RipTen Videogame Blog » Playstation

Keyboard and Mouse Control a Lock for DUST 514

Jensen Walker — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:06 +0000

While DUST 514 currently remains a Playstation 3 only release, CCP recently confirmed on Twitter that the game will launch with USB mouse and keyboard control capability.

Executive Producer Brandon Laurino made the following post on his Twitter account late last night:

@EONmagazine and those asking for an “official statement”: DUST 514 *will* support keyboard and mouse on PS3

Good news for those who prefer more traditional PC peripherals.

DUST 514 is a PS3 exclusive persistent shooter focused on intense infantry combat augmented by powerful vehicles. The game is set in and connected to the player driven universe of EVE Online for added interconnectivity.

Uncharted: Golden Abyss Motion Capture, Drake and Sully Get Covered in Balls

Drake Hess — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:00:51 +0000

Here’s a sweet little behind-the-scenes Uncharted: Golden Abyss motion capture video chalk full of imaginary mosquitoes, piranhas, shitty cologne, and nuts, balls rather. Seriously though, lots of funny shit rolling down stream in this two and a half minute clip. So much so that we felt the need to say “shit” three times in the span of three sentences. Give it a view and listen in awe at the voices of Nolan North and Richard McGonagle.

I hate boats, and even I’d paddle up stream with Nolan whispering sweet nothings in my ear.

Cosplay Spotlight: Eve (Parasite Eve)

Stephanie Gutowski — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 23:00:04 +0000

Ever played a game so creepy that you felt like only the hottest of showers could purge you of its taint? That’s sort of what Parasite Eve did to me, except that I enjoyed it in some sick way. The word “mitochondria” just makes me feel really bad about myself. Thanks a lot, high-school biology. Whatever. Throw out whatever memories you have of that thing on the PSP. This ancient gem emerges from the SquareSoft vault thanks to Kapalaka’s love of the obscure and the messed-up. Lucky for you, she brought enough nostalgia for everyone.

Oh God, don't touch me.

Giant hands and huge hair are certainly going to get you some attention, especially when you look that creepy. Kapalaka used a combination of popsicle sticks, tin foil, and model magic to create the abnormally-large appendages and styled the wig herself. I’m always a fan of gravity-defying hair and this really is just a spectacular tribute to a lesser-known villain within the Square-verse.

New Resistance 3 Multiplayer Gameplay is Notably Badass

Dave Oshry — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 03:38:54 +0000

Resistance 3 is less than a month away and with the beta underway, some noteably badass gameplay is pouring in.

Check out the latest from the Alice Springs map:

We’re all in the beta, Y U NO?!

Resistance 3 launches on September 6th exclusively for the PS3.

Playstation Vita Not Hitting U.S. and Europe Until 2012

Chris Carlson — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 17:00:58 +0000

Sony has been pretty quiet about the release date for the Playstation Vita. Speaking with The Associated Press, Sony Corp. Executive Vice President Kazuo Hirai shattered all hopes of the Vita making an appearance in 2011.

Hirai said he did not characterize the timing as a delay, but Sony wanted to be prepared with a solid game line up when the hardware launches. When asked about a price cut for Vita, Hirai took a jab at Nintendo‘s decision to drop the Nintendo 3DS to $169.99:

“We packed so much into the device and made it very affordable. There is no need to lower the price just because somebody else that happens to be in the video game business decided that they were going to lower their price.”

The Vita is priced at $249 for the Wi-Fi version, and $299 for the version that includes 3G service.

Resistance 3 Beta Dates and Details Revealed

Chris Carlson — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 22:30:17 +0000

Insomniac Games has announced via the Playstation Blog the official starting dates for the Resistance 3 Beta. Senior Community Manager, James Stevenson stated anyone who purchased the specially marked packages of SOCOM 4 that included early access can begin playing the beta on Thursday, August 4th.

Playstation Plus subscribers in the U.S will also be invited to the beta beginning on August 23rd. Setevenson claims the beta will continue beyond the early access period and they will be announcing additional ways to participate as they approach Resistance 3′s launch date.

The Resistance 3 Beta includes two of the major maps in the game, The Seaside of Glamorgan, Wales, as well as Trainyard in Bogota, Colombia. The beta will also include two of the games five multiplayer modes; Team Deathmatch and Chain Reaction, the other three available in the full game include Deathmatch, Breach, and Capture the Flag. The beta is capped at level 20, but you can still buy and upgrade your weapons and abilities, customize your loadouts and unlock new character skins.

Resistance 3 will launch on September 6th exclusively on PS3.

Breath of Fire IV PSN Release Date Revealed

Chris Carlson — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 00:30:45 +0000

Capcom has revealed the release date for the re-release of Breath of Fire IV through the Playstation Network. Senior Vice-Preisdent Christian Svensson of Capcom broke the news early today confirming when the game will launch on PSN. He also added that they will be releasing Breath of Fire Avatars for sale on the same day.

Speaking on the Capcom’s official forums, Svensson’s stated:

I’m told BOF4 (for the US anyway) will launch August 16th on PSN… to celebrate, there will also be BOF PSN avatars for sale that day too.

This is the part where I tell you to be an old school gamer, pull out your PSOne and have a kick ass time!

Dave is also forcing me to tell you that BoF III was better.

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!

RipTen Hardware Review: The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play (Verizon)

Brandon Fenty — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 21:01:52 +0000

The Xperia Play has to be one of the most intriguing bits of hardware to hit the mobile market in a while. It’s not the first ‘gaming phone’ that’s come out (N-Gage, anyone?), but the thought of bringing the Playstation experience to a phone is definitely an exciting one. Android has already proved itself as a mobile gaming platform, but what does the addition of the Playstation Certification bring to the mix?

This is a gaming review, and as such, will be mostly focused on the gaming aspects of the phone. However, the phone side of things is also important (or else you’d just buy a PSP), so we’ll start with that. The Xperia play runs the latest version of Android, Gingerbread. Interestingly however, there are no extra interface modifications to the phone; it’s just stock Android. In a competitive market where every Android-based manufacturer is trying to differentiate themselves with UI modifications, it’s definitely a bold move. With many of the other Android phones, however, the UI feels disjointed and pieced together, while the Xperia play’s stock Android feels clean and smooth, the way it was originally designed. The phone functions as one would expect. With no problems using the touch screen, call quality is acceptable, and the internet browsing experience is typical Android. All in all, the phone itself is quite solid.

No one will be buying this phone just to be a phone, however. Flicking the phone open reveals a full game pad, complete with D-pad and touch pads that substitute for dual analog sticks – even shoulder buttons are included. Flipping the phone open feels satisfying, and the controls have a good ‘click’ feel to them. The screen wobbles slightly when the phone is open, but it doesn’t feel like there’s any danger of breaking it off. The construction feels solid, which is important in a phone but even more so in a gaming device, since you’ll probably be spending a decent amount of time with the phone open, pounding on the controls.

Android already has a well-established gaming base, and the Xperia Play builds on that. The entire Android Market is open for you to download games, of course, but unless they have mappable controls (to take advantage of a physical keyboard), you won’t be able to play them with the built in gamepad. Still, there’s a large market of games out there currently, and if you’ve already bought one from the Android Market before, you can download it again for free to the Xperia Play. Instantly, there’s already a large collection of games at your disposal.

Then there are the Xperia Play optimized games. These are games that already exist for Android, but have been modified specifically to run on the Xperia Play, and are only available on this phone. A few of these are included with the phone, including Asphalt 6, Bruce Lee, Sims 3, and Star Battalion. Being able to use the gamepad controls is a definite advantage in these games; for instance, a fighting game like Bruce Lee becomes much easier to control with physical controls. There are more optimized games available for purchase straight from the phone, such as Nova 2, Assassin’s Creed, and Modern Combat 2, which sell for around $5. While these games are made infinitely better with the addition of the gamepad, they are still, at the core, mobile phone games. No new ground is being broken here, but it feels like you’re definitely getting a more complete gaming experience.

Xperia Play optimized games have their own interface

Finally, we have the Playstation part of the Playstation phone: Playstation Pocket. It’s a separate app that launches a built-in game, Crash Bandicoot, as well as a store to purchase more at about $5 each. The selection is limited currently, but there are a few more games being added each month, so it’s growing. Still, it’s cool to finally see an officially supported way to play actual Playstation games on your phone, and the inclusion of save states is a big plus for a mobile gaming.

It’s a little surprising that Sony launched the service with so few heavy-hitting titles available. Maybe the emulation wasn’t perfect on them, or perhaps they’re saving those games for another hardware release. I really would have expected to see some blockbuster titles such as Metal Gear Solid or Resident Evil 2 making an appearance on the system. Launching the Xperia Play with titles like that would have really turned some heads; as it is, Crash Bandicoot is still a solid inclusion and does a great job of showing what the hardware is capable of.

While the Xperia Play is a much better overall gaming experience than any other phone out there, I can’t help but feel there are some real missed opportunities. Other than the Playstation name and the labels on the gamepad, there’s not much that feels like Playstation about it. There’s no PSN integration at all, which is really a big misstep and an odd move for Sony. The PSP integrates very tightly with the PS3, and you would expect that integration to carry over into the Xperia Play as well. Microsoft got it right when they included full Xbox Live integration into Windows Phone 7, and the Xperia Play could have really benefited from that integration as well.

While the Xperia Play ran all available games beautifully, you can’t help but wonder why Sony didn’t include beefier hardware in the system. A 1GHz processor is pretty standard these days in mid-range Android devices, and with dual and quad core processors just over the horizon, it would have been great to have the Xperia on the forefront of that technology, rather than lagging behind.

In the end, the Xperia Play is definitely the best mobile gaming experience out there, mostly because of the controls. Just ask any iPhone gamer; having only a touch screen makes serious gaming hard. The system’s future really depends on developer support and more games that take advantage of the controls, otherwise they’re useless. It’s a solid mid-range Android phone, but hardly a PSP. The lack of PSN support and limited number of games that take advantage of the hardware are really what holds the system back. You should get this phone if you’re wanting a better mobile gaming experience on your phone, but if you’re really serious about mobile gaming, you might be better suited to wait for the Playstation Vita later this year.

Here’s The Rundown:

+Solid gaming controls make for the best mobile phone gaming experience available.

+Playing PSOne games on the phone is fun

+Solid performing phone overall

-Middle of the road hardware

-Mediocre launch lineup of games

-No PSN support

The Xperia play was developed by Sony Ericsson and released on the Verizon Wireless network on May 26th, 2011 for $199 USD with a new 2 year contract. The device used for this review was provided by Sony Ericsson.

CCP Says Sony Offers ‘Fidelity’ That Microsoft Can’t for Dust 514

Bryce Wilson — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 21:30:52 +0000

During a Dust 514 preview event I attended at E3 yesterday, the topic of Playstation 3 exclusivity arose, and it was subsequently announced that amongst other things, Sony offered developer CCP fidelity that Microsoft couldn’t offer.

The upcoming console MMOFPS was announced as a Playstation exclusive during the E3 2011 Sony conference, although it was not known officially known why, however a lot of the blame seems to be on the infamous Microsoft online Terms of Service and how closed they are.

During a gameplay preview and information session, a developer at CCP commented that a major factor in the exclusivity was that Sony offered a ‘fidelity’ and contractual experience that Microsoft could not offer, and for Dust 514 to ever appear on the Xbox people would literally have to overhaul the Xbox and Microsoft service terms.

For those of you who don’t know, Dust 514 will allow FPS players to interact with PC players in the space MMO hit E.V.E. Online in a groundbreaking fashion the likes of which have never been seen before… if it works.

SoE Announce Downloadable PC/PS3 Title, Payday: The Heist

Murray Hibble — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 17:57:37 +0000

Sony have announced a new download only title exclusively for the PC and PSN. Coming from the brand-new studio of Overkill Software, this squad-based shooter will task players with pulling off death-defying heists in the pursuit of a ‘big score’.

Offering 6 main scenarios (until more DLC comes along), players can rob banks, bust into skyscrapers and hijack armoured vehicles. You can yell at hostages and cops to get them to co-operate, shoot out security cameras for a stealthy approach or turn the joint into a bloodbath. Featuring AI-singleplayer, as with any co-op experience this will be best enjoyed with friends, a fact that can often make up for all manner of gameplay or aesthetic issues.

Six High-Intensity Heists: Whether you’re blowing the roof off a building to extract a safe via helicopter or emptying the vault at the First World Bank, these action-packed heists will have players on edge and always checking their six.

Interactive Co-op Gameplay: Whether AI or live, your crew of four must operate as one to bring get the “big score.” Sharing extra ammo and med kits, helping regen wounded partners, guarding key positions, taking civilian hostages or cracking through various security measures – it’s all for one and one for all.

Endless Replayability: Dynamic environments, adaptive enemy behavior,shifting entry points, FBI agents repelling down on ropes through the skylights, SWAT teams crashing through the windows and special units crawling through the ventilation shafts makes each play-through of every heist a unique fight.

Massive Character Progression Tree: Players choose a specialty - assault, sharpshooter or support - to gain weapons and equipment that fit their preferred form of violence. Unlock trip mines, silenced pistols, machine guns and much, much more.

Shout Out Button: Players need to be vocal and shout commands and directions to the co-op crew, as well as hostages and the police if they want to survive to spend their cut of the take.

Hostage Trading: Hostages can be a lifeline. If anyone in the crew is taken into custody, trade hostages to get crew members back and increase the odds of completing your objectives.

PlayStation^® or PC: For keyboard and mouse marksman, as well as handheld controller snipers, PAYDAY is the uber-FPS for a high intensity shooter fix.

More DLC: Additional heists, weapons and equipment means PAYDAY – a digitally distributed AAA quality title for less than half the price of a retail game – is total OVERKILL.

Check out these intro-screenies.

Our intrepid Ripten E3 journalists will bring you more news at the game’s official unveiling at this years mega-expo.

The PSN and PS Store Are Coming Back In Full Force This Week!

Dave Oshry — Tue, 31 May 2011 03:23:31 +0000

I think I speak for everyone when I say, it’s about damn time!

This just in from Sony:

Tokyo, May 31, 2011 – Sony Corporation and Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) announced today that Sony Network Entertainment International (SNEI, the company) will fully restore all PlayStation®Network services in the Americas, Europe/PAL territories and Asia, excluding Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea by the end of this week. The company will also resume Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity™ for PlayStation®3 (PS3®), PSP® (PlayStation®Portable), VAIO and other PCs. Details for Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea as well as the remaining services on Qriocity will be announced as they become available.

The company implemented considerable security enhancements to the network infrastructure, as well as conducted testing of the payment process and commerce functions. The first phase of PlayStation Network and Qriocity restoration began on May 15 in the Americas and Europe/PAL territories, followed by Japan and Asian countries and regions on May 28, when the company brought partial services back online. With this partial restoration users were able to access to some of the services such as online game play, account management, friend lists and chat functionality were restored. The full restoration of PlayStation Network as well as part of services to become available on Qriocity will include:

Full functionality on PlayStation®Store
In-game commerce
Ability to redeem vouchers and codes
Full functionality on Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity for PS3, PSP, VAIO and other PCs
Full functionality on Media Go

Customers can now purchase and download games and video content from the PlayStation®Store on PS3 or PSP. In addition, consumers will have full access to Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity through PS3, PSP, VAIO and other PC’s. Service restoration of Video on Demand powered by Qriocity™ and Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity for a variety of network-enabled Sony devices will be announced later.

“We have been conducting additional testing and further security verification of our commerce functions in order to bring the PlayStation Network completely back online so that our fans can again enjoy the first class entertainment experience they have come to love,” said Kazuo Hirai, Executive Deputy President, Sony Corporation. “We appreciate the patience and support shown during this time.”

The company will be offering customers a “Welcome Back” package of services and premium content to all registered PlayStation Network* and Qriocity account services. The details of this program will continue to be detailed regionally.

* Only available for those countries with access to PlayStation®Store.

Just in time for E3!!

Sony Is ‘Not’ Working On The PS4

Murray Hibble — Sun, 29 May 2011 09:50:46 +0000

A few days ago we reported that Sony had commenced development of the next Playstation. We, and the rest of the gaming press were confident of this based on a statement from Sony’s Executive VP and Chief Financial Officer Masaru Kato who said;

“For the home equipment the PS3 still has a product life, but this is a platform business, so for the future platform – when we’ll be introducing what product I cannot discuss that – but our development work is already under way, so the costs are incurred there.”

Today a Sony spokesperson has stated Mr Kato’s comments were taken out of context and was meant to reference their work on the NGP (as our Sam Naylor predicted). This is Sony’s next-generation handheld device that claims to be able to run PS3 graphics in a PSP format, news which is still fantastically interesting, but doesn’t represent their official market-response to Nintendo’s (Project Cafe) Wii 2.

Right now it’s not too fanciful to believe that both Microsoft and Sony are looking at or already developing new architecture for their next console outings and I think the most interesting question to consider is whether Sony progresses with their free to access vision, or in the wake of their recent losses will they take the Microsoft path and monetize their online services.

Stay tuned for RipTen news releases from our E3 News-Hounds who will be live on site with Sony, Playstation and the NGP.

Sony Announces Official Wireless Headset For PS3

Sam Naylor — Fri, 27 May 2011 17:56:27 +0000

Sony have revealed an official wireless headset for PS3, which they are touting as “stereo”. Shoot for the moon, eh?

At a price of $99.99 (MSRP) and coming out in September, the ‘PS3 Wireless Stereo Headset’will be compatible with PS3, PC and Mac and features 7.1 virtual surround sound (so why do they specifically mention “Stereo” in the name?).

It connects via a USB adapter and things like battery life and volume will be displayed on the screen. Sony say “the Wireless Stereo Headset also offers the highest quality voice chat for crystal clear online conversations” so there will be no more mishearing racist and bigoted comments as pleasant conversation. No, with this headset it’ll be like you’re actually sitting next to the 10 year old you’re talking to!

Relax Guys, Sony’s E3 Press Conference Is Only 1.5 Hours

Dave Oshry — Fri, 27 May 2011 03:28:59 +0000

When the original invites went out for Sony’s E3 press event, many a head turned when they saw that the event would span over five hours.

However, it seems as if most of that time will be spent partying and playing games, not sitting in an auditorium watching Kaz Hirai tout RIIIIDGE RAAAACER on the NGP.

Here’s the breakdown of the event:

3:30-5pm: Pre-show reception with world renowned DJs and LAs best food trucks including Empanadarama

5-6:30pm: Press Conference

6:30-8pm: Hands on time with almost all of the press conference content on over 120 PS3 and NGP kiosks.

8-9:30pm: Special performance

So, no need for blankets and pillows guys – just come for the empanadas and stay for the gaming.

Want to know what it’s like inside? Don’t worry, we’re live blogging the whole thing and I’ll likely be tweeting my ass off as DJ Kaz does his thing.

Stay tuned.

Sony’s Next Console (PS4) Already In Development?

Sam Naylor — Thu, 26 May 2011 21:23:20 +0000

Sony have seemingly confirmed that a follow-up to the PlayStation 3 is currently in development. Could we see the PS4 at E3?

In an investor relations call, Sony’s executive vice president and chief financial officer Masaru Kato said:

“For the home equipment the PS3 still has a product life, but this is a platform business, so for the future platform – when we’ll be introducing what product I cannot discuss that – but our development work is already under way, so the costs are incurred there.”

So could we see a PS4 at E3 this year? I doubt it, personally, because I think this is an investor-targeted response to Nintendo’s new system, Project Café. Any thoughts? Leave a comment.

Black Ops Escalation Pack Dated For PC

Aaron Alexander — Fri, 20 May 2011 06:30:33 +0000

For those of you that are keyboard wielding Call of Duty fans, you’ll be pleased to know that the “Escalation” content pack will be hitting the PC on June 2nd for $14.99 ($13.49 if you pre-order on Steam).

Not only does Escalation feature 4 new multiplayer maps, but it also contains a brand new Zombie map “Call of the Dead” created by the grandfather of Zombie movies himself, George Romero. Still no news regarding the Playstation 3 release of this content, however expect more concrete news when the Playstation Store is back up and running.

Let us know what you think of this latest piece of Black Ops news in the comment section below, and feel free to express your thoughts to me directly via Twitter -@iamaaronalex

PSN Online Functionality Beginning to Return

Bryce Wilson — Sun, 15 May 2011 00:53:27 +0000

One of the biggest shitstorms in gaming history appears to be coming to an end, with Kaz Hirai just announcing that the Playstation Network is being relaunched for use.

The multiplayer functionality is the first thing being restored followed by the other the other online services Sony offers.

The roll out will not be an instant occurrence though, and it will take time for the changes to propagate to all the various countries.

Source: [PSN Blog]

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Teased By Official Playstation Mag?

Sam Naylor — Sun, 08 May 2011 10:35:32 +0000

A teaser in the back of the July issue of the Official Playstation Magazine has hinted at A new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare game.

“The biggest game in the world returns,” the teaser teases teasingly. From the font of the “3″ and basic common sense it’s clear this is a reference to Call of Duty’s Modern Warfare franchise.

Look forward to more info, perhaps an announcement from Activision, in the near future.

Source

Sony Clarifies: They Didn’t Understand Scope of PSN Breach Until Yesterday

Bryce Wilson — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 05:22:22 +0000

Amidst the recent Playstation Network debacle, and the then recently announced identity theft issues, many Sony and PSN fans have been up in arms over quite a few issues – and rightfully so!

An official post on the Playstation Blog explains what actually happened with the “intrusion”, and why the public was left in the dark for so long:

There’s a difference in timing between when we identified there was an intrusion and when we learned of consumers’ data being compromised. We learned there was an intrusion 19th April and subsequently shut the services down. We then brought in outside experts to help us learn how the intrusion occurred and to conduct an investigation to determine the nature and scope of the incident. It was necessary to conduct several days of forensic analysis, and it took our experts until yesterday to understand the scope of the breach. We then shared that information with our consumers and announced it publicly yesterday evening.

Not only is the PSN intrusion and subsequent loss of confidential information angering fans, but politicians are also getting involved, with US Senator Richard Blumenthal publicly questioning Sony’s incompetency and failure to “immediately notify affected customers of the breach and to extend adequate financial data security protections”. Maybe this clarification will help ease the Senator’s mind.

Sony has also released a set of ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ in regards to the network downtime. Click here to check it out.

Stay tuned to RipTen for continued coverage of PSNightmare 2011