Commander Fury

This weekend was a productive one for me, at least when it came to catching up on my gaming backlog. Breezing through <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/xcom-enemy-unknown/">XCOM: Enemy Unknown</a> last week cleared my plate to tackle PSN indie innovator The Unfinished Swan, along with a few games of social puzzler <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/10/15/treasure-park-for-ps-vita-how-to-play-like-a-pro/">Treasure Park</a> and minigame compilation <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/10/23/frobisher-says-is-free-on-ps-vita-today/">Frosbisher Says!</a> for PS Vita -- both are a blast, I'm happy to confirm. Better yet: both are free! I also got a few races in for <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/10/19/need-for-speed-most-wanted-4-things-you-need-to-know/">Need for Speed Most Wanted on PS Vita</a>, and it's quite a capable (and visually stunning) portable racer. I'm also busy reading up on assorted San Francisco propositions in preparation for Tuesday's presidential election. You will be voting, won't you? More...

<p style="text-align: justify;">On <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps3/">PS3</a> this week and available for download on <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/psn/">PSN</a>, Sackboy returns in a completely new adventure where players' fast-paced karting skills will be the key to saving the Craftworld universe. Get behind the steering wheel and get ready to race through fun-filled tracks, discover unlockables in open-world environments, and battle in karting arenas filled with pick-up items and LittleBigPlanet-esque weaponry in <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/littlebigplanet-karting/">LittleBigPlanet Karting</a>.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">With online cross-platform play and save compatibility between the <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps-vita/">PS Vita</a> and PS3, a battalion of Viking invaders have landed 1200 years late to the party in a bewildered and bewildering modern day Britain rife with rock ‘n’ roll, polyester, and color television. Unite the townsfolk and fight back against the invasion in <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/when-vikings-attack/">When Viking’s Attack</a>.</p> More...

This week's list o'links is a bit PS Vita heavy, but that's probably a good thing. Below, find reviews of titles such as Smart As..., Assassin's Creed III Liberation, Orgarhythm, Ragnarok Odyssey, and the game that has been owning my Vita as of late, Need for Speed: Most Wanted. With Persona 4: Golden, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, and Call of Duty: Declassified dropping over the course of the next couple of weeks, it's not a bad time to have a commute. For a change. Enjoy the <a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/daylight-saving-ends-time-for-2012-snoozing">extra hour today</a>, everyone. You didn't forget, did you? <strong>The PS.Blog weekly reading list (Week of October 29th, 2012)</strong> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.delicious.com/redirect?url=http%3A//www.psnation.org/2012/11/03/need-for-speed-most-wanted-what-you-cant-find-in-the-manual/">Need for Speed: Most Wanted – What You Can’t Find In The Manual - PSNation.org</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.giantbomb.com/news/the-humans-are-dead-long-live-the-beast/4433/">The Humans Are Dead, Long Live the Beast - Giant Bomb</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.delicious.com/redirect?url=http%3A//www.siliconera.com/2012/11/02/the-cyclops-in-soul-sacrifice-became-a-monster-after-sacrificing-his-eye/%3Futm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Bsiliconera%252FMkOc%2B%2528Siliconera%2529">The Cyclops In Soul Sacrifice Became A Monster After Sacrificing His Eye - Siliconera</a></li></ul> More...

Why hello there! Is it time to eat turkey yet? No? Well, at the very least it’s time for the <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/psn-spotlight/">PSN Community Spotlight</a>. For the unfamiliar, this is where PlayStation gamers tell their unique stories/experiences/thoughts, as submitted to this section in the <a href="http://community.us.playstation.com/t5/PSN-Community-Meets-the-PS-Blog/bd-p/22802">PlayStation Community Forums</a>. Those that make it all the way to the PlayStation Blog will receive a $50 PlayStation Store voucher. Last week we asked for your PlayStation stories, and gamer <a href="http://us.playstation.com/publictrophy/index.htm?onlinename=texas_ride">texas_ride</a> wrote in to tell us about his experiences with the PlayStation 2 & PlayStation 3 launches. More...

As you may have noticed, the new <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/playstation-store/">PlayStation Store</a> for <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps3/">PlayStation 3</a> is now available in the United States, Canada, Brazil and Mexico. Great new features like streaming trailers, improved search, new filter and sort options, as well as improved graphics, more game and video information, and easier access to add-ons are just some of the highlights. With so much content available, it’s a great time to jump in and check it out. We value your feedback and will continue to make enhancements, so please let us know what you think in the comment section below. More...

Tired of missing all the amazing comebacks, big plays and not being able to follow your fantasy team players in real time? Don’t worry. Everyone makes halftime adjustments, and you can too. Starting today, <a href="http://us.playstation.com/psn/nfl/">DIRECTV’s NFL SUNDAY TICKET</a> streamed in full HD to PS3 owners, is available for just $149.95 (reduced from the season start price of $299.95). If you’re already an NFL SUNDAY TICKET MAX subscriber through <a href="http://www.directv.com/">DIRECTV</a> and haven’t yet linked your account with your PlayStation 3, you can download the app from the PlayStation Store for free to access all the live streaming out-of-market games and premium content like the NFL Network’s RED ZONE Channel. In addition, you can access on-demand options like game and player stats, highlights, standings, and the full season schedule. More...

PlayStation(.Blog) Nation, Did you know that <a href="http://us.playstation.com/psvita/games-and-media/psv-persona-4-golden.html?CMP=soc_us__gm_sm_05_21_12">Persona 4 Golden</a> is only 18 days away? That’s 432 hours. 25,920 minutes. 1,555,200 seconds. THAT’S PRACTICALLY NOW, FRIENDS. Seeing as how P4G’s unique blend of social-life-developing and evil-shadow-defeating roleplaying gameplay is a must-own for <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps-vita/">PS Vita</a> owners (YEAH, I SAID IT), and it’s arguably reason enough for those pained on-the-fencers (Seriously, it must be getting super uncomfortable by now. We have soothing balm on the PS Vita side, come join us…) to hop off already and snag themselves a sexy new PS Vita, we figured why not pimp out the special pre-order bonus PS Vita skin while we’re at it? Oh, you haven’t heard of the <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/08/16/cover-your-ps-vita-in-persona-4-golden-but-only-if-you-pre-order/">pre-order bonus</a>? More...

As an immortal mercenary in <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/ccp-games/">DUST 514</a>, Skill Points are your dearest friends. They're your path to better gear, faster movement, deeper customization and even social standing. And on the war-torn planetary battlefields of New Eden, they don't come cheap. For an extended weekend, we're doubling the number of Skill Points our bullet-scarred beta testers will gain in every battle, from 1 November through 8 November. That means every headshot, NULL Cannon hack, dropship takedown – everything you do on the battlefield – will get you twice as close to your goal of galactic dominance. Whether you're working toward building the ultimate tank commander, striving to become a megacorporation CEO or simply trying to piece together your own unique hybrid warrior class, every single Skill Point helps. More...

Hey folks! <a href="http://us.playstation.com/psvita/games-and-media/psv-when-vikings-attack.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">When Vikings Attack!</a> is out November 6th (that's Tuesday!) for <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps3/">PS3</a> and <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps-vita/">PS Vita</a> via <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/psn/">PSN</a>, and is a Cross-Buy title -- buy it once, get it on both platforms. In the run up to release the team over at <a href="http://www.cleverbeans.co.uk/">Clever Beans</a> wanted to cast a bit more information out to help people understand the game a little better so we asked them to write a top 10 of interesting facts about the game and where it came from. The guys have loads of stories from the development of the game -- probably more than you’d think. So without further ado, we present: 10 mostly true facts you probably didn’t know about When Vikings Attack! More...

This week, the Music Unlimited service features <a href="http://blog.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com/2012/10/30/new-releases-on-the-music-unlimited-service-103012/">new releases</a> from <strong>Calvin Harris</strong>, <strong>Walk Off The Earth</strong>, and <strong>Riverboat Gamblers</strong>, as well as <strong>Cee Lo Green</strong>, <strong>Toby Keith</strong>, <strong>Neil Young & Crazy Horse</strong>, and <strong>Jack White</strong>. Also, in celebration of the <a href="http://www.funfunfunfest.com/">Fun Fun Fun Festival</a> in Austin, we just launched the new <a href="https://music.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com/#channel/921baaf835adeb42e040007f01002bdf/Premium">Fun Fun Fun Premium Channel</a> featuring a mix of the festival artists including<strong>Run DMC</strong>, <strong>Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros</strong>, <strong>Refused</strong>,<strong>A$SP Rocky</strong>, <strong>Against Me!</strong>, and more. Check out the details <a href="http://blog.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com/2012/10/30/new-premium-channel-fun-fun-fun-festival-2012/">here</a>. In video, check out <strong>The Amazing Spider-Man</strong> (Plus Bonus Features) before it hits DVD shelves, <strong>The Watch</strong> in HD, and <strong>Savages</strong> (Unrated) all in New Releases this week. More...

*So I know it seems I am running behind on this review, it is because I really wanted to get some good stick time before I gave my opinion on the game. Setting aside what I have seen around the net, I felt the only true justice would be to play this game in full [...] <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/7MUWe2t5GonjFu0NAOKdO4T8fTA/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/7MUWe2t5GonjFu0NAOKdO4T8fTA/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/7MUWe2t5GonjFu0NAOKdO4T8fTA/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/7MUWe2t5GonjFu0NAOKdO4T8fTA/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/UrgentFuryUnleashed?a=UuiWFytvFYk:6j26Z9-dQ_U:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/UrgentFuryUnleashed?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/UrgentFuryUnleashed?a=UuiWFytvFYk:6j26Z9-dQ_U:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/UrgentFuryUnleashed?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/UrgentFuryUnleashed?a=UuiWFytvFYk:6j26Z9-dQ_U:Ly1H5S7uc7A"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/UrgentFuryUnleashed?d=Ly1H5S7uc7A" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/UrgentFuryUnleashed/~4/UuiWFytvFYk" height="1" width="1"/> More...

So I know it seems I am running behind on this review, it is because I really wanted to get some good stick time before I gave my opinion on the game. Setting aside what I have seen around the net, I felt the only true justice would be to play this game in full both in Single Player and Multiplayer. So let’s start with the single player which is based on various past and current events including sniping the pirates out of the lifeboat from an US Navy Destroyer. I was a little underwhelmed by the single player only because of the length. I miss the games that you would have to play for days on end to complete. We actually did live broadcast the single player as we played through it and manage to finish it in a few sessions, but overall I feel it was short. I know this seems like a knock against Medal of Honor, and it is, but it seems to have become the accepted practice these days. Outside of the length, there were some minor issues with freezing during single player. As I found out the second freeze happened right before the point where the campaign completed which was quite irritating to say the least. Also, the AI is a bit on the naïve side which seems to be the case in more and more games. On the positive side, the graphics are rich throughout the game. I really enjoyed the attention to detail throughout the game. It made for a truly immersive effect for me, which I highly enjoy. I was taken by surprise when I had to drive vehicles including a level of evading. It was a nice break from the norm. The sniper mechanics were fantastic; I appreciate the fact that you had to factor in bullet drop to hit your targets. I will say the check point system was surprisingly well thought out. Both of the game freezes I experienced were mid to late level and had I known that I would be able to pick up at the last checkpoint I probably would not have raged as much. Over all the Single Player is rich in graphics and true to scenario gameplay, but almost too linear and short in my opinion. But I would still recommend it to my friends with no regrets at all. Now let’s talk multiplayer. Now don’t get me wrong I enjoyed Battlefield 3, but I am sorry, Medal of Honor blows it out of the water. I know, I know, the comms are crap and by all means you cannot function effectively without proper communications. I blame this on the lack of a beta for PlayStation. I am only speculating that had there been a beta on PlayStation, they could have identified this issue before release. To continue on the negative side of the multiplayer, I feel that the maps can be a bit small at times. I understand that you have a two-man fire team, but your full team is large enough for a larger map size. Now don’t go overboard of course, but I would like to see some larger open maps personally. The only other issue I really see is with the wealth of weapon unlocks, a majority of them seem to be more cosmetic than function. I mean who really wants three versions of the same magazine? And who’s idea was it that secondary weapons would have unlimited ammo? I would love to smack the guy that had this idea. Our biggest gripe is that there is a lack of means to set up a match between two clans. We have voiced this directly to the team and it really hurts the extended playability that is paramount to keeping your players coming back for more. DLC can only do so much. Now we are hearing rumors through the moderators at Battlelog that private servers are coming in a few months, but why are we not seeing this day one. We had written this game off for tournaments because we were advised this was neither an option nor a priority. Finally the other irritation I have is with the invite system, I love the idea of being able to send a mass invite, but could you limit it to only those online in Medal of Honor. I spent ten minutes apologizing to friends that did not even have the game after I sent a mass invite out. Moving along to the positive side, well this is a surprise that the game was quite stable on release. I was able to dive right into the servers with no issues. The party system is pretty great. You are able to lock your fire team buddy so that you can stick together and joining a server is quite easy. Once you are in-game, having the ability to adjust your loadouts according to the situation at hand is simple and actually quick. You are able to set up each of your soldiers loadouts before you are in a match, but if needed you are able to adjust it on the fly with little issue. I have noticed that every now and then it will switch you back to what you started with, but it only takes a second to switch it back. The gun mechanics are pretty spot on, no gun seems to overpowered beyond the rage metered though I think there could be some minor adjustments here and there. I spend a lot of time sniping since that is my thing and I like how when you activate the supported function, you are limited in your movement. Gunfights really do come down to skill in most situations and the PDM is not overly powerful such as the PMN was in Socom. With the secondary weapons having unlimited ammo, you have to be on your toes with your primary magazine. That point where your opponent runs out of ammo and switches to their secondary can mean life or death. The modes are quite pleasing as well, you can opt to play a single mode or a couple of mixtures, but I would love to see a matchmaking option that includes all modes. I really enjoy Hot Spot and even Team Death Match. I have never been big on respawn games, but I can live with the respawn limit in many of the modes. Outside of TDM, the modes do require that you use teamwork to really have any chance of winning. Especially in the bomb planting modes, you will find that the locations are well balanced with multiple plant options. Many of us remember the single plant in a circle set up in Socom making it very easy for the defending team to camp on that location from a few different angles. With the varied plant locations, you are able to get in a blind spot and plant while giving you the ability to try and setup to defend your plant. I could go on for days, but overall I am pleasantly surprised by the Multiplayer and actually look forward to playing with friends nightly. If we really do see private servers, the game will be worthy of tournament play and we will make sure to get the word out very quickly once it happens. Overall I would recommend everyone give this game a good try. And if you are a PlayStation Plus member, you can hit up a one hour open trial. Strap on your boots boys, there’s a military shooter that needs your attention!! Concept Graphics Sound Playability Entertainment Replay With the current issues we are rating this an 8 out of 10, but had there been private servers and the comms were working out of the gate this would have easily been a 9 out of 10 hands down! View the full article

<blockquote><strong>Subscription Links:</strong> <ul><li>Subscribe via <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/official-playstation-blogcast/id483223024?mt=2">iTunes here</a> </li> <li>Subscribe via <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheOfficialPlaystationBlogcast">RSS here</a></li> <li>Download the <a href="http://traffic.libsyn.com/playstation/49_Episode_049__Podcast_in_Distress.mp3">MP3 here</a> on PS3, PS Vita or PC (Right-Click->Save As)</li></ul></blockquote> Today's show was a delight. Not only were we graced with the inimitable presence of Games Radar Reviews Editor <a href="https://twitter.com/sterling_m">Sterling McGarvey</a>, we had a lot of time to talk about <em>games</em>. Big games (<a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/assassin-s-creed-iii-ps3.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">Assassin's Creed III</a>), small games (the fascinating <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/10/05/planet-in-distress-on-psn-more-than-a-pretty-face/">PID</a>), fast games (<a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/vanquish/">Vanquish</a>), slow games (<a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/xcom-enemy-unknown-ps3.html">XCOM: Enemy Unknown</a>), thinking-man's games (<a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/11/01/portal-2-in-motion-on-psn-tuesday-full-game-getting-ps-move-support/">Portal 2 In Motion</a>), twitch games (<a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/when-vikings-attack/">When Vikings Attack</a>), even unfinished games (<a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/the-unfinished-swan/">The Unfinished Swan</a>). More...

We gave the world a glimpse at <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/e312/">E3</a> back in June, and now it’s official. On November 6th, 2012, <a href="http://sixense.com/">Sixense</a> will launch Portal 2 In Motion, a motion DLC campaign for Valve’s <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/portal-2/">Portal 2</a> on <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/playstation-move/">PlayStation Move</a>. Our development team at Sixense has applied our expertise in motion gaming to create what we believe will be the defining experience for PlayStation Move. The Portal 2 In Motion DLC will be priced at $9.99 on PSN. We’ll also have a special launch promotion of 30% off for <a href="http://us.playstation.com/psn/playstation-plus/">PlayStation Plus</a> members. Those who are familiar with Sixense know that over the past few years we have focused on delivering motion gaming experiences that are intuitive and natural for users. We are excited to now work with Sony and Valve to deliver content that takes advantage of the advanced motion tracking of the PlayStation Move. More...

Last November we launched <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/11/10/uncharted-3-ships-3-8m-copies.aspx">3.8 million copies</a> of Drake’s third adventure day one. We received <a href="http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/uncharted-3-drakes-deception">amazing critical reception</a> and some remarkable fan response. It was awesome. Fifteen patches later our design ideas and your comments on <a href="http://community.us.playstation.com/t5/Naughty-Dog-Discussion/ct-p/14811">our forums</a> continue to help us make it even more amazing. Today marks a special day as <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/uncharted-3-drakes-deception-ps3.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception</a> turns one year old. We are still hard at work making Uncharted 3 an even more robust experience by fleshing out our multiplayer, including things like the Tournament System that we recently introduced. We’ll be letting all our next ideas free once they are ready, but today we are celebrating by unveiling a long standing project. It’s a beauty. More...

Happy Halloween, everyone! This is an exciting day for all of us on the <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/until-dawn-ps3.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">Until Dawn</a> team with our minds occupied by ghouls, beasts, and other things that go bump in the night. We love teen-horror movies (“DON’T OPEN THAT DOOR," we cry... but alas, they always do). That’s why we’re so excited about Until Dawn: this game provides a truly interactive teen-horror experience! Until Dawn puts you in control of eight teenagers, stranded in a remote location, under threat and trying with all their might to survive 'til sunrise. Since today is Halloween, we have a special treat from Supermassive Games hinting at some of the scariest moments in the game. Don’t worry: no spoilers here. More...

Well, it’s my favorite time of year again - Halloween, when all the ghosts and ghouls come out to scare the pants off of us for a single dark night. It’s also the one night of the year that we can all pig out on candy and sweets and not have to feel guilty. Well, not that guilty. You all probably know by now my love for Tim Burton and his amazing gothic aesthetic. This was something that I really had in the back of my mind when creating <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/puppeteer-ps3.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">Puppeteer</a> - dark and creepy but with a great sense of humor. Of course, his work on <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107688/">Nightmare Before Christmas</a> is phenomenal but I also love his short movie <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_(film)">Vincent</a>, voiced by Vincent Price. In the same vein, Puppeteer is packed to the rafters with insane situations and creepy fun, all wrapped around gameplay that will keep you coming back for more. More...

Last week, Steven shared with you the wonderful <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/10/22/sack-it-to-me-littlebigplanet-karting-gets-a-story-trailer/">LittleBigPlanet Karting Story Trailer</a>, which tells you a bit more about the The Hoard, the venomous villains which have travelled on speedy go-karts from far, far away to seek out and steal Craftworld’s precious prizes. This week, in celebration of Halloween, the team is ready to present a brand-new <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/littlebigplanet-karting-ps3.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">LittleBigPlanet Karting</a> trailer befitting the spookiest of nights! Dressed up as a vampire, hands gripping a wheel of bones, Sackboy and his racing buddies rev their skull karts’ engines… to battle each other in a race through a mystical and spine-chilling version of Craftworld! More...

Whether for a bounty of candy to induce a wonderfully gluttonous sugar coma, or simply to transform ourselves like Sly Cooper into The Amazing Cooperoni, Halloween’s magical powers never fails at making us all feel incredible for one night. Our master thief raccoon, Sly Cooper, and his pals Murray, Bentley and Carmelita may not need Halloween to hoodwink others but they do fancy concealing their real identities to pull off some of the greatest heists in history. Check out the stealthiest <a href="http://us.playstation.com/psvita/games-and-media/psv-sly-cooper-thieves-in-time.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time</a> trailer yet, just in time for Halloween. You’ll catch a glimpse of the different get-ups Sly acquires in each time period to blend in. Each costume has its own special abilities to solve puzzles, reach new areas and kill enemies. What are you dressing up as this year? Share with us below and have a spooktacular Halloween! More...

Panic is coming soon to <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/playstation-mobile/">PlayStation Mobile</a>! After thousands of years on a poky little space rock, with no wiggle room and no games to play, Panic’s Alien Slime Monster has crash-landed on Earth -- and it’s angry. The monster doesn’t hate humans, and it hasn’t been sent here to destroy us; It’s just in a really bad mood. If you don’t act fast, the whole city will become a giant slime bath! Panic! plays a bit like a labyrinth game, but with a twist: you can reshape the labyrinth. The goal of the game is to save as many civilians as possible by toppling houses and diverting flowing slime away from them. Failed to rescue one? Throw a buoy for that last-minute save. Is the slime coming from all directions? Throw a bomb to level an entire block and create a huge barricade. More...

<a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/assassin-s-creed-iii-ps3.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">Assassin’s Creed III</a> is finally here, and you can purchase multiple bundles, depending on what you want. You can purchase the standalone game, the game plus the Season’s Pass or the game plus the Season’s Pass PLUS the PS Vita game <a href="http://us.playstation.com/psvita/games-and-media/psv-assassin-s-creed-iii-liberation.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">Assassin’s Creed III Liberation</a>. Of course, if you prefer to burn rubber, <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/need-for-speed-most-wanted-ps3.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">Need for Speed: Most Wanted</a> is out today on both PS3 and PS Vita. Also, if you missed out on the classic <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/okami-hd/">Okami</a>, you can now play it in HD with Trophy support. In addition to Assassin’s Creed III Liberation and Need for Speed, PS Vita is getting some good content this week including <a href="http://us.playstation.com/psvita/games-and-media/psv-ragnarok-odyssey.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">Ragnarok Odyseey</a>, LEGO Lord of the Rings and the puzzle game <a href="http://us.playstation.com/psvita/games-and-media/psv-smart-as.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">Smart As…</a>.<a href="http://us.playstation.com/psvita/games-and-media/psv-street-fighter-x-tekken.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">Street Fighter X Tekken</a> released last week on PS Vita, and there’s a ton more costumes and gem packs for you to download, so get fighting. More...

Hey everyone, Aaron here from SEGA. If you, like me, are a gamer with fond memories of Super Monkey Ball (Did anyone else play hours of Monkey Target?), and if you're a <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps-vita/">PS Vita</a> owner, this is a pretty awesome week for you: <a href="http://us.playstation.com/psvita/games-and-media/psv-super-monkey-ball-banana-splitz.html">Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz</a> is out now! If you’re new to the SMB scene, the game is a skill-based platformer at heart with over 100 unique levels, but is also packed with multiplayer mini-games that take advantage of the PS Vita features. For the first time ever in a Monkey Ball game, we’ve also included a custom level creator that uses the PS Vita camera! And yes, Monkey Target, SMB’s most beloved mini-game (and perhaps most hilarious drinking game) is back in all its glory. More...

Our new social brain training experience for <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps-vita/">PlayStation Vita</a>, <a href="http://us.playstation.com/psvita/games-and-media/psv-smart-as.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">Smart As</a>, officially launches today. We’ve had a great time making the game, but the fun really starts now that you get to play and we get to see your scores climb the leader boards. With Smart As, our goal was to create a cool compilation of puzzle games that let you have a blast while testing your skills at the four key areas of Logic, Arithmetic, Language and Observation. We also wanted to create a truly social experience letting you compete and prove that you are smarter than your friends, family, your city, country and ultimately the entire world via our online leaderboards. You can also share and compare all your stats with other Smart As fans and brag about how smart you are on your favorite social networks like Facebook and Twitter, all without leaving the game. More...

At long last I’m pleased to share that the great goddess Amaterasu is ready to save the world once again! <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/okami-hd/"> More...

As a small Japanese developer specializing in a niche genre, it is a great pleasure to be able to release one of our games internationally. Under Defeat HD: Deluxe Edition will be our first <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps3/">PS3</a> / <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/psn/">PlayStation Network</a> title distributed outside of Japan, and our first international package release since WarTech: Senko no Ronde in 2007. Old-school. Retro. While we do use those terms to describe the titles we develop, fundamentally we hope to make games that are of the same cloth as the classics we played and loved in our youth. Our studio was built on the concept of creating “game-like games†– drawing from the dynamics and style of past favorites. We have felt that the number of similar games on the market have dwindled, particularly in recent years. More...