PSN (PlayStation Network) is an essential aspect of PS3 gaming. It offers online gaming, online gaming ad-ons, full retail games, exclusive games, retail game trials, game trailers, movie magazines and so much more. BUT…are we all getting the most from PSN?
Yes, since our last PSN related post the UK and US PSN have both undergone major maintenance with navigational improvements, but what about the content? Is one side being left in the dark? Well, at the moment…yes.
The US PSN currently has a few hidden tricks up its sleeve. If you were lucky enough to sigh-up for a US account, you’ll see the following content that has yet to make an appearance on the UK PSN:
QORE Magazine – A superb movie magazine which sees Sony flex its muscle and bring viewers the very latest from up-and-coming games and game developers.
Qore is the incredible interactive magazine on the US PSN. You'll only need PlayStation Plus for the latest issue. All the others are FREE!
Each QORE magazine issue (around 1-1.5GB) is set out like a DVD with interactive menu selection. You can choose to watch movie footage, look at game artwork and even look at game cover and release details. It really is the way forward for gaming news now programs such as Gamesmaster, Bad Influence and Game Over are a thing of the past.
The UK PSN does have something similar with First Play and Access, but these don’t seem to be updated as often or offer the same exclusive content as the US Qore magazine.
PlayStation 2 Classics – Yes, you read that right. PlayStation 2 games are now available to download on the US PSN! Five PlayStation 2 games are currently available to download which are:
– God Hand PS2 Classic (a totally underrated classic that sees you as an ultimate hand-to-hand combat bad-ass. Expect brutal and over-the-top combat with a comical twist)
Expect over-the-top combat and humour with God Hand
– Ring of Red PS2 Classic (A Mech-Warrior turn based AND real time combat strategy game. Think of Valkyria Chronicles but with Mech Warriors!)
If you're a fan of Advanced Wars and/or Valkyria Chronicles, you need to play Ring of Red!
– Maximo PS2 Classic (Subtitled “Ghosts to Glory” in the US, this is a new adventure for the side-scrolling classic, originally called Ghosts ‘n Goblins that was released for the Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST, Spectrum and NES).
Maximo offers a new look and adventure for the much-loved classic
– Odin Sphere PS2 Classic (A fantasy RPG exclusively for the PlayStation 2 that offers gameplay and art style similar to Muramasa. A must for any RPG fan).
If you liked Muramasa and are a fan of RPG's, give this little classic a try
– Grimgrimoire PS2 Classic (A unique RPG with creative visuals and character development/story style that inspired Blaz Blue)
One-of-a-kind gameplay with a character development style that may already be familiar to you. A game unlike any other
If you don’t yet have a US account, you better get googling to see how it’s done! Don’t get too excited though, as Sony are on to UK customers signing up with secondary US accounts. While they don’t seem to mind this for the games and media part of PSN, (YAY!) they’ve recently completely restricted access to the US PSN movies section. But you can understand why they had to do that. Hey, at least we’ve got the games!
So once you’ve signed up to the US PSN, how do you go about purchasing such PS2 Classics and the latest episodes of Qore magazine? Well, check back for our next post. We’ll show you how it’s done!
Good to see the UK PSN has more PS2 games :o)
So what if we go to US store, we should have PS2 games also. I wouldn’t care, but I want God Hand. It pisses me off to no end when crap like this happens. How do i pay for it if i’m from UK?
This is brilliant ! I’m going to have to see how to sign up to the US PSN store then. If you do that I take it you can also buy the likes of Resident Evil 2 & 3 from the US PS classics section ? I can’t believe they only have resident evil directors cut on the UK store *sad face*