Vita Now a ‘Legacy Platform’ in the West, Says Sony
PlayStation Vita has officially been labeled a "legacy platform" by Sony Computer Entertainment president Andrew House, as the handheld device continues to struggle outside the Asian gaming market.
During Sony's annual Investor Relations Day conference, House explained that while Vita remains "strong and vibrant" among those in Asia, sales continue to decline in the west. As such, the PlayStation exec has relegated both the handheld and its struggling PlayStation TV counterpart to 'legacy' status in both North America and Europe.
House also discussed Sony's home console during the conference, admitting that because its first-party lineup for PS4 in 2015 is "sparse" it will have to rely on third-party content to carry the platform in the coming months.
New Xbox One Project CARS Patch Out Now
Projects CARS developer Slighty Mad Studios has detailed the latest update for Xbox One.
Patch 1.3 -- which is being rolled out now -- addresses several fixes, including issues with gamepad controllers, wheel controllers, and rogue AI that permitted competitor cars to refuel in races where the player could not.
Time Trials on the Xbox One have been revised to start at 11am to ensure consistent track temperatures with PC counterparts. The "smoothness of the sun, moon, stars, and shadow motion" when replaying matches with "a high time acceleration," random crashes, and pit engineer issues have also been addressed.
Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom! Trailer Debut
Behold the first trailer for LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes - Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom!, the next animated feature from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Warner Bros. Animation, DC Entertainment and The LEGO Group. Check out the trailer above as well as the official synopsis, box art and first look images below!
LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes - Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom! will be available on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital HD on August 25.
Mark Hamill voices the Trickster, a role he's played on both live-action Flash TV series. Hamill also voices Sinestro. The voice cast also includes Troy Baker (Batman), Nolan North (Superman), Josh Keaton (Green Lantern), Khary Payton (Cyborg), James Arnold Taylor (The Flash) and Grey Griffin (Wonder Woman, Lois Lane).
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate Will Not Have a Companion App
Assassin's Creed Syndicate will not have an accompanying companion app, Ubisoft has confirmed.
Speaking to Eurogamer, the developer confirmed "the team wanted to focus all their efforts on the core experience."
It's a decision likely to be music to the ears of series' fans. Last year, Assassin's Creed Unity added the rather unwelcome feature of locking access to certain treasure chests and costumes unless you'd poured hours into the app. The previous year's installment, Black Flag, enabled you to earn additional money and resources via a naval minigame.
On the Edge of Control in Batman: Arkham Knight
After a delay or three, Batman: Arkham Knight is finally ready to roll out of the Batcave, and I finally got my first chance to play it. Unsurprisingly, I came away impressed. Gotham City is full of things to do, from rescuing trapped firefighters to literally throwing yourself into a gang of random street thugs. Nothing about playing it suggests – save for the story, which we still know very little about – that it will disappoint in the wake of its stellar Arkham predecessors. In fact, my only yellow flag (I’m not even going to call it a red flag) involves the controls.
That is to say, it’s tough to jump into the middle of Arkham Knight, even when you’ve completed Asylum and City. Many of Batman’s combat controls involve multi-layered button combinations, and the Batmobile is equally nuanced. R2 on PS4 is the gas, as expected, but L2 doesn't brake the car as expected, but activates its tank-like Battle Mode. On foot, double-tapping and then holding the X button, waiting for an orange square to appear on a targeted bad guy, and then hitting the button again will trigger a badass leap-out-of-the-Batmobile-and-then-glide-and-then-smash-through-a-window-and-take-out-a-guy move – if you nail the combo properly.
WildStar Devs Confirm Free-to-Play as Part of Huge Revamp
NCSoft’s struggling sci-fi MMO WildStar will be going free-to-play this autumn. Developer Carbine Studios has confirmed the rumours reported a couple of weeks ago, and also gone into detail about the hows and whys of the decision.
Firstly, creative director Chad Moore and Mike Donatelli are keen to stress all areas of the game will be open to all players and there won’t be any cynical moves like preventing players from using speed boosts, though an optional subscription will be available for certain perks. This “Signature Membership”, as it’s currently called, is planned to offer bonuses to XP, crafting, currency and item drops, though these are yet to be finalised. It’s worth noting too that CREDD will still be available for gold in-game or real-world cash, to then be sold or exchanged for a month of this preferred status. Anyone who’s subbed to the game at any stage, whether that’s been since launch or once the transition happens, will earn Loyalty Points to earn Loyalty Rewards. Carbine plans to put all the free-to-play changes onto the Public Test Realm (PTR) so players can try them out and offer feedback before the switch occurs.
Look at these New Dragon Quest VIII 3DS Details and Images
Square Enix has released screenshots and details about exclusive features for the 3DS remake of Dragon Quest VIII.
The 3DS game will follow the same story and world as the PS2 version, with new episodes focusing on the history of the villain, Dhoulmagus, and the protagonist’s childhood. Although the 3DS version will not support stereoscopic 3D, it will add other new elements at a later date, including StreetPass support.
In the 3DS version, the soundtrack will be orchestrated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and it will be the first fully-voiced numbered entry in the Dragon Quest series.
FIFA 16 Introduces Female Footballers for the First Time
Electronic Arts' football/soccer franchise FIFA is introducing female players for the first time. (You can see new players in action in the trailer over on YouTube.)
The sports game will feature 12 international teams (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, England, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Sweden, and the United States of America) when the latest instalment, FIFA 16, launches on September 22. Just as their male counterparts, female players will look and move "like they do on the pitch when representing their country".
IGN caught up with FIFA VP and GM David Rutter to find out if it's the "all-time high" interest in women's football that's spurred this latest addition to the established franchise, or if EA has been playing with the idea of bringing women into the game for some time.
England Explodes in New London Has Fallen Posters
This sequel to action-hit Olympus Has Fallen has a couple of new posters, which feature great British landmarks taking a battering.
London Has Fallen - which stars Aaron Eckhart, Gerard Butler and Morgan Freeman - hits screens in October, and if these one-sheets are anything to go by, Big Ben and St. Pauls Cathedral will come under fire during the film.
St Paul's - in trouble.
New Xbox One Controller Coming in June
Microsoft has revealed a new Xbox One controller will be released in June with a headphone port on the base.
The controller, presumably due for an official announcement at E3, was revealed early thanks to an update to the company's Xbox Support website. The description of the pad on the site includes a 3.5mm headphone port on the base, that is "only available on controllers released after June 2015".
It's currently unclear if the new pad will incorporate other fan-demanded updates, with one of the biggest being a controller that can be charge via USB straight out of the box. No changes appear to have been made to the shape of the pad.