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At Santa Monica Studio, one our guiding phrases is “we’re fans of our fans.” Whether it’s a reaction to a trailer, a deep-dive lore video, or cosplay – knowing that there is an audience that appreciates all the details in our work motivates us to create something worthy of God of War fans. Cosplayers are a huge part of our community and have been since the very first game released in 2005. Over many years we’ve seen how much time, love, and dedication it takes to create a single character. God of War characters especially have many different materials, layers, and details to account for. One thing we’ve learned is that the best starting block for any cosplayer is a good reference of the character they’re portraying! With that in mind, we are really excited to finally be able to debut the brand-new Official God of War Ragnarök Cosplay Guides for Kratos and Atreus. Once you’ve taken a peek at the new guides, make sure you check out the interview below with Santa Monica Studio Art Director Raf Grassetti on how the team updated the designs of Kratos and Atreus in God of War Ragnarök! Official Kratos and Atreus cosplay guides To show our appreciation for all the God of War cosplayers who have taken on Kratos and Atreus over the years, we wanted to make their updated guides for God of War Ragnarök even more comprehensive than the ones we did for God of War (2018). We’re worked with our fantastic character artists and writers at SMS, as well as B is for Boy artist Romina Tempest, to create guides that not only give the in-depth references necessary for cosplayers, but also let us play more in the world of God of War by looking at these designs through the lens of our characters. Community cosplay partners Photo Credit: Carlos Adama Photography While we know visual references are key, we also wanted to bring in the expertise of two of our community cosplayers to provide how-to resources and tips they put together while making the cosplays themselves! Photo Credit: Laughing Orc Photography We’re thrilled to have partnered with Opal Ink Cosplay (Atreus) and Jonny Mathers – Baldsasquatch (Kratos), who both did fantastic versions of Kratos and Atreus back in 2018. They have put together a wealth of resources for cosplayers to reference alongside the official cosplay guides, not to mention they’ll be releasing videos documenting key parts of their creation process on their own channels. Interview with Art Director Raf Grassetti The new designs for Kratos and Atreus you’ve seen for God of War Ragnarök are a culmination many months of iteration among the talented character and concept artists here at Santa Monica Studio. Atreus especially posed a unique challenge and opportunity for us with several years having passed since the last game. To discuss the Fimbulwinter-ready looks of our heroes in God of War Ragnarök, Art Director Raf Grassetti walked us through some of the key choices that were made along the way. — Grace Orlady: Let’s start at the beginning with the early development phase of God of War Ragnarök. When you found out there was going to be a time-skip for the characters between the games – what first went through your head in terms of what that meant for Kratos and Atreus’ visual looks? Raf Grassetti: It was amazing to revisit our heroes and design their costumes thinking about what they have been going through since we last saw them. Since we knew they were training on their own and without the help of the Huldra Brothers, we went back to more simple and iconic costumes, from the way they would have made their own armor. You can see that reflected in the way things are stitched, the choice of materials, and being more thoughtful on how they are surviving the extreme weather conditions. Kratos Concept Art by Rafael Grassetti We’ve established that God of War Ragnarök begins during the event of Fimbulwinter. Midgard, where Kratos and Atreus live, looks to be covered in snow and ice. How did that influence the design choices the team? We incorporated a lot of elements to illustrate the characters journey from the end of God of War (2018) to the beginning of God of War Ragnarök. The cold weather was definitely a very important factor, you can see on Atreus’ costume, for example, the inverted pelt to protect him from the cold and Kratos using a bear pelt as well. God of War Ragnarök Cosplay Guide – Pg. 5 In God of War (2018), the team significantly changed Kratos’ look to match the new setting while still maintaining the iconic elements of the character that make him instantly recognizable. With the Norse era Kratos design now established in players’ minds, what considerations or challenges did you face with updating his look for God of War Ragnarök? Since God of War Ragnarök is a sequel, we knew we didn’t want to completely change Kratos, a lot of the choices made were to update his look to reflect the new setting. We decided to preserve his right pauldron and keep his iconic tattoos visible. Even though Kratos looks similar to the version of him in God of War (2018), his 3D model was completely re-done to improve quality for the PS5, all detail maps and costumes were made from scratch. God of War Ragnarök Cosplay Guide – Pg. 4 When it comes to visual storytelling, what aspects of Kratos’ character are most important to convey through his design and how did you do so? Kratos has been through a lot and his design always reflects that. He cares about function more than visuals, so a lot of the decisions made on his design serve a practical purpose. Several pieces are there based on their utility in battle, for example, the pauldron with metal pieces protects his dominant arm and the bracers can be used to shield him if necessary. We also include touches of his past, such as the red Spartan skirt material, that are reminders of where he has come from. All the design elements together are deliberately chosen to make Kratos believable as a character. Is there any aspect of Kratos’ design for God of War Ragnarök that you are especially proud of or want players to notice? At the end of God of War (2018), Kratos removes his bandages and sets them free into the winds of Jötunheim, revealing his scars to Atreus. That was such a powerful moment for the character, so we decided to put a piece of the bandages that Kratos kept at his home on his new gear as a visual callback. On his right bracer, you can see him using them to keep the armor together. God of War Ragnarök Cosplay Guide – Pg. 15 Enough of the dad, let’s get to the son! Atreus has hit a growth-spurt or five since God of War (2018), he’s obviously had a few birthdays and got some new digs since we last saw him. Can you take us through how that initial design brainstorm for older Atreus went? Atreus is always so much fun to work on, being able to collaborate with the writers and see the character grow gives us much to play with as artists and reflect those choices in his look. More than on Kratos, we knew that the training would have a big impact on him, so he needed to have better gear to protect himself. With Atreus, we can also play a bit more with design elements just for visual interest and make him look cool. God of War Ragnarök Cosplay Guide – Pg. 31 Are there any unique challenges the team faced when iterating on Atreus’ new design? Kratos is so iconic that we needed to make sure we found what made Atreus unique so that he could stand next to the big guy and be recognizable. That’s never an easy task. We ended up focusing on the elements that we felt made his design special from God of War (2018) and built upon those pieces. What made you settle on going with the final direction we see in the Atreus cosplay guide? We knew we needed to keep the pieces that symbolize his parents, specifically Atreus’ yellow scarf representing Faye and his red skirt piece from Kratos’ Greek outfit. We also wanted to keep the “X” shape on his chest, as that was one of the most memorable visual elements from his outfit as a kid. From that base, we explored a lot of different variations. Dela Longfish (Lead Character Concept Artist) had some amazing designs for Atreus and the one we see now is an evolution of many iterations to find the perfect version. Atreus Concept Art by Dela Longfish When it comes to visual storytelling, what aspects of Atreus’ character are most important to convey through his design? Atreus is a teenager and we wanted to make his outfit an avenue in which he could express himself, especially since he makes a lot of his own clothing. It’s important to us that our character designs reflect the times they are living in, so the use of materials, stitching, and coloring of the costume need to be grounded, but not so much as to be overly limiting. We always try to find the balance between realism and interesting designs that make the characters in God of War so iconic. Atreus in the last game had some pops of color. In God of War Ragnarök he looks to have leaned in a lot more to bright colors. What made the team want to go this direction with his design? At this point in his life, Atreus is trying to find out who he is and the color choices play with that theme. The yellow from the Giants is very strong and something we have used since God of War (2018) to hint at what was to come regarding his heritage. The influence of his father is shown in the red waist cloth piece, the aggressive red arrows, and the red in his bow – you will be able to see how that influence impacts his future upgrades in God of War Ragnarök. God of War Ragnarök Cosplay Guide – Pg. 36 Is there any aspect of Atreus’ design for God of War Ragnarök that you are especially proud of or want players to notice? Atreus is a product of his environment and the people around him. A very interesting detail that most people won’t notice is the hint of Kratos’ tattoos coming through his armor design. You can see on his left arm/shoulder the cuts of Kratos’ tattoo coming through the costume – like father, like son. God of War Ragnarök Cosplay Guide – Pg. 34 Any message for our God of War cosplayer community? One of the most rewarding things as an artist is to see cosplayers do such an amazing job recreating these characters. We do this with all our hearts to give fans characters that seem believable and it’s incredible to see people relate so much that they decide to cosplay them. I know the amount of work that goes into making things this complex, so I thank you and appreciate every single one of you. If you decide to cosplay a character from God of War, make sure you tag Santa Monica Studio on social or use the hashtag #GodofWarRagnarok! We always love to see your work. —– For the latest updates around God of War Ragnarök, make sure you follow Santa Monica Studio on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. To join the conversation with other fans, head to the official Santa Monica Studio Discord. God of War Ragnarök launches November 9, 2022. Pre-order your copy here. View the full article
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Greetings everyone! I’m happy to announce that our newest trailer—Ambition—is now live. Rather than focusing on action as we did in our last reveal, this time we wanted to give the world a more in-depth look at Final Fantasy XVI’s lore and its rich cast of characters—with the Dominants front and center. Play Video The flames of war spread as Valisthea enters an age of twilight. Where will fate lead the Dominants and what future awaits the realm at the end of this bitter conflict? There are still many more questions to be answered, many more truths to be uncovered. With regards to development, the team has turned the corner and entered the home stretch, and is currently concentrating its efforts on debugging, tweaking, polishing, and optimization. We’ll be back soon with more information about the world of Final Fantasy XVI! For now, please enjoy the new trailer and new insight into two new characters. But first, some additional words from Director Hiroshi Takai. Clive Rosefield, the main protagonist of Final Fantasy XVI Hello! Our third trailer is finally here and jam-packed with exciting new information that provides a better picture of how the game’s setting, lore, and characters tie in with our compelling narrative. Hopefully it was worth the wait! As the game edges closer to completion, the team has turned its full attention to debugging and final adjustments. Now that things are starting to come together, the game is sizing up to be something truly special. We know you are all hungry to see more, but for now we hope that this little peek into the world of FINAL FANTASY XVI is enough to keep you both satisfied and (of course) speculating until our next big reveal. – Hiroshi Takai, FINAL FANTASY XVI Director Dominant vs. Dominant Introduction of the Dominants of Bahamut and Odin We hope you enjoyed the latest Final Fantasy XVI trailer! Next, we’d like to introduce two new characters you might be curious about, the Dominants of Bahamut and Odin. Crown prince of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque and leader of its noblest and most feared order of knights—the dragoons. Dion Lesage is loved and respected by both his people and his troops, not least for the many times he has turned the tide of battle in their favor. Indeed, songs of the heroism of the warrior prince and his Eikon Bahamut, King of Dragons, are never far from the lips and lutes of Sanbrequois bards. But all is not well in the empire, and the gathering shadows may yet be enough to quell Bahamut’s light… Arriving on the shores of Ash as a landless and titleless wanderer, it was Barnabas Tharmr‘s skill with a blade that won him a kingdom. And though the local beastmen were to rise in revolt against his rule, Barnabas called on the power of his Eikon, Odin, to quell their rebellions nigh single-handedly, bringing the entirety of the eastern continent under the Waloeder banner. Now he has an army and navy that rival any in Valisthea at his disposal, yet still the king is drawn to where the fighting is thickest—riding into battle atop his spectral steed and sundering foes with his fabled black blade, or merely observing the unfolding chaos from the sidelines, a grisly gleam of fascination ever in his eyes. Screenshot Introduction Here are a few scenes from the brand-new trailer featuring dynamic action battles, Clive facing the powerful eikons, and the great war of the Eikons! Clive wielding Eikonic abilities in battle Master of both Blade and Ice. Clive vs. Garuda Clive vs. Garuda Odin’s Dominant vs. Ifrit The development team is currently in the home stretch and devoting all their energy towards the completion of the game. Please continue to look forward to future updates! View the full article
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What a beautiful day! A beautiful day to surrender to the void… or, as we at Media Molecule have come to know it, The Land Of Lost Dreams. That’s right: this year’s Halloween event, All Hallows’: The Land of Lost Dreams, is available to play in Dreams right now. Is there a better way to get in the Halloween spirit than to explore this creepy creative purgatory, filled with strange quests, odd characters and coMmunity-created interactive delights? No. No, there is not. And if you don’t believe us, you should probably boot up Dreams on your PlayStation, then play The Land Of Lost Dreams to either confirm or deny. It’s only fair. There’s so much to see in The Land of Lost Dreams. Challenge a king to a tabletop game of questionable quality! Get ripped off by odd little robots! Admire cursed trinkets and scream your way through a haunted forest! And maybe – just maybe – escape development hell once and for all… Need more info about what awaits you there? Well, you’re in luck: we at Media Molecule have come into possession of a tourist brochure that lays out many of The Land of Lost Dreams’ main attractions in unnerving detail. Honestly, this place seems like a weird choice for a ‘holiday destination’, but travel agency D.Tours looks trustworthy enough – they’ve even got a logo. What evil entity ever had a logo? Exactly. View the full article
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Star Ocean The Divine Force will soon touch down on PS5 and PS4! This action-packed science-fiction RPG presents a bold new vision for the beloved RPG series, with a powerful story, innovative traversal mechanics, and a combat system that’s just… *chef’s kiss. That said, we suspect that some of you may still be wondering what this game is all about. Read on and we’ll tell you everything you need to know: It’s the sixth mainline entry in the Star Ocean series… You may have played a Star Ocean game before – or at least heard of it. The series has been around since 1996 and has won many fans thanks to distinct science-fiction trappings. While many RPGs lean into fantasy tropes, the Star Ocean series embraces space opera wholeheartedly – think spaceships, interplanetary travel, advanced technologies, and the like. Even now it feels very unique in the genre. Star Ocean The Divine Force is the sixth mainline title in the series and brings with it excitingly fresh ideas, including unparalleled freedom of movement and a blisteringly fast combat system. …but it’s completely standalone Similar to other RPG series like Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, each entry in the Star Ocean series works as a standalone adventure. There’s no need to have played through the previous games to work out what’s going on – the entire narrative from start to finish is contained within the game. Of course, if you are a fan of the previous games, you may spot a reference or two… It’s an epic adventure that fuses science fiction and fantasy The adventure begins when starship captain Raymond Lawrence crash lands on the planet of Aster IV. This dangerous world is like stepping into a long-forgotten past for the young spacefarer – people still live in castles, wear plate armor and kingdoms wage war against one other. Joining forces with a warrior princess named Laeticia, he sets off to find the rest of his crew and get off the planet… unaware that he will soon find himself embroiled in a conflict that threatens the entire universe. The dual protagonist system returns from previous games At the beginning of your adventure, you’ll be able to choose between two main characters: Raymond or Laeticia. This isn’t just a cosmetic decision – the events that transpire and the allies you can recruit will differ depending on who you play as. You can play as Raymond … Raymond is the captain of the merchant vessel Ydas, operating under Lawrence Logistics – a company run by his family. He’s a friendly guy with big hair and a bigger heart. He can be brash and reckless, which often gets himself into trouble – but he’ll throw himself into the heart of danger to protect his friends. He’s a protagonist who’s easy to love. …or Laeticia Laeticia is Princess of the Kingdom of Aucerius: a large territory located on the underdeveloped planet of Aster IV. She’s a knight and highly skilled with the dual blades, something that makes her greatly admired by her people. Laeticia is insatiably curious and her encounter with Raymond opens her eyes to a bigger world than she knows… but more than anything she loves her kingdom and will do whatever she can to protect it. You have incredible freedom of movement Early in the story, Raymond and Laeticia encounter a mysterious mechanical life form called D.U.M.A. It gives our heroes access to supernatural powers, including the ability to go… well, almost anywhere. With a press of a button, characters can soar into the sky to quickly scale cliffs or buzz over buildings – the vast environments of Star Ocean The Divine Force are now yours to explore from all angles! Combat is blisteringly fast… The Star Ocean series is known for its fast-paced combat, but The Divine Force takes things to another level entirely! You’ll have access to a party of up to four characters at a time, each equipped with an ever-expanding collection of skills and abilities. You can equip different commands to your controller’s face buttons, letting you access commands, layout combos, use items and more in an instant. …and agile… D.U.M.A. doesn’t just help you get around with style – it completely transforms combat by giving you the ability to run rings around opponents… or more accurately fly rings around them. Your ‘Vanguard Assault’ powers let you charge toward an enemy at spectacular speeds. Change your direction at the last moment to perform a Blindside attack – you’ll zip behind your bewildered foe and leave them utterly defenseless. Yes, it’s as wildly entertaining as it sounds! But you can slow things down if you want All the above makes for an intense combat system, but if you’re the type of RPG fan who likes to think through their actions, you can use ‘Wait Mode’ to freeze the action so you can give your allies instructions, change targets, or just take a breather while you plan your strategy. You can recruit multiple allies – and get to know them As you play through Star Ocean The Divine Force, you’ll recruit various allies, all with their own distinct personalities and combat styles. All are playable, and you can switch between them seamlessly, both in and out of combat. Private Actions let you spend time with these eccentric individuals, discover unique character storylines and even special endings – so it’s worth getting to know your team! That’s just a very broad overview of Star Ocean The Divine Force – there’s so much to discover in the game, but frankly we don’t want to ruin any surprises (and oh boy, are there surprises). The game’s launches for PS5 and PS4 on October 27. If you want to try it out for yourselves right now though, a free demo is also available to download (note that progress does not carry through to the full game). We hope you enjoy the game – see you in the sea of stars! View the full article
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Hello, I am Konami producer Motoi Okamoto. When it came to reviving Silent Hill, what we saw as most important was to do so together with those who love the series. Silent Hill had been, if you will, ”silent” for many years. Yet, even during that silence, we had been receiving proposals for new entries and remakes. This is truly a franchise that is beloved by so many fans. Bloober Team was one such team with the most passionate of proposals. They are a studio that truly loves and specializes in horror games. Together with creators who love Silent Hill, for fans who have a special place in their heart for Silent Hill, we have decided to remake Silent Hill 2. To explain more, I will hand it over to Mateusz Lenart, Creative Director & Lead Designer at Bloober Team. The classic returns anew Silent Hill 2 is a beloved and timeless classic – it’s almost a cliche to say it out loud, but it’s just so true for many of the Bloober Team members. This is also the reason why we approach working on the remake with such great care and respect for the original game. With that in mind, one of our primary goals is to preserve the atmosphere that made Silent Hill 2 so exceptional, while also modernizing many aspects of the game’s overall gameplay. We are working closely with the original creators, including Akira Yamaoka and Masahiro Ito, to ensure we’re keeping that unique Silent Hill feel intact. One of the new elements that you could spot in the reveal trailer is the adoption of an over-the-shoulder camera. With that change we want to immerse players even deeper into the game, make them feel like they are a part of this unreal world, and deliver them a more visceral experience across the board. One change often brings another. With a new perspective, we’re rebuilding the combat system and certain set-pieces, among other things. Now that you see basically what James can see, we could find new ways to keep the player on edge. Twenty-one years have passed since the release of Silent Hill 2 for PlayStation 2 and the big leap in technology allows us to be even closer – at least in some aspects – to how Team Silent would have desired their game to be back in 2001. Thanks to state-of-the-art motion capture sessions, we can deliver the best facial expressions in the series’ history and show a wide range of emotions even before a character speaks a single word. Built with Unreal Engine 5 We are updating the Silent Hill 2 experience comprehensively. With the possibilities of the Unreal Engine 5, we’re bringing the foggy, sinister town to life in ways that were impossible up to this point. The game will delight PlayStation 5 players visually, auditorily, and sensorily. Some of the Unreal Engine 5 features that really shine are Lumen and Nanite. With them we’re raising the graphics to new, highly-detailed and realistic levels, while turning the game’s signature nerve-racking atmosphere to eleven. Lumen is a fully dynamic global illumination solution that immediately reacts to scene and light changes. It means that the light interacts with the environment realistically, just like in the real world. The whole game environment is lit more naturally this way. The Nanite technology, on the other hand, is an amazing tool for level designers. With it, they can create incredibly detailed worlds and more realistic environments that look and feel almost lifelike. New PS5 features It’s not only graphics, though. A lot of Silent Hill’s disturbing atmosphere comes from music and sound design. Thanks to PS5’s 3D audio capabilities, players will be able to determine the exact direction where the sound is coming from. The WWise sound engine creates a realistic and believable soundscape that helps players feel like they are truly inside the game. Of course, we are not forgetting about the DualSense controller. We’ve already shown with our previous title, The Medium, that we can get pretty creative when it comes to haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. We’re bringing even more new ideas for Silent Hill 2, but let’s keep a surprise for now. One last great improvement I want to mention is the SSD storage technology. The superfast data streaming means players won’t see any loading screens as they seamlessly explore the entirety of the Silent Hill town. Armed with these technologies, we hope to make Silent Hill 2 an even more harrowing and unforgettable experience for fans old and new. We’re confident that we can do justice to this cult classic, and breathe a new life into its gameplay. The end result will be a Silent Hill game that looks and sounds better than anything that has come before it. While the development is not over yet, we already can’t wait for fans to experience it. A new chapter begins The revival of the Silent Hill series does not end with Silent Hill 2. We have announced not just the remake of a past classic, but also multiple titles with all-new stories. The creation of new games is what truly brings the franchise back. We will create new games for the series together with those who were a part of Silent Hill, but also with creators who love the franchise. We will expand our partnerships and broaden the world of Silent Hill together with teams that love the series from around the globe. Above all, together with long-time Silent Hill fans and new fans-to-be, we will raise the Silent Hill series to new heights. View the full article
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Name: PlayStation - The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil In Me - Interview with Jessie Buckley Pt. 2 | PS5 & PS4 Games Category: Gaming Industry Videos Date Added: 10/19/2022 Submitter: Commander Fury The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil In Me - Interview with Jessie Buckley Pt. 2 | PS5 & PS4 Games PlayStation - The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil In Me - Interview with Jessie Buckley Pt. 2 | PS5 & PS4 Games
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Name: PlayStation - Brawlhalla - Brawlhalla-vania: Simon Belmont & Alucard Launch Trailer | PS4 Games Category: Gaming Industry Videos Date Added: 10/19/2022 Submitter: Commander Fury Brawlhalla - Brawlhalla-vania: Simon Belmont & Alucard Launch Trailer | PS4 Games PlayStation - Brawlhalla - Brawlhalla-vania: Simon Belmont & Alucard Launch Trailer | PS4 Games