Top Story
Leaker claims PlayStation 5 is codenamed ‘Prespero’, and that Xbox Scarlett features ‘better camera’
Someone claiming to work for a studio in possession of both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Scarlett development hardware has spilled the beans in an email to Gizmodo.
The outlet has been unable to verify the source’s identity and claims so far, but Gizmodo has received edited images as well as various snippets of information about the next-gen console hardware. Apparently (and unsurprisingly), there’s a big focus on streaming support.
Microsoft is pushing xCloud streaming, and Google Stadia is almost here
The PlayStation 5 is supposedly codenamed Prespero, and a small selection of studios received development kits this summer. Both kits are delivered with cameras, and Xbox Scarlett supposedly supports 4K recording with just 2 frames of latency. The leaker added that the Xbox camera is especially impressive, while the PlayStation 5 camera is ‘older tech’.
Each of the consoles approaches ray-tracing in its own way according to the source, which sounds a bit odd considering both use AMD chipsets. Even if these alleged details are true, it’s worth noting that the developer kits – and especially early ones – typically differ from the final consumer model.
Time For A Quick Daily Quiz?
In which game did Fallout 4’s villainous faction The Institute first appear?
- Fallout 2
- Fallout 3
- Fallout: New Vegas
- Fallout 4
The answer will be revealed at the end of this issue!
News Bits
Sony drops PlayStation Now price
Sony has changed the subscription cost for PlayStation Now – it’s actually cheaper now! It used to be $19.99 per month in the US, which has been lowered to $9.99. All monthly, quarterly and annual rates have been reduced across all territories. God of War, Grand Theft Auto V, inFamous: Second Son and Uncharted 4 are the latest additions to the service, and will be available until January 2nd, 2020.
Metal Max Xeno Reborn 1 & 2 for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch
Kadokawa Games have announced that there’s two servings of Metal Max on the way to PlayStation 4 and Switch. Metal Max Xeno Reborn launches in Japan this winter, while Metal Max Xeno Reborn 2 arrives sometime in 2020. A third game – with working title Code Zero – is also on the way, and it will be a reboot that goes back to the series’ roots.
Daily Fact
Actor David Hayter almost replaced as early as Metal Gear Solid 3
Anyone who played the English language versions of the Metal Gear Solid games will recognize the voice of actor David Hayter, but did you know he was replaced by Kiefer Sutherland in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain? This wasn’t even the first time Hideo Kojima looked for another actor for the role.
Kojima tried to get Hollywood legend Kurt Russell on board Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater – but he turned it down, so Hayter re-auditioned for the part and got the job back. Kiefer Sutherland’s appearance in Metal Gear Solid V received some criticism from fans, especially since he doesn’t say much during the game. Kojima explained that Snake’s subdued nature was by design, since he was supposed to be an extension of the player and not a free agent who would be “making spontaneous comments or flirting with women.”
Game Spotlight - WARSAW
A punishing experience
(Pixelated Milk – PC)
Release: October 2nd 2019
Tactical, story-driven WWII RPG WARSAW is finally launching today to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the conclusion of the Warsaw Uprising. The game tasks you with leading the Polish underground resistance, and you’ll have to recruit and manage teammates to carry out missions against the Nazi occupational forces. The game mixes tricky combat encounters with slices of Polish history, in an attempt to highlight the individual stories of the people involved in the Warsaw Uprising.
Despite featuring a tutorial, there’s a lot to learn and master, and it’s safe to assume your first run will be anything but perfect. WARSAW is designed to be played again and again, and you’ll unlock new characters along the way. The game is supposed to offer a stiff challenge, and the game feels particularly unforgiving just as you are getting started.
It’s hard to find a good team composition, since your team shares a pool of stamina points: You can easily spend an entire turn’s worth of stamina healing a team member, for example, so you really need to carefully consider your priorities.
Managing health is maybe the trickiest part of WARSAW: Teammates remain damaged between encounters during a mission, and since healing outside combat costs action points, it is best to heal during combat. You need to spend action points to explore during missions, so you want to spend them wisely.
There is a hospital where damaged characters can rest up between missions, but they will only regain 25% of their health per day spent there. In short, health can be hard to manage, especially early in the game when you don’t have many characters to choose between. What’s worse: If someone dies on a mission, they are dead. Gone. Permanently.
Try to keep everyone alive!
Calculated risk is the name of the game in WARSAW. Even if you build a team full of strong offensive characters, there’s no guarantee that their attacks will be efficient all the time. Every character has its own range of abilities, with each attack differing in stamina cost, accuracy, chance of critical hit and armour penetration.
You also have to keep an eye on your ammo and your character positioning – resisting a Nazi invasion on the sly is just not very easy!
WARSAW is only available on Steam for now, but developer Pixelated Milk has announced plans for console ports. The game runs well, and has no tweakable graphics settings – but we miss options for speeding up or turning off battle animations, since end-of-turn effects can take a long time to resolve, especially when you stack status effects on characters.
If you’re looking for a challenging experience that you can slowly but surely chip away at, WARSAW is well worth a closer look. It’s tough, but satisfying – and surprisingly emotional.
