Category: PS3

PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale Wish List

Now that PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale for PlayStation 3 has been officially revealed, I wanted to hear about your dream characters for this game. If you’re not familiar with it then check out the video above. Unsurprisingly, the game has been compared to Nintendo’s ultra-popular Super Smash Bros. series. Like that game, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale features characters and locations from numerous Sony games. The confirmed characters include Kratos (God of War), Sly Cooper (Sly Cooper), Mael Radec (Killzone), Sweet Tooth (Twisted Metal), Fat Princess (Fat Princess), and Parappa (PaRappa the Rapper).

Don’t you just love the idea of PaRappa taking on Kratos? Any predictions on third-party characters making the cut? After all, Ezio from Assassin’s Creed is all over the place these days. What Sony characters are on your wish list for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale?

God of War: Ascension Developer Diary

When Sony Computer Entertainment America released the launch trailer for God of War: Ascension, a few of your were…unenthused. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the game now that its surprising multiplayer mode has been revealed. If you need even more info then check out the developer diary above from game director Todd Papy and lead game designer Mark Simon.

Are you more excited about the game now? Do you think God of War: Ascension multiplayer will rock?

God of War: Ascension Launch Trailer

Here’s the launch trailer for God of War: Ascension for PlayStation 3. It’s full of cool art and it contains a dramatic voiceover…and that’s about it. Sony will reveal more details on the game on April 30, 2012 on the God of War: Ascension Facebook page. For now, please check out the trailer and let me know what you think (please)!

Final Fantasy XIII-2 DLC: Ezio, Gilgamesh, PuPu, and More

Square Enix has released a bunch of DLC for Final Fantasy XIII-2. This most anticipated of which is the $3 Ezio Auditore (Assassin’s Creed) costume for Noel Kreiss. Serah fans get a free outfit called “Style and Steel”, which was designed by Japanese pop star Yuko Oshima. The coliseum get two new combatants: Final Fantasy V Gilgamesh ($4) and Final Fantasy VIII PuPu ($2).

The new costumes are pretty sweet and I can’t wait to add the two coliseum characters to my FFXIII-2 monster arsenal. I’m such a mark for this game that I’m going to buy all of this week’s DLC, Etro be damned. Anyway, check out screens of the whole lot below.

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This Week’s Videogame Releases (Buy Skullgirls!)

There’s sweet FA coming out this week at retail, but there’s a downloadable game that you should keep your eye on. Skullgirls hits PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade this week for $15. This is a sweet 2D fighting game with a really cool art style. The voice acting was directed by Cristina Vee and the game features tracks composed by the awesome Michiru Yamane (Castlevania, Suikoden). Full disclosure: a friend of mine works for the developer and I want this game to do well. That said, I’m not being a homer about it; just look at the video below to see Skullgirls in action — it’s cool!

Rock Band Blitz: Do You Care?

For its next game, Harmonix is mixing its recent past (Rock Band) with it distant past (Frequency, Amplitude) to create Rock Band Blitz. Available for PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade this summer, Rock Band Blitz is a rhythm/music game (duh!) that uses popular music, similar to the company’s recent hits. Unlike Harmonix’s most recent games, this one uses a standard controller, similar to the company’s early PlayStation 2 games. My question for you today is this: Do yo care to play a music-rhythm game without plastic instruments?

On the plus side, the game is more accessible since everyone that has a PlayStation 3 or an Xbox 360 has a standard controller. The game also works with thousands of songs from the Rock Band Music Store. That said, games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band caught on because of the plastic instruments; they gave gamers a different kind of interactivity and helped them connect with the music like never before. While I loved Frequency and Amplitude, those games weren’t nearly as popular as Harmonix’s plastic-instrument titles.

So, do you care about Rock Band Blitz?

Amazon Instant Video Now Available on PlayStation 3

Amazon and Sony have launched Amazon Instant Video for PlayStation 3. The service allows PS3 owners to buy and rent video content that’s streamed to their consoles. Amazon Prime subscribers also enjoy a “free” library of streaming movies and television shows. Amazon Instant Video has been available on numerous Blu-ray players, smart televisions, and streaming-video boxes. The PlayStation 3 is the first console the service has been available on.

I played around with Amazon Instant Video on my PS3 and was most impressed by this first effort. The navigation was smooth and content was easy to find. Playback wasn’t as good; the interface felt a bit clunky compared to Netflix. Perhaps I’ll get used to it over time, but right now I prefer the way Netflix handles playback.

Looking at the bigger picture, this is just another sign of what consoles have become. It’s no longer enough for consoles to play great games. They have to offer video, music, and social services too. While Netflix is available on all three major consoles, Amazon Instant Video is only available on the PlayStation 3 (for now). The console companies will be competing fiercely to differentiate their services as well as a native software. While Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony are fighting it out, gamers will get to enjoy the most powerful and diverse consoles ever. Cool.

Any of you excited to use Amazon Instant Video on your PS3?

This Week’s Videogame Releases

Kinect Star Wars is out this week. More importantly (for uber-geeks anyway) the Kinect Star Wars bundle with the totally sweet R2D2 Xbox 360 is out! I so want one, but can’t afford it right now. *sniff* In other news, Devil May Cry HD Collection is set to thrill those looking for classic DMC gameplay and updated graphics. Last, but not least, is Xenoblade Chronicles for Wii.

Any of you picking up new games this week? Any of you have rich uncles that want to buy me the R2D2 Xbox 360? It makes R2D2 sounds!!!

Final Fantasy XIII-2 DLC Brings Mass Effect Armor, FFVI

An upcoming batch of DLC for Final Fantasy XIII-2 adds all sorts of crossover elements, ranging from Final Fantasy VI villains to Mass Effect armor. On the FFVI side, villains Typhon and Ultros will be available to tackle in the coliseum. On the BioWare side, protagonists Noel and Serah will be able to don Mass Effect Commander Shepard’s N7 armor.

Fans of the classic FFVI will love the inclusion of classic baddies, while fans of modern sci-fi RPGs will dig the Mass Effect crossover. I’m surprised and pleased that Square Enix is working with different publishers to broaden Final Fantasy XIII-2’s appeal. Last year I told you about Noel’s Assassin’s Creed outfit. Now both leads are getting cool space armor from another popular videogame franchise! In the immortal words of Dr. Peter Venkman, “Dogs and cats, living together! Mass hysteria!!!” While I love that BioWare is invading a Square Enix game, I don’t think I can part with Serah’s bikini costume.

This particular DLC will be released in Japan at the end of March. The release dates in other territories has not been announced. Check out some nifty screens and artwork below.

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