PS3 Fanboy

Dylan Cuthbert should be a name familiar to any real PS3 fan. Responsible for Q-Games, and their PixelJunk series of PSN games, the team has been hard at work at delivering unique experiences exclusively for the PLAYSTATION Network. Not only has the team delivered one truly stellar game (PixelJunk Monsters), it has worked on a few other technologies for Sony. Did you know that they're responsible for the Earth music visualization? We chatted with Cuthbert at GDC, and we're proud to present our interview.

I wanted to start with a topic that I'm sure no one has asked you about yet. Q-Games is responsible for the Earth visualizer, yes? Where did that come from?
Well, we've always had a close relationship with Sony. They came to us and asked us to make an intro for the PS3 before it came out. For the OS and everything. They had these ideas that were like the earth, and the PS3 logo were in a bubble. So we said instead of making a fake earth, we should make a proper rendering. We showed a prototype to them, but ultimately Sony wanted to go for a more simpler style. The intro became much simpler, orchestral. So we had a very well rendered earth and we didn't know what to do with it.

In addition to a massive Store update, SCEA has temporarily reduced the price of three PSN downloadable titles. Now available for $4.99:

• Everyday Shooter, Jon Mak's synesthesia masterpiece is our pick. If you only have enough money for one download, make it this one.
• Calling All Cars, David Jaffe's gift to the PS3 world, is another great choice ... only if you have four controllers and three other friends. As a multiplayer game, it's madness, but single player gamers need not apply.
• fl0w, the is-it-art-or-game creation by thatgamecompany is an interesting experience that's for those with far more daring tastes in games. It might not have enough gameplay to keep you coming back.
• PixelJunk Racers is a collection of mini racing games. Often misunderstood, these are supposed to harken back to the era of 2D racing games ... something we've long gone from.

These prices are valid until November 29th.
[Via CAG]

Sony has updated the PlayStation.Blog with the full list of new releases for the North American PlayStation Store. Once again they've pulled out all the stops and have released a pretty damn big update. Check it out:

Downloadable titles:
• PixelJunk Racers ($6.99) - A single and multi-player slot car racing game, with 32 modes, 10 tracks and online rankings.
• High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition ($9.99) - Ante up! Play limit or no-limit poker in five different game types. There's single player mode or you can play up to five others online.

Demos: (free)
• PixelJunk Racers
• Tony Hawk's Proving Ground
• NHL 08
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• FIFA 08

Trailers, wallpapers, etc: (free)
• Everyday Shooter trailer
• Warhawk trailer
• Lair Behind the Scenes video
• Feel the Noise trailer
• Juiced 2 trailer
• High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition trailer
• Soul Calibur IV trailer
• High Stakes: Poker wallpaper
• 2 PixelJunk Racer wallpapers
• Folklore wallpaper
• Lair music track

Recommended downloads are High Stakes on the Vegas Strip, the Tony Hawk's Proving Ground demo, and the Soul Calibur IV trailer (if only to check out Taki's latest 'enhancements'). What are you gonna download?