Thursday, February 21, 2013

Sony Reveal The PlayStation 4, Coming Holiday 2013


Sony have announced the PlayStation 4. But, this was not a full reveal of the console. some rumored late changes to the Specs, more specifically the inclusion of GDDR5 8GB RAM, are thought to be behind the decision not to reveal the Console itself. 

Sony have announced the PlayStation 4 is coming out this holiday season. no specific countries/territories or prices were revealed. But, Sony have revealed some details about the console.

the console has been built around gamers and developers. they asked developers what they wanted from a console and Sony say the console, and tools to develop the games with, have been designed so the developers can push the boundaries. Gamers are now able to share their experiences. built into the system at a hardware level is the ability to share video of gameplay, and screenshots. the PS4 hardware means the console is always ready to upload your gameplay. This is also true in the controller where there is now a Share button which lets gamers share screenshots and videos to sites like Facebook.

As well as uploading video, you can stream the game your playing to your friends using services like Ustream. during this streaming sessions, your friends are able to comment on gameplay and if you get stuck in a level, your friends can also jump in and play by offering special weapons or health potions for example.

Sony have confirmed that the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita will work together via Remote Play. this can mean playing the game on the PS4 and then transferring it to the PSV, much like with the Wii U how you can play on TV or the screen on the GamePad. Sony's aim is to have most/all PS4 titles have this PSV Remote Play feature. Sony is also working with smartphones and tablets to bring "Second Screen" functionality to them.

Sony have revealed the PS4 has taken some PSV inspiration by having a suspend mode. it works much like the PS Vita where you can turn it off during a game and come back to it later. the PS4 does this in a low power sleep mode, no need to load a save or boot up the console. another inspiration borrowed is the ability to have other programs/apps running in the background of the game like a web browser.

When it comes to digital titles, once a download has started you can start playing that game and the download continues as you play. games will be downloaded and updated in the background. Sony has a aim that over time the PS4 will learn the games you like so there will be a point where the console has downloaded a game it thinks you'll like as well as games you want.

Sony's Gaikai integration was also announced. the aim is for gamers to find a game they like the look of and play it without downloading the game itself, you would be streaming the game over the internet. once you decide you like it you can then buy it and download it to your system. the aim is to not only have PS4 titles but also PS3 titles available for online streaming.

What Devs Are Saying About The PlayStation 4



Announced Console Specs:

Main Processor 
Single-chip custom processor
CPU :  x86-64 AMD “Jaguar”,  8 cores
GPU : 1.84 TFLOPS,  AMD next-generation Radeon™ based
graphics engine

Memory 
GDDR5 8GB

Hard Disk Drive 
Built-in

Optical Drive
(read only)
BD 6xCAV
DVD 8xCAV
I/O
Super-Speed USB (USB 3.0) AUX

Communication 
Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T)
IEEE 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth® 2.1 (EDR)

AV output 
HDMI
Analog-AV out
Digital Output (optical)
*Specifications are subject to change without notice.

Press Release

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Capcom Have Released A New DmC: Devil May Cry Trailer For The Bloody Palace Update, Reveal Virgils Downfall Release Date

Capcom have released a new DmC: Devil May Cry Trailer for the recently released Bloody Palace download. this free download is out now and adds 100+ bonus levels of demon killing.

Capcom have also announced that Virgils Downfall is set to come out on 5th March on PS3 and 6th March on Xbox 360. this expansion is expected to cost $8.99 when it comes out.



Virgils Downfall Screenshots


Source: Capcom Unity

Square Enix Announce Murdered: Soul Suspect, Coming Early 2014 To PS3, Xbox 360 And PC

Square Enix have announced Murdered: Soul Suspect with a teaser trailer. very little is known about this game apart from its coming out early 2014 to PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. the story appears to be you solving your own murder, a similar idea to the Capcom game Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective.



Source: Square Enix Blog

Konami And Platinum Games Have Released Three New Videos For Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Konami and Platinum Games have released 3 new videos for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. the first video is called Rising and was made by Hideo Kojima. the second video shows how you can use tactics in combat, like stealth. the third video shows off Ripper Mode.





Natsume Announce They Are Bringing Kemco's PSP Game Mystic Chronicles To The USA This Summer

Natsume have announced they are bringing Mystic Chronicles to the USA. this PSP game from Kemco has only come out in Japan so far but now it will come this summer to the USA. described as a Cult Classic in Japan, Mystic Chronicles features retro style graphics, a turn based battle system and story driven quests. a feature of the game is the Guardian Beast System, where each character can be assigned a mystic beast that has Offensive, Defensive or healing abilities.

The main character is called Lux. he was adopted by a small village and he had begun to train to join the Guardians Guild, but a chance meeting with a young girl sets in motion a series of events that could have Lux even saving the world.

I have found a Japanese promotional video for the game that was used on the Japanese PlayStation Blog. it shows gameplay and appears to have game music playing as well.



Screenshots


Press Release

Zero Punctuation - Dead Space 3



This week Yahtzee plays Dead Space 3. he enjoyed the first game in the series, the horror was maybe a little too predictable but the game as a whole was different from the rest. but, with Dead Space 2 EA and Visceral started moving the series into more action and now with Dead Space 3 have they successfully created a horror action game or will Yahtzee feel that the game is a shell of it's former self?

GungHo Online Entertainment America Have Released A Launch Trailer And Screenshots For Ragnarok Odyssey

GungHo Online Entertainment America have released a launch trailer and screenshots for Ragnarok Odyssey. Ragnarok Odyssey is out this week across the EU, Australia and New Zealand at retail and on the PSN for €29.99.



Screenshots


Press Release