News - 2013, Week 42

Sunday20th Oct 2013

  • News 500GB Not Enough? Here's How You Upgrade Your PS4's Hard Drive

    Making room

    If you’re planning to embrace the vaunted all-digital future, you may want to upgrade your PlayStation 4’s hard drive as soon as possible. While the system will ship with a meaty 500GB of pre-installed memory, rumours suggest that Blu-ray releases such as Killzone: Shadow Fall will occupy as much as 50GB, meaning that you may swiftly...

  • News Killzone: Shadow Fall's Texture Quality Has Quadrupled Since February

    PS4 has enabled developer to be more creative

    It’s been a while since we got a proper look at Killzone: Shadow Fall. The futuristic first-person shooter is undoubtedly the top-tier title in the PlayStation 4’s launch lineup, but outside of February’s big next generation coming out party, we haven’t actually seen much of the release...

  • Review Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness (PlayStation 3)

    Explosive penguins, dood!

    Strategy RPGs aren't usually known for their humour. Sure, Fire Emblem: Awakening inspired the odd chuckle, but for the most part, devising grid-based battlefield attacks is serious business. Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness on the other hand is chaotic, nonsensical, and absolutely mad – and we mean that in the most...

  • News Sounds Like the PS4 Won't Make Too Much Noise

    Quiet as you like

    There's nothing worse than a noisy console when you're trying to absorb yourself in a movie or a game. While the PlayStation 3 has always been pretty quiet, many worried that its successor's slim line shell may result in some loud fans. Fortunately, initial tests are looking positive for Sony's next generation super machine...

  • Review Orc Attack: Flatulent Rebellion (PlayStation 3)

    Peg your nose

    Orcs are almost the fantasy genre equivalent of Nazis. They often make up the bulk of an evil army, and represent the dumb grunts that you have to wade through in order to reach your goal. But sometimes we're allowed to play as them. In the The Elder Scrolls series, for example, they're a playable race, while in the ridiculously named...

  • Soapbox Stop Sobbing Over Retail Releases and Embrace PS4's Smaller Titles

    Sammy Barker reckons that you're overlooking the most exciting games

    I tend to hate change. I’m the kind of curmudgeonly so-and-so that gets bent out of shape when the local supermarket stops stocking a certain type of biscuit and coerces me into buying something other than chocolate chip digestives and own brand custard creams. It’s not that I...

  • Rumour Is Sony Trying to Lure Wii U Buyers Towards PS4 and Vita?

    Sneaky shenanigans

    Nintendo’s latest system is built around its tablet-esque controller. The chunky GamePad peripheral that comes with every Wii U facilitates unique experiences out of the box, and it’s something that Sony’s hoping to nullify courtesy of the interactivity between the PlayStation 4 and Vita. Much like its competitor’s...

Saturday19th Oct 2013

  • News Want a Cheap PS Vita? Argos Has Got You Covered in the UK

    Bargain bin

    You may refuse to step foot into an Argos store on account of those awful alien advertisements, but it’s worth blurring your morals long enough to snatch an outrageous PlayStation Vita deal. The archaic catalogue-based retailer is currently selling a 3G version of Sony’s slick handheld for just £139.99. Incredibly, though, that’s...

  • News GameStop Scoops Beefy PS3 Bundles for Black Friday

    Bring your boxing gloves

    There may be over a month to go until the most dangerous day in the shopping calendar, but mega retailer GameStop is already putting its Black Friday plans into motion. A leaflet detailing all of the outfit’s post-Thanksgiving deals has leaked online, revealing some tempting gaming hardware and software offers. This...

  • News Lanning: PS4 Has the Smartest Development Environment Ever

    Time to triangle

    Sony’s preached about the ease of development on its next generation console ever since its announcement earlier in the year, but a spate of delays this week have prompted some sceptics to question whether it’s merely been exaggerating in order to improve the public perception of the PlayStation 4. However, Oddworld Inhabitants...

  • News Few Could Afford to Experience PS4 in This Luxury

    Lifestyles of the rich and the famous

    As announced earlier in the week, Sony’s started setting up PlayStation 4 demo pods in retailers around North America. However, while most of the kiosks plump up for pretty but practical formats, one particular Sony Store has blown out its budget with a staggering setup featuring an 84-inch 4K television...

  • Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 16

    Doom and gloom

    Sadness has befallen Push Square towers. Not only has it been a disappointing week full of game delays, but Christmas songs are already playing on the radio. It's mid-October! To make matters worse, head honcho Sammy Barker hasn't contributed to this article – the swine. But don't worry, you need not fall into a pit of depression,...

Friday18th Oct 2013

  • News You Should Probably Expect to Die a Lot in Knack on PS4

    Game over

    One thing that we’ve noticed when playing Knack in the past is that the game’s hard. We don’t just mean tricky, but full-on rage-inducing, stamp on the DualShock 4 difficult. That’s because, despite its cuddly appearance, the title is designed to take you back to the days of PSone favourites such as Crash Bandicoot and

  • Weirdness Even the PS4's Screws Are a Work of Art

    Nuts and bolts

    The build up to the PlayStation 4 has taken us to some strange places, but this is by far the most baffling post that we’re likely to pen all year. The lucky folks over at German technology website Computer Bild managed to get their hands on a pre-release debug unit for Sony’s impending super machine – and promptly started...

  • First Impressions Switching Genres on the Fly in Velocity 2X on Vita and PS4

    Oh Kai

    During its short spell at the forefront of PlayStation production, FuturLab has profited from its ability to surprise. Straightforward concepts are at the core of the company’s ethos, but the award-winning developer always manages to marry them with clever twists. That commitment to reinvention resulted in the firm refreshing the entire...

  • News DriveClub Parks Up in Early 2014, Contrast Joins Instant Game Collection

    Out of gas

    Sony’s silence over the past couple of days has been telling, and it’s now officially stated that DriveClub will miss its PlayStation 4 launch day release date. Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida confirmed the bad news on the PlayStation Blog, explaining that developer Evolution Studios required more “time to deliver on its...

  • Talking Point How Have This Week's Delays Affected Your Anticipation for PS4?

    Hype killer

    It’s ironic that the week that Sony opted to launch its Perfect Day commercial, the PlayStation 4 has suffered its most Imperfect Week since its announcement. It’s perhaps a testament to the Japanese giant’s flawless approach to the next generation that the setbacks have taken so long to materialise, but

  • News September NPD: PS3 Puts an End to Xbox 360's Winning Streak

    Record breaker

    Could the tides of battle be about to turn? As we promptly approach the onset of a new generation, Sony has finally put an end to the Xbox 360’s sales streak. According to the latest NPD report for September, the PlayStation 3 actually outsold Microsoft’s machine in North America last month, breaking the latter’s 32 month spell...

  • News Brazil, Get Ready to Hand Over $1,850 for a PlayStation 4 Next Month

    Ouch, that's got to hurt

    It's going to cost gamers in Brazil an arm and a leg to purchase the PlayStation 4 when it launches in the region. Well, not literally an arm and a leg, but the system will cost a whopping 3,999 Brazilian reais, which approximately converts to a staggering $1,850 / €1,368 / £1,150. This reminds us of the hefty price tag...

  • News Naughty Dog Rules Out PS4 Port of The Last of Us

    Studio sticks a shiv in speculation

    Naughty Dog has tossed a brick at rumours suggesting that it’s planning a PlayStation 4 version of The Last of Us. We included the hit in a recent feature dedicated to PlayStation 3 games that are likely to make the jump into the next generation, but the Californian developer has said that it has “no plans”...

  • News Did You Know Knack Can Also Absorb Metal?

    Man of steel

    Knack may not be the most tantalising launch title ever crafted, but it’s got some pretty neat ideas. Arguably its greatest hook is the way in which the eponymous hero can absorb and discard different materials in order to grow and shrink to various sizes. We’ve already seen a couple of these elements in action, including fire and...

Thursday17th Oct 2013

Wednesday16th Oct 2013

  • Review FIFA 14 (PlayStation 3)

    Keeping pace

    Now comfortable and confident with its position right at the very top of the football gaming league, FIFA remains a solid and reliable choice this year. But with Pro Evolution Soccer slowly but surely closing the gap between itself and EA's consistent franchise, does FIFA 14 do enough to secure its lead? The short answer is yes –...

  • Video Watch an Hour of the PS4's Dashboard Examined in Excruciating Detail

    User experience

    The best part about a brand new console is getting to grips with the user interface. With the PlayStation 4 still four weeks away, though, we figured that you'd appreciate this video of the folks from French website Gamekyo doing just that. The quality isn't the greatest, but the clip shows a trio of lucky journalists

  • News Japanese Sales Charts: New Model Pushes PS Vita Above 60,000 Units

    Celebrate good times

    It may lack the clarity of its predecessor’s gorgeous OLED screen, but the new PlayStation Vita appears to have done the business for Sony in its home territory. While many feared that it may be overshadowed by the release of Pokémon X and Y, the system still managed to move an impressive 60,166 units. That’s an enormous...

  • News A Colossal Monster Hunter Frontier G Trailer Emerges

    Big catch

    Monster Hunter Frontier Online is already out in Japan on the PC and Xbox 360, but the update to the title – named Monster Hunter Frontier G – is being released on the PlayStation 3 later this year in the region. Now the online RPG has received a new trailer, but it might be best to stick the kettle on, as it's ten-minutes long. The...

  • Store Update 15th October 2013 (North America)

    Knack attack

    This week’s North American PlayStation Store update isn’t the biggest from a new content perspective, but there are still a few noteworthy additions. As pointed out earlier, you can now pre-order both Knack and Warframe for the PlayStation 4 via your current generation console. Other highlights include the digital version of God of...

  • News What If You've Pre-Ordered a Watch Dogs PS4 Bundle?

    Breathe slowly

    Watch Dogs’ unexpected delay may be a thorn in Sony’s promotional plans for the PlayStation 4, but it’s also a big concern for consumers who have pre-ordered the title as part of a meaty next generation bundle. Fortunately, both Amazon and GameStop have confirmed that customers in North America will

  • News Can't Wait to Play a PS4? There Could Be a Demo Kiosk Near You

    Start making plans

    After an eternity of build-up, the PlayStation 4 is now approaching faster than a bullet train. In less than a month, you’ll be able to wrap your eager fingers around the DualShock 4 and settle down for some serious next generation gaming. If you need some sustenance to get you over the finish line, though, Sony has announced...

  • Rumour Could DriveClub Be Racing Past Its Launch Release Date?

    Pump the brakes

    It was all going so well. With a month left until the PlayStation 4’s launch, Sony was riding on the real-life equivalent of rainbow road. However, it seems that things may be about to get derailed on the victory lap, as rumours are snowballing that DriveClub has been pushed out of the next generation console’s launch lineup. We...

  • News PS4 Lineup Swells with Sony Santa Monica Smash Hits

    Flower, flOw, Sound Shapes, and Escape Plan on the way

    Watch Dogs may be off the agenda for the time being, but you’re still going to have plenty to play on your spangly new PlayStation 4 in November. Sony Santa Monica has hopped onto the PlayStation Blog to confirm four new titles for the next gener

  • First Impressions Defying Death in Dark Souls II

    Bonfire rewire

    Our stamina bar drained slowly, as engulfed by utter darkness, the ominous sound of a huge armoured tortoise’s footsteps refused to fade into the black. This is the moment that it suddenly became clear that Dark Souls II would live up to every bit of its gruelling reputation – and not only in terms of difficulty, but also in its...

  • News You Can Already Pre-Order PS4 Games on Your PS3

    Looking to the future

    This may be the first generation ever where you can purchase games for an unreleased system on its predecessor. Sony kickstarted digital PlayStation 4 pre-orders in North America overnight – and you can fulfil the required transactions via your existing PlayStation 3. That’s a pretty novel feature, isn’t it? Current...

  • Store Update 16th October 2013 (Europe)

    Oh, what mighty big teeth you have

    It’s the calm before the storm on the European PlayStation Store this week, with only a handful of noteworthy titles vying for your attention. The first entry in Telltale’s episodic The Wolf Among Us series is very much the star of the show, but the overdue arrival of Muramasa Rebirth is worth a mention too...

  • News Tales of Symphonia Chronicles Collector's Edition Is Battling Its Way to North America Next Year

    Get your wallets ready

    Last month, Namco Bandai released a brand new trailer for its upcoming HD compilation of classic titles Tales of Symphonia and its successor, Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. The collection is being released to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the series. The company has revealed that there will be a special...

  • News Velocity Ultra Boosts onto PS3 Courtesy of Curve Studios

    Show thumb respect

    One of the PlayStation Vita’s very best games is strapping itself up and teleporting onto the PlayStation 3. Velocity Ultra, the sublime vertical shooter from award-winning Brighton-based developer FuturLab, is set to fire onto the current generation console later this year, alongside all of the features that made the handheld...

Tuesday15th Oct 2013

Monday14th Oct 2013