PlayStation Network gets video

It’s here!  It’s finally here!  Video will be available to purchase/rent on the PlayStation Store tomorrow (19th), or as SCEE like to call it: the video delivery service.  I accidentally came across the information just now when reading a SCEE press release on one of my old email accounts.  In the future, I can see myself using this service a lot.  Neat.

Is 2009 a Vintage Year For Games?

I can’t believe my luck this year: I’m an avid gamer, and I find myself spoilt for choice at the moment.  This is one of those years in which the sheer amount of quality games releases have well and truly out-stripped my budget!  With several games that could legitimately be called ‘Game Of The Year’, I’ve been wondering if 2009 could be called a vintage year for video games?

SO, let’s take a look at some of them, shall we?

Killzone 2 (February 2009)

Correct me if I’m wrong, but Killzone 2 kicked off the start of the year’s gaming heavyweights with a solid FPS following on from the events in the first game on the PS2.  Killzone is to the PlayStation franchise like Halo is to the Xbox franchise.  Now, I love my FPS games, but Killzone 2 just didn’t do it for me.  Graphics to die for and gameplay to match?  Is that not enough for me?!  Well, I only have so much money this year, and I have been saving my money for the big releases in the last half of the year.  I’m not ruling out buying this at bargain basement prices in the future.

Resident Evil 5 (March 2009)

Resi followed on in fine form with perhaps a repetitive formula (pardon the pun) but with great visuals, a new and interesting setting for the series so far, and good gameplay.  I get scared silly with zombies and their kind, which is why I’ve avoided this release so far.  Maybe I’ll pick up this game in the future just out of curiosity.  But seriously, zombies.  I shudder at the thought.

Continue reading Is 2009 a Vintage Year For Games?

Filtered: Gamescom 09

I’ve been catching up on all of the announcements focusing on the PlayStation brand at Gamescom 09.  I’d like to share with you a list news items that have caught my eye and what I think about them:

  • PS3 Slim– About time!  The reduced price has been needed for months, the brand cleanup is a wise move, and Sony have finally found a voice with their marketing campaign!
  • LocoRoco Midnight Carnival– I’m a die-hard LocoRoco fan, and this upcoming PSN download looks really… well, fun!  New gameplay mechanics should keep things fresh.
  • PlayStation Home update– universal game launching from within Home looks quite compelling, but there are still numerous problems with accessing Home for some people: downloading areas, connection issues etc, that might prevent them from utilising this functionality.
  • Digital Comics Store for PSP– I’ve got to hand it to Sony- this looks pretty damn sweet!  Why has it taken this long though?!  Unfortunately though, it’s only for the US at the moment.  Boo.  Hiss.
  • New Uncharted 2 footage goes without saying *drools*
  • Firmware 3.0– Hopefully this should expose ‘what’s new’ on the PlayStation Store, and across the PlayStation Network, helping people feel more connected to the PlayStation community and kept up-to-date with what’s going on.  The rest of the firmware update is incidental in my opinion.
  • LittleBigPlanet Water!– This should be a very interesting new game mechanic, and may persuade me to visit LittleBigPlanet once again.

And that’s it!  If there’s anything I’ve missed, I’ve either forgotten about it, or I’m not really bothered about it.