Commander Fury

Back on August 30, 1987, Capcom released Street Fighter in arcades, which seemed relatively innocuous until you gave it a second look. The graphics were average for the time, the voice acting was quite muffled, and the controls were strict and unforgiving. You could normally only choose a single character – a redheaded, red-shoed martial artist named Ryu – unless a second player came on, in which case they could play a blonde clone named Ken. Most people who play it would agree that it’s not the best game in the series, but there were people who saw its potential, and decided to continue the franchise with Street Fighter II. With that, one of the video games' biggest icons stepped into the spotlight. Over the past 25 years, Street Fighter has worked itself up from humble beginnings in the arcade to being a cultural phenomenon throughout the world. Millions of people interact with it every day, in a myriad of ways. In all truth, the fans define the franchise as much as the games. And it was these people who inspired the creation of the Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Collector’s Set. More...

This Wednesday, September 19th, <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/playstation-home/" target="_blank">PlayStation Home</a> gets a Casino update, x7 gets some early-access companions from Lockwood, the Gift Machine has a free bacon companion to share, Granzella releases the Secluded Retreat personal space and more! Here’s this week’s list of updates and new goodies: <strong>1. Digital Leisure – Poker Update</strong> Never ceasing to keep polishing their glitzy games, The Casino Management wishes to share a message with the community. More...

School is back in session, and while I love my job here at PlayStation, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous of all of you playing video games in your dorms, getting ready for big home football games, and sleeping till noon. Even though I can’t go back to school this year, PlayStation certainly can! Starting this Thursday, September 20th, we’re launching the <a href="http://us.playstation.com/events/psoncampus.html">PlayStation On Campus Tour</a>, sending two vans packed with PlayStation goodness to college campuses across America. At each stop on tour, we will be rolling out four decked out gaming spaces, each dedicated to an awesome PS3 or PS Vita title. More...

Tomorrow, <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/dc-universe-online-ps3.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">DC Universe Online</a>'s latest DLC pack, Hand of Fate, will go live. Hand of Fate is our fifth DLC pack, and it will be unlike anything we’ve offered to date. We're incredibly excited for you to check it out. We have designed this DLC to get you and your friends fighting again in DCUO's open world. We want you back out there, battling in the DC Universe's most storied locations - Gotham City and Metropolis. With the massive open world areas in the game, we felt it was time that we enriched these areas in unexpected ways to give you a deeper gameplay experience as you encounter the world and other players. The content is high-fidelity, but serial in nature – our high-end players will definitely enjoy this. We have new group missions we call Operations, as well as more than 60 unique side missions. Additionally, we have added the Utility Belt Attachments feature. More...

Hey Vault Hunters, the wait is nearly over! You’ve seen all the gameplay videos, you’ve read all the previews, you’ve possibly even played our demo at <a href="blog.us.playstation.com/tag/pax12">PAX</a>, now it’s time for you to finally get your hands on <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/borderlands-2/">Borderlands 2</a> for <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps3/">PlayStation 3</a> when it hits store shelves everywhere and <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/psn/">PlayStation Network</a> in North America Tuesday, September 18th! The development team at <a href="http://www.gearboxsoftware.com/">Gearbox Software</a> has worked tirelessly over the last few years to make this game live up to the mantra “bigger, better, and more badass,†and we’re all so excited for you to experience the shooting and looting mayhem for yourself. If you haven’t let Sir Hammerlock take you on a tour of Pandora yet, check out the video below to learn about some of the exciting things you’ll discover in the game. For example, Borderlands 2 has 870 bazillion guns! According to our team’s math wiz, that’s approximately 800 bazillion more guns than the 17,750,000 that the <a href="http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/gamers/index.html">Guinness Book of World Records</a> said was in the first game! More...

As some of you may have seen already, copies of <a href="http://us.playstation.com/psvita/games-and-media/psv-littlebigplanet-playstation-vita.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">LittleBigPlanet PS Vita</a> have been <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/09/15/sackboy-popping-up-early-on-ps-vita/">popping up early</a> at various retailers. If you’ve been lucky enough to snag a copy, I hope you’re enjoying the early access! Keep in mind, the servers won’t go live until September 18th, so online play won’t be available for another day, but you can still play the game offline in its entirety. And now that you’re beginning to dig into Sackboy’s latest mobile adventure, we have a whole bunch of goodies and treats to show you. LittleBigPlanet PS Vita has been developed by Tarsier Studios and Double Eleven with a brand new story that takes place not on Craftworld, but on the travelling planet of Carnivalia. Once the bringer of joy and laughter, Carnivalia has now been taken over by the mysterious Puppeteer and his evil henchmen, the Hollows! Now it creates joy only to steal it all back again. So, it’s up to Sackboy to save the Omniverse when the game officially launches in North America on September 25th! More...

<p style="text-align: justify;">On <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps3/">PS3</a> this week, Borderlands 2 furthers the distinct blending of First Person Shooter and Role Playing genres to create the true evolution of the Role Playing Shooter. Team up with up to three other players for four-player online goodness or go old-school with two-player split-screen couch sharing mayhem as you spend hours leveling up your character and equipping them with one of the millions of badass weapons.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">On <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/psn/">PSN</a> this week. Tag, grind, and trick to the beat in SEGA’s hit game Jet Set Radio! Fight for control of Tokyo, mark your turf with graffiti, tag walls, billboards, and even rival gang members. Also on PSN as a full digital download, visit the modern day reinvention of one of the most critically acclaimed arcade franchises of all-time, SSX allows players to experience the franchise's signature fun and adrenaline-packed gameplay across iconic mountain ranges all over the world. Enjoy this week’s <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/the-drop/">The Drop</a>.</p> More...

A great couple of weeks lie ahead of us, and the highlight over the next few days is likely to be <a href="http://tgs.cesa.or.jp/english/">Tokyo Game Show</a>. <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/author/freddutton/">Fred from the EU PlayStation Blog</a> is winging his way to Japan as we speak, so look for TGS-related posts to start popping up here on the Blog late midweek. For those of us that won't be in Tokyo this week, look forward to <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/08/20/fight-to-survive-in-tokyo-jungle-coming-to-psn-september-25th/">Tokyo Jungle</a>. This most unusual game is coming to PSN next week, and is pulling some rave reviews (find them below). And this week brings us <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/borderlands-2-ps3.html">Borderlands 2</a>. Reviews should start rolling in tomorrow, and I expect them to be very, very high. More...

We (meaning the inhabitants of the northern hemisphere) are precisely one week away from the official beginning of fall. And you know what that means: Mountains of new game releases, whether it's LittleBigPlanet for PS Vita (September 25th), Assassin's Creed III and Assassin's Creed III: Liberation for PS Vita (October 30th), Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (November 13th), PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (November 20th) or the countless other games releasing between now and the end of the year. Next week begins the bombardment in earnest with Borderlands 2. What fall 2012 game are you most looking forward to? This week certainly wasn't a quiet one, as you'll see below. Other weekly highlights included the release of <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/09/10/investigate-red-johnsons-chronicles-one-against-all-on-psn-tomorrow/">Red Johnson's Chronicles - One Against All</a>, the confirmed October 2nd release of the <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/09/11/ps-vita-with-3g-and-wi-fi-comes-to-canada-october-2nd/">3G/Wi-Fi PS Vita in Canada</a>, new details on <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/09/11/lets-fish-hooked-on-aims-to-reel-in-ps-vita-gamers/">Let's Fish!</a> and <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/09/14/dokuro-on-ps-vita-this-little-skeletons-got-guts/">Dokuro</a> on PS Vita, the <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/09/14/god-of-wars-top-5-epic-moments-number-four-brothers-in-arms/">fourth installment</a> of our God of War "epic moments" countdown, and big updates for PlayStation Home with <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/09/13/dev-qa-homes-cutthroats-battle-for-black-powder-cove-going-2-0/">Cuthroats 2.0</a> and word of <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/09/14/intellivision-comes-to-playstation-home-with-updated-classics/">Intellivision's</a> imminent invasion. Not bad! More...

Hi everyone - production on LittleBigPlanet PlayStation Vita was completed earlier than expected, and due to the excitement from our retail partners, some have decided to put it on shelves as soon as the product was received. You'll still be able to fully enjoy all the offline features of the game until that time, but the servers will not go live until September 18th. We apologize for any confusion this may cause and will keep you posted on any further updates. More...

Ah, Saturday. A day filled with bacon, cheesy eggs and 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 PlayStation.Blog will receive a $50 PlayStation Store voucher. We continued the trend of general PlayStation brand stories last week, and gamer <a href="http://us.playstation.com/publictrophy/index.htm?onlinename=raraja">Raraja</a> wrote in to tell us about how he converted a student from a skeptic to a PlayStation fan. More...

There have been countless unfathomably epic moments in every God of War game, but only five will reign as the most epic moments of all-time. Thankfully, the God of War Facebook community determined this coveted list when we asked “What is your favorite God of War epic moment of all-time?†If you missed no. 5, then you missed <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/09/07/god-of-wars-top-5-epic-moments-number-five-destroying-zeus-and-cronos/">one deadly, vengeful family affair</a>. We know it was technically "two" epic moments, but who's complaining when it's family-related -- especially Kratos' lineage. It may not be the last time on this list either... As we celebrate the release of the <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/god-of-war-saga-ps3.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">God of War: Saga</a>, let's continue our weekly countdown of your top five God of War epic moments with #4 from Ghost of Sparta -- a tag-team boss battle, in a critical situation when Kratos (or perhaps his brother) absolutely needed it. More...

This week, the <a href="http://www.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com/music-unlimited/why-music-unlimited/">Music Unlimited</a> service features new releases DMX, Dave Matthews Band, and Little Big Town, as well as new albums from David Guetta, The Raveonettes, Calexico, BLAQK AUDIO, and Hoobastank. Also, be sure to check out our latest record label retrospective, the Merge Records Premium Channel. Featuring some of indie rock’s biggest names you can hear a wide variety of the label’s roster. Find it now in the premium channels section of the Music Unlimited service. <a href="http://www.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com/video-unlimited/">Video Unlimited</a> is all about the new fall TV season this week. If you missed the premier of the new season of Sons of Anarchy, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered. Check it out in TV Shows and don’t miss the new series, Revolution. We have the premier available before it comes to network TV next week! More...

Intellivision Productions, Inc. is excited to announce three of its classic games are coming to <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/playstation-home/">PlayStation Home</a>. Astrosmash, Shark! Shark! and Night Stalker, which thrilled players in the early 1980s, have been upgraded while staying true to the spirit of the games’ classic looks and game play. We think of them as “enhanced yet completely faithful conversions,†but we call them Intellivision Gen2. When the Intellivision console was introduced in 1980, it drew attention with its 16-bit graphics. Of course, it takes more than great graphics to make great games, and Intellivision fans quickly discovered the fun of iconic games such as Astrosmash, Shark! Shark!, Night Stalker and many others. Until now, the games released by Intellivision Productions and its publishing partners have primarily been exact, faithful reproductions – usually deliberate emulations – of the original titles. While this great for players who want to relive their childhoods, we’ve wanted to try updating the games a bit; putting in some features we would have liked to put in back then. More...

The charming skeletal hero Dokuro may not get the love he deserves, but that certainly doesn’t stop him from saving the day. With a captivating chalk-drawn setting and adorable fairytale themes, Dokuro provides a unique platform-puzzle experience that will flex your mind and heart! One day Dokuro’s boss, the great and powerful Dark Lord, returns to his castle with a beautiful princess in tow. I suppose “in-cage†is more accurate, since this particular princess did not come of her own free will. From the moment Dokuro lays his eyes on her, our bony hero is love-struck and resolves to save her from his master’s treacherous castle. The Princess pays no mind to imminent danger and will automatically move forward until she reaches an obstacle she cannot cross. Dokuro’s main goal is to get the Princess from point A to point B. Naturally the path is always complicated by traps, pitfalls, and the occasional flying demon. These puzzles will take all the moxie and gumption you can muster as you travel through floors of ever-increasing complexity. More...

<blockquote> <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/Episode_042__Dishonoring_Borderlands_2.mp3">MP3 here</a> on PS3, PS Vita or PC (Right-Click->Save As)</li></ul></blockquote> Next week’s release of <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/borderlands-2/">Borderlands 2</a> is weighing awfully heavily on our minds! In today’s very special interview, we invite <a href="http://www.gearboxsoftware.com/">Gearbox Software</a> Creative Director Paul Hellquist to answer a battery of questions from Jeff, myself, <a href=" ">and <em>you</em></a>. We touch on just about everything: the game’s vastly enhanced variety, co-op improvements, weapon manufacturers, questing, level caps, DLC, and much more. If you’re dying for next Tuesday, this is one interview you won’t want to miss. More...

The frontier of <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> offers an incredible bounty of wildlife for a skilled and dedicated hunter. The wilderness positively sprawls before Connor, ensuring that its boundless resources are always available. Adventure awaits beyond the protective city walls of Boston, and I’d like to give you a glimpse of a tiny fraction of what you can expect to find within the forests and glades of the frontier. Let’s begin with the simpler game Connor can capture, and a few examples of how he can put them to use. The animals pictured in the image above can be found roaming the countryside in AC3, and you’ll find them the easiest to catch. Hares, foxes, deer, raccoons and beavers shouldn’t present much danger to a canny trapper like Connor, but these animals (so frequently preyed upon by the larger predators) can be incredibly skittish and will bolt if they detect a human presence. More...

Last week, PlayStation Home got an update to the action-packed free-to-play multiplayer game, Cutthroats: Battle for Black Powder Cove. With this news, I jumped on the phone to chat with Michael Mumbauer, Director of the Visual Arts Service Group (VASG), a madly creative department within Sony Computer Entertainment America. VASG has been helping make Home content nearly since Home went Open Beta and has made some of the most entertaining items and spaces, including the Home Mansion. Although VASG creates art and code for other development teams, like several of the World Wide Studios, this is their very first full-game. Michael was kind enough to let me ask some questions that will shed a little insight on the decisions that went into this 2.0 update. More...

It is known that in New Eden only the strongest corporations survive. Others just perish in their wake, or join them. The EVE Online universe - where demigods operate vast numbers of ships and immortal mercenaries fight for planetary dominance - will be cruel to anyone that dares to venture deep enough into it. Do you believe that you can form a corporation and lead the merchants of death? Are you ready to put money, your pride, and your eternal life on the line for a group of people that you can trust for the eternal glory of New Eden? You better be, because Corporations are what holds this universe together, and should you choose to either lead or follow, this is what you should know before you begin your immortal journey in <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/dust-514-ps3.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">DUST 514</a>... New Eden is a single shard universe, hosting hundreds of thousands of EVE Online players for more than nine years, and everyone plays together at the same time. Now, you have the opportunity to be part of it. More...

Announced last week, the <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/09/06/killzone-trilogy-joins-playstation-collection-on-october-23rd/">Killzone Trilogy</a> box set combines Killzone 2 and Killzone 3 with a high-definition <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps3/">PS3</a> remaster of the original Killzone. Today we take a closer look at Killzone HD, and the challenging new trophy set that comes with it. Originally released for PlayStation 2 in 2004, Killzone tells the story of Jan Templar, an ISA Captain whose home planet comes under attack from a Helghast invasion army. Together with a hot-headed sergeant named Rico, a deadly Shadow Marshal known as Luger, and the half-human, half-Helghast spy Hakha, Templar must attempt to reactivate the Orbital Defense Platform and drive the invading forces from his planet Vekta. This rip-roaring introduction to the Killzone universe has been remastered in HD for inclusion with the Killzone Trilogy bundle. More...

<a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/psn-play/">PSN PLAY 2012</a> provided a ton of great new <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/psn/">PSN</a> games; from <a href="http://us.playstation.com/psvita/games-and-media/psv-sound-shapes.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">Sound Shapes</a>, to <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/papo-yo-ps3.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">Papo & Yo</a>; but when it came to sales, <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/counter-strike-global-offensive-ps3.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">Counter Strike: Global Offensive</a> emerged as the victor. Valve’s hit franchise debuted with a powerful shot of multiplayer-centric action, so if you haven’t checked it out yet, download it today and get on the battlefield. Representing more of the PSN PLAY 2012 lineup, Sound Shapes debuts on this month's top sellers list, coming in at No. 4 on <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps3/">PS3</a> and No. 1 on <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps-vita/">PS Vita</a>! Congratulations to Queasy Games and Santa Monica Studios on another hit. More...

Jet Set Radio is returning in glorious HD on <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/psn/">PlayStation Network</a> and <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps-vita/">PS Vita</a> as part of Sega’s Heritage Collection! Originally launched in the year 2000 on Dreamcast, Jet Set Radio has always been regarded as a true SEGA classic – bringing a genre-bending mix of rollerblading, stylish graffiti, and a soundtrack that people are still talking about to this day. Set in Tokyo-to, Jet Set Radio is the name of the pirate radio station that fuels the local street gangs called ‘Rudies’. The game follows a group of Rudies called The GG’s, as they challenge the rival gangs for control of Tokyo-to. Powered by magnetically enhanced in-line skates, they grind, jump and tag their way while avoiding the ever present and increasingly ruthless police force. Our goal with Jet Set Radio (and indeed all the Heritage Collection titles) has been to deliver the closest experience to the original product and, when possible, improve on it. Wait – I know the chill you get when the word ‘improve’ is mentioned in the same breath as your favorite game, and I can assure you that the core of the game is completely unchanged. The levels are just as beautiful as the original, just more so when displayed in full HD, 16×9 resolution. More...

<a href="http://facebook.com/HomeTycoon">Home Tycoon</a> is the first 3D city-building game where you can create your dream city from the ground up, explore it at street level as your own avatar, and share your metropolis with friends – and it’s coming soon, exclusively to <a href="http://us.playstation.com/psn/playstation-home/">PlayStation Home</a>. We’ve been hard at work on Home Tycoon for quite some time here at Hellfire Games, and we can’t wait to get the game out to the Home community. Featuring a robust city-building simulation, tons of story-driven missions and activities, vehicle driving (complete with turbo-charged cars and stunt ramps), and over 50 avatar rewards to unlock, Home Tycoon is unlike anything you’ve seen in the genre before, and the first game of its kind in PlayStation Home. More...

Hi everyone! After a long journey navigating the sometimes-challenging waters of new IP development, we’re proud to reveal Fuse. Fuse, formerly known as Overstrike, is a third person, four-player cooperative game that centers around a volatile energy source that has fallen into the wrong hands. The substance, called Fuse, has been acquired by a terrorist organization known as Raven and Overstrike 9 has been hired to track down and stop it from setting off a deadly arms race. You can play with up to three of your friends, and each member of Overstrike 9 has its own signature Fuse-powered weapon. Play as Dalton Brooks, an ex-mercenary who has a Mag-shield that acts as portable cover and unleashes a devastating blast that liquefies opponents. Take on the role of Naya Deveraux, who can cloak to flank enemies and fire out mini-black holes that implode its victims. More...

<a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/09/10/playstation-plus-update-free-double-dragon-neon-and-scott-pilgrim-early-jet-set-radio-access/">As previously announced</a>, both Double Dragon Neon and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World The Game are now part of the PlayStation Plus Instant Game Collection, so get downloading. Besides the side-scrolling beat ‘em ups, Plus members also get early access to Jet Set Radio (it officially debuts next week) and at 10% off. Get it fast, because the discount is only during this early access week. If you aren’t a Plus member, you can check out both Double Dragon Neon and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World via their demos to see if you like them. A couple PS3 Full Games hit the Store today -- you’ll now find that both Max Payne 3 and FIFA Street are available, and that’s great news if you like shooting guns or soccer. Plus members also get a nice 33% discount on Max Payne 3, or 10% off of the Max Payne 3 bundle, which includes a Rockstar Pass. As always, please leave your thoughts in the comments below. You can also chat about this update in the <a href="http://community.us.playstation.com/">PlayStation Community Forums</a>. More...