Sony Closes Online PlayStation Store to update

Sony will be revamping its "PlayStation Store" downloadable content marketplace for PlayStation 3, the company said this morning. The new design is pictured above.

The downside? The store - already known for a lack of updates versus Nintendo's and Microsoft's online shopping hubs - won't be updated at all for the next two weeks.

It's played havoc with Harmonix's Rock Band download schedule. Tomorrow, April 1, the company had planned to offer Portal theme song "Still Alive" as a free download. It's still on for Xbox 360, but PlayStation 3 owners will have to wait until April 17.



The redesign of the store was long overdue, to put it mildly. Sony's current shopping interface is not only the worst of the three, it's one of the worst interfaces for anything, ever. It's an absurd labyrinth of choices and confusion. Finding what you want takes about twice as long as it should. Buying it without accidentally exiting the store took practice. And who thought a point-and-click mouse interface using a control pad was a good idea?

Luckily, it seems as if all this will be rectified in the update.

Source: W.I.R.E.D.

Commando - Steel Disaster comes to Nintendo DS

Lexicon Entertainment And XS Games Collaborate To Bring 'Commando: Steel Disaster' The American Market

Video games publisher Lexicon Entertainment are delighted to announce that the highly anticipated Nintendo DS product ‘Commando: Steel Disaster’ will be shooting its way to American retail stores in Q3 with a publishing deal in place with highly respected XS Games.

You play as the heroic Storm who must put an end to Rattlesnake and his evil organisation. You get to do this with a range of heavy weaponry and Lexicon assures us there are plenty of different weapons and pick-ups - each with its own attack method and power. Plus, some guns can be used to find secret items.

Shoot, jump, throw and roll into action as you battle though each of the five missions and the two extra hidden missions. Each mission has various beautifully crafted environments all culminating in an epic boss fight.

Mow down wave after wave of animated enemies and use the various
vehicles to destroy enemy gun ships and tanks in this extreme test of any gamer’s skill.

• Highly stylized graphics with slick animations
• Get behind the wheel of various vehicles
• Complex boss battles and 20 different types of enemy
• Pick up 10 different types of weapons
• Destructible terrain and weather conditions
• Discover hidden missions by finding secret data disks

R-Type Command Demo for Sony PSP Available Exclusively at PlayStation Store

R-Type Command Demo for PSP System Users Now Available Exclusively at the PlayStation Store

Atlus Invites You to Play the Bold New Entry in the R-Type Series Before its May Release

Atlus unveiled the playable demo for R-Type Command, the upcoming PSP (PlayStationPortable) system turn-based strategy game, exclusively at the PLAYSTATION Store. Boasting a taste of the many missions from R-Type Command, the demo offers an eye-opening hands-on glimpse into the franchise's daring new direction.

PSP system owners can download and play the demo from the PLAYSTATION Store

For more on R-Type Command, please visit the official website

R-Type Command for PSP takes to the stars on May 6th.

Dungeon RPG Etrian Odyssey II - Heroes of Lagaard comes to Nintendo DS

Adventurers Wanted; Atlus Announces Dungeon RPG Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard for Nintendo DS

One of Gaming's Truest RPG Series Returns in June

Atlus, preferred publisher of adventuring duo Fight and Heal, announced Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard for Nintendo DS. Continuing one of the genre's purest experiences, this sequel builds upon the original cult classic with more diverse areas to explore, new character classes, more fiendish FOEs, and an improved mapping system.

Etrian Odyssey II boasts an all-star development team, led by director Shigeo Komori (scenario designer; Etrian Odyssey, Odin Sphere). Composer Yuzo Koshiro (The Revenge of Shinobi, Streets of Rage, Etrian Odyssey) returns for Heroes of Lagaard, in addition to character designer Yuji Himukai and monster designer Shin Nagasawa, who both worked on the original Etrian Odyssey.

The odyssey resumes June 17th.

Visit the official Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard website: www.atlus.com/etrian2

Sony PlayStation store update

Downloadable Games
flOw bundle ($8.99)
flOw is a game about piloting an aquatic organism through a surreal biosphere where players consume other organisms, evolve, and dive into the abyss. Bundle includes the full game as well as the Expansion Pack.
ESRB Rated E
File size: 226 MB

Warhawk limited-time discount ($29.99 for 2 weeks until 4/15)

Add-on Game Content
TUROK Multiplayer Map Pack 1 ($4.99)
A new multiplayer map pack for Turok is now available for download, providing new challenges and an opportunity for new fans to join the fight against the planet’s vicious creatures and dinosaurs as well as enemy soldiers. The map pack is now available for $4.99 and contains five new maps providing additional head-to-head and co-op challenges while you’re playing on PlayStation Network.
File size: 276 MB

High Stakes: Poker Edition camera add-on (free)
High Stakes is raising the poker bar! Download this add-on to access to video capabilities and catch every tell from your opponents in this face-to-face poker showdown! Don’t forget to download the first two add-ons to play all 10 poker styles. Compatible with the PLAYSTATION Eye and EyeToy USB camera, and may be compatible with other USB cameras!
File size: 101 KB

Unreal Tournament 3 Map Pack (free)
Download the first official bonus pack for Unreal Tournament 3 and expand your game with three new maps that cover the full spectrum of environments and play styles. Players can visit an orbiting space station, a remote mountain temple, or infiltrate an alien island. Returning classics and fresh new designs let you experience Unreal gaming like never before.
File size: 82 MB

Rock Band
Build your Rock Band library by purchasing these song game tracks. Boston Pack 01 includes all six songs. For song credits, visit www.RockBand.com.

“More Than A Feeling” - Boston ($1.99) “Hitch A Ride” - Boston ($1.99) “Peace of Mind” - Boston ($1.99) “Rock and Roll Band” - Boston ($1.99) “Smokin’” - Boston ($1.99) “Something About You” - Boston ($1.99) Boston Pack 01 ($9.99) File sizes: 23.7 MB - 36.5 MB (singles), 189 MB (Track Pack).

Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore sownloadable songs ($1.50 each)
Plug in the microphone and live out your dream as a singing sensation! Expand your Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore library by purchasing tracks from the in-game store. For music credits, visit the Karaoke Revolution section of www.konami.com. Full list of tracks after the jump.

Game Videos (free)
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Mars Volta Video
Download the latest trailer featuring a special version of The Mars Volta’s “Goliath,” remixed by EL-P.
File size: 64 MB (1080)

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Thin Lizzy Video
Download the latest trailer featuring Thin Lizzy’s “The Rocker (Richard Evans Mix)” from the game’s soundtrack.
File size: 75 MB (1080)

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Weezer Video
Download the latest trailer featuring an exclusive remix of Weezer’s “Automatic,” available only in Gran Turismo 5 Prologue.
File size: 53 MB (1080)

Warhawk Update v1.3 Trailer
Download the Warhawk Update V1.3 trailer today and check out the new pick-ups that will alter the field of battle.
File size: 60 MB (HD)

GTA IV Trailer 4
Grand Theft Auto IV Trailer 4: “Good Lord, What Are You Doing?” aka “Everyone’s a Rat”
File size: 55 MB (HD)

Winter X Games ‘08 Play the Pros
Sony Computer Entertainment America hit the slopes this year for the 12th annual ESPN Winter X Games, held at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colorado. Fans had the opportunity to compete against their favorite X Games athletes in our PlayStation Play the Pros event with Gran Turismo 5 Prologue! The lucky winners received PlayStation prizes and some unique bragging rights.
File size: 235 MB (HD)

God of War: Chains of Olympus - TV spot
IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS DARKNESS. The ancient world speaks of a mortal that slayed a God. But long before his legend, Kratos pledged himself as a champion to the Gods.
File size: 22 MB (HD), 35 MB (1080)

Wyclef’s “Fast Car” Music VideoWyclef’s latest music video, “Fast Car”! (limited time only)
File size: 195 MB (HD), 323 MB (1080)

PURE Gameplay Trailer
PURE, the next gold standard in off-road racing games, perfectly captures and emphasizes the feeling of adrenaline rush. It stands for everything fast, furious & frenetic.
File size: 104 MB (HD)

PURE CG Trailer
PURE, the next gold standard in off-road racing games, perfectly captures and emphasizes the feeling of adrenaline rush.
File size: 143 MB (HD)

Movie and Blu-ray Disc Trailers (free)
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
A wild and wicked send-up of every musical biopic ever made, WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY is gut-busting proof that when it comes to hard rocking, living and laughing, a hard man is good to find.
File size: 119 MB (HD), 152 MB (1080)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Fall 2007 TV Spot
File size: 30 MB (1080)

PS3 Themes (free)
Eye of Judgment Theme
Customize your PS3 system with a cool Eye of Judgment theme. This theme allows you to change up the look of your background and XMB icons. Download today!
File size: 6.08 MB

PS3 Wallpaper (free)
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots SNEAK OUT Wallpapers
File size: 118 KB - 434 KB

Here is this week’s content release for the PLAYSTATION Store for PC. To download these games to your PSP, navigate to http://store.playstation.com. There, you’ll find descriptions of the content and directions on how to get started. For more on the PLAYSTATION Store for PC, please click here.

Game Demos (free)

* R-Type Command Demo (also downloadable via PS3)

Game Videos (free)

* God of War Chains of Olympus TV Spot
* GT5 Prologue Weezer Video
* GT5 Prologue Mars Volta Video
* GT5 Prologue Thin Lizzy
* GTA IV Trailer 4
* Winter X Games ‘08 Play the Pros
* Wyclef’s “Fast Car” Music Video (limited time only)

PSP Themes (free)

* Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII

PSP Wallpaper (free)

* R-Type Command Wallpapers (x3)

Source: knowthygame

Mount & Blade video game single player PC game

Hell-tech, a Greek publishing and distribution company, has announced that it has secured the distribution rights to action/role-playing game “Mount & Blade” from Paradox Interactive for the Greek territory. Mount & Blade is scheduled for a release in August 2008 on PC.

ABOUT Mount & Blade:

Mount&Blade is a single player PC game that combines action, role-playing and strategy elements in a unique blend. It features one of the most intuitive and fun to play medieval combat systems ever devised, letting you fight on horseback or foot using a great variety of weapons. Playing Mount&Blade, you will raise and command your own band of soldiers and fight alongside them in epic battles, join kingdoms and become the lord of castles, take quests, and adventure freely in an exciting medieval world.

Combining a sophisticated, dynamic game world and intense medieval swordfighting action, Mount & Blade has you venturing through a world filled with daring enemies as well as friendly groups that will come to your aid or need yours. In a land torn by constant danger, raids and skirmishes, you will raise and lead your own war band, commanding dozens of hardened soldiers. You will hunt down your enemies following the tracks they leave behind. And you will fight epic battles where arrows cut the air with deadly hisses, axes and swords hack with fury, and horses and men clash into a violent melee.

FEATURES:

- The combat system comprises a mix of action and tactical elements. Battles take place on randomly-generated 3D terrain, featuring hills, plains, trees and rivers with weather effects such as fog and snow.

- The player directly controls only the PC's actions. All other party members, if any, participate in battle and can be controlled through simple commands. Unlike most other RPG titles, there are no fantasy elements such as healing potions, and no on-hand inventory of items for direct access during combat.

- Mount&Blade places special emphasis on mounted combat. In general, mounted troops have higher mobility and are therefore able to do relatively higher damage with melee weapons than those on foot. Moreover, the horse itself can damage enemies by charging into them. However, horses are also vulnerable to enemy weapons, so a mounted soldier can be defeated by a skilled footman.

- Another feature is the inclusion of prisoners. They can be captured when defeated enemies are knocked out and can be sold in specific locations. Also, enemy-kept prisoners can join the player's party after being liberated.

hell-tech will release “Mount & Blade” in August 2008 in Greece.
Mount & Blade 2008 Paradox Interactive. Developed by TaleWorlds. All rights reserved. All other registered trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.

MMORPG Sword of the New World: Granado Espada Expansion added

The Land of the Dead Has Risen
Sword of the New World expands with new content.
K2 Network, a global games publisher, announces K2 Network’s game portal Gamersfirst.com has launched an expansion for its Free2Play epic Age of Exploration MMORPG Sword of the New World: Granado Espada, entitled The Land of the Dead!

This new expansion adds new monsters, new stances, new skills and a slew of new features including: A whole new PvP Enabled map for players to explore, a new level of equipment: 92 Elites, 2 highly anticipated UPCs (Unique Player Characters): Kurt and Eduardo, and a host of Cash Shop additions including Andre’s Dolce and Granado Beachwear, the brand new Polisher system and Devil Wings.

Sword of the New World gives players more options, variety, entertainment and challenges than any other MMORPG can by virtue of its unique design features. With multi-character control (MCC), players are able to command up to three characters simultaneously. No longer limited to playing one character at a time, players can instantly switch between their favorite character classes or control them all at once; the pace of battle is swift and exciting in both player vs. environment (PvE) and player vs. player (PvP) combat. Sword of the New World features a bold, original art direction inspired by the supremacy of Europe’s Baroque period. Striking graphics make this title as thrilling to look at as it is to play, and the game’s brilliant design allows it to run on a variety of systems.

Pokemon Ranger - Batonnage tops Japan games chart

Pokemon Ranger: Batonnage has beaten off the opposition to take the Japanese chart top spot, selling almost a quarter of a million units in the process.

The data, compiled by Media Create for the sales week ending March 23, saw a completely new top four, with Deca Sporta for the Wii in second place, Armored Core for Answer on the PlayStation 3 in third and SimCity DS 2: From the Past to the Future in fourth place.

Wii Fit in fifth was one of only three titles to remain in the top ten from last week as a plethora of new titles saw releases in Japan.

Tales of Rebirth for the PlayStation Portable was another new entry in sixth, followed by Super Smash Bros Brawl, which will have surpassed the 1.5 million mark in Japan this week.

Crayon Shin-chan: Arashi wo Yobu Cinema Land took eighth spot, DS Beautiful Letter Training was ninth, and Time Hollow: Seeking the Lost Past rounded out the top ten.

Although eight of the top ten titles were on Nintendo platforms, there was some good news for Microsoft, as two new entries for the Xbox 360 made it into the top twenty - Armored Core for Answer on that console made number 13, while Army of Two was number 20.



The full top ten is as follows:

1. Pokemon Ranger: Batonnage (DS)
2. Deca Sporta (Wii)
3. Armored Core for Answer (PS3)
4. SimCity DS 2: From the Past to the Future (DS)
5. Wii Fit (Wii)
6. Tales of Rebirth (PSP)
7. Super Smash Bros Brawl (Wii)
8. Crayon Shin-chan: Arashi wo Yobu Cinema Land (DS)
9. DS Beautiful Letter Training (DS)
10. Time Hollow: Seeking the Lost Past (DS)

Source: Games Industry

New websites to introduce new players to Lineage II and Guild Wars PC games

NCsoft Europe announces the launch of two new websites specifically created to introduce players new to massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) the opportunity to discover two of NCsoft Europe’s most cherished and endearing games: Guild Wars and Lineage II.

From the battle-ravaged ruins of Tyria (Guild Wars), through the ancient kingdom of Cantha (Guild Wars Factions), and on across the treacherous plains of Elona (Guild Wars Nightfall), www.discoverguildwars.com introduces newcomers to the full Guild Wars experience, including the official expansion pack, Guild Wars: Eye of the North. Try mixing and matching combinations of games on this stunning, user-friendly website to discover how to gain access to new skills, missions, and geographical locations.

Lineage II: The Chaotic Throne, by contrast, offers a slightly different, if no less epic, playing experience. The world of Lineage II is divided into three kingdoms: Aden, Elmore and Gracia who share a delicate balance of power. Solo fighters, entire clans and immense alliances engage in combat so brutal the very ground shakes! By visiting www.discoverlineage2.com player can discover the historical background and rich heritage of one of the most enduring MMORPGs currently available using a sumptuously presented page-turning presentation guide.

Get fit in May with Family Trainer and the Nintendo Wii

Namco Bandai has a fitness oriented game too, but Family Trainer: Athletic World feels more like a game compared to Wii Fit. In one event players stand shoulder to shoulder on a mat and jump to vault over logs on the screen. In a different game players control a mine cart by lifting up their feet.

These activities may not tone your body as much as Wii Fit’s push-up trainer, but they are pretty fun. I played this almost a year ago at Tokyo Game Show and I’m looking forward to getting the final version when it comes out on May 29 in Japan.

Oh yeah, the mat pictured above comes with the game. Not a bad deal for 7,140 yen ($71). Yeah, that sounds expensive, but Wii Fit costs 8,800 yen ($88) and Super Smash Brothers Brawl commands a premium price of 6,800 yen ($68) in Japan.

Source: Siliconera