Commander Fury

Since the end of The Callisto Protocol’s main game, things have gone from bad to worse inside the penitentiary. The virus that’s been wreaking havoc inside is threatening to escape the prison and it’s up to you to retrieve Mahler’s data and transmit it off-world. It’s not going to be a walk in the park. You’re going to have to fight tooth and nail to make your way through monster-infested corridors, where new abominations await. When it comes to battling Biophage, players need reliable tools to survive. The Stun Baton is a great blunt instrument, but new threats call for new gear. According to Lead Systems Designer, Paul Guirao, the team behind The Callisto Protocol listened to fan feedback and decided to add a new melee weapon to the game. “We wanted to give players something more powerful than the Stun Baton,” Guirao explained. The result is the all-new Kinetic Hammer. With its design and shape, you can feel the power and weight behind every swing. It has light and heavy melee attacks that hit harder than the Stun Baton, but that’s not all – Guirao explains, “Holding down the heavy melee button produces an even more powerful attack. But mastery of the heavy charged mechanic can be tricky… you become the ultimate badass once you’ve mastered it. It’s one of our favorite weapons because it obliterates everything it touches.” As a bonus, a successfully executed charge attack also creates a powerful area-of-effect. Verify your age to view this content. Verify your age to view this content. However, the thrill of wielding the Kinetic Hammer is only fully realized when pitted against worthy adversaries. Final Transmission introduces a new enemy type and boss for players to square off with. With twistedly agile corruptors and brutally powerful two-headed brutes lurking around every corner, not to mention the hard-to-kill Security Units, Black Iron Prison was always a treacherous place. But now a new enemy is stalking its halls: the Biophage Robot, or the Biobot as the developers affectionately call it. This terrifying foe is a combination of Biophage and UJC Security Units, and a deadly reminder that Black Iron is still as dangerous as ever. Verify your age to view this content. Verify your age to view this content. “In the main game, the security robots are only seen a couple of times,” Guirao tells me, “With the final chapter, we really dug into the idea of what happens when the Biophage starts taking over machinery.” Visualizing the Biobot as a grotesque and intimidating bio-mechanical enemy was an iterative process, “We worked closely with the Concept Art team to create a look that fits in TCP’s universe. It took several iterations to establish the look. We went in both extremes, too robotic and then too organic,” Guirao explains. The more robotic iterations felt too much like the existing Security Units and lacked the gruesomeness the team was looking for. On the other hand, the more organic versions appeared too fragile and didn’t do enough to differentiate the powerful new enemies from their Biophage brethren. Eventually the team “found that sweet spot.” Affectionate nicknames aside, the Biobot is not an enemy to be taken lightly. According to one of the Senior Systems Designers, “Security Unit Robots were big, daunting enemies that couldn’t really be beaten up and would only go down from precision headshots.” Guirao adds, “we’re not a tactical cover-based game, so making the Biobots a melee unit made more sense for us. We have an in-your-face style of combat and did not want to deviate from that.” Guirao and the team at Striking Distance watched hundreds of hours of streamers playing The Callisto Protocol, “there was a lot of feedback on how all our NPCs felt the same and it was something that we needed to address.” To survive, players need to employ new tactics to take down Biobots, however, once players get the new melee weapon, they’ll have the chance to exact satisfying and well-deserved revenge on the bio-mechanical enemies and “finally get their chance to smash them apart.” The Biobot isn’t the only new enemy you’ll encounter in your return to Black Iron. Without giving too much away, the final boss in Final Transmission is truly something special. “Our goal was to showcase the Kinetic Hammer’s power and make players strategize on the best ways to beat the boss; deciding when to use melee or ranged attacks and utilizing the arena to their advantage,” Senior Systems Designer Quinlan Richards reveals, “we’ve given the boss similar mechanics as Jacob, switching seamlessly between hard-hitting melee and aggressive ranged attacks. And to keep things interesting, we’ve given the final boss an ability that goes beyond anything Jacob can do.” We can’t wait for you to return to Black Iron Prison to face the new horrors lurking its halls. PS4 and PS5 players get exclusive 48-hour early access to The Callisto Protocol: Final Transmission starting on June 26 at 9:00pm PST. View the full article

Name: XBox - Harmony: The Fall of Reverie - Out Now Category: Gaming Industry Videos Date Added: 06/22/2023 Submitter: Commander Fury Harmony: The Fall of Reverie - Out Now XBox - Harmony: The Fall of Reverie - Out Now

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Name: PlayStation - Conan Exiles - Age of War Launch Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games Category: Gaming Industry Videos Date Added: 06/22/2023 Submitter: Commander Fury Conan Exiles - Age of War Launch Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games PlayStation - Conan Exiles - Age of War Launch Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games

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Developing a new numbered Final Fantasy game is a balancing act. Players have expectations of what they’ll encounter but still crave elements that change up and build upon established series traditions. But even those have to start somewhere: many elements commonly associated with Final Fantasy as a whole–Chocobos, Moogles, summons, and beloved job classes and abilities–were, at one point, completely alien to the series. Finding a delicate balance between tradition and innovation is always challenging, especially so with Final Fantasy XVI, the first numbered game in the long-running series to fully eschew menu-driven battles in favor of real-time combat. From Active Time Battle to fighting in real-time Elements of action gameplay have evolved in Final Fantasy over time, beginning with the implementation of the “Active Time Battle” system in Final Fantasy IV. This upped the pressure on players by forcing them to respond quickly and consider the order in which enemies and allies would be able to act. Waffling on crucial decisions could prove costly, as foes would continue their onslaught no matter how long it took you to input your commands. (If you want to check out the genesis of Active Time Battle, you can play the Final Fantasy IV-VI Pixel Remasters now available on PlayStation.) Final Fantasy IV (left) and Final Fantasy XII (right) Active Time Battle would serve as the mechanical basis for most numbered Final Fantasy games going forward, with the positioning-driven open-field combat of Final Fantasy XII and the dynamic, on-the-fly role-swapping battles of the Final Fantasy XIII saga building on many of the concepts ATB solidified. Final Fantasy XV moved many of the typical menu commands to face buttons, shifting combat in a decidedly action-focused direction. Final Fantasy XV (left) and Final Fantasy VII Remake (right) Even with this gradual evolution, many modern Final Fantasy games, notably the Final Fantasy VII Remake series, still use some hybrid of menu- and action-driven gameplay. FFXVI going full-on action-RPG surprised many hardcore fans, who wondered how this may impact the “essence” of Final Fantasy. To talk about developing FFXVI to evolve the franchise while satisfying existing fans, we sat down with producer Naoki Yoshida and director Hiroshi Takai to dive deeper into their process. Action and drama make for great stories Yoshida’s love for Final Fantasy blossomed from the very beginning of the series. “Final Fantasy I was an important gaming experience for me,” he says. “I bought it on launch day, and I remember how confused I was when I booted it up and there was no title screen. Then you leave town and cross the bridge, and up comes the Final Fantasy logo! I was blown away that a video game could feel so cinematic, and that’s what I wanted to recapture with this new game—the feeling that you’re playing the leading role in an epic movie.” “So yes, I grew up on turn-based RPGs, and they still have a special place in my heart,” he remarks. “We decided to go with real-time combat in FFXVI for two main reasons. The first is simply that most of the members of our development team are gamers, and recently, most of us have been into action games. The controller-gripping combat in those games really makes you want to pour hours into them. The other reason is that, in today’s market, going with an action combat system that anyone can get to grips with quickly and easily was our best way of appealing to the largest audience. “By interweaving the real-time action with a fantastical story, we believed that we could create a game that was still Final Fantasy at heart. And, of course, when we say we want to appeal to the largest audience possible, that includes stalwart fans of turn-based games and those who aren’t the greatest at action games, too. We’ve put systems in place so that anyone of any skill level can enjoy the game just as much as a seasoned action gamer—maybe even more.” Soul of Final Fantasy Yoshida, a veteran producer who helmed the universally praised reboot of Final Fantasy XIV, also recognizes the expectations that come with the Final Fantasy name. “Making things different for the sake of it is the easy option,” he says. “For me, the key elements to an FF game are the cinematic presentation, the gripping story, and the battle system that underpins it all–not to mention the cutting-edge graphics and evocative soundscape. The combination of all those things, plus the fact that the world, story, and characters change with each installment, makes it feel like a series that is always breaking new boundaries. As Hironobu Sakaguchi, the father of the series, once said, ‘Final Fantasy is what the director at the time thinks is best.’” Play Video “FFXVI is no exception–the whole team worked together to make the very best game we could. The challenge we set ourselves was to change things up while keeping the game recognizably Final Fantasy. For instance, the classic high fantasy setting was inspired by the time-honored FFI. When you play through FFXVI, there are lots of little touches and nods to that game.” Director Hiroshi Takai chimes in with his perspective. “One of the stand-out things about the franchise is that every one of the games in the mainline series brings with it a whole new world, story, and gameplay experience. It’s the shared elements that tie them together–the summons, the spells, the Chocobos and the Moogles–as well as the things that always change between entries, like the battle system–that make Final Fantasy games unique. Maybe the reason the players have stuck with the series so long is because we’ve always stayed true to the vision Yoshida mentioned–striving to make the very best game they can at that particular moment.” “I’ve also played every installment in the franchise and have been involved in the making of a fair few of them,” Takai continues. “So naturally, I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from past games, even on a subconscious level. For example, I loved the customizable ability system from FFV–that idea formed the basis of the new battle system in FFXVI.” Perhaps the most recognizably Final Fantasy element in FFXVI are the Eikons–summoned monsters known by many different terms like “Eidolons,” “Espers,” “Guardian Forces,” and more throughout the series. Takai explained their place in FFXVI. “The classic Summons take a leading role in both the story and the battle system,” he says. “Even though we’re switching over to an action battle system with this game, it’s all centered around the Summons, which gives it that all-important Final Fantasy flavor.” Play Video A worthy successor Even with all of their passion and effort put into the game, the team acknowledges that some players might not see Final Fantasy the same way they do. “Every FF fan around the world has a different idea of what makes for the perfect FF game,” notes Yoshida. “And as a fan myself, I’m sure my own idea differs from everyone else’s. So while we always knew that it would be impossible to satisfy the expectations of the whole fanbase, Takai, [Kazutoyo] Maehiro, and the whole of the development team took the approach to make the game we wanted to make while at the same time keeping an objective eye on the fans’ expectations. I think it’s important to always try to remain objective about your own work, even if it’s only for your own peace of mind.” Takai is optimistic that fans will find a lot to enjoy about FFXVI upon its release date. “I hope that Clive’s story, and the hopes and dreams of all the people of Valisthea whose path he crosses, will stay with players. The decisions that Clive and his friends make are seen and judged differently by the different people of the realm, and I think there’s a real parallel with the world today, where everyone has a different viewpoint. FFXVI is a game that tackles the issues that it deals with head-on in both the story and the presentation, and I hope that, when people look back on it and its place in the series, it will be remembered for exactly that.” Final Fantasy XVI will launch exclusively for PS5 on June 22. Be sure to download the demo ahead of time and transfer your progress to the full game. View the full article

Name: PlayStation - Trepang2 - Console Announce Trailer | PS5 Games Category: Gaming Industry Videos Date Added: 06/21/2023 Submitter: Commander Fury Trepang2 - Console Announce Trailer | PS5 Games PlayStation - Trepang2 - Console Announce Trailer | PS5 Games

Name: PlayStation - AEW: Fight Forever - Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games Category: Gaming Industry Videos Date Added: 06/21/2023 Submitter: Commander Fury AEW: Fight Forever - Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games PlayStation - AEW: Fight Forever - Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games