Sony have recently announced the “Play At Home” initiative. For a limited time Sony are offering two free games to PS4 owners: Journey and The Nathan Drake Collection. Starting today April 15th until May 5th 8pm. While owners in Germany and China will be given Journey and Knack 2.
But wait….Sony already offered those games last month as part of the Playstation Plus membership. Sony did, but this time round regardless if you are an active Playstation Plus subscriber, you’ll have access to these games. Unless you didn’t already download them of course.
Play At Home: Download Speeds.
While this is all good and Sony wants you to stay in and be entertained whilst on quarantine, they also want to remind you that downloads may take a little longer. Last month Sony announced it was working with internet providers to slow game download speeds. So they can help preserve internet access in the US and Europe. As there was an increased usage during the current pandemic.
Furthermore, Sony’s new initiative (Play At Home) also includes a $10M creative fund to help indie game developers. Who are undergoing financial hardships due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Independent developers are vital to the heart and soul of the gaming community and we understand the hardships and financial struggles that many smaller gaming studios are facing. With that, SIE has developed a fund to support them during this time. We have earmarked $10 million to support our independent development partners. More information about the fund, including participation criteria, will be made available soon.
During these days of physical distancing, fans have turned to gaming for moments of respite and enjoyment. At Sony Interactive Entertainment, we are privileged to bring this much-needed entertainment. We know this is just one small step and we are thankful to be able to offer this support to our players, our communities, and our partners. Jim Ryan CEO and President of Sony Interactive Entertainment
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Listen up all you Crash Bandicoot fans out there! Have a Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite a Smartphone or game console controllers? Well the Cable Guy Crash Bandicoot XL is just for you!
Crash holds his hands out to be able to hold them and display them! It’s an amazing, stunning and collectable figure which has been crafted to perfection in full oversized XL glory!
It is bright, bold and will look fantastic in any room. Crash has been designed by leading gaming merch brand Cable Guys. It will hold all types of devices centrally and perfectly balanced meaning it won’t topple over. It also comes complete with a 2M charging cable enabling it to recharge devices too!
Features:
Styled on your favourite marsupial, Crash Bandicoot.
Holds PlayStation and Xbox Game Controllers.
Also charges devices.
Holds Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite and the XL.
Doctor Who: The Edge of Time is a brand new VR game that brings you face to face with classic Doctor Who monsters! The above video is a gameplay trailer for the new feature length VR game where players visit Victorian London. While escaping a space stranded cruiser and players are also able to explore an Egyptian temple as they operate the TARDIS across the Doctor Who universe. All under guidance from the Doctor herself, Jodie Whittaker.Throughout the game there is references to the series and it’s 55 year history. Doctor Who: The Edge of Time combines action, adventure and sci-fi, equipping players with the famous Sonic Screwdriver! Use it to solve puzzles and escape treacherous environments. Furthermore use it to defeat classic Doctor Who Monsters all within Virtual Reality. Also, defeat the Weeping Angels and even pilot a Dalek shell in this single player adventure!
Doctor Who: The Edge of Time Features:
Become part of Doctor Who – a thrilling single-player adventure developed by Sony London alumni (VR Worlds, The London Heist, Blood and Truth). Doctor Who: The Edge Of Time will immerse players in Doctor Who like never before as they travel across space and time to save reality.
Wield the Sonic Screwdriver – with exhilarating moment-to-moment gameplay. Wield the Sonic Screwdriver to solve fiendish puzzles and traverse a dangerous universe full of challenges, enemies and wonder.
Stunning cinematic visuals – from the Dalekanium of a Dalek’s shell, to the stone-cold terror of a Weeping Angel, experience stunning visuals that bring the show to life!
Doctor Who talent. Featuring Jodie Whittaker as the voice of the Doctor and Nicholas Briggs as the voice of the Daleks. In a story written by Gavin Collinson, Digital Producer for Doctor Who and Writer
Oculus Quest support. Experience the next level of immersion with Oculus Quest. As you explore the Doctor Who universe without boundaries in untethered virtual reality
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The MASSIVE new Monster Hunter DLC – Monster Hunter: Iceborne is out now and it is amazing! We really got our teeth stuck into this one! If you’re a fan of Monster Hunter series you know exactly what you are getting yourself into and this new DLC is nothing short of fantastic! The Iceborne DLC brings players a whole new world, even more powerful monsters to hunt and challenging master rank quests! A brand new quest rank for seasoned players!
Monster Hunter: Iceborne: Summary
The Monster Hunter:Iceborne DLC is basically a brand new game in the form of a DLC pack, it’s so big!
The game revolves around the Research Commission noticing something unsual about a flock of Legiana fleeing from the Ancient Forest. They board the Third Fleet’s airship and cross the sea in pursuit of them. It is here where they discovered a new land, a new land which is locked beneath snow and ice. The Research Commission then embark out into the ice cold region known as the “Hoarfrost Reach”. A new region completely unexplored and home to new monsters, and endemic life will be one of the Commission’s most important goals.
New Life
The new land that you have discovered, Hoarfrost Reach is a cold, inhospitable region. It’s covered in tons and tons of snow and ice. From the outside it looks inhospitable. Yet it is teeming with unique and endemic life.
Hoarfrost Reach has a variety of different areas to explore. You’ll uncover more and more parts of the map as you continue investigations. As you do so you’ll soon discover that the Hoarfrost Reach is the largest locale in MonsterHunter: World!
While unearthing different areas of the Hoarfrost Reach you’ll discover things such as Popo’s. Popo’s are herbivores with a thick coat which help fight against the cold. They are generally docile, but will run off in a heard if you attack them. Yet, the adult males of the pack will protect their offspring with their tusks if provoked.
The snow is so thick, it will sometimes reach your waist. Therefore it is up to you to pick hot peppers to craft into hot drinks to keep warm. Not only that a lot of the area is formed of layers of icy walls. Be careful of unsure footing and narrow passes. It may look beautiful but it can also take your damage you if you are not careful.
Velkhana: An elder dragon with the power to freeze all in its path.
According to ancient legend, it can freely control the cold, and unleash an icy blast of breath.
Brachydios
This marine-blue brute wyvern uses its saliva to prime the sticky slime coating its massive arms, rendering it highly explosive.
Barioth
The snow-white flying wyvern with huge tusks found in the frozen tundra. It uses its forelegs and tail to traverse ice with ease.
There are LOADS more Monsters you can see them by visiting Monster Hunter: Iceborne’s official website here!
Evolved Hunting Actions
In Monster Hunter: Iceborne you have got access to a whole new set of Hunting Actions! You have access to brand new moves, slinger combos and much more! For example the clutch claw is an extension of the slinger. The slinger will allow players to grapple on to monsters. Therefore allowing players to control the monsters movement!
Not only that you can grapple on to monsters with the claw. Then use special attacks with your weapons! Better yet you can use a brand new feature called “flinchshot” which will fling monsters forward!
Ever want to use your slinger whilst you have your weapon unsheathed? Now you can! Regardless of what weapon you have! There’s a whole heap of new weapon moves available to you in Iceborne which you can view videos of each one by clicking here!
Raider Ride!
This new feature is really cool, you can use small monsters tailriders as modes of transport! Whistle to call one and then get ready to ride! Pin your destination on the wildlife map and you get transported immediately! However, if you don’t pin a destination the raider will find tracks so you can track a target whilst prepping for a hunt!
While you cannot control the monster directly whilst doing this, you are able to use your slinger, open your map, amongst other actions!
Seliana comes complete with a variety of facilities and features to rival Astera. Seliana is powered by the land’s plentiful geothermalenergy and features all of the same facilities that you are used to. Such as Ecological Research Center, the Smithy and the Resource Center. The layout is designed to ensure even easier accessibility to each of the different facilities.
There’s so much more to check out about your new headquarters, get an in-depth look at Monster Hunter’s Iceborne official site here!
You can purchase Monster Hunter: Iceborne here (This includes the original Monster Hunter World game, if you already own Monster Hunter World, you can purchase the add on through your prospective shop on your console PS Store / Xbox Store)
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Julia Hardy stopped by recently and spoke about a whole heap of things. We spoke a lot about video games but we also spoke about an event that she went to with Marcus. It’s called the Video Game Game Show Show.
The Video Game Game Show Show is basically a comedy show where players get to take their phones to an event and play a bunch of retro video games and answer questions.
You can check out an example of the type of the show above, by viewing a previous live YouTube event above!
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Nintendo UK alongside the government-funded Digital Schoolhouse (DSH) programme are holding a Super Smash Bros tournament. Yes you read that right, a Super Smash Bros School Tournament.
The idea behind this initiative is to give school children a taste of the wider industry. Which includes the various roles from within the gaming industry. The DSH programme works with a total of 55 schools nationwide. Nintendo will help them run a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Team Battle. The schools themselves will initially run an in-house tournament to find their best players. Then the top teams from each school will go on to face each other in a grand final. Sounds pretty cool right! Where was this when I was a kid?!
This isn’t just some small time tournament either. It will be run in the form of a proper eSports show. Therefore important roles such as team management, production and commentators will be there. Nintendo will be providing all of the equipment and materials required too. The hope with this is that it will reach at least 60 schools and 6,000 pupils.
“uniquely combines computing, fun, creativity and innovation, all of which are synonymous and at the heart of Nintendo’s values […] we want to be able to provide young adults with fun and unique experiences that will form positive lasting memories as well as foster the development of skillsets within students which they can take with them into their future.” Kalpesh Tailor, Nintendo UK’s head of communications
Schools can sign up to the Super Smash Bros School Tournament via the DSH website, so ask your teachers nicely! Then if selected schools have from September 2019 until February 2020 to run their in-house tournaments to determine their best team.
After the ‘heats’, from February/March 2020 each of the winning teams from each of the schools will compete in regional qualifiers. Then there’s a North vs South Semi Final. The North/South qualifier will see the teams face-to-face at a single venue. So at this point it gets pretty serious. The event is run by presenters, casters, and various other eSports / production roles for students.
Until it comes to the final. In April 2020, it will be held at the London Games Festival.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Team Battle isn’t the only game getting DSH love. Nintendo UK are working with them to create 2 further workshops using the Switch. The games are Super Mario Maker 2 and Labo. These games will teach parts of the curriculum. Though there isn’t much details on what yet.
We recently got our hands on an incredible Japanese Role Playing Game and absolutely loved it! It’s called Fire Emblem: Three Houses and if you’re an RPG fan, you’re going to want to pick this one up!
Fire Emblem: Three Houses Plot
In Fire Emblem: Three Houses, you take on a student of one of three houses and you have to lead them through their academic lives. In tactical turn based battles, filled with lots of different and interesting strategic twists along the way. However, if your character was to be eliminated, that’s it. Perma-death. There’s no respawns in this one!
The continent of Fódlan is divided into three different ruling nations. At hte center of it lies Garreg Mach Monastery. This is the home to the officers of the Academy. It is here where you, a potential future leader of Fódlan train. You are a mercenary turned teacher. It is up to you to choose which of the Academy’s three houses to lead into their academic lives and on the battlefield! In turn based battles all across Fódlan, the class assignments will see you and your pupils head into battle!
A Fire Emblem first!
In a first of Fire Emblem, battalions of troops will follow your units for support. It all comes down to how good your leadership is, as how well your students fare, reflects on you. So it is best to choose the best strategy! Nuture them to the best of your ability as it is up to you to help them reach their potential at the Officers Academy.
You are even able to freely roam the grounds of the Garreg Mach Monastery. Find yourself between lectures undertaking assignments to best get ot know your students. Increasing your bond with them and gather useful intel for use on the battlefield!
However, is It worth an Hour of your time? Mr Midas certainly thinks so and we do so as well, it’s a stellar Japanese Japanese Role Playing Game and it’s definitely worth picking up!
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Ninja is one of the world’s most popular streamers on the planet. Adidas know this and have signed him up in a brand deal, making him the first pro gamer to be signed by the brand. The German sportswear giant have told our friends over at Engadget that the deal with Ninja is intended to show it’s commitment to gaming culture. By “supporting creators who show dedication to excelling in their field.”
Moving forward, Adidas said, it will continue to find brand new ways to support the gaming the other 2.3 billion gamers around the world. Adidas are looking to help athletes make a difference. Regardless of what they choose to play.
This comes hot off the heels of another HUGE deal that Ninja has recently secured. Leaving the Twitch streaming service to use Microsoft’s Mixer. Which sent shockwaves around the gaming community. Futhermore he has his own toy line. Plus it is rumoured that Ninja get’s paid $1M to play games like Apex Legends.
It’s no secret that Adidas does support various other e-sports teams at the moment. However, the deal with Ninja is different as he is a solo player and not a team. What will come of this deal who knows? Maybe there will be gamer focused apparel or Adidas branded Ninja merch?
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Blair Witch was first shown at E3 2019 by Microsoft and the game is inspired by the movie of the same name. It’s a story driven-psychological horror game. While fun, the game will study your reactions to fear and stress.
The gameplay trailer will give players an introduction to the canine Bullet. It will also look at the gameplay elements of the game. Looking at exploration, commands, combat and environmental interaction. Also we get a look at how players will interact with Bullet.
EVIL HIDES IN THE WOODS – PLOT
So, it’s 1996 and a young boy mysteriously disappears in the Black Hills Forest near Burkittsville, Maryland. You play as Ellis a former police office with a troubled past. Joining the search to find the lost boy. While the search starts off normally, it soon descends into a nightmare. Where you confront the Blair Witch, a mysterious force which haunts the woods!
It’s an original story based on Blair Witch from the makers of Layers of Fear
Navigate through the cursed forest. Which warps and distorts time and space.
Take on the Blair Witch, whilst being dragged down by your sanity.
How you react to danger and behave under pressure will ultimately teach you more about yourself.
Blair Witch is coming to the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X and PC worldwide on August 30, 2019.
