Your favorite pigeon-dating simulator hits PS4, Vita in July
Hatoful Boyfriend, the best game about a human dating birds in a creepy post-apocalyptic world, is coming to PlayStation 4 and Vita on July 21st. The PC version launched on Steam in September to critical acclaim and public bewilderment — and then some public acclaim, too. Hatoful Boyfriend literally is a video game about a human girl navigating high school life in a world run by birds, though after the dating aspect of the game fizzles out, the story gets dense and fairly dark.
Hatoful Boyfriend on PS4 and Vita includes a brand new romance option with Tohri, a character (see: bird) that appears in the coming sequel, Holiday Star. “This new content means there is a whole new story path for longtime fans and new players to the series as well as a brand new ending,” Devolver Digital’s Nigel Lowrie writes on the PlayStation Blog. “Explore questionable stalkers, bitter rivalries and even doomsday devices in this exclusive new Hatoful Boyfriend content.” Hatoful Boyfriend: Holiday Star is also due out this year, simultaneously on PC, PS4 and Vita.
Source: PlayStation Blog
Shuhei Yoshida on China and why PlayStation can never go Home again
One does not simply get enough of Shuhei Yoshida, the head of Sony PlayStation’s Worldwide Studios. So following our nice, long chat with him at E3 (seriously, go read it), we managed to get hold of him again in Hong Kong and picked his brain with more questions about Project Morpheus. These include the VR headset’s final form (you’re looking at it), its compatibility with other devices and whether it’ll revive the now-defunct PlayStation Home. We also took the opportunity to ask about the challenges of bringing PlayStation games into China.
As to whether users can expect Project Morpheus to work with our smartphones and various video sources, Yoshida said that’s a firm “no.” Morpheus’ display has to run at a speedy 120Hz to deliver a smooth visual experience, and this means it has to be connected directly to the PS4. But of course, given that the PS4 is also a multimedia hub, you can expect to enjoy 3D movies and other types of entertainment content with the headset. “Things that come to the PS4, there’s a chance that [they] can be enjoyed on Project Morpheus,” he said. While the company plans to talk more about Project Morpheus’ non-gaming functionality and its user interface in the future, Yoshida said the focus for now is on its gaming applications.
Although Morpheus and PlayStation Home may seem like a match made in VR heaven, Yoshida indicated there’s no plan to resurrect the virtual community. Nor is any company currently developing a similar service for the headset. Should something pop up later in this category, however, Yoshida believes it’d mesh very well with Project Morpheus.
Since Yoshida was in Hong Kong to meet both the local media and those from mainland China, I asked him about what it takes to bring PlayStation games into the Middle Kingdom where censorship is the norm. The exec wasn’t afraid to admit that “it’s a big challenge,” partly because it takes a long time to get games approved. But his team is trying to work very closely with the authorities to better understand their requirements. “It’s a learning experience as of now,” he said.
So far, the general rule is to keep the games family friendly, which is why the likes of LittleBigPlanet 3, Final Fantasy X | X-2 HD, Driveclub, Knack, Rayman Legends, Dynasty Warriors 8 and more have made the short list of 12 games. It’s been an even bigger struggle for the PS Vita, which only has eight approved games right now, of which Farming Simulator 14 is one. But as we all know, there’s no stopping Chinese gamers from obtaining their favorite titles through other means.
The $200 ‘Mirror’s Edge Catalyst’ bundle might be worth it
Note the operative word, “might,” in that headline. It’s difficult to quantify a bundle of egregiously nerdy items, but for those with Faith in their hearts, the Mirror’s Edge Catalyst Collector’s Edition looks like a real treat. For $200, the Collector’s Edition comes with a 14 inch statue featuring Faith as an adult and as a child, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with a pane of glass between them, plus 10 concept-art prints, a limited-edition lithograph and steelbook case, two temporary tattoos and a box to house it all. This package will be available in limited quantities at “select retailers” for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC versions of Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, and of course the full game is due to launch on February 23rd.
Source: Mirror’s Edge
‘The Talos Principle: Road to Ghenna’ promises more robotic philosophy
Haunting. Creative. Beautiful. Intelligent–these are the words we used to describe The Talos Principle and its narrative-driven first-person puzzles. It’s a charming, well-written game that gently convinces the player to question the very nature of consciousness. If you liked it, you’re about to get more of it–Croteam and Devolver Digital recently announced The Talos Principle: Road to Gehenna, the game’s first episodic expansion pack.
Gehnna promises to guide players into new, unseen areas of Uriel’s simulation–introducing new characters, in a new society with loads of history and philosophical challenges. It sounds creepy and intriguing, exactly what you’d want after playing the original game.
The expansion will be available on Steam on July 23rd–but pricing isn’t clear. “The original plan was to divide The Talos Principle: Road to Gehenna into over 100 different $5 DLCs,” teases the game’s official press release in the guise of Devolver Digital’s fictional CFO, Fork Parker. “But the Devolver Digital DLC Ethics Department advised against it. That particular department has subsequently been disbanded.” Good, I guess?
Filed under: Gaming
Source: Croteam
‘Battletoads’ is getting a Comic-Con exclusive vinyl soundtrack
The rumors circling a Battletoads return came to a head at E3 this year with the announcement of the Rare Replay collection, and Microsoft didn’t waste its next tradeshow appearance for a chance to capitalize on the hype. Folks roaming San Diego Comic Con can pick up a limited edition soundtrack for the amphibious beat ’em up on a very fitting yellow and green 180 gram LP. If the cover art up above looks a little familiar, that’s because it was done by the same artist responsible for Run the Jewels’ records, Nick Gazin. The SDCC run is $25, limited to 300 copies and features different art than what’ll be sold outside of the show later this year, according to Entertainment Weekly.
That’s not all, either: the folks at iam8bit have a Con-exclusive screen-printed poster featuring all 30 of the games in the Rare Replay. That goes for $50 and could very well be a SDCC exclusive — the art-minded company hasn’t revealed if it’ll be sold outside the show just yet.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Microsoft
Via: Entertainment Weekly
Source: Xbox Wire
ICYMI: Medical HoloLens, programmable kids robot and more
Today on In Case You Missed It: Case Western Reserve University students put HoloLens to work to learn parts of the human body. The classic ’60s TV show Thunderbirds is coming back for more episodes of puppet goodness thanks to a Kickstarter campaign. And a new robot aimed at teaching kids to program is out to terrorize your family pets.
Today’s bonus is a music video for the song ‘Leave’ by Wavves, shot in GTA V.
If you come across any interesting videos, we’d love to see them! Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd.
Filed under: Misc, Gaming, Peripherals, Robots, Science, Internet, Software, Microsoft
ICYMI: Medical HoloLens, programmable kids robot and more
Today on In Case You Missed It: Case Western Reserve University students put HoloLens to work to learn parts of the human body. The classic ’60s TV show Thunderbirds is coming back for more episodes of puppet goodness thanks to a Kickstarter campaign. And a new robot aimed at teaching kids to program is out to terrorize your family pets.
Today’s bonus is a music video for the song ‘Leave’ by Wavves, shot in GTA V.
If you come across any interesting videos, we’d love to see them! Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd.
Filed under: Misc, Gaming, Peripherals, Robots, Science, Internet, Software, Microsoft
‘Battletoads’ is getting a Comic-Con exclusive vinyl soundtrack
The rumors circling a Battletoads return came to a head at E3 this year with the announcement of the Rare Replay collection, and Microsoft didn’t waste its next tradeshow appearance for a chance to capitalize on the hype. Folks roaming San Diego Comic Con can pick up a limited edition soundtrack for the amphibious beat ’em up on a very fitting yellow and green 180 gram LP. If the cover art up above looks a little familiar, that’s because it was done by the same artist responsible for Run the Jewels’ records, Nick Gazin. The SDCC run is $25, limited to 300 copies and features different art than what’ll be sold outside of the show later this year, according to Entertainment Weekly.
That’s not all, either: the folks at iam8bit have a Con-exclusive screen-printed poster featuring all 30 of the games in the Rare Replay. That goes for $50 and could very well be a SDCC exclusive — the art-minded company hasn’t revealed if it’ll be sold outside the show just yet.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Microsoft
Via: Entertainment Weekly
Source: Xbox Wire
‘The Talos Principle: Road to Ghenna’ promises more robots, philosophy
Haunting. Creative. Beautiful. Intelligent–these are the words we used to describe The Talos Principle and its narrative-driven first-person puzzles. It’s a charming, well-written game that gently convinces the player to question the very nature of consciousness. If you liked it, you’re about to get more of it–Croteam and Devolver Digital recently announced The Talos Principle: Road to Gehenna, the game’s first episodic expansion pack.
Gehnna promises to guide players into new, unseen areas of Uriel’s simulation–introducing new characters, in a new society with loads of history and philosophical challenges. It sounds creepy and intriguing, exactly what you’d want after playing the original game.
The expansion will be available on Steam on July 23rd–but pricing isn’t clear. “The original plan was to divide The Talos Principle: Road to Gehenna into over 100 different $5 DLCs,” teases the game’s official press release in the guise of Devolver Digital’s fictional CFO, Fork Parker. “But the Devolver Digital DLC Ethics Department advised against it. That particular department has subsequently been disbanded.” Good, I guess?
Filed under: Gaming
Source: Croteam
The $200 ‘Mirror’s Edge Catalyst’ bundle might be worth it
Note the operative word, “might,” in that headline. It’s difficult to quantify a bundle of egregiously nerdy items, but for those with Faith in their hearts, the Mirror’s Edge Catalyst Collector’s Edition looks like a real treat. For $200, the Collector’s Edition comes with a 14 inch statue featuring Faith as an adult and as a child, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with a pane of glass between them, plus 10 concept-art prints, a limited-edition lithograph and steelbook case, two temporary tattoos and a box to house it all. This package will be available in limited quantities at “select retailers” for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC versions of Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, and of course the full game is due to launch on February 23rd.
Source: Mirror’s Edge
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