Apologies for the change of plan at short notice

Countries: AE, AU, GB, IE, NZ PlayStation Network is offline for scheduled maintenance from 17:00 until 19:00 on Thursday 8 September 2011, BST. During the maintenance, you will be unable to access the following services: In addition, you will not be able to sign in to PlayStation Network from eu.playstation.com.

PlayStation Network is offline for scheduled maintenance from 17:00 until 19:00 on Thursday 8 September 2011, BST.

During the maintenance, you will be unable to access the following services:

• PlayStation Store on PS3 and PSP.
• PlayStation Network Account Management.
• PlayStation Network Account Registration.

In addition, you will not be able to sign in to PlayStation Network from eu.playstation.com. If you wish to play online during the maintenance, please ensure you sign in to PSN before 17:00 on Thursday 8 September 2011.

During this maintenance, you can continue to collect in-game trophies and these will be updated on your profile once PlayStation Network is back up and running.

If you have any questions about this down time, feel free to visit the official PlayStation Forums at community.eu.playstation.com where you can post your query and a member of the Community Team will get back to you.

For the latest maintenance updates, visit the PlayStation Blog at blog.eu.playstation.com, keep an eye on our Facebook page at facebook.com/SonyPlayStation and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/PLAYSTATIONEU.

During the maintenance, you will be unable to access the following services:

• PlayStation Store on PS3 and PSP.
• PlayStation Network Account Management.
• PlayStation Network Account Registration.

In addition, you will not be able to sign in to PlayStation Network from eu.playstation.com. If you wish to play online during the maintenance, please ensure you sign in to PSN before 16:05 on Thursday 11 August 2011.

During this maintenance, you can continue to collect in-game trophies and these will be updated on your profile once PlayStation Network is back up and running.

If you have any questions about this down time, feel free to visit the official PlayStation Forums at community.eu.playstation.com where you can post your query and a member of the Community Team will get back to you.

For the latest maintenance updates, visit the PlayStation Blog at blog.eu.playstation.com, keep an eye on our Facebook page at facebook.com/SonyPlayStation and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/PLAYSTATIONEU.

We are aware of the issues with PSN Store. Here’s an update on the problem:

Wallet Top ups using Credit/Debit Cards
Some customers were unable to add funds to their account yesterday. If customers tried to top up their wallets multiple times yesterday they should wait a few hours from their last attempt before trying again. As we expect traffic on PlayStation Network to be extremely high over the coming days customers should try to make any purchases outside of peak hours if at all possible (off-peak hours: morning/early afternoon Western European time).

A small number of customers may have noticed PlayStation®Network transactions on their credit/debit card or their available credit limit reduced, but these top ups may not have been reflected in their PlayStation Network accounts. These transactions should be reversed within the next 24 hours.

Wallet Top ups using PSN Cards
Wallet top ups using PSN Cards should not have been affected by the problems yesterday. If any customer has had problems redeeming their PSN Cards please let us know.

Problems Downloading
Some customers are experiencing problems downloading or installing the Call of Duty add-on and have experienced error code 80029564. As customers have the option to download all 7 versions of the add-on they should identify which disc they have (disc ID can be found on the spine of the game’s case) and only download the appropriate version for their disc. Where the download or install failed customers should attempt to re-download and install during off-peak hours if possible (off-peak hours: morning/early afternoon Western Europe time)

We hope to resolve these issues soon and we apologise for the inconvenience.

Follow PlayStationEU on Twitter for regular updates on this problem.

Emmanuel

There’s another varied batch of content this week, with an updated demo for Fight Night Round 4 available (now you can try the punch button layout, rather than the sticks), all the Disgaea 3 additional content has been collected into one monstrous collection, and we also have extra content available for F.E.A.R.2, Pain and High Velocity Bowling. We also have the third Buzz! Junior title available on the store for those who are looking for something for all the family to enjoy.

PSP owners can look forward to Fate/Unlimited Codes and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, as well as the demo for the upcoming Holy Invasion Of Privacy Badman!, and the first pack available for Prinny: Can I Really Be The Hero?

I’ll be back as usual next week, so for any burning questions I’d leave them for next week’s comments section. Have a good week all.

UPDATE: Unfortunately, SCEE QA issues have resulted in Fate/Unlimited Codes being pushed back to next Thursday, September 3rd. Apologies for the inconvenience.

Downloadable Games

Buzz! Junior: Monster Rumble (£3.99/€4.99)
PEGI 3+

Demos (free)

Fight Night Round 4 (updated version)
PEGI 16+

Add-On Game Content

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin – Reborn Pack (£6.29/€7.99)
PEGI 18+

Disgaea 3 – Complete DLC Pack (£39.99/€49.99)
PEGI 12+

Pain

• Fannie, Le Toot and Ivan Tojakov Character Pack (combines all three individual character packs below) (£1.59/€1.99)
• Fannie Character Pack (£0.79/€0.99)
• Le Toot Character Pack (£0.79/€0.99)
• Ivan Tojakov Character Pack (£0.79/€0.99)

PEGI 16+

High Velocity Bowling

• Back To School Ball Pack (£0.79/€0.99)
• Graphic Pattern Ball Pack (£0.79/€0.99)
• Heather Haughtfer Pack (£0.79/€0.99)

PEGI 3+

Rock Band

• Talking Heads Pack 01 (this pack contains the five Talking Heads tracks listed below) (£5.25/€6.59)
• And She Was by Talking Heads (£0.99/€1.49)
• Crosseyed and Painless by Talking Heads (£0.99/€1.49)
• Girlfriend Is Better by Talking Heads (£0.99/€1.49)
• Once In a Lifetime by Talking Heads (£0.99/€1.49)
• Take me to the River by Talking Heads (£0.99/€1.49)
• Bat Country by Avenged Sevenfold (£0.99/€1.49)
• Going Underground by The Jam (£0.99/€1.49)
• Guerilla Radio by Rage Against the Machine (£0.99/€1.49)
• Supersonic (Live) by Oasis (£0.99/€1.49)
• Town Called Malice by The Jam (£0.99/€1.49)

PEGI 12+

Videos (free)

• Batman: Arkham Asylum Gadgets Trailer
• WET Video Short 1

Blu-ray Trailers (free)

• Fast and Furious Trailer

Wallpapers (free)

• The Punisher: No Mercy Wallpapers x2
• Zen Pinball Wallpapers x2

Premium Themes

• Burn Zombie Burn! Theme (£1.19/€1.49)

PlayStation Store via PSP and Media Go

Downloadable Games

Fate/Unlimited Codes (£23.99/€29.99)
PEGI 12+

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (£23.99/€29.99)
PEGI 12+

Demos (free)

Holy Invasion Of Privacy Badman!
PEGI 12+

Add-On Game Content (also available via the PS3 store)

Prinny: Can I Really Be The Hero? – Marona Of Phantom Island (£2.99/€3.99)
PEGI 7+

Rock Band Unplugged

• Lucid Dreams by Franz Ferdinand (£0.99/€1.49)
• Riad N’ The Bedouins by Guns N’ Roses (£0.99/€1.49)

PEGI 12+

Themes (free)

• DISSIDIA FINAL FANTASY THEME 12, 13 and 14

Just a quick heads up to let you know that the PlayStation Network will be undergoing maintenance tomorrow, Tuesday the 25th of August. As a result you will be unable to sign in to the PSN between 4:15pm and 9:05pm UK time. We’re sorry for the inconvenience – the maintenance is global, so the timing is not something we have control of.

If you’re already signed in before the maintenance begins, however, you should be able to stay connected to the PSN servers. It is likely that you’ll be disconnected and required to sign back in once the PSN comes back up at 9:05pm, though.

Why not use the time to relive last week’s press conference liveblog? Or watch our gamescom video interviews. Who am I kidding? You’ve already seen all this stuff already. Right?

Right?

Talking of wet, WET is one of four demos we have releasing on the store later today (did you see what I did there…ahem, apologies), alongside Mini Ninjas and IL2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey. You can also fling Andy Dick around in Pain from today, as well as get yourself a Street Fighter II themed table for Zen Pinball. We also have another batch of trailers from gamescom, including footage from the Sony press conference.

Tomorrow morning you will also be able to get hold of a trailer for the forthcoming Avatar game taken from the Avatar game day event.

Finally, for our PSP users we have a variety of content available (especially for RPG fans) with Wild Arms XF, Riviera, and the demo for DISSIDIA FINAL FANTASY available, amongst other things. Scroll down for the full list.

The store will be updated later this afternoon, and as usual any problems or feedback please leave a comment.

Demos (free)

Colin McRae DiRT 2
PEGI 3+

WET
PEGI 18+

Mini Ninjas
PEGI 7+

IL2 Sturmovik: Birds Of Prey
PEGI 7+

Add-On Game Content

Pain – Andy Dick Pack (£0.79/€0.99)
PEGI 16+

Zen Pinball – Street Fighter II Tribute Table (£1.59/€1.99)
PEGI 7+

Guitar Hero: World Tour – Duelling Banjos Track (£1.59/€1.99)
PEGI 12+

Rock Band

• Foo Fighters Pack 02 (this combines the below three Foo Fighters tracks in one pack) (£2.49/€2.99)
• All My Life by Foo Fighters (£0.99/€1.49)
• I’ll Stick Around by Foo Fighters (£0.99/€1.49)
• Lonely As You by Foo Fighters (£0.99/€1.49)
• I Predict A Riot by Kaiser Chiefs (£0.99/€1.49)
• I’m Shipping Up To Boston by Dropkick Murphys (£0.99/€1.49)
• Inside Out by Eve 6 (£0.99/€1.49)
• No Rain by Blind Melon (£0.99/€1.49)
• There’s No Other Way by Blur (£0.99/€1.49)

PEGI 12+

Videos (free)

• Modnation Racers Trailer
• Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time Gamescom Trailer
• Heavy Rain Gamescom Trailer
• LittleBigPlanet Water Trailer
• Tekken 6 Gamescom Trailer
• Trine Trailer
• Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time Comicon Trailer
• Front Mission Evolved Trailer
• Savage Moon Waldgeist Trailer
• Gamescom Sony Press Conference Part 1
• Gamescom Sony Press Conference Part 2
• Gamescom Sony Press Conference Part 3
• Gamescom Sony Press Conference Part 4
• PR Sizzler Trailer
• Avatar Game Day Trailer (Released on Friday the 21st of August)

Themes (free)

• Katamari Forever and Noby Noby Boy Theme
• PlayStation Store via PSP and Media Go

Downloadable Games

Wild Arms XF (£13.99/€17.99)
PEGI 12+

Riviera (£13.99/€17.99)
PEGI 12+

Warriors Orochi (£13.99/€17.99)
PEGI 12+

Colin McRae Rally 2005 (£7.99/€9.99)
PEGI 3+

Demo (free)

Dissidia Final Fantasy
PEGI 12+

Add-On Game Content (also available via the PS3 store)

Rock Band Unplugged

• A Favor House Atlantic by Coheed and Cambria (£0.99/€1.49)
• Heartbreaker by Pat Benatar (£0.99/€1.49)

PEGI 12+

Themes (free)

• DISSIDIA FINAL FANTASY Themes 8, 9 and 10

Videos (free)

• MotorStorm Arctic Edge Trailer

Last night we published the following videos onto the PlayStation Store for you to enjoy, so if you haven’t already had a look, you can find these in the Latest, and Videos sections of the store.

There will also be further videos from gamescom released in this Thursday’s post, so be sure to join us again tomorrow for further gamescom goodness (and more).

Videos (free)

• Minis Trailer
• PlayStation Network Digital Comics Trailer
• Buzz! Quiz World Trailer
• Dead Nation Trailer
• EyePet Trailer
• Gravity Crash Trailer
• Hustle Kings Trailer
• LocoRoco Midnight Carnival Trailer
• PixelJunk Shooter Trailer
• PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe Trailer
• White Knight Chronicles Trailer

PlayStation Store via PSP and Media Go

Videos (free)

• Minis Trailer
• Buzz! Quiz World Trailer
• Echoshift Trailer
• Gravity Crash Trailer
• LocoRoco Midnight Carnival Trailer
• PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe Trailer
• LittleBigPlanet Trailer
• Invizimals Trailer

Before I start the content run-down for you, I just want to clarify what kind of help I can give you in the comments section in these updates; as I’ve seen a few comments around the blog asking for some clarity on this. I will endeavour to answer as many questions specifically about the PlayStation Store as I can and if I don’t have the answer I will go and try to find out (if I can help regarding other areas I will try, but it’s likely I won’t have the info you want, but that’s not to say I won’t try to find out for you). If I don’t respond to your questions directly in the comments section it is not because I am ignoring them, it is either because I don’t have an answer, or I am trying to find out, but I DO read all your comments.

Okay, so onto the content coming to the store later today – the eagerly awaited Marvel vs Capcom 2 is released this week, so for all your fight fans this is going to keep your finger reflexes on good form I’m sure. We also have the puzzler Droplitz available for you, as well as a demo for the Western based shooter Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood (I had a lot of fun playing this game, so give it a try for yourself, and see if you’d make it as a gunslinger). We also have another large array of additional content available for titles such as Red Faction: Guerilla, LittleBigPlanet, Pain, Madden NFL 10 and more…

Also, not forgetting the PSP owners, this week Patapon is released digitally, we have a trailer for MGS Peace Walker, and tomorrow morning (Friday 14th August) we will be releasing Madden NFL 2010 on the store too! We’ve also made Resistance Retribution and Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow available for our German users too

** Unfortunately Tiger Woods Gary Player pack has had to be removed **

Downloadable Games

Droplitz (£7.99/€9.99) PEGI 3+

Trial and Unlock Key

(Download the trial to try the game for free, and then purchase the Unlock Key if you would like to own the full game) Marvel vs Capcom 2 (Trial free, Unlock Key £11.99/€14.99) PEGI 12+

Demos (free)

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood PEGI 16+

Add-On Game Content

Red Faction: Guerilla – Demons of the Badlands (£6.29/€7.99) PEGI 12+ Pain PEGI 16+

• Museum Pack (£3.99/€4.99)
• Knockin’ Bloks Pack (£1.59/€1.99)
• Smooth Jarvis Pack (free)

LittleBigPlanet PEGI 7+

• Ada Lovelace Costume (£0.79/€0.99)
• Boudicca Costume (£0.79/€0.99)
• Genghis Khan Costume (£0.79/€0.99)
• Mozart Costume (£0.79/€0.99)
• History Costume Kit Pack (£2.39/€2.99)
• History Level Kit Pack (£3.19/€3.99)

Madden NFL 10 PEGI 3+

• DB Scout (£0.45/€0.49)
• Dig Deep (£0.45/€0.49)
• DL Scout (£0.45/€0.49)
• Game Day Instincts (£0.45/€0.49)
• Hometown Hero (£0.45/€0.49)
• LB Scout (£0.45/€0.49)
• Madden Max Pack (This pack contains ALL Madden packs currently available) (£6.29/€7.99)
• Max Franchise Pack (This pack contains all of the Franchise packs available, Get all player, staff and scout packs combined)
• Not Done Yet (£0.79/€0.99)
• OL Scout (£0.45/€0.49)
• One More Year (£1.19/€1.49)
• Online Franchise (£6.29/€7.99)
• Pick a Superstar (£0.79/€0.99)
• PK Scout (£0.45/€0.49)
• Play Through the Pain (£0.79/€0.99)
• QB Scout (£0.45/€0.49)
• RB Scout (£0.45/€0.49)
• Star Player (£0.79/€0.99)
• Super Superstar (£1.19/€1.49)
• WR Scout (£0.45/€0.49)
• Elite Status (£3.19/€3.99)
• Expert Medical Staff (£1.19/€1.49)
• Expert Scout Pack (This pack contains all 8 individual Scout Packs) (£2.39/€2.99)
• Franchise Player Pack (This pack contains all the Franchise player packs available) (£2.39/€2.99)
• Great Staff Pack (This pack contains all the Staff packs available) (£2.39/€2.99)
• Skilled Medical Staff (£0.79/€0.99)
• World Class Training Staff (£1.19/€1.49)

Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires PEGI 16+

• Arabian Armour Set (women) (free)
• Mystic Armour Set (men) (free)
• Wa Armour Set (women) (free)
• Shinobi Armour Set (men) (free)

Rock Band Further your Rock Band experience with this selection of content to download: PEGI 12+

• Gorillaz Pack 01 (this combines the below three Gorillaz tracks in one pack) (£2.49/€2.99)
• Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz (£0.99/€1.49)
• Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz (£0.99/€1.49)
• Re-Hash by Gorillaz (£0.99/€1.49)
• Chest Fever (Live) by The Band (£0.99/€1.49)
• Magic Bus (Live at Leeds) by The Who (£0.99/€1.49)
• Piece of my Heart by Big Brother and the Holding Company (£0.99/€1.49)
• White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane (£0.99/€1.49)

Guitar Hero: World Tour – Activision Track Pack (free) Further your track collection with this additional content for download. PEGI 12+

Themes (free)

Savage Moon Waldgeist – Red Theme

Wallpapers (free)

Fat Princess Wallpaper

PlayStation Store via PSP and Media Go

Downloadable Games

Madden NFL 2010 (Released on Friday the 14th of August) (£29.99/€39.99)
PEGI 3+

Patapon (£14.99/€19.99)
PEGI 7+

Real Madrid The Game (£15.99/€19.99)
PEGI 7+

Add-On Game Content (also available via the PS3 store)

Rock Band Unplugged
PEGI 12+

• The Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden (£0.99/€1.49)
• The Trooper by Iron Maiden (£0.99/€1.49)

Themes (free)

Dissidia Final Fantasy – Theme 7

Videos (free)

Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker Trailer

First up, we have some very special race costumes coming to you straight from MotorStorm Pacific Rift. These new outfits will be available in Home Threads, check out the screenshots below for the male and female flavours…

We also have the launch of a brand-new, never before seen space – the MotorStorm Sphere. Check out the b-roll and screenshots below:

This space will be accessible for a very limited time only (so be quick!). By entering the MotorStorm Sphere you will secure yourself a rare PS Home Reward and the opportunity to see the very first work in progress artwork of a new MotorStorm Space (which will be coming to PS Home later in the year).

That’s not it for MotorStorm though, we will also be bringing you a selection of additional items over the coming weeks – some tantalising screenshots of which are below to whet your appetite…

Next up, we have the Presentation Podium section of the PlayStation Events Space re-opening its doors – this time hosting content from the forthcoming gamescom event in Cologne, Germany. Check out the brand new mini-game “SHAPE BLAST” (for your chance to win a lovely trophy for your Harbour Studio) and keep an eye on the forums for some more information regarding the footage we’ll be streaming into the space…

Finally, make sure you check out the Shopping Centre, there’s been a lovely little apparel update for MySoti, Home Threads and the V-Store.

I’ll be on hand for a bit if you have any pressing questions, otherwise I’ll see you in the PS Home tomorrow.

Thanks

Elliott / iELL

My name is Angela Madronero and I’m the European PlayStation Store Manager. For a while now, we’ve seen a number of recurring questions about the PlayStation Store appearing on the blog. Many of the questions can’t be covered in the weekly PlayStation Store update; therefore, I wanted to take this opportunity to respond to some of the most frequently asked questions.

How has the European PlayStation Store grown since its launch? Are there any plans to increase the reach of the store further?

The first thing to say is that the “European” PlayStation Store is also available in non-European countries. Basically, the countries that make up the SCEE region (which historically operated the PAL TV system) all come under the banner of Europe. For the purposes of this blog I’ll continue to call it the European Store, which operates alongside our sister stores in servicing American, Japanese and Asian markets.

We have 29 stores across 25 countries, which require the use of 13 currencies and 8 languages. As you can imagine, it takes a significant amount of coordination and operational support to maintain our existing stores; however, our current list of countries is by no means final. We are definitely interested in further geographic expansion of the PlayStation Store.

The PlayStation Store is a commercial enterprise; therefore, we need to prioritise the roll-out of additional stores by reviewing a country’s PLAYSTATION 3 installed base, broadband penetration and e-commerce environment. These reviews are completed on a case-by-case basis. Ultimately, the roll-out of additional countries needs to make commercial sense.

What improvements have been made to the PlayStation Store since launch?

Those people who have been using PS Store since 2007 will have seen many changes in such a relatively short space of time. The changes are usually made in response to user comments, or to improve operational efficiency.

From a user point of view, over the course of two years we’ve:

• Re-launched the PS3 store with a significantly improved layout and design using a native PS3 technology rather than the original browser-based store. This dramatically improved the speed performance and provided a richer graphical experience. We were also able to configure the same store design to both High-definition and Standard-definition TV.
• Implemented an ‘A-Z’ search section throughout all stores.
• Rolled-out a ‘Preview Button’ for sneak peeks at content.
• Launched the PSP Store and made PSP content available via the PC (Media Go).

Our most recent updates include:

• Design refresh
• Search functionality within English language stores; roll-out across non-English language stores to follow
• Additional rotating advertising slots in order to highlight new content

Why is the navigation different across different regions?

There are times when different regions choose slightly different navigation flows or ways to reach content. Basically this choice is a reflection of the type and quantity of content on offer, as well as the differing operational requirements of each store.

Clearly with so many stores in so many different languages, there are some unique operational and consumer facing requirements for the European Store, but our basic approach is to provide navigation that allows users access to content in the quickest time and with the least number of clicks.

In order to ensure the best user experience, we conduct surveys and user tests to analyse the ways in which consumers access content. These tests are completed in many countries in order to make sure that all requirements are captured and considered before the final decisions are made.

We have been asked whether it would be possible to have a demo category that allows for direct entry to demos from the Store Top (home page). Research to date has shown that the download figures for demos in the US Store and the European Store are very similar, so it seems that most visitors to the European Store are able find demos easily in whichever store they visit. For this reason we are not planning to change the placement of demos in the store; instead we are concentrating our efforts on changing the navigation flow in some other ways.

Why is there different content on the European Store from the US and Japanese stores?

This question often gets asked. In fact, all Stores have different content depending on their local markets. We are committed to working very hard to ensure that our first-party content (the games created by our own Sony Computer Entertainment development teams) is published across all the PlayStation-Stores, simultaneously. We know how important this is to you, and I hope that you’ve seen an improvement in synchronised, worldwide releases over the past six months.

Why is there a difference in third party content?

The decision about whether and when to release a game for sale is in the hands of the individual publisher (companies like Capcom, EA, Konami, Ubisoft, etc.).

In the same way that the publisher decides when to launch the disc version of a game, they also decide if and when PlayStation Network content is made available.

There are many reasons why our third party partners may not be able to launch content in one region on a particular time/date; this may be due to technical glitches, digital rights issues, localisation requirements etc. So the issues are a little more complex than may first appear.

We know that there is a lot of frustration when content is released on one store but not another. I can confirm that from a PlayStation Store point of view, we are committed to supporting our third party partners in bringing as much content as possible to the European Store.

In addition to accepting credit cards, the US allows you to use pre-paid cards within the PlayStation-Store. Will we be getting a pre-paid cards system and, if so, when?

This is something we’re definitely looking into for European Store users. I can’t give you any further information at the moment but I can assure everyone that we will be bringing you more news in the not too distant future, so please hang in there!

When will Europe get a video and music download service?

We recently launched VidZone – a great EU first, free of charge music video streaming service. We have received very positive feedback and are thrilled with its successful launch, with over 1 million downloads in less than 8 weeks.

At Games Convention in August last year, we announced that we had a long-term plan to launch a video on demand service for some countries in the SCEE region. This is still our plan, and as soon as we have all the details locked down, one of my colleagues who is working on the programme will give you an update on when and what will be available.

I hope that answers some of your immediate questions. Keep the comments and feedback coming, and I look forward to updating you as and when I have more information to share.

We’ve also been hard at work at expanding the Burn Zombie Burn! universe since the game was released in March. With our new Home space, set in a themed graveyard, you can literally walk amongst the undead in the same way as you do in game. There’s also a cool maze populated with some zombies too. Naturally, there’s a selection of apparel available for purchase as well.

In addition to our new Home space, there’s also some DLC on the way for the game. Entitled “Burn Zombie Burn! In Space…”, this is two new levels set within an alien spaceship overrun by zombies. We’ve had a lot of fun making these new levels, as well as creating new modes for the whole game. Below is an exclusive trailer of these new levels in game. Enjoy!

Paramount Pictures International is today launching its latest summer blockbuster, G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA, in PS3 Home.

Starting today, PlayStation Home residents will be able to download four G.I. JOE costumes for free, exclusively from Threads Store. Available for a limited time only, Home residents will be able to download the iconic costumes worn by stars Channing Tatum (Duke) and Sienna Miller (The Baroness), or become rival G.I. JOE or COBRA ninjas, Snake Eyes or Storm Shadow.

From tomorrow, visitors to Home Theatre will get to see an exclusive video welcome from stars Sienna Miller and Rachel Nichols, as well as a trailer introduction from director Stephen Sommers. For two weeks, residents will also be able to watch a number of clips, trailers and featurettes from the new movie during a G.I JOE cinema takeover.

For those who fancy becoming a G.I. JOE themselves, visit Home Theatre and walk up to one of the ‘JOIN G.I. JOE’ posters and follow the link to play a training game to see if you have what it takes. Successful recruits will also win a couple of pieces of exclusive merchandise along the way. Simply use your analogue stick to set your target and press ‘X’ to shoot and the DOWN ARROW to re-load your gun. Don’t forget to redeem your voucher codes in the PlayStation Store.

. Enjoy

——–

Hi everyone. My name is Emmanuel (or “Manu” as everybody calls me) and I’m the Portal Manager here at SCEE, which means that I look after eu.playstation.com.

Back in March this year we released new PSN functionality on eu.playstation.com, in particular the ability to directly check your Trophies and the status’ of your friends on the website, plus a new Trophy-friendly version of the Portable ID.

Already more than half a million of you have enjoyed these new features and continued to update your Portable ID on a regular basis, so thank you very much for your support.

Since the launch of the PSN channel, we’ve been listening to the community in order to plan further enhancements to the section and I’m happy to say that from mid-July you’ll be able to enjoy two great new and much-requested features on eu.playstation.com…

First up is the new “My Trophies – Compare with your friends” page, which is fairly self-explanatory but will enable you to line up your Trophy collection alongside that of your PSN Friends.

Many of you also requested a Leaderboard, so you can see how you rank against your PSN Friends, and whether you’ve moved up, down or stayed in the same spot. So here’s a look at the new Leaderboard:

This is still work in progress and the design of these pages might change slightly, but as we get closer to the launch of these new features we’ll let you know more details on how they’ll work and the exact release date.

Back in March I said this is just the start of new exciting ways of enjoying your PSN world and it still is: keep an eye on  eu.playstation.com for even more new features coming soon. I’m also keen to get ideas and feedback from you, so don’t hesitate to post your comments here on the Blog or into the Forums.
On a final and separate note, I just wanted to remind you to keep your PSN sign in details safe: never tell anyone else your PSN Sign-In ID (email address) or password, and only use these details to log-in to official PlayStation websites.

See you soon on eu.playstation.com.

Manu