PlayStation
- PlayStation has finally joined the early 2000’s and will allow players to change their PSN ID’s. The feature is making it’s way to the PlayStation Preview Program before rolling out to everyone in 2019. The first change is free and all subsequent changes will cost $10 for no PS+ members and $5 for those who are subscribed to the service. A few very important things to note according to the blog post:
This feature is compatible with PS4 games originally published after April 1, 2018, and a large majority of the most-played PS4 games that were released before this date. However, please note not all games and applications for PS4, PS3 and PS Vita systems are guaranteed to support the online ID change, and users may occasionally encounter issues or errors in certain games. If for any reason you experience issues after changing your ID, you can revert back to your original ID for free at any time (you will only be able to revert once during the preview program). Reverting back to an old ID will resolve most issues caused by the ID change. In addition, when this feature officially launches, a list of compatible games published before April 1, 2018, will be provided on PlayStation.com for reference before you make a change.
-
Did you ever think to yourself, “Man, I’d love to play Boarderlands 2 in virtual reality.” Me neither, but that’s hasn’t stopped the announcement of Boarderlands 2 for PSVR. The update drops this December 14 for the steep price of $49 and is includes support the for the entire campaign—this isn’t some watered-down experience. The title will support PS Move controllers although I’m not sure if it will also support the PSVR Aim controller (which it definitely should).
-
PS4’s hottest new exclusive, Marvel’s Spider-Man, has received heaps of praise. Now, the title is also the best selling Western published Sony game in Japan since Crash Bandicoot 3. Even in general, the title is the third best selling Western game currently in Japan behind CoD and Minecraft.
Nintendo
-
As promised, Nintendo released Solomon’s Key, NES Open Tournament Golf, and Super Dodge Ball on NES Online for Switch, bumping the roster of NES games up to 23. What fans weren’t expecting was a new way to play the original Zelda. The new Zelda addition called ‘The Legend of Zelda – Living the life of luxury’ is a “souped-up version of The Legend of Zelda”, if you will, that grants players access to pretty much everything from the start like all equipment, lots of rupees, and items. This will no doubt make the adventure a whole lot easier, however, beating the game in this way will unlock a “more difficult version” called Second Quest which may be more in line with the original’s release, although we don’t know for sure.
-
It sounds like Nintendo’s latest title, Dragalia Lost, has made more than previously thought. In the first two weeks, the title grossed $16M with $13.5M coming from the US and Japan.
Xbox
-
Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 are now playable on Xbox One thanks to the system’s awesome backwards compatibility feature.
-
This week Microsoft announced plans to enter the world of video game streaming with Project xCloud, a service that promises to allow the streaming of Xbox One games across computers, phones, and tablets. Microsoft says it’s currently testing out Project xCloud and plans to open up tests to the public next year.
-
Did you know Minecraft is on Apple TV? That’s okay. We didn’t either. Mojang announced the discontinuation of support for the (joke) of a “gaming platform”. Those who have the game can continue to play it, but it will not receive any more updates or support from the developer.
-
Xbox’s October 2018 update has gone live and includes new features like revamped Xbox Avatars, Dolby Vision support video streaming platforms, new languages for the Narrator, and more.
Industry News
-
Last week we reported on the unfortunate abrupt closure of Telltale Games which left around 250 people instantly without jobs or severance. After swift backlash from fans and the media, Telltale has nixed their initial plan of keeping a 25 person skeleton crew employed to finish episodes 3 and 4 of The Walking Dead, instead handing the project over to developer Skybound. Now, the team over at Skybound said they want to work with the original Walking Dead team on the final Telltale episodes.
-
Last week we snickered at the news that CoD Black Ops 4 would require around 100 GB of space. Now, it’s been confirmed that the game won’t function (we’re guessing online) without the day one patch. The kicker? That day one patch is a whopping 50GB. A developer like Activision should be able to ship out a game without massive required patches like this.
-
Tristan and Will have loved indie darling Stardew Valley for quite a while now. Both myself and Daney didn’t think we’d be into it, but we’re both approaching 100 hours each, so here we are. It was announced that the title will be launching with revamped menus and touch controls for iOS and Android October 24. The game will cost $7.99 and will be the exact same game minus the multiplayer, which is a bummer for me. I would’ve love to play with my wife.
-
Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2 will release very soon. A really cool feature has come to light for those who want the most immersive experience possible in the Western sandbox adventure. If you choose to turn off the mini-map, NPC’s dialogue will change, and they will give you directions involving routes and landmarks. That’s a pretty cool touch.
Word on the Street
- According to Kotaku’s Jason Schreier, Microsoft is finalizing a deal to acquire the independent development studio Obsidian Entertainment, according to three people briefed on the negotiations. We don’t know if ink is on paper yet, and plenty of major acquisition deals have fallen apart in the final hours, but those close to the companies believe it is all but done. Obsidian is best known for its work on critically acclaimed role-playing games like Knights of the Old Republic II and Fallout: New Vegas. The Xbox has been sorely lacking in RPG titles, so hopefully this will turn things around.
