Sony announced today that Killzone Mercenary for the PS Vita will now release in North America on September 10th and September 6th in the UK instead of the original release date of September 17th. That means everyone can get their hands on the game a week early and allows the game to get the heck out of the way of Grand Theft Auto V’s release on September 17th.

In addition to that news, it was also announced that Killzone Mercenary will recieve some pre-order bonuses.

Blackjack’s Briefcase:

• 48 hour Double XP booster 
• In-Game Cash Bonus, which will let you grab some weapons and upgrades immediately. 

GameStop(US) Exclusive(also includes Blackjack’s Briefcase):

•  ISA M224-A1, usable in both the single player campaign and multiplayer.

Source: US and EU PlayStation Blog

SCEE have just confirmed the PS+ offering for June.

As always, subscribers are in for a treat thanks to some fantastic free games. Rayman Origins, which is perhaps the most beautiful looking game so far on the Vita‘s OLED screen, arrives on June 5th. Another title for Sony‘s latest handheld – Coconut Dodge Revitalised, from renowned PSN developer FuturLab – also hits on the same day. Meanwhile, the PS3 selection will be updated with 3 full retail releases on May 29th. The PS Blog also teases that Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is set for a 70% discount on PS+.

Check out the full list below:

Leaving PS Plus in June:

• 29th May: Hitman Absolution
• 29th May: Joe Danger 2
• 29th May: Dead or Alive 5
• 5th June: Sine Mora
• 12th June: Velocity Ultra

Entering PS Plus in June:

• 29th May: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
• 29th May: Ico and Shadow of the Colossus HD Collection
• 29th May: Demon’s Souls
• 5th June: Rayman Origins
• 5th June: Coconut Dodge Revitalised

The sun is shining and summer is here and to celebrate that we are getting new Sound Shapes DLC. Below is a video showing off the awesome sound packs, ’80s and Dubstep.

The ’80s pack from the times when the world was saying goodbye to disco and hello to pop. Or Dubstep, a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London.

Both packs each include new notes, loops, five new Beat School levels, and five trophies.

And later this month there will be a special installment of the Milkcrate, our carefully curated collection of Community levels. What’s so special? Well, they asked some of their favorite people to hand-pick their favorite levels, write up liner notes, design custom album artwork, and send them your way – people like:

• Japanese media artist Baiyon
• Indie music label Ghostly International
• Game site Gamespot
• The kings of digital cool at TheVerge.com
• And the fifth is Queasy-curated (we’re still special, right?)

Pretty rad if we say so ourselves, and there are many more guest-curated Milkcrate albums coming soon. Stay tuned.

Both Sound Packs are available tomorrow, 15^th May, for £0.79/€0.99 (today in the US for $0.99) each on the PlayStation Store (PS3 and PS Vita) and the Milkcrate albums are coming on 28th May as a free update (they’ll appear like magic when you log in).

Some information was taken from the PlayStation Blog

It’s that time again ladies and gentlemen. Sony have announced the PlayStation Plus content for May, for the EU region and once again I think it’s a great month. Direct from the EU PlayStation Blog here are this month’s offerings.

PlayStation 3 on the 1st of May
Hitman Absolution
Catherine
Malicious

PlayStation Vita
Sine Mora (8th May)
Velocity Ultra HD (15th May)

Not only that there’ll be up to 60% off Back to The Future, Beyond Good and Evil & Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD (all PS3 titles). Okay so my top picks are Catherine and Hitman, but do you think it’s a good month? Let us know in the comments below.

Experience an all-new old adventure! Fight your way through hordes of strange, silly, and scary monsters! Explore the caves, castles, and dungeons of an ancient evil! Meet warriors, princes, pirates, zombies, and crazy old woodsmen in a huge world of epic retro adventure!

Check out the replay of our Livestream!

Dragon Fantasy is a project that Adam Rippon and Bryan Sawler began in 1995 when they were both 14 years old. It got pushed to the side whilst they focused on their careers in the game industry. However, after his father passed away in late 2010, Adam resurrected the project as a tribute. Adam cut 90% of the story of the game so he could focus solely on the story of his father’s character, Ogden. Initially released on August 23rd, 2011, Dragon Fantasy has been very well received by its audience, who have consistently rated it 4.5 stars on the iOS and Mac App Stores.

It’s now due out on the April 16th for PlayStation 3 and Vita as an enhanced port featuring these improvements:

New 16-Bit Mode & Rain-Proofing
Tired of the NES era?  Upgrade now to the SNES era at no additional charge!  Players can move seamlessly between the 8-bit and 16-bit version of the game with a quick menu choice.  Ogden’s bald head has never looked so delightfully pixellated.  With the graphical upgrade comes more colors, more layers for map effects and depth, and parallax backgrounds (which we’re told makes the tech nerds super happy).   Buildings in Chapters 1 & 2 now have hastily constructed roofs which will peel away as the player enters these domiciles.  No more will the citizens of Westeria dread rain.

Remastered Music & Interface
What’s a new graphics mode without the musical improvements that went with the dawn of a new era?  Players who romp through Ogden’s story in the new 16-bit mode will be rewarded with improved sound effects and remastered music.  Not to be left behind, the status screens have also been optimized and will be more responsive in all game modes.

New Content
You asked, and we answered. Anders’ chapter now includes a new tower of trials dungeon, giving a chance to ramp up his recruitable allies: Punchibald “Punchy” Hammerstone, Casterella “Casty” Von Magicpants, and perhaps even the mysterious Serpent Diablo, before taking the plunge into the ice cavern.  Of course, no PlayStation game would be complete without trophies, so achievement hunters can track down all the secrets of the game starting April 16th

Later this year Muteki will release Dragon Fantasy: Book II.  Scheduled to come out this summer for the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 3, it’s the 16-bit sequel to Dragon Fantasy: Book I which continues the story of Ogden.

“Thanks to Sony for bringing our game to the big time!  We’ve been working on it since we were kids, so it’s quite literally a dream come true!”, said Adam Rippon, Creative Director.  “Launching as part of the Sony Spring Fever Sale means the game will be on sale for $8 at launch for PS Plus members… I kind of dig it: 8 bits, 8 bucks!”.

The PlayStation Vita is receiving system software update v2.10 today in North America and in the EU tomorrow. The update looks to add a decent amount of  features that Vita owners have been asking for. Check out the list of features below.

• Create folders to help manage application icons on the home screen, up to 10 icons in each folder and a max of 100 on the home screen (includes icons inside the folders).
  
• Identify which memory card is currently in the system using the Home screen info bar.
• Memory Cards now save home screen icon layout.
• Video playback in web browser, memory card is required and not all videos are compatible.
• Email enhancements include, HTML messages displayed, add multiple email addresses to contacts, and improved search.
• “Mute Automatically” option mutes speakers when headset is unplugged and pauses music in the music app.
• PS Plus Features- Automatically update PlayStation Mobile format software and upload save data onto online storage over 3G.

Source: PlayStation Blog

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced today two upcoming games in the Batman Arkhamverse. First is Batman: Arkham Origins for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and Windows PC. Batman: Arkham Origins will feature an expanded Gotham City and will introduce an original storyline that you guessed it happens to be a prequel. Set several years before the events of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City and before the rise of Gotham’s most dangerous criminals. Focusing on a young and unrefined Batman and the events of his early career as a crime fighter that lead him to the path of becoming the Dark Knight. Batman: Arkham Origins is being developed by WB Games Montreal.

Next up for the hand held gaming enthusiasts is Batman Arkham Origins Blackgate for the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS. Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate is a 2.5-D game being developed by Armature Studio and is the first time the Batman Arkham experience will be available on the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS. Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate will be a companion game to Batman: Arkham Origins. Players will be able to continue the storyline of the console version to discover more details of the Dark Knight’s origin.

Batman: Arkham Origins and Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate are scheduled for a worldwide release on October 25th, 2013. Let us know what you think of this announcement and the fact that neither game is being developed by Rocksteady Studios the developers of the previous Arkham games.

Guacamelee the upcoming action platformer from Drink Box Studios finally gets a release date of April 9th in the Americas. The game will be priced at $14.99 and includes cross-buy for the PlayStation 3 and PSVita. Check out the release trailer below and let us know if you will be picking this up day one.

Dragon’s Crown the upcoming 2-D hack and slash, beat’em up, side-scrolling RPG will be releasing this summer from developer Vanillaware and publisher ATLUS. Dragons’ Crown will be releasing for both the PlayStation 3 ($49.99) and PSVita ($39.99). No word on if there will be any cross buy discounts or if the game will support cross-saving functionality, but cross-play is not supported between the PlayStation 3 and PSVita. The game will offer up four-person cooperative play with a stunning 2-D visual style. You will be able to choose between six adventures in your quest of conquering monsters, titan, and dragons.

• The Fighter, who uses his armor and quick-hitting attacks to tank and destroy enemies
• The Dwarf, who specializes in getting up close and personal with grapple attacks
• The Amazon, who moves quickly and wields a giant axe to unleash massive damage
• The Wizard, who blasts fire at single targets or in pillars to incinerate foes
• The Elf, who uses her bow and agility to launch devastating volleys and escape danger
• The Sorceress, who uses ice magic and summoned skeletons to control the battlefield

Dragon’s crown will also offer up a challenge for all groups of adventures as they embark on their quest across the labyrinthine dungeons surrounding the medieval fantasy kingdom of Hydeland. As you explore more of this fantasy world NPC characters you meet along the way will come in to play with quests and tasks in your search for the Dragon’s Crown.

• Safety in numbers – It’s not safe in the world of Hydeland, so it’s best not to go it alone. Up to four players or AI compatriots can delve into dungeons simultaneously by using either the drop-in multiplayer on PlayStation 3 or via adhoc network on PlayStation Vita. Cross-platform play is not supported.
• If it’s not nailed down…- Expert thief NPC Rannie will join players on their adventures to pick locks, open treasure chests, reveal hidden passageways, and collect loot.
• The skills to succeed – Massive skill tree options in Dragon’s Crown allows for plenty of custom-tailoring, whether it’s beefing up health or magic abilities or tweaking the abilities of the individual characters.

Out sometime in 2013 for the PlayStation 3 and Vita here is the announcement trailer for the upcoming Final Fantasy X/X2 HD Remaster.