To help celebrate the debut of Marvel Vs Capcom: Infinite, Capcom gave PS4 owners another chance to try out the third game in the series with a surprise PS4 relaunch for Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3 over the weekend. But don’t worry, PC and Xbox One owners won’t be left out in the cold.
Capcom also confirmed that Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3 will be available to download on the PC and Xbox One in March 2017. Like the PS4 version, the re-release will include all of the game’s previously-released downloadable content, as well as a new Gallery Mode, and features an improved 1080p resolution running at 60 frames per second.
Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3 will be priced at $24.99 when it launches for the PC and Xbox One next year.
The 1980s-set prequel Yakuza 0 will be heading to the PlayStation 4 in North America and Europe on January 24th, but a remake to 2005’s Yakuza is also heading for western shores. Titled Yakuza Kiwami (“Yakuza Extreme” in Japanese), the remake will be published by Sega in North America, while its publishing partner Deep Silver will be handing those duties in Europe.
Yakuza Kiwami was originally released in Japan in January 2016, and its more than a simple remaster. The gangster saga has been rebuilt from scratch to output in full HD resolution at a silky smooth 60 frames per second. The combat system has also been retooled to match the more furious pace of the prequel, while some of the more obscure side quests have been better highlighted so that players can actually find them and experience the loose threads that branch from the main story line.
If you’re already familiar with Yakuza, then think of Kiwami as the super-deluxe Blu-ray Edition, with over 30 minutes of new cutscenes that add a critical level of depth to the characters, and also help to tie in with some of the stories unearthed in Yakuza 0.
In addition to all of these features, the eye-patch wearing villain Majima will appear more often, and without warning, fulfilling the game’s extreme label. There are also new street activities to enjoy, including Pocket Circuit car racing, Battle Bug Beauties, and fresh new hostesses.
But Sega also had more Yakuza news up its sleeve at this weekend’s PlayStation Experience. According to the PlayStation Blog, the publisher also confirmed that Yakuza 6: The Song of Life will get a localised version for western gamers. The sequel will hit Japan this week, but players in North America and Europe will have to wait until sometime in 2018 to get hold of the English version.
However, with both Yakuza 0 and Yakuza Kiwami to keep us busy, I think we can be patient.
Last seen as a welcome retro distraction in Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, everyone’s favourite orange marsupial is returning to the PlayStation 4 in Crash Banidicoot N. Sane Trilogy, developed by Vicarious Visions.
The developer, which originally got involved with Crash after working on Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure for the Game Boy Advance in 2002, dubbed the N. Sane trilogy a “Remaster Plus” on the PlayStation Blog. This need for a new moniker is because the original games designed by Naughty Dog are 20 years old, and all the assets used would not directly translate to the new generation of consoles. To that end, Vicarious Visions rebuilt the trilogy collection from scratch, using the original geometry of the levels, but redoing the animation, art, and audio.
The result is a trio of games (Crash Bandicoot, Cortex Strikes Back, and Warped) that feel familiar, but have been completely retooled to almost better resemble a brand new game. The eyebrows are back, but in glorious high definition. There will also be Time Trials in all three games, plus the original will now have a proper save system. Vicarious has even managed to snare the original voice actors, including Jess Harnell and Lex Lang, to record fresh dialogue.
Although they didn’t specify an exact date, Sony confirmed the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy will drop sometime in 2017.
This year’s PlayStation Experience gave us an even bigger look into gaming’s future with announcements for The Last of Us Part II, Marvel Vs Capcom: Infinite (which is also coming to the PC and Xbox One), and dozens more.
Elsewhere on Warp Zoned this week, we published Warp Zoned Wish List to offer suggestions on What We Want From the Resident Evil 2 Remake. And Andrew Rainnie is back with a new Kickstart This! column, this time focusing on Nuclear Fiction’s Ariel.
More news from the Game Awards, the PlayStation Experience, and the rest of the week can be found after the break.
In development since 2007, and first unveiled at E3 2009, The Last Guardian‘s disappearance from the public eye during the first part of the decade lead many to believe the game would never see the light of die. But some kept hope alive… even after Director Fumito Ueda parted ways with Sony a few years ago. That faith will be rewarded this week when The Last Guardian, a story of a boy and the gentle giant that follows him around, launches for the PS4.
Another long-awaited game will make its Xbox One this week. Capcom’s Dead Rising 4 marks the return of photojournalist Frank West and the Willamette Mall in a Christmas-themed zombie game that also brings back the franchise’s trademark zany setpieces and insane action.
Finally this week, Ubisoft will release Werewolves Within for the PS4. The publisher plans to recreate the real-life party game using a PlayStation VR headset, and five-to-eight players will get the chance to play “a fast-paced game of hidden roles and social deduction” online.
That’s it for the Retail Release Report, but we’ll be back later this week with a complete rundown of the new digital downloads coming to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.
While the majority of Sony’s PlayStation Experience Showcase presentation focused on the future, the consolemaker also highlighted a handful of games that are now available to download through the PlayStation Store right now.
Leading the way (and tying in rather nicely with the Marvel Vs Capcom: Infinite announcement) is the PS4 debut of Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3. This port of the one-on-one fighting game includes all the previously-released downloadable content as a visual upgrade promising full HD 1080p resolution at 60 frames per second.
Keeping with the fighting theme, SNK brought back another of their classic fighters this weekend, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, on the PS4 and Vita as a Cross-Buy title.
However, if you prefer your punching and kicking with a bit more of a beat ’em up flair, then you might be interested in Le Cartel’s Mother Russia Bleeds. Featuring a violent and surrealist take on the genre, Mother Russia Bleeds exists “somewhere between the classic style of Streets of Rage and the ultra-violence of Hotline Miami,” according to its developer.
Ultraviolence also sits at the center of Let It Die, a free-to-play multiplayer hack and slash for the PS4 from Goichi “Suda51” Suda. Players will need to be smart as they take on their opponents, which is also an important facet of Lara Croft Go, a strategic Tomb Raider experience from Square Enix. It’s now available to download for the PS4 and Vita.
Finally this weekend, PlayStation VR owners will get the chance to get their hands bloody with Bossa Studios’ Surgeon Simulator: Experience Reality.
More information on all of these games can be found after the break.
Sony Liverpool, the studio formerly known as Psygnosis, sadly closed its doors four years ago, but it’s legacy lives on with the Wipeout Omega Collection, which was announced yesterday for the PS4 at the PlayStation Experience.
Blistering sci-fi racers used to be all the rage, with the likes of F-Zero and Extreme-G racing up the charts, but Wipeout is fondly remembered for its breakneck speed, heart-pumping soundtrack, and challenging competitive modes. The collection is comprised of all the tracks and vehicles from three entries in the series – Wipeout HD, the expansion pack Wipeout HD: Fury, and the Vita title Wipeout 2048 – while featuring classic music as well as new hits from hot up-and-coming artists.
Every element has been remastered to look stunning in HDR and 4K on the PS4 Pro, with the game targeting an ultra-smooth 60FPS. According to the PlayStation Blog, the game will also feature 26 tracks and 46 unique ship models, as well as nine styles of play. Players can choose Single Race, Time Trial, Speed Lap, Zone, and Tournament from the original game, with added modes from Fury like Zone Battle, Eliminator, and Detonator. The much-loved Career Mode from 2048 will also make a welcome return.
Although a date was not specified, get ready to race sometime in 2017.
Not content with remastering the Wipeout series for 4K and HDR gaming, Sony also announced during the PlayStation Experience that a trio of classic musical games would be getting the remaster treatment. Hip-hop pooch PaRappa the Rapper, the colourful characters of LocoRoco, and the marching armies of Patapon are all getting updated to HD on the PS4 (and 4K on the PS4 Pro).
Not only will the games be remastered in terms of graphics, but the controls will be retooled specifically for the DualShock 4, so players will be able to better feel the musical beats. LocoRoco will also incorporate motion gestures from the controller to make it easier to control the vibrant worlds.
Although Sony seems to be trying to out-do Nintendo with the amount of remasters it is pumping out, these three games, that were so original and possibly ahead of their time, will be a welcome addition to the current console generation.
No, that’s not a typo. Welcome to the Weekly Warp-Up, your weekly wrap-up of the biggest and the best articles posted at Warp Zoned this week…
