The Official PlayStation Blog has opened up voting in their annual user lead series of polls for The Game of the Year Awards. As 2015 comes to a close perhaps it is time to reflect upon which games have left the biggest impact on you over the past 12 months before clicking on over to vote.
The year in PlayStation started off with a bang with the release of exclusives like The Order: 1886 and Bloodborne while continuing to amaze right up until December with massive open world games like Just Cause 3.
SCEA’s Social Media Manager Justin Massongill outlines some of the rules that Sony used in the selection of their eligible titles. Readers even suggested new additions in the comments section of the original poll, like Life Is Strange, and they’ve found their way into the official polls.
Here are the ground rules:
Nominees are limited to games that have never appeared on a PlayStation platform before.
Additionally, if a game has won for a specific category in a previous year, it’s no longer eligible to win in that category this year.
We tried to include a (very) wide range of nominees for each category, but if your favorite isn’t on the list feel free to write it inat the bottom of each form.
Voting is performed via a series of rather long polls available on the PlayStation Blog. Each category contains a number of titles – for example in the running for “Best PS4 Game” are Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Axiom Verge, Arkham Knight, Bloodborne, Broken Age, Black Ops III, Dying Light, MLB the Show 15 & more. So take your time and pick your favorites carefully.
Did your favorite game make Sony’s cut? 2015 was certainly a fantastic year for gaming!
Turok: Remastered has received its first major patch since launching this past Tuesday. In addition to remedying bugs that resulted in cut-scenes not playing or the game hard crashing improvements to the AI and animations have been implemented for the harder difficulties. They have also implemented a new set of headbob options allowing players to adjust bobbling for various directions and underwater sections.
Turok: Remastered is an enhanced version of the 1996 Nintendo 64 original as well as the 1998 sequel Turok 2: Seeds of Evil. Both of these games did receive PC ports back in the days of Windows 98 and dial-up internet but Night Dive Studios have ensured that the games will run on modern 64-bit hardware without all that nasty fog that was pretty mandatory in the original releases.
You can purchase Turok: Remastered through it’s official Steam Store page. Full patch notes below:
Changelist for 12/18/2015
Safeguard checks for initializing video. Will fall back to starting the game in windowed mode if it is unable to create a window for fullscreen mode
Head bobbing options implemented
Possible fix for a crash when loading a level or loading from a save file
Tremor effects no longer affects the player’s velocity (won’t be doing short hops)
Animation speeds for AI on Hard and Hardcore difficulties have been toned way down
Changing the difficulty in the gameplay menu now automatically updates all active AI, where before they would change their behavior only after revisiting the level (which was a bug).
Fixed crash with moving platforms in level 8 bonus stage.
Several minor updates to levels (wood pillars in Jungle all moves down rather than moving up. Looks silly with extended draw distance enabled as they all look like they’re floating).
Clamped XY coordinates in light scatter shader. This fixes very bad rendering artifacts caused by the shader in certain graphics drivers.
Head Bobbing Options
This menu can be found in Options->Gameplay->Head Bobbing Options. The following options are:
Head Bobbing – Toggles all bobbing while walking/running on ground and jumping.
Turn Bobbing – Toggles the rolling of the view camera when turning (on land and in water).
Adjust View To Slopes – Toggles your view being aligned to the floor surface that you’re standing on.
Underwater Bobbing – Toggles all bobbing related to being on water and underwater.
AI Updates
The timing on how long it takes for AI to respawn has been heavily re-factored now. It will take roughly 15-30 seconds for them to begin fading out and another 10-15 seconds for them to begin respawning. Its still randomized but there should be a longer delay before they start respawning though it really depends on their configuration in the levels.
The speeds of the AI has been lowered for the harder difficulties and they will be instantly updated if the difficulty option has been changed in the gameplay menu. The issue with them not updating until that level was revisited has led to a lot of confusion regarding to the broken nature of the AI and speed of the game.
The developers behind Insurgency: Modern Infantry Combat have announced that their game will be a staggering 85% off today as part of their celebration of reaching a brand new server population record. Over 10,000 players recently connected to Insurgency to play the team vs team Deathmatch fting American Special Forces vs the titular Insurgents.
While the game has its roots in the real world conflict that defined the post 9/11 world of the mid-00s modders have been able to create new content for the game for quite some time. One such modification is the Wild West Theatre which adds brand new weapons like a double barreled shotgun and changes the names of the teams to Outlaws Vs. Lawmen.
Devs have officially promoted a live-stream of the Wild West Theatre alongside today’s flash sale. You can check it out in the embedded player below or by following this link to twitch.
Will you be joining the insurgency with this flash sale?
Warner Bros Interactive has issued a brand new patch for the Windows PC for Batman: Arkham Knight. This new patch restores the advanced rain & weather effects that were present in the PlayStation 4 version of the game but struggled to run on some PC configurations. Another important update is the improvement of target prioritization – I can’t tell you how many times I had Batman just rolling around, having difficulty deciding his next target.
Arkham Knight had a very rocky launch on PC this past June which included the suspension of sales of the game for several months while RockSteady and Warner Bros Interactive worked out all of the Kinks. Although the game does not have SLI / Cross-Fire support there have been a number of improvements made in the past few months (We also found that AMD Crimson drivers also helped performance somewhat.)
We reviewed the PC version of Batman: Arkham Knight this past August and found the game to be quite enjoyable.
Here are the full patch notes via Steam’s announcements section:
Fixed some issues with stars being awarded or lost incorrectly in specific AR Challenges
Improved target prioritization during combat
Restored heavier rain during the opening section of the game
Fixed missing rain effects on a few remaining player character skins
Miscellaneous gameplay fixes and stability improvements
Fixes to some keyboard and mouse prompts after being rebound
Made frame times more consistent for 60hz monitors running at 30fps with VSync enabled
Previously equipped gadgets can be selected with keyboard and mouse again after restarting an AR Challenge
Fixed the default key binding for Harley’s Snare gadget
Batgirl’s Remote Hacking Device can now be properly selected with keyboard & mouse in AR Challenges
Minor performance optimizations for certain combinations of hardware
Fixed keyboard & mouse controls that did not function in DLC AR Challenges when no previous save data existed
Quick Photo Mode can now be triggered with keyboard and mouse controls when using the Batmobile
Special Combo Takedowns can now be performed with Quickfire Gadget binds if they were rebound
Fixed graphical corruption that may occur after Alt-Tabbing
Improvements and corrections to some localized text
Added new Classic Harley Quinn skin for use in AR Challenges & the Harley Quinn Story Pack
Added Arkham Knight as a playable character for AR Challenges & the Red Hood Story Pack
Hacknet from Surprise Attack Games & Team Fractal Alligator launches today on Mac and Linux.
Hacknet is an immersive, terminal-based hacking simulator for Windows, Linux and Mac. Dive down a rabbit hoIe as you follow the instructions of a recently deceased hacker, whose death may not have been the accident the media reports. Using old school command prompts and real hacking processes, you’ll solve the mystery with minimal hand-holding and a rich world full of secrets to explore.
Bit, a hacker responsible for creating the most invasive security system on the planet, is dead. When he fails to reconnect to his system for 14 days, his failsafe kicks in, sending instructions in automated emails to a lone user. As that user, it’s up to you to unravel the mystery and ensure that Hacknet-OS doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
Exploring the volatile nature of personal privacy, the prevalence of corporate greed, and the hidden powers of hackers on the internet, Hacknet delivers a true hacking simulation, while offering a support system that allows total beginners get a grasp of the real-world applications and commands found throughout the game.
Hacknet is available now on PC via Steam and the Humble Store. Mac and Linux versions were heavily requested after the announcement of the game and the developer is now working on supporting those platforms as soon as possible.
Hacknet’s Linux/Mac versions were made using FNA, a new reimplementation of the XNA framework. Hacknet is the debut title for FNA’s first official release, which will be available on Monday, December 21 at http://fna-xna.github.io/. “Given the UNIX-based nature of the game, it’s not surprising that the number one request we get is to add Linux support,” said Matt Trobbianni, developer of Hacknet. “Initially I thought this wouldn’t be possible given the game was developed in XNA and has some complex platform code, but with some help from Ethan “flibitijibibo” Lee and his FNA libraries, we’re excited to be able to bring the game to Linux and also Mac users.”
Launching for Windows PC’s in August 2015, close to 100,000 gamers have purchased Hacknet to date and it enjoys an overwhelmingly positive (>95%) user review rating on Steam.
Haarlem, The Netherlands – 18 December 2015 – Development studio Fugitive Games and publisher Iceberg Interactive have released a major update for their sumptuous space sim Into The Stars (PC/MAC). This final Early Access Update includes content requested by the community, such as improved shuttle missions and a major combat overhaul, giving players increased control and numerous options when battling foes. Into The Stars entered Steam’s Early Access program in July, and is set to fully launch in Q1-2016.
More information on this and previous updates can be found in the Steam Community Hub HERE.
About the game
We’ve been under attack for 10 years now. Every 6 months the Skorn arrive, set on destroying our planet, and now few of us remain to defend what’s left. The massive Ark ships we’ve built in hopes of escaping them have all gone, save one. You must take the role of Captain of our final vessel, the Ark 13, and guide a hand-picked, but inexperienced crew on a journey fraught with intrigue and danger. The fate of the Endurance Coalition is uncertain and you could well be our last hope. How will you fare once you set out Into the Stars?
Into the Stars is an open-world Space Survival Simulation built in Unreal Engine 4, featuring an original score from Jack Wall.
Take the role of Captain as you explore a massive star system in search of a new home for humanity. Outfit your ship, hand pick your crew and set off on a journey where you must scavenge resources, shelter civilians and either outrun, or outgun a hostile alien force, in order to survive.
Features
• Complete Control: Take command of your hand-picked, but inexperienced crew, and guide them through a star system packed with mystery and danger.
• Explore a Massive Star System: You have the freedom to set your course for salvation, but no approach is free from peril. Each of the 90 zones in this system present unique opportunities, along with challenges, and only you can find the path to success.
• Challenging volley-based Combat: A number of foes, who are unwilling to negotiate, await you on this voyage. That’s why your ship is equipped with weapon systems that speak for the human race, in a language everyone can understand. Choose your target points, battle stations and crew wisely, if you want to survive numerous alien encounters.
• Music by Jack Wall: Driven by an original score from the legendary composer behind the music for Mass Effect, Call of Duty and Lost Planet.
• Replay ability: Every decision you make as Captain, and every randomly generated obstacle the crew encounters, can affect the outcome of a mission, creating a different experience, every time you play.
About Fugitive Games
Fugitive Games is comprised of crafty veterans on the run from traditional development at places like DICE, Capcom and SCEA to build games that focus on fun and community first. We’ve worked on a range of products from heavy hitters like Battlefield, Medal of Honor and Lost Planet to cult hits such as Shadows of the Damned and MAG.
Collectively we’ve shipped over 20 titles across 10 platforms, but with Into the Stars we have the opportunity to build something special for you!
About Iceberg Interactive
Iceberg Interactive is an independent video game publisher founded in 2009 by an international group of games industry veterans and is located in Haarlem, The Netherlands. Staffed with avid gamers, Iceberg works closely with an international assembly of game developers, both midsize and indie. Garnering attention with acclaimed releases over recent years, including Endless Space, Endless Legend, StarDrive and Starpoint Gemini 2, the company has an exceptional current line-up, including Into the Stars, Oriental Empires, Killing Floor 2, Starpoint GeminiWarlords and Starship Corporation – with further promising games in the pipeline.
