The digital delights of Sony’s scrumptious PlayStation Network service know no bounds. Aside from letting punters compete in online gaming, stream films, browse the Internet and more, its premier attraction rests in the copious supply of downloadable games ripe for the picking. From PSN exclusives to PSOne Classics, minis and plain old add-on content, Sony’s online space is chock full of goodies battling it out for your hard-earned digital dollars.
Welcome back to another installment of Inside PlayStation Network, where every Monday – Friday we’ll pluck a PSN release—be it new or old—and put it in the spotlight for a thorough dissection. Fancy getting a new PSN game but don’t know what one to plump for? Perhaps this feature will help. Didn’t realize that a game was available in your region until now? We’ve got you covered. Or, perhaps you were musing over what those lucky Japanese folk were tucking into over in the Land of the Rising Sun? You can be sure our coverage will extend to those rare regional exclusives as much as those firmly embedded on the public consciousness.
For our latest entry, we engage in some post-apocalyptic gambling in the Fallout: New Vegas DLC, Dead Money.
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Developer: Bethesda
Region(s) available: North America
Players: 1
As the inaugural slice of post-release New Vegas content, Dead Money’s release on PlayStation 3 carries a fair amount of weight on its shoulders. After all, aside from offering a tasty supplement to the brilliant body-looting, post-apocalyptic shenanigans of the main game, it’s been a fair old wait to say the least – 360 owners got their grubby mitts on it back in December. Still, while we could lament the amount of thumb-twiddling that’s inherent of timed-exclusives, we’ll keep our gobs shut. For now. Back to the topic at hand, Dead Money focuses on the lucrative Sierra Madre casino, which pops up on your pip boy as a quest once you’ve installed the content. This time however, it’s a strictly bare bones affair, as you find yourself stripped of all your hard-earned abilities and trinkets. Even worse, you’ve been slapped with an explosive collar around your neck.
Dead Money puts you in the company of several local misfits also sporting explosive neck pieces, whom you must work together with to plunder the delights of Sierra Madre in order to remove the collars. However, you’ll have to be extra vigilant – all your collars are linked, so if one of your companions ends up brown bread, you’ll quickly find yourself decorating the walls too. Like New Vegas, the game limits you to one chum at a time, with each one packing their own companion perks. Elsewhere, Dead Money elbows bottle caps to the side in favour of the more thematically suited Casino caps, with ammo and weapons remaining a decidedly rare commodity. Needless to say, there’s a fair amount of leg work involved in acquiring additional items, especially Stimpaks, which require special codes that are dotted around the sprawling city.
The locales aren’t exactly the most hospitable of types either, with the resident undead folk proving incredibly tenacious foes, requiring some pin-point accuracy to put down for good. Unsurprisingly, Decapitation or dismemberment is your best bet. Aside from the local moaners and groaners, there’s also the perpetual threat of a toxic mist dubbed The Cloud, which blankets the surrounding landscape. Oh, and watch where you tread – bear traps are also abundant throughout the city, along with rigged Shotgun posts. One false move and you’ll soon know about it. Furthermore, your collar can be set off by radios and speakers sprinkled throughout the area if you’re close enough, which must be disabled within a specific time limit. Indeed, Dead Money takes on an almost Survival Horror-esque identity at times, so prepare for a long slog as you scrimp and scrape around for ammo and supplies throughout this bite-sized quest.
Join us again Monday for another look Inside PlayStation Network.