PlayStation
The latest news and reviews of PlayStation hardware, software and accessories.
Latest
Disney Infinity Toy Box Summit to challenge creators in August
For many of us, imagined adventures with toys are short-lived and typically concluded with 20-minute, WWE-esque brawls between TMNT's Raphael, G.I. Joe and Fashion Model Barbie. The more creative types among us have a knack for crafting tales from a box of ho-hum, mismatched toys, and we imagine they're the sort of people Disney will bring to its Toy Box Summit. Hosted by Disney Infinity developer Avalanche Software, the Toy Box Summit will run August 15-17 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and host a competition between the highest-rated content makers from Infinity's create-an-adventure Toy Box mode. The best work showcased at the Summit will be "leveraged" during the launch of Disney Infinity 2.0: Marvel Super Heroes. Those that aren't directly invited aren't totally shut out from the event though – Disney will also run a video contest challenging fans to showcase their favorite Disney movie through Infinity's Toy Box mode. Contest Fan Kits will be distributed to participants, and though it's unclear how entrants obtain them, they will include "approved music, graphics, and game capture tutorials." Three winners will receive an all-expenses paid trip to join the Toy Box Summit, with 10 runners up getting a consolatory Captain America figurine for Marvel Super Heroes. Interested directors will submit videos to the Disney Infinity website, but the site's related post for the Toy Box Summit states that more will be revealed about the competition "in the coming weeks." In the meantime, it wouldn't hurt to brainstorm pitches for your envisioned hybrid of Disney characters with the WWE universe. [Image: Disney]
Catlateral Damage knocks its funding goal off the shelf
We've got another game to be added to the rapidly-expanding genre of animal simulator games: Catlateral Damage, which started as a game jam project and charmed its way into our hearts back at the beginning of the year with a limited demo build, has met its $40,000 Kickstarter goal. The feline festivities are anticipated to make their way to Mac, Linux, PC and Ouya in Q4 of this year. The kitty train doesn't stop here, though. Developer Chris Chung has 12 more days to reach his stretch goals, which include extra levels, a PS4 version and support for Steam Workshop. Chung is also participating in Ouya's Free The Games Fund, which means that his financial support will double upon a successful close of the crowdfunding campaign - with some caveats. Meanwhile, at Catlateral Damage HQ ... [Image: Chris Chung]
Kill lots of DUST 514 players and you'll get to name the weapon you used
Want to name a weapon DUST 514? Log in and start killing, then. CCP is hosting a competition to name the new officer variants of everything from assault rifles to mass drivers to shotguns in its EVE shooter sidequel. From now through July 21st, players with the most kills on a single weekend using a base prototype weapon will get to pick that weapon's name and will also receive 30 copies of it. Each weekend's score is tallied individually, CCP says. Full details are available at the DUST 514 website.
Batman: Arkham Origins 'Complete Edition' listed by Amazon Germany
You don't have to be the "World's Greatest Detective" to follow this trail: Amazon Germany has posted a listing for Batman: Arkham Origins "Complete Edition," a package which will supposedly combine Arkham Origins and all of its DLC into one box. The move, if accurate, isn't exactly unexpected; both Arkham Asylum and Arkham City received similar treatments when they re-released as Game of the Year editions. The Complete Edition - which has not been officially announced by Warner Bros. - is listed as coming to PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on August 21. [Image: Amazon/Warner Bros.]
Bungie: Destiny alpha's voice acting not final, budget 'nowhere near' $500 million
A lucky batch of Destiny fans explored part of the game's galaxy in a recent alpha, but that sampling left a considerable count of heroes with the same thought: is Peter Dinklage tired or something? The Game of Thrones actor voices Ghost, a floating device that accompanies players through firefights for justice, but some found his delivery to be weak and lifeless, even for a non-living piece of technology. Fans don't need to worry about it breaking immersion at Destiny's launch though, as a recent update from Bungie states that Ghost's lines have "already been updated for Beta," and that they'll also be "updated again for launch." The update also dismisses the idea of a $500 million budget orbiting around Destiny, which Activision CEO Bobby Kotick described as a "$500 million bet" last month. While Bungie's update concedes that we would have to "ask Activision people" about the marketing budget's size, it concludes that Destiny's budget, "including associated marketing costs and pizza Wednesdays, is nowhere near 500 million dollars." Lastly, anyone that's eager to know more about the achievements they'll chase in Destiny's planetary cluster can find a full list in Bungie's update. [Image: Bungie]
Report: Gran Turismo 7 probably won't arrive in 2014
Despite earlier claims that the next entry in Sony's flagship racing simulation franchise Gran Turismo might race past the development finish line in time for a 2014 debut, creator Kazunori Yamauchi is no longer as optimistic. "We are working on the title," Yamauchi told Eurogamer, before adding, "I don't think it'll make this year!" Though prior Gran Turismo games were preceded by Prologue editions - short selections of choice material from the final game sold as something bigger than a demo, but smaller than a proper retail release - Yamauchi claims that his team of developers at Polyphony Digital have no such plans for Gran Turismo 7. Though a 2014 debut appears to be off the table, we may see Gran Turismo 7 on the PlayStation 4 relatively soon. Polyphony plans to save time by once again reusing vehicle assets from prior games, some of which date back as far as 2004's Gran Turismo 4. "I doubt that we'll be throwing away the standard cars," Yamauchi said. "Each car has its own fans. So I think we'll hang on to the archive. In the meanwhile, some of those cars we may be able to make into Premium cars as they become available - but basically we're more focussed [sic] on increasing the number of premium cars." [Image: Sony]
Watch Dogs multiplayer tuned to keep you playing
The Watch Dogs development team has made a few alterations to the multiplayer component of the open-world hacking adventure which should encourage players to see hacking sessions through to the end. "From now on, the victim of a hacking invasion will never lose Notoriety, even if they fail to find the hacker," wrote an Ubisoft representative on the game's forums. "In addition, players losing a ctOS Mobile Challenge will never lose Notoriety. As long as they have passed a few checkpoints, they will gain Notoriety, even if they lose the match." Prior to these changes, it was common to see players disconnect to avoid the Notoriety hit as soon as they began to fall behind their online opponents. Granted, these alterations won't stop players from disconnecting if they suddenly get bored and decide to visit the local Taco Bell, but they do offer more incentive to keep playing, and fewer viable reasons to quit once a session has begun. [Image: Ubisoft]
Battlefield Hardline's next beta hits all platforms this fall
The Battlefield Hardline beta is dead, long live the new Battlefield Hardline beta. As the first test run on PlayStation 4 and PC came to an end, Visceral Games' Steve Papoutsis revealed players can have another go this fall, and this time on "all announced platforms," i.e. PS4, Xbox One, PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. The news comes shortly after EA CEO Andrew Wilson admitted the haphazard launch of Battlefield 4 was "unacceptable," although he stopped short of saying similar issues will never happen again. With two public betas, there will be pressure on Battlefield Hardline to deliver a smoother ride when it launches on October 21. For Joystiq's early thoughts on Hardline watch our video preview, in which Ludwig ponders if Visceral can deliver the series its first really solid single-player campaign. [Image: EA]
The Last of Us Remastered PS4 bundle
A PlayStation 4 console bundle featuring The Last of Us Remastered was announced for Europe this morning. The package is priced at €429.99, includes a 500GB console, one DualShock 4 controller and a copy of the hd-ified survival spore-er drama. No word yet on a stateside PS4 bundle featuring the game.
Relax, Alien: Isolation is 1080p on PS4 and Xbox One
Alien: Isolation runs at 1080p on both Xbox One and PS4, and in terms of framerate it's roughly the same across both platforms, Creative Assembly Lead Game Designer Gary Napper tells OXM. "When I think about working on the game, it's almost platform agnostic because I only think about the differences between platforms and the different mechanics we can use, like the light on the PS4 pad and the stuff with Kinect 2.0," Napper says. "So I think with framerate it's pretty comparable. There's no noticeable drop or change in graphics between them. Obviously there are a lot more options to tweak and scale up on the PC." So, when we're waking up the neighbors with screams of terror in the middle of the night, we'll tell them it's all Napper's fault. And if 1080p weren't horrifying enough, there's a demo of Alien: Isolation on Oculus Rift. We'd note if that were in 1080p, too, but we couldn't keep our eyes open long enough to tell. Alien: Isolation is due out on Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4 and PC late this year. [Image: Sega]
Octodad clumsily picking up free DLC
Octodad is swapping his formal suit pants for Shorts – a round of free DLC that brings new levels of weird scenarios for everyone's favorite cephalopod to explore. "Octodad Shorts" include the following, humorously bullet-pointed content, as outlined by developer Young Horses: Over 40 new objectives! Over 20 breakable plates! Over 0 unconscious ragdolls! An unspecified amount of new octopus sounds! Probably a pizza! "New levels were our number one most requested feature (next to making the game free), so we've been hard at work doing what you all tell us to," Young Horses says. The slightest chance of pizza is enough to make us excited, at least. Octodad Shorts should be out within "weeks." Young Horses has sold more than 250,000 copies of Octodad: Dadliest Catch since its launch in January, studio co-founder Philip Tibitoski wrote on Facebook – 90,000 of those were on PC, Mac and Linux before the game hit PS4 on April 22. [Image: Young Horses]
Afro Samurai sequel announced for consoles and PC
The Banner Saga publisher Versus Evil revealed that it is publishing a follow-up to Namco Bandai's 2007 PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 action game Afro Samurai for next-gen consoles and PC platforms. Afro Samurai's sequel is developed by Redacted Studios, a developer founded by former Namco Bandai senior producer David Robinson. Polygon reports that Robinson worked on the first Afro Samurai while at Namco Bandai, and retained the rights to produce additional games in the series after his departure. Versus Evil notes that its Afro Samurai sequel will feature a new storyline, new playable characters, and improvements on the original game's dismemberment mechanics. [Image: Namco Bandai]
Mila joins free-to-play DOA5U: Core Fighters roster
If the barebones introduction to Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate known as DOA5U: Core Fighters hasn't offered enough content for your tastes, you'll be pleased to learn that a new character has joined Tecmo Koei's free-to-play fighting game. For a "limited time," those who download DOA5U: Core Fighters will receive pugilist Mila at no additional charge. One more character would not be an impressive addition to the expansive Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate cast, but the stripped down Core Fighters only offers four fighters by default, making this addition a sizable upgrade for a game that still features a $0 price tag. As usual, additional fighters can be purchased at $4 a piece, while adding a proper Story Mode will set you back $15. According to the most recent PlayStation Blog update, the addition of Mila comes as a sign of gratitude to fans who have downloaded DOA5U: Core Fighters over 1.3 million times. There's no word on when Tecmo Koei will end this free offer, so those tempted by the addition of Mila's MMA combat style should find the nearest PlayStation 3 and download the game tout de suite. [Image: Tecmo Koei]
PS Now beta expands to select Sony TVs on June 30
Next Monday, owners of Sony's most recent televisions (that is, the company's 4K models and select 1080p sets) will join a fortunate segment of PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 owners in testing the company's PlayStation Now streaming game rental service. Assuming you fit this criteria and live in the continental United States, this test should allow you to play a wide range of PlayStation 3 games using only your Internet-connected television and a DualShock 3 controller attached via USB. Of course, that's assuming you're willing to fork over the ridiculous amounts of money Sony is currently asking for PS Now game rentals. As we reported earlier this month, each short-term rental is priced between $3 and $20, which becomes a ludicrous offering when you realize that many of the PlayStation 3 games available via PS Now can be purchased at retail for the same amount. Sony claims that the current pricing scheme may be altered as the test rolls on, but you've been warned. If your interest remains piqued, you can find a list of supported TV models beyond the jump thanks to our pals at Engadget. If you don't qualify, have no fear: Sony plans to launch an open beta test for PlayStation Now on July 31.
Rainbow Six: Siege to include male hostages, too
Rainbow Six: Siege was the surprise finale of Ubisoft's E3 conference, featuring a team of players descending on a suburban home where a woman was held hostage by a group of heavily armed bad guys. The woman cowered while the house exploded around her, and she was referred to as "The Hostage" throughout the demo, passed back and forth between enemies and rescuers as if she were a flag to capture. The apparent objectification of the woman didn't sit well with many viewers – but the game will also feature men as hostages, Technical Artist Oliver Couture told RPS: "We're also gonna have male hostages. That's part of the plan." Ubisoft decided to use a woman hostage in the E3 demo for a specific reason, Couture said. "I know some people asked about the hostage in the demo. I mean, when we did that design we felt a lot of empathy with the hostage. We wanted people to want to protect her. If the hostage gets killed a team loses the game, so we wanted players to care about the hostage so that's the design we chose." Men aren't worthy of empathy, apparently. Couture described the technical aspects of the hostages in Rainbow Six: Siege as the epitome of next-gen. "We're trying to define next-gen with the hostage," he said. "We call that a 'living hostage.' So she'll react to explosions and things like that. It's pretty cool. She'll cough because of the dirt in the air, she covers herself when there's shooting – those sorts of things. We want the player to be able to move her into different positions, for there to be fluid controls. It's a balance between player comfort and reality." [Image: Ubisoft]
Minecraft reaching 54 million sold, console editions pass PC
Popular blocky sandbox game Minecraft is closing in on 54 million copies sold across all platforms, says Mojang's Patrick Geuder, who also added via Twitter that the console (Xbox 360 and PS3) versions of the game have now surpassed sales of the PC and Mac versions. The game will arrive on Xbox One, PS4 and Vita in August, the latter being Cross-Buy compatible, free for those with the PS3 version. Xbox One and PS4 owners that have the game on Xbox 360 or PS3 will be able to download the new-gen versions for $5. Players' first moments with Minecraft came in May 2009 when the alpha version was made available, over two years prior to its full release in November 2011. Mojang and creator Markus "Notch" Persson have celebrated many sales milestones since then, recently noting that 15 million copies of the PC version were sold as of April. In the same month, the Xbox 360 version reached 12 million sold, whereas the Pocket Edition for iOS and Android achieved the 21 million mark. [Image: Mojang]
Infamous 'First Light' is indeed out in August
It's official: The Infamous: Second Son "First Light" DLC is due on August 26 in North America and August 27 in Europe. Developer Sucker Punch shared the launch date on Twitter, along with some fresh concept art. First Light stars Fetch, a Conduit who controls neon, and sees her spending time in a prison for super-powered people. While there, she relives the tragedies of her past. Sony let slip the release date on the PlayStation Store earlier this week. [Image: Sucker Punch]
EA names Bruins' Bergeron as NHL 15 cover athlete
Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron was named the cover athlete of NHL 15 this week, EA Sports announced. Bergeron's claim to the front of the box was earned after winning a cover vote that started back in early May and eventually garnered 10 million total votes from fans. Bergeron defeated Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban in the contest's final round. The vote, in which fans were able to participate by using hashtags on Twitter, drew ire from the community when it was revealed that small-print language in the contest's terms allowed EA and the NHL to pick an athlete other than the winner of the vote. EA told SB Nation last month that the language in the terms is standard for contests like the NHL 15 vote and used only to protect "the integrity of the fan vote" from those that might auto-generate votes for their favorite player. NHL 15 will launch September 9 for Xbox One, PS4, PS3 and Xbox 360. While the game will include some flashy new features for the next-gen consoles, those versions will not receive the 94 Anniversary mode. [Image: EA Sports]
Saints Row 4 National Treasure Edition bundles DLC for $30
A DLC-stuffed National Treasure Edition of Saints Row 4 ships to retailers on July 8, Deep Silver announced. The PS3, Xbox 360 and PC repackage was already unveiled for Europe, and it's coming to the same platforms in North and South America, priced at $30. If you've kept up with Saints Row 4 post-launch you'll know there's been tons of DLC, spanning everything from Christmas-themed mission packs to presidential masks. The new re-release bundles every last insane drop of that content, totaling 29 separate packs; steer here for the entire asylum of extras in the box. Talking of boxes, according to Deep Silver a downloadable version should be available mid-July.
Natural selection: Evolve leads E3 Game Critics Awards nominations
Turtle Rock Studios' Evolve notched six nominations in this year's E3 Game Critics Awards, including Best Online Multiplayer and Best Action Game. The four-versus-one shooter is also up for the prestigious Best of Show award, where it's competing with No Man's Sky, Alien: Isolation, Batman: Arkham Knight, Shadow of Mordor and Rainbow Six: Siege. After debuting at E3, Rainbow Six: Siege tied second for most nods from the judges. Both it and Destiny picked up four nominations, while No Man's Sky was one of several games up in three categories, including Best Indie.
