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PlayStation 99-cent sale discounts Tokyo Jungle, Super Stardust, more
The PlayStation Network Store is hosting a flash sale for dozens of games this weekend, each discounted to 99 cents. The sale spans PS3, Vita and PSP games as well as both PS2 and PSOne Classics, such as the Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon series. The sale features standout gems like PopCap's Plants vs Zombies, Jonathan Blow's Braid, Sony's own Tokyo Jungle and Housemarque's Super Stardust HD. It also includes full seasons of episode Telltale-developed games Back to the Future and Jurassic Park as well as the adventure studio's five-game Tales of Monkey Island bundle. The full list of games included in this weekend's sale can be found after the break. [Image: Sony Online Entertainment]
Super Stardust 'spiritual successor' coming to PlayStation 4
Finnish developer Housemarque announced today that it's working on a "spiritual successor" to the Super Stardust series for the PlayStation 4. Housemarque's twin-stick shooter Super Stardust HD launched as a downloadable title during the PlayStation 3's first year of release. The company followed up with the PS3-exclusive zombie shooter Dead Nation and the multiplatform Outland, and made its PS Vita debut last year with Super Stardust Delta. "We truly believe that better technology can lead to better gameplay," Housemarque's CEO Ilari Kuittinen explains. "The more tools and resources we have at our disposal, the better." Kuittinen continues: "Think of Super Stardust HD: at the time, PlayStation 3 gave us the opportunity to populate the game with thousands of interactive objects and implement the game's famous 'spherical gameplay'. Today, we can take advantage of the architecture of PlayStation 4 to create incredible visuals with direct impact on the way the new game feels." Housemarque additionally revealed that it is working on "another unannounced PS4 project." The company will announce further details regarding both games later this year.
Ring in 5 years of Super Stardust HD with $7.99 bundle on PSN
Five years have gone by since Super Stardust HD was first released on PlayStation Network, and Housemarque is offering a special sale to mark the occasion. Right now, interested star-dusters can pick up Super Stardust HD and all three of its DLC packs for $7.99.Sadly, fans of portable blasting seem to be out of luck, as there don't appear to be any deals for the PSP's Super Stardust Portable or the Vita's Super Stardust Delta. Maybe we'll have to wait for the tenth anniversary for those.
Sony's 'Welcome Back' campaign apologizes to distraught PSN users with free games, good vibes
Remember the recent PlayStation Network outage? You know the one, right? It started in late-April and lasted up through this weekend's phased restoration (and continues on for many un-phased users). Well, Sony would like to sincerely apologize for the whole thing the best way it knows how: free video games. The company today announced its "Welcome Back" program, which is letting all existing PSN and Qriocity users in North America pick two of the following games: Dead Nation, inFAMOUS, LittleBigPlanet, Super Stardust HD, and Wipeout HD + Fury. PSP users, meanwhile, can chose two from LittleBigPlanet, ModNation Racers, Pursuit Force, and Kill Liberation. You can claim the games at some point in the next 30 days, and once you've downloaded, they're yours to keep. The gesture may well prove too little, too late for many disgruntled users -- but even they'll likely have trouble staying angry at Sackboy's adorable little dirt-stained mug.
Super Stardust HD bracing for 'Impact Mode' DLC
If Super Stardust HD has steadily sunk in your PS3's XMB Game list, we can understand -- it's nearly four years old! You may be inspired to scroll down to it in the coming weeks, however, once the new "Impact Mode" DLC is released. That's right -- new DLC. "We want to thank all the fans around the world for your continued support -- it has made Super Stardust HD a top-selling PSN-exclusive and enabled us to keep creating new content for the game even now over three years after its release," wrote Ilari Kuittinen, CEO of developer Housemarque, in the DLC announcement on the EU PlayStation Blog. Making its debut in Super Stardust Portable for PSP, Impact Mode does away with weapons and outfits your ship with "an experimental new matter-to-energy boost engine technology" -- in other words, "once you activate the boost, you can stay in boost as long as you can hit meteors and enemies with it!" The mode will be available for Super Stardust HD on March 30 (in the EU PlayStation Store) for €1.99/£1.59. The exact release date ("Spring," for now) and price for the North American release are pending. %Gallery-119517%
Super Stardust HD 'pro' joins Housemarque, gets to work on Dead Nation
Described as a Super Stardust "pro," the phenom known as Tlo-Mek has joined Housemarque's team on account of "his gaming prowess." Sony announced the new hire alongside this gameplay footage of Tlo-Mek straight killing Housemarque's impending PSN release, Dead Nation. That's some way to land a job!
US PlayStation 3 gets four 3D titles starting tomorrow
Perhaps the PlayStation Network needed to be down in order to add extra dimensions -- whatever the case, Sony just announced that tomorrow will usher in the first quartet of PS3 titles to support stereoscopic 3D. Not too shocking, as it happens to be the same day Japanese gamers get the same deal. Entrees include WipEout HD, Super Stardust HD, Pain, and a demo of MotorStorm: Pacific Rift. Looking to the future, PlayStation Move title The Fight: Lights Out will support 3D at launch. Of course you'll need a 3DTV to join the fun, but hey, looks like Sony's got you covered there, too.
3DTV-enabled Super Stardust HD turns up early on UK PSN?
A few UK PlayStation 3 gamers have found they already have access to the 3D version of Super Stardust HD, reporting it "looks gorgeous" and (presumably thanks to the recent update) automatically adjusts the TV to the proper settings and prompts the player to slip on their shutter glasses. While the PSN store only shows a few updates, if you already have the game (and a 3DTV, of course) deleting it and redownloading should nab the new version. Of course, if 2D is the way to play we'd recommend holding off as a few have reported the new edition is limited to 720p resolution only, instead of the original 1080p. While that might be necessary to keep everything exploding smoothly in 3D at 60 frames per second, per eye, we're sure existing HDTV owners would appreciate every pixel they can get, so until we get some official release notes we'd leave this to the early adopting glasses wearers only.
PlayStation 3's first 3D title updates coming June 10th to Japan
Good news / bad news, folks. First with the smiles: PlayStation 3's first 3D-enabling updates are due out on June 10th for downloadable titles Super Stardust HD, WipEout HD, and Pain. The first two games get the added dimension for gratis, but Pain lovers (who should be accustomed by now to its abundant premium add-ons) will need to fork over ¥300 (approximately $3.28) for the benefit. The other stickler is that these updates are so far only announced for Japan -- and by merit of a Bravia promotion, Europe as well. So what's a North American gamer with a penchant for wearing special glasses to do? Keep waiting, true believers.
First PS3 3D game updates available in Japan on June 10
Sony Japan has announced the first games to be updated for 3D in that region -- a set of games corresponding to those included with Sony Europe's Bravia promotion. Super Stardust HD, Pain, and WipeOut HD will all be patched to support 3D for those in Japan with fancy enough TVs on June 10. Like in Europe, new Bravia buyers in Japan will be treated to all three of these 3D games for free, along with a 3D MotorStorm Pacific Rift demo. For those not buying a new TV, the 3D update for WipeOut and Super Stardust will still be free (even if the games aren't). Pain, however, lives up to its name with a ¥300 ($3.28) charge to add the new 3D mode. Now that near-identical details and launch dates have been released for 3D support in Japan and Europe, we can safely guess that a similar promotion will be on the way in North America. [Via Andriasang]
3D PS3 games coming to PSN in June, 4 free with Bravia purchases
If you're looking to ditch your old HDTV in favor of Sony's HX803-series Bravia 3D TV, due to arrive in Europe this June, you'll receive four free 3D PlayStation 3 games. It's not explicit whether the "free collection" will be comprised PSN codes or compiled on a disc, but the promotional titles, including WipEout HD, MotorStorm Pacific Rift, PAIN and Super Stardust HD, will also be made available on PSN at the same time. We're following up with Sony America about whether it plans to have a similar promotion in the same timeframe. We'll be sure to update in glorious 2D text if it does.
Housemarque explains tech behind 3D Super Stardust HD
3D gaming isn't entirely new, but will be a big focal point for Sony this year -- and what better way to show that than by turning one of 2007's bright spots into a full 3D experience. Super Stardust HD is undergoing a HD facelift right now and during an interview with Digital Foundry (via Eurogamer), engine lead Seppo Halonen and creative director Harri Tikkanen talked about adapting the game to 3D and some of the technological leaps and bounds made by Housemarque Games. What makes SSHD different than other 3D experiences -- specifically, Avatar and other 3D games like Invincible Tiger -- is that it'll be running at a native resolution of 720p at 120 frames per second, 60 frames per each eye, and doesn't use low-res buffers to create the effect. Housemarque accomplished this by having the engine render everything twice, added stereoscopic cameras and moved the vertex processing from the GPU to the SPU. This took up about 50 percent of the SPU's resources, leaving them with enough to pre-process a lot of the game, allowing things to render much faster than before. As for future Housemarque games on PS3, don't necessarily expect those titles to be in 3D. Tikkanen says that because some titles "lend themselves better to 3D than others," all future 3D compatibility will be decided "on a game by game basis."
2009 Dream-Build-Play winners announced, Dust takes top honor
It must be nice winning $40,000! We imagine Dust: An Elysian Tail developer Dean Dodrill will be drinking his fair share of shirley temples this weekend with all those extra duckets, after winning first place in this year's XNA Developer Dream-Build-Play competition. As you can see in the gallery below and video after the break, Dust is a beautiful, hand-drawn side-scroller that features action-RPG gameplay in the vein of Castlevania ... but with furries.Second place (and $20,000) went to Panya Inversin from Coin App who created Max Blastronaut, which looks to be a mix between Super Stardust HD and ... Double Dragon? We're just as confused as you are, but see for yourself after the break, below the Dust clip. Third and fourth place went to Mauricio Garcia's Rotor'scope and Hu Ling's HurricaneX2 Evolution, respectively. Congratulations to all of this year's winners!%Gallery-72019%
Team17 head: Timed exclusivity is 'just the way the world works'
"I appreciate PS3 owners getting pissed off because it's not on their platform immediately, but that's up to Sony I guess to address that," Team17 studio head Martyn Brown said in a recent interview with VideoGamer.com. According to Brown, exclusivity is just a fact of life. "People on Live Arcade can't play Super Stardust [HD] or PAIN or a bunch of titles ... it's just the way the world works really." he added. Addressing concerns that his company was paid off by Microsoft for the timed exclusivity of Alien Breed Evolution on XBLA, Brown answered ... "bollocks" (British for "nonsense"). Instead, Brown credited the exclusivity deal to "early faith" from the publisher. Specifically, Brown stated, "In exchange for exclusivity we get a lot more promotion ... it isn't the case of here's some cash in a suitcase, It just doesn't work like that -- It would be nice if it did!" No suitcases full of bank notes, Mr. Brown? Oh, that's right, GTA IV's exclusive DLC used up all of Microsoft's petty cash for a bit. Sorry, guy! %Gallery-68333%
Super Stardust HD celebrates 2nd anniversary with Euro price drop
You've played Super Stardust HD, right? It's two years old now, and still one of the best PSN downloadable titles available. You surely picked it up around this time last year, when it became the first game to support Trophies. No? Well, now's your chance. To celebrate the game's second birthday, the developers have dropped the price from £4.99 to £1.59 (€1.99).Make sure you head on over to the European PlayStation Blog to see Housemarque's Petteri Putkonen's retrospective on the last two years. He also mentions Housemarque's desire to update the game even further, with an expansion that would "add a new dimension to the game," and requests that you contact him with any of your own ideas. It may be a while before you see them implemented, though, as the company is currently busy trying to outdo itself with its next PSN game. We can't wait.
Yo Asteroid! Super Stardust Portable out Dec. 4
If there's one classic concept that video games have taught us, it's that things from outer space are coming to kill you. In the case of Super Stardust Portable, said things are mainly calamitous asteroids, intent on colliding with your puny spaceship and the planet below. The downloadable PSP title, a handheld rendition of the popular rock-blasting shooter on PlayStation 3, will become available on the PlayStation Store next Thursday, December 4th, for $9.99.Those used to the chaotic action of Super Stardust have a new "Impact" mode (bombs and boosts only!) to look forward to in this version, as well as a new final boss. Not that we thought you'd be bored without them -- the PSP version promises to hurl over 1,000 objects at the field at any given time. As programming lead Kimmo Lahtinen points out, "That's a lot of things to shoot."
Become a better Super Stardust HD player
Some of us are gifted with incredible skill in Super Stardust HD. The dazzling array of falling rocks and deadly enemies does little to shock these players -- they are able to boost, shoot and bomb without ever having to blink. Unfortunately, not all of us are so capable. Thankfully, the PlayStation.blog has a new set of videos to with a few pointers on how to get the most out of this popular PSN game. Perhaps with these tips, you too will be able to get all of those elusive Trophies ...
European PSN update for July 15th
Yeah, it's July 16th in Europe right now, but we've been too busy to post the update until now. The fact we even know what's up on the store is a near miracle (thanks, Tom!), seeing as we're actually nowhere near a PS3 right now. With our excuses out of the way, we present to you today's update which, apart from a whole bunch of awesome E3 trailers, includes the SSHD Team Pack. Best thing about the Team Pack? Another potential trophy. Here's the full release list:Playable Content Fatal Inertia EX demo (free) Fatal Inertia EX Full Game (£14.99) Add-on Content Super Stardust HD "Team Pack" (£2.99) Videos Buzz! Quiz TV advert Buzz! Quiz TV "Sofa vs Sofa" advert Resistance 2 E3 trailer PixelJunk Eden E3 trailer PAIN E3 trailer LittleBigPlanet E3 trailer MotorStorm Pacific Rift E3 GT TV E3 trailer
PLAYSTATION Store gets daily updates this week
With E3 happening this week (stay tuned for live coverage!), the PLAYSTATION Store will be updated every day, with new content arriving from first and third parties. In addition to the requisite trailers and videos that will appear on the Store, PlayStation will be bringing it home with playable content. Watch out for Rock Band DLC, featuring The Who, the official release of the Super Stardust HD team pack, and a new PSN game, Elefunk.Stay tuned for more info as it happens.
PS3 Fanboy's guide to Super Stardust HD Trophies
If you were lucky (or unlucky) enough to install PS3 firmware 2.40 before it was yanked by Sony, you'll definitely want to check out PS3 Fanboy's first-ever PlayStation Trophy guide. It's only fitting that their guide is for the first-ever Trophy-enabled game, Super Stardust HD. Be the first person on your friends list to unlock 'em all – check it out!
