Muramasa: the Demon Blade developer Vanillaware is back with a new, turn based RPG called Grand Knights History. The upcoming PSP title is releasing in Japan next week and I’ve had  my eye on it for a while now.  Unfortunately, so far the only footage of the game has come in the form of short gameplay clips — until now.

An actual real-life trailer has appeared for your viewing pleasure and in typical Vanillaware fashion, it’s looking gorgeous. Hopefully, Marvelous Entertainment will bring this one stateside, but as of yet nothing has been confirmed. If not, at least Sony has the decency to make their consoles region free, unlike some people.

The trailer and an all-new gameplay short await you after the break.

[Source: andriasang]

At the peak of a 12 year working relationship, Sony has acquired Sucker Punch Productions, makers of the inFamous and Sly Cooper series. Both sides have expressed nothing but excitement about the deal, which will have all future products release under the Playstation monicker.

On the consumer side, it will be as if nothing has happened. Sucker Punch titles have consistently been exclusive to the Playstation brand. Yet, there are more subtle forces at play that may prove to be less than favorable.

It’s a study of history, really. In fact, it’s fairly recent history. Major publishers who have acquired formidable studios have often abandoned them in favor of the bottom line. This has left once successful companies dismantled and forgotten.

Just last month, Disney announced the  intention to axe Black Rock Studio, developer of action racing games Split/Second and Pure. And who can forget the major Activision liquidation which resulted in more than 500 layoffs and the obliteration of the Guitar Hero franchise? Hitting a little closer to home, Sony has also delivered pink slips, with its online division letting go of three studios and 205 employees just this March.

This is not to take away from Cole’s thunder, so to speak. The backing of a major player like SCEA does provide a wealth of resources that result in better games; and there are examples of subsidiary studios flourishing as part of the Playstation juggernaut, i.e. Naughty Dog and the Uncharted franchise. It’s just a sure thing that the upcoming Sly Cooper Thieves In Time will be watched even more closely from on high. Godspeed, Sucker Punch.

Bomberman ULTRA is free with with your Plus membership this week…which pretty much everyone should have unless they missed out on the Welcome Back deal. If you like 3D fighters, the Powerstone Collection is currently half price at $4.99. In other news, the Uncharted 3 Beta opened up to the public if you want to check that out.

Other than that, the week’s full update awaits after the break.

PlayStation Plus

• Bomberman ULTRA (Free with Plus, a $9.99 value)
• Me Monstar: Hear Me Roar (Free and Exclusive Plus)
• Medievil PS one title (Free with Plus, a $5.99 value)
• Alien Zombie Death mini (Free with Plus, $3.99 value)
• MotorStorm Apocalypse Outlaw Vehicle Pack (PlayStation Plus price $1.99; a 20% discount)
• Mega Man Powered Up – Avatar Bundle (x14) (Plus Exclusive, $1.49)
• PlayStation Plus Clock Dynamic Theme (Free and exclusive to Plus)
• Qore July Episode 38 – Single Episode (Free with Plus, a $2 .99 value)
• Burnout Paradise Party Pack – Sale (PS3) (now $1.99, original price $4.99)
• Burnout Paradise Toy Car Collection – Sale (now $1.99, original price $6.99)
• Burnout Paradise: Big Surf Island – Sale (now $2.99, original price $6.99)
• Burnout Paradise: Cops And Robbers – Sale (now $1.99, original price $4.99)
• Burnout Paradise: Legendary Car Pack – Sale (now $1.99, original price $4.99)
• Burnout Paradise: Boost Specials Car Pack – Sale (now $1.99, original price $4.99)
• Burnout Paradise: Time Savers Pack – Sale (now $1.99, original price $4.99)
• Need For Speed Hot Pursuit – Armed And Dangerous Pack – Sale (now $3.99, original price $6.99)
• Need For Speed Hot Pursuit – Lamborghini Untamed Pack – Sale (now $3.99, original price $6.99)
• Need For Speed Hot Pursuit – Porsche Unleashed Pack – Sale (now $3.99, original price $6.99)
• Need For Speed Hot Pursuit – Super Sports Pack – Sale (now $3.99, original price $6.99)
• Need For Speed Hot Pursuit – Three For All Bundle – Sale (now $10.99, original price $19.99)
• Need For Speed Pro Street Add-On Content Collector’s Upgrade – Sale (now $2.99, original price $9.99)
• Need For Speed Pro Street Add-On Content Extender Pack Bundle 1 – Sale (now $1.99, original price $5.99)
• Need For Speed Pro Street Add-On Content Extender Pack Bundle 2 – Sale (now $3.99, original price $6.99)
• Need For Speed Pro Street Add-On Content Muscle Car Bundle – Sale (now $1.99, original price $4.99)
• Need For Speed Pro Street Add-On Content Sport Car Bundle – Sale (now $3.99, original price $6.99)
• Need For Speed Pro Street Add-On Content Tuner Car Bundle – Sale (now $3.99, original price $6.99)
• Need For Speed Pro Street Add-On Content Ultimate Bundle – Sale (now $2.99, original price $9.99)
• Need For Speed: Shift: Exotic Racing Series – Sale (now $2.99, original price $9.99)
• Need For Speed: Undercover Collector’s Edition Upgrade – Sale (now $2.99, original price $10.00)
• Need For Speed: Undercover Exotic Car Bundle – Sale (now $1.99, original price $7.50)
• Need For Speed: Undercover Muscle Car Bundle – Sale (now $1.99, original price $5.00)
• Need For Speed: Undercover Tuner Car Bundle – Sale (now $1.99, original price $5.00)
• Need For Speed: Undercover Ultimate Performance Bundle – Sale (now $1.99, original price $10.00)
• Need For Speed: Undercover Ultimate Visual Bundle – Sale (now $1.99, original price $5.00)
• Need For Speed: Undercover: Boss Car Bundle – Sale (now $1.99, original price $4.99)
• Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Towers – Sale (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
• Fate/unlimited codes – Sale (now $9.99, original price $19.99)
• Power Stone Collection – Sale (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
• Ultimate Ghosts ‘N Goblins – Sale (now $4.99, original price $9.99)

Betas

• UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception – Multiplayer Beta (Free)

Qore

• Qore Episode 38 – July Edition ($2.99)

Downloadable Games

• PlayStation Move Ape Escape ($19.99)

PSone Classics

• Rapid Angel Psone Import ($5.99)
• Yakiniku Bugyou Psone Import ($5.99)

PSP minis

• Ninjamurai ($1.99)

Sony is offering PlayStation Network users free games as a part of the Welcome Back program. Unfortunately, the offer is ending this weekend. Sony’s been pretty generous, offering up to four free games on account of taking so long to re-secure their online service after that “unauthorized intrusion”.

If you want to get your hands on titles like Little Big Planet,  Super Stardust HD, inFamous, Wipeout HD, Modnation Racers, and Killzone: Liberation for free you should turn on that PSP or PS3 before Sunday July 3rd.

[Source: PlayStation Blog]

Lots of big news this week! Beyond Good and Evil HD has finally made its way to PSN. PlayStation Plus Members get access to the “free” Uncharted 3 Beta. Duke Nukem Forever is now available in demo form.  And there’s plenty of great PSP deals thanks to the new Dual-Pack deal.

Information on all this and more awaits you after the break.

PlayStation Plus

• UNCHARTED 3 Drake’s Deception Multiplayer Beta (Free and exclusive to Plus)
• Streets of Rage 2 (Free with Plus – a $4.99 value)
• Dead Space Ignition (PlayStation Plus price $2.50; a 50% discount)
• Deathspank (PlayStation Plus price $7.50; a 50% discount)
• Deathspank Thongs of Virtue (PlayStation Plus price $7.50; a 50% discount)
• Funky Lab Rat (Full Game) (PlayStation Plus price $3.00; a 70% discount)
• Mahjong Tales: Ancient Wisdom (PlayStation Plus price $3.99; 20% additional discount on two week sale price)
• MicroBot (PlayStation Plus price $5.00; a 50% discount)
• Shank (PlayStation Plus price $5.00; a 50% discount)
• Spare Parts (PlayStation Plus price $5.00; a 50% discount)
• Tetris (PlayStation Plus price $5.00; a 50% discount)
• The Fancy Pants Adventures (PlayStation Plus price $5.00, a 50% discount)
• Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition – 4 Avatar Bundle (Exclusive to Plus for $0.49)

PlayStation Network Updates

• MAG Interdiction Mission Pack – Price Drop (PS3) (now FREE, original price $4.99)
• MAG Escalation Mission Pack – Price Drop (PS3) (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
• Beyond Good And Evil HD ($9.99)
• Gatling Gears ($9.99)
• Puzzle Dimension ($8.99)
• Streets Of Rage 2 ($4.99)

Demos

• MotorStorm Apocalypse Multiplayer Demo
• PlayStation Move Ape Escape Demo
• Beyond Good & Evil HD Demo
• Duke Nukem Forever Demo
• Dungeon Hunter: Alliance Demo
• Gatling Gears Demo
• Homefront Multiplayer Demo
• NCAA Football 12 Demo

Bundles

• PSP Game Dual Pack with Daxter and Secret Agent Clank ($14.99)
• PSP Game Dual Pack with SOCOM: Fire Team Bravo and Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror ($14.99)
• PSP Game Dual Pack with Killzone: Liberation and Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow ($14.99)
• Awesome Summer Minis Bundle ($4.99)
• Cars 2: Tall Tales Character Bundle ($2.99)

PSP minis

Tetraminos ($3.99)

[Source: PlayStation Blog]

As bizarre as that title looks, it’s not really symbolic.  Dissidia 012 is just the prequel to the original Dissidia, which brought Final Fantasy protagonists together in one big fighting fan service throwdown.  It wasn’t a triumph among fighting games but its reasonable success was in following the philosophy that if you’re going to make a fan service game for your customers you might as well give it dynamic combat, a great soundtrack and lots of unlockables.  A second round of fan service might be pushing it, though.  Dissidia 012 would need to rise to the challenge by offering a lot more than its predecessor.

Does Dissidia 012 stand up as a follow-up in its own right?  Let’s take a look.  After all, what better way to celebrate the passing of E3 with a game that came out in March?

The story of Dissidia 012 unfortunately subscribes to a lot of the same problems that its predecessor had, namely that all of these characters have been brought together but the writers seemed to not know what to do with all of them.  It relies exclusively on just having these beloved Final Fantasy icons present to hold your attention and you can practically hear an audience cheering whenever a familiar face appears for the first time.  I understand that Dissidia is a fan service series but the game doesn’t really take advantage of that beyond having everyone in the same room.  I also appreciate that for some people just having Lightning and Laguna in the same room will be enough to set off the nostalgia buzz, but it could have bee more.

The other problem is that like most fighting games Dissidia 012 needs to build its story around constant one on one engagements.  This isn’t usually a problem in fighting games but Dissidia 012 seems surprisingly intent on being taken seriously as a narrative.  It’s the usual setup of having the forces of light against the forces of darkness but due to some new plot devices a few light characters are part of the dark side and there’s a race of new mannequin enemies.  The only noticeable difference is nine newcomers ranging from oldies like Kain Highwind to newer series characters like Vaan and Lightning from Final Fantasy XII and XIII respectively.  The intent to appeal to us with power-of-friendship drama falls flat and the story is forgettable at the best of times.

Gameplay features the slick combat that its predecessor introduced and aside from some tweaks the overall gameplay is largely unchanged.  The game operates on a philosophy of not fixing what isn’t broken and I can’t blame the developer for keeping the strongest aspect of Dissidia intact.  Fighting is accessible, fast-paced hack-and-slash that relies on two types of attacks.  Bravery attacks raise the number of Bravery points your character has and lowers the points of your opponent.  Your Bravery score is subsequently measures how much damage you do with HP attacks, which deplete health directly.  It was and still is a genuinely fun system that eschews memorizing of lengthy combo chains in favor of a simplistic brawler.

New additions to the formula add more color to fights.  There’s a new Assist mode where you can summon support characters, which allows you to execute new combos with your helper.  The special attacks of EX Mode, returning from the original Dissidia, works with Assist mode to form a clever system of counterattacks.  Landing an Assist attack, for instance, can deplete your opponent’s EX Gauge.  Alternatively if you time being attacked with entering EX Mode you can use EX Revenge, which slows down time and lets you pummel your opponent but drains your own EX Gauge.  Assist mode and EX Mode work nicely together and Assist mode integrates smoothly into gameplay.

Sometimes new ideas for Dissidia 012 had potential but were left to wither on the vine along with the messy story.  Single-player sometimes swaps the board game format you use to move characters around with a new world map reminiscent of the ones from Final Fantasy VIII or IX where you can buy items from Moogles and open treasure chests.  It could have added a lot to the game but all it really does is give you a commute there’s nothing of real substance on the map worth exploring.  The blandness of the scenery also means that visually it isn’t much more impressive than the board map.  Maybe the idea was to draw on nostalgia from world maps of the earlier Final Fantasy games, but all that does is illustrate how poorly they’ve aged.

There’s a lot of content available but a lot of it feels recycled or draws too heavily from the original game.  The new gameplay mode Labyrinth is good example, essentially being a modified version of Duel Colosseum from the first game.  You choose opponents, assist characters and equipment from a deck of cards and see how far you can get into the different cloisters of the labyrinth in an exciting survival challenge.  It’s easy to get hooked on and a great way to test your skills outside of the story, but stylistically it gave me a sense of déjà vu since I played the first game.
There are lots of other minute additions to the game like several new equipment types and some miscellaneous balancing issues but everything feels like so many bells and whistles on a relatively unchanged product.  If you have friends around multiplayer is a blast and the presentation continues to be stellar, with combat being particle-effect clashes in detailed environments.  The game really should be fun, and it is to a certain extent, but most of the improvements make the game feel like an expansion pack rather than a full-on sequel.

There’s also a quest creation system that lets you build your own quest.  It’s fairly robust but it raises the odd question of why I would spend time doing this when I could instead play the single-player story created by professional designers.  It’s not really a problem with the game itself but I’m not sold on why time and resources were spent on this that could have spent giving more depth to the world map in single-player.

Voice acting neither noteworthy nor offensive but let’s look at voice acting 101, guys.  When you make a fighting game keep the character attack noises simple and to the point.  Do not give characters mini-catch phrases because bear in mind we’ll probably be using these moves repeatedly.  Hearing Laguna drawl “Look out!” or “There ya go!” fifty or sixty times gets grating and it’s enough to sacrifice the enjoyable Final Fantasy soundtrack remixes and make you mute your PSP.

Dissidia 012 is technically an improvement on its predecessor.  The stylish combat is still a blast and Final Fantasy fans will be as enamored as ever, but a number of the improvements seem half-realized.  The story is still a sloppy affair of poorly recognized fan service and when you look past the impressive visuals and nostalgic fan service there’s not much additional substance.  In the end Dissidia 012 falls into that awkward territory where it feels more like Dissidia 1.5 rather than 2, so to speak.  Final Fantasy fans will get a hefty treat but people who didn’t grow up with the series will probably enjoy the slick nature of gameplay but wonder what the point of a second game is or what the big deal is in the first place.

While at Gamestop today to pick up Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, I spotted the fabled “PSP Dual-Packs” that were announced a few days back.

Weighing in at the low price of $14.99, the three current packs aren’t too shabby, given how pretty much every title in there is considered a Western classic. Personally, I wish that both Syphon Filters were included in one set, but hey, that’s how they get ya!

If you have the itch to pick one of these up, you can also get them digitally, which I highly recommend if you’re going to be buying a Vita (UMDs in all likelihood will not transfer over, but PSN downloads will).

Alien Zombie Megadeath, a new Killzone 3 map pack, three new PSP minis, a host of deals and bundles and more are now available via the PlayStation Network this week. The full details await you after the break.

PlayStation Plus Discounted Games

• 3 on 3 NHL Arcade (PlayStation Plus price $3.00, regular price $9.99)
• Madden NFL Arcade (PlayStation Plus price $5.00, regular price $9.99)
• Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters Eagle Pack (PlayStation Plus price $20.99, regular price $34.99)

Updates

• Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 – Sale (PS3) (now $9.99, original price $14.99)
• Bionic Commando: Rearmed – Sale (PS3) (now $4.99, original price $9.99)

Downloadable Games

• Alien Zombie Mega Death ($7.99)

Demos

• Virtua Tennis 4 PS3 Move/3D Demo

Add-on Game Content

• ModNation Racers Moon Colony Props Pack ($4.99)
• Killzone 3 From The Ashes Pack ($4.99)
• Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Ressurection ($9.99)
• Record of Agarest War Zero – Additional Costumes and Packs (free – $7.99) (x14)
• Marvel Vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds – Shadow Battle 10 ($0.99)
• Cars 2: Add-ons ($0.99 – $2.99) (x4)
• Mortal Kombat – Warrior Skarlet ($4.99)
• L.A. Noire: “Nicholson Electroplating” Arson Case (Free with purchase of L.A. Noire Rockstar Pass) ($3.99)
• YOU DON’T KNOW JACK: Jack Pack 4 ($4.99)
• F.E.A.R. 3 – F.E.A.R. Pass ($9.99)
• Yoostar 2: various scenes ($1.99 – $6.99) (x13)

Rock Band 3

• “Blurry” – Puddle of Mudd ($1.99)
• “Control” – Puddle of Mudd ($1.99)
• “She Hates Me” – Puddle of Mudd ($1.99)
• “Misery” – Maroon 5 ($1.99)
• “This Love” – Maroon 5 ($1.99)
• “Won’t Go Home Without You” – Maroon 5 ($1.99)
• Maroon 5 Pack 2 ($5.49)
• Puddle of Mudd Pack 1 ($5.49)

Rock Band Network V2.0

• “Chameleon Carneval” – Andromeda ($1.99)
• “Deception – Concealing Fate Part Two” – TesseracT ($1.99)
• “Half Crazy” – Jukebox the Ghost ($1.99)
• “Veil Of Illumination (Part 1)” – Andromeda ($1.99)
• “Veil Of Illumination (Part 2)” – Andromeda ($1.99)

Bundles

• Killzone 3 Map Pack Bundle ($9.99)
• Buy Marvel Pinball – Get ZEN PINBALL FREE ($9.99)
• Cars 2: The Video Game – Undercover Character Bundle ($2.99)
• Sonic’s 20th Birthday Bundle Sale ($19.99)

PSP minis

• Brick Breaker ($3.99)
• Labyrinth ($3.99)
• Solitaire ($3.99)

There it is ladies and gentlemen. The NGP is officially named the PS Vita. Vita, meaning “life” in Latin is easily the worst product name I have ever heard.

While this has been rumored for a while now, all of us here at Gamer Limit have hoped that it wasn’t true. But, despite the poor name, the features and games shown during the Sony press conference were quite promising. And at $249 for the Wi-fi version and $299 for 3G, it falls right in line with one of its competitors, Nintendo’s 3DS. Sad to think that is an acceptable price for a handheld these days. Oh economy, how I hate thee. Hit the break for a full breakdown of the PS Vita.

• Online feature called Near which provides support for friends lists, chat, and the long awaited cross-game chat (wrong platform Sony!!!!!!)
• ATT partnership for 3G
• Cloud saves
• Cross-platform support (think “Transfarring” but with cloud saves)
• Cross-platform online gameplay (PS3/Vita)

As for hardware specs:

Honestly, I’m sold. The idea of being able to pick up where I left off in a game on the PlayStation 3 on my PS Vita without any worry about the saves themselves is awesome. It is something I’ve been looking for in a handheld for years. The marriage between Sony’s home console and its mobile platform is shaping up to be revolutionary.

Yesterday, Sony released the Welcome Back program. Because the PlayStation Network was down for so long, Sony would like to apologize and offer users free games and additional content. Sony is offering PlayStation Network users the opportunity to download two titles for their PSP and/or PS3 (for a total of free 4 games).

Additionally, Sony is offering a free 30 day subscription to the PlayStation Network Plus service, while current PSN Plus members will receive a 60 day extension of their membership. For the full list of free games you can nab with the Welcome Back package hit the jump.

PS3 owners can nab the following games:

• Dead Nation
• inFAMOUS
• LittleBigPlanet
• Super Stardust HD
• Wipeout HD + Fury

PSP have access to two of the following titles:

• LittleBigPlanet (PSP)
• ModNation Racers
• Pursuit Force
• Killzone Liberation

Over the last 24 hours there have been a number of network errors due to the number of individuals getting their free stuff. If you’re having troubles just head over to the PlayStation Blog for a full FAQ and assistance.

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

It is important to note that both the PlayStation Store and purchasing in Qriocity were not included in this phase.

When PlayStation 3 owners log back onto the PSN, they will be prompted to update their firmware to version 3.61. This update requires users to then update their passwords. The thing is, the password update will only be possible on a PS3 that was used to activate your PSN account.

During the video, Hirai apologised for this whole ordeal, reassuring customers that Sony is committed to restoring lost faith. Hirai also outlined some of the security upgrades made to the PlayStation Network:

• Advanced security technology
• Increased levels of encryption
• Additional firewalls
• An early warning detection system looking for any signal of an attack on the system

What do you guys think about this? Does this restore your faith in Sony? Let us know what you think with a comment below.

Source: Shacknews.com

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.

Aside from the basic security updates, Sony is also offering its users some apology gifts. The gifts include:

• “Selected PlayStation entertainment” content for free download; differs by region, details to be shared soon
• 30 days of free PlayStation Plus service to PlayStation Network users, and 30 days added free to existing PS+ members
• 30 days free Music Unlimited service for Qriocity subscribers

What do you guys think about this? Is this enough to make you want to trust Sony with your information again? Do you forgive them for messing up this bad? Let us know what you think with a comment below.

Source: Shacknews.com