GTA 5 has not been delayed to 2015 on PS4, Xbox One or PC, Rockstar confirms

The PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC release of Grand Theft Auto 5 has not been delayed into 2015, Rockstar has confirmed.

A rumour on VG247 earlier this week suggested that the game may have been pushed back to next year, but in an update on Rockstar’s support site yesterday, the publisher confirmed that the autumn release date "has not changed".

"I'm also looking forward to the PC release, however this release date has not changed," wrote Rockstar support (via NeoGAF). "Please see our support article, ‘Grand Theft Auto V Release Date on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC’ for the most recent information on this topic."

Rockstar's comments coincide with a post from Non Stop Pop FM host Cara Delevingne last night, who revealed that she had returned to Rockstar to "update [her] GTAV radio station" for the next-gen versions. She also reiterated a "fall" release date.

Earlier this week, GAME stated that it had received a "provisional" November release date for GTA 5 on PS4 and Xbox One, but later apologised for any "confusion". Officially, the game is still on track for release this autumn.

The Last of Us Remastered title update improves matchmaking, rolling out now

The latest title update for The Last of Us Remastered will begin rolling out globally over the next 24 hours, Naughty Dog has announced, improving matchmaking times and introducing two free multiplayer maps: Beach and Financial Plaza.

Both maps will be available to download for free from within Factions once the patch is released.

Also available alongside the new maps is a new Scoped Weapons Bundle which packs in four new guns for £2.49. The weapons and maps will be available for both the PS3 and PS4 versions of The Last of Us.

Total War: Rome 2 players can upgrade to a new Emperor Edition for free

SEGA has announced Total War: Rome 2 – Emperor Edition, a brand new edition of last year's strategy title that bundles together all previously released free content with a brand new campaign expansion pack Imperator Augustus.

The expansion adds a new single-player campaign map based on the Second Triumvirate War, where leaders Octavian, Marc Antony and Lepidus go to war to become the first Emperor of Rome following the death of Julius Caeser.

Most importantly, though, existing owners of Rome 2 will be able to upgrade to the Emperor Edition for free on day of launch, granting them access to the new campaign pack at no additional cost.

"ROME II was far and away our most ambitious game," said creative director Mike Simpson. "We see more people playing, and playing for longer, than any other game in the Total War series. However, we take our players' feedback very seriously.

"Through the multitude of improvements and free content updates we've brought to ROME II since its launch, we've worked hard to try and meet their expectations. We want Emperor Edition to be remembered as one of our finest games."

A release date and price for the Emperor Edition has yet to be announced.

Dust: An Elysian Tail coming soon to PS4

Acclaimed 2D side-scrolling game Dust: An Elysian Tail will launch soon for PS4, developer Humble Hearts has announced.

The game features hand-drawn animated movie-style visuals, all running in impressive 1080p at 60fps.

Fidget, co-star of Dust: An Elysian Tail, describes the game as "a 2D side-scrolling platformer, with crazy-fast swordplay and screen-clearing MAGIC supplied by yours truly.

"There are power-ups! Special abilities! Hidden passages! A whole world of STUFF to find! Main quests! Side quests! We've even got a quest where you can choose to put poison ivy into some jerk's laundry! I KNOW! It's magical! Let's poison his laundry TOGETHER!"

Expect news of a confirmed release date pretty soon.

Assassin's Creed Unity release date pushed back to November 13

Assassin's Creed Unity has been delayed by two weeks and will now launch November 13, Ubisoft has announced.

The publisher says the two extra weeks will ensure that the game's quality meets fans' and the team's lofty expectations.

"As we got close to the finish, we realised we were near the target but still needed a bit more time to hone some of the details to make sure Assassin's Creed Unity is exceptional," said Vincent Pontbriand, senior producer at Ubisoft. "We sincerely appreciate players' commitment to the game and their patience. It's just a couple more weeks. And it's going to be worth it."

Ubisoft also confirmed that the team will continue to work beyond the ship date to build a Day 1 patch promising even more improvements.

In addition, the European release date for Assassin's Creed Rogue has been pushed back from November 11 to November 13.

Shadow Warrior delayed on PS4 & Xbox One

The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 release of Shadow Warrior has been delayed to October 24, Bandai Namco has announced. The game was previously scheduled to release in September.

The new date was revealed in a revised release schedule issued to VideoGamer.com this afternoon.

"Bringing Shadow Warrior to PS4 and XB1 has proven to be a challenge for us as we want to make sure the player experience is perfect. In play testing we have been focusing in on the controller inputs and response," said Flying Wild Hog in a statement.

"We recognized that we needed more time to improve this as Shadow Warrior is an old school FPS and this demands perfection. Sadly this means a small delay in the release date, but Lo Wang needs to be at his best on these shiny new consoles".

Standalone Xbox One Kinect launches Oct. 7 for $149

The Xbox One Kinect sensor will be available to purchase separately in North America from October 7 for $149.99, Microsoft has announced.

The sensor will come with a digital copy of Dance Central Spotlight complete with 10 tracks. A UK price and release date has yet to be announced.

The standalone SKU is targeted at users who chose to pick up the Kinect-less Xbox One console following its release earlier this year. The sensor was initially packed in with all Xbox One consoles.

However, despite seeing Xbox One sales double since the Kinect-less Xbox One option became available, Microsoft claims that it has "also seen increased demand for Xbox One with Kinect".

"We're excited to offer you more choices for purchasing Xbox One – with Kinect, without Kinect for $399, bundled with games like Madden NFL 15 or Sunset Overdrive, or by adding the standalone Kinect sensor at a later date," says the platform holder. "It's a great time to choose which Xbox One option works best for you as we look toward the exciting new game launches coming in the months ahead."

An Xbox One bundle containing Kinect will continue to be sold alongside the solus console.

Our tip? Grab a Kinect sensor from CEX for £25 before the price shoots up.

A DriveClub beta is apparently happening on PS4 right now

Sony has invited select users to participate in a closed beta for DriveClub, judging by new screenshots from the alleged test posted on NeoGAF.

The beta appears to be codenamed 'Cupcake', with select PS4 players seemingly invited to play test the racer ahead of this October's release.

One screenshot also seems to offer the first look at one of the game's previously unseen race tracks.

It isn't clear how users have received access to the beta, although it could have something to do with Sony's Beta Test Program, an initiative that lets select players help beta test games ahead of release.

Sony has yet to announce whether the game will receive a public beta in the run-up to launch on October 10.

Infinity Blade Trilogy to conclude on September 4

The Infinity Blade trilogy will conclude on September 4 with the launch of the free Kingdom Come content update for Infinity Blade 3, Epic and developer ChAIR have announced.

Kingdom Come promises to reveal some new secrets, answer more questions, and set you on a quest to defeat a dragon.

"Yes, goodbyes are hard, but don't worry – we're really excited about the way in which we're wrapping up the Infinity Blade saga for now and we'll always be looking for ways to expand the Infinity Blade universe further," teased the Infinity Blade blog.

GRID Autosport Sprint Pack DLC introduces a new point-to-point mode

Codemasters has released a new DLC pack for GRID Autosport that introduces four classic locations from GRID 2 and a brand new point-to-point game mode.

Available today for £4.79, the Sprint Pack promises to deliver "hours of single-player and online gameplay", and features a series of new Sprint Championships set across Hong Kong, Okutama, Cote d'Azure and the California Coast.

"The Sprint pack comes with the aptly named Sprint Game Mode, which sees each competitor released one by one to set a time down a point-to-point track," says Codemasters. "The fastest time at the end of the event wins.

"As you race down the track you'll be given split intervals to keep you updated on your progress. Sprint is only available for point-to-point tracks, but should you wish you can take the challenge online."

Two further 'mini-expansions' – the Touring Car Legends Pack and Drag Racing Pack – are due for release by October. For a look at the new Sprint mode in action, take a look at the video below.

Don't Starve: Giant Edition launches for PS Vita on September 3

Don't Starve: Giants Edition will launch for PS Vita on September 3, Klei Entertainment has announced.

Giants Edition will cost €13.99 and includes the original game plus the Reign of Giants expansion offering new characters, seasons, biomes, and other challenges.

Klei also confirmed that back-end changes to the Vita version mean Cross-Save functionality with the PS4 version isn't supported. Thankfully Cross-Buy is available, meaning those who already have the PS4 version will get the Vita game for free, and vice versa.

Destiny item trading not possible between players, Bungie confirms

Destiny players will not be able to trade items with each other, Bungie community manager David Dague has confirmed.

Responding to a fan question on the topic of item trading, Dague wrote:

"Nope. We want you to earn 'em. You should be able to tell a badass story for every sweet jewel in your arsenal.

"Once you earn them, the various Guardians under your account will be able to trade them, but weapons belong to the players who acquire them through action and bravery."

Destiny has now gone gold, meaning everything is now in place for the September 9 launch.

Evolve hands-on: Flamin hot' Monster Munch

This is the fourth occasion that I've played Evolve, having now taken the reins as eight different hunters and two monsters in Turtle Rock's 4 vs. 1 multiplayer Jurassic Park wannabe. What's most striking about the game is that every match played has been so different that the rest. It has never failed to feel anything other than fresh each time.

Our latest demo took place on the newly-unveiled Distillery map, an environment of cliffs and valleys punctuated by dilapidated grey/brown industrial equipment and infrastructure. It's the kind of place that the marketing goons responsible for box-of-the-blurbs would describe as featuring 'awesome verticality'... whatever that means.

Match one sees me play as Lazarus the medic, my team taking on the Kraken monster. The quadruplet of hunters must consist of one of each class type (medic, support, assault, trapper), but there are multiple versions of each class - so some minute customisation is possible. Lazarus, for example, has a silenced rifle that deals a small amount of damage. Val, another medic, has a rifle that is not silenced, doesn't deal damage, but creates weak points on the monster for other hunters to exploit.

Both of them can heal themselves and others, obviously.

The Kraken can fly, making it dangerous in Distillery's open spaces and generally any area featuring a lack of ceiling cover. Ideally, as the hunters you want to ambush it within one of the map's small gorges using the trapper's dome and harpoon gadgets. Dome creates a temporary force field through which the monster cannot pass, while the harpoon restricts and slows its movement. If you let the Kraken simply soar above you and use its ranged electrical attacks from the air then you're going to be quickly fried.

Game two saw a complete switch, different hunters and a different monster. Goliath has been shown off before and has become somewhat of a snarling poster boy for Evolve. He's all teeth and muscle, the stereotypical Godzilla-esque monster behind which this otherwise-not-very-intuitive game can rally around.
The rules for facing Goliath are different. Whatever you do, you don't want to confront it in confined spaces. He is enormously powerful when up close and can sustain significantly more damage than the Kraken, simply standing in front of him and unleashing lead is going to get you all killed.

I lost my match against the Goliath, but some success was achieved by dropping the dome around him in an area that featured that 'awesome verticality' inherent to Distillery. By spreading the hunters across different platforms Goliath cannot focus its attacks on one area and, because the bulk of its abilities work best in close combat, whenever he attacks one of you the other three can rally together in unison without much fear of being picked off at range.

Evolve continues to display that level of diversity that is so crucial for a multiplayer-focused game to achieve. Of course, all that I've played so far has been done so alongside other players that are far from a level that could be described as 'expert'. Developer Turtle Rock's real challenge will be in balancing the game to such a point that top-level players cannot simply regurgitate the same tactics and strategies once they've learned a successful pattern for each given map/monster.

You can get a PS4 with Destiny for £329 at Amazon

Amazon has lowered the price of the PS4 Destiny bundle to £329, £50 cheaper than the retailer was asking for yesterday.

The price drop follows this morning's reduction on the White PS4 Destiny bundle at GAME. If you fancy a white console, you can still pick that up with a copy of Bungie's upcoming shooter for £349.99.

Amazon's deal is also £20 cheaper than buying the console standalone, which is still listed at £349 on the retailer's website.

If you're tempted to bite, bear in mind that you won't actually get it delivered until Destiny launches on September 9. Still, for the saving what's two more weeks?

Destiny launch trailer arrives over two weeks before launch

Bungie and Activision have released the launch trailer for Destiny, over two weeks ahead of the game's September 9 release date.

Check out the trailer below.

Remember that pre-ordering will earn you early access to Vanguard weapons, gear, and a player emblem.

Those yet to pre-order and thinking of picking up a PS4 should also considering checking out the White PS4 bundle price drop at GAME.

Watch Dogs' latest title update finally lets you hack your friends

A new title update for Watch Dogs has finally introduced the option to let players hack their friends in online multiplayer.

The system previously connected players at random, with no option for users to select their friends.

But now, if you want to hack somebody on your friends list, just select them from the grid and you'll be able to enter their game world to tail or hack them.

As well as the new friends option, patch 1.03 also introduces a new penalty system that pairs players who frequently disconnect from multiplayer matches with those who behave similarly.

Meanwhile, a new option to reset previously played Gang Hideouts and Convoy Missions once the main story line has been completed has also been added to the single-player campaign, while the Drinking Games have been "re-tuned" based on feedback from the community.

The patch will begin rolling out on all platforms today in Europe and America, and on August 26 in Asia.

For the full patch notes, take a look below.

Single Player Added Features

• REPLAY OPTIONS - After having completed the main story line, players will now have the option to reset previously played Gang Hideouts and Convoy Missions. – (ALL PLATFORMS)
• DRINKING GAMES - The Drinking Games were re-tuned based on community feedback. – (ALL PLATFORMS)

Multiplayer Added Features

• HACK YOUR FRIENDS – You can now select available friends via the grid and hack or tail them without their knowledge. This can be disabled under online options. – (ALL PLATFORMS)
• CTOS MOBILE – Mobile players disconnecting will no longer result in the gameplay ending for the console/PC player. Console and PC players will play their match to the end and receive some Notoriety points for doing so. – (ALL PLATFORMS)
• MULTIPLAYER BAD BEHAVIOR – Players who are frequently disconnecting from multiplayer matches will be pooled together and paired only against players with similar online behaviors. – (ALL PLATFORMS)

Single Player Fixes

• POKER – Fixed a bug in which players were getting stuck playing poker if they used the camera against the last opponent in a low stakes game. – (ALL PLATFORMS)
• MISSING PERSONS INVESTIGATIONS – Fixed instances in which the wrong text was appearing in Portuguese language. – (ALL PLATFORMS)

Minecon 2015 targets London

There will be no Minecon 2014, but Mojang COO Vu Bui has revealed plans to stage Minecon 2015 in London.

"I've been getting a lot of questions about MINECON lately, because before this time last year everyone knew the date and location and ticket info for MINECON 2013," wrote Bui. "While we don't have a set date for the next MINECON just yet, I wanted to let everyone know that it won't be until some time in 2015. I'm shooting to have it in the spring in London!"

Bui also explained the reasons why there isn't a Minecon 2014.

"While we'd love to do MINECON every year and it's the only event we do as a company, we want to make sure we can give it the attention it needs, and that means that springtime next year will work best."

An announcement regarding Minecon 2015 will be made once Mojang has secured a venue.

High Moon Studios confirmed as 360/PS3 Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare developer

Deadpool developer High Moon Studios is developing the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Sledgehammer has confirmed.

The studio has long been rumoured to be working on the last-gen ports, but until today its involvement had never officially been confirmed.

"Sledgehammer Games has been focused, from day one, on delivering a true next generation Call of Duty experience for the new consoles, specifically the Xbox One, PS4, and high end PCs," Sledgehammer co-founders Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey told Game Informer. "Our focus is on innovation for the franchise, unrestricted by last generation hardware constraints, and the additional third year of development has allowed the team to make bold decisions to deliver on a new era in Advance Warfare."

"Current gen is also going to be great," they continued, "the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms are being developed by the talented team at High Moon Studios. They are committed to bringing an incredible X360 and PS3 Call of Duty game to fans. We've been working closely with those guys to ensure players get an awesome Call of Duty experience on all platforms."

Besides last year's Deadpool, High Moon Studios has previously worked on The Bourne Conspiracy and multiple games in the Transformers series.

It was confirmed yesterday that Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare would not be heading to Wii U.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare launches on PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on November 4.

Dragon Age: Inquisition - The return of the king

Thank the skies for the return of the tactical camera, a viewpoint harshly and unwarrantedly removed from both Dragon Age 2 and all consoles editions of Dragon Age: Origins. Its re-inclusion in Inquisition immediately helps you to think about combat as a matter requiring thought and planning, as opposed to simple hacking and slashing.

Entering the view pauses the game and gives you a chance to give orders to all four of your party members simultaneously. This means you can more accurately use one party member to distract your enemies with taunts, another can dive headlong into the fray, a third can hang back and provide healing and the fourth might place traps to harm those trying to flank you.

Of course, that's just one basic example - the strategy you employ will be determined by the lay of the land, the abilities of your party and the quantity/quality of your enemies you're facing. In another nice touch you can watch battle flow in real-time from tactical view, giving you a broader perspective of the battlefield while retaining the action pacing.
If you've played both past Dragon Age games then it's immediately obvious that what BioWare is trying to do here is blend the speed of the second game's combat with the tactical possibilities of the PC version of Origins.

How you initiate and grow relationships with other characters is undergoing a distinct change, with such moments no longer limited to simplistic childish antics. In Dragon Age's past, and BioWare games in general, courting someone to the 'fullest degree' tended to involve showering them with cheap trinkets and/or agreeing with every word that came out of their mouth... no matter how inane they might be.

Relationships are now more strongly based on how you act and present yourself, both to individuals and to the world at large. If you act in a way that more accurately matches the morals and lifestyle of a certain other character then they are more likely to feel closer to you and want to spend more time in your presence.

Not all of these relationships need be sexual, they can simply be platonic and based around shared ideologies rather than physical attraction - a possibility that will hopefully go some way to pushing videogame 'relationships' beyond the point of simple sexual fantasy fulfilment and onto something more complex and varied.

It's also possible for two characters to fall for each other without your direct involvement. Not all romances and relationships in Inquisition need to have you as a feature. Two of your party members could become close, although their actions will be largely determined by which parts of the map you visit and when, who you choose to interact with and which world-changing decisions you make. All of these choices affect those around you and how they potential view and categorise others.

Whatever the case, the possibility of those around you developing emotional bonds with one another should go a very long way to making Inquisition feel like a more natural and involving place.

Hotline Miami publisher announces top-down Wild West shooter A Fistful of Gun

Devolver Digital has announced A Fistful of Gun, a top-down Wild West shooter heading to PC next spring.

Developed by FarmerGnome, the game was previously released as a freeware project back in 2012 but is being expanded upon significantly for its release under Devolver.

11 playable characters will be available to pick from as players fight their way across the west to hunt down Clayton Boon, an evil railroad tycoon who has built a track straight to Hell.

9-player local and online co-op modes are included, along with a versus, story and arcade mode.

"A Fistful of Gun is awesome and easily the second best western game ever made," said Devolver Digital CFO Fork Parker. "Red Dead Redemption is still the best though. That game was incredible."

Want a taste of what to expect next year? You can give the free version a go by heading through to Gamejolt.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare isn't coming to Wii U

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will not release on Wii U, Sledgehammer Games has confirmed.

A Wii U SKU had never officially been announced by Activision, but given the publisher's history of announcing Wii U ports of Call of Duty later than other platforms, there was still a chance that it could appear on Nintendo's system.

But that won't happen, Sledgehammer co-founder Michael Condrey suggests.

"No, no WiiU," Condrey tweeted. "That was an Activision decision. We are focused on XboxOne, PS4, and PC."

The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of Advanced Warfare are believed to be in development at Deadpool developer High Moon Studios.

The decision not to launch on Wii U will come as another blow to Nintendo, following shortly after comments from Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot earlier this week who stated that Watch Dogs would be the publisher's final Mature-rated title released for the system.

What in the hell is Sony's Tomorrow Children?

The Tomorrow Children was the most unusual and enigmatic game to come out of Gamescom last week; a sandbox of building, rescuing, exploring, fighting and resource gathering wrapped in an overtly communist aesthetic. Developer Q-Games struggled in its behind-closed-doors presentation to concisely sum up what it actually is, instead relying on the diplomatic 'it's whatever you want it to be' tact.

What is clear, however, is the ambition. Essentially, the goal is to provide complete freedom across a world built up of a multitude of towns, islands, transport systems and attacks from monsters big and small. Every player is part of town, every town grows in line with what its players do and how hard they work. The exact number of players that can populate each town has yet to be nailed down, but the goal is to achieve 'between 50 and 100'.

There's a catch, though. You're not actually a human, you're a clone built specifically to go out into the wilderness to gather items for the town to consume and, most importantly, search for the last remaining humans that have been trapped inside Russian Dolls following a post-apocalyptic event.

The more humans you find and rescue, the faster your town grows and the more resources it needs to keep things ticking over. In other words, the more successful you are at rescuing humans the harder it becomes to look after them and keep them satisfied. Anyone that has worked in a school will surely sympathise. There is no traditional 'win state', you simply continue growing your town in the most efficient way possible while ranking your success against the efforts of other towns and their populations.

While you're free to act and do as you wish, we're told the optimum means to town growth is to coordinate your efforts with other players and dish out the responsibilities. Some players will need to leave town to mine for basic resources, others will need to search for humans, some will need to stay behind to build new structures and others still will need to defend against monsters.
It's possible for your entire town to be destroyed by monsters that attack without warning and at random. If that happens you'll have to move to a new one and start over again.

Defensive weapons can be built to protect the town, with everyone having to work together to defeat some of the largest examples - including something that looked remarkably similar to Godzilla. Splitting your gathered resources between town growth and defence will be a key balance to get right.

The backstory to all of this is a failed Soviet scientific experiment to blend human reality into a single, cohesive psychic force. Needless to say the experiment failed and humanity instead became trapped in the ambiguous 'Void', which are the areas of the world you must travel to in order to save them. As a partially connected consciousness, humanity experiences synchronized nightmares that are strong enough to create the giant monsters in the real world.

That idea of a shared experience runs through everything Tomorrow Children is trying to achieve. Whether it achieves it or not will, we're sure, be debated vivaciously come its TBA release. What can't be questioned is the sheer scale of ambition here and for that alone it's a game worth paying some attention to... even if we're still not sure exactly what it is yet.

500GB hard drive launching soon for Xbox 360 Slim

A 500GB hard drive will launch soon for the Xbox 360 Slim and "E" model consoles, Microsoft has revealed.

The drive is listed on Xbox.com for £109.99, $20 cheaper than the currently available 320GB drive. The smaller hard drive is likely to be reduced in price to make way for the larger capacity.

No release date for the 500GB disk drive has been announced. Indeed, it's not yet known if the larger capacity model will be sold outside of the US.

VideoGamer.com Analysis

Whilst some might argue that the 500GB capacity drive is coming a little late in the console's life, many users taking advantage of free games with Gold may be seeking additional storage space.

Here's six minutes of Bloodborne gameplay on PS4

Sony's released six minutes of direct-feed gameplay footage of next year's PS4 action game Bloodborne.

The 6-minute video follows the debut gameplay reveal during last week's Gamescom. Looks a lot like Dark Souls, doesn't it?

Bloodborne launches on PS4 in early 2015.

Freedom Wars UK release date set for October 31

Sony Japan's PS Vita action RPG Freedom Wars will launch in the UK on October 31 for £24.99, Sony Computer Entertainment has announced.

In addition, the pre-order DLC offered at the Japanese launch will be available in Europe. DLC items include:

• Limited Edition Costume – Personalize your Freedom Wars character with Formal Wear
• Powerful Starter Weapons – Upgraded melee and long range attack weapons
• Limited Edition Sticker Set – For in-game use
• Combat Pack Item – Medical Supply Set

Those picking up the digital version will receive the pre-order DLC so long as they purchase Freedom Wars between October 29 and November 11.

Yoshida hopes Rise of the Tomb Raider comes to PS4 eventually

Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida has said that he was "surprised" to learn that Rise of the Tomb Raider would be an Xbox exclusive next year, but nevertheless hopes that the game will come to PS4 "eventually".

Speaking to Eurogamer about Microsoft's announcement, Yoshida stated that it was "very interesting the way [Xbox boss] Phil Spencer said, what we are saying is, in holiday 2015 Tomb Raider is exclusive to Xbox," before adding that Sony "didn't anticipate something like this would happen."

He continued: "I hope the game will come out eventually on PS4. But how can I tell? Other than that cryptic message by Phil Spencer."

Microsoft announced last week that Rise of the Tomb Raider would be "launching in holiday 2015, exclusively on Xbox". However, confusion over whether the game would remain a permanent or timed exclusive soon spread, forcing Spencer to clarify that the deal "has a duration".

Nevertheless, the announcement angered fans who had been hoping to play Rise of the Tomb Raider on PC and PS4 next year, with many expressing their disappointment at Microsoft, Square Enix and developer Crystal Dynamics.

It still isn't clear whether the game will or will not launch on PS4 and PC at a later date.

"It was a very emotional response," Yoshida added.

Trials Fusion's Empire of the Sky DLC is out now on Xbox One & Xbox 360

Trials Fusion's second DLC, Empire of the Sky, is available to download now on Xbox 360 and Xbox One, and is expected to arrive on PS4 and PC later today or tomorrow.

For £3.99, you'll grab 9 new tracks, 18 new track challenges, dozens of new editor objects and 5 new achievements/trophies.

The DLC is also available for free to Season Pass holders. For the full details of what's included, take a look below:

Five new achievements/trophies:

• 250 Gamer Score on Xbox One 
• 100 Gamer Score on Xbox 360 
• Two Silver, Two Bronze, and One Gold Trophy on PlayStation 4

Nine exciting new tracks, including:

• Six Trials Tracks 
• One new Supercross (local multiplayer) track 
• One new Skill Game "Freefall" 
• One new FMX Track, "High Society"

Eighteen new Track Challenges

• Each Classic Trials Track features three surprising Track Challenges 
• Track Challenges range from secret locations to surprising mini-games, such as: 
• Crash the dinner party 
• Skydive with the Penguins! 
• Please the Paparazzi!

Dozens of new Editor Objects, including:

• Anti-gravity technology 
• Resort homes 
• Force fields 
• Floating platforms

Sharlto Copley to star in PlayStation's Powers TV series

Sharlto Copley, best known for his breakout role in District 9, will play the lead role in PlayStation's Powers TV series, reports The Hollywood Reporter.

Copley will play Christian Walker, a cop working in the Powers division of the police force investigating crimes committed by those with special abilities. The show has a 10 episode season order from Sony.

Jason Patric was originally cast for the role back when FX was developing the series.

Michelle Forbes (The Killing, True Blood) has also come on board as Retro Girl, described as the super star of the Powers community.

David Slade will direct the first two episodes of Powers with a December premier date on PSN scheduled.

Batman: Arkham Knight - The true worth of the Batmobile...

Ace Chemicals has been taken over by the Arkham Knight and only Batman can reinstate its legitimate owners. The Commissioner Gordon-led police force is too afraid to go in alone, meaning it's up to Bats to get shit done. Thus opens the scene of our most recent hands-on with Rocksteady’s concluding entry into its Arkham trilogy.

Immediately there’s a sense of familiarity… the warm and welcome kind, as opposed to the outdated and aged kind. Batman perched high on a rooftop, the modern-gothic skyline of Gotham consumes the horizon, the next-gen shine adding extra ping to the neon and greater depth to the scale (the city is five times bigger than that in Arkham City, apparently).

This visual fidelity is matched in micro, with Batman’s hood showing scratches and dents inherited from past scuffles. A (literally) small detail, but a noticeable and impactful one. Arkham City is one of the best looking games at this year’s Gamescom and stands as a great example about what can be achieved when you concentrate on a single platform generation.

Back on point: getting into Ace Chemicals from this rooftop vantage point isn’t easy, the Arkham Knight having brought with him an army of grunts and a fleet of self-designed tanks. You can head straight into the battle or be sneakier, using grates and ledges to hide in wait for an enemy in a way that mirrors what we’ve played before.

New is a ‘fear takedown’ option, letting you knock out an enemy at the press of a button from within cover. Batman will automatically jump out and eliminate them and, if you’re fast enough, you can chain these attacks together and dispatch up to three grunts without pause.

The more overt action combat has seen little change, with your ability to correctly time and execute counter punches, dodges and direct attacks remaining core to progression. There are new animations that let you take better advantage of the environment by crashing enemy heads into walls and fuse boxes, but the structure is incredibly familiar.

What is different is the Batmobile, which takes centre stage in our Ace Chemicals infiltration. Pressing a shoulder transforms it into ‘battle mode’, enabling you to strafe from side to side and perform quick dodges to avoid missile attacks. Combine this with a machine gun and rocket launcher and you’ve got a combat unit of significant strength. What you can’t do in battle mode is use the boost function, preventing you from crossing gaps in which speeding up a ramp is essential.

The Batmobile is also necessary for solving puzzles and creating new pathways. A winch on the front of it lets you collapse walls, although only those that have been pre-programmed to allow you to interact with them can be altered. The winch is also used for mild puzzle solving, such as pulling blocks and other objects too heavy for Batman to move himself.

In one section of our demo the Arkham Knight traps Batman just as the Caped Crusader predictably tries to rescue a kidnapped Ace Chemicals employee. You’re completely surrounded by Knight and his goons and all hope seems lost.

It’s ‘lucky’, then, that the Batmobile can be controlled remotely. While Arkham Knight and his henchman are trained on Batman, you can use the car/tank’s turret and take out the most dangerous looking foes. The distraction gives you time to jump back into Batman’s shoes and defeat the rest.

Combining remote control of the Batmobile with Batman’s own skills seems to be core to succeeding in these more difficult moments, with an enhanced glide kick giving you the option of jumping straight out of the vehicle’s cockpit and into an unsuspecting face. Smartly linking your transitions between piloting the Batmobile and being on your feet feels like a requirement rather than a choice, given the sheer quantity of opponents we faced in our demo.

Due to that focus on transitioning and linking attacks together, the Batmobile feels somewhat natural to interact with despite the new options it provides. As far as combat is concerned the Arkham series has always granted most success to those that chain moves together and the Batmobile does nothing to change that.