The Best of PlayStation Network, Vol. 1 collects four diverse PSN exclusive games to give you a taste of what the PlayStation Store has to offer. If you haven’t had a chance to dive into PSN yet, these collections are a great place to start.

When Vikings Attack!

When Vikings Attack! is an energetic third person adventure featuring fast-paced battles pitting up to four co-operative players against the Viking hordes. You can also take on your friends in the “Versus” arenas in a 4-player battle royale.

Sound Shapes

Sound Shapes is equal parts instrument and game giving everyone the ability to make music. Play through a unique campaign that fuses music and artwork into a classic 2D platformer, featuring artwork by Pixeljam, Capy, Superbrothers and more, with music by I Am Robot and Proud, Jim Guthrie and Deadmau5. Create your own unique musical levels with all of the campaign content and share with the world. Sound Shapes creates an ever-changing musical community for everyone to enjoy at home or on the go.

Tokyo Jungle

Tokyo Jungle has over 50 playable animals to choose from, unleash your inner beast to hunt your way to the top of Tokyo’s post-apocalyptic food chain. Whether in Story or Survival Mode, you never know where your next meal will come from or the dangers you’ll face, so be prepared for anything and everything. Forage through this desolate but dangerous city to complete story-based challenges using a variety of survival skills, from all-out attack to stealth. Beware– you are not the only animal out there hunting for survival!

Fat Princess

Fat Princess made her return last year in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. Now experience her original story in Fat Princess where you can choose from five distinct character classes and charge head first into battle. Upgrade your team and the castle defenses as you work with your team to save your princess. There’s a catch, though—the other team has been feeding her delicious cake, a treat she can’t resist, making her harder to escort back to your castle.

Best of PlayStation Network, Vol. 1 will be out on store shelves on June 25th for $39.99. That’s a savings of nearly $15 off the PlayStation Store price!

While you’re cruising through the Collections section, don’t forget to pick up Jak and Daxter Collection for your PlayStation Vita, ready to pick up in stores on June 18th for $29.99.

Pre-Order

Remember Me ($59.99)

Remember Me is a 3rd person action adventure where players take on the role of Nilin, a former elite memory hunter with the ability to break into people’s minds and steal or even alter their memories.

PS3 Full Game

Resident Evil Revelations ($49.99)

The story is set at a time before the Kijuju and Lanshiang bioterror incidents when the BSAA was still a young organization. Join Jill Valentine aboard a ghost ship in the Mediterranean Sea searching for her old partner, Chris Redfield. Learn the hidden truth behind the destruction of a floating city. Or play in Raid Mode for a co-op killing-spree with friends over the Internet.

Fast & Furious: Showdown ($39.99)

BECOME A PART OF THE CREW! Strap in and get ready for an intense ride as you team up to take down a dangerous international gang that can only be stopped by you and the rest of the Fast & Furious crew.

Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce ($19.99)

Step into a Dynasty Warriors experience unlike any other. Up to four friends can team‐up for a wide range of heroic action‐packed quests. Become one of history’s greatest warriors and work as a team to conquer heavily‐armed fortresses, infiltrate enemy strongholds and more. Spectacular battles await!

Mugen Souls ($39.99)

Take the reins as Chou-Chou, the self-proclaimed undisputed god, and conquer the seven worlds! Turn your allies, enemies, crystals, and even entire continents into your loyal peons in this overwhelmingly over-the-top RPG!

Ultimate Editions

Assassin’s Creed III Ultimate Edition ($55.99)

The Assassin’s Creed III Ultimate Edition includes the full Assassin’s Creed III game and all released downloadable content, including Benedict Arnold, Hidden Secrets Pack, Battle Hardened Pack and the Tyranny of King Washington trilogy.

Batman Arkham City Ultimate Edition ($28.99)

Batman: Arkham City Ultimate Bundle includes: Batman: Arkham City game, Batman Inc. Batsuit Skin, Catwoman Pack, Challenge Map Pack, Harley Quinn’s Revenge, Arkham Bundle, Nightwing Bundle Pack, Robin Bundle Pack, Arkham City Skins Pack.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Ultimate Edition ($69.99)

Download and experience Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Ultimate Edition from the exciting Shooters genre.

DC Universe Online Ultimate Edition ($29.99)

Jump in to DC Universe Online with everything you need to get started on your Heroic or Villainous adventures! Purchase includes the full game, four DLC Packs that include additional super powers, weapons and high level missions, and two Legends PvP characters – Future Batman and Future Harley Quinn!

DmC Ultimate Edition ($52.49)

This bundle includes the full DmC: Devil May Cry game & all add-on content: Vergil’s Downfall, Weapons Bundle Pack, Costumes Pack & Bloody Palace Mode.

Far Cry 3 Ultimate Edition ($55.99)

Journey into the heart of insanity. Far off the charts lies an island unlike any other. A place where heavily armed warlords traffic in slaves. Where outsiders are hunted for ransom. As you embark on a desperate quest to rescue your friends, you realize that the only way to escape this darkness… is to embrace it. This Ultimate Edition also includes all bonus DLC content: Monkey Business Pack, Lost Expeditions, Warrior Pack, and Predator Pack.

Max Payne 3 Ultimate Edition ($29.99)

Purchase the Max Payne 3 Ultimate Edition and get the original game plus the Rockstar Pass at a discounted price. The Rockstar Pass gives you access to all add-on content packs. No longer a New York City cop, Max Payne moves to São Paulo to protect a wealthy family in an effort to finally escape his troubled past. Max Payne 3 combines cutting edge gunplay with a dark, twisted story for a seamless, cinematic experience.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Ultimate Edition ($63.99)

For a limited time, download the complete METAL GEAR RISING: Revengeance experience with this “Ultimate Edition”, complete with the full game, and 8 pieces of DLC featuring 2 full side-story missions, All-New VR Missions pack and 5 skins, including the popular Cyborg Ninja Skin. Buy it now!

Persona 4 Arena Ultimate Edition ($39.99)

Jump into the next chapter of the story as Persona 4 enters a new genre in this 2D fighting game from the dream team of ATLUS and Arc System Works, made to be enjoyed by fighting game beginners and experts alike! The Ultimate Edition comes with the Persona 4 Arena game, Full Navigation DLC, Glasses Full Pack, Additional Colors Full Pack, and Challenge No. 30 Demonstration.

Starhawk Ultimate Edition ($23.49)

Get all Starhawk add-on content and the full game including the multiplayer and single-player campaign.

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron Ultimate Edition ($62.99)

Download and experience TRANSFORMERS: Fall of Cybertron Ultimate Edition from the exciting Action genre.

PSN

Ratchet: Deadlocked ($9.99)

Introduces a new mission structure approach, where players are rewarded with a constant progression of items such as weapons, armor, and health. Squad based gameplay allows players to demolish the competition by commandeering your allied bots through critical and strategic battles. Enhanced online gameplay, featuring five modes of play and 12 levels. Modes include Conquest, Deathmatch, King of the Hill and more.

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger ($14.99)

Live the epic and violent journey of a ruthless bounty hunter onto the trail of the West’s most notorious outlaws. Blurring the lines between man and myth, this adventure made of memorable encounters unveils the untold truth behind some of the greatest legends of the Old West.

PS Vita

Men’s Room Mayhem ($1.99, on sale for $1.39)

Be the janitor of your very own chaotic men’s room! Direct patrons to urinals and keep everywhere sparkling clean. Extra points are scored for maintaining proper men’s room etiquette, avoiding fights and nasty accidents! There are 5 levels to unlock and a blitz mode too if you can handle the mayhem!

Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault ($19.99, Cross-Buy with PS3)

Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault delivers a concentrated blast of pure fun to the PS Vita! The game blends the series’ classic comedy, camera, and controls with an innovative new way to play. Drop into the middle of an intergalactic conflict, choose your weapons, and experience Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault solo, or together with a friend online. Purchase of the PS Vita version of this game entitles you to the downloadable PS3 versions of this game and Ratchet: Deadlocked at no extra cost.

Bundles

Darkstalkers Resurrection w/Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix Bundle ($14.99)

For a limited time, purchase Darkstalkers Resurrection and receive Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix for FREE!

Non-Game App

Laugh Factory Live

Laugh Factory Live is your exclusive ticket to the most standup comedy anywhere. Get a front row seat to live streamed shows from the famous Laugh Factory in Hollywood. This application not only provides hours of live streamed shows every week but also, offers subscribers with 100′s of hours of library content from some of the best know comedians past and present.

PlayStation Store Highlights

We’ve got another round of Ultimate Editions for you featuring a lot of last year’s biggest titles including Far Cry 3, Batman: Arkham City, Assassin’s Creed III and many more, so check them out! There are also some new games releasing this week like Resident Evil Revelations, Fast & Furious: Showdown as well as a pre-order for Remember Me.

PlayStation Plus members will receive a deeper discount on all the Ultimate Edition bundles as well as Pinball Arcade and Germinator this week for free. We’ve also got a new app, Laugh Factory Live, so you can enjoy the best comedy in the comfort of your home.

If you’d like to peruse all the new items on the store at your own leisure, feel free to check out the web storefront. As always, please leave your thoughts in the comments below. You can also chat about this update in the PlayStation Community Forums.

PlayStation Plus

Learn more and purchase online or go to the PlayStation Store to activate instantly. To learn more about this week’s Plus offerings, check out this week’s PS Plus post.

PS3 Demos

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger

Live the epic and violent journey of a ruthless bounty hunter onto the trail of the West’s most notorious outlaws. Blurring the lines between man and myth, this adventure made of memorable encounters unveils the untold truth behind some of the greatest legends of the Old West.

Price Change

• Hyperdimension Neptunia MK2 – PS3 Game (now: $29.99 original price: $49.99)
• Batman Arkham City PS3 Game (now: $19.99 original price: $29.99)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warefare 3 PS3 Game (now: $39.99 original price: $59.99)

Sales

• Auditorium – PSP Game (now: $0.99 original price: $9.99)
• Auditorium HD – PS3 Game (now: $0.99 original price: $1.99)
• Golden Axe Digital – PS3 Game (now: $2.99 original price: $4.99)
• Men’s Room Mayhem – PS Vita Game (now: $1.39 original price: $1.99)
• Urban Trial Freestyle – PS Vita Game (now: $6.99 original price: $9.99)
• Urban Trial Freestyle – PS3 Game (now: $9.99 original price: $14.99)
• Virtua Fighter 5 Finale Showdown – PS3 Game (now: $4.99 original price: $14.99)
• Virtua Fighter 5 Finale Showdown Complete Edition – PS3 Game (now: $14.99 original price: $29.99)

Max Payne 3 Add-On Sale

• Deathmatch Made in Heaven – PS3 Add-on (now: $4.99 original price: $9.99)
• Hostage Negotiation Pack – PS3 Add-on (now: $4.99 original price: $9.99)
• Painful Memories Pack– PS3 Add-On (now: $4.99 original price: $9.99)
• Local Justice Pack– PS3 Add-On (now: $3.99 original price: $7.99)
• Rockstar Pass – PS3 Add-On (now: $14.99 original price: $29.99)

PS Vita Add-ons

LittleBigPlanet PS Vita

• Commander Shepard Costume ($1.99, Cross-Buy w/ PS3)
• Garrus Vakarian Costume ($1.99, Cross-Buy w/ PS3)
• Liara T’soni Costume ($1.99, Cross-Buy w/ PS3)
• Urdnot Wrex Costume ($1.99, Cross-Buy w/ PS3)
• Mass Effect Costume Pack ($5.99, Cross-Buy w/ PS3)

Pinball Arcade

• Season One Bundle Pack ($29.99, Cross-Buy w/ PS3)
• Season One Pro Bundle Pack ($39.99, Cross-Buy w/ PS3)

PS3 Add-ons

Aliens: Colonial Marines

• Pre-Order Bonus 1 ($4.99)
• Pre-Order Bonus 2 ($4.99)
• Monster Energy Customization ($0.99)
• Sharp Sticks ($0.99)
• Sawed-Off Double Barrel Shotgun ($0.99)

Capcom Arcade Cabinet

• All In 1 Pack ($29.99)

Dollar Dash

• More Ways to Win ($2.99)

Dragon’s Dogma

• Fighter’s Ring Set ($0.99)
• Mage’s Ring Set ($0.99)
• Strider’s Ring Set ($0.99)
• The Crucible of the Lost (Free, In-Game Content Only)

Far Cry 3

• Map Editor Pack Mark IV Style (Free)

Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory

• 2nd Level Cap Break ($1.99)
• Blanc School Uniform Set ($1.99)
• Blanc’s ‘W11-U Hammer’ Weapon ($0.99)
• Dangerous Monster Mash (Free)
• Nepgear’s ‘Beam Zapper’ ($0.99)
• Nep’s ‘Mecha-Nep Blade’ ($0.99)
• Neptune School Uniform Set ($1.99)
• Noire School Uniform Set ($1.99)
• Noire’s ‘Rune Caliber’ Weapon ($0.99)
• Peashy’s ‘Star Gloves’ Weapon ($0.99)
• Plutia’s ‘Noire Plushy’ ($0.99)
• Ram’s ‘Staff Of Ideals’ Weapon ($0.99)
• Rom’s ‘Staff Of Truth’ Weapon ($0.99)
• Uni’s ‘Virta Blaster’ Weapon ($0.99)
• Vert School Uniform Set ($1.99)
• Vert’s ‘Holy Duel Lance’ Weapon ($0.99)

Injustice: Gods Among Us

• Red Son Pack ($2.99)
• Batgirl Character ($4.99, Free with Season Pass)
• Killing Joke Skin Pack ($2.99)

LittleBigPlanet 2 & LittleBigPlanet Karting

• Commander Shepard Costume ($1.99, Cross-Buy w/ PS Vita)
• Garrus Vakarian Costume ($1.99, Cross-Buy w/ PS Vita)
• Liara T’soni Costume ($1.99, Cross-Buy w/ PS Vita)
• Urdnot Wrex Costume ($1.99, Cross-Buy w/ PS Vita)
• Mass Effect Costume Pack ($5.99, Cross-Buy w/ PS Vita)

Metro: Last Light

• Season Pass ($14.99)

Need For Speed: Most Wanted

• Complete DLC Bundle ($29.99)

Pinball Arcade

• Season One Bundle Pack ($29.99, Cross-Buy w/ PS Vita)
• Season One Pro Bundle Pack ($39.99, Cross-Buy w/ PS Vita)

Resident Evil Revelations

• Revelations Catalog: Weapon Pack (Free)
• Revelations Catalog: Rachael Ooze (Free)

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14

• Celebrity Golfer Pack ($0.99)
• Historic Hickory Club Set ($0.99)
• Historic Maple Club Set ($0.99)
• Jack Nicklaus (1986) ($0.99)

PS3 Avatars

• Zombie Driver HD Avatar 10 Pack – $2.99

PS3 Themes

• Abstract: Backslide Dynamic Theme – $1.99
• Abstract: Inferno Dynamic Theme – $1.99
• Abstract: Jellyfish Energy Dynamic Theme – $1.99
• Abstract: Willow Glow Dynamic Theme – $1.99
• Amazing Earth: Lunar Eclipse Dynamic Theme – $2.99
• Amazing Earth: Moon Gazing Dynamic Theme – $2.99
• Amazing Earth: Night Reflection Dynamic Theme – $2.99
• Anime: Refreshing Dynamic Theme – $2.99
• Anime: Say Hello Dynamic Theme – $2.99
• Anime: Study Time Dynamic Theme – $2.99
• Anime: Sunny Days Dynamic Theme – $2.99
• Anime: Surf’s Up Dynamic Theme – $2.99
• Meme – Success Kid Dynamic Theme – $1.99
• Rage Comics – Cereal Guy Dynamic Theme – $1.99

Game Videos (Free)

• Disney Infinity Toy Box Hero Trailer
• Lost Planet 3 Announcement Trailer
• Lost Planet 3 Multiplayer Trailer
• Lost Planet 3 Reveal Trailer
• Mars War Logs Overview Trailer
• Men’s Room Mayhem Theatrical Trailer
• Psych Yourself Trailer
• Watch Dogs World Premiere Gameplay Trailer
• World Of Defiance

Starting today, we will be offering the Pinball Arcade launch pack of four tables, free to PS Plus subscribers! Tales of the Arabian Nights, Black Hole, Theatre of Magic, and Ripley’s Believe it or Not are all great tables.

If you’re a Plus subscriber and you haven’t tried our game yet – what do you have to lose? These machines are all classics. The depth, well-balanced, and yet, challenging gameplay is something that’s worth checking out.

But that’s not all.

We have bundled our first ten Table Packs together into a Season One bundle. Players can now buy 18 of the all-time greatest tables at an amazing discount!

There are two options. The Season One Bundle costs $29.99 — bought separately, these 18 tables would cost almost $50 — but for the serious pinball fan, the Season One Pro Bundle for $39.99 is the way to go.

The Season One bundle includes; Medieval Madness, Bride of Pin•Bot, Cirqus Voltaire, Funhouse, Monster Bash, Gorgar, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Black Knight, Harley-Davidson 3rd Edition, Taxi, Elvira and the Party Monsters, No Good Gofers, Scared Stiff, Big Shot, Twilight Zone, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Attack From Mars, and Genie along with the Twilight Zone and Star Trek: The Next Generation custom balls.

The Pro Bundle also includes access to the Pro Upgrade of Tales of the Arabian Nights, Medieval Madness, Scared Stiff, Twilight Zone, Attack from Mars and Star Trek: The Next Generation. The Pro Upgrade of our tables gives you access to the Operator’s Menu, (allowing you to change many factory default settings), the ability to move the ball around the table at will, a mode that allows you to have your camera travel around the table, and tips on playing the table from IFPA pinball pros.

Bought separately – all of this DLC would cost almost $70.

As always, everything in the Pinball Arcade is Cross-Buy, so you only have to buy once to own any of our DLC for both PS3 and PS Vita.

In other news, we want to offer our congratulations to the top finishers of the first Pinball Arcade PSN Tournament:

The top 200 finishers will receive a message through PSN with vouchers to redeem the Twilight Zone and Star Trek: The Next Generation custom balls. The top 100 finishers will receive these balls plus the Eyeball.

These Custom Balls are actually pretty cool and they can be used on any table. We recommend trying the brightly colored ones to help see the ball better. [To change your pinball to be a Custom Ball, select Extras from within the Options of any Table Menu.]

Thanks to everyone who participated, and as always, thanks to everyone for supporting the Pinball Arcade!

LUFTRAUSERS is a short game. To be precise, it takes about thirty seconds. We’re not talking in terms of hours you need to complete the campaign, although you technically could beat it within two minutes. We’re not even talking about how many hours you’ll be playing the game in total. What we’re talking about is the amount of time a single round of LUFTRAUSERS is going to take you.

When you boot the game for the first time on your PlayStation 3 or PS Vita, you’ll see the logos of Vlambeer and Devolver Digital – as you’d expect. There’ll be a short introductory cutscene, as a lone dot appears on enemy radar. A submarine rises from the water.

The structure of the game is really simple. You start out with the original LUFTRAUSER, the most powerful airplane ever built. It is launched perfectly vertical from a submarine that only submerges for the shortest of moments to allow you to establish yourself as the nightmare of the many enemies surrounding you.

A game of LUFTRAUSERS is essentially you trying to survive against increasing odds. While at first you might engage only basic fighter planes, it’ll take an average player just moments to lure out more powerful foes – fighter jets and boats. You’ll pull impressive maneuvers to dodge their fire while returning a constant spray of bullets. Only every now and then will you release the fire button to allow your airplane to repair itself. Eventually, you succumb to the crossfire in a glorious explosion.

This should be about thirty seconds after you boot up the game.

If you were good at the game, you’d be fighting the final boss in approximately sixty seconds. Of course, you just got started so you’re probably terrible at the game, although admittedly, you probably did pull some crazy acrobatics.

You start over and the game introduces missions that you can complete to unlock new LUFTRAUSER parts. While you slowly start to come to grips with the game and clear some missions, your average game time is still under fifty seconds. You might’ve seen a larger sea vessel at this point, but they’re mighty enemies that you simply cannot manage to defeat.
We don’t think a ‘run’ has to be long. We think that at the end of each run, you should feel like you know what you did wrong or what you could do better.

You start unlocking parts – engines, weapons and body parts that you can combine to create 125 different combinations of LUFTRAUSER. Do you build a slower, but more heavily armored RAUSER with a heavy weapon and a submarine engine to take those larger, new boats? Maybe you prefer speed over armor, and maybe you like to get in close for melee damage?

As you learn to survive longer, your combos rack up higher. Your scores keep increasing. You start to understand how the game works and how each LUFTRAUSER handles. If you want to be truly good at this game, there are many more challenges you need to master. From enemy aces equipped with machineguns to classified entities – there’s a lot to learn before you can call yourself worthy of a real LUFTRAUSER pilot.

From our playtests we can tell you that an average game of LUFTRAUSERS is sixty-eight seconds. In that time, people kill about seventy to a hundred enemies. We can also tell you that about 30% of players have managed to ‘complete the game’ including the final boss.

We wanted to make a game about becoming the best fighter pilot in the world. If you’re willing to rise to that challenge, you’ll be meandering your favorite RAUSER through clouds of bullets, picking off stray foes and shooting down enemies a hundred times your size. We promise you though, that will not come easy. It will take practice.

We wanted to create a game that gets to the point without nonsense. We wanted to create a game that doesn’t hold your hand, that allows you to fail and get better.

Well, that and we really like explosions and absurd amounts of screen shake.

I’ve been bursting for this moment — Men’s Room Mayhem is finally launching on PlayStation Vita today!

For anyone unfamiliar with the game: you’re hired as the janitor of your very own chaotic men’s room. You’re responsible for directing patrons, keeping everywhere sparkling clean and steering patrons away from trouble! You need to get your customers safely to the urinals and stalls in time – otherwise there’ll be a few nasty accidents for you to clean up! You can get bonus points for guiding patrons close to each other, but don’t collide or there’ll be fisticuffs; maintaining proper men’s room etiquette (always leave a gap), as well as for demonstrating good personal hygiene and making sure patrons wash their hands. All this is done using simple line drawing touch gestures on PS Vita’s front screen.

Since my earlier post, people have been asking me about what else to expect from Men’s Room Mayhem. The game begins in the Country Pub location where you learn the basics, and are eased nicely into the action. The gameplay is broken into waves of customers that you have to attend to against the clock, with each wave requiring you to survive for longer periods. Making a mistake leads to a nasty stain on the floor and a similar splat on the mayhem meter. If you’re unfortunate enough to make more than 5 mistakes in a round then it’s game over. However, if you can survive long enough and see the wave out, you get the chance clean up by furiously rubbing away any indiscretions before the next bout of mayhem ensues.

There are six further locations to unlock, each with a unique layout, and each with a surprise special patron to deal with. Your precision steering skills will be pushed to the limits by the drunk in the Biker Bar who just can’t walk in a straight line, and you might be shocked to hear a woman has been seen in the Nightclub toilets. There must have been a queue in the ladies!

As well as the standard mode of play, we’ve included a Blitz mode where you get two minutes to serve as many customers as you can, with them stacking up patiently at the door ready for you to pull them in and see that they make it to the porcelain in time. There are also 14 Trophies to unlock, and countless in-game challenges to satisfy so you can level up and become a gold standard janitor!

We hope you have as much fun playing Men’s Room Mayhem as we did making it. You can download it from the PlayStation Store for $1.99, and we’re also offering some launch discounts for the first month as a special Ripstone treat!

Make sure you check out our Twitter account for some cheeky giveaways!

The game is full of ingenious puzzles to test even the smartest among you, so the team at Lucid Games have provided some helpful hints to make sure you don’t get stuck!

Don’t forget to tilt!

As Mr. Grimmel will tell you, there’s a reward for picking up all of the litter around Camp Eagle Feather. For every soda can you find, he’ll give you a credit so you can phone in for some help. The more credits you spend, the better the hint you’ll get.

Some soda cans might be out in the open, but if you tilt your PS Vita you may find some hidden on top, or behind other items. There are 130 soda cans hidden around the world, and finding them all won’t be easy.

Make a note.

A pen and paper is always handy for taking notes, but in Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery we’ve given you a memo function so you can take notes as you play. Your memo can be a very handy tool indeed for solving the trickiest of puzzles.

There are plenty of drawing tools, pen sizes, colors and even magnets to play around with. Making good notes will keep you on track throughout your journey.

If you’re stuck, you can always pass.

There’s no shame in being stuck on a puzzle; our brains all work in different ways, after all. So if something just isn’t clicking in your head, you’ve used all of your hints, and there’s nobody around to point you in the right direction, then go to the ‘Hints’ menu and use a pass. You’ve got three passes to use throughout the game, so use them wisely.

Explore!

You won’t need to complete every puzzle to finish the game, so there’s a chance you might have missed some brainteasers along the way. Don’t forget to explore the camp, and even go back to some places you might have visited earlier. You never know what you might find if you look hard enough!

The Tearaway team are incredibly busy at the moment because E3 is right around the corner, so we’re spending every waking second preparing for that, and trying to make sure the game is in every way as special as it can be! I say every waking second, but to be honest there has been the occasional break for a slice of cake and a nice cup of tea. You can’t expect us to work with no cake breaks, that would be madness!

Most recently we’ve been working on the start of the game, where you’ll first begin your journey along with your new messenger friend. The first area that you’ll get to play with iota or atoi is called Valleyfold. It’s a green and pleasant land that draws its inspiration from the English Countryside, and the great wealth of folklore that surrounds it. You’ll wander through great standing stones and travel to a humongous apple orchard, to take place in the wassailing ritual that will help bring in the apple harvest. You’ll see more of Valleyfold over the coming weeks as we begin to show it off to the press, in the meantime though here are some screenshots to delight the eyes!

But wait! Just when you thought the blog post was over, we went and snuck in some exciting news – We’re delighted to announce details on the magnificent and exclusive bonus content you’ll get for pre-ordering your copy of Tearaway! Participating retailers will offer the following collection of treasures:

• Audiolicious Tearaway Soundtrack with bonus track
• Opulent iota and atoi costumes for LittleBigPlanet
• Exclusive skin for the in-game rideable pig*, and printable papercraft plan to match
• Splendiferous iota and atoi Avatars for use on PlayStation Network
• Resplendent PlayStation Vita Wallpaper

*Yes, you heard right, there’s an in-game rideable pig.

Exclusively in GameStop stores, buy a 1 year PS Plus membership and get $10 in PSN cash to use on the PlayStation Store! You’ll get it right when you buy the 1 year Plus membership at GameStop; how’s that for instant gratification? You have until June 20th June 2nd to take advantage of this deal. So whether you’ve been thinking about checking out PS Plus, or are an Instant Game Collection vet, you’ll want to hop on this deal.

With that said, we’ve got a ton of stuff to cover this week including two (two!) games coming to the Instant Game Collection: the addictive puzzler Germinator, and the wonderful pinball experience that is Pinball Arcade. You’ll also find new Ultimate Editions on sale, which deliver complete editions of big titles you may have missed with all of their DLC at a reduced price; especially so for PlayStation Plus members. So let’s get right to it!

May 21st PlayStation Plus Update

Germinator (PS Vita)

PSN Price: $9.99, Free for PS Plus members

Germinator twists the bubble genre, wiping away old school match-three games. Crash germ bubbles into those of the same color. Combine and grow them until they explode in a splattering goop. Trigger power-ups to pop them all and mess up the screen. Timing and accuracy are the keys to solving puzzles and preventing the germs from rising too high. It’s a great title for all ages, and will be downloadable free in PlayStation Plus later this month.

Pinball Arcade (PS3, PS Vita, Cross-Buy Enabled)

PSN Price: $9.99, Free for PS Plus members

It’s pinball action on the go with Pinball Arcade on PS Vita. You’ll find great pinball tables like Tales of the Arabian Nights, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, Theatre of Magic, and Black Hole available from within the game. There are additional tables available to download too if you’re looking to augment your Pinball Arcade experience.

Metro: Last Light Season Pass (PS3)

25% Discount for PS Plus members (PSN Price: $14.99; PS Plus Price: $11.24)

Season Pass is for the true Metro fan. It is a discounted pre-payment for future Metro downloadable content. With its purchase you will receive The Faction Pack, The Tower Pack, The Developer Pack, and The Chronicles Pack.

Darkstalkers Resurrection + Super Puzzle Fighter II (PS3)

30% Discount for PS Plus members (PSN Price: $14.99; PS Plus Price: $10.49)

For a limited time, purchase Darkstalkers Resurrection and receive Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix for free! Darkstalkers Resurrection includes two games – Night Warriors: Darkstalkers Revenge and Darkstalkers 3. These feature classic gameplay, unique characters, HD visual modes, online play with 8-player lobbies, YouTube replay sharing, improved challenge modes, unlockable extras and more. Embrace the dark!

Men’s Room Mayhem (PS Vita)

30% Discount for PS Plus members (PSN Price: $1.39; PS Plus Price: $0.97)

In Men’s Room Mayhem you’re hired as the janitor of your very own chaotic men’s room. You’re responsible for directing patrons, keeping everywhere sparkling clean and steering patrons away from trouble. You need to get your customers safely to the urinals and cubicles in time – otherwise there’ll be a few nasty accidents for you to clean up! Avoid fights by strategically steering patrons past each other with pinpoint precision, but be careful, as the waves increase the patrons pile up fast.

Ultimate Deals (P3 Full Games and Add-Ons)

Up to 75% Off for PS Plus members

The PlayStation Store is bringing you exclusive Ultimate Editions of some of the biggest games around. We’re bundling terrific PS3 Full Games with all of their DLC and offering these Ultimate Editions at great prices with even bigger discounts for PlayStation Plus members! There is truly no better time to beef up your game collection. Get it all with newly released Ultimate Editions, only on the PlayStation Store. (Note: If you have the single player version of Starhawk from the Instant Game Collection, you’ll still be able to download the Starhawk bundle to have access to all of the contents of the bundle.)

What’s your favorite content from this week’s update?

Share your thoughts on the current games of the Instant Game Collection.

You’ll find all the content detailed above with their Plus benefits active when the PlayStation Store updates on 5/21.

So tell us, what are you most excited for this week? Your comments and feedback matter, so leave them below, or, if you’re looking to engage with more of the PS community, make sure you head over to the PlayStation Community Forums to discuss this week’s news more, find other topics to contribute your thoughts to, or start one for yourself. Also, I’ll be out for the next couple weeks, but my good buddy and fellow Community Manager Paul Sullivan will be bringing you all the Plus news while I’m out. See you in the comments!

Tomorrow we’re debuting new Ultimate Editions for 10 fantastic PS3 games paired with all their DLC, available only on PlayStation Store. For a limited time, to celebrate the introduction of these new Ultimate Editions, we’re offering them at up to 65% off with even more savings—up to 75% off—for PlayStation Plus members.

Ultimate Editions bundle some of the best PS3 games with all of their add-on content to provide the complete game experience. Check out the new Ultimate Edition titles you can find on the PlayStation Store starting tomorrow.

Don’t miss out on these great deals this week! Check out the PlayStation Store tomorrow and pick up these Ultimate Editions to round out your game library. After May 27th, these 10 new Ultimate Editions will be available at up to 40% off the total bundle value in the Ultimate Editions category of the PlayStation Store. Which Ultimate Edition are you most excited for?

Sackboy and Commander Shepard team up this week to bring you the Mass Effect Costume Pack containing this great collection of costumes first seen in BioWare’s epic sci-fi saga!

These new costumes will be available when the Store updates on Tuesday, so blast over to LittleBigPlanet.com and take a look at what’s coming in the Mass Effect Costume Pack.

Team Picks – Featured Creations from the Community!

We’re back with a brand new dose of weekly Team Picks from across LittleBigPlanet, including a retro arcade shooter for LittleBigPlanet 2, some platforming madness for LittleBigPlanet PS Vita and a race across some troublesome treetops in LittleBigPlanet Karting!

Neon Blaster by dakrrs

You can find this level and oh so much more in the latest LittleBigPlanet 2: Mm Picks!

Fink’s MFG is Off The Hook by dsdavve

You can have this level ready to play by heading over to LBP.me Vita and queuing up the new LittleBigPlanet PS Vita: Team Picks!

Tree Top Trouble by amazingflyingpoo

Race on over and challenge your friends in the latest LittleBigPlanet Karting: Team Picks!

We always love to see exciting new LittleBigPlanet levels, so if you have a great level to share with the community or a stunning video to show off your favorite levels and creations, then be sure to tweet it to us @LittleBigPlanet.