Weekend Essentials - Issue 17

The return of the blue hedgehog, dodge balls in Home, sample Patchwork Heroes, MotoGP 09/10 and Just Cause 2, new Resident Evil 5 DLC and more in this edition of Weekend Essentials.

Winning has never tasted so sweet

Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing for PS3™ hits stores this week. It takes Sonic, Tails and Knuckles, as well as characters from other SEGA games, such as Alex Kidd and Beat from Jet Set Radio, and drops them up onto the starting grid for fun and accessible kart racing. If you need any further convincing, check out the demo on PlayStation®Store.

The gods are with you

Looking forward to massive action adventure epic, God of War III? Then you can kill the time until its 18th of March 2010 release like Kratos slays mythological Greek gods, in the God of War III demo. Available now from PlayStation®Store, this taste of high impact gameplay shows you why the adult themed PS3™ title is on everyone's lips. Also, check out our God of War III demo guide and remember, the only way to survive is through chaos, because in the end that is all there can be.

Network gems

There's a great range of PlayStation®Network titles ready to download from PlayStation®Store to make sure there's no chance of your weekend being dull.

Prepare yourself for some extreme chaos creation in this non-stop adrenaline-fuelled demo of Just Cause 2. Whether free-falling from thousands of feet, hijacking enemy fighters in mid-air or simply blasting your way through military compounds on the ground, as agent Rico Rodriguez your guaranteed to leave your mark on the tropical island of Panau.

Get the new MotoGP 09/10 demo and test ride the 125cc, 250cc and GP class bikes and experience the challenge of three different game modes including Championship, Time Trial and Arcade. Racing on the world famous Mugello circuit, the demo gives you a chance to sample the best MotoGP game to date and the best racing action on two wheels.

In the second installment of new content for Resident Evil 5, learn the untold story of Jill's escape during the game, and play as Rebecca Chambers and Josh Stone in The Mercenaries Reunion. There's also a new costume pack available which features Chris Redfield's "Heavy Metal" costume and Sheva Alomar's "Business" outfit. You can take your newly clothed Chris and Sheva into the Mercenaries Reunion mode too.

Jump on board the PSP™ demo of the wonderfully wacky Patchwork Heroes, where you have to defend a city from massive flying warships. Your task is to dismantle the giant vehicles of destruction before they can strike, while rescuing trapped comrades along the way. Can you stop the rival workers from repairing the ships and save the city from doom?

The wealth of entertainment on PlayStation®Store doesn't stop at great demos, as a variety of new levels are yours to download for PSP™ puzzler, echoshift. Now you can extend your brain-teasing fun by downloading the Cave, Desert and Pyramid Level Packs for free.

Play like a pro

As we celebrate MAG's one month anniversary, Ben Jones of Zipper Interactive offers his MAG survival tips in this exclusive MAG video feature, offering great advice for getting ahead in the massive online shooter for PS3™. Listen to what he has to say and, before you know it, you'll be playing like a pro!

This week's announcements

SEGA revealed details on upcoming third person action shooter, VANQUISH™. Directed by Shinji Mikami, the creator of the Resident Evil series, VANQUISH™ is a sci-fi shooter of epic proportions with a fast, fluid and frenetic combat system, and an engaging and immersive storyline. Players take the role of Sam, a government agent kitted out with a futuristic battle suit, in a near future world where nations war over the planet's remaining energy resources. A versatile fighter with a huge arsenal of weaponry at his disposal, Sam also has an array of martial arts skills that he can use to take down his robot enemies. Developed by PlatinumGames, VANQUISH™ will be available in late 2010 on PS3™.

Sony Computer Entertainment announced the acquisition of leading game developer Media Molecule, creator of the multi-million selling and multi-award winning PS3™ exclusive, LittleBigPlanet™, joining SCE Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS). Media Molecule brings a wealth of experience and a highly talented staff into the SCE WWS family that will further strengthen the PlayStation first party studio.

NAMCO BANDAI Games announced the forthcoming arrival of Japan's hit Fullmetal Alchemist franchise on PSP™, with Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood scheduled for launch this coming Winter 2010. For the first time PSP™ gamers in Australia and New Zealand will get their hands on the battle action game based on the smash hit Japanese anime and manga. Created by Hiromu Arakawa, Fullmetal Alchemist has secured itself a top five position in Japan's incredibly vibrant and competitive manga scene, spawning multiple anime series and a length feature film.

Also announced this week is the newest installment in the legendary racing franchise with Test Drive® Unlimited 2 for PS3™. Test Drive Unlimited 2 expands on the traditional racing experience providing gamers with M.O.O.R.®: Massively Open Online Racing®; immersing drivers in a persistent online environment and revolutionising multiplayer racing communities as players compete, team up and share their achievements and creations online.

Taking you Home

Taking a trip into PlayStation®Home can lead to many fantastic places, and there are two new areas which are worth checking out this weekend. The first is the already popular Loco Island personal space, which comes with a swing, slide and hammock, as well as a gaggle of LocoRoco characters and hidden features.

The second new area of PS Home transports you to a giant pool table for Hustle Kings Ball Dodge. There you're challenged to dodge oncoming cue balls to stay in the game - the closer you stand to the balls without being hit, the more points you receive. Do well and you'll be rewarded with a stylish Hustle Kings Cape for your character, while if you top the leaderboard you're in with a chance of winning a bejewelled Hustle Kings Crown decorated with a number 8 black ball.

Tread carefully in Home this week - we're anticipating an invasion of Aliens and Predators! This week sees the release of a set of awesome Aliens vs Predator costumes that are not to be missed! Whether your preference is the menacing Alien, terrifying Predator, or the underdog Marine, Threads has your needs covered. These Limited Edition costumes will only be available until the 31st of March, so don't hesitate to get yours!

And finally announced this week, and to celebrate the release of their fantastic new SongPack, Stereophonics are coming to PlayStation®Home to play an exclusive gig for SingStar. Download the Stereophonics SongPack now, and then make sure you attend their exclusive two week gig in PlayStation®Home, commencing the evening of 25th March through to 8th April 2010.

Latest Blu-ray Disc movies

Check out some of the latest Blu-ray Disc™ movie releases including The Bourne Trilogy, Smokin' Aces, Moon, Michael Jackson's This is It, Home, Borat, Saw III and the Fast and Furious Quadrilogy. With so many great titles now available on Blu-ray Disc, the only hard part is choosing which movie to buy.

Community News

Check out what online gaming and community events are happening in March with the newly updated Community Calendar. Get online each night with the rest of the Australian and New Zealand PlayStation community with some of the biggest blockbuster releases including Fat Princess, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Warhawk and more.

Be sure to opt-in to receive PlayStation emails when you sign up for a PSN account. If you already have an account, sign in to your PSN 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.