This week's PlayStation Network content update is now live. You'll find downloads for Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition and Dragonball Z: Battle of Z, as well as the option to pre-order Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII ahead of its February 11 launch. There's also a pretty tempting cross-buy enabled Curve Studios bundle, which includes Thomas Was Alone, Stealth Inc., Lone Survivor and Proteus.
PS Plus subscribers can grab a free copy of Smart As..., a brain-training game for the PS VIta starring John Cleese, and all PSN users can sift through deals on select Final Fantasy and Assassin's Creed content this week. Permanent price drops have been extended to Batman: Arkham Origins, Grid 2, Killer is Dead and more, so hit up the PlayStation Blog if you want the full rundown.
Image: Square Enix
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number will be available sometime between July and the end of September; the game's official Twitter account locked in a Q3 launch window today.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number takes place before and after the events of the first game, which saw a nameless protagonist fulfilling murder requests left on his answering machine. The sequel ditches the 80s aesthetic of its predecessor for a more touchy-feely early 90s vibe - a large part of the game will be about touching characters' faces with baseball bats and feeling their life force drain away.
The first Hotline Miami launched in October 2012 to critical acclaim and commercial success. After making its debut on PC, the game was ported over to PS Vita and PS3 in February of last year, while a Mac version followed a month later. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number will be available on PS4, PS Vita, PC, Linux and Mac OSX.
In two years' time, movie theaters are going to look a whole lot like the PlayStation 2 Greatest Hits library. Sony announced on Tuesday that it is preparing a computer animated movie based on Sucker Punch Productions' Sly Cooper series, the latest in a string of in-production movies based on the SCE's gaming franchises. The movie will be directed by Kevin Munroe, who directed the 2007 animated TMNT feature, and crafted by Rainmaker.
Sly Cooper the movie will delve deeper into the raccoon thief's past than previous games (though not quite so far back as in 2013's Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time.) An origin story where Sly first finds out about his family's history as master crooks, the flick will follow him and his buddies Bentley the hacker turtle and Murray the wrestling pink hippo as they reassemble the Thievius Raccoonus, the Cooper family book of secret pilfering techniques.
This video for Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster explores the additional goodies that Collector's and Limited Edition buyers can expect when the remakes arrive on March 18, including the bonus artbook and visual soundtrack found in the Collector's Edition of the game.
In PlayStation Vita game Monster Monpiece, players increase the powers of collectible cards by vigorously rubbing pictures of young women until their clothes come off. This suggestive, borderline pornographic stroking mechanic is doing much more than revealing cartoon skin — it's obfuscating the highly entertaining card battles that make up the true heart of the game. Read more...
Sony has announced it will perform PlayStation Network maintenance on Monday, January 27, beginning at 9:30 AM Pacific (12:30 PM Eastern). The downtime is expected to run for six hours, until 3:30 PM Pacific (6:30 PM Eastern).
"If you've signed in to PlayStation Network any time since January 20th you will be able to play games online and access partner apps such as Netflix during this maintenance period," a forum post from PlayStation Senior Community Manager Paul Sullivan announced yesterday. The scheduled maintenance will disable access to the PlayStation Store, PlayStation Home and account management sections of PlayStation devices.
Sony suggests players log into the PlayStation Network prior to January 27 to ensure they can access their favorite online content. If your favorite online content includes running Battlefield 4 issue-free, however, maybe throw a prayer to the gods of networking into the mix.
PSN Europe has a big Final Fantasy sale going on, probably big enough to be deemed a Sala, if not quite a Salaga. With such a big FF sale, you'd think there was a major new entry in the series on the way, or something.
Among the highlights are FFs 1-2 and 5-9, each half-price at £4, FF4: Complete Collection at £8, and FF14: A Realm Reborn for £16.23 standard or a £20 collector's edition. The full list of discounts is on the PlayStation Blog, and the sale ends on February 5.
February. The month of Valentine's Day. It conjures images of chocolate, flowers, Hallmark cards and, if you're a PlayStation Plus member living in Europe, a lot of pants-wetting terror. Sony has revealed the February freebies for Europe's PS Plus members, and if it's scares and depression you're looking for on V-Day - and really, who isn't - Sony has you covered.
PS3 owners have two paths toward depression: They can take to the skies and visit 1912's most famous flying city, Columbia, in BioShock Infinite, or hop aboard the monster-ridden metro in Metro: Last Light. Vita owners have a decidedly more light-hearted journey ahead, as they'll have both Dynasty Warriors Next and ModNation Racers: Road Trip available to play.
Lastly, PS4 owners will get their chance to explore Mount Massive Asylum as journalist and all-around unlucky fellow Miles Upshur in Outlast. It should be noted however that Outlast will not be available in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, India or Turkey, and the game is still awaiting classification by German and Australian ratings boards.
Unsung Story publisher Playdek has reorganized its Kickstarter stretch goals in response to backer feedback, giving the game's PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS ports higher priority over other previously-announced funding milestones.
If funding reaches $1 million, Playdek will begin production on a PlayStation Vita port, and will hire on Final Fantasy 12 composer Hitoshi Sakimoto to score the project. Playdek additionally announced that a PlayStation 4 version of Unsung Story will be developed if funding reaches $1.25 million. A total of $1.5 million will ensure development of a Nintendo 3DS port.
Helmed by Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story director Yasumi Matsuno, Unsung Story will bring its unit-focused tactical strategy gameplay to Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android platforms in 2015. Playdek is currently exploring the possibility of cross-platform play. Unsung Story's Kickstarter currently sits at just under $400,000 earned toward its initial funding goal of $600,000, with 23 days left in the campaign.
Headlining this week's PSN update is OlliOlli, the tricksy skateboarding sim from Roll7. The Vita game is the one new release proper - flip to our four-star review for the lowdown.
Staying on wheels, Grid 2 gets a DLC-stuffed Reloaded edition that bundles in two circuits and 25 cars. If you'd prefer something more on foot, PSOne slice-em-up Lucifer Ring is waiting in the wings; its arrival on PSN is the first time it's been released outside of Japan.
Outside of releases, Joystiq Top 10 of 2013 entry Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is free now to Plus subscribers. The puzzle-platformer is joined in the Instant Game Collection by Worms: Battle Island on Vita. There are also demos of Lightning Returns and Toukiden: The Age of Demons to check out.
For the full list of this week's content, hop on over to the PlayStation Blog.
Japanese indie developer Creative Intelligence Arts has renewed the quest to crowdfund its JRPG Project Phoenix, following up on its million-dollar Kickstarter campaign with an additional funding push via PayPal. The studio has since reworked its reward tiers, announcing an array of additional bonuses to entice new backers.
Boasting an all-star development staff consisting of director Hiroaki Yura, artist Kiyoshi Arai, and Final Fantasy series composer Nobuo Uematsu, Project Phoenix seeks to unite traditional JRPG design with squad-based RTS gameplay. The final product is set for release in 2015 for Windows, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, and PS Vita.
Developer Creative Intelligence Arts hopes that additional funding will propel the project toward its remaining stretch goals, which include advanced skill trees, bonus side-stories, and multiplayer options. Project Phoenix has earned $1,086,659 from its Kickstarter and PayPal funding campaigns to date, and its highest stretch goals require additional contributions in excess of $3 million.
A teacher at Nordahl Grieg Upper Secondary School in Bergen, Norway, is using Telltale's The Walking Dead video game to help teach students ethics. Norwegian news station NRK has a report you can watch above, but we suggest turning on captions - unless you speak Norwegian.
As part of his religious studies class, Tobias Staaby has students take anonymous polls which are centered around events of the game. When Glenn wants to save a woman trapped at a motel for example, Staaby asks his students if it's the "right thing" to do.
"I want a good catalyst for discussions about ethical theories or ethical dilemmas," Staaby told NRK. "This game provides the students with a space they can navigate and discuss within based on the curriculum." Staaby said he hopes his method will become more common as time goes on. We're inclined to agree, and who says it needs to be limited to ethics classes? Imagine Business 404: Zombies and You. Yeah. You're welcome.
Furthering its efforts to embrace the ubiquity of iOS devices, Sony has ported a handful of minigames found in Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time from their original home on the PlayStation 3 and Vita handheld to iOS.
Dubbed "Bentley's Hackpack," the free mobile release features three minigames. "Spark Runner" sees players maneuvering a spark through an electronics-themed course, "Alter Ego" is a side-scrolling shooter set inside increasingly complex mazes and "System Cracker" asks players to blow up virtual enemies from the comfort of a small tank. Those who have played Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time will recall each of these diversions as short minigames, though a later standalone release on both PS3 and Vita offered more fleshed-out versions of the trio.
As Game Informer notes, the debut of Bentley's Hackpack continues a trend of Sony issuing short, tie-in games on iOS. In November, the publisher released a match-three puzzle game linked to PlayStation 4 launch title Knack.
Tecmo Koei plans to resurrect its long-dormant Deception series with the upcoming Deception 4: Blood Ties, due to hit the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita in March.
Released for the PSOne in 1996, Tecmo's Deception was a first-person action-RPG in which players forged a pact with Satan and tormented hapless do-gooders by constructing a trap-filled castle. It was rad. A sequel, Kagero: Deception 2, debuted in 1998, and the series' most recent entry, Trapt, hit the PlayStation 2 in 2005.
Deception 4 follows in the steps of its predecessors, featuring gameplay that revolves around setting up deadly traps and springing them on pursuers. Trap types range from sadistic (spiked walls, iron maidens) to goofy (falling bathtubs, banana peels) and players can upload replay videos of particularly nasty (or darkly hilarious) trap combos online to share with friends.
Deception 4 will launch in North America on March 25. A European release will follow on March 28.
A pig with a man's head eating a corpse? Creepy. Coming to the PlayStation 4 and Vita, Kodoku is a self-published horror game from the fine folks at Carnivore Studio, and not the bastard child of a gaming website and popular number puzzles. Until we have more information, I am going to assume the basic premise is the same. Read more...
You shouldn't need additional reasons to pick up Guacamelee (a game we awarded 4 of 5 stars) but just in case you remain on the fence, developer Drinkbox Studios has announced the content-packed "Guacamelee Bundle Fantastico."
Headlining the Bundle Fantastico is the game itself, which is cross-play compatible with both the PlayStation 3 and the Vita handheld. Additionally, the collection includes both the Costume Pack and El Diablo's Domain DLC releases. The former offers new outfits for the game's protagonist which alter how the game plays, from granting you infinite stamina to reducing the power of certain attacks. El Diablo's Domain adds 17 new trials to Guacamelee designed to test the skills of those who have mastered the game's Metroid-meets-lucha libre controls.
Rounding out the Bundle Fantastico are three Guacamelee themes for your PS3, 10 Guacamelee avatars, and a remastered soundtrack including 30 mariachi-inspired tracks from the game as well as four additional remixes.
Drinkbox claims the Guacamelee Bundle Fantastico should appear on the Sony Entertainment Network later today. Once available, the bundle will feature a $20 price tag - making it $5 more expensive than purchasing Guacamelee by itself.
The weekly PlayStation update introduces the PS3 to Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation HD and the Guacamelee Bundle Fantastico.
PS Plus members can download BioShock Infinite for free on PS3, and enjoy added discounts in the 14 for 14 sale, which sees 14 "celebrated" PS3 and PS Vita games discounted until January 20. You'll find cheap downloads for Puppeteer, Tales of Xillia and many more, on top of permanent price changes for Dead Space 3 and Army of Two The Devil's Cartel.
For the full list of this week's content, head on over to the PlayStation Blog.
Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy 12 designer Yasumi Matsuno's new tactics RPG could come to PC and Mac if a newly launched Kickstarter proves successful. Developer Playdek says it will release Unsung Story: Tale of the Guardians on iOS and Android regardless of the crowdfunding campaign, but the studio hopes now to raise $600,000 to turn the page onto Windows PC, Mac, and Windows tablets, then 3DS and Vita via stretch goals. The game's spread across platforms might not end there, as Playdek CEO Joel Goodman told Joystiq.
According to Playdek's press release, the San Diego studio will also use the $600,000 to "deepen the content and add to its creative 'dream' team." With "Kickstarter funds and stretch goals," Playdek wants to bring in FF Tactics and FF12 composer Hitoshi Sakimoto, as well as translators Alexander Smith and Joseph Reeder of Kajiya Productions, who've worked on the Final Fantasy and Phoenix Wright series and Matsuno's Vagrant Story.
Unsung Story: Tale of the Guardians is due on iOS and Android next year, and it features a "completely envisioned Matsuno world" according to Goodman. The game is centered around the "77 Years War," a multi-layered conflict that draws inspiration from the wars of 16th and 17th century Europe, and the fractured rule of Saxon Britain.
The game's name derives from Matsuno wanting to focus on the more ordinary heroes of war who come to the fore in the gameplay. As for that aspect, Matsuno previously said we can expect Unsung Story to play somewhat similarly to Final Fantasy: Tactics.
Today marks the PlayStation 3 debut of Ubisoft's high-definition retread of Assassin's Creed: Liberation.
As with its original Vita incarnation, Assassin's Creed: Liberation HD follows the adventures of Aveline de Grandpré, a female assassin operating in New Orleans in the aftermath of the French and Indian War. Like all Assassin's Creed entries, the game focuses on stealth, parkour-esque acrobatics and stabbing jerks in the spine, neck, face and whatever other body parts are within dagger-range. The biggest addition found in this entry is a new costume system that allows Aveline to alter her style of dress to pass unnoticed in certain echelons of 18th century society.
New to this latest release are enhanced, high-definition graphics, improved audio, new missions and the addition of "Aveline's trademark whip," which is useful both in combat and when attempting to swing across gaps too large to jump.
Today's PlayStation 3 release of Assassin's Creed: Liberation HD will be followed by PC and Xbox 360 versions tomorrow.
The Wolf Among Us episode two, Smoke and Mirrors, should launch in the first week of February, Telltale co-founder Kevin Bruner announced on the studio's forum. He didn't reveal platform order, but he said Telltale is working with "Xbox, PlayStation, Steam [and] Apple" to coordinate the launch.
"We are very concerned about the long delay for this episode, but this is one of those occasions where several things conspired against us (not to mention the additional delays due to the holidays)," he wrote. "I won't dive into the details, but it's been an unusual and specific set of circumstances and we do not anticipate it happening again as we go forward with the rest of the season."
The Wolf Among Us episode one launched in October for Xbox 360 and PC, followed by PS3 and Mac, and finally iOS in December. We called episode one "the perfect beginning to a new adventure from Telltale." Here's hoping the second episode is similarly worth the wait.
Niche-focused publisher MonkeyPaw Games has revealed a slate of six classic PSOne games set to launch digitally via the PlayStation Network through January and February.
The studio's Retro Rush campaign will conclude on February 18 with the PSN re-release of Tomba 2: The Evil Swine Return, a cult-favorite platformer originally released in 1999. MonkeyPaw previously oversaw a PSN reissue of the original Tomba back in 2012.
Building up to Tomba 2's return, MonkeyPaw will launch a new PSOne import game weekly, starting with tomorrow's release of Double Dragon. No, it's probably not the Double Dragon that you're thinking of - it's a port of a Neo Geo fighter loosely based on the 1994 film adaptation of Double Dragon, not the original 1987 arcade game.
MonkeyPaw will finish out January with PSN releases for Toshiba EMI's beat-'em-up Lucifer Ring and Human's firefighting sim The Firemen 2: Pete and Danny. February will see the release of Nichibutsu's arcade revamp Hyper Crazy Climber and Data East's horizontally scrolling shoot-'em-up Wolf Fang before Tomba 2 hits on February 18.
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is more than halfway done, with roughly 85 percent of the artwork completed and "almost all" of the game's original Flash art reworked in the new engine, creator Edmund McMillen writes in an expansive FAQ. Rebirth is the console, non-Flash remake of McMillen's gloomy roguelike, The Binding of Isaac, in development for Steam, PS4 and Vita. As for other platforms, McMillen says:
"The rest aren't out of the question. We would love to release on all systems; the ball is in their courts though. We miiiiight also test the game out on iPad and see how it works - if it works ok then we will also release there." McMillen would love to see Rebith on Nintendo 3DS, but that's not possible right now, he says.
"We want to release on 3DS, and will if given the option," McMillen writes. "Isaac currently goes against Nintendo's publishing rules due to its religious aspects. But stuff might change, you never know." He mentioned the religion issue regarding Nintendo in February 2012, but still called out 3DS and Wii U in November 2012 as platform goals.
Rebirth features local co-op and the ability for players to stream runs against other people online, plus the option to share your final, end-game Isaac avatar online. It also supports controllers and will have at least three new playable characters, new endings and chapters, and more than 150 new items, pushing the total item count past 300.
For clarity's sake, the header image is not an in-game screen of Rebirth's new art of anything. It's a Monstro figurine from The Binding of Isaac, hand-made by McMillen's mother-in-law and eventually available to purchase here.
Not content to just delivery a great month of free games for Playstation Plus members, Sony has announced the 14 for '14 sale, which is actually a lie since there are 28 games discounted. Normally we would pick the cream of the crop to post, but almost everything on offer is both worth playing and a good deal. As always, we stress that Playstation Plus is a must-purchase subscription to get not just the free games, but these great deals as well. [Playstation Blog]Read more...
14 PS3 games and 14 Vita games will go on sale via the PlayStation Network starting tomorrow, January 14, 2014. And each one will be discounted to just 14 cents!
Okay, we made that last bit up, but it just shows SCE America wasn't prepared to commit 114 percent to its numerical symmetry. Shame on it.
What it is committing to, though, is a bunch of top discounts, especially for Plus members. Picks of the bunch include JRPG Tales of Xillia, slashed down to $20 or just $10 on Plus, and whimsy-fest Puppeteer, its strings cut to $14 or a Plus-tastic $7.
The 28 discounts are staying available through to next week, with the sale ending on January 20. For the full list of games, head on past the break.
As Templar forces move to control the slave trade in 1760′s New Orleans, a courageous woman of French and African descent fights for freedom with a cunning set of skills. Aveline de Grandpre returns to the stage of history once again in Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD, launching for PS3 this week.
Originally launched on PS Vita, Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD presents Aveline’s tale in a whole new light. It includes massive visual upgrades and a seemingly endless list of tweaks and optimizations. This chapter in the Assassin’s Creed series features the same rich blend of stealth elements and combat. By donning different disguises, Aveline can traverse the environment and use the reactions of other characters to her advantage, be it the gown of a noble lady or the iconic garb of the Assassin.
But Aveline isn’t the only familiar face leaping onto a new PlayStation platform this week; Barry Steakfries lands on PS Vita in the fan-favorite Age of Zombies. Stride through time and fight hordes of undead in this charming and addictive adventure. May or may not include a zombie t-rex.
For this week’s full list of new games, head below. And enjoy the Drop!
New PlayStation Releases This Week
Age of ZombiesPS Vita — Digital
Travel through time as Barry Steakfries, and punish legions of zombies with a variety of weapons and explosives. Because if there’s one thing more fun than killing zombies, it’s killing zombies with explosives.
Assassin’s Creed Liberation HDPS3 — Digital
The PS Vita chapter of Assassin’s Creed gets a huge HD upgrade with tons of optimizations. Join Aveline de Grandpre in her fight for freedom against the oppressive Templar order.
Doodle DevilPS Vita — Digital
An addictive puzzle game with an evil twist. Discover the seven deadly sins and watch the world crumble from all the cruel creations you unleash upon the universe.
Double DragonPSone Import — Digital
Based on the 90′s film, this Japanese import features a roster of 12 fighters including Abobo, Marian, and Billy. Expect charge moves and transformations galore.
The Raven — Legacy of a Master ThiefPS3 — Digital
A thrilling crime adventure brimming with twists. In 1960′s Paris, investigator Nicolas Legrand faces a master thief known as The Raven and fatally wounds him. But years later, an incident in London gives rise to the question: has The Raven returned?
Demos and Betas
Age of Zombies — PS Vita Demo Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation HD — PS3 Demo
The information above is subject to change without notice.
After delaying its pilgrimage to North American PS3s and Vitas, the cast of Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster will set out to stop Sin again on March 18. The visually-upgraded, content-rich telling of Yuna's story has kept fans waiting for a while, and it looks like outsourcing contractor Virtuos is to thank for wrapping up the project.
Virtuos, a multi-location effort with its main production center in Shanghai, credited itself as being responsible for the remaster of Square Enix's double feature. The studio describes itself as a resource for console, online and mobile games, with the PSP version of Ghost Recon: Predator and Crash: Mind over Mutant among its past efforts.
Of course, expectations for FFX/X-2 HD are likely higher than expectations of previous Virtuos console games. Hopefully its collaboration with Square Enix results in a satisfying return to one of the PS2's most iconic RPGs and its encore.
New PlayStation Releases This Week
Age of Zombies
PS Vita — Digital
Travel through time as Barry Steakfries, and punish legions of zombies with a variety of weapons and explosives. Because if there’s one thing more fun than killing zombies, it’s killing zombies with explosives.
Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD
PS3 — Digital
The PS Vita chapter of Assassin’s Creed gets a huge HD upgrade with tons of optimizations. Join Aveline de Grandpre in her fight for freedom against the oppressive Templar order.
Doodle Devil
PS Vita — Digital
An addictive puzzle game with an evil twist. Discover the seven deadly sins and watch the world crumble from all the cruel creations you unleash upon the universe.
Double Dragon
PSone Import — Digital
Based on the 90′s film, this Japanese import features a roster of 12 fighters including Abobo, Marian, and Billy. Expect charge moves and transformations galore.
The Raven — Legacy of a Master Thief
PS3 — Digital
A thrilling crime adventure brimming with twists. In 1960′s Paris, investigator Nicolas Legrand faces a master thief known as The Raven and fatally wounds him. But years later, an incident in London gives rise to the question: has The Raven returned?
Demos and Betas
Age of Zombies — PS Vita Demo.jpeg)
