Recent channel checks indicate increased speculation for a PS3 price cut announcement from Sony in the next couple of days” said Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey on Tuesday. (source – Edge).

One of the easiest ways to reduce the price of the PS3 would (naturally) be to cut the expensive Blu-ray player feature out of the machine, resulting in (potentially), a saving that could be passed on to the consumer to the tune of around $100.

However, this move would seem unlikely given the fact that all current PS3 retail games are produced on the higher capacity discs rather than the older format of DVD. Moving to a two-tiered console base would require Sony to produce two variants of each game – something that they are unlikely to move to. Perhaps then Sony will announce a console that requires an add-on to play Blu-ray movies such as a dongle of some kind?

It’s my guess that a price cut might well arrive, but I can’t see it being at the expense of the Blu-ray player. Perhaps instead they’re working on a killer IP that will actually help to sell their console in larger numbers than they are currently achieving. One or two killer exclusives would cement the console into the homes of many.

Filed Under: Consoles Tagged With: Blu-ray, console price cut, ps3

E3 Announcement – PS3 Video!

July 15, 2008 by Mr Butterscotch

Playstation Network
In the first of what I hope to be several interesting E3 announcements, Sony has unveiled the latest feature to be added to the Playstation Network – downloadable films. Just announced today, the movie service will offer content from Fox Film, MGM, Lionsgate, Warner Bros., Disney, Paramount, Turner and Funimation – all from day one!

Whilst the service was announced for Sony Computer Entertainment Japan, it has now been confirmed for the U.S. market with the store opening today. Prices range from $2.99 for a standard definition rental, $5.99 for an HD rental and finally a reasonable $14.99 for a movie purchase that downloads onto the PS3 hard drive.

The service is a direct rival to that offered by Microsoft’s Live (and to some extent the content downloadable for the Nintendo Wii). Naturally, the popularity of the service will be highest amongst those with a fast broadband connection but I can see this being a real success with such support. Content is also open to the PSP so if you’re portable you won’t miss out!

Filed Under: Gaming Features Tagged With: e3, playstation network, ps3

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