The PlayStation Network will be undergoing maintenance next Monday, lasting until early Tuesday morning. The Network will be offline from 1:00pm BST on Monday until approximately 2:00am BST on Tuesday. As usual, the PlayStation Store, Account features and online gameplay will be inaccessible during this time.
Sony has revealed designs of the revamped PlayStation Store, as well as revealed the launch dates for Europe and North America. The new PlayStation Store will feature a much needed interface change, along with extra functionality. The new Store will launch in Europe next week, while North America will get it the week after.
Sony has revealed that sales of the PS3 in the UK has passed the 5 million unit mark, since the console was first launched in March 2007. The console has sold over 5 million across all three designs, starting with the very first 60GB model, down to the 500GB “Super Slim” models recently launched.
Expected to release in Europe yesterday, 8-bit open-world title Retro City Rampage is missing from the PlayStation Store in Europe. According to SCEE, the game is “going through certification currently.” The process may be taking longer than usual, especially since the North American version received a day-one patch for critical bugs in the game.
Square Enix has released the world’s first screenshots of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn on the PS3. The four screenshots show the game UI, taking inspiration from previous games, Chocobos and the battles. All of the UI elements that you see in the screenshots can be enabled, disabled, and repositioned to suit your preferences, according to Square Enix.
Following from yesterday’s news about Gaikai answering questions about the Sony acquisition, the Gaikai website also reveals PlayStation titles on its homepage. You can see the likes of Uncharted’s Drake, Kratos from God of War, Raiden from Metal Gear Solid and the Helghast from Killzone in the background of the site.
IO Interactive have released another new video for Hitman: Absolution, titled “Storytelling”. The new trailer takes a look behind-the-scenes at Giant Studios in Los Angeles, where the motion capture for the game took place. The animators have made the cut-scenes almost like a movie using Hollywood actors to capture motion and voice simultaneously.
We revealed back in July that ToeJam and Earl will be coming to the PlayStation Network as part of the Sega Vintage Collection. Sega has revealed that ToeJam & Earl and ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron will be releasing on the PlayStation Store this November for a low price of £3.69 each.
Activision have released the opening sequence for the forthcoming James Bond game, 007 Legends, featuring the usual men in suits and silhouettes of beautiful women. The game releases on the PS3 and other platforms from next week. In North America, the game will be available from October 16th, and from October 19th in Europe.
Gaikai has updated its Q&A page to answer questions over the recent Sony acquisition, answering questions that many gamers may have. Gaikai reveals that the team is “working on a number of exciting initiatives.” When asked about Gaikai on Sony platforms, the company said it “cannot share any details at this point in time.”
