Throughout the next five weeks, Sony will be distributing free games on PlayStation Mobile devices as well as PS Vita.
Sony are getting into the festive spirit as European Product Manager Mayumi Donovan revealed various games will be periodically released in blocks over the next five weeks completely free of charge.
Two new games will release each Wednesday, however the first games are available right now, including Passing Time, which has been described as "An all-new touch-controlled football game", with the objective to "burn the opposition with a blistering fireball". Sounds fun, right?
The second game is Rymdkapsel "a meditative strategy game set in the depths of space.", players will be "tasked with building the best possible space station by commanding your minions to collect and utilise the different resources at your disposal."
In order to get these games, you'll need the PlayStation Mobile App installed or you can head over to the PlayStation Store to directly download the games to your PS Vita.
Various hints have suggested the overall lifecycle of the newly released PS4 could very well be shorter than the PS3.
UK Sony boss Fergal Gara spoke with Tech Radar in regards to the PS4's lifespan throughout certain markets and their respective territories. The thirst for new technology will be the primary reason according to Gara, saying:
"It's probably a sign of the times and how much has changed in seven years, but I think the willingness and the appetite to pick up new technology fast has probably changed quite a bit."
Because the PS4 has just launched, it is difficult to accurately predict its future, however Gara went on to say:
"We're going to have a much better feel for it once we're a good few months in and we can see how the dynamics are emerging."
Are you standing in the queues in the cold for your PS4 tonight? Leave your experiences in the comments below.
Speaking with Polygon, Sam Lake expresses he is definitely ready to make more Alan Wake games.
Remedy Entertainment's creative director Sam Lake appears to be extremely enthusiastic at the thought of another Alan Wake game.
Released back in 2010 exclusively on Xbox 360, Alan Wake received an extremely good reception, often receiving high review scores.
In an interview with Polygon, Lake really likes the idea of another game, saying "We love Wake and we are constantly looking for opportunities and talking about possibilities of what we could do with Wake", going on to say "definitely love to do more Wake".
Things are looking up for Wake fans - does this mean we'll get an official Alan Wake 2? Leave your comments below.
Black Friday is rapidly getting closer, so Steam have launched their Autumn sale with new sales daily.
Steam have released the first list of games that will be periodically put on sale each day from November 27 - December 3, including The Walking Dead and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Each day a new batch of games will go on sale, keep checking the Steam Store for updates.
'Flash Sales' will also take place, meaning various games will go on sale but only for a small period of time. Check out the full list including the discounted prices below.
With December quickly approaching, Microsoft have revealed the latest games available as part of the Games With Gold scheme.
It's safe to assume every Xbox 360 owner has played Gears of War at some point, and as it turns out it will feature as the highlight to December's Games With Gold scheme Microsoft started back in June.
Gears originally launched in 2006 and since has grown a large committed fanbase and spawning various sequels.
It is your mission to save the human race from the hordes of Locusts, to do this you'll take control of Marcus Fenix and use a variety of weaponry to take down the enemy in any way possible. You can download the game from December 1-15.
Making itself available December 16-31, Shoot Many Robots does exactly what it says on the tin - blast your way through numerous robotic enemies in 2D environments. The game also allows up to 4 players for multiplayer play, making for even more chaos than there already is.
A list of both the prices and download size of PS4 digital launch games has emerged, with most EA games costing the most.
Although the PS4 doesn't launch until November 29, the PlayStation Store has already gone live within the UK and The Sixth Axis have managed to access the various content available from day one.
The game Warframe will be a free to download game, whilst Need for Speed Rivals, Battlefield 4, FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, and NBA Live 14 are the most expensive at a price of £62.99. PlayStation Plus subscribers will also be able to download Res0gun and Contrast for free. Check out the full list below.
Killzone Shadow Fall: 38.2GB - £52.99
Call of Duty: Ghosts: 31.8GB - £54.99
FIFA 14: 9.9GB - £62.99
Battlefield 4: 36.4GB - £62.99
Need for Speed Rivals: 16GB - £62.99
Knack: 34.8GB - £52.99
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag: 21.7GB - £57.99
Res0gun: 460MB - £12.79 (Free with PS+)
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: 6.4GB - £52.99
NBA Live 14: 9.3GB - £62.99
Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition: 21.7GB - £52.99
With this Friday marking the European release of the PS4, Sony have revealed various launch events throughout Europe.
SCEE Blog Manager Fred Dutton has posted an extensive list of various locations throughout European territories that will be hosting special launch events in preparation of the PS4.
People planning to buy their PS4 at launch are encouraged to attend these events if possible - "If you're close to one of these locations please do join us. It's going to be one heck of a night."
Take a look at the locations below:
Berlin, Germany Where: Sony Center Berlin, Potsdamer Platz, Kemperplatz 1 When: 28th November, from 5pm Celebrate the PS4 launch on a midnight sale together with live acts, celebrities and a stage spectacle.
Copenhagen, Denmark Where: All Gamestop stores in Denmark, plus five selected stores with special support from PlayStation: Næstved, Cph Fisketorvet, Lyngby, Ålborg Storcenter, Bruuns Galleri. When: 28th November, from 9.00pm Midnight opening, with giveaways, competitions and more.
Dublin, Ireland Where: PS4 Rooms, 10 St Stephen Green, Dublin 2 When: Open now until 8th December Visit the PS4 Rooms for your chance to get hands on with the PS4 and the fantastic line-up of games – Knack, Killzone Shadow Fall, Call of Duty Ghosts, DRIVECLUB, Assassins Creed 4 Black Flag, and much more.
Gdansk, Poland Where: Galeria Baltycka Shopping Center When: Open now, until close on 28th November Go hands-on with PS4 launch games, including Killzone Shadow Fall, Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Battlefield 4, Knack, FIFA 14, Need for Speed Rivals and more.
Helsinki, Finland Where: Tennispalatsi When: 29th November – 30th December Visit our PS4 Lounge and try out the new console.
London, UK Where: 17 Bedford Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 9HP When: 28th November, from 7.00pm PS4 will be available to purchase on the night with entertainment happening throughout the evening. We have goodie bags, competitions, special guests, chances to get hands-on before launch, performers and more! Can’t make it to London? Over 400 stores nationwide open at midnight.
Katowice, Poland Where: Silesia City Center When: Open now, until close on 28th November Go hands-on with PS4 launch games, including Killzone Shadow Fall, Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Battlefield 4, Knack, FIFA 14, Need for Speed Rivals and more.
Madrid, Spain Where: Sony Computer Entertainment España, Calle Pedro Valdivia, 10, 28006 When: 28th November, from 3.30pm Come to PlayStation HQ, meet people from PlayStation Spain, and be in with a chance of winning a PS4. Cosplayers very welcome!
Moscow, Russia Where: M.Video, Trubnaya square, 2, Neglinnaya mall When: 28th November, from 10.00pm Sales will open two hours before midnight, with giveaways, prize-draws and other celebrations.
Oslo, Norway Where: GameStop Generius Storgata 32 1472 When: 28th November Midnight opening with giveaways and a FIFA contest.
Paris, France Where: Sony Store Paris, 39 avenue George V, 75008 Paris When: 29th November, from 11.00am 800 PS4s will be available to purchase without pre-order.
Poznan, Poland Where: Stary Browar When: Open now, until close on 28th November Go hands-on with PS4 launch games, including Killzone Shadow Fall, Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Battlefield 4, Knack, FIFA 14, Need for Speed Rivals and more.
Rome, Italy Where: Castel Sant’Angelo When: 28th November, from 8.30pm Witness the amazing transformation of an iconic landmark.
Stockholm, Sweden Where: Webhallen Store, Sveavägen 39 When: 28th November, from 10.00pm Midnight opening, with countdown, giveaways, competitions and more.
St Petersburg, Russia Where: M.Video, Balkanskaya square 5, Gallery mall When: 28th November, from 10.00pm Sales will open two hours before midnight, with giveaways, prize-draws and other celebrations.
Warsaw, Poland Where: Arkadia Shopping Center When: Open now, until close on 28th November Go hands-on with PS4 launch games, including Killzone Shadow Fall, Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Battlefield 4, Knack, FIFA 14, Need for Speed Rivals and more. Plus, midnight opening in Sony Store.
Retailers will also be holding their individual midnight launch events, which are not included in the list provided within the EU PlayStation blog.
Activison want to bring back the Crash Bandicoot series, despite of rumours they sold the IP to Sony.
Earlier in the week, rumours spread throughout the industry which lead to believe Activision would be selling the Crash Bandicoot IP back to Sony. Disproving these allegations, the company spoke with Game Informer:
"Activision owns Crash Bandicoot and we continue to explore ways in which we could bring the beloved series back to life."
The first Crash Bandicoot game was released in 1996 on the PlayStation, the game was then owned by Naughty Dog (The Last Of Us, Uncharted) until 1999, since then the franchise has been juggled around between numerous developers including Eurocom, Traveller's Tales, Radical Entertainment, and so on.
If a reboot was to happen, would you want it stay true to the original style of gameplay or focus on something new complete? Comment below.
Whilst both games offer players an incredible gaming experience, which will come out on top in this brutal bout?
VS.
Its safe to assume each of these games are well known for something that defines them both as different games, yet sit comfortably together within the fighting genre. Mortal Kombat (MK) impressed gamers back in 1992 with its real-life actors who were then digitized into the game itself, MK was also the first game ever to receive a mature rating by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), due to its generous amount of blood and violence.
Street Fighter II (SFII) on the other hand would expand on the core mechanics of the first Street Fighter, and improve them immensely offering one of the most memorable and unique fighting game experiences to date. During the early 90s, these two games stood as the biggest rivals within the fighting genre, and are still compared to this day, not just in terms of these older games, but new releases too.
Graphics
Please keep in mind this retro showdown is based on the console ports of these games, not the original arcade cabinets.
Mortal Kombat features impressive sprites, which was due to the real-life actors who portrayed each fighter - as mentioned earlier, each character has been digitized into the game which was an astonishing thing to be able to pull of back then, especially on a home console such as the SNES. There is an old behind the scenes video showcasing the different actors performing their trademark moves, as well as demonstrations on how the digitizing process actually works. Check it out below.
A total of 7 stages make up for some very memorable environments, this game spawned the infamous 'Pit I' - the stage in which upon defeating an opponent, you can uppercut that fighter to a pit of spikes below, covered with blood and skeletons leftover from previous battles.
Well, that actually depends on which version of the game you're playing - the SNES port got rid of all the blood to ensure the game would suit Nintendo's 'Family Friendly' policy, replacing blood with sweat. It wasn't all bad though - the MegaDrive/Genesis version would let players use a code to allow blood in the game, also known as Blood Mode.
Each stage had its own unique look, like most fighting games do, for example 'Warrior Shrine' - statues of all the fighters in the game could be seen in the background, reminding you that you'll have to defeat them all eventually, although neither of the statues look particularly intimidating, still an incredibly detailed and illustrative stage though.
Home console versions lacked much of the mature content the original arcade cabinets contained.
Although SFII didn't use digitized fighters, it's graphics were nothing to be mocked - they were and still are quite impressive, considering the time it was released. Each fighter is highly detailed, creating a unique identity throughout the roster - all of the sprites are generally sharp and crisp, making for not only an enjoyable gaming experience but something that was really nice to look at - if you take the time to really observe a SFII character, you'll see the amount of sheer detail put into them.
Like MK,SFII had its fair amount of stages which were unique to a certain character's personality, narrative, and so forth - for example Dhalsim's stage was set in India, showcasing huge elephants and indian imagery on the walls in the background, things like this made for exceptional graphic design and shows Capcom put a lot of thought into how the game would look.
A perfect illustration of the graphics - vibrant with a lot of personality.
MK may have impressed us with the new technology of using real life actors, but the sheer charm of SFII's visuals take this one.
Mortal Kombat - 0 | Street Fighter II - 1
Music/Audio
Both games have their moments when it comes to the music used, MK had that memorable 'Select Your Fighter' track, which would set the tone for what the player could expect in the actual game, it was exciting and put you in the mood to beat down Johnny Cage over and over again. Of course, each fighter had their own respective themes, which were good enough and did the job at differentiating the roster, but in general these tracks always lacked energy and excitement.
Select Your Fighter (SNES version)
As for the sounds, every attack would give off this certain noise letting you know that whatever move you just did definitely did some damage to the opponent, this combined with the fighters grunts and groans as they fight makes for an awesome fighting game, which really utilizes different sounds to give players full satisfaction during a battle. On the other hand, there's 'Guiles Theme' in SFII - there's just something about this track that instantly puts you in the mood to play SF, it sticks in your brain like a pop song (then again, is that a good thing?). Take a listen to the song below.
Guiles Theme (SNES version)
Just like MK, SFII had its fair share of sound effects which were used when beating down your opponent - whether it be a simple punch to Blanka's electric-fuelled attacks, no matter what you were doing, you'd always get this incredible audio to aid the game's entertainment value. The rest of the roster had their own songs too, and although Ryu was essentially the game's mascot, his music was not on par with Guiles in the slightest.
SFII takes another point, the music is much better and enjoyable to listen to, its really as simple as that.
Mortal Kombat - 0 | Street Fighter II - 2
Storyline
You could argue that games within the fighting genre don't really need to rely on a good storyline to make the game good, what with the often quick playthroughs of the typical arcade mode - you choose a character, fight numerous opponents and it's game over. However, the narratives in both MK and SFII are nothing to be brushed aside, each character has their own unique backstory which if properly looked into, should improve your overall experience of the game.
Let's look at Scorpion for example - a resurrected Ninja who is now a hell-spawned undead who's goal is to avenge those who destroyed his clan and family members, things like this almost give you an extra reason to play the game as this certain character as you might want to find out more by beating the game to unlock further narrative.
The storyline throughout MK in general is that the original tournament named 'Shaolin Tournament' would promote healthy competition with the best fighters around, this was until the four-armed beast Goro invaded the tournament. From here, Goro would rule the competition for the next 500 years, not for bragging rights, but to aid Shang Tsung's thirst to conquer the Earth Realm.
The iconic logo symbolising the Mortal Kombat Tournament as well as the Elder God's in their dragon form.
SFII however, didn't contain such an exciting story - there's the on going battle between Ryu and M. Bison which is medicore at best. Before the events of SFII, M. Bison was defeated in the headquarters of his own criminal organisation Shadaloo, which leads to much rage and a need for revenge, so Bison re-enters the tournament in order to defeat his enemies and possibly take on new members to rebuild Shadaloo. It's all a bit wishy washy and doesn't promote much imagination for players. It does the job fine, but that's all it does.
The game centres around a tournament simply known as 'Street Fighter Tournament' - similar to MK, participants would have to prove their strength and abilities through a number of battles, and whoever came out on top would be crowned the winner and the best fighter around.
Participants would travel around the world to take on various opponents.
MK takes the point here due to its ability to immerse players into each and every character's storylines, which are all extremely interesting and bring more life to the game, as well as an extra reason to finish the game with all the characters to reveal the complete story.
Mortal Kombat - 1 | Street Fighter II - 2
Gameplay
Like practically every fighting game, a player usually chooses their desired fighter and utilizes various moves to deplete the opponent's health bar, often with a timer included. SFII and MK did just that, however each are significantly different, both providing a unique sense of gameplay that would define these games to what they are today.
The overall style of MK was generally quite slow-paced, often allowing yourself to tactically decide what your next move will be - there wasn't much variation either, each fighter would all share the same standard moves such as the classic upper cut, high kick, and so forth.
Saying that, a special set of moves would be applied to each fighter too, whether it be Sub-Zero's 'Ice Ball' or Scorpion's simply named 'Spear', which would drag an opponent over in a dazed state, using a spear attached to a rope which would disperse from his hand.
Whilst these special moves were extremely inventive and imaginative, the real focus had to be on the game's Fatality system - at the end of a bout, players could input a combination of buttons which would perform the fighters ultimate finisher if you will
You might remember Raiden's fatality, in which he would electrocute the opponent, leading to their heads simply popping off through the extreme amounts of pressure applied, of course this was followed with a fountain of blood from the now headless corpse.
Who really likes Johnny Cage anyway? Raiden applying his
deadly thunder-based fatality.
There was also the Test Your Might mini-game, which would allow players to take a break from the tournament, and well, test their might. You would have to build up enough power before a timer ran in order to break various materials, including wood right up to ruby.
Now, SFII - also very much like MK, you'd pick your fighter and away you go, it even had mini-games throughout the game, but this time much more fun. These included literally beating up a car, the more it was damaged by end of the timer, the most points you'd receive, another was the pummeling of a pile of bricks, again the more you manage to break, the larger the bonus score will be.
The pace in SFII was incredibly exciting, you'd always have to think of what to do next in mere seconds as the opponent would often come back even with very little health, proving for intense fights which would really test your ability of the game, something MK lacked a lot.
Each character would have their own distinguishable move set, for example E. Honda's 'Hundred Hand Slap' or Blanka's 'Electric Thunder', these types of moves were often very deadly and would consume much of a players health bar.
E. Honda performing one of his signature
moves - arguably a cheap way for an easy win.
Whilst SFII didn't contain the illustrative and very entertaining move sets contained in MK, the gameplay was much more fierce and competitive, offering lots of replay value - things like mastering the perfect combo's to quickly defeat an opponent, and so on. SFII takes this point.
With its recent release in the US, Nintendo have released a launch trailer showing off the game's various levels and mini-games.
Footage shows the numerous playable boards players can get their hands on and their respective individual traits, as well as various strategies that will come in to play.
Much like previous Mario Party games, the ultimate objective is to reach the end of a board in order to win, whether it be using weapons, power-ups, and so forth.
A total of 8 characters are playable, although initially there will only be 7 due to Bowser Jr. being unlocked upon finishing the new single-player mode; Bowser's Tower. These include fan favourites and instantly recognisable Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Wario, Waluigi, Yoshi, Boo, Toad, and as mentioned earlier; Bowser Jr.
There are 81 mini-games to take part in, including Role a Slope, in which players must navigate a wall to reach the bottom whilst avoiding any obstacles that get in the way.
A more interesting mini-game titled The Choicest Voice allows players to imitate certain characters voices, and then will be judged to see how alike the impression is.
A European release date is set for January 14 and is exclusive to the 3DS. Check out the launch trailer below and leave your impressions in the comments.
Also shown are the amount of space each download will take up on the system's hard drive.
In preparation for the console's midnight launch tonight, Microsoft has updated the official Xbox website with a list of various launch games and DLC that are available to download.
Information given includes prices of both the games, DLC, season passes, and finally the amount of GB required. Full list below.
Xbox One
Angry Birds Star Wars - 1.81GB / £35.19
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - 20.25GB / £54.99
Battlefield 4 - 34.3GB / £54.99
Call of Duty: Ghosts - 39.5GB / £54.99
Call of Duty: Ghosts Digital Hardened Edition - £94.99
Crimson Dragon - 6.88GB / £15.99
Dead Rising 3 - 19.9GB / £44.99
Dead Rising 3: Day One Premium - £68.99
FIFA 14 - 8.7GB / £54.99
Fighter Within - 11.05GB / £49.99
Forza Motorsport 5 - 31.76GB / £44.99
Just Dance 2014 - 22.79GB / £33.99
Killer Instinct - 3.25 GB / Free
Lego Marvel Super Heroes - 6.38GB
LocoCycle - 13.17GB / £15.99
Madden NFL 25 - 12.51GB / £54.99
NBA 2K14 - 43.6GB / £54.99
NBA Live 14 - 9.13GB / £54.99
Need for Speed Rivals - 15.35GB / £54.99
Powerstar Golf - 3.92GB / £15.99
Ryse: Son of Rome - 34.94GB / £44.99
Skylanders Swap Force - 15.72GB
Zoo Tycoon - 2.62GB / £49.99
Xbox Fitness - 252MB / Free
Downloadable Content/Season Passes
Assassin's Creed IV Season Pass - 7.51MB / £15.99
Assassin's Creed IV Multiplayer Gameplay Pack - 9.52MB / £19.99
Call of Duty: Ghosts Season Pass - 7.51MB / £35.99
Dead Rising 3 Season Pass: 73.6MB / £23.99
Forza 5 Motorsport Car Pass: 9.52MB / £39.99
Forza 5 Motorsport LaFerrari Pack: 10.85MB / £7.99
Forza 5 Motorsport VIP Membership: 9.52MB / £15.99
All ready for Christmas, Nintendo are releasing a bundle including some of the Wii U's best games.
Amongst other goodies, the highlight of this newly announced bundle will include the soon-to-be released Super Mario 3D World.
Titled the 'Mario Mega Bundle', also included is the Wii U Premium Pack, New Super Mario Bros. U, New Super Luigi U, a replica of Mario's trademark hat, and finally a Mario-themed Wii Remote Plus.
Pre-orders are now available through the official UK Nintendo store and will cost £299.99. The bundle will launch November 29, the same day as the release of Super Mario 3D World.
The 3D remake has become available on iOS devices through the US Apple store.
Originally released earlier this year in September, the remake of the MegaDrive/Genesis classic; Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse became subject to positive reviews.
The game is now available on iOS devices and has been optimized especially for iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and anything above that.
It has been given a retail price of $9.99 and will take up 481MB of storage space. Just like the original narrative, players must navigate various stages in the Castle of Illusion to find Minnie Mouse and rescue her from the grip of an evil witch known as Mizrabel.
Popular RPG titles have been given the discount treatment, along with an additional 10% for PS Plus subscribers.
Lasting until December 4, Sony are applying discounts to various RPG games on the European PS Store, including notable titles such as The Elder Scrolls V and Defiance.
PS Store Team member Jawad Ashraf describes the sale as a "treasure trove of savings" - an entire list of games participating in the sale can be listed below with their discounted prices.
Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk - £15.99
Dead Island (Game of the Year Edition) - £7.99
Defiance - £14.99
Defiance (Deluxe Edition) - £20.15
Demon's Souls - £7.99
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Complete Edition - £15.99
Problems experienced on the PS4 version of Ghosts will hopefully be fixed with the newly released patch.
Since it's launch, people have been reporting numerous problems in Call of Duty Ghosts, such as spawn-killing exploits in the game's multiplayer, as well as performance issues.
A patch released today should fix any of the mentioned problems, other updates include a XP reward increase in Operations as well as numerous weapon challenges.
Leaderboards for the Search & Destroy gametype have now been implemented along with increased XP, and collision bugs which promote cheating are now fixed.
The first expansion for Diablo III will be in a closed-beta phase by the end of the year.
The beta has officially opened, but only to Blizzard employees and respective friends and family members, which has been described as "the first step of public testing".
However, the official Diablo III website has revealed a Closed Beta will take place before 2014, but will be "extremely limited" with your chances being higher if you're a player who plays the game regularly as you'll be recognised as an active player.
The Beta's content will include the new class Crusader, an NPC known as Mystic (or Myriam Jahzia) who specialises in enchanting, and finally Adventure Mode. The final boss battle will not be available though.
In order to have a chance of getting into the Beta, login at Battle Net and follow the instructions.
The update is now available to download which will improve stability of the system.
Eric Lempel, VP of Sony Network Entertainment has released information regarding how the 1.51 update will benefit the PS4 and its users. The update is required and will be available when you next login.
Lempel talks about what the update will actually do:
"Stability of system software has been improved. In addition, minor refinements to elements of the system UI (such as clearly indicating when a user downloads a game and a game patch at the same time) have been introduced."
The PS4 launched November 15 in North America, whilst Europe will have to wait until November 29.
