Push Rewind

We believe that this is what’s commonly referred to as the calm before the storm. Yes, it was still a relatively busy week in the PlayStation Nation – with PS4 firmware update v2.00 finally getting a date – but we’re days away from a software avalanche, so we've made the most of the break. Here’s everything that you need to know about the last week.

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Reviews

Samurai Warriors 4 - 9/10

Bursting back onto Sony platforms with a vengeance, Samurai Warriors 4 cuts down Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition and KOs Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate. Boasting a superb story mode, a delightful cast, and countless improvements to the Warriors formula, musou fanatics shouldn't even blink before buying. Move over Lu Bu, the Demon King won't be beaten any time soon.

DriveClub - 7/10

DriveClub’s balanced physics and impressive presentation make for an all-around excellent racer, even if there’s still a lot of room for Evolution Studios to expand and improve upon. However, the overly aggressive AI and archaic progression system may deter non-racing fans, while the ongoing online issues remain infuriating. If you can look beyond the tire smoke prompted by the release’s poor launch, there is a really enjoyable game here. Still, the uncertain among you may be better off riding shotgun in the elusive PlayStation Plus version before buckling up in the full title’s driver’s seat.

Other Reviews

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Features

Interview: Will Tom Clancy's The Division Deliver on the PS4?

Ubisoft sure knows how to make a splash. Tom Clancy’s The Division, much like Watch Dogs before it, dropped jaws at E3 2013, when it was announced for the PlayStation 4. The game – an open world third-person shooter with strong role-playing influences – not only promised to drag the industry into the next generation with some frankly mind-blowing visuals, but also pledged a futuristic gameplay experience, borne out of its unprecedented online connectivity aspects. A good 18 or so months removed from that initial unveiling, we caught up with senior brand art director Rodrigo Cortes to ask, after a couple of delays, whether the macabre military escapade will actually deliver. Well, someone had to...

Talking Point: Do You Ever Stump Up for Season Passes?

The so-called Season Pass has become the latest way for publishers to extract even more money from cash strapped gamers. What started life as L.A. Noire’s largely innocuous Rockstar Pass – a pre-purchase for several additional cases in the sandbox detective game – has, much like the Online Pass that preceded it, evolved into an industry-wide trend, spanning the biggest blockbusters all the way down to the teensiest indie games. But while these post-release pre-orders are everywhere these days, do you ever actually buy them?

Other Features

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News

PS4 Firmware Update 2.00 Will Release on 28th October

Sony said that it wanted to release PlayStation 4 firmware update v2.00 before the biggest games of the year, and it’s held true to that word. The platform holder has nonchalantly dated the jumbo download on its official Twitter account, confirming that you’ll be able to nab the software refresh from 28th October.

Ratchet & Clank's PS4 Remake Will Include All New Assets

Insomniac Games’ current involvement with other consoles means that we haven’t seen anything of the upcoming Ratchet & Clank remake that was announced for the PlayStation 4 at E3 2014 – but, writing on the developer’s official forum, community manager Tim Salvitti has shed a little extra light on the re-release.

The First of November's Free PS4 PlayStation Plus Games Won't Appeal to Everyone

They’ve not all been great, but we’ve really enjoyed a lot of the free titles made available through PlayStation Plus on the PlayStation 4. The likes of Velocity 2X, Pix the Cat, and Outlast are all outstanding games – and they’re titles that this editor would have purchased anyway if Sony hadn’t had the good grace to throw them in as part of its premium subscription.

You May Be Able to Get a Refund for Written Off PS4 Racer DriveClub

DriveClub remains the kind of disaster that all developers must dread. Despite showing recent signs of improvement, the PlayStation 4 racer appears to be stuck in first gear – and, regardless of continued hard work from Evolution Studios, it’s not really getting much better. That’s not to say that you can’t connect and play online right now, but it’s nowhere near as sturdy as it should be, and some features are still refusing to work.

Sony: We'll Show You a Bunch of Stuff That We Shouldn't at PlayStation Experience

Are those the screeching wheels of an approaching hype train that we can hear on the horizon? We’ve attempted to play down Sony’s impending PlayStation Experience event – after all, excitement often leads to bitter disappointment – but SCEA chief Scott Rohde doesn’t appear to be on the same page as us. Speaking on the latest episode of the PlayStation Blogcast, the first-party boss hinted that there could be some megatons on the way.

Other Noteworthy News

Video of the Week

Sony's New PS4 Commercial Focuses on Friendly Competition

Sony’s latest console may be selling better than any other system on the market right now, but that doesn’t give it an excuse to get lazy this Christmas. With Microsoft lining up more November marketing partnerships than we can count, the platform holder will need to ensure that it has some PlayStation 4 commercials of its own to counter – and this ‘Friendly Competition’ spot is one of them.