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PSN “12 for ’12″ Sale Begins Tomorrow – 12 Great Games at 30% – 50% Off

Garrett Hartman — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:01:12 +0000

Last year Sony hit us with a terrific PSN sale in which they offered 11 great games at discounted prices in their 11 for 2011 sale. Not to be out done this year they are discounting 12 great games in their 12 for ’12 promotion at 30% to 50% (50% for those with PlayStation Plus). The really good news is the games involved are among the highest-rated PlayStation games of 2011.

The sale begins tomorrow (January 17th) and ends on January 23rd. Here is the full list of games below:

PixelJunk: SideScroller – Regular $9.99, Sale $6.99, PS Plus $4.89
Payday: The Heist – Regular $19.99, Sale $13.99, PS Plus $9.79
Dungeon Defenders – Regular $14.99, Sale $10.49, PS Plus $7.34
Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection – Regular $9.99, Sale $6.99, PS Plus $4.89
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition – Regular $14.99, Sale $10.49, PS Plus $7.34
Eufloria – Regular $9.99, Sale $6.99, Plus $4.89
Bloodrayne: Betrayal – Regular $14.99, Sale $10.49, PS Plus $7.34
Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken – Regular $11.99, Sale $8.39, PS Plus $5.87
Cubixx HD – Regular $9.99, Sale $6.99, PS Plus $4.89
Sideway New York – Regular $9.99, Sale $6.99, PS Plus $4.89
Rochard – Regular $9.99, Sale $6.99, PS Plus $4.89
Okabu – Regular $14.99, Sale $10.49, PS Plus $7.34

Sure this is a great sale and an even better one for PlayStation Plus members. Make sure to take advantage before it ends next week on January 23rd.

Source: PS Blog

New PlayStation Advertisement “Michael” Is Brilliant

Aaron Alexander — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 14:05:26 +0000

Ever wondered what Cole from Infamous, or Nathan Drake from Uncharted would get up to when you’re not controlling them? Well nothing, they don’t exist.

If they did however, it would probably go a little something like this;

To Michael! To Michael! To Michael!

PlayStation 3 Uncharted 3 Bundle Coming At You Soon

Aaron Alexander — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 04:19:24 +0000

Another PlayStation exclusive, another console bundle. Fortunately this time, it’s a game well worth buying a new PlayStation 3 for. The Uncharted 3 PS3 bundle includes a sizable 320GB hard-drive, of course a copy of Drake’s latest adventure and a one month subscription to the PlayStation Plus service, which allows you to download free games and other nifty perks. The console bundle will launch alongside the game on 11/1/11, for $299 USD. Not a bad price if you’re in the market for a new PlayStation 3, so if you haven’t got one yet, there’s never been a better time.

You should probably get one, if you haven't already.

Via [PlayStation Blog]

NY Jets QB’s Xbox 360 Red Rings, Sony Tells Him to Get a PS3

Aaron Alexander — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 01:00:31 +0000

While some people send their Xbox back to Microsoft for repair, others ask Twitter for advice. NY Jets QB Mark Sanchez did the latter this morning, and luckily, Playstation’s Jeff Rubenstein saw the tweet and told him this;

Can’t argue with that advice. Stay classy PlayStation, stay classy.

Editor’s Note: J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETS!

Sony: Vita to be “Easiest and Most Well Supported” Platform Yet

Garrett Hartman — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 00:36:55 +0000

Having learned their lesson from the early struggles of the PS3, Sony is creating the PS Vita to be easy to develop for. In an conversation with Develop, SCE Worldwide Studios Boss Shuhei Yoshida, admitted that developing for Sony consoles have been challenging:

“It had very, very high potential and peak performance, but programming for the PlayStation platforms was a huge challenge for game developers.”

And He discussed an important reason for a change:

“Development efficiency has become more and more important,”

“The focus has shifted to be less about getting the most out of the hardware, to be about having a very smooth production process. That’s because now it involves so many more people to make one game.”

Senior Vice president of SCE Worldwide Studios Michael Denny made sure to state the new goal:

“When it comes to ease of development, the Vita is a platform with which we’ve been very mindful of that, In terms of smoothing the development process, certainly what the Vita offers is close to that of the PSP, and with some of the help we’re giving to developers, I would say it is the easiest and most well supported platform yet.”

Sony World Wide Studios CTO Richard Lee agreed and confirmed ease of development a top priority:

“We made every effort to make it as easy as possible, I think we took the experiences from PS3, and decided that we wanted to go out there with a great developer environment that is compatible with the third party tools that developers normally use.”

So there you have it. Good news for developers and perhaps gamers.

Full List Of Coin Worthy Club Nintendo Games

Justin Berube — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 16:05:31 +0000

The 2010 to 2011 North American Club Nintendo year will be coming to a close after this month. That said, many people are scrambling to register enough eligible Nintendo products in an attempt to hit Gold or Platinum status so they can receive their yearly free reward! To help you desperate individuals out I complied a list of all the retail games that can earn Club Nintendo members coins.

Please note that some of the older titles on this list MAY NOT give coins anymore due to their age, but there is no way for me to check that easily. Additionally Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident doesn’t release until next week.

Want to stay up to date on the latest Nintendo news, information, editorials, and more? Follow me on Twitter @KingNintendoFan or Like Me on Facebook. Be sure to let me know what you think about this list of eligible Club Nintendo titles!

100 Classic Books
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin
America’s Test Kitchen
Animal Crossing: City Folk
Animal Crossing: Wild World
Art Academy
Big Brain Academy
Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree
Brain Age 2
Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day
Clubhouse Games
Crosswords DS
Diddy Kong Racing DS
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Dragon Quest IX: Sentinals of the Starry Sky
Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation
Electroplankton
Elite Beat Agents
Endless Ocean
Endless Ocean Blue World
ExciteBots
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon
Flash Focus: Vision Training in Minutes a Day
Fling Smash
Fossil Fighters
Glory of Heracles
Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
Hotel Dusk: Room 215
Kirby Super Star Ultra
Kirby’s Epic Yarn
Link’s Crossbow Training
Mario & Luigi Bowser’s Inside Story
Mario Kart (Wii)
Mario Kart DS
Mario Party 8
Mario Party DS
Mario Sports Mix
Mario Strikers Charged
Mario Super Sluggers
Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem
Master of Illusion
Metroid Prime 3 Corruption
Metroid Prime Trilogy
Metroid: Other M
Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir
Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident
New Play Control: Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
New Play Control: Mario Power Tennis
New Play Control: Pikmin
New Super Mario Bros.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Nintendogs – Chihuahua
Nintendogs – Dachshund
Nintendogs – Dalmatian
Nintendogs – Labrador
Nintendogs + Cats French Bulldog
Nintendogs + Cats Golden Retriever
Nintendogs + Cats Toy Poodle
Personal Trainer: Cooking
Personal Trainer: Math
Personal Trainer: Walking
Picross 3D
Pilotwings Resort
Planet Puzzle League
Pokémon Battle Revolution
Pokémon Black
Pokémon Diamond
Pokémon HeartGold
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time
Pokémon Pearl
Pokémon Platinum
Pokémon Ranger
Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs
Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia
Pokémon Soul Silver
Pokémon White
PokéPark Wii: Pikachu’s Adventure
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
Punch Out!! (Wii)
Rhythm Heaven
Samurai Warriors 3
Sin & Punishment Star Successor
Steel Diver
Style Savvy
Super Mario 64 DS
Super Mario All-Stars Limited Editon
Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Super Paper Mario
Super Smash Bros Brawl
Tetris DS
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
The Legendary Starfy
Wario Land: Shake It!
Wario Ware D.I.Y.
WarioWare: Smooth Moves
Wii Fit
Wii Fit Plus (Bundle)
Wii Fit Plus (Solo)
Wii Music
Wii Party
Wii Play
Wii Play Motion
Wii Sports Resort
Yoshi’s Island DS

Australia Passes $1.9 Billion Tax Break For Local Game Industry

Aaron Alexander — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 20:50:06 +0000

Australia and games often don’t go hand in hand, most notably when it comes to banning them. In a surprising turn of events, the Australian state of officials have passed a bill that will go into effect next month. The aforementioned Bill is going to provide local developers with a whopping $1.9 billion tax break, that they may spend on research and development.

Kudos Australian officials, not only from me, but from the developers you have tremendously helped. Hopefully we’ll see more projects on the scale of Team Bondi’s LA noire, and hopefully one day this country will allow me to buy Mortal Kombat in a store, rather then sneak it through customs in my private regions. Here’s for wishful thinking.

Source: Joystiq

E3 2011: Compiled List of Known PlayStation Vita Games

Garrett Hartman — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 01:12:18 +0000

Courtesy of our friends at Shack News, we have a list of all known games reported to be in development for the PlayStation Vita. That’s not to say this list is perfect.

Here you go:

BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II Plus
Broken
Untitled Call of Duty game
Dragon’s Crown
Dynasty Warriors (working title)
Gravity
Hot Shots Golf
Hustle Kings
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
Little Deviants
LittleBigPlanet (working title)
ModNation Racers
Monster Hunter Portable 3
Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee
Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath
Reality Fighters (working title)
Untitled Resistance game
Ridge Racer (working title)
Ruin (working title)
Silent Hill: Book of Memories
Smart As
Sound Shapes
StarDrone
Street Fighter X Tekken
Super Stardust Delta (working title)
Top Darts
Uncharted: Golden Abyss
Untitled Badman game
Unnamed BioShock game
Virtua Tennis 4
Wipeout 2048

If you know of a game that is not on this list, feel free to tell us. We’ll add more as we know.

Please check the orginal list at Shack News too.

GameStop Prices PS Vita Games at $39.99

Garrett Hartman — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 02:35:34 +0000

One thing you can’t deny is that Sony has hit a pretty good price point for their upcoming PlayStation Vita. Since the official reveal and pricing the other day, gamers have wondered about the price of its games.

If we are to believe the pricing listed by GameStop on their official site, Vita games will be equally affordably priced. $39.99 for PS3 quality games is definitely a pricing sweet spot. Don’t hold your breath yet, I’d wait for an official announcement.

Nationwide Video Game Rentals Coming to Redbox this June

Stephanie Gutowski — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 22:25:51 +0000

Move over, Gamefly. Redbox is about to add video games to its repertoire of super-cheap rentals and there’s nothing you can do to stop them.

The news of Redbox’s foray into video game rentals comes as no surprise- some of you may have already taken advantage of this since 5000 locations already feature this option . The Coinstar, Inc. brand had been testing this service in select U.S. cities since August of 2009, but only just recently announced its plans to expand this to all 21,000 locations across America. For $2 a day (that’s only $0.50 more than a Blu-Ray rental), Redbox will offer a wide array of choices, from hardcore new releases to family titles. Casual gamers and FPS nuts alike will be able to walk home happy. So far, only Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii games will be stocked, but there are plans to support other consoles in the future.

“Redbox will make discovering the latest games as easy as a trip to the local grocery, convenience or drug store,” -Joel Resnik, Vice President, Games, Redbox

No monthly fee? No waiting for games to arrive in the mail? Would you like fries with your Mortal Kombat? Yes please.

Australia Introduces R18+ Rating… Sort Of

Bryce Wilson — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 06:02:52 +0000

The Australian R18+ rating saga is a story known to many, and known well. Many great games have fallen victim to the strict and outdated ratings system currently employed in Australia, however one state is set to blaze their own trails, with South Australia announcing it will introduce its own R18+ rating.

South Australian Attorney-General John Rau confirmed earlier today that he had taken matters into his own hands and would be introducing the adults only rating regardless of what the rest of the government decides at the upcoming SCAG (Standing Committee of Attorney-General) meeting in July.

The move comes after Home Affairs Federal Minister Brendan O’Connor said that if the no ‘other options’ could be agreed upon, there would be a possibility that each state and territory could introduce their own arrangements and laws – and that is exactly what South Australia is doing.

Rau, speaking to GameSpot AU earlier today spoke of his decision;

“I’ve been consulting very broadly on this [issue] for a year now, I’ve been listening to parents and gaming advocates and I have come to the conclusion that both points of view are legitimate and need to be accommodated. Recent moves by the federal government suggests that there will be an R18+ classification for video games in some form after the July [SCAG] meeting.”

Whilst there’s still no word on a nation wide ratings system being introduced, we will keep you updated on the matter as we hear more. That being said, a journey of 1,000 miles starts with one step, right?

Let us know what you think about the ongoing R18+ saga in the comments below, or voice your thoughts to me via Twitter – @DrjftGaming.

RipTen Giveaway: Magicka & Magicka: Vietnam

Bryce Wilson — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 07:33:13 +0000

Did you miss out on winning a copy of Magicka in our last competition?

Well, now you’re in luck as you can win both the awesome “Magicka” plus the new Vietnam era based expansion; “Magicka: Vietnam”.

Developed by Arrowhead Game Studios and published by Paradox Interactive, Magicka is an action-adventure game that gives you control over great magical powers.

Using these powers you can combine all types of devastating spells to smite your enemies with, and now you can do it all in Vietnam with the help of your trusty AK-47 and new Napalm based Magick. #Realism

We’ve got FIVE copies of both Magicka and Magicka: Vietnam to give away thanks to Paradox Interactive. Want to win one of the sweet packages? Simple!

Tweet the message below out to your followers and put your Twitter username in the comments below and we will select five winners this coming Monday.

“I entered the @RipTen Competition to Win a copy of #Magicka and Magicka: Vietnam thanks to @PdxInteractive. http://bit.ly/fQ0syg. #ripmag.”

Make sure to use your real email address in the below comments as we will contact the winners via email once the competition concludes.

Amazon App Store for Android

Brandon Fenty — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 14:28:11 +0000

Up until now, Google has been the only ‘official’ way to get apps on the Android platform. There have been a few knockoffs, but no real competition. Now, Amazon has entered the market, and Google has a real competitor.

Amazon has always been known for a great online shopping experience. They’ve always been friendly to gamers, offering launch day delivery and video game credits for preorders. Now they’re extending that experience to a marketplace to purchase apps for the Android OS. After a couple of test searches, I found pretty much anything you’d be able to find on the Google Marketplace, but now you can browse and purchase on your computer using your Amazon account. The app will automatically be downloaded to your phone after the purchase is complete. The system even knows what kind of phone you have, and will let you know if the app is compatible for your phone or not.

This marketplace competition is a good thing for the Android platform. While Google’s Marketplace has been all we’ve really had since Android began, it has been sadly lacking in some features. Amazon’s Market is looking great so far, and Google will have to do a lot of catching up already. Amazon is also featuring a free app of the day every day right now, so it’s easy to grow your app collection without having to spend a dime. And, like Google’s Market, you know your purchases are saved and can be re-downloaded with your Amazon account information. Go ahead and check it out here.

The Weinstein Company Launches ‘TWC Games’ Brand – Oy Vey!

Matthew Sims — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 04:28:59 +0000

That’s right, following in the steps of giants such as Warner Interactive and Universal Games, The Weinstein Company has created a dedicated gaming brand. The new brand, known as TWC Games, will reportedly create games for many platforms that span from mobile devices to dedicated gaming consoles. Some of the properties in the long catalogue include Scream, Hellraiser, Halloween, Scary Movie and Children of the Corn.

TWC Games will also be cooperating with with Beefy Media, an established game maker behind games like Final Fight: Double Impact and Dark Void. Only time will tell if the brand takes off, but based off the catalogue of titles I can’t imagine many of them would be conducive to the gaming medium.

Konami Says Rumor of Cancelled Hudson Titles Is “Not True”

Bryce Wilson — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 15:58:15 +0000

A report earlier this week by Andriasang revealed that three Hudson titles created for the Nintendo 3DS were in jeopardy, however that might not be the case says Konami.

The initial report by Andriasang announced that Bomberman 3D, Bonk and Omega Five had been cancelled after they were removed from Famitsu’s release schedule.

The newest events in the saga however conflict that original statement with Konami telling Wired;

“If (the announcement) didn’t come from us, it’s not true. We have not distributed any official list of Hudson products yet.”

Although that’s not a 100% confirmation from Konami that the titles are still in creation, it’s definitely a step in the right direction to clearing the matter up. Let me know your thoughts on the debacle in the comments below, or via Twitter – @DrjftGaming.

Source: [MCV]

Ex-Bizzare Creations Staff Form New Studio “Lucid Games”

Bryce Wilson — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:55:10 +0000

The final culmination in a saga of sad news sees former staff of the now defunct studio Bizarre Creations go on to open up a new studio that they believe will allow them to “build a studio which encourages open communication with its partners, customers and other developers.”.

With Peter Wallace at the reigns of the new studio they’re looking to employ fifty, yes, fifty new staff members to fill now available spots. Wallace seemed optimistic and excited about the new studio commenting;

“With the great history of Bizarre behind us, we are proud to be part of Lucid and are committed to the UK game development community. We plan to build a studio which encourages open communication with its partners, customers and other developers.”

The new studio is also backed by the powers that be over at Liverpool Vision, a local economic development company who is keen on keeping the ex-talent of Bizzare in the region and country. Steve Smith, the digital director of Liverpool Vision commented on the new studio saying;

“Liverpool Vision has been keen to keep what is some of the best games talent in the global games market in Liverpool and from day one we have been very supportive of this initiative, this world class talent combined with a very credible and experienced management team, we believe offers the best future for a sustainable and viable business within the significant Liverpool gaming sector.”

He was quick to defend the close of Bizzare Creations, putting it down to economic hardship as opposed to poor games in the last two years. “It should be stressed that Bizarre was very successful,” Smith said “And Activision’s actions were driven by global economics and not by any failure of the creative talent based in Liverpool.”

Let us know what you think or let me know what you think about the latest entry in the Bizzare saga via Twitter – @DrjftGaming.

Source: [x360a] via [GamesIndustry.biz]

Gamerator Arcade / Beer Station Provides The Best Of Both Worlds

Aaron Alexander — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 01:22:11 +0000

People often say that the Arcade scene is dying, well Gamerator looks like it could possibly rehydrate the classic method of playing video games.

All puns aside, the Gamerator is basically an Arcade machine that runs Windows XP capable of playing around 100 pre-installed classics (and any you choose to add), on a 26 inch flat panel HDTV display. How’s this different from a regular MAME box you might ask?

Well, the Gamerator also has a refrigerator pre-installed that’s capable of of holding a standard Pony-Keg of Beer. Playing classic arcade games with your friends and having easy access to your favorite beverages? I’m surprised someone didn’t come up with this idea earlier! This would be the perfect machine for your local drinking hole, however you can buy one for your own home over at the official website.

Let us know what you think of this ingenious setup in the comment section below, or tell me directly via Twitter -@iamaaronalex

Shadowloo Showdown 2k11 Teaser Trailer Released

Bryce Wilson — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 12:53:29 +0000

After a memorable and extremely successful Shadowloo Showdown 2k10, the awesome team over at the Shadowloo are preparing for round two and aiming to make the successor one of the biggest fighting events of the year and not just in Australia.

This first official teaser trailer shows the games that will be playable at the event, but more importantly it just gets me pumped to attend another awesome fighting event! Make sure to pencil in the 25th and 26th of June for a jam packed weekend of high caliber play and entertainment.

Check out the video below that BossLogic created.

RipTen Radio Down Under – Episode 14

Bryce Wilson — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 12:12:37 +0000

RipTen Radio Down Under is back and Episode 14 may be our best yet, so take the leap and check it out!

Episode 14 of approximately 0.0000000092% of the internet’s favorite podcast returns with discussion from Killzone 3 to Crysis 2 and even a bit of lighthearted discussion about Duke Nukem’s dick… No, seriously, there is. Tune in for the latest gaming news and big stories to hit our airwaves, but more importantly tune in to chuck another Shrimp on da barbie mate.

We also cover the weeks reviews, upcoming games and ask a new weekly question which this week is; “Has the Crysis 2 leak been blown out of proportion?“.

You can let us know the answer to that in the comments below or by contacting us via our corresponding Twitter accounts that are listed below. All answers are appreciated and we feature all the community input in the following episode of the show.

Thanks once again to our show sponsor; the Australian Cyber League who just announced the first stop of their 2011 national circuit – Melbourne. Click here for the RipTen news post on the announcement, and I’ll see you there!

Meet the Crew:

Bryce Wilson: Facebook – Twitter: @DrjftGaming.
Aaron Alexander: Facebook – Twitter: @iamaaronalex.
Shaun Hammond: Facebook – Twitter: @iisshaunhammond.

RipTen Radio Down Under – Episode 14
48 Minutes – 44MB

Click Here for Episode Notes.

Crysis 2 Map DLC Already Planned?

Bryce Wilson — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 12:08:46 +0000

During the last 24-32 hours Crytek’s upcoming blockbuster shooter Crysis 2 was revealed in perhaps one of the biggest pre-release leaks in recent history.

Well aside from the general gameplay footage leaks people are starting to find all sorts of things including map editing tools, gameplay tweaking mechanics and now a possible DLC folder has been found. Located in the below image is a list of all the single player campaign maps as well as a folder titled “DLC”.

Inside this directory is another bunch of separately named files that don’t however show up as multiplayer or singleplayer levels leading many people to believe that Crytek and EA have downloadable content plans for Crysis 2 already. Check it out below.

Do you think EA would be planning DLC for Crysis 2 already? Let us know in the comments below or tell me via Twitter – @DrjftGaming.