PlayStation News, Articles and Information for the UK and Europe

Summer is now in full swing and the absence of new games is still fairly unnoticeable as the pile of the “To Play…” games slowly dwindles. Not to worry though, in a few months another mammoth wave of games and hardware will hit the PlayStation franchise with tonnes of new games like LittleBigPlanet 2, Heroes On The Move, Gran Turismo 5 and many more. Then there’s PlayStation Move in its entirety with many games getting a move update – Heavy Rain included.

For now though, it seems the team has been busy with a variety of games. Let’s take a look, shall we?

nineinchnailed

This month I’ve been pretty much focused on just two games; Demon’s Souls and The Secret of Monkey Island (Special Edition). Demon’s Souls really is as good as people say, and is one of the most hardcore games I’ve played in a long time. I have almost thrown my controller at the TV several times, and on one particularly frustrating occasion I almost had to breath into a paper bag to stop myself from doing something terrible. Aside from that, it’s amazing fun and I’m particularly enjoying going back to early levels and teaching a lesson to the vile skeletons who so regularly mashed me up before I was a tough guy.

To retain my sanity I’ve been balancing out Demon’s Souls with some wonderfully laid-back Monkey Island gaming. For those who have never played any of the Monkey Island games, it is virtually impossible to die or even fail, which, coupled with the witty humour in the game, makes playing The Secret of Monkey Island an absolute joy. Having played the first few games several times during my youth, in theory I already know all the answers to the puzzles but my fallible memory has clearly developed a few gaps over the years!

Next month I’m really excited about playing BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger which can usually be bought for about £15 now that it’s been out for a while. I’ve been quite disappointed by this generation’s fighting games so far so BlazBlue’s refreshing take on the genre looks like it could be right up my street. I’ll report back next month and let you know how I got on!

rymanb

This month has been a joint Final Fantasy XIII and Red Dead Redemption focus. I’ve been slowly working my way through RDR whilst playing a lot of the side quests and mini games rather than doing the story, which I recently finished – a brilliant ending I must admit; see Pepsicoke’s review of the game here. In Final Fantasy XIII, I’ve five starred all of the marks, earning me several trophies in the process; now all that’s left is to beat the final boss on 5-stars and hold every weapon and accessory in order to get that Platinum.

I’ve also made a few more trips back to Heavy Rain and earned a few more trophies, and I even dipped into Uncharted 2 for a bit, but I think I’ll head back there when Naughty Dog release another expansion. I’ve also finally had the funds to download Final Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy IX from the PlayStation Store, shortly before buying a new memory stick for my PSP to fit them both on!

As I’m on holiday at the end of this month, these two games should keep me occupied for a few weeks while I’m away from the PS3, although I’ve already given in to temptation and given them a little play (I’m ashamed to say I forgot how brilliant they are), and it has to be said that the likes of Final Fantasy XII and XIII don’t even come close to the sheer brilliance of the PSOne era of Final Fantasy gaming.

I’m not sure what I’ll be getting in the next month really, probably just catching up and finishing titles which I’ve bought in the last few months, hopefully I’ll be able to get my hands on 3D Dot Game Heroes. I’m also going to start saving up for the PlayStation Move starter pack + subcontroller (which is about £75 altogether) which releases in the middle of September.

jaco101666

I haven’t been gaming much as my account has been lost, but a few days ago I got The Orange Box. I’ve been meaning to get it for a while and have been on the edge, but I finally got it along with Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Both are spectacular games and I have been playing non-stop 24 hours since i got them. I have mostly been playing The Orange Box, though, as you get 5 games (3 full games, 2 expansion packs). I am currently playing through Half Life 2 at the moment, and I’ve had a quick go on Portal ( I have completed it on PC). The other game I bought – Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, is also one of the best games I have played in a long time, as it blends the free-climbing of Assassins Creed, and the shooting system of Just Cause 2. I haven’t finished the story yet, but I’m very close to the end. Both games have a spectacular story and fulfilled gameplay alike, your PS3 isn’t complete without these 2 games.

One game I am looking forward to in the near future is Mafia 2, which comes out in August, but I probably won’t get it until I have completed both of my recent games. I haven’t seen a lot of gameplay for Mafia 2, but after its predecessor, I can’t think of where it would go wrong. Another game, although not coming out for a few months, is LBP2. I have seen A LOT of gameplay on that and I get giddy just thinking about it! Along with LBP2, AC: Brotherhood gives me the same sensation of Christmas as a 5 year old. I am eagerly anticipating all 3 of those games, but I’ll have to wait before i get my hands on them.

Pepsicoke

This month I’ve been going through a load of titles to try and 100% them- Red Dead Redemption being one of them, alongside GTA IV. Two masterpiece of games can’t go without perfecting them, therefore I’ve been putting in a lot of effort to get them done.

I’ve also been playing some new titles, including the insane Singularity and the more sane Lego Harry Potter, the latter which is quite a leap in the Lego franchise – although still glaring the same overall gameplay. Also, I’ve been trying to get into the world of Demon’s Souls and have been regularly kicking back with a bit of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, which I am quite appalling at.

Add to that a healthy dose of Uncharted 2 multiplayer (you really can’t have enough of it) and PlayStation Home, and this month has been a great one for PlayStation 3 owners!

mudmonster7

Now that exams are finaly over I’ve got a bit more gaming done - yes, I’m still playing Modern Warfare 2! Therefore, I thought I’d explain why this is still such a big part of my gaming. To me, MW2 is one of the best ways to play online with friends; lots of my existing mates play it and I get to meet lots more online. The game really lends itself to online social gaming, through its use of team speak, planning strategies and just having a good time.

On top of MW2, I’ve been playing Jurassic Park: Operation Genisis on PlayStation 2, of whch I recently posted a ‘Classic Review’.  I’ve also found time for some retro gaming with Star Wars: Battlefield 2. Other games I’ve dipped in and out of include Just Cause 2, Red Dead Redemption and DJ Hero.

DJ Hero, despite its hefty price tag, is great fun, and allows customisable DJs, sets and locations. However, I get the feeling that this is the first in a long list of games to come; with the release of DJ hero 2 in October I’m hoping for the same level of fun but with more customisation in terms of the music, which was lacking in the first one, and a better online play. I’m assuming that I will be able to use my current set of decks as it would be pretty expensive, not to mention naughty of the developers, if everyone had to splash out on a new set of decks for the next game.