PlayStation Network will undergo routine maintenance on Monday 30 August between the hours of 08:00 and 21:00 BST.
During this time you will not be able to access PlayStation Store, PlayStation Home or any part of Account Management, such as your Download List.
However, you should be able to play games online and sign-in here on the PlayStation Blog, ateu.playstation.com and on the official PlayStation forums.
The next system software update for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) will disable the USB ports that are available on all PS3 systems. Due to security concerns, Sony Computer Entertainment will remove the functionality through the 3.42 system software update.
In addition, disabling the USB ports will help ensure that PS3 owners will continue to have access to the broad range of gaming and entertainment content from SCE and its content partners on a more secure system.
Consumers and organizations that currently use the USB ports can choose not to upgrade their PS3 systems, although the following features will no longer be available;
* Ability to sign in to PlayStation Network and use network features that require signing in to PlayStation Network, such as online features of PS3 games and chat
* Playback of PS3 software titles or Blu-ray Disc videos that require PS3 system software version 3.42 or later
* Playback of copyright-protected videos that are stored on a media server (when DTCP-IP is enabled under Settings)
* Use of new features and improvements that are available on PS3 system software 3.42 or later
Additional information about PS3 firmware updates, including v3.42 (once it becomes available), can be found here: http://us.playstation.com/support/systemupdates/ps3/index.htm
For the past couple of months I’ve tried to become an elite jetfighter pilot: dogfighting, bombing targets from amidst the clouds, shadowing stealthy enemies – I’ve done it all. Not in real life though, I’m actually Sorin Muresan, a Community Developer working at Ubisoft Romania. In doing my job I get to rub elbows with the devs and talk with the fans, write news, capture screenshots and videos, organize events and, hardest of all, I have to play a lot of games. The one I’ve been working on and enjoying lately isH.A.W.X. 2, an aerial combat game that put me through a rollercoaster ride with fireworks going off all around.
From the first cinematic, I got a glimpse of the Tom Clancy storyline: I was in the middle of a world conspiracy with terrorists threatening to use stolen nukes against whoever doesn’t meet their demands. So I got comfortable in my chair and ready to dispense some justice and peace with my trigger finger.
The first mission started me off easy, with a take-off from an airbase to inspect the area around. Piece of cake! Full throttle, pitch up and the sky was the limit! But I would later find out that landing is not a piece of said cake, especially when attempting it at night on an aircraft carrier, even with the onboard computer helping me a little. And it seared a mental note into my brain: always make sure to lower the landing gear before attempting to touch down. I still have no idea how I simply forgot to do this. Twice.
I guess I’ll just blame it on not having had any other aerial combat game to play for quite a while. Nevertheless, there I was, back in the cockpit, refreshing my aircraft piloting skills. While I recognized a lot of the planes from the first HAWX, the way they behaved felt different. With a much more life-like physics engine, I had to scrap some of my old tactics, like flying inverted to have a better view of the ground targets. When I tried this in H.A.W.X. 2, the plane would fall towards the ground and I had to constantly correct the flight path.
But I quickly adapted and evolved so I was flying better and better, ever so close to the edge of control. This was a must during dogfights against some pretty cunning and agile enemies. They evaded my missiles, would often outmaneuver me and seemed to find those sweet spots where I couldn’t get a lock on with the heat-seeking missiles and I had to chisel away at their planes with the cannon.
Even with a more cunning AI, I still got many opportunities to use all of the missiles, rockets and bombs in my arsenal throughout the scenarios. In some missions I got radar guided missiles with which I safely took out enemies from afar. While in other missions, I quickly cleared out entire tank squads with some cluster bombs. And I had some FPS-like fun with the stand-off missiles that I could guide right up to the impact point through their onboard cameras.
As a change of pace, the game also had me fly silent Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) in covert surveillance missions. I marked the ground targets and later on I got to take them out from high in the sky. Those insurgents never saw my precision bombs coming. And in other missions, when the allied ground troops were in trouble, I was dispatched to provide close air support in the AC-130 gunships from which I was operating some very powerful cannons and clearing paths for the advancing squads.
And the more I played, the more I got in return. You’ll know what I mean if you join me in a Team Battle multiplayer match and see how I customized my plane’s weapon loadout through the new Plane Mastery system. The demo’s out already for the PS3, so get it now and practice a little! The game will be cleared for launch in 2 weeks and I’ll be waiting for you in the game lobby.
It’s a proud week for us here at Zipper Interactive as tomorrow marks the 8th birthday of our first-ever PS2game and the title that started a huge multimillion-selling franchise, SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs. To celebrate the eight-year mark, we’ve put together a special video for our fans.
In it, you’ll experience the gamescom 2010 SOCOM: Special Forces demo in its entirety with commentary by lead designer, Travis Steiner. This is the first time anywhere that you’ll see the gamescom demo played all the way through and in high-definition, making it a “must watch” for anyone even remotely interested in what we have in store for 2011.
Let us know what you think below, and please accept our sincerest thanks for making the first eight years of SOCOM as great as they have been. Here’s to many more to come!
With That 3 November release date drawing tantalisingly close, Polyphony Digital isn’t afraid to hit us with a host of new features. I attended a Gran Turismo 5 presentation yesterday and will need to try hard not to write a novella about the stable of additions we saw for the first time.
The newest addition to the series is a track editor that allows to players to generate their own courses based around a complex scheme of parameters and share them with the wider community. There are four themes to choose from and a dizzying array of settings to tweak, including the number of turns, track length, weather, topography and speed of sectors.
We also got our first look at kart racing, which, according to Kazunori Yamauchi, “Completely changes the world of Gran Turismo”. He added that the team had been saving this feature for Gran Turismo 6 but, after it had been leaked to the public, he decided to add it to GT5. The presence of karts shows how capable the game’s physics are in coping with the differences between the lightest vehicles and those generating the greatest downforce.
One of the most eye-catching points was around the Photo Travel mode and the announcement that it will support 3D images; attendees were encouraged on-stage to put on a pair of glasses and see the effect for themselves. This demonstration also showed off the detail of the feature, which evens allows players to adjust the position of the front and back wheels of their parked car before taking the perfect snap.
The mode that Kazunori spent the most time demonstrating is B-Spec. You may remember a version of this in Gran Turismo 4. The father of GT introduced it claiming that they had intended to release this as a kind of sequel to Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec on PlayStation 2.
“In GT5 we have been able to create what I originally intended,” he said.
You take the role of a race manager in what he described as a ‘Racing Simulator RPG’. You start with one driver and, as the game progresses, you can control of up to six. During races you can issue commands such as drive more aggressively or overtake, and you must always monitor stats like how tired your driver is, mentally and physically, and how agitated they are. Different drivers have unique personalities and you can watch their performances via a near photo realistic video feed.
This contributes to what Gran Turismo fans know as GT Mode, now called GT Life.
It was a presentation that will make those with 3 November in their calendar even more excited. Knowing the GT community, I doubt that’s now possible.
Pre-order SOCOM 4 and receive an in-game Super M90 shotgun and a GameStop exclusive multiplayer map.
GameStop Exclusive Abandoned Map - This popular “Suppression” map from SOCOM 1 and 2 makes a comeback in SOCOM 4. Abandoned takes place in the daytime around an ancient Thai village deep in the misty jungle. Fight your way over dense hillsides, through dark caves, and into the close-quarters mayhem of the archeological site. Classic SOCOM heritage meets evolved SOCOM 4 action.
Super M90 Shotgun - An extremely high quality, versatile and powerful weapon, the Super M90 is preferred tactical shotgun among the U.S. NAVY SEALs since 1999. This 12-gauge shotgun is equipped with slug ammunition for serious stopping power. It inflicts heavy damage in a focused area and features a greater effective range than standard shotguns.
Available online and in-store while supplies last.
Online Customers: A code and instructions on how to redeem your in-game items will be emailed when the game releases.
Store / In-Store Pickup Customers: A code and instructions on how to redeem your exclusive in-game items will be printed on your receipt at time of purchase.
The one I’ve been working on and enjoying lately is
Mensagens
