Sony’s ‘Only on PSN’ program highlights exclusives — including some PS2 downloads

Sony’s really pushing the exclusive content this month, and they’re launching a program called “Only on PSN” to help that effort out. They’re ensuring that every week this month, PSN gets an update with new exclusives, and they’re even including some “rare classic games” like GrimGrimoire and God Hand in the mix — things that you can’t play without a backwards-compatible PS3 or a PS2 sitting around the house. PlayStation Plus subscribers get 20% off each game during its launch week. Overall, if you spend $60 or more on anything on PSN (games, movies, comics, PlayStation Home, whatever) during October, you get $10 back for use in November. The release lineup goes as follows: October 4 – Eufloria and Rochard October 11 – Sideway: New York October 13 – Sodium Collection October 18 – Okabu and RocketBirds October 25 – inFAMOUS: Festival of Blood and PixelJunk Sidescroller Some of these were financed through

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PAX Preview: All Zombies Must Die

As we gamers are all aware, the zombie apocalypse is coming – and soon. So who’s better to handle it than us gamers, right? All Zombies Must Die is a RPG and weapons-based arena combat game developed by doublesix, the same guys who brought us the highly flammable game, Burn, Zombie, Burn! Though AZMD and BZB have some similarities in terms of fighting hordes of brain-craving zombies, AZMD offers uniquely different gameplay strategies then its previous successor. Who knew gaming addictions could be so helpful? In All Zombies Must Die, you first play as Jack, a gaming fanatic who believes that he’s the badass hero in a zombie video game (and not that he’s actually in any – you know – real danger). The first character I met in the demo was Rachel, an extremely pissed ex-girlfriend of Jack. Though it seems she would rather see her ex be ripped

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‘Crysis’ is doing it backwards

Crysis 2 has been out on consoles for a little while. Six months, almost. So, I don’t get why this is happening, but this October, EA and Crytek are releasing the original Crysis on PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE for $19.99/1600 MSP. These downloadable titles are getting “modified and enhanced” for this release, so that might just mean toning some things down a little bit. It definitely means optimizing the Nanosuit’s controls and adding stereoscopic 3D support. Because 3D is in everything! “We are extremely proud of what we were able to accomplish with Crysis. We set out to create a next-generation FPS and delivered a PC experience that became a benchmark for quality – and still is for many gamers even four years later,” said Cevat Yerli, CEO of Crytek. “By bringing the single-player campaign to console, we believe we are again setting a new standard for quality in

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Sony goes serious in its choice for a security officer

I remember our PSN-less month not-so-fondly. I’m pretty sure Sony feels the same way, because they’ve just hired someone who is pretty serious about security for their “chief information security officer.” Philip Reitinger, who previously served with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, is Sony’s new hire. See, “security” was in the name! He previously directed the U.S. National Cyber Security Center. (Is anyone else surprised that we still use “cyber” to describe anything?) He’ll report to general counsel Nicole Seligman. “Certainly the network issue was a catalyst for the appointment,” a spokesman for Sony told Reuters. “We are looking to bolster our network security even further.” We can only hope that Reitinger does a good job.

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‘The Haunted: Hells Reach’ gets you in its digital and tangible grasps

ValuSoft, now part of THQ, has announced that The Haunted: Hells Reach will be available for PC in stores this October, with downloadable versions on PSN and Xbox LIVE Arcade next year. The third-person survival horror shooter, which runs on Unreal Engine 3, has you fighting against evil forces that are attempting to take over Earth. You know, your basic video game plot (when it isn’t “find the princess”). You’ll use multiple weapons in your offensive, which spans multiple gameplay types (including multiplayer) and 30 stages. Here’s a trailer: The Haunted Hells Reach New Trailer from WinegumS on Vimeo. Reminds me a bit of Shadows of the Damned, but that’s not such a bad thing.

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Ubisoft to publish ‘Shoot Many Robots’ in 2012

Ubisoft announced today that they’ll be publishing Demiurge Studios’ robot-killing run-n-gun title Shoot Many Robots for Xbox LIVE Arcade, PlayStation Network and PC in 2012. The game follows P(ickles) Walter Wingnut, who apparently lives in an RV, during his quest to kill as many robots as possible. That means the title is a very accurate one. Players can team up with three friends for the sidescrolling RPG run-n-gun action for two modes: Traversal (where you just progress through a level) and Survival, where you’ve got to survive the hordes of robots. “Ubisoft is excited to be working with Demiurge Studios on the release of Shoot Many Robots,” said Adam Novickas, director of marketing at Ubisoft. “Ubisoft is focused on providing players with a strong and diverse portfolio of digital titles, and Demiurge is set to bring another amazing game to the digital space with Shoot Many Robots.” This game will

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Here’s who you’ll meet in ‘The Baconing’

The latest chapter in the DeathSpank saga (is it a saga now? What’s the technical number of games we’d have to have for a saga?) seems to be especially tasty. At least, that’s what you’d expect with a name like The Baconing. In this trailer, you’ll meet the full cast of main characters. Take a look…some of them are kind of creepy.

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Surprise! Valve unveils ‘Counter-Strike: Global Offensive”

Valve announced today that Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is currently planned for release in early 2012 via PlayStation network, Xbox LIVE Arcade and Steam. The game will feature new maps, characters and weapons as well as updates of classic content. The game will also add new modes, matchmaking functions, leaderboards and more. “Counter-Strike took the gaming industry by surprise when the unlikely MOD became the most played online PC action game in the world almost immediately after its release in August 1999,” said Doug Lombard, VP of Marketing at Valve. “For the past 12 years, it has continued to be one of the most-played games in the world, headline competitive gaming tournaments and selling over 25 million units worldwide across the franchise. CS: GO promises to expand on CS’ award-winning gameplay and deliver it to gamers on the PC as well as the next gen consoles and the Mac.” The game

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Take a look at the Gamescom trailer for ‘Sine Mora’

Grasshopper Manufacture’s been pretty busy lately, and even though this game doesn’t involve any zombie-killin’ cheerleaders, Sine Mora does appear to be a pretty cinematic shmup. It also looks to be almost the exact opposite of anything we’ve ever seen from Suda51. Maybe that’s what they’re going for. Digital Reality and Grasshopper Manufacture are working together on the PSN/XBLA title, scheduled to release this winter.

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Review – Hunted: The Demon’s Forge (PS3)

Rating: M for (Mature) Genre: Third Person Action Adenture Publisher: Bethesda Developer: InXile Entertainment Release Date: May 31,2011 BUY If swords and sorcery is what you crave, then Hunted: The Demon’s Forge has all the qualities you might be looking for. It is a third person action RPG published by Bethesda and running on an Unreal Engine. It has a fine pedigree. It doesn’t happen too often but there weren’t many disappointments with it either. It is a pretty seamless third person action adventure with easily accessed RPG elements. You can play as your choice of two mercenaries, a guy Caddoc and E’lara, a hot female elf. In the summer we need more games like this. It has two person co-op on the one console. You can sit down with your cousin, at that rustic family cottage on Cape Cod which has no internet service, and actually have some fun.

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