130w ago - Big Sandwich Games Design Director Tyler Sigman has announced news of a new Hoard patch coming to PSN alongside a video trailer and free new level details today, as follows:

It's been just over two weeks since HOARD released, and thousands of gamers have been getting their flame on while toasting villages, incinerating knights, crisping thieves, and kidnapping the occasional princess!

Reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, with many surprised at just how addictive and deep the dragon "stratecade" (strategy arcade) experience is.

However, the game was not entirely without its rough edges, and there are a few issues we've been monitoring which need a little tweaking.

Your feedback at HOARDgame.com has been very important to us, and we're happy to confirm that we'll be addressing most of those issues in an upcoming patch!





The patch will include:

• Eye Strain Begone -- We'll be increasing tutorial and badge text size for less squintyness. 20/10 vision no longer required!
• Lasting Friendship -- The multiplayer lobby will now be persistent. After finishing a game, you'll return to the game setup lobby so you can easily play again with...

142w ago - Sony's PlayStation Network Product Manager James Thorpe has detailed a new PlayStation Plus offer today alongside upcoming content for September and October, 2010.

To quote: For all those who haven't signed up to Plus yet, here's just one more reason!

Sign up for a 1 year membership between the 1st September and 5th October and you will get all the great features of Plus AND a copy of the great PS3 game Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty, completely free and yours to keep forever.

"The mysterious Zoni have taken Clank! Now Ratchet must use his space-age weapons and new Omniwrench to battle Captain Darkwater's band of cut-throat ghost pirates to find the Fulcrum Star - a lost treasure that could be the link to finding his best friend."

Here's the list of great content that is available to Plus members from September 1st - October 5th

• PSN: Sam and Max: Devil's Playground (entire season)
• minis: Vector Tower Defense, Echoes
• PSOne Classic: Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
• Full Game Trial: Warhawk (Plus exclusive 50% discount for Plus members on purchase), Inferno Pool
• Exclusive Discounts: LBP: Ico and Shadow of Colossus costume pack - 50%, Metal Gear Solid (PSOne) - 50%, Warhawk - 50%, Pixel Junk Shooter...

147w ago - Sony Senior Social Media Specialist Sid Shuman has shared some hands-on details of the upcoming PSN shooter Dead Nation for the PS3 entertainment system.

To quote: I was itching to get my mitts on Dead Nation, the upcoming PSN shooter from the creators of Super Stardust HD. Luckily, I got some extensive play time from last week's NYC PlayStation media day. Here's what I learned.

You can upgrade your guns... a lot. Dead Nation's environments are dotted with fenced-in "safe zones" that give you a chance to catch your breath and buy supplies from a nearby gun shop.

In addition to buying health and ammo, you can purchase mods that will enhance your various weapons in different ways, depending on the gun. The mods upgrade stats such as damage, ammo capacity, firing rate, reload time, and range.

While the most potent weapon upgrades are expensive, you can pop open car trunks and chests found through the environments in order to collect cash and other useful items.

The Shotgun is devastating. The Dead Nation build I played featured three weapons -- the Shotgun, SMG, and Rifle -- with more to come in the final version. Early on, I decided to pour my money into repeatedly upgrading the Shotgun's damage and spread capability.

The results...

185w ago - During an interview with G4TV (linked above), Quantic Dream co-CEO and writer/director David Cage reveals some details of the an upcoming Heavy Rain PS3 demo, his concerns, and why a demo will be important for gamers to try to gain a better understanding of Heavy Rain's concept.

To quote: "G4: Have you considered releasing a short demo via PSN of a scene such as the Norman Jayden junkyard fight, to convey what the game is to gamers who don't follow enthusiast media?

DC: Definitely. We are currently working on a demo, which is a real challenge. Finding one scene that can convey what we are trying to achieve with Heavy Rain is something really difficult. If we show an action scene, some players will think that this is what Heavy Rain is all about, and it is the same thing if we show an exploration scene.

The problem is that each scene of the game offers contextual game play, which is something very difficult to explain and convey in a single demo. Demos are often a double-edge thing: if you don't release one, players may think that you have something to hide. We also know many good games that ended up not being massive hits because the demo could not convey the quality of the game behind it.

Because Heavy Rain is a new concept and since many gamers will...

194w ago - Secret World from Funcom is an MMO heading for PC and Xbox 360 in 2010.

Yet, what will set the MMO apart from the rest... check out the video below!

To quote: "Secret World will be set in modern day times in the real world, and players will be able to roam the good planet Earth just like normal life - however all the myths and legends that we have heard of in real life will actually turn out to be true in the Secret World.

There will be three secret societies that players can take allegiance with and such choice will then allow players to then pick a start location of either London, New York or Seoul following which the adventure begins to uncover the truths behind the myths.

Within the game, the divide between reality and the supernatural will be forever evident. What may be seen to be a simple local nightclub, may eventually provide a night of terror as ancient creatures pour from it to stalk the streets. The player will be continually faced by unspeakable horrors, and will often have to take it upon themselves to explore unknown worlds beyond our own as they aim to unravel truths.

What will prove to be interesting, is that the game will include no classes or levels as such. The player will be provided with full control in the ability of complete character customisation,...