When it comes to delivering premium content, Foxtel offers an unrivalled library of prestige TV shows and blockbuster films, along with unprecedented access to sports coverage from all over the world. 

With the end of the 2018 financial year rapidly approaching, Foxtel is offering some incredible EOFYS deals that’ll make anyone on the hunt for a new Foxtel TV or broadband subscription extremely happy. 

From 20 May until 30 June, Foxtel is offering their Platinum HD pack (which includes every TV pack that Foxtel currently offers) free* for one month — with no lock-in contract and no iQ3 set-up costs. 

In other words, you pay nothing upfront and get all the Foxtel you can handle for a whole month — no catches.

Along with this amazing deal, other Foxtel packs, including Entertainment pack, Drama Combo, Sports & Drama Combo and Movies Combo, will also benefit from the End of Financial Year offer during this period.

Foxtel TV bundles

Foxtel’s TV bundles offer something for everyone, whether you’re a passionate sports enthusiast, die-hard movie buff or an insatiable reality-TV junkie. 

Fans of prestige TV get unfettered access to Foxtel’s best shows, including the likes of Game of Thrones and Westworld, while sports fans can enjoy AFL, NRL, Formula 1® and more! 

While all of Foxtel’s packs are top notch, you can’t go past its Platinum HD pack, which provides customers with every TV pack — that means there’s something for everyone in your home to watch. That’s why the Platinum HD option is our Foxtel pack of choice.

RECOMMENDED: Platinum HD pack

– Every TV pack FREE* for 1 month
– No lock-in contract
– No iQ3 set-up costs*
– Over 40 different sports plus no ad-breaks during play and racing: AFL, NRL, Super Rugby, A-League, Supercars and Formula 1®
– Award-winning dramas and complete seasons
– Over 1,000 movies to stream on demand^ at no extra cost

*Offer based on direct debit for 1 month of Platinum HD with a Foxtel iQ3.  New residential customers & standard install only. Fees apply after first month unless you cancel. Offer ends 30.06.18. Foxtel and some services not available to all homes. Foxtel marks used under licence by Foxtel Management Pty Ltd.

Entertainment Pack 

– Entertainment pack FREE* for 1 month
– No lock-in contract
– No iQ3 set-up costs*
– 45 channels including drama, lifestyle, docos, kids, news and more

*Offer based on direct debit for 1 month of Entertainment pack with a Foxtel iQ3.  New residential customers & standard install only. Fees apply after first month unless you cancel. Offer ends 30.06.18. Foxtel and some services not available to all homes. Foxtel marks used under licence by Foxtel Management Pty Ltd.

Sports & Drama Combo

– Sports & Drama Combo FREE* for 1 month
– No lock-in contract
– No iQ3 set-up costs*
– Over 40 different sports plus no ad-breaks during play and racing: AFL, NRL, Super Rugby, A-League, Supercars and Formula 1®
– Award-winning dramas and complete seasons

*Offer based on direct debit for 1 month of Sports & Drama Combo with a Foxtel iQ3.  New residential customers & standard install only. Fees apply after first month unless you cancel. Offer ends 30.06.18. Foxtel and some services not available to all homes. Foxtel marks used under licence by Foxtel Management Pty Ltd.

Movies Combo

– Movies Combo FREE* for 1 month
– No lock-in contract
– No iQ3 set-up costs*
– Over 1,000 movies to stream on demand^ at no extra cost

*Offer based on direct debit for 1 month of Movies Combo with a Foxtel iQ3.  New residential customers & standard install only. Fees apply after first month unless you cancel. Offer ends 30.06.18. Foxtel and some services not available to all homes. Foxtel marks used under licence by Foxtel Management Pty Ltd.

Drama Combo

– Drama Combo FREE* for 1 month  
– No lock-in contract
– No iQ3 set-up costs*
– Award-winning dramas and complete seasons

*Offer based on direct debit for 1 month of Drama Combo with a Foxtel iQ3.  New residential customers & standard install only. Fees apply after first month unless you cancel. Offer ends 30.06.18. Foxtel and some services not available to all homes. Foxtel marks used under licence by Foxtel Management Pty Ltd.

Foxtel Broadband bundles

Did you know that Foxtel also offers its amazing TV services bundled with unlimited broadband plans? Combining your broadband and pay-TV subscriptions together is convenient (no need for separate bills).

As part of Foxtel’s End of Financial Year Sale, you’ll get access to the TV packs of your choice free* for one month with Foxtel’s Unlimited Broadband package! Like the deals above, there’s no lock-in contract and no iQ3 set-up costs to worry about. On top of that, you’ll also receive a free* Wi-Fi modem!

There are many great bundles on offer below, but once again, our pick is the Unlimited Broadband + Platinum HD Bundle, as it includes every one of Foxtel’s outstanding TV packs.

RECOMMENDED: Unlimited Broadband + Platinum HD Bundle

– Every TV pack FREE* for 1 month
– Unlimited Broadband FREE* for 1 month
– No lock-in contract
– No iQ3 set-up costs*
– Free* Wi-Fi Modem
– Over 40 different sports plus no ad-breaks during play and racing: AFL, NRL, Super Rugby, A-League, Supercars and Formula 1®
– Award-winning dramas and complete seasons
– Over 1,000 movies to stream on demand^ at no extra cost 

*Min cost $99 on direct debit for 1 month incl. activation fee. $202*/mth from 2nd month. A 1c per channel per year charge also applies for Chelsea TV, MUTV and LFCTV and will be charged in the 2nd month. Offer ends 30.06.2018.

Unlimited Broadband + Entertainment Bundle

– Entertainment pack FREE* for 1 month
– Unlimited Broadband FREE* for 1 month
– No lock-in contract
– No iQ3 set-up costs*
– Free* Wi-Fi modem
– 45 channels including drama, lifestyle, docos, kids, news and more

*Min cost $99 on direct debit for 1 month incl. activation fee. $101*/mth from 2nd month. Offer ends 30.06.2018.

Unlimited Broadband + Sports Bundle

– Sports Combo FREE* for 1 month
– Unlimited Broadband Free* for 1 month
– No lock-in contract
– No iQ3 set-up costs*
– Free* Wi-Fi modem
– Over 40 different sports plus no ad-breaks during play and racing: AFL, NRL, Super Rugby, A-League, Supercars and Formula 1®

*Min cost $99 on direct debit for 1 month incl. activation fee. $130*/mth from 2nd month. A 1c per channel per year charge also applies for Chelsea TV, MUTV and LFCTV and will be charged in the 2nd month. Offer ends 30.06.2018.

Unlimited Broadband + Sports & Drama Bundle

– Sports & Drama Combo FREE* for 1 month
– Unlimited Broadband Free* for 1 month
– No lock-in contract
– No iQ3 set-up costs*
– Free* Wi-Fi modem
– Over 40 different sports plus no ad-breaks during play and racing: AFL, NRL, Super Rugby, A-League, Supercars and Formula 1®
– Award-winning dramas and complete seasons

*Min cost $99 on direct debit for 1 month incl. activation fee. $150*/mth from 2nd month. A 1c per channel per year charge also applies for Chelsea TV, MUTV and LFCTV and will be charged in the 2nd month. Offer ends 30.06.2018.

^Just connect your iQ3 or compatible device to the internet. Data charges may apply. Shows only available if they’re in your pack, some shows/channels not available. Sorry, Australia only. 

http://www.techradar.com/news/foxtels-famous-end-of-financial-year-sale-is-back-with-incredible-tv-and-broadband-deals

Games based on superheros have a pretty patchy history. Before Rocksteady blew us all away with the Batman Arkham games, superhero titles usually felt like cheap experiences rushed out to cash in on fan excitement surrounding an accompanying movie.

The exception was Spider-Man 2, a Treyarch-developed tie in to the movie of the same name, which, for the first time, put us into the shoes of the legendary web-slinger in a fully open-world New York. 

With such an amazing legacy to live up to, who could blame us for being excited when at E3 2016 Sony announced a new Spider-Man game was in development from Insomniac Games, the development studio behind the Ratchet and Clank, Resistance, Sunset Overdrive and Spyro the Dragon games? 

[Update: E3 2018 and the PlayStation Showcase brought us some brand new Spider-Man footage just a few months ahead of the game’s release. The footage is a who’s who of villains, with Electro, Rhino, Scorpion, Vulture, and Mr Negative all making appearances to really punish Spider-Man. Not only does the footage give us a good look at combat, it really showcases the traversal mechanics. Spidey moves fluidly both on foot and through the air. It’s clear that the game is very cinematic, moving fluidly between gameplay and cutscenes. Watch it for yourself below:]

Cut to the chase

• What is it? A new Spiderman game from the studio behind Ratchet and Clank and Spyro the Dragon series
• When’s it out? September 7 2018
• What can I play it on? PS4

Spider-Man PS4 Trailers

The most recent trailer came with the announcement of Spider-Man’s release date. You can watch for yourself below:

Paris Games Week in 2017 saw another trailer and it gave us a much better look at the game’s story than we’ve ever seen before. Giving us our first look at Peter Parker without the Spider-Man costume and showing well-known characters like Mary Jane, King Pin and even Miles Morales it’s well worth a watch. You can see it for yourself below:

At E3 2017 Sony showed off a second trailer for the game, which gives us a more in-depth look at the game’s combat and story. 

At the previous year’s E3 Sony announced the game with an impressive reveal trailer. Features shown off in this first trailer include a city with internal, as well as external, areas to explore, vehicle-based missions (for Spidey’s enemies, not the man himself, thank god), and a whole load of web-based fighting. 

Spider-Man release date

Sony has now confirmed that Spider-Man for PS4 will be released on September 7 2018. 

Spider-Man PS4 Features

Read on for the few details that have been released so far. 

Development is coming on well

Spider-Man developer Insomniac Games has posted an update on the current state of the game to Twitter to bring in 2018. It’s a small update, but a sweet one, as it tells excited players that the game is now far enough into development that it’s being tested by the whole studio. This is pretty promising given the only release date we have for the game so far is 2018. 

Day 2 of a studio-wide #SpiderManPS4 playtest is underway. Yes, this is our official job! #gamedev pic.twitter.com/gVBpQtHtoVJanuary 5, 2018

Ratchet and Clank Engine 

Just after E3 2016 Insomniac confirmed that the game would be running on the same engine as the recently-released Ratchet and Clank remake for the PS4. 

The news was confirmed by the official Insomniac Games twitter account, although it also stated that the development team has been iterating on the engine since. 

The PS4 version of Ratchet and Clank is one of the console’s best looking titles, so we think its engine being used to power the new Spider-Man game is no bad thing. 

Heh, Rachel. We always iterate our engine between games. We don’t have more than one though.June 27, 2016

Not based on Spider-Man: Homecoming

Although the game being released this year coincides nicely with the return of Spidey to the big screen with Spider-Man: Homecoming, the game’s creative director, Bryan Intihar, has confirmed that the game will not be tied into the movie. 

The news was confirmed in a post on the official US PlayStation blog which said that, “Nope, this isn’t the same Spider-Man you’ve met before, nor is our game based on the upcoming movie.”

While it’s a shame that we won’t be web-slinging through the streets of NYC as Tom Holland, we can’t help but think this has the potential to be a good thing for the game, as its developers will be free to forge their own path without having to stick to the plot, characters, and themes of the movie. 

In a recent behind-the-scenes look at the game shown at D23, Insomniac said that the game will actually be more inspired by the Ultimate Spider-Man comics, featuring an older, 23 year old hero.

A more seasoned Peter Parker 

In the same blog post, Intihar said that the game will feature “a more seasoned Peter Parker who’s more masterful at fighting big crime in New York City.” 

At this year’s D23 it was revealed that in this game Peter would be 23 years old and more experienced as Spider-Man.

Rather than sitting through yet another Spidey origins story, we’re going to jump right into the fun gameplay stuff. According to Insomniac, the game will more fully explore how Peter Parker and Spider-Man’s worlds collide in an attempt to tell a human story as well as a superhero story. 

While it’s always satisfying to see the downtrodden nerd get blessed with super-powers, this isn’t necessarily fun from a gameplay perspective. 

Hopefully this direction will allow players to jump right in with a fully powered-up superhero, and get to the good stuff right away. 

So what is the story?

In the trailer shown at Paris Games Week 2017 we got our best look at the game’s story yet. Though the game is separate from the movie universe, the Peter Parker in the trailer does look remarkably like Tom Holland. It seems that William Fisk (or Kingpin as he’s more well-known as) is locked up, resulting in less crime and a Peter more at ease with his life. 

Suddenly, a new villainous faction run by Mr Negative appears to cause problems while Norman Osborn makes a play for the Mayor’s office. The trailer also gives us a glimpse of Aunt May and a redhead who we assume must be Mary Jane. 

Miles mystery

Interestingly, Miles Morales appears to play a much larger role than we initially thought given that Peter introduces him to Aunt May and tells her he’ll be helping out. Miles Morales is also someone who takes up the role of Spider-Man in the comics universe so it’ll be interesting to see what kind of help he offers Peter. Certainly his appearance suggests that this Spider-Man game will be breaking some new story ground. 

An open world

We know this game is going to feature an open world and we really can’t wait to swing around it. One of the most satisfying things about previous open world Spider-Man games was being able to see New York from the web slinger’s point of view and we’re looking forward to seeing what the latest gaming engines can do here. 

According to Insomniac this is the biggest game map they’ve created and will be even bigger than their Xbox exclusive Sunset Overdrive map, Sunset City. 

Quick-time events

From the trailer shown at E3 2017 it looks as though the game will make use of quick-time events for its more action-packed moments. We’re not fans of how these can take away control from the player, but we won’t know the effect for sure until we try out the game for ourselves. 

What we want to see

With so little solid information released about the game, we can’t help but speculate as to what direction Spider-Man’s first PS4 outing might take. None of this is in any way confirmed, but we’d love to see these features make their way into the new game. 

A friendly Spider-Man 

Spider-Man has always been one of Marvel’s lighter-hearted heroes. He’s a quippy, funny, teenager who’s almost, almost, more concerned about his grades than the fate of the world. 

While past games and movies have included gun-toting villains, we hope the new game doesn’t stray too close to the real world. We want colourful bad-guys with bombastic plans, not the gritty realism of the Nolan Batman films. 

This isn’t an excuse to shy away from having an impactful story, but if it could stop short of a Logan-esque bleak-fest then we’d be very grateful. 

A neighbourhood Spider-Man 

Related to the previous point is that we’d like to see Spider-Man stay true to his roots as a neighborhood superhero, rather than the more globe-trotting heroes seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

As far as we’re concerned, the Spider-Man 2 game was at its best when Parker was doing something as simple as retrieving a child’s balloon. He’s a character that’s motivated by trying to clean up the city he loves, rather than grander ambitions like trying to save the world. 

We’re reassured that the game won’t be related to the Homecoming film which seems to tie Spidey more into the wider Marvel Universe, and hopefully this will mean that Insomniac are free to focus on the New York setting rather than worrying about the rest of the Avengers. 

A wide cast of supporting characters

Not being related to the movie should also allow Insomniac to explore Spider-Man’s ecclectic cast of villains, which range from the Sinister Six, to Venom, Doctor Octopus and Kingpin. 

However, with Disney owning the rights to most of the Marvel Universe and Sony owning the rights to Spider-Man’s corner of it, it’s difficult to know exactly how much of the Marvel IP Insomiac has access to. 

There has been a lot of crossover between Spider-Man and Daredevil in the comics, with Peter Parker even donning Daredevil’s suit to act as a decoy on one occasion, but with the Daredevil license currently being used by Netflix for an original series it’s not clear whether the character is up for grabs in the game. 

There are lots of unknowns at this point, but it’s definitely a case of ‘the more the merrier’ when it comes to Spider-Man’s supporting cast. 

• E3 is the world’s largest exhibition for the games industry, stuffed full of the latest and greatest games and gaming hardware. TechRadar will be reporting live from Los Angeles all week to bring you the very latest from the show floor. Head to our dedicated E3 2018 hub to see all the latest news from the show. 

http://www.techradar.com/news/spider-man-ps4-release-date-news-and-features

E3 2018 is in full swing, and that can only mean one thing: all the big names (that’s Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo to you and me) have descended on Los Angeles, California to show off their latest games and innovations. Sony may have announced it was only focusing on four games at its show – The Last of Us Part II, Death Stranding, Ghost of Tsushima and Spider-Man – but that doesn’t mean the event was predictable. 

In fact, we got to see how Sony is taking its first-party exclusives to a whole new level, both mechanically and visually. From the emotional dread of The Last of Us Part 2 to the unbridled insanity of Death Stranding, we’ve gathered together ten of the most exciting things we learned from Sony’s E3 2018 showing…  

Ellie’s sexuality is more than just subtext

Ellie provided one of PlayStation’s most unique female leads when she joined Joel for The Last of Us in 2013, but considering her young age at the time of the first game, it fell to the game’s brilliant single-player DLC for a brief hint at her burgeoning sense of self. 

Not so for The Last of Us Part 2 – the first demo premiered showed Ellie going up against a murderous cabal of cultists, but it was framed around her in tentative yet intimate slow dance with a female admirer. Considering the lack of LGBTQ+ characters in games, developer Naughty Dog has made sure that while Ellie’s orientation isn’t her defining feature, it’s still one that’s presented front and centre. 

Stealth and crafting will play a bigger role in The Last of Us 2

Much like the first game, the world of The Last of Us 2 is fraught with dangers at every turn. In the gameplay demo showcased at Sony’s E3, Ellie finds herself descending into the ritualistic butchery of some crazed cultists. Outnumbered and outgunned, Ellie will need to use her environment to distract and stealthily take on foes, using long-grass and scenery to navigate the much larger environments Naughty Dog has built for the sequel. Crafting once again returns, as does the need to scavenge, as bullets and arrows are scarce. We see Ellie often grabbing resources on the fly while trying to survive.

Ghost of Tsushima is set during the Mongol invasion of 1294

The new game from inFamous developer Sucker Punch is set on the island of Tsushima, which finds its idyllic setting put to the sword as the Mongols begin invading Japan in 1294. The protagonist is a lone samurai who finds himself having to lead a one-man war against the Mongols, as he attempts to halt the tide of invaders. As a setting, Tsushima offers an incredible backdrop, full of open-fields, forests, rolling hills and villages. It’s like playing through a classic Japanese painting, with cherry blossoms falling as you enter into a deadly duel with another sword-wielding warrior.

Its sword combat has a fighting game look

One interesting aspect of Ghost of Tsushima was how its sword fighting has a precise look to it. Failing to block or mistiming a strike can have devastating consequences, creating an intense showdown somewhere between Dark Souls and Bushido Blade. 

Developer Sucker Punch brought experts in kendo in to consult on the combat, ensuring that each fight feels like a conversation as much as a fight. Parrying plays a big role, as does using momentum and footwork to outmanoeuvre enemies and deliver that killing blow. We don’t know if it’ll be Dark Souls levels of punishing, but we’re excited to see swordplay being treated with a little more reverence.

Resident Evil 2 gets the full remake treatment

While it said it would be focusing on just the four games for its E3 2018, Sony still had a couple of surprises to show off in between those longer and more in-depth demos. Which just so happened to include the much rumoured (and hotly anticipated) remake of Resident Evil 2. The 20-year-old horror title brought horror into the mainstream and made icons of stars Clare and Leon, so what better way to celebrate that legacy with a fully remade return to Raccoon City? And it’s due on 25 January, 2019, so there’s not even that long to wait.

FromSoftware has a new VR game: Decarine

While it’s been busy working on Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – a new game set in Feudal Japan very much in the vein of the Souls series – Japanese development powerhouse FromSoftware has also been building a new experience for PSVR. As with much of the studio’s work, we don’t know know much about the game yet, other than it’s got a Victorian-style mansion setting with talk of fairies and other fairytale creatures. However, considering the pedigree at work at the studio, we’re positive this will be a VR experience worth strapping in for when it eventually arrives.

Death Stranding is still impossible to define

If you’ve been attempting to understand just what Hideo Kojima has been up to with Death Stranding, the demo shown at E3 2018 won’t provide much explanation. It did, however, offer a little insight into some of the things you’ll be doing as Sam, the lead character played by The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus. 

The Icelandic-esque setting will offer some incredible vistas to explore, with Sam scaling huge cliff-faces and more. We also got to see a little more of the invisible enemies he’s up against, with the ‘baby in a jar’ feature enabling him to briefly see them. Yes, we know how weird that sounds, but just go with it.

Surprise! We’re getting Nioh 2

Nioh might have been a pretty shameless Dark Souls clone, but it was by far one of the best, offering an intriguing take on Feudal Japan and Japanese mythology. The action role-playing game proved a big hit, so Team Ninja is back with a second round of merciless combat and giant, demonic bosses. There’s no new details released just yet, bar the tagline of ‘Defy death/death defies you’, but we’re expecting even more over-the-top action. It’s currently in development for PS4, but there’s no word yet on whether it’ll be making the jump to other platforms as well.

Spider-Man is set eight years into his web-slinging career

Insomniac’s take on the Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man won’t be another origin story, instead it’ll be set around eight years into his career. So when Electro finds a way to free every prisoner on the The Raft, Spidey finds himself having to go head-to-head with many of his most iconic villains. We’ve already see Scorpion, the Vulture, Rhino and Mr Negative (with even more teased by the time the main demo plays out). Insomniac is promising a chance to play a Spider-Man at the height of his powers, which makes us very excited indeed.

The combat is Batman: Arkham but with more slow-mo

Considering the melee focus and the distinct use of combos, it’s difficult to see Spider-Man’s combat play out and not be reminded of the Batman: Arkham series and its Freeflow Combat system. While Spider-Man does share a few key elements – such as bouncing between enemies to chain combos and using gadgets to take groups of them down – it also has plenty to call its own. The Focus Bar is one fresh addition, a mechanic that builds up over time and can be used to either heal Spidey in the heat of battle or be used to pull of powerful finishing moves to bring a brawl to a spectacular close.

•  E3 is the world’s largest exhibition for the games industry, stuffed full of the latest and greatest games, consoles, and gaming hardware. TechRadar is reporting live from Los Angeles all week to bring you the very latest from the show floor. Head to our dedicated E3 2018 hub to see all the new releases, along with TechRadar’s world-class analysis and buying advice about the next year in gaming.  

http://www.techradar.com/news/10-cool-things-we-learned-from-sonys-e3-2018-briefing