Final Fantasy 8 Remastered Release Date Announced

Final Fantasy VIII Remastered will be released on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam on September 3, 2019 for $19.99 USD.

Announced by the Final Fantasy Twitter account alongside a brand new release date trailer, the remastered version will bring the 1999 classic to the present day with “new graphical enhancements and a whole host of options to customize your gameplay experience.”

Final Fantasy VIII will join Final Fantasy VII, IX, X, X-2, and XII on current consoles and PC, and it was confirmed to be returning at Square Enix’s E3 2019 press conference.

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This New Final Fantasy VIII Remastered Trailer Reveals The Game’s Release Date

Final Fantasy VIII Remaster has a new trailer out of Gamescom, and it’s finally given us a release date for the upgraded version of Square Enix’s beloved PlayStation RPG. You can watch it above.

The remaster, which was announced during E3 this year, is due out on September 3 – just two weeks away. It’s coming to PS4, Xbox One, Switch and PC. It’s a substantial polish on the old game, removing a lot of the blur that led to some classic memes.

This is the final PlayStation-originating Final Fantasy game that was yet to be remastered and released in HD, with Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy IX having already been updated for modern consoles. There’s been speculation that the source code for Final Fantasy VIII was lost, which would also explain why the game’s glow-up is so dramatic.

If you’re a 90s PlayStation fan, prepare yourself for a burst of nostalgia soon.

PlayStation Boss Hints At Future Multiplatform Releases For Games That “Need To Lean Into A Wider Installed Base”

During Gamescom this week, Sony announced that they had bought Insomniac Games, officially bringing the developers behind Ratchet & Clank and Marvel’s Spider-Man into the Sony fold. The studio, which released Sunset Overdrive as an Xbox One exclusive in 2014 (before the game was eventually ported to PC) will now develop for Sony.

In the wake of this announcement, Sony games studio chairman Shawn Layden spoke to Bloomberg about Sony’s focus on exclusives, stating that they are an important part of the company’s overall strategy. However, he also said that certain titles – especially multiplayer titles – could potentially receive a wider release rather than being kept exclusive to the PlayStation 4 and/or 5.

“We must support the PlayStation platform — that is nonnegotiable…That said, you will see in the future some titles coming out of my collection of studios which may need to lean into a wider installed base,” he told Bloomberg.

Note that this doesn’t necessarily mean that PlayStation games will start appearing on Xbox or Switch – we don’t expect Ratchet & Clank to come to Switch in the same way that Xbox’s Ori and the Blind Forest is. What it could mean is that multiplayer titles get PC or mobile releases as well to widen the player base. There’s some precedent for that, with Sony Online Entertainment previously releasing Everquest and Everquest II for PC.

Before E3 earlier this year, Sony committed to continuing to make “story games,” and based on Layden’s wording these would likely remain exclusive to Sony’s platforms. But it sounds like the company is, at least, open to considering the advantages of multiplatform releases for some internally developed games in the future.

Sequel To One Of 2016’s Best Roguelike Games Announced At Gamescom 2019

During Opening Night Live at Gamescom 2019, Everspace 2 was announced via a new trailer. The sequel to the beloved space roguelike seemingly improves upon the original game in several ways, but don’t expect to be able to play it anytime soon.

In the trailer, which can be watched below, several new ship designs are shown off. This time, the ships all seem to be different variations of the same craft, possibly suggesting that you may be building your spaceship off of the same design instead of three distinct models like in the first Everspace. The environments appear to be a lot more varied too, with different planets and stars acting as the backdrop to certain locations. We see ships pull off maneuvers that are more daring than what was seen in the first game as well, such as speeding through tight caverns and banking between the floating debris of a destroyed space station.

It’s not all different though. Several familiar weapons and ship upgrades appear in the trailer, like the Beam Laser, Gatling gun, and Cloak device. Everspace 2 appears to feature its predecessor’s gameplay loop too. However, it’s unclear if Everspace 2 will utilize the same type of non-linear storytelling to convey its narrative.

We’ll have a long wait to find out, as the trailer for Everspace 2 reveals that the game isn’t scheduled to release until 2021. Everspace 2 will be available on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

In Everspace, you outfit your ship with weapons and gadgets based on the resources you have before heading out into space. You jump from one section of space to another, trying to reach the opposite side of the galaxy by scavenging for fuel and additional resources at each jump location–taking the time to destroy enemy ships and upgrade your own if you’d like. Upon death, you’re sent back to the beginning and lose all of your upgrades, but you keep the resources you’ve collected. The hope is to make it further in each run, collecting enough resources to craft a stronger starting ship each time you die.

Everspace is an absolutely incredible game, and one worth playing if you haven’t already. It’s available on Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch. On Xbox One, Everspace is free with a Game Pass subscription.

Check Your Email–You Might Have Free GameStop Store Credit If You Shopped At ThinkGeek

It’s been over a month since online retailer ThinkGeek closed its digital doors and moved its offerings over to GameStop’s website. Now, longtime ThinkGeek shoppers who had saved up Geek Points (ThinkGeek’s old program that let you earn points with purchases and redeem them for free stuff) can finally get some use out of them. According to deals site Cheap Ass Gamer, people are beginning to receive emails from GameStop with a reward certificate that can be used on games, hardware, collectibles, accessories, and more at GameStop stores or GameStop.com.

The amount varies based on how many Geek Points you had saved up. People are reporting certificate amounts of anywhere from $5 to $50. CAG user ceadondifortu posted that he received a $10 certificate having made only a few ThinkGeek orders, all under $100, in the past. So even if you only shopped at ThinkGeek once or twice, it’s worth checking your email (including your spam folder) to see if you scored any free store credit, especially since you can apply it toward games.

ThinkGeek’s online closure in July was the first of many major changes at GameStop, which recently redesigned its website as well. The retailer also has big plans in store for its brick-and-mortar locations and revealed it’s working on new store concepts, such as a way for people to try out new titles before they buy them. Some new locations will focus purely on competitive gaming and “home-grown e-leagues,” while other stores will focus completely on retro gaming software and hardware. With the rise of digital gaming and the slow decline of GameStop stock prices, it’s clear the company is making big moves to ensure its relevancy in 2019 and beyond.

If you’re not sure what to spend your reward credit on, GameStop’s new weekly deals are now live, including a pretty extensive Back to School sale on things like backpacks, apparel, kitchen items, and a retro PlayStation mug we like a lot.

The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia On Sale For 56% Off, Only $17.45 With Deal

Hyped about Link’s Awakening? Looking forward to the Breath of the Wild sequel? The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia is a gorgeous, 280 page hardcover book from Dark Horse Books that you can buy now for 56% off, or just $17.45.

It’s the perfect coffee table book for any Zelda fan, but it also looks great on a shelf next to its follow-up books, Art & Artifacts and the Encyclopedia.

Awesome Zelda Art Book For Only $17.45

The Hyrule Historia is a 280 page hardcover book that acts as a deep dive into the rich history of Hyrule. It includes exclusive concept art, a chronology of the games, a comic, and more. It came out in 2013 so it doesn’t include every Zelda game, but it’s still an excellent collector’s item that pairs well with the other books in the series too.

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Save 10% on The World of Cyberpunk 2077 Hardcover Book When You Preorder Today

Cyberpunk 2077 is getting a special hardcover companion book called The World of Cyberpunk 2077 from Dark Horse Books, coming out April 21, 2020. If you preorder it today, you can get it for 10% off, or $35.99 instead of $39.99.

Cyberpunk 2077 Book For Just $34.99

The 200 page, full-color hardcover book from Dark Horse Books will dive into the lore of Cyberpunk 2077, including the characters, history, technology, weapons, and vehicles of the Cyberpunk 2077 world.

Buy the New Nintendo Switch Today

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Preorder Control for $51 on PS4 Right Now

Control is nearly here: Remedy’s creepy new game is releasing for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on August 27. You play as the new Director of the Bureau of Control, a secret agency in New York that protects humanity against supernatural enemies like the Hiss. You do so by shooting guns, solving puzzles, and using telekinetic powers to progress through the third-person campaign and side quests. It’s all very mysterious, but it’s from the makers of Max Payne and Alan Wake. Check out our most recent Control preview for more details.

But if you’re ready to preorder control, you can do so right now–and even get a discount. Let’s take a look at where’s the game is available and how much it costs.

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Competitive Pokemon Go Players: It’s More Than Just ‘Tapping’

For the first time ever, a Pokemon Go Trainer Battle (PvP) tournament was held, taking center stage as the first main event at the 2019 Pokemon World Championships. Watching each match made something very clear: Pokemon Go battle mechanics between two experienced trainers is heads-and-tails different than the frantic tapping of single-player battles.

“I think people really had fun seeing the battle system and feature within Pokemon Go in a competitive environment,” said Daniel Benkwitt, The Pokemon Company’s senior manager of consumer marketing.

Though The Pokemon Company doesn’t have anything further to share about the future of competitive Pokemon Go at this time, Benkwitt said “…we’re certainly looking forward to what it could become.”

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