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Our final PlayStation game announcement of the month is something I’ve wanted to talk about for a really long time. I’m now very happy to be able to tell you about our plans to bring the critically acclaimed puzzle-platformer, The Swapper, to PS3, PS4 and PS Vita this year.

The Swapper was released in 2013 on PC, and has had some amazing press coverage. It won numerous awards in the indie gaming scene for its story, graphics and puzzle design. We’re very lucky to be working with original developer Olli Harjola to bring the game to PlayStation formats, and the game is already looking beautiful on our PlayStation systems here at Curve towers, so we think you’re in for a real treat.

The Swapper is set on Theseus, a damaged space station and research facility. It’s a claustrophobic, dark, and atmospheric environment, but it’s also very unique in style — there’s no blocky pixel art and digital textures in this game, but instead handcrafted art and clay models designed by the original developers.

These real world props make up the many different environments in the game and provide The Swapper with an art style that feels realistic and is dripping with tons of detail. This is a game where the environment tells a story every bit as much as the dialogue in the game, so we’ve been working very hard at Curve to make sure each version we make looks and sounds perfect.

As for the game itself, it’s your job to search for a way off Theseus station, a (mostly) abandoned, self-sustaining outpost in deep space. I won’t spoil the plot here, but The Swapper has some themes and stories every bit as dark as the games environment, and it’s very satisfying to play through. To aid your navigation in the station, you’re able to create up to four clones of yourself and can switch between them at will in order to solve a huge variety of clever puzzles.

We’ll be talking about the game in a bit more depth over the next few months, but we should be releasing The Swapper in late May this year, so if you’re into puzzle games, science-fiction, or just want to try something really unique, keep an eye out for this one!

As always, I’m more than happy to answer any questions in the comments below!

Sony is preparing a new PS3 bundle for the spring to capitalize on the hype surrounding the third and final The Hobbit film due in theaters this December. For $270, interested adventurers can snag a 500GB "super slim" PS3 - which comes with one DualShock 3 controller, appropriate wires and documentation - and a copy of Lego The Hobbit.

The latest from TT Games in the long line of Lego revamps focuses on the first two films in Peter Jackson's adapted trilogy, and sees Bilbo Baggins and his band of Dwarves (and one wizard) trek across Middle-earth in order to help the Dwarves reclaim their homeland. Lego The Hobbit launches this spring on just about every current platform: Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS3, PS Vita, Wii U, 3DS, PC and Mac.
[Image: Warner Bros.]

The move to next-gen is free for owners of the PS3 copy.

This week on the PlayStation Network, there are plenty of new games for PS3, PS4, and PS Vita, and a ton of discounts, too.

Coming to the PlayStation Store this summer, the game is set in the Universal Century timeline.

Bundle to include 500GB PlayStation 3 with a copy of the game.

PS4 Games Thief ($59.99) You are Garrett, the master thief. Step into the silent shoes of Garrett, a dark and solitary thief with an unrivalled set of skills. The most challenging heists, the most inaccessible loot, the best kept secrets: nothing is out of your reach. The city is yours for the taking. Sneak through the streets, infiltrate heavily-guarded mansions and lurk in every dark corner… unnoticed and unsanctioned. Basement Crawl ($9.99) Enter the basement, explore dark, sinister arenas and be at one with the insanity. Bomberman inspired mechanics bring party games to the next generation level. Staying alive won’t be easy. The only way to survive is to become death itself, crushing all opponents. Fight with, or against your friends in a intensive, packed with action online and offline game modes. And remember, because of the horror-based graphics and themes, it’s best if you don’t play this game alone in the dark. You never know what might be hiding behind you. PS3 Games Thief ($59.99) You are Garrett, the master thief. Step into the silent shoes of Garrett, a dark and solitary thief with an unrivalled set of skills. The most challenging heists, the most inaccessible loot, the best kept secrets: nothing is out of your reach. The city is yours for the taking. Sneak through the streets, infiltrate heavily-guarded mansions and lurk in every dark corner… unnoticed and unsanctioned. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 ($59.99) Awoken after centuries of slumber, weakened and yearning for release from his immortal bonds, Dracula must reclaim his powers and make a pact with Death, to defeat Satan and gain eternal rest. Blood is everything as Dracula faces both his nemesis and his descendant’s unyielding quest for revenge, in this final, dramatic battle between good & evil. An epic fantasy adventure set in an expansive, modern-day world. Play as Dracula and discover the ultimate fate behind the ‘Lord of Shadow’ himself! Batman: Arkham Origins + Batman: Dark Knight Returns Movie (Bundle, US only) ($42.99) The game Batman: Arkham Origins features an expanded Gotham City and introduces an original prequel storyline set several years before the events of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City, the first two critically acclaimed games of the franchise. Taking place before the rise of Gotham City’s most dangerous criminals, the game showcases a young, unrefined Batman as he faces the defining moment of his early career and sets his path to becoming the Dark Knight.
The movie Batman: The Dark Knight Returns: Deluxe Edition (plus Bonus Features) features the sweeping saga of rebirth, revenge and redemption from the chronicles of the DC Universe. Now, for the first time, witness the legend of The Dark Knight Returns, presented as an over two-hour unabridged and seamless animated feature. Tales of Symphonia Chronicles (Bundle) ($39.99) Experience the complete Tales of Symphonia adventure like never before with Tales of Symphonia Chronicles.

The original Tales of Symphonia series has been remastered with enhanced visuals, additional content and a dual audio track including both English and Japanese voices and the original Japanese theme songs.

Tales of Symphonia ($19.99) Follow Lloyd and the ‘Chosen’ Colette as they embark on the Journey of Regeneration, a quest to save the world. The original role playing classic returns with remastered visuals, additional content and a dual audio track including the original Japanese voices and theme songs. Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World ($19.99) In the aftermath of the world regeneration, a new conflict awaits. A young timid boy, Emil, confronts the heroes of the past to save a world on the brink of destruction. He pledges himself as the ‘Knight of Ratatosk’ and sets out on a journey to protect a mysterious girl named Marta. The sequel to the original Tales of Symphonia returns with remastered visuals and a dual audio track including the original Japanese voices and theme songs. Magus ($24.99) Since the creation of the world, and of mankind, obeisance to the gods and their whims was the focal point of the lives of all who inhabit the lands created by the divine. However, as the gods disappeared from people’s daily lives, their power and influence began to wane, and cynicism and secularism replaced piety and belief. Amidst the world’s slow abandonment of the gods, a profoundly devotee and servant of the gods named Kinna infiltrated one the many prisons of the Waterfall Realm in hopes of finding one who would become a god. Encountering Magus, a prisoner who has spent his entire life incarcerated, she believes that she has found who she was sent to look for. Pac-Man Museum ($19.99) Whether it’s your first time playing or you are a PAC-MAN expert, catch up on your PAC-MAN history! It’s fever time! PAC-MAN stars in a nostalgia-packed collection of the greatest PAC-MAN games of all time. PAC-MAN MUSEUM will include classic PAC-MAN titles as well as newer releases, allowing gamers to play through the evolution of PAC-MAN from his humble beginnings from 1980 through current hits like PAC-MAN Championship Edition and PAC-MAN Battle Royale. PS Vita Games Mahjong 2 World Contest ($4.99) Take part in a Mahjong contest. Complete over 100 unique levels of different difficulty and dynamics to gain experience and earn points. Plunge yourself into the myriads of golden tiles! Improve your rank and progress through the game hierarchy. PSOne Classic Herc’s Adventures ($5.99) Purchase this PS one Classic and play it on both your PS3, PS Vita and PSP! Greece has gone downhill since Hades kidnapped Persephone. Help rescue her and return Greece to the happening place it used to be! Apps WWE (PS4/PS3) Download the FREE WWE app now and – if you’re a subscriber – enjoy instant and unlimited access to:

- 24/7 streaming content with both scheduled programming and an on-demand library that you can access everywhere
- All 12 WWE live pay-per-views – including WrestleMania 30
- Groundbreaking original series, reality shows and documentaries
- The most comprehensive video on demand library featuring all WWE, WCW and ECW pay-per-views and classic matches uncut and uncensored
- Replays of Raw and SmackDown episodes

Crackle (PS Vita) Download Crackle to watch Hollywood Movies & hit TV Shows for free on PS Vita. Crackle delivers full-length, uncut movies and shows in the genres you crave: Action, anime, comedy, crime, horror, music, thriller and sci-fi. No signup, no fees, just hundreds of Movies & TV Shows such as Seinfeld & Pineapple Express. Additional movies added frequently. Redbox Instant Last Tuesday, we came to you and asked what you’d like to see streaming most on Redbox Instant by Verizon’s The Playlist collection for your PS3 and PS4. Critic’s Pick was selected as the winner by the PlayStation Community. Check out the category in the Redbox Instant by Verizon app to see which movies we included. Watch Redbox Instant by Verizon on both PS3 and PS4. Demos

Pac-Man Museum (PS3)

PlayStation Plus

PS Vita Anniversary Sale Title Plus Price Original Price CASTLESTORM $4.89 $6.99 CASTLESTORM $4.89 $6.99 CASTLESTORM COMPLETE EDITION $6.99 $9.99 CASTLESTORM FROM OUTCAST TO SAVIOR $1.39 $1.99 CASTLESTORM FROM OUTCAST TO SAVIOR $1.39 $1.99 CASTLESTORM THE WARRRIOR QUEEN $1.39 $1.99 CASTLESTORM THE WARRRIOR QUEEN $1.39 $1.99 HOTLINE MIAMI $2.5 $4.99 HOTLINE MIAMI $2.5 $4.99 VELOCITY ULTRA $2.09 $3.49 SUMIONI: DEMON ARTS $4.89 $6.99 ORGARHYTHM $4.89 $6.99 RAGNAROK ODYSSEY $14.69 $20.99 VALHALLA KNIGHTS 3 $14.69 $20.99 STICK IT TO THE MAN $6.29 $8.99 STICK IT TO THE MAN $6.29 $8.99 MACHINARIUM $1.75 $3.49 PROTEUS $4.19 $6.99 PROTEUS $4.19 $6.99 KILLZONE MERCENARY $17.49 $24.99 ESCAPE PLAN PS4 $7.34 $10.49 ESCAPE PLAN PS VITA $7.34 $10.49 OPEN ME! $4.89 $6.99 MALICIOUS REBIRTH $7.34 $10.49 FLOW PS4 $2.79 $3.99 FLOW PS3 $2.79 $3.99 FLOW PS VITA $2.79 $3.99 FLOWER PS4 $3.49 $4.99 FLOWER PS3 $3.49 $4.99 FLOWER PS VITA $3.49 $4.99 Other Sales Title Plus Price Original Price Velocity Ultra $2.39 $3.99 STARHAWK $10.49 $14.99 Price Changes Title New Price Original Price Far Cry 3 $19.99 $29.99 Far Cry 3: Far Cry 3 Ultimate Edition $24.99 $34.99 Muramasa Rebirth $24.99 $34.99 Rayman Legends (PS Vita) $26.99 $35.99 Sales

Back to 2013 Sale

Title PS Plus Price Sale Price Original Price Diablo III $35.99 $39.99 $59.99 Dragon’s Crown (PS Vita) $17.49 $24.99 $39.99 Dragon’s Crown (PS3) $17.49 $24.99 $49.99 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City $4.89 $6.99 $9.99 Guacamelee! (Cross-buy) $7.34 $10.49 $14.99 Injustice Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition (PS Vita) $14.69 $20.99 $29.99 Injustice Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition (PS3) $24.49 $34.99 $49.99 Injustice Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition (PS4) $24.49 $34.99 $49.99 Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch $6.99 $9.99 $19.99 Persona 2: Eternal Punishment $3.49 $4.99 $9.99 Persona 4 Arena $7.50 14.99 $29.99 Rayman Legends $29.39 $41.99 $59.99 Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time (PS Vita) $13.29 $18.99 $35.99 Spelunky (Cross-buy) $7.34 $10.49 $14.99 Super Motherload (Cross Buy) $3.75 $7.49 $14.99 Tales of Xillia $14.99 $19.99 $39.99 Terraria (PS3) $5.99 $9.99 $14.99 The Walking Dead: Season 2 – Ep. 1, All That Remains $2.79 $3.99 $4.99 The Walking Dead: Season 2 – Season Pass $10.49 $14.99 $19.99 The Wolf Among Us – Episode 1: Faith $2.39 $3.99 $4.99 The Wolf Among Us Season Pass $8.99 $14.99 $19.99 WWE 2K14 $29.99 $39.99 $59.99

Other Sales

Title Sale Price Regular Price Asphalt $6.49 $26.99 Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines – Digital $2.49 $19.99 Brothers In Arms: D-Day $2.49 $19.99 Carnivores: Ice Age $1.99 $3.99 Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs $7.49 $29.99 Dragon’s Crown – Into The Labyrinth Theme $1.49 $1.99 Dragon’s Crown PS Vita – Storyteller Voice Pack $1.49 $1.99 Dragon’s Crown PS3 – Storyteller Voice Pack $1.49 $1.99 Driver 76 $4.99 $19.99 Dungeon Hunter Alliance $6.49 $26.99 Game Of Thrones (PS3 Full Game – D&D) $6.99 $19.99 Lumines 3 $6.49 $26.99 Mind Quiz $2.49 $9.99 Odin Sphere (Ps2 Classic) Feb Sale (Other) $4.99 $9.99 Petz Dogz Family $7.49 $29.99 Petz Hamsterz Bunch – Digital $7.49 $29.99 Petz Saddle Club $7.49 $29.99 Prince Of Persia: Revelations $2.49 $9.99 Prince Of Persia: Rival Swords $2.49 $9.99 Prince Of Persia: The Forgotten Sands $4.99 $14.99 Rayman Origins $6.49 $26.99 Starhawk $14.99 $39.99 Stella Deus (Ps2 Classic) Feb Sale (Other) $4.99 $9.99 Tom Clancy’s End War $2.49 $9.99 Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 $4.99 $19.99 Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Predator $4.99 $19.99 Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas $4.99 $19.99 Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Essentials $2.49 $9.99 Worms 2: Armageddon Trial $4.99 $14.99 Worms 2: Armageddon Trial: Worms2: Armageddon Battle Pack $2.49 $4.99 Worms 2: Armageddon Trial: Worms2: Armageddon Forts Pack $2.49 $4.99 Worms 2: Armageddon Trial: Worms2: Armageddon Game Of The Year $8.99 $27.49 Worms 2: Armageddon Trial: Worms2: Armageddon Puzzle Pack $2.49 $4.99 Worms 2: Armageddon Trial: Worms2: Armageddon Retro Pack $2.49 $4.99 Worms 2: Armageddon Trial: Worms2: Armageddon Time Attack $2.49 $4.99 PS4 Add-ons Battlefield 4

• Grenade Shortcut Kit (Free)
• Shotgun Shortcut Kit (Free for Premium members)

Need for Speed Rivals

• Concept Lamborghini – Cops ($3.99)
• Rivals Concept Lamborghini – Racers ($3.99)
• Concept Lamborghini Complete Pack ($5.99)

Thief

• Booster Pack: Bundle ($2.49)
• Booster Pack: Ghost ($0.99)
• Booster Pack: Opportunist ($0.99)
• Booster Pack: Predator ($0.99)
• The Forsaken Challenge Map ($4.99)

PS3 Add-ons Battlefield 4

• Grenade Shortcut Kit (Free)
• Shotgun Shortcut Kit (Free for Premium members)

Dust 514

• Amarr Combat Pack ($9.99)
• Caldari Combat Pack ($9.99)
• Gallente Combat Pack ($9.99)
• Minmatar Combat Pack ($9.99)

Earth Defense Force 2025

• Mission Pack 2 ($8.99, Free for Season Pass)

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

• The Premium Collection ($9.99)
• Divine Wear ($3.99)
• Moogle Lover ($3.99)
• Ultimate Savior ($3.99)

LittleBigPlanet 2

• Tearaway Minipack ($2.99)

LittleBigPlanet Karting

• Tearaway Minipack ($2.99)

Need for Speed Rivals

• Concept Lamborghini – Cops ($3.99)
• Rivals Concept Lamborghini – Racers ($3.99)
• Concept Lamborghini Complete Pack ($5.99)

Pac-Man Museum

• Ms. Pac-Man ($4.99)

Rocksmith 2014

• The Doors – Light My Fire ($2.99)
• The Doors – Riders On The Storm ($2.99)
• The Doors – Roadhouse Blues ($2.99)
• The Doors Song Pack ($7.99)

Thief

• Booster Pack: Bundle ($2.49)
• Booster Pack: Ghost ($0.99)
• Booster Pack: Opportunist ($0.99)
• Booster Pack: Predator ($0.99)

PS Vita Add-ons Muramasa Rebirth

• Genroku Legends – A Cause To Daikon For ($4.99)

LittleBigPlanet PS Vita

• Tearaway Minipack ($2.99)

Tearaway

• LittleBigPlanet Sticker Pack ($1.99)

PS3 Avatars

• 18 Item Variety Super Pack ($5.99)
• 9 Bundle Super Pack ($3.99)
• 9 Bundle Value Super Pack ($3.99)
• 9 Bundle Variety Super Pack ($3.99)
• Do Not Disturb I’m Gaming Avatar ($0.99)
• Galaxy Avatar ($0.99)
• Mountain Cat Eye Avatar ($0.99)
• NBA 2K14 – Chicago Bulls Avatar ($0.49)
• NBA 2K14 – Cleveland Cavaliers Avatar ($0.49)
• NBA 2K14 – Denver Nuggets Avatar ($0.49)
• NBA 2K14 – Detroit Pistons Avatar ($0.49)
• NBA 2K14 – Indiana Pacers Avatar ($0.49)
• NBA 2K14 – Milwaukee Bucks Avatar ($0.49)
• NBA 2K14 – Minnesota Timberwolves Avatar ($0.49)
• NBA 2K14 – Oklahoma City Thunder Avatar ($0.49)
• NBA 2K14 – Portland Trail Blazers Avatar ($0.49)
• NBA 2K14 – Utah Jazz Avatar ($0.49)
• Shadow Bull Avatar ($0.99)
• Skull Hip Hop Avatar ($0.99)
• Skull Smoke Green Avatar ($0.99)
• Sky Diving Avatar ($0.99)
• VIP Avatar ($1.99)
• Wolf Avatar ($0.99)
• Zombie Army Avatar ($0.99)

PS3 Themes

• 4 Horsemen Dynamic Theme ($2.99)
• Alabama Varsity Static ($1.99)
• Alone in the Darkness Dynamic Theme ($2.99)
• Anime Beach Vacation Dynamic Theme ($2.99)
• Anonymous Rockers: Billy Dynamic Theme ($2.99)
• Anonymous Rockers: The Demon V2 Dynamic Theme ($2.99)
• Arkansas Varsity Static ($1.99)
• Auburn Varsity Static ($1.99)
• Azmodeus Dark Angels Epic Dynamic Theme ($2.99)
• CASTLEVANIA: LORDS OF SHADOW 2 THEME (NEW) ($1.99)
• Clemson Varsity Static ($1.99)
• Death Trip Dynamic Theme ($2.99)
• Epic Dynamic Dragon Premium Theme ($2.99)
• Florida State Varsity Static ($1.99)
• Florida Varsity Static ($1.99)
• Georgia Varsity Static ($1.99)
• Hellcat Dynamic Theme ($2.99)
• Illinois Varsity Static ($1.99)
• Kansas Varsity Static ($1.99)
• Kentucky Varsity Static ($1.99)
• Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Hope Custom Theme ($1.99)
• Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Key Art Custom Theme ($1.99)
• Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Lightning Custom Theme ($1.99)
• Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Lumina Custom Theme ($1.99)
• Louisville Varsity Static ($1.99)
• Lsu Varsity Static ($1.99)
• Miami Varsity Static ($1.99)
• Michigan Varsity Static ($1.99)
• Seals and Sea Lions Static Theme ($1.49)
• Snow and Ice Static Theme ($1.49)
• Spring Break Dynamic Theme ($2.99)
• Tulips Static Theme ($1.49)
• Yellowstone Static Theme ($1.49)

IGN can confirm that layoffs have swept through Sony-owned Santa Monica Studio, possibly causing the cancellation of one of its projects.

Tecmo-Koei announced that a new entry in its Dynasty Warriors: Gundam mecha brawler series is coming to North America and Europe this summer for the PlayStation 3.

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn features a variety of playable scenarios inspired by the past 30 years of Gundam anime and manga, including a collection of missions based on the Mobile Suit Gundam SEED series. A trio of games preceded Reborn on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, with Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3 hitting both platforms in 2011. Reborn is the first series entry to premiere exclusively for the PS3.

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn will launch digitally via the PlayStation Network in North America. Players in Europe can choose between a downloadable copy and a region-exclusive retail release. [Image: Tecmo-Koei]

Many of you are probably looking forward to the final film in The Hobbit Trilogy, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, hitting theaters in December – I know I am. That’s why at PlayStation, we’re excited to announce that a new LEGO The Hobbit PlayStation 3 bundle is heading to Middle-earth – er, sorry – heading to North America. The bundle comes with a 500GB PS3 system and LEGO The Hobbit, the latest LEGO game inspired by the first two Hobbit films. The bundle hits store shelves this Spring for $269 (MSRP).

The PS3 bundle is perfect for gamers of all ages. You can join Bilbo, Gandalf, and Thorin Oakenshield’s Company of Dwarves as they journey across Middle-earth on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Kingdom of Erebor from the Dragon Smaug. Visit some of the film trilogy’s most iconic locations, including The Shire, Rivendell, and the Misty Mountains, where Bilbo first meets Gollum and discovers The One Ring. Along the way, you can test your mettle with Treasure Quests, mine for gems, discover loot from enemies and craft powerful magical items. The game offers a different take on The Hobbit film universe, infusing the legendary journey with the familiar humorous gags we have come to love from LEGO games, as well as the ability to build immense new LEGO structures.

Like Gandalf, we’re looking for someone to share in the adventure. Join us!

An ESRB rating means the duo's 2013 PS3 game is likely coming to Vita.

Persona 5 -- easily the most-anticipated upcoming JRPG -- is officially coming westward, exclusively on PlayStation 3. You'll just have to wait a bit.

In addition to the big news confirming Persona 5's western release window comes word of the other three Persona games in development.

Right everyone, this is it. Basement Crawl is landing on PS4 March 25th, which means that you can grab the game on PlayStation Store after it updates this afternoon. We have been pretty secretive about what we have been planning over the past few weeks, but just stay right there because it’s time to let you guys know what’s up.

First though, a quick recap for those of you who don’t know what this game that looks kinda like Bomberman on an acid trip is.

Basement Crawl is multiplayer, PS4-exclusive, fast paced, grid based death. It’s inspired by the likes of Bomberman and Spy vs. Spy, as well as more than a few horror movies. It features 4-player local multiplayer, 8 players online, or a mix of the two so you and a few friends play locally against a group of strangers online.

So, what have we been doing the past month? We’ve been taking feedback we got from journalists about Basement Crawl and building on it. We changed the way bombs react when kicked or when they crash into another player to make it a more fluid and balanced system. We also worked on the the game’s aesthetics — the feedback we recieved was positive, especially for the minamilistic on-screen display, but we did have a complaint from one journalist (I’m looking at you Chris Bratt) about the leaderboards covering the entire screen when viewed. We addressed this by adding a small indicator on the screen, eliminating the need for a large scoreboard.

I know you guys probably have questions about the game — details I might have missed, what the best bomb or power up is, and more about what you’ll get for your hard-earned $9.99. So feel free to ask away, I will be lurking around the comments and will answer any questions you guys have.

Ubisoft has confirmed the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of South Park: The Stick of Truth have been censored in Europe.

This post is about Road Not Taken, Spry Fox’s upcoming roguelike for PS4 & PS Vita. If this is your first time hearing about RNT, check out our trailers here!

As we’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, Road Not Taken has procedurally-generated levels. That is, you get a completely new experience every time you venture into the forest. When designing a game like Bioshock or God of War, a designer must hand-select the placement of every corridor, every object, and every enemy in the game. With Road Not Taken, we’re not hand-selecting anything. We spend our time creating interesting objects and enemies, and then carefully defining the probabilities of when and where you will encounter them.

The process reminds me of Duchamp’s painting ‘Nude descending a Staircase, No. 2’. For thousands of years, humanity painted a single instant, captured in time. Duchamp, inspired by advances in motion pictures, decided to paint all the possible states of a woman walking down the stairs in a single painting. To me, designing a roguelike is a little bit like that. Instead defining a single level, we use algorithms to define all possible levels at once.

Generating a level one pass at a time

The level generation system builds each level by laying down multiple passes of increasing detail. Each pass tweaks the balance of the level and gets it a little bit closer to the final state that the player will experience in the game. A single generated level in Road Not Taken is built up out of five distinct passes.

Pass one: Lay out the rooms

In Road Not Taken, the forests you’re adventuring through are a simple grid of grids. For example, a forest level might be a 3 by 4 grid of rooms, with each room being a single 6 by 8 tiled screen. One of the forest rooms – the top leftmost one – is labeled as the starting location.

At this stage, we also set some constraints, such the the number of children you’ll rescue, the minimum number of parents on the map, and a targeted difficulty. These variables shape the rest of the map.

It seems simple, but selecting the right numbers is a slow and painstaking process. We have to find all the values that yield broken (or not-fun) levels and eliminate them. So I spend a large portion of my days setting various numbers really high or really low, and then play the resulting levels to see how they feel. Through this process of elimination I learn things, such as “collecting 100 children is a total drag.” But collecting just 1 child is boring, too. Is there something in the middle that works? Tweak by tweak, a fun experience comes into focus.

The exciting part when dealing with original game mechanics is that no one (myself included) knows what constraints will feel good. Sometimes the answers surprise me, so I try not to make too many assumptions. I just dig in, make hundreds of ugly levels, and explore the unknown in hopes of stumbling on something surprising and delightful.

Pass two: Add blocked paths

Each room has an entryway that is blocked by boulders. That path can only be unblocked by a specific object that must be collected into a matching set by the player. For example, you might need to gather and group five trees of a certain type in order to unblock the passageway. We can, theoretically, make almost any object in the game (in any quantity) the key to these doors, though some end up being more fun than others.

So we look at the target difficulty for the room, then look at the set of available lock objects, then pick one for a door. The lock objects are placed in the room with the door. We repeat this step till all the paths in the forest are blocked off.

After we added this step during the prototyping phase, the game stopped being fun and we very nearly ceased to work on it. Unblocking the paths was a pleasant experience, but something subtle was missing. It just wasn’t fun enough.

Pass three: Move some lock objects out of the rooms

Cristian Soulos, our lead programmer, figured out how to keep things interesting. He realized that Road Not Taken would be more fun if all the pieces you needed to solve a puzzle weren’t just sitting right in front you. So he spread the lock objects for some of the doors into different rooms. This forces you to search and explore the forest if you want to unblock every path and rescue every child. (I always imagine the computer giggling evilly at this step.)

As soon as we added this to the level generation system, Road Not Taken went from being fun to play for 10 minutes to being fun to play for hours. The lesson here is that when working on original game mechanics, it often isn’t obvious what will be fun up front.

Pass four: Add goal objects and critical crafting ingredients to the rooms

This is the point where the children, parents and critical crafting ingredients are added to specific locations in the forest. Rescuing those children is your primary goal; they are what changes Road Not Taken from a fun toy into a game that you can win. Crafting ingredients increase your chances of success — if you use them correctly — by giving you tools to more efficiently explore the forest and deal with enemy creatures.

Pass five: Add a dash of difficulty

In addition to the lock objects, we have challenge objects. These make your life more difficult by attacking, blocking, and/or confusing you. First we look at the target difficulty of the room, a simple number that increases as the player’s skill increases, and also increases over time. Then we fill up the rooms with objects and enemies that increase the forest’s difficulty till the target difficulty is met.

Each object has an expected difficulty and some constraints on how many can appear in a level. Objects also have rules dictating what they shouldn’t appear next to, and how deep into the forest they generally appear.

Not all objects show up all the time, so the player is forced to mix up their strategy. You may have started relying heavily on crafting potions, but on a map where the key ingredients for those potions don’t appear, you’ll need to use other tactics. Many objects in the forest have multiple uses, so you always have plenty of options, though you might need to experiment for a while to figure them all out.

Some interesting benefits of our procedural level generator

There’s a single difficulty slider: It takes a great deal of effort to tune it all correctly, but once we’ve done that, we can generate easier or harder levels with the change of a single number. I can testify that some of the harder forests in Road Not Taken are insanely brutal, even for me, the lead designer of the game. But they are also incredibly satisfying when you solve them!

Robust in face of new content: A short while ago, we added 10 really unique new objects and enemies to Road Not Taken. If this was a more traditional game with levels that have been entirely handcrafted, a change of that magnitude would likely have required weeks of additional rebalancing and level reworking. But in our procedural system, with a few minor adjustments, everything just worked. So now we have lots of freedom to try out fun new ideas without losing all our old work, which means we can put dozens or even hundreds of interesting objects and enemies in the game. It also means that, with a little luck, we can do lots of interesting updates after Road Not Taken is released!

The combinations continue to surprise me: There are trillions of different levels that can be generated within Road Not Taken. I’m constantly running across new scenarios that I wouldn’t have predicted. What happens when a raccoon spawns next to heavy stone blocks? Pure chaos… and not something I planned for.

Keeping it fun for ourselves as well as you

As a game developer, a little-discussed secret is how often we get tired of our own games since we end up playing them over and over again for months (or years) before release. But Road Not Taken keeps surprising me, and I’m not tired of it yet. :-)

We just finished another balancing pass and the game is really shaping up. At this point, we probably have most of the objects and enemies that will be in the game by the time we launch. Now there’s just a ton of polishing and minor feature work left to go. With any luck, we’ll be ready to launch sometime this Spring or Summer!

Take care,
Danc

PS. In case you haven’t seen it, we recently released a new live action teaser trailer for Road Not Taken. Check it out!

Hi PlayStation Community!

Last Tuesday, we came to you and asked what you’d like to see streaming most on Redbox Instant by Verizon’s The Playlist collection for your PS3 and PS4 systems.

It was an all-out battle of the themes between Critic’s Picks, It’s Crime Time, 80’s Faves and One Word Wonders, but ultimately Critic’s Picks came out on top with more than 300 votes. Since we crowned the winner this morning, our team has been hard at work scouring our catalog of thousands of movies to find you the best, award-winning and critically-acclaimed movies.

Check out The Playlist tomorrow for the new collection of movies we put together just for you. Thanks for your votes, and stream on Redhead Nation!

The classic franchise returns with alternate WW2 history, metal dogs, and a bad guy named "Deathshead."

Ubisoft executive teases that the next game in the franchise will feature her favorite historical era.

Kart racer joins Instant Game Collection, plus sales on 2013 and Vita games.

Play an oldschool text adventure to see Jared's favorite games of all time! Be warned: you might get eaten by a grue.

See how Rebellion is addressing the issues that have sometimes held their franchise back.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 and Professor Layton's final solo outing hit store shelves while IGN's pick for the best movie of 2013 comes to Blu-ray.

The developer of the acclaimed Papers, Please has revealed he wants to bring the title to Vita, but can't decide whether to outsource development.

One of the most adorable kart racers around is entering the PS Plus Instant Game Collection tomorrow: ModNation Racers: Road Trip for PS Vita. Customization is the name of the game here, and you’ll be able to modify your character, kart and even edit tracks easily with the PS Vita’s touch screen. Best of all, if you enjoyed ModNation Racers on PS3, you’ll be able to download your creations and use them in ModNation Racers: Road Trip.

You can download ModNation Racers: Road Trip after PlayStation Store updates tomorrow.

ModNation Racers: Road Trip (PS Vita)

Free for PS Plus members

Welcome to the never-ending season of ModNation kart racing, where competitive racing and community creativity collide. Whether you race for the fastest time, customize your own karts or tracks, or you discover new courses online – ModNation Racers gives you everything you need for your next “Road Trip!” We have put the creation at your fingertips…literally. Touch the screen and rear touch pad to raise or lower the terrain. Use common gestures to create or edit your Mod, Kart, or Track. If that wasn’t enough, you will have full access to all creations made on the PS3. That’s right, download and play with your favorite PS3 creations on your PlayStation®Network and take it whereever you go.

Title Plus Price Original Price CASTLESTORM $4.89 $6.99 CASTLESTORM $4.89 $6.99 CASTLESTORM COMPLETE EDITION $6.99 $9.99 CASTLESTORM FROM OUTCAST TO SAVIOR $1.39 $1.99 CASTLESTORM FROM OUTCAST TO SAVIOR $1.39 $1.99 CASTLESTORM THE WARRRIOR QUEEN $1.39 $1.99 CASTLESTORM THE WARRRIOR QUEEN $1.39 $1.99 HOTLINE MIAMI $2.5 $4.99 HOTLINE MIAMI $2.5 $4.99 VELOCITY ULTRA $2.09 $3.49 SUMIONI: DEMON ARTS $4.89 $6.99 ORGARHYTM $4.89 $6.99 RAGNAROK ODYSSEY $14.69 $20.99 VALHALLA KNIGHTS 3 $14.69 $20.99 STICK IT TO THE MAN $6.29 $8.99 STICK IT TO THE MAN $6.29 $8.99 MACHINARIUM $1.75 $3.49 PROTEUS $4.19 $6.99 PROTEUS $4.19 $6.99 KILLZONE MERCENARY $17.49 $24.99 ESCAPE PLAN PS4 $7.34 $10.49 ESCAPE PLAN PS VITA $7.34 $10.49 OPEN ME! $4.89 $6.99 MALICIOUS REBIRTH $7.34 $10.49 FLOW PS4 $2.79 $3.99 FLOW PS3 $2.79 $3.99 FLOW PS VITA $2.79 $3.99 FLOWER PS4 $3.49 $4.99 FLOWER PS3 $3.49 $4.99 FLOWER PS VITA $3.49 $4.99

Title Plus Price Original Price INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US ULTIMATE EDITION PS4 $24.49 $34.99 INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US ULTIMATE EDITION PS3 $24.49 $34.99 INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US ULTIMATE EDITION PS VITA $14.69 $20.99 SUPER MOTHERLOAD $3.75 $7.49 SUPER MOTHERLOAD $3.75 $7.49 THE WALKING DEAD: SEASON 2 – EP. 1, ALL THAT REMAINS $2.79 $3.99 THE WALKING DEAD: SEASON 2 – SEASON PASS $10.49 $14.99 NI NO KUNI: WRATH OF THE WHITE WITCH $6.99 $9.99 TERRARIA PS3 $5.99 $9.99 TERRARIA PS VITA $5.99 $9.99 GUACAMELEE! PS VITA $7.34 $10.49 GUACAMELEE! PS3 $7.34 $10.49 SLY COOPER: THIEVES IN TIME $13.29 $18.99 SPELUNKY PS3 $7.34 $10.49 SPELUNKY PS VITA $7.34 $10.49 WWE 2K14 $29.99 $39.99 PERSONA 4 ARENA $7.50 $14.99 DIABLO III $35.99 $39.99 DRAGON’S CROWN PS3 $17.49 $24.99 DRAGON’S CROWN PS VITA $17.49 $24.99 RAYMAN LEGENDS $29.39 $41.99 THE WOLF AMONG US SEASON PASS $8.99 $14.99 THE WOLF AMONG US – EPISODE 1: FAITH $2.39 $3.99 TALES OF XILLIA $14.99 $19.99 GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY $4.89 $6.99 PERSONA 2: ETERNAL PUNISHMENT $3.49 $4.99 Other Sales Title Plus Price Original Price Velocity Ultra $2.39 $3.99 STARHAWK $10.49 $14.99

Last Chance (Leaving on 3/4)

Instant Game Collection
METRO: LAST LIGHT
OUTLAST

Discounts
Adam’s Venture Chronicles
Adam’s Venture Chronicles Sound Track
CASTLESTORM
CASTLESTORM
CASTLESTORM COMPLETE EDITION
CASTLESTORM FROM OUTCAST TO SAVIOR
CASTLESTORM FROM OUTCAST TO SAVIOR
CASTLESTORM THE WARRRIOR QUEEN
CASTLESTORM THE WARRRIOR QUEEN
HOTLINE MIAMI
HOTLINE MIAMI
VELOCITY ULTRA
SUMIONI: DEMON ARTS
ORGARHYTM
RAGNAROK ODYSSEY
VALHALLA KNIGHTS 3
STICK IT TO THE MAN
STICK IT TO THE MAN
MACHINARIUM
PROTEUS
PROTEUS
KILLZONE MERCENARY
ESCAPE PLAN PS4
ESCAPE PLAN PS VITA
OPEN ME!
MALICIOUS REBIRTH
FLOW PS4
FLOW PS3
FLOW PS VITA
FLOWER PS4
FLOWER PS3
FLOWER PS VITA
VELOCITY ULTRA
INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US ULTIMATE EDITION PS4
INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US ULTIMATE EDITION PS3
INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US ULTIMATE EDITION PS VITA
SUPER MOTHERLOAD
SUPER MOTHERLOAD
THE WALKING DEAD: SEASON 2 – EP. 1, ALL THAT REMAINS
THE WALKING DEAD: SEASON 2 – SEASON PASS
NI NO KUNI: WRATH OF THE WHITE WITCH
TERRARIA PS3
TERRARIA PS VITA
GUACAMELEE! PS VITA
GUACAMELEE! PS3
SLY COOPER: THIEVES IN TIME
SPELUNKY PS3
SPELUNKY PS VITA
WWE 2K14
PERSONA 4 ARENA
DIABLO III
DRAGON’S CROWN PS3
DRAGON’S CROWN PS VITA
THE WOLF AMONG US SEASON PASS
THE WOLF AMONG US – EPISODE 1: FAITH
TALES OF XILLIA
GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY
PERSONA 2: ETERNAL PUNISHMENT

If you’ve got feedback on today’s Plus update make sure vote in the poll and leave a comment below. To discuss all things PlayStation, including this update, you can also head over to the PlayStation Community Forums where you’ll find topics you can contribute your thoughts to, or start one for yourself.

Wolfenstein: The New Order pits players against seemingly insurmountable odds in a skewed 1960′s where the Nazis conquered the world. An FPS that’s old-school in all the best ways, it eschews modern niceties — no recharging shields here — in favor of merciless, finely honed shooting.

Our recent hands-on experiences with the PS4 version pointed to an invigoratingly confident single-player shooter of a distinctly different breed. Case in point: Original FPS hero B.J. Blazkowicz goes to battle with 100 health, which you’ll top off by collecting medkits and gorging on food scattered throughout levels. This traditional damage model combines with modern-day visuals, a surprisingly satisfying story, and strong character progression to create a unique and refreshing take on the genre. Old meets new, but in the best of ways.

Old-school in all the best ways

Clicking DualShock 4’s touchpad pulls up BJ’s journal. The Perks section drew particular attention. Rather than accruing experience points, you’ll unlock perks by completing specific challenges. Specialize in a particular weapon, and you’ll gain related skills in the skill tree’s Stealth, Tactical, Assault and Demolition sections. And depending on your playstyle, you’ll fill out some branches more quickly than others.

In terms of storytelling, The New Order seeks to similarly recalibrate the idea of the FPS by weaving a tale with unexpected turns, meaningful relationships, and diabolical antagonists. You’ll face tough choices, too. No spoilers, but at one point I put the controller down in hopes that the game would make a decision for me (it didn’t).

This reboot is a gutsy move

The arsenal is predictably expansive. Even the pistol BJ brandishes is massive and imposing, not to mention the myriad rifles, shotguns, machine guns and turrets you’ll employ. What’s more, BJ can dual-wield nearly any weapon in the game, which comes at the cost of some accuracy but is often worth the price of admission: hosing down a crowd of unsuspecting Nazis with akimbo assault rifles or full-auto machine guns is an experience you won’t soon forget. Another touch I appreciated was the ability to unmount and carry turrets, which you can warm up with L2 before unleashing a torrent of hot death.

MachineGames‘ Wolfenstein reboot takes place in an alternate reality, and feels like it was devloped in one too. It’s a gutsy move that asks, “what if shooters evolved differently?” Find out for yourself when the game ships on PS4 and PS3 May 20th.

Hey PlayStation Fans: Perkins Miller, EVP Digital Media for WWE, here and I’m very excited to announce that WWE Network, the first-ever, 24/7 streaming network, will be available on PS3 and PS4 starting today! If you didn’t catch our announcement earlier this year, WWE Network will feature all 12 WWE live pay-per-view events – including WrestleMania – for $9.99 per month with a six month commitment.

WWE Network will also include groundbreaking original programming, reality shows, documentaries, classic matches and more than 1,000 hours of video on demand at launch. This is the perfect time to get the app and sign up, especially with WrestleMania 30 right around the corner. You can find WWE Network in the Apps section of the PlayStation Store on both PS3 and PS4 later today and visit wwe.com to learn more.

The creator of DayZ has revealed he intends to hand the game over to his team's care by the end of the year, and pursue new ventures.

Sony has announced all DLC available for Gran Turismo 5 will be removed from sale once the game's online services are shut down.

Safely tucked at the end of this week’s show is our long-awaited spoilercast for The Last of Us: Left Behind, with Naughty Dogs Bruce Straley and Neal Druckmann discussing the creative process and challenges in developing a downloadable follow-up to the 2013 game of the year. Today’s show also features new PS4 interviews for Helldivers and Daylight, a guest appearance by World Wide Studios SVP Scott Rohde, topped off with next week’s new releases. Enjoy!

Subscribe via iTunes or RSS, or download here

Stuff We Talked About

• The Last of Us: Left Behind
• Helldivers
• Daylight
• TxK

Recent Episodes

• Episode 109: Podcast Evolved
• Episode 108: The Brave and the Gold
• Episode 107: Dark Souls 2025
• Episode 107: Dark Souls 2025
• Episode 106: The Dark Souls of Podcasts

Send us questions and tips: blogcast@playstation.sony.com or leave a voice message! 650-288-6706 The Cast

• Sid Shuman – PlayStation Social Media Manager
• Justin Massongill – PlayStation Social Media Specialist
• Ryan Clements – PlayStation Social Media Specialist

[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]

• Thanks to Cory Schmitz for our beautiful logo and Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music.