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Monkey Island avatar clothing comes Home
Click to learn the Secret of Monkey GalleryHave you been holding off on purchasing games, DLC and other playable content in anticipation of pirate outfits for your Home avatars? If so, get your wallet ready, because LucasArts is adding Monkey Island 2 clothes to the PlayStation Store today. LeChuck, Elaine, Stan, Swordmaster and, of course, Guybrush outfits will be available, along with a LeChuck pirate ship space and various decorative items. If your tastes run more toward, you know, games, our gallery also features more screenshots of Monkey Island 2: Special Edition -- just in case the last set didn't convince you of its spruced-uppedness. %Gallery-95851%
PlayStation Home integrates into games, beginning with SOCOM Confrontation
We've seen many games unlock new content in PlayStation Home, like the Batcave from Batman: Arkham Asylum. However, what we haven't seen yet is the ability to unlock content in-game from Sony's online world. That changes this week, with the addition of the SOCOM OPFOR game space. A Home-exclusive minigame will challenge players to assemble an assault rifle in 12 seconds or less. The prize? A golden AK-47 that can be transferred into SOCOM Confrontation. Likely, this is just the beginning for expanded Home integration. Associate Producer KC Coleman commented on the PlayStation Blog: "It's truly a win-win-win situation. It's a win for Home because we have opened up a huge door that will allow developers to continue to blur the line between PlayStation Home and PS3 games." See a trailer after the break.
Aliens vs. Predator in PlayStation Home dance-off
It's time for another PlayStation Home dance-off! Unlike the original Hamsters vs. Humans dance-off, this one is a community-driven event, powered by passionate fans of Sony's online service. To participate in the least violent conflict between these two species, you'll want to log on to Home's Central Plaza this Wednesday, April 7 at 9:00 p.m. EDT (6:00 p.m. PDT). Anyone else suddenly reminded of the tagline to the AVP movie? [Via @SonyPlayStation]
Assassin's Creed Space coming to PlayStation Home
One of the coolest aspects of Joystiq's #2 Game of 2009, Assassin's Creed II, had to be the search for "the truth." The meta game was hidden across the entire experience, and had players solving puzzles in an effort to unlock a video that would explain one of the franchise's biggest mysteries. That mystery and intrigue is coming to Sony's online community this week, in a brand new Space for PlayStation Home. The Personal Space will include a multiplayer tower defense game that "pits Assassins against Templars," and includes access to developer blogs, concept art, the Animus 2.0 database, and the full "Assassin's Creed: Lineage" live action short film. The Space will cost $4.99, but for hardcore Assassin's Creed fans, the ability to have your Home Avatar walk around the Hideout from ACII may be worth the price of entry.
Do you want to become a PlayStation Home community volunteer?
Now that PlayStation Home is twelve million strong, Sony is looking for community volunteers to help newcomers ease their way into the PS3 virtual world. Applicants need to be "friendly and knowledgeable" as they help new users navigate the various community events available online. According to a recent call for applicants, the program "offers a great outlet to the most passionate Home users to help give back to the community." To submit an application, you must be at least 18 years old, a resident of the US, and have "dependable access to email and Internet." Also, not only will you need to describe your most embarrassing PlayStation Home experience, you'll also have to answer this very telling question: "Do you have more friends in real life or in Home? Which do you prefer?" Don't worry, you should answer truthfully. We won't judge you.
PlayStation Home population at 12 million
PlayStation Home director Jack Buser kicked off Sony's final day of GDC 2010 panels, announcing that the virtual community's worldwide userbase now stands at 12 million. The population has grown by two million users since December 2009, and is double of what it was in June of last year. Buser expanded on the stats, pointing out that these numbers aren't based on one-off visits; according to Sony's data, 85 percent of users who create a Home avatar return more than once. The average citizen, he said, spends an hour in Home each visit. While Buser's talk was primarily aimed at developers interested in developing in-Home games, he spoke on what to expect in terms of Sony's strategy for the service in 2010, saying, "You're going to see us really embrace this idea of total game integration" to "really extend out the experience of your games." He used the Home presence of Sucker Punch's inFamous as an example, saying that we can expect to see more spaces, minigames and tie-in content timed alongside game launches this year, and that "It's an Incredibly important part of [Sony's] strategy."
Aliens, Predators and prey available as Home costumes
No matter which species wins, we all lose. PlayStation Home has been invaded by Aliens vs. Predator costumes, in Europe at least. The outfits are available for a limited time and leave the Home universe on March 31. Virtual cosplay prices are: €2.99 for a complete costume. €1.99 for a pair of trousers or a top. €0.99 for a helmet or mask. We're having a tough time finding the costumes in the US store (maybe they're using Predator camo?), so if you know where they are hiding and pricing, please let us know in the comments. Outfits exist for both genders and are perfect for Quincying. %Gallery-88006%
Monkey Island Home costumes allow for Dread Pirate Quincy
Does your dead-eyed Home avatar lack a bit of that buccaneering spirit? LucasArts has a sure-fire way to fix your lack of nautical flair: During its pirate-themed party at GDC, the company announced that Monkey Island costumes (pictured above) would soon make their way to PlayStation Home. Now, we rarely get excited over virtual duds for our virtual manifestations -- but Stan's coat could really add a certain savoir-faire to our terrifying craft.
Home v1.35 loses the world map
With the latest downloadable update to the "beta" (version 1.35, for the record), Sony has officially fixed every problem with PlayStation Home. Well, maybe not every problem. But there are some big changes. Sony has replaced Home's world map with an XMB-like interface; through which you can connect with your friends, move around through your own spaces and quickly visit "Featured Spaces" (so you can effectively be advertised to!). You'll also be able to make a list of "favorites" to which you can navigate quickly. Home will be down briefly tomorrow as Sony implements this update. But when it comes back, in addition to the new functionality, there will be Final Fantasy and Indiana Jones stuff to buy, a Sodium update and a sale on Home decorations and items. Yes, we were just thinking we should take the day off, too.
Square Enix to fill PlayStation Home with Final Fantasy XIII tchotchkes
Want to decorate your virtual home with a knife-wielding monster, or an elusive sentient cactus? Of course you do. And for you, Square Enix is offering a selection of Final Fantasy XIII items for PlayStation Home starting this Thursday. "Items to collect," the press release reads, "include a sofa, table, chair, shelves, planter set, Cactuar and Tonberry figures, and stuffed animals." You can see some of the goods with which you can festoon your nonexistent digs above. Square Enix didn't price any of them, but it ranges from 100 to 200 yen (around $1-2) each in Japan. It's a small price to pay for your very own Tonberry.
Take aim at big prizes in MAG tournament
Amidst all the debate about whether or not MAG qualifies as an MMO, not to mention the recent Playstation Network brouhaha, it might be easy to lose sight of the actual game underneath everything. And it'd be a shame if you did, because you'd be missing out on a tournament centering around MAG run by Major League Gaming's Gamebattles site. The prizes? Straight-up cash money. Well, straight-up Sony Style gift cards and Playstation Home items, which is just about as good. (Although you can't rifle through a $1500 gift card like a pack of twenties.) Here are the details: the tournament will have three phases, with each lasting one full month. Each phase is a contest to earn the highest score in a different area -- MAG XP for March, headshots for April, and total kills for May. There will be leaderboards available on the site, as well, to help track how well you're doing compared to all the entrants. If you think you've got what it takes to make the top of the charts, head on over and take a look at the official entry rules. And no matter what, it couldn't hurt to give it a shot.
What could the PS3 bug mean for console MMOs?
If you're a PS3 owner, you probably already know about the difficulties surrounding the PS3 Phat consoles as of late. You're probably also wondering why we are talking about this here at Massively. Well, the problems that began this weekend left many players unable to log into the Playstation Network, rendering certain games unplayable. Games like MAG. We're betting the MAG population is looking a bit sparse right now. Earlier today, Sony warned owners of the affected consoles to shut them down and leave them alone for the next 24 hours, while they work to repair the bug with the internal clock that's causing the problem. While it's great that Sony has isolated the problem and is working to repair it, it leaves us with some food for thought. MMO developers are beginning to turn an eye to the console market, and this incident highlights a potential significant weakness. PCs rely almost entirely on software and individual hardware when it comes to gaming. It's the rare MMO gamer who doesn't know how to open his or her tower and create a custom machine. Consoles don't work like that. If a bad update comes down or there is some sort of internal glitch (with the internal clock, for example), everyone who owns that particular console is going to get it because everyone has the same hardware. That, in turn, will affect everyone trying to play an MMO from their console. While this doesn't mean mass hysteria and the doom of the console MMO market, hopefully it will serve to alert MMO developers to a problem that they can address before it moves from "potential" to "actual". In the meantime, here's a little something to look at while you wait for your PS3 to come back to the land of the living.
Uncharted costumes coming to PlayStation Home
If you're one of the countless Americans that has been stricken by halftuck, you'll soon be able to bring awareness to this serious, chronic disease by rocking one in PlayStation Home, thanks to some new Uncharted outfits slated to hit the service this week. You don't have to be afraid anymore, halftuckers, you get out there and fly that flag. Sidenote: The Drake to Chloe switch provides some terrifying new opportunities for the Quincy enthusiasts out there preying on unsuspecting Homers. Consider yourselves warned.
Advertisers ignoring PlayStation Home, but interested in PSN
PlayStation Home has expanded quite a bit in 2009, with 50 spaces and over 100 games now available within Sony's virtual world. It has been a modest success, but perhaps it's fallen shy of the lofty expectations placed on it when it was initially unveiled at GDC nearly three years ago. Since then, Sony's online service has managed to cut advertising deals with Red Bull, the US Army and Fox -- but has Home been able to maintain interest? According to a report by Brandweek, advertisers are largely ignoring PlayStation Home, opting to pursue opportunities on Xbox Live instead. Ad agency Publicis Denuo's John Rafferty told the site that "from moment one, it kind of felt clunky. And once you got through that, there wasn't much there." Regardless of the robotic nature of the service, the high cost of entry is proving to be a huge barrier against Home, with "labor-intensive six-figure deals" required to create content for the community. Jack Buser, director of PlayStation Home, argues that it offers "a chance to cut through the noise and actively engage directly with a large, targeted, and highly desirable consumer base." However, it appears that advertisers that want to work with Sony are interested in pursuing a different relationship -- one with the PlayStation Network itself. "Sony is a little more conservative in embracing their system as an ad platform," the report notes. However, the addition of the What's New screen, and advertising on the PlayStation Store, show that the Sony team is adapting, slowly transforming the PS3 into a system that advertisers can genuinely pursue. [Thanks, ugotmesij]
Star Wars & Indiana Jones items hit Home
If you click this image, it shall become more embiggened than you could possibly imagine LucasArts has invaded PlayStation Home today with a bunch of new virtual goods and a space to hang out in. Without all of the crime and sudden de-limbing that goes on in the Mos Eisley Cantina, the LucasArts storefront will offer patrons a safe environment to purchase virtual goods -- sorry, no power converters available. Here's the list of goodies: Yoda shirt (for male avatars) Obi-Wan Kenobi shirt (for male and female avatars) Jedi Order shirt (for male and female avatars) Indiana Jones costume – torso, pants, shoes Indiana Jones costume – hat, hair Stormtrooper costume (for male and female avatars) Imperial Officer costume (for male and female avatars) Blue Lightsaber (for male and female avatars) Jedi banner (for avatar personal space) Sith banner (for avatar personal space) Star Wars The Force Unleashed poster (for avatar personal space) LucasArts promises more updates to come. In the meanwhile, feel free to peruse select avatar items in our gallery below, but there may be a slight chance these aren't the images you're looking for. %Gallery-85933%
LocoRoco go to PlayStation Home
PlayStation Home will be getting a near-lethal injection of cuteness tomorrow, thanks to the brand new LocoIsland Estate. Available in Europe for £3.99 (US release TBA), the virtual island features a giant tree house and, even more exciting, a virtual cruise. The Estate also grants access to mini-games, like LocoReverse and a Domingo race. In addition to the LocoRoco space, PlayStation Home will also be getting a MotorStorm space. The MotorStorm Carrier is a decommissioned aircraft carrier that also features its own mini-games, quests and rewards (just like real-life aircraft carriers!). Check out trailers for both new spaces after the break.
Warhawk personal space coming to PlayStation Home
PlayStation Home hasn't forgotten about you, avid Warhawk fan. It may have been years since the multiplayer PSN game released, but its community is still going strong. If you're still obsessed with taking to the skies, you may want to plunk down some cash on the Warhawk Apartment, which features a Sand Table that lets you strategize. Even cooler, it also includes a co-op shooter that lets you take down flying bogeys. That's not the only thing to grace Home tomorrow. For more details on tomorrow's update, check out the PlayStation.Blog. Check out a trailer after the break.
New costumes, spaces are Home-ward bound
Sony's official Playstation blog has posted a rundown of what's new in Home this coming week, and it looks like you'll have a few different costumes, personal spaces, and even a couple of contests to pick from. First up, the costumes: Not only will the Bioshock suit finally be available, but there's a special edition Ezio costume from Assassin's Creed II as well. There's a brand new personal space named London Pub created by VEEMEE, complete with dart game, beer taps, and working restrooms. And there are new items for the Paris Clock Tower personal space, as well as Fantasy and Victorian clothing bundles to buy. As for contests, they're currently running MAG contests in Central Plaza (where you can get free t-shirts of the game's factions), and Zombieland contests that ask you to answer trivia questions posted around the environment. Other than those promotions, new stuff ain't cheap: The London Pub is $5.99, and the other items and costumes will cost you, too. But what's the cost of one beer at a swanky authentic pub when you could buy a virtual copy of the whole place?
Heavy Rain detective puzzles coming to PlayStation Home
Finally! You can put your CSI knowledge to good use. Starting tomorrow, PlayStation Home will be updated with a brand new Space: The Backstage Pass. At first glance, it may not seem related to Heavy Rain, but keen minds will be able to find a way to unlock a secret adventure, the Heavy Rain "Evidence Analysis" mini-game. The PlayStation.Blog is scant on details, but promises Home denizens "will receive a rather special reward" when completing the game. "This prize is definitely one you Heavy Rain fans won't want to be without." That certainly sounds like the most enticing reason to visit the PS3 online community in quite some time.
Become a Big Daddy in PlayStation Home via BioShock 2 pre-order
You can become a Big Daddy in PlayStation Home ... if you pre-order BioShock 2 on amazon.com. The online retailer is offering the game, $10 credit and exclusive access to this Home costume for $55. It's the perfect costume to wear if you feel like picking up chemically engineered underage girls in Sony's online community. If that doesn't entice you, there's always GameStop's pre-order incentive of extra multiplayer characters. [Via @amazongames]
