PS Blog

Working on the PlayStation 3 has been wonderful. As this was my first project on the PS3, I was apprehensive at first about the new technology and how to use it as best we could. But now, I can honestly say I am a fan of the PS3.

Early in development, Blade Kitten was both a 3D and a 2D game and you could switch between them instantly — you’d run through a section then it would transition to 2D. It didn’t take us long to fall in love with the 2D version, so we focused all our efforts on making the 2D the fun game it is today.

From the start of our project, our goal as programmers was to give the designers all the power they needed to create the game that they wanted. Ideally, a level designer controls the player’s progression and experience in each area of the game (enemy placement, special events, collectables, and so on). So rather than implement a boss character’s attack moves myself, I would give the designers scripting tools to implement the boss themselves.

This proved to be one of the best decisions we made. For example, the level where Kit is running away from a huge monster called Acland, who destroys everything in his path, was completely scripted by the designers — as were all our bosses and many of the encounters you see. This has allowed for a much more flexible design with changes being quick and easy. But most importantly, much happier designers!

Being able to move any object anywhere and have our characters move along with them was fundamental to our game, so we made it so Kit can attach to pretty much everything. If the object moves or rotates, so does she. The level designers have done a great job using this and, even from the first level, you will see some fun movement and puzzles you can play with using these moving objects.

Blade Kitten was a re-think of how we normally do artificial intelligence. As there is a single plane that everyone fights on, we needed to make all the enemies work together without getting in each other’s way. Therefore, you’ll see things like the front guy duck down so the guy behind him can take a shot, or even have one guy jump over another to try to aggressively get to you. They all work together which helps create an interesting experience without overwhelming the player. It’s important that the enemies in the game feel like they are alive and are planning their strategy together to form a real challenge to players.

It was fun to get physics working properly in a 2D environment. We have some items which are fully 3D enabled and allowed to fly off into the yonder. Enemies have “ragdoll” effects that have them falling down in different ways when hit, and “fraggable” objects that break apart realistically. Additionally we have items that are fully physics-driven but stay on the player’s plane so you can use them without worrying about them flying away from you. This goes towards making the game world deeper, more detailed and unpredictable.

I hope you all enjoy this game as much as we have enjoyed making it.

If you consider yourself the type of person who likes getting new video game features for free, then our next MAG patch — version 1.07, due in early August — is definitely something for you.

Yes friends, in just over a week from now, players will be treated to a number of features that you’ve been asking us for all summer in addition to a few surprises. Like what, you ask? Like these:

• A new “Happy Hour” Double XP bonus that’s applied to the first hour of any player’s gameplay session in a 24-hour period.
• Suppression will join Sabotage as a “Faction Neutral” gameplay mode, allowing any PMC to battle each other on any Suppression map.
• Faster download and patching code that allows us to update MAG with more content and bigger file sizes in a speedier way.
• Redesigned versions of the Flores Basin (Raven) and Alyeska Terminus (Valor) Domination maps that include new obstacles and repaired exploits.
• New lighting effects for more attractive and realistic environments.
• Various fixes to address bugs or glitches to improve MAG’s overall performance.

Of course, there are a number of other additions and fixes coming with MAG v1.07, but the points listed above should whet your appetites while you wait for the full list of changes closer to the update.

Watch this space for patch details next week and, as always, let us know what you think of these modifications on our official forums.

It’s been a busy few days for Dead Space fans; a lot of news has come to light over the last week. While Dead Space 2 is still on track for early 2011, the world of Isaac Clarke is spreading like necromorphs through a ventilation system.

In this interview from last week’s EA Showcase, Dead Space 2 Producer Rich Briggs answers your questions about Dead Space 2 and the PS3-exclusive HD edition of Dead Space Extraction, and details the forthcoming Dead Space Ignition (which will tie in to DS2).

Later on in the week, EA/Visceral Games made even more Dead Space-related announcements at Comic-Con. Here’s Dead Space 2 executive producer Steve Papoutsis with details for our readers:

Today is a very exciting day for the Dead Space franchise. I’m proud to announce 2 new fiction extensions for the Dead Space universe.

Dead Space Aftermath is our second animated feature. It tells the story of what happened after Isaac had his encounter with the red marker. We are working on this with Starz/Film Roman and will be released January 2011.

Dead Space Salvage is a new graphic novel featuring the talented artist Christopher Shy. It takes a peak at what happened to the Ishimura after Isaac departed.

Both of these additions will continue to expand the Dead Space fiction and we can’t wait to see what people think when they get to enjoy them.

If this stuff sounds cool please post a message and let us know. Thanks.

Hi everyone, the next PlayStation 3 (PS3) system software update is coming soon. Firmware update 3.41 will add recommendations for games and videos on PlayStation Store. When you’re browsing through the details of a particular title, you’ll see a new “You May Like” section on the right-hand side. This section lists additional items based on the purchases of other PlayStation Network members who have purchased the item you’re currently looking at.

You can then click on this section to zoom in on the list and scroll the recommended titles.

This feature is a great way to discover new games that you may not know about, and it’s another step toward making the shopping experience easier and better for you all — similar to the five-star ratings feature we added in the last firmware update. Please note that while the 3.41 update will be released shortly, the recommendations feature on PlayStation Store is slated to go live by the end of July.

In addition to this PS3 update, the next PSP (PlayStation Portable) firmware update (v.6.31) will be coming as well. This is a minor update, and system software stability during use of some PSP format software titles has been improved.

As always, we look forward to your feedback.

Greetings everyone Ramone Russell here with another ModNation Monday update!

MNR Creations of the Week

Amazing creations in ModNation get shared every day and we are playing a ton of them. If you are interested in submitting your mod, kart or track to be a future “creation” of the week be sure to visit up on the official ModNation Community site and who knows? You might see your handy work on the PlayStation.Blog.

Mods of the Week

Mod Name: Break Time
Creator: coltsandcubsfan

Mod Name: Ike(Remaster)
Creator: paradise131

Karts of the Week

Kart Name: Buggy O’Hare
Creator: SuperSpecs

Kart Name: DualShock
Creator: cros1625

Tracks of the Week

Track Name: The Desert Kingdom
Created by: StealthReborn–

StealthReborn—says “This is another map that’s well suited for the beginners and a very fascinating map for the advanced players. There’s a lot to see in this map, and a couple of minor surprises. You think you’re going to be going through that hoop in the air? Think again, you might just find yourself on the same road heading straight for a devastator if you’re not careful. This map is has tons of scenery, nice twists and turns to satisfy everyone.”

Track Name: Alpine Stadium
Created by: dragon_Bremen

dragon_Bremen says “Blast up (or over!) Winding mountain roads, through dangerous caves and BLAST OFF the peak at maximum altitude and velocity! Pods are easy pickings at the base, but become harder to grab toward the top. Can you find all the shortcuts?”

Track Name: Roma
Created by: CIV_BOSS

CIV_BOSS says “This is a trip through ancient Rome. When you play this track you’ll have a choice of whether to focus on the track and win or just be absolutely amazed at how beautiful this map is, and probably hit a wall staring off into the scenery. You will blast off over the Pantheon through the roman city and market, around or through the coliseum, across the aqueduct and through the Circus Maximus. Have fun playing or just enjoy the beauty.

Hot Lap Roster for this week

Continuing with the trend we started weeks ago, this week’s Hot Lap roster features all new community created tracks.

• Monday: The Desert Kingdom, by StealthReborn–
• Tuesday: Mount St. Salad Climb, by SaladSnacksSTD
• Wednesday: Morning Sprint, by Crashdance23
• Thursday: Roma, by CIV_BOSS
• Friday: Festival Circuit, by dragon_Bremen
• Saturday: Crimson Valley 1.6, by BorrelnootjeNL
• Sunday: La Lotte, by INeon_INoodle

What’s up with the PATCH?

We know everyone has been extremely patient with this patch and it’s much appreciated. We are happy to say that we hope to have a solid release date next ModNation Monday.

Until then… see you in the ModSpot!

We told you something legendary was about to happen! One of the hits of San Diego Comic-Con weekend was the debut of the full cinematic trailer (a whopping 5 and a half minutes) for DC Universe Online, entitled “Who Do You Trust?” In addition to being shown on Spike TV, the trailer also made its Comic-Con premiere at the DCUO panel discussion to thunderous applause.

In DC Universe Online, you’ll be able to team up with legendary DC heroes like Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern… or pledge allegiance to the Joker, Lex Luthor, and other classic villains to determine the fate of the DC Universe. During the struggle for supremacy, you’ll team up with thousands of other players online from your PS3, customize your own skills and abilities, and ultimately create the most powerful super-being ever depicted in a videogame setting

So now that we know that gamers can become the next great legend of the DC Universe, the next question is whether or not they’ll save it, or conquer it? Guess we’ll find out when the game hits the PS3 on November 2nd.

At last week’s PlayStation event in NYC, I was pleased to see Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition make an appearance — complete with the new PlayStation Move control scheme.

I grabbed a PlayStation Move and a Navigation Controller and dove into a combat sequence several chapters into the game. Several details quickly became apparent:

Aiming is much, much easier. I was able to pop headshots, even at long ranges, with impressive accuracy using the PlayStation Move’s reticule aiming. You move your character with an analog stick (via the Navigation Controller or a DualShock 3), then squeeze the trigger on the PlayStation Move to draw your weapon. Once your shot is lined up, you press the Move button with your thumb to fire the shot. Easy!

From what I played, the new PlayStation Move aiming controls will be a big help to players who had difficulty adjusting to Resident Evil 5’s default analog stick control scheme.

Knifing is easier, too. In the original version of Resident Evil 5, swinging your knife was a two-step process: you pressed and held one button to ready the knife, and another to swing it. But using PlayStation Move, you can “waggle” the motion controller to immediately swing the knife at any time. It’s handier in a pinch, and makes close-quarters battles feel faster and deadlier. It’s also easier to smash open crates and barrels to find those all-important healing herbs.

Reloading works through a similar process: you pull the trigger to ready your weapon, then “waggle” the PlayStation Move control to reload. These tweaks make the game feel faster and nimbler, freeing up precious seconds during heated combat sequences.

Chris and Sheva are more maneuverable. By shifting the run button to the left-hand Navigation Controller (or a DualShock 3), Resident Evil 5 frees up your right hand for aiming and knifing. This has a liberating effect on the game’s pacing by encouraging more hit-and-run tactics — a must when battling tough bosses such as the chainsaw-wielding Majini. Much like the other enhancements to the PlayStation Move control scheme, this makes playing Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition a nimbler, easier process.

If you already own a copy of Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition for your PS3, you’ll be able to download a free patch close to the launch of the PlayStation Move (September 19th in North America) to enable the new motion-control scheme. This will only work with RE5 copies labeled “Gold Edition” — the original version of RE5 won’t be receiving the patch, for technical reasons.

Moving forward, all new “Gold Edition” versions of Resident Evil 5 that hit store shelves after the launch of PlayStation Move will come with PlayStation Move support included on the disc. Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition also comes with all the DLC add-ons, including the new “Desperate Escape” and “Lost in Nightmares” scenarios, as standard features.

Have any other questions about Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition’s new PlayStation Move control scheme? Ask away in the comments and I’ll see what I can dig up.

Sad to say but today is the final day of Comic-Con 2010. For all of you Digital Comic readers, as promised we have a special memento to offer from this year’s convention. The kind folks at HBO and IDW passed out a voucher code to attendees giving them a small bite out of the new True Blood digital comic which released on the Digital Comics Store this past Wednesday.

Here’s the voucher code for the True Blood teaser: EKJ6-TQBN-4T9Q.

To get a better taste of what to expect, check out the blog entry below from the co-writer of the True Blood series, Mariah Huehner.

Vampires seem to be one of the few mythological creatures we just can’t seem to get enough of. They’ve become the embodiments of many of the darker impulses in the human condition and our need to express/explore them. They can be metaphors for the lonely “outsider.” They can represent the scarily tempting, deeply disturbing, and often repressive side of human sexuality. They can be impossibly beautiful or hideously monstrous. Whether they’re soulless atrocities or tragically misunderstood, they’ve managed to capture our collective imagination like very few other horror creatures, and they’re portrayed in a more nuanced way than most of our nightmares ever are.

True Blood is no exception. But it isn’t quite like Ye Olde Vampyre Tales, either. While many of the metaphoric elements are still intact, they don’t really mess around with being coy. It’s a very raw look at vampires, and in many ways a very raw look at humanity and life itself. It’s more passionate, more violent. More everything. And it’s not afraid to dip into the larger pool of myth, either, with shape shifters and werewolves and Greek goddesses…and who knows what else still to come.

Working on the comic with Alan Ball, Kate Barnow, Elizabeth Finch, David Tischman, and David Messina, has been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. Not to mention my first official writing gig in comics. It’s very exciting and scary and most of all: fun. There are very few “worlds” as creatively open to play in as True Blood, and the team really let us explore the characters in ways I hope fans will enjoy. There’s still plenty of sex, violence, and gore…But, just like the show, there’s a lot more going on. There’s a mystery to be solved, a creepy new monster to deal with (where we dipped a bit into local Louisiana mythology ourselves), and all the characters are forced to reveal secrets from their pasts they’ve never shared with anyone before. Things most of us would be happy to go to our graves never telling even our nearest and dearest.

Personally, vampires have never really “scared” me in that booga-booga sense. But they do horrify. I mean, drinking blood seems incredibly gross to me, for one thing. Not to mention the fact that you have to kill another person to keep “living” your undead life. Lack of daylight I’m mostly okay with, though I’d miss sunsets over the ocean fiercely. But it’s losing everyone you love to age and death, while you stay the same, that’s truly horrifying. Because I kind of like the idea of immortality sometimes. Doesn’t everyone? You know, when it’s late at night and no one else is around and you realize that you’re going to cease being at some point and there are so many things you’re going to miss. That’s when the idea of never growing any older, of never dying, is most tempting. And maybe that tradeoff is worth a little blood sucking, right?

Maybe that’s what’s so intriguing about Bon Temps and the characters that inhabit True Blood. The sense that, deep down, a lot of them are thinking the same thing.

I hope you like our little True Blood story. I hope you find it as fun, romantic, scary, funny, sexy, and raw as the show. And if it makes you wonder, even a little, if you might make a good vampire, well…I won’t judge.

Here’s your San Diego Comic-Con Edition of What We Read. I feel like more interesting tidbits came out of the Con this year, but that’s for you to judge. And if we missed any stories (there’s still another day of Comic-Con-ing to go), please link to below.

Oh, and please be sure to click back over to the blog in a few hours, as we’ll have a special, downloadable, Comic-con-related treat for you.

• In The Quest For The Best Resident Evil Controls, Motion Gets Another Turn – Kotaku
• These Three Screenshots Are From The Same Game – Kotaku
• Dead Space: The Backpack Is Finally Here – Kotaku
• Disc-Free Netflix on PlayStation 3 by October – Shacknews
• SDCC: First video and screens of Street Fighter X Tekken – Destructoid
• The Comic-Con Exclusive Naruto Shippuden PSP – Siliconera
• Watch The Street Fighter X Tekken Debut Trailer – Siliconera
• Scott Pilgrim vs. the World price, pre-order bonus announced – Joystiq
• DC Universe Online trailer pulls the ol’ switcheroo – Joystiq
• Comic-Con 2010: The Fight: Lights Out & The Shoot Interview – G4tv.com
• Echochrome 2 Comic-Con 2010 Hands-On Preview – G4tv.com
• SDCC 10: God of War: Ghost of Sparta Ass-Kicking – IGN
• Comic-Con 2010: Ghost of Sparta spooks San Diego – News
• Atlus Won’t Shutter Demon’s Souls Servers Just Yet – GameLife
• Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable Review for PSP – GameSpot
• Jaffe Reveals Details About Twisted Metal At Comic-Con – GameInformer.com
• Comic-Con 2010: Dead Nation Hands-On – Gamespot
• Comic-Con 2010: Twisted Metal panel reveals canceled ideas – Gamespot
• Sony, IndieCade creators partner to bring indie games Home – Network World
• SCEA, Codename Team With The Odd Gentlemen, Lazy8 For Social Games On PSHome – Gamasutra

I am sad to say that I did not attend Comic-Con this year. I’m particularly bummed to have missed out on David Jaffe and Scott Campbell’s Twisted Metal panel — you never know what those guys will say next! And, being the uber-nerd that I am, I would have loved to have seen The Walking Dead and True Blood booths, as well as the Scott Pilgrim screening. Ah, well. There’s always next year!

On the bright side, my trip to New York City early in the week was a fruitful one. I got hands-on time with games like Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (radically different than the old-school Tomb Raider you know), Tron: Evolution (Lightcycles in stereoscopic 3D!), Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition with PlayStation Move support (super-precise aiming with a much simpler UI), and a ton of other great games. Look for more details next week as I transform my scrambled thoughts into sweet, sweet words.

Courtesy of Arne Meyer

Multiplayer during the World Cup – See some interesting data based on the World Cup matches and UNCHARTED 2 multiplayer habits. Fascinating!

Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? Kratos would want it that way.

Tonight, GameTrailers TV is hosting a special God of War: Ghost of Sparta preview on SPIKE TV. The episode will showcase new gameplay video and details on the eagerly anticipated action epic being developed by Ready At Dawn Studios, aka the folks behind God of War: Chains of Olympus.

The SPIKE TV special will air tonight at 12:30am Pacific Time (check SPIKE.com for local listings).

Also, if you’re attending Comic-Con in San Diego, the Ready At Dawn team has a special treat for you. Drop by the San Diego Convention Center on Saturday to catch the “The World That is God of War” discussion panel and Q&A session — anyone with a badge should be able to attend, space willing. Here are the full details for the Comic-Con panel:

The World That is God of War — Ghost of Sparta Panel Q&A

• Time: Saturday, July 24: 1:00 — 2:00PM
• Location: San Diego Convention Center (Room 7AB)

111 West Harbor Drive
San Diego, CA 92101

• Description: Ru Weerasuriya and Dana Jan are back, along with their talented team at Ready At Dawn Studios, to expand upon this blockbuster mythological world with God of War: Ghost of Sparta. Join Ru, Dana, and team for this one-on-one interview and Q&A session.

Finally, in related news, I got a chance to go one-on-one with Ghost of Sparta at the NYC PlayStation media day earlier this week. The action is classic God of War: fast, brutal, and epic. Kratos was packing plenty of new gear, too. The Spartan Spear and Shield grants Kratos a longer reach and the ability to hurl spears at distant foes, though his trademark Blades of Chaos still hold the edge in overall attack speed. I also experimented with the Eye of Atlantis, a new magical attack that gushes a stream of chain lightning at nearby enemies.

While you’re waiting for the SPIKE TV special and Comic-Con panel to start, you might want to take another look at the first Ghost of Sparta gameplay footage below. And yeah, that’s running on a PSP. Wait until you see it in person, free from web video compression.

If you’ve played through the Assassin’s Creed games, it’s obvious that a lot of thought went into the world of Assassins vs Templars – especially if you’ve unlocked every last thing in ACII. The writers on the franchise spoke about the process of creating the storyline – “exploring the cracks in history,” as they put it – at their San Diego Comic-Con panel Nothing is True, Everything is Forbidden – writing for Assassin’s Creed. But first – feast your eyes on the new multiplayer trailer.

Lead Writer Jeffrey Yohalem revealed more about AC: Brotherhood’s structure: it’s going to chronicle the struggle that leads to true leadership, based around the principles of Machiavelli’s The Prince. It takes more than just charisma to be a leader, but you’ve got to make a lot of right decisions before people put their life in your hands. In AC: Brotherhood, we’ll see how the returning Ezio will exemplify those qualities in the continuing struggles of the Assassins vs the Templars. Expect almost everyone that you met in ACII (but didn’t kill, natch) to return, albeit through deepened relationships. Characters that seemed merely helpful or 1-dimensional in ACII will reveal themselves to be more complex now.

The writers stressed that it’s important that everything fits into the story of Assassin’s Creed. Even the game’s menus are part of the Animus machine that Desmond channels the past in. Multiplayer mode is no different: “Abstergo has been busy,” said Yohalem. Remember that room filled with Animi (Animuses?) during the escape scene at the beginning of ACII? That’s the Templar-controlled company’s training ground for new, counter-assassins. They’ve been uploading the skills that actual Assassins like Desmond have been unlocking into their most adept pupils, and their training simulation is our multiplayer.

However it fits into the story, it looks like a good time. I’ve heard it described as a modern videogame take on hide-and-seek, and that seems accurate. But with more stabbing. Oh, and two new characters were revealed: a Blacksmith and a Soldier, and based on the Q&A that followed the panel, there’ll likely be more revealed between now and the game’s November release.

Some more highlights from the fan Q & A section:

Q: Will there be more Desmond gameplay in ACB?
A: Yes, it’ll take a very unexpected turn. Things will change quite a bit in the present day. He’ll also be changing his look.
Q: Will there ever be any female assassins?
A: Yes, wait for November.
Q: Will we learn more about the ancient assassins from that room where you place the seals you collect in ACII?
A: Yes. Everything that we have started will resolve… Eventually.
Q: How many multiplayer characters total?
A: A lot. (but not Ezio or Altair, as that wouldn’t make sense in the scope of the story)
Q: Any plans for DLC?
A: Yes, there are plans in the works.

Oh, one last thing. That Russian/red star Assassins logo that popped up a week or two ago was not a hint that the next Assassin’s Creed game would take you to Russia. It’s actually a new comic book based on the Tunguska explosion hinted at in ACII.

PlayStation.Blog readers, gather around for a unique moment.

I am going to digitally give all your PSP’s the bird… a Piyo to be exact, a cute cuddly Piyo, a Piyomama and thousands upon thousands of hours of pure egg-hatching enjoyment.

You read right, Piyotama, the cutest and most addictive puzzle title for the PS3 is cluck-cluck-clucking its way over to the most egg-cellent portable gaming systems on this planet. So if you are in the know, stop reading this and prepare yourself for the greatness that will come this July 27 (hint: this is when the game launches on the PlayStation Store!)

Piyotama for the PSP picks up where the PS3 version left off, with Piyomama needing your color matching skills, quick thinking and fast thumbs to help her hatch her colorful eggs before they overflow the nest. Connect four eggs of the same color to start the hatching process… and if you connect more eggs to the chain (or create more hatching chains) you will get a hatching bonus! Take your hatching skills to the next level in the Timed mode to race against the cluck-clock or Free-Range mode to hatch eggs to your heart’s desire. Rack-up an insane score and post them on the global-hatching-scoreboard and make your mark as the world’s best egg-hatching-master!

Piyotama for the PSP will launch on the PlayStation Store this coming July 27th for $4.99.

Hi everyone – Time for this week’s video store updates.

The end is near for Comic-Con! Be sure to visit the video store by 7/25 for exciting offers like an instant free rental of Godzilla 2000, chances to win PSP prize packages, daily footage of the show, and an exhaustive collection of comic book inspired films and TV shows. Don’t miss out on these amazing Comic-Con bargains!

On the US store, celebrate DC Comics’ 75th anniversary in style with great offers on exciting motion comics like Batman: Gotham Knight, Legion of Super Heroes, Justice League, and Watchmen, and more! You’ll also find out of this world bargains on action-packed Sci-Fi films like Daredevil, Batman (1966), Titan A.E., Elektra and more in our Deal of the Week Sci-Fi sale this week. Also, be the first one to check out Batman Under The Red Hood this weekend. Rent the video on 7/24 on the store, before it’s even available on DVD!

On the Canada store, be sure to check out some new additions of your favorite movie titles such as The Bounty Hunter, The Crazies, Leap Year, and more! You’ll also find amazing new TV show arrivals such as True Blood and Naruto Shippuden Uncut.

New arrivals in store this week…

Just in TV (US only): The Sopranos, Deadliest Catch, Covert Affairs, Naruto Shippuden Uncut, Eureka, Vampire Knight, Rescue Me, Futurama, Deadliest Warriors, Psych, Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory, White Collar, Louie, Blank Panther: Who is The Black Panther?, The Glades, Haven, Dual Survival, Royal Pains, Sanctuary, MTV’s Nitro Circus, Warehouse 13, Fact of Faked, Unnatural History, Top Chef, Pros vs. Joes, Chasing Mummies, Burn Notice, Hawthorn, Memphis Beat, and Friday Night Lights.

New Release Movies (US only): Cop Out, The Losers, Batman: Under the Red Hood, Not The Messiah (He’s A Very Naughty Boy), Puppet Master II, The Awkward Comedy Show, and Westbrick Murders.

Top Ten Movie Downloads (US):

1. The Bounty Hunter
2. Hot Tub Time Machine (Unrated Version)
3. The Crazies
4. Cop Out
5. Our Family Wedding
6. The Losers
7. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightening Thief
8. The Book of Eli
9. She’s Out of My League
10. Green Zone

Top Ten TV Episodes (US):

1. Futurama | Season 7 The Duh-Vinci Code
2. The Boondocks | Season 3 Mr. Medicinal
3. The Boondocks | Season 3 The Lovely Ebony Brown
4. Naruto Shippuden Uncut | Season 1, Vol. 4 The Consequences of Betryal 45
5. The Boondocks | Season 3 A Date with the Booty Warrior
6. Family Guy | Season 8 Brian & Stewie
7. Futurama | Season 7 Proposition Infinity
8. Through the Wormhole with Morgan |Are We Alone?
9. Freeman | Season 1
10. Burn Notice | Season 4 Entry Point
11. The Boondocks | Season 3 The Fund-Raiser

If you recall our E3 press conference (of course you do), the new Twisted Metal game owned the trademark showstopping reveal. Soon after, I sat down with Eat Sleep Play’s David Jaffe and Scott Campbell for a candid talk about what bringing Sweet Tooth and company to PS3 will mean for you gamers.

There’s actually a lot more from that conversation, so maybe we’ll have to do an unedited director’s cut some time down the line…

If you want to hear more from David and Scott soon, you’re in luck: they’ll be speaking *today* at Comic-Con. They’ll be revealing some of the characters of the new game, share early looks at the game’s twisted end stories, and show concept art of ideas that never saw the light of day.

The “Twisted Metal Returns!” panel starts at 1PM this afternoon in Room 8. It should be awesome in person but, if you’re not going to be able to make it to Comic-Con, we’ll be recording it and sharing highlights with you next week.

For all of our awesome fans who weren’t at Comic-Con this year, I’m excited to share the first look at the 2D cutscenes from inFAMOUS 2 we debuted yesterday night.

As senior artist on the title, I work with the art teams to help production run smoothly and tackle the huge task of drawing every frame of our graphic cut scenes. It’s time consuming and a lot of hard work but, in the end, I hope InFAMOUS 2 will reflect our love for comic books and give fans the experience of being a super powered hero. It means a lot to both me and the team to see all the love you have for InFAMOUS. In addition, we may have some Comic-Con panel highlights next week to share as well.

Before I forget, go and register on infamousthegame.com to receive an exclusive InFAMOUS 2 PS3 theme!

While we’re entertaining the crowds at San Diego Comic Con this week with a peek at LBP2 and some free shirts.  We have some great news…

Over at camp Media Molecule…LittleBigPlanet 2 has just passed “Alpha”! Yay!  And while we still have a ton of work to do, we’re that much closer to release and we’re ready to announce some news you’ve all been waiting, so on behalf of our retail partners and our friends at Disney…here we go…

First things first…“When is LittleBigPlanet 2 coming out?” – You’ll be pleased to know we’re on schedule to have LBP2 out in stores on November 16th, just in time for the holidays.  So whether you plan to be there on Day 1 or need to put it on your big holiday ‘wishlist’, rest assured, LBP2 will be here soon.

Next item on the list…”Will there be any pre-order items?” – We’re glad you asked!  YES, we have several exciting pre-order offers through several retail partners.  Each pre-order consists of 2 parts – a very special costume offer from our partners @ Disney / Pixar and Insomniac; and 4 new “Even More Animals” costumes.  That’s 5-6 different LBP2 costumes just for pre-ordering LBP2.  Here’s a sneak peek of a few pre-order programs coming
soon to our US retailers:

Amazon.com – If you’re a fan of the Ratchet & Clank franchise (who isn’t), you’ll love this.  Pre-order at Amazon.com and get 6 Sackboy costumes including exclusive access to Ratchet & Clank costumes from the ever popular Ratchet & Clank franchise.  In addition to the exclusive 2 costumes, you’ll get four new “Animals” costumes, for a total of 6 costumes.

BestBuy & BestBuy.com – All together now…”the claw!!!”  We’ve partnered with Disney & Pixar to provide the exclusive “Aliens” costume for BestBuy pre-orderers.  We can already imagine the number of uses you guys will use this costume combined with the new Sackbots feature.  And be on the lookout for more characters thru an upcoming Toy Story 3 DLC in the near future.  Plus the 4 costumes from “Even More Animals”

GameStop & GameStop.com – Are you as excited for the release of TRON: Legacy as we are?  If so, head on over to GameStop and pre-order to get the exclusive *Clu* Sackboy costume from Tron: Legacy. Be the first to have this costume and hold tight for more TRON: Legacy costumes later this year.  And again, you also get the 4 different “Even More Animals” costumes.

AND MORE TO COME!  - Stay tuned as we announce more pre-order programs like this special DLC package including one of our favorite Muppets – GONZO!  There’s no doubt you’ll have fun exploring the many areas in LBP2, with bent nose and all.  And keep an eye out for more Muppets costumes shortly after launch via the PlayStation Store.

What else…”PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE tell me you guys are offering a Collectors Edition” – OK, OK, good news is YES, we’re offering a Collector’s Edition of LittleBigPlanet 2 in the US, bad news is it’ll be a limited run, so you better pre-order soon to ensure you get one. The LittleBigPlanet 2 Collectors Edition, will also be available on November 16 at select retailers at $79.99, and in limited quantity.  Here’s what you can expect from the LittleBigPlanet 2 Collectors Edition:

• A copy of LittleBigPlanet 2 – duh.
• Your own little “Sackboy” – 7” of plushie-goodness for you to accompany you on your journey thru LBP2.
• Exclusive LBP2 “game ends” – keep your PS3 games in a tidy, organized and ‘Sack-ured” within these unique bookends
• One stop shop for exclusive DLC + more – regarding in-game content, the LBP2 Collector’s Edition comes packed with 11 different pre-order costumes, including:
• Disney / Pixar’s Toy Story 3’s “Aliens” Sackboy Costume
• Disney’s TRON: Legacy “Clu” Sackboy Costume
• The Muppets’ “The Great Gonzo” Sackboy Costume
• PlayStation’s “Ratchet” Sackboy Costume
• PlayStation’s “Clank” Sackboy Costume
• Even More Animals’ “Crocodile” Sackboy Costume
• Even More Animals’ “Vulture” Sackboy Costume
• Even More Animals’ “Cobra” Sackboy Costume
• Even More Animals’ “Mandrill” Sackboy Costume
• And exclusive to the LittleBigPlanet 2’s Collectors Edition:
• PlayStation’s “Jak” Sackboy Costume
• PlayStation’s “Daxter” Sackboy Costume
• 5 exclusive LBP2 PSN Avatars – Lastly, complete your PlayStation experience with a new identity on the PlayStation Network with these new avatars.

Whew!  That was a lot to take in, but we hope it was well worth the read. Now back to Comic Con…..

So, that RPG I’ve been Tweeting about?

Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling together is coming to the PSP! We’ll be announcing the release timing later on. In the meantime, here are some screenshots for your viewing pleasure!

The reason why I am so excited about this is that the original team will be developing it. Who’s on that original team?

• Hiroshi Minagawa (Director)
• Akihiko Yoshida (Character Design)
• Yasumi Matsuno (Game Design)
• Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata (Composers)

Awesome line-up, huh? Check out the press release here and the official site.

This Friday night at 12:30am, GameTrailers TV on Spike TV will air the world premiere of the full DC Universe Online “Blur” trailer, plus a behind-the-scenes look at DC Universe Online.

But first, check out the teaser video below for a taste of what’s in store on Spike TV this Friday night.

This trailer gives a peek at the backstory you will experience when you kick off your experience in DC Universe Online. PS3 players will instantly recognize some of the star-studded voiceover cast we have assembled to give you the ultimate DC experience. Highlights include Mark Hamill as the Joker, Kevin Conroy as Batman, James Marsters as Lex Luthor, and more.

Stay tuned for the full trailer this Friday night at 12:30am on Spike TV. And remember: the next legend is you!

It’s been almost six months since our massive online shooter, MAG, was released to stores all over the world, and the team here at Zipper Interactive is celebrating by giving something back to fans who continue to support our game and its community.

That “something” we’re passing along is also something that many of you have been asking us for with great enthusiasm for months. And so, it is with great pleasure, that I announce that starting today — right this moment in fact — that all maps in our “Sabotage” game mode are going “Faction Neutral!” If you ever wanted to play against the Valor PMC as a member of the competing Raven Industries on a map that belonged to the third faction, SVER, that option is now yours! We’d like to think of it as a way to experience existing content in an all-new way, and we hope you feel the same.

The best part? You don’t have to download a thing to do it. We’ve already set everything up so that all you have to do is log on to the game, select the Sabotage game mode with whatever your PMC of choice may be, and have fun. It’s just that simple.

We hope you enjoy this gift to you as much as we enjoy giving it, and once again, want to thank each and every one of you who have supported MAG in its first half-year. Hopefully, you’ll like what we have in store for the second-half just as much.