Sony has announced that the PlayStation Network will undergo scheduled maintenance tomorrow. ADVERTISEMENT
The service will be offline in the US from 9:40 am PT/ 12:40 pm ET until 4:50 pm PT/ 7:50 pm ET and in Europe from 16:00 BST until 5:00 BST on Friday.
The maintenance was originally scheduled for this past Monday, but was postponed after the PlayStation Network suffered a DDoS attack over the weekend.
During the maintenance, you’ll be unable to access the PlayStation Store, PS Home and Account Management. If you’ve signed into the PSN since August 23, you’ll still be able to play games online and access other online services, such as Netflix.
PAX 2014: MORTAL KOMBAT X’S GROSS FATALITIES WILL MAKE YOU SQUIRM
I don’t consider myself the squeamish type, yet I couldn’t help but wince as I saw fatalities in Mortal Kombat X. The version we play at PAX is setup to showcase deadly finishing moves easily. I admit Fatalities have been my favorite part of prior MK games. They always delivered a funny dose of shock value with a trail of silliness tacked on at the same time. But this time was different. This time was gross.
When IGN editor Daemon Hatfield let the first one rip, I expected to laugh. I didn’t. In fact, for the first time ever I wondered if the developers went too far. I watched one of the new characters named Kotal Khan carve a deep cut across the chest of a bloodied Cassidy Cage’s with a blade. He then rips out her heart and holds up his new trophy before popping the juicy, still-beating muscle. The blood flows into Khan’s grotesque open mouth and drips down his lips. The visual fidelity carefully renders every second of this vicious moment. X-rays attacks, the bone-crushing combo chains from the previous MK, return and reach similarly violent levels. I watched characters get stabbed or have their eyes gouged out. Back when the cast of MK looked like caricatures from a bad martial arts film, I was totally OK with the over-the-top gore. As the characters and graphics get more detailed and the camera zooms in closer to the action, I can’t help but feel uncomfortable. The cartoon-like vibe is replaced by something that just doesn’t feel funny to me any more.
Have I grown into an old man? Maybe. But even if I was a grossed out, I’ll admit I had fun sparring with Daemon and learning about the other unique features this installment brings to the table. Similar to Injustice: Gods Among Us, characters can throw special items at enemies or use the background as a means to escape poor positioning in the fight. Now, if you’re trapped in the corner, you have another way to dig yourself out and figure out a new offensive strategy. The detailed character models are complemented by stages that look amazing, and each one is filled with vibrant shades of texture and animated action. One of my fights with Daemon took place on a dock during a storm. The waves convincingly rocked back and forth creating a moody atmosphere for a 1-on-1 fight. Mortal Kombat 10 still has some of the best-looking fighting arenas in the business, but the characters also have more variation than I’ve seen in this series before, too. Each has three unique fighting styles to choose from, with specific benefits applied to each style. As, Scorpion I choose between Hellfire, Ninjitsu, and Inferno and got to experiment and try different methods of attack.
Part of me really wants to love Mortal Kombat X, and there seems to be a lot here that I admire as a fan of the series. I just don’t know if I can stomach the violence this time around. The reckless brutality demonstrated by the developers has limits, but it’s hard to notice when there’s so unrelenting attention to detail. The new MK has atmosphere, character variety, and cool new mechanics. And we still don’t know a majority of who’s on the roster. So if you can stomach the detail in this crass world, there’s a pretty good fighting game waiting to be played. Jose Otero is an Associate Editor at IGN and host of Nintendo Voice Chat. You can follow him on Twitter.
GRAND THEFT AUTO 5 GETTING UPDATED SOUNDTRACKS FOR NEW VERSIONS
British model and host of the fictional GTA V radio station Non Stop Pop FM is back in the studio with Rockstar updating the audio for the upcoming versions of the game.
Cara Delevingne tweeted the info to her followers with a link to her Instagram account. The official Rockstar Games account then retweeted her, in a social media confirmation that would seem confusing to a time traveler from just 12 years ago, when Grand Theft Auto: Vice City's licensed music soundtrack first broke onto the scene.
The updated versions of the game, coming to PC, PS4, and Xbox One, promise to have more onscreen characters, better draw distances, and updated visuals in addition to the expanded sountracks. IGN has reached out to Rockstar for comment, so make sure to keep checking back for updates.
GTA 5: RETAILER LISTS PS4 AND XBOX ONE RELEASE DATE IN NOVEMBER
More evidence surfaces.
More evidence has surfaced for Grand Theft Auto V releasing on PS4, Xbox One and PC in November after another retailer listed Rockstar's game for release then.
A bunch of since-removed listings, which you can see below, on Newegg claim the game will hit next-gen and PC platforms on November 18 in North America, which is the standard release day of Tuesday.
The listing follows numerous others, all pegging a release for sometime in November. Grand Theft Auto V was announced for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One during E3 this year. And the updated version of Rockstar's open-world game will reportedly "take full advantage of the power of PC." The enhanced version of Grand Theft Auto V has officially only been given a fall release window. For more on the open-world game — which has sold over 34 million copies — be sure to check out IGN's review of the Rockstar title as well as our wiki guide.
Resident Evil Revelations 2 will initially be released as an episodic experience.
The campaign will be broken into four episodes that will come out at weekly intervals. According to the press release, each one will contain "hours" of gameplay and will take of its serialised format by using "dramatic cliffhangers".
Capcom is offering players several choices on how to experience the game. Episodes can be downloaded individually at $5.99/€5.99 or players can buy a season pass for $24.99/€24.99, which will automatically download each episode as soon as they become available.Once the final episode is released, the entire experience will then be issued as a retail disc. Both the digital and physical versions contain additional game content (hence it working out at slightly more than buying the episodes individually), with disc version carrying even more added extras. The specifics of this content will be announced at a later date. Resident Evil Revelations 2 is coming to Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and PC at some point early in 2015.
The best thing about playing Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is that it makes me feel over-the-top powerful without sacrificing the fear of defeat. It’s got great free-flowing combat and a good-sized, good-looking open world full of Lord of the Rings lore to find, but what makes it special is what’s going on in the background: an intriguing hierarchy of enemies that gives every victory and defeat extra meaning.
A brief and shocking opening scene sets a dark and brutal tone as Talion, a former Ranger of Gondor, is ritually executed along with his family. Talion’s spirit is then bound to an amnesiac elf ghost and returned to Middle-earth for vengeance against Sauron’s forces. It’s a story that doesn’t make total sense for hardcore Tolkien scholars, but it’s well-acted. It makes decent use of Gollum, and there are a couple of memorable new characters - particularly Ratbag the comic-relief uruk, who guides you through the process of infiltrating the enemy army.
My interest in the plot dwindled toward the end, but it does a fair job of explaining why Talion has such sweet supernatural powers with his sword, dagger, and bow. Much like in the Batman: Arkham games, you can choose to stealthily pick off enemies one at a time, or dive head-first into a brawl with dozens of opponents and beat the crap out of them with a smoothly animated series of attacks and counters. Unlike Batman, of course, Mordor’s involve great, gory decapitation and stabbing animations, and outside of the scripted story missions, there are few distinctly separated stealth and combat areas. It’s enticingly freeform. Acrobatically slaughtering Sauron’s ugly minions feels as easy as it appears to be for Legolas in Peter Jackson’s movies, and it’s more fun to do than to watch. Sword combat feels pretty much just as good here as brawling does in Batman – which is to say it’s amazing. Mordor’s take on building up hit streaks to power up lethal takedowns is a bit more forgiving, in that you’re almost never locked into an animation. If you push the counter button, Talion will drop what he’s doing and counter instantly. It’s extremely responsive. A time-slowing power makes scoring a couple of headshots with the bow easy, whether in stealth or in the heat of battle, though it’s kept in check by ammo constraints and a limited (but upgradable) supply of time-slowing juice. And even though stealth gameplay is pretty basic, it’s great to have the option to thin the herd a bit before they know you’re there.
What really sets the feel of Mordor’s combat apart from the Batman games is that it’s really easy to get into trouble, especially early on. If you let the uruks raise the alarm in one of their strongholds, or just happen across a few large wandering groups on the densely populated map, you can quickly become overwhelmed by more enemies than you can hope to handle. Picking out the shield bearers and ax-wielding berserkers who are immune to frontal attacks and killing them first becomes tough to do when you’re completely surrounded, and it goes downhill from there. Health doesn’t recharge much on its own, and until you can upgrade your health pool, you may find yourself succumbing to death by a thousand pinpricks if you don’t retreat. Things got a lot easier a few hours in when I’d leveled up and unlocked more of Talion’s skill tree so that I could build up combos quicker, execute two enemies for the price of one, and even fight mounted on a huge, rancor-like graug who pops uruks into his mouth like jellybeans. It feels powerful, but I still don’t feel invincible even with everything nearly maxed out.
In the second act, you transition from the bleak, brown map to a refreshingly greener-looking area of Mordor. There, Talion and his elf-ghost buddy suddenly realize he can mind-control uruks and turn them against each other. (It feels like something might’ve been cut out there.) That’s even more fun, because the ability to “brand” an enemy gives you the choice of either killing a captain for a rune reward or controlling him and siccing him on one of his former allies. Taking an uruk alive can be trickier than lopping off his head, though, so it’s more challenging to accomplish the new goal of mind-controlling five Warchiefs. I love how you have the option to mind-control a Warchief’s lieutenants, then kill the Warchief, to watch your minion become the new Warchief. I did notice that the mind-control visual effect caused some slowdown on the PlayStation 4 version (the Xbox One version has yet to arrive for testing), but it didn’t interfere much with combat. Charging through the decent but less-exciting story missions would probably take around 12 hours, but the goal of killing or dominating the Warchiefs is much more time-consuming and interesting. I spent around 25 hours to reach the end, and there’s still a lot of challenging side missions based around testing sword, bow, and dagger skills left to do. And, of course, lots of collectables and wildlife-hunting challenges.
These PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita video game release date pages will highlight all of the confirmed games, DLC, demos, and more coming out during a specific month. We’ll update these pages every single day with any new additions or delays, keeping you up to date on just when you can expect to see every single video game.
Keep in mind that all release dates are subject to change, and if there’s something we’re missing, please let us know by sending an email to tips@playstationlifestyle.net.
Confirmed October 2014 Video Game Releases:
Game – Platform(s) – Release Date
Dark Souls 2 ‘The Crown of the Ivory King’ DLC (PS3 – PSN) – October 1 (EU)
Futuridium EP Deluxe (PS4, PS Vita – PSN, cross-buy) – October 1 (EU)
Assassin’s Creed: The Americas Collection (PS3 – Retail) – October 3 (EU)
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (PS4 – Retail & PSN) – October 3 (EU)
Minecraft: PS4 Edition (PS4 – Retail) – October 3 (EU)
Natural Doctrine (PS4, PS3, PS Vita – Retail & PSN) – October 3 (EU)
Skylanders: Trap Team (PS4, PS3 – Retail) – October 5 (NA) [BUY NOW]
Alien: Isolation (PS4, PS3 – Retail & PSN) – October 7 (NA & EU) [BUY NOW]
DriveClub (PS4 – Retail & PSN) – October 7 (NA), October 8 (EU) [BUY NOW]
DriveClub PlayStation Plus Edition (PS4 – PSN) – October 7 (NA), October 8 (EU)
Minecraft: PS4 Edition (PS4 – Retail) – October 7 (NA)
NBA 2K15 (PS4, PS3 – Retail & PSN) – October 7 (NA) [BUY NOW]
Styx: Master of Shadows (PS4 – PSN) – October 7 (NA), October 8 (EU)
Trials Fusion ‘Welcome to the Abyss’ DLC (PS4 – PSN) – October 7 (NA), October 8 (EU)
Skylanders: Trap Team (PS4, PS3 – Retail) – October 10th (EU)
Never Alone will be released this coming Tuesday, November 18.
The downloadable title will cost $15 USD and is coming to PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.
Developed by Upper One Games, Never Alone is a unique puzzle-platform game that explores the culture and folklore of the Alaskan natives through the story of a young Inupiat girl called Nuna, who is accompanied by her arctic fox companion. The Inupiat community has helped shape Never Alone's story through narrative critique and gameplay feedback.
In IGN's preview of Never Alone, we said that it "has the potential to capture a rare mix of excitement, education, and beauty."
Sting Vs Undertaker - Next Gen PS4/Xbox One Gameplay
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
NA October 28, 2014 EU October 31, 2014
PlayStation 4, Xbox One
NA November 18, 2014 EU November 21, 2014
WWE 2K15 is a wrestling simulation video game developed by Visual Concepts and Yuke's and published by 2K Sports. The game is the latest in the WWE 2K series and released on October 28, 2014 North America and will be released on October 31, 2014 in Europe for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, whilst it will be released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on November 18, 2014 in North America and November 21, 2014 in Europe. The cover features John Cena and is the first in the series to use the new WWE logo, which was introduced exclusively for the WWE Network before being expanded to being used on all WWE programming in February 2014
Im saving up for a PS4 now, probably take me ages but i hope to get one with GTAV in the January sales. Maybe they will be more around £280 here by then, or maybe thats wishful thinking.
Can't wait to get back into gaming, not really gamed in a year.
Im saving up for a PS4 now, probably take me ages but i hope to get one with GTAV in the January sales. Maybe they will be more around £280 here by then, or maybe thats wishful thinking.
Can't wait to get back into gaming, not really gamed in a year.
It's worth it ... Lot of features and apps coming after Xmas,
Home Grand Theft Auto V Reviews PS4 A different perspective.
REVIEWED - SCORED 9/10
I have just spent a half-hour planning the perfect heist. I'm going in smart, knocking out the guards and the staff behind the delicate jewellery counters of the store with a carefully placed smoke bomb, and smashing into each cabinet with the butt of a semi-automatic rifle before making my escape on a nearby getaway bike. I'm reducing my cut so I can hire the best hacker to disable the security system, and a skilled gunman to handle crowd control. And yet, despite my best efforts, with one poorly-taken corner on my bike, it all goes wrong. I should be driving down a dank sewer tunnel, sneaking my way under the city to freedom. Instead, I'm here, mowing down wave after wave of police on the city streets, and for the first time while playing a Grand Theft Auto game, I feel immensely guilty about it.
This isn't because of some grand moral awakening on my part, but an interesting side effect of what is the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One version of GTA V's most compelling new feature: first-person mode. Even when GTA games were top-down shooters, there was always something of a disconnect between the sometimes shockingly violent scenes on-screen, and the mentality of the player. You could imagine that, despite directly controlling a character, it was this virtual caricature of a criminal committing the crimes--you merely played witness to them. First-person mode fundamentally changes not only how you view GTA V's world. It has the power to make you stop and think about your actions, and to deeply question a character's motivations. And in a series that has long been criticized for glorifying a life of crime, rather than questioning it, this is no bad thing.
Yes, there are plenty of violent first-person shooters around in which issues of morality can be raised, but few are paired with the stunning Hollywood production values of GTA V. The city of Los Santos is one of the most beautiful and convincing open-world environments to have ever graced a video game, and in its new higher-resolution guise, it's even more spectacular. Compared to the last-gen versions, the new GTA V is noticeably sharper, largely thanks to improved antialiasing. Textures resolutions have been bumped, surfaces are, well, bumpier (thanks enhanced tessellation), and there are all manner of new particle, light, and lens effects. You can cruise down Vespucci Beach and pick out little details in its trinket stores and skateboard shops that weren't there before. You can drive around in the rain, marvelling at the beautifully rendered raindrops and puddles on the ground. And when you stop admiring the scenery to cause some anarchy, explosions from a hastily thrown grenade pop in a dazzling display of fire and light.
To admire this all in first-person is a delight. The wide, cinematic field of view is very different to that of your typical shooter, as is the slower pace with which you walk; think P.T. and you're on the right track. Where the camera once easily tilted up above and around the city, at ground level everything looks bigger and more imposing. I found myself walking along the city streets, watching as the many weird and wonderful citizens of Los Santos went about their business. I wandered into shops, even those where I couldn't buy anything, just to admire the astonishing level of detail at eye level, with nifty depth of field effects helping to sell the immersion. It's all very lifelike, the gentle head bobs and animations as you leap over walls and tumble out of cars drawing you into the game in a way that third-person mode never could.
This is especially true when the action heats up, and where the grizzly reality of GTA V comes into sharp focus. With most missions revolving around some form of gunplay, the bloody splatter of a drug dealer laid to waste on the sidewalk, or the groans of an injured cop writing on the hood of his car have far more of an effect than before. Of course, not everyone will be as affected by this as I was, but there are some practical points to ponder too. Shooting and throwing explosives is easier in first-person, even with GTA's assisted aim disabled--provided you turn down the obscene levels of controller sensitivity before you start--but the cover system isn't quite there, and there were times when I wasn't able to peek around a corner properly and got shot as a result.
Then there's the driving, which, no matter how hard I tried, I found far too difficult to master in first-person. The fully working and wonderfully detailed vehicle interiors might be impressive, but the twitchy controls that work so well in third-person for pulling off outrageous driving stunts are just far too sensitive to easily keep cars on the road during a frantic police chase. There are also vehicle missions that simply weren't designed with first-person in mind either. Trying to catch Michael's son as he dangles off a boat on the highway, or performing a speeding drive by on the highway is very difficult. It's arguably more realistic, but I found myself switching back to third-person in order to get them done. Thankfully, it's not an either or situation when it comes to your viewpoint. You can drive in third-person and have the game automatically switch to first-person when on-foot if you like, or even pan out to third-person when you take cover.
But even if you choose to ignore first-person mode completely, GTA V has lost little of its lustre since release. Even now, after the years of progress in the industry and all the wonderful games that I've played, I'm surprised how few have managed to replicate the Hollywood feel and effortless, natural dialogue of a GTA. This is a series that has consistently been the most convincing and the most cinematic in games, and GTA V continues that tradition with aplomb. Even something as basic as credible characters are a rarity, and yet GTA V manages to create a whole city full of them, as well as three authentic leads with which to journey through it. That's not to say these leads are likeable characters, but perhaps that's the point. There may be a few times you sympathise with retired gangster Michael as his family life crumbles around him, or when you believe that wannabe gangster Franklin might be a nice guy just because he says he's always trying to do the right thing.
But these are narcissistic, psychopathic killers who don't blink an eyelid at killing hundreds of perfectly innocent people when it serves their own means. This is particularly true of Trevor, who remains far and away the most interesting and well-written character of the lot, a terrifyingly insane yet remarkably intelligent criminal who constantly seems on the edge of some kind of mental breakdown. Scary doesn't even begin to describe it. These characters are not without fault, though--there are moments when a character will contradict his own motivations, seemingly just to fit the structure of a mission--but the fact that these characters can be so convincingly terrifying, and so sharp and snappy in their interactions with one another is a testament to just how fantastic the writing in GTA is.
This is a series that has consistently been the most convincing and the most cinematic in games, and GTA V continues that tradition with aplomb. That extends to the world at large too: the sprawling, gorgeously detailed metropolis of Los Santos deftly satirizes its real-world inspiration of Los Angeles, and of America as whole. Highlights include the self-proclaimed god of social media, Lifeinvader CEO Jay Norris, And his company's beanbag-filled offices; the constant barrage of adverts for celebrity magazines, prescription drugs, and plastic surgeries that are savaged on the radio; and the corrupt government agencies like the FiB that often act worse than the criminals they're trying to put away. Sure, GTA V is sometimes heavy-handed with its satire, but there are few games that dare go as far as GTA does with its nihilistic commentary, and fewer still that do it with such conviction.
Running through it all are bombastic missions that play out like Hollywood blockbusters, and the finest of gangster films. Heists remain the highlight, and the whole process of planning them out, hiring members of the team, gathering equipment, and then hoping that the fuzz doesn't interfere on the big day is utterly engrossing. Bombs are exploded, helicopters are smashed into the side of skyscrapers, and entire squads of police give chase as you make a futile attempt escape down the highway; the sheer thrill of a four or five star chase as what seems like the entire state's quota of law enforcement descends upon you cannot be understated. And yet, GTA V remains stuck in the past in some ways. There are chase missions where losing sight of your target thanks to a poorly taken turn on the highway means making a frustrating restart, and assassination missions where, if you jump the gun and kill your target before the game expects you to, you have to start over again.
But the sheer spectacle of all drags you back in for more. GTA has never really been subtle, and the game steamrolls its way through its less exciting moments, filling them with crafty pop culture-filled conversations and breathtaking landscapes for you to ogle. There are extra missions to play too, including the random creeps of Los Santos who ask you to do things as mundane as tow trucks for them, or to smoke weed and mow down aliens in an hallucinogenic rampage through the city. There are the multiple leisure activities you can indulge in, or the real estate you can buy, and the stocks you invest in along with the markets you can manipulate. Or you can just slack it all off completely and use Los Santos as your own wonderful digital playground, setting up sticky bomb-filled booby traps in the middle of traffic, or stealing jumbo jets from the airport and trying to fly them under bridges. Indeed, it's the adventures you create yourself that often prove to be the most fun.
And then there's GTA Online. It's safe to say GTA Online didn't get off to a good start, with server issues and all manner of balance problems. With GTA V, online gets a few boosts, including an enhanced character creator, as well as support for up to 30 simultaneous players (with two additional spectators), and the inclusion of all 11 of GTA Online's existing updates. And yes, you can play in first-person too. These are nice additions, but Online still suffers from a lack of direction. Although you can easily import your old character, I opted to create a new one, after which I was dumped onto a sidewalk in Los Santos armed only with a map full of confusing icons and little idea about what I should do next.
Once you're over the hump and you've figured out the process of finding jobs to do like stealing packages from characters, or taking part in street races--and people to do them with via your trusty mobile phone--things get more interesting. Once you've built up a suitable pile of cash (which does take some time if you're starting from scratch), you can buy a nice apartment to stay in, and fancy cars to put in its garage. To what end, I'm still not sure. Much has been said about how GTA online is too open, and how sessions often turn into mass deathmatches, which is even more of an issue with 30 chaotic players around--but for me that's always been part of its draw. Trolling someone who's taken themselves far too seriously in a street race by creating an epic roadblock, or simply roaming the streets robbing convenience stores and then performing a smooth getaway still manages to raise a smile.
That these activities raise a smile here (even when played in first-person), and yet throw up a moral dilemma in single-player is as much to do with the lack of a narrative structure online as it is to do with my own personal feelings towards most other internet users. It raises an interesting conundrum too: is it better to play in first-person and be moved by GTA V's events in a more profound way, or should you play in the third-person, distancing yourself from the game's more controversial moments?
The fact that I'm even thinking about this at all in a video game that's as popular and as, well, mainstream as GTA V is a testament to its quality. Over a year later, GTA V remains one of the most consistently entertaining video games I've ever played. Even without the spectacular new visuals, first-person mode, the epic new rail gun, the new murder mystery missions for Michael, the new, even furrier animals, remote play support on PS4, a mountain of new songs on the radio (including my personal favourite, I Want It That Way by the Backstreet Boys on the pop station), and the return of vehicles like the classic Dodo seaplane, GTA V would be still be worth playing.
Aside from a few mild frame rate issues that sometimes take the edge off its more dramatic moments, this is the definitive version of GTA V, and the bar by which all other open-world games, or indeed any game that aims for a cinematic feel, should be judged. It is beautiful, and thought-provoking, and thrilling throughout. Even if you've played through GTA V once already, it's worth going back just to be reminded of what an outstanding achievement it is.
The patch can be downloaded now on both PS4 and Xbox One, and should enable players to transfer characters and login to GTA Online without any further issues.
Original story follows.
Update: Rockstar has solved the issue that prevented some PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 owners from downloading a patch to fix transfer issues. An Xbox One and Xbox 360 fix should be available tomorrow.
"At this time, PlayStation 4 users should no longer have issues downloading the patch," Rockstar said in an update on its support page. "All character migrations are now working on PlayStation 4, and affected PlayStation 3 users can play GTA Online as normal. This issue will be addressed for Xbox One and Xbox 360 users by tomorrow."
Update: Rockstar has explained it is currently fixing the issue for PS4 owners, with an Xbox One fix coming by tomorrow.
The studio has also explained anyone who tries to download the patch but encounters the "CE-32937-4” error code should try to download again later, as it may just be a regional issue.
"We are currently addressing this issue with a patch for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 users," it reads. "This patch is available for download, but may not be available in your region for the next few hours. If you attempt to download the patch and see a 'CE-32937-4' error, please attempt to download the patch again later today. This issue will be addressed for Xbox One and Xbox 360 users by tomorrow. Affected PlayStation 4 and Xbox One players can still log in to Grand Theft Auto Online but will not be able to transfer characters until the fix is in place."
Several hours later Rockstar posted another update on their support page regarding the issue: "Sony have increased the number of servers that the PlayStation 4 patch can be download from to reduce errors and make the patch more accessible. Please try the patch download again; if you still see an error, close GTAV completely and try to install the patch."
Rockstar said they will continue to update their support page with the latest information.
The Himalayan country of Kyrat is a place of myth, faith, secrets, lies, and beauty, and it's one of the best-realized locations I've ever explored in a video game. Kyrat is a colossal, dense, visually diverse place that feels lived in, torn up, and ancient. Far Cry 4 capitalizes on every available strength to make it an amazing open world for first-person action and adventure, while failing repeatedly in creating enjoyable characters within it. Its most notable misfire is the hollow, ambivalent protagonist. Ajay Ghale, the American son of Kyrati freedom fighters, returns to his Himalayan birthplace to scatter his mother’s ashes, and becomes embroiled in his parents’ revolution. It’s a smart, human premise that justifies Ajay’s rampant warpath throughout Kyrat, but Ajay isn’t remotely as interesting as the things he does. Far Cry 4 - 101 Trailer 08:05
Versatility is the greatest strength in Far Cry 4’s first-person exploration and combat. I scaled cliffs with climbing gear in search of treasure, religious monuments, and hostages in need of rescue. In venturing into the Himalayan mountains, I stole oxygen masks and snowmobiles to survive, and used the unstable environment to crush enemies with snow. Long-lost letters told a tragic story I wanted to learn more about. Collectible calling cards had me on the trail of a serial killer, and gorgeous vistas had me in awe of Kyrat’s lakes, mountains, and other spectacular scenery. This is sometimes compromised by lower-resolution textures and an inferior draw distance on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but Far Cry 4 is comparable to Far Cry 3 in terms of visual fidelity, and up to expectations for old-generation hardware. I loved discovering every inch of Kyrat because it always presented compelling opportunities. Liberating it from the oppressive government was always front and center; as in Far Cry 3, enemy-occupied MITCH DYER SAYS Other amazing open worlds... Red Dead RedemptionAssassin's Creed UnityGrand Theft Auto V towers serve as platforming puzzles with a fulfilling sense of personal progression. Climbing to the top gives you a broader perspective of the world, highlighting notable places and unlocking new objectives.
Liberating outposts is more challenging in Far Cry 4 than in its predecessor, and more satisfying as a result. Take the stealthy approach and you can disable alarms individually to prevent enemy reinforcements, and use bait to attract tigers, bears, and other animals to occupy the enemy’s attention. The hard counter to this is the Hunter, a new, silent enemy wielding a bow and capable of charming animals into fighting for him. He creates another unexpected variable that made me think even harder about how these excellent combat systems worked together. Plus, enemy forces sometimes attempt to reclaim their territory, challenging you to drop what you're doing and fend off waves of ruthless soldiers. This also encourages you to take down specific strongholds that, when vanquished, cease the takeovers. Wrestling with the Royal Army like this puts an even stronger emphasis on outposts, one of the franchise's most alluring attractions. Far Cry 4 - Welcome to Kyrat: The Midlands and Himalayas 02:56 These encounters emphasize the importance of improvisation in Far Cry 4. The unpredictability of a situation getting out of hand often leads to catastrophic, unforgettable moments — like the time I blew up a bear with C4 to protect the hired guns I'd called in to help take an outpost. Once, I shot grenades from my personal helicopter and watched the fire trap the enemies below. Another time, I mounted an elephant, smashed through a gate, and flipped a pickup truck into a man. Tossing enemies with my elephant’s one-hit-kill trunk is basically everything I dreamed it would be. Outpost battles — particularly the four larger fortresses owned by government officers — are at their best when a friend drops in for some two-player co-op. Adding another player to the volatility of Far Cry combat leads to new kinds of hectic, hilarious moments. Cooperative multiplayer also introduces new tactical opportunities, like having one player blow through the front door while another sneaks in through the back to stab distracted guards. You can, if you're patient and skilled, use Far Cry 4's Map Editor to create your own single-player outpost missions. At launch, most of the best missions are familiar takeover objectives, with a nice variety of snowy settings, evening assaults, and intricate, larger level designs. I don't see myself making much, but I'll absolutely jump into a community map between co-op outpost runs. Far Cry 4’s competitive multiplayer does a marvelous job of capturing the freedom, scale, and surprises of its co-op and campaign. The 5v5 competitive multiplayer, called Far Cry Chronicles, sees two asymmetrical factions fighting in different ways, using the wide-open environments to their particular advantages. The Golden Path plays more like an aggressive Far Cry player tends to -- guns, explosives, vehicles, and traps. The Rakshasa, who borrow supernatural powers seen in Shangri-La, relying on invisibility, and different types of arrows for their bow. I adore the Rakshasa style -- teleporting with the Blink Arrow, whether for navigation, escape, or an instant kill, is a great tool. Summoning a tiger or bear to guard an area works beautifully. Chronicles also has a strong economy, with in-game successes earning coins to spend on new weapons, attachments, or skills, such as stronger stealth, faster movement, or a closer connection to wildlife summons. The maps aren’t terribly notable in Chronicles, and the modes are simple, unremarkable, but functional, but borders on miraculous that the heart and soul of Far Cry 4 found its way into a competitive mode at all. It’s a bummer that matches start whether or not teams are even, and that not a lot of people are actually playing it, because this is actually great. Don't skip multiplayer because it isn't why you play a Far Cry game.
The supernatural side-story set in Shangri-La stands out above nearly every other objective, online feature, and other Far Cry 4 success, though. Like a miniature Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon doled out in chunks throughout Far Cry 4, the psychedelic, stunning aesthetic of its crimson foliage and golden skies is completely unlike Kyrat, as is the foundation of its combat. It’s linear, by design, but introduces enough new and interesting ideas to have an identity of its own. Teaming up with a fierce tiger, slowing time, and firing five arrows at a time to take down fearsome demons is a huge change of pace. The myth is explained episodically, and while I didn’t fully understand the legend, I couldn’t seek out the next piece of Shangri-La’s weird, wonderful world fast enough. Far Cry 4 Pagan Min Trailer 01:21 All of these missions feed into Far Cry 4’s brilliant economy, where everything in Kyrat has a cause and effect. Hunting and skinning animals lets you craft holsters to hold more weapons, or wallets to carry more money. Reclaiming enemy territory creates fast-travel points and opens side-quests promising huge cash payouts. Destroying propaganda posters unlocks new missions as well as earns experience points. XP unlocks new skills, like aerial takedowns, damage resistance, and riding elephants, which is both hysterical and actually useful. It also presents opportunities to become a better hunter — unlockable injections show off animal and enemy locations, or double the damage you deal and take. Far Cry 4 borrows heavily from Far Cry 3’s superb player progression (many of the skills are direct carryovers), and then layers new rewards on top of it. New Karma Events unlock gear, discounts, and XP for spinning spiritual prayer wheels, or killing specific enemies in randomly occurring objectives. Half the campaign’s main missions are strong, memorable, and take advantage of Far Cry 4’s flexible combat. These quests typically explore Ajay Ghale’s fascinating family history, or the ethically gray future of the Ghale’s faction, The Golden Path, and the dark places your choices can take it. The Golden Path’s bickering leaders, Amita and Sabal, are the emotional anchor for this part of the story. They’re unified in their goal to dethrone the despicable king of Kyrat, Pagan Min, but their conflicting personal philosophies cause volatile problems for the country. I was often conflicted about who to side with during single-player missions – both make strong ethical arguments for why you should, say, claim an enemy opium farm to fund your revolution, or destroy it to free Kyrat from narcotics. Where the Golden Path goes, and which missions become available, differ depending on who you choose to lead the revolution. When Amita and Sabal aren’t involved, Far Cry 4’s cast of mostly poor characters compromises its campaign. Far Cry 4 - Story Trailer 02:31 The weaker half of the story relates to Pagan Min and his lieutenants. I barely remember what the missions were, or what completing them accomplished. Pagan Min is a great character, thanks to an excellent, gleefully sadistic and twisted performance from actor Troy Baker. But Min is completely misused. He has a thunderous introduction, followed by a disappointing, minimal presence throughout Far Cry 4’s 15-hour campaign. Worse, his poorly explained henchmen don’t have time to become interesting before vanishing from the story in sudden and confusing ways. When I’d finished with a story I simultaneously loved and loathed, I keep returning to my meandering around Kyrat. I uncovered new temples. I found more of Ajay’s father’s journals, chronicling the struggles of The Golden Path’s rise. I wondered whether I’d made the right choices for Kyrat -- a country I didn’t want to leave, and a place I’ll continue fighting for as long as it keeps giving me reasons to.
THE VERDICT
Diversity is one of Far Cry 4’s strongest assets, and it overwhelms the mostly disappointing story with countless opportunities for free-form adventure and fun. Visual variety, tons of distinct side-quests, and a dense world with plenty of options always gave me something I wanted to do, and its satisfying economy had me obsessing over completing every side-quest. It’s a little safe, overall -- its competitive multiplayer stands out as a gamble that paid off -- in that it has many familiar elements from Far Cry 3 transplanted to an amazing new place, but those elements are incredibly empowering and rewarding.
According to the Secret Ponchos website, the top-down spaghetti western-styled competitive shooter will launch with five outlaws to play, four maps, and two-player splitscreen options to play co-op online or 1v1 locally. Deathmatch, Domination, and Free-for-All games modes are available, and can be played in 1v1, 2v2, 4v4, or 8-player free-for-all.
A pricetag has not yet been revealed, though we know the PC version currently costs $15 on Steam Early Access. Secret Ponchos will also be free to PlayStation Plus subscribers for the month of December.
Secret Ponchos is inspired by wild west flicks and action games; in IGN's preview, we said that "Switchblade Monkeys is primed to deliver a downloadable western that's different from anything you've ever played."
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is set to get free DLC including new Epic Runes and the ability to play as the Black Hand of Sauron.
Warner Bros. has announced the Power of Shadow bundle is available now for Xbox One and will hit PS4 and PC "soon". Along with the new skin, three Runes have been included:
One with Nature – Immunity to Poison attacks from Uruk Captains or Ghuls. Ascendant – Double Focus Time for slow motion ranged combat. Elven Grace – Increased defence which halves the damage of enemy strikes. Shadow of Mordor Dev Was Never Worried by Assassin's Creed Comparisons
IGN lauded Shadow of Mordor's approach, praising everything from the unique Nemesis System to the tangential side stories that emerge from it. And although some have been drawing comparisons between the traversal of the Assassin's Creed franchise and that of Shadow of Mordor, Roberts told IGN that the game's combination of new elements sets it apart from any other experience.
Stay tuned to IGN for more news regarding the newest game set in Middle-earth. In the meantime, check out IGN's feature on the five best and five worst video games that take place in J.R.R. Tolkien's universe.
Black Friday no longer means sales the day after Thanksgiving in the US. Instead, it's expanded into a week-long series of sales and discounts. But the best holiday deals tend to be focused on the upcoming weekend. Online retailers especially have made the in-store only deals almost obsolete, but we've lined up what we feel are some of the best deals to meet your gaming needs.
If you're looking to bulk up your last-gen library you'll be able to find much better deals than if you want the latest games, but there's a discount on pretty much everything this holiday. (Note that GameSpot does receive some commission on Amazon affiliate links, however those links are not included in this story. GameSpot does not receive a commission for any other retailer.)
Console Deals
Wii U: While the $300 32GB bundled with Super Mario 3D World isn't bad, report indicate that you'll be able to buy the unit tax free on Friday for just under $270.
However, if you're willing to spend a little more in exchange for a free game, this Best Buy bundle includes the regular pack-ins (Super Mario 3D World and Nintendo Land) as well as Super Smash Bros. and Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze for $360 -- about $50 in savings.
Xbox One: Microsoft already discounted their system to $350 for the holidays, but you can knock off a few more dollars with the following deals:
The Microsoft Store is selling the Xbox One for $330, plus a free game (note that these deals go in and out of stock quickly on their online store, so you may have to check back later if it's not currently available).
Target is selling the Assassin's Creed Unity bundle for $330 plus you get a $50 gift card.
And don't forget that the Microsoft store is also giving $100 credit for your used PS3/Xbox 360. This may or may not work with the specific holiday bundles, but you should still be able to get a $250 Xbox One bundle, at the least.
PlayStation 4: We haven't found any crazy deep discounts, but most retailers have a $400 bundle available that includes the essential titles Grand Theft Auto V and The Last of Us Remastered.
Gaming Deals
Now through Monday December 1, Sony is throwing an online sale of co-op games on the PlayStation store. As always, the discounts are bigger if you're a PS Plus subscriber, and if you spend over $100, you'll earn $15 back.
The Microsoft store has a lot of games on sale you can check out here with most deals kicking off today, on Thursday 11/27.
Blizzard is having a sale on all of their games on the Battle.net store. These deals are available now through December 2 at midnight PST.
Origin is offering over 200 PC games for sale through their own portal, but the best deals are on EA developed/published games like Titanfall, Mass Effect, and Dead Space. Now through December 1 at midnight PST
The regular brick-and-mortar retailers run the gamut on hardware, peripheral, and game discounts as well, and some of the discounts are available through their online stores as well
Wal-mart GameStop -- keep in mind that the retailer is not open during Thankgsiving itself, but some stores will open starting at midnight on Black Friday. Target As always, Amazon has an ongoing series of Lightning Deals on gaming and technology. You'll have to keep an eye on the site itself to see what's upcoming and whether it's a big enough discount to make it worth buying.
UK Black Friday Deals
Looking for retail deals that go beyond just the US? We've rounded up the best UK Black Friday deals right here.
Other
It's not specifically gaming related, but it's worth pointing out that Amazon is offering a 30% discount on their printed books when you use the code HOLIDAY30 -- only good with one book per account. But you could get the Super Smash Bros. collector's guide on the cheap.
One of my favorite stores for videogame related t-shirts, apparel, and collectibles, Fangamer.com, is currently offering free shipping for the US and 50% for international shipping. They're running a Bundle Up sale this weekend, and they've just started offering a new Legend of Zelda fan-made art book that I'm 100% buying for myself
Sony is aiming to increase sales in its videogame division by 25 percent.
over the next three years, with plans bring it to "as much as 1.6 trillion yen ($13.6 billion.)" According to Reuters (via gamesindustry), Sony executives discussed the need to increase margins as opposed to market share at its investors' conference recently.
The company intends to cut back on its TV and mobile phone products in order to save costs, instead looking to its PlayStation 4 and image sensor products to generate a surge in revenue over the next three years. Sony said that this would be helped by users purchasing personalized TV, video and music distribution services.
Recently-appointed chief of Sony's mobile division Hiroki Totoki said, "We're not aiming for size or market share but better profits."
The PlayStation 4 was released over a year ago and has shipped more than 13.5 million systems worldwide since launch. In the US, PS4 hardware sales have generated more revenue for Sony than any other new platform. The company suffered a reported loss of $806 million last quarter, which was better than investors feared.
Following an initial tease earlier this month, Sony today officially announced all of the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita games that will be free for PS Plus subscribers in December.
"The weather is getting colder, which means two things: 1) It's time for delicious food and 2) it's time to hibernate with video games," Sony writes on the PlayStation Blog.
The games listed below will be free for PS Plus subscribers beginning December 2.
PlayStation 4:
Injustice: Gods Among Us Secret Ponchos PlayStation 3:
Hitman HD Trilogy Deadly Premonition: Director's Cut PlayStation Vita:
Great info. I am going to look on amazon like you mentioned to try to see what deals I can get. So far, I was looking into sales on the PS4 and it seems to me that Costco and Wal Mart have pretty good deals. $489.00
Wal Mart includes: Console Extra Controller Game
Costco Console Extra Controller 1 year free membership
