JamieO

@get2sammyb Thank you kindly, Sammy. That is really sound of you to say.

@rjejr and @Rogue76 I'm based in the UK, so I have not been able to check if Sacred Citadel has received a price reduction in the US. However, for UK gamers the current special offer price-tag of £5.99 is an opportune time to check it out cheaply, especially if you’re a fan of side-scrolling hack-and-slash games.

I completed Sacred Citadel from start to finish three separate times for this review. I first beat it in single-player controlling the Safiri Warrior. I then blasted through online co-op, and I was pleased to find gamers who were happy to play the entire game in a single online two hour sitting, so we were rewarded with a Mutual Benefit ‘Complete all levels in multiplayer’ trophy. The third time I played through the adventure again in local co-op, but this time as the Seraphim Mage.

However, it is a slight shame that two local players can't hook up to one PS3, and then head online to find a third player. Online multiplayer only includes you on your PS3, the other one/ two players need to be online. Also, you meet gamers in a lobby, and select different acts and stages together, but you can’t drop into an online game mid-level.

@AD-80 I agree, it is really impressive how Sony has achieved universal praise for their implementation of PS Plus, because they are very consistent with quality free games, so gamers quickly recuperate their membership fee. It is simply excellent value for money.

I like your logic regarding DriveClub, I didn't think about it like that, fingers crossed you're right. I know that the DriveClub PS Plus Edition has slimmer content, like a smaller selection of tracks and vehicles, so it may be used to help ensure this new IP appears on a PS4 gamer's radar. Perhaps the system that Evolution Studios has developed is so compelling, so once you are part of a club and have mastered the driving system, it will have its hooks in you, and you will be more tempted to upgrade to the full game.

DriveClub has actually become more prominent on my radar since E3, I think it is another solid move by Sony to offer gamers a sample of tracks, vehicles and its online network system, with the PS Plus Edition.

I voted for Killzone: Shadow Fall, but I based that decision on a combination of my impressions from the original trailer in February, the new E3 gameplay demo and my love of the series. I really like the mix and the variety shown in the settings, which has already been demonstrated in the visuals. This ranges from the gleaming, sterile Vektan City to a new forest area that Arjan Bak (Guerrilla Games’ Environment Art Director) showcased, with lush green foliage, rocky boulders and a waterfall cascading down a cliff.

This new environment has Lucas Kellan as a Shadow Marshal behind enemy lines on a mission to retrieve intel, as he uses a zip-line to whizz between tall trees. I also like the design of the Shadow Marshal’s gun, with its switching modes, and the gameplay opportunities the OWL drone provides. Killzone: Shadow Fall is a promising PS4 launch purchase, for me so far.

I can definitely see why so many people voted for inFAMOUS: Second Son, too. The gameplay footage and its new visual upgrade look brilliant, all provided by PS4’s technical oomph, so that game looks absolutely fantastic in action.

@AD-80 That’s true mate, and I can see a visual connection between the design of PS4 and the original PS2 hardware too, which still sits under my TV today. Apologies if I was not clear, I was not suggesting that Sony copied Microsoft, as there has not been enough time between the Xbox One reveal and E3 for Sony to alter their design. I think that it would have been a long and intricate process for Sony to create the look of PS4, they wouldn't change it last minute.

On a side-note, it was after watching a full run through of Sony’s conference for the second time that I spotted @Mason’s observation about PlayStation Plus membership being a necessity for online multiplayer on PS4, so this is an important point in regard to the total cost of the console. It’s not a big deal to me overall, as there is so much value from free games on PlayStation Plus, and your membership carries over from PS3. Also, if you own PS3, PS Vita and PS4, your access to PS Plus is all set at one price, too.

It was the conference slide stating ‘immersive multiplayer online on PS4’ as a part of PS Plus that was most revealing, as we’re all used to online multiplayer being free on PS3. Therefore, if anyone is not a member at the moment, gamers wanting online co-op and competition will need to add the PlayStation Plus subscription fee to their £349/$399 PS4 purchase.

I think @get2sammyb makes a good point when he refers to how there has not been much general conversation about the physical design of the PS4 hardware, especially following the fuss after Sony did not reveal the console’s form in February.

When I watched Sony’s blurry teaser trailer in May, I started to formulate an idea of the hardware in my head, but my imagined PS4 was not even close to the finished design. My first impression was surprise from a sense of coincidence that it bears some resemblance to Xbox One (jet black finish, split between gloss and matte). However, I liked the sliced angular front and back of the PS4 straight away. I'm finding I appreciate the PS4 console design more and more, so it’s cool that its appearance is growing on me.

I also meant to mention that I was buzzing from the Star Wars Battlefront announcement during EA’s conference. I was tweeting with @GazPlant from Nintendo Life at the time and he observed in jest that with DICE at the helm it may turn into Battlefield: Star Wars Edition. Such a move would feel out of sync with the series, but with the technical expertise of DICE I would actually enjoy a Battlefield: Star Wars on PS4. I'm sure DICE will strive to remain faithful to the core gameplay of the Battlefront series, though.

An excellent interview, I agree with @zipmon, it provides a nice insight into how much work goes into creating balance and an even sense of character symmetry in a fighting game, especially with a variety of distinctive IPs.

I have lost touch with the one-on-one and crossover fighter genres slightly over the years, especially as I was obsessed with arcade and SNES Street Fighter II in 1991/92. However, I played quite a bit of Street Fighter IV and Super Street Fighter IV with my cousin and our buddies, so I think Capcom did a great job of rejuvenating the genre for mainstream players in those games.

When Seth Killian announced he was leaving Capcom on the Capcom Unity blog, on June 22nd this year, I thought it was cool how respectful and appreciative gamers were of his work in the comments board. It is interesting to read more about some of his reasons for leaving Capcom in this interview.

I like that his name is ‘s-kill’, as it is perfect for someone who has developed a speciality in this genre, which is a game style that often demands you master its intricacies to become a competent player. As @get2sammyb suggests here, it could also explain why he plays as Nathan Drake in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.

Fair play, what a cracking review, @get2sammyb has provided a detailed read here. I particularly like the reference to this game’s nostalgia and its fan-service: from the transforming backgrounds, to the soundtrack, its authentic voice acting and character themed move-set.

I remember back at this year’s Eurogamer Expo, Sammy was already eagerly learning the intricacies of different characters and fighting strategies, following the release of the Beta version of the game. He kicked a fair few gamer’s backsides in the demo that day, including mine.

Trouble is, I am desperately saving for a Wii U, so I won’t have spare money to buy PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale until next year. The cross-buy PS Vita freebie (cross-play and cross-save), included with your game purchase, makes this a proper bargain though. I am confident that there will still be plenty of online combatants to fight in multiplayer next year.

I think @Chozo85, @Dambuster and @Galvatron are spot-on, this game is an excellent showcase of the power and diversity of PS Vita. It is another example of a quality game for us to cite, as a great Vita title to mention, when answering all of the naysayers.

I would have loved for there to be a more ambitious single-player adventure option in this game, similar to the ‘Subspace Emissary’ in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which treated Wii gamers to a co-op adventure mode, too. However, SCE may include something like that in the inevitable sequel.

A kick-butt review!

Another part of this interview that I enjoyed was the discussion revolving around the different people Suda would like to work with, it's interesting to hear devs talk about people they admire, who are an influence from different industries, like film and music. I read an Unwinnable.com interview where Goichi Suda was buzzing because the interviewer had a Morrissey button on his lapel, in a similar way to how he admired Jon's Zombowie iPhone case.

A small tidbit that is along these lines, is that back in 2007 Gouichi Suda told IGN that his favourite video game is Out of This World. He reiterated this in a discussion with 1up, where he listed Éric Chahi as one of his favourite game designers.

I think it is cool that Suda has been so heavily inspired by Delphine Software's slick 1991/'92 2D game. It makes complete sense when you consider how Out of This World was brimming with style, creativity and fantastic art design. I think Push Square's @Dazza would like that snippet of information.

I absolutely love this interview, it is fun and quirky and its tone is completely in tune with Goichi Suda's personality. The industry needs more developers with the creativity of Suda51, the way in which he describes prioritising capturing a gamer's attention, by evoking a feeling or an emotion from the player through flamboyancy and style, has led to many memorable games.

I am a huge fan of punk rock music and to see such an independent spirit and a focussed identity in a Japanese developer, with the courage to push boundaries, is admirable. Especially when such an ethos is applied across the board on both a smaller project XBLA Kinect game, or a big budget mutliformat release. I also really enjoy how he embraces popular culture, whether or not through taking inspiration from movies, or music, as indicated here by the use of a band like The Damned, or showing respect towards a Joss Whedon TV show.

I often cite the creativity of Grasshopper Manufacture, alongside Platinum Games, as examples of how Japanese video game developers are as inspirational today as they were in the 'old days'. Gaming needs characters like Suda51: devs that are willing to experiment with style and artistry, especially in a world of safety-net minimal risk sequels and a barrage of holiday season dominating First Person Shooters.

I wish more developers were punks! A completely stellar interview, @JonWahlgren.

I am a big fan of Double Dragon too, its two-player co-op gameplay really captured my attention when I first played the original coin-op in 1987, I still enjoyed the basic premise of it in the updated Game Boy Advance port by Million in 2003/4.

I wonder if Double Dragon: Neon will include throwbacks to the original, like the elbow smash and headbutt, or the way in which you had to fight your buddy after beating Big Boss Willy (you can't make a name like that up, or his alternative 'Machine Gun Willy' moniker).

This one is in safe hands, I have a lot of respect for WayForward Technologies, from their 2D work on DS (Contra 4 and Aliens: Infestation etc), through to more close to home titles like PSN BloodRayne: Betrayal.

It is about time for a new, well crafted return of double dragon (at least the Super Famicom box art was a bit better than the crummy US SNES artwork, pictured above).

I do not care the slightest little bit about a 4096x2160 resolution, if the games that actually utilise the power of PS4 can achieve 60FPS and still output at full 1080p, I will be impressed.

Obviously I don't know how powerful PS4 will be, but based upon Sony's track record of pushing each new hardware release to impress on a technical level, it is not too presumptuous to expect PS4 to be a tech-spec impressing monster. I doubt its tech pushing games will be 60FPS at a resolution of 1920x1080, I do not have my fingers crossed for 4096x2160.

Perhaps less power hungry 2D games, indie titles or PSN games, could use 4096x2160. As @James said, I may be underestimating that 4096x2160 could become the standard in the future, in 2006 I was still gaming using RGB through a CRT.

I do have my fingers and toes tightly crossed that PS4 includes backwards compatibility, though. Backwards compatibility is a huge deal to me, I bought two 60GB PS3s, just so that I could box my PS2 away and play my collection of 130 odd PS2 games on PS3. I have too many consoles to make space under the telly for my old PS3 and a new PS4, space is constantly an issue as I live in a small flat.

Console manufacturers should consider the way in which many gamers collect games, we do not all trade or sell off our old titles. I build an archive library of games, I hoard them and I appreciate the convenience that backwards compatibility provides, not to mention the wonderful way in which PS3 upscaled my PS2 games for my HDTV.

The cynic in me thinks that backwards compatibility may be dropped, because there is too much money to be made from re-releasing PSone, PS2 and even PS3 games on a future PS4, as DLC or as a 'Classics Collection' box-set. My PS3 collection is pretty decent already, I do not feel like re-buying 100 odd PS3 games for the second time.

It's daft of me to get my knickers in a twist over a rumour though and @get2sammyb makes an excellent point regarding the challenge Sony would face if they had to emulate PS3's Cell processor on PS4.

The visuals for Sonic 4: Episode 2 remind me of the Sonic Fan Remix video that was doing the rounds in 2010. The busier detail to the backgrounds, and the toning down of the bright colour palette, share a bit of a resemblance to the fan's re-imagining of different levels from classic Sonic. It would be cool if SEGA were so impressed by the work of the fan programmers that they took them on board to work with Dimps.

Obviously that is just a speculative comparison on my part, it's an unsubstantiated little observation.

In any case I have a very good feeling about this game. I like the visual style based upon these screenshots, especially the possible addition of a new Ice Cap snow lashed mountain zone, and I have enjoyed previous Sonic games by Dimps. I think that SEGA have made a lot of good decisions regarding Sonic in recent years. Online co-op, with a screen each to ourselves and bringing Tails into Sonic 4, sounds fun to me.

Mark me down as positively optimistic for Sonic 4: Episode 2.

It was masses of fun meeting up with @PatrickElliot on PSN to co-op our way through The Simpsons Arcade, I really like how his introduction reminisces about what it felt like to relish every credit spent in an early '90s arcade machine. Online co-op in this game manages to capture that nostalgic old-school feeling of fun and comradeship really well.

The top '90s Japanese developers each built an individual style for their side-scrolling beat-'em-ups. It was a genre that was massively popular twenty years ago, but as Patrick mentions, the modern gaming landscape has changed, so brawlers are sometimes misunderstood today.

Konami's flair was often influenced by cartoons, with bold colourful sprites, detailed backgrounds and expressive animations. They specialised in accessible gameplay to draw four gamers to their cabinet, but I am glad that Patrick highlights that there is still variety to the combat and skill involved in beating Expert difficulty, beyond just button mashing through.

On the one hand the fun of this game grows as more co-op players join in the chaos, but completing it also becomes easier. However, it does throw a wild number of sprites at you, which home consoles of the day would never have managed. Take the advice of this review and play this game with the more challenging trophies in mind, to increase its 'lastability'.

This is an excellent review of a game worth celebrating, especially as it is the first time that The Simpsons Arcade has ever been converted to a home console.

Kudos for mentioning Konami's 1992 Bucky O'Hare arcade machine, too.

I think that there is a real historical element to the disappointment that a PlayStation gamer feels on learning that the Vita version of Ridge Racer is so short on content. I was discussing this the other day and I think that Namco Bandai should have been more conscious of the tradition that every single new launch of PlayStation hardware has been introduced with a Ridge Racer game. For example, my PlayStation launch experiences were like this:

* Ridge Racer (PS1, 1995): I played it the year before on the arcades, but my jaw properly dropped when my friend first booted up the PlayStation version. Compared to my SNES, the quality of the polys, textures and the faithfulness of the conversion were stunning (note that minimal content was far more acceptable due to the early 3D revolution, technological leap of this release).
* Ridge Racer V (PS2, 2000): It was my brother who first invested in PS2, and even though I had basic experience of Dreamcast, this game brought in the next generation for me.
* Ridge Racers (PSP, 2004): If Vita gets even a little bit close to impressing like the stunning sense of graphically sharp and powerful tech that playing my Japanese import of Ridge Racers achieved, I will be a very happy man.
* Ridge Racer 7 (PS3, 2007, PAL): This game brought everything that was great about Ridge Racer together in one package for me: it had the visual shine of a new generation of hardware, the controls were wonderfully tight, the drift based arcade gameplay was fun, but most importantly it was jam-packed full of content. Namco Bandai could have used all of Ridge Racer 7's tracks as a starting point to boost the PS Vita's Ridge Racer content.

I feel like Namco Bandai have a responsibility to uphold this tradition, they are mad not to have recognised it themselves, by providing more than a bit of free DLC to bump up its content. They have built a legacy that is of value, I wish that they had given more priority to this Ridge Racer launch title.

@antdickens I best not waffle too much about retro here, when the focus of the comments board is about celebrating the new Push Square, but I really love Crash Team Racing.

I have it on the original PSone, but also as a PSN download for both PS3 and PSP. Naughty Dog epitomise what is great about PlayStation gaming.
Kart-terrific-ness!

@get2sammyb Ha ha, cue the opening music for 2001: A Space Odyssey.

@antdickens I've got to be careful that I don't drift into obscure retro territory, but what if I were to mention three li'l dreamy words (and a number): Strider 2 on PSone.

Would that be a possibility?

I can definitely feel the excitement in the air surrounding the launch of the new Push Square, the work that all of you guys have put into this is incredible.

Huge congratulations on this new site, I am a big fan of each and every PlayStation, from my PSone through to PS3, including my Xperia Play. I am really looking forward to reading your future content, especially as I have saved all my necessary funds for the PS Vita's UK release on Wednesday 22nd February (less than three weeks).

Good luck, have fun and further congrats on the lovely fresh site design.

I am predominantly interested in Medieval Moves: Deadmund's Quest because I appreciate it when developers concentrate on PS Move's 1:1 motion tracking. I have always thought that Zindagi Games are an asset to Sony in that regard, Move devs that truly understand the peripheral deserve to be celebrated.

I like the premise and the 'evil Sorcerer in a Medieval kingdom' setting of this title, although reading @Mason's review it does sound like a missed opportunity that the dual wand wielding was not effectively implemented.

I am chuffed to have just purchased this title for the ridiculously cheap price of £7.97 from Amazon UK. However, it must be disappointing for SCE and Zindagi that this game has plummeted in price, just two weeks after its release.

It was wise of Eurocom to inherit the original N64 GoldenEye's classic difficulty system by having new objectives to complete for the Secret Agent and 00 Agent levels. That really adds to the game's replay value.

From this review is it clear that this new GoldenEye is successful at mixing the original's stealth gameplay with the razzmatazz of modern Call of Duty inspired FPS games.

I am glad that the core Move controls have transferred well, it is a bit of a shame to hear about the awkward tank controls.

Reading this has resulted in me becoming most interested in playing through the single-player story, largely to recapture some N64 nostalgia, but with a mix of modern FPS trimmings.

Cheers @James, an inspired tagline for this one too, mate.

Hi @James, have you received any news about whether this version will make it to the UK?

From the bullet points, this is a very well rounded package for anyone who has not picked up an earlier release of Heavy Rain.

I have not bought this game yet, which is a crime more dastardly than anything carried out by the Origami Killer, so the Director's Cut would be superb value for me.

I do not own inFAMOUS 2, but reading this review has placed inFAMOUS: Festival of Blood on my radar, especially considering that it is a completely new PSN product, separate to the retail game.

It is a shame that it does not include its predecessors' karma system, but the most important thing for me is the implementation of the PS Move controls and Nathan is clearly impressed by the smoothness and precision of its motion controls.

The extra bonus of the unlockable user generated content option, once the main story mode is completed, is an innovative treat for gamers who finish this game. Hats off to Sucker Punch for that, plus their release timing close to Halloween is spot-on.

A fang-tastic review, by @nathanuc1988.

Thanks for your kind comments guys, I'm glad that you enjoyed the article, hopefully it comes across that I am fond of looking back at the recent history of PS Move.

I am a retro gamer at my core, so I really enjoy a retrospective viewpoint on gaming. Even if this is a more current analysis of ten months ago, things move so quickly in our hobby that it gives me a sense of perspective.

Two things stood out in particular when researching and writing up this piece: first of all there were a cracking bunch of games released from January to April (Dead Space: Extraction and Killzone 3 for me in particular), and secondly it reinforced how much I appreciate the work of the Movemodo team, as a gamer and a reader.

I remember thinking when I bought Killzone 3 on its UK launch day, that it could be a very early contender for my game of 2011. I'm not sure if it has earned that accolade yet, I'm still playing Batman: Arkham City and Uncharted 3 is out on Wednesday, but I am still hugely impressed by Guerrilla's game.

Hats off to Movemodo's editors and contributors - whether it is a news piece, a feature, or a review - the hard work of this team really stood out to me when I was working on this article. Cheers!

Yep, I've seen a few of these in game shop bargain bins and on HotUKDeals, but never been tempted. @Slapshot's right about Kung Fu Rider though, the premise for it does sound fun in theory.

Fast Draw Showdown also links to some of my vague retro memories of Mega CD Mad Dog McCree in magazines, and in arcades, but I remember most of these live-action laserdisc games were not impressive in the early '90s, they hardly presented the future of gaming even twenty odd years ago.

The less said about Movemodo's "only 1/10 review score", the better.

This is a fun read, Chris.

I am also massively excited about playing Bioshock Infinite with PS Move, it is quite possibly the biggest Triple-A title to make use of the peripheral. My second most anticipated game from this list is DUST 514, although I can see that Dungeon Defenders has the potential to include heaps of multiplayer fun.

I enjoy reading features like this, I often check in on the 'Coming Soon' list on Movemodo to decide what future Move games are on the horizon.

Good stuff, @nathanuc1988.

Taking into account that this feature covers the first four months of Move's release, which was essentially its launch window, the thing that struck me as I journeyed my way through Movemodo's News and Review coverage was just how healthy Move's initial release turned out to be.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and from a personal point of view, looking at the best games for each month I had a fine time with Sony's new motion controlling peripheral during its launch. I think that I am lucky, because a few of my friends invested in a Move set-up, during this launch period.

Me and my buddies enjoyed a few drunken party sessions on Sports Champions and it held up well as a fun social-gaming title. I spent lots of time with Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition, I completed it at least twice on different difficulty settings using Move, and to this day I would happily bore you with my appreciation of the improved accuracy and fun gameplay that the Move additions provided. I also had a brilliant time whizzing around the zoom-tastic maps in R.U.S.E. and I really appreciated the motion controls for quickly selecting units in that game.

I think that the launch window covered a variety of genres, for example I am a fan of on-rails light gun shooters and the content in Time Crisis: Razing Storm was a bonus for fans of the genre (the wacky nautical shooter Deadstorm Pirates was heaps of simple blasting fun).

I have not even mentioned the variety of PS Move games on PSN, which in some respects were more creative and ambitious than the retail releases.

I personally think that the first four months of Move's launch window were a respectable starting point for a new peripheral, based upon the variety and quality of the games released between September and December 2010.

It seems to me that at times there is an element of patience required towards being a Move gamer, I am waiting in anticipation for Insomniac’s 1.04 patch to address the Aim Down Sight (ADS) issues with Resistance 3, and it has been exactly eight months since the retail release of LittleBigPlanet 2, but it is only now that we are receiving the Move controls.

It’s great to hear that players can go through the basic game’s story levels using Move via the recent free 1.06 update, and that there are new stages designed for motion sensing in ‘The Move Pack: Rise of the Cakeling’ DLC, although it is a bit of a shame to read that they are not quite as exciting as Media Molecule’s other stage designs.

Still, it is brilliant to hear that the Move controls have been worth the wait, swinging the wand about to quickly manoeuvre objects around with the Brain Crane sounds like fun. The LittleBigPlanet franchise is a Triple-A exclusive on PS3, it has just got better in my eyes, ‘The Move Pack’ is an ambitious DLC offering that is welcome for bringing motion controls to the gameplay.

@nathanuc1988 Cheers for an informative review mate, I enjoyed reading it.

My mates and I got together and sat through a few hours of split-screen co-op, we obviously played with DualShock 3, as I was not surprised that split-screen was not compatible with Move, it would be hard to create space to aim a cursor on a smaller window. We did not get very far, we only reached the bit from the E3 demo where Joseph Capelli first meets the Remnants rebels, shortly after the nifty Mississippi River boat level.

I really liked the difficulty curve, even on Normal level it was a challenge, because Capelli is not infected, it means that you no longer regenerate your health meter, so it feels like a nice homage to old-school FPS games were you constantly watch your health bar and hunt for energy pick-ups. However, the game is so busy and hectic that the horizontal split-screen window became confusing (I would have liked an option to split the screen vertically for local co-op).

@Slapshot Spot-on point about the desolate ambience and bleak colouring adding atmosphere to the visuals Chris, the early parts of the game feel quite abrasive with their dusty browns, I am looking forward to later in the game where there is more variety to the graphics, though. You have conveyed the sense of despair and desperation prevalent throughout the story brilliantly, mate. Thanks for the detail you have given about the PS Move’s inconsistencies in the ADS mode, too. I am going to wait for the 1.04 patch to play single-player properly with Move and stick to local co-op in the meantime.

Plus, the Atomizer's stream made me feel like a gnarly Ghostbuster!

Big-time congratulations Movemodo, great work by the team in providing comprehensive coverage of PS Move. I am really pleased with my current stack of Move games and I built my collection with confidence by reading the Movemodo review first.

Cheers for the recommendations, Killzone 3 with Move has been a highlight of my gaming year so far. Fair play for reviewing every Move game over the last year and for all the top-notch news, previews, features and interviews.

Great stuff!

@Dichotomy Thank you kindly mate, it's great to see you on Movemodo too, I know that you're into PS Move games and it's cool to see you sharing retro PC knowledge here.

After we spoke on Friday, I read more about the PC version of Warhammer: Dark Omen and I see what you mean about the way in which its gameplay and challenge has similarities with Under Siege. A quality point, and you're right, it is also good news to find that the PS Plus deal for £7.19 Under Siege has been extended (I checked the UK's PSN 'PS Plus' offers and it is £7.19 until the 5th July! Awesome news, eh!).

I look forward to reading your future comments on Movemodo mate, just don't mention how I used loads more lives than you when we completed Streets of Rage 2, or how I kept getting killed by obsessing about collecting money from each car boot in Dead Nation! D'oh!

@Slapshot Good point, I really enjoyed SEGA Rally Revo too, they were bold enough to just call that game 'SEGA Rally' in the UK.

It was a shame that Sega Racing Studio (SRS) was closed, I do not think their game got the credit or sales it deserved, I am glad that Codemasters bought the studio, though. It lost some of the arcade handling, but the use of the GeoDeformation engine in Revo was fantastic, the visuals excelled when mud or snow was clinging to the cars.

I hope that Revo's level of graphical detail has carried over to SEGA Rally Online Arcade.

I really like Nathan's description of how "SEGA has created a rally game that is neither complicated nor too simplified", that is a good way to explain how approachable the SEGA Rally series has been, especially for gamers like myself who can be put-off by more complex racers. It is such a shame to hear that there are not that many online competitors out there though, six-player racing is a big selling point for this title.

I absolutely adore the original SEGA Rally Championship, both AM5's 1994 arcade game and AM3's 1995 Saturn conversion and I think that I read in an old SEGA Rally Online Arcade preview that the original's Desert stage may be available in this new game. I remember that you could unlock a Lakeside track in Saturn SEGA Rally Championship, it would be cool if SEGA included more of these retro tracks in this game too.

@Slapshot Good point about encasing Move into a steering wheel peripheral, that would have made much more sense than the "turning a door knob" approach here.

Brilliant review, @nathanuc1988. It's great that you are so clear that SEGA Rally fans will enjoy this, but it's worth waiting for a better price, because it has limitations. Spot on.

@WaltzElf and @nathanuc1988: Thanks for your feedback guys, regarding the difficulty level, I do not necessarily see a challenge as being a bad thing, there is a sense of accomplishment from succeeding in the campaign through perseverance and it honed my skills for competitive online battles.

I would have liked to see a bit of leeway to assist players who struggle though, mid-level save points between waypoints would make a big difference in lengthier stages. I would have also liked to have had the choice of more than one save position for the campaign, so that I could keep extra back-ups of my progress. This would take into account the occurrence of random spikes in difficulty and account for the obsessiveness I have about not losing experienced squads (my friend is playing Under Siege right now and has found the same difficulty spikes as me).

I wish that the game allowed players to grind to succeed by returning to previous levels to accumulate gold and experience, it is unforgiving to lose a squad that you have been nurturing with battle-experience, especially if it is due to cheap early attacks before you can even hot-key selections on the D-pad. There did not seem to be much difference between the Normal and Casual difficulty settings, either. I would also prefer it if after exploring areas with the 'Fog of War' the colour of these sections would grade out, rather than return to darkness.

I am nitpicking though, Under Siege is really good. I would like to add that with free PS Plus access at the moment, the mix of a squad-based RTS campaign, co-op/ competitive multiplayer, as well as the level editor, the combination of content in Under Siege provides excellent value for money at a regular price of £11.99, plus it has a PS Plus limited offer price of £7.19 (still available today).

Ha ha, I like the description of "a Punk-Rock love story", it makes it sound a bit like Sid and Nancy!

I am pleased that the PS Move controls have been well-enough implemented, it is a bit of a shame to read that they did not tidy up the bike's handling and that some mini-game PS Move detection is shifty, though.

I will keep an eye out for a good price on No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise. Cheers Darren, I enjoyed reading this, I have not played the Wii versions of this game, so I found it very informative.

Nice one.

I have heard a few gamers complaining about the games on this list and I am finding it hard to see where they are coming from. The only people I feel empathy for are those gamers that are so into their PS3 and PSP collections that they already own all of the games available as 'Welcome Back' freebies.

I think that every single one of the main EU list of games are top-quality and even though I own three-quarters of the titles on the list, I will still be downloading Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty and Dead Nation on PS3, as well as LittleBigPlanet and ModNation on PSP, when the PS Store is back up.

I for one am massively grateful to Sony, I see these freebies as not only being generous but perfectly timed, because money is tighter than squeezing the Millennium Falcon through the Death Star's trench run in our house at the moment.

Nice one, Sony!

At first the swamp setting reminded me of the one in Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition, but it is a nice touch the way in which it changes to ice halfway through the trailer. I think that Resistance 3 may struggle to meet the high standards of Killzone 3's visuals, although I do not want to underestimate Insomniac. It is hard to determine the strength of its visuals based on a mist covered Mississippi River level, though. Two huge Goliaths certainly add an epic feel to this video.

This game is on my radar now, purely because it includes full PS Move support. I wonder when we will hear about a release date.
****Edit: Do'h! The video says in its very last seconds that it is released in September 2011! I need to learn to not switch off a video before the last bits of blurb pop up!****

I have become a bit addicted to levelling-up in PSN games recently, with both Moon Diver and Hard Corps: Uprising encouraging me to grind to build a stronger character, I am up for a bit more stat building in this new dungeon crawler. I am pleased that the main Move controls work well for the gameplay, but it is a bit frustrating to hear that yet another Move enabled PSN game uses cumbersome motion controls to navigate the menus, rather that a faster, more accurate cursor.

There are two things stopping me buying this game straight away: First of all my 60GB HD is full with PSN games, I am at the point of deleting old games for newer titles, so I am really picky about buying new titles (I've read that Dungeon Hunter: Alliance is 942MB, which is not too big). Secondly, there are a shed-load of bargains on PSN until 27th April, so I may spend my money on one of the 'Spring Offers' (Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light and Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype are both only £5.10).

Then again, fifteen to twenty hours is a decent length for a £9.99 DLC title and this has received a really positive Movemodo review. Cheers Chris!

This arrived on the PAL PSN yesterday for £9.99 and it caught my attention, but I will wait for the Movemodo review first, as always. I am interested to hear how the point-and-click Move controls are implemented, I hope they make for a fast and fluid interface in this dungeon crawler.

Do you remember how the box-art for NES Metal Gear looked like actor Michael Biehn, who played Kyle Reese in Terminator? There was a retro box which had the spitting-image of Sean Connery on it too, I just can't remember which game it was. Anyhow, does anyone else think that the dude in the middle of the top banner looks like Nicolas Cage?

Nice interview, Chris!

Brilliant news, I am really pleased that there has been an 'overwhelming demand' for PS Move controls in Resistance 3 and it is great to know that Insomniac have listened to gamer's feedback.

Move was awesome in Killzone 3, so I can't resist buying Resistance 3 if it has full motion controls, too.

That the Sharp Shooter was designed by Guerrilla and Zipper Interactive makes it stand out in my eyes and these detailed impressions are edging me towards a future £39.99 purchase, just based upon the quality of its build (when the PS3 is retro in 15 years time, a Sharp Shooter investment will be a nifty addition to my PS3 collection too. You know that I'm not the only gamer who forward-thinks like that! Do'h!).

I do like a bit of close-range Helghast one-on-one combat though, so it is worrying that the Sharp Shooter struggles a bit in this aspect, although I am not really surprised.
I quite like that it is wearing on the arms, because I need the exercise!

Quality in-depth impressions, Chris.

Aha, a quick read of Chris' Trendy Entertainment interview explains that Dungeon Defenders is a mix of Tower Defence and Action RPG genres, although it has links to Dungeon Crawler games too, so alongside Gameloft's Dungeon Hunter: Alliance it looks like PSN is going to be well served in that genre.

I will watch the cross-platform elements of this one closely, it could be really fun to team up with one friend on an Android and another on iOS. I honestly never expected to see that functionality, I hope that they are able provide smooth online cross-platform connections. Hats off to Trendy Entertainment for being so ambitious, though!

My only tiny disappointment with Killzone 3 is that it is not possible to play through the local multiplayer two-player co-op with the PS Move set-up. My friends have both Move and Navigation controllers and it would have been ace to set-off out into Helghan's treacherous jungles or icy shores in co-op, but still have the precision of Move for both players.

I am definitely an advocate for playing Killzone 3 with PS Move, I do not really want to return to DualShock 3, and it seems a shame to be forced back to the traditional DualShock 3 controller for the split screen co-op campaign.

Then again, the split screen windows most likely would have been too small to aim properly with Move, so I can see why Guerrilla chose to not include PS Move in the co-operative local multiplayer game.

Superb review Chris, you have conveyed the background of the previous games well, including the menacingly awesome Helghast adversaries, and Killzone 2’s links to the in-fighting politics in Killzone 3, caused by the death of the Helghan Visari. You are also spot-on about the weighty Killzone mechanics, I completed single player Killzone 3 last Saturday and I definitely recommend tons of patience to allow Sev’s health to constantly replenish, by making the best use of its cover and shoot dynamic. It is also really important to keep a constant eye out for each ammo refill point, as you can carry both a primary and a heavy weapon at the same time now and juggle between them (plus unlimited ammo for a weak sidearm).

I actually found Killzone 3 much easier to complete on Normal level than Killzone 2 and this was all because the PS Move controls are so fast, fluid and accurate. I don’t have a Sharp Shooter yet, but I finished Killzone 3 with Navi and Move in a single day’s playthrough and I was surprised that my arms were not tired at the end of the day.

An awesome score for an awesome game, the super-high quality visuals are completely marvellous now that there is so much variety to the terrain and the explosive ending reminded me of my favourite sci-fi film. Better yet, I’ve essentially only played half of this game, because I have not started on multiplayer yet.

This guide is a brilliant idea, great job Movemodo, and yet again I am saying "hats off" to @slapshot82 for the detail of his coverage. I am definitely going to play through Killzone 3 with Move, although I can't afford the luxury of a Sharpshooter yet.

I will return to re-read this guide and the above comments, to help me configure my Move set-up on Feb 25th. There is just over a week left to wait now (for UK gamers)!

I have lots of time for on-rails shooters, I love the purity of the quick reaction 'point-and-fire' based gameplay, and that its genre's roots stem from arcade light gun games. I also like the way an on-rails shooter can swish the camera around with fast movements which amplify the set-pieces and set them up to explode at the most opportune moment. I'm happy to see an abundance of on-rails shooters released for Move, as long as they are tightly designed and creative.

However, it does not seem particularly original to set yet another shooter in Afghanistan or the Middle East, I find it a teeny bit dull when multiple video game devs latch onto one particular setting or scenario, so that it becomes a bit of a cliché and a bandwagon (same goes for shooting at zombies). Not to mention that yet another brown dusty desert can result in a repetitively dull visual presentation in a less skillful game artist's hands. Then again, it would be unfair for me to prejudge a game which I have not even seen in motion.

Nintendo Life's Jon Wahlgren described WiiWare Heavy Fire: Special Operations in the Nlife review as "everything about it feels half-baked" with a 3/10 score, we will just have to see how much Teyon has learnt from the Wii game, to improve this PS Move title.

On the flip side if Teyon can create an exciting, action packed on-rails shooter which is able to establish an atmospheric setting, then it will be a welcome addition to Move's growing catalogue.
So "good luck" Teyon!

After Dead Space 2 and Extraction, as well as Killzone 3, I think that by March 22nd I will be in the mood for a cheerfully fun game like this, which packs quirky characters with bright colourful visuals. It's nice to see a relatively high profile title blurt out the words "Exclusively for PlayStation Move" in the trailer.

Of course, it may not be released in PAL regions by March, plus I will be skint from saving for a 3DS, but still... roll on PlayStation's Move heroes.

Ha, ha, I like the way that Glen Egan describes Sucker Punch's intricate code as, "Sucker Punch has very strong kung fu in this regard", that is a nice way to put it.

He makes a fair point about motion controls being most effectively implemented when they are built into games from the ground up, although I still think that there is plenty of scope for full motion support to be retro-fitted into older games, Resi 5: GE did a decent job of it. Perhaps retro-fitting motion controls suits certain genres more than others, racers and shooters in particular (third or first person).

He seems very positive about the potential of PS Move, I hope that it does broaden/ expand the PS3 market and it is good to hear that Move is accessible to develop for.

Quality interview, Chris.

I held back from getting the Killzone 3 multiplayer beta, because I am only buying one full-priced game this month, so I am waiting until the 25th Feb. UK launch to experience it in full as a li'l treat to myself.

I really loved the grit, detail and weighty physics of Killzone 2, I completed it, so I'm quite used to playing the game with DualShock 3. However, I am not even going to touch my DualShock when I play Killzone 3, I plan to play it all with the Move set-up, because I am really excited about how its pointer controls provide a fresh experience for this franchise. I'm pleased to hear reports back from gamers like @MadchesterManc that Move has had a positive impact on accuracy.

If only I had a stereoscopic 3D telly... I have read that Killzone 3 is a real showcase for 3D gaming on PS3.

Whoa, the first thing I did was check the score and I thought, "Superb, a top-notch PS Move title at a bargain price." The next thing I did was read the intro and Chris' first three paragraphs have pumped up my expectations of this game's story, I can’t wait to experience this light gun rollercoaster ride through a cracking sci-fi setting.

I got this on Saturday as part of the Dead Space 2: Limited Edition, but I've spent the weekend with family and I have not had the chance to boot it up. I'm definitely going to play this before Dead Space 2, it's stunning that it has been included as a freebie with the Limited Edition, but the decent length of its story is obviously a good deal as an £11.99 PSN download, too.

The ability to unlock the 'Challenge Mode' as a more pure on-rails shooter to supplement the story sounds like the icing on the cake. A killer game and a killer review, Chris. Nice one!

I was so excited hearing about its graphical tech specs, the clarity/size of its OLED screen and the twin sticks which are supposed to be on par with a DualShock 3, that I have not really considered the implications of the motion controls.

I did not realise that NGP's motion-sensing was based on the same tech as PS Move, I thought that at best it would be comparable to the Sixaxis controls in a DualShock (which is still pretty impressive).

Fair play, I am getting the impression that the depth of NGP's hardware capabilities will continue to surprise us.