PsStore
Latest
Square Enix teases us with upcoming Kingdom Hearts news
A short interview was conducted with some members of the Square Enix PR department by the folks over at RPGamer. While there isn't that much truly invigorating information, we thought it'd be nice to bring you up to speed on some of the anticipated titles that, we hope, make their way onto the PS3. Also of note are Square Enix's tentative plans for the PlayStation Store. Enticed? Summary below. The PS Store is too young to decide if content is worth posting, says Square Enix. Would we really want another version of a Final Fantasy game anyway? We'd love to see something like Einhander make its way onto the store, though ... The next Kingdom Hearts title (they didn't specify whether it would be the third main installment or another off-shoot title) will get announced at the Tokyo Game Show. Also not-yet-officially-announced is a special party hosted by Square Enix on June 26. It will take place at the PlayStation Store in San Fransisco. More details on that later. We're fairly sure that the Kingdom Hearts announcement will be for an offshoot title for a handheld. Not sure why; just a gut reaction. As for the PS Store, while it is young, it will never get older if developers don't give it worthwhile titles. In fact, in our latest podcast, we sort of touched on the topic -- Japan is getting a ton of PS One titles and we've gotten none for the past couple of months. Surely this will change soon, Sony?
Get Folklore demo from Japan's PlayStation Store
If you're looking to put your PlayStation 3 to good use this weekend, may we suggest starting up a Japanese PlayStation Network account and downloading the Japanese demo of FolksSoul (aka: Folklore), the action-RPG that first popped up on our radar at Sony's recent Gamer's Day event. Though the game isn't due to be released in the States until the fall, the Japanese release is scheduled for later this month and PS3 Fanboy's already taken the demo for a spin -- twice in fact. They don't hesitate to recommend we do the same. Any 'stiqers try it? %Gallery-3178%
FolksSoul demo coming this Friday
Make a Japanese PSN account. Now. If you haven't, you're going to continue missing out on all the free demos the Japanese gamer crowd get. It's not tough -- sign up for one in your own language, make notes about what information goes on each page, then make a Japanese one. Why are we insisting you do this? So you can test drive FolksSoul along with us this Friday when a demo hits the Japanese PS Store.Also known as Folklore in the US, the game had kept a very low key until Gamer's Day, when a new trailer and multiple screens made an entrance and blew a lot of people away. Sure, it's absolutely a Japanese game -- lacking muscular men with big shiny guns, but it does look incredibly fun to play. So that's why we're telling you about the demo. It's rumored to be over an entire gigabyte, so make sure you've got something else to do. Try it out, then decide if it's for you or not!
Championship Sprint heading to PSN, but first, a video
Here's another classic Midway arcade title -- Championship Sprint. For some reason, the title of the game made us think we were going to see some horses racing, but alas, there are no horses. Just horseless carriages. While we'd love to "relive the classic arcade action", we're not entirely pumped to have another really old title hit the PS Store. It may be nice to relive those memories, but personally, preference goes to R.C. Pro-Am for the NES. It's awesome. This? Maybe ... there are crashes, after all.
WarHawk final formats finally figured out
In a lengthy interview with Game Informer, Senior VP of Marketing Peter Dille came out with many fantastic bits of information regarding PlayStation Home, multiple games and other nagging questions we've been wondering about. From the "Hall of Fame" (PlayStation's take on achievements) to E3 to WarHawk, a lot of issues were addressed but we've got to admit the WarHawk info really made us nod.Here's what Dille said about the final formatting decision on WarHawk: "Warhawk will be available as a download from the PlayStation Network, but we'll also have a retail SKU. There will be differences between the two. The game will be the same, but in the retail SKU we're able to take advantage of that Blu-ray disc and pack that disc with behind-the-scenes information, developer interviews, demos of other games and again, if you've got Blu-ray why not take advantage of that. On top of that, we'll have a Bluetooth wireless headset so that you can jump into the fray on day one and start trash-talking."So for the cost of $60 in North America, you get WarHawk, oodles of extras and a Bluetooth headset? Sounds like a deal and/or bargain. For those who don't yet have a headset of any kind, this is a fantastic deal. While he didn't comment on the pricing of the PSN download version, we'd estimate they'd keep it at $20-$30 because it is just online and headsets aren't cheap. Especially bluetooth. If you want to learn anything else, check out the complete interview with Dille.
SGD '07: How about a delicious WarHawk gallery?
The one game that just couldn't decide what to be -- retail, download, retail, download, online, offline, online, etc -- has graced us with a new gallery and let us just say: wow. This game looks fantastic. For a title that you download off of the internet and stick directly on your hard drive, this is surely unprecedented. We're very excited for WarHawk to just release already, but we've got to wait until they actually decide once and for all what form of distribution they'll release it on. Right now, it appears as though it'll come in both retail and online versions. It probably will change a few more times. For now, check out a video after the break.%Gallery-3210%
No PSN cards "at this time" for Europe and US [Update]
We were as happy as can be when we first heard about Sony's PLAYSTATION Network cards. Buying a card from a retail store and dancing around the whole credit card ordeal seemed like a breath of fresh air, especially for those too young to hold a plastic or those too paranoid about putting any personal information on the internet (what some may dub as "public domain"). We warned you guys that Sony didn't currently say anything about cards outside of Japan. Turns out we were wise not to get your hopes up too high.No news about North America, but Sony spoke to CVG and stated that no, in fact, they had no plans to bring the PSN cards to Europe at this time. In the future, perhaps? Maybe Sony Europe will take charge and set something up instead of leaving it to the main offices. CVG also points out that during the European launch of XBox Live, there was an issue of the same manner -- no plastic, no online gaming in Europe. Let's hope in the future, this is not a trend.[Update: We contacted SCEA PR Manager Al de Leon about the availability of the Card in the US. "As far as the PLAYSTATION Card, we don't have any updates to the payment system to announce."]
Rampart trailer is so darn exciting!
We're kidding. Why does this need to be in HD, anyway? In any case, if you were able to think back to the days where Rampart was pretty awesome, then you'll enjoy this trailer's attempt to instill you with the notion there is some high-octane action to be found in this classic title. If you want to stroll down memory lane, watch the trailer. It does bring back memories. It was fun. But no matter how perfect a transition the game may make to the PlayStation Network, that doesn't mean it's still fun. We'll see this Thursday.
No credit card? No problem! PSN tickets are here for you
We've had a lot of comments when we'd write up a post about new additions to the PS Store crying foul against the need for a credit card. Well, Sony has finally addressed the issue with what they're dubbing PlayStation Network Tickets. You can say PSNT if you want, but that reminds me of "pissant" and that's just not nice. These new tickets will be available in early June.Only available in the Japanese areas (for now), you can go to a nearby convenience store and pick up a ticket valued anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 yen. This is a little different from Microsoft and Nintendo's approach to paying sans credit card -- the values are actually money, not points. That way, you know you're spending money and not subconsciously passing it off as "just 800 points".Since there is a heavy reliance on convenience stores, international offerings of the ticket may differ. We're not sure what they could be, but there are enough places to pick up the cards in the US -- let's get GameStop, EB Games, and Best Buy on board.
How about some Worms, er, Zwok?
Sony has been hard at work... making some online game that strongly resembles Worms, but it's online! It's called Zwok and it's pretty neat. We have no idea why SCEE would stick this up on the internet when there's a perfectly good PlayStation Network that would love to see some games -- especially in Europe!To play the game, you've got to sign up. Don't worry, it's free. You then customize your little character... is that a Zwok or just a really ugly thing? Whichever it is, you make it your own. There are two teams for every match: Blooz and Grienz. Yes, that's "blue" and "green" in crazy-speak. Choose a weapon to fire, get into position, and let loose. Seriously -- this is Worms. Regardless, we'd love to see something like this on the PS Store. Wouldn't you?
Metareview + Our Take: Mortal Kombat II
Today gives us the opportunity to look at the reviews given to the PS Store's downloadable Mortal Kombat II. Before we get into our impressions, we'll do as we always do and cite the big-name review sites. Their scores for this game were surprising. There aren't too many reviews on the game, though. Without further ado, here are some of the scores given to MKII. IGN: 7.3 / 10 GameSpot: 7.9 / 10 What we noticed in these reviews is that the reviewers didn't actually review the title as what it is, rather, as what it was. "Oh, this game was great in 1993!" were slapped over both reviews, listing what the game offered back then and how it still does all those things. What our impressions were entailed how that doesn't matter two kicks of the donkey -- the game as it is now really sucks. Read on to listen to our reasoning, or just flame away for no reason now.
Rubber duckies and trailers collide on PSN
At last! North Americans can now splash alongside Europeans in PSN's virtual tub. Anyone up for a game of Super Rub-a-Dub? ... Didn't think so. The tech demo turned 'bath-time nostalgia action-puzzler' has been tossed into the PlayStation Store pool today, treading water with (previously announced) Gauntlet II and some trailer filler. Here's a breakdown of the new content: Super Rub-a-Dub ($6.99); free trial also available Gauntlet II ($4.99) Super Stardust HD Trailer (free) Rampart Trailer (free) BlackSite: Area 51 Trailer (free) Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Movie Trailer (free) [Via SCEA press release]
Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Virtua Tennis demos assault US PS Store
Without warning, like the shadowy figures known only through whispers in the night, Ninja Gaiden Sigma has made its presence known on the PlayStation Store. The demo will be available today in the US, one day prior to its Japanese release, alongside a demo for Virtua Tennis. Also coming out today are trailers for Gauntlet II, The Wheelman, John Woo's Stranglehold and The Godfather. The full version of Ninja Gaiden Sigma is set for a June release (on disc). [Via SCEA news release]
Many territories are lacking PS3 online store
Our apologies to PlayStation 3 owners in Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Iceland, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Slovenia, among many others. According to SCEE Director of Corporate Communications Nick Sharples, many of the over 102 territories in the region have no access to the PlayStation 3 Online Store. Different currencies and languages were cited as reasons for the delay. "Stores will reach some territories in due course," he told Games Industry.No dates have been given for upcoming store launches. Sharples also said that some territories will not get a store at all due to other factors such as broadband penetration. "The PS Store may not be accessible in Azerbaijan, for example," he said. We don't have console sale data for each of these countries, so we would love to hear from PS3 owners gaming sans online store how much they care about it, if at all.[Via PS3 Fanboy][Update 1: Fixed a misrepresentation of Sharples' quotes.]
PS3 1.60: Background downloading works while gaming
So we knew that the PlayStation 3 1.60 firmware update would add the much requested background downloading function, and we'd heard rumors that background downloading wouldn't work while gaming, but thanks to a press release from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (we hear they've got something going on this week), it looks like the system will be able to download stuff while you're playing games. Apparently, the system will allow you to queue up six pieces of content from the PlayStation Store while using other functions of the system, notably playing games and watching videos (Blu-ray?). These downloads can be tracked using a new "Download Management" menu under the XMB's Network icon. While at first you may think the ability to just queue up downloads while gaming doesn't necessarily mean those downloads will proceed, IGN confirmed with Sony that "you'll be able to play games offline while downloads work in the background, and if you hop online your queue will simply pause until you disconnect." We'll be sure to test out the functionality tomorrow when 1.60 drops.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
