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Select PS Vita games available now on PSN

Malcolm Spinedi — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:31:45 +0000

We are a week away from PlayStation Vita's February 15th release, and 2 weeks from its full release. While this could seem like an eternity for some, you can prepare by getting some of those games right now on the PlayStation Store with the latest update. A good chunk of the 24 titles for launch date are now up on PSN ready for purchase. You can't play any of these games, of course, but you can download them so they are ready for your Vita on day one. The games don't have their own section in the store just yet, so you will have to search for them. The games available for purchase are:

Uncharted: Golden Abyss ($49.99)
Wipeout 2048 ($35.99)
Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational ($34.99)
Modnation Racers: Road Trip ($26.99)
SuperStardust Delta ($9.99)

It's interesting to note the small price differences between the downloadable games and the physical copy. Hot Shots Golf sells for $34.99 on PSN, but Amazon sells the physical game for $29.99. The opposite is true for Modnation Racers: Road Trip, which sells for $26.99 on PSN and $29.99 on Amazon.

Gran Turismo 5 update 2.04 now available

Joe Garcia — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:34:55 +0000

For those still entrenched in the world of Gran Turismo 5, a new patch is now available for the Real Driving Simulator. Unlike the last few updates that either gave content or were in preparation for new DLC, this one is simply for fixing some gameplay issues. The patch weighs in at 79MB, and the patch notes are as follows:

Improved the performance of online races to provide a better racing experience. However, please note that using voice chat with 12 or more players can reduce screen refresh intervals.
Reduced wobbling of the screen when using the Chase view (The Chase view is when the car is viewed from the rear during races and replays, selected by using the SELECT button).
Electric cars (opponent cars and your cars in B-Spec) will now pit-in automatically to recharge the battery.
Reduced the amount of steering pull when using force feedback steering wheel controllers in banks on courses such as the Special Stage Route X Oval.
When driving formula cars using the Logitech steering wheel controllers, the initial force feedback amount has been lessened and adjusted to make it easier to drive in a straight line.
Fixed an issue where speedometer, race position and best lap time info are sometimes not displayed on the 2nd player side in 2P Battle Mode.
Fixed an issue where exhaust sound is heard even after switching from a combustion engine car to an electric car within the same online race.
Fixed an issue where if the game is started without signing in online and then saved, the cars and courses included in the Racing Car Pack and Course Pack would become unusable.
Fixed an issue where electric cars would not recharge in the pit and become immobile.
Fixed an issue where when the oil of the Toyota Prius was changed in GT Auto, the motor ceased to function correctly.
Improved the force feedback of the Guillemot Thrustmaster T500 RS, where the 10 level force feedback adjustment (especially when using the X2010 and X2011) was not working effectively. Also improved a condition where it was difficult to drive in the intended path.

Source: GT Planet

Eat Sleep Play hit by layoffs, David Jaffe leaving company

Joe Garcia — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:23:47 +0000

In a bit of bad yet strange news, Eat Sleep Play have laid off eight employees just a week before Twisted Metal is to hit store shelves. The studio still has 26 employees and will shift its focus its attention to developing games for Apple's iOS platform. Co-founder Scott Campbell called the move "pretty exciting" and looks forward to "reaching a lot more people." Furthermore, David Jaffe has also left the company, with people speculating that he would be looking towards the casual market as well. He took to Twitter to clarify that he has "zero plans to make games like FARMVILLE and ANGRY BIRDS" and that he's "still on TM along with ESP for the next months as we launch it and balance it in real time." As for his post-Twisted Metal plans, he tweeted that "I will be opening a game studio here in San Diego because I really miss internal game development." Source: Destructoid

Sony announces LittleBigPlanet Cart Racing

Joe Garcia — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:20:37 +0000

According to a tweet from Canadian online retailer FutureShop, Sony announced the existence of LittleBigPlanet Cart Racing at their Destination PlayStation media event in Scottsdale, Arizona today. No official word has come down from Sony regarding the title just yet. The game will also come with a Move steering wheel attachment. It sounds harmless enough, but what exactly does this mean for ModNation Racers? You know, the game that was developed with the phrase "LittleBigPlanet meets kart racing" in mind? Hopefully we hear something soon that isn't woefully redundant. Source: Eurogamer

No UMD Passport program for PS Vita in North America

Joe Garcia — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:05:47 +0000

According to Kotaku, Sony won't be reciprocating the Japanese UMD Passport program for the PS Vita here in North America. For those out of the loop, the program allows for players to register their PSP UMDs through the PlayStation Network Sony Entertainment Network and redownload them to their Vitas for a small fee. The PSP Go shared the same problem, with no way to get your old games onto the system without buying them again from the PlayStation Store. Sony looked at this failed business model and thought, "Hey, let's do that again!" But hey, at least they waited all the way up to a week before launch to spring the news on people. Source: Kotaku

Six PS2 Classics that need to be on PSN (because they won’t get HD remakes)

Joe Garcia — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:10:52 +0000

The library of great PlayStation 2 games is pretty substantial, isn’t it? No matter what your taste, the system had a wide array of titles to tickle your fancy. That doesn’t mean that they all sold terribly well, and it would be silly to think that all of the PS2’s greatest games would ever see rerelease in the form of HD remasters. That’s where the new PS2 Classics section of the PlayStation Store comes in. Introduced in October, we’ve seen eleven games make their way to PSN (I won’t be calling it SEN anytime soon because screw that). While there are a couple of gems on there -- God Hand and Odin Sphere are wonderful -- there’s plenty of filler. I’m looking right at you, BloodRayne. There are a lot of games that deserve to be played again, and they won’t be calling a PS3-formatted Blu-Ray disc home any time soon. Instead, let’s throw some of them up on PSN, yeah?

The Mark of Kri

The Mark of Kri caught an awful lot of people by surprise when it released in 2002. At a glance, it seemed like a cartoony game, what with it’s stylized graphics and colorful environments. But what was up with that M rating on the front of the box? As it turns out, The Mark of Kri was kind of God of War before God of War. It featured a uniquely satisfying combat mechanic that hasn’t really been repeated since, all while rewarding your fighting prowess with some good ol’ fashioned gore. Not quite as bloody as what Kratos would be doing in a few years’ time, but a little more deliberate. Also unique to Kri is the Polynesian protagonist and setting, which have unfortunately been unexplored beyond this short-lived series. There’s an official theme for Mark of Kri to dress up your PS3 floating around somewhere (I know because I downloaded it), so SCEA obviously have some interest in the game. You should, too.

Bully

As an open-world Rockstar game, Bully (known as Canis Canem Edit to those of you in PAL territories) was hit with controversy before it even had a chance to show what it’s really all about -- Grand Theft Auto in a SCHOOL?! Of course, all of that irrational hub-bub was unfounded, being one of the more heartfelt offerings of 2006. While the game could sometimes feel like GTA-lite as you tried to get back-and-forth between Bullworth Academy and the neighboring town, it was an experience all its own. Instead of robbing banks, you were taking chemistry tests. Instead of playing for 48 straight in-game hours, Jimmy needed to sleep lest he pass out on the street. Instead of banging hookers, you were kissing girls...or even boys, if that’s your thing. Bully already exists as an HD re-release on the Xbox 360; seeing as that was almost four years ago, though, I don’t think we’ll be seeing it on PS3 anytime soon. Unless they throw it up on SEN PSN, that is.

Metal Arms: Glitch in the System

It’s difficult for me to talk about Metal Arms because, well, I never played it. And neither did a lot of other people, for that matter. However, that doesn’t make me any less qualified to talk about it in this respect -- if you’re not targeting people that didn’t play these games upon their original release, then what’s the point? With that in mind, let’s talk about what I do know. Metal Arms: Glitch in the System was an ambitious title, created as a planned trilogy. It was violent shooter, but because the characters were robots it managed to maintain a Teen rating. It sold like crap despite critical acclaim, though, and nothing came of the franchise after. It’s a sad and fascinating story, with Metal Arms’s creator having tried to rescue the dead IP from its corporate masters to no avail. Jim Sterling of Destructoid wrote a fascinating piece on the dead franchises history that you can read by clicking here. It’s currently available for download on the Xbox Live Marketplace, but there’s no reason that it shouldn’t exist on the PlayStation Store, too. I think playing a lost bit of gaming history is worth ten bucks, don’t you?

Jak & Daxter HD Collection coming to PSN

Tyler Lee — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:49:36 +0000

With the recent release of the Jak & Daxter HD Collection, fans of the series can now relive the great series from the PS2 era. Well soon fans will be able to purchase the great collection without even leaving their home. The new HD collection is being released on PSN, but as individual HD remastered games. The retail collections is $39.99 with all three games on one Blu-ray disc. The digital versions will be sold separately. No word yet on how much each game will be individually. Look for the whole collection to hit stores February 7th. [Source: PlayStation Blog]

Final Fantasy X will be a ‘remaster’ not a remake

Tyler Lee — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:10:58 +0000

Last year at the Tokyo Game Show, Square Enix announced a "remake" of Final Fantasy X for the PS Vita and the PS3. Though many took this wording literally, many others assumed that this would continue the trend of remastering classics in HD. This seems to have been the proper way of thinking, as Square Enix’s Shinji Hashimoto has confirmed that the upcoming title will be a "remaster" instead of a full remake. "It's being developed as an HD Remaster, but the visuals will be much more beautiful than before," he told GNN at the recent Taipei Game Show. It is expected that many fans will be very disappointed since it was announced as a "remake" last year. However, an HD remastered version with highly advanced visuals is still something all fans of the original can look forward to, as well as fans who missed out on this classic the first time around. [Source: Shack News]

Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus releases along side PS Vita

Tyler Lee — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:53:09 +0000

If you thought the PS Vita would be lacking in games that strive for nothing more than your demise, then you were dead wrong. Along side the Vita's other ninja title, Shinobido 2, Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus will also be available when the PS Vita launches.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus is an updated version of the PS3 title of the same name, which was an updated version of the original Xbox title. It appears that all the things people love, and loathe, about the game series is still intact. The frustration from the many deaths you WILL encounter, the difficulty from the enemies that exist not for you to kill them, but to kill you, and the extremely visceral combat that allows you to lay waste to one unlucky bad guy after another. The game itself look outstanding. Uncharted: Golden Abyss will probably hold the title for best looking Vita game for a while, but Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus is no slouch in that department. The new features added by Team Ninja are quite intriguing as well, such as the six axis arrow shooting and the touchscreen that lets you use and enhance your Nippo.

However, probably the most significant plus to Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus is the inclusion of a Ninja Challenge Mode. This mode presents the player with 76 missions with a simple objective, be it killing X amount of enemies, defeating a certain boss, weapon specific challenges, etc. Each mission is short and sweet and will be great for killing time while in line or waiting on something. If you are looking for something to put your gaming skills on the PS Vita to the test and/or something to quench your thirst for a good ninja title, then be sure to pick up Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus on February 22nd when the Vita launches. [Source: PlayStation Blog]

Naughty Dog thought about rebooting Jak & Daxter

Tyler Lee — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:24:39 +0000

Here's a bit of news for all the Jak & Daxter fans out there (me). Before Naughty Dog started working on The Last of Us, the company mulled around the thought of bringing Jak & Daxter back into the fray. What really makes this idea appealing was that they were wanting to use what they learned from Uncharted and put into the Jak & Daxter formula. "Something that we talked about early on was, 'Lets go back and apply what we've learned with the Uncharted games to Jak & Daxter,'" co-president of Naughty Dog Evan Wells said in a recent interview. "Even if we felt like we're going to give the fans another Jak & Daxter, we felt we weren't going to give them the game that they wanted. We would end up limiting the direction that the company had this passion for while simultaneously not creating the game that fans wanted. We just realized we were going to just do everybody a disservice." Even though Jak & Daxter didn't get the reboot some of us may have wanted, we still get to enjoy the great PS2 series with the recent release of the Jak & Daxter HD Collection. Still, fans must still crave not only a new entry to the series, but one that uses mechanics from the ever popular Uncharted franchise. [Source: Shack News]