Twisted Metal coming to PSN October 30 for $40

Twisted Metal is heading to PSN October 30, as announced in a recentPlayStation blog podcast. The game will also see a drop in price, as it will be available on the service for $40.
Creative Director David Jaffe said the game was "not a dud, not a hit" back inAugust. Jaffe left Twisted Metal developer Eat Sleep Play after the game's launch in March. If $40 still has you feeling uncertain, our review of the game might help you decide where to put your wallet.

• Via: IGN
• Source: PlayStation blog

Tekken Tag Tournament 2's Saudi Arabia stage changing to remove accidental usage of 'Allah'

You'd think that Tekken Tag Tournament 2's dancer-filled Snoop Dogg stage would be the most controversial arena of the lot, but the game's "Saudi Arabia" stage has created a stir of its own through usage of imagery that may be offensive to Muslims.

The issue stems from the level's floor texture; a pattern of repeating stars that each contain the Arabic script for "Allah." This design element was a complete accident, according to TTT2 producer Katsuhiro Harada. "We didn't know that," Harada tweeted in response to players that informed him of the script's meaning. "We will change stage design data as soon as possible. We couldn't read that."

No further specifics were given vis-a-vis when or how the update will be made available, or what the pattern will be replaced with. Personally, we're hoping for more Snoop.

• Via: Original Gamer
• Source: Twitter (1), (2)

Check out the touch controls in this Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation trailer

This trailer for Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation shows off some of the game's touch controls, which allow players to pick-pocket and perform chain kills with the swipe of a finger.Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation is coming to Vita on October 30.

• Source: PlayStation blog

Snapshot: Anna (PC)

Don't fool yourself about what type of game Anna is. Though screenshots may deceive you into believing the game is a realistic point-and-click set in the gorgeous Italian countryside, Anna is a horror game through and through. Even the developers at Dreampainters pitch Anna as a classic point-and-click adventure, based on the heritage of Val D'Ayas, a small village steeped in ancient folklore. The sawmill? "Oh, that, it's sort of haunted," the developers seem to say, "but don't worry your pretty little head about it."

After playing Anna, I suggest you worry about it. Worry about it a lot.

Anna

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Zynga's online gambling initiative to launch in the UK next year

Zynga CEO Mark Pincus is making good on his promise to expand the social/mobile developer's grasp into the world of online gambling in the first half of 2013, according to Gamasutra. As expected, the roll-out will take place in Not America -- the United Kingdom, specifically.

Facilitating this expansion is bwin.party Digital Entertainment, an existing online gambling operator that has partnered with Zynga to aid in its transition from fake addictions to the real deal. Zynga's first title in this new space will be a slots simulator based on the Farmville franchise, which may explain why the Zynga Slots team was the only one to survive this week's layoffs at Zynga Austin.

• Source: Gamasutra

PSN posts best ever revenue for second quarter in a row

Between July and September, PlayStation Network enjoyed its highest revenue ever for a quarter, making it two best ever quarters in a row for Sony's online service. Speaking to GamesIndustry International, a Sony Computer Entertainment America spokesperson said, "Our last quarter was the biggest in terms of transactional sales in PSN's six-year history." Speaking to Joystiq, a SCEA spokeperson expanded upon that statement:

"Transactional sales refer to PlayStation Store sales through the PSN/SEN Wallet. Our last quarter (July - September 2012) was our 'biggest' on a global basis with regard to revenue."

So, PSN is apparently on the up, with Sony claiming 97 percent customer satisfaction for the service along with 93 percent renewal intent. The company says the success of PlayStation Plus is driving PSN sales.

Having been around for over two years, PlayStation Plus membership sales almost doubled this summer following the announcement of the Instant Game Collection. Sony is still keeping quiet about specific subscriber numbers, but it sounds like PS Plus is proving to be a significant addition to the PlayStation arsenal.

• Via: GamesIndustry International

Need for Speed: Most Wanted coming to Wii U in 2013

Criterion Studio's fuel-injected, open-world playground in Need for Speed: Most Wanted has joined the likes of Batman: Arkham City and Tekken Tag Tournament 2 as yet another current-gen title that will also make its way to the Wii U.

"In 2013, Nintendo fans will be able to experience what it means to be Most Wanted amongst their friends on the Wii U," EA told Polygon. The announcement came after the game was spotted in a list of pending European Wii U titles, tucked inside Nintendo's recent financial statement. No further information regarding potential Wii U-exclusive features was available, nor was a more specific release window. Think someone will make a WiiPad steering wheel?

• Via: Polygon
• Source: Nintendo Japan [PDF]

Xbox SmartGlass app now on Android

That was a long half-day of Surface exclusivity. Xbox SmartGlass, the app that connects your mobile device to your Xbox, is now on Android. So you can use your Android phone or tablet to make people dance for your amusement, track achievements, do avatar stuff, and eventually interact with other Microsoft Studios games and other Xbox stuff.

An iOS version is also expected; the last timeline we heard from Microsoft was2013, though that was supposedly the window for the Android version as well.

• Source: Google Play

Ratchet and Clank: Full Frontal Assault begins Nov. 27 for $20

Ratchet and Clank: Full Frontal Assault will bare all on PSN November 27 for $19.99. The "fun size" adventure, which is similar in scope to Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty, is said to actually have more junk in the trunk than the previous bite-size experiment, according to the PlayStation Blog. It will also be released at retail for the same price.

The Ratchet & Clank Collection, HD updates of the first three PS2 games, launched in late August to celebrate the series' 10th Anniversary, occurring next month. We should also probably note that, in case you never played them, the full-blown Ratchet and Clank PS3 adventures, Tools of Destruction andCrack in Time, are both available at retail for about the same price as this amuse-bouche.

• Source: PS Blog

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is a giant download on Wii U

It's a good thing the Wii U supports external USB hard drives, because downloading Tekken Tag Tournament 2 will eat up half of a Premium's onboard storage, and will be impossible on the stock Basic model.

The downloadable version of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 will take up 16.7 GB of space, Namco Bandai revealed. It's currently unclear how much of that storage is reserved for Star Fox costumes. The eShop version will also be cheaper in Japan: ¥6,280 ($79) versus ¥6,980 in stores. This differs from the 3DS eShop, where games are priced similarly to their retail versions; Nintendo of America hasn't announced any pricing details for the Wii U eShop.

• Via: Siliconera
• Source: Namco Bandai