VG Addict

Final Fantasy VII Remastered To Launch On 3rd September, 2019.

Final Fantasy VII Remastered has been confirmed to launch on 3rd September, 2019.

Final Fantasy VII follows the journey of Squall, and other SeeD members, who are unexpectedly cast in a war to save the world.

The new Remastered version will include more than just enhanced visuals, but also additional options available to further customise the gameplay experience.

These new features include;

Battle Assist
Activate this booster to max out HP and ATB bars – and trigger Limit Breaks at any time. You will lose all HP when you get hit by a critical attack that gives more damage than your HP, or by lethal damage.

3x Speed Boost
Accelerates time by a factor of three – perfect if you want to speed through easy battles or get somewhere in a hurry. This feature will not apply to certain scenes including movies.

No Encounters
Want to explore without fear of attack? Activate this option to turn off random encounters. Event battles must still be done in order to advance the story.

New Death Stranding Footage And Character Spotlight Videos Unveiled

Hideo Kojima made his appearance at Gamescom count as he revealed three clips for his latest project, Death Stranding.

Each clip introduced fans to a different element or character of the game, showing fans the diversity of what they had to look forward too.

The first clip shows a more playful side to the game, and features a cameo by The Games Awards creator, Geoff Keighley.

Death Stranding | Ludens Fan – Character Spotlight Trailer | PS4

The second scene introduces us to one who will play a big-part role in Sam’s journey: Deadman, who gives us some detail about Sam’s B.B. unit.

Death Stranding | Deadman – Character Spotlight Trailer | PS4

The final clip shown at Gamescom introduced us to the character ‘Mama’, who, like Deadman, is a member of Bridges who has somewhat of a tragic connection to ‘BTs’ – your greatest threat in the game.

Kojima explained at launch that some characters would have a sub story apart from the main story, which could suggest Mama to be a character of importance.

Death Stranding | Mama – Character Spotlight Trailer | PS4

Death Stranding will release on 8th November, 2019.

Pokémon Confirms Global Link Will Not Support Pokémon Sword & Shield

The Pokémon Company has announced that Pokémon Global Link (PGL) will not support Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield.

The announcement was made on the PGL website, where it said that online play in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield will be available through the connectivity features of Nintendo Switch.

Game Sync will not be required for these new games, it said.

A Nintendo Switch Online membership and Nintendo Account are both required for online play, however.

In addition, Pokémon said that features from the PGL, such as Rankings, Distribution Regulations, and the events calendar, will be provided through a new service – Pokémon Home.

Pokémon Home is an app for mobile devices that is planned for release on iOS and Android devices in early 2020.

Other than that, not much has been revealed about Pokémon Home, but more details are expected to be released soon.

Nintendo Releases Pokémon Sword & Shield Footage As Development Keeps Game Freak From Gamescom

Nintendo UK has released a YouTube video which gives players another brief insight into what expect from the next Pokémon games.

Source: Youtube – Nintendo UK – A message from GAME FREAK’s Shigeru Ohmori – Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield (gamescom 2019)

In the run in to Gamescom 2019, the game’s development has kept Game Freak’s developers at home, and Shigeru Ohmori, director of the two games, apologised for not being able to attend.

The video provides a good look at one of the game’s new towns, and some of the features to be found inside – what’s new, and what just looks new.

While the game previously unveiled its new Flying Taxi service (where Galarian Pokémon Corviknight carries people between towns), the new video showcased the world’s new Railway system.

The video did not reveal any new battle mechanics, but was rather a simple walkthrough of the world we will soon get to explore.

Ubisoft Reveals Ghost War & More At Gamescom 2019

During the Inside Xbox livestream at Gamescom 2019, Ubisoft unveiled Ghost War, the PvP mode for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint, along with a host of other developments.

Among the other notable mentions are; Trials Rising Crash & Sunburn, Anno 1800, and The Settlers.

However it was Ghost War that took the majority of the headlines.

The new mode is an intense 4v4 experience built upon the tactical squad play from the Ghost Recon series, focusing on strategy and team play over individual skill.

Players will be able to choose from four available classes – Assault, Panther, Sharpshooter and Medic – which each fulfils specific roles on the battlefield to add to the dynamic.

Ghost War will be available for all players from October 4th.

Source: Ubisoft – Trials Rising Crash & Sunburn

Ubisoft also lifted the lid on the second expansion for Trials Rising, which is due for release on 10th of September.

Crash & Sunburn takes players below the equator to traverse the Amazon rainforest, Inca ruins, and Antarctica among other venues with 37 new tracks set across South America, Africa, Australia and Antarctica.

The game also introduces two new bikes: The Turtle and The Alpaca.

The Turtle features a roll bar that will both protect the rider in any circumstance and gives riders a new way to ride. The Alpaca challenges players to completely rethink handling the bike with the shocking twist of front-wheel drive.

There was plenty revealed about The Settlers, which will release on PC in 2020 .

The latest version of The Settlers brings back the best, modernised elements from previous titles, while introducing new features and mechanics around them.

The Settlers is available for pre-order now on Uplay PC via Ubisoft Store and the Epic Games Store, and will be available on Uplay+, Ubisoft’s subscription service.

Respawn CEO Apologises To Apex Fans Following Failed Reddit Apology

Vince Zampella, CEO of Respawn Entertainment, apologised to fans of Apex Legends’ on Twitter, following a heated discussion between developers and gamers on Reddit.

The incident occurred after Respawn developers took to Reddit to apologise to fans for the overpriced cosmetics.

Zampella admitted that “things got to a pretty bad place”, and he apologised to any fans that were offended.

He also highlighted some of the more “toxic and nasty comments” that his staff received, including death threats and references to family members.

In this regard, Zampella said that he would stand by members of his team on speaking out against some of these comments, but he conceded that some of his staff “crossed a line with their comments”.

“But we shouldn’t contribute to it when we do comment, and add to the very thing we want to prevent.”

“We need to lead by example. Last week we didn’t do that, and going forward we will be better.”

pic.twitter.com/j8woV7g9Tx
— Vince Zampella (@VinceZampella) August 19, 2019

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Announces PlayStation 4 Gunfight 2V2 Alpha Roll Out

Activision and Infinity Ward have revealed that every single PlayStation 4 owner worldwide can play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare during the surprise 2v2 Alpha commencing this Friday.

The event was announced during Gamescom 2019.

The event kicks off Friday, 23rd August, lasting only until the 25th August. It will be open to any PlayStation player with a connection to the internet – no sign up or PS Plus required.

The new Gunfight mode is one of several new modes introduced for the Modern Warfare series.

The mode is a four-player, two-versus-two, game mode, which take place on a series of custom-made, highly-confined maps.

Everybody gets the same loadout, which switch every two rounds, and the first team to win six rounds wins.

Each round lasts 40 seconds, after which “Overtime” begins, and a flag spawns with only 10 seconds to secure its capture.

For this weekend’s event, there are five different 2v2 Maps ready to go; King, Pine, and Stack, and Speedball and Docks, the latter two being brand new reveals.

Xbox Unveils Two New Special Edition Controllers

Following the news that PlayStation added four new colour options to its Dualshock 4 range, Xbox has also announced two new additions to its collection of Xbox Wireless Controllers.

Source: Xbox Wire – *Night Ops Camo Special Edition*

The company announced the new Night Ops Camo Special Edition and its Sport Blue Special Edition, which were both announced in the build up to Gamescom 2019.

The first addition is Xbox’s own take on a the classic camouflage style, using a dark palette of black, grey and warm metallic gold on a slightly textured body.

It features a metallic gold D-Pad and etched trigger grip.

In addition, Xbox teamed up with Meta Threads for the new Xbox Night Ops Camo Label Tee, exclusive to the Xbox Official Gear Shop.

Source: Xbox Wire – *Sport Blue Special Edition*

The Sport Blue Special Edition is inspired by sports lifestyle, activewear and pop culture, and is the third instalment in the Sport Series (Sport White and Sport Red).

The new Sport Blue remote features a geometric design with eye-catching metallic accents and a metallic D-Pad.

The Night Ops Camo Special Edition remote is available from the 8th of October, while players can buy the Sports Blue Special Edition from the 17th of September.

Each edition will be $69.99.

Both controllers have matching Xbox Pro Charging Stands made by Controller Gear. The stands can be purchased for $49.99 each, with the same release dates as their corresponding remote.

Sony Announces Acquisition Of Insomniac Games

Sony Interactive Entertainment (Sony) has announced that it has entered into definitive agreements to acquire Insomniac Games, a leading game developer and long-time partner of Sony, in its entirety.

Insomniac Games is the developer of PlayStation 4’s top-selling Marvel’s Spider-Man and the hugely popular Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet & Clank, and Resistance franchises.

Upon completion of the acquisition, Insomniac Games will join the global development operation of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SIE WWS), making it the 14th studio to join the Sony family.

Marvel’s Spider-Man was one of 2018’s most highly-acclaimed PS4 games, selling more than 13.2 million copies worldwide as of July 28, 2019.

“Insomniac Games is one of the most highly-acclaimed development studios in the industry and their legacy of best-in class storytelling and gameplay is unparalleled.”
“We have enjoyed a strong collaborative partnership with the studio for many years, and are thrilled to officially welcome them to the Worldwide Studios family. The addition of Insomniac Games to SIE WWS reiterates our commitment to developing world class gaming experiences that can only be found on the PlayStation platform.”
Shawn Layden, Chairman, Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios.

Ted Price, Insomniac Games founder and CEO, added that joining the WWD family gives Insomniac “even greater opportunities to achieve our studio vision of making positive and lasting impressions on people’s lives”.

“We’ve enjoyed a special relationship with PlayStation practically since our inception. Our partnership amplifies our potential, and Spider-Man was a testament to this.”
“We’re excited to take the next step in our growth alongside our longtime WWS partners. Most of all, we look forward to delivering fresh, new experiences for our fans.”
Ted Price, Insomniac Games, Founder and CEO.

It is understood that the day-to-day operations of Insomniac Games, post-closing of the acquisition, are expected to be run by the current management team.

Completion of the acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and certain other closing conditions.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed due to contractual commitments.

Apology From Respawn Turns Into Bitter Reddit Feud With Apex Legends’ Community

Apex Legends’ recent Iron Crown event was supposed to be a major step forward for Respawn Entertainment – however things got quite intense during what should have been a simple apology from the game developers.

Fans of the game were less than pleased with the excessive amounts of money they were paying to use loot boxes.

Respawn took to Reddit to apologise to its fans, acknowledging that the high prices were not something the company originally wanted to do, but at some point money had to be made on a free-to-play game in order for it to grow.

However, fans were not content with this, and a bitter tit-for-tat ensued before chaos took the reins.

More than one Respawn developer took the bait and called out some of the disgruntled gamers on the thread, referring to some of their fan base as “a**hats”, “freeloaders,” and “dicks”.

Great PR Move

Apex Legends’s fans were quick to complement the game’s developers for their ‘great PR move’.

The community wrote an open letter addressed to Respawn, where it accused the company of committing the ‘ultimate cardinal sin’.

You committed the ultimate cardinal sin, you got personal. You, as a team of professionals trying to make money, got personal. You got personal and decided to insult your player base, calling us “a**-hats” and “freeloaders”. Not a wise move.
We won’t forget this. You’ve set a new tone for the kind of interaction we’ll be having with you. It’s a cold one. One where there aren’t any illusions about the reality of the situation. Previous notions of “family” are dead. We are mere consumers to you, and that is obvious.
You have chosen to bring in a new era of hostility and bitterness. Well done. Great PR move.
Posted by user u/cooloats on r/apexlegends.