Sony has announced a God Of War Collection for the PS Vita. The collection will feature both God Of War 1 and God Of War 2, and is expected to feature updated and improved graphics and new touchscreen capabilities.
For those of you who are still unfamiliar with the series, God Of War is an action-adventure, which is loosely based on Greek mythology. The use of a mixture of combat, platformer and puzzle elements, as well as an engaging and emotive plot, have helped to make the God Of War games extremely popular over the years.
Players must take on the role of Kratos - a Spartan Warrior and Demigod, who has been forced to serve the Greek god, Ares, in order to save his own life, but this action later leads to the murder of his wife and child, which then sees Kratos turn on the gods of Olympus as he seeks vengeance against those who have wronged him.
A trailer of God Of War Collection can be viewed below. If you are having trouble viewing the trailer on your device, then please CLICK HERE:
God Of War Collection will be released on the 8th of May 2014. It will feature the first two games of the series on a single game cartridge. It will also mark the debut of the God Of War series on the PS Vita. If you have never played a God Of War game, but the idea of battling against the Greek gods appeals to you, then this may be the perfect time to go ahead and introduce yourself to the series.
Every electronic device has its little glitches and problems from time-to-time. One of the most common errors to occur on the PS Vita happenswhen downloading videos. Users are told via a pop-up dialogue box that the copyright protection information for their recently downloaded film purchase or rental is not valid.
This error means that the downloaded content cannot be played, which is especially annoying if the purchase in question is a rental copy, which is due to expire in the next few days, etc. However, we are pleased to announce that Mini Gamers has researched this issue, and has found a simple solution that should solve the problem relatively quickly. We have also compiled a step-by-step guide on how to solve this issue, which we hope will be helpful, and we have also attempted to answer a few questions that you might have about this issue:
Why does this error occur?
According to Sony, this error occurs when the PS Vita system needs certain user-permissions like video or music usage to be activated or deactivated on the system.
Sometimes this error can occur when trying to download content onto a new memory stick, or if a user has two PlayStation devices which share one account (like a PS4 and a PS Vita, for example), where the downloaded content can only be used on one device, but sometimes this error can occur randomly without a known cause.
How can this error be solved?
In order to solve this problem, users must reset the user-permissions on their console. This sounds complicated, but is actually easy. The following steps will help you to activate and deactivate the user permissions correctly:
1.Go to Settings.
2. Select the PSN tab.
3. Select the System Activation tab.
4. Select the Music/Video Playback option.
5. Select the DEACTIVATE option.
(this is very important, as selecting 'activate' will not work at this point.)
6. [OPTIONAL STEP If you have other purchased videos stored in your PS Vita*]:
If you have bought other films from the Playstation Store, which you know played correctly before this error, select one of these films and try to play it. The selected film should now also display the same error code - "The Copyright Protection information is not valid."
*NB: If you have only rental films stored on your memory stick, please skip this step and move on to Step 7.
7. Turn off the PS Vita. Wait approximately 5 seconds and then turn it on again.
8. Go to Settings.
9. Select the PSN tab.
10. Select the System Activation tab.
11. Select the Music/Video Playback option.
12. Select the ACTIVATE option.
13. Go To Videos.
14. Select the film that had the error. It should now play normally.
My Vita video download STILL doesn't work!
What can I do now?
If you have followed all the steps above correctly, your problem should now be solved in most cases. Nevertheless, if you are still experiencing problems after reading this guide, then your PS Vita may require additional support to get it working again.
PlayStation Support can be contacted on the following number: 0844 736 0595 (UK customers only), and should be able to help you within 48 hours of your enquiry. Alternatively, you can email them: networksupport@uk.playstation.com.
Please note, if you live outside of the UK, the correct contact information for your country can be found HERE.
We hope you have found the above information both useful and informative, and that it has helped you to resolve your video playback issues.
Do you have any additional advice or comments that you wish to share with other readers about this problem? Why not leave us a comment and let us know. Mini Gamers loves to hear from you!
Play to Cure: Genes in Space is the world’s first FREE mobile game that uses the collective force of players to analyse real genetic data and help beat cancer sooner.
The game is essentially a Sci-Fi, arcade-style, action-adventure, in which players must explore the far reaches of deep space, identifying and collecting a mysterious substance called Element Alpha.
Players must take on the role of an employee of Bifrost Industries, one of the biggest traders of the substance, the main task is to collect as much Element Alpha as they can and trade it for upgrades to your spacecraft to help you manoeuvre the asteroid filled space course.
Sounds interesting, right?But how does playing a video game actually helpCancer Research UK to beat cancer? Well, the collectible substance of Element Alpha within the game actually represents real genetic cancer data that scientists across the world analyse on a daily basis to detect the presence of anomalous cells, which could potentially be cancerous.
By collecting Element Alpha and navigating their spaceship through the cosmos, players are actually locating specific and significant genetic changes, which will help scientists to discover cancer causing genes and develop new life saving treatments.
By playing Genes in Space players will be contributing their own time to analysing significant amounts of genetic data which would have taken scientists hours to do.
The video below gives more details about the mobile gaming app and exactly how it can be used to identify various cancers. Please note, if you are having trouble viewing this video on your device, CLICK HERE
The data analysis goes back to Cancer Research UK scientists at two key points: Firstly when Players map their route through the Element Alpha. Secondly when players fly their spaceship through the intergalactic space course to collect this substance.
Gaming has always been fun, but now Cancer Research UK have found a way to make it useful and important as well. If you would like to give the game a try, then it can be downloaded now from either the Google Play or the Apple App Storenow.
Traditionally, video games developed solely as film tie-ins do not have the best reputation for providing quality gaming entertainment, with many such tie-ins being accused of being at best, shallow, interactive repeats of the actual films they represent, and at worst, action-driven, pointless, money-grabbing entertainment titles, which really have very little to do with the actual films they are named after at all.
An article written by Charlie Roberts from Gamemoir.com best summed up this general attitude when he wrote: "With every summer blockbuster that hits our screens these days, there always seems to be a tie-in game limping along behind it, desperately trying to wring out the last few dregs of cash from the pockets of those that the film didn’t drain completely of funds. And let’s be honest – they always suck..." [Sourced from: http://gamemoir.com/2013/08/13/tie-in-games-suck/]
Nevertheless, it cannot be easy to produce a game that can successfully live up to the hype and excitement caused by its big budget film counterpart. However, this is exactly what film producers Warner Bros. are trying to achieve with their latest film, The LEGO Movie, which itself has been inspired in part by the success of the licensed LEGO video game series, made popular by TT games and the LEGO Creator video games' series developed bySuperscape.
As with any major movie, the video game tie-in promises to be equally special. So, what exactly has the aptly-titled The LEGO Movie Videogame got to offer the gaming community? Well, this game is of course based on the plot of the film, which is set entirely in the LEGO universe and centres around an ordinaryLEGO Mini-figure called Emmett who works as a construction worker, and whois mistaken as being the Special (the greatest Master Builder who can save the universe).
With the help of an old wizard named Vitruvius, and a tough young woman named Wyldstyle, as well as Batman, Uni-Kitty, Benny, and a pirate named Metalbeard, Emmet has to forget his usual routine of simply building things according to their instructions, and discover the power of his own imagination if he is ever going to defeat the evil Lord Business - a tyrant who is bent on destroying the universe on Taco Tuesday and recreating it as he sees fit by gluing it all together.
In the game, players must take control of Emmett and his merry band of recruits. Players must explore the in-game environments to collect and use LEGO instruction pages. In turn, these pages can then be used to build construction sets in order to harness the awesome power of the so-called Master Builders.
This game will be the first LEGO title to feature a new kind of animation style that has apparently been modelled on the movements of actual real-world LEGO Minifigures. Furthermore, the game will feature more than ninety separate characters inspired by the film and a total of fifteen exciting levels.
The game (like the film) has been made with kids and family gaming very much in mind. The usual hilarious cutscenes found in previous LEGO game titles can also be seen here, and the colourful environments will be instantly appealing to younger gamers.
Tom Stone, Managing Director at TT Games Publishing said recently: "We’re thrilled to be able to give kids the joy of re-living Emmett’s adventures in becoming virtual Master Builders with The LEGO Movie Videogame. Players will be taking on the ultimate mission to save the LEGO world and use their virtual building prowess to build unimaginable sets and creations.” [sourced from: http://www.ttgames.com/games/lego-movie-videogame.php]
The game's teaser trailer, which was released in December last year, also shows a number of gameplay elements that will be used during the game:
* If you are having difficulty viewing the trailer in your current browser, please CLICK HERE.
The LEGO Movie premieres today in all major UK cinemas, with the game being released on all available formats on Friday the 14th of February 2014. It is not yet certain whether this game will match up to the high quality of the other LEGO Videogames, but Mini Gamers is hopeful that the game will find itself ranked alongside the usual top-notch titles developed by TT Games to date.
HAVE YOUR SAY...
Are you looking forward to the release of The LEGO Movie Videogame?
Why do movie tie-ins always seem to have a bad reputation?
What can be done to make quality movie tie-ins in the future?
If you have any thoughts about this game or about movie tie-ins in general, then please leave us a comment and let us know. Mini Gamers loves hearing from you!
Nintendo has provided further information about the eagerly-awaited 3DS cross-franchise title Professor Layton VS. Phoenix Wright, which is due to be released in Europe on the 28th March 2014.
So far, the exact plot details have been a little bit sketchy, but Mini Gamers can now reveal some more concrete facts about the game's storyline. The game first takes place in London, where both Phoenix Wright and Professor Layton - along with their trusty sidekicks -Maya Fey and Luke Triton, happen to mistakenly cross paths when they are both invited to meet a mysterious young woman called Espella Cantabella, whereby they suddenly find themselves transported to a strange, medieval world known as Labyrinthia.
Labyrinthia is ruled over by a shadowy figure called The Storyteller who has an apparent gift for prophecy, as every story penned by The Storyteller later seems to come true, sparking rumours about 'magic' and 'evil witches' amongst Labyrinthia's inhabitants.
It does not take long for the locals to point the finger of suspicion in the direction of Espella Cantabella, and a local witch hunt begins. Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright decide to combine their unique puzzle-solving and crime-fighting abilities to save Espella and clear her name of any wrongdoing.
Nintendo has now revealed exactly how these two giant franchises will combine together throughout the game. Firstly, Phoenix Wright, (best known from theAce Attorney series of games), returns to the courtroom, determined to uncover the truth about the events happening in Labyrinthia and prove that Espella could not possibly be guilty of such crimes.
As in the traditional Ace Attorney games, Phoenix Wright will be required to examine evidence and question witnesses. However, Phoenix Wright will now be able to use Hint coins - a staple game mechanic of the Professor Layton series - in order to narrow down the options when presenting evidence, or as a way of gaining helpful information when cross-examining witnesses.
Furthermore, it has also been suggested that Professor Layton will occasionally be allowed to raise objections within the court room, not only for the defence, but also for the prosecution, where necessary.
Nintendo have also provided further details about the game's bonus unlockable content. This content such as twelve short new episodes for the game, as well as oversixty exclusive illustrations and all the main theme music from the game, will become available once players have completed the main story.
Nevertheless, how much of the content that players will be able to access will depend upon how many Picarats players have managed to accumulate throughout the puzzle-solving portions of the game. The faster a puzzle is solved, the more Picarats will be awarded, which is another staple of the Professor Layton series.
A new teaser trailer for the game has also been launched, showing some of the cutscene sequences from the game, along with the new pre-order information for the game. If you are having trouble viewing the trailer, then please CLICK HERE.
Level 5 inc. and Capcom have clearly put a lot of thought and hard work into producing a game that will appeal to fans of either franchise. Level 5 inc's involvement can clearly be seen in the inclusion of many Professor Layton game mechanics, whilst Capcom's essential Ace Attorney structure will be instantly recognisable to the game's many fans. Mini Gamers looks forward to bringing you our own full-review when the game launches next month.
Nintendo has stated that it is prepared to purchase as many as 9.5 million shares - at 12,025 yen apiece - in an extraordinary buyback deal amounting to around $1.1 billion US Dollars (approximately £649,525,000).
The deal has been offered in an effort to calm worried Nintendo shareholders after the company's third dismal financial forecast in three years,revealed heavy losses of around £205 millon.
According to an article on the Bloombergwebsite, among the shareholders now wishing to sell their shares back to Nintendo, is the family ofHiroshi Yamauchi - the former CEO and President of the company, who is largely credited with turning the Nintendo brand into the successful video gaming powerhouse it is known as today.
Hiroshi Yamauchi worked at Nintendo for 53 years
Hiroshi Yamauchi had around ten percent of shares in Nintendo at the time of his death on the 19th September 2013. These shares were subsequently divided between his four children after he died.
It is still unclear whether the family wish to sell all of their entire percentage of shares back to Nintendo, or just a portion of them. Nevertheless, with Nintendo share prices having steadily fallen by almost eighty percent since 2007, the buyback scheme could not have come at a more appropriate time.
Other board members will all face pay-cuts of up to twenty percent. It is not known how long these pay-cuts will remain in effect. Nevertheless, Iwata's pay is likely to remain halved for the next five months at least, in recognition of the company's recent losses.
Nintendo do seem to be making a sincere effort to recover from their recent loss but it will only become apparent in next year's financial report whether or not any of these special measures have helped to yield future profit for the company. Only time will tell...
