News::Explore the surfaces of planets in 'Elite: Dangerous' beta

The expansion pack for Elite: Dangerous, the one that lets you go planetside and explore the surface of places like Europa, is out now. Sort of. The Horizons Planetary Landings beta, teased in a video released last week, does exactly what it says assuming you've pre-ordered Horizons itself. Everyone else needs to wait for the official release sometime before year's end. Driving the all-new Surface Recon Vehicle, players can discover signals, crashed ships and mineral deposits, vastly expanding the range of gameplay. Creator David Braben recently showed off the expansion in a demo (below), and said that certain features, like textures and frame rates, might still have issues.

Via: Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Source: Elite Dangerous

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News::Sending private Twitch messages on iOS gets a lot easier today

It looks like Twitch gathered enough feedback from its Android test run of mobile private messaging, "Whispers," because the feature has made its way to iOS. A post on the live-streaming juggernaut's blog says that all you need to do to access Whispers on your Cupertino-branded device is update the app. Oh, and similar to the current beta for Google's mobile OS, the company would really like it if you submit your feedback. Pretty simple! Free stuff on Cyber Monday? That's a trend I can get behind.

Source: Twitch

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News::The AfterMath: A week of excesses

Too much food? Too many bargains? With a handful of antacids nearby, we hope you've enjoyed this Thanksgiving week. Following in tradition of all that indulgence, we're all about size and excess here at TAM. Nuclear-powered data centers, puffy nuggets of gold, huge numbers of user names hacked... and a suggestion for next year's Thanksgiving dessert. We'd suggest you start making room now. Slideshow-343061

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News::This 'Super Mario Bros.' watch will cost you $18,950

How much of a Nintendo fan are you? Enough that you could spend as much as you would on a car, just to show the world where your allegiances lie? You'll want to talk to luxury watchmaker Romain Jerome, then. It just unveiled a limited edition Super Mario Bros. mechanical timepiece that marks the 30th anniversary of the plumber's adventures in style. And we do mean style: its 46mm case is made out of black titanium, and the three-layer dial is loaded with enamel-coated pixel figurines to remind you of Mario's early days. It's quite posh-looking, then, although the eye-watering $18,950 price will likely rule this out unless you're a high roller with some fond gaming memories. On the plus side, that ultra-rare Nintendo World Championship cartridge suddenly seems like a bargain.

Source: A Blog to Watch, Romain Jerome

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News::Ben Heck's controller mods tutorial

For a while now Ben and Felix have been making and selling single handed accessibility controllers. In this episode Ben will tear down the XBox One gamepad and show you how to do mods of your own, from the pin-outs to the connections for the directional pads. Visit The Ben Heck Show community on element14 for links to the build files, suggest projects and sync up with The Ben Heck Show team!

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News::Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 is too sexist for Europe and US

Dead or Alive Xtreme 3, the game where you play volleyball as scantily clad women, won't be making its way to the US or Europe. Apparently, the game's publisher is worried about how Western audiences will react to the way the franchise depicts women. The latest installment features a sun-tanning system (whatever the hell that means), butt fights (as seen in the gameplay trailer below) and the ability to dress the characters in a wide variety of costumes.

Source: Gamespot

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News::A new chiptune album is coming to the Nintendo Famicom

Every week it feels like a new video game soundtrack gets a vinyl release. Journey, The Last of Us, FTL and Shenmue -- none of these are surprises anymore. So what's next? MiniDiscs? Cassette tapes? Well, some musicians are keen to use cartridges instead. 8BIT MUSIC POWER is a new chiptune album that you'll need to slide into a Nintendo Famicom (Japan's equivalent of the NES) to listen to. Developed by RIKI and manufactured by Columbus Circle, it features 12 original tracks from, among others, former Famicom music composers Yuriko Keino (Xevious, Dig Dug) and Takeaki Kunimoto (Star Solider).

Source: RIKI, Amazon Japan

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News::Lenovo teams with Razer on gaming PCs

When you think of gaming PCs, Lenovo probably isn't your first choice. It has gaming PCs, but it's often far more tempting to either go with a game-centric brand or build a system yourself. Lenovo may have a way to improve its reputation, though. It's partnering with Razer on special editions of its Y series devices that pack both the performance you'd expect from a gaming rig as well as Razer's signature design cues, such as multi-hued Chroma lighting. The first confirmed project from the two is the Lenovo Razer Edition desktop you see here (due for a full debut at CES in January), but there are promises of "multiple" products and joint development of new technology.

Source: Razer

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News::Sony confirms official PS4 Remote Play app for Windows and Mac

Well that was quick. It's only been a couple of days since someone came up with an unofficial app to stream PlayStation 4 gaming to PC, but earlier today, Sony's awesome Shuhei Yoshida confirmed on Twitter that his company is "indeed working on an official [Remote Play] application for PC/Mac." Yes, it will support both Windows and Mac OS X, which is already more than what the Xbox One offers, though Yoshida has yet to provide a date. Regardless, this is bad news for the unofficial app's developer, who has apparently been working on this project on and off for over a year and planned on charging $10 for the hard work, but at least we can give him or her some credit for getting Sony to up the game for its console.

Source: Shuhei Yoshida (Twitter)

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News::Black Friday deals: here are the UK's best

It's that time of the year again. Black Friday has finally arrived, bringing with it a near-endless stream of deals and discounts for you to consider. If you've decided to stay at home and avoid the chaos outside -- we don't blame you, it gets pretty crazy out there -- we've rounded up the best price-drops from across the internet. If you spot anything that we might have missed, drop us a note in the comments below and we'll add it to our list as soon as possible. These deals are targeted at Brits mind you (US deals can be found here), so we're avoiding anything that forces you to pay in a currency that isn't Sterling.

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News::'Pro Evolution Soccer' gets a free-to-play version this December

For years, FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer have been fighting for the hearts of football fans. EA has always had the money, with authentic strips and team names, but PES players will argue that Konami's gameplay makes it a technically superior franchise. If you're currently sat in the FIFA camp, or have been avoiding football games altogether, Konami hopes to win you back with a free-to-play version of PES 2016. Details are scarce, but Polygon reports that it'll be available from December 8th on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, with an Exhibition Mode featuring seven professional teams. Like the yearly FIFA demos, these include some pretty all-star squads -- you can expect the likes of Bayern Munich, Juventus and AS Roma to be available from the outset. You'll also get access to MyClub, which is a mode where you can build and manage your own custom team. Even if you play it just a handful of times over the Christmas break, it's free, so really what's there to lose?

Source: IGN, Polygon

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News::'Sensible Soccer' remake will happen without its Kickstarter

Developer Jon Hare surprised many people when he announced that iconic football game Sensible Soccer was getting a spiritual successor. With Codemasters still owning the rights to the existing franchise, Hare and his team launched the new Sociable Soccer concept and took to Kickstarter with a lofty funding goal of £300,000. Despite lots of early buzz, the game never looked like hitting its target, reaching £32,498 from 1767 backers. And so a decision was made to kill the Kickstarter campaign completely.

Source: Sociable Soccer

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News::Indie puzzler 'Fez' resurfaces with a $100 special edition

We aren't getting a sequel to the adorable retro indie puzzler Fez well... ever. But that doesn't mean developer Polytron is out of things to sell fans. The Canadian company hopes the wound it opened by canceling the sequel won't deter you from dropping $100 on a special edition of the game that features a rather handsome hardcover notebook, "bound in red canvas with debossed gold foil inlay presented in a matching slipcase," download codes for PC and OSX versions of the game and a copy of its killer soundtrack from composer Disasterpeace.

Via: IGN

Source: Polytron

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News::Lara Croft's awesome mobile adventure adds a free tomb to raid

Lara Croft has a pretty big adventure on Xbox One this fall with Rise of the Tomb Raider, but her grand mobile mission is about grow too. Developer Square Enix Montreal announced it's dropping "The Shard of Life" expansion for Lara Croft GO tomorrow for free on Android and iOS (sorry, Windows Phone folks) with some 26 fresh puzzles to tackle while you're waiting in line at the grocery store. More than that, the publisher is knocking 40 percent off the game's price -- it'll run you $2.99 for a limited time. Oh and its hosting a Twitch event tasking the game's community to solve the new puzzles.

Source: Square Enix

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News::Steam Controller's new trick is designed for strategy games

By default, the haptic touchpads that define Valve's Steam Controller are just thumb-friendly fill-ins for a proper mouse -- but that's not all they can do. Thanks to a new Steam client beta update, the Steam Controller's signature touchapds can now do something now standard PC mouse can: instantly warp your cursor anywhere on the screen at the touch of a thumb.

Source: Valve

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News::'Dragons Lair' movie project leaves Kickstarter, heads to Indiegogo

Don't worry, Dragon's Lair fans, the proposed feature-length project is still happening -- but it won't be raising money on Kickstarter. Creators Don Bluth and Gary Oldman have cancelled their original crowdfunding campaign and will be relaunching it on Indiegogo on December 1. They promise it'll be "a stronger, more valiant campaign" that takes into account suggestions from fans. Bluth and Oldman didn't say specifically why they were shifting the campaign, but we've reached out for comment. One big advantage Indiegogo has over Kickstarter is "Flexible Funding," which lets crowdfunding organizers keep the money they raise, even if they don't reach their goal. The pair aimed to raise $550,000 to produce a short to court investors and studios, who would hopefully back a feature-length Dragon's Lair film (which ultimately could cost upwards of $100 million). They ended up raising over $241,000 in one month before nixing the Kickstarter campaign. I can't blame them for aiming high, but honestly I'd settle for a lower-budget film backed by the likes of Netflix or Amazon.

Via: Polygon

Source: Kickstarter, Indiegogo

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News::Samsung Gear VR review (2015): A no-brainer if you own a Samsung phone

When Samsung and Oculus debuted their Gear VR headset almost a year ago, the companies made it clear the device wasn't yet ready for the masses. Billed as "Innovator Edition" models, the original Gear VRs were intended mainly for early adopters. They only fitted a limited number of phones -- the original was designed just for the Note 4; the second for the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge -- and were also quite pricey at $200 per headset. Just last week, however, the two companies released the first-ever consumer-ready version of the Gear VR. It's smaller, lighter, cheaper (only $99) and is compatible with more phones (the Note 5, S6, S6 Edge and S6 Edge+). But, more importantly, its content library has exploded, with more VR apps and games than ever before. Virtual reality has finally gone mainstream, and there's no better way to get started than with the new Gear VR.Slideshow-342906

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News::'Retro City Rampage' is getting a '16-bit' sequel

Retro City Rampage is getting a sequel named Shakedown Hawaii. Like RCR, Shakedown is a top-down action game in the same vein as the original Grand Theft Auto. The new game is set 30 years after RCR and promises a large open world to explore. It also swaps in "16-bit" graphics in place of the original's "8-bit" look, and adds destructible environments to the mix. It's been confirmed for launch on PC, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. Developer Vblank says this isn't a Sony console exclusive per se, but it's not going for an Xbox One launch as RCR hasn't been ported to Microsoft's machine, making development more complex. It'll also come to "at least one Nintendo platform" at some point. Vblank tells Polygon that a 3DS release is being targeted, and it's waiting to hear more about Nintendo's next-gen "NX" console before it makes a decision on a port.

Source: PlayStation Blog

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News::Sony PlayStation 4 sales speed past 30 million

In just over two years Sony's sold over 30 million PlayStation 4s. That tally was 20.2 million in March, and now ahead of the busy holiday shopping season we have word from the Japanese tech giant that it's sold through more than 30.2 million consoles to some 124 countries and regions globally. That's roughly 1.25 million consoles per month since then, as of November 22nd. Impressive! Of course, Microsoft announced that the Xbox One was the number one-selling console in October recently, and that Halo 5 was the best selling game last month, but as per usual didn't give out any hard numbers.

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News::Playdate: 'Mario Tennis Ultra Smash' and board games with animals

Ah, Thanksgiving -- the perfect time to relax with your family and play something slow, wholesome and casual. Nintendo, it's your time to shine: join us as we check out Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival and Mario Tennis Ultra Smash on Wii U to see which game better compliments a gluttonous holiday meal. We'll be streaming at 6PM Eastern / 3PM Pacific right here in this post, on the Engadget Gaming homepage and, if you want to join us in chat, at Twitch.tv/Joystiq. And yes, it's okay to vent your Amiibo shopping frustrations here. This is a safe space, friends. We understand.

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News::Unofficial app makes PlayStation 4 to PC streaming a reality

Sony's had its Remote Play tech in one form or another since the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable, but it didn't truly take off until its implementation on PlayStation 4 and the PS Vita handheld. But that's kind of wasted when nobody is buying the Vita and it's getting zero love from its parent company. Remote Play PC is exactly what its name implies: an application that tricks the PS4 into thinking a PC is a Remote Play device. Microsoft changed the game (sorry) with the ability for the Xbox One to stream its games to Windows 10-based hardware and until Sony catches up we're just going to have to settle for an unofficial app that costs money to perform the task.

Via: Kotaku

Source: Tmacdev

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News::You don't have to be a millionaire to invest in Fig's next video game

Crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter don't deal in investments: Backers pledge money to a project and that's generally where their involvement ends. No purchasing shares, no percentage of final sales. Video game-funding platform Fig, however, combines this traditional form of crowdfunding with actual investment -- and it will allow unaccredited people to invest in its next campaign. This move opens up investment to people who aren't SEC-accredited, meaning they don't make at least $200,000 a year (or have a minimum net worth of $1 million). "We believe that fans, in addition to having the opportunity to participate in the rewards-only tiers, should also have the opportunity to buy shares and participate in the financial success of a title," Fig CEO Justin Bailey says in a press release.

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News::New in our buyer's guide: The iPhone 6s, Surface Book and much more

Sorry we haven't updated the buyers's guide in a couple months -- we've been too busy pumping out reviews of all the new devices. Now that things have finally started to slow down (fingers crossed), let's take a step back and look at all the awesome stuff we've had a chance to test this fall. For starters, there's a bunch of excellent smartphones that we absolutely need to add to our guide. Namely: the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, the Nexus 6P and 5X, and the Moto X Pure. On the tablet side, we're inducting both the iPad mini 4 and the Surface Pro 4. Microsoft makes another appearance in the laptop section, where we've added the Surface Book, along with Dell's Chromebook 13. Rounding out the list, we threw in a few miscellaneous items, including the new Xbox One Elite Wireless controller, the redesigned Sonos Play:5 wireless speaker and Google's $35 Chromecast Audio.

Source: Engadget Buyer's Guide

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News::Make your 'Halo 5' Spartan into a 3D-printed trophy

Halo 5's campaign is hot garbage if you're playing through it solo, but the multiplayer suite is pretty much the opposite if you're into competitive shooters. It's a likely reason why Microsoft is shifting its latest ad and PR focus around the mode -- pre-release hype centered on the game's flaccid story. The latest step in that? Bringing your customized Spartan soldier into the real world via 3D printing. Redmond has aligned with custom 3D printing house Sandboxr and printer manufacturer 3D Systems to put your unique Slayer combatant (sorry, Kerry King) in the palm of your hand. Using the web interface, Xbox Wire says you can choose from 175 armor and helmet options, over 30 color variants and five different poses with a quintet of weapons. The classic "teabag" pose isn't one of the available selections, however, but you can make an 18-character moniker for the statue.

Source: Xbox Wire, Halo Waypoint

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News::'Futurama' will be resurrected as a mobile game

If the TV show that you love gets axed before you're ready to let it go, then there are a couple of things you can hope for. For instance, a streaming service could step in to fund a new season of the show, or people can turn to Kickstarter and do it themselves. But it turns out that there's another route towards salvation in the form of a mobile game, which is how Futurama is going to make its auspicious return. 20th Century Fox has signed a deal with German game developer Wooga to create Futurama: Release the Drones. The story will see the Planet Express crew take on MomCo in a delivery war, with players asked to connect groups of drones to solve puzzles.

Source: Wooga

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News::A 'Dragon Quest' game is coming to PCs through Steam

At long last, you can get a Dragon Quest game on Steam... if not quite the role-playing game you might be hoping for. Square Enix has revealed that Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below is coming to Windows as a Steam download on December 3rd. The $60 title (already available on the PS3 and PS4) is really a slash-em-up that happens to be set in the DQ universe more than anything else -- think Dynasty Warriors with slimes. Still, this is heartening news. Heroes was well-received when it hit consoles earlier this year, and its Windows launch raises hope that other follow-ups in the series (if not necessarily the much-hyped Dragon Quest XI) could one day be just a click away.

Via: TechnoBuffalo

Source: Steam

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News::Amazon's Echo speaker wants to play games with you

Amazon seems bound and determined to not let its internet-connected wünderspeaker, the Echo, fall prey to the same fate as the Fire TV and Fire Phone. Good on Jeff Bezos for that. In case you're already bored of the device reading you news headlines and finding restaurant info for you, now the gizmo's Alexa app will play games and even tell you how much gas you have left in your car. Games include Bingo; trivia; simple math puzzles and even rock, paper, scissors. As Android Central points out, the automotive stuff is available via a third-party solution, dubbed Automatic, that interfaces with your car via a $100 adapter. With that, you can ask questions about how far you drove recently or what your gas gauge is sitting at. Or you could, you know, look at your instrument cluster. It's up to you!

Source: Android Central

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News::Nintendo opened an eBay store for some reason

Looking for a good deal on a refurbished Wii U, but don't like using Nintendo's clunky online shop? Now you have another option -- the company just opened an official eBay store, stocked with new and refurbished games, consoles and accessories. Don't expect to find any deals though: almost everything on the official eBay store conforms to current retail prices (fixed using eBay's "buy it now" feature) or Nintendo's existing refurb pricing.

Via: Gamespot

Source: eBay

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News::Oculus Concepts collects experimental mobile VR 'games' in one spot

Virtual reality is nothing if not an awesome font for weird little experiences, but they can be kind of difficult to find. Some are on Steam, some are available elsewhere. Oculus is hoping that Oculus Concepts, its new section of the Gear VR's Oculus Store will make that easier. Concepts, like the name suggests, is a place where developers can toss their games and apps that might not be ready for primetime but are still worth checking out. One of the experiences shown off in official imagery is The Night Cafe: An Immersive Tribute to Van Gogh which was part of the Oculus Mobile VR Jam earlier this year. Like the company notes, some of the biggest VR games hit that status because they were released to the public early. So if you have a shiny new Gear VR and are looking to check out something aside from Netflix, here you go.

Source: Oculus Blog

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News::Playdate: Death becomes us in 'Darksiders 2'

When publisher THQ went bankrupt a few years back it was a staggering blow to the game industry. Sure, the company made some flops (oh hi, Homefront), but it also published some killer games like the Saint's Row and Metro franchises. The label also had Darksiders from developer Vigil Games. But unlike the first two series that I mentioned, Darksiders wasn't scooped up by a major publisher during the bankruptcy proceedings and comparatively was kind of left to languish. I'd honestly thought all hope was lost because while the series is great, it just couldn't really find an audience. So I was incredibly surprised when word came down that Darksiders 2 was getting a remastering earlier this year.

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News::Virtual reality shooter 'Gunjack' is ready for Samsung's Gear VR

Just in time for today's launch of Samsung's consumer Gear VR, developer and publisher CCP is making Gunjack available for the headset. The virtual reality game, powered by Unreal Engine 4, is an arcade shooter that takes places in the EVE sci-fi universe. Once you strap in, you'll play the role of a gun turret operator, with the goal being to protect your mothership from some menacing pirates. In an interview earlier this year, Gunjack's producer told us that the title was different from Valkyrie, CCP's upcoming VR dogfighting simulator, as it required to be developed from the ground-up and with mobile gaming in mind. If you have your shiny new Gear VR all set up, you can grab Gunjack right now from the Oculus store for $10.Slideshow-342508

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News::Samsung's consumer Gear VR is available now for $99

We knew it was coming, but now it's finally here. Samsung's newly improved virtual reality headset, the Gear VR, is launching today in the US for $99. This iteration of the Gear VR is, without a doubt, the most consumer-ready VR headset to date. One of its downsides is that it only works with Samsung's latest smartphones, such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge and Galaxy S6 Edge+ -- but that's great news for people who own handsets. As you may recall, Samsung's Gear VR is powered by Oculus software, and services like Hulu have already announced compatibility with the device. If you're Stateside, you can grab the Gear VR now from retailers including Amazon and Best Buy. As for worldwide availability, an Oculus spokesperson says that will be announced "soon."

Source: Oculus

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News::7 awesome gaming gifts

Winter is coming. And with it also comes the need to show the loved ones in your life just how much you care for them by spending, spending, spending on gifts. Trouble is, there are just so many options to choose from. What you really need is someone, some outside force to hold your credit card-holding hand. And boy, do we have some suggestions for you. Happy Holidays! You're very welcome.

Chances are you know someone you hold dear who just loves video games. Heck, that person might even make a living from playing them online for an audience. Whatever the case may be, there's no better way to treat the gaming enthusiast in your life this holiday season than with a fresh new console and some interactive art. Take a peek at our picks below.

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Image credit: SSPL via Getty Images

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News::Watch live streamers play developers at their own games for charity

Erin Robinson Swink, developer of the hand-painted physics game, Gravity Ghost, has a simple reason driving her passion for green energy and environmental advocacy: asthma. "I remember how awful it was needing an inhaler as a kid," she says. Air pollution -- driven in large part by burning coal -- contributed to her respiratory disease.

Today, Robinson Swink is combining these two passions -- game development and clean energy -- for a three-day live-streaming event called Beat the Dev on Twitch (it's live right now). The event sees developers behind titles like Borderlands 2, Uncharted 3, Super Meat Boy, Octodad, Nuclear Throne, Journey, Darksiders II and 17 others playing their own games against a lineup of live-streamers. Donations made during the event will benefit The Sierra Club and its clean-air, green-energy advocacy efforts.

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News::The world's fastest consumer CPU probably isn't worth the upgrade

If you're able to splurge on Intel's high-end Xeon CPUs, then congratulations, Mr. McDuck! For the rest of us, the next best option is Intel's fastest consumer processor, the Core i7-5960X. And that's nothing to sniff at either: The 3Ghz, eight-core chip runs $1,050 or so, and you'll need to spend more than usual on the motherboard and DDR4 memory. But what if you ask Intel nicely and then they go ahead and ship you one, like I did? Then you'll have this informal test, as I compare the i7-5960X to my six-core, $390 i7-5820K in both real-world and benchmark tests. Is it worth the extra $660? Hmm.

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News::The prison-building simulator that makes you part of the problem

​It wasn't supposed to be this way. I started off with altruistic intentions. I was going to create a spacious, roomy penitentiary. I was going to double the minimum size of cells. There was going to be a big yard, with a pool table and TVs. This was going to be a decent prison; a social service. But then I ended up blowing the upfront from my grants on all that square footage – plus, I needed guards, a warden; then, when the money started to tighten, an accountant to find tax loopholes – and the next thing I knew I was in the red. Look, there's Andrew Brown, in for 23 years for arson. He has four sons. And now he has no choice but to to use an open-air toilet in the center of a holding cell because I'm too cheap to build walls around it. I've stripped this little avatar of his dignity. I'm starting to feel ashamed.

Then it dawned on me: This isn't a resort; this is a prison. It's big business and I'm its architect, and I'm losing because I took my eye off the prize. I need to be focused on selling my prison for profit, not getting bogged down in frivolous niceties. And, I suspect, that's exactly what Prison Architect, a PC strategy game from Introversion Software, wanted me to feel.

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News::The best stories in 'Fallout 4' are the ones you can't spoil

A few weeks ago, a malicious person created a new user account on Engadget (a time-consuming process in its own right) and dropped a massive pair of Fallout 4 spoilers in the comments of my Pip-Boy edition write-up. Why? Because some people just want to destroy the fun of others. I absentmindedly read these "comments" and was bummed out because I thought the game I'd been waiting for since 2009 had been ruined. As it turns out, that wasn't the case.

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News::Game's 'Christmas Shopper' sequel is hilariously bad

The insanity of Black Friday is almost upon us and to celebrate, British retailer Game has dropped an intentionally bad PC and Mac title called Christmas Shopper Simulator 2: Black Friday. That's right, this is weirdly a sequel. The company pulled a similar stunt last year with a free game that had you running around a shopping centre and generally causing mayhem. Its follow-up has a near-identical premise filled with barmy challenges, ragdoll controls and poorly animated NPCs. Progressing through the game unlocks special rewards -- within 10 minutes I had earned the ability to switch to a first-person perspective -- but most of the entertainment comes from simply sprinting around like a lunatic. The bare-bones sandbox is also filled with absurd stores that play on popular games and British brands. To name but a few, there's a falconry shop called "Britain's Got Talons," an Irish cinema chain named "O'Deans" and "Snakes Solid Boxes." Depending on your perspective, the game is either downright bad or 'so bad, it's good.' We'll let you be the judge.

Source: Christmas Shopper Simulator 2: Black Friday

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News::Microsoft's Black Friday deals include $299 Xbox One bundles

Microsoft is desperate for the Xbox One to make an impact this holiday season. In addition to a slew of exclusive games, including Halo 5: Guardians, Rise of the Tomb Raider and Forza Motorsport 6, the company is continuing to undercut Sony's PlayStation 4. To mark Black Friday -- specifically November 26th to 30th -- Microsoft is slashing $50 from 12 Xbox One holiday bundles. The cheapest of which will be going for $299 with either a copy of The Lego Movie Videogame or Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. Needless to say, there's never been a better time to jump on board with Microsoft's latest console. Combined with the greatly redesigned dashboard, a customisable "Elite" controller and backwards compatibility, there's little else the company can do at this point to promote sales.

Source: Major Nelson (Blog Post)

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News::'GTA V' will never feel the same with this hydraulic rig

Grand Theft Auto V provides the perfect playground for car junkies that want to perform some Furious 7-inspired stunts. Take this clip of a player landing his favorite ride inside a flying cargo plane. Nuts. But what if you could make the first-person driving experience a little more realistic? Force Dynamics, a small company from upstate New York, has done exactly that with one of its wild gaming rigs. At first glance, it looks like a typical racing arcade cabinet with a large display, a steering wheel and a bucket seat. But the entire contraption can rotate and tilt up and down, mimicking the movement of most in-game vehicles. In the case of Grand Theft Auto V, it's a gut-wrenching rollercoaster every time you launch a car off a ramp or, indeed, check out the fairground attraction in Los Santos. We'd love to have a go, although we'd probably need a paper bag within arm's reach.

Via: Kotaku

Source: Force Dynamics (YouTube)

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News::Sony's adding PlayStation 2 backwards compatibility to the PS4

Revisiting PlayStation 2 games (at this point) might cost more than you expect. Sony and Electronic Arts have a Star Wars: Battlefront bundle available right now and with it comes a quartet of games from a long time ago and a galaxy far, far away: Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter, Star Wars Racer: Revenge and Super Star Wars are available via a single download code. This news comes by way of the tech-minded folks over at Digital Foundry who say that of the PS2-era games (all but the latter), they're running via emulation. The evidence is in the details here, as DF says that the sophomore console's select and start buttons have been mapped to either side of the DualShock 4's touchpad, which, considering these were made by Lucasarts Interactive and not Sony, wouldn't be possible otherwise.

Source: Eurogamer

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News::Adorable, grisly adventure game 'Jenny LeClue' hits PS4 in 2016

Jenny LeClue is a coming-of-age story wrapped in a choose-your-own-adventure novel and tied up with the pixelated ribbon of a point-and-click detective game. And it's coming to PlayStation 4 next year, creator Joe Russ announced on the PlayStation Blog today. We've been keeping an eye on this one since its $105,800 Kickstarter in 2014 -- it's poised to be a witty and charming investigation game starring a pugnacious young woman, Jenny LeClue, on a mission to prove her mother is innocent of murder. However, Jenny is fictional even within the game, where she's the star of a series of (also fictional) choose-your-own-adventure novels. As Jenny hunts down evidence and discovers secrets in her sleepy, creepy town, her author narrates, and the two characters play off of each other in often-humorous ways.

Source: PlayStation Blog

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News::'Hotline Miami' sale benefits the artists behind those wild soundtracks

Hotline Miami and Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number are both dense, addictive and brutal -- and a lot of those adjectives come courtesy of the games' soundtracks. In recognition of this musical magnificence, Dennaton Games is holding a sale this weekend that benefits the aural artists responsible for both Hotline Miami soundtracks. Hotline Miami 2 is 40 percent off ($9) and Hotline Miami is 75 percent off ($2.50), and 100 percent of the proceeds during this sale go directly to the games' musicians. The combo pack, offering both games, is just $11 during the sale, and both soundtracks are discounted as well: 75 percent off for Hotline Miami's ($2.50) and 40 percent off for the sequel's ($9). The sale is live now through Monday at 10AM PT. If you've never heard the Hotline Miami soundtracks (Seriously, what are you doing with your life?), listen to a few songs below.

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News::Cyberpunk noir game 'Read Only Memories' heads to PS4 and Vita

Read Only Memories, a pixelated adventure game set in the futuristic city of Neo-San Fransisco, will make its way to PlayStation 4 and Vita "soon," developer Midboss announced in a new trailer. Midboss is composed of the folks behind the annual GaymerX convention, and Read Only Memories is a narrative-driven, sci-fi romp set in 2064 that happens to include an array of inclusive character options, such as the ability to choose your preferred gender pronoun. However, these options are almost a side-note to the game's emphasis on story, retro 2D gameplay and robust character interactions.

Source: PlayStation Blog

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News::Playdate: Answering the 'Call of Duty' in 'Black Ops III"

Another year, another Call of Duty campaign. It's almost comforting -- an annual tradition of unlocking weapons, leveling up and ultimately realizing that we're a lot worse at this game than we remember. Join us on the Engadget Gaming homepage, here in this post or Twitch.tv/Joystiq starting at 6PM Eastern / 3PM Pacific for two hours of Call of Duty: Black Ops III. We'll be checking out the campaign and spending some time in team deathmatch to see just how bad Sean is at online shooters.

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News::'Gravity Rush Remastered' launch date shifts up a week in Europe

Sony is doing the fine people of Europe a solid and pushing up the release date of Gravity Rush Remastered from February 10th to February 2nd. This is the new-and-improved, PlayStation 4 version of Gravity Rush, originally a (truly incredible) Vita game. Gravity Rush Remastered includes updated graphics, motion-sensing controls, and extra missions, costumes and challenges. The game is due to hit PS4 on February 9th in the US, in both digital and physical forms. A sequel, cleverly called Gravity Rush 2, is also on its way to PS4 -- and PS4 only, with no Vita version in sight.

Source: Sony

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News::Someone made a giant Rubik's Cube in 'Fallout 4'

It seems there are two types of Fallout 4 gamers: those who want to do nothing but take out bad guys, and a very patient few who painstakingly create some incredible stuff. Case in point, this giant floating Rubik's Cube. User "Theowest" spent a whopping 25 hours gathering and assembling 128 generators, 36 terminals and thousands of wires to create this neon behemoth, but we're not entirely sure whether or not it's a cube that can be "solved." It seems to be missing a top and bottom panel and each square is able to change color. So if you're not a gamer who would make anything like this, then take a second to appreciate its complexity -- right before you get back to kicking bad guy butt.

Via: Push Square

Source: Steam

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News::'Beyond: Two Souls' hits PS4 next week

When it comes to story-driven gameplay, few developers are quite as ambitious as Quantic Dream. We already knew that its PS3 titles, Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls, were coming to PS4, and now we've got some release dates. Beyond is coming out digitally next week: November 24th in the US ($29.99) and November 26th in Europe (€29.99/£24.99). If you buy the game that way, you'll also get access to a discounted version of Heavy Rain -- it's due on March 1st in the US, but it's not clear exactly when it'll be available digitally elsewhere. For Europe, Quantic Dream has confirmed a physical bundle called, unsurprisingly, The Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls Collection. That'll arrive on March 4th in the UK and March 2nd for the rest of Europe. There's no word on pricing, and we suspect that's roughly when Heavy Rain will launch digitally across the continent.

Source: PlayStation Blog (US), (EU)

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News::Get some face time with a snarling dinosaur in virtual reality

Until the real version of Jurassic World opens the closest we'll get to going face-to-face with dinosaurs is in virtual reality. The folks at German game developer Crytek are helping that stopgap by releasing one of their Back to Dinosaur Island demos to the public via Steam for free. As VRFocus reports, this demo has been on the trade show circuit since this past March at the Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco. Here you're seeing the world from the eyes of an infant dino hanging out in a nest of unhatched eggs as gigantic dragonflies flit about a gorgeous looking and sounding primeval forest. Oh you wanted terror? Don't fret because one of history's most impressive apex predators pokes its nose in for a view as well.

Via: VR Focus

Source: Crytek

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News::'Don't Starve: Shipwrecked' lands on December 1st

So far, the cult hit Don't Starve has maintained a largely familiar (if decidedly weird) setting. There have been twists and turns, but you knew what you were getting into. Well, the developers at Klei have decied to shake things up a bit: they're launching Don't Starve: Shipwrecked, a seabound add-on, through Steam Early Access on December 1st. The company hasn't said much about what that entails beyond new biomes, characters and creatures, although one look at the teasers suggests that you might be grappling with everything from hungry fish to angry monkeys. Shipwrecked will only be available on Windows at first, but there are promises of Linux and Mac versions in the pipeline.

Via: Eurogamer

Source: Klei Entertainment

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News::'Deus Ex: Mankind Divided' is delayed to August 2016

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is due to hit PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on August 23rd, 2016 -- though it was originally scheduled to launch on February 23rd. Eidos Montreal head David Anfossi announced the delay in a blog post titled, "No compromise on quality." He says, in part, "We're confident and proud of the game so far. However, as we are now playing through the game in full we can see that it will require more time in post-production for tuning, iterations and refinement to meet our high standards." Anfossi offers an apology and gratitude for fans' continued support.

Source: Deus Ex

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News::The video game 'outsiders' creating VR art that makes you think

When Tale of Tales announced its departure from the gaming industry after 12 years of creating eccentric, cult-hit experiences, Twitter lit up with messages extolling the studio's impact on the industry. However, for Tale of Tales co-founders Auriea Harvey and Michaël Samyn, it was a hollow farewell. Their latest (and last) game, Sunset, had debuted just a month before to poor sales and lagging interest, despite a successful Kickstarter campaign and positive critical reception. Harvey and Samyn were already contemplating an exit from the world of video games and Sunset's situation pushed them to make it official. "It often didn't feel like games were worth the sacrifice," Samyn says.

Now, Harvey and Samyn have returned to their pure, artistic roots -- and to Kickstarter -- with Cathedral-in-the-Clouds, a virtual reality exhibition of Christian art in the Gothic and Renaissance periods. We spoke with Samyn about following his passion and Tale of Tales' lofty goals, and came away with a clear message: If you're going to leave games behind for a project that resides firmly in the art realm, you might as well shoot for the clouds.

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