To celebrate the upcoming resurrection of Twisted Metal on PS3, the team at IGN Australia put on their biggest Black BETA game event yet. Hosted by IGN Producer Beau Ushay, the event was held at Sydney’s Oxford Art Factory, with winning members attending from the IGN & PlayStation web communities. Ice-cream trucks, hot dog stands, & cosplay bar staff…they were all present at the event, including music by IGN’s own DJ Cam Shae. There was also an 8-player network setup to hold a brutal onsite competition, with the winner on the night scoring a free PlayStation Vita, for the system’s Feb 23 launch in Australia. Narayan Pattison, Publishing Director at IGN Australia informed that the event drew ‘record crowds’.

Finally, retro versions of Twisted Metal on PSone and PS2 were also on display at the event (for historical reference), and while they were great to look at, they certainly prove that game-tech has come a mighty long way since those early days. So thanks IGN, for hosting a whopper of an event to salute a major piece of PlayStation’s gaming heritage. Now let’s proceed to that March release shall we!

After 18 months from its inception, Version2Games is thrilled to announce its first title Smash ‘N’ Survive (SnS) for €12.99/£9.99. This is the first PlayStation game for the entire team.

The core gameplay of Smash ‘N’ Survive revolves around vehicle combat and it seems like it’s the season of vehicle combat revival. Smash ‘N’ Survive features several innovations like a physics-based tornado where you can push your enemies or get pushed and “juiced” in those destructive tornadoes.

This tornado is only one such environmental weapon which you can use to your advantage. Various maps have catapults, crushers and other objects which you can use to kick trash and annihilate your opponents.

What makes Smash ‘N’ Survive stand out from the rest is that all the weapons and their behaviours are so unique. Another important point is that it’s not a mindless fun jaunt and you can’t proceed without planning your attack or without having a strategy in place.

The game features 10 maps ranging from small arenas to big huge levels, giving you an opportunity to try different things. The game features 30+ concept cars and here comes another first – these cars are equipped with melee weapons, so no run-of-the-mill rocket launchers or machine guns, but brutal plungers, blades, saws and some geeky weapons like a magneto repulsor. Not all the weapons deal damage and some of them will either throw opponents or topple them, allowing you to plan your attack.

The game offers a campaign mode that has 19 missions, and each mission has primary and secondary objectives. On successful completion of the primary objective, you earn bounty, unlock new cars, unlock new game modes, and unlock new maps and modes for versus mode.

Game modes include territory control, survival, planting a bomb and team deathmatch. Most of the missions revolve around these themes but there are some others like derby, checkpoint race, escorting your mate, killing the convoy, chase, etc. Most of these game modes can be played individually once you unlock them from the campaign. Versus mode will give you hours of fun and when we were inviting people to try out this game, there were 4-5 hour sessions of non-stop versus mosh pit mode.

We still haven’t mentioned all of the coolest things this game has to offer, so watch this space for more and meanwhile have a look at our launch trailer, which showcases some of the major features of the game.

Love Crime (Alain Corneau, France)

This corporate thriller stars Kristin Scott Thomas as a powerfully manipulative skyscraper boss and Ludivine Sagnier as her object of desire and torment. “The central goal of a classic whodunit is to unravel how a crime was committed. Love Crime turns that convention around—halfway through it shows exactly how a crime was committed, and then leaves the audience to figure out why it was committed in such a strange and specific way” (Paste Magazine).

Available in: Scandinavia

Land of Scarecrows (Gyeong-tae Roh, South Korea)

This selection for the Berlin International film festival the everyday life of three isolated characters who each have a dream: Jang Ji-Young, a lesbian transvestite; Loi Tan, an adopted boy from the Philippines; and Rain, ayoung Filipina who dreams of going to Korea. Their lives accidentally intertwine and face a tragic ending. Land of Scarecrows is a science fiction film about human emotions that take on surreal dimensions in dilapidated interior spaces and spread out into areas that are neither urban nor rural.

Available in: France, Belgium, Switzerland

I Am Cuba (Mikhail Kalatozov, Cuba/USSR)

This astonishing and underrated film is blessed with some of the most extraordinary camerawork in film history. Ostensibly this is Communist propaganda, celebrating the progress achieved by the Cuban Revolution and dramatizing four examples of injustice to the common man in pre-Revolutionary Cuba. Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola plucked this film from obscurity and campaigned to restore it in the early 1990s. The link that holds the film together is a spoken monologue beginning each sequence with the words ‘Soy Cuba’ (‘I am Cuba’). It’s still pushing the boundaries of pure cinema, a stirring and unforgettable experience.

Available in: United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Finland Sweden, Norway

L’avventura (Michelangelo Antonioni, Italy)

Our friends at The Criterion Collection have this to say about this Italian masterpiece from 1960: “A girl mysteriously disappears on a yachting trip. While her lover and her best friend search for her across Italy, they begin an affair. Antonioni’s penetrating study of the idle upper class offers stinging observations on spiritual isolation and the many meanings of love.”

Available in: United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Denmark, Finland Sweden, Norway

Mad Detective (Johnnie To, Wai Ka-fai, Hong Kong)

One of our favorite movies here at MUBI is this gem from Hong Kong genre master To (Election, Exiled, The Mission) and his often wacky writer/producer/co-director Wai Ka-fai—his collaborator on the classic action film Fulltime Killer. 2007′s largest grossing film at the Hong Kong box office is one of the freshest and most satisfying films from that country. The traditional HK police film is turned on its head: the imaginative twist being our hero—Detective Bun (a role created for Lau Ching Wan)—who has the ability to ‘see’ people’s inner personalities or “hidden ghosts”. Breaking new ground and establishing new cinematic rules, Johnnie To’s latest giddily entertaining collaboration with Wai Ka Fai radically raises the level of storytelling in modern film.

Now available in: Germany, Austria, Switzerland
Also available in: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Spain, Portugal, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Italy

Coming today, February 8th, to Uncharted 3 is the Fort Co-Op adventure DLC. Did some of you guess that from our screenshot hint? Fort Co-Op Adventure will mark the first time in the series you’ll be able to play co-op as the UNCHARTED villains with Zoran Lazarević, Eddy Raja, Harry Flynn joining forces in a tale that further explores the mystery behind the Janus head statue from the on-disc co-op adventure. Check out a preview of that adventure here:

Worried you’re becoming an easy target because you’re always playing as Elena, Desert Drake, or Chloe? We have some new skins for you to try. Also available today, February 8th, are the Rogues Skin Pack 1 and Rogues Skin Pack 2 as well as everybody’s favorite skins, the Doughnut Skin Pack.

If you’re itching for some competitive action on February 22nd you can download the Plaza, Temple, Train Wreck, and Village maps in the Flashback Map Pack 2 DLC. Your favorite maps return with all-new dynamic lighting effects, cutting-edge particle effects and a bevy of other fresh technical polish. The lighting on every map has been completely redone. This map pack provides a good look at what kind of technical and gameplay shine we can put on Uncharted 3 multiplayer maps.

If you want to buy all this content standalone here’s a handy pricing breakdown:

• February 7th 2012 -Fort Co-Op Adventure: £4.79/€5.99
• February 7th 2012 -Doughnut Skin Pack: £1.59/€1.99
• February 7th 2012 -Rogues Skin Pack 1: £2.39/€2.99
• February 7th 2012 – Rogues Skin Pack 2: £2.39/€2.99

• February 21st 2012 – Flashback Map Pack 2: £7.99/€9.99

If you’re game for becoming a member or already a member all this content will be available free to you as part of the Fortune Hunters’ Club. If not, you can become a member today by purchasing the FHC from the PS Store. It’s a fantastic deal at €24.99.

As a FHC member you’ll save over 60% on the 14 packs of Uncharted 3 DLC. Current members and any new membership purchased will receive all currently available and any upcoming DLC packs for Uncharted 3. The exclusive Fortune Hunters’ Club theme will let you know when new Uncharted 3 DLC hits right from the XMB of your PS3.

The full lowdown on what big DLC is coming after this batch of February awesomeness will follow in a future blog update. We have some very cool surprises for you. Here’s a hint:

Uncharted 3 heavy metal mode? A tie-in with The Misfits Fiend Club? Nope, but we’ll have details on exactly what this symbol means in just a little over a month. Remember to be sure to be on the lookout for some brand new, Uncharted 3 renditions of your favorite maps in the middle of the month! For now, see you in your new skins and in the Fort!

• The Internet Browser has been improved. This will result in better display of content and page layouts are displayed with greater accuracy. Some websites that could not be displayed correctly prior to the release of PS3 system software 4.10, including interactive websites, are now supported.
• You can automatically set the time more accurately via the Internet every time your PS3 system connects to PlayStation Network (PSN). This can be done via [Settings] > [Date and Time Settings] > [Set Automatically] on the XMB (XrossMediaBar).
• PSN Account will be renamed Sony Entertainment Network Account. This will not result in any changes to how you log in or the details you use to do so.

In order to download PS3 system software version 4.10, you will need a minimum 180MB of free space on either the PS3 Hard Disk Drive (System Update) or on removable storage media (PC Update).

Malicious is an entirely original action game for the PS3. You are a “Spirit Vessel,” called into the world by the Prophets to vanquish evil. Armed with the “Mantle of Cinders,” a cloak that can absorb power from destroyed objects as well as shift form, you wage battle with the “Malicious.”

For this title, we focused on creating a simple action game that users did not have to dedicate themselves to, but could enjoy in short bursts. We’ve created stages that throw players into boss battles, and have allowed them to freely choose which stage they would like to begin with.

There is no lengthy dungeon crawling in Malicious, leaving it chock-full of boss battles only! The player is thrust into a battle royale as soon as he starts the stage! Every time you defeat a boss, you absorb the creature’s power and obtain a new ability. But what’s more is that you can choose whichever stage you want, in any order, giving you full control over your progress in the game!

And don’t forget the visuals. Oil painting-like colours and textures are used throughout the game and provide the player with a strong sense of fantasy, rooting them in the Malicious world.

Malicious will be released on the PlayStation Store on February 8th for £6.49/€7.99 with an additional 20% discount for PlayStation Plus subscribers for one week after launch. We hope you like it!

It’s SingStore update week again. Are you excited? Well, I am a little bit because of the fabulous 80s Part 4 song pack. Yep, it’s got all of my faves in there but I am especially fond of Toto’s ‘Africa’ and of course, who could resist the lovely Jennifer Rush with ‘The Power Of Love’? One for Valentine’s Day, I reckon!

Otherwise, there’s more Kylie, Nightwish and ANOTHER one I won’t be able to stay away from: REO Speedwagon’s ‘Can’t Fight This Feeling’! Mixed bag this week with lots of great 80s stuff thrown in. I’m happy.

Right, I better get packing. Desk move ahead.
See you soon.

Nina xx

Track has previously been released on a disc.
Kylie Minogue ‘Hand On Your Heart is not for sale in AUS/NZ

Well, I went to Randy Pitchford to get some answers. The gregarious CEO of Gearbox Software was all too happy to share new insights into the studio’s plans for Aliens: Colonial Marines, including multiplayer concepts, the control scheme, play style…and, perhaps most tantalizing, what he knows about the upcoming Ridley Scott-directed origin tale Prometheus.

Alien fans: Something tells me that 2012 is going to be a mighty fine year.

PlayStation.Blog: Aliens: Colonial Marines was recently confirmed to be a autumn 2012 title. How will the game’s new 2012 release date benefit the final product?

Randy Pitchford, CEO, Gearbox Software: Aliens: Colonial Marines has been a dream project – a labor of love. We’re fully committed to our vision for the game. Creating deadlines is helpful to the process, but we do regret where it creates expectations that cause us to choose between changing expectations or compromising the vision.

PSB: Are you excited to see Prometheus? Will any of the Space Jockey lore hinted at in the flm make it into Aliens: Colonial Marines?

RP: I’m very excited about Prometheus. 20th Century Fox invited us to read the script and check out production and ACM’s director, Brian Martel, had a discussion with Ridley Scott about the matter years and years ago, so it’s been a really interesting seat for us on this one. A bunch of our guys went out to read the script a while back. I chose to decline because I didn’t want the spoilers — I can’t wait to see the final film! Ridley is such a master storyteller and filmmaker and I’m thrilled that he’s spending some more time in science fiction. Oh, and I haven’t dodged your real question. Yes, ACM will bring you inside the Derelict on LV-426. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll leave it at that!

PSB: Would you describe the FPS feel as grittier and more realistic, or focused on arcadier accessibility?

RP: I would say that the player’s experience for Aliens: Colonial Marines will tend closer to the gritty realism side. I say that because sometimes the gameplay footage we use for marketing will tend to focus more on the action — which is definitely in there — but you can’t really feel difficulty and challenge as well when you’re trying to promote and market the game using promotional footage.

PSB: How are you approaching the control scheme? Does the game feature aim down the sight and a two-weapon limit? Are there any equipment slots or ways to customize your character?

RP: Looking down the sights properly is a big deal. Gearbox is really proud of its heritage in the evolution of down-the-sights views having really pushed that feature forward in the first Brothers in Arms game. Since then, every shooter we’ve created has featured direct down the sights views with ballistic weapons — including Borderlands. There are still some things we’re bouncing around between with respect to how we’re managing weapon slots and equipment with ACM, so I’ll reserve making a commitment on that right now.

Peer review and testing with customers is really important to us in the tuning process. If any of your readers are in Dallas, TX and want to be part of our user testing program, they should check out our website for more information.

PSB: Displaying the aliens themselves is a tricky balance between showing too much and showing too little. What’s your philosophy when it comes to showing them in the game?

RP: It’s been fun for us to dream up the presentations, but we’re not approaching it like no one knows what a xenomorph looks like. We do have some awesome new variants to reveal for the first time, so we try to get value out of those moments for the experience when you’re playing the game.

PSB: Finally, how important is the multiplayer experience to Aliens: Colonial Marines? Can you give us any hint as to the way it will play?

RP: Multiplayer is a big deal for us. It’s getting a huge amount of attention. I think we’ll be looking for some opportunities very soon to get some people outside of our studios, including some journalists, to have a chance to preview the multiplayer game and play a bit of it. We’re really looking forward to testing it against other eyes and getting some feedback from that, so it shouldn’t be too long before we make that happen.

We are delighted to be able to announce the PAL release date of Worms Ultimate Mayhem is Wednesday 15th February 2012. We’d also like to introduce the game to you all and answer any questions you may have.

Can you introduce the game to us please?

Sure, Worms Ultimate Mayhem is a “best of” compilation of content from both Worms 3D and “Worms 4: Mayhem, so it’s got 38 weapons, plenty of customization options (including a selection of new ones) making for 115 individual customisation elements in total. There are also 60 single-player missions taken from both sources, making it a massive game. We’ve taken the opportunity to improve on what was there already too. We have made some really nice improvements to the camera and made the game even more approachable; to this end we added a new utility (the Binoculars) to help you aim, and an automatic shot assist mechanic that helps your shots find their targets in easy mode. We have also added some really cool loyalty content too.

In terms of visual improvements, we’ve brought the game up to date with a raft of enhancements. New water effects, up-scaled textures and fonts, higher polygon counts, specular materials, real-time lighting and dynamic shadows all get the game looking a little more modern while still retaining its attractive cartoon style visuals. Oh, and I shouldn’t forget the audio improvements too… we’ve a whole bunch of new music in the game, and some of the cut-scenes have been re-edited, voice-acted and lip-synched, which makes a massive difference!

What are the main gameplay features and mechanics in ‘Worms Ultimate Mayhem’?

Despite being 3D, the game is pretty much built around the same principles as all the “Worms” games.
There’s the unique 3D deformable landscape and the satisfaction of destroying EVERYTHING. It’s pretty satisfying blowing things up, and that mindless destruction has always been a staple of the brand.

There’s the humour and genuinely laugh-out-loud moments, the crazy weapons (such as the Concrete Donkey, an Inflatable Scouser and a Bovine Blitz cow-themed airstrike!), the worms mugging to camera or the silly story sequences. Humour has always been an important ingredient, and it actually translates very well into 3D.

There’s customising things: from what their worms wear and what they say to tailoring individual game settings. There’s also the ability to create your very own secret weapon, deciding how it’s launched, what effect it has and what it looks like. I think that aspect has always extended the life of the game as it allows players to make it their own.

And lastly, there’s the insane amount of content. We always try and over-deliver with the games we make, and Worms Ultimate Mayhem is no different: 60 single player missions, 8 challenges, 10 deathmatch challenges, 6 FMVs, 5 online and offline multiplayer modes, 1,000,000+ game style choices via Wormpot, 23 speech-banks, 115 customisation items, 38 weapons and 5 Easter eggs. With plenty of PSN Trophies, including a Platinum, that’s a lot of game to enjoy!

Worms Ultimate Mayhem will be priced at £9.99/€12.99, with an additional launch discount for PlayStation Plus subscribers; we look forward to answering any questions you may have in the comments.

Ahead of getting the opportunity to jump into the competition for yourself (Vita Rooms is still on the road, by the way!), I’m here to give you the low down on just how online competition works with other players – running you through a short video of me competing with Zoe (Evolution Studios QA Manager, who sits on the desk across from me) as I take on her performance in a Hot Lap race.

It’s so easy to see what your friends and rivals have been up to and, with super-fast load times on both PS3 and PS Vita, jump into a race instantly to beat their fastest times and wipe the smirk off their face.

Competing like this, on your own schedule, is a perfect fit for both MotorStorm RC and the PlayStation Vita, letting you pick up the game and compete against friends when it’s convenient for you. Whether you’re playing on your PS Vita or PS3, for a few minutes or a few hours, out and about or in the comfort of your own home, you can always see what’s been going on and get right into the heat of competition.

MotorStorm RC is coming soon, so keep an eye out for more information and be sure to join us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/motorstormrc and follow us on Twitter @MotorStormRC to keep up to speed.

Syndicate is not just your average FPS though. It was clear to us from the start that utilizing the agents’ chips was a feature we had to bring into game. We did this through creating a gameplay mechanic called “Breaching”, which effectively simulates an agent using his military grade DART 6 chip to interact with other chips in the world – whether they’re in objects or even in other human beings.

But it’s not all about the chips; no FPS can do without providing the player with an arsenal of bad-ass weapons. The great thing for us was that we had some excellent examples to work with from the original, as well as having a futuristic setting that allowed us to come up with some brand new ideas of our own. In Syndicate you will find the usual suspects like sniper rifles, assault rifles and pistols, although don’t expect them to be anything like you are used to from contemporary shooters. Some of the upgrades you are able to get will transform these seemingly standard weapons into something else entirely. Alternate fire modes that turn an assault rifle into a sniper rifle, and cover penetrating ammunition are just two of the many upgrades you can get for your favorite weapon. Upgrades aside, there are also some new and futuristic weapons that are a ton of fun to handle. Use the Gauss Gun’s lock on mechanic to select a particular enemy and then bend bullets to take him out while you are behind cover. Or simply pick up the COIL rifle and reduce those pesky snipers to a pile of ash. The choice is yours.

In co-op there is a slew of weapons you can utilize as you play the game, and all of them can be upgraded in multiple ways. We have designed our research and upgrade system in such a way that the choice is always with you as a player. It will be you who decides what upgrades your Syndicate’s scientists will research, so you won’t be stuck with upgrades for weapons you rarely use. You might not be a CEO, but you certainly are in charge in this game.

But enough about the game overview, I am here to talk more about the Demo for Syndicate!

We here at Starbreeze have chosen Western Europe, the first of the co-op Campaign missions, to feature in this demo, as it has quite a lot of significance to us and was one of the first maps we built and completed.

Western Europe is pretty much entirely based on the same map from the original game and we have taken great care in attempting to bring it back to life in our re-imagining of the game. Players familiar with the old map will no doubt recognize the flow and general layout, but we have also taken in quite a few level details, not least of which are the iconic light towers.

The story of the co-op campaign sees you, the player, involved in brutal and ruthless corporate warfare taking place across the globe in 2069. As a new Agent of Wulf Western – a brand new corporate outfit on the rise – it is up to you and your friends to take on rival Syndicates on their own ground; eliminate their personnel, steal their tech, and takeover their market share.

In the demo it’s Cayman Global you’ll be challenging; they have established a military outpost in Western Europe that is threatening your own Syndicate’s expansion in the region. This is of course not acceptable, and it’s time to take action.

We have designed the mission in such a way that new players will have a chance to get used to the unique and different mechanics that Syndicate has to offer. These mechanics are all linked to the DART 6 chip your Agent has lodged in his brain. With the use of this chip the dataverse can be accessed. Objects, Weapons and even other human beings that are chipped can be accessed in a multitude of ways and manipulated. We call this interaction a “Breach”.

The very basic function of your DART chip allows you to heal (breach) your team members and, in case healing came too late, you can also reboot them if they are down. This was really our core mechanic for the game and it helped us create a game that really centers on team play. It also allowed us to create a challenging game which, particularly on Hard and Expert modes, will provide countless hours of gameplay.

The normal mode of the mission is intended to be fun and engaging for everyone, but once you master breaching and have moved on to utilize your available breach applications – software upgrades with different functions for your DART chip – then we definitely recommend checking out the harder difficulty settings!

When we set out to create Syndicate, we wanted to create a fast paced, visceral gaming experience that would put the player right at the core of the brutal and merciless world of the original Syndicate. We had a massive advantage in the fact that today’s technology can deliver this experience in a lot more realistic way than was possible 18 years ago.

It was clear to us from the start that Syndicate would feature on the PS3. Apart from the obvious technical advantages, the fact that PS3 owners can play Syndicate co-op for free on PSN was a major draw for us. We certainly hope that many people will take advantage of this possibility because the best way to find out what Syndicate truly is about is to pick up a controller and dive into the co-op Demo!

All of us here hope you enjoy the game as much as we do, and who knows, you might be joining up with one of us soon to make sure Wulf Western gains total market dominance!

Today we’re sharing a deeper look into that trailer. We were hard at work on the announcement trailer for quite awhile and a lot of design went into making certain every frame contained some nugget of information you could take away about the game itself. Taken more than a year ago and over the course of a few days of planning, prep, and acting what you see here is a nice glimpse into some of the behind the screens work that went into making that trailer possible. Comprised of shots we decided to keep in the trailer, here’s the motion capture footage of our two main The Last of Us protagonists doing their thing in our Culver City, CA motion capture studio:

As you can see, actor performances are intergal to the way our trailers and our games get made. The nuances in their performances are taken into our Naughty Dog game engine then built into our game and it’s what truly brings our characters to life. Introducing the character of Joel, played by Troy Baker, and Ellie, played by Ashley Johnson, wouldn’t have been possible without the well wrought, lively, and often acrobatic performances by our lead actor and actress. You’ll definitely be hearing more about and from Troy and Ashley in the near future. Be sure on the lookout for more information and news about The Last of Us online and in print very soon.

For the first time, the version of Mega Man featured on the original Mega Man 1 box art will make the jump from the cover to be a playable character, with Pac-Man taking on all challengers as he rides atop Mokujin.

To see how these two characters inject their own unique and light-hearted fighting styles check out the brand new trailer.

Mega Man and Pac-Man join the previously announced PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita exclusive characters, Cole from Infamous plus Toro and Kuro.

Street Fighter X Tekken will release for PlayStation 3 on March 6 in North America and March 9 across Europe with PlayStation Vita and PC versions to follow.

Armored Core V hits consoles across Europe on 23rd March, and when it does, we at Namco Bandai Games want everyone up to be up to speed on all of the ins and outs on what it will take to survive while piloting the Armored Cores (or “ACs”) in the dusty, shrapnel-laden world full of limitless online gameplay possibilities.

I’ve been learning more and more from the team about Armored Core V over the last few months between bouts in Soulcalibur V, and the sheer level of detail and customization here has put my jaw on the floor. Make no mistake; Armored Core V is deep. Very deep. So deep, in fact, that the team has introduced a new Operator Mode that will enable players to actually oversee multiplayer battles from overhead, calling the shots live amid battle as they watch the action and dictate their strategies on the fly to their teams.

There’s more. A lot more. So much more that we’ve made a video to help give you an idea of what’s on the surface and slightly just beneath, but there’s still more to come. Watch our first walkthrough video to get a glimpse of how you’ll be evolving your strategies on the fly, and stay tuned right here to the PlayStation.Blog as well as facebook.com/armoredcore for more details as we boost our AC’s ever closer to 23rd March.

My French Film Festival continues!
Firstly, a time-sensitive reminder: there’s still a week remaining in our unique collaboration with the My French Film Festival. The festival, which includes both short films and features, emphasizes the work of exciting new French filmmaking talent. The festival continues to run online on MUBI through February 1, 2012.

Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks (Wang Bing, China)
Parts 1 (Rust), 2 (Remnants) & 3 (Rails).

This one I’m really, really happy to announce. We’re showing it in Benelux but I wish we were showing it worldwide. Still: if you live there please see this film. It is without a doubt one of the most important films created in the last decade. This documentary is long, nearly ten hours, so treat it like a mini-series or television series.

As the New Yorker said upon a rare New York-based screening: “West of the Tracks [is] an extraordinary (and extraordinarily long—nine hours and sixteen minutes) documentary by the Chinese director Wang Bing, from 2003. Its subject is the economic and social breakdown of a remote industrial region.” The New York Times writes that the film “is an astonishingly intimate record of China’s painful transition from state-run industry to a free market. Filming between 1999 and 2001, Mr. Wang and his sound engineer, Lin Xudong, painstakingly document the death throes of the Tie Xi industrial district in the city of Shenyang, in northeast China, a once-vibrant symbol of a thriving socialist economy. As factories close and workers lose not only their jobs but also their homes and social networks, the filmmakers patiently observe the end of an era and the fortitude of those left floundering in its wake.”

“Capturing moments both large and small — a blast-furnace ‘mishap,’ a plaintive song on the radio asking ‘Baby, aren’t you tired of this yet?’ — this profoundly empathetic and humanist work bears witness to a vanished way of life and the real cost of progress. ‘Get this place on film now, because it won’t be around much longer,’ advises one of Mr. Wang’s stoic factory workers. Luckily for us, he did.”

Available in: Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg

Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino, USA)

What more can be said about this film? One of the most impressive feature debuts in film history, and instantly emblematic of its auteur’s style: cinephilia (knowledgeable of and referencing the history of film), suffuse with pop culture and how it defines the interactions of people, rich genre heritage (here, gangster-heist films), vibrant characters and unexpected casting, concise but potent violence, and a structurally fragmented narrative. The cult of Tarantino was born in an instant and continues to this day. See why, here.

Available in: Germany, Austria, Switzerland

Zero Bridge (Tariq Tapa, India)

This incredible film is a hopeful, human portrait of a teen pickpocket whose chance encounter with one of his victims upends his escape plans in this gritty, moving story about daily life in Kashmir. It is the first dramatic narrative feature film about contemporary daily life in the Indian-controlled city of Srinagar, Kashmir. It was filmed entirely on location with a local cast of first-time, non- professional actors performing in their native Kashmiri language by a technical crew of one: the director. It played at the Venice and Karlovy Vary film festivals, among others. It is a “moving slice of life from a corner of the world usually seen only in news reports or as a mountainous backdrop for Bollywood musicals” (NY Times).

Available in: United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway

The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle (David Russo, USA)

The New York Times says this Sundance Film Festival selection “is like Clerks reimagined by William S. Burroughs. Looking as if it were devised on acid and executed on mushrooms, this imaginative debut feature from the Seattle artist and filmmaker David Russo finds meaning in cleaning and life in dead ends.”

“An idiosyncratic pondering on the soul-sucking limbo of cubicle careers, the story follows Dory (Marshall Allman), a data-entry drone in Seattle who abandons his computer to join a free-range crew of janitor-philosophers. But after snacking on chemically enhanced cookies from the offices of a product-research company, the male members of the crew, led by the aspiring artist O C (a splendid Vince Vieluf), discover that they have more to worry about than hallucinations and intestinal distress.”

“Juxtaposing white-collar callousness with brown-collar invisibility, Mr. Russo — who worked as a janitor for 11 years — picks at society’s pecking order with inventive zeal. Throwaway jokes and eccentric visual effects (including a trippy sequence by the Dutch animator Rosto) propel a story that weaves faith, creation and cruddy commodes into a psychedelic riff on sex roles and class structure. In the background, a group of musicians collectively known as Awesome lives up to its name.”

“Off the wall yet completely intelligible, Immaculate Conception mines existential commentary from toilet humor. ‘There’s also toilet sadness, toilet triumph, toilet a lot of things,’ O C points out to curious patrons at a show of his bathroom-centric art. A janitor ought to know.”

Available in: United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden

The wait is almost over, Jak and Daxter fans. I’m happy to announce that The Jak and Daxter Trilogy launches in Europe on February 22nd. In just a few weeks, you’ll be able to score the first three installments of the Jak and Daxter trilogy in one complete PS3 Blu-ray package for just €39.99 (RRP)

Each game has been fully remastered to feature 720p HD visuals and stereoscopic 3D functionality, and one of the coolest new additions to the titles in The Jak and Daxter Trilogy is the introduction of PSN trophy support.

When the series debuted on PS2 over 10 years ago, we didn’t have trophies; so for our jump to PS3, Mass Media crafted custom trophies for you to earn for all three titles in the collection. The team at Mass Media has created intricate trophies, each featuring a unique variation on a design theme based around its mission type. There are over 100 to collect including three platinums, so all of you completionists will have hours of trophy hunting fun to look forward to.

Here’s a sneak peek at some of the trophies that you’ll definitely be coveting for your collection:

Be sure to track them all down when The Jak and Daxter Trilogy launches on February 22nd. Happy hunting!

Some more Steps (yay!) with ‘It’s The Way You Make Me Feel’, ‘Photograph’ by Def Leppard for you rockers out there and a bit of Katy B for good measure.

Also released this week are the individual tracks from the Hi-NRG song pack including songs by Sinitta, Samantha Fox, Divine, Evelyn Thomas and Hazell Dean.

We’ll be putting up the next discounted ‘You Decide‘ song list in game this week so make sure you follow us on Twitter @SingStarHQ to find out about the time and day of release. You can read all about how to vote for the next one and find the full tracklist on our website.

Also, did you know that since the end of December, the entire SingStore catalogue has been available to browse and buy from on the PSN Store? Whereas before you could only get hold of song packs, wallpapers, avatars and the like, you can now purchase all your songs straight from there if you fancy. Pretty convenient if you ask me!

That’s it again for me today. See you soon.

Nina xx

Track has previously been released on a disc.

Welcome to the second blog on Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock. I’m Simon Harris and I am the Executive Producer for BBC Worldwide on the game, which means the project is my overall responsibility. I need to ensure that all aspects come together to make a great game that stays true to the Doctor Who brand. This means working with our developer, Supermassive Games, across areas such as design, art and programming. It also extends to working with the Doctor Who teams in London and Cardiff to ensure that everything looks and feels as it should.

For this blog post, I thought I would give you some insight into the monsters that will be appearing in the game. This goes alongside our first gameplay trailer, released today, which showcases them.

Choosing the monsters for the game turned out to be a more of a complicated process than you would imagine. Initially, when Supermassive put in their design pitch for the game, they had chosen the four monsters they would like to see, both as Doctor Who fans and from a gameplay point of view. However, at that time they weren’t aware of the new monsters that were going to be shown in the new series, which was just about to start on the BBC. Given the high level of security we place on information about the show, there were some great discussions where we had to talk very cryptically about a specific monster. We had to balance this with trying to understand what the design team at Supermassive wanted to achieve – we didn’t want to include the new monster if it completely broke the gameplay plans. Thankfully the design change felt good and The Silence was added to the monster line up. I’m not going to tell you which one got cut, but I can promise it will make an appearance in a future game.

Having settled on our monster line up: the Silence, Cybermen, Silurians and the Daleks, work started on the detailed game design on how they would challenge the Doctor and River. We also had to start modelling the characters for the in-game graphics. Accuracy is vital, and it was essential to have the models looking like they do in the show. It was great to start working with the Doctor Who teams in London and Cardiff to ensure our dimensions, the shaders (the technical term for an aspect of the graphics which give a texture a look and feel to it such as steel or cloth) and the colours were all entirely correct.

It was during this process that something slightly surprising happened. The art team at Supermassive were getting really positive feedback on how the monsters looked, which was great, and the Doctor Who team then asked if we could make some changes that deviated from the reference photos. It turns out that there were a number of small tweaks which the team would have loved to make to the designs of the monsters on the show, but had been unable to for various reasons. At this point they saw the opportunity to make these tweaks in our monster designs. Of course, we were more than happy to include these amendments. So, whilst you’re watching the trailers or playing the game, send a tweet to @DoctorWhoTEC if you think you know what the tweaks we have made are… We would love to see how eagle eyed the fans are!

Having got our standard monsters all approved and looking great, we turned our attention to the game “bosses”. As all Doctor Who fans know, there is always a leader or central character driving the troops forward and so we wanted to see if we could create some monster leaders that really utilised the technology and visuals we have at our disposal working on PlayStation 3 and PS Vita.

The team at Supermassive spent a huge amount of time looking at all of the references of the monsters from previous shows and games, as well as the massive amount of books, webisodes and other content available. The team then proposed two new versions of existing monsters which would become the finales for our monsters. This was a pretty nervous time; we wanted monsters that felt as scary as they do in the show and matched the scale of the locations and environments we were creating for the game. Creating a new version of a classic Doctor Who monster is a big ask – they have to be carefully detailed and you must establish exactly where they sit within the canon of the show. Thankfully, the Doctor Who team loved what we were suggesting and both of our new monster versions were approved and are in the game. There is a tiny sight of one of them in our new monster trailer; again, tweet @DoctorWhoTEC if you think you know which one it is…

So, just an insight into some of the thinking and things that happened to get our monsters into Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock. I’ll be back soon with another blog detailing more information on what goes on behind the scenes of making our game.

Here’s something that’s sure to give you that Friday feeling – Episode 17 of Access TV is now available on YouTube complete with mega PS3 exclusive The Last of Us as game of the week. The team flew out to Naughty Dog towers in Santa Monica to bring you exclusive access to PS3′s most talked about game of 2012, including interviews with creative director Neil Druckmann and game director Bruce Straley.

Also on the agenda is super-powered action sequel Prototype 2, as the Access TV crew fly out to Canada (they’re really wracking up the air miles) and catch up with developers Radical Games.

Spawn creator Todd McFarlane is also on hand to talk about his latest project – the sprawling delights of fantasy RPG Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Everything from the design of monsters to the landscapes has been overseen by the comic book ace, and it really shows.

There’s your regular does of PS3 news and PlayStation Store content to feast upon, including all the info you need on Access’ ongoing Vita Rooms events, which let you get hands-on with PlayStation Vita before its UK launch on February 22nd.

Access TV is available every Friday on YouTube – head to youtube.com/playstationaccess to subscribe and never miss an episode.

To sign up for future Access events or to hang out and chat with other members of the Access community, then visit us on Facebook at facebook.com/PlaystationAccess, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/PSAccess.

YES, WE HAVE ANNOUNCED IT! You know what I’m talking about; you’ve been looking for clues, any possible clues and hints. Well now it’s here, Resident Evil 6 is here. We’ll be releasing RE6 for the PlayStation 3 in November 2012. Duck, run, hide, roll, jump and shoot, all of the action and survival horror verbs you would want to hear that feature heavily in RE. Expect it to be the most ambitious and feature heavy Resident Evil, EVER.

What’s the story? Who’s in it? Ten years has gone by since the Raccoon City incident and the President of the United States has decided blab the truth about what really happened – recipe for disaster – in the belief that it’ll stop more zombie outbreaks from the evil Umbrella. Leon, the president’s wingman has to make a horrific decision when faced with anybodies worst nightmare; an infected President. The other side of the world, Chris Redfield, Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance Member arrives in China to battle the infection there. No country is safe, there is no hope left.

Chris Redfield AND Leon S. Kennedy? Surely they can save the day? You’ll have to wait and see…
This is survival horror and action combined on a global scale. I can see you’re itching to blow some zombie brains all over the world already. Stay tuned zombie lovers.