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Interstellar trading sim ‘Elite Dangerous’ sets course for PS4 in 2017

Danny Cowan
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Elite Dangerous Trailer
Crowdfunded space trading sim and interstellar combat game Elite Dangerous is headed to the PlayStation 4 in an expanded bundle that collects all previously released add-ons and downloadable content (DLC), creator Frontier Developments
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announced today.
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The upcoming PS4 port also boasts platform-exclusive features like touchpad navigation and a unique “fast headlook” mechanic powered by the DualShock 4’s built-in gyroscope.

Elite Dangerous, initially released for Windows and Mac PCs, is an updated version of David Braben and Ian Bell’s 1984 microcomputer hit Elite. In Elite Dangerous, players explore a massive simulated galaxy in search of valuable material that can be mined and traded for cash, funding further expeditions into deep space.

Less scrupulous pilots may opt to steal mined material from other players within Elite Dangerous‘ online multiplayer mode, building their own empire off of interstellar piracy. Players with well-armed ships can separately opt to pursue bounty hunting as a career path, making for a more action-oriented experience.

An Xbox One version of Elite Dangerous surfaced in 2015, but the game has since remained a conspicuous no-show on the PlayStation 4. Frontier Developments revealed that it has spent the last year upgrading the core experience for its forthcoming PS4 debut.

In addition to bundling all previously released DLC and Elite Dangerous: Horizons season pass content, the PlayStation 4 version of Elite Dangerous features touchpad navigation, aiding players in their trek through the Milky Way and beyond. Combat also gets a boost with a motion-controlled “fast headlook” option, and players can further customize the experience with four additional touchpad hotkeys.

Frontier Developments additionally revealed that PlayStation 4 Pro owners will “benefit from enhanced performance throughout Elite Dangerous.”

“We’re thrilled to bring Elite Dangerous to PlayStation 4,” said Frontier CEO and Elite series co-creator David Braben said. “Elite Dangerous is unlike any other space game, with a rich multiplayer or single-player space, a true-to-life galaxy including our own entire night sky, real physics, unique ship handling characteristics, and a player-driven narrative that’s really heating up. The galaxy has been stable for centuries, but all that is about to change. PlayStation 4 players will be joining our galaxy at a very exciting time.”

Elite Dangerous will launch for the PlayStation 4 in the second quarter of 2017.

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Danny Cowan
Danny Cowan
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Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…
Hollow Knight: Silksong is also coming to PS4 and PS5
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Team Cherry confirmed that the highly anticipated Hollow Knight: Silksong will be on two more platforms at launch: PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
The official PlayStation Twitter account revealed the news this morning, adding PS4 and PS5 to a list of Hollow Knight: Silksong platforms that include PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. 
https://twitter.com/PlayStation/status/1570797280063627264
Hollow Knight: Silksong is a sequel to Hollow Knight, one of the most critically acclaimed Metroidvania games of the past decade. Hollow Knight: Silksong follows Hornet, a character from the first game, as she explores the unfamiliar world of Pharloom. When Team Cherry announced the indie in February 2019, it only confirmed that the game was in development for PC, Mac, Linux, and Nintendo Switch.
The game went MIA after an appearance at E3 2019, only for it to triumphantly reemerge as one of the first announcements of the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase in June 2022. Although we know that Hollow Knight: Silksong will be available through Xbox Game Pass on PC and Xbox platforms, it's good to know that those who prefer to try the game on Nintendo Switch or PlayStation will still have access to the game on day one. 
Unfortunately, this PlayStation announcement did not come alongside a new trailer or release date confirmation, so Hollow Knight fans are still left eagerly awaiting its follow-up. Microsoft did claim that every game in its June showcase was "targeted to launch in the next 12 months," though, so it's very possible that Hollow Knight: Silksong will be released for PC, Mac, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in the first half of 2023. 

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Overwatch 2 is going free-to-play. Here’s why
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Overwatch 2 is going free-to-play this October. The upcoming competitive shooter from an embattled Activision Blizzard was expected to launch in 2023, but we learned that it was coming a bit earlier than expected and would be free during the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase on June 12. Still, this is a shocking shift for one of Blizzard's biggest franchises and one that has a lot of implications for the pace of updates and new content. Ahead of a livestream that gives more details about the free-to-play shift, Digital Trends spoke to some members of the development team, including Game Director Aaron Keller and Overwatch VP and Commerical Lead Jon Spector, to learn why exactly the Overwatch 2 team decided to embrace free-to-play.
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At launch on October 4, Overwatch 2 players can expect three new heroes (including a support character teased in the release date trailer), six new maps, over 30 new skins (including a mythic skin for Genji), the Push game mode, and the game's first battle pass. Barring any issues that cause the team to reschedule, the second season will begin on December 6 and introduce another new tank, a new map, and a battle pass with over 30 new skins. More heroes, maps, modes, and the PvE story campaign will start to roll out throughout 2023.
Blizzard plans to make seasons last nine weeks, with three or four new heroes added yearly. If you play games like Apex Legends or Valorant, this cadence of releases should be familiar to you. Keller and Spector claim that other successful free-to-play games aren't what caused Blizzard to make this shift. Instead, they say factors like lowering the barrier of entry for interested players and not wanting to hold on to finished content played a part in Overwatch 2 going free-to-play.

"We don't want to develop things and try to pool it together into a big box release; we'd rather just put content out when it's ready and do it as quickly as we can," Keller says. "As we kept working on some of the more innovative gameplay for the PvE side of Overwatch 2, it meant that it was going to take longer for any of our PvP features to go public. We want to release stuff as frequently as we can, but it was taking us too long to be able to get it in front of our players."
The original Overwatch has floundered since it stopped getting significant content updates in 2020 so Blizzard could focus on Overwatch 2. By releasing the sequel as a free-to-play game this year, that long wait ends -- and players won't have to worry about it happening again for a long time. The developers also stressed that Overwatch 2 would feel more like a sequel than an update when it launches, thanks to the new content and rework into 5v5 matches. Spector explains that many systems fell in place simultaneously, like cross-play, cross-progression, and the seasonal model, so it made sense to lower the barriers to entry and launch free-to-play this year.
"We are dedicated to putting out content frequently and consistently in perpetuity."

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JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle R improves an already great fighting game
Jotaro Kujo stands before a battle in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle R.

While Street Fighter 6 was the talk of the show floor at Summer Game Fest Play Days, another fighting game also managed to impress me at the event. That title was JoJo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle R, a fighting game based on the popular and heavily-memed anime and manga series JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. The original JoJo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle was first released in Japan in 2013, scoring a rare perfect score from the popular Japanese outlet Famitsu. Anime fighting games vary wildly in quality, but this was considered one of the better ones thanks to its thoughtful and rewarding gameplay.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle R continues that game's legacy as an enhanced remaster that does more than visually update the game and turn servers back. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle R adds in new characters, voice acting, and gameplay tweaks that almost make it feel like a different game. In the years since the 2013 game this is based on came out, both JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and the fighting game genre got a lot more popular. Thankfully, my demo showed that this fighting game has only gotten better with age.
To be continued 
Although JoJo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle R didn't get a remake-level visual overhaul, fans should still appreciate many of the graphical tweaks and just how pretty this game is. Even though I was playing a PS4, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle R was one of the best-looking games at Summer Game Fest Play Days. The anime already has an extremely distinct art style and features a cast of overly-muscular characters, so it transitions to a fighting game almost perfectly. Pulling off special moves that you've seen in the manga and anime or calling out a stand yourself is super satisfying, and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle R will show them in all of their extremely detailed glory.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R - Early Access Demo
Even the voiceovers and character models got updates to match the voice acting and styles fans will remember from the anime. We don't get many video games based on JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, so it's nice to see this one put in extra care to respect the source material and improve upon the original release. That said, graphics will only get you so far in a fighting game. It's the gameplay mechanics that really ensure a fighting game lives or dies.
Thankfully, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle R is a lot of fun to play.
The 2013 original was a 3D fighting game that plays more like Virtua Fighter than Jump Force. The standard attacks, combo, block, and dodge moves to be expected from fighting games are here, but characters can also summon their stands and basically get a second fighter to attack and zone with. Fights also have some other cute oddities, like having an assist character to strengthen some of your attacks or being able to taunt the other player when they are knocked down to take away some of their special meter gauges. That taunt feature specifically is not only hilarious but feels very JoJo and adds palpable benefits to what's usually just a visual gag in fighting games.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle R does add a couple of new gameplay additions that players will definitely notice, including hit stops and jump dashes that give that game more competitive depth, as well as flash cancels that let players quickly cancel their current combo if they don't want to change their approach or the moves they are using

I didn't have enough time to kit out and learn combos and how to string them together, but I can clearly recognize just how these features will positively deepen JoJo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle R's meta. With auto combos for new players and revitalized online play too, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle R hopefully won't have a problem attracting new JoJo's Bizzare Adventure fans to this fighting game. Whether you enjoyed the original release or want to see what a good JoJo's Bizarre Adventure game looks like, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle R should be on your radar. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle R launches for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch on September 2. If you want to try it before then, a demo is available on PS4 and PS5 until June 21.

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