As part of the IGN First Scheme, Bloodborne’s Story Trailer came to light recently, showing off a number of new information about the highly anticipated dark action game coming from the labs of From Software, developers of the punishing Dark Souls games.

The trailer sets the scene of the old city being ravaged by a plague that saw the area fall to the thrall of beasts, but a line of dialogue says that the “Blood” makes “us”, “human no more”. Effectively making those who consume it, you guessed it, Bloodborne. The trailer shows of some truly impressive visuals and some very Dark Souls inspired combat. Not to mention a fair few nightmarish creatures.

The first thing that’s made clear, is that we’re an outsider. A strange doctor, of sorts, seems to have the player pinned to a table and sets about a series of injections, which will allegedly makes things seem like no more than a bad dream.

Square Enix, the massively popular developer and publisher have been doing a lot of work recently on their Final Fantasy titles, building hype, finishing games and readying demo’s and the list goes on. But in the background, they’ve been coming up with an all new game that’s going to be revealed at the Tokaigi Japan Game Party 2015 in a few days on January 31st.

Working under the title, Project CODE Z, there’s practically nothing known about the game other than it’s a Square Enix game. This might of course point towards another JRPG, but with nothing but a few images showing a “Z” and some environmental art, nobody knows for sure.

With the images that have been shown thus far, the “Z” seems rather prominent, so it may actually be part of the games title and not simply part of the working title. So if you want to know, you best keep your eyes open on Saturday because the news will be flying left right and centre.

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There is a prevailing belief that Bethesda Softworks’ Fallout 4 will be coming to next gen consoles, namely the PS4 and Xbox One, along with arriving on PC. There is also a belief that it will be exclusive to the same, spurred by rumours during last year’s E3 that it would be arriving only for the Xbox One. At least we know the game exists, thanks to a leaked casting call.

But if Fallout 4 did release on next gen consoles alone, would it be successful? Given the current installation base, with more than 4.2 million PS4s and 3 million Xbox One consoles at last count (which was January), would it be enough to ensure a strong return? Remember that Grand Theft Auto 5 managed to sell 32.5 million units as of February but relied on a very strong install base for the PS3 and Xbox 360. It’s obvious that Bethesda would want – and need – that kind of success for Fallout 4 if it came to next gen consoles alone.

That means either it would hit current gen platforms as well (if it released soon) or arrive after two years when the install base of both the PS4 and Xbox One have surpassed 15 million units each. What are your thoughts on Fallout 4 being exclusive to next gen? Let us know below.

Mark Cerny is not only directing Knack, but he also created the PlayStation 4’s architecture/specs, Jak and Daxter, Ratchet & Clank and Crash Bandicoot franchises. Now that you have a little bit of the background knowledge on how Knack become a reality for the PlayStation 4 and who’s behind the development it’s time to talk about my first experience playing a next-generation platforming title.

The Feel of a Next-Generation Platformer

Playing Knack for the first time was a fantastic experience and a fabulous game to test out the brand new DualShock 4 controller. The controls felt great, and it was easy for me to figure out which button did jumps, movement and attacks. As a platforming game at heart you have your standard jumping, double jumping, dodging, attacking and super moves buttons. Everything that I did in the game just felt natural and responsive thanks to the DualShock 4. I was able to platform my way throughout the game’s environments, fight off evil goblin soldiers, traverse dangerous ice caverns, find the secret treasure rooms and stealth my way around a secured facility through lasers.

A good way to compare Knack to other platformers would be to take everything that you love about platforming games and then add beautiful Pixar-like visuals, 60 FPS, beautiful particle effects and simple but hard to master game mechanics. The overall feel and control of Knack is on point and well designed, but the main thing is obviously is the gameplay and how the game works.

Gameplay and Difficulty Settings

In the beginning, the game felt that it was too easy, but I was quite wrong when I started to understand how the game works and how you have to master it in order to get through the game on a higher difficulty settings. Majority of platforming games these days are too easy, and I felt that Knack would go the same route, however, I am glad I was wrong. Knack features three different difficulty settings starting with Easy, Normal and Hard.

During my playtime on Knack, I decided to start off the game on Hard difficulty going in blind for the first time without knowing the controls and mechanics of the game to test out the game design and put myself to the test to see if I can figure it out by re-playing multiple times without getting too frustrated. The differences between the difficulty levels is quite vast but let me explain what the demo included and what kind of content was in the levels.

The demo featured different sections from multiple levels, with each section lasting about 3-5 minutes depending on what difficulty you played and if you try to discover all the secret treasure rooms.

The very first section took place in an outdoor urban city level where you ran around as Knack eliminating goblins and collecting relics to grow bigger. Relics can be found throughout levels by destroying certain type of objects in the game. Once the object is destroyed Knack gathers up ancient relics and grows bigger in front of your eyes as a beautiful particle effect animation is being played. When Knack grows bigger his damage increases, and so does his overall life-bar/health due to his growth in strength and size.

Knack also has plenty of secret rooms that contain treasure chests with secret items that can be collected together in order to craft a gadget that boosts one of Knack’s abilities or benefits players with new things. This is where the gameplay started to get interesting because being able to upgrade certain parts of your skills is essential to beating the game at higher difficulty levels. The most interesting aspect of these secret treasure items was how the multiplayer/social gameplay is integrated into this part of the game. For example, when you open up the treasure chest you are awarded with a random item that you may take or exchange for a different item via your friend-list right after collecting revealing what’s inside the treasure chest.

The game brings up a list of your friends and the items that they have received from this particular treasure chest, you then may choose to the different piece of the object in order to complete your set. Each item also has a rarity level meaning that the chances of getting it are a lot lower than some other objects. Once a set is complete you then may equip it to gain the benefits of the item that you have just built from collecting all the parts. This is a really unique feature and a cool way to make the gameplay more in-depth, despite the game being a single-player experience only you can actually benefit a lot from your friends as you go and hunt the secret treasure rooms.

The final version of the game will contain 60 of these treasure rooms and by collecting everything in the game you can unlock 6 more playable characters for your second play-through of Knack. This definitely adds a lot more replay-ability and fun factor to the game.

Another important gameplay mechanics are the Sunstone crystals that can be broken and gathered to power up Knack and grant him super moves. Right under Knack’s health bar you can see 3 big circles that fill up every-time you collect pieces of the Sunstone crystals. Once the circle is complete Knack is able to pull off a super move to clear an area full of enemies. These super moves can be pulled of by pressing different set of buttons on the DualShock 4. One of the moves that I was able to execute was a electrifying projectile that wiped out the goblins clean once it came in contact.

Mastering the special moves, collecting as many relics as possible, not getting hit and timing your dodge moves and attacks is the only possible way for anyone to beat this game on Hard difficulty. During my play-through on Hard difficulty I would get obliterated by two hits from one of the most basic goblin enemies. When I faced goblins with rockets and huge axes one hit would take away almost a half of my health if not more. This is where the challenge comes in so get ready for a ton of replay value and a next-generation platforming experience.

In the second section, the level took place inside a facility with a couple of human and goblins enemies. This section let you test out the stealth sections of the game. As transparent Knack, you can get through lasers and break into ventilation shafts to find secrets. While playing as transparent Knack, you can switch your form between regular Knack and stealth Knack to start fighting enemies by pressing R2 on the DualShock 4.

Third level took place in an ice cave that demonstrated how Knack can absorb different elemental particles. For example, when I was breaking ice crystals and gathered up relics my Knack was turning into a hulking walking frost armor which was awesome. This section was the most difficult part of the demo due to more types of enemies on screen and the sliding ice floor that made dodging enemy attacks a lot harder. When I played this level on Hard difficulty, I was basically forced to switch to Normal difficulty because I kept getting stuck at one part. I would’ve eventually mastered it, but I switched to easier difficulty for the time’s sake and completion of the demo.

The last section was actually another part of the first level that was at the beginning of the demo. This part let you play as a full grown Knack with maximum life-bar and damage increase. Smaller enemies are no longer are problem and can easily be killed with one-hit, however, this time I was also faced against giant robots, airships and tanks that tried to take me down. As full grown Knack I was able to pick up vehicles from the streets and throw them towards airships to pin them down, or you can try jumping and hitting them with your giant fist if you can get in the right position and perfect timing.

Conclusion

Overall of these playable sections provided me with positive feedback and an enjoyable experience thus far. I was quite pleased with how Knack felt, played and what the PlayStation 4 was capable of in terms of a next-generation platforming game. I expect the games to get better and better as time goes by.

In conclusion I was satisfied with Knack and my hopes are quite high for the final product and I am looking forward to reviewing the game when the PlayStation 4 finally launches later this year. I have faith in Knack and I personally believe that this will be a solid launch title that everyone should experience if they get a PlayStation 4.

Quantum Break was announced during the presentation of Microsoft’s third-generation console Xbox One. The developers behind Alan Wake are responsible for the new upcoming exclusive title called Quantum Break. Earlier today, a cover image got leaked out on CDon. Remedy has officially confirmed that the boxart is real and is not a placeholder for online retailers.

You can take a peek at the boxart right here below:

The cover art is nothing we have never seen before just a protagonist standing and holding a gun. The cover and title also suggest that the game has something to do possibility with manipulating quantum physics or maybe even alternative realities. However, this is just a wild guess, but it’s easy to say that the game is based on some sort of science-fiction. We will hear more about Quantum Break in the next few weeks at E3.

Let us know if you like the cover art for Quantum Break and if you’re excited to hear more about the game in the comments below.

Check back on GamimgBolt for more news and updates.

Update: Remedy Games have confirmed that is is the official cover art.

The trailer is two minutes long and showcases the atmosphere, emotion and tone of the game. You play as a boy in Rain who gets lost and then later becomes invisible.

The game is set as a mysterious adventure that tries to convey the feeling of being lonely, lost and confused. Judging by the trailer the developers have done a great job at creating a depressing tone and mystery at the same time.

Let us know if you’re excited to play Rain on your PlayStation 3 later this Fall.

Check back on GamingBolt for our review of the game in the coming months and media updates as we get closer to E3 2013.

EA has confirmed that FIFA 14 Ultimate Team will be coming over to the PlayStation 4.

An EA representative confirmed that “Ultimate Team is being developed for both Xbox One and PS4” to CVG.

It’s currently unknown which exclusive Ultimate Team features Xbox One will offer. Hopefully this will get more clear as E3 approaches. Earlier this week EA showed off FIFA 14 during Microsoft’s Xbox One reveal. Most of it looked like CG. You can check out the trailer over here.

FIFA 14 will be releasing on next-gen consoles with a brand new Ignite Engine. For our continued coverage of the game, please check out our hub page for FIFA 14 over here.

Let us know what you think of Ultimate Team mode in FIFA 14, in the comments below.

Check back on GamingBolt for more updates. 

During Xbox One’s reveal Microsoft has stated that 15 Xbox One exclusive games from its first-party studios will be launching within the first 12 months. 8 out of those 15 will be new IPs, and the rest are well established franchises.

So far Forza Motorsport 5 has been announced for launch later this year, and a new IP from Remedy Quantum Break was also revealed with an unknown release date. This leaves us with 13 unannounced titles. Call of Duty: Ghosts isn’t one of them because it’s not from the first-party.

Polygon had a chance to speak to Microsoft Studios corporate vice president Phil Spencer earlier today. They asked him what is Rare up to and what is going on with their franchises such as Killer Instinct and Perfect Dark for Xbox One, Phil Spencer said that Rare’s “historic IP” might be revealed at E3.

“Fans of Rare and Rare IP I think will be pleased with what we’re going to show at E3,” Spencer said. “We had a limited amount of time today and a lot of story to tell. But Rare remains an incredibly important part of our development capability.

“That historic IP that they’ve built I think can play a real important role on Xbox One.”

It would be a safe bet to assume that it would be Killer Instinct considering that Microsoft renewed the trademark for it back in September 2012.

Take a guess what title Rare might be making for Xbox One in the comments below.

Check back on GamingBolt for more news and updates on Xbox One future titles.

Many fans must have observed that Gran Turismo 6 is actually coming out after only 3 years since GT 5 came out in 2009. Yamauchi believes the PlayStation 3 was really hard to develop for (initially) but it became easier as time progressed.

“GT5 was really hard to develop, because the PS3 is a really complex piece of hardware, and it was the first time we built anything with an extensive online component,” he said in the interview.

He also shared his thoughts on the evolution of the Gran Turismo franchise as a whole. “I think the hardest part of GT1 was to make something out of nothing, and to shape it and figure out exactly what a Gran Turismo game was going to be.”

“The main difference between GT1 and GT6 is the scale of the game, it’s about 100 times bigger in scale. Initially we had 15 people working on the game and now we have 150 working on the game. But i think the one thing that hasn’t changed is that everyone working on it really enjoys the hard work, he said.”

Gran Turismo 6 also features a brand new lightning engine and according to Yamauchi, pixels will be represented more accurately in GT 6.

“It basically means the energy expressed in each one of the pixels is going to be represented more accurately. When the focus on the camera is on a certain item, the blurring and brightness of the area around it and how lights affect the environment will be rendered with more accuracy,” he said.

Stay tuned for more Gran Turismo 6 news. In the mean time check out our hub page for GT 6 for the complete coverage of the game.

Epic has announced Call to Arms, the new DLC Pack for Gears of War: Judgement. Call to Arms will feature a brand new multiplayer mode, three new maps and “exclusive digital content,” which will guarantee to “explore the darker side of the Gears universe.”

The new maps are Blood Drive, Boneyard and Terminal; meanwhile the new game mode is called Master at Arms. The digital content, however, will include six armor pieces and gun skins.

Ten new achievements will also be included and will grant you extra 250 Gamerscore.

Call to Arms Map Pack will be available early to VIP Season Pass owners from April 23 on Xbox Live while everyone else will have to wait until April 30th for 1000 Microsoft Points.

Check out below for the official Call to Arms DLC description from Epic.

The Maps

Terminal: The speed and ferocity of the Locust invasion took Halvo Bay completely by surprise. Residents scrambled to evacuate by every means possible, and COG forces were called in to maintain order as martial law was enforced. However, the Locust showed no mercy, and gave no quarter; they swept through train terminals like this one to take advantage of the close quarters and sheer number of defenseless humans trapped within its walls. Sometimes, COG forces could hold the line long enough for a final evacuation, but too many lost their lives in defense of the people and the land they loved.

Blood Drive: As casualties started to mount, the staff at Halvo Memorial quickly began what would become the largest triage effort in the history of Sera. Their “Give Blood Today” campaign inspired a global blood drive in support of COG forces and wounded civilians. Sadly, Halvo fell quickly, and the hospital became a battlefront instead of a sanctuary. The seed of hope was planted, however, and government-run Memorial hospitals across the country mobilized to keep the effort alive until Jacinto Memorial was the last standing bastion of hope for the people of Sera.

Boneyard: The concept of traditional memorial services had to be suspended due to the constant stream and alarming volume of casualties as Sera fell victim to the Locust Horde. Memorial grounds quickly became boneyards. Unmarked holes became grave sites and mausoleums were filled with the nameless remains of the fallen, their skeletons piled into heaps. Tread lightly, you never know what, or who, you’re walking on, and one day you’re bound to join them.

New Mode:

Master At Arms: This new free-for-all game mode exclusive to “Gears of War: Judgment” will test the true range of your soldiering skills. The goal is to get a kill with each of the 20 different available weapons, without resorting to melee or grenade tactics. Every successful kill will automatically advance you to the next available weapon until you have used them all and proven your skill as a true Master at Arms.

Stay tuned on GamingBolt and let us know of what you think of this DLC Map Pack for Gears of War: Judgement down in the comment section.