Drexl

I don't think you can judge a Pixeljunk game by the last one they did though. They always do something different (well, except for the Shooter sequel).

This actually looks like the game that should have been called Pixeljunk Shooter. Or perhaps Pixeljunk Shmup.

Decker

I guess that's the point : I didn't really like the Shooter games too much and by that trailer, this one looks pretty similar. I was disappointed in those since I enjoyed Eden and Monsters so much. This one is a little different but I'm sort of over SHMUP by now anyway.

If there's a demo, I'll give it a try, but Shooter 2 took like three months before they put out a demo.

orangecrush

I started playing Sideway last night. I like it a lot. 19K's description is good.

FatTony

Yeah, the demo for Sideway was a lot of fun. I'll probably pick it up if it ever hits a PS+ sale price. Too many games coming up to tackle it now though.

19K

I just finished Sideway the other day. It's really short, but fun if you like platformers. I guess most downloadable games aren't that long anyway. Every new level introduces new enemies and power ups. And if you're into 100% completions, there's a little bit of replayability because the early levels have sections you can't reach without the abilities gained later in the game. Worth the $7 IMO.

Decker

Attention PS Plus members : Among this week's store deals is Mercury Hg for $2.50. I've played the PSP games before and this is a much improved version. It's a clever little puzzle game and the instant worldwide leaderboard update the second you finish a level is pretty addictive. What's really cool and makes the PSN version preferable over the XBLA one (besides the sale price) is that if you're in the mood for a real challenge, you can use the sixaxis controls. It makes navigating the Mercury much more difficult, but it's totally intuitive, responsive and feels more authentic than using the thumbsticks to tilt the environment , though your leaderboard scores will take a major hit.

Also picked up the Infamous Festival of Blood game last night for $7.99, but since it was 3.5 GB, I had to go to bed before it was downloaded.

tlwizard

Just wanted to point out that Explodemon has dropped to 6.99 (or 4.89 for Plus members.) While I haven't beaten the game, what I've played so far I think has been a ton of fun.

Decker, any review yet for Festival of Blood?

LorenzoL

Yes, please let me know how it is? I'm thinking of purchasing it and would love to read your opinion of the add-on.

Decker

Finally got to try some this morning. It's pretty damned cool. If you like inFamous 1 & 2, you'll like this as well. The flying mechanic is cool as shit -- you morph into a school of bats and fly anywhere as long as you don't touch something or your meter runs out. You power your meter by biting to totally
brain dead citizens of New Marai. There's no morality meter, so there's no penalty for snacking every pedestrian in town. People also serve as an alternative for generators when your running low on health in a fight with the vampires, which is super-convenient, though it does make the game a lot easier than previous ones -- if there are citizens nearby, you almost never die. The vampires and other baddies have a Nightcrawler-like warp ability in battle that allows them to avoid your routine electrical blasts, so you're better off with melee attacks (you're using a big metal cross instead of your Amp this time -- nice touch). You quickly gain a fighting ability that allows you to "fly" forward as the bats and crash into your enemy, instantly impaling them in the process which is the way you upgrade in this game. It's cool.
I don't know how long the game is and I guess it gets pretty repeditive, but honestly, for $10 (or $8 if you're PS Plus), I seriously think this one's a no-brainer. You'll get your money's worth here and if you liked inFamous 2, you're pretty sure to like this as well.
I'm happy to answer any questions you have (excluding "How long is the game?").

Mok

I'm also loving Festival of Blood I spent about 3 hours just flying around the city looking for collectables. The turning into a bat feature is freakin awesome!

slop101

I thought FoB would be an add-on to Infamous2, but it looks like it's a stand-alone game that you can play without having the Infamous2 disc at all.

Decker

That's correct. No new environments or anything. It would have been a hell of a lot easier (and a much smaller download) if it were just standard DLC, but I suppose this is a big plus for most since you don't need to own inFamous 2 or even have a or even have a previous game save to play this one.

tlwizard

Okay. here's my deal. They're running the buy 60 get 10 promo right now.

I started my DCUO sub last month thinking that when it went free to play, I wouldn't get charged for the 2nd month. I was wrong. Just got charged 14.99. I already bought Burnout Crash earlier, so I'm 40 away from the 60 threshold.

Should I just go for it?

I was thinking PJ SideScroller ($8). Festival of Blood ($8). And then not sure after that. The Uncharted 3 Fortune Hunter Pass ($25) would put me over but I usually don't buy that kind of DLC and simply wait for the GOTY version. I also wonder about FoB if they're going to include that in a GOTY inFamous 2 release.

Any opinions?

Decker

You could always re-up your PS Plus membership. You know you'll want that to keep going. I would certainly pick up FoB now -- no certainty at all that a GOTY version would be coming and you'd likely get the original version for less than $30 used right now on eBay ( perhaps the last first-party SCEA game without an online pass to discourage used game sales) so you'd actually save more that way.
I have no idea if it's any good, but MX Vs ATV Alive + DLC bundle is like $23, so that might be another option. I'd expect that the Uncharted 3 DLC would at least be discounted for PS Plus members. We might even get a freebie thrown in as well
I'd also recomend Rochard. That's a cool game even though it's not currently on sale. As I mentioned above, Mercury Hg is certainly worth the $2.50 they're currently selling it for.

Any thoughts on 4 Elements? It's on sale too, but I know nothing about it.

tlwizard

I just re-upped on PS+ a month ago, so I may wait on that since they might offer a deal or discount on it in the future.

Already have Rochard (I traded someone a 1600 point MS card for Rochard, Sideway and Payday: The Heist) Have really been enjoying it.

MX vs ATV isn't really my cup of tea. If I do FoB and Pixeljunk, that puts me $24 away. I might try Mercury Hg but that would still leave with me $20+ to go.

glassdragon

Ps+ 3 month codes for 6.50 on ebay while they last

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PSN-Playstat...item336d9947b8

I got 4 from a different seller that recently sold out, got them in 10 minutes and all worked. Apparently these are the codes won from an uncharted promotion

I now have ps+ until 10/31/2012 for only 26 bucks, now that's a damn deal. Also posted this in the playstation 3 thread so more can see it.

Edison

Sony is offering Jurassic Park: The Game free with 1 year subscription to PSN+ purchased between Nov. 1-8, 2011, details here.

November PSN+ Highlights from the PlayStation Blog

I'm excited for Hydrophobia : Prophecy as I never got around to picking up the 360 version (even though I thought about it a couple times when it was on sale), and I'll renew my PSN+ to get the Jurassic Park game for free. It's too bad the "spend $60 get $10" ends October 31st, the $49.99 renewal would have been a nice chunk of that.

Is the FoB PSN+ deal ($7.99) only through today? I finally got around to trying the Sideway : New York trial and enjoyed it, but it's no longer on sale.

Decker

Yup. I think it is -- that whole "Only on PSN" deal were one-week promos only. So grab it now.

I haven't grabbed Hydrophobia yet on the XBLA -- kind of hated the demo. But for free? Sure, I guess.

Really bummed that the four 3-month cards I just bought won't qualify for that free Jurrasic Park give-away (only the 12 month cards will). Still a good deal, but I would have loved it if that free game was sweetening the pot.

tlwizard

Does the Jurassic Park game play like the Back to the Future/Sam & Max games (point and click) or has TellTale moved on to something new?

cartman

When does the store update the PS+ games to be free? The Crash's are all still showing up with cost .

Decker

Store updates usually happen some time between 4-6 PM PT. Sometimes they're as late as 7-8 PM though.

Mok

DC Universe Online is up for download you need 18gb of free space to download.

Evan Meadow

DCU Online hasn't gone free to play yet and there's no date set yet.

Jcheckel

Last week they announced the date as today. PS3 download client is available. I have it running doing the 14 gig download that can;t be done in the background

Mok

Well finished the download but they say there are no servers on line.