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 take a gander at Killzone 3’s action-packed retro map pack.
——————-
Developer: Guerrilla Games
Region(s) available: North America, Europe
Players: 16 (Blood Gracht) 24 (Salamun Market)
Nostalgia can be a wonderful past time, and while I’ve got boxer shorts older than the contents of Killzone 3’s retro map pack, it’s still a welcome trip down memory lane nonetheless. Indeed, the single-player campaign in Guerrilla’s celebrated sci-fi series has always proved a compelling if slightly formulaic affair, with the multiplayer the real meat and potatoes of the franchise. Killzone 3 is no different, and it should come as little surprise that the developers wasted no time in lifting the wraps off the first batch of DLC for the third Helghast-slaying antics weeks before release.
As you might have twigged, the Retro map pack offers up an additional set of multiplayer scrapping grounds plucked from past games, in this case Killzone 2. Fans will be instantly familiar with the pair of maps up for grabs here, coming in the shape of Salamum Market and Blood Gracht. The former has received some poking and prodding from the chaps at Guerrilla, tailoring it for what the studio describes as “maximum carnage” for the latest instalment. KIllzone aficionados’ should no doubt recall that this particular battle ground was among the biggest of the second game’s maps, and is now available for Killzone 3’s Warzone setting for up to 24 players.
Blood Gracht, a popular among Killzone fanatics, is next in line and takes place on the war-torn streets of the eponymous Helghast metropolis. Available as part of Killzone 3’s Warfare mode, Blood Gracht sees the ISA squaring up against the Helghast in a ravaged landscape chock full of cover points and handy sniper positions. A more bite-sized combat zone in comparison to the above map, this urban warzone supports up to 16 players. Hopefully the majority of you snapped up this chunk of DLC back when it was part of a pre-order incentive for Killzone 3, allowing you to bag the two maps free of charge. If not, it’ll now cost you $4.99/£3.99 from the PlayStation Store.
Tune in again same time tomorrow for another gander Inside PlayStation Network.