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'Need for Speed: Payback' to add online free roaming mode
EA and Ghost Games know Need for Speed: Payback got a rather cold reception on launch, and they're continuing to rehabilitate its image -- in this case, by bringing back a feature from the previous game. The creators have revealed that they're adding an online free roaming mode to the game sometime in 2018, echoing a feature from the 2015 Need for Speed release. You can technically roam around now while waiting for a lobby to fill up, but this should let you drive to your heart's content.
Next 'GTA Online' heist resets the doomsday clock
We never got the additional story mode heists for Grand Theft Auto V, but Rockstar Games seems to be making up for that with the next add-on for perennial moneymaker GTA Online. From the looks of it, "The Doomsday Heist" is going to be pretty involved. Based on the trailer below, you'll steal a surface-to-air missile truck, explore Mount Chilliad, interact with a snarky AI named Clifford, don a jetpack, take to the sky in a flying car and then use the same car to intercept a submarine. Yeah, there's a lot going on.
'Mario + Rabbids' gets a free versus battle mode tomorrow
The Nintendo Switch is quickly becoming the go-to console for games with couch co-op and local multiplayer. Need more evidence? Ubisoft is adding a versus mode to Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, one of the best Switch games available. "Each player has just three available actions per turn, and how you decide to invest them is a big part of the strategy here," a post on Ubiblog reads. "You may be accustomed to moving, attacking and using techniques for each of your heroes during every turn in campaign and co-op, but versus is a different story."
‘Streets of Rage’ comes to mobiles with local multiplayer
Sega Mega Drive classic Streets of Rage is now available on mobile, thanks to the Sega Forever retro games service, so you can get your dose of denim-clad muscle brawling wherever you are. It also supports local, two-player co-operative raging over Wi-Fi, and works cross-platform between iOS and Android, so you can also bring a touch of nostalgia to your holiday celebrations by battling your siblings and then getting into trouble with your mom when one of you punches the other IRL.
PS4 multiplayer is free in Europe during a 5-day event
A PlayStation Plus subscription is essential if you want to play PS4 games online, but how do you convince your friends that it's worth the outlay? Sony has a simple idea: let people try it for free. It's running a Europe-only event that will make PS4 multiplayer free between November 15th and November 20th. So long as you have a game with an online multiplayer component, you can see what the fuss is about without signing up. If you've wanted to see how a Destiny 2 Crucible match works or have run out of local FIFA 18 foes, it won't cost you anything extra.
Futuristic racing game 'Lightfield' lands on PS4 and Xbox One
If you have a hankering for a different kind of racing game, Lightfield might pique your curiosity. You maneuver around by clinging to objects in a stylized, futuristic environment, with light trails streaming behind you. At any given moment, you can leap off the surface, parkour-style to find the fastest possible line to victory. Visually, it sort of looks like Tron meets Miami Vice, with pastel blue, pink and green colors trailing behind ships.
‘Super Mario 64’ is an online multiplayer game thanks to hero modders
Super Mario 64 turned 21 years old back in June, but the classic title lives on in the hearts and minds of players. A new fan project has taken that collective nostalgia to another level with a downloadable version of the game allowing up to 24 friends to play through the (formerly) single-player adventure. But given Nintendo's extremely low tolerance for unauthorized versions of its games, play it now before the company DMCA's it off the internet.
Second ‘Battlefield 1’ DLC deploys on September 19th
At Gamescom last week, EA showed off a timeline of future expansions headed to Battlefield 1, including the next to come, In The Name of the Tsar. The game's second DLC just got a global release date on September 19th, but players who bought the Premium Pass can load it up two weeks early on September 5th. Even if you don't care about the extra content, tech heads might want to buy it for another added feature: HDR10 support.
Return to 'Smuggler's Run' in the next 'GTA: Online' expansion
For the next expansion to GTA: Online, Rockstar Games is looking to its past. "Smuggler's Run" will task you to move inventory for the perpetually paranoid Nervous Ron by land and air. "Smuggler's Run opens up the air corridors above Los Santos and Blaine Country, providing new business opportunities while introducing a range of planes, choppers and even ultralights as highly viable options for transporting criminal cargo across the state -- simultaneously opening up some creative new methods of dispatching any rival gangs along the way," a post on the Rockstar Newswire says.
Sony 'won't allow' cross-platform dino survival in 'Ark' either
Stop me if you've heard this before: The makers of a huge multi-platform game want to unite their disparate users so everyone can play together, regardless of whether they're playing on PC, PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, and Sony is blocking that. This time, it's Ark: Survival Evolved. Lead designer Jeremy Stieglitz was answering questions on Twitter recently and when someone asked if cross-network play would ever happen, he replied with the following: "We have it working internally, but currently Sony won't allow it."
‘Star Wars Battlefront II' space skirmishes put Yoda in the cockpit
Star Wars: Battlefront II may have a single-player mode -- a first for the series -- but that doesn't mean multiplayer is taking a back seat. Electronic Arts showed off the large-scale, multiplayer Starfighter Assault mode for the first time in a live demonstration at Gamescom, dropping a few details along the way.
Multiplayer VR is about to look much more realistic
Multiplayer VR is imperfect, especially on a large scale. Body tracking tends to be quite limited, so it's not uncommon to see generic animations and herky-jerky movements from your fellow players. OptiTrack hopes to fix that. It's launching body sensors that promise whole-body skeletal tracking in VR arcades and other multiplayer venues. Attach it to your hands and feet and you should get accurate positional tracking that reflects more natural movements, such as aiming a weapon or peeking around a corner.
Nintendo's solution for online voice chat feels half-baked
From the moment you pick up a Nintendo Switch, it feels like a magical device. The company nailed the hybrid TV / portable concept and created a genuinely fun console that seemed to shed the awkwardness of the Wii U. Indeed, Nintendo has a habit for making fun consoles -- but for the last three generations, it's failed to build online communication options on par with Xbox Live or PlayStation Network. Rather than baking voice chat into the Switch itself, Nintendo's new console relegates the feature to a companion smartphone app. We just tried it out and it works, but it's messy, confusing and completely unintuitive.
‘Modern Warfare Remastered’ heads to PS4 without the bundle
If you were disappointed that you had to keep the $80 disc for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare in your gaming rig to be able to play the better-reviewed Modern Warfare remaster, you're in luck. Publisher Activision has announced that it will reverse the classic bait and switch tactic it employed with Infinite Warfare by putting out Modern Warfare Remastered as a standalone title on June 27th. Of course, it's not all straightforward, as the title will only be available for PS4 as a disc or digital download (at first). We've reached out to Activision for more specific information on other platform release dates.
Low-grav shooter ‘LawBreakers’ comes out August 8th for $30
LawBreakers, the low-gravity team shooter made by Boss Key Productions, just got a release date for both its PC and recently-announced PS4 versions: August 8th, retailing for $30. But before then, the game will have another beta (sadly, still only for desktop) starting at noon ET on June 28th.
Gears of War 4' retools its Horde mode in time for summer
Gears of War 4 dropped last October with more story, kinetic sound and a revamped version of its signature players-vs-AI Horde mode. Microsoft Game Studios has continued to refine the game in the months since to keep multiplayer fresh, from punishing rage-quitters to inexplicable DLC with rap duo Run The Jewels. But new gratis content is on the horizon: On June 6th, players get more goodies, maps and difficulty levels for Horde mode, along with a free trial for players on Xbox One or PC who haven't yet tried the title out.
Nintendo Switch online features will cost just $20 a year
When Nintendo announced that the Switch would feature a paid online subscription model like Xbox Live and PlayStation Plus, it was vague on the details. We knew the service would cost less than the competition and offer some kind of subscription bonus, but the specifics weren't clear. Today, Nintendo filled in some of those details: starting in 2018, online services for Nintendo Switch will cost just $20 a year -- a fee that buys online play, voice chat and access to a "compilation" of classic Nintendo titles that have been modded for online multiplayer.
'Mario Kart 8 Deluxe' on the Switch is basically perfect
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is poised to be the next must-have Switch game. Regardless of the last Mario Kart title you played -- our experiences vary from Mario Kart 64 to DS iterations to the Wii U's original Mario Kart 8 -- Nintendo is aiming to make this the most definitive Mario racer yet. To start, there are 48 courses and 42 characters (including some Splatoon additions), as well as an upgraded 1080p mode when you're playing it docked from the Switch and some auto-steering help for younger gamers (or grown-ups who should know better). Those Joy-Con controllers double as mini-controllers for two-player battles on the go, while a fully fleshed-out battle mode, with several arenas and play modes, form the biggest gameplay addition to the original that launched on the Wii U. Now, you probably knew most of that already, but how does it play? Four editors share their thoughts after a week of racing, while one colleague swears he won't buy the remake, regardless of how good it might be.
'Halo' will bring back local multiplayer
When I critiqued Halo 5: Guardians, the lack of split-screen co-op was low on my list of gripes with the game. But that's not to say it wasn't a problem. In the lead-up to the 2015 game's release, developer 343 Industries crowed that there were no sacred cows on the road to hitting 60 FPS in the campaign mode -- including the local co-operative play that'd been a part of the series since 2001. That's changing, though. "I would say for any [first-person shooter] going forward we will always have split-screen," 343's head Bonnie Ross said recently at the DICE summit in Las Vegas, according to Polygon.
Fly over Paris with all your VR friends in 'Eagle Flight'
While Microsoft and Sony sort out why one person playing Rocket League on a PlayStation 4 can't compete against someone on an Xbox One, VR developers are bringing everyone together regardless of which headset they own. The folks behind Eve: Valkyrie started it and now Ubisoft is on board as well with Eagle Flight.
