Playstation Store Updates (31st March 2011)

To one and all – Here is the latest on all updates in the Playstation Store for all European users.

Of course this week’s highlights of the Playstation Store includes the newly released DLC pack ‘Arrival’, the final chapter of the award-winning Sci-Fi RPG, Mass Effect 2. In regards to other DLC’s, there’s a boat load for the latest Tiger Woods title, as well as Need for Speed: SHIFT 2.  The Ghostbusters make a return to the PS3 in the form of ‘Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime’, available as both a trial and a full-game unlock. And for the handheld lover, the latest installment of Parasite Eve, The 3rd Birthday, graces the Playstation Store on Friday 1st April as a download for the Playstation Portable.

Just to mention; it also seems as though the Playstation store has presented a new system; going straight to the ‘Latest’ page of the PS Store shows that all items have been sorted into categories, such as ‘PS3 Addons’, ‘Themes’ etc.

Anyway here is the break-down of the latest thats going down on the Playstation Store.

Special Offers for a limited time (until 13th April 2011):

• Faery: Legends of Avalon (was – £11.99/€14.99 now – £7.19/€8.99)
• Spectral Souls: RotEE (PSP) (was – £13.99/€17.99 now – £9.99/€12.99)
• WWII: Battle over the Pacific (PSP) (was – £6.99/€7.99 now – £4.79/€5.99)
• StateShift (PSP) (was – £6.99/€7.99 now – £4.79/€5.99)
• International Athletics (PSP) (was – £6.99/€7.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
• Skate Park City (PSP) (was – £6.99/€7.99 now – £4.79/€5.99)
• World of Pool (PSP) (was – £6.99/€7.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
• Spinout (PSP) (was – £6.99/€7.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
• Sports Superbike 2 (PSone) (was – £3.59/€2.99 now – £1.99/€2.49)
• All-Star Boxing (PSone) (was – £3.99/€4.99 now – £2.39/€2.99)
• Ace Armstrong vs. The Alien Scumbags (mini) (was – £3.99/€4.99 now – £0.99/€1.19)
• Card Shark (mini) (was – £2.49/€2.99 now – £0.99/€1.19)

Brand New Price Reductions:

• Ridge Racer (PSP) now – £7.99/€9.99
• Tekken 6 (PSP) now – £15.99/€19.99
• Tron: Evolution (PSP) now – £19.99/€24.99
• Hannah Montana: Rock out the Show (PSP) now – £15.99/€19.99
• Split/Second: Velocity (PSP) now – £19.99/€24.99
• Toy Story 3 (PSP) now – £23.99/€29.99

Trial and Full Game Unlocks for the Playstation 3

• Chime Super Deluxe (£7.19/€8.99)

• Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime (£7.19/€8.99)

• Swarm (£9.99/€12.99)

Full Games for the Playstation 3

• Moon Diver (£9.99/€12.99)

Full Games for the Playstation Portable

• Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos (£13.99/€17.99)

(Please note: Not available in Australia, Israel, Kuwait, New Zealand and Ukraine)

• Bi-Pack Pop Rival Swords + Splinter Cell Essentials (£15.99/€19.99)

(Please note: Not available in Israel, Kuwait and Ukraine)

• The 3rd Birthday (£27.99/€34.99) (Available from Friday April 1st)

(Please note: Not available in Israel, Kuwait, New Zealand and Ukraine)

Minis for Playstation 3 and Playstation Portable

• Mr. Hat And The Magic Cube (£2.49/€2.99)

(Please Note: Not available in Germany, Israel, Kuwait and Ukraine)

• 3D Twist & Match (£1.74/€1.99)

(Please note: Not available in Israel, Kuwait and Ukraine)

Add-on Packs for Playstation 3 Titles

• Eyepet Lucky Dip Costume Pack – Plants (free)

• Fight Night Champion
• • Alternate Weight Class Pack (£0.79/€0.99)
  • Heavyweight Legends Pack (£7.99/€9.99)
  • Bare Knuckles Mode (£3.19/€4.99)
  • Jack Dempsey (£1.59/€1.99)
  • Jack Johnson (£1.59/€1.99)
  • Joe Louis (£1.59/€1.99)
  • Rocky Marciano (£1.59/€1.99)
  • Floyd Patterson (£1.59/€1.99)

(Please note: Not Available in Finland or UAE)

• Hyperdimension Neptunia
• • Alchemy Helper (free)
  • Dragon With A Blue Shadow (free)
  • Giant Bull Awakens (free)
  • Out-Of-Control Robot (free)

• LBP Fragrances Costume (Re-Release) 1 Week Only (free) Rating: PEGI 7

• Marvel vs Capcom 3 – Shadow Battle 02 (£0.79/€1.49) Rating: PEGI 12

• Mass Effect 2 – Arrival (£5.49/€6.99) Rating: PEGI 18

• Need For Speed Shift 2
• • Shift 2 Unleashed™ Unlock All Cars (£7.99/€9.99)
  • Shift 2 Unleashed™ Fast Five (£5.49/€6.99)
  • Shift 2 Unleashed™ Online Pass (£7.99/€9.99)

• Super Stardust Impact Mode (£1.59/€1.99) Rating: PEGI 3

• Tiger Woods Pga Tour 12: The Masters
• • Adidas Proshop Pack (£0.79/€0.99)
  • Banff Springs Golf Course (£3.19/€3.99)
  • Birdie Pack (£11.99/€14.99)
  • Bridgestone Proshop Pack (£0.79/€0.99)
  • Callaway Proshop Pack (£3.19/€3.99)
  • Callaway Sponsorship (£3.19/€3.99)
  • Cleveland Proshop Pack (£2.39/€2.99)
  • Cleveland Sponsorship (£2.39/€2.99)
  • Cobra Proshop Pack (£1.59/€1.99)
  • EA Online Pass (£6.29/€7.99)
  • EA Sports Proshop Pack 1 (£0.79/€0.99)
  • EA Sports Proshop Pack 2 (£0.79/€0.99)
  • EA Sports Proshop Pack 3 (£0.79/€0.99)
  • EA Sports Sponsorship (£2.39/€2.99)
  • Eagle Pack (£19.99/€24.99)
  • Emerald Dragon (£3.19/€3.99)
  • Footjoy Proshop Pack (£0.79/€0.99)
  • Greek Isles (£5.49/€6.99)
  • Grip Item Pack (£1.59/€1.99)
  • Harbour Town Golf Links (£3.19/€3.99)
  • Hazeltine National Golf Club (£3.19/€3.99)
  • The Highlands (£3.19/€3.99)
  • Loudmouth Golf Proshop Pack (£0.79/€0.99)
  • Mizuno Proshop Pack (£1.59/€1.99)
  • Nike Clothing Pack 1 (£0.79/€0.99)
  • Nike Clothing Pack 2 (£0.79/€0.99)
  • Nike Proshop Pack 1 (£2.39/€2.99)
  • Nike Proshop Pack 2 (£2.39/€2.99)
  • Nike Proshop Pack 3 (£2.39/€2.99)
  • Nike Proshop Pack 4 (£2.39/€2.99)
  • Nike Sponsorship (£5.49/€6.99)
  • Oakley Proshop Pack 1 (£0.79/€0.99)
  • Oakley Proshop Pack 2 (£0.79/€0.99)
  • Oakmont Country Club (£3.19/€3.99)
  • Pinehurst (£3.19/€3.99)
  • Ping Proshop Pack (£2.39/€2.99)
  • Ping Sponsorship (£2.39/€2.99)
  • Prototype Starter Suit (£3.99/€4.99)
  • Quagmire Golf Proshop Pack (£0.79/€0.99)
  • River Course At Blackwolf Run (£3.19/€3.99)
  • Riviera Cc Golf Course (£3.19/€3.99)
  • Shaft Item Pack (£1.59/€1.99)
  • Sheshan Golf Club (£3.19/€3.99)
  • Spyglass Hill Golf Course (£3.19/€3.99)
  • Sundog Proshop Pack (£0.79/€0.99)
  • Taylormade Proshop Pack (£0.79/€0.99)
  • Taylormade Sponsorship (£2.39/€2.99)
  • The Els Club (£5.49/€6.99)
  • The Predator (£3.19/€3.99)
  • The TPC Blue Monster At Doral (£3.19/€3.99)
  • Torrey Pines Golf Course (£3.19/€3.99)
  • TPC Boston (£3.19/€3.99)
  • Wolf Creek, Nv (£3.19/€3.99)

• Rock Band 3
• • Spinning Wheel – Blood, Sweat & Tears (£0.99/€1.49) Black Magic Woman – Santana (£0.99/€1.49)
  • Operation Ground And Pound – DragonForce (£0.99/€1.49)
  • Somebody To Love – Jefferson Airplane (£0.99/€1.49)
  • Through The Fire And Flames – DragonForce (£0.99/€1.49)

(Please note: Not Available in Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, India, Israel, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Poland, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, South Africa, Turkey, Ukraine, UAE)

• Def Jam Rapstar
• • Danja – Stadium Status (Freestyle) (€1.49)
  • Dj Khalil – The 15Th (Freestyle) (€1.49)
  • Drake – Over (€1.49)

(Please note: Not Available in Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom)

• • Geto Boys – Mind Playing Tricks On Me (£1.19/€1.49)
  • Nitti Beatz – Playmaker (Freestyle) (£1.19/€1.49)
  • Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em – Crank That (£1.19/€1.49)
  • Danja – Wyld Money (Freestyle) (£1.19/€1.49)

(Please Note: Only available in Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and United Kingdom

Add-on Packs for Playstation Portable Titles

• Lord Of Arcana – DLC Pack 4 (free) Rating: PEGI 16

(Please Note: Not Available in Israel, Kuwait or Ukraine)

• Buzz: TUMQ – Celebrity Quiz Pack (£3.19/€3.99) Rating: PEGI 3

(Please note: Not Available in Croatia, Czech Republic and Greece)

Firstplay by Official Playstation Magazine UK

• FirstPlay Episode 51 (£0.99/€1.20)

Please note: Only Available in Ireland and UK)

Avatars for Playstation 3

• Beat Sketcher Avatar Bundle 3 – £0.79/€0.99 (or £0.20/€0.25 separately)
• • Rocker
  • Jogger
  • Pirate
  • Prisoner
  • Paint 9

• Tales From Space: About A Blob – Avatar Pack – £0.79/€0.99

Premium Themes for Playstation 3

• Thumbstar Themes – Winter Escapes (£1.19/€1.49)

Dynamic Themes for Playstation 3

• Disruptive Themes
• • Amazing Earth: Australia’S Coast (£1.99/€2.49)
  • Amazing Earth: Blue Planet (£1.99/€2.49)
  • Amazing Earth: Hawaiian Sunset (£1.99/€2.49)
  • Amazing Earth: Lightning Storm (£1.99/€2.49)
  • Amazing Earth: Matterhorn (£1.99/€2.49)
  • Amazing Earth: Rainbow Falls (£1.99/€2.49)
  • Amazing Earth: Volcano (£1.99/€2.49)

Videos of Playstation 3 Titles

• Lego Star Wars III Launch Trailer
• Castlevania Lords of Shadow – Reverie Trailer
• Uncharted 3: Introducing Katherine Marlowe
• Yakuza 4 Launch Trailer

Kung Fu Panda 2 the video game confirmed

THQ have confirmed that the Kung Fu panda will be chopping his way to the Xbox360, Playstation 3, Wii and DS.

Here is the press release

WOKING, UK. – Mar 30, 2011 – THQ (NASDAQ: THQI) today announced its plans to release the Kung Fu Panda 2™ video game on Kinect™ for Xbox 360®, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, uDraw GameTablet®™ for the Wii™ system and the Nintendo DS™ handheld system, in conjunction with the theatrical debut of the eagerly anticipated movie from DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. (NASDAQ: DWA).

Players will find all-new ways to enter the world of Kung Fu Panda® in the video game, including the unique ability to use Kinect to “become” Po on screen, as they seek to restore the balance of power and save kung fu forever.

Kung Fu Panda 2 the video game begins where the movie leaves off, as Po and the Furious Five venture out to save kung fu from a new evil threat. Only with Kinect for Xbox 360 will Po teach players key kung fu moves and train them for impending battles against new, never-before-seen enemies, co-created by THQ and DreamWorks Animation. Utilizing Kinect, players will then seemingly transform into Po as they block, dodge, duck, punch and kick, no controller required. Onscreen, Po follows their every move as the game takes them into some new terrains and environments.

“Kung Fu Panda 2 brings enormous innovation and creativity to build on the excitement of the movie,” said Mary Beth Haggerty, THQ’s Vice President of Product Development, Kids, Family and Casual Games. “The team brought unique elements to each platform so players can have a different experience with the same great story.”

Kung fu requires strategy and acumen, so on the PlayStation®3 system, Kung Fu Panda 2 lets players battle with moves such as “acu-punches,” “thunder strikes” and “kung fu curls” that incorporate problem-solving skills to help players master their talents under Po’s tutelage.

On THQ’s uDraw GameTablet®™ for Wii, players will control Po with their stylus to fight and defend Gongmen City in story mode. The epic battles against old and new enemies will happen amidst a backdrop that players themselves will bring to life. In drawing mode, players can color various pieces of character art and objects which will in turn populate the story mode, making the game unique to the player. There are also several awesome mini-games that players can enjoy playing as the adorable baby Po.

On Nintendo DS, Kung Fu Panda 2 will allow players to command Po using the stylus and unleash awesome kung fu moves against enemies alongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters, the Furious Five: Tigress, Monkey, Crane, Viper and Mantis. In addition, the Nintendo DS version offers an addictive card game called “Five-Card Fu”, which can be played either alone or with a friend. The game is played on a 3×3 grid which contains nine squares. To get started, the player must select five cards from their in-game library and place one card in one of the nine squares. Each card will have a number ranging from one through nine on each side of the card. In order to win, the player must strategize on which square they will occupy first as well as which card to use. Once the player places a card in a square, the opponent will have to place a card on an adjacent square that beats the numerical value of the card the first player placed. The player that occupies the grid with the highest numerical value wins.

Throughout April and May, Kung Fu Panda 2 fans can find out more about the video game and sign up for “training” through online videos and training mini games by visiting www.kungfupanda2game.com. When they sign up for “training,” players will be notified by e-mail when each new video and games are available online.

3D comes as standard with Cars 2: The Video Game

With Pixar’s Cars 2 due out in cinemas soon, it was no surprise to see that a video game based on the film would also be in the works. Now PlayStation 3 owners have a bonus in that they Cars 2: The Video Game will comes with full 3D support. Great for kids who a) have access to a TV with 3D support and b) don’t get headaches from 3D.

Here’s the press release detailing the whole thing:

LONDON, 30^th March 2011 – Disney today announced that Disney•Pixar’s Cars 2: The Video Game will feature full 3D support exclusively for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system.  From the start, players will be immersed in a 3D experience as Cars 2: The Video Game detects a connection to a 3D TV and automatically adjusts settings. Cars 2 fans will then experience 3D in every aspect of gameplay, including action-packed combat racing and all menu interfaces. In addition, the multiplayer functionality of the game will allow for four players to compete against each other in full 3D, utilizing a 4-way split screen.

“The advancement of 3D technology will allow us to immerse the player into the Cars 2 game environment in a whole new way,” said John Blackburn, vice president and general manager of Avalanche Software, developer of Cars 2.  “The 3D effects will ratchet up gameplay in ways that will have fans’ hearts pounding when they embark on dangerous spy missions, while our innovative multiplayer with four simultaneous 3D ports will bring a whole new dimension to PS3™ gaming.”

Cars 2: The Video Game is inspired by the upcoming Disney•Pixar animated film. The game allows players to dive into the Cars 2 universe alongside some of their favourite Cars personalities in exotic locations spanning the globe. Cars 2: The Video Game expands beyond the movie’s storyline as players take on the role of one of more than 20 different Cars characters and train to become top notch spies at the international spy training centre, C.H.R.O.M.E. (Command Headquarters for Recon Operations and Motorized Espionage). Over the course of their training, players take on dangerous missions, compete to become the fastest race car in the world and use their spy skills in non-stop action packed combat racing and battle arenas.

Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City Debut Trailer

You’ve heard of the new Resident Evil spin-off and now you can watch the very first trailer for Capcom’s new Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City.

Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City is said to be a mix of the traditional Resident Evil series and SOCOM games, the last one not being a surprise since Slant Six Games is helping Capcom in developing Operation Raccoon City. As you see from the trailer it looks like Operation Raccoon City will be less liner and also more chaotic then the usual action found in Resident Evil games.

If you would like to know more about Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City, gaming site stickskills has a handy bullet point list of the details that were revealed in Official Xbox Magazine.

Rumor: Irem’s other PS3 project in jeopardy?

Yesterday I broke the rather saddening news that the entirety of Irem’s earthquake survival sim franchise Disaster Report had been delayed for an indefinite (possibly permanent) amount of time. But if that wasn’t bad enough already, rumors are beginning to circulate in Japanese magazines that this has had a knock-on effect on the development of Irem’s long awaited sequel to Steambot Chronicles (known as Bumpy Trot in japan) on the PS3, perhaps resulting in the whole project biting the dust forever.

Don’t feel as though you’re out of the loop if you missed out on the original Steambot Chronicals, it was a relatively obscure PS2 sandbox RPG from way back in 2005 that proved quite popular in Japan but amassed only a small enthusiastic following in the west. The game put you in the shoes of a young boy with a bad case of amnesia and nothing but a steam-punk robot and some bitchin’ harmonica skills to his name. It had an extremely open ended game world that let you pursue the main storyline as either a hero or a villain at your own discretion as well as offering many side activities such as buying real estate, furnishing your home, collecting fossils, fishing, dating, battle tournaments, busking and astounding levels of customisation (for a PS2 game) for both your character and your robot.

Basically imagine animal crossing but with giant robots instead of animals. I know, it sounds too awesome to be true right? Well evidently something so genius isn’t that easy to produce; Steambot Chronicles 2 seems to have been stuck in development hell for nearly 6 years already and with nothing but a few pieces of gameplay footage to show for it (half of which is probably from the abandoned PS2 version).

If both Disaster Report and Steambot Chronicles truly are out the picture then Irem doesn’t really have much left to work with; their only other reliable IP is the classic R-Type side scrolling shooters. Unfortunately they kinda shot themselves in the foot with with that one back in 2003 when they released the appropriately named R-Type: Final which they insisted was to be the last ever entry in the series. That didn’t stop them doing a few very low key spin-offs and re-releases here and there over the years, but it’s still perfectly fair to say they hasn’t been a “true” R-Type game since Final. However with both their major titles in limbo they may end up having to re-think their R-Type abstinence if they plan on sticking around for much longer.

As with with Disaster Report 1 & 2, Steambot Chronicles did see a VERY limited release over here in the UK and can be picked up relatively cheaply online. It was an absolutely stellar game, so if you don’t have any objections to dusting off a PS2 then you owe it to yourself to say both hello and possibly goodbye to what could have been a fantastic ongoing franchise. Oh, and if you live in the US or Japan you can also check out the more combat focused spin-off Steambot Chronicles: Battle Tournament for the PSP.

SOCOM: Special Forces Multiplayer Beta Impressions

The SOCOM series has always been best known for its genre-defining competitive multiplayer, and the upcoming PS3 exclusive, SOCOM: Special Forces, has set itself up to be the ultimate SOCOM experience.

What can be instantly said about SOCOM: Special Forces are its surprisingly solid graphics. Despite the size of the multiplayer matches, there are no issues involving framerate or lagging. As far as the beta is concerned, it’s the ‘Assault and Battery’ map that presents the full extent of the graphics, mixing bright and dense jungle scenery with dark, concrete/urban locations and textures. Audio is used very well in SOCOM: Special Forces as well; gunshots echoing through the air, explosions’ booming in the foreground, soldiers dying and screaming orders from every direction only enhances the authenticity of being inside a battlefield.

Greatest success in SOCOM: Special Forces strive on one thing; strategy. Unlike the majority of other online multiplayer shooters, going in with all guns blazing and getting the most kill streaks before getting wiped out yourself, SOCOM has delivered game modes that encourages you to make absolute use of your weapons, environments, and your teammates. In the beta, there are four different competitive game modes; Suppression (Team Deathmatch), Last Defence (capture the flag style mode), Uplink (collecting enemy Intel), and a brand-new game mode to the franchise, Bomb Squad. These game modes can be played in two different maps that initially came with the beta; ‘Port Authority’, a naval port filled with shipping containers and warehouses, and ‘Assault and Battery’, an abandoned coastal fort. My personal favourite was ‘Assault and Battery’, and it’s not just because of its mix of environments showcasing the games graphics already mentioned. But the map also combines concrete warfare with dense jungles and greenery, which gives excellent opportunity to deploy a mix of strategies; watch towers for snipers, dense jungles and dark corners for people who prefer to scout and go for recon gameplay, and plenty of objects and cover in the environments for intense shoot-outs between soldiers (speaking of cover, SOCOM’s cover system is easy to use, and on so many occasions is life-saving). It’s simple, no one is safe, and only adds to players needing to keep on their toes and thinking before acting.

Please note that other maps will be added to the full-price retail release, including Cesspool, a map that can be located in the games main campaign, and Von Heine Express, a makeshift military base in Southeast Asia, inspired by the classic SOCOM 2 map, Fox Hunt.

Even though the Team Deathmatch mode titled Suppression does not seem to be the most strategic of squad-based game modes, you do have the option to play a game with standard SOCOM settings. Basically, once you are killed, that’s it, no re-spawn, nothing, just the chance to switch between your squad-members cameras and see how better they do compared to you. On many occasions this has still saved lives, as people who have already been gunned down can looked out for their remaining squad-members as commentators through headsets. These alternate standard SOCOM settings are also available on all game modes.

The newest game mode to the SOCOM series is Bomb Squad. In this ‘Hurt Locker-style’ mode, working as part of a team and deploying a certain strategy is key to victory. In Bomb Squad, one of your teammates is allocated as a bomb technician, who is the only one that can defuse three bombs that are scattered around the map. So it is the job of the bomb technician’s fellow teammates to escort them to each bomb and defuse them before the time runs out. Bomb Squad can be pretty intense as either team fight each other off, and it really brings allies together co-operatively, resulting in Bomb Squad being a welcoming addition to SOCOM.

What I appreciate the most about SOCOM: Special Forces, is that it broadens out to a wider audience. With game modes that can have standard SOCOM settings, as well as the option to have less challenging rules, makes the game accessible to hardcore gamers and fans of the franchise, as well as people who are not as experienced in squad-based multiplayer shooters. Controls in the game goes for the same intention; many of the buttons have your bog-standard configurations to most other PS3 shooters; L1 aims/readies your weapon and R1 to shoot, Square to reload, R2 to throw grenades etc.

Instantly playing the game I was not fond of the third-person aiming and shooting, which reminded me of ‘Kane and Lynch’ style inaccuracy, leading to me getting gunned down so many times despite my efforts. This made me feel more like I was ‘spraying-and-praying’ then actually going out of my way in getting a headshot. I then discovered by simply pressing R3 whilst aiming allows you to zoom in and look down the sights of your equipped weapon, just like a FPS, allowing the player to aim at an impressively accurate rate, in comparison to the third-person aiming mode. This is another example in how SOCOM: Special Forces reach out to different gamers who have certain preferences in how to play, whether it’s third-person or first-person mode.

Of course the highlight of SOCOM: Special Forces control configurations is its Playstation Move compatibility. Although it brings a completely new gaming experience, it is not up to scratch with other online shooters such as Killzone 3. Your character can sometimes be difficult to move, and when you have a squad of online gamers baying for your blood, you can’t really make time for mistakes. Despite saying this, the aiming works brilliantly well; picking off a squad of enemies with your sniper is particularly satisfying. If I had to decide though, stick with the Playstation Move for the single-player campaign when the full game is released, unless you want to put the time in to master the controls.

In regards to weapons they are very basic to start off with; Assault Rifles, Shotguns, Sniper Rifles… you get the gist. However the progress you make on particular weapons (i.e. how many enemies you kill with them) allows you to unlock new modifications to that particular weapon, including scope sights, extended ammunition, and new grips for increased accuracy and decreased recoil. This delivers an incentive to make the absolute most of the weapons you have at your disposal. Alongside these modifications, as well as unlocking completely new weapons by simply ranking up, SOCOM: Special Forces delivers an excellent array of weapons that can be mixed and matched to your preferred plan of action, without worrying about what kind of class you are. So even ‘noobing’ it out to start with; playing enough to earn upgrades and new artillery will give you more of an edge in the battlefield every time you progress.

Even before entering the battlefield for a match, you are allowed to customise your load out and the appearance of your character. And this customisation is allowed every time you are killed, allowing you to change your weapons and figure out what is best to use against your enemy.

The ranking system itself is what you pretty much expect from any other online multiplayer shooter. As well as a status bar that shows what rank you are and how many experience points you require to rank up, you can also earn medals for achieving certain feats, and of course results in bonus experience points. These medals are separated into three different tiers. Tier 1 being the more simple achievements, like 3 kill streaks or achieving 10 kills in one match. And, of course, tier 3 are the most advanced challenges, such as 10 melee kills in one match, and (the worst) 25 kills at a 75% accuracy rate with a Sniper Rifle. OUCH!

The verdict: solid graphics, good mix of controls, excellent arrays of weapons and creative competitive game modes mixed with well-constructed maps makes SOCOM: Special Forces a brilliant experience for both new-comers and hardened SOCOM fans alike. My only dislikes is the sometimes annoying controls on the Playstation Move, and no online party system, despite clans in the game being existent.

The beta was released on the 23^rd March 2011, exclusively to Playstation Plus users, after a select number of beta testers already had it out in the online battlefield since the 15^th.

All members of the Playstation Network can join the multiplayer beta from April 6^th. SOCOM: Special Forces will be released on retail on April 22^nd 2011.

If you’ve never been interested in SOCOM before, NOW IS THE TIME!

Read first, shoot later – RAGE novel set to arrive in August

As well as getting a comic book series being created by powerhouse Dark Horse Comics, the RAGE franchise is expanding with a novel that will be available in stores on August 30th this year.

The novel will be written by author and game writer Matt Costello, who’s work includes Doom 3 and Just Cause, and it will be published by Del Rey. The novel will share the same name as the game. I’m hoping it will be a success just so the next novel will be called Rage 2: Rage Harder.

Here’s the press release Bethesda Softworks made public announcing the deal:

BETHESDA SOFTWORKS AND DEL REY BOOKS ANNOUNCE NOVEL BASED ON HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED RAGE VIDEO GAME

NEW YORK, NY – March 29, 2011 – Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax® Media company, and Del Rey, an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group, announced today that Del Rey Books will publish a novel based on the upcoming RAGE^® video game. The novel, also entitled “RAGE”, will be written by author and game writer Matt Costello and will release in North America on August 30, 2011. The novel will be published simultaneously in the UK and British Commonwealth by Ebury Publishing, part of the Random House Group.

RAGE is the latest game from id® Software, the acclaimed designers of such classics as the Wolfenstein®, DOOM®, and QUAKE® series. Eagerly awaited by the gaming community, RAGE is already being touted as one of the industry’s most innovative first-person shooters, winning numerous awards at E3 2010, including ‘Best Overall Game of Show’ from IGN and three ‘Best of E3’ Game Critics Awards including ‘Best Console Game’. Set in the not-too-distant future after an asteroid impacts Earth, you emerge into a vast wasteland to discover humanity working to rebuild itself against such forces as bandit gangs, mutants, and more.

The novel delves even deeper into this world and its characters through the pen of Matt Costello–the same person who helped write the story for the game. The world was doomed and only some of the population could be saved. That was what the scientists were saying, at least. So the best and brightest were gathered and put into stasis deep beneath the surface of the Earth–buried so that man could live.

When Lt. Nick Raine emerges from his Ark, he finds the human race has not been wiped out. And people, as resilient as they are, are scraping together a new world from the rubble of the old.  This was not what anyone in the Arks expected–a new society where might is right, mutants plague the Earth, and “friend” is a term for the person who hasn’t stabbed you in the back.

Resistance 3: Sharp Shoot the Chimera in 3D

With the highly anticipated Playstation 3 exclusive Resistance 3 only months away; most PS3 gamers couldn’t be anymore excited. However, the good news just kept on coming, courtesy of Insomniac’s Community Day Presentation, where the developers tonight made the announcement that Resistance 3 is to support Playstation Move AND Stereoscopic 3D. What this also means to gamers in regards to Playstation Move compatibility, is that the Playstation Sharp Shooter peripheral attachment can also be used to play the game, which was originally utilized for PS3 exclusive Killzone 3, which were both released simultaneously earlier this year.

Senior Community Manager of Insomniac Games, James Stevenson said that these new features to Resistance 3 are due to the overwhelming community demand.

The announcement was also accompanied by Insomniac founder Ted Price and Resistance 3 Creative Director Marcus Smith, both posing with 3D glasses and PS sharp shooters for a quirky photo at their third Annual Community Day Presentation, in the Egyptian Theatre, Hollywood.

Resistance 3 will be sharp shooter ready when it invades Playstation 3 on September 6th 2011.

Mass Effect 2: Arrival DLC Trailer

Anyone who is a gamer and has not been hiding under a rock for the last month will have heard of the highly anticipated final chapter of the award-winning Mass Effect 2 arriving in the form of a DLC pack called… well… Arrival.

Here is the brand-new trailer to wet your appetite.

Arrival tells the story of Admiral Hackett (voiced by Lance Henriksen, best known as Bishop from the Alien films and Frank Black from TV series Millennium) asking for the help of Commander Shepard. For those of you who are not familiar with Admiral Hackett from the first Mass Effect game; he is a top-ranking official of the Alliance Navy and commanding officer of the Fifth fleet. He was also one of the three officers who recommended Shepard as the first human Spectre, who are agents that are entrusted with extraordinary authority by the Citadel Council.

So for an official of the Alliance Navy to come to Shepard for help, despite working with Cerberus, you can only assume that it must be serious.

Well, it is. Hackett comes to you to rescue a Doctor called Amanda Kenson, who has been kidnapped by the Batarians and is taken to a secret prison outpost in Batarian space, after being accused of terrorism. With this being a personal favor; Hackett urges discretion, meaning that you must deploy the mission as a solo operative, with no squad-members. But wait you ask, why is this mission so important? Well, educated guess, but maybe it’s because Dr. Kenson reportedly found a Reaper artifact that proves their existence, and their plans to invade your galaxy.

So yeah, pretty damn important.

Don’t expect this to be a cheap, lazy expansion of an already incredible game. With a reported five brand new missions, which will set you back at least a couple of hours, there are three brand new acheivements/trophies, and you will also make major decisions that will impact what happens in the upcoming sequal, Mass Effect 3.

Arrival DLC will be available on PC, Xbox Live, and the Playstation Network right now… so… what are you waiting for!?

In the Playstation Store and will cost a meagre £5.49, 560 MS points on Xbox live and 560 Bioware points on PC. As this add-on has been dubbed as “the thrilling final mission” of BAFTA’s game of the year 2010, that’s one hell of a bargain, whatever platform you prefer.

WSC Real 11 Official Website Launched

Dark Energy Digital has now announced that an official website and trailer has entered the world wide web for the upcoming WSC Real 11, cueing up for a release on April 15th 2011 for the Playstation 3 and Xbox360.

Creative Director of Dark Energy Digital, Pete Jones, promises that the latest installment of the popular snooker and pool franchise will be the most exciting installment for years, with numerous brand new features, as well as 100% pixel-perfect ball physics.

He says “We designed WSC Real 11 to be the slickest and most accessible version yet, while adding a host of new features driven by fan feedback such as online tournaments. But it’s the new physics and replay system, which is the killer app – you can position the camera anywhere and manipulate the flow of time using the analogue triggers for super-slow-motion and even reverse-time scrutiny of the action. We also allow players to store every shot and tag their favourite replays to enjoy again and again.”

The retail release of WSC Real 11 will be a day before the Snooker World Championship.

To see more of this upcoming release, check out the official website at: www.wscreal11.com