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Blast Factor: Advanced Research EU release date unearthed
ThreeSpeech, on their neverending quest to squeeze PSN info out of Sony Europe, have managed to get their hands on the release date for Blast Factor: Advanced Research. The add-on will go onto the store on September the 20th which, coincidentally, is the day the Tokyo Game Show starts. We're wondering what else Sony will have in store for us that day - hopefully they will pull off a hat trick and hack a whole host of new content up, as was the case with E3 and Leipzig. There's no word on how much Advanced Research will cost, but if we can find out then we will let you know. %Gallery-4025%
Blast Factor expansion, GRAW2 demo out on US PSN
Today's American PlayStation Network update includes the Blast Factor: Advanced Research expansion, looking to pump new life into the arcade shooter with new levels, enemies and a $4.99 price tag. Also out today are demos for The Darkness and Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2. And, for those inclined, movie trailers for Michael Clayton, Get Smart and The Game Plan. The two demos are also currently available in Europe. [Via PS3 Fanboy]
American PSN updates for August 2nd
The press release is in and we can now reveal the lineup for today's US PSN Store update. While we're not entirely sure when the update will take place, you can look forward to seeing the following filling your hard drive at some point later today: Blast Factor: Advanced Research expansion ($4.99) Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 demo (free) The Darkness demo (free) Michael Clayton movie trailer (free) Get Smart movie trailer (free) The Game Plan movie trailer (free) [Update: Super Rub-a-Dub has dropped in price to a mere $2.99!] Well what do you know. We were right. We look forward to tucking into the delights of Advanced Research later today. Not to mention the two demos - both of which are available right now on the EU PSN Store, but nevermind. This feels like a much more substantial update than we've seen in Europe today. You guys should be very pleased.
Blast Factor: Advanced Research due out today?
Just by chance, we decided to give Blast Factor another go this morning. Perhaps it was fate, or perhaps we were reminded how fun it is by the promise of an soon-to-be-released expansion on the PlayStation.Blog. Either way, when we started the game we were greeted by a message on the menu screen. It read as follows: "A new Blast Factor expansion pack is available to download. Please visit the PLAYSTATION@Store to find out more!" Of course, with no new updates to the UK or US store as of yet, there's nothing there. We're hoping that means we'll be seeing Advanced Research when the store update hits. We'll let you know when that happens and what it contains.
Blast Factor: Advanced Research on the way
Sure, your friends may laugh at you as you continue to play Blast Factor many months after it appeared on PSN. But soon, your devotion will be rewarded by Blast Factor: Advanced Research, according to a post on the official PlayStation blog. Imagine how your friends' skills, thick and unwieldy from disuse will be shamed by your laser-like precision as you sail through seven new levels, eleven new enemy types and two new bosses. Yes, they could attempt to make use of the new practice modes, but it will all be for naught. ... You'll have already grown too powerful. Want to making your revenge dish even colder? The expansion adds monthly online high score tables, so the world will watch in awe, quaking before your greatness, finally realizing that though they laughed at you for your love of Blast Factor, in the end, the joke would be on them.
Blast Factor: Advanced Research on its way to the PSN Store "soon"
The president of Bluepoint Games, Andy O'Neil, has posted on the PlayStation.Blog with details on the upcoming "expansion" to Blast Factor. We put quotation marks around the word "expansion" because, from the looks of things, it's going to be bigger than the original game was. Namely "Seven new specimens, eleven new types of enemy, two new bosses, monthly online high score tables, new practice mode, remixed sound effects, eight new music tracks and dynamic lighting." Sounds great to us! While Blast Factor: Advanced Research has an uphill battle ahead of it if it wants to beat Super Stardust HD and become King of the dual-analogue shooters, we're looking forward to it. We were big fans of the original Blast Factor, even if no-one else was. Thankfully for those who are a bit more cautious about what you download from the store, Advanced Research will have a demo available with the release of the game. Check out the post on the PlayStation.Blog for more details. %Gallery-4025%
PlayStation Network garners 1.3 million users
A Gamespot report reveals the first usage statistics for the PlayStation 3's online network, the astonishingly named PlayStation Network. According to Sony, over 1.3 million users have signed on to the free service, 600,000 of them being based in the United States. All together, users have downloaded 3.7 million pieces of content. "Users have downloaded 3.7 million pieces of content!" Thank you. It's not explicitly mentioned how many of said pieces are PSN games, but individual sales data for Blast Factor, fl0w and others may be released at a later stage. Comparing overall statistics to those of Xbox Live shows Microsoft's service in the lead with six million users (an unknown percentage of those paying for a Gold subscription), but it's to be expected given the PS3's comparatively recent launch. With some strong online titles and more free services, the PSN stands every chance of overcoming its growing pains and becoming more competitive. Of course, consumers would stand to benefit most if things stayed neck-and-neck. After all, Xbox Live's no good to us dead.
We want it now! (PS3 annoyance #003)
Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade has spoiled us. After a downloadable game trial ends we expect to be able to press a button, unlock the full version, and keep on blastin'. Sony has got it all wrong. If the Blast Factor teaser manages to tempt your wallet, you'll have some work to do before the $7.99 launch title is yours. Don't be fooled by the "Buy Blast Factor" option in the demo's menu; that simply launches a message directing you back to the PlayStation Store, where, once there, you'll have to sit and wait for the game (93 MB) to download and install again. Oy! PS3 delights vs. PS3 annoyances Wii delights vs. Wii annoyances Xbox 360 delights vs. Xbox 360 annoyances
