Feature

Inside PlayStation Network – Weekly Recap (May 2 – 6, 2011)

Welcome to 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 missed out on any of this week’s entries, here’s your chance to catch up and see what titles we dissected under the microscope.

Monday – WipEout HD

Wipeout’s been a staple of the PlayStation experience since its genesis way back in 1995. Essentially Sony’s answer to Nintendo’s hugely successful F-Zero franchise, Wipeout has enjoyed critical and commercial success thanks to its fusion of terrific techno beats with adrenaline-fueled futuristic racing.  With the PlayStation 3 entry Wipeout HD, Sony’s taken polished PSP outings Pure and Pulse and given them a 1080p paintjob, and slapping a budget price on the package for good measure. (Click here for full article).

Tuesday – Prince of Persia Classic

1989’s Prince of Persia was nothing short of a revolutionary release. Conceived by Jordan Mechner, the classic platformer stood out from the contemporary crowd thanks to its marriage of merciless difficulty, superb animations and gripping sword-based combat. For those who missed out on this defining slice in gaming’s illustrious history, the game has been reborn for a new generation of joypad junkies on PS3 and XBL under the moniker Prince of Persia Classic. (Click here for full article).

Wednesday – Spyro the Dragon

Alongside Crash Bandicoot, Insomniac Games’ Spyro the Dragon represented the pinnacle of PlayStation platformers in the late 1990s. Okay, so he’s a cutesy purple dragon that wouldn’t look out of place on a Saturday morning cartoon marathon, but looks can be deceptive; beneath its innocent exterior, Spyro the Dragon is actually one of the more competent entries in the genre to dat. Sure, there’s been some dodgy outings over the years, but Spyro’s meteoric rise to fame did wonders for Sony’s grey box of tricks and solidified the pint-sized fire-breather as a meaty contender in the platform gaming space. (Click here for full article).

Thursday – Ice Road Truckers

Based on the TV series of the same name, Ice Road Truckers plonks you in the driving seat of one of several mammoth 18-wheel rigs as you race against the clock to reach the safety of the next checkpoint. Simple enough you might think, but when you have to contend with skidding all over the place on the icy roads and being bumped off the track by your competitors, things can get quite perilous. Speaking of tracks, there’s 15 of them in total, each one getting progressively more difficult as you rake in the wins. (Click here for full article).

Friday – Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

A major selling point for early PSP adopters, GTA: LCS sees players dipping their toes in GTA III’s sprawling sandbox of Liberty City in the year 1998, with the game serving as a prequel to the revolutionary 2001 PlayStation 2 hit. Gamers hop into the shoes of returning bad boy Toni Cipriani, who after carrying out a hit for crime overlord Don Salvatore Leone some years before comes out of hiding to find himself back in the saddle once again – and by that, we mean carrying out all sorts of dodgy dealings for Leone and family. (Click here for full article).