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MiniSquadron flies onto PSP and PS3 next month
The Minis program continues to attract more high-profile iOS releases. If Angry Birds wasn't enough for you, then you may want to try MiniSquadron, a 2D dogfighting game. The Minis version seems to be a direct port of the iOS original, including 8 worlds and 50 planes. Unfortunately, like all other Minis, there's no multiplayer, and no added content to make up for its omission. MiniSquadron has been a fan favorite on iTunes since its debut, with an average four-star rating since release. Check out the trailer after the break.%Gallery-113828%
Angry Birds bombard PSN Minis today
Say you're on a trip. Your cell phone dies. You need to play Angry Birds. Well, following today's PSN update, you'll be able to carry a backup version of Rovio's runaway hit with you at all times -- on your PSP (you take that everywhere, right?). Of course, if you're at home and get tired of squinting at a portable screen, the Minis release will run on your PS3, which should be easier on the eyes ... as long as your TV isn't a 3-inch LCD. Final pricing for the Minis version of Angry Birds will be revealed once the next PSN update goes live later tonight, but it should be only a few bucks. If you're in China and don't want to wait for the PlayStation Store update, stop by Guangzhou province and play the most realistic (and thoroughly unlicensed) game of Angry Birds ever.
Holiday Buyer's Guide: PlayStation Network
Did someone get a PSN gift card for the holidays? What are you going to buy? Whether you've got a PS3 or PSP, $20 or $50 card, or whether you're a Trophy hunter or a "Move" buff, you've got plenty of options in the PlayStation Store. Here are our recommendations for the best of 2010! To begin, click one of the links below to jump to a category or simply head on past the break to peruse the guide form top to bottom. PS3 Best Friend | Hipster | Move Buff Retrobutionist | Trophy Hunter PSP New Essentials Valkyria Chronicles 2 Major Minis | PlayStation Plus
A Space Shooter for Two Bucks gets a straightforward trailer
Next week, PlayStation Plus members will be able to get Frima's newest Mini -- A Space Shooter for Two Bucks -- for free. (We hope we don't have to explain what non-members will have to pay.) A new trailer gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect.
Young Thor studio unveils A Space Shooter for Two Bucks!
No, Frima Studio didn't receive two dollars to unveil its new game -- rather, the new PlayStation Mini from the Young Thor/Zombie Tycoon developer is called A Space Shooter for Two Bucks! You can guess both the genre and price from the title. Despite the low price, Frima Studio has included full voiceover for both the pilot character and his sarcastic AI companion, as well as every other character who, for some reason, has lines to speak in a shmup. If you have PlayStation Plus, you'll be able to get A Space Shooter For Two Bucks! for free when it launches on December 21.
PlayStation Mini Arcade Essentials gives us wicked deja vu
We've got a strong feeling that we've seen all of the games featured in the PlayStation Mini Arcade Essentials somewhere before ... But hey, that Qix knockoff looks fantastic! Arcade Essentials arrives on PSN today.%Gallery-109455%
Shift Extended trailer explains the game in plain black-and-white
Here's a brand new trailer for Shift Extended, a black-and-white platformer coming to PSN Minis next month. You could watch the video below to see how the game works, combining an interesting perception-shift mechanic with some clever platforming challenges, or you could just go play the Flash version of the game for yourself. The "extended" version is supposed to have double the content of the Flash game, which means there will be new gameplay mechanics, new levels and even new scoring features. Look for it on PSN sometime in December.
Angry Birds confirmed as coming to XBLA, PSN, WiiWare before a sequel
Given the ESRB's rating of Angry Birds on WiiWare way back in August, and the subsequent announcement of miniaturizing the game on PSP, we weren't shocked to hear Rovio CEO Peter Vesterbacka confirm "PSN, Wii, and Xbox" versions of the enormously popular game are on the way. Pocket Gamer reports that Vesterbacka delivered the news during a speech at the first ever Social Gaming Summit in London this week, where he said the new versions would mark the beginning of the future for the Angry Birds IP. It also looks like we'll see the game released digitally on consoles before a proper sequel comes out, as Vesterbacka characterizes the XBLA/PSN/WiiWare ports as just "for starters." Soon after, he hinted that we could see a "surprise" twist on the game, telling the timeless tale of Angry Birds from the perspective of the lowly pigs. The gaming equivalent of "A Tale of Two Cities," but, ya know, with pigs and birds. Obviously.
Who's That Flying into a new release date?!
Mediatonic's quirky PlayStation Minis shmup, Who's That Flying?!, was originally supposed to hit PSN in October. In response to a freezing glitch, the developer scrapped the October release plans, putting a question mark (and an exclamation point, why not) on the expected date. Now, having resolved the issue, Mediatonic has announced new dates for the shooter's PSN release: November 16 in North America and November 17 in Europe. So, just a week until we get to definitively answer the question in the game's title -- oh, wait, it's the "Guardian of Earth" (we knew that who that!). Well, we still have playing the game to look forward to.
Flying Hamster takes off on PS3 & PSP December 7
The Flying Hamster is undoubtedly one of the cutest Minis available on the PlayStation Network, and one of the few that are worthwhile to play on the PS3, in addition to the PSP. We've written quite a bit about this indie shmup, and it finally has a North American release date and price: December 7, for $5.99. The game is already available on the European PlayStation Store. For the uninitiated, The Flying Hamster plays like almost any other shmup: collect power-ups, and shoot at enemies using either a rapid or charge shot. What makes it so unique is its collection of power-ups and enemies: you can spit a stream of beer at cows, for example. Or launch a swarm of bees at ninja squirrels. Or drop some egg bombs on some evil toaster robots. Seriously.%Gallery-83145%
The Road to 50: A guide to filling your Guild Wars Hall of Monuments (I)
While I was writing today's Flameseeker Chronicles, I noticed something: It was about twice as long as my normal columns, and yet I'd barely skimmed the surface. Many players in the Guild Wars community went inactive over the past few years while waiting for Guild Wars 2. Now that we know all the details of the strongest link between the two games, hundreds if not thousands of players are coming out of retirement to max out their Halls. Today's Flameseeker Chronicles was a generalized guide to reaching 30 points on the calculator. That number will get you every reward on the scale, but so many veteran players and completionists are chasing 50 points that I wanted to do something for them too. The Road to 50 is a feature that will run for five days this week, each day focusing on a different monument. I'll give tips, suggestions, and guides for obtaining a "full score" in each one. Today's focus is Miniatures, so follow along after the jump to see how to get your hands on 50 of your little friends.
iPhone's Pix'n Love Rush hurries to PlayStation Minis
The iOS twitch platformer Pix'n Love Rush is being ported to systems with actual buttons -- namely, the PSP and PS3, for which it's being released as a Mini. The stylish side-scroller, a collaboration between developer Pastagames and the French zine publisher Pix'n Love, combines bite-sized coin-collecting platformer challenges with a variety of eye-catching visual styles, including Virtual Boy and Game Boy color schemes. The game's look is based on the Xbox Live Indie Games release Pixel (the third game in the Arkedo Series), which was a joint effort by Arkedo Studios and Pastagames. Publisher Sanuk Games plans to release the Minis version "soon," though no specific date or price has been announced.
'Shift Extended' coming to PlayStation Minis
Yet another iPhone port is coming to the Minis program for PSP and PS3. Shift Extended is -- you probably guessed it -- an extended version of Shift, a platformer originally released as a free Flash game and later made available on the App Store. Fishing Cactus is handling the port, which will "offer no less than double the content of the iPhone version." Also new to the PSN version is D-pad support, a rather crucial feature for a platforming game. Shift is expected to arrive on the PlayStation Store by year's end.%Gallery-103147%
Paper Wars rated for DSi, Wii, Xbox 360 and PC
Crap of Defense -- in spite of declaring itself to be the "worst game ever" -- is making the jump to pretty much every platform out there. Like the PSP version, the game is being re-branded as Paper Wars: Cannon Fodder, but will (presumably) feature the same sloppily drawn visuals and rather cheap-sounding audio. Like Angry Birds, this game simply cannot be contained by the iPhone. Already available as a PSN Mini in Europe, the ESRB has rated additional versions of the game for DSi, Wii, Xbox 360 and PC. Considering the simplicity of the game, we're unsurprised by how quickly the developer has been able to make so many ports. Watch the distressingly cheap trailer for the iPhone original after the break.
You can name Futurlab's upcoming Minis space shooter
Coconut Dodge developer Futurlab is working on yet another game for the PlayStation Minis platform -- this time a space shooter. The studio already has a concept: mixing classic vertical shooting with a new teleporting gimmick; and it already has some music. What it needs now is a name. This is where you come in. Like PixelJunk Shooter, the developer is asking for your suggestions, awarding prizes for the best name ideas. Of course, it's hard to name a game without knowing more about it. "In our shooter, there is a reason the world scrolls vertically, and a reason that you can't turn around," explains Futurlab, "everything is being sucked into a giant black hole!" Additionally, you'll be able to "save other people that are being sucked into the black hole" via your ship's unique teleporting ability. And ... well, that's all we know. Hopefully, you can come up with something a bit more fitting than our suggestion -- COOKIESz.
Fish Tank is a fish-matching PSP Mini
Crap of Defense developer iFun4all is working on yet another iPhone to Minis port. Fish Tank is a PSP port of the iPhone app Match Fish. Combining traditional match-three gameplay with reflex-based mechanics, this is a rather straightforward addition to the (surprisingly large) Minis library.
Mediatonic's new PSN Mini asks: Who's That Flying?!
Mediatonic, developer of Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess, has announced the second PSP game to use "WTF" as an abbreviation: Who's That Flying?! (The first was Work Time Fun, of course!) This upcoming Minis game (playable on PSP and PS3) is a horizontal shmup in which the "Guardian of Earth" uses its "HYPER-POWERED LASER ARM" to protect the world from "Doom Beasts." The game also includes a tower defense element: rather than simply avoiding enemies and shooting what you can, you must limit the number of flying enemies that get past your invulnerable character, in order to stop them from destroying cities. We'll be able to play this bizarre hybrid-genre game ("with courtroom drama and intrigue!") in early September.
Curve Studios 'focusing only on' PS3 version of Explodemon
Yesterday, Curve Studios announced a Q4 2010 launch window for the PSN version of its retro-inspired blow-em-up platformer, Explodemon, though the WiiWare, PSP and PC versions were not mentioned. We contacted the developer about these omissions, and PR Manager Ed Fear confirmed our suspicions, explaining, "For the moment, we're focusing only on the PS3 version." Fear added, "We're a small(ish) company, so it doesn't make sense for us to split our limited resources between several different versions, especially given that there'd be quite major graphical differences for the Wii/PSP editions. So, in order to really make Explodemon shine, we're putting all of our efforts into the PS3 version." Fear did note that the studio still wants to see the game on as many platforms as possible, though Curve will have to "seriously evaluate other targets once we've shipped the PS3 version."
Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter clawing its way to PSP/PS3 Minis in August
Sure, you could pick up a Cabela game and go hunting for some helpless deer. Or, you can man up and start hunting dinosaurs. Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter is the third "minis" game from developer Beatshapers, who previously worked on NormalTanks and BreakQuest. You'll be tracking down fifteen different dinosaurs in five different levels, using a variety of weapons, including sniper rifles and crossbows. Don't expect an arcade-style game in the style of Turok, though. According to the press release, you'll have to take into account "wind direction" and use a "special dinosaur call" to successfully track and locate dinosaurs to hunt. That probably sounds something like this: "Oh my god, please don't eat me!" Carnivores will be available for PSP and PS3 next month.%Gallery-98115%
Review: Young Thor
We've never reviewed PlayStation Minis here at Joystiq, but we're branching out for Young Thor, an impressive game that's one of the best values $5 can get you on the PlayStation Network. A side-scrolling brawler, Young Thor is instantly accessible, but with enough depth to avoid making the experience too repetitive. While it's tempting to simply mash the Square button, developer Frima has done a good job of scaling the experience, introducing new enemies that demand new strategies. My own play style evolved as I learned to add more jumps and dodges while chaining Thor's lightning magic into combat. There's also a rudimentary XP system that boosts Thor's basic stats. However, don't expect to use your XP in any novel way. You can't customize your character, nor do you learn any new moves. The leveling seems to exist for the sole purpose of encouraging replays. Somebody out there will want to achieve a level 100 character, right? %Gallery-96998%
