You know that noise shudder Glen Schofield, GM of Sledgehammer games, in his D.I.C.E. Summit 2013 presentation on details on games, talked about how everyday experiences — from your favorite lunch place to your morning commute — can influence game makers in positive ways. One particular influence will have San Francisco residents relating. What’s the scariest sound in the Bay Area? For me, and apparently for Sledgehammer Games’ audio team, it’s the sound when the BART train goes under the water....

Following retailers updating their online listings forSilent Hill HD Collectionto reflect a March 6 release date, Konami has confirmed with Joystiq that the game has been delayed to next month. “We will be sending out definitive dates on all threeSilent Hillgames later this week,” the company responded. It could just be my imagination, but it seems like these high-def re-releases are particularly prone to getting pushed back. At least we generally know what’s in store; waiting slightly longer to play something familiar isn’t quite as painful....

In addition to the smaller ones The Sonic / Mega Man: Worlds Collide comic was pretty much everything I expected it to be. It was a perfect combination of two of my childhood icons, and it was enjoyable to read from start to finish. Although there have been a few mini-collections that span several issues, Amazon has a listing for something called “The Complete Epic,” which looks to be a giant book of the entire arc....

Thanks, Sega, this kusoge was exactly what I wanted This may sound peculiar, but I don’t necessarily pick games for this column and expect to hate them.Spelunker, for example, I legitimately like, despite its reputation. So I went intoSonic the Hedgehog ‘06with a little bit of history with the title. I figured I’d mostly be picking it apart for its mediocrity; a disappointing release for the new generation of consoles. I’d probably make fun of the typically daftSonicplot....

Making me wonder if anyone is actually buying this stuff, two more games have been added to Xbox 360 Games on Demand. Medal of Honor: Airborneis now available is now available for $19.99. The 5 gig download is good prep for the upcoming series reboot (simply calledMedal of Honor), its big innovation being that you may drop in on the battlefield from a parachute. If you’re looking for more close-encounters combat, you might want ton considerSoulcalibur IV, which is now also available, also for $19....

Star Wars Outlawshas posted disappointing sales figures since its launch on August 30,according to a report from Insider Gaming. It has been reported that the game has only shipped 1 million titles in the month since it hit shelves – which, as the publication points out, is a fraction of what Ubisoft typically expects from open-world big-budget projects. Ubisoft has made moves to try and improve results, launching a roadmap of planned improvements for the months ahead, but, as things stand,Outlawshas greatly underperformed against the likes ofStar Wars Jedi: Survivor, which had sold millions of copies within the first week and a half of its launch....

As technology gets better and better, videogame consoles are becoming more and more computer-esque — and I, miserable curmudgeon that I am, resent it. I don’t wantforced installs, or patches, or limited hard drive space, and I certainly don’t want people mucking about in my games. I just want my console to stay a console, without the headaches of PC gaming. If, instead ofspawning special infected in safe housesinLeft 4 Dead, more modders used their skills to create gorgeous maps (likethe one seen above) for console shooters, I would be singing a markedly different tune....

App now live in North America Sony’s game-streaming servicePlayStation Nowis available on PC as of today. With a membership, you’ll be able to play 400-plus titles from the PlayStation 3 library right on your Windows PC. Sony offers a seven-day trial for PlayStation Now, so even if you wouldn’t normally care to stream games, it might be worth trying just to see what it’s like on your connection (5 Mbps is the minimum)....

Get to know the people that make great videogames [Update: Fjords is on sale for just $1.31 until midnight tonight, so get it for cheap while you can.] Today on Sup Holmes we welcomeKyle Reimergartinto the program. According to Kyle’s bio, he “…lives on the Olympic Peninsula, teaches 2nd grade and makes games, is married and spends a lot of time identifying objects for a 2-year-old human.” Fjords, Kyle’s latest project, took the development community by surprise with it’s combination of unassuming visuals,impressive sound design,beautiful guide, and “you program the world” gameplay hook....

Just a little bit longer At long last,Tales of Xilliahas a North American release date! Namco Bandai has announced the highly-anticipated role-playing game will finally make its way to western shores starting August 6. Initially released in Japan nearly two years ago, the title’s publisher seems like it’s been in no hurry to localize the thirteenth entry in the beloved series. At least the long wait is nearly over. Tales of Xillia U....

‘Late 2016’ for North America and Europe Do visual novels qualify as games? Are they more or less games thanGone Home? I suppose it doesn’t matter. It’s a silly thing to argue about and I have some hot news to tell you about. NIS America is bringingPsycho-Pass: Mandatory Happinessto North America and Europe in late 2016, the localization outfit just announced at its annual press event in San Francisco. Based on the first season of the anime series,Mandatory Happinessadds backstory and tasks players with making a number of decisions that will impact how the ending plays out....

Here are the latest screens for Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic survival game,The Last of Us. There’s a bit of artwork tossed in there too, because we all love a bit of artwork. The game was revealed this past week, and it looks incredibly interesting. After Naughty Dog becoming known purely as “TheUnchartedguys” for the past several years, I’m excited to see them tackle a brand new idea. Could go either way at this point, but let’s keep our fingers crossed for a success....

Continue avoiding it While I hesitate to give it any more attention,The War Zhas changed its name and I wouldn’t want any of you fine people to mistakenly play it. Not that, you know, the 20/100 Metascore wouldn’t scare you off from theSteam pageor anything. It’s official, now: The zombie survival title that’s gone through itsfair share of controversieshas been renamedInfestation: Survivor Stories. “This change has come about primarily as a result of some confusion and trademark issues with a similarly titled property,” writes OP Productions....