The Day is finally upon us when Demon’s Souls’ servers will be shut down. No more extensions by Atlus. May 31st will be the last time you can invade someone’s game and destroy them right before their boss fight. Atlus VP of Sales had this to say in an official statement sent to Game Informer: On October 6, 2009, North American gamers’ expectations of what an online roleplaying experience could be were forever changed. With Demon’s Souls, gamers received a title of breathtaking scope and vision, a project built on experimental cooperative and competitive multiplayer concepts, offering users both direct and indirect methods of communication and interaction. Elements of every connected player’s single player world carried into the worlds of others, sometimes as nothing more than an echo or afterimage, and other times in the form of an alliance or invasion. With countless hazards to memorize and plan for spread across each of the game’s sprawling dozen-plus worlds, the ability for players to leave hints—or, potentially, deceptions—and to view the final moments of other adventurers’ lives, created an unprecedented form of RPG crowd-sourcing that remains revolutionary to this day. . When subtle interactions were insufficient assistance, players could call across dimensions for assistance, pulling the weakened spirit forms of other adventurers—unable to communicate using conventional voice chat in order to preserve the game’s intense atmosphere—into their worlds to help them defeat the game’s unforgettable boss monsters. Other less altruistic spirit form users could invade the world of living adventurers and try to revive themselves by quite literally stealing that life from another. All of these online elements, all of the ways in which gamers would interact with each other, served to enhance and complement the core game and were designed so as to neither diminish nor distract from the experience and thrill of simply playing the game. . It has been a tremendous honor and privilege for all of our staff at ATLUS to have been involved with so innovative and groundbreaking an interactive entertainment experience. We poured our heart and soul into every facet of our involvement with Demon’s Souls, particularly the title’s memorable Deluxe Edition, which served as the only avenue through which to purchase the game’s official strategy guide. It was also of the utmost importance for us to sustain the game’s online experience as long as possible, even beyond the point at which sales could help to offset the expense. Regrettably, the online servers cannot be sustained forever and now the end draws near. . Thank you to the unparalleled passion and support of the Demon’s Souls community throughout these last two and a half years. The online adventure may end soon, but the memory of it—just like that of every boss strategy, every level floor plan, and hidden secret—lives on in the gamers for whom the game was so special. I have to applaud Atlus for keeping the servers alive this long. Luckily, Demon’s Souls can be completed to 100% offline. You just wont have the uneasy feeling of Black Phantoms invading, but is that really a bad thing? Source: GameInformer

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Demon’s Souls Servers to be Shut Down Next Month

The Mass Effect series, which Bioware began in 2007, at last draws to a close—and it goes out with a bang. The review in brief: Mass Effect has a deep story and lore that are supported by fun and varied combat mechanics, great graphics that show off an original and unified environment aesthetic, thousands and thousands of lines of dialogue recorded by generally fine actors (many of whom you might well recognize, from Martin Sheen to half the cast of Battle Star Galactica ), and a surprisingly engaging new online co-op mode. My concerns with the game are generally niggling criticisms that shouldn’t put you off from throwing yourself into the Mass Effect universe. For those of you who have missed the hype over the years, Mass Effect is a space opera rendered as a third-person action role-playing game. You play as Commander Shepard, a human special operative marine, who in each game must put together a task force whose mission is to thwart the imminent invasion of the Reapers, a race of cyborg horrors who threaten to eliminate all advanced organic life in the galaxy. In the meantime, you learn a staggering amount about the history of the galaxy and the races that populate it, you engage in smaller-scale disputes between combative factions, and you engage in very personal relationships with your teammates. And you make tough choices. Not everyone will survive every game, nor is there any guarantee that you, Shepard, will in fact survive any of the games. Shepherd with a sniper rifle and cryo ammo As in other role-playing games, you pick your character’s gender and your class, among six possible classes. One cool innovation of Mass Effect is that it sports essentially two forms of “magic” in the universe: There are “tech” powers that have machine-oriented effects, such as disrupting enemy shields, creating combat drones, and hacking enemy battle droids. Then there are “biotic” powers, which are Jedi-like force effects, such as creating a temporary black hole that pulls enemies helplessly toward it, and telekinetic effects that pull enemies helplessly through the air or throw them with violent ragdoll physics against walls or off ledges. Magic aside, there is also a warrior-like skill tree that focuses on gunplay augmentations. Mass Effect has six classes to choose from: Soldier (warrior), Engineer (tech), Adept (biotic), and three that are hybrids of the above. Combat plays out very differently depending on your class choice and your advancement decisions. Class selection It is important to note that Mass Effect is not an open-world game in the model of the Elder Scrolls games. You progress through a series of well-designed maps, though you have some freedom in choosing the order of the missions that you take on. But you can never return to any of the maps. There’s a trade-off here for the player. I love open-world games, but I appreciate that the more linear design affords a tighter narrative structure as well as tighter design of individual maps. And the game looks amazing. It has a strong visual style and even an identifiable color palette that will be familiar to players of the previous Mass Effect games. Who can forget the electric blue and dusty rose lens flares that pepper the game’s visual experience? And despite the narrow focus of the game’s aesthetic vision, the game takes you to worlds and starships designed by different races over different times, and each locale feels wholly original. The biotic and tech power effects look more explosive than ever, and gun fights look spectacular. The game just looks great—better, in fact, than many games that attempt greater verisimilitude. London's burning Mass Effect 3 offers a multi-player experience, which is a first for the franchise. Like others, I was dubious at first; the multiplayer largely seemed like a money-making ploy by the developers. First, your actions in multiplayer games have some effect in the single-player experience. In order to get the “best” endings in the single-player game, it behooves one—though it is not absolutely essential—to play some multiplayer games before finishing the campaign. And to play multiplayer at all requires either a new copy of the game or purchase of an “online pass,” as EA Games has been pushing for the past couple of years. Multiplayer mayhem But my doubts were assuaged as I began actually playing the game mode. It’s a hoard-style game that pits you and three other online players against eleven progressively harder waves of enemies. You choose your class, just as in the single-player experience, and you can rank your character up to level twenty, unlocking new and improved combat abilities. There are (only) six maps and three different enemy factions against whom you can play. Multiplayer turns out to be a great deal of fun, especially when your teammates are representing different classes and you all are working together, making the best use of your individual abilities to target different threats. Communication is key, and it’s sadly lacking in my online experience, but hey, I still get a kick out of winning awesome battles with a bunch of silent randoms in my party. I’ve put about fifteen hours into multiplayer, and I will probably continue to play it for some time. Without fresh maps or new game modes, though, the experience will doubtless become stale. Punishing bad robots in multi-player I spent forty-four hours playing the single-player campaign of Mass Effect 3. I did everything I could possibly do: I talked to everyone at length, completed every side quest, and so on. One of my friends beat the game in ten hours fewer than me, and I would imagine that one could well beat the game in twenty hours or less if one really wanted to. But I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to. The story is engrossing, my relationships with my team mates (developed over the course of the Mass Effect series) feel real and authentic, and I feel increasingly like an awesome Jedi superhero as I play the game. A few criticisms: As I mention above, the game is shorter than previous titles. It sports fewer “cities” that one can visit than the earlier games as well. Resource mining has been streamlined, which is probably good on the whole, but the obsessional part of my personality would have rather appreciated a somewhat heavier accent on exploration and mining. The quest log is a bit of a disaster; it doesn’t update as you complete parts of quests, and it doesn’t provide much, if any, direction for where to go to complete them. Finally, the game’s resolution is, well, enigmatic as you may have heard, but no spoilers here—let me just say that I was not displeased with the ending. Lens flare! It never gets old. If you’ve played any of the Mass Effect games before, then you already know whether you’ll like Mass Effect 3. If you’re new to the series, then I would discourage you from starting with this title. Get the first game (not available on the PS3) or get the second game for the PS3 and play the “interactive comic book” intro that catches you up on the events of the first game and lets you make some of its key decisions. If you’ve played any of the previous games, definitely do play ME3 on the same platform and import your old character. The game imports thousands and thousands of decisions that you’ve made in your past games and takes them into account as it shapes the ME3 universe. It’s impressive and immersive— ME3 absolutely feels as if it’s my game, populated by my friends and my enemies, and I have to continue to live with the tough choices that I’ve made in the past. Mass Effect 3 is a great game. It’s an emotional ride supported by great gameplay mechanics and a beautiful graphical style. And most importantly, it provides a fitting conclusion to a long history—a living narrative to which most players of the trilogy will have devoted a minimum of one hundred hours of their lives. The game feels important and meaningful, and it’s a fine example of how video games can, indeed, offer deep and carefully plotted dramas. So, if you’ve never played a Mass Effect game before, do yourself a favor and start at the beginning. If you only read Tolkien’s The Return of the King, well, you’d just be confused, right? Start with The Fellowship of the Ring— or Mass Effect 1— and work your way forward from there. Better get started soon… the galaxy needs saving. Review Pros Cons Deep story Memorable characters and relationships Awesome Jedi-gunslinger action Fine conclusion to an innovative series Shorter than previous titles Some interface quirks Enigmatic ending is either brilliant or a bit of a let-down Rating 97% Review based off of a retail version of the title purchased by reviewer and had been completed prior to review.

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[PS3 Review] Mass Effect 3

Check out the awesome costume Battlefield 3 online pass owners will get free for Mass Effect 3. I believe this is for the online multiplayer. Very cool bonus. Thank you EA! “When Mass Effect 3 launches on March 6 (9 in EU), Battlefield 3 players who’ve activated their BF3 online pass will automatically have access to an exclusive human soldier kit, inspired by Battlefield 3’s awesome aesthetic. The kit will automatically be granted when you sign into the Mass Effect multiplayer using the same Origin account linked to your BF3 Online Pass.” Source: BF Facebook page

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Mass Effect 3 Exclusive Battlefield 3 Human Soldier Kit

The official Borderlands Facebook page , shared some very cool Borderlands 2 “Character Concept Evolution” images today. We have re-posted them here for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy! Borderlands 2 will be released on September 18, 2012 in North America and September 21, 2012 internationally!

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Borderlands 2 “Character Concept Evolution” Images

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

Sony confirmed in a press release, as well as in emails to PSN users, that this Tuesday, February 7th, the PSN name will be no more. The PSN will be changing into the SEN (Sony Entertainment Network). The email assures us that this is “a change in name only.” Your username and password will remain the same, and anything you purchased for your PSN account will now belong to your SEN account. The email notes a software update will coincide with the name change, however, “this change will not be applied to the PSP (PlayStation Portable) system at this time,” probably because the new features will not be available on the PSP. Privacy Policy and Terms of Service will also be updated with this change, and, of coures, “you will be asked to agree to ‘them’ if you wish to continue using your Sony Entertainment Network account.” So what do you think? Sad day for us long time PSN fans, or a step in the right direction for Home Entertainment? If you haven’t read it yet, you can read the entire email after the jump. On February 7, 2012, Sony Network Entertainment International LLC (“SNEI”) will update its Terms of Service and User Agreement and its Privacy Policy. As a part of this update, your “PlayStation®Network account” will be renamed a “Sony Entertainment Network account” The first time you sign in to your Sony Entertainment Network account on or after February 7, 2012, you will be asked to agree to the new Terms of Service and User Agreement and Privacy Policy with SNEI if you wish to continue using your Sony Entertainment Network account. Please review all changes to the Terms of Service and User Agreement and Privacy Policy carefully before indicating your agreement. In particular, these are some of the additions and changes we have to these agreements: New terms for parents of minor, subaccount holders regarding the limitations of chat parental controls. Your reacceptance of the Terms of Service and User Agreement and Privacy Policy affirms your consent to the sharing of your child’s data that may occur if your child utilizes certain communication functionalities on PlayStation devices such as PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita systems. New terms that explain the location-based services offered through the PlayStation Vita system. For parents of minor, subaccount holders your reacceptance of the Terms of Service and User Agreement and Privacy Policy affirms your consent to your subaccount holder’s user of these services on the PlayStation Vita system. A description of our “What’s New” section, which provides topical information about our services and advertisements. Information about pre-ordering content. The name of your “PlayStation Network account” is changing to a “Sony Entertainment Network account.” You may click here to review the changes to the Terms of Service and User Agreement and you may click here to review the changes to the Privacy Policy. The rebranding of PlayStation Network accounts to Sony Entertainment Network accounts is a change in name only. Your username or password will not change, nor are we asking you to change them. On Sony Computer Entertainment’s PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita systems, this rebranding will occur in connection with software updates for these devices. (Note, this change will not be applied to the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system at this time.) This transition is based on Sony’s goal to enhance its unique digital entertainment offering. As a series of these activities Sony started last September, PlayStation Network will be aligned with “Sony Entertainment Network.” This helps us get closer to our goal of establishing a global comprehensive network platform of services across games, movies, music and more, all accessible from one convenient account. The Sony Entertainment Network account also enables use of Sony’s compelling non-game services such as Music Unlimited, Video Unlimited and PlayMemories Online (currently called Personal Space) across a variety of network-connected devices. If you do not agree with the new Terms of Service and User Agreement or Privacy Policy, you may decline to accept them, and you will no longer be able to access your account. If you wish to close your account or request a refund of your wallet balance, or have any questions, please contact Customer Service by clicking here. For more information, please click here. Thank you very much for being a customer!

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PSN is changing to the SEN this Tuesday

Title says it all. It will include a voucher for a digital download of the classic PS2 title Twisted Metal: Black. That was one of my favorite PS2 titles honestly. It won’t be the online version of TM:Black though. But it does have 4 player split screen so you can battle it out with your friends locally. I played Twisted Metal at E3 several times and they have done a amazing job. It will be released on Valentines Day, 2012 and I’m picking it up day one! How about you?

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First Printings Of Twisted Metal Will Include Twisted Metal: Black

Have you been to the Square Enix Online Store lately? If not, now’s a great time for you to drop by for a visit! Check out the great deals being offered during the Square Enix Online Store Holiday Sale. You can get the Tomb Raider HD Trilogy for only $12!

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Huge Savings at the Square Enix Store

Following the lawsuit against EA, the company finally decided to fulfill their promise and hand out vouchers for free copies of Battlefield 1943 for those who purchased Battlefield 3 on the PS3. More after the Jump … There have been a misunderstanding around Battlefield 1943 and Battlefield 3, to address this we are making Battlefield 1943 available free of charge to owners of Battlefield 3 on the PS3 beginning this month … EA This is how it works: 1- Activate your Battlefield 3 Online Pass for the PlayStation 3 using the voucher included in the game. (if you already done that, skip to step 2) 2- You need to go to this website after the dates given below: November 26th, 2011 for Battlefield 3 players on PlayStation®Network Sony Europe December 10th, 2011 for Battlefield 3 players on PlayStation®Network Sony America December 17th, 2011 for Battlefield 3 players on PlayStation®Network Sony Asia and Sony Japan 3- Log in with your Origin ID and password. 4- Select your territory. Note vouchers do not work across regions . 5 – You will receive a PlayStation 3 voucher for Battlefield 1943. 6- Input your voucher into the PlayStation Network store. 7 – Download Battlefield 1943. Voilà, Enjoy your free copy of Battlefield 1943!

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How to Redeem Your Free Copy of Battlefield 1943

PAYDAY: The Heist is scheduled to be available on Oct. 18 via digital download on the PlayStation®Network. In PAYDAY: The Heist, players take on the role of a hardened career criminal and engage in a number of high-stakes, death defying heists in a never-ending pursuit of the next “big score.” “This online co-op shooter game features six dynamic heists based in a variety of urban settings that demand quick thinking, strategy, and above all else, teamwork. Each scenario makes FPS fans prove their worth — a heist is only successful with a solid trigger finger and cooperative team defenses. Players must survive constant pursuit of ever increasing numbers of law enforcement and its adaptive police tactics that allow them to continuously shift their strategies based on player actions. Players must work together to accomplish strategic tasks such as guarding key positions, keeping civilians in check, and cracking through various security measures.” KEY FEATURES Six High-Intensity Heists: Whether you’re blowing the roof off a building to extract a safe via helicopter or emptying the vault at the First World Bank, these action-packed heists will have players on edge and always checking their six. Interactive Co-op Gameplay: Whether AI or live, your crew of four must operate as one to bring in the “big score.” Sharing extra ammo and med kits, helping regenerate wounded partners, guarding key positions, taking civilian hostages or cracking through various security measures – it’s all for one and one for all. Endless Replayability: Dynamic environments, adaptive enemy behavior, shifting entry points, FBI agents repelling through skylights on ropes, SWAT teams crashing through the windows and special units crawling through the ventilation shafts makes each play-through of every heist a unique fight. Massive Character Progression Tree: Players choose a specialty — assault, sharpshooter or support — to gain weapons and equipment that fit their preferred form of violence. Unlock trip mines, silenced pistols, machine guns and much, much more. Shout-Out Button: Players need to be vocal and shout commands and directions to the co-op crew, as well as hostages and the police if they want to survive to spend their cut of the take. Hostage Trading: Hostages can be used as lifelines. If anyone in the crew is taken into custody, trade hostages to get crewmembers back and increase the odds of completing your objectives. More DLC: Additional heists, weapons and equipment means PAYDAY — a digitally distributed AAA quality title for less than half the price of a retail game — is total OVERKILL. PAYDAY: The Heist is scheduled to be available in North America on Oct. 18 for $19.99 USD via digital download on the PlayStation®Network. Source: Press Release

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PAYDAY: The Heist Coming Next Week