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Kevin Butler comes out of 'retirement' for new PlayStation campaign, 'Long Live Play'
Four bleak days after Sony ad man Kevin Butler publicly resigned, Sony released a new video laying out its new ad campaign and reintroducing us to the VP of ... well, everything. "Long Live Play" is the new motto, replacing "It Only Does Everything" as the phrase we hear interwoven into press conference speeches and sizzle reels for the next year or so. Always the showman, Butler kicks off the motto with a bang, as you'll see in the video above. On a personal note, allow us to welcome Mr. Butler back, who's always been the VP of our hearts.
MotorStorm Apocalypse update adds make-a-mode, Move support
Evolution Studios and Sony America have announced the release of an update to Motorstorm Apocalypse that's probably beefy enough to charge for -- luckily, they didn't! The update, which went live earlier today, adds a network for sharing your customized vehicles, streamlines a few online multiplayer options, and includes support for the PlayStation Move and select racing wheel peripherals. The update also adds a "Mode Editor," which allows you to tweak pretty much anything you want in a given race. For example, with two clicks, you can disable both brakes and gravity. The potential for unintentional hilarity here is dizzying.
Resistance 3 heads to the Outback in 'Alice Springs' multiplayer map
What's more important than getting a look at the just revealed "Alice Springs" map for Resistance 3 set in Northern Australia? To us, that answer is clearly "learning how to kill, like, a million chimera in a row." Luckily, this latest gameplay clip does both.
Name the new ModNation Racers Vita game
Sony's launched a public request to name the upcoming PlayStation Vita version of ModNation Racers in a recent US PlayStation Blog post. Our first inclination was to suggest "The PlayStation Vita Version of ModNation Racers" in the allotted comments section, but the name lacked a certain pizazz we were hoping for. After thinking awhile longer, we figured out an absolutely perfect one: "ModNation Racers: Vita!" Take that, professional marketing guys!%Gallery-125158%
Twisted Metal pushed to 'early 2012' worldwide
Once pinned to an October launch date, the reboot of Twisted Metal apparently won't arrive until "early 2012." Eat Sleep Play head David Jaffe took to the PlayStation Blog (in all territories) to announce the delay, citing "extra time needed to polish our demented baby" for the delay. If you, like us, are wondering what exactly that means, he goes on to channel Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto: "A late game is only late until it ships. A bad game is bad until the end of time." He also assured fans, "If we shipped Twisted Metal tomorrow -- going off the response from folks who have played it -- I assure you, it would never be a bad game." Jaffe promises a big showing at both of this summer's game industry shows, Gamescom and PAX Prime, so we'll be sure to find out specifically what's being done with the extra development time.
Sound Shapes preview: Run, jump, dance
Do you own any of the following? A. Very flexible, DJ-quality headphones B. A messenger bag sized specifically for vinyl records C. A modded Game Boy/Game Boy Color/etc. for creating music D. The freshest styles and moves, straight from Planet Funketron If you answered "Yes" to any of the above, and you also share my love for precision platforming in video games like N+ and Super Meat Boy, then Sound Shapes is gonna be your jam.%Gallery-125607%
God of War Master Collection 'currently' only for Germany
As much as we love writing about video games here at Joystiq, it pales in comparison to our real hobby: crushing hopes and dreams. If you were looking forward to playing through every single God of War game in the God of War Master Collection that was spotted on Amazon's German site, and you don't actually live in Germany, you're out of luck. When asked about the listing, Sony informed Joystiq that the Master Collection is "currently only slated for the German market." It seems a bit unlikely that such a collection would be exclusive to a single region, so we wouldn't be surprised to see it announced for other regions as well. Of course, we'll take all the dream crushing we can get, even if it is only temporary.
Sony unveils San Diego Comic Con lineup, panels, crazy arcade cabinet
Sony's presence at this year's San Diego Comic Con is, like Qwark's chest, large and complex. Beyond bringing major retail releases like Resistance 3 and Twisted Metal for attendees to play, the publisher is showcasing a variety of wares from PSN indies like thatgamecompany's Journey and Minority Games' Papo & Yo. The company is hosting several presentations on a handful of its games -- everything from Starhawk to Uncharted 3 -- along with with the chance to play a variety of unreleased PlayStation titles. If that weren't enough, the construction of a full Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One arcade cabinet specifically for SDCC 2011 should help to get you on board. Take an early peek at the cabinet in working order just below the break.
Naughty Dog: Elena and Chloe to play less prominent role in Drake's Deception
You like Nathan Drake, right? And how about Chloe and Elena? Too bad! It looks like neither of them stand a better chance of survival than anyone else in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, as Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells explains in a recent interview. "We're not dogmatic about anything," he tells CVG, when asked about the possibility of a "lead character" being killed off. "If that's what it takes then that's what it takes." Thankfully, he doesn't spoil whether any main characters die -- he does explain, however, that Chloe and Elena "aren't the emphasis of the story the way they were in Uncharted 2." Rather, the focus of the third game is on the relationship between Nathan and his mentor, Victor "Sully" Sullivan. We have to imagine that Helen Mirren lookalike also plays a critical role, but Wells deftly avoids that plot thread as well. Gotta save something for November!
Ruin preview: Hack and social
Perhaps the PS Vita game with the highest profile after Sony's E3 press event is the working-titled Ruin, a hack-and-slash Torchlight-style RPG with some interesting social features. Developer Idol Minds (Pain) showed off the title during the event right after the PS Vita's official introduction, and as soon as the event ended, we ran to see just what the game would be like. What we found was a pretty traditional, if simple, dungeon crawler. At least a prototype of a dungeon crawler -- Ruin's most interesting features, like the social elements that will let you both build and equip a dungeon of your own, as well as attack the dungeons of your rivals, are still all theoretical so far. But the mechanics are there; as an Infernal Warrior (the only race/class combination on display, though Humans and Elves will also be playable as an Assassin or one of two other classes), I got to take down a small dungeon of enemies and collect the tasty (placeholder) loot that issued forth.
Sony press conference wrapup: PS Vita rears its touchscreened head
So close, and yet -- no! Just close. Very close to achieving a rare E3 prediction Bingo, as seen in the marked-out card above. There was certainly no shortage of news between the pricing and naming of the PS Vita and a metric ton of Uncharted demos -- but man, if we'd gotten a new PS3 bundle, we would have been made in the shade. Check out the full wrapup after the jump!
SCEA president Jack Tretton apologizes for PSN breach and outage
With surprising candor, Sony Computer Entertainment Americal president Jack Tretton kicked off the Sony E3 2011 press conference with a formal apology for the PSN breach and outage which plagued the system earlier this year. Check out a video of his statements after the jump.
Uncharted 3's E3 2011 trailer leaves us wanting for more [updated]
There were two Uncharted 3 trailers during Sony's E3 presser, one of which is embedded after the break. It's exciting, no doubt, and it's got plenty of thrilling gameplay. But hey, it's not as amazing as the second trailer shown off. Update: Found the second one! Check it out after the break.
thatgamecompany's Jenova Chen tours the world of Journey
We'll admit it: we're kinda, sorta seriously smitten with thatgamecompany's third game, Journey. As if the two previews we've run didn't already tell you that! Anyway, this recent interview with GTTV is interesting, sure, but look at all that gameplay footage! Beautiful! Check it out after the break.
Starhawk multiplayer footage loosed from Sony Santa Monica
We have to imagine that editing the two and a half minutes of Starhawk multiplayer footage -- pulled from a Sony Santa Monica in-house tourney -- was extra difficult, given the ubiquity of expletives thrown around at tournaments; nonetheless, Sony persevered! Check it out after the break.
Resistance 'Dual Pack' coming July 5, bonus content revealed
Clearly you're enthusiastic about the Resistance series if you don't own either of the first two games, so it goes without saying that you're all about dressing up as a generic-looking soldier in the third game's multiplayer. Insomniac apparently knows this, as the studio took to the US PlayStation blog today to announce said multiplayer "Capelli" skin as part of the bonuses included in the Resistance "Dual Pack," launching on July 5. He's ... uh ... got a beanie? Awesome? As previously revealed by an insert in the Battle: Los Angeles Blu-ray, the two-pack of Resistance titles will also include "$10 worth of bonus content," detailed as the "Aftermath" map, a skin bundle, and the "wraith skin" multiplayer weapons for Resistance 2. When the pack arrives on July 5, it comes with an asking price of $39.99.
inFamous 2 Hero Edition unboxed, new trailer unleashed
If you have a penchant for messenger bags, world-ending beasts and "it's totally not a toy" figurines, today's inFamous 2 news is just right for you. Beyond a thoroughly detailed photo tour of the game's "Hero Edition" (an "unboxing," if you will), Sony today released a brand new trailer for this June's third-person superhero-er. Rather than show off the game's New Orleans-inspired location as so many inFamous 2 trailers have before it, this one's all about the destruction of Cole's hometown: Empire City. Turns out that the enormous beast he was worried about in the last game is kind of a dominant force in his second adventure. Head past the break for some minor story spoilers from inFamous 1 and a whole mess of destruction in inFamous 2.
Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One arrives on Oct. 18, pre-order bonuses detailed
Four friends, armed to the teeth with an enormous arsenal of weapons, may be sufficient to overcome Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One's menagerie of levels, but wouldn't it be helpful to have an extra Mr. Zurkon hovering overhead? The trailer we've dropped after the break answers that question with a resounding "YES," showing off Mr. Zurkon and the other three pre-order bonuses that folks will pick up at various (sigh) retailers. Alongside the pre-order news, Sony announced that Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One will launch on October 18, living up to its previously noted "Fall 2011" launch window. That leaves just five months to decide where to pre-order -- but let's not kid ourselves, you're gonna go with Zurkon. It's just the right thing to do.%Gallery-124103%
Sony offering free identity theft coverage for PS3 users
Sony has officially announced specifics of the complimentary identity theft protection program it's extending to customers in the wake of its well-publicized security breach. Corporate communications director Patrick Seybold outlines the details in a new post on the official PlayStation blog. Sony has partnered with Debix, Inc., and gamers will be able to take advantage of the latter company's AllClearID Plus program for 12 months at no cost. Sony will be sending out activation emails over the next few days, and you'll need to redeem your code by June 18th to participate. Seybold notes that this program is only valid for account holders in the United States, and Sony is currently "working to make similar programs available in other countries/territories." The AllClearID Plus program includes cyber monitoring and surveillance designed to detect exposure of personal information, priority access to licensed investigators and ID restoration specialists, and a $1 million insurance policy.
Rumor: Starhawk reveal coming in mid-May (Us: Try to act surprised)
We've been hearing about a rumored follow-up to Warhawk for nearly two years after Sony Computer Entertainment of America registered a trademark for a game known as "Starhawk." And though the rumors have gone quiet for quite some time, SystemLink PlayStation claims to have spoken to an anonymous Sony employee who revealed a wealth of details about the alleged sequel -- details that are reported to be part of a big reveal in mid-May. Lightbox Interactive is said to be in the pilot's seat -- a studio made of ex-Incognito devs, the same folks who made Warhawk -- and the game will be exclusive to the PlayStation 3. According to the report, the core gameplay doesn't deviate too much from its predecessor -- "a third-person shooter with jeeps, APCs, tanks, and now spaceships." As for space combat, the piece claims that only some maps will allow spaceships to exit the planet's atmosphere, with specific areas intended for ground combat. The game is also said to feature both single- and multiplayer, with a heavier focus on the latter. No details are provided as to whether it's a digital or retail release (or some combination of both, like the original game). As the piece points out, Lightbox Interactive president Dylan Jobe has been tweeting up a storm with his excitement, with such missives as "Been running in silent mode for too long. This is killing me. I can't wait to be able to talk about it" and "Thank you all for your patience. Really! I want nothing more than to show off the new game to our fans!" For what it's worth, an SCEA rep told us, "We don't comment on rumors or speculation," but we'll hopefully find out what's what in a few weeks.
