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Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time animated prequel steals our hearts
This animated prequel for Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time brings players up to speed on the mishaps of Sly and the gang. The game is coming to PS3 and Vita February 5, and a demo is available now for PS Plus members.
PS All-Stars dev SuperBot lays off unknown number of employees
Superbot Entertainment, the Sony-owned developer responsible for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, has suffered layoffs today, IGN reports."SCEA can confirm that SuperBot Entertainment did make a reduction in their workforce today," a Sony representative told IGN. "The studio and SCEA remain committed to supporting PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale post launch, including developing the title's forthcoming DLC releases in the coming months."Currently, the number of employees affected by the downsizing remains unknown, though we have reached out to both Sony and Superbot for more information about the situation and will update as details become available.Update: Sony has confirmed to us that layoffs have indeed hit Superbot, though no further information was given. Its full statement on the matter can be found after the break.
God of War: Ascension single-player demo coming late February [Update: multiplayer beta open to all this weekend]
A "full-fledged" single-player demo for God of War: Ascension is coming in late February, according to a recent PlayStation blog. With the multiplayer beta scheduled to end next week, fans only have the above 30-second teaser trailer to watch for the next month in preparation for the game's March 12 release date.Unless you bought the Total Recall remake film on Blu-ray of course, which came with the E3 single-player demo that is exclusive through 3/8/13. While we'd assume those are two different demos by virtue of February and March being two different months, we've contacted Sony to be sure.Update: God of War: Ascension's closed multiplayer beta testing initiative is officially open to all PSN users for the duration of the holiday weekend, Sony has informed us. Get in on that action by clicking here.
MLB 13: The Show video details Diamond Dynasty improvements
This video for MLB 13: The Show notes improvements on the series' Diamond Dynasty mode this year, in which players create their own teams comprised of a mixture of real-life and fictitious players. MLB The: The Show is slated to arrive March 5 for PS3 and Vita.
Kat, Emmett join PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale Feb. 12
Gravity Rush's Kat and Starhawk's Emmett Graves will be joining the fray as PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale's first DLC characters on February 12, Sony has announced. Both characters will be free for their first two weeks of availability, though their price point after the fact remains unknown.As we learned during their initial reveal last December, both characters make heavy usage of the abilities their own games are based on, with Kat (above) manipulating gravity and Emmett summoning mining equipment, as seen after the break. Both characters sport the same amenities as the original cast: extra costumes, full arcade stories and trial modes, etc.The previously announced Heavenly Sword/Wipeout stage has also been slated for February, though a specific release date or price was not provided. We're still holding out for a ship from Wipeout as a playable character.
God of War: Ascension dev diary goes online
God of War: Ascension's online component has one goal. Make it feel right to attack your friends – or attack with your friends. The latest dev diary explores how developers at Sony Santa Monica are making sure to hit the perfect balance of carnage and compassion.
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time pre-orders for $40, includes bonus
It looks like Sly Cooper will be sneaking in well below the usual $60 retail price for PS3 games. The listings on Walmart, Amazon and GameStop all currently have Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time available for pre-order at $40. Not quite a five-finger discount, but certainly better than nothing.Both Amazon and GameStop's pre-orders also include some in-game bonuses, notably new skins for Sly's para glider and a playable Seal Team Murray. It's also probably worth reiterating that Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time features Cross-Buy, meaning those who pick up the PS3 version get the Vita version for free.[Thanks, Michael!]
Pirates' Andrew McCutchen wins MLB 13 The Show cover athlete vote
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen was announced as the winner of the MLB 13: The Show cover athlete vote held on the MLB's official site. McCutchen garnered over 100,000 votes in the five-day poll.Second place went to New York Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia, who received just under 90,000 votes, while Detroit Tigers third baseman and triple crown winner Miguel Cabrera got third with 76,000 votes.MLB 13: The Show is set to launch March 5 for PS3 and Vita.
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time sneaks to Europe March 27
We knew that Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time would launch February 5 on PS3 and Vita in North America, but even Sly Cooper can't be in two places at once. We can now expect his arrival across the pond on March 27, according to the PlayStation Blog.To top it off, we have a nifty new story trailer for the game, which is great. Suspiciously great. %Gallery-155701%
God of War: Ascension's multiplayer trailer is straight-up gross
This God of War: Ascension multiplayer trailer and the ending of Apocalypse Now! have more in common than we'd generally like, except instead of a cow this has a beefy guy, and there's some Southern rock/railroad building blues playing in the background. Greece has a "South," right?
God of War: Ascension PS Plus beta takes a stab at January 8 launch
That PlayStation Plus-exclusive multiplayer beta for God of War: Ascension has been dated for January 8. Those who participated in the Rise of the Warrior social game and were on the winning Spartan team for the game's first team challenge can check out the beta starting today. Losers on the Trojan team can check out the beta starting on December 16.The multiplayer beta for God of War: Ascension is composed of two modes: team Favor of the Gods and free-for-all Favor of the Gods. These modes task teams and individuals with reaching a certain requisite number of points, "earning points via kills, bonus brutal kills, opening chests, capturing domination points, and, if you're skillful enough, performing executions using the Spear of Olympus," the PlayStation Blog reports. The map featured in the beta will be the Desert of Lost Souls, seen above.
The Last of Us pre-order bonuses detailed, trailer unveiled
Naughty Dog revealed the pre-order bonuses for The Last of Us this weekend, hot on the trail of the new trailer from the VGAs, which you can watch above. As for the pre-orders, they're split into the stuff all participating retailers are offering and the additional in-game content GameStop is bundling in.All participating pre-orders include the game's official soundtrack, a PS3 dynamic theme based on the box art, and 'Winter Joel' and 'Winter Ellie' PSN avatars. That sounds perfect for a game confirmed for late spring - May 7, 2013, to be specific.Pre-order at GameStop and you'll also get multiplayer goodies on top of the soundtrack, theme, and avatars. Those goodies include bonus XP, a melee attack booster, customizable character items, bonus skins, and a bit of extra in-game cash to help you on your way. Naughty Dog confirmed earlier this year that multiplayer would be coming to The Last of Us, but not in the form of campaign co-op.
MLB 13: The Show winds up to hit on March 5 for PS3 and Vita
MLB 13: The Show is wisely staying out of public places until we get some beautiful spring weather, now scheduled to launch on March 5, 2013, for PS3 and Vita.MLB 13 includes a few new features, such as a stadium setting with Playoff mode, a new beginner mode and improved Play Now, Franchise and Road To The Show modes. Franchise, Season and Road To The Show game saves can be synced among devices, whether PS3, Vita or that other PS3 you break out for special occasions.
PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale review: Smashing
Nintendo's presence looms large in the fledgling category of game mascot fighters. For years, the company has had a monopoly on the concept with its Smash Bros. series, essentially making it a genre of one. Sony may be the only other publisher with a large enough bench to support such a concept, and as a result PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale has been subject to many comparisons with Nintendo's beloved franchise (not all of them favorable).All-Stars certainly wears its influences on its sleeve, but thanks to some clever ideas, it also earns its keep. This isn't just a carbon copy, but a well-designed game that could go toe-to-toe with Nintendo's fighters.%Gallery-171477%
Resistance Collection invades retail on Dec. 5
The Resistance Collection, a bundle of all three of Insomniac's Resistance games for the PS3 will be available at retail starting on December 5.On top of the three Resistance games, there's some DLC in the package – the Aftermath multiplayer DLC pack, Skin bundle and Wraith skin multiplayer weapon for Resistance 2, plus the Brutality and Survival DLC packs for Resistance 3. All said and done, the Resistance Collection will set you back $39.99. (Or, about 14 Chiktumbs in Chimeran currency.)
Page Chronica registers PSN release date of December 4
Red Hare Studios turns Page Chronica onto North America's PlayStation Network on December 4. The PS3 puzzle-platformer's producer, Dr. Wee Lit Koh, also tells us that although a date for the European release isn't set yet, it too is "just around the corner." The price tag is also unconfirmed, but Dr. Koh told us last month his studio is targeting $10.99/€10.99.Page Chronica presents a curious mix of wordplay and platforming. By collecting and rearranging the letters spread across its dreamlike worlds, players can create enchanted words that grant them powerful attacks and magic. Edward Bulwer-Lytton once wrote the pen is mightier than the sword, and that's especially true if the pen magically grants you a big old mighty sword. Or if it's some kind of explosive pen gun.
LittleBigPlanet Karting review: Making tracks
I've never been a huge fan of the LittleBigPlanet series, but I've always respected it. I'm rendered powerless by its peerless charm, and the depth of its creation tools and the resulting masterworks churned out by its playrs never cease to amaze. My one gripe, shared by many others, is that the actual gameplay of LittleBigPlanet never seems to live up to most platformers. The floaty jumps, chancy landings, and overall soupy feel to the controls always let me down.In LittleBigPlanet Karting, at least, my one gripe has been wiped away, with developer United Front adopting a playbook long ago established by the Mario Kart series, including its simple, precise controls. The difference, and this is important, is that unlike Mario Kart, LittleBigPlanet Karting potentially has as many tracks as its players can dream up.%Gallery-170603%
When Vikings Attack pillages PSN next week, 30% pre-order discount for EU PSN
Vikings are set to invade 1970s England this Tuesday, November 6. When Vikings Attack, from new developer Clever Beans, launches for PS3 and Vita as a PSN cross-buy title. The game tasks players with corralling English villagers and uniting them against the invading viking hordes – the more villagers you've amassed, the bigger the items you can pick up and hurl.Anyone who actually lives in England (or elsewhere connected to the European PlayStation Network) can shave 30 percent off the game's £7.99/€9.99 price by pre-ordering it now through the PS3's PSN Store. Shaving the beard off a viking, however, is considerably more difficult and not something we should ever have tried.
This is madness: GameStop God of War: Ascension pre-order perk is '300' DLC
Gamestop's God of War: Ascension pre-order bonus is an exclusive multiplayer costume taken from Zack Snyder's 2007 movie 300, because nothing says "brand-new video game based on Greek pseudo-mythology" like a random costume from a five-year-old movie based on Greek pseudo-history.Specifically, the costume replicates King Leonidas' red cape, helmet and "armor," which we assume is what they're calling his tiny little baby man-shorts. The costume also includes a spear that provides new moves and abilities, as well as a double-sided God of War: Ascension poster. It does not, however, include a pit for disposing of foreign dignitaries or a bottle of chest grease.
God of War: Ascension beta seeks vengeance this winter; new social game offers early access
Sony has finally revealed that this winter will be when PlayStation Plus users will be able to get their hands on the God of War: Ascension beta. Plus subscribers will be able to sample the multiplayer side of God of War: Ascension gratis, but frugal fans still have an option: early access through a new social game called Rise of the Warrior.Rise of the Warrior is not available at the moment, but playing the social game between its launch and March 2013 offers rewards of in-game unlocks, exclusive items, early beta access and 30-day subscriptions to PlayStation Plus. And, hey, if there's one thing an angry man on a path of vengeance can't deny, it's the smile-inducing power of free stuff.
