Commander Fury

Good Sunday morning to you. I've noticed as I've been watching <a href="http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/index.html">Euro 2012</a>, that most TV doesn't fully occupy my brain anymore - I'm constantly checking Twitter, reading gaming blogs, or playing PS Vita during every stoppage of play. I've blown through all of <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/06/19/lego-batman-2-dc-superheroes-assembles-for-ps-vita-ps3-today/">Lego Batman 2</a> that way during the tournament (fun game, btw). Any of you found that one screen just isn't enough for you anymore? Anyway, find stories on Gravity Rush, Assassin's Creed III Liberation, Marvel Pinball, The Last of Us, a Stranger's Wrath HD patch, and Uncharted: The Board Game(?). Now off to watch <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17875873">the final</a>. And play Pinball Arcade during the lulls. More...

This week saw several key announcements for PlayStation, including the <a href="blog.us.playstation.com/2012/06/29/psn-summer-sale-starts-tuesday-bonus-discounts-for-plus-members/">PSN Summer Sale</a>, the <a href="blog.us.playstation.com/2012/06/25/journey-collectors-edition-blu-ray-coming-to-stores-august-28th/">Journey Collector's Edition Blu-ray</a>, the launch of <a href="blog.us.playstation.com/2012/06/26/coming-this-friday-to-psn-the-walking-dead-episode-2-starved-for-help/">The Walking Dead: Episode Two - Starved for Help</a>, and confirmation of a <a href="http://us.playstation.com/lbp-karting-beta/">LittleBigPlanet Karting Beta</a>. Behind the scenes, Rey and I also paid a visit to <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/superbot-entertainment/">SuperBot Entertainment</a>, creators of <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/playstation-all-stars-battle-royale/">PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale</a>, and chatted with the team about the studio's creation, the game's surprisingly deep combat system, and winning strategies. Look for the results later this summer right here on PlayStation.Blog. More...

It’s another week to check out unique gaming stories and thoughts via the PSN Community Spotlight. This is your chance to share your story on the PlayStation Community Forums, while snagging a $50 PlayStation Store voucher if your post is selected! I know I’ve been leaning a bit on the family stories a bit, and next week, I’ll likely shift gears to some more traditional gamer themes, but I saw this story about how PSN Mom gamer Lil_Mermaid_Girl uses Trophies as a fun way of competing with her family and her son, and I couldn’t resist sharing. More...

Less than two weeks until our new RPG <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/rainbow-moon/">Rainbow Moon</a> hits PlayStation Store! Today, we’re going to share more details with you, along with another entry from our Dev Diary video series. Previously, we talked about <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/05/04/rainbow-moon-watch-the-new-trailer-now/">Rainbow Moon's battle system</a> and the game's <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/06/25/rpg-rainbow-moon-rises-on-psn-july-10th/">character development system</a>. Now I'm going to tell you more about all the weapons and equipment that you can acquire in Rainbow Moon, as well as how to improve them through the crafting system. The six characters that you'll come across during your journey can be equipped with five different equipment types: weapons, hats, body armor, amulets and rings. More...

On Tuesday, July 3rd <a href="http://us.playstation.com/psn/">PSN</a> begins offering up the hottest deals of the season! The <a href="http://us.playstation.com/summersale">Summer Sale</a> is coming - choose from 11 great titles, all on sale for 30% off and available at a straight up scorching 50% off for <a href="http://us.playstation.com/psn/playstation-plus/">PlayStation Plus</a> Members. Go to the PlayStation Store beginning Tuesday, July 3rd 2012 through Monday, July 9th 2012 and beat the heat with these sizzlin' summer deals! If gorgeous classics like <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/ico-and-shadow-of-colossus-collection/">Shadow of the Colossus</a> or fan favorites like <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/infamous-2/">inFAMOUS Festival of Blood</a> are on your gamer radar, then Tuesday can’t come quick enough! More...

Right before the launch of <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/playstation-move/">PlayStation Move</a>, I sat down with Anton Mikhailov from SCEA’s Research and Development team to get an in-depth walkthrough of <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2010/08/27/playstation-move-new-tech-demo-video-tour/">PlayStation Move</a>. Anton and I are back at it again, and this time he’s here to give you a detailed preview of the latest <a href="http://us.playstation.com/ps3/playstation-move/">PS Move</a> peripheral: the <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/playstation-move-racing-wheel/">PlayStation Move Racing Wheel</a>. Paired with the precise tracking of PS Move, the Racing Wheel is a completely functional unit that offers second-to-none mechanics to control all aspects of your favorite racing games. From the motorcycle twist throttle to the folding grip design, Anton shows us how this new peripheral transforms your PS Move motion controller into the ultimate racing experience. More...

This week, the Music Unlimited service features new releases from Maroon 5 and Linkin Park, as well as titles from artists including R. Kelly, The Offspring, The Flaming Lips, Jill Scott, and many more. Plus, don’t miss our new Premium channel: Far East Movement – Artist Picks! On the video side, don’t miss the epic adventures Perseus in Wrath of the Titans, which is now available in the Video Unlimited service’s New Releases – own it today before it hits DVD shelves! More...

<blockquote><strong>Subscription Links:</strong> <ul><li>Subscribe via <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/the-official-playstation-blogcast/id483223024">iTunes</a> </li> <li>Subscribe via <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheOfficialPlaystationBlogcast">RSS here</a></li> <li>Download the <a href="http://ec.libsyn.com/p/7/e/4/7e47040bab85898f/31_Episode_031__PSN_Sales_and_The_Wa.mp3?d13a76d516d9dec20c3d276ce028ed5089ab1ce3dae902ea1d01cc873ed3c15ea0ea&c_id=4659546">MP3 here</a> on PS3, PS Vita or PC (Right-Click->Save As)</li></ul></blockquote> <p class="center"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://player.wizzard.tv/player/o/j/x/134092667850/config/k-56a55a55c60a6428/uuid/root/height/250/width/500/episode/k-e4850d8b3b09c0fb.m4v"></script></p> The word is <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/06/26/coming-this-friday-to-psn-the-walking-dead-episode-2-starved-for-help/">out</a>! The eagerly awaited second episode of Telltale Games' <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/the-walking-dead/">The Walking Dead</a> is coming to PSN this Friday, June 29th. To mark the occasion, we put Director Dennis Lenart and Lead Cinematic Artist Nick Herman from Telltale on the hotseat: We talk new (old?) characters, unresolved tensions, the game's expanding scale, and the challenges of episodic game development. If you're wondering what dark terrain this five-part series will explore in coming episodes, don't miss our in-depth discussion. More...

My name is Christophe Boelinger, and I create board games. To date, I’ve made more than 30, most of which are available in North America. My life is dedicated to games, so it goes without saying that I’ve always dreamt of having one of my board games turned into a video game. When I designed the <a href="http://www.dungeontwister.com/us/lejeu/dungeon-twister.html">Dungeon Twister board game</a> in 2003, I knew it was the perfect candidate for a videogame adaptation. Its modularity, its infinite gameplay, its never-ending renewal, the tremendous variety in strategies that can be deployed, and most of all its addictive nature. So when I met the guys from <a href="http://hydravision.com/">Hydravision</a> at a board game convention, it was a revelation -- and the beginning of Dungeon Twister as a video game. Dungeon Twist makes the jump to <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/psn/">PSN</a> this Tuesday, July 3rd. More...

Greetings Sackfolk! The LittleBigPlanet community is about to get another very special treat! In case the opportunity to participate in the LittleBigPlanet Beta on PS Vita wasn't amazing enough, many of you will soon have the chance to participate in the LittleBigPlanet Karting Beta on PS3! The goal of the Beta is to get feedback on the overall experience from Sackfolk who understand it like few others – you! There will be a lot more information to follow, so keep an eye on the PlayStation.Blog for details on how to register. For now, though, dust off your driving gloves and prepare to experience the most competitive LittleBigPlanet yet! More...

It truly is an exciting time to be part of the PlayStation family. This morning, PlayStation was recognized by the gaming industry elite, winning an industry-leading <em>seven</em> Game Critics: Best of E3 awards including BEST IN SHOW for The Last of Us, and receiving more awards than any other platform or publisher. Receiving critical acclaim throughout the industry, The Last of Us, the new PS3 survival action game from the talented team at Naughty Dog, took home a whopping five Game Critics Awards. More...

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s... a guy with unusually long hair falling out of the sky and crashing head-first into a temple. <em>Oops.</em> This is how you’ll be introduced to everyone’s favorite Dragon. In short, Emperor Fang is an arrogant jerk who goes to a heavenly temple in the skies and demands that the creator of the world, Goddess Clunea, find him the strongest guy in the world so he can kick more ass and take more names. She basically laughs in his face and smacks him down to earth in a weakened state. Now that he’s a ‘fledgling’, a child-beast in the form of a humanoid teen, he’s forced to go through living temples called Titans to find the Goddess again and get his revenge. More...

We kick things off this week with two of the biggest PlayStation 3 games of all time are making their way to digital release for the first time. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves are now available to download! Pick up both games as a bundle for $39.99, or purchase individually at $29.99. The <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/06/26/the-amazing-spider-man-swings-to-ps3-today-with-collectible-suits-comics/">Amazing Spider-man</a> hits theaters next week (and from the sounds of some early reviews, it sounds awesome) but the game is available for download today in the PS3 Full Games category. Navigate through the Manhattan skyline with the return of the fan-favorite, free-roaming, web-slinging gameplay. With classic villains, visceral combat choices, and an all-new epilogue story to the movie, this is a release no super hero fan should miss. More...

<a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/the-walking-dead/">The Walking Dead</a>, Telltale Games' continuing story of adventure horror based on Robert Kirkman's Eisner Award-winning <a href="http://www.skyboundshop.com/Books/The-Walking-Dead/ ">comic book series</a>, continues this week for PS3! Episode Two - Starved for Help tears through flesh and bone and onto the PlayStation Network this Friday for $4.99 or will be available as a download from within the game's menu for existing season pass owners! We're really excited to continue the story of Lee Everett; players will have to deal with the repercussions of the choices they made in Episode One and they’ll be confronted by more difficult and sometimes gut-wrenching choices in Episode Two. More...

Later this year, there will be an unprecedented level of combat in gaming raging across the entire EVE Universe, from the mighty capsuleers far above in Eve Online, to the relentless onslaught you and your squad will bring to bear against your enemies on countless planets in DUST 514. The first, harrowing drumbeats of war started not long ago and have been increasing ever since during our beta tests. Until today, this has been of very limited scope while we’ve introduced some of the EVE Universe’s most faithful players to planetary warfare and trickled in some of the earliest of adopters who have picked up their rifles and laid low the opposition. More...

Prepare for some quality zombie slaying while re-living Resident Evil history in high definition! The Resident Evil: Chronicles HD Collection features Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles and Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles in high definition and comes with PlayStation Move support to help immerse you in the horror. You can grab a friend to play or spend your time racking up Trophies. The collection will initially be available to download as a discounted two-game bundle, but at a later date, each of the titles will be available for purchase separately. PlayStation Plus members will enjoy 10% off retail price of $26.99, bringing it down to just $24.29 for these two Resident Evil classics. More...

Hi everyone! Recently, we announced that <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/05/31/youtube-coming-soon-to-ps-vita/">YouTube</a> would be coming to PS Vita. It’s the latest application to be added to PS Vita’s growing portfolio of applications and one that takes full advantage of PS Vita’s high-definition and 3G capabilities. Starting later today, the YouTube application will be available as a free download via the PS Vita Store on PSN. With the YouTube application on PS Vita, you can watch millions of YouTube videos on PS Vita’s stunning 5†OLED screen. And with 3G, you can watch your favorite content – from comedy to gaming tips to viral videos – while you’re at home or on-the-go. The application itself is straightforward and easy to use. More...

Hello True Believers and PlayStation.Blog readers! Good news -- <a href="http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/the-amazing-spider-man-ps3.html">The Amazing Spider-Man</a> video game comes to PS3 today with <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/playstation-move/">PlayStation Move</a> support. The game’s story picks up right where this summer’s blockbuster movie, The Amazing Spider-Man, leaves off in a new tale crafted by acclaimed Hollywood writer Seamus Kevin Fahey and voiced by veteran talent such as Nolan North, Sam Riegel, and Bruce Campbell (and even Stan Lee, for those of you who pre-ordered the game from Amazon!) The Amazing Spider-Man has been developed by the veteran webheads over at Beenox (creators of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions) and the team has been hard at work over the last two years to bring Spider-Man back home to an open-world Manhattan teeming with side missions and playable content. More...

Hello Everyone! It’s always a pleasure when I get to share details of incoming new content for <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/gran-turismo-5/">Gran Turismo 5</a> and today is no exception. We have some exciting new content due to be published on <a href="http://us.playstation.com/psn/playstation-store/index.htm">PS Store</a> this Wednesday - so read on to find out what’s in store and hopefully destined to find a home on your hard-drives very soon. First up is the Twin Ring Motegi Pack, a much cherished legacy circuit that will evoke fond memories amongst GT fans and which was seen recently in the final stages of the <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/gt-academy/">GT Academy</a> contest. For the uninitiated Twin Ring Motegi is a circuit located in Japan that has both an oval and road course in its configuration. The 2.4km oval 'Superspeedway' is mainly used for American motorsports, while the 4.8km road course is used for races like the Super GT and Formula Nippon. This pack not only contains these two tracks, it also includes the West and East courses that are formed by separating the first half and the latter half of the road course, letting you enjoy the different technical layouts of the Motegi track. Motegi is a track that a lot of fans have been asking for and we hope you’re excited to see its reappearance. More...

Attention Dead Nation recruits worldwide! We're excited to announce a brand new game mode for Road of Devastation (the expansion pack to Dead Nation) called "Arcade," which is a brand new way to experience Road of Devastation! Everyone who's taken "the Road" knows of the Egogate experiment - to find the perfect zombie killer who can survive longest against ever increasing odds (the fallen heroes' DNA are allegedly used to clone and breed the perfect soldier...). The new Arcade mode may actually see you survive the ordeal and get out alive! You can choose your difficulty level, and checkpoints will revive you (or is that "clone" you?)... More...

It’s Summertime and to celebrate the lovely weather, we have released the FREE Summer Creator’s Kit! This pack contains 26 Stickers, 4 Objects, 4 Decorations and a brand new Material. Everything Sackboy will need to have the sunniest of Summer holidays! This pack is available for one week only though, so don’t delay and head to the PlayStation Store now to pick it up! <strong>Mm Picks</strong> We have quite an amazing mix of levels for you in the Mm Picks this week! There’s the 75 minute long Ninja Cat movie, the retro Red Knight adventure game, a rather puzzling platformer that will make you Think Before You Jump, an excellent arcade shooter in Galak-Z Raiden: Resurgence and finally the Tread Carefully puzzle game. More...

Congratulations to our Top 32 competitors, who beat out a field of nearly 400,000 participants to compete in this year’s GT Academy 2012 National Finals. The 32 finalists (pending eligibility confirmation) will take part in a live head-to-head competition at the GT Academy National Finals event on Friday and Saturday, July 13th and 14th, at [...] More...

This Wednesday, June 27th, we get ready to celebrate July 4th and Canada Day in <a href="http://us.playstation.com/psn/playstation-home/">PlayStation Home</a> with a bang. Also, Granzella releases even more fantastic items, Heavy Water releases more Heavy Ink tattoos, LOOT opens up its fantastic machinima-maker Stage Set as an open house, the Midway Ca$h Carnival enters its sixth week with a new prize, x7 gets another collection of early-access items, and the Community Theater gets some exciting new coverage. Starting off with a blast, head to Pier Park starting this Wednesday, June 27th, and prepare for our annual summer festivities. Following Home tradition, we celebrate Canada Day (July 1st) and American Independence day (July 4th) with an evening event of fireworks, rewards and community fun. I won’t spoil the surprises, so head there starting this week. Like any holiday, this event only comes once a year, so be sure to enjoy the sparks and explosions before the holiday comes to a close. More...

Tomorrow we will be releasing a new system software update (v4.20) for PlayStation 3 which will include a few minor updates in order to strengthen functionality and improve your overall experience. As mentioned in our <a href=â€http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/04/05/regarding-your-feedback-on-the-wireless-stereo-headset/â€>previous blog post</a>, system software update (v4.10) added a feature that enabled you to hear your own voice through the Wireless Stereo Headset when playing multiplayer modes. This type of audio feedback is known as “sidetone.†Based on your comments, system software update (v4.20) will improve sidetone audio performance by giving you the option to select one out of five levels for microphone audio, or turn the feature off completely. For those of you who use the Wireless Stereo Headset to watch Blu-ray or DVD movies on your PS3, this system software update will also enable virtual surround sound functionality, giving you a superior audio experience. This update will also allow you to set the amount of time that the system will wait before turning itself off automatically for [Video/TV/Music/Photo] and for [Game/Other Features]. More...

Starting today, <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/littlebigplanet/">LittleBigPlanet</a> fans will be able to pre-order the upcoming <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps-vita/">PS Vita</a> installment of the game, and those who do will get themselves a snazzy set of bonus costumes as a big thank you! The bonus costumes include the iconic Big Daddy and Little Sister from <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/bioshock/">BioShock</a>, as well as new Knights of Old costumes to dress up your Sackboy or Sackgirl as a knight, damsel in distress, black knight, or a fearsome dragon. The details of this offer will vary depending on which country you live in or where you pre-order from, but here are some pictures of the costumes to whet your appetite. More...