Six months ago, developers Guard Crush Games (Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap) and Lizardcube (Streets of Fury) announced the latest instalment in Sega's classic arcade beat-em-up series, Streets of Rage 4. Information about the title has been scarce since the reveal trailer, however.Though no release date has been confirmed as of yet, the developers have released a new trailer showing off some intense, visually stunning gameplay.
The trailer, which you can watch below, features some very 80s style drums and synth patterns, accompanied by hand-drawn visuals as Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding walk up and down city streets beating up whoever's in their way. The game looks smooth and distinct, with richly saturated colors and smooth animations. Throughout the trailer, both Axel and Blaze juggle opponents in the air and to each other like tennis players, showcasing just how cooperative SOR4 will be. It's short, lasting only 40-seconds long, but it's a tantalizing look at the game.
Our own Alessandro Fillari came away impressed during his hands-on time with the game back at PAX West 2018. In his write-up, he said that "the game reflects its predecessors' history and legacy." He went on to state that the gameplay feels familiar, with the developers citing Streets of Rage II and Streets of Rage 3 as being starting points.
Fillari also explained the new modified super move system, which, like SOR2, will "deplete some of your health." However, to keep the game in line with its contemporaries, SOR4 will allow you to recover the depleted health with regular attacks, something he likens to Bloodborne's health regen system.
Along with gameplay and mechanics, Fillari also touched on the new visual art style, calling it "a much more dynamic look compared to its predecessor's vivid, yet still static cityscape." Instead of the 2D sprite work found in the original titles, SOR4 features hand-drawn visuals similar to Lizardcube's 2017 title, Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap--a remake of the 1989 game Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap. In addition to gameplay changes and a revamp in art aesthetics, SOR4 will have "its own unique score and effects to help make it stand out from the original game." Unfortunately, the developers are hush-hush about the rest of the game, including whether the series' original composer, Yuzo Koshiro, will return to score SOR4.
Street of Rage 4 is currently in development. A definitive release date is unknown and there's no word on what platforms it'll appear on.
Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb has announced Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 is an Xbox One backwards compatibility title. You can now play the 2007 Xbox 360 game on Xbox One, whether you own the physical or digital version of the game.
You don't have to buy the game if you subscribe to Xbox Live Gold either. Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 has been announced as one of the four titles offered through Games With Gold in April 2019. So with Xbox Live Gold, you'll be able to download Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 for free April 16 - 30.
Like its predecessor, Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 puts an emphasis on stealth and tactical decision making in firefights. The game's story takes place over a 72-hour period, focusing on a series of conflicts that occur along the US and Mexico border. Like the rest of the Ghost Recon franchise, you play as a part of an elite special forces US group that responds to international threats around the globe, operating in complete secrecy with a mixture of traditional weapons and advanced, futuristic tech.
In our Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 review, we gave the game a 8.7/10, writing, "There's such a wealth of content in the multiplayer suite that it alone makes GRAW2 an easy purchase for multiplayer fans. If the original game is any indication, there's going to be a large following for GRAW2 for a long time, which makes this a safe investment. The flip side to this is that if you don't have Xbox Live, then GRAW2 is an iffier proposition. The single-player game is fun, but its brevity is certainly an issue. Still, if you're a fan of modern combat, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 makes a compelling case for a game that you have to play."
While the upcoming X-men movie Dark Phoenix has had its release date moved back a couple of times, we do at least know that it will be hitting theaters this summer. The same can't be said for The New Mutants, the horror-themed X-Men spin-off that was shot two years ago and has been subjected to various delays ever since. Now star Maisie Williams has expressed her frustration with the situation.
In an interview with Rolling Stone to promote the upcoming final season of Game of Thrones, Williams was asked about the status of The New Mutants. "Who knows when the f*** that's gonna come out," she said. "Hopefully this interview will make everyone hurry up a little bit."
Williams explained that reshoots planned to "make it scarier" hadn't taken place yet, even though the movie currently has an August 2 release date. In addition, she stated that she recently saw co-star Charlie Heaton and asked him, "What the f*** is going on with this movie?" Unfortunately, Heaton didn't know either.
This isn't the first time one of the stars of The New Mutants has expressed their feelings about the delays to the film. Last year, Anna Taylor-Joy described the situation as "frustrating." The movie is directed by Josh Boone, who previously stated that it will be a "rubber-reality supernatural horror movie."
The New Mutants was originally set for release in April 2018. It was subsequently moved to February 2019, before shifting again to August. Although that date has not changed, it seems highly unlikely the movie will be released then--there have been no trailers since the first one back in October 2017, and the cast clearly have no idea when we are likely to see it.
While there were reports of potential reshoots before Disney's recent purchase of Fox's entertainment assets, the fact the movie is now under the Disney banner complicates matters. It is thought that Fox's Marvel properties--namely X-Men and the Fantastic Four--will be brought into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. According to The Hollywood Reporter, The New Mutants could be released straight to the upcoming streaming service Disney+, but the studio has not commented on this.
Despite the gaming industry's growth, we've seen numerous companies lay off employees of late, including significant ones at Activision Blizzard. Electronic Arts is the next company to confirm layoffs of its own, announcing today that about 350 people are losing their jobs.
EA CEO Andrew Wilson delivered the news via the company's official website. "Today we took some important steps as a company to address our challenges and prepare for the opportunities ahead," Wilson said. Of the company's roughly 9,000 employees, 350 people across the company's marketing, publishing, and operations teams will lose their jobs. This also includes operations in Japan and Russia, where the company is "ramping down our current presence [to] focus on different ways to serve our players in those markets."
You can read his full statement below:
"Today we took some important steps as a company to address our challenges and prepare for the opportunities ahead. As we look across a changing world around us, it's clear that we must change with it. We're making deliberate moves to better deliver on our commitments, refine our organization and meet the needs of our players. As part of this, we have made changes to our marketing and publishing organization, our operations teams, and we are ramping down our current presence in Japan and Russia as we focus on different ways to serve our players in those markets. In addition to organizational changes, we are deeply focused on increasing quality in our games and services. Great games will continue to be at the core of everything we do, and we are thinking differently about how to amaze and inspire our players.
"This is a difficult day. The changes we're making today will impact about 350 roles in our 9,000-person company. These are important but very hard decisions, and we do not take them lightly. We are friends and colleagues at EA, we appreciate and value everyone's contributions, and we are doing everything we can to ensure we are looking after our people to help them through this period to find their next opportunity. This is our top priority."
Rockstar has rolled out another new batch of content for Red Dead Redemption 2's multiplayer mode, Red Dead Online. Ahead of the major update that's coming later this spring, the developer has added an assortment of new clothing options to the game, along with a new competitive mode: Target Races.
Rockstar describes Target Races as "a fast-paced mix of marksmanship, strategy, and horse-riding skills." Players begin each race equipped with a bow and arrow, with the object being to shoot targets as you dash through the track. Along the way, you'll also be able to pick up guns with limited ammo and other power-ups, which you can use to shoot the targets or other players.
In addition to standard Target Races, PS4 players now have early access to Open Target Races. This variation has you racing about an open environment shooting targets. These can be picked off in any order, and once you've hit all of them, you'll race against the other players in a mad dash to the finish. Thanks to Rockstar's timed exclusivity agreement with Sony, Open Target Races are only available on PS4 right now, but they'll come to the Xbox One version next month.
On top of the new modes, Rockstar is giving players 20% more XP in all activities this week, while all horse care items are 25% off. The developer has also added a new selection of clothes to purchase. The full list includes:
Morning Tail Coat
Strickland Boots
Bowyer Boots (Female only)
Furred Gloves
Rockstar has more new content in the pipeline for Red Dead Online this year, including two more Showdown modes called Up in Smoke and Plunder. On top of that, the developer will add a hostility system to help combat griefing this spring, as well as new Land of Opportunities missions, more Free Roam missions, dynamic events such as ambushes and rescues, and more
If you haven't peeked at the Xbox Store this week, you absolutely should. Not only are some of the best games from last week's sale still available, but more great deals were also added today. Before we get into those, be sure to check out the Critically Acclaimed Sale, which has discounts on some of the best games available on Xbox One, including Red Dead Redemption 2, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Celeste, Dead Cells, and more. Only one day is left for these incredible deals, so grab whatever you want ASAP.
In case you haven't heard, this week marks the 25th anniversary of The Elder Scrolls--the first game in the series, The Elder Scrolls: Arena, released back in 1994. To celebrate, Bethesda is offering huge deals on many Elder Scrolls titles this week, including The Elder Scrolls Online ($10), The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Special Edition ($24), and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion ($7.50). The Elder Scrolls Online deal is available through April 8; the other deals will only be around through April 1. As a heads-up, you can also download The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind for free on PC all this week, with that offer ending Sunday, March 31.
An iconic DC superhero is getting some love in the Xbox store this week: Batman's Arkham series and Lego games are marked down up to 60% right now. Grab Batman: Arkham Knight for $10, Batman: Return to Arkham for $10, and the Batman: Arkham Knight season pass for (you guessed it) $10. If you're a fan of the Lego games, you can also get Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham for $10 and its Deluxe edition for $17.50. Plus, the Lego DC Super-Villains season pass is only $9. The Lego games make for some entertaining couch co-op if you enjoy playing locally with a friend or partner.
Another notable deal: Battlefield V is 50% off for a limited time to celebrate the release of its free battle royale mode, Firestorm. You can grab the base game for just $30 for the next two days. Its Deluxe edition is also marked down to $40. Other great deals this week include Titanfall 2 ($5) and Injustice 2 ($28), both of which will be available through April 1.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is huge, consisting of a tremendous number of characters which have been slowly introduced throughout the years. And because of this, in the wake of the Thanos Snap in Avengers: Infinity War, fans didn't know if many of these characters were dusted off-screen because they didn't appear in the movie. Many have wondered if Asgardian Valkyrie--who first appeared in Thor: Ragnarok--had survived Thanos' plan and would appear in Avengers: Endgame. The same question has lingered about Black Panther's Shuri.
Thanks to some new posters for the upcoming movie, we've learned that Valkyrie is alive, but Shuri is not. More than two dozen posters were released, and the black and white posters indicated who is dead, while the ones in color were for the living. Valkyrie's poster, which you can see below, is in full, glorious color, while Shuri's is not.
Aside from the color palette, every poster is the same. It features a close-up of a character, the April 26 release date of the movie, and the phrase, "Avenge the fallen" printed at the top of it.
The last time fans saw Valkyrie was in Thor: Ragnarok. After defeating Hela with Thor and company, she boarded the ship with the rest of the surviving Asgardians to find a new home. However, in Infinity War, the movie opened up with Thanos and the Black Order boarding that same ship in space and the Mad Titan had already killed half the people on board. Valkyrie was aboard that ship, but there was no indication to whether she lived or died.
Now, it's apparent she will return for Avengers: Endgame to avenge the fallen, and maybe we'll get to see her team up again with Bruce Banner/Hulk and Thor.
Shuri, on the other hand, was listed as "missing" during a trailer for Endgame. It was unclear at the time if she had fallen victim to the Snap or was simply unaccounted for after Infinity War, but it appears now that she, too, was killed by Thanos.
Xbox's indies-focused event and announced three more ID@Xbox games that will come to Game Pass on release day, as well as the lineup of indies that will be available to play at PAX East.
Killer Queen Black, Outer Wilds, and Blazing Chrome will all hit Xbox's all-you-can-eat subscription service on release day. Killer Queen Black is a new arcade multiplayer entry for up to eight players. Outer Wilds from Annapurina Interactive and Mobius is an open-world exploration game that repeats a limited-time challenge as you learn new secrets about the world to help with subsequent playthroughs. Blazing Chrome is an arcade run-and-gun action game. Killer Queen and Outer Wilds are both targeting 2019 launches, while a date wasn't given for Blazing Chrome.
Microsoft also announced the slate of ID@Xbox games playable at PAX East, which begins March 28 in Boston, MA. You can stop by the Xbox booth to try Void Bastards, Operencia: The Stolen Sun, Supermarket Shriek, The Good Life, and Afterparty. Like the other games announced today, each of these will launch on Game Pass on their respective release days. You'll also be able to collect pins that represent the various indie games.
Xbox Game Pass offers an all-you-can-play model with more than 100 Xbox One and backwards-compatible Xbox 360 games as long as you pay the $10 per month subscription fee. The Xbox Game Pass lineup already includes a selection of indie games with more being added regularly. This month's additions include What Remains of Edith Finch and Operencia among others, and Minecraft will be coming next month.
SNK's once-prolific output in the '90s has slowed in recent years, but thanks to Neo Geo ports arriving weekly on Switch and other platforms, some of the company's most popular arcade series are once again vying for players' attention. Samurai Shodown is one of those. The weapons-based 2D fighting series thrived for close to 15 years, but it has largely remained dormant since 2008's Samurai Shodown Sen. While it's great to revisit the series' past on modern consoles, it's also exciting to know that a brand-new Samurai Shodown fighting game is on the way--and it feels even better to report that my time with the game has only increased my anticipation for its upcoming June release.
In order to get an inside look at the new systems and to discuss the game's overall direction, I recently played a few rounds during a meeting with three Samurai Shodown developers: producer Yasuyuki Oda, game director Nobuyuki Kuroki, and game designer Josh Weatherford. Oda and Kuroki have experience working at SNK during its heyday in the '90s, and though they both worked on 2016's King of Fighters XIV, each had spent years away from the publisher working with other companies. While Kuroki helped ship a number of Sonic the Hedgehog games, Oda worked on Street Fighter IV at Dimps, the studio that co-developed the title with Capcom--which may help explain the similar inky rendering effect seen in the new Samurai Shodown. The team at SNK, we're told, is roughly a 50-50 split of veteran SNK developers and fresh talent from across the industry.
Weatherford, Oda, and Kuroki are all very good players, as you'd expect, and in their capable hands the new Samurai Shodown looked very impressive. Familiar faces like Nakoruru and Galford clashed with great speed and ferocity, with spurts of blood and blots of ink accenting the action. As with the ink, characters were vaguely reminiscent of Street Fighter IV's expressive and slightly exaggerated designs, yet it all feels distinctly Samurai Shodown, where beauty and brutality clash with ease. It's a testament to the strong character designs that have evolved with the series over the years, and proof that lessons were learned after King of Fighter XIV's poorly received graphics had to be overhauled post launch.
"I've led the charge on the art style," said Kuroki, "and I was really worried prior to the announcement and reveal of the game what the reaction would be to the visuals. I went really hard on the Japanese style with everything, from the UI, to the colors, and the textures. It's not what the Western image of 'Japanese' would be, it's a very original style, no corners cut or anything, and I wasn't sure if that would be popular in the West. Still, so far, everyone has been positive, so I'm happy to see that."
We now know that the roster will feature a total of sixteen characters, including 13 returning faces and three new fighters. The new characters remain a mystery, but we can now confirm that the 13 veterans are: Charlotte, Earthquake, Galford, Genjuro, Hanzo, Haohmaru, Jubei, Kyoshiro, Nakoruru, Shiki, Tam Tam, Ukyo, and Yoshitora. For Oda, seeing these familiar characters shine in a new light is a relief. "If you think about how the old 2D art was made," he posited, "it was very stylized, to the point where if you viewed the same character from the front, their hair would be so ridiculous and it would make no sense. I've loved the reaction so far, with everyone saying it looks like the old games, but in 3D; not like a reimagining."
If you've played Samurai Shodown in the past with any amount of regularity, you should have no problems picking up where you left off with the returning fighters. The rage gauge system is back, where each fighter has a meter that fills as they take damage, activating powerful buffs and attacks when it maxes out--including the disarming weapon-flipping technique. And once per match, you can activate a rage explosion with a simple button combo that destroys your rage gauge but gives you the chance to use a Lightning Blade attack, a move powerful enough to dramatically turn the tide of a contested battle.
Having left the series after Samurai Shodown V in 2003, it felt great to take control of these characters again. The speed, the hard-hitting fights, and the attitude is there. The visuals truly pop, giving me a newfound appreciation for a series that had until last year felt all but forgotten. I've only played a handful of fights so it's too early to say whether or not Samurai Shodown will have what it takes to excite casual and competitive fighting game players alike, but it will be tested soon enough.
"People always ask why we brought the series back," said Weatherford, "and as Kuroki always says, it's not just that the community's request via polls was very high, but it's also, even among other fighting games, it has a very different style and a different pace. We felt, with the current trend towards esports, that it could stand out on its own very easily."
The team at SNK won't have to wait long to see how its revival shakes out with fans and pros alike. The new Samurai Shodown is currently scheduled to release on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in June (Switch and PC at a later date), and shortly after, it will share the spotlight as one of the nine main games at EVO 2019 in August. That will be a big test, for sure, but having had a taste of what's possible during my demo, I already know it will be one of my most anticipated tournaments when the annual fighting game event kicks off in a few months' time.
April's Xbox Live Games with Gold have been revealed, and there are some great games going free for Xbox One and Xbox 360 owners in the next few weeks. Star Wars: Battlefront II (2005) is perhaps the most exciting game of the month, but there's plenty more besides that.
Xbox One owners can look forward to playing the 2016 action-RPG The Technomancer, which is free throughout April. Then, from April 16 through May 15, Outcast: Second Contact will also be free on Xbox One.
On Xbox 360, the free games will be Star Wars: Battlefront II--the 2005 game that first launched on the original Xbox--and Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2. The former is free from April 1 - 15, while the latter is available for no added cost from April 16 - 30. Both titles are backwards compatible, meaning you can play them on your Xbox One.
EA has announced a deal with Velan Studios, the new startup from Vicarious Visions founders Guha and Karthik Bala. The EA Partners label will publish Velan's first original franchise, which will appear on PC, consoles, and mobile devices.
The announcement didn't detail Velan's first project but did drop one intriguing clue. It mentions a new kind of "team-based action," which suggests it will be a multiplayer title.
Velan has announced plans to add 40 new jobs to prepare for creating the new IP, which is double its current team size. The studio has raised $7 million in capital since being founded in 2016. While at Vicarious Visions, the Bala brothers oversaw the development of series like Guitar Hero and Skylanders. Velan's talent pool includes veterans from games including Super Mario Maker, Uncharted, and Metroid Prime.
"We started Velan Studios to make community-centered play experiences that are daring and distinctive from what's being played today," said Guha Bala in the announcement. "We can't wait to share the details of our first original game in the future."
The anime streaming service Crunchyroll has announced it will be raising its rate on new premium subscriptions starting on May 1. Those who are already premium subscribers are getting a temporary reprieve from the price hike, remaining at their current rate for a few more months.
The prior Crunchyroll Premium subscription was set at $7 USD, and beginning on May 1 that will go up to $8. Premium members were notified of the rate change, along with word that their current rate will continue through August 1, 2019. New subscribers will begin at the new rate.
This follows a series of rate changes for streaming services. Netflix recently raised its prices by $1-2 for all tiers, and then shortly after, Hulu dropped the price for its most popular plan, which is the one with ad support. Crunchyroll is a more specialty service than both of these, though, focusing squarely on anime series and movies.
Each of the streaming services is preparing for more competition in the near future though. Disney is expected to launch its Disney+ streaming service this year, offering selections from its catalog of movies and shows along with new series set in the Marvel and Star Wars universes. Meanwhile Apple has recently announced its own premium subscription, Apple TV Plus, with its own slate of originals lined up. Pricing for those upcoming services has not been announced.
Microsoft has been courting indies for years through its ID@Xbox program, but now the company is giving independent games their very own showcase. The newly titled ID@Xbox Game Pass stream will premiere on March 26 and showcase a variety of indies coming to Xbox One.
Though a full line-up hasn't been announced, Microsoft did mention a few by name including Afterparty, Void Bastards, and Supermarket Shriek. Plus, given the name, it seems likely this will emphasize the indies that are included as part of the company's Game Pass subscription service. That service offers all-you-can-eat from a curated selection of games for $10 per month.
This show will follow a spate of publisher showcases, including the spring Nindies showcase that featured a collaboration with Microsoft to bring Cuphead to the Nintendo Switch. Similarly, Sony announced its own State of Play stream, airing March 25. Between the regular Nintendo Direct presentations, Microsoft's Inside Xbox and new ID@Xbox Game Pass streams, and Sony's new State of Play streams, all three major platform holders are now hosting their own streaming programs.
Check below for a schedule of times, and come back here at show time to watch it all go down.
Microsoft ID@Xbox Game Pass March 26 Livestream Start Time
It's safe to say the DC movie universe has changed a lot since Zack Snyder's Man of Steel was released back in 2013. Snyder's Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice was a commercial success but not exactly a hit with critics, while Justice League failed on almost every level. Snyder left Justice League during post-production and the DC universe bounced back with the hugely successful Aquaman. But although Snyder is no longer involved with DC, he still has some opinions about the films he made.
At a recent Q&A session with the director after a screening of his 2009 film Watchmen, Snyder was asked about the dark tone that his DC movies had, and how fans had an issue with that fact both Batman and Superman kill people in them. As the footage posted to reddit revealed, the director didn't have much sympathy for their point of view.
"Someone says to me: Batman killed a guy. I'm like, 'F***, really? Wake the f*ck up'," he said. "Once you've lost your virginity to this f***ing movie and then you come and say to me something about like 'my superhero wouldn't do that.' I'm like 'Are you serious?' I'm like down the fucking road on that."
"It's a cool point of view to be like 'my heroes are still innocent. My heroes didn't f***ing lie to America. My heroes didn't embezzle money from their corporations. My heroes didn't commit any atrocities.' That's cool. But you're living in a f***ing dream world."
Of course, there's still plenty to come from the DC movie universe. Next month sees the release of the more comedic Shazam. In his review, GameSpot's Michael Rougeau said that the film "is the first DC movie that seems genuinely confident in its world and tone, with no major missteps of which to speak. It's fun, heartfelt, funny, genuine, and surprising, while staying true to its origins and embracing what makes it great."
Beyond that, the much anticipated Joker origin movie arrives in October, with Joaquin Phoenix starring as the Clown Prince of Crime. The female superhero team-up Birds of Prey is released in February 2020, and Wonder Woman 1984 follows in July next year. Beyond that there are also 2021 release dates for the standalone Batman movie and James Gunn's Suicide Squad reboot.
In the face of strong opposition from the Epic Games Store, Steam has retained one of its biggest players, as Bethesda confirms its upcoming games will all launch on Valve's service. However, the publisher stopped short of confirming or denying if its games will also launch on the Epic Store.
The Epic Store opened in December 2018 and has been aggressive in securing exclusives and giving away free PC games, the most recent of which is Oxenfree. Epic also takes a much smaller share of revenue from game sales when compared to Steam, making it an attractive proposition for developers and publishers. On the other hand, Steam has a larger install base and has been around for much longer, meaning it possesses features the Epic Store does not, including cloud saves, achievements, and more.
Apple is expanding its presence in the games industry. At an event where it also announced Apple TV Plus, the company unveiled a new game subscription service called Apple Arcade, which sounds almost like Apple's take on Xbox Game Pass. It's one of a variety of subscription-based services Apple will offer consumers, with others including Apple News Plus and the aforementioned TV Plus. With free-to-play games largely dominating the mobile games space, with a few notable exceptions such as Minecraft, Arcade effectively serves as a way to highlight and distribute premium games in a new way.
Below we've gathered everything we know about Apple Arcade, including its release date window, what games are confirmed for the service, and more. Be sure to check back often as we update this feature with even more new details regarding Apple Arcade.
Apple Arcade is the tech giant's gaming subscription service designed for mobile, desktop, and the living room. It takes the form of a monthly subscription that provides unlimited access to a curated selection of paid games on the App Store. It's not totally unlike Xbox Game Pass, although Arcade games will offer full access to all updates and DLC.
When Does Apple Arcade's Release And How Much Will It Cost?
Apple has not yet revealed the pricing on the service, but it promises more details will come in the months ahead. Currently, we know that Apple Arcade will be available in 150 countries sometime this fall.
Which Devices Does Apple Arcade Support?
It will support games across iOS devices (both iPhones and iPads), MacOS, and Apple TV, and you'll be able to transfer your progress between different platforms. Essentially, you can move from playing something on your phone to your TV or laptop, for instance.
What Games Are On Apple Arcade?
Currently, development partners Sega, Konami, Disney, Sumo Digital, Cartoon Network, and more are all signed on to contribute games to the service. There's confirmed to be more than 100 exclusive games at launch with more promised to be added. Below you can find a list of all the games confirmed on the service so far, but if you want details about what each game is, be sure to check out our comprehensive games roundup feature (coming soon).
The official panel schedule for this year's Star Wars Celebration has been announced. As a result, we now know the world premiere of Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order will be in Chicago on Saturday, April 13 at 11:30 AM PT / 1:30 PM CDT / 2:30 PM ET / 6:30 PM GMT. However, of all the events being streamed at Star Wars Celebration, the Jedi Fallen Order panel doesn't seem to be one of them.
In a blog post, the description for the panel says Respawn Entertainment CEO Vince Zampella and Jedi Fallen Order game director Stig Asmussen will discuss "how Respawn and Lucasfilm collaborated on this original Star Wars story," one that follows "a young Padawan's journey in the Dark Times following Order 66. There will be "a few surprises" as well. Whether this is a trailer, a gameplay reveal, or something else entirely remains to be seen. We have our own hopes for what we want to see in Jedi Fallen Order, but we'll have to wait for the Star Wars Celebration to see if any are confirmed.
The day before, Star Wars Celebration will have a panel that offers a sneak peak at Vader Immortal. The upcoming VR game is an "immersive descent into Darth Vader's fiery Mustafar fortress." Vader Immortal is a launch title for the new Oculus Quest headset, telling a brand-new story in the Star Wars universe that takes place in-between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.
The cinematic side of Star Wars will be present at Star Wars Celebration as well. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and Episode IX director J.J. Abrams will be hosting a panel for the new movie. The Mandalorian executive producer and writer Jon Favreau and executive producer and director Dave Filoni will also be hosting a panel for the upcoming TV series. The Mandalorian panel will be streamed live, so you can watch it even if you're not in Chicago. It begins April 14 at 9:00 AM PT / 11:00 AM CDT / 12:00 PM ET. Star Wars Celebration will also be airing sneak peaks of the second season of Star Wars Resistance and the upcoming surprise season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars--the latter of which sees the return of fan-favorite Ahsoka Tano. Both sneak peaks will premiere live as well.
Just when you thought the Five Nights at Freddy's horror series had reached its end, here comes a new installment that'll be out soon. Revealed during Sony's inaugural State of Play livestream, the Five Nights franchise will be making its debut on PS4 with Five Nights At Freddy's VR: Help Wanted, along with releases on Steam and the Oculus Store. In addition to being the series' debut on a console, it's also the first time the series will be playable in VR, which adds a whole new spin on the standard hide-and-seek gameplay that made it such a hit.
Developed by Steel Wool Games, Help Wanted remasters several past levels from the previous Five Nights games for the VR format. Playable with both the PlayStation move controllers and the standard DualShock, you'll be able to solve puzzles and evade the murderous animatronics--all within VR. Though the game is structurally the same and uses a lot of classic levels and returning monsters, it overhauls many encounters with the band of nightmarish animatronics from Freddy FazzBear's Pizzeria.
The VR game will also include a whole suite of collectibles to find hidden in each stage. These items include plush dolls, bobbleheads, and other knick-knacks referencing the main baddies in the series. Set for release this April, Five Nights at Freddy's VR: Help Wanted seems like it'll be an interesting change of pace for the series that can use the new format to great effect.
For more on what was revealed during the PS4's State of Play livestream, which includes the new trailers for Mortal Kombat 11, Days Gone, and No Man's Sky Beyond, be sure to check out our continuing coverage.
Sony's first-ever State of Play livestream ran for about 20 minutes, and the Nintendo Direct-style presentation was capped off with a new trailer for Mortal Kombat 11. But more newsworthy was confirmation of three more playable characters, as Sony confirmed several new (well, returning) members of Mortal Kombat 11's roster: Jax, Liu Kang, and Kung Lao.
Liu Kang and Kung Lao were seen in previous story reveals, but have been confirmed as playable characters in the base roster. Unfortunately, we didn't get much in terms of what they'll look like in combat though we did get a glimpse of Jackson "Jax" Briggs in action. In the new trailer, Jacqui Briggs is perplexed at the sight of seeing her dad...twice. Shortly afterward you can see a bit of Jax fighting himself in game.
Young Jax vs. old Jax in Mortal Kombat 11.
The video for NetherRealm Studio's upcoming fighting game revealed some new story elements, like young Johnny Cage of the past rustling the old Johnny Cage of the present. It leaned heavily into the time travel elements that had been teased in previous trailers and announcements and showed off more of its goofy moments. The trailer, titled Old Skool Vs. New Skool, is a perfect showcase of what series creator Ed Boon has been talking about in terms of characters fighting against or teaming up with their past selves in an all-out wacky plotline. It's also fitting that the trailer featured music from both rappers Ice Cube and Vince Staples. You can check it out in the video above.
The battle royale trend isn't slowing down anytime soon, and Battlefield is the latest series to get in on the action--Battlefield V's battle royale mode, Firestorm, went live today for all players on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Firestorm is a free add-on for Battlefield V; you must own the base game in order to play.
Luckily, you can grab the base game for up to 50% today: the standard edition is selling for $30, and the deluxe edition is only $40. The deluxe edition includes five sets of paratrooper outfits, special assignments, and 20 weekly Airlifts with customization items. The deluxe edition for PC also includes the Firestorm ranger set, paratrooper gear, and instant access to Battlefield 1 weapons.
Like other battle royale games, Firestorm begins with players dropping from the sky onto a map called Halvøy, which is 10 times larger than Battlefield V's largest map, Hamada. The 64-player matches can be played solo or in squads up to four players. A ring of fire slowly shrinks around the battlefield, forcing you and other players to move inward. Once you hit the ground, you'll be searching for resources, weapons, and gear, with the most valuable stockpiles held at Re-supply Points and Vehicle Lockups. Vehicular combat plays a much bigger role in Firestorm than other existing battle royale titles--as of now, there are 17 different vehicles to control, such as choppers and tanks; however, they're susceptible to anti-vehicle weaponry.
Among Firestorm's rarest loot are Reinforcements, which you can use to spread destruction with artillery strikes or combat vehicles, or to call in supply drops for you and your squad. Just like any Battlefield game, buildings can be destroyed, so nowhere is truly safe to camp out and hide.
Battlefield V has been out since November, so players have been waiting over five months for the release of Firestorm. In that time, Apex Legends has swept onto the battle royale scene with rapidly growing player counts, and Fortnite continues to thrive, so it remains to be seen whether Firestorm can capitalize on the popular genre and build its own loyal player base.
Sony's first Nintendo Direct-style State of Play presentation has ended, and it's given us a look at a number of games on the way to PS4 this year. The broadcast kicked off with the reveal of a new Iron Man VR game, but that was hardly the only announcement; we also learned about a No Man's Sky VR update and got to see new trailers for Days Gone and Mortal Kombat 11, among other titles.
If you missed out on the presentation, we've rounded up all of the biggest news and announcements from it below. You can also watch a replay of the stream here.
Marvel's Iron Man VR
Sony started off its State of Play presentation by unveiling Marvel's Iron Man VR. Developed by Camouflaj in conjunction with Worldwide Studios and Marvel Games, the game puts players behind the visor of the Iron Avenger. No further details were shared beyond that, but Iron Man VR is slated to release for PS4 this year.
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled
The remastered kart racing game Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled launches on June 21, and we learned the PS4 version will include some exclusive content in the form of blocky, PS1-style character skins for Crash, Coco, and Cortex, along with a retro track and karts.
No Man's Sky VR Update
Developer Hello Games is adding PSVR support to its sandbox space exploration game, No Man's Sky, this summer as a free update. Rather than being a separate mode, however, players will be able to play through the entire game in VR. Additionally, the PS4 version of No Man's Sky: Beyond will receive a physical release, and it'll come with the base game, VR support, and every update through Beyond.
ReadySet Heroes
The isometric dungeon crawler ReadySet Heroes is coming to PS4 later this year. The game features four-player multiplayer and pits you against another team in a race through a monster-filled dungeon. Reach the end of the dungeon and you'll face off in a winner-takes-all showdown.
Five Nights At Freddy's VR
Arriving on PSVR (as well as HTC Vive, Oculus, and Steam) next month, Five Nights At Freddy's VR: Help Wanted is a new VR take on the fan-favorite horror series, featuring remastered levels from the original games along with "all-new nightmares."
Concrete Genie
Sony revealed the PS4-exclusive action adventure game Concrete Genie is arriving this fall. Additionally, the company shared a new trailer that sheds more light on the game's story.
Days Gone
Sony's zombie survival game Days Gone has been a long time coming, but it finally arrives on PS4 on April 26. Ahead of its release, Sony has shared a new trailer that sets the stage for the game's story.
Mortal Kombat 11
Sony capped off the State of Play presentation with a new trailer for Mortal Kombat 11, confirming three more returning fighters in the process: Lui Kang, Kung Lao, and Jax. The video showcases the modern-day characters coming face-to-face with their younger selves from the past.
The Hirata Estate level early in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a great place to learn how to deal with multiple kinds of enemies. It gives you several new Shinobi Prosthetic tools, lets you fight and stealth a bunch of different kinds of fighters, and puts you up against a couple of mid-bosses and a boss to teach you techniques you'll use for the rest of the game. Until you learn those techniques, though, Hirata can be pretty tough--especially when you face Juzou The Drunkard, a mid-boss who has a lot of backup.
You'll find the huge Juzou right before you get to the last portion of Hirata Estate, where he guards the way forward. He's got a bunch of regular fighters protecting him, and requires two deathblows to beat, making him a tough enemy to best. The good news is, there are a lot of ways to get the upper hand over Juzou if you're quick, careful, and patient. You can even get help battling him.
As you approach Juzou by crossing the water near him, you'll see him surrounded by enemies, and you should see a building off to his left with a wood walkway leading up to the main Estate. Head to the left and sneak into the building to find two enemies you can take down. From there, if you take the wood walkway, you'll wind up behind Juzou and most of the enemies around him. Sneak along the wall and you can deathblow at least one of them; when everyone starts to come for you, run back to the wood walkway and through the hut to find a place to hide. Everyone will eventually stop looking for you, allowing you to use the same move over and over again to clear out the minions. The fight with Juzou is much easier when he's not flanked by a bunch of helpers getting in your way.
Backstab Juzou
The same logic that goes into the last step applies to Juzou himself. As a big, tough mid-boss, he usually requires two deathblows to defeat--but fighting him straight-up is a great way to get yourself killed in the process. Once you've killed everyone around that can alert Juzou, you can use the same wood walkway approach on the left side of the arena to get behind him and lay down a deathblow. This will immediately knock out one of the deathblow requirements for Juzou, making the fight fully half as difficult. You can't get two stealth deathblows on him, though, so don't even try--once you've attacked Juzou, you have to finish the fight, or he'll get all his health back.
Enlist Some Help
You don't actually have to fight Juzou all alone. Just out in the water ahead of him is a samurai loyal to Hirata who means to take on Juzou as well, and he'll join you in the battle if you talk to him first. You can get the samurai's assistance just about any time, but he's most effective if you've cleared out Juzou's helpers and backstabbed him once. With all the other obstructions cleared away, run out and talk to the samurai after Juzou starts chasing you and he'll join the fight. He's great for distracting Juzou, allowing you to slash away at the Drunkard's back. If you're quick and smart about it, you can even kill Juzou before he manages to finish the samurai off. Just be sure to be careful that Juzou doesn't turn his attention, and his attacks, to you. When that happens, you'll want to have your guard up.
Watch Out For Poison
Juzou's tough with his sword, but he's not doing anything you haven't seen before in fighting other warrior enemies. The new trick he brings to the fight is drinking from his flask and then blowing the contents out at you. If you see him go for a drink put some distance between you and him. He'll likely unload his stinky sake all over the battlefield, which carries a poison effect if too much hits you. He'll also use the drink on his sword to make it poisonous, which means you could take poison damage even when blocking.
Wear Down Juzou's Vitality
If you decide to fight Juzou straight--which is pretty good practice--you'll find that even when blocking him repeatedly, you won't do much damage to his Posture. That's because Juzou is a boss character with a lot of Vitality, or health points. Enemies with a lot of Vitality recover Posture very quickly (and you'll notice that your Posture recovers faster when your health is high, too). The trick to getting Juzou into deathblow position is dealing damage to him. The best way to do that is to watch his moves and look for counter-attack opportunities. Those are when you successfully parry a blow and then can follow up immediately with a slash of your own, which will get through the enemy's defenses. Fighting Juzou toe-to-toe with your sword can be tough, but it's definitely doable. Don't be afraid to try Shinobi Prosthetics like the Firecrackers to mess with him a bit, as well.
No Man's Sky is getting another large-scale update, and this one is different. A "No Man's Sky VR" update is scheduled for this summer, which will add free support for PlayStation VR and Steam VR. Hello Games boasts that this is the entire game brought into VR rather than a separate mode.
According to the announcement, this is the second major pillar to the Beyond expansion that Hello Games previously announced. The first pillar is a major overhaul to its online play, and a third pillar is yet to be announced. Though Beyond is scheduled for all platforms, Beyond will get a PS4-exclusive retail release. That will include the base game with all updates, including Beyond and its VR support.
The online update of Beyond is said to add features that will allow players to meet up and play together more easily. Though it will make the game more MMO-like, Hello has cautioned that it won't be monetized like one. The update will be free, it won't have microtransactions, and it won't require a subscription to play online (other than your regular Xbox Live Gold or PS Plus subscription).
Last year, No Man's Sky issued a large-scale update called Next, which overhauled many of the game's systems. It was such a major update that we named it one of the best expansions of 2018. Hello has subsequently been issuing regular updates, like the underwater Abyss expansion and tons of new biomes in the Visions expansion.
A new Iron Man video game, called Marvel's Iron Man VR, has been announced. The virtual reality PS4 title puts you into Iron Man's suit, allowing you fly and shoot down enemies with repulser blasts. The announcement trailer can be watched below.
Iron Man VR is being developed by Camouflaj, a developer that previously created Republique and its VR port. In a blog post, Camouflaj director Ryan Payton wrote that his team is looking to create "a deeply personal, and appropriately funny, narrative" in Iron Man VR that sees Tony confront "ghosts from his past."
We didn't get too many details about Iron Man VR's gameplay, other than you'll have Friday--one of Iron Man's virtual assistants--offer combat and mission support during gameplay. Anyone who's been keeping up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe might recognize Friday as the assistant that Tony uploads into his suit after his previous assistant, Jarvis, evolved to become Vision during the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron.
The trailer starts out with Tony on a plane talking to Friday, although the trailer notes this cutscene is not actual gameplay. Their conversation is interrupted by a mysterious hacker and then suddenly--much like in Iron Man 3--the side of the plane is blown out and Tony is sucked out into the sky. Thankfully, Friday sends the pieces of his suit to him, and after armoring up, Tony flies off into the sky after the plane.
It looks like Iron Man VR will be played entirely in first person without customary cutscenes. Combat is a mixture of flight, repulser blasts, and punching. You use the PSVR headset to look around, as attacks can come in from all directions.
In comparison to Marvel's Spider-Man, Iron Man VR is a pretty different take on making a video game for a mainline superhero. Also a Sony exclusive, Spider-Man is an action role-playing game that puts you into the webbed feet of everyone's favorite wall-crawler. Despite being in third-person, Spider-Man manages to make you feel like you really are web-swinging through New York City and taking down thugs and criminals with all the deadly grace of a human spider. It would be cool if Sony manages to do something similar with Iron Man VR--creating a game that emulates the feeling of being a superhero.
Iron Man VR is currently scheduled for PSVR and will release sometime in 2019. As Sony Worldwide Studios is involved, Iron Man VR could be a PS4 exclusive, but that has not been confirmed.
As we all know, gaming isn't one of the cheaper hobbies out there--between games, headsets, monitors, merchandise, and other accessories, it's a passion you can easily pour thousands of dollars into over the years. Luckily, there's a sale going on at Ebay right now that can save you hundreds of dollars on games and gaming equipment as part of the website's 16 Days of Sweet Deals sale. These offers will only be available today (and supplies are selling out fast!), so grab these deals ASAP if you see something you want.
One of the most notable deals is this Xbox One X bundle with NBA 2K19 that comes with an extra Xbox wireless controller. Normally, an Xbox One X bundle sells for $500, and a black wireless controller would cost you another $60, but Ebay's deal will get you both for only $370.
If you've been needing a new gaming headset, this HyperX Cloud II headset with 7.1 surround sound is on sale for $60, a 14% price cut. The well-rated headset comes with a noise-canceling microphone and automatic echo filtering; plus, the memory foam ear pads make it lightweight and comfortable on your head. Its USB surround sound card is compatible with PC, Mac, and PS4; to use it with Xbox One, you'll need a headset adapter from Microsoft. While many pro headsets will cost you well over $100, the HyperX Cloud II is a solid and affordable option.
Those interested in PC gaming may want to consider the HP N270h 27" Edge to Edge Full HD gaming monitor, which is on sale for $145 (27% off). The full HD LED display is flicker-free and low blue light-capable to spare your eyes during long gaming sessions, and it's also energy-efficient to curb your costs. It's also adjustable in terms of height and tilt so you can set it at the perfect angle to avoid soreness.
From the outset, Apple Arcade will feature games from more than 30 developers and publishers. Among the studios partnering with Apple are Sega, Konami, Platinum Games, and an array of acclaimed independent developers, including Mistwalker and Team Sonic Racing developer Sumo Digital. You can see the full list of announced partners below.
When it launches, Apple Arcade will offer unlimited access to more than 100 premium App Store games for a monthly fee. Apple says more titles will be added to the service "all the time," and future game updates and DLC will be included at no extra cost. The company also made it a point to note that all of the titles will be playable offline--seemingly a direct jab at Google's Stadia cloud platform, which won't offer offline downloads.
Among the games subscribers will be able to play through Apple Arcade are Overland, Sonic Racing, Beyond a Steel Sky, Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm, and Fantasian, a new title from Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi. Apple Arcade also transfers progress between devices, allowing users to pick up right where they left off in games.
Apple Arcade is slated to launch this fall and will be accessible via its own tab in the App Store. No pricing details have been announced yet, but Apple confirmed the service will initially be available in more than 150 countries. You can read more about the service on Apple's website.
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