PS3 Fanboy

Mere minutes after the European PlayStation Store was updated with the Heavenly Sword demo, American users of the PlayStation Network will be able to download the hotly anticipated demo, along with a few additional goodies. Here's this week's line-up:

• Heavenly Sword playable demo
• Metal Gear Solid 4 gameplay demonstration
• Resident Evil 5 game trailer
• Haze "Origins" game trailer
• "30 Days of Night" movie trailer
• "Across the Universe" movie trailer
• "August Rush" movie trailer
• "Vacancy" Blu-Ray movie trailer
• GripShift 2.0 full game - $9.99 {Update: "Previously available on the PLAYSTATION Store, this updated version includes faster load times and other minor fixes. If you've previously purchased GripShift from the PLAYSTATION Store, you can download this new version for free."]

This is quite possibly the most significant update the Store has ever received, providing a high profile game demo, hot game trailers, and a surprise new downloadable game. Log on to the Store now.

Sony Online Entertainment had a fairly sizable role in the PlayStation Store development thus far. They offered the original IP Cash Guns Chaos and helped fund Sidhe's Gripshift on its graphical upgrade for the PS3 reissue. Gripshift was enjoyable for the first 30 minutes we played it, but the tracks were so easy and uninspired, we soon lost interest. It was hardly compelling. Did we miss something here? Also, SOE helped secure the deal to port those Midway classics we've come to both tolerate and despise. Although not one Midway classic burned our eyes with anticipation, we've been so hungry for content, we downloaded nearly all those titles anyway. Perhaps we're not being true to the spirit of classics, but we envision something a little more meaty than an unabridged arcade port with online multiplayer. Mortal Kombat II fared okay in our book but Championship Sprint and Rampage definitely lost something in their translation, and it was mostly fun.

Well, seems they changed something in the PlayStation Store after a good friend and my 3 A.M. Resistance bout ended. What's so different? No, not the logo... it's not the color of the store, either... oh my goodness! Two more games to enjoy! The elation is not unwarranted -- one is a fairly celebrated PSP cross-genre title, GripShift, and the other is long celebrated as the very first fully 3-D platformer (and consisting of a robotic rabbit aptly named Robbit), Jumping Flash.

The demo for GripShift is free -- so we're currently downloading it now to try it out. Feel free to leave any feedback you may have for the title here. Also feel free to talk about how much, or how little, Jumping Flash has aged since its original inception. Good stuff, Sony! Keep cranking out these downloadable titles and we'll have a sufficient online library of games in no time at all.

[thanks to those who sent this in!]