NeoGaf found this image of a Resistance 3 PS3 bundle and right on the front is a logo for a PSN pass. With the cryptic warning “Network features only available in countries that have PlayStation Store”. While Sony hasn’t announced the PSN Pass us and everyone else is taking a wild guess that this will be a license code that lets you play Resistance 3‘s multiplayer or you can buy it should you purchase the game used. Hence the need for the PlayStation Store.

This of course is nothing new and is almost the norm at this point. Do PSN passes, and online passes turn you off from games? Does it actually encourage you to buy games? Or does it not even matter as much as we’d like to think it does?

As we reported earlier in the week, Sony planned to have PlayStation Network fully restored by the end of the week. We can now report that they have achieved that. The PlayStation Store, which was the last big piece of then puzzle, is now functioning. Although it did take me a couple of attempts and error messages to get into it, it is working. So if you’ve tried it unsuccessfully, just keep trying. There are a slew of new titles available on the store for PlayStation owners to check out, along with the fact that gamers will now be able to redeem codes for games such as L.A. Noire or Portal 2.

Again, no word on when we will be getting the “Welcome Back” package, but I would say we can expect it very soon now that the store is back up. Who knows, maybe Sony is waiting until their press conference at E3 next week to unveil all the details. The service is still not fully back up for those Asian territories that we mentioned earlier, but I’m sure that it will be soon. It will be interesting to see how things play out now after Sony’s service has been down for over month. Will gamers just go back to business as usual or will we see any backlash?

Sony has officially announced today that full restoration of the PSN service will be back up by the end of the week in most territories. The Americas, Europe, and Asia excluding Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea will have service restored. Rejoice! By the end of the week gamers will have access to the PlayStation Store, in-game commerce, and will be able to redeem vouchers and codes. All other music and media services will be up as well. Hopefully, this will put an end to PSNgate for a while. Sony has yet to detail the “Welcome Back” package completely, but I’m sure that with the store being back up, we will hear more on that soon. With some of the negative backlash, I hope that Sony will include the entire series of Welcome Back Kotter. Click the title to read the full press release from Sony.

Sony Corporation

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Tokyo, May 31, 2011 - Sony Corporation and Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) announced today that Sony Network Entertainment International (SNEI, the company) will fully restore all PlayStation®Network services in the Americas, Europe/PAL territories and Asia, excluding Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea by the end of this week. The company will also resume Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity™ for PlayStation®3 (PS3®), PSP® (PlayStation®Portable), VAIO and other PCs. Details for Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea as well as the remaining services on Qriocity will be announced as they become available.

The company implemented considerable security enhancements to the network infrastructure, as well as conducted testing of the payment process and commerce functions. The first phase of PlayStation Network and Qriocity restoration began on May 15 in the Americas and Europe/PAL territories, followed by Japan and Asian countries and regions on May 28, when the company brought partial services back online. With this partial restoration users were able to access to some of the services such as online game play, account management, friend lists and chat functionality were restored. The full restoration of PlayStation Network as well as part of services to become available on Qriocity will include:

• Full functionality on PlayStation®Store
• In-game commerce
• Ability to redeem vouchers and codes
• Full functionality on Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity for PS3, PSP, VAIO and other PCs
• Full functionality on Media Go

Customers can now purchase and download games and video content from the PlayStation®Store on PS3 or PSP. In addition, consumers will have full access to Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity through PS3, PSP, VAIO and other PC’s. Service restoration of Video on Demand powered by Qriocity™ and Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity for a variety of network-enabled Sony devices will be announced later.
“We have been conducting additional testing and further security verification of our commerce functions in order to bring the PlayStation Network completely back online so that our fans can again enjoy the first class entertainment experience they have come to love,” said Kazuo Hirai, Executive Deputy President, Sony Corporation. “We appreciate the patience and support shown during this time.”
The company will be offering customers a “Welcome Back” package of services and premium content to all registered PlayStation Network* and Qriocity account services. The details of this program will continue to be detailed regionally.

 

Gamasutra have gotten their hands on a memo sent out by Sony to developing and publishing partners that indicates that the PlayStation Store will be back up on Tuesday, May 24. In addition to when the service will be back up, Sony also outlines their plan for rolling out content that missed release due to the service’s downtime. Sony will release content twice a week, on Tuesday and Friday, through the beginning of June, to get caught back up. May 24 will see the release of the titles originally planned for April 26th, May 27th will get content meant for May 3, and so on all the way until June 3. Sony has also expressed their willingness to adjust the release of games in this time frame. Jack Osorno, PSN content manager detailed that in the memo, saying, “If there are concerns, we are willing the release date of your content on this schedule. Adjustments will be made on a case by case basis.”

No details were made on when we can expect the “Welcome Back” package, but I’m sure that we will hear something shortly after the service is restored. Keep checking back here at 4PC to stay up to date on service restoration and any future hiccups.

Source Gamasutra

The last game in that list has already been available on the European and Japanese PlayStation store for over a year. So it now seems that Square Enix and Working Designs are making plans to bring it, and the rest of these games, to the North American market. The question is: When? No official word has been given on the date of their re-releases, but one can only hope that it is soon.

Get ready Medal of Honor players, your online pass is about to used for something. That’s right in grand EA tradition new copies of Medal of Honor came with an online pass, and that online pass is about to pay dividends on November 2nd. Not only will you be able to download two new maps, Bagram Hangar and Khyber Caves, but you will also be able to play a new game mode entitled “Clean Sweep”. Clean Sweep sounds like team elimination where you only get one spawn, and the team left standing wins.

EA of course would also like you to know that the game has sold over 1.5 million copies in it’s first five days on store shelves. Not too shabby.

Super Street Fighter IV is getting costume packs over the “next few months”. No pricing or even firm details were given, but you can expect the first pack to hit PSN and XBLM on October 26th. Supposedly, if you want more details you can hit up Capcom’s community site but I didn’t see anything posted yet.

Chillingo will be releasing a version of their ridiculously popular game, Angry Birds, as a PlayStation Mini. The official press release has the following specifics:

The PlayStation minis version of Angry Birds will feature:

• Four Exciting Worlds with over 120 levels that require logic, skill and brute force to crush the enemy!
• A Brand New World 4: “The Big Set Up”- Full of addictively fun surprises unseen before!
• A Bonus Golden Egg World that clever players can unlock!
• A New Big Brother Bird capable of massive destruction!

No specific date has been set yet, but you can count on launching some fowl this fall.

I LOVED Uncharted 2, so you would assume that I jumped at the chance to download the Eye of Indra Motion Comics at 99cents an issue? Well you would be wrong, and I truly feel bad about it, but now Sony announced a bundle and I feel better! Starting April 1st you can get all 4 issues of the motion comic for $2.49 and not only that, but you get 2 multiplayer skins of characters who I assume are from the motion comic. The only way to get the skins is to buy the bundle, but FEAR NOT! if you already bought all 4 issues you will get sent a code to download the skins. See, Sony loves you.

Find out more at the PS Blog.

The good news, if you’re a fan of Dark Void you can buy DLC next week. The bad news, it’s a horde mode. It will be up to you to fight off waves of enemies, but in an arcadey twist you will be racking up points and getting upgrades. You try to fight to wave 10 and increase your high score. It will be available for $4.99(400MS points). Xbox 360 owners can buy it starting the 10th, while PS3 owners must of course wait one extra day.

If you are a fan of the music of Dark Void then you’re in luck because the soundtrack is due out this Tuesday, February 9th, both digitally and physically. It features 80 minutes of music, including some bonus tracks from the WiiWare game Dark Void Zero. I’m guessing you are going to buy it digitally, but what do I know.