PlayStation News, Articles and Information for the UK and Europe

The first quarter of 2010 was a fantastic line-up involving some of the best games and sequels being released. The likes of MAG, God of War III, Heavy Rain, Bioshock 2, White Knight Chronicles, Final Fantasy XIII were all highly anticipated in the gaming world, and it’s safe to say that some of them rose to the challenge (with some major candidates for Game of the Year) whilst others didn’t quite live up to their hype. But that was last quarter, we’re nearly two weeks into the second quarter of 2010, so what does Sony have lined up for us now? And can Spring live up to what the first few months set us up for?

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NIER (SQUARE-ENIX/PS3) – 23rd April

Not much is yet known about this game except that it is a fusion of the role-playing and action genre, and the main character is called Nier. A separate game based in the same world is currently being developed exclusively for PS3 (but it is currently being released for Japan only). The European Nier will follow the protagonist much further on in his life, whilst the exclusive in Japan focuses on Nier’s younger days.

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2010 FIFA WORLD CUP (EA SPORTS/PS3 & PSP) – 30th April

The official game for the 2010 South African World Cup will feature 199 of the 204 countries which are playing in the tournament later this year. All 10 of the official stadiums will also be playable and the game will feature a Scenario Mode containing 55 real matches from World Cups past. The Captain your Country mode is making a comeback and you’ll be able to import your FIFA 10 ‘Virtual Pro’ data in order to help you with the endeavour.

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SUPER STREET FIGHTER IV (CAPCOM/PS3) – 30th April

Originally tainted as a DLC for Street Fighter IV, Super Street Fighter IV was eventually deemed too big for a DLC and will instead be released as a stand-alone game. SSFIV will feature several upgrades from its original version including: Additional Characters, Ultra Combos and Additional Game Modes – Team Battle (up to 8 players), Replay Channel (a Cinema Mode), and Endless Battle (where the player constantly fights against a rotating panel of competitors). Worthy of a mention is the return of the bonus stages from SFII as well as ‘rival battles’.

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GOD OF WAR COLLECTION (SONY/PS3) – 30th April

No doubt a long awaited title, God of War Collection features HD remakes of the first two episodes of the trilogy (God of War I and II). After being released in North America in November last year, and then in Japan last month, it seems that the UK has been waiting until last for what could be described as the best looking games of the PS2 era. The updated versions of these games have been upscaled to HD, with a solid 60fps framerate, and of course, 71 trophies with two Platinums.

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LOST PLANET 2 (CAPCOM/PS3) – 11th May

With May being a frantically busy month, many of you will probably have to pick and choose between which games you’re going to get. Lost Planet 2 takes place 10 years after the events of the first game on E.D.N. III. A lot has changed on the planet with the snow melting to uncover lush tropical forests and jungles, Unfortunately though, the war is still raging to gain T-ENG (Thermal Energy). Lost Planet 2 will be adding local and online co-op to the on-disc campaign whilst expanding on the online multiplayer competitive side of the original game.

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3D DOT GAME HEROES (SOUTHPEAK GAMES/PS3) – 14th May

Built in inspiration of those cuddly little 8-bit RPGs of the 80s and early 90s, 3D Dot Game Heroes adds a new dimension to the genre (literally). You (as the hero) have been charged with saving the Kingdom of Dotnia after the process of making the world 3-Dimensional unleashed the forces of evil and darkness into the world (sound familiar?). Whilst allowing you to create your very own main character, the game will take you on a journey with a tongue-in-cheek look at retro RPGs (particularly The Legend of Zelda). The EU will be receiving this (hopefully) delightful game just 3 days after the US, and nearing 6 months after Japan.

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SKATE 3 (EA GAMES/PS3) – 14th May

A year and a half after its predecessor was released, Skate 3 aims to both make itself harder for ‘veterans’ of the series and easier for beginners at the same time – with the addition of 2 new modes, appropriately named ‘Easy Mode’ and ‘Hardcore Mode’. Skate 3 takes place in a city called Port Carverton – a place where skateboarding is thoroughly encouraged. This time around, the game will add the ability to create your own skatepark, as well as three new multiplayer modes: 1UP, Domination and Own The Lot.

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PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE FORGOTTEN SANDS (UBISOFT/PS3 & PSP) – 20th May

The next game of Prince of Persia in the Ubisoft series will be released to coincide directly with the movie, even though the storylines do not tie together. As a matter of fact, The Forgotten Sands will act as a sequel to The Sands of Time and a prequel to Warrior Within. The game itself will give you the ability to rewind time and experiment with elemental powers whilst reintroducing the combat mechanics from The Sands of Time. The PSP Version of the game will feature completely different gameplay although details of it have yet to be released.

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SPLIT/SECOND: VELOCITY (DISNEY/PS3) – 21st May

Taking the Burnout series’ destructive attitude and feeding it sugar is the only way to describe the explosive new game from (of all places) Disney. You’re a contestant on a TV programme, competing for money and fame, the twist being that in every race you can build up your ‘powerplay’ meter in order to destroy stuff. Someone ahead of you? Knock the lighthouse down on them, destroy a bridge and create a shortcut or throw a load of barrels over their way. Will this game take down Burnout like many others have tried? All we know is, if it does, Burnout will have no shame in losing to it.

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RED DEAD REDEMPTION (ROCKSTAR/PS3) – 21st May

Made by GTA developers Rockstar, Red Dead Redemption is set in 1911. Set as a sandbox style game, this western themed action adventure game will allow you to freeroam around the Wild West. With a large arsenal of guns at your disposal, it’s no surprise that you’ll get into hundreds of fights with man and mammal throughout your countryside exploration. There are many side quests available to you including: Hunting, Herding, Arm-Wrestling and Gambling. Once you’ve done that, there’s a whole world of 16-player online to discover with modes for Free-Roam, Deathmatch and Gold Rush.

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MODNATION RACERS (SONY/PS3 & PSP) – 21st May

Built with the ethos of LittleBigPlanet clicking at its heels, ModNation Racers uses the same concept as its close relative but using cars and racetracks instead of legs and levels. The tagline ‘Race. Create. Share’ was used in the development of the game and will allow the player to play the on-disc levels as well as create their own and share them online, the game will feature the ability to use weapons whilst racing (similar to that of Crash Team Racing and Mario Kart). The player will also be able to play online multiplayer as well as offline 4 player split-screen.

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UFC UNDISPUTED 2010 (THQ/PS3 & PSP) – 28th May (PS3), Q3 2010 (PSP)

Built as a sequel to Undisputed 2009 and the second game developed under the THQ name will build upon its predecessors with several improvements including: Improved controls, Fighter customisation, Voices for Fighters, the ‘Cage is Alive’ mode, Expanded Movesets and much much more. The game will continue to include it’s online features from the last game. Also worthy of a mention is the debut title for PSP, it is not known how similar the console versions will be to the handheld, but for those who don’t want to wait anymore for either platform a demo will be released on the store for PS3 by the end of April, according to the publisher’s website.

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METAL GEAR SOLID: PEACE WALKER (KONAMI/PSP) – 18th June

The first game of the series on PSP to be directed by Hideo Kojima, Peace Walker is set in 1970s Costa Rica. Obviously with two less triggers and one less analog stick on the PSP, the control scheme has been adjusted. The game itself focuses on Co-operative gameplay with up to 2 players on main missions and up to 4 on ‘boss’ missions, and you’ll also be able to choose from 4 different Snake ‘layouts’ with each one focusing either on Offense/Defense, Speed, or Stealth with the fourth one featuring a balance of all three. Last on our list, Peace Walker will finally be hitting our PSPs in Mid-June.

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PLEASE NOTE: THE RELEASE DATES WERE CORRECT AT THE TIME OF PUBLISHING, HOWEVER THEY ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.