gamescom-2014
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Old box learns new tricks in Metal Gear Solid: Phantom Pain
The cardboard box has been a Metal Gear mainstay for decades, but in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain the corrugated gadget has picked up a few new tricks. Metal Gear Solid director Hideo Kojima took the stage at Sony's Gamescom press conference to demonstrate a few of the new tactics Snake can employ with the help of his cardboard pal. Not only can Snake use the box to crawl around without attracting attention, he can also maneuver into position, pop out of the box, fire off a few shots, then duck back into cover. Instead of killing foes, pacifist soldiers can opt to use the Fulton device to kidnap them directly from the battlefield like so many hapless goats. If you'd rather avoid enemy soldiers, the box also offers a new suite of distraction tools. Snake can now attach photographs to the sides of the box, including a saluting soldier that will fool enemies into thinking you're one of them, and a picture of a bikini model that will draw lecherous troops in a hurry. Once they're within range, you can leave the box in place as a decoy or use CQC techniques to repay their devotion to a photograph with a series of rapid strikes. For a full demonstration, see the trailer below the break. [Image: Konami]
'Share Play' passes the controller to a friend in this fall's PS4 update [Update]
Sony announced that system software 2.0 will arrive on PS4 this fall. The firmware update will add a new feature known as Share Play, which allows PlayStation Plus members to invite any friend to play their games with them in a cooperative, pass-the-controller fashion. What's more, those that join their friends on Share Play don't need to own or download the game. Update: PlayStation Blog described Share Play as a "virtual couch," allowing users to play cooperatively together in addition to the aforementioned pass-the-controller method. The system update will also add a dedicated YouTube app and the ability to upload gameplay clips to the popular video platform, a feature Sony announced back at E3 in June. The What's New section of the console will also receive an upgrade with friend-of-friend suggestions and a real name search function.
First Destiny expansion launches in December, new Crucible trailer now
Destiny hasn't even hit the shelves yet, and Bungie has already announced a release window for its first expansion. Entitled "The Dark Below," the expansion is set to arrive in December, Bungie's Director of Production Jonty Barnes revealed during Sony's Gamescom press conference. Furthermore, Bungie debuted a trailer for the Crucible, Destiny's competitive multiplayer component. As you would expect, it features free-for-all and team-based modes, in which players fight for territory or kills. Find the trailer after the break.
Invite your friends to Far Cry 4 co-op on PS4, even if they don't own the game
Ubisoft has detailed the Far Cry 4 exclusive for PlayStation users it calls, "The Keys to Kyrat," first revealed at E3 2014. PlayStation users can invite friends to play the game co-operatively even if they don't own the game, allowing their friend to experience the world of Kyrat for ... and here's the new part ... up to two hours. Ubisoft revealed that PlayStation users will net ten codes to the co-op trial mode, with the purchase of Far Cry 4. It's unclear if each code is one use per person or if progress is saved. Can one person use all ten codes to get twenty hours of free Far Cry 4 elephant-enhanced action? Likely not, but we have boots on the ground in Germany to find out. Although the original announcement made mention of a similar feature for PS3 users, Ubisoft's Alex Hutchinson only made mention of the PlayStation 4 version. [Image: Ubisoft]
Hellblade is Ninja Theory's new nightmarish game [Update: Trailer added!]
Ninja Theory revealed its new game, Hellblade, during Sony's Gamescom 2014 press conference. The announcement trailer showed a well-detailed woman clutching a sword amidst some shadowy demons. Sony said the game will arrive first on PS4, prior to other consoles. The developer is known for creating Heavenly Sword, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and DmC: Devil May Cry. Update: We've added a fresh trailer of Hellblade below.
Protect your brains, DayZ is coming to PlayStation 4
Modder turned developer Dean Hall took the stage at Sony's Gamescom presentation to announce an upcoming PlayStation 4 version of hit zombie survival sandbox DayZ. Details on the new version of the game are scant - Hall failed to mention a release date or even a vague window - but the PlayStation 4 game is based on an "entirely new cross-platform renderer" that will reportedly bring new, enhanced visuals to the undead apocalypse. [Image: Dean Hall]
Hollowpoint from Ruffian revealed for PS4
Crackdown 2 developer Ruffian has revealed its next game, a four-player co-op shooter titled Hollowpoint, coming to the PlayStation 4 in 2015. The game can also be played solo. The announcement trailer for the game reveals players will join a mercenary outfit to perform clandestine operations, though stealth may not be the group's strongest skill as evidenced by the amount of bullets flying. The 2.5D-style shooter is published by Paradox Interactive.
Q-Games announces The Tomorrow Children
Q-Games' Dylan Cuthbert announced The Tomorrow Children today during Sony's Gamescom 2014 press conference. The game is the result of a collaboration between the PixelJunk studio and SCEE Worldwide Studios. The announcement video of the game showed dwarf-like characters chipping away at walls with picks, then shooting at large glossy creatures with guns.
PlayStation 4 install base tops 10 million
During Sony's Gamescom conference, Jim Ryan, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, revealed more than 10 million PlayStation 4 consoles have been purchased since the device launched last November. That comes as little surprise given that, according to the NPD tally, the PlayStation 4 has been the been the best-selling console in North America for the past six months. [Image: Sony]
Gamescom 2014: Obsidian and My.com release Armored Warfare trailer
Obsidian and My.com have released a new trailer for Armored Warfare at this week's Gamescom convention in Cologne, Germany. The clip runs for just over a minute and it features plenty of heavy metal war machines doing what they do best in urban environments. See for yourself after the break.
Thomas Was Alone dev's 'Volume' slated for 2015 on PlayStation
Volume, the stealth game from Thomas Was Alone developer Mike Bithell, will be sneaking onto PS4 and PS Vita "first" in 2015, as revealed during Sony's Gamescom press conference. Last year, Bithell told Joystiq that it should arrive on Mac and PC a month after the console release. Check out a new trailer after the break. [Image: Mike Bithell]
Watch the PlayStation Gamescom '14 press conference right here [Update: It's over!]
Sony brings the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PS Vita funk to Gamescom starting at 7PM CEST, which is 1PM ET, 10AM PT, 6PM UK for those across the land. Is Uncharted 4 actually a prequel to Wipeout? Will we get a glimpse of long lost The Last Guardian? New crazy PlayStation 4 and PS Vita bundles? Watch right here to find out. Update: The show may be over, but you can catch the archived stream below and read through all of the news from the event. [Images: Sony]
Quick take on Microsoft's Gamescom 2014 press conference
Joystiq's Jess Conditt and Sinan Kubba react to the news from Microsoft's Gamescom 2014 press conference in Cologne, Germany. If you missed the event, get caught up quickly with our recap of the news, then give us your analysis in the comments. Was it a strong showing or was there something you wanted to hear, but didn't?
Xbox Gamescom 2014 press conference round-up: Tomb Raider, Halo Channel
Microsoft held its Gamescom 2014 press conference in Cologne, Germany today. Maybe you followed along with our liveblog and the event's livestream, or pounded away at the "F5" key to see the flood of news slide down our front page. Regardless, we have a recap of this morning's events below (okay, this afternoon where the conference was held).
Assassin's Creed Unity Gamescom trailer walks you through Paris
Assassin's Creed Unity, Ubisoft's first entry in the series built only for Xbox One, PC and PlayStation 4, is a looker. As demonstrated in a new trailer assembled for Gamescom 2014, Unity's Paris is a bustling, glistening city full of 19th century grandeur. It's also full of insane civil unrest and apparently feuding Assassins and Templars. Still: hell of a pretty town. Give it a peek after the jump. [Images: Ubisoft]
Explore the depths down Below on Xbox One in 2015 [UPDATE: Trailer added!]
Adventure fans can delve into Below's looming world on Xbox One sometime in 2015, head of ID@Xbox Chris Charla announced during Microsoft's Gamescom 2014 presentation. Community Manager Anthony John Agnello tried his hand at surviving Below's massive, dangerous environments earlier this year at PAX East and ... well, he died a lot. [Image: Capybara Games]
Turn into a bird and save the world in PS4 game 'Aer'
Aer stands out even though it is accidentally, obviously on-trend: It's a low-poly exploration game set on a series of floating islands, it features a giant owl and it's devoid of combat. Some of these aspects appear in recent notable games, including Secrets of Raetikon, BioShock Infinite, Monument Valley and Fez, but Aer remains intriguing. Even in its early stages, it's fascinating and mysterious – it feels fresh, even in a market saturated with its individual components. "It's kind of funny," Forgotten Key co-founder Robin Hjelte told me at GDC Europe. "It's like, when you have a new car, you always start to see all the new cars. It's been a bit of the same thing: First we started off with, 'Yeah, floating islands. That's a cool setting; we want to do something with this.' And then we were like, 'Oh, boy. Everyone is doing floating islands.'" The same thing happened with the low-poly art style, too, Hjelte said.
Halo 5: Guardians beta shifts to Dec. 29 [UPDATE: Trailer added!]
The beta for Halo 5: Guardians begins on December 29 and ends on January 18, developer 343 Industries announced during Microsoft's Gamescom press conference. This is a slight shift from the initial beta launch dates of December 27 - January 17. Things unlocked in the beta will carry over to the full launch of Halo 5. Halo 5 marks a return to the franchise's "legacy of competitive multiplayer," 343 said. The game is due out in 2015 on Xbox One.
Pre-orders, pre-downloads for 'select' titles coming to Xbox One
The aggravating wait to play digital copies of high-profile games as soon as they launch is about to become a little easier on Xbox One: during Microsoft's Gamescom 2014 presentation, Xbox head Phil Spencer announced the incoming option to pre-order and pre-download games from a "select" range of titles, which will include Forza Horizon 2 and FIFA 15.
Master Chief Collection features skill-based ranking as per Halo 2 [UPDATE: Trailer added!]
Here's one tidbit from Microsoft's Gamescom conference that's sure to please fans of Halo 2's multiplayer: 343 Industries' producer Dan Ayoub announced the upcoming Halo: The Master Chief Collection includes a skill-based ranking system with leveling "identical" to that of Halo 2. The news followed the newly unveiled Halo Channel "digital network" for the upcoming Xbox One compilation. The remastered bundle includes Halos 1-4 as well as access to the live-action Halo: Nightfall TV series, and it's launching in North America on November 11.
