The opening tutorial mission wastes no time in showing off the game’s much-touted Blade Mode, a surprisingly intuitive mechanic that boasts palpable precision. You press and hold L1 to slow time, then hold the right analog stick to wind up your slice. Hold the stick to the right and Raiden will draw his sword to the right; release the stick and he’ll slash from right to left, cleaving obstacles and baddies in two. It’s a devastating and deeply satisfying attack, but it’s slow and expends fuel cells so it’s best reserved for surgical strikes.

Blade Mode has been much discussed, but less has been said regarding Revengeance’s impactful combo system. You can tap Square and Triangle (wide attack and strong attack, respectively) to fire off rapid slashes and acrobatic flip kicks ala Dante in Devil May Cry. Mixing and matching Blade Mode with the faster hack-and-slash strikes should lead to some visually arresting combos, as well as some of the gnarliest onscreen violence this side of God of War. It’s also tactically valuable; landing the Blade Mode combo finisher on an enemy soldier’s weak spot and tapping Circle at the right moment makes Raiden plunge his fist into his victim’s spine and claim a fuel cell for a mid-battle top-off. What energy crisis?

Other fun details abound. Pop off a Blade Mode slice and you might lop off your enemy’s weapon arm, or foot – this came in handy during a battle against a rampaging Gekko biomech. Taking to the air to avoid the Gekko’s lethal kicks, I repeatedly drove my sword into its cyborg head before severing one of its oversized legs with a well-timed mid-air Blade Mode slice, bringing the giant crashing down. The demo introduced me to Ninja Run, a scrambling Dash that drains energy but can nimbly dodge obstacles, before culminating in a battle against an AI-controlled helicopter. I pounded it with homing rockets – Raiden can carry one sub-weapon in addition to his sword – until I was prompted to Ninja Dash up a volley of ‘copter missiles, skipping from one to the next like stones in a creek. I vaulted over the chopper, calmly looked downward, and used Blade Mode to shred it to smithereens while I drifted by. Yes, this was exactly as cool as it sounds.

Kojima Metal Gear Solid 25th Anniversary

But Revengeance represents just one step in series creator Hideo Kojima’s master plan for Metal Gear. During PAX 2012, Kojima held a panel to formally announce Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes for PS3 and show off its revamped technology and open-world mission design to the North American public for the first time. In the panel hosted by Geoff Keighley, Kojima shared his inspiration for creating one of the first stealth-centric videogames 25 long years ago. “Most games were about attacking enemies,” Kojima remembered, “but I wanted to try something different. Honestly, I didn’t think it would continue for 25 years!”

Kojima touched on the layered origins of protagonist Solid Snake, whose codename was designed to serve dual purposes: communicating the game’s stealthy focus and honoring Escape From New York’s gravel-voiced Snake Plissken (Kojima is a devoted John Carpenter fan). Big Boss was developed as a foil for Snake and served to reinforce what Kojima has long seen as the series’ underlying theme: surpassing a predecessor. That theme and Solid Snake’s rising popularity were the key drivers for Raiden’s controversial starring role in Metal Gear Solid 2, a departure that fans debate to this day. “Solid Snake was becoming this legendary hero and I wanted to build on that,” Kojima said of his infamous MGS2 protagonist switch. Metal Gear Solid 4 flipped convention yet again, with players finally reuniting with an aged Solid Snake only to find themselves longing for the power of a young, spectacularly reinvented Raiden.

Kojima also briefly touched on his plans for Columbia Pictures’ recently announced Metal Gear Solid film, playfully suggesting that actor Hugh Jackman would make a “pretty cool” Snake. But he cautioned that the project was very early in the planning stages and he had no announcements to make regarding cast and crew. “There have been talks about this for 15 years. I want to make sure it’s done right. It’s a very important, difficult project.”

While we streamed the panel live, courtesy of Twitch.tv, you’re forgiven if you missed it last Friday evening. But the excuses are gone now – we’ve cut down the hour-long panel into an 11-minute highlight reel. Take a look:

Your panelists, from left to right:

• Mark Simon – Lead Designer on God of War: Ascension
• Patrick Murphy – Principal Character Artist for God of War: Ascension
• Marianne Krawczyk – award-winning writer of the God of War series
• Todd Papy – Game Director on God of War: Ascension

If nothing else, do enjoy the sight of a My Little Pony/Kratos mashup. It’s the reason why Photoshop was invented.

Now that we’re closer to launch, one of questions that we’ve been hearing a lot lately is: Who exactly are these mysterious characters that our stitched-together hero must race against throughout LittleBigPlanet Karting’s Story Mode? Well, we’ve decided it’s time to let you in on some of the backstory.

Long after Sackboy defeated the Negativitron in LittleBigPlanet 2, visitors from far, far away arrived on Craftworld driving speedy karts, with plans to seek out and steal its most precious prizes. These swarms of otherworldly scavengers became known as The Hoard. As you might have guessed, The Hoard want all of Craftworld’s prizes for no reason other than to hoard them – they essentially embody the antithesis of Creative Sackartistry. So, the LittleBigPlanet Karting adventure begins with a very distraught Sackboy – distraught because he is forced to watch The Hoard fly past him and steal prizes at speeds greater than he can possibly match!

But, Sackboy has always been clever: as one of The Hoard crashes nearby and loses his kart, Sackboy sees his chance! He hops in the vacant kart and begins his journey to drive out The Hoard and return the stolen prizes to Craftworld.

Now that you know the story, here’s an exclusive peek at The Hoard, so you’ll have an idea of what Sackboy is up against…

LittleBigPlanet at PAX Prime!

LittleBigPlanet had an amazing showing at PAX last weekend! We were prominently featured in the PlayStation booth, where we had plenty of stations showing LittleBigPlanet Karting and LittleBigPlanet PS Vita for fans to test out. We hope that everyone who attended had a great time and got a sweet sample of our upcoming LBP fun.

We’d also like to announce the winners of our LittleBigPlanet Karting PAX T-Shirt Design Contest! Thank you so much to all those who participated. We received so many awesome and creative entries, it was very difficult to choose a winner.

Congratulations to Brian from Nevada, who scored first place! His “pinstripe art” design was the inspiration for our giveaway shirt. It was a total hit at PAX! Here’s a look…

Finally, we’d like to showcase the five runners up who also had great submissions!

Hope you all had fun!

This demo highlights narrative exploration through interactive prompts, environmental puzzles, the balance of power AI, and some of the dynamic stealth elements you’ll be able to use to plan Joel and Ellie’s survival. How many resources are at your disposal? Do you go offensive or defensive? You’ll have to keep calm, think, and rely on your partner, Ellie, as you survive and make your way westward.

We can’t thank you enough for the reception we’ve received so far for The Last of Us. At PAX Prime, we had some awesome conversations, saw some amazing things, and met some truly dedicated fans. You guys and gals make all our hard work that much more rewarding – thank you.

PAX fun aside, it’s nice to be home, where I’ll be putting the day off to use catching up on The Walking Dead series from Telltale Games (find a review below). Or just watch the Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes video over and over. Because it’s just that good.

The PS.Blog weekly reading list (Week of August 27th, 2012)

• The Little Details of The Last of Us – IGN
• PAX: Lightning Returns — Final Fantasy XIII Announced – IGN
• Grandia And Other PSOne Classics Now Compatible With Vita In U.S. – Siliconera
• Looks Like The Cool Japanese Vita Puzzle-Platformer Dokuro Is Coming To The U.S. – Kotaku
• Here’s what we know about the Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes trailer – Joystiq
• The Sound Summer of PSN – Joystiq
• Update on PS3 DLC – Bethesda Softworks Forums
• ‘Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII’ to conclude Lightning trilogy, due 2013 – The Verge
• This is About as Exhaustive a Borderlands 2 Primer as You’re Likely to Find – Giant Bomb
• ‘Borderlands 2′ dares you to beat the ultra-hard Terramorphous the Invincible – The Verge
• PSA: Treasures of Montezuma Blitz Trophies Now Sync To PSN – PSNStores
• The Pinball Arcade Table Pack 3 and Trophy Patch Confirmed for September 4 – PSNStores
• The Walking Dead: Episode 3 – Long Road Ahead Review – GameSpot.com
• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Review – GameSpot.com
• Gold Vs. Plus: How Sony Is Making a Mockery Of Xbox Live – Kotaku
• NFL Sunday Ticket Returns to PS3 – IGN

UPDATE: Text smoothed, gameplay video added above

At PAX 2012, Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima showed off 15 11 minutes of gameplay footage from his upcoming PS3 game Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes. The demo began with an in-engine cinematic set in a rain-drenched prison camp. The sprawling camp showed off FOX Engine’s advanced shader, lighting, and particle effects. Mud glistened and rain danced amidst the pervasive, bone-chilling gloom. As the cinema continued, we met a mysterious man with a mutilated face and wide-brimmed hat who later led troops away from the base, kicking the footage into a gameplay demo as Naked Snake (Big Boss) moved into position.

The prison camp – a huge open-world environment riddled with entry points – pointed to an evolution of MGS3 and MGS4′s sandboxes. As Snake made his way closer, Kojima pointed out nearby APCs and helicopters and confirmed that Snake could commandeer and pilot them if the player desired. As if to prove the point, Snake then hopped into a Jeep to gain access to the base, evading a roaming tank in the process. Snake then deployed a flare to deploy a friendly helicopter, something Kojima said that players could do “at any time.” The helicopter will enable you to fly between missions and even to other countries. Kojima also even mentioned that the player will be able to customize the music played by the helicopter, which in the demo blared out Ride of the Valkyries.

“We’re not going to say that it’s Metal Gear Solid 5,” Kojima said after the demo, “but it is a prologue.” Kojima explained that the demo video was a recording of gameplay rendered on PC hardware that was similarly equipped to a PS3, and that the final game should closely resemble the video.

Kojima also mentioned that he is personally overseeing the creation of Ground Zeroes. Watch the video demo at the top of this post to see Ground Zeroes in action.

On the last few days of the visit, we took the opportunity to document their experiences and get their take on LBPK as a whole, so that we could turn their impressions into a video and share it with our fans. So, in honor of PAX Prime this weekend – a show designed for the fans – we’re happy to present the finished product with all of you. Enjoy!

LittleBigPlanet Karting’s November 6th release date is coming up fast — don’t forget that you can pre-order the game now! Those who pre-order at GameStop will receive the exclusive Headstart Pack, which unlocks over 900 items – karts, costumes, materials, and music – as soon as you boot up the game. This way, you can start creating and sharing amazing levels without having to collect every item. With a new 3D LittleBigPlanet Karting world, there will be no end to the unique content you can invent! Also for GameStop preorders, fans will receive a United Front Games General Costume and an Arcade Cabinet Kart. These pre-order items are in addition to the previously announced Kevin Butler Sackboy Costume and Executive Golf Kart – pretty cool!

If you find yourself in Seattle for PAX this weekend, come visit the LittleBigPlanet section of the PlayStation Booth for some major Playing, Creating, and Karting! We will be showcasing new race and battle courses in LittleBigPlanet Karting, and our lucky and loyal fans can score a PAX-exclusive, fan-created, LBPK T-shirt chosen from last month’s PS.Blog contest. It’ll be a LittleBigParty weekend — you won’t want to miss out!

Important! If you attend the PAX 2012 God of War: Ascension panel in person, we will give you a way to access the upcoming God of War: Ascension multiplayer beta!

God of War fans! For the first time in the history of this epic franchise, the gods of Sony Santa Monica Studio will be throwing down the gauntlet in our first-ever God of War panel! This is a panel you do not want to miss. Unless you want Kratos to seek revenge on you for not watching, and you know how that goes down.

The panel will take place in the great halls of PAX 2012 this Friday, August 31st from 5:00pm to 6:00pm in the Unicorn Theater (located in the Convention Center). If you’re not attending PAX, you can watch the livestream on Twitch.tv!

God of War has always been about providing you the most epic “larger-than-life” moments and you can rest assured we’re going to make sure our fans remember “this hour.” So what in the name of Kratos is going down?!

God of War: Ascension Game Director Todd Papy, Lead Game Designer Mark Simon, Principal Character Artist Patrick Murphy, and the award-winning writer behind the God of War series, Marianne Krawczyk, will discuss the origins of God of War: Ascension and provide a never-before-seen look at the evolution of Kratos.

It’s fitting we will be in the Unicorn Theater, wouldn’t you agree? Tune in live on Twitch.tv at 5:00pm Pacific Time or BE THERE!

The team will debut a brand-new exclusive reveal trailer of a major character in God of War: Ascension that Kratos will encounter as he seeks to break the blood oath to Olympus that has bound him to Ares.

Our team will also discuss the secrets and creation process behind God of War, the impossibilities of creating massive gameplay moments (remember fighting Cronos in GOWIII?), and genre-defining visceral combat mechanics. Additionally, you’ll learn about the origins of bringing multiplayer to God of War for the first time — it’s what we call “our Titan.”

The God of War PAX 2012 panel is an “hour” every God of War fan at the convention or anywhere around the world reading this should tune in at 5:00pm Pacific Time this Friday. Not only do we promise you’ll be entertained, but we can’t be certain what else may be revealed as these creators of God of War have a helluva story to tell you about.

One last thing. The God of War Panel is not only about God of War: Ascension, but the complete history of the franchise. As you prepare for God of War: Ascension to drop down on March 12, 2013, relive Kratos’ epic journey step by step, every earth-shattering larger than life moment, every treacherous god destroyed on his quest for revenge and redemption, in the God of War: Saga – the complete collection of every God of War game now available in retail stores across North America.

Penny Arcade Expo (also known as PAX) has become one of the biggest celebrations of video games, video game developers, and video game players in the world. We’re excited to attend the show this year to show off PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale to the masses. To give you a sneak peek at some of the content you’ll be able to play on the show floor, we’re actually unveiling one of our new characters a little early. Lucky you!

We’re excited to finally announce the addition of Konami’s Raiden from the Metal Gear Solid series to our roster! Raiden’s appearance in PlayStation All-Stars marks the first time he has been playable in a fighting game, so we hope you’re all as hyped as we are to finally see him in action against the likes of Dante, Kratos, Heihachi, Cole MacGrath and other high-profile fighters. With his high-frequency blade and cyborg ninja abilities, how does he stack up against the rest of the cast?

Raiden is a close-ranged fighter who is capable of building tremendous amounts of AP with various combos and juggles. He uses a special chain-attack system that lets him branch off into different combo attacks depending on the string of attacks input by the player. He has plenty of ways to both start and end combos, whether they be on the ground or in mid-air. Raiden can also defend against attackers attempting to interrupt his combos from behind with reverse stabs and parries, which is useful in a four-player free-for-all. In true Metal Gear Solid fashion, Raiden’s super attacks allow him to take full advantage of his slicing abilities by requiring players to use the right analog stick to perform lethal slices to swiftly dispatch adversaries. Check out our latest character video to see Raiden in action, and let us know what you think.

We’re also announcing our newest stage, Time Station! At gamescom we announced the inclusion of Ape Escape’s Spike to our roster, and with him comes this old-school stage where players will engage in battle. Fans might remember Time Station as the central hub that connects the different levels of Ape Escape together. You can also find the diabolical Specter in the background, up to no good as usual. What kind of mischief will he cause for those battling in Time Station?

That’s all for now, but we’ll have even more news for you once we get to PAX, where we’ll be unveiling even more All-Star fighters. Lots of exciting stuff this week, and we’re looking forward to chatting with you at the show. We’d love to hear what you think, so be sure to stop by our kiosks at the PlayStation booth, where all of our new characters will be playable. See ya there!

You headed to PAX? We hope so, because we’ve got a whole lotta goodness coming up to Seattle! Aside from the great The Last of Us demo you’ll see from Naughty Dog, you’ll get to check out the following from our Community Team and some of our biggest franchises:

PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale is fast-approaching, and we’ve got limited edition T-shirts featuring PaRappa the Rapper to give away at PAX. Find our community managers Cade Peterson and Paul Sullivan at the PlayStation booth first thing on Friday morning (the show opens at 10:00am) to nab one.

If you can’t make it to the PlayStation booth Friday morning, or if you’re just adventurous and want to roll the dice, they’ll also be wandering the PAX show floor on Friday, Saturday and Sunday with free one month trials to PlayStation Plus, and any leftover T-shirts as well. All they ask for in exchange is conversation, and perhaps participation in a few shenanigans. Cade and Paul will be at random locations every few hours, so be sure to follow @HeyPlayStation on Twitter during the show to see where they wind up.

Come visit the LittleBigPlanet section for some major Playing, Creating and Karting! We will be showcasing new race and battle courses in LittleBigPlanet Karting and a larger taste of the mysterious land of Carnivalia in LittleBigPlanet PlayStation Vita. Plus, our lucky and loyal fans can score our PAX-exclusive, fan-created LBP Karting T-shirt chosen from last month’s PS.Blog contest. It’ll be a LittleBigParty weekend, and you won’t want to miss out!

Fresh from gamescom, be sure to swing by and get your hands on some Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time! We’ll have brand new demos for both the PlayStation 3 and the PS Vita versions of the game. Featuring the return of all your favorite characters, and the introduction of Sly Cooper’s ancestors, this upcoming PlayStation exclusive promises to be the biggest and best Sly Cooper ever!

One of the most highly anticipated PlayStation exclusives will be offering up some brand new characters for you to get your hands on. Who exactly? You’ll have to come by to take a look, as we’ll be unveiling two new additions to the roster at the show. Not only will PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale be offering up free pedicab rides around the Convention Center (yes, seriously), you’ll also be able to pick up some free Rally Wear representing some of your favorite characters.

Jonesing for a little God of War: Ascension? Well, God of War fans will be in for a special treat this weekend at PAX.

On Friday, August 31st (from 5:00pm to 6:00pm) in the Unicorn Theater (located in the Convention Center), attendees will have the opportunity to meet God of War: Ascension Game Director Todd Papy, Lead Game Designer Mark Simon, Principal Character Artist Patrick Murphy, and the award-winning writer behind the God of War series, Marianne Krawczyk, as they discuss the origins of God of War: Ascension and provide a never-before-seen look at the evolution of Kratos. The team will also discuss their thoughts on storyline in videogames, and the role it plays in creating the best gaming/entertainment experience. Additionally, fans will be treated to the unveiling of a new character that Kratos will encounter in God of War: Ascension. They’ll also have the opportunity to chat with the team about multi-player, the upcoming Beta, and anything and everything within the God of War universe.

God of War: Ascension’s single-player demo will be available for the first time here in the US, giving fans a taste of what to expect next March. In addition, multi-player stations will be available, where attendees will have a chance to win a God of War: Ascension t-shirt, available only at the PlayStation booth during PAX Prime 2012.

The team from Insomniac Games will also be at PAX for a special Ratchet & Clank 10th Anniversary Celebration panel on Sunday, September 2nd from 1:00 – 2:00pm in the Pegasus theatre. They’ve been hard at work on Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault and they’ve just ramped up a small private beta for the game’s exciting new competitive multiplayer mode. As a special treat, we’re giving a few very lucky fans the opportunity to join the fun. If you swing by the Ratchet & Clank 10th Anniversary Celebration panel, you just may have a chance to score a beta code or one of these cool Ratchet & Clank t-shirts. Stay tuned to the PlayStation.Blog as you may have a few more opportunities to win a code!

There’s more! We’re also partnering with SPIKE TV for a special fan appreciation contest for the Video Game Awards Tenth Anniversary. SPIKE TV is giving PAX attendees the chance to win a trip to this year’s VGAs, hosted by Samuel L. Jackson on December 7! Here’s how it works: first, you’ll need your smart phone handy and an Instagram account. Then, stop by the PlayStation booth and upload a picture of the poster below to Instagram using #VGA to enter to win.

That’s not everything that’ll be in the booth. You’ll also be able to get some hands-on time with PS3 and PS Vita demos for The Unfinished Swan, Sports Champions 2, When Vikings Attack, Smart As and much more! We hope you can make it over to check out our booth at PAX 2012!