PlayStation Day: PlayStation Network round-up

With PlayStation Store (PS3) Store in full flow, there's a nice assortment of titles due for your enjoyment. How about enjoying a small selection to whet your appetite in preparation of what's to come?

Super Stardust HD - Team mode

Anyone who's played the immensely addictive Super Stardust HD will know that a sprinkling isn't quite enough to satisfy the arcade shoot 'em up craving it inspires - which is why the Team mode expansion pack is on its way to give you a fresh blast of Stardust goodness. To kick things off, the soundtrack is now rearranged to give you its orchestral flavours in true Dolby 5.1 for that big Hollywood blockbuster atmosphere. For those who like to customise their crafts, a ship editor lets you design your own space vessel.

The jewel in Team mode's crown comes from the new array of multiplayer modes to get your friends to join in, for both competitive and co-op action. Versus Match supports up to four players with split screen functionality, allowing you to compete in a specially designed set of stages across four modes: Deathmatch, King of the Hill, Grab 'n' Run and Last Man Standing. The split screen co-op feature for two players shares the score between partners and rewarding tactical co-operation by boosting weapons when you're in close proximity to your partners.

PixelJunk Eden

There's something wonderfully enchanting about PixelJunk Eden that captures the imagination from the very first glimpse, eliciting a smile or at the very least, a dash of curiosity. Maybe it's the way the distinctive 2D visuals are shaded, with the 1080p resolution giving them a rather mesmerising glow... a bit like a lava lamp. Or maybe it's the way the game naturally expands as you get better at it, not only opening up new areas but organically changing the title screen as well which allows access to new levels. Or perhaps it's a combination of all these things rolled up into a quirky ball of charm that suits the pick up and play addiction of previous PixelJunk titles, Monsters and Racers. 

Regardless of the reason one thing is clear at this early stage - PixelJunk Eden is shaping up to be something refreshingly different. Q-Games' title takes the platform genre and places it within a vibrant garden where your tiny gardener is given the task of collecting out-of-reach treasures. The only way of obtaining these prized possessions is to smash into some of the roaming enemies and release pollen into the alien plants which grow - allowing you to gain access to higher areas thanks to your trusty bungee grapple and rope.

Compelling and fun, PixelJunk Eden looks to continue the fine form of Q-Games' unusual and successful PixelJunk games. Expect more on this little patch of Eden soon.

Elefunk

Elephants, engineering and ingenuity - these are the three things that make up fiendish puzzle game, Elefunk. The concept calls upon on a keen eye for construction as your task is to guide friendly elephants through a landscape of perils. With your mammalian friend stuck on one side of the screen, you have to build bridges and support structures to help get it to the other side. Your materials come in a variety of shapes, so good judgement is required to succeed as ill-placed frames can lead to the untimely demise of your poor elephant (who returns for each try with numerous bandages and sticking plasters from its fall, the poor thing).

Making things even more hazardous are other animals trying to put you in harm's way and making the task at hand an increasing challenge - something that will take an elephantine effort to overcome. With a variety of modes, including multiplayer options and online leaderboards, Elefunk should be on the radar of anyone looking to get a mammoth dose of fun on PlayStation Network.