139w ago - Today Zen Studios Managing Director Zsolt Kigyossy has announced that Minigolf, PlayStation Move updates, PS3 DLC and FREE codes are all hitting PSN.

To quote: There is so much going on with Planet Minigolf, I don't even know where to start.

What is more exciting, the new PlayStation Move Motion Controller, new DLC for the game, or the fact that we are giving you a chance to win free codes?

Let's start with Move - the Planet Minigolf game patch has been released, so break out those shiny new controllers and test out the new gameplay. Don't have Move yet? Check out the trailer below to get a taste of what to expect.

The patch also includes a bunch of game updates, including new camera controls, a practice mode, 3-player multiplayer mode (both online and local), scoreboard viewing options, improved voice chat quality and more! The demo is also Move updated, so if you want to test it out before buying, download the demo and check that out.





We've also just released the first DLC course, Stronghold Island. Set in the Mediterranean Sea, this beautiful island course brings four new trophies, more customization options for building your own courses and some great minigolf...

139w ago - Senior Game Designer Sean Edwards at Krome Studios has shared some 'behind the code' details on Blade Kitten for PS3 today.

To quote: I hope to give some interesting and candid insights into the process the team went through to build the levels for Blade Kitten.

Building the World - Level Design for Blade Kitten

Initially we went through several approaches to building the levels, but with a small team we needed a method that allowed fast experimentation and changes. Rather than model large areas of the levels which would require going back into 3DS Max and re-exporting to make changes, the method chosen was to build lots of smaller objects to allow for fast changes and experimentation.

This required all the pieces to be built to very specific dimensions so that everything would snap together nicely. The final levels were assembled using those pieces in Krome's in-house level editor 'Merktools' which allowed quick iteration and real time editing of the level as the game is running!

The actual process of taking the level from concept through to completion involved several steps. First the Creative Director, Steve Stamatiadis, would conceptualize the level in a very high level "mud map" format. This map included locations for all the key story...

140w ago - Today Krome Studios Creative Director Steve Stamatiadis has detailed some Blade Kitten PS3 updates, including his inspirations for the game.

To quote: Blade Kitten is a fantastic new side-scrolling action game for the PS3. No, seriously, it IS awesome.

I know because it's a story I've wanted to tell in game form for a great many years. So come with me and I'll give you a little behind the scenes insight as to where this game comes from.

First up, Blade Kitten is the adventures of bounty hunter Kit Ballard, a pink haired catgirl (or Felion as they're known in the universe).

She travels around with her sidekick, Skiffy a feisty alien critter that is her companion and protector, and also her floating A.I. sword known as the Darque Blade. Her current bounty leads her to a synthetic planetoid on the outskirts of civilized space. There she's ambushed by a rival and thus begin Kit's adventures in the game.

Blade Kitten was born out of the need to bring together years of unused and unfinished ideas into a cool, fun universe that I could channel my creative energy into. These ideas feature all the geeky cool stuff that I loved like anime visuals, giant robots, big swords, aliens, cool fun science fiction and a serving of fun.

This happened...

141w ago - Update: Some pictures and a video (below) are now available of the NullDC Dreamcast emulator running on PS3 for those interested!

A few days ago we reported news that drk||Raziel is working on porting the Sega DreamCast emulator NullDC to Sony's PS3, and today he reports that the BiOS is operational and running!

Speaking to PSGroove, drk||Raziel states, to quote: "Letsee .. oh wait, it cross compiled ! *yay* for uber portable code ;p Interpreter only / underclock 4x / no pvr rendering / no audio / no input. Bios intro runs fine, then gets on the clock dialog screen. YAY !"





Currently it is produced on a PS3 Debug unit due to its remote debugging, but the code will run on Retail PS3 consoles as well. Below is the log file for those curious, cool news indeed!








Setting the path to /app_home/
nullDCe/ps3...

143w ago - Today Sony's Senior Social Media Specialist Sid Shuman has shared a BioShock Infinite PS3 gameplay Q&A with Ken Levine alongside some new PlayStation 3 screens, as follows:

I've seen BioShock Infinite in action, and the first-person gameplay featured numerous hallmarks of BioShock as well as intriguing new elements.

In the gameplay scenario I saw, protagonist Booker DeWitt explored the floating city of Columbia before battling a large mob of murderous Columbian citizens using shotguns and hunting rifles. Booker wielded supernatural powers as well, hurling lightning, telekinesis, and flesh-eating crows ala Hitchcock's The Birds.

After locating Elizabeth, the mysterious young woman at the heart of Columbia's internal conflict, Booker's powers grew exponentially. Channeled through Elizabeth, lightning bolts became swirling thunderstorms and telekinesis ripped the environment to tatters.

I spoke with Irrational Games creative director Ken Levine to learn more about BioShock Infinite's gameplay, similarities and differences compared to the original BioShock, and how the suspended city of Columbia presents new opportunities for first-person combat.

Sid Shuman:...