During September’s State of Play, Sony revealed a new gameplay trailer for The Last of Us Part II, as well as a February release date. In the trailer, we got to see Ellie kill people with almost malicious glee. You can watch it below.

The new footage, which you can watch below, showed Ellie and her companion Dina exploring an infested area full of clickers. However, they both end up getting captured by a mysterious group. It’s implied that Dina is murdered, which inevitably leads to Ellie’s quest for revenge. While we got glimpses of combat and new enemies that Ellie will fight, there was also a focus on exploration via horseback riding.

Aside from gameplay and brief glimpses of story, the biggest reveal was returning character Joel, who somehow looks even more grizzled and old than he did in the first game. Oh, and Joel’s brother Tommy appeared as well.

We’ve seen gameplay of The Last of Us Part II before, and the game looked just as violent then as it does now. Armed with a loadout of firearms that’s similar to The Last of Us’ protagonist Joel, Ellie proves to be just as talented a fighter and survivor as her adoptive father-figure. She doesn’t hesitate when it comes to cutting a man’s throat or leaving an ax buried in his skull, for example, and she’s willing to go through the excruciating pain of pulling a lodged arrow out of her shoulder so that she can move around more easily.

During the State of Play, Sony also announced a release date for The Last of Us Part II: February 21, 2020. The game is scheduled to launch as a PS4 exclusive, though–with rumors of the PS5 already circulating–a next-generation version may not be off the table just yet.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-last-of-us-2-gameplay-trailer-revealed-during-/1100-6470047/

During the September State of Play, PlayStation announced that Survival Mode–one of the multiplayer modes in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare–would be coming to the PS4 version of the game first. The mode will be coming to the Xbox One and PC version of the game as well at a much later date.

“Just the Survival mode within the Spec Ops mode,” a game representative told GameSpot in regards to what’s a limited-time exclusive for PS4. “Everyone gets campaign, multiplayer and Spec Ops.” According to the small, tiny text in a shot during the trailer–embedded below–you can see that Survival Mode will be exclusive to PS4 for nearly an entire year before coming to Xbox One and PC.

For those unfamiliar, Spec Ops is a traditional part of the Modern Warfare series. A cooperative game mode, this entry of Spec Ops–according to Activision– will include “all-new” and “strategic” missions that can be played by anyone with anyone, regardless of your team respective skill level. Spec Ops is also expected to tie into the story in some way, though neither Activision or Infinity Ward have revealed how yet.

During the presentation, PlayStation released the story trailer for Modern Warfare as well–which leaked mere moments before the State of Play started. The trailer depicts the central conflict of Modern Warfare’s campaign, which aims to tell a realistic story about the horrors of modern-day war, including chemical weapons, political unrest, and unwelcome interference from foreign countries.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is scheduled to release for Xbox One, PS4, and PC on October 25. Though Spec Ops may be coming to PS4 first, Activision previously announced that–unlike recent Call of Duty games–that most of Modern Warfare’s DLC will launch simultaneously on all platforms, not on PS4 first and the other systems later. Activision has also teased that PS4 players will “have an exciting day one advantage” but hasn’t confirmed what that might be. Having heard about Spec Ops, it’s possible that the day one advantage is early access to the mode, but we’ll have to wait for an official confirmation to be sure.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/modern-warfare-spec-ops-survival-mode-will-be-excl/1100-6470065/

Civilization VI is coming to new platforms this year. During Sony’s latest State of Play presentation, publisher 2K Games announced it is bringing the critically acclaimed strategy game to PS4–as well as Xbox One–this November, marking the first time the series has appeared on either of those consoles since 2008’s Civilization Revolution.

Civ VI will arrive on PS4 and Xbox One on November 22. The base game will retail for $60, while all of its expansions will be packaged together into one Expansion Bundle for $50 (which will also be released for Nintendo Switch). The bundle includes the following content:

• Civilization VI: Rise and Fall expansion
• Civilization VI: Gathering Storm expansion
• 18 additional Civilization Leaders

The PS4 and Xbox One release of Civ VI also comes with the following four additional content packs:

• Poland Civilization & Scenario Pack
• Vikings Scenario Pack
• Australia Civilization & Scenario Pack
• Persia and Macedon Civilization & Scenario Pack.

PS4 owners will also receive the Nubia Civilization & Scenario Pack and Khmer and Indonesia Civilization & Scenario Pack for free when they pick the game up on Sony’s console; those packs will also be available for purchase on Xbox One.

Civ VI was originally released in 2016 on PC, with a Nintendo Switch version following two years later. The game was well received on its initial release. GameSpot awarded it a 9/10 in our original Civilization VI review. Critic Scott Butterworth wrote:

“Civ 6 has a few rough edges, but they’re pushed far into the periphery by spectacular strategic depth and intricate interlocking nuances. Any frustrations I experienced were immediately eclipsed by my desire to continue playing. Just one more turn, every turn, forever.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/civilization-6-coming-to-ps4-and-xbox-one-this-nov/1100-6470055/

Joy-Cons get the job done for playing games on the go while maintaining the Nintendo Switch‘s portability factor, but they aren’t the most ergonomic controllers. Those looking for something that has more substance and feels closer to a Pro controller, meet the Hori Split Pad Pro. It’s an officially licensed pair of controllers that snap right into where the Joy-Cons normally go, and currently the Daemon X Machina edition is available now. While it might be a bit chunky and missing a few features, the Split Pad Pro transforms the handheld experience, especially for games that warrant precise controls.

First, the Split Pad Pro gives you a substantial controller option with more to hold onto, and those with bigger hands, such as myself, will definitely appreciate it. The wider form factor and subtle handles for gripping the controllers themselves are a natural feel that comes really close to a standard gamepad. What’s more, the Split Pad Pro is lighter than standard Joy-Cons, despite the bulkier look (more on why later) and doesn’t burden the handheld experience.

Nintendo Switch with the Hori Split Pad Pro attached.

The size of these controllers does compromise the portability factor. As you can imagine, the Switch with the Split Pad Pro attached isn’t going to fit into form-fitting carrying cases. There’s no doubt that the first glance at and the early hands-on experience with these will feel a bit off due to how wide apart the two ends are compared to Joy-Cons, but it doesn’t take long to get used to and doesn’t cross my mind anymore.

One of the biggest advantages comes from the analog sticks, which are a massive improvement over what the Joy-Cons offer. Like an Xbox One or Pro controller, the Split Pad Pro sticks have full range of motion and a consistent resistance which affords you the ability to make more accurate inputs. The concave dome design and increased surface area of the sticks help keep your thumbs in place, too. These benefits aren’t entirely necessary for certain games, like RPGs or tactical games such as Fire Emblem: Three Houses. But their advantages are undeniable in shooters–a few hours with Wolfenstein: Youngblood and Fortnite in handheld mode made this abundantly clear.

Adding to the overall exceptional feel of the Split Pad Pro are the larger triggers and shoulder buttons that are smooth and effortless to pull. They’re not clicky, and again, come close to how a Switch Pro controller feels. Another improvement is in the traditional-style d-pad–it’s soft to the press and hasn’t caused errant directional inputs in my experience. The A, B, X, Y face buttons may feel a bit loose in place, but they are bigger and ditch the clicky actuation of the normal Joy-Cons.

Programmable backside paddles are a great feature of many high-end controllers, and the Split Pad Pro incorporates two of them wedged in the groves behind the grips (one on each side). Because of their sensible placement and ease of pressing, the paddles feel natural to use. However, they’re limited in their implementation since you can only program them to act as a button that’s on the same side as the corresponding paddle. While you’re likely to prefer mapping a face button to each paddle, you can only do so with the paddle on the right side. This leaves the left paddle to likely be used for an action on the d-pad of left stick click, which is rarely useful in many games.

This is due to the fact that the two ends of the Split Pad Pro are not in communication with each other. With that in mind, the Split Pad Pro controllers will only work when attached to the Switch’s sides since they do not have wireless capabilities–nor do they have batteries to even do this. They also do not have rumble functionality. Without batteries or rumble modules, the Split Pad Pro is able to stay lightweight and keep costs down, but you’ll miss out on these key features.

With its shortcomings in mind, I still believe the trade-off is worth it if you play the types of games that benefit most from the Split Pad Pro, though handheld would have to be your primary way of playing Switch games. It makes gaming in handheld much more comfortable across the board, and it truly delivers much better control over first- and third-person shooters, or any game that requires precise analog inputs. That may be quite a few caveats, but for those who fit this description, the Split Pad Pro is a wonderful option.

The Hori Split Pad Pro is now available to purchase for $50 at Amazon.

The product discussed here was independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-switchs-hori-split-pad-pro-are-real-contr/1100-6470057/

PS4’s Final Fantasy 7 Remake may still be a few months away, but Square Enix continues to steadily reveal new tidbits about the highly anticipated game in the lead up to its launch. In a new post on the official PlayStation Blog, the publisher has unveiled the game’s box art, as well as a handful of new screenshots and some gameplay details.

The Western box art for Final Fantasy 7 Remake, which you can see below, is a clear homage to the original, recreating the iconic image of Cloud gazing up at Shinra Corporation. In addition to the box art, Square Enix shared a couple of new screenshots from the game, giving us another look at Cloud, Tifa, and Barret, plus a glimpse at the sleek materia menu screen. You can take a look at those below.

The PlayStation Blog post also delves into some of the game’s mechanics, such as Classic Mode. First revealed during Tokyo Game Show earlier this month, Classic Mode is described as being closer to the original game’s turn-based combat. Typically, FF7 Remake uses a real-time battle system; as you attack, you fill up your ATB gauge, which will then let you pause the action and execute commands. In Classic Mode, however, your attacks are automated, so you strictly need to focus on executing commands when your ATB gauge is full.

The post also shares some details about Summons and materia. In order to call a Summon, you’ll need to equip a character with Summon materia. With that in tow, a special gauge will gradually fill up as you battle, and once it is full, you can call in that Summon.

One of the Summons we’ve previously gotten a look at is Ifrit. According to the blog post, “Ifrit battles independently but you can also command him to perform special abilities, and once the timer drops to zero, he’ll unleashes his ultimate attack: Hellfire.”

Final Fantasy 7 Remake launches for PS4 on March 3, 2020. Square Enix has previously said the remake will encompass multiple parts, with this releasing focusing strictly on Midgar. For more on the game, be sure to check out our Final Fantasy 7 Remake impressions, as well as our Final Fantasy 7 Remake pre-order guide.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/final-fantasy-7-remake-box-art-new-screens-reveale/1100-6470044/