Welcome to the first in our weekly recap pertaining to all things Inside PlayStation Network. Every MON-FRI, PSU shines the spotlight on a piece of content plucked from the digital delights of Sony’s online service, be it a chunk of DLC, PSOne Classic or regular PSN release. In case you’ve missed out on any of this week’s entries, here’s the chance to catch up and see what titles we dissected under the microscope.
Monday – Call of Duty: Classic
Let’s face it — Call of Duty needs no introduction. Launched in 2003, the classic WWII-based shooter inaugurated a new era for the FPS genre, which would ultimate culminate in publisher Activision supplanting rival EA as market dominator. It’s a landmark release, with the franchise now one of the most lucrative IPs on the market. Such is its ubiquity that you can’t clap eyes on a games award list without clocking a CoD (as it’s colloquially now known by fans) nomination in at least one major category, or hear about the latest release rifle-butting its way through yet another record global sales barrier. But these days, it seems people are getting fed up with it all. A result of stale gameplay mechanics or Activision’s excessive brand milking? Perhaps it’s both for all we know, but for now, we’re not concerned about the future. Let’s take a potter around in the early 2000s to see where it all started, as we dive into the appropriately named Call of Duty: Classic for PSN. (Click here for full article)
Tuesday – Hero of Sparta
Gameloft’s addictive, God of War-esque Hero of Sparta is a quintessential beast-slaying hack ‘n slash. You control Sparta supremo Argos, who finds himself the lone survivor of a violent storm that’s decimated his entire fleet of ships. What’s a Spartan king to do in such a pickle? Why, grab a sword and start calving up the local wildlife of course – which just happens to be a diverse gaggle of mythical, sharp-toothed beasts. Argo’s ultimate goal, however, is to extricate the Oracle, who offers our hero the guidance he needs to make it home again. Along the way, you’ll traverse a host of iconic locales, including the legendary sunken lost city of Atlantis and the grisly Underworld. There’s eight levels in total to slay, slash and slice your way through. (Click here for full article)
Wednesday – Bloody Roar
Bloody Roar is a viscerally-satisfying brawler with a difference. Originally released under the name of Beastorizer in the arcades, the bloody fighter centres on a gaggle of warriors – dubbed Zoanthropes – who are able to assume the form of various human/beast hybrids. While the game functions like your bread-and-butter brawler, this claret-spraying mechanic works to differentiate the series from its contemporaries, which spawned four subsequent sequels. There’s a healthy roster to check out, including Ninja man Bakuryu, hulking circus boss Greg, slippery snob Hans, and mercenary type Alan, with a whopping 200 moves to master. (Click here for full article)
Thursday – Arc the Lad
An often overlooked gem in the RPG genre’s illustrious catalogue, Arc the Lad plants gamers in the shoes of the pint-sized eponymous hero as he embarks on a quest to liberate the world from certain darkness. Final Fantasy Tactics aficionados’ will feel snug as a bug in a rug here, with Arc the Lad packing in all the necessary components for a compelling tactical RPG package. The game offers up a myriad of classic of locations to explore, and you’ll find yourself indulging in everything from creeping around castles to absconding from prison. There’s even a whopping 50-level dungeon to trawl through if you think you’ve got the stones for it. (Click here for full article)
Friday – Fallout: New Vegas – Dead Money
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. (Click here for full article)