PlayStation Black Friday Sale 2023: God of War Ragnarök, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Resident Evil 4, More

PlayStation launched its annual Black Friday Sale, late last week, offering discounts of up to 70 percent on key titles on the PS4 and PS5. The promotion is live across some first, but largely third-party releases, and is slated to end November 28 on the digital storefront. God of War Ragnarök is a standout among the catalogue, available at a 38 percent discount for Rs. 3,099, tasking Kratos and Atreus on a journey to the Nine Realms to prevent the prophesied apocalypse. PS Plus Premium/ Deluxe members also get a three-hour free trial period, in case you feel like testing the waters. Those who only own an old-gen PS4, however, can opt for the dedicated version at Rs. 2,279.

Meanwhile, its prequel God of War’s Digital Deluxe Edition will set you back by Rs. 999 at a 50 percent discount. The Last of Us Part I, a remake of the beloved post-apocalyptic zombie-killing game, at is available at Rs. 3,099 (38 percent off) for the PS5 — its sequel hasn’t received a discount. And of course, you can reach out to local retailers to acquire a physical copy of the same, which costs Rs. 2,499. In the same undead vein, you could also pick up Resident Evil 4 remake and step into the shoes of pretty-boy cop Leon S. Kennedy as he ventures into a ghoulish Spanish village to rescue the President’s daughter from bizarre cultists. It is available at a 43 percent discount for Rs. 2,279.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage Review

The newest Assassin’s Creed title also makes it way its way to the Black Friday sale. After three open-world RPG focussed titles, Ubisoft has taken a back-to-basics approach with the franchise in Assassin’s Creed Mirage, set in ninth-century Baghdad with a focus on stealth and crafty assassinations. Released last month, AC Mirage is listed at Rs. 2,799 after a 20 percent price drop.

Fighting game fans have two choices to pick from — Street Fighter 6 and Mortal Kombat 1. The former takes a vibrant turn, adding some RPG elements into the mix akin to the Persona games and a career-forming story mode that’s reminiscent of Yakuza. Street Fighter 6 also adds a Modern Control pattern, bridging the gap between old schoolers and newbies to the genre — the standard edition costs Rs. 2,239 after a 44 percent discount. Conversely, Mortal Kombat 1 marks another reboot of the franchise, after Liu Kang achieved godhood and altered the timeline to ensure peace in the lands. It’s listed for Rs. 3,359 — 30 percent off — and is perfect for those who enjoy some super-cool cinematics to go along with their fatal combos.

Speaking of cinematics, Final Fantasy XVI is also on sale, with its narrative-driven action RPG experience offering ability-based combat and slick cutscenes. The game tosses you into the war-torn lands of Valisthea to prevent the source of all magic, Aether, from fading away, by engaging in large-scale cinematic Eikon battles that ditch the franchise’s long-running turn-based combat. FF16 goes up for Rs. 2,879.

Final Fantasy XVI Review

Harry Potter fans could step into the enchanted hallways of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and tap into ancient magic while juggling between responsibilities like attending classes, exploring the dense Forbidden Forest, crafting potions, and fighting Dark Wizards. Hogwarts Legacy is up for Rs. 2,399 on the PS4 and Rs. 2,639 on the PS5. The Black Friday discounts will please Star Wars fans, too, who can continue Jedi Knight Cal Kestis’ story and take on the oppressive Empire in the acclaimed souls-like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor for Rs. 2,699. For a more authentic souls-like experience, you could consider picking up the recently released Lies of P, where you take control of Pinocchio in a twisted Belle Epoque setting to rid the gothic town of Krat from pestilence. The game comes in at Rs. 3,039 on both PS4 and PS5 after discount.

Sports fans can get their annual dose of arcade football experience through EA Sports FC 24 at Rs. 2,249, or pick up NBA 2K24, the latest entry in the acclaimed basketball series, at Rs. 2,499.

PlayStation Summer Sale 2023: best deals on PS4 and PS5 games

God of War Digital Deluxe Edition at Rs. 999 — 50 percent discount (PREVIOUS BEST)

God of War Ragnarök at Rs. 3,099 — 38 percent discount (NEW LOW)

The Last of Us Part I at Rs. 3,099 — 38 percent discount (NEW LOW)

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor at Rs. 2,699 — 40 percent discount (NEW LOW)

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Review

Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered at Rs. 2,319 — 42 percent discount (NEW LOW)

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales at Rs. 1,999 — 50 percent discount (PREVIOUS BEST)

Hogwarts Legacy (PS5) at Rs. 2,639 — 40 percent discount (NEW LOW)

Red Dead Redemption 2 at Rs. 1,320 — 67 percent discount (PREVIOUS BEST)

Assassin’s Creed Mirage at Rs. 2,799 — 20 percent discount (FIRST DISCOUNT)

EA Sports FC 24 at Rs. 2,249 — 50 percent discount (NEW LOW)

EA Sports FC 24 Review

NBA 2K24 Kobe Bryant Edition (PS5) at Rs. 2,499 — 50 percent discount (NEW LOW)

Resident Evil 2 Deluxe Edition at Rs. 749 — 75 percent discount (PREVIOUS BEST)

Resident Evil 4 at Rs. 2,279 — 43 percent discount (PREVIOUS BEST)

Horizon Forbidden West at Rs. 2,639 — 34 percent discount (NEW LOW)

Diablo IV at Rs. 3,359 — 40 percent discount (NEW LOW)

Lies of P at Rs. 3,039 — 20 percent discount (FIRST DISCOUNT)

Disco Elysium – The Final Cut at Rs. 999 — 70 percent discount (NEW LOW)

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade at Rs. 1,139 — 62 percent discount (NEW LOW)

Mortal Kombat 1 Review

Final Fantasy XVI at Rs. 2,879 — 40 percent discount (NEW LOW)

Mortal Kombat 1 at Rs. 3,359 — 30 percent discount (FIRST DISCOUNT)

Street Fighter 6 at Rs. 2,239 — 44 percent discount (FIRST DISCOUNT)


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Warner Bros. Says It Will Transform Its Biggest Franchises Into Live Service Games

Warner Bros. will be heavily veering into a live service model for its future games. During its latest Q3 earnings call, CEO David Zaslav confirmed that the company plans to transform its biggest video game franchises into long-term products, bolstered by regular content drops and heavy monetisation. In recent years, gamers have developed a distaste for such money-hungry practices, which often lock out content behind some form of paywall or a battle pass, instead of providing a complete game at launch. The idea is for players to keep playing WB-published games for months, instead of having AAA developers put out a new game every three to four years — which is the general cycle.

“Ultimately we want to drive engagement and monetization of longer cycles and at higher levels,” Zaslav said during the call. “We are currently under scale and see significant opportunity to generate greater post-purchase revenue.” It’s an ironic statement considering the backlash Rocksteady Studios received when it debuted the gameplay trailer for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, following which the game was delayed. While the studio claimed that it needed more time to ensure polish at launch, several reports suggested that it was being pushed into next year due to the inclusion of live-service elements. The developer was known for creating standalone, single-player Batman experiences through its Arkham series of games, but its latest title took a complete detour indicating heavy grinding for loot and gear, alongside purchasable cosmetic items.

What’s worse is that while the entire main cast of the Suicide Squad game — Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and King Shark — have unique abilities, by default, they are all armed with firearms and seem to play the same. The gameplay loop includes hunting down mobs and bosses in repeated succession, taking a generic looter-shooter approach. In fact, Turtle Rock Studios’ Back 4 Blood also followed a similar always-online games-as-a-service pattern but eventually ran out of content. Gotham Knights was always marketed as a single-player/ co-op story game, but take one look at its menu and run around town beating up thugs, and you’ll immediately realise that the originally laid groundwork for progression was for a live-service game. It seems like developer WB Games Montréal noticed how poorly Square Enix’s Avengers game fared and decided to change plans midway through. And let’s not forget Middle-earth: Shadow of War, whose microtransactions were entirely removed following player feedback.

The aforementioned games were all published by Warner Bros. and therefore, should serve as a cautionary tale. However, CEO Zaslav is doubling down on these practices, despite noting how well Hogwarts Legacy performed from a sales and critical perspective — 700 million collective hours played till date. Meanwhile, Mortal Kombat 1, which featured some aggressive microtransactions, sold 3 million copies. The executive appears to be relying on these success stories to chart a new course for its video games division, instead of looking at failures and understanding why it failed. Developers who create single-player games are not the same as those adept in multiplayer/ live-service experiences, and vice versa.

Earlier this year, WB launched the beta version of MultiVersus, a free-to-play crossover fighting game that brought in characters from various self-owned properties like Game of Thrones, Batman, Superman, and more. It also featured a battle pass for cosmetic items. The game’s servers were shut down in June due to a diminishing player count. It is slated to launch sometime in 2024, but we’ll have to wait and see if it materialises.


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Mortal Kombat 1 Offers First Look at DLC Character Omni-Man’s Fatalities, Coming This November

Mortal Kombat 1 has debuted its first post-launch character Omni-Man from the Robert Kirkman comic book Invincible. NetherRealm Studios dropped the gameplay trailer during the New York Comic Con 2023 event, revealing a set of brutal moves that were pulled straight from the eponymous animated series adaptation on Amazon Prime Video. The villainous character will be available as a standalone fighter in November, accessible to those who bought the Premium Edition of the game or the Kombat Pack DLC separately. Actor J.K. Simmons is also reprising his role and voicing Omni-Man for Mortal Kombat 1.

While the Mortal Kombat series is known for major crossovers, this time, NetherRealm Studios is using multiversal shenanigans to explain the new comic book characters being included in the DLC. Omni-Man seems to have slipped into this new timeline forged by the Fire God Liu Kang and thus, we see the two squaring off in the gameplay trailer. Despite his arrogant demeanour and slow pace, Omni-Man quickly finds his footing through incredible strength, managing to easily toss around opponents using one hand and following it up with a brutal Fatality, where he pins them down and repeatedly punches faces, resulting in a bloodbath — before slamming down and cracking open their skulls. There’s also one where he squeezes Liu Kang’s head until his eyeballs pop out in gory fashion.

Mortal Kombat 1 Review

Revealing his plans to form the Viltrum Empire — the alien planet he’s from — he drags Scorpion onto a subway line. If you’ve seen Invincible, you already know what happens next — Omni-Man uses his opponent’s body as a shield against an incoming train, as its iron bars and torn metal continue cutting chunks off from their body, almost like a grater. Through all of this, Omni-Man’s violent facade never comes off, making this seem like a faithful recreation. The Mortal Kombat 1 gameplay trailer also reveals Tremor, a ninja honing Earth elemental powers, serving as a Kameo (assist) fighter for Omni-Man. He can be seen turning his arms into strong boulders and smashing enemies, or at times, emerging from underneath the Earth’s surface to catch them off guard.

As mentioned before, Omni-Man is included as part of Mortal Kombat 1’s DLC add-on pack, which promises to bring a bunch of other fighters, as well. Following Omni-Man and Tremor’s (Kameo) introduction in November, NetherRealm confirmed that we can expect the necromancy expert Quan Chi and DC Comics’ Peacemaker in Winter 2023/2024, the telekinetic Ermac and the villainous Homelander from The Boys in Spring 2024, and Scorpion’s student Takeda Takahashi in the American Summer of 2024. Some new Kameo fighters are also expected, albeit there’s no release window for them yet. Furthermore, Prime Video also dropped a trailer for Invincible season 2, as lead Mark Grayson/ Invincible (Steven Yeun) struggles to rebuild his life out of fear that he might become as vicious as his father Omni-Man was.

Mortal Kombat 1 is out now on PC, PS5, Xbox Series S/X, and Nintendo Switch.


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Mortal Kombat 1 Shows Off Kameo Fighters in Bone-Krunching Gameplay Trailer

Mortal Kombat 1 got an extended gameplay trailer at the Summer Game Fest, held early Friday, and it looks absurdly violent in all the right ways. The game serves as a reboot — the beginning of a new timeline in the universe, forged by the Fire God Liu Kang, following his ascension into godhood at the end of Mortal Kombat 11. While recognisable characters return, they all bear new looks and origin stories, with Scorpion and Sub-Zero now being reborn as brothers. The MK franchise creator Ed Boon also dropped by on-stage to describe the new Kameo Fighter system. Mortal Kombat 1 releases September 19 across PC, PS5, Xbox Series S/X, and Nintendo Switch.

The gameplay trailer largely serves as a visual showcase for all the gore and brutal Fatalities we can expect from Mortal Kombat 1. The arenas look immersive as well, shifting from a rustic Asian restaurant, shrines, and even an expensive villa that looks reminiscent of the one from Dead Island 2. The Fatalities are over the top as usual — we see skulls getting stabbed by icicles, hearts getting ripped out, and bolts of electricity burning a hole through an opponent’s torso. Amidst the bloodshed, the fighters would often call upon allies to exert short bursts of damage, mid-combo, before dipping out of the arena again. These are the new Kameo fighters, which creator Boon described in further detail.

Once you pick your main fighter from amongst the default roster, Mortal Kombat 1 reveals a second roster which includes a completely different set of fighters, which as the name suggests, appear as a tag-team partner cameo via a single button press, and unload a chain of attacks. However, there is some variety in it depending on what movement button you press simultaneously. For instance, summoning a Kameo while holding the down button will have them perform a different move, compared to any other inputs. These characters can be called in whenever you want, albeit there is a meter that limits players from spamming it indefinitely. A full list of Kameo fighters wasn’t revealed but at first glance, it seems like Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Sonya Blade, Jax, and Kano will be available at launch.

“Some of the characters are going to be available as Kameos as well as the main roster fighters. So you can play Sub-Zero with Sub-Zero,” Boon explained during the presentation. “But a lot of our Kameo fighters are kind of, like, nods back to our first game, so you’ll notice Sonya and Kano and Jax are in their older costumes.” Additionally, professional martial artist and actor Jean-Claude Van Damme — best known for Bloodsport (1988) — is playing Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat 1, available as a skin in the Kombat Pack add-on, included with the Premium and Kollector’s Edition.

Mortal Kombat 1 releases September 19 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series S/X, and Nintendo Switch. Pre-ordering the game grants access to the powerful sorcerer Shang Tsung, alongside beta access in August, exclusively for PS5 and Xbox Series S/X players.


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Mortal Kombat 1 Announced With Skull-Krushing Trailer, Launches September 19

Warner Bros. Games has finally announced Mortal Kombat 1, a reboot and reimagining of the universe that’s been created by the Fire God Liu Kang. The fighting game is slated to release September 19 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series S/X, and Nintendo Switch, and has also dropped a cinematic trailer offering glimpses at the characters’ new looks, some brutal fatalities, and new Kameo Fighters. Pre-orders grant access to the powerful sorcerer Shang Tsung, alongside beta access in August, reserved exclusively for PS5 and Xbox Series S/X players. The news comes after the game (Mortal Kombat 12) was confirmed during Warner Bros. Discovery’s quarterly earnings call, followed by franchise creator Ed Boon occasionally throwing cryptic teasers on his Twitter.

The Mortal Kombat 1 trailer opens with a voiceover from Liu Kang saying, “It is time!”, and introducing the new realm he created — an idyllic paradise of sorts, with friend Kung Lau, recognisable by his razor-brimmed hat, working as a humble farmer. Elsewhere in the world, the steel fan-wielding Kitana continues ruling the Outworld with her loyal retainer and sister-clone Mileena. While there’s no explicit mention of what caused the world to reset, we can assume it to be a result of Mortal Kombat 11’s multiple endings, one of which ensured a new and better timeline, undoing Kronika’s mistakes. Towards the end, Liu Kang had ascending into a god, the effects of which seem to carry over into MK1.

The serenity in the Mortal Kombat 1 trailer is soon broken as lead characters Scorpion and Sub-Zero discover a blood-red eclipse in the far distance — resembling the ones in the Japanese manga Berserk and FromSoftware’s Dark Souls 3. “For the storm is brewing,” Liu Kang narrates as he descendants from the skies, hoping to assist our heroes in a new battle. Of course, these relate to the Story Mode, which promises to offer ‘unexpected twists on classic rivalries and original backstories for the wide-ranging cast of legendary fighters.’ A FAQ page for MK1 reveals that a constant internet connection isn’t required to play the game, though it will be required for certain modes and features. Hopefully, the story mode stays safe.

Shang Tsung appears to be the main villain this time, emerging out of a portal as our heroes anticipate their newest threat. In the next couple of shots, we’re treated to some of his Fatality animations, as he slits throats, breaks Mileena’s neck, curb stomps Sub-Zero, and inserts his thumbs into Kitana’s eye sockets. Among the new additions in Mortal Kombat 1 are the Kameo Fighters, a unique roster of partner characters, who provide assistance during matches via team-up combos, presumably. These fighters are chosen separately from the main roster. Speaking of the main roster, Mortal Kombat 1 has confirmed Liu Kang, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Raiden, Kung Lao, Kitana, Mileena, Shang Tsung, and Johnny Cage.

The FAQ page also reveals prices for Mortal Kombat 1, starting with $69.99 SRP (about Rs. 5,792) for the Standard Edition across all platforms — both physical and digital. Regional pricing could come into play. The Premium Edition costs $109.99 SRP (Rs. 9,102), granting early access to DLC characters, in-game currency, and a Kombat Pack containing extra characters.

And finally, there’s the Kollector’s Edition, which will be available at select retailers — physical only — for $249.99 SRP (about Rs. 20,691), containing a 16.5-inch Liu Kang sculpture, art prints, a steel case, and all the bonuses in the Premium Edition. This is exclusive to PS5 and Xbox Series S/X only. Furthermore, owners of the Premium and Kollector’s Edition gain early access to Mortal Kombat 1 from September 14.

Mortal Kombat 1 releases September 19 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series S/X, and Nintendo Switch.


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