Sony Details 'Please Don't Leave Us' Program

In the wee hours of my New York morning, several Sony Computer Entertainment big wigs held a press conference on the other side of the world, discussing the well documented troubles with PlayStation Network. Security, free content, and Anonymous, oh my!

I hear you guys. What do we get for our hours of lost online play? It's a perfectly fair question, but let's start with something a little more pertinent: when will the system be back online? Sony is calling it a phased restoration, with some of PSN's features returning sometime this week. Which features exactly, I'm not sure, but some is better than none I suppose. Sony states PSN should be fully operation by the end of May. You might be thinking that's a hell of a long time, an you're absolutely correct, it is. However it's unavoidable as Sony makes the proper upgrades (see: measures that should have been put in place years ago) to assure a fiasco like this will never occur again. To that end, a new Chief Information Security Officer position has been created, which coincidentally, sounds something like the type of job GeoHot was pining for when he opened the PS3 hacking floodgates.

Now the good stuff. What's in it for us, the near 100 million users who are affected by Sony's ludicrous debacle? All PSN users who are not currently subscribed to PlayStation Plus will receive a free month of the premium service. Current PlayStation Plus subscribers will receive one free month of service. PlayStation Plus allows PSN users early access to demos and beta tests, as well as certain free downloadable games and downloadable content. Needless to say, I'm sure PlayStation Plus will not see any free game releases during this time, as Sony surely wants to lose as little money as possible.

The PSN faithful will be rewarded with some free content, which values at a couple thousand yen ($20 - $40, most likely), which could end up being Warhawk, a few premium themes, and some PlayStation Home content. Don't be surprised. In addition to the above, existing Qriocity users - anyone out there? - will get a month for free.

Sony execs and press threw around the name Anonymous a few times at the conference, and though no fingers were pointed, Kaz Hirai didn't rule the Hacktivist group out, especially considering that Sony has found Anonymous' ire as of late. Stop snitching, Kaz.

Hopefully, the end is in sight for Sony's nightmare and our deprivation of fulfilling online interaction. What say you about the whole ordeal? Is the security of your information worth an addition month of service downtime? Is 30 days of complimentary PS Plus access reparation or a marketing ploy? Does $20 worth of content right countless lost hours of online playtime?

Killzone 3 Says "Get Used to These Odds"

I was greeted this morning by a package courtesy of PlayStation and Guerilla Games containing a Killzone 3 branded bag full of Army Men. Awesome! I haven't played with Army Men since some time last year, so it is very pleasing that I'll be hitting my yearly Army Men quota early in 2011. 

These aren't just any old little green plastic men though, they come in custom ISA and Helghast flavors. While the ISA trooper looks like your typical soldier, the Helghast all rock their iconic masks, complete adorably evil red specs. Also of interest, the fact that the pack contains 11 total figures; 10 Helghast to 1 ISA soldier. Nope, it's not a mistake. It's just getting us used to the overwhelming odds we'll have to face in Killzone 3. 

If you haven't preordered it already, you can pick up Killzone 3 this coming Tuesday, February 22 in North America, and three days later in Europe. Check back soon for our review.

Work Your Mandible On New Resistance 3 Footage

As a late adopter to the PlayStation 3 (money don't grow on trees, kids) I've never played any installment of the Resistance series, but have always heard good things. Resistance 3's earlier trailer featured a bunch of nap-inducing live action scenes that, while well done and moody as hell, wasn't one of the more exciting things I've watched. Then the VGA's rolled up with their exclusive trailers, and the third chapter of the Resistance saga became infinitely more appealing.

PlayStation.Blog has hit us with a director's cut of said VGA trailer, adding a good half-minute of additional footage. It's likely that the extra 30 seconds wont do anything to make you wet your pants, but it's worth a watch in case you've forgotten about, or have yet to see, the original VGA trailer. 

Enos Still Lives

15 years ago on this day, I fell in love. On September 9th, 1995, children in North America were introduced to the Playstation gaming system, one of the most influential and iconic pieces of entertainment technology of our time. 

From their inexperienced beginnings, Sony has developed the Playstation brand into a powerhouse, worthy of it's spot in the annuls of gaming history. While I may not agree with all of Sony's choices for Playstation throughout the years, I had an undying infatuation with my PSX. I played games, I played CDs, I played the music from my games as if they were CDs, I modded it, I stole games, I broke it, I bought it again.. Endless memories of what I thought was the greatest thing ever, a title freshly inherited from my Sega Saturn.

What may possibly be the strongest factor that roped me in to Playstation, that had me calling every Funcoland within a 50 mile radius, what had me pestering my weary father to drive me out to strange, small towns in attempts to acquire the mystical gray box, was the marketing.

Who the hell is Enos? What am I not ready for? Enos Lives and UR Not E (with the seething red tone of the capital E burning itself into your subconscious) were two of the great marketing slogans that amazed me as a kid (along with "CROSSFIRE!") and maybe part of the reason why I appreciate marketing so much today. Ready (red E) Ninth of September and You Are Not Ready marked the beginning of a new era for gaming, as well as Sony's incredible marketing of it's Playstation that continues today with Kevin Butler and miscellaneous flashes of ingenuity. 

While friends and strangers alike accuse me of being an Xbox fanboy, in my heart and in my mind, Playstation has it's own special place. PSX and PS2 helped to mold me as the die hard gamer I am today. And even though I've had my complaints with the PS3, and it's taken me a while to warm up to it, I'm grateful Sony is continuing it's tradition of quality devices, entertaining games, and fun marketing.

Happy birthday, Playstation.