36w ago - Sony Blog Manager Fred Dutton has detailed a Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus 2 Q&A for PlayStation Vita fans today!

To quote: The PS Vita version of 2007′s PlayStation 3 dice 'em up Ninja Gaiden Sigma was satisfying evidence of just how comfortable a full, lightning-fast console action game can feel on a handheld.

Duly, Team Ninja's announcement last month that a sequel - Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Plus - is currently in development came as very welcome news.

PlayStation.Blog sat down for a quick chat with Team Ninja boss Yosuke Hayashi to find out what it has in store with its new Vita game, as well as mysterious new project Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z and recent release Dead or Alive 5.

PlayStation.Blog: It's not been long since the release of Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus. Why are we seeing a sequel so soon?

Yosuke Hayashi, Team Ninja: We released Sigma Plus earlier this year and it actually did better than we expected, and there was a lot of fan demand for releasing a sequel. We were really happy with the results we got with the original, so that's why we're announcing Sigma 2 Plus.

PSB: What new features are you adding over and above the PlayStation 3 original?

YH: PlayStation Vita is definitely an easy console to play games...

37w ago - Sony Social Media Manager Sid Shuman has made available a Q&A featuring new details for Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified for PS Vita today.

To quote: Back in August, Jeff and I got a few minutes of hands-on time with Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified, the upcoming PS Vita entry in the battle-tested military combat series.

Though the game was early in production, our experience was promising and pointed to a faithful translation of Call of Duty's signature multiplayer combat to PS Vita's 5″ OLED screen and dual analog sticks.

Two months later, Activision and developer Nihilistic are shedding new details on this fall's PS Vita punisher. We caught up with Robert Huebner, the developer's studio head, for the latest intel drop.

PlayStation.Blog: How is the game progressing since we last saw it at Gamescom?

Robert Huebner, Studio Head, Nihilistic: Gamescom seems so long ago. I think the most noticeable thing is a significant visual upgrade; a richer color palette, more detailed models, and better lighting overall.

Also we implemented an entirely new animation blending system that allows us to capture a lot of nuanced animation that Call of...

39w ago - Following up on their PS Vita System Software v1.80 update from a few weeks back, today Sony's official PlayStation Turkey page has been updated to reflect the release of PS Vita System Software update v1.81 tonight.

Download: PS Vita Firmware 1.81 Update (US) / PS Vita Firmware 1.81 Update (EU) / PS Vita Firmware 1.81 Update (JP)

While there is no official changelog posted yet, many believe the 1.81 revision will block the ability to run VHBL through Monster Hunter Freedom Unite using the recent VHBL PS Vita 1.80 exploit for the PlayStation Vita handheld console.

From the site, roughly translated: "PS Vita...

40w ago - Today Nintendo's president Satoru Iwata confirmed Wii U specs (PDF) during a Japanese presentation alongside Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime discussing the Wii U retail bundles release date, pricing, specifications and launch software.

Below are the details and video, as follows:

The Nintendo Wii U will launch in the US on November 18, 2012 for $299.99 for the basic 8GB version and $349.99 for the deluxe 32GB version that comes complete with extra accessories and the Nintendo Land video game.

In Europe Nintendo's Wii U handheld will launch on November 30, and in Japan the Wii U will launch on December 8, 2012 costing 26,250 Yen for the basic model and 31,000 Yen for the premium model and will also have 8GB and 32GB capacity respectively.

This storage will be used for game saves, game data, and other content downloaded from the Nintendo Network. Wii U game discs will be 25GB each so by the looks of it game installs won't be possible, well not on launch at least. Both SKUs will include HDMI cables an AC adapters for the console and Wii U Gamepad. The Wii U measures 46 mm x 172 mm x 268.5 mm horizontally, it can also be placed vertically.

Nintendo is claiming the...

43w ago - Sony Social Media Manager Sid Shuman has shared details today on PSN title The Walking Dead as part of a 9-minute interview with Robert Kirkman.

Below are the details, to quote: Like many of you, I'm eagerly awaiting news on the release date of the third episode of Telltale Games' superb PSN series The Walking Dead, a game that is intimately connected to the grim world of Robert Kirkman's celebrated comic series.

I've long wondered just how involved Kirkman was with Telltale's hit game series, so when I got a chance to interview him during Gamescom in Germany last week, I dropped by bratwurst and Kolsch and picked up the phone.

I first met Kirkman during an interview for the late, great GamePro and, as always, the man is nothing if not humble about his considerable creative achievements.

He modestly described The Walking Dead's surge into mainstream pop culture as "a wild ride," and expressed great satisfaction with Telltale's work on the game.

My chat with Kirkman was short (he's a busy man!) but it yielded some fascinating insights into the creative processes behind one of the biggest properties in comics, TV, and gaming.