Gaming Centrum

The PlayStation Recap — Big Guns Edition

JasonA — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:27:47 +0000

I'm quietly stunned by how quickly 2012 has kicked into gear: This week gave us Soulcalibur V and Final Fantasy XIII-2; next week sees the release of The Darkness II and Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, followed by Twisted Metal and the PS Vita First Edition Bundle the following week. What upcoming release are you most interested in playing? This week saw a deluge of information for 2012's gaming crop: Game Informer revealed its The Last of Us cover story, Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford discussed Aliens: Colonial Marines and what he knows about Prometheus, Drinkbox Studios showed off Mutant Blobs Attack for PS Vita, the team behind MLB 12 The Show served up two new videos devoted to the improved batting and pitching gameplay, a new video revealed MotorStorm RC's online features and PS3-to-PS Vita competition, and Starbreeze Studios gave us a tour of its well-received Syndicate co-op demo.

Talking Point: The Future of Pokémon

JasonA — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Time to evolve onto 3DS

Media: Street Fighter & Tekken Producers Fight

JasonA — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:42:14 +0000

The producers of Street Fighter and Tekken fight it out as the release of Tekken 3D: Prime Edition draws near. While Capcom's Street Fighter has enjoyed success as a beloved fighter on the Nintendo 3DS since the console launched it is about to face a ...

Skyrim Creation Kit lands Tuesday

JasonA — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:50:18 +0000

Bethesda Softworks puts a release date on eagerly anticipated mod tools for PC version of its open-ended role-playing game The Elder Scrolls V. Gamers eager to leave their own mark on Skyrim will be able to do so starting early next week. ...

Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack – Platforming Fun for Your PS Vita

JasonA — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:09:54 +0000

So you are probably thinking “Mutant Blobs Attack? Never heard of it. Why should I care about this game? Also, why does Reddit always have so many cat pictures on the front page?” Well, the first thing you need to do is unsubscribe from /r/aww. After that’s done, let me tell you a few reasons you should care about Mutant Blobs Attack. First, you enjoy platformers but are maybe a bit tired of the typical offerings, and are looking for something fresh. You were thinking of buying a Vita, and need something fun to play in between your sessions of Michael Jackson the Experience. You also have a sense of humor and are tired of games that take themselves too seriously. Maybe you also enjoy monster movies that feature the destruction of all mankind, or perhaps have a slight Blob fetish? And, if all of the above items apply, then this is REALLY the game for you.

Respawn’s first game due by March 2013 – Report

JasonA — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:21:02 +0000

Marketing calendar indicates EA Partners' fiscal 2013 filled with Respawn's first game, Overstrike, Outnernauts, and a new Populous title. EA Partners will release Respawn Entertainment's first game, as well as two other previously unannounced titles...

Zone Analog Batting and Pulse Pitching in MLB 12 The Show

JasonA — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:03:38 +0000

Sports fans - Zone Analog Batting is a by-product of our original Zone Batting hit mechanic and our most recent Analog Batting feature so we wanted to give users the best of both. From talking to our community, we found that some of our Zone Batting players weren't using the Analog Batting because they couldn't choose the zone they wanted to swing at. So, we decided to mix the two features and came up with ZAB (Zone Analog Batting). We went through many prototypes before we ended up with what we think may be the most realistic way to bat, ever, in a baseball game. The concept is both intuitive and challenging at the same time. Getting your stride down with the right stick and simultaneously using the left stick to choose your zone was difficult at first. The key was getting your foot down early (stride with the right stick) to give yourself time to read the pitch and use the left stick to push in the direction of the ball. It's the most organic and satisfying way to hit and dangerously close to feeling what it's like to hit a CC Sabathia fastball!

News: Metro: Last Light Delayed to 2013

JasonA — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:38:23 +0000

THQ's horror-tinted FPS sequel gets pushed back til next year... The sequel to the little-played dark FPS Metro 2033 was quietly announced to be heading to Wii U as well as other HD consoles back at E3, but it looks like we'll have to wait a little l...

inFAMOUS 2: UGC Mission Contest Winner Announced

JasonA — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:47:36 +0000

inFAMOUS 2 and inFAMOUS: Festival of Blood received widespread acclaim from the gaming community in 2011 not only for their amazing open-world super hero gameplay, but also for one very important, very unique feature: the ability to make your own missions. To bring out the best aspiring developers, we launched a contest late last year to see who could build the best mission within inFAMOUS 2. This mission needed to focus on telling a story about the main character Cole McGrath that could fit within the fiction of the universe. It also needed to play great, meaning good gameplay balance, strong action set-pieces, and a compelling narrative to pull you through. From the missions that we’re submitted on infamousthegame.com, PlayStation and Sucker Punch reviewed only the most-played and highest-ranked missions as voted on by the community that plays. This tool not only makes it easy to find great missions in-game, but you can also browse and queue up missions to play in-game on the web by logging in with your PSN ID.

Sega Sammy’s game business weighing down earnings

JasonA — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:45:49 +0000

Publisher treading water as booming slot machine business offsets poor home gaming numbers due to weakness in the West. It's not that Sega Sammy is doing especially poorly, per se. It's more that the Japanese company continues to struggle in th...

Dev Diary: Skullgirls is a Feature-Rich PSN Fighter

JasonA — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:21:09 +0000

Previously on the PlayStation Blog, I introduced you to Skullgirls’ story and characters and discussed its unique gameplay systems. Today, with the game racing towards completion, I’m here to shed a little more light on the game’s features. Even though Skullgirls is a downloadable game for PSN, we’ve got a feature set consistent with a full-priced fighter.

Story Mode
Arcade Mode
Tutorials
Practice Room
Ranked and Unranked Online Play
Custom Soundtracks
PS3-exclusive Trophies

Square Enix profits nearly triple due to Deus Ex, FFXIII-2

JasonA — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:24:32 +0000

Action, RPG games help publisher post 175 percent year-over-year rise to $65.78 million for last nine months of 2011; net sales down slightly to $1.2 billion. Deus Ex: Human Revolution and the Japanese debut of Final Fantasy XIII-2 were big hit...

Kirby’s Block Ball Bounds to Europe on 9th February

JasonA — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:15:00 +0000

Question: what's pink and blocky?

King of Fighters ’97 Strikes Wii VC in Europe Next Week

JasonA — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:45:00 +0000

Feel the power of flames

Push Square is Open for Business!

JasonA — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:30:00 +0000

Our PlayStation site is alive!

BioWare teases Mass Effect future

JasonA — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:58:09 +0000

Developer says it has "so much to draw from" for potential future games set in univserse, but no decision has been made yet; Mass Effect 3 due next month. On March 6, Mass Effect 3 will ship for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, marking the ...

Game of Thrones delayed to May 15

JasonA — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:30:15 +0000

Action role-playing game based on George R.R. Martin's fantasy series pushed from early 2012 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC . Gamers eager to get their hands on Game of Thrones for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC are going to have to w...

Randy Pitchford Talks Aliens: Colonial Marines Release Date, Prometheus Possibilities

JasonA — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:00:33 +0000

The Alien films have always held enormous power over me, occupying the same sphere of significance that Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings do for many others. So it’s been with great interest and no small amount of hope that I’ve watched the development saga of Aliens: Colonial Marines. This Gearbox Software-developed first-person shooter promises to pick up where James Cameron’s 1986 classic Aliens left off -- an irresistible premise for any diehard fan of the series. A recent trailer (watch it below) presented a convincing succession of sound and images, yet carried the sadface news of a new fall 2012 release date. What’s an impatient Alien fan to do? Well, I went to Randy Pitchford to get some answers. The gregarious CEO of Gearbox Software was all too happy to share new insights into the studio’s plans for Aliens: Colonial Marines, including multiplayer concepts, the control scheme, play style...and, perhaps most tantalizing, what he knows about the upcoming Ridley Scott-directed origin tale Prometheus.

Mario & Sonic London Olympics Sprints to 2m Sales

JasonA — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:30:00 +0000

Going for gold

Valve teases Team Fortress 2 ‘secret project’

JasonA — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:02:04 +0000

Developer says something "brand new" coming to shooter in 2012; Meet the Pyro short also on the way for later this year. Valve's Team Fortress 2 is over four years old, but the shooter isn't done expanding just yet. Valve has announced that it ...

New on Video Unlimited and Music Unlimited

JasonA — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:00:37 +0000

Head over to the new Sony Entertainment Network Blog today for the latest updates on new movies, music and more! This week, the Video Unlimited library adds Dream House, In Time, and The Thing. Plus, watch Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie before it hits theatres. See this week's update here. The Music Unlimited service features new releases from Lana Del Rey, Leonard Cohen, and The Jealous Sound, as well as titles from Jack White, M.I.A, Gotye, Scorpions, and more!

Shooters, MMOGs linked to problem game playing – Study

JasonA — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:37:42 +0000

A new study conducted by the Institute for Special Populations Research in New York reveals that some game genres are more prone to problem game-playing habits. Video game addiction has become a widely debated public health issue both in the US...

Shooters, MMOs linked to problem game playing – study

JasonA — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:37:42 +0000

A new study conducted by the Institute for Special Populations Research in New York reveals that some game genres are more prone to problem game-playing habits. Video-game addiction has become a widely debated public health issue both in the US...

Official PlayStation Blogcast 010: The Curious Case of Final Fantasy XIII-2

JasonA — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:33:48 +0000

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This week, we tackle one of this winter’s biggest PS3 releases: Final Fantasy XIII-2. We invited IGN editor, renowned JRPG expert, and K-pop enthusiast Ryan Clements to give us his detailed analysis of a game that Square Enix has described as “exceed[ing] Final Fantasy XIII in every aspect.” Ryan wrote IGN’s FFXIII-2 review, so he was able to lead a deep and thought-provoking discussion of how Square Enix incorporated fan requests to make a nonlinear, exploration-focused RPG, how Eastern RPG design differs from Western RPG design, and much more. Definitely worth a listen!

News: GAME Hint At Selling Overseas Stores

JasonA — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:24:32 +0000

In a recent statement GAME hinted that they may be selling their overseas operation, EA boss shows concern over "major retail partners". We revealed yesterday how GAME were in financial trouble and today GAME has confirmed that it is in talks with ...

Red Dead Redemption sells 13M, NBA 2K12 hits 4M

JasonA — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:24:01 +0000

Publisher's net revenue dips 40 percent to $236.3 million during third-quarter; open-world Western and hardwood sim reach new sales milestones. Take-Two didn't have a happy holiday. Today, the publisher announced net revenue for the three month...

THQ loses $56 million in holiday quarter

JasonA — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:18:23 +0000

Darksiders II set for June, Devil's Third and Metro: Last Light hit early next year as publisher posts results that led to layoffs, killing of kids' games business. It was a red Christmas for THQ, as the publisher today revealed heavy losses fo...

Rage: Campaign Edition now available on Mac

JasonA — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:10:34 +0000

$40 single-player iteration of id Software's shooter now live for Apple computers, includes Anarchy Edition content and Wasteland Sewers missions. Mac gamers can finally get their Rage on. Bethesda today announced that a single-player-only vers...

Konami profits jump 77%

JasonA — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:08:01 +0000

Japanese publisher reports $224 million net income during April-Dec. period as sales climb 3 percent to $2.55 billion; social gains offsetting console/handheld declines. Konami's games business is having no problems raking in profits, but that ...

Gogo’s Crazy Bones Coming to DS

JasonA — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:00:00 +0000

The box cover stole our tagline