PlayStation Plus Games for October 2021 Announced
Sony has announced that PS5's Hell Let Loose and PS4's PGA Tour 2K21 and Mortal Kombat X are the PlayStation Plus games for October 2021.
Announced on PlayStation.Blog, all three of these games will be available from October 5 through November 1 for all PlayStation Plus subscribers.
Hell Let Loose is a WWII-inspired multiplayer game that was first released on PC in July 2021 after being in Early Access since 2019. This PS5 title includes " 100-player battles with a unique resource-based RTS-inspired meta-game, where Commanders direct the flow of battle and co-ordinate powerful in-game abilities that influence the team’s march to victory."
PGA Tour 2K21 was released back in August 2020 and is the inaugural 2K Games PGA Tour golf game. It includes 15 licensed PGA Tour courses and allows players to create both their own golfer and courses.
In our PGA Tour 2K21 review, we said that it "is the most flexible and enjoyable golf game since EA’s Tiger Woods series was at its peak. While its career mode could have done with some spit and polish to its presentation and featured more meaningful rewards, it nonetheless serves as a solid 20-hour straightaway to what could prove to be the most thriving part of PGA Tour 2K21’s dance floor in the long term; the online societies."
Mortal Kombat X was released in 2015 and was the first time each kharacter had their own selection of fightings styles to choose from.
In our Mortal Kombat X review, we said, "story only matters so much in a fighting game. Combat is king, and there’s a ton of depth to mine from Mortal Kombat X. A much-needed transfusion of new blood, along with the ability to choose between three variations of every character means we’ll be learning, grinding, and discovering for a long time to come. Its universe keeps getting harder and harder to take seriously, and its microtransactions are borderline gross, but Mortal Kombat X is a great fighting game all the same. "
As a reminder, PlayStation Plus subscribers have until October 4 to add Predator: Hunting Grounds, Overcooked: All You Can Eat!, and Hitman 2 to their collection.
Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
PlayStation Plus Games for October 2021 Announced
Sony has announced that PS5's Hell Let Loose and PS4's PGA Tour 2K21 and Mortal Kombat X are the PlayStation Plus games for October 2021.
Announced on PlayStation.Blog, all three of these games will be available from October 5 through November 1 for all PlayStation Plus subscribers.
Hell Let Loose is a WWII-inspired multiplayer game that was first released on PC in July 2021 after being in Early Access since 2019. This PS5 title includes " 100-player battles with a unique resource-based RTS-inspired meta-game, where Commanders direct the flow of battle and co-ordinate powerful in-game abilities that influence the team’s march to victory."
PGA Tour 2K21 was released back in August 2020 and is the inaugural 2K Games PGA Tour golf game. It includes 15 licensed PGA Tour courses and allows players to create both their own golfer and courses.
In our PGA Tour 2K21 review, we said that it "is the most flexible and enjoyable golf game since EA’s Tiger Woods series was at its peak. While its career mode could have done with some spit and polish to its presentation and featured more meaningful rewards, it nonetheless serves as a solid 20-hour straightaway to what could prove to be the most thriving part of PGA Tour 2K21’s dance floor in the long term; the online societies."
Mortal Kombat X was released in 2015 and was the first time each kharacter had their own selection of fightings styles to choose from.
In our Mortal Kombat X review, we said, "story only matters so much in a fighting game. Combat is king, and there’s a ton of depth to mine from Mortal Kombat X. A much-needed transfusion of new blood, along with the ability to choose between three variations of every character means we’ll be learning, grinding, and discovering for a long time to come. Its universe keeps getting harder and harder to take seriously, and its microtransactions are borderline gross, but Mortal Kombat X is a great fighting game all the same. "
As a reminder, PlayStation Plus subscribers have until October 4 to add Predator: Hunting Grounds, Overcooked: All You Can Eat!, and Hitman 2 to their collection.
Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania Review – Fresh And A-peel-ing
Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania is, at its core, a repackaging of the GameCube's Super Monkey Ball 1 and 2 (including a smattering of extra stages from the PS2/Xbox title Super Monkey Ball Deluxe) with a fresh coat of paint. The gameplay and stage layouts, with a few exceptions, remain the same as they were 20 years ago, but now in crisp and shiny high resolution. And, really, that would be fine on its own, as the engaging, pick-up-and-play charm of rolling a cartoon monkey around various imaginative challenges remains every bit as fun now as it was two decades prior.
However, Sega has also seen fit to update elements of the gameplay to broaden Super Monkey Ball's already wide appeal. Gone are the lives and continues of previous Super Monkey Ball games, removing a source of pressure and frustration. Instead, you have infinite tries to work out each level, though you'll still need to restart from the beginning should your monkey roll out of bounds. You are also given the option of a Helper Mode system, which doubles your time, shows you an ideal path through the level, and enables a slow-motion feature should you choose to turn it on. It's a nice form of "training wheels" for getting a handle on some of the more difficult stages that doesn't go completely overboard in holding your hand--though the game pestering you about turning on Helper Mode on each stage you fall out of more than a few times grows old very fast.
There's a catch to using the Helper Mode. In the older games, you'd need to complete a set of stages without using a continue to unlock the hidden EX levels. Since lives and continues are no more, Banana Mania instead rewards you with EX levels for completing a gauntlet of stages without the use of Helper Mode, encouraging you to finish those tough stages without additional assistance. Turning on Helper Mode also disqualifies you from the online leaderboard rankings and prevents the game from saving your score. It's a nice way to keep things from getting too frustrating while encouraging players to attempt a tougher challenge later.
Continue Reading at GameSpotSuper Monkey Ball: Banana Mania Review – Fresh And A-peel-ing
Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania is, at its core, a repackaging of the GameCube's Super Monkey Ball 1 and 2 (including a smattering of extra stages from the PS2/Xbox title Super Monkey Ball Deluxe) with a fresh coat of paint. The gameplay and stage layouts, with a few exceptions, remain the same as they were 20 years ago, but now in crisp and shiny high resolution. And, really, that would be fine on its own, as the engaging, pick-up-and-play charm of rolling a cartoon monkey around various imaginative challenges remains every bit as fun now as it was two decades prior.
However, Sega has also seen fit to update elements of the gameplay to broaden Super Monkey Ball's already wide appeal. Gone are the lives and continues of previous Super Monkey Ball games, removing a source of pressure and frustration. Instead, you have infinite tries to work out each level, though you'll still need to restart from the beginning should your monkey roll out of bounds. You are also given the option of a Helper Mode system, which doubles your time, shows you an ideal path through the level, and enables a slow-motion feature should you choose to turn it on. It's a nice form of "training wheels" for getting a handle on some of the more difficult stages that doesn't go completely overboard in holding your hand--though the game pestering you about turning on Helper Mode on each stage you fall out of more than a few times grows old very fast.
There's a catch to using the Helper Mode. In the older games, you'd need to complete a set of stages without using a continue to unlock the hidden EX levels. Since lives and continues are no more, Banana Mania instead rewards you with EX levels for completing a gauntlet of stages without the use of Helper Mode, encouraging you to finish those tough stages without additional assistance. Turning on Helper Mode also disqualifies you from the online leaderboard rankings and prevents the game from saving your score. It's a nice way to keep things from getting too frustrating while encouraging players to attempt a tougher challenge later.
Continue Reading at GameSpotThe Studio PlayStation Just Bought Has Now Bought Its Own New Studio
Firesprite Games, the most recent developer to join PlayStation Studios, has taken a leaf out of its new-found parent company and bought its own new studio.
Firesprite Limited has announced that it has completed the acquisition of Manchester-based studio Fabrik Games - not long after being bought by Sony itself.
“I’m delighted to announce that we will be bringing Fabrik Games and Firesprite together as part of our exciting next step with PlayStation Studios,” says Managing Director of Firesprite, Graeme Ankers. “They are a team of passionate and committed developers, led by industry veterans who have worked on many AAA franchises. We’re looking forward to bolstering our creative talent as we continue on our journey to offer truly unique experiences for PlayStation fans.”
The acquisition of Fabrik Games brings the studio's total number of employees up to 265 as it begins to start life as part of the PlayStation family. The move was subsequently also praised by Fabrik's own studio head, Errol Ismail. “We have a history working and collaborating closely with Firesprite,” he says. “There’s a huge amount of creative and cultural alignment already and the entire team is excited to be on board. We can’t wait to show everyone what we’re capable of.”
Firesprite itself was acquired by Sony as a first-party studio earlier this month. However, the studio is no stranger to developing PlayStation titles. In the past, the studio has worked on both The Playroom and The Playroom VR. Firesprite is also the developer behind the horror-shooter game The Persistence. The studio actually worked with Fabrik on the game, which was originally released for the PlayStation 4 as a PSVR title before also coming out as a non-VR game.
Sony has certainly done well with its acquisition of first-party studios so far. From the likes of Naughty Dog's Uncharted and The Last of Us series to Santa Monica Studios' God of War, the games produced by its family of developers have tended to do exceedingly well. While Sony hasn't officially confirmed any new projects that Firesprite is working on, a recent job listing at the studio confirmed that it is is hiring a writer for a new narrative adventure AAA title. With little known about what's in store for the game so far, fans will likely be excited to see what content the English studio delivers in the future.
To check out the latest games heading to PlayStation consoles from across a range of the company's first party developers, make sure to check out our rundown of everything announced at this year's PlayStation Showcase.
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
The Studio PlayStation Just Bought Has Now Bought Its Own New Studio
Firesprite Games, the most recent developer to join PlayStation Studios, has taken a leaf out of its new-found parent company and bought its own new studio.
Firesprite Limited has announced that it has completed the acquisition of Manchester-based studio Fabrik Games - not long after being bought by Sony itself.
“I’m delighted to announce that we will be bringing Fabrik Games and Firesprite together as part of our exciting next step with PlayStation Studios,” says Managing Director of Firesprite, Graeme Ankers. “They are a team of passionate and committed developers, led by industry veterans who have worked on many AAA franchises. We’re looking forward to bolstering our creative talent as we continue on our journey to offer truly unique experiences for PlayStation fans.”
The acquisition of Fabrik Games brings the studio's total number of employees up to 265 as it begins to start life as part of the PlayStation family. The move was subsequently also praised by Fabrik's own studio head, Errol Ismail. “We have a history working and collaborating closely with Firesprite,” he says. “There’s a huge amount of creative and cultural alignment already and the entire team is excited to be on board. We can’t wait to show everyone what we’re capable of.”
Firesprite itself was acquired by Sony as a first-party studio earlier this month. However, the studio is no stranger to developing PlayStation titles. In the past, the studio has worked on both The Playroom and The Playroom VR. Firesprite is also the developer behind the horror-shooter game The Persistence. The studio actually worked with Fabrik on the game, which was originally released for the PlayStation 4 as a PSVR title before also coming out as a non-VR game.
Sony has certainly done well with its acquisition of first-party studios so far. From the likes of Naughty Dog's Uncharted and The Last of Us series to Santa Monica Studios' God of War, the games produced by its family of developers have tended to do exceedingly well. While Sony hasn't officially confirmed any new projects that Firesprite is working on, a recent job listing at the studio confirmed that it is is hiring a writer for a new narrative adventure AAA title. With little known about what's in store for the game so far, fans will likely be excited to see what content the English studio delivers in the future.
To check out the latest games heading to PlayStation consoles from across a range of the company's first party developers, make sure to check out our rundown of everything announced at this year's PlayStation Showcase.
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
Stranger Things Might Be Getting Spin-Off Shows
Stranger Things spin-off shows could be on the horizon.
In a statement that is likely to leave you with more conspiracy theories than Murray Bauman could ever conjure up, Netflix's co-CEO Ted Sarandos referred to Stranger Things as "a franchise being born" and specifically hinted at spin-offs while speaking to the audience in attendance at Vox Media's Code Conference in Beverly Hills, California earlier this week.
"Franchises are good, but what you want are hits," Sarandos explained at the annual invitation-only event, without offering any further details about what might be in the pipeline. However, Deadline suggests talks have already taken place about Millie Bobby Brown "taking lead in an extension of the Duffer Bros universe under the terms of her own big Netflix deal."
Sarandos also shared viewership data for Netflix's most popular movies and TV shows, including Stranger Things. One metric tracked the number of users that watched at least two minutes of a show or a movie within the first 28 days of release while the other metric measured the total hours spent watching a show or movie within the first 28 days of release.
The data revealed 67 million Netflix subscribers sampled Stranger Things Season 3 during its first month on the service, while it was watched for a whopping 582 million hours total in those first 28 days. In terms of overall viewing time, the series came in just behind Money Heist Part 4 with 619 million hours total and Bridgerton Season 1 with 625 million hours.
Stranger Things has a fourth season on the way next year, and it's understood that the new episodes will be taking a deeper look into Eleven's backstory. We were recently given a sneak peek inside the Creel House, the former residence of Victor Creel — an inmate at Pennhurst Mental Hospital who was incarcerated there for a grisly murder he committed in the 1950s.
The fourth season will apparently be "bigger, bolder, and more intricate" than previous installments, and will have plenty of surprises in store. The next batch of episodes will not, however, represent the final season of Stranger Things as The Duffer Brothers have already stated that they need more time (and more seasons) in order to draw their story to a close.
Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.
Stranger Things Might Be Getting Spin-Off Shows
Stranger Things spin-off shows could be on the horizon.
In a statement that is likely to leave you with more conspiracy theories than Murray Bauman could ever conjure up, Netflix's co-CEO Ted Sarandos referred to Stranger Things as "a franchise being born" and specifically hinted at spin-offs while speaking to the audience in attendance at Vox Media's Code Conference in Beverly Hills, California earlier this week.
"Franchises are good, but what you want are hits," Sarandos explained at the annual invitation-only event, without offering any further details about what might be in the pipeline. However, Deadline suggests talks have already taken place about Millie Bobby Brown "taking lead in an extension of the Duffer Bros universe under the terms of her own big Netflix deal."
Sarandos also shared viewership data for Netflix's most popular movies and TV shows, including Stranger Things. One metric tracked the number of users that watched at least two minutes of a show or a movie within the first 28 days of release while the other metric measured the total hours spent watching a show or movie within the first 28 days of release.
The data revealed 67 million Netflix subscribers sampled Stranger Things Season 3 during its first month on the service, while it was watched for a whopping 582 million hours total in those first 28 days. In terms of overall viewing time, the series came in just behind Money Heist Part 4 with 619 million hours total and Bridgerton Season 1 with 625 million hours.
Stranger Things has a fourth season on the way next year, and it's understood that the new episodes will be taking a deeper look into Eleven's backstory. We were recently given a sneak peek inside the Creel House, the former residence of Victor Creel — an inmate at Pennhurst Mental Hospital who was incarcerated there for a grisly murder he committed in the 1950s.
The fourth season will apparently be "bigger, bolder, and more intricate" than previous installments, and will have plenty of surprises in store. The next batch of episodes will not, however, represent the final season of Stranger Things as The Duffer Brothers have already stated that they need more time (and more seasons) in order to draw their story to a close.
Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.
Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett Premiere Date Revealed for Disney+
Disney has revealed that Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett will premiere on Disney+ on December 29, 2021.
The news was revealed alongside an image of our favorite bounty hunter in Jabba's Palace that mirrors the same shot that announced the series in after credits of The Mandalorian's season two finale.
His story is only beginning. The Book of @BobaFett, an all-new Original Series, starts streaming December 29 on @DisneyPlus. #TheBookOfBobaFett pic.twitter.com/bWPg0D0Z6l
— Star Wars (@starwars) September 29, 2021
"The Book of Boba Fett, a thrilling Star Wars adventure, finds legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett and mercenary Fennec Shand navigating the galaxy’s underworld when they return to the sands of Tatooine to stake their claim on the territory once ruled by Jabba the Hutt and his crime syndicate," the official description reads on StarWars.com.
Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen return as Boba Fett and Fennec Shand, respectively, and Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Robert Rodgriguez, Kathleen Kennedy, and Colin Wilson are serving as executive producers. Karen Gilchrist and Carrie Beck will serve as co-executive producers. John Bartnicki and John Hampian will also take on the role of producers.
The Book of Boba Fett is "set within the timeline of The Mandalorian, and will tide fans over until the third season of The Mandalorian returns" which, according to Moff Gideon actor Giancarlo Esposito, is said to begin filming soon.
The Book of Boba Fett is only one of the many Star Wars series in development at Disney, and will be joined by an Ahsoka Tano and Rangers of the New Republic series, another one focused on Lando Calrissian, and lastly, one starring Diego Luna's Cassian Andor, which will serve as a prequel to Rogue One.
Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett Premiere Date Revealed for Disney+
Disney has revealed that Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett will premiere on Disney+ on December 29, 2021.
The news was revealed alongside an image of our favorite bounty hunter in Jabba's Palace that mirrors the same shot that announced the series in after credits of The Mandalorian's season two finale.
His story is only beginning. The Book of @BobaFett, an all-new Original Series, starts streaming December 29 on @DisneyPlus. #TheBookOfBobaFett pic.twitter.com/bWPg0D0Z6l
— Star Wars (@starwars) September 29, 2021
"The Book of Boba Fett, a thrilling Star Wars adventure, finds legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett and mercenary Fennec Shand navigating the galaxy’s underworld when they return to the sands of Tatooine to stake their claim on the territory once ruled by Jabba the Hutt and his crime syndicate," the official description reads on StarWars.com.
Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen return as Boba Fett and Fennec Shand, respectively, and Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Robert Rodgriguez, Kathleen Kennedy, and Colin Wilson are serving as executive producers. Karen Gilchrist and Carrie Beck will serve as co-executive producers. John Bartnicki and John Hampian will also take on the role of producers.
The Book of Boba Fett is "set within the timeline of The Mandalorian, and will tide fans over until the third season of The Mandalorian returns" which, according to Moff Gideon actor Giancarlo Esposito, is said to begin filming soon.
The Book of Boba Fett is only one of the many Star Wars series in development at Disney, and will be joined by an Ahsoka Tano and Rangers of the New Republic series, another one focused on Lando Calrissian, and lastly, one starring Diego Luna's Cassian Andor, which will serve as a prequel to Rogue One.
Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.