A PlayStation director has responded to the recent spate of PlayStation Network issues on PlayStation 4, apologizing for the bugs, and explaining that Sony is “not bulletproof” as it relates to network troubles. In an interview with VG247, SCE Australia managing director Michael Ephraim spoke about the recent troubles, which impacted the PS4’s new Rest Mode, among other things.
“Listen: we’re really, really apologetic,” he said. “Dealing with network and digital–I’m not trying to spread or deflect anything, but dealing on such a robust network is a tricky experience. The good thing is we’ve launched 2.01, which has fixed the Rest Mode, and has fixed the YouTube app.”
“We’re not bulletproof on those things” — Michael Ephraim
“It was very unfortunate. We hate that,” he added. “The network was down during the 2.0 release. It’s very unfortunate. Those things are gonna happen over time. We’re not bulletproof on those things.”
Ephraim went on to say that a struggling network has been one of the side effects of the PS4’s huge initial success, with more than 13.5 million PS4s sold so far.
“Dealing with global network loads and concurrent users for a platform that is ever expanding because of our sales being so strong is tricky at times, and we’re not infallible,” he said.
The PSN was also to blame for a serious bug encountered by Dragon Age: Inquisition reviewers, though BioWare and Sony have worked together to fix this ahead of the game’s release next week.
For more on all the new features, tweaks, and more now available on PS4 through the 2.00 update, check out GameSpot’s roundup.
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A thumb wrestling video game has finally arrived. ThumbderDome Wrestling is just what you think it is, a virtual version of the Thumb War game you probably played a lot as a kid (and maybe still do).
Via Kotaku, ThumbderDome Wrestling is every bit as absurd as you’d expect, but the controls are quite unique. It’s a two-player game that’s played using one Xbox controller. One player controls a virtual thumb using the one thumbstick, while the other player uses the second thumbstick.
Check out the trailer above to see how it works in action.
Just like in real life, getting pinned down isn’t necessarily the end, as you can rotate the thumbstick to break free of your opponent’s hold. You can even build up a special meter to unleash a big attack.
ThumbderDome also lets you choose from four different wrestlers, each with their own special look.
Police radio chatter, for example, will play through the DualShock 4’s internal speaker instead of through the TV. The speaker will also be used when receiving phone calls from Michael, Franklin, Trevor, and the rest of the game’s cast.
Meanwhile, the touch-pad will be used to switch camera perspectives on the fly, as well as change radio stations, swap weapons and adjust camera angles. In addition, players can use the touch-pad to quick-toss grenades.
The controller’s light bar will also change color based on what character you are playing, as well as when your wanted level increases.
Grand Theft Auto 5 launches on Xbox One and PS4 on November 18 in North America. As well as boasting a graphical overhaul, the game features a first-person mode.
When it’s good, Far Cry 4 is very, very good. It’s also familiar: this sequel hews close to Far Cry 3, the game that preceded it. The surprises are few, a disappointment in a series featuring more disparity and diversity between its various entries than most. But there is no denying the sandbox joys of wreaking havoc in a wild world of freedom fighters and fanged felines. The tropical island of Far Cry 3 has been replaced by a Himalayan enclave, where badgers, tigers, and bears threaten to sink their razor-sharp teeth into your flesh. Yet the wildlife is not always foe, but often friend as well. There’s endless glee in mounting an elephant and intruding on an encampment of gunners, flipping over their vehicles with the creature’s massive trunk and tossing molotov cocktails on your enemies. Having a friend join you cooperatively opens up even more delightful possibilities. Your buddy mounts a rinky-dink gyrocopter and rises into the air while you hang from beneath. You come face to face with a helicopter pilot, aim your shotgun at his face, and shoot. The pilot slumps over and the helicopter crashes to the ground, where a fiery explosion signals the end of this battle of wits, guns, and spinning blades.
I dare you not to grin.
When it’s bad, Far Cry 4 is very bad. The badness doesn’t typically overcome the goodness, but it’s inescapable. The oft-maligned Far Cry 3 story is a classic when compared to Far Cry 4’s mess of embarrassing stereotypes, abysmal dialogue, and contradictory themes. I might have been convinced the game is Ubisoft’s parody of its own games’ typical narrative excesses, were it not for a freedom-fighter-versus-evil-government plot starring leaders you’re clearly meant to identify with. One moment, a young woman hugs you tightly for saving her life; the next, the local radio personality relates the overall cleanliness of his anus. The game occasionally reveals a certain level of self-awareness: I was pleased when I was told that my violent actions proved I had no room to take the moral high ground. But if Ubisoft had hoped to subvert the “save the natives” motif that tainted Far Cry 3, it failed once again in Far Cry 4.
I dare you not to groan.
The dialogue makes me want to punch someone. Just… stop talking.
I am still grinning and groaning my way through Far Cry 4, and though the Ubisoft-provided review embargo time has arrived, I am not yet ready to share my final verdict. I am hardly short of opinions, however, and Far Cry 4 elicits strong ones. Given the recent announcement of Just Cause 3‘s development, I can’t help but wonder how much better Far Cry 4 might have been had it fully embraced its sandbox nature and abandoned its ridiculous stoner caricatures and eye-rolling plot developments in favor of even more crazy activities and colossal explosions. I love every chance I get to express creativity purely through gameplay.
I write this after one such display of absolute mayhem, courtesy of my grenade launcher, which is classified not as a primary weapon but as a sidearm, meaning I can fire it even from behind the wheel of my vehicle. On my way to an enemy camp, a caravan of baddies approached, firing weapons as it ran my buggy off the road. Without missing a beat, I spewed a grenade at the road-raging bandits; two vehicles and five individual gunners were blown to bits, and I sped off towards my destination without ever slowing down. Once I arrived at camp, I summoned an AI-controlled comrade to my side and rushed forward, spraying AK-47 fire and tossing molotovs.
As the world burned around me, I flung some meat I held as bait, and a bear roared into view, tearing apart my enemies’ flesh as I prepared for the next wave of reinforcements by setting up land mines around the perimeter. Once I triumphed, I rushed to a nearby overhang and leapt off, breaking my freefall by activating my wingsuit and swooshing ahead. Beneath, I spied a small lake. The waters beckoned to me, for demonfish might be swimming in them–and I needed two more demonfish skins in order to craft a larger inventory bag. And so I triggered my parachute, floated to the water, and dived beneath the surface to find the remains of a demonfish a nearby friendly had already killed.
A “destroy the drug fields” mission. It’s almost like Far Cry 3 all over again. Oh wait–it totally is that.
Far Cry 4 allows you to string together one such incredible moment after another. Most of the methods for creating chaos are readily available. Guns and grenades, trucks outfitted with mounted weapons, hunting bows, paragliders, throwing knives, and grappling hooks: these are the tools of the trade. This is a stealth game, a shooter, and a destruction simulator, shining when it trusts you to find new ways to have fun. What happens if you set a tiger on fire and then set it loose on its captors? What is it like to stab a sniper from behind and fling a knife into his buddy’s heart, all in one fluid move? Far Cry 4 answers these vital questions.
If only the game had more faith in your ability to find the fun. Far Cry 4 is the most Ubisoft open world game that has ever been. As such, its giant map is covered with icons pointing you to some kind of activity or another: a vehicular race, a drug-fueled visit to Shangri-La, an animal to hunt, hostages to rescue, masks to collect, and so on and so forth. You tear propaganda posters from walls. (Hello, Assassin’s Creed II!) You climb towers to dispel the fog of war. (Hello, every Ubisoft open world game!) Insta-fail stealth, and tailing missions? A big world and too many minor glitches? Yup–this is a Ubi game, all right, from the try-too-hard “edginess” to the vast array of collectibles.
Great action is a surefire cure for the winter doldrums.
Thus, Far Cry 4 is a needy game, reminding you constantly that there’s something to do everywhere you go with pop-up messages that invite you to go do something other than what you are currently trying to do. Did you just liberate that camp? Well, you’ll be told it’s under attack 10 seconds after you leave it, and the game will move your waypoint to it on your behalf. And if you re-liberate the camp, it’ll be under attack again 10 seconds after you leave. Don’t want to go back? Far Cry 4 informs you of your failure when you don’t.
If you’re like me, you’ll swear at Far Cry 4 after that scenario repeats enough times. Don’t tell me I failed! I just want to go and climb up the sides of mountains, hunt tigers, and hijack convoys (hello, Watch Dogs!). Far Cry 4 can be amazing in the way Far Cry 3 often was: the heated action and exploratory freedom inspires thrilling personal stories for remembering later, the kind that start with “Hey, remember that time…” and end with “…and wasn’t it awesome?!” It retains most of what made Far Cry 3 amazing, but the potential greatness is burdened by an even worse story, less memorable missions, and a formula suffering from years of overuse. When I love Far Cry 4, I really really love it. But when I don’t love it, I all but hate it. I’ll be in a better position to tell you just how that balance plays out in my full review. Look for it on Monday.
Games industry representatives in Sweden, a country that’s home to prominent games developers such as Mojang, DICE, and Avalanche Studios, are mulling the idea of putting labels on games based on whether or not they promote gender equality.
Swedish news publication The Local reports that the idea is part of a wider project by the country’s video game trade organization, Dataspelsbranchen.
The group recently received a 272,000 kronor ($37,000) grant from Sweden’s innovation agency, Vinnova, to work with Swedish game developers to look into how games made in the country portray female characters and gender issues.
Project manager Anton Albiin said he wasn’t sure yet if all games made in Sweden would come with a label, or if studios behind games that are shown to promote gender equality would be provided some form of certification to use in their marketing efforts.
Minecraft is also made in Sweden
“I do not know of any other project in the world asking this question and of course we want Sweden to be a beacon in this area,” he said.
In addition to looking at the content of games produced in Sweden, Albiin said Dataspelsbranchen would examine the processes game studios use to promote gender equality and diversity within their companies.
The Local also asked Albiin if he thought these new measures, which focus exclusively on gender diversity, could adversely affect creative measures studios might take. He replied: “Of course games can be about fantasy but they can be so much more than this. They can also be a form of cultural expression–reflecting society or the society we are hoping for. Games can help us to create more diverse workplaces and can even change the way we think about things.”
Dataspelsbranchen data shows that around 16 percent of Sweden’s game development workforce are women. On a global level, around 22 percent of game developers are women, according to a recent report from the International Game Developers Association.
Sweden’s new gender equality measures arrive amid continued discussions surrounding women in the video game industry. At E3 in June, publisher Ubisoft found itself in hot water over its controversial decision to not include female playable protagonists for Assassin’s Creed Unity’s co-op mode. And later that month, EA Studios boss Patrick Soderlund said he thinks the reason why there are so few major games with female protagonists is because games are predominately made by men.
If you’re in the market for a white Xbox One, available through the $350 Sunset Overdrive bundle, you may want to buy the first one you see. That’s Xbox boss Phil Spencer’s message to fans, as he notes that Microsoft is not likely to replenish stock for the holiday shopping season.
@elStavo If you want one and find it I would pick it up. We’ve built all we will have.
The Sunset Overdrive bundle was announced during Gamescom in August, and was originally priced at $400, though it dropped to $350 recently as part of Microsoft’s wider Xbox One price cut. The bundle comes with a white system, matching white controller, and a copy of Sunset Overdrive.
White Xbox One systems were previously only available to Microsoft employees.
The Xbox One Sunset Overdrive bundle is proving hard to find, as it’s listed as “sold out” on Microsoft’s website. It’s also unavailable at retailers like GameStop and Best Buy. Amazon is selling them, though it’s doing so through third-party sellers, not Microsoft.
Microsoft has not announced plans to sell white Xbox One systems outside of the Sunset Overdrive bundle. On the subject of white Xbox One controllers, Microsoft says it has no plans to offer these for purchase outside of the Sunset Overdrive bundle.
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The recent release of patch 1.1 for Sega’s horror game Alien: Isolation has caused some issues for PlayStation 4 users. Specifically, after applying the update, some users have reported having trouble playing the game’s fifth mission. The Xbox One and PC versions are apparently unaffected.
Sega writes on its forums that is is working with Sony on a fix, though it’s unclear when this will be ready. In the meantime, the developer has removed the patch for PS4 owners, and published a set of instructions for how to revert to an earlier, less buggy version of Alien: Isolation.
If you follow the instructions below correctly, your game should work fine, Sega said.
Uninstall Alien: Isolation from your PS4, being careful to retain your save games.
Reinstall Alien: Isolation to your PS4.
Download and install patch v1.01 from the PlayStation Network.
“Many thanks for your patience and apologies for any problems you have experienced,” Sega said.
Alien: Isolation’s 1.1 patch was released on Wednesday, November 12 across PS4 and Xbox One. The update addressed issues with the playback of certain cutscenes on those platforms.
Far Cry 4 is out on November 18 for every console (except the Wii U) and PC. In true Far Cry tradition, it takes us to a new exotic locale–the mountainous region of Kyrat–and features a new cast of characters. Though it builds upon the first-person shooter foundations of Far Cry 3, and keeps its best items like the wingsuit, there’s a lot more to the game than just its new faces and new places. Ubisoft’s 101 trailer below has more.
PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 Far Cry 4 players with PlayStation Plus subscriptions will receive ten invitations they can send to friends who don’t have a copy of the game. These gamers can then play a free trial version of Far Cry 4’s co-op mode.
You’ll also have to fight off “deadly nighttime attacks from a mysterious cult,” Ubisoft says. On top of that, Ajay can explore caves, but “watch out for what lurks within,” Ubisoft warns, presumably about Yeti danger.
So, after a bit of brainstorming, I decided to employ the big takeaways from all of these deaths: snow leopards love tasty flesh and yaks will charge at you if you get too close.
More than 33.8 million people have played Grand Theft Auto V‘s multiplayer mode, Grand Theft Auto Online. That’s just one of the many incredible statistics Rockstar Games announced today as part of a “GTA Online Census: The Story So Far” report released today on the developer’s website.
In August, it was announced that GTA V had shipped more than 34 million copies, though at the time we didn’t know how many were actually sold to consumers. Now we know the figure is at least 33.8 million. GTA V was the best-selling game of 2013 in the United States.
Rockstar also today announced that GTA Online will finally add Heists in the first update to come to the game following the release of GTA V for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 next week. Heists will be available in GTA Online across all platforms: Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, and PS4.
“We’ll have some details on that very soon,” Rockstar said.
For now, you can check out the graphics below that speak to just how incredibly popular GTA Online has been. Of course, all this data applies only to the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game.
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Following the official announcement of Just Cause 3 on Tuesday, more details about the game have now come to light regarding the game’s story and world size, among other things.
Game Informer reports that Just Cause 3 will take place “several years” after 2010’s Just Cause 2. Rico is still the main character, but he has “significantly aged” since we last saw him.
In terms of setting, Just Cause 3 will take place in the fictional Mediterranean archipelago of Medici, where he will square off against General Di Ravello and his ironfisted regime.
Rico will have a number of new items and abilities available to him in Just Cause 3, including a new grapple hook (it can apparently hook onto almost any object), as well as a new wing suit to propel him to incredible speeds while falling from the sky.
As for Just Cause 3’s sheer size, Game Informer reports that the title will feature a 400 square mile map, with all three main areas available to explore from the onset. Throughout the game, you’ll encounter enemy bases, propaganda billboards, and loudspeakers, which you must destroy in order to “capture” the area. Doing so means you’ll be able to fast travel and save vehicles there.
In terms of controls, Game Informer reports that they have been “retooled” and now feel “a lot tighter.” Just Cause 3’s racing segments, meanwhile, have benefited from the contributions of former Burnout developers, according to the report.
2015 will be a big year for Avalanche, as the developer also plans to launch Mad Max for consoles and PC next year. Just Cause 3 is in development at Avalanche’s New York City office.
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