Every month, Xbox brings new titles to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service.
Normally, these come in two waves and now, the company has revealed what’s hitting Game Pass in the second half of May. Notably, EA Vancouver’s FIFA 22 and Ubisoft Montreal’s Far Cry 5 are among this batch of new Game Pass titles.
See below for the full list:
Shadowrun Trilogy (Cloud and Console) — June 21st
Total War: Three Kingdoms (PC) — June 21st
FIFA 22 (Console and PC) — June 23rd (EA Play)
Naraka: Bladepoint (Cloud, Console and PC) — June 23rd
Far Cry 5 (Cloud, Console and PC) — July 1st
Meanwhile, the following 10 games have received Touch Controls on mobile:
Broken Age
Bugsnax
Chinatown Detective Agency
Kraken Academy!!
Life is Strange: True Colors
Ninja Gaiden ∑
Ninja Gaiden ∑2
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge
The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk
The Last Kids on Earth
Finally, here’s what’s leaving Game Pass on June 30th:
FIFA 20 (Console and PC) EA Play
Jurassic World Evolution (Console and Cloud)
Last Stop (Cloud, Console and PC)
MotoGP 20 (Cloud, Console and PC)
As always, Game Pass subscribers can take advantage of an exclusive 20 percent discount to purchase any game in the catalogue and keep playing even after it leaves Game Pass.
GameStop has unveiled a new Xbox bundle that offers a pretty sweet deal if you’re looking to purchase a new Xbox Series S.
If you buy an Xbox Series S console online or in-store, you’ll now receive a free $50 Xbox Digital gift card. This gives you enough credit to buy most of a game of choice alongside your new Xbox Series S.
Starting your gaming library has never been this easy. Pick up an Xbox Series S console in-store or online and secure a $50 Xbox Digital Gift Card free for a limited time.
It’s worth noting that Gamestop says the bundle is only available for a limited period of time and while supplies list.
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Niantic is best known for its ongoing development of Pokemon Go but Peridot is the latest to come from the studio. This upcoming AR mobile game is the latest in the developer’s catalogue and we now have a better idea of what the game offers.
As hands-on previews emerge, it sounds as if the game is a hybrid of Pokemon Go and Nintendogs. In some fashion, one could see inspiration taken from Tamagotchi as well. Players receive a small, adorable creature aka a Peridot. Each is unique in its own way and can be given a name. Drawing back to Tamagotchi, Peridots require attention meaning players must pet and feed their creatures.
However, for anyone getting flashbacks to the dreadful day when their Tamagotchis died, don’t worry. Reports confirm that Peridots cannot pass to another digital realm of existence. Instead, the game is more set up to enable players to have a positive experience. Each creature has unique quest systems tied to their individual personalities and interests. To feed a Peridot, players must forage for food and other items. In terms of gameplay, players draw circles on the screen of their device to call their Peridots to grab items. Depending on the terrain, different items can be found.
Peridot also supports a breeding functionality. Players are able to locate habitats using the AR functionality of their device to find streams of bubbles. Here, players can breed their Peridots with those belonging to other players. The result may take traits of both Peridots. For players, there appear to be ways to try to aim for specific traits. However, it remains to be seen how in-depth one can manipulate the offspring’s traits. Though, players can only take care of one Peridot at a time.
Peridot currently does not have a release date. However, it has soft-launched in Malaysia. If it manages to capture a similar audience to Pokemon Go, Niantic could have another big hit on its hands upon a worldwide launch.
Montreal-based Behaviour Interactive’s Jurassic World Primal Ops is entering a soft launch phase ahead of its full release. In Canada, players can download the free-to-play game on the App Store and Google Play Store.
Jurassic World Primal Ops is a top-down action-adventure game based on the long-running dino-centric franchise. Players take on the role of a dinosaur handler who must save dinosaurs from mercenaries, poachers, and other threats.
To help fight back the threats, players collect and team up with a roster of dinosaurs to complete objectives while travelling North America. The game features a ranking system for each dinosaur species. Players can rank them and level them up. In turn, these dinosaurs join players as companions in-game
From now until June 24th, Canadian players can jump into the game and gain access to an in-game event. During which, players take on the powerful T. rex.
Currently, Behaviour Interactive states that Jurassic World Primal Ops is due to arrive worldwide “soon.” However, pre-registration for the game is available now. Those who pre-register are able to unlock exclusive in-game items available at launch.
The latest entry in the Jurassic World franchise, Jurassic World Dominion is now playing in theatres.
1999 Nintendo 64 Pokémon photography game Pokémon Snap is coming to Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack members on June 24th.
The subscription service gives players access to retro Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis titles like Mario Kart 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Mario Tennis and Super Mario 64.
Capture wild Pokémon on Pokémon Island… with a camera!
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 17, 2022
In Pokémon Snap, players snap pictures of Pokémon roaming freely on Pokémon Island. A sequel to the title called New Pokémon Snap was released for the Switch back in 2021.
Nintendo’s ‘Expansion Pack’ online tier costs $63.99 for a 12-month individual membership (one account) or $99.99 for a 12-month Family Membership (up to eight accounts).
On June 13th, PlayStation launched its long-awaited updated PlayStation Plus in North America.
By combining the previous PlayStation Plus with its PlayStation Now game streaming platform and throwing in additional perks like a vastly expanded catalogue and game trials, Sony now has an all-around more robust subscription service.
Specifically, it’s broken down into three tiers:
PS Plus Essential — same as the original PS Plus, includes online multiplayer, a few free monthly games, cloud saves and more
PS Plus Extra — everything with Essential, plus nearly 400 additional PS4 and PS5 games
PS Plus Premium — everything with Extra and Essential, plus hundreds of additional games from PS1/PS2/PSP/PS3 eras, streaming for select titles and time-limited game trials
It’s quite a lot on the whole, and it’s not exactly all easy to follow. But after going hands-on with PS Plus Premium over the past few days, my big takeaway is that there’s a fair amount to like — albeit with some fairly big caveats.
PS Plus Extra
Before I go further, I should address the big green elephant in the room: Xbox Game Pass.
I suspect many people are disappointed by the new PS Plus on the basis of it not directly stacking up to Microsoft’s game subscription service. After all, it won’t have big first-party games on day one, among other differences. And I understand why, to an extent, given all of the reports and public comments made over the past several months. But I also understand that Sony and Microsoft are two different companies, and for the former, dumping $100 million games onto a subscription service just isn’t feasible. I have other issues with PS Plus, which I’ll get into later.
With that out of the way, here’s pricing for PS Plus Extra:
1 month — $17.99 CAD
3 months — $49.99
12 months — $114.99
The ‘Extra’ tier adds hundreds of PS4 and PS5 games, and it’s easily what the new PS Plus does best. Impressively, PlayStation has rounded up a varied assortment of first- and third-party games that should appeal to pretty much anyone.
Returnal was one of last year’s most acclaimed games, and it’s part of PS Plus Extra. (Image credit: PlayStation)
Exclusives-wise, there’s a really good lineup that includes Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition, Shadow of the Colossus, and even a few PS5-only titles, like Death Stranding: Director’s Cut, Returnal and Demon’s Souls. This is on top of the PS Plus Collection that’s been offered on PS5 via the base ‘Essential’ tier, which features must-play PlayStation games like God of War, Bloodborne and The Last of Us Remastered.
But it’s the third-party roster that’s even more notable. Overall, it seems like PlayStation has gotten deals from pretty much every major publisher, as well as a bunch of indies, and it’s an all-around great lineup.
Some of the highlights are:
Action/adventure — Control Ultimate Edition (PS4 and PS5), Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4), The Wonderful 101 Remastered (PS4), Canadian-made Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (PS4 and PS5) and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (PS4 and PS5)
Fighting — Soul Calibur VI (PS4), Injustice 2 (PS4), Mortal Kombat 11 (PS4 and PS5),
RPG — Final Fantasy VII, VIII Remastered, IX, X/X-2 HD Remaster and XII: The Zodiac Age (all PS4), Kingdom Come: Deliverance (PS4), Canadian-made Child of Light (PS4)
Sports — NBA 2K22 (PS5), Wreckfest (PS4 and PS5), Canadian-made PGA Tour 2K21 (PS4)
While many of these games are a bit older, they’re undeniably quality experiences. To that point, I was especially pleased to see a bunch of indies mixed in there, including The Artful Escape (PS4 and PS5), Thomas Was Alone (PS4), Outer Wilds (PS4) and Canadian-made Wytchwood (PS4 and PS5) and The Messenger (PS4). For context, the sheer number of Extra catalogue of games is comparable to Game Pass’, as both exceed 300. Ultimately, there’s a lot of value with PS Plus Extra, and I can easily recommend it if you’re willing to shell out a bit more money on this service.
PS Plus Premium
1 month — $21.99
3 months — $59.99
12 months — $139.99
Here’s where the new PS Plus gets rougher — for several reasons.
To start, though, the best part about this tier is the lineup of PS3 titles. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow HD; Devil May Cry HD Collection; Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas; God of War and God of War II; inFamous and inFamous 2; and Resident Evil 4 HD. This isn’t exactly new, though, as PlayStation Now previously offered PS3 games. Still, if you’re someone who never did subscribe to the streaming service, or see some PS3 titles that tickle your fancy, it’s not half bad.
This Toy Story 2 game was one of my favourites growing up. Pure nostalgia! (Image credit: Disney/Pixar)
But everything else about PS Plus Premium leaves something to be desired. The most glaring issue is that the highly requested retro offering is just sorely lacking. To be sure, there are some nice gems, including Tekken 2, Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue! and Resident Evil: Director’s Cut. I’m especially happy to see Ape Escape, considering I never played it the first time around. It’s also wonderful to see that PS Plus is emulating the superior 60Hz versions of games, following some initial concerns. I spent a bit of time with all of the above titles and my experience was extremely smooth.
But to have less than 40 games from three entire platforms — PS1, PS2 and PSP — is pretty disgraceful. Tomb Raider, Silent Hill 2, Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Rayman… there are so many noteworthy games you could mention that are missing. And even ignoring third-party titles, there are big omissions from PlayStation’s own roster, including The Legend of Dragoon, Gran Turismo and Tomba!
“…the way PlayStation has determined which games fall into the “classics” category is confusing at best, and sleazy at worst.”
To be fair, many of PlayStation’s earlier years were defined by big third-party titles, so it’s not quite as simple as Sony drawing from its own catalogue. Third-party negotiations would have certainly had to be made. And several classics are already accounted for with improved re-releases, like Final Fantasy VII (included with Extra), the Crash Bandicoot trilogy (the N. Sane collection is available via the PS Plus Collection) and Spyro the Dragon trilogy (sold separately on PS4). Nonetheless, PlayStation fans have been clamouring for retro titles for years, and just a few dozen games just don’t cut it right now.
Another issue is that Sony’s decision to carve up the new PS Plus into three different tiers makes navigating the dedicated PS Plus tab on my PS5 quite convoluted. On Xbox, it’s simple; open up the Xbox Store, go to the ‘Game Pass’ section and select one of several categories, starting with ‘All games A-Z’ and ‘Recently added.’ For comparison’s sake, I picked the former. Now, because there are only two Game Pass memberships (the $11.99/month base membership and $16.99/month Ultimate tier), it’s quite simple to scroll through. Since some games are available only through EA Play (which is included with Ultimate and sold separately), they’ll have a little ‘EA Play’ icon. Otherwise, everything else is available through either Game Pass subscription option. I can find every game with a few button presses, and I know right away which belongs to which of the two memberships. Straightforward, right?
On PlayStation, however, I can’t view a full list of games, even as a Premium member. Hitting ‘Game Catalog’ brings up a lineup of titles in a pre-arranged ‘Default’ order. From there, you can sort using a variety of filters, including A-Z, release date and genre. But even selecting ‘A-Z’ doesn’t give you complete picture, as it’s actually only the Extra catalogue here. As a Premium member, you’ll also want to venture into the tab beside ‘Game Catalog,’ ‘Classic Games.’ But this still doesn’t include everything; only the service’s small offering of PS1, PS2 and PSP games. Oddly, going to the ‘All new PlayStation Plus benefits’ column below ‘Game Catalog’ and ‘Classic Games’ has a full breakdown of perks per membership tier. This’Classics Catalog’ option has all of the games that are added with Premium.
But even then, the way it’s broken down is… odd. They have a whole section just for PSP, PlayStation and PS2, then another for PS3. There’s no way to filter by platform. What’s more, the way PlayStation has determined which games fall into the “classics” category is confusing at best, and sleazy at worst. Essentially, there were many games from the PS3 era that got re-released on PS4, many through special “HD remasters.” And, for context, a lot of these HD releases were either only ever available on PS4 and other consoles from that generation or just got straight digital ports from PS3 to PS4.
But the problem with PS Plus is that — as part of Premium offering PS3 games — it’s lumping in all of these titles under the higher membership. This means that even though, say, the Jak and Daxter trilogy was released on PS4, PlayStation is seemingly considering these as PS2 titles (based on their original release) and, therefore, locking them behind Premium. The same goes for Batman: Return to Arkham, BioShock Remastered and BioShock Infinite: The Complete Edition, God of War 3 Remastered, Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, Gravity Rush Remastered (originally a PS Vita game, but the point still stands) and more. These are all PS4 releases, but they’re under the rather buried ‘Remasters’ category in the PS Plus tab, which PlayStation is treating as worthy of a Premium membership, not Extra. I understand the original PS3 versions being locked behind streaming via Premium (this is basically what PlayStation Now used to do), but making actual PS4 releases unavailable to Extra subscribers — the tier specifically dedicated to PS4 and PS5 games — just seems cheap.
Finally, Premium has the timed game trials, which are much better across the board. Considering games can cost as much as $90 before taxes nowadays, the ability to try them out before buying is most welcome. Even better is the fact that you get access to the full game, not some super-polished short slice of it, which will definitely give you a better idea if you like it. Most helpful: these also range in length depending on the game. For example, big open-world titles like Horizon Forbidden West and Cyberpunk 2077 have five-hour demos, while something smaller like the side-scrolling skateboarder OlliOlli World offers just one hour.
The only real shortcoming with these demos, other than the fact that they’re locked behind the highest tier, is there are just toofew of them. Altogether, only 15 titles are included (technically 16 since Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection includes two Uncharted games):
Biomutant (PS4) — two hours
The Cruel King and the Great Hero (PS4) — two hours
Crusader Kings III (PS5) — three hours
Cyberpunk 2077 (PS4/PS5) — five hours
Elex II (PS4/PS5) — two hours
Farming Simulator 22 (PS4/PS5) — three hours
Horizon Forbidden West (PS4/PS5) — five hours
Hot Wheels Unleashed (PS5) — two hours
Lego City Undercover (PS4) — two hours
MotoGP 22 (PS4/PS5) — two hours
OlliOlli World (PS4/PS5) — one hour
SpellForce III Reforced (PS5) — two hours
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands: Next-Level Edition (PS4/PS5) — two hours
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection (PS5) — two hours
WWE 2K22 (PS5) — two hours
A recent report indicated that PlayStation will require all developers making games above a certain price point to offer a demo, although Sony hasn’t said anything official about that. Hopefully, that proves to be true and the lineup of trials significantly expands over time, because it’s quite meager as it stands. It would also be nice if there was some sort of incentive to purchase a game you tried out. While it’s nice that save and trophy progress carries over, some sort of discount would go a long way. Game Pass, for reference, offers 20 percent off any title in its catalogue.
The verdict
As someone whose main gaming platform has been PlayStation since he started playing games, the new PS Plus is exactly the sort of service that should appeal to me. But unfortunately, it’s only somewhat successful in that regard. The PS Plus Extra tier has a strong library of PS4 and PS5 titles, especially several indies I missed out on, and I do see myself continuing to subscribe to that after the three-month trial provided to me by Sony expires. If you’re someone who games often, I’d definitely say Extra is worth it right now.
However, it’s hard to say the same about PS Plus Premium. Outside of a decent batch of PS3 titles, there’s a paltry amount of PS1, PS2 and PSP games. That’s to say nothing of the even smaller assortment of trials. In many ways, it feels like a beta or, in more common gamer parlance, “early access” — some promising features hobbled together but lacking anything fully formed.
Considering PlayStation had years to study what Xbox did with Game Pass, or even Nintendo with its own ever-growing Switch Online service, I’d hoped that the new PS Plus would be more impressive. Of course, PlayStation has promised that more Extra and Premium games will be offered every month, so it remains to be seen how solid that support will be. Hopefully, PlayStation Plus improves enough to fully capitalize on its immense potential.
Square Enix has revealed a new trailer for Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis on Android and iOS during its special Final Fantasy VII 25th anniversary stream.
First unveiled in February 2021, Ever Crisis is a mobile retelling of the entire Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Square Enix’s long-running metaseries surrounding Final Fantasy VII. As such, Ever Crisis will cover the original Final Fantasy VII, as well as the prequels Crisis Core and Before Crisis and the sequels Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus. Notably, Advent Children is a movie, so this will be the first time that that story is told in a game.
In the new trailer, we see a closer look at all of these older games (and movie) in action. Like the original Final Fantasy VII, Ever Crisis features combat based around the Active Time Battle system, a form of turn-based gameplay. In battles, the visuals are fully 3D, while character models outside of combat are blocky in a way that’s reminiscent of the original Final Fantasy VII. Character portraits and other artwork have been drawn by Lisa Fujise.
Key members of the original Final Fantasy VII team are also involved, including Tetsuya Nomura (original co-writer and character designer) as creative director, Kazushige Nojima (original co-writer) as the scenario writer and Yoshinori Kitase (original director) as producer.
Ever Crisis will be free-to-play on mobile with in-app purchases for lootboxes, which will contain random weapons and costumes. Interestingly, while a September release has been reported by the game’s co-developer, CyberAgent, Square Enix did not confirm a date during the stream. Instead, it simply said a closed beta test is coming later this year.
It should be noted that Ever Crisis is one of two remakes of Final Fantasy. The other, appropriately titled Final Fantasy VII Remake, is a multi-game project to reimagine the events of the original PlayStation classic. The second installment in the Remake series, Rebirth, was also unveiled during the anniversary stream, as was a remake of Crisis Core.
Officially titled Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion, the game is a remake of the original PSP game featuring updated 3D models, full voiceovers and new music arrangements. It will release on PlayStation 4/5, Xbox consoles, Nintendo Switch and PC this winter.
Set before the events of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core follows SOLDIER Zack Fair as he is sent to look for missing SOLDIER Genesis Rhapsodos. Along the way, he works with his mentor, Angeal, as well as Final Fantasy VII favourites Cloud and Sephiroth. Unlike the original VII, Crisis Core is an action-RPG, allowing Zack to fight enemies in real-time using his sword and various Materia-powered spells.
Crisis Core originally launched on the PSP in 2008, but was one of the titles that weren’t backward compatible on the PS Vita, and Square Enix hasn’t ever re-released it since. Therefore, the remaster is the first time the game will be available on modern systems.
After months of anticipation, fans finally got treated to the formal reveal of the Final Fantasy VII Remake sequel during Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII 25th anniversary stream.
The game is officially titled Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and will release next winter. It’s confirmed to be the second of three parts to Square Enix’s planned Final Fantasy VII Remake project.
In the brief trailer, we see a flashback of Cloud and Sephiroth in Nibelheim before the events of Final Fantasy VII. During this, we hear Cloud and Tifa recalling what happened, alluding to the fact that, as in the original Final Fantasy VII, the two have different recollections.
“What is Sephiroth’s endgame?” reads cryptic text.
Notably, the first Final Fantasy VII Remake ended right as the party left the city of Midgar, which is only about five hours into the original game. The story also made some deviations from the events of the original game. Therefore, fans have been eager to learn more about the sequel and what direction it will go in. It’s unclear how much of the VII story will be included in Rebirth, but given that it’s only three parts, it seems like quite a bit of territory will be covered.
Final Fantasy VII Remake originally launched on PlayStation 4 in April 2020. The game was later ported to PS5 in June 2021 and, six months later, PC via the Epic Games Store. A Steam release was also confirmed during the anniversary event.
PlayStation has updated its photo and video editing Share Factory Studio PS5 app with a new ‘Bits’ feature.
With Bits, can add all kinds of flourishes to their videos, including filters, text, music, sound effects, voiceover and more. You can even create freeform doodles using the DualSense controller.
“Our goal with Bits is to make it super easy and fun for PlayStation gamers to create and share short-form gameplay videos for sharing cool achievements, jokes, stunts, and any other type of eye-catching content,” writes PlayStation.
To demonstrate all of this, PlayStation released a two-minute video showing the feature in action. Some of the use cases include adding celebratory sound effects and confetti when taking down a tough creature in Horizon Forbidden West or throwing laughter over a silly misplay in MLB: The Show.
Once you’ve completed your edit, you can upload it directly to Twitter or YouTube.
Share Factory Studio can be downloaded for free on PS5.
