June’s Xbox Games with Gold lineup is thoroughly reasonable

Sony Corporation has invested a cool $250 million into Fortnite and Unreal Engine developer Epic Games.

PlayStation owner Sony has ploughed $250 million into Epic Games via a wholly-owned subsidiary, acquiring a minority interest in the Fortnite creator. In a joint press statement, the two companies say that the investment will broaden collaboration across Sony’s entertainment portfolio and Epic’s social entertainment platforms.

Sony chairman, president, and CEO, Kenichiro Yoshida says:

“Epic’s powerful technology in areas such as graphics places them at the forefront of game engine development with Unreal Engine and other innovations. There’s no better example of this than the revolutionary entertainment experience, Fortnite. Through our investment, we will explore opportunities for further collaboration with Epic to delight and bring value to consumers and the industry at large, not only in games, but also across the rapidly evolving digital entertainment landscape.”

Tim Sweeney, founder and CEO of Epic, adds:

“Sony and Epic have both built businesses at the intersection of creativity and technology, and we share a vision of real-time 3D social experiences leading to a convergence of gaming, film, and music. Together we strive to build an even more open and accessible digital ecosystem for all consumers and content creators alike.”

Epic and the PlayStation-side of Sony have long been on good terms with both the PS4 and upcoming PS5 used to demonstrate the capabilities of Unreal Engine.

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A new Nintendo eShop promotion rewards players with Double Gold points for buying Switch games.

The Nintendo eShop Double Gold Points Fest has launched in today in Europe. During the promotion, selected games give customers double the usual amount of My Nintendo Gold Points on selected games. In some cases, this is the equivalent of getting up to 10% of your money back, albeit in Nintendo’s digital currency.

The first games to be included are Square Enix’s masterful JPG, Dragon Quest XI, the brilliant Snipperclips – Cut it out, together!, and puzzle adventure, Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires’ Conspiracy.

Three new games will be added to the promotion every Thursday until July 30, 2020. We’re not sure if the promotion is coming to North America but update this page if we get confirmation.

Nintendo eShop Double Gold Points Fest – Week 1

• Snipperclips – Cut it out, together! – 200 EU / 180 UK
• Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition – 600 EU / 500 UK
• Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires’ Conspiracy – Deluxe Edition – 400 EU / 350 UK

And what can you do with Gold Points? Well, they can be redeemed against future game purchases on the Nintendo eShop. Recent titles we’ve enjoyed include Star Wars Episode 1: Racer and The Eternal Castle.

They can also be exchanged via the My Nintendo website for Nintendo 3DS game discounts and digital themes. Read our roundup of the latest rewards to see what’s on offer.

If we’re honest, we’d rather a nice big eShop sale. But if you were thinking of picking up one of the included games, the Gold Points Fest is a nice bonus.

More from Thumbsticks

Check out the Thumbsticks new releases page for weekly Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 updates. You can also follow us on Facebook, Google News, Twitter, and Flipboard.

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Found it interesting, entertaining, useful, or informative? Maybe it even saved you some money. That's great to hear! Sadly, independent publishing is struggling worse than ever, and Thumbsticks is no exception. So please, if you can afford to, consider supporting us via Patreon or buying us a coffee.

The latest Xbox One Free Play Days promotion features two new games, including The Sims 4. Trust us, you’ll need more than a weekend.

The Sims 4 is a big game, a fun game, and, for its keenest players, almost a way of life. Speaking as someone who has put over 200 hours into Animal Crossing: New Horizons without even thinking about it, there is something both comforting and compelling about life simulation games. If you like experiences where the most mundane of tasks gives as much pleasure as saving the universe, The Sims 4 is worth a look.

The Sims 4 is now free to play on Xbox One until Sunday, July 12 at 11:59 pm. That’s just enough time to scratch the surface of the game and see if grabs you. There’s a 75% discount on the standard edition to tempt you into a full purchase. There are also savings to be had on many of the game’s expansions and content packs. Just make sure you have plenty of free time in the calendar.

Online sandbox RPG Citadel Forged is also free to play for the next four days. Again, it’s probably just enough time to see if you click with the game’s loop of heroic activities and busywork.

Save progress and achievements in both titles are carried over to the purchased copies.

Xbox Free Play Days Discounts

Citadel Forged

• Standard Edition – 60% off

The Sims 4

• Standard Edition – 75% off
• Deluxe Party Edition – 75% off
• Dogs & Cats Bundle – 50% off
• City Living Pack – 50% off
• Dine Out Pack – 50% off
• Discover University Pack – 50% off
• Get Famous Pack – 50% off
• Get to Work Pack – 50% off
• Pack Bundle – 50% off
• Get Together Pack – 50% off
• Island Living Pack – 50% off
• Jungle Adventure Pack – 25% off
• Outdoor Retreat Pack – 25% off
• Parenthood Pack – 25% off
• Realm of Magic Pack – 25% off
• Seasons Pack – 25% off
• Spa Day Pack – 25% off
• StrangerVille Pack – 25% off
• Vampires Pack – 25% off

For more Xbox One games, you can grab savings of up to 90% in this this week’s four new sales.

Visit the Thumbsticks sales page for more video game deals, and our new releases section for the latest PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch games. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Enjoyed this article?

Found it interesting, entertaining, useful, or informative? Maybe it even saved you some money. That's great to hear! Sadly, independent publishing is struggling worse than ever, and Thumbsticks is no exception. So please, if you can afford to, consider supporting us via Patreon or buying us a coffee.

The gorgeous, limited-edition The Last of Us Part II Taylor 314ce costs $2,299 and is available to pre-order now.

For a game about revenge, the gentler pursuit of playing guitar is surprisingly prominent. From singing songs to your girlfriend with a guitar found in an abandoned music store to chilling out after a stressful day in your theatre base, Ellie will play the guitar any chance she gets.

But it’s the guitar she receives as a gift from Joel in the game’s prologue that is the most meaningful, for obvious reasons.

We first see Joel, finding the guitar while out on a run with his brother, Tommy. He sits, cleaning up the fretboard, while confessing to Tommy the events of the first game and of Salt Lake City. And it’s a lucky find, too: a tobacco burst Taylor 314ce, with a unique moth inlay and faux tortoiseshell pickguard. For the world to end and then, over 20 years later, find a two grand Taylor guitar among the rack and ruin, in good enough condition to restore and play? What are the chances?

Now the chances of you owning one for yourself has improved, as Taylor has worked with Sony and Naughty Dog to produce a limited-edition Taylor 314ce. It’s a one-to-one reproduction of Ellie’s guitar in-game and it’s a Taylor so, you know, it’s going to be an incredible instrument.

You can pre-order The Last of Us Part II Taylor 314ce from Sony right now, with orders open until the end of July and the guitars due to ship from late August. These won’t be available from Taylor or in music stores, however, nor will they be available outside of North America. Sony only plans to ship them to the USA, Canada and Mexico.

The Last of Us Part II Taylor 314ce costs $2,299, which might sound like a lot, but it’s only $300 more than the regular Taylor 314ce. We don’t know how limited edition the guitars will be, for that matter, but if you were already planning on dropping two grand on a beautiful Taylor acoustic guitar? Then you might feel comfortable scraping together the extra to make it a limited edition.

I’d like to pretend I’m not upset that I can’t get one of these in the UK. But I am. I am upset, Sony.

Read more about The Last of Us Part II – including a range of features and guides – right here on Thumbsticks.

Enjoyed this article?

Found it interesting, entertaining, useful, or informative? Maybe it even saved you some money. That's great to hear! Sadly, independent publishing is struggling worse than ever, and Thumbsticks is no exception. So please, if you can afford to, consider supporting us via Patreon or buying us a coffee.

Some massive PlayStation 4 games are discounted in the new PlayStation Store July sale.

A brand new PlayStation Store sale starts today that slashes the price of some top PS4 titles. An impressive selection of PlayStation exclusives are included, headlined by the mighty God of War. The 2018 game is both action-packed and emotional, and a stunning reinvention for Sony’s long-running franchise.

Other discounted exclusives include Marvel’s Spider-Man, Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds, MediEvil, and the oft-overlooked Concrete Genie.

Other titles to get big price cuts include Dark Souls III, the excellent remaster of Assassin’s Creed III, Generation Zero, and the inventive apis mellifera adventure, Bee Simulator.

Visit the PlayStation Store for the full lineup of games in your country. Here are some more picks from your dedicated team of, erm, gaming expects here at Thumbsticks. The sale ends on July 22, 2020.

PlayStation Store July Sale Highlights

• AO Tennis 2
• Arca’s Path VR
• Assassin’s Creed III Remastered
• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
• Bee Simulator
• Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
• Code Vein
• Concrete Genie
• Crash Bandicoot Bundle – N. Sane Trilogy + CTR Nitro-Fueled
• Dark Souls III
• Devil May Cry 5
• Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
• Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise
• FlatOut 4: Total Insanity
• For Honor Complete Edition
• Generation Zero
• Ghost Recon Breakpoint
• God of War
• Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds
• Journey
• Marvel’s Spider-Man
• MediEvil
• Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered
• No Man’s Sky
• Resident Evil 7 biohazard
• Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
• Strange Brigade
• Watch Dogs 2 – Deluxe Edition
• WRC 5 eSports Edition

Bookmark the Thumbsticks deals page to get updates on the latest PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch savings. You can also follow us on Flipboard, Facebook, Google News, and Twitter.

Enjoyed this article?

Found it interesting, entertaining, useful, or informative? Maybe it even saved you some money. That's great to hear! Sadly, independent publishing is struggling worse than ever, and Thumbsticks is no exception. So please, if you can afford to, consider supporting us via Patreon or buying us a coffee.