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Looking for PSN Cards? Have you tried your local Blockbuster?
PSN Cards are now at Blockbuster stores. Don't believe us? Watch the above video and check out the PlayStation Blog's Jeff Rubenstein as he confidently strides across the store and proves to you that they exist. Testosterrific! They're available in both $20 and $50 flavors and should be in stores nationwide. Hmmm, isn't WipEout HD around $20? How convenient! And it's coming out so soon, too ... So now you don't need a credit card to grab stuff from the PSN Store. You Europeans can stop complaining about Entropay not working anymore, too -- you should be able to buy PSN Card codes far more easily now they're so readily available.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
New LittleBigPlanet trailer shows Sackboys in the wild
How do you know a game is near to completion? Trailers, mostly. Lots and lots of trailers. They've been coming thick and fast for the last couple of months and today another has been released via the PlayStation Blog. This latest trailer takes the form of a faux wildlife documentary (though we can't decide whether it's meant to be a piss take of Steve Irwin or Bill Oddie). This is the first in a series of trailers, in which the Sackboy is discussed and, through that, various aspects of the games are shown. This trailer would be perfect for movie theaters as it gets the idea of the game across very well and is genuinely amusing. We're very much looking forward to the next one.
PS3 Fanboy go-nuts for doughnuts at the PlayStation Blog PAX meetup
Click to satisfy appetite. Like PlayStation? Like doughnuts? PS3 Fanboy loves both, so a PlayStation Blog PAX meetup at a local doughnut cafe in Seattle seemed like a match made in heaven. Check out the PS3 Fanboy photo gallery from the event, which shows off the many attendees, competitive WipEout Pulse players (one of whom won a MGS4 PS3) and swag. Did we mention there were many free and tasty doughnuts as well? Gallery: PlayStation Blog PAX 2008 meetup
Virtually @ PlayStation.Blog PAX meet up
Click for bigger doughnuts Were you at the PlayStation Blog PAX 2008 meet up at Top Pot Doughnuts yesterday? If not, you missed out on some tasty pastry, plus the chance to win a Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3 bundle. There was a huge turnout (apparently gamers can't say no to free coffee and doughnuts, who knew?) and we were there to take pictures. So check out the gallery to see brave, sugar-filled WipEouteers competing for the big prize, plus the gone-before-we-arrived swag bags and a second floor balcony that's about to collapse under the weight of over 130 PlayStation fans. %Gallery-30875%
Free coffee and doughnuts at the PAX PlayStation Blog meetup
How's that for an attention grabbing headline? Who doesn't like free coffee and doughnuts? So if you're going to be at PAX, or even if you're just in the area, come by Top Pot Doughnuts (at their 5th Avenue location). Not only will there be free stimulants, but you'll also get to meet up with other PlayStation fans (including myself) and potentially win some prizes. Bring your PSP.The breakfast meet up will be taking place between 8:30 and 10:30 (in the morning, naturally) on Saturday the 30th. That's this coming Saturday. If you're going to be attending, be sure to let the PlayStation Blog know via Facebook or email them. Don't forget to tell us too! Do so in the comments. We'll see you in Seattle.
Sony: Music peripherals to work across games on PS3
Remember back around Christmas, when we were promised a Rock Band patch which would allow people to use Guitar Hero III controllers? You know, the patch which was going to allow PS3 owners the same features as the Xbox 360 version? Sure, it never appeared, but it seems that Sony is making sure that such a thing never happens again. Michael Shorrock, director of 3rd party relations, has posted up some info on the PlayStation.Blog stating that Rock Revolution, Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero: World Tour's instruments will all be compatible with each other. Not only that, but Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Band 2 will support SingStar microphones. This is great for those of us who are interested in picking up all of these games, but are a little less interested in having our living rooms full of plastic drum sets and guitars. The good news doesn't end there, though. That patch we mentioned at the beginning of this post may still see the light of day. Shorrock says they're "still working hard to ensure compatibility between the Guitar Hero and Rock Band titles currently on the market, and we hope to have an announcement on that shortly."Thanks to Sony for pre-emptively solving what could have been a very messy Christmas. Universal peripheral compatability just makes so much sense. Now comes the hard decision. Which game's instruments look best?
Life With PlayStation didn't arrive in July ... in case you hadn't noticed
So Life With PlayStation, the upcoming global news and weather service, didn't make its July release. According to Noam Rimon, of the SCEA R&D team, this is due to some "procedural matters" and the service should instead be released sometime in August. No more specific date than that has been revealed, but no doubt we'll hear more closer to the time. Rimon promises that when it finally arrives, Life With PlayStation will offer "a variety of interactive content and channels on a visually stunning worldwide map interface." [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
More The Last Guy details emerge from the PlayStation Blog
Want more gameplay footage of The Last Guy? Check out the video above. The game still looks bizarrely awesome. Especially with the levels based on real world loca-- wait, is that Trafalgar Square? The PlayStation Blog contains even more information on the title, including some background "story" involving monsters, aliens and purple ray beams. Sold.Gameplay seems pretty simple. Collect the survivors and desposit them in the Escape Zones, while avoiding the aforementioned zombies and monsters and utilising your heat-vision and any power ups you may come across. The PSN keeps getting better and better as more unique titles like this one become available. We're definitely looking forward to The Last Guy's release.
PixelJunk producer says Eden will hit Europe today - dare we believe her?
You simply never can tell what SCEE have planned. Deborah Mars, producer for the PixelJunk series, has stated in the comments of the recent PlayStation Blog post that Eden will be available today in Japan, Europe and America. We would love to believe her, honest we would, but until we see it with our own eyes we simply can't. SCEE has had a hard time understanding the phrase "simultaneous worldwide release" several times in the past, after all.We'll remain hopeful and will update you with the full PSN release list as usual when it lands. In the meantime, have you tried the PixelJunk Eden demo? If so, you might want to take a look at the trophy list and get practicing. The game launches today, after all. Worldwide! Hopefully ...
Virtually @ PlayStation Blog E3 meet up
Click for high resolution Were you at the PlayStation Blog meetup the other day? We made the trek down to the King Taco to spend some time with the community and the PlayStation Blog crew and, while we were there, made sure to take a few photos to commemorate the event. If you were there, be sure to check out the gallery and see if you can find yourself. Otherwise, you should have a look anyway and check out the Hot Shots 2 tournament, the winner of which won a Metal Gear Solid 4 Gunmetal PS3 (and a dirty look from Jeff). %Gallery-27931%
PS Fanboy Caption Competition: E3 Edition
We'll have the full gallery from PlayStation Blog's meetup soon, but thought you might like to play a little game before then. In the picture above you can see the winner of the Hot Shots Golf Open Tee 2 competition at the event, which netted him a Metal Gear Solid 4 Gunmetal Grey PS3. You can also see Jeff Rubenstein, of the PlayStation Blog, but what's he saying? You tell us! There's no prize for this "competition." Just post as many comments below with your hilarious captions for this image above for a chance to win our ultimate love and respect.
PAIN Amusement Park trailer unveiled
A day late, but not necessarily a dollar short. The PAIN Amusement Park trailer is now up on the PlayStation Blog and can also be seen above. The expansion, which is due out next month, looks to be bigger and better than any other PAIN level that we've seen. Though, considering the game only shipped with a single level, that's not a particularly brave thing to say. We look forward to seeing more and picking up the Amusement Park, and not just because of trophies. Honest. Enjoy the video and check out the GamesRadar preview for more information. PAIN fans should love this expansion, while those who are still on the fence might be convinced to finally pick it up. Let us know what you think in the comments.
Firmware 4.01 fixes issues with 4.00
How's firmware 4.00 going for you? Pretty good? Are you having any issues Googling from the XMB and changing the speed of your videos? Chances are some of you probably are, because Sony has just announced that firmware 4.01 will be released very soon. As in, within the next few hours. Don't get too excited, there are no new features. This is a bug fix for everything that went wrong with 4.00. In our opinion, the only thing about 4.00 that needs to be fixed (or "improved," as Sony put it) is the lack of any real new features. Nevermind, eh? There's always 4.02.
Preview the new Hot Shots course before you buy
Not sure whether to drop that five bucks (or three quid) on the new Hot Shots Golf course or not? A new preview on the PlayStation.Blog might help you make up your mind. Technically, you already have the new Oceania Resort Course, as it's included in the latest game patch. You simply need to unlock it with the key, which is on the PSN Store right now.The course is promised to be one of the most difficult yet, and includes many features of the Australian outback, including kangeroos, alligators and ... giant lobsters? There will be official tournaments coming up especially for the Oceania course, which we should hear about before too long. If you want to see more images of the course, be sure to check out the preview post over at the PlayStation.Blog.
Firmware 2.36 imminent; 2.40 confirmed to contain in-game XMB and trophies
Your PS3 is about to get a digital gift in the form of another firmware update. Version 2.36 will improve "system stability when playing select PlayStation format software titles." That is to say, not a lot. Still, the latest PlayStation Blog post has finally confirmed the rumors that another firmware update is on its way at some point. 2.40 will include in-game XMB and trophies. But you already know that. There's no real timeframe for either of these updates, but you can expect to see v2.36 within the next day or so. As for 2.40, the PS Blog is careful to stress to us that they, and only they, will be the source for when it is coming. You may have heard various rumored release dates for the update which have passed by uneventfully, so that's clearly something to keep in mind. Needless to say v2.40 will get the full video tutorial treatment, as usual. We'll let you know as soon as we're told anything new.
NovaStrike hitting the US PSN Store tomorrow
NovaStrike is heading to the PSN Store very soon. Tomorrow, in fact. This has been announced by Kevin McCann, President of Tiki Games via the PlayStation Blog. After giving us a brief biography, McCann goes on to explain what exactly NovaStrike is and announces that it will be made available in the US (no word on EU) in tomorrow's PSN Store update.We've had some hands on time with the game in the past, so check that out if you're on the fence about buying the game or not. Mostly we suspect it will come down to price, though there's no mention of how much we're expected to pay for the game. Check back tomorrow when we'll have the full PSN update list and, in the meantime, check out the video above to see the game in action.
Sony reveals Qore - an interactive gaming program for the PSN
Speaking in a new PlayStation Blog post Susan Panico, Senior Director of the PlayStation Network, has announced a new interactive digital magazine TV show called Qore. This will feature "exclusive news, developer interviews, in-depth game previews and behind-the-scenes looks at PlayStation games and special access to game demos, special beta invitations, game add-ons and other downloadable game-related content." All content is shot in HD and a new episode will be made available every month. The first issue of Qore, which will be released this Thursday, comes packed with exclusive content for games such as SOCOM Confrontation (including an invitation to the beta), Secret Agent Clank and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Qore is available on the PlayStation Store for a one-off payment of $2.99 per issue, or for a yearly subscription fee of $24.99 for 13 issues. Check out the video above to see Qore in action. If you want more info, be sure to check out the PlayStation Blog post. We're looking forward to checking it out this Thursday.There's no word on whether this will be released outside of America, but we have contacted Sony Europe to get an answer either way. [UPDATE] Our SCEE rep has sadly informed us that "Qore is an SCEA only initiative at this time". How disappointing.
Learn to play PixelJunk Eden at the PlayStation Blog
No doubt you've seen the incredibly pretty screenshots of PixelJunk Eden -- and they do look gorgeous -- but how exactly does one play the game? In the latest PlayStation Blog post, Jeff Rubenstein (that bloke gets everywhere these days) has a natter with two of the producers for the game who guide him through a couple of levels. Together they prove that PixelJunk Eden isn't just a pretty face, the gameplay looks quite excellent too. The game is due out this Summer and this video has us hyped for it. The PixelJunk series looks to get better and better as the games progress. Is it too early to be excited about finding out what PixelJunk Dungeon will be like?
PlayStation Blog shows off PixelJunk Eden
Update: Apparently some readers had the video auto-playing and nobody likes that. We've now placed it after the break.The PlayStation Blog has put together a really good great video that clears up a lot of confusion about what the gameplay in PixelJunk Eden, which should be released this summer, is actually going to be like. PS Blog's Jeff Rubinstein starts off by speaking with producers Deb Mars and Matt Morton a little bit about the game (and they give tiny canned presentations), but then it gets good with the walkthrough of the title.The gameplay walkthrough actually kicks off about 1:30 into the relatively unedited video and it definitely gets us excited for the PSN game. We certainly hope to see more videos from Sony in the future that take this casual approach to presentation and demonstration on the site. Gallery: PixelJunk Eden
Siren Blood Curse debut trailer features more English than before
Siren: Blood Curse looks set to terrify PlayStation 3 owners when it launches this Summer in the US and Europe. Tsubasa Inaba, Senior Producer for the game, has posted a new trailer up on the PlayStation Blog for all of you phobophiles out there. This video is different from the one on the European PSN Store but is easily as, if not more, scary. We hope to hearing more about this episodic scare-a-thon on the PlayStation Blog soon, including the release date for the first episode. We're hoping soon.
