First of all, we’d like to thank the PlayStation.Blog and its readers for supporting Amy for several months now. As we get closer to the release of the game, which will be early next year, we wanted answer a question that has been asked many times: what kind of survival-horror game is Amy? How do players cope with enemies? What kind of weapons can you use? To answer those questions and more, we created the following video just for you:

As you can see, Amy is not about giving you huge power against enemies and giving players an action-oriented experience. Amy goes back to the roots of the survival-horror genre, and provides edge-of-your-seat suspense that will keep you wondering what’s around the next corner.

While most games in the genre choose to either be action- or combat-based, or instill fear by making players feel vastly less powerful than their enemies, Amy combines the best of both worlds. Paul Cuisset, the man behind Amy (and classic games such as Flashback), wanted to a new dimension, which is the cooperation between Amy and Lana .

Playing as Lana, you will have to decide whether you want to hide and avoid combat, or fight by using whatever weapons you can find. As highlighted in the last video, you can use Lana’s vulnerability to the infection to walk amongst enemies undetected, or use Amy’s special abilities, which you can see a glimpse of at the end of this video.

This makes you consider many options before trying to fight: hiding, asking Amy to go away, or using her special powers to defeat your opponents. But as we like to encourage players to exercise their right to choose, if you want to fight, go ahead and try. You won’t always be able to win, but those who don’t try will never know…

If you want to be get all the news about Amy, videos and goodies, please follow us on Facebook and click on Like. Thank you.

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The handheld weapons are a key part of any MMOFPS and DUST 514 is no exception. There were a few things that were very important to us.

Firstly, we wanted to avoid the feeling of “Vietnam in space” that you sometimes see in sci-fi games. The goal was to create weapons that had recognizable roles but used more advanced technologies than the equivalent weapons of today. The power of these guns would tear apart a modern day battlefield. In DUST 514 the only way your mercenary can survive the power of these weapons is due to the advanced shielding and armor of the dropsuits they wear. Without them, simply firing these weapons would severely injure or even kill you!
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This Thursday, December 8th, we will release the latest update to the PlayStation Home client. PlayStation Home version 1.60 delivers a wealth of improvements and updates to the core client, not the least of which is a doubling of the item placement limit in personal spaces! Here’s a look at what’s coming to you as part of PlayStation Home v1.60:

Application of the patch
If you are upgrading from an old version of Home (1.40 or earlier) then when you attempt to apply the 1.60 patch please wait for the orange “hard drive activity” light to stop flashing on your PS3 before commencing the patching process.

New features

Furniture placement limit

• We have doubled the furniture placement limit in Personal Spaces and Clubhouses from 50 to 100 items.
• This has been a regularly requested change and we’re eager to see what new layouts you come up with!
• Standard and active furniture limits have been merged into the same system. Currently all actives take up 22 furniture slots in the new system. Thus you can now place a variety of different combinations:
• 100 standard furniture items or…
• 78 standard furniture items and 1 active or…
• 56 standard furniture items and 2 actives or…
• 34 standard furniture items and 3 actives or…
• 12 standard furniture items and 4 actives.

Improvements

Targeting in Personal Spaces

• Targeting in Personal Spaces has been improved.
• This means you shouldn’t accidentally target furniture items through floors or ceilings any more.
• Although we have made exceptions for wall hangings and lights as these tend to be placed quite high up.
• If you find any items of furniture in places you can’t reach then you can always remove them through the furniture browser and place them somewhere else.

Portables

• We have changed the way that companion portables work so they will automatically re-activate after you enter and leave a mini-game or relocate between spaces. No more having to put your companion away and take them out again when you do this!

Help system

• There is a more proactive help system to aid new users outside of their Harbour Studio Personal Space as they explore PlayStation®Home for the first time.

Arcade games

• Arcade games are no longer subject to the 3 minute inactivity timeout when placed as furniture in Personal Spaces or Clubhouses.

Changes

Menu Pad

We have removed the “Community” section of the Menu Pad. The information that used to be contained in here is now communicated via the message of the day pop-up at login and the new loading screens.

Of course, there are plenty more bug fixes and enhancements that are part of v1.60 as well which will help improve your day-to-day experience in the wide world of PlayStation Home.

Content Update

So, on to this week’s new content. Put on your Winter warmers – it’s PS Home’s 3rd anniversary and it’s snowing outside! Gnome Curling makes an appearance in Home Square which has been blanketed in a crisp white layer of lovely snow! Fear not, fans of the mind-boggling Cogs game – you can now find this puzzler taking up residence in the Indie Park.

Novus Prime is also celebrating its 1st anniversary so for a limited time Nebulon and Experience boosters will be absolutely FREE and many of the items in the Novus Prime stores will be on sale for 50% off! This celebration will be over before you know it, so report to the Novus Prime station on the double and join the fight!

Hide in plain sight with Konami’s new Urban Camo line. Grab your friends and change the look of your environment or sneak up on unsuspecting people!

Granny Lockwood’s been hard at work again, and this time she’s taken her inspiration from the chilly extremes of the planet, the North and South Poles! Pumpkin Pie the Polar Bear and Popsicle the Penguin can’t wait to play with you. They both love to do tricks – be patient and they’re sure to show you what they can do. Also, their cousins are exclusively available via the Gift Machine – look out for them – they’re only available for a limited time!

Midwinter Angel or Burning Desire? This Winter Medusa brings you the latest styles, perfect for relaxing on a frosty afternoon or heading out to a glitzy evening party.

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The SOCOM franchise is a long and storied one, and today we’re very happy to announce that we’re revisiting its past and bringing back what is perhaps the series’ most popular mode, “Demolition”, alongside this much loved mode you will get new maps weapons and character skins as well!

For those that haven’t experienced “Demolition” before, each team vies for control of a bomb placed on the map. Once a team grabs the bomb, they need to carry it into the opposing team’s base, arm the bomb and defend it until the base is destroyed.

The Demolition Pack includes four new maps, two of which are returning classics — “Bitter Jungle” and “Ruins”. All four of these maps support not only the Demolition game type but many of the retail competitive modes as well. Additionally, six of the existing maps will support the Demolition game type, making for 10 total Demolition maps. Additionally, the Demolition Pack also includes two new weapons, the HS-C3 and 552, as well as six new multiplayer skins to choose from.
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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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