IGN – You tell Naughty Dog what Nathan Drake’s next adventure should be. This site is updated several times each day with the very latest Free Slim PS3 news and reviews.

MP1st – David Jaffe speaks about a day one Patch coming for Twisted Metal. Slim PS3 is updated regularly every day with the latest Slim PS3 news.

Available to download from PlayStation Store now

Excited about PS3′s upcoming mega-exclusive, The Last of Us? Course you are, which is why you need to watch episode 17 of Access TV when it hits the PlayStation Store today, as Naughty Dog’s cinematic survival romp stars as Game of the Week. The Access TV crew go behind the scenes at Naughty Dog HQ in LA and chat to creative aces Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley – you seriously don’t want to miss it.

And LA isn’t the only place Access have been to this week – the team also jetted off to Canada for a first look at Radical Games’ action-heavy sequel, Protoype 2. The game is looking fantastic and there’s exclusive insight from the developers.

Fans of Spawn and Spider-Man will be excited to see Todd McFarlane on the show – he brightens up this week’s Bonus Level by talking about his latest creation – sprawling fantasy RPG Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Todd serves as Art Director on the project, and designed everything from the gruesome monsters to the lush scenery.

As always there’s a blast through the weeks news and best PlayStation Store content, including info on Access’ ongoing Vita Rooms events, where you can get hands-on time with Sony’s brand new handheld as well as a shed load of launch titles.

Access TV is available on the PlayStation Store every Wednesday, free to download for all UK PSN users.

To sign up for future Access events or to hang out and chat with other members of the Access community, then visit us on Facebook at facebook.com/PlaystationAccess, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/PSAccess. 

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Say hello to the games set to lead the handheld gaming revolution, and choose the right ones for you.

PlayStation Vita hits European shores in a matter of weeks, and like the very best guests at any party, it’ll arrive with a mixture of familiar faces and some you’ll instantly want to get to know better.  

Ahead of its launch on 22 February 2012, here’s your essential guide to the Sony Computer Entertainment Europe-published games that will line up alongside PS Vita. 

Uncharted: Golden Abyss

What is it? The unmissable blockbuster in the palm of your hand. Join Nathan Drake on a deadly voyage to Central America, as he bids to reveal the fate of a Spanish expedition that disappeared 400 years previously.

Why it’ll shine: The unique controls and crystal clear OLED screen of PS Vita help you dive right into treacherous jungles and ruins alongside the famed fortune hunter. Use the rear camera to uncover ancient riddles, and the touchscreen and rear touch pad to jump, swing and cheat death.

Play it if you like: Turning your journey to work or school into a daring, danger-soaked epic.

WipEout 2048

What is it? The ultimate adrenaline rush, wherever you are.

Why it’ll shine: Touch and tilt controls give you unrivalled control over futuristic anti-grav ships, perfect for taking on PlayStation 3 WipEout racers via cross-platform play.

Play it if you like: Futuristic racing set to pumping beats – both electronic and cardiovascular.

Reality Fighters

What is it? The all-out fighting game that turns the environment around you into a seething battle arena.

Why it’ll shine: Augmented reality technology means you can pick any real location, create a brawler and then battle it out against a friend to take control of their own fighter. Build up an army of downright unhinged characters and rule your own streets. 

Play it if you like: Creating and sharing unforgettable combatants and fighting styles – and then dealing out knuckled justice wherever you choose.

ModNation Racers: Road Trip

What is it? Fun-fuelled racing that’s impossible to put the brakes on.

Why it’ll shine: As well as jostling among high-powered racing karts, you’ll be able to design your own ingenious tracks with a few swishes of your finger. The rear touch pad also lets you manipulate terrain to create plunging straights and swooping bends.

Play it if you like: Racing powered as much by creativity as speed.

Little Deviants

What is it? A gaggle of crazy mini-games which will help you save the Little Deviants from the evil Botz.

Why it’ll shine: If the alien world of Whoman looks strangely familiar, that’s because the rear camera of PS Vita lets you play among your own, real-world surroundings.

Play it if you like: Fiendish challenges that get even better the more you play, thanks to special gifts via the Near location service and challenges against friends.

Unit 13

What is it? Your call-up papers to join the toughest military unit on the planet.

Why it’ll shine: It’s the first shooter on PS Vita to use the system’s dual analog sticks. It’s just as well, since missions and war zones inspired by real-life headlines demand precision under extreme pressure.

Play it if you like: Thinking on your feet and adapting to ever changing objectives and threats.

Escape Plan

What is it? A surreal tale of survival that’ll test your mental dexterity.

Why it’ll shine: Hapless heroes Lil and Laarg are instantly loveable, and you’ll want to guide them through a labyrinth of deadly puzzles to save them from a messy end. The rear touch pad lets you dodge booby traps, solve brain-teasers and move objects around.

Play it if you like: Offbeat treats for your mind, stuffed with cartoon charm and thoughtful problem solving.

Everybody’s Golf

What is it? Intuitive, vibrant golfing action on some of the most colourful yet challenging courses ever devised.

Why it’ll shine: Outrageous holes-in-one, breathtaking birdies and extravagant eagles become par for the course courtesy of a dynamic new shot system and pinpoint touchscreen controls.

Play it if you like: Surging to the fore of massive 30-player tournaments via PlayStation Network.

MotorStorm RC

What is it? Off-road racing on a whole new scale.

Why it’ll shine: You’ll battle it out in extreme racing environments, using fast and agile radio-controlled vehicles. Even better, you can duke it out against PS3 gamers using cross-platform play, giving you more chances to settle rivalries against players from around the globe.

Play it if you like: Riotous, arcade-style racing that’s at home on both PS Vita and PS3.

Hustle Kings

What is it? Your shot at pool hall fame, wherever you are.

Why it’ll shine: Touchscreen and rear touch pad controls give your shots laser-focused precision. Top spin, swerve and perfectly weighted shots are simple to achieve with your fingertips, coming in handy when you challenge rivals over PlayStation Network.

Play it if you like: Working the angles to sink impossible shots with real style.

Top Darts

What is it? The dartboard you can take with you wherever you go.

Why it’ll shine: With nine classic darts games, a selection of traditional and bizarre dartboard designs and the ability to challenge up to seven players to take part in turn-based matches, the only things missing are chunky gold jewellery and an outsized nylon shirt.

Play it if you like: Stepping up to the oche and throwing arrows with confidence.

Keep an eye on PlayStation.Blog at blog.eu.playstation.com and eu.playstation.com ahead of the system’s launch in February 2012 for the latest information on PS Vita.

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Treasure, trailblazing and trophies combine in the outstanding adventure of 2011. Here’s how to max out your trophy list.

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception puts you on the trail of mystery, glory and some of the most challenging trophies on PlayStation 3. Luckily, the PlayStation Community are on hand with expert advice to help you unlock every trophy and achieve platinum status.

For the next Trophy Cabinet instalment, we’d like you to think about the explosive Battlefield 3. Head to community.eu.playstation.com and tell your fellow PS3 gamers how you tackled the action-packed shooter’s trophy list. The best advice will be published right here on eu.playstation.com.

In the meantime, your path to platinum in Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is mapped out below.

“I spent about 18 hours chasing down the platinum trophy. When I bought the game I played it at my own pace to experience the story. After completing that, I played through again on the Crushing difficulty setting, where it takes more skill to kill enemies and stay alive.” (Zamunda, Portugal)

“Playing about two hours per afternoon, I managed to obtain the platinum trophy roughly 11 days after buying the game. Finding solid cover was crucial to my success – I did this 1,000 times, according to the in-game stats.” (Netweb, Portugal)

“Unlike many of my friends, I hunted for my platinum trophy backwards. I played the Hard and Crushing settings first, and then started all over again on Easy so I could explore all the nooks and crannies. I found it a phenomenal game.” (Aluai, Portugal)

“The hardest trophy to get is Dyno-Might Master, where you have to kill two enemies by returning a grenade. It’s impossible to earn it on the Easy difficulty setting because the enemies don’t throw grenades. In the harder modes the enemies do lob bombs, so it’s easier to find the right moment.” (Ghri, Italy)

“The Crushing difficulty setting will give you a hard time, so you cannot play as Rambo. Eliminate your opponents, take care of your ammo and be prepared to restart from checkpoints until you get the right result.” (Pioterek2010, Poland)

“Finishing some sections in Crushing mode took me up to ten attempts, and ultimately I survived these with lots of patience. You won’t have to try many sections too often if you remember to choose the best possible weapons in difficult shoot-outs, and stay behind cover as much as possible.” (Jyyste, Finland)

“Complete the game on any difficulty level to unlock the Crushing setting. Just enjoy the process and don’t pay attention to the trophies for this run-through. Don’t rush straight into gun battles and you’ll eventually succeed. You will also need to collect the treasures in at least one level and take part in at least one match in two different online modes. I recommend Chapter 19: The Settlement for earning the trophies. Good luck!” (Unostar, Russia)

“Some treasures are placed in very obscure locations. For example, some are located not on the floor, but in the ceiling. Shoot to dislodge them, and watch carefully to see where they fall.” (totAntoxaxa, Russia)

Need a little friendly advice about trophy hunting? Then put your questions to the experts of the official PlayStation Forums at community.eu.playstation.com. Don’t forget to come back next month to find out how to strike platinum in Battlefield 3 on PS3.

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We’ve gone hands-on with Razer’s sense-defying Project Fiona at the CES trade show in Las Vegas — hit play on the video above to check it out in our analogue-wiggling video.

Project Fiona is basically a Windows tablet with two massive prongs stuck on the side. Each of those prongs plays host to an analogue stick, four face buttons, and shoulder and trigger buttons.

Fire up a game on Fiona and control the on-screen action by holding those two prongs. We played recent smash-hit Skyrim, and were actually rather impressed by how well it ran, as well as the feel of the controller itself.

The idea is that this tablet will appeal to hardcore gaming nuts who wouldn’t be seen dead prodding at an iPad. There’s an Intel Core i7 CPU inside, which could put serious drain on the battery.

The compromise is obvious though — Project Fiona is absolutely massive. The prongs alone mean it’ll take up a huge amount of space in your bag, and even the tablet bit itself is really thick. It’s also expensive, with Razer tentatively pegging it at $1,000 (£650).

We wonder if Project Fiona is really necessary. There are countless brilliant games for Apple’s iPad, and while they might not rely on macro-filled mice or keyboards, they’re still a lot of fun.

It’s just a concept right now though, so let’s see where Project Fiona goes next. Razer says it could be on sale by the end of the year, but previous gaming concepts from the company have failed to hit the shops, so we’re not holding our breath.

Would you buy this if it went on sale? Tell us in the comments or on our Facebook wall.

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An update to Angry Birds Seasons is due to land on Friday, according to a teaser trailer punted out by Rovio. And it’ll tie in with Chinese New Year, which happens three days later, on 23 January.

It seems those green pigs are up to no good again…

The trailer — which you can see here — doesn’t give much away. The green pigs are shown peeping through the floorboards a couple of times, eyeing up lanterns, eggs, and other goodies in an otherwise tranquil setting. A quite terrifying pig mask makes an appearance at the end too.

The description is similarly vague. “Squawk!” it reads. “Fireworks popping, lanterns glowing, red envelopes bursting with money — it’s Chinese New Year! But what are the pigs up to? Stay tuned for more!” So we could see more teasers before the week is over.

It’s the latest update in the massively successful Angry Birds Seasons series. Previous incarnations include an Easter version, and ones for Halloween and Christmas. There’s also a huge range of merchandise, playgrounds themed around the irritated avians, it has its own championship, and you can play it online using the Google Chrome browser. Just before Christmas it was estimated the series had reached over half a billion downloads since launching in 2009. Considering Nintendo has sold about 260 million Mario games in the 30 years it’s been making them, Rovio must be justifiably proud of itself.

Admittedly Angry Birds sells for far cheaper than a full console game, but it’s a huge achievement nonetheless. And maybe a sign that consoles are on the way out — with phones about to become quad-core, expect far more advanced games to come to your handset.

Do you think consoles like the forthcoming PS Vita can compete with the slew of wallet-friendly mobile games? Let us know below, or on our Facebook page.

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2012 is set to be a year of new consoles, with the launch of Vita and Wii U and the possibility of an Xbox 360 follow-up at E3. But amid all this obsession over new machines, what are the devices we cherish from the past?

We haven’t done a Friday question for a while, so let’s remedy that right now. This year is going to be a big one for games hardware. There’s the launch of the PS Vita next month and the arrival of the Nintendo Wii U at some point later on. Plus, everyone is expecting Microsoft to announce its successor to the Xbox 360 at the E3 event in June.

It’s exciting – and it’s an excitement that tends to get lost behind the pervading notion that smart phones are going to kill dedicated gaming machines. I now have a PlayStation Vita for review and it’s a beautiful piece of consumer electronics engineering – stylish, highly specced, wonderfully ergonomic – it is all about the fetishistic qualities of good games hardware.

But what single console, arcade machine or handheld device would you like to own from the annals of interactive entertainment history, and why? I don’t mean just for the games it runs, I mean for the aesthetic appeal of the object – just the look and feel of the thing; I mean something you could almost display as an object d’art. If you’re into that kind of thing.

I’ve provided three of my own choices below. Let’s have some of yours in the comments section!

The Vectrex, 1982

This marvel of early eighties consumer electronics is utterly unique, with its vector-based graphics technology and its series of plastic overlays, which added colour to the otherwise monochrome visuals. I love the arcade-style portrait display, and the formative joypad, with its four-button layout. It looks like it belongs in a seventies sci-fi movie.

Star Wars, 1983

Yet more Vector graphics! But the beauty of this machine is the intricate cabinet design, with its gorgeous illustrations and the authentic instrument panel design inside. The sound is incredible for the era too, with a lively rendering of the soundtrack and clear digitised speech. Despite a cacophony of competing machines, I could always hear the Star Wars attract mode as soon as I wandered into any of the old coin-op arcades along Blackpool’s golden mile… Anyway, check out the video above, I like the way the guy sort of stalks the machine, like he’s about to murder it.

The blue debug PlayStation, 1994

These were littered around the offices of Future publishing when I first joined Edge back in 1995 and they seemed impossibly arcane and glamorous. This is where I would have played the likes of Ridge Racer and Resident Evil for the first time. I also like the chunkier, squarer design of the original PlayStation, before the slim re-model. I liked the array of obscure ports and connection features on the back as well. I’m not sure I like them quite as much as the chap in this YouTube video, though…

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Mike Anderiesz talks character development, building new worlds and epic ambitions with two of the creative minds behind the new RPG on the block

With The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim proving one of our collective games highlights of 2011, and the likes of Witcher 2 and The Old Republic snapping at its heels, a rejuvenated RPG market is suddenly brimming with quality.

Yet debut developer 38 Studios has bold plans with Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning – not least by breaking a few of the genres oldest rules.

Founded by former professional baseball pitcher Curt Schilling, 38 Studios established instant kudos in 2009 when it took over Rise of Nations developer Big Huge Games from THQ.

It meant that this first game from the Rhode Island-based studio became a collaborative effort involving two teams, a combined staff of almost 300 and nearly five years of development.

Ahead of the game’s February launch, I caught up with two of the game’s key creative forces – “creator of worlds” R.A. Salvatore, and art director Todd McFarlane.

“Curt [Schilling] and his friends had a basic idea of what they wanted” says Salvatore. “I was responsible for fleshing out a broad history of the world, but there were so many people involved on both teams.

“Even my old D&D group worked for me as research assistants. I was really excited by the potential of coming up with a whole philosophy for how Amular worked – everything had to make sense. You can’t just stick a pile of rocks in a forest and call them ruins, you have to know their history and it has to be consistent with everything else.”

Though better known in the US, Salvatore’s skills at weaving deep, compelling and, above all, plausible sci-fi mythologies underpin Reckoning’s epic ambitions. Certainly, the world of Amular has been carved out in painstaking historical detail.

Key to the look and feel of the world was the guiding influence of renowned comic-book illustrator and entrepreneur McFarlane. Though enthusiastic about the concept, he was in no doubt about the scale of creating a new franchise in today’s RPG-savvy market.

“The hardest task of making an RPG is that if you set down 10 people, you’ll get 10 different reasons why they like them,” he says. “That’s very different to a car racing or even an FPS. Some people want to see the map, others to level up, others to quest. It’s all important to each one, so we decided not to treat any of those areas with less significance.”

As a result, Amular is not just epic in scale (five massive areas – including Forest, Coastal and Desert regions – and more than 150 hand-crafted dungeons) but ambition too. It begins in a conventional way, choosing your character from four playable races – the Human (Almain) Elvish (Dark Dokkalfar and Light Ljosalfar) and the nomadic Varani.

Your hero can then be customised for appearance, before embarking into the game’s mammoth single-player challenge, which Salvatore estimates will last more than 40 hours, excluding the hundreds of optional side quests. Reckoning helpfully puts main quest conversations first, so you can see at a glance which NPCs are most worth interacting with.

Which brings us neatly to combat – by no means the game’s most distinctive feature, but probably the one that gamers will debate the most.

Reckoning uses a hybrid system of simple hack and slash (controller buttons mapped to main weapons such as swords, bows or magic staffs) and quicktime events (for boss battles and some finishing moves). The result is a combat system that veers more towards the more cinematic style of God of War than the more realistic Witcher 2.

This may not please hardcore fans of either game, but it’s a system capable of impressive combos, including the eye-catching “Reckoning Mode” where time slows down and moves can be chained together.

McFarlane is pleased with the balance of fluidity and finesse that Reckoning’s combat system has achieved.

“We wanted to make sure the action was big and huge in an RPG context but at the same time avoiding have to hit six buttons,” he says. “We kept the sequences simplistic to avoid it being a ‘combat game’ – yet doing those exact same sequences with a different character will achieve a completely different effect. It’s cool as hell, but not frustrating.”

However, although much of your game time will undoubtedly be spent in combat and questing, Reckoning’s most innovative feature is the concept of Fates & Destinies. Originating from the game’s mythology, it’s an element that will have a potentially profound effect on the gameplay, depending on how you approach it.

Most RPGs and MMOs treat character progression as something written in stone; indeed, the only way to succeed is to pick an upgrade path and concentrate on maxing out those abilities. Effectively, if you choose to be a warrior, that’s what you are from start to finish.

Reckoning takes a different approach. You start the game as a blank slate, able to buy three main paths – Might, Finesse and Sorcery, with each path containing around 20 upgradeable Abilities. However, at any leveling-up point you can choose to specialise in other areas, creating hybrid characters that may combine Abilities from all three paths.

As you level up you also unlock one of eight Destinies, which help shape define not only your combat style but also your profession. For instance, Rangers are perfect stealthy assassins but if you want to add magic to the mix, you can simply accumulate enough points to switch Destiny to Archanist.

It remains to be seen whether such a dynamic form of character development will either empower or baffle the player, but Salvatore believes it enforces a kind of open world realism and flexibility so far unseen in RPGs.

“Your hero is the first person to come through the well of souls and be reborn,” he says. “But these powers have consequences that affects every aspect of the game: what does that mean to the world? What does it mean to religious institutions who rely on the power of an afterlife or to the parents of the last person who died at the well of souls?”

This flexibility also extends to other areas of the gameplay. Looting and Crafting, for instance, has been designed to cater for fans of both expediency and depth. You don’t need to access the Inventory to select, equip or discard items if you just want their value in credits; but if you want to delve deeper, you can head for a town and start experimenting with the game’s three distinct crafting systems – Alchemy, Blacksmithing and Sagecraft.

Use Sagecraft, for instance, and you can start socketing weapons with magical gems; if not, you can still gain bonus points (and a cool onscreen appearance) from collecting complete sets of armour items.

There are also nine non-combat skills – some which have unexpected affects on the gameplay. Improving Stealth, for instance, not only introduces some fantastic stealth kills, but opens up corrupt career paths like pick-pocketing. Neither are you all alone in your quest. There are six joinable faction, including Nomads, Travelers, Scholars and Warrior Priests.

So, given it’s a game that thwarts easy summaries, how pleased is Salvatore with the way Reckoning has translated his original vision into a living, breathing, role-playing experience?

“I don’t want to say it will raise the bar,” he says. “But it does bring something a little bit different. With Reckoning, I wanted a world that had beauty and horror – something really frightening that was worth fighting against and then giving you all the tools to do it. I think fans are going to like what we’ve achieved.”

And if they do like it, there’s clearly a big future already planned for Amular. Reckoning only features a small part of a persistent world that will be fully revealed in a forthcoming MMO codenamed “Copernicus”, which both development teams – including Salvatore and McFarlane – are already hard at work on.

Although neither would be drawn on an ETA, having made a fortune from multimedia franchises such as Spawn, McFarlane in particular understands the potential value of an original IP. However, it’s also clear that Amular means more to him than just a string of lucrative sequels.

“I appreciate all the 2s, 3s and 4s attached to successful RPGs – you don’t have to spend as much time reminding people what it is,” he says. “But even Hollywood can’t survive on just sequels, so is there’s room for new ideas? That’s a question people have been asking us from day one … now it’s up to the consumers.”

Reckoning sounds like just the kind of start to 2012 RPG fans were hoping for.

• Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning will be released for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 on 10 February

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Live Qualifiers available in Manchester, Glasgow and London.

Fancy a shot at $20,000? Of course you do, read on…

Every year PlayStation, EA and FIFA host the FIFA Interactive World Cup (FIWC). This tournament sees gamers duke it out on the latest EA SPORTS FIFA title to determine which player is the greatest in the world. The prize? $20,000 USD and an invite to the FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala 2012.

This year there’s 2 ways to get started in the competition. First, you can try your luck competing in online matches, using EA SPORTS FIFA 12 and a PS3. The second is by participating in a Live Qualifier event.

At a Live Qualifier you’ll be pitted against 32 fellow FIFA players in a knock-out tournament. Reach the final fixture of the Live Qualifier tournament and you go through to the UK FIWC Final. Win the UK final and we’ll fly you out to NYC to face finalists from the rest of the world. Beat them all and the $20K is all yours!

Details of this year’s UK Live Qualifiers can be found below:

16th January 2012: Manchester | 63 Deansgate, Manchester28th January 2012: Glasgow | 211 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow19th February 2012: London | Venue TBC

To register you’ll need to drop us an email during the registration periods listed below. If you’re selected, we’ll reply to your email with an invite to the Live Qualifier!

Manchester registration window: 12PM – 1PM Thursday 12th JanuaryGlasgow registration window: 12PM – 1PM Wednesday 18th JanuaryLondon registration window: 12PM – 1PM Wednesday 1st February

You should send your email to accesslive@scee.net with the subject line FIWC [VENUE] (replace VENUE with the venue you wish to register for – Manchester, Glasgow or London). Emails sent before or after the registration periods, or which don’t use the correct subject line, will not be counted!

You should join us on the PlayStation Access Facebook page and we’ll remind you when the registration windows are about to open, as well as provide you with loads more information about the FIWC Live Qualifiers: http://facebook.com/playstationaccess

A whole host of other information about the live qualifiers can be found on the FIWC website: http://www.fifa.com/interactiveworldcup/index.html and you can keep up with the FIWC on twitter by following http://twitter.com/FIWC

Good luck!

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