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'Spider-Man' and 'God of War' highlight Sony's E3 PS4 sale
Sony might not officially have a physical presence at E3 this year, but that isn't stopping it from holding its PlayStation Days of Play sale. Not only is there a limited edition, 1TB PS4 in steel black ($300) and a discount on the jet black PS4 Pro ($350), but you can get $20 off a PS Plus 12-Month membership and $30 off an annual PS Now subscription.
‘Shadow of the Colossus’ remake is missing something vital
Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Shadow of the Colossus. Shadow of Colossus on the PlayStation 4 has everything you'd expect in a modern game. Its sharp graphics are are a huge step above the original PlayStation 2 title, which was released in 2005. There's support for HDR and, if you own a PlayStation 4 Pro, you even have the option of 4K rendering. At last, there's a console capable of handling the scope of Fumito Ueda's grand vision.
What's on TV: Winter Olympics, 'Shadow of the Colossus'
Now that football is done, it's time for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics to take center stage. NBC will make all the programming available for live viewing this year, which should be easy since so much of it will occur during prime time viewing hours. Check out the streaming schedule to find out when your favorite events will be on. For gamers, the big release this week is a throwback as Shadow of the Colossus debuts in rebuilt form on the PS4. On streaming, Netflix caught us all by surprise with The Cloverfield Paradox, but this weekend we'll check out the scheduled season finale of Star Trek: Discovery on CBS All Access. Look after the break to check out each day's highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
'Shadow of the Colossus' was rebuilt from the ground up for PS4
When Sony unveiled a remake Shadow of the Colossus for the PS4, it raised one big question: is it just a glorified remaster, or a true revamp? Thankfully, it's more than just a quick-and-dirty upgrade. Sony's Shuhei Yoshida tells Famitsu that every asset has been remade -- about the only thing left is the core gameplay. There will be an option for a modernized control scheme, but that's about as far as the functional changes go.
A new 'Shadow of the Colossus' HD remake is coming in 2018
PlayStation 4 users are getting a new remake of Shadow of the Colossus next year, Sony announced at its E3 2017 keynote today. The action-adventure game originally came out in 2005 for the PlayStation 2 and was remastered in 2011 with "high-definition" graphics. But lots of things have changed since then, with consoles like the PS4 becoming increasingly more powerful, so you can't blame Sony for wanting to take another stab at such a classic title. And if the first Shadow of the Colussus trailer is any indication, this remake promises to be much better than the last. There's no specific release date, but at least you know it's (hopefully) coming at some point in 2018.
'The Last Guardian' gets its own companion book
While 2016 hasn't been the best year for the world at large, it's certainly been a brilliant one for video games. As well as giving us excellent titles like Overwatch and Uncharted 4, 2016 has also seen the release of two games that many thought would never see the light of day - Final Fantasy XV and The Last Guardian.
What 'The Last Guardian' creator learned from 'No Man's Sky'
The video game world is vastly different now than it was in 2007 when Fumito Ueda and his team began working on The Last Guardian. Nintendo dominated the hardware market with the 3DS and Wii while the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 trailed in console sales by millions. Assassin's Creed, BioShock and Mass Effect debuted, kicking off a fresh round of long-running AAA franchises. Today, we have the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PS4 Pro, and Nintendo is attempting to rebound from slow sales of the Wii U. Day-one patches are normal, pre-order DLC bundles are standard practice, we're on the ninth Assassin's Creed and, sometimes, indie games are indistinguishable from AAA titles. This is the brave new world that Ueda will release The Last Guardian into on December 6th. Over the past nine years, he's kept an eye on the video game industry and he knows that the market is volatile. He knows that the industry has changed. Fans are used to a constant barrage of information, trailers, screenshots and interviews about upcoming high-profile games. Sometimes this marketing strategy works out just fine. And sometimes, No Man's Sky happens.
These are your favorite video game soundtracks
Not that long ago we published a list of the Engadget crew's favorite game soundtracks. But, of course, we left some of your favorites out. Well, we listened. What you'll find below are a selection of soundtracks that y'all made impassioned pleas for in the comments and on Facebook and Twitter. The big takeaway? You gals and guys really like the music from Eastern-developed games like Chrono Trigger and Shadow of the Colossus. You'll find those along with other, perhaps more modern, examples as well.
Must See HDTV (September 26th - October 2nd)
After last week's slew of premieres there's still a few new shows popping up this week, as well as season premieres of old favorites (Dexter, Mythbusters). Transformers: Dark of the Moon makes its Blu-ray debut on Friday but with no 3D or special features it'll have to wait to top our list. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames. Luther The second season of this British detective show already finished airing in the UK but its four episode run is just getting started this week on BBC America. The Wire's Idris Elba stars as DCI John Luther, an investigator who is as troubles as he is effective in tracking down killers, rapists and other unsavory characters. There's a dozen crime procedurals to choose from, but this is one of the few that rises above the rest of the pack -- check out the season 2 trailer after the break. If you can't get enough of accents and tea, check out the season finale of Dr. Who and series premiere of Bedlam Saturday night. (September 28th, BBC America, 10PM) Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection While the original release of Ico predates this site, its followup Shadow of the Colossus had us excited even when it was only in 480p. This week, both return in HD (and 3D) on the PS3, coming back for the first time on hardware that can actually handle creator Fumito Ueda's vision. The two adventure games are some of the more unique gaming experiences you'll find, whether or not you gave them a chance on the PS2 they're definitely worth checking out this time around, check for a couple trailers after the break. ($39.99 on Amazon, September 27th) Happy Endings This comedy joined ABC's lineup last year as a midseason replacement and quickly snagged a spot in our DVR queue with a hilarious ensemble of characters. While the show's premise wasn't a standout (bride leaves groom at the altar, we follow the group as they try to stay friends afterwards) the writing is spot on and gained enough a following to come back for season two, starting this week. (September 28th, ABC, 9:30PM)
Philosony: Colossus, reign over me!
I recently sat down to watch Reign Over Me, a drama with Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle. Not a bad movie, a tug-at-your-hearstrings affair about about a man whose wife and daughters died on 9/11 and the friend who, running into him 5 years later, tries to help him cope with the reality he has withdrawn from. Somehow I managed to miss the discussion during the film's release about the role of Shadow of the Colossus in the film, so I was a bit surprised and delighted at what I assumed was a mere cameo. At the same time in the back of my mind I thought this might be another gross misrepresentation of games that further promotes gamism - negatively stereotyped portrayals of video games and video gamers. Doesn't this send the not-so-subtle message that games are escapist tools that players use in a mentally unhealthy way to ignore the reality around them?
Ebert admits games can be art, but not 'high art'
In an editorial published last weekend, film critic Roger Ebert seems to renege somewhat on his previous insistence that video games, a medium he finds to be "inherently inferior to film and literature," cannot be considered a form of art. "Anything can be art," admits Ebert. "Even a can of Campbell's soup. What I should have said is that games could not be high art, as I understand it." The "high art" label is almost as old and heavy as most of the works one would apply it to, and expecting a medium as young as video games (never mind the superior class of film) to hold it up would surely be met with crushing disappointment. While it's not impossible for video games to eventually reach such a lofty status in our culture, Ebert's clarification is far more agreeable than his previous statements. Of course, since we can beat down the status of art with a can of soup before allowing video games (and seemingly any old thing) entry, it's not much of a change. The same problems Ebert has always had with the medium are reflected in the rest of his response to Clive Barker's recent comments on the subject.
Rumor: Team ICO working on not one, but two PS3 games
So Team ICO's working on a new game for the PlayStation 3. Not altogether surprising considering that ICO and Shadow of the Colossus remain two of the most well respected and well received video games on the PlayStation 2. But what if we told you that one internet forum rumor had them working on not one, but two games for Sony's high-def colossus? One is even rumored to be "close to ICO and Shadow of the Colossus in terms of atmosphere and setting."Though we didn't hear anything at Sony's Gamer's Day event, a source deep within Sony's corporate bowels brushed himself off and revealed this exclusive screenshot to us, seen above (note: we're not serious, but we wish we were). Would two more masterpieces from Fumito Ueda's team brighten Sony's spirits (and sales figures)?[Via PS3F]
Rumor: Team Ico might be developing two PS3 titles
There hasn't been a whole lot on the news front about Team Ico's next offering for the PS3, at least until now. The PS3 forums are alive with whispers of not one, but two new games from the team that first brought the critical darling Ico our way, back in 2001. At the recent Motorstorm event in Germany, a source claims to have, "talked to a product manager of Sony PlayStation Germany" who advised, "Team Ico is actually developing two games at once with one being close to Ico and Shadow of the Colossus in terms of atmosphere and setting." The claim is pretty rich, but if it bears fruit, we'll have two more PS3 games to get excited about. No official word on such claims from the Sony front yet, but if we wish hard enough, maybe we'll hear something during E3 in July. [Via hiddenawaygames]
Team Ico definitely plotting something for the PS3
I've got something to admit. I have only just recently beat Ico. It was awesome, especially looking at it as a prequel to Shadow of the Colossus. Or is it a sequel? The two games lace into one another so arbitrarily that they may just be two distinct adventures taking place in the same game-universe. Anyway, the latest Famitsu held an ad for... well... Sony's ad agency. They snagged a two-page spread for a simple job listing. The job? Team Ico is seeking developers... for their PlayStation 3 project.They want programmers and engineers. Lots of technical qualifications, but chances are they wouldn't be too interested in those outside of Japan. Although there are some people (me) who would love to take the translated text and make sure it's not a shoddy translation! You guys can take a look at the online entry form for the multitude of positions at Sony's website if you'd like... but we're more interested in thinking what Team Ico will churn out next. What do you guys think? Another game set in the same or similar world? A story that more clearly relates the other two games to one another? Or something completely new and different? Ready... theorize![Thanks, Sean!]
Joystiq interview: Soenke C. "Warby" Seidel
Earlier this week, we stumbled upon de_wanda, a wonderful Counter-Strike map depicting a giant Shadow of the Colossus foe battling a large tentacled beast we later learned (and cursed ourselves for missing) inspired by underrated gem Beyond Good & Evil.We sent along a few questions to the map's creator, Soenke C. Seidel, who currently resides in Germany. Seidel, alias Warby, has also worked on the Half-Life sidescroller Codenamed: Gordon and Alliance: The Silent War and has shown through concept art great reverence for Fumito Ueda's PlayStation 2 hit. How long did it take you to do the map?When people ask me this question, I usually just respond 4 months. The truth is, I don't remember anymore. I started it this summer and I released it [in the] beginning of December, but I already sketched out the colossus and the layout long before that, at the time when the game Shadow of the Colossus got released in the U.S.What was your inspiration? Well obviously Shadow of the Colossus for the bomb target statue, but the rest of the city is inspired by a not well know Ubisoft game called Beyond Good and Evil that I found in a bargain bin for 1 Euro a month or so prior to start building the map (best buck i have ever spend). Pretty much all textures you can see in the map are made from a photo collection provided by another great German artist "Thomas Hess" ... they inspired me quite a bit, too. He shot them in Southern France and even though Beyond Good and Evil is set on an alien planet, you can clearly feel [Ubisoft's] French architectural influences. So that was a lucky coincidence that matched up so nicely.
Shadow of the Colossus cameo in new Sandler, Cheadle flick
GameBump spotted this Shadow of the Colossus appearance in a trailer for the upcoming Adam Sandler drama Reign Over Me, which also stars Don Cheadle. So does Fumito Ueda's wonderful PlayStation 2 epic play a significant role in the plot? Probably not. Still, that a major Hollywood production would opt to use a game that is not easily recognizable to a mainstream audience is significant enough. Unfortunately, the cameo, as framed by the trailer, is pinned to the old stereotype that when guys get to playing video games they neglect more important obligations (okay, sometimes we do), but the usage of Shadow of the Colossus also ties into an overarching maturation of the games industry; one that is forcing mainstream perception to shifts its view and embrace the critical impact games have on many adult lives. Nice work, Mr. Binder. [Thanks, Aaron]
Shadow of the Counter-Strike
We don't typically cover custom-made Counter-Strike maps, but this one is unique in its high level of detail and its tribute to one of our favorite games of the PlayStation 2's golden years. Meet de_wanda and its giant reference to Shadow of the Colossus. Weighing in at 160 MB, this map is one you're going to have to require everyone to download in advance if you plan on playing online. The creator, Soenke C. "Warby" Seidel, has an impressive collection of artwork and maps, including some 3D Shadow of the Colossus-inspired scenes, if you would like to peruse the artist's portfolio. Color us impressed. Very impressed. [Via bit-tech]
The Joystiq (Christmas) Weekend, 2006
Happy holidays! Destroy All Humans gets a quirky prologue, Street Fighter gets a quirky epilogue and yours truly goofs in thinking a TurboGrafx 16 game would only cost $6. Enjoy the image above (found via Digg) and check out the highlights for this holiday:JoystiqueryGeometry Wars as artToday's hottest game video: XFPS demoToday's hottest game video: Halo gameplay remixToday's hottest game video: Tomb Raider trailerWeekly Webcomic Wrapup: the Big N editionNewsProtecting adults from children onlineWoW's Night before Wintervale holiday treatWii 'acquaintances' made easy with Google MapsDestroy All Humans started as a joke, launched a "dance" careerXbox 360 video download service succeeding, others failingDVD players finally more common than VCRsLCD makers under price-fixing investigationSofaTube brings YouTube to Wii/PS3 couch potatoesChristmas sees first VC price increaseCraigslisters trading PS3 for Wii + moneyRumors & SpeculationVista DRM to slow down high-end graphics?Console hackeryOne Wii to control the entire house Use a universal remote with PS3 Dreaming of a White PS3?Play ripped PS1 games on PSPCultureStreet Fighter's Blanka: an electrical oompa loompaGeek, nerd, or dork?American Choppers splice consoles for Christmas
Motivational posters get game
Retro Blast recently ran a contest to make gaming version of those ever-so-popular motivational posters. They have yet to decide on a winner, so now is the perfect time to check out the entire gallery of nearly 360 entries and decide for yourself the rightful heir to the champion's throne. Beyond Challenge (pictured), we'd opt for either Loyalty or @#!$@!. Our only regret is that these image files have small resolutions; there are more than a few we wouldn't mind hanging on a wall.
Limited edition Shadow of the Colossus tee
We're certain this limited edition Shadow of the Colossus tee will have some of our readers fumbling through their chubby trifolds, weaving in and out of grocery club cards, de-laminated licenses, and ATM receipts, just to find that one credit card that isn't maxed out on import video games. But you'd better be quick, cause these are limited editions. Due to go on sale tomorrow, this $30 CAD (about $27 USD) shirt features a towering colossus (number three if we're not mistaken) being approached by Agro carrying our fearless protagonist. It comes in the regular assortment of sizes (which are the same in Canada as the States, no?) but there's only 200 to go around. So, if you managed to find that credit card, you still have to be quick (feel free to insert your own 12:01 joke here). [Thanks, jerry]
