Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman hit the Video Store of PlayStation Store.

Grab your wireless controller, get yourself to the Video Store of PlayStation Store and prepare to meet four of the craziest, funniest and downright rudest schoolchildren in history – yes, South Park the TV series has arrived on PS3, PSP and PS Vita.

If you head to the Video Store of PlayStation Store right now you’ll find a side-splitting selection of South Park episodes available to download at the push of a button. That means you’ll be able to check out classic and current episodes of the smash hit series that has so far spawned 15 seasons and a blockbuster movie.

South Park is just one of the many great TV series on offer on the Video Store of PlayStation Store, so whether it’s comedy, action or drama you’re looking for, we’ve got it covered.

Visit the Video Store of PlayStation Store and start downloading South Park today.

The PlayStation Vita has received a lot of criticism since its release in December – the majority focused on lower-than-expected sales.  While some consider the criticism to be unwarranted and overblown, others are simply just looking for an answer as to why sales didn’t balloon as predicted.

From software sales to unit sales, the PS Vita has been outsold its biggest competitor, the Nintendo DS.  After a good, but not great opening weekend which saw the PS Vita sell 320,000 units, sales dropped dramatically the following week with Sony able to move only 72,000 units.  This ultimately lead to doomsday predictions in which CNET predicted the Vita would not launch in the U.S. and retailers in Japan giving the Vita unofficial price cuts.

Regardless of how you may feel of the PS Vita, odds are it’s not going anywhere.  Sony has invested way too much into it to give up – regardless of early sales.  Even with the “slow” start, some analysts have predicted that the PS Vita’s first 3-month sales would be better than the 3DS’s first 3-month sales.

So how will they do it?  In a recent “Sony PlayStation’s New Year’s Resolutions” feature on IndustryGamers, David Cole of DFC Intelligence, offered his opinion for why people are rushing out the buy the PlayStation Vita.

Cole admits, “The Vita also looks like a strong contender as it has a reasonable price point now in the time of expensive tablet systems.”

Cole does point out the Vita’s two biggest flaws to this point: confusing options and little incentive.

“However, features like a 3G option may only confuse consumers.  Of course, once again initial content will be limited so there will not be much incentive for consumers to rush and get the device before prices drop and the library builds.”

Personally, I disagree with his statements.  I think it all comes down to price.  It’s still too expensive for consumers and I think the launch line-up is as strong as it could be.  With games like Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Gravity Rush expected at the U.S. launch (via leaked documents), what more could you ask for?  Except for slightly lower prices.  Games range from $30-$50 and the recently discovered 3G data plans from AT&T.

It doesn’t matter how great the games are.  The Vita caters to a more hardcore audience, but the majority of mobile players are casual gamers who are just as happy playing $1 Angry Birds game for hours.

We’re offering a 180-day free trial so that you can experience this amazing service and stream your favourite songs straight to your PSP.

Browse through over ten million tracks, discover new bands and artists, and create a personal library.

If your PSP has a Wi-Fi connection, you can take full advantage of this great offer. Download the application for free to your PSP via the Music icon on the XMBTM (XrossMediaBar) Menu, then register using your PlayStation Network account. From the day you activate your account, you’ll be able to use Music Unlimited free for 180 days.

Please note that the 180-day free trial is for a basic account for new Music Unlimited registrants only, and is not compatible with PSP-E1000.

On 31 August 2011, Kaz Hirai, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc, made some big announcements for Sony Network Entertainment at the IFA tradeshow in Berlin, Germany. The first of these is a new platform – Sony Entertainment Network. Sony Entertainment Network is the ultimate digital destination, offering access to entertainment and community, all from your PlayStation Network account.

As part of the change, Qriocity services will be realigned under Sony Entertainment Network. As a consequence, Video on Demand powered by Qriocity will now be called Video Unlimited, and Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity will become Music Unlimited.

Music Unlimited is available on a range of Sony devices including PlayStation 3, and allows users to stream over 10 million unique songs. Video Unlimited is also available on PlayStation 3, where it will continue to be known as the Video Store of PlayStation Store.

These services will add more content and branch out into new markets, starting with the expansion of Music Unlimited into Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, The Netherlands and Belgium by the end of 2011. Both services will also carry a new logo.

Visit Sony Entertainment Network’s new website for more information at sonyentertainmentnetwork.com.

April 2011 brought you three brilliant – and very different – minis titles to choose from. First, came Karoshi. As an overworked Japanese businessman who’s simply had enough, you work through a series of quirky puzzles to find hilarious ways to cause your own demise. Everything you’ve been taught about survival in video games is about to change.

Then, there was 20Q. This psychic puzzle is ready to read your mind as you answer a few simple questions about places, objects and people – will 20Q know what you’re thinking, or will you beat it?

Finally, take a trip to outer space in Duæl Invaders. Shoot down waves of bad guys as they threaten a human colony at the edge of the galaxy. Battle with the enemy solo, or challenge a friend by passing your PSP or wireless controller between you.

April’s Top 10 minis downloads:

Fly, chomp and sprint with the top minis from last month.

1. Angry Birds

2. Piyotama

3. I Must Run!

4. A Space Shooter for 2 Bucks

5. Card Shark

6. Karoshi

7. MONOPOLY

8. PAC-MAN Championship Edition

9. Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter

10. Ace Armstrong vs. the Alien Scumbags

Did you know?

You can buy minis in bulk for your PSP and PS3 on one disc. There are three great volumes of Mega minis for you to collect – look out for them in shops.

All of the bite-sized titles mentioned above can be downloaded from PlayStation Store for your PlayStation 3 and PSP, and you will receive at least two free minis each month if you have a PlayStation Plus account. Check out our next minis update in June 2011.

Brush up on your Patapon 3 skills and learn how to keep the beat with these top tips from developer Pyramid.

1. Feel the rhythm
Listen carefully and get into the rhythm of the songs in Patapon 3. This is the key to mastering the entire Patapon series on PSP. And if possible, don’t forget to use your headphones. It’s much easier to play the game that way.

2. Defend yourself
While attacking and dodging in Patapon 3 is important, you must learn to protect yourself in battle. If you find yourself backed into a wall at any point, be sure to use the CHAKA CHAKA rhythm, which is represented by the Triangle button.

3. Skill master
You might feel like you want to try every different class of Patapon to begin with. Don’t do this. Instead, focus on developing just one of your skills in Patapon 3. By learning new skills, you could develop other classes of Patapon at the same time.

4. Armour up
Always ask yourself this question before embarking on a mission – what is the best equipment for me and my Patapon? For example, you’d be foolish to embark on a Flame Quest without equipment attributing to fire.

5. Play with a clan
In order to complete some of the tougher quests in Patapon 3 you’re going to need a little help from your friends or from other PSP players via PlayStation Network. That’s why it’s important to form a clan or become part of one. By working together you’ll be able to develop your weapon skills and more.

6. Take a break
Patapon 3 on PSP requires a lot of concentration, so if you find yourself getting tired in the middle of a long battle don’t force yourself to continue. It’s your duty as the Almighty to take a rest.

Download Patapon 3 from PlayStation Store or march to your nearest store and pick up a copy today.

Sony NGP

The Ubisoft survey, conducted by French market-research firm Toluna, confidently states that “the retail price of the Sony NGP is expected to be around $350″, and asks respondents to rate their likelihood of purchasing the device at that price. It is unclear why a third-party software publisher is so interested in the price of the hardware, since their primary concern ought to be the price of the games that they are developing for the system. Personally, I think that $350 is a bit steep for a gaming handheld, no matter how awesome it is.

Nintendo, which is currently accepting pre-orders for its 3DS device, has priced its next-generation handheld at $249.99 USD.

What’s our prediction? We’re going to say $299 for a Wi-fi only bundle on launch day, with the 3G device coming in at a heftier $350. Are we prepared to pay that much for more Sony handheld action on launch day? Probably.

“LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game will re-create the action, adventure and memorable moments of the Pirates of the Caribbean mythology in LEGO form,” read a Disney press release, “incorporating the humor of LEGO minifigures and fantastic worlds built from LEGO bricks and elements for players to explore. Players can take on the roles of more than 70 characters and experience the pirate adventure, irreverent humor and amazing creatures of the Pirates of the Caribbean films, through action-adventure gameplay and hilariously quirky LEGO cut scenes.

“Throughout the game, players will also have the freedom to explore environments from the highly acclaimed movie series in more than 20 levels. The game features two-player cooperative mode, in which players each control a character to experience the story together, and freeplay mode, which lets players return to levels to discover new items”.

And so one of the most poorly-designed and overrated game franchises continues. I guess anything’s better than Indiana Jones…

Among other questions included:

The First True Sequel in the Series
According to the Sega staff, the team considers Valkyria Chronicles 3 to be the first true sequel in the series as the transition between the first one and the second one required them to switch platforms and thus went through a big trial and error phase.

Dating Simulation Elements
With two female protagonists, Motoyama and Ozawa stated about the possibility of two different endings for the two characters. However, their main goal is not to make a love-sim like Sakura Wars, but to create a war drama.

Sub Stories and Clear Time
Like Valkyria Chronicles 2 before it, number three will include sub-quests for the rest of the playable characters in the squad, in addition to rounding out their backstories. All together, players can expect to spend 35 to 40 hours clearing through the main storyline while the sub character stories and other elements add to the total.

Downloadable Content
The team plans to include extra bonus chapters and are listening to fan requests for what they want.

Clear Bonuses
Players will have access to a number of bonuses if they have clear saved files from both the original PlayStation 3 game and its PSP successor.

Cameos
As some of the screenshots have already revealed, various characters from Valkyria Chronicles 1 and 2 will make an appearance, but this time around members of Squad 7 will appear in missions as part of the storyline.

Difficulty
Although there isn’t a hard mode in the game, there will be Hard-level missions.

Kick him while he’s down, Naka-san. Kick him while he’s down…