Commander Fury

<em>Important! If you attend the PAX 2012 God of War: Ascension panel in person, we will give you a way to access the upcoming God of War: Ascension multiplayer beta!</em> God of War fans! For the first time in the history of this epic franchise, the gods of <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/santa-monica-studios/">Sony Santa Monica Studio</a> will be throwing down the gauntlet in our first-ever God of War panel! This is a panel you do not want to miss. Unless you want Kratos to seek revenge on you for not watching, and you know how that goes down. The panel will take place in the great halls of PAX 2012 this <strong>Friday, August 31st from 5:00pm to 6:00pm in the Unicorn Theater</strong> (located in the Convention Center). If you're not attending PAX, you can watch the livestream on Twitch.tv! God of War has always been about providing you the most epic “larger-than-life†moments and you can rest assured we’re going to make sure our fans remember “this hour.†So what in the name of Kratos is going down?! More...

Hello PlayStation Nation! <a href="http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/content/sports/nfl'>http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/content/sports/nfl">NFL SUNDAY TICKET</a> is returning in time for the NFL‘s regular season opening weekend on September 9th. All existing <a href="http://www.directv.com/">DIRECTV</a> subscribers who have the NFL SUNDAY TICKET MAX plan will be able to download the <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps3/">PS3</a> application from <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/psn/">PlayStation Network</a> for free, and live stream every out-of-market NFL football game every Sunday afternoon this season in full HD. In addition, you will have access to DIRECTV’S the RED ZONE CHANNEL at no additional charge. RED ZONE delivers the final yards of every scoring drive and other exciting moments from all Sunday afternoon games as they happen, and it’s a great way to stay on top of the day’s highlights. More...

<a href="http://prime.paxsite.com/">Penny Arcade Expo</a> (also known as PAX) has become one of the biggest celebrations of video games, video game developers, and video game players in the world. We’re excited to attend the show this year to show off <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/playstation-all-stars-battle-royale-ps3.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale</a> to the masses. To give you a sneak peek at some of the content you’ll be able to play on the show floor, we’re actually unveiling one of our new characters a little early. Lucky you! We’re excited to finally announce the addition of Konami’s Raiden from the Metal Gear Solid series to our roster! Raiden’s appearance in PlayStation All-Stars marks the first time he has been playable in a fighting game, so we hope you’re all as hyped as we are to finally see him in action against the likes of Dante, Kratos, Heihachi, Cole MacGrath and other high-profile fighters. With his high-frequency blade and cyborg ninja abilities, how does he stack up against the rest of the cast? More...

Building the first <a href="http://mutekicorp.com/games/dragon-fantasy/">Dragon Fantasy</a> was an amazing experience. And after pouring your heart and soul into a project like that, you can only think "Where do I go from here?". After we'd really pushed the limits of 8-bit gameplay and graphics with the first game, we knew it was time to bump the game a “generationâ€. This meant being a lot more ambitious with what we wanted to do, and bigger ambitions require bigger support. So with the support of SCEA’s Pub Fund, we’re thrilled to announce Dragon Fantasy Book II is headed for PS3 and PS Vita next year on PSN! Originally, we had planned to follow the original three chapters of 8-bit style with another three chapters in a more 16-bit style. We planned to do a slow and steady progression, chapter by chapter adding more and more features. But as soon as we started work on the new chapters we quickly found ourselves aiming squarely at the end of that generation immediately. We didn’t want to start out simple again as we had already done that. More...

Braaaiiiiinnnssss. That’s right -- <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/the-walking-dead-ps3.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">Telltale’s The Walking Dead: Episode 3</a> – Long Road Ahead is out now! If you’re a Plus member and want to catch up on the series, you can download Episodes 1 and 2 free of charge as part of the Instant Game Collection. There are lots of great PS2 classic titles available on the Store today, mainly of the Ratchet and Clank variety. The <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/ratchet-clank-174-ps2.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">original</a>, plus <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/ratchet-clank-174-going-commando-ps2.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">Going Commando</a> and <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/ratchet-and-clank-up-your-arsenal-ps2.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">Up Your Arsenal</a> are available. Oh, <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/insomniac-games/">Insomniac</a>, I see what you did there. Music games don’t always need a bunch of plastic peripherals. <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/08/27/rock-band-blitzes-onto-psn-tomorrow/">Rock Band Blitz</a> is a modified version of the rhythm games you know and love, but all you need is a controller. Blitz is very leaderboard-focused, so if you like proving to your friends that you’re the best, you should check out the demo. More...

You'd think that with all the awesome stuff we pulled off at <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/gamescom12/">gamescom</a>, we would've taken a minute to breathe. Alas, being mind-blowing is a full-time job, so we just keep bringin' the goods! You headed to <a href="http://prime.paxsite.com/">PAX</a>? We hope so, because we've got a whole lotta goodness coming up to Seattle! Aside from the great things you'll be seeing from <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/08/27/pax-2012-the-last-of-us-demo-limited-edition-poster-t-shirts/">Naughty Dog</a>, you'll get to check out the following from our Community Team and some of our biggest franchises. <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/playstation-all-stars-battle-royale-ps3.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale</a> is fast-approaching, and we've got limited edition T-shirts featuring PaRappa the Rapper to give away at PAX. More...

Another hot summer is winding down as we close in on the release of <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/playstation-all-stars-battle-royale-ps3.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale</a>, and fans have been asking whether we still have more reveals in store for everyone. Well, we’re not done yet! Today, the PlayStation All-Stars team attended the GameStop Managers Show in San Antonio, TX, an annual event where the retailer gets to check out the industry’s most anticipated video game titles. During the expo’s keynote we confirmed our latest addition to PlayStation All-Stars' roster -- Evil Cole from Sucker Punch’s inFAMOUS series! More...

We continue to be blown away by how much people want each new installment of <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/the-walking-dead/">The Walking Dead</a>. As soon as we get an episode out the door, we’re immediately hit with people wanting to know when the next one will hit. It’s incredible and we’re so grateful for everyone’s excitement and support. Today we can confirm that The Walking Dead: Episode Three – Long Road Ahead will launch August 28th (today!) on PlayStation Network in North America. We’ve been hard at work making sure this installment will put players through the emotional wringer in this morally grey story set in the world of <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/08/22/the-walking-dead-9-minutes-with-robert-kirkman/">Robert Kirkman</a>’s comic book series. Episode Three - Long Road Ahead is going to push some truly mind-warping decisions on you. A zombie apocalypse is horrific not only because of the undead, but also because of the depths that humanity will sink to in desperate times. More...

It's been only a few weeks since we last talked to you about <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/08/06/never-stop-playing-with-playstation-collections/">PlayStation Collections</a> and believe it or not, they're finally here! Available today at retailers near you and September 25th on the PlayStation Store, the PlayStation Collection is packed to the, uh, packaging with extra digital content that guarantees you'll be getting the most out of your purchase this fall. Whether for yourself or as a gift, these are going to be a great chance to check out some of our greatest exclusive franchises. We've been really happy to see such a positive response from the community and thank you for your continued support of PlayStation. This is just the beginning. Keep an eye out as we announce even more additions to the PlayStation Collection in the coming months! More...

The <a href="http://www.bioware.com/">BioWare</a> team loves Commander Shepard as much as the fans do, so after we shipped <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/mass-effect-3-ps3.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">Mass Effect 3</a>, we were excited to start creating additional content that would expand on Shepard’s adventures during the Mass Effect 3 experience. Downloadable content gives us an opportunity to do just that— it gives us the chance to write new chapters that add to Shepard’s legacy without disrupting the consistency of the full game. We approach DLC differently depending on whether it's single player or multiplayer content, but with both, we aim to hit an extremely high quality bar to make sure the fans continue to get the full Mass Effect experience. For multiplayer, we consider Mass Effect 3's offerings to be more of a service than a product you purchase. We always said that we wouldn’t do multiplayer in our games unless it was done properly, and supporting it fully well after launch is something we are committed to. More...

After years in development, release day is finally upon us! We’re proud to share <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/lights-camera-party/">Lights, Camera, Party!</a> with the PlayStation world via <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/psn/">PSN</a> later today. We made this game to provide quality entertainment for everyone in the household and to showcase fun and innovative uses of the <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/playstation-move/">PlayStation Move</a> motion controller. We’ve put our heart and soul into this collection of wacky mini-games and hope they make you laugh and have as good of a time as we had making them. To celebrate the launch of Lights, Camera, Party! we decided to shoot a humorous live-action trailer that spoofs the usual party game ads and conveys the silly and chaotic nature of our game. More...

As most of you know we are releasing a pretty hefty System Software Update (v1.80) for <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps-vita/">PlayStation Vita</a> (PS Vita), which will enhance your experience and also allow you to play PSone Classics on your device. Before the update becomes available, I wanted to take the opportunity to walk you through some of the highlighted changes and give you a sneak preview of what you can expect. We are working hard to ensure that all of your favorite PSone Classics titles will be available for download directly on your PS Vita via PlayStation Store (PS Store) as soon as possible. There will be 16 titles available on day one, with new PSone Classics titles hitting PS Store every week thereafter. Here is a list of PSone Classics titles that will be available for download on 8/28: More...

<em>Note: PlayStation Home’s content update is scheduled for Thursday this week instead of its usual Wednesday publish window.</em> This Thursday, August 30th, Home’s very first RPG opens its gates -- and it’s free-to-play. Lockwood’s Dream Island floats into view, LOOT’s Active EOD (Entertainment On Demand) TVs arrive in a variety of sizes, and much more. Here’s the list of what’s new and happening in PlayStation Home: <strong>1. Mercia: Fracture Realms</strong> Unique to PlayStation Home, Mercia: Fractured Realms is a free-to-play RPG that opens up the possibility for huge worlds and a depth of narrative that have yet to be explored on the platform. More...

Seeing how <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/journey-ps3.html">Journey</a> has resonated with players across the world, we wanted to work with the <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/santa-monica-studios/">Santa Monica Studio</a> to provide a deeper look into the visual development behind this critically acclaimed hit. So, we’re excited to let everyone know that we will be presenting you with a wonderful first-time look at the extensive artwork that went into bringing Journey to life. It’s the first book directly inspired by one of our games and is titled The Art of Journey and will be available for purchase in September. This book, designed and written by Matt Nava, art director on Journey, provides an insider’s view into the stylistic influences, narrative functions, and game design goals that shaped the final look of the game. Readers will discover how Journey's landscapes, cut-scenes, and much-loved robed traveler came to be. For your enjoyment, The Art of Journey will come bound as an embossed hardcover book filled with gorgeous concept art, intricate pencil drawings, and 3D models printed in full color on art-quality paper. More...

Nothing seems to elicit more reaction from gamers than putting Call of Duty on our cover. But love it or hate it, there’s no denying that the franchise is still the king of the FPS hill. This time, our senior editor Scott Butterworth sat down with the Call of Duty: Black Ops II devs for a deep dive into the myriad of changes they’ve incorporated into the game’s online multiplayer. It’s difficult to predict how the laundry list of revisions will affect the overall experience, but it seems the COD battlefield has fundamentally changed. Elsewhere, we delve into the forthcoming <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/resident-evil-6-ps3.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">Resident Evil 6</a> by chronicling the first two chapters of each of the game’s three major campaigns. We also take a look at the opposite end of the gaming spectrum with a feature on the next wave of indie games coming to <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/psn/">PSN</a>. More...

It’s been quite a week for <a href="http://us.playstation.com/psn/playstation-plus/">PlayStation Plus</a> since the last time we chatted. <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/08/14/playstation-plus-coming-to-ps-vita-online-game-save-storage-getting-upgraded/">Earlier we announced</a> that Plus will be coming to <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps-vita/">PS Vita</a> and that it will also be getting an upgrade in Online Game Save storage (from 150MB to a beefy 1GB). We’ll have news for you on when these will hit and what these updates will be all about soon enough; until then, let’s take a look at some of the great discounts coming in at the end of the month, and let's welcome PS3 Full Game <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/borderlands-ps3.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">Borderlands</a> into the Instant Game Collection in September! It’s a lot to take in so without further ado, let’s get into the preview for the August 28th and September 4th PlayStation Plus updates. More...

We’re heading to PAX Prime! Along with PAX East, this is one of the most exciting conventions of the year for us as PAX always features some of the <a href="http://www.naughtydog.com/site/post/naughty_dog_at_pax_east_2012/">best</a> <a href="http://www.naughtydog.com/site/post/what_were_up_to_at_pax_prime/">panels</a>, the most passionate fans, and we’re all there for one thing: gaming. For everyone who stops by to check out the demo, we’ll have exclusive PAX Prime 2012 t-shirts for you. Over the course of the show we will also be giving away 11x17 posters to hang on your wall or plaster around town. The poster features custom artwork by Alexander Iaccarino -- <a href="http://www.thatkidwhodraws.com/">That Kid who Draws</a> -- made specifically for PAX Prime. It’s pretty amazing. More...

There’s a moment during game development when you have to let go of your game and release it to the world. You’re sitting in your office, thinking about all of the choices you made, wondering whether people will find it fun, engaging, beautiful, scary, funny. Is your vision going to be realized? And then you take a deep breath and let it go. How do I know? I’m the Project Director for <a href="http://www.rockband.com/games/rockbandblitz">Rock Band Blitz</a>, and for me that moment came about two months ago. I guided the development of the game over the course of the last year. The creative, smart, talented team that made Rock Band Blitz can’t wait for you to play the game on your console and see, at long last, the result of all of our hard work. Rock Band Blitz is a downloadable <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/psn/">PlayStation Network</a> game. More...

We've got some great news this week -- tomorrow sees the release of The Pirates! Band of Misfits, a fun movie for the whole family, on Blu-Ray and DVD! Thanks to a special partnership, we'll be including vouchers for a brand new The Pirates! Minipack inside the Blu-Ray and DVD release of the movie. That’s right! If you pick up The Pirates! Band of Misfits on Blu-Ray or DVD, you will be able to download a free collection of gnarly pirate costumes including The Pirate Captain, Black Bellamy and Cutlass Liz. Don’t forget our recent <a href=" http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/08/16/gamescom-2012-littlebigplanet-recap/ "> LittleBigPlanet Cross-Goods Announcement</a> either, meaning that this voucher will entitle you to the full set of costumes on <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/littlebigplanet-2-ps3.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">LittleBigPlanet 2</a>, <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> and <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>. More...

<p style="text-align: justify;">On <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps3/">PS3</a> this week, experience five legendary adventures in Kratos' quest for vengeance against the gods who betrayed him in the God of War Saga on Blu-ray.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Infamous, and Ratchet & Clank also receive the covenant*PlayStation Collection seal with their own unique brand of firepower and tools of destruction. Also on <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps3/">PS</a>3, the Journey Collection immerses you in the sights and sounds of thatgamecompany's Flow, Flower and Journey onto a single disc, packed with extras.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">Music gaming pioneers Harmonix are introducing an all-new way to experience your favorite songs with an over the top, addictive, controller-based gameplay experience in Rock Band Blitz for <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/psn/">PSN</a>. Enjoy this week's jam-packed <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/the-drop/">The Drop</a>.</p> More...

It's kind of hard to believe that it's nearly September, but that means both football and <a href="http://prime.paxsite.com/">PAX</a> are imminent. PlayStation will, of course, be in attendance; more details to come tomorrow. With the travel involved (I'll be in Santa Monica to prepare for the <a href="http://prime.paxsite.com/schedule/panel/god-of-war-ascension">God of War: Ascension panel</a> before heading to Seattle), I'm looking forward to trying out Madden on PS Vita (find a review below). At the show, we'll be tracking down developers for in-depth interviews (which we'll be sharing on the blog), and I'm really hoping to score some more hands-on time with <a href="http://bethsoft.com/en-us/games/dishonored">Dishonored</a>. Are any of you coming to PAX? More...

Gamescom may be over, but the party's just getting started. Next Friday sees the kickoff of <a href="http://prime.paxsite.com/">PAX Prime</a> in Seattle, one of the fastest-growing gaming events in North America and a major draw for indie developers, major publishers, and ordinary gamers alike. Jeff and I will be making the trip this Thursday to check out the <a href="http://prime.paxsite.com/schedule/panel/god-of-war-ascension">God of War: Ascension panel</a> (featuring a special guest host), chase down any new hands-on opportunities, and line up some interviews for the <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/playstation-blogcast/">Blogcast</a>. If you see us in Seattle next week, be sure to say hi! In other news this week: Soul Sacrifice creator Keiji Infanue described the game's <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/08/24/hard-choices-inafune-talks-soul-sacrifice/">tough choices</a>, we examined the legacy of <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/08/24/behind-the-classics-jak-daxter/">Naughty Dog's Jak and Daxter</a>, Santa Monica Studios dissected God of War: Ascension's bloodthirsty <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/08/24/the-monsters-of-god-of-war-ascension-the-satyr-captain/">Satyr Captain</a>, the creator of Sun Flowers explained the inner workings of <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/08/22/sunflowers-beaming-to-ps-vita-this-fall/">one of PS Vita's cutest games</a>, I punched and kicked my way through a <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/08/21/kickbeat-hands-on-its-all-in-the-mind/">KickBeat hands-on demo</a>, Harvey Smith explained how Dishonored represents a <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/08/21/interview-dishonoreds-harvey-smith-reboots-the-stealth-genre/">reboot</a> of stealth gameplay mechanics... More...

The clock is ticking -- our summer <a href="http://us.playstation.com/psn/psn-play/">PSN PLAY</a> promotion is coming to a close very soon, but there’s still time to take advantage of it. Purchase titles from our PLAY lineup through August 27th and you’ll be eligible for PSN vouchers of varying amounts, depending on how many you get. Buying two games nets you $3, three games, $6 and if you grab all four titles you get $10 back in your PSN wallet. The game offerings are quite enticing – there’s our new No. 1 selling <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/psn/">PSN</a> game for <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps-vita/">PS Vita</a>, <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> (which comes with its <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps3/">PS3</a> version at no additional charge), indie darling <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>, fan-favorite <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> and the action-packed <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/the-expendables-2-videogame-ps3.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">Expendables 2</a> Videogame. More...

In the world of video game development, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keiji_Inafune">Keiji Inafune</a> is a giant among men. The illustrator and former global head of production at <a href="http://www.capcom.com/">Capcom</a> has played a key role in the development of an astounding array of games spanning a diverse lineup of genres, everything from Mega Man to Resident Evil to Lost Planet and many more. With <a href="http://gamasutra.com/view/news/33868/Inafune_Forms_Two_New_Companies_Intercept_And_Comcept.php">his new role at Comcept and Intercept</a>, Inafune is expanding his influence to new projects, including the upcoming “dark fantasy†<a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps-vita/">PS Vita</a> title <a href="http://us.playstation.com/psvita/games-and-media/psv-soul-sacrifice.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">Soul Sacrifice</a>. During <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/gamescom12/">Gamescom</a> last week, we caught up with Inafune to learn more about his ambitious new game that forces players to make painful decisions. More...

<em>As we continue the journey to March 12, 2013, we want to further explore all aspects of the God of War universe, giving you deeper insight into the creation, lore, design, and gameplay of <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/god-of-war-ascension/">God of War: Ascension</a>. Welcome to our third Monsters of Ascension feature.</em> The Satyr Captain in <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/god-of-war-ascension-ps3.html?CMP=soc_us__ac_sm_05_21_12">God of War: Ascension</a> continues the evolution of the “Satyr,†an enemy that has featured in every God of War game from the beginning. This time, however, these grunts are getting a “pack master†in the form of the vicious Satyr Captain. In today’s post, our famed concept artist <a href="https://twitter.com/cannibalcandy">Izzy</a> continues his dissection of the Monsters of Ascension. Let’s roll! More...