Announcements! - Minecraft and Youtube Videos

Hello to all and welcome this very special post. Firstly, I would like to thank all of you who have ever and still do read the blog and also to those of you who follow the blog or follow me on Twitter.

Today's I'm pleased to make a few announcements that should interest a lot of you and you will hopefully find entertaining.

The first is that tomorrow I will finally be getting a copy of DiRT 3 for the PS3. As some of you may know, DiRT 3 has a 'direct to Youtube' feature which allows users to upload short clips or even full events onto Youtube without the need for video capturing software. I plan on uploading a good load of DiRT videos to my Youtube channel. These will initially simply be raw gameplay videos, although I had hoping to later edit some of them and begin to provide commentaries of my experiences. All of these videos will be uploaded to my channel.

My second announcement is that a friend of mine, ShaneGBUK has set up a Minecraft server which he is opening to the public. The server world currently consists of a small town which includes plots available to buy to built on, a few shops, a fishing hole and a mine.

All of this is protected so players cannot grief and disrupt others within the town, although beyond that and outside of the town walls players are free to built and destroy as they please (within reason). Shane hopes that the server will grow in popularity and can become a community project. But of course, he will need your help to do this, so checking out the server would be much appreciated.

To access the server you will first need to download a piece of software called Hamachi. It is free to download and is virus and malware free. Once you have downloaded the software you will need to join the server network.
The Network ID is: ShanesThingy
and the Password is: test

Once you have done that, you should contact either myself or Shane with your Minecraft username so you can be white-listed and be allowed to access the server.
One this is done, you will be able to access the server via the multiplayer section on the Minecraft main menu. The server IP you will have to enter is: 5.239.127.211

We hope that you will all respect Shane's work and hard effort, but for those of you who do abuse this will be punished and ultimately banned from the server.

Contacts:
randomthings -
e-mail - simplyrandomthings@gmail.com
Twitter - @iamrandomthings

Shane - 
Website


So, that's all for today. I have been randomthings, thank you very much for reading and I hope to see you on Youtube and on the server very soon.

Shiny Red Button! - My Opinion of Block the Laser

This one reminds me of an old game that I can't remember the name of. That's helpful. Now, on to the post, My Opinion of Block the Laser.

Developed by just two people, game designer Joseph Christman along with programmer John D'India have been able to create Block the Laser. The game is a puzzle game where the objective is to get from the start of the level to the end by hitting switches to redirect lasers as well as to open gates, amongst other things.

 The game does begin really quite basically, but after that and the mechanics have been laid out it does become incredibly complex. When while playing the trial, which covers the first thirteen or so levels I become puzzled by how to tackle the levels.



Apart from that I really cannot think of how else to describe the game, so I'll just offer my opinion and put simply, in my opinion this nothing short of great. The levels are interesting and truly puzzling, each making you think in a slightly different way to the previous one. The art style of the game is interesting too, fitting in perfecting with the gameplay style. I had a great deal of fun playing through the trail and although I haven't been able to get the full game yet, rest assured that I will.

I am really sorry that this is short, but that's all for today. I may keep my posts short for the next few days as at least then I know I will be posting something.

So, I would like to say that I have of course been randomthing and thanks for reading.

The final name! - It's another update

Hello to all. As some of you may be aware, that I did yesterday announce the blog's new name. After I did I received a few people didn't think the new name was good, while others did. So, after this, I then asked others via a Facebook page. The few that responded all gave the same answer. So, despite yesterday's madness the future title of this blog will be...

Analog Gaming

As I stated on Twitter yesterday, my final two choices was between either Analog Gaming or Remapped Gaming. I feel that both are individual in their own ways, but I effectively wanted to go with that more people would find an interesting name. I would also like to thank everyone who helped me yesterday with the new name decision regardless of which one they preferred. All of the feedback was useful. Also as a result of the change, the URL will now also be changed accordingly as well as other minor parts of the blog.

So, that's it for another short update. You can now all safely know I will not be renaming the blog anytime soon and that this will stick.

And now, it's time for me to sign off once again. I've been randomthings, thank you for reading and finally, welcome to Analog? Gaming.

Sunday Special - It's an update

Hello everyone, I just wanted to post a quick update. As I'm sure you can see, I have today again changed the blog's layout. The new layout now allows me to place a sidebar which makes everything more accessible thanks to the 'Blog Archive' and 'Most Popular Post' gadgets. As well as this I have now moved my Twitter Feed to the sidebar too and now use an official Twitter plug in, rather than a different one. Finally the sidebar also includes a Facebook 'share' button, so you can recommend the blog to your friends. As there is now a sidebar, this means that the main column for posts is now thinner.

I have also activated a mobile version of the blog to allow for better viewing and access from mobile devices. When the site is first loaded up a the list of posts will be shown and each post can be clicked on individually to bring it up in full, rather than seeing the whole thing initially. The mobile site doesn't work perfectly as some of the text doesn't appear to fit within the correct width, but apart from that everything seems fine.

I have also come up with a number of possible new names for the blog, but for the moment it shall still remain as Xenon Gaming until I have finally decided.

That's all for today's rather quick update. Tomorrow I shall be giving my opinion on a new Xbox Live Indie Game, Block the Laser. So, until then I'm going to sign of by saying that I've been randomthings and I'd like to thank you very much for reading. I'll see you again soon.

Battle of the rainbow! - My Opinion of Tacticolor

This one, I found so bizarre I just had to play it. It turned out to be pretty addictive. So here goes, my opinion of Tacticolor.

Put simply Tacticolor is a real time strategy game with a twist. Unlike real time strategy games (RTS) such as Halo Wars or Starcraft II, Tacticolor does not involve use of different unit types or special abilities, it instead revolves around strategic timing and basic maths.

Taking a standard match as an example, any combination of up to four human or AI players and can also be player over Live. All of the players begin with possession of only territory. (areas that the map are divided into. In a standard match there is sixteen.) Each player will also begin with one piece (unit). Once the match has begun, players can attempt to take control of the territories directly surrounding the one they already possess.by moving their piece or pieces to that territory.

At this point, this is where the factor or maths comes into action. Each piece acts as a dice and a player can have up to six pieces on each of their territories. If the territory is currently not owned then the territory value is 0 and they can take it over straight away. If the territory is possessed by another player, then when they
attempt to take it over all of the pieces will be 'rolled', which will generate a total value. If the attacking player's value is higher, then they will take the territory over. If not, they defending player will hold that spot and the attacker's attacking pieces will be lost.

While this may initially sound very confusing, after playing just a few short matches, the rules and how to play begin to become clear. While still sounding confusing the game is make both clearer to understand and visually interesting by each player having their own colour, which will either be pink, blue, yellow or green.

Beyond this, the game also features 'awardments' which act as achievements as the game, along with all other indie titles, cannot use the achievements feature, which adds to the game's playability and replay factor.

When I originally downloaded the game, it was due to how simple the game appeared to be, and while it to an extent it is, it also demands a great deal of strategy and quick thinking. After playing Tacticolor and getting the hang of the game, the appearance of the game was something that still made the game rather appealing as the visuals are not too complex or out of place, which is something  have commented on with previous indie titles I have looked at.

Referring back to my philosophy of ''if you like the demo, you'll most probably like the full game'', it did indeed work for this title. As so I would like to congratulate errcw (Eric Woroshow) on his creation and hope to see many more titles from him in the future.

Tacticolor is available from the Xbox Live Indie Games Marketplace for just 80 Microsoft Points, making this something of a bargain. And of course a trial is also available.

Here also is a few relevant links to pages and sites relating to Tacticolor:
Tacticolor - Xbox Marketplace Online
 Tacticolor (Debut Trailer) - Game Trailers
errcw - Youtube
errcw - Twitter

So, that's all for my opinion of Tacticolor and all for this week's content. I am now rounding off for the final time this week by saying that I've been randomthings and thank you very much for reading.

Home Weekly - 1.51 is live and so is Sodium 2

Hello and welcome once again to Home Weekly, bring you the latest news and updates for PlayStation Home.

 Updates and Fixes
Kicking off this week's post is news that Home has received an update and the client has new updated to version 1.51.  The Home team have announced a number of new updates within 1.51, the first being that of item redemption. In the 'message of the day' it is stated that the Home team have ''improved performance of 'consumable' items''. By this they are referring to any items that have to be redeemed via a token system, such as The Midway and the Sodium Hub. Receiving items this way should now be far smoother than it previously was.

The second update is that the wardrobe and furniture browsers should now have increased loading times and speeds, helping for easier use. Following on from that the third and final update is that a new feature has been implemented to allow developers to allow item sales without the need of going through a commerce point, which may also help loading speeds and ease of access.

Beyond the updates, there have also been two major bugs that have now received patches. The first being that users should now not crash upon gaining a new reward if they already have a large inventory. The second is that Home should no longer freeze when exiting under "certain circumstances".


New Content
Beginning this week's list of new content is the final release of Lockwood Publishing's Sodium 2: Project Velocity. S2 is the sequel to the ever popular Sodium Hub and it's original game, Sodium One: Salt Shooter and as such carries over much of the feel of the original game, while offering a slightly different experience. As well as the features I covered in a post a while ago, the full version of S2 also includes greater jetcraft customisation and multiplayer for up to three players in a single race. Currently their are currently two track and two game modes available. The game modes are Singleplayer Quick Race and Multiplayer, with Single Player Arcade to be included in a future update. The two tracks are 'Industrial Sector' and 'Rocky Speedway', with a third unnamed track to be included at some point.
Also for returning fans of Sodium, S2 also allows users to gain Sodium Credits that can then be spent on various items via VICKIE, who can be found in the Sodium Hub.

The second piece of new content can be found in the Audi Home Terminal and comes in the form of a new and exclusive video. Following on from a recent community poll, Ralf from the Community Team was sent able to interview a few Audi representatives live on stage for a Q&A session.


And the final few pieces of new content come from the Shopping Mall with Lockwood offering yet more new items. The new 'Stitchkins' collection is a t-shirts and new companions all focused around artistically designed animals, including the 'Peanut Butter Monkey' and the 'Blueberry Bulldog'. All of the items can be purchased individually or as part of a complete pack. There are eight item packs, one for each different animal.
Along with this is a new set of Sodium clothing to coincide with the release of S2. Each of the six new items can also be purchased individually for part of a complete pack.
Both the Sodium 2 Clothing and Stitchkins items can be bought from the Lockwood Store, while th

The final new content is available from Alter Ego and comes curtsy of Sqaure Enix. To celebrate the announcement of Hitman: Absolution they have released the Agent 47 Outfit, which is can be bought for both male and female avatars.


From the Community
This week I have decided to also begin to include a new segment to Home Weekly - From the Community, where I will mention some of what I think are the biggest topics on the official European Home forums.

So, the topic I would like to mention this week is that of Home Square. Following the 1.51 update, the Square has received yet another addition, which is a Sodium 2 teleportal. As well as this, a large ship which is stylised in the Sodium textures and appearance can be be seen in the dock just off from the Square. This along with the current teleportals to the White Knight Chronicles II, PSN Sphere, Aurora and the Audi Home Terimal have left a group of community members wanting the Square to return to it's previous ways of the only additional content within the space being the Central minigame.

At the same time, some of this group, as well as other members all wish that the original Home Square would be brought back. Some feel that the European Home Square does not have enough individuality and borrows too much from it's North American counterpart.

The discussion on this topic is currently ongoing and the links for this, as well as the other items mentioned in this week's post can be found below:
Home Version 1.51 Patch Notes - bambaroo - EU Forums
Home Square - RUBBERDUCKZILLER - Eu Forums
Home Square is getting ''cluttered'' - natsamson - EU Forums
Lockwood Publishing
My Previous Post on Sodium 2

So, that's all for this week's Home Weekly and time for me to once again sign off by saying I've been randomthings and thank you very much for reading.

Gaming News - 16/6/11 - Gamocracy One

This is something that I have heard of but quite frankly never paid attention to and looking at the final result, I rather wish I had.

Over the past few months PlaySation Europe and Swedish development team The Bearded Ladies Consulting have run a weekly competition on the PlayStation forums which has now resulted in the creation of a videogame desgined by the community - Gamocracy One: Legend of Robot.

The Gamocracy project run over the course of eight weeks and each week was centered around a particular aspect of the game. The first week began with users being asked to submit their ideas for the game's main character and back story. After this other aspects included game mechanics, settings, enemies and finally the title of the game. All of this was thought of over the first six of the project, with the last two weeks allowing the Bearded Ladies to further test and tweak the game.

Overall it seems like an imaginative and simply great community project in what appears to be possibly the first of many Gamocracy titles.

Gamocracy One: Legend of Robot will be available as a minis title later this month on the PlayStation Store.

So, that's today's Gaming News, or at least one of today's articles, I may indeed post another if I find an article of interest. I'd like to sign off by saything I've been randomthings and I'll like to thank you very much for reading.

LBP2 Level Review - Zombie Boat Survival!

Hello to all and welcome to the LBP2 Level Review where this week I am looking at Zombie Boat Survival!

As you may have guessed by the level's title, it appears that cekmeout has once again been busy in Create Mode and as always doesn't disappoint this his latest level. After checking his profile on .me, it seems that since my previous level review on Zombie Mansion survival he has gone on to create seven more zombie based levels.

The newest level follows a similar layout and general design to Mansion Survival, but offers a completely new set of weapons: the Battery Blaster, Egg Shooters, Fish Cannon, Skull Crusher, Water Gun and the Rubber Band Ball Gun, each one with it's own rate of fire and damage amount.

Beyond that, the gameplay follows the same style as previous Zombie Survival! levels, allowing up to four Sackpeople to compete in zombie based mayhem for up to eight minutes, with unlimited spawning while trying to rack up the most points and unlock the better weapons.

Since being uploaded three days ago, the level has already been played just under eleven thousand times, whilst being liked over three and a half thousand times and hearted by one thousand, three hundred and ten people, so I would to congratulate cekmeout on his latest success. The level has also hit one of the top spots in this weeks most played.

Overall, I am only going to award Zombie Boat Survival 6/10. While I did find it incredibly fun to play it just doesn't feel too different to the other Zombie Survival! levels.

Finally, here of course is both the level's LBP.me link as well as a link to cekmeout's profile:
cekmeout - LBP.me
Zombie Boat Survival! - LBP.me


So, I guess that this has been this week's rather short LBP2 Level Review. I have been randomthings and I would like to thank you very much for reading.

Warp Speed! - My Opinion of Starchon

I know I have indeed been putting this one off for a while, so I will simply cut to the chase. Here is my opinion of Freelance Games' Starchon.

Starchon is the debut title from the Canadian development team Freelance Games and as with a number of the XBLIGs I have previously looked at, I feel it offers something that other indie games do not. The game is a top-down retro arcade styled space shooter. The game's is based around trying to defeat a hoarde of alien creatures named the Piga, whilst trying to protect both yourself and your own 'mothership', the Super Defence Carrier.

While progressing through the game, players will begin to unlock more areas of space to explore, with the total being in excess of eighty, so there is a more than fair offering for exploration. Alongside that is the game's detailed and somewhat complex ship ugrade system, that allows all matter of different parts availiable to be changed and upgraded. With things from weapons to engines to and shields and power sources, in all, thirty nine parts that can be fitted to eany of the five ships, each of which offer their own unque feel and style.

The main thing that has really grabbed my attention is the fact the game does not feel generic or overly repeated as other titles I have tried have. Along with this the depth and feel of the game make it one that feels far more enjoyable than ones that have now come a short lived source of entertainment. Being inspired by arcade space shooters, it certainly pays a true respect to them, offering a weighted feel to the gameplay, whilst also offering the newer features, such as upgradable ships which makes the game feel more diverse and personal. The graphics are also old-school yet of a higher quality, which as with my previous point, makes the game feel less generic and more involving and simply visually interesting.

If I am completely honest my usual philosophy of ''if you like the demo, you'll most probably like the full game'' didn't initially work for me with Starchon, as I wasn't really struck by it until my second trial playthrough, but after that I did truely enjoy it. Overall I think that Freelance have created something that is different and stands out a bit, which I really do like. Individuality is a great thing.

As with most other games featured in the My Opinion series, Starchon is availiable from the Indie Games section of the Xbox Live Marketplace for only 80 Microsoft Points, which is far from expensive and a great price. Alternatively, it can be purchashed via the Xbox Marketplacd website.
Below are a few links relating to both Starchon and Freelance Games:
Starchon - Xbox Marketplace Online
Freelance Games
Freelance Games - Twitter
Freelance Games - Youtube

So, I guess that's my opinion of Starchon. I would say that this is also it for this weeks My Opinion, although I may post two of every series this week to make up for the lack of post last week. Anyway, it's time for me to once again say that I've been randomthings and I would like to thank you very much for reading and I'll posting again soon.

Bad internet and E3 - Here comes another update!

Hello and welcome all.

As I am sure you are aware today should have been the day for this week's LBP2 Level Review. Unfortunately I haven't been able to review a level as my internet has been rather bad. I would go as far as to say it's a lot worse than that, but if anything, I will speak my mind about that on Twitter.

Since Sunday I have not been able to stay connected to Xbox Live for more than ten minutes and my usage of PSN has had to have been minimal.

I have however been able to get online today with my PC, so this evening I have been able to see the various E3 livestreams.

So, unfortunately I probably won't be able to post "My Opinion", "LBP2 Level Review" or "Home Weekly" this week, although if I can I will post them all later this week. If not I will try and use the time to try and record something for the Youtube Channel. I might try some Minecraft footage.

So, I guess that is all for now. I do hope that I can post something very soon. I've been randomthings and thank you for reading.

Home Weekly - The Return of PlayStation Home

Hello to everyone and welcome to Home Weekly, bringing you the latest news and updates.

Now, since the PlayStation Network is finally fully operational and running at full speed, it seems that SCE have been hard at work delivering the latest batch of content to Home users.

The first update that is noticeable is that Sodium TankTop has now been removed from the center of Home Square. The minigame is now only available as part of the Blaster's Paradise personal space, which can be purchased from either Estates or Lockwood, in the Shopping Centre for £3.99 in the UK and $4.99 in the US. In it's place now stands an exclusive minigame courtesy of SEGA Europe. The free-to-play Virtua Tennis 4 inspired Baseline Battle allows players to take on a team of robots on the tennis court, whilst using skills to try and amount the highest score possible to be in with a chance of winning a Baseline Battle personal space in July.

Another new release is that of the White Knight Chronicles event space. Containing information on both of the new titles, White Knight Chronicles II for PS3 and White Knight Chronicles: Origins for PSP as well as information about the original White Knight Chronicles. The space also displays some of the artwork for the two new games as well as having a quiz, which has the winning prize of an avatar Dragon Knight costume.

As well as all of that, the Stores have received many new and wonderful items. Beginning with the latest content from Konami. The first set of items are part of a Saw II: Flesh and Blood costume set, which allow users to dress up as Billy the Puppet, a well know figure from the series. All of the Saw II clothing items are available from Alter Ego. The second set of items is that of animated clothes which are based around DanceDanceRevolution, all of which are available from Threads.

Following on from that there has also been the Royal King and Queen bundles created, both of which can be found in Alter Ego and both tie in which the recent royal wedding.

The development team behind Space Ace also appear to have been busy recently, having created all matter of items to tie in with the game's release. Digital Leisure have created costumes so users can looks like either Borf, Ace or Kimberly as well as personal space items which relate to the game. All of these items can be found throughout various stores.

And finally as part of the new content update, Heavy Water have released a new set of seven tribal tattoos, which can be purchased from Threads.

Here is the relevant articles relating to this week's content update:
Baseline Battle, White Knight Chronicles and More - James Gallagher - EU Blog
PlayStation Home Update - Locust_Star - US Blog
Heavy Water - Heavy Ink Tattoos

So, that is the last of this week's blog posts and all for this Home Weekly. I am of course randomthings and thank you very much for reading. Have a great rest of the weekend and I'll be back Monday.

Ahh! Trolls! - My opinion of Avatar Legends

As always, I have once again been trying out Indie games that are available on the Xbox Live Marketplace. A few that I've tried recently include Pixel Man, Fluid and Angry Brainless Bovines. Although one game in particular has caught my attention.

Created by a team named Barkers Crest Studio, Avatar Legends is a RPG game, that as the title hints at, allows players to control their own avatar while playing. The game begins with the avatar awakening in a strange world. As the player begins to explore the world it becomes apparent that their avatar may be the prophesied Hero, who will be able to defeat the evil that has over run the world and will be able to help the avatars in returning to the comfort of the Dashboard.

The gameplay is that of a typical RGP, with the game consisting of various quests that have to be completed in order to progress. As to be expected, this can be achieved by exploring the world and speaking to various people. The game also has a rather varied combat system, with the game camera switching to a top-down perspective during battles. In combat players can use a combination of both melee and magical spells to defeat enemies.

As well as all of that, which is part of the roughly ten hour campaign, the game also features a create mode to make custom maps. This maps, as well as others created by players can then be used in the competitive multiplayer mode, which supports up to six players in one match.

Just one of the various fights throughout the game with Trolls being the main enemy.

I have currently played the game for around four hours and so far I have been greatly impressed with that I have seen. The thing that have amazed me the most with Avatar Legends is the variation within the game, with the combat being involving, the quests being well thought out and the environments being far from generic, it seems to have a great deal to offer.

At first I felt that I would not be impressed with the title at all, struggling with the combat system and attacking enemies. I initially thought it might have been that I had started on a higher difficulty. The multiple difficulties was another feature I did not expect. Once I did overcome the combat I did begin to find the gameplay incredibly enjoyable.

I would have liked to have been able to comment on the multiplayer, but after trying a number of matches I have yet to understand how it works. The other players appear to have been lagging rather a lot and the combat not working. This could possibly be an issue with the game or possibly just my own connection.
Apart from that the rest of the game runs very well.

I think that for a mere 240 Microsoft Point this is brilliant and offers a lot of things. The title is available from the Indie Games section of the Xbox Live Marketplace and can also be purchased via marketplace.xbox.com and as with every Xbox title, a trial is available from the Marketplace as well.
Below are links relating to Avatar Legends and the development team:
Avatar Legends - Xbox Marketplace Online
Avatar Legends - Xbox Forums
Barker Crest Studio

So, that's all for this weeks My Opinion. Next week's Opinion may possibly be Starchon, a title that I promised to check out a few weeks back, but as of yet I have not had a chance to play the game to a fair extent. I would like to sign off by saying that I've been randomthings and I would like to thank you very much for reading.

Gaming News: Second Post - 2/6/11 - Sony NGP Games List

Hello to all and welcome back to today's gaming news. As I said earlier today I would indeed post again if I came across another story that I felt worthy of mentioning, and I think I have found another. Like the last post, this one is again focused on Sony.

Throughout the day I have been keeping a close eye on the PlayStation Blog for further news regarding the Welcome Back package, of which there is no further information except that the 60 day Plus subscription for previous subscribers has been extended by a further 10 days to make up for the late reactivation of the Store.

So, it was that while checking the blog I came across a new post, this time from the blog manager James Gallagher. In the post Gallagher announces a number of games that will be released for the upcoming NGP handheld console.

Amongst those that were listed is Uncharted: Golden Abyss, a title that was shown at the original unveiling of the console back in January, although an official title was never given.

Another game that have been listed are another entry to the WipEout series in the form of WipEout 2048, which is to be, as with the rest of the series, developed by Studio Liverpool.

The third title that is listed goes the name of Little Deviants and will be developed by another British based company, Bigbig Studios, who have previously created the Pursuit Force series as well as the PSP's MotorStorm title, Arctic Edge. Little Deviants promises to contain a number of minigame which are designed to make use of and show the NGP's features, much in the same way as title's like Wii Sports, Kinect Adventures and Start the Party have showcased the features of their respective technology.

The fourth title is Super Stardust Delta. Very little is said about this game apart from it is set to make use of the NGP's dual analog sticks and touch screen. Is is not said who will be developing the space shooter, although it seems likely to be the original creators of the series, Housemarque as they developed both Super Stardust HD and it's PSP counterpart, Super Stardust Portable.

As will Super Stardust Delta, the next title has been listed, but with next to no information given. The game which is under the working title 'Sound Shapes' is said to be a musical side scroller, in which players create music using the touch screen.

The final two games that were also mentioned by Gallagher were both new additions to current series', as will Super Stardust. Both Hustle Kings and Everybody's Golf will have new titles available for the NGP and both presumable will use the console's features to their advantage.

The final thing that Gallagher did mention is Resistance: Retribution. Whilst this is already out for the PSP this is an example that the NGP will have backwards compatibility for PSP titles via the PlayStation store. The game will also be suited for the NGP's design and controls.


Finally, here is of course, the link to James Gallagher's post, which contains more information on the titles as well as various videos and screenshots. And here also is the respective posts for the US blog:
More NGP Games Officially Unveiled - James Gallagher - EU Blog
NGP Previews: Uncharted: Golden Abyss - Jeff Rubenstein - US Blog
NGP: Introducing Sound Shapes - Jonathan Mark - US Blog
WipEout Your PS3 Opponents On NGP - Rey Gutierrez - US Blog


So, that is once again for this post. I have been randomthings. Thank you once again for reading and I hope to post again soon.

Gaming News - 2/6/11 - PlayStation Store is back online

Hello and welcome to the gaming news for Thursday 6th May 2011.

Today's main headline is that Sony have now reactivated the PlayStation store. In a post on the PlayStation Blog this morning, Nick Caplin announced that the Store is indeed now back online. He did state however that the Welcome Back offer is not yet available but is in the final stages of testing and should be ready "very soon".

Following on from this there has since been another two posts on the blog. The first is from PSN Product Manager James Thorpe, who explains how PlayStation Plus will be be involved as part of the Welcome Back programme and what will be on offer. This includes an additional 60 day subscription which will begin upon the user reaching the original renewal date for their subscription, if they were already signed up to PS+ as well as Burnout Paradise being available for free. Thrope has also said that April's Plus content will remain active on the Store until May 21st, to allow time for users to take advantage of any offers they previously missed out on.

The third and final post has been created Ross McGrath from the PS Store team, who gives a full list of what is to be the first batch of new content to reach the Store. He makes it clear that the Spring Offers that were available before the outage will continue to be live until June 8th. As well as this, Thorpe says that fans of FIFA 11 should check out a special FIFA 11 Ultimate Team promotion from EA. As well as that he has also listed the new content that is now online.


As well as all of this for the main PS3 Store, the PSP Store has also received new content. I would like to point out though that both Stores do appear to be having some trouble, as I personally have be receiving ma error codes while browsing. This may be due the Store only just coming back online or possibly due to a surge of users accessing it, so do be patient while trying to use the service.

As I usually do, I will include links to the relevant articles, which can be found below:
PlayStation Store Is Available Now - Nick Caplin - EU Blog
PlayStation Store Is Available and Updated Now - Grace Chen - US Blog
Welcome Back To PlayStation Plus - James Thrope - EU Blog
'Heads Up' - Game Store Mega Update - Ross McGrath - EU Blog

Details of the Welcome Back Programme for SCEE Users


So, I guess that's all for today's Gaming News. I will indeed post again later today if I do come across any other big news. I have been randomthings and as always thank you very much for reading.