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Jurassic World Evolution gets a summer release date along with new gameplay video

31/3/2018

 
Jurassic-World-Evolution

Frontier Developments and In-House have revealed the release date for Jurassic World Evolution and given us our first look at some gameplay footage.

by Liam Andrews
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@pass_controller

The game, which lets players create, manage and run their very own dinosaur theme park, launches this June on Xbox One, PS4 and PC. The footage below focusses on the game’s opening island, which serves as a sort of tutorial map where you’ll learn core gameplay mechanics. In it, a few members of the development team take us through some of the challenges awaiting players in Jurassic World Evolution.
These include fulfilling contracts by collecting specific fossils from real-world dig sites and then using them to bioengineer a living dinosaur-  in this case a Triceratops - and managing the day to day welfare of the specimens themselves, from creating specialised environments to making sure they’re held behind the correct fence.

​We also get to see how players can take a more hands-on approach to running their park when the developers decide to move a carnivore into its own enclosure. While you’ll have the option to let the AI handle things, players can choose to take direct control of vehicles and tranquilizing duties themselves.

​For PC users, the game features seamless transitioning between mouse and keyboard and a gamepad for greater control during these moments.

As well as the park’s buildings, dinosaurs themselves can be upgraded via genome modification to either make them stronger, live longer or be more resistant disease. This is done by filling in any gaps in a dinosaur’s DNA with some from a more modern source, such as a tree frog or crocodile.

Jurassic World Evolution is out 12 June on Xbox One, PS4 and PC. What did you think of the gameplay reveal? Let us know below.​
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Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered announced for Xbox One, PS4 and PC

29/3/2018

 
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THQ Nordic are bringing back Red Faction Guerrilla in all its destruction-based glory.

by Liam Andrews
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@pass_controller

Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered (yes, that is the official name) arrives on Xbox One, PS4 and PC sometime between April and June this year. The third instalment in the Red Faction series, Guerrilla originally launched in 2009 and features an open world with a heavy focus on destructible environments.
The remaster will feature improved shadow rendering and lighting, as well as “heavily reworked textures and graphic features”. It will also offer native 4K support for the “finest up to date Mars destruction experience ever”.

Let us know your thoughts on the
Guerrilla remaster below or over in the forums.​
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No Man’s Sky coming to Xbox One later this year along with huge new update

29/3/2018

 
No-Man's-Sky

Hello Games have announced the latest big update coming to No Man’s Sky, along with plans for an Xbox One version.

by Liam Andrews
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@pass_controller

The free update, known as NEXT, looks to further build upon the game’s vast, procedurally-generated universe in a similar way to the three previous major updates - Foundation, Pathfinder and Atlas Rises - have done since the game launched back in 2016. The NEXT update will go live sometime this summer.
“We are calling this No Man’s Sky NEXT because it is an important next step in a journey for No Man’s Sky, for Hello Games and for our devoted community," said Sean Murray, founder at Hello Games.

​“Each update for No Man’s Sky has been more successful than the last; this was especially true of our last update
Atlas Rises. It emboldens the team to push ourselves further. This journey is far from over, and it’s exciting to be working again on something you know will surprise people.”


The Xbox One version, which will be released sometime later this year, will arrive with all previously released content and updates, including the upcoming NEXT update. A physical edition will also be available, with 505 Games handling publishing duties.

What do you think the NEXT update will include? Happy to see the game coming to Xbox One? Let us know below.​
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Funcom reveal first Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden gameplay footage

29/3/2018

 
Mutant-Year-Zero

Following last month’s reveal, Funcom have given us our first look at Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden in action.

by Liam Andrews
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@pass_controller

The footage comes from last week’s Game Developer Conference, with two members from the game’s development studio, The Bearded Ladies, going over the basics and attempting to complete a mission. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, Mutant Year Zero is a tactical adventure game that blends stealth and strategy, in which players control a team of mutants on missions into “abandoned cities, crumbling highways, and overgrown countryside”.
As you’ll see in the video, the turn-based combat of Mutant Year Zero takes a hefty dose of inspiration from the XCOM series, with players and enemies taking turns to move across tiles and with shot accuracy tied to percentages, though it’s not without a few unique twists.

Destructible environments mean players can forcefully remove an enemy’s hiding place, but this also works both ways, with certain enemy types, such as the Heavy Ghoul, being able to smash through cover in search of you.

Protagonists Dux, Bormin and Selma’s mutation abilities offer a further edge, the example shown in the video seeing Dux sprout wings that allow him to hover above the battlefield and give him a 100% critical hit chance.

It also looks like certain objects can be manipulated for a combat advantage. Towards the end of the footage, one of the developers hacks a giant mech using instructions they had found earlier; although the mech would still attack player-controlled characters, it would now target enemy characters as well.

Outside of combat the game seems to feature more RPG-style elements, with players able to explore areas in search of loot and items to progress, learn more about the game’s story or find hints that could lead to hidden areas.

Mutant Year Zero, which doesn’t have a solid release date just yet, is scheduled to launch on Xbox One, PS4 and PC sometime this year.

What do you think of the gameplay reveal? Let us know below.​
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Sony slash price of PS VR in US, Europe and Japan

29/3/2018

 
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Sony are reducing the MSRP for their virtual reality headset across some regions, with UK consumers set to benefit from a hefty £90 cut.

by Liam Andrews
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@pass_controller

From today, 29 March, the new - and permanent - price point for PS VR will be 34,980 yen/$299 USD/€299/£259.99, down from the original MSRP of 44,980 yen/$399 USD/€399/£349.99. This bundle includes both the PlayStation Camera and VR headset. US consumers also get a copy of DOOM VFR, while the European bundle includes a download code for PlayStation VR Worlds.
Australia and New Zealand are also set to see a similar price drop, but not until 2 April.

​News of the price cut arrives not too long after an updated version of the PS VR headset was announced, which better integrates the stereo earbuds and allows for HDR pass through.

What do you think of the new price? Let us know below, and if the new RRP has you tempted into a purchase, why not check out our thoughts on some of the PS VR’s top titles, including the recently released Moss and reworked classics such as Skyrim VR and Superhot VR.​
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Free Snake Pass update adds new game mode

27/3/2018

 
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Snake Pass, the puzzle-platformer from Sumo Digital, is getting a new time trial mode in celebration of the game’s one-year anniversary.

by Liam Andrews
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​@pass_controller

The Arcade Mode Pack is a free update available across all platforms that “transforms the gameplay of Snake Pass into a time-based score attack game”, in which players collect fruit scattered across a level before time runs out. Players can rack up massive multipliers and compete with their friends across online leaderboards.
“We could not think of a better way of passing on our thanks to all of our fans, who have played Snake Pass over the last year”, said Seb Liese, creator of Snake Pass.

​“The Arcade Mode Pack, introduces a new way to play, as you compete with friends across global leaderboards to see who can be the world's slickest slitherer!”

To further mark the occasion, Snake Pass is currently discounted by 50% on the Nintendo Switch eShop, Xbox One Store and Steam from today until 10 April. A similar offer will be available on the PlayStation Store at a slightly later date.

Will the new game mode see you heading back for more Snake Pass? Let us know below.​
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Rare abandon Sea of Thieves ‘death tax’ following backlash

27/3/2018

 
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Plans to introduce a Death Cost that would see players charged gold every time they died in Sea of Thieves have been ditched following outcry.

by Liam Andrews
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​@pass_controller

The Death Cost idea was initially revealed by Rare earlier this month and was set to be introduced into the game in a future update. Once the feature was active, players would reportedly have had to pay a small fee upon arriving on the Ferry of the Damned, with the price varying in size depending on how they met their demise.
However, following backlash to the idea from the Sea of Thieves’ community, Rare have now decided to scrap these plans.

“One piece of additional feedback we've seen is around a proposed change listed in our release notes last week, and we've heard the sentiment there, so I can confirm that Death Cost is, well, dead. Thanks for the feedback here. We're listening,” said Executive Producer Joe Neate in a recent blog post addressing some of the problems the studio is working on following the game’s release last week.

​Amongst the more pressing issues Rare are looking to resolve is putting an end to “persistent player griefing” such as constant spawn killing, player rewards being delayed and fixing Achievements, the latter of which has been temporarily disabled to allow Rare’s services to “cope with the scale of the messages flowing through them.”

You can read more on how the studio plans to tackle these problems here.

Have you experienced any of these issues in Sea of Thieves? Glad to see the Death Cost plans abandoned? Let us know below.​
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Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice coming to Xbox One next month with HDR support and Xbox One X enhancements

26/3/2018

 
Hellblade-Senua's-Sacrifice

Ninja Theory (DmC: Devil May Cry, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West) have confirmed Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is making its way to Xbox One next month.

by Liam Andrews
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​@pass_controller

Hellblade first launched in August last year on PC and PS4 and follows the story of Senua as she tackles bosses, puzzles and the effects of psychosis. The game arrives on Xbox One with HDR support and three performance and visual options for Xbox One X users.
Enhanced Visuals mode adds “extra FX and visual quality throughout the experience”, High Resolution mode uses dynamic resolutions to offer 4K support, while High Framerate mode sees the game run in 60fps.

​The game is available to pre-order from the Xbox Store from today for $29.99/€29.99/£24.99, with a 10% discount being offered to those who pre-order during the first week.

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is available to download from 11 April on Xbox One, while PC and PS4 users can pick it up now.

Looking forward to seeing this on Xbox One? Let us know below.
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ENDED: Marooners giveaway

26/3/2018

 
Marooners Xbox One giveaway - Pass the Controller

Our Marooners giveaway winner is Gergo Gothar (@gergog)!

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by Sam Sant

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@SlamShotSam


​This week’s giveaway prize is an Xbox One copy of Marooners, the competitive party game from M2H!​​

Its frantically fast-paced flagship mode, Chaos, sees play jump back and forth between a range of mini-games as you scramble to keep up with their rotating objectives. If that isn’t your thing, mini-games can be consumed linearly, or put aside all together in favour of the deathmatch-like Arena mode.

Marooners is playable solo, but best enjoyed with friends, as Staff Writer Liam pointed out in our quick look. That’s something the rest of the team can also attest to, as you’ll see in our raucous multiplayer let’s play below.


If you aren’t drawn as our winner, you won’t need to hoard much treasure in order to be marooned; Marooners is available for just £7.99 on Xbox One and PS4, or £7.19 on Steam.

Giveaway entry can be registered via Gleam just below.

Good luck!
Marooners Xbox One giveaway - Pass the Controller
Marooners giveaway
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South Park: The Fractured But Whole From Dusk Till Casa Bonita DLC available now

21/3/2018

 
Vampire themed DLC, From Dusk Till Casa Bonita, is available now for Ubisoft's South Park: The Fractured But Whole.

Ubisoft and South Park Digital Studios have announced that the From Dusk Till Casa Bonita DLC is now available for South Park: The Fractured But Whole, adding a new story campaign along with a superhero power and a buddy to accompany you.

by Chris Brand
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@pass_controller

Mysterion’s sister has fallen in with the Vamp Kids of South Park, who’ve descended upon Cartman's favourite eatery. Players will battle vampires at the Casa Bonita restaurant and its Black Bart's Cave attraction with the help of Henrietta the Goth, a powerful support witch.
There's also some Goth costumes to help you look the part, new loot to find, and a new class with four occult abilities - the Netherborn.

Both Henrietta and the Netherborn can also be used in the main campaign.

From Dusk Till Casa Bonita is included in the season pass, though can also be purchased separately for £9.59.

Are you up for another trip down to South Park? Let us know below or over in the forums.
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