PlayStation

The next big PS4 system update will add folders and change the UI in some big ways, Sony says. They’re also altering the quick menu in some helpful ways and making the share system more convenient. Full update over on the PlayStation Blog

Interested in The Witcher 3 but haven’t gotten a copy yet? Hold on for a few more weeks. On August 30, CD Projekt Red will release a “Game of the Year” edition of The Witcher 3 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. It will include the terrific base game, its two huge expansions, all DLC…

PlayStation 4.5, AKA Neo, Will Be Announced Next Month

Sony just sent out invitations to an event called the PlayStation Meeting, at 3pm Eastern on September 7. The company will finally reveal their upgraded PlayStation 4 model—which Kotaku broke news of earlier this year—there. Looking forward to it!

Two Hours With No Man’s Sky: A Diary

Yesterday morning, I downloaded the day-one patch for No Man’s Sky, a video game in which players explore the universe and try to solve mysteries, such as why the UI looks so much like Destiny’s. I had wiped my old save-file, so with the patch I was starting fresh. This was an opportunity to begin…

Word is Sony’s going to announce the PlayStation 4.5, aka Neo, on September 7 in New York City. The news comes from anonymous sources speaking to the French gaming website Gameblogas well as VICE Gaming. If Sony does announce it in September, expect a launch soon afterwards, perhaps in October alongside the PlayStation VR?

The Best Console Commercials Of All Time

Trailers for video games are a weird beast, as misleading as they can be esoteric. Free from the burden of trying to directly sell you a piece of art, commercials for video game hardware are often a lot more fun. While most console sales are (surely) made through stuff like company loyalty, word of mouth,…

Telltale’s Batman Series Starts Well, But Doesn’t Shock Yet

The first episode of Telltale’s new Batman series challenges players to see how far they’ll push the Dark Knight. The quality of this new series will be determined by how Telltale themselves can push Batman. The series’ two-hour debut, out today for PC, PS4 and Xbox One and following on more platforms “soon,” focuses on…

GTA Online‘s Incredible New Stunt Races Are Well Worth A Drive

Some of the multiplayer additions to Grand Theft Auto Online may not interest devotees of the single-player part of Rockstar’s ever-evolving rendition of California crime. The stunt races introduced to the game throughout the past month should. These courses, which Rockstar has been adding to GTA Online in batches for free since July 12, let…

Watch Us Play Headlander, A Retro Sci-Fi Metroidvania 

Headlander is a wild new Metroidvania for PS4 and PC from the folks at Double Fine Productions and Adult Swim Games. It is a disco fever dream mix of shooting, puzzles, and exploration. It’s pretty damn swell to play as a floating head! Join me as I talk about director Lee Petty’s approach to design,…

Adam Boyes, PlayStation third-party relations vice president (and a big champion of indie games on Sony platforms), is leaving the company to return to game development For a good idea on the work he did with Sony, check out this interview Jason had with him back in 2013

Fellow Division Players, Please Stop Kicking Me From Your Group

I’m trying to get into The Division’s new Underground DLC, but apparently no one wants me in their group. Two nights ago, I was matchmaking my way into the new randomized four-player co-op Underground missions in Ubisoft’s morose open-world shooter. I was having a grand old time. Last night, however, I tried to do the…

Here’s a trailer for the “cinematic” story mode that’s being added to Street Fighter V tomorrow via a free update. More details on the update, including pricing if you want to play the game’s new characters right away ($6) is over at Capcom’s blog

Mafia III Promises An Open World That You Can Actually Change, Ever So Slightly

Mafia III, due out later this year on consoles and PC, has a few interesting things going for it. It’s a crime story set in a fictionalized version of 1960s New Orleans. It has a black protagonist. Here’s a less obvious distinctive trait: its open world can be changed. You don’t see a lot of…

In Their Next Game, Life Is Strange Developers Are Tempting You To Make Evil Choices

People who play video games prefer to play as good guys. That’s what game designer Stéphane Beauverger’s research has shown, with some three quarters of players who are faced with in-game moral choices choosing to walk the path of angels. He wants to play with that. He wants to tempt players to play evil. He’ll…

Uncharted 4 enjoyable multiplayer is getting a new map and, more significantly, a 70-level character leveling system: XP, unlocks, etc. Available today via a free patch. More details at the PlayStation blog

Sony Locks Guy’s PSN Account For Using ‘Jihad,’ His Real Name

A 26-year-old Saudi gamer says his PlayStation Network account was locked for using the word Jihad—which also happens to be his first name. Jihad Al Mofadda, whose story shot tothe front page of Reddit yesterday, said that Sony banned his account on June 7. At first, PlayStation customer support offered to switch his PSN name…

PlayStation 1’s Most Unusual Japanese Box Art

The PlayStation 1 got an array of games. Some were good, some were bad and some had odd box art. “Odd,” however, isn’t a bad thing at all. Considering how video game box art can sometimes feel similar, you have to applaud the bold graphic design choices that were made. They don’t always work, but…

The Games Stephen Played At E3

Between interviews, video shoots and encounters with mascots, I played a bunch of games at and around E3 last week. Let me tell you about them. At EA Play Titanfall 2 (Xbox One, PS4, PC, October 28 2016) – I had no luck getting hands on time with Battlefield 1, but I did manage to…

PlayStation VR Pre-Orders Draw Crowds in Japan

On Saturday, PlayStation VR pre-orders began at Japanese retail shops. The VR headset won’t be out until this October, but if the lines are any indication, Sony could have a hit on its hands. According to the Mainichi News, one of Japan’s biggest newspapers, around five hundred people waited for pre-orders at the Yodobashi Camera…

When Jeff Goldblum Told Us To Stop Playing And Enjoy Life

Or at least those of us who gathered every DNA sample in 1997’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park video game. We scored a very special message from Mr. Goldblum, urging us to “call a member of the opposite sex” and “Get the stink off.” I was watching Jeff Goldblum on a post-Orphan Black episode of…