PlayStation
The latest news and reviews of PlayStation hardware, software and accessories.
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PlayStation Now will start streaming PS3 games to Sony TVs next week
Sony has been testing its PlayStation Now cloud streaming game service for months, with a select group of players testing it out on the PS3 and PS4 (all PS4 owners can try it out at the end of next month). On Monday, that group will expand to include owners of some of Sony's 2014 TVs, including all 4K Ultra HD sets and some of the 1080p models. As a part of the PlayStation Pilot Service, that means that if they live in the continental US, they can play PS3 games with just an internet-connected TV and a DualShock 3 controller plugged in via USB.
PSN Tuesday: Valiant Hearts, BlazBlue, Farming Simulator
The PlayStation Store is packed with pre-orders and releases this week, headlined by the launch of Valiant Hearts: The Great War on PS4 and PS3, and BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma and Farming Simulator 14 on Vita. Sniper Elite 3 is up for pre-order on PS4, while Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn is available for pre-order on PS3. Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark is out now for PS3 and PS4, while Vita gets Atelier Rorona Plus with 3 DLCs, XBlaze Code: Embryo, Z-Run and End of Serenity. That last one is also out for PSP today. We can't speak for all of these games, but Valiant Hearts is truly a breathtaking and brilliant game about the people and heroes of war. [Image: Ubisoft]
Infamous 'First Light' DLC dated for August
The PlayStation Store lists Infamous: Second Son's "First Light" DLC with a release date of August 26. The date appears both on the console store and the online store. First Light stars Abigail Walker, the neon-controlling Conduit also known as Fetch, as she relives dark memories while locked in a prison for people with super-human abilities. First Light is available to pre-order for $15 on the PlayStation Store. We thoroughly enjoyed Infamous: Second Son for its "gleefully destructive superheroics" and the high standard it set for PS4 games.
Wolfenstein: The New Order developer discusses potential sequel
Though a follow-up has not yet been officially announced, Machine Games is already plotting a sequel to its alternate-history FPS Wolfenstein: The New Order, creative director Jens Matthies told Giant Bomb this week. "We would love to do a sequel," Matthies said. "We have a very, very clear idea of what we accomplished with this game, and what we want to accomplish with a sequel." Matthies notes that the studio will focus on pre-production if it tackles the Wolfenstein franchise again. "[B]ecause these projects are so long in terms of development -- this was three-and-a-half years for [The New Order] -- and given how long it takes to make a game these days, this kind of game, and whenever you design in terms of preproduction, what becomes the plan for all of those years, has to be a flawlessly polished diamond," he explained. "If it isn't, you end up paying for that further down the line. You have to react to it, change, and do stuff." Wolfenstein: The New Order launched for consoles and PC platforms last month. Our review found that The New Order suffered from "a jarring inconsistency of tone and cohesion," resulting in an experience that was "not really slick enough to be an action classic, and not dramatic enough to draw you in." [Image: Activision]
Metro Redux makes a return trip underground in August
Metro Redux brings remastered, post-apocalyptic Moscow to North America on August 26, and Europe on August 29. Described as a "true director's cut" of Metro 2033 and its sequel Metro: Last Light, the 2-in-1 package will be available on PS4, Xbox One and PC. The boxed compilation is priced $50, and both games will be available individually to download at $25 a pop. Linux and SteamOS versions are due to release later this year. Amongst all the gameplay tweaks and additions, Metro Redux is headlined by a reworking of Metro 2033 in the 4A Engine iteration used for Last Light. Dev 4A Games has given Last Light a visual touch-up too, while all the game's Season Pass content is included in Redux. To go deeper into the changes and 4A's approach to Redux, point your flashlights here. [Image: Deep Silver]
'Wave Blue' DualShock 4 rides into North America this fall
The 'Wave Blue' DualShock 4 looks set to lead a line of new-colored controllers for the PlayStation 4 in North America. The blue gamepad was previously available in Europe and Japan, and it's now officially due to arrive stateside this fall. However, blue isn't the only new hue in town. The Destiny-bundling Glacier White PS4 launches on September 9 with a matching controller, and according to Amazon we can expect the Wave Blue DualShock on September 30 as well as an Urban Camouflage variant. At E3, Sony revealed Glacier White and Urban Camouflage pads would be available for $60. If Amazon's listings are accurate, the only color missing from the North American palette party is Magma Red. Maybe it's just bubbling beneath the surface. [Image: Sony]
Mutant Mudds Deluxe washes up on PlayStation Plus this week
You can remove even the muddiest stains thanks to Mutant Mudds Deluxe, starting at the low price of $0 for PlayStation Plus subscribers. The dirt-destroying 2D platformer will join the North American Instant Game Collection when the PS Store updates tomorrow. Just to note, Sony specifies the Plus game for Vita, but Mutant Mudds Deluxe is cross-buy with a PS3 version. It's unclear if a Plus download will unlock both versions, but if you are getting it for Plus you'll need to grab it on Vita rather than PS3. Next Tuesday will see July's PS Plus offerings join the service, and they'll all arrive in one great big clump of freebies. As Sony revealed last month, from now on two PS4, two PS3 and two Vita games will be available on the first Tuesday of each month, and will remain so until the first Tuesday of the following month. [Image: Sony Computer Entertainment]
GRID Autosport DLC plans include new cars, 'mini-expansions'
GRID Autosport makes its public debut tomorrow, and to celebrate, developer Codemasters offers one final blog entry to discuss the studio's post-launch DLC plans. While GRID Autosport will debut with 80 cars, Codemasters plans to expand the game's virtual garage via periodic car packs. It's not known how many cars will be included with each pack, but Codemasters has three such DLC additions planned so far. In lieu of issuing solitary tracks as unique DLC, Codemasters will instead release "mini-expansions." The developer has three of these additions planned, each centered around a particular theme. "The mini-expansions will each include a selection of new locations, some will include new cars and in some cases new game modes entirely," Codemasters said. The studio has yet to reveal any sort of pricing scheme for its planned DLC, but does note that both the PC and PlayStation 3 iterations of GRID Autosport will offer players the opportunity to pre-purchase the entire slate of additions at a discount via Season Pass. [Image: Codemasters]
Assassin's Creed Unity hitting PC at same time as consoles
Though the series is notorious for its delayed PC releases, Ubisoft wants to launch the PC version of Assassin's Creed Unity at the same time the console editions hit retail later this year, Rock Paper Shotgun reports. "We're always aiming to ship all our games on all platforms at the same time," Unity producer Lesley Phord-Toy told RPS. "I don't have any specific news on the PC version of Assassin's Creed Unity, but I do know we're planning on shipping on all three [platforms]: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. I haven't heard any news differently than that." Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag hit PCs three weeks after the console versions launched last year, and Assassin's Creed 3 missed its planned October 2012 release date. Phord-Toy blamed the series' previous delays on the fact that PC platforms have "a variety of different hardware configurations that you can't necessarily predict." Assassin's Creed Unity will premiere on October 28, 2014. [Image: Ubisoft]
Far Cry 4 gameplay streaming on Twitch today
If E3 2014's early look left you craving more from Ubisoft's upcoming open-world shooter Far Cry 4, Twitch will deliver an all-new batch of streamed gameplay footage later today. Twitch user suushisam will play Far Cry 4 from 2:00 to 2:30 p.m. PST today, and eatmydiction1 will stream another half-hour session starting at 4:00 p.m. PST. Expect gyrocopter-strafing action, dangerous mountainside treks, and maybe even an elephant ride or two. [Image: Ubisoft]
The Witcher 3 design docs leaked online, contain spoilers
As mighty as Geralt of Rivia may be, there's one monster he just can't slay: spoilers. Several design documents for The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt have been leaked online, some of which have been posted to Reddit by a user named Kromgar. Developer CD Projekt Red confirmed the leak to Eurogamer, warning fans to stay away, lest the game be spoiled. The files were pulled from the hacked Google Drive of a CD Projekt Red employee. We've browsed the documents, uncovering everything from production spreadsheets to concept art and even a walkthrough for creating The Witcher 3's gorgeous in-game hair. There are also documents discussing various quests and their possible outcomes, including key decisions Geralt (and the player) has to make. If you want your Witching experience spoiler-free, tread the internet with caution. The Witcher 3 is still slated for February 24, 2015, with CD Projekt Red noting that the leak "does not affect the development cycle in any way."
CCP aiming 'to create virtual worlds more meaningful than real life'
CCP CEO Hilmar Petursson closed this year's GameHorizon conference with a 30-minute talk focused around EVE Online's history and its future. Petursson starts at the very beginning with CCP's 1997 founding and carries it through the present day in which the firm employs 400 people at studios ranging from Reykjavik to Shanghai to San Francisco to Atlanta. He doesn't shy away from what he refers to as the company's "turbulent times," but he also says that CCP's mission -- "to create virtual worlds more meaningful than real life" -- will continue well into the future. You can watch the full presentation after the cut.
Microsoft Store lists Batman: Arkham Knight for Feb. 2015
Batman: Arkham Knight rises on February 24, 2015, at least so says the Microsoft Store. While the release date remains officially unconfirmed, the MS Store's offering does lie on a Tuesday, the day of the week games are released typically in North America. NeoGAF spotted the Xbox One listing over the weekend, but when asked, Warner Bros. told Eurogamer the game "is due for release in 2015." An early 2015 arrival for Rocksteady's new-gen Arkham looks likely. Speaking to Groovey.tv earlier this month, Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy - who has some previous experience with spilling the bat-beans early - said Arkham Knight is due "next January." Conroy also noted it was originally supposed to come out in January 2014. As you're probably aware, Arkham Knight was scheduled for this year before WB pushed it back three weeks ago.
Enter the dragon: EA Sports UFC is new champion of UK charts
EA Sports UFC toppled Watch Dogs to became the new UK No. 1 this week. The Ubisoft game hacked down competition for three weeks running, but the first UFC under EA's care proved too strong an opponent to make it four on the bounce. As for the rest of the charts, things are a bit slow in the post-E3 cooldown. The only other new release in this week's top 40 is MotoGP 14, the motorsport series' first entry on PS4. It fell just short of a top ten finish by placing 14th. So, which games are hanging tough in the UK top ten? Obviously you've got usual suspects like the FIFAs and Minecrafts, and Titanfall and Call of Duty: Ghosts aren't going away anytime soon. More interestingly, there are no real drop-offs as yet for Wolfenstein: The New Order and Mario Kart 8, with Bethesda's shooter fourth and Nintendo's racer seventh.
Binding of Isaac: Rebirth local co-op FAQ talks flying babies
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth's renovated basement looks prettier than the one players fought through in the original 2011 release, but definitely still full of unsettling monsters. What lurks in the touched-up labyrinth will presumably provide the same intensely-difficult journey found in Rebirth's predecessor, but thanks to Rebirth's addition of local co-op, we won't have to face the horrors alone. Edmund McMillen recently posted a FAQ to explain how Rebirth's co-op works, and the short answer is: flying babies. Rather than getting a full-blown Isaac equivalent, sidekicks steal a heart from Player 1's life and spawn as a randomly-generated baby. If Player 2 willingly drops out to give Isaac his health back, they'll play as the same type of baby if they drop back in at a later point, but getting killed off means a fresh spawn from the baby generator, which offers types including Love Baby, Psy Baby and Spider Baby. Player 2 is free to return as a freshly-spawned baby so long as doing so doesn't leave Isaac with less than one heart. Also, so long as Player 1 doesn't slap the controller out of their hands for wasting health. McMillen stresses that the game is balanced for co-op, so you won't be mowing everything down just because you have double the projectile tears. Babies don't have the same capabilities as Isaac either, so they won't be able to pick up objects, nor will they determine when items are used. Babies also have a "cursed" attribute, like automatically dropping a bomb every minute, a risk McMillen equates to the downsides of the game's pill power-ups. If you're worried about co-op's addition hindering your ability to showcase your talents, McMillen's FAQ states that there will be some related Achievements, but assures that co-op challenges won't stand between players and the 100% completion Platinum God Achievement. [Image: Edmund McMillen]
Amazon UK lists Rise of the Tomb Raider for consoles old and new
Rise of the Tomb Raider from Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix may have been announced during Microsoft's Xbox press conference at E3 this year, but if Amazon UK is to be believed, Ms. Croft will sink her climbing axe into both current and previous-gen platforms, as well as PC. The sequel to 2013's excellent series reboot has appeared on the online retailer's site, noting PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC as the platforms it will call home next holiday season. While we expected the game to plumb the depths of Xbox One and PS4 - Square Enix CEO for the Americas and Europe Phil Rogers confirmed as much last August - it's a bit of a surprise to see listings for PS3 and Xbox 360. A nice surprise though, if true. We've reached out to Square Enix for official word. [Image: Square Enix]
Battlefield: Hardline does not point to annualized franchise, EA says
Last October, EA and DICE released Battlefield 4. This October, EA and Visceral Games are bringing the cops-and-robbers action of Battlefield Hardline. It's a move that brings to mind the way Activision handles its annual Call of Duty games, shifting developers year-to-year. So does that mean the Battlefield franchise will go the way of its biggest competition and become annualized? EA Studios executive vice president Patrick Soderlund told Polygon that's not necessarily the plan. "It doesn't necessarily mean that we need to annualize Battlefield and that's the way it's going to be forever and ever," Soderlund said, explaining that Hardline exists because the heads of DICE and Visceral wanted to make it, not because they were pushed to. "The EA that I'm trying to help build isn't an EA that needs to annualize everything," Soderlund said. This isn't the first time the topic has come up; shortly before Battlefield 3 made landing in 2011, executive producer Patrick Bach expressed his doubts that the series would become a yearly release. "I think that would dilute the vision of the franchise," he told GameSpot. "You will eventually kill the franchise by doing that." [Image: EA]
Sony offering refunds in wake of Last of Us pre-order price drop
Usually price drops are seen as a good thing, but not always. When Sony lowered pre-orders for The Last of Us Remastered on PS4 by $10 and it looked as though customers who had already pre-ordered the game for $59.99 wouldn't be able to get a refund for the price difference, there were more than a few people upset. Yet, despite the game's description page warning that customers "may not cancel a pre-order at any time and refunds are not available for pre-orders," it looks like good news is on the way. Sony VP of Publisher and Developer Relations Adam Boyes told an unhappy customer on Twitter that a refund would be coming within the next five to seven days. Assuming Twitter user "Tony K" isn't a unique case and that others will also receive a $10 refund, Sony may have avoided a catastrophe of fungal-apocalypse proportions. [Thanks, Tadeu!] [Image: Sony]
Resogun's free local co-op, Ship Editor update coming tomorrow
Sunday isn't the typical time to hunker down and download fresh content with consoles, but Resogun will defy societal norms tomorrow with an update that adds local co-op and a Ship Editor. Perhaps you can forgive the abnormal launch date due to the update's lack of a price tag? Come on, it's even a day ahead of its previously-planned June 23 release! According to the PlayStation Blog, the Ship Editor allows for more than just palette-swapping paint jobs – pilots will be able to create their dream human-saving craft, down to the positioning of weaponry, afterburners and setting "attributes to govern the ship's agility, boost and overdrive, and choose either of the standard weapon sets." Non-creative types can just wait for the Resogun community to build the inevitable Nyan Cat-shaped vehicle and download it for themselves, thanks to support for sharing builds online. If the addition of local co-op isn't enough of a reason to play with new (or downloaded) creations, the free update will add a few new trophies to chase. You can always burn time climbing your way back up the leaderboards, too – the related post notes that due to players finding exploits, the update will reset leaderboards in addition to patching a few of those up. As great as free content is, the Heroes expansion for Resogun is still launching on June 24, offering Survival and Demolition modes for $5. [Image: Housemarque]
Battlefield 4's Dragon's Teeth adds guns, places to shoot guns
Battlefield 4 Premium subscribers have two content packs to go before their $50 helping of content is finished, with Dragon's Teeth serving as the next leg of their tour. EA hasn't specified which week of the summer we can expect this content, but a new listing details what we can expect from it. Like the previous content pack, Naval Strike, Dragon's Teeth will add four maps to Battlefield 4's multiplayer playground: Propaganda, a map with towering statues of despots, Pearl Market, a square split between alleyways and rooftops, Lumphini Garden, a space filled with personal-watercraft-friendly canals, and Sunken Dragon, which lets forces fight in a floating restaurant or just drain the lake it's presumably floating in. Dragon's Teeth's loadout will offer five weapons that are "all-new" to Battlefield 4, as well as a bullet-blocking ballistic shield that serves as a gadget. The remotely-operated and armed R.A.W.R. ground vehicle will serve as a new Battle Pickup, while a new game mode called Chain Link will have players linking capture points to win matches. If you need something to aim for with this new content beyond opponents, Dragon's Teeth will bring along 10 additional assignments, which reward completing specific feats with unlocks. A price isn't listed in Dragon's Teeth description, but previous content packs are priced at $15, or you can with go the one-and-done purchase of a Battlefield 4 Premium membership. If buying multiplayer content for a game with a notoriously awful reputation for functioning properly concerns you, or if you've long since given up on trying to get into a match, it might be worth one final attempt: Battlefield 4 received a netcode-improving patch earlier this month. [Image: EA]
