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Sony Computer Entertainment America is currently developing seven original titles for the PSP, due out next year via download through the PlayStation Store.
According to sources speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, the first-party septet encompass three action games, two music-based games, one shooter and one racer (where does Calling All Cars fit into that list?). They will be approximately one-half to one-third the size of current UMD disks and are intended to provide two to ten hours of gameplay.
Sony is also reportedly courting developers to provide more original titles to the network. No other details are currently available. The PlayStation Store, currently only accessible via the PS3, will be available through the PC and PSP next year.
OK, Everyday Shooter, we give up. We know you're supposed to be a darling of burgeoning indie gaming scene, but we just don't understand your game. Where are the sexy space babes? Where are the muscle-bound dudes punching holes in walls like their fists were Kool-Aid spokesmen? Where are the spies with special goggles that let you see in the dark/into men's souls? Is this even a game?
We're hoping that on Thursday, all our questions will be answered, when Everyday Shooter arrives on the PlayStation Network, according to IGN. It would seem that, like a long-gone private dick chatting up his favorite stoolie, we're going to have to pony up a sawbuck to get some answers.
The Official PlayStation blog has been updated to show tomorrow's updates to the PlayStation Network. We've got an arcade Ski game Go! Sports Ski for $2.99 and tutorial videos for Eye of Judgment and NBA 08. Most exciting, however, are the demos being served: Bladestorm: The Hundred Year War and The Simpsons.
Bladestorm is a Koei-developed action title best described as "Kessen in Europe," but The Simpsons is a game we've been dying to play since E3. Tomorrow can't come soon enough.
A person impersonating an SCEA IT employee apparently weaseled their way through customer service and into getting unauthorized access to two PSN user accounts. The situation was discovered very soon after and access was disabled, with both account holders being notified. Kimberly Otzman of Sony's Corporate Communications said, "No consumer experienced any financial loss or damage. In response to the incident, SCEA immediately enhanced its customer service protocol, implementing additional security safeguards, and began an intensive investigation of the incident that remains ongoing."
Sony doesn't perceive this as a "security breach" as it was not attributed to a hacker and there was no electronic breach, just a person who slickly got access to the accounts through customer service. As long as it doesn't happen again, we guess that's OK.
This is one of those times we're happy that demos exist. Because honestly, if we just heard the name Bladestorm, we're not sure we'd be able to remember it. It is, in fact, so generic, that we've had difficulty completing this post, so convinced were we at various moments that we were writing about Blade Runner, Onimusha Blade Warriors, Motorstorm and, of course, Blade.
But with a demo, like the one set to appear on PSN and Xbox Live on Thursday, the game has an identity all it's own. "Oh yes, Bladestorm," you'll say with confidence, "that's the one about flying a helicopter during Vietnam." You will, of course, be wrong, Bladestorm is an action game about English succession to the French throne. But you'll be confident in your answer, and isn't that the important thing?
In apparent preparation for next month's release of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue in the region, the free and beautiful GT HD Concept is going to pulled from Japanese PlayStation Store as of this Sunday, September 30. According to the official page (translation), online ranking from within the game will still be running.
GT 5 Prologue is due out October 26 in Japan, whereas US and European gamers are expected to see it December 13. Will HD Concept also be pulled in these areas? We're not sure -- until we get an answer, we recommend going ahead and downloading the racer just in case.
Today's additions to the PlayStation Store may not incite frenzy, but with the entire video game world talking about a certain spartan, maybe Sony thought it was to retain their big guns for another week where they could garner more press.
For US PS3 owners, in addition to an assortment of free trailers, we have demos for Clive Barker's Jericho (which also came out today on the Xbox 360 and PC) and NBA 2K8, a new vehicle for Motorstorm dubbed the Castro Capitano ($0.99) and Speed Master feature for Ninja Gaiden Sigma.
European gamers today got some Warhawk and Heavenly Sword wallpaper, a quartet of new Motorstorm vehicles (£1.49 for each pair), the Ninja Gaiden SIgma Speed Master pack a demos for Sega Rally and Folklore (this is a different demo than the one previously released).
With all eyes turned to Tokyo this week, Sony has thrown North American PlayStation 3 gamers a bone in the form of the charming, but perhaps overly complicated "screensaver" game LocoRoco Cocoreccho, as well as a handful of new game demos including Sega Rally Revo, the first title in development from Sega Driving Studio.
Those wanting to pick up the successor to Sony Japan's delightful PSP original LocoRoco can do so for $6.99, a bit of a leap from the game's previously confirmed £1.99 price in the UK. In addition to the already mentioned rally racer, PSN users can also snag demos for EA's Tony Hawk competitor Skate, as well as THQ's Stuntman: Ignition and Sony's own forthcoming NBA 08.
And as if that isn't enough, it also looks like Sony has tossed up some wallpapers, videos, and trailers from such eagerly anticipated eye candy as GT5 Prologue, Devil May Cry 4, and Ratchet and Clank Future, making this a meaty update indeed.
Little LocoRocos, you're so happy, you make us happy, too. We love watching you bounce and squish. Oh, to tickle a LocoRoco would make us burst with joy. We'd explode with rainbows, of course. (That's a mildly NSFW link, all you weekend laborers.)
Sony's PS3 LocoRoco Cocoreccho! "interactive screensaver" um, thing will launch next week in many parts of the world. But the Sixaxis might not let us pet the little creatures. Cocoreccho! isn't quite a game, and we're still not quite sure what it is. But this newest trailer at least annotates some of things players can do, while the earlier video left us guessing.
Watch the cuteness after the break, or imagine it on a crisp HDTV with the direct HD feed.
The polls are now open at the Capcom blog to vote for the Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix achievements. Like we reported back in July, Capcom asked for suggestions on what the achievements should be in SFIITHDR. It appears Capcom chose seven suggestions and posted them for the world to vote on (with proper registration at the Capcom site). The possible achievements are:
Beat Akuma (arcade mode)
Win with every character in an Online Ranked Match
5 Perfect Rounds in Ranked Online Matches
5 Perfect Rounds in Story Mode (Any Difficulty Level)
Defeat an opponent in under 15(?) seconds, Arcade Mode
Perform a 7-hit combo or higher (any mode, including training)
Defeat Sagat with Ryu's fierce dragon punch (any mode)
We kinda like all of them, hopefully beyond this publicity stunt Capcom may keep them all in. Capcom is also taking suggestions at the site for the achievements' actual names. With any luck they'll sprinkle some inside joke achievements in for the hardcore. So far this game really has done a great job with the community outreach.
Great poker faces? Or just plain bored? Join the excitement in High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition, the latest addition to PSN, where there's nothing to lose other than precious time -- well, that's not true, there is a required $9.99 entry fee. If you're like us (that is, waiting instead for Slots Edition), you may prefer to revisit your forgotten Scalextric obsession with PixelJunk Racers ($6.99; demo also available). Or, just pick through the freebie buffet:
Tony Hawk's Proving Ground demo
NHL 08 demo
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix demo
FIFA 08 demo
Everyday Shooter trailer
Warhawk trailer
Lair 'Behind the Scenes' video
Feel the Noise trailer
Juiced 2 trailer
High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition trailer
Sony has scheduled some preliminary Tool time, dating the Ratchet & Clank Future demo for October 4th, according to IGN. The demo will feature Tools of Destruction's opening level, as disclosed by Insomniac in an interview with thedaily.com.au. "[Resistance taught us] the importance of opening the game with a bang -- and that's just what we do," Insomniac told thedaily.com.au, "Players will get a sneak peek of this level via a downloadable demo that should hit the PlayStation Network Store in the not-too-distant future." Not-too-distant being just 23 days away.
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction is scheduled for retail release on October 23rd.
Those still mulling the decision to unleash the hawks of war and engage in multiplayer-only combat will have to seek guidance from strangers and streamed video. The one whose opinion you trust the most (that's you!) won't be trying out a Warhawk demo anytime soon, GameDaily BIZ has learned. When asked about the possibility of a downloadable demo, a Sony representative expressed concern that it might not adequately convey the game's 32-player chaos. "In a demo version of a multiplayer only game, there is little control over how many players will be on a dedicated server at a time, potentially leading to smaller online battles that do not fully do justice to the title's fast combat and frantic play."
The representative also pointed towards Warhawk's beta, which plucked up 10,000 participants and offered "a wide audience ample opportunity to experience the game and provide valuable feedback to during Warhawk's development." We're not sure how "wide" an audience that was when compared to the number a demo would reach, but it seems Sony's all or nothing approach extends to all games that involve swooping.
Hey, American PS3 owners ... tired of your Xbox 360-owning friends laughing in your face because they can play Stranglehold right now while you're stuck waiting until the end of the month for your interactive John Woo-inspired goodness. Well the mockery is over, because today you can play Stranglehold on your console of choice.
True, it's just a downloadable demo, but playing it over and over and over again until Sept. 25 is kind of like having the full version. And if you get tired of it, hey, that PixelJunk Racers trailer ought to keep you busy for a good few minutes.
A complete list of the new content available at the PSN store today:
Rumor has it LocoRoco Cocoreccho is not a game, but a downloadable PS3 screensaver. Now Sony says it true, according to IGN. But the pseudo-sequel isn't characterized by passive voyeurism, rather it's a fully-interactive, uh, 'game' -- complete with objectives and an online leaderboard. Contrary to previous observation, SixAxis tilts will be used to manipulate the gameworld and guide up to 200 on-screen blobs, and Cocoreccho, the butterfly, is actually an automated guide (not the player's character). The real mystery now is what makes LocoRoco a screensaver. Will it launch automatically when the PS3 is idle; when a game or movie is paused? Could this be the start of a new initiative to knit PSN games into a seamless PS3 experience in which taking a "casual" break doesn't mean quitting to the XMB? We certainly hope so.
LocoRoco will be available on Japan's PSN September 21st. North American and European release dates have yet to be assigned.
Update: MTV's Stephen Totilo has gotten his hands onLocoRoco, and, while he's equally puzzled about the screensaver functionality (and even unsure it's true -- his demo launched from the XMB), he is able to clarify the core gameplay controls: Players do control the fluttering Cocoreccho and use the left analog stick to guide the butterfly -- titling the gameworld with SixAxis motions was not possible during Totilo's playtest. However, shaking the SixAxis when hovering above a key object does trigger certain gameworld alterations.
According to Totilo, LocoRoco is almost "an old-school point-and-click adventure game. We used the butterfly as a mouse pointer and utilized shakes of the Sixaxis controller in place of probing mouse clicks."
