The Last of Us (PS3) - May 7th

There’s just something magical about a dilapidated, crumbling apart post-apocalyptic landscape because the setting almost always makes for some extremely beautiful gaming environments. 

Naughty Dog’s next big game may have been quiet for a little while, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t hiding just around the corner waiting to snatch you up (and, my, it’s good to see a glimpse of what ND can do with horror).  May’s fast approaching, folks.

The Embargo’s Over, PS3 Faithful: Skyrim DLC Finally Releasing

Better late as hell than never, eh?  After an exhausting wait for even the most weathered journeyer, Bethesda has announced Skyrim’s downloadable content is at last releasing for the PlayStation 3 next month starting with the Dragonborn expansion.

To date, the PS3 version of Skyrim has missed out on three separate DLC expansions that the Xbox 360 has already enjoyed and basked in, each originally planned for only a 30-day exclusivity period on Microsoft’s console.  Technical difficulties, delays, and several months of seething fan anger later and it was painfully clear Bethesda’s original plans went tits up.

Understanding the almost scalable wall of disappointment and frustration this has caused PS3 Skyrim users, Bethesda is offering a week long discount of 50% Off for each expansion as they launch on PSN.  Once Dragonborn is out of the gate, the company is backtracking by releasing the Hearthfire expansion for those with a penchant for medieval decorating, and then the Dawnguard DLC in all of its vampiric glory.

While Dragonborn’s PC date is marked down for February 5th, all three pieces of the PS3’s DLC are expected throughout the same month at unspecified dates.

The Last of Us Box Art Revealed Alongside Pre-order Bonuses

This weekend Naughty Dog gifted us a brand new Last of Us trailer to gawk at as well as announcing what we’ve all been waiting for; a May 7th release date (you may have been waiting for just a release date, I was waiting specifically for a May 7th release date).

Today, we now get a good, hard look at the game’s box art (the pretty images above) and are also privy to the bonuses in store for those that pre-order the title.  Participating retailers are handing out a voucher for the “Sights & Sounds Pack” which includes:

• The official soundtrack for the game
• A fancy PS3 theme
• Two avatars featuring our protagonists

Not to be outdone by those silly peasant retailers, however, Gamestop is offering both the “Sights & Sounds Pack” and the exclusive “Survival Pack” which leans harder on providing extras for the game’s multiplayer.  Your online characters will be decked with:

• Bonus XP
• Special customizable items
• Extra in-game currency
• A melee attack booster
• And, as a bonus, Joel and Ellie receive additional skins (once you beat the game, that is)

Funny enough, I’m more grateful for the soundtrack thrown in than any of the multiplayer frills (truthfully — shame on me and my shit journalism — I wasn’t even aware the game had multiplayer).  ‘Course, I might change my tune if the multiplayer turns out to be as amazing as the single-player campaign looks.

Square Enix Unveils Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix at TGS

Ten years ago, Square decided to bet on an oddball licensing mash-up of their benchmark Final Fantasy series with…the House of the Mouse, no less.  While closeted Disney fanboys grew deadly serious, the rest of us scoffed at the prospect of Kingdom Hearts.

Until we got our hands on the game, that is.  A simplistic yet deeply playable approach to marrying action-adventure and RPG elements within a diverse, masterfully designed world (or worlds, rather) laid the groundwork for a new classic.  Today, if you find someone quick to dismiss the original KH as “childish,” they’re also probably someone who didn’t play it very long or even at all.  Listen, you live in a reality where wielding a keyblade is badass.  The sky is blue, politics are boring, and keyblades kick ass.  Moving on.

What was once a barely believable rumor is now HD-ified fact: Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix has been announced by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3, slated for a 2013 release in Japan.  Why 1.5, you ask?  Well, it’s not a KH1/KHII double-pack as speculated in the linked rumor, but 1.5 does include the PS2’s Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories, and Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days from the Game Boy Advance and DS respectively.  All are reduxed in high-definition for the PS3, all now feature Trophy support.

A stateside release is more than probably in the cards, but of course nothing past the Japanese release has been confirmed.

Fresh off the heels of the supposed FCC leak of a new slimmer and sleaker PS3, these images have surfaced on Tecnoblog.  Seemingly taken from the Brazilian equivalent to the FCC, this just might be our first, muddy glimpse at the Super Slim.

The documents also appear to reveal the three different hard drive sizes Sony intends on dishing out to the public: the 250GB model, a 500GB successor, and a 16GB economy model that seems to serve the same function as the bottom-tier 4GB Xbox 360’s Microsoft banks off of.  The future is looking slim (er, in a good way, I guess).

Sony Revising the PS3 Again to Create the ‘Super Slim’?

Have you ever looked at your Slim line PS3 — which, by the way, was reduced 32% in size from the original models — and thought to yourself, “Look at how much room this bastard takes up.  I can’t fucking live like this”?  Well, your obscene prayers may soon be answered.

Documents recently filed with the FCC strongly hint at the console manufacturer’s plans to release an even teensier model of the PlayStation 3 dubbed by the media the “Super Slim”.  Throughout the documents the remodeled system is simply referred to by its model number, CECH-4001x (the last run of PS3’s, the 160GB and 320GB, are apart of the 3000 series).  It’s suggested the ‘x’ in ‘4001x’ is in place of how big the Super Slim’s hard drive will end up being, possibly hinting at larger storage sizes to come.

For as long as we’ve been hearing murmurs of a slimmer Slim, I’d be surprised to not see this one come into fruition.  According to Eurogamer, just as the first Slim was introduced at 2010’s German show Gamescom, it’s believed we’ll see this extraordinarily slim Slim introduced at next month’s 2012 expo.

Personally, I didn’t think there was anything wrong with the size of my Slim.  But now that I know there’s something smaller, I understand how wrong I’ve been to own something so huge and gaudy.  I’ll get on fixing that right after I get that bigger 3DS.

Journey Collector’s Edition Going Retail in August

The fastest selling downloadable game in PSN history is preparing to go corporeal as Thatgamecompany plans on packaging Journey onto a special edition retail disc for the PS3, releasing August 28th.

For $29.99, Journey Collector’s Edition comes stocked with the titular game as well as TGC’s previous two outings, flOw and Flower.  But TGC understands Blu-Ray discs are large enough to house the whole of human history.  That won’t be included, but this content will be:

• Concept art, screenshot galleries, trailers, dev diaries, soundtracks, and Creator Commentary playthroughs of all three games.
• Behind-the-scenes documentary on Journey.
• PS3 themes, wallpapers, and exclusive Journey avatars.
• Reversible cover art to match your flippant mood.
• Three TGC crafted mini-games created during the 24hr Game Jam: Gravediggers, Duke War!!, and Nostril Shot. TGC says these competitive multiplayer titles represent the studio’s lighter side, “We hope you sincerely enjoy their silliness as much as we have.”

Quantic Dream Set to Unveil New Project(s) at Sony’s E3 Conference

Two months ago, the studio that brought you Heavy Rain and Indigo Prophecy decided to demo a seven minute reel of their latest engine within the frame of a short film centering on the assembly of a virtual intelligence named Kara that thought itself alive.  The results were astounding, but Kara’s tale was final.  Company head David Cage had stated that the demo wasn’t a preview for a game in development, which left many wondering how exactly Quantic Dream would floor our jaws next.

Now, CVG reports from a trusted source that the cerebral developer will reveal their next huge game on Monday during Sony’s press conference.  While we may only be privy to one title (which will most likely end up on the PS3 given Cage’s affection for the console), Quantic Dream is supposedly working on two separate projects that may reach as far as the Vita.

Sony themselves refused to comment on the matter but we can be sure to see something impressive next week.  Stay tuned.