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'Beyond: Two Souls' hits PS4 next week
When it comes to story-driven gameplay, few developers are quite as ambitious as Quantic Dream. We already knew that its PS3 titles, Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls, were coming to PS4, and now we've got some release dates. Beyond is coming out digitally next week: November 24th in the US ($29.99) and November 26th in Europe (€29.99/£24.99). If you buy the game that way, you'll also get access to a discounted version of Heavy Rain -- it's due on March 1st in the US, but it's not clear exactly when it'll be available digitally elsewhere. For Europe, Quantic Dream has confirmed a physical bundle called, unsurprisingly, The Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls Collection. That'll arrive on March 4th in the UK and March 2nd for the rest of Europe. There's no word on pricing, and we suspect that's roughly when Heavy Rain will launch digitally across the continent.
Battlezone's PSVR reboot is the ultimate fan service
It could be argued that Atari's 1980 arcade classic Battlezone was the first virtual reality game. In a simple duel of tanks, players looked through a small opening in the cabinet to maneuver their lumbering vehicle, firing at a single enemy and avoiding being struck by projectiles. The game's wireframe design was graphically simplistic, but stenciled in thin green lines on the horizon was a single object that drew the attention of fans: an erupting volcano. Rumors swirled of a secret route that would lead players to the volcano's crater where a castle lay awaiting brave explorers. "Of course, none of this was true," Atari engineer Lyle Rains pointed out in Van Burnham's 2001 book Supercade. But that didn't stop the dreamers. In one case, a fan even wrote to Atari to tell the company he'd reached the mythical castle. After decades of speculation, developer Rebellion, best known for the Sniper Elite series, is rebooting Battlezone for Sony's PlayStation VR and taking players into the heart of the volcano.
Sony's new PSVR shooter is a rollercoaster ride of horror
"When we announced this, we saw a 50/50 split among the fan base," said Simon Harris of Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, Supermassive Games' recently announced virtual reality shooter. The title, which debuted at Paris Games Week, is an extension of the PlayStation 4 exclusive released last August. The reason for the mixed reaction? Although its predecessor is an intense interactive drama, Rush of Blood is an on-rails arcade shooter (think House of the Dead or Time Crisis). Fans of the original want more drama, more Until Dawn, and this clearly isn't more of the same. But after playing a brief session of Rush of Blood and talking to Harris about the studio's plans, I'm convinced Supermassive knows what it's doing.
'Dreams' isn't an enigma, it's 'LittleBigPlanet' reborn
Sony hasn't worked out how to explain Dreams, the new title from LittleBigPlanet and Tearaway creator Media Molecule. Its debut at E3 was exciting but enigmatic, with a focus on player-driven creation and animation mechanics. At Sony's Paris Games Week press conference on Tuesday, the studio showed off a little more of Dreams. But it still wasn't clear how exactly what was shown on screen would work in practice -- we've seen a lot of creation tools, but not a lot of gameplay. Luckily, Media Molecule took some time after the event to talk us through its grand vision for Dreams. And, despite the confusion, it most definitely will be a game.
'Nier: Automata' is hack-and-slash the Platinum way
A Nier sequel was one of the last things we expected to see at E3 this year -- which is why it was such a surprise when Square Enix showed off a proof-of-concept trailer for an upcoming PS4 sequel. Today, the company gives us something more substantial: the game's full name (Nier: Automata), a new gameplay trailer focusing on Platinum Games' combat engine and a bit of backstory.
Befriend a bear or get killed by it in PS4-exclusive 'Wild'
When Michel Ancel, creator of Rayman, first demoed Wild, the PlayStation 4-exclusive game set in a lush Neolithic world of ancient tribes and animals, it was generally met with raves. After nearly a year, however, gamers actually want to know how it plays. At Sony's Paris Games Week event, Ancel replied in the best way possible: By showing you could ride a freaking bear. In Wild, you can also take control of animals and play as them, summon spirits and walk (or swim) around the vast open world. But before any bear-riding happens, you'll need to get savvy about your environment. As Ancel explained in his charming French accent, "For hours and hours at the beginning of the game, you will be killed by the bears."
PlayStation in Paris: Lots of trailers, not much news
Paris Games Week 2015 became a Iot more interesting when Sony decided to hold its fall event there instead of at Gamescom. So after all the hand-wringing, how was it in the end? Comme ci, comme ca. There were a few important announcements, like a release date for No Man's Sky, the launch of Gran Turismo Sport, complete with an entire league, and the reveal of Quantic Dreams' beautiful-looking Ex Machina-type game called Detroit. We also saw gameplay for Wild, Michel Ancel's (other) eagerly anticipated title. Otherwise, it was a bit of a letdown, with a lot of rehashing and still no solid release date for PlayStation VR. For more, check out our wrap-up video below or yesterday's liveblog. #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-536276{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-536276, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-536276{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-536276").style.display="none";}catch(e){}
Enjoy all the trailers from PlayStation's Paris Games Week event
Sony had plenty of titles to show off at its inaugural Paris Games Week press conference today, from Star Wars: Battlefront to No Man's Sky, Dreams and Gravity Rush 2. It showed off some new games, including Gran Turismo Sport, Vector (made in collaboration with the musician Avicii), Housemarque's Matterfall and Detroit: Become Human from Beyond: Two Souls creator David Cage. We also got a closer look at Wild, the fantastical, mysterious, open-world game from Rayman creator Michel Ancel. See trailers for all of these and more, including some videos not shown on-stage today, all handily collected below. You can even read along with our liveblog and pretend the conference is happening all over again, at your own speed.
'Gran Turismo Sport' for PS4 will award real prizes
At long last, Gran Turismo is coming to the PlayStation 4... and you'll have more reasons to play than just the usual graphics and gameplay updates. The newly unveiled Gran Turismo Sport will have two FIA-sanctioned championships running throughout the year (one for countries, one for manufacturers), and the winners of each will get real FIA prizes. This is about building the "next 100 years of motorsports," Polyphony Digital's Kazunori Yamauchi says -- in other words, he wouldn't be surprised if racing is increasingly virtual in the future. It's certainly an easier path to glory than becoming a real race car driver.
You can ride a bear in 'Rayman' creator's PS4 game, 'Wild'
We haven't heard much about Wild, the new game from Rayman creator Michel Ancel, since its announcement in August 2014. It was a highlight of Sony's Gamescom press conference that year, offering a fantastical, open-world landscape filled with ferocious beasts and strong warriors, and then it seemingly disappeared -- until today. Ancel took the stage at Sony's Paris Games Week press conference and showed off Wild's mechanics, transforming from a human into an eagle and a rabbit as his needs dictated. He also rode a bear for a while, which was "the greatest thing," as our liveblog put it. At the end of the demo, a giant snake lady appeared in front of the main character, sealing the fantastical tone of the game. Check out the PGW walkthrough below.
Surprise: 'Tekken 7' is heading to PlayStation VR
Squeezed between the high-octane trailers of its Paris Games Week press conference, Sony quietly announced that Tekken 7 would launch on PlayStation VR. Details are scarce, but it's definitely happening. Tekken 7 is, of course, heading to PlayStation 4 in the traditional, non-VR form as well.
Media Molecule's 'Dreams' beta coming to PS4 in 2016
One of the most interesting games we saw at E3 2015 was Dreams, from the team behind LittleBigPlanet and Tearaway. Today, during Sony's PlayStation event at Paris Games Week, Media Molecule demoed the title on stage and revealed a beta of it will be available next year for PS4. As we learned earlier this year, Dreams is designed for people who love streaming gameplay on Twitch and YouTube, focusing on exploration and sharing between players in the online community. For example, you can create "dreams" for people to play in, such as a puzzle, but whatever rules you've set on your own world don't have to be followed by others. Here, wandering around with freedom is key and "almost anything" can be a gateway to another dream, says the developer. Hopefully it won't be too long before you can try it yourself -- all we know thus far is that a Dreams beta's set to hit the PlayStation 4 sometime in 2016.
'Driveclub' spices up its racing with superbikes
Like Driveclub's arcade racing, but miss the two-wheeled adventures of Evolution Studios' earlier MotorStorm? You might just get the best of both worlds. Evolution has taken the wraps off of Driveclub Bikes, a standalone game (also available as an add-on) that brings superbikes into the fray. The core mechanics will be familiar if you're a veteran of the PlayStation 4 racer, of course, but the switch to motorcycles can't help but alter the experience. Is Bikes going to change your mind on Driveclub if you were soured on it at first? Probably not, but you can download it today -- it might be worth a look if you want to know whether or not the franchise has turned a corner.
Watch the trailer for Uncharted 4's frenetic multiplayer
With Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection safely out the door, Sony can turn its attention to the franchise's next installment: Uncharted 4. During its press conference at Paris Games Week, the company unveiled a brand-new trailer for A Thief's End. This time, it's focusing on the multiplayer, with Nathan and the gang facing off in frantic team-based combat. Fan favorites Victor Sullivan and Chloe Frazer are shown as playable characters, as well as Drake and his older brother Sam. Set deep in the jungle, the teaser is a gorgeous blend of automatic rifles, grenades and fisticuffs. New additions include sidekicks -- AI-controlled characters that help out in a pinch. There's also a grappling hook for quick traversals and supernatural power-ups called "mysticals." If you've bought the Uncharted collection, you'll be able to try all of this for yourself on December 4th.
'No Man's Sky' launches in June
At Sony's inaugural Paris Games Week press conference today, studio Hello Games revealed that its much-anticipated exploration survival game will hit store shelves some time next June. The developers were also kind enough to drop a new trailer for the game, which you can see immediately below.
'Street Fighter V' launches on February 16th, 2016, with Dhalsim
At Sony's Paris Games Week on Tuesday, Yoshinori Ono, the mastermind behind Street Fighter 5, made a series of stunning revelations. First, he revealed that Dhalsim, everybody's favorite ass-kicking yogi, would be among the 16 playable characters when the game launches. Second, the game will hit North American and European store shelves on February 16th, 2016. Finally, and most excitingly, Ono-san announced that six additional characters would be available within the first year of gameplay. What's more, they'll be unlockable -- for free -- using the in-game "fight money" currency. No DLCs here, folks; you're going to have to earn these characters the old fashioned way: by beating the snot out of your opponent.
We're live from Sony's PlayStation event!
Sony skipped its traditional August Gamescom conference this year, preferring the golden fall leaves of Paris to the sweltering summer heat of Germany. Today it's holding an event just outside of Paris to reveal what's next for PlayStation. Expect a big focus on PlayStation VR, some new games, and an update on upcoming titles like Uncharted 4, No Man's Sky, Dreams and WiLD. We're on the ground at La Grande Arche de la Défense, watching the sun set over Paris' financial district. After we pry ourselves away from this idyllic scene, you can join us at 6PM CET (1PM ET, 10AM PT) to follow Sony's big show from the comfort of our liveblog.
