Sony has announced PlayStation Network PLAY “a new program showcasing four of the season’s hottest action titles.” If you’re thinking “that’s a terrible title”, you would be correct. However, the idea behind it is pretty cool. In short, it’s ‘Summer Of Arcade’ for the PS3.

After all the recent troubles Sony has faced with it’s PlayStation Network service, it really needs a boost. Microsoft’s ‘Summer Of Arcade’ program has had massive success over the past three years, and it’s about time Sony offered something similar. Sony will be offering fans four games (see below) at $15 (£10) a pop. Buying all of the four will net you a code for Payday: The Heist – a game that can be bought separately for $20 (£15) after the fact, if you don’t want to bother.

The four games are as follows:

• Street Figher III: Third Strike Online Edition – August 24th
• The Baconing (read: A new Deathspank) – August 31st
• Bloodrayne: Betrayal – September 7th
• Renegade Ops – September 16th

Those who purchase all four will receive a voucher code for Payday after purchasing all the games. You have to be 18 or older to use the service (or be willing to lie when you signed up for PSN). Other than this, very ‘Summer Of Arcade’ sounding offer, Sony have thrown in the following. Presumably this has been done to separate it from any similar promotions.

• You can pre-order each game. Pre-ordering will net you a theme.
• “PLAY also offers gamers a separate gift with purchase for each order made throughout the duration of the program” – Your guess is as good as ours.
• PlayStation Plus subscribers get 20% off each game in the promotion.
• It doesn’t look like there’s any exclusivity deals on any of the games, except Payday which has already been announced as a PS3 exclusive title.

You can get full details by looking at the press release.

No PSN downtime apology

Many out there think that the beginning of Sony’s E3 press briefing will contain an apology for the problems the company has had keeping it’s online doors locked. I, however, do not. Sony has already apologised for the problems caused and the possible damage done to customers and business associates. Dwelling on this during the press conference is not a wise move. E3 is all about showing how things have been improved, about what’s coming next. Dwelling on the latest scandal is not going to do them any favours. I do believe that the issue has to be acknowledged by Jack Tretton in his opening monologue, but a full on apology is not necessary, even with all the mainstream press in the room.

The Last Guardian will be demoed/Team ICO Collection dated for North America

Team ICO’s latest game is perhaps the most highly anticipated game on the PlayStation 3 and, their previous two efforts, ICO and Shadow Of The Collosus are beloved by gamers across the world. Despite it being mostly unknown outside of the gaming enthusiast community, The Last Guardian will move systems. It’s been far too long now, this game needs a big E3 blowout. Following on from this, the Team ICO Collection – HD versions of the developer’s last two games – will be given a release date for North America, following on from the Japanese announcement last week.

The NGP will not be renamed ‘PS Vita’

Though ‘Vita’ was used as a codename during the development of Sony’s new handheld, the console’s official name will not be ‘Vita’. Following the trend of Sony’s other systems, the new device will be named the PSP2. Some say that, from a business standpoint, the ‘PSP brand’ is now synonymous with failure in the West. However, it is a brand that consumers know. Calling this system anything other than a PlayStation Portable could be a very bad move for Sony.

Rockstar will debut the first trailer for Agent

With LA Noire finally finished, Rockstar has only Max Payne 3 for people to be excited for. Sure, that logo for Agent was pretty damn exciting (or perhaps it was just “Rockstar Games” that had people excited?), but a trailer for that game would be a really big thing for Sony. The fact that it’s an exclusive game just sweetens the deal even more. I don’t think we’ll see gameplay, but a trailer along the lines of what we saw at LA Noire’s debut would be enough to get people in a tizzy.

Kevin Butler will not appear

Though Kevin Butler is, arguably, the most recognisable face at Sony, he will not appear at this year’s E3 press conference. A veil of seriousness needs to be applied by Sony this time around, so an appearance from the fake executive might not be appropriate. Not only that, but the joke of him appearing at the conference might just feel like a repeat of last year. He will appear in video form, but an actual ‘personal appearance’ doesn’t seem to be on the cards.

You play as hapless a robotic hero (Explodemon), who’s been unleashed upon the world in order to rid the world of, all around bad guy, Absorbmon and a havoc-wreaking bunch of aliens called the Vortex. It’s an adventure with it’s tounge firmly placed in it’s cheek, and that’s what makes this simplistic world so engaging. The game hearkens back to the era in which it takes the most inspiration. A time before big localization; when translation was just an afterthought to Japanese game developers. Explodemon even offers up some classic ‘Engrish’ dialogue, which never failed to make me smile. This is complemented well with a great art style and fantastic music. Granted the level design is a little samey and, at times, it can feel like you’re fighting the same enemy over and over, but that’s me nitpicking.

It’s not hard to see where Curve got their influences from. It’s a great homage to the golden age of videogames, but can be easily be appreciated by all of those that play it. The character himself is a fine amalgam of old-school characters: He looks like Mega Man, runs like Sonic and could take on Mario in a brick breaking competition. At the same time managing to feel fresh and exciting rather than played out and derivative.

At it’s core, Explodemon is a 2D platformer. However, this isn’t just about traversing a level and getting to the finish line. Using the his penchant for blowing stuff up, Explodemon must battle hordes of enemies, solve puzzles and find alternate routes in order to get through a level. The game is fairly linear but, like any retro-inspired game, there’s secret areas and collectibles to keep you coming back for more.

Explodemon is a great experience and a fantastic homage to gaming’s golden age. There’s some minor problems, like having to move with the analog stick, but nothing that’s going to ruin the game for the majority of people. It’s one that will appeal to nostalgic gamers everywhere and it’s great to see that from an original IP.

8.5/10

Sony has revealed to IGN that PS3 users will soon be able to use a cloud-based save game service, allowing access to your save games from any console. This new feature will go live tomorrow, in a new firmware update (v. 3.60) for PlayStation Plus members. When asked about making this feature available to non-Plus subscribers, Sony said: “We haven’t announced any plans for it to be available to everyone at this time.”

Up to 150MB of space will be allotted to each user, with a maximum of 1,000 save files per PSN account. Users can check how much space they have left via the XMB. Copy protected saves can also be uploaded and all data can be restored once per 24 hours. Sony says “most” current games will make use of this feature, but it will be mandatory for all future titles.

Those wanting to back up, once the update goes live tomorrow, should follow these instructions:

• Select ‘Game’ and then ‘Save Data Utility’
• Select the data you want to back up
• Press the triangle button and click copy
• Select ‘Online Storage’ as the storage destination

This is certainly a nice feature, and one that’s not been seen on a console before. Those holding out on their PlayStation Plus subscription might want to take a second look when this goes live tomorrow.

Maintenance began at 4pm (GMT) today. You will be able to access these services again at 3am.

Sony is yet to comment on what the maintenance entails. We should find out later today.

Whilst the game has missed it’s proposed “January 2011″ date, the game is now set to launch on February 9th in Europe (February 8th in North America) for £7.99 ($9.99). Prepare blast off, back to the golden age of gaming (I feel dirty after writing that).

Well, that depends on what you were expecting. If you wanted something akin to an EyeToy game that’s a bit of a laugh with some mates, you might just enjoy this. Those looking for that Kinect-lite experience will need to look elsewhere. Like Microsoft’s camera add-on, there’s a fair bit of prep involved before you can even get to the bad Bruce Lee impressions. Players need a decent sized space – one that lacks breakable objects and furniture – clothes that don’t clash with the room, a good light source and to perform stretches before playing. I think the guys at Virtual Air Guitar might be asking a little too much of us gamers here.

Once you’ve completed your pre-game warm up, waited through the, obnoxiously long, load and completed the tedious set up process, you can finally get to playing. However, even the most casual of gamer is going to find themselves frustrated. Why? Because the game isn’t all that fun to play. Sure, it’s got the novelty of seeing yourself appear on screen, but past that it’s a pretty shallow experience. This might’ve been a good laugh with a few friends round and the beer flowing, but the set up process alone restricts it from being a ‘party’ game. Combined with the constant calibration and the fact it doesn’t appear to like any conditions you set, you might feel a little brassed off.

If you do manage to get it going, the novelty soon wears off and, although making dodgy kung-fu poses at the begining at each level proved to be pretty funny. The game itself is rather shallow. It’s accurate, but after a couple of hours of flailing around I felt I was done. It’s not like it’s a game I could easily jump back into either.

Beyond the single player there’s the ‘Mayhem’ mode. This allows you to set up a scenario with different enemy types, allowing you to challenge yourself further. This too was short lived and even the multiplayer mode didn’t make up for this generally lackluster title.

It’s a novel idea that has a lot of potential, it’s just a shame it wasn’t executed as well as it could’ve been.

5/10

The game itself is based on a race series originating from Italy that features V8 powered touring cars, and is definitely more of a sim than an arcade racer. It’s no surprise then, that like most racing sims, you can’t just jump in and master the controls, physics and tracks straight away. Each race took at least 5 restarts from me before I got to grips with the various hairpins and the need to actually slow down before cornering. That was what I found most appealing about this game, the fact that you could have a impeccable lap all the way through, and if, on the last corner you over-steered, or took it at breakneck speed you would most certainly not get on the podium.

The tracks featured in the game are not your standard strips of tarmac you would find on most racers. There’s no Nurburgring or Tsukuba, which is actually quite refreshing. The scenery for the most part is visually appealing and realistic – however one part of the realism that I did not take too kindly too was the very low sun, which on several occasions made the track in front of the car completely impossible to see.

Overall the physics were pretty solid, but I did notice that the back end of the cars seemed overly heavy, and on the majority of the cars it was incredibly easy to spin out of control from very little steering. I am also very surprised when games such as this incorporate a button to act as the handbrake, when anyone who will ever try to use it, will fail spectacularly.

There are 5 different game play modes, the main one being Championship which is basically 3 practice sessions, a qualifying round, culminating in the actual race itself. Whilst this is representative of how a racing season takes place it can seem quite dull and repetitive. Having said that, you can skip the practices if you so wish and just take part in the qualifying and race itself.

Another mode was Superstar Licenses, which was a collection of different challenges including familiar fast lap and catch up goals. There was one part of this mode which I found very nice. Under the section of “special challenges” there were 5 separate scenarios featuring famous parts of different tracks – the only down side to this was that some of them lasted a mere 15 seconds, which when the challenge had finished I wasn’t even sure what I had done to actually progress.

The audio in the game is pretty basic, in the menu you are greeted by a single funky-electro track that gets under your skin pretty quickly. The cars themselves all sound as though they might take off at any minute with a high pitched whistle, which just doesn’t sound authentic to me. All in all Superstars V8 Racing is a decent racing sim, but doesn’t stand out as much as its rivals. The visuals aren’t great, and that seems to be the theme throughout the entire game. It’s good, just not good enough.

6.5/10

Today’s update was a fairly weak offering, however on the bright side of things there is a full hour trial of Ferrari: The Race Challenge for Plus subscribers to try out, and a big discount on both MW2 packages, so perhaps its not all bad.

PlayStation Plus

• PSN: Street Fighter HD Remix
• minis: Aero Racer, Yeti Sports
• PSOne Classic: Kula World
• Full Title Trial: Ferrari: The Race Experience, Tomb Raider: Underworld
• Exclusive Discounts: Burn Zombie Burn (inc. free exclusive Home item), Shatter Soundtrack (includes Dynamic Theme), Trine, Alien Breed: Impact, Ace Armstrong Vs. The Alien Scumbags, Gravity Crash
• Dynamic Themes: Start the Party Theme, Exclusive Halloween Theme
• Premium avatars: PAIN Jarvis and Le Toot Avatars, SingStar Wannabe and Rising Star Avatars

Special Offers

Until October 13:

• Savage Moon (was – £6.29/€7.99 now – £3.19/€3.99)
• Savage Moon – Waldgeist Pack (was – £3.19/€3.99 now – £1.59/€1.99)
• Brain Challenge (was – £3.99/€4.99 now – £0.79/€0.99)
• Brain Challenge – Expansion Pack (was – £1.59/€1.99 now – £0.79/€0.99)
• Astro Tripper (was – £3.19/€3.99 now – £2.39/€2.99)
• Super Street Fighter IV – Alternate Costume Pack (was – £13.99/€17.99 now – £7.99/€9.99)
• Disney’s Action Game feat. Hercules (PSone) (was – £5.10/€6.49 now – £3.99/€4.99)
• The Little Mermaid II (PSone) (was – £3.99/€4.99 now – £3.19/€3.99)
• Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Package (was – £10.99/€13.99 now – £5.49/€6.99)
• Modern Warfare 2 Resurgence Pack (was – £10.99/€13.99 now – £5.49/€6.99)

Playable Content

• Ferrari: The Race Challenge (£11.99/€14.99)
• DJ Hero 2 demo

Add-on Content

• Sports Champions
  o Haunted Pack (£3.99/€4.99)
  o Unlock All Pack (£1.19/€1.49)
• Red Dead Redemption – Hunting & Trading Outfits Pack (free)
• ModNation Racers – Nathan Drake Pack (£1.39/€1.75)
• EyePet
  o Robot Styling Pack (£2.39/€2.99)
  o Racing Driver Styling Pack (£2.39/€2.99)
• Rock Band tracks (continued)

Rock Band

T.Rex Pack 01 (£2.49/€3.99) (contains all the tracks listed below)

• ‘Children of the Revolution’ (£0.99/€1.49)
• ‘Cosmic Dancer’ (£0.99/€1.49)
• ‘Jeepster’ (£0.99/€1.49)

• ‘Driver’ by R.E.M. (£0.99/€1.49)
• ‘It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)’ by R.E.M. (£0.99/€1.49)
• ‘Living Well Is The Best Revenge’ by R.E.M. (£0.99/€1.49)
• ‘Radio Free Europe’ by R.E.M. (£0.99/€1.49)
• ‘Stand’ by R.E.M. (£0.99/€1.49)
• ‘Superman’ by R.E.M. (£0.99/€1.49)
• ‘These Days’ by R.E.M. (£0.99/€1.49)
• ‘What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?’ by R.E.M. (£0.99/€1.49)

Rock Band Network additions

• ‘Betty and Me’ by Jonathan Coulton (£0.99/€1.49)
• ‘Death Quota for Purification’ by The Myriad Burial (£0.59/€0.79)
• ‘Infected Nation’ by Evile (£0.99/€1.49)
• ‘Shallow Waters’ by Amberian Dawn (£0.99/€1.49)
• ‘Hey There Mr. Brooks’ by Asking Alexandria (£0.99/€1.49)

First Play

• FirstPlay Episode 027 (£0.99/€1.20)

Videos

• Deus Ex: Human Revolution TGS Trailer
• Castlevania Lords of Shadow Gameplay Video
• Splatterhouse E3 Trailer
• Splatterhouse Gamescom Trailer
• Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 Gamescom Trailer
• Heavy Rain Developer Interview Videos
• Kane and Lynch 2 Multiplayer Content Trailer

Themes and Avatars

• Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype Avatars
  o Buzzsaw (£.40/€0.49)
  o Vielkopf 2 (£.40/€0.49)
  o Wuchtklinge 2 (£.40/€0.49)
• Disruptive Premium Themes
  o Femme Abstraction (£1.19/€1.49)
  o Infected (£1.19/€1.49)

Special Offers

• Dante’s Inferno (PSP) (was – £31.99/€39.99 now – £23.99/€29.99)
• Medal of Honor: Heroes (PSP) (was – £11.99/€14.99 now – £8.99/€11.25)
• Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 (PSP) (was – £15.99/€19.99 now – £11.99/€14.99)

Permanent Price Reduction

• 4×4 Jam (mini) (was – £5.99/€6.99 now – £3.49/€3.99)

PSP Essentials

• Buzz! Brain Bender (£6.99/€7.99)
• Buzz! Quiz World (£6.99/€7.99)
• Ape Academy (£6.99/€7.99)
• Ape Escape (£6.99/€7.99)
• Everybody’s Golf 2 (£6.99/€7.99)
• Patapon (£6.99/€7.99)
• Lemmings (£6.99/€7.99)
• WipEout Pure (£6.99/€7.99)
• Need for Speed: ProStreet (£7.99/€9.99)

Downloadable Games

• Phantasy Star Portable 2 (£19.99/€34.99)
• Dragonball Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team demo

Minis

• Ace Armstrong Vs. The Alien Scumbags (£3.99/€4.99)
• Urbanix (£3.99/€4.99)

Themes

• FIFA 11 (free)
• Von Chrono Themes (£1.19/€1.49 each)

Digital Comics

• 13 Chambers – Twistory
• Atomic Robo Vol. 4 #1 – Red 5 Comics
• Batman #664-#666 – DC Comics
• Betty #185 – Archie Comics
• Black Cherry Bombshells #1 – DC Comics
• DMZ #24 & #25 – DC Comics
• Donald Duck and the Count of Monte Cristo #1 & #2 – Disney DigiComics
• Dual #3 – DC Comics
• Dust Tactical Field Manual (FREE!) – Twistory
• Dust Wars #1 – Twistory
• Fables #26 – DC Comics
• Fractures #1 – DC Comics
• Green Lantern #7-#9 – DC Comics
• Hulk (2008) #5-#8 – Marvel
• Iron Man (1968) #225-229 – Marvel
• Kane & Lynch #2 – DC Comics
• Melody #1 – DC Comics
• Mystery Society #3 – IDW
• Powers (2000) #23 & #24 – Icon
• Reya #0 – Markosia
• Silent Hill: Sinner’s Reward #1-#4 – IDW
• Simon’s Cat – Canongate Books
• Sonic Universe #15 – Archie Comics
• Starcraft #6 & #7 – DC Comics
• Superman/Batman #31 – DC Comics
• Supertron #3 – DC Comics
• Telera Chronicles #0 – DC Comics
• Victorian Undead #6 – DC Comics
• Welcome to Tranquility #6 – DC Comics
• Wonder Woman Vol 3 #1-#4 – DC Comics
• Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper #2 – IDW