PS5 Pre-Order Registration Page Appears on PlayStation Website

Well, the time has finally come to sign-up for PS5 pre-orders. Uhh, sort of.

Sony made some changes to the official PlayStation 5 section of its website recently that now allows users to register for the option to pre-order the next-gen console when it becomes available. The site doesn't indicate when the PS5 itself will become purchasable in this manner, but hey, at least its some sort of progress.

Those who want to sign-up to pre-order the PS5 will then be randomly selected to buy one directly from Sony when the raffle happens. Invitations themselves aren't a guarantee that you'll then be able to snag a PS5, so be sure to keep checking your email if you do register.  As for the registration process itself, Sony only asks for your current PlayStation Online ID. Once you punch it in, you should be good to go.

The whole roll-out of pre-orders for the PS5 and Xbox Series X have been downright odd, to say the least. We're nearly into September and we still don't have firm prices or release dates for either next-gen platform. Still, if Sony is beginning to make moves like this on their own website, you'd imagine we'll start hearing more very soon.

Until then, all we know is that Sony still intends to release the PS5 at an undetermined date this holiday season.

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Grounded Update Gives Players Perks and a New Feathery "Friend"

Grounded

When Obsidian's Grounded hit Early Access in late July, it was immediately met with tons of players. While the game still has a ways to go in terms of content, that's a good sign that the team has hit on a great IP. And now, the team is releasing its first major content update. It comes complete with tons of new additions and a terrifying new enemy. Give the update trailer a watch below to see some of the stuff Obsidian's adding.

While the bird is literally the biggest thing coming to the update, the most interesting aspect for the game might be the new perk system. Basically, this is a new way for players to differentiate themselves from their friends. There are currently 13 perks and you can equip up to three at once. It will be fun to see all the wacky ones the team can come up with over the course of the early access campaign.

There is also a new slew of items for you to craft and some improvements to placing items. Plus, BURG.L has some brand new quests for you to take on. And, of course, there are a host of bug fixes and changes. That includes a buff to spiders, so be prepared.

Grounded brings such a unique premise to the table. I'm very hopeful that Obsidian adds tons of content to really fill the whole thing out before it fully launches. This is a great first step and I can't wait to see what they have next.

Grounded is available now in early access on PC and Xbox One. The game is set to launch sometime in 2021.

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Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War Releases in November, Cross-Gen Version Retails for $70

As promised, Activision today lifted the veil on all things Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War, with all of the major details of the project now being unveiled.

Prior to the game's full reveal in Call of Duty: Warzone, images and key pieces of information for the shooter leaked via digital storefronts. As the rumors we had heard suggested, Black Ops: Cold War is a direct sequel chronologically to the original Call of Duty: Black Ops. Characters like Frank Woods and Alex Mason make their return with the game taking place during the early 1980s. Accompanying modes such as multiplayer and Zombies will be coming back, too.

Here's a full description of the game as a whole:

The iconic Black Ops series is back with Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War – the direct sequel to the original and fan-favorite Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Black Ops Cold War will drop fans into the depths of the Cold War's volatile geopolitical battle of the early 1980s. Nothing is ever as it seems in a gripping single-player Campaign, where players will come face-to-face with historical figures and hard truths, as they battle around the globe through iconic locales like East Berlin, Vietnam, Turkey, Soviet KGB headquarters and more.

As elite operatives, you will follow the trail of a shadowy figure named Perseus who is on a mission to destabilize the global balance of power and change the course of history. Descend into the dark center of this global conspiracy alongside iconic characters Woods, Mason and Hudson, and a new cast of operatives attempting to stop a plot decades in the making.

Beyond the Campaign, players will bring a Cold War arsenal of weapons and equipment into the next generation of Multiplayer and Zombies experiences.

Perhaps most importantly, Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War is also confirmed to launch on November 13 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. It will then seemingly launch in tandem with both next-gen consoles in the PS5 and Xbox Series X, depending on when both platforms release.

Speaking of each next-gen console, Activision will also be going down a bit of a different route when it comes to upgrading current-gen versions of Black Ops: Cold War to those on PS5 and Xbox Series X. Rather than doing a free upgrade, purchasers will have the chance to spend $69.99 on a cross-gen version of the title. This will give you access to the game on your current-gen platform of choice, with an upgrade to the accompanying next-gen console being possible later on. While players are being asked to spend more money up front, it is better than some other systems that competing publishers have come up with.

We're set to see a whole lot more of Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War beginning tomorrow at Gamescom Opening Night Live, so stay tuned. Until then, you can check out some of the first screenshots from the upcoming shooter down below.

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The Last Campfire From Hello Games Launches Tomorrow

The Last Campfire, Hello Games

While most know developer Hello Games from their work on No Man's Sky, the team has also been quietly working on a new game for the last few years. The Last Campfire was first revealed back at The Game Awards back in 2018. It's a completely new direction for the studio. The Last Campfire is an adventure game focused on exploration and puzzles. Hello Game's own Sean Murray helped explain the game via a new narrated trailer. Give it a watch below.

Before today, The Last Campfire simply had a release window of "summer." It's a bit surprising that they'd just shadow drop the date the day before Gamescom Opening Night Live. However, there's also something to be said for getting an announcement out on its own.

Either way, this is a great surprise. I'm a big fan of exploration and puzzle games, so Hello Games' latest is right up my alley. The game also has a great look about it. In the PlayStation Blog post that went up this morning, there's a shot of the game's hero exploring through a valley. It's absolutely gorgeous. Hopefully, the entire game continually brings that same style.

In the video above, Murray also talks quite a bit about the characters you'll meet along the way. When I first saw the game nearly two years ago, I wasn't too interested in the story. However, seeing that turtle made me instantly want to know his backstory.

The Last Campfire launches on August 27 for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

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LEGO Star Wars : The Skywalker Saga Get Gameplay at Gamescom

Lego Star Wars

Over the last few days, video game presenter extraordinaire Geoff Keighley has slowly been teasing some of the games coming to Gamescom Opening Night Live on Thursday. The main man himself took to Twitter today to reveal that tomorrow we'll be getting our first look at gameplay in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. With the game potentially coming out in October, it's about time we see it in action.

Of course, this being a LEGO Star Wars game, you probably know what to expect. The franchise has kind of hit on a perfect formula for its audience and only makes incremental changes from one game to another. That said, in terms of content, this game is packed with stuff to do.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga takes players through all nine movies in the main Star Wars arc. During the journey, players will meet "nearly 500" of their favorite universe characters. The roster includes everyone from Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader to everyone's favorite spice runner Zorii Bliss.

Unlike with most LEGO games, players don't have to take on a linear story. Instead, they can choose to tackle any of the nine movies in whichever order. There's also a slate of hub worlds to explore that move players from mission to mission.

As someone who lives with a person who's done everything there is to do in every LEGO game released, The Skywalker Saga is a bit terrifying. On paper, there's so much packed in that I might never see my PS4 again.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga drops later this year on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Be sure to check back tomorrow to see all of the news out of Gamescom Opening Night Live.

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Street Fighter V and PUBG are Your PS Plus Games for September

Hot off the successful month of August with Fall Guys debuting on the service, PlayStation has now outlined what games PS Plus subscribers will be able to download for the month of September.

On paper, September looks to be another solid month all around for PS Plus users with Street Fighter V being the first title available within the month. The popular fighting game first launched back in 2016 and has since continued to be supported by Capcom. The fifth season of SFV was just detailed a few weeks back and is set to see a number of new characters joining the roster in the coming months.

The second game available in the month is that of the ever-popular battle royale title PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. The multiplayer shooter has been on PS4 for nearly two years at this point and while it's widely considered to not be as good as its PC counterpart, the game still offers hours of fun to be had.

Both Street Fighter V and PUBG will become available to download for free to PS Plus users next week on September 1 and will be available until October 5. Be sure to let us know in the comments what you think about September's lineup of games.

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Hajimari no Kiseki Release Stream: Development Stories From Toshihiro Kondo

Hajimari no Kiseki release stream

Nihon Falcom and Clouded Leopard Entertainment held a special live stream on August 26, celebrating the release of The Legend of Heroes: Hajimari no Kiseki on PS4.The stream featured Clouded Leopard Entertainment President Chen Yun Yun, Falcom Presdent Toshihiro Kondo; Two seiyuu were present as guests, Shinnosuke Tachibana (Jusis Albarea) and Masumi Asano (Noel Seeker). We heard some developments stories on Hajimari and got to see some gameplay. We've got a summary below.

The stream started with Toshihiro Kondo chatting about the game's development. He jokingly mentioned how everyone at Falcom immediately regretted it when they started making Hajimari, realizing they're making a way too big game. Kondo explained the younger developers at Falcom greatly contributed to making everything go well.

Chen Yun Yun explained how she always wanted to bring more Falcom games to Asia in the past, with simultaneous releases with Japan, but it wasn't easy for multiple reasons. Mainly how Falcom works on its games until the last second before making them go gold. This means outside companies localizing the games tend to get them pretty late. This is one of the things which made localizing the games pretty difficult in her previous company, who couldn't handle that. That's why she decided to make her own company, Clouded Leopard Entertainment.

Coming next up, they quickly reexplained how Hajimari no Kiseki works. Most notably the Shin Mugen Kairou / True Corridor of Reveries and how it's a randomly generated dungeon, independent from the main game, and where you unlock and play the mini games. Unlocking them works like a gacha. You get special stones by defeating strong enemies, and use these stone to randomly get Characters Episodes and Mini games as rewards. Certain stones can also unlock special characters that aren't playable in the main game.

The True Corridor of Reveries lets you use any character, as long as you unlock them, so you can make party combinations that are impossible in the main game. You can also use the True Corridor of Reveries to train your characters as they'll retain everything gained there in the main story.

Toshihiro Kondo and Chen Yun Yun also commented on some of the mini games in Hajimari. They mentioned the quiz game Kiseki de Pon is really difficult and is made for Kiseki Series otaku to fight each other on their knowledge of the series.

Beach de Vacances was also explained. Kondo mentioned how in Trails of Cold Steel, Rean could end up paired with one of the girls.  In this mini game, you control Rean and you'll be able to play at the beach with these girls, with games like watermelon splitting. At first, it'll only be the girls from Sen no Kiseki and with Rean. But later on DLC will add Zero and Ao no Kiseki girls and we'll play as Lloyd instead.

Hajimari no Kiseki release stream Magical Alisa RS script

Next up they explained the Magical Alisa RS game. They made this one because the Mahou Shoujo DLC costumes in the past game were really popular and many fans wanted to see them again. Moreover,  Magical Alisa RS has an actual storyline, linked with the Magical Alisa novel they published in the Falcom magazine. The RS in Magical Alisa RS means Return Shooting. Toshihiro Kondo also explained you need to progress in the True Corridor of Reveries to unlock more stages of Magical Alisa RS.

Next up, we saw the early part of Hajimari, the story prologue, which follows Lloyd's perspective. Noel was the field character. The gameplay started at the 28:57 mark and lasted for around ten minutes:

Masumi Asano commented on Noel's butt, saying it's cute. Kondo said they pay a lot of attention to how each character looks from the back as that's what you see the most .We most notably saw the tutorial for Valiant Rage and how it's Tio explaining it in-universe to Lloyd's party.

Following that, Masumi Asano played Magical Alisa RS on Easy Mode, and Shinnosuke Tachibana tried it on Hard Mode. Kondo joked saying it looks better than the main game. You can find that segment starting the 39:50 mark:

 

Hajimari no Kiseki release Hajimari no Kiseki release

Lastly, Chen Yun Yun mentioned the Traditional Chinese and Hangul PC Steam versions and Hangul versions of Trails of Cold Steel I to IV. Sen no Kiseki 1 will come on January 28, 2021. Sen 2 will be in February 2021. Sen 3 will be in March 2021. And if nothing goes wrong Sen 4 will be out in April 2021. A lot of players in Asia want to play the games on Steam so they're releasing them fast.

That's all for this special Hajimari no Kiseki release stream.

The Legend of Heroes: Hajimari no Kiseki released on PS4 in Japan and Asia on August 27. To celebrate the release, this week's Famitsu magazine also includes a feature on Hajimari no Kiseki and an interview with Toshihiro Kondo. Where he most notably share some hints on the next game. We will be covering that interview soon in a separate article.

You can read more details on The Legend of Heroes: Hajimari no Kiseki with our past coverage. Most notably the new game engine Falcom is working on. We're also preparing a guide translating and summarizing the game's official site and everything Falcom revealed prior release.

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Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 Announced in Nintendo Direct Mini

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2

In today's Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase, Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 was announced for the Nintendo Switch. The combination of Puyo Puyo and Tetris seems like a match made in heaven. They both are colorful puzzle games that feature blocks dropping from the top of the screen, so their second fusion seemed inevitable.

If you live anywhere outside of Japan, you might have missed the first Puyo Puyo Tetris, as it released in the West on Switch and PS4 in 2017, three years after its initial Japanese release. Puyo Puyo Tetris 2, however, is launching worldwide on the Switch, Xbox One, and PS4 on December 8, this year. With plans for a next-gen release in the works according to Sega.

https://twitter.com/PuyoOfficial/status/1298621228471615490

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 is set to feature its classic versus mode where players compete in Puyo Puyo against Tetris, a party mode that has "special items and challenges," as well as an adventure mode where players will experience a brand new story with a "vibrant cast."

Sega describes in the press release:

  • Turn the Tide of Battle in an Instant: Brand-new Skill Battle mode introduces dynamic character-based skills and equippable Item Cards to fit your playstyle, power up your team, and quickly turn the tables in a match!
  • Save a World or Two in a Wild New Adventure: Travel through dimensions with the lovable and quirky cast of both returning and new characters in an all-new story adventure across the worlds of Puyo Puyo and Tetris!
  • Online and Better Than Ever: Improved Online modes offer competition in game-specific leagues and Free Play for up to four players, online rankings, and more to be announced!
  • Many Ways to Play: Tons of modes provide plenty of variety for up to four players including Versus, Fusion, Swap, Party, Big Bang. For competitors and newcomers, get ready for Tournament and Lessons! Details about these exciting modes will be revealed in future announcements, so prepare yourself!
  • And More to Come: DLC will be announced at a later date, but get ready for plenty of content beyond launch!

You can pre-order your copy of Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 right here to get eight in-game item cards to be used in Skill Battle Mode including three "special cards featuring Sonic items." You can also check out our review of Puyo Puyo Tetris right here on DualShockers.

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The Initiative Reportedly Working on New Perfect Dark Game

One of the biggest question marks in Xbox Game Studios' upcoming catalog involves The Initiative. As one of the newest developers established by Microsoft, the studio has largely been shrouded in secrecy since its inception. While we still don't know exactly what The Initiative might be working on, a new trusted source seems to have the answer.

According to Venture Beat's Jeff Grubb, The Initiative is working on a new entry in the long-dormant Perfect Dark franchise. The shooter series, which first came about on the Nintendo 64, hasn't seen a new installment since Perfect Dark Zero released as a launch title for the Xbox 360.

Grubb shared what he has heard of the project in a strange location: the chat section of a recent Twitch stream for Kinda Funny Games Daily. The podcast's hosts happened to be talking about The Initiative, which led to Grubb sounding off in the chat saying that what the studio is working on is related to Perfect Dark. He then claimed that this new installment will be of the third-person variety rather than first-person. In a follow-up message on Twitter, Grubb said he's not sure if the game will directly be called Perfect Dark, but it will seemingly take place within that world.

There are a few different reasons here that seem to verify what Grubb is saying could be true. For starters, Grubb himself has had a fantastic track record as of late and has been one of the first reporters to have information ahead of time on numerous different projects. Secondly, Microsoft's Phil Spencer teased earlier this year that what The Initiative is working on could be tied to something that is "old" and Perfect Dark definitely fits that bill.

Obviously, you should keep your reservations in check here until Microsoft or The Initiative announce this title themselves, but we've heard Perfect Dark rumors for quite some time now. So what do you think of this idea? Is a return of Perfect Dark something that you'd like to see in the future? Let me know down in the comments.

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Mafia: Definitive Edition Preview — Worth Calling Definitive

Leading up to the official release of Mafia: Definitive Edition, the upcoming remake of Mafia, I was given the opportunity to play an early build of the game and see the reimagined city of Lost Haven for myself. I also played Mafia 2: Definitive Edition on my PS4, which prompted an op-ed from me about deciding when something is a remaster or a simple port. During my short time with Mafia: Definitive Edition that question was far, far away from my mind. Instead, I found myself immersed in a gorgeous rendition of the windy city in the midst of the depression era.

Even before playing Mafia: Definitive Edition, it stood out among the pack of "definitive" Mafia re-releases. The definitive version of Mafia 3 is more of a complete edition, with all the DLC included, whereas Mafia 2: Definitive Edition included graphical changes that were only obvious in screenshots comparing this version and the game's original release. Mafia 2: Definitive Edition also struggled to maintain a stable framerate on my PS4 Pro, and I experienced multiple bugs during my time with it. But Mafia: Definitive Edition is different – it looks brand new, it sounds brand new, and from the gameplay we saw back in July, it plays like a modern title.

After roughly three hours with the game, Mafia: Definitive Edition is looking like the only entry in this "definitive" trilogy to live up to its name.

There is a marked shift, however, with something entirely different from the other Mafia titles – a commitment to being a cinematic experience. Whereas Mafia 2 and 3 only managed to cultivate this kind of presence during cutscenes (and even then, it's fairly rare), everything in Mafia: Definitive Edition feels as though it were ripped out of a world directed by Francis Coppola. There's a stark contrast between the extreme poverty and the extreme wealth of the 1930s visible, and in the game's first chapters, you experience that first hand. The world itself is filled with immense detail; the ever-present flicker of neon lights, countless loose objects behind bars, filthy streets populated by the hovels of the depression's victims. All of these backdrops are made stunning by Mafia: Definitive Edition's lighting system. For instance, when you're inside a dark building during the day, the outside looks realistically bright. These details add to the movie-like sense that follows the game through each mission.

Mafia: Definitive Edition may change a lot of things, but what it doesn't change is its story. The evergreen formula of a stupendous rise and meteoric fall of a criminal, akin to the stock market's actions at the time, is still engaging. If anything, Mafia: Definitive Edition brings that story to the next level with a re-written script, modern character modeling, and brilliant voice acting that brings the seedy yet somewhat honorable mobsters protagonist Tommy Angelo surrounds himself with to life. Even now, it's hard to get the voice of Sam (Don DiPetta) out of my head; it's a kind of raspy, drunkenness that perfectly matches his face. That quality carries over to all of the cast – they are caricatures of mob movie stereotypes brought to life.

My preview of Mafia: Definitive Edition, although thoroughly impressive, didn't introduce me to everything I expect the game will offer. Every chapter began with Tommy getting right into a mission – there was never any of the downtime that fans of the Mafia series appreciate. No time to go shopping for suits, knock down a few at a bar, or rob the place where you bought your suit in that new suit.

Mafia Definitive Edition

What I played revolved mostly around combat and driving, which, to be fair, are a good chunk of what players do in the Mafia titles. Tommy gets his first taste of violence wrecking some of the cars of rival mob boss Morello. During this early mission, the game introduces a new feature I haven't seen in a Mafia game before: melee weapons. And what's better to smash an old-time jalopy with than a baseball bat? Satisfyingly, every smack of the bat leaves indentations on the car. But busting up a car isn't quiet, and eventually, some goons come out to put an end to the fun.

Melee combat against enemies is fairly straightforward, but still something I haven't seen from a Mafia title before. There's a dedicated button for melee in Mafia: Definitive Edition, so no matter what you've got out, you can clock someone in the head. Hold down that button and you let loose a charged attack – bare fists make it a haymaker but with a baseball bat, you may as well be sending someone's gut out of left field.

Beating up chumps with a baseball bat is something that the Mafia franchise has been missing, but it's not the only gameplay improvement I saw in my preview. Gunplay in Mafia: Definitive Edition is the best it's ever been in the series, although it still has some kinks to work out. I only had three weapons available to me during my preview: the revolver, shotgun, and Tommy gun. Each weapon feels heavy, and that's further accentuated by the aiming reticle's bob with every step your character makes. There's a purposeful inaccuracy too, something that I adore when games do it right. Tommy Angelo isn't a soldier, he joined the mob after being a cab driver. He doesn't know much about weapons, other than that you point them, pull the trigger, and the thing they're pointed at is going down. Guns have a massive reticle, so don't be surprised if a shot you expect to hit doesn't. I did say there was one caveat to guns though, and it comes with how they sound. The revolver sounds more akin to a cap gun, and the other weapons I played with follow suit. I can't say whether or not those sounds will change between now and the game's release, but I sure hope they do.

Mafia Definitive Edition

I'm genuinely looking for one bad thing to say about my experience with Mafia: Definitive Edition that can't be chalked up the game's early build qualities, but I can't find any. I'd hazard to say it's the ideal Mafia title, something that fans of every game in the series can rally around and say, "Yes, this is what we've wanted all along." I so thoroughly enjoyed my first few hours with the game, that I'm excited to get my hands on it again next month. It's the same kind of excitement that came between every episode of Game of Thrones – I've been left on a cliffhanger and I'm hungry for more.

Mafia: Definitive Editon is set to release September 25 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

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