Sony has announced that new coloured custom faceplates for the PlayStation 4 will be launching in the UK on November 18, and one day later will be be available in Australia. Check out the gallery below to see close-ups of the colours that will be available.
The faceplates can be installed onto PS4 by removing the hard disk drive cover, then sliding the new faceplate cover in until it clicks into place. The colours that will be available include Neon Orange, Aqua Blue, Red and Glacier White. At present, PlayStation has not announced any plans to launch the silver and gold cover plates in either Europe or Australia.
Sony has introduced a new Wishlist feature to the PlayStation Store, allowing users to add “games, movies, and TV shows to keep track of everything you want.”
Currently, the functionality appears to only be available when on the web version of the PlayStation Store. It is unclear when, or if, it will be added to the console store. You can choose to allow your friends to see what’s on your wishlist, or keep it private.
On the right side of the screen, lists are populated with best-selling games and movies. Clicking the heart icon next to a product will move it to the wishlist, where an “Add to Basket” button is prominently available. Individual game pages also feature an “Add to Wishlist” button.
The PS4 maintained its position as the best-selling console in the US in September. According to data published by NPD.
“As we kick off the holiday season, we would like to take a moment to thank fans for making PlayStation 4 the best-selling console and #1 in software sales in September,” Sony said in a statement.
Pokemon fans in Japan will soon get to visit a real-world Pokemon Gym. The gym, which its creator Sanoyas Interaction is calling a “hands-on edutainment facility,” will open in Osaka on November 19.
It’s called the Pokemon Expo Gym. According to an Inside Games report (translated by Siliconera), fans can battle and trade with others and play Pokemon arcade “training” games. These games, including “Charizard’s Battle Colosseum” and “Gardevoir’s Control Score,” will even hand on rewards to players in the form of in-game items for mainline installments such as Pokemon X/Y and Alpha Sapphire/Omega Ruby.
A special Pokemon Expo Gym Gear smartphone app is even being created to track your stats and ranking for the gym itself. There was no mention in the report about Gym Leaders to defeat or badges to collect.
In the Pokemon series, Gyms are where you go to train your Pokemon before setting out. There are dozens and dozens of these that exist in the Pokemon fiction spread across games and other media.
The next major Pokemon game is Pokemon Go, an ambitious-sounding mobile game that challenges players to find, catch, and trade Pokemon creatures in the real world. Its developer, Niantic Labs, recently received $20 million in funding to assist in the game’s development.
Would you ever want to visit a real-world Pokemon gym? Let us know in the comments below.
A wireless adapter that links PCs with Xbox One controllers is now available in major western territories including North America and the UK, Microsoft has announced.
The $25 (£20) adapter, which was first revealed at this year’s Game Developers Conference, connects to PC via USB (2.0 or 3.0), and can communicate with up to eight Xbox One controllers simultaneously. All the features of the console pad, such as its rumble tech, have carried over.
This new dongle comes as Microsoft’s games division continues its efforts in bridging the gap between Xbox One and PC. As part of that wider initiaitive, Xbox One owners can now stream their games to Windows 10 PCs, as well as facilitate cross-platform play in upcoming games such as Lionhead’s upcoming RPG Fable Legends.
That will remain the only option for some PC and tablet owners, as the new wireless adapter requires Windows 10. The new operating system is a free upgrade right now for Windows 7 and 8 users, but while adoption has been strong, there are invariably going to be those who aren’t up-to-date and thus will be unable to use the adapter.
Activision Blizzard, the gaming giant behind the Call of Duty and World of Warcraft juggernaut franchises, is making a major play for esports. The company on Thursday announced the formation of a new division dedicated entirely to competitive gaming. Not only that, but Activision has hired some of gaming’s top talent to run it. Former ESPN and NFL Network president Steve Bornstein will serve as the division’s Chairman, while Major League Gaming co-founder and president Mike Sepso has left that company to work as Senior Vice President for Activision’s new gaming group.
Activision isn’t saying just yet what exactly the purpose of its new esports division is, only that its aim is to “deliver the best-in-class fan experience across games, platforms and geographies, furthering the development of its esports ecosystem.”
As for when Activision might provide specifics, Activision told GameSpot that BlizzCon and Activision’s investor day event immediately before it in November are two likely venues. But in an interview with GameSpot, Sepso provided some more context around the announcement and what it means.
Activision already has an extensive lineup of esports-focused initiatives such as tournaments for StarCraft, World of Warcraft, Heroes of the Storm, and HearthStone. In addition to this, the company recently announced a new competitive Call of Duty tournament called Call of Duty World League, boasting a $3 million prize pool. So what, then, is the purpose of Activision’s new esports division?
“In general, the creation of this division is an indication that at the very senior level, the company is taking esports seriously as an important part of the overall business,” Sepso told GameSpot. “Initially, the idea behind the division is to really be an internal resource to help the teams that are already deeply entrenched in the esports space.
“Each of the teams around each of the individual games is going to continue to operate the activities that they’ve been doing, and we’re here to try to help expand and explore new avenues for it. We all truly believe that esports is going to become a big, global major sport. And our mission is to help us get there as a one big team.”
Part of the division’s charter is to not only cater to existing esports fans, but to draw in new ones. Just like football can be fun to watch even if you’ve never played, the same can be true for gaming, Sepso said.
“If you think about it, tens of millions of people sit down and watch NFL games every Sunday in the fall in this country, and very, very few of them have actually ever played football,” he said. “And it’s not the easiest game to understand if you haven’t experienced it before. So I think there’s a lot of analogues. One of the reasons Steve is here to help us is there’s a lot of analogues to traditional sports and traditional sports television and how you tell stories and I think that’s one of the things he’s going to bring to the table for us.”
For his part, Bernstein said esports has the potential to stand alongside football, baseball, and basketball when it comes to size and mainstream appeal. “Between advertising, ticket sales, licensing, sponsorships, and merchandising, there are tremendous growth areas for this nascent industry,” he said.
One thing that’s holding esports back at the moment is how you find it. As Sepso explains, if you’re not looking for it, you may not find it, unlike other traditional sports that dominate news cycles and media coverage. But this is also a huge opportunity for gaming.
“It’s a sport that you have to go get on-demand, it’s not something you happen to come across because it’s on every channel on Sunday. So I think that’s one of the challenges. Unless you’re seeking out esports, there’s not a lot of opportunity to see it,” he said. “But that’s also one of the great opportunities about the sport. It’s the first sport that has the potential to be a big, global sport that has really grown up outside of traditional media distribution. Challenges, but also lots of opportunities.”
What do you make of Activision’s big esports announcement? Let us know in the comments below.
Yu Suzuki, the venerable games designer who directed the first two Shenmue games, has discussed some of his ideas for the crowd-funded sequel currently in development for PlayStation 4 and PC.
In an interview with DualShockers, Suzuki covered a broad range of subjects about his long-awaited Shenmue 3 project, from the game’s release date, to the decision to build it on Unreal Engine 4, whilst also briefly touching on his complex business relationship with Sega, which owns the IP but is not publishing the game.
Also, along with discussing the return of Lan Di and a trio of new bosses in the interview, Suzuki also subtly implied the project could eventually come to Xbox One. Asked whether he has been in discussion with Microsoft executives about an Xbox port, Suzuki replied “I’ll let you use your imagination on this one.”
It is not clear whether Suzuki can candidly discuss the Xbox One edition of the project, or even acknowledge his ambitions for the system. As part of an ambiguous partnership with Sony, the PlayStation 4 platform holder will provide assistance on production, marketing and publishing.
Speaking generally about the mechanics and presentation of the game, Suzuki said Shunmue 3 will control “simpler than in the past, and combat will be more cinematic. It will look more like a movie.” He added that the team expects the game to render at thirty frames-per-second, as 60 might be too big a technical hurdle.
He also suggested that, as with many Unreal Engine 4 projects, that the PC is technically the lead platform for development. But he added: “It’s not so simple. The prototypes are being made on PC, but then production shifts to PS4, and then to PC again.”
Suzuki sent shockwaves though the industry in June when he revealed, after some fourteen years since Shenmue 2, that he was set to develop a third game in the series, and bring an end to the story he originally drafted more than two decades ago.
While the previous Shenmue games were published by Sega, which still owns the IP, it is not clear what involvement the corporation has in this independently developed successor.
“It’s difficult to explain,” Suzuki replied when asked about the issue.
“I am the one who created Shenmue, so Sega allows me to take decisions for the game. They trust me because I know more about the workings of the game more than anyone else.”
Further details and insights can be found in the DualShockers interview.
Click on the thumbnails below to view in fullscreen
Another year, another Assassin’s Creed. This year’s entry takes the action to London and introduces dual protagonists–a first for the series. But are these changes enough to stave off stagnation? We’ve collected reviews from around the Internet to find out.
Below, you’ll find a sampling of scores and editor opinions, including our own. Once you’re done reading, you should have a good feel for the game’s critical reception. For a more in-depth look at all the Assassin’s Creed Syndicate reviews, be sure to read GameSpot sister site Metacritic.
“A disappointing final fight and some control hitches can’t diminish the charms of Assassin’s Creed Syndicate. The game is a triumphant return to form for a franchise, and presents a beautifully structured tale with heart and soul to spare.” – Alexa Ray Corriea [Fulll review]
Polygon — 8.5/10
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate’s biggest triumph: It pushes back against the collected cruft of eight years of releases, and spinoffs, an imposing accumulation of mechanics and lore and expectations. Syndicate doesn’t get everything right. It doesn’t solve all of the series’ problems, and at this point, I’m not sure if any one game could. However, it’s the first step in a uniformly positive direction that the franchise has taken in years. – Phil Kollar [Full review]
IGN — 8.2/10
“Assassin’s Creed Syndicate is the most fun I’ve had with an Assassin’s game since Black Flag. In fact, I liked it more. Apart from its ill-fitting conclusion, it never takes itself too seriously and delights in the rich possibilities of its Victorian setting and great new grapple gun.” – Daniel Krupa [Full review]
VideoGamer — 5/10
“When it is good, when the AI is behaving and it’s running well, it’s very good. But Syndicate is so adept at self-sabotage that it’s nearly impossible to enjoy this world missions, this game. It constantly rips you out of the experience, whether that be from frustration at the mechanics or outright bugginess. You’ll want to forgive it its flaws because it does Victorian London so well, something you just can’t get elsewhere. But leave it a few minutes and it reveals itself to be as utterly flawed as its forebears, a beautiful facade on a rotting core.” – Burns [Full review]
Eurogamer — Recommended
“Hopefully Syndicate’s legacy is its memorable cast of characters, its entertaining script and – most importantly – how it manages to recapture the series’ sense of fun. Its success is a testament to the work of Ubisoft Quebec, which found itself in charge of its first Assassin’s Creed game at a critical point for the series. Thankfully, in the game’s leading duo, in its new London playground and in the greater sense of freedom that Syndicate brings, it delivers.” – Tom Phillips [Full review]
Xbox Achievements — 80/100
“Something of a return to form for the series, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate is the perfect marriage of time, place, and characters with an entertaining story and fun gameplay to match. London has never seemed so appealing.” – Richard Walker [Full review]
GamesRadar — 4/5
“Combining both traditional and new Creed stories with its dual narrative, Syndicate not only manages to deliver a cohesive and satisfying tale but it does so within one of the finest settings the series has ever seen. No, it isn’t perfect, but with such a beautiful world, a genuinely likeable cast of characters, and many improvements to both stealth and combat this feels like a step in the right direction for Assassin’s Creed.” – Louise Blain [Full review]
The last-gen versions of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 have been delayed. Previously scheduled to arrive in November, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 editions of the arcade-style skateboarding game are now without any release date whatsoever.
“We are working closely with our developers to address the issues identified by our community. Our development resources are fully focused on fixes and content updates for PS4 and Xbox One, so we have decided to delay the release of THPS5 on PS3 and X360,” an Activision representative told Eurogamer. “We will update the community when we have more specific information about a release date for PS3 and Xbox 360.”
No new release date was announced, but Eurogamer’s report suggests the game won’t arrive until 2016.
Pro Skater 5’s release in September was not what Activision would have wanted. The game was blasted by critics across the board for its glitches and other issues. GameSpot’s Pro Skater 5 review scored it a 3/10. Days after launch, Activision acknowledged the problems and said it hopes to fix them.
“We are aware of the issues that players have experienced following the launch of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 and are working with the developer to address these so that we can continue to improve the gameplay experience for all of the Tony Hawk fans who have known and loved this franchise for more than 16 years,” Activision said in its one-sentence statement earlier this month.
The official Twitter account for Bloodborne has released a picture of one of the new weapons being introduced in the upcoming expansion, The Old Hunters.
Called “Juunikutachi,” the weapon looks like the Saw Cleaver found in the original game, but also seems to be constructed of multiple modules, suggesting it may function similar to the Threaded Cane, which could break apart and strike multiple enemies at once.
As revealed during Tokyo Game Show, The Old Hunters tells the story of the “legendary hunters” referenced in the main game and is set in a “nightmare world where hunters from the past are trapped forever.”
The expansion will feature “new environments, outfits, and weapons.” Ludwig, a prominent character in the game’s lore, has been confirmed as one of the expansion’s new bosses.
“With new story details, learn the tale of hunters who once made Yharnam their hunting grounds, meet new NPCs, and discover another side of the history and world of Bloodborne,” Sony previously said.
The Old Hunters will be available on November 24. It will cost $19.99 / €14.99 / £11.99. A Game of the Year Edition including the original game and the expansion will be released on November 25. A price for this has not yet been specified.
GameSpot’s Bloodborne review scored the game a 9/10: “In death there is life, and in blood, there is redemption,” wrote reviewer Kevin VanOrd. “More hyperbole, yes, but for a game this theatrical, only hyperbole will do.
When Peyton Reed signed on to direct this summer’s Marvel blockbuster Ant-Man, he was a last-minute replacement for Edgar Wright, who quit the project after working on it for several years. Nevertheless, the film went on to get positive reviews and strong box office sales, and it now looks as if Reed will be returning to helm the sequel.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Reed is in negotiations to direct Ant-Man and the Wasp, which is due on July 6, 2018.
The film was announced earlier this month. It was not originally on Marvel ‘s Phase Three schedule, and this new addition meant that several other titles moved release slots. Black Panther shifted forward from July 2018 to February that year, while Captain Marvel has moved back to March 2019.
To date, Ant-Man has made more than $454 million at the worldwide box office. It has done particularly well in China, where it has become Marvel’s most successful film to date, earning $43.2 million in its opening weekend.
Ant-Man and the Wasp will see Paul Rudd return as the miniature hero, teaming up with Evangeline Lilly as his equally diminutive sidekick. In the meantime, Rudd will play the character in the next Captain America movie, next year’s Captain America: Civil War.
