Commander Fury

Hello, World Warriors! It has been an incredible year for Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition with six new characters, a plethora of new modes that were added for free, and enough quirky costumes to make your current wardrobe jealous. As we close in on 2018 with Capcom Cup on the horizon from December 14-16, we’d like to share with you all the modes added since Street Fighter V launched by hosting a free trial for the first time on PS4! The free trial will begin on December 11 at 1pm PT (download begins at 9am PT) and will end on December 19 at 9:59am PT. Please note that a PlayStation Plus subscription is not required to download and take part in the free trial, but is required to play online. All the initial content from the original Street Fighter V and the modes introduced in Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition are included during this time. Street Fighter has always been about the roster of vibrant personalities and styles. In this free trial, you’ll be able to play the original 16 characters that came with Street Fighter V. Experience the latest version of the world-renowned characters Ryu, Chun-Li, Ken, Cammy, and M. Bison as their playstyles incorporate the V-System, a gameplay mechanic that gives each character unique ways to turn the tide of battle. If you’re looking for an adventure, try out some of the characters introduced in Street Fighter V like the spunky Rashid, who focuses on high mobility and wind attacks; Laura, an electrifying grappler; or F.A.N.G, a sinister villain specializing in the art of poison. For this trial, you can try out three fan-favorite characters for free: Guile, Akuma, and Sagat. These three characters are only available in Ranked, Casual, Battle Lounge, Training, and Challenges. In order to select them for a Ranked Match, please head to Battle Settings and select your Favorite Character from that menu. When Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition launched in January 2018, it brought a bundle of new modes that were available to all Street Fighter V owners. During this free trial, you’ll have access to these exciting additions. Arcade Mode is a new spin on the classic mode that involves defeating a series of computer opponents. This time, there are multiple paths you can take that celebrate the previous games in the series. With over 200 ending illustrations to unlock, which path will you explore? If you’re looking for a challenge, look no further than the newly revamped Survival Mode, where you can now save your progress and use various items to aid in the onslaught of opponents you’ll face. If you’re in need of some inspiration, the biggest Street Fighter event of the year will take place during the free trial: Capcom Cup 2018. 32 of the best players in the world will fight it out in the Esports Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, where one will become the next champion and take home over $250,000. The action starts on December 14 where a group of hopefuls will take part in the Last Chance Qualifiers in order to qualify for the final slot in the top 32. On Saturday, the top 32 will be whittled down to the top eight, and on Sunday, the champion will be crowned. Catch all the action on the official Capcom Fighters Twitch channel: twitch.tv/capcomfighters. Whether you’re taking part in the free trial or watching Capcom Cup in the comfort of your own home, we hope to see you exploring what Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition has to offer and seeing how much this game has grown in 2018. Here’s to more adventures in 2019! View the full article

Monster Hunter: World marked the start of a new age for the Monster Hunter series on PlayStation 4, and we’re now gearing up to grow that experience even more with Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, a massive expansion coming autumn 2019. Here’s a little teaser trailer summarizing what you can expect from Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. That was just a teaser video, but if you pay close attention, there’s quite a bit that you can extract from it. Old school Monster Hunter fans will even recognize some audio and visual cues at the end. Let me know what you think! Just to recap, we’re bringing you a brand new environment, new monsters, new equipment to forge, a new quest difficulty rank, and much more! We’ll have more details on this expansion in spring 2019, so stay tuned. In the meantime, we’ve also announced plenty of new free content updates coming to the base game Monster Hunter: World. Everyone is still celebrating the Winter Star Fest, and as the event comes to a close in a couple of days, the Research Commission will allow hunters to take on a revamped Kulve Taroth Siege with an Arch-Tempered form of that Elder Dragon and new rewards! And as we look to 2019, we’ll start the year off with the Appreciation Fest to celebrate one year of Monster Hunter: World, followed by two more exciting updates: Arch-Tempered Nergigante and a special collaboration with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt! Check out the collaboration trailer here: We also know some of you may have not joined the hunt yet, so we’d like to invite you to get your hands on Monster Hunter: World for free with our Trial Version. This free trial will be available from December 11th at 4pm PST until December 17th at 3:59pm PST and lets you really see what Monster Hunter is all about. You’ll be able to take on the first handful of story quest assignments as well as optional quests, hunt a variety of fearsome monsters, forge weapons and armor, and explore the New World. Also, if you have PlayStation Plus, you’ll be able to hunt with up to three other players; these can be Trial Version players or folks that own the full game. And the best part: all progress you make in the Trial Version will carry over to the full game once you make the jump, which by the way, is discounted at 50% off for a limited time! So to all Monster Hunter fans, and newcomers, out there: thank you for joining us and making this an awesome community to be a part of! Enjoy the last few days of 2018, and we’ll see you in 2019 with a lot more monster hunting goodness! Happy hunting! View the full article

Pandora beckons, Vault Hunters! Borderlands 2 VR warps you back to the loot-driven, cooperative shooter to relive the insane journey to stop the murderous Handsome Jack. Developed by Gearbox Software, this new version of the irresistibly over-the-top shooter amps up the experience with PlayStation VR. In addition to the bazillion wacky guns at your disposal, Borderlands 2 VR injects a new slow-mo ability that lets you slow time and deal destruction to the creatures of Pandora at your own pace. For a full list of new games coming to PlayStation next week, read on. And enjoy The Drop! Atari Flashback Classics PS Vita — Digital (Out 12/14) With all-new Trophies, Rankings and multiplayer support bringing players together, combined with an amazing archive of classic artwork make Atari Flashback Classics the most complete Atari collection ever seen on a hand-held device! Atari Flashback Classics Vol. 3 PS4 — Digital (Out 12/13) Atari Flashback Classics Volume 3 brings more classic arcade, Atari 2600 and 5200 games to the latest generation of consoles and, for the first time, vintage hits from M Network. Bibi & Tina: The Movie Game PS4 — Digital (Out 12/14) Ride as Bibi or Tina over hill and dale through the glorious countryside around Martinshof. Face numerous challenges and demonstrate your sporting prowess in the decisive race in the maize maze! Bibi Blocksberg: The Great Witch Broom Race 3 PS4 — Digital (Out 12/14) A wild witch rally begins: Bibi and her friends leap onto their broomsticks and explore exciting worlds. With mysterious witches’ potions and turbulent aerial maneuvers, they zoom through the age of the dinosaurs, the Orient, and Transylvania. Borderlands 2 VR PS VR — Digital (Out 12/14) The iconic shooter-looter gets in your face! Virtually immerse yourself in the untamed world of Borderlands. Step into the boots of a treasure-seeking Vault Hunter armed with 87 bazillion guns on a quest to line your pockets with loot. Desert Child PS4 — Digital You are a young hoverbike racer who needs to figure out how to scrape enough cash together through racing and odd jobs to punch your one-way ticket to the Red Planet to enter the biggest race in the universe, the Grand Prix. Double Switch: 25th Anniversary Edition PS4 — Digital (Out 12/13) Originally developed by Digital Pictures and released in 1993, Double Switch has been completely rebuilt for the PS4, bringing it to a level of video quality never before seen. Dragonfly Chronicles PS Vita — Digital Play as Mark West in his quest to find out what happened to his father and what The Dragonfly is conspiring. Destroy deadly enemies and creatures as you escape from exploding facilities and enjoy awesome comic-book cinematic cutscenes! Earth Defense Force 5 PS4 — Digital Humanity, Fight against Fate. Now begins the ultimate battle between huge aliens and EDF. The world existence is staked on this war. Become one of the soldiers of EDF and exterminate the invading aliens. Protect peace on Earth. Escape Game: Aloha PS4 — Digital (Out 12/14) You are in a beautiful villa overlooking the sea in Hawaii. Find and combine items, solve puzzles, then escape! After the ending, you can play hide-and-seek with animals. Can you find them all? Gungrave VR, Gungrave VR UN PS VR — Digital, Retail The acclaimed Gungrave series is reborn on PlayStation VR! Gungrave VR and the standalone sequel Gungrave VR U.N are also available together in one complete set: Gungrave VR Loaded Coffin Edition. Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms PS4 — Digital Idle Champions, an official free-to-play Dungeons & Dragons-based strategy game, challenges players to assemble a party of Champions and master the art of Formation Strategy. The key to glory is learning how to combine Champion abilities to defeat powerful monsters. Kingdom Two Crowns PS4 — Digital (Out 12/12) Build your kingdom and secure it from the threat of the Greed in the next evolution of the award-winning micro strategy franchise! Experience new technology, units, enemies, mounts, and secrets in the brand-new solo or co-op campaign mode. Kingmaker: Rise to the Throne PS4 — Digital (Out 12/14) Two knights are tricked into a conspiracy against the crown. Pursued by the royal guard and ruthless conspirators, the brothers embark on a dangerous journey to uncover the kingdom’s shameful secrets, restore family honor, and change their fate. Night Trap – 25th Anniversary Edition PS Vita — Digital (Out 12/13) Originally developed by Digital Pictures in 1987 and released in 1992, Night Trap has been completely rebuilt for the PS4, bringing it to a level of video quality never before seen. Red Matter PS VR — Digital Red Matter is a story-driven VR puzzle adventure game set during a dystopian sci-fi Cold War. Take on the role of an astronaut dispatched to an abandoned moon base on a frozen, faraway planet, to investigate a shady top secret research project. Richie’s Plank Experience PS4 — Digital (Out 12/12) You’re on a plank, 80 stories high. Knees shaky, palms sweaty. Do you dare make it to the end? Richie’s Plank lets you experience the thrill of doing the impossible. This is a short experience made for entertaining your friends and family. Smash Hit Plunder PS VR — Digital It’s time to wreck a castle! Smash alone, together or against friends in VR and TV! Smash Hit Plunder is a physics-based tear-it-up set in a medieval castle. Be a powerful mage with the freedom to roam in first-person, in a retro isometric game. Prey: Typhon Hunter PS VR — Digital Prey: Typhon Hunter is a lethal game of hide-and-seek between a single survivor (Morgan Yu) and five other players who stalk, hunt, and hide in plain sight as shape-shifting Mimic aliens. Will Morgan or the Mimics prevail? The VideoKid PS4 — Digital It’s the 1980’s. The Kid needed to earn some cash to take his girlfriend out. So by delivering pirate video tapes to his customers and staying one step in front of the cops, he quickly became… The VideoKid. Warbot PS VR — Digital Warbot is a VR fighting game by controlling robot through mapping mode. It’s designed and built for VR immersive experience, you have high freedom of assembly which allows you to create your own unique robot! The information above is subject to change without notice. SOMA Playlist 25 Days of Christmas Playlist Gucci Mane – Evil Genius White Boy Rick A Simple Favor Night School Season Finale Sunday, December 9 at 8PM PT on BBC America PlayStation Vue has your favorite sports, news and must-watch shows. The information above is subject to change without notice. View the full article

Last week, we awoke you from cryo-sleep to protect a war-torn solar system in Warframe. You shared your Tenno’s most daring moments using #PS4share and #PSBlog. Here’s this week’s other-worldly highlights: @twenty_one_sins strikes a deadly pose. @AlekseyMazhayko shared this colorful shot of Mesa and the Operator. @Caunertron shares this contemplative moment. @Frieza1989 shared this intimidating portrait. @wargreybuns shared an enchanting moment gazing out into space. @allmightytitan gazes out at the vast beyond. Search #PS4Share and #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in next week’s Share of the Week? Theme: Warframe Share by: 9am Pacific on Wednesday, December 12 Tenno, we were so impressed with your Warframe shares that we’re continuing with a second Warframe Share of the Week! Send your most captivating moments usng #PS4share and #PSBlog for a chance to be featured. View the full article

Hi everyone! I’m Josh Fairhurst, CEO of Limited Run Games. We’re a small company that has made preserving digital games in physical form and bringing them to you, the fans of these games, our primary mission. We believe that every game is an important piece of history that should be available in a tangible form for future generations to enjoy. Since 2015, we’ve enjoyed bringing PlayStation fans their favorite digital games in a highly collectible format that respects the developers’ hard work and artistic vision. It’s my pleasure to announce that Limited Run Games, Naughty Dog, and Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC will be helping to preserve all four classic Jak and Daxter PlayStation 2 games as physical discs available for the PlayStation 4 system. Our first release, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy is now available to purchase exclusively at www.limitedrungames.com in two editions: $24.99 for the Standard Edition and $74.99 for the more elaborate Collector’s Edition, which contains additional items described below. True to our name, the Standard Edition is limited to 5,000 copies, while the Collector’s Edition is limited to 2,500 copies. Once they’ve sold out, they will not be reprinted! If you miss this first batch — fear not — a second batch will be available in eight hours at 3PM PST/ 6PM EST. We will sell 2,500 copies of Standard Edition and 1,250 copies of the Collector’s Edition in each batch. Our releases can sometimes sell out quickly, so make sure to act fast if you want to own this! Folks who order Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy will receive their game by February 28, 2019. Each game’s Collector’s Edition will include a special item that ties into the game. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy will include a decorative metal Orb, a USB drive shaped like a memory card, trading card pack, exclusive poster, and a CD soundtrack. This will mark the very first time the Jak and Daxter soundtracks will be released! Additionally, each Collector’s Edition will include a piece of history from the series. We’ve secured never-before-seen historical documents to include in each of the Collector’s Editions. For each game, we will be producing a hardback foil-stamped book containing images from Naughty Dog’s original Jak and Daxter production binders. These binders dive into the world and characters in a depth fans have never seen before and offer a glimpse into how the games were formed. Fans who purchase all four games (either Standard Edition or Collector’s Edition) will earn a free bonus item that I’m truly ecstatic about — a mock case for the game that never was — Jak 4! To be clear, Jak 4 is not a real game, as much as that pains me, and this case isn’t a promise that Jak 4 ever will exist. We’re including this case as part of these releases because our main goal here is to preserve and celebrate the history and legacy of the Jak series — even the parts of that history that never came to be! The mock case will include a code redeemable for a PlayStation 4 system theme based on Naughty Dog’s original late-00’s Jak 4 concept art. There will be no other way to acquire this item outside of this, so make sure to order all four of our releases if you want to own it. Fans who purchase all four games will be mailed the Jak 4 mock case after June 30, 2019. To celebrate the physical releases of the Jak and Daxter series, PlayStation and Naughty Dog are releasing a new classic Jak and Daxter theme for your PS4 system, as well as Jak and Daxter Stickers for Apple Devices — available now on the App Store. Our friends at Fangamer are also releasing a retro Jak and Daxter t-shirt created by Nina Matsumoto. As fans of their work all the way back to Rings of Power, all of us at Limited Run Games are incredibly honored to be working with the talented team at Naughty Dog to make these physical editions reality! We’ll be releasing Standard & Collector’s Editions of Jak II, Jak 3 and Jak X: Combat Racing by June 2019 (actual release dates may be sooner, but we expect to fulfill all purchases by June 30, 2019). Stay tuned! View the full article

Hello everyone! Yusuke Naora here. You may know me as art director for many Square Enix titles, including the original release of The Last Remnant in 2008. For The Last Remnant Remastered, which released yesterday, I was on the team to review the graphics upgrades and illustrate the new key visual. Personally, I consider The Last Remnant one of its kind, even within the Square Enix RPG lineup. It is a title in which we took on many challenges, as there were many things the staff were unable to realize or include back then with the Final Fantasy series, due to limitations on specs and technology. The Last Remnant Remastered turned out to be so much more than we had envisioned back then. Various additional work was done, so it almost feels like a remake rather than a remaster. Even 10 years after its initial release, I don’t find it feeling inferior to other titles. Looking back on the creation of the original, we really wanted to make sure we took the time to fully express the characters and the world. For the characters, in order to depict the ensemble cast as well as the battle system, rather than create features that are largely unique to each and every character, the focus was placed on how a given character appears within a given group or race. Take Rush for example. He is the main character of The Last Remnant and one you will get to know closely. I am quite proud of how his design came out. He starts out as just an ordinary young man from the countryside who gains a better understanding of the world with the same perspective as the player, so we were constantly conscious about depicting him as a neutral figure. With his design, the motif was based on Japanese school uniforms, but we made it a design that would be considered normal in remote regions, and very different from global standards. We were also quite particular when it came to his animations. For example, there were subtle additions to his equipment to go along with his growth throughout the game. I also asked to include a movement where he brushes his hair back with his fingers when he’s thinking, since he’d be encountering many new and different situations. In creating the world of The Last Remnant, we also thought about how to portray the “Remnants,” mysterious powerful objects. Our overarching goal was to determine how to depict the largest feature, the Remnant, in a world that is high fantasy, but also while incorporating central Asian design aesthetics. Specifically for the Remnants, I went about depicting it as something that the people inhabiting the area took for granted in their day to day lives, although they are unsure of who and for what purpose it was created in the past, similar to the Nazca Lines or Stonehenge. So many details within the world of The Last Remnant work well together, not just from the design sense, but also the soundtrack. I am particularly fond of guitar tracks, so I did listen to the battle songs among others to ramp up my energy as I was working on the game. Please be sure to pay attention to the music as well. For all those reading, whether you are a fan or a newcomer, I hope that you will give The Last Remnant Remastered a try for its timeless story, beloved characters and beautiful new graphics. Check out the new launch trailer and embark on an adventure I’m so glad to have been a part of creating! – Yusuke Naora View the full article

The wasteland of Rage 2 is your playground – your very bloody playground – and in a world where there are no rules, insanity rules. Go anywhere, shoot anything, explode everything. Rage 2 will be available on PlayStation 4 – May 14, 2019. Get a fresh look at the chaotic and crazy world in the latest trailer. Open-World Mayhem The seamless open world of Rage 2 is full of opportunity for an enterprising Ranger. Any time you want to veer off the main path, you’ll find a lot to explore. As id Software Studio Director Tim Willits explains, there’s never a dull moment when you’re prowling the wasteland. “Once you leave the starting area, the entire world is open, and you’ll encounter dynamic events everywhere you go,” says Willits. “You may find a bandit outpost to clear out, or a race you want to run, or a convoy that needs destroying. Completing these types of activities will also help your relationship with some of the key characters in the main story. Everything you do will be rewarded.” Races The Torn Plains Racetrack is heaven for speed demons and adrenaline junkies. Win different cars by racing on the curvy, multi-path tracks, riddled with jumps and hazards. You can also come across drivers anywhere in the wasteland and challenge them to a quick pick-up race. The starting and ending points for a pick-up race are based on where the race is initiated, so no two courses are the same. Convoys Convoys are massive, heavily defended fortresses on wheels; they’ll require skillful driving and all your combat expertise to take them down. Convoys consist of a monstrous leader that is protected by a number of different vehicles, from fast attack bikes to medium-sized muscle cars, all armed to the brim and ready to tear you to pieces. Both the Immortal Shrouded and the Goon Squad have their own convoys with unique faction vehicles that patrol different areas of the world. Mutant Bash Face off against wave after wave of progressively more challenging enemies in the Mutant Bash arena to win prizes and wasteland fame. Now hosted by a woman named Desdemonya, this new Mutant Bash TV is more twisted and cruel than ever before. Be sure to stock up on ammo, grenades and Wingsticks before you attempt Mutant Bash. There’s a resupply phase between waves, but it’s just barely enough to keep you in the fight. Ark Hunting Locating Arks is your key to upgrading Walker with new gear and nanotrite abilities, but not all of them are easy to find. Some you’ll discover through missions, and some you’ll locate by gathering valuable intel around the wasteland. Talk to folks in town and keep an eye out for data pads or audio recordings that might hold some useful information. Helping Out Allies Your allies in the wasteland are going to have plenty of work for you. Go back to them often to see if they have additional quests (with additional rewards, of course). Bounties Feel like doing a little hunting? Some of the hub cities will have bounties you can pick up. Hunt down your target and take them out for a sweet prize. There’s no “dead or alive” in the post-post-apocalyptic wasteland. Saving Friendly Drivers Just because you’re saving the world doesn’t mean you can’t help the little guys. While cruising around the wasteland, you may come across someone getting chased by a group of bandit vehicles. Should you manage to get all the attacking cars off the civilian’s tail, you’ll be roundly rewarded. Authority Attacks With their unrivaled control of the skies, the Authority can strike at any time, anywhere in the wasteland. Incoming Authority aircraft are capable of dropping both troopers and Sentry Turrets, which should be avoided at all cost until you’ve got enough firepower to wipe out a small town. Create Your Own Chaos “I like to say that Rage 2 has a high ‘distraction factor’ when playing,” jokes Willits. “I often get sidetracked by something as I drive past, or something happens dynamically in the world. I find that I can spend hours just driving around or flying. I really enjoy the Icarus mini-copter the best. It’s an amazing way to see all the sights. One of the cool things about the Icarus is that it’s a reward for people who explore. It isn’t found on the ‘golden path’ of the game. It’s not just given to you, you need to earn it. But once you have the Icarus, the whole game opens up to you in a new, exciting way.” View the full article

Since the day we released Abzû, the team at Giant Squid and I have been focused on creating a new adventure. The Pathless is rooted in our signature artistic and atmospheric style, but adds some new excitement to the mix. I’m thrilled to finally be able to share some details about it with you! The Pathless is a mythic adventure where you play as the Hunter, a skilled archer who explores a mysterious cursed island with an eagle companion. Your goal is to lift an unnatural shroud of darkness that plagues the world. As you bound acrobatically through dense forests, you will hunt prey, discover ancient ruins, and form a deep bond with your eagle. But beware: dangerous spirits also lurk in the woods. If you aren’t careful, you may become the hunted yourself. The Hunter is graceful and moves smoothly through the forest with the eagle flying close beside her. To let you truly feel the Hunter’s skill and agility, we took a unique approach to the design of our archery mechanics. We wanted to make cool trick shots effortless while you run, jump, and even glide with the help of your eagle. In many games, it’s difficult to run while also lining up shots, so they often turn on slow-motion while you are moving quickly and aiming. All I’ll say for now is that we found a different, simple solution that allows you to keep moving at full speed while shooting targets, pulling off cool chains of bullseyes as you navigate. It’s feeling really great to play. Giant Squid games are defined by their powerful atmosphere, and by the emotional connection that it creates between the player and the world. When we were starting this project, I traveled to the pine and redwood forests of Oregon and Washington to feel that connection for myself. Those dense woods evoke the sense of being in an ancient world, lost in time. We are evolving the technology we used to make Abzû to recreate that mystical feeling in The Pathless, with an even bigger world full of history, secrets and beautiful spaces. Like Abzû, The Pathless is built on fluid movement, majestic environments and a connection with the natural world. But this time, I wondered what would happen if we heightened the sense of speed, action and daring adventure. The result of combining these elements is an experience that has the DNA of Abzû, but that I think will surprise you. This is just the beginning- The Pathless is still in development and we will be sharing more details about the game from here on out. Be sure to keep up with us on twitter and other channels. I look forward to when The Pathless is ready for you to experience. -And yes, you will be able to pet the eagle! View the full article

Hello there, I’m Jesse Houston, CEO and co-founder of Phoenix Labs. I’m excited to announce that Dauntless, our free-to-play Action RPG currently in Open Beta on PC, is coming to PlayStation 4 in April, 2019! Dauntless is the first game from our team, and we can’t wait to introduce it to the PlayStation faithful. Shortly following launch, we’ll have some special in-game goodies for PlayStation Plus subscribers, including an exclusive pack containing cosmetics, potions, and more. We created a new trailer to herald our launch announcement made during The Game Awards, which you can watch above. So what is Dauntless all about, you ask? Dauntless is a combat-heavy Action RPG where you team up with friends to take on Behemoths, giant beasts threatening humanity’s survival in the Shattered Isles. Cooperating with your teammates to strategize the best approach to each encounter is core to the Dauntless multiplayer experience. The untamed world of Dauntless experienced a cataclysmic event that quite literally shattered the land into disparate islands, and these islands remain afloat thanks to a mysterious energy source known as aether. Players take on the role of Slayers, brave warriors fighting for humanity’s survival. Come Out Slaying Hunting Behemoths is the bread and butter of Dauntless. Successfully completing a hunt nets you valuable resources and materials that you take back to the frontier city of Ramsgate to forgenew weapons, armour, supplies, and accessories to take on your next outing. As you progress, you’ll begin harvesting Behemoth parts that imbue elemental attributes and other buffs to your gear, and you can further customize your play-style using the Cell system to socket the way you approach combat and team support. The only thing standing in your way of gaining all these resources is…actually taking down the Behemoths. We currently have six unique weapon classes, with hundreds of variations and options in each class that can help your prowess depending on the type of Behemoth you’re hunting. Customizing your loadout and collaborating with your team before heading out on a hunt is paramount to success in Dauntless. With combat being such a huge element of the Dauntless experience, tight controls are of the utmost importance. We like to give our players the option to play the way they’re most comfortable, and you’ll be happy to know that we already have full DualShock 4 support in the game! We joke around the office, but one of our developers actually prefers to play Dauntless on his fightstick as well. Live Service Meets Free-To-Play The live service nature of Dauntless and the ever-evolving Shattered Isles allows us to do some interesting things when it comes to tracking down and slaying specific Behemoths and completing quests, ensuring that players always have new challenges awaiting them every time they log in. We’ve greatly expanded that concept with the Hunt Pass, a new way for Slayers to earn rewards in Dauntless. Hunt Pass launches in Dauntless today, so PlayStation 4 players will have a ton of content at their disposal come April. Along those same lines, I mentioned above that Dauntless is free-to-play. For us, free-to-play means providing our players with awesome free content, with the option to purchase cosmetics like armor skins, dyes, flares and more. If you see someone walking around with a high level weapon or armor set, you can rest assured that they crafted it by defeating Behemoths in the game, and not through a microtransaction. Join the Hunt We hope you’re as excited as we are to bring Dauntless to PS4. Stay tuned for more info, and we hope to see you in Ramsgate soon! View the full article

Fond Memories I got my first job in the game industry in 1999 which is right around the time Crash Team Racing originally launched. I was a huge fan of the Crash Bandicoot series at the time, so you can imagine my excitement when I heard a brand-new kart racing game starring Crash was coming out! I remember how smart I thought it was to introduce an adventure mode in a racing game. There was nothing like it at the time. The amount of time I spent playing that game! The countless hours I spent competing against my girlfriend at the time who had also started in the game industry. It was nothing short of my favorite game! You’re Kidding, Right? Fast forward many years. Our studio gets the proposition, ‘’How would you guys feel about remastering CTR?’’. I remember pausing for a second. And then I blurted out: ‘’You’re kidding, right?’’ I felt a sudden rush of adrenaline. That tingling feeling of joy and excitement spreading through your whole body. Throughout the discussions, I remember telling myself: ‘’Please, please, oh please, let this project become real.’’ And here we are! The game we were so eager to reveal to the world has been announced. No turning back now! We’re going full throttle towards June 21st and we’re so excited to show you what we have in store! Being Authentic Like myself, we have huge fans of the franchise on the development team. We know how dear the original Crash Team Racing is to so many people, so we’re spending a tremendous amount of time making sure it’s the same great racing experience that fans remember with a level of polish that could only be achieved by today’s standards. Our first design pillar in approaching this game was strikingly obvious: Authenticity. Whatever improvements or bells and whistles we were going to add, we needed to be authentic to the inspiration of the original experience. Wait, There’s More! The technology leap of the past 19 years allows us to push the graphical fidelity to a whole new level. As much as CTR is about racing, it is first and foremost about character. We established very early on that we wanted CTR Nitro-Fueled to be brimming with personality both from an environmental and character stand point. Fans will see this attention to detail shine through in every part of the game from the camera work, to the characters’ quirky animations, to the lush environments you’re racing in. The game is called ‘Nitro-Fueled’ for a reason. As die-hard fans of the game, we felt compelled to modernize the experience and infuse it with features that are expected of any great kart racing game. Playing split screen is a lot of fun, but racing online is awesome! In Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, you will have the opportunity to show your skills to anyone around the world and that’s a first for CTR. Plus, there’s even more that we’re adding to the experience that hasn’t been shown yet, but we can’t wait to reveal soon! 20th Anniversary By the time Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled ships, I will have been in the industry for 20 years. I can’t help but smile at the idea that CTR will be celebrating its 20th anniversary at the same time as I am. I guess I’ve come full circle! View the full article

Far Cry New Dawn – the standalone sequel to Far Cry 5 coming to PlayStation 4 on February 15, 2019 – takes us to a world that’s just beginning to emerge from global nuclear destruction. Set 17 years after the catastrophe, Far Cry New Dawn unfolds in a drastically transformed Hope County. Nature has bounced back and taken over, giving way to a brilliantly colorful superbloom phenomenon. Survivors have begun to build a new, makeshift community from the ruins, and you may recognize some of them from Far Cry 5 – like Pastor Jerome. This new world isn’t all wildflowers and hope, though, because the Survivors now face a new threat: the Highwaymen, a roving band of scavengers led by a merciless pair of twin sisters, Mickey and Lou. The Twins were children when the apocalypse hit, and the lessons they learned growing up on the harsh new frontier gave them a vicious, live-for-today outlook – one they share with their followers. The nomadic Highwaymen wander the countryside, stripping the meager resources from every place they visit, and either killing or recruiting everyone they meet. Now, they’ve turned their sights on Hope County, and if the Survivors are going to withstand the onslaught, they’re going to need your help. (And the help of your co-op partner, if you decide to team up with another player.) Building a defense against the Highwaymen will take more than a quick trigger finger. You’ll need to ally with the Survivors, and help them rebuild the Homebase, called Prosperity. The Homebase is also where you’ll be able to craft makeshift weapons and vehicles, and train a new generation of Guns and Fangs for Hire – including Timber, the Akita who may just become your new best friend. You’ll also be able to use it as a launching point for Expeditions, missions that will take you far beyond the borders of Hope County to explore wetlands, canyons, and other new locations around the country. The Expeditions will be different for every playthrough, meaning there’ll be plenty of unpredictable chances to blow stuff up and wreak havoc among your enemies. The battle against The Twins comes to PS4 on February 15, so get ready to cobble together a DIY arsenal and face the new threat. View the full article

Season 7 has arrived with the smash of a mysterious iceberg! Winter has brought many changes to the Fortnite map for you to explore. Ziplines are a new way to help you travel to and from high terrain. For you chill and thrill seekers, the new Frosty Flights location and Expedition outposts are outfitted with the new Stormwing planes so you can take to the skies. There are tons of new areas to venture to and secrets to uncover, so stay frosty. A new season also means a brand new Battle Pass. Over 100 new exclusive rewards are ready for you to unlock, and it still costs the same 950 V-bucks. This season, you get the Zenith and Lynx progressive outfits instantly when you purchase the Battle Pass, both of which can level-up to unlock new styles. We’ve also added a new item type: Wraps! These allow you to customize your weapons and vehicles with all new looks to match and complement your favorite outfits. Battle Pass owners will also get early access to their own island in Creative: a brand new place for you to build your dream Fortnite with your friends. The Epic Games team will be taking its own holiday break this winter, so Season 7 will be extended by two weeks and end on February 28. We’ll still have new updates coming out during that break period bringing new items and challenges. You can plan on more holiday cheer to hit before the New Year as well! Thank you for showing your passion and creativity within Fortnite! View the full article

Hello again, GT fans. Available starting today is our free December update for GT Sport, patch 1.31 (Internet connection required). It features a selection of seven stunning vehicles, including European supercars, elegant saloons and some old-school American muscle. All of which are ready to race against the backdrop of a new Tokyo-based track. New Vehicles Ringing in the season at Brand Central are seven new vehicles, from limited edition Ferraris to Gran Turismo Award winners. Ferrari F50 ’95（N500) McLaren P1 GTR ’16（Gr.X) BMW M3 Coupé ’07（N400) Tesla Motors Model S Signature Performance ’12（Gr.X) Pontiac Firebird Trans Am ’78（N200) Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Sport Coupe (C2) ’63（N400) GReddy Fugu Z (N300) GT Sport 1.31 | Full Gallery December Update Highlight Vehicle – GReddy Fugu Z (N300) The winner of the 2015 Gran Turismo Awards at SEMA was an S30 Datsun Z, nicknamed the ‘Fugu Z’. The car was built by the actor Sung Kang, known for his role in the ‘Fast and the Furious’ movie series. It is based on a 1973 240Z which he bought in a stock state, and it was custom built to his desired specifications. The most notable feature of the exterior is the Rocket Bunny body kit consisting of very wide fenders and front/rear spoilers. And of course, the car is not just for looks. The engine is the famed RB26DETT from the Skyline GTR converted to natural aspiration, with mechanical tuning bringing its power up to 216 BHP. Using E85 Indy car fuel, it can produce about 295 BHP. To withstand this power, a roll cage is welded to the interior. In order to reduce weight, the dashboard and console are custom made by CarbonSignal. New Track – Tokyo Expressway South Route A new ‘South Route’ layout has been added to the Tokyo Expressway street course, which is based on the Shuto Expressway of Tokyo. With a home straight lining up next to the high-speed railway and a series of mid to high-speed S curves, this track has a very different character to the Central and East routes – sure to put experienced drivers through their paces. In addition to the Outer Loop layout, there’s also an Inner Loop layout that passes through a scenically gritty shipping terminal, with some tough hairpins and chicanes. GT League: This month, we’ve mixed things up a little, and added seven new rounds to four fan-favorite League events. Beginner League: Two new rounds have been added to the Nissan GT-R cup event. Amateur League: Two new rounds have been added to the Real Circuit Tours event. Professional League: Two new rounds have been added to the Mercedes AMG Grand Prix event. Endurance League: One new round has been added to the Gr. 3 Endurance League event. In addition, the Catalunya Circuit Grand Prix Layout has been added to the Circuit Experience, and we’ve added a dedicated FIA section to the Museum. Finally, in Scapes mode we’ve added Peugeot-related spots to Brand Central, and a special “Season’s Greetings” backdrop to help with those holiday-themed snaps. Please enjoy this month’s update, and remember you can find all the latest GT info here on PlayStation Blog and on the official Gran Turismo website. Until next time, drivers, we’ll see you out on the track. View the full article

God of War was built around three core pillars that would influence all design decisions for the project: Combat, Father/Son, and Exploration. When I started at Santa Monica Studio in May 2015, the Exploration pillar was the least defined. The franchise had traditionally been a solely linear experience, but the team was hoping to add ten additional hours of optional content outside of the critical path. To accomplish that goal, a team focused on the “Exploration” portion of the game was formed. I was tasked with helping them define what the content would be, and ultimately, to design the quests that would help entice the player into participating in these optional activities. WARNING: Spoilers ahead! Establishing Constraints One of the first challenges we faced when thinking about quests was that we had a game world devoid of friendly NPCs. There were no towns or bustling hubs, and the characters we did have (Brok, Sindri, Freya) were all heavily tied to the core narrative, which was still in flux. I set out to create a quest giver that was light-weight, but also flexible enough to be used in multiple locations, while providing a varied suite of quest activities. My initial prototype was a burial circle with an interact that popped in a ghost guy from Helheim. The “wayward spirits” gave a human voice to the mythical world around you. Being able to tell stories from people who lived in this world made it feel more alive, which is ironic since they were all dead. As the project moved forward, we started defining buckets in which these quests would fit. Each bucket was defined by the amount of work required to bring the quest to a finished state: “A” Quests Full levels of dedicated content Cinematic support, heavy narrative Quests acquired through an established cast member (Brok and Sindri) “B” Quests Encourage exploration to the islands and beaches in the Lake of Nine No cinematic support, moderate narrative support Quests acquired through the wayward spirit module “C” Quests Provide additional discoverability and reward exploration Light, non-critical narrative support Utilize gameplay modules such as Treasure Maps and Artifacts “D” Quests Checklists, milestones, stat counters No narrative support Labors, Ravens, Challenges “Got time for a favor?” While focusing on our “A” and “B” quests, one of the first steps was defining how the player would interact with the NPCs to start their quest. We settled on a flow that looked something like this: This flow obviously went through a ton of iteration, mostly in response to problems we identified in playtesting: Initially, there was no in-world icon callout until after the greeting had finished playing. Players were routinely running past quest givers, not realizing that a quest was available. The interact icon was changed to be available immediately, allowing players to interrupt the greeting and start the quest briefing. The briefing is typically the meat of the interaction, explaining to the player exactly what they need to do. Because so much of this is informational, there is little room for narrative without locking the player down for too long. An optional briefing follow-up was added to fit in additional narrative and lore. We ended up doing the same thing for the completion too. Speaking of locking the player down, this was a point of contention. When giving the player a briefing or completion dialogue, what are they doing? Are they completely locked down, unable to move? Can they run off at any time and interrupt the briefing? We eventually settled on a system where we would lock you down within a range, with a custom camera, and a forced slow walk. That way, the player still maintained a measure of control, while ensuring they heard the relevant information. There were still people who wanted to do the quest for the reward, but didn’t care about the narrative. We added the ability to skip lines late in the project. Filling in the Blanks By the time we actually starting writing and implementing our quests, most of our exploration spaces were already laid out by Level Design: Large Levels: Konunsgaard, Viethurgaard Dungeons: Volundr Mines, Landsuther Mines, Fafnir’s Storeroom, Northri Stronghold Islands & Beaches: Lookout Tower, Iron Cove, Isle of Death, Forgotten Caverns, Stone Falls, Cliffs of the Raven, The Mason’s Channel, Ruins of the Ancient, Buri’s Storeroom Starting with our “A” quest givers, Brok and Sindri, we began assigning these spaces to their respective quest lines. I knew I wanted both Brok and Sindri to each have a short quest-line that culminated with a shared quest after their reunion. With four dungeons, we gave the two mines to Brok and the other two dungeons to Sindri, reserving Konunsgaard for their penultimate quest. Our “B” quest givers, the wayward spirits, were used to encourage exploration around the islands and beaches, which had two distinct states as the water dropped. We wanted players to explore all the Lake of Nine had to offer at both water drops and designed the quests to help naturally drive you around the islands. Every one of these quests and their components served a very specific purpose. Some areas, such as Viethurgaard were meant to be purely discoverable, so a quest may have been positioned nearby, but it was still up to the player to explore and discover on their own… which in itself is a very rewarding experience. If the quest didn’t serve a definitive purpose, it didn’t make it into the final game. This was the case with the very first quest we built, “Oh Brother, My Brother.” In the quest, a spirit asked you to find his brother who was dead, but didn’t know it. After telling the brother he was dead, he got upset and cursed his brother’s name. You return to the initial quest giver, only to find out… wait for it… he didn’t know he was dead either. It was an interesting narrative twist, but at its core, it was a glorified fetch quest with no gameplay. We all felt strongly about not having content for the sake of having content. Sometimes cutting content actually makes the game stronger and, more importantly, we learned some valuable lessons from this initial attempt. “I am no errand boy.” A lot of the narrative for our quests began with questions about the characters’ motivations. For Brok and Sindri, it was logical that legendary blacksmiths would want to craft legendary weapons and armor. To fit the quest structure, we decided that they would both be searching for the tools to craft the Dwarven Armor of Legend and that they wouldn’t find what they were looking for until the second quest in the chain. We intentionally structured the first quests in their respective chains to end with an item acquire, but not the item you were looking for. This helped us to build in a time gap between quests 1 and 2 as the dwarves examined the items you found. After finishing the second quest for both Brok and Sindri and retrieving their legendary crafting tools, you could embark on their shared penultimate quest, Hail to the King. That quest ended with the acquisition of ingredients that could be used to craft the armor set from either Brok or Sindri. The armor served as the player motivation for undertaking these quests, but we failed in effectively communicating from the start that the four quests would pay off with a high level armor set. If we had done a better job communicating this, I think we would have seen less people waiting until the end of the game to do these quests. The harder question for us to answer was Kratos’ motivation. As a character, Kratos is not the type to go out of his way to help a stranger. When doing a favor for Brok and Sindri, we always tried to hammer home the idea that Kratos was doing this to craft better gear to help with his journey. This was less clear with the wayward spirits, but Atreus’ naiveté and kind-hearted nature leant itself well to wanting to help the spirits. The wayward spirit quests were all written with the theme of Kratos teaching his son a lesson, which helped clarify Kratos’ motivation support the Father/Son pillar. This idea of using quests as a teaching opportunity became core to all of our “B” quests. We knew this content would not receive the same support as the main game, but with the narrative being such a core part of the game and this theme tying all the quests together, we were able to build light-weight, optional content that felt worthwhile. Tying Everything Together Now that the game is in the wild, I see a number of factors as being key to our success: “Let’s explore!” These lines that were added for Atreus meant so much to us. It was just a small handful of lines, but it clearly let the player know they were at a point where they could continue down the critical path or head off and explore. The addition of these lines had measurable impact on Exploration engagement. Density & Placement: We always tried to put a little bit of everything into each Exploration space. In the ideal scenario, you would be doing an “A” quest, find a Treasure Map that leads you past a “B” quest, stumble upon a chained dragon, all while collecting Artifacts, finding lore, and killing ravens along the way. Player Freedom: It was important to us that players could experience the exploration at their own pace. We knew we never wanted a quest to expire after becoming available, but that presented some challenges. When Atreus learns he is a god, his attitude changes and side quests are locked out for a brief time to avoid an awkward shift in tone. We also had to account for players who went off exploring without the quest. Entry stones and Jormungandr’s body were used as gating mechanisms to ensure the player didn’t boat down a path for 10 minutes only to find a dead end. Loot: We saw a direct correlation between the reward players received for completing a quest and the scores they gave the quests in playtests. When we play tested with placeholder rewards, scores were quite low. After giving players better loot, scores went way up. Credit to Cory and leadership for not panicking and overhauling the quest when all we needed was a better reward. Working on these quests was an extremely rewarding experience for me. The team here at Santa Monica has a dedication to their craft that I’ve rarely seen anywhere else. We put everything we had into creating some enjoyable and memorable experiences for all of you. I can only hope you all enjoyed playing it half as much as I enjoyed working on it. God of War is now $39.99. Hit the PlayStation Store to experience a new beginning. View the full article

After 20-odd games, Resident Evil is one of gaming’s most storied series… but all those offshoots, reinventions, and remakes make it hard to nail down what, exactly, gaming’s original survival-horror series stands for. But I bring good news: following nearly three hours of hands-on gameplay, I predict that the PS4 Resident Evil 2 remake is going to make old-school Resident Evil fans very, very happy. On a purely visual scale, this PS4 incarnation or RE2 is a knockout. I played on the original PS4, and the game’s grimy, rain-slicked world glistens with atmospheric lighting effects that made me jump at shadows. The characters all look hyper realistic, from the rain droplets pitter-pattering on Leon’s shoulders to the pores and small freckles etched on his face. The gore level is admirably gag-inducing, too. Slashing or shooting advancing zombies opens up gushing flesh wounds that would make George A. Romero blush. Resident Evil 2 | Full Gallery As in the 1998 original, Resident Evil 2 on PS4 offers two playable characters split across two separate playthroughs: rookie Raccoon City cop Leon Kennedy is just trying to survive, while Claire Redfield is searching for her missing brother. My play time was split across both Leon and Claire’s chapters. And it was was soon clear that this remake seeks to pay homage to the original RE2, not create a soulless monument. From what I played, Leon’s sequences veered closer to the white-knuckle action-horror of RE4. His triple-burst “Matilda” handgun, shotgun, and magnum pistol all provided ample stopping power, but ammo was tight and enemies were numerous. Meanwhile, my experience with Claire skewed closer to “traditional” RE2 gameplay, with a focus on non-linear exploration, puzzle solving, and inventory management. I fought off (or avoided) Lickers and zombies using Claire’s snubnosed 9mm revolver and grenade launcher, complete with acid and flame rounds. Then there’s Ada, who pops up as a third playable character during parts of Leon’s campaign. Her sequences seemed especially tense given that she packs only a snubnosed pistol and a handful of rounds, relying more on her wireless hacking device, which can peer through walls to breach security systems that reveal new routes. Ada’s new tech is not only cutting edge for the game’s 1998 setting, but also highlights her mysterious connections. Capcom clearly worked to deliver an intuitive control scheme here. The directional pad handles weapon selection, Triangle opens your inventory, and holding L1 activates your secondary weapon, whether it’s a knife slash or tossing a flash grenade (note: you can use these to escape the clutches of a zombie as in 2002’s Resident Evil remake). Though I did slightly reduce the analog stick sensitivity, I didn’t ever find myself fighting the controls – a testament to the strong UX work here. I noticed that series mainstays like healing herbs and typewriters made the jump; I didn’t see any ink ribbons, so saving at the iconic typewriters may be unlimited. And ala RE3 and RE7, I could craft more ammo by collecting and combining various gunpowder pickups scattered throughout the environments. So far, so good! I’m dying to play more of Resident Evil 2 when it officially launches on PS4 January 25, i.e. less than two months from now! Let me know any questions and I’ll work to answer in the comments below. Bonus: Watch us play 20 minutes of Resident Evil 2 in our recent episode of PlayStation Underground View the full article