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Realm Royale’s closed beta starts on consoles next week
After amassing thousands of viewers on Twitch.tv, and briefly cracking Steam's top five most-played games in its second week of release, Hi-Rez Studio's decision to bring its free-to-play fantasy shooter Realm Royale (formerly Paladins: Battlegrounds) to consoles could be a wise one, even if it has plenty of competition from the likes of H1Z1, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, and Fortnite: Battle Royale.
The rarest 'Rocket League' items only drop 1 percent of the time
Rocket League developer Psyonix wants you to know the chances of scoring a black market item for your ride, up front. Drop rates are as follows: rare (55 percent), very rare (28 percent), import (12 percent), black market (1 percent), painted attribute (25 percent), certified attribute (25 percent). "These drop rates have been the same since our Crates and Keys system launched in September 2016," the Psyonix blog post says.
'GTA: Online' goes clubbin' next week with 'After Hours'
A little bit of Liberty City is coming to GTA: Online very, very soon. "Gay" Tony Prince, first seen in Grand Theft Auto IV's "The Ballad of Gay Tony" expansion from 2009, is opening up a nightclub in Los Santos and needs your help. "A perfect cover for all illicit activities, Nightclubs can be customized, staffed and promoted, offering players a brand new business opportunity," Rockstar teased last month. Judging by the trailer, the main mission in "After Hours" is securing a DJ for Prince's latest venture. "Run your nightclub business from setup, design, staffing and promotion; the more popular the nightclub, the faster your secure safe will fill up," Rockstar promised.
'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.
'Black Friday: Revolution 1979' is coming to consoles starting July 31st
"We need more games like 1979 Revolution: Black Friday," Engadget Senior Reporter Jessica Conditt wrote in 2016. Two years later and the historical title chronicling the Iranian revolution will make its way from PC and mobile platforms to the Nintendo Switch. We now know when it'll be released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, as well.
We Happy Few's dystopia is held together by drugs and denial
We Happy Few has come to fruition in a unique way. Compulsion Games first captured attentions in 2015 with its creepy, atmospheric trailers, also launching a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund continued development of its dystopian title. The following year, the game launched on early access programs for both the PC and Xbox One. It was a procedurally generated, roguelike survival game, intended to be relatively short and replayable. Only, the world Compulsion had built was too alluring. The people wanted more, being particularly fond of the game's quirky characters and the player's interactions with them. And so We Happy Few has evolved over time to become a substantial story-driven adventure. At launch on August 10th, the game will follow three very different playable characters that, for one reason or another, don't fit in with their ever-jolly neighbors.
Surreal adventure game ‘The Gardens Between’ is coming to Switch
Independent developer The Voxel Agents has announced it plans to release abstract puzzle title The Gardens Between for Nintendo Switch in addition to previously disclosed PlayStation 4, PC and Mac platforms. It's expected to arrive sometime in Q3 this year.
PSVR’s World Cup ‘executive suite’ is more ludicrous than luxurious
In case you wanted another way to watch this year's World Cup from Russia, PlayStation has you covered. Sony's gaming division has partnered with BBC Sports VR to put you in a virtual executive box replete with a gigantic window overlooking the pitch. More than that, you'll have a choice between three different "seats" on the fly, too: behind each goal and from the midfield line. You just need a PlayStation 4, PSVR helmet and the BBC's free World Cup PSVR app.
'Minecraft' cross-play is here for mobile, PC, Switch and Xbox
Announced at E3 last year, Minecraft's cross-play update is finally here to unite players on mobile, PC, Nintendo Switch and Xbox hardware. More than just proving to Sony that cross-platform multiplayer is safe and that it works, the "Bedrock" update also brings the Switch version up to par with other platforms.
How to optimize your online gaming setup
Whether you play Fortnite, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds or Overwatch, you're going to want as little latency as possible between your hands and the game's servers. While you can't really account for how reliable your ISP is, by making a few smart choices you can ensure that your side of the equation is as speedy as possible. Everything from your controller to your keyboard and mouse to your display and router can affect how long it takes for a game to recognize when you put a few rounds at an enemy. It might not seem like a big deal at first, but every millisecond of delay adds up and could mean the difference between that ever-elusive chicken dinner in PUBG and going home hungry. Let's take a look at a few things you can do to optimize your online gaming experience at home.
Some of the most popular PS4 titles now cost just $20
In keeping with the tradition set on its previous consoles, Sony has introduced a selection of best-selling PS4 games for a discount. 'PlayStation Hits' will offer titles like Metal Gear Solid V, Doom, Bloodborne and Uncharted 4 for $20. The game line will be available online and in stores -- just look for the red banner at the top of the box.
'Bloodstained' will scratch your 'Castlevania' itch
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (SotN) is one of the most influential games ever made. First released for the original PlayStation in 1997, the game has since been ported to nearly every platform under the sun. It perfected the series' core design concept where players could explore gigantic 2D environments at will, collecting new abilities that unlocked hidden-in-plain-sight secrets in previously traversed areas. It also iterated on the superb Super Metroid released for the SNES three years prior. That framework was so well-done that it spawned its own genre ("Metroidvania") and countless games have used it since. Koji Igarashi, SotN's co-creator, has finally brought his crowdfunded (and SotN spiritual successor) Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night to E3. How does it play? Pretty close to the original.
NBC Sports brings World Cup streams to PlayStation 4
NBC has brought its sports app to PlayStation 4, which is splendid news for gamers who are also mad about soccer. There's a certain convenience in playing Fortnite and being able to switch over to a live sports stream. Of course, NBC Sports already has apps on a number of platforms, such as Windows, Roku, Chromecast and mobile. The free app has already hosted a number of sports events this year, including the NHL Winter Classic, the PyeongChang Winter Olympics and Tennis grand slam Roland Garros. NBC began its coverage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup yesterday, treating fans to a riveting opening match with Russia demolishing Saudi Arabia. NBC Sports doesn't have the rights to English-language coverage -- that's covered by Fox -- but it has locked in Telemundo's Spanish broadcasts instead. Watching the soccer from the comfort of your living room might not be as cool as experiencing it through VR, but you can still theorize about this year's winner -- Goldman Sachs' AI is tipping Brazil and EA has France down to win the tournament.
‘Control’ is a leap of faith for the team behind ‘Alan Wake'
Control isn't what you expect. Rather than the stylized, linear shooters developer Remedy Entertainment is known for, it's a free-form experience that has more in common with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night than it does with Alan Wake. Except, instead of exploring a moody castle, you're scouring the shape-shifting headquarters of a secretive government agency, the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC), which has been infested by an otherworldly presence known as The Hiss. There's still shooting, of course, and it all looks incredibly cinematic, with pillars breaking apart and protagonist Jesse Faden using both telekinetic powers and a shape-shifting firearm to dispatch the presence haunting her former coworkers. The entire game takes place within the FBC's headquarters, The Oldest House. From the outside, it looks like a nondescript building in Manhattan. But once you cross the threshold, things start getting surreal.
Sony issues non-response to ‘Fortnite’ cross-play woes on Switch
Fortnite diehards would have been undoubtedly jubilant at the E3 announcement that the battle royale hit had come to Nintendo Switch. Its arrival was even blessed with the inclusion of native voice-chat. Yes, things were peachy until hopeful players tried logging into their Epic Games account on PlayStation 4, and realized they couldn't use their existing Epic accounts to access the game. Even though Sony wasn't directly involved in Fortnite's Switch launch, the company still had a say over how the game could be played.
'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.
Watch the PlayStation E3 media briefing in under 11 minutes
Sony's Playstation E3 press conference was an unusual affair, set up in a small, church or dance-hall venue with pew-like benches for participants. It turns out that the room was nearly identical to a scene from The Last of Us 2 the (very violent) game that kicked off the atmospheric press conference. From there, we got deep dives on Kojima Productions' Death Stranding, Spider-Man from Insomniac, and Sucker Punch's samurai combat game Ghost of Tsushima. Luckily, you don't have to cram yourself into the tiny venue -- you can catch it here in less than 11 minutes.
Watch Sony's E3 keynote live with us at 9PM Eastern
Sony has to work extra hard to impress the E3 audience after Microsoft's strong showing. Expect to hear the electronics giant chat about upcoming marquee titles like Spider-Man, Death Stranding and The Last of Us 2. And maybe we'll get a glimpse at some Red Dead Redemption 2 gameplay. We can dream, at least. Sony's E3 keynote kicks off at 9PM Eastern. Join us for our live commentary above!
‘Elder Scrolls: Blades’ is an RPG you can play anywhere
Have you ever wanted to play an Elder Scrolls game on your phone, for free? Bethesda thinks you have and has you covered with Elder Scrolls: Blades, what the company's Todd Howard described as "a pure Elder Scrolls game." It'll run on every platform imaginable, Howard said, and all the versions will connect to one another, so, for instance, someone on an iPhone X can play against someone who's running through it on a PC-based VR system or standard console. It'll be out this fall. You use finger-swipes for melee attacks and casting spells against various beasts (and other players) in procedurally generated dungeons, and beautiful forests.
Microsoft was right in 2013: This is the always-on generation
Microsoft lost its goddamn mind in 2013. It revealed the Xbox One on May 21st in a livestreamed press conference dedicated to its goals for gaming's long-awaited eighth generation. A lineup of executives in blazers hit the stage, punctuated by Microsoft Studios head Phil Spencer in a professorial sweater set, to extol the virtues of the company's first new console in seven years. With practiced smiles, they broke it down: The Xbox One and the new Kinect would be an all-in-one system providing television, sports and, of course, video games via an improved online ecosystem. The console was more powerful than ever and it would be constantly listening, waiting for the keyword that would turn it on without users having to touch a controller. They didn't address the rumors swirling about the Xbox One's inability to play used games, its strict digital rights management (DRM), or the console's need to be constantly connected to the internet. Players were left wondering if they'd have to upgrade their internet plans, if they'd be able to play games brought over by friends, or whether they would actually own anything they purchased on the Xbox One. Instead of providing answers, Microsoft seemed content to bombard the audience with all of the shiny new TV and sports apps (and, yeah, some video games) coming to the Xbox One.
