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'Spider-Man: Miles Morales' is about half as long as the original game
The PS5 game will be similar in scope to 'Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.'
Our favorite games of 2018
It didn't take long for us to declare 2017 a pretty great year for games, with a spectacular roster that included Super Mario Odyssey, Wolfenstein: The New Colossus and Assassin's Creed Origins. In our roundup last December we also listed what we were looking forward to in 2018 and, while very few of those titles made our final list this year, we can still confidently declare these past twelve months pretty awesome in the world of gaming. We got a new God of War title and possibly the best Smash Bros. installment yet, while a few indies like Into the Breach and Celeste knocked it out of the park as well. Rather than try to come up with a simple "best of" list, the editorial team here at Engadget proudly presents the games that made the biggest impact on us this year, whether they were technically impressive, emotionally engaging or just flat-out fun.
Watch The Game Awards right here at 9PM ET
We're officially in the thick of awards season, and after the Golden Globes nominations were revealed Thursday morning, it's time to turn our attention to The Game Awards. The ceremony celebrating the best of gaming from the last year takes place tonight in Los Angeles. As always, the entire show will be streaming for your viewing pleasure, and you can watch it below.
The best gifts for console gamers
Games are a staple of any holiday season, and what better way to celebrate than by playing some of the biggest titles around? We've picked a string of great games in our holiday gift guide, including Spider-Man, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Forza Horizon 4. Of course, your loved ones will need a console to play said games on if they don't have one already, so you might want to give them an Xbox One X, Nintendo Switch or PS4. We've also picked out some of the best accessories, including controllers, headsets and headphones. If you want to show the kids what gaming was like back in the day, you could give them a PlayStation Classic, which has 20 built-in PS1 games. When the festivities are over and your family members go their separate ways again, they might want to keep playing with others -- giving them Switch Online or Xbox Live Gold subscriptions will let them play their new games online.
Your PS4 'Spider-Man' dreams will continue with a season pass
We're only a few short weeks out from swinging through New York City in Marvel's Spider-Man, but today the team at Insomniac is talking about everything you'll do after you wrap the story. Because this is a huge AAA game, of course there's a season pass with additional episodes. Collectively, they're called "City That Never Sleeps." It's a trio of add-on stories in this case, with the first, "The Heist" out October 23rd, or, a few scant days before Red Dead Redemption 2.
'Spider-Man' PS4 Pro bundle is the right sort of product placement
Remember when the PS3 shipped with the Spider-Man font running across its belly in an awkward mix of corporate synergy and Ken Kutaragi's typography obsession? Twelve years later, and Sony's having another go at smashing its flagship console and its beloved web slinger together in a way that makes more sense.
'Spider-Man' is my web-slinging dreams come true
Sony first revealed Marvel's Spider-Man for PlayStation 4 at E3 two years ago, but how it actually plays remained a mystery until now. At this year's show I finally got to go hands on with the PlayStation 4 exclusive. My demo was a little different than what Sony showed off at its media briefing. Rather than a frantic mission during a stormy night above and around New York City's East River, I had an hour to explore a sunny daytime chunk of Manhattan's Lower East Side, mostly as I pleased.
‘Spider-Man’ arrives on PS4 September 7th
Spider-Man swings to PlayStation 4 on September 7th this year. Of course, developer Insomniac Games' web-head adventure comes in three flavors: standard ($60), digital deluxe ($80) and collector's edition ($150). The digital deluxe and collector's edition are identical in terms of bonus features, aside from the collector's edition coming with an art book, a steelbook case, the game on a Blu-ray and a pretty cool statue. According to the PlayStation Blog, pre-ordering the digital deluxe version will net you a custom pin. Both have special cosmetic items like alternate Spider-Man suits and add-on missions. The trio of post-launch narratives will feature new villains, characters and suits as well. For a sneak peek of the game in action, check out the brand new video embedded below.
The only Sony division to lose money this quarter was Mobile
Kaz Hirai's slimmer, fitter Sony hasn't just turned a corner, it's well on its way to earning its highest annual profit in years. The latest update on the company's financial health revealed that it pulled in $18.25 billion in revenue and squeezed out a quarterly net profit of $1.15 billion. As usual, it's Sony's two most prized businesses that stand out on the balance sheet: PlayStation and smartphone image sensors.
Recommended Reading: Rebooting a hero in 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'
'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Is One of the Best Superhero Movies in Years Christopher Orr, The Atlantic Well folks, the time has come. The team-up between Sony and Marvel for the third different take on Spider-Man debuted this week. So far, the reviews are mostly positive, noting that the duo created a compelling story line for Peter Parker with Tom Holland that establishes the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Don't take my word for it, The Atlantic has a full review (yep, spoilers) with all the details.
Insomniac's 'Spider-Man' gets what it means to be Peter Parker
When Sony revealed that Insomniac games was working on a PlayStation 4 exclusive Spider-Man game set in an original universe, the specter of another game hung over the announcement -- 2004's Spider-Man 2. This movie tie-in is widely regarded as the game that perfected web swinging, as well as the title that no subsequent Spider-Man game ever lived up to. Creative director Bryan Intihar is aware of the stigma, but he doesn't seem worried. He's confident his game will make players feel like Spider-Man. His goal is more complicated. He wants players to feel like Peter Parker.
Sphero ditches the robots for a storytelling Spider-Man toy
Sphero is moving beyond cute, connected rolling balls fast. Less than a month after introducing a tie-in for the animated movie franchise Cars, the company's now taking the wraps off of its first non-robotic product. And it's another toy built in partnership with Disney. Meet Sphero's Spider-Man, a replica of the beloved Marvel superhero than listens and responds to your voice commands. Unlike with its versions of BB-8 and Ultimate Lightning McQueen though, this Spider-Man doesn't depend on an app to be fully functional.
Fight as Spidey or Hulk in Marvel's free-to-play console RPG
Marvel Heroes 2016, the free-to-play role-playing and MMO hybrid is coming to the PS4 and Xbox One consoles as Marvel Heroes Omega this spring, developer Gazillion revealed. As with the PC version, it'll let you play as Spider-Man, Captain America, the Hulk and 38 other heroes, or the entire Avengers or Defenders teams. It features a nine-chapter story campaign that'll see you defending Manhattan and taking on Doctor Doom, Loki and other super villains.
ICYMI: This rock-armored insect could change medicine
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley discovered that an insect called the caddisfly spins strong, stretchy silk that works like a biological sticky tape. The caddisfly uses it to attach stones to its body to protect it underwater; humans are more interested in the fact that the waterproof adhesive might have medical applications. The publication Deep Look made a great video of the bug's underwater life that's worth a full watch if you're interested.
Science: No, you can't be Spider-Man
We hate to crush your childhood dreams, but we have to be blunt: you're never going to be Spider-Man... not without some technical help, anyway. University of Cambridge researchers have determined that wall crawling isn't naturally feasible for any animal larger than a gecko, since you'd need inordinately large hands and feet to support yourself on the way up. If humans wanted to achieve these gravity-defying feats, they'd need sticky pads across 40 percent of their body surfaces -- try making that superhero movie, Sony.
Recommended Reading: The life and death and life of Google Glass
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. Sorry, but Google Glass isn't Anywhere Close to Dead Cade Metz, Wired Reports claim Google Glass is on its last leg after the folks in Mountain View shuttered the Explorer program last month. Not so fast. The wearable still has a truckload of uses, and making it an enterprise device could be the right move.
Joystiq Weekly: NPD sales data, Trials: Fusion review, A Realm Reborn tips and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. It seems like there are two brands of Trials riders - those who try the series and bail, seeing it for the inevitable, rage-induced heart attack it is, and those that persevere and conquer every track. We're not sure where we fit just yet - some of Trials Fusion's stages give us flashbacks to Super Meat Boy, and our patience is finite. Still, the triumph in each small victory reminds us that we can get the best of gravity, that we can guide motorbikes over ridiculous terrain with the best of them ... until we reach the next stage and the cycle of emotions renews. We've got plenty of resources for anyone that needs a sanity break from Fusion, though! You can brush up on this month's NPD data, read our verdict on Atlus' baby-making RPG, Conception 2: Children of the Seven Stars, or gain some insight on what's next for GaymerX's future. All that and more is laid out in tidy little bulletpoints for you after the break!
Marvel Puzzle Quest free-to-play on Steam, boosted by priced packs
D3 Publisher's Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign is now available on Steam. The free-to-play game mixes the Marvel superheroes universe with the Puzzle Quest franchise, combining match-three-style puzzle action with RPG trappings such as special abilities leveling systems. Given that the game is free to play, D3 Publisher is also offering three premium content packs that grant players in-game points/currency to recruit new characters to their teams, train their powers and purchase health packs and other gameplay boosts. The packs are priced at $10, $40 and $100, respectively. Marvel Puzzle Quest previously launched on iOS and Android in October.
Batman Zing! Whammo! Pows! his way to YouTube's top superhero spot (video)
Bruce Wayne may be on permanent vacation with Selina Kyle, but that hasn't stopped Batman from topping YouTube's list of most popular superheroes. Based on views and amount of content, the Dark Knight is number one, racking up 3 billion pairs of eyes on 71,000 hours of video. That's 213 trillion hours you spent watching the antics of a flying rodent with daddy issues -- or roughly 42,000 views per hour of footage. More surprising than that though, is who came in second place. It wasn't Spider-Man (seventh with 340 million views of 7,400 hours of video) or Tony Stark (fourth with 1.7 billion views of 20,000 hours of video). If you heard thunder, you heard right. Thor has 2.1 billion views and 66,000 hours of video, but only around 32,000 views per hour of tape. What does it all mean? Mjolnir's owner is around 33 percent less popular (views per hour) than Gotham's First Son -- and he's a god. Ouch. That Bats has a pair of killer video games benefiting from repeat walkthrough viewings probably helps, but we imagine clips like what're after the break do the actual heavy lifting. If you want to see if your favorite made the cut, hit YouTube's blog from the source link below. [Image credit: Tony Sak]
Daily iPhone App: Marvel Pinball is a great app hindered by a bad model
Zen Studios is very well known for their pinball titles, which all feature great graphics, well-made themes, and excellent pinball table mechanics. Just today, Zen has brought their very popular Marvel Pinball game to iOS, and you can now download the app itself for 99 cents. Unfortunately, that price is a strange one -- all it will get you is one Avengers-based table, which is interesting enough, with its various Avengers-style pinballs that you can send out into battle as you play for points against Loki. But there are 14 other tables to play with, and all of them need an in-app purchase of $1.99 each. That's it -- there's no way to earn or unlock tables from within the game itself, which is a missed opportunity at the very least. Charging users 99 cents to download the app for one table in this case just seems like charging for a free trial, unfortunately, and I wouldn't be too surprised if the app goes free very soon anyway. The good news is that the pinball mechanics are great, and Zen Studios obviously knows how to make a great pinball-based video game (I especially like the "free look" mode, which allows you to browse around a table just by tilting your device from side to side). But the pricing model here is very flawed and uninviting. If you're a pinball fan, you might think about downloading the app for the Avengers table, and then maybe buying one or two that you like (each table has a trailer and a features list, though you can't play on them to even try them out before you spend the money). For everyone else, Zen Studios has done a big misstep here by hiding their great content behind an awkward pay wall. They should have considered a better way to do this.
