As spotted by Gematsu on Twitter, Trophies of PS5 version of Hotline Miami and Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number have emerged on Exophase, indicating that an announcement and release could be close for current-gen ports for the two titles. Presumably, Xbox Series X/S will also be getting the ports, and presumably, they will arrive in the form of Hotline Miami Collection, which originally launched for the Nintendo Switch in 2019, and for Xbox One the following year.

Given the widespread love and adoration the Hotline Miami games continue to enjoy, over a decade on from the series’ inception, this would surely be exciting news for a great many people. How long it’ll be before an official announcement is made – assuming the two titles are indeed getting current-gen ports – remains to be seen.

Dark Souls Remastered

Combat in FromSoftware games always has a straightforward explanation – hit this button to attack, this button to dodge etc. However, the greater nuances like stamina management, invincibility frames while rolling, the significance of certain stats and what to build towards take more time to understand. That’s not even considering the design of bosses in games like Dark Souls Remastered or the order to go to certain areas given the game’s world design. Suffice it to say but if this or the original was your first Dark Souls, it was a struggle.

Sony have suddenly woken up and realized that they have a handheld on the market, so they’ve gone ahead and decided to highlight the upcoming games on the system this spring in this brand new video. It’s not pretty. First off, they show off games that are already out, which is a bad… sad, and screams of just trying to pad this video long (which is already just a minute long).

Then, they show absolutely nothing noteworthy, outside of Oreshika- while Hotline Miami 2 and Shovel Knight are amazing games, they are also available on other platforms. Finally, the last two thirds of the video almost seem like an open taunt for any remaining Vita fans, showing off a shovelware Spongebob Squarepants game, and then using PS Now and Remote Play for the PS Vita’s ‘lineup.’

It’s just sad. Probably more than even Sony’s damning assertion from last year that they would no longer support the Vita with any AAA games, this right here is proof that this handheld is well and truly dead, which is really sad.

Among the many awesome aspects of Dennaton’s Hotline Miami was its music and it’s expected that the upcoming Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number will have a similarly groovy soundtrack. To capitalize on the same, Dennaton has announced a 3 disc vinyl set for the game’s soundtrack.

Though the set costs $60, it’s less of a hipster alternative to the official soundtrack and more of a collector’s edition, packing a sweet tri-fold jacket with original art by Niklas Akerblad, a collectible phone card, a digital version of the soundtrack to download and of course, a Steam key for Hotline Miami 2. Despite the vinyl itself costing a fair amount to produce, Dennaton is offering even more value for the price.

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number will be out in Q1 2015 for PC, PS3, PS4 and Vita and will feature multiple playable characters this time around. Don’t worry though – the same gruesome gameplay remains, this time with dual wielding and chainsaws.

For its part, Sony doesn’t have as much to prove at Gamescom as it did at E3. You can expect games like The Order: 1886, Drive Club and Bloodborne to be available on the show floor to play. But what major announcements could the PS4 manufacturer have in store? There are more than a few guesses on our part.

"Speaking of moves, how likely is it that Supermassive Games' Until Dawn shows up at Gamescom? The PS Move-focused game was slated to release for the PS3, but got pushed back indefinitely, leading many of us to believe it had been quietly cancelled."

First off, we fully expect Sony to showcase more gameplay footage for inFamous: Second Son’s story expansion First Light. This DLC will see you playing as Fetch and using her Neon powers throughout new missions (though you’ll still be able to explore Seattle). First Light will be receiving a retail release as well and you can easily play it as a stand-alone expansion if you so wish. Given that the Autumn and Holiday season is right around the corner and First Light is out this August, it only makes sense to showcase more from First Light.

We also expect Sony’s VR headset to be showing up in some form or another. Sony didn’t put too much focus on the hardware at E3 so expect to see more games and developments. Hopefully, Sony will have an improved version of the hardware on the show floor. What are the chances that a release date and final name is decided for the VR headset? It’s hard to say but it wouldn’t be impossible. Pricing is also a major issue that has yet to be touched upon by the publisher. Maybe a $150 price tag? Again, it’s not certain whether the price, release date period or both will be confirmed at Gamescom. “Wait and watch” is really the best approach but Sony has to make some moves with its VR technology before interest begins to fade.

Speaking of moves, how likely is it that Supermassive Games’ Until Dawn shows up at Gamescom? The PS Move-focused game was slated to release for the PS3, but got pushed back indefinitely, leading many of us to believe it had been quietly cancelled. That’s of course not the case as Until Dawn was announced for the PS4. We’d say Gamescom is as good a time as any to re-reveal the game. After all, Sony can use all the exclusives it can get.

This may be a reason why we can expect some sort of announcement regarding Guerrilla Games’ next project or at the very least, hints on what Media Molecule is up to. Both studios are working on new projects with the former having released Killzone: Shadow Fall last fall and skipping E3 2014. Is its so-called open world RPG ready to be showcased in its current form? The latter is also hard to predict – a new IP seems a given, especially since they have already hinted toward the same.

"We may see a teaser for one of the two new games that studio hinted at, but as of now, if Uncharted 4 is going to be making any appearance, it will likely be in the form of another teaser."

What we don’t expect to see is Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End gameplay footage. All factors point to Gamescom being a great time, especially since there won’t be any more conventions in the next 8 months, but the studio has just wrapped up work on The Last of Us: Remastered. We may see a teaser for one of the two new games that studio hinted at, but as of now, if Uncharted 4 is going to be making any appearance, it will likely be in the form of another teaser.

On the indie front, The Witness may finally get a release date. Sony has to muster its big guns to counter the ID@Xbox front, especially with competition like Inside, Cup and Ori and The Blind Forest on the horizon. More No Man’s Sky footage may be showcased and games like Volume and Hotline Miami 2 may finally be dated for the P4, PS3 and PS Vita. It’s unlikely to be the same deal as Entwined where Sony first released the game for PS4 before the PS3 and PS Vita since its third party studios at work.

We’re being fairly conservative with our predictions for Sony at Gamescom but let us know what you think may be announced in Cologne, Germany. Gamescom 2014 starts from August 13th and ends on August 17th.

Hotline Miami 2, the sequel to 2012’s breakout indie game that used the vibe and aesthetic of the 1970s to deliver one of the smarter, more compelling game experiences, will be launching in Q3 2014, Eurogamer reports.

“New stuff, old stuff, weird stuff and violent stuff all converging with some surprises,” the developer said on their Twitter feed. “Should be worth the wait.”

Hotline Miami 2 is launching on PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita, although the release date above probably refers only to the PC version.

The sequel is going to play like the first game, but it will build on it, following multiple characters in a story that is equally bizarre and provocative, but, again, going bigger and potentially better on everything. It will also feature an ultra hard Hard Mode, because clearly, your masochistic needs would not be met otherwise.

Will you be picking this game up? And on what platform?

Indie games have absolutely exploded in popularity in the better part of the last two years. The games that have been developed outside of the influence of major production companies and in many cases, major, well known developers; have managed to spawn some of the most memorable experiences for gamers in recent history. Games like Minecraft and the new Shadowrun Returns and FTL, Gone Home and Rogue Legacy really helped to get the ball rolling.

Games like these show the world that a small, yet dedicated development team with enough money, support and spare time can make a game that is equally as entertaining as any of the big names, and sometimes more so. These developers blaze new trails in gaming, take risks and really try to inject some life into an industry that, frankly has a lot of stale or over-used ideas floating around in it. With the new consoles getting onboard the indie-train, the indie scene is really going to continue to pick up speed. With some great games coming in the near future, there’s even more to be excited for.

Starbound:

If this game looks kind of familiar,  you’re not exactly wrong. Starbound is being developed by Chucklefish and looks to be the successor to their popular title, Terraria. At first glance, the games do look incredibly similar, but this 2D theme is all that is similar. While you can still mine and explore the planet you start on, you can also traverse the galaxy, explore new worlds, find different resources, items and of course face the bad guys. In fact, if you run into the same monster that wants to kill you on another planet, it’s nothing but procedural luck of the draw.

Starbound is currently available for early release on Steam, but is still in very early beta stages. Things like balance and world generation are being modified regularly, sometimes daily. The quest system in place at the moment is not much more than a placeholder either. If you don’t mind having random character wipes, and want to help the developers refine the game to it’s finished product, then this early beta access may be for you. If not, you may want to wait for stage two of the three stage testing phases that Chucklefish has put in place, or maybe even longer. At any rate, Starbound certainly has a lot of potential and we’re seeing more of it almost everyday.

First off, it has announced that Thomas Was Alone creator Mike Bethell’s Volume will be debuting on the PS4 and PS Vita exclusively next year. The game is a mix of Minecraft and Metal Gear in which the player must steal and effectively remix his surroundings.

It has also announced that Metanet Software’s N++ will release exclusively for the PS4 this year, and bring new multiplayer modes along with thousands of levels created from scratch. The game is dubbed the final and definitive installment of the N series.

Cellar Door Games’ highly addictive and awesomely awesome Rogue Legacy, which released for PC a month ago, will also be debuting next year on the PS4 and PS Vita. Hotline Miami 2 will also be making its way to the console and handheld next year, but Dennaton Games’ next game, Wasteland Kings will also be exclusive to the PS4 and Vita.

Vlambeer, which created Super Crate Box & Ridiculous Fishing, has also announced that it will be releasing Guns of Icarus Online exclusively for PS4. Stay tuned for more details.

Hotline Miami 2, the sequel to the celebrated indie hit from last year, has a rape scene, and scenes of other sexual violence, to reinforce its message; as always, this has drawn the ire of critics, who flat out oppose its inclusion in the game.

PCGamer, when previewing the game, was attacking an unnamed female enemy on screen; the words ‘FINISH HER’ flashed on the screen, and so he proceeded to attack her, at which point the character undid his trousers and pinned her, the implication being that he was raping her.

Of course, even within the game, the rape is purely fictional, as it is a scene being shot on the sets of a movie (in fact, the director shouts ‘CUT’ shortly after the rape scene). However, that hasn’t stopped many from criticizing what is an uncharacteristically bold scene to include in a video game.

“I stroll up to finish the job. Instead, the control is taken from me by the game, and my character, the Pig Butcher, pins her down and drops his trousers,” said Cara Ellision, the previewer of the original build. “This is it, I think. I am feeling betrayal. I feel betrayed by something I love”.

Whereas no one condones rape, and I certainly do not, there is something to be said about the hypocrisy that lets rape scenes in other mediums, such as books, movies, and television (including the much celebrated Breaking Bad in the case of the latter, which includes repeated instances of spousal rape in its fifth season) slide for artistic integrity, but not video games. If critics are serious about video games growing as a legitimate medium of storytelling and an artform, then the same concessions need to be made to them that are made to other mediums as well.

The developers of Hotline Miami 2 remained unavailable for comment. We’ll keep you posted on how this story develops.

[Thanks, CVG]