As detailed on the PlayStation Blog, the game is a traditional top-down shooter with a twist - you can teleport your ship around the screen to evade enemies, collect power-up and solve puzzles. See the trailer below for a better idea of exactly how the mechanic works.

"It sounds incredible and is a genuine, high-quality homage to the classic games we older folk remember fondly," wrote James Marsden, boss of the UK-based studio.

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SoulCalibur 5 has entered the weekly Japanese software chart at number two, but sales are well below its predecessor.

The latest entry in Namco's beat 'em up series sold a modest 34,328 copies on PlayStation 3 in its first week on shelves, compared to the 74,607 SoulCalibur 4 managed back in 2008.

It was beaten to the top spot by last week's number two, Resident Evil: Revelations. Capcom's 3DS adventure saw sales drop 70 per cent week-on-week to 43,575, but that was still enough to take the chart crown.

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An array of discounts see everyone get money off 2K mob tale Mafia 2, while a gun barrel of Grand Theft Auto games and content comes cheaper on PSP.

Cel-shaded beat-'em-up Shank 2 also launches, plus there's a new co-op mission for Uncharted 3 which sees series villains Zoran Lazarević, Eddy Raja and Harry Flynn team up.

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Last week's release of the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection poses an interesting question - why is the assemblage of Snake's adventures incomplete? While MGS2, MGS3 and Peace Walker are all present and correct, the original Metal Gear Solid is conspicuous by its absence - and what of its Nintendo GameCube remake, The Twin Snakes?

It's this latter release that is the most intriguing. Released in 2004 in collaboration with Nintendo, The Twin Snakes was the original Metal Gear Solid remaster - an alternative take on the classic PS1 game, featuring a bounty of graphical improvements, re-recorded audio with new translations and gameplay elements from MGS2 - such as first person shooting - retrofitted into the original game.

Konami and Nintendo masterminds Hideo Kojimo and Shigeru Miyamoto were said to be involved in honing the gameplay, while Canadian outfit Silicon Knights were drafted in for the main coding duties. As The Twin Snakes was released after MGS2, which did get included on the HD Collection, we couldn't help but wonder... how would it look rendered in high definition? A remaster of a remaster, if you will.

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Final Fantasy 13-2 has entered the UK all-formats chart in first place, ending FIFA 12's reign on top.

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, a trilogy of classic MGS games now made a little prettier, arrived in second.

Fellow new entry SoulCalibur 5 was fifth, behind Battlefield 3 and FIFA.

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Update #2: Sony has contacted Eurogamer to amend the earlier statement, which we now know to have been missing a word.

Unfortunately that word, "account", changes the meaning when added.

The statement becomes: "It's just an account name change and will be called SEN from now on. Should make it clearer and easier for people to associate the service with all Sony products and have one log-in."

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Incoming Sony CEO Kaz Hirai has admitted the ailing electronics manufacturer needs to turn things around quickly or it could face serious problems.

Speaking in an interview with The Wall Street Journal ahead of the company's troubling quarterly financial report yesterday, Hirai said that returning Sony to profit will be the biggest challenge he's faced in his career to date.

"I thought turning around the PlayStation business was going to be the toughest challenge of my career, but I guess not," he said.

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Embattled retailer GAME has confirmed it is in talks with its lenders over its current credit troubles.

Its lending syndicate is reviewing the company. In a statement GAME hinted it may sell its overseas operation.

GAME has a strong presence in Europe and Australia. It has 94 shops in Australia, 197 in France, 288 in Spain and Portugal and 67 in Scandinavia.

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Sony made a gargantuan £1.3 billion loss during October to December 2011.

Sales of its many products decreased "significantly" year-on-year because of the floods in Thailand, the "deterioration in market conditions in developed countries" and "unfavourable foreign exchange", Sony said.

Sony made a profit in the third quarter of its previous financial year.

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From Software's mech battler Armored Core 5 and Capcom's Resident Evil: Revelations both scored big debuts on this week's Japanese sales chart.

The PlayStation 3 SKU of Armored Core took the top spot, shifting 163,906 units, with Resident Evil close on its heels at number two, with 146,559 sales.

That's a solid debut for the 3DS title, outstripping first week Japanese sales of Resident Evil 4 on the GameCube.

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The ascendency of former PlayStation boss Kaz Hirai has been made official - he is to replace Sir Howard Stringer as president and CEO of Sony Corporation from 1st April.

He's also expected to become a Board member in June.

Stringer will be offered the Board chairmanship position in June when Yotaro Kobayashi retires.

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PlayStation Plus subscribers can pick up the impending re-release of 1991 coin-op classic The Simpsons Arcade free of charge for a limited time this month.

Konami's cartoon tie-in is available at no charge from 1st February to the end of the month.

It's a bumper few weeks for PS Plus members, with Far Cry 2 and Final Fantasy V among the other freebies up for grabs. There's also substantial savings to be had on Rayman Origins, Sonic Adventure and House of the Dead 3.

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As announced on its official EU forums, housekeeping is scheduled from 2.00pm on Thursday 2nd February until 8.00am on Friday 3rd February.

The PlayStation Store, customer account management and user registration will all be "affected" and Home will be completely out of action.

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Sony has announced a wide-ranging Final Fantasy sale on the EU PlayStation Store this week, with nearly every early release in the series cut down in price.

With the exclusion of Final Fantasy 3, the entire numbered series up to Final Fantasy 9 is now available for just £3.99 a pop. PlayStation Plus members get an additional 10 per cent off that.

Final Fantasy 5 will be completely free for Plus subscribers on February 8th - "for at least a week", Sony told Eurogamer.

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GameStop shops in Northern Ireland have closed, as the company continues transferring all UK business online to the GameStop website.

Pictures of closed GameStation stores in Northern Ireland were taken at the weekend (and posted on TheGamingLiberty). Apparently staff were told on Sunday.

"We are transferring all of our UK business online to www.gamestop.co.uk," read a post by GameStop UK on Facebook. "We will honour all outstanding deposits and gift cards on www.gamestop.co.uk please contact - help@gamestop.co.uk for further assistance. Have a lovely day!"

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FIFA 12 has now made more money in the UK than any other sports video game ever.

Naturally, that includes any other title in the FIFA series to date.

EA's annual footy fixture notched up a fifth consecutive week at number one this week, its seventh since launch.

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A spin-off of popular Japanese visual novel Fate/Stay Night, it sees your hero battling for survival in a mysterious parallel universe, while also trying to track down The Holy Grail.

The publisher promises a fast-paced combat system, multiple story paths and a story penned by series creator Kinoko Nasu.

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What are you doing between 4pm GMT today and 6am GMT tomorrow? If you thought the answer was "accessing a range of PlayStation Network services", then think again, because Sony has said that PSN will be down for maintenance throughout that period.

What does that meeeean though? It means that you won't be able to access the PlayStation Store, PSN account management or registration, PlayStation Home, or the Music and Video Unlimited services. Nor will you be able to sign in through the PlayStation.com website.

According to Sony's US blog, users who are signed in before the start of the maintenance won't get booted off, but won't be able to use any of the above services. Don't worry though - you can still collect Trophies in your games, and your profile will be updated when PSN comes back online.

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It's a localised version of Japan-only release Growlanser 4: Over Reloaded, which originally launched back in Summer 2011, and will be available both as a PSN download and as a boxed UMD.

Atlus promises a number of enhancements to the original title, including new characters and scenarios, improved loading times and a message skip option allowing players to move the story on at a faster pace.

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Sony's new handheld sold 18,361, down from 42,915 the week prior. That put it in fourth place in the hardware chart, with 3DS in first, PlayStation 3 second and PSP third.

It was a slow week all round, with the Christmas/New Year sales bump finally winding down. The 3DS sold 100,668 to take the top spot, down from 240,819 last week.

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The AIAS shortlist for the 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards - i.e. the game Oscars - has been revealed.

Game of the Year 2011 contenders are Batman: Arkham City, Portal 2 (Eurogamer's Game of the Year 2011), The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception.

Uncharted 2 scooped an incredible 10 AIAS awards two years ago, including Game of the Year 2009.

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The 3DS has started 2012 with a bang, seeing a significant hardware sales bump and a raft of software in the top five.

Nintendo's handheld was, yet again, the best-selling console of the week, moving a very healthy 240,819 units. That's up from 197,952 last week.

Its nearest competitor was the PlayStation 3, which sold 74,459.

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Modern Warfare 3 was the best selling video game in the UK last year, UKIE and GfK Chart-Track have revealed.

Call of Duty games have now topped the annual pile three years on the trot.

FIFA 12 finished as the second best selling UK video game of 2011, followed by publisher sibling Battlefield 3.

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Eerie survival horror game Amy headlines this week's European PlayStation Store update.

It's a game about a troubled child who can make things happen with the power of her mind. Oh my god! Amy's also out on Xbox Live Arcade today.

"Neither quirky enough to be forgiven its unfinished feel nor polished enough to satisfy the base gaming itch, Amy is a crushing disappointment with little to recommend it," Dan Whitehead wrote in Eurogamer's just-published Amy review.

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Sony sold an impressive 500,000 PlayStation 2 units over the Christmas period, the platform holder has announced.

It pointed to "emerging countries and regions such as Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and South America" as the main markets for the decade-old warhorse.

Anyone care to hazard a guess at how many new GameCubes or original Xboxes were snapped up over the same period?

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The best-selling UK video game during the first week of 2012 was FIFA 12. It was also last week's final top title of 2011.

Battlefield 3 edges past Modern Warfare 3 to claim second, with Call of Duty close behind in third.

Ubisoft boogie title Just Dance 3 was fourth, while Skyrim, the UK's Christmas number one, was fifth.

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It's thought that he could formally replace current president Howard Stringer as soon as April, with details to be finalised at a board meeting next month.

Welsh-born American Stringer, who has been president since 2009, is apparently expected to stay on as chairman and chief executive officer.

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Green and white supermarket Asda believes there are 12 million "outdated" games consoles lurking in homes up and down the UK.

But what does "outdated" constitute?

"We asked people to quantify how many items (from a list) they owned but no longer used," Asda explained to Eurogamer.

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Only seven per cent fewer boxed games were sold last year compared to 2010.

The take for all boxed video games was £1.42 billion. The take for all console video games - excluding PC - was £1.35 billion.

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The Japanese videogames market made 8 per cent less money in 2011 than in 2010, new figures have revealed.

Game sales stuttered compared to the previous year, with almost 14 per cent less revenue despite the launch of the Nintendo 3DS and, in the year's final weeks, PlayStation Vita.

Hardware revenue rose - perhaps unsurprising considering the year's dual platform launches - but not by much.

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The best-selling UK video game during the last week of 2011 was FIFA 12.

EA's reliable sports series beat Modern Warfare 3, second, and Battlefield 3, third, to the top spot.

Just Dance 3 and Assassin's Creed: Revelations were fourth and fifth, respectively.

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As you've probably spotted, we've spent the last week since we broke up for Christmas publishing personal accounts of some of our favourite games of the last 12 months, and we've also named our overall Game of the Year for 2011: Valve's wonderful Portal 2.

Traditionally though we leave it to you to bring order to the chaos of the year just ended by voting for your top games and giving us your reasons. We take your top-five lists and scientifically jumble them all together to create the Eurogamer Readers' Top 50 Games, and then publish it all in one go along with a selection of your comments.

This year we had our largest ever response and we also received far more comments than before - and far more than we have been able to use here, so apologies if you submitted something that we weren't able to use. We did read all of them while compiling the list, and it was fascinating to see where you agreed and disagreed on the games included. The comments we did include are a snapshot of the range of views expressed.

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The publisher plans to launch the game in North America on both UMD and PlayStation Network on 12th June 2012. No mention of an official European release yet.

Originally released in Japan back in April, it's the latest effort from developer Sting Entertainment - the studio behind the Yggdra Union strategy series and DS RPG Knights in the Nightmare.

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Final Fantasy 13-2 entered this week's Japanese software chart at number one, but sales of the game were way down on that of its predecessor.

The RPG sequel sold 525,271 to take the top spot, but that's nearly a third of the 1.5 million copies Final Fantasy 13 moved in its first four days back in 2009.

The game is due out on these shores on 3rd February 2012.

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Yoshida told the PlayStation Blog that it generally plans software three years in advance, but the ease of development on the Vita might mean it can squeeze a few more titles in before then that are currently not on the slate.

"We have a fairly firm plan right up to 2013 but, because PS Vita gives us the opportunity to work on smaller titles like Escape Plan and Sound Shapes, I'm certain we will end up working on more games than we even know about at this moment," he explained.

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The PlayStation Vita's battery lasts more than an hour longer than the 3DS when both systems are played at the highest possible settings, according to a system test coming out of Japan.

As reported by Andriasang, a Japanese YouTuber timed a freshly-charged Vita, a 3DS and a PSP 3000 from when they were booted up until they ran out of battery.

The 3DS died first, at the two hours and 35 minute mark. Next came the Vita, which conked out after three hours and 47 minutes. The PSP smashed both, lasting a full nine hours.

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HMV has admitted the current economic climate may cast doubt on its ability to continue trading.

It has the resources to continue in the short term, it said, but it is unsure over its long term future.

The UK shop, which has made a big push into selling video games in recent years, posted its financial results for the first half of the current financial year - and they do not make for pleasant reading.

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The PlayStation 3 version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim debuted at number four on this week's Japanese sales chart, with the Xbox 360 SKU not too far behind at nine.

Bethesda's epic RPG sold 75,865 on PS3 and 37,037 on Xbox 360.

A solid performance but not enough to challenge the triumvirate of 3DS titles sitting pretty in the top three slots.

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Update: Sony has contacted Eurogamer with a change in pricing for Need for Speed: The Run - it will be £49.99, not £69.99 as originally listed.

Original story: 5/10 racer Need for Speed: The Run is an eye-watering £69.99 on the PlayStation Network Store this week.

The Run becomes available to download alongside other full-retail launches such as Alice: Madness Returns (£47.99), Dirt 3 (£39.99) and zombie survival game Dead Island (£35.99).

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Type-0 director Hajime Tabata told an audience at a Square Enix event in Japan (reported by Andriasang) that using the right analogue stick "ups the playability".

While Square Enix is yet to announce a western release for the spin-off PSP RPG, Tabata has said on the record that it is being localised and an overseas version is in the works, suggesting a launch in some form on these shores will happen.

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The HTML 5-powered interactive game universe lays out the series' story with an interactive timeline and media player module. You can explore the MGS universe via navigational waypoints.

You can share your own MGS content and memories, too.

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Fallout: New Vegas developer Chris Avellone hopes digital distribution "stabs the used game market in the heart".

"Of course, one of the greatest things about digital distribution is what it does to reduce the used game market," Avellone told Eurogamer sister site IndustryGamers.

"I hope digital distribution stabs the used game market in the heart."

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An article about Football Manager tends to write itself. You can continue to harp on about its destructive tendency to take over your own life. Maybe throw in a few crafted asides about taking your plucky band of strugglers to improbable European glory, and then go about the business of discussing the shiny new features, before finishing up with a tearful account of how your partner shacked up with the editor of the Angling Times because it was a better option than hearing about contract negotiations and tactical nuances before bed. Job done.

But you really don't want to hear about the broken reality at the coal face of games journalism. It's quite likely that you're a bit like me - a former football management addict who had to go cold turkey and leave it far behind - and not just for the predictable reasons of it being 'too compulsive' and being threatened with justifiable violence by your significant other.

The curious truth of the matter is that Football Manager just got ahead of itself, and giddily heaped layer upon unnecessary layer of detail onto its perfect core. No longer was it about simply managing the tactics and transfers of your fantasy team, but handling egos and fretting about media relations and dozens of other micro tasks that ultimately distract you from the things that you enjoyed most.

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Good news/bad news for Nintendo in this week's Japanese sales charts. Mario Kart 7 got off to a storming start but Zelda: Skyward Sword dropped like a stone in its second week.

The Mario Kart series' 3DS debut entered the chart at number one, selling a whopping 423,619 copies, ahead of a new PlayStation 3 Gundam title at number two.

Super Mario 3D Land rose to three, with sales up an impressive 20 per cent week-on-week to 73,907.

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As detailed on the PlayStation Blog, Plus subscribers can also pick up Split/Second: Velocity at 50 per off, with the racer's Deadline DLC Pack going for free.

You'll also get early access to a GoldenEye 007 demo and savings on a number of other titles, including Burnout Crash, Rocket Knight and 4 Elements HD.

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Speaking in an interview with Final Fantasy Ultimania, as translated by Andriasang, Hajima Tabata revealed the game's development team is now working on an "overseas" version following the game's Japanese release earlier this month. No release date was mentioned.

The title launched in Japan to positive reviews and solid sales.

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The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword debuted in the weekly Japanese chart at number one.

The critically lauded Wii adventure sold 194,978 in its first week to see off Sega PSP RPG 7th Dragon 2020 at two.

Skyward Sword performed better than Ocarina of Time 3D and Twilight Princess's debut weeks (139,011 and 164,110 respectively) - though both those games were released to much smaller install bases.

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Almost seven years after its debut in Japan, Sony has released the latest - and final - iteration of its venerable PlayStation Portable handheld. The new E-1000 is a cut-down budget model available in stores now for just £85. Is it an example of cost-cutting too far, or is it a sparkling return to form after the ill-advised PSPgo and the disappointing PSP-3000?

First impressions of the new handheld are intriguing. The design is more consistent with the PlayStation 3 Slim, featuring glossy d-pad and buttons placed against a matte 'charcoal black' outer casing. Build quality is rather solid, although the new matte finish has a slightly cheap look about it in the flesh and the unit clearly lacks the more 'high-end' refinement seen on past PSP models.

That said, the shiny menu bar along the bottom is a nice touch: you'd be easily fooled into thinking this was a touch panel, but unfortunately it isn't. Instead we have a rubber surface that depresses to reveal an underlying set of clicky buttons: a bit agricultural perhaps in this touch-driven age, but solid nonetheless.

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Pick up a console towards the end of its lifespan and you're not acquiring some outdated hardware - it's more likely that you're investing in a piece of kit with an extensive and somewhat overwhelming back catalogue waiting to be explored.

When the console in question's already celebrated its sixth birthday, that back catalogue can be a daunting place to pick your way through, and that's what this guide is here for. It's not, by any stretch, a definitive top 10 list - rather it's a handful of recommendations for those looking for a little guidance in getting the best out of the PSP.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (Kojima Productions/Konami)

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Whereas Sony might have confused some consumers with its PSP sales pitch, the platform holder reckons customers should have no problem figuring out what the Vita is for - namely, playing video games.

Speaking in an interview with Official PlayStation Magazine, SCEE CEO Jim Ryan conceded that it had sent out mixed messages when it launched the PSP - that it was a general entertainment system rather a core gaming platform.

"I think with PSP we tried to position it as a rather broad multimedia device," he explained.

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Producer Hajime Tabata told Famitsu (via Andriasang) a "framework" for a sequel in the Type subseries "is already being worked on".

Sales of the PlayStation Portable spin-off were "very good", Tabata said. It topped the Japanese charts following its late October launch, shifting nearly half a million copies. Tabata said for the first entry in a new series, the game received a good response.

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Update: The video game deals for today, Friday, are as follows:

Original story: Amazon's Black Friday sale is open to UK shoppers this week.

The Black Friday Lightning deals exist for around two hours and in limited quantities. There's a carousel on the Amazon website that previews upcoming sale products, although the price isn't revealed until the sale begins.

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The latest entry in Activision's FPS franchise sold 180,372 on PlayStation 3 to take the number one spot, with the Xbox 360 version selling an additional 30,467 copies in seventh place.

Last year's Black Ops also debuted at one in its first week, though sold 128,922 on PS3 and 30,279 on Xbox 360.

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UK video game mega-chain Game Group is worth 90 per cent less today than a year ago.

Game's shares today cost around 6 pence. A year ago, they cost around 71 pence.

Multiply share price by share volume to calculate a company's market capitalisation.

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With yesterday's PlayStation Network maintenance over, Sony's reduced game sharing policy has come into effect.

Previously, games bought from the PlayStation Store could be shared between five consoles. This has been reduced to two, spread across the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable devices.

PS3 users are able to play a game on up to two activated PS3 systems. PSP users will be able to play a game on up to two activated PSP systems.

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The new Nielsen poll claims that 25 per cent of the six to 12 demographic are interested in buying Nintendo's new handheld in the next six months.

The iPad came top with 44 per cent, with the iPod on 30 per cent, the iPhone 27 per cent and a computer at 25 per cent.

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Konami's HD makeover of the PSP original - which is being released separately in Japan rather than along with MGS1, 2 and 3 as in the rest of the world - sold 39,743 in its first week.

Sega's PSP manga tie-in Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Extend topped the chart selling 184,673 copies, followed by Capcom's PS3 button-masher Sengoku Basara 3: Utage at two.

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Thank goodness the year-late Call of Duty: Black Ops only costs £47.99 or €59.99 on PlayStation Store - for a moment there I thought it would be more expensive than Modern Warfare 3!

As balance, the "ridiculously absorbing" Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes HD has halved in price to £6.29. Definitely buy it.

Also worth serious consideration: excellent games Beyond Good & Evil HD at a new price of £4, and Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light at a new price of £5.

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I hope you've been saving.

3DS fans will have been, and Super Mario 3D Land rewards them with abundance. "You couldn't wish for it to be any denser, any more imaginative, or any more daring," wrote Christian Donlan in Eurogamer's Super Mario 3D land review. "Most importantly, you couldn't wish for it to be any more playful."

Timelessly playable is the message that carries through Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary - the Xbox 360 remake of the original Halo. You can't hang earrings on a pig, goes the saying, so it's fortunate that Halo was no swine to begin with. This is "an Anniversary worth celebrating", declared Martin Robinson in Eurogamer's Halo: Combat Evolved review.

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UPDATE: Sony has confirmed that once you've registered a UMD with a PSN account it can't be registered with another PSN account - thus preventing players cheating the system (via Andriasang).

Sony has not said how it determines if a UMD has been registered or not.

Meanwhile, Sony revealed that games downloaded through the Passport program, which begins in Japan on 6th December, can, like other PSP games, be used on your PSP or PSPgo.

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3DS sales were up over 200 per cent in Japan last week, following the launch of Super Mario 3D Land.

The new handheld's first Mario title, out here next week, sold a whopping 343,492 copies in its first four days on sale to take the software crown.

For context, Super Mario Galaxy sold 256,341 in Japan during its first week, while Super Mario Galaxy 2 managed 337,569.

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Premier Manager 2012 and Call of Duty Elite headline this week's European PlayStation Store update.

Call of Duty Elite unlocks free access to 20 pieces of Modern Warfare 3 DLC, which will be released from early 2012. You also get access to premium video service Elite TV, plus a huge array of post-match statistics.

Sadly, you can't download the full Modern Warfare 3 PS3 game. You can, however, download Call of Duty: Black Ops, providing you have £47.99 and 14GB hard-drive space spare.

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Eccentric PSP rhythm action sequel Patapon 3 gets a generous slab of complimentary multiplayer DLC today, Sony has announced.

As detailed on the PlayStation Blog, a number of new missions are now available for download that see you taking on Stone Golems, Salamanders and Deth squads, along with two new missions against Darantula and an assault on giant sandworm Dokakanel.

Check out the selection of screens below for a little more colour.

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Pro Evolution Soccer has "definitely lost ground" to FIFA in the UK, Konami has admitted to Eurogamer.

However, statistics as eye-popping as FIFA 12 outselling PES 2012 by 25:1 here - as quoted by EA man Keith Ramsdale - "don't give us the full picture".

"In the UK we've definitely lost ground," Murphy told Eurogamer this afternoon. "But that doesn't give us the full picture across all territories.

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As detailed on the PlayStation Blog, multiplayer shooter Payday: The Heist took second place, ahead of Crysis, Chrono Trigger and Resident Evil 4.

Infamous 2: Festival of Blood missed out on the top 20 - detailed in full below - though was only on sale for the last six days of the month.

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It's come round fast. The mythical-sounding 11/11/11 Skyrim release date Bethesda announced last year is soon to be upon us.

It has company, of course.

Releasing at midnight tonight, Activision deploys the latest iteration of its Call of Duty juggernaut, Modern Warfare 3. You can even watch the launch party live - we'll be there.

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Sony has been put on a negative credit watch by financial ratings agency Standard & Poor.

As reported by Reuters, its credit rating was downgraded to A- as a result of concerns over the company's long-term corporate credit and senior unsecured debt ratings.

"There are no signs of a halt to the deterioration in the earnings of the company's core flat panel TV business," read the report.

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Battlefield 3 has clung to the top spot in the UK all format charts, denying PlayStation 3 exclusive Uncharted 3 a first place finish.

It's the first time a Battlefield game has survived a second week at the top, and it does so despite a 54 per cent drop in sales from last week.

Uncharted 3 sold 37 per cent more than Uncharted 2 to score the eleventh biggest PS3 launch ever.

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Where Is My Heart? is a pain to describe but a pleasure to actually play. Thankfully, the basis, at least, is relatively simple. You're dropped into a series of pretty pastel-coloured platforming levels and your job is always the same: get to the exit. How you do that, though? That's another matter entirely.

At the core of the game is a concept so ingenious, I'm stunned I've never seen it before. Where Is My Heart?'s environments are actually quite straightforward - spike pits, waterfalls, a few floating blocks here and there - but the developer's taken the scissors to them, turning each level into a series of little comic-book panels and then jumbling them all up. Walk to the left from your starting point, and you may not actually appear in the panel to your left. You may appear in the panel to your right, or the panel above you, or the panel way, way over on the other side of the screen. It plays absolute havoc with your brain.

Your first task in each stage, then, is to look at the muddled world you've been given and try to work out how it all fits together. Are you on the edge of a drop? Are you at the bottom of a pit? Are all the panels the same scale, or are you going to be tiny in one and a giant in the next? Do they overlap at all, leading to a weird hall-of-mirrors effect? Where are you meant to be going?

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PlayStation 1 games Chrono Cross and Final Fantasy 5 now have North American PlayStation Network release dates.

Chrono Cross, the 2000 sequel to Chrono Trigger, will be released on 8th November.

This high-point of Japanese RPG output was sadly never released in Europe. In the US, however, the game met "rapturous applause". Eurogamer contributor Rob Fahey declared this "fully deserved" in his potted Chrono Cross review.

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Angry Birds has been downloaded more than 500 million times, according to maker Rovio.

More than 266 billion levels have been played and 400 billion birds shot. Worldwide, the game is played for 300 million minutes each day.

"This is a fantastic landmark achievement for us, and we're extremely delighted to see such an incredible amount of people enjoying our games," said Rovio CEO Mikael Hed, speaking at the Slush 2011 event in Finland, reported by International Business Times.

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PSP action RPG spin-off Final Fantasy Type-0 tops this week's Japanese software chart, shifting nearly half a million copies.

According to Andriasang, Square Enix's latest sold 472,253 copies in its debut week, out-pacing new Wii release Kirby's Adventure at two.

Here's the full top 20:

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Video games have quite a wish list at the moment. We need faster broadband, new hardware and publishers willing to try the big money risks, for starters. Mainly, though, we need a name for a genre that is steadily taking over handheld gaming. Canabalt, Tiny Wings, Jetpack Joyride. Race-'em-ups, distance runners, marathon games? What are we going to call these things?

Regardless of the name we eventually land on, PomPom's made another one for PSN Minis - and it's a typically inventive spin on the concept, too. Jelly Pops may sound like an after-school club for hyperactive children, but it looks like the kind of thing you might find after peering down an endoscope.

You're a weird, parasitic worm-horse floating past viscous pools, oozing rainbow blisters and towering red blood cells, collecting gooey trinkets and avoiding equally gooey spikes as you go. It's either beautifully organic or physically repulsive depending on your point of view: a classic PomPom approach to visuals, then.

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PlayStation 3 gamers can at last download bank holdup shooter Payday: The Heist today.

It arrives a few weeks late priced £12.99, or comes free if you bought the four titles in Sony's PlayStation Network Play offer. It's worth a blast - Payday: The Heist stole an 8/10 from Eurogamer's Rich Stanton earlier this week.

The PS3 gets a late Halloween-themed sale with reductions for Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime, Telltale's Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse and critically lauded adventure Limbo.

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Worldwide PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 sales are now only two million units apart.

As of 30th September, 55.5 million PlayStation 3 units had been sold, Sony today revealed.

As of 30th September, 57.6 million Xbox 360 units had been sold.

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The PlayStation 3 version of FIFA 12 sold more copies in Europe from January to September 2011 than any other game, according to GfK sales data extrapolated by Nintendo.

As seen on Gamasutra, the chart, which formed part of Nintendo's recent bi-annual financial report, sees Wii Sports Resort at two, followed by Pokémon Black, Pokémon White and Zumba Fitness.

The US top five looked a little different. There, Just Dance 2 came out on top, followed by Pokémon White, Gears of War 3, Pokémon Black and Call of Duty: Black Ops.

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Who would win in a fight between Nathan Drake, James Bond and Sonic the Hedgehog? Wait seven days and the charts will tell us - all three heroes have new games out this week.

Uncharted star Drake is back for a blockbuster third outing, blending his trademark Indiana Jones adventuring with developer Naughty Dog's cinematic gameplay style.

Activision meanwhile has dusted off its digital Daniel Craig for GoldenEye 007: Reloaded. Craig again fills former Bond Brosnan's shoes in this souped-up version of the Wii's GoldenEye 007, now in HD and with Modern Warfare-style "MI6 Ops" missions.

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2D fighting game Darkstalkers: The Night Warrior is heading to PlayStation Network, the US game ratings board has revealed.

The ESRB lists Darkstalkers for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable.

The Night Warriors is the first game in Capcom's vampiric fighting game franchise. It launched in Japan in 1994, and introduced the likes of Morrigan and Felicia. In 1996 it was ported to PlayStation.

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The PlayStation 3 version of zombie FPS Dead Island debuts at number five on this week's Japanese sales chart.

As reported by Andriasang, it shifted 39,945 copies on PS3, while the Xbox 360 version shuffled in at 10, with 13,147 sales.

Mech anime crossover Macross F Sayonara no Tsubasa topped the chart, with FIFA also seeing a top 10 debut down at seven. It seems PES, which entered at number one a few weeks back, retains its vice-like grip on Japanese footie fans, despite FIFA's recent domination of the Western market.

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Namco Bandai brought in more revenue in Japan during the first half of fiscal year 2011 than any other publisher, including perennial chart-hog Nintendo.

According to Enterbrain data reported by Andriasang, Namco brought in ¥17.8 billion (£147.5 million) giving it an 18 per cent market share. That's up from ¥11.8 billion (£97.8 million) during the same period last year.

Nintendo finished second with ¥14.9 billion (£123.5 million) - way down from ¥21.5 billion (£178.1 million) last year.

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There's still no Payday: The Heist on the European PlayStation Store. But Sony offered a few words about the game's continued absence.

"We are close to being able to confirm the release date of Payday: The Heist and are just waiting for Sony Online Entertainment to provide 100 per cent confirmation, which we hope will be with us later today," wrote EU PlayStation blog manager James Gallagher. "Sony Europe and SOE are working hard to get the game in your hands as soon as possible; thank you for your patience."

The content that is available this week relates to Halloween, which happens on Monday, 31st October. There's a sale, which includes a half-price deal on the Prince of Persia trilogy, plus extra discounts for members of PlayStation Plus.

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The PlayStation Network security breach might have compromised the personal details of millions of its customers but Sony is looking on the bright side, stating that it's been great for business.

Speaking to TechRadar, Sony exec Soichiro Saida explained that the hack served to bring previously inactive users back online, rather than driving away more engaged customers.

"Our outage has woken up our dormant customers, we have improved the platform, the content, how you can access your content," he said.

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A PlayStation mini version of Fighting Fantasy: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain arrives on 9th November in the UK, developer Laughing Jackal has announced.

The PS3 and PSP games are based on video game industry legends Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone's classic Choose Your Own Adventure book of the same name.

Together Jackson and Livingstone co-founded Games Workshop and individually are both veterans of the UK video games industry.

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the overwhelming favourite to claim this year's UK Christmas number one spot, according to bookmakers Ladbrokes.

As reported by MCV, Activision's shooter currently has 1/12 odds of finishing first come Christmas week, followed by FIFA 12 at 9/1 and Assassin's Creed: Revelations at 20/1.

"Call of Duty looks nailed on to grab the top spot and the others look to be playing for second place only," commented Ladbrokes spokesman Alex Donohue.

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The PlayStation Store launches on the Sony Tablet S today, the platform has announced.

As detailed on the PlayStation Blog, tablet owners in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and Australia should receive a message today with a link to download the app.

There are 10 PS1 games available at launch, priced at £3.99/€4.99. Take your pick from this mixed bag:

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Ace Combat: Assault Horizon was the best-selling game in Japan last week, according to the latest Media Create data.

Andriasang reported that the latest entry in Namco's aerial combat sim sold 149,470 copies to see off fellow new entry Just Dance Wii in second place.

Elsewhere, Forza 4 debuted at number five, selling 24,854 copies, while Dead Rising 2: Off The Record entered at seven. Here's the full top 20:

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FIFA 12 outsold PES 2012 by a factor of 25 to one based on equivalent first weekend sales, claims EA.

Speaking in an interview with GamerZines, EA Europe VP Keith Ramsdale hailed the publisher's remarkable turn-around in the annual FIFA vs. PES tussle.

"When you look at Pro Evolution Soccer versus FIFA, only five years ago in the UK PES was outselling FIFA. On its first weekend like-for-like we've just outsold PES by 25 times," he said.

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