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PlayStation 4 One Year On – The Good, The Bad and The Downright Ugly

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Happy Birthday Desktop BackgroundYes indeed, the PlayStation 4 celebrates its first year’s birthday this week. But one year on has it managed to live up to the hype or has it even earned the title of a ‘next generation’ console? I, along with many other gamers are not truly convinced. I am going to attempt to give a rundown of this much anticipated games machine with my overview of the past year.

The Good:

The Sales – Few can argue with the PS4’s sales. We might as well say that it was a two horsed race; the Nintendo Wii U was never going to stand a chance to begin with so the only other ‘real’ challenger was going to be Microsoft’s Xbox One console, which despite having what some would say were better release day titles thanks to some momentous delays from the Sony camp and the fact the PS4 machine was released some 8 weeks later than the Xbox One, the sales of the Playstation 4 still kicked ass month after month in terms of the numbers of the machine which were ‘reportedly’ flying off the shelves. Now before the Xbox fan boys start blowing up my phone, I’d like to say of course we all know statistics can and are often fiddled but one year on and one thing is evident, the accountants of Sony are very happy as sales of the PS4 continue to trump the opposition from all corners.

The Graphics – Now I’m going to say the graphics of the PS4 aren’t as earth shattering as the original expo’s made out, (see the ‘Bad’ section below) and there appears to be less of a ‘step up’ in terms of graphics between the last and this generation, but one thing is for sure, PS4 runs faster and smoother for practically every game than its counterparts and that includes all but the most powered up PCs.

PS Plus – One of the finest things about the PS4 which many owners have reported is that it encourages them to take advantage of the PSN and PS Plus network. With the PS3 this deemed largely ‘non-essential’ but with the PS4 it is a no-brainer. Why? Well, being a PS Plus member provides numerous benefits particularly if you own more than one Sony Machine for example the PS3, PS Vita or both. If you are a member every month you can download ‘for free’ 3 titles for each machine on your ID. Far from being the crap games no one wants to play some of the games have been pretty huge. For example, over the past year titles offered have included Crysis 3, Bio-Hazard Inifinte and even Uncharted 3. With the early release of the machines you had a free one month’s subscription so you could try it out and I have to admit, I even thought about purchasing the PS Vita as I would have had a complete games collection by now. The PS Plus PS4 freebie games have not been that great if I am honest, but if the servers had not gone down last month PS Plus members would have had a cut down version of Drive-Club.  No, I’m not kidding you.

Nice Hardware Touches – If you look at the PS4, there are some really nice innovative touches which show that the architects truly thought about what they were doing. If you put the PS3 and PS4 controllers side by side for example you can’t help but notice so much has just been chopped off the latest iteration, yet it still feels natural in your hand. The touchpad strikes you as a bit of a weird concept at first but in use increases immersion in the games as does the miniature speaker in the centre of the controller; as you play the game shots ring out, radio crackles or ghostly voices echo in the palm of your hand. Different but very nice indeed.

Share Play, Remote Play and Playstation TV – This is yet to truly surface but if Sony pull these off (and internet speeds continue to rise) what we will have will be incredible. I tried out the Share Play option a few weeks ago. You need a PSN account to do it but it means you can ‘share your game’ with people who don’t even have the title. By pressing a button you can ‘hand over’ your joypad and your friend can take over, thus helping you get through a tricky part of the game. Coupled with Voice chat this can be incredibly fun and with the time levelled at two hours before you have to start the whole process of ‘linking’ again, this could be the key to making games more social. This sounds great and it is, in practice though, my friend’s internet speed wasn’t as good as mine so although I could share with him, he could not share with me which was a shame. Remote Play too borrows a similar principle and allows the player to switch to another TV as long as their PS4 is on and they have has purchased the PlayStation TV box (around £80). Again in theory this is really exciting although it owes a great deal to internet speeds to whether there is noticeable or unplayable lag between the time you press the button and the time the character does their action. Racing games are when this really creates problems. The chances of most players having a fully LANed up house with high speeds in all rooms are probably quite small. A normal/high video quality option has been added, but come on who really wants to play a game in low resolution, those of you with ‘buffer faces’ may just switch the console off and wait until the guests have left.

The Bad

The Leap into this Generation – Now, I realise this is going to make me sound rather old but I remember the ‘birth’ of the last generation and that of the one before. I remember big releases such as Wipeout and Ridge Racer, games that really wowed the crowd in terms of graphics and sound revolutions. When the Wii was released and the Wii U they both had a modicum of ‘lets bring something new to the table’ type attitude. Now this is going to sound harsh, but this generation has been, well, rubbish in comparison. What do we have? A variation on the PlayStation Eye, is that all? What happened to the 3D games? What happened to Project Morpheus? The big release by Sony promised a big change to the way games were played – well that is yet to happen

The Quality of the Games – Despite the promise of what next generation hardware should ‘bring’ with it in terms of games, what we have had over the course of a year has largely been re-hashes of old titles brought up to date with new skins, better visuals and little else. Take some of the games releases of late such as Watch Dogs, Need for Speed Rivals and Wolfenstein and run them on the PS3 and PS4 and you will not see giant leaps of difference in terms of actual graphical quality. It has taken until Destiny and The Shadow of Mordor; games released nearly a year in to take advantage of even the basics of this generation’s hardware and both too were released on the PS3 – Shadow of Mordor in a few weeks’ time. There is just not a feeling of quality.

The Downright Ugly

Console Parity – One of the things to have surfaced of late within the gaming industry is console parity. It is purposefully underutilizing the available technology and power in a superior console so that a game looks and plays the same on inferior competing consoles.

When was the first time I became aware of this? When Watch Dogs was being hyped the night of the PS4 release and then it later emerged that it was running on a suped up PC, a version which never actually made it to the market. Why would developers do this? Well, to maintain a balance between versions; a balance by the way, that has never been actually requested by gamers or console makers.

It’s ugly because it really is an insult to gamers who invested cash on their console or PC, buying the machine hoping it would give you the best quality of games out there. In terms of the PS4 everyone knows it is a more powerful machine than the Xbox; developers have even bragged about it, yet the common practice seems to be to use the powers of the limited competing console, namely the Xbox One and base that as the ‘standard’.  Now, some are saying that there have been ‘financial incentives’ for the developers to dumb down the PS4 and PC versions of games, others are saying that the developers are lazy, others have gone further by saying that if developers don’t do this then Microsoft have threatened to remove a games licence all together. For me this is just ugly, it’s monopolising the market as it means we are not truly in a next generation of gaming unless either Sony or Microsoft develops a title ‘in house’ where they can effectively ‘take the brakes off’.  Overall it is very, very worrying and it makes you wonder what else do we not know about.

Infamous: First Light Review

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Here’s a mind meld question for you. How can you give people the taste of a game without them paying the full price or giving them a game so small it’s a demo. By making it a DLC which is also a standalone game of course. That’s the case for First Light, in which you play as Abigail “Fetch” Walker, a character you met in ‘inFamous: Second Son’ on the PS4. Being an extension of a standalone title means that you don’t have to own the full game to enjoy this and what’s more, Sony Computer Entertainment have priced this right (around a tenner on PSN and soon to be £15 on physical retail mid-September) and packed in just enough of a game to prolong the interest of players of ‘Second Son’ as well as draw in new attention from those who perhaps weren’t too impressed by inFamous’ and were holding out for other titles that would really push their consoles.To be honest it’s a win-win for players. The PS4 lacks original titles and the summer break is traditionally a hiatus for games releases, therefore, games players are under-nourished right now and can expect to be until the likes of Destiny, Alien and other big titles hit the shelves towards the Christmas holiday season. Equally, Sony owes it to the players who forked out on their console and are also gambling that this will draw players to back to their title inFamous: Second Son. It’s a gamble that pays off.

Set two years prior to the events of Second Son, First Light follows Abigail “Fetch” Walker a homeless, ex-heroin addict and her brother Brent through a story of deceit, revenge and all out destruction. When we first meet them Brent wants to do one last robbery so they can afford a better new life. The pair has been sleeping rough; Fetch keeping her powers hidden so as not to attract attention from the authorities. From there it doesn’t take long for things to go pear-shaped in a big way and it takes no time at all before you are unleashing your neon abilities all over the shop, running at super speed, collecting power-ups and taking down enemies with bolts of electricity.

First Light may seem limiting to some because Fetch only has a single power, whereas in infamous: Second Son Delsin ended up with a handful. However, where using Delsin you didn’t always get a chance to appreciate and embrace his powers because the game forced you to switch between them, Fetch identifies by her neon abilities, so you have to learn the different skills and learn them well. This plays into both the story and the combat.

As is accustomed to ‘sandbox’ games there are a small handful of optional activities. Fetch can blast graffiti onto marked walls, though she does so in glowing neon lines. There are races against glowing balls of light called Lumens. There are also drive-by shootings and civilian hostage situations to manage. All which help you to earn Skill Points, which are then traded to evolve Fetch’s neon powers further.

The writing and voice acting are, for the most part well executed. Abigail is a highly likable heroine so whilst you don’t have those critical moral choices as in Infamous: Second Son and there are no light and dark abilities to gain you still want to gain more powers and see her story through. There are also some harrowing elements of the storyline such as monitoring CCTV in order to take down a sex trafficking ring (you see the women followed and then kidnapped) and moments where Abigail talks about her addiction (Abigail is at best in her teens).

It’s hard to make any real criticisms of this game because this is, after all, just DLC presented as a standalone game. In comparison to Second Son it’s inherited all of its strengths for example the beautiful city, the amazing lighting, the fun combat, the feeling of being a superhero. However these are contrasted against it weaknesses, the fact that it is never really populated and you never feel a part of this world.

That said, the price tag and the content make this a worthy purchase; it easily ranks above most other standalone games on PSN within its price range and there is enough there in terms of online leader-boards and side missions to keep coming back if even for a short while.

8 / 10

Infamous: First Light is out now on PSN and available on Retail Edition from mid-september

L.A. Noire – Game Review

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Rockstar Games makes the 1940’s world dark, sinister and not to mention sexy.

I knew it the very minute I saw her; something about the way she made her approach at me, like eyes looking from afar. Her controversial nature shone a reputation like a Rockstar and demanded my attention. Like a woman of your wildest dreams Rockstar Game LA Noire puts you in an incomparable situation where too much is never enough and, more often than not you will be left crying out for more or to get just that little bit further.

I have been talking like this ever since I played LA Noire – the newest release from Rockstar Games and what can I say – I am smitten.

In LA Noire you become Cole Phelps, a hero returning from World War II and now a cop on the LAPD. Murders, corruption and dirty, dirty deceit stand in your way as you attempt to piece together vital clues and discover the truth. During the game you will track and solve cases that include serial killers, rapists, smash paedophile rings and drug rackets. You will also come face to face with the seedy world of 1940’s LA, Hollywood, racism, Domestic Violence not to mention the questionable motives of the police department. Typical of Rockstar Games – whom almost seem to delight bringing you the gritty reality – the game does not shy away from the hard topics, coupled with sharp, period-specific scripts, solid direction and the adoption of Motion-Scan technology, (seen in Heavy Rain and Mass Effect but used with much more proficiency here) LA Noire is the embodiment of Cole Phelps, and you cannot help but develop rapport with him for what he is facing. Like fellow title Heavy Rain there is a strong undercurrent that all is not as it seems and that there is a large area of grey between black and white. Throughout the game there are frequent flashbacks to his troubling tour of duty – some of which concern his colleagues and around the game there are newspapers which show you a gritty back story independent of the main game which are pretty shocking. There are also cases that leave you with a sick feeling in your stomach because you realize the characters in the game have got it all wrong.

The majority of the gameplay lies in solving crimes. These are presented in a lovely ‘Columbo’ Sunday matinee prologue kind of feel; there is a murder, a woman is snatched, a man is shot, a shady dealing takes place or you see someone enter a building and there is a scream. You make your way to the car, drive to the scene and find and examine as many pieces of evidence as you can find. Finding evidence is partially similar to Heavy rain, but rather than technology good old Cole has his instincts. Sometime the pad will vibrate if he comes across something, sometimes if you are searching an apartment you will hear the music change, sometimes you will have to use your saved intuition points and sometimes you will just have to be lucky. It is through unearthing this evidence and speaking to witnesses that you will build up enough of a case to put a suspect behind bars.

It is in these sequences where LA Noire comes into its own. The MotionScan technology truly takes things to a whole new level. Facial expressions, body language, tones of voice all play a part in helping you determine whether a witness is telling you the truth or plain face lying in order to hide skeletons in their closet. In questioning a suspect you can make accusations but if you do you need to refer back to incriminating evidence perhaps located earlier on. Explicit questioning can be a nerve-racking affair especially in the later stages of a case when the pressure is on by your superiors to wrap up a case or when evidence is so slim you have to go with anything you have. In the first few stages of the game the in game tutorial provides quite a lot of support and hand holding but later, when the gloves are off you are expected to do it all and there are quite a few surprises along the way – nothing is as it seems.

Quite often you may not even get as far as questioning a suspect as some will make a break for it and need to be stopped. This begins a chase sequence where you and your partner have to give chase either on-foot or in a vehicle. Whilst these sequences offer a welcome break from the main question and answer routine they fail to be done with as much spit and polish. Some sequences end in a fisty-cuffs or a shoot out – and again whilst these are credibly delivered and the combat and firearms are nicely executed in an ‘Untouchables’ kinda way, sometimes you get the feeling that these were just flung in for extra good measure. It is a bit like when you commandeer a vehicle in the game; although you are taking the vehicle with authority it is essentially no different (besides the mandatory drag to the street or slap to the face) of that seen in ‘Grand Theft Auto’. Not that these sections are bad, the quality of the actions is as you would expect of any other sand box game, they just could be done better.

Sometimes LA Noire is too smart for its own good. Rockstar obviously wanted to cram a great deal into this project and it shows but to be honest at times it is bursting at the seams. Despite being linear in its approach quite often you are encouraged to stray from the path into sheer nothingness with side missions which are just petty and rarely drive the plot forward. In short it just is not becoming of the title. Another gripe would be in the character animation. Occasionally I found annoying glitches when I wanted to manoeuvre the character to do exactly what I wanted him to do. The same happens for your partner’s animations too, which, on more than a few occasions can only be described as erratic. As a games player I found this quite disappointing, however thankfully these were less of the norm. Everything is so beautifully rendered from the vehicles to the buildings that to be honest the minor faults pale in comparison to the appeal and trying to cram so much into a game is almost destined to run into problems of some kind sooner or later.

With 21 primary case missions to solve, along with 40 side missions and countless collectables there is certainly lots to discover wit La Noire, and although you may not wish to trawl through the game for a second play in order to succeed in your gameplay rankings there is a whole host of Downloadable Content to sink your investigative skills into. These include:

The Naked City – a bonus case previously given away to those who pre-ordered the game. Here Phelps investigates the apparent suicide of a fashion model. It also contains the “Badge Pursuit Challenge” where the player is tasked with finding 20 police badges hidden in the city. If you manage to find them all you will gain access to the “Button Man” suit; an in-game piece of clothing that allows the player to carry extra ammo.

A Slip of the Tongue; a traffic case where a simple car theft escalates into a large scale investigation into the largest car fraud racket in the city’s history.

Popping into the PSN Store in the game also give you the opportunity to purchase:

“The Broderick” detective suit; a suit that boosts the fighting ability of the player’s character as well as its resistance to damage.

“The Sharpshooter” that enhances a character’s aim with pistols and rifles.

“The Chicago Piano” an OMG type of Machine Gun as they say ‘favoured for its reliability’ which when purchased is stored in the boot of Cole Phelps’ car throughout the game.

If that isn’t enough more DLC is planned for the future including two other cases: Nicholson Electroplating, an Arson case and Reefer Madness, a Vice case due for release on 12 July 2011.

All of this means that there is plenty of reasons to return to this title and purchasing a RockStar pass gives you entitlement to new content as it is released.

My Final Verdict –

So I turned my eyes to her as she entered the room and smiled as I turned her on…I knew it wasn’t going to be a one night stand, as long as she kept bringing something new to me I would keep wanting to play with her all night long. She was never going to stay on the shelf…not for long anyway…

Sorry…In short – Granted it is not perfect – but it is still gloriously good.

8.9 / 10

How does this game compare to others in its genre?

There are only a few games of this type for comparison…

Equal to: Heavy Rain

Better than: Alpha Protocol

Worse than: None

Three Arrested Over PS3 Hacks – Cyber Group 'Anonymous' Blamed

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Spanish police announced yesterday that they had captured three people suspected of hacking in connection with the recent attacks against Sony’s PlayStation Network, as well as government and corporate websites around the world.

One man, based in the city of Gijón, allegedly had a computer used to attack PSN as well as Spanish banks and other corporate companies. The other two arrests took place in Valencia and Barcelona, but as yet, no further information has been given.

If Spain’s National Police are to be believed, the arrests were made as part of an investigation that began last October after the Ministry of Culture website was hacked, and that the offenders were traced by incriminating chat logs and web pages.

According to sources, the three suspects were part of the hacking group ‘Anonymous’. The group previously denied any official involvement with the PSN hack, although a police statement suggests Anonymous continues to ‘hold a vast membership of people from various countries around the world, organised into ‘cells’ that share common goals’.

An unnamed source said:  ‘These hackers are activists operating anonymously, but in a coordinated fashion. Commonly referred to as ‘hactivists’, this group of hackers has been cyber-attacking networks and websites around the globe and then gleefully advertising their successes.”

If these are true, and let’s be honest, it is not entirely unfeasible, attacks on corporate companies are likely to be a more of a regular occurrence in the future.

Stay tuned to Frost for more information as it happens…

Mortal Kombat – The Review

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“Finish him” “Fatality” “Excellent” “Flawless Victory”

If these famous words strike a chord in your conscience then you will be thankful for the all too recent release of the new Mortal Kombat (a.k.a MK 9) – the ninth installment in the ground breaking fighting game franchise. A game synonymous with blood, gore, death moves, twenty hit combos and did I mention blood? As Jigsaw from the SAW films quite aptly said: “Yes – there will be blood!”

Developed by NetherRealm Studios (what a name) (formerly known as WB Games Chicago and Midway Games Chicago), it is the first game published exclusively under the Warner Bros. label. At the time of writing only Xbox and Playstation 3 versions are available. Apparently the producers have discussed a PC version but unfortunately they have yet to reach an agreement.

Mortal Kombat was released almost a month ago on April 21st, but owing to the PSN outage I had to wait until full online play was restored before I could give you my full low down review.

Managing to get my hands on the full collector’s edition I was as excited as ever to fire up the disc. Mortal Kombat 9 certainly brings to the table a whole buffet of options and gaming experiences. Whilst perhaps not as over indulgent as previous titles such as Armageddon which included Kart racing and the like, for MK 9 ‘less is definitely more’ with a firm emphasis on quality over quantity.

Entering the Full Story Mode, I was surprised to see that Mortal Kombat began and played out almost like a movie. Beginning after the events of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, it is clear to see that the classic struggle between good and evil has claimed many lives on both sides. As the opening credits roll we see decapitated and tattered corpses laying in a desolate landscape while vulture type creatures feed from their flesh. In the distance we hear Raiden and Shao Khan fight. As the camera pans closer we see that this is their final battle and Raiden; the Heroic Thunder God is losing big time; his magic amulet shattered into pieces by a blow that sends him flying to the floor. Just before Shao Khan is about to deliver the final death strike, Raiden casts a spell that returns time to the very first Mortal Kombat tournament – can he change events and save the world?

Playing Mortal Kombat in the story mode puts you on a linear pathway spanning the first three games. In each chapter a short movie or cut-scene will play to set the scene and then you are thrust into the shoes of the character and will have to defeat your opponent to progress. This is a style seen before in DC Versus Mortal Kombat and to be honest it works even better here as for players new to the Mortal Kombat universe, it encourages you to learn each of the character’s moves in turn.

It starts with an introduction to the first tournament; Liu Kang, Sonya Blade and Johnny Cage arriving for the battle to defend earth with each of their motivations revealed. The storyline makes some nice nods to the feature film of old and advances through some impressive cut-scenes that really expand on what you know. Characters interact before and after a fight and whilst some of the reasons for a fight are a bit petty the dialogue is great and the action is well paced. Also, owing to the fact that Raiden now has knowledge of the future and is trying to change it, there are some lovely twists along the way as the events of the mythology are altered, so you meet characters you might not expect, characters die when you least expect, motivations are changed and different alliances are formed. This all makes for an interesting game especially for those who needed more than just a reboot.

Game modes include the typical Tower Matches of the ‘old school arcade’ which are ten battles randomly chosen with the final battle being with supreme big bad boy Shao Khan. There is also a Challenge Tower which allows players to complete different tasks to earn Kombat Currency, Online play which includes a King of the Hill tournament, where fighters line up as spectators and wait for the next battle. There is also one on one and Tag team matches to sink your teeth into.

Not so new to MK 9 is Kombat Currency; you earn it in almost everything you do in the game, every fight and every challenge. With it you can purchase art work, alternative costumes, unlockable characters the list goes on.

New to this Mortal Kombat game is the tag team system. This is where you select two characters and can swap them in and out at key moments during the fight. This is very similar manner to the Marvel versus Capcom and Tekken Tag series set of games. Essentially tag matches run at a much more frantic pace to the normal game with characters jumping in and out at will, so learning how to jump in and out and initiate tag team combos is essential, as it can turn simple combinations into brutal air juggles and that is not even when taken into account the new super attacks.

Super attacks are initiated through use of another first for this game the “super meter”. This is charged by various actions during battle such as blocking successfully, performing a combo or getting hit by the opponent. The super meter can be charged to three levels and depending on the available level, three special actions are made available. A single level can be used to deliver an enhanced version of any one of the character’s special attacks; two levels can be used to interrupt a combo, and the full three levels will allow for the delivery of a special combo called an X-ray move. X-ray moves are very exciting and satisfying to pull off; the camera zooms in and shows an inside view of the character that is being attacked, showing bones and organs being broken or ruptured with each impact. The amount of damage you can inflict (or receive) is incredible and can really make or break a match, so it really does count to understand and manage your meter properly as well as to watch that of your opponent’s. Obviously Fatalities are a key point of this game and here whilst MK 9 has less of the smorgasbord of signature death moves, babilties and brutalities etc present in previous titles what it does have doesn’t disappoint. The death moves here whilst over the top are truly disturbing and gruesome. To help you get started there is even fatality tutorials so you can practice before you ‘enter the field’. It definitely warrants its 18 certificate.

Talking of 3D, this Mortal Kombat 9 is one of the first side-on fighting games to utilise stereoscopic 3D graphics for 3D compatible TV’s. I really didn’t think that this was going to work that well, I mean; if a game is in a 2D plane how can you as the gamer really be immersed in a 3D world. However, whilst this is not by any means one of the best 3D experiences I have seen in a game it is not done badly. NetherRealm Studios decided to reserve 3D effects for the fight matches only and whilst this leaves out the cut-scenes (which in many ways would have been perfect for 3D effects) what this does mean is that the level of immersion comes in the depth of the characters and their backgrounds. This brings to life the vista that is the Mortal Kombat world. For instance when you are fighting in the coliseum you can clearly see Shao Khan on the throne edging the crowd on. As you fight in the city you can see the Extermination squads setting fire to the city and dragons breathing fire onto helicopters as cars skid past you and crash, another noteworthy stage is the train station where litter gets blown past you and trains fire through the station in the midst of your battle. Although a little bit gimmicky if you have a 3D TV these effects do stand out are all nice touches especially if you are lacking games with 3D content.

Not so good is the online play. I am not sure if this was because the PSN network is yet to be restored properly or maybe that a lot of PS3 owners had defected to the XBOX 360, but trying to get into any match took quite a while. When I finally did manage to get into one, I found connection to be more than decidedly dodgy. Hopefully an update will sort this out. If it doesn’t though I figure I will be better off calling the boys round for a ‘quiet night in’.

One last thing that I do have to mention what this game has in its favour is the inclusion of the God of War character Kratos; all I can say is wow. I think if they had just included him without any real thought to the actual character; how he moves etc, then he would be a let down. As it is they have given him the full works; with a real insane fatality to boot. The only thing that is not so impressive is the non inclusion to XBOX owners – Come on NetherRealm Studios – that is just not fair.

My final verdict-
Whilst I am not an avid supporter of gratuitous blood, guts and gore in video games I have to admit that I shamelessly enjoyed this game. It is the re-telling of the story that needed to be told and in many ways exactly what the franchise needed. Packed full with tons of extra features and options, gamers and fans of the series are going to be in for a treat!

9.3 / 10

How does this game compare to others in its genre?

Fighting games are two-a-penny these days, this is however the first proper installment on the PS3

Equal to: Marvel Vs Capcom 3, Super Street Fighter IV.

Better than: Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, Soul Calibur 6, BlazBlue: Continuum Shift, Tekken 6 (only just).

PSN Back Online

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You heard it from us at Frost magazine – the Playstation Network is now back on line.

Although the Playstation Store still comes up saying, ‘currently undergoing maintenance’, all the other features appear to be working.

Yesterday (15th), we told you that you were able to download the latest update for your PS3 – version 3.61. Well, today you can get access to all your account information, including billing and card details, although we are sure that it won’t be long before the rest of the service is up and running

Attempting to sign in today brings up the password change request. There are no options to cancel this – you have to change it, although thankfully it doesn’t ask for the old password. After that, we recommend you head straight for account management and amend all the personal info as necessary. There is also an option for the password to be entered before any action is completed in the store like check out – which, while infuriating to some owners, is probably a wise option considering what information might have been stolen.

Sony were forced to close its network and implement new security protocol after the details of over 77 million users were stolen from their servers.

PSN Update: PSN Back Online In Parts Of U.S.

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The Sony Store and PSN are now back on line in certain parts of the U.S.

In an amazing move that is sure to surprise users of PS3, Sony appears to have brought the deadline of bringing its network back ahead of the speculated deadline of the 31st. And although the PSN is only fully active in the United States right now, UK owners of PS3 can download the latest update (3.61) for their machines today (15th).

In the US, users are requested to change their passwords after installing the update to take advantage of the new features as well as the ‘thank you for your patience package’ offered by Sony after their service was hijacked and taken off line nearly a month ago. More than 77 million users had their personal details stolen.

You can be sure more news will follow. Keep your browser on Frost for all the latest updates.

 

PSN Update 4: Network Not Up Until May 31st and new Xbox 360 Counter Update

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Update 5 (PSN is now back in parts of the US but not the UK yet)

The PSN Network won’t be up until the end of the month now. Sony is planning to have the system back online by May 31st. It had hoped to have at least partial service restored by the end of this week.  Gamers will now be wondering if they will ever get back online. The network has been down for almost three weeks now and many have been forced to find other activities. The attack is now thought to be one of the biggest in history.

Businesses reliant on the Sony network have lost millions of dollars. Capcom’s senior Vice president Christian Svensson said he was ‘frustrated and upset’. Many developers have felt paralysed by the outage.

It has now been 4 days without an update from Sony. Can they hold onto their fan base with the lack of information? There is only so long fans will wait.

In a further blow to Sony, leaked information from www.product-reviews.net has confirmed that rival Microsoft is planning to update its Xbox 360 dashboard later this month. The update will come out between Thursday 19th and May 30th. It will bring in a brand new disc format, known as XGD3, with anti-piracy measures designed to increase security.

Apparently the new update will support Paypal on the Xbox marketplace to further protect users against potential online fraud.

Original Article

Update 1

Update 2

Update 3

Update 5