The PlayStation Network will be down for maintenance on Thursday 1st March from 16:00 until 07:00.
Both the console and PC PlayStation Stores will be unavailable during the downtime, as well as Customer Account Management and Account Registration services.
"User who are already signed into their account on PlayStation Network before the start of the maintenance will not be able to stay signed in to their online session and will be signed out at the start of the downtime period" Sony says.
"Users who attempt to log into their account after the maintenance begin will be presented with the site maintenance notification page."
The maintenance might have something to do with it being a leap year. During the last leap year in 2010 a calender related bug caused older version PS3 clocks to reset, leading to problems with lost trophies.
Friday 24 February 2012
Amazing Spider-Man release date revealed in new trailer
Activision has released a June 26th US release date for Amazing Spider-Man.
The new Spider-Man game is being developed by Beenox who developed the Edge of Time and Shattered Dimensions Spider-Man games. The games story will take place after the events of the upcoming Spider-Man film released in July, and will serve as an epilogue. The game is set to be released on Xbox360, PS3, Wii, DS and 3DS, and is expected to hit European shelves three days later.
Activision also released a new trailer reveal for in-game villain Rhino, you can check it out via the IGN Youtube video below.
Killzone 3 multiplayer to be released as a free download by Sony
Sony have revealed that they are releasing the multiplayer aspect of Killzone 3 as a free download.
From Tuesday, 28th of February gamers in the US will be able to download the multiplayer portion of the PlayStation exclusive FPS for free from the PlayStation Network, the latest episode of the PlayStation Blogcast has revealed. There is currently no definite news on whether this offer is coming to Europe.
This standalone part of the game comes with all the maps but will have an unspecified level cap. There will also be a limit on what rank players can achieve in this free offering and a limit of the number of unlockable weapons and skills available.
Gamers will have to pay $14.99 if they then want to unlock the full multiplayer experience.
This standalone part of the game comes with all the maps but will have an unspecified level cap. There will also be a limit on what rank players can achieve in this free offering and a limit of the number of unlockable weapons and skills available.
Gamers will have to pay $14.99 if they then want to unlock the full multiplayer experience.
Thursday 23 February 2012
GAME closing 35 stores and Gameplay.co.uk
GAME have announced plans to close 35 stores and it's gameplay.co.uk website.
All stores affected by closures have been notified and all Gameplay website customers will now be served via Gamestation.co.uk as of the 1st March. The closures are part of the firms plans to reduce GAME and Gamestation stores from 610 stores to 550 outlets by December 2013.
The company told MCV that it has a 'detailed plan to help customers move to another local store or online' and has said that it would do its best to redeploy its staff if possible.
The news comes after a few trouble months for GAME group, where it has suffered credit issues following a poor Christmas and troubles with stocking games in it's stores.
All stores affected by closures have been notified and all Gameplay website customers will now be served via Gamestation.co.uk as of the 1st March. The closures are part of the firms plans to reduce GAME and Gamestation stores from 610 stores to 550 outlets by December 2013.
The company told MCV that it has a 'detailed plan to help customers move to another local store or online' and has said that it would do its best to redeploy its staff if possible.
The news comes after a few trouble months for GAME group, where it has suffered credit issues following a poor Christmas and troubles with stocking games in it's stores.
Relive those Grand Theft Auto early days
Grand Theft Auto introduced gamers into the open sandbox world that so many games have tried to emulate but most have ultimately failed. It is one of the most popular gaming series around having sold over 130 million copies of the GTA series of games.
Playing the first GTA does feel dated and now feels like a game you'd expect to find on a handheld as opposed to a console game but you can't beat the nostalgia that comes from loading up the game, getting in a pick-up truck, and cruising around the city listening to Sideway's Hank O'Malley (and The Alabama Bottle Boys).
If you want to relive those glory days of running people and driving over crates in the street to get your weapons then you can download the game for free from http://www.rockstargames.com/classics/. Not only can you download the original GTA but you can also download 'GTA2' and other Rockstar classic 'Wild Metal'.
Theme Hospital
Theme Hospital was originally released in 1997 and was the second game in the popular Theme series of games; following on from Theme Park. The game was a massive commercial success, selling over 4 million copies worldwide.
Theme Hospital is a simulation game set in a hospital that would make a trip to your local Accident & Emergency a dream experience. The game starts off in an empty hospital with a fairly basic layout and your goal is to build the rooms available, hire the correct staff, fill your hospital with seats, fire extinguishers and all manner of small items, in order to fulfil the targets set for you within the fields of financial attainment, percentage of patients cured, patients cured and hospital value. Once you have fulfilled the targets for the hospital (within the time limit), you are moved to a bigger hospital, with bigger targets, new diseases, new rooms to build and a more complex layout.
The game revolves around the player buying and placing rooms (or facilities) in a hospital, and hiring doctors, nurses, receptionists and handymen to make the hospital operational. Once the hospital is opened, patients will start arriving will all manner of amusing fictional illnesses which must be diagnosed and cured in order to obtain money and achieve the set targets. The player must also ensure that the hospital and equipment is kept in clean, working order and that staff members do not get to tired or to cold while at work.
There is a somewhat dark sense of humour running throughout the game, the same humour that runs through all of Bullfrog's Theme games. The fictional illnesses adding to the humour with diseases such as Bloaty Head, Hairyitis, Heaped Piles and The Squits. There are loads of little humorous touches that you will experience throughout the game with workers who 'smell faintly of cabbage', references to other well-known computers, and the occasional visit from Death himself if your hospital reputation gets that bad.
It may have been 15 years since it was originally released but Theme Hospital is still a cracking game and the humour within still stands as strong now as it did all those years ago. If you have never played the game, and god knows why, then you should definitely pick it up and experience a game that is nothing short of a classic. You can download the game from the PlayStation Store or you can pick up the Windows version from the GAME website for just £2.99. http://www.game.co.uk/
Theme Hospital is a simulation game set in a hospital that would make a trip to your local Accident & Emergency a dream experience. The game starts off in an empty hospital with a fairly basic layout and your goal is to build the rooms available, hire the correct staff, fill your hospital with seats, fire extinguishers and all manner of small items, in order to fulfil the targets set for you within the fields of financial attainment, percentage of patients cured, patients cured and hospital value. Once you have fulfilled the targets for the hospital (within the time limit), you are moved to a bigger hospital, with bigger targets, new diseases, new rooms to build and a more complex layout.
The game revolves around the player buying and placing rooms (or facilities) in a hospital, and hiring doctors, nurses, receptionists and handymen to make the hospital operational. Once the hospital is opened, patients will start arriving will all manner of amusing fictional illnesses which must be diagnosed and cured in order to obtain money and achieve the set targets. The player must also ensure that the hospital and equipment is kept in clean, working order and that staff members do not get to tired or to cold while at work.
There is a somewhat dark sense of humour running throughout the game, the same humour that runs through all of Bullfrog's Theme games. The fictional illnesses adding to the humour with diseases such as Bloaty Head, Hairyitis, Heaped Piles and The Squits. There are loads of little humorous touches that you will experience throughout the game with workers who 'smell faintly of cabbage', references to other well-known computers, and the occasional visit from Death himself if your hospital reputation gets that bad.
It may have been 15 years since it was originally released but Theme Hospital is still a cracking game and the humour within still stands as strong now as it did all those years ago. If you have never played the game, and god knows why, then you should definitely pick it up and experience a game that is nothing short of a classic. You can download the game from the PlayStation Store or you can pick up the Windows version from the GAME website for just £2.99. http://www.game.co.uk/
Wednesday 22 February 2012
Capcom announce Street Fighter x Tekken preview event in London
Capcom Europe announced details today of a special Street Fighter x Tekken preview event in London on the 29th Febuary.
The event will take place at the Villain Bar Great Eastern Street, London and will begin at 6pm. Entry to the event is free to enter and will give gamers a chance to preview the game before the games official UK release on the 9th March. It has also been announced that there will be prizes and giveaways to the best players of the night.
For full details visit the Capcom Europe blog post here: http://www.capcom-europe.com/blog/2012/02/want-a-fight-sfxt-preview-event-in-london/
Borderlands 2 hits the US on September 18th
Gearbox Software has announced that Borderlands 2 will be released in the US on September 18th.
As well as releasing the date, Gearbox have also announced that if you pre-order the game from either GameStop or Amazon and you'll receive a ticket to the Borderlands 2 Premier Club enabling exclusive access to special pre-order content. For full details of the content and how to pre-order visit http://www.borderlands2.com/preorder/.
Gearbox completed a trio of news by releasing a new "launch date trailer" for the game, showcasing the new characters, abilities and some in-game footage.
As well as releasing the date, Gearbox have also announced that if you pre-order the game from either GameStop or Amazon and you'll receive a ticket to the Borderlands 2 Premier Club enabling exclusive access to special pre-order content. For full details of the content and how to pre-order visit http://www.borderlands2.com/preorder/.
Gearbox completed a trio of news by releasing a new "launch date trailer" for the game, showcasing the new characters, abilities and some in-game footage.
Tuesday 21 February 2012
GAME won't be stocking Ubisoft's Vita Launch Titles
UK Videogame retailer GAME will not be stocking Ubisoft's Playstation Vita launch games.
Rayman Origins, Lumines Electronic Symphony, Asphalt Injection, Michael Jackson: The Experience and Dungeon Hunter Alliance will not be available to buy when the Vita launches tonight.
"All customers affected by this decision have been made aware of the situation and we will continue to communicate any updates to customers through out Twitter and Facebook feeds." GAME said in a statement issued to VG247.
Vita launch titles from other publishers EA, Codemasters, Namco Bandai, Sega and Capcom will still be available in GAME stores from midnight. No specific reason was given for not stocking the games and Ubisoft has declined to comment on the matter.
This news adds to the growing concern over the stores future after the company had recent trouble with it's ability to raise credit insurance and acquire new stock.
For a full list of PlayStation Vita launch game details visit http://blog.eu.playstation.com/
Rayman Origins, Lumines Electronic Symphony, Asphalt Injection, Michael Jackson: The Experience and Dungeon Hunter Alliance will not be available to buy when the Vita launches tonight.
"All customers affected by this decision have been made aware of the situation and we will continue to communicate any updates to customers through out Twitter and Facebook feeds." GAME said in a statement issued to VG247.
Vita launch titles from other publishers EA, Codemasters, Namco Bandai, Sega and Capcom will still be available in GAME stores from midnight. No specific reason was given for not stocking the games and Ubisoft has declined to comment on the matter.
This news adds to the growing concern over the stores future after the company had recent trouble with it's ability to raise credit insurance and acquire new stock.
For a full list of PlayStation Vita launch game details visit http://blog.eu.playstation.com/
PlayStation Vita Launches Tomorrow
Tomorrow marks the date of the 22nd February 2012 and the UK launch of the PlayStation Vita: the predecessor to the promising but ultimately disappointing PlayStation Portable.
The Vita will set you back £230 for the Wi-Fi only model and £299 for the 3G & Wi-Fi model. PlayStation Vita launch titles include Uncharted: The Golden Abyss, Gravity Rush, WipeOut 2048 & Modnation Racers: Road Trip, to name a few.
The official midnight launch is being held at GAME Oxford Street, with a selection of special goodies being handed out and a couple of guests. Wipeout 2048 developers Karl Jones & Ami Ledger will be there to sign copies of the game & the Vita Mobile Team will also be there offering people in the queue a chance to sample the Vita before picking it up.
Goody bags including merchandise will be distributed and the first person in the queue will receive a year's supply of free Vita games. A select amount of invitations to an exclusive after-party at the PlayStation Vita Rooms will also be handed out, where fans can enjoy DJ-Sets, refreshments and an exclusive chance to sample upcoming Vita releases.
"As the official launch partner, we've been leading the way by giving gamers the chance to sample the console across 600 GAME and Gamestation stores and the excitement built around the PlayStation Vita launch shows that handheld gaming is as popular as ever," explained GAME and Gamestation marketing manager Anna-Marie Mason.
"With both our flagship stores opening at midnight to celebrate the launch of PlayStation Vita, we're getting set for a fantastic night of gaming and we're looking forward to giving customers the earliest chance possible to buy their own PlayStation Vita."
Gamestation's Birmingham New Street store will also be opening at midnight. There were no plans to roll out nationwide midnight launches but ask in your local store to find out if they are doing a midnight opening.
The Vita will set you back £230 for the Wi-Fi only model and £299 for the 3G & Wi-Fi model. PlayStation Vita launch titles include Uncharted: The Golden Abyss, Gravity Rush, WipeOut 2048 & Modnation Racers: Road Trip, to name a few.
The official midnight launch is being held at GAME Oxford Street, with a selection of special goodies being handed out and a couple of guests. Wipeout 2048 developers Karl Jones & Ami Ledger will be there to sign copies of the game & the Vita Mobile Team will also be there offering people in the queue a chance to sample the Vita before picking it up.
Goody bags including merchandise will be distributed and the first person in the queue will receive a year's supply of free Vita games. A select amount of invitations to an exclusive after-party at the PlayStation Vita Rooms will also be handed out, where fans can enjoy DJ-Sets, refreshments and an exclusive chance to sample upcoming Vita releases.
"As the official launch partner, we've been leading the way by giving gamers the chance to sample the console across 600 GAME and Gamestation stores and the excitement built around the PlayStation Vita launch shows that handheld gaming is as popular as ever," explained GAME and Gamestation marketing manager Anna-Marie Mason.
"With both our flagship stores opening at midnight to celebrate the launch of PlayStation Vita, we're getting set for a fantastic night of gaming and we're looking forward to giving customers the earliest chance possible to buy their own PlayStation Vita."
Gamestation's Birmingham New Street store will also be opening at midnight. There were no plans to roll out nationwide midnight launches but ask in your local store to find out if they are doing a midnight opening.
The Start of the Elder Scrolls
If you are like me and are a lover of The Elder Scrolls series of games but only really became aware of the series around the games Morrowind/Oblivion, then you've probably wondered where it all began.
Well with the help of a DOS emulator you can now download TES: Arena & TES II: Daggerfall and play the games that kick started a series which has grown into a worldwide success.
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If you want to play these two classic games and see for yourself just how far this game series has come since 1994, then head over to http://www.elderscrolls.com/arena/ and download the game. Then head over to http://www.dosbox.com/ to download the emulator and get to work on installing the game.
There is a pretty detailed how to guide included in the Arena download, explaining the somewhat long winded installation process but you should get through the installation fine and soon be loading up the game start screen.
For downloading Daggerfall just select it from the Games dropdown menu of the Elder Scrolls website.
Well with the help of a DOS emulator you can now download TES: Arena & TES II: Daggerfall and play the games that kick started a series which has grown into a worldwide success.
If you want to play these two classic games and see for yourself just how far this game series has come since 1994, then head over to http://www.elderscrolls.com/arena/ and download the game. Then head over to http://www.dosbox.com/ to download the emulator and get to work on installing the game.
There is a pretty detailed how to guide included in the Arena download, explaining the somewhat long winded installation process but you should get through the installation fine and soon be loading up the game start screen.
For downloading Daggerfall just select it from the Games dropdown menu of the Elder Scrolls website.
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