The Switch release of the Hotline Miami Collection is the first time that Hotline Miami 2 has been made available in Australia, and fans are wary about whether or not it will remain available indefinitely.

The Collection is available now on Switch with an MA15+ rating, the second-highest in the Australian system. Hotline Miami 2 was previously refused classification upon release, banning it from sale, seemingly on the basis of a scene that implied sexual assault. At the time, it was banned under the reasoning that Australia does not allow games that “depict, express or otherwise deal with matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena in such a way that they offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults to the extent that they should not be classified.”

The local Australian PR representative for Devolver’s releases sent us through a short statement, letting us know that the game had been classified under the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) and that “of course the ratings board can still complain and challenge it, and it could be overturned and banned.” He also noted that “nothing has been removed from the Switch version that was in the original game.” In a follow-up phone call, he clarified that he wasn’t sure if the game would be made available on PC, PS4, or any other systems in Australia yet. It’s likely that Devolver Digital will take a ‘wait and see’ approach here, depending on what happens with the Switch version.

The IARC classification system allows developers and publishers to submit their games for an automated classification process, filling out a questionnaire that determines the game’s age rating. As Kotaku Australia points out, Hotline Miami Collection was recently refused classification after one such submission – but it seems that they resubmitted it again and got through.

Ultimately, it’s not entirely clear how or why Hotline Miami 2 is available in Australia now, after being unavailable for four and a half years, and there’s the possibility that the game’s rating will be challenged or overturned, removing it from sale again. For now, though, Australians are able to buy the Hotline Miami Collection, featuring Hotline Miami 2, through the Australian eShop on their Switch.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/hotline-miami-2-is-no-longer-banned-in-australia-o/1100-6469238/

Final Fantasy VIII Remaster has a new trailer out of Gamescom, and it’s finally given us a release date for the upgraded version of Square Enix’s beloved PlayStation RPG. You can watch it above.

The remaster, which was announced during E3 this year, is due out on September 3 – just two weeks away. It’s coming to PS4, Xbox One, Switch and PC. It’s a substantial polish on the old game, removing a lot of the blur that led to some classic memes.

This is the final PlayStation-originating Final Fantasy game that was yet to be remastered and released in HD, with Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy IX having already been updated for modern consoles. There’s been speculation that the source code for Final Fantasy VIII was lost, which would also explain why the game’s glow-up is so dramatic.

If you’re a 90s PlayStation fan, prepare yourself for a burst of nostalgia soon.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/this-new-final-fantasy-viii-remastered-trailer-rev/1100-6469236/

Gamescom 2019 is officially in full swing, and plenty of excellent new trailers have already premiered. With so many new cinematic and gameplay trailers making their debut, we’ve decided to compile our favorites. Be sure to check back here throughout Gamescom as more trailers are released.

We’ve put our favorites that actually feature gameplay first, but that doesn’t make the cinematic trailers any less cool. Other than that distinction, the trailers aren’t listed in any particular order. Although there were many trailers for triple-A titles scheduled to launch in the Fall 2019 season, most of the best trailers at Gamescom have been for indie games. Notable titles include Everspace 2—sequel to one of the best roguelike games of 2016–and pinbrawler Creature in the Well. However, there are quite a few standouts for the major releases too, such as Destiny 2 and Death Stranding–the latter of which got three new trailers.

Best Gameplay Gamescom Trailers

Creature In The Well

Creature in the Well sees you play as a cute robot engineer who must stop a monstrous entity that has destroyed the weather machine that keeps the town of Mirage safe from vicious sandstorms. In the Creature in the Well 101 trailer, creative director Adam Volker walks through how the game works–a hack-and-slash dungeon crawler imbued with pinball mechanics.

Darksiders Genesis

Darksiders Genesis reworks the franchise’s Zelda-like combat and exploration into a top-down hack-and-slash RPG. Fully playable in co-op–which can be seen in the new trailer–you and a friend can team up as two of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Strife and War. This will be the first game in the Darksiders franchise to focus on Strife.

Death Stranding

Death Stranding finally has a gameplay trailer. Unfortunately, the story for the game is still about as clear as mud. We’re still excited to see what Hideo Kojima has in store with this upcoming PS4 exclusive, largely because its gameplay seems rife for hilarious misadventures and odd moments.

Everspace 2

Announced at Gamescom, Everspace 2 won’t release until 2021, but its gameplay trailer already makes the game look really cool. Though Everspace seems to be adding new locations and ship designs, plenty of weapons and gadgets look familiar.

Little Nightmares 2

Speaking of surprising sequels, the story of Little Nightmares will continue in Little Nightmares II. This sequel puts you in control of a brand-new character and takes place in a much more open area than the first game.

Best Cinematic Gamescom Trailers

Destiny 2: Shadowkeep – Season Of The Undying

The first seasonal content drop for the Shadowkeep expansion for Destiny 2, titled Season of the Undying, starts October 5. In the latest trailer, a brief cinematic sees Ikora Rey narrate as an army of Vex emerges from a portal connected to the Black Garden.

Disintegration

Publisher Private Division–the same studio attached to upcoming games like The Outer Worlds and Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey–announced Disintegration at Gamescom, and also released a new trailer for the sci-fi first-person shooter. Though mostly a cinematic trailer, there is some gameplay thrown in there too.

Death Stranding

Death Stranding got two new cinematic trailers during Gamescom, both of which further fleshed out two of the game’s characters. The first focuses on Mama, while the second sees main character Sam meet Deadman.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamescom-round-up-our-favorite-gameplay-and-cinema/1100-6469234/

During Opening Night Live at Gamescom 2019, Everspace 2 was announced via a new trailer. The sequel to the beloved space roguelike seemingly improves upon the original game in several ways, but don’t expect to be able to play it anytime soon.

In the trailer, which can be watched below, several new ship designs are shown off. This time, the ships all seem to be different variations of the same craft, possibly suggesting that you may be building your spaceship off of the same design instead of three distinct models like in the first Everspace. The environments appear to be a lot more varied too, with different planets and stars acting as the backdrop to certain locations. We see ships pull off maneuvers that are more daring than what was seen in the first game as well, such as speeding through tight caverns and banking between the floating debris of a destroyed space station.

It’s not all different though. Several familiar weapons and ship upgrades appear in the trailer, like the Beam Laser, Gatling gun, and Cloak device. Everspace 2 appears to feature its predecessor’s gameplay loop too. However, it’s unclear if Everspace 2 will utilize the same type of non-linear storytelling to convey its narrative.

We’ll have a long wait to find out, as the trailer for Everspace 2 reveals that the game isn’t scheduled to release until 2021. Everspace 2 will be available on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

In Everspace, you outfit your ship with weapons and gadgets based on the resources you have before heading out into space. You jump from one section of space to another, trying to reach the opposite side of the galaxy by scavenging for fuel and additional resources at each jump location–taking the time to destroy enemy ships and upgrade your own if you’d like. Upon death, you’re sent back to the beginning and lose all of your upgrades, but you keep the resources you’ve collected. The hope is to make it further in each run, collecting enough resources to craft a stronger starting ship each time you die.

Everspace is an absolutely incredible game, and one worth playing if you haven’t already. It’s available on Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch. On Xbox One, Everspace is free with a Game Pass subscription.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/sequel-to-one-of-2016s-best-roguelike-games-announ/1100-6469232/

Gamescom officially opens its doors on August 20, but leading up to the show several publishers and platform-holders have already held events detailing their software lineups–and sometimes, surprise-releasing software. As a result, several new games are now available to download and play across PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

You can check out a list of games that are available now below, and check out all of our Gamescom coverage for more news and hands-on impressions throughout the show.

Hotline Miami and Superhot on Nintendo Switch

Nintendo devoted its Gamescom presentation to indies, including a few beloved games that are available for Switch right now. Those include the time-bending shooter Superhot and the brutal overhead Hotline Miami games. Both Superhot and the Hotline Miami collection, which bundles both Hotline Miami and Hotline Miami 2, are now available.

Erica on PlayStation 4

The live-action interactive thriller Erica was announced in 2017, but it has gone mostly silent since then. It’s been released now on PlayStation 4, and is playable with a PS4 controller or with a dedicated app on iOS or Android. You can solve puzzles and make choices that will impact the direction of the story.

A New Slew of Xbox Game Pass Games

Xbox spent some of its Inside Xbox presentation announcing the upcoming games for its Game Pass service, including a handful that are available right now. Those include Age of Empires: Definitive Edition for PC, Devil May Cry 5 for Xbox One, and Stellaris for both platforms. Even more are coming by the end of the week, as Ape Out for PC and Kingdom Come: Deliverance for both PC and Xbox One are due on August 22.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Alpha Test on PS4

While not a full game available right now, Activision did announce that a special PS4-exclusive alpha test for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is coming soon. The alpha will start on August 23, and it will be free for all players, even if you don’t have a PS Plus subscription. The alpha test is limited to the new 2v2 Gunfight mode, across five maps.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/all-the-games-surprise-released-today-during-games/1100-6469230/