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Super Stardust Ultra bringing new modes, planets to PS4
Super Stardust Ultra, an upgrade of Resogun developer Housemarque's original 2007 release known as Super Stardust HD, will bring the twin-stick shooter's fast-paced, spherical battlegrounds to the PlayStation 4 in early 2015 for $12.99. As detailed on the PlayStation Blog, Super Stardust Ultra will offer new planets, new game modes and visual upgrades, as well as an Interactive Streaming mode that lets viewers "vote periodically to change up your gameplay." High score rivalries can run rampant via leaderboards, but players will also be able to send challenges directly to their friends. Should things get heated, Ultra can host splitscreen battles for up to four players, and once you're done sacrificing a friendship for points, you can try mending things in the returning co-op mode. Just remember: Bragging rights are highly effective at instantly dissolving truces. [Image: XDEV, D3T]
Murasaki Baby review: A touch of weird
I'll say it first to get it out of the way: Murasaki Baby looks like something that spawned from the slimy, deliciously quirky mind of Tim Burton. Specifically, Murasaki Baby on the Vita looks like the gamification of Tim Burton's The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories, a short book of dark children's tales told and illustrated by Burton himself. It's important to note that this book is short, because it shares that descriptor with Murasaki Baby, and for an apparently similar reason: They're both too strange to support a longer format. From a holistic perspective, Murasaki Baby is a triumph of editing, in recognizing the limits of an absurd idea and executing it to its full potential – and no more.
Run Sackboy! Run! starts an endless stitch-hunt on Vita, mobile
Sony is pumping up the volume ahead of LittleBigPlanet 3 with Run Sackboy! Run!, a free-to-play side-scroller on its way to Vita , iOS and Android sometime in October. Going by Senior Producer Tom O'Connor's announcement on the PlayStation Blog, it sounds like an endless auto-runner in the vein of Canabalt and Jetpack Joyride. O'Connor said players use tap and swipe movements to make Sackboy avoid obstacles and for as long as possible stay ahead of the chasing Negativitron, which LBP2 players may remember as that game's main antagonist. The ragdoll hero can collect bubbles to unlock costumes and upgrades, as well as use power-ups such as jet-packs and gliders.
Resogun co-op trailer has twice the ships, twice the explosions
We called Resogun "a smart, merciless little shooter" in our four-star review, but did you know that it's also a smart, merciless little shooter that can be enjoyed in online co-op mode? Yes, with another ship at your side, the fun can be doubled. You can get a taste for co-op thanks to the trailer above, and if you're a PS4 owner already, you have a couple other options. Since the game is free for PlayStation Plus members - which everyone can try out thanks to a 30-day trial voucher - there's no reason not to check it out. And if you're worried about not having anyone to play with, don't be: One million PS4 units were sold during the system's first 24 hours on the shelves, so it shouldn't be too hard to find a co-pilot.
Sony launches PlayStation Mobile contest for small UK developers
Sony is reaching out to UK indies with a game development contest for PlayStation Mobile, with the winning concept receiving a very handsome £25000 (just over $40000.) The winner also has the opportunity to work with XDEV (Sony Europe's external development studio), while XDEV gets first refusal on publishing the final game.As Sony notes, PlayStation Mobile development tools are now freely available, so anyone can enter this contest - anyone who lives in the UK, that is. Joystiq's new UK studio is already hard at work reviewing the latest games, so we're out of luck too. Our interested UK friends, however, have until the end of this month to submit their concepts, with the winner announced on November 14.PlayStation Mobile gets its first batch of PlayStation Store games on October 3.
How to pitch your indie game to Sony
"I'm sick of sitting through crap development pitches," Pete Smith, Sony XDev director of product development, told an audience of developers at GDC Europe last week. Smith handles all of the European studios looking to snag a publishing deal on Sony systems, and he helped games such as Heavy Rain and the Motorstorm series race into the public eye.Smith knows what he wants in a pitch, but just as importantly, he knows precisely what he doesn't want. He gave an overview of his approach to independent pitches, and then broke down a quick and dirty list of "do's" and "do not's." Read through Smith's pet peeves and praises below.
MotorStorm rolls out, over 6 million copies
The MotorStorm franchise, which includes five games across PS2, PS3, PSP and Vita, has sold more than 6 million units, Sony XDev Studio Europe's Pete Smith said at GDC Europe on August 13. Smith gave a talk discussing tips of pitching to publishers, citing MotorStorm's Evolution Studios as an example of a team with a clear focus and solid marketing technique.The latest MotorStorm installment, MotorStorm RC, launched on PS3 and Vita in March.
Finding the right touch in LittleBigPlanet Vita
While PlayStation Vita games output gorgeous visuals on its screen, use of its alternate control mechanisms – like touch and tilt – have often felt flat. But our recent experience with LittleBigPlanet Vita has reinvigorated our interest in tapping and tumbling about with our Sony handheld. Somehow it seems fitting that the first-party series known for its creativity is the one to show developers how to use touch correctly.The touch and tilt features in LittleBigPlanet seems additive to the experience, rather than wasted, unnecessary, or tacked on – a typical error of such functions. And since you're reaching in the adorable and tiny world, impacting small objects in aid to your little sack-person, the conceit of touch makes perfect sense within the LBP theme.%Gallery-130817%
New Dead Nation trailer shows questionable zombie survival tactics
Sure, Dead Nation looks like a fun game, but we're not sure of its value as a zombocalypse survival tutor. Look at all the explosives they use in the trailer below! Don't they know that's a sure-fire way to get zombie gore in your eyes, leading to instant infection? That's bush league, guys.
Spend money, unlock stuff with Rag Doll Kung Fu DLC
Excuse me, observant and most attractive reader. Would you mind poking that lazy, good-for-nothing friend next to you? Yeah, the one that never bothers to pay attention when we post news just for them. Thanks!...Now that we have your attention, we would like you to know a new bit of DLC for Rag Doll Kung Fu will be available tomorrow, just for lumps on a log like yourself. The EU PlayStation blog brings word of the Timesavers Pack, a bit of DLC that will unlock all of the extra playable characters and outfits (including Sackboy) in the game. It'll set you back a cool £1.19 (€1.99), proving once again that you can tackle all of life's problems with money. Well, except for ravenous badgers. We all know badgers have long forgotten the merits of financial institutions.
