What could be more ridiculous than a Hot Tub Time Machine? How about a sequel? Gratuitous as it may seem, Hot Tub Time Machine 2 has found its way to theaters five short years after its absurd and hysterical predecessor. Extraneous? Sure. Once you’re familiar with the title of the film all questions of whether or not it’s called for get swept aside. The real question here is, “Is this film funny in the slightest?” Simply, yes, Hot Tub Time Machine 2 is hilarious. Bringing three of the four leads back from the first film – the funniest three, by the way – this second film twists the aggressive comedy dial hard to the right and with a brazen attitude. It’s as if the film dares you to be disgusted, and, to an extent, it succeeds. More below! ›››
New doubts have been cast over the free PlayStation Plus edition of Driveclub after the head of PlayStation Europe was unable to answer questions on whether the game would still materialise.
Jim Ryan, who manages SCEE, was asked in an interview with Metro whether the release of the free version–which was first promised in June 2013–was still part of Sony’s plans.
“That’s still being looked at,” he replied.
When asked whether the free version would ever ship, Ryan replied: “I can’t say anything at this stage.” GameSpot has contacted Sony for further clarification.
At E3 2013, months ahead of the release of the PlayStation 4, Sony made a pledge that PlayStation Plus subscribers would be given a free abridged version of Driveclub as a reward for their membership.
Jim Ryan believes the technical challenges of a more open online infrastructure were “misjudged”
But the matter was complicated on several occasions, first in October 2013 when the racing sim was delayed just weeks ahead of its launch. It was delayed again in early 2014, and when finally released in October 2014, it launched with major server issues that knocked its network infrastructure offline.
Months of waiting followed while fans hoped that the free version would still ship. Then, in early February this year, a representative for the game’s developer, Evolution Studios, told a fan that the build “still needs a lot of work“.
In his interview with Metro, Ryan wanted to explain that Sony had worked intensely to salvage Driveclub’s disastrous online launch.
“Everybody in this building [Sony Europe HQ in London] and in the development community was absolutely distraught… I don’t think anybody should labour under the opinion that there was any feeling of insouciance or anybody being relaxed about that being the case.
“People were working 24/7, and that’s an expression that’s lightly used but people were working 24/7 trying to fix this.”
Jim Ryan on the Driveclub launch
“People were working 24/7, and that’s an expression that’s lightly used but people were working 24/7 trying to fix this.
“Now, should the game have worked at launch? Of course. Should people pay £50 for something and expect it to work? Of course.
“I think one thing that the industry appears to have misjudged in the generational transition–where there’s a lot spoken about moving to a more straightforward PC architecture that should make it easy for developers to come to terms with next gen and all of that–is I think the massively enhanced online ambitions a lot of developers and publishers have identified as one of the opportunists of next gen, appear to have been way more technically challenging than anyone realised.”
PlayStation 4 exclusive The Order: 1886 has jumped to first place in the UK games charts, sales monitor Chart-Track revealed on Monday.
Developed by PSP specialists Ready at Dawn, the studio’s debut PS4 title had a rocky launch with middling critical reception and debate regarding its somewhat short campaign length.
Despite this, the widely promoted title debuts at the top of that chart, and marks the first time Sony’s in-house team has created a UK number one since August 2014 (with The Last of Us Remastered).
Meanwhile, a 66 percent drop in sales led to 2K Games’ Evolve to fall from the top spot down to third, just behind Activision’s longstanding shooter Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Retail promotions for Far Cry 4 bring it up three places to fourth.
Majora’s Mask 3D, the latest classic Nintendo title to be remastered for the 3DS, drops from second place to eighth following a 70 percent drop in sales. The other major 3DS release, Capcom’s Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, sinks from fourth to twelfth with a similar drop in units.
Neither of the two newest entrants made the top ten, with the PC strategy game Total War: Attila hitting 21 and the remastered Dead or Alive 5 Last Round for PS4 and Xbox One joining at 27. Because PC games tend to be purchased digitally, which Chart-Track doesn’t calculate, Total War: Attila’s position in the chart is somewhat unrepresentative.
Developer Team Ninja has issued warnings via Twitter for a game-breaking bug in the recently released Dead or Alive 5 Last Round. The bug in question occurs in Tutorial Mode Lesson 40.8 and 40.9, where it freezes the game and corrupts save data.
WARNING (1/3): DOA5 Last Round (All platforms). Pls DO NOT play Tutorial Mode Lesson 40.8 and 40.9 #DOA5LRpic.twitter.com/89xaFo5V5a
The issue affects the German, Spanish, French, and Italian versions of the game. The Japanese, English, traditional Chinese, and Korean versions of the game remain unaffected. The developer apologised and stated that it was trying to “fix it ASAP.”
Xenoverse was originally scheduled to launch earlier, but according to publisher Bandai Namco the game was delayed to “ensure the highest possible gameplay experience” for players. Xenoverse is developed by Dimps, who also worked on the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai series and co-developed Street Fighter IV. Xenoverse will feature a custom character creator, with players able to choose from a variety of races including Saiyans, Namekians, Earthlings, and Majins.
The story in Xenoverse centres on that of a malevolent force who is messing with time, changing the outcome of events in the past. With the help of Trunks, the player must step into the series’ history and correct the timeline back to what it originally was.
If you prefer to go further back in time, Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires will launch for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 this week. The game will feature 83 warriors to choose from and new customisation options, should you want to create your own original warrior.
For those who haven’t picked up Dying Light digitally, the game is available at retailers this week. An open-world survival game, Dying Light contains elements of parkour and is set in a zombie-infested city. The game was praised in GameSpot’s review for its movement and combat, but criticized for poorly designed missions. For more details on games out this week, check the list below.
All additional funds raised for Star Citizen will towards expanding the scope of the game.
In other Star Citizen news, developer Cloud Imperium Games has recently detailed the game’s incredibly deep mining occupation, explaining how players will be able to make money by searching for and mining valuable materials in the deep reaches of space.
For more on Star Citizen and Roberts himself, check out part one and part two of GameSpot’s interview with the legendary designer.
This custom variation of a Gundam 30th anniversary figure sure is something. It lights up, yeah, but the fact its exhaust ports also smoke is pretty neat.
There was a Red Dead fan film released a couple of years ago that was very influenced by 70’s schlock. This new one is a more traditional take on the game, and it’s all the better for it.
