Train2Game News: Sony waiving publishing fee for PlayStation Mobile

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Train2Game Blogger Team

This was brought to my attention yesterday and it is amazing news for Train2Game students creating mobile games. Sony have announced they are waiving the publishing fee for PlayStation Mobile.

Those who are developing mobile titles now have a new strong market to publish for, including the hand held Sony device, the PS Vita. The PS Vita has new interesting control functions which opens up a whole new way of thinking of game mechanics using the touch pads on the front and back of the device.

Sony already have a number of popular mobile titles such as Haunt the House: Switch Galaxy and Beats Trellis. A game you are creating can now sit along side these and other great titles.

PS Vita owners can download these games and the new games soon to be arriving from amateur developers from the PlayStation Mobile section of PlayStation Store. Owners of PlayStation certified devices can obtain them through the PlayStation Mobile Store – click here for full instructions.

You can see everything you need to know about PlayStation Mobile on the PlayStation Mobile website which has a key game highlights, a direct link to the Dev Portal, and a link to download the PlayStation Mobile application for Android to your PlayStation certified device.

Sony seem to be strongly embracing the indie market with this and the introduction of an Indie store on the PlayStation 3.

This is a great time to start developing titles and to be a Train2Game student.

Train2Game News: Final Fantasy X and X-2 remastered

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Train2Game Blogger Team

Good news for Train2Game students who are fans of the Final Fantasy games! Final Fantasy X and X-2 are being remastered.

The games are being remastered and made high definition to be released in Europe this year. The games will be released bundled on a disc together called FINAL FANTASY X/X-2 HD Remaster. It will be released on PlayStation 3 and PS VITA separately.

Final Fantasy fans will be excited to know that they’re not just getting a mind-blowingly beautifully HD version of the game that they love. Both games are based on the International version, which is the most complete, feature-heavy iteration of each game to release. The International version of FINAL FANTASY X-2 never made it to European shores before, so there’s quite a chunk of additional content for you to enjoy.

The International version of FINAL FANTASY X introduces an Expert version of the Sphere Grid in which all the characters start in the middle and you can choose any path but there are fewer nodes and therefore a decrease in the number of upgrades available. This edition also includes new abilities, new super-bosses and more.

FINAL FANTASY X-2 is also getting the International treatment, high definition graphics and more content that has not yet but announced.

Enjoy the trailer!

Train2Game News: Games Industry News – 08.03.13

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Train2Game Blogger Team

It’s the end of the week so it is time for another Train2Game News round up.

Epic announced earlier this week that the Unreal Engine 4 is available for PlayStation 4. In addition to showcasing the new Unreal Engine 4 “Elemental” demo running live and in real time on PlayStation 4 at the PlayStation Meeting 2013, Epic is providing the resources PlayStation 4 developers need to harness the full power of its Unreal Engine 4 technology and realize all facets of their creativity using Epic’s revolutionary new toolset now and in the future.

Multiplay, a leading provider of community gaming, game server hosting, events management and broadcast services, is pleased to announce Insomnia 48. Taking place on 22nd-25^th March at the Telford International Centre, i48 pits 1,000 of the best gamers against each other to compete for prize funds of up to £10,000 per tournament. The event will give UK gamers their first hands on experience with Injustice: Gods Among Us. Find out more about the event by going to http://iseries.multiplay.co.uk/

High Moon studio and Marvel have released a new trailer for the upcoming game featuring every bodies favourite “Merc with a mouth”, Deadpool. If you know the insane Marvel character, you will know what to expect. If you don’t know him, prepare for a shock! If you are over 18, you can watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaCBD7NPhCQ&feature=player_embedded

Sony Computer Entertainment UK MD Fergal Gara announced that PlayStation VITA sales absolutely exploded over the holiday period. When asked how he rated the handheld’s performance in its first year on the market, the executive said: “Vita really, really responded as we went into Christmas. We had a pre-Christmas lull where sales were quite low. But that absolutely exploded 20-fold from that low-point into the peak of Christmas. That’s very encouraging and shows that with the right promotion and software we can light that fire.” Mr Gara also admitted that the system’s software release schedule currently appears light, but promised: “It looks bare in terms of what we have announced. The cupboard won’t be bare.”

Finally Eidos Montreal have confirmed they are working on a reboot of Thief. The game is scheduled for a 2014 release and will be coming to PC and Next Gen consoles. The official blurb for the game is “Series hero Garrett returns to the Gothic, industrial metropolis known simply as the City to steal any and everything that will make him richer. Unfortunately, the City is broiling with social tension as it is ravaged by a plague and lorded over by a political tyrant known as the Baron. In order to survive his adventures, Garrett will have to pay attention to his environment and make use of the many possible paths through each of the game’s levels.” Sound familiar?

Train2Game News: UK Top 20 – 19.11.12

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Train2Game Blogger Team

Halo 4 was knocked off of the top spot by Call Of Duty Black Ops 2 this week. The PS Vita counter part, Call Of Duty Black Ops Declassified came in at 16. The other new entries this week are The Sims 3: Seasons which came in at number 9 and Kinect Disneyland Adventures which entered at 17. We now get to see how long Black Ops 2 will stay at the top of the charts.

Week ending 17 November 2012

POS.		TITLE	PUBLISHER	LAST WEEK
1		CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS II	ACTIVISION	–
2		HALO 4	MICROSOFT	1
3	–	FIFA 13	EA SPORTS	3
4		ASSASSIN’S CREED III	UBISOFT	2
5		SKYLANDERS GIANTS	SKYLANDERS	6
6		NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTED	EA GAMES	4
7		JUST DANCE 4	UBISOFT	9
8	–	BORDERLANDS 2	2K GAMES	8
9		THE SIMS 3: SEASONS	EA GAMES	–
10		FOOTBALL MANAGER 2013	SEGA	5
11		WWE ’13	THQ	7
12		THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS	15
13		MOSHI MONSTERS: MOSHLINGS THEME PARK	MIND CANDY	12
14	–	DISHONORED	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS	14
15		FORZA MOTORSPORT 4	MICROSOFT	19
16		CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS DECLASSIFIED	ACTIVISION	–
17		KINECT DISNEYLAND ADVENTURES	MICROSOFT	–
18	–	NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. 2	NINTENDO	18
19		MEDAL OF HONOR: WARFIGHTER	EA GAMES	10
20		RESIDENT EVIL 6	CAPCOM	13

Train2Game News: Sony hits milestone and launches new service

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Train2Game Blogger Team

Sony’s PlayStation 3 has surpassed 5 million sales in the UK and they have launched PlayStation Mobile for PS Vita and some Android devices.

The PlayStation 3 has now sold over 5 million units as of this morning. The company has enjoyed a 138 per cent jump in sales the week of September 28 following the launch of the new PS3 Super Slim. A second edition of the Super Slim, a 12GB edition targeted at casual audiences, is due for general release tomorrow.

PlayStation UK boss Fergal Gara said “It is fantastic that we passed the 5m mark.

“Most importantly to me it is not the milestone itself, but the fact that there is momentum behind it. With the new chassis and the way the market is panning out this year, PlayStation definitely has the momentum.”

Secondly, PlayStation mobile has gone live today on the Vita and certain Android devices.

The service, designed to bring PlayStation style gaming to Android devices, is available in countries including the US, Canada, UK, France, Spain, Germany and Australia with more set to follow. The cross-platform gaming service currently supports Sony tablets and mobiles such as Xperia smartphones, Sony Tablet S and P and HTC smartphone One S, X and V.

The launch-lineup for PS Mobile includes 21 games, featuring titles such as Vlambeer’s popular shooter Super Crate Box, Crash Labs’s puzzle action game Twist Pilot and Albino Pixel’s puzzler Underline.

The Mobile SDK is being released in November for an annual fee. The development kit is set to be released in 11 different regions, appearing in a phased manner to Japan, US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Train2Game News: Mid-week round up

Posted on October 4, 2012 by Train2Game Blogger Team

Five months since its release, Minecraft on the Xbox 360 is still selling 27,000 units daily. That’s an estimated 4 million copies sold, further solidifying the games legacy.

Valve’s Steam distribution service now sells software as well as games. The software is for games development. The products currently available on the store are ArtRage Studio Pro, CameraBag 2, GameMaker: Studio, 3D-Coat, 3DMark Vantage, 3DMark 11 and of course, Source Film-maker.

Halo 4 won’t be getting Kinect controls, says 343 Industries’ Frank O’Connor. His opinion is that while the motion sensor has its uses when it comes to the UI, controlling a core game is not what it’s for. Kinect will be used for Halo Waypoint however, which can be launched from in the game.

Reportedly, Arkane studios’ Dishonored will take over twenty hours to complete playing stealthily with killing no one. A brutal play through, killing anyone in your path, will take between 12 to 14 hours but that’s without exploring every nook and cranny, and knowing the solution to everything beforehand. It should take more thorough or inexperienced players longer than that.

PlayStation Europe is offering a month long internship to who ever can make the best game on LittleBigPlanet for the PS Vita. The best submission, as voted by a PlayStation judging panel, will be rewarded with a month-long internship at Swedish studio Tarsier. Games will be judged on gameplay, originality, and commercial appeal. The winner will eventually help work on official DLC for the game. To register an interest, go here.

A new mod has been developed for Crysis. The mod, StarCry, sees many different hit sci-fi shows making their way into the new user made campaign for the game. Franchises such as Stargate SG1 and Star Wars are featured in the mod.

Chasing Aurora developer, Martin Pichlmair, says that Nintendo is working hard to make the Wii U eShop friendly and open for independent developers. This opens up a whole new market with a new innovative console to work with.

World of Tanks official site, Wargaming.net, say that registration numbers have passed the 40 million mark. Players have been pouring into servers to check out the big 8.0 update, which overhauled WoT’s visuals and added proper physics. World of Tanks is one of the biggest free to play games in the world.

Cliff Bleszinski has announced he is leaving Epic. After two decades with the company he is moving on to expand his career. Whilst with the company he was responsible for games such as Jazzy Jackrabbit and the highly acclaimed Gears Of War series.

Bad Piggies, the Angry Birds spin-off from Rovio, shot to the top spot on the US iTunes App Store within three hours of launch. The firm said the game was the fastest chart-topper in the company’s history. The game is the third from the Finnish studio this year to hit the top spot within it’s first day of release. The other titles were Amazing Alex and of course, Angry Birds Space.

Train2Game news: Sony – ‘Time still not right’ for download only consoles

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Train2Game Blogger Team

Train2Game students will be aware of the growth of digital distribution in the games industry, with games available to download via services including Xbox LIVE, PSN and Steam.

And while the Train2Game blog has previously reported that some believe future consoles won’t use discs at all, Sony don’t believe this will happen any time soon.

“We believe, for some consumers, the time is [right], but for other consumers, the time is still not [right],” SCE Worldwide president Shuhei Yoshida told Edge in an interview about the PlayStation Vita

Sony officially revealed their new handheld console at E3 earlier this year.

Yoshida said that current internet connections mean that it’s not yet time for a console to go digital only. This is despite Sony attempting a download only console with the PSP Go.

“So we believe the time is still not right to go download-only as a platform. Some PS Vita titles, like Uncharted: Golden Abyss, will be close to 4GB in size, which could be too large to download for consumers who do not have a fast broadband connection.”

Yoshida added that some consumers will appreciate being able to go to a retailer and pick up a physical copy of a game.

“Also, some consumers like shopping in retail stores, talking to knowledgeable store clerks, buying and playing games on the spot. We do not want to remove that capability from consumers.”

Sony are also aware that downloads haven’t taken off in every part of the globe.

“There are consumers in parts of the world – this is a global device – where the digital model has not yet fully been embraced,” added SCEE CEO Jim Ryan.

Last month, the Train2Game blog reported that Crytek don’t believe that the industry is ready for digital distribution via cloud gaming.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on Sony’s remarks about digital distribution? Can you see consoles going download only?

Leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

[Source: Edge via Industry Gamers]

Train2Game E3 news: Sony offer the hardcore

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Train2Game Blogger Team

While the Train2Game blog reported that Microsoft’s conference focused on Kinect and the more casual audience, Sony very much focused on the core audience.

The biggest news to come from the event – despite the being leaked beforehand – were details on Sony’s new handheld, the PlayStation Vita, previously known to Train2Game blog readers at the NGP.

The news was confirmed by Sony CEO and Exeuctive Vice President Kaz Hirai who not only revealed the official name for the PS Vita, but also that the handheld console will launch in time for Christmas. Two models will be available, a Wi-Fi only version of PS Vita for €249, while a Wi-Fi and 3G version will retail for €299. There are no UK specific prices as of yet.

“PlayStation Vita will revolutionise the portable entertainment experience,” said Hirai. “It gives you the most complete entertainment package in the palm of your hands.”

Sony confirmed that there are ‘more than 80 titles’ in development for the PS Vita, with big name titles including Uncharted, LittleBigPlanet, Bioshock and a handheld version of Street Fighter vs. Tekken. Train2Game students may very well be excited by the hardcore nature of games for Sony’s handheld.

The Sony E3 conference also saw the company push their other new technology: 3D Television and specifically 3D gaming. The company revealed a (relatively when compared to others) low cost PlayStation branded 3D TV with a 24 inch monitor. The PlayStation TV will allow two players to see separate images on a full screen.

The PlayStation branded 3D TV will cost $499, with the price including cables, 3D glasses and Resistance 3. Sony obviously have a vested interested in 3D – given that they produce the televisions! – but earlier this month proclaimed that Uncharted 3 will be a huge step towards gaming becoming mainstream, as reported by the Train2Game blog.

Uncharted 3 was one of a number of PlayStation exclusive titles that was demonstrated during the Sony show. God of War and Team Ico HD collections were dated for later this year, while Sly Cooper will also return after a seven year absence.

Sony’s conference however wasn’t completely free of motion control news, with PlayStation Move implementation being announced for a number of titles. Perhaps most sensationally, Irrational Games KenLevine himself revealed that Bioshock: Infinite will be PlayStation Move compatible.

The development came after Levine had previously criticised motion control. Unfortunately, there are no details as of yet how Bioshock: Infinite will use PlayStation Move.

Sony also revealed that LittleBigPlanet 2 – a game that many Train2Game students should be familiar with – will receive ‘deeper integration’ for PlayStation Move later this year. SCEA boss Jack Tretton said that the Move controller will be able to be used to both create and play LittleBigPlanet 2 levels, but didn’t reveal how this would be done.

And in other Sony news, it’s been revealed that in a world first, Eve-connected shooter Dust 514 will be a download only PlayStation 3 exclusive that’s free to play. The Triple-A title will be connected to PC game Eve in real time and it’ll be supported by a microtransaction based system.

“The ability for Sony Computer Entertainment to partner with a developer like CCP, known for pushing the boundaries of creativity and innovation in the MMO genre, holds tremendous potential for the PlayStation 3 community,” said SCEA SVP Rob Dyer.

“We anticipate that Dust 514 will transform the landscape across PlayStation 3 and the PC, ushering in a new era of shared cross platform gaming.”

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the Sony conference? Are you pleased with the focus on the hardcore? Are you impressed by the PlayStation Vita or PlayStation monitor? How do you think Bioshock: Infinite will implement move? And are you interested by the free Dust 514?