As a quick recap, Top Darts is a game that utilizes the PlayStation Move motion controller to give the realistic feeling of throwing darts. It’s a game for all users who have an interest in playing classic games such as 501, Around the Clock and Cricket. Top Darts also has unique games such as Mayhem, Fusewire, Cat and Mouse, Stack Up and many more.

The game allows you to bring a lot of your own personality into the game. For example, you can customize your darts to match your personal style or use the PlayStation Eye camera to customize your avatar and even the dart board. For an interesting effect while playing, you can use the camera to capture video that displays on the dart board during gameplay.

In our previous announcement a lot of you asked how the throw mechanics would be used in the game. Check out the trailer to see more of the game and to get an insight into how the PlayStation Move controller is held and used in the game.

Top Darts is a game for darts enthusiasts and those who hold a casual interest in darts. It has an extensive Single Player League and Cup campaign modes. Up to 8 player local gameplay support in a dozen game modes. Four locales each with a optional unique dart board style. It’s a ton of gameplay that feels great with the Move controller and it’s a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy the game as much as I have enjoyed playing it. And it’s available today for $9.99 exclusively on the PlayStation Store. Happy Holidays everyone.

The developer, Devils Details, has been hard at work making this fun and challenging game to play along with your friends. They packed in classic dart games like 501, Around the Clock, and Cricket, as well as a large selection of other game modes. For those who want to play with friends, Top Darts allows up to eight people to play in a range of games that are suited just for the multiplayer gaming experience. If you’re on your own, work your way up the League and Cup modes to become a world-class darts player!

Top Darts doesn’t just cater to the traditional darts player; there are also simultaneous game modes. This allows two players to play at the same time offering a fun and fast paced gaming experience.

There will be a lot more info coming in the near future on the features of this game. Look for it to arrive on the PlayStation Store in full 1080p HD majesty this Christmas. Also be sure to check out the game’s website here.

When PlayStation Move was first publicly announced, we noticed that many of you suggested that Hustle Kings would be a game to make the most of this new control method.

It was a sentiment everyone on the team agreed with, and even as we started the development process, we could see from early tests that it would elevate the virtual pool experience to a whole new level. PlayStation Move enables you to take shots using a real-life cueing action, which feels natural and fun! There have been some heated hustle matches in the office recently, resulting in some very amusing forfeits. Suffice to say, the added realism Move provides is immense and we can’t wait to hear what you all think!

To continue our assault on your senses, I’m delighted to say that Hustle Kings now supports stereoscopic 3D, and while the visuals of the game have often been praised, 3D has taken the graphics and sense of immersion to a whole new level. It feels like you can reach out and pick up a ball! When combined with the PlayStation Move, the experience is pretty incredible.

Since launching Hustle Kings several months ago, we have been astounded by the ongoing support that we’ve received from the PlayStation community. After carefully listening to your feedback we have worked hard to provide tweaks and improvements, along with some very cool new game content. Here’s a quick list of the goodies we have coming up for you:

AVAILABLE VIA FREE TITLE UPDATE THIS WEEK ON PSN:

• PlayStation Move and Stereoscopic 3D support

COMING VERY SOON TO THE PLAYSTATION STORE:

• Carom & U.K. Billiards Pack
• Ball & Cue Pack
• Trickshot Pack

As a closing note, I’d just like to say a big thanks from myself and the rest of the team – Hustle Kings wouldn’t be the game it is without your contributions and feedback. Feel free to let us know what you think by e-mail, or just keep up to date with VooFoo and Hustle Kings via our blog and Twitter page!

As you can see the folks at VooFoo are really excited about your huge support and great response to their game and are working hard to continue supporting it with a lot of very cool content! I’ll be watching below for any questions, and in the meantime, here are a few new screens from the upcoming “Carom and U.K. Billiards Pack.”

Thanks!

Firstly, on May 19th a new patch will be made available which contains the following features and changes:

• Improved Breaking! Instead of the rack being perfectly spaced every time, a very slight variance has been introduced between the balls which causes almost every break to be different.
• You can now replay the shots that are played in attract mode.
• You’ll see more stats during loading screens.
• Game options can be modified in online rooms.
• You can watch other people’s matches in the all new Spectator Mode!
• Plus a new loading icon, viewing player’s profiles during an online match, and more.

But that’s not all, there is a brand new chalk coming to the in-game store: The Second Sight chalk allows you to see the path of an additional ball… really helpful on those tough trickshots and plants.

Finally (and the best bit in my opinion) is that the Hustle Kings Snooker Pack will be launched for PS3 on June 8th. Included in this great pack is a brand new environment, new ball set, with the full Snooker rules and scoring. As well as traditional Snooker, if you get this pack you will also get an offline tournament mode, more music, and a brand new game mode called “Snooker6” where there are only 6 red balls allowing for a much quicker game.

The Snooker Pack will be available for $2.99 and the full game of Hustle Kings is required prior to installing the Snooker Pack. Once you get the Snooker Pack there will also be a batch of new trophies for you to try and unlock. To help with this we have included a free pack of Eagle Eye chalk if you purchase the Snooker pack! Overall I have really enjoyed the time I have spent playing snooker and can’t wait to get online to pit my skills against the rest of the community!

Since the Snooker game type of billiards isn’t quite as popular here in the US, I wanted to give a very brief overview into the game. May I present, The Brief Intro into the World of Snooker!

Snooker is a completely different style of game from how a game of pool is traditionally thought of in the US. It has different balls placed in a new layout, is played on a different table, and the games last much longer. Snooker tables are much bigger (approximately 6ft by 12ft) and they have rounded pocket corners.

Each colored ball has a specific point value. Red (1 point), Yellow (2 points), Green (3 points), Brown (4 points), Blue (5 points), Pink (6 points), Black (7 points).

The ball placement is as shown in the following image:

How to score points in Snooker:
The player must first pocket a red ball for one point and the ball is then left off the table. Then you must pocket a ball colored other then red. The point value of that colored ball is awarded to you and then that ball is placed back on the table at its original placement point. Then you pocket a red ball and alternate pocketing between the two groups of colors (Reds and all the others) until all the red balls are pocketed. Now you must pocket the remaining balls in their point order so, Yellow followed by Green, Brown, Blue, Pink and finally Black. When you have more points than there are left on the table you can then call that frame.

In an ideal world with a perfectly skilled player (aka. someone besides myself) you would pocket a red followed by the black ball and continue that until all the red balls are off the table. That would give you 8 points each cycle (1 point for the red plus 7 for the Black).

Fouls:
The minimum penalty is always four points. So should you scratch the cue ball, then you concede 4 points to the other player. If you pocket a ball of the wrong color you concede at minimum four points to the other player. If you incorrectly pocket a ball with a point value greater than four then you concede the point value of that ball to the other player instead of the minimum four points. If you strike a ball of the wrong color first and pocket a different colored ball, you then concede the minimum penalty or the value of that ball.

That in a nutshell is the game of Snooker. It’s an extremely challenging type of game style in billiards. Although it is really rewarding to play due to the increased amount of strategy needed to play the game. A “give-away” hint for you… don’t hit a non-red ball if you are breaking. I learned that one the hard way and gave away 6 points to my opponent for striking the pink ball my first time playing. Oops.

We hope you enjoy the new features as much as we do and we’ll see you online!

• General improvements to game stability
• In-game Voice Chat
• In-game Video Chat
• Game Launching from PlayStation Home
• More stats for the loading screens
• The sound effect for the chalk has been turned down
• Chalk can now be used by pressing the R3 button as well as shaking your SIXAXIS
• Free Play mode
• Blue chalk only online rooms
• Online: Opponents are now allowed to change view while watching the player at the table
• Online: The player that breaks is now randomly chosen
• A new, “minimal” aim line
• Dampening effect on the pockets, to stop accurate high powered shots from always bouncing out of the pockets
• Small adjustments to the fine tune aiming to make it easier to use

Soon after this update is out and you’ve had a chance to experience it all, we have more features coming via the PSN Store. First up will be the Time Saver Pack which is aimed at the Hustle Kings player who wants to experience everything the game has to offer, but doesn’t have the time to unlock all the items. This pack unlocks all the cues, avatars, balls, and the unlock packs from the in-game Hustle Kings Store.

If that weren’t enough, we’ve then got not one, but two awesome freebies to give away! Two bizarre and challenging Crazy Tables Packs are heading your way soon, adding a whole new dimension to your game when you want a fun challenge aside from regular pool. To whet your appetite check out these pics of the tables.

Crazy Tables are coming soon and they’ll be absolutely free! We’re already hard at work on even more exciting content for Hustle Kings for release later this year. If you haven’t already downloaded Hustle Kings, be sure to grab it today and start enjoying first-ever billiards simulator made exclusively for the PlayStation 3.