Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
Hello and welcome to the dirty rotten scoundrels version of the PSN update! Why is it called that you say? Well, quite uniformly there is nothing worthwhile on the update and all of it costs more money then it should!
First up is yet another issue of Qore (isn’t this thing dead yet?) that features a beta for Mag if you commit to a year or are an annual subscriber already. The episode is being touted as an "epic" issue with some Uncharted 2 tidbits, a Gran Turismo feature with Jay Leno, and a look at the PSP Go. None of this is new information; none of this is exceptionally interesting. Qore should be free like the other guys' similar broadcasts (and it should stream and not be a 1.6GB download, its 2009 Sony, get with it).
We also have a couple of games and combo packs from Capcom. The games are a PSN title called BattleTanks and a draft style game that is in essence a prequel to NBA 2K10. The NBA 2K10: Draft Combine has a demo on offer so you can try before you buy. Both seem expensive for what you are getting, but that is the way it seems to go lately.
Capcom is releasing two game packs which contain a slew of their PSN released games, the packs are attractively priced if you were to buy them separately but of course not all the games are created equally. This is a really great move from Capcom as they are trying to capitalize on the inevitable large new base of players joining the PlayStation fold now that the Slim, and new low price, is in place.
Add-on content is sparse this week, with some more useless and overpriced PAIN characters joined by yet another F.E.A.R. 2 DLC pack. It is nice to see a game get enhanced with more single player goodness, but again the pricing could be more attractive for greater penetration. It is nice to see a demo for this expansion as well.
Finally as far as media goes it is sure nice for Sony to update the firmware (which is broken it seems) to handle dynamic themes… but then they're also releasing some first party themes for three dollars! Wow, not cool Sony. We do have a new PSOne classic, still not a huge blockbuster, but at least CoolBoarders 3 is a decent game.
On the PSP front there is not much except two downloadable games, Patapon and Fate/Unlimited Codes. Patapon is a great game, but is overpriced at $15 as you can find it cheaper used or new generally anywhere on the planet. Fate/Unlimited Codes is a really interesting looking fighter that bears investigating.
All in all a pretty dismal update on the PSN, the extra content does not justify the associated costs, and minimal goodies leave a sour taste in this persons mouth. For more details, please visit the official PlayStation Blog.
Qore
- Qore Annual Subscription: September 2009 ($24.99)
- Qore Episode 16: September 2009 ($2.99)
Downloadable Games
- NBA 2K10: Draft Combine ($4.99)
- Battle Tanks ($9.99)
- Capcom Super Pack ($49.99)
- Capcom Combo Pack ($29.99)
PSone Classics PS3 / PSP
- Cool Boarders 3 ($5.99)
Game Demos
- Fight Night Round 4 Demo #2
- NBA 2K10: Draft Combine Demo
Add-on Game Content
- FEAR 2: Project Origin Reborn Map Pack ($9.99)
- PAIN Space Monkey Character ($0.99)
- PAIN Space Mime Character ($0.99)
- PAIN Space Granny Character ($0.99)
- PAIN Space Character Bundle ($1.99)
- Guitar Hero
- Rock Band
Game Videos (free)
- Crash Commando New Recruits Trailer
- Gravity Crash Gamescom Trailer
- King Of Fighters XII Trailer 4
- NBA 2K10: Draft Combine Teaser Trailer
Themes
- PixelJunk Monsters: Dynamic Theme ($2.99)
- PAIN Dynamic Theme ($2.99)
- High Velocity Bowling Dynamic Theme ($2.99)
- College Football: USC Theme ($1.99)
- College Football: Penn State Theme ($1.99)
- Bad Business Theme ($1.99)
PlayStation Store for PSP
Downloadable Games
- Patapon ($15.99) (also available from PS3 storefront)
- Fate/Unlimited Codes ($29.99) (also available from PS3 storefront)
Add-on Game Content
- Rock Band Unplugged (also available from PS3 storefront)
PSP Themes
- Bad Business – Sir George PSP Theme ($0.99) (also available from PS3 storefront)
- Bad Business – Benny PSP Theme ($0.99) (also available from PS3 storefront)
- Dark Matter Gamma Ray PSP Theme ($1.49) (also available from PS3 storefront)
- Dark Matter Subspace PSP Theme ($1.49) (also available from PS3 storefront)
- Dark Matter Solar Flare PSP Theme ($1.49) (also available from PS3 storefront)
- Dark Matter Trilogy PSP Theme ($2.99) (also available from PS3 storefront)
