PlayStation.Blog.Europe » Jem Alexander

Ezio Costume Coming To Final Fantasy XIII-2

Jem Alexander — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 13:00:39 +0000

We’re excited to announce a partnership with Ubisoft which is allowing us to offer a special costume for FINAL FANTASY XIII-2′s male protagonist, Noel, as downloadable content. He will be able to dress up as the master assassin from the latest Assassin’s Creed game, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. As you can see above, Ezio Auditore’s costume has been lovingly recreated for Noel.

We’ll be announcing the release date of this DLC at another time, but we thought you’d like to get a sneak peek at it ahead of time. For more information on FINAL FANTASY XIII-2, check out the Square Enix Blog. We’ve recently been posting a load of new screenshots as well as our recent ‘Battle In Valhalla’ trailer. Well worth checking out, if you haven’t already!

FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 will be on shelves in Europe on February 3rd 2012.

Introducing Square Enix’s First Vita Game: Army Corps Of Hell

Jem Alexander — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:30:44 +0000

Army Corps of Hell is our first game for the PlayStation Vita. In the game you will control the King of Hell, who has been banished and is seeking to reclaim his throne with the help of an army of goblin soldiers. Army Corps of Hell is being developed by Entersphere and will feature plenty of dark humour as you venture further into the depths of Hell.

With Army Corps of Hell we’re taking full advantage of the Vita’s unique features; you can use the rear touch pad to play a rhythm based mini-game and heal your troops. The game also includes a crafting system and a leveling system to improve and equip your goblin soldiers to expand their skills and abilities. Want some rare items? Team up with some friends via ad-hoc multiplayer and take on tougher monsters.

You can expect to see Army Corps of Hell available for the PlayStation Vita in 2012.

We’ll have more information in the coming months before launch, so keep an eye on the Square Enix Blog for any updates on the game. In the meantime, check out the Tokyo Game Show trailer and our announcement screenshots below. As for our other titles, such as FINAL FANTASY XIII-2, Tomb Raider and Hitman: Absolution, make sure you keep an eye on the official Square Enix Blog. We’re regularly updating it with the newest information on all of our games. Join us!

PlayStation.Blog Recap

Jem Alexander — Sat, 15 May 2010 10:55:59 +0000

PlayStation.Blog.Europe Weekly Content Recap

Split/Second Interview

Jem Alexander — Wed, 12 May 2010 08:10:19 +0000

We were very happy to have the producer of Split/Second, Jason Reid, over to our offices recently to show us the final build of the game. I got some hands-on time with it and it’s looking really great. I’m not a fan of driving games normally, so I was surprised to find myself losing track of time. This is a racing game that aspires to be a Hollywood movie in the style of Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer — a level of explosions, slow motion and large scale destruction that it easily lives up to.

After quite a lengthy play session I got Jason on camera to discuss the game — from the developers’ inspirations to the game modes and those ever-present explosions. If you give your eyes a slight nudge downwards you’ll find the video sitting there, waiting for you.

PlayStation.Blog Recap

Jem Alexander — Sat, 08 May 2010 11:01:31 +0000

PlayStation.Blog.Europe Weekly Content Recap

It’s been a pretty crazy week, what with my whirlwind trip to Pixar in San Francisco. Sid Shuman from the US Blog and I will be bringing you more content from that over the next week or so. In the meantime you can check out this weeks’ posts, using the handy list below. I’m on holiday next week, but there’s some very interesting stuff scheduled in already, so you shouldn’t miss me too much. See you all again on the 17th!

Kick-Ass Available On PSN This Week! – You can now grab Kick Ass from the PSN Store.
GT Academy Winner Jordan’s Frustrating First Race – A report from the GT Academy.
FirstPlay Episode 5 – A sneaky peek at this week’s episode of FirstPlay.
God of War: Ghost of Sparta Announced For PSP! – Kratos will be wreaking havoc once again on the PSP!
This Week On The SingStore (6 May 2010) – A load of new songs are now available on the SingStore.
UFC Undisputed 2010 Interview – I chat to UFC Undisputed 2010′s Producer, Neven Dravinski.
‘Heads-Up’ PlayStation Store Update (5th May 2010) – This week’s PlayStation Store update.
Digital Comics Store Update 5th May 2010 – A new selection of comics added to the Digital Comics store.
World Premiere – Vidzone Exclusively Brings The Noisia! – VidZone wangles yet another exclusive.
PlayStation Home: UNCHARTED 2 Personal Space Plus Monkey Island, SOCOM Weaponry And MyDeco! – A pretty hefty update for fans of PlayStation Home.
PlayStation Network Update – An update on the PSN Wallet situation.
2010 FIFA World Cup Is Now Available – Have you picked up your copy yet?
FuturLab Pitch To Sony – A fascinating look at some of the inner workings of the industry.
Got A Burning Question About Fat Princess: Fistful Of Cake? – Get your questions answered by the developers of Fat Princess PSP.
UK General Election – Join Us In PlayStation Home Tonight! – Were you there, celebrating the nation’s indecision?
ModNation Race To The Polls! – ModNation takes the UK election to the cutest extreme.
A Visit To Pixar – Toy Story 3 Game – We couldn’t take you with us to Pixar, but we did bring a bunch of photos back and a report from the event. Expect to see some interviews and a hands-on piece over the next week or so.
LittleBigPlanet ‘Turbo! Pack’ Development Diary 7 and 8 ‘Sub Standard’ – The next pair of LittleBigPlanet PSP Turbo Pack developer diaries.
Gravity Crash Winners – Were you one of the lucky winners of a PSPgo? If so, your level will be in a downloadable level pack for Gravity Crash PSP!
Singstardom – Take part in this UK only SingStar event!

A Visit To Pixar – Toy Story 3 Game

Jem Alexander — Thu, 06 May 2010 18:42:05 +0000

It’s not every day you get invited to Pixar. Everyone knows the name and anyone who’s ever been a child enjoys their movies. I headed over to the offices with the US PlayStation.Blog‘s Sid Shuman to check out the Toy Story 3 game, take some photos and conduct a few interviews with the people behind both the game and the film.

As you can see from the photos on this page, Pixar isn’t exactly your ordinary office. The design was actually overseen by then-CEO, Steve Jobs, which makes perfect sense as the whole building has a very Apple feel. The whole place is littered with artwork, statues and prints displaying characters and scenes from their movies. As a result it’s impossible not to feel an uplift in mood as you walk through the doors.

The event began with a presentation, showing off a few short scenes from Toy Story 3 which, as someone who studied computer animation at university, was pretty exciting as we were the first people outside of Pixar to see those scenes in that state. The quality was as you’d expect from Pixar — this is definitely not a sequel for sequel’s sake. I now can’t wait to see the full thing when it releases in June.

The game was also presented to us and it’s clear just how closely Pixar and Avalanche Studios have been working to make this more than just another movie tie-in game. From what I’ve now seen and played, it worked pretty well. The game has been in production for around two and a half years, giving the studio plenty of development time, despite their desire to fit in not only a full story mode, but a massive sandbox mode, too.

After the presentations there were various people to interview and plenty of hands-on time with the game. You can expect to see some impressions Zurg, who’s exclusively playable in the PS3 version of the game, as well as our interview round ups coming in the next week or so. In the mean time, check out the rest of our photos from the event.

UFC Undisputed 2010 Interview

Jem Alexander — Tue, 04 May 2010 17:01:13 +0000

Fancy a bit more insight into UFC Undisputed 2010? You’ll want to check out this interview with the game’s Producer, Neven Dravinski, taken at an event in London recently. From what we checked out while we were there, the game’s looking like a great improvement over last year’s title.

If you haven’t tried the demo yet, you’ll be able to find it the PlayStation Store this week.

PlayStation Around The Web: What We Read

Jem Alexander — Sun, 02 May 2010 10:55:49 +0000

The PSB.Europe weekly reading list (week commencing the 26th of April)

PlayStation.Blog Recap

Jem Alexander — Sat, 01 May 2010 12:49:33 +0000

PlayStation.Blog.Europe Weekly Content Recap

The whole industry is buzzing as we quickly approach E3 and news has started flowing freely as we, and our friends at other publishers, start talking more about this year’s upcoming titles. This week on the Blog we’re happy to bring you a bunch of interesting posts about big upcoming games like UFC Undisputed 2010, 3D Dot Game Heroes and Toy Story 3. If you weren’t checking the Blog daily this week I urge you to take a look at the list below — there’s bound to be something in there for everyone.

FirstPlay Episode 4 – A look inside the latest episode of FirstPlay.
UK Video Store Update – The newest movies for download on the Video Download Service.
Iron Man Flying Game Coming To PlayStation Home On Thursday – Take to the skies as Iron Man in PlayStation Home.
ModNation Racers Artist Spotlights: Sucker Punch Rebuilds Empire City! – It’s Sucker Punch’s Nate Fox’s turn to have a go at the ModNation Racers create tools.
3D Dot Game Heroes – Design Characters! Win Swords! – Competition still open! Designer an awesome 3D Dot Game Heroes character and win a hilarious foam sword!
More Great New SingStar Features Coming This June! – SingStar just keeps getting better and better — use your PSP to queue up songs and show off to your friends with the new vibrato feature.
Championship Manager Playstation Minis Update –- Release Date And More – Championship Manager is available now on PlayStation Store.
Introducing Coconut Dodge – A look at FuturLab’s upcoming minis title.
Wakeboarding HD Demo! – Now you can try Wakeboarding HD before you buy!
PlayStation Home: ModNation Racers ModSpot Challenge, Iron Man 2 Mini-Game, Bioshock Costumes and More! – This week’s PlayStation Home update.
UFC Call For Questions – Thanks for your questions! Expect to see the interview next week.
‘Heads-Up’ PlayStation Store Update (29th April 2010) – This week’s PlayStation Store update.
Digital Comics Store Update (29th April 2010) – The newest comics added to the Digital Comics service.
VIDZONE UPDATE: VidZone Makes A Splash! – The latest VidZone update.
Hustle Kings Nine Ball Clearance Competition – Your chance to win a 46″ Bravia TV!
Toy Story 3: The Video Game Revealed For PS3 – A look at Toy Story 3, complete with PS3 exclusive playable Zurg and Move support.
UFC Undisputed 2010 – PlayStation 3 Exclusive Content – A look at the exclusive PS3 content available in UFC Undisputed 2010.
LBP ‘Turbo! Pack’ Development Diary 5 and 6: ‘Hopping Mad’ – The latest LBP PSP Turbo Pack developer diary.
PlayStation Move Dev Diary: Move Party – Another PlayStation Move developer diary – this time it’s Move Party!
THE SOCOM OPERATIONS COMMANDER… – Introducing SOCOM 4′s Operations Commander.

Toy Story 3: The Video Game Revealed For PS3

Jem Alexander — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 11:01:05 +0000

Disney has an exciting announcement to make today regarding Toy Story 3. Not only will the PS3 version exclusively feature the ability to play as Zurg, but it will also include some PlayStation Move minigames. Here’s John Day from Avalanche Software to give you some more info on this game, which will be releasing alongside the movie this Summer.

Hi everybody! This is John at Avalanche Software. We’re hard at work finishing up Toy Story 3: The Video Game, due for release on 16th July. Toy Story 3 is much more than your average movie tie-in game. The game gives players two ways to experience Toy Story 3: Story Mode and Toy Box Mode, a sandbox style of gameplay set in the Toy Story universe.

In Story Mode, the player plays as Buzz, Woody, and Jessie, each with their own unique play style, to play through eight action platforming levels. While not a complete retelling of the movie plot, the player will visit some of the places, and meet some of the new and classic characters that are in the film. We take the player to some totally new places as well. Also in Story Mode, we’ve stashed all of our collectibles. The collectibles, when found, allow the player to unlock new toys for the Toy Box.

The Toy Box is a totally different experience from Story Mode. Here we put the player in an open, non-linear environment and allow them to play with Andy’s toys any way they like. The player is free to complete missions for different characters, customize the people and buildings, race in various vehicles, and much more. The more adventurous and creative you are, the more you will get rewarded. I encourage you to unleash your imagination in this mode of the game.

In the Toy Box, the player can play as Buzz, Woody, or Jessie. I am happy to announce that exclusively on the PlayStation 3, you can also play as Zurg! Zurg has many of his own unique missions. Whether it’s driving around in his own custom vehicle, or blasting everything in sight with his tri-gun, players can help Zurg achieve his singular goal of eliminating Buzz Lightyear, or just do whatever else they’d like. Check out our Zurg launch trailer and game screens for a taste of what you can do as this dastardly villain and don’t forget to watch out for Toy Story 3: The Video Game in-stores, 16th July!

UFC Call For Questions

Jem Alexander — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 09:46:24 +0000

Want to know more about UFC Undisputed 2010? We’ll be interviewing the Producer of the game, Neven Dravinski, at an event in London (which you may or may not have won tickets to on this very Blog). So if you’ve any questions about the game, let us know in the comments below.

Some of the UK fighters will also be roaming around the event, such as Ross Pearson, Andre Winner, Terry Etim, Paul Kelly, Paul Taylor and Nick Osipczak. So if you’ve any particular burning questions for them, too, let us know and we’ll try to drag them aside for a chat. At the risk of being pummeled into pulp. Honestly — the things we do for you guys.

Thanks in advance for all your questions. I know you’ll do your normal stellar job of getting us some hard hitting (no pun intended) in-depth queries.

PlayStation Around The Web: What We Read

Jem Alexander — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 10:57:58 +0000

The PSB.Europe weekly reading list (week commencing the 19th of April)

PlayStation.Blog Recap

Jem Alexander — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 10:58:27 +0000

PlayStation.Blog.Europe Weekly Content Recap

Win Tickets To Play UFC Undisputed 2010 – The competition is now closed, but some lucky winners will be playing UFC next week!
This Week On The SingStore (22 April 2010) – The latest songs added to the SingStore.
FirstPlay Episode 3 – Take a sneak peek at episode 3 of FirstPlay.
Huge Announcement: Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Trailer Revealed! – Did you hear? Marvel Vs Capcom 3 exists! Take a look at the first trailer here.
Official PAL Facebook Fan Page Now Open – Now you can Poke, Like and Facebook stalk us!
ModNation Racers Event – Unfortunately the Volcanic Ash put a stop to the Irish ModNation Racers event.
Help Us Make PlayStation.Blog A Better Place – Our reader survey. It’s ongoing, so if you haven’t taken part, you should definitely do so now.
Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West Coming to PSN – Lead And Gold is out now on PSN. Go on, what are you waiting for?
PlayStation Home: Sodium Update, FF XIII Clothing, Monkey Island and More! – The latest items added to PlayStation Home.
The People Vs Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess – Get your questions answered by the minds behind Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess.
UNCHARTED 2 Siege Expansion Pack Coming This Thursday, Double Cash Weekend Returns! – Half a year after release (wait, what?!) and Uncharted 2 just keeps getting better.
PS3 3.30 System Software Update – The latest firmware update for PS3.
‘Heads-Up’ PlayStation Store Update (22nd April 2010) – A bunch of new content now available on the PSN Store.
Lost Planet 2 Demo Now Available! – You can play a small slice of Lost Planet 2 now. For free.
Digital Comics Store Update (22nd April 2010) – The newest comics available now from the Digital Comics service.
Coming To PSN This Week: Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess! For PS3 And PSP – Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess is out now!
VidZone Launches ‘VidZone TV’ – VidZone evolves, adding a huge list of various channels to the service.
MAG Free DLC: Fast Attack Pack On April 29! – Prepare for the MAG Fast Attack Pack.
Iron Man Q&A Update – That Volcano has a lot to answer for!
More FINAL FANTASY XIII On PlayStation Home – An in depth look at the new FFXIII Home items.
‘Turbo! Pack’ Development Diary 3: ‘Construction Derby’ & ‘Turbo! Pack’ Development Diary 4: ‘Construction Derby’ – The second batch of dev diaries for the LittleBigPlanet PSP Turbo Pack.

Help Us Make PlayStation.Blog A Better Place

Jem Alexander — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 12:19:46 +0000

So PlayStation.Blog has been around for a little while now. We’ve got into a routine and, I hope you’ll agree, we’re bringing you some great content on a daily basis. Despite that, we’re not resting on our laurels. We want to be bigger and better, by creating more of the content you want and by utilising our other channels, such as Twitter and Facebook more. We need your help to make this happen.

Don’t worry, it’s nothing too strenuous. We just want you, our loyal fans and readers, to tell us a little bit about yourselves and about the sort of content you like seeing and wish you could see more of. Even if this is your first time on the Blog (in which case, welcome!), we’d love for you to participate.

There are no difficult questions — we don’t want to know your income, marital status or performance at school. In fact, you won’t be asked any personal questions — not even your PSN ID or email address. This is your opportunity to anonymously help us expand in the direction that you want us to.

It shouldn’t take very long, at the very most, so we’d be really grateful if you could spare the time to help us out. Just click here and away you go.

Thanks very much in advance! We love you!

PlayStation.Blog Recap

Jem Alexander — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 11:01:28 +0000

PlayStation.Blog.Europe Weekly Content Recap

Jam packed week on the Blog this week, with some nice ModNation Racers posts and a look at some upcoming minis titles. Of course, we’ve got the usual weekly updates and the great news that Heavy Rain has sold over a million copies worldwide (a big thankyou to you guys for helping us make this happen!)

ModNation Racers In Ireland: A Call For Questions – The developers of ModNation Racers will be in Ireland next week. This is your opportunity to have your questions answered.
PlayStation Home: Meet & Greet With Iron Man 2 Director Jon Favreau! – Iron Man 2 is coming soon! Celebrate by meeting Jon Favreau in Home.
MAG Q&A with Zipper Interactive – An in-depth Q&A with Zipper.
Heavy Rain Hits 1 Million Sales – One million copies of Heavy Rain are now in the hands of PS3 owners worldwide.
Magic Orbz DLC – Some new DLC for Creat’s awesome PSN title, Magic Orbz.
Hamsterball Coming This Week – A look at the upcoming PSN title, Hamsterball.
When The Mods Meet Ratchet And Clank! – Ratchet and Clank get girlfriends when Insomniac’s Ted Price takes ModNation Racers for a spin.
Everybody’s Tennis Out For PSP This Summer! – Introducing Everybody’s Tennis for PSP, coming this Summer.
UK Video Store Update – The latest videos added to the Video Store.
Introducing Episode 2 Of FirstPlay – A sneaky peek inside this week’s issue of FirstPlay.
Coming to PSN This Week: ZEN Pinball: Excalibur – A new table now available for your favourite PSN Pinball game.
PlayStation Home: Neptune Suite Personal Space, plus Alien vs Predator Furniture and more! – This week’s Home update.
Major PlayTV Update Due Towards The End of 2010 – A heads up to let you know that more PlayTV features will be coming later this year.
Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype Coming To PSN In May – The followup for Soldner-X will be available on the PSN Store this May.
PlayStation “minis” Game Hysteria Project Available Now On PSP And PS3! – FMV gaming makes a return with Hysteria Project, a minis title for PSP and PS3.
‘Heads-Up’ PlayStation Store Update (15th April 2010) – This week’s PlayStation Store update.
Digital Comics Store Update (15th April 2010) – The latest comics now available on the Digital Comics Store for PSP.
VIDZONE UPDATE: Is That a TV in Your Pocket or… – The newest music videos now on VidZone.
Championship Manager 2010 Comes To Minis – Championship Manager will be available as part of our minis lineup very soon.
ModNation Racers PSP: Final Polish and Detailing in Track Studio – Take an in-depth look at the Track Maker in ModNation Racers.
PlayStation Move Developer Diary – The Fight: Lights Out – John McLaughlin, the Producer of the Move game, The Fight: Lights Out, takes you on a tour of the game.

ModNation Racers PSP: Final Polish and Detailing in Track Studio

Jem Alexander — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:26:16 +0000

Welcome back to our ModNation Racers PSP Track Studio walkthrough! Today’s blog post brings us to the final installment of our tour of the Track Studio — Seaside Theme. Be sure to check out my previous post, where I created, painted and sculpted the track here. Or where I added a bunch of obstacles and dropped in Theme-based buildings here.

Here’s where we left off: I have the terrain sculpted and painted, I have my ocean setting all lined up and got the track obstacles placed and modified their Dynamic Options. Now all that’s left for me is to put the final layer of polish on this track. I want to give it that certain something that will help it stand out amongst the crowd of other great user-generated content. I’ve seen some of the creations that people have been able to make using the Track Studio tools, so I’ll need every advantage possible if I want to make the top five weekly downloads!

One of the things I like to do with a track is use the theme-based trees and plants to give it a unique feel. This being the Seaside Theme, I have the option of using some palm trees, rocky outcroppings and a bunch of different plants and bushes.

It’s important to remember that when someone is racing your track, they’re not in the default birds-eye view. For a good idea of what people will see, I can go into the Prop Placement screen and press the Select button. This will take me down to a Track View and allow me to preview what things will look like when I’m actually racing! This function is great for lining up buildings, or for seeing how the layout of your trees will look, or whether you’ll get a nice shot of the sunset while racing over a hill. I go into this camera mode frequently while building a track, so I can get the best possible idea of how my track will look from a racer’s perspective.

There! All the details are in place. I added some directional signs, threw in some more trees, picked a sky selection that works best for my track, and populated the rest of the track with more theme-based props.

I’m now ready to Test Drive this track. Test Drive allows you to save your track, then hit the asphalt to see how your drift lines look, how the obstacles are tuned and, of course, how good your track looks from the racing perspective!

Yup! There it is! After about 15 minutes of creation and a few more minutes spent polishing the track to a shine, I’m now ready to share it with the rest of the ModNation world.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this Track Studio tour of one of the four themes available in ModNation Racers PSP. We’ve had a great time working on this game, so I hope you all have just as much fun playing it!

We’ll be hitting store shelves on May 25th, so start your engines and get ready to Race, Create and Share! I’ll see you on the track…

PlayStation Around The Web: What We Read

Jem Alexander — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 11:01:43 +0000

The PSB.Europe weekly reading list (week commencing the 5th of April)

PlayStation.Blog Recap

Jem Alexander — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 11:01:35 +0000

PlayStation.Blog.Europe Weekly Content Recap

Coming to PSN this Week — Freekscape: Escape From Hell A new minis title joins the ranks.
LEGO’s Next Game: LEGO Harry PotterAn interview with head of Traveller’s Tales, Jonathan Smith.
SingStore Update: 6th April 2010The newest songs available now on SingStore.
UK Video Store UpdateThe latest movies added to the Video Download Service.
Monsters Probably Stole My Princess TrailerHave a look at the upcoming minis title, Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess.
PlayStation Home: MAG Clothing And Furniture, Plus MyDeco Update!This week’s Home update.
Introducing FirstPlayFirstPlay, from the Official PlayStation Magazine team, available now from the PSN Store.
‘Heads-Up’ PlayStation Store Update (8th April 2010)This week’s PSN Store update.
Digital Comics Store Update (8th April 2010) The newest batch of comics available on the Digital Comics store.
SingStar Online Battle Mode & Beta coming soon! Announcing he SingStar Beta and the new Online Battle mode!
Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Q and A With Telltale Games A look at the soon-to-be-released first episode of Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse.
Technical Difficulties With Flower Soundtrack Unfortunately some problems have been found with the Flower soundtrack in Europe and we’re looking to resolve these issues asap.
Play Your Way To The FIFA World Cup Finals Win tickets to the World Cup!
PlayStation Freestylers CompetitionYet another competition!
LBP ‘Turbo! Pack’ Development Diary A look at the development of the upcoming Tubo Pack for LittleBigPlanet PSP.
Uncharted 2 Siege Expansion DLC Another set of Uncharted 2 DLC incoming! Including Trophies!

Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Q and A With Telltale Games

Jem Alexander — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 15:46:30 +0000

Thought you guys might enjoy this Q and A between Chris from the US Blog and Chuck Jordan, Director and Writer of Sam and Max. If you like what you see, make sure you preorder the series from the PSN Store before the first episode launches on April 15. As a fan of Telltale (and of Sam and Max) I’ve already got my copy preordered!

The Sam & Max franchise is making its first foray onto PS3 next Thursday, April 15. I think I speak for us all when I say, “It’s about dang time!”

The third season of Sam & Max — The Devil’s Playhouse — hits PSN next week with Episode 1: The Penal Zone. If you’re not familiar with the Telltale Games style of play, it’s all based on an episodic adventure game structure where story drives the gameplay. To break down the fine details, listen to what director and write Chuck Jordan has to say about the premiere on PS3.

You can pre-order the entire five-episode series now for $29.99, which secures all five installments for a $5 discount.

Visually speaking, I think we’re in line for the best version of Sam & Max yet. But hey, I’m biased. Now go tell Telltale we want Strong Bad and Wallace & Gromit!

LEGO’s Next Game: LEGO Harry Potter

Jem Alexander — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 00:35:56 +0000

Warner Bros were kind enough to invite us to their lovely offices to check out their next LEGO game, LEGO Harry Potter. We not only saw and played the game itself but were also able to chat with the King of LEGO Video Games and Head of Production at Traveller’s Tales, Jonathan Smith. The game’s looking really great — especially if you’re a fan of LEGO or Harry Potter. If you enjoy both, it’s a definite must buy. Here’s the interview we conducted with Mr. Smith, once they finally persuaded us to put down the controllers. If you’re eager for some more info, check out PlayStation.com’s interview, too.

How does Lego Harry Potter differ from previous Lego games?

With every new game we make we try to raise the bar and there are lots of technical innovations in Lego Harry Potter. The new layer of physics makes the world more realistic and enable us to build with Lego using magic in a way you’ve never been able to do before. And taking advantage of this wonderful setting of Hogwarts and the magical characters within it, we can use magic to create a new kind of lego gameplay as well, with characters that learn new spells over a long period of time, so that they’re always progressing over what is a very sizeable adventure and learning new things every step of the way.

How has game progression in particular changed in this Lego game?

So what’s radically and completely new in Lego Harry Potter from what we’ve done before is the effect that having Hogwarts as a massive explorable environment has on the game progression and the game structure. When you first start as a new student in Hogwarts, finding your way to your first lesson you’ll be pretty well directed by the teaches and the design of the environment to find your way, but as you play and progress further through the story, with each new spell you’ll gain access to new areas and trigger new story events that move on through the plot. So you’ll find more and more of Hogwarts accessible to you as a player, switching between different characters, until it becomes a really huge, immersive, explorable, open environment — to which you’ll return between story events to discover more secrets and learn more things.

So why did you choose to focus on the first four books?

We wanted to start at the beginning of the Harry Potter story with year 1 and we wanted to create a game that was a really substantial adventure. The end of the Triwizard Tournament at the end of The Goblet Of Fire is a really nice climax. Over those four years you get a real sense of development from a novice to becoming a very powerful wizard. It’s a period of time that’s rewarding to play through and get to the end of.

Would you say the game is based more on the books or the films, or a mixture of both?

Everything in the world of Harry Potter comes from the books. That’s where it was invented and where it has the greatest detail. We draw, where we can, upon the wonderfully vivid evocation of the story as represented by the film makers and you’ll see that in the representation of the characters and some of the action scenes.

How much creative freedom were you given when creating objects, characters or environments for the Harry Potter Universe?

Everything that’s in Lego Harry Potter has to be fitting for the world of Harry Potter and the world of Lego Harry Potter is very accommodating of surprising objects. So, you’ll find tractors and washing machines and trampolines and all the surprising, fun, Lego things you’d expect to find in a Lego game — and yet at the same time it will still be perfectly fitting for the world of Harry Potter.

How have you dealt with character progression in the game? Do they get older and more powerful?

All the students, as you progress through the game, will learn new, more powerful spells.

Are there any plans to incorporate Move functionality

No. Because we’re coming out before the Move is releasing.

How much support have you had from JK Rowling and the people behind the films?

We’ve had tremendous support JK Rowling and all the team at Warner Bros who are responsible for the upkeep of the world of Harry Potter. Everyone appreciates that what Lego brings to Harry Potter is unique and I think everyone has come to trust the respect and love that everyone on the team has for the source material and that wonderful world that was created.

How much sidequest / secret content will there be in the game?

It’s a big game compared to other Lego games. The balance of directed, plot-orientated level action to fool-around bonus stuff is not dissimilar to previous games, but there is probably more of it because it’s a bigger game.

How do the PSP and PS3 games differ?

The PSP version of the game has a greater focus on adventure and questing. The PS3 version has a greater focus on action.

How do you feel about the idea that Lego Harry Potter will be the first exposure to the series for some people?

We aspire to be the perfect introduction for new gamers and people who may not be intimately knowledgeable about Harry Potter already. Lego always gives people a way into new worlds of imagination and we feel very proud to be able to do that.