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From Bedrooms to Billions: The PlayStation Revolution

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If there is one thing we know for sure, it is that the folks at From Bedrooms To Billions sure know how to create a compelling documentary.

Hot off the heels of their successful self titled From Bedrooms to Billions and The Amiga Years documentaries, the From Bedroom to Billions film makers have embarked on telling the definitive story of how PlayStation took gaming to the next level in The PlayStation Revolution documentary.

Take a gander at the below trailer and press release photos, as we are sure that your anticipation and excitement level will be turned up to the max! We honestly can’t wait to watch The PlayStation Revolution.

Available: September 7, 2020
TVoD Platforms: iTunes, Amazon, Sky Box Office and Vimeo
Physical platforms: DVD and Blu-ray

Roll on September 7th!!!

image source: From Bedrooms to Billions

 

Introducing the PlayStation Classic – with 20 Classic PS1 Games

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It was inevitable! After the success of Nintendo’s NES and SNES Classic Minis, of course Sony PlayStation were going to do the same.

In case you haven’t heard, come this December 3rd, there will be a cute little PlayStation Classic you can procure for USD$99.99/AUD$149 which will be pre-loaded with 20 classic PS1 games, including fan favourites Final Fantasy VII, Jumping Flash, Ridge Racer Type 4, Tekken 3 and Wild Arms.

The new PlayStation Classic will be 45% smaller than the original PlayStation

For all Australian fans, the PlayStation Classic is available now via pre-order from JB Hi-Fi for $149.00. If you prefer EB Games, they will begin pre-orders on Thursday (September 20) from 9:00am. For more info, go here.


video source: PlayStation

image source: PlayStation

 

Game Wars: PlayStation 2 vs Xbox

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As it has always been customary, a gamer would choose one system to be loyal to and then rubbish the competition and defend their chosen system to the death, metaphorically speaking of course!

At the dawn of the 21st century, the old guard, Nintendo, took a back seat to watch the new looming console war between Sony’s PlayStation 2 and the new kid on the block, Microsoft’s Xbox. BBC Worldwide’s The Money Programme follows Sony executive Alan Welsman, frantically preparing for the vital launch in November 2000. Meanwhile in Seattle, Microsoft’s Jay Allard reveals the secrets of the X-Box, slated for an early 2001 launch. Caught up in all of this is British games designer Martin Kenright, racing against time to complete a driving game, which, he hopes, will steer him to a fortune (Ed: driving puns fully intended).

Now sit back and enjoy this doco!


source: Manufacturing Intellect: Documentaries

 

Book Review: PlayStation Anthology

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Book: PlayStation Anthology (Classic or Collector Editions)
Publisher: Geeks-Line Publishing
Pages: 386 pages (Classic Edition) / 458 pages (Collector Edition)
Price $USD: $44.90 (Classic Edition) / $55.90 (Collector Edition – currently unavailable)
Available from: Amazon

After impressing us with their Nintendo 64 Anthology, Geeks-Line Publishing has taken its next book, PlayStation Anthology in a different direction. The result is a great read that not only explains Sony’s origins and the rise of its first console, but also includes some amazing interviews with a number of high-profile devs, like Jason Rubin, Yuji Horii, Kanta Watanabe and Suda51 to name just a few. It is let down in places by some low quality images, but it still manages to do an incredible job of retelling the story of Sony’s market dominance.

To add to the level of detail that the book offers, it finishes with a collector’s guide that lists every single PlayStation game that was officially published. This book was touted as a celebration of a console that brought wonder into the lives of many (us included), and a brand that reshaped the whole entertainment industry – we reckon the authors have definitely achieved this and surpassed what they had promised.

This IS the definitive book on Sony’s PlayStation. You won’t find any other book that covers so much detail on the original PlayStation as this one does, so we recommend you get yourself the PlayStation Anthology tome right now!

Disclosure: The ‘PlayStation Anthology’ book was kindly provided by Geeks-Line for this article.

Retrospective: E3 1996

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E31996_TitleWith E3 2016 being the biggest news this week, we thought we’d rewind the clock twenty years, back to 1996 when  Nintendo, Sega and the newest player on the console block, the Playstation were the headline acts.

E31996_PS1

After wowing the crowds with their hardware the previous year, Playstation ensured that the 1996 E3 event was going to be even bigger and better by announcing a price drop to get the console into more homes, sending shivers down the spines of the old guard, Nintendo and Sega. Not to be outdone in the gaming stakes, Sony Computer Entertainment introduced everyone to Crash Bandicoot, who would go on to become a PlayStation mascot (and get remastered for the the PS4 20 years later!) and Lara Croft, whose appearance in Tomb Raider was the first step towards becoming a cultural icon.

E31996_SegaSaturn

At this second ever Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Sega was showing off the latest and greatest games for their Saturn in the hope of making a dent in the Playstation’s armour. With games like Virtua Fighter 3 (which was ultimately cancelled), Fighting Vipers, Virtua Cop 2, NiGHTS into Dreams, Panzer Dragoon II Zwei and Daytona USA (among others) from their own stable, Sega was ensuring that heads would be turned towards their 32-bit beast.



Third-party Saturn games were also announced by Acclaim (Alien Trilogy, Battle Monsters, The Crow: City of Angels, Dragonheart and Space Jam), Ubisoft (Rayman 2), Capcom (Marvel Super Heroes), Crystal Dyanmics (3D Baseball, Ghost Rider and Legacy Of Kain) and Konami (ISS Deluxe and NBA Hangtime).

E31996_SegaMegaDrive

Sega also wanted to show that there was still (some) life left in their 16-bit Mega Drive (Genesis) by showing off Arcade Classics, Sonic 3D Blast, Vectorman 2, X-Perts and X-Women (which never saw the light of day!). Perhaps Sega should have given up on their 16-bit console (and it’s many add-ons) and concentrate their might on the 32-bit battleground. Ah hindsight, it’s always 20/20.

E31996_N64

And then there was Nintendo. The Kyoto giant chose the 1996 E3 event to showcase their latest hardware, the Nintendo 64. Nintendo chose to up the ante in the ‘bit’ wars by leaping over their two main rivals with their 32-bit systems. Basking in the glory of their 16-bit success with the SNES and full of confidence, Nintendo chose to stick with cartridges rather then the now-accepted CD format. To ensure that the Nintendo 64 was going to pull-in the crowds at E3 that year, Nintendo had a number of launch titles available to experience – Wave Race 64, Pilotwings 64, Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire and Super Mario 64. New hardware needs a ‘killer app’ that captures the public’s imagination and makes consumers snap up a machine – Super Mario 64, just like Super Mario Bros did for the NES, did exactly that! With Mario entering 3D for the first time, Nintendo no doubt were the best in show at E3 1996.

What product will wow us and become best in show at E3 2016?

crash_E32016

sources: [IGN | Sega Retro | Playstation.blog]



Rebooting Shadow Of The Beast

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SOTB_PS4_PreBeta_04Logo_1445975732Back in 1989, Shadow Of The Beast (SoTB) wowed us gamers on Commodore’s 16-bit powerhouse, the Amiga. With its impressive graphics, awesome parallax scrolling and David Whittaker’s atmospheric score, Reflections/Psygnosis had produced another winner. The game was so successful, it was ported to a number of 8-bit and 16-bit systems.

The original SoTB has aged pretty well and still gets a lot of play time, so when we heard that Heavy Spectrum Entertainment Labs were going to bring this classic to the modern era (on the PS4), our nostalgic senses went into overdrive. Who would have thought that 27 years after it was released, SoTB would now be enjoyed by a new generation of gamers, while providing some heavy-duty nostalgia for gamers that enjoyed the original all those years ago.

Having recently played the demo and watched the trailer, Weird and Retro’s Aleks ‘Serblander’ Svetislav told us he was excited to see what the finished game would be like. I know we are not alone in saying that we are super excited that SoTB has been brought into the 21st century on a powerhouse system of this era. How will it compare to the original? Only time will tell. Roll on January 2016!


source: Sony Playstation

Now drool over these screenshots!
SOTB_PS4_PreBeta_03Logo_1445975726

SOTB_PS4_PreBeta_02Logo_1445975721image source: “supplied”

 

Sponsored Video: Don’t Mess Up Christmas

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PS_TitleDear Family,

Thank you very much for all the socks and undies from Christmas’ past. My feet and bottom will be well covered for years to come.

I know it is the thought that counts when it comes to receiving gifts, but for this year, I thought I would make life a little easier and let you know what I wish for – It will save you from hunting those elusive elf printed socks in size 7-11.

My gift wishlist contains wondrous Sony PlayStation items that would bring lots of happiness, fun and entertainment. Not only can you play video games on the PS4, but you can also watch TV and surf the web! Heck, I’d even share the fun with you. The PS4 is truly family friendly.

Video gaming has come a long way since we all played Pong, but the essence remains the same – it brings families together in the spirit of fun. You guys remember how much fun we used to have turning the knobs and hitting a white square from one end of the screen to another? Well, the PS4 does this, but infinitely better. As the say, families that play together, stay together.

Just in case this message isn’t getting the point across, perhaps you should watch the video below. Look at how Shaun reflects on past Christmas gifts (sound familiar?) and then receives the gift he has always wanted. See his joy? That’s what I would like to experience this Christmas.

Loving you always,

Alex

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