The PlayStation Store’s latest promotion offers a variety of deals on several notable games.
These titles include Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands: Next-Level Edition, Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition, God of War, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Sifu and more. The offers are available until August 17th.
Toronto-based Spin Master has announced a new licensing agreement with Sony tied to first-party PlayStation titles, including God of War, Horizon, The Last of Us, Uncharted and future games.
The toy maker says it plans to create products “in the action figure, collectible, playset, plush, roleplay, vehicles, RC and games & Puzzle categories.”
Here’s hoping Spin Master creates the remote-controlled The Last of UsClicker of my dreams nightmares.
“Both SIE’s PlayStation and Spin Master share a common goal, to inspire and entertain consumers through the relentless pursuit of innovation. Together we will bring the interactive storytelling of Sony’s immersive PlayStation games to life in an all-new way, extending the fandom from digital to reimagined physical play,” said Spin Master COO Chris Beardall in a recent statement.
Spin Master’s PlayStation toy offerings are expected to arrive in early 2024 and include game console branding surrounding the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. The Canadian company also controls brands like Paw Patrol, Bakugan, Kinect Sand, Air Hogs, Hatchimals and more.
Sony’s PlayStation Network (PSN) is experiencing issues. According to details shared on the PSN status page, there are ongoing issues with account management, gaming, and the PlayStation Store (don’t worry Rogers customers, your internet is fine right now).
The issues appear to be affecting PS4 and PS5 at the moment.
Problems include an inability to log in, create an account, edit account details, launch games or apps, and get products from the store.
Sony’s status page notes that problems began around 1:30pm ET/10:30am PT and that the company is “working to resolve the issue as soon as possible.”
The Verge’s Tom Warren jokingly attributed the outage to a cat, referencing the recently launched Stray — you can learn more about Stray here while you’re waiting for PSN to come back.
If you head to Gamestop.ca right now you should be tossed in the virtual line for a chance to buy a PlayStation 5 bundle that includes Horizon Forbidden West and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.
Sales started at 10 AM and a tweet notifying shoppers says that there is a limit of one per household.
The Playstation 5 Horizon Forbidden West bundle with LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga will be available online only at 10 am ET! Stock is limited. Ship to home only. Limit of one bundle per household. pic.twitter.com/XTqunIRJOi
Sony has announced its new PlayStation Stars loyalty program for players. This new program is free to join and incentivizes players to tackle new challenges while playing on PlayStation.
PlayStation Stars won’t launch until later this year. However, once membership is active, players can earn rewards by “completing a variety of campaigns and activities.” A part of the program is dubbed the “Monthly Check-In” where PlayStation players are incentivized to play any game to receive rewards. Other aspects of the program require players to win tournaments and earn specific trophies. PlayStation states that there may also be challenges for being the first to platinum a game in your time zone.
Players will have the opportunity to redeem PlayStation Stars loyalty points. These points can go towards a catalogue that Sony states “include PSN wallet funds and select PlayStation Store products.” Additionally, PlayStation Plus members enrolled in PlayStation Stars will automatically earn points for purchases on the PlayStation Store.
Finally, a part of the loyalty program is a “digital collectible” reward. To get ahead of it, no these are not NFTs, Sony confirms. Instead, these collectibles will be representations of PlayStation icons. These collectibles can range from devices to gaming characters, and other forms of entertainment. Sony says that there will always be new collectibles to earn.
On many levels, it appears as though Sony is taking inspiration not only from Microsoft Rewards but also from the My Nintendo Gold Points program. PlayStation Stars mixes the two core elements of incentivizing players to complete certain challenges by providing points for select purchases. The added layer of digital collectibles is a unique element and should speak to those with an affinity for Sony’s IP and lineage in the console space.
Although a launch window has yet to be set, the company states that it will be rolling out in a phased regional rollout.
Following the news that PlayStation is acquiring Montreal-based studio Haven, the company has announced that the deal is complete. As of today, the studio founded by Canadian games veteran Jade Raymond is now a part of PlayStation Studios.
“It’s official! The agreement to acquire Haven has closed,” PlayStation Canada writes. The completion of the acquisition means that Haven is the first Canadian studio to be under PlayStation’s umbrella.
Haven was first established in 2021 under Jade Raymond as an independent game studio. However, at the time, Haven was working closely with PlayStation on an “original, new IP.” Raymond reportedly brought on other talented game developers she’s worked with to help bring this project to life.
In March 2022, PlayStation announced its plans to acquire Haven. Though, it took a few months for the deal to go through and the ink to dry on the contract. Now, Haven will work even more intimately with PlayStation on what’s believed to be a live service game.
Details on the project are sparse. However, it’s said to be a PlayStation 5 title with multiplayer aspects. The scope of the game is still very much undefined. However, Haven has been growing rapidly; it now employs 106 people, up over 50 since October, the studio revealed to GamesIndustry.biz.
Raymond’s career in the gaming industry has seen her found Ubisoft Toronto and helped create Assassin’s Creed and Watch Dogs. Raymond later left to found Motive, the studio under Electronic Arts responsible for the Star Wars:Battlefront II campaign and Star Wars: Squadrons. Plus, Raymond led Stadia Games and Entertainment. However, Google shuttered its first-party division in 2021.
I will never take for granted how fortunate I am to get to play and cover games for work.
The standard price of most games in Canada is $79.99, which gets to around $90 after tax. If you want a PS5 or Xbox Series X/S title, the cost can go up $10 for a total of roughly $100. And that’s to say nothing of how publishers like Activision Blizzard will try to nickel and dime you in other ways. Simply put, this is a luxury hobby.
That’s why I’ve been so happy to see a growing trend in games lately: game demos. Leading up to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 era, we used to get so many of these, be it through Pizza Hut-distributed discs, pack-ins with other games (like Zone of the Enders having a Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty demo) or just digitally released, publicly downloadable trials. But in the past several years, outside of multiplayer betas, publishers have put out far fewer demos for single-player games.
Anyone remember these?
It’s really only during the COVID-19 pandemic that we’ve seen companies embrace the concept of demos again. After all, with a lot of physical events cancelled, they were pushed to find a way to bring the games straight to the players. For example, Xbox and Summer Game Fest have run multiple special events to offer dozens of free downloadable demos. Steam has also had similar initiatives, on top of having a reasonable refund policy to let people try a game for a bit but still be able to get their money back. The Game Awards, produced by Canada’s Geoff Keighley, has also been pushing to quickly bring experiences shown on-stage to people at home, like the fascinating The Matrix Awakens demo. And that doesn’t even account for 2022.
A free demo containing the RPG’s three chapters dropped in late June, and progress carries over to the main game. Live A Live is the perfect title for a demo — it’s a remake of a Super Famicom JRPG that was only ever released in Japan. For that reason, a lot of people understandably didn’t even know about it. That’s a shame, as it was helmed by Takashi Tokita, co-director of one of the most beloved JRPGs of all time, Chrono Trigger, and features music from legendary composer Yoko Shimomura (Kingdom Hearts). Since the demo dropped, strong word of mouth has circulated for the game, and it was even trending on Twitter earlier this week as the preview embargo lifted. For a little-known game like this, the demo has been the perfect way to get on people’s radars. (For what it’s worth, I’m reviewing Live A Live for MobileSyrup and am so far adoring it.)
PlayStation, meanwhile, has recently taken a different approach to demos — full-game trials. Available through the highest tier of its newly relaunched PlayStation Plus service, these demos offer time-limited access to the complete experience, so you really can get a decent idea of whether you like a game. So far, these mostly are capped at two hours, but two larger titles, Cyberpunk 2077 and Horizon Forbidden West, kindly afford you five hours of playtime. On top of that, just like the Nintendo demos, your saved data — plus trophy progress — will be retained should you decide to purchase the game. While it’s frustrating that there are only 15 demos available at the moment and that they’re locked behind the most expensive PS Plus membership, it’s a good idea that will hopefully be expanded upon.
Then there’s Xbox. In addition to the aforementioned seasonal demo events, the company’s Netflix-esque Game Pass service — which includes hundreds of titles at an affordable monthly cost — is certainly always a more cost-effective way of sampling different experiences. Further, Microsoft also recently confirmed plans to offer demos through Game Pass, not unlike PlayStation Plus. The company didn’t reveal many details about this ‘Project Moorcroft,’ but did say it will launch sometime within the next year and focus on indie games. The goal is to give smaller developers a way to promote their work while also gathering feedback that can be used for the final product. It’s unclear how well it will actually function in practice, but on paper, it sounds like a lovely idea.
Not needing to own a console or high-end PC to even try Resident Evil Village is pretty neat. (Image credit: Google)
I’ll also give a special shoutout to Google Stadia. While I’ve been (justifiably) hard on the service in the past, I admire how Google has used the service’s inherently solid streaming technology to offer easy-to-access demos to people. For example, being able to sample a demo of Resident Evil Village — a polished modern game, no less — simply by visiting Capcom’s website or Stadia’s site is really cool. The best part of streaming — when your internet isn’t down due to outages like Rogers’, at least — is being able to eliminate the need for an expensive console or PC to play a high-quality game. Other Stadia demos require a free Google account but are otherwise easily accessible as well. Initiatives like these are effective in allowing Google to keep its fledgling Stadia service relevant while also offering consumers something unique and helpful.
Again, pretty much everything I’ve mentioned has only just sprung out since the start of 2022. Part of what’s cool about games is the medium’s constant progression, given the rapid growth of technology. It’s tantalizing to think of the ways companies can further push the idea of game trials. I always think back to comments made in 2019 by Canada’s Jade Raymond, the ex-Stadia boss who’s now leading her own Montreal-based PlayStation studio. While still at Google, Raymond proposed a gaming documentary on YouTube that would, through the power of Stadia, allow you to actually play through part of the film. Things like that are extremely intriguing, and I’m eager to see how tech wizards around the world might pursue similar ideas. For now, though, let me get back to playing more Live A Live.
Thursday morning, PlayStation Indies revealed new trailers, release date reveals, gameplay debuts and more for seven upcoming games coming out for PS4 and PS5.
Inscryption is a creepy roguelike deck-building game developed by Vancouver-based Daniel Mullins Games and published by Devolver Digital. The title was originally released on PC. Sony says that the game will now have PlayStation-exclusive features and is coming to PS5 and PS4.
The game is described as part deck-building roguelike but also part escape-room puzzler and part psychological horror, which is a pretty interesting mixture.
The next is another Canadian game, Sea of Stars, from Quebec’s Sabotage Studio.
This is a retro-inspired turn-based role-playing game with seamless transitions from navigation to combat, no random encounters, no grinding and very interesting combat. This “actual turn-based” fighting has no time bars to reduce pressure when making decisions. It also features timed hits, combo moves, the ability to boost your characters, swapping characters without any penalties and more.
Sea of Stars will also reportedly feature a “sometimes epic, sometimes silly, and other times emotional” story.
That’s it for the Canadian games, but we also got more information about Cult of the Lamb. The title, coming out on August 11th, has players fighting through hordes of monsters and false prophets in order to find new followers and resources to bring back to their cult.
The game has players finding followers, customizing them, building new structures, and performing sermons. In order to run a great cult, you need to have your followers healthy and keep their faith high. Build homes, grow crops, cook meals and more.
Signalis is a survival game with psychological and cosmic horror elements.
The game is set in a retrotech sci-fi world with concrete walls, CRT screens and a totalitarian regime. It’s underlined by a Cold War-inspired setting, and fans of cassette futurism will like handling floppy disks, self-developing photos, and old fashion operating systems.
Signalis is launching on PS4 on October 27th.
The Tomorrow Children: Phoenix Edition is launching in North America on September 7th.
“The Tomorrow Children: Phoenix Edition takes place in an alternate future following a failed experiment to unite the minds of all humanity.” Now, humanity’s hope is in the hands of ‘Projection Clones’ that are capable of going into the Void in search of preserved human survivors.
You can learn more about The Tomorrow Children: Phoenix Edition, here.
Schim, is a game where you play as a shadow creature trying to get back to their person. You’ll travel through Dutch-inspired locations, but only through other shadows. You’ll also meet other shadow creatures and characters that you can interact with.
Schim doesn’t have an exact release date but it’s coming out next year. You can learn more about Schim, here.
Last but not least, Cursed to Golf is landing on PS5 and PS4 on August 18th. Cursed to Golf is a ‘Golf-Like’ 2D side-scrolling golf game with roguelike elements.
You’ll be playing as a would-be golf champion who dies just as he’s about to win a tournament and get sent to Golf Purgatory.
God of War: Ragnarok will officially launch on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on November 9th, 2022.
The release date was confirmed in a PlayStation Blog post alongside a brief CG trailer for the upcoming action game.
The highly anticipated sequel to 2018’s God of War was originally unveiled in September 2020 for a 2021 launch, but was later delayed to 2022. The last time we saw the game was the following September, when a full-length, in-engine trailer was shown.
Sony has filed a patent that could point to older PlayStation peripherals coming to modern PlayStation consoles.
The patent, titled “Systems and Methods For Converting A Legacy Code Into An Updated Code,” was filed on June 30th, 2022 by Sony Interactive Entertainment. In the application, Sony outlines an emulation process to get PlayStation 3-era peripherals up and running on modern devices like the PS5 and PS4.
Specifically, we see images of devices like a DualShock controller, a Sony Media Remote, PlayStation Mouse, EyeToy, a PlayStation Move wand, PlayStation Portable and more. What’s notable about most of these is that they come from the PS3 era, a console that has been historically difficult to access on modern consoles. A key reason for that boils down to the PS3’s unique cell architecture, which Sony has said makes emulation much more difficult.
Of course, as with any patent, it’s important to take this with a grain of salt, given that it could very well never see the light of day. That said, this one might be more plausible when considering PlayStation’s broader emulation efforts as of late.
Last month, the company launched its all-new PlayStation Plus service, which now offers the only way to play a number of PS3 games on PS4/PS5. However, reliable VentureBeat journalist Jeff Grubb reported in April that PlayStation is working on a proper emulation solution for PS3 titles on PS5. Should that be true, it would make sense that PlayStation would also look into making that console’s accessories available on its modern hardware.
