Version 3.61 is available for download on the PS3 now, and the PSN and Qriocity services will be back up and running as early as tonight.  Sony tells  it’s customers to change their passwords for their accounts, and  offer their apologies, as well as detail the returning services

Returning services include:
The ability to sign into the PlayStation Network or Qriocity service
The ability to play online games on PS3 or PSP
The ability to playback videos rented from the PlayStation store if within rental period
The ability to listen to use Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity on PS3 or PC
The ability to use third party services like Netflix, Vudu, Hulu, and MLB.tv
The ability to access the “friends” category on the XMB menu
The ability to use PlayStation Home

If you’d like to monitor areas where services will be back up, Sony has provided a nice little map for their customers to use to continue watching progress.

UPDATE: Most of the world has said services returned, including the US, Europe, and Australia. Playstation Store will be returning by the end of the month with multiple updates to catch up from the down time.

With the announcement on Bungies web site that Bungie will not be showing their new game along side Activision at E3 2011 Bungie is denying reports that they will be attending this years E3 at all.

Be sure to check back here on www.theflowshow.com between June 7-9, 2011 to get the latest and up to date news for E3 2011!!

More than 70 Million users of the Sony Playstation 3 had all of their information stolen. That information includes name, username, password. address, and credit card information. Sony is reporting that this incident could cast them billions of dollars. I personally think that this is the start if the end for Sony. I guess only time will tell.

CNN Video
CNN Video

The co-op doesn’t have as much dialogue as the single-player campaign, but it still has a beefy amount over the course of five testing facilities, all of which from GLaDOS or the turrets (also voiced by McLain).  Each testing facility has a series of eight to nine chambers, some of which being two parts. Though this is a co-op experience, it is not a short one. It can take a good four hours to complete, give or take, and the fun never lets up.

Unlike the single-player, the co-op starts out with the Calibration Course, which is a series of simple tests to get you and your partner in “sync” with one another. It’s a simple and yet effective tutorial and it’s a good way to introduce players to the co-op mechanics. Each player will get two portals each, Atlas with blue and purple, and P-Body with orange and red. It’s essential to learn how to use your portals as well as your partner’s to be able to complete these courses.

Cave Johnson (voiced by J.K. Simmons) giving a sample of just what might happen in your co-op playthrough.

Upon completion of the Calibration Course, you enter a hub world of sorts, which is unique to this mode and fits the game very well. It reminds me of some of the hub worlds in old N64 platformers where there was a slight challenge to getting to an area. As you start the first course, it becomes clear that these stages were designed for four portals. It’s true that some chambers can be solved using only one player’s portals, but those ones still require two people to do. The level design is completely different than the chambers in the single-player and there are even features unique to the co-op mode. Features such as diagonal light ramps, spiked crushers, and even a few puzzles that require timing from your partner. Thankfully, implemented a marking system where you can signal your partner with a marker that would show them where to stand, where to make portals, buttons to press or even a 3-second timer for counting down the timing exercises. Even if you are using voice chat, these markers are very useful and work very well with the game.

Like the single-player, the co-op is full of Easter eggs to discover, most of which give you achievements or trophies. These are pretty fun to discover and it creates a humorous sense of accomplishment when you find them, my personal favorite being the hidden companion cube in one of the test chambers.

Each course will have a series of test chambers, and then a final challenge that will have you and your partner outside of the test chambers and in the main facility, searching for the data disc. There is a slight story to the co-op, but it’s mostly explained through the fascinating developer commentary, and its great to watch this universe unfold through it. To summarize, you are doing test chambers that no human has done before, in a sense, testing for the real test. I won’t spoil too much, but the ending is a bit funny if you put all the dialogue together.

All in all, the co-op experience is something truly unique and is a lot of fun to go through with a friend, either through Steam (PC, Mac, or PS3), Playstation Network (still down as of this writing), Xbox Live, or split screen (PS3 and Xbox 360). A nice feature is that the versions running Steam are all cross-platform, so PC users can play with Mac users, or PS3 users with PC or Mac users. If you buy this game, there are a lot of options to be able to play with your friends. If I were to rate the co-op experience, it gets a solid 9 out of 10. Very well thought out, and fun to play, even when replaying the chambers.

Two great experiences in one package, I can see Portal 2 being up for game of the year easily, at least for PC. When single-player and co-op are combined, I can give my final verdict of the game, and Portal 2 receives a 10 out of 10. Great gameplay, entertaining dialogue and sound, fantastic art direction, amazing presentation, and a game that deserves a spot in everyone’s library.

Nintendo has confirmed that the Wiiii will make its first public appearance at E3 2011. TheFlowShow.com will be on hand to Demo a playable model of the new system and announce more specifications. This years E3 Expo will be held June 7-9, 2011, So be sure to keep it locked to http://www.theflowshow.com for all of the latest news!!

Rumored Specs:
1080p compatibility, custom-built tri-core IBM PowerPC chipset (Same setup on Microsoft’s Xbox 360), AMD GPU. The GPU should be able to give you 512 megabytes of memory.

Release date:
Spring 2012

Price:
$350 to $400

Mortal Konbat is BACK! With all of the crappy mk games that came out between Ultimate Mortal Kombat (UMK3) 3 and MK9 I was very skeptible that MK9 would actually be a good game. Right of the bat I was really impressed with the level and character design. MK9 is a very dark and vilent game witch is the exact same reason why I loved it as a kid. After playing it for about a week now I can honestly say that MK9 is one of the best MK games ever made. The combo system is very easy to understand, the game Looks and plays superbly!, Fatality’s are over the top!

My only complaint is the terrible online play. LAG LAG LAG… Online VS modes are virtually unplayable. One more minor grip I have about the game is about the MK9 arcade stick. It comes out in JULY.. Why would they wait 3 whole months to release it… Super bad move if you ask me.. So with all that said I would give MK9 a solid 4 out of 5! Go pick it up!!

Mortal Kombat 9 Fatalities
Finish Him!

Mortal Kombat 9 GamePlay
Game play

Mortal Kombat 9 Online Match
Online Match

The timeless classic Chrono Trigger has been rated by the ESRB for the PSP and PlayStation 3.

This means it will soon be a great time for fans of the classic RPG, as well as those sorry saps (including myself) who somehow managed to miss this game the first 88 times it was ported, since we can finally experience star Crono’s adventures in time for the first time, long after its time.

Time.

On a side note, check out this excerpt from ESRB’s official site:

Early Signs Ratings Busted

I’m by no means an expert on the passing of moral judgement on others (in fact, I’m rather opposed to it) but I find it interesting that the ESRB’s rating would go from “EVERYONE” to “EVERYONE 10+” then finally “TEEN” all for the same game title. Granted, the PSOne and DS versions of the game did add a few cinematic cutscenes which the original SNES version didn’t have but I don’t know that they contained anything worthy of a ratings change. Nevertheless, it begs the question: Will these new versions of the classic for PS3 and PSP have racier content than previous versions or has the holier-than-thou ESRB simply gotten even holier-than-they-used-to-be? Only time will tell…

Just for kicks, here’s a completely unrelated video I found while searching for “Chrono Trigger” (other than title this video has nothing to do with the game but I still think it’s pretty bad-ass):

Have you always wanted to join the UFC Gym but could not afford it? Have you always wanted to experience real UFC workouts?

Well if you answered YES to 1 of these questions than this is your year because THQ is going to come out with a motion-controlled fitness game titled UFC Personal Trainer.

Yeah! My virtual personal trainer can beat up your virtual personal trainer!!

This exercise game will be available on Wii, Xbox Kinect, and PS3 Move.

If you don’t have the money to join the actual UFC gym this fitness game should be a good subsitution with routines designed by the National Academy of Sports Medicine and with help from MMA trainers Greg Jackson, Mark DellaGrotte, and Javier Mendez. You can train hard in the privacy of your own living room with whichever game console you choose but if you get the Kinect version you will have some added features and several exclusives like:

1) Having your form and techniques assessed through the full body tracking system, 2) the use of voice commands, 3) 9 exercise routines, 4) branded, in-game equipment and last but definitely not least, 5) having Frank Mir, Kenny Florian, Dan Hardy and Diego Sanchez as sparring partners.

With real UFC workouts this fitness game will have you hurting oh so good with your newly sore muscles activated by UFC training workouts, just like the MMA fighters.

Back in 2007, Valve released a little bundle pack called The Orange Box, which held 5 amazing titles. To everyone’s surprise, one of those titles happened to be an amazing (albeit short) experience called Portal. The way Valve marketed the Orange Box, Portal was considered a type of bonus game, and ended up being the talk of the gaming community, thanks to some clever writing and some great puzzle gameplay. It’s now 2011, and Portal 2 is now available, and is also the first time Valve’s Steam support has come to a console, the Playstation 3 in this case. Is it as amazing as the first one? Or will it fizzle out of memory?

The story of the sequel puts you back in the role of silent protagonist Chell, who had defeated the passive-aggressive super computer, GLaDOS in the previous game. You’ll start in a pretty amusing scenario where you practice getting ready for a day of testing, and it is here that we are introduced to one of the new characters of the game, Wheatley, voiced by Stephen Merchant (of the Ricky Gervais show). Immediately, the games witty and clever dialogue becomes apparent, and you get quite a few laughs. The voice acting is performed with such personality that you forget you’re talking to a robot, but are then reminded by the big glowing blue light staring at your face.

After an interesting opening sequence where you are lifted through the underground facility in a small bedroom, you finally get your hands on the Portal gun. This is where the game really begins, as you learn how to use the basic functions of portals. As you continue on, you find out that GLaDOS is “still alive”, and that she is just sleeping, but of course, that is short lived, and you reunite with your sworn enemy, who then tosses you back into the testing facility like the garbage she deems you to be.

I’ll try not to spoil too much of the plot, but if you played the first game and enjoyed the puzzles, there’s a lot more to figure out here, and new puzzle features add to the variety. Walkways or walls made of light, laser reflector cubes, the different types of gels, there’s a lot more in this game aside from your typical blue and orange portals. I for one found the blue repulsion gel and the orange propulsion gel to be some personal favorites. The repulsion gel would basically be a liquid that you could spread around a room using portals, and upon landing or jumping from a surface with this gel, you would bounce up higher than normal. The higher you fall from, the higher you’ll bounce back up. It works well in quite a few puzzles, though there are some tricky areas where portal placement and timing make the difference. The propulsion gel is very similar to the repulsion gel, except that what this gel does is allow you to increase your maximum speed. Large distances and even great heights can be within reach easily if you run across this gel and through well placed portals. Many other obstacles and items are at your disposal in Portal 2, and it definitely extends the experience that seemed so simple in the first game.

The game’s single-player campaign takes about 8 hours to beat, but you may end up taking longer just wanting to hear the dialogue from the characters. There are many moments where characters will speak, and then continue saying things until that awkward moment where you realize you’ve been standing in the same spot for 3 minutes waiting to see if that robotic eye staring back at you has anything else to say. There are even moments where your actions will get them to say something new. The amount of dialogue in this game is astonishing and it definitely helps that it’s humorous and clever. Other great performances come from J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man’s J. Jonah Jameson) and Ellen McLain returns as GLaDOS, both of which give outstanding performances and gives an emotional impact that’s incredibly rare in games these days. The music is also fitting to the game’s soundtrack and is appropriately quiet in the right areas. One nice feature I liked was the music that played when you realize you were doing something correctly, like if you were “flinging” yourself in the right direction, or you were placing a weighted companion cube in the excursion funnels. It adds a really nice touch to the presentation of the game and really rewards you for solving each puzzle.

Sample of J.K. Simmon’s portrayal of Aperture Laboratories founder Cave Johnson

The game’s visuals are not going to blow you away; this isn’t Crysis, though that doesn’t mean they’re bad. It has a very laboratory-like feeling, which is the point. Lots of black and white with different shades of gray and brown, and the occasional use of color that contrast well with the scientific environment. Valve managed to get a lot out of the aging Source engine, and it easily surpasses the original game in visuals. The gels have a very distinctive fluid quality to them, and the environments move and fall apart very naturally. The animation in the game is impressive as well, from the way Wheatley blinks his one eye to the way the robotic arms of the environment move into place when setting up a new testing chamber. The whole environment, despite being mostly inorganic, feels very much alive.

The game’s single-player campaign is worth the price tag alone, but it also has a co-op campaign that is completely different than the single-player. Unfortunately, due to an error on the Playstation Network, I was unable to play the co-op campaign as of this time. I also unfortunately didn’t have someone handy to come over and play split screen, nor did I install my free PC copy that came with the PS3 version in time. I will say this, the single player campaign is jam packed with content. Even if you play it just once, there is still the possibility that you missed some dialogue, or a few hidden Easter eggs. Lots of achievements and trophies to collect and many of them actually add to the experience of the game.

Despite the fact I couldn’t play the co-op, I will save that part of the review for another time and give my verdict on this game’s single-player campaign as it is. Now before I do that, there is one area I would like to note, and that’s the middle section of the game, where you are not in any test chambers, but actually in the corporate areas of Aperture Science. This area was a neat place, but it does move quite slow and is less about puzzles and more about finding where you shoot your portal to continue forward. If there wasn’t any dialogue in this section, it would be considerably boring and feels a bit dragged out, though you do get a nice history about the fictional company. It’s not too long but it is noticeable, and could push players away from a very rewarding finish.

Portal 2 may require more of a commitment in it’s longer campaign, but there is plenty of variety to keep things interesting and the voice acting is entertaining enough to keep you moving. The single-player campaign is fun and inviting and is a definite must play experience that I would deem a bit better than the original. I give Portal 2’s single-player campaign a very well deserved 9.5 out of 10.

“It’s one of my tricks. Get an axe.”

If you are a fan of zombies and/or First Person Views then you should keep tabs on a little known game called DEAD ISLAND.

Set on a tropical island resort, overrun by undead guests, you are one of only a few survivers - four survivers to be exact. Does it sound like LEFT 4 DEAD? Yes. Does it play like it? Can’t say since no gameplay footage is currently available. What is available is a cinematic trailer that shows everything I have just detailed about the game.

From the trailer you can see that unlike LEFT 4 DEAD’s enraged mutants, these are actually zombies. You can also see that the tone is pretty dark and depressing.

What is known for sure about DEAD ISLAND?
-focus on melee combat and customization
-4 player co-op with RPG elements
-set in a beautiful yet gruesome open world

It’s shaping up to be a combination of LEFT 4 DEAD and BORDERLANDS on a vacation getaway. Let’s just hope it turns out to be at least half as good as those awesome titles.

Haven’t had enough rustlin’ in the old west in Red Dead Redemption yet? Rockstar just announced four new DLC packs for Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, with the first one — dubbed “Legends and Killers” — due in August for $10. What can you expect? Oh how about some new characters, weapons and active map locations (for both free-roaming and competitive multiplayer modes) to be added to New Austin over the coming months. AND ZOMG WTH … ZOMBIE COWBOYZ!?~…

Mosey on down sit a spell and look at what they have a comin’ pardner.

Legends and Killers — August 2010 (800 MS Points / $9.99)

* Nine new multiplayer map locations
* Eight new multiplayer characters, including some from Red Dead Revolver
* New projectile weapon, The Tomahawk, with corresponding multiplayer and single-player challenges
* New Achievements and Trophies

Liars and Cheats — Launch date TBD (800 MS Points / $9.99)

* Attack and Defend multiplayer competitive mode and challenges
* New multiplayer horse races, with mounted combat
* Play as “the heroes and villains” of Red Dead Redemption, as well as eight new multiplayer characters
* Multiplayer versions of Liar’s Dice and Poker from the single-player game
* New weapon, The Explosive Rifle, with corresponding multiplayer and single-player challenges
* New Achievements and Trophies

Free Roam — Launch date TBD (Price TBD)

* Additional Free Roam challenges
* New action areas and defensive placements
* Posse scoring and leaderboards
* New anti-griefing measures in Free Roam

Undead Nightmare — Launch date TBD (800 MS Points / $9.99)

* New single-player adventure, challenges and quests
* Eight new multiplayer zombie characters
* Additional animals to hunt
* New dynamic events “and more”

Move over Movie Madness Monday readers.., *$aving$ $unday* comes early in at almost a week early again this week~!

For those that Havent purchased Red Dead Revolver yet,

Gamestop.com has their POWER HOUR sale today at noon for the game for $25

If you use the normal ‘SAVER’ code for the discount you’ll get free shipping too (if i remember right that might be 2 day shipping).

It’s a phenomenal deal if you dont have the game already, i would suggest being online at Noon because its gonna sell out instantaneously.

Cheers,

Quinn

Yes I did play Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, and yes I got my back side kicked. So what? Let me tell you what went wrong.

First of all, the button layout has been changed. It is now more simplified and similar to TATSUNOKU VS CAPCOM. You got a light attack-medium attack-heavy attack-areal attack, which automatically launches your opponent up. So now all characters can put their enemies in the air just by pushing one button. Unlike Marvel vs. Capcom 2, which featured four attack buttons separated as two pairs of low and high punches and kicks. Other then that, the controls are more or less the same as previous versions. You can hit one bumper to switch out either one of your three characters, or hit both with your power meter up for a triple attack.

The Graphics are very nice, but I think the crazy colors and flashes are a bit too much. It confuses me, I don’t know if I’m pulling a special move off or not. Capcom is definitely using Street Fighter IV’s style, and while the graphics aren’t a straight ripoff of that game, the influence is there. I must admit, backgrounds are gorgeous, and for a first in the series, they make sense. What I mean is they represent each character instead of just…well, not making sense. The music seemed alright as well. Nothing special, but at least it’s not smooth jazz.

And last but not not least, I-suck-ass. Hardcore players are going to be just as good as they were in MVC’s of past. I cannot wait for this game to release so that I can get more of a beating, although I must admit, it does have a more approachable appeal to it, so hopefully I can beat down on some newcomers.

To conclude my professionalism, I would like to show you a list of characters that was “leaked” online by the same person that listed the characters for SUPER STREET FIGHTER IV months before it was confirmed. He was right about that, is he right about this?

MARVEL:
*Hulk*
*Wolverine*
*Deadpool*
*Captain America*
*Iron Man*
*Dormammu* (Boss)
Spider-Man
Elektra
Thor
X-23 (female clone of Wolverine)
Magneto
Dr. Doom
Shuma-Gorath
Emma Frost
Mr. Fantastic (WRONG!)
Super Skrull (with all Fantastic 4 powers)
Taskmaster (mimics others/predicts moves by watching them)
Juggernaut
She-Hulk

CAPCOM:
*Ryu*
*Dante*
*Felicia*
*Morrigan*
*Chris Redfield*
Mike Hagger
Frank West
Bionic Commando
Arthur
Amaterasu (Okami)
Albert Wesker
Zero
Chun-Li
Viewtiful Joe
Trish (Devil May Cry)
Tron Bonne
Hsien-Ko (DarkStalkers)
Akuma

P.S.
Characters confirmed to be absent from the game have so far included Tyrant and Nemesis of the Resident Evil series, as well as the four members of Marvel’s Fantastic Four, who were excluded at the company’s suggestion (which may have something to do with the movie reboot that is in the works, FANTASTIC FOUR: REBORN). Seth Killian has also stated that Amingo will not appear. Thank Goodness!

Get ready to Fight! Marvel vs Capcom 3 is set for a Spring 2011 release on PS3 and 360

E3 2010 was full of eye candy, but one of the sweetest demos was Square Enix’s DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION, the 3rd part in the popular franchise (even though the 2nd part was a let down).

Here’s the official cinematic trailer:

The year is 2027 (25 years before the first DEUS EX), a time of great innovation in neuroprosthetics, but also a time of chaos and conspiracy and a new social divide. The “haves” and “have-nots” are defined by those who can afford augmentations and those who cannot. Adam Jensen, a private security specialist hired to protect the interests of one of the largest bio-tech corporations, is undecided on the ethics of neuroprosthetics but becomes injured in an attack on the facility and must be augmented. Having this very important decision taken away from him, he now is driven to encounter the truth and discover who attacked the facility and why. In his search, a vast global conspiracy is revealed and Adam’s decisions will decide the fate of humankind.

While I couldn’t actually play the demo, I watched (with my own eyes) a developer play a portion of the game on a large screen that displayed no HUD (the final version will have a HUD display, even though I’d prefer that it wouldn’t) and was demonstrated in pre-alpha (a.k.a. incomplete version), yet the visual graphics were already mind-blowingly beautiful. It can only get better from here.

As Jensen walked through the incredibly detailed futuristic city, every NPC interacted and reacted to him in various ways that did not seem scripted. The player can talk with anyone or even overhear NPCs conversations from a distance. When Jensen approached a bar and was stopped by a bouncer, not only was the dialog and movement realistic but it also incorporated a type of conversation game play that allowed the player to make different choices to complete his objectives. Jensen “chose” to pay his way into the bar, but he could have killed the bouncer or found another way in, by sneaking under the building or listening to NPCs as they discussed the password. Inside elements of the story were revealed and more of the conversation gameplay took place as the demo continued.

The demo skipped ahead to an action/infiltration portion of the game. Up to this point the game had mostly been 1st-person perspective (except for the cinematic scenes), but the viewpoint changes to 3rd-person when you use the cover system. As Jensen snuck around a heavily-guarded warehouse area, take downs were demonstrated, ranging from non-lethal (knock-outs), stealth (neck snaps), double kills (instant and simultaneous), environmental (breaking through walls to get to an enemy on the other side), and when surrounded, cinematic-like finishers that clear the entire room - in style. These take downs are made easier to execute with the help of the BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM style X-ray vision, but even that cannot be executed without the help of augmentations (abilities chosen, earned, purchased) that help effect and strategize the way you play.

By the end of the demo I was left speechless, so I had no choice but to write this pre-alpha review. All I have left to “not” say is watch the trailer, and while it may not be gameplay it pretty much demonstrates what you can actually do in the game. For once, a game that does not falsely advertise with it’s cinematic scenes. I can’t wait to try the demo for myself.

Kevin Butler, the Vice President of nearly everything Playstation, stole the show when he appeared at Sony’s press event Tuesday to thunderous cheers.

Butler began his epic speech by first poking fun at Monday’s XBOX 360’s Kinect Cirque du Soleil extravaganza.

“Mind if I get something off my chest? I’ll be quick. So, am I crazy or did I see 100 French acrobats prancing around an arena the other night? I hear there was a sale on blue ponchos.”

The well-received VP then went on to entertain as only he could, professing his love for gaming, knocking the Nintendo Wii and talking about the current motion control battle. He had the crowd intently listening and laughing to his every timed word.

“Gaming is having a ridiculously huge TV in a tiny one room apartment. Staying up til 3AM to earn a trophy that isn’t real, but is.”

Hate to burst anyone’s bubble, but Kevin Butler is a fictional character played by character actor Jerry Lambert. He first appeared in a 2009 ad for MLB 09: The Show and then went on to appear in several “It Only Does Everything” ad campaigns. The Kevin Butler character is so popular that Sony plans to keep him in commercials up through 2010 and, perhaps, beyond. Jerry has, also, just completed a Ben Stiller produced FOX pilot for a new series called The Station, along with John Goodman.

This year Sony didn’t need a dramatic, expensive circus of performers to promote their products, they had Kevin Butler. He may be Sony’s new poster boy ad character, but he’s a damn entertaining one.

“Every gamer is a true gamer. Motion gamers. Sitting gamers. Everyone, and although we may pledge fanboy allegiances to different flags, deep down inside we all serve one master, one king and his name is gaming… Forever may he reign!”