Hello PlayStation.Blog fans, and other citizens of Earth! I’ve got some good news for Bejeweled fans: We stopped watching kitten videos, fixed the hamster wheel, and are now happy to report that Bejeweled 3 is finally coming to PlayStation Network! Huzzah!

Now if you’ve played Bejeweled 1 or 2 before, you may be asking why you should upgrade to Bejeweled 3. “How much different could they make a Match 3 game?” you may ask. “What do I do this time—Match 4?” “Do I really need to give those clowns more of my money just to swap more gems?”

I’m going to be perfectly honest with you: Yes, you do. I mean, “need” is such a relative word, when you think about it. I mean, sure, I suppose some of you “need” to pay the rent, or feed your family, rather than buy the new Bejeweled. Whatever. Frankly, the landlord can probably wait a few days, and I’m sure there are plenty of leftovers in your fridge if your family starts whining at you while clutching their swollen, distended stomachs. Meanwhile, those gems in Bejeweled 3 aren’t going to swap themselves, are they? No sir. No, they are not. I rest my case.

But perhaps you want a few details on what it is you’re actually buying with Bejeweled 3, other than the satisfaction of knowing your purchase will spark a dudebro-like high five amongst the bean-counters over here at PopCap. You may want to know, for example, what you’re getting in Bejeweled 3 that you couldn’t get in 1 or 2. This is where I come in, thanks to this handy cheat-sheet I printed out and stapled to my dog’s head as I type this. So here’s what you get:

8 modes of play, including:

• Classic (regular Bejeweled, but now better-looking!)
• Quest (kind of like an RPG, minus the characters, story, dialog, or combat, or anything else RPG-related. But there are 40 puzzles to solve!)
• Zen (You can’t lose! Be happy! You are your own shiny gem!)
• Lightning (a fast, time-based game kinda like Bejeweled Blitz)
• Four more “secret modes” of play that you can unlock, but that I can’t spoil here even though you could totally Google it in like one minute!

12 trophies and 20 badges to collect!

The satisfaction of knowing you justified me writing this blog post!

Seriously, I know there’s not much I can say that’s going to sway you or not. You probably already know whether you’re going to buy it or not. And that’s cool. All I can tell you is that if you are a Bejeweled fan, you will not regret it. I promise you. All the new modes are great. I personally didn’t know how much you could vary the formula in ways that would be fun and not too gimmicky, but I’ll be dag-gummed if they didn’t do it. And, sure, I work for them, so you could blow all this off as just more marketing hoo-hah, which, sure, it is – but as soon as you get to (SPOILER ALERT!) Diamond Mine mode, you’ll know I was right. Because good grief is that thing addictive.

So if you’re already a Bejeweled fan and don’t have 3 yet, get ready to get it on Tuesday afternoon! And if you’re not a Bejeweled fan yet, this really is the best one yet. You could do a lot worse with your money. Like pay your rent!

Today I’m pleased to announce the availability of our next title, the action puzzle smash hit Zuma, on PSN! Zuma is one of our biggest and most popular games of all time, and it’s one of those games that truly appeals to hardcore and casual gamers alike. It’s just the right blend of action and strategy, with a healthy dose of skill and a bit of luck as well. I’m very happy with how great the game looks on the PS3 and how well the controls map to the PS3 controller. And, like the case with Bejeweled 2, Zuma includes an absolute ton of gameplay – 13 temples, more than 50 levels of puzzle fun, Adventure and Gauntlet modes, unlockables and more. The game looks and sounds great in HD with Dolby 5.1 surround sound, and includes exclusive features like Trophy support and PSP remote play, which you’ll only find on PSN.

In collaboration with our partners at SOE, the team has worked hard to bring our biggest franchises and most popular games – Bejeweled 2 and Zuma – to you first, for your immediate enjoyment on PSN. Both of these games are puzzle classics that everyone should have in their collection, and frankly, never get old. I am really excited that we were able to get this second title out to you guys so quickly after the release of Bejeweled 2. The team is hard at work on the other three titles we’ve announced – Peggle, Feeding Frenzy and Heavy Weapon – and we plan to release those to you later this year.

In the meantime, kick back, relax and download a game of Zuma tonight. Enjoy!

Hey everyone, I’ve got some exciting news out there for all you PlayStation Network downloadable gaming fans! I am happy to announce that Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) and PopCap have teamed up to bring our hit casual game titles to PSN and PLAYSTATION 3 for the first time ever! This collaboration has been a long time coming, so we’re happy to finally be able to talk about it with you guys.

Our first title is none other than the classic online puzzle game Bejeweled 2. Many of you may be familiar with the franchise – it has won dozens of awards and has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. It’s our biggest franchise at PopCap and our most successful title, which is why we chose Bejeweled 2 as our first title for PSN and PS3. The game is a natural fit for the platform – it plays great, looks great and is as compelling as ever. And there is a ton of gameplay in Bejeweled 2 – four different game modes, more than 60 puzzles, power-ups, high-definition graphics and much more. And if you’re like me, you’ll sit there for hours playing late into the night, wondering why you’re unable to pull yourself away!

The team at SOE has been fantastic to work with, and they share our vision of making the best versions of our games possible, with features that are specific to the PS3 platform. For Bejeweled 2, that means exclusive stuff like Trophy support and PSP remote play, which you’ll only find on PSN. We’ve got similar exclusive features (and some surprises) planned for future games and franchises that we plan to produce as part of this alliance.

And this is just the beginning. Teams at PopCap and SOE are hard at work developing several more titles for PSN, to be announced soon. We are so psyched to finally be on PS3 and can’t wait to see you online.

Greg Canessa