Customer who preorder PlayStation 4 launch title will receive Shadow Pack that contains in-game OWL skins and official soundtrack.

Sony and Guerrilla Games have announced the pre-order bonuses for PlayStation 4 launch title Killzone: Shadow Fall.

Players can pimp their OWL drone with exclusive colors if they order the new Killzone early.

Gamers who preorder from participating retailers will get the Shadow Pack bundle, which contains exclusive skins for the game's OWL drone, a multiplayer victory move for taunting enemies, and the official soundtrack. Sony will announce the list of retailers offering the preorder bonuses at a later date.

Killzone: Shadow Fall will be a launch title for the PS4. Sony's next-generation console will be released later in 2013.

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Customer who preorder PlayStation 4 launch title will receive Shadow Pack that contains in-game OWL skins and official soundtrack.

Sony and Guerrilla Games have announced the pre-order bonuses for PlayStation 4 launch title Killzone: Shadow Fall.

Players can pimp their OWL drone with exclusive colors if they order the new Killzone early.

Gamers who preorder from participating retailers will get the Shadow Pack bundle, which contains exclusive skins for the game's OWL drone, a multiplayer victory move for taunting enemies, and the official soundtrack. Sony will announce the list of retailers offering the preorder bonuses at a later date.

Killzone: Shadow Fall will be a launch title for the PS4. Sony's next-generation console will be released later in 2013.

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Company that created Crysis series says it's also working on six games, one of them being Ryse.

Crytek may be bringing back its long-scrapped project Redemption, according to a feature piece on Polygon.

Crytek is working on six games, with one of them being Ryse.

According to Crytek founder Cevat Yerli, Redemption may be "one of those games that most likely [players] may see back again because [it] cumulates the [company's name; "cry" and "technology"]".

Previously, a small team at the company worked on the title for a couple of years. The game was billed as "Last of Us meets Crysis 2", where players had to navigate an open world and protect their companion, a 10-year old girl. The project was cancelled because of negative feedback from gamers and Yerli felt that the company wasn't ready to pull it off from a technological and creative standpoint.

In addition, the company's Frankfurt headquarters is currently working on six games, with one of them being Ryse: Son of Rome for the Xbox One. Ryse was shown during Microsoft's E3 2013 press conference.

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New patch to feature new Xinyi District, Phantom weapon pack, and graphical tweaks.

Ubisoft has announced the latest update to its PC free-to-play online shooter Ghost Recon Online, which is currently in open beta status.

One could say that this is Ubisoft's version of the phantom pain.

The 12.0 update introduces the Xinyi District map, which is the largest map created so far for the game. The map is specifically catered for the most popular mode in the game, conquest mode.

The update also introduces the Phantom pack, which includes Phantom-themed weapons and items. In addition, new graphical and cosmetic changes have been added which includes signature singe-eye AR displays and realistic shell ejection.

The game's dev-ops director Corey Facteau told GameSpot that the most-requested fix for the open beta was the removal of an exploit on the Korolyov Towers map. He added that Ubisoft will only release the game in its full state once they are completely satisfied with the quality of experience that they will give to players. "We will continue to make improvements and fixes in open beta until we are convinced that we are delivering the best experience possible."

Ghost Recon Online is currently in open beta officially in North America and Europe. Ubisoft did not state when Ghost Recon Online servers outside of those regions would be started. "Just like our launch in Poland," Facteau said, "our focus is to further expand with quality service worldwide, which includes localised service, closer servers, local customer support/community managers or localised payment methods."

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New patch to include Whirlpool of Alecto four player stage and one-versus-one Bout of Honor mode

Sony Computer Entertainment and developer Sony Santa Monica has announced a new update for its action title God of War: Ascension.

The new patch features mano-a-mano fights. And giant fish.

The 1.09 patch will debut a new one-versus-one mode called Bout of Honor. In this mode, two players fight against one another, best of seven rounds, without any chests, fountains and world weapons for assistance. The mode allows a player's magic to regenerate over time, though relics are disabled. This mode comes with four new maps: the Canyons of Kirra, the Chamber of the Flame, the Landing at Delos, and the Streets of Sparta.

In addition, a new four player map will also be available in the patch, a water-based stage called the Whirlpool of Alecto which features a giant leviathan. The developer has also made balancing tweaks and removed infinite combos.

SCE is asking all fans on PlayStation Network to post their feedback on the game's new multiplayer modes on the this thread from today until July 12. Players who participate will be rewarded with a free digital copy of the game's Mark of the Gods pack.

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Xbox One console to incorporate Skype video calling; service will utilise Kinect voice and camera.

Gamers who wish to stay in touch via Skype will be able to do so on the Xbox One, Microsoft has revealed in an entry on the Xbox blog. The post details the integration of Skype, a voice over IP service, into the Xbox One console.

It was confirmed during the Xbox One presentation that the console will support Skype video calling. The feature utilises Kinect voice and gesture controls to execute onscreen actions.

According to the blog post, the new Kinect camera will be able to send one-to-one Skype video calls in 1080p, so long as an adequate internet connection is provided. The camera also sports a "wide-angle field of view".

The service will be incorporated into the Xbox One console, allowing gamers to initiate calls using voice commands. The Kinect microphone will also take into account background noise generated from the television and block it out.

Like video and music, Skype is supported by the Snap feature, which embeds the video call alongside other Xbox One activities. Users will be able to activate the feature with the voice command, "Xbox Snap Skype".

Skype is developed by Skype Technologies, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2011.

To keep up with the latest news on Microsoft's next-gen console, check GameSpot's Xbox One hub.

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Sony is putting processes in place to streamline independent game publishing on PS4; developers to get access to promotional tools and project feedback.

Sony is making moves to actively streamline the publishing process for independent game developers on the PlayStation 4, as well as providing game feedback and promotional support, according to a presentation at the Develop conference held in the UK this week, as reported by Joystiq.

The comments, made by Sony senior account manager of publisher and developer relations at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Agostino Simonetta, reinforce the commitment demonstrated this year during the company”s E3 press conference, where it showcased a range of upcoming indie games, including Octodad: Dadliest Catch, Transistor, and Divekick.

"Every single individual developer is a publisher as far as we're concerned," said Simonetta."We don't separate; we don't segregate indies from traditional publishers."

Simonetta explained that self-publishing indie developers will be able to dictate the release date of their games on the PlayStation 4. Teams will also be able to take advantage of the PlayStation Blog and Sony”s Twitter and Facebook social media presences, and work to create promotions, provided the game is of high enough quality. "It boils down to the objective quality of your title," Simonetta said.

If requested by developers, the console manufacturer will happily provide optional feedback on games currently in production. Sony is also putting systems and processes in place to break down some of the roadblocks that have traditionally slowed bringing games to market. Once a concept has been submitted to Sony, development teams will be able to find out within a week whether their game can be supported on the PS4 platform.

"In the past, we used to provide developers feedback on the gameplay of their game," Simonetta said. "We still do that today, if you want. You need to a tick a box and say, 'I'd be happy to listen to what Sony has to say.' If you like it, you can implement it in your game; if you don't, you can completely disregard it.

"We really believe that as a self-publishing company, the final quality of your product is with you. And no company is set up to deliver a bad game."

More than 500 self-published games are currently available on Sony”s PlayStation Network.

Earlier this week at the same conference, PS4 architect Mark Cerny said that the numbers of indie developers developing for PlayStation platforms will continue to grow at a fast rate.

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R18+ rating granted to State of Decay special edition; game no longer banned in Australia.

Undead Labs” zombie-survival game State of Decay has been granted an R18+ adult rating by the Classification Board, receiving approval to be sold in Australia.

Aussie gamers are to receive a special edition of State of Decay.

The game was previously refused classification on the grounds that it contained ”illicit or proscribed drug use related to incentives or rewards".

The original State of Decay submission included in-game medications that consisted of both legal and illicit substances. A special edition was re-submitted for classification, which developer Undead Labs described in a post on its Facebook page with, ”Stimulants out! 'Supplements' in!"

The special edition of the game has been rated for mild impact drug use and sex, high-impact violence, and moderate impact language and themes. No further details regarding an Australian release date have been revealed.

State of Decay focuses on surviving in a zombie-infested world, and promises a dynamically generated experience. It will be released exclusively for the Xbox 360, although developer Undead Labs has made reference to a PC release in future.

The game sold over 500,000 copies on the Xbox Live Arcade within three weeks of its release in North America, making it the fastest-selling original game on XBLA.

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Epic Games' iOS game officially canned after Impossible Studios was shut down earlier this year; developer Chair has more plans for the series.

Infinity Blade: Dungeons has been officially canceled, Chair cofounder and creative director Donald Mustard said on the most recent Epic Games podcast.

The news comes after developer Impossible Studios was shut down in February, just six months after the outfit was originally formed.

"It was a concept that originated from Epic and was an idea that we were happy to support. But when the studio working on [Dungeons] was closed, the game was canceled. That's really all I can say," Mustard said.

Though the game is no more, that does not mean the Infinity Blade franchise is going away altogether.

"There's more we at Chair are totally planning to do in the Infinity Blade universe," Mustard added. "More games, more books, maybe even other products. And we are very excited about that."

Epic Games announced Infinity Blade: Dungeons during an Apple iPad event in March 2012. Epic Games president Mike Capps said of the game, "These guys are redefining gaming again."

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Sources say price cuts will be announced as early as next week alongside news of battery-equipped keyboard.

Microsoft will implement a significant price cut for its Surface RT tablets as early as next week, multiple sources have told The Verge.

Each model would be cut by $150, according to the report, making the 32GB entry model available for $350 instead of $500.

The rumor comes after a Bloomberg report claimed the Surface tablet line has underperformed for Microsoft, selling 1.5 million units since launch in October.

By comparison, Apple sold 19.5 million iPads last quarter. No mention was made of a price cut for the Surface Pro line, which begins at $900.

Sources also told The Verge that Microsoft will reveal new accessories for its Surface tablets, including a battery-equipped keyboard cover.

New Surface RT pricing, according to the report, will be as follows:

• Surface RT 32GB - $349.99
• Surface RT 64GB - $449.99
• Surface RT 32GB with Touch Cover - $449.99
• Surface RT 64GB with Touch Cover - $549

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