Sony has formally announced Little Big Planet Karting for the PS3. While the surprise may have been spoiled a few weeks early when Canadian retailer Future Shop leaked a poster for the game during the PlayStation Destination event, today we get our first look at gameplay for the new title. In the capable hands of the studio that brought us ModNation Racers, LBPK will feature four player multiplayer, gadgets from previous installments of the platformer plus new ones and a whole lot more. Without revealing too much about the racer developers United Front Games promise that players will be able to “modify the rules of the game itself to create completely new modes and challenges.” Sackboy takes to the races later this year. Source: US PS Blog

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LittleBigPlanet Karting Officially Announced

This is a great week for PS3 and Vita fans! On PS3, we get Ninja Gaiden 3, Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City, and the Silent Hill HD Collection as the highlights. Vita owners are getting Sumioni, a release from XSEED Games, that will be available as a digital only release, which makes the most of all of the features that the Vita has to offer. Want to know what you can buy with your money? Then you’ve come to the right place! Just be sure to also have enough time to play all the releases, so you don’t end up with a huge backlog… Full list of releases after the break! PS3 Retail Releases You Can Buy Ninja Gaiden 3 Right Here! You Can Buy Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City Right Here! You Can Buy Silent Hill HD Collection Right Here! You Can Buy Armored Core V Right Here! VITA Releases PSN Releases You Can Buy Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Right Here! minis Releases

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Releases for the Week (March 19th-25th)

Saints Row has always been one of those franchises where each successive title is more over-the-top than the next, and Saints Row: The Third is no different. In fact, this title takes the ridiculousness to a much higher level than the jump from 1 to 2. It may have been a few months since the game originally released in November, but a hundredth opinion doesn’t hurt, right? With the amount of hype and attention THQ built up for this game, does the title fall short, or does it meet or exceed the expectations? Back in the prime of the Grand Theft Auto series, open world, sandbox titles (at least as far as action/crime-themed ones go) were referred to as “GTA Clones.” Although this is more of a sensationalist monicker, I’d say this is also the title that would best fit it. It’s not inherently bad, though. Saints Row has a habit of taking things that worked right in GTA games, gave it their own personal touch, and then took them to a higher level. Look at the vehicle customization, for instance. Not a whole lot has changed as far as the Saints Row universe is concerned, but what did GTA have after San Andreas? Nothing. Anyway, I won’t delve deeper into the comparisons between the two, because that’s not what this is about. Here’s where the review truly begins. As you know, since Saints Row (which was available on the 360, but not the PS3), the universe revolved around your character climbing the heights of the Saints’ criminal organization. Upon taking over in Saints Row 2, the Third starts a little later in your character’s career, at a point where the Saints are in the ranks of celebrities, with merchandise and sponsorships all over the place. Well, eventually, you wind up in a city called Steelport (giving you a different locale, with only a slightly different vibe, than the first two, but still feels fresh), where the action truly begins. This new location makes sense, though, considering Stilwater was completely controlled by the Third Street Saints anyway (the Syndicate did a hostile takeover of Stilwater, though, but a botched attempt to rid the Saints of their leader winds the player up in Steelport, in spectacular fashion). Steelport now offers up a completely new set of gangs to take control from, but with the ridiculous level kind of up there, the gangs took on some traits of their own. Brutes, for instance, are members of the Syndicate’s “Morning Star” and are guys built like tanks that either carry large Gatling/chain guns or go around ramming vehicles out of the way, causing considerable damage (they’re essentially dumbed down clones of another character, which eventually joins your gang), or the Deckers (a cyberpunk gang) and their extremely fast, energized specialists. Hell, there’s even a gang of wrestlers called the Luchadores. The specialists take some time to defeat, but for the most part, regular gang members are still pretty standard. Eventually, the Saints wind up causing such a big problem that an anti-gang unit by the name of STAG invades Steelport, bringing with them a range of high tech weaponry and vehicles, and become a pretty integral part of the story, climaxing at the end. The guy in charge of STAG proves to be a power-hungry hard-ass and a thorn in everyone’s side, including the government’s (speaking of which, I laughed so hard when I saw who the mayor of Steelport was). Taking over the city is an exercise in itself. There are gang hideouts in certain areas, and upon killing off all of the marks, you’ll take control of a small portion of a neighborhood. This, however, isn’t how you take control of everything. There are activities strewn about, and upon completing them, you take control of other areas. These can rang from helicopter escorts (protecting a driver while flying a heli) to the series mainstay, the Insurance Fraud activity (because what’s more fun than raking in thousands of dollars by throwing yourself into traffic?). Of course, you can go back and replay some if you’d like. With that said, sticking to the theme of “ridiculousness,” there is one activity in particular that stands out, and that’s Professor Genki’s Super Ethical Reality Climax, which is themed like a Japanese game show, except you go around killing other people in what is essentially an obstacle course. This is a pretty insane diversion. Traps can be found anywhere, as well as power ups like more health, etc. The goal is to make enough money to unlock and reach the exit (usually there would be a special character you can opt to kill before exiting, but they’re tougher than the other inhabitants). Oh, and Hulk Hogan is one of commentators (the commentary is pretty funny if you pay attention to it). You’d figure he’d have been one of the Luchadores. There is also an upgrade system that allows the player to upgrade themselves, unlocking new attributes, increasing the strength of weapons, etc. This is dependent on the Respect level, though (which works better than previous games, as you no longer need to have a filled respect meter to play the next mission), so the more “Respect” you have, the more upgrades there are available to you. Eventually, you can get to the point where you have infinite health (for the most part) and ammo. Shopping around is still there, too. For some reason, though, the shops available seem pretty limited on the merchandise. Layering clothes seems to be gone as well (or, at least, effectively). There are some costumes you can get, though, and you can unlock others later in the game, including a toilet and a blowup doll… Oh, and the vehicles. Although only available to pre-order DLC, there is a human catapult car based off of Professor Genki, but right now, it’s not available for purchase. I tried looking for it in game, not realizing it was a DLC item at first. However, you can get a flame throwing Johnny Gat van, or steal a tank (which crushes cars when you drive over them, in a really cool way; you can also get killed yourself if they drive over your car). Personally, though, I think the most useful vehicle is the F-69 VTOL. Mainly because it’s essentially a jet that can take off and land anywhere, but also because this game is missing something that I used ALL THE TIME in previous titles. The ability to hail a cab. Heck, you can’t even call the numbers you see everywhere like you used to. The phone, apart from viewing the map, selecting missions, or changing settings, etc, only allows you to call up people already on your contact list. Anyway, mission variety is your standard fare, with a few outrageous missions thrown in. Remember that scene from the new A Team movie with the skydiving tank? There’s something similar to that in this game, too. Sorry if I spoiled that for you, but it was pretty insane. There’s another mission (it may have been the same one) where a plane wrecks into one of the islands, and a chemical spill causes a zombie outbreak. Yes, I said zombie outbreak. Making a parody of the current trend of having zombies in everything, THQ/Volition decided to throw this in there, too. With now way of getting it to go away once it happens. Sometimes, though, when you first drive into the island, everything is more or less normal, but given enough time, your map lights up like a Christmas tree and there’s zombies everywhere. This makes doing the activity available on that island very hard (though you can make it a hell of a lot easier with the VTOL and its laser), or getting to that person for a “photo op” with one of the many citizens before the undead starts showing up. It’s an annoyance, but could be fun for people who just want to drop in and have themselves a killing spree. Of course, what is a killing spree without weapons? Personally, I think the weapon choices should have been more varied, but there are a couple standouts. With the ability to upgrade your weapons this time around, each upgrade adds something to it (f upgrades are available). Usually, melee weapons don’t have upgrades, but if you want to degrade people, you can slap them around with the Penetrator. Or, if you fully upgrade the flashbangs, you can start throwing fart jars at people (no typo). Heck, if you don’t want to use any weapons, you can do some grappling moves with random people, including slamming their faces into the ground as if you’re performing a bulldog in a wrestling ring, and topping that off with a self-indulgent pose. There are also laser-painted air strikes and drones that fire player-guided missiles. Also, you don’t have to play the game alone. You can also hop into someone else’ game, or allow people to hop into yours. I tried this, and it seems to work OK, but if you don’t communicate with one another and don’t know what they’re doing, it can get a little pointless. The nice thing is, you can do anything you normally can do on your own, including shopping, etc. Still, the drop-in/drop-out aspect is fun, but I don’t think co-op will be the biggest draw for people looking for their multiplayer fix. That would have to go to Whored Mode. Whored Mode is the Saints Row take on hoard modes in other games, where you and friends fight to survive waves of enemies. Each wave has a specific theme to it, with specific weapons available to the player(s). This can range from fighting zombies with Penetrators, or taking down Brutes with nothing but grenades. Some waves even have miniature or giant enemies to take out. This would be fun to play amongst friends and see how long each can survive and how many points you can acquire. The only downside is that there aren’t enough maps and this could still get repetitive. With the gameplay out of the way, it’s time to shift focus to some other aspects. First of all, the graphics this time around are crisper and more colorful than the past titles (which, honestly, I felt seemed a little washed out), but they still feel like Saints Row. The sound design is no different, but my biggest complaint is still the radio. There’s hardly anything worth listening to, so I either play the game with the radio off, or I have it on the classical station. However, your interactions with other gang members (which you can recruit, up to 3, by pressing up) can include singing along to songs on the radio, or engaging in random banter. Beyond that, not much else can be said. As for some complaints, apart from the phone, there is also a lack of good cheats available. I know, cheating is usually frowned upon, but honestly, Saints Row titles are a lot more fun with cheats involved. Sure, you can buy some DLC that gives you more cheats available (like gravity-based cheats, etc), but the standard game? I couldn’t find a cheat worth even trying out. My complaints don’t really end there, either. For some reason, my interest in this title died down a lot faster than previous ones. I’m not sure why, but it doesn’t have that staying power (though, even in the first two, I would eventually lose interest). At least the driving physics have been improved, but they’re still pretty bad. I know a lot of people didn’t much care for them, but I still like GTA4′s driving physics more than any other open-world game. Another thing I’m not too crazy about is the fact that on some missions, you can’t go back and re-play them to unlock the other item that could have been available to you. I missed out on the Apocafist, for instance (and the only way I can get it now is by either replaying the game or using the cheat). At least you can replay the last mission (once) and take the other route, but this was the only mission that allowed you to do so (and after doing so, it’s no longer available). So what conclusion can you draw up with this? Saints Row the Third is a fun, ridiculous game, but it’s not one of those games with staying power. Eventually, the novelty wears off. You might feel inclined to play through it again eventually, but definitely not immediately after like you can, say, a Metal Gear Solid game. There are some outstanding qualities to be had, still, including the ability to upgrade your characters and weapons, but a lot of the variety from past games is missing. The inability to call for a cab is a big letdown, and zombies? Really? I can understand the parody aspect of it, but still… I’m going to have to give this game a solid C. Review Pros Cons Amped Up Ridiculousness New Location Lots of vehicles Decent Upgrade to Graphics Co-op Available Seems Lacking in Variety Replay Value Isn’t Too Good Still Has Bad Music Lack of Good Cheats No Taxi Service Rating 75% This review is based off of a retail copy of the game provided by THQ and has been completed thoroughly

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[PS3 Review] Saints Row: The Third

Hello everyone…wait…this isn’t the normal day for the podcast is it? No it’s not! It seems that we’re running a little behind schedule this week, seeing as it was a bit busy, but we’re good to go now, and with GDC wrapping up, we’ll be able to at least discuss everything that came out of it. Tune in to catch a recap of this weeks news, releases and a voicemail! We haven’t had one of those in a long time. Hope you all had a good week, and now this can be a little treat for you this weekend. Enjoy! Enter the secret word(s) mentioned in the PS3BlogCast to earn 75 points. The first 10 people to enter it correctly get double points! As always, we want to remind you that the PS3BlogCast is listed on iTunes! So please subscribe and rate/review us there. You can also leave a voicemail for us by calling PS3-888-BLOG or if you want to contact us via email for us you can do so here . We have a dedicated forum for the PS3BlogCast so you can leave your questions and feedback there as well. Here’s a list of some things (or everything) we discussed: New Releases Mass Effect 3 Cloud Save Issue More Uncharted 3 DLC Inbound Sorcery Release Date 3 Battlefield 3 DLC Packs for 2012 Assassin’s Creed III Trailer Medal of Honor Warfighter Release Date Assassin’s Creed III Co-op? CS:GO No Longer Supports Cross-Platform Play Dust 514 Free-to-Play Guerrilla Games Has 3 New Projects Quantic Dreams’ Kara Short Film PSN: Gamer’s Choice Awards Listener Voicemail Secret Word

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PS3BlogCast Episode 40

2K Games announced today that BioShock Infinite will be available in North America on October 16, 2012 and internationally on October 19, 2012. “BioShock Infinite puts players in the role of Booker DeWitt, a hard-bitten former Pinkerton agent, together with the revolutionary AI companion, Elizabeth. The two struggle to escape the sky-city of Columbia, in a 1912 America that might have been. Armed with an arsenal of new weapons and abilities, they face menacing enemies, in unique expansive environments. Classic BioShock gameplay joins innovations such as aerial combat on high-speed Sky-Lines in the service of an immersive storyline – an Irrational Games signature.”

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BioShock Infinite Will Release on October 16/19th

Major Setup Warning When you first turn on the Vita, it needs to do a system update. DO NOT use your existing PSN/SEN login until after the update is done and you’ve passed the initial setup step. If you logically choose to use your existing PSN/SEN login, then the Vita will error saying you need to install the system update first. But you can’t install the system update until you’ve passed those setup screens. This is basically a major setup bug with an easy workaround. I spent hours frantically trying to get this thing to update via the PS3 and my Windows laptop (you don’t need either) before I posted my issue online, and figured out the simple but illogical workaround. Control Impressions Having hybrid controls — both console sticks/buttons and smartphone touch/tilt — is amazing. Touch works so much better for any type of menus or item management screen. Physical buttons and sticks are critical for action mechanics. The back-touch is brilliant for touch control when you don’t want to hide the screen with the player’s finger. One wish list item: the sticks and buttons are rather small. The biggest problem is that the analog sticks have limited range and precision. I’m hoping the Vita gets some quality aftermarket stick extenders (like these ). Actually, stick extenders are completely inevitable. A second wish list item: why don’t games allow tilt to look? Have you used Google Sky Maps where you physically move your phone or tablet and it acts like a virtual window to see the stars? Why can’t they have games like that, where you move the Vita itself to see into the game, rather than using an analog stick? Non-Gaming App Impressions The web browser is way better than PS3, but still way behind a decent smartphone. That seems to be a general pattern. My Android phone does all the non-gaming functionality much better, but I’m still glad the Vita has usable versions of these apps. OS Impressions The OS is generally much nicer than PS3/360. A phone-style touch screen centric interface is much easier than XMB. Jumping in and out of a game is lightning responsive, but starting a download, or activating any network feature seems sluggish. Still, this is a big improvement over the PS3. Wishlist: Don’t show games in the main browse area that require a cartridge to play when the cartridge isn’t installed. Personally, I’m buying most of my games as downloads so I don’t have to deal with this. Game Impressions Stardust is the perfect starter game for me, because it’s so familiar and still fun to play. It has a lot of improvements since the PS3 version. The optional “Delta” controls are silly, but the core game controls are perfect. The main action controls are just like PS3, the Vita’s small analog sticks work perfectly, and this game adds a subtle tilt-look effect and touch-screen menus. This has tons of cool game modes and is a very content rich title. Lumines is the best in the series. They added some really mind blowing graphic effects to the different skins. For a falling block game, I really didn’t expect amazing visuals like this. There are tons extras, modes, leveling RPG mechanics that I have only started to scratch the surface of. $35 (on PSN) seems like a lot of a Lumines game, but there’s definitely a lot of content and depth here. Escape Plan is a clever puzzler that uses the touch + back touch in a natural and fun way. So far it’s a great puzzler. Uncharted looks technically amazing. I’m not in the mood for an action adventure game, but this is a nice game to see the graphical potential and polish of the Vita. Overall, a great launch lineup. Stardust and Lumines are established franchises, but these iterations have deep improvements and are surprisingly content-rich; usually launch games are simpler, shallower experiences. 2012 has a really strong lineup ahead. Personally, I’m dying to play Motorstorm RC, Sound Shapes, LittleBigPlanet, and possibly Gravity Rush. Additionally, I’m hoping to see some of the great third party 2012 titles show up on Vita as well.

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Vita Impressions

If you had a chance to listen to the official PlayStation Blogcast this week, (How would you? You should be listening to our blogcast !), then you already know about Sony’s plan to release Killzone 3 multiplayer as a standalone free download on PSN next week. The multiplayer trial will be free for all PSN users but limited by a level cap. You will be required to purchase the full experience to unlock the skill tree and the full multiplayer mode (think Homefront demo). The full multiplayer experience will cost you $14.99 with no plans of releasing the single player campaign separately. On other News, Guerrilla Games co-founder and technical director Arjan Brussee will be leaving the company to join Dead Space developer. Visceral Games , working on a new unannounced “Exciting” IP.

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Killzone 3 Multiplayer FREE Download Next Week

Personally I pre-order the games I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. The pre-order bonuses are just to tempting to pass up sometimes. Usually with online games it’s the most fun when the game is new and everyone is still getting used to it. Plus with the online pass, it’s actually better to buy a online game new anyway. I don’t buy as many games as I used to, so I really pick and choose which games I get now. There are still lots of games I would love to play, so I do pick up used games from time to time. Where do you get your games? Do you get them at online stores like Big W , Amazon or Argos ? Or do you get them at local stores such as Gamestop, FYE, Best Buy, Target, etc.

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Do You Pre-Order Video Games Or Buy Used

When you’re usually trying to buy a game, you can only play it on one platform. If you own more than one gaming device then you tend to have to pay for the same game again to play it on your 2nd system. Sony has announced today the days of purchasing a game on two seperate platforms are on their way out. The PS Vita has a fantastic feature which allows cross platform play – between the PS Vita and the PS3, and vice versa. With the imminent release of the PS Vita, you’re getting a fantastic deal from Sony for the games available at launch. Buy the game once and knock yourself out by playing them on both your PS3 and your PS Vita. This may be the future – it’s yet to be decided on whether Sony will decide to do this for future titles, it certainly wouldn’t surprise me if this was to become a permanent move, but for now the launch games are going to benefit from this decision. With the pricing of the launch day downloadable games being at an all time low – Sony has certainly hit the right spot when it comes to tempting the gamer to spend their hard earned cash on their new, shiny device – I for one am already having sleepless nights as I can’t wait to get my hands on my PS Vita next week! So far, only certain games can be played on both systems since you have to remember that he Vita features at touch screen and a touch-pad on the back, so be sure you check for cross-platform compatibility before making your purchase. Here’s to the future of cross platform gaming, and here’s to hoping Sony finally see sense in offering a 1 price, multiple platform gaming for the forseeable future.

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2 Platforms 1 Price – Sony Tempts Gamers With Some Mouth Watering News

If you are a big fan of rally games, or driving simulators in general, this is a deal you shouldn’t miss. Dirt 3 is considerably one of the best rally games in its genre. With that in mind, Codemasters is celebrating the success with a complete edition of the game due out sometime this March. The complete edition will include every DLC since the game was released on May 26th 2011, that’s over $30 in value. It will include 12 new tracks, 2 new locations and plenty of cars for you to play around with! Here is the full list of DLC included with the complete edition: – The Monte Carlo Rally Pack – eight breathtaking Rally stages featuring dramatic climbs, descents, and hairpins of snowy mountain roads. Race through the Alps and conquer the legendary Col de Turini pass. – The X Games Asia Track Pack – four new routes set across two new tracks in Shibuya, the neon heart of central Tokyo, where spectacular mud-spattered Rallycross circuits weave beneath towering skyscrapers. – The Power and Glory Car Pack – stars five cars including the BMW M3 Rally, Lancia Delta S4, Ford Focus ST Rallycross, Scion tC, and Chevrolet Camaro SSX Concept, each with a range of liveries. – The Mud and Guts Car Pack – features five cars available for single-player, split-screen, and online multiplayer events. Race the Lancia Stratos, Peugeot 205 T16 Evo 2, Citroën C4 Rallycross, Saturn Sky, and Ford Mustang GT, each with a range of liveries. – The Colin McRae Vision Charity Pack – access the Ford Escort Mk II, a 70s rally classic with five liveries. – The Ken Block Special Pack – features a customized and upgraded Ford Escort Mk II, an Open Class Rally car sporting a killer Ken Block livery. – The Mini Gymkhana Special Pack – access the mid-engined Mini Cooper S Gymkhana, customized and tuned to become an outrageously responsive Gymkhana car. This edition of the game will set you back $40 and will be available sometime this March. If you haven’t got a chance to pick Dirt 3 last year, this is the bundle you’ve been waiting for.

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Dirt 3 Complete Edition Arrives In March