Well, here’s one more reason: The Starhawk Limited Edition!

Starting today, anyone who pre-orders Starhawk at GameStop will automatically upgrade to the Limited Edition version of the game. This version comes with over $20 worth of bonus content, including two DLC packs that contain new maps and multiplayer skins, plus sweet extras like the soundtrack and a PSN download of original Warhawk from PSone. We are confident Starhawk will be one of the best PS3 experiences you’ve ever had, so we hope this gives you even more reason to join the fun day one.

We are also happy to share our official packfront art for the first time. Behold!

This art was designed not to just give player a glimpse of the brutal Starhawk universe, but to give a little insight into our main character Emmett Graves, a man who won’t back down from a fight. We hope you dig both the packfront and that the Limited Edition makes you want to pre-order your copy. Keep tracking PlayStation.Blog for more Starhawk news leading up to launch…or just jump into the Starhawk Beta! Starting today, you’ll be able to get free early access codes on both GameStop’s and PlayStation’s Facebook pages.

Starhawk Limited Edition Contents

• Maw of Despair Outcast Pack: Includes the Maw of Despair Co-op Map and Shade Warrior MP Skin
  This challenging co-op mission takes place deep beneath the planet’s surface in a particularly dangerous Rift mine. The Maw of Despair is home to the oldest Outcast tribe, the Shade Warriors. The heart of each Shade Warrior blazes with pure Rift energy, granting them extra toughness and combat ability. The firefights you’ll encounter in the Maw of Despair co-op mission will push your shooting skills to the edge!
• Echo Scrapyard Rifter Pack: Includes the Scrapyard Homeworld and Huxley Ardin MP Skin
  An exclusive player Homeworld, the Echo Scrapyard features Huxley’s mechanics shop and junkyard — known throughout the Frontier as the best place in the Frontier for Rifters to get spare parts for their Razorbacks and Sidewinders. And in the canyon basin below, Huxley’s shop is a network of roads and trails for players to hone their own Razorback 4×4 and Sidewinder Jetbike driving skills.
• Starhawk Concept Art PS3 Theme: Decorate your PS3 with the amazing concept art that help bring the Starhawk Universe to life. Only available through the Starhawk Limited Edition.
• Copy of the Original Warhawk (PSone): Download and play the title that started it all!
• Official Starhawk Soundtrack: Christopher Lennertz’s sweeping original score available as a PSN download.

We’ve been paying attention to the comments on the past PlayStation.Blog posts and are getting the strong impression that some of you are itchy to play Cole’s new adventure. Well, here is some good news — the demo is available now on the PlayStation Store! Finally you can get a taste of Cole’s new adventure and sample the incredible action you’ll be experiencing in inFAMOUS 2.

Play a mix of story missions and side quests and navigate New Marais with Cole’s new parkour skills as well as explore missions from dual karmic sides, as both good and evil Cole. Face enemies with Cole’s electrical powers, his new Amp melee weapon, and conjure the incredibly powerful Ionic Vortex! Just visit the PlayStation Store and download it today.

Walmart Exclusive Retail Pack-in DLC and Gift with Purchase

For those of you who need more than the demo to get your inFAMOUS fix, Walmart stores all over the country will be open at midnight on June 6th. So not only can you get a leg up on hitting Platinum before anyone else, and get an early start creating your own inFamous level with the new UGC features, you can score an exclusive inFAMOUS poster with your inFAMOUS 2 purchase at participating 24-hour Walmart stores (quantities are limited).

Exclusive inFAMOUS 2 poster available at participating 24-hour Walmart stores

Click here to find the closest Walmart store near you. You can also get the special Electrocution Grenade power if you pre-order here from Walmart.com!

MLG and inFAMOUS 2

Major League Gaming and inFAMOUS 2 team up to give you the chance to create your very own inFAMOUS 2 levels this weekend (June 3-5) in Columbus, Ohio. You will get the chance to play with Sucker Punch and compete in exclusive Sucker Punch-designed levels with the chance to win the inFAMOUS 2 Hero Edition!

All the info you need is below:

Where: Columbus, OH; Greater Columbus Convention Center

When: June 3-5

• 1:30-10pm Friday
• 10:00am-10:00pm Saturday
• 10:00am-5:00pm Sunday

RSVP on Facebook

What you need to enter:

Get a MLG Pro Circuit Spectator Pass to join the fun! Hit this link for details!

Let us begin….if you see this on your local store shelf or favorite retailer website and you are a fan of inFAMOUS…..grab it! (Oh, and pay for it of course….we don’t want you TASED for shoplifting.)

Inside you will find a plethora of inFAMOUS 2 goodness all wrapped in plastic to preserve “da freshness.”

What will be hard to resist opening up is the Cole MacGrath statue. This highly detailed statue, designed by Sucker Punch and sculpted by Dave Cortes of Inu Art, stands at 8.5 inches and comes with a New Marais roof top stand that’s perfect for display. Dave Cortes is a toy industry veteran and is known for some of the coolest action figures out today from McFarlane, Neca, Mezco and more!

Right after the figure we tore open the full size replica of Cole’s sling pack. Built for everyday use (and the occasional cosplay party) the pack is big enough and padded to fit your laptop, clothes, or hold your Amp (if you have one). Complete with it’s signature Sly patch, feel free to take it along the next time you feel the need to parkour around your neighborhood.

Also included is the first issue of the inFamous DC comic book with variant cover. This is a must-read for any inFAMOUS fans who wondered what occurred after the events of the original game. You’ll learn the backstory of familiar characters like Moya and Sasha and get a better understanding of the events that set Cole’s new adventure in motion.

It goes without saying that you get your electrifying copy of inFAMOUS 2 in all its Blu-ray glory with access to tons of user-generated content (UGC), but what makes this copy special is the Super Voucher that comes with it! Check out the break down of the content:

Two New Powers
New ways to be shocking!

• Electrocution Grenade
• Lightning hook

Two Sweet Skins
When you want to change up your look:

• Kessler Skin
• Reaper Skin

Four Amp Variants
Bling it up or be “Sly.” The choice is yours:

• Gold Amp
• Sly’s Cane
• Caveman Club
• Samurai Sword

Not only do you get access to special skins, sick new powers, and Amp variants, you get to download the special inFAMOUS 2 Red soundtrack featuring special tracks not available anywhere else!

It’s like Christmas in June! Be sure to secure your copy of the Hero Edition today. These were made in limited quantities, so it is the total “must have” collector’s item for any serious inFAMOUS fan!

To get a deep dive on how the figure was made, plus an inside look on the DC comic series and the game soundtrack, keep an eye on infamousthegame.com this week!

First we want to thank you for all the positive comments and vibes we got off our June 7th launch date announcement last week.

Today we kick off the weekend with GTTV‘s visit to Sucker Punch and a new trailer where Cole is caught between two women. (That guy has it rough, doesn’t he?)

New KARMA Trailer
So we’ve been talking a lot about the game’s new Karma system the last few weeks. The Western interpretation of Karma (according to my good friend Wikipedia) states that performing positive actions results in a good condition and negative actions results in bad effect and situations. In inFAMOUS 2, Cole will have new powers and will come across many crossroads. Ultimately, it will be up to you to decide the path you want him to walk. Look out for Cole’s good and evil outfits, a sneak peek of a new faction he has to face, and a small taste of Cole’s new ICE POWERS!

GTTV visits Sucker Punch

Our friends at GameTrailers TV gave Sucker Punch a visit to find out more about Cole’s new adventure, especially the choices he has to make, the sides he will take, and how your decisions will dramatically affect the story and the way you play the game. Peep never before seen missions and see how Cole, Kuo and Nix use their powers together.

As always, thanks for the support and be sure to stay tuned here and on inFAMOUSTheGame.com for more updates!

“Release date please!”- TomHoang

“Please give us a release date already! Geez!”- DeviantBoi

“PLEASE TELLS US THE RELEASE DATE SO I COULD MARK IT ON MY CALENDER AND SAVE MONEY FROM NOW !!”- MilaNumber14

Well to Tom, Deviant, Mila, and the rest of you amazing fans, we are happy to announce that inFAMOUS 2 will be launching in North America exclusively on the PlayStation 3 on June 7th, 2011!

In about 4 months, players will finally begin the next chapter in Cole’s adventures. (Packfront Alert!)

On top of this, we’d love to confirm that on that same day we are also launching the inFAMOUS 2 HERO Edition (aka the Best Kept Secret EVER) for $99.99 (msrp).

Short of actual electrical super powers, the HERO Edition delivers everything an inFamous fan could want including a highly detailed 8.5” Cole MacGrath statue, a sportable sling pack modeled after Cole’s own in-game gear, the inFAMOUS #1 mini comic from DC Comics, the official inFAMOUS 2 HERO Edition Soundtrack and a super voucher code for a collection of in-game content.

Starting today participating retailers kick off official pre-order programs letting you score one of the following bonus items listed below.

24K GOLD AMP

Cole’s nasty new weapon definitely delivers the pain, but when you pre-order at Amazon.com you can get a gold (in-game) version to dish it out in style.

KESSLER SKIN

Experience inFAMOUS 2 as Cole’s super-powered nemesis from the first inFAMOUS story if you pre-order from Best Buy.

LIGHTNING HOOK

GameStop fans can unlock this special power with their pre-order, an electro-kinetic tether that lets you snare and pull enemies and objects towards Cole.

ELECTROCUTION GRENADE

Visit Walmart and pre-order to get powerful grenade that ties enemies down with arcing electricity before going BOOM.

DIGITAL SOUNDTRACK

Blending the funk and jazz of New Orleans’ own Galactic, with the rock sounds of Bryan “Brain” Mantia (Primus & Guns and Roses), we’ve created a soundtrack that is pure inFAMOUS 2. Music lovers can download this special soundtrack if they pre-order from participating retailers.

Hope this is exciting news for everyone. Look out for more great updates to come, both on INFAMOUSTHEGAME.com or right here on the PS blogosphere!

With over 1.5 million track, kart and mod creations available to everyone, ModNation Racers already offers one of the best values on ANY platform. ModNation Racers PS3 will now be available at $39.99 (MSRP), and ModNation Racers PSP will be available for $19.99 (MSRP) at both retail and on the PlayStation Network!

For the low cost of $39.99, there are over 300,000 tracks to race against friends via split-screen, online against players around the globe, or with AI in single-player. You never have to worry about players memorizing tracks–you can make each race a unique experience that levels the playing field. And if you want to race on the go, you have over 15,000 tracks to choose from on your PSP for $19.99!

ModNation Racers has changed the racing genre forever by allowing the users to quickly and easily make as many new and unique tracks as they want. Players can create a track in just three minutes by simply driving your track to life. The track is paved behind your kart and PRESTO–instant race track. Have your PS3 “Auto Populate” your track if you are feeling lazy, or make your dream track with the incredibly easy and deep Track Studio.

For those who just want to race and not create, no worries!

Just download any of the ever-growing number of tracks available for free from ModNation community. This is a Play, Create, SHARE game after all.

In five months, over 600,000 players have logged in, RACED, and have created over 1.5 Million Creations. That’s a testament to just how easy it is to create in ModNation Racers. Don’t believe me? Just ask folks like Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi (Twisted Metal and God of War creator Dave Jaffe, or our friend Kevin Butler (the man) and they’ll tell you. Just check out the trailer below and see for yourself, it’s so easy!

With basically unlimited content to download and play, along with the addictive kart racing action of offline four-player split-screen and online multiplayer modes, there is no better time to join the Nation than this holiday season!

ModNation Avatars Available Today!
In addition to this announcement we are also releasing the official ModNation Racers avatars on the PSN today!

Big week for ModNation! It’s not everyday that the creator of the biggest racing franchise EVER takes another racing game for a spin … and has a good time doing it! On top of that Air Raid is available to all tomorrow on the PSN!

Be on a look out for more great MNR news tomorrow right here on the PS.Blog!

Artist Spotlight: Kazunori Yamauchi, Creator/Producer of Gran Turismo

Kazunori Yamauchi, the legend behind the Gran Turismo franchise, has a passion for racing, a passion that has led to over 56 Million copies of Gran Turismo shipped to date. As he prepares to launch his greatest creation yet (Gran Turismo 5 hits shelves November 2nd!) he took a moment to tell us what drives him and his team, shares memories of creating his first game, and what he thinks about racing … ModNation style!

Take Flight with Air Raid this week!

Whether he’s soaring through the skies off jumps or shooting Hydra missiles at his latest opponent, Air Raid will not stop at nothing to win the race. Once in the crosshairs of his one-of-a-kind Fighter Plane Kart, you better say your prayers! Available as a separate Mod ($.99), Kart ($.99), or as a bundle ($1.75). Get several parts and accessories for you to create with in the Mod and Kart Studios.

Mod of the Week

Mod Name: Geisha Kokeshi Autumn
Creator: cherryrae

I’ve been to Japan and I own a few kokeshi dolls. This Mod definitely captures that spirit, and the Autumn colors are gorgeous. Nicely done!

Kart of the Week

Kart Name: True Lowrider
Creator: Joker_Six_T_Nine

This truck is pimp-a-licious. Old school flavor with excellent attention to detail on the paint job. All win.

Tracks of the Week

Track Name: BOSS Gardens
Created by: CIV_BOSS

I liked this track after just looking at a few of the screen shots. Once I downloaded and raced it, I fell in love. It’s lush and green, and it’s designed really well. CIV_BOSS used narrow segments of track very well, and the item pod placement is really clever. A few laps in, I learned how a few key drifting lines, and it was all good after that. Good work, BOSS.

Track Name: The Megaplex
Created by: OakBiscuits

OakBiscuits says that this track was a go at an indoor warehouse racetrack, and this track absolutely hit the mark. It REALLY feels like an indoor Karting track. Well, it’s quite a bit more exciting than any indoor Karting track I’ve ever seen, but you get the idea, right? I give this track a two word review: Awe. Some.

Hot Lap Roster For This Week

We keep it coming with some nice Community tracks for Hot Lap this week:

Monday: BOSS Gardens, by CIV_BOSS
Tuesday: The Megaplex, by OakBiscuits
Wednesday: City Underwater Ruin, by PH1LThy31
Thursday: Lost Ruins Run, by PH1LThy31
Friday: Mount In & Out v2, by Freewill001
Saturday: Paradise Fortress, by PH1LThy31
Sunday: Caverns Run, by PH1LThy31

See you at the ModSpot!

If you are like me, you’re still a bit dazed from last night’s LOST season finale (anyone else still confused?). But I’m still uber-stoked that everyone will finally get their hands on ModNation Racers TOMORROW on both PS3 and PSP!

Actually playing the final version of the game you’ve been working on for so many months is probably the best part of being in this incredible industry. That’s how I spent my weekend and that’s when I was reminded of why I love playing this game (and why the Photo Mode rocks!).

*Please excuse my “so-so” screen shots. I’m a racer, not a photographer!

#1 The Chuck Wagon

It’s not sexy, it’s not even that cool, but it’s MINE. There is no feeling like making and racing your own kart, and it’s 100% yours. Look out for this kart online, you’ll both know who to aim your weapon at. If it passes you up, you’ll know who just smoked you!

#2 Mini-Me

Some racers will make their favorite characters, some will think of some completely original creations of their own. But if you’re like me, you will put yourself in the game so when you showboat, you can say, “THAT’S ME!”

#3 Bringing the Hurt (and avoiding it too!)

We’ve covered this subject in past blog posts, but the weapons are a BLAST (see what I did there?). While I love raining down the pain in a well-timed Bolt Storm or dropping a well-placed mine right in front of a tailgater, there is a great feeling hitting my shields just at the right moment to avoid an attack or dodging a nasty missile like this.

#4 Attitude Adjustment

What I love about ModNation Racers is that as soon as you get cocky, the game will remind you of your mistake. It doesn’t matter how good you think you are, there is always someone better, or who has a weapon ready to trigger. As soon as I got online I learned the hard way. Ouch! No matter how much time I’ve spent with the game, there are some great racers out there.

#5 Trading Paint

While weapons are fun, the art of the sideswipe is a beautiful thing. Lining up next to a racer, tapping your right analog stick just at the right time, and smacking your competion into railing (…or off a very high cliff) is pure bliss.

#6 Fire From My Tires

Drifting is huge source of joy in this game, but when you drift long enough, your tires ignite and light up the road. Best Back to the Future tribute ever.

Those are just a few things I dig about ModNation Racers, and I’m pretty certain you will too TOMORROW! Notice I didn’t even touch track creation, which is probably the most revolutionary thing about the game, but we have to save some things for later. :)

Stay tuned for a Launch Day post tomorrow from Kyle Zundel, the game’s producer, to get some Race Day tips and to see our launch trailer. And we’ve got more good stuff to come in following ModNation Mondays, including new Artist Spotlights. Until then…

See you online!

This week the Spotlight hits the one and only Kevin Butler. You know a lot of things about our VP of …well…. EVERYTHING, but did you know he had an artsy side? It was news to everyone in the office too. (And all that time I thought he was taking notes.) Watch as Kevin get himself “Modified”, see his particular approach to Track Creation, and wait to see a showdown of EPIC proportions at the end. It’s the stuff of legend.

Like Kevin‘s Creations? Download them starting May 25th once your get your full copy of ModNation Racers (PS3).

Just search under PSN ID: ArtistSpotlight1

Don’t forget the ModNation PS3 Demo hits PSN tomorrow so I hope your engines are revved up!

I’ll leave you with my favorite screen shot to date-

A Family that Races together, Stays Together

Only 7 DAYS left to pre-order folks!

Have a great week everyone, more goodies to come right here on the PS.Blog!

ONE: GET YOUR MOD ON NEXT WEEK!

I’m happy to confirm that on Tuesday, May 18th, the ModNation Racers Demo goes live and you can finally sample the over-the-top kart racing action and deep creation tools the critics have been raving about. So the question is- “What will you be able to do?

Well let me break it down-

Get your Feet Wet in Single Player – Race on one of the in-game tracks against AI in Single Player and test both your driving skills and your weapon management.

Face Off in Multiplayer! – Challenge up to 3 of your friends and race against each other in Offline Split Screen Multiplayer.

Design your Mod and Kart – Hop into the Creation Station to make your own Mod and customize your own Kart. See what you can do with just a fraction of the accessories from the full game!

Make a Full Track and Test Drive it! – Lay down some asphalt and drive your track to life! Sculpt mountains, create lakes, and place props wherever you want. Then take your Track for a spin!

Save your creations and Share them in the Full game! – Keep you creations on your hard drive and enjoy them with the full retail copy of ModNation Racers. Share your creations with friends as well!

We hope you are looking forward to your taste of our next Play, Create and Share experience.

TWO: IMPROVING LOAD TIMES

There have been concerns online about long load times in the final game and while even though UFG improved load times since the beta, they are looking into further optimizing the game via a post-launch patch!

So there you go! See for yourself next week what ModNation is all about.

Stay tuned for more fun stuff on ModNation Monday!