Where can a series like God of War go after the epic finale of God of War III? Back to its roots, that’s where, and in prequel God of War: Ascension – which stars as Game of the Week in Access TV episode 73 – the series fleshes out Kratos’ past without sacrificing any of the screen-shuddering scale we’ve all become accustomed to. If anything there’s even more. More enemies, more climactic battles, more ripping heads off mythical man-goats with your bare hands – it’s all there and is typically awesome.

Also in the show this week is a behind-the-scenes look at Irrational Games, the Boston-based developer behind upcoming PS3 shooter BioShock Infinite.
We have a lengthy chat with creative director Ken Levine and his team about their creative processes, plus there’s also an amazing Big Daddy statue in the studio foyer. Don’t miss it.

If that’s not enough, we send Access TV camera-man and survival expert Dan Read off to a field somewhere to learn how to shoot a bow like Lara Croft. Also contains zip-lining, fire-making and lots of mud.

As always there’s all the latest news in PlayStation Briefing – including a look at the upcoming Star Trek tie-in – plus a roundup of all the week’s best content from the PlayStation Store. Check out the video preview for Access TV episode 73 right here. Enjoy the show!

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He’s come a long way from the fop-haired lady boy who controversially crashed the Metal Gear Solid 2 party back in 2001, and now Raiden is starring in his very own game.

His meteoric rise in popularity probably has something to do with the fact he’s now a katana-wielding cyborg who can slice through tanks like they’re made of melon – something you’ll be seeing quite a lot of as Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance stars as Game of the Week in Access TV episode 69 – available on YouTube today.

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Access TV episode 68 hits YouTube today with sci-fi shooter Aliens: Colonial Marines as Game of the Week. It’s an awesome piece of wish fulfilment that throws you into iconic movie locales like the Sulaco and Hadley’s Hope, while providing an endless wave of xenomorphs for you to fill with pulse rifle ammo.

Carrying on the theme of shooting horrible things, we visited an abandoned shopping mall in Reading this week for a spot of zombie-slaying. ZedEvents’ live action survival horror experience – pitching airsoft-toting journalists against actors in very scary make-up – was set up to celebrate the Blu-ray release of Resident Evil: Retribution, which we also take a look at in Bonus Level.

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Just when you thought it was safe to go back into space… well actually you never would, but this week on Access TV episode 67 it’s definitely not a good idea to be hanging out in the cosmos, as mega horror sequel Dead Space 3 lands in Game of the Week with more scares than a mad clown circus. Find out why it’s awesome (as well as checking out the all new co-op mode) in the link below.

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Great news everyone – JRPGs are cool again! Mainly that’s thanks to a collaboration between veteran developer Level-5 and masters of anime Studio Ghibli – a collaboration that’s borne an early contender for Game of the Year in the masterful Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. Find out why it’s the dragon’s danglies in Access TV episode 66, where it stars as Game of the Week.

And we’ve got plenty more where that came from. Access All Areas sees us getting to grips with the recently announced Tomb Raider multiplayer in London (it’s good!) and chatting to producer Joe Khoury about keeping the spirit of the series alive, even in the midst of full-scale online warfare.

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