57w ago - Sony PlayStation Correspondent Andy Burt has shared some hands-on impressions alongside a new video trailer today of Ni No Kuni: Wrath of The White Witch for the PS3 video gaming system below.

To quote: It's been quite a while since Namco Bandai Games first announced PS3-exclusive Ni No Kuni: Wrath of The White Witch.

A collaborative effort between veteran RPG maker Level-5 and veteran animation house Studio Ghibli, Ni No Kuni promises to seamlessly blend Ghibli's gorgeous art style with Level-5′s RPG chops for a completely unique experience not seen on PS3 until now.

I went hands-on with the game at Namco Bandai's recent media event in Las Vegas, exploring the lush world of Ni No Kuni, battling a plethora of creatures, and traversing through a pig-obsessed city appropriately titled Hamelin.

If you haven't yet, check out the gorgeous new trailer for Ni No Kuni: Wrath of The White Witch below.

If you're unfamiliar with what Ni No Kuni is all about, here's a quick refresher: players take on the role of Oliver, a young boy who has just lost his mother, as he searches for a way to find her again.





As his tears...

57w ago - Sony Senior Social Media Specialist Sid Shuman has gone hands-on today with some video footage of the Deadmau5 SoundShapes stage for PS Vita below.

To quote: It's no secret that electronica artist deadmau5 signed on with Toronto-based Queasy Games to collaborate on the upcoming PS Vita musical platformer Sound Shapes.

But last week we finally tasted the succulent fruits of that creative collaboration.

During a media showcase in New York City, Sound Shapes Producer Jason deGroot kindly demonstrated a new set of levels (a "Record" in the game's lingo) that featured audio effects provided by the mousey maestro and pixelicious art courtesy of indie developer Pixel Jam.

You can analyze the results for yourself below - headphones recommended!

It's worth noting that deadmau5's album tracks, such as the pop cut "Ghosts 'n Stuff," won't be appearing in Sound Shapes. And that's by design: the game's interactive soundtrack synthesizes with your platforming progress, making each "performance" a unique arrangement.

But deadmau5's sounds, loops, and rhythms are showcased in a dedicated set of levels. Better yet, his library will be available when it comes time to construct custom...

58w ago - Sony Senior Social Media Specialist Sid Shuman goes hands-on today with the Wild Wild West Starhawk Campaign with details below!

To quote: Though legions of bloodthirsty PSN warriors have plunged into Starhawk's multiplayer beta, the single-player campaign has remained stubbornly cloaked in shadow.

Until now: At a media event in New York City this week, Lightbox Interactive finally gave a peek under that cloak, showcasing a series of frantic battles and lush cinematic sequences from the game's story-driven campaign.

As Emmett Graves, an interstellar mercenary infected by a priceless but mutagenic resource dubbed "Rift energy," you'll use the game's dramatic Build and Battle combat system to call down turrets, walls, vehicles and structures from outer space.

Your objective is to defend the frontier town of White Sands from marauding Outcast invaders -- including your Rift-possessed outlaw brother Logan.

Starhawk's Western-tinged story is told through lavishly illustrated cut-scenes that weave in and out of the gameplay, seamlessly connecting the action sequences and, better still, cutting between-mission load times to the bone.

I sampled several minutes of the campaign and was pleased to discover a fast-paced yet strategic sandbox shooter that...

58w ago - Producer Matt Charles has shared details today on Borderlands 2 from PAX East for PlayStation 3 fans today!

To quote: This weekend at the Borderlands 2 booth, we granted PAX East visitors chance to play with two brand-new characters for Borderlands 2 - Salvador the Gunzerker and Maya the Siren - in a new environment called the Caustic Caverns.

The Gunzerker and Siren classes have made great strides compared to their counterparts from the original game. Players who choose to play as Salvador will be able to use his Gunzerking ability to run into a crowd with two guns blazing.

If you played the first game, you may recognize this as an evolution of Brick's Berserking skill. Meanwhile, Maya's new Siren skill Phaselock isolates an enemy inside a phase bubble for a short time.

Once you've Phaselocked a target, your primary choice is whether to focus your fire on the helpless foe before it breaks free or mop up any other threats nearby. Decisions, decisions!

Borderlands has a strong history of co-op gameplay and that's still a core promise of this game. At PAX, we watched as Siren players Phaselocked an enemy, leaving an opening for the Gunzerker buddy to run up, dual-wielding, and take out the target just in the nick of time.

I'm also happy...

62w ago - Sony Senior Social Media Specialist Sid Shuman is here with a new video demonstrating PlayStation Move with the new PSN game Datura below.

To quote: I've never seen a game quite like Datura. I encountered this upcoming PSN adventure title last week during a GDC demonstration that showed off the game's intricate use of the PlayStation Move motion controller.

In Datura, your gestures with PS Move guide a disembodied hand onscreen, a bit like a mouse cursor but in a full 3D space. The motion tracking is 1:1, so I was able to reach into the game to interact with the environment, whether it was to caress a tree trunk or pull a hand-drawn map in for closer inspection.

In the video below, Producer Matt Morton gives a full tour of Datura's interface and universe - it's absolutely worth watching.

Intrigued by the game's cryptic presentation and strong emphasis on player choice, I spoke with Director Michal Staniszewski to learn more about his inspirations.

If Datura intrigues you, be sure to tune into this Thursday's PlayStation Blogcast for another segment discussing this enigmatic PSN title. And if you have questions, be sure to leave them in the comments.





Sid Shuman, PlayStation.Blog:...