Push Rewind

This week will be remembered for the reveal of Star Wars: Battlefront, which was shown for the first time in Anaheim at the Star Wars Celebration event. While we didn't get to see any gameplay, we did get to hear plenty of details from developer DICE – and we also got confirmation that Sony will be partnering with the studio to market the game. Elsewhere, the likes of Mortal Kombat X and Mass Effect 4 dominated the headlines – with the former launching on Tuesday for the PlayStation 4, while details pertaining to the latter purportedly leaked. Here's everything that you need to know.

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Reviews

Mortal Kombat X - 8/10

Mortal Kombat X doesn't hit with quite as much impact as its predecessor, but it still improves upon a brutal blueprint. The story's stupid and poorly written, but it's all of the options outside of the campaign that will keep you engaged – whether you're playing with others or alone. With hundreds of modifiers, the ever-rotating Living Towers, and some truly exceptional online additions, this game really goes above and beyond. However, it doesn't ignore what's important either, employing the new variants system to keep the fighting fresh – even if you only play as one character. Misplaced microtransactions sully the experience slightly – but this is still only a few scratches short of a flawless victory.

Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin - 9/10

While the industry's current love of rehashing games that are barely a year old is something that we should all be very suspicious of, Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin is so much more than just a simple clean-up job. A more apt description would be Dark Souls II: The Director's Cut; this is a re-imagining of a classic game which has been given a new lease of life thanks to clever changes in enemy and item placement. As such, it's highly recommended to existing fans as the challenge ahead doesn't feel like retreading old ground, while newcomers will benefit from better graphics, smoother performance, and all of the available DLC in one convenient package. Following on the heels of Bloodborne, Dark Souls II is a further affirmation of From Software's immense talent.

Other Reviews

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Features

Soapbox: Why You Shouldn't Be Afraid to Play Bloodborne on PS4

I beat Bloodborne last night. I'm tempted to talk up my gaming prowess in this opening paragraph, but I'd be undermining the entire point of this editorial if I did – there's way too much e-peen measuring going on elsewhere around the web with regards to From Software's latest. The thing is: I was just like you – I was terrified of the PlayStation 4 exclusive, expecting it to rip me to shreds and push my patience to its extreme limits. It turns out that I just really, really enjoyed the game.

Feature: Meet the Man Who's Helping Students Publish PS4, Vita Games

With the emphasis on exclusives, marketing deals, and services, we rarely take the time to think about gaming at a grass roots level. Trailers and reviews command the majority of our traffic here at Push Square, so it's perhaps easy to overlook all of the effort that goes into schools and colleges. That said, it's an area that's always interested this author: how do we cultivate a brand new generation of game makers, and enable the cream to rise to the top? It's one question that Luc Bernard, the British developer behind Desert Ashes, will be attempting to answer, as he takes time out from his indie development career in order to help students at New York's prestigious The New School realise their dreams – and publish their projects on the PlayStation 4 and Vita.

Other Features

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News

Star Wars: Battlefront's First PS4 Trailer Is Explosive

It's taken what feels like an eternity, but we've finally got our first look at Star Wars: Battlefront. The trailer – which is bookmarked by PlayStation branding, presumably confirming that Sony has secured a marketing partnership with the title – starts out in Endor, and shows Pods outracing Stormtroopers through a lush jungle environment.

Rumour: Mass Effect PS4 Sounds Massive, Ambitious, and Awesome

And that's associate editor Robert Ramsey crying into his early afternoon coffee. The self-diagnosed Mass Effect maniac has been mentioning for months that he hopes that the next entry in BioWare's space faring series doesn't leak while he's offline; sorry buddy, but your University student-style hours are coming to haunt you right about now.

Ultra Street Fighter IV Gets a Release Date on PS4, Certainly Sounds Like an Ultimate Package

Ultra Street Fighter IV has been dealt a confirmed release date on PlayStation 4, and the good news is that it's not very far away. The brawler will smash up Sony's newest console on the 26th May in both Europe and North America.

Destiny's New Patch Detailed, Gets Suspend and Resume Improvements on PS4

You can say what you like about Destiny, but Bungie's been quite impressive with its post-release support. The title's next big patch will soon be live, and the developer's detailed exactly what's going to be in it.

Shadow of the Beast's PS4 Reboot Gets Its Claws Out

Shadow of the Beast is back, and it's packing more gore than a Hostel movie. Sony's long awaited reboot of the Psygnosis classic was announced over 18 months ago at GamesCom 2013, but has been kept undercover ever since. Many assumed that it had been cancelled, but developer Heavy Spectrum has been busy beavering away on it behind closed doors.

Other Noteworthy News

Video of the Week

Video: Watch As We Recap March 2015's Best PS4, PS3, and Vita Games

And now that Bloodborne's out of the way, it's back to your regularly scheduled slice of Game of the Month video goodness – in which your humble host talks Bloodborne. We let the good blood guide us this time out, as we get to the bottom of the PlayStation 4 exclusive's plot – and compare it to election debates. Both make about as much sense.