Category: Playstation

The Console That Redefined Gaming

PlayStation turned 20 this month and it has come a long way. With the first console launched in 1995, PlayStation has come to define gaming experience. As a nostalgic homage we will look at how the original console redefined the way games would be played in the years to come.

Future of Gaming

Prior to its launch, people would have only been familiar with the Sega and Nintendo consoles. The PlayStation introduced CD based gaming in a huge way. Not that CD games didn’t exist before, but it was the PlayStation that used CDs in a big way instead of the cartridges used by Nintendo and Sega. The cartridges were more expensive compared to CDs and was more limited in terms of space. The PlayStation arrived at an important time. 1995 saw the beginnings of the World Wide Web and CD-ROM technology that allowed games to include real videos and music soundtracks.

Since CDs were cheaper and could hold a lot more data, Sony was able to attract more third-party publishers. Developers such as Squaresoft (Final Fantasy VII) and Enix (Dragon Quest VII) left Nintendo and joined Sony to release their games in CD format. The success of the PlayStation is widely believed to have cause the demise of the cartridge-based consoles.

The Definitive Controller

Sony PlayStation

Nintendo 64

Nintendo may have popularized the four-faced diamond shaped buttons, the analogue stick, and the shoulder buttons, but the PlayStation set the standard for controllers.

The PlayStation had four shoulder buttons (L1, R1, L2, and R2) rather than the traditional two found in Nintendo. Moreover, it also introduced the Dual Analogue Controller, where Nintendo had one one, allowing for greater camera and action controls. And this has become the standard controller for gaming since.

Narrative Gameplay

Another significant change were the games themselves. Before the PlayStation, Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog were the most popular names in the gaming world. Yet these games offered a simple, linear gameplay where story did not matter. However, Sony wanted more out of games and with the CD-ROM technology at its disposal, it had the power to add more to gaming than ever before.

The PlayStation brought in story-driven games that had a narrative structure to it. Games had an entire movie-like experience with major action moments and cutscenes. The idea of playing a game that was like a story in itself was quite exciting. And over the years the stories grew bigger, more engrossing, and more intricately woven.

These are only some of the major features that changed and defined the way games would be played in the years to come. And it all started 20 years ago.

For nostalgia sake, here is a video showing some of the most popular games from the first PlayStation, and we’re sure they’ll will bring a smile to your face (except for Silent Hill). How many of them have you played? Let us know in the comments below.

September 13, 2015
Origin Games Announce the Release Of Their New Product – Rock Band 4

Origin Games has announced the release on their new title Rock band 4. This set has been published by Harmonix Music Systems with wireless controllers developed by Mad Catz, and have been exclusively made for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Two bundles are expected to release, one called the Rock Band 4 Guitar Bundle at Rs.13,990 and the Rock Band 4 Band-In-A-Box at Rs. 26,990.

The Rock Band 4 Guitar Bundle comes with the full version of the Rock Band 4 Game Software along with a wireless guitar controller. This wireless guitar controller is in the form of the Fender Stratocaster and comes with two sets of fret buttons, a silent strum bar, a whammy bar, and a redesigned tilt sensor for fail-proof Overdrive activation.

Rock Band 4 Band-In-A-Box, however, also comes with a full version of the Rock Band 4 Game Software, a wireless guitar controller, a wireless drum controller and an improved USB microphone. The wireless guitar controller is similar to the one in the Rock Band 4 Guitar Bundle, the wireless drum controller features a metal-plated kick pedal and velocity sensitive drum pads and the USB microphone is being termed as improved because it is completely new and features a 48 kHz quality audio, improved gain staging, and distortion prevention.

If you’re a real rock-star then this game also comes with freestyle guitar solos, a ‘sing for the moment’ feature, improved drum skills and allows you to work with a crowd thereby exhibiting all your entertaining skills right at home.

The official release is going to happen on the 6th of October 2015.

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August 25, 2015
Dishonored: Definitive Edition is Now Available for Pre-order

Good news for Dishonored fans. Leading game distributor e-xpress has launched the pre-orders for the Dishonored: Definitive Edition in India. Published by Bethesda Games, Dishonored is an action-adventure game which follows Corvo Attano, a bodyguard-turned-assassin who is framed for murdering his employer.

The Definitive Edition was announced by developer Arkane Studios a few days ago during Bethesda’s presentation at the 2015 E3. The edition will contain a remastered version of the original game for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and all the downloadable content (DLC). The DLC will contain The Knife of Dunwall and The Brigmore Witches, along with Dunwall City Trials and Void Walker’s Arsenal.

Dishonored was released in 2012 to positive reviews and appeared on several “Best Games of 2012” lists.The game has been voiced by known actors such as Susan Sarandon, Carrie Fisher and Lena Heady, who are best known for acting in films and shows like Enchanted, Star Wars and Game of Thrones, respectively.

Dishonored: Definitive Edition is now available for pre-order at Rs. 2,999 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. To order your game copy now, click here.

June 26, 2015
The 10 Coolest Gaming Trailers Sony Showed at E3 2015

At the ongoing E3 2015 (Electronic Entertainment Expo), after a good 2-hour showcase of ‘The Last Guardian’, Sony went ahead to show off the trailers of new gaming franchise that will be coming out in the following months.

Here’s a list of the exciting trailers:

The Last Guardian

Horizon Zero Dawn

Hitman

Final Fantasy VII

Dreams

Firewatch

Destiny: The Taken King

Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Star Wars Battlefront

Mad Max – Eye of the Storm

Tom Clancy’s The Division

Dark Souls III

Call of Duty: Black Ops III

Can’t wait to get our hands on these! Other than this, Sony has also announced limited edition retro controllers and headphones.

Keep checking iGyaan for incoming news and updates from the E3 2015.

June 17, 2015
Sony Goes Back to Basics With its Retro Gamepads

At the ongoing E3 event in Los Angeles, along with announcing the release of Street Fighter 5 beta, Sony announced that the 20^th anniversary Gold Wireless Headset and DualShock 4 Controller would be coming out in September this year.

Much to the delight of Sony’s early PlayStation gamers, these devices will come in the company’s classic two-tone grey colours.

Behold! The 20th Anniversary DualShock 4 ($64.99) and Gold Wireless Headset ($99.99). Coming this September. pic.twitter.com/dORvfhTzaC

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) June 16, 2015

Thanks to the colour choices made by Sony, these gamepads are reminiscent of their old hardware. They may look retro, however both the devices come with top-notch features.

DualShock 4 Controller

Gold Wireless Headset

The controller and the headset are priced at $64.99 (Rs. 4,100) and $99.99 (Rs. 6,400 approx) respectively. Also, the controller is limited to 12,000 units that will be going on sale for in European and Asian countries soon. For now, there is no word about the number of units or the availability of the headset.

Stay tuned, more E3 coverage coming up.

June 16, 2015
E3 2015: The New Street Fighter 5 Trailer is Awesome!

The Street Fighter game series is well known to anyone who is remotely interested in gaming. At the ongoing E3 2015 in Los Angeles, Sony has announced that the well-known game will be coming to PlayStation 4. Capcom, the makers of the Street Fighter game series, confirmed during the PlayStation E3 press conference about the game’s public beta on the PlayStation 4 that will be debuting on July 23rd.

Following the leak of the game details back in December 2014, the highlight of the trailer is the addition of two new players: Birdie, the tall British punk rocker with a beak-shaped Mohawk hairstyle and Cammy, the blue-eyed, slender fighter who is now an amnesiac MI6 operative for the British government.

Birdie, who is the newest addition to the Street Fighter game, is one of the few characters that has multiple V-Skills, all of which spin around foods and drinks. Birdie can eat a banana and throw the peel on the floor, which the enemy player will slip on.

Ryu (L) VS Birdie (R)

For his V-Trigger, Birdie eats a hot pepper and enters a powered up state, making all his attacks-particularly his bull charge, even more deadly. In his Critical Art, he wraps up the opponent in chains and uses him or her as a skipping rope.

Cammy, meanwhile, retains many of her iconic moves, such as her Spiral Arrow, Canon Spike, and Canon Strike. Her Spin Knuckle is now her V-Skill.

Apart from this, the new trailer showed that the game will be played in its traditional 2D platform, with rotating camera view. No other details could be deciphered. You will have to pre-order the beta for PS4, and later on for PC as well.

Check out the trailer below:

June 16, 2015
Watch Celebrities Have a Go at Batman: Arkham Knight

A few posts back, we mentioned that Batman: Arkham Knight is one of the most awaited games of 2015. The game first released trailers back in the last months on 2014, which included the much talked-about Batmobile. The last scene of the previous instalment, Batman: Arkham City showed Batman fending off the Scarecrow, who has united Batman’s deadliest foes, namely Poison Ivy, The Penguin, the Riddler, Harley Quinn and Firefly, to kill the Bat. Yes, it almost sounds like Batman Vs The Suicide Squad.

Scarerow may be the main antigonist in the gameplay.

Rocksteady Studios decided to rebrand the ‘first look’ of the game by roping in celebrities and showed their first reactions of the game in their YouTube video. The celebrities are Neil Patrick Harris, Wiz Khalifa, Blake Anderson, Minka Kelly, Kumail Nanjiani, Breckin Meyer, Joe Manganiello, iJustine, Troy Baker and Kevin Conroy. You can watch their reaction below.

As much as we could see in the video, the game features a distinct visual appearance and a full range of high-tech onboard gadgetry. Perhaps, the highlight of the game would be, of course, the Batmobile, the most iconic vehicle in comic history. The Batmobile is designed to be fully drivable throughout the game and is capable of transforming into different modes, from high-speed pursuit mode to military grade battle mode. This vehicle sits at the core of the game and allows players to tear down the streets at unmatched speeds while in pursuit of Gotham’s most formidable villains. This iconic vehicle also expands Batman’s abilities, from navigation and forensics to combat and puzzle solving.

The game is slated to be released on 23rd June 2015. For now, the game would be available only on PlayStation 4 on pre-order. We can’t wait to get our hands on this, can you?

June 12, 2015
PayDay 2 Promises a Whole New Level of Pulling Off Heists

Payday is a cooperative first shooter game developed by Overkill Software and published by 505 Games. This game launched its second edition, namely, Payday 2 Crimewave Edition, for PS4 and Xbox One today.

The game consists of a variety of ‘heists’ that can be carried out by the player, either by choosing AI allies or as a part of a multiplayer game. Heists include robbing banks, rigging an election or drug trafficking. This game mostly emphasises on stealth, from which you can earn bonus points and money on completion.

In PayDay2, you get to pull heists and robbery at a whole new level. New contacts include The Dentist (voiced by Giancarlo Esposito of Breaking Bad) and the Butcher (voiced by Mira Furlon of Lost and Babylon 5 fame). Additional jobs and multi-stage contracts are included with an enormous variety of new weapons like shotguns, sniper rifles and grenade launchers.

The new edition is loaded with DLC packs and content updates like the Big Bank Heist, which is worth for over a year. You can also play as ‘Clover’, the first female heister. Overall, the game is promised with improved frame rate, better texture and 1080p resolution.

The new game also brings in new characters, more masks and a whole new level of customization. The game will be available on all leading retail and e-commerce stores and is priced at Rs 3,499. A perfect game for all players who are looking forward to pulling off their dream crime spree.

Watch its thrilling trailer here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB2LatHJzr8

June 12, 2015
Here’s the List of Free Games Available for Playstation Plus Members for May

Each month, Sony releases a bunch of free goodies for its Playstation Plus users. This month is no exception. Sony will be releasing five new games for the month of May, four games for PlayStation Vita and three for PlayStation 3.

Some of the games that were up for free download in April were Aaru’s Awakening (PS 4, PS3, PS Vita), Towers Of Guns (PS 4, PS3), Never Alone (PS4), Dishonoured (PS 3), Killzone Mercenary and Monsterbag (both PS Vita).

For this month’s edition, there is Ether One (PS4), Guacamelee Super Championship Turbo Edition (PS4), Race the Sun (PS4, PS3, PS Vita), Hohokum (PS4, PS3, PS Vita), The Unfinished Swan (PS 4, PS3, PS Vita) and Murasaki Baby (PS Vita).

The game details are as follows:

Ether One:

It is a first person puzzle thriller where you have to solve complex puzzles in order to restore the minds of mentally ill patients and to put back the fragments of the person’s deranged lives.

The Unfinished Swan:

With an astounding art style and thought-provoking gameplay, the game is filled with unexpected twists and turns. It is about a boy named Monroe who has to chase a swan that has escaped through a painting. This game includes various tricking landscapes.

Race The Sun:

It is a minimalist racing game where the setting sun is your timer. Race before the sun dwells down the horizon. It is a race against time!

Hohokum:

It is a game where you play a kite-like creature and explore your surroundings. Basically, a game like the GTA franchise, except that it’s more colourful and gives a happier vibe.

Murasaki Baby:

A negatively created puzzle game where players have to guide a baby through the nightmarish landscape in search of a home.

May 1, 2015
Top 5 Games We’d Love to Play in Virtual Reality

Well, the Oculus Rift’s consumer model edges closer to release and Sony is preparing ‘Project Morpheus’ for the PS4. We’re almost certain that the next chapter of gaming and entertainment is going to be ruled by Virtual Reality. Acknowledging what’s to come, we thought we’d take a look at the games we think could be the best suited for VR space.

Here are the top 5 games we’d love to play in virtual reality:

1. Mirror’s Edge 2

Perhaps the most obvious choice of game to feature Oculus Rift/Project Morpheus compatibility, even the idea of wall-running in virtual reality in Mirror’s Edge 2 is enough to empty your pocket and buy Sony already. If you’ve ever wanted to experience flying through the skyline of a freakishly white city, or getting a first-person view of plummeting to your death from the top of a skyscraper, then this is the best option to walk away from the experience alive. Mirror’s Edge‘s tough platforming and great aesthetic is ideal for virtual reality.

2. Portal 2

If the Oculus Rift and Project Morpheus will tackle with the motion sickness issue, then playing Portal 2 in Virtual Reality would be the only thing you’d be doing on weekends. In this game you would be frequently chastised by sociopathic A.I. that has a penchant for breaking into song at the end of the ride. Puzzle-solving with added adrenaline.

3. Star Wars: Battlefront

There is no news about the upcoming Star Wars: Battlefront game other than that it will be launching soon, but the idea of experiencing the Star Wars universe in virtual reality is an unexceptionally exciting one. While the Battlefront games were typically played in third-person, they’ve always featured a first-person mode, too, and one which will likely be focused in the new game. If this is to be the case, then Battlefront with Oculus Rift/Project Morpheus support would be amazing.

4. Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture

Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is being developed by The Chinese Room,who previously created ‘Dear Esther’, an atmospheric first-person game that suffered from being a little too pretentious and, frankly, dull. With its apocalyptic setting, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture has the potential to be much more enjoyable than its earlier version, and if it can bring the atmosphere of Dear Esther to a more interesting game, then this upcoming PS4 title will be a great opportunity for Sony to show off Project Morpheus.

5. Evolve

Evolve’s under the development under Turtle Rock, same people behind the Left 4 Dead series, and from early impressions and screenshots it seems to be L4D with gigantic monsters instead of zombies. This would lend itself well to virtual reality, providing equal amounts of horror and hilarity, if the L4D series is anything to go by.

April 5, 2015
Sony Unveils a Beautiful Limited Edition PS4 Inspired by Metal Gear Solid 5

Sony has announced a limited edition PlayStation 4 inspired by the wildly popular stealth action title Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. The limited edition version has been announced in Japan for now, though we’re not sure whether it’ll be announced globally.

The limited edition console is one hell of a looker, made in collaboration with Konami’s Hideo Kojima. The console gets the same colour as Snake’s Bionic arm, while the DualShock 4 is inspired by the assassin’s gun with his logo emblazoned. We won’t mind getting our hands dirty on this badboy!

Meanwhile’ Konami has also officially announced the release date for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. The title will launch on all major consoles except Wii U on September 1, while the game will be released for the PC on Steam on September 15. Hideo Kojima also mentioned that MGS5 will be the final chapter of this epic franchise.

Sony also announced its retro themed limited edition console back in December marking their 20th anniversary.

March 5, 2015
DriveClub Gets a Collection of Fresh Race Tracks from Japan

Evolution Studios have confirmed via their official Driveclub Facebook page that five new tracks are coming for the PS4 exclusive title today. The five new tracks are located in Japan and the studio has published previews of the four other tracks on Facebook and YouTube, a mix of race circuits and point to point blasts.

In addition, the preview videos also give us a sneak peek of some of the new cars that’ll feature in the game via the Apex Expansion Pack coming on January 27-29. The pack is a part of the season pass which brings new cars like the Jaguar c-X75 Concept, Enzo Ferrari, Caterham R500 Superlight along with the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1.

[quote text_size=”medium” author=”Evolution Studios”]

Along with our own research and gameplay data analysis, your input has been a big help in shaping all of the tracks we’re developing for Japan. Especially the many, many requests for an epic point-to-point like this and for wider tracks to make fighting for position less frustrating, particularly in online races.

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Meanwhile, for those of you wondering about the delayed free PlayStation Plus Edition of DriveClub, Evolution Studios said that it’ll come as soon as they are able to improve server performance, so that players will be able to take its full advantage.

January 19, 2015
New Round of Details Emerge about Ultra Street Fighter IV for PS4

More details about the upcoming PS4 version of Ultra Street Fighter IV have emerged via a post on the official PlayStation Blog. Gio Corsi of Sony says that along with five new characters and six brand new stages, the game will include all previously released costume DLC, including the Vacation and Wild Costumes.

Also a part of the package will be the Omega Mode. Sony says that a combination of all these aspects makes the PS4 version “the ultimate” edition of the game. Ultra Street Fighter IV is already available on the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, though an Xbox One version hasn’t been announced yet.

The PS4 version of the game was earlier announced in December and is slated for a launch sometime around spring. Meanwhile, Capcom and Sony recently announced the Street Fighter V for PS4 and PC, which will have support for cross-platform play.

January 12, 2015
Sony and Microsoft Ready to Begin Console Wars in China

China is a country that practically produces almost everything available in the market. The country is the manufacturing hub of most of the world’s electronics. But it has serious distrust for foreign products. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is a nanny state that is quick to ban anything that doesn’t stand up to its cultural standards. The country recently lifted a 14-year ban on foreign consoles in the country. This led to the arrival of the two gaming giants in the country who will now start a new battle in their war of console supremacy in the most populated country in the world.

About four months back, Microsoft’s Xbox One hit the Chinese shores. On January 11th its arch nemesis, Sony PlayStation 4 will arrive to begin the familiar war. Sony told Reuters that it would arrive with 30 titles and has already applied for licenses for them. In comparison, Xbox One has only 10 titles in the country.

It is rather difficult to get your gaming title passed through the scrutiny of the Chinese censors. The country is infamous for having a giant mechanism that constantly censors content throughout the media and the internet. The safest bet for the companies is to bring sports based titles to get past easily through the licensing process. It doesn’t seem like the Chinese gamers are going to get access to the likes of GTA 5 anytime soon.

These devices also come at a hefty price tag even though the consoles are made in the country. The PS4 comes for 2,899 yuan(Rs. 29,240) while Chinese buyers would have to shell out 3,699 yuan (Rs.37,300) for the Xbox One. Microsoft hopes to sell a million devices by October 2015.

It is good to see China opening its doors to the world one step at a time. It’s about time the country also imported democracy and let its people taste real freedom. Well, if freedom in 21st century means being a slave to the screen, guess the Chinese aren’t far from it.

December 12, 2014
PlayStation Marks its 20th Anniversary By Bringing Out a Retro-Themed Limited Edition PS4 Console

This day marks the twentieth anniversary of the PlayStation, and Sony is celebrating this feat with the launch of a retro themed limited edition PS4 console. These limited edition PS4s are decked up in the same greyish attire similar to the original PlayStation. The grey coating PS4 will come bundled with matching controllers and even the same old school power cords.

For those of you who already own a PS4, or don’t fancy yourself to scoop one off the limited run, Sony has released a PSone theme for its current console. It comes with the original retro start up sound, all you need to do is just download the latest firmware update.

Sources indicate that only 12,300 units of these aanniversary edition consoles will go on sale, sometime during Christmas. As the company will be soon sharing information on how you get a dose of nostalgia in the form of these grey little beasts.

December 3, 2014