Games Played:
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (0:00:00)
Duael Invaders (0:18:16)
StarDrone (0:24:16)
Mushroom Wars Online (0:41:53)

We will be playing it on the Live Stream Show tomorrow, so you better be ready. So who is ready to lead the charge with me! Heck, with the spectator feature, maybe we will set up a MWO tournament in the coming months.

Creat Studios are one of the preeminent developers/publishers on the PlayStation Network. Not many can match their output, currently they have 19 titles on the store counting both Minis and PS3 titles. Not only do they put out titles, but they are also listen to fan feedback. Case in point, Mushroom Wars Online an Add-on Pack which as you can tell, adds online support to Mushroom Wars.

Back when the site was fairly new we reviewed Mushroom Wars. At the time one of my main complaints about the game was the lack of online multiplayer. This game was the perfect candidate for it, and Creat has finally delivered what I wanted.

Originally the game only had 2 player local multiplayer support, well now that is being bumped up to four players. Additionally you can take it online and play with up to 3 other players to see who is the greatest Mushroom Wars tactician. They will also be adding worldwide leaderboards, so you can see how you rank against your friends and others. Like with Mushroom Wars the ability to save replays of your matches is still there and you can still upload your best matches to YouTube.

The add-on is set to launch this coming week across SCEE territories at £0.99. Also Mushroom Wars proper will see a 20% price drop in celebration of release of the new online add-on. If you don’t own the game already, there will be a bundle with the add-on packed in, but I don’t have pricing information for that as of posting. There is no date set for the US store at this time, but don’t expect the wait to be too long. I hope to see some of you online

The “End of Summer” sale which runs from August 31st – September 14th will consist of the following discounts:

Cuboid – $5.99
Digger – $5.99
Hamsterball – $5.99
Magic Orbz – $5.99
Mahjong Tales – $5.99
Mushroom Wars – $5.99
Interpol – $5.99
Smash Cars – $8.99
Wakeboarding HD – $8.99
All DLC packs will run you $0.99 each.

There is no mention of whether or not if both companies Minis titles will be on sale.

What I liked:

• The difficulty (The AI stays the same, but the on-screen information changes with difficulty)
• The art style (Menus are crisp, in-game assets are cartoon like)
• The save films (Save to your PS3 or upload to YouTube)
• The rewards system (How you play in-game determines the rewards you receive)

What I disliked:

• The controls (I really wish I could have used the D-Pad)
• The multiplayer (Only two players and no co-op)
• Lack of online (This type of game screams online multiplayer)
• Not being able to redirect troops already in motion

The lack of online really hurts this game. Sure there is skirmish mode, but not being able to play against others online really cuts into the re-playability. I would only recommend this game to fans of the tower defense and real-time strategy genres. But then again, you may find some fun in the zerg rush-esque gameplay.

Click Here to purchase Mushroom Wars from Amazon.com

Here is what to expect on the site this week:

• Reviews
  • Mushroom Wars
  • topatoi
  • Trine
  • ZEN Pinball

• Store Updates – Check back nightly for Japanese and Asian Updates, and Thursday for EU and US.

• News

Also thanks to our friends at Capybara Games will have some Critter Crunch codes to giveaway. Check back later in the week for more details.

*Test your strategic tactics. There are 18 levels you can play in Skirmish mode. As you progress through the levels, the number of AI opponents increases. Do you think you can overcome three AI mushroom armies? Don’t worry, there are four difficulty settings.

*Need a change of scenery? With 25 levels in Campaign mode, you can battle in the meadow, forest and foothills of mushroom land.

*Specialized rating system. The Elo Rating System is used to calculate your relative skill level in comparison to that of your opponent.

*Additional features. Includes custom music support, VoIP, and players can upload their gameplay to YouTube

This game looks and sounds a lot like PixelJunk Monsters to me. The music is almost exactly the same, but it does fit the art style.

via US PSBlog