It's one of the biggest PlayStation Home updates yet, and it will definitely appeal to all you survival/horror fans out there.
As the first part of this huge Home enhancement, the PlayStation blog reports that a new space based on the freaky downloadable title, Siren: Blood Curse, is now available to peruse. There are three basic zones; there's an old rundown carnival section just outside the Ward of Despair, and the latter features video screens, places to sit, and a receptionist that will let you play a mini-game. This is the Saiga Hospital stage from Blood Curse and everyone "is tasked with objectives that must be completed within the 5-minute time limit." If you get nabbed by a Shibito, or zombie, it's all over, but if you can finish successfully, you'll unlock some new Home goodies! In addition, you may want to stop by on Tuesday, May 12, between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. PST; they'll be hosting a "Siren: HorrorBowl" bowling tournament. If you show up to play wearing one of the special reward items from that mini-game, you will automatically qualify for a random giveaway of the first Siren: Blood Curse bundle, which includes the first four episodes.
Not enough? You want more? Okay, well, in celebration of this new space, the game in question will be on sale. The full game will now only cost you $29.99 and each of the 3-episode packs will go for only $10.99 (if you're not sure of the purchase, try the demo). For more new Home content, drop in to see the "Behind-the-Scenes" Developer Diary with the makers of Fat Princess ; it'll be up for viewing for one week in the Theater. Let's see, what else…oh, the Living Room Stage Set will go on sale at the Mall; it boasts lights, cameras, backdrops and other movie-related equipment, and it'll only cost $4.99. There's another apartment to consider, too: the "Log Cabin"-themed area. Last but not least, a bunch of new virtual items, including Tekken costumes and figurines and 14 Killzone 2 shirts, plus the announcement that stuff is indeed on the way for inFamous . …phew!
Okay, so…what are you waiting for? Home is expanding rapidly!
Cool I'm going to log on to home and check it out.
Siren FTW!!!
What am I waiting for?
How about some home appliances such as the mythical TV and Hi-Fi for your home, or perhaps some picture frames? Game Launching would be nice since it's supposed to be a CORE feature of home – how many games support this 'core' feature again?
It's all very nice to have additional spaces and a new apartment, but I'm still awaiting the arrival of a few features that have long been promised, but have yet to arrive. Things like game launching are key to the success of home spaces such as the club-house. What point is there in a club-house if you can't perform game launching of your favorite games?
I love the fact that there are regular content updates and lots of 3rd party content, but there are core features that have been promised since before the thing went public, and have yet to arrive. If Sony really wants to make Home the social center of PS3 gaming, then there is still some serious work to be done.
Is'nt Home launching something the devs need to do,like custom soundtracks? You sure you're blaming the right party?
Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's more the game developers fault then Sony's, but it's probably both their faults for not working on it together as much as they should.
@karneli
According to the Home manager's there are a decent number of games that support game launching already – it's just that Home doesn't yet support the games…
I do get your point, however the Home managers and Home developers have been promising game launching since forever. The Original MotorStorm game actually supports it, and so – apparently – does Warhawk. The question in my mind is when the heck is it that the feature actually arrives? If it's a case of making it mandatory like trophies, then they should already have done that. But there's been no news to that effect. So, is it necessary to make it mandatory? Is it necessary for the devs to explicitly support it? Is it something that first party devs have already been doing? Too many questions. But the point remains that game launching is supposed to be one of Home's major features, and it's more or less absent.
Last edited by TheHighlander on 5/6/2009 12:31:16 PM
@highlander
sorry for my ignorance but, is game launching that important?
we can already play games online together after the game is launched. whats the point of going to ps home, than launching the game?
sorry i havent tried out game launching on ps home so im not sure what is so effective about that feature.
@kreate
Game launching allows you and a group of friends to simultaneously launch the same game and jump straight into a multi-player session with each other. Yes, it is that important, it was/is one of the key features demo'd by Sony as part of the whole Home concept.
i hope that feature comes soon cuz there are people who wants it and it is promised by sony.
but i still kind of think its easier to launch games from the xmb instead of logging into home, than launching the game.
Argh i signed on Home just for this, and its not on the UK Home, AGGRESSION!
Siren Blood Curse for me has been the most enjoyable game this gen so far, fully recommended
<rolls eyes>
There's too much of this parochial/regional crap in Home. I can understand some localization issues with japanese content, but Home content made for the NA market can just as easily be plugged in to the European Home for English speakers in Europe – of which there isn't exactly a short supply. The disparity of the regional Home instances is a big problem, my wife actually has four PSN accounts, so she can play around in the Home instances in NA, Europe, Hong Kong and Japan.
to all the uk guyz go make a us-canada account.while ur at it make a jap account its alot of fun.i have all of them and the uk is seriously lacking content but still fun 2 visit.
actually most people in the Europe Home are Foreign……..which is the big difference i guess
Last edited by Vivi_Gamer on 5/6/2009 12:44:32 PM
There's 65 million English speakers in the UK and English is probably the most popular second language in Europe. Sadly enough folks in Norway and Sweden probably speak better English than most in the UK anyway.
If something is done for NA then releasing the unmodified version in Europe is a no cost option to access that 65 million in the UK plus probably another 100 million who speak English well enough to manage. Sure localization is important, and necessary, but what I'm getting at is that there is needless difference between the instances of Home. The Japanese Home for example has a number of arcade/pub mini-games that we don't have in NA or Europe. They have Darts, for example, and several arcade games such as Pac-Man. Now, there is *very* little localization necessary for those games, just some translation of text messages. And I know for a fact that the way in which modern software – including games – is developed, all the text messages in these games can be replaced very simply so a localization for a country is literally as simple as translating a text file. And yet we still do not have a game as simple as Darts.
The trouble is that each region operates Home separately, each with it's own Home team. Some of Home is done at a strategic level and some at a regional level. My problem with this approach is that it creates a situation where one region is bound to move further or in a different direction than another, resulting in the Home experience differing considerably between regions. If Home is supposed to bring gamers from all the world over together, then this really ought not be the case.
Last edited by TheHighlander on 5/6/2009 2:39:42 PM
Is there anything in the European Home ? I deleted it as I needed the space, now I got 28 gig free so may re downbload Home again bugger.
That helicopter thing is rubbish least its nice something is there. Anything happen with that race track thing yet or is that only the american version of Home ?
Theres Xi, which is pretty good, your characters goes around solving clues and stuff and plays mini games, its done to a pretty high standard, theres also the EA room which i noticed today which has poker and mini go-kart racing.
Home is turning into something quite nice..
It has ALWAYS been nice bruv.
Man, I'm gonna have to buy a PSN card just for this stuff. Usually all my cash in Home is spent from left-over money from games and such.
HOME is the greatest,a socializing kingdom,so how do i meet new people on LIVE? So much for the LIVE hype eh?