I’m a sucker for horror games, so I jumped at a recent opportunity to watch a short demo of Konami’s upcoming PS3 survival-horror epic Silent Hill: Downpour. In a development applauded by series fans, Downpour strongly emphasizes creeping psychological horror over the twitchy action of recent entries like Silent Hill: Homecoming.

You play as Murphy, a maximum-security inmate with a deeply troubled past. You awaken on the fringes of the cursed town of Silent Hill after your prison transport bus crashes. True to Silent Hill form, you’ll spend the rest of the game evading the town’s monstrous denizens while piecing together Murphy’s deepest secrets — including the dark truths that brought him to Silent Hill.

I spoke with Producer Devin Shatsky, who answered some key questions while playing through the first section of the game. If you have questions, leave them in the comments and I’ll do my best to get you answers!

PlayStation.Blog: From an interface perspective, how is Downpour different from the last game in the series, Homecoming?
Devin Shatsky, Producer, Silent Hill: Downpour: We’ve gone with a more realistic weapon and inventory system. In past Silent Hill gamess, you had this magic pocket where you could carry a full arsenal of weaponry — Uzis, swords, hammers and more. That took away from the player’s suspension of disbelief, but it also empowered the player a bit too much and it impacts the scare factor. In Downpour, you’re limited to carrying what’s in your hands, plus a holstered firearm. You’ll want to use your weapons carefully. Each weapon is breakable, so wooden weapons will break after a couple of hits while metal weapons will last longer. Most weapons are everyday items: rakes, bottles, kitchen knives. There are no katanas or the like in this game.

The health system has also seen quite a few changes. There’s no HUD; all that information is tied directly to the character, so he’ll limp, bleed, his clothing will develop holes…we tried to focus as much on realism as possible.

PSB: In Homecoming, your character came from a military background and that reflected itself in the action-centric combat system. How is Downpour changing that?
DS: Yep. In Homecoming, you played a somewhat more badass character. But in Downpour, Murphy is more of an everyman. He’s far from a tough guy. He can fend for himself, but overall he veers much closer to the protagonist of Silent Hill 2. You’ll want to run from enemies more than usual: you may be able to stand toe-to-toe with one enemy, but if you’re outnumbered, the best strategy is to run.

PSB: What lessons did Konami learn from Silent Hill: Homecoming?
DS: It was reviewed fairly well by the critics and it’s definitely a good game. But I think that Silent Hill fans expect a game that veers more psychological horror versus a lot of combat. Homecoming was a fairly combat-heavy game, which turned off certain fans. There’s a dichotomy among survival-horror players: the Resident Evil fans tend to prefer heavy combat, and Silent Hill fans tend to prefer slower, exploration-based horror. There’s still combat in Downpour, but it’s not nearly as frequent as in Homecoming.

PSB: Which Silent Hill game would you say most closely compares to Downpour?
DS: Definitely Silent Hill 2. Downpour has a standalone story that’s not tied to any other Silent Hill game, so it’s taking the broader concept back to its roots. Silent Hill 2 was one of the big fan favorites in the series, so we took elements that were appealing in that game and integrated them here.

PSB: Will classic enemies such as the Puppet Nurses be returning in any form?
DS: No. In Silent Hill games, the monsters are directly tied to the protagonist’s background, so the enemies in this game all have meaning to Murphy. We won’t be shoehorning in Pyramid Head or the nurses just to do it. It wouldn’t make sense. That could be seen as a mistake of Homecoming — the developers paid fan service by introducing monsters from previous games, but it didn’t really make sense. The core fans called us out on that, and rightfully so.

PSB: But the iconic white fog will return, right?
DS: Definitely. Fog is a visual trademark of Silent Hill, but the main visual theme of Downpour is water. We’ve got a cool randomized weather system that impacts the gameplay: when the weather ramps up, so do the amount of monsters. So if the weather goes to hell, you might want to head indoors and find a place to hide…

PSB: I’m seeing some open-world influences in the environment designs here. Is that my imagination?
DS: The town is completely explorable. The previous games was a series of locked doors that tended to discourage players from exploring. Downpour has a lot of side quests that aren’t tied to the core linear storyline. You might stumble across a room that triggers a side quest, and completing it might reveal a new bit of Silent Hill lore.

PSB: Longtime Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka is no longer with the company. Who will be filling in for audio design?
DS: When Akira Yamaoka left the company, we were forced to look elsewhere. The sound design is handled by Nathan McCree, who has worked on Tomb Raider and it an extremely effective audio designer. In terms of the music score, we hired a Dan Licht, who scores the show Dexter. He’s a great fit for the series. We sought him out because we were huge fans of Dexter and thought he’d get Silent Hill. One great detail is that Dan is a highly accomplished mandolin player, and Akira Yamaoka used to incorporate a lot of mandolin as well, so it’s a perfect fit.

On a side note, we also signed up Korn to perform the title song for Silent Hill Downpour. It’s not a heavy metal sound, it’s a very different sound for Korn. They’ve actually sort of changed gears lately in terms of their sound. But they’re only doing the intro song, not the in-game music.

PSB: How is work on the Silent Hill HD Collection coming along?
DS: We’ll be releasing the Silent Hill HD Collection for PS3 in the first quarter of 2012, and it’ll include HD versions of Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3. And for PS Vita, we’ll have Silent Hill: Book of Memories for the launch timeframe. For the PS Vita game, forget everything you know about Silent Hill. Book of Memories is a completely new experience, a multiplayer dungeon crawl that brings in a lot of cool elements from the series. It’s not a hack job with Silent Hill slapped on the box — it’s a very cool game in its own right and it explores interesting elements from the series.

Hello Zombie aficionados! I wanted to let you know that Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone will be available on PSN later today! Now for those of you who played the first Zombie Apocalypse (released in 2009) welcome back to Konami’s take on the world of the undead. For those of you who are new to this whole experience, I’m here to give you a few brief and yet thoroughly engrossing (emphasis on “gross”) tips about a world that’s near and dear to my heart.

At its core, the game is an overhead twin stick shooter which places a focus on more of a fast-paced arcade type feel. You’ll deal with thousands of zombies throughout the game, all of which are trying their absolute hardest to eat your brain and steal your soul. That’s the bad news. Your job is to use every arsenal at your disposal to fend off the zombie wave and get the hell off this godforsaken Canadian island.

Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone was developed by our good friends at Backbone Entertainment. Believe me when I say, Backbone and I are proud of the work we’ve done on this little game so please do me a favor and check it out. When you finally get your hot little hands on the game, here are a few tips and tricks to keep you alive and well.

Fools Rush In!
Do not play this game as if you were playing the very first Zombie Apocalypse! Meaning – don’t think you’re going to survive solely on blasting zombies left and right. What’s worse, if you try and rush through the traversal levels you’re gonna get pwned! That said, take your time. Use some strategery. Make sure to use your secondary weapons as often as possible. However, my recommendation is that you try and keep some of your Pwnage Powers handy until you’re in a jam. ESPECIALLY, Father Bill’s. Keeping Father Bill’s Pwnage Power handy at all times will definitely mean the different between beating the level and seeing the “reload the level” screen. Sorry people. No mid-level save points here!

Don’t Get Too Fond of Jeremy
Most players will probably try and focus on Jeremy due to the fact that he carries around a fast shooting Sub Machine gun. But ignore your other characters for too long and your skills will absolutely, positively not improve. This will, of course, make the game tougher than it really needs to be. The ONLY way to upgrade any of your characters abilities is to use them and use their abilities. Keep in mind that someone like Alma may not seem as powerful at first (due to her slow shooting Sniper Rifle) but upgrade her skills and you can take out multiple zombies with just one shot making her a bit of a heavyweight out there!

Konami Code
Will you get a bit of an advantage if you use the Konami Code somewhere in the game? Hm… maybe!

A final thought… be on the lookout for Downloadable Content (Pure Pwnage pack!) coming sometime in mid-to-late November. You’ll get a chance to play as the missing character, FPS Doug, and possibly be reacquainted with some old Zombie Apocalypse friends.

Enjoy the game when it hits PSN later today for $9.99.

These days, Hideo Kojima is a busy man. The Metal Gear mastermind recently revealed that the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection is heading to the PS3 this November. The HD Collection includes revamped versions of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, complete with dual-analog-stick controls, 1080p graphics, smoother frame rates, a redesigned user interface, rumble support and much more.

We caught up with Kojima last week at an appearance in Mexico City and he was eager to speak with PlayStation.Blog readers. Enjoy the Q&A, and leave your favorite Metal Gear moments in the comments!

PlayStation.Blog: Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker was designed for PSP — a portable device. What changes did Kojima Productions make to the upcoming PS3 version so it could be enjoyed on a high-definition home console?

Hideo Kojima, Director, Kojima Productions: The PSP obviously has fewer buttons than the PS3 controller, and it had some limitations when it comes to control. Using the DualShock 3, movement of many things improved…as did, of course, [the addition of] rumble support.

On the PSP, it was also hard to tell some textures apart. Now, rendered in HD, they are much easier to see. The in-game text is also easier to read.

PSB: Your process of “transfarring” will allow PSP players to take their Peace Walker save files from one console to another, and we will also see similar cross-play support with the PS Vita and Metal Gear Solid HD Collection. Is this the future of gaming, and would you like to explore beyond what already has been announced?

Kojima: Peace Walker is the first step. It is a PSP game in HD that lets one go back and forth between one PSP and a PSP. The next step is to take PS2-quality games, such as Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3, to HD and then to take them to Vita transfarring.

My next step is games that will come out for the PS3 from now on, so I can take advantage of this technology with the Vita with content that is exactly the same. I hope that cloud service is available now, and it would be ideal for me if transfarring were to serve as a bridge between the two services.

PSB: Just before E3, a glimpse of what will be its new graphic engine (FOX Engine) was shown. What would you say are their greatest visual benefits? Is there anything that stands out in this technology that you can tell us about?

Kojima: For now, FOX Engine has high performance in developing games on multiple platforms; I think that is the most prominent feature. At this point, it is not an engine that has anything particularly prominent when compared to what’s on the market. From now on, we hope to add features and functions that stand out from other engines.

PSB: Okay, PS Vita has already been revealed. Are you interested in the console? What are the features that draw your attention most to a portable device?

Kojima: As for the multitouch pad on the back of the console, I do not want to force users to use it. The PS Vita has cutting-edge technology and it’s the best there is – especially with integration with the PS3 – and I am very pleased I can offer it to users.

PSB: With the commercial success of L.A. Noire, and the return of cyberpunk with Deus Ex: Human Revolution, do you believe that there is a market for a new Snatcher game?

Kojima: L.A. Noire is a game that I really like, but unfortunately I have not played it. I think it is coming out in Japan today, so when I return, I intend to play it. This idea of ​​an open world in 3D is very good, and I would love to do something like Snatcher, but I do not have the time or the means to do so. But if anyone else would like to develop it, I would love it.

NOTE: A few hours after this interview, Hideo Kojima, in collaboration with Suda 51 and Akira Yamaoka, announced a radio drama called “Sdatcher” based on Snatcher.

PSB: What qualities do you think a game designer needs to be hired in today’s industry?

Kojima: Right now, it’s very similar to movies: You need a lot of money. So rather than doing what you want, doing what you like, you must have a clear idea of marketing and sales. That’s what’s happening to us with FOX Engine; you do not need be an expert in programming to develop a game, but if you have a question, you still need an expert on-hand to provide an answer.

As for expression, that has reached a high level. Video games are trying to reach the peak of entertainment, so game makers should be clear that things like emotion and sound are among the many things that have to be involved.

PSB: How has your perspective from your business point of view and as a game developer changed, now that you are Vice President of Konami Digital?

Kojima: I would like to not change. My priority continues to be to create and produce my own games. Now that I can do this well, I can generate more time to help in other company products, especially in creative ways.

For more information on Metal Gear Solid, please visit the Facebook page.

True to its name, it was a lot of rushing. And attacking. Mostly with a knife, sometimes with a flamethrower or a machine gun, but always against hordes of faceless Russians (it was the Cold War, which meant that was totally cool that Russians were bad guys and even cooler to come up with a pun-tastic name for the game). And as we approached the 25th anniversary of Rush’N Attack, we realized it might be nice to revisit an old friend.

But bringing a game like this back into something accessible and interesting to a modern audience presented some unique challenges. After all, the primary attack mechanic from the original 1985 game was quite literally a “stab-stab-stab” motion from side to side across the screen, which you can see from some gameplay footage here:

So how did we update this? The answer we found was Systema.

Systema (“The System”) is a form of martial arts practiced by the Russian secret service (Spetznaz). It is characterized by hand-to-hand combat and knife fighting with a goal toward merciless takedowns that are brutal and brief. Incidentally, the developer for this game is Vatra, a studio based in the Czech Republic, a former Eastern Bloc country, and they just so happened to have some people in-house who were intimately acquainted with “The System.”

In the photos and screenshot above, you can see Alex Sila, Senior Producer at Vatra, and Marek Berka, one of the designers of the game, showing off a few of the moves you’ll see in Rush’N Attack: Ex-Patriot. Their instructors, Jan Sedláček and David Sýkora, are Systema masters, and functioned as consultants and motion capture performers for this game. So yes, these are actual moves.

Now for how it all fits together. In Rush’N Atttack: Ex-Patriot – now available on PSN – you’ll play as Sid Morrow, a CIA operative proficient in Systema, infiltrating a Russian prison to uncover its secrets. You can play in several ways: dash through the game and shank everything in your path, or stealthily make your way through levels, sneaking up on enemies and taking them out with one of your vicious attacks. As you progress through the game, you’ll unlock more and more combos to add to the ferocity of your take downs and the deadliness of your attacks. You’ll pick up a few classic items along the way – a flamethrower here, a machine gun there. But make no mistake: Your knife is your best friend, your most trusted servant and savior as you rush and attack your way through the game.

Just like it was in 1985. With a little something extra this time around.

Rush’N Attack: Ex-Patriot is available now for $9.99. Be sure to check out our Konami Facebook page. Hope you guys enjoy the game!

To commemorate the release of Top Spin 4, 2K releases a collection of tennis-themed clothing items (as well as the 8-Bit Tennis Buddy companion). Show the world that you can swing like the pros with these new Top Spin 4 items, available this Thursday in the PlayStation Home Mall!

Speaking of awesome new games, Konami serves up a slew of clothing and furniture items pulled straight the recently-released Hard Corps: Uprising, now available on the PlayStation Network. Join the Union Tribe by grabbing the Bahamut or Krystal costume sets, UT t-shirt, and furniture items for your apartment.

Lockwood Publishing brings a huge update to the Sodium store this week with two new virtual item ranges – Iron Fusion and Cucumber. Cucumber is a line of home furnishings that range from the bold and modern to more traditional styles. In contrast, Iron Fusion will bring you the latest in cybernetic fashion with the Menace, Fractal and Rosko Full Body Suits.

Drinkbox Studios brings more About a Blob clothing items to PlayStation Home this week. Check ‘em out!

Dragon’s Lair fans rejoice! Finally, you can add Singe, the evil dragon, or even your very own Giddy Goon to your collection of companions. Pick these awesome new items up from the Exclusives store in the PlayStation Home Mall this Thursday.

The one-and-only PlayStation Home Community Theater receives a huge update this week with new episodes of the Gamer Indepth videocast and the Hip Hop Gamer show. Visit the PlayStation Home Theater this Thursday to watch Homeboy79, SoAmped, Meesh and ChronosViper bring you the latest news from the PlayStation Home Community in Gamer Indepth’s ShoutOuts and catch HHG as he takes a look at Brink, the upcoming FPS from Splash Damage and Bethesda Softworks.

In other Theater-related news, one of America’s coolest film festivals is coming to PlayStation Home this Thursday, March 17th. Created in 2007 to celebrate the creative potential of disposable video (short films made on everyday equipment like cell phones and pocket cameras), the Disposable Film Festival hosts regular screenings, competitions, and other events to showcase the best work within the genre. Be sure to visit the PlayStation Home Theater starting this Thursday to watch videos from the finalists of the 2010 Disposable Film Festival and then come back next Thursday, March 24th, to check out the top entries for 2011 – the same evening as the live event held at the world famous Castro Theater in San Francisco!

See you in Home!

After you pick up your new Treehouse, be sure to head over to the Exclusives store to pick up the new Solitaire game, available in 5 different designs.

Also available this week from the PlayStation Home Mall: Military uniforms for the guys and gals as well as new hairstyles and accessories for both sexes courtesy of our friends over at Lockwood.

The PlayStation Home Community Theater receives a massive update this week. To start, HomeCast Rewind airs a new video where the staff takes a look at the new Mansion personal space, the recently-released Xi Museum, and the Lockwood Gift Machine, while also giving a run-down of December’s Top 5 items.

Hip Hop Gamer returns with a new episode of the HHG show focusing on the upcoming LittleBigPlanet 2, including Alex Evans and John Beech from Media Molecule, while the most recent episode of Replay with Doc features Mo Chocolate from The Tester 2.

If you head over the PlayStation Store you can become a true PlayStation Home real estate mogul with the new Estates Pack. Purchase this pack and receive 10 different personal spaces including: the Post Apocalypse Apartment, Planetland, Villain’s Lair, the Paris Clocktower, Anime Syle, Santorini Greece, Wizard’s Den, the Playground Apartment, Pharoah’s Tomb, and the Luxury Racing Box. It’s a $47.90 value, now available for $19.99 with this exclusive bundle!

Last but certainly not least, Konami is inviting all of you Castlevania: Lords of Shadow fans out for a special event this weekend. To participate, simply show up to the Konami space in your Castlevania: Lords of Shadow gear and earn extra points for each item you wear.

See you in Home!

Novus Prime, the recently released space combat game exclusive to PlayStation Home, also receives an update this week. Pilots who have earned the rank of Airman or Captain will receive pilot jacket rewards upon reporting for duty on Thursday, December 16th. Earth Fleet is also proud to announce the new Mini-Mech companion (there’s no longer any need to walk alone!).

Sodium celebrates its one year anniversary with a special sale and new rewards. Watch this video to learn more.

Konami is throwing their first event this weekend, and you are invited! Check out the Konami Penthouse in PlayStation Home this weekend for a Soccer-themed party. Wear your Konami gear and earn more points. The more Konami Soccer items you wear, the more points you get!

This Thursday, December 16th, the PlayStation Home Mall will receive an enormous update. Just in time for the peak of the holiday season, our friends over at Doublesix Games will release some hilarious Burn Zombie Burn costumes.

Speaking of the holiday items, Codename releases some festive tops for the guys and the gals as well as a White Christmas mini-game. And check out this ridiculously awesome “Santa on a Reindeer” costume from Codeglue!

Also available this week from the PlayStation Home Mall: New Ghostbusters and “Mad Scientist” furniture items (these can be found in the LOOT store), a musical “Ballerina Box” for your personal spaces, and nDreams’ epic “Bling Reaper” costume (also pictured below).

Those of you who pick up the full PlayStation Network game, Tales From Space: About A Blob, when it releases next year, will be able to unlock special rewards in PlayStation Home by successfully completing select levels in the game. See the below for a sneak peek of some of these exclusive rewards.

The PlayStation Home Community Theater receives another update this week, with episode 7 of Replay with Doc: CastOffs, now playing in-world (in this episode Doc interviews War Princess from the Tester 2). Also airing this week in the PlayStation Home Theater is a full episode of Buso Renkin, the popular anime show from Viz Media. Be sure to log in to PlayStation Home this week to watch these awesome videos and pick up rewards (including the new Tester 2 “Game Over” shirt, available from the Tester 2 Theater, and the PlayStation Home 2-Year Anniversary shirt, available in the Community Theater).

On that note, we want to invite all of you out to a live event in the PlayStation Home Theater with the finalists from The Tester 2 on Monday, December 20th between the hours of 6:00pm and 8:00pm PST (9:00pm and 11:00pm EST). Chat with the finalists of the latest season of The Tester and hear about their experiences firsthand, only at this exclusive PlayStation Home event.

Finally, I want to remind you all that the holiday celebrations continue in the mega-popular Winter Wonderland space, now accessible via PlayStation Home’s Navigator. Be sure to visit the Winter Wonderland daily between now and December 25th for new games, quests, and rewards.

See you in Home!

Form teams of up to four players and embark on a score of dangerous missions where you will employ cutting-edge weaponry in intense battles against massive fleets of foes. Purchase new ships, weapons, and upgrades from the workshop, customizing your fighters’ styling and gear. Take your avatars out into zero-G, floating freely while shooting the parasitic crawlers that drill into the station’s hull. The best pilots can even earn an exclusive animated officer’s jacket! Do you have what it takes to fight back the invaders? Head into PlayStation Home Thursday, December 2nd to join the fight!

The PlayStation Home Mall also gets an update this week with new clothing items from Konami’s DefJam Rapstar and DanceDance Revolution, additional Dragon’s Lair clothing and furniture items (pictured above), and Lockwood’s ridiculous(ly fun) Fish Tank Bubble Helmets (pictured below).

Finally, the PlayStation Home Community Theater is airing a new installment of the Hip Hop Gamer videocast this Thursday, which focuses on the recently released Gran Turismo 5. Also playing this week in the Theater are the latest episodes from The Tester Season 2 and Replay with Doc: Cast Offs (the latter of which rewards viewers with a special virtual item). Be sure to log in to PlayStation Home this week to grab the free The Tester 2 virtual item and watch these awesome new videos.

See you in Home!

To start, our friends over at Konami are releasing a rooftop penthouse space filled to the brim with games, new items from Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (including a Laura costume as well as an upgraded Gabriel Belmont suit), DanceDance Revolution, and some secret goodies that you’ll have to log in and uncover yourself. Peep the below screens for a sneak peek at what to expect when this huge shipment of Konami content hits your PS3 later this week.

Attn: Film fanatics and budding Hollywood directors. This week LOOT releases their brand new Ultimate Machinima bundle. This bundle – which includes the Modular Stage Set 3 personal space, the LOOT Active Camera, and the LOOT Active Light items – is the ultimate tool for shooting your own movies and TV shows in PlayStation Home.

The Modular Stage Set 3 lets players control over three enormous retractable backdrops, which can be set to different chroma key colors with motion track markers. The stage light system now offers two additional flood lights for defining the right mood of each take and the floor can also be set to different materials and colors. And on top of all the tools included in this hot new personal space, there is plenty of open room for furniture and large props, which gives you the ability to build virtually any kind of environment/set for your next Home-made film. Pick up the Ultimate Machinima bundle (along with the new Talk Show bundle – a collection of props that allow you to dress your personal space like your very own talk show) from the LOOT Store in the PlayStation Home Mall this Thursday.

To celebrate the launch of Irem’s Spelunker HD on the PlayStation Network we are releasing the new “Gathering Place for Cave Explorers” game space. A true must-visit for any Spelunker fan, this new space comes complete with Spelunker-themed mini-games, rewards, and plenty of clothing and furniture items to add to your collection. Check out the pics below for a taste of this awesome new game space!

The always-popular PlayStation Home Community Theater receives yet another update this week with a brand new episode of the Hip Hop Gamer videocast. In Episode 2, HHG discusses Call of Duty: Black Ops with a hardcore fan. Also airing in the PlayStation Home Theater this week is a full-on Tester 2 Mid-Season Marathon (Episodes 1-3, along with special t-shirt rewards) as well as a collection of Episode 3 cut scenes and the newest installment of the hit reality show (Episode 4), complete with a brand new reward!

Finally, the PlayStation Home Mall gets an update this week with stylish new clothing items for the ladies courtesy of our friends over at Lockwood Publishing along with two essential additions to your collection – nDreams’ new Zombie Pets, Nipper and Benji. Visit the PlayStation Home Mall this Thursday to pick up these loyal creatures, which can accompany you both in your personal space(s) and also out in public (just be careful not to leave them unattended around any of your friends’ brains…)

See you in Home!

This Thursday, November 11th, PlayStation Home will update to client 1.4. In addition to the features we announced last Friday – wardrobe management, grouping, and voice chat – there are several other noteworthy additions, such as the new “Character Status” settings, improvements to the Menu Pad and Navigator, and cross-game invite support (finally, you can invite your friends to join you in PlayStation Home no matter what they are playing or watching on their PS3s). The new 1.4 client also brings numerous bug fixes and performance improvements. Full Patch Notes can be found HERE.

Important notice: When you start PlayStation Home to apply the 1.4 patch, please wait for the orange light to stop flashing on your PS3 before commencing the patching process. Otherwise your PS3 will reboot and you will have to start over.

LittleBigPlanet fans rejoice! This week the mega-popular LittleBigPlanet space receives a massive update with the brand new LittleBigDerby game. This super-addictive multiplayer game puts you and up to 7 of your friends in a paintball challenge where you must shoot targets to earn points and progress your racer towards the finish line. Pro tip: Hit targets with the right color paintballs to rack up bonus points.

The PlayStation Home Mall receives a huge update this week with brand new items in the Exclusives store (such as the new Platinum suit and Onyx gown – pictured below), new accessories for the ladies in the Sodium store (also pictured below), Irem swimwear, and Konami’s new line of soccer items (their initial offering includes the Australia and New Zealand kits – check back often for more countries’ kits in the PlayStation Home Mall).

Finally, the PlayStation Home Community Theater will air the first episode from our newest partner – the one and only Hip-Hop Gamer. In episode 1, HHG takes a look at the PlayStation Move and discusses how it may affect the gaming industry as we know it. Check out the world premier this Thursday!

See you in Home!