PSN Store Update: 27/04/11 – The Missing Week

Today sees the most sparse PSN Store Update for years. There aren’t any PS3 demos, the PSP Essentials are unchanged and there isn’t even a premium theme to buy for £1.99. Ordinarily, we’d wail and cry about the US Store Update being so much better but they didn’t get anything new either. Finally, region equality from SCE!

In fact, the only thing we got from Sony this week was an email to let us know they’d left the key under the mat and someone had strolled in and nicked their filing cabinet. I’ll be honest, that’s not as fun to play with as the latest LittleBigPlanet level pack.

So, what are we to do with this downtime when we can’t spend our hard earned cash on new digital distractions? Well, joking aside for a moment, it’s probably best you keep an eye out for someone else spending your hard earned cash with the details Sony may (or may not) have lost. We’re all doing that though, right? Good, then let’s talk about some alternatives.

You can’t connect to the store today and buy the latest pinball table or sticker pack. That’s a shame. You can get it in a few weeks instead. Today, you could start another play through of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves so that you’re all excited and receptive to the info and demonstrations that we’re all expecting at E3. Instead of adding to your rapidly filling hard drive, spend some time getting really excited about what’s on the horizon for PlayStation 3.

You’re missing out on that 20p avatar that would make your online presence roughly 3 percent cooler. Well, how about you press on with Motorstorm: Apocalypse and earn some trophies for when the PSN whirs back into life. An extra cabinet full of trophies is cooler than a new avatar anyway. I’ve heard reports that Motorstorm: Apocalypse is already being quite well discounted by certain retailers so if you don’t already own it, you might consider buying it for the exhilarating single player races.

You won’t be able to save a couple of pounds/dollars/euro/spacebucks on whatever slipped into the Special Offers section. Perhaps, instead, you could get yourself down to your local games store and see what they have in the bargain bin. I’ve seen Vanquish at some very low prices recently, that’s probably worth a punt. There’s even a thread in our forums for spotting great deals, you could trawl that for inspiration.

While you’re in our forums, why not start a high score leaderboard battle with some fellow TSA-ers? Just because the network is down, that’s no reason to stop showing your gaming prowess. Photograph high score boards and post to the forum, encourage others to beat your score and get some rivalry going! Get creative about how you play with others.

There won’t be any new demos or trailer videos to whet your appetite for upcoming games. We’re only just over a month away from E3 though, soon you’ll have more trailer videos than you know what to do with. I suggest you spend the time, not looking forward to the games you might enjoy in a few months time but looking back through your collection at the games you’ve already enjoyed. The release schedule over the past year has been relentless and included a large number of fantastic PlayStation exclusive games which you might not have had the chance to get everything out of before you moved on to the next big blockbuster title. Why not return to them and remind yourself what was fantastic about them.

Today is the first day in a long time that there hasn’t been at least something delivered during the regular Store Update schedule. That’s not ideal and the network being down is quite an inconvenience. But we can still enjoy so much about the platform while we wait for the online functionality to come back on.

I encourage you all to take steps to make sure your data is as safe as it can be. Use different passwords, don’t store credit card details online, keep an eye on card transactions and shred anything with your name and address on it before you put it in the recycling bins. But once that’s all being done, there’s no excuse for wallowing in the current situation: PlayStation is still an amazing way to play and there’s plenty you can do that doesn’t require online connectivity or a Store Update every week. Get creative and let us know how you’re spending the down time!

88 Comments

  1. I’m waiting for my copy of Portal 2. It should arrive tomorrow. ^^

    • I picked up Mortal Kombat (was considering portal 2), and im just gonna practice and practice until PSN comes up, and when it does, you other MK’ers better be ready!”””

    • Same here, and as I’ve got a large backlog to fight through, I’m not to concerned about how long the psn will be down.

  2. I’m playing through motorstorm & socom and thoroughly enjoying both :)

    • Motorstorm Apocalypse is actually amazing!

      • It is indeed. When we finally get back online you both should sign up to the meet.

      • i have all 3 motorstorm games its truely a great online and single player its soo much over looked which is a shame because its for me along with dirt2 the best driving games out there as for the missing ps store idont care if the store goes for good its rubbish it has the odd demo which i like i can miss the sstore for weeks at a time im all about gaming the store is jus a way tocharge you for wallpapers avatars games which ae badly ovverpriced

    • FOR anyone who likes ZELDA – get yourself a copy of DARKSIDERS , it truely is awesome and highly overlooked and i bet you can get it for a tenner!!

    • I went old school and have been playing Need For Speed Most Wanted on PS2 on a side note if they got peoples credit card info and stuff wouldn’t people have noticed it already like their bank accounts been emptied and so on?

  3. I’m playing through motorstorm & socom and thoroughly enjoying both :)

    • twice? You might need another week of downtime!
      ;)

      • :) probably! Big fingers & touchscreen typing doh!

    • Mass Effect 2 done, then I might hit Motorstorm. I am just using my time to clear my backlog. I have trophies pinging out right left and centre, hope they give me a hooooooooj boost :-)

      • I might also have a blast on Mass Effect II as its recently been patched in EU to 1.03
        Other than that, i’ll collect SNES & Megadrive games as they’re ace

  4. Im waiting on Portal 2 and Red River to be delivered

  5. So who has provided this information? I find it quite annoying that Sony notify what is available on the Store, but is infact unavailable!

    • there’s no information dude, it’s only saying that because there’s no update we might enjoy some of the excellent stuff we already have on our PS3s!

      • Classic.
        That’s even better than people moaning about the score on a review but not reading the text.

      • Sure – although if you check the PS Blog James Gallagher write’s a recap on last weeks Store update on Saturday, whilst the PSN was down!!

      • EVERYTHING FREE ON THE PSN STORE THIS WEEK ONLY ….. ;p

      • Sigh.
        They do that post every week, and it’s not a PSN Store content recap, but a recap of all the articles on the blog during the week.
        The “Weekly Content” referred to in the title is the articles on the blog.

    • Haha everything also includes 62% more at a 12.6% reduction in price. This week only!

  6. I’m playing on my PC… gasp!

  7. Great Read. PLAYSTATIONFOREVER

    [regardless of what cc_star says, lol sorry I couldnt help it :-D ]

  8. As part of my revision methods and my belated attempt at Lent, my PlayStation 3 has been idly sat in a cabinet since Sunday morning, pretty convenient as with no PSN, I wouldn’t likely be playing much of it anyway.

    Though I have restrained myself from playing my PS3 (apart from Friday nights,) I’m still doing an odd spot of PC gaming here and there; Gods & Heroes being my latest endeavour.

  9. i’ve used the psn downtime to try the World Of Warcraft 10 day free trial!!!

  10. Trying to get the ‘Smash TV’ trophy in Portal 2, I’m determined to get it without walk-throughs but I’m finding it hard. I reckon the PSN will be back up & I still won’t have it.

    • It will feel that much more satisfying when you hear the *ping*, if you didn’t use a walkthrough (:

    • Got it without a walkthrough, some are really easy, some aren’t :P Only single player trophy I need is the vitrified chamber doors. Have most of the co-op ones aswell, in-fact I only need 7 trophies for the platinum :) Need PSN to be back up for two of them.

      • My game-playing ‘must try Every door’ OCD helped me get that one!

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