Plenty of reading to catch up on this weekend! This week saw appearances on the Blog from all manner of industry luminaries, including Naughty Dog guru Amy Hennig (discussing her PS1 classic Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver), Team Ninja boss Yosuke Hayashi (talking up forthcoming PS Vita effort Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Plus) and God of War: Ascension director Todd Pappy (offering news on Ascension’s special editions).

It was also a great week for indie games, with a first look at impressive puzzle platformer Ibb & Obb, a glimpse behind the scenes at Joe Danger 2 developer Hello Games and a heroic guest post from Derrick the Deathfin co-creator Gordon Midwood – check out his cockle-warming efforts to answer every single reader comment!

Looking forward, next week is shaping up to be BIG. The new-look PlayStation Store goes live on Wednesday and we’ll be bringing you a closer look as launch approaches! We’ve also got a fantastic guest post from Sony Worldwide Studios’ irrepressible president Shuhei Yoshida in the pipeline, as well as news on a few keenly-anticipated betas.

Have a good weekend everyone!

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Anyone planning to get stuck into Dishonored this weekend? I know I am, as are a lot of my colleagues here at SCEE – there’s a real buzz around Arkane Studios‘ stylish stealth action game in the office.

My interview with co-creator Harvey Smith a couple of months ago (check it out now – he’s a fascinating chap) really got me excited for the game, and I’ve loved what I’ve seen of it so far. Crucially, it’s the first big box release for a few months that’s really surprised me and done something unexpected. I just love the idea that you can get through the whole game without killing a single enemy.

So, my question for you this week:

What was the last game that genuinely surprised you in some way, and why?

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Having made five shooters already, we at PomPom games were rather conflicted. We had just agreed to spin a cheap and cheerful little number for Mr Sonyman. We know how to make a decent shooter. I’m sure Sony was expecting us to do a shooter. And to be honest, I wanted to make a shooter. But my partner (Miles Visman) was like totally meh about it.

So, after 45 seconds of intense prototyping, Rebel was born – a game where you blow up loads of stuff without firing a single bullet. In a world where your enemies are just the right combination of stupid and armed… one can only enjoy themselves, right?
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Ah, Soul Reaver. I remember it well! This gruesome little gem made quite the splash when it landed on PSone in 1999. As the wounded, ostracised vampire Raziel, your goal was to avenge yourself against the corrupt vampire lord Kain and restore balance to the decaying world of Nosgoth.

I particularly remember the game’s inspired approach to combat; your vampiric foes couldn’t be killed by ordinary means, so after weakening them with hand-to-hand combat you had to hurl their broken bodies onto a sharp stake or into a patch of sunlight to finish them off. The level design was also a knockout, as Raziel was able to phase-shift into a spectral realm in order to bypass obstacles or solve puzzles.

But above all else, Soul Reaver is remembered for its story and characters. And we have the game’s director Amy Hennig to thank for that! As you’re probably well aware, Hennig later joined celebrated PlayStation developer Naughty Dog, serving as creative director and writer for Jak & Daxter and all three Uncharted titles. (more…)

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Some of you may have already heard of Rainbow Moon – the lovely indie strategy RPG has been available for download on PlayStation 3 since July, wowing players with its unique style, depth and clever gameplay mechanics.

Well, good news. Since the PS3 release, developer SideQuest Studios has been hard at work on a version of the title for the PlayStation Vita, due out some time next year. Duly, we recently sat down with studio chief Marcus Pukropski to find out more about the game and the forthcoming handheld release.

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