The Latest Starfield Mini-Doc Is All About the Musical Score

Posted on by Spieler Dad

I don’t think I’m going out on a limb when I say that Starfield’s music is going to be top-notch. One just needs to look (or listen) to Bethesda’s previous works and you have an idea of what to expect in terms of quality and scale.

The latest Starfield mini-doc looks into how the soundtrack was constructed, as audio director Mark Lampert and composer Inon Zur detail their processes and inspiration in building the game’s epic score.

Starfield launches on the PC and Xbox Series X|S on November 11, 2022. It will also be available on day one on Xbox Game Pass.

[Source: Youtube]

Sony Requiring Devs to Include Playable Demos For Their Poorly Conceived Playstation Plus Service

Posted on by Spieler Dad

According to GameDeveloper.com, Sony has begun communicating with developers that games that cost $34 or higher will be required to have time-limited demos on the Playstation Plus Premium tier. These demos must be at least two hours long.

Apparently, many devs felt blindsided by this announcement, as they were informed about the policy via an update on Sony’s developer portal.

As someone who has been gaming a long time, I can give two shits over game demos.

[Source: GameDeveloper.com]

Here’s the Release Schedule for Sony’s Dead On Arrival Launch of the Revamped Playstation Plus

Posted on by Spieler Dad

Sony has announced dates for the global rollout of Playstation Plus, their weak sauce response to Xbox Gamepass.

  • Asia markets (excluding Japan) — targeting May 23, 2022
  • Japan — targeting June 1, 2022
  • Americas — targeting June 13, 2022
  • Europe — targeting June 22, 2022

These are targets mind you, and not set in stone dates, so things can change.

In case you forgot, Playstation Plus has a tiered pricing model.

  • PS Plus Essential — $60 per year with two monthly games, discounts, cloud saves, and online multiplayer.
  • PS Plus Extra — $100 per year with “up to 400” PS4 and PS5 games.
  • PS Plus Premium — $120 per year with “340 additional games” including titles from the PS1, PS2, PSP, and (cloud steaming only) PS3 catalog, as well as PlayStation Now-style cloud streaming and “time-limited game trials.”

Sony still has not announced what games you’ll get, which makes it difficult to gauge whether this is a good value or not.

[Source: Sony]

After Microsoft Announces that Ads Are Coming to Free to Play Games on Xbox, Sony Follows Suit

Posted on by Spieler Dad

Last week, it was reported that Microsoft is working on a program that will allow ads in free-to-play Xbox games. Internal sources have stated that the ads wouldn’t disrupt gameplay and will be similar to billboards in a racing game, as to be unobtrusive.

Of course, whenever Microsoft does something hot button, the Playstation fanboys hem, and haw and go on and on and fucking on until I puke. Then all of a sudden Sony announces that they’re doing the same thing and all is quiet.

The in-game ads on Playstation games are expected to launch by the end of this year and similar to the Xbox, will be limited to inconspicuous areas, like the aforementioned billboards. 

[Source: Insider]

Boston Logan Airport Evacuated Because the TSA Doesn’t Know What an Original Playstation Looks Like

Posted on by Spieler Dad

Air travel these days is rough. I remember when people used to dress up for air travel. Nowadays, flying on an airplane is like taking a greyhound bus with wings, especially if you fly on Spirit.

I get it, after 9/11 security is a priority, but we got to hire people for the TSA that can identify am original Playstation and not confuse it for a bomb. This was the case on Easter Sunday when Boston Logan International Airport was evacuated a suspicious item was discovered. The item was an old Playstation.

“Troopers responded and, after investigation and research, determined that the item was a PlayStation video game console with a degraded condition caused by age or damage.”

MassLive.com
After an investigation from the Boston Bomb Squad, passengers were eventually allowed to re-enter the terminal at about 5 p.m. when police gave the all-clear.

Thank god the authorities didn’t encounter someone traveling with a Sega Genesis or SNES, they probably would have shot the person on sight.

[Source: MassLive.com]

Horizon Forbidden West Leaked Weeks Before Release

Posted on by Spieler Dad

Horizon Forbidden West, arguably the biggest release of the nascent Playstation 5 era has leaked online.

On Monday, January 10, 2022, images of the purported PlayStation 4 version began circulating on social media. Only hours later, the images were pulled from Twitter following a request from “the copyright holder,” which only adds to the veracity of the images.

There is still no news if an early build of the game is circulating online.

Horizon Forbidden West officially launches February 18, 2022.

[Source: VGC]

A Harry Potter MMO Was Cancelled by EA Leadership in the Early 2000s Because They Thought The Brand Was a Fad

Posted on by Spieler Dad

Harry Potter is a massive brand. The books have spawned movies, theme parks, and now a spinoff series of movies. The franchise is not going anywhere, but in the early 2000s, Electronic Arts thought the brand was just a fad that would never last, canceling an MMO they had in the works.

The game was in development between 2000 and 2003, just prior to the release of the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Perhaps it was all for the best. EA would probably have ruined it.

[Source: OGL: Original Gamer Life]

GoldenEye 007 Xbox Achievements Have Appeared Online – Announcement Imminent?

Posted on by Spieler Dad

Achievement tracking website, TrueAchievements has revealed that two accounts by the names “BIGsheep” and “xtinamcgrath” have unlocked achievements in an unannounced Goldeneye 007 on Xbox. It also just so happens that the Gamertags “BIGsheep” and “xtinamcgrath” belong to Rare employees James Thomas and Christina McGrath.

Of course, this could mean nothing, but it’s interesting nonetheless.

[Source: TrueAchievements]

Sony Acquires Another Support Studio

Posted on by Spieler Dad

Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced via Twitter that it has acquired Valkyrie Entertainment.

Valkyrie Entertainment, which was founded in 2002, has primarily been a support studio, working with Sony, Microsoft, and Warner Bros, working on franchises like Batman: Arkham Origins, Injustice 2, Middle Earth: Shadow of War, Halo Infinite, Forza Motorsport 2, Infamous 2, and God of War. That is indeed quite the resume.

[Source: Twitter]

Sony Announces Official Covers for the Playstation – Coming January 2022

Posted on by Spieler Dad

Sony has announced that it is releasing its own console covers for the PS5, which will aid in making their technologically impressive console less fugly.

Priced at $55 a piece, the covers will come in five different colors; red, blue, purple, pink, and black. However, if you choose any color other than black (or maybe red), then you are missing the point. The idea is to make the console look BETTER, not worse.

The new plates will start appearing on store shelves globally in January 2022, which seems to be a miss on Sony’s part, as these would make good stocking stuffers, but what do I know.

Sony says that replacing the covers are easy, simply pop the current white cover off, click the new one on and boom. I can confirm that it really is that easy, as I replaced the ugly white plates with black ones from a 3rd party about a year ago, because looking at the PS5 in its original state was an assault on my eyes.

[Source: Sony]