Welcome to this month's issue of VSM. This month we'll talk about upcoming releases, Average Game prices on Sony systems, updates on the Console war, E3 rumors, PSN sales, and more. That's a lot of ground to cover, so let's get started on the Sony action, shall we?


Upcoming PS3 releases

-Murdered: Soul Suspect: you are Salem detective Ronan O'Conner, and you must solve a murder case. Simple enough, right? Well, this one could prove to be a little more complex, as you are the victim. That's right, you play as a ghost and as such, you lack control over the physical world. Add to all that the fact that supernatural beings from the spirit realm are fighting against you as well, and the challenge becomes even greater. Still think It'll be simple?

Murdered: Soul Suspect's developers cite several sources for the game's inspiration, among which are the movies Diehard, Seven, and Ghost, each inspiration lending a little bit of it's own flavor to the pot.

And so it is with a diverse range of inspirations being skillfully pulled together into one smooth experience, developer Airtight Games seeks to bring some supernatural action and mystery to a PlayStation 4 near you.

My Thoughts: Murdered: Soul Suspect not only looks like a unique and fresh idea for an industry with many similar titles, it also looks like an entertaining and chilling ride. I personally look forward to seeing if this one can deliver on what it offers.


Murdered Soul Suspect is scheduled to release on June 3rd.
Developer: Airtight Games
Publisher: Square Enix
Rated M


-Ultra Street Fighter IV: And here it is folks: the newest installment in the age old Street Fighter series, and this time Capcom gave us five new fighters to play with, so gear up and get ready for the street fight of your life. Do you have what it takes to overcome the many obstacles that lie ahead of you? Step on up and find out.

My thoughts: As of now I see little promise of any serious changes that would make the new installment worth dropping any money on, and while sitting through the trailer, I felt more like I was watching a commercial for a strip club or an adult film, than a video game (seriously, why do we think women should wear underwear to fight in? "Because it makes the best armor. Duh"). Maybe that's just me though. At any rate, the gameplay looks to remain loyal to it's predecessors, so the more devoted fans of the series shouldn't find themselves disappointed with the purchase.


Ultra Street Fighter IV is set to release on June 3rd.
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Rated T


-Enemy Front: Take on the role of American war correspondent Robert Hawkins, and fight your way through WWII, in campaigns that span multiple countries and are filled will intense war action. Whether your motto is shoot first, ask questions later, or silent but deadly (Beano anyone?), this game has something for everyone. So if you're a history buff, or an avid fan of the FPS genre, be on the lookout for CI Games' own Enemy Front this month.

My Thoughts: Enemy Front looks interesting enough, and like it will offer some more depth than many FPS' out there, but at the end of the day, this is another FPS. I do think it has potential to be a blast, if they can deliver. Only time will tell.


Enemy Front is scheduled for release on June 10th.
Developer: CI Games
Publisher: CI Games
Rated M


-Battle Princess of Arcadias: In this side scrolling Action-RPG you fill the role of the princess of Schwert. Your kingdom has been overrun by monsters, and now you and your people must fight to save your kingdom from their claws.

While Battle Princess of Arcadias is true to it's genre in leaning toward Action more than RPG whilst fighting, it balances the gameplay with some heavily RPG oriented aspects such as Collecting materials to improve your current battle gear, leveling up your weapons, learning new skills based on what weapons you're using, and other RPG-esque gameplay touches. It certainly looks like this one is a far cry from being shallow and poorly thought out. Indeed it would appear that Developer Apollo Software has certainly thought this one through, and it's all headed your way this month.

My Thoughts: Battle Princess of Arcadias looks quite promising to fans of the genre, and with me being one of those fans, this game is one I'm very excited about personally. After being burned by Drakengard 3 last month, I'll be extra careful about saying a game will be good, but this is one I'm as sure of as I can be for now.


Battle Princess of Arcadias is scheduled for release on June 17th.
Developer: Apollo Software
Publisher: NIS
Rated T


-How To Train Your Dragon 2: A flight themed game based on the upcoming animated movie by the same name. How To Train Your Dragon 2 is a high-flying dragon themed racing game mixed with some firebreathing action. It looks to bring you fans of the show a thrill ride they'll not soon forget.

My Thoughts: How To Train Your Dragon 2 looks like it will be worth a look for fans of the films and the television series inspired by them. It doesn't look like anything we haven't seen before really, and the graphics look like something that could have been on a PS2, but I have nothing to really justify saying it won't be any good. Take a look and make your own call.


How To Train Your Dragon 2 is scheduled for release on June 10.
Developer: Torus Games
Publisher: Little Orbit
Rated E10+


-Grid Autosport: Ready to embrace your inner speed demon? Grid Autosport is here (almost) to satisfy your need for top speed action. With graphics that can stack up against it's peers, over a hundred routes spread across twenty-two locations, a rival system, sponsors to reward your skills, and more, Grid Autosport looks to separate itself from the pack starting this month.


My Thoughts: While Grid Autosport has shown itself to have little more than any other racing game out there, I did think some of the promised features sounded promising. So while it may not be ground breaking, Grid Autosport does look like a nice solid racer with some nice extras along the way. It should be well worth the price tag for fans of the genre.


Grid Autosport is set to release on June 24th.
Developer: Codemasters
Publisher: Codemasters
Rating Pending


-XBlaze Code: Embryo: A visual novel based set in the Blazblue universe, XBlaze Code: Embryo takes place 150 years prior to Blazblue.

The story is interactive and follows Touya Kagari, a teenager who --after some strange events-- finds himself being rescued from an attack by a girl named Es, who coincidentally says it's her mission to protect him.

My Thoughts: Though I myself find the idea unappealing, it should spark the interest of Blazblue fans, and the ability to choose the story's path sounds intriguing. If you're a Blazblue fan, then you might do well to look into the details on this one.


XBlaze Code: Embryo is scheduled to release on June 24th.
Publisher: Aksys Games
Rated M


-Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist Of Arland: Is the newest entry in the series, and features several new updates, including Remastered 3D models, Gardening and Decoration systems, Revamped Synthesis and Battling systems, the ability to now fight with Esty and Astrid joining the action, a Cross-Save feature, Event Scene Replay, and much more. That's a lot of new features to be implemented in between two installments in a series, and it's all headed your way in just a few short weeks.

My Thoughts: Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist Of Arland looks interesting enough, and with the almost cute graphics, cool features, and Tecmo KOEI as it's publishers, I'd dare say it should prove to be the best game in it's series, and one that RPG fans in general should consider checking out.


Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist Of Arland looks to release on June 24th.
Developer: Gust
Publisher: Tecmo KOEI
Rated T


-Valiant Hearts: The Great War: Taking place during WWI, Valiant Hearts: The Great War is as much about a story as it is a game. The game's plot follows five different individuals --all normal everyday people-- whose lives were brought to a screeching halt when one day they were called upon to go into the war. These are the storied of their lives, loves, near madness induced by the horrors of war, and for some, the story of their deaths.

Boasted (however incorrectly) by it's developers as the first game that will truly bring a tear to your eye, Valiant Hearts: The Great War goes beyond the norm for gaming, and compels us to consider the true meaning and costs of war. It reminds us that despite what films, books, and video games have made it seem like, the real war isn't fighting guys you disagree with, it's the nearly unbearable weight placed upon the shoulders of each and every soldier and their families, it's about the pain and struggles a human being faces when they look murderous carnage every day of their lives, and it's about bravery that faces the stuff of nightmares every single day all for another person's benefit.

My Thoughts: Valiant Hearts: The Great War is a game I hold in high regard already, as it goes beyond the surface of the story, and instead of merely making a few bucks off of a game that somehow tries to make that horrible thing we call war "fun", it tries to show us a far more realistic and honest side of war. If the gameplay portion can manage to be half as enjoyable as the story approach is moving, then this one will be a game long remembered. So while I can't say anything about how fun I think it will be, I can say that it is bold and presents us gamers with a much needed reminder of what war really is. And with such a low suggested retail price, it's a purchase that should be worth considering for those that enjoy a moving story.


Valiant Hearts: The Great War is scheduled for release on June 25th.
Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier
Publisher: Ubisoft
Rated T
MSRP: $14.99



Upcoming PS4 releases

-Murdered: Soul Suspect: See Murdered Soul Suspect under PS3 releases


-War Thunder: The popular aerial combat MMO is now making the move to what Creative Director Kirill Yudintsev calls "The leading next generation platform". So now you can experience all of the fun of the PC version from your PlayStation 4, along with enjoying the many improved features that the team has incorporated using the PS4 hardware. War Thunder is coming to a PS4 near you, are you prepared?

My Thoughts: I always enjoy a good aerial combat based game, but the key word there is "good", and quite frankly, I haven't seen any in a long while. Fortunately War Thunder looks to end that drought now, and I expect it to do just that. With air combat, air-sea combat, and air-ground combat, coupled with the many other features, I suspect this could be the game those of us that have been holding out have been waiting for. I would recommend keeping an eye out for this one to see if it holds up to the hype.


War Thunder is set to release on June 3rd.
Developer: Gaijin Entertainment
Publisher: Gaijin Entertainment
Rated T


-PixelJunk Shooter Ultimate: With over 150 levels, co-op play, cross-platform multiplay between PS4 and PS Vita, and more, PixelJunk Shooter Ultimate looks to be not only innovative but also sensible in that it ties console and handheld gamers together. The gameplay looks reminiscent of some Atari style flying shooters, only picking up where they left off by adding great little extras that we always wished the classics would have incorporated. Retro fliers be on the lookout for PixelJunk Shooter Ultimate this June.

My Thoughts: While I highly doubt that I myself will ever purchase, it is one I would like to at least try once. Games like this were huge back in the day for a reason, and that reason is that they were incredibly addicting, and this one looks like it's taken that addictiveness factor and turned it up to ten. So while it may not be for everyone, it's certainly a game for old school gamers and fans of the 4 and 8 bit game era to check out.


Pixeljunk Shooter Ultimate looks to blast it's way into a PS4 near you June 3rd.
Developers: Double Eleven Studios, Q-Games
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Rated E


-1001 Spikes: Ready to revisit the golden gaming days of yester...decade? Do you miss the insane challenges of the 8 bit days of gaming? Are you one of the gamers that complain about how easy it is to beat modern games? Then 1001 Spikes may be just what you're looking for. The game is boasted as being Hard, Crazy, and Extreme, and it certainly delivers on all of those. 1001 Spikes is a straight forward and simple platformer reminiscent of the old days of video games, and manages to hit on many of the things that made those games so addicting, but can it carry through with the task it takes in hand?

My Thoughts: I can't lie, the retro gamer inside of me got excited when I saw this one, and I'm still very much intrigued. It's a simple looking game, and due to it's intensity, and it invokes a feeling that "I could beat it if I just had one more life" that we all know so well. I'll be certain to try this one out if I can get it at the right price.


1001 Spikes is scheduled to release on June 3rd.
Developer: 8bits Fanatics
Publisher: Nicalis
Rated T


-Worms Battlegrounds: A deadly war has broken out between...a bunch of worms? Well apparently it has, and their warfare is not only intense, it's downright zany at (most) times. With such crazy weapons as gassy birds(?) and exploding flying sheep (I think), it's safe to say the game doesn't take itself too seriously. Serious fun with not-so-serious gameplay is the order of the day here. Earthworm Jim would be proud...

My Thoughts: I don't personally think I would be too crazy about this one, and it certainly doesn't look like it would be worth a full size price tag, but gotten at the right price, I really do think this one would be a decent time killer, especially when played online with others.


Worms Battlegrounds is scheduled for release on June 3rd.
Developer: Team17 Software
Rated E


-EA Sports UFC: A game with impressive visuals, a full body deformer, and boasted as taking Simulated Human Intelligence "leaps forward", EA Sports UFC looks to take things up more than a notch with it's appearance on the fighter scene. With enemies that adapt and learn as you fight them, the challenge goes up considerably, as does the realism. Indeed, it seems like EA has taken Sports gaming to the next level.

My Thoughts: As someone who is very much anti-UFC, I hate to say too much on this one. I will say however that the gameplay looks a little stiff in the trailers I've seen, but it could just be that the players were simply being cautious on the attack. Who knows, maybe EA will manage to follow through on their promises here.


EA Sports UFC is set to release on June 17th.
Developer: EA Sports
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Rated T


-Valiant Hearts: The Great War: See Valiant Hearts: The Great War under PS3 releases.


Upcoming PS Vita releases

-PixelJunk Shooter Ultimate: See PixelJunk Shooter Ultimate under PS4 releases.


-PlayStation Vita Pets: Just another pet raising simulator, right? Wrong. This one lets you not only raise your own virtual pets, but these pets also talk and go on adventures with you. Yes, you can finally have that talking dog you always wanted as a kid, and they require no real cleanup or food, so your dream just got even better. PlayStation Vita Pets will be here to delight your inner child very soon indeed.

My Thoughts: At first glance I nearly dismissed this as a simple repeat of the same old pet simulator we've seen so many times before, but I'm glad to say that after seeing the trailer, my inner child smiled, and I determined I would have to get my hands on this one sometime. Yes, Eirinn wants to play a "kids game". Is anyone surprised by that? I highly doubt it.


PlayStation Vita Pets is set to release on June 3rd.
Developer: Spiral House
Publisher Sony Computer Entertainment
Rated E


-1001 Spikes: See 1001 Spikes under PS4 releases.


-Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfection: In this one, the player must manage a musical talent, helping her sing and dance her way to stardom. Do you have what it takes to manage a rising star and help her make it to the top of her business? Find out when Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfection will debut on it's PS Vita stage this June.

My Thoughts: Wow, I don't even know where to start on this one. I suppose it has some potential, but will they be able to pull it off? I'm not sure. If so, this will be a good game for simulation game fans, but it currently looks to me like just another re-skinned overly simplified simulation game with sliders and numbers to adjust, and a little "mature" content.


Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfection is set to release on June 3rd.
Developer: Compile Hearts
Publisher: NIS
Rated T


-XBlaze Code: Embryo: See XBlaze Code: Embryo under PS3 releases.


-Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist Of Arland: See Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist Of Arland under PS3 releases.


-Son of Scoregasm: An atari style shoot 'em up that pits the player in enclosed arenas facing enemies that spew incredible amounts of bullets at them, requiring quick reflexes and a lot of luck. If you're a fan of old school flying shoot 'em ups, then this is a game for you.

My Thoughts: It's just another Shoot 'em Up, but it's exactly what fans of the genre are looking for in their games. I won't be trying it, but it could be just what the doctor ordered for others. And while I don't see anything at all that separates it from the crowd, if you think games like this are great fun, then why change it?



-Farming Simulator 2014: It's exactly what it sounds like: a simulation of modern farming. Utilize authentic farming tools and vehicles, all faithfully reproduced to reflect their real life counterparts. Your goal is simple: Grow your farm. Pretty straight forward.

My Thoughts: Oddly this game doesn't appeal much to me, despite my love for Harvest Moon titles. The game seems to focus solely on farming, and not on the social aspects which is a large part of what gives Harvest Moon it's appeal. However, I do think fans of more straight up simulations will enjoy this one fairly well. It seems to be pretty straight forward, so if this is your kind of game, then I doubt Farming Simulator 2014 will disappoint you.


Farming Simulator 2014 is set to release on June 24th.
Developer: Giants Software
Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
Rated E



What's New On PSN

This is a rundown of some of what you can look forward to seeing on PSN this month. Remember, this is not intended to be an exhaustive list, so keep your eyes peeled for any additional offers that may come along.

First up we have a PSX game that was never released in the West, now being re-released on PSN this month titled Heroine Dream. Do you have what it takes to help manage a heroine on the rise? The fate of her dream is resting in your hands.

This one will be available on PlayStation 4 as well as the Vita.


Next in line we have a huge sale on several games for PlayStation Plus members, with some games selling at around 50% off. Get in the stores soon, or you'll miss out! Some titles currently on sale are:

-Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists Of The Dusk Sky (PS3) for $24.99 (was $49.99)

-Conception II: Children Of The Seven Stars (PS Vita) for $29.99 (was $39.99)

-Dark Souls II (PS3) for $38.99 (was $59.99)

-Demon’s Souls (PS3) for $9.99 (was $19.99)

-Dragon Age: Origins (PS3) for $4.99 (was $19.99)

-Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen (PS3) for $19.99 (was $39.99)

-Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster (PS3, PS Vita) for $29.99 (was $39.99)

-Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning (PS3) for $4.99 (was $19.99)

-Mass Effect 3: Citadel (PS3) for $7.49 (was $19.99)

-Mass Effect 3: From Ashes (PS3) for $4.99 (was $9.99)

-Mass Effect 3: Leviathan (PS3) for $4.99 (was $9.99)

-Mass Effect 3: Omega (PS3) for $7.49 (was $14.99)

-Mass Effect Trilogy (PS3) for $14.99 (was $29.99)

-Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch (PS3) for $4.99 (was $19.99).

At the time of this writing, there were even more games than this available at greatly reduced prices, as well as over fifty in-game purchases that were dropped to extremely low prices, with some coming in at as little as $0.15!


price reductions
Are you a fan of Lego or The Hobbit? Then here's some great news for you: Lego's The Hobbit's price has been dropped by $10 on both the PS3 and PS4. Also reduced by $10 is The Witch And The Hundred Knight on the PS3.


More add-ons

The PS4 boasts over thirty new add-ons between five games: Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends Complete Edition, Killzone Shadow Fall, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, War Thunder, and Watch Dogs.

The PS3 on the other hand has a whopping 50+ new add-ons available this month between eleven games: Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, Drakengard 3, Dustforce, Dynasty Warriors 8, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Stars Battle, Mugen Souls Z, Ragnarok Odyseey Ace, Rocksmith 2014 edition, Super Street Fighter IV, Watch Dogs, and The Amazing Spiderman 2.

And finally the PS Vita has fourteen new add-ons between five games: Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends Complete Edition, Dustforce, Ragnarok Odyseey Ace, The Walking Dead Season 2 (okay, not exactly a game...)

And that isn't counting new Avatars and Themes that are available.


And finally, there are approximately fifteen titles now up for pre-ordering (and at least one is completely free). So needless to say, PSN is a little on the busy side this month. Enjoy.


E3 Rumors

Alright, time for what I've really been looking forward to since last article: rumors of what Sony plans to hit us with at this year's E3 conference.

Sony apparently has big plans for E3 this year, as they have arranged to broadcast their presentation live at over 40 cinemas in the United States. So what do they have up their sleeves? No one can no for sure, but I for one can't wait to find out.


Rumor #1: Project Beast

Little is known about this, saving that a few images have been leaked online, as well as a video (shown below). It's been suggested that the game looks somewhat like Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and Dark Souls 2.



Rumor #2: The Order: 1886

Another game we don't know as much about as we'd like, The Order: 1886 is highly anticipated to be revealed by Sony later this month at E3. Here's some of what we do know: The game is set in Victorian-Era London, but has a man using advanced technology to "defeat an ancient and powerful foe". You control a knight and must help conquer the fiend, and change history as we know it.


Rumor #3: Drive Club

A game sporting cutting edge technology, years worth of research, and some incredible visuals, look for this one to be on Sony's lineup this E3 presentation.


Rumor #4: Uncharted 4

Yes Uncharted fans, it is going to be a reality...next year. However it is highly anticipated that Sony will be debuting a small reveal in just a few short days. Hopefully that'll tide you over until you can finally get your hands on a copy of it.


Rumor #5: Project Morpheus

You probably remember this little guy if you read last month's issue of VSM (if not, click here to read it). With all of the internet hype building up over it, it only makes sense that Sony would give us a look at how Project Morpheus is looking now. And who knows? Maybe they'll even give us a release date goal, though I wouldn't hold my breath on it.


Other rumors indicate that Sony will unveil some new HD remakes, as well as some new CoD content, and more.


What I Expect:

I can't verify any of these rumors, but I do fully expect Sony to reveal Project Morpheus' current state of development, as well as Drive Club demos. The other rumors I'm hopeful about, but I can't say that I'll be shocked if they don't show up. If pressed to make a guess, I would say I'm leaning towards a "yes, I think we will see them". I also expect Sony to take the opportunity to mention future possibilities of linking their apps with the PS4, as well as tablets, and possibly even their televisions as they move toward unifying all of their electronic entertainment devices at some point in the future. As for my hopes for E3, I truly hope to see Sony reveal a release date goal (as in Summer 2015 for example) for Project Morpheus, as well as announcing PS Vita TV being released in the West, and updating us on their console sales that they've been so tight lipped about this past month (fingers crossed for an additional 1-3 million consoles moved).



Sony Announces "PlayStation Now"

In a recent business meeting, Sony CEO Kaz Hirai was quoted as saying that given the media shift from downloading to streaming, Sony planned to launch a beta version of "PlayStation Now", a service that allows game streaming, rather than downloading, this Summer. This could potentially be a huge money saver for players who download a lot of games from PSN, as Hard Drive space will no longer be an issue, and so buying a more expensive version of the PS4 (and probably the PS3 and Vita) that boasts more Hard Drive space will no longer be needed for them. If digital media is the route games will be taking, then this is quite probably a very positive move for Sony fans, so long as Downloading is left as an option.



Will The PS4 Become The Best Selling Console Of All Time?

Sony CEO Kaz Hirai said of the PS4 "The PS2 platform was the biggest success until now in terms of profit. But I believe that PS4’s hardware, software and services have the potential to combine and develop into a platform capable of generating even greater profit."

Until now, the PS2 has remained the best selling Game Console ever, pulling in over 155,000,000 (155 million) units. To contrast that number, the former best selling console was the PSX with over 102,000,000, and the best selling handheld was the Nintendo ds with over 153,000,000 units sold.


"Best selling isn't exactly what he said..."

Indeed it is not. Rather what was said was that the PS4 could quite possibly generate more income for Sony than any previous game console. And yes, there is a difference between "best selling" and "most profitable".

What I Think: Do I expect the PS4 to be the best selling console ever? No. Do I hope it will? Yes. I wouldn't be too surprised to see the PS4 sell in excess of 100,000,000 units, but if I were to set an estimate, I would say look for Sony to pop out around 85,000,000 of them over the next five to seven years.




The Console War So Far

Sadly, Sony and Microsoft are both remaining a little on the silent side about their sales this past month (which should be expected. These things are generally updated every four months), so there isn't anything to really say by way of cold hard digits.

However, we have seen Microsoft making moves to catch up to Sony, finally swallowing their pride and striping the Kinect from the XBox One and lowering their price to be more competitive. Will this be enough to save them? Probably so, since they did it so early. Sony could out maneuver them easily if they wanted to drop the price of the PS4, sadly I doubt anything of the sort will happen, and I don't blame them. In fact, the price of the PS4 just recently went up in Canada, so that seems to indicate that Sony is comfortable where they are at price-wise on the PS4. I think they've more than proven their point with their bold release price this generation, and Microsoft was hurting for it last we saw.


What I Think: I doubt Microsoft will ever pull ahead of Sony this generation, as long as Sony keeps playing smart. I do suspect Microsoft will pull closer in the race before it's over, but I'm skeptical that they'll ever catch up completely, as they lost a lot of customers to Sony during the first seven months (who do you think was buying all of those extra PS4's that Sony didn't expect to put out so quickly?), as well as losing a lot of respect from many of their formerly loyal fans.

In the end I suspect Sony will outsell Microsoft by a considerable amount of units, but not by the landslide that they would have had Microsoft not wizened up finally and reduced their price and yanked the Kinect from the bundle. If asked for a ballpark figure, I would say Sony will win this generation by around 3,000,000 consoles.



Average Sony Game Prices

This one is difficult to gauge, but so far it looks like the average PS4 game is $40 currently, whereas PS3 game price tags are weighing in at around the same price, and the Vita is averaging around $35 per game. This puts the average Sony system game's price at about $39.99. Please bear in mind that these prices are based upon game prices in the United States.

So it seems the price of buying video games has actually gone down since the nineties when you'd best been ready to drop a hefty $60-$80 on a brand spankin' new game for your home game console. Thank goodness something's price is going down instead of up!



Sony Announces The Discontinuation of The PSP

Sad times are here for you Sony handheld system fans. It's official: Sony will no longer be shipping PSP's to the Western (and presumably the rest of) gaming community. This was inevitable, and is actually a wise move on Sony's part. Honestly, I'm almost surprised that they didn't do this sooner, but may I offer my condolences and a Kleenex or two to all of the soggy eyed Sony fans out there.

So there we have it, Sony is moving forward into this generation, and embracing the new hardware fully. I suspect to see the same happen with the PS3 sometime in late 2015 or mid 2016 personally.



Well, that wraps it up for this month's edition of VSM. Join us again next month when we'll cover the following:

-What happened at E3

- Upcoming Games on PS3, PS4, and PS Vita

-Sony business updates*

-PSN sales

-More console war coverage*

and more.

topics marked with an * are subject to change, depending on the availability of the information

If you have any requests for topics that you would like to see covered, or things you would like to see added or removed in next month's issue, please feel free to let me know. I would love to hear back from you guys on what you think about VSM, as well as your feedback on what should or shouldn't go into it.


And remember: Keep it real, keep on gaming, and keep it Sony. Until next time.

Capcom is still pooping Street Fighters out? Ultra Street Fighter 4 huh, well at least they are not calling it "Super Mega Ultra Turbo Street Fighter 2 Tournament mode", also I think Sony is about 7 years too late on that virtual dog game. Yeah it may be different than Nintendogs but who cares any more? Nintendogs stopped being interesting probably 2 years after its release (2005) if that long. If someone really cares about a virtual dog game please prove me wrong but I haven't even heard the name "Nintendogs" since the launch of it and I don't even think little girls still care about the genre.

Other than that nothing really interested me. They are doing pretty good when I can only poke fun of 2 or 3 things. At least not all the games were FPS (or are you trying to hide those?).

Sorry to double post but I have more to say. I would edit but I hate trying to get rid of 20 question marks in black diamonds when I do.

Farm Simulator? That one has to be the second funniest game I have seen right next to the train simulators. Who wants to play this game? I am not being mean, I really want to know who wants to play this.

Second, I think you are wrong about the console wars. Nintendo WiiU is going to win, just kidding about that. I think XBone is going to pull ahead. Just as soon as a few of those FPS exclusives start hitting the console its all over. XBox One is the king of FPS (not a good thing) and everyone wants to play FPS and nothing but (well it is a good thing for Microsoft but not for me). The price for Xbox has dropped, the price for Ps4 has gone up (in Canada). Microsoft is listening to what the people are saying and doing something about their problems (unlike Nintendo and Sony). I could care less who wins this round, really I hope everyone losses and they all have to make a change for the better. That is just my opinion though. You may be right and Sony just blows everybody out of the water this go around.

GenesisJunkie : Lol I actually am interested in the dog game. xD And yeah, Street Fighter lost it's appeal to me after they started branching in so many direction (SF, SF turbo, SF Tournament, SF ultra, etc). And I've played a game similar to farming simulator, but it wasn't that great and I don't see this one being any better.



Well duh, everyone knows the WiiU will win. lol But seriously, I think the FPS games will switch to Sony asap unless XBox One catches up quickly, as FPS only make it because of the MMO features, and with Sony outselling Microsoft by 30% last quarter, people who want to play multiplayer games online will be picking a PS4 because it has more players. I could be wrong though.

Either way, I don't see there being much of a difference this generation between PS4 sales and XBox One sales. Just enough to be able to say that Sony won the generation. What Sony needs to do is play the rest of this generation and the next generation or two exactly like they started this one, and they'll eventually gain enough ground gen by gen to either make Microsoft honest or make them leave.



Thanks for reading the article by the way.

Eirinn : I just got Hyperdimension Neptunia MK2 and so far it looks good and is fun, so I wonder if the Hyperdimension on PS Vita is good too, only if I had a PS Vita then I could get it and try it out, but I don't have the money. Is the game list you typed up, the game list that they showed at this E3 event this year?

happiness7 : No, I actually posted this about a week (five days to be exact, I believe) before E3. Next month's article will cover a lot about E3 hopefully, since they had a lot of good things to showcase this year. It really looks like Sony is trying to bring gaming back to it's glory days only in next generation power.