We’d like players around the world to know that we’ve created a new game mode for Super Stardust HD that’ll be out on PSN at the end of the month – it’s called the “Impact” mode.

We want to thank all the fans around the world for your continued support – it has made Super Stardust HD a top selling PSN exclusive and enabled us to keep creating new content for the game even now over three years after its release.

2008 saw the release of the “Solo Pack”, offering new game modes such as Endless, Survival, Bomber, and Time Attack. That was followed by the multiplayer “Team Pack” featuring split-screen co-op and deathmatch modes for up to 4 players.

Additionally, the game then broke new ground by becoming the first ever PlayStation 3 game to feature Trophies.

In 2010 we gave players the exciting option to experience the game in real 3D, one of the few of its kind as it creates 120 unique frames per second.

Now in 2011 with the new Impact mode add-on, Super Stardust HD continues to be the most comprehensive shooter experience available.

The Impact mode plays on and twists the game rules – in place of the weapon system your ship is now fitted with an experimental new matter-to-energy boost engine technology, which means once you activate the boost, you can stay in boost as long as you can hit meteors and enemies with it!

This mode also features much higher score multipliers – as long as you boost the multiplier keeps growing and growing! This is the most fast-paced and adrenaline inducing add-on to the game yet.

Look out for the Impact mode on the PlayStation Store on March 30th for €1.99/£1.59 and, if you’ve never tried Super Stardust HD before, there has never been a better time to join the action!

Stardust pilots, start boosting your way to the top of the worldwide leaderboards!

Score:

• 37 Comments
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Facebook

Hi again,

Yesterday I paid one of my irregular visits to our research technicians in the building they share with our embedded testers and sound engineers. Once again they blew my mind with their staggering glimpses of tomorrow’s world. Videos of Sony prototypes such as the head-mounted display and the volumetric cylinder show how exciting the exponential growth of technology for games really is. The Holodeck is closer than any of us could imagine!

About five years ago, at the same time MotorStorm was in pre-production, I shared a studio space with these guys, and they were adamant that stereoscopic 3D gaming was going to be far more compelling than 3D movies. To prove it, they built a 3D simulation of our local race track and stunned us all. Politicians, senior SCEE Execs and pro race drivers all secretly visited to see what the modest geniuses we hired from British Aerospace Engineering had achieved.

The culmination of that work can be seen in MotorStorm Apocalypse. It is now regularly described as the best example of 3D gaming you can get, so all that research and development looks like it was well worth it. Hopefully most of you will at least get to see the 3D, but even more than that I hope you get to play it. This video is one we’ve made to showcase the tech – it’s 2D on the blog but you’ll be able to grab the 3D version from the PSN store to view on a 3DTV.

It’s so cool to see a ‘blue sky’ technology grow into a real game in this way. Maybe in a few years I’ll be back here with a video of something I saw yesterday, but till then, the 3D revolution will suffice.

Score:

• 23 Comments 6 Replies
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Facebook

Few films evoked the spirit of arcade gaming like the original Tron movie back in the 80s and its sequel, Tron: Legacy, is looking to capture the imaginations of 21st Century gamers with lavish special effects, fast-paced action and some of the best use of stereoscopic 3D I’ve seen.

Last night I attended the UK premiere in London and managed to grab a couple of pictures on my mobile phone (sorry about the quality). The first is outside the cinema and the second is inside, as the director and the cast spoke to the audience.

I enjoyed it, especially how the 3D effect ramped up when you’re in the ‘Tron’ world; a stellar soundtrack from Daft Punk; a surprise appearance from on of my favourite actors, Michael Sheen; and the ‘digital de-aging’ of Jeff Bridges, showing how spookily real CG face animation has become.

The film goes out to cinemas on general release on 17 December and the game, Tron: Evolution, was released on PlayStation 3 last week. Here’s a trailer:

Score:

• 7 Comments 3 Replies
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Facebook

Hi everyone, here’s a brand new trailer for The Sly Trilogy. The game is out before Christmas and features all three of the classic games from the Sly series, remastered in HD and fully playable in 3D.

Score:

• 19 Comments 5 Replies
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Facebook

TRON: Evolution is formally considered the second entry in the TRON trilogy, bridging the fiction between the 1982 film and the upcoming film TRON: Legacy. But in addition to its new single-player story, TRON: Evolution will also serve up a comprehensive multiplayer mode complete with a player progression system, upgradeable weapons, and driveable vehicles. The new video below will give you a taste of what’s in store.

I spoke with TRON: Evolution’s design director, Chris Whiteside, to learn more about the scope of multiplayer and how stereoscopic 3D support will add to the experience (and possibly improve your aim). And though details on PlayStation Move support are still scarce — sadly, it wasn’t playable at the event — I was able to tease out a few details about how it will work when the final game ships this December.

Sid Shuman: Visually, TRON: Evolution looks to be showing many new visual effects since its last appearance. What have you done to enhance the visuals?

Chris Whiteside, Design Director, Propaganda Games: Prior to E3, we didn’t have proper reflection maps. The lighting passes weren’t complete, the visual effects were revamped after E3, and the camera was completely redone after E3 based on feedback that it was too fast and wasn’t framing the action well enough. We’re very receptive to criticism and commentary, so we spent a lot of time getting it up to scratch. We’re making this game for the fans of TRON, so we want to make sure it’s tip-top.

SS: Why is stereoscopic 3D a good fit for TRON: Evolution?

CW: From a technical standpoint, the reason 3D works so well is the contrast of the colors in the environment, and the lines in the environment and the architecture style we use. It’s not a messy world, you know? There are no trees with leaves on them, that kind of thing. The environments are very angular, which creates an advantage with depth of field and super-advanced parallax effects when we render in 3D. We had to mess with the art style a bit. We went mental with the lighting to bring out the definition of the buildings, for instance.

SS: Will 3D be supported in both single-player and multiplayer?

CW: It totally does, yeah. 3D is awesome for combat because you get a sense of depth with the characters. The normal targeting system is based on the angle of the analog stick, and very minute aiming adjustments, so the 3D helps with targeting. We invested a lot of money in the 3D technology and we’re hoping that TRON: Evolution is the pinnacle 3D gaming experience this year.

SS: We’re seeing TRON: Evolution’s multiplayer for the first time today. What’s the scale of the multiplayer experience?

CW: For me, the multiplayer mode is the jewel in the crown. We’ve got four modes in all: Disintegration is a Deathmatch-style mode, we have Team Deathmatch, Power Monger in which you can take over sections and control them, and Bit Runner is our take on Capture the Flag. The difference is you don’t take the “flag” back to the base, you have to hold onto it while everyone else tries to de-rez (kill) you.

(more…)

Score:

• 13 Comments
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Facebook