29w ago - Creator Ramiro Corbetta has introduced Sportsfriends: Hokra today complete with a PSN preview video for fans below.

To quote: I'm Ramiro Corbetta, creator of Hokra, one of the four games that make up Sportsfriends.

If you don't know about Sportsfriends, it's a compendium of four super fun local multiplayer games that's coming to PSN in 2013. Over the last couple of weeks, two of the other designers involved in Sportsfriends spoke about their games (you can read about Noah Sasso's BaraBariBall and about Bennett Foddy's Super Poler Riders), and today I get to write about my game.

Hokra is a minimalist sports game for two teams of two players. Players score points by holding the balls in the goals of their color on the corners of the screen. This video I did with Kotaku does a great job of explaining the basics of the game:





The rules are quite simple, but the game has a lot of depth to it. Even though I have played it for innumerable hours, I'm still finding new techniques and strategies when I play against expert competition.

When I started working on Hokra, I wasn't exactly making a game. I had been playing lots of FIFA, and like many other people, my favorite part of the game is...

78w ago - Sony PlayStation Network Executive Producer Kevin Furuichi has posted up a preview of their PULSE 12/20 Edition, which features the Year in Review below.

To quote: As 2011 draws to a close, join Christina Lee for a look back at some of the year's most memorable games. From Sackboy's return in LittleBigPlanet 2 to Nathan Drake's epic adventure in UNCHARTED 3: Drake's Deception, this year was one of the biggest in recent memory.

From the big shooters like Killzone 3 and Battlefield 3 to surprises such as PSN exclusives Eufloria and inFAMOUS: Festival of Blood, the year also included a dramatic redesign of PlayStation Home and a beautiful compilation of the beloved Ico & Shadow of the Colossus collection.

We know this only scratches the surface and there's plenty of titles PULSE didn't have time to mention, but we hope you enjoy a walk through another amazing year for our industry.





And, remember you can watch the full edition of PULSE from the 'What's New' section on your XMB later today when the PlayStation Store updates.

Have a safe and happy holiday and look for PULSE to return in mid-January.

131w ago - Today Associate Editor Nathan Ditum has shared a preview of FirstPlay Episode 37, which arrives on PSN this Wednesday.

To quote: With Christmas approaching like a thunderous runaway murder train with tinsel strung across the front, things are getting a little hectic in the FirstPlay office.

Mostly because I still haven't bought a single present and don't reckon on having any time to until Easter, but also because we've been making another packed episode for you to enjoy.

Episode 37 hits the Store this Wednesday, and features a hands-on preview of Dead Space 2 and an interview with the game's art director Ian Milham. We also talk to Ian about the making of the original Dead Space, have a thorough play around with occupation shooter Homefront, and review another batch of PlayStation strays in our round-up, including Blood Stone 007 and EA's mysterious new puzzler Create.

We've also got a review of kung fu reboot The Karate Kid on Blu-ray, a guide to hardly ever getting shot in Medal Of Honor online, and a look at the Blu-ray movies that have had the biggest influence on modern games. Plus our screenshot galleries this week include the likes of Dragon Age 2 and F.E.A.R. 3.

As always this comes for just 99p, or you can buy a 12 week subscription for...

132w ago - Sony Associate Editor Nathan Ditum has shared a preview of FirstPlay Episode 36 today, which is coming to PSN this Wednesday.

To quote: This week's episode is number 36, and it's on the Store from Wednesday the 8th of December.

Inside we go hands-on for a full preview of Killzone 3, collect another batch of PS3 releases in our reviews round-up, and catch up with Official PlayStation Magazine's Rachel Weber to find out how she got on when she performed her freshly-written rap for some of the country's leading music critics.

We've also got a review of Sylvester Stallone's action throwback The Expendables in Blu-ray, our verdict on Medal Of Honor online, and an in-depth look at the making of 007 Blood Stone with the guys from developer Bizarre Creations, plus an interview with the producer of upcoming exotic racer Test Drive Unlimited 2.

On top of all that this week we've also got a huge competition to win an Epson HD-Ready TW450 projector, worth loads and loads of money.

As always this comes for just 99p, or even less if you buy a 12 week subscription for £8.99. Which, you know, you definitely should. FirstPlay: See the future of PS3. First.

133w ago - Sony Associate Editor Nathan Ditum has shared details on FirstPlay Episode 35 today, which arrives on PSN this Wednesday!

To quote: It's somehow almost Christmas, even though it feels like about a week since I didn't really get anything I wanted last year ("A whisk! Thanks, darling") and I haven't yet filled my amazon wishlist with expensive boxsets I'll never have time to watch.

But it does mean that FirstPlay is experiencing its first ever December, with episode 35 hitting the store on Wednesday the 1st.

The big news this week is that, to celebrate the release of the actually rather good Def Jam Rapstar, we sent Official PlayStation Magazine's foolishly game news editor Rachel Weber to become a real rapper under the tutelage of hip hop up-and-comer XO man. See how she got on in our exclusive feature.

We also do our square-jawed damnedest to catch up on all the games of 2010 we've not reviewed so far, including Rock Band 3, DJ Hero 2, PDC World Championship Darts (whoo!) and a big slice of Assassin's Creed Brotherhood.

We also take a look at blockbusting marvel Inception on Blu-ray, show you how we got on with our first hour on Killzone 3's multiplayer, countdown our favourite local co-op games (that's splitscreen and screensharing, rather...