Gaming - Page 730

GameStop today revealed its new Guaranteed To Love It program, which gives buyers full credit for new games.

GameStop isn't doing too well right now. It lost over $670 million last year amid flagging sales due to digital adoption, and more and more consumers are avoiding used games altogether. But the retailer's new initiative aims at recapturing some of this lost market, namely with trade-ins.

It's rare when retailers offer decent trade-ins for games. Once you open a new game, it immediately loses a good portion of its value, especially if it's not that popular (or if the retailer isn't actually selling many used games). Surprisingly, GameStop is offering a new program that gives full $59.99 in-store credit for specific games that're traded in within 2 days, starting with Sony's new PS4 exclusive Days Gone. Cash refunds won't be offered.

Sony is making big plays with its next-generation PlayStation 5, which boasts some serious horsepower. But hardware isn't everything and Sony must evolve its core service framework to match a new hardware evolution.

As of late, Sony has made some good and bad plays with PlayStation services. It bumped PS Plus cloud saves to a huge 100GB per account. The company also relented on cross-play in games like Fortnite and Rocket League, ushering in a new cross-platform age of gaming. On the downside, Sony nixed free PS3 and PS Vita games on PlayStation Plus and dropped the value of the service. And it recently locked digital game sales exclusively to its PlayStation Store.

With the PS5 on the horizon, Sony might have to do something different with PS Plus. Free PS4 games might not be enough this time. Sony's admitted that service retention is tough and it could get even tougher with next-gen fragmentation. The PS5 is a true next-gen leap over the PS4, and while it'll natively play PS4 games, Sony will release separate game SKUs for each system. Both hardware and software will be fragmented.

Microsoft isn't missing out on its opportunity to fill the Sony-shaped hole at E3 2019, and plans to dominate the showcase with a multi-pronged strategy.

For the first time in decades, Sony isn't coming to E3. Microsoft is jumping on this chance to one-up is competitor with a huge E3 2019 affair celebrating everything Xbox. The company touts that E3 2019 will be its "biggest presence ever" and plans to unleash a smorgasbord of fan fests, game demos, announcements, and other engagement-building exercises aimed at one thing: reminding gamers that Xbox is still a force to be reckoned with.

Today Microsoft announced its E3 2019 press conference plans, confirming big artillery. The show will be held on June 9 at 1PM PST/4PM EST. Hardware, games, services and more will be at the forefront. We could get our first details on the next-generation Xbox Scarlett family of consoles, which are likely powered by AMD's new Navi GPU architecture alongside an 8-core Zen 2 CPU.

Sony officially confirms its next-gen PlayStation 5 won't completely ignore the PS4's vast library of games.

Sony's big new PlayStation 5 isn't an iterative system like the PS4 Pro. It's a true leap in horsepower, leveraging a new potent CPU and GPU combo designed specially for the system: the PS5 will feature a Zen 2 CPU alongside AMD's new Navi GPU tech, all built on 7nm. Even though it's shifting generations, Sony isn't about to throw away the PS4's empire of games and flip the reset switch.

In a recent interview with Wired, PlayStation 5 designer Mark Cerny confirmed the next-gen system will play existing PlayStation 4 games. The PS5 is built partly on the PS4's architecture to allow native backward compatibility with current games. Following the launch of the PS5, new game releases will apparently be forked and new titles will have two SKUs at launch--a PS4 and PS5 version--to leverage the strengths of both consoles. This indicates the existing PlayStation will live alongside the PS5 for a while before passing the torch.

We are now finding out some official specs and details on Sony's next-gen PlayStation 5 console with PS5 architect Mark Cerny recently revealing some details in an interview with Wired.

Cerny says that an AMD chip is at the heart of the PS5, with Sony tapping a custom third-gen Ryzen CPU with he new 7nm Zen 2 CPU architecture, as well as a custom variant of AMD's upcoming Radeon Navi family of graphics cards.

But the big surprising thing here is that Sony is confirming that the PS5 with its Navi GPU will support ray tracing, but it goes beyond just better graphics according to Cerny. It's also good to see that my sources were indeed correct: Sony is working with AMD on the next-gen Navi GPU architecture for the PS5.

Mortal Kombat developer, NetherRealm Studios has reconfirmed the way they are going about implementing micro-transactions into Mortal Kombat 11.

Shaun Himmerick, producer of Mortal Kombat 11 has spoken out about microtransactions and has explained that MK11 will have Time Crystals as form of currency. These crystals can be spent on items such as; new intros for fighters, easy fatalities, gear and other things. Ultimately though, Himmerick says that there will be "nothing pay-to-win" available for purchase through microtransactions, everything will be strictly cosmetic.

NetherRealm Studios also developed Injustice 2, which allowed players to buy gear that drastically impacted gameplay. NetherRealm is taking the opposite approach with Mortal Kombat 11 with Himmerick saying "We don't want to have any competitive advantage for money". It should also be noted that NetherRealm's director, Ed Boon has said that they won't be including loot boxes at all within Mortal Kombat 11, stating; "There's no loot boxes. We don't want that. We've heard the community doesn't want that. We've seen the reaction to other games that have it. We don't want that reaction. There are no loot boxes in this game whatsoever".

Nintendo has issued out a hefty sized Nintendo Switch firmware update that adds many new features for users across the board of functionality, convenience and accessibility.

The new firmware update has been rolled out to all Nintendo Switch consoles and brings the version of the console up to version 8.0.0. The new update will be adding several new functionality features such as; Sorting Software option in your home menu, a 'view all news option', 15 new avatars, a transfer save data feature, a zoom feature, sleep mode features and more.

The new update also adds new regions for Hong Kong / Taiwan / South Korea. If you are interested in checking out the previous firmware updates that have come to the Nintendo Switch, a link can be found here. If you want to visit the official patch notes which give a much more detailed breakdown on each of the added features for version 8.0.0, check that out here.

Facebook has now decided to embrace the want to for a 'dark mode' on Facebook Messenger by rolling out a toggle option to both Android and iOS users.

Back in early March, we learned of a hidden feature within Facebook's Messenger that allowed users to change the theme of their Messenger app to a 'dark mode'. Users found out that if they messaged themselves or someone else a moon it unlocked the option of adopting a 'dark mode'. Now while that may have seen a very cool little hidden feature, Facebook has now decided to implement the feature into the settings of the Messenger app across iOS and Android.

Users now have the option of selecting their profile picture on Messenger to access your settings, then you will find a toggle option for dark mode on Messenger. Choosing to toggle on dark mode will change the theme of Messenger to a darker theme that will be much easier on the eyes, especially in low lit lighting. The dark mode should also be much easier on the devices battery considering that not as many pixels will require power due to them being off (only on AMOLED displays).

It has been revealed that there is a new LEGO: Star Wars in development and it is to be believed that this new game will feature content from the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and its prequels.

In a recent interview with Matt Wood, who is one of the sound editors and voice actors for a number of Star Wars characters touched on the development of a new LEGO: Star Wars game. Wood discussed the intenseness 2019 has for Star Wars content and begun listing off the different forms of media we will be seeing across the span on the year.

Wood says; "2019 is crazy insane! - There is so many things we are doing right now, we've got Resistance going, Clone Wars going, Mandalorian happening, of course Episode 9 happening, there is a LEGO Star Wars game we are working on." Since the newer movies are yet to join the collection of the LEGO Star Wars games (Star Wars: The Last Jedi & Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker), it can be assumed that this new one in development will fix that issue and add some fresh content to the LEGO series.

We now have a new tid-bid worth of news regarding Microsoft's Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition. The title has received its official rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).

Visiting the ESRB website, we find a listing for Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition that has a summary, rating and platform that it is going to release on. The last time we heard about any news surrounding Age of Empires was the 'exciting announcement' planned for the Inside Xbox livestream. Fans expected Microsoft to discuss when the Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition would be released or even tease some news regarding Age of Empires IV that is currently in the works. Sadly, the Age of Empires segment was pulled from the livestream, more on that here.

Now this isn't an official announcement from Microsoft, but this does confirm that at least Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition does exist, is in development and on its way. We still don't know when Microsoft plan to release the game, but the first Age of Empires: Definitive Edition released back at the beginning of 2018, so I'd expect that we will see the Definitive Edition for the second game sometime before the end of 2019. Since the Age of Empires announcement was pulled from Inside Xbox, Microsoft could be rescheduling the announcement for this years E3, which is planned for June 11th.

If there was a Battlefield game that I would buy sight unseen it would be Battlefield: Bad Company 3, which is back in the headlines thanks to new rumors of it being built for next-gen consoles.

The new information is coming from a post on Pastebin from late last year which is coming into the spotlight properly, with an anonymous poster working a a third-party EU-based game developer that says the PS5 will have 24GB GDDR6, launch in 2020 for $499 and of course will be powered by next-gen Zen 2 CPU and Navi GPU technology from AMD.

Well, interestingly the poster said that one of the games that will launch on the next-gen Xbox and PS5 consoles is Battlefield: Bad Company 3. The problem is that DICE hasn't treated its fans well over the years with the mess of Battlefield 1, the controversy surrounding Battlefield V (and the fact that not many people play it in comparison to other EA held franchise like Apex Legends with over 50 million players), and who can forget Star Wars Battlefront II's controversy, where it cost up to $2100 to unlock everything in the game.

I still remember the TweakTown servers crashing multiple times requiring us to upgrade the hardware inside of them when I broke the first big Grand Theft Auto 6 news all the way back in February 2015.

Well when I stumbled upon the Pastebin post about the next-gen PlayStation 5 and its rumored 24GB GDDR6, Zen 2 CPU and Navi GPU both based on 7nm from AMD, there was a little news about Grand Theft Auto 6 in there as well. The anonymous posted said that GTA 6 would be launching in holiday 2020 (which starts in November) and that Sony paid "huge money" in order to secure a 1-month PS5 exclusive.

If Sony has indeed paid huge money for a 1-month exclusive of GTA 6 on its next-gen PlayStation 5, that in itself would be absolutely massive from a marketing perspective. Microsoft will surely have its own timed exclusives on its next-gen Xbox console, but if Sony has secured something as big as the next Grand Theft Auto game... well, that would be insane.

Sony will be ramping up towards the release of its next-gen PlayStation 5 console later this year, where I'm sure Microsoft will steal the show at E3 2019 with its reveal of its next-gen Xbox console, but Sony fans could be in for a real treat according to the latest rumors.

I've previously reported that Sony will have full backwards compatibility with its PS5 allowing for PS1/PS2/PS3/PS4 games to all be played on its next-gen console. I also reported exclusively that Sony was working with RTG engineers at AMD on the next-gen Navi GPU architecture, and we also know that the new PS5 will feature a Zen 2-based CPU with up to 8C/16T of processing power on tap.

Well, according to the latest rumors we have something to be excited for when it comes to specs. The new rumors are from a post on Pastebin from December 2018 that is now getting some attention with a "small third-party developer" from the EU that says for the last 8 months they have been helping a "well known company in a AAA game development" studio that is making a launch title for the PS5 in 2020.

Switch exclusive no more: nearly a year after its release, Octopath Traveler is crossing over to PC.

Square Enix has confirmed one of its most popular RPGs, Octopath Traveler, is coming to PC this June. Octopath Traveler is one of the best RPGs in recent memory and stands as a shining example of old-school Square Enix mastery. The turn-based RPG was a classic right out of the gate, sporting amazing SNES-like "HD-2D" visuals infused with an innovative combat system. Armed with a distinct experience that feels both old and new, the game went on to ship over 1 million units worldwide at launch.

Right now Square Enix could use more wins and Octopath Traveler could help a lot. Outside of Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XIV, its games aren't doing all that great. It reported lower-than-expected earnings last quarter, and drastically shrank its dev teams from 11 into 4 cohesive units.

As many developers do, Respawn gave up development of a project so they could work on a big licensed IP. It just so happens in Respawn's case the opportunity was for one of the biggest and turbulent franchises in history.

The history of Star Wars games is paved with cancelled projects, shattered dreams, and untold stories. There's hope left in the universe, though, and Respawn could restore balance to the franchise with its ambitious Jedi: Fallen Order game. To craft the expansive exploration-fueled Jedi power fantasy, Respawn had to focus the entirety of its new action-adventure branch on the project. That meant forestalling development of a game that was already in the works.

Jedi: Fallen Order's development stretches as far back as 2014 when Stig Asmussen joined Respawn. EA approached Respawn that same year about doing a Star Wars game, and Asmussen's team, which is undoubtedly the studio's non-FPS segment, put everything else on hold for Jedi: Fallen Order. Asmussen revealed more details in a recent interview with Press Start:

Instead of a mini-console, Capcom plans to pre-load classic games onto a two-player fighting pad.

Today Capcom teased what looks to be another old-school games collection. The brief trailer shows footage of classics like Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting, Alien vs Predator, Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors, and Gigawing reflected off of a classic arcade joystick setup. This is a big clue, and sources tell Nintendo Life that Capcom's collection isn't just a software re-release--it's tied to hardware too.

Apparently the Japanese games-maker will launch an arcade stick setup that plugs directly into your TV. The hardware comes with two sticks built in to simulate classic arcade action. The games are built right into the stick itself, making it a kind of Capcom-oriented plug-and-play mini-console of sorts, but it's not exactly cost-effective and may cost as much as $250.

In a new post on the God of War directors Twitter page, fans of the series have had a rush of emotion as what was originally thought to be a DLC headed to game has been confirmed to be the opposite.

The original post by Cory Barlog, Sony Santa Monica Studios Director, featured a celebratory one year anniversary package that contained a video, free theme and some avatars for users. Barlog shared the post on his personal Twitter page with the caption "That's not all..." which spiked the interest in fans thinking that there was possibly a secret DLC for God of War in the works.

Barlog later commented on his own Twitter thread and said "Just so no one gets the wrong idea - there is no DLC coming for the game. Sorry." Back in January, Barlog did have an idea for a God of War DLC and actually pitched the idea but was but with it being too ambitious so the idea was scrapped. This recent news from Barlog has just unfortunately hammered the nail down into the possibility coffin of God of War having a DLC. Barlog said to Kinda Funny "I had a really fun idea for a DLC that I only regret because I would love to have done that. But it was too ambitious."

We are only a couple of weeks out from the launch of Mortal Kombat 11 and to keep that hype train rolling we have a brand new reveal trailer that features none other than Kitana.

The new gameplay video has been released onto the official Mortal Kombat YouTube Channel and introduces us to the new moveset that Kitana features. We first saw Kitana in the new official TV spot trailer that was released last week, in that trailer we saw a brief cinematic fight between Scorpion and Kitana but never any official gameplay. We now have that gameplay.

Kitana takes the stage against D'Vorah with her deadly blades. We can see from the gameplay that Kitana will not disappoint when it comes to savage combos and fast pressure on her opponents. Just like the other reveal trailers for Mortal Kombat 11, we get a great display of Kitana's fatality, check it out in the above video. For more information about Mortal Kombat 11, visit the official Steam listing here. Mortal Kombat 11 will be released on April 23rd on the Xbox One, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

A new gameplay video showcases the difficulty and many other aspects of the recently released survival real-time-strategy game Conan Unconquered.

The above gameplay video which has been released onto the Funcom YouTube Channel gives us viewers a deep insight into the gameplay that Conan Unconquered features. We are introduced by the developers of the game to what players can expect from the first couple of waves in Conan Unconquered. According to the developers, each wave will provide an increasing level of difficulty that will need to be combated by thought-out strategies and technology upgrades.

The developers shine a light on the different unit types that players will be facing, as well as the environmental factors that will hinder a players progress. Examples include; diseases that will spread after battles occur due to dead bodies piling up and fire taking hold of buildings and spreading if not controlled. We also see what is called an 'avatar' which is a massive titan like unit that harms both the enemy and players' own units. To check out some of the other awesome additions in Conan Unconquered, visit the official Steam Store listing here or check out the above gameplay video.

Apple is spending as much as half a billion to establish its new game service, and plans to invest in projects over the long haul.

Apple is taking a unique approach to tapping the games market. Not content with making revenues from freemium mobile games, the company established Apple Arcade, a new service that's more like Xbox Game Pass than Google's new Stadia platform. Apple Arcade isn't cloud streaming but instead offers a pool of all-you-can-play exclusive games from high-profile AAA and indie developers like SEGA, Konami, Disney, and Sumo Digital. The tech titan is personally investing money into each project to ensure Apple Arcade games are premium experiences...but the bill is adding up fast.

Sources tell The Financial Times that Apple Arcade could cost as much as $500 million over time, or the price of multiple big-budget AAA releases. Apple is reportedly investing millions on each game and wants to follow Epic's playbook by booking timed exclusivity. For a monthly fee, subscribers get access to a growing number of games that can be played on multiple devices like iPhones, iPads, and even Apple TV boxes.