‘Yooka-Laylee’ snags a publisher after record-breaking Kickstarter
What’s the next step after fully funding your game in 40 minutes on Kickstarter? If you’re the team behind Yooka-Laylee, Playtonic, you get a publisher to help with stuff like localization (translating dialogue and text for different regions), QA testing and other unglamorous but still necessary elements of game development. To wit, the former Banjo Kazooie creatives have hooked up with indie label Team17, perhaps best known for the Worms and Alien Breed franchises. This partnership means that Playtonic can worry about working on the game itself while Team17 takes care of the more menial bits and bobs. Good thing, too considering Playtonic is still planning to hit a simultaneous October release across PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Wii U. If you’d like to check out more, hit the jump for our interview with the folks from the studio.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD
‘ZombiU’ reborn for PS4, Xbox One and PC as ‘Zombi’
Ubisoft’s undead-infested, survival-horror game ZombiU was exclusive to Wii U when it launched in 2012, and back then we called it a “wonderfully frightening experience” thick with tension, death and a brilliantly unforgiving atmosphere. Now, the game is dropping the “U” and heading to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC as Zombi on August 18th, complete with a few upgrades and changes. Since Zombi can’t take advantage of the Wii U’s second screen — which displayed the mini-map, radar and gear — these aspects have been moved to the main screen. “We maintain a minimal HUD as much as possible,” Zombi producer Hélène Henry says. “It disappears when not required, giving the game a very lonely feeling.”
Plus, Zombi features a slightly expanded field of view and two new melee weapons, a shovel and a bat with nails sticking out of it. The shovel has a longer range than the original cricket bat, plus the ability to smack multiple zombies in one swing. The nail-embedded bat can also hit more than one zombie at a time, and it offers more damage and a better chance of scoring a critical hit. The flashlight gets an upgrade, too, with a new option to turn on a high-powered beam — of course this increases the chance that the undead will spot you and come running, and it drains the battery more quickly. The flashlight needs 30 seconds to recharge in Zombi. That’s 30 long seconds of terrifying, creeping darkness.
ZombiU players had to look down at the Wii U’s second screen to search through their in-game backpacks, risking a surprise attack on the main screen. In Zombi, the backpack pops up on the main screen but the game still doesn’t pause, leaving players vulnerable to an ambush. ZombiU‘s two-player mode, where one person uses the Wii U Gamepad to drop zombies in the path of a second player on the main screen, is cut entirely from Zombi.
“We decided to focus on the solo mode, as we believe this is where the ZombiU experience really lay,” Henry says.
Source: Ubisoft
PlayStation helps Sony to big profits, but mobile’s struggling
Sony is actually doing all right despite a lot of turmoil, and it’s got the PlayStation 4 to thank. This quarter, Sony moved 3 million PS4s, bringing total sales of the console to 25.3 million. Peripheral and software shipments also went up, helping the gaming division improve sales 12.1 percent over last year. PS3 console sales were down, but the division still hit 288.6 billion yen ($2.3 billion) and made around $160 million. Sony recently said that the PS4 is outselling the Xbox One in most of Europe by nearly double, and has outsold its main rival considerably overall. Sony originally expected to sell 16 million PS4s in 2015, but has bumped the forecast to 16.5 million.
Sony’s imaging division also chipped in. Sony makes the sensors in many high-end smartphones, including models from Apple and Samsung. That division (Sony Devices) saw a 35.1 percent increase in sales to 237.9 billion yen ($2 billion), and the company recently said it would invest up to $3.6 billion to boost sensor production. Its camera (Imaging) division also saw a 5 percent increase in sales and made 21.3 billion yen in profit ($174 million) thanks to popular (and expensive) cameras like the Sony RX100 IV.
Unfortunately, Sony’s Mobile division continues to be a black hole sucking profits. Sales dropped 16.3 percent over last year, though Sony claims that was partly due to “a strategic decision not to pursue scale in order to improve profitability.” In other words, Sony’s trying to focus on profitable high-end smartphones like the Xperia Z3+, but so far the plan is not exactly working. Sony’s Pictures division also dropped 11.9 percent thanks to lower licensing revenues.
Despite that, the company still made 82.44 billion yen in net income ($665 million), triple the profits of last year. That means that the turnaround under CEO Kaz Hirai is actually working, other than in mobile. We’re not sure how much more patience he has for that division, but if it doesn’t start making money soon, it could end up on the Vaio chopping block.
Source: Sony
‘Dragon Quest XI’ may be one of the first Nintendo NX games
It’s been a long time coming, but another Dragon Quest title is on the way — and you’ll want to keep your eye on this one. Square Enix has announced Dragon Quest XI, a solo role-playing game (no DQX-style massively multiplayer experience) that will come to the PlayStation 4, 3DS… and, quite possibly, Nintendo’s future NX console. Yes, the publisher is at least “considering” a version for a system that exists as little more than a codename. There’s no mention of what that version will entail, although it’s clear that DQXI will take advantage of platforms’ strong points. The PS4 version is based on the pretty Unreal Engine 4, while the 3DS version makes good use of the dual screens to show 3D gameplay and 2D maps at the same time. As it stands, you’ll have to wait a while to try any edition for yourself. Square Enix hasn’t provided any release dates yet, so the odds are that you won’t be battling slimes until 2016 at the earliest.
Via: NintendoLife
Source: Square Enix (translated)
‘Submerged’ sidesteps combat for exploration on PS4 and Xbox One
In case you’ve already finished Journey and are looking for another gorgeous game that eschews violence, Submerged hits PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in early August. From the sounds of it, the game should be a pretty relaxing affair despite the fact that protagonist Miku is searching a flooded city for a cure for her wounded younger brother. A post on the PlayStation Blog notes that you can explore at your own pace and climb around as you see fit. And as you do, you’ll uncover the tale of how the world came to be flooded and a tale of an equally destroyed family. The game gets its good looks thanks to the absurdly powerful Unreal Engine 4, and I’m feeling a bit of an Enslaved: Odyssey to the West vibe from it, myself.
PC and PS4 owners get the game on August 4th, and if you’re a PlayStation Plus subscriber you’ll snag a 20 percent discount at launch too. Folks playing on Xbox One, however. have to wait until August 7th before they can play.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Upper-Cut Games, PlayStation Blog
‘Doom’ multiplayer test run starts ‘in the coming months’
It’s time to put that Doom alpha code from your PlayStation 4, Xbox One or PC copy of Wolfenstein: The New Order to use if you already haven’t redeemed it. Publisher Bethesda’s announced that access to the Hell-bound shooter’s first multiplayer test will open up “in the coming months.” The post on Bethblog says that if you bought the game digitally there’s no need to hassle with redeeming keys as you’re automagically entered into the selection pool, too. Let’s say you didn’t buy the latest Wolfenstein though and only pre-ordered Doom after witnessing its big reveal at E3 last month. Well, in that case you have to wait for Doom‘s beta and that won’t happen until next year ahead of the game’s scheduled when it’s done spring release window. Folks attending id’s Quakecon in Texas this weekend, however, get a leg up on everyone else and have access to a pre-alpha build of the multiplayer mode.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Bethblog
JXE Streams: talking family with Batgirl in ‘Arkham Knight’
Even if your only exposure to the Batman mythos is through the excellent Arkham series of games by developer Rocksteady, (especially the latest, Arkham Knight) you’re pretty familiar with Commissioner Gordon’s daughter, Barbara. She’s one of the constant voices in The Dark Knight’s ear, and with the recent release of Knight‘s first downloadable episode we finally get to step into her shoes as Batgirl as she goes up against The Joker. How’s it all play out? Your guess is as good as mine because I’m going in totally blind on PlayStation 4 starting at 6 pm Eastern / 3 pm Pacific.
Tune in right here, at Engadget.com/gaming and on Twitch.tv/Joystiq to catch two straight hours of Batgirl shenanigans and my poor attempt at reconciling my crush on Mark Hamill’s iconic Crown Prince of Crime despite the awful things he’s done to the Gordon family.
http://www.twitch.tv/joystiq/embedWatch live video from Joystiq on www.twitch.tv
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD
‘Rise of the Tomb Raider’ hits PlayStation 4 and PC in 2016
When Square Enix announced Rise of the Tomb Raider at Gamescom last year, it dropped a bomb: The game would be exclusive to Xbox platforms, meaning PlayStation 4 and PC players wouldn’t get to touch it. At least, not for a certain amount of time. Square Enix today confirmed that Rise of the Tomb Raider will indeed hit PC and PS4 after a period of Xbox exclusivity: It will launch on Windows 10 and Steam in early 2016, and PS4 in late 2016. Rise of the Tomb Raider is slated to hit Xbox One and Xbox 360 this year on November 10th.
“The game will be a console exclusive to Xbox One and Xbox 360 for one year after its initial launch, coming to PlayStation 4 (PS4) in Holiday 2016,” Square Enix says. “Renowned developer Crystal Dynamics, a Square Enix studio, is leading development in the latest entry in the iconic series for additional platforms.”
After the announcement of Rise of the Tomb Raider‘s Xbox exclusivity, a vocal set of fans took to the internet to express distaste at the decision. For months after the game’s reveal, Microsoft and Square Enix had to clarify the definition of an “exclusive,” eventually noting that the companies’ partnership had “a duration,” giving a sliver of hope to Sony and PC fans everywhere. Turns out, “a duration” translates to “about a year.”
Source: Square Enix
‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 3’ multiplayer beta starts August 19th
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 doesn’t drop until November, but you won’t have to wait nearly so long to find out whether or not its online play lives up to the hype. Activision and Treyarch have revealed that the sci-fi shooter’s multiplayer beta kicks off August 19th if you’ve pre-ordered the PlayStation 4 version, and August 26th on Xbox One. You’ll only have five days to play in either case, but it should give you a feel for the player classes and new gameplay mechanics (such as momentum-based movement) before you get your full copy. It’s not certain just which maps and game modes will find their way into the beta, but you’ll likely find out before the test starts.
Filed under: Gaming
Via: Windows Central
Source: Activision Games Blog
The PS4 will get an officially licensed media remote
You’d think that Sony would have released a remote control for the PlayStation 4 given that video is even more important this time around, but that’s not the case — without a compatible TV remote via HDMI-CEC or Harmony setup, you’re usually stuck using a gamepad. The next best thing is coming, however. Accessory maker PDP has quietly unveiled an officially licensed PS4 media remote that gives you an easier way to navigate both your console and your TV when watching movies. PDP hasn’t formally announced launch details, but US retailers have it shipping in October for $30. That’s not a trivial amount, but it could be worthwhile if you spend as much time watching Netflix as you do grinding through Destiny.
Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, HD
Via: GameSpot, GameInformer
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