Tag Archive

Sony Issues Mysterious Credits To Loyal PSN Users Ahead of Press Conference

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Rae Michelle Richards

Quick, check your PSN account! Did you receive a $5 or $10 voucher from Sony for the PlayStation Store? Several PSN users in North America are reporting (via twitter and NeoGaf) that they have received either of the credits in their PSN wallets as well as a thanks from the company for being a loyal supporter. While we don’t quite know their motive behind this move, perhaps it has something to do with the huge “See The Future” event being held in New York City?

There was also no apparent pattern for who received the credit, with some users reporting that they had the funds added to their account as much as a week ago. Perhaps Sony will be putting something special on the store during their press conference?

It is expected that we will get the first details of the PlayStation 4 at tonight’s event. We will be blogging during the entire event and posting recaps afterward, are you as excited as we are?

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Sony Recaps The Life of PlayStation In 3 New Videos

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Rae Michelle Richards

Sony’s PlayStation brand has stood the test of time, lasting more than 15 years, despite some out of the gate hiccups with the current generation. It is widely rumored that the PlayStation 4 will be unveiled tomorrow at the “See The Future” event in New York City. To drum up excitement Sony released a series of four retrospective videos on their YouTube channel highlighting various accomplishments. Were you around for the launch of the original PlayStation in ’95?

Each video only runs about 2 minutes and length and while they are slickly produced they do kind of gloss over a few things. Aside from the PS Video, most of them are recaps of the system’s launch with some PR sales number and hit game titles thrown into the mix. The accomplishment of games key to the systems’ success such as Metal Gear Solid, Crash Bandicoot and the PS2-era JRPGs are only glossed over, in a favor of news footage. Seems like a bit of a lost opportunity.

Regardless of their content, it is neat to look back and reminisce about everything Playstation. Check out the videos after the jump.Read More

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Is the Next Xbox Anti-Consumer?

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Joshua Rust

It’s not often that I like to express myself on rumors; with that being said, this one has floated around for a while: the elimination of used games. Now before you go grabbing your pitchforks and go on a witch hunt (keep them at arms reach though), this has not been confirmed by either Sony or Microsoft that it’s true.Read More

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Sony Cuts Ties With SuperBot Entertainment

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Broken Joysticks

It has been announced just recently via Kotaku that Sony has decided to cut ties with SuperBot Entertainment, better known to many as the creators on PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. This news comes off the heels from their announcement a few days back that they had to lay off some of their staff members. All of the title’s future content will be handled by the Santa Monica Studio.Read More

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Sony Announces Classic White PS3 Instant Game Collection Bundle

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Rae Michelle Richards

The PlayStation 3 gets a winter refresh with the announcement of the Classic White PS3 Instant Game Collection Bundle. This brand new bundle comes packed with a special white 500 GB PlayStation 3 console, a white dual shock controller and one year of PlayStation Plus. This brand new package will be available for $299.99 in both the United States and Canada.

The hard drive in this newest bundle is certainly a lot larger than some of the other bundles on the market which in the past have included the 160GB & 250GB slim. Sony’s latest offer, In my opinion is probably the best deal available for any new player that hasn’t jumped into this generation. By including a half terabyte hard drive as well as instant access to up to 12 PlayStation 3 games through Plus, new gamers can jump right in without any added expense.

We’ve got a quote provided by Sony regarding the Classic White PS3 Instant Game Collection Bundle after the jump.Read More

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God of War: Ascension Beta And Other PS+ Goodies

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Broken Joysticks

Some of you may have remembered about five months ago I mentioned some information about God Of War: Ascension (for those who don’t review here). Today, the US Playstation blog revealed that the multiplayer beta is open for PlayStation Plus subscribers, no word yet if the beta will open for non-plus members. Read More

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Sony Japan Discontinues PlayStation 2

Posted on December 29, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards

Our old friend the PlayStation 2 will be entering its 13th year with this coming March, the console may finally be nearing its end in the east. It has seen a significantly longer lifespan in Japan than say in North America. According to Famitsu, Sony Japan will cease production on the PS2 and once the existing stock has run its course, that’s it.

Sony’s machine launched in the Spring of 2000 in Japan and in October of 2000 here in the west. During that time we have seen the release of several great games such as Metal Gear Solid 2, Final Fantasy X, Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto series and an entire catalog of great JRPGs.The last major release on western shores for Sony’s second console was 2008’s Persona 4, while Japan has continued to receive a number of new games.

With the PS2 finally being put in the grave, is it time for Sony to unveil the PlayStation 4? Our current console generation is going on seven years, so perhaps it is time. What are some of your favorite PS2 games? The PS2 was released during my first year of high school, damn do I feel old!

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Retro City Rampage Now Free On PlayStation Network

Posted on December 24, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards

Need a  reason to stay in on Christmas Eve? Sony may have just given you one if you are a Playstation Plus subscriber. This past falls Retro City Rampage, a 2D top down game inspired by the open world crime games of yesterday is now available for free.  Sure we write a lot of positive things about PSN+ but it is truly an amazing service and this latest addition just gives us more reasons to keep the subscription topped off.

Also announced on the PlayStation Blog is a digital sale for both regular Playstation Network members and Plus subscribers alike. Some of the great deals include Metal Gear Solid HD collection for  $17,  Journey for $7 and Killzone 3 multiplayer for $7.

For the full list read more after the jump or check out the PlayStation Blog.Read More

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Sony’s Sales Strong Throughout Black Friday

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Broken Joysticks

After much counting and calculating, Sony revealed its Black Friday weekend sales figures, where the PlayStation 3 and Vita bundles made a solid consumer impact.

Thanks in part to the PlayStation 3 Ultimate Value Bundles, 525,000 PS3s were sold throughout which was an increase in bundled sales by 15% over last year.. Meanwhile, PS3 systems, games and accessories sales improved as well by 9%.The PlayStation Vita bundles (ACIII: Liberation, COD:BO:Declassified, Lego Batman 2) gave the ailing system a much-needed boost, contributing to 160,000 Vitas sold.

In another Sony sales surprise, the PlayStation Plus subscriptions have exploded, resulting in an increase of a whopping 259% of the PSN service over last year’s Black Friday. Thanks in part to the myriad of discounted and free products that PlayStation Plus users can take advantage of, the service has received an overall customer satisfaction rating of 95%.

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Street Fighter X Tekken | Review

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards

Capcom’s fighting games have revitalized gamers’ interest in this once-dormant genre. Can they continue their success with a mash-up of two of the greatest fighting franchises in Street Fighter X Tekken? I got my mitts on the Vita version of the game and after spending several hours playing through the online, offline and extra modes I am ready to report on why you should or shouldn’t pick up Capcom’s latest.Read More

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Puppeteer Celebrates with Hallowee Ville Trailer

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Les Major

Sony’s Japan Studio released a new trailer today for Puppeteer featuring some awesome Halloween fun for the holidays. Puppeteer was announced back in August and features a boy who was carried off by the Moon Bear King into Castle Gristlestein where he’s transformed into a puppet. He escapes and ventures off to retrieve his disembodied head. As seen in the trailer here, the scissors seem to be his main defense and a way to interact with the environment.

The trailer focuses on Hallowee Ville which is just part of the Moon Realm the story takes place in. The Art Director at SCE Worldwide Studios promises many surprising and diverse locations in the game. This PS3 title’s release date is still to be announced.

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Major Lay-offs At Sony Affecting Divisions Worldwide

Posted on October 20, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards

Sony confirmed via press release last evening that massive lay-offs have hit the company. One of the world’s largest videogame, phone and television manufacturing companies will continue to shed 10,000 workers or 6% of its workforce. According to the release all areas will be affected including online services like the Sony Entertainment Network (formally PSN), Sony Ericson Smartphones and Research and Development.

Sony Japan reported a loss of several billion yen for the fiscal year 2013 and hopes to have things turned around by the time their fiscal year 2014 results are reported sometime next year. These layoffs have been staggered across Sony’s major divisions, the original intent to lay-off 10,000 workers hinted at this past April and August. The next phase of these reductions will take place at Sony’s Tokyo headquarters as the company moves office space to save money this October, as well as a shutdown of the Sony Ericson Partnership.Read More

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Lightbox Interactive Shifts Focus to iOs, Confirms Layoffs

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards

The studio behind Sony’s exclusive sci-fi action game Starhawk, Lightbox Interactive, has seen sizable layoffs as well as a shift in platforms. The company confirmed yesterday that they will lay-off 24 employees from their Texas studio as of Friday and that the company will no longer be developing for the PlayStation 3 for the time being. Instead they will focus their development efforts on iOs and other mobile platforms.

The company’s president had this to say to the media:

“Lay-offs always suck but they are an unfortunate reality of business sometimes. The best we can do is try and treat our people with respect during the shocking transition of a lay-off,

It is unfortunate to hear that anyone has lost their jobs. As this console generation gets long in the tooth I’m sure we will see more developers shed a little weight as  they prepare to experiment with the next generation of hardware.

Lightbox Interactive only commercially available games was this past Spring’s Starhawk. They were formed in 2009, signing a multi-title deal with Sony Computer Entertainment America. It is  unknown how this shift in development will affect any of the remaining titles that were part of that deal.

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LittleBigPlanet Vita | Review

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Jason Bassett

What do you get when you take a humongous game that is based on your own imagination and you shrink it down to fit in your hands? That is LittleBigPlanet for the Playstation Vita. LBP Vita is an original release for the Sony’s newest handheld and one that many gamers have been waiting for and it’s now here to play. So what makes this version of Little BigPlanetVita so endearing to fans is it’s cutesy way of telling a story, it’s simple yet in-depth gameplay that just has a way with you when you play a game like this. If you have ever played a licensed game that was awesome back in the day like Cool Spot or one of the older Nickelodeon games, LittleBigPlanet will make you feel like you’re a kid again.Read More

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