Game: Age of Zombies
Platform: PS Minis (PSP/PS3)
Developer/Publisher: Halfbrick Studios
Genre: Twin-Stick Shooter
Verdict: Funny and at times fun, but hampered by the innate limitations of the PSP’s controls.
Pros: Great sprite work; concept is formulaic, but the writing is hilarious; the controls are the best that could be done given that the PSP has no second analog stick
Cons: The PSP’s lack of a second analog stick (and the PS3’s inability to utilize the second analog stick with PS minis) really limits this game’s controls and my enjoyment of the game; the story mode is very short.
Acquired: Review Copy Provided
Price: $4.99

The quality of Age of Zombies is dependent on your preferred platform. If you want to judge the game based solely on its existence on the PSP, it does well for itself; when you compare it with the twin-stick revival on the iPhone, and factor in the ability to play it on the PS3, Age of Zombies doesn’t shine quite so well. Twin-stick shooters have always been dependent on the range that second analog stick provides, and systems without that second stick just don’t do as well with these games. Overall the game “fights the good fight” given its system, but I have seen the light elsewhere and it diminishes what Age of Zombies is doing.

Age of Zombies is pretty much an amalgamation of trends and memes. You assume control Barry Steakfries, the game’s wise-cracking, foul-mouthed, “super badass,” snarky protagonist, who is out to defeat the evil Professor Brains.  Your arch nemesis has sent zombies throughout various points in history for the purpose of wreaking havoc on human existence. Barry Steakfries thus must travel through time, fighting zombie dinosaurs in the time of… dinosaurs, zombie gangsters in the 1930s, zombie samurai in Feudal Japan, and more. Sure, Age of Zombies could be accused of unoriginality for using the wise-cracking protagonist and zombie conceit yet again, but it does it so well. The dialogue is legitimately very funny, and the art of the various zombie sprites in all the different time periods is great.

The primary issue is that it’s on a platform without a second analog stick. Well, technically, you CAN play it on your PS3, but if you want to use the right analog stick to fire, well… tough tiddly-winks! You move using the d-pad or left analog stick, and you can fire in the cardinal and diagonal directions by using the face buttons. As you will learn, the face buttons are spaced out a bit too far to make using them for firing in each direction comfortable, especially when you need to fire diagonally. To make things easier, you can lock your firing direction in place by holding down R, which will put you in lock-strafing mode. Holding down R all the time to shoot feels a bit awkward, but this is the superior option compared to trying to shoot using the face buttons alone. The only real issue with using R to lock-strafe is when you have to use your special weapons with the L trigger – you may need to hit a face button in the direction you want to fire your special weapon even if you’re firing via lock-strafing already. It’s just a minor annoyance for this particular control mechanism. This is probably the best way to control a twin-stick shooter on a system lacking the second analog stick or similar mechanism, but the face buttons are too far apart to make shooting feel comfortable.

As you might predict, the gameplay is movement-centric like a lot of twin-stick shooters; you want to keep moving away from the zombies, keeping them in your line of fire, and not in your intended path of movement. Much of the same technique in other similar games works here. The story mode is sadly very short and not very challenging; I finished the game in under an hour, and only ran out of lives once. Thankfully, all 5 environments are available to play in Survival mode for replay value, but there’s not much difference between each level in terms of challenge, it’s mostly aesthetic changes, particularly as my high score for each level was about the same.

For $4.99, this isn’t terrible for the PS Minis, and the game is funny and good-looking enough to make it not feel like you wasted your money. However, the control issues native to the platform and the knowledge that if you have an iPhone that you could have better controlling (and in some cases, longer-lasting) games for less price makes Age of Zombies a challenge to truly appreciate. If you need a twin-stick shooter with some humor, albeit one without much length to it, Age of Zombies isn’t bad, despite its native control deficiencies. iPhone owners (who have the cream of the crop of this genre, although there really isn’t another game that is as funny as Age of Zombies; Halfbrick’s starting developing for the iPhone, so we may see this one on the App Store soon enough) or those who can’t stand using face buttons for multi-directional shooters will want to pass on this one.

This week we saw the release of MLB 10: The Show.  This of course means there has to be DLC available right after the game hit.  On the flip side, get the Penny-Arcade games in a bundle.  It is going to be a good weekend; granted the PSN can stay up!

Price Updates – Puzzles and Hadukens, what more could you want:

• Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo Sale (now $4.99, original price $9.99)

Downloadable Games – Oh what a rain-slick game this is:

• Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode 1 and 2 (Bundle) ($14.99)

The Tester

• The Tester Episode 3 “No Cry in Team” – Teamwork in a semi-reality show….HAHAHAHAAHA!

Game Demos – Racing and blowing stuff up, what a good weekend:

• Just Cause 2 Demo – Blow stuff up good
• Major League Baseball 2K10 Demo – Spring time brings on balls and bats
• MotoGP 09/10 Demo – Crotch-rockets galore

Add-on Game Content – Contains the obligatory release DLC

• MLB 10: The Show – 6 Classic Stadiums ($9.99) – Unlock stadiums without even trying
• MLB 10: The Show – Franchise Funds Increase ($0.99) – 20 million for a buck, where do I get this in reality
• MLB 10: The Show – Road to the Show Training Points ($0.99) – 1000 training points for sitting on the couch
• Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce Quest Pack #1 (free) – Three free quests
• Dragon Ball: Raging Blast Ultimate Warriors Pack 1 (free) – Does anyone else think DBZ is nailing the free content on the head
• Dante’s Inferno Dark Forest Pack ($4.99) – Disco Inferno for your 70’s lover
• Dante’s Inferno Relics Triple Pack ($2.99) – Three relics, three bucks.
• Resident Evil 5 Costume Pack 2 ($1.99) – Heavy metal costumes to make Chris all badass like
• Resident Evil 5 Desparate Escape ($4.99) – Learn how Jill escaped
• topatoi: Pillar Of The Skies ($7.99) – Platforming goodness right here

Guitar Hero 5 – I wonder what happens on Blink-183:

• “Adam’s Song” by Blink-182 ($1.99)
• “All The Small Things” by Blink-182 ($1.99)
• “First Date” by Blink-182 ($1.99)
• Blink-182 Track Pack ($5.49)

The Beatles: Rock Band – All you need is love……and money:

• “All You Need Is Love” by The Beatles ($1.99)

Rock Band – A disturbing track list:

• “Downfall”— Trust Company ($1.99)
• “Panic Switch”— Silversun Pickups ($1.99)
• “Sort Of”— Silversun Pickups ($1.99)
• “White Falcon Fuzz”— The Mother Hips ($0.99)
• “Third Floor Story”— The Mother Hips ($0.99)
• “The Game”— Disturbed ($1.99)
• “Meaning of Life”— Disturbed ($1.99)
• “Voices”— Disturbed ($1.99)
• Disturbed Pack 2 ($5.49)

Game Videos – Why yes, we do want our Fallout: New Vegas trailer:

• Pulse 3/4 Edition
• make.believe Global Lifestyle Brand
• God of War 3 Vengeance Trailer
• UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves PlayStation Heroes Trailer
• UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves – UNCHARTED: Drake’s Fortune Multiplayer Pack Trailer
• Dante’s Inferno Developer Diary – Treachery
• Dante’s Inferno Developer Diary – The Big Game
• Fallout: New Vegas Teaser Trailer
• BioShock 2 Launch Network Trailer
• Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Launch Trailer

PS3 Themes – Oh so sexy:

• MLB 10: The Show Themes (x11) (White Sox, Indians, Tigers, Royals, Twins, Cubs, Reds, Astros, Brewers, Pirates and Cardinals) (free)
• 2010 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Dynamic Theme ($3.99)
• make.believe Theme (free)
• Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Theme (free)
• Clover Fractals Theme ($1.49)
• Nightmare Before Christmas Theme ($1.49)
• Vintage Comic Mickey Theme ($1.49)
• Abstract Premium Theme ($1.99)

PlayStation Store for PSP
Downloadable Games – Play ball in your underwear:

• MLB 10: The Show ($39.99) – Like the best baseball game there is
• Major League Baseball 2K10 ($29.99) – Huh, there is another baseball franchise
• Dante’s Inferno (English and French versions) ($39.99) – Go to hell
• Lunar: Silver Star Harmony ($29.99) – Love, betrayal, redemption, and you in the middle

PSP minis – Three bucks never felt so good:

• Digi-Tiles ($2.99)
• Vector TD ($3.99)
• Earthshield ($2.99)
• Legend of Kunoichi ($2.99)
• Smashbreak ($2.99)

Game Demos – Cut down the enemy ship:

• Patchwork Heroes Demo – Cut down thy enemy at the mast

Add-On Game Content – LBP just keeps growing and growing:

• LittleBigPlanet PSP Canyons Costumes (free) – Free Costumes
• LittleBigPlanet PSP Canyons Theme Pack ($2.99) – Color in 64 vibrant colors
• BUZZ! Quiz World Sci-Fi Movies Pack ($2.99) – Sci-Fi movies are full of win

Game Videos – Mmmm, God of War 3:

• The Tester Episode 3
• Pulse 3/4 Edition
• God of War 3 Vengeance PSP Trailer
• echoshift Trailer
• Dante’s Inferno Developer Diary – Treachery
• Dante’s Inferno The Big Game

PSP Themes – It is like ruffies without the jail-time:

• MLB 10: The Show Themes (x11) (White Sox, Indians, Tigers, Royals, Twins, Cubs, Reds, Astros, Brewers, Pirates and Cardinals) (free)
• 2010 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit PSP Theme ($1.49)
• Bad Business 2 – Delinquent Lincoln PSP Theme ($1.49)
• Bad Business 2 – Roast Master Cleveland PSP Theme ($1.49)
• Clover Fractals PSP Theme ($1.49)

Well, we just did. Atlus sent us a literal assload of screenshots for their new patented Two In One Storyline RPG game, Hexyz Force, for the Sony PSP. Dudes? This shit is gonna be awesome. I’m all, like, WOAH, when I saw them. WOAH. Honest — that’s exactly what I said.Why did Atlus want to fill our hindquarters with such awesomeness?

“The abundance of assets mirrors the game’s abundance of RPG goodness, since giving gamers a lot of content to enjoy is what Hexyz Force is all about,” commented Crystal Murray, PR Specialist at Atlus.  “With two main characters, each with their own stories to complete–a total combined adventure of nearly 40 hours, it’s a game that makes a strong case for being pictured next to ‘plethora’ in the dictionary.”

So, there you go. Don’t these just totally rock? I mean, really? Totally? Like, yeah. They do. They surely do.

Also? Please visit their website. They’ll send us more stuff if you do.

In an effort to deter some of the news from the Activision/Infinity Ward debacle, Sony has plunked down a pretty penny on the UK based studio, Media Molecule bringing them under the new moniker “Sony Computer Entertainment”.  Michael Denny, one of the head cheeses at Kaz’s house, put it like this:

“The decision was an easy one after meeting five young, talented people with a massive ambition to redefine video games as we know them,” said Michael Denny, senior VP of Sony Worldwide Studios Europe in a statement, “followed by a fantastic exclusive relationship that culminated in the launch of one of the most innovative PlayStation games of recent years.”

This is a good thing. Media Molecule was a tiny studio that redefined the platform experience, selling around 3 million copies worldwide. Their attention to user created content has never wavered, as they constantly offer DLC for us nickel and dime addicts. Its hard to imagine that there is a need for LBP 2 due to the amount of creator based material immediately so hopefully Sony’s big paycheck is helping out on another stellar project. Until then, we’ll just have to torture our Sacks.

Game: Echoes
Developer: Halfbrick Studios
Genre: Puzzler
Verdict: Just not addictive enough and so instantly forgettable.
Pros: Bright colours, lively music and a simple concept
Cons: Fails to ignite any desire to replay
Acquired: Developer Provided

In order to review Echoes properly I would like you to imagine that I am reading this review to you in my best Australian accent, sipping a schooner of lager and grinning like Paul Hogan.

Echoes is a PSP Mini title from down under – a high concept game that encourages you to play by instinct in order to solve its many puzzles. At its very basic level you guide what seems to be a small hat around a variety of geometric spaces collecting jewels and avoiding the Echoes that you leave behind you as you travel. This means the game’s levels play like a game that constantly occupies a random space on a scale that runs from Snake to Geometry Wars.

Echoes empolys a very quirky watercolour visual scheme filled with bright colours that gives the game acertain vibrancy to it at first glance. All the puzzles are accompanied by cheery electro-pop theme music which does convey the urgency of the puzzle tasks.

The puzzle tasks themselves vary across the arcade mode but all involve collecting a certain number of crystals as quickly as possible. Playing through the arcade mode opens up the other three game modes -   jackpot in which you collect as many crystals as possible before the time runs out, the more crystals you can collect before touching an echo the more you score; survival in which you  collect crystals and try and survive without touching an echo within the time limit and finally clockwork, in which you can wind the echoes forwards an backwards to help you collect as many crsytals within the time limit.

The puzzle game genre is a difficult one to break into and really make a title that stands out. Back in 1989 Tetris pretty much defined what a good puzzle game should be and every puzzle game since then has been trying to live up to the Russia’s most enduring contribution to video games. Every puzzle game made since Tetris, especially on a portable platform, has the bar set distressingly high.

Echoes is one of the latest in a long line of games to try and meet this standard on a portable platform  and to be honest, despite Halfbrick’s curious and entirely valiant efforts it falls short in one key area- addictiveness It does not capture the attention at all. All the elements are there – catchy tunes quirky graphics and  twitch-inducing gameplay – but for some reason they just don’t gel together. The result is that the game feels flat, bland and instantly forgettable.

If I am going to buy a puzzle game for any platform I want to it to be more addictive than crack; I want to NEED to play it and Echoes just doesn’t create any sort of compulsion to play. Puzzle games, for me, have to ceate an addiction that not even a spell in the  Betty Ford Cllinic can flush out the desire to play.

Sadly, Echoes has neither the sustain or the reverberation to live up to its name.

Platform: PSP
Developer: Tecmo
Genre: Action
Pros: Zombies invade a Dynasty Warriors game
Cons: Repetitive and cheap in difficulty
Verdict: Rent it, play it, return it, be done with it.
Price: $39.99
Acquired: Developer Provided Review Copy

Undead Knights is like Dynasty Warriors… with Zombies in it. This is, indeed, not necessarily a bad thing.  These zombies, apart from most others you may have been introduced to in various forms of media, are begging for your love and affection.  Yes, that’s right, these bad boys (and girls!) will do your diabolical bidding, killing, slashing and mutilating everything that you sick their grubby little brain craving mitts on.  They might not bring you a cup of coffee in the morning, but they will beat up your neighbors. Which at the end of the day, is there anything else you could ever want from your family pet? While this has great promise for us zombie lovers, unfortunately Undead Knights is an ambitious title that borrows ideas from better games and then falls apart like the rotting flesh of your undead herd.

Undead Knights follows a typical story of redemption.  As with any good plot involving royalty, things kick off when an evil king mercilessly slaughters an entire family.  Those who said “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” seemed to be onto something, so you can only imagine what happens when an entire family is pissed and dead.  Needless to say, this maniacal hybrid of the Brady Bunch and Manson clan return to the land of the living, wreaking death and destruction to all who stand before them.

Sure, the story has been done before.  What has rarely been done however, is that upon returning to the land of Elvis (contrary to popular belief, not named after the King of Rock and Roll), you possess the ability to turn “Little Timmy” into a zombie.  The power of gods have never been this much fun.  If nothing else, this temporarily takes a ho-hum formula and makes it a bit more bearable. But lets face it, zombies could even invade a daytime soap opera and manage to make it cooler.

From beginning to end, there are 20 chapters to play through. Unfortunately, the developers did not use each stage as a chance to change the setting. Virtually every stage feels the same due to them either taking place in a castle, field, or some sort of forest area.  Chapters lengths are a mixed bag at best, ranging from 5 to 15 minutes long, depending on the difficulty level and your familiarity with the map.  Though this may feel cheap on length, do not fret. This is pretty much all you will be able to handle after the first few chapters.

The first major detraction from the game is that it’s pretty skimpy when it comes to multiple modes for the single player campaign.  In all reality, calling it “skimpy” may be a bit generous considering that there is only one mode.  Sure, there are three characters available , but the game play does not change based on one character or another, rendering it as nothing more than a glorified palette swap.

If there were one reason to play through multiple times, it would have to be the copious the amounts of achievements.  There are fifty of them all together, which leads us to plead, “Please Sony..give us trophy support in our beloved PSP.” It would totally be worth the effort, if for nothing else than to add to the legs of this poltergeist of a game.

The game is played as follows:  Run to an area, fight a bunch of enemies.  This is followed by running to another area, then fighting some more enemies.  Taking a page from the Ray Charles school of AI programming, if there is a second group of enemies in sight, they will behave like you are invisible.  These moronic wastes of pixels will sit around and sip tea as their brethren are reduced to nothing more than piles of massacred man-meat.  This might have been more acceptable had it not been for the horrible controls that stripped the fun away as though it were rotting flesh.

Thefts from the Dynasty Warriors franchise aside, another major component of game thievery victimizes the Overlord series.  Commanding zombies to do your dark bidding is the second half of the game.  Your undead army will go from group to group, chomping on whatever they can sink their incisors into.  Too bad the developers didn’t also “borrow” color coded system where you could assign zombies to do specific tasks.

As the game progresses, small puzzles will crop up that you can only conquer using the rabid pack of brain dead droolers that double as your army.  Crossing a gully or taking down an archers tower is all done utilizing whatever undead are at your disposal.  It might have been more entertaining if these actions were more than just holding a button to initiate the horde to do your bidding. Though interesting at first, these useless diversions soon become another bump in the road of gameplay.

On another more bemusing note, who knew zombies would decay?  Every movie I have ever watched featured the vanquished gray matter munchers lasting an eternity, at least until they were chopped up by an axe.  Apparently that theory went right out the window because over time, zombies will decay and disappear, right before your very eyes.  It is just odd when this doesn’t fit any of the precedents set before it.

Our next stop on the tour of game design issues that should have been left in the 90’s pays a visit to a good friend of virtually every PSP gamer, Mr. Craptastic Camera.  The only thing worse than fighting off the doers of good is having to battle the camera at the same time!  There were so many times that I would slip into a blood spilling groove, only to have it rudely interrupted by a camera that needed to be babysat like Michael Jackson at a “Make a Wish” Foundation summer camp.  Gameplay degenerates into a never-ending process of getting back into a groove, attempting to slit my wrists and adjusting the camera again. Lather, rinse and repeat.  If developers are going to make a game that is repetitive, please don’t make camera adjustment part of that cycle.

The only thing worse than a camera with a mind of its own is overcompensating hit detection.  I don’t know where the coders got the idea that a hit box needs to extend out from your character by a mile, but it was unnecessary overkill.  There are times you’re tasked with getting past various traps hidden within the environment.  Nothing fuels a PSP hurling fury like successfully navigating a virtual minefield, only to find that a single misstep and a “Fat Albert” sized hit box has ultimately led to your demise.  This whole ordeal just leads to some horribly cheap deaths, and even cheaper difficulty curves.

The environments here are nothing exceptional.  Thanks to the fact that a healthy amount of characters can be displayed at once, the textures and detail take a backseat.  The same character models are ctrl+c/ctrl+v’d across the board.  This leads to a world that often feels empty, with little to look at.  Lastly, the already limited library of available textures appear pixelated and bland.  I would have settled for a bit less going on during the battles if it meant I could get some more to look at.

One nice touch is that blood will spatter across the screen as the zombie horde devours an enemy.  It is a small thing to be happy about, but when you are afloat in a sea of mediocrity, even a mirage of dry land is a welcome distraction.

Returning to our previously scheduled woodshed beating, character animations seem very stiff and lethargic.  It doesn’t help matters much when legs don’t appear to have knees, arms are sometimes missing elbows, and the occasional floating or twitching deceased will make a guest appearance.  I know concessions had to be made for the number of units that the developers wanted to render onscreen, but we are not dealing with DOS based sprites anymore.  Some of us do pay attention to how a character fits into the virtual world.  Designing a character that is stiff legged is completely unacceptable unless they are making a beeline for the lavatories after being scared shitless.

The music will be a give and take type of relationship.  Those who like heavy metal tunes should be pleased to no end.  There are times that this works well and even enhances the experience.  At other junctures in the game, the metal does not stop or even fade, resulting in what can only be described as an atmosphere of needless head-banging.  The existing soundtrack works, but an understated variety would have gone a long way.

There are a fair amount of characters on the screen during battles, but too bad the AI sure didn’t bother show up to the party.  I often found myself hacking up a horde of enemies, only to get stopped by picking up a zombie and using them as my dull sword.  This wouldn’t be so bad if it were not for the fact that I then have to turn someone else into a zombie to replace the moron who inadvertently obstructed my path.  Needless to say, Undead Knights keeps the AI of your minions as true to the mindlessness most movies portray.

Undead Knights is a game that take two distinctly different games, smashes them together into an unholy masterpiece of mediocrity, vomits zombie bile all over them, and calls it a day.  The game is not horrible, but it is not great.  It is best to play a stage or two at a time, before the camera and repetition infects you with rage.  Rent this one so you can behead, hit, and return this corpse to its owner.

Darksiders gets a big ‘ol demo this week.  God of War 3 also sees the E3 demo make it’s non-purchase necessary demo debut.  What are you waiting for, time to snag some demo’s and waste the weekend!

Price Updates – Great games at even better prices:

• Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix Sale, One Week Only! (now $7.49, original price $14.99)
• Hero of Sparta PSP mini Permanent Price Drop (now $4.99, original price $6.99)
• Let’s Golf PSP mini Permanent Price Drop (now $4.99, original price $6.99)
• Warhawk Sale, Ends on 3/11 (now $14.99, original price $29.99)
• Warhawk Booster DLC Bundle, End on 3/11 (now $9.99, regular price $15.99)
• Warhawk Fallen Star, Broken Mirror, & Omega Dawn DLC Sale, Ends on 3/11 (now $4.99, original price $7.99)

Downloadable Games – Never leave the Cheetos behind while buying new games:

• Greed Corp. ($9.99) – Be a greedy bastard and make millions

The Tester – David Jaffe makes an appearance:

• The Tester Episode 2 “Communication Breakdown” (free)

PSone Classics – The original PlayStation still has good games:

• Grandia ($9.99) – Magic, you kid becoming badass, you know standard RPG action

Game Demos (free) – OMG GoW3 and Darksiders:

• God of War III Demo – No purchase necessary here
• Darksiders Demo – 90 minutes of Viagra sized action
• DiggerHD Demo – The 80’s are back in style with this simple digging game

Add-on Game Content – Spend a little and get a few extra hours:

• UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves Drake’s Fortune MP Map Pack ($3.99) – Uncharted 1 maps make their return
• UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves Drake’s Fortune MP Skin Pack ($2.99) – Six classic character skins
• UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves Drake’s Fortune MP Pack (bundle) ($5.99) – Skins and classic maps…for like cheap
• LittleBigPlanet White Knight Chronicles Costume Pack ($5.99)
• LittleBigPlanet White Knight Chronicles Black Knight Costume ($1.99)
• LittleBigPlanet White Knight Chronicles Dragon Knight Costume ($1.99)
• LittleBigPlanet White Knight Chronicles Leonard Costume ($1.99)
• LittleBigPlanet White Knight Chronicles White Knight Costume ($1.99)
• Borderlands Secret Armory ($9.99) – Take on General Knoxx
• Dante’s Inferno Animated Film Dante Costume ($1.99) – The cartoon now invades the game
• FIFA 10 Ultimate Team (English, Spanish, French) ($4.99 each) – Just in time to start getting you stoked for the World Cup
• Operation Flashpoint Dragon Rising Overwatch Pack ($4.99) – More multiplayer mode goodness
• Valkyria Chronicles Challenge of the Edy ($4.99) – Dust off this awesome game and give it another play

Guitar Hero 5 – Do they make three eye sunglasses:

• “Can You Take Me” by Third Eye Blind ($1.99)
• “Losing a Whole Year” by Third Eye Blind ($1.99)
• “Never Let You Go” by Third Eye Blind ($1.99)
• Third Eye Blind Track Pack ($5.49)

Rock Band – Welcome to the Dope Show where we are all crazy:

• “Distracted”— KSM ($1.99)
• “Walking on the Moon”— The Police ($1.99)
• “Heartkiller”— HIM ($1.99)
• “Ode to Solitude”— HIM ($1.99)
• “Wings of a Butterfly”— HIM ($1.99)
• “Just For Tonight” – One Night Only ($1.99)
• “The Dope Show” – Marilyn Manson ($1.99)
• HIM Pack 1 ($5.49)

Game Videos – Your MAG skillz are weak:

• PlayStation 3 TV Commercial – “Grandma”
• MLB 10: The Show Reveal Trailer
• SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3 Launch Trailer
• MAG “Dear PlayStation” Spot
• MAG: How To – Leadership Overview
• MAG: How To – OIC
• MAG: How To – Platoon Leader
• MAG: How To – Squad Leader
• Yakuza 3 Dev Diary 1
• Dragon Age: Origins Awakening Trailer
• War Machine Trailer
• Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing All-Star Moves Trailer

PS3 Themes – Is that a new XMB theme, or are you just happy to see me:

• MLB 10: The Show Themes (Diamondbacks, Orioles, Red Sox, Rockies, Dodgers, Yankees, Padres, Giants, Rays, and Blue Jays) (free)
• MAG SVER Dynamic Theme ($2.99)
• MAG Raven Dynamic Theme ($2.99)
• MAG Valor Dynamic Theme ($2.99)
• Abstracted Theme ($1.49)
• Irish Flags Theme ($1.99)

Wallpaper – Big strapping men proudly displayed on your big ass tv:

• Madden NFL 11 Contest Wallpapers (x3) (Drew Brees, Jared Allen and Reggie Wayne)

PlayStation Store for PSP
Downloadable Games – Grab a game while you sit in your office:

• echoshift ($14.99) – Manipulate time like a mad 80’s movie classic
• GTI Club Supermini Festa! ($29.99) – Racing with a bit of crazy

PSP minis – Zombie goodness invades your PSP:

• Retro Cave Flyer ($4.99)
• The Terminator ($6.99)
• Age of Zombies ($4.99)

PSP Game Demos – The Eye of Judgement is watching you:

• The Eye of Judgment Legends Demo

Add-On Game Content – I command thee get the Metal Slug XX DLC:

• BUZZ! Quiz World PSP Comedy Pack ($2.99) – You got National Geographic in my game.  And no, there are no naked women here
• Metal Slug XX Leona Playable Character ($0.99) – Leona Heidern joins the frey

Game Videos – No, it is not porn you perv:

• The Tester Episode 2
• SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3 Launch Trailer
• PlayStation 3 TV Commercial – “Grandma”

PSP Themes – Your XMB just might help you get a date:

• MLB 10: The Show PSP Themes (Diamondbacks, Orioles, Red Sox,Rockies, Dodgers, Yankees,Padres, Giants, Rays, and Blue Jays) (free)
• Irish Shamrock Flag PSP Theme ($1.49)
• Irish Flags PSP Theme ($1.49)

Age of Zombies is a PSP Mini game (also playable on the PS3, of course) that comes out today. Halfbrick studios are the guys that brought you Blast Off (and its soundtrack) and Echoes, both PSP Minis, and Raskulls on XBLA. The team that made this game includes:

Design

• Phil Larsen
• Tony Hansen
• Steve Last

Programmers

• Steve Last
• Paul McNab

Level design

• Ryan Langley

Lead artist

• Murry Lancashire

Composer

• Jesse Higginson

Age of Zombies comes out today, and we got a chance to sit down over email and have a nice chat with Mr. Larsen, as he points out below.

1) What do you do for Halfbrick, and what did you specifically do for this game?

Hey guys, my name is Phil Larsen and I am the marketing and community manager at Halfbrick. Over the last few months I was also on the team as one of the creative designers on Age of Zombies. I helped design the story, setting, gameplay and overall progression. I also wrote the script!

2) What were some of the challenges and triumphs of developing this title?

In a world of shooters and zombie games, we needed something unique. We certainly weren’t going to mess with core gameplay and what makes shooting fun, but adding another layer of fun and polish to make it stand out as a fun mini. The design was simple – a game where you play as Barry Steakfries, some badass dude who has to travel through time to fight zombies. That way we can avoid the clichéd “run-down city” zombie setting and go all out wacky. Zombie ninjas and dinosaurs are awesome.

3) How do you think it turned out? Is it as you envisioned it originally, or did you have to make compromises?

We did have to make compromises, as pretty much every game does. The game itself is very much akin to the original design, it’s just that as we began working there were so many ideas and features we wanted to include. It’s time travel, the possibilities are endless! That’s what is known as “feature creep” and is generally a developer’s worst nightmare. However, we stuck to the plan and came out on the other side of a relatively short dev cycle with a product we were happy with.

4) If it’s a success, do you have other thoughts on a sequel or ideas you’d take wiht you into a new game?

Well, as mentioned above, there were many ideas we simply didn’t have time to implement. In the game currently is five time periods with three stages each, original bosses and a Survival mode. Imagine where we could take Barry Steakfries in a sequel! The moon? Another dimension? The land of friendship and happiness? You decide!

5) How is it developing for the PSP vs the iPhone or DS? Any other platform experience?

The PSP traditionally needs to be a bit more of an expansive experience – if we’re going to be making an iPhone game (we are), then it will be more simple, instantly playable and minimal input. That’s a game specifically focused for what iPhone is all about. More complex games can work, it’s just a different kind of development experience. With the PSP, you have a bit more wiggle room with its traditional control setup, but obviously the game still needs to be simple and focused. They are minis after all!

6) When does the game release, and what’s next for you and your team?

If you’re reading this, the game is out right now for $4.99, and it’s playable on both the PSP and PS3. Check it out in the minis section of the PlayStation Store and enjoy! Coming up next will be Rocket Racing, a fast-paced arcade racer with some great gameplay mechanics and a slick style. That will be out in early March. We look forward to showing you more!

Obscure: The Aftermath has been nominated for best PSP Game for 2009.  This is not some light nomination either as it comes from GameIndustry.com.  Congrats to Playlogic Entertainment, Inc. on this awesome nomination.

Do you want to see Dissidia or SoulCalibur win over Obscure?  That is easy for you to fix.  Just head to the GameIndustry website and place your vote.  It is easy to do.  Besides, you don’t want to work today anyway!

Holy hell!  Look at this massive store update.  Jump on the Marvel vs Capcom 2 deal while it lasts.  There is so much good stuff here you might be downloading all weekend!

Price Updates:

• Marvel vs. Capcom 2 Sale, One Week Only (now $7.49, original price $14.99)
• Topatoi Permanent Price Drop (now $7.99, original price $9.99)

Ubisoft Game Sale – Grab a sweet game while it is on sale:

• Call of Juarez: Bound In Blood – Old West Map Pack Sale (now $5.99, original price $9.99)
• Shaun White Snowboarding The Glamour Pack Sale (now $2.49, original price $4.99)
• Shaun White Snowboarding Target Limited Edition The Glamour Pack Sale (now $2.49, original price $4.99)
• Tom Clancy’s End War Faction Elite Pack Sale (now $1.99, original price $3.75)
• Brothers in Arms D-Day Sale (now $7.49, original price $14.99)
• Price of Persia Revelations Sale (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) Sale (now $9.99, original price $19.99)

The Tester – Episode one makes its debut:

• The Tester Season Premiere: Episode 1 “The Critical Eye” (free)

PSone Classics – Was the PSOne really so long ago:

• Magic Carpet (5.99) – Take a magic carpet ride
• Mass Destruction ($5.99) – An army of one with a badass tank
• Sorcerer’s Maze ($5.99) – Fantasy RPG at its finest

Avatars – Get gussied up to be hit on by teenie boppers:

• MAG SVER Badge Avatar ($0.49)
• MAG SVER Character Avatar ($0.49)
• MAG Raven Badge Avatar ($0.49)
• MAG Raven Character Avatar ($0.49)
• MAG Valor Badge Avatar ($0.49)
• MAG Valor Character Avatar ($0.49)

Game Demos – Yakuza is in here:

• Yakuza 3 Network Demo – Do I really need to elaborate on the sweet tattoo here
• Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing Demo – It’s a Sonic game

Add-on Game Content – Splurge a little for some weekend entertainment:

• BUZZ! National Geographic: Kids Quiz Pack ($7.99) – I wound if Uranus is a set of questions
• Dragon Ball: Raging Blast Saiyan’s Pack (free) – More free costumes.  SF4 could take lessons here
• Assassin’s Creed II Sequence 13: Bonfire of the Vanities ($4.99) – Free Florence from crazy monk Savonarola
• Assassin’s Creed II Sequence 13: Bonfire of the Vanities & Secret Locations ($9.99) – Get both DLCs for one low price
• Dante’s Inferno Florentine Dante Costume ($1.99) – Get your Italian poet on:
• Resident Evil 5 Lost In Nightmares ($4.99) – What happened to Jill in Spencer’s estate
• Resident Evil 5 Costume Pack 1 ($1.99) – Wow, did Chris take some steroids
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Hoth Mission Pack ($9.99) – Take the “recuit” on a joy ride to Hoth

Rock Band – When I was your age, Otis was king:

• “Let Forever Be”— The Chemical Brothers ($1.99)
• “Weightless”— All Time Low ($1.99)
• “Stray Cat Strut”— Brian Setzer ($1.99)
• “Fascination”— Alphabeat ($1.99)
• “I’ve Got Dreams to Remember”— Otis Redding ($1.99)
• “(Sittin’ on the) Dock of the Bay (Take 2)”— Otis Redding ($1.99)
• “Love Man”— Otis Redding ($1.99)
• “Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)”— Otis Redding ($1.99)
• “I’m Sick Y’all”— Otis Redding ($1.99) ($1.99)
• Otis Redding Pack 1 ($8.49)

Game Videos – Look here to fix that n00b MAG in you:

• Pulse 2/18 Edition
• MAG: How To – Career Overview
• MAG: How To – Commando
• MAG: How To – Direct Action
• MAG: How To – Field Support
• MAG: How To – Rapid Assault
• MAG: How To – Sniper
• ModNation Racers PSP Announcement Trailer
• Yakuza 3 Gameplay Trailer
• Assassin’s Creed II: Battle of Forli Trailer
• Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 – Announcement Trailer
• Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Gameplay Trailer 1
• Fret Nice Trailer
• make.believe Award Winning Filmmaking
• make.believe Games Loved By Millions
• make.believe Racing on the G4 Circuit

PS3 Themes – Is that dynamic or static:

• Resident Evil 5 Customizable Theme Pack ($1.99)
• Amazing Peaks Theme ($1.99)
• Hemorrhage Theme ($1.99)

Wallpaper – My, what a pretty wall you have:

• Fret Nice Wallpaper (Free)

PlayStation Store for PSP
Downloadable Games – Buy games….in your underpants:

• SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3 ($39.99) – FPS in the palm of your hands
• Puzzle Chronicles ($29.99) – A puzzle RPG to suck the time away, one combo at a time

Add-On Game Content – Find out why renting games is so 1999:

• BUZZ! Quiz World PSP National Geographic Safari Pack ($3.99)
• SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3 Online Entitlement ($19.99)
• LittleBigPlanet PSP Savannah Level Pack ($2.99)
• LittleBigPlanet PSP Savannah Costumes (free)
• LittleBigPlanet PSP Wedding Theme Pack ($2.99)
• LittleBigPlanet PSP Wedding Costumes (free)

Game Videos – The Tester is testing you:

• The Tester Season Premiere: Episode 1 “The Critical Eye”
• Pulse 2/18 Edition
• ModNation Racers PSP Announcement Trailer
• DEAD OR ALIVE Paradise Trailer

PSP Themes – Fashion off some dudes in masks on your PSP:

• Army of Two PSP Theme (free)
• Hemorrhage PSP Theme ($1.49)
• Matterhorn PSP Theme ($1.49)