Welcome to The Week in Video Games, your weekend roundup of the most important and thrilling news stories from the world of gaming.
This week, the Dark Knight returns, PUBG players honk, PES 2018 makes two new signings, and there’s an update on Stardew Valley‘s multi-player mode.
PUBG success continues
There are more stories about PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds than any other game at the moment, and with good reason. This week Brendan “Playerunknown” Greene tweeted that the game has now broken the 500,000 concurrent player mark on Steam. TSM and Cloud9 were also confirmed as the first professional teams to appear at the PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds gamescom Invitational.
In other PUBG news, Polygon looks at how players have taken to ‘stream honking’, following the game’s August update.
Batman begins again
The second season of Telltale’s Batman begins this week, debuting on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, and Mac this Tuesday. An iOS and Android release will follow in October. Check out the trailer for Episode One.
WNBA Teams in NBA Live
Electronic Arts have confirmed that WNBA players and teams will be playable for the first time in NBA Live 18. Players including Maya Moore, Brittney Griner, and Diana Taurasi, have had their likenesses scanned into the game, and Kelsey Plum has provided motion capture.
Rime comes to Switch
The Nintendo Switch version of Rime has been confirmed for release on November 14th in North America, and November 17th in Europe. In addition to the eShop release – priced $29.99/€34.99/£29.99 – there will be a physical edition available that contains the game, and a download code for David García Díaz score. The boxed copy will set you back $39.99/€44.99 /£39.99.
Check out our Rime review, plus our features examining the game’s story and themes.
Play the Monster Hunter XX demo on Switch
Monster Hunter XX has not been confirmed for a Western release, but with the Switch being region-free, you can get a taste of the game by downloading the demo from the Japanese Nintendo eShop.
Tacoma review roundup
Fullbright’s follow-up to the influential Gone Home was released on PC and Xbox One this week. In her IGN review, Miranda Sanchez praised the studio’s capacity for creating memorable characters:
” I came out of Tacoma feeling like I knew the crew pretty well. I greatly enjoyed learning about their issues and how those affected their relationships with everyone else on the station. Each member felt genuine and unique. Tacoma successfully overcomes the challenge of featuring eight characters and making them all interesting in a relatively short game.”
Writing at Eurogamer, Edwin Evans-Thirlwell also appreciated Fullbright’s work with the game’s characters and staging:
“The cutscenes themselves are engagingly acted and voiced, and there’s a winning artfulness to how characters drift together and apart during these sequences.”
“Tacoma isn’t the revelation Gone Home was, but it also doesn’t have to be. Abrupt conclusion aside, the game is a smart and emotional experience”
Uncharted uncovered
The PlayStation blog has published a new video to promote the release of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. The video features Naughty Dog’s Shaun Escayg and Kurt Margenau discussing the development of the game, and the new gameplay elements players will experience.
Rocket League bans potty mouths
Rocket League developer Psyonix has updated its Player Report system to ensure a “consistently-safe, harassment-free place where players of all ages and backgrounds can come together.” The biggest change is a language ban that will automatically ban players from online matches if certain words are used. About f&% *@£! time, we say.
Stardew Valley multiplayer proposals
Chucklefish have published an update on the progress of Stardew Valley‘s multiplayer mode. To the joy of many fans, player-to-player marriage is confirmed to be in the works.
New Sonic Mania details
There’s not long to go until the most promising Sonic the Hedgehog game in years is released. We were drip-fed more details this week with a new trailer, plus news of some cool bonus stages, and a new time attack mode.
PES 2018 signs Fulham FC, and Usain Bolt
Konami have announced two new signings for PES 2018. The partnership with London’s Fulham FC makes sense, but the inclusion of Usain Bolt as in-game player? We didn’t see that one coming. The eight-time Olympic champion will be available to players who pre-order the game. Take that, FIFA 18!
To boldly render
Usain Bolt is not the only famous face to be recreated in a game this week. Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s LeVar Burton will be beaming aboard Star Trek Online for two special episodes.
Persona on the dance floor
Atlus have announced two new Persona dancing spin-offs, Persona 3: Dancing Moon Night, and Persona 5: Dancing Star Night. Both will be released on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita next year.
Looking for something new to play?
Get the lowdown on this week’s Xbox One and PlayStation Store releases. And check back on Tuesday for our Nintendo eShop update.
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See you next week.
