Weekend Essentials - Issue 16

Heavy Rain and White Knight Chronicles head up some exciting PlayStation exclusives, plus Uncharted 2 DLC, Dante's Inferno on PSP and more in this edition of Weekend Essentials.

Blame it on the weatherman

How far would you go to save someone you love? That's the question asked of Ethan Mars in Heavy Rain, the interactive drama exclusively available on PlayStation 3. When Ethan's son is kidnapped by the Origami Killer he is forced to fully explore this dilemma and all of its painful consequences. As for the answer, that's up to you. As you take control of the four characters hunting the paper-folding murderer, your actions will decide how the story unfolds. Whether you forget to have a shave that morning or are killed in a scrapyard brawl, there's no going back, no game over and the branching story will evolve around your actions.

The Heavy Rain launch event took place at Sydney's State Theatre yesterday, where a select group of lucky PlayStation.com members attended a private short-film screening of the game, with special messages delivered by Heavy Rain's creator himself, David Cage, and a rare insight into how the game was created.

Stand tall

If Ethan Mars had the option of slipping into a seven-foot tall suit of armour, then he'd do well to take it. He can't, but Leonard can in White Knight Chronicles, the second PS3 exclusive landing this week. A meaty tale of a kidnapped princess and a hooded lord, this role-playing game from Level-5 features a deep and flexible real time battle system and innovative online integration.

And this weekend, get together with three friends and say cheese for the White Knight Chronicles Photo Challenge. The PlayStation®Home Events Space has been decked out with swords and sorcery in mind to celebrate the brand new role-playing game on PS3. Using a special camera function, take a snap of your quartet's fiercest pose and email it to home_photo@scee.net. The top five will win a limited edition, real life White Knight Chronicles statuette to scare away anyone thinking of kidnapping their princesses.

Shoot from the hip in a hellish afterlife with your PSP

How elite are you? Prepare to find out with SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3 on PSP, which pitches you and your friends into frantic firefights where teamwork, strategy and a good aim are the only things keeping you alive. Be the best in an incredible solo campaign, join up to three comrades in the four player online co-operative Ad Hoc Mode, or go toe-to-toe in competitive battles for up to 16 players.

Take a journey into the depths of Hell with Dante's Inferno - the blockbuster adaptation of part one of Dante Alighieri's epic poem "The Divine Comedy" - arriving on PSP this week. Assume the role of Dante as he travels on an epic descent through Dante Alighieri's nine circles of Hell – limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud and treachery.

What's in Store?

The downloadable mode for FIFA 10 on PlayStation 3 makes its return for the new season with more players and enhanced features. FIFA 10 Ultimate Team for PS3 boasts 7,000 players from 27 leagues, a refined tournament system and a series of improvements aimed at making the game more authentic. You'll need a copy of FIFA 10 on PlayStation 3 to use it and you can play a five-match free trial before you purchase.

Get ready to revisit Uncharted in the latest download pack for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, available at PlayStation Store. This time you get the chance to revisit locations from Nathan Drake's debut adventure and enjoy multiplayer battles in the Sub Facility and the Flooded Ruins. The pack also contains six character skins from Drake's Fortune, including the ability to play as Drake, Elena, pirate leader Eddie, gun for hire Navarro, ruthless treasure hunter Roman or a Mercenary grunt.

Gamers can get to grips with Darksiders' true essence in the 90-minute game demo for PlayStation®3 based on the critically acclaimed action-adventure game. The demo contains the entire first dungeon encounter from the game, the sprawling Twilight Cathedral.

Uncharted 2 wins Best Game of 2009

At an event held last night at Sydney's Kit and Kaboodle, IGN.com celebrated their second annual IGN Select Awards with Uncharted 2: Among Thieves taking home the award for Best Console Game of 2009. It also picked up The IGN SELECT Award, Editor's Choice and Best Visual Design. Other winners on the night included Batman: Arkham Asylum for Best Newcomer, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for Best Online/Multiplayer Game and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for Best Handheld Game.

This week's announcements

Rockstar Games this week released a new clip showcasing The Women of Red Dead Redemption. The video, entitled The Women: Sinners, Saints and Survivors, highlights an array of female characters from the game.

2K Games announced the first DLC for BioShock 2, enhancing the single and multiplayer experiences by adding more glimpses into the award-winning world of Rapture. The DLC will begin with the Sinclair Solutions Test Pack, available this March from PlayStation®Network.

Konami Digital Entertainment confirmed new details for the forthcoming Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker for PSP™, available in Autumn 2010. The first major reveal is the Mother Base offshore plant, which acts as a hub for items and personnel collected within the game. Also announced were new AI Weapons - giant unmanned behemoths that Snake must overcome to complete his mission, and finally, Kojima Productions also confirmed the game will boast extensive multiplayer elements, allowing four-player co-operative missions and a stunning three-against-three battle royale, wherein six players can form teams and engage in huge linked battles via the PSP system's Ad Hoc capabilities.

New tracks in the SingStore

Turn up your amp with the latest SongPack from one of the most popular British bands, The Stereophonics, and sing along to the classic Just Looking, or get slow and serious with Maybe Tomorrow. Also included in the latest SingStore update are tracks from local artists Wolfmother and Crowded House, plus a new batch of tracks from The Jackson 5 and heaps more. And don't forget you can access all these great downloadable tracks on the SingStore without the need of a SingStar game disc with SingStar Viewer, available to download from PlayStation Store.

Be sure to opt in to receive PlayStation emails when you sign up for a PlayStation Network account. If you already have an account, sign in to your PlayStation Network Account Settings at au.playstation.com/registration or via the XMB (XrossMediaBar) and opt in. That way, you can keep bang up to date and receive the latest PlayStation news direct to your inbox.