PlayStation News, Articles and Information for the UK and Europe

Catherine is one of those games that you’ll want to keep coming back to. Unlike many other games you may played, Catherine will really make you think about how you play the game. Throughout the game you play as Vincent Brooks, a man in his early 30s who spends most of his days toiling in the tech industry and his evenings getting blasted with his friends at a local bar. Vincent does have a girlfriend named Katherine (With a K), whom he has been seeing for over 7 years. Katherine, however, wants him to commit by taking more responsibility and finally getting married.

But one night while getting drinking alone he ends up meeting a young girl named Catherine (with a C) who seems to have a huge crush on Vincent: this is where the main plot story starts to kick-in. Vincent starts to have weird nightmares and there has been rumours that people can die in their sleep if they’re not too careful. Read more

The Recommended Retail Price of the 160GB model PlayStation 3 has been slashed to £199 in the UK, down £50 from the previous RRP of £249. In addition, the 320GB model PlayStation 3 has been reduced from £299 to £249.

As these are only the recommended selling prices, retailers are free to cut into their own margins to bring the price down even further. Amazon are selling the 160GB model for just £192, whereas GAME are selling the same model for £189.99 and you can find even better deals than that if you’re willing to buy a bundle that includes one or more games. Remember though folks, it’s only a good deal if it’s a game that you’d buy anyway – you really don’t want to end up with a copy of Terminator: Salvation or PlayStation Move Heroes by mistake!

With Sony’s recent momentum slowed in part by the PlayStation Network hacking earlier on in the year, this new price cut could be the boost Sony needs just before the all-important Christmas season. With PS3 exclusives like Uncharted 3 and Resistance 3, as well as multiplatform must-haves like Skyrim, Modern Warfare 3, Batman: Arkham City and Battlefield 3, all lined up before Christmas, it could be a real sales bonanza for Sony this year.

Hardcore Final Fantasy gamers might want to check this out; the Final Fantasy Type-0 PSP demo is now up on the Japanese PSN Store. You can either download it straight from the Store (you need a Japanese PSN account for this) or you can get it from the Square-Enix website here.

If you use the link, scroll down, you can get to the demo by clicking the red button on the bottom-right, then scrolling down further on the next page, and finally clicking the big red button in the centre of the page.

Your PSP must be running firmware v6.39 or above, and you’ll need 332 MB of free space.

The demo willcontains at least four missions:

• Operation Empire Escape (difficulty level: normal) – the first mission you can choose, a battle with Byakko troops.
• Giudecca Battle (difficulty level: hard) – reach the destination and take out the Soryu army. It’s recommended to use Shiva here.
• Operation Rush the Big Bridge (difficulty level: very hard) – reach the destination and take out Empire units. You’ll find several pieces of magic armor here. Again, summons are recommended.
• Operation Breakthrough the Heart of the Enemy (difficulty level: impossible) – a clash with the Empire army in a forest. Players are advised to level up their characters and enhance their equipment before taking on this stage.

If you manage to download the demo let us know what you think of it.

Sony has released version 3.70 of the PS3′s system software for download. The update includes several new features – a few of which add new functionality to PlayStation Plus.

If you’re a member of PlayStation Plus, automatic trophy-syncing has been added as well as automatic upload of game saves to online storage. These two functions will take place at the time you have selected Automatic Download to be run – and will not be available to non-Plus subscribers.

If you’re not a member of PlayStation Plus, there are a few new things in this update too:

• The TV section has been renamed to TV/Video Services, this section has also been redesigned to include MUBI and LoveFilm.
• You can now Recommend items on the PS Store to friends.
• MPO files for 3D Photos and Multi-Angle viewing are now supported.
• 3D support for Blu-Ray Java has been added.

Sony has today announced a new programme for the purchase of specific titles on the PlayStation Store – called PSN PLAY. PLAY is an annual offer which focuses on the coming season’s best games – pre-ordering any one of the games will net you a DLC bonus and an exclusive theme, however if you buy all the titles in the offer before a specified date – you’ll receive an extra game at no extra cost! What’s more, all PlayStation Plus members will get a 20% discount on all the titles (if purchased before 20th September).

This season’s PLAY offer is as follows (descriptions taken from the official press release):

Street Fighter III Third Strike Online Edition

Release: 24th August; Available to pre-order from 18th August.

This highly-anticipated action-fighting title from Capcom features 20 playable characters, HD graphics, more than 200 pieces of unlockable content, more than 100 trials and more than 100 challenges. When Street Fighter III Third Strike Online Edition is purchased through PLAY, purchasers will be able to unlock GILL, the self-proclaimed god, without having to beat the game with every character, as day-one DLC.  Street Fighter III Third Strike Online Edition will be €14.99.

The Baconing

Release: 31st August; Available to pre-order from 25th August.

The newest action-RPG title from Hothead Studios is the third in the popular DeathSpank series. Attempt to defeat the Anti-Spank and his army of Cyborques, before they cast an evil shadow over Spanktopia. Discover exciting new worlds and battle hordes of enemies as you search to unlock the secret within the Fires of Bacon.  When The Baconing is purchased through PLAY, purchasers will receive an additional co-op character, Roesha – One Bad Mutha. The Baconing will be €12.99.

BloodRayne: Betrayal

Release: 7th September; Available to pre-order from 1st September.

This 2D side-scrolling platformer from Majesco Entertainment features 15 bloodthirsty levels where Rayne attempts to infiltrate a treacherous castle, take out a fiendish horde and stop an evil vampire massacre. When BloodRayne: Betrayal is purchased through PLAY, purchasers will receive a BloodRayne: Betrayal virtual item for their PlayStation®Home avatar and an exclusive dynamic theme.BloodRayne: Betrayal will be €12.99.

Renegade Ops

Release: 14th September; Available to pre-order from 9th September.

This top-down, driving shooter from SEGA features a huge variety of vehicles, guns and endless enemies. The game features Sandbox-style missions, so there are many different ways to play. When Renegade Ops is purchased through PLAY, purchasers will receive a Vehicle & Character Pack with two new vehicles and special weapons. Renegade Ops will be €12.99.

PAYDAY: The Heist

Available for free if the above four titles are purchased before 20th September.

This gritty, first-person shooter from Sony Online Entertainment lets players take on the role of a hardened career criminal executing intense, dynamic heists in constant pursuit of the next “big score.” A PSN voucher code for PAYDAY: The Heist will be provided to buyers of all four PLAY titles as a bonus gift provided they purchase the games on or before September 20, following release of the game. The game can also be pre-ordered separately starting September 21, 2011. European pricing for PAYDAY: The Heist is to be confirmed.

Even today Oblivion is a stunning looking game. However, the graphics engine is over five years old now, and it’s really starting to show its age in places. With Skyrim due out at the end of the year, including a (kind of) brand new graphics engine, some of Oblivion’s limitations will be overhauled with the new game – including the levelling system which this time around will actually reward players for levelling up, rather than punishing them.

But what else could do with tuning up? Let’s take a look: Read more

There’s no point beating around the bush here; Braid is one of those rare games that make me want to actually thank the developers for creating it. It really is that good, and if you have any interest in puzzle games you really ought to stop reading this now and download the game from the PSN Store. That said, not everyone is fortunate enough to be in front of a PS3 24 hours a day (can you imagine that?), so if you’re one of those unlucky types stuck behind a desk at work, or reading this on a mobile phone while out and about, I’ll give you the lowdown on why Braid is so good.

Braid looks a bit scrappy in screenshots, and is visually reminiscent of old 16-bit games like Kid Chameleon or Magic Pockets. However, static screenshots belie the charm and grace of the graphics, and within seconds of starting the game it’s clear that Braid is no old-school platformer. The art direction of the game is absolutely beautiful, with a strong Impressionist vibe running through the designs and the animations, although simple, make you feel more like you’re watching a picture come to life  than you are playing a game. Each of the different worlds has a different graphical theme, but they are all cut from the same cloth and fit nicely together as part of an overall theme. Read more

Oblivion’s 5th Anniversary re-release was released in North America last week but until now there’s been little sign of a UK release. Fortunately, the BBFC has come to the rescue and posted a new listing for Oblivion yesterday. Coupled with a press release from Bethesda that mentions that “Details on the versions that will be available in the rest of the world and their contents will be released soon”, it’s pretty clear that the Oblivion 5th Anniversary Edition is working its way to the UK.

While Oblivion veterans will be dismayed to find that this is just a repackaged version of the Game of the Year Edition and won’t contain any of the missing DLC, nor Trophy support, newcomers to the series should definitely take this as an opportunity to experience one of the finest RPGs of the current generation.

Two Worlds II, released earlier this year in the UK and North America (mainland Europe were lucky enough to see a release in 2010), is getting a full-on expansion entitled ‘Pirates of the Flying Fortress’, as well as a special edition that will include both the full game and the expansion. Known as the ‘Velvet Edition’, the forthcoming re-release will be housed in a limited edition red velvet box, with metal corners in the style of antique brass and a bold relief Two Worlds II logo at the top of the box. Both the expansion and the Velvet Edition are due for release in mid-October.

While the original Two Worlds II had a few problems with bugs and crusty dialogue, underneath the surface lies a very rewarding and expansive game (you can see our review here). Going back to the game for the expansion, developer Reality Pump is hoping to iron out any problems this time around by revamping the engine with new features including updated dialogue animations and all new voice over talent, as well as adding the new quests and environments.

For the ‘Velvet Edition’, Topware Interactive is going one step further, and including a huge double-sided world map and a pirate head collectible pin, which is also available in-game and will boost the player’s parameters if hefted to armor. Also included is a bonus disc containing artwork, wallpaper, videos, an extended soundtrack and two additional PvP multiplayer maps – enough to keep even the most hardcore of fans satisfied. Until then, feast your eyes on these sparkly new screenshots from the Pirates of the Flying Fortress expansion:

Sony is currently in the process of developing a new weekly show about the latest gaming news, to be available absolutely free for all UK PSN users. They’re working with UK magazine publisher Future Publishing to bring the latest reviews and previews for the latest games to everyone.

Future Publishing are the company behind FirstPlay, a weekly downloadable show available for 99p. FirstPlay has since ceased development (since 6th July) in order to focus on this new show.

Simon Maxwell, Future’s Entertainment Group Publisher said:

“We went a long way very quickly with FirstPlay and this new phase in our partnership with PlayStation will allow us to take HD video magazine content to the next level.

Production on the new show is well under way and editorial standards are impeccably high. We’re looking forward to providing SCE UK with top-quality video content for more PlayStation gamers than ever before.”

The new show doesn’t yet have a name, nor does it have a release date, but rest assured, we’ll let you know as soon as we here any news.

With thanks to CVG for the tip…