PlayStation News, Articles and Information for the UK and Europe

The eagle-eyed folks over at RipTen have just received word from a tipster that the supposed $10 Skyrim discount voucher that comes with the new Oblivion 5th Anniversary Edition re-release will actually require you to spend $115 before they’ll let you have the money off. Here’s how it works:

1) You need to buy Oblivion 5th Anniversary Edition ($29.99).

2) You need to buy Skyrim ($59.89)

3) You need to buy the Official Skyrim Strategy Guide at the same time as Skyrim ($24.99)

4) You need to CUT OUT (!!!) the barcodes from all three products

5) You need to send all your barcodes as well as your till receipts

6) Patiently wait for a $10 Visa Prepaid Card Read more

Dead Nation is a downloadable title created by Housemarque, the developer behind the magnificent Super Stardust HD (also downloadable on the PSN). Dead Nation uses the same basic mechanics as Super Stardust (Left Stick moves, Right Stick aims) but adds a little more complexity, by introducing several different types of weapon as well as grenades, mines and more. But what sets Dead Nation apart from all the other zombie shooters out there? Well, for a start, the price point is low indeed.

Read more

EA has announced Burnout CRASH!, the next title in the highly acclaimed Burnout series available for download on the PlayStation Network this Autumn (sorry to get anyone’s hopes up for a brand new fully fledged title!). The game will see the return of the notorious Crash mode from previous installments in the franchise, only with a few tweaks. The camera has been shifted so that you look at the action from above, and the Autolog feature that has been integrated into the latest Need for Speed games will also be making an appearance.

There’ll be 18 different maps, or junctions, to play from with 3 different modes of play (none of which have been detailed so far). EA has also released some screenshots and a gameplay video of the game, which can be found below…

Read more

Back in 2003 there were some great titles released in the run up to Christmas, with games like Prince of Persia and Splinter Cell, both released by Ubisoft. There was however another Ubisoft game, released around the same time, which received great ratings and reviews but was largely overlooked by the game-buying public. That game is Beyond Good and Evil.

Beyond Good and Evil, made by the same team that created the Rayman series and released on PS2/Xbox/GameCube and PC, received widespread acclaim for its story telling and fantastic visuals, especially back in 2003. Now it’s been released in HD for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, this is a great chance to play the game if you missed out first time round.

The plot takes places in the world of Hillys where a war has broken on the peaceful planet due to the cantankerous DomZ; they attack the lighthouse where the main protagonist Jade is working. She’s a reporter, and during the attack tries to protect the Orphans from the DomZ. With help from a pig called Pey’j (who is her uncle), Jade and Pey’j start to get suspicious about what’s really going behind the DomZ attacks and the secret rumours in The Alpha Sections about people being kidnapped on the planet. Throughout the main story, you’ll be going under-cover and taking photographs in facilities in Hillys.

Gameplay: Beyond Good and Evil is an action-adventure with a mix of puzzle-solving and stealth. You play as Jade, and the gameplay is set in a third-person perspective. You can run by holding the R2 button down and using the left analog stick to move; you can move stealthily by holding down L2 to crouch down. During stealth missions, while sneaking around enemies, you can kick them behind their back if they have are wearing a Green-Tank, which itself can make it less easy to sneak around or distract other enemy’s attention.

During combat your only weapon is your Dai-jo combat stick, used for fighting enemies, monsters and bosses; your partner will also help you out during combat, and when trying to solve a puzzle you can press the Triangle button to perform a special attack which will be in slow-motion, and lets you aim where you want to attack or swing away at.

During the game you’ll be required to collect Pearls, which are the currency you’ll be using to upgrade your Hovercraft, which is like your main vehicle to move around the world of Hillys and get through places you’re not supposed to go to. You will need a certain number of Pearls to upgrade your Hovercraft to press on to the story, and you’ll automatically collect many of them by defeating a boss or getting support from the citizens.

There will certain times where you’ll need to buy Pearls from market stands, or if that’s not your thing you can enter Hovercraft races or chase down looters. Another feature which is added in which is taking photos of different kind of animals on the planet; this is a great way to earn some money, as each role of film will earn you a prize from a camera piece or a Pearl.

Graphics and Sound: Anyone who played the original Beyond Good and Evil won’t see any real changes but the graphics do look a clearer and look totally well done in the higher resolution. For a game that was released back in 2003, you can see a huge difference from the original version and the HD version. The art direction and animation have aged gracefully and the world, while static, is very cleverly designed.

It still has the odd problem when it comes to camera control, and this can occur at any point in the game, where the camera will go freely anywhere, but you can use the right analog stick to move the camera around. Since it’s only released as a downloadable title you can try the demo before purchasing the full game, and this will take 1503 MB on your PS3.

The voice acting is still the same as it was back, which is will please long-time fans of the series who like to repeat quotes and memorable lines from the game. But for those who have not played the original, the world of Hillys is set in a European style environment and you may hear the odd Spanish and French accents from various characters and townspeople.

Eight years later the soundtrack is still unique and memorable to hear, from the battle theme music to the Mammago’s Garage, and some of the tracks are quite emotional and make you feel real shock as you witness what you see in various parts of the game.

Overall: If you missed out on the original, now would be the best time to pick up the HD version. Fans who have played the original might be pleased or disheartened to see that there hasn’t been any huge changes but there is trophy support, and there’s only 12 Trophies so it is easy to get 100% for it.

Beating the game can easily take you 12 hours or less, but there are a lot of secrets, leaderboards and collectables to hunt down. As a fan of the original game, I was really happy to see a HD version of Beyond Good and Evil and it really did bring back a lot of memories for me; for £7.99 it’s worth your money to pick up this classic for your collection.

Both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 have their own jealously guarded exclusives, most of which are probably over-rated or under-rated depending on which side of the fence you sit on. Then there are those exclusives that even the most hideous green-eyed fanboy will admit is actually pretty good, even though it’s only available on a rival system. One such game is LIMBO. LIMBO is a highly stylisted black and white puzzle game, built around the concept of ‘trial and death’, or trial and error as it’s known to real people. It’s won several awards already, including GameSpot‘s “Best Downloadable Game” and “Best Platformer” by IGN.

First showing up on the Koren Rating Board, LIMBO has now been confirmed by the CEO of developer Playdead, who said:

“Limbo is in production for Steam and PSN, and is coming very soon.”

So there you go PSN players, LIMBO is on its way, and if rumours are to be believed, it’ll be some time in July.

It’s almost been everyone’s dream seeing their favourite Final Fantasy characters battles themselves to the death in the Final Fantasy universe. Dissidia 012 [Duodecim] is both a prequel and remake of Dissidia: Final Fantasy, revealing what occurred before the events of its predecessor.

The game’s story may be the weakest part about this game, and will completely make no sense to most fans out there. It revolves around the twelfth cycle of the eternal conflict between the gods Cosmos and Chaos, who have both summoned several warriors from different worlds to fight for them. With the battle turning in favour of Chaos, Cosmos entrusts her warriors with the task of retrieving the crystals that will help them defeat Chaos. Read more

Puzzle Dimension is a brand new PSN puzzle game that’s made its way onto PlayStation 3 after its initial release on PC/Mac. The concept is simple enough: collect all the sunflowers and make your way to the exit. However, all manner of traps and puzzles lie in front of you as you attempt to finish each level, some of which will test your spatial awareness to the limit.

You control a single ball, which you move along a series of slabs of various materials and contexts. You can roll in any direction but not diagonally, and you can jump. You can even roll upside down, as if the slabs have their own independent gravity or magnetism – however, roll or jump over an edge and you’ve had it. Different types of slab have different effects, for example some ‘ice’ slabs will generate infinite inertia so you won’t stop sliding on them until you reach a non-ice slab. There are also weak slabs that break underneath you after one roll, and a variety of switches, fire plates, gizmos and other interactive hazards to watch out for. Read more

UPDATE: The Uncharted 3 Beta is now available in the UK for PS+ subscribers and PSN users with beta codes (either from inFamous 2 or acquired elsewhere).

Participating in the coming Uncharted 3 Multiplayer Beta will net you a handful of rewards and goodies ready for the game’s launch in November if you satisfy the correct criteria. Speaking on the official Naughty Dog Forums, Arne Meyer detailed what you’ll get for playing:

• Download the Uncharted 3 Beta and receive the exclusive UNCHARTED 3 PSN Beta Tester Avatar!
• Complete 10 matches in every mode of Competitive Multiplayer and receive the Exclusive Beta Decal Pack 1!
• Complete 5 matches in every mode of Co-operative Multiplayer and receive the Exclusive Beta Decal Pack 2!
• Complete 4 Treasure Sets and receive the Treasure Hunter’s Starter Pack!
• Rank up to level 25 in the Beta and receive a handsome reward of in-game cash on day one!

The Uncharted 3 Multiplayer Beta will be available on the 28th June (one week early) to all purchasers of inFamous 2 and all PlayStation Plus subscribers. The Beta will be opened to everyone on the 5th July, and will eventually finish on the 13th July.

Originally released a staggering five years ago, Oblivion is being re-packaged and re-released as a 5th Anniversary Edition in North America, with Europe and the rest of the world possibly to follow. The new edition contains the Game of the Year version of Oblivion, along wtih the original ‘making of’ DVD, a map, and a $10 off Skyrim coupon – all packaged in a steelbook case.

Being a relatively old game, the PS3 version of Oblivion didn’t have any Trophy support and for some reason was never given access to any of the extra DLC that the PC and Xbox 360 versions had. Bethesda eventually confirmed that they had ceased work on Oblivion altogether and there was no chance that the PS3 version would get the extra DLC, nor Trophy support. Then a glimmer of hope arrived with an early scan of the box art for the forthcoming 5th Anniversary Edition of Oblivion, set for release next month in North America…

As you can see, the box art clearly states ‘Trophies’ as one of the features of the game. Has Bethesda finally gone back to Oblivion to add Trophy Support? Could they have added support for the extra DLC at the same time? Alas, no. Read more

With LittleBigPlanet being one of the bestselling games for the Playstation 3, LittleBigPlanet and its Play, Share and Create mantra has finally made its way to PlayStation Portable via both a UMD version and a download version (particularly useful if you have a PSP Go).

The plot for the PSP version takes place just after the first LittleBigPlanet, where your Sack character decides to go on Holiday. Where you will be guiding your Sackboy or Sackgirl around various places around the world like Australia, China and LA; unlike the first or second LittleBigPlanet games where you have to save the day, players can just chill back and relax. Read more