As part of Sony’s Gamescom lineup, dungeon crawling RPG Ruin has received a fresh batch of screenshots to keep you locked up for a little bit longer.  Originally announced back at E3, the game received plenty of attention due to its connectivity between the PlayStation and PlayStation Vita.

Ruin is being co-developed by SCE San Diego Studio and Idol Minds, the group behind the very popular PSN game Pain. The game will feature a cloud save functionality, which will allow players to start the game up on their PS3 and then at any time save, then pick it right up on their PS Vita.

The game plays much like Diablo, with plenty of levels full of all kinds of nefarious monsters. Multiple classes and plenty of loot, along with full use of the Vita’s robust features should make this a game worth picking up.

Ruin should be releasing on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita alongside the handhelds launch.

© Cameron Teague for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2011. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us

ModNation Racers burst onto the kart racing genre mid 2010, combining the racing antics of Mario Kart with the creative freedom of LittleBigPlanet. The game also saw a PSP port, but that version felt a bit limited. Enter ModNation Racers (Working Title) on the Vita. With aims of perfectly replicating the console version of the game on the go, can developer SCE San Diego deliver? We went hands-on with the game during E3 and have our preview ready for you below.

The demo shown to us at E3 had been in development for around 14 months – one of the lengthier times we overheard at the show for a Vita game. One big feature in this version of ModNation Racers is that upon launch you will be granted access to all the tracks and vehicles available for the PS3 version of the game. Assuming it will have the same sorting functionality, then you will already have thousands of great tracks to play once you are done with the single player (as well as thousands of crap material to sift through, I’m sure). It should be noted that this functionality is one-way only at the time of writing – content created on the Vita version is not shareable to the PS3 version.

Racing is pretty standard fare here, and anyone familiar with the console ModNation Racers will feel right at home here. Use R for gas, left analog stick for turning, right stick for in-air rotation, face buttons for boost/jump/drift/weapon. Speaking of weapons, beyond the typical ones available from previous entries, there are now elemental attacks – fire, ice and earth. It is unclear how these are incorporated yet, but one example we did see was a powerup being “leveled” up to the point where the player transformed into a massive snowball, destroying anyone who got in his way. Hopefully these elements will react with each other in expected ways, where each is effective against an opposing element and weak to another.

Creating on the Vita is all about the touchscreen and rear touchpad, and it works for the most part. You use the front touch screen to first draw an overall path for your track. It seems that your tracks cannot go for too long before you run out of track. But the overhead view of the map is rather deceptive – it is a much larger area than it appears, so you can create gigantic turns without even realizing it. Once you are happy with the layout, you are given the option to auto-populate the track and put in a more traditional creation camera. Here is where you can use the rear touch pad to create mountains and valleys on the landscape. Pull the ground low enough and it fills with water, creating a lake. While the effect is cool, the game’s engine seemed to struggle as I used more of my fingers to craft the area – you can apparently use up to ten fingers at once, which is an impressive amount of tracking. But if the sluggishness of the creation mode is not improved by launch, it may be a glaring issue.

In the end, it looks like SCE San Diego is gearing up to deliver an even more faithful translation of the ModNation Racers experience on the go than their PSP port, which was no slouch either. Cross-play functionality is also included, though it was not shown here. This seems to be the killer feature that a lot of Vita games are going to tout. With other features coming to the game such as using the Vita’s cameras to create textures and the GPS to earn “ModMiles” by visiting real locations, ModNation Racers on the Vita is shaping up to be a must-have portable entry for fans of the genre.

© Paulmichael Contreras for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2011. | Permalink | No comments | Add to del.icio.us

After successfully launching on both the PS3 and the PSP, Modnation Racers will soon be coming to the recently named PlayStation Vita. But it won’t be a port at all.

San Diego Studios showed off the new version of Modnation on stage. Race, Create, Share was their mantra the first time, but it’s been taken to a new level now. The Vita’s version of the crazy kart racer will be much more intuitive than the already accesible PS3 version. Utilizing the touch interface, you just have to draw a racetrack and it will be there. Mere seconds and you’ll have a new track.

As part of the promise of cross-platform compatibility with the PlayStation Vita and the PS3, all of the 2 million PS3 tracks will be available on Day 1 as DLC. Stay tuned to PlayStation LifeStyle for the rest of E3 for your PlayStation Vita needs.

© Corey Schwanz for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2011. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us

Sony’s Sports Champions delivered the first taste of Playstation Move’s technological prowess when it débuted back in September. I have found myself going back for more on a weekly basis, and throwing down some quick table tennis is always a fun workout. Oh, and those buttons, those are nice too.

Ever wondered what the most challenging sport in Sports Champions is? How about how many players have earned the elusive platinum trophy? Find out in the ever-so-informational Sports Champions fun-fact collage below, courtesy of Sony:

Bam, there it is. Can you believe the CPU has a winning record in table tennis as impressive as Jan-Ove Waldner? So can I. That AI is no pushover.

[Source]

© jleack for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us

Let’s face it, the real ‘meat and potatoes’ of ModNation Racers is the ability to create your very own track, and true to United Front’s word, it’s as simple as eating pie. Seriously. If you’ve played the beta, then you know that creating your own track is a breeze. But not all of us want to create our own tracks or race with a buncha’ strangers. Some of us want a single player mode along with some kind of storyline. United Front Games heard our request, and we have the newest trailer for you showcasing the single player career mode which is just as deep and addictive as any other mode in the game!

Your career begins as Tag. You’ve worked hard to get to this spot, starting as a graffiti artist with dreams of becoming an Elite ModNation Racer. You’ll battle and race your way through 28 unique tracks as you chase after the Championship. Are you ‘Mod’ enough to become the Champ? Check out the trailer below and let us know in the comments what element of ModNation Racers has you the most excited.

ModNation Racers hits Europe on May 21st and the US on May 25th and is easily the biggest PS3 release this month!

© The Great Thomasio for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2010. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us

San Diego Studios has been hard at work with ModNation Racers for both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable. The demo for the PSP version was recently released, and many have been surprised at how much content has been packed into the game. Now that the final retail version is upon us, hopefully these positive qualities have carried over.

The controls in ModNation Racers PSP are easy to grasp and the races can get pretty intense against the CPU. You can pick up weapons, rockets, land mines, and more as you race around the tracks, and the diverse arsenal of weapons add a lot of strategy to the racing experience. First place means nothing if you just get nailed by a rocket and your cart is sitting in a pile of rubble two feet from the finish line. Drifting and drafting will help build up your boost, and completing a perfect lap equals a full boost refill.

The tracks included with the game range from way too easy to very challenging. Shortcuts can be useful, but keep in mind that your CPU opponents also know where they are, so not being in first on the first lap can put you in a hard place. Staying back a few carts and remembering where the weapons are is the key to winning in single-player. CPU opponents vastly range in difficulty. Some are incredibly aggressive and want nothing more than to wipe your cart off the face of the earth, while others are just trying to finish a lap. Improving your cart, or using one that you’ve unlocked, will help you to win more races and take the other guys out, so pay attention to what you are driving.

For PSPgo owners, playing with your PS3 controller can give you strong edge offline and probably should not be allowed once the online community is made available. The PSP version has most of the content that the PS3 version will have, but also has one mode that the PS3 version doesn’t. Elimination mode, coincidentally, eliminates the person in last place after each lap, and continues until only one racer is left. It is a very fun mode that should probably be added to the PS3 via DLC at some point. There are a couple of extra tracks as well for the PSP, and bonus PSP content for owners of both the PS3 and PSP versions which can be unlocked once the two are connected.

The Track and Mod Studios are easy to use and your options for creativity are excellent. There are unlockable items that you’ll earn as you progress through the story mode, and you can collect characters by taking them out during races. Different carts and different parts for carts are also unlockable, so these is a lot of content available when not even considering the vast amount of player-created content which the game is based on.

This is looking to be a high-quality PSP game that should give many hours of fun racing, creativity and competition. If you haven’t pre-ordered this game and have a PSP at your disposal, do yourself a favor and pre-order it right away.

© Louis Edwards for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us

After Sony’s success with MLB 09 in 2009, “The Show” became one of the highest rated sports games ever made. Almost overnight, MLB: 09: The Show became the new hallmark of baseball games and sent the 2K series to off to warm the bench. Major League Baseball’s spring training  is in full swing and that means the season has begun for MLB 10: The Show. Does MLB 10 continue the winning tradition or strike out trying?

In 2008, something changed at SCEA. Sony San Diego Studios decided it was time to create a PS3 Exclusive powerhouse sports title. MLB 08: The Show was released and threw baseball fans some heat. The Show series began on the PS3 with MLB 07, but it was largely unimpressive and lacking key features. Something had to be done to give this franchise a boost or it would have been likely been lost in the halls of mediocrity. MLB 2008 was totally reconstructed and given a massive face-lift and started a tradition of excellence in the series.

Instead of drastically changing the formula, San Diego Studios mostly improved upon the fantastic system already in place. After all, if it’s not broken, then why fix it? The Show series strives on being the most realistic baseball simulator series available and this year is no different.

One of the most important factors of any sports game is the presentation as well as the details and this title has it in spades. You will not find another sports game that integrates so well with the sport. Batters will reach down and grab a handful of dirt to get a better grip on the bat. Every crazy batting stance is accounted for. San Diego Studios even claims this whole ‘ordeal’ is in the game. At one point my relief pitcher dropped his glove as he approached the mound to take place of the starting pitcher. While something like this can easily be overlooked, I’ve never seen so much polish in any sports game and the results are impressive.

San Diego Studios, along with the power of the PS3, have crafted such a great baseball experience that it’s not fair to compare them to the competition, they simply aren’t in the same league.  No other studio comes close. Everything from your fellow Home Run Derby contestants laying in the grass, to rendering every person in the stadium, MLB 10 ‘shows’ the power of the PS3 like no other sports title can.

If you’ve played the MLB: The Show series over the past few years, then you are familiar with the core feature: The Road To The Show, or RTTS for short. Create your player, get drafted, and then have to make your way up to the Big Leagues. Along the way you will improve your skills and prove yourself to get a chance to play in the Big League!

The team at SDS implemented the feature to call the game as the Catcher in RTTS, so I naturally gravitated towards this new addition to the mode. Anyone that has ever played baseball at any level has dreamed of playing Catcher. The great news about the ability for calling the game: it’s a lot of fun! I actually had more fun calling the shots than going to bat. Very edge of your seat, ‘what am I going to call to get this guy out?’ fun. Calling a fastball on the inside and having a batter think it was going to be a ball and it turns out to be a strike is invigorating. This feature, unfortunately, is not without its problems.

Next Page »

© The Great Thomasio for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2010. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us

MLB 10: The Show, the latest game from the highest rated and best selling baseball franchise of this console generation is now available exclusively for the PlayStation 3, PSP, and PS2. Sony’s flagship baseball franchise steps up to the plate, fully intent on knocking it out of the ballpark with a slew of new features.

Hailed by many as the most “authentic” baseball sim on the market, MLB 10: The Show returns with “ultra-realistic, broadcast quality gameplay”. MLB 10: The Show aims to continue its reign by delivering the “richest and most immersive baseball experience available” says Scott A. Steinberg, VP of Product Marketing for SCEA. Steinberg adds: “MLB 10 The Show’s new feature set coupled with our team’s unsurpassed attention to detail continues to raise to bar for authenticity and true-to-life gameplay. It’s a must have for sports fans and an experience only available on PlayStation®.”

Click here to buy MLB 10: The Show. For more information, please view the official press release below:

The long awaited Home Run Derby leads the deep features list in MLB 10 The Show for the PS3 system. Fully implemented in the season modes and available as a stand-alone feature, Home Run Derby follows the MLB rules and flow allowing players to see who is the king of the long ball.

The MLB®Futures Game(TM) will also be available within season modes in its correct timeframe (just before the Home Run Derby), as well as fully functional online leagues. The new online season leagues will save and display MLB player stats, track player energy, allow for trades/injuries, and offer 40-man roster functionality.

Additional new features for the PS3 game include “Catcher Mode,” where players can be the ultimate field general and have the ability to call the game as the catcher in “Road to The Show” career mode. MLB 10 The Show will also offer daytime transitional lighting, a newly added “Movie Maker” menu giving the user the ability to select multiple replays to add to and edit a single movie, and 11 new stadiums. Five new Minor League(TM) parks will be introduced, as well as a selection of classic stadiums available on the PS3 system for the first time including Forbes Field, Crosley Field, Polo Grounds, Shibe Park, Sportsman Park, and Griffith Stadium.

MLB 10 The Show once again raises the overall level of detail and realism from customizable fan chants, to jumbotron animations, to crowd atmosphere. Not to be outdone, stadium ambiance will be improved with the addition of HR/splash counters, fireworks, steam, noisemakers, towels, thunder sticks, crowd reaching over the rails, and crowd detail, such as interaction with vendors and placing Ks.

Online multiplayer has also vastly improved this year to bring more of that competitive fire out amongst friends. First and foremost, the game will detect and respond better to adverse network conditions and bandwidth has been reduced to help the speed and flow of online gameplay. Along with the core online league play, where gamers can customize leagues including choosing players, teams, and length of schedule, MLB 10 The Show will now offer fully functional online season leagues. The new online season leagues will save and display MLB player stats, track player energy, allow for trades/injuries, and offer 40-man roster functionality. Alongside this will be weekly live roster updates, available every week throughout the entire MLB season, tracking roster changes, addition of new MLB players (with correct attributes), and player attribute updates to reflect hot and cold streaks. The Show will offer the ability to view every game you’ve ever played online, complete with opponents, box scores, and game logs.

The gameplay in The Show has been enhanced considerably with improved logic, animations, and presentations resulting in a wider variety of hit types (including more choppers), ball collision improvements enabling bounces off of any part of the batter’s body, comebackers to the mound, ability to rob HRs, and more — all new aspects of the gameplay that not only look great, but feel right.

The popular “Road to The Show” mode returns to The Show with version 4.0 featuring the addition of two new interactive training modes, new settings, and new presentations. Interactive training will consist of a set of mini-games designed to improve a player’s fielding and pitching ability, adding to last year’s introduction of batting and base running training. “Franchise Mode” also returns to the game, including the 40-man roster, salary arbitration, waiver transactions and September call-ups.

For fans who want to take The Show on the go, MLB 10 The Show for the PSP and PSPgo systems delivers big baseball action in the palm of your hand by utilizing core gameplay features found on the PS3 system version.

Exclusive for PlayStation 2 system is the unrivaled “Player Creator,” providing users with endless possibilities for creating players, including everything down to their player’s face with EyeToy®. Users can also adjust their personal rituals, swings, and even emotions as they create and place themselves in the heat of a pennant race.

© Anthony Severino for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2010. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us

Rumors began to swirl last year when a listing for a PSP version of ModNation Racers appeared on Gamestop.com. Sony denied the rumor and not even two months later, it’s been confirmed. Get your engine’s ready folks, ModNation Racers is coming to Sony’s Portable handheld!

Releasing day and date alongside it’s bigger brother on the PS3, ModNation Racers PSP will include all of the features of the PS3 version, including Online multiplayer.

Unfortunately, no release date has yet to be revealed for ModNation Racers, but signs point towards a summer release. Once some information is released, we’ll be sure to let you know.

© The Great Thomasio for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2010. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us

Since the surprising new PS3 exclusive, ModNation Racers, was shown at Sony’s E3 conference gamers across the globe have been waiting with baited breath for any glimpse of this game. Well have no fear we have the latest trailer to help wet your appetites.

The latest trailer does not show a whole lot of new stuff, but instead shows a little more of the customization of each driver and there car. What the trailer does do a good job of is making the wait that much harder till release day.

Enjoy!!

Click here to view the embedded video.

© Adam Wolfe for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2009. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.
Developer: United Front Games
Platform: PLAYSTATION®3 system
Genre: Arcade Racing / Play, Create and Share
Players: 1-2 (offline), 2-12 (online)
Launch Year: 2010
Rating: “RP” for Rating Pending
OVERVIEW
Exclusive to the PLAYSTATION®3 system and developed by United Front Games, ModNation™ Racers is the newest installment to PlayStation’s innovative Play, Create and Share genre. ModNation Racers is a thoroughly fresh take on classic kart racing that empowers the player to personalize their entire game.

Players can express themselves by creating their own Mod character, styling their own racing kart and even building – in just minutes – an imaginative track that can be shared with the rest of the PlayStation community via the free PlayStation®Network service. The easy-to-use editing studio tools make this creative process accessible to players of all levels. Not feeling creative? ModNation Racers presents a humorous story with a wealth of pre-made characters, karts, tracks and challenges for all players.

Race It
ModNation Racers is fun and competitive kart racing re-imagined. Redefining the kart racing genre, the processing power of PS3 allows for interaction with dynamic obstacles in the surrounding environment, the fun of real-time physics and handling in a speedy kart, free online play and more. Drive your kart against enemy AI, friends in your living room, or friends and foes online on the PlayStation®Network. The team at United Front Games’ successful history with racing games ensures the core racing game play is best in class.

Mod It
Players can express themselves in ModNation Racers by designing an imaginative Mod character and crafting a cool kart that insures a stylish drive around the track. Additionally, players are given simple and accessible tools to create any track they can dream up. They can spend mere minutes designing a circuit or hours perfecting it with the same tools the developers used to design the pre-made tracks. To start creating, players simply drive their kart and watch the track created in real-time behind them. They can add hairpin turns, rickety bridges or other elements to the race track, or even include environmental components like a stunning sunset, full mountain ranges and more.

Share It
Once players are happy with their track designs, Mod character or tricked-out kart, they can share and race these creations with the rest of the world online via PSN. Furthermore, players can download others’ unlocked creations, mod them, and then re-upload to the ModNation Racers community. ModNation Racers gives players the ability to rate and comment on others’ creations, and see how their track ranks within the community. With all this accessible editing and re-editing, players will have access to a constantly changing array of user generated characters, karts and tracks. Sophisticated social networking components, filters and leaderboards ensure the community’s best and favorite creations rise to the top and are easy to find.

KEY FEATURES

Customized Karting Experience – Whether the player is a race car driver, a newcomer to videogames or an aspiring game developer, they can show their talents off in ModNation Racers. The power of creation is in the player’s hands.

Accessible Creation Tools – ModNation Racers includes easy creation tools in the Track Studio, Character Studio and Kart Studio that allow the player to design something comprehensive and fun in a matter of minutes. Players can invest minimal time and enjoy basic creating, or they can invest more time and make sure every lake, mountain, banked turn and power-up is placed perfectly.

• Classic Kart Racing Action – ModNation Racers delivers exceptional kart handling and physics technology on PS3 that makes for fast and fun racing. Players can drift their karts around corners, boost for more speed, attack opponents with weapons and interact with the world around them.
• Story Campaign – The humorous story of ModNation Racers sees the player rise up to become an elite racer. The narrative, tutorials, challenges, and rewards reveal all the key features.
• Game Modes – In addition to the Story Campaign, other single and multiplayer player modes will let players show off their skills in varied challenges with their favorite characters and karts.
• Extensive PlayStation Network Options – Features include matchmaking, detailed stats and leaderboards, Friends List management, communication tools, etc.
• Vinyl Art Style – Inspired by urban vinyl art, ModNation Racers sports a stylish and attractive look and design for young and old players alike.
• User-Generated Content – User generated content in ModNation Racers will keep this karting world fresh and alive so that every race is a new and fun experience.
• Vote for the Best – Players can participate in the karting community in ModNation Racers by voting on any creation as they view it and race it
• Attacking and Offensive Driving – Winning the race is only half of the fun! Players can use combat-like racing strategies to attack other karts with an array of dramatic weapons. For those interested in focusing solely on racing, ModNation Racers has a Pure Race mode.
• Trophy Support – ModNation Karting supports a host of fun and challenging trophies to collect along the way.

© Draisey for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2009. | Permalink | 19 comments | Add to del.icio.us

Another year, another baseball game for the PlayStation consoles. Does the 2009 edition of MLB 09 The Show improve upon last year’s addition enough to warrant another purchase?

Gameplay-wise, not very much has changed. You still bat and pitch the same way that you’ve gotten accustomed to. SCEA’s San Diego Studios has added in new animations for every facet of on-field action, which enhances the feeling of taking part in an actual MLB series. However, one part that I feel still needs tuning are the batting mechanics; I seemed to be getting way too many fouls when I was up at the plate.

The graphics are as good as anything on the PS2. There really isn’t a whole lot more that the developers can do in terms of pushing the PS2 hardware, especially with the console entering its 9th year on the market. The player models are still impressive, and prove that the PS2 isn’t quite ready to call it quits. The stadiums are also remarkably detailed and accurate, from scoreboards to the advertisements on the walls.

Even little touches such as the dust and dirt kicked up by players during the course of the game add to the overall believability. However, the stadium crowds are still just 2D cutouts. And while we’ve repeatedly asked developers to try 3D crowds for enhanced realism, it just hasn’t happened on last-gen hardware.

The Online portion of the game is just as feature-packed as last year’s edition. You can create your own leagues and play full seasons with people online. And if that’s not your thing, you can always take part in a quick game or go into the lobbies and find specific rooms. Anyone can create custom teams and put them online for others to use for themselves. So if you ever happen to get tired of single player and local multiplayer, there’s still a robust online mode to check out and enjoy.

Just to reiterate, this is a good baseball game by anyone’s standards. It has a fully-featured and functional online portion, as well as a chock-full single player mode that will keep MLB fans more than satisfied until next year’s rendition. So if you like to play baseball games or simply enjoy the sport, then I recommend picking this up. You will not be disappointed.

PlayStation LifeStyle’s Final Score Graphics really push the PS2 hardware. Batting mechanics could be improved. Extensive single player, and feature-packed online mode.

© Michael Gruver for PlayStation LifeStyle, 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us