As usual, just when you think you've seen everything PlayStation Home has to offer, a big ol' update comes along to prove you dead flat wrong.
Today, Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (SCEA) has announced a new roll-out of some of the "deepest and most immersive genre-based freemium games for PlayStation Home." This includes a squad-based third-person shooter and even a fantasy MMO of sorts. All of these will further expand the new overhauled Home structure, which launched last November.
The games in question will start releasing as of today and go through the Summer, and they will use "the latest development tools available." First on the list is Cutthroats: Battle for Black Powder Cove , which officially launches today and lets up to 24 players battle aboard pirate ships as both captains and gunners. It's ship vs. ship and yes, it's free-to-play, although you can purchase upgrades for your ship by grabbing special coins (which do cost real money). Here are the other games:
No Man's Land: Arguably PS Home's most ambitious title yet, No Man's Land offers gamers the most advanced shooter experience the platform has ever seen. The game's unique cover-based mechanics were designed to take full advantage of the platform's technology. Players utilize a grid interface to sprint from cover to cover, popping up to take out opponents at every turn. The game offers a traditional "Team Deathmatch" mode, as well as a cooperative mode where salvage must be delivered back to the team's depots, while fighting to stay alive in the process. (Release Date: Spring 2012)
Mercia: Developed by Lockwood Publishing, PS Home's first multiplayer role-playing title transports players into a fantasyl world of treacherous dungeons, magic spells, and a plethora of weapons and enemies. Mercia invites players to traverse a number of enemy-filled dungeons, and for the first time in PS Home's history, the game continually streams new content, leading to zero load times while playing. Mercia also utilizes a number of RPG mainstays such as crafting, upgrading, and resource management, giving gamers the deepest RPG experience available on the platform. (Release Date: Summer 2012)
Said Home Senior Business Manager Chris Mahoney:
"These new titles are delivering on the promise we made to the PlayStation Home community when we first launched the new core experience in November of last year, offering a variety of genre-based games to suit every gamer's preference. We're bringing gamers the kind of experiences they expect from these genres with the social elements that are only available through PlayStation Home."
The goal of last year's overhaul was to cater to the gamer, and that's exactly what Home continues to do.