Today Gamer Network and ReedPOP have announced that EGX, the UK-based consumer, trade and careers event for video games, will now take place 17-20 September 2020 at London’s Excel center.
In a press release the announcement reads:
The team behind EGX is exceptionally proud of its partner ExCeL London for its leading role in supporting the UK in its fight against the spread of COVID-19 and becoming the first NHS Nightingale hospital in the country.
We are working closely with ExCeL to ensure the health and safety of our fans, visitors and partners at EGX, providing a safe and exciting place to meet, discover and celebrate great games, and like all of you, we are following the circumstances at the venue very closely. Our number one priority continues to be the health and safety of our exhibitors, attendees, industry partners and staff and as such, we will remain guided by the expert advice of the public health authorities.
David Lilley, Head of Events, UK, ReedPOP adds:“We are doing the best we can during this unprecedented time, looking to the future with hope while we work now with diligence, constantly monitoring the situation and following guidance from the UK government. This is clearly a situation that will keep evolving and whilst we might not have all the answers right now, we will do all we can to keep everyone informed and updated when we do. In the meantime we would like to take the opportunity to thank all of our exhibitors and partners who continue to be incredibly supportive of EGX during these challenging times.”
Our sales and customer service teams will be on hand to answer any questions, and you can find us on social media where we will also be sharing any important updates.
We look forward to welcoming you to EGX 2020 in September. In the meantime, stay safe, stay inside and take care.
Xbox surprised us with a new episode of ‘Inside Xbox’ with many hosts and guests working from home due to current world situation and it was….nice, nothing major was revealed in terms of the Xbox Series X but it did have some tasty tidbits of information for the next few months both in new games and entries to the Xbox Game Pass.
Below you will find the news and the trailers as shown in the episode:
Grounded
Obsidian Entertainment revealed an all new story trailer for Grounded, their upcoming survival adventure game. On July 28th, go big or never go home. An Xbox Game Preview title built with community feedback and premiering on Xbox Game Pass for console and PC.
Xbox Series X
Jason Ronald, Xbox Series X’s Director of Program Manager, breaks down the technology Xbox Series X leverages to create the optimal balance of power and speed in console design.
Hotline Miami Collection
Hotline Miami Collection contains both legendary games in the neon-soaked, brutally-challenging Hotline Miami series from Dennaton Games. Out Right now for Xbox One
GEARS Tactics
Gears Tactics Design Director breaks down how Gears Tactics expands the Gears universe. Gears Tactics is the fast-paced, turn-based strategy game from one of the most-acclaimed video game franchises – Gears of War. Outnumbered and fighting for survival, recruit and command your squad to hunt down an evil mastermind who makes monsters.
Atomicrops – Reveal Trailer
Get ready to farm, marry, kill your way to post-apocalyptic glory in the wildest bullet hell farming sim ever known to bunditkind. Atomicrops is an action roguelite farming simulator. Armed with your hoe, a watering pail, and a fully automatic weapon, you must grow ultra-GMO crops to feed the local town… and make a hefty profit. Defend your land from the mutant pests and bandits that invade nightly to ravage your fields. Court and wed townsfolk to fight and farm by your side. Gather upgrades to increase yields, profit, and power. Befriend the local wildlife to help with the chores.
Yakuza KIWAMI – Game Pass Trailer
Yakuza Kiwami is coming soon to Xbox, Xbox Game Pass, and Windows 10. Players will soon have a chance to see where the legendary Yakuza series all began, in this ground-up remake of 2005’s Yakuza.
Journey to the Savage Planet: Coming to Xbox Game Pass, New DLC Revealed
Journey to the Savage Planet is coming to Xbox Game Pass, just as new DLC was revealed for the game although not clear if the DLC will also be with the Game Pass entry.
The Last Campfire
From the same team that brought us No Man’s Sky, Steven Burgess, Lead Designer on The Last Campfire, talks us through the motivations for making the game over the first few minutes of exclusive gameplay.
Sea of Thieves: Ships of Fortune Update
Finally Inside Xbox closed with a look at the next big content update for Sea of Thieves in ‘Ships of Fortune’. Revealing the brand new Sea of Thieves monthly update with the trading companies of Sea of Thieves needing your help as an Emissary! Also, CATS. – featuring the arena competitive mode, a new reputation system, and fancy new pirate emotes + cosmetics!
My Thoughts…
This edition of Inside Xbox was nice, it was simple and straightforward with some new reveals such as release date for Grounded and new entries to the Xbox Game Pass. Considering that PlayStation chose to reveal the new controller for the PlayStation 5 console just before this edition went live, it was nice a nice connection with the Xbox community to give some news and things to look forward to.
After playing Grounded at X019 in November, I am very much looking forward to finally playing it fully this summer!
The Ships of Fortune update arrives April 22nd and introduces new PvP Trading Company The Reaper’s Bones, the rewarding but risky Emissary system, an increased reputation cap for most Trading Companies, crew reviving, Arena 2.0 and, most im-paw-tantly, CATS! 🐱
Sea of Thieves is available now for Xbox One console, Windows 10 PC and soon on STEAM. It is also included in the Xbox Game Pass for console and PC.
In yet another randomly revealed look at something PS5 related, Sony chose last night to reveal the brand new wireless controller for the PlayStation 5, this is the ‘DualSense’ controller:
A first look at DualSense, PS5’s new wireless controller.
The Official PlayStation Blog introduces the concept behind the new look DualSense controller for the PS5 but my first reaction to it from a purely cosmetic point is that it does look more in line with the Xbox One controller in terms of the curved and larger size of the DualSense, the biggest departure from the classic PS One controller that both the PS3 and PS4 controllers very much stuck too whilst adding new tech. I really like the white and more curved design to the controller but not a fan of the basic black, I personally would have gone for a more blue design but now curious if the white is a hint at the actual colour scheme of the launch PS5 console, but it does have the look that different colour schemes could be used for it going forward into the PS5 life cycle.
So technical specs, it is interesting to learn that the DualSense will have a built in microphone array to allow for party and game chat without the use of a headset, a natural evolution from the speaker only array the DualShock 4 had, a natural upgrade I think though people maybe far too used to the quality of a true gaming headset to use it, it does add some functionality to it as a controller.
The share button is gone, something I found to be a revolutionary addition at the launch of the PS4 and something that Microsoft have only now seen fit to “copy” into the new Xbox Wireless controller with the new generation. Replacing the Share button is the “Create” button, which will still access the natural DVR functions of the PS5, a feature we will have to wait to be explained further at a later date.
The lightbar has also been moved from the standard on top of the DualShock 4 controller and now you can see the lights on the sides of the touch pad which for me makes it look a lot better, giving it a visual pop rather than not being able to see the additional lights at all.
Overall I do rather like the look of the DualSense and its features feel like a natural step forward from the PS4 DualShock 4 controller, it will be interesting to see now we know what the controller looks like, if the PS5 console itself follows the same two toned and curved style when Sony finally do reveal how it looks, which will no doubt be some random tweet at some random time and not 30 minutes before an episode of ‘Inside Xbox’ from Microsoft. Will leave this with the closing remarks made by Jim Ryan, President & CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment:
“DualSense marks a radical departure from our previous controller offerings and captures just how strongly we feel about making a generational leap with PS5. The new controller, along with the many innovative features in PS5, will be transformative for games – continuing our mission at PlayStation to push the boundaries of play, now and in the future. To the PlayStation community, I truly want to thank you for sharing this exciting journey with us as we head toward PS5’s launch in Holiday 2020. We look forward to sharing more information about PS5, including the console design, in the coming months.”
I was very late in coming to the Persona series, it was almost a year after release that the original Persona 5 landed in my lap and PS4 but I was immediately hooked by it. The visuals, the music and the gameplay won me over like nothing else has really since the original Final Fantasy VII changed everything I knew about gaming. I found it challenging and rewarding and it was a huge time sink for me just as it was. Now we have, well what we have is not quite a GOTY version but instead, it is the original game tweaked by player feedback but with additional content making the temptation to do it all over again absolutely captivating. Persona 5 Royal is here…but could it actually improve on the original?
For those who are not aware of Persona 5’s story, you play the role of ‘Joker’ a young man who paid a heavy price for stepping in to prevent a woman being assaulted. Due to causing the assailant injury, he was sued, causing him to get a criminal record and expelled from school leading to him being sent to a new city to go to a new school whilst being placed on probation for that year meaning should he get in any form of trouble at all, he would be sent to juvenile prison. The story follows that one year away as Joker makes new friends and some enemies along the way but the fun part comes in the form of Joker and then the friends he makes at school, discovering that they have the unique ability to change the ‘hearts’ of the evil and corrupt people around them by entering the physical manifestation of their dark desires, called Palaces, and defeat them there.
To aid them, this team of ‘Phantom Thieves’ are aided by Personas, which are physical manifestations of a person’s psyche and subconscious used for combat within the Metaverse of which the Palaces belong. What makes Joker stand out is that he has the very rare ability to take the persona from his enemies as well as the ability to merge persona’s together to create new and stronger Persona with the ability to change between them in battle where other Phantom Thieves can only have one. This was one side to the gameplay that I came to love in the original Persona 5, and just one of the examples of the absolute time sink this title is.
Now I put over 100 hours into the original Persona 5, so much of it being the grind to level up to buy accessories, weapons and evolving new Persona to meet the challenge of the Palace I was tackling. What this new Royal edition of the game does thankfully, is to tweak those original system in order to improve that original experience for both veteran players and newcomers and I fully welcome this decision. The adjustments will make an impact from everything from activities outside of Palaces to how combat within the Palaces work as well with re-balancing of enemy Persona as well as your own to how their skills work to something as simple as making the Gun system something you can actually rely on in combat with ammo refilling after each encounter.
One of the revamps I came to appreciate the most is in with the Mementos world which is where you can spend a lot of time doing side missions which in the original took up a lot of time and often gave very little reward for the time you spent there. In Royal, it has been adjusted to give you more rewards making it a far more satisfying place to visit with the grind to improve your levels and Persona feeling far more engaging than in the original especially with the inclusion of a brand-new character named Jose who you can now trade Memento items with for better quality ones and ways to boost money and XP. When I originally ran through Persona 5 I always found Mementos to be an area I would try to just get through as much as possible and once I hit the wall where I could not farm to improve my Persona any further I would avoid it. With the improvements in Royal its now a place to focus on to gain the extra edge outside of the main story Palaces and it helps to prepare you for the end game far more than it originally had for me.
If the quality of life improvements and additions were not enough in themselves to improve the experience playing Persona 5 than the added content is really the icing on the cake. These come in the forms of new areas in the Palaces to explore as well as mechanics making it far more rewarding to explore before the final boss encounter than before. I love Joker’s new grapple ability which enables more exploration of those new areas as well, unlocking new secret areas. You now have more time to do side events now that the constant “go to bed” restriction at night has been relaxed enabling you to do far more with your day outside of school such as socialising with your friends which strengthens your relationship with them. I never understood why Morgana was always so quick to end your day limiting what you could actually get to do so having that frustration removed opens up so much for the game.
Next you have the brand-new character in Kasumi Yoshizawa, who like Joker is also a new student at Shujin Academy on a scholarship and is an accomplished gymnast. There is an entirely new semester and story arc to play in the game with my only criticism being the placement of this towards the end of the story, being new and fresh I would have preferred to have had this much earlier or even half way to keep the freshness of this edition as someone who played the original, newcomers will probably never notice but it would have been more impact earlier in the story. But the story is very clever in that she is actually introduced to the player in the updated opening section to the story as you play as Joker trying to escape from the police and suddenly runs into Kasumi in her Phantom Thief form and they have a brief teaming up teasing what will happen much later in the story, but it was a clever way to introduce her to veteran and new players alike.
The immediate answer to the question of does it improve on the original…is yes. Persona 5 Royal manages to improve on the original enough to give veteran players a reason to come back and new players the definitive experience you would expect from a re-release or GOTY version of the game. The new opening video and prologue action is your gateway into everything that is new in Royal and the adjustments and quality of life updates are most welcome for a game I have happily already recommended to friends unsure of the JRPG genre and turn based combat that was off putting in series like Final Fantasy to them.
The visuals are so vibrant and just pop out of your TV even on the basic PS4 but are enhanced further if you have a PS4 Pro, the cut scenes are so well animated you are literally transported into an anime film. The gameplay is one of the finest modern examples of classic JRPG elements but truly brought to life in such a flamboyant way that it is just so satisfying especially with all the improvements removing many of the elements that frustrated me about the grinding which now are far more rewarding when you put the effort into building your characters up and evolving Persona to help in battle. The changes are impactful and if you have played the original Persona 5 you will notice even more just how much they change the gameplay for the better. The new character is a great addition to the mix but I do feel the new story arc would have benefitted from being woven into the original story far earlier than it has been.
Persona 5 Royal is the best example and version of Persona 5 you can play right now, and if you have never tried the series before, this is the version to go for and if you are a veteran, there is enough here to make a return worthwhile. At this time where people are searching for a game to occupy them well this is easily a 100hour plus game that has found the balance between grinding and rewarding for the time you put into it. Often a GOTY can just be the original experience with all the DLC added in and it can be fine, but what has been accomplished with Persona 5 Royal is taking what was one of my favourite JRPG gaming experiences and fixed the issues I had with it and added new elements that simply made me love it all the more.
Yesterday the people over at Xbox announced that the next edition of ‘Inside Xbox’ would happen today on April 7th at 10pm BST. Inside Xbox is packed full of news and trailers for up and coming Xbox titles as well as possibly some new Xbox Series X and Xbox Game Pass news:
— Larry Hryb, Gamer Emeritus 📱⌨️🖱️🎮 (@majornelson) April 6, 2020
I am personally looking forward to seeing and hearing more about ‘Grounded’, after playing the demo at X019 back in November, definitely a title on my radar!
Nine years after its original release, Deep Silver has announced that Saints Row The Third has been completely remastered and will release on Xbox One, , the PlayStation 4 and PC on 22 May 22nd 2020.
Every weapon has been remodelled, every car has been redesigned and a vast proportion of the city has been re-textured; Saints Row The Third has received a full makeover. With around 4,000 assets reworked, the complete update has been expertly handled by Sperasoft. It has transformed environments, character models and visual effects, enhanced graphics and incorporated a new lighting engine.
In addition, all three expansion mission packs and more than 30 pieces of DLC from the original version have been remastered and are included in the package for hours of additional gleeful gameplay. The remastered edition will inspire new gamers and original fans to revisit the reworked city of Steelport and revel in the glorious world of the Saints.
Saints Row The Third Remastered gives you control of the Saints at the height of their power, and you live the life to show for it. This is your City. These are your rules. Remastered with enhanced graphics, Steelport the original city of sin, has never looked so good as it drowns in sex, drugs and guns.
Years after taking Stilwater for their own, the Third Street Saints have evolved from street gang to household brand name, with Saints sneakers, Saints energy drinks and Johnny Gat bobblehead dolls all available at a store near you. The Saints are kings of Stilwater, but their celebrity status has not gone unnoticed. The Syndicate, a legendary criminal fraternity with pawns in play all over the globe, has turned its eye on the Saints and demands tribute.
Refusing to kneel to the Syndicate, you take the fight to Steelport, a once-proud metropolis reduced to a struggling city of sin under Syndicate control. Take a tank skydiving, call in a satellite-targeted airstrike on a Mexican wrestling gang, and fight against a highly-trained military force by your lonesome in the most outlandish gameplay scenarios ever seen.
Key Features:
The Full Package, Remastered – With enhanced graphics, improved lighting, reworked environments, and visual effects, Steelport and The Third Street Saints have never looked so good.
City of Sin – Disrupt and dismantle the Syndicate stranglehold on weapons, cybercrime, and criminal rackets. Discover the secrets of Steelport, where there is action on every street corner, for better or, more likely, worse.
Weapons of Crass Destruction – It’s one thing to defeat your enemies. It’s another to humiliate them. Hover jets, human cannonball cars and outrageous melee weapons are all part of the fun.
Crazy Character Customisation – Create the most outlandish characters ever seen, from washed-up celebrities to maskless ninja pirates. Inside every sinner, there is a Saint. Who will you become?
Over The Top Co-op – Fly solo or play online with a homie. Give freefall skydiving a try, landing in your partner’s flaming pickup as you make a desperate run toward a heavily armed Syndicate base. Steelport is always more fun with a friend.
All DLC included – All three expansion mission packs and more than 30 pieces of DLC from the original version.
With just one week to go until the launch of FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE, SQUARE ENIX is making the digital pre-load available starting today on the PlayStation Store to ensure that players are ready to jump straight in to the streets of Midgar when the game releases worldwide on April 10.
“We know that due to the COVID-19 pandemic and many people having to stay at home, some of you may be experiencing extra pressure on your internet bandwidth. We wanted to give all our fans some extra time to download the game,” said the game’s producer, Yoshinori Kitase.
In addition, SQUARE ENIX unveiled its Final Trailer from Japan, giving fans a glimpse into memorable narrative moments revealing familiar faces, new characters and epic scenes from late in the game.
FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE will be available for the PlayStation 4 on April 10, 2020.
The FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE Demo is now available to PlayStation 4 system owners across the globe, allowing players to experience the opening chapter from the game. Those who download the demo before May 11, 2020 will also receive an exclusive PlayStation 4 system theme when the full game launches. To download the demo now, visit: https://sqex.link/FF7RDemo.
The BAFTA Game Award show is usually a highlight of the gaming year with a very glitzy event but due to current world events, this year’s award show was actually held online with the brilliant Dara O’Briain, who has hosted the show an amazing ten times, hosting the event again but from his “spare room”, which was a little strange at first but full credit going to Dara who really found his pace after getting used to talking to himself through a webcam, the beer also helped.
The acceptance speeches were actually more refreshing with recorded at home speeches although the developer teams could not come together to accept the award and some going to great lengths to make it as fun as possible. Surprise speech came from Hideo Kojima who accepted his BAFTA Fellowship but gave an emotional speech of how he had kept the creation of Kojima Productions a secret from his mother to stop her worrying but who sadly passed away before seeing the success of Death Stranding.
Here are all the award winners, in order of announcement during the show.
Best Original Property: Outer Wilds Runners-up: Baba Is You, Control, Death Stranding, Disco Elysium, Untitled Goose Game
Best Music: Disco Elysium Runners-up: Control, Death Stranding, Outer Wilds, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Wattam
Best Evolving Game: Path of Exile Runners-up: Apex Legends, Destiny 2, Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers, Fortnite, No Man’s Sky Beyond
Best Debut Game: Disco Elysium Runners-up: Ape Out, Death Stranding, Katana ZERO, Knights and Bikes, Manifold Garden
Best Family Game: Untitled Goose Game Runners-up: Concrete Genie, Knights and Bikes, Luigi’s Mansion 3, Vacation Simulator, Wattam
Best Game Design: Outer Wilds Runners-up: Baba Is You, Control, Disco Elysium, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Wattam
EE Mobile Game of the Year (public vote): Call of Duty: Mobile Runners-up: Assemble With Care, Dead Man’s Phone, Pokémon Go, Tangle Tower, What the Golf?
Best Animation: Luigi’s Mansion 3 Runners-up: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Control, Death Stranding, Sayonara Wild Hearts, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Best Narrative: Disco Elysium Runners-up: Control, Life Is Strange 2 (Episodes 2-5), Outer Wilds, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, The Outer Worlds
Artistic Achievement: Sayonara Wild Hearts Runners-up: Concrete Genie, Control, Death Stranding, Disco Elysium, Knights and Bikes
Bafta Fellowship: Hideo Kojima
British Game: Observation Runners-up: DiRT Rally 2.0, Heaven’s Vault, Knights and Bikes, Planet Zoo, Total War: Three Kingdoms
Audio Achievement: Ape Out Runners-up: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Control, Death Stranding, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Untitled Goose Game
Best Multiplayer Game: Apex Legends Runners-up: Borderlands 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Luigi’s Mansion 3, Tick Tock: A Tale for Two, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2
Game Beyond Entertainment: Kind Words (lo-fi chill beats to write to) Runners-up: Civilization VI: Gathering Storm, Death Stranding, Life Is Strange 2 (Episodes 2-5), Neo Cab, Ring Fit Adventure
Best Performer in a Supporting Role: Martti Suosalo (Ahti, Control) Runners-up: Jolene Andersen (Karen Reynolds, Life Is Strange 2), Sarah Bartholomew (Lucy Rose Jones/Cassidy, Life Is Strange 2), Troy Baker (Higgs Monaghan, Death Stranding), Lea Seydoux (Fragile, Death Stranding), Ayisha Issa (Félicité “Fliss” DuBois, The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan).
Technical Achievement: Death Stranding Runners-up: A Plague Tale: Innocence, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Control, Metro Exodus, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Best Performer in a Leading Role: Gonzalo Martin (Sean Diaz, Life is Strange 2) Runners-up: Laura Bailey (Kait Diaz, Gears 5), Courtney Hope (Jesse Faden, Control), Logan Marshall-Green (David Smith, Telling Lies), Barry Sloane (Captain John Price, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare), Norman Reedus (Sam Porter Bridges, Death Stranding)
Best Game winner: Outer Wilds Runners-up: Control, Disco Elysium, Luigi’s Mansion 3, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Untitled Goose Game
For more information on the BAFTA Game Awards, check out the official site here
Beginning April 7, Respawn will invite Apex Legends players to follow Bloodhound’s trail in the upcoming “The Old Ways” Lore Event. One of the greatest game hunters the Frontier has ever seen, Bloodhound, will receive their own Town Takeover on World’s Edge, where players will need to battle ferocious Prowlers for their chance at high-tier loot. Exclusive cosmetics will be available to players that complete the Old Ways Event’s daily challenges with even more The Old Ways-themed items available through the Direct Purchase Shop. The Old Ways event runs through April 21.
Learn more about Bloodhound’s path from small village to the Apex Arena in the latest installment of the Stories from the Outlands, “The Old Ways” trailer here:
Below is a quick recap of all the activities players can look forward to:
Duos & Kings Canyon – Starting on April 7, Duos will be permanently added to the game alongside Trios, along with a permanent map rotation that gives players the ability to play Duos or Trios on Kings Canyon and World’s Edge.
Town Takeover – Bloodhound’s Trials – An enclosed area in the northwest portion of World’s Edge, Bloodhound’s Trials boasts a large population of prowlers. Teams can battle against a hoard of prowlers to claim high-tier loot as a reward. But players must beware of the most dangerous game: fellow Legends scavenging goods for themselves. Exploring the enclosure with a certain hunter on your side will be most rewarding.
The Old Ways Exclusive Event Prize Track – With The Old Ways event, Respawn is delivering an all-new prize track with rewards inspired by the latest Stories from the Outlands: The Old Ways digital short. Similar to past events, players will be able to earn up to 1000 points per challenge set and the challenge set will refresh at a daily rate.
Direct Purchase Shop – Event-exclusive legendary and rare skins inspired by the aesthetics and themes of The Old Ways digital short will be available in the shop. The Old Ways Event also marks the return of the Legendary Hunt Skins. All 8 of the original Legendary Hunt Skins will be on offer for direct purchase in addition to 2 recolored variants of the Wraith and R-301 skins that were exclusive to battle pass owners.
APEX Legends is free to play and is available now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.
For More information check out the the full blog post can be found here.
The return draws closer. FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE finally arrives on April 10, 2020. Are you ready for a legendary new beginning?
FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE is a reimagining of the iconic original with unforgettable characters, a mind-blowing story, and epic battles. The story of this first, standalone game in the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE project covers up to the party’s escape from Midgar, and goes deeper into the events occurring in Midgar than the original FINAL FANTASY VII.
In breaking news, Sony has announced that is has delayed the release of The Last of Us Part 2 and MARVEL’s Iron Man VR with no new release dates:
Update: SIE has made the difficult decision to delay the launch of The Last of Us Part II and Marvel's Iron Man VR until further notice. Logistically, the global crisis is preventing us from providing the launch experience our players deserve.
This does make sense seeing how other titles such as Final Fantasy VII Remake has problems with physical editions of the game for launch, so arranging such a massive release especially for a huge PlayStation title like The Last of Us Part 2 would be immensely difficult to arrange on a global level due to so many issues leading from the current Pandemic in multiple regions.
Official statement from Naughty Dog was released on their official Twitter:
The PS Plus titles for April 2020 were announced….rather late but the leaked names were actually correct as Uncharted 4 and Dirt 2.0 join the PS Plus library of games.
Globe-trotting thrills await as you uncover dangerous, long-lost secrets with famed treasure hunter Nathan Drake and tackle challenging rally courses across the world in your PlayStation Plus games for April 2020.
To qualify you must have an active subscription to PS Plus to acquire these games and to keep playing them.
New research from Vodafone has proved just how much we value time spent with colleagues with over forty percent (40%) of workers claiming they miss spending time with their workmates and office jokes and light-hearted chat (41%) the most, as working from home becomes the new norm.
Under the new restrictions enforced by the government, most Brits have experienced a dramatic change in their working environment and daily routine. Over one third (35%) of those surveyed said they miss having the company that colleagues bring and bouncing ideas off one another (30%). One fifth (19%) miss the grown-up conversation that working in an office brings.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom. 51% of Brits say the most valuable thing to come out of working from home is the extra time they are claiming back as a result of not commuting. One third (37%) say they are enjoying a lie- in and being able to spend more time with their pets (20%).
As well as our working routines changing, so too have the demands on the tech we rely on, with almost half (44%) unsurprisingly claiming that home broadband is the most valuable piece of tech used while working from home. One third (33%) find the likes of Slack & Skype the most useful applications to use to help keep them in touch whilst working remotely. Video conference calling (29%), audio conferencing calling (22%) and streaming services (20%) are amongst the other most treasured apps that respondents value as they fight to adapt to a new kind of normal.
Scott Petty, Vodafone UK Chief Technology Officer said: “In these turbulent times we’re proud to offer a range of services that can keep people connected with colleagues and help them adapt to new ways of working with as minimal disruption as possible. As well as ensuring our network stands up so people’s home broadband and mobile phones work efficiently, we will continue to offer insight and advice on how consumers can do their bit. Small things like avoiding scheduling conference calls on the hour or half past the hour will make a huge difference in helping us continue to work smoothly and productively from home. Together we can get through these uncertain times and keep the UK running.”
Despite 61% of UK workers claiming they are just as productive working from home, over one quarter (27%) worry about their boss, clients and colleagues thinking they’re not working, followed by other concerns that they may miss meetings and deadlines (13%). Thankfully, one thing Brits haven’t had to worry about are tech issues, with over four-fifths (88%) of respondents claiming they have not experienced any tech-related problems since the government’s working from home order was enforced.
The findings also revealed that almost one third (29%) of Brit’s bank balances are benefiting from them working from home with money being saved rather than splurged on coffee or buying lunches every day. Instead 17% are using the time to make more interesting lunches.
Vodafone is offering 30-days unlimited free data to half a million other Pay Monthly customers, not already on unlimited data plans. Customers can access the offer through Vodafone’s VeryMe rewards scheme available through the My Vodafone App**.
Top 10 things we miss about the office
Office jokes (41%)
Colleagues (40%)
Having company around me (35%)
Routine (32%)
Bouncing ideas off each other (30%)
The office buzz to motivate me (22%)
Collaborating with others (21%)
Learning from others & grown up conversation (17%)
