Saturday, December 3, 2011

PS Plus members get a free game every two days


Subscribers to PlayStation Plus will be offered a free game every two days, platform holder Sony Computer Entertainment has confirmed.
PS PLUS
Kicking off today, the offer allows members to download a single free title from the PlayStation Store every two days, starting with retro classic Sonic the Hedgehog 2 today.
The offer includes eight PSN games, two Minis and two PSOne Classics. All games have been available on Plus over the past 18 months, and Sony reckons they’re ideal choices for newcomers to the service.
Sonic 2 will be available until December 3, after which another title will be offered. Sony recommends checking the PS Store to see what games are available and snap them up before they are gone.
Sony's Ross McGrath commented: "Remember, all these are added extras to this month's content - as a PlayStation Plus subscriber you can still expect the same level of great content during December 2011, as well as enjoying this superb offer, which is perfect for filling gaps in your collection if you're a late-comer to Plus, or even better if you've never been a subscriber before."

South Park RPG is a feel-good game about fitting in, and more details


Creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker revealed the first details of the South Park RPG in Game Informer this week, and the project sounds so awesome that it isn't even funny. To break it down, players of South Park: The Game will be the new kid in town, and the main struggle will be to fit in and be accepted (See? South Park really is a public-programming after-school show, mom). Characters will be completely customizable and Cartman will help players choose their class -- wizard, paladin, adventurer, rogue or another, unannounced class made up by Cartman.

The story will begin with players joining a live-action RPG with neighborhood kids, which will then turn into a real adventure. The combat system will mirror Paper Mario, weapon augmentation will draw from Final Fantasy's Materia, and the levels are all illustrated and animated by hand, in a completely 2D format, devoid of any real-life hamsters. Parker and Stone say there will be a summoning system, but that they can't talk about it yet.

And, most shocking of all, Parker and Stone say the game will be funny. NeoGAF has a nice summary of the article right here.

Move Has To Prove Its Worth With Hot Software In 2012


It's nice to see the PlayStation Move perfoming relatively well but in my eyes, 2012 needs to be a year for big-time, top-quality software.
Move has a few solid titles under its belt but we're missing the defining games, the titles that trigger big increases in Move sales. Maybe Sorcery can do it, but I don't think we should rely on that one promising game.
From the start, Sony said they were treating this new motion-sensing device as a peripheral for the hardcore gamer. It wasn't just about silly, simple entertainment; we'd be seeing big blockbusters with Move as the focus. But I really haven't seen that yet. Sure, some people have really enjoyed using Move for shooters (that Sharpshooter accessory seems to be popular), and there are lots of Move-compatible titles on shelves.
However, such a precise device should've resulted in AAA software for the hardcore by now, don't you think? For my money, it's a wicked precise device, although I have had some difficulty calibrating it for my shooters. Given the capability of this thing, the possibilities should be close to endless; developers could have a ball. Maybe we'll finally see the Move games that make everyone go, "see, that's why you need to have this thing! It's just awesome!"

Army Of Two Becomes Army Of Four?


Why? Because two just isn't enough, obviously.
We found the first Army of Two game to be sub-par, but the sequel was definitely better. And that's why we're hoping for another step in the right direction.
But if it happens, it won't be with two...but with four. According to one insider, EA is apparently working on a new installment, which will feature the Frostbite 2 engine (used in Battlefield 3 and Need for Speed: The Run), and - wait for it - four-player co-op action.
The only problem is that development seems to have hit a snag, so now that BF3 is done, EA has started to ferry DICE guys over to the Montreal studio to help. As of now, "Army of Four" has yet to be announced, so stay tuned for more info. Personally, I'm hoping for a top-quality co-op shooter, just because I prefer that kind of multiplayer action over the free-for-all deathmatches online.
But that's just me, I'm sure. :)

Xenoblade Chronicles arrives in the US in 'April 2012'

After this morning's accidental retail reveal of Xenoblade Chronicles coming to North America, Nintendo has made the game's launch official, pinning an "April 2012" release date to the much hyped Wii RPG. Nintendo teased the reveal earlier today with a new gallery of Xenoblade artwork that mysteriously popped up on Facebook, though at the time there was no news attached to said tease.

Despite Nintendo not giving a date to the game, this morning's image indicated an April 3 launch. GameStop's website, however, reflects an April 2 date, post-official announce. We're just gonna go with "early April" for now.

So, after this, now all the Operation Rainfall folks need to do is get those othertwo Wii RPGs to come out in the US, and we'll be all set! We'll get right back to helping with that just as soon as we get through Skyward Sword and Xenoblade Chronicles. In, like, 120 hours, give or take.

Update: According to the official PR that Nintendo of America just sent out, the game will be sold exclusively through GameStop retail outlets and Nintendo.com's website for $49.99.