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11 PSN games discounted by 50% tomorrow
Tomorrow's PSN update will be notable for what it adds to the PlayStation Store, though you may be a little fonder of what it's set to remove: fifty percent from the price of 11 games in an "11 for 2011" sale. Among the discounted games are Double's Fine enchanting Costume Quest for $7.49, hypnotic brick breaker Shatter for $3.99 (its excellent soundtrack is also discounted to $2.99), and Hoard for $7.49 -- a fitting saving for a dragon looking to amass a boast-worthy pile of presents and a roast-worthy mass of peasants. Sony has also included other well-received games like Swords and Soldiers, Tumble and Space Invaders Infinity Gene in the sale (valid in the US, Canada and Mexico through January 31). Have a peek at the full list after the break. Warning: Peggle is in there too.
3D 'a new creative medium,' according to Sony's Mick Hocking
Delivering a keynote speech -- entitled "Seeing is Believing: 3D a New Creative Medium for Games" -- at the Develop conference in Liverpool, Sony Computer Entertainment's Mick Hocking argued that 3D can give games more than just increased visual depth. The studio director of Sony's Liverpool studio, responsible for Wipeout HD, stated that the technology can make games seem more natural and thus more inviting to newcomers. "Doing things like the way we've used Move combined with 3D in Tumble makes a game more natural and more accessible, which will be great for welcoming more people to your games," Hocking said. The ability to interact within a game's space makes the technology a new creative medium, he added, allowing creators to build on the player's enhanced sense of depth and spatial awareness. Sony has claimed that over 50 3D games (20 internal) are currently in the works for PlayStation 3 -- and Hocking is willing to give developers a push if they're still on the fence. "I really would urge you to start converting your game into 3D now," he said. "We're here to help you and can help with training." Of course, Sony's marketing department will have to train customers to make a significant investment first. Among console games, mainstream-friendly accessibility usually comes with a significant hardware cost (as with the Wii and Kinect), but even Hocking's Tumble example -- which requires a 3D television, appropriate glasses, a PlayStation Move set and a PlayStation 3 -- sticks out more than other offerings.
PSN Tuesday: Worms 2, sale on Monkey Island 2 and Mega Man 9
It's a relatively quiet week for the PSN update ... unless you count the explosions from all-out wormy warfare in Worms 2 Armageddon. The first downloadable PlayStation Move game, Tumble, also makes it debut alongside demos for Move titles Racquet Sports and EyePet. There are also discounts this week on Monkey Island Special Edition 2: Lechuck's Revenge and Mega Man 9. So, all in all, a pretty good week for downloadable titles. Check out the full update after the break. Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
PlayStation Move review: The launch games
Once you get past that initial thrill of opening the packaging, setting it up and toying around with its settings, any platform is only as good – and as fun – as the games available for it. With the launch of PlayStation Move, the lineup of what's on offer is relatively limited and, as the hardware's all about getting people to, er move around, focuses on sports and party games, with a couple of notable exceptions. Those would be EyePet, Kung Fu Rider and Tumble, all from Sony, with Tumble being a PSN game. EyePet is a virtual pet "game" that's been available as a PS Eye title in Europe for some time and has been reworked to incorporate Move. While charming, it falls under the category of a kid's title (though I've no doubt some adults will find it fun) and it won't be subject to review here; instead I'll be focusing on the more "core" games in the following pages. As for Kung Fu Rider, it's an odd creation out of SCE Studios Japan. That leaves us with Sports Champions and Racquet Sports from Sony and Ubisoft, respectively. Sports Champions comes bundled with the $100 Move starter kit and the PS3 Move system bundle, but is also available separately ($40) for those who decide to buy their Move setups piecemeal. With that out of the way – and without any further ado – it's on with the reviews: Kung Fu Rider | Racquet Sports | Sports Champions Start the Party | Tumble
PlayStation Move review
The PlayStation Move. It's funny to think just 15 months have passed since Sony first unveiled its motion controller, and now we're mere weeks away from hitting the retail market. To be sure, it's not like the company didn't have waggle on the mind already -- patents dating as far back as 2005 reveal as much, and of course the incredible success of Nintendo's Wii proved there's a market for more physically exerting gameplay. And it's not just PlayStation; Microsoft's got its controller-free Kinect motion camera system coming this November. So, in the year where all major game consoles now ask you to get off the couch and earn arm muscle, how does Move fare? Read on for more!
PlayStation Move review: Tumble
Created by Supermassive Games, the same developer responsible for Start the Party, Tumble is the first PSN title designed specifically for Move – and also ranks with Sports Champions as one of my must-have launch games. It's an interesting fusion of tech demo and game that works and works well. It's a basic concept: You use the Move controller to stack blocks on top of a platform, trying to build as high as possible, or, in some cases, to just use every block you're given. Then there are rounds where you use mines to blow pre-built towers apart, scoring points based on how far they travel. What makes Tumble so cool is two-fold: For one, there's the Move technology itself, which allows for 3D control of the blocks. It's so accurate and responsive that I had a little trouble using a 2D form of input – my MacBook's trackpad – immediately after playing. It feels, for all intents and purposes, like you're reaching into your TV to manipulate objects. The other great aspect of Tumble is its degree of challenge. Stacking blocks might sound easy, but when you factor in their various shapes, weights and even material types (grippy rubber, slick glass and so on) it gets more interesting. Add in uneven building platforms and challenges that require you to reach a specified height with a seemingly inadequate supply of blocks and it becomes a real brain twister. The pacing of Tumble is intentionally slow -- I had many moments, on the edge of my seat, trying to slide a block into place with the slightest movements so as not to topple the rest of the structure -- but if you've got the patience, you'll be rewarded time and time again. This review is based on a pre-release version of Tumble provided by Sony. More PlayStation Move reviews: Kung Fu Rider | Racquet Sports | Sports Champions | Start the Party
PlayStation Move unboxed, demo disc detailed
Joystiq tipster Phil received a promotional PlayStation Move kit, which included two Move controllers, a PlayStation Eye camera and a demo disc. The disc features an interface inspired by the "Now Playing" section of the XMB, allowing you to quickly peruse its contents. Included on the disc are demos for Sports Champions, Start the Party, Kung Fu Rider, TV Superstars, The Shoot, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, Beat Sketcher, and Tumble -- all games demoed at E3 earlier this year. Interestingly, it appears that the demos (at least on this promotional disc) cannot be launched directly from the disc; you must install each demo to your PS3 hard drive. According to our tipster, each demo is about 1-2 GB in size, meaning you'll need at least 8GB of free space if you want to play everything off the disc at once. In addition to the demos, the disc includes an installable "Setup Guide," which may be the most enjoyable part of the entire collection. It includes some helpful tips, like "don't use the camera upside-down" and "don't smack people around you." Truly, advice for winners.
PlayStation Move Starter Pack includes nine demos in the UK
The PlayStation Move is set to launch in the US on September 19 alongside several bundles. The Starter Pack -- a $99 bundle including one PlayStation Move controller, a PlayStation Eye camera and a copy of Sports Champions -- is apparently going to be a bit different when it launches in the UK on September 15. MCV reports that the UK Starter Pack won't include a full copy of Sports Champions, instead giving gamers a taste of nine different titles. The nine demos included in the package include snippets of six retail Move titles: Sports Champions, Start the Party, The Shoot, EyePet: Move Edition, TV Superstars and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11. The remaining three demos will be for PSN games: Echochrome 2, Tumble and Beat Sketchers. In the UK, the Starter Pack will have a suggested retail value of £49.99.
Visual overload: Sony's E3 PlayStation Move lineup
PlayStation Move is essentially a brand new platform for Sony. While many of the motion-sensing launch games for the new PS3 controller are "Wii HD" titles, there are a few noteworthy additions, including echochrome 2, Heroes on the Move and a Move edition of Heavy Rain. Check out trailers for all of Sony's first-party Move titles after the break.
