Reminder : Target is giving Buy 1 Get 25% off second gaming cards. So PSN credit is $40 for $35 or $80 for $70. Makes the deals a little better this week.

So I played a little of The Swapper last night. It's a pretty cool puzzle game. Kind of a creepy, mysterious setting and clever puzzle mechanics. "Limbo meets Portal" if you like, but with a slowly unfolding backstory (unlike Limbo) and without any humor (unlike Portal). I'm not very far so I haven't had any difficult puzzles yet, but I certainly like the implementation of the puzzle mechanic a lot more than say, Quantum Connundrum.
Throwing your consciousness into a newly-spawned clone as you plummet down a mine shaft to avoid certain death is pretty damn cool. You do feel a little like Hugh Jackman in The Prestige after a while though.

I already have BF4 for PS3. If I paid the $31.99 for Premium, do I have to start all over on my stats or does it just unlock all the DLC content for $31.99? Is there a separate "add Premium to your existing BF4 copy" deal, too?

The premium in the PSN store is an add on for the main game, it doesn't include the game. So you should be fine.

I noticed that there's a PS4 Premium Add-On and a PS3, PS4 Premium Add-On for the same price. I thought that was weird since I was pretty sure the cross DLC promo expired a few months ago (at least it did for AC4).

Edit : Looks like there's no time limit, but it's a one-way transfer, not back & forth I guess.
http://www.vg247.com/2013/08/14/batt...fer-cross-gen/

So if I get BF4 Premium for PS3 and later I get a PS4, it won't carry over? I guess that makes sense though a little more generosity would be cool. Incidentally, would stats/progress carry over?

Finally, any inkling of whether there will be a PS4 price drop in 2014?

Highly doubtful. It is absolutely dominating in the US and is doing even better everywhere else.

I'd look for a sale or bundle around black Friday.

No, you can transfer it to the PS4, you just can't keep using Premium on PS3 after that (as I understand it)

I understand people wanting a price drop on the console but at the same time it would likely be 50 bucks or less. Is that really a deal breaker?

Exactly. Spread out that $50 over how many months until that price drop and you're looking at a few dollars a month to own it now vs. waiting.

Why don't you spread some of that $50 over here Corvin?

Yeah, if you find a PS4 for $20-50 off retail, I'd go ahead and snatch it up. It's kind of silly how much better it is than the PS3 (other than multimedia stuff).

I got mine for $299 and feel it was the proper price for the system

But a price drop seems unlikely in 2014.

The only thing I see as a price drop would be an inclusion, like $400 including a game. Maybe this fall/holiday season, but. I'm just speculating.

That's what they are doing as I got the TLOU bundle at regular price.

Well there you go. Nice

Also, they have the Destiny bundle but you have to pay $20 more to get the white console and controller along with the game. This bundle comes out in September.

As a new PS4 owner, I think the best time to purchase the console is when you see a game that you want to play on it. Mine is Diablo coming in two weeks so it was an easy decision. Otherwise, just wait as it's not really a cheap system to have regrets about the purchase.

We US folks don't get offered that TLoU bundle.

It may be it's because Americans don't have to pay $450 for the system as Canadians do now.

Getting back to PSN games, I played some more of The Swapper last night. I really like it. The subtle way they introduce new puzzle-solving mechanics to you is really cool. They never really tell you anything, but it's easy enough to figure things out as you go along.
Played for a couple of hours last night. Trophy hunters are going to hate this game. I've yet to pop a single trophy (I think there are only 6 or 7 total), and they're all secret so I have no idea what I'm supposed to do to get one. Sure I could look it up, but since they're secret, I figure like with Heavy Rain - I should keep playing and just see what happens.

GameStop had a trade in deal. I got the game for PS4 for $25.

Me too. I hadn't played my PS3 version at all, but for that price (actually about $30 with tax), I figured it was worth the upgrade considering the DLC included.

Anyone heard anything about a release date for Secret Ponchos? I'm really looking forward to it.

Like the ponchos themselves, it's a secret.

Next month, Secret Ponchos and Velocity 2X, free with PS+.

Believe.

This game, out in under two weeks looks kind of interesting potentially. :


The Last Tinker: City of Colors — Fight the Bleakness 8/19

+ Posted by Jason Sorensen on Aug 08, 2014 // Product Manager, LOOT Entertainment

Why on Earth did we ever stop playing platformer games?

At LOOT, we like to buck trends, swim upstream, and wear our sunglasses at night. Which is why this game announcement does not introduce unshaven gravel-voiced anti-heroes, a vague plot involving paramilitary forces, a production budget roughly akin to the GDP of a small European nation, and a color scheme comprised of only blacks, whites, grays and reds.

Instead, we’re introducing you to a whimsical, colorful platformer. Made by Germans.

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This, of course, is unprecedented. Picture the phrase, “German platformer game” in your head. You saw something roughly akin to Wolfenstein mashed up with Rammstein, didn’t you: slightly severe time trials, obscure rules, and somebody shouting at you.

Instead, you get Tinkerworld: lots of colors, friendly characters, and – whisper it – fun.

We play lots of games. You play lots of games. So when we played Mimimi Productions’ The Last Tinker for the first time, we knew we had to bring it to PlayStation consoles first, because THANK GOD AND ALL THAT IS HOLY, IT’S SOMETHING FRESH AND DIFFERENT.

To be fair, PlayStation rocks because they’ve openly embraced indie developers – and that’s not just PR speak, that’s real. This is awesome, because it means that hidden gems like The Last Tinker suddenly get to bask in the console-exclusive glow as part of the PlayStation family. And the game’s hero, Koru, knows how to bask. Look at the sideburns, man. And the scarf.



The catch, of course, is that because so many fantastic indie games are being showcased, you really do have to have something especially cool in order to stand out. So, in no particular order, here’s why you should check out Tinker:

So the trailer you just watched talks about bringing harmony back to the fractured districts of Colortown, right? But there’s this whole other story involving a malevolent force called The Bleakness, and it’s taking over the world, and SPOILERS—
- There are some really cool puzzles in this game. At one point, you even have to conduct a symphony…
- The fighting mechanics kick ass; as you gain the power to wield each of the different colors against increasingly tough opponents, you have to learn when to finesse your way forward rather than trying to button-mash to victory.
- This game has parkour, yo.


Sometimes a game surprises you. Like grabbing a bag of Cool Ranch chips at the store only to get home and find out it’s Spicy Nacho and then finding out you actually really like Spicy Nacho, The Last Tinker starts off as Cool Ranch and turns into Spicy Nacho with Sriracha. Gobs and gobs of Sriracha. Trust us on this. We went deep there for a reason.

Starting on August 19th, discover Tinkerworld on the PS4 for yourself. Have any questions about the game? Shoot us a comment below. See you in Colortown!

____________________________

I encourage those interested to check the actual Blog post because the developer (or whatever the hell LOOT did for this game; I'm still not completely clear on that one) posted some really interesting replies in the comment section -something nobody ever seems to do- regarding stuff like how a PS4's processing power is really needed for a seemingly simple game like this, how platformers are a dying game format that needs a resurgence and all but acknowledging that there will be a nice PS Plus discount on this one, whatever the price ends up being.