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There’s rarely a quiet week here in the PlayStation Nation, but this was about as close as they come. Arguably the biggest news over the past seven days came from Amazon, as it announced its Fire TV microconsole, potentially putting a nail in the coffin of Sony’s own ill-fated PS Vita TV. Other highlights this week revolved around a couple of reviews, with verdicts on Mercenary Kings and Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition giving you plenty to discuss. Let’s get down to business.

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Reviews

Mercenary Kings - 7/10

Initial control issues detract from Mercenary Kings’ old school ambitions a little, but this is still an enjoyable romp that comes wrapped in a charming pixelated package. The ability to customise your weapons and armour is what sets this release apart, allowing you to inject the kind of personality into the action that its predecessors lack. The mission time limits seem unnecessary, but look past them and you’ll find plenty of fun here – especially if you recruit three real-life soldiers to share the frantic foray with.

Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition - 8/10

Without question the biggest, best looking, and most refined Warriors title on the battlefield, Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition is an absolute must buy for fans, while newcomers will find themselves jumping into the action at the most opportune time. Although the franchise will have to grind its recurring issues into dust before its next outing, we have a feeling that you won't be seeing an entry that's this robust for a long, long time.

Other Reviews

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Features

Hands On: Ubisoft Abandons Weapons for Watercolours in Child of Light on PS4

Female protagonists are a rare sight. Most games lean towards a male lead, allowing women to – at most – occupy the role of a sidekick. Child of Light, however, sees a young girl take centre stage in an intriguing PlayStation 4 production. Elaborately named Aurora, the protagonist is a princess, and although her crown slips down and her sword is oversized, it’s her compassion and honesty that will win your heart as you join her on a perilous dream world quest.

Talking Point: Has Sony's Dithering Turned Off PS Vita TV's Chances?

As expected, Amazon broadcast its arrival into the microconsole space today. The straightforwardly named Fire TV is a miniscule set top box designed to stream media applications such as Netflix and Hulu to your television. However, in addition to being a conduit for video content, the miniscule machine can also be upgraded with a gamepad, allowing you to play smartphone-esque titles with more traditional button-based controls. It’s a concept that sounds similar to Sony’s own PS Vita TV – but has the platform holder’s hesitation prompted the Japanese giant’s solution to lose signal?

Other Features

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News

Your PS4's Destiny Will Be Fulfilled with a Collector's Edition

You may want to make some room in your overpopulated display cabinet, as Bungie appears to be days away from announcing Destiny’s inevitable collector’s edition. Asked on its official blog whether the upcoming first-person shooter would receive a premium package, a company spokesperson encouraged fans to “ask again next week”. That suggests that the futuristic set will be revealed at some point over the coming days.

How Do Watch Dogs' Visuals Fare on Actual PS4 Hardware?

There’s been some negativity surrounding Ubisoft’s sandbox thriller Watch Dogs of late. While the French publisher tapped into the anticipation of almost every gamer at E3 a couple of years back with the title’s initial reveal, the graphics in the release’s most recent trailer couldn’t compare to that lofty target render.

Persona 4 Goes for Gold on the PlayStation 3

Fans of high school drama and strange stuffed animals will be delighted to learn that Persona 4 is coming to the PlayStation 3. Judging by an ESRB listing spotted by Siliconera, the popular JRPG will launch as a PS2 Classic, meaning that it will be without the additional content incorporated into the award winning PlayStation Vita re-release. Still, if you don’t own Sony’s handheld and stashed away your PlayStation 2 years ago, this should provide you with an ideal opportunity to enjoy the seminal adventure.

Would You Like to Change Your PSN Username?

It’s been nearing ten years since the PlayStation 3 launched, meaning that you’re likely to have aged considerably since the console deployed. As such, your PlayStation Network username may not be representative of your current personality – after all, nothing says mature adult quite like ‘xXBongoDongo69Xx’. Unfortunately, Sony doesn’t allow you to change your alias, meaning that the only way that you can abandon your bad teenage humour is by discarding all of your Trophies and transactions, too. Alas, the platform holder is at least considering a solution.

Grand Theft Auto V to Expand with Exciting Single Player DLC

Rockstar Games’ open world opus Grand Theft Auto V may have aged considerably since the launch of the PlayStation 4, but that’s not stopping the dedicated developer from keeping the release rich with content for you to rob. Writing as part of a blog post on its official website, the studio outlined the popular outing’s spring update roadmap – and also hinted that there’s “some very exciting story mode” content in the works.

Other Noteworthy News

Video of the Week

Video: Is TimeSplitters IV Firing onto PS4 This Year?

Studio executives really need to be more careful. Following the accidental unveiling of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag in a coffee shop last year, we’ve laid our grubby fingertips on a Ben 10-branded folder full of top-secret design documents for TimeSplitters IV. The papers reveal plenty about the long overdue first-person shooter, including information on some of its weapons, vehicles, and locations.