With the release of SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3 right around the corner, we’ve got a series of exclusive developer video diaries we’d like to share with you all. The first video in the series, which debuted on GameTrailers last Tuesday, takes a look at the overall storyline and discusses how the team created the game with authenticity in mind. Check out the first developer diary with Slant Six below:

A new developer diary will be posted on GameTrailers later this week, so be sure to check it out!

International Top Model Anja Rubik leads you through the game and gives you valuable hints and tips which help you discover the world of Yoga. Yoga for the Wii brings this new lifestyle—trend into your living room! It’s so easy.

• Perform a multitude of Yoga poses and get immediate feedback through the Balance Board and/or the Wii Remote.
• Follow specially targeted training schedules or get to know the Yoga philosophy with a stroll through the temple.
• Practice in four beautiful levels each with an amazing variety of exercises in varying difficulties.

Release Date:Mon, 30 Nov 2009

A unique puzzle adventure game, Safecracker is set in an extravagant mansion. You are hired by the wealthy family of a recently deceased billionaire to search for the last will and testament of their late relative, Duncan Walter Adams, who was "eccentric" to say the least. He has hidden the deed to his riches in one of the safes scattered in his magnificent mansion. The deceased billionaire also happened to be an avid safe collector and you have been hired to crack all 35 of them! The stakes are high and the clues are scarce. You will need your experience, wits, deductive reasoning and puzzle solving skills to earn your pay check.

Release Date:Mon, 30 Nov 2009

Hi everyone. I hope you’re all well recovered from a tryptophan-induced holiday and are getting ready for some exciting shopping ahead (this is of course, if you haven’t already taken advantage of our great Black Friday promotions).

It’s been a lot of fun rolling out the many creative executions of our “Dear PlayStation” ad campaign over the last few weeks. Kevin Butler has garnered legions of fans as he demonstrates how the PS3 “Only Does Everything” in his very unique style. In fact, even our friends and partners at Best Buy have been impressed. So much so, they approached us about a unique collaboration featuring Best Buy’s “blue shirt” campaign in which actual Best Buy employees solve customer needs. Of course, we loved the idea.

Our colleagues at Sony Electronics and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment also got involved with Best Buy to sweeten the deal by offering an amazing value bundle that showcases the true powerhouse Sony is when it comes to HD entertainment. The bundle combines a PlayStation 3, a Bravia HDTV, and a choice of a new game and Blu-ray movie – all with a total savings of up to $1100! The promotion runs from November 29th until December 12th across Best Buy stores nationwide and online at BestBuy.com. There are some limitations, so read more on the bundle here: BestBuy.com/SonyTVPS3.

If you or a friend is in the market for a true 1080p HD experience, you need to check this deal out. You can also thank Kevin and Best Buy’s Kevin DeVita of New York for one-upping each other to create an “explosive” bundle and a great commercial.

I’d like to thank our sister companies and particularly our partners at Best Buy for helping make this happen. I hope many of you can take advantage of this opportunity to deck your living room with the ultimate HD entertainment experience.

Cheers,
Peter

I’m going to kick this off by introducing myself to all of you since I’m a relatively new addition to the PlayStation team. I’m Tim Bender the new head of sales at SCEA and I’m thrilled to be joining the company at such an exciting time and even more excited to be sharing with you some of the enticing deals we’ve got planned this Friday.

While recent sales momentum is proving that PS3 on its own is a deal many of you could not pass up, we’ve been working hard with our retail partners to offer incomparable incentives and value options this holiday. This Friday, across many of your favorite local retailers, you’ll be able to find the new 120GB PS3 system packaged with a selection of this season’s hottest games, and in some cases, the latest Blu-ray movie releases.

Keep in mind, the deals listed below are just the tip of the iceberg. Make sure to look in your Thursday papers to find other great deals from local favorites like Fry’s, Hastings Entertainment, Nebraska Furniture Mart, Game Crazy, hhgregg, BrandsMart, Meijer and Shopko.

• Amazon: 120GB PS3 system inFAMOUS and Killzone 2 for $299 and $10 Amazon promotional credit

  

• Best Buy: 120GB PS3 system with LittleBigPlanet: Game of the Year and Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time $299

  

• GameStop: 120GB PS3 system with God of War Collection (1 & 2) and LittleBigPlanet: Game of the Year $299

  

• Sony Style: 120GB PS3 system with UNCHARTED: Drake’s Fortune and inFAMOUS $299

  

• Walmart: 120GB PS3 system with inFAMOUS and Batman Arkham Asylum, plus the Dark Knight Blu-ray Disc Movie $299

  

Last year Jeff invited you to update the group on additional deals you found throughout the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. We invite you to do the same again this year; we’ll be leaving this post front and center through Saturday. If you find something good – share with the group!

I hope we’ve packed some good deals in that’ll make it worth leaving the confines of your home to brave the elements—and parking lots.

Happy shopping and Turkey day,

Tim Bender

Hello Everyone!

This is Doanna Neville, Desiree Ong, and Nathan Bryan – Team Cable Car Rush from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. We are very excited and happy to have taken part in the crazy intense LittleBigPlanet 24-Hour PSP Game Jam! It was an awesome experience with some nerve-wrecking moments, but I think we all agree that it was immensely fun!

A day before the competition, we took a trip to the Powell Street cable car route to collect references, inspiration and to brainstorm ideas for the layout and gameplay of the level. When the day arrived, we had a very loose concept of what we wanted to do. We heard that the tool set was going to be very similar to the PS3 version but we wanted to see what the PSP version could do.

As it turns out, we were blown away with how much it could do! The slight learning curve we had to deal with initially was easily overcome despite the fact that collectively, we only had a couple of days of development experience on the PS3 version. We found the user interface really easy to use. This didn’t stop us from accidentally gluing the cable car to the ground or the background elements occasionally. Hurrah for the “Undo” function!

After a short briefing from the organizers and a brief consultation with David Dino, we were off!

Some of the challenges we faced include having to juggle work and classes, getting used to the tool set and simply staying awake. The most difficult aspect of design was deciding on gameplay that would best showcase this San Francisco moving landmark as well as making it a fun level given the limited time we had.

We stocked up on food and and stayed up in a war-room-like set up with large rolls of paper, markers and bedding scatted about the room. Caffeine was our friend. While one of us was learning the tool set, the blueprint of the level was developed in the form of mad scribbles, sketches and notes that we kept in front of us while we built the game level. Because only one person could develop on the PSP, the rest of us either took turns designing on paper or snatching a couple of hours of sleep. We didn’t really divide up the tasks. Whoever had the hot seat on the PSP followed the plan on paper, and really had difficulty letting go when the time came to pass it on!

We tried to include all the iconic landmarks along the cable car route and little quirks of the city that locals are familiar with. The original plan involved a series of triggered events along a storyline that was wrapped around each cable car stop, and color tagging each neighborhood with a distinctive color scheme. We even had plans to incorporate some of the themes from the other groups, an underground sewer area and an opportunity for Sackboy to fly on a jetpack. All that went out the window when we only managed a REALLY basic layout of the level by 1 AM in the morning!

We spent a fair bit of time experimenting on different materials and designs for the cable car. We originally intended the cable car to run on tracks that kept it on the ground in a roller-coaster like fashion. But when we saw how the first “cardboard” prototype of the cable car tumbled down the slopes, often coming to a satisfying landing when it righted itself, we decided to just roll with it and changed the materials such that the cable car had a better chance of righting itself every time it tumbled. The cable car has ‘rubber’ wheels, a ‘metal’ base, ‘wooden frame’ and a ’sponge’ top! This turned out to be a pretty fun mechanic, especially in a race situation.

The portability of the PSP allowed us to work on the go, while we traveled on the bus, even until the 11th hour. The music and the sound of the cable car ringing at every stop was inserted just 20 minutes before we made our submission!

In the end, although we were happy with the how it turned out, we wished there was more time to build up the environment in line with the vision. Being art students and all, it is hard to let that go!

In the aftermath of the Game Jam, we each walked away beaming with a shiny new PSPgo in hand and a copy of LittleBigPlanet PSP to mess around with. Woohoo!

Many thanks to AAU School of Game Design and Sony for giving us the opportunity to develop with the pre-release version of LBP on the PSP! It sure was a crazy wild ride (pun intended) and an experience to remember!

We hope everyone will enjoy the level and go out and grab a copy of this crazy fun game! If you have even an ounce of creativity in you, you’ll find the game really addictive and hard to put down! Oh, and remember to save often…

Peace out!

“Hey PlayStation Blog, it’s me Andrew Plempel!”

“I’m the producer for Diner Dash on the PlayStation Network.”

(Single clap, a cough, possibly someone farting)

“Oh come on, man.”

Seriously though, thanks for letting me take some of your time to talk about Diner Dash. For the uninitiated, Diner Dash was originally a PC game release in the early 2000’s. Remember that time? People were into Napster; oh the world was so naïve. Ahem, sorry this old man does tend to ramble on a bit. Anywhoozers, Diner Dash followed the story of Flo, an office worker who was just gosh darn tired of working on spreadsheets and TPS reports that she quit. While wandering the streets, deciding what to do next, Flo stumbles upon a diner for sale. [Warning: spoiler alert. Just kidding] A light bulb flashes in her head and she decides to buy the diner, and become her own boss! OK, this is where you guys step in.

With your help, you and Flo will manage the daily crowds of customers who need to be seated, fed and billed throughout each shift. The better you do at managing their happiness the more cash you will rake in and the better your diner will improve as you build of Flo’s franchise from one to four diners!

Ok, so you got the same career mode as in the PC version, I get it you want more, right? I would. Let me tell you; this ain’t your grandmother’s Diner Dash. We’ve worked really hard to give the game a facelift as well as add a whole slew of new features so you can serve up some new excitement with the PSN version of Diner Dash.

First things first: why play alone when you can play with friends, enemies and frenemies, right? Of course you do, I knew you were a smart bunch. For the first time on a console, Diner Dash will support local and online multiplayer! We’ve got Co-op and Competitive modes, as well as Head to Head and team matches. Let me break it down for you even more:

Game Types:

• Co-op: Work together with another player local or online to earn as much money as possible.
• Head to Head: this mode is pretty self explanatory – a simple 1v1 match with two players in one diner.
• Team Dash: This is probably the shining gem in our multiplayer feature set. Two players team up in a diner to compete against other teams in other diners. We are supporting up to 4 teams (8 players). So you can imagine the hectic game play as you rush around racing for the highest score possible.

Whew, that’s a lot to digest! I know there are some loose ends in this post, but don’t worry, I got itchy typing fingers so keep a lookout for more to come! In the mean time, get the game today in the PlayStation Store!

Mark your calendars – this Thursday, November 26th, the next phase of the wildly popular Red Bull Island will be released in PlayStation Home. To complement the existing Red Bull Air Race World Championship mini-game, Red Bull will unleash two brand new spaces that will appeal to sports fans and beach bunnies alike. The first, an exhibition of action and adventure sports photographs from Red Bull Illume. The winning photograph from each of the competition’s ten categories is displayed on large illuminate cubes, imitating the real-life exhibit. The second is a Red Bull Flugtag mini-game where users can compete against one another by launching one of five wild flying machines off of a 30-foot high deck in hopes of achieving flight. Think: The Wright Brothers… or that time you and your genius buddies decided to pile into your wagon and take a ride off the roof. He who flies the farthest wins the high spot on the space’s leaderboard. And he that visits these new spaces (and the Theater) to learn more about the art of Red Bull Flugtag during opening week may just win a PSPgo or Rock Band PSP3000 bundle. Want to learn more? Sure you do!

Starting Monday, November 30th at 6:00pm PT (9:00pm EST), behind the scenes videos of the real-life Red Bull Flugtag events will be placed in the PlayStation Home 10-Screen Theater, along with various trivia questions. The first 5 users that email HomeContests@playstation.sony.com with the correct answers will win the aforementioned PSPgo or Rock Band PSP3000 bundles. Check out the official rules and regulations appended to this post for more details.

The Red Bull Flugtag event isn’t the only event going on in PlayStation Home this Thanksgiving week (and no, we’re not talking about chasing turkeys around Central Plaza – that would be preposterous!) EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 4 producers Mike Mahar and Brian Hayes will be in-world this Wednesday, November 25th, between the hours of 4:00pm and 5:00pm PT (7:00pm and 8:00pm EST), for a live chat with you, the PlayStation Home community. The focus of this chat will be on the next title update and all-new Fight Night downloadable content, to be released this December. Rabid boxing fans will not want to miss out on this unique opportunity to get the scoop from the men behind one of the biggest boxing titles of all time. Mahar and Hayes will be in one instance of the EA SPORTS Club Fight Night game space, so be sure to add the host PSN ID that will be announced in Wednesday’s Message of the Day if you want to participate. At the time of the event, simply use the “Go To” feature to travel to the event instance (you can find the “Go To” option in your Menu Pad; simply select the Friends List and the name of the host account).

We have a real treat in store for all of you music fans. Come Thursday, vignettes from Kyocera’s All Access documentary of the Virgin Mobile Freefest will be airing in the PlayStation Home 10-Screen Theater. This behind-the-scenes rock documentary was created by 14 high school and college students and features exclusive footage of some of the hottest acts of our time including Weezer, Franz Ferdinand, Public Enemy, Blink-182, Taking Back Sunday and more! Come backstage and witness how one of the summer’s most anticipated concert events came to be.

Last, but certainly not least, those full Ezio costumes that you all have been chomping at the bit for will appear in the PlayStation Home Mall this week. Be sure to pick these costumes up and show the world how much of an Assassin’s Creed fanboy/fangirl you are.

RED BULL FLUGTAG CONTEST – OFFICIAL RULES

1. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void outside the 50 United States and D.C. and where prohibited. The following promotion is intended for viewing in the 50 United States and D.C. only and shall only be construed and evaluated according to United States law. Do not proceed in this site if you are not a legal resident of, and located in, the 50 United States or D.C. and are at least 13 years of age at the time of entry. To enter, you must have a PlayStation®3 system, a valid PlayStation®Network account, internet access and a copy of PlayStation®HOME installed on your system. Contest begins November 30, 2009 at 6:00pm PST and ends December 1, 2009 12:00 midnight PST.

*Log into your PlayStation Network account and launch PlayStation HOME application

*Make your way to the Theater Space of HOME to view a list of trivia questions

*Watch the Red Bull videos as well as explore the two (2) Red Bull HOME Spaces to find the answers to the trivia questions

*There are 10 questions ranging in difficulty

*Send an e-mail to HomeContests@playstation.sony.com with the subject line “REDBULL” with your answers, your PSN ID, Name and
mailing address.

*The first 5 e-mails received by Sponsor with the correct answers will be selected as the winners.

*First qualifying e-mail submission will be the Grand Prize winner. Subsequent qualifying e-mail submissions will be deemed 1st through 4th place winners.

To be valid, entries must be received no later than December 1, 2009 12:00 midnight PST. Limit one entry per person and e-mail address. Subsequent entries will be disqualified. Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc (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: Grand Prize: One (1) Grand Prize Winner will receive a PSP®go system. First Place: One (1) first place prize winner will receive a Rock Band PSP®3000 bundle. Second Place: One (1) second place prize winner will receive a Rock Band PSP®3000 bundle. Third Place: One (1) third place prize winner will receive a Rock Band PSP®3000 bundle. Fourth Place: One (1) fourth place prize winner will receive a Rock Band PSP®3000 bundle. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute prize of equal value if prize is unavailable. Prizes are non-transferable and no substitutions allowed.

3. WINNERS: Grand Prize Winner will be determined by selecting the first qualifying e-mail submission received by Sponsor. Second qualifying entry will be selected as First Place, third qualifying entry will be selected as Second Place, fourth qualifying entry will be selected as Third Place and fifth qualifying entry will be selected as Fourth Place winners. Selection will be held on or about December 2, 2009. Winners will be notified by mail and/or telephone. Please allow four to six weeks for receipt of prizes.

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

5. ELIGIBILITY: Open to legal U.S. residents only aged 13 or older. Return of any prize/prize notification as undeliverable will result in disqualification and an alternate winner will be selected. Prize winners may be required to sign an Affidavit of Eligibility and Release within fourteen (14) days of prize notification. If the prize winner is a minor, then prize will be awarded to winner’s parent or legal guardian. By acceptance of prize, winners agree to the use of their name and/or likenesses for purposes of advertising, trade, or promotion without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. Additionally, by acceptance of prize, prize winners agree to release Sponsor, its parents, subsidiaries and affiliates from any and all liability, claims or actions of any kind whatsoever for injuries, damages or losses to persons and property which may be sustained in connection with the receipt, ownership or use of the prize or while preparing for, participating, and /or traveling to any prize-related activity. Employees of the Sponsor and its parent, subsidiaries and affiliated companies and their immediate families are not eligible to participate in this sweepstakes. Neither the Sponsors nor its affiliates, subsidiaries, division or related companies are responsible for any damages, taxes, or expenses that winners might incur as result of this sweepstakes or receipt of prize.

6. WINNER LIST: To obtain names of winners, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Red Bull Flugtag Contest, 919 E. Hillsdale Blvd. 2nd Floor Foster City, CA 94404. Prize winners’ name request will be fulfilled within four weeks. Requests for winner list must be received by January 15, 2010.

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

8. SPONSOR: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc, Foster City, CA 94404

Fighting Fantasy is an elaborate role-playing game based on the legendary book series by Ian Livingston and Steve Jackson. The Game puts the player on a path of vengeance where they will brave the treacherous Firetop Mountain keep-the scene of the first adventure in the book series-on the way to a final confrontation with the evil warlock Zagor.

• Choose from a variety of weapons and armor pieces as you crush skulls and stab enemies.
• Learn powerful spells that will protect your character in combat or cause serious damage to enemies.
• Enjoy in-depth NPC interaction; speak with characters to find information you need to move forward in your quests, learn new skills, trade and more.
• Fight an impressive diversity of monsters as they attack with fireballs, axes, poison, spells and more.

Release Date:Wed, 25 Nov 2009

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!