Tag: PS4

Puzzle Game Pavilion Previewed For PlayStation 4

As seen in the near-weekly announcements from Sony, indie games appear to have a new home in the PlayStation 4. Dozens of new indie games will be making their way to Sony’s new console this year, and a few of them will probably be free through PS Plus as well.

Today Visiontrick Media took to the PlayStation Blog to preview its puzzle indie game Pavilion. The game was announced for PS4 and PS Vita at last year’s Tokyo Game Show.

Pavilion is a puzzle game in which players will explore a mysterious world through a top-down perspective while leading a character through it. The catch is that that character is not directly controlled by the player. Instead, players will have to interact with the game’s environment, changing conditions and influencing events to encourage the character to move the game forward. For this reason Visiontrick is marketing Pavilion as a “fourth-person” puzzle game.

The concept is illustrated in a new teaser trailer that illustrates both the gameplay and interesting art style of Pavilion:

February 28, 2014
Here’s A Few More Details On The Order: 1886

The Order: 1886 has its work cut out for it. It’s an original IP on a next-gen console that has to prove itself to players looking for something new and exciting from their $400 console. Visuals are only going to go so far so the game has to prove that it has some gameplay chops as well.

In a new behind the scenes video, Ready at Dawn CEO Ru Weerasuriya reveals more details about his company’s first original home console title – The Order: 1886. In it, he reiterates that the game takes place in a 19th century London with a group of knights fighting against mutated humans. He reveals that the characters are based on those from the legend of King Arthur, but the characters in the game are based on the characters from the original legend instead of the more well-known modern retellings.

As for gameplay, he says that it’s their intention to make a filmic game that strikes a balance between storytelling and player control. In the past, games, like Uncharted 2, have felt like you were playing a movie. With The Order: 1886, Ready at Dawn wants to keep players in that filmic experience while keeping them engaged through seamless transitions to combat and exploration.

The Order: 1886 will launch exclusively on the PS4 sometime in 2014.

Image via PlayStation/YouTube

February 27, 2014
PlayStation 4 Sells Big in Japan

In 1992, Ken Kutaragi, the “Father of the PlayStation,” unveiled to the board of Sony a proprietary CD-ROM-based system he had been working on which involved playing video games with 3D graphics to the board. In 1994, the original PlayStation was released. Now, in 2014, Sony PlayStation lives on.

The Sony PlayStation 4 (PS4) was released in the United States last November, but wasn’t released in Japan, the home country of the console, until last Saturday. It was completely sold out by Sunday.

The 332,000 units sold, though not as large as the million plus in the United States at the launch, beats the 80,000 units of the PS3 sold in 2006 in Japan. However, the PS2 still reigns supreme, selling 650,000 units when it first was released in 2000.

In comparison, Nintendo Wii sold 360,000 in its launch week and the 3DS actually sells approximately 80,000 during an average week in Japan (the same number of the PS3s in 2006.)

In competition, Microsoft announced an Xbox One bundle, still priced at around $500 but now including Titanfall. The company will most likely plan a Japanese launch, although it’s not as popular as the other consoles, but no date has been set.

Along with the PS4, Sony also recently introduced the PlayStation App, allowing PS4 users to turn tablets and smartphones into a second screen during gameplay. And the new PS4 game controller, unlike those of its predecessors, includes a share button which makes it possible to view in-game content being streamed live from friends, increasing social gameplay.

In addition, adding to the PlayStation 4 excitement, the popular zombie apocalypse game, Dead Nation, will be free to download for PlayStation Plus users in Hong Kong on March 6. No North American date has been set yet, though it’s most likely to follow.

According to Polygon, Dead Nation was originally released in the U.S. for PS3 in 2010 on the PlayStation Network.

It will be interesting to see if the PS4 will outsell the Nintendo Wii in Japan by the end of the week.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

February 26, 2014
Trials Fusion Tricks Its Way To Consoles, PC On April 16

At last year’s E3, Ubisoft introduced us to two new games in the successful Trials franchise – Trials Fusion for consoles and PC, and Trials Frontier for mobile. Today, Ubisoft has shared a new trailer for the home console version.

In a new trailer for Trials Fusion, we’re treated to a look at what’s being described as the best looking Trials game yet. Of course, you would assume that would be the case as this is not only the first Trials game launching on multiple systems, but it’s also the first Trials game for next-generation consoles.

True to their word, Trials Fusion is a very pretty game. While part of that is due to better hardware, the aesthetics go a long in making it look good as well.

As for gameplay, the physics-based gameplay that fans have come to know and ~~hate~~ love is back and ready to give you a few weeks of frustration as you attempt to nail every jump and stunt. Speaking of which, the trick system is back with a host of new improvements.

Trials Fusion launches April 16 for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4 and PC.

Image via Ubisoft/YouTube

February 26, 2014
Sony Celebrating Vita’s Second Birthday With Sales

It’s been two years since the PlayStation Vita first hit store shelves. The handheld has been through some ups and downs (mostly downs) since then, but it’s finally starting to come into its own as a premium handheld device with games that largely cater to a core audience. Now some of those games are going on sale.

Sony announced today that its holding an anniversary sale on the PSN to celebrate the Vita surviving its first two years on the market. Many said it wasn’t possible within it first few months on the market, but things are looking up for it.

As a way of saying thank you to all the fans that spread the Vita gospel throughout its two years on this earth, Sony will be discounting a variety of games, like Castlestorm, Escape Plan, flOW, Flower and Hotline Miami. Many of these games support cross buy so you’ll be getting them on the PS3 and PS4 as well.

Here’s the full list:

If that’s not enough for you, Sony is holding another sale this week with deep discounts on some of the biggest titles from 2013:

Both sales will start on Tuesday and last for a week. If you want any of the above games at a discount, you better act fast.

Images via PlayStation Blog

February 24, 2014
Here’s A Look At Over 20 Upcoming PS4 Games

With the PS4 launching in Japan today, Sony has been busy in its home territory with launch parties, trailers and a bunch of celebratory videos. Capcom has already shared a new Deep Down trailer to coincide with the Japanese launch of the PS4, and now Sony has a number of videos showing some of the games coming to the system.

To coincide with the PS4 launch, Sony has shared three videos that detail some of the upcoming titles hitting the PS4 in the next few years. Since this is for the Japanese launch, some of the games shown are titles that launched with the console in North America and Europe in late 2013.

Beyond those titles, there are some quick looks at titles that have yet to launch in any territory. Most of these titles are those coming from Japanese developers and publishers, like Square Enix and Konami. It also provides a look at some titles that are going to remain exclusive to Japan unless some localization magic happens, like Yakuza Ishin and Dreamclub.

While we’re at it, here’s the Japanese PS4 launch trailer complete with DualShock 4 sword fights:

Image via PlayStation Japan/YouTube

February 21, 2014
Deep Down Gets New Trailer Ahead Of Japanese PS4 Launch

The PS4 is launching in Japan today, but its launch lineup is a little lacking in terms of Japanese developed titles. Capcom’s Deep Down was supposed to be a launch window title, but it’s not going to make that date. Instead, Capcom did the next best thing.

In celebration of the PS4’s launch, Capcom shared a new trailer for Deep Down that teases more of the story and shows more of the monsters players will face as they explore the dungeons and caverns of the medieval futuristic world. The game continues to look a lot like Dark Souls, but it’s hard to say if Capcom will be able to replicate the success of From Software’s celebrated Souls series.

What we do know is that Deep Down continues to be one of the best looking PS4 titles currently in development. Powered by Capcom’s new Panta Rhei engine, it will be the first title to show off what the development studio can do with next generation hardware.

Deep Down will be free to play when it launches exclusively on PS4 later this year in Japan. There’s still no word on a Western release, but the producer’s statement in regards to Western criticism of the game’s lack of playable female characters hints that they are at least considering it.

Image via cogmovie/YouTube

February 21, 2014
‘Daylight’ Coming to PS4, PC on April 8

Leave it to the indie market to pick up the slack from larger publishers. The Amnesia series has proven that the survival horror genre is not dead, spawning a new trend with games such as Outlast and Slender.

Zombie Studios today announced that the next entry into the non-combat survival horror genre is set to scare gamers this spring. Daylight will be released for PlayStation 4 and PC on April 8 and will cost only $15.

Daylight is a new game from the studio behind Blacklight: Retribution and Blackwater. The horror game throws players into the shoes of a young woman who wakes up in an abandoned hospital. From there, players must navigate procedurally-generated levels in an effort to escape, dodging the unknown terrors that are also procedurally generated.

In addition to the release date announcement, Zombie released a few more details about features coming to Daylight. The game can be played in 3D through compatible 3DTVs or monitors, though playing it on an Oculus Rift (with which it is also compatible) would certainly make it even more immersive.

Daylight will also use the PS4’s Twitch streaming capabilities in a very unique way. While players are streaming the game through Twitch, people using Twitch chat can enter commands to make events (such as noises) occur in the players’ game. The functionality operates on a timer to prevent spam. Zombies will not be releasing a list of commands, preferring instead for players and viewers to discover them for themselves.

February 20, 2014
Wolfenstein: The New Order Launches May 20

Last year, Bethesda announced that it was putting its acquisition of id Software to good use by developing a new Wolfenstein game. That game would soon be known as Wolfenstein: The New Order and is a reboot of sorts set in a world where Nazi Germany won World War II. At the time, we weren’t given a release date outside of some point in 2014, but now we know it’s coming sooner rather than later.

Bethesda announced today that Wolfenstein: The New Order will be out on May 20. The new game, developed by MachineGames, is a single-player only affair that promises “a deep game narrative packed with action, adventure and first-person combat rendered in stunning detail with id Software’s id Tech 5 engine.”

So, what’s this about a deep narrative? Here’s how Bethesda describes it:

Wolfenstein: The New Order once again centers around the series’ iconic war hero, B.J. Blazkowicz and this time faces alternate version of the 1960s in which the Nazis won World War II. As the only man capable of rewriting history, with the help of a small group of resistance fighters, infiltrate their most heavily guarded facilities, battle high-tech Nazi legions, and take control of super-weapons that have conquered the earth – and beyond.

Its synopsis doesn’t sound quite as “deep” as they’re promising, but it certainly looks like a blast to play:

As part of the announcement, Bethesda says those who preorder Wolfenstein: The New Order will get access to the Doom beta. Yes, that Doom – the Doom that’s been in development at id Software for six years now. If you want to know more about the beta, check out the official Web site.

February 19, 2014
Rayman Legends Comes To PS4, Xbox One Today

Rayman Legends was easily one of the best platformers of 2013 thanks to its tight controls and unmatchable charm. It has an interesting history to boot as it started out as a Wii U exclusive, was delayed so it could be ported to pretty much every other platform, and is now getting super HD ports on the Xbox One and PS4.

After initially being announced via a silly trailer starring Snoop Dogg, Rayman Legends for PS4 and Xbox One is now available today. The next-gen port of last year’s platformer doesn’t bring much in the way of visual improvements, but both versions take advantage of each platform’s unique abilities. For example, the PS4 version supports Remote Play on the PS Vita.

As for general gameplay enhancements, there’s not much. The team at Ubisoft does say that next gen consoles allowed them to remove loading times entirely from the game. While they weren’t really all that noticeable on the original version, they were still there. Now players can jump from level to level without having to wait a second.

Rayman Legends is now available on Xbox One and PS4 for the more affordable price of $39.99. It’s also available on PS3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita, PC and Wii U.

Image via GamersPrey

February 18, 2014
Developers Focusing On Next Gen, PC And Mobile In 2014

On March 17, game developers from around the world will gather in San Francisco for the annual Game Developers Conference. Before the show, GDC surveys attending developers to find out which platforms they’ll be releasing their next game on. Since this is the first year the Xbox One and PS4 are showing up, it will be interesting to see how they stack up against the other platforms.

In the 2014 State of the Industry report, a majority of the 2,600 North American developers surveyed revealed that their next game is going to be on mobile and/or PC. Thanks to the low barrier of entry and relatively low cost of development, these two platforms have risen in popularity over the last few years as easy ways to get your foot in the door.

Moving to game consoles, almost 20 percent of respondents said their next game would show up on the PlayStation 4. Most GDC attendees today are indie developers so the results aren’t too surprising considering Sony’s support of indie developers. It’s also the reason why almost 7.5 percent of those surveyed will be releasing their game on the PlayStation Vita – another indie friendly platform. In comparison, the PlayStation 3 only has 6 percent of developers working on games for it.

As for Xbox, almost 17 percent of developers will be releasing their next game on the Xbox One. Thanks to Microsoft’s ID@Xbox program, indie developers can now self publish their game on the platform. The same can not be said for the Xbox 360 where only 6 percent of developers plan to release their next game.

So, what about Nintendo? Last year, only 4.6 percent of surveyed developers said their next game would be out on the Wii U. This year, that number has dropped slightly to 4.4 percent. The original Wii fared much worse with less than one precent of developers releasing their next game on the system.

Nintendo’s handhelds didn’t fare any better. Despite the 3DS’ success in 2013, the handheld is still primarily a vehicle for first party titles. Only 1.9 percent of those surveyed will be releasing their next game on the 3DS while only .5 percent will be releasing their next title on the original DS.

Outside of traditional game consoles, game developers can now also choose to develop for Android-based microconsoles. Almost 11 percent of those surveyed will be releasing their next game on the Ouya and its ilk. While the barrier to entry is just as low as it is on mobile devices, Android microconsoles are still selling poorly enough to make investment in games for these platforms a risky proposition.

All of this paints a rosy picture for the future of next gen consoles, PC and mobile. All the other platforms aren’t doing so hot right now, but this is only a survey of North American developers. Game consoles would see more support if Japanese developers were thrown into the mix and European developers would give a major boost to the already dominant PC.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

February 18, 2014
More Than 5.3 Million PlayStation 4 Consoles Sold

Following E3 2013 it was clear that Sony was the clear favorite for gamers going into the next console generation. While Microsoft bet big on Kinect and always-online DRM Sony gave fans more of the same, winning over nearly everyone with a more powerful console at a lower price. Though Microsoft quickly backed off of its anti-consumer policies, the damage had been done and the PlayStation 4 is now outselling the Xbox One.

The difference was hard to see last November, when both companies managed to sell around two million consoles in a matter of weeks. By January the split had widened, with Microsoft announcing 3 million Xbox One consoles shipped during 2013 versus Sony’s 4.2 million PlayStation 4s sold to customers.

Today Sony announced that over one million more consoles since its last sales announcement. As of February 8th Sony has sold through 5.3 million PlayStation 4 consoles to customers around the world. High PS4 sales are expected to continue as Sony launches the console in its home territory of Japan on February 22.

“I am thrilled that so many customers around the globe have continued to select PS4 as the best place to play throughout and beyond the holiday season,” said Andrew House, CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment. “We are delighted that according to the NPD Group’s latest data, PS4 was January’s top-selling console in the United States. The PS4 system’s momentum just keeps growing stronger, and we are extremely grateful for the continued passion and support of PlayStation fans. February 22 sees the launch of PS4 in Japan, and I’m looking forward to Japanese fans sharing the excitement of the deep social capabilities and entertainment experiences only possible on PS4.”

For its part, Microsoft did not brag about its Xbox One sales following this month’s NPD report. Instead, the company issued a release stating that the Xbox One has sold faster than the Xbox 360 did during its first three months and touting the fact that combined Xbox 360 and Xbox One software sales are higher than any other one console.

February 18, 2014
The Order: 1886 Gameplay Finally Unveiled

At E3, Sony announced that it was working with Ready at Dawn to create an exclusive PS4 title called The Order: 1886. At the time, we were treated to a trailer that introduced us to the setting and characters. Since then, gamers have been wanting to see gameplay and that gameplay is finally here.

VG24/7 got the exclusive debut gameplay reveal for The Order: 1886 in a trailer that also features interviews with the team working on the game. The team discusses the world, the story and what they’re doing to set their third-person shooter apart from the pack.

While third-person shooters aren’t exactly next gen, The Order: 1886 is doing some neat things with its narrative that are novel. For instance, there is no inherent split between cinematics and gameplay, and players will often be tasked with controlling the cinematic. One such example has players surveying the field with binoculars as the protagonist comments on what comes into view. It’s still a traditional scripted experience, however, as the story won’t progress until the player triggers the next main story event.

The Order: 1886 will be out in 2014 exclusively on the PS4.

UPDATE: Here’s a new story trailer straight from Sony:

February 18, 2014
After Four Years, Sony Finally Advertises PlayStation Plus

PlayStation Plus was introduced four years ago as a premium subscription service that would net subscribers free games and game discounts every month. It was totally unlike Xbox Live in that online play was still free and Plus was just a nice perk. With the PS4, PlayStation Plus is a lot more like Xbox Live and Sony apparently needs to get the word out.

Sony has put together a TV ad for PlayStation Plus – the first of its kind – to advertise the fact that you need PlayStation Plus on the PS4 to games online. While Sony did announce this at E3 2013, it stands to reason that there are many potential PS4 buyers who are unaware that online play on the PS4 has moved to the subscription service. It’s better to alert them now that they’ll have to shell out $50 a year to play online instead of letting them find out the hard way.

As for the actual ad itself, it’s another live-action ad that transplants the game world into the real one. There are call outs to Killzone: Shadow Fall, The Elder Scrolls Online, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and more. The focus here is playing with your friends, but Sony does manage to squeeze a small bit about PlayStation Plus’ most appealing feature – the free games.

If you still just have a PS3 and/or PS Vita, online play is still free. PlayStation Plus is just a nice service to have. For PS4, Plus is a requirement, but you still get the free games every month, like Outlast.

Image via PlayStation/YouTube

February 17, 2014
‘Infamous: Second Son’ Powers Previewed in New Video

With Microsoft leaning heavily onto Titanfall for the success of the Xbox One, Sony is preparing to launch its own big next-gen exclusive next month with InFamous: Second Son. Today Sony and developer Sucker Punch released a new preview showing off some of the superhuman powers players will be able to wield in the game.

Second Son has already been previewed heavily, revealing that players will take on the role of Delsin, a young man with significant gifts. As Delsin, players will be able to wield multiple superpowers and use them to either help or hurt other characters in the game.

It’s the help or hurt aspect that is emphasized in this new preview. Though new looks at both the the smoke and neon powers are included in the video, so are some very revealing cutscene teasers. The game’s developers reveal that character progression and even story elements will change depending on how players interact with Sucker Punch’s version of Seattle:

February 14, 2014
MLB 14 The Show Coming To PS3 And Vita In April, PS4 In May

MLB 14 The Show will be the only true baseball simulation title out for consoles this year thanks to 2K not renewing its agreement with the MLB. Sure, the MLB itself will be putting out a new RBI Baseball game this year, but PlayStation consoles will be the only place baseball fans can get a deep sim experience when it launches in April.

Sony announced today that MLB 14 The Show will launch on the PS3 and PS Vita on April 1. Unless the date is some kind of cruel April Fools joke, baseball fans will finally get their fix in a little over a month. What about the PS4 version though? Sony says that particular version will be launching a month later in May, but gave no specific date.

As for features, the developers at SCEA San Diego Studios announced last year that MLB 14 The Show will finally introduce a way for players to carry over their saves from this this year’s game to next year’s iteration. It’s an amazing feature that’s been a long time coming for fans who love to build dynasties, but hate having to build up brand new teams with every new iteration.

Other features include a new way to play a 9 inning game in less than 30 minutes, a completely revamped Road to the Show single-player campaign and share features that are exclusive to the PS4 version.

Here’s a new trailer for the game that pulls footage exclusively from the PS3 version:

If you want to see how the PS4 version stacks up, check out this screenshot comparison provided by Sony:

Sony promises that it will share more details on the PS4 version in the coming weeks.

Image via PlayStation Blog

February 13, 2014
More Than 100 Games Coming To PS4 In 2014

For early adopters, new consoles are always an investment in the future. You expect a flood of new games to hit the console in the years following its release, but the first year will always be a little dry. Sony doesn’t want that to happen with the PS4.

Polygon reports that Sony Computer Entertainment VP of Marketing, John Koller, revealed during a press event that the PS4 would see more than 100 games released for it in 2014. It’s not immediately clear how many of those games would be retail titles and how many would be the downloadable titles from indie developers that Sony has courted over the past few years.

If it is true, the PS4 will likely see more indie titles than retail titles in 2014. It’s just the nature of the business as it’s easier and faster for a small team to develop and ship a title than it is for a large AAA team that just started developing next-gen games last year. That being said, the PS4 will get a lot of content from both in 2014.

On the AAA side of things, Sony’s own publishing arm will release titles like The Order: 1886, inFamous: Second Son and DriveClub. As for third party efforts, we’ll see major releases like Thief and Destiny.

On the indie front, we’ve got the upcoming release of games like The Witness, Minecraft and more to keep PS4 owners company through any future droughts. Indie game releases have been slow on the PS4 with the console averaging about one release a month, but it’s still early. According to IGN, there are currently more than 30 indie titles confirmed for release on the PS4 in 2014. There will likely be far more announced at GDC and E3 later this year.

In short, it looks like early adopters of the PS4 won’t have to deal with the usual year long drought that affects most consoles – looking at you, Wii U.

Image via CommunityGame/YouTube

February 12, 2014
Final Fantasy XIV PS4 Beta Starts February 22

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn may be the greatest comeback in gaming history thanks to Square Enix admitting the original game was an absolute mess and rebuilding it from the ground up. The result was an MMO that celebrates the history and legacy of Final Fantasy in the best of ways. Now, PS4 owners will soon get to see what all the hubbub is about.

Square Enix announced this morning that the Final Fantasy XIV open beta will hit the PS4 on February 22. The first phase of the beta will last from February 22 to March 3 after which a character wipe will occur. After that, phase two of the beta will go from April 4 to April 7 after which the characters created during this phase can be used in the final game which launches April 14.

Here’s what you can expect from the PS4 version of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn:
Upgraded graphics on the PS4 in glorious 1080p.
PS Vita Remote Play — craft, gather, and play wherever you go.
Share-support — stream your gameplay or share screenshots.
Mouse & Keyboard Support — switching over from a PC? No problem!
Touchpad-Support — the touchpad of Dualshock 4 is fully supported.

If you’re already playing the PS3 version of FFXIV, you can transfer your character to the PS4 version for free starting April 11. Square Enix notes that those who transfer will no longer be able to play the PS3 version of the game.

On a side note, those who already playing on the PS3 or PC who want to join their PS4 owning friends during the beta can transfer their characters to the PS4 version. This is only necessary during the beta as the final retail version will feature cross platform support between all three versions.

Finally, here’s a trailer showing the PS4 version of the game in action: