Commander Fury

<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;">On*<a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps-vita/">PS Vita</a> and <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps3/">PS3</a> this week, Batman and Robin return in LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes. The Dynamic Duo joins forces with other famous DC super heroes including Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern to stop the notorious villains Lex Luthor and The Joker from destroying Gotham City.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;">On <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/psn/">PSN</a> as a full digital PS3 download, providing yet another new direction in the Ghost Recon series of military games, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier goes beyond the core Ghost Recon franchise and deliver a fresh gameplay experience. </span>Enjoy this week’s <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/the-drop/">The Drop</a>.</p> More...

Happy Fathers Day to all those dads out there. I'm hoping to catch up on some games (namely Gravity Rush and upping my scores in Pinball Arcade Vita) - assuming my family lets me. That's pretty standard around here. We've got a few more late-filed E3 stories in the list this week, and as we look back on E3, I wanted to ask you a question. E3 2012 was the 2nd E3 we <a href=" ">livestreamed</a> out to you. We've also streamed out a few other things, like the reveal of <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/04/30/god-of-war-ascension-multiplayer-announcement-live-from-santa-monica-studio/">God of War: Ascension</a> and our <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/02/13/ps-vita-livechat-starts-at-3pm-pacific/">PS Vita Q&A</a>. My question is: what else would you be interested in seeing happen live? Other gaming events? Developer walkthroughs? Gameplay sessions? Let me know; we're kicking a few ideas around now. <strong>The PS.Blog weekly reading list (Week of June 11, 2012)</strong> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.delicious.com/redirect?url=http%3A//www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jun/17/gravity-rush-ps-vita-review%3FCMP%3Dtwt_fd">Gravity Rush – review - The Observer</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.psnation.org/2012/06/07/e3-2012-impressions-of-beyond-two-souls/">E3 2012: Impressions of Beyond: 2 Souls - PS Nation </a></li> <li><a href="http://www.delicious.com/redirect?url=http%3A//www.thedaily.com/page/2012/06/16/061612-tech-games-lastofus-machkovech-1-2-zzfpvzz/">End of the world - Why The Last of Us might just be the best video game to come out of E3 in years - The Daily</a></li></ul> More...

After a quick break post-E3, we’re back with another edition of <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/psn-spotlight/">PSN Community Spotlight</a>. We review the dedicated space on the <a href="http://community.us.playstation.com/community/playstation_network/psn_community_meets_the_ps_blog?view=discussions&start=0">PlayStation Community Forums</a> to find PlayStation stories and commentary from the community, and pick one to be featured on the PlayStation Blog. The winner gets a $50 voucher to the PlayStation Store to spend on whatever their heart desires! PSN member HorrorGod brings us this week’s spotlight. Sometimes it’s tough to let your true gamer color show. HorrorGod details how he continued his gaming lifestyle into married life. But did it all work out? Read on to find out! More...

I’m playing: I’m watching: I’m reading: I’m listening to: [insert latest Blogcast embed here] Most-Watched Video of the Week: Gravity Launch Trailer The 10 Most-Viewed Posts of the Week More...

Normally I’m not one for posting a videos, but this is one you have to see. *Visual Effects & Motion Graphics Artist*Jason Craft put together one of the most incredible Portal videos I’ve ever seen. *Do yourself a favor and take 3 1/2 minutes to watch something amazing. Vimeo link <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/h9E_1f0lBhw6QdkOTWPwJJNEmOk/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/h9E_1f0lBhw6QdkOTWPwJJNEmOk/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/h9E_1f0lBhw6QdkOTWPwJJNEmOk/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/h9E_1f0lBhw6QdkOTWPwJJNEmOk/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/UrgentFuryUnleashed?a=lUqCu0-8SeM:UsWPNNcRjo8:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/UrgentFuryUnleashed?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/UrgentFuryUnleashed?a=lUqCu0-8SeM:UsWPNNcRjo8:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/UrgentFuryUnleashed?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/UrgentFuryUnleashed?a=lUqCu0-8SeM:UsWPNNcRjo8: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/lUqCu0-8SeM" height="1" width="1"/> More...

<a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/zen-studios/">Zen Studios</a> is fresh off an exciting and successful <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/e312/">E3</a>. Although our presence was modest, we still made a big impact. KickBeat for PS Vita won Destructoid’s <a href="http://www.destructoid.com/here-are-our-personal-e3-game-of-show-picks-229461.phtml">Best of Rhythm</a> E3 award, and Zen Pinball 2 was nominated for <a href="http://games.ign.com/articles/116/1165247p1.html">Best of E3 2012</a> by IGN and Best Portable Game by Destructoid. We are extremely honored to be included alongside the industry’s best! <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/05/23/introducing-kickbeat-a-music-combat-game-for-ps-vita/">KickBeat</a> sure received a positive response at E3. We think it’s because there is nothing else like it, and a lot of people caught on to that. There were also some people who simply told us we were crazy when they watched us play, but once they got their hands on the game they had BIG smiles on their faces. We have some new video that was released right before and then during E3, we wanted to make sure you guys got a chance to view as well. More...

Leading into the release of <a href="http://us.playstation.com/PS3/Games/Metal_Gear_Solid_4_Guns_of_the_Patriots">Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots</a>, Kojima Productions tantalized MGS fans with an iconic trailer that depicted a cybernetically augmented Raiden (a la Gray Fox) slicing and dicing hordes of foes using a razor-sharp sword and acrobatic flips. MGS4’s Raiden was a refreshing departure from his whiny, abrasive turn in MGS2: Sons of Liberty, and before long series fans fantasized about controlling him in a dedicated adventure. Luckily, that fantasy will become reality thanks to Kojima Productions and Platinum Games. <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/metal-gear-rising-revengeance/">Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance</a> takes place nine years after the fall of the Patriots in MGS4. We played a demo at E3 2012 and tested Blade Mode, which you probably saw in the game’s trailer. Blade Mode is very simple: you activate it using L2, which triggers slow-mo and a zoomed-in camera view while Raiden gets into slashing position. You control the sword with the right analog stick: Everything in the path of the sword will be severed, whether it’s a structure, the body of an unfortunate combatant, a vehicle...even a girl’s dress (ooh-la-la!) More...

We're pretty excited about the upcoming exclusive <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps-vita/">PS Vita</a> release of <a href="http://www.sega.com/supermonkeyball/">Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz</a> on October 23 - the game is coming along nicely! We have a lot of familiar Monkey Ball features returning along with some fan favorites, as well as some new tech and new goodies to take full advantage of <a href="http://us.playstation.com/psvita/">PS Vita</a>. Super Monkey Ball has always been built on the premise of accessibility and challenging gameplay - easy to pick up, difficult to master. We've made the transition for new players a lot easier, with a gentler difficulty curve in the beginning that helps you master the tough challenges that will eventually come your way. And don’t worry, we’ve got some punch in there for the veteran Monkey Ball fans looking for a challenge, from more varied levels with new routes and shortcuts, a higher degree of challenges, and the ever- popular minigames! More...

This week, the <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/music-unlimited/">Music Unlimited</a> service features <a href="http://blog.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com/2012/06/12/new-releases-on-the-music-unlimited-service-61212/">new releases</a> from Usher, Ed Sheeran, and Far East Movement, as well as titles from artists including Metric, Hot Chip, Cody Simpson, Matchbox Twenty, and many more. In New Releases for the <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/video-unlimited/">Video Unlimited</a> service this week, Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law return in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Also, Best Picture award winner, The Artist and faux-viral youth antics film, Project X: #Xtended Cut, arrive in the Movies category. Other new releases include Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (now available for rent), Superman vs. The Elite, Jeff Who Lives at Home, and more. Finally, in Collections & Sales, we bring you a variety of horror flicks for just five bucks. Pick up Paranormal Activity, Quarantine, The Haunting, and many more for just $5 in SD! Get all the details for this week <a href="http://blog.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com/2012/06/12/new-releases-on-the-video-unlimited-service-61212/">here</a>. More...

I am very pleased to announce the official companion mobile application for our PS3 shooter <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/starhawk/">Starhawk</a> is now available on iOS and Android devices. With the Starhawk Uplink app you can easily check out detailed player and clan stats, while staying current on the all of the latest Starhawk announcements and community news/events, all on the go, anytime, anywhere. Here are links to download the app: <ul> <li><a href=" https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=starhawkuplink.apk&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsInN0YXJoYXdrdXBsaW5rLmFwayJd ">Android devices</a></li> <li><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/app/starhawk-uplink/id529584373?mt=8">iOS devices</a></li></ul> Once you've downloaded the Starhawk Uplink to your mobile device, you'll find a wealth of information available on all of the player weapons, Hawk weapons, and Build & Battle structures. More...

Fighting game fans worldwide have spoken. Since the release last week, we’ve seen an overwhelming amount of support for Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown. Today, we are releasing our tutorial video #3 for Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown that we put together while working closely with AM2 (the development team) and VF community members. We [...] More...

Attention MotorStorm fans! <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/motorstorm-rc/">MotorStorm RC</a> -- one of the most popular <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/psn/">PSN</a> games of the year -- has just received a community-focused update and I'm here to give you all the details! Beginning today, MotorStorm RC fans will have access to new tracks to try out for free, experience fun and more accessible races, the chance to share challenges whenever you like, and recover lost medals! Please note that it can take up to an hour for the update to be available in all territories. You will be prompted to download this game update when you next fire up the game from the <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps3/">PS3</a> XMB or <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps-vita/">PS Vita</a> LiveArea. More...

Legions of you turned out last week for the <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/06/11/virtual-e3-playstation-booth-vs-reality-weekly-update/">virtual E3 booth</a> in <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/playstation-home/">PlayStation Home</a>, and one of the biggest showcases was the introduction of <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/dust-514/">DUST 514</a>, a PS3-exclusive <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/psn/">PSN</a> multiplayer shooter from CCP. As the excitement around DUST 514 is growing each day, I wanted to let everyone know that there are still some DUST 514 beta codes available. Log into PlayStation Home today and make your way to the DUST 514 space, called The Event Horizon Lounge. It is found directly on the Navigator (once in Home, hit Start > Navigator > New and Recommended > The Event Horizon Lounge). More...

In war, men fall and heroes rise. Every battle has a victor, every standoff has a loser. It is for these moments that we are remembered by our brothers in arms, whether in the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat. How will you be remembered? Will you triumph, or join the wall? The online battles in <a href="http://us.playstation.com/BurningSkies">Resistance: Burning Skies</a> are heating up, so if you don’t have your copy yet, go get it today. If you’re still not sure, download the trial version from the <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/playstation-store/">PSN Store</a> so you can try the game out for yourself. Or, <a href="http://us.playstation.com/BurningSkies">come join</a> Rob Huebner from <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/nihilistic/">Nihilistic Studios</a> today at 3:00pm Pacific Time, who will be answering all your burning questions. To find the live chat, just <a href="http://us.playstation.com/BurningSkies">go here</a> and click the red button in the upper-right hand corner of the page directing you to live chat with Rob. More...

The Walking Dead made a big impression on <a href="https://blog.us.playstation.com/category/psn/">PSN</a> players this month, with the first episode of <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/telltale-games/">Telltale Games’</a> episode zombie series claiming the top spot in May. You’ll also notice a great resurgence in the <a href="http://pixeljunk.jp/">PixelJunk</a> series, due likely in part to May’s deep-discount PixelJunk sale that saw many PixelJunk favorites sell for a just buck. In <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps-vita/">PS Vita</a> news, Escape Plan’s iron grip on the throne has finally been loosened -- <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/netherrealm-studios/">NetherRealm Studios’</a> bone-crunching fighter <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/mortal-kombat/">Mortal Kombat</a> takes the top slot this month. In <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/psone-classic/">PS one Classics</a>, <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/legend-of-dragoon/">Legend of Dragoon’s</a> long-awaited release reshuffled the usual crowd of top performers. Starting this month, by community request, we’re also happy to integrate a new chart examining PS2 Classics performance! In May, Max Payne stole the show just in time for Max Payne 3’s arrival on Blu-ray Disc. More...

The excitement of E3 has come and gone, but the fun of gaming provided by PlayStation Store continues on! In addition to Gravity Rush, Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection sneaks on to PS Vita. Play three great chapters in the Metal Gear franchise with the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection. Included are in this PlayStation Vita package are Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. As a bonus, the original MSX games Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake are included, showcasing Snake’s very first missions. PS Vita also sees another release this week with Pulzar: a mind boggling puzzle game that turns nearly any flat surface into an epic battle against time and a looming celestial event with the use of your AR Play cards. More...

We’re very excited to announce the release of <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/pulzar/">PulzAR</a> today, available on <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/psn/">PSN</a> for $1.99. In case you’ve missed our past PulzAR blog posts, here’s a word from the game’s lead designer to usher in today’s release: <blockquote> I’m Neall Jones, Lead Designer for the next great addition to the <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps-vita/">PS Vita</a> AR games, PulzAR. So, what’s PulzAR all about then? Well the Earth is in grave danger, somewhere just beyond our planet’s outer atmosphere five giant asteroids are heading on a deadly collision course with the planet. It’s up to you, the player, to command a network of laser powered rockets to try and blast the asteroids into a harmless meteor shower before they hit the Earth. </blockquote> More...

Available later today on <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/psn/">PSN</a>, <a href="http://www.ubi.com/US/Games/Info.aspx?pId=10522">Babel Rising</a> puts god-like powers in gamer’s hands as they smite humans who are attempting to build the Tower of Babel. Conjure up a series of divine powers – tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes and more – to halt the progress of the pesky humans. When developing the game, we looked to really empower the players. Having players use these powers with a <a href="http://us.playstation.com/ps3/accessories/dualshock-3-wireless-controller-ps3.html">PS3 DualShock controller</a> was great, but we wanted to really immerse the players and make them feel powerful, which led us to integrate the <a href="http://us.playstation.com/ps3/accessories/playstation-move-motion-controller-ps3.html">PlayStation Move motion controller</a>. More...

Last week at the PlayStation's <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/e312/">E3 Press Conference</a>, one of the highlights of the night was Quantic Dream's David Cage stepping into the stage finally reveal his team's next masterpiece. <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/beyond-two-souls/">BEYOND: Two Souls</a> for the PS3 impressed the crowd with its extremely detailed graphics and convincing performances of motion actors, including Hollywood talent Ellen Page. By now, you must have seem the debut trailer dozens of times and may have even checked David Cage himself coming to our stage live at E3, but unfortunately the game was not available on the show floor for the general audience to try. Luckily for us, we were able to witness the power of this interactive psychological action-thriller in a private session where Producer Ray Khalastchi from SCEE's XDev Studio walked us through a 20-plus-minute demo running on a PS3 – in case we had any doubts that the game was high-tech smoke and mirrors. More...

Since launch, our fans have chipped in their 2 cents to provide feedback and thoughts on <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/escape-plan/">Escape Plan</a>. All of these little nuggets of advice and tips have helped us to improve the overall experience, and we appreciate it. Therefore, for a limited time, we’re delivering The Asylum DLC Pack to everyone…for just 2 cents! The Asylum delivers a ton of crazy content, including the Lil and Laarg dressing room where fans can check out the God and Luchadore Super Pack costumes, with the Poindextor and Super Hero costumes being unlocked by playing through all of the 18 Asylum levels. We are also introducing 7 new Challenge Modes and at last, 4 more Trophies! The gameplay of The Asylum picks up right where Lil and Laarg left off toward the end Escape Plan. Lil and Laarg enter a sewer pipe, only to find themselves in Bakuki’s Asylum. This latest conundrum is filled with padded walls, shocking minions, gruesome blades of mass destruction and even more helpless sheep. More...

New from developer <a href="http://www.unitedfrontgames.com/">United Front Games</a> in conjunction with <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/square-enix/">Square Enix London Studios</a> is <a href="http://www.sleepingdogs.net/">Sleeping Dogs</a>, the stylish tale of undercover cop Wei Shen and his journey through the murky world of the Hong Kong Triads. Executive producer Stephen van der Mescht of United Front Games took time out at <a href="http://www.e3expo.com/">E3 2012</a> to explain how Bruce Lee and PlayStation 2 classic <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bully_%28video_game%29">Bully</a> have helped shape this extremely promising title, and why we're seeing gaming leave its teenage obsessions behind. <blockquote> <strong>What is it about Hong Kong that inspires?</strong> <strong>Stephen:</strong> So many things. Its history in cinema, in martial arts, kung fu, everything as far back as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Chow Yun Fat, John Woo. What's interesting for us is seeing those older action movies and the new wave of Hong Kong cinema like Infernal Affairs and that shift towards more serious story telling. </blockquote> More...

To help celebrate today’s U.S. launch of <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/gravity-rush/">Gravity Rush</a> for <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps-vita/">PlayStation Vita</a>, I’m excited to share this new trailer which will give you a taste of what the game has in store for you (above). <a href="http://us.playstation.com/psvita/games-and-media/psv-gravity-rush.html">Gravity Rush</a> was based on the inspiration I received from the artwork I saw in a magazine when I was a teenager. When I joined the industry, I thought that someday I would want to create a game with a world setting as vivid as that piece of art. It's been awhile since Japanese videogames have carried the clout that they used to in our industry. When I began my career, I was striving to find a way to break through. More...

Hi, Everyone. If you were following all of the coverage from <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/e312/">E3</a> last week, you know that there’s plenty of great content coming to <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps-vita/">PlayStation Vita</a>. From the first unveil of <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/assassins-creed-iii-liberation/">Assassin’s Creed III Liberation</a> (which will also sport a limited-edition PS Vita bundle) to the announcement of <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012/06/04/playstation-all-stars-battle-royale-expands-ps-vita-drake-big-daddy/">PlayStation All Stars: Battle Royale</a> coming to Vita with PS3 cross-play support, from PSone classics support via a system software update (coming this summer) to new streaming partners (Hulu Plus and Crackle), the content lineup for PS Vita is stronger than ever. In the coming months, you can look forward to new game reveals and other news for Vita; in the meantime, we wanted to let you know that a minor system software update will be released tonight that improves software stability. The update (v. 1.69) is completely optional, but we did want to give everyone a heads up that it was coming. More...

This past week the PlayStation Digital Platforms Community team attended <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/e312/">E3</a> down in Los Angeles. This was also this third year we built out a virtual E3 booth, literally matching schematics as tightly as possible to the real deal, and bringing the community the sort of experiences you would have if you were lucky enough to get entrance to the real expo. Caption: The best part about the virtual E3 booth—no lines! Some games and experiences at the real E3 require waiting quite a while to get in. We would like to share some pics from the real E3 booth, so you can take a further glimpse into the excitement that is E3. Due to popular demand, we are extending the virtual E3 booth one more week. So if you didn’t get a chance to check it out, you have a little more time. But once it’s gone, it’s gone for the year. More...

When it was first launched back in 2010, <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/final-fantasy-xiv/">Final Fantasy XIV</a> for PC was criticized by players and the media, and eventually the planned PS3 version was postponed. Since then, <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/square-enix/">Square Enix</a> decided to reshuffle the leading developers of the game, with Naoki Yoshida now acting as Director and Producer. His challenge is to helm the 2.0 version of <a href="http://www.finalfantasyxiv.com/">Final Fantasy XIV</a>, which is a re-imagination of the original release. It will mark a new beginning for the game when it gets launched this winter, coinciding with the release of the anticipated <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps3/">PS3</a> version. The game was not ready to be demoed publicly at <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/e312/">E3</a> this year, but we got a chance to see a brief live demo behind closed doors of the game still running on a PC. It featured lush visuals, with a richly detailed character running through a forest area with dense vegetation and impressive lighting effects passing through foliage. It was something we definitely aren’t used to see in an MMORPG. More...