Why has this not been done before? The rhythm action has literally had some inspiration beaten into it thanks to Zen Studios’ KickBeat. Merging the worlds of beat ’em ups with rhythm action seems like an enticing prospect to us and one look at this trailer had us scampering for the demo on the US PSN store.
Featuring angsty tracks from the likes of Pendulum, Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie, the scene is set for the loudest of beatdowns. Better yet, why not play the game to the rhythm of your own music files? Kickbeat is out now in the States and is a Cross-Buy title for the PS3 and PS Vita. There’s no sign of the game on the EU store right now, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed for a release date soon. Continue reading KickBeat Launch Trailer Brings The Rhythm and Bruise→
Boy does the Vita need a great game. Particularly a decent FPS as Resistance only managed a ‘meh‘ and Call of Duty was an absolute abomination. This looks like the real deal though. The transition to handheld doesn’t seem to have dumbed down the action at all with this trailer showing huge firefights in the skies and on the ground.
Playing as a mercenary, the aim of the game is to make as much money as possible, by taking any dirty job you can. Brutal kills and headshots net you even more cash along with completing your objectives. Money can then be used to buy new equipment and upgrades. With lots of quickfire missions, gameplay will be well suited to the handheld, and early reports are suggesting the multiplayer is shaping up nicely too. Enjoy the trailer after the break and don’t forget to take a peek at Jon’s hands-on preview too. Continue reading Killzone: Mercenary Gamescom Trailer Raises Our Hopes→
As trusting Vita owners, we’re really looking forward to Media Molecule’s Tearaway and it looks like the game is shaping up very nicely according to the latest video from Access PlayStation which takes a look around the developer’s office.
The unique platformer will use all of the PS Vita’s control methods to interact with the world. The rear pad can be used to poke your finger out of the ground, blow on the mic to make wind (stop laughing at the back), take pics with the camera and so on. We’re a bit worried that the game will be lost amongst all the big hitters though. It’s already in a niche category thanks to the papercraft-style visuals and its delay from October to late November puts it amongst COD, Battlefield and the next-gen consoles. Perhaps delaying it until early next year would have been better?
Now there’s a line of dialogue that’s a bit difficult to hear on a bleary-eyed Sunday morning. Fans of the mega-hit anime series rejoice, there’s a new Dragon Ball Z game on the horizon and it’s looking as delightfully demented as ever and it’s coming to PS3, Vita and Xbox 360.
The new trailer for Battle of Z has an emphasis on the game’s enhanced co-op features with up to four players able to take on fearsome enemies. Naturally there’ll be epic eight-player rumbles too if you just want to have a huge brawl in a cloud of fit-inducing colours and special moves. Solo players shouldn’t be worried though as you’ll be able to go it alone if you don’t want the help. Looking at some of these bosses though, you may reconsider. Enjoy the trailer after the break.
This, this is getting ridiculous! How are we meant to play all of these games? Well, let’s give it a go anyway. From July 3rd, PlayStation Plus subscribers will be able to download a fresh batch of free titles. This time we’re getting EA’s classic FPS, Battlefield 3 and the wonderfully fun Saints Row: The Third. Online bank-heist shooter Payday: The Heist will also be available to whet your appetite for the upcoming sequel.
Vita owners can look forward to more awkward memory card management as they try and fit in the third-person military shooter Unit 13 and the slice and dice action of Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus. Isn’t it about time Sony released some decent sized memory cards over here and made them cheaper too? Continue reading Battlefield 3 and Saints Row 3 Coming to PS Plus in July→
Here’s the latest batch of character gameplay videos for the upcoming side-scrolling beat em’ up / action RPG hybrid, Dragon’s Crown, for the PS3 and Vita. The Amazon warrior makes the previously-revealed top-heavy Sorceress look like a nun, with an outfit seemingly made of string. Questionable art direction aside, the game is looking like an old-school riot to play. Continue reading Wizard and Amazon Trailers For Dragon’s Crown→
A Vita version of the fantastic cult Wii title, Muramasa: Demon Blade, is set for a release on June 25th in the US. Renamed as Muramasa: Rebirth, the game will include extra characters and stages. If you missed the game first time around, you’re in for a real treat with this excellent side-scrolling adventure that features some super-slick hack n’ slash combat with a sprinkling of RPG elements.
The enhanced visuals look better than ever on the Vita’s screen and the widescreen setup suits the game really well. No UK date has been confirmed yet, but the Vita is multi-region so you’d be able to import it if the publishers drag their feet. Enjoy the trailer after the break. Continue reading Muramasa: Rebirth Coming to US Vitas in June→
Earlier this month we brought you the news that the critically acclaimed Stealth Bastard: Tactical Espionage Arsehole was coming to PS3 and PS Vita, although it would sadly be getting renamed. Curve Studios decided to let the fans rename the game, offering a free PS Vita to the winner.
Well, they had so many excellent suggestions that they ended up settling on two; Stealth Inc and A Clone in the Dark. So, ladies and gentleman, fans of bastard hard platformers with 80 stages of rage I present to you Stealth Inc: A Clone in the Dark. Frankly, I can’t believe they didn’t opt for ‘El Chappo Stealtho.’ Continue reading Stealth Bastard Renamed for Vita/PS3 Release→
With Soul Sacrifice (review incoming by the way) coming to the PS Vita soon you’re going to need something to help you relax after the brutal boss fights and Quell Memento might be the perfect tonic for your angry ails.
Using the rear touch pad, you guide an ball around over 150 puzzle screens, collecting items and activating switches in order to reach the exit. Analogue and d-pad controls are also available, but the rear pad allows you to enjoy the best view. A relaxed soundtrack and minor story elements hope to add a soothing atmosphere to the game. Quell Memento is coming to the Vita soon and there’s a trailer after the jump. Continue reading Trailer For New Vita Puzzler Quell Memento→
Review note: This review mainly focuses on the Vita version of the game. A few days ago (after already finishing the game on the Vita), I was also sent the PS3 version, which allowed me to test the Augmented Reality and cross-save features too. All images are my own screen grabs from the Vita version of the game. If you buy the PS3 version, you will get a free digital copy of the Vita game too.
Aside from the excellent HD re-release a while back, we’ve not had a Sly Cooper game since 2005. This has left a gaping wound in the platforming genre that nobody has even attempted to heal. Sucker Punch have long since left to work on the InFamous games, leaving unknowns Sanzaru to take over full-time after successfully overseeing the aforementioned HD collection. While probably not under as much pressure as 343 Industries with Halo 4, there are parallels. Let’s see how they got on.
A Capcom insider told a Japanese magazine that the reason behind the delay of Monster Hunter 4 on the 3DS was that the team were also working on a Vita version for simultaneous release. A Capcom executive has since denied the rumour saying, “I would not believe everything you read on the internet. It will set you up for disappointment or misdirected frustration.”
Well, this wouldn’t be the first time a rumour that turned out to be true was denied by a publisher. Seeing as the series has sold over 21 million games, we’re frankly surprised there hasn’t already been an announcement of a Monster Hunter Vita game. Capcom could do with the financial boost too seeing as sales of Resi 6failed to meet expectations.
If it wasn’t for the Lumines games on the old PSP the underperforming handheld would have faded into obscurity and the back of our cupboards much sooner than it sadly eventually did. As the Vita approaches its first birthday with a distinct lack of killer apps, I’ve been looking over its back-catalogue, desperate for something to justify charging the thing up more than once a month. Now available for under a tenner, Lumines: Electronic Symphony seemed like a good place to start and certainly better value than its initial £35 price tag.
Lumines is a block-puzzler but one that bears little resemblance to games like Tetris andBejeweled 2. By rotating falling blocks of four squares you must create patterns of like colours in 2×2 or bigger blocks. These blocks will then become highlighted and the constantly sweeping timeline comes and clears them from your pile.
The release date still hasn’t been nailed down, but we’re expecting the game around March. In the mean time, check out this new trailer which shows off the various parts that make up a mission for Sly and his fellow thieves.
Sly will be getting new skills depending which time period he’s visiting, here we see him don a shogun-samurai suit of armour. Fans of the series will know what to expect as they go through Bentley’s extravagant list of tasks before taking on the final heist mission for each area. Murray usually does the driving and muscle work, but his latest skill seems to involve enticing guards away with his feminine ways. Wait.. what?
Don’t forget, buying the PS3 game gives you free access to the Vita version too, which supports cross-saves. Check out the trailer after the jump. Continue reading Sly 4 Pulling the Heist Trailer→
Requested and rumoured for years, we finally have a game putting together a rich collection of the finest PlayStation-exclusive characters along with some top names from third-party brands for a mighty punch-up. The comparisons to Nintendo’s Smash Brothers are obvious, as they always were going to be, but I’m here to review the game on its own merits.
Buying the PS3 game also gives you access to a free download of the Vita version and I’ll go into details about the portable options later on. Let’s get stuck into the game itself on PS3 first.
Nihilistic’s first Vita game, Resistance: Burning Skies, proved that first-person shooters were a suitable match for Sony’s dual-analogue sporting handheld. Admittedly, the game was a bit basic, a bit ugly and rough around the edges, but compared to using the face buttons instead of a second analogue stick like we were forced to on the PSP, it handled like a dream.
On learning that they’d be handling the Vita’s first Call of Duty title though, I was a little concerned as I thought development would go to someone with a more impressive CV. But hey, I was probably worried when Sony gave a little known studio called Ready at Dawn the reigns to create aGod of War PSP game and they utterlynailed it.
Picking a simple premise for a game can be enough to make the most basic of efforts entertaining for hours. Just look at Angry Birds, Plants Vs Zombies or Calling All Cars – the latter being the best PSN game you’ve never played.
When Vikings Attack comes at us with its own simple mechanics aiming to be easy to pick up for the masses. Throw in multiplayer, cross-play with the Vita and extra characters to unlock and it’s clear that the developers think the game has a shot. These ambitions spiked my interest and after five minutes, I thought this could work. Sadly, after 15 minutes, it got boring. Half an hour later and it felt like all possibilities of enjoyment were driven from my very soul.
The Super Monkey Ball series hasn’t really found a home since the days of the GameCube. But from the looks of this new launch trailer, the PS Vita may be a perfect match for the series.
Featuring optional tilt controls, lots of touchscreen elements and a grand selection of minigames and local and online multiplayer modes this looks very promising. You don’t need me to tell you that everything’s better with monkeys. And this has Monkey flippin’ Bingo. Aces.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is out on the PS Vita now and you can see the trailer by clicking the link below.
Check out this interview with Richard Farrese, writer of Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation, to see lots of gameplay involving the PS Vita’s touchscreen and touchpad controls. The screen can be used to paddle a canoe and rear pad brushes let you sneakily pick the pockets of people around town.
We also get to see the new chained kills system, where Aveline builds up a metre by being stealthy, before pausing the action, allowing you to tap multiple targets to take out in spectacular fashion. We’ve not been excited for a Vita game in quite some time, but this is certainly looking like the best we’ve seen since Drake. See the video after the jump.
Sony have been way too quiet about the latest Sly Cooper game, but at least some release dates have been squeezed out of them. America will get the game February 5th, while Europe will have to settle for a vague ‘March’ date. Cheers.
We’d like to say that at least the game won’t get lost amidst all the Christmas releases, but so many big titles are going for that tactic now that we’re getting a second glut of games spilling over into the first quarter of 2013.
Oh dear. Just…oh god. Silent Hill you used to be terrifying for all the right reasons, now you’re just assaulting my eyes with some of the worst graphics we’ve ever seen on the Vita. We tried giving them the benefit of the doubt by saying it might be a downloadable title, but alas, this is a retail title.
The camera viewpoint points towards a Diablo-esque game, but presumably with unresponsive combat and more enemies that look like inside-out genitalia. The addition of multiplayer to this take on the series could be something of a winner though. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed this plays better than it looks.
The No Sleep Gamer 