PlayStation News, Articles and Information for the UK and Europe

This week sees the king of bloody fighters Mortal Kombat sitting proudly at the top of the list, and quite rightfully too. After years of stretching the franchise beyond breaking point into an absurd mess of awful jokes, ridiculous fatalities and more retcons than a Star Wars expanded universe novel, Mortal Kombat is finally returning to its roots and rebooting the series and reworking the story from the first three games. What’s more, the pre-order prices are starting to come down and they’ve settled around the very affordable £30 mark – and if you pre-order with Amazon here you will be sent special codes to unlock Sub Zero and Reptile original character costumes and classic fatalities, plus Kitana’s original Mortal Kombat ninja outfit – bonus!

Following hot on MK’s heels is Portal 2, the other massively exciting game to be released this week. If you haven’t played the original Portal game you can pick it up as part of Valve’s Orange Box compilation. Portal 2 is tremendously exciting for PS3-owning fans of the original because this time around Valve are developing the PS3 version themselves, rather than letting EA port it like they did last time, and also because the PS3 version is the first console game to include ‘Steamworks’ support. This means you can tie the game to your Steam account, which you can use to play co-op with your Steam friends, unlock Steam achievements (as well as PSN Trophies) and most brilliantly of all you can unlock the full version of Portal 2 on PC too.

New entries to the chart for this week include L.A. Noire, which is currently set for release on 20th May 2011, and Battlefield 3, which is set for release much later in the year around November – it’s a measure of how excited people are about Battlefield 3 that it’s hit the Top 10 so far in advance of its release. Although we’ve had several failed ‘Call of Duty killers’ recently, if ever any game were to steal CoD’s crown as the top FPS it’s probably going to be Battlefield 3.

01 – Mortal Kombat

02 – Portal 2

03 – FIFA 11

04 – Shift 2 – Unleashed

05 – L.A. Noire

06 – Battlefield 3 – Limited Edition

07 – Red Dead Redemption

08 – Call of Duty: Black Ops

09 – Mass Effect 2

10 – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

PlayStation Portable System Software version 6.38 is now available for download from the official UK PlayStation Website or directly via your PSP.

Version 6.38 contains only minor changes that result in improved software stability for some features. If you are not upgrading from version 6.37, a full list of changes from earlier versions can be found in the System Software Archives.

This week Killzone 3 manages to hold the top spot for PS3 sales, which will be welcome news for Sony and PlayStation 3 fans. Despite this, week one sales of Killzone 3 were not as high as the week one sales of Killzone 2, which is unusual considering how many more PS3 owners there are now compared to back in February 2009. With Crysis 2 looming on the horizon, it could be that many gamers simply held off from getting their hit of FPS fun until then – or it could be that gamers simply weren’t as excited about the second Killzone game to land on PlayStation 3 as they were the first.

Dragon Age 2 makes a healthy move up to number five this week, though given that this is another massive RPG release from Bioware (same guys who did Mass Effect 2 and Knights of the Old Republic) it’s probably not charted as high as many people expected. There’s been a bit of a backlash about Dragon Age 2, particularly from PC gamers who are frustrated by the series’ seemingly console-orientated designs. That shouldn’t be a problem for PS3 gamers, but speaking as an RPG gamer myself, I have to admit that Dragon Age 2 frankly looks a little bit dull. All the early screenshots seem to show grey and brown buildings, or barren landscapes, with none of the lush green forests and snowy hillsides seen in other RPGs, including Dragon Age: Origins. The reason for this is the condensed game world, consisting of a single city and a small area surrounding it – an unusual move for a sequel and hardly indicative of an exciting game world to explore. This isn’t to say that Dragon Age 2 looks bad – in fact, most of the reviews seem very positive, and Bioware have a brilliant track-record with RPGs, so I’m sure it’s actually a really good game. My point remains however; it does look a bit boring compared to many other RPGs.

In other brief chart news, Homefront makes it to number eight this week, ahead of its release on 18th March – that’s a pretty solid chart position so far and with any luck it’ll keep climbing as the release date nears.

01 – Killzone 3 – Move Compatible (PS3)

02 – Call of Duty: Black Ops (PS3)

03 – FIFA 11 (PS3)

04 – Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood (PS3)

05 – Dragon Age 2 (PS3)

06 – God of War 3 (PS3)

07 – LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3)

08 – Homefront (PS3)

09 – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3)

10 – Red Dead Redemption (PS3)

Source: Amazon UK

Well it looks like Killzone 3 finally made it to the top of the PS3 chart, which is no surprise given its status as one of Sony’s biggest exclusive’s this year. With Crysis 2 out in just a few weeks it’ll be interesting to see how long Killzone 3 holds onto the top spot.

Thanks to a decent price cut, the ‘Complete Edition’ of Grand Theft Auto IV makes its debut in the chart this week – the original game was a massive seller but having been releasd nearly three years ago there must be a new legion of potential fans who’ve never played it. The new Complete Edition contains the original game plus both expansions (‘The Ballad of Gay Tony’ and ‘The Lost and Damned’) – at just £16.72 it’s a brilliant deal for anyone who hasn’t already played it.

01 – Killzone 3 – Move Compatible (PS3)

02 – FIFA 11 (PS3)

03 – Call of Duty: Black Ops (PS3)

04 – Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood (PS3)

05 – LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3)

06 – Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit (PS3)

07 – Gran Turismo 5 (PS3)

08 – Mass Effect 2 (PS3)

09 – Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition (PS3)

10 – Dead Space 2 (PS3)

Source: Amazon UK

A bit of a shuffle around this week in Amazon’s Top 10 best-selling PS3 games but not much in the way of new entries – the only product this week is Marvel vs Capcom 3, which has jumped up to number five in its debut week. Again, we see a big price drop send a shockwave through the chart as Black Ops jumps right back up to number one after Amazon price-matched Tesco’s price of £25 – it may not stay this price for long though, so if you’re interested, now would be a good time to pick up the game.

Killzone 3 crawls up another few places, up to number three – it’s out on 25th February, so sales over the next five days will dictate whether it reaches the number one spot in time for its release. One thing’s clear though, it’s not setting the sales figures on fire yet.

01 – Call of Duty: Black Ops (PS3)

02 – Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood (PS3)

03 – Killzone 3 – Move Compatible (PS3)

04 – FIFA 11 (PS3)

05 -  Marvel vs Capcom 3 (PS3)

06 – Gran Turismo 5 (PS3)

07 – Mass Effect 2 (PS3)

08 – LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3)

09 – Dead Space 2 – Limited Edition (PS3)

10 – Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit (PS3)

This week’s Top 10 PS3 games looks very similar to last week’s, but this time around Dead Space 2 has managed to climb right to the top, two weeks after release. The first Dead Space game was a slow burning among PS3 gamers but word of mouth and some hefty price cuts eventually gave the game a pretty strong following – and certainly built up enough momentum for Dead Space 2 to do well.

Speaking of sequels, Killzone 3 has also climbed the chart this week, up two places to number four – Killzone 3 is one of the ‘big exclusives’ for Sony this year so hopes will be high for decent sales. It’s not going to be as big as the last few Halo games on Xbox 360, but Killzone 3 should do well and still has two weeks to climb to the top spot in time for its release on 25th February.

Fighting game fans may be worrying what’s happened to Marvel vs Capcom 3 ahead of its release this week – fear not, it’s hiding stealthily at number eleven and with any luck should makes it’s chart debut next week.

01 – Dead Space 2 – Limited Edition (PS3)

02 – FIFA 11 (PS3)

03 – Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood (PS3)

04 – Killzone 3 – Move Compatible (PS3)

05 – LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3)

06 – Call of Duty: Black Ops (PS3)

07 – Madden NFL 11 (PS3)

08 – Gran Turismo 5 (PS3)

09 – Red Dead Redemption (PS3)

10 – Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit (PS3)

It’s amazing what a decent price drop can do for the sales of a game – Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood has dropped down to under £25 and it’s jumped right up to number one, and deservedly so if the reviews are to be believed. Many of the other titles in this week’s Top 10 have stayed almost exactly where they were last week but it’s sad to see that Mass Effect 2 has dropped out of the chart (it’s actually hiding at number twenty-four) so quickly. As we said in our review, Mass Effect 2 is one of the finest games of this generation and it’s a real must for any RPG fan. Coming out at roughly the same time as LittleBigPlanet 2 and Dead Space 2 has probably hurt sales but with any luck (and a price drop) sales will pick up over time.

It’s good to see Red Dead Redemption back in the Top 10, again thanks in part to a price drop. Killzone 3 makes its debut this week too, with its release coming up fast on 25th February. With a lot of PS3 gamers upset with the bugged multiplayer of Black Ops, it will be interesting to see how many FPS fans jump ship to Killzone 3. Will Killzone 3 manage to take the Top 10 in time for release week? We’ll find out in a couple of weeks.

01 – Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood (PS3)

02 – Dead Space 2 – Limited Edition (PS3)

03 – LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3)

04 – FIFA 11 (PS3)

05 – Call of Duty: Black Ops (PS3)

06 – Killzone 3 – Move Compatible (PS3)

07 – Gran Turismo 5 (PS3)

08 – Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit (PS3)

09 – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3)

10 – Red Dead Redemption (PS3)

Source: Amazon UK

It’s been quite a while since we’ve had a rundown of the Top 10 PlayStation 3 games on Amazon and unsurprisingly thigns have changed quite a bit. Sitting handsomely at the top is LittleBigPlanet 2 – probably Sony’s most highly anticipated exclusive for the first few months of 2011 – and it’s good to see that such a unique game can find a market.

Having the same release day as LittleBigPlanet 2, Mass Effect 2 has also sold fantastically but stock shortages across the country will have hampered the sales figures slightly. Nevertheless, it’s sitting comfortably at number 7 and will probably hang around the charts for some time to come as gamers who chose to buy LBP2 over ME2 on release eventually pick up a copy of ME2 at a later date.

Dead Space 2 and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood are both selling well, which is great to see. Dead Space 2 has only been outsold by LittleBigPlanet 2 and as Friday’s release date nears it may be in with a chance of hitting the number one spot. The early reviews for Dead Space 2 have been fantastic, so it’s definitely one to keep your eye on.

It’s interesting that despite all the problems with its online multiplayer modes and hacked lobbies, Call of Duty: Black Ops is still selling well. Gamers clearly won’t let a few glitches stop them having fun. Having dropped down to almost £20, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is also enjoying decent sales this month as it sits quietly at number 10 – all good news for Activision’s sales department anyway. Read more

We’ve been posting PlayStation 3 news and reviews for some time now but we’ve not had the resources to feature much of the poor old PlayStation Portable, which is still very much alive and kicking over six years after it launched.

Today marks the start of our expanded PlayStation range coverage and our new writer, Benleslie5, will be heading up reviews for PSP games, starting with Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker later on today. We hope all you PSP owners won’t feel quite so left out from here onwards, and that you enjoy our new PSP reviews. Keep your eyes peeled for our Kingdom Hearts and Persona 3 reviews too.

After a long overdue break, the Amazon Top 10 PS3 games rundown is back on PlayStation Future and boy do things look different! The last time we did one of these was back in October when FIFA 11 was sitting comfortably at the top, Gran Turismo 5 was at number five and Assassin’s Creed and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit weren’t even around. This week sees the most recent AAA titles all sitting comfortably at the top, with Black Ops surprisingly sitting at number one, ahead of Gran Turismo 5 at number two, and with the brand new Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood just behind at number three.

There’s something called We Sing: 2 Mic Pack sitting at number eight but I don’t know what the hell that is. Newly released Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is sitting cheekly at number five and aside from that, Star Wars: Force Unleashed 2 is the only other new entry since last time. It’s strange that, despite massive launch week sales, Gran Turismo 5 is only at number two. Is this a fluke or will Black Ops sit comfortably ahead for some time to come? We’ll have to wait and see… Read more