andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

wait.. that princess sure looks familiar

Let Them Eat Cake!

This has been the year of downloadable games/content.  With tons of gems available and consoles finally becoming more network and online oriented, I challenge you to find anyone who has either a 360 or PS3 (maybe even select Wii owners) who has not splurged on any sort of downloadable game.  With full fledged disc based games now coming to your PSN or Live store (look up Burnout Paradise, Warhawk, or 360 games on demand service) the future is definitely download friendly!
One of these gems that I will review today is Titan Studios, Fat Princess exclusively for the PlayStation Network. It takes aspects of Tower defense and capture the flag/zones and feeds it a big piece of cake.

Gameplay
I will be very upfront about this, Fat Princess is a PSN game designed with online multiplayer in mind. That is not to say the game cannot be enjoyed single player-wise but the actual mechanics make sense and shine online. You have selections from your standard grunt, mage, priest, worker, and scout. Now you are in full control of one person and once you die you are re-spawned. You can get AI buddies to follow you and help you but let me stress this: you’re in control of your character only and offline that means tons of AI NPC s going about their business. These guys are helpful but no way near as if you had your friends by your side.
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Ea Sports NHL 10 Demo is out now… but only for Gold subscribers on Xbox Live! The demo has been out since the 20th and will be available for PSN and silver members come the 27th.

The new game modes showcased this year include battle for the cup- a rundown of the finals including the tension ridden game 7 of the play-offs and Be a Tough Guy promises to give a personal touch on the duties of a protector/enforcer on the ice.
Gold members on live… I envy thee until the 27th

Marvel VS Capcom 2, successor to one of the greatest fighting games ever released, is now available on the PS3 over the PlayStation Network or any GameStop location.

It goes for $19.99, and if you get the retail box, not only do you get the download code for the game, but also a month’s subscription to the Marvel online digital comic library. But, there’s only 15,000 copies of the retail box, so don’t wait!

Pretty sweet deal… now where the hell do I find a GameStop?’

Almost like a souped up demo, you can get a taste of NBA 2K10’s all-new gameplay and My Player career mode as an NBA hopeful dealing with the stress and intrigue of the NBA Draft Combine.

This download-only title gives ballers the action of pre-season fun leading up to the launch of NBA 2K10. Coming out this September for Xbox Live Arcade and PSN; NBA 2K10: Draft Combine will allow fans to create their own personal player and begin their career from the ground up going through the Draft Combine at the ATTACK Athletics gym in Chicago. READ MORE »

This week Sony is slashing prices with their, “beat the heat with cool savings” campaign. Until July 23rd, a number of the PlayStation Network’s best selling titles will be discounted for your downloading pleasure. Anything to keep you out of the sun and fresh air this summer.

As well as Sony’s usual updates including new downloadable PSP, PSN, and Classic PSOne titles; we are treated to a bevy of demos to enjoy this week. Check after the cut for the list of PSN games on sale. READ MORE »

That’s right boys and girls, men and women; My favourite (and quite possibly some of yours as well) arcade fighter Marvel vs. Capcom 2 has finally decided on a solid date to release their awesomeness to the downloadable console world. Only July 29th, 2009 players from AROUND THE WORLD will have the opportunity to pit the Hulk against Ryu, Spiderman against Megaman and pretty much have one of the most out-there battles I can think of pitting… well, Marvel characters vs. Capcom characters… part 2.

As mentioned above, the release date to download Marvel vs. Capcom 2 on Xbox Live Arcade is July 29th globally and will set you back 1,200 MS points. This release is part of Microsoft’s “Summer of Arcade” promotion and I don’t know about you but I plan on getting alot of online play out of this title when it finally lands.

Unfortunately there is still no date for the release of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 for the PlayStation Network, however we are told it is coming soon.