I’m back to tell you what’s coming up in episode #47 of FirstPlay, which hits the Store this Wednesday.

Funny story, actually. This week’s episode represents the closest we’ve been – and, if international law enforcement has anything to do with it, the closest we’ll ever get – to Hollywood starlet Rachel Bilson, in the shape of an interview with her father, THQ boss Danny Bilson, about Homefront, Red Faction, and the refreshing new direction his company is taking.

Aside from that we send two of our keenest eyed soldiers – FirstPlay’s James Jarvis and Official PlayStation Magazine’s Leon Hurley – to try out the new co-op in Operation Flashpoint: Red River, and review historical battler Warrior: Legends Of Troy. It gets bloody, in every sense.

We’ve also got a review of Oscars bridesmaid The Social Network on Blu-ray (as with most weddings – not mine, darling! – this bridesmaid is way hotter than the bride) a look at some of the amazing things you guys are already making with LittleBigPlanet 2, and a pocket guide to the strange world of MMOs now they have arrived on PS3.

We’ve also got a round-up of the latest PSP games, a review of Simon Pegg-starring Spare Parts, and our regular screenshot galleries, which this week include The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and movie karaoke YooStar 2. Plus we’ve got our very last batch of Swords & Soldiers-theme PSN avatars to give away.

All of this comes for just 99p, or less if you pick up a 12 week subscription for £8.99.

If you have any feedback you can email at FirstPlay@futurenet.com, or we’re on Twitter at @firstplay_uk. I’m @nathanditum, producer Dave is @bodbod and assistant producer James is @James_Jarvis. We’d love to hear from you.

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.

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Hello everyone,

Leaving aside the fact their eyes glow red and that their homeworld is an aggressive military dictatorship fuelled by burning interplanetary expansionism, you have to admit the Helghast look pretty cool. And in this week’s FirstPlay we have a huge in-depth review of Killzone 3 which gives you all the long, lingering looks at their flag-waving style you could ever hope for. Seriously – the game is the new visual benchmark for PS3, and FirstPlay is the best way to check out how it’ll look on your TV.

Aside from that we’re also still in a giving mood, with another pair of Swords & Soldiers themed PSN avatars to download. And we have a great line-up of other video content, including an interview with Gearbox chief and Duke Nukem saviour Randy Pitchford, a reviews round-up of recent PS3 releases and a look at cold crime drama The Town on Blu-ray.

We’ve also got a chat with games hero Tim Schafer and Stacking creator Tim Petty about making the body-popping doll puzzler, and a profile of Brian Holinka from Homefront developer Kaos Studios. We’ve also got a look at the latest minis, a tour of the weirdest stuff available to buy from the PlayStation Store, which starts with stone dogs and giant cats and gets stranger from there, and this week’s screenshot galleries, which this week feature SSX Deadly Descents, Dragon Age 2 and Supremacy MMA.

All of this comes for just 99p, or less if you pick up a 12 week subscription for £8.99.

If you have any feedback you can email at FirstPlay@futurenet.com, or we’re on Twitter at @firstplay_uk. I’m @nathanditum, producer Dave is @bodbod and assistant producer James is @James_Jarvis. We’d love to hear from you.

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.

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As my wife is fond of saying, “I can’t live like this anymore, I’m taking the children to my mother’s.” I’m joking, of course. What she really says is that I never get her anything good, which can’t be true because in this week’s FirstPlay I’m very pleased to announce we’re giving away an exclusive try before you buy trial of the fantastically playable arcade scrapper TNT Racers. She’ll be back any day now.

In fact we’ve got plenty more giveaway content coming up in the next few episodes, so if you don’t already subscribe to FirstPlay now is a very good time to start. And for episode 45, it’s just the beginning. We’ve also got comprehensive HD reviews of universe-clashing scrapper Marvel Vs Capcom 3: Fate Of Two Worlds and addictive old school RPG Trinity: Souls Of Zill O’ll (catchy, right?). That’s on top of a preview of oiled nostalgia flex WWE All Stars, and a review of snappy horror Piranha 3D on Blu-ray.

And that’s not all. We also talk to the guys at DICE about their Vietnam-flavoured update to Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and check out the latest downloadable movies on the PlayStation Store. FirstPlay’s James Jarvis explains to us why Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit‘s Autolog system is both a blessing and a curse, we take a look at the saddest moments in games, ever, and still have time for our regular round of screenshot galleries, which this week include PSN explore ‘em up Journey and UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception.

All of this comes for just 99p, or less if you pick up a 12 week subscription for £8.99.

If you have any feedback you can email at FirstPlay@futurenet.com, or we’re on Twitter at @firstplay_uk. I’m @nathanditum, producer Dave is @bodbod and assistant producer James is @James_Jarvis. We’d love to hear from you.

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.

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Hello everyone,

As the lonely and the cash-poor are only too aware, it’s almost Valentine’s day, and episode 44 of FirstPlay is like a neatly-packed bundle of love (and HD video) we’ve put together just for you.

Tear open the purely figurative wrapping paper (which, as it’s imaginary, we’re saying is the fancy stuff from Paperchase) and inside you’ll find a pair of Swords & Soldiers-themed PSN avatars in the shape of the Aztec Ruler and Jaguar Warrior. Beautifully packed alongside are a pair of highly polished blockbuster previews of Killzone 3 and Red Faction: Armageddon, for which we travelled to both Guerrilla Games in Amsterdam and Volition Inc. in Illinois to bring you two completely new and exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews.

We’ve also got a look at Rockstar Games‘ seedy period drama L.A. Noire, and a review of kiddie shocker The Hole on Blu-ray. And then things go seriously heart-shaped as the guys and gals of Official PlayStation Magazine present their favourite romantic gaming moments, which include a surprising amount of space-kissing and tainted wombs. And there’s still enough time to present a guide to finding Dead Space 2‘s most cunningly hidden power nodes, to have a play about with FIFA‘s custom team builder and to profile Killzone boss Hermen Hulst, as well as showering you with screenshot galleries like perfumed rose confetti. Or an interactive slideshow of the latest gaming images, one or the other.

All of this comes for just 99p, or less if you pick up a 12 week subscription for £8.99.

If you have any feedback you can email at FirstPlay@futurenet.com, or we’re on Twitter at @firstplay_uk. I’m @nathanditum, producer Dave is @bodbod and assistant producer James is @James_Jarvis. We’d love to hear from you.

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.

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Hello everyone,

I won’t waste any time boasting about how I spent last week in Tokyo or how I’ve actually played the new Uncharted game on NGP, and instead I’ll concentrate on how while I was away the rest of the hard-working FirstPlay team put the finishing touches to episode 43, which will be on the Store this Wednesday.

I did though. Let’s be clear about that.

We’re giving away another pair of Swords & Soldiers avatars this week – Swordsman! Child Emperor! – alongside another packed slate of high-definition gaming videos. First we bring you direct capture of our hands-on session with the very tasty-looking Dirt 3, including the tough bits where we handed the controller to the guys from Codies and asked “Can you do this bit?” Then we go behind the scenes of upcoming shooter Bodycount for a brand new studio tour, and get our itchy trigger fingers on pepped-up war sim Operation Flashpoint: Red River.

Of course that’s not all. We’ve also got a review of cop comedy The Other Guys on Blu-ray, a look at the making of Medal Of Honor‘s online mode with the boys from EA DICE, a round-up of the latest comics on the PSP Store and a sit-down with one of the nicest, chattiest industry guys we’ve had the pleasure of meeting, Jim Boone from Red Faction: Armageddon developer Volition. Plus there’s a review of PSN blaster Alien Breed 2: Assault, and screenshot galleries featuring Brink, Homefront, the rebooted Tomb Raider and Silent Hill: Downpour.

As ever, all of this is just 99p, or less if you buy a 12 week subscription for £8.99.

If you have any feedback you can email at FirstPlay@futurenet.com, or we’re on Twitter at @firstplay_uk. I’m @nathanditum, producer Dave is @bodbod and assistant producer James is @James_Jarvis. We’d love to hear from you.

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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