Xperia™ PLAY Hits the Stores

Now XPERIA^TM PLAY has hit the stores in some markets and there’s a press-release out with all the details – you can find that here.
Many more markets are added over the coming weeks.
I’ve also seen that there are some reviews out already and I’m glad to see that they all seem to be very positive.
(I’ve seen several confusing RAM and storage memory numbers though and would like to clarify. Both XPERIA^TM arc and XPERIA^TM PLAY do have 512 MB of RAM. The other numbers seen such as 320MB , 400 MB etc describe the amount of free storage memory in the phone.)
Back to the subject of the day – Xperia PLAY is now shipping and the press release also outlines the games available at launch.
One really nice thing about Xperia^TM PLAY as a platform for game developers is it being a fully fledged Android smartphone which really can boost the amount of available games. There’s already lots of games out there for Android and most game developers see it as very important platform for them.
Adding support for the unique game pad of the Xperia^TM PLAY is also something that we see more and more of them working on. From a development perspective it’s really easy as described in this article on our developer world blog already. Just head over there if you’re a developer and want to optimize your games for Xperia^TM PLAY.
From a gaming perspective this of course opens up to an even bigger world of available games and we see lots of games optimized for Xperia^TM PLAY becoming available already now at launch.
To further help you in finding games that are optimized for XPERIA^TM PLAY we have created the “XPERIA^TM PLAY Launcher” that is included in the phone and starts automatically when you slide out the game pad. As shown in the picture above it shows you the optimized games you have installed. It also highlights optimized games available for download so that you as a consumer don’t have to have concerns if a game will use the new features unique to XPERIA^TM PLAY or not.
Here are some of the highlighted games as described in the press release:

• Assassins Creed Altair’s Chronicles HD  – one of the most popular gaming franchises, with action, puzzles and stealth gameplay set in the Middle East of the Crusades
• Need for Speed – Grab the wheel of the fastest, hottest, and most powerful cars in the world. One of the most successful video game franchises of all time.
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell– The latest instalment in this key franchise. Special Forces operative and renegade Sam Fisher returns to fight a corrupt secret agency.
• Dungeon Defenders Second Wave – stunning graphics, intense gameplay and exclusive on Xperia PLAY.
• Gun Bros – choose your weapon and join the ‘Freakishly Rugged’ action heroes Percy and Francis Gun as they take on a terrifying menagerie of alien beings.
• Galaxy on Fire 2 – escape into space with hours of deep gameplay and mind blowing graphics in this space exploration game.
• Guns ‘n’ Glory – you lead a gang of bandits in this popular and award-winning casual tower defence game with a hilarious western theme.
• Worms – send your worm platoons into battle in this award-winning turn-based strategy game.
• Zenonia 2 – The lost memories – Classic and popular RPG. Numerous quests following an epic storyline.
• Backstab – An epic 3^rd person pirate adventure that incorporates intense sword fights and other dynamic combat modes. Launching on April 14^th exclusively on Xperia™ PLAY. 
• N.O.V.A.2 – Awesome graphics, intense multiplayer gameplay, this First-Person Shooter makes its Android debut exclusively on Xperia PLAY.

In addition Sony Ericsson is happy to confirm that Asphalt 6 – the latest instalment of one of the leading and top-selling racing games will be available for free exclusively on Xperia™ PLAY.
But that’s only some of the highlights. There’s already now much much more. The very open eco-system of Android combined with the easy ways of adding support for the game pad really makes this just the beginning of what’s to come!
There is also a range of PlayStation® original games available at launch (in selected markets initially). These are comprised of a pre-install of the PS One classic Crash Bandicoot* and a further 5 PlayStation® original games available to download via the PlayStation® pocket application in Xperia™ PLAY.

• Cool Boarders 2 – Time to pick up that snowboard again and rip through the snow with 16 intense racetracks
• Destruction Derby – Original car carnage.  Buckle yourself into a new car and destroy it but send your opponents to the junkyard first.
• Jumping Jack Flash – A first person platformer like no other. Leap around 6 colourful worlds in the cockpit of a robotic rabbit, hunting for the evil galactic property developer Baron Aloha
• MediEvil – Resurrected 100 years later you have returned to defeat the sorcerer Zarok.  Perhaps the world’s least worthy hero, you set out to save the land once again–for the first time.
• Syphon Filter – Become Gabe Logan: guerilla war expert. A man on a personal crusade to bring down an international terrorist ring and eliminate a deadly virus.

More games from Sony Computer Entertainment will be added to Xperia™ PLAY on a regular basis.
Here’s the full list of games from the press release:
(All of these should already be available or become available during the coming week.)
** Pre-install may vary by territory

• Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior from Digital Legends (pre-installed)
• FIFA 2010 from EA Mobile (pre-installed**)
• Sims 3 from EA Mobile (pre-installed**)
• Star Battalion from Gameloft (pre-installed**)
• Tetris from EA mobile (pre-installed**)
• Asphalt 6 from Gameloft (free to download)
• Dungeon Defenders: Second Wave from Trendy Entertainment
• Galaxy on Fire 2 from Fishlabs
• Assassins Creed from Gameloft
• Need for Speed SHIFT from  EA Mobile
• Worms from EA Mobile
• Nova 2 from Gameloft
• Modern Combat Black Pegasus from Gameloft
• Guns n Glory from Handygames
• Reckless Racing from Polarbit 
• Real Football 2011 from Gameloft
• Gun Bros from Glu Mobile 
• Racer Luma from Arcade/Unity 
• Cordy from SilverTree Media
• Aporkalypse from Handygames
• Brothers in Arms Global Front from Gameloft
• Guerrilla Bob from Angry Mob Games/Unity
• Let’s Golf 2 from Gameloft
• Zenonia 2 from Gamevil 
• Cyberlords from Handygames
• Guitar Hero™ Warriors of Rock Mobile from Glu Mobile 
• Age of Zombies from Halfbrick Studios
• Spectral Souls from HyperDevBox Japan 
• Splinter Cell Conviction from Gameloft
• Air Attack from Art in Games/Unity
• Armageddon Squadron from Polarbit 
• Uno from Gameloft
• InfeCCt from Handygames 
• Spiderman total Mayhem from Gameloft
• Millionaire City from Digital Chocolate
• Avatar from Gameloft
• Raging Thunder 2 from Polarbit
• Homerun Battle 3D from Com2us Games
• Aftermath XHD from Jakyl 
• I Must Run from GameLion
• Baseball Superstars 2011 from Gamevil
• Ground Effect Pro from Jakyl 
• ZeNonia from Gamevil
• Super KO Boxing 2 from Glu Mobile
• Farm Story from Team Lava
• Wave Blazer from Polarbit
• Soccer Superstars from Gamevil
• Battle Bears from Skyvu 
• Tower Blocks New York from Digital Chocolate
• Super Dynamite Fishing from Handygames
• Iron Sight from Polarbit
• Toonwarz from Polarbit
• Restaurant Story from Team Lava
• Escape from AMA
• Raving Babies from AMA
• Bakery Story from Team Lava
• Denki Blocks! Deluxe from Jakyl 
• Rollercoaster Rush from Digital Chocolate

PlayStation original games:

• Crash Bandicoot from Sony Computer Entertainment
• Cool Boarders 2 from Sony Computer Entertainment
• Destruction Derby from Sony Computer Entertainment
• Jumping Jack Flash from Sony Computer Entertainment
• MediEvil from Sony Computer Entertainment
• Syphon Filter from Sony Computer Entertainment

* In France Syphon filter will be pre-installed on Xperia PLAY.
Written by Rikard Skogberg
Posted in Games, Xperia PLAY.