PLAYSTATION NEWS AND REVIEWS
February 9th, 2010

Win a Penny Arcade T-Shirt with White Knight Chronicles!

Soooo, White Knight Chronicles International Edition is officially out! Hopefully you’re enjoying your copy right now. To celebrate its release, we’d like give you some swag…provided you answer a few questions for us, first.

White Knight Chronicles

Yep, I think those are good enough reasons to participate! The first 10 US Residents (yes, we know) to email ALL the correct answers to the 10 questions here will win a Penny Arcade-designed T-Shirt! Winners will be notified via email and sent their prizes in the coming weeks. E-mail your correct answers with your name, date of birth, and mailing address to whiteknightchroniclesquiz@gmail.com. One entry per person and e-mail address each day of the sweepstakes. See official rules below.

Aaaaaaaaand, go:

  1. What is THE place for adventurers to gather in White Knight Chronicles International Edition?
  2. With a combo, you can unleash a powerful series of attacks using __________
  3. True/False – In WKC, you can also go to other online towns and buy other player’s merchandise even when they are offline.
  4. Once you’re done with your character customization, you’ll enter the land of ____________
  5. For the skills, how many different ‘pillars of strength’ are there?
  6. True/False – You can’t take your created character online.
  7. You will join a _____ that offers quests that you can complete by yourself or with up to ___ other people online.
  8. Attacking while transformed into the White Knight uses your character’s ______.
  9. True/False – White Knight Chronicles International Edition supports Voice Chat.
  10. The ________ system now gives you the ability to build your own town, that can also be used as a _______ from which you launch your online quests.
  11. White Knight Chronicles T-Shirt SWEEPSTAKES – OFFICIAL RULES

    1. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. To enter, watch the White Knight Chronicles videos located at http://www.us.playstation.com/PS3/Games/White_Knight_Chronicles. Correctly answer the ten (10) White Knight Chronicles questions posted to the PlayStation Blog http://blog.us.playstation.com/2010/02/white-knight-chronicles-sweepstakes/ on February 09, 2010. E-mail your correct answers with your Name, Date of Birth, and Mailing Address to whiteknightchroniclesquiz@gmail.com. The first ten (10) correct submissions received by Sponsor will be selected as the winners. One entry per person and e-mail address each day of the sweepstakes. Subsequent entries will be disqualified. Entries must be received by 12:00pm (PST) February 16, 2010. Sony Computer Entertainment America (the “Sponsor”) is not responsible for lost, late, mutilated, illegible, incomplete or misdirected entries. Sponsor is not responsible for technical, hardware or software failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions which may limit an entrants ability to participate in the contest. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel or suspend this sweepstakes should virus, bugs or other causes corrupt the administration, security or proper play of this sweepstakes. Entries not satisfying these Official Rules will be automatically disqualified.

    2. PRIZES: White Knight Chronicles T-Shirt (approximate retail value $20) Sponsor reserves the right to substitute prize of equal or greater value if prize is unavailable. Prizes are non-transferable and no substitutions allowed.

    3. WINNER(S): Winners will be determined by selecting the first ten (10) e-mail submissions received by Sponsor who correctly answer the ten (10) trivia questions. Drawing will be held each day of the Sweepstakes. Winners shall be notified by mail. Please allow four to six weeks for delivery of prizes.

    4. ODDS OF WINNING: The odds of winning depend on number of valid entries received.

    5. ELIGIBILITY: Promotion open to residents of United States who are 13 years of age or older only. Return of any prize/prize notification as undeliverable will result in disqualification and an alternate winner will be selected. Winner may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility/release of liability/prize acceptance within 14 days of receipt or forfeit prize. If the winner is a minor, then prize may be awarded to winner’s parent or legal guardian. By acceptance of prize, winner agrees to the use of their name and/or likeness for purposes of advertising, trade, or promotion without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. Employees of the Sponsor and its parent and affiliated companies and their families are not eligible. Neither the Sponsor nor its affiliates, subsidiaries, division or related companies are responsible for any damages, taxes, or expenses that winners might incur as a result of this sweepstakes or receipt of prize.

    6. WINNER’S NAME: To obtain a list of winners send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: White Knight Chronicles T-Shirt Sweepstakes Winners List, c/o SCEA, 919 E Hillsdale Blvd, Foster City, CA 94404. Winner’s list requests will be fulfilled within four weeks after all prizes have been awarded. Requests for winner’s list must be received by February 26, 2010.

    7. RESTRICTIONS: Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

    8. SPONSOR(S): Sony Computer Entertainment America, Foster City, CA

February 2nd, 2010

White Knight Chronicles Ships Today!

You’d think this day couldn’t come soon enough, and here it is! Today, White Knight Chronicles is officially shipping in the US and we’d like to mark this occasion with a brand new launch trailer:

We’d also like to update you on a few things White Knight Chronicles as you begin your brand new adventures!

  1. Many of you have had questions about clarifying micro-transactions in White Knight Chronicles. The Georama will have parts that you can create and parts that you can choose to purchase using micro-transactions to further enhance your space. These are by no means mandatory purchases, as there is PLENTY for you to work with in the game itself, but an option for those of you looking to take your Georama spaces even further.
  2. For those of you who are going to be investing significant time in your characters, there will be an option to remake them without having to start the game over by purchasing a special key through the PlayStation Store for only $4.99. This will allow you to redesign your avatar at any point and keep all that hard work you’ve put in intact. This feature will go live this Thursday on the PlayStation Store.

And that’s about it! We hope to see you online and are looking forward to seeing what you put together in the Georama!

January 28th, 2010

More White Knight Chronicles Goodness + Character Creation Video

We’re less than a week from the US release of White Knight Chronicles International Edition on February 2 and wanted to provide all of you with some updates on some of the great stuff we’ve got coming out in the next month to celebrate the game launch!

First off, we’re happy to announce that we’ll be releasing the first of several White Knight Chronicles Dynamic Themes next Thursday, February 4, on the PlayStation Store.

White Knight Chronicles 4

As many of you saw in our one-on-one with Tsubasa Inaba, White Knight Chronicles International Edition will be supporting Trophy and Home integration. As you play, through White Knight Chronicles, you’ll unlock a certain trophy that will grant you some pretty sweet stuff in Home. This particular trophy will grant you a White Knight costume, Which one is it? Pick up the Brady Guide to find out. Also, just for having your Save Data on your system, you’ll be able to unlock a Home figurine!

White Knight Chronicles Home items

Oh there’s more! Coming this February 25, LittleBigPlanet fans will be able to pick up their very own White Knight Chronicles Costume & Sticker Pack! Now you too, will be able to Play, Create and Share using character skins for White Knight Chronicles! You’ll be able to choose from Leonard, the White Knight, the Black Knight and the Dragon Knight.

LittleBigPlanet White Knight Chronicles costumes

Also, we’d like to let you know a bit more about the In Game Commerce featured in White Knight Chronicles. Those of you interested in getting ahead quickly in the Georama will have access to an Online Workshop. This is the place to purchase unique Georama parts you cannot otherwise create. These parts can then be used to upgrade your space even further!

And our last video on White Knight Chronicles’ character creation is available over at IGN (and here below). Take a look and learn more about how your avatar plays a role in the single player and online quests!

January 20th, 2010

NBA Comes into PlayStation Home + NFL Player Jerseys, Paris Clock Tower Personal Space and More!

If you’re like me then you are literally counting down the days until Super Bowl XLIV and wringing your hands in anticipation of the 59th Annual NBA All-Star Game. You’re a hardcore sports fan that spends all of his or her spare time either sitting in front of the tube watching the game or (better yet) sitting behind your DualShock controller and playing the game. And the only thing better than being at home with an ice-cold beverage cracked, watching your favorite team with old friends is being IN PlayStation Home finding new friends to launch into Madden NFL 10 or NBA Live 10. And that, my fellow ballers and leatherheads, is why PlayStation Home is THE place to be this week.

Continuing to come strong with the sports content, EA is bringing a boatload of football and basketball items to the PlayStation Home community this Thursday, January 21. From NFL jerseys that sport (pun intended) the names of some of the league’s best players – from Romo to Manning to Bush – to NBA jerseys emblazoned with the logos of your favorite teams, we have something for every sports fanatic this week (that is, unless you are a fan of curling or solo synchronized swimming.) Head to the EA SPORTS Complex or the PlayStation Home Mall come this Thursday and stock up on these hot items before Super Bowl fever lays you out or you get benched for throwing elbows on the court.

Home JerseyManning Male Home JerseyFarve

Home Female LosAngelesJersey Home Male ClevelandJersey

In other news, we’ll be releasing what is easily one of the coolest personal spaces ever to launch in PlayStation Home – the Paris Clock Tower. This unique apartment, overlooking the bustling Parisian streets, is a marvel of urban living, unrivaled in terms of luxury and highly-customizable so as to suit various tastes. Choose from a variety of furniture and clothing options, bundled together at an absolutely killer deal, and put your personal touch on the Clock Tower personal space. But first, check out the screens for a peek at what this awesome new space has to offer.

Home Paris 1

Home Paris 2

This week’s PlayStation Home publish is heavy on sweet new reward items, with White Knight Chronicles and PixelJunk Shooter rewards now unlocking in PlayStation Home after in-game performance milestones are reached, and a free Star Ocean t-shirt unlocking for users that visit the PlayStation Home Theater and watch the special video contained therein. Check the pics below for a taste of what’s in store for you this week.

Home Female White Knight Chronicles 1 Home Male Star Ocean T-Shirt

Finally, those of you who grabbed the Waterfall Terrace will be thrilled to find that a ton of new furniture items are being released to complement this wildly-popular personal space. You can grab these Waterfall Terrace-themed items (and many more) in the Furniture and Estates stores in the PlayStation Home Mall. For a list of all the new content (and, in the case of virtual items, their locations), be sure to check the Latest Updates tab when in-world. You can access this tab by pressing Start to open your Menu Pad > Community > Latest Updates.

See you in Home!

January 19th, 2010

White Knight Chronicles: Why You’ll Want to Play Online

We’ve been talking about White Knight Chronicles for so long, that it’s actually a bit hard for me to believe that it’s only 2 weeks from hitting stores. But [checks calendar], that is indeed the case! A few days ago, we held a media event in San Francisco to allow reporters hands-on time with the online portion of the game in a team setting. You can find impressions here, here, here, and many other places as well.

I also sat down with US Producer Tsubasa Inaba to talk ask how robust the online feature set is with White Knight Chronicles.

I can’t think of another RPG whose online modes (if they even exist!) are so intertwined with the solo campaign, and so I can personally see myself investing a lot of time there in just two weeks. Also, we hope you’ve been enjoying the tutorial videos – a third one (featuring a dissection of the character creation options) will be debuting soon.

January 15th, 2010

White Knight Chronicles International Edition Online Tutorial

Happy Friday, everyone!

So we’re less than three weeks away from the release of White Knight Chronicles International Edition on February 2! The folks over at IGN just put up our latest video outlining the online experience and covering its various features including the GeoNet and Georama!

The talented team at Level-5 has done a fantastic job of integrating the offline and online experiences, so be sure to check out the latest video below for more info.

Want to know more? Check out IGN’s impressions here. Keep an eye out for more as we get closer to launch!

December 23rd, 2009

White Knight Chronicles International Edition: The Battle System

Hey Everyone!

We know we’ve been talking about this game for what seems like an eternity, but we’re finally just a few weeks away from the North American release of White Knight Chronicles International Edition! We know many of you out there have been clamoring for a unique and exclusive RPG experience on the PlayStation 3 and it’s finally coming this February 2nd, 2010.

We also know there have been tons of questions about the combat system, the Georama and customization in White Knight Chronicles. To answer a lot of those questions, we’ve developed a series of videos that we’ll be releasing through IGN to help you get a deeper look into everything this fantastic RPG from Level-5 has to offer!

In case you missed the first one, here it is:

Keep an eye out on IGN in the coming weeks as they release the rest of this video series as we approach our launch on February 2nd, 2010.

Happy Holidays!

December 4th, 2009

White Knight Chronicles International Edition Coming to PS3 February 2, 2010

So we know there are a bunch of people out there who are going to be getting a PlayStation 3 this holiday (or already opened theirs). Many new owners are probably going to ask us what we have to offer, and as many of you know, there’s plenty!

Level-5 and SCEA would like to add to that list of fantastic titles by announcing the North American release of White Knight Chronicles International Edition February 2, 2010.

White Knight Chronicles International Edition Packfront

The International Edition not only includes the fully localized copy of White Knight Chronicles, but it also comes with the following additional features and content:

  • Over 50 disc-based online quests. You can complete these quests solo, or cooperatively with up to three other players to gain extra gear and experience. (That’s just on the disc. Wait until you hear what else we’ll have at launch!)
  • Voice Chat. Need we say more? =)
  • The Georama. Build an online village for your character where you can invite friends to complete quests online and purchase unique items and gear.
  • Live Talk. Leonard and his companions will have side conversations during gameplay, adding a little more character to your travels through the world of White Knight Chronicles.

We hope you’re as excited as we are about this upcoming release! Be sure to check out this month’s coverage in Qore and keep an eye out for even more information on this incredible RPG in the coming weeks!

December 2nd, 2009

Qore Episode 19 – Featuring Dark Void, White Knight Chronicles, The Saboteur and ILM

The December Episode of Qore features no fear of heights, a fearsome knight, fighting Nazis at night, and part two of our visit with Industrial Light…and Magic.

What do aliens, Nikola Tesla and the Bermuda Triangle have in common? They’re all tied together in Capcom’s Dark Void. We’ve got an in-depth preview of the story, weapons, and world of this vertigo-inducing game that literally takes the third-person shooter to new heights!

From Japan, the land of the RPG, comes the latest epic title from Dark Cloud developer Level-5 Inc., White Knight Chronicles. Qore examines the combat system, storyline and online components that are sure to impress when the game hits the US early next year.

The story of an Irish racecar driver who gets caught up in the resistance movement in Nazi-occupied Paris sounds unbelievable, but EA’s The Saboteur is based upon a historical figure. Veronica Belmont talks with the developer about the havoc you’ll be able to wreak as you take on the German forces behind enemy lines.

Last month, we visited Industrial Light & Magic’s Presidio campus to see their movie making magic firsthand. In part two of this feature, Audrey Cleo gets to demo some very cool digital cinema technology that’s produced some of the most eye-popping special effects of 2009.

We hope you enjoyed our coverage of ModNation Racers in November’s Episode 18, because now it’s your turn to drive! Every current Qore subscriber on or before December 15 will receive a voucher code to access the ModNation Racers Beta Test. The voucher will be sent to the e-mail address tied to your PSN ID. Check the ModNation Racers website for the official Beta Test start time. Enjoy!

This episode also includes an exclusive White Knight Chronicles PS3 theme to go along with this month’s lead feature, and another theme based on a classic PS2 title, The Mark of Kri, for subscribers as well as single-episode purchasers. So check out this episode’s download center.

Look for Episode 19 tomorrow.

May 28th, 2009

White Knight Chronicles: Watch the E3 Trailer Now!

Level-5, the critically-acclaimed developer of the Dark Cloud series and Rogue Galaxy, brings an unparalleled role-playing game experience with the introduction of White Knight Chronicles for the PLAYSTATION 3.

The first true online-enabled RPG on the PS3, White Knight Chronicles provides fans with visually stunning backdrops, a unique active turn-based battle system, and robust online gameplay rooted in an unforgettable adventure.

Today, we are excited to bring to you a sneak peek of our E3 trailer.

What is the story behind the transformation into the White Knight?
Is it as simple as it sounds?
Are you ready for an adventure?

Keep an eye out for additional White Knight Chronicles coverage at this year’s E3!