This isn’t just another chapter in Ryu’s saga. This one, we discovered after journeying to Japan to meet with the team and play the game, is different. This time, we are meant to feel what it’s like to be a deadly assassin, to truly understand what it means to be a cold-blooded killer. Don’t worry, though: This ain’t a new-age Ninja Gaiden who’s all touchy-feely now. It’s still the same hardcore action game we adore. It’s just that every cut Ryu makes is deeper; every action he takes is stronger. Find out more secrets of the game in our world-exclusive 10-page expose.

Ryu isn’t the only heavy hitter in our August issue. Rounding out the content, we’ve got big-time previews of all the games that matter, including BioShock Infinite, Batman: Arkham City, Hitman: Absolution and Modern Warfare 3. Plus, we kiss and tell the secrets of Atlus’ quirky puzzle-adventure Catherine—a game that’s all about indecision, infidelity, and sheep-horned men in boxer shorts who have to jump from platform to platform in order to stay alive. Really.

All that and a massive playtest of the PS Vita launch lineup, on stands July 5th and hitting subscribers mailboxes right now. Enjoy!

We start with our cover story, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. First, a quick note about what Raccoon City is not. Raccoon City is not a survival horror game. Go on—let that sink in for a second. Yes, the granddaddy of survival horror breaks from the very thing that’s defined it for over 15 years, instead delivering a wholly unique squad-based shooter experience, with the talented folks at Slant Six now handling the development duties. We saw the game in action and survived to tell a tale of shambling zombies, elite operatives, and a mission to “kill Leon.” Indeed, nothing is sacred here, including the long-standing heroes of the Resident Evil franchise. We’ve got more stunning details about the game, but you’ll have to read them in our pages when the issue hits newsstands April 12.

Our other big feature: Prey 2. (Don’t worry if you don’t remember the first game: it was an exclusive on that, uh, other system.) Bethesda’s adventure shooter impressed us with its creative gameplay and gorgeous Blade Runner-esque world, enough so that we jumped at the opportunity to give it a lavish six-page expose. Find out why we’re so excited about this game when you pick up the May issue.

Rounding out the issue: a huge reviews section, including our surprising verdicts on two major shooters. Plus, previews on the heavy hitters, including UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception, Battlefield 3, The Last Guardian and Batman: Arkham City. And then there’s my personal fave in the issue: my interview with Supremacy MMA’s beautiful brawler Felice Herrig. E3 might be right around the corner, but we’ve got you more than covered until then—only in the pages of PlayStation: The Official Magazine.

“Hands down, Ratchet & Clank,” I declared. The others weren’t yet convinced, including one of my fellow editors who happened to adore the Spyro series (as I did too). Even he wondered at my enthusiasm for this still-unproven PS2 adventure platformer.

Then I popped the demo into a PS2 and walked everyone through why I loved the game. Bang! It was love at first firefight, and from then on, the franchise has been a favorite among PlayStation magazine staffs for the past decade. All of which is a long way of saying we heart Ratchet & Clank – and we’re proud to reveal our April issue cover, with the fuzzy lombax and his diminutive robot pal in their full glory.

It’s a great feature about a winning game. We dove deep into this new co-op adventure, taking turns playing as Ratchet, Clank, Captain Qwark and Doctor Nefarious, and we came away impressed. Be sure to pick up the issue to find out why this might be the ultimate in four-player fun.

Also inside the April issue: My hands-on report with NGP. I got a rare opportunity to touch, grab, trace, push and pull the system, and the April issue includes in-depth impressions you won’t find anywhere else. The winner of the next-gen portable wars? For me, that’s easy: NGP!

Rounding up the stellar issue: a six-page feature on Dark Souls, the spiritual successor to hardcore sleeper hit Demon’s Souls. New secrets revealed about The Last Guardian. A massive playtest with SOCOM 4. Our final verdict on Dragon Age II. And all the other reviews, previews and news we can fit into our glossy pages, wrapped up in a gorgeous cover, on newsstands March 15.

That said, Killzone 3 comes pretty gosh darn close to perfection.

We should know, because we played the heck out of it for our March cover story: a 10-page feature that includes our hard-hitting, in-depth review along with exclusive tactics straight from developer Guerrilla Games for dominating the excellent multiplayer. We even got to dig deep into the ‘Zone to uncover some of Guerrilla’s thinking behind the latest chapter in their sharp shooter.

It’s a great read, if I do say so myself, written by our very own Roger Burchill. To quote our esteemed managing editor: “Killzone 3 takes a blade, jams it into a Helghast’s eye socket, and twists it.” You’ll have to pick up the issue to find out what else Roger said, but even for those who’ve already pre-ordered the game, it’s got some great insight into why Killzone 3 is an improvement over its excellent predecessor, along with all kinds of tasty tidbits on the game that you won’t find anywhere else.

It’s a great issue overall, with lots of other incredible coverage, including a massive hands-on with MotorStorm: Apocalypse; an epic feature pitting the next wave of Marvel and DC-based games against each other; our top 10 overlooked PS3 classics; massive reviews of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and (my personal fave) Tactics Ogre; and updates on everything from Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim to UNCHARTED 3. The issue is on newsstands Feb. 15, and should be reaching subscriber mailboxes any day now. Enjoy!

February is a strange month for magazines. Most February issues are shipped in December and come out in January, which puts them smack on the border of two years. Naturally, that means it’s a time for PTOM to look back and ahead all at once—a dizzying proposition, to be sure.

But that doesn’t mean it ain’t an exciting time. 2010 was a phenomenal year for the PS3, something we celebrate in our Game of the Year feature. While our big winner might not surprise (hint: it’s an epic adventure of godly proportions), our other picks will surely delight. Each editor nominated his four favorite games, many of which will be great reminders of the stellar year that was. We also picked our top PSP and PSN game—and while our PSP nod makes perfect sense, our PSN choice (which also, ahem, makes perfect sense) is another big surprise.

Looking ahead, our cover story is a ten-page expose on what’s sure to be one of the biggest games of early 2011. We got to dig deeper than anyone else into L.A. Noire’s cinematic landscape, experiencing an exclusive case and chatting with the minds behind Rockstar’s ambitious game. The technology alone is impressive enough, using a proprietary scanning system to capture facial expressions the player is then supposed to “read” as part of the game. (It’s a detective story, so interrogation plays a key role.) That’s nifty enough, but it’s the ambition behind the storytelling and the world-building that really captured my attention. It’s an inelegant comparison, perhaps, but L.A. Noire is poised to be this year’s Heavy Rain in terms of its ambition and promise. I can’t wait to play it!

We also look ahead with a six-page exclusive on Shadows of the Damned, the quirky new horror title from Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami. And for those committed to keeping their New Year’s resolutions, we’ve got a guide to the top exercise games. All that, plus our final verdicts on LittleBigPlanet 2, Mass Effect 2, and Dead Space 2. Enjoy!

We knew it would make the cut. How could it not? After all, Mortal Kombat isn’t just destined to be one of the biggest fighting franchises of 2011, but it’s one of the best we’ve played in a long time. It’s fast, it’s fun, it’s brutal, and it harkens back to the series’ gory glory days. The move to a 2D plane, the giddy celebration of everything that’s great about the Mortal Kombat franchise, the mix of faithful fan-service with future-looking gameplay upgrades: It’s exactly what we at PlayStation: The Official Magazine crave in our heavy hitters.

Then we found out Kratos would be in the game, and that’s all it took for Mortal Kombat to kick, punch, impale, and maim its way to the tippy top of our Hugest Games of 2011 issue.

Not only did we get a sneak peek at Kratos’ in-game model, but we’ve got the first-ever screenshots of the God of War in action—along with this unbelievably gorgeous cover. On stands Dec. 21, the January issue of PTOM has our hands-on impressions of the game, along with razor-sharp insight from series creator Ed Boon and his team at developer NetherRealm. We even have the first images of a newly revealed kontestant, Ermac.

It’s all part of our grand look at what’s hot for 2011, a list that includes massive shooters like Killzone 3 and Rage, magnificent adventures like L.A. Noire and The Last Guardian, and brilliant innovators like Metal Gear Solid: Rising and Child of Eden. Be sure to pick up the issue for new screens, information, and insight into all these games and more!

Also in the January issue: a playtest of four MMOs coming to PS3 (including an in-depth look at DC Universe Online); a list of 51 PlayStation resolutions for the new year; the complete Gran Turismo 5 car list in one handy spread; and dozens of previews and reviews of the latest and greatest PS3, PSP and PSN releases. Don’t miss it!

For starters, there’s our spectacular cover story: inFamous 2. We spent a full day with the fine folks at Sucker Punch, seeing aspects of the game that no one outside of the studio has ever witnessed, and getting a chance to go hands-on with Cole MacGrath in new areas of the New Orleans-inspired setting. All the electrifying details are revealed inside our lavish 10-page feature, along with world-exclusive screens, juicy new tidbits about the story, and a guided tour of New Marais’ first island.

We’ve also scored a big scoop with the first hands-on with Mass Effect 2 on PS3, including details on how developer BioWare will ease us PlayStation gamers into their epic sci-fi RPG (since the original game wasn’t released on PS3). Nifty stuff.

And it wouldn’t be a holiday issue if there wasn’t a gift guide. Our whip-cracking managing editor rounded up 49 of the coolest games, gadgets, Blu-rays and more, then doled them out to the PTOM staff in order to prod us to finally hit our deadlines. Find out how you too can win allies and influence gamers with this totally unique gift guide.

As if that weren’t enough, we have our biggest reviews section ever, with most of the holiday hits covered; playtests of some of the biggest 2011 releases; and must-read interviews with everyone from Twisted Metal’s David Jaffe to My Chemical Romance. It’s all in our Holiday issue, on stands November 23, and hitting subscribers as you read this.

To keep up with the goings-on at PTOM, be sure to follow us on Twitter. Or you can follow me directly. Enjoy!