Opinion: The PS Vita and Why It’s Struggling, but Not at the Same Time!

The PS Vita and Why It’s Struggling, but Not at the Same Time!

Originally Published and Copyrighted by Blast Away the Game Review on 5/23/2014

Written by Dustin Murphy

 A lot of times these days you hear how a console is doing good or bad because of a competitor’s sales. This case would be the PlayStation Vita and the battle it is having with the Nintendo 3DS in order to win users over. For me, both have been great handhelds and both offer a huge difference between each other. One offers more foreign and indie games, while the other offers more throwback titles, but also in-house developed titles I may not experience without both. For the PlayStation Vita Handheld Entertainment System, many would say it is a struggling console, and that it needs more games. Why? Well for one, it has a very limited memory card size, and unfortunately no-way to really surpass the 32GB threshold unless you are willing to buy more than one, import a 64gb for over 99.99 USD, or simply just delete games as you go from the memory unit, which is a hassle on its own. 

 The lack of games is not truly a problem. Unfortunately, there is a problem with the physical releases and any games that would interest many gamers outside of import titles. For many people that is the ideology of how vacant the world of shooters is. With titles such as Resistance Burning Skies, Call of Duty Declassified, and Borderlands 2 having left sour tastes in their mouth, such things have become a sour taste in the mouths of many gamers. The other issue is the lack of physical titles such as Soul Sacrifice Delta, Dragon Ball Z: The Battle of Z, and of course the Atelier Series, which has become a big focal point for many of the gamers who prefer such niche games. So lets take a look at what the Vita can do and what Sony could do to improve, but first a small disclaimer. I own a PlayStation Vita, I have quite a few games for it, and have reviewed quite a few games for it. I am a huge fan of this product as it is a great handheld and does more than I’ve expected. Unfortunately, mine is a first generation model, which may not outperform the newer models as they come out.

 Part 1: Memory Issues and the Cost for More

 When owning a PlayStation Vita the first thing people seem to come to realization with, is the lack of memory. With only a 4GB memory card with most models, many gamers are quickly going to run out of space due to digital titles, but also due to game updates and the content some games are provided with. This prime example is the Borderlands 2. When having looked at it, many player would think that there is no problem with the digital version or physical and all its content. The reality? There’s roughly five gb’s of it and that’s not including possible future updates and content. This would quickly eat up a 4gb and of course the 8gb memory cards. For some people that own a 32gb memory card will find themselves turned off by this title. 

Solution for this issue? Well we know in Japan they had the 64gb memory card introduced to them, which has cause many gamers to do one thing - import it. How much does this cost? Well unfortunately around 120 USD with tax, shipping and handling, and of course making sure it works. The downside? It’s realistically only 59gb’s, which still means a lot of memory will be used up by updates and system data. Hopefully we can see a price change in the near future regarding this or some news regarding third party support in order to keep the handheld much more alive than it already is.

Part 2: Triple A Titles

 For how long the handheld has been around, there has been very few of these, which is in truth a rather disappointing thing. However, we can say that companies such as XSeed Games, Sony Studio’s, Comcept, and of course Tecmo Koei have been rather good about filling up that void caused by the lack of bigger titles such as Uncharted, Metal Gear Solid, and of course games such as Persona that could in truth boost sales, but also bring more players over to the Vita itself. What titles though has the Vita already benefited from? This was a question I’ve been asked in and outside of being a journo, and to be honest? There’s a lot of them. Surprisingly many fans have been amazed by titles such as Soul Sacrifice/Soul Sacrifice Delta, Toukiden: The Age of Demons, Stealth Inc., Dragon’s Crown, Deception IV: Blood Ties, Castle Storm, Ragnarok Odyssey/Ragnarok Odyssey Ace, Tear Away,  and even the Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus titles that have kept us rather amused. 
  
 To some these titles are easily looked over, and negligible because of them having released on consoles, which to some is a better and more superior way to experience the titles.  Luckily their remasters did a rather splendid job at bringing the experience to us once more. With Sony Entertainment having a huge list of possibilities that could make its way over, we certainly hope to see more new titles, and not just ports. We can only hope that this happens in the future.

Part 3: Why the Heck Bother?

 When looking at a PlayStation Vita, you may ask yourself this dumbfounding question: Why bother? It was a question I had to stop and ask myself a few times. The question came surprisingly easy. Mobility, access through wireless connections to my PS3 and my PS4, but also the ability to chat with friends on the go. What else? Well for one the handheld isn’t just a handheld, it in a way is a tablet, which lets you use apps such as Skype, Facebook, and even Twitter to stay connected with friends. Not a social person, but want to watch movies or shows? The Vita can also handle that for you thanks to it having apps such as Hulu, Netflix, YouTube (for you music lovers), Sony Video Store, Crunchyroll, Crackle, Tunein Radio, Redbox, Music Unlimited, NHL GAMECENTER and of course NBA Game Time for you basketball fans.

  Is that all it has to offer? Of course not. Thankfully the PlayStation vita also has compatibility with most (not all) PSP games, but also PS One games. This will allow those of you who wish to go back in-time (not literally here! I don’t have the Delorean to loan you kind folks) and revisit some of the greatest games of the time! If that’s not your thing, the PS Vita is also compatible with some of the indie games that can be cross-bought between PS3 and PS4, but also the Vita (this does not apply to all games, so watch the purchasing options carefully, and enjoy them!). 

 Let alone all these features, the Vita also comes as a rather nice music player, which can manage MP3’s as well as MP4’s. For those of you that don’t, check out the Music Unlimited feature, you won’t be disappointed.

Part 5: The Run Down

  As you have read the PlayStation Vita is far from disappointing. Instead it is a console that is not to be underestimated. It’s powerful and it shows thanks to games like Little Big Planet, Ninja Gaiden Sigma/Sigma 2 Plus, and of course Killzone. It also has a vast array of features from multimedia support for music and streaming services. For social media users, it features quite a few options, which in my opinion, are among some of the best. From classic games to new, the PlayStation Vita itself hosts a large array of options that include even indie developers. So what are you waiting for? Go out there, try it for yourself, and experience the large library of titles that are available.

Confessions of a Former World of Warcraft Addict

Confessions of a Former World of Warcraft Addict

Originally Published and Copyrighted by Blast Away the Game Review on 5/17/2014

Written by Dustin Murphy

 Where do you start when you've become an addict to something and have almost fully “recovered”? Do you say, “I've done something wrong” or do you simply state that you have a problem? For me, I never knew until it had already begun to unwind my life. It was simply how it started. One of my best friends growing up brought it over, let me play it, and next thing I knew - I was hooked. It was simple, playing his Night Elf Druid, a balance druid at that, and questing. I couldn't stand the dull graphics at first. Except they weren't dull. I just wasn't used to high particle effects that could not be seen on a console. I was too used to my Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, and even my Nintendo 64. They were what I was used to, even though I played games such as Starcraft and Warcraft.  Though what got me wasn’t just the graphics, but the gameplay, then the digital society within the game (other players). I began to find myself wanting to keep playing, and thus I did. I set out, bought a new computer after having shared his account for a few weeks. I bought the battle-chest since Burning Crusade had only been out a few weeks at most, and of course my adventure began. Rather my undoing. I found myself making my first self-paid for account, character, and of course my addiction that soon became a manifestation of disapproval from friends and family.

Now before we get to far, there is some admittance to be made. The game had been something of a hype for me, even at the time, it was something I was curious about due to Warcraft 3. It, however, did take time for World of Warcraft to lure me in completely. It was around the time Wrath of the Lich King had launched. I found myself sucked into the idea of leveling my Draenei Paladin, and dragging feet through each of the dungeons the game had to offer. The whole idea it contained at level cap was something new. Gear Optimization: The idea of fully making sure each part was proper, that gems were in their sockets, enchants for optimal proficiency was there, and of course having the proper weapon proficiency for the weapons of my choosing. The newest part though was add-on’s. That was a whole new exploration of its own that also helped expand my resourcefulness to each group I participated with on that character. Since raiding was something that had not peaked my interest at the time. I found myself questing. II wanted to explore the lore behind WoW, and even become a know-it-all about the the franchise itself. Then the novels released, then the comic books, and of course then another expansion. It wasn't quite till World of Warcraft Wrath of the Lich King, had my interest peaked. There I found myself following the storyline of Arthas, Invincible, the games lore of Old Gods, and even the deviance of the horde itself as it unfolded. It got me hooked, I began to stay up, not eat, not sleep, not run errands, and even begin to feel panicked if I felt my subscription beginning to run out. Truths turned to lies, and lies turned into more lies as I needed every reason to play. Even if it had meant having my WoW playing friend come over and stay the night, which turned into days, and days turned into weeks as the obsession became more of a need and want. Even vacations I found myself dragging my computer with me even if I had the SLIGHTEST hint of a working internet. Why? I needed at least some WoW time. Even if it was just a few minutes to get on and talk to friends. Social networking? Could have done it. Even with my cellphone, but instead, it was something about the game.

The first major time it became a problem, my Great Grandmother had passed away. She was someone I had held very dear to me. Someone that had taught me things about life, hobbies, and even lessons regarding craftsmanship's that I will never forget. Unfortunately, she didn't make it through all of my life as one would hope. She passed away due to age and health related complications. Once the date was announced, where, when, and who all was there. We set way to leave the house, but there was something else I felt must come along. My laptop and of course World of Warcraft. So I packed my bags, my laptop, and grabbed my phone. Off we went. There was nothing unusual about this to my parents, which in many ways, was because they kept quiet about how they felt. Even my aunts and uncles found it a bit unnerving by the time I got there, I was sitting there, logged into WoW. I would attend raids, level new characters, and spend seamless hours on WoW till it was time to power down, go to sleep, and get up to once more take on the ‘heroic’ deeds that my character would seek out to do at my discretion. Even at the anger of my own parents, whom I’m sure were ready to blow a gasket, but at the time, I didn't care. The funeral came, the funeral went, and soon as we were done? I was once more logged in and ignoring the pain that was ebbing at my heart. So you see, in ways, I logically told myself that it was okay to use WoW as an out rather than facing the reality of it all.

 This problem carried on for years, before the funeral, before the family gatherings, and even before the family trips. It became an obsession, more so an addiction to be quite honest. Why? I wanted it, needed it, and even craved the simple sounds of logging in and having a character on my computer screen moving around. It came to the point of ignoring friends, family, and even my responsibilities. It cost me friendships, relationships, money, and almost a job. Why? Because it’s all I wanted and needed. It was something I found insanely indulging. I even found myself back to where I first started: fighting over the internet. It wasn't small shouts here and there. It was screaming at the top of our lungs, screaming profanities, hating ourselves for what we were becoming, but most of all, hating WoW because of what it was doing. To me? This was normal. It was helping me get my way and letting me play what I wanted to play the most. World of Warcraft had become my life. It was everything I had and wanted. It made me feel satiated. It wasn't till after having been in a hardcore raid guild during the events of Cataclysm did I find myself questioning my reasoning behind my drive to play WoW. It started to become a job. Eventually it began to make me want to hate the game. The hardest pushes against bosses such as Ragnaros, Deathwing, Yor’sahj, and all this being on heroic difficulty. Why? We felt like we were the best of the best. Truth was? We were for our server. We had taken over the server as the top guild for both horde and alliance. It made us feel like we became fans. Why? We were being acknowledged by the social parts of it. Good and bad, mind you. Some people hated us, others cheered for us, and others simply didn't care like we did.

Though this was something that eventually began to die out shortly after the release of Mists of Pandaria. The guild fell apart, people moved on, and friendships were lost. Like most things in life, WoW began to become an expendable time slot for them. Some of them got married, some had kids, and some simply just found more creative hobbies. Even if it was gaming related. Shortly after having begun to wing away from WoW, it was interesting to see things a bit differently. A hate had begun to bubble. A dislike for the title really. Logging in after having joined another raid team began to feel like a job even though I had fun. Then came another raid group disbanding. Shortly after, another one, and another one, and finally another one. After several refreshes and restarts, it was time to try something new. Our teams merged, players began to give out availabilities for grouping if they could. It was just sort of playbook really so that even if we didn't do anything, it allowed us to get on, chit chat, and of course act like complete fools. Somewhere a year later we found ourselves once more with another guild, but this time things went smooth. We raided, we cleared content, we opened up more of the lore, which really drove us to keep going. Shortly after, we began to go back on hiatus. During this time I began to make new friends that didn't live halfway across the nation, two states away, or even half way across the world. Instead I got to meet people in an aspect I wasn’t used to. It was this aspect that of reality that began to sink in, and that’s when the little rain cloud with lightning bolts appeared over me (think like the cartoons).

I had finally realized in the past that I ignored much of my life for World of Warcraft. Things I can’t get back. A relationship, a funeral gathering, respect from friends or family, and even the bits of my life that could have been even more adventurous than before. The reality sat in, which meant so did my disapproval, but there were people there who genuinely cared, which lead me back once more to one thing: playing WoW. Though this time around it has better reasons, which has lead to me playing with friends, taking time away from it, and even running an amazing team of creative writers, gamers, and self-proclaimed gaming experts. What does this mean? My life has become mine again. WoW doesn’t own it, nor does the addiction, which means I’ve in many ways, broken the bonds that many have not had the strength to break yet. Does it pain me to not play like I should, how much I should, and why? No. Because I know the people behind the screen, running their animated characters around, and even talk to me through the title understand that my life has meaning. They also understand that sometimes, addiction can be something nasty, and truly horrendous for those who missed much of their life because of a game or a substance. I can’t say I don’t game anymore. I actually do. I still work on review titles, I still social game, but I do not let it consume me. I have since begun seeing my friends, my family, going away from the games when needed, and simply being honest about my intentions. Do I plan on playing more WoW in the future? Possibly. How soon? I can’t tell you that, but what I can tell you is this, once you regain control of your life, once you begin to let things smooth over, then you can think about all the things you can do. The freedoms you have lost, but regained because of the bonds that were broken.

 As of the past few months I have begun to find new hobbies, new friends, new adventures, and even new gaming events to go to. As a gamer, sometimes the best thing to do, is simply walk away from the one problem there is. For my problem? Taking a break from WoW was it. I still play two times a week, sometimes three. I have friends I do not see because they are still heavily indulged in the title, but eventually - they will see the things they have missed. The opportunities that are fading away. They will simply be in many ways, free of bonds that held them there in bad ways. For some of you, this was a rant, a jumbling of words. To some of you, it’s an admittance of being guilty of a painful addiction, a distasteful hunger, and of course a newly shed light on something that was once a bad habit, which has since, turned positive. There’s nothing wrong with playing games, there’s nothing wrong with being social, and there is nothing wrong when walking away from something that is seemingly becoming a problem.

Now that you have read my confession. I have a question for you, the reader, and of course fellow gamers. We all have problems that come up in our lives. Problems that could be something to do with finances, relationships, family, friends, and or something completely different. We all try to find ways to hide our problems. We all try to find ways to shove it to the back of our mind. When you have problems come up you can’t deal with, how do you manage them? Do you go to a game to subdue it? Do you purposely find yourself addicted to a game title in order to escape?  Have you been addicted to a game? Let me know in the comments. Sometimes the first step is simple. Admitting there is a problem. deal with them. With this we also find ourselves pushing away those around us because of something bothering us. Have you ever found yourself addicted to a game? If so what happened? Why? What were your repercussions because of it? I know mine were quite dangerous on their own. I lost nine years of my life.

SENRAN KAGURA SHINVO VERSUS Coming to PS Vita!

SENRAN KAGURA SHINOVI headed PlayStation®Vita this Fall!

Originally Published and Copyrighted by Blast Away the Game Review on 5/8/2014

Written by Dustin Murphy

 Didn't get enough of SENRAN KAGURA BURST when it released for 3DS last year? Of course you didn't. With the popularity having been so large, players are finally able to get their hands on it digitally and physically. Starting this fall, 2014, players will be able to pick up a limited run "Let's Get Physical" retail version of the title. In this version, players will be able to obtain the games soundtrack as a CD and of course a "Shinobi Syllabus", which will contain profiles of the students, gameplay strategies, and of course illustrations. Think that's enough reason to get it? According to XSEED Games, SENRAN KAGURA SHINOVI VERSUS will raise the bar on the games signatuure over-the-top style and even does the same with the art style, characters, story, and even combat mechanics.

Official Statement from Ken Berry, Executive VP of XSEED Games:

 “Ever since we announced SENRAN KAGURA Burst, PS Vita fans have been clamoring for SHINOVI VERSUS, and we’re thrilled to be granting them their request,” said Ken Berry, Executive Vice President of XSEED Games. “The SENRAN KAGURA series has such deep and involving lore established through its games, manga and anime, and the fanbase is extremely loyal – we can’t wait for them to get their hands on SHINOVI VERSUS.”

Official Information:

 SENRAN KAGURA SHINOVI VERSUS immediately follows the events of Burst, revisiting the fierce rivalry between the girls of Hanzō National Academy and their sworn enemies from Hebijo Clandestine Girls’ Academy, the latter of which have now gone underground and formed a mercenary strike team known as the Homura Crimson Squad. In addition to their old adversaries, the Hanzō girls must also face a whole new set of foes: the students of Gessen Girls’ Academy, who seek to punish them for their imperfections as shinobi warriors. Meanwhile, a new class is in session at Hebijo, and these students mean business: they oppose all three of the competing factions and will stop at nothing to be the last shinobi squad standing – even if it means leaving broken bodies and shattered dreams in their wake.

 Throughout SENRAN KAGURA SHINOVI VERSUS, players will take control of characters from each of these schools, experiencing the narrative from four distinct viewpoints via the original Japanese voice track coupled with English subtitles.

 SENRAN KAGURA SHINOVI VERSUS carries on the high energy side-scrolling battles of previous games in the series, and fans can expect to find more of all of SENRAN KAGURA’s hallmark features – ridiculous mid-air combos, over-the-top humor, garments that explode when characters take damage and special Secret Ninja Art techniques. The game features 20 unique shinobi fighters for players to master, each with her own unique weapon, techniques and special moves, while Ninja Arts can be exploited to change costumes and power up mid-battle. On top of the single player game, up to four players can battle online to determine which shinobi is the best of them all.

 SENRAN KAGURA SHINOVI VERSUS is developed by Tamsoft together with MarvelousAQL Inc. of Japan, and will be released in North America for PS®Vita by XSEED Games in fall 2014. XSEED Games will share more information in the coming months.

 For more information on XSEED Games products, please visitwww.xseedgames.com. Fans can also follow XSEED Games on Facebook at www.facebook.com/XSEEDGames and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/XSEEDGames.

NIS America to Release Battle Princess Arcadias on PlayStation®3

Battle Princess Arcadias Coming to PSN June 17th

Originally Published and Copyrighted by Blast Away the Game Review on 5/8/2014

Written by Dustin Murphy

 Interested in RPGs? Liked Child of Light, but wanted another side-scroller RPG? As of June 17th for North America, players will get to sink their teeth into another, amazing looking beat-em-up action RPG, Battle Princess of Arcadias, which will release for PlayStation®3 as a PSN exclusive. Don't fear Europe! On June 18th you get to experience this too!

About the game:
 The kingdom of Schwert was once peaceful and beautiful. But now it's been overrun by monsters, and as the Battle Princess Plume, it's up to you to set things right in this colorful, high-speed action RPG! Recruit a group of warriors and engage in skirmishes against the enemy before taking on huge and powerful bosses in epic siege battles!

 You'll also get to delight in an extensive upgrade system. As you stomp the enemy into the ground throughout each level, you'll collect weapons and materials that you can use to enhance your gear. You'll be able to unlock new skills based on your weapon and its level, and with enough time and effort, you can even transform your gear into new, more powerful weapons! Fight your way through each area, gaining new characters and abilities, gathering heaps of treasure, and upgrading your weapons and gear, all on your way to victory!

The Elder Scrolls Online for Consoles Delayed

The Elder Scrolls Online for Consoles Delayed

Originally Published and Copyrighted by Blast Away the Game Review on 5/8/2014

Written by Dustin Murphy

 As of today, an official statement has been made, and unfortunately; The Elder Scrolls Online has been delayed. It is unfortunate this has occurred. The excitement from fans of the franchise has been nothing, but high. With fans discussing the creativity behind it, the evolution the game has experienced over time, but also the ability to take it on with friends. Luckily, we may not be too far out from experiencing the title this fall. With networking programming having been a bit of the difficulty, but also the infrastructure to the consoles themselves. We can only hope that Bethesda-Zenimax can get everything running smooth and give us a PC like clone for consoles when it comes to graphics, frame rate, and even detail. We wish them luck and look forward to getting our hands on the game. However, for a full briefing on this, please read the official statement below.

Official Statement from Bethesda-Zenimax:

"We’ve been grateful to our fans for the wonderful response to our recent launch of The Elder Scrolls Online for PC/Mac, but we know many of you are eagerly waiting to play the game on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

 We continue to work on the console versions of ESO, and game development has been progressing steadily, but we are still working to solve a series of unique problems specific to those platforms. Integrating our systems with each console manufacturer’s networks -- which are both different from the PC/Mac system as well as different from each other—has been a challenging process. It has become clear that our planned June release of the console versions isn’t going to be possible. Though we have made great progress, we have concluded that we’ll need about six months to ensure we deliver the experience our fans expect and deserve.

 We know that the news of an ESO console delay is as disappointing to many of you as it is to us. We want to do what we can to make it up to our fans who want to start playing now, so we have worked out the following arrangement with Sony and Microsoft:

 Via a special offer, anyone who purchases and plays the PC/Mac version of The Elder Scrolls Online by the end of June will have the opportunity to transfer their character(s) to either console version when they are released. The offer will allow you to begin playing immediately on the PC/Mac, and then add the PS4 or Xbox One version and transfer the character(s) you have created and developed. And, you don’t have to pay full price for the game twice. For $20, eligible PC and Mac players will have the option to add a full, digital version of ESO on either the PS4 or the Xbox One with your character transfer(s), and another 30 days of included game time.

 Whether you decide to take advantage of this offer or not, we promise to do everything we can to get the game released on both consoles as quickly as we can. We will keep everyone updated with additional details regarding character transfers, specific offer dates, when you can expect console beta to start, and of course, when ESO on consoles will launch.

 Thank you for your patience and loyal support."

Ubisoft Announces Valiant Hearts: The Great War™ for Home Consoles.

Valiant Hearts: The Great War™ Coming to Consoles

Originally Published and Copyrighted by Blast Away the Game Review on 5/7/2014

Written by Dustin Murphy

As of today, we can be truly excited to see the newest title using the UbiArt Engine that powered the newest Rayman™ titles, but also the wondrous title Child of Light. Our latest entry to experience from Ubisoft's amazing UbiArt Engine is Valiant Hearts: The Great War™, which is described as a puzzle-adventure game set during the days of World War I. The story is supposed to be a rather emotionally heavy title, which is about crossed destinies and broken love, which has been caused by the war itself. During the title, players are said to experience friendship, love, and sacrifice, and tragedy as each of the characters try to help each other remain as human as they can as they survive against the horrific sights of the war.

For those wondering, Valiant Hearts: The Great War™, will release on XBox Live for the XBox One and XBox 360, as well as the PlayStation Network for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, while also getting a PC Digital release for the price of 14.99 on June 25th, 2014.

Official Information:
 Valiant Hearts: The Great War is being developed by Ubisoft Montpellier, known for their work on critically-acclaimed titles like Beyond Good & Evil®, Rayman Origins® and Rayman® Legends. The title uses UbiArt Framework which allows them to efficiently animate the game’s comic-book style, which consists of a wide-ranging color palette – from the dark trenches to green forests and snowy fields, and provides stunning scenic variety and visual contrast.

For more information on Valiant Hearts: The Great War, please visit: www.ValiantHeartsGame.com

About Ubisoft:
 Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Just eance, Tom Clancy’s video game series, Rayman and Far Cry. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2012–13 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,256 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.

©2003-2014 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Rayman, the character of Rayman, Beyond Good & Evil, Valiant Hearts The Great War Logo, Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries

Rocksmith 2014 Edition Gets New DLC

ROCKSMITH 2014 Edition Gets a 311 Song DLC Pack

Originally Copyright and Published by Blast Away the Game Review on 5/7/2014

Written by Dustin Murphy

 As of today you amazing guitarists with Rocksmith® 2014 can now download the 311 DLC pack for Rocksmith® 2014 Edition on Xbox LIVE for Xbox® 360, the PlayStation Network for the PlayStation® 3 and Steam for PC and Mac. The song pack that is now available includes their famed songs, "Amber," "Beautiful Disaster," and "Down." The individual songs are available for $2.99 or the complete 3-song pack for $7.99.

Official Ubisoft Information:

 New music packs continue to be released on a regular basis so please continue to watch for updated information.

 Rocksmith 2014 Edition is the sequel to 2011’s immensely popular Rocksmith, which taught over 1.5 million players how to play the guitar by enabling players to plug any real guitar or bass with a standard ¼” jack directly into their Xbox® 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the Sony PlayStation® 3 computer entertainment system, PC or Mac®.

 Rocksmith 2014 Edition includes new features, new modes, optimized tracking and responsiveness, and completely redesigned interface, new techniques and tunings, and much more. Aspiring guitarists can now learn to play guitar in just 60 days with Rocksmith 2014 Edition.

About Ubisoft
 Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, Tom Clancy’s video game series, Rayman and Far Cry. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2012-13 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,256 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.

© 2012-2014 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Rocksmith logo, Ubisoft, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. “PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft.

Is a New Demon Souls Title on the Horizon?

Project Beast - A New ‘Souls’ Entry for Next Gen?

Originally Published and Copyrighted by Blast Away the Game Review on 5/4/2014

Written by Dustin Murphy

When it comes to games that are difficult, infuriating, and demoralizing, From Software has become a team of masters and mistresses of this. With their debut title in the genre called Demon Souls, they took the consoles by storm, and soon had players breaking controllers, crying, swearing, and even screaming before even getting past the first mini-boss. The legacy continued with their high scoring franchise when they released Dark Souls and Dark Souls II, both having proven to be even more difficult. Though something was amiss when it came to Dark Souls II’s menacing creator. Hidetaka Miyazaki was in the gaming world, no where to be found, which to some is disturbing. However, in the light of this, something profound has been leaked: Project Beast.

In this new From Software title, we have seen several things that could make us think one thing - Demon Souls II. It has been something players have been demanding for years now, even hitting the forums with. With the anticipation rising, players can only keep praying, pawing, yearning, and voicing their want. The pictures that have been leaked? They will make this demand even higher.

In several of the new screens we get a sense of the setting, which seems to be somewhere near the 1500-1600 era. Why? The clothing is all, but to fitting to give it that feel. The dogs, the torches, and even the architecture seem to point to it. Though that’s not to say it could be further along towards the modern era. Several of the screens (as seen throughout this article) depict a scene set up to give us a modernized feel. The one thing that sets it up the best is the group of men in their garb. Let alone the demonic looking dog with the spines rising from upon its back and standing almost half as tall as the men. The other part that truly gives it the feel is the fog door. Something that truly almost confirms this is the more important part. Fog doors, From Software/Japan Studio (Sony), having their development teams working together. What does this mean? We can start to assume we’ll find out if it’s a new Demon Souls title or an entire new entity in the upcoming days. Stay tuned as we wait to gather more information as time passes.

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