Timeline
Tuesday15th Aug 2023
News PS Plus Premium Poised to Add Tekken 6, SoulCalibur: Broken Destiny
Fighting fever
PS Plus Premium’s growing selection of emulated classics looks set to expand yet again in the near-future, with the Taiwanese ratings board classifying two retro PSP titles for PS5 and PS4. Listings for both Tekken 6 and SoulCalibur: Broken Destiny appeared overnight, with the latter obviously being a handheld exclusive. The former...
News NHL 24 Pulls Back The Curtain on PS5, PS4 Cover Athlete
All hail Cale
With the autumn approaching, it's time for information about this year's edition of the NHL franchise to start trickling in. And the first thing out of the gate is course the cover athlete. Last year, we saw not one, but two firsts, with Trevor Zegras making the first member of the Anaheim Ducks to appear on a cover, as well as...
News Green Hell's PSVR2 Port Offers Next Level Terror for Survival Enthusiasts on PS5
Into the wild
Green Hell was already widely available, but at long last, players can experience the literal nightmare of being lost in the Amazon rainforest for themselves on PSVR2, and it's out today. Green Hell first launched back in 2019 but eventually charted a course to PS4 in 2021. Green Hell VR is the PSVR2 iteration, and likely not for the...
News Embracer's Broken $2 Billion Verbal Agreement Was Reportedly with Saudi-funded Savvy Games
No reasons, only more questions
Embracer Group is currently undergoing major internal reorganisation after apparently overextending, with hard-working employees bearing the cost in the ensuing layoffs and closures. This restructuring has already begun, but a new report has shed some further light on how the situation all came about.
News Larian Studios Still Cooking the Ability to Change Baldur's Gate 3 Character Appearance
In hindsight, the mohawk was a bold choice
While the wait for Baldur's Gate 3 has been an interminable one, an advantage to having to endure a month of PC players tearing it apart is that aspects of the game that really need improving are being detected and actioned by developer Larian Studios. One quite baffling missing feature is the ability to...
News Lords of the Fallen PS5 Equips Performance, Quality Mode
Good
Lords of the Fallen is looking like a good bet for players seeking their grimdark fix on PS5. With there still no sign of a solid release date for Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, the dark fantasy epic is shaping up to be a real treat for masochists seeking a mechanical challenge. It's been confirmed to feature the performance and...
News Next! Crash Team Racing Gets Unofficial 60fps Patch on PS5
Illusion back at it again
As predicted, the dominoes have begun to fall, and modder Illusion has apparently spent the weekend unlocking the frame rate of Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled. This joins a rapidly growing list of games that have achieved that glorious 60fps on a modified retail PS5, thanks to their efforts. For those keeping score at home,...
Monday14th Aug 2023
News PS Plus Premium Adds a Playable Perk for PSVR2 Owners
Build it up
The ever-expanding selection of playable PS Plus Premium demos has been boosted yet again with the addition of a one-hour trial for PSVR2 launch title Townsmen VR. The virtual reality city builder combines elements of Sim City and God games to make for a compellingly unique concoction – and you’ll be able to test drive it for...
News Assassin's Creed Mirage Release Date Pushed Forward as Game Goes Gold
Looking sharp
Good news for fans of stabbing corrupt historical figures: Assassin's Creed Mirage will now release a week earlier than anticipated. Alongside news that the game has gone gold — meaning that it's ready to be shipped — Ubisoft confirmed that the launch date has been pushed forward, to the 5th October, 2023. It was previously set for...
News Play WipEout in Your Web Browser While Fans Pray for Sony to Bring the Series Back
Play the PS1 original right now
Regular readers will know that we're huge fans of WipEout. The futuristic racing series has long been ignored by Sony — much to our disappointment — but if you're yearning for a quick fix of eye-watering speed (and perhaps a healthy nostalgia hit) then you may be in luck. Programmer Dominic Szablewski has managed...
News PS5 Pulling Ahead in the UK Thanks to Sony's Summer Sale
Market leader leads market
Details on the gaming market in the UK for the month of July have rolled in thanks to GamesIndustry.biz, and it looks like software and hardware discounts have stirred things up. The PS5 had its first big price cut recently, and that's contributed to a pretty healthy position for Sony's console compared to the competition...
News Blasphemous 2 Looks Like a Truly Sick Sequel in Raw Gameplay Footage
Praise be
Due to release in just over a week on PS5, Blasphemous 2 appears to be a pretty straightforward sequel to the already fantastic Blasphemous — and we're perfectly okay with that. The 2D action adventure just got 16 minutes of raw gameplay footage (thanks IGN), and it looks damn good. We've always loved the first game's art direction, and...
News Armored Core 6 PS5 File Size Isn't So Bad
We'll take it
The good news: it's looking like you won't be forced to delete several games in order to fit Armored Core 6 on your PS5. The bad news: FromSoftware's latest still isn't what we'd call 'small' in terms of file size. In fact, it's pretty much bang in the middle of what most players would deem reasonable, weighing in at a not-so-terrible...
Team was in tears
Gacha game Genshin Impact has gone on to become one of the most profitable projects on the planet, but this wasn’t always the case. Back when it was first announced, its comparisons to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild seemed so strong that many accused it of being a copycat. While these turned out to be surface...
News Final Fantasy Creator Believes Latest Instalment Is Ultimate Entry in Franchise
Levelled up
Final Fantasy 16 attracted plenty of plaudits and critical acclaim, but series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi may have endorsed it with its most important yet, describing it as the “ultimate” entry in the franchise. The ex-Square Enix director – who left the company in 2003 – posted the comments on Twitter, which will come as music...
News Texas Chainsaw Massacre's PS5, PS4 Adaptation Won't Get Gutted Like Friday the 13th
No slashed expectations
Friday the 13th, the asymmetrical adaptation of the classic slasher horror franchise, is at the end of its life, with the developer even unlocking everything for all players before the title is delisted. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, however – due out later this week on the PS5 and PS4 – will not fall to the same fate...
News Gritty Strategy Game Gord Gets Dark Fantasy Gameplay Trailer
Gord-amn
Gord is a grimdark "adventure-strategy" game coming to PS5 on 17th August, and we got a new look at it in motion, thanks to an Xbox-flavoured gameplay trailer. We see the kind of horrors (inspired by Slavic folklore) that will inevitably assail our cheerful townsfolk once the sun goes down. The settlement management in Gord looks...
News Scintillating PS5 RPG Black Myth: Wukong Will Allegedly Feature Heavily at Gamescom
Fully playable on dozens of machines
German convention Gamescom is just days away, but there’s still strong speculation about what will be on display at the show. Black Myth: Wukong, a previously announced “next-gen” action RPG from Chinese developer Game Science, is one such title setting tongues wagging; according to Insider Gaming sources,...
News Tekken 8 Boss Katsuhiro Harada Hits Back at 'Silly Threats' from Irate Eddy Gordo Fans
For every action, a reaction
Veteran developer of the series and director of Tekken 8, Katsuhiro Harada, has spoken up about the toll trolling and harassment takes, causing real damage to team morale and even incurring additional financial costs on the larger FGC (fighting game community) in extreme cases. Harada shared an image where one...
News Rockstar Hires Team of Previously Banned GTA 5 Modders
The ultimate heist, that of the mind
Rockstar Games has taken to X to announce the hiring of Cfx.re, the team of modders behind Grand Theft Auto 5's popular
News Overwatch 2 Swiftly Branded Steam's 'Worst Game of All Time'
That was quick
Overwatch 2 was released on PS5 and PS4 back in October of 2022, and the shift to free-to-play drew massive crowds initially, but deeper issues were quickly discovered. The player base has been declining ever since, which is fairly normal for service games, but what's new for Blizzard is the great equaliser: Steam. Launching i
News Larian Studios CEO Responds to 'Raised Standards' Concerns: 'Standards Die Every Day'
"In video games there's so much free space to explore, still, in the creative tree"
Baldur's Gate 3 represents a shift for AAA RPGs that's hard to put into words without sounding overly trite but needs must. If Breath of the Wild was an event horizon for exploration in open worlds, then BG3 does the same for depth and character choice in RPGs. It's...
Sunday13th Aug 2023
News Amid Ongoing ActiBlizz Acquisition Saga, Modern Warfare 3 Will Be Playable First on PS5, PS4
Marketing win
In an amusing but inevitable twist considering Sony still holds the Call of Duty marketing rights, the upcoming Modern Warfare 3 will be playable first on PS5 and PS4 – despite Microsoft’s ongoing attempts to acquire publisher Activision Blizzard. By the time the title launches later this year, many are expecting the ink to be dry...
News PS5 Designer Mark Cerny Nerds Out About New Dolby Atmos Addition
Letter to Digital Foundry digs into the details
Mark Cerny, the lead architect of the PS5, has sent a candid letter to tech experts Digital Foundry, explaining exactly how Dolby Atmos works with the system’s upcoming firmware update. Fans had been hoping for the surround sound functionality to be supported from day one, but Sony instead emphasised...
Saturday12th Aug 2023
News Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy PS5, PS4 Co-Op Trailer Shows Some Unlikely Alliances
Getting a pizza the action
If you need a fourth member for your weekly Trine team, maybe don’t rely on the pizza delivery guy. That’s the unlikely alliance depicted in this awkward Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy trailer from the THQ Nordic livestream earlier this week. The video is designed to underline the game’s capacity as a couch co-op...
News South Park: Snow Day! Is Not the PS5 Game You Were Expecting
Snow way
Back when THQ Nordic announced it was bringing South Park back to consoles, many fans perhaps expected another RPG in the vein of Stick of Truth. However, that’s not what developer Question has cooked up: this is instead a 3D four-player co-op game. Needless to say, we’re not all together convinced. “Join Cartman, Stan, Kyle, and...
News Gritty TMNT: The Last Ronin PS5 Trailer Is a Teaser in Every Sense of the Word
Shell, then - we're waiting
There’s really not a lot we can say about this TMNT: The Last Ronin trailer, which debuted during THQ Nordic’s showcase yesterday. The game, which had previously been teased as influenced by favourites like Sony Santa Monica’s recent God of War reboot, is being developed by Destroy All Humans!’ Black Forest Games,...
Poll Are You Happy with Your PS Plus Extra, Premium Games for August 2023?
Another 17 games added
It's time once again to weigh up another batch of games coming to PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium. 17 titles are making the jump to Sony's more expensive subscription tiers, and we'll go right ahead and say that there's a lot of variety to this month's selection. From super promising indie RPG Sea of Stars — which debuts...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 489
The beautiful gaming
A partial heatwave and the return of Premier League football should make for a big weekend here in the UK — but that certainly won't stop us from squeezing in some quality gaming sessions. Aaron Bayne: This weekend I’m heading to the Lands Between for a solid session on Elden Ring with some friends. Editing through our...
Friday11th Aug 2023
News Video of New PS5 Slim Model Posted Online
Not actually slimmer*
Update: A video has now been uploaded to Twitter that shows the new PS5 model in all its glory, complete with a slim slit on both sides. As the casing is shown, the disc drive gives the design a much more significant bulge than the original model. It's possible this could still be a fake, but video footage lends more weight to...
