Foosball 2012 is another entry in the line of not-so-typical-for-a-console-game sports, like darts, bowling, pool, or golf that we have seen recently on the PlayStation Store. If you weren’t sure which platform to get the game on, we think you’ll appreciate that when you buy the game for PS3, you’ll get the PS Vita version for free and the other way around!

A lot of people ask us “Why foosball?” and we keep telling them “Why not?” Other games that wouldn’t seem to be well-suited to a console experience managed to capture the essence of those games, and we hope to do the same with Foosball 2012. It is not just about playing foosball, it’s about playing a quick, skill-based game, that is easy to handle, but difficult to master. A game with a great multiplayer component and entertaining single-player mode, lots of customizations and Leaderboards to keep track of where you and your friends are standing against the global competition.

If you own both the PS3 and PS Vita, you’ll also appreciate full cross-compatibility between the two platforms. Not only can play online against people on the other platform, but you’ll also have your saves automatically synchronized between your two PlayStation consoles. That way, you can enjoy Foosball 2012 in gorgeous 1080p, 60FPS beauty on your TV, then take it on the road with you on PS Vita and continue from where you left off.

Many of you also asked about the controls. You can either play using the DualShock controller, where the left stick controls the movements of the poles and the right stick shoots the ball (so you can precisely aim and control the power of the shot), or you can use PlayStation Move and play foosball just like the real thing! You can also use touch controls on Vita, if that’s more your speed.

Both the PS3 and PS Vita versions will come in the form of a free trial that you can upgrade to the full version, so you will be able to try the game before you buy it. Foosball 2012 will be $7.99, or $5.99 if you’re a PlayStation Plus member. Buying the game on PS3 will also let you download it for Vita for free, and the other way around.

For more information, check out our website, along with our Facebook and Twitter pages.

When I learned that Capcom would be showing Okami HD at their booth, all of those attractions quickly dropped in importance; I knew where my Comic-Con would kick off.

Mere seconds after the doors of the San Diego Convention Center opened for business, Capcom’s Tristan Corbett handed me a PlayStation Move motion controller and I beheld Japanese sun goddess-turned-canine Amaterasu in full HD glory for the first time.

Not all HD remakes are created equal, but Hexa Drive’s effort clearly isn’t just a soulless re-processing. With the PS3’s hardware muscle to play with, they’re working to improve draw distance and load times over the PS2 original. The cel-shaded visuals up-rez quite nicely, with the game’s iconic bold, black outline strokes popping off the HD display. All cutscenes have been fully recreated, and areas of the game that the team felt weren’t up to snuff were re-textured by hand. It looks stunning.

Corbett informed me that this is the first HD remake that Capcom will release outside of Japan featuring full 1080p HD. That high-end resolution, coupled with the new 16:9 aspect ratio, help Okami’s insane level of visual intricacy stand out significantly more than on the PS2. The game lavishes layers upon layers of visual effects: while approaching a seaside cave, I noticed violet mist pouring forth from a foul portal as wind visibly blows off the sea. Bold lines express the speed of dog deity at a canter, as vibrant flora spring forth from the soil underneath her life-giving paws.

The team even lets you play with filter effects in this version; opt for “Heavy,” and the sky appears to have been painted on a rough scroll, making things pop with a timeless, storybook look. It’s may be clichéd to say, but I can’t help but think that Okami HD is a more pure expression of the vision that Clover Studio had when they created the game in 2006.

Okami HD’s enhanced visuals only represent half of the new package. This PS3 exclusive also supports PlayStation Move controls, with a Navigation Controller. Those that struggled with the thumbstick when painting with Amaterasu’s Celestial Brush may find salvation in motion control – hold the T-button to bring up the canvas, then and press the Move to deploy ink as you sketch with Ammy’s paint power. After a few tries, I was rejuvenating dying cherry blossoms with tight circles and power slashing through guarding enemies via a well-placed horizontal line. Of course, Dualshock 3 controls are supported, and control just as you may remember.

I tried to sneak a peek at the PSN Trophy list, but Capcom had not yet implemented them into this build of Okami HD. Fortunately, Corbett promised to share the final Trophy list here on PlayStation.Blog, and it’s been confirmed that there will be a Platinum up for grabs.

Okami HD is coming exclusively to PSN this fall for $19.99. Got any questions? We’ll aim to address them in a future post.

Doom 3: BFG Edition is set to launch on PS3 in October of 2012, bringing with it the first two games in the iconic series. It means you’ll be able to play the entire Doom series on PS3 for the first time and see for yourself why many consider these games to be some of the most influential shooters of all time.

We caught up with Eric Webb, producer from game developer id Software, at E3 2012 to talk about how the game has been buffed up for PS3.

PlayStation.Blog: How do you think all three games stand up today on PS3?

Eric Webb, Producer, Doom 3: BFG Edition: I think they all stand up really well. One of the first things we did when we first started work on it was pay attention to how the controls feel. There’s something about the DualShock 3 controller and its dual analog sticks that feels really good when you’re holding it in a game like this. It gives it a different life and almost makes it an entirely new experience. So I think it’s really cool on PS3.

PSB: What does stereoscopic 3D bring to the game?

EW: We were really surprised when we first had a look at it in 3D. John [Carmack, co-creator of the Doom series] went through quite a few different iterations of the game to help us figure out how best to fit the technology in. Just like adding DualShock 3 controls to the original Doom, 3D really brings Doom 3 to life. It’s interesting when you’re playing; you almost lose all of your peripheral vision and get sucked into the experience. I’d go so far as to say it’s the best implementation of stereoscopic 3D I’ve seen in a game so far. It really does draw you in.

PSB: Did you ever talk about PlayStation Move functionality?

EW: No. We didn’t really want to touch the core mechanics of the game. PlayStation Move is really cool technology but we’d have had to fundamentally change how the game works and we wanted to keep it as close to the classic experience as we could.

PSB: How about the first two games – was anything tweaked there for PS3?

EW: They are pretty much straight ports, but I will say that they run really fast at 60 frames per second, even with four-player split screen play going on. If you’ve got a big TV that’s really going to stand out. The guys basically wrote it from scratch to get it working on PS3.

PSB: What would you say attracts players to Doom 3 over games like UNCHARTED and the Call of Duty series?

EW: Working in the art department back when we made the original the version of Doom 3, one of the things that I’m really proud of personally is the fact that id Software was one of the first studios to bring in a film animator to add that movie aesthetic to games. I think we see other games coming out that are maybe a little bit derivative of that kind of thing – people are co-operating now between film and games and bringing that same type of look to it.

I think the game feels fresh. It was very modern and very aggressive, and you had to have a very high end PC to run it back in the day whereas now it’s running happily on PS3 in 720p high resolution. It’s really the best conversion we could have done for the game, I’m confident to say. It has good gameplay, good art, good style. It just lasts.

PSB: So there’s the addition of the mounted flashlight to the game. Has anything else been modified for PS3?

EW: We’re making textural improvements to the characters and demons. We’ve completely rewritten the network code so that multiplayer is a better experience. In addition there’s also the Lost Mission Pack, containing seven new levels. They pick up from a certain part of the story line in the main game – without giving too much away, it’ll all make sense when you play it. You’re a different guy in a different part of the base but it’s the same world.

PSB: The Doom games are the formative experience for many shooter fans. What’s been the reaction to this version?

EW: We’ve been incredibly surprised with the feedback from the show floor. Doom is obviously very important to us and we feel very passionate about it, but you never really know until you bring it to an event like E3 what the reaction is going to be. We were convinced it was a good idea to rework the game like this, and it was great that John [Carmack] was so passionate about the 3D stuff – because that added some new tech and got the team’s creative engine running again, so to speak – but you just never know. So the response has been really humbling.

It’s funny. You start to hear really interesting stories about people’s first experiences with the games. The first time I played the original Doom, my dad brought it home on a floppy disc. That told me two things: first, my dad was cooler than me at that point; second, I didn’t know how they were doing it but I had to get involved with it.

PSB: Much of the team who worked on the futuristic shooter, Rage, contributed to this. What do you think they brought to Doom 3: BFG Edition?

EW: Those guys learned a lot of lessons about how to work with AI and craft it into something really believable. When they came across to work on Doom 3: BFG Edition they had this incredible toolkit at their disposal, and they could focus more on making the experience great as opposed to fighting the technical hurdles on the way to finishing the game.

PSB: How do you balance staying true to the original game with making improvements?

EW: Your first inclination is to make big sweeping changes because it’s something that you’ve looked at for a long time, so it doesn’t feel fresh anymore. We’ve really focused on keeping the core experience there. From talking to people on the show floor, a lot of them weren’t too happy with the idea of the flashlight as something separate. So integrating the flashlight into your main weapon seemed like a no-brainer, yet even then we still had people say they wanted to play the original way.

Another piece of feedback we had was that the game was too dark, so we’ve lit it some more here and there and tried to lead the player’s eye a little more. So there’ll be two modes – the original, unchanged version of Doom 3 and the updated one.

PSB: And trophy support must have been a fun feature to implement…

EW: Yeah, we sat down with the design team and really just let them riff. It was a little tricky adding trophies to a game that’s so well established, but I think fans will be impressed.

Over the past couple of weeks we’ve taken you through the controls and cross-platform features, so this time we’re going to dive into the multiplayer and single-player modes.

Real-world table football is the most fun when you play it with friends, and that’s something we definitely took into account when developing Foosball 2012. Up to four players can play locally at the same time, whether that’s two for each team or other combinations like 1 vs. 1 or 2 vs. AI or 2 vs. 1 and so forth. It’s also possible for some of the players to play with PlayStation Move and others with DualShock 3.

Online multiplayer is also present, of course. You can play alone, or join up with a friend locally and take on the world together. Every victory nets you experience points and boosts your global ranking, so be sure to check the leaderboards to see whether your friends are above or below you.

If you do prefer single player, the game’s World Tour mode lets you face off against 29 A.I. controller opponents. World Tour mode is where you can unlock all of the game’s tables, balls, and foosmen customisations, as well as the national flags and team banners that you can select to represent you. There are nine different table types, six ball types and each will affect the gameplay in a specific way. Keep an eye out for some of the crazier options like hotdog foosmen, or a snowball. ;-)

Foosball 2012 will be released soon on the PlayStation Store for PS3 and PS Vita and buying the game on one platform means that you get the other version for free.

For more information about the game, visit our official site, or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Thank you for watching our Developer Diary videos. I’m looking forward to meeting you all online while playing Foosball 2012!

Hi everybody! This is Jakub from Grip Games, the folks who brought you The Impossible Game, MiniSquadron and One Epic Game. We are back to present you our newest creation – Foosball 2012 for PS3 and PS Vita.

As you have probably guessed – it is a table football (“foosball”) game. The very first one for PlayStation 3 and PS Vita, so we made sure that we packed it up with lots of features and game modes, like various kinds of tables (American style, European style), customizations, ball types and trick shots to keep you entertained and experimenting for hours.

The World Tour single-player mode will let you travel across the globe and challenge AI opponents in nearly 30 locations. More social players can look forward to a local multiplayer for up to four and online multiplayer, where you can match against the rest of the world and rank up to become the table football champion.

PlayStation Move is also supported on PS3. If you own this magic wand, you can control Foosball 2012 exactly like you would control a real table football, with 1:1 movement precision. If you don’t own PS Move, DualShock 3 is also supported and, if you have ever played a football game before, the controls will feel immediately familiar. The PS Vita controls are the same as on the PS3 controller, thanks to the dual analog sticks and touch controls are also supported, if that is your thing.

Foosball 2012 is going to be a lot of fun for everyone – not just fans of table football. It is easy to jump into and enjoy instantaneously, but it also provides a lot of space to truly master your skills and rule the online leaderboards. If you are looking for a game that you won’t put away after a few hours, but a game that will motivate you to keep playing and get better, look no further. And I think that I even don’t have to mention just how fun this game can be when you have a few friends available for a local multiplayer. ;-)

Foosball 2012 will be released for both the PS3 and PS Vita as a downloadable game via the PlayStation Store, and will offer every single Cross Play feature between PS3 and PS Vita that you can think of.

First of all, the game supports cross-platform multiplayer – PS3 players can play against PS Vita players online, and vice versa. Secondly, if you own PS3 and PS Vita, the game automatically synchronizes your save data between both versions. You can start playing the game on your PS3 and then take it on the road with your PS Vita, and start exactly from where you left off.

And the best news of them all: if you buy the PS3 version of Foosball 2012 on either platform then you will be able to play on both platforms at no extra charge. The same applies for any additional purchasable content.

The release is planned for the end of this spring. In the meantime, you can follow the game on Twitter or visit the official website to get all the latest news and also keep checking back on the PlayStation.Blog. I hope to see you all soon online, playing Foosball 2012!

But in playing Hustle Kings for NGP, I was struck by how much more satisfying the pool hall action becomes with the integration of touchscreen controls. After choosing my game type and table, I used a combo of touch- and analog stick-controls to set my shot using a customizable guide-line. Then I pulled the cue stick back with my index finger on the screen and fired. The result: a straight, solid shot with a satisfying “clack!” I did it again and again. Sure, you can use the analog stick to shoot, but touch is the way to go with the NGP version of Hustle Kings. It makes the game more immersive, and, dare I say, a lot more fun.

The difficulty of taking a shot is widely variable. You can set a guide that will tell you exactly where your ball will go, or just eyeball it. Cueing methods vary from a pinball-like pull-and-release motion to the traditional poolhall motion. But Hustle Kings NGP takes advantage of more than just the NGP’s touch screen. On the PS3 you can chalk your cue by shaking the DualShock 3. Here you can apply chalk by “rubbing the cue” via the backtouch panel. Instead of selecting a pre-made avatar, you can snap a photo of yourself using the built-in camera. Other functionality abounds: You can use your NGP’s screen as a window into the pool hall by rotating around the ball with the six axis motion sensing, and chat in-game using the NGP’s built-in microphone.

Things get even more creative on the multiplayer side. Yes, you can compete live via Wifi against other NGP-equipped players. Hustle Kings also features interoperable cross-play with the PS3 version of the game, ensuring plenty of built-in competition on day one. None of your friends online right now? Here’s something I think you’ll see a lot of moving forward: asynchronous multiplayer. You take your shots, then the NGP messages your friend. When they pick up the game next, they view your last turn, then take their shots. It’s kind of like playing via text message, or Words With Friends on a smartphone.

I was also informed that all DLC presently available for Hustle Kings PS3 (like the ever-popular snooker) will be made available on NGP as well. I thought I knew what to expect before going hands-on with Hustle Kings NGP, but I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. A new interface can make a big difference.

Rumble is back with the DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controller for PLAYSTATION 3. These are shipping to store shelves as we speak, so be on the lookout for them next week. Now I know that the list of compatible games is the most important thing to you, so we’re including that at the bottom of this post. The titles with an asterisk in the list below will require a patch in order to activate the rumble feature. The patch will automatically download to your PS3 if your console is connected online. If you are not connected online, check our PlayStation Knowledge Center for more information.

We will be launching have launched a web page on the PlayStation website later this morning dedicated to informing you of what titles use force feedback. This list will be expanding as new titles become compatible, so be sure to be sure to check back. You can also keep an eye out for this icon:

This will be located on all new software releases that are DUALSHOCK 3 compatible.

Just to give you a small refresher course, the DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controller includes pressure sensors that rumble with each action. SIXAXIS technology is also included, so you can still use motion control, and the controller features Bluetooth technology for wireless gameplay. You can pick it up at any of the major retailers and at a cost $54.99 MSRP.

Here’s the complete list of titles supporting the DUALSHOCK 3 at launch:

• SCEA – Formula One Championship Edition* (PS3)
• SCEA – MotorStorm* (PS3)
• SCEA – Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (PS3)
• SCEA – PAIN (PSN)
• SCEA – High Velocity Bowling (PSN)
• SCEA – MLB 08: The Show (PS3)
• SCEA – Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (PS3)
• SCEA – Resistance: Fall of Man* (PS3)
• SCEA – Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3)
• SCEA – Go! Sports Ski* (PSN)
• SCEA – Folklore* (PS3)
• SCEA – Heavenly Sword* (PS3)
• SCEA – Warhawk* (PSN / PS3)
• SCEA – Super Stardust HD* (PSN)
• SCEA – Snakeball (PSN)
• SCEA – Toy Home (PSN)
• SCEA – PSOne Emulation (PSN)
• SCEA – Piyotama (PSN)
• SCEA – PixelJunk Monsters (PSN)
• SCEA – Blast Factor* (PSN)
• Sega – Condemned 2: Bloodshot (PS3)
• Ubisoft – Lost: Via Domus (PS3)
• Ubisoft – Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2* (PS3)
• EA – Burnout Paradise (PS3)
• KOEI – Dynasty Warriors 6 (PS3)
• Capcom – Devil May Cry 4 (PS3)
• Atari – Dragon Ball Z Burst Limit (PS3)
• Disney Interactive – Turok (PS3)
• Sierra Games – TimeShift (PS3)