Hey everyone, I’m John Garvin, creative director at Bend Studio. I’m excited to announce that Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow will be available for purchase on the PlayStation 2 on June 1!

Originally released on the PSP in 2007, we were very pleased that game critics and press recognized all the hard work the team put into the game, honoring it with some of the game industry’s most prestigious awards, including PSP Game of the Year from IGN: It was also #6 on IGN’s top 25 PSP games of all time.

Coming just a couple of years after our first PSP game, award winning Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror, our goal was to create another great chapter in the saga of Gabe Logan, blowing out both the game play and production values to create a state-of-the-art Syphon Filter experience. We got Azam Ali to write an amazing soundtrack, Syphon’s first theme song with lyrics and vocals. Azam’s haunting score is a large part of why this game is one of my personal favorites.

We got Greg Rucka to write the story: Greg’s written many novels and graphic novels, including two series of novels he wrote called Queen and Country and Atticus Kodiak. Greg liked the idea of playing with the notion of who Gabe’s “shadow” might be and he came up with the idea that Lian Xing, Gabe’s long-time partner, might have a past that’s catching up with her. Suddenly she disappears. Evidence piles up that she’s a double agent. I can’t say too much more without giving the plot away, but Greg brought a lot to the Syphon experience. You can read more about our collaboration here.

While the story, music and game play all translated perfectly to the PS2, we’ve made some important tweaks to the controller to please PS2 players. Taking advantage of the extra buttons on the DualShock 2, we’ve added a snap button to make getting in and out of cover easier; we’ve added “swing out and aim” to L1 to make fighting from combat more intuitive and of course, we’ve completely re-tuned the game for the extra analog stick. We’ve also up-rezed textures and effects to take advantage of the unique features of the PS2 hardware. So fans of the PSP game might want to re-experience Gabe’s adventure on the big screen with new controls, and those who have never played it have a treat in store for them.

Also, keep an eye out this summer for the first-ever Syphon Filter digital graphic novel.

Over 120 pages long, Syphon Filter: The Opposition Effect is a story that bridges Dark Mirror and Logan’s Shadow, explaining what happens between the two games: Gabe’s hatred of Ghassan al Bitar, his troubled background with Robert Cordell, and more of his history with the irrepressible Dane Bishop. You even find out what happened to Cobra, the neglected rookie agent who worked for Gabe in The Omega Strain. Be sure to look for it on the PlayStation Store this summer!

Calling all SingStar fans! We’ve got some great new content available on the SingStore this week.

For those of you who may have missed Coachella last week, we’re happy to announce that a ‘What’s Hot’ list is now up in the SingStore featuring tracks by artists that played the festival. Check out the full list below.

‘What’s Hot’ Coachella Festival Tracklist:

• Vampire Weekend, “A Punk”
• The Specials, “Ghost Town”
• Gossip, “Standing In The Way Of Control”
• Hot Chip, “Over And Over”
• Faith No More, “Easy”
• MGMT, “Electric Feel”
• Gary Numan, “Cars”
• Coheed and Cambria, “A Favor House Atlantic”
• Phoenix, “Everything Is Everything”
• Gorillaz, “Feel Good, Inc.”

In addition to the ‘What’s Hot’ list, seven new songs will be added to the SingStore this Thursday. Here’s a highlight of songs that will go live in this week’s update:

• Alice Cooper, “School’s Out”
• Coldplay, “Viva La Vida”
• Dido, “White Flag”
• Peggy Lee, “Fever”

Enjoy!

The Show is all about bringing all the big moments in baseball to life, and the pre-order program is something we are really excited about. Pre-order the PS3 version of MLB 10: The Show at any of these retailers — Amazon, Best Buy, Game Crazy or GameStop — and get a “6-Pack” of Classic Stadiums at no additional charge. These stadiums are some of the most famous in Major League Baseball history, so the team down in San Diego has spent a great deal of time making sure each stadium is to exact specifications. So when the game launches on March 2, punch in the voucher code on your PS3 and you’ll be able to play on the same fields as some of the all-time greats.

*Stadium Pack not available for PS2 or PSP systems. (follow the links to pre-order the PS2 or PSP versions)

Shibe Park – When it opened April 12, 1909 in Philadelphia, it became the first steel-and-concrete stadium in Major League Baseball history.

Forbes Field – Opened in 1909, it was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and was witness to a World Series-winning 9th inning homerun in 1960.

Polo Grounds – Opened in 1890, it was known for its extremely deep center field (483 ft) and unique bathtub shape. The “Shot Heard Around the World” homerun was hit here.

Crosley Field – Was a Major League ballpark located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the home field of the National League Cincinnati Reds from 1912 through June 24, 1970.

Sportsman’s Park – Was built in St. Louis in 1902. Left-handed power hitters loved hitting here, including a Hall of Famer who hit two epic homeruns on consecutive days, shattering the same window in the car dealership across the street twice!

Griffith Stadium – Stood in Washington, D.C. from 1911 to 1965. Not only was it was over 400 feet down the left field line, the outfield took an unusual right-angled jut into center field due to the unwillingness of nearby houses to sell to the ballclub during construction of the stadium.

Today, we’re pleased to announce the availability of SingStar Viewer, a great new SingStar application available later today on the PlayStation Store.

With SingStar Viewer, you can browse and purchase songs from the SingStore, as well as watch, rate and review uploaded video clips, photos and profiles in the MySingStarOnline community – all without having to load a SingStar disc in your PS3.

Anyone with a PSN account will be able to download SingStar Viewer for free from the PlayStation Store and see what’s going on in the SingStar community and SingStore. Once downloaded, SingStar Viewer will sit on your XMB under the ‘Games’ category for quick access to the online community. If you’re already a SingStar owner and member of MySingStarOnline, then you can purchase from SingStore, rate video clips and leave comments for other players and interact with the SingStar community.

If you’re new to SingStar on PS3, then you can browse the SingStore and view community videos etc. (just not rate / review them). Take a look at the video to see SingStar Viewer in action, courtesy of the PlayStation.Blog.Europe:

Baseball fans,

It may be December, but the MLB off season is beginning to heat up. Roy Halladay to the Phillies, Cliff Lee to Mariners, and John Lackey to the Red Sox has made for quite a week. However, I’m proud to report that the biggest news to come out during the current winter meetings is not from an All-Star hurler changing addresses, but from the industry’s #1 baseball franchise, MLB The Show. It is my pleasure to announce that the recently crowned 2009 American League Most Valuable Player and catcher for the Minnesota Twins, Joe Mauer will be the cover athlete for the latest installment of the series, MLB 10 The Show! We’re absolutely thrilled to partner with a player of Joe’s caliber— a true professional on and off the field. Just to give you all a sense of how good this guy is here are some credentials—2-time Gold Glove winner, 3-time Silver Slugger, 3-time American League batting champion, and now AL MVP…all before his 27th birthday. Put it another way, he is not only redefining the way the catcher position is played, he’s redefining what the complete ball player should be.

Here is the first look at Joe Mauer in the upcoming MLB 10 The Show:

For a rundown of new features in MLB 10, we have some required reading for you. Take a look at Jon Robinson’s first impressions of the game, hot off the press. Jon spent the day at our studio earlier this week to check in with the team and get an inside look at the development process for this year.

MLB 10 The Show is the first baseball game cover for Mauer, who will be following up a former AL MVP, Dustin Pedroia, who graced the cover last year. Slated for March 2010 (just in time for Spring Training) for PS3, PSP, PSPgo and PS2, The Show will once again push the limits of authenticity, dropping fans into the most true-to-life baseball experience coupled with incredible detail that won’t be found in any other game, including all the big moments that makes baseball America’s favorite pastime. This year fans can also expect some great new features including: Home Run Derby, Catcher Mode (play as the field general just like Joe Mauer), new pitching and fielding practice/training modes in Road to The Show, user controlled pick-offs, Movie Maker feature (make your own highlight reel), daytime transitional lighting, 11 new stadiums, improved online experience, and much more. We’ll be giving a deep dive on all of the new features very soon, so stay tuned for more news on The Show as we move closer to Opening Day!

Hi everyone,

I’d like to share with you some good news about today’s shiny new SingStar Holiday update to version 4.30.

Firstly, and most importantly, this update fixes the missing songs (although you will have to re-download those that are missing), problems with videos and other issues a number of you found with the previous version update. We want to thank all of you for being so patient while these problems were being fixed and tested thoroughly. Hopefully, once you’ve updated, you’ll find everything back to normal : )

Well, not quite normal actually. There are a number of cool new features also added in this holiday update for you to try out too!

Here’s a quick rundown:

SingStore:

• What’s Hot? – Now you can see Top 10s on the SingStore – our hottest content from current Top 10 downloads to top festive tunes.
• Quick Buy – Watching a media clip of someone singing a song you really like and want to add it to your collection? Now you can go and view it directly in the SingStore with the press of a button!
• SingStore On Demand – You can preview and purchase SingStore songs available directly from the Song Selection screen in the game. Just press the Square button and you can view the whole SingStore catalog while playing.
• Previously Purchased Content – If you’re in SingStore, you can instantly see which songs you’ve bought before.
• Download all purchased songs option – In the SingStore, you can now download all the tracks you’ve purchased before quickly and easily. Just go to ‘Purchase History’ and select from there.

My SingStar Online:

• My Favorite Media – This feature allows you to bookmark your favorite media clips in the community in your profile, so you can quickly watch them again and again.
• Clubs – You can transfer leadership of a club to another person.

Gameplay:

• Cartoon Interface – This gives child-friendly in-game feedback and end-of-song rankings.
• XMB User Player Profiles – When adding player names into your new game, you can now select from names stored on XMB (i.e. login profiles).

Phew, that’s it!

Last, but not least, congrats to the SingStar team as the franchise has now reached over 20 million copies sold worldwide!

Let me know your comments below on the update and more – I’ll answer what I can : )

In celebration of the recently released God of War Collection, and to show our continued support of true God of War fans, we’ve put together an incredible sweepstakes exclusively for the God of War Spartan Army. After all, it was the fans that convinced us to offer the God of War and God of War II experience in stunning HD on the PS3.

Now onto the prizes!

One Grand Prize: The Grand Prize winner will receive an autographed “Gold” disc (a first pressing of the game created when the assets were finalized and reached “Gold” status. These copies rarely reach the public.), exclusive artwork created and signed by a God of War team member, a Limited Edition Kratos T-shirt, and a never before released Limited Edition 10” Figurine!

Five First Place Prizes: A copy of God of War Collection signed by the Development Team

To enter the sweepstakes simply go to the ‘Sign Up’ page within www.godofwar.com and enter your email address and date of birth — that’s it! If you’re already a Spartan Army member, don’t worry, you’re already included in the sweepstakes. All we ask is that you’re over 18 and within the United States. Click here for sign up and rules on the sweepstakes.

Just be sure to enter it before December 11, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. We will announce the winners of the sweepstakes right here on the PlayStation Blog and www.godofwar.com on December 17, 2009!

Hey Everyone!

SingStar Latino launched today in Latin America for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2 and we’re pleased to announce that North American fans will also be able to join the fun this holiday with a standalone disc available for purchase exclusively at select GameStop locations across the U.S (full list of cities are included below) and online at www.gamestop.com.

Available at $39.99 for PS3 and $29.99 for PS2, SingStar Latino features 30 chart-topping tracks from today’s hottest Latin artists and legends including David Bisbal, Natalia Lafourcade, Jon Secada, La Oreja de Van Gogh, Paulina Rubio and Heroes del Silencio.

Just in time for the holidays, we’re also happy to introduce two new song packs coming to the SingStore this week. The ‘Festive Fun 2’ song pack features popular Christmas carols from legendary artists such as Nat King Cole, Doris Day and Johnny Mathis while the second song pack features popular tracks from Sir Paul McCartney and his band Wings. Both song packs are available for $6.99 and include the following tracks:

‘Festive Fun 2’ Song Pack:

• Slade – Merry Xmas Everybody
• Doris Day – Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
• Cliff Richard – Saviour’s Day
• Johnny Mathis – When A Child Is Born
• Nat King Cole – A Cradle in Bethlehem
• ‘Paul McCartney’ Song Pack:
• Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder – Ebony & Ivory
• Paul McCartney – Dance Tonight
• Wings –Mull Of Kintyre
• Wings – Band On The Run
• Paul McCartney –Pipes of Peace

In addition to the two new song packs, 16 new songs will be added to the SingStore. Included in the update are nine Christmas tracks from popular artists such as Toni Braxton, Babyface and Celine Dion.

Enjoy!

Katie Reid

In English

• Babyface – Sleigh Ride
• Celine Dion – Christmas Eve
• Cornershop – Brimful of Asha
• Dr Alban – It’s My Life
• Glasvegas – Please Come Back Home
• Natalie Bassingthwaighte – Someday Soon
• Natalie Bassingthwaighte – Alive
• Paul McCartney – Wonderful Christmastime
• Placebo – The Never-Ending Why
• Rogue Traders – I Never Liked You
• Shakin’ Stevens – Merry Christmas Everyone
• Superfamily – It’s A Lie
• Toni Braxton – Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
• Whimsical feat. Maria Mena – Everytime

In Spanish

• Aleks Syntek Con Ana Torroja – Duele El Amor
• Chayanne – Torero

GameStop Cities:

• Arizona
• Phoenix
• California:
• Fresno
• Los Angeles
• Modesto
• Oakland
• Sacramento
• San Diego
• San Francisco
• San Jose
• Stockton
• Visalia
• Colorado
• Denver
• Florida
• Daytona Beach
• Fort Lauderdale
• Melbourne
• Miami
• Orlando
• St. Petersburg
• Tampa
• Illinois
• Chicago
• New Mexico
• Albuquerque
• Santa Fe
• New York
• New York
• Texas
• Brownsville
• Dallas
• El Paso
• Fort Worth
• Harlingen
• Houston
• McAllen
• San Antonio
• Weslaco
• Pennsylvania
• Philadelphia
• Virginia
• Washington D.C., VA

November 26 will be a very special day for all of us here at Guerrilla. On that day, exactly five years ago, the very first Killzone title for PlayStation 2 hit the shelves in Europe. Sure, the game had already been released in the US three weeks prior, but hey…Guerrilla is based in the Netherlands. We commemorate the 26th because that’s the date that we were finally able to see the fruits of our labor in Dutch stores.

Of course, it would be a shame to leave this occasion unmarked –- and I’m not talking about the champagne and strange Dutch snacks we’ll undoubtedly be having at the studio. We also want to celebrate it with you, the fans. After all, the Killzone brand wouldn’t be where it is today without your support. So here’s what we have in store for you over the next few days:

Looking back at Killzone 1
Later this week on Killzone.com, Seb “Motherh” Downie and I are going to play through the first Killzone game for you. We’ll be commenting on our favorite sections and wallowing in beer-induced nostalgia.

Killzone 2 retro tournament
This weekend (November 27-30) Guerrilla will host a Killzone 2 retro tournament, using only the Beach Head and Southern Hills maps from the second DLC pack. And there’s more to be gained than valor alone, because…

Double XP Weekend returns
…the tournament will take place during a Double XP Weekend! Just like last time, any game created in the weekend of November 27-30 will yield extra XP to help you boost your ranking.

Killzone 1 and 2 side-by-side
Finally, Killzone.com editor Victor Zuylen will compare various features of Killzone 2 with its predecessor next week, illustrating exactly how far we’ve come since the first Killzone game was released.

And starting today, Killzone 2 DLC goes on sale on the PlayStation Store — Flash & Thunder is now $2.99 and the Map Pack Bundle is down to $9.99 — until December 10. I hope you’ll join us in celebrating the fifth anniversary of Killzone! In the meantime, I’m going to put on my Top Hits of 2004 album and try to remember how I partied five years ago. Eric out.

God of War fans,

Kratos has finally come to the PS3! Just in time for the holidays, fans can now enjoy the award-winning God of War and God of War II in stunning HD. To give you a refresher on specifics, God of War Collection includes both critically acclaimed games remastered in full HD resolution complete with 2X anti-aliased graphics running at 60 frames per second — all on a single Blu-ray disc. And if this ultra smooth gameplay wasn’t enough, we’ve also added PlayStation Network (PSN) trophy support to the franchise for the first time (included for both games).

Our team did an exceptional job supporting the release of God of War Collection while at the same time tending their work on God of War III. It’s inspirational for us to see the critical acclaim and the overall positive reception we’re receiving for this package. We take pride in everything we do and it’s cool to see that our fans appreciate the effort. An Olympic-sized thank you goes out to the entire Santa Monica Studio, as well as Bluepoint Games, for this momentous accomplishment. With the God of War III launch getting closer everyday, we’re hoping the God of War Collection will get you fired up to reconnect with Kratos!

Here’s another look at our trailer, as well as some of the reviews that have hit so far. In the end there will be only chaos!

God of War Collection Reviews

• IGN
• 1UP
• GamePro
• Examiner
• PlaystationLifestyle