After a long period of downtime due to hacker attacks, Sony has finally managed to start bringing its PlayStation Network services back online. Along with this news, Sony released a short video from company president Kaz Hirai, where he lays out his plan to restore select services in phases. Here’s what will be coming back online:

• Sign in for PlayStation Network and Qriocity services
• Online gameplay across PS3 and PSP
• Friends list
• Chat functionality
• Trophy comparison
• PlayStation Home
• Access to third party services such as Netflix
• Music Unlimited for current subscribers Read more… »

Rotastic swings  its way into Xbox LIVE Arcade, Playstation Network and PC Tuesday. The latest from developer Dancing Dots and Focus Home Interactive, the game promises high flying puzzle action on a foundation of simple controls and acrobatics. You play as powerful viking Fraghar, come to loot a medieval kingdom of its riches. Naturally, the game focuses on collecting gems, but there’s a twist — it’s all done while swinging through the air as for some reason or another, Fraghar cannot walk. That means falling off the screen means certain death.

Sound like fun?

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A few days ago I posted a news story about how Sony royally screwed up and allowed a bunch of hackers access to PSN users’ personal information. Today, Sony finally made some announcements regarding how they plan on making this up to their customers.

First things first, sometime this week Sony plans on restarting some on its online services. Gamers will so be able to log onto their PSN accounts allowing them to changed their passwords, chat with friends, play games online and even use PlayStation Home. Sony has also stated that they have added several layers of data protection and encryption including more firewalls and software monitoring which detects intrusions. Read more… »

Yesterday Sony came clean and admitted that an “external intrusion” (aka hackers) have infeltrated Sony’s servers granting them access to every PSN users’ personal information. So far Sony has admitted that hackers have had access to your name, your address (city, state, and zip), country, E-mail address, birthday, as well as your PSN password and login name. Sony is still trying to determine whether your credit card information is safe.

Obviously this is a very serious issue, and as such I will post Sony’s full statement after the jump. If you’re a PS3 owner, please read through this statement very carefully as it provides some steps you can take to prevent your identity from being stolen. Read more… »

Today it was discovered that the ESRB has rated the classic SNES JRPG Chrono Trigger for both the PlayStation 3 and the PSP.

Original released in 1995 for the Super Nintendo, Chrono Trigger is widely considered to be one of the best videogames, let alone RPGs, ever made. Telling the story of the young boy Chrono and his band of buddies who travel through time trying to save the world from the evil monster Lavos, Chrono Trigger features an amazing story line combined with the classic Square Enix combat system seen in game like Final Fantasy VII. Read more… »

Chances are that you didn’t play the original Section 8, and even if you did, you might not have the best things to say about it. The campaign wasn’t impressive in the slightest, and multiplayer lobbies were noticeably devoid of players. It wasn’t awful, but at least there was plenty of room for improvement.

It’s been nearly two years and TimeGate Studios is back with Section 8 Prejudice. All in all ,the TimeGate development team is looking to raise the bar of what gamers can expect from downloadable shooters: and at just a $14.99 price point, it’s hard not to bite.

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IT’S MAHVEL BABY! Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is on sale via the PlayStation Store for a tempting $7. Or perhaps you’re more interested in fatalities than pulling off quarter circles? Online Passes for Moral Kombat, which was released today by the way, are also on sale. I’ve been on a bit of a fighting game kick lately – could you tell?

Interested to see what else Sony has in store for us this week? The full update awaits after the break.

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This week’s  PlayStation Network update brings a host of new games and features. PlayStation Plus members can dig into a downloadable version of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed, new Killzone 3 maps, and a bunch of other “free” stuff. Other than that, notable releases include Patapon 3, Bulletstorm DLC, and a new  PSP mini – 3D Twist & Match.

The full update awaits you after the break.

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Tim Schafer and Double Fine Productions really seem to live outside the box when it comes to creative processes. The series of indie games being developed by Double Fine is actually the result of a so-dubbed Amnesia Fortnight, where Double Fine was divided into four teams and each came up with a prototype of a game. Costume Quest was the first of the indie games, and now Double Fine has offered up Stacking to Xbox Live and PlayStation Network customers. I certainly hope this isn’t the last Amnesia Fortnight that Double Fine decides to have, because the thoughtfulness behind Stacking makes it short but sweet and extremely satisfying.

Stacking is a game that almost sounds like a parody if you read a summary or see a screenshot. The world of Stacking is an industrial age populated entirely by Russian matryoshka dolls that move, speak, and act just like humans. Bizarre Definitely, but it’s the special brand of quirkiness and eccentricity that Double Fine does so well. The doll character lack voices but the old fashioned screens that progress the story and the upbeat piano overtures are reminiscent of silent era films of the 1920s. Light, pleasant piano music provides a backdrop for a world in an industrial revolution built on the backs of hard labour by these intricately designed and detailed dolls.

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The third installment in Square Enix’s beloved survival horror series, Parasite Eve, is landing on the PlayStation Portable today. Players will return to Manhattan, once again taking control of series protagonist Aya Brea in her mission to dispatch the hideous creatures descending upon the city.

For Square fans out there, the packaged release comes with a bonus code which unlocks Lightning’s Aya Brea costume in Dissidia duodecim. The 3rd Birthday is available in both UMD format and via the PlayStation Network for a cool $29.99. If you’re unsure, the full Gamer Limit Review is forthcoming.

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You wouldn’t really know it from playing the games, but the folks over at Guerrilla Games have put a great deal of work into crafting the universe of the Killzone series. If you’ve ever been interested enough to dig into the history of the Extrasolar Wars, the series has a rather compelling and impressive backstory that, unfortunately, really hasn’t found its way into the games yet.

Continuing this tradition is an official live action short from Guerrilla Games. The film deals with a series of correspondence between two friends, one on Vekta and the other in exile on Helghan. The short takes place during the events leading up to the dawn of the Killzone series and the Extrasolar Wars. It’s actually quite interesting and once again raises a few questions regarding the series overarching narrative.

Hit the jump for the video.

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Today, Capcom has confirmed its latest Resident Evil title – Operation Raccoon City.  The publisher is partnering with SOCOM Confrontation developer Slant Six Games to develop the franchise’s first third-person team-based shooter.

The game will follow the Umbrella Security Service  through the events of Resident Evil 2 and 3. While not much is known about the title, Capcom has teased three-way competitive multiplayer  between US Spec Ops, Umbrella security forces, and the infected threat of zombies and Bio-Organic Weapons.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City will be landing on the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC this winter.

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