Welcome to Urgent Fury

Hi, I’m Mike Booth, Chief Creative Officer at Bad Robot Games, and Game Director of 4:Loop. In my last post, I shared how our core gameplay systems come together to create an unpredictable and endlessly replayable experience. Today, I’d like to share more details on one of our co-op shooter’s high-stakes boss fights. Specifically, I’d like to talk about how our team approaches designing these battles, and how these considerations led to one of our most unique enemies so far: The Scanner. No two bosses are alike ​​ One of our main goals when designing bosses in 4:Loop is making each of them unique – not only in their visual design, but in how they behave. We know we’re on the right track when a boss requires players to adopt new forms of cooperation, improvisation, and combinations of equipment and abilities. All of this results in the kind of creative problem solving at the heart of 4:Loop. When we first started exploring the Scanner, or “The Cube,” as it’s called internally, I wanted to do something a bit different: create a boss battle that wasn’t about direct combat, but navigation, spatial awareness, and cross-map coordination. Keep moving to stay alive For some of our boss battles, players can succeed by finding cover, hunkering down, and dishing out heaps of damage. But with the Scanner, that’s a sure-fire way to get yourself killed. Rather than attacking players directly, the Scanner emits a Laser Matrix over the entire map. This “Grid of Doom” (to use another internal name) is an interlocking grid of bright red and extremely dangerous lasers. One hit is enough to knock a player down. A second hit and you are out of the fight. The grid is slow moving and easy to see, making it manageable enough at the start of the encounter – and seemingly safe enough to lull you into a sense of complacency. But as the fight progresses, the laser grid becomes tighter and tighter, making navigation and survival increasingly difficult to manage. Of course, it’s not enough to just survive the Scanner. Players must destroy it to win. Your doom is six sided Being a cube, the Scanner has six faces. On each of these faces, we’ve put nine destructible tiles, making 54 targets in total. To actually damage the Scanner, players must knock out all 54 panels at once, forcing the machine to reveal its vulnerable Reactor Core. Sounds straightforward enough… until the Scanner starts moving. We built the Scanner to constantly rotate and swap sections like a giant Cube Puzzle from Hell. On top of that, damaged panels reset over time. This creates a boss fight that requires players to spread out and attack from multiple angles, while navigating the Scanner’s ever-tightening Laser Matrix. All of this results in a unique gameplay challenge. Stay mobile enough to avoid the Grid of Doom, while remaining focused enough to knock out panels and coordinate a team-wide attack on the Reactor Core once it’s exposed. Hit the Scanner with everything you’ve got Once all 54 tiles have been knocked out, the Scanner reveals its vulnerable Reactor Core for a brief window. This is the moment where the team – who could be on opposite ends of the map by this point – strike together as a cohesive unit to inflict as much damage as possible. The coordination that occurs in these brief windows are intuitive and natural. They emerge from the boss’s core design, rather than telling players what to do. Your choices matter In 4:Loop, we’re constantly trying to design gameplay moments that ask players to make interesting decisions – and then live with their consequences. The Scanner is no different. The game’s Probability Map makes it clear what boss you’ll be facing at the end of the Act. This forces players to think about what kind of gear and abilities to select leading up to the fight. Sure, shotguns are powerful… but they won’t be effective against the Scanner’s Reactor Core at range. Or maybe rather than taking that totally sweet Cloaking Backpack, you might want to choose equipment to help you navigate the Laser Matrix instead. Different by design The Scanner is just one of several bosses in 4:Loop, each built to push on players’ coordination, cooperation, and creative problem-solving skills. We hope all our bosses will generate crazy moments you’ll be talking about with your friends for a long time after you win or lose. The Scanner started from a simple image: A giant, floating cube puzzle with breakable panels. Over time, it grew into one of our most iconic enemies, and one that touches on almost every layer of how players can improvise to overcome overwhelming obstacles together. And it does all of this without firing a single shot at the players. You can also join our growing community at discord.gg/4LOOP. View the full article

In Marathon, sharp aim matters, but so does healing, utility, movement, communication, and how you use your shell abilities. The DualSense Edge wireless controller gives you the flexibility to tailor the controls around your preferred playstyle, and save multiple custom profiles for your favourite shells and loadouts. Marathon’s default settings already gives you a strong baseline alongside extra flexibility with options for presses, taps, holds and double presses. For most players, the best overall approach is to keep the default settings, then use the DualSense Edge controller to bring your highest value actions closer at hand. Read on for setting recommendations straight from the Marathon dev team at Bungie. Button remapping In many shooters, the first instinct is to map jump and reload to the back buttons so you can keep your thumbs on the sticks during combat. That works great in Marathon too, but the back buttons are even better used elsewhere. Mapping them to the consumable radial and equipment radial gives you quick access to two of the most important survival tools in the game. Since those actions normally require you to hold Directional Button Down and Left, moving them to the back buttons means you can heal and prepare utility, without interrupting your aim and movement. Finger on the trigger DualSense Edge controller gives you both physical trigger stop sliders and the option to fine tune trigger input ranges within custom profiles. In Marathon, most weapons fire before the trigger reaches full travel, so setting the medium trigger stop on R2 can make repeated shots feel faster and more controlled, especially with semi automatic weapons. If you prefer an even more responsive feel, try the short trigger stop. In your custom profile, adjust the trigger input range on L2 from 0 to 70. This can make aiming down sights feel more immediate, since less trigger travel is needed before the input kicks in, while still maintaining the comfort of a full trigger pull. Steady your aim Marathon already offers a strong set of in-game aim curves and sensitivity settings, with Classic serving as the standard curve used for decades in Bungie action games. It’s a great baseline, and players who prefer to tune everything in game have a lot to work with. If you are shaping your setup through the DualSense Edge controller, keep Marathon’s defaults and make your refinements at the controller level instead. With custom stick sensitivity, sensitivity curve, and deadzone settings available in each profile, you’ve got plenty of room to tailor the feel to your preference. Stick sensitivity curves The DualSense Edge controller offers six different stick sensitivity curves, with one of the most effective combinations for Marathon being Precise on the right stick and Quick on the left stick. Precise helps the right stick feel more controlled during smaller movements, like making fine aiming adjustments with precision weapons such as the Longshot sniper rifle. Quick gives the left stick a more immediate response, which helps with fast repositioning and evasive movement when a fight breaks out. The result is a setup that feels nimble when you need to move, but calm and deliberate when you need to aim. Stick sensitivity There is no single perfect sensitivity setting for everyone. Start with Marathon’s default feel, then use the DualSense Edge controller to make small adjustments that suit the way you play. If you favour close quarters fights and want rapid turns, try nudging your sensitivity up. If your aim starts to feel twitchy, dial it back until it feels controlled again. Stick deadzones If your controller feels stable and you want a faster, more immediate response, lower the stick deadzones carefully within your DualSense Edge controller custom profile. If you prefer a little more buffer before movement or aim kicks in, keep them closer to the default feel. The key is not to overcomplicate things too early. Small, targeted changes will give you better results than trying to change everything at once. Try one profile for each Runner Shell You can store up to three custom profile shortcuts on the DualSense Edge controller and quickly swap between them during gameplay using the Function (Fn) buttons, making it easy to keep one core setup alongside shell-specific variants. Try out these quick tips for each shell and let us know your favourite DualSense Edge controller layouts. Destroyer Map a back button to jump, giving you faster Thruster activations while staying locked on target, and another to sprint for speedy activations of Tactical Sprint. Assassin Map a back button to crouch so stealth movement feels more natural while aiming. A Steady sensitivity curve on the left stick works well for controlled movement during stealth. Recon Set up push to talk on one back button, with quick ping on the other back button to help your teammates stay on top of the active situation. A Precise sensitivity curve on the right stick works great for picking off fleeing enemies with a long-range weapon. Vandal Mapping crouch to a back button lets you power slide while maintaining aim control. A snappier sensitivity on the right stick suits Vandal’s momentum and fast, aggressive movement. Thief Map a back button to grapple to quickly push an advantage or make an escape. A Steady left stick sensitivity curve works well if you want more controlled, stealthy movement while sneaking. Triage Map the consumables wheel to one back button, with quick ping on the other and you have a profile built around rounded backline support with fast callouts. Rook Back buttons mapped to consumables and equipment radials, with a Steady left stick sensitivity curve for careful movement and stealth, keep this profile simple and survival focused. Now clean up on Tau Ceti IV On Tau Ceti IV, staying mobile and keeping your most important actions within easy reach on the DualSense Edge wireless controller can make the difference between a messy escape and a clean exfil. Marathon is available now. View the full article

With the release of Arc Raiders update 1.26 on April 28, PS5 Pro players will now be able to benefit from the new upgraded version of PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR). This machine-learning based upscaling technology analyzes game images pixel by pixel to reconstruct a sharper, higher-quality output. A sharper, more stable image The upgraded PSSR brings a range of meaningful improvements that PS5 Pro players will notice immediately, particularly in the demanding, detail-rich environments that Arc Raiders is known for. Crisp, stable image, less flickering and shimmer: The new PSSR delivers crisp visuals across all environments, doing a great job at preserving fine details. Visual artifacts such as flickering and shimmering are significantly reduced, resulting in a cleaner and more consistent picture especially in complex scenes. Better reconstruction of objects in motion: The upgraded PSSR handles moving geometry far more accurately than traditional upscaling techniques. Whether it’s foliage swaying in the wind or Arc drones cutting across the screen at high speed, fine details are better-preserved during motion. Reduced ghosting on translucent effects: Ghosting artifacts, which are most visible on particle effects and other translucent elements in motion, are substantially reduced. This is a particularly challenging area for upscalers because accurate motion vectors aren’t available for these effects. A good example is the rain system in Arc Raiders, which now looks noticeably cleaner. “With the improved PSSR we can deliver increased image quality and stability, significantly reducing visual noise in-game without any performance reductions, allowing our players to experience the game and its world with less distractions.“ – Mikael Linderholm, Technical Art Director, Embark Studios Impressive results with minimal effort The new PSSR required minimal fine-tuning of content, and the results held up across the wide variety of complex scenes that Arc Raiders presents — from dense outdoor environments to intense firefights with particles and dynamic lighting. Available tomorrow in update 1.26 The upgraded PSSR enhancement for PS5 Pro will be available April 28 as part of Arc Raiders update 1.26. PS5 base model players continue to benefit from TSR upscaling, which remains unchanged by this update. We’re excited to see how the community responds to the visual improvements, and we’ll continue to look for opportunities to push image quality further as new technologies become available. View the full article

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com! Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or download here Hey, everybody! Tim, Kristen, and I are back this week to talk about the upcoming release of Saros, the cartoon world of Mouse: P.I. for Hire, best convenience store snacks, and upcoming updates. Stuff We Talked About Next week’s release highlights: NTE: Neverness to Everness | PS5 MotoGP 26 | PS5 Saros | PS5 inKonbini: One Store. Many Stories | PS5 Invincible Vs | PS5 Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 announced — The annual Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour two-day event happened this past weekend, and with it came a host of new announcements for FighterZ, Sparking Zero, revealing Xenoverse 3 coming in 2027, and more. Neverness to Everness gameplay details — See what’s in store for this anime-inspired open-world title with Persona 5 and Porsche collabs, first-person mode for dates, and the Bank Heist stages. Coming to PS5 on April 29. Helldivers 2 Exo Experts Warbond — The new Warbond arrives April 28 ready to roll out some new goodies. Check out new machine-based weapons and Stratagems, armors, and emotes. Gran Turismo 7 update — Add the Porsche 911 Turbo S Leichtbau, Renault Twingo ’93, and Yangwang U9 ’24 to your garage today. In addition, Power Pack owners can access new challenges, and there are updates for the Gran Turismo World Series. Saros starter tips — Learn how to adjust your level of challenge with Carcosan Modifiers, see expanded accessibility options, and gain helpful insight to prepare for the perilous journey ahead on April 30. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced — The remake of this swashbuckling tale arrives on PS5 July 9. See how the new game expands on sailing and combat in our hands-on report. The Cast View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Kristen Zitani – Senior Content Communications Specialist, SIE View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image O’Dell Harmon Jr. – Content Communications Specialist, SIE View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Tim Turi – Content Communications Manager, SIE Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music. [Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.] View the full article

Last week, we asked you to share portraits of Grace in Resident Evil Requiem using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: riainwonderland shares younger Grace holding a flashlight in the dark midnight.hyp3 shares Grace standing in red lighting Yuric83 shares Grace’s FBI report reflected in her glasses grayfoxvp shares Grace sneaking past an exit sign Ixion_VII shares Grace in the Lady Dimitrescu costume leonsbathwater shares Grace throwing a punch Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? THEME: Cozy SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on April 29, 2026 Next week, share moments from your favorite cozy game using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured. View the full article