Released on 17/09/2010

• Heavy Rain gets ready to Move

  Heavy Rain gets ready to Move

  Good news, noir fans. It looks like Sony's releasing the PlayStation Move-enable version of the arty-but-gripping interactive thriller Heavy Rain very soon. In fact, you'll be able to pick it up on 8th October!

  Heavy Rain Move Edition may not have the most inventive name out there, but it's a pretty full package, offering bonus content including the Taxidermist playable scene, a range of three dynamic cross media bar themes to beautify your PS3 menus, the full game stereo soundtrack - it's moody but brilliant - and nine Making Of videos.

  More importantly, you'll be able to control the game with Sony's dazzling new motion-sensing peripheral, which hits shops on 17th September. Yikes, that's this Friday!

  Heavy Rain sees you playing as a handful of different characters as you track down a vicious criminal in a very rainy American city. It's a bold new direction for games, and it's clearly one people were curious to explore, as the interactive fiction title has gone on to sell over 1.5 million copies.

  Made by the quirky geniuses at French development studio Quantic Dream, Heavy Rain is not to be missed - and with Move controls, it should be even more fascinating.

  Heavy Rain Move Edition is a PlayStation 3 exclusive.
  

• Move sales break 1.5m barrier

  Move sales break 1.5m barrier

  It seems Sony may have underestimated its entry into the motion control market as the platform-holder revealed to Bloomberg last night that it had sold over 1.5 million Move units across Europe since its September launch.

  The device's remarkable precision seems to have impressed European gamers, with Sony admitting that sales have well exceeded expectations. The company's Andrew House said that sales were "very significant...in the first month since launch."

  House continued: "The initial sales response has been so far in excess of our initial plan that we'll probably be looking at accelerating production."

  This contrasts with earlier statements from Sony, who had erred on the side of caution before Move's release, suggesting that it wouldn't be expecting big launch week sales but that positive word-of-mouth could make Move a big hit in the long run. With titles such as Sports Champions and Start The Party appealing to a wide range of players, it seems that has happened much sooner than anticipated.

  Sony will no doubt be hoping that such glowing feedback will help in its battle against rival Microsoft, which launches its own motion controller - the eagerly anticipated Kinect - in early November. Though whichever device sells most, the ultimate winner has to be the gamer. Start saving those pennies - it's going to be an expensive Christmas...

• Michael Jackson: The Experience hits PS3 and Xbox 360 in April 2011

  Ubisoft has confirmed that the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 editions of Michael Jackson: The Experience will be released in April 2011.
  
  The music game - which has already proven a smash hit on Wii, DS and PSP - will arrive on the high-definition consoles offering full Kinect and PlayStation Move compatibility, as well as exclusive gameplay features.
  
  For example, the Xbox 360 version of the game will be the only one to support full-body movement tracking, while the PlayStation 3 edition includes an automatic Facebook feed that lets players share photos of themselves with their friends.
  
  To date, the currently available versions of Michael Jackson: The Experience have sold more than two million copies.
  
  The Wii edition allows players to sing and dance along to some of the King of Pop's greatest hits, including Billie Jean, Thriller, Earth Song and Smooth Criminal.
  
  Ubisoft stated that even more tracks will be available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, including Blood on the Dance Floor and I Just Can't Stop Loving You.

  Published: 07/01/2011

• PlayStation Move Heroes coming in March 2011

  Crossover action game PlayStation Move Heroes will be arriving in stores in March 2011, Sony has revealed.
  
  The publisher confirmed the news via the official PlayStation Blog, promising that developer Nihilistic Software has created a "very unique experience" for PlayStation 3 owners.
  
  PlayStation Move Heroes will bring together some of the console's most famous characters - including Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper and Ratchet and Clank - in a series of intergalactic combat challenges.
  
  As the title suggests, the game has been designed around the functionality of the PlayStation Move motion controller and allows players to unleash their chosen character's signature abilities more intuitively than ever.
  
  Fans of the various PlayStation heroes can expect to travel to familiar locations from each gaming series as they utilise a bulging arsenal of weapons to earn high scores and gold medals.
  
  It will feature two-player cooperative gameplay and online leaderboards, meaning that gamers can expect to compete both alongside and against their friends.

  Published: 17/01/2011

• Killzone 3 goes gold ahead of February 2011 launch

  Sony has confirmed that development work on its hotly-anticipated new shooter Killzone 3 has been finalised ahead of the game's February 2011 launch.
  
  Guerrilla Games' newest PlayStation 3-exclusive action title has gone gold, which means that the final code has been locked down and is now ready to play.
  
  Killzone 3 will once again join characters such as Sev, Rico and Narville as they take on the might of the brutal Helghast armies across an array of new locations and environments.
  
  The game will be the first in the series to introduce support for stereoscopic 3D visuals, as well as the PlayStation Move motion controller, while fresh in-game features include new weapons such as jetpacks.
  
  Killzone 3 will be launched in a number of different versions, with the standard release joined by a Collector's Edition that includes a bonus soundtrack CD and classic map pack.
  
  Meanwhile, the lavish Helghast Edition will pack in unique items such as a 100-page art book, a figurine of a Helghast Marksman and a large replica Helghast helmet.

  Published: 17/01/2011

• Weird experiment for Bioshock on PlayStation Vita

  With the upcoming Bioshock Infinite, creator Ken Levine has shown he isn't afraid to completely change the setting and tone of the series in the search for more interesting sequels. In an interview with IGN, he's promised that the version planned for the new PlayStation Vita console will be even more distinct from the original underwater game than the aerial city of Infinite.

  think we always want to surprise people Levine told the gaming site. "If I'm just saying, 'Here's BioShock 1 on Vita'... you don't need us to do that. Somebody could make that happen if they wanted that to happen."

  So Bioshock Vita will be an all-new game, designed from the ground up for Sony's powerful new portable and Levine seems to relish the chance to try new things. or us, it's like, 'Hey, here's this weird experiment you want to do.' Experiments always carry risks, though...I'm fortunate that I get to do things that are risky, my team gets to do things that are risky.

  Bioshock Infinite launches its ambitious horror-adventure on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC in early 2012. The PS3 version will support PlayStation Move controls. Bioshock Vita has yet to be given a release date.

• EA's Peter Moore defends Wii U

  The COO of Electronic Arts has come out in defence of Nintendo's new console, declaring its tablet-style control to be more important to future gaming than graphical perfection.

  Speaking in an interview with Industry Gamers, Peter Moore pointed to EA's own upcoming blockbuster Battlefield 3 as an example of how little room for improvement there is where visuals are concerned. ow much better could this stuff look at some point? There a point of diminishing returns. I don even know if there anything better than 1080p./p>

  And if Moore's predictions are accurate, expect future games consoles to concentrate more on control and community features rather than how many polygons they can throw at your face.

  ow it about interfaces...Youe seen that with Move, youe seen it with Wii MotionPlus more recently, and youe certainly seen it with Kinect he said. don know what Xbox and PlayStation plans for their next platforms are, but it not going to be hanging on graphic fidelity. I guarantee you that./p>

  The Wii U is set for release worldwide in 2012.

• PlayStation 3 Hands-On - Sorcery and Starhawk

  
  

  Last week we were lucky enough to have our friends from SONY stop by and let us have a preview of a couple of their upcoming PlayStation 3 releases - Starhawk and Sorcery.

  

  Starhawk

  This sci-fi/western hybrid was action-packed to say the least. The game boils down to two rival factions fighting over 'rift energy', which can not only power technology but people, too. In the story mode, you play as Emmet, a man caught in the middle and who works as a very accessible entry point to the conflict. We sampled the first of nine mission, and it certainly got us pumped for more.

  The third-person controls worked more or less as you'd imagine, with the classic cover-based tactics intact, in both the rocky deserts and the frontier-like settlements dotted around it, and boy do you need it when the enemies come rolling in from all directions, including crashing down from drop ships above.

  Fortunately, you have air support yourself and can call down everything from pre-fab mining bases to automatic gun turrets to help you out with your missions. This 'Build and Battle' function really helps shape the battlefield to your advantage... in theory at least - we made the rookie mistake of turning our newly-arrived wall into a gate. Not the best defensive strategy, and one we won't repeat next time!

  

  The space frontier setting really seemed to set this apart from other shooters, with the golden deserts and blue skies of the planet lightyears away from the industrial cities of other shooters. And it's a fairly open-world to explore as well, with plenty of the planet to explore and danger luring around almost every corner. The music was also a stand-out, too, with bluesy steel guitars further cementing the western mood.

  This really whet our appetites for the release of the game on 11th May. If you want to have a similar test, the Beta version is on PSN now.

  

  Sorcery

  We then took a trip to the Faerie kingdom to try out this hot new fantasy title, specially crafted for the PlayStation Move - and a game that really takes advantage of the Move controller by using it as a magic wand. And boy did we have fun with that, zapping away and turning sheep into pigs, squelching away pumpkins, moving rubble out of the way and taking out reanimated skeletons.

  The game is set in a lush fantasy world inspired by Celtic mythology, with a quirky, animated style that's part Lord of the Rings, part Shrek. The main character is Finn, an ambitious sorcerer's apprentice who is goaded into action by his sarcastic magical cat, Erline. There are five realms to travel through, each with a different boss and assorted enemies to conquer.

  

  Again, we only sampled a small part of his adventures from his first experiments with the wand to his overconfident trip to retrieve a magical ingredient that took him into a Banshee's tomb. But we picked up three of the six "core spells" needed throughout the game in that short time, as well as learning valuable skills and tactics for defeating opponents where timing and combination of spells - as well as accuracy with your Move controller - is key.

  This really feels like the game Move was made for, and the confidence that SONY have in the game showed in every aspect, from the astounding visuals, to the characters and their development, to the puzzles and action of the gameplay itself. Even overcoming the smallest of challenges filled us with delight, and, quite frankly, we could have gladly played all day!

  Sorcery really looks like the kind of game you would not tire of playing, and we're heartily looking forward to picking up our copies when it's released on 25th May.

  Published: 25/04/2012

• Editor's Choice - Sorcery

  
  

  

  
  
  

  

  Go to the back of the class, Potter! Better brush up on those incantations, Gandalf! Because there's a new kid on the block - and he knows how to make the most from a Move controller. Welcome to the spell-binding Sorcery on the PlayStation 3...

  Come on, admit it; we've all had that nagging feeling that there's something 'artificial' about certain motion-controlled games. It can feel as if the developers have bolted on the motion bit at the last minute because they've been ordered to by the powers-that-be - plus it makes for a really cool bullet point on the back of the box. Ring any (alarm) bells? Well, they won't be ringing with this Move-powered gem thankfully.

  First things first - you won't be forced to wear spectacles, sport a bowl haircut or bang on about Lord Voldemort 24-7. Instead this is a fresh third-person adventure about a sorcerer's apprentice and his cat who must banish the Nightmare Queen back to her flaming penthouse in hell. Cue venturing out across the dark world of the Faerie Kingdoms to face an over-stuffed menagerie of monsters with your Move-powered wand.

  

  And what a splendid wand it is; the Move controller does a fine job of making you feel like you really are the one casting the 25+ spells that make up your arsenal of black arts. But it doesn't stop there; you can wiggle your Move to make potions, solve puzzles and indulge in the ancient art of alchemy. Sorcery has clearly been designed from the ground up to be used with the Move, meaning that the gameplay blends perfectly with every part of the plucky little peripheral; yes, even that glowing, multi-coloured, sphere on the end of it...

  It's a game then that will bewitch, entertain and most importantly, show off what the Move can really do. And better still, it's the perfect way for parents to sit/stand/flap about with their kids for a few hours. Truly magical stuff then - and most importantly, 100% gimmick-free.
  

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