Before we get into the bones of the update, there is some meat to attend to first (I apologise for the analogy used there). I’m referring to an addition being made to the store via the Firmware update 3.41 that appeared yesterday.
Firmware update 3.41 adds recommendations for games on PlayStation Store, so when you’re browsing the description details of a title, you’ll also see an additional “You May Like” section. This section will list additional items based on purchases of other users … how you’d expect a recommendation system to work really. So you’ll start to see great titles that may have passed you by, or that you’ve forgotten about, therefore adding another dimension to your store experience – more peer power!
Please note that while the 3.41 update has been released, the recommendations feature on PlayStation Store is slated to go live by the end of July.
Okay, now onto the content this week:
As you can see from the above image an old friend returns (for the first time on PlayStation since 1995); Earthworm Jim HD is a remake of the old classic – which I may add was hard as nails, I never actually completed it – and features all the old favourite characters and levels, but now comes with added HD shininess, additional levels and a multiplayer mode. I for one am I very excited, and will be doing my best to actually complete it this time!
We have two additions to the PSone roster on the store; Pong and Rayman 2: The Great Escape. I know it’s been quite a wait to get Rayman 2 onto the store, and we’re very pleased to say that it’s now available, so grab your copy and help Rayman defend his world against the pirate invasion! As for Pong, you know what to expect and it needs no further explanation really, other than this version (originally released in 1999) comes with 3D graphics and power-ups.
That’s not all for PS3 though, we have the Madden NFL 11 demo for instance as well as much more; I refer you to the full list below for the full details.
As for your PSP needs this week there are two Harry Potter games available, a demo for Worms: Battle Islands, and four new titles added to the Essentials range. Not forgetting the three new minis that are also available.
As ever, leave your comments and I’ll be around to address what I can.
Cheers.
PlayStation Store (via PS3, PSP and Media Go)
Special Offers (Karate Kid Promotion)
(Available until the 4th of August)
- Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection Online (was – £14.99/€19.99 now – £11.99/€14.99)
- Revenge of the Wounded Dragons (was – £6.29/€7.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
- Mortal Kombat 2 (was – £3.99/€4.99 now – £2.39/€2.99)
- Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic (was – £7.99/€9.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
- Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic Time Savers Pack (was – £1.19/€1.99 now – £0.79/€0.99)
- Street Fighter IV Complete Alternative Costume Pack (was – £9.99/€12.99 now – £4.79/€5.99)
- Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix (was – £11.99/€14.99 now – £5.49/€6.99)
- Final Fight: Double Impact (was – £7.99/€9.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
Permanent Price Reductions
- Heracles Chariot Racing (mini) (was – £3.49/€3.99 now – £1.99/€2.49)
Downloadable Games (PS3)
- Earthworm Jim HD (Trial and Unlock) (£7.99/€9.99)
- Premier Manager (£13.99/€17.99)
Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All locales except Australia, New Zealand and Russia
Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All locales
Downloadable Games (PSP)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix (£15.99/€19.99)
Rating: PEGI 7
Availability: All locales - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (£15.99/€19.99)
Rating: PEGI 7
Availability: Only available in France, Italy, Spain and UK.
PSP Essentials
(Availability may differ in some locales)
- Exit (£7.99/€9.99)
- Ben 10: Alien Force (£7.99/€9.99)
- Surf’s Up (£7.99/€9.99)
- Petz: My Puppy Family (£7.99/€9.99)
PSone Games (PS3/PSP)
- Rayman 2: The Great Escape (£3.99/€4.99)
Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All locales - Pong (£3.99/€4.99)
Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All locales
minis (PS3/PSP)
- Brick Breaker (£2.49/€2.99)
Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All locales except Russia - Labyrinth (£2.49/€2.99)
Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All locales except Russia - Tetraminos (£2.49/€2.99)
Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All locales except Russia
Demos (PS3)
- Madden NFL 11
Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All locales - Flower
Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All locales
Demos (PSP)
- Worms: Battle Island
Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All locales
Add-On Game Content (PS3)
- Transformers: War for Cybertron – Map and Character Pack #1 (£7.99/€9.99)
Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All locales - Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11
- Carolinas Pack (£3.99/€4.99)
- Championship Pack (£3.19/€3.99)
- International Pack (£3.19/€3.99)
- North America Pack (£3.19/€3.99)
- The Predator (£3.19/€3.99)
- The TPC Blue Monster at Doral (£3.19/€3.99)
Rating: PEGI 3
Availability: All locales
- PAIN – Pinball (Abusement Park) (£1.59/€1.99)
Rating: PEGI 16
Availability: All locales
- Lost Planet 2 – Rush Arena (£2.39/€2.99)
Rating: PEGI 16
Availability: All locales
- Super Street Fighter IV – Super Complete Alternate Costume Pack (£13.99/€17.99)
Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: All locales
- Clash of the Titans – Athena’s Request (free)
Rating: PEGI 16
Availability: All locales
- Rock Band
- Avenged Sevenfold Pack 01 (£3.49/€5.29) (contains the following tracks which are also available separately)
- ‘Nightmare’ (£0.99/€1.49)
- ‘Scream’ (£0.99/€1.49)
- ‘Seize the Day’ (£0.99/€1.49)
- Juanes Pack 01 (£4.99/€7.99) (contains the following tracks which are also available separately)
- ‘A Dios Le Pido’ (£0.99/€1.49)
- ‘Fijate Bien’ (£0.99/€1.49)
- ‘Gotas De Aqua Dulce’ (£0.99/€1.49)
- ‘La Camisa Negra’ (£0.99/€1.49)
- ‘Mala Gente’ (£0.99/€1.49)
- ‘Yerbatero’ (£0.99/€1.49)
- The Vines Pack 01 (£4.39/€6.59)
Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: Not available in Czech Republic, Greece, Luxembourg, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and United Arab Emirates
- Rock Band Network
- ‘1348’ by Umphrey’s McGee (£0.99/€1.49)
- ‘Battles And Brotherhood ‘ by 3 Inches of Blood (£0.99/€1.49)
- ‘So Says I’ by The Shins (£0.99/€1.49)
- ‘Tastes Like Kevin Bacon’ by iwrestledabearonce (£0.99/€1.49)
- ‘The Funeral’ by Band of Horses (£0.99/€1.49)
- ‘Walls’ by All Time Low (£0.99/€1.49)
- ‘Goth Girls’ by MC Frontalot (£0.99/€1.49)
- ‘Henchmen Ride’ by Testament (£0.99/€1.49)
- ‘Higher’ by Creed (£0.99/€1.49)
- ‘River of Tuoni’ by Ameberian Dawn (£0.99/€1.49)
Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: Not available in Czech Republic, Greece, Luxembourg, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and United Arab Emirates
- Guitar Hero 5
- Shinedown Track Pack (£4.39/€5.49) (contains the following tracks which are also available separately)
- Devour (£1.59/€1.99)
- Second Chance (£1.59/€1.99)
- Sound of Madness (£1.59/€1.99)
Rating: PEGI 12
Availability: Not available in Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and United Arab Emirates
FirstPlay (PS3)
- Episode 017 (£0.99/€1.20)
Availability: Ireland and UK only
Videos (PS3)
- Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam Trailer
- Crysis 2 Marine Salvage Trailer
- Hunted: The Demon’s Forge E3 Trailer
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1 – 4 Year 3 Vignette
- What is PlayStation Home? Trailer
Dynamic Themes (PS3)
- Bamboo Forest (£1.59/€1.99)
Themes (PS3)
(static)
- Nordic Warrior (£1.19/€1.49)
- Steampunk (£1.19/€1.49)
Avatars (PS3)
- Flower – (£0.20/€0.25 each)
- Daisy Avatar
- Daisy on Blue Avatar
- SingStar – (£0.20/€0.25 each)
- Amateur Avatar
- Hit Avatar
- Hopeful Avatar
- Lead Avatar
- Rising Star Avatar
- SingStar Avatar
- SuperStar Avatar
- Tone Deaf Avatar
- Wannabe Avatar
Additional Locale Releases
- Toy Story 3 – Alien Escapades
Rating: PEGI 3
Now available in France - Toy Story 3 – Woody’s Round-Up
Rating: PEGI 3
Now available in Germany, Ireland, Switzerland and UK
US Store:
Hi Everyone – It’s time for the weekly PlayStation Store Update.
PlayStation Plus
Critter Crunch (Free to PlayStation Plus subscribers)
Syphon Filter (Free to PlayStation Plus subscribers)
Kahoots (Free to PlayStation Plus subscribers)
Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped (PlayStation Plus price $3.00, original price $5.99)
Super Street Fighter IV PSN Avatar Bundle ($4.99) (Exclusive to PlayStation Plus Subscribers)
*Includes 35 Super Street Fighter IV Avatars
Im sorry but SCEE need to pull their finger out.
Im going to the US store for plus. What an absolute disgrace.
Totally agree funkpower :) thats really sucks imo :) Gonna throw/unsubscribe my ps3/psn+ if we dont get the same content as US gets :(
Yeah US PS Plus update…EU ehmmm nothing…
And where is the street fighter avatars?
Thanks Mike for catching up on the missing RBN tracks!
Also, any word or the other Monkey Island games being revamped? Best games on PSN IMO!
Stll no street fighter avatars when u.s have 35 and also got new uc2 avatars too . Nice too see you guys still blatantly ignore people who are angry abt ps plus having a lot less than u.s . Poor effort won’t be buying nadda as long as this shambles keeps up
Earthworm Jim and the avatars for me. Sounds like a tribute act! lol.
May I be the first (probably) to thank you, Mike, for informing us re: 3.41 functioning. Good to know!
Sorry SCEE, but PS+ for Europe is only Epic Fail. You better do something better than this.
Hahahaha i think its funny how the PS plus in america is completely different and better than the Europe PLUS hahahaha. Why would i pay for extra things at the same price as the US and get less free stuff?????? Man better off getting the new xbox “slim”
Rayman 2 :) Finally a decent PSOne classic.
Also, generic PS+ comment
Thanks for the update Mikey.
nice update mike
will definately be getting earthworm jim hd and the new pain dlc.
any word mike when these premium themes (http://videostore.au.playstation.com/theme_listings.html) will pop up in the aussie store?
oh and anyword about EU PS+ improvements, asking because, as you would be aware the US got even more goodies this week. perhaps you could ask someone to give a formal update as to the state of EU PS+ and planned improvements?
I am indeed well aware of the US offering for Plus this week, and have already passed this information onto the team. I don’t really want to say any more at the moment, but I do appreciate everybody’s frustrations.
Meh. Not that good update. Anyway, any chance more Capcom games reach the Portuguese store? I’d love to get my hands on Darkstalkers, SFA3 and especially the Classics Collections. Also, what’s the status in Disgaea 2 DLC? And any chance on additional locale releases for Badman 2 ?
No demo for earthworm jim?
oh and mike when is the next blog post from the PS+ team?
you might want to pass on that they need police protection for the next post after the [DELETED] appalling treatment =\ (not going off on you)
1 more thing do you know the price for infamoos full download next week?
Where is the PSN+ stuff we were supose to get every month? And why the hell is US Store getting stuff every week and not the EU store? I just wanna wait and see if our monthly PSN+ plus offers are as much as the US Store PSN+ offers other the same period. Mike, please tell me how I can can get a refund and pass this along to your superiors
The update for Plus hits next week.
Yeah we need more + content! Some trailer and DLC for me!
Will it update at normal time Mike?
The US got PS+ content. We did not. Will we get it next week? And US gets nothing next week?
Why the hell did I paid for PS+?? It’s a shame that Sony doesn’t respect customers from Europe… Any chance I can unsibscribe this failure??
jokes*
still no Machinarium =[ any news on when we’ll be seeing it?
Street Fighter avatars are here (35 of them!): –
http://www.capcom-unity.com/jgonzo/blog/2010/07/27/capcom_psn_avatar_tuesday
But not here on the inferior EUPSN… treated like second class citizens week in week out.
WHEN IS THIS GOING TO CHANGE MIKE!?
We are getting them soon I promise you.
No PSN+ content??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Rayman 2? Mike, you’re a golden glittering god :D
The plus stuff is kinda annoying, but it’s not your area, so I’ll leave it alone :)
Oh smeg nevermind never noticed it said “trail and unlock”
Nothing for me this week. :(
And I am starting to think what we are getting with Plus compared to the US is un-fair.
At this point even next weeks update still won’t compare to how much content they have received.
I am not aiming this at you directly Kebby, but SCEE do need to sorting out EU’s Plus system.
All the feedback about Plus in Europe has been collated and sent to the relevant people.
LOL, agree with number 2 SCEE REALLY need to pull their finger out with regards to Plus.
http://www.capcom-unity.com/jgonzo/blog/2010/07/27/capcom_psn_avatar_tuesday
Previous link from post 20
gah, hurry up with the update. I need Earthworm Jim now :) Best update in ages just for bringing back 2D platform shooters (there really needs to be more on the store and not just old ones)
Another week, another abysmal update.
Still no Disgaea Infinite or Persona 3. Seriously guys, do you even give a damn about the PSP anymore? Or is it officially dead to you now? It’s 99.9999% dead to me, that’s for sure.
And when are you going to correct the ridiculous price on Peace Walker? The PSN price is DOUBLE what it costs for the physical disc on Amazon. It just boggles the mind how you don’t seem to care about that. It’s no wonder the app store is completely demolishing you.
I do care about PSP pricing, and petition publishers to be very aware of the issues around digital PSP content and it’s pricing, but ultimately the decision rests with the publishers I’m afraid.
If you sunscribe to PSN+ or First Play you should watch thie
http://www.robgroove.com/robgrooves-playstation-3-junkie-blog/important-info-for-ps3-users/1621/
Again, nothing for me.
Meh… :(
Try this instead…
http://www.capcom-unity.com/
I’m amazed at how many companies put games in the store with zero marketing, Premier Manager publishers I’m looking at you.
Premier Manager is £13.99 not even a screenshot which make me think it’s a huge pile of the brown stuff.
SCEE havent a clue. PLUS is only good for Americans and people who dont buy stuff off the PSN store that much. Which includes me but im still not going to get PLUS just pathetic. It would be worth it if SCEE AND SCEA got the same content at the same time………actually the list is too long PLUS sucks END OF
Has anyone said …
Groovy!
…yet?
Any chance of spyro ps1 games anytime soon
. Also I was looking at ps+ last night but there’s a lot of angry and unhappy users so I’ll be passing on that .
Wow…slim pickings today. Regardless, Earthworm Jim HD for me!
Mike, any idea when Secret Agent Clank will be added to the Essentials list for psp?
I remember reading that it is one of the games in the line-up.
US got every Week Plus Updates and we got only 1 per Month with less Content? You know about the difference, do something about it! This is rediculous!
The US Users got three times more Content as we in the same Time!
If i know that before i would not subscribe Plus again. I can only warn every People.
I´m going for an US Plus+.
Favouritism & disparity breeds contempt, it’s very plain to see that week in week out that SCEE is the poor relative to both SCEA & SCEJ. When will SCEE wake up & bring their business model in line with other SONY territories?
I cringe to read the “Head’s Up” game store updates & feel frankly embarrassed for the Playstation Store Team, who have to put a positive spin on inferior content on a weekly basis…
What will it take to make SCEE change their lacklustre attitude towards it jaded but loyal fanbase, the PSN store is being run into the ground with what looks like little or no hope of change. Where are the PSN exclusives? indie titles? timed released exclusives? Demo’s for ever game? Video’s for every game? the list could go on…
I for one always vote with my wallet, so until there is a great shift in improvement to all services related to PSN/PSN+, I will be firmly voting no to all future PSN purchases. why is it that customers still remain to be so frustrated for so long?
I await you response.
p.s please do not repsond to this comment with the obligatory “I’ll pass your comments onto the relevant people”, treat you customer base with more repect than that.
I only ever respond with I’ll pass your comments on in regards to Plus, as that’s not my department. For Store issues that is mine to address.
We have regular PSN exclusives…did you not see Joe Danger recently, or Landit Bandit, how about our own titles like Flower and Fat Princess. Sure there could always be more, but we do release great exclusive titles.
We cannot force publishers to make demos available on the store, but you will see more demos coming, as we’ve done what we can to make it easier for publishers (I’m not going to go into any further detail than that). It’s the same with videos too, it’s at the publishers discretion. I know some people will respond that if publishers don’t release them that we should force them or they shouldn’t be allowed to release any content on the store (this opinion has cropped up before), but that is not a viable option. We will not use force to get more content onto the store, it has to be a genial and collaborative effort between ourselves and our publishers.
I know it can be frustrating at times, but we are doing what we can to address such issues. However, there are a lot of factors involved that I will not address here.
Rayman 2 :-D I was just about to buy it on eBay a week ago, glad I waited. Now I just need a €50 PSN card for Earthworm Jim HD, Rayman 2, my resubscription to FirstPlay and a bit left over for anything else that catches my eye.
By the way, where’s the Store logo gone from the top of the post?
We’ll be using game images with the store logo on top instead, as per the Earthworm Jim one used this week ;)
So the PS+ users have been stiched up in the UK/Eur then? The US has FAR more stuff. We were told they had the same sort of content but were spreading the releases over the weeks, which would have been fine… Problem is, they have more and get updates each week.
SCEE, Mike, whoever – can you please clear this situation up? You really are doing no favours for the service in Europe. I can’t imagine you’ll get many renewals if this continues with no feedback.
Mike,
is inFamous coming to the store?
Hmm let’s check out this week’s update then and-
Singstar Avatars
YES.
I have found some info hidden away in SCEE game pages (might be an idea to link game to the site?).
http://uk.playstation.com/psn/games/detail/item294423/Premier-Manager/
Be warned it has the worlds darkest video !
Brick breaker – another arkanoid type game? hopefully – i can’t get enough of ’em! :)
I’ll try the Earthworm Jim trial too as i liked the humour of the cartoon.
@ MIKE
Really looking forward to the War For Cybertron DLC. BUT… the game (and many others online) are ruined by people screaming abuse or making otherwise unpleasant noises down their headsets. Who should I talk to to suggest a global headset mute option? Frankly I don’t want to listen to ANY other users, and I’m not buying a headset just to drown them out.
Oh, and… when’s the store going live today? :)
All the best.
I signed up for + day 1 and i was happy with whats on offer as i thought all regions would be almost the same but every week of seeing the US get more and more stuff its starting to really get sickening.Iwonder how much more their stuff has been worth compared to ours. Not good sony,not good.
Any news on….
Ace Combat for the PSP coming to the store?
Alien Breed Evo for the PS3 coming to the store? (I was in contact with the devs – Team 17 – and I was told ages ago that this was ready for the store, but its never appeared!)
Cheers Mike!
RARRRR I’M SO ANGRY RARRRR
/just wants to fit in around here
Why does the US get more frequent ps+ updates this is some f****** b*******.. We are paying the same but not being treated equal.
I mean..
Not the same content
No Videostore
No Comicstore
No Video game episodes first play/qore
These are just some examples how is this fair to you in your eyes SCEE.