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Soul Sacrifice offers trailer with puny humans fighting not-so-puny beasts
Keiji Inafune's Vita action-RPG, Soul Sacrifice, brings a mix of picturesque vistas, giant monsters, and epic combat with said monsters which rips those vistas into shreds. It arrives in North America on April 30, and in Europe on May 1.
Rare veteran George Andreas leaves Microsoft, joins Sony
Former Rare game director George Andreas left Microsoft earlier this month to join Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Andreas, who'd been with British developer Rare since 1996, is working as Creative Director at SCEE's London headquarters.Andreas was creatively involved with much of Rare's work over the last 16 years, including the likes of GoldenEye, Banjo Kazooie, Perfect Dark Zero, and Viva Piñata. After the company was acquired by Microsoft in 2002, Andreas took on lead roles for Xbox 360 games, such as project leader and game director of launch game Kameo: Elements of Power, and creative director on Kinect Sports.
Soul Sacrifice being given up to NA April 30, EU May 1
Keiji Inafune's Comcept is relinquishing Vita action-RPG Soul Sacrifice to North America on April 30, and to Europe the day after on May 1. It'll be in both stores and on PSN on its day of release. The game received its Japanese release date of March 7 last month.Both regions get the same pre-order bonuses, such as the two character costumes and three magical aids for battle. Those aids are the Spirits' Flamepike, which spears a fiery five-hit combo attack, the Spirits' Blightstone, which stirs up a poisonous explosion, and Spirits' Fulgurwood, which can both track enemies and cast a thunder spell.The most curious bonus is that of Japanese voice-overs. It's always great to have the option, but tying it to pre-orders is certainly unusual. If you're not gonna sacrifice your dosh for the pre-order, take note that the voice-over pack will be sold separately. %Gallery-177521%
Former Relentless devs open Wish Studios, prototyping new Sony IP
A group of developers from the UK's Relentless Software (makers of the Buzz! franchise and the Blue Toad Murder Files) has splintered off to form a new company called Wish Studios. The developers are already hard at work on a new IP for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Relentless veterans Caspar Field, Paul Brooke, and Tom Bennett joined together to become Wish's respective CEO, CTO and CCO back in July, and are steadily working on the prototype for Sony. The team hasn't announced anything about what the prototype is just yet, except to say that it's "playing beautifully and has enormous potential." Field, Brooke, and Bennett have plenty of experience with downloadable titles and games for Sony's EyeToy peripheral, so perhaps that's a clue. Whenever they want to tell us what the project is, we'll be listening.
Killzone 1 goes HD in PS3 'Killzone Trilogy,' packing all three games together this Oct.
Everyone's favorite yellow-eyed flunkies are returning to the PlayStation 3, albeit this time in a re-release of their greatest hits. Yes, Killzone's 1-3 – which aren't places, but games – are getting boxed and bundled for the PlayStation 3 as "Killzone Trilogy," arriving this October. The first of the three games is even getting an HD makeover for its re-release, and all the multiplayer content for the latter two games is included in the package.The whole shebang will run $39.99/€49.99/£40.84 when it arrives on October 23 in the US and October 24 in Europe. Head past the break for all the specifics on those bonus maps.%Gallery-164530%
Sony axing Liverpool game studio, ends Psygnosis' 28-year history
Sony has confirmed that it's shuttering Studio Liverpool, more famously known as Psygnosis. The publisher was founded in 1984 and is responsible for a legion of best-selling titles including Lemmings, Colony Wars, Destruction Derby, Wipeout and the Formula One games. In a statement, the company said that after a review of its "commercially viable" projects, it's focusing on projects in other parts of the business -- after slashing the studio's remit in a cost-cutting exercise in 2010. The facility is also the location of the company's European Quality Assurance team, which will reportedly remain in operation.
PlayStation Vita sales topped 2.2 million worldwide as of June 30
Sony says that its latest console, the PlayStation Vita, topped 2.2 million units sold this summer. "The latest figures we've released for Vita (as of June 30th) are 2.2. million sales worldwide," an SCEE rep told us. We reached out following a report from PlayFront.de, where German PlayStation head Uwe Bassendowski mentioned the number in the context of the Vita's marketing.The last update we had on Vita sales was back in May, when Sony CEO Kaz Hirai said the system sold 1.8 million units worldwide – meaning the console moved around 200K units each month in May and June. For some context, before the Nintendo 3DS received its price cut to $170 – and just days after its US launch – the then $250 handheld had sold 1.41 million units more than the Vita's current lifetime sales. As of September 2011 (one month after the price drop), the 3DS was at 6.68 million units sold worldwide – or more than triple where the Vita's selling at right now. "Yikes" is the word we'd use to describe that situation.A strong showing of Vita games at Gamescom 2012 and the subsequent launch of said games will hopefully bolster the Vita's sales numbers. We sure aren't gonna see a price cut anytime soon.
Red, white and silver limited edition PS3s now out in the UK
Back in April, retailer listings for a Scarlet Red PS3 surfaced on Amazon and Play. Today, the console launches in the UK, and is joined by two other console colors previously exclusive to Japan: Classic White and Satin Silver. Each console comes sporting a DualShock 3 controller, a 320 GB hard drive and about six years of games to catch up on.
Sony: 'No definitive plans' for Resistance series, no games currently in the works
The folks who created the Resistance series, Insomniac Games, are no longer working on it. This much we know. But what of Sony? The Japanese publishing giant owns the intellectual property rights to the Resistance series – as evidenced by the recent release of Resistance: Burning Skies on Vita, developed by Nihilistic – but is it planning on any more series entries? "We have no definitive plans," Sony Computer Entertainment Europe producer Daniel Brooke said in a recent interview.That isn't to say the series is done, of course. Brooke's full answer was, "The Resistance franchise has been exciting to work on, but as for the future we have no definitive plans," which sounds an awful lot more couched to us than straight up saying the series is done with. Considering Sony's five games deep on the franchise and the latest entry was billed as a sell-point for the Vita, we're not counting out Resistance just yet. After all, those Chimera are awfully dexterous.
LittleBigPlanet 2 Vita Cross Control adds incredible griefing possibilities
You can do a lot with LittleBitPlanet 2's upcoming Vita Cross Control patch. In a game already filled to bursting with creative opportunities, the additional Vita features are honestly a little staggering. Sure, you could make intricate levels, leveraging every touch and tilt gimmick, every unique cooperative possibility.You could do that, but why bother when the Vita opens up a whole new world of ways to screw with your friends? Check out our demo with Media Molecule's David Dino above.
LittleBigPlanet Karting arriving in 2012 from ModNation Racers devs
After briefly hearing about LittleBigPlanet Karting in early February, Sony decided to share some new details this morning on the upcoming adorable kart racer. United Front Games is handling production duties – which makes sense given the developer's track record with ModNation Racers – and the team promises the same level of dedication and attention to detail that Media Molecule lavishes on its main franchise LBP titles.Like those main titles, LBP Karting will support a full creation system, which allows players to craft new levels, racers, and even "to modify the rules of the game itself to create completely new modes and challenges," according to UFG senior producer James Grieve. He also says that some form of "community experience" will be included, though he stops short of saying whether LBP.me will play some part in that experience.When we first heard about LBP Karting, the game was said to feature PlayStation Move functionality as well, a la Mario Kart for Wii. However, neither Sony nor United Front Games mentions as much in this announcement. What we do know for sure is this: LittleBigPlanet Karting will launch at some point in 2012 on the PlayStation 3.%Gallery-151249%
Wipeout 2048's intro cinematic takes us through our future past
According to this intro cinematic for Wipeout 2048, which chronicles the evolution of the game's racing world and its technology, we've only got 36 years to get from out current Formula 1 racers to flying angular death rockets. Challenge accepted.
Sony bringing 12 first party Vita launch titles to Europe, including Uncharted and Wipeout
Sony kinda has a thing for Europe, as evidenced by today's PlayStation Vita event in London. SCEE worldwide studios SVP Michael Denny took to the stage to reveal the February 22, 2012 first party launch lineup for the PlayStation Vita, which includes titles like Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Wipeout 2048. The list of 12 games adds to the two from Namco we already expected by February 22 -- namely Ridge Racer and Touch My Katamari -- and reveals a cadre of "in development" titles, even outing a couple we'd yet to hear about. Presumably the EU's first party launch lineup isn't far off from North America's, but we'll assuredly find out more definitively in the near future.
Tamer version of Heavy Rain to be re-released in Europe [update]
PEGI, the European video games rating board, recently published an evaluation for Heavy Rain Edition Modifiée, an apparently toned-down version of Quantic Dream's interactive drama which will carry a PEGI 16 rating (marked down from the original's PEGI 18 rating). Little is known about the content or reasoning behind the new, minor-friendly version of the game, but as the PEGI rating mentions an August 3 release date, it'll probably start showing up on European store shelves soon. So, what's getting cut in the Edition Modifiée? According to the PEGI ratings, the original's "extreme violence" and "violence towards defenceless people" have been downgraded to "realistic-looking violence." We can't wait to see how this changes the game's more intense sequences. For instance, there's that one scene, during which you have five minutes to improvise a tool which you can use to cut your fingernails. Update: Looks like the tamer edition isn't releasing Europe-wide -- a Sony representative confirmed to Eurogamer that the new version "is just a small initiative for France only."
LittleBigPlanet Vita dev signs exclusivity deal with Sony
Sony has added another LittleBigPlanet developer to its collection. Franchise originator Media Molecule became a Sony-exclusive first party in 2010, and now PlayStation Vita LBP developer Double Eleven is joining them in the exclusive club, though through a contract and not outright ownership. Double Eleven has signed a deal with Sony in which the developer, formed by ex-Rockstar Leeds lead engineers, will create games exclusively for SCEE. That includes LittleBigPlanet, along with "new titles for Sony platforms" -- mostly the Vita, we assume, given the studio's predilection for handheld gaming.
LittleBigPlanet 2 Move DLC preview: Infinity times two
LittleBigPlanet 2's upcoming, Move-integrated expansion can't really be classified as anything other than relentless. When Media Molecule launched the game this past January, the possibilities for prospective creator-curators were limitless -- as evidenced by the community's daily discoveries of new ways to use the core game's toolset. When the Move DLC launches this September, it's going to push the still-not-reached boundaries back even further. During a demo led by Media Molecule's James Spafford and Christophe Villedieu, I learned that the studio's ambitions for the expansion are as straightforward as they are lofty. By adding a suite of Move-based controls to the Create tools catalog, Media Molecule hopes to give players the opportunity and the inspiration to use the orb-tipped peripheral in ways that so-called "professional" developers haven't even considered yet.%Gallery-95497%
Euro PSN gets massive update, PS Plus members get more freebies
Just hours after the PlayStation Network Store went back online, Sony took to its European PlayStation blog to detail both what's coming in the first major update, as well as what European PS Plus subscribers will be receiving in the coming weeks. Beyond the already detailed "Welcome Back" content, SCEE says an extra 10 days will be added to the 60 already included in the Plus "Welcome Back" package, "due to the Store coming back a little later that we hoped." Additionally, April's Plus content and deals are being extended for two extra weeks, meaning that if you missed a chance to download Premiere Manager at 50 percent off, there's still time! June's offers have yet to be revealed, but the post does promise Plus users a free copy of Burnout Paradise as part of the month's content offerings. The "Spring Offers" deal for all PSN users has also been extended to June 8, a sale which was unavailable during the majority of its duration as a result of the month-long PSN outage. All PSN users can also snag a free copy of FIFA 11 Ultimate Team, a soccer management game from EA, for the time being. And finally, the EU PlayStation Store has also received a massive update, the likes of which we've never seen before. Final Fantasy VI is totally on there, as is a mess of new Hyperdimension Neptunia content and ... well, you know what? We're going to simply point you to it rather than try to wade the flood.
Wipeout NGP gameplay video flies into view
Okay, the video of Wipeout running on Sony's NGP didn't literally fly into view, but it does contain a variety of flying liveries. It also contains several game journos -- including our own Chris Grant! -- staring intently at prototype NGPs. We much prefer the racing parts. Sorry, Chris!
Invizimals: Shadow Zone will have you swatting at your coffee table again this fall
Augmented reality-based collection-RPG Invizimals never quite picked up the steam in North America that it managed to conjure up in Europe -- probably due to the fact the game came to our shores a full year after it hit PAL territories. Still, that doesn't mean we'll have to go without further iterations of the undetectable monster franchise: PlayStation Blog has announced that Invizimals: Shadow Zone, which dropped in Europe last November, will come stateside this fall. The game throws over 100 more secret beasts into the mix, and adds a co-op component to the original title's monster-capturing mechanic. So, potentially, you could have two people working in tandem to snatch collectible apparitions from the flat surfaces of their homes. We can't tell if that's going to make them look less insane, or exponentially more insane.
Sony aiming for May 31st PSN service restoration [Updated]
Sony's network security woes continued over the weekend, and the light at the end of the tunnel still seems like a distant pin prick for the embattled gaming giant and its displaced customers. Bloomberg reports that Sony spokesman Shigenori Yoshida indicated the company plans to restart Playstation Network services by May 31st, which would bring the total downtime to a whopping 41 days. Nick Caplin, head of communications for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, posted an update to the European PlayStation blog hinting at the reasons for a longer delay. "We expected to have the services online within a week. We were unaware of the extent of the attack on Sony Online Entertainment servers, and we are taking this opportunity to conduct further testing of the incredibly complex system," he wrote. While the PS3 versions of both Free Realms and DC Universe Online fall under the PSN umbrella, no word has been forthcoming as to a restart date for the rest of SOE's MMO stable, which includes the PC versions of the aforementioned titles as well as EverQuest and EverQuest II. [Update: CNET is reporting that Sony is considering a reward for information leading to the capture of the hackers. Meanwhile, Sony is apparently contesting reports about the May 31st date, suggesting no such hard deadline for PSN resumption exists.]
