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Recommended Reading: The first TikTok war
Recommended Reading highlights the week's best writing on technology and more.
iOS game sale offers discounts on 'Journey,' 'Flower' and 'Donut County'
You can save on a bunch of Annapurna Interactive titles.
'Journey' and Uncharted remasters will be free on PS4, no PS Plus required
Sony also set up a $10 million fund to support indie developers.
After a year on the Epic Store, 'Journey' is heading to Steam
After more than a year of Epic Games Store exclusivity, indie gem Journey is heading to Steam.
PS3 hit 'Journey' unexpectedly arrives on iOS
Thanks to a surprise release from Annapurna Interactive, the PlayStation 3 classic, Journey, is available on iOS.
The best PlayStation 4 games
There's a big reason why the PlayStation 4 is the best-selling console: It has a smattering of games that you can't play anywhere else. Think: blockbusters like Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Horizon: Zero Dawn and Bloodborne. But even if Indiana Jones simulators and massive open worlds where you hunt down robo-dinosaurs aren't your thing, there are still plenty of exclusives to pick from. Whether it's the best baseball video game franchise, a choose-your-own-adventure horror or an engrossing social simulator/JRPG hybrid, there's a lot to play on Sony's latest console. And then there are games from massive third-party publishers like Activision and Ubisoft, along with quirky indie offerings to round out the selection.
'Katamari Damacy' creator's next game will be released in 2018
We noticed that Sony was taking a concerted step away from quirky indie games back at E3. One of the titles caught in the fray was Wattam, a charmer rom a few of the minds behind Katamari Damacy and Journey that made it debut at the first PlayStation Experience back in 2014. Sony's newfound reluctance toward indies left Funomena's debut title in a lurch, but PlayStation's loss is publisher Annapurna Interactive's gain. The game will drop is PlayStation 4 exclusivity and will be released next year on "console and PC."
Abzû's deep sea adventure is coming to Xbox One
Abzû, the best game about exploring the depths of the ocean (sorry Ecco the Dolphin), will get a physical release on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One this January. It's a beautiful and relaxing adventure, focused on a deep sea diver as he tries to learn more about the world and its complex ecology. The short, atmospheric title is already available through Steam and the PSN store; the big news, therefore, is its debut on Xbox hardware. The game was developed by Giant Squid, a new studio founded by Flower and Journey art director Matt Nava. Consequently, the art direction is stunning -- if you like taking beautiful screenshots, this is the game for you.
Sony kicks off 'Makers & Gamers' docu-series with 'Journey'
Journey was not a financial success, but the PS3 game -- which takes players on a spiritual trip through a quixotic landscape -- is undeniably a masterpiece. Considering the deep impression it made on players, it's fitting that Sony is premiering its Makers & Gamers series with a documentary on the title. The short film details how Journey helped Sophia Ouellette deal with her father's death from cancer when she was 15. "I needed to tell the people who made it how their game has had such a big impact on me," she says.
USC will publish its students' games on PlayStation and Xbox
The premise of college is that it's going to prepare you with what you need to survive in a real-world work environment, but whether or not it fulfills that is another matter altogether. To that end, the University of Southern California has launched its own publishing label for video games in an effort to help students experience every aspect of making a game -- all the way to getting it in the hands of people outside of academia and onto PCs, PlayStations and Xboxes. USC Games Publishing's Tracy Fullerton tells Wired that the imprint is akin to the MIT Press. "These are not books that are going to necessarily be on The New York Times best-seller list, but these are the books that are important, that need to be out there in the zeitgeist."
'Journey Live' blends video games with the symphony stage
Journey is going on tour. No, not the band -- the innovative PlayStation 3 game, Journey, and Chicago's Fifth House Ensemble are embarking on a tour that blends gaming with live, reactive music. Journey Live is an interactive event where selected people will play the game and the ensemble will respond to their actions on-stage. Grammy-nominated Journey composer Austin Wintory and fellow musician Patrick O'Malley drew up a special, interactive version of the game's score that allows the ensemble to mirror a live playthrough.
Video game tie-ins shouldn't feel 'cheap'
It used to be that if you loved a video game, your options for showing it beyond buying the cartridge or disc were pretty limited. Now there's a whole cottage industry for gaming fandom. Want a rad vinyl soundtrack for a hyper-violent indie game? Say no more. How about an evocative statue showcasing the duality of a game's strong, female protagonist? You're covered there, too.But for every one of the former, there were seemingly a dozen tasteless cash-ins. When these brand extensions are done right, we wind up with heartfelt keepsakes or ways to keep a game in our lives while we're away from the controller. But when a company blows it, you get crap like tacky game-branded mini-fridges.
'Uncharted' borrows from cinema to sidestep clunky game design
Developer Naughty Dog's games have always had a flair for the cinematic and that's due in large part to their presentation. The studio takes a minimalistic approach to how it delivers information to the player, eschewing ugly on-screen means of directing you where to go by using filmic techniques like smart scene composition and color to subtly guide the players from one area to the next. In the video below, YouTuber Mark Brown explores Uncharted 3's opening, breaking down how Naughty Dog pretty masterfully keeps players on the right track during the rooftop chase sequence without it feeling claustrophobically linear.
These are our favorite video game soundtracks
Music can tame the most savage beast, but when you're slinking around a cargo ship as a super spy, playing cowboy or making your way toward a massive mountain in the distance, sometimes you don't want calm. You want dirty, wistful or haunting tracks to fit the action onscreen. The best video game scores stick with you long after you turn the TV off, though, and that's what we want to highlight here. We're pretty big fans of how they've progressed throughout the years from simple beeps and boops to full-blown symphonic masterpieces that've traveled through concert halls around the world. Just below you'll find the scores the Engadget Gaming crew's most fond of and one that we don't particularly care for but felt like calling attention to anyhow. Have a favorite of your own that didn't make the list? Hit the comments below.
'Journey' comes to PS4 on July 21st
With stunning visuals and gameplay to match, Journey quickly became a platform favorite on the PlayStation 3. Now, Sony is bringing that adventurous experience over to the PlayStation 4, as was announced last year. Better yet, if you already own a digital copy of the title, designed by thatgamecompany, you'll be able to download and play the new version for free. Journey's scheduled to hit the PS4 a couple weeks from today, on July 21st, so you may want to start clearing some space on that hard drive of yours.
'Abzu': a scuba diving game that's part Zen, part 'Journey'
Abzû, the debut game from game development house Giant Squid, may as well have the subtitle Journey 2 or maybe even Flower 3. Studio founder Matt Nava, the former thatgamecompany art director of those aforementioned art house gaming touchstones, is making yet another emotionally bald, deeply pretty game about communing with nature through fluid controls here. In playing Abzû, though, any cynicism born out of its similarity to Nava's past work floats away like so much foam on a wave. This undersea adventure is immediately familiar, clearly of a piece with Journey's nomadic wandering and Flower's breezy environmentalism. Even in just a brief demo session, though, Abzû is equally transcendent. Of all the games from E3 2015 I got to play at early events, Abzû is the one I didn't want to stop playing. Even in a pre-alpha state, Giant Squid's game makes you feel like you're somewhere else.
The 'Journey' game soundtrack will be available on vinyl
Sony and Thatgamecompany are proud that Journey's soundtrack was good enough to make it the first game nominated for a Grammy -- so proud, in fact, that they're releasing the score on vinyl. Spend $35 and you'll get a double LP of Austin Wintory's original score for the music-driven adventure, complete with art on each side of both discs. You'll have to wait until August to start listening, although you can get a $60 limited edition print of the album art this June. Is this overkill for a game that you can easily finish in an afternoon? Quite possibly, but it's a testament to how soundtracks like this are increasingly finding relevance beyond your console.
Journey, The Unfinished Swan to launch as Cross-Buy games on PS4
We already knew that the PlayStation 4 would be getting updated versions of two of the PS3's most visually striking games when Sony confirmed Journey and The Unfinished Swan were headed for Sony's new console. However, according to comments left by Sony Santa Monica Community Strategist Aaron Kaufman on a PlayStation Blog post announcing the ports, not only are the games making the trip from previous to current-generation consoles, but they will be Cross-Buy compatible. "Once Journey is downloaded you will be able to download it for free on any other platform available through the PlayStation Network, much like how fl0w and Flower were launched for PS4," Kaufman wrote before adding, "And The Unfinished Swan as well!" In other words, if you already own either game on PS3, you'll be able to enjoy them on PS4 at no additional cost. Unfortunately, a PS4 release date was not given for either game. [Image: Thatgamecompany/Giant Sparrow]
Journey, The Unfinished Swan confirmed for PS4
Late last month, a Sony landing page for Gamescom 2014 indicated that games such as Journey and The Unfinished Swan were destined to arrive on PS4. Sony confirmed as much today, noting that both games will arrive later this year for the latest-generation system, and stressed that both will be in 1080p. Hustle Kings was also confirmed for PS4 this week after its appearance on the PlayStation landing page. The PS4 version of Giant Sparrow's The Unfinished Swan was leaked in mid-July by a Korean ratings board. As for Journey, it topped the list of Joystiq's favorite games of 2012 after its celebrated March 2012 launch that resulted in a handful of GDCA awards and a Grammy nomination for composer Austin Wintory. [Image: Thatgamecompany]
Working As Intended: It's not the journey or the destination
If you play MMORPGs, you've no doubt been told, hundreds of times, "Slow down! Don't rush! Stop to smell the flowers! It's the journey, not the destination!" Typically, you're being told to slow down in an MMO whose focus is the destination: the endgame. All the good stuff is at the end. The best dungeons are there. The best gear is there. The best PvP content and titles and achievements are there. The players the devs cater to are there. Patches and expansions provide new content there. In fact, the only reason to play the rest of the game is to level up to get there. The midgame is a hindrance, a barrier to the "real" game, and it's usually neglected by developers once most players are through it. So if games themselves reward you only for arriving at the destination, why on earth should you feel bad for not savoring the journey?
