The PlayStation Recap

Another GDC in the can! We saw an avalanche of announcements including inFAMOUS 2‘s new user-generated missions, Resistance 3’s muscular new multiplayer offering, SOCOM 4‘s tense new Bomb Squad mode, the announcement of Move.me, the announcement of PSN title Rochard, (aimed at amateur game developers and researchers), and the launch of PSN exclusive PixelJunk Shooter 2.

Oh, and we played a ton of the new Mortal Kombat in stereoscopic 3D — look for the exclusive PlayStation Plus demo this Tuesday. I’ll definitely be brushing up on my Scorpion skills this weekend!

What was your favorite GDC announcement?

• I’m playing: Mortal Kombat PSN demo (at GDC 2011), BulletStorm, Marvel vs Capcom 3
• I’m watching: Mortal Kombat: Challenge Tower video, 127 Hours on PlayStation Video Store, Charlie Sheen
• I’m reading: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Axe by Donald Westlake

• This Week on the SingStore — Singstar fans sure are spoiled these days! Tons of new songs by Wolfmother, Lady Gaga, The Cardigans, The Killers and many more.
• Dead Space 2: Severed Hits PSN Tomorrow, Hands-On Details — Dead Space Extraction’s main characters return for two new chapters and a new story set aboard The Sprawl.
• ModNation: A Greatest Hit with Over 2 Million Creations! — The community has embraced this Play Create Share racer, and now you can too at a low, low price of $30.
• MLB 11 The Show: Pure Analog Throwing System — Pure Analog Throwing offers a new fielding experience, as you can now control both the accuracy and power behind your throws. Video tour inside!
• PixelJunk Shooter 2 Hits PSN Today With New Online Battle Mode — Q-Games’ latest PixelJunk is available now and boasts a tremendous amount of variety.
• PlayStation Home to Add Suite of New Developer Tools and Tech with Version 1.5 — Higher-quality games will now be possible in Home thanks to new technology featuring real-time multiplayer, improved physics, and more realistic graphics.
• Dead Space 2: Severed Hits PSN Today With Two New Chapters — Security officer Gabe Weller has gotten himself into a boatload of trouble in this new DLC chapter.
• PlayStation Store Update — PixelJunk Shooter 2, Vagrant Story, Top Spin 4 Demo, Major League Baseball 2K11 Demo, ModNation Racers and more.
• inFAMOUS 2: User-Created Missions Give Infinite Possibilities, Limited Beta in April — I saw inFAMOUS 2’s mission editor and it allows for an impressive degree of hands-on control over mission design. LittleBigInFAMOUS indeed.
• Aspiring Developers Take Note: Move.Me Unveiled at GDC — Researchers and academics have expressed strong interest in tapping into PlayStation Move, and soon they will be able to take full control.
• Spring Fever Heats Up With PlayStation Network Gamers’ Choice Award Winners — Check back on March 7th for a full list of winners for the PSN Gamer’s Choice Awards. The winning games get a 30-50% discount!
• Slam Bolt Scrappers: Brawling and Building Mash-up Coming to the PSN Store March 15th! — Fire Hose Games’s PSN exclusive is almost here, and it’s a riot!
• Home Mansion Expands, New PixelJunk Content Arrives + Weekly Update — Get the full download on Home’s weekly content update.
• Resistance 3 Multiplayer Revealed, Beta Later This Year — Insomniac Games unveils its new 16-player multiplayer mode, which features deep character customization and selectable skills.
• Digital Comics Store Update — Slaughterman’s Creed, Invincible Iron Man: World Most Haunted, World of Warcraft #4, Mercy Sparx and more.
• Coming to PlayStation Plus: Exclusive Mortal Kombat Demo, PSN Gamers’ Choice Award Winners, and Prince of Persia Full Game Trial — Good news for PlayStation Plus subscribers as a wealth of content and discounts flood in. Mortal Kombat demo hits this Tuesday!
• It Only Does Major League Hits —
• PlayStation Network Video Content Update — David Fincher’s new 127 Hours hits the Store, plus a sale on Jackass, a new Deal of the Week, a free rental from Toyota Highlander and more.
• Dead Nation Introduces Voice Chat Integration, New Development Diary — Additions include fan-requested online voice chat, mid-checkpoint saves, and more surprises for this powerful PSN zombie shooter.
• SOCOM 4 Bomb Squad Revealed, Beta Release Details — SOCOM 4’s fourth and final competitive mode is a blast — literally. Also, full details on timing for the PSN multiplayer demo.
• Experience MLB 11’s New Pure Analog Hitting System — Pure Hitting controls let you stride, swing, and bunt using the right analog stick. Watch the new video to see it in action.
• LittleBigPlanet Community Update – Too Much Sackboy?!?! — A playlist of sweet user-created LBP2 levels to play this weekend. Check LBP.me for many more!
• Design Your Ultimate God of War Monster — What’s your dream God of War monster? I’d like to humbly propose Cthulu.
• Mortal Kombat Demo 3D Hands-On: What You’ll Get On Tuesday — Four characters, two stages, and a boatload of fatalities. Kombat begins on Tuesday for PlayStation Plus subscribers!

Courtesy of Arne Meyer

• GDC 2011 – Day One — Our GDC panel was called “Microtalks 2011: One Hour, Ten Speakers, Hundreds of Fun New Ideas,” and collected a diverse group of industry notables.
• GDC 2011 – Day Two — Some of you were able to attend the absolutely packed GDC Microtalks session yesterday. Here are several sessions we recommended for Naughty Dog fans.