OK, I would like you all to stop with the FLOCK innuendos. I mean, we’re adults here, most of us anyway. Flockin’ stop that sheep now! I’m telling ya, it’s getting real old.

Here were some of your, uh, witty comments:

“What the FLOCK!? I want to play it!” – Thrasher20
“Why the flock won’t John Diamonon respond to my question?” – Realaride
“Give me a FLOCKING prize!” – XxBigP123xX

LOL. I don’t know about you, but no matter how many times I read your flockin’ comments, it never gets old.

So the wait is over. FLOCK! finally lands on PSN today. Here’s what you can expect:

• Over 50 levels of intense flocking action!
• Level creating, sharing and rating!
• Trial mode! (Basically a demo with an in-game purchase option) Trophies!
• In game XMB music support!
• Two player local co-op!
• Cow poop!
• Flies on cow poop!
• Pigs rolling on cow poop with flies!
• UFOs and a Motherflocker!
• A $14.99 price point.
• Commenters complaining about said price point!
• Gamers purchasing FLOCK and exclaiming that it’s totally worth it!
• More harassment about trophy support for previously released games!
• Shameless cameo appearance by Blanka from Street Fighter!
• Many more surprises and prizes!

I want to set the record straight because I’m not one to hide from anything. We will NOT, I repeat, NOT be charging for extra animals in FLOCK! Yes, the game will be complete with all the sheep, roosters, pigs and cows you can herd to your heart’s desire.

I want to congratulate last week’s contest winners: Jon_Mclane and Corran. Jon won a FLOCK code and a copy of SF4. Corran was the lucky winner of a FLOCK code, FLOCK play set and a Mega Man 9 press kit. If you want to purchase the FLOCK play set, you can buy this extremely limited collectors piece at the Capcom Store tomorrow.

This wouldn’t be a John D blog without a crazy contest now would it? Post #1000 gets a FLOCK code, play set and Mega Man 9 press kit. Only continental US and Puerto Rico will be eligible for the play set and press kit. Please type complete sentences and no consecutive posting. You can post more than once just not consecutively. PM me if you’re the winner.

Also, check here at the end of the month for an awesome announcement!

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FEA2-2GBP-2GRL
BM8Q-42B2-6E3G
GJPD-25BT-BDFE
N9CK-25BH-DT4D
9GNC-BCBA-B7F3
FJPB-2EB6-2KJ5
8TKD-D8BQ-6JJC
B29M-KNBG-TFA2
C7NG-KMBA-GFPP

Enjoy!
John “HIERO9D3” Diamonon

The real reason I’m here, and it’s not to keep you updated on my life, is to let you know that next Thursday, FLOCK! finally arrives on PSN. Soon you’ll be able to manipulate cute, cuddly animals with the help of your trusty UFO. You don’t even have to be in a farm to flock sheep, Capcom is giving you the ability to do this in the privacy of your own home. You can even call a friend over and flock.

If you’ve never herd of FLOCK! before, here’s a video with the beautiful Veronica Belmont and one the folks at Capcom going over some of the cool features in the game (I’m loving the outfit Veronica!).

Did I mention trophy and in-game XMB music support? Another cool feature is the level editor where you can create your own plushy environments and share them online. There’s also a rating system where you can praise the brilliant work of others, or pan some of the more awkward levels that are made available (Giving fans creative freedom is not always a good thing).

So, if you’ve been keeping up with my blogs, I’ve been hinting for months about a cool surprise for PSN gamers this year. Well, stay tuned. I’m ready to talk about it at the end of the month.

Oh and finally, comment number 200 gets a free, redeemable token of FLOCK! and a copy of Street Fighter 4 (No spamming allowed. If you post two times in a row and hit number 200, the prize goes to the next person. Send me a PM to my PSN ID and give me your address to get your prize.).

Yours truly,
John Diamonon
PSN ID: HIERO9D3

In my last post, I promised that you’ll see a whole slew of PSP and PSone games on the PlayStation Network. To kick off 2009, I’m happy to announce that Ultimate Ghost ‘n Goblins will be available tomorrow in the PSP store for $19.99. For those of you not familiar with the game, UGG is a side-scrolling platform game featuring the heroic knight, Arthur, as he battles hordes of undead in his quest to save Princess Prin Prin. (total run on sentence) I think just having the name “Prin Prin” is reason enough for saving. UGG maintains the 2D gameplay mechanics of this classic franchise and is the only game in the series to employ 3D graphics. The graphics are beautiful and the gameplay is intuitive yet addicting, everything you want in a quality PSP game.

Check out the video!

I also have a new Flock trailer. Peep these sheep!

With over 55 stages, two player co-op, level creating-editing-rating-sharing, trophy support and custom soundtracks, this game is a motherflockin’ good time!

And for those in the San Francisco Bay Area, I hope to see you at the Street Fighter Fight Club this Friday. I’ll be the one fitted with the new Triumvir Street Fighter Shadaloo jacket and jeans. Come by and say what’s up and play a few rounds with me.

Till next time PlayStation Playas.

Your friend from Capcom,
John Diamonon
PSN ID: HIERO9D3

I want to introduce you to one of my co-workers, Robby Zinchak. Don’t let his young looks fool you. He’s an up-and-coming associate producer extraordinaire who’s ready to answer all your questions regarding this truly unique, downloadable game. Just don’t ask him to show you his ID. (Just kidding Robby.)

Hi! This is my first time posting here, so I figure I should introduce myself first ;) My name is Robby, and I’m the Associate Producer on FLOCK! here at Capcom. As mentioned previously on this blog, the new episode of Qore (available today!) includes both a video feature on FLOCK! and a fully playable demo!

The premise of FLOCK! is simple: you’re a UFO (the ‘Flocker’) which seeks to abduct animals. Through the levels, you’ll abduct these cute animals by herding them into your Motherflocker (yes, really, we named the ship that :P). But it’s not a simple point A to point B operation – all sorts of peril and surprises lie between the animals and their destination. For instance, in one level you’ll play, there are crops between the sheep and the ship, so you’ll have to make crop circles with your UFO’s depressor beam to make a path for them to cross (finally we know the true purpose behind all those crop circles!). Through the game, you’ll have to contend with numerous challenges. Among these challenges, your flock will face pits, scarecrows, water, bridges, and even trampolines that’ll send them flying!

The full game also includes co-op gameplay, so you can bring a friend in to help you herd the animals. In co-op levels, you’ll have to work together to get your objectives met. For instance, one player may need to lift a gate while another player herds the animals through the gate. It’s a lot of fun, so look forward to it! One of our more unique features is the ability to create your own maps with our built in map-editor. We use the same tool to make the official levels, so you’ll have a lot of flexibility and power in the kind of maps you’re able to make. Plus, you can even upload your maps online where you’ll be able to share them with other players.

Each of the levels (over 50!) is replayable – there are bonuses to beating the map quickly and also beating the map perfectly by collecting all animals. As you beat levels, you’ll unlock new abilities to use and items to place in the editor. Sometimes you’ll need to unlock something later in the game that’ll help you beat a level earlier in the game perfectly. Between all the levels and modes included, we think you’ll be getting a lot of gameplay value out of this downloadable game! :)

So, hopefully that’s a good introduction to FLOCK!. Don’t forget to download the FLOCK! Winter Qore Demo — you’ll be among the first to ever play the game! It includes a full six levels, with three of the four animals unlocked to play with. We’ve even included the level editor to make your own levels! I’ll keep an eye out for comments here and reply where I’m able to. Keep your eyes out for more FLOCK! news in the coming weeks – we’ll have lots more information coming soon!