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Another month, another online issue of Qore, Sony’s digitally distributed promotional video magazine. We weren’t too kind to the launch of the service last month — dinging it for being purely ads that you paid to watch — and while Qore will likely remain a purely product-pimping program, this month’s episode has taken a turn for the better and shows potential to expand beyond commercials you pay to watch.

First and foremost, Qore Episode One’s main problem was that hostess, Veronica Belmont, wasn’t really a hostess at all. Her limited screen time only left viewers wondering who this woman was, and why is she on my PlayStation? Episode Two features her more prominently, as Veronica promised us last month. Her interviews with developers and time spent behind the scenes is entertaining, even in its canned, scripted manner.

It’s a better Episode, for sure. But there is plenty to dislike as well, and even with some tantalizing content and exclusive game footage, it’s a tough sell. Read on to see what’s hot, and what’s not, in Qore Episode Two.

What’s Rad

Belmont leads in each segment with quick facts, and a tease of what’s available in the upcoming vids, and her interviews with a variety of development team-members brings out actually useful information, as opposed to the “Our game is so awesome, that it’s beyond awesome” PR speak that was riddled throughout Episode One. Her overall presence gives Qore character, and brings it out of the mundane mudslick it was stuck in. With a gaming tour-guide, we’re given more to see than old-ass trailers and marketing speak.

The highlight of the segments, of which include the new Naruto game, Madden 09, and Silent Hill Homecoming, is easily Resistance 2. While the game itself doesn’t look like much of an evolution from the first, (you’re still killing brown dudes in brown streets) the visual upgrade and new enemies, including a Cloverfield-esque mystery titan, have piqued our interest. An interview with Community-dude Brian Intihar fills viewers in on what’ new, and a visit to a motion-capture studio is genuinely funny, and a brief visual comparison of R2 and its predecessor surprised us, even in our “this is a marketing gag…” suspicions. Nope, R2 looks pretty great.

Silent Hill Homecoming is shown off in some pretty delicious high-def footage, and it looks as freaky as ever. Footage rolls of the protagonist clubbing obscene villains over the head with pipes, deteriorating worlds and an incredibly interesting interview with the new western developer about transitioning the series from Japan. The comedy short had us chuckling, though the vid felt very forced.

Aside from those two developer visits, there’s an exclusive download for Naruto: Ultimate NInja Storm, an exlcusive-to-PS3 (and exclusive-to-this-issue-of-Qore) free roaming adventure/fighting title that you can read about tomorrow when our preview goes live. Exclusivity is an enticing way to get people excited about Qore, and with such a rabid fanbase, ninjas in orange jumpsuits was a good choice.

There are commercials in between videos again, and they’re still very annoying and the interruption is far from appreciated. Thankfully, you can skip every promo video that Qore throws your way with a tap of the X button.

What’s Bad

As the video rolls for Madden 09, you’ll get the same feeling you get every summer: more of this? The game surely has the potential to be great, but the expected yammering of how great this year’s edition is going to be wore thin immediately, and while the game looks to run smooth, there was nothing interesting to see. Seeing some new gameplay additions would have been nice, but we’re left with “Yeah, football!” and some dude getting tackled. Skippy.

There are still commercials, as mentioned. Despite being able to skip them, they’re intrusive, and their existence is confusing and aggravating, since you’re paying to see them.

The promo video for this week’s issue finishes off with “Whatever you do, don’t press L2″. Just like June’s edition of Qore, there’s a Pong knock off that still ceases to be any kind of fun, so whatever you do, don’t press L2 to open up this top-secret bore-fest.

What’s Sad

The Naruto developer interview is barely watchable. Take a pass on it, or check it out for maximum sadness.

The Verdict

Qore in June was a complete bust, and while July’s issue is definitely on the upswing, it isn’t the one that’s going to make you say “I need to pay for this every month”. It’s worth checking out, since this will give you a clear idea of what the service is, and what it has to offer. The exclusive demo for Naruto leads us to believe that Qore would be an amazing place for Sony to put  exclusive content, or big reveals, but in the end you’re still paying for what was free on the store two months ago.

Try Qore this month. It’s three bucks. If you don’t take to it, you’ll know to skip it. If you don’t mind it, keep an open mind in the future. You can look for our preview for the packed-in demo of Naruto: Ultimate NInja Storm tomorrow, but as a precursor, wow, that game looks rad.