Now that we know what the PlayStation 5 looks like, many are eager to know what games will be available on the next-gen console when it launches at the end of the year.
An eclectic mix of 25 games were announced during Sony's presentation on Thursday, June 11. The line-up included sequels, expansions and remakes, such as Gran Turismo 7, Oddworld: Soulstorm and Spider-Man: Miles Morales, but also featured a number of new titles like Stray and Godfall.
So, with so many choices available, we take a deeper dive into 11 of the most-anticipated games coming out on one of the most eagerly awaited gaming consoles of the year.
'Godfall'
Gearbox Software, which brought us the space-Western RPG Borderlands, have now taken on the high-fantasy genre. Developed by Counterplay Games, Godfall was the first game announced for the PS5 and takes place in a world split into the realms of Fire, Water, Air, Earth and Spirit. Players will get to pick from three primary character classes, taking on the role of one of the last of the Knight's Order and working to prevent a major apocalyptic event.
Godfall is due to be released in late 2020, which mean it's likely be one of the first games available on Sony's next-gen console.
'Gran Turismo 7'
The next instalment of the Gran Turismo franchise won't just bring a range of newer, faster, shinier cars, but also bring back some features missing from the last game. These include special events, the career mode, driving school, championships circuits and a used-car dealership.
No official release dates have been announced for the racing game but we doubt you’ll have to wait long before taking the wheel of Steve McQueen’s Porsche 917K.
'Horizon: Forbidden West'
An action role-playing game set in post-apocalyptic California, Horizon Forbidden West is the sequel to the 2017 game Horizon Zero Dawn. The plot continues the story of Aloy, a hunter surviving in a machine-dominated world. Like its predecessor, the game is set in an open world, meaning you'll be able to explore and take on objectives freely.
'Kena: Bridge of Spirits'
In this action-adventure game, players will take on the role of Kena, a young spirit guide who is tasked with collecting small spirit companions known as the Rot. The game is played in the third-person perspective and uses the PS5 DualSense controller’s haptic feedback for a number of gameplay features such as Kena’s spirit bow. The game is scheduled to be released in the fourth quarter of this year.
'Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales'
A stand-alone spinoff, based on the much-loved 2018 game, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, lets players take the role of the main character of the film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The plot continues after Miles Morales is bitten by a genetically enhanced spider and begins to develop spider-like powers, much like Peter Parker.
The game was first announced at the PlayStation 5 reveal event, and is due to be released in the fourth quarter of this year.
'Oddworld: Soulstorm'
The newest instalment of the Oddworld game is set to continue where 2014's Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty! ended while also reimagining parts of the 1998 game Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus. The coming game – much like its predecessor – is a 2.5D side-scrolling journey that has Abe on a mission to save his fellow mudokons from slave labour.
Oddworld: Soulstorm will have a new weapon-building system and a massive train hub where players will be able to access new levels and areas.
'The Pathless'
The Pathless is a mythical adventure game that lets players explore a beautifully crafted open world while developing a bond between the birds of prey in the game, such as the falconers who hunt small game.
The game trailer was first released in December 2018, and was expected to be for the PS4. But with a range of new features coming up for the PS5, it seems fortunate that its 2019 release date was postponed.
One particular feature that has the game’s developers Giant Squid excited is the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback feature.
"It’ll let you feel the heartbeat of our world," Matt Nava, creative director of Giant Squid, said after the PS5’s unveiling.
'Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart'
The Ratchet and Clank series has had a developmental history on par with PlayStation's. The original 2002 game was released on the PlayStation 2 and there have been a handful of games for each of the console's iterations since.
The coming game shares many gameplay features of its predecessors. It is played in third-person perspective. The main playable character is the lombax Ratchet. Players are tasked with travelling through diverse environments, defeating enemies with a range of weapons and gadgets.
One new mechanic in the coming iteration is the use of rift portals to move instantly to new locations and worlds, and given the PS5’s promising loading speed, it will probably be in the blink of an eye.
'Resident Evil 8'
Capcom’s next instalment of the survival horror game promises to be every bit as gory and action-filled as ever, perhaps even taking it up a notch or two.
Not much is known about the game at this stage and it isn’t even clear whether it will feature first-person or third-person mechanics. But we do know it will have a reworked inventory screen and that it will be released sometime in 2021.
'Sackboy: A Big Adventure'
Held in the puzzle world of LittleBigPlanet, Sackboy: A Big Adventure will take place in a fully 3D world (unlike the 2.5D environments of the previous titles). Players will have to fight off enemies ranging from purple snow monsters to angry robots as they jump, roll, and throw themselves through brightly coloured environments.
The game will allow up to four people to play together and feature a range of perspectives and 3D movements. The game is set for a release later this year.
'Stray'
Stray is a third-person adventure game that has a stray cat as its main playable character. The game is set in a neon-lit futuristic city and will take players on a mystery-solving adventure while letting them explore a decaying cybercity and its underbelly.
According the game’s developer BlueTwelve and publisher Annapurna Interactive, players will take on “unforeseen threats and solve the mysteries of this unwelcoming place inhabited by nothing but unassuming droids and dangerous creatures. Lost, alone and separated from family, players must untangle an ancient mystery to escape a long-forgotten cybercity and find the way home.”
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Results:
Women:
1. Rhiannan Iffland (AUS) 322.95 points
2. Lysanne Richard (CAN) 285.75
3. Ellie Smart (USA) 277.70
Men:
1. Gary Hunt (GBR) 431.55
2. Constantin Popovici (ROU) 424.65
3. Oleksiy Prygorov (UKR) 392.30
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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The specs
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Conservative MPs who have publicly revealed sending letters of no confidence
- Steve Baker
- Peter Bone
- Ben Bradley
- Andrew Bridgen
- Maria Caulfield
- Simon Clarke
- Philip Davies
- Nadine Dorries
- James Duddridge
- Mark Francois
- Chris Green
- Adam Holloway
- Andrea Jenkyns
- Anne-Marie Morris
- Sheryll Murray
- Jacob Rees-Mogg
- Laurence Robertson
- Lee Rowley
- Henry Smith
- Martin Vickers
- John Whittingdale
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
POSSIBLE ENGLAND EURO 2020 SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Dean Henderson.
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Trippier, Joe Gomez, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Ben Chilwell, Fabian Delph.
Midfielders: Declan Rice, Harry Winks, Jordan Henderson, Ross Barkley, Mason Mount, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Forwards: Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now