Welcome to 2015 everyone! There has been a slew of news now that all the staff of news sites are back from the holidays. So lets get started.

Goofy Voice Actor Claims Kingdom Hearts 3 Coming This Year

Kingdom Hearts 3 may be closer than we expected, according to the voice actor behind one of its central characters.

Bill Farmer, who has voiced the character Goofy for years in both the Kingdom Hearts series and various cartoons, says that as far as he’s been told, the much-anticipated sequel is due out later this year. He also claims his voice recording is already finished.

The word came from Farmer’s tweets (via NeoGAF). Given Square Enix’s relative silence on the project, it’s possible that he’s mistaken. When pressed by fans, though, he’s has sounded very confident of his understanding.

He says they’ve been recording for the last few years. He went on to plead ignorance about specifics like new worlds, stating that the voice work is done before he has anything visual to reference. He also said he’s done too many recording sessions to remember specific lines. Then again, being a professional, he probably knows better than to spoil plot anyway.

Sumo Digital Developing an ‘Industry Changing, Genre Defining, Unannounced AAA Title’

LittleBigPlanet 3 developer Sumo Digital is working on a “large, genre defining, unannounced AAA title,” according to a recent job listing on the company’s official website.

First spotted by The Games Cabin, the listing is for a Senior/Lead World Designer of what it describes as an “industry changing” game.

According to another job listing for Senior Physics Programmer, the project is currently in pre-production and will be powered by Unreal Engine 4.

As one job listing claims, “We currently have several unannounced but extraordinarily exciting AAA games in production.” It’s unclear whether this is all referring to the same game or multiple projects, though speculation could lean toward the latter.

Whatever the case, Sumo is not sharing details about what it’s working on just yet.

“We always have exciting things in development, but we are very respectful of the confidentiality we need to maintain,” a Sumo Digital representative told IGN. “But rest assured whatever Sumo is working on is in great hands.”

As for when we can expect to hear more about the game (or games), Sumo Digital had this to say: “We look forward to revealing more in due course, but in the meantime, thanks for the support, and watch this space…”

Sumo Digital’s most recent games include LittleBigPlanet 3 and Forza Horizon 2.

New Halo: The Master Chief Collection Updates to Target Achievements, UI

Two forthcoming updates for Halo: The Master Chief Collection will address a “variety of areas,” ranging from user interface (UI) to new achievements.

The first, which developer 343 Industries confirmed would be available January 8, will add new achievements for both Spartan Ops and multiplayer.

A second patch intended to fix the user interface and several other issues is targeted to release sometime next week, pending certification. 343 Industries invites players to visit their forums for more information and updates.

PlanetSide 2 PlayStation 4 Closed Beta to Begin January 20

After briefly teasing the arrival of the beta just over a week ago, Sony Online Entertainment has confirmed that a closed beta for the PlayStation 4 version of PlanetSide 2 will begin on January 20.

Initially, only a few thousand beta invites will be sent out, but the player count is likely to increase as the beta continues. Invites will be sent out in chronological order to when people signed up via the PlanetSide 2 website. This beta will only be available in North America.

CES 2015: PlayStation Vue TV Service Coming in Early 2015

PlayStation Vue — Sony’s streaming TV service for PS3 and PS4 — will launch in the first quarter of 2015.

Sony President and CEO Kaz Hirai announced the news today at Sony’s CES conference. The service was previously only available to users who received an invite-only beta preview.

PlayStation Vue is a cloud-based TV service that will debut on PS4 and PS3 before it comes to iPad and other non-Sony devices. Some networks on board for the service include CBS, Fox, NBCUniversal, Viacom, and more.

No subscription cost has yet been announced, but we know PlayStation Vue will be offered on a month-to-month basis

Destiny Players Begin Receiving Legendary Gifts from Bungie

Bungie has informed Destiny players to check with the in-game Postmaster for a surprise Legendary gift, according to the studio’s official Twitter account.

Yesterday, Bungie revealed it would be sending Destiny players a “small” but “Legendary” gift as a token of gratitude for a successful launch. Destiny users theorized on the possibilities of the reward, especially in light of the delivery of a holiday gift being pushed back into January due to the Christmas troubles with PlayStation Network and Xbox Live.

The Legendary gift is restricted to one per Destiny account, and appears to be random for each individual. Destiny Reddit users are reporting having received a variety of different weapons, with some being upgrades to their characters while others have received duplicates or less powerful weapons.

Smite Xbox One Beta Signups Open Now

If you want to check out Smite on the Xbox One, now is your chance.

The MOBA, which started on PC and is making its way to Microsoft’s new console too, is entering open beta. You can be one of the first players to jump into the Battleground of the Gods by signing up for the Smite open beta.

BioWare’s Shadow Realms Coming to Consoles

Anonymous sources report BioWare Austin’s online action RPG Shadow Realms may be going through a series of drastic changes.

Kotaku reports multiple sources provided them with information regarding Shadow Realms’ current status and its recent evolution, ranging from the game’s outright cancellation to its possibly-rebooted status.

First revealed in 2014, Shadow Realms was billed as a 4 versus 1 cooperative action RPG available only on PC. Although it was never confirmed, speculation suggested the game would adopt a free-to-play model. An alpha was announced for fall 2014, only to be delayed indefinitely in October while BioWare worked to integrate player feedback into its design.

Now, a source tells Kotaku Shadow Realms is targeting a 2017 release on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4, and will have its own full-length campaign. Originally, BioWare stressed that story was an important part of Shadow Realms’ design, and we would see it unfold in an episodic, TV-like format. Whether or not this remains the plan behind its narrative is yet unknown.

Reports suggest BioWare wanted to integrate EA’s digital store and Origin service into Shadow Realm’s core design in order to avoid taking any budgetary hits that often befall projects who choose to forgo these features.

A horror game set in the modern world, Shadow Realms initially had friends teaming up to fight against or as the evil, all-powerful Shadowlord.

Capcom Reveals New Resident Evil Revelations 2 Enemies

Capcom released new images from the upcoming Resident Evil Revelations 2, including a first look at two new enemies.

The first new enemy type, Othrus, is a virus-infected wild beast found in both Claire and Barry’s areas. Small but vicious, these monsters attack in packs, so Capcom advises dealing with them before you’re overwhelmed. 

Sploder, the second enemy revealed today, is a mutated version of the Afflicted. You’ll want to take these enemies out from afar because their pustule-covered bodies will explode with blinding liquid when attacked. 

Capcom also shared a new hi-res image of the previously revealed Revenant, as well as several new in-game shots, which can be seen below.

Resident Evil Revelations 2, Episode 1 releases February 17 in North American and February 18 everywhere else. Those who choose to wait for the Complete Season or retail release will get some extra content.

Assassin’s Creed Unity Dead Kings DLC Release Date Announced

Free downloadable content for Assassin’s Creed Unity is set to release on January 13.

Called Dead Kings, the DLC takes players into the crypts of deceased French leaders to explore and learn hidden secrets. According to Ubisoft, the DLC features new missions, a new area of France to explore, and a new weapon called the Guillotine gun.

Starting next week, the content will be made available free of charge to all owners of the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC versions

Forza Horizon 2 G-Shock Car Pack Out Now

The G-Shock Car Pack for Forza Horizon 2 is available now on Xbox One for $5 USD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCrgp5cdeug

The latest car pack for the open-world racer brings five new cars to the game: the 2015 Nissan IDx NISMO, 1980 Subaru BRAT GL, 2013 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Shelby, 1975 Ford Bronco, and 1953 Ferrari 500 Mondial.

A sixth car, the 2010 Mazda Mazdaspeed 3, is also available today, and is free for all Xbox One players this month.

Gearbox PAX South Panel Will Feature ‘Never-before-seen Reveals’ and Surprises

PAX South’s full schedule has been posted and Gearbox Software will once again host a panel to discuss the latest on its current and upcoming titles.

Inside Gearbox Software will take place on January 25 at 10:30 AM in the Main Theater, according to the PAX South website.

“This is your opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at Gearbox Software and get the latest news and updates on Borderlands and upcoming Gearbox titles,” the panel description says. “We will have never-before-seen reveals, exclusives and surprises, so don’t miss out!”

Potential panel topics may include updates on current games like Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel and Tales from the Borderlands, or games in development such as Battleborn and Homeworld Remastered.

In related Gearbox Software news, a Borderlands Remastered Edition was rated by the Australian Classification Board. The studio has not confirmed the possibility of a Borderlands remake for PS4 or Xbox One.

PAX South makes its debut in San Antonio, TX. The event will be held from January 23-25.

This is How Much PS Now Subscriptions Cost

Sony has detailed subscription options for its game-streaming service PlayStation Now.

Subscriptions are broken down into two different pricing options, with one month costing USD $20, or three months for USD $45.

Starting from January 13 on PS4, the subscription service grants users instant access to the PS Now game catalogue, which current houses 100 PS3 titles at present, but will be upgraded in the future to include titles from other Sony platforms. As well as that, Sony also mentions that for users looking to try out the service, there’s a seven day free trial.

“PlayStation Now subscription will have strong and growing support from our publishing partners, and at launch you’ll find great games in your catalog from the likes of SCE Worldwide Studios, Warner Brothers, SEGA, and many others, including indie developers,” writes PlayStation Now Director of Marketing Peter Jamshidi on the PS Blog.

Xbox One Developers Given More CPU Power

Microsoft unlocked more Xbox One CPU power for developers with the roll out of the console’s latest updates, according to a report on the console’s leaked software development kit documents.

Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry analyzed the November 2014 Xbox One development tools, firmware and documentation after a hacking group leaked the information over the holiday break. The documents reportedly reveal that since October, Microsoft opened up access to 50 to 80 percent of a seventh processing core (of the console’s eight) to developers.

The seventh is one of the two cores previously reserved for background system operations, similar to the PlayStation 4. The publication reports that to access the seventh core, developers will need to forgo using custom, game-specific voice commands and that infra-red and depth functionality of Kinect 2.0  is disabled.

Scheduling tasks will also cause headaches as the amount of CPU time for developers fluctuates and the operating system doesn’t report how much CPU time is available to them. Microsoft will address these issues in a future update. Voice commands also automatically take up 50 percent of the core’s activity, potentially overriding assigned tasks.

Digital Foundry theorizes that the extra CPU power “may partly explain why a small amount of multi-platform titles released during Q4 2014 may have possessed performance advantages over their PS4 counterparts in certain scenarios.”

New Killer Instinct Season 2 Character Omen Revealed

Omen, Herald of Gargos, will be joining Killer Instinct Season 2’s roster soon. The new character was revealed on the game’s official forums, and will be a bonus character only available to Killer Instinct Season 2 pack owners.

Omen will not be featured in his own story, but Microsoft Studios creative director Adam Isgreen explains the character has absorbed enough power through Shadow Jago to break away as his own character in Season 2. His movesets will resemble both Jago and Shadow Jago. Check out the teaser image of the character below.

Iron Galaxy is introducing the bonus character now due to its development being “less-intensive,” allowing the studio more time to complete the remaining four characters. The post identifies the next four characters as Cinder, ARIA, Golem and Ghost.

Ancient Babylonian sorcerer Kan-Ra and cybernetically enhanced velociraptor Riptor were the last two Killer Instinct Season 2 characters released.

The studio will live stream Omen in action next week, and release a full character trailer the following week.

Thats all for Today,
– Audible Silence