Hello!

I can’t quite believe it’s already the end of the year and this is the last SingStore update of 2010. Time flies… I probably had too much fun singing and dancing my way through the year to notice. Nevermind little olde me. It’s all about you in this update and keeping you busy until the first update in 2011 which will be on 5th January.

Some of you will be glad to see some lovely new Christmas songs making their way onto the store but for anyone not wanting to enter into the festive spirit just yet there are certainly other tracks you can get your mittens on like All-American Rejects, The Clash or Morrissey for example.

If you’re already feeling guilty about all the chocolate and mulled wine you’ll be consuming over the next few weeks there really is no need. Just take a look at the twelve dance add-ons, download, practice and all those extra calories will be gone in no time at all… and you’ll have even more fun watching your family and friends having a go, too! If you’re more of a rock god than a dancing queen then check out the thirteen guitar-add ons below.

When I said we want to keep you busy until next year, I really meant it. We have no less than nine song packs for you, four of which are new and exclusive to the SingStore including the dark and dangerous Alternative 80s, and we’ve worked pretty hard to get them ready in time. A big thanks to the team for pulling this off in a very short amount of time! I’ll get some biscuits for you.

I can’t resist the Kings Of Leon pack and that will wander straight into my basket on Wednesday and of course, I am also very excited about Bon Jovi: Ballads and just had to mention it. BTW, their Greatest Hits album is out now and you can find out more about it here.

Another welcome addition to the store is our first ever ‘musicals’ song pack in the shape of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s brilliant “Oklahoma!” I hope you enjoy it!

I’m glad I also have an exciting message for all our fans across the pond. The deal with Universal has been finalised for the US which means you guys will now also get great new songs in the SingStore and won’t have to be jealous of your European counterparts anymore. For a full list of tracks released in the US in this update please check the US blog. Happy holidays!

Last but not least, watch out for some more exciting SingStar blog posts from us on New Years Eve. Surprise! See you all in 2011, have a fab time and give peace a chance. Festive greetings from all of us at SingStar to all of you!

Nina xxx
(more…)

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Due to issues beyond our control, a nasty, disgusting and horrific zombie outbreak has occurred and we need you to help prove your nation is the best in world at fighting the zombie infection.

Dean Nation has a unique online component which we call the metagame. It means that every time you kill a zombie we know about it and so does the game. The metagame uses that information to track many things. So, every single zombie kill counts!

Every single dirt ridden, disgusting sack of flesh you kill will count towards clearing the virus in your country. The more zombies you and your countrymen kill, the quicker the virus will be cleared.

Below is a snapshot of part of the Metagame:

1. Currently selected country.
2. Player’s statistics.
3. Statistics about the currently selected country.
4. Ticker texts which displays various information about the global status, player’s country status, player’s friends and about the player.
5. Access to more in-depth detailed statistics.

The metagame features an interactive map of the world, which can be used to access all the information. For example if you want to see who the best player in Japan is, you would select the country on the map to get that information. You can also easily check if any of your PSN friends live in that country and how well they are doing compared to their fellow countrymen. Can you be the best in your country?

The metagame also informs you which player is currently the best zombie killer in the world; best in your country of origin; and best amongst your friends.

On a higher level the metagame tracks which country is the best in eradicating the zombie threat. This aspect can be seen as “Zombie killing World Championships”. It will be interesting to see which country will come on top and if they are able to hold that position.

Every country is ranked, so that you’ll be able to see how your homeland is progressing against your nearest ally or foe; and as you progress through the virus cycles it is worth keeping an eye out. Who knows when things might change?

Although the basic premise of the metagame is to see how your nation is progressing, it really does much more than that, and will take on a game of its own as it organically grows over the months and years after release. We’ll be keeping a close eye on it and are most definitely planning on supporting the Dead Nation community!

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TRON: Legacy is set to roll out in dozens of countries around the world this week and next, though it won’t arrive in some European countries for another month or so. We’ve been gathering early reviews right here. While we wait, take a look at this nifty little mashup from Nick Tierce:

Nick Tierce’s Tron-ified Modern Times from Nick Tierce on Vimeo.

Now, as Alex Weekes pointed out the other day, you can enter the world of TRON: Legacy via TRON: Evolution and set up your own “personal space in Estates, where you can experience life on the grid.” Wouldn’t it be kind of great if you could step into the world of Charlie Chaplin‘s Modern Times, too? To us, in the 2010s, it’s as exotic and as aesthetically intriguing as the original TRON was to audiences in 1982. What other worlds might be fun to explore? Of these potentially immersive worlds conjured by a few of cinema’s masters (and one hard-working but unremarkable director), which would you like to wander into most?

1. Last Year at Marienbad has been described as a “surreal fever dream, or perhaps a nightmare.” Alain Resnais‘s 1961 masterpiece has been seducing and confounding audiences for nearly half a century. Dressed in 20th century evening wear, you wander a sumptuous Baroque château and, as Miriam Bale explains, there’s even a game within the game.
2. In the Mood for Love. To walk the nighttime streets of Hong Kong in 1962 as imagined by Wong Kar-wai and cinematographer extraordinaire Christopher Doyle… to experience the exquisite pain of longing for what cannot be had, your every strategy aborted just moments too soon… to take in the beauty of Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung in silence, hour after hour, night after night.
3. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives “is a film that you slip into as you would a warm blanket,” wrote Daniel Kasman from Cannes this year, where Apichatpong Weerasethakul‘s latest film, set on the edge of a jungle in Thailand and perhaps the most intoxicating of this quartet, won the Palme d’Or. “Uncle Boonmee stretches out in the countryside to take a final, deep, accepting breath of air and live life before passing on, from animals to men to ghosts and myths.”
4. Just Imagine. Dystopian visions of the future are a dime a dozen. For kicks, picture venturing into the New York City of 1980 as director David Butler hoped it would be in 1930. Sort of like The Jetsons, and just as goofy, only on an outrageously grand scale: Art Deco buildings stretch 250 stories high; traffic zooms and flies by on nine levels. Oh, and it’s a musical.

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From today, when you launch the Internet Browser from your PS3 system and check out the home page, you’ll notice a few changes…

eu.playstation.com has been revamped with a new interface to make the most of your HDTV. It is now easier to navigate and you can even use PlayStation Move.

In terms of content, we bring you there all the latest trailers from the world of PlayStation, news and features, as well as guides to help you get the most of your PS3.

Go check out the new site now at eu.playstation.com from the Internet Browser on your PS3.

In the New Year you can expect more to come to this new site, with the integration of the PlayStation.Blog and PSN community features.

I look forward to hearing your first impressions on the new site and, for those without immediate access to their PS3, here are a few screens.

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Hello everyone,

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 £8.99 and get it for even less. .

We’re always super keen to hear your thoughts and feedback, so if you have anything to say please get in touch: on Twitter at @firstplay_uk, via email at FirstPlay@futurenet.com, or the official EU forums.
And don’t forget you can sign up for the FirstPlay newsletter at http://www.firstplay.co.uk/register to have regular news and content updates delivered directly.

See the Future of PS3. First.

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