Commander Fury

Final Fantasy VII Remake arrives tomorrow! Taking on an organization as powerful as the Shinra Electric Power Company won’t be easy — even with a former SOLDIER on your side. But don’t worry — we’re here to help. We’ve put together 7 (see what we did there?) top tips to help you make the most of your trip to Midgar. Get Final Fantasy VII Remake at PlayStation Store 1. Use ATB as much as you can Final Fantasy VII Remake’s combat system revolves around ATB. As you battle, two bars will fill up beneath the characters’ HP indicators. When one of these is full, you can spend it on an ability, spell or item. Standard attacks don’t do much damage, but they do fill up the ATB gauges faster so you can issue more commands. Switching between characters regularly also helps, as your input will fill their gauges faster too. When you have ATB available, use it because these spells and abilities are the best way to cause damage to enemies. 2. Remember that you can block There are two basic defensive techniques available from the start of Final Fantasy VII Remake: a block and a dodge-roll. If you block, you’ll take reduced damage from enemy attacks. Rolling away, on the other hand, can negate damage entirely. With that in mind, you’d be forgiven for assuming that the dodge-roll is always the best option. It’s not. For one thing, the timing can be quite tricky — if the enemy lands a hit, you’re going to suffer the full effect. Blocking the attack is much more reliable and is often the safer tactic — particularly if you’re facing a speedy foe like the Shinra Shock Troopers. Blocking has other useful effects too. Some enemies have attacks that knock you off your feet, but blocking often negates this effect. While you will take a little bit of damage, it leaves you close enough to counterattack very quickly. Also worth noting is that if you block a melee attack while Cloud is in Punisher mode (activated by pressing triangle), he will retaliate with a powerful counter. This is fantastic against certain enemies – like the afore-mentioned Shock Troopers. 3. Heal between battles The denizens of Midgar are dangerous — many can deliver dramatic damage to your party. So make sure you enter every fight in tip-top shape. You can heal in battle with magic or items, but this will cost you a bar of ATB. That means that if you dive into the fray with your HP in the red, you may be taken out before you have a chance to even issue a command. Fortunately, you can use items and magic freely outside of battle, so make sure you take a few seconds to heal up when you get a break in the action. 4. Take advantage of enemy weaknesses Many enemies are weak against certain elements — if you can hit them with one of these attacks, they’ll definitely feel it. In the introductory sections of the game, a good rule of thumb is that if the enemy is mechanical, they’re likely weak to electrical attacks. Squishy, fleshy organic beings, on the other hand, won’t like fire. Past the opening stages though, things get a lot more complicated. You’ll have to experiment with different types of attacks to uncover what works on what enemy. That said, you can get a bit of assistance. At some point in the adventure, you’ll be able to acquire the Assess Materia. When equipped, you’ll be able to use it to see a detailed view of your foes’ various vulnerabilities. It’s very handy! 5. Understand how to stagger If you want to really dominate in battle, you must learn how to stagger enemies. As you fight, a stagger gauge beneath your opponent’s health meter will fill up. When this maxes out, not only will your foe be unable to attack you, all of your hits will deal much more damage! Staggering is very powerful, so it’s useful to understand the basics of how you can fill that meter. A good first step is to deal a lot of damage to the foe very quickly, so try to coordinate your party’s spells or abilities to hit in quick succession. If you do a lot of damage in a short time, your foe may enter a ‘Pressured’ state. While Pressured, your target’s stagger bar will fill up much quicker than usual, so use stagger-building attacks like Cloud’s Focused Thrust and Barret’s Focused Shot to max it out fast. Of course, things are not always quite that simple. Some enemies are easier to stagger than others, so you’ll have to experiment with your ever-expanding options in battle to develop strategies that work for different encounters. 6. Take the time to explore Midgar Final Fantasy VII Remake typically points you to your current objective, but most of the time, there’s no need to rush. Make sure you explore and look around — not just because Midgar is often staggeringly beautiful, but because it’s also stuffed full of things to find. From restorative items, to MP-regenerating Mako shards, to music discs that you can play on a jukebox… there’s all sorts of goodies hidden away. What’s more, many of them will make your adventures easier, or help you out of a difficult situation, so it’s well worth going out of your way to poke around at the corners of the world. 7. Try Classic Mode If you’re not a big fan of action mechanics, or merely want a change of pace, you should try out Classic Mode. You can activate this from the System menu. In this mode, characters move, attack and defend automatically, so you can focus entirely on giving them instructions via the Command Menu. Because you don’t have to focus on standard attacks and blocks, you have more time to consider your overall strategy. It’s a little bit reminiscent of the menu-based system of the original Final Fantasy VII, so fans of that game will hopefully enjoy it too. View the full article

Tension and release. Chase and escape. Blasting my last precious shotgun shell, then discovering a hidden ammo cache around the corner. The greatest Resident Evil games deliver an intoxicating ebb and flow of survival, and Capcom’s relentless RE3 remake delivers on this pedigree at a ruthless pace. The solo horror adventure is coupled with RE Resistance, a refreshing asymmetrical online multiplayer game where you play as one of four Survivors or a singular sadistic Mastermind. Resident Evil 3 is an intense horror gauntlet of razor-thin escapes, built upon the rock-solid foundation of last year’s RE2 remake (one of my all-time favorites). The new thrills come from not knowing when the faster, stronger, and less forgiving Nemesis will burst through a wall to dunk on Jill. I adore the invaluable new dodge maneuvers Jill has for shaking off her pursuer. Tapping R1 to quickly dodge lunging zombies or Nemesis’ swinging fist is responsive and satisfying. Perfect timing scores you a satisfying slow-mo window to blast enemies in retaliation. This remake holds true to the 1999 original’s action-movie pace and key story beats, while injecting intriguing new locations, revamped enemy types, and other twists. I loved returning to the role of heavily armed mercenary Carlos Oliveira and exploring the RPD station. And now, Nemesis can attach parasites to zombies’ heads, arming them with a long-range tentacle attack and beefed-up defenses. These delectable deviations kept me guessing throughout — the best horror is always unexpected. RE3 carries forward one of my favorite elements from RE2 – permanent weapon upgrades. Attachments like bigger magazines, suppressors, accuracy-boosting stocks, and more are the ultimate rewards for backtracking or confronting Nemesis himself. Be sure to unlock every sealed container, as most weapon upgrades make your precious ammo even more potent (and way cooler looking). Expanding your inventory with stylish RPD fanny packs is also spaciously cathartic. Need a break from the harrowing pursuit of monsters? Resident Evil Resistance, a 4v1 asymmetrical online multiplayer game included with RE3, lets you control them. I love taking the Mastermind helm and summoning RE2’s hulking Tyrant (a.k.a. Mr. X) or G-Birkin for a brute-force rampage against human-controlled Survivors. Becoming some of these iconic monsters is an RE fan’s evil dream come true. Also satisfying is spying on enemies via security cameras and foiling their escape with carefully placed zombies, bear traps, and other hazards. Entering the mindspace of an RE villain is alarmingly intoxicating. Teaming up with other Survivors for a more traditional RE experience is also a blast. Navigating devious stages and Mastermind traps together brings me waves of nostalgia from hours spent online playing RE Outbreak back on PS2. My favorite Survivor is January with her handy camera-hacking ability — perfect for reducing the Mastermind’s control. Escaping through that final door is a gratifying thrill I intend to repeat many times (hopefully as a team). Capcom’s two-for-one of terror delivers on all fronts, whether you prefer to survive alone or with friends… or dish out the mayhem yourself. Next stop, Raccoon City! View the full article

We’ve reached an exciting milestone with PlayStation 5, as we’re starting to ship our new controller in its final design to developers who are implementing its unique features into their games. But first, we wanted everyone in the PlayStation community to get a first look at the DualSense™ wireless controller, and hear our vision for how the new controller will captivate more of your senses as you interact with the virtual worlds in PS5 games. The features of DualSense, along with PS5’s Tempest 3D AudioTech, will deliver a new feeling of immersion to players. When PS4 launched in 2013, the DualShock 4 wireless controller garnered a lot of positive feedback from gamers and developers for being the best PlayStation controller yet, and for introducing forward-looking features like the Share button. This brought us to the next question – how do we build upon that success? After thoughtful consideration, we decided to keep much of what gamers love about DualShock 4 intact, while also adding new functionality and refining the design. Based on our discussions with developers, we concluded that the sense of touch within gameplay, much like audio, hasn’t been a big focus for many games. We had a great opportunity with PS5 to innovate by offering game creators the ability to explore how they can heighten that feeling of immersion through our new controller. This is why we adopted haptic feedback, which adds a variety of powerful sensations you’ll feel when you play, such as the slow grittiness of driving a car through mud. We also incorporated adaptive triggers into the L2 and R2 buttons of DualSense so you can truly feel the tension of your actions, like when drawing a bow to shoot an arrow. This provided us with an exciting challenge to design a new controller that builds off of the current generation, while taking into account the new features we were adding. For example, with adaptive triggers, we had to consider how the components would fit into the hardware, without giving it a bulky feeling. Our design team worked closely with our hardware engineers to place the triggers and actuators. The designers were then able to draw the lines of how the exterior of the controller would look and feel, with a challenge of making the controller feel smaller than it really looks. In the end, we changed the angle of the hand triggers and also made some subtle updates to the grip. We also took thoughtful consideration into ways to maintain a strong battery life for DualSense’s rechargeable battery, and to lessen the weight of the controller as much as possible as new features were added. For the buttons, you’ll notice there is no longer a “Share” button as we had with DualShock 4. Don’t worry – it’s not going away. In fact, we’ve built upon the success of our industry-first Share button to bring you a new “Create” button feature. With Create, we’re once again pioneering new ways for players to create epic gameplay content to share with the world, or just to enjoy for themselves. We’ll have more details on this feature as we get closer to launch. DualSense also adds a built-in microphone array, which will enable players to easily chat with friends without a headset – ideal for jumping into a quick conversation. But of course, if you are planning to chat for a longer period, it’s good to have that headset handy. Now, let’s talk about the colors. Traditionally our base controllers have a single color. As you can see, we went a different direction this time around, and decided on a two-toned design. Additionally, we changed the position of the light bar that will give it an extra pop. On DualShock 4, it sat on the top of the controller; now it sits at each side of the touch pad, giving it a slightly larger look and feel. In all, we went through several concepts and hundreds of mockups over the last few years before we settled on this final design. DualSense has been tested by a wide range of gamers with a variety of hand sizes, in order for us to achieve the comfort level we wanted, with great ergonomics. Our goal with DualSense is to give gamers the feeling of being transported into the game world as soon as they open the box. We want gamers to feel like the controller is an extension of themselves when they’re playing – so much so that they forget that it’s even in their hands! We are thrilled about sharing the final look of the DualSense controller with our fans, and we can’t wait for everyone to get their hands on it! I’d like to close with a message from SIE President & CEO Jim Ryan to the community: “DualSense marks a radical departure from our previous controller offerings and captures just how strongly we feel about making a generational leap with PS5. The new controller, along with the many innovative features in PS5, will be transformative for games – continuing our mission at PlayStation to push the boundaries of play, now and in the future. To the PlayStation community, I truly want to thank you for sharing this exciting journey with us as we head toward PS5’s launch in Holiday 2020. We look forward to sharing more information about PS5, including the console design, in the coming months.” – Jim Ryan, President & CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment “DualSense” is a registered trademark or trademark of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. View the full article

Echo 3-1, reporting for duty. Alex, the Operator last seen in the Modern Warfare Campaign, returns to battle in Season Three in Multiplayer, Special Ops, and Warzone. Alex is available for purchase as part of this Season’s Battle Pass system which includes two free weapons, a canine Finishing Move that lets man’s best friend finish off the enemy, vehicle skins, and more. Read on for more intel on the latest Season in Modern Warfare and the exclusive* content available for PlayStation. Fight with Two New Weapons Available in the Battle Pass system, players can earn two free weapons – the Renetti handgun (Tier 15) and the SKS marksman rifle (Tier 31). Renetti handgun – A balanced semi-auto pistol includes a three-round burst attachment and is deadly in close-range combat. SKS marksman rifle – This lightweight, semi-auto chambered sniper rifle is extremely agile and boasts a faster fire rate than any other weapon in this class. Customize this weapon using blueprints or in Gunsmith to tailor its capabilities for your Multiplayer or Warzone needs. Ready Up in New Modes for Warzone and Multiplayer Looking to add to your trio? Quads makes its Warzone debut at the start of the Season and more modes will join the mix mid-season. Experience New Multiplayer Battlegrounds Season Three of Modern Warfare gives players three 6v6 Multiplayer maps – Talsik Backlot, reimagined from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare’s Backlot, Hovec Sawmill, a rural battlefield, and Aniyah Incursion, a tightened, tactical version of Aniyah Palace. Tips for Hovec Sawmill 1. Look Around… and Up. The rooftops of Hovec Sawmill may be littered with enemies hoping to pick off unsuspecting targets. Keep your eyes peeled and look for a glint to determine if a sniper has you in their sights. 2. Silent and Deadly. Because the rolling river in Hovec Sawmill gives off a distinct sound, consider using the Dead Silence Field Upgrade, as crossing over the river may give away your position. 3. Battle with Range. Mid to long range sightlines both find a home on Hovec Sawmill, consider a weapon with a hybrid scope to ensure you find your target at any distance. Get More On PlayStation: Sony Exclusive* Modern Warfare Season Three Content Shoot House (Survival) Outlast the enemy on this fan-favorite Multiplayer map, Shoot House. Battle with your squad and find choke points to take down waves of opponents. Consider taking the high ground in the office. Barricade the entry ways with traps and explosives and show off your marksmanship skills. Or, claim the Alpha or Bravo gates to give yourself more room to maneuver and eliminate the oncoming foes. With new tactics and strategies required, rediscover Shoot House to best the enemy in Survival. Call of Duty: Warzone – Combat Pack (Season Three) Free for all PlayStation Plus subscribers, Modern Warfare and free-to-play Warzone users can get the Call of Duty: Warzone – Combat Pack. Here’s details on the pack including when and where to download. The Pack includes: Epic Operator skin for Wyatt Epic sniper rifle blueprint Epic handgun blueprint Epic tactical knife Epic weapon charm Animated Calling Card Spray 60-minute Double Weapon XP Token Download the Pack for free on April 8 by heading to the PS Plus section of the PlayStation Store. Get a New and Exclusive* Weapon Blueprint through Missions (Multiplayer) Players can head to the Barracks tab in Multiplayer and scroll down to find the newest PlayStation mission in Season Three. Visit the Barracks tab in Modern Warfare to activate this mission and complete the steps to get the final reward – an exclusive assault rifle weapon blueprint. Season Three of Modern Warfare launches on April 8. * Timed Exclusive content until October 1, 2020 View the full article

PlayStation Now players, prepare to perform super heroic feats this month as a trio of PS4 titles join the service. Protect Marvel’s New York by battling Super Villains in Marvel’s Spider-Man, survive weaponized superstorms and hi-tech mercenaries in South America with Just Cause 4… and get a hole in one at TPC Scottsdale’s No.16 hole in The Golf Club 2019. Let’s take a closer look at the games. Marvel’s Spider-Man Available to download (PS4 system only) and stream until Tuesday, July 7 Explore a new chapter in Marvel’s Spider-Man universe as a more experienced Peter Parker. Starring one of the world’s most iconic Super Heroes, Marvel’s Spider-Man features the acrobatic abilities, improvization and web-slinging that the wall-crawler is famous for, while also introducing elements never-before-seen in a Spider-Man game. From traversing by parkour and unique environmental interactions, to new combat and blockbuster action, it’s Spider-Man unlike any you’ve played before. Just Cause 4 Available to download (PS4 system only) and stream until Tuesday, October 6 Epic action awaits as you wage war against The Black Hand, a hi-tech private military organization ensconced in the exotic open-world of South American country Solís. The group are packing military-grade hardware and have found a way to weaponize extreme weather from towering tornadoes to tropical lightning storms. But as rogue hero Rico Rodriguez, you have unparalleled aerial mobility thanks to your instantly-deployable wingsuit and parachute. Add in your fully-customizable grappling hook, growing arsenal of weapons and the ability to drive — or pilot — any vehicle and you’ve got the makings of a blockbuster adventure. The Golf Club 2019 Available to download (PS4 system only) and stream …or to give it its full title: The Golf Club 2019 featuring PGA TOUR. The “featuring…” part is an important one, as it sees seven real-world spots – including TPC Scottsdale – join the already sizable range of fictitious courses that will challenge golf fans. This sim has game modes aplenty to suit your golfing preferences: make a name for yourself in the PGA TOUR Career, challenge other players in multiplayer, or build your dream course in Course Designer. New to PlayStation Now? If you haven’t tried PlayStation Now yet, now is the perfect time to give it a spin with the seven-day free trial** for PS4 and PC. Download the more than 300 PS4 (and PS2) games in the service to play on your PS4 or PS4 Pro system, or stream any of the 800+ PS2, PS3, and PS4 games to your PS4 or PC. Stay tuned for more updates on PS Now. Happy gaming! *Replaces the current PS3 version on PlayStation Now. **Terms apply. New Subscribers only. Credit card or PayPal required. See here for details. View the full article

Hello! It has been a few weeks now since we released the Living Ship update for No Man’s Sky, and it seems like PS4 players can’t get enough of exploring the universe in these crazy organic beings that they’ve grown from an egg! It’s been especially satisfying to see PS VR players jump inside their ship for the first time and marvel/recoil at the organic innards! Since the Beyond update last year, we have resolved to increase the frequency of our updates and ensure that, as well as working on larger, more all-encompassing content, we are also able to deliver more digestible drops to keep our PlayStation community entertained. This seems more important now than ever. And so, today, we are able to announce the latest free update to No Man’s Sky for PS4 owners: the Exo Mech update. Players are already familiar with the suite of exocraft which players can research and unlock in the game: the Nomad, the Roamer, the Colossus and the Pilgrim. Today, we introduce a fifth: the Minotaur. The Minotaur Exocraft is a unique new exocraft / suit hybrid and introduces a different way to explore planets. This mechanical walker shields its pilot against hostile extraterrestrial atmospheres, providing immunity against hazards such as radioactivity and extreme temperatures. Its special defining feature, though, is the freedom of movement it affords. The Minotaur’s powerful jetpack allows it to soar powerfully through the air, and land on terrain with a satisfying slide. We think it’s a lot of fun to stomp around in, especially in PS VR. We hope you enjoy this latest update and look forward to bringing you more in the coming months. Until then, keep safe. Our journey continues. Sean View the full article

Email us at [email protected]! Subscribe via iTunes, Spotify, Google or RSS, or download here We’re back! We’re recording the show remotely this week, so please excuse any audio quality issues. This week, Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann gives an update on The Last of Us Part II. Then, we discuss the demon-destroyin’ tour de force that is Doom Eternal, catch up on Persona 5 Royal, and do a quick news roundup. Hope you can listen in! Stuff We Talked About Doom Eternal The Last of Us Part II Interview with Neil Druckmann Persona 5 Royal The Cast Sid Shuman – Senior Director of Content Communications, SIE Justin Massongill – Content Communications Manager, SIE Kristen Zitani – Content Communications Specialist, SIE Thanks to Cory Schmitz for our beautiful logo and 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

I mean, I feel like I don’t even need to write an intro for this one. Final Fantasy VII Remake launches Friday. Enjoy The Drop. AFL Evolution 2 PS4 — Digital (Out Apr. 9) The Evolution Continues. A true reflection of the modern AFL game. Pursue your goals with greater depth, improved draft, free agency and state leagues. Includes Guernsey Creator, Player and Team Management. Create/ share online on FanHub. Play head to head and top the leaderboard, or team up with up to eight mates online. Below PS4 — Digital Explore, Survive, and Discover what lies Below in this brooding, atmospheric dungeon-crawler. Below presents a vast underworld of ever-shifting labyrinths where deadly monstrosities, cunning traps, and a shadowy presence lurk in every passage. What lies below? Only the brave will find out. Biped PS4 — Digital (Out Apr. 8) Biped is a physics-based 3D co-op action-adventure game with a strong focus on moment-to-moment collaboration between two players. Two little bipedal robots, Aku and Sila, will walk side by side and embark on a fun and bonding journey to accomplish their mission on planet Earth. Braveland Trilogy PS4 — Digital (Out Apr. 10) The story takes place in a hand-drawn world and covers many interesting places and characters. Various warriors will join your army – archers, scouts, healers, footmen, arbalesters and more. Construction Simulator 3 – Console Edition PS4 — Digital Construction Simulator 3 returns to Europe! Discover an idyllic European town with officially licensed vehicles by famous brands. Take on diverse and challenging contracts. Shape the skyline of your city and expand your vehicle fleet. Convoy: A Tactical Roguelike PS4 — Digital (Out Apr. 8) Convoy is a tactical roguelike in which you cross a wasteland in search of parts for your broken ship. You travel with your combat vehicles and convoy across a wasteland to find parts needed to repair your broken spaceship. Keep your convoy and its cargo safe from raiders, privateers and other enemies during your journey. Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories PS4 — Digital A calm summer day turns into catastrophe when a massive earthquake strikes the city, throwing buildings and lives into chaos. In order to survive, you must navigate familiar locations under unfamiliar circumstances. The fellow survivors you meet and crucial decisions you make will ultimately determine how your journey through this crisis will end. Final Fantasy VII Remake PS4 — Digital, Retail (Out Apr. 10) A spectacular reimagining of one of the most visionary games ever, Final Fantasy VII Remake rebuilds and expands the legendary RPG for today. The first entry in a multi-part saga, delivering a level of depth inconceivable for the original. Mind-blowing story, unforgettable characters, epic battles and technical excellence collide. Form PS4 — Digital Enter a surreal adventure where puzzles are built from dreams and memories. Solve the mystery behind an ancient artifact. Advance through a world that transforms around you. Transcend this existence. Charm Games brings you Form, a surreal adventure that unfolds within the confines of the human mind. Galaxy of Pen & Paper +1 Edition PS4 — Digital Galaxy of Pen & Paper is a turn-based meta RPG about a group of players rolling dice in the year 1999! Create your own game master and RPG party, as they roleplay, explore distant planets in their imagination, fight weird aliens and save the galaxy in the era of dial-up internet and floppy disks! Null Drifter PS4 — Digital Blast into a 1-bit lo-fi simulation that will gradually train your skills up to become the ultimate space-fighter pilot! Secretly part of the Project Starship world, this twin-stick shooter is designed to prepare pilots for their mission against the awakened forces of the void. A Room Where Art Conceals PS VR — Digital (Out Apr. 8) In the distant future, many masterpieces of art have disappeared in the turmoil, and people have lost their emotions in the indifference of survival. Well you accidentally opened the door to a mysterious old space and woke up the robot guarding the paintings in some way, who will guide you to find those lost paintings by entering the world within those famous paintings and experience the emotions of such fascinating paintings Rush Rover PS4, PS Vita — Digital (Cross-Buy) Rush Rover is a 2D top-down shooter game with game play mechanics similar to traditional shmups. It includes random map generation, unique weapons, lots of different enemies, exciting boss battles and a dynamic chip tune soundtrack. Sharknado VR: Eye of the Storm PS VR — Digital (Out Apr. 8) Fight your way through swarms of hungry flying sharks in Sharknado VR! Slice them with the Chainsaw, shred them with machine guns or explode them with the RPG! Can you survive the Sharknado? Troubleshooter PS4 — Digital (Out Apr. 9) Why did dinosaurs go extinct? Bad weather? Meteors? Or because of a maniac with rainbow hair? Who knows! Troubleshooter is a top-down arcade shooter. Fight through endless waves of unsuspecting dinosaurs and prove you are the best! Grab a friend and rampage together. Use meteors showers and upgrades to your advantage. Dolittle Gretel & Hansel Ip Man 4: The Finale The information above is subject to change without notice. View the full article

Last week, we asked you to share a laugh from a game of your choice using #PS4share and #PSBlog. From hearty chuckles to sinister cackles, here are this week’s highlights: Kratos and Atreus can crack a smile thanks to God of War’s photo mode, as shared by leonardo_.montemayor. 84_bulldawg snaps a funny photo in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. Joker sure thinks this moment from Batman: Arkham Knight is funny, as shared by baby_nass_ . fabianhazuki shares a Goofy selfie from Kingdom Hearts 3. Harley Quinn gets the last laugh in this share from Injustice 2, shared by alittleblonde.fox. vikingdad278 shared a hearty laugh from Red Dead Redemption 2. Search #PS4share and #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? Theme: Death Stranding – Photo Mode Share by: 9am Pacific on Wednesday, April 8 Next week, strap in with your BB and head back to the world of Death Stranding. Share photos using the new photo mode with #PS4share and #PSBlog for a chance to be featured. View the full article

Resident Evil 3 hits PS4 today, and it’s bringing a few friends with it — both the hulking Nemesis that will be chasing Jill through the city streets as well as the 4v1 survival horror game, Resident Evil Resistance. In this new experience, four Survivors must outwit a sinister Mastermind determined to prevent their escape throughout a series of gruesome experiments. Resident Evil Resistance is included alongside Resident Evil 3, so you’ll have two horror experiences to dive into. You may have already caught up on Tim’s blog with some excellent Resident Evil Resistance tips for Survivors and Masterminds alike, so today we’ve put together a little guide on how to make the most of your time in Resident Evil 3’s Raccoon City. Bright Lights, Big City Jill will be spending some time on the streets of the city she once called home, and fortunately for you, a map of Raccoon City is readily available to navigate your way around. Make good use of it, as your map can tell you if you’ve missed items in an area, and even keep track of locked doors. Sharp-eyed fans of the original Resident Evil 3: Nemesis might recognize familiar stores like Eagle’s Pet Shop, while new locations, such as Moon’s Donuts, are a great place to stop and take a moment to rest. Keep your eyes and ears open, too. Rattling doors or distant groans mean that there are likely enemies approaching — though zombies may soon be the least of your worries as you venture through the streets and buildings of Raccoon City. Mix It Up Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: One green herb mixed with one red herb is a recipe for full health. Resident Evil 3 continues this long tradition, making for an easy way to restore your health in a pinch. Red herbs are less common, but they don’t have any useful properties on their own. Make sure you have some spare green herbs to mix with them to create powerful healing items! Speaking of mixing, ammo mixing from the original Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (and re-introduced in last year’s Resident Evil 2) makes a return. There are different kinds of gunpowder, and different mixes yield different types of ammunition. Craft the type of ammo that fits your playstyle, and what you’ll need for the trials ahead – but make sure to plan ahead! A single bottle of gunpowder doesn’t do anything on its own. Tall, Dark, and Deadly If you’ve already played the Resident Evil 3 Raccoon City Demo — and if you haven’t, go download it after reading this! — you already know that Nemesis is a towering force to be reckoned with. It won’t go down without a fight, but you can knock Nemesis down… for a short while. What you do after that is your call, but sticking around won’t do you much good. If you want to stand your ground, bring your strongest weaponry, and make sure to practice your perfect dodges (R1 when an attack is about to hit) to maneuver out of the way and mount a counterattack by holding L2 to aim and slow things down for a moment right after a perfect dodge. Dear Diary… This is an easy one — remember to save your game at typewriters regularly, especially if you just did something cool, saved a bunch of ammo, or made a flawless escape from a hungry horde. You never know what’s lurking around the next corner, so locking in your progress is always a good idea. Saving is free, so safe often! Before wrapping things up, how about a couple of extra tips for Resident Evil Resistance? You’ll want to make the most of your first few matches, so here’s a couple of recommendations for new Survivors and Masterminds: Did You Hear That? Tim mentioned this already in his article the other day, but voice communication can make a huge difference for the Survivors. No matter if you squad up with a trusty group of allies, or make some new friends as you play, being respectful and supportive of your allies while talking through matches will help you make it to the end. There’s a flip side to voice chat, though; crafty Masterminds can choose to use their own mic to taunt the Survivors and listen in on their conversations, adding a psychological layer to the proceedings. A keen Mastermind can listen in, and play mind games by selectively responding to their test subjects. Sometimes silence is the most terrifying sound of all. Know Your Limits Both Survivors and Masterminds have a suite of abilities at their disposal, so don’t be afraid to take the time to learn the ins and outs of each as you play a few matches. For Survivors, that means figuring out the best time to use your powerful Fever Skills. Tyrone’s Rally can lessen damage when a Tyrant shows up, for example, while Becca’s Bullet Storm is great for clearing out rooms of enemies with the right weapon in hand. Masterminds, on the other hand, should keep track of how much energy they have and how many creatures they’ve placed. It might be tempting to fill a room full of enemies, but a well-placed grenade can ruin all of that effort in a flash (and a bang). Keep some energy on hand, and plan ahead — try to wear down the Survivors and run down the clock instead of going for an all-out attack. That’s all we’ve got, now go brave the streets of Raccoon City in Resident Evil 3, available now. And don’t forget — Resident Evil 3 includes the 4v1 survival horror game Resident Evil Resistance, so get a few friends together online and try to escape as Survivors, or take on the role of a Mastermind to crush their attempts. I’ll be seeing you from behind the Mastermind’s cameras! View the full article

Here at Troglobytes, we were all born in the 1980s, surrounded by pop culture that was characterized by cheesy action movies and classic video games. You can tell that by having a look at our small studio — the walls are plastered with action movie posters and we also collect vintage consoles and games from that era. We have an arcade cabinet in the office with Avenging Spirit running on it. One day, as we were taking a break from developing and getting our fix of retro gaming, we were suddenly struck by its concept: you played as a ghost that could possess various characters. We then asked ourselves: why don’t we make a game that features all of the best things we loved from the 1980s: wrestlers, aliens, renegades, green berets, etc., combined with the possession mechanics? With so many great options to choose from, we were not able to decide who the protagonist of this game could be, and that’s how HyperParasite came to be: a game in which you can control them all! With HyperParasite, we wanted to take players on a journey to the dark side of the 1980s: forget about heroes; in our game, you will be playing the bad guy, and the good guys are the enemies. Have you ever dreamt of fighting against your favourite 1980s characters? Then HyperParasite is the game for you. You are able to snatch and control any character on the screen, exploiting its own unique abilities, weapons and special attacks in a neon and mullet-based mega-brawl. In order to immerse you in this atmosphere, we needed a few things: retro graphics and SynthWave music, combined with relentless action, permadeath (typical of rogue-like/rogue-lite games) and deranged bosses. The game that you can now play on Playstation 4 is the result of three years of hard work; we put everything we had into it, and we made it as a heartfelt love letter to the 80s. Seasoned players will also feel more than one similarity with old classics, and we’re pretty sure you’ll recognize every single cameo, and reference, we put into the game. View the full article

You know that big, snappy **cr-unch** when biting deep into a perfect, crisp apple? Take that moment of sensory satisfaction and extend it for hours, swap in demons for fruit, and you’ll know what it’s like to play Doom Eternal. Thy Flesh Consumed Id Software has created a shooter that will shake you to your bones. This sequel to 2016’s Doom reboot is an ode to the blistering, balls-to-the-wall gaming sensibilities of the 90s. Here, the story takes a backseat to relentless white-knuckle action, capably propelled by Mick Gordon’s muscular metal score. The game is fast paced and often difficult, but it rewards an aggressive playstyle — diving headfirst into combat is usually the best way to cheat death for another few milliseconds. Once this ruthless rubric clicks, Doom Eternal becomes one of the most enjoyable action games released this generation. Bullet Hell In addition to its Doom heritage, Doom Eternal borrows liberally from the Quake III: Arena catalog of play. Many of the ferocious campaign encounters play like old-school multiplayer matches, as you launch off bounce pads and strafe through gothic passageways while inflicting as much damage as (in)humanly possible against hordes of gibbering ghouls. And that arsenal! My favorite is the Plasma Rifle, a blistering death machine that I upgraded with a secondary attack to vent superheated gas at nearby enemies, shotgun-style. Later, I unlocked a Weapon Mastery that buffed my primary attack for a few seconds after. Fire, vent gas, fire again with enhanced damage — it’s a virtuous circle with a deliciously visceral edge, and a perfect example of Eternal’s constant chaotic creativity. Of course, old favorites like the Rocket Launcher, Super Shotgun, and Chaingun are well represented here. Most weapons are replete with a focused skill tree that veers into different playstyles depending on your upgrade choices. This design adds depth and an experimental quality to the combat. The game encourages you to play again and again to try all the offensive options – and you will. I’m also pleased to report that the iconic BFG 9000 has never been better. Buckle up! Master Level Be warned: Doom Eternal is challenging, even on the stock “Hurt Me Plenty” setting. But here’s a game worthy of the struggle — once you master the drum-tight combat loops, you’ll breeze past tough early encounters and leap into the gnashing teeth of late-game battles, pecs flexed and howling havoc. It’s a hoot! Helpfully, Doom Eternal lets you swap difficulty levels on the fly. And, between friends, there is no shame in dropping the difficulty a notch or two in order to sneak past a particularly tough battle, especially the game’s unforgiving boss encounters (btw, if you’re given a chance to use the Sentinel Armor, take it). Doom Eternal is a masterpiece of mechanical mayhem, and an exquisite follow-up to 2016’s Doom. Id Software has done it again — see you on the shores of Hell. View the full article

After years of quietly toiling away, 5 Lives Studios is excited to emerge from the shadows and reveal our latest creation. Once we had completed the rain-slicked neon streets of our debut title Satellite Reign, we turned our attention to the beauty of nature and set sail on our next adventure: Windbound. Windbound takes place on a long-forgotten archipelago, once home to an ancient civilization. The game begins shortly after Kara — our protagonist — is separated from her fleet during a fierce and mysterious storm. Awakening on the shore of a strange island, the player’s initial motivations are purely survival-focused, with the goal of simply returning to their tribe. However, with the storm seemingly surrounding the whole area, it’s immediately apparent that there’s something unusual about these islands, with strange structures and monuments left behind by a long-gone people. As players progress through the world they’ll uncover the history of the ancient people, their relationship with the sea and the mysterious sea creatures that still swim beneath the waves. Survival will be their initial focus, but the world is also rich with materials they can use to craft items to make their journey easier. Critical to success is building seafaring vessels. Starting with simple grass canoes and escalating to large multi-hull boats with a number of sails, players will learn to harness the power of the seemingly never-ending wind to traverse uncharted waters. But the seas are not always friendly, and the player is certainly not alone in the water. Throughout their adventure players will travel to unique islands, featuring a cornucopia of flora and fauna in varied environments. Truly no two adventures will be the same with the archipelagos procedurally generated every time a new adventure begins. Each environment has different resources available, from wild berries to hitherto unknown beasts. To truly prosper players will need to craft new weapons and develop new strategies to neutralize natural threats. Explore the scattered ruins and artifacts, unlock pieces of the islands’ past and uncover Kara’s connection to it. Unravel the mystery that enshrouds the islands and you may find your way home. We can’t wait for you to set sail into the world of Windbound, coming to PS4 August 28. View the full article

Hello! I’m Dong from NExT Studios, producer of Biped — our upcoming co-op action adventure game with a strong focus on moment-to-moment collaboration between two players. Today, I’m very happy to share with you the release date for the game: April 8! Biped may take place on planet Earth, but it’s actually Earth in another dimension and time, where human beings don’t inhabit the planet and bipeds have built planetary facilities in the wild. At the beginning of the game, a galactic anomaly unexpectedly “turns off” the light beacons on Earth, and it’s up to these little robots to descend to Earth, locate the beacons, and restore them. The game is primarily composed of three parts: co-op missions, solo missions, and extra hard pro missions. The co-op missions are for two players and cover the main playbook in a balanced way, but the most difficult challenges are in the pro missions where all the experience and skill players have learned from coop will be put to the ultimate test. You’ll also unlock lots of decorative items by collecting coins and buying them in the in-game shop. These are anything but serious, meant to toss a few extra laughs into your time with the game. Two years ago, two of our developers were trying to make a climbing game using full ragdoll animation tech on characters, just like Human Fall Flat. While iterating on this idea, they found it was very difficult to control and they decided arms might not actually be necessary, opting instead to let the character’s two legs do everything. And that’s how the Biped idea was born. When we started working on Biped, we were trying to make a lot of prototypes. We had a big biped, a tall biped, a strong biped… even a dog with two bipeds. This is fun because you can see a lot of possibilities. But it’s also hard to choose which mechanics we should put into the game. The theme of Biped is a joint adventure. So we wanted the visual style to illustrate a warm, vibrant, and whimsical world in which players can have an emotional adventure. It’s colorful, easy on the eyes, and hopefully will provide a soothing backdrop to the game’s otherwise demanding challenges. We tried to make our game literally for everyone! The control scheme and fundamental mechanics of the game are so simple and straightforward that everyone, of all ages, has not yet had any problems picking it up and having a fun time instantly. It goes without saying that the game is great for couch cooperation among friends and family members, but it also works magic when absolute strangers are paired together and compelled to cooperate for the first time. It brings out the empathetic inner selves in all of us. One thing we really want players to look out for is the mini-quests with the various NPCs in the game, who have a lot of harmlessly strange personalities. One day, one of our game designers made a little guy who drops coins while complaining if you try to bash him. If you are familiar with old school Capcom side-scrolling beat ’em ups you might even recognize where this comes from. We decided to keep this in the final game, along with many other Easter eggs you may find along the way. It’s exhilarating to finally talk about Biped — thanks to everyone who has read this story. If you find Biped interesting and you are curious about more, please check out Biped on PS4 when it launches next week! View the full article

“They let us make a John Wick game.” That thought still hits me every couple of days. Lionsgate, Thunder Road Pictures and a bunch of film makers let me and my team re-imagine their fantastic film franchise as a game, and go some odd places with it. But more than just letting us, Lionsgate and Thunder Road Pictures encouraged us to be brave with the source material, along with our choice of genre. Let’s talk about genre. John Wick Hex is a ‘timeline strategy’ game, meaning it’s a game where you take control of Wick’s second to second decision making, but crucially, it’s not turn based, it’s time based. Actions take a specific amount of time to perform, so as you play, you’ll need to time your performance around that of your enemies. It’s a dance, choreography. Fight choreography specifically. And it’s fight choreography informed by the action team behind the John Wick movies, so your action will follow the rules and challenge of what you’ve seen in the films. Indeed, in playtesting, we found that players who were fans of the movies actually play better, so re-watching the trilogy between now and our launch might be a good idea! Chad Stahelski was editing John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum while giving me feedback on our mechanics, he’s a multitasker. A multitasker with lots of great opinions we’ve worked into our design throughout development. Bringing the game to PlayStation has been a lot of fun. The fine people at Ant Workshop have collaborated with the game’s original creators to create a version of the game redesigned from the ground up to put Wick’s skills at your thumb-tips. The game just feels right on DualShock 4, in a way that surprised even us. You’ll hit a speed and grace as you play strategically which is surprising and rewarding, and you’ll need to if you want to grab every Trophy on offer. This is a game which will serve well as an introduction to the strategy genre, if you’ve always wanted to play one but been too afraid to try. At the same time, it’s a game which rewards the new skills strategy veterans will be developing as you go, and as I said, some of those top tier Trophies are going to take some work. If you already love John Wick, this is a new adventure with the voice talents of Ian McShane and Lance Reddick reprising their roles from the movies, joined by the ever awesome Troy Baker as our new villain, Hex. As you’ll see in the new PlayStation trailer, there is a whole new rogue’s gallery between you and your final standoff with Hex. If you’re new to John Wick, wow, am I excited for you to see the movies, but you’re safe to experience the game first. The fanboy in me wants you to immediately go and watch the movies though. I am so hyped for you to play. I’d love to see you get inside John Wick’s head — it’s time to put things right. Working on this game was an amazing opportunity for us, and I hope you dig our weird approach to capturing the action of the series. View the full article