Hardware: Rivals

Last updated

Hardware: Rivals
Hardware Rivals cover.jpg
Developer(s) SCE Connected Content Group
Publisher(s) Sony Computer Entertainment
Engine Unreal Engine 4
Platform(s) PlayStation 4
Release5 January 2016
Genre(s) Vehicular combat
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Hardware: Rivals was a 2016 online multiplayer vehicular combat video game developed by SCE Connected Content Group and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. It was the successor to the 2002 PlayStation 2 game, Hardware: Online Arena .

Contents

Gameplay

The game gave players the option to play in either Tanks or Fast Attack Vehicles (FAVs), collecting various special weapon pickups such as Lasers, Railguns and Rockets. [1]

In addition to deathmatch, team deathmatch and team domination multiplayer modes, the game also featured three single-player training modes, including "Time Trial" and "Target Practice".

Development

The game was first announced on 10 September 2015 and is developed by the SCE Connected Content Group, [2] based in London.

A Public Beta [3] for the game took place from 30 September 2015 [4] to 19 October 2015, and was exclusive to PlayStation Plus subscribers. When the PS Events app was released as part of the PlayStation 4 system software 3.00, [5] the Hardware: Rivals beta was one of the first titles to make in-game events available such as "4 Wheels Only", [6] an FAV-only special event. The game was released on 5 January 2016. [7]

An update for the game was released on 22 January 2016, which added the "Scarab" FAV and the "Barbarian" Tank to the game. [8] The next major game update, released on 26 February 2016, added a new map, "Mojito Bay", and introduced "Ranked Play", where players had the ability to compete against each other and earn exclusive rewards by ranking up. [9] An update released on 13 May 2016 added a new map, "Bushpig Plateau", and introduced a new team game mode called "Capture the Flag". [10]

Reception

The game was met with mixed reception upon its release. IGN awarded it a score of 5.5 out of 10, saying "There is fun to be had, but the novelty of Hardware: Rivals wears thin pretty quickly." [12]

Shutdown

Around 26 August 2021, it was announced that the game's servers would be shut down on 8 December 2021. In addition, the game had been quietly delisted from the PlayStation Store. This announcement was not shared by PlayStation's social media team, but rather via an in-game message. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sony Interactive Entertainment</span> Sonys video game division

Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is a Japanese-American video game and digital entertainment company that is a major subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game consoles and products. It is also the world's largest company in the video game industry based on its equity investments.

<i>Resistance: Fall of Man</i> 2006 first-person shooter game

Resistance: Fall of Man is a 2006 first-person shooter video game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. The game is set in an alternate history 1951, and follows Sergeant Nathan Hale as he and the human resistance forces attempt to drive a mysterious alien-like invasion out of the United Kingdom. The story continues in Resistance 2.

<i>Warhawk</i> (2007 video game) 2007 video game

Warhawk was a 2007 online multiplayer third-person shooter video game developed by Incognito Entertainment and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It was intended to be a remake of an aerial warfare game of the same name, which was an early title on the original PlayStation. It was the first PlayStation 3 game to be available both physically and digitally on the PlayStation Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PlayStation Home</span> Social gaming platform developed by London Studio

PlayStation Home was a virtual 3D social gaming platform developed by Sony Computer Entertainment's London Studio for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) on the PlayStation Network (PSN). It was accessible from the PS3's XrossMediaBar (XMB). Membership was free but required a PSN account. Upon installation, users could choose how much hard disk space they wished to reserve for Home. Development of the service began in early 2005 and it launched as an open beta on 11 December 2008. Home remained as a perpetual beta until its closure on 31 March 2015.

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a division of Sony.

<i>Uncharted 2: Among Thieves</i> 2009 video game

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a 2009 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the second game in the Uncharted series. Set two years after Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (2007), the story follows Nathan Drake, Chloe Frazer and Elena Fisher as they search for the Cintamani Stone and Shambhala while battling a militia led by war criminal Zoran Lazarević.

<i>Resistance 3</i> 2011 video game

Resistance 3 is a 2011 first-person shooter video game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. Resistance 3 is the final installment in the Resistance trilogy. Resistance 3 is the first in the series to support 3D and PlayStation Move and was the first to introduce the PSN Pass program. The game shifts away from the military aspect of Resistance: Fall of Man and Resistance 2 and takes on a post-apocalyptic survival-horror feel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PlayStation Vita</span> Handheld game console by Sony

The PlayStation Vita is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, then in other international territories on February 22, 2012, and was produced until discontinuation on March 1, 2019. The console is the successor to the PlayStation Portable (PSP), and a part of the PlayStation brand of gaming devices; as part of the eighth generation of video game consoles, it primarily competed with the Nintendo 3DS.

Sony has released a number of previously released PlayStation video games, remastered in high-definition (HD) for their newer consoles, a form of porting. A number of related programs exist, the most prominent two being "Classics HD" and "PSP Remasters". The former consists of multiple PlayStation 2 games compiled on one Blu-ray Disc. The latter are individual PlayStation Portable games republished on Blu-ray. These games are not direct ports, but remastered versions in high-definition, to take advantage of the newer consoles' capabilities. The remastering of the games include updated graphics, new textures, and Trophy support, and some of the remastered games released on PlayStation 3 have included 3D and PlayStation Move support. Some HD remasters have also been released individually or in bundles as downloads on the PlayStation Store; others are released exclusively as downloads.

<i>Uncharted 4: A Thiefs End</i> 2016 video game

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is a 2016 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is the fourth main entry in the Uncharted series. Set several years after the events of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, players control Nathan Drake, a former treasure hunter coaxed out of retirement by his presumed-dead brother Samuel. With Nathan's longtime partner, Victor Sullivan, they search for clues to the location of Henry Avery's long-lost treasure. A Thief's End is played from a third-person perspective, and incorporates platformer elements. Players solve puzzles and use firearms, melee combat, and stealth to combat enemies. In the online multiplayer mode, up to ten players engage in co-operative and competitive modes.

<i>God of War: Ascension</i> 2013 video game

God of War: Ascension is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. Released in March 2013, it is the seventh installment in the God of War series, the first chronologically, and a prequel to the entire series. Loosely based on Greek mythology, it is set in ancient Greece with vengeance as its central motif. The player controls the protagonist, Kratos, the former servant of the God of War Ares, who tricked Kratos into killing his wife and daughter. In response to this tragedy, Kratos renounced Ares, breaking his blood oath to the god. Kratos was, therefore, imprisoned and tortured by the three Furies, guardians of honor and enforcers of punishment. Helped by the oath keeper, Orkos, Kratos escapes his imprisonment and confronts the Furies, aiming to free himself of his bond to Ares.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PlayStation 4</span> Sonys fourth home video game console

The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in Europe, South America, and Australia, and on February 22, 2014, in Japan. A console of the eighth generation, it competes with Microsoft's Xbox One and Nintendo's Wii U and Switch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PlayStation 4 system software</span> System software for the PlayStation 4

The PlayStation 4 system software is the updatable firmware and operating system of the PlayStation 4. The operating system is Orbis OS, based on FreeBSD 9.

<i>Driveclub</i> 2014 video game

Driveclub is a 2014 racing video game developed by Evolution Studios and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. It was announced during the PlayStation 4 press conference on 20 February 2013, and, after several delays, was released worldwide in October 2014.

PlayStation Now was a standalone video game subscription service on consoles developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The service offered cloud gaming for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4 games that could be played on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Windows computers. In addition, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 4 games could be downloaded to play locally on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. With the expansion of the PlayStation Plus service to offer additional tiers in May–June 2022, the standalone PlayStation Now subscription was shut down, but its services were incorporated into the PlayStation Plus Premium tier.

<i>Verdun</i> (video game) 2015 first-person shooter video game

Verdun is a squad-based multiplayer first-person shooter video game set during World War I. It was released on 28 April 2015 on Steam, after more than a year in Steam Early Access. The console versions for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S were released between August 2016 and June 2021.

<i>Rocket League</i> 2015 video game

Rocket League is a 2015 vehicular soccer video game developed and published by Psyonix for various home consoles and computers. It has been offered as free-to-play since 2020 when Epic Games acquired Psyonix. A sequel to 2008's Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars, Rocket League features up to eight players assigned to each of the two teams, using "rocket-powered" vehicles to hit a ball into their opponent's goal and score points over the course of a match. The game includes single-player and multiplayer modes that can be played both locally and online, including cross-platform play between all versions.

<i>Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection</i> 2015 video game compilation

Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection is a 2015 action-adventure video game compilation developed by Bluepoint Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It includes remastered versions of the first three main games in the Uncharted series: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (2007), Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009) and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (2011), all of which were originally developed by Naughty Dog. The Nathan Drake Collection was released in October 2015 exclusively for PlayStation 4. Players control Nathan Drake, a treasure hunter who travels the world to uncover various historical mysteries.

<i>Gran Turismo Sport</i> 2017 video game

Gran Turismo Sport is a 2017 racing video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. It is the twelfth game in the Gran Turismo series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PlayStation 5</span> Sonys fifth home video game console

The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North America, and South Korea, and was released worldwide a week later. The PS5 is part of the ninth generation of video game consoles, along with Microsoft's Xbox Series X/S consoles, which were released in the same month.

References

  1. "Game Guide". community.eu.playstation.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  2. "Vehicle combat game Hardware: Rivals announced exclusively for PS4". PlayStation.Blog.Europe. 10 September 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  3. "Hardware: Rivals beta kicks off tomorrow". PlayStation.Blog.Europe. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  4. "Hardware: Rivals PS4 Beta Date Revealed - IGN". IGN. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  5. "Everything you need to know about PlayStation 4 system software 3.00, out tomorrow". PlayStation.Blog.Europe. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  6. "PS4 Events App Detailed by Sony". PlayStation LifeStyle. 2 October 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  7. Purchese, Robert (16 December 2015). "Car shooting game Hardware: Rivals gets a release date, €21 price". Eurogamer . Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  8. "Hardware: Rivals Free Update Out Today, Packs a Punch". PlayStation.Blog. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  9. "Hardware: Rivals gets new map and ranked play today in free update". PlayStation.Blog.Europe. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  10. "Hardware: Rivals gets free map and Capture the Flag mode today". PlayStation.Blog. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  11. "Hardware: Rivals". Metacritic .
  12. "Hardware: Rivals Review - IGN". 12 January 2016.
  13. "Sony's Hardware: Rivals on PlayStation 4 shuts down December 8th". Delisted Games. 26 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.