Indie darling ‘Gone Home’ hits UK consoles next week

It’s been an agonising wait, but Gone Home will soon be available on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in the UK. The game’s console debut was originally slated for mid-January, however some last minute certification issues meant its European release was put on hold. (It was still released in the US, however.) Those problems appear to have been sorted now, as The Fullbright Company today confirmed it’ll be arriving on the continent, as well as Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Russia, on February 12th.

So why should you care? Well, Gone Home made quite a splash when it first arrived on PC, Mac and Linux in 2013. It received some glowing reviews from the press and a smattering of awards for its interactive storytelling. Set in 1985, you take on the role of Kaitlin as she explores a mansion in Portland, Oregon. To say any more would ruin the experience — so I’ll merely suggest that if you haven’t played it before and care about narrative, this is a game you should play through at least once.

Now, how long is it until Tacoma comes out again?

Source: Gone Home (Twitter)

‘Need for Speed’ becomes a little more social next week

Need for Speed‘s next Living Game update, dubbed “Showcase,” arrives next week, and with it comes a handful of improvements both paint-level and a bit deeper. Taking screenshots has always been pretty easy in the game (click the right stick), but developer Ghost Games is going one step further and adding something that should’ve been in the game at the outset: A real photo mode with focus, depth of field and other effects that’ve become all the rage since Infamous: Second Son busted the feature wide open in 2014.

And should someone online see that snazzy snapshot and want the livery you’ve tinkered with since November, now there’s sharing options for those as well. Oh, and if you want to keep your car looking fresh and clean as the moment you drove it out of the garage, just run through a gas station for some on-the-fly body work — much like previous NfS games and Burnout: Paradise.

A handful of cars are getting new customization items as well, including the Ford Focus RS, Ford Mustang GT and Subaru Impreza WRX. Last but not least, there are custom options for your license plate now too. But sadly, based on the way Ghost describes it, it doesn’t sound like text is up for changing like it was in the studio’s previous effort, NfS: Rivals. There are, however, backgrounds and frames inspired by the cities of previous NfS entries. Not much of a consolation prize, but hey, it’s better than nothing. The 100 percent free update launches February 3rd, in case the GIF up above didn’t give it away.

Source: Need for Speed

‘Song of the Deep’ is GameStop’s first published game

GameStop is making its debut as a gaming publisher with Song of the Deep. Created alongside none other than Insomniac Games, the studio behind acclaimed titles such as Ratchet & Clank, this 2D platformer promises an action-packed journey — and there are stunning visuals to boot. Song of the Deep’s story wraps around a girl’s search for her missing father, through an underwater adventure that will require you to explore and use discovery skills to accomplish your goal.

It’s not clear whether GameStop gave any creative input to the project , but we can’t imagine it was much, if any. The company’s CEO, Paul Raines, said couple of years ago that it wouldn’t interfere with game development. “We love to play games, and unlike our competitors all we do is gaming,” he told TIME in an interview about GameStop’s venture into publishing. “But we will not be involved in the artistic or creative process. That’s not really our domain.”

Song of the Deep will hit PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC later this summer for $15. Until then, enjoy the trailer released today.

Via: The Verge

Source: Insomniac Games

Platinum is making a ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ game

It’s been a bit since we had a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game and an even longer time since we had a good one. But that could soon change when Platinum Games unleashes TMNT: Mutants in Manhattan this summer on PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Yeah, that’s right: the rumors that swirled around last month are true. Over on the PlayStation Blog, Platinum’s Robert Cooper says that if you’ve played any of the studio’s previous action games that this shouldn’t have a lot of trouble getting comfortable in the solo and co-op campaign.

Oh, and he also reveals that Bebop and Rocksteady (heavily featured in the trailer below and in this summer’s TMNT: Out of the Shadows movie) will be among the Foot Clan you’ll fight.

The only thing I’m a little wary of is the character design. And that’s mostly because it makes me think of the Michael Bay-produced flicks, but Cooper says the cel-shaded amphibians actually take a lot of inspiration from comic book artist Mateus Santolouco’s designs for the Heroes in Halfshells. Platinum’s pedigree is incredibly solid, so there’s reason to be optimistic here. Let’s hope it won’t be rushed out the door to tie in to the Turtles’ next movie adventure this summer, though.

Source: PlayStation Blog

‘Rise of the Tomb Raider’ hits PC in January, Steam says

The PC version of Rise of the Tomb Raider is due in January, according to the game’s Steam listing. Square Enix has yet to confirm a date for the desktop launch of its latest Tomb Raider installment, though in July it announced the PC and Windows 10 editions would drop in “early 2016.” The PS4 version should release in late 2016. We’ve reached out to Square Enix for clarification on the Steam listing.

Rise of the Tomb Raider launched on Xbox One and Xbox 360 in November. Square Enix wrangled a deal with Microsoft making the game exclusive to Xbox platforms for a year, a move that surprised many fans when it became public knowledge in August 2014. Though the definition of “exclusive” in this case was murky at first, Square Enix eventually laid out its launch plans.

“The game will be a console exclusive to Xbox One and Xbox 360 for one year after its initial launch, coming to PlayStation 4 in holiday 2016,” the studio said in July.

Via: Destructoid

Source: Steam

‘Rock Band 4’ devs will wipe the leaderboards next month

In a sign of what’s to come for your favorite board game, Harmonix announced it’s fixed a “gnarly” Rock Band 4 bug, and next month will deliver a patch that ends a number of scoring exploits. The bad news for players? That also means the games leaderboards will be entirely reset. While players will still have their high scores saved locally, they’ll need to go again for online bragging rights. Speaking of online, in a recent blog post Harmonix said that bringing internet multiplayer to the new game is “very much on the table,” but it hasn’t committed to a timetable.

For the holidays, owners of the new game can finally import tracks from Rock Band 3 (for $15, provided you owned it before as detected by Harmonix’s automated system), and the ability to import tracks from 1, 2 and Lego Rock Band is on deck for January. The last update reworked calibration, added a new Brutal Mode that tests Expert players by tossing new challenges at them depending on how well they’re playing, and there’s an Activity Feed that lets rivals keep an eye on each other more easily.

Is that enough to make Rock Band 4 more than just a game for people to keep in their closet until company comes over? I’m not sure, but it certainly gives some incentives to play on a regular basis, and no matter how frequently one rocks out, I’m looking forward to fixes for a number of the issues and missing features the game launched with. In a Reddit AMA the team said this is the Rock Band game for this generation of game systems, and it seems to be moving more towards the game-as-a-service model with continuous rolling upgrades and expansions. Who knows, if they add enough features (old and new), maybe gamers will be leaving positive Amazon reviews too.

Via: Polygon

Source: Harmonix Blog