Critter Crunch is one of the most adorable games you will ever discover; yet below it’s seemingly simple and cute gameplay lies a deeply complex and challenging puzzle game that will take you hours, or even days to master. The title revolves around the life of Biggs, a weirdly cute jungle creature that is dedicated to feeding his children.

If only it was that simple.

To achieve this aim, he must regurgitate a fountain of rainbow-coloured vomit into his adorable little munchkins; and of course this is easier said than done. Basically, each level consists of rows of “critters” that slowly inch their way down the vine, and if they manage to get to the bottom of the vines it’s game over.

Finishing a level requires you to feed smaller creatures to larger creatures until you reach a pre-determined score. That’s really all there is to it, and while it may sound deceptively simple and easy, the game quickly escalates in complexity and difficulty. Before long you’ll be dealing with bombs, which blow up all surrounding squares; creatures which morph into other creatures; poisoned creatures which take points away from you, and many other concepts that vary the gameplay and keep it interesting.

Critter Crunch becomes even more challenging if you actually want to start feeding your children (in order to earn a good ending). In order to achieve this, you have to get your little munchkin to show up by popping at least 8 critters with one move. Following this, holding down the circle button for a predetermined time allows you to “barf” rainbow nutrients into your offspring; of course, whilst the critters are still moving down the vine, and on top of it all, the critters travel at an accelerated pace while you’re feeding.

Early on, special powerups are introduced that become essential in terms of tactical play. These pickups have varying effects; from destroying entire rows, to making the critters all travel upwards one level and give you some more breathing space. The use of power-ups becomes critical late-game and is just another example of the deep complexity this game offers beneath its seemingly simple premise.

Even when all’s said and done with adventure mode, and you feed all of your children, there are still a ton of additional modes for gamers to play through. The first of these is “Puzzle Mode”, where players must clear the board of critters within x amount of moves. A total of 100 puzzles exist, and without a guide, they can easily take hours to complete. Challenge mode is similar, though there are only 50 levels to complete, and the tasks require you to perform certain goals in a certain amount of time rather than solving puzzles.

If you’ve managed to exhaust the previous two options, you can turn to Survival mode, where you must keep the critters from reaching the bottom of the vines for as long as possible. The longer you last, the faster the critters travel downwards, and the more frantic the gameplay becomes.

Lastly, you can also play multiplayer games against other people. The online system is a joy to use as it’s easy to find a game, and there’s no lag to be noticed. From there on in it’s a fast-paced split-screen competition where you must truly be on top of your game to prevail, as some players are very good. Additionally, the multiplayer mode adds special power-ups to mess up your opponents, such as mushrooms that distort opponent’s vision.

However, there is one problem with going online: you’ll often be matched up unequally, so a level 5 person with an 80% win rate may find themselves playing a level 1 player with a 20% win rate, which predictably results in the newbie losing. It’s not a deal-breaker by any means, but it would be better if Capybara games could create a better matchmaking system.

Nevertheless, if you put all of these modes together, you will have have hours upon hours of gameplay in front of you. Even using a guide detailing exactly how to play each level would yield at least 5 hours of playtime, so a price of US$6.99 seems ridiculously low for such a long and fantastic experience.

Titan Studios is showering its loyal fans with support recently, announcing that New Pork (an online multiplayer map) will be free for everyone to download. On top of this news, a new patch is also on the way, which aims to increase the stability of the online experience, as well as introducing a number of gameplay balancing tweaks and bug fixes.

While no release date has been confirmed just yet, Titan Studios have stated that the updates are ready to go and should be hitting the Playstation Network soon. Read on for the full patchlog.

New Map

• A brand new awesome city map has been added called New Pork…and it’s free!

Game System Tweaks

• The host’s ability to kick and ban players has been removed.
• The ability for players to switch teams post-game is now restricted so that sides cannot be unbalanced by more than 2 players.
• A new switching team system has been implemented during matches:

* If there is a deficit of 2 players between teams, the weaker team will drop a team colored ball on the death of a player.
* Picking up the colored ball switches a player’s team and rewards them with a 300 point bonus.
* So…get the ball.

• The 10 game average ranking system has been removed.
• A new ranking system has been implemented, which adds rank points for every game based on the player’s score.
• Awarded ranking titles will now never go down once earned.
• Online leaderboards have been increased to display all players not just the top 1000.
• All online leaderboards are to be reset shortly after patch 1.03 is released, but all unlocked customizations and trophies will remain unlocked. You will not lose them.

Main Bug Fixes

• The Princess disappearing bug has been fixed.
• The issue with statistics and trophies not saving correctly has been fixed.

Character Balancing

• The Dark Priest’s lock-on range has been reduced.
• The Dark Priest’s drain ability has been slightly reduced.
• The Ranger now has larger movement penalty when locked on and charging attacks.
• The Adv. Ranger has a smaller shot dispersion and increased damage per shot.
• The Warrior’s attack damage has been increased slightly.
• The Warrior’s movement speed has been increased slightly when locked on and charging attacks.
• The Warrior’s 360 degree protect when his shield is raised has been increased from 20% to 40%
• Warrior’s Lock on range increased to match Ranger to stop class being hit from behind when retreating
• Warriors weapon collision box increased in size to aid with hit detection
• Adv Warrior speed increased slightly when locked on and charging to match his normal movement speed
• Adv Warrior damage increased
• Adv Worker’s bomb knockback force removed
• Princess calorie burn decreased slightly in weight state 3 and 4

Control Tweaks

• Two new control schemes have been implemented to allow players to use the R1 button to attack and to free the player’s right hand for target switching. This is AWESOME.

Scoring Updates

• New switching team bonus added of 300 points.
• Princess rescue score increased to 300 points.
• Princess rescue assistance bonus increased to 150 points.
• Princess escort bonus increased to 75 points.
• Win game scoring reduced to 150 points.
• Match completion bonus added of 75 points.
• Average Rank bonus award removed for games won under 3 minutes.
• Bonus score for winning games in under 3 minutes removed.

Additional Tweaks

• Candy confetti added as a special effect when blood is turned off. Check this out – it is really cool.
• All loading screens now in color.
• Loading screens now allow players to scroll to next and previous tips during the load.

Source: QJ.Net

Uncharted 2 has been out for two weeks now, and for a lot of us, that sadly means you’ve probably finished the adventure as well. Well not to worry, as Naughty Dog has confirmed that both free and paid DLC will be available for players before the end of the year is out!

No details are available just yet, but creative director Amy Hennig hints at the possibility of new maps and possibly new characters as well.

On top of it all, Insomniac also reports that they’re very happy with how Uncharted 2‘s sales are going thus far. The title has exceeded their expectations and outsold Uncharted 1 already!

Of course, having reviewed the title as a perfect 10.0 ourselves and the overwhelming positive response Uncharted 2 has received in the last two weeks, this news comes as no surprise to anyone.

Source: Joystiq

The official trophy list for the Playstaton 3 version of Assassin’s Creed 2 has just been released for all the trophy whores/hunters out there. The majority of them look fairly easy, although getting all of the hidden blades, item pouches, and armour upgrades for Ezio may prove to be quite difficult. While the Xbox360 achievement list has not been announced just yet, presumably it should be the same idea.

Read on for the full list.

Total:

: 34

: 15

:1

:1

Bronze

The Birth of an Assassin
Be reborn as Ezio Auditore Da Firenze.

Arrivederci Abstergo
Break out of Abstergo.

Myth Maker
Find the 8 statuettes in Monteriggioni.

Vitruvian Man
Unlock all 20 pieces of Subject 16′s video.

Street Cleaner
Hide 5 dead bodies in a Bale of Hay.

Fly Swatter
Kick a Guard while using the Flying Machine.

Messer Sandman
Stun 4 guards at once by throwing sand in their face.

Doctor
Perform an Air Assassination on a Poisoned NPC.

No-hitter
Kill 10 enemies while remaining in conflict without being hit.

Kleptomaniac
Pickpocket 1000 Florins.

Lightning Strike
Sprint for 100 meters.

Sweeper
Sweep 5 guards at once by using a Long Weapon.

Venetian Gladiator
Discover the Assassin’s Tomb inside Santa Maria della Visitazione.

I can see your house from here!
Discover the Assassin’s Tomb inside Torre Grossa.

Hallowed be thy name
Discover the Assassin’s Tomb inside the Basilica di San Marco.

Prison Escape
Discover the Assassin’s Tomb inside the Rocca di Ravaldino fortress.

Choir Boy
Discover the Assassin’s Tomb inside Santa Maria del Flore (The Duomo).

Assassin for Hire
Complete your first assassination mission for Lorenzo Il Magnifico.

Macho Man
Defend a woman’s honor.

Steal Home
Win a race against thieves!

Show your Colors
Wear the Auditore cape in each city.

Handy Man
Upgrade a building in the Stronghold.

I like the view
Synchronize 10 View Points.

High Dive
Perform a Leap of Faith from the Top of Florence’s Glotto’s Campanile.

Mailman
Intercept a Borgia Courrier.

Tip of the Iceberg
Use your Eagle Vision to scan a Glyph in the environment.

A Piece of the Puzzle
Unlock a piece of Subject 16′s video.

Art Connoisseur
Buy a Painting from Florence and Venice.

Podestà of Monteriggioni
Reach 80% of the your stronghold’s total value.

Perfect Harmony
Tint your clothes with these colors: Wetland Ebony and Wetland Ivory.

In Memory of Petruccio
Collect all the Feathers.

Red Light Addict
Spend 5000 florins on Courtesans.

Man of the People
Toss more than 300 florins on the ground.

Victory lies in preparation

Get all Hidden Blades, Item Pouches and Armor upgrades for Ezio.

Silver

Welcome to the Animus 2.0
Enter the Animus 2.0.

The Pain of Betrayal
Complete DNA Sequence 1.

Vengeance
Complete DNA Sequence 2.

Exit the Son
Complete DNA Sequence 3.

Bloody Sunday
Complete DNA Sequence 4.

Undertaker
Discover the Assassin’s Tomb inside the catacombs under Santa Maria Novella.

The Conspirators
Complete DNA Sequence 5.

An Unexpected Journey
Complete DNA Sequence 6.

Bleeding Effect
Complete training and re-enter the Animus.

The Merchant of Venice
Complete DNA Sequence 7.

The Impenetrable Palazzo
Complete DNA Sequence 8.

Masquerade
Complete DNA Sequence 9.

Blanca’s Man
Complete DNA Sequence 10.

The Prophet
Complete DNA Sequence 11.

The Vault
Complete DNA Seqeunce 14.

Gold

An Old Friend Returns
Escape the hideout.

Platinum

Master Assassin
Unlock all trophies.

Source: PS3Trophies.co.uk

Ubisoft has confirmed that James Cameron’s Avatar will be coming out on December 1st in the US. The title will be available for the Xbox360, PC, PS3, Wii, DS, and PSP, or basically, every single platform that the developers thought could possibly run the title. Only time will tell if this multi-platform approach will come at the cost of a quality experience.

Additionally, this release date also means that people will be able to experience Avatar a full two weeks before it hits the movie-screens.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of this title however is that it will allow both PS3 and Xbox360 users to play the game in 3D (provided they have a TV that supports this feature). Whether the 3D is implemented well and whether it will actually add anything to the overall experience is a topic for another debate.

Source: Joystiq

Half of the promised Ratchet and Clank demo is out this week in the form of a playable Clank level, although what happened to the Ratchet level is currently unknown. Trine has also finally made it to the US this week after months of problems and delays; so be sure to pick it up if you haven’t had a chance to play it yet.

On the PSP side, a host of awesome titles hit the store today, including two Grand Theft Auto games and the innovative Half-minute Hero. Read on to see the full list!

PS3 Content

Updates on Store Prices

• Lumines Supernova Holiday Pack Price Drop (now $2.49)
• Lumines Supernova Permanent Price Drop (now $9.99)
• Lumines Supernova Add-On Bundle Temporary Price Drop (now $4.99)
• Burnout Paradise Temporary Price Drop (now $14.99)
• Siren Temporary Price Drop (full game now $29.99, originally $39.99, – three bundles now $11.99, originally $14.99)

Playable Content

• Trine ($19.99)
• Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee ($9.99)
• Oddworld: Abe’s Exodus ($9.99)
• Ratchet And Clank Future: A Crack In Time - Clank Demo
• Critter Crunch Demo
• Dragon Ball: Raging Blast Demo

Add-on Content

• FIFA Soccer 10 Live Season 2.0 All Leagues ($9.99)
• Lumines Supernova Add-on Bundle ($4.99)
• Way of the Samurai 3 ($1.99)

Guitar Hero 5

• “Freeze-Frame” by J. Geils Band ($1.99)
• “Show Me The Way (Live)” by Peter Frampton ($1.99)
• “Lay It On The Line” by Triumph ($1.99)
• Guitar Hero: Classic Rock 2 Track Pack ($5.49): Pack including “Freeze-Frame”, “Show Me The Way (Live)” and “Lay It On The Line.”

Rock Band

• “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen ($1.99)
• “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen ($1.99)
• “Fat Bottomed Girls” by Queen ($1.99)
• “I Want It All” by Queen ($1.99)
• “I Want to Break Free” by Queen ($1.99)
• “Killer Queen” by Queen ($1.99)
• “One Vision” by Queen ($1.99)
• “Somebody to Love” by Queen ($1.99)
• “Tie Your Mother Down” by Queen ($1.99)
• “Under Pressure” by Queen ($1.99)
• Queen Pack ($15.99): Pack including all above Queen songs

Videos

• Pulse 10/22 Edition
• UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves - Eye of Indra 1
• UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves Behind The Scenes: Technology and Gameplay
• UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves Behind The Scenes 2: Story And Art
• UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves Behind The Scenes 3: Making of the Cinematics
• Aliens vs. Predator – Predator Trailer
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Infamy Trailer
• Guitar Hero Van Halen Trailer
• FINAL FANTASY XIII TGS 2009 Trailer
• Dragon Age: Origins Sacred Ashes Trailer
• Dragon Age: Origins Stone Prisoner Trailer
• Dragon Age: Origins Warden’s Keep Trailer
• Summer Dew Tour Videos (x8)

Themes and Wallpapers

• Hot Pockets PS3 Theme (free)
• School Girls Attack! Hook-Ups Theme ($1.99)
• Tokyo City Police Hook-Ups Theme ($1.99)
• Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs Theme ($1.99)
• 40′s WWII Pinups Theme ($1.99)
• Beach Theme 2 ($1.49)
• Zombies On TV Theme ($1.99)
• LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival Wallpaper
• Hot Pockets PS3 Wallpaper (x3)

Downloadable games

• Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories ($19.99)
• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories ($19.99)
• The Warriors ($19.99)
• Lemmings ($14.99)
• Undead Knights ($39.99)
• The Secret Saturdays: Beasts of the 5th Sun ($29.99)
• Marvel Super Hero Squad ($29.99)
• Steambot Chronicles Battle Tournament ($29.99)
• Hammerin’ Hero ($19.99)
• R-Type Command ($14.99)
• Crimson Gem Saga ($14.99)
• Riviera: The Promised Land ($14.99)
• Yggdra Union ($14.99)
• Capcom Puzzle World ($19.99)
• FIFA Soccer 10 PSP (and French version) ($39.99)
• Armored Core 3 Portable ($39.99)
• Half-Minute Hero ($29.99)
• WWE Smackdown vs RAW 2010 ($29.99)

Add-on Content

Rock Band Unplugged

• “All I Want” by The Offspring ($1.99)
• “The Rock Show” by Blink-182 ($1.99)

Videos

• Pulse 10/22 Edition

PSP Themes

• LocoRoco Midnight Carnival Theme (free)
• Cat Girl Akiko Hook-Ups PSP Theme ($1.99)
• Ice Cream Girls Hook-Ups PSP Theme ($1.99)
• Nurse Girl Nikki Hook-Ups PSP Theme ($1.99)
• School Girl Attack! Hook-Ups PSP Theme ($1.99)
• Tokyo City Police Hook-Ups PSP Theme ($1.99)
• 40′s WWII Pinups PSP Theme 1 and 2 ($1.49 each)
• Beach PSP Theme 3 and 4 ($1.49 each)
• Zombies On TV PSP Theme 1 and 2 ($1.49 each)

Wallpaper

• LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival Wallpaper
  

Borderlands on the PS3 has been the source of many complaints lately, with the latest news reporting that the co-op mode is a complete mess. Problems include friends not showing up on the in-game friends list, game freezes of up to 30 minutes when attempting to open the public games list, and a lag-filled session if anyone does manage to connect at all.

Thankfully however, Gearbox Software has stated that “they’ve identified the problem and are working on a fix.”

Software engineer Scott Velasquez also added that the game’s co-op mode was heavily tested and these problems never emerged during testing. With the European launch set for tomorrow, Velazquez promised that they “are doing everything we can to get this problem addressed quickly,” and will hopefully have a patch ready within the next few days.

[Update: It seems like a patch was already enacted. It appears the skill "Phase Strike" is still broken, however.]

Source: Joystiq

Q-Games, the developer of the hugely popular PixelJunk series on the PS3, have recently commented that they’re not happy with the amount of piracy happening on the PSP. Having only just released PixelJunk Monsters: Deluxe on the PSP three weeks ago, they stated that “they don’t think they’ll be porting anything else” as there is a “lot of piracy” cutting into their sales.

While there is still hope for Q-Games releasing further games on the PSP, at this point in time the future looks grim.

The main determining factor as to whether they will port or create new titles is the amount of sales they make on PixelJunk Monsters. While Q-Games president Dylan Cuthbert confirmed a demo was being made in an attempt to increase profit, he also commented that “it would be unlikely to make a difference in sales.”

News such as this is really quite disappointing for PSP owners, as one of their main gripes is that there is not a lot of third-party titles being released on the PSP. While it is possible that AAA titles on other consoles such as Uncharted 2 have taken away from their sales, it’s far more likely that pirates simply don’t realize the effect they have on the industry.

It’s almost a catch-22, because if a significant amount of PSP owners are pirating their games, it also means that they’re deterring other developers from creating new titles. In turn, few developers are willing to risk developing on the PSP, and this results in both the pirates and the average consumer missing out on some quality titles.

Source: QJ.net

After 15 long years, Konami has decided to remake the Sega Mega Drive classic Rocket Knight for the Playstation Network, Xbox Live Arcade and Steam. Originally released in 1993, this remake will feature updated graphics (seen above), although no other updates have been specified just yet.

At this point in time however, you might be asking yourself what is Rocket Knight about exactly?

Basically, the title is a side-scrolling platformer featuring Sparkster the opossum. His task revolves around fighting an army of pigs and robots, although what benefit this gives him is a little unclear. To accomplish this task, Sparkster is equipped with a jetpack allowing him to fly around the level, as well as a sword that can fire energy over a short distance.

So if you loved the previous Rocket Knight, love the simplicity of old games or simply want to pick up some extra achievements and trophies, make sure to pick up this gem when it releases in 2010.

Source: QJ.Net

If you’ve ever played the Katamari series before, then you might be sorely disappointed by Namco Bandai’s newest entry. However, for those of you who are newcomers, you’ll find a very unique game that’ll keep you entertained for hours. From the very first moment you start the game, you know it’s going to be a very unique experience.

Right off the bat, the intro video features ducks singing, pandas flying, and a random assortment of other bizarre things that just don’t normally go together. It sets the tone for the rest of the game, as you’ll often see strange events while playing. The main storyline is  similarly bizarre. The King of the Cosmos has been knocked unconscious and cannot be awoken, and also happens to suffer from amnesia. With the ruler of the universe out of the action, the Prince and his cousins create a robotic version of the King (Aptly named RoboKing) to take over his role.

Unfortunately, RoboKing malfunctions and destroys all the stars in the sky. Thus your task is to recreate all of the stars in the galaxy, awake the King of the Cosmos and help him regain his memories. While the storyline does tie in the gameplay aspects well, it ultimately doesn’t make much logical sense: so don’t try to understand it!

Yet, despite the lack of a real storyline, the gameplay is really what makes the Katamari series so much fun. You first start off with only one mode available, “Forever” mode, but players can unlock up to three additional modes for every level. In each of these modes, you are in control of a Katamari, a giant sticky ball that you roll around the environment and use to pick up progressively small to large objects. The more objects you pick up, the larger the Katamari becomes, and while you start off collecting buttons, chopsticks and batteries, you’ll soon find yourself collecting people, cities, continents and even planets and stars.

The goal of each level is usually to reach a certain length within a certain time limit. Although, some levels require you to perform special tasks, such as becoming as large as possible while only picking up 50 objects. These little tasks help break up the monotony of the game, as you’d quickly get bored of doing the same thing over and over otherwise. For each level, the RoboKing will give you a score out of 100 (though you can score 120 if you do exceptionally well) based on your size and how quickly you managed to achieve the level’s goal.

Forever can be fairly brutal however, at first, you’ll often find yourself scoring very low and RoboKing will mock and criticize you quite harshly. Finishing levels will not only let you progress through the game’s storyline, but it will also on occasion unlock cartoons to watch.

Failing the task on the other hand will lead you to the punishment mini-game, which is a fun little distraction as opposed to the traditional game over screens. It’s basically a 2d game where you must avoid falling rocks coming out of a volcano by moving your character around the screen. This is one of five mini-games available in Katamari Forever, with another mini-game unlocked each time you finish one of the four modes available.

In addition to unlocking the storyline and videos, if you manage to score highly enough in Forever, you’ll also unlock the ability to play the same level on “Eternal.” This is probably the most entertaining mode to play as you have no tasks to complete and have unlimited time to roll up every single object in the level. Thus you can collect everything in the game world, and it’s just an awesome feeling to be a giant Katamari that can roll over anything. Score highly on Eternal, and you’ll unlock “Classic Katamari” mode.

The classic version is actually not very interesting, as it’s essentially the same as Forever, with the only difference being that no power-ups are available and the Katamari loses the ability to jump (more on this later). Ultimately, this mode feels like it’s just being tacked on for the sake of adding another mode when in reality it doesn’t add anything to the gameplay experience. Lastly, once you finish the game, you’ll also unlock “Drive” mode. In this mode you must perform the same tasks as in Forever, but you have less time to do it in and your Katamari travels twice as fast as before. In addition to these four modes and five mini-games available, on each level there are also a set number of cousins and presents (characters and accessories) available to collect.

A total of 34 levels are available to play, however only three of these are completely new. The rest of the 31 levels are direct ports from Beautiful Katamari, We Love Katamari and Katamari Damacy. Newcomers will find the levels extremely fun, but veterans of the series may often find themselves replaying old levels they’ve played before. Despite this fact, the game does retain its appeal and the developers have tried to incorporate new features into the game.

Most notable of these features are the updated graphics, running at a crisp 1080p. In addition to the high resolution, players have the options of selecting filters for the graphics to make them cel-shaded, coloured pencil or wood-grain. Power-ups have also been thrown into the game which makes it both more interesting and more strategic. These power-ups will draw all smaller objects towards you, and thus it becomes a question of whether to use it early on to get bigger quicker, or to use it later and get a larger amount of objects instantaneously.

The other addition to the game is the Prince-Hop, which unfortunately does not add much to the game. Basically, it gives the Katamari the ability to jump, but this often doesn’t work the way you intend it to. It’s very hard to control where you jump, and you’ll often find yourself having to constantly repeat your jumps in order to get on one box. Sadly however, this is not the only problem present within the game. Previous players of the series have often complained of poor camera control, and Katamari Forever is no exception to the rule. You’ll often find the camera blocking your view when you go under a table or near a wall, meaning you often have no idea where you’re turning and what objects you’re picking up.

In addition, while the 1080p gameplay looks beautiful on the PS3, this comes at the cost of the title running smoothly. Growing in sizes will often lag the game, and in environments where there’s a lot going on, you’ll find yourself lurching across the world slowly for quite a while. In some places, you’ll also notice that objects are extremely pixelated and just look bad.

Katamari Forever also suffers from a number of gameplay mechanics which simply get in the way of enjoying the game. For instance, if a moving object hits you and it is larger than you, you will be pushed away without any control of where you’re going for a few seconds. This can often end up in a situation where you are constantly being hit by moving objects and are simply watching your Katamari move around the screen without any control.

You will also find that sometimes you can become trapped between two objects and will have to slowly push your way through them in order to free yourself. Small things like these are really quite frustrating and just make the game annoying to play at times. The soundtrack of the game somewhat makes up for these flaws however, as the music is very addictive and fits the theme of the title quite well (as in, the music is a little weird, but still good).

Once you finish a level, you also have the ability to select which song to listen to in future play-throughs, which is a nice touch if you plan on playing the game often. That being said, the sound isn’t exactly revolutionary and isn’t going to blow your mind with anything amazing. Despite these facts however, the game really is one of the most unique games you can pick up, and you’ll often find yourself playing for hours on end.

There is something extremely satisfying about rolling up cities and planets that are hard to describe if you haven’t done so before. Unless you have a fear of Japanese anime or games, then there’s really no reason why you shouldn’t give Katamari Forever a go.

The first official trailer for the God of War Collection has just been released, and man does it look good. Running at a smooth 60fps and at a 720p resolution, this title will allow players to relive the glory of Kratos‘s PS2 adventures with all the added features of the PS3.

In addition to the visual upgrades, both PS2 games will also have their own separate trophy lists for the trophy hunters out there.

Currently, the release date is set for November the 10th in the US, with no European release date confirmed just yet. The game will be priced at $39.99 USD, $20 cheaper than a standard PS3 game, and will also feature a special code to download the God of War 3 demo earlier than anyone else.

A host of interesting new games have popped up on the PSN store today, including the tactical real time strategy game Mushroom Wars, which is similar in style to Pixeljunk Monsters, and .detuned, a rather odd application that allows people to create dynamic visuals that go in time to their favourite music.

Of course, if you’re playing Uncharted 2 like the rest of us, you probably won’t have time to purchase any of these games just yet. Keep on reading for the full list.

PS3 Content

Special Offers

• Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty Price Drop (now $9.99, regular price $14.99 – Limited time only)
• Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket Powered Battle Cars Price Drop (now $4.99, regular price $9.99 – Limited time only)

Downloadable Games

• .detuned ($2.99)
• BUZZ! Junior: Monster Rally ($4.99)
• Mushroom Wars ($9.99)
• topatoi: The Great Tree Story ($9.99)

PSone Classics: PS3/PSP

• Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation ($5.99)

Game Demos (free)

• NBA 2K10 Demo

Add-on Game Content

• BUZZ! Quiz TV Space Pack ($5.99)
• Hot Shots Golf Costume Pack 4 ($2.99)
• High Velocity Bowling Doug Graves ($0.99)
• High Velocity Bowling Ball Pack: Halloween ($0.99)
• High Velocity Bowling Ball Pack: Planets ($0.99)
• Red Faction: Guerrilla Smasher Pack ($4.99)

Guitar Hero 5

• “California Queen” by Wolfmother ($1.99)
• “Cosmic Egg” by Wolfmother ($1.99)
• “Pilgrim” by Wolfmother ($1.99)
• Wolfmother Track Pack ($5.49) – Downloadable Track Pack featuring “Pilgrim”, “California Queen”, “Cosmic Egg” by Wolfmother.

Rock Band

• “Show Me the Way”— Black Tide ($1.99)
• “What’s My Age Again?”— Blink-182 ($1.99)
• “Satch Boogie”— Joe Satriani ($1.99)
• “Surfing with the Alien”— Joe Satriani ($1.99)
• “Icarus – Borne on Wings of Steel (Live)”— Kansas ($1.99)
• “Point of Know Return (Live)”— Kansas ($1.99)
• “Andres”— L7 ($1.99)
• “(We Are) The Road Crew ‘08”— Motörhead ($1.99)
• “The Metal”— Tenacious D ($1.99)
• “More Than Meets the Eye”— Testament ($1.99)
• The Brütal Legend Pack ($2.99) – This pack includes: “(We Are) The Road Crew ‘08? by Motörhead, “The Metal” by Tenacious D, and “More Than Meets the Eye” by Testament.

Game Videos (free)

• UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves – Cologne Gamescom Trailer
• Gran Turismo PSP TV Ad: Behind The Scenes
• White Knight Chronicles Quest Trailer
• LocoRoco – Midnight Carnival Trailer
• Madden NFL 10: Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the AFL
• Tekken 6 Motivation Trailer
• DJ Hero Jazzy Jeff Trailer
• DJ Hero Grandmaster Flash Trailer
• UNO Trailer (including French and Spanish)

Themes

• Cat Girl Akiko Hook-Ups ($1.99)
• Ice Cream Girls Hook-Ups ($1.99)
• Nurse Girl Nikki Hook-Ups ($1.99)
• German Panther Tank ($1.49)
• Azmodeus Dark Angels 5 ($1.49)
• Azmodeus Dark Angels Premium Theme ($1.99)
• Hells Heads ($1.49)
• Nebula Tunnels ($1.49)
• Shades Of Autumn ($1.49)

PSP Content

Downloadable Games

• SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Tactical Strike ($15.99)
• Manhunt 2 ($29.99)
• Midnight Club L.A. Remix ($19.99)
• Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition ($19.99)
• Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max ($19.99)
• Astro Boy: The Video Game ($29.99)
• Harvest Moon: Boy & Girl ($14.99)
• Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon ($14.99)
• Reel Fishing: The Great Outdoors ($14.99)

Add-on Game Content

• Dynasty Warriors Strikeforce DLC Pack 6 (free)

Rock Band Unplugged

• “Jeremy”— Pearl Jam ($1.99)
• “Headknocker”— Foreigner ($1.99)

Game Videos (free)

• LocoRoco Midnight Carnival Trailer
• Gran Turismo PSP Producer Interview 2
• Gran Turismo TV Ad Behind the Scenes
• White Knight Chronicles Quest Trailer

PSP Themes

• German Panther Tank PSP Themes 1 and 2 ($1.49 each)
• Azmodeus Dark Angels PSP Theme 9 and 10 ($0.99 each)
• Hells Heads PSP Theme ($1.49)
• Shades of Autumn PSP Theme ($0.99)
• Nebula Tunnels PSP Theme ($1.49)

Wallpaper (free)

• Fate/unlimited Codes Wallpaper 3