Following suit of Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil: Code Veronica X is being re-released as an HD title. What does that mean? In a nutshell- slightly improved graphics. Usually HD remakes are nothing to write home about, and Resident Evil 4 wasn’t much of exception. The resolution was brought up a teeny, tiny notch… but hey, I won’t complain. I loved Resident Evil 4, so the chance to play it without having to dust off the Gamecube was welcomed.

Code Veronica X is looking to be a bit of a different story. Rather than the basic port most of the Resident Evil games have gotten in the past (Resident Evil 2 and 3 on the Gamecube were NO different than their original PS1 counterparts), Code Veronica X boasts numerous improvements. Everyone is unanimously impressed with the addition of dynamic lighting where characters and objects actually cast shadows. Other additions include widescreen support, updated menus and prettier cut scenes. Sadly, the FMVs remain the same, with no extra shine added. Bummer, but we’ll take what we can get.

Here’s a video giving us a comparison of the original PS2 and HD versions.

I’m a huge fan of the Resident Evil series (Okay, 5 was terrible…) and there’s no doubt I’ll be putting my grubby hands all over it. Resident Evil: Code Veronica X HD will be available on the Playstation Network and the XBOX LIVE Marketplace September 27^th.

Sony has updated us with some information regarding what you’ve all been waiting for. The Playstation Network store has officially been re-opened with a ton of new content for you to feast upon. As promised for Playstation 3 and Playstation Portable users you’ll be able to select 2 games to download as Sony’s gift to you for being a loyal PSN gamer.

PS3

• Dead Nation
• inFAMOUS
• LittleBigPlanet
• Super Stardust HD
• Wipeout HD + Fury

PSP

• LittleBigPlanet (PSP)
• ModNation Racers
• Pursuit Force
• Killzone Liberation

Outside of that you’ll be able to to have 30 days free of Playstation Plus. Check out more info on the Playstation Blog

Ubisoft has today announced that they are releasing some new DLC for Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood on the 360 and PS3. It’s called “The Da Vinci Disappearance” and will be available in March 2011 for 800 Allards. It includes both single-player and multiplayer content. As you would expect, the single-player mode deals with Leonardo Da Vinci getting kidnapped by the Hermeticists. They’re an underground cult dedicated to transforming mankind apparently. Ezio will go after the cheeky gits by finding stolen paintings in order to retrieve Leo before it’s too late. There will be two new locations to play in too.

The multiplayer part of the DLC includes one new map, four new characters (Dama Ross, Knight, Marquis, and Pariah) and two new game modes (Escort and Assassinate). The new map is called Alhambra and its set in Spain’s Albaicin of Granada.

Sony Ericsson has finally officially confirmed the Xperia Play. After months of leaks (going all the way back to last August!) and some hands-on previews as well as an advert during for it during the Super Bowl, Sony has decided to make it official. The device will have Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, Qualcomm Adreno 205 graphics and a 4 inch 854×480 multi-touch LCD screen.

Sony is confident that the system can pump out 60 frames per second gameplay out for up to 5 hours and 35 minutes of battery life in a single game session with the slide-out PlayStation controller. There’s also a 5MP camera, LED flash, stereo speakers, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, the device will come with Sony Ericsson’s Timescape UI.

The phone will come with Crash Bandicoot; a game Sony considers a “legendary” PSone title. Android titles like Asphalt 6, The Sims 3 and Tetris will also be coming with it too. Sony believes that there will be over 50 additional games for the phone available at launch from 20 publishing partners. Some games ported from existing smartphone platforms will have bonus content on Xperia Play too.

Of course, multiplayer has been confirmed too. You will be able to play local area multiplayer by creating a Wi-Fi hotspot your friends can join. There will also be full-multiplayer over the internet. The previously announced PlayStation Suite will be making a full appearance here, with a PlayStation Pocket app and a specific market. It has also been reported that users will be able to pause their games by just exiting the app (by going to the homescreen, etc.) and it will automatically count them back in when they load the game again.

The Xperia Play will be released in March in Europe and will be available, exclusively on Verizon in the US during early spring.

Activision has confirmed that the currently 360 exclusive Call of Duty: Black Ops First Strike map pack will be released on the PS3 on March 3rd. It will also be hitting the PC by April, too. The DLC was purchased 1.4 million times within 24 hours of its February 1st launch on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Capcom has announced some post-launch DLC for Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Shadow Mode will be a series of DLC packs that will let you fight against “custom-built computer opponents, modelled after famous players and specific themed teams”. The first few batches of DLC in this vein will be modelled on Capcom’s illustrious staff members. Shadow Mode will be released sometime in March, after the game is launched on 18th February on the PS3 and 360.

Bethesda has confirmed that the first DLC pack for Fallout: New Vegas will be released on the PS3 and PC on Tuesday, 22nd February. Dead Money was previously exclusive to the Xbox 360. However, the more important news is that there will be three brand new DLC packs in the coming months.

They will all launch simultaneously on the 360, PS3 and PC. Our Bethesda PR contact didn’t have much to say on the newly confirmed DLC, but apparently they will “have details to share with you on all of those soon”. Intriguing.

EA has officially announced that they will officially be releasing a demo for Dragon Age 2 on the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The demo will be released on 22nd February, with that changing to the 23rd if you’re looking for the PS3 version and live in Europe. The demo includes the game’s prologue, and you will be able to pick from three classes to play as. After you have completed the demo, you will unlock the Hayders Razor for the full game. It increases health, mana and combat skills apparently.

Sony has confirmed what maps are in the Killzone 3 Retro Map Pack. It contains Salamun Market and Blood Gracht. Salamun Market is a huge map designed for up to 24 people. Its back-story details the Helghast ambushing an ISA convoy on the main road and vicious fighting quickly spread to the market district. Blood Gracht is smaller and supports up to 16 players. Expect lots of Helghan plant life around the city as you battle away against the horde.

The Retro Map Pack is given away for free to anyone that pre-orders Killzone 3. However, you can buy it from the PlayStation Store if you haven’t pre-ordered. A multiplayer demo for the game was released online this morning.

Sony has confirmed that the Killzone 3 multiplayer demo will be released at 11am UK time tomorrow (Thursday 3rd February). All PSN users will be able to access the demo, which was previously exclusive to the elitist PlayStation Plus subscribers. This demo will run from tomorrow until 15th February. It features three online multiplayer mode and one offline mode.

SEGA has announced that a playable demo for Yakuza 4 will be released this month. PlayStation Plus members will be able to grab it from 16th February, with the rest of us being able to download it from 23rd February through the PlayStation Store on our lovely PS3s. The demo features all four playable characters. Thankfully, it will not have all of the game’s cutscenes. Those will equate to about six hours in the full disc release on 18th March, when the game launches exclusively on the PlayStation 3.

Ubisoft’s Jade Raymond has confirmed that survival disaster game I Am Alive has been shifted from a retail release to an Xbox Live and PlayStation Network downloadable title. It will be released this year. Other than that, we don’t have any more info about it yet.

SEGA has today announced SEGA Rally Online Arcade. It’s a new title based on SEGA Rally Revo and SEGA Rally 3. It will be released on the PlayStation Network and the Xbox Live Arcade, with both versions supporting online multiplayer with up to five others.

“We’ve blended our hit arcade racing series with the best elements from the console versions to bring our fans the SEGA Rally experience in compact, downloadable format,” said Haruki Satomi, Vice President of Digital Business at SEGA. “Whether they’re new to the SEGA Rally series or they’ve participated in countless races over the years, we’re confident everyone will enjoy the wide variety of features included in this fan favourite.”

Also expect the Championship Battle mode and Time Attack to return. There will be 14 rally cars to choose from as well as online leaderboards. A release date hasn’t been confirmed yet, but SEGA was adamant that it will be released this year.

Oddworld Inhabitants has announced a HD remake of Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee. UK developer Just Add Water will be handling development duties. “It’s basically Abe’s Oddysee being redone in a 3D physics engine as a 2D side-scrolling platformer,” series creator Lorne Lanning said.

“So the way Just Add Water wants to approach it, we thought was very smart; they are not trying to reinvent any wheels. It’s like, ‘Can we make that experience in a new engine, with new tech, in the old way?’”

A release date and platform haven’t been announced yet. Abe’s Oddysee originally came out on the PS1 and PC back in 1997. There were a few sequels afterwards and the series did pretty well. Recently, all the games have been put into a bundle that’s available to download from Steam in a collection entitled “Oddbox”.

A HD remake of Stranger’s Wrath will be released on PSN later this year. Lanning believes that Microsoft is blocking an Xbox Live Arcade version of the game being released. “We have Stranger all ready to go on XBLA, but the answer keeps being no,” he said. “We’re still talking to them and we’re hoping to work it out.”

Sony has today officially unveiled the “PlayStation Suite” for Android. Users will be able to play PlayStation content on an open operating system for the first time in PlayStation history. Sony will be starting a “PlayStation Certified” license program for hardware manufacturers to get in on the action. Sony will provide development support as well as logo licensing to “ensure the delivery of the PlayStation quality experience across various devices”.

PS Suite content will start coming out this year, starting with original PS1 games. Android devices will be able to download games directly through the PlayStation Store. Following on from the PS1 classics, Sony will provide a new game development environment to get new content on the PS Suite. Developers and publishers will be encouraged to get in on the action with their own games for the platform, too. This new content will also be compatible and accessible with the PSP2 (NGP). Sony sees the PS Suite as a gateway drug to the “PlayStation experience”. The service requires Android 2.3. The first showcase device for the service will be Sony’s Xperia Play, previously known as “Zeus” or the “PlayStation Phone”.

Capcom has announced that MotoGP 10/11 will be released on 18th March in Europe. There will be a demo of the game released on the PlayStation Store and the Xbox Live Marketplace before then in February. The demo lets gamers play as Danny Pedrosa and Andrea Davizioso on the Mugello track. It has both Championship and Time Trial modes, too.

Sony has unveiled this week’s PAL PlayStation Store update:

PS3 Bargains (available until 2nd February)

* Warhawk Complete Bundle (£15.99/€19.99)

* Crash Commando (was £6.29/€7.99 now £3.19/€3.99)

* TV Show King (was £3.99/€4.99 now £0.79/€0.99)

* Split/Second High Octane Supercar Pack (was £1.59/€1.99 now £0.79/€0.99)

* Topatoi Episode 2: Pillar of the Skies (was £4.79/€5.99 now £2.39/€2.99)

* Assassin’s Creed (was £23.99/€29.99 now £15.99/€19.99)

* PSP: Hannah Montana: Rock out the Show (was £23.99/€29.99 now £15.99/€19.99)

* PSP: Hannah Montana Fashions Add-on(was £1.19/€1.49 now £0.59/€0.75)

* PSP: Hannah Montana Moment Maker Add-on (was £0.79/€0.99 now £0.40/€0.49)

* PSP: Half-Minute Hero (was £11.99/€14.99 now £7.99/€9.99)

* PSP: Harvest Moon: Innocent Life (was £9.99/€12.99 now £6.29/€7.99)

* PSP: Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley (was £19.99/€24.99 now £10.99/€13.99)

* PSP: Valhalla Knights (was £9.99/€12.99 now £6.29/€7.99)

* PSP: Valhalla Knights 2 (was £11.99/€14.99 now £7.99/€9.99)

* PSP: Valhalla Knights 2: Battle Stance (was £15.99/€19.99 now £11.99/€14.99)

* PSone: Peter Pan: Adventures in Neverland (was £3.19/€3.99 now £1.59/€1.99)

* PSone: A Bug’s Life (was £3.19/€3.99 now £1.59/€1.99)

The 2K January Sale

* Mafia II Complete DLC Bundle (£19.99/€24.99)

* BioShock 2 Complete DLC Bundle (£11.99/€14.99)

The Capcom January Sale

* Bionic Commando: Rearmed (was £7.99/€9.99 now £6.29/€7.99)

* Final Fight: Double Impact (was £7.99/€9.99 now £3.99/€4.99)

* Mega Man 9 Complete Bundle (£7.99/€9.99)

* Mega Man 10 Complete Bundle (£7.99/€9.99)

* Dead Rising 2 Skills Pack Bundle (£3.19/€3.99)

The Konami January sale

* GTI Club+ (was £7.99/€9.99 now £3.99/€4.99)

* Rocket Knight (was £9.99/€12.99 now £5.10/€6.49)

* Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgement (was £9.99/€12.99 now £5.10/€6.49)

* Zombie Apocalypse (was £7.99/€9.99 now £3.99/€4.99)

* Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (PSP) (was £31.99/€39.99 now £15.99/€19.99)

* Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel (PSP) (was £6.29/€7.99 now £3.19/€3.99)

The Rockstar January Sale

* GTA IV: The Lost and Damned & The Ballad of Gay Tony Bundle (£15.99/€19.99) (offer ending Wednesday, 9th February)

* Midnight Club Bundle: LA Remix & Dub Edition (PSP) (£15.99/€19.99)

* GTA: Chinatown Wars (PSP) (was £27.99/€34.99 now £11.99/€14.99)

The THQ January Sale

* Red Faction: Guerrilla (was £15.99/€19.99 now £11.99/€14.99)

* WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011: Fan Axxess Pack (was £6.29/€7.99 now £4.79/€5.99)

* WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 (PSP) (was £31.99/€39.99 now £15.99/€19.99)

* UFC Undisputed 2010 (PSP) (was £31.99/€39.99 now £15.99/€19.99)

* Spongebob Squarepants: Truth or Square (PSP) (was £23.99/€29.99 now £15.99/€19.99)

PS3 Games

* Dead Space: Extraction (free trial, unlock key £11.99/€14.99)

PSP Games

* Spectral Souls: Resurrection of the Ethereal Empires (£13.99/€17.99)

* Ys: The Oath in Felghana (£19.99/€24.99)

PS3 Demos

* Bulletstorm

PSone Classics

* Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (£7.99/€9.99)

Minis

* greenTechPLUS+ (£2.49/€2.99)

* Denki Blocks! (£3.49/€3.99)

PS3 Game Content

* Dead Space 2: Hazard Pack (£3.99/€4.99), Martial Law Pack (£3.99/€4.99), Supernova Pack (£3.99/€4.99)

* Trinity Universe: Mightiest Meteorite Pack (£2.39/€2.99), Super Treasure Pack 1/2/3 (free)

* Super Street Fighter IV Ultra Classic Pack (£3.19/€3.99)

* Rock Band 3: David Bowie Pack 2 (£4.39/€6.59)

* Rock Band Network: ‘Berzerker’ by After the Burial (£0.99/€1.49), ‘Dark Horse’ by Converge (£0.99/€1.49), ‘For We Are Many’ by All That Remains (£0.99/€1.49), ‘I’m Amazed’ by My Morning Jacket (£0.99/€1.49), ‘Phantom Limb’ by The Shins (£0.99/€1.49)

Sony has announced that they will be releasing a single-player demo of Killzone 3 on 16th February. The demo includes the Icy Incursion level that takes place roughly halfway through the game’s campaign. PlayStation Plus members can download the demo a week early on 9th February.

There will be two versions of the demo up for download, one in 2D and the other in 3D. The 2D demo has splitscreen co-op, which is not available in the 3D version. Both demos support the PlayStation Move. This is not to be confused with the upcoming multiplayer open beta, which will be released on 3rd February and end on the 15th.

EA has announced Dead Space 2: Severed. It’s the first DLC pack for Dead Space 2, and adds two standalone chapters to the single-player game. The protagonists for Severed are Gabe Weller and Lexine Murdock, the two main characters from Dead Space: Extraction. Characters control Weller, a Sprawl Security Guard. His and Lexine’s story takes place at the same time as Isaac’s adventures in Dead Space 2. EA hasn’t put a date or price on the DLC yet. Dead Space 2 will be released in Europe this Friday.

Mass Effect 2 has landed on the European PlayStation Store for an insane £48. We’re not quite sure why it costs so much, but the game’s RRP is supposed to be £49.99 so that must obviously have something to do with it. Most shops are selling the physical PS3 version for £39.99, with Argos selling the 360 version for £7.99. It also doesn’t help that the 360 version is superior to the PS3 one and actually runs properly.