It’s almost here! With the release of ICO & Shadow of the Colossus HD Classics coming this week, I hope you guys are as excited as I am to be able to help Yorda escape the castle with ICO and, as Wanda, to take down some massive Colossi in full HD (and 3D for those of you lucky enough to have a 3D TV).

ICO & Shadow of the Colossus are two of my favourite games with some of the most innovative gameplay and beautiful art direction seen in gaming to this day. If you missed them first time around or if you don’t know anything about these games, don’t just take my word for how great they are; we’re currently running at a metacritic of 90% (at time of posting), based on 32 reviews. Some of which I’ve added below (please forgive me on the quote translation):

10/10 – VideoGamer.com

“You’ll be rewarded with an experience that will stay with you for a very long time. For under £30, you’ll be picking up two of the most important games ever made.”

9.5/10 – Vandal.net

“A must-buy for anyone with a passion for video games.”

9.5/10 – Multiplayer.it

“Two works of art for less than the price of one game”

9/10 – Eurogamer.net

“This HD collection is such a delight.”

9/10 – gameover.gr

“Two masterpieces / clear proof that games can be art”

9/10 – gamereactor.se

“Do yourself a favour now, and get this collection”

9/10 – CVG

“Two PS2 legends; one epic PS3 makeover”

9/10 – meristation.com

“Gaming poetry, now in HD and 3D”

ICO & Shadow of the Colossus are true gaming masterpieces created and developed by the amazing team headed up by gaming luminary Fumito Ueda. Along with the two dynamic themes (one for ICO and one for Shadow of the Colossus), for fans of Ueda-san we’ve also included two videos which are available via an in-pack voucher.

The first video is an original concept video for NICO. NICO was originally planned to be spiritual successor to ICO and was an online game where teams of Colossus hunters would track, battle and take down huge Colossi together. The core gaming experience and ideas ultimately became what we now know as Shadow of the Colossus.

There’s also a 12-minute behind-the-scenes video filmed on location by our US colleagues at the Sony Japan offices in Shinagawa. This video features interviews with key production staff members about the making of ICO, Shadow of the Colossus and, of course, The Last Guardian. The video includes the team’s thoughts on the HD Classics, as well as concept art and prototype footage of all three games. Plus you’ll get to see some exclusive never-before-seen footage from The Last Guardian.

Below is a short preview of the videos, to give you an idea of what to expect

Unfortunately, due to some technical issues, you will not be able to download this extra content using the in-pack voucher until Monday 10th October. Please accept our sincerest apologies.

Finally, thanks for reading this post and be sure to pick up your copy when it’s out in stores this week.

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We’ve been busy over the last few weeks in the PlayStation Access team. Aside from giving you guys Fast Track passes to get you dribbling all over PlayStation Vita at Eurogamer Expo before anyone else, making a tele show with the team from FirstPlay (Lucy Porter is back! You know this already though, right?) and throwing you opportunities to become a Treasure Hunter in the Arabian Desert – we’ve also been plodding on with our PlayStation Access tour of the UK.

So, with stupendous levels of excitement, I’d like to announce our next tour venue: Glasgow.

Scotland is home to some of our most passionate community members so we’re putting on a hell of a show. Access will be armed with Uncharted 3, Batman: Arkham City, Starhawk, Dark Souls, Battlefield 3 and many more. Plus there’s the ever customary free drinks and (here’s where the title starts to make sense) we’ve got James Buckley (Jay from the Inbetweeners!) coming to do a DJ set at the venue on the Friday and Saturday night slots.

So we’ll all be pulling out that elbow dance from the film, then

As ever we’ll have competitions and last minute additions to announce on our Facebook page too – so if you’re not one of the 10,000 Access lovers we’ve already amassed, you’d better head over there and get knee-deep in awesome. Here’s a link that’ll take you directly to the Access Glasgow sign up form (use your PC; Facebook doesn’t do tabs on mobile devices yet!).

See you in Glasgow,

MB

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The rapid growth of the downloadable games arena is perhaps what this generation of consoles will be remembered for and this week on the blog serves as a reminder of how vast and varied this space has become. We’ve read about Mercury Hg, Burnout Crash, Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken, had the chance to win a code for From Dust and, while it hasn’t appeared on the blog, I had a chance to play upcoming PSN title Amy when the developer visited our London HQ. It’s looking fantastic and let me just say that a quote I read somewhere describing it as “ICO meets survival horror” is not too wide of the mark. It’s a game that blurs the lines between what we expect from download and disc. What have you made of the rise of downloadable games this gen, and where do you see it going in the future?

Here’s your recap:

• The Studio Update - The Studio brings to PlayStation a collection of Static and Dynamic Themes for PS3 and PSP from some of the world’s greatest artists.
• The SingStore Update (21 September) And ‘Back To The 80s’ Full Tracklist! - SingStar offers up a whole new list of songs.
• Select AC: Revelations Discs Include The Original AC - Get the full version of the original Assassin’s Creed for free if you’re one of the first to buy Assassin’s Creed Revelations!
• VooFoo Studios Give Us The Latest On Hustle Kings - Hustle Kings coming for the PSVita and DLC for the PS3.
• Might And Magic: Clash Of Heroes DLC Launching Today - I Am the Boss update now available for Might and Magic Clash of Heroes.
• ‘Heads-Up’ Game Store Update 21st September 2011 - PS Store brings you Resident Evil 4, Clash of Heroes, Prince of Persia and more!
• Launch Of The Access TV Show On The PlayStation Store In The UK - Each 10-minute episode is packed with up-to-the-minute HD previews, interviews, features and more!
• Burnout Crash! – Check out this spinoff from the much loved Burnout series.
• Sack It To Me: …Still Moving To The New Move Pack! - Loads of information about LBP2, Move, user generated videos and more!
• PlayStation Home: Get Fit with PlayStation Home - Get fit at Home! Check Retro Fitness and Ocean Floor Treasure hunt.
• PlayStation Home Reboot Coming Soon… - If you haven’t been in Home for awhile then watch out, big changes are coming!
• Battlefield 3 Beta Dates And PS3 DLC Exclusivity - DICE announces the open beta dates for Battlefield 3 and an exclusive DLC just for PlayStation 3, one week before everyone else!
• VidZone Update: Discover Rock Video Nirvana With… Nirvana & Other Rock Gods! - You want rock? We’ve got it!
• Mercury Hg Coming To PSN Next Week - Check out the latest version of this PSP classic.
• Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One Luminopolis Trailer - Just how did Dr. Nefarious join up with Ratchet, Clank and President Qwark? Take a look!
• Ruin for PS Vita: Lairs, Relics, and the Social Web - Idol Minds explains more about Ruin, its addictive RPG game play and expansive social features.
• Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken Brings Jet-Pack Poultry To PSN - Read more about the creative energy behind the new PSN game, Rocketbirds.
• The Weekend Debate: Where’s My Hoverboard? - Which fictional scientific or technological discoveries in games do you think will become reality?
• Shameless Self Promotion - Here’s your chance to get your LBP masterpieces out to the masses.
• Resident Evil: Code Veronica X HD Hits PSN Wednesday, 50% Off for Plus Members - Celebrate the 15th Anniversary of Resident Evil with Resident Evil: Code Veronica, 50% off for Plus Members!



• Weekend Essentials 93 - Your guide to everything on PlayStation this weekend.
• 10 of the Best: PlayStation pack designs - Check out some of the most memorable examples of PlayStation cover art.
• Sony’s HMZ-T1 Personal 3D Viewer - Hands on with the future of immersive gaming.
• Fancy a piece of Resistance: Burning Skies? - Download a free and exclusive Resistance: Burning Skies theme to your PS3 or PSP when you sign up to Inside PS Vita.
• God of War: The story so far - Read all about Kratos’s adventures on PlayStation to date.

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More classic Resident Evil horror is heading to the PlayStation Network next week with Resident Evil: Code Veronica X HD! Claire Redfield, after narrowly escaping Raccoon City, is searching for her brother Chris.

Captured while sneaking around an Umbrella facility and snooping for leads, Claire is hauled off to a maximum security prison installation on Rockfort Island. While making her escape, she realizes the island is being overrun by zombies and Bio-Organic Weapons. Claire meets another prisoner, Steve Burnside, who is also looking to escape … but will they be able to work together to make it out alive? The island is veiled in secrets and the family behind the Umbrella Corporation has a deadly agenda of their own. Relive the survival horror classic available via PlayStation Network on Wednesday, Sept. 28th.

As we mentioned last week, we’ve got even more RE deals for PlayStation fans to help celebrate Resident Evil‘s 15th anniversary. For PlayStation Plus members, we’re offering the same 50-percent-off promotion for Resident Evil Code Veronica X HD that you enjoyed for Resident Evil 4 HD last week. That means you can score both games for under €20! And non-Plus members are in for a great deal too – anyone who purchases Resident Evil 4 will be able to buy Code Veronica X HD for the next two weeks at half-price. Happy zombie slaying!

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