All Articles: God of War 4

State of Decay 2 rises as the best-selling game of May 2018

I think we can all agree that the Xbox’s two biggest franchises are Halo and Gears of War. But it looks like Microsoft can add the State of Decay series to the list, as The NPD Group (via Game Informer) has confirmed that State of Decay 2 was the best-selling game of May 2018.

The zombie survival sim beat out other several other May releases including Detroit: Become Human (#3), Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (#5), Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition (#7), and Street Fighter: 30th Anniversary Collection (#17).

While it might have seemed like a slow month for new releases, The NPD Group confirmed that increased hardware sales gave the game industry a 13% bump over May 2017’s retail figures.

The complete Top 20 for May 2018 can be found after the break. (more…)

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God of War slays all comers and emerges as the best-selling game of April 2018

You might say that Kratos returned with a vengeance last month, and that’s because Sony’s God of War reboot climbed to the top of The NPD Group’s list of best-selling games for April 2018. According to the NPD (via GamesIndustry.biz), God of War was also the “best ever launch for a PlayStation exclusive.”

Sony and Kratos weren’t done setting records, and the former “Ghost of Sparta” helped sell a lot of PS4 consoles too. Thanks to a push from the newly-available PS4 Pro 1TB + God of War Limited Edition Bundle, Sony’s console was propelled to the top of the NPD’s Hardware Chart for both “units sold” and “dollar sales.” The PS4 also set a new record for console sales during the month of April, besting the previous mark set in April 2008 by Nintendo’s Wii.

While Nintendo lost out on one record, they almost stole Sony’s thunder by placing six games in the NPD’s Top 20 last month, including the Nintendo Labo: Variety Kit (#4), Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (#5), Mario Kart 8 (#6), Super Mario Odyssey (#9), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#13), and Kirby Star Allies (#19).

You can find the full list of The NPD Group’s best-selling titles for April 2018 after the break. (more…)

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God of War, Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, more coming to PS Store this week

This week’s PlayStation Store update doesn’t offer a deep bench, but it includes possibly the best one-two punch of the year.

The first swing comes from Sony Santa Monica, and that’s because they’re bringing Kratos back for his first appearance on the PS4. But this isn’t the same rage-filled Kratos that we all know and love. The God of War must protect his son as they explore the unfamiliar lands and unexpected threats of the Norse pantheon.

While Kratos gets a new start this week, another unlikely hero from the PlayStation era is riding off into the sunset. Kazuma Kiryu, the Dragon of Dojima, will take on the Japanese underworld for the last time in Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, which is now available to download for the PS4.

You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the PlayStation Store after the break. (more…)

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New Retail Releases: God of War, Nintendo Labo, Yakuza 6, More

Kratos lives again as Sony Santa Monica brings God of War to the PS4 for the first time this week. The reboot promises a new beginning for the Ghost of Sparta, as Kratos (and his son) are transported to the harsh realm of Midgard. In his quest to earn the respect of his son, Kratos will be forced to battle the gods and monsters from the Norse pantheon.

Nintendo Switch owners will be able to take part in a different kind of epic battle this week with the release of the Nintendo Labo: Robot Kit. Using the included cardboard cutouts, and combined with the Joy-Con’s motion controls, players will be able to build their own robot suit and fight it out with other mechanized monsters.

On the other side of the spectrum, Switch owners will be able to flex their creative muscles with the Nintendo Labo: Variety Kit. Six cardboard contraptions are featured in the Variety Kit, including RC Cars, a Fishing Rod, a House, a Motorbike, and a Piano.

Also available this week will be the swan song for Kazuma Kiryu, as Sega brings Yakuza 6: The Song of Life to the PS4. And Klei Entertainment will launch the Don’t Starve: Mega Pack for the PS4 and Xbox One. The Mega Pack includes Don’t Starve, as well as the Reign of Giants and Shipwrecked expansions, and the Don’t Starve Together standalone spinoff.

Finally, Natsume will release Wild Guns Reloaded, a “fast-paced gallery style shooter mixing the Wild West with steampunk,” for the Switch.

That’s all for now, but we’ll be back later this week with a look at all the new additions to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.

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The Games of April 2018

After the end of a long Winter, things usually start bursting to life in April thanks to the fresh Spring air. This adage used to apply to the game release calendar too, but only a handful of new games will make their way to store shelves in April 2018. And an even smaller handful of titles will rise above the rest.

Nintendo will launch their latest experiment, the cardboard-powered Nintendo Labo kits, for the Switch this month. They’ll be joined by a new beginning for Kratos in Sony Santa Monica’s God of War, and the end for Kazuma Kiryu in Sega’s Yakuza 6: The Song of Life.

You can find out why the Warp Zoned staff is looking forward to these games, and view the release schedule for all of this month’s new games, after the break. (more…)

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Sony projected a scene from God of War on a basketball court this weekend

If you were in the stands for this weekend’s Warriors-Spurs game, you got to see a different kind of warrior during halftime. While the players were cooling off between quarters, Sony projected a scene “inspired by” God of War onto the court.

According to the PlayStation Blog, the scene was displayed using cutting-edge “Projection Mapping” technology, and it showed Kratos and Atreus doing battle with Draugr, Helwalkers, and an Ogre:

This projection-mapping magic uses ultra-bright video projectors together with powerful media server engines to paint vivid imagery complete with sense of motion and depth directly onto large surfaces. It could be a building, a wall around Asgard, a World Serpent…or in this case, the basketball court during half time. Because when you think of Norse myth, you think — basketball. Of course!

God of War will be available exclusively for the PS4 on April 20, and you can view Sony’s rather unique halftime show from this weekend in the video embedded above.

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God of War will be released for PS4 on April 20… watch the Story Trailer and see the special editions now

Creative Director Cory Barlog confirmed (via the PlayStation Blog) that God of War will be released for the PS4 on April 20. The developer also unveiled a brand new Story Trailer for the game, which you can view right here:

Speaking of trailers. Yeah, I just lost interest finding an elegant way to get here from the last paragraph so I just went for it. That is just how I roll. I really am ecstatic that I can finally show you this beautiful trailer we have been cooking up in the creative kitchens of Santa Monica Studio headquarters. It will give you more insight on why Kratos and Atreus are going on their journey as well as provide a glimpse at some new bits of action.

Fans who plan to purchase God of War will have several options when the game launches on April 20. Everyone who pre-orders the game will receive in-game access to three Legendary Shield Skins. Opting for the Digital Deluxe Edition ($69.99) will add the Death’s Vow Armor Set to increase your strength, as well as a digital artbook and comic from Dark Horse Comics. All Digital Deluxe Edition pre-orders will also include a limited-run God of War physical pin.

But if you want a package fit for a god, Sony will also offers fans the chance to purchase the fully-loaded Collector’s Edition ($129.99) or the even-more-packed Stone Mason Edition ($149.99, available in US and Canada only):

Collector’s Edition
The 9″ statue was crafted by our team in collaboration with the incredible folks at Gentle Giant. The cloth map is a unique companion to your journey, and an art piece on its own. The Huldra Bros carvings pack as much detail as their personas do in game. Just a few of the highlights, not to mention the digital items as well!

Stone Mason Edition
Available in the US and Canada only, this edition includes everything in the Collector’s Edition along with four very distinct, rare items directly from the game. You might recognize Atreus’ wooden Horse and Troll carvings from our E3 2016 debut. The Stone Mason Ring is a finely crafted piece of jewelry, whose story we won’t spoil. The talking Mimir Head keychain may be your personal favorite after you interact with him in game.

A closer look at the Collector’s Edition and the Stone Mason Edition can be found after the break. (more…)

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Sony’s Cory Barlog has plans for multiple sequels to next year’s God of War

Cory Barlog stepped away from the God of War franchise after the release of 2007’s God of War II, but Sony managed to lure the developer back to direct the upcoming Norse-themed reboot, God of War. And in a new interview published the UK’s Daily Star (conducted during this year’s E3 Expo), Barlog revealed that Kratos’s next adventure is actually the opening chapter to a much larger story.

According to the developer, he’s got an outline in his head for stories that could be told across multiple sequels:

Daily Star: The way you talk about Kratos now, it’s like the beginning of something. And clearly, the work that’s gone into this game, to create such a bold new chapter for the character, presumably this can’t be a one-shot deal for you and the game?

Barlog: For me, I am just trying to get this game done. But I will say that when I chose this story, I had chosen it because I already outlined and mapped out stories for multiple games. I have an arc in my head that goes well beyond this game and everything that we are doing in God of War, to me, is very much building towards that.

Like you see the second God of War game and it ends with Kratos going up to Olympus. Everybody said that it was the stupidest decision like why are you doing this, nobody wants a cliffhanger ending. But I was like, whatever, this is awesome. This is telling people more to come, this is great. And with this game, I think people know that we’re going to be here for a while. Me personally, I know I’ve got a couple more of these in me.

We don’t yet know what the future holds for Kratos, but we do know that God of War will be released exclusively for the PS4 in Early 2018.

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