The Mess Hall News

Discovr Movies – iPad App

Dazbobaby — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:04:49 +0000

Discovr Movies is a marvelous app that lets you find new movies (and old) based on a search term. The association engine will help you Discovr a movie that maybe you have'nt seen or even heard of based on what you want to watch now or later.

Not the best description I know, but it's accurate. It's £1.49 on the iTunes App Store The app will present you with a simple interface, search for a move, Staff Picks, In Cinemas, Your Favourites. From there it opens up a world of Cinema like never before. I love it, I've already Discovr'd about a dozen films I want to watch based on just one film – Far and Away. Yeah it's not the movie of the week, but I like it, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman play their parts well and the story is funy as Hell.

As you can see from the screenshots, it's really good at giving you different films to try, all based on one search term.

Pro's:

Lots of choice
Lots of information
Well laid out
Fascinating tangents
Massive choice – Did I mention that already?

Cons:

Price is expensive if you're a tight ass Yorkshireman like me
Really needs an iPad to show itself off
No links from the Actors to Bio or other movies they've made
Nothing else to report! Go Get it!

Now for the Screenshots – There's a lot to see, but I think I've captured everything you might need to see.

Liverpool Beer Festival 2012

YorkshirePud — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:42:34 +0000

In trying to carry on the great tradition of a small review of everything, I’m compelled to review Liverpool’s annual beer festival. Sorry if you don’t live in Merseyside and/or drank real ale, but I think it is an interesting event to cover.

The annual Liverpool Beer Festival has taken place here for the last 30 years, not a bad achievement really, so they must be doing something right. The first beer festival took place in the now demolished Everyman Theatre but has since moved into the crypt of the Catholic cathedral, which sounds like a spooky place, but in reality couldn’t be more inviting. It is a really well suited venue. Tickets for the festival are becoming more and more popular each year, as evidenced by the surge in desperate people hunting tickets coming up to the big day. Is it a victim of its own success? You decide. For those lucky enough, or sensible enough to forward plan like myself, there is a veritable cornucopia of real ales, ciders and Perry’s to try once inside, as well as quality food and entertainment.

Halleujah! now where do i start?

The setting, as mentioned before, is the crypt of the catholic cathedral. Upon entering, you need to collect your half pint glass, which acts as your obvious receptacle for the hallowed liquid and something of a keepsake of the day. Being a bit picky, I was not that impressed by the glass this year. Basically it’s just a re-coloured logo and new date on the glasses. I know its quite nitpicky, but I smashed my glass a few weeks back in a kitchen related mishap, so I’m a bit bitter, (ba-dum-tish) and I preferred the colouring on the previous one. Anyway, after collecting your glass it’s off you go down a curving staircase to the bottom of the crypt, into the main beer hall. The hall is long, with a high, well built arched ceiling. In fact arches are very much the order of business everywhere, which is to be expected in a cathedral. The crypt itself was designed by Edwin Lutyens, who ironically was protestant while the designer of the Liverpool Anglican cathedral was catholic. The crypt is the only part of Lutyens original design to be completed before the outbreak of world war two. Anyway, in addition to the hall there is an adjacent area with a stage for entertainment and various long benches to rest your weary feet.

At the Liverpool beer festival, you are required to swap your Queen’s pounds for paper money, or a sheet of paper with 50p grids marked on it. Ten pounds is enough for one sheet, which is generally is enough for the average person. Once you have your paper money you can consult the program to see what’s on offer. I already had a rough plan of what I was going to do, try beers from local breweries first and then some from my sacred homeland of Yorkshire, which has the largest number of breweries in the country! It does help that it’s the largest county (and also the best). Now, from this point onwards the memory gets a little fuzzy, what with all the consumption of fine alcohol that was involved, so don’t expect any in-depth opinions of the beers I sampled.

Gone but not forgotten LBF2011 Glass 2011 – 2012

I have wanted to try Liverpool Craft Breweries “Hop Beast” since the brewery first started last year and I’ve kept a close eye on their work since I first heard about them. Originally, Hop Beast was to be called “Hop Junkie” which was scrapped due to some publicans thinking it might offend people, which is a shame as I found that most amusing. “Hop Beast” still does a good job of describing the taste of the beer however. Next I tried their American Red Ale which was a very satisfying brew. On the whole, Liverpool Craft do some fine beers. If you can pester your local landlord/lady, I suggest getting the Viking Bitter or Tane Mahuta, both are cracking.

Next up was Cambrinus Deliverance and Endurance brewed by Liverpool Organic Brewery, another of my favourite local brewers. Recently, the head brewery of the Cambrinus range retired and Liverpool organic have stepped in to continue on the work, and it seems very much in safe hands as the beers were well rounded and refreshing, especially the IPA style Endurance. Liverpool Organic is another brewer who I recommended getting into your local real ale pub as the range is well developed with something to suit all tastes. I’m very fond of their Kitty Wilkinson Chocolate and Vanilla stout, which is a great winter ale, but nice all year round. Their Iron Men ale is also good, and also just seasonal.

Well known local brewery, Cain’s, also had a few beers available, including a new beer known as “Blonde Bird”, a bit of a word play on the colour of the ale and also the Liver birds of Liverpool. Admittedly, I was a bit disappointed by this. I had seen adverts for it beforehand saying it would be available at the festival, but from what I recall there was little taste from it. Maybe it’s still in the trial stage and I will give it another try if I see it again. This leads me onto a bit of a tangent; does real ale taste better from a cask, a bottle or from the hand pump? Personally I think it’s the hand pump, I don’t know why, but straight from the cask or a bottle it just doesn’t seem as flavoursome. Maybe it’s me? What do you think? (I’d like to add at this point that many people have since on various other websites and Facebook have also complained it was not up to standard but curiously it was on offer all weekend.)

I tried Southport Breweries dramatically named Cyclone which was touted as having a fruity blackcurrant aftertaste, it certainly had a fruity taste and it was quite refreshing in a sharp tangy sense. I also got to try out Peerless Breweries “Crystal Maze” which brought back warm memories of Richard O’Brien running around said maze back in the 90’s. It was one of the few darker coloured ales I tried during the night and had a nice balance between bitter and palate smooth. Sadly I was running out of time and wasn’t able to try many other Ales from other local brewers.

I managed, in my befuddled state, just two ales from Yorkshire, one from the Fernandes brewery of Wakefield and one from the Osset Brewery. I don’t remember the exact details of the Fernande’s Wakefield Pride and the Osset Exelcisor, but before my fellow Yorkshiremen start getting angry and banning me from crossing the border, I remember them being very nice. I was disappointed to not see the Leeds Brewery as I keep seeing their pump clips in the various pubs I frequent, but have yet to try the goods.

Mana from heaven

On the whole there was a great selection of ales available and as mentioned there were ciders and perries available too, but I’m not a cider man myself so I couldn’t comment on them. The food last year was provided by the Everyman Bistro, Peninsula Luxury Pies and the Liverpool Cheese Company. Sadly the Everyman bistro has since been reduced to rubble due to the redevelopment of the theatre it was attached to, but I do remember having the best damn bowl of Scouse I have ever had from them. This year’s catering was done by L+L Catering, based out of the Fly in the Loaf (another quality pub.) Their Scouse was nice, but not as meaty as I had hoped for. It now seems that the Everyman Bistro’s Scouse will become something of a legend amongst my friends, once tried and maybe never bettered. The pies and cheese selection from Peninsula and the Cheese Company looked very tempting but the Scouse unfortunately filled my ample frame. I would like to visit the Peninsula Pies shop but unfortunately I cant find a premises at all, I do pop into the cheese shop every now and again as they also sell bottled real ale.

Once again the local CAMRA branch has done a grand job on the festival and thanks to the staff for looking after all the festival goers. The stereotype of the real ale drinker is that of a ruddy face man with a large beard and twigs in his pint, but just by looking at the crowd you could tell how popular real ale has become. Young rubbed shoulders with the old, and this was no mans world as there were plenty of women of all ages. The sell out status is a sure fire sign that it’s a popular fixture, here’s hoping I’ll be there again next year, or selling my soul to get a ticket. If you live within Merseyside I encourage you to also visit the festival next year if you can, or any local real ales pubs even if you have never tried it in your life and have drunk nothing but Lager, give it a try, you might be surprised.

Cheers and ching ching, but don’t clink your glasses too hard you don’t want to smash it…..

Time at the bar please, thanks to the Grapes on Roscoe St for staying open until 1am and letting us have a few more!

Liverpool and District Branch

CAMRA - Campaign for Real Ale

PSN Store Update: PlayStation VITA Launch Titles

Dazbobaby — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:47:33 +0000

Tomorrow, PlayStation Vita launches across the PAL regions and here is the full list of what will be available to download when PlayStation Store is live on the system later this evening. We believe that the PS Vita launch line-up is the strongest in PlayStation history and this list of games and other content, some of which is completely free, is testament to that.

Don’t forget that if you already own Hustle Kings, Top Darts or Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom DLC on PS3, you can also use it on your PS Vita at no extra charge.

Have a blast and look forward to the PS3 store update coming soon. See you (or the digital formations of you) there.

PlayStation Vita Games

Everybody’s Golf (£29.99/€34.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales

Little Deviants Trial & Unlock (£19.99/€24.99)

Rating: PEGI 7
Availability: All Locales

Modnation Racers: Road Trip (£29.99/€34.99)

Rating: PEGI 7
Availability: All Locales

Reality Fighters (£19.99/€24.99)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All Locales

Uncharted: Golden Abyss (£39.99/€44.99)

Rating: PEGI 16
Availability: All Locales

Wipeout 2048 + Network pass (£29.99/€34.99)

Rating: PEGI 7
Availability: All Locales

Escape Plan (£9.99/€12.99)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All Locales

Hustle Kings (PSN Only) (£6.49/€7.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales

Motorstorm RC (PSN Only) (£4.79/€5.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales

Super Stardust™ Delta (PSN Only) (£6.49/€7.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales

Super Stardust Delta & DLC Bundle (£7.99/€9.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales

Top Darts (PSN Only) (£6.49/€7.99)

Rating; PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales

Plants Vs Zombies (Soe) (£8.99/€11.25)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All Locales

Cliff Diving (Ar Suite – Digital) (Free)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All Locales

Table Football (Ar Suite – Digital) (Free)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales

Fireworks (Ar Suite – Digital) (Free)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales

Army Corps Of Hell (£34.99/€39.99)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All Locales

Virtua Tennis 4 – World Tour Edition (£34.99/€39.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales

Asphalt: Injection (£19.99/€24.99)

Rating: PEGI 7
Availability: All Locales

Lumines Electronic Symphony (£29.99/€34.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales

Rayman Origins (£29.99/€34.99)

Rating: PEGI 7
Availability: All Locales

EA Sports FIFA Football (£44.99/€49.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales

Shinobido 2 (£34.99/€39.99)

Rating: PEGI 16
Availability: All Locales

Touch My Katamari (£24.99/€29.99)

Rating: PEGI 6
Availability: All Locales

Blazblue Continuum Shift Extend (£34.99/€39.99)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All Locales

Michael Jackson The Experience HD (£24.99/€19.99)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All Locales

Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3 (£39.99/€44.99)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All Locales

Dynasty Warriors Next (£29.99/€34.99)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: Not available in New Zealand

Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus (£29.99/€34.99)

Rating: PEGI 18
Availability: Not available in New Zealand

Ridge Racer Gold Pass (£5.49/€6.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales

Ridge Racer (£16.99/€19.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales

Dungeon Hunter: Alliance (£29.99/€34.99)

Rating: PEGI 16
Availability: All Locales

A-Men (£11.99/€14.99)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: Not available in Australia and New Zealand

F1 2011 (£44.99/€49.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: Not available in Australia, Belgium, India, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, South Africa, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates

Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack(£5.49/€6.99)

Rating: PEGI 7
Availability: All Locales

Apps

Facebook (Free)
Live Tweet (Free)
Flickr (Free)
Foursquare (Free)

Downloadable Content

Everybody’s Golf Network Pass (£7.99/€9.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales

Reality Fighters Network Pass (£7.99/€9.99)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All Locales

Wipeout 2048 Network Pass (£7.99/€9.99)

Rating: PEGI 7
Availability: All Locales

Hustle Kings

Hustle Kings Snooker Pack (£2.39/€2.99)
Time Savers Pack (£1.19/€1.49)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales

Uncharted: Golden Abyss (£0.79/€0.99)

Rating: PEGI 16
Availability: All Locales

Modnation Racers Road Trip – Unlock All (£3.19/€3.99)

Rating: PEGI 7
Availability: All Locales

Super Stardust Delta: Advanced Star Fighter Pack (£2.39/€2.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales

Motorstorm RC (Dual Compatible DLC)

Access All Areas Pass (£0.79/€0.99)
RC Collection Pass (£0.79/€0.99)
Full Game Pass (£1.19/€1.49)
Rare Rally Car: Patriot Enforcer – Only available for 14 days (£0.79/€0.99)
Rare Rally Car: Italia Buttercream – Only available for 14 days (Free)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales

Touch My Katamari

Fancy Damacy x 3 (£1.15/€1.39)
Fan Damacy x 5 (£1.59/€1.99)
Fan Damacy Item (£0.40/€0.49)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales

Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3

Additional Character: Jill (£3.99/€4.99)
Animal Pack (£3.19/€3.99)
Brawler Pack (£3.19/€3.99)
Femme Fatale Pack (£3.19/€3.99)
New Age Of Heroes Pack (£3.19/€3.99)
The Evil Twin Pack (£3.19/€3.99)
The Rising Dead Pack (£3.19/€3.99)
Viewtiful Strange Pack (£3.19/€3.99)
Villain Pack (£3.19/€3.99)
Weapon Expert Pack (£3.19/€3.99)
Additional Character: Shuma-Gorath (£3.99/€4.99)
Costume Pack (£3.99/€4.99)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All Locales

Ridge Racer

Add-On Course 01 ‘Old Central’ (£1.99/€2.49)
Add-On Car 02 ‘Elenie’ (£1.19/€1.49)
Music Pack 01 (Free)
Music Pack 02 (Free)
Music Pack 03 (Free)
Music Pack 04 (Free)
Music Pack 06 (Free)
Music Pack 07 (Free)
Music Pack 08 (Free)
Music Pack 09 (Free)
Music Pack 10 (Free)
New Songs Pack 01 (£0.79/€0.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales

Demos

Uncharted: Golden Abyss Demo

Rating: PEGI 16
Availability: Not available in Germany

Modnation Racers Road Trip Demo

Rating: PEGI 7
Availability: All Locales

Dynasty Warriors Next Demo

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: Not available in New Zealand

Unit 13 Demo

Rating: PEGI 16
Availability: Not available in Germany

Wipeout 2048 Demo

Rating: PEGi 7
Availability: All Locales

EA Sports FIFA Football

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales

Videos

Hustle Kings In Action Trailer
Reality Fighters Trailer
Wipeout 2048 Trailer
Escape Plan Trailer
Everybody’S Golf Trailer
Little Deviants Trailer
Modnation Racers: Road Trip Trailer
Super Stardust Delta Trailer
Super Stardust Delta Gameplay Trailer
Uncharted: Golden Abyss Trailer
Plants Vs Zombies Trailer (Soe)
Stardrone Announce Trailer
Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition – Features Trailer

PS Vita sales continue to nose-dive

Dazbobaby — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:06:43 +0000

The PlayStation Vita sales are still plummeting off a cliff. Last weeks sles barely reached 18,000 a dcline of 57% on the previous week and 77% down on week two, week two also saw poor sales with an 80% drop.

Sales of the PlayStation Vita are often compared to the Nintendo 3DS which like for like are 200,000 units ahead at this point, and this was before the radical price drop. I think tha this is the only way for Sony to be able to shift the Vita, drop prices to below £150, drop the price of memory cards too, and cut back on game prices.

The initial outlay for a Vita is still incredibly steep, way beyond the means of most people. Example:

Vita £200 (after shopping around, you’ll find the vita for less than £200 on launch day)
Memory Card £40 for 16 gig
Single Game, most likely Wipeout 2048 or UIncharted 3 @£35
total £270 or there about

£270 is a lot of money for a handheld console and one game. Now imagine if eveyone stuck to the RRP of £230, the end price would now be £300 But if Sony dropped the vita to sub £150, memory cards to £30 and game to £25 that’d be £205 a saving of £65 or £95 depending on your reference point.

But Sony are unlikely to make such a move just yet, they are hoping that the western worlds uptake of the Vita is a bigger one than Japan. A tall order as Japan go mad for anything technical and especially if its a Japanese product.

We’ll soon find out though, the Vita is due to launch in just a few days, and 2 weeks later we’ll have the sales figures.

Good luck Sony. I think you’ll need it.

Mass Effect 3 Demo

YorkshirePud — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:08:47 +0000

Well its finally appeared in the PSN store, for some reason it wasn't available until well after 6pm here in the UK but i digress, I've had two full plays of the mass effect 3 demo and thought id pop along to give you my thoughts before i ambled off to bed. It should go without saying that there will be some mild spoilers ahead as to the demo but none that ruin the story ahead. but if you are new to mass effect and haven't tried the first or second instalments then there is no point in hiding the fact that the Galaxy and our home earth is being invaded from beyond the known universe by mecha squiddy cthulhu death beasts called Reapers, because that's the main premise of instalment number three

The demo allows you to do a few brief tweaks to your character beforehand, just like the profile reconstruction in ME1 and ME2, choose your characters background, first name and appearance, it doesn't matter so much at this point in time as the demo doesn't really make full use of any previous save games you may have or your characters background, curiously Bioware have taken the decision to let you decide how the game seems to play out, do you want the full RPG version? a story version? or all action? how this will affect the game i have yet to know but its a curious option, are the hoping to get more people interested? seems a bit late now.

After that were onto a brief dramatic piece as Alliance staff and officers "hurry up and wait" before the onslaught by the Reapers, the titular hero Commander Shepherd is brought before Earth Alliance high command for advice on how to counter the reapers, but before any meaningful talk can talk place the Reapers arrive and proceed to squish out all puny humans. Its now up to you to escape off world and hopefully rally support and take back earth, or whatever is left of it after the Reapers have finished having rough bottom love with it.

The second part sees you on the Salarian home world trying to rescue a Krogran female in the hopes that it will help bring warring races together, you get to meet old friends and play alongside previous squad mates, before you square off against a Cerberus atlas mech.

What is new you might ask? not a sausage, you've seen it all before for the last few months, but unless you have been to any shows and gotten your hands on the demo its your chance to try out what's been seen at the show circuit for the last few months. Theres a nice familiarity to all the menus and controls, it doesn't feel like Bioware have messed with the interface much, the power and weapon wheels are all still there you can map powers to certain buttons as you wish, for some reason though maybe its me but the combat doesn't seem as smooth as in ME2, even though Bioware have said they have been polishing it up it doesn't seem any better. the new cover mechanic bits are good, darting from cover to cover is a bit easier but on the Second demo level i had trouble finding cover to stick to. was it a lack of cover? I'm not so sure. and also the much "wooted" about omni blade is frankly a bit rubbish. if you hold down circle to heavy melee a foe you better hope damn sure you pointing it right at him because the game wont auto correct for you! games shouldn't be getting easier but in the frantic moments of combat you experience if I'm a few degrees off I'd hope the game would correct it for me! and there was one horrid moment where i thought id fallen through the floor as the graphics clipped in and out. but other than that things look like they have progressed in a nice direction.

Bioware have tried to bring back a bit more customisation into the powers rather than just a few set levels and one evolved power or ability, for the record since i never played ME1 i didn't miss the old system so i was happy with the one in ME2 the new one doesn't mess to much with the formula but spreads out the ability tree a bit more, simple enough for RPGphobes like me to understand, other than that though no major breakthroughs i can recall but its the story I'm looking forward to the most, and possibly in time combat will be adapted to. i did put down ME2 over 5 months ago and played nothing but FPS since then, maybe I'm rusty! One final concern was the initial demo level set on earth it wasn't smooth at least to me at all, it seemed as though the engine was having trouble keeping up with all that was going on.

I've enjoyed the demo and I'm still looking forward to the full release, ill play the demo a few more times through as initially i just played as a default male Shepherd with soldier style (I'm a grunt at heart). having some powers to play with might alter the flow.

Just to give you one last impression of how dire things look for puny humans is the shot of the Normandy escaping earth and that of the title screen too, are those reapers re-entering the atmosphere? possibly but a lot of it seems to be debris, debris from the massive fleet guarding earth. what's it gonna take to save the Galaxy? one commander shepherd and something bloody spectacular….

EU PSN Store Update 15/02/2012

Dazbobaby — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:02:35 +0000

Greetings humble gamers. I come forth with a new update of the PlayStation Store.

After a bit of a wait we now have Worms Ultimate Mayhem ready and waiting to claim your precious hard drive space. Grand Theft Auto IV arrives to the PS Store as a vanilla flavour or as a bundle option complete with DLC, and House of the Dead III also shows its beautifully scary side for you to unload your rounds on.

The big demo this week is Mass Effect 3. Fire the first shots in the war to take Earth back! Voted Most Anticipated Game of 2012 at the SpikeTV VGAs, Mass Effect 3 puts you at the centre of an all-out galactic war – and how to wage that war is up to you. Try the demo today.

Binary Domain also pops in for a visit, also having a demo on the store today. From the team that brought you Yakuza comes Binary Domain, a game set in a futuristic Tokyo where man and machine are waging war. A bit like Terminator only in Tokyo, then. But nay! It’s the gameplay system that should be of interest. Direct your team with instructions either by button commands or your very own voice – do they trust you or are you just a reckless muppet in the middle of a warzone?

Also, Far Cry 2 has its price slashed to £7.99/€9.99! Even better, if you’re a PS Plus subscriber then it is offered to you at a 100% cut. Imagine that. Oh wait, you won’t have to!

Today we also enter a new phase of select PlayStation 2 titles appearing on the store. We’re taking things slow with a selection of titles (full list below), but a couple of gems to definitely check out are God Hand and Maximo.

“God or demon, what am I? It’s time for me to choose my path!” (I love the song!) Receiving a controversial review, God Hand is a sorely underexposed PS2 game that was, for many players, a truly wild ride. With crazy moves such as the “Ball Buster” and a truly colourful set of characters, God Hand was not only fun, frantic and hilarious but also pretty gosh darned hard!

Now, if that doesn’t take your fancy (why?!) then give Maximo a shot. Using the classic Ghosts ‘n Goblins as a sort of base design, the game has you take up arms as Maximo, who needs to save his lady friend and other loved ones from an evil chap called Achilles. With classic style gameplay reimagined, Maximo is sure to provide you with some great fun and amusing moments when you’re stripped to your hearty underwear whilst fighting off the undead. No man is more brave and determined than this, surely?

I hope you enjoy some of what’s on today.

Stay safe, readers.

Bye!

PlayStation® Network New Content

Full Games (PS3)

Move Street Cricket (£11.90/€14.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: Not available in Australia, New Zealand
File Size: 2.8GB

Worms Ultimate Mayhem (£9.99/€12.99) *10% Discount for PS Plus Members*

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All Locales
File Size: 518MB

James Cameron’s Avatar The Game (£14.99/€19.99)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: Not available in Russian Federation, Ukraine
File Size: 3.4GB

Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition (£27.99/€34.99)

Rating: PEGI 18
Availability: Not available in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates
File Size: 16GB

Grand Theft Auto IV (£19.99/€24.99)

Rating: PEGI 18
Availability: Not available in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates
File Size: 11GB

The House of the Dead III (£4.79/€2599)

Rating: PEGI 16
Availability: Not available in Germany
File Size: 1.2GB

The Adventures of Tin-Tin: The Secret of the Unicorn The Game (£19.99/€29.99)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All Locales
File Size: 7.2GB

Scary Girl (£7.99/€9.99)

Rating: PEGI 7
Availability: All Locales
File Size: 1.1GB

PSOne Classics

Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix (£5.49/€6.99)

Rating: PEGI 18
Availability: All Locales
File Size: 1.9GB

PS2 Classics

A Train 6 (£7.99/€9.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales
File Size: 613MB

Arcade Classics Vol. 1 (£3.99/€4.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales
File Size: 208MB

Bust-A-Bloc (£3.99/€4.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales
File Size: 150MB

Cel Damage Overdrive (£3.99/€4.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales
File Size: 395MB

Chicken Little (£7.99/€9.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales
File Size: 1.9GB

Disney Princess Enchanted Journey (£7.99/€9.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales
File Size: 4GB

God Hand (£7.99/€9.99)

Rating: PEGI 16
Availability: All Locales
File Size: 164MB

Golden Age of Racing (£3.99/€4.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: Not available in Belgium, Netherlands, Russian Federation, Ukraine
File Size: 164MB

Gungrave Overdose (£3.99/€4.99)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All Locales
File Size: 4.2GB

International Super Karts (£2.99/€3.59)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: Not available in Belgium, Netherlands, Russian Federation, Ukraine
File Size: 104MB

Kim Possible: What’s the Switch? (£7.99/€9.99)

Rating: PEGI 7
Availability: All Locales
File Size: 1.7GB

Maximo (£7.99/€9.99)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All Locales
File Size: 2.2GB

Maximo vs Army of Zin (£7.99/€9.99)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All Locales
File Size: 1.2GB

Meet the Robinsons (£7.99/€9.99)

Rating: PEGI 7
Availability: All Locales
File Size: 4.1GB

Mr. Golf (£5.49/€6.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: Not available in Belgium, Netherlands, Russian Federation, Ukraine
File Size: 598MB

MX World Tour (£3.99/€4.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales
File Size: 509MB

Neo Contra (£7.99/€9.99)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All Locales
File Size: 2.3GB

Noble Racing (£3.99/€4.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: Not available in Belgium, Netherlands, Russian Federation, Ukraine
File Size: 209MB

Road Trip Adventure (£3.99/€4.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales
File Size: 611MB

Seek & Destroy (£3.99/€4.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales
File Size: 583MB

Skyscraper (£1.99/€2.49)

Rating: PEGI 16
Availability: Not available in Belgium, Netherlands, Russian Federation, Ukraine
File Size: 363MB

SSX On Tour (£7.99/€9.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales
File Size: 4.5GB

Swords of Destiny (£7.99/€9.99)

Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: Not available in Australia, Germany, New Zealand
File Size: 4.4GB

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (£7.99/€9.99)

Rating: PEGI 7
Availability: All Locales
File Size: 3GB

Walt Disney’s Donald Duck Quack Attack (£7.99/€9.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales
File Size: 865MB

WWI: Aces of the Sky (£3.99/€4.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: Not available in Belgium, Netherlands, Russian Federation, Ukraine
File Size: 215MB

WW2: Battle Over The Pacific (£3.99/€4.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: Not available in Belgium, Netherlands, Russian Federation, Ukraine
File Size: 168MB

minis (PS3/PSP)

Bermuda Triangle (£1.99/€2.49)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales

World Ping Pong Champion (£2.49/€2.99)

Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: Not available in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine

Demos

Mass Effect 3

Rating: PEGI 18
Availability: Not available in Germany

Binary Domain

Rating: PEGI 18
Availability: Not available in Australia, Germany, Luxembourg, New Zealand

Special Offer Selection

Far Cry 2 – (Was £15.99/€19.99 – Now £7.99/ €9.99) *100% Discount for PS Plus members*
Mafia II – Additional Content Bundle (Was £17.49/€21.99 – Now £8.79/€10.99)

Disney G-force (Was £7.99/€ 9.99 – Now £3.99/€ 4.99)
Tron: Evolution (Was £7.99/€ 9.99 – Now £3.99/€ 4.99)
PSP Pirates Essentials Bundle (Was £11.99/€ 14.99 – Now £7.99/€ 9.99)
PSP Disney Pixar Double Pack (Was £11.99/€ 14.99 – Now £7.99/€ 9.99)
Hannah Montana – Rock Out the Show (Was £7.99/€ 9.99 – Now £3.99/€ 4.99)
Toy Story 3 (Was £7.99/€ 9.99 – Now £3.99/€ 4.99)

Add-On Game Content (PS3)

Ace Combat Assault Horizon
- Aircraft Skin Pack 3 (£4.79/€5.99)
  (Includes the following content, also available separately)
- Aircraft Skin Pack 4 (£6.49/€7.99)
  (Includes the following content, also available separately)
- Compatibility Pack 7(Free)
  - Ka-50 Hokum (£3.99/€4.99)
  - YF-23 Black Widow II (£3.99/€4.99)
  Rating: PEGI 16
  Availability: All Locales
Dance Star Party – Dance Star Party Mix 7 (£5.49/€6.99)
Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All Locales
Dungeon Defenders – The Quest for the Lost Eternia Shards: Part 1 (Free)
Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All Locales
Soul Calibur V
- Downloadable Music Pack 3 – Soul Calibur II (£1.59/€1.99)
- Downloadable Music Pack 4 – Soul Calibur III (£1.59/€1.99)
Phineas and Ferb – Level Pack (£3.99/€4.99)
Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All Locales
Zen Pinball – Epic Quest Table (£1.59/€1.99)
Rating: PEGI 7
Availability: All Locales
Disgaea 4
Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: Not available in Belgium, Netherlands
Dynasty Warriors 7
Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: Not available in New Zealand
Dynasty Warriors 7 Xtreme Legends
Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: Not available in New Zealand
Rock Band 3
Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: Not available in Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, India, Kuwait, Luxemburg, Poland, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, South Africa, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates
Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: Not available in Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, India, Kuwait, Luxemburg, Poland, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, South Africa, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates
Rating: PEGI 18
Availability: All Locales
Rating: PEGI 16
Availability: All Locales

Avatars

Carnival:

Carnival Island Avatar Bundle 5 (£0.79/€0.99)

(Includes the following, also available separately)

Kowalski the Kangaroo Avatar (£0.21/€0.25)
Jeffrey the Duck Avatar (£0.21/€0.25)
Amani the Civet Avatar (£0.21/€0.25)
Jack the Walrus Avatar (£0.21/€0.25)
Oliver the Owl Avatar (£0.21/€0.25)

Carnival Island Avatar Bundle 6 (£0.79/€0.99)

(Includes the following, also available separately)

Murray the Meerkat Avatar (£0.21/€0.25)
Goggles the Sugar Glider Avatar (£0.21/€0.25)
Buffy the Border Collie Avatar (£0.21/€0.25)
Pockets the Corgi Avatar (£0.21/€0.25)
Hercules the Rabbit Avatar (£0.21/€0.25)

Journey:

Return (£0.21/€0.25)
Wander (£0.21/€0.25)

Jak & Daxter

The Jak & Daxter Trilogy Avatar Bundle (£0.79/€0.99)
Jak and Daxter (£0.21/€0.25)
Jak and Daxter 2 (£0.21/€0.25)
Jak and Daxter 3 (£0.21/€0.25)
Dark Jak 1 (£0.21/€0.25)
Dark Jak 2 (£0.21/€0.25)

Malicious:

MALICIOUS™ Avatar Bundle 1 (£0.79/€0.99)
(Includes the following, also available separately)

MALICIOUS Avatar 1 (£0.21/€0.25)
MALICIOUS Avatar 2 (£0.21/€0.25)
MALICIOUS Avatar 3 (£0.21/€0.25)
MALICIOUS Avatar 4 (£0.21/€0.25)
MALICIOUS Avatar 15 (£0.21/€0.25)

MALICIOUS™ Avatar Bundle 2 (£0.79/€0.99)
(Includes the following, also available separately)

MALICIOUS Avatar 5 (£0.21/€0.25)
MALICIOUS Avatar 6 (£0.21/€0.25)
MALICIOUS Avatar 10 (£0.21/€0.25)
MALICIOUS Avatar 11 (£0.21/€0.25)
MALICIOUS Avatar 14 (£0.21/€0.25)

MALICIOUS™ Avatar Bundle 3 (£0.79/€0.99)
(Includes the following, also available separately)

MALICIOUS Avatar 16 (£0.21/€0.25)
MALICIOUS Avatar 17 (£0.21/€0.25)
MALICIOUS Avatar 19 (£0.21/€0.25)
MALICIOUS Avatar 20 (£0.21/€0.25)
MALICIOUS Avatar 21 (£0.21/€0.25)

MALICIOUS™ Avatar Bundle 4 (£0.79/€0.99)
(Includes the following, also available separately)

MALICIOUS Avatar 7 (£0.21/€0.25)
MALICIOUS Avatar 8 (£0.21/€0.25)
MALICIOUS Avatar 9 (£0.21/€0.25)
MALICIOUS Avatar 12 (£0.21/€0.25)
MALICIOUS Avatar 13 (£0.21/€0.25)

MALICIOUS™ Avatar Bundle 5 (£0.79/€0.99)
(Includes the following, also available separately)

MALICIOUS Avatar 18 (£0.21/€0.25)
MALICIOUS Avatar 22 (£0.21/€0.25)
MALICIOUS Avatar 23 (£0.21/€0.25)
MALICIOUS Avatar 24 (£0.21/€0.25)
MALICIOUS Avatar 25 (£0.21/€0.25)

Themes

Nature

Christmas Cheer (£1.59/€1.99)
Romantic Petals (£1.59/€1.99)
Scenic Seagulls Theme (£1.59/€1.99)
Summer Fields Theme (£1.59/€1.99)
Winter Wonderland Theme (£1.59/€1.99)

Places/Landmarks

Toy Tokyo Electric Town Theme (£1.59/€1.99)

Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Baltic Sky Theme (£1.59/€1.99)

Dynamic Themes

Abstract

Dynamic Fuel Theme (£1.59/€1.99)

Games

House of the Dead III Theme (No price listed)

Nature

Dynamic great seashore theme two (£1.59/€1.99)
Dynamic island theme (£1.59/€1.99)
Dynamic windy beach theme (£1.59/€1.99)

Places/Landmarks

Dynamic great bridge at San Francisco theme (£1.59/€1.99)
Dynamic Yosemite lower falls theme (£1.59/€1.99)

Videos (PS3)

Access Episode 021 (GB only)
Mass Effect 3 Special Forces
The Darkness II Launch Trailer
Yakuza Dead Souls NPC Trailer
The House of the Dead III Launch Trailer

USA PSN Store Update 14/02/2012

Dazbobaby — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:44:58 +0000

PlayStation Plus

PSN Games

The House Of The Dead III (+ Gwp Hod III Z2 Avatar) ($6.99)
For a limited time only, get a free The House of the Dead III avatar as gift with purchase for The House Of The Dead III.
ESRB rated M
File size 1.14 GB

Worms Ultimate Mayhem ($14.99)
Worms Ultimate Mayhem is the definitive 3D Worms game! Load your weapons and experience a new dimension in destructive turn-based cartoon action!
ESRB rated E10+
File size 518 MB

PS3 Full Games

Grand Theft Auto IV ($19.99)
What does the American Dream mean today? For Niko Bellic, fresh off the boat from Europe, it is the hope he can escape his past.
ESRB rated M
File size 11 GB

Game Demos (free)

Mass Effect 3 Demo
Fire the first shots in the war to take Earth back! Voted Most Anticipated Game of 2012 at the SpikeTV VGAs, Mass Effect 3 puts you at the center of an all-out galactic war – and how to wage that war is up to you. Groundbreaking interactive storytelling drives heart-pounding action where each decision you make could have devastating consequences.
ESRB rated M
File size 1.67 GB

Binary Domain Demo
Download the demo today to have the chance to play Binary Domain. As the lines start to blur between man and machine, you must enter into 2080 Tokyo, fight your way thought their robotic defenses and find who is creating highly advanced humanoids that are beginning to infiltrate society undetected. The machine age has begun…
ESRB rated M
File size 806 MB

Add-on Game Content

Zen Pinball: Epic Quest Table (Public Release) ($2.49)
Pick up an Epic plate for your knobbly-knees knight, Max, give him a Crude Plastic Dagger of Elemental Flame and face the endless hordes of brutes to level up and gain more goodies in the goofy fantasy pinball
ESRB rated E
File size 72 MB

Everybody Dance Pack 7 ($8.99)
Download these additional tracks to keep the party going: Dexy’s Midnight Runners – Come On Eileen Example – Changed The Way You Kiss Me Odyssey – Going Back To My Roots Soul II Soul featuring Caron Wheeler – Keep On Movin’ To use this download, you will need Everybody Dance game.
File size 1.12 GB

Twisted Metal Online Pass ($9.99)
Thank you for purchasing Twisted Metal. Download the Twisted Metal Online Pass today to unlock this game’s full online features.
File size 100 KB

Disney Universe – Phineas And Ferb Level Pack ($4.99)
Disney Universe continues to grow with a new downloadable level pack featuring Disney Phineas and Ferb. Suit up, power up and battle through the suburbs of Danville in some of your favorite Phineas and Ferb costumes, including Phineas, Ferb, Dr. Doofenshmirtz, Agent P, and Candace. Each costume includes its own upgradeable tool.
File size 404 MB

Crazy Machines Elements – Brainfood Pack 1 ($2.99)
TWENTY additional tricky puzzles and FIVE new challenges that will frazzle your brain! Get your first brain food package today!
File size 2.06 MB

TNT Racers – Drift Challenge ($2.99)
You’re looking for new challenges in TNT Racers? How about the exclusive Speed Class: Drift! With 2 brand spanking new vehicles, 4 additional demanding tracks and Drift Challenges galore. With TNT Racers, the thrills just keep on coming. May the most explosive driver win.
File size 20 MB

TNT Racers – Formula TNT ($2.99)
TNT Racers is taking it to the next level! Experience an even faster Speed Class: Formula TNT! It comes with 2 new crazy fast cars and another 4 awesome circuits. Stacks of Formula TNT Challenges are waiting to be mastered. What are you waiting for? So get going: Hit the gas and have fun!
File size 18 MB

Choplifter HD Chopper Add-Ons (Use Ver 1.O) (x5) (Free – $0.99)
Various add on content.
File size 48 – 363 MB

Ace Combat Assault Horizon Assorted Add-Ons (x13) (Free – $5.99)
Various add on content.
File size 9 – 57 MB

Soulcalibur V Customization Equipment 2 ($1.99)
Unleash your inner beast with this pack of customization equipment! This pack includes 4 pieces of animal-themed head equipment, 2 Japanese-style stickers, and 3 pieces of equipment.
File size 134 KB

Soulcalibur V Downloadable Music Pack 3 ($2.99)
This pack contains the background music tracks: BRAVE SWROD, BRAVER SOUL, CONFRONTATION, GUIDED BY WIND, RAISE THY SWORD, and HUBRIS from SOULCALIBUR II.
File size 138 KB

Soulcalibur V Downloadable Music Pack 4
This pack contains the background music tracks: TIME MARCHES ON, COURAGE ABLAZE, ENDLESS WARFARE, EPHEMERAL DREAM, and FORSAKEN SANCTUARY from SOULCALIBUR III.
File size 138 KB

Soulcalibur V Downloadable Music (11- 20) ($0.99 each)
File size 136 KB

Disgaea 4 Assorted Add-on (x4) ($0.99 – $2.99 each)
Assorted add on content.
File size 1.55 MB

Saints Row The Third: Funtime! Pack ($2.99)
Go super ballistic with the FunTime! Pack which gives you a new weapon, vehicle, and outfit. Terrorize your enemies by sucking them up and shooting them out with the Genki Man-A-Pult! Pull the trigger on the Mollusk Launcher and unleash the power of an exploding, mind-controlling octopus! And make sure you put on your FunTime! Outfit, because who doesn’t want to look like Professor Genki!
File size 1.7 MB

Saints Row: The Third – Money Shot Pack (Public Release) ($2.99)
Looks can kill…and so do you. With the Money Shot pack, you can transform yourself into one of Ultor’s elite femme fatales. Don your high-heeled tactical catsuit and take to the skies on a custom Ultor jet bike. Then when the time comes to execute your target, do so with unprecedented style with your fully automatic sniper rifle.
File size 1.7 MB

UFC Undisputed 3 Add-ons (x3) ($1.99 – $9.99 each)
Assorted add on content.
File size 2.5 MB

Rock Band 3
Build your Rock Band library by purchasing these song game tracks. For song credits, visit www.RockBand.com.

“Alone” – Heart ($1.99)
“Every Rose Has Its Thorn” – Poison ($1.99)
“Never Gonna Give You Up” – Rick Astley ($1.99)
“To Be With You” – Mr. Big ($1.99)
Gold Start My Heart ($6.99) – Build your Rock Band library by purchasing this song game album: Gold Star My Heart. This pack includes “Alone” by Heart, “To Be With You” by Mr. Big, “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” by Poison, and “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley

File size: 19 – 31 MB (singles), 100 MB (track pack)

Rock Band Network v2.0

“30 Lives” – The Motion Sick ($0.99)
“All I Want Is You” – Jerry Naylor ($1.99)
“Potential For Anything” – Magnus ‘SoulEye’ Pålsson ($0.99)
“My Only Star” – Amberian Dawn ($1.99)
“So Let Us Create” – Jukebox the Ghost ($1.99)

File size: 22 – 36 MB (singles)

Updates

Chronicles Of Riddick: Assault On Dark Athena Premium Mp Map Pack (Price Change) (PS3) (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
Undergarden (Price Change) (PS3) (now $2.99, original price $9.99)
WWE ’12 – Kane, New Attire (Price Change) (PS3) (now $2.99, original price $Free)
Blade Kitten (Price Change) (PS3) (now $4.99, original price $14.99)
Ghostbusters: Sanctum Of Slime (Price Change) (PS3) (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
Star Raiders (Price Change) (PS3) (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
Choplifter Hd (Price Change) (PS3) (now $9.99, original price $14.99)
L.A. Noire (Ps3 Full Game) (Price Change) (PS3) (now $29.99, original price $31.99)
L.A. Noire Complete Edition Bundle (Price Change) (PS3) (now $39.99, original price $34.99)
Red Dead Redemption Digital (Price Change) (PS3) (now $29.99, original price $34.99)
Red Dead Redemption Digital And Undead Nightmare Collection Bundle (Price Change) (PS3) (now $39.99, original price $49.99)
Astro Boy: The Video Game Digital (Price Change) (PS3) (now $9.99, original price $29.99)
Ghostbusters The Videogame (Price Change) (PSP) (now $4.99, original price $29.99)
Ben 10 Alien Force (Price Change) (PSP) (now $9.99, original price $19.99)
Ben 10 Ultimate Alien: Cosmic Destruction Digital (Price Change) (PSP) (now $9.99, original price $29.99)
Ben 10: Protector Of Earth (Price Change) (PSP) (now $9.99, original price $14.99)(PS3)
Ben10 Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks (Price Change) (PSP) (now $9.99, original price $29.99)
Dead Head Fred (Price Change) (PSP) (now $9.99, original price $14.99)
Despicable Me (Price Change) (PSP) (now $9.99, original price $29.99)
Gods Eater Burst (Price Change) (PSP) (now $19.99, original price $39.99)
Pq2: Practical Intelligence Quotient 2 (Price Change) (PSP) (now $9.99, original price $14.99)
Puzzle Quest: Challenge Of The Warlords (Price Change) (PSP) (now $9.99, original price $14.99)
Secret Saturdays: Beasts Of The 5Th Sun (Price Change) (PSP) (now $9.99, original price $29.99)
Far Cry 2 (Sale) (PS3) (now $19.99, original price $29.99)

Avatars

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite Avatars (x10) ($0.49 each)

The House Of The Dead III – Z2 Avatar ($0.49 each)

Just Dance 3 Avatars (x11) ($0.49 each)

Game Videos (free)

Pulse 2/14 Edition

Uncharted Golden Abyss Play it your way

The Tester Season 3 Episode 2

Unit 13TM Free Trailer

Super Stardust Delta Features Trailer

Grand Slam Tennis 2 – Demo Trailer

Grand Slam Tennis 2 – Producer Video 1: Total Racquet Control

Max Payne – Design And Tech Series Video #2

Binary Domain Multiplayer Trailer

The House Of The Dead III Launch Trailer

UFC Undisputed 3 – Demo Trailer

PS3 Themes

The Tester Season 3 theme (free)

Valentine’s Day Hearts Dynamic Theme ($2.99)

Happy Valentine’s Day Dynamic Theme ($2.99)

Dynamic Beautiful Girl Theme 2 ($2.99)

Dynamic Blue Dream Theme ($2.99)

Stupid Honey Badger Static Theme ($1.99)

Bundles

Tales From Space: About A Blob Premium Bundle ($9.99)

Grand Theft Auto Iv: The Complete Edition (Bundle) ($29.99)

PlayStation Store for PSP

Downloadable Games (also available from PS3 Storefront)

Hakuoki: Demon Of The Fleeting Blossom (Public Release) ($24.99)
ESRB rated M
File size 745 MB

Game Videos (free)

Pulse 2/14 Edition

The Tester Season 3 Episode 2

Mass Effect 3 Demo Out

YorkshirePud — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:09:25 +0000

Fuck valentines day the Mass Effect 3 demo is out today for those with early access. it will feature a portion of play from the single player campaign and also from the multiplayer. im not sure if those who have early access are the only ones who can access multiplayer but i will let you know in time and also my thoughts on the matter. For now i have more mundane things to do like go pickup a flat packed earth storage medium for the garden from out local costco. at least i get to drive a transit van and become white van man. click on the link if your not from the UK and have no idea what white van man is.

The Future of Gaming

Tomcat — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:49:39 +0000

What does the future hold for games? I don’t know for sure really, but I’m beginning to think it could be a future I want no part of, or at the very least, a smaller part than I have had for the past twenty years.

Now I’m sure that the future will bring bigger, better and more advanced games, and I welcome this, lord knows the past year or two has been a mostly stagnant swamp of sequels and FPS clones, but how will they be sold to us? The news that the X-Box 720, or whatever it is to be called, will be download only sends a shiver down my spine. Games companies would love to cut out the used market, and piracy of course, and a system where they sell to us directly would suit them down to the ground. They wouldn’t have to cut in the retailer, they wouldn’t have to produce and ship the games, hell they wouldn’t even have to finish a game before they sell it to us (you could argue that they don’t even do that now). It all sounds great on paper; the games industry begins to look healthier with reduced production costs, higher profit margins and a neater revenue stream, but will those savings pass on to us? Will they F*@£.

We have been paying £40 a game for years now, and it has been retail competition that has set that price for so long despite the industry wanting to raise it. Without retailers we will be at the mercy of the games companies. Can you see EA or Activision’s corporate bean counters saying; “You know what, let’s pass these savings to our loyal customers.” No, they will just view it that we have paid that for games for so long that we will just keep paying it, despite the fact that we won’t actually own anything for our £40 outlay. We will essentially be buying a code that will allow access to a game stored online. WE won’t be able to lend each other games, rent them or sell on our property. We will lease and experience, and experience they will likely sell to us in increments, or episodes, so that it is quite possible that we will end up paying more than forty quid to finish a game.

This is all just conjecture however, and I am a pessimistic, misanthropic nihilist by nature, but it doesn’t seem so far outside the realms of possibility. Just look at how corporations operate. They like “revenue streams” and captive audiences who are locked into their products, plus the next generation of gamers are used to the micro-transaction always online world more than us thirty something’s who have been here since the beginning. They won’t even notice how things have changed, it will be down to us old gamers sat back in our rocking chairs, telling them how we used to play games on cassette and if we wanted to play two player games, we needed to be in the same room as our friends.

It’s not all doom and gloom however. A digital distribution model may allow smaller, indie developers a bigger seat at the table. The cost cutting measure of the model would suit them perfectly, but only if the big boys like Sony and Microsoft allow them to use their networks.

Microsoft Store hacked in India, passwords stored in plain text

theENIGMATRON — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:49:36 +0000

Frequenters of India's online Microsoft Store were briefly greeted with the suspicious visage of a Guy Fawkes mask this morning, following a hack that compromised the site's user database. According to WPSauce, Microsoft Store India's landing page was briefly taken over by a hacker group called Evil Shadow Team, who, in addition to putting a new face on Windows products, revealed that user passwords were saved in plain text. The group's motivations are unknown, though the hacked page warned that an "unsafe system will be baptized." The store is now offline, suggesting that Microsoft may have regained control. Read on for a look at the compromised password database.