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An appreciation of the PlayStation Vita on its 10th birthday
The PlayStation Vita was powerful, beautiful and less popular than the 3DS. Join us as we celebrate our favorite titles on Sony's last handheld.
Konami pulls some Metal Gear Solid games from digital stores
The publisher is trying to renew licenses for archival footage in 'MGS2' and 'MGS3.'
Sony is making it harder to buy PS3 and Vita games
Sony is disabling credit card and PayPal payments for the PS3 and Vita stores on October 27th, making it difficult to buy games for the aging systems.
Sony reverses decision to close PS3 and Vita game stores this summer
'It’s clear that we made the wrong decision here.'
Sony will close the PS3, PS Vita and PSP digital stores this summer
Sony will close the PlayStation Store on PS3 and PSP on July 2, and August 27th on Vita.
Petit Depotto, 'Gnosia' and the new, obsolete game
Like most of tech culture, the mainstream gaming industry is constantly hungry for next-gen hardware, and for major studios like Epic Games, Blizzard and Ubisoft, there’s an ongoing competition to stay ahead. Last June, a small Japanese indie studio named Petit Depotto unveiled Gnosia -- a werewolf-style role-playing adventure -- on the aging PlayStation Vita, which Sony officially discontinued in March 2019. Adapted from the 1986 Russian social game Mafia, werewolf scenarios require ‘villagers’ to deduce the identity of a ‘werewolf’ hiding among them.
How 'Puyo Puyo Tetris' tricked me into liking puzzle games
When Larry Kasanoff said he was turning the world's most iconic puzzle game into a trilogy of science fiction movies, I was speechless. After a disaster like Pixels, how could anybody look at Tetris and think there was a narrative to tell? The game may be a classic, but the narrative potential of organizing falling bricks into horizontal lines seemed weak to me. Then I played Puyo Puyo Tetris. Kasanoff's sci-fi epic still sounds terrible, but somehow it pulls off the impossible: It builds an entertaining narrative from an abstract puzzle game.
Shovel Knight's DLC hits consoles and PC on September 17th
Yacht Club Games, developers of the uber-popular platformer, Shovel Knight, has revealed that the game's DLC will be available starting September 17th. Dubbed Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows, the DLC will offer a number of new gameplay styles including Adventure and Challenge Modes. The game is currently available on PC, Wii U, 3DS, PlayStation 3, PS4, PS Vita, and Xbox One. The DLC will be available as digital downloads on all these consoles. A physical disc version including both the original game and the DLC will be ready in October.
2D fighter Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax will reach the West
Following its Japanese debut last November, Sega has announced plans to publish Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax on the PlayStation 3 and Vita handheld in Western territories later this year. As the title suggests, Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax is a dream match of sorts that pits characters from the Dengeki Bunko line of Japanese light novels against one another in fairly traditional (if visually spectacular) 2D combat. Because Sega's publishing the game, Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax also features some notable characters from the company's extensive history in games, including Selvaria Bles from Valkyria Chronicles and Virtua Fighter icon Akira. No specific launch date has yet been nailed down for Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax, but Sega plans to release the game to both retail and the PlayStation Network at some point this Summer. [Image: Sega]
Visit exotic locations and grind on them in OlliOlli 2
The debut trailer for OlliOlli 2: Welcome To Olliwood (sequel to the addictive skateboarding platformer OlliOlli) promises "bigger tricks, epic new locations" and a "silky new style and flow," alongside locations ranging from Aztec temples to carnivals populated by zombies. [Image: Roll7]
Transistor, Yakuza 4 heading to PlayStation Plus next month
Sony has revealed next month's PlayStation Plus lineup, announcing that subscribers will receive free downloadable copies of Transistor, Yakuza 4, and more starting next week. Featured PlayStation 4 freebies for next month include Supergiant Games' Bastion follow-up Transistor and Alien Trap Games' side-scrolling action game Apotheon, while PlayStation 3 owners can expect to see Sega's open-world crime drama Yakuza 4 and Eidos Montreal's first-person stealth game Thief. The PlayStation Vita will host Jaywalkers Interactive's Kick & Fennick, and Cellar Door Games' roguelike platformer Rogue Legacy will be freely downloadable across the PlayStation 4, PS3, and Vita. All featured games will be available as free downloads for PlayStation Plus subscribers after the PlayStation Store updates on February 3. [Image: Sony]
Sony pulls support for Vita's Maps, YouTube apps
In a brief Twitter message, Sony has announced that official support for the Maps and YouTube apps found on the Vita handheld will soon come to an end. The message offers links to support pages for both apps which reveal exactly when the software will cease to function. While all features of the Maps app (and unspecified features of the Near app) will go dark as part of an update planned to launch in March, the YouTube app will be gone by April 20. Today marks the final day the Vita's YouTube app will be available for download from the PlayStation Network store. Despite the removal of the apps, Vita owners will still be able to access YouTube and numerous (superior) online maps via the handheld's web browser. Our attempts to reach Sony for an official explanation of this decision have so far gone unanswered. [Image: Sony]
PSN Store Update: Phrasing!
Alright, let's talk about dying lights, grim fandangos and how life is strange. No, not that recent rumor, silly-billy! We're totally referring to this week's new releases on the PlayStation Store, which include Techland's Dying Light ($60), the Grim Fandango remaster ($15) and the debut episode of teen drama Life is Strange ($5). All three of those are on PS4, while you'll also find Life is Strange on PS3 and Grim Fandango on Vita. By the by, Grim Fandango is cross-buy; if you buy it on PS4 you'll unlock it on Vita for free, and vice versa. Meanwhile, Life is Strange won't be available until Friday, January 30.
Sony accepting claims on 2011 PSN data breach settlement
If you were a PSN, Qriocity or Sony Online Entertainment user at the time of the April 2011 Sony hack that disrupted the PlayStation Network for nearly a month and compromised 70 million user accounts, now's your chance to get a piece of the class action settlement levied against Sony last year. To qualify, you must have held a PSN, Qriocity or Sony Online Entertainment account on or before May 14, 2011. Each service is eligible to receive different claims, but PSN users are able to receive either one or two games - if you already received a free game in Sony's 2011 "Welcome Back" promotion, you're only eligible for one; if not, you're eligible to choose two - from a list that includes standouts like LittleBigPlanet and God of War HD. Notably, none of the games on offer are for the PlayStation 4. If none of the games tickle your fancy, you can instead choose free dynamic themes for your PlayStation 3 or free PlayStation Plus subscription time. After wading through multiple pages of bureaucratic legalese, you'll find everything you need to make your claim at the PSN-SOE settlement website. [Image: Sony]
PSN Indie game flash sale: Resogun, Brothers, Shadow Warrior
A lineup of more than 60 indie games and various movies are on sale right now on the PlayStation Network as part of a new Flash Sale, the PlayStation Blog has revealed. From now until Monday, January 26 at 9:00am, titles like the PS4 original downloadable indie title Resogun, Joystiq favorite Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and the modern revival of Shadow Warrior and more are available for up to 80% off. The sale features games across the PS4, PS3 and Vita libraries. A handful of movies are also discounted as part of the deal, including Snowpiercer and The Raid 2. [Image: Sony]
PSN Store Update: Stop It Don't Open That Door Edition
This week's headline new release on PSN is definitely Saints Row: Gat out of Hell, the $20 standalone follow-up to Saints Row 4. PS3 and PS4 owners can both get their Gat on, but the latter group can also get it in a $50 bundle with SR4: Re-elected. The visually enhanced, DLC-stuffed PS4 version of Saints Row 4 is also available on its own for $30. This week's other big deal is also a remaster, but of a much, much less recent game. The PS4 and PS3 edition of the first Resident Evil brings the S.T.A.R.S. into HD, and at an asking price of $20. Since it's a remaster of the GameCube game, itself a remake, we'll just have to reminisce about the original's memorably awful voice acting.
PlayStation exclusive TV show 'Powers' debuts in March
The PlayStation-exclusive original series Powers will debut on March 10, the PlayStation Blog has announced. The series will span ten episodes, with the first episode available for free to all PSN account holders. PlayStation Plus subscribers will have access to the complete season. Based on the ongoing Image Comics series from writer Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man) and artist Michael Avon Oeming (Judge Dredd), Powers is a police-procedural set in Chicago where two homicide detectives investigate cases involving citizens with superhuman abilities. The series stars District 9 standout Sharlto Copley as Christian Walker, a former superhero who becomes a detective after he loses his powers, and his partner Deena Pilgrim, played by The Following's Susan Heyward. Eddie Izzard portrays the villainous character Wolfe. Watch a trailer for the series after the break. [Image: Sony]
PSN members get one-use 10% discount code this weekend
Sony's goodwill discount is up for the taking this weekend, allowing users to save 10 percent off a one-time total cart purchase in the PlayStation Store. The offer is part of Sony's show of appreciation for PSN members' patience following the network issues over the holidays. The rules are that the purchase must be made between 9AM PT/12PM ET on January 23 and the same time on January 26. To reiterate, it's 10 percent off a total cart purchase rather than a single item, so if you're in the mood for a PSN splurge then it's your lucky day. However, it's a one-time dealio, so make sure you put all your PSN eggs in your 10 percent basket.
GTA 5 continues to hold off FIFA & CoD in this week's UK charts
And now for something completely similar: Right now you'd need a microscope to find the week-to-week changes in the UK charts. Nonetheless, it's interesting to see Grand Theft Auto 5 stay ahead of traditional front-runners FIFA and Call of Duty, especially since Rockstar's game is a re-release on current-gen. At this new release-less time of year, we'd normally be talking about a 28th consecutive No. 1 for FIFA [Insert Year Here]. The current top three are the same trio that sold the most in the UK last year, though FIFA 15 won out overall in 2014. Moreover, seven of this week's top ten are in the 2014 top ten, and most of those hit store shelves in the second half of the year. Right, stop that UK charts analysis! It's silly. This week's full top ten can be found below the break, along with the customary music video that's a bit suspect.
Toukiden: Kiwami battles fresh Oni on PS4, Vita in March
PlayStation 4 and Vita owners, we're trusting you to rid us all of the creepy beasts lurking in Toukiden: Kiwami once Koei Tecmo releases physical and digital copies on March 31 in North America and March 27 in Europe. What is that twisted take on felines seen above? Other than unsettling, we mean. As detailed on the PlayStation Blog, Kiwami will have "double the size and content" of last year's Toukiden: The Age of Demons (which is included with Kiwami), with additions including "newly discovered Oni, [over 100 Mitama], new Slayers, new moves, and twice as many stages." The post estimates that Kiwami's standalone story, which picks up three months after the previous battle to prevent another Awakening, is also "roughly the same size" as The Age of Demons'. If you've spent plenty of time saving the world in The Age of Demons, know that existing save data can be carried over. Koei Tecmo Europe's Chin Soon Sun has also confirmed that PS4 and Vita players will be able to take down Oni together. As for cross-buy compatibility, that's still up in the air – Sun has stated he'll share more info "when the time comes." [Image: Tecmo Koei]
