Commander Fury

Heads up, Vault Hunters: Borderlands 3 hits PS4 on Friday. Explore (and plunder) exotic new locales set far away from the dusty planet of Pandora (though you’ll be spending some time there, too) and outfit one of four wildly different new Vault Hunters with equally wildly different offensive loadouts. Fan-favorite characters return, new villains rise, and you (and your bazillions of weapons) will be right in the middle of it. For a full list of new games coming to PlayStation next week, read on. And enjoy The Drop! Agatha Knife PS4 — Digital (Out 9/12) Join Agatha. Believe in Carnivorism. Embark on this twisted adventure with Agatha, a child torn between her love for eating meat and her friendships with animals. Battlewake PS VR — Digital (Out 9/10) Thar be high-seas mayhem ahead in Battlewake, a rip-roaring pirate combat game exclusively for VR. Become four mythical Pirate Lords, captain a massive, upgradable battle-ready ship, and wield ancient powers. Blasphemous PS4 — Digital Blasphemous is a punishing action-platformer that combines the fast-paced, skilled combat of a hack-n-slash game with a deep and evocative narrative core, delivered through exploration of a huge universe comprised of non-linear levels. Borderlands 3 PS4 — Digital, Retail (Out 9/13) The original shooter-looter returns, packing bazillions of guns and a mayhem-fueled adventure! Blast through new worlds and enemies as one of four new Vault Hunters. Play solo or with friends to take on insane enemies, score loads of loot and save your home from the most ruthless cult leaders in the galaxy. Caravan Stories PS4 — Digital Live for the journey! Do you ever find yourself with a similar feeling of wanderlust? Vast open prairies, mystical forests as far as the eye can see, barren lands covered in rocky outcroppings… Caravan Stories is a free-to-play MMORPG where you adventure in an expansive world with a large cast of allies. Distraint: Deluxe Edition PS4, PS Vita — Digital (Cross-Buy) Distraint: Deluxe Edition is a 2D psychological horror adventure game that tells the story of Price, a young man who seizes an old woman’s apartment. After seizing her home, his humanity is now gone. So begins his tale of regrets… eFootball PES 2020 PS4 — Digital, Retail Experience unparalleled realism and authenticity in this year’s definitive football game: PES 2020. Take command of the ball like never before with new first touch techniques and finely-tuned ball physics. Pick a side and join forces with newcomers and veterans alike. Ellen PS4 — Digital (Out 9/13) Help young investigator James uncover the dark truth behind the murder of the Smiths’ and their missing daughter Ellen in this thrilling 2D pixel horror game. If you don’t believe in paranormal events, meet the people from White Hill. GreedFall PS4 — Digital, Retail Explore uncharted new lands as you set foot on a remote island seeping with magic, and filled with riches, lost secrets, and fantastic creatures. With diplomacy, deception and force, become part of a living, evolving world – influence its course and shape your story. Hero Express PS4 — Digital (Out 9/10) Drive across the globe as the best delivery man in the world. Will you be able to reach the end of each track without dying? In Hero Express, your skills will be put to test against this fun colorful world as you challenge 11 different tracks with as many different crazy vehicles. Jigsaw Zen PS4 — Digital Find your Zen with over 100 beautiful puzzles including paintings, digital art, anime and many more categories. Solve puzzles as complex as you desire, from 28 to 510 pieces. A compelling soundtrack, slideshow mode, and many puzzle options allow you to customize your experience. Earn trophies as you complete puzzles. NASCAR Heat 4 PS4 — Digital, Retail (Out 9/13) NASCAR Heat 4 is the official video game of NASCAR. Looking and sounding better than ever with updated user interface, graphics and engine audio, race across 38 tracks in all three NASCAR National Series plus the fan-favorite Xtreme Dirt Tour. Nextgen Sandbox PS4 — Digital (Out 9/13) Create your own dynamic game world with this professional editor. NHL 20 PS4 — Digital, Retail (Out 9/13) In NHL 20, your favorite NHL stars now look and feel more authentic with new Signature Shots and over 45 new shot types that make every attack a threat. A new broadcast package celebrates your biggest plays as you take on all-new game modes, including the new winner-take-all Eliminator mode. Reel Fishing: Road Trip Adventure PS4 — Digital (Out 9/11) Grab your rod, reel, and adventurous spirit as you join three friends on a summer road trip to remember! Visit a variety of fishing spots from deep-sea fishing to freshwater stream fishing, upgrade skills and abilities, and craft rods, reels, and lures, as you and the gang track down and try to catch the big one! Super Dodgeball Beats PS4 — Digital (Out 9/12) You’re invited to the craziest dodgeball contest ever! Get your groove on with Super Dodgeball Beats, the world’s most intense rhythm-sports game! Take part in insanely cool dodgeball games played to the rhythm of 18 original music tracks. Tap to the beat with perfect timing and conquer your rivals in style. There’s nothing else like it! Utawarerumono Zan PS4 — Digital, Retail Unveil a lost legend in a new light with Utawarerumono: Zan! This action-packed brawler is a reimagination of the story of Haku, a man with no memories, and the great conflict that consumes the land he calls home. Venture through dynamic battlefields, unleash devastating special moves, and experience a grand tale of war and destiny. The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series PS4 — Digital, Retail Play the acclaimed series that set the benchmark for storytelling in games, based on Robert Kirkman’s award-winning comic book, The Walking Dead. The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series contains all 4 Seasons, 400 Days, and The Walking Dead: Michonne, which includes over 50 hours of gameplay across 23 unique episodes. WRC 8 FIA World Rally Championship PS4 — Digital, Retail The most complete and authentic official WRC simulation yet. New physics for all surfaces, a completely redesigned career mode, dynamic weather conditions, 50 teams, 14 countries, 100 tracks, weekly challenges and an eSports mode. The information above is subject to change without notice. Post Malone – Hollywood’s Bleeding IT Chapter 2 Soundtrack Earthgang – Mirrorland Child’s Play Yesterday Shaft (2019) Don’t miss the start of Sunday Night Football, 9/8 at 8:20 PM ET on NBC PlayStation Vue has your favorite sports, news and must-watch shows. The information above is subject to change without notice. View the full article

Email us at blogcast@sony.com! Subscribe via iTunes, Spotify, Google or RSS, or download here This week, Kristen tries to convince Justin to play Control, but he’s trapped in the clutches of Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. Plus, a particularly saucy listener letter kicks off a strange new conversation. Stuff We Talked About Control Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Games as sauces Blasphemous Madden NFL 20 Celeste Chapter 9 Borderlands 3 Risk of Rain 2 The Cast Justin Massongill – Social Media Manager, SIEA Kristen Zitani – Social Media Specialist, SIEA 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

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is finally here! After many months of anticipation, exciting reveals and thrilling teasers at the end of each trailer, it’s time to gather together and start hunting some of the fiercest monsters out there. This all-new journey kicks off with the research commission following the path of some mysterious new monster behavior. But hey, that’s just the in-game story, and while that has a clear beginning, middle and end, we’re very curious to hear more about your story, as a hunter, and… “why do you hunt?” When we were looking at Iceborne as a whole, we learned a couple of key things: It’s jam-packed with content (new features, monsters, gear, etc.)! Different aspects of the game resonate with different people. And that’s the line of thinking that got us to our “Why Do You Hunt?” launch ads. So let’s break down some of the types of hunter motivations here: Starting with our first, sophisticated hunter, they seem to have quite the appreciation for weapons, both crafting and mastering them. In Iceborne, we’ve expanded upon nearly every weapon tree in the game, added some new customization options and entirely new combos and moves. Next up is our team player, with a strong sense of leadership. While Monster Hunter doesn’t technically set players into given roles (tank, support, etc.), a well-oiled and diverse hunting party can conquer even the toughest challenges we have to offer. These folks can also be great mentors to new hunters with Iceborne’s new Hunter Helper feature which offers rewards to incentivize helping even more. Then, comes the fashion expert. Everyone wants to look good while taking down majestic beasts, but pulling it off is a separate skill altogether. Layered Armor sets make it a bit easier to match form and function, but matching the perfect combination of armor set, colors and your favorite weapon is still very satisfying, especially when you line up the perfect shot with the game’s new View Mode. And last in our video is the hunter who just loves the light-hearted cute and fun side of Monster Hunter. Between all the Palico customization options, new gadgets and mini-games, there’s a ton of content to “aww” at in Iceborne. And that’s not even all of it; there’s a world of cuteness beyond our Felyne friends, including the classic Poogie and all-new endemic life. Of course, there are also preferences we didn’t get to cover in the video, like the monster fanatics—be it experts on a single monster, usually a favorite, knowing the ins-and-outs of hunting them and all the gear associated with them; or those that admire all life forms. By the way, monster admirers will have a field day with all the new monsters and learning about how some of the returning favorites fit into the New World! Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is available now on PlayStation 4 and definitely has something for every type of hunter out there. So… why do you hunt? It could be one or more of what we’ve mentioned here, or something else entirely. Either way, we’d love to hear it; leave a comment and let us know! View the full article

Madden NFL 20, uh… [insert past-tense football verb here] to the top of the PS4 charts last month at PlayStation Store. Sorry, I’m not a sports guy. I do want to check out that new Superstar KO mode, though! Beat Saber carved a path to the top of the PS VR list, and the juggernaut that is Fortnite reclaimed the F2P throne. September’s looking spicy — what do you think this month’s charts will look like? PS4 Games 1 Madden NFL 20 2 Minecraft: PlayStation 4 Edition 3 Grand Theft Auto V 4 Marvel’s Spider-Man 5 Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege 6 Remnant: From the Ashes 7 Black Desert 8 Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds 9 Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2 10 Rocket League 11 EA Sports UFC 3 12 Red Dead Redemption 2 13 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition 14 ARK: Survival Evolved 15 No Man’s Sky 16 Star Wars Battlefront II 17 Battlefield 4 18 Need for Speed Payback 19 Overwatch 20 The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan PS VR Games 1 Beat Saber 2 Superhot VR 3 Job Simulator 4 Five Nights at Freddy’s VR: Help Wanted 5 PlayStation VR Worlds 6 Vacation Simulator 7 Arizona Sunshine 8 Blood & Truth 9 Creed: Rise to Glory 10 Until Dawn: Rush of Blood Free-to-Play Games 1 Fortnite 2 Apex Legends 3 Don’t Even Think 4 Genesis 5 Brawlhalla 6 Dauntless 7 Warframe 8 Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 Lite 9 Paladins 10 Warface DLC and Expansions 1 Fortnite: Battle Royale – The Red Strike Pack 2 Fortnite: Battle Royale – The Wilde Pack 3 Fortnite: Battle Royale – Breakpoint’s Challenge Pack 4 GTA Online: Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack 5 Fortnite: Save the World – Standard Founder’s Pack 6 Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 – Black Ops Pass 7 Dragon Ball FighterZ – Janemba 8 Mortal Kombat 11 Kombat Pack 9 Marvel’s Spider-Man: The City That Never Sleeps 10 Mortal Kombat 11: Nightwolf View the full article

Hi PlayStation.Blog readers! Our latest RPG, GreedFall, launches soon, and we’re humbled by the tremendous response we’ve received already. We hope you’re looking forward to adventuring on the island of Teer Fradee. For those planning to make the voyage, we’ve put together 10 things you need to know about GreedFall. GreedFall is a Completely New World In a time heavy with sequels, it’s always refreshing to see new IPs with original settings appear. The world of GreedFall is inspired by 17th century history, and the sense of wonder and exploration that permeated society due to new discoveries in countless fields. The game has echoes of colonial themes, yet it doesn’t mirror history in this respect — what happens is up to you. The world of GreedFall is full of different people and factions, quests and creatures, and everything has a history and a reason for being there. Whether you delve into these mysteries or not is your choice. Teer Fradee is an Island Full of Promises In GreedFall, you embark from the old continent to the Island of Teer Fradee – the new world – full of wilderness and new environments to explore. Forests, mountains, swamps, and cities will draw you in, but keep a wary eye out for the many strange creatures that prowl there. De Sardet is Your Hero You are De Sardet, a noble on a journey to find a cure for The Malichor, a deadly disease ravaging the continent. To do this, you travel to the Island of Teer Fradee as a diplomat for the Merchant Congregation. A deep character creator exists to make De Sardet your own hero. Pick your gender, origin, look, and clothing, as well as your starting talents and skills. Companions Are Important In GreedFall, there are five companions which you can take on your journey, two of which you can have in your party at once. Each with their own archetypal style, they will help you out in combat and on diplomatic missions. They all have their own opinions and faction they are linked to, so it would be wise to consider their personality and loyalties before you act. Develop your relationship further and perhaps your friendship will blossom to romance! Explore a land trapped in conflict and fragile peace A long history of domination has ruled the Old Continent and now endanger Teer Fradee. Conflicts between factions are not unusual, and these also threaten native clans who used to live in harmony. Some factions have been at war for ages, while peace between others hangs by a thread. Faith, economy, and culture all affect the diplomatic game, and it’s up to you how you tip the scales in any particular direction. There Are Multiple Endings Choice is one of the main pillars of GreedFall. Approach quests in various ways depending on what talents you choose, and consider the possible results of your actions, since they can affect the world around you and people‘s perception of you, and ultimately, which of the multiple endings you experience. So Many Skills Customize your abilities from a large skill tree of over 80 skills, choosing between crushing your enemies with giant weapons, luring them into traps, crippling them with poisoned blades, blasting them with magic, or a mix that suits your playstyle. Your talents allow you to engage with and explore the world around you, be it through lockpicking, diplomacy, or athletics. If you prefer to focus on your equipment, you can also decide to put points into crafting, or your ability to find special items in the wild. GreedFall is all about choice. Magic! The world of GreedFall is steeped in magic. Some people (including you) channel it through the use of special rings, of which there are many kinds, giving access to various spells. Some spells don’t require the rings however, such as Stasis, which briefly locks foes in time. Although you are familiar with magic, the Island of Teer Fradee is ripe with strange power unheard of in your homeland. Magic varies depending on where you are from. On the old continent magic is centered around light and shadow, whereas Teer Fradee’s magic is rooted in nature, and holds a mysterious connection to some of the strange creatures that prowl the island. Difficulty Changes Everything GreedFall encourages you to play your own way. There are four game difficulties that significantly alter the kind of experience you can expect. On one end you have the more story-driven experience, focusing on the characters and diplomacy over combat, and on the other you have a more combat-focused mode for stat-heads and RPG experts. Crafting! Put points into crafting and you will be able to customize and enhance several aspects of each piece of equipment, from blade, to hilt, to pommel, changing both the way the item looks and its stats. Using materials found in the wild and in cities, you can also use science to craft potions, traps, and poisons for an assortment of no doubt devious purposes. We hope this information helps on your expedition into the brave new world of GreedFall. Your journey begins when the game sets sail on PS4 September 10. View the full article

Discover The Creators is a PlayStation Store curation program in which we’ve asked some of the biggest names in the biz to pick their favorite PS4 games in order to help your find your next game to play. Choosing a game to play is a major decision, at least for me. I’m a completionist so I pick my games very carefully, knowing I’ll spend many hours exploring a world, getting to know its rules, characters and lore. It’s exciting but daunting at the same time. So, I do a lot of research. I read reviews. I talk to my teammates and I try to pay attention to what’s breaking through the noise out there. When I finally do make the choice to jump in, there’s no feeling quite like being fully absorbed in a completely new reality, experiencing a creative team’s unique vision. Browse Ted’s Full List at PlayStation Store The Last of Us Remastered Even though this game first released on PS3, this remastered version brings something extra to the PS4 that every PlayStation fan should play. Naughty Dog has created a gritty, yet personal masterpiece that is more immersive than anything I have experienced on any platform. While the gameplay is incredibly absorbing, the emotional journey of both of the protagonists is what has had a permanent effect on me. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt This game marks a major achievement for open world games. Its scope is insane, yet its world, story and characters remain consistently connected throughout. Besides the seemingly infinite amount of gameplay, what made the biggest impact on me was the depth, variety and richness of its secondary quests. Inside Inside is a masterpiece of game design. Limbo was already a favorite of mine but with INSIDE, the team at Playdead has perfected the craft of telling an interactive, tension-filled story without words. The puzzles are challenging without being impossible and the mechanics are beautifully layered on as the game progresses. Most of all, I think the game’s subversive social commentary should leave players thinking deeply about how repression exists in many forms and must be fought in our own world. Horizon Zero Dawn Hunting robotic dinosaurs is just… so… satisfying. Add to that a sprawling, gorgeous world, strong heroine and super compelling game loop, this is a game I couldn’t put down. As someone who loves stealth gameplay, I found that HZD set a new standard for making stealth feel fresh. Given the game’s immense scope and depth there are many ways you can play. For me I dove headfirst into the trapping/sniping/stealth-kill paradigm and was hooked for a long, long time. Dead Cells I’ve always been a Metroidvania fan and while roguelikes can be an acquired taste for some, Dead Cells somehow manages to bring together the best of both genres to present an experience that simply doesn’t get old no matter how many times you play it (and I’m still playing it after many months). The core mechanics are incredibly polished and the retro visuals help set it apart from every other game on this list. God of War What else can you say about a game that has deservedly won every major industry award? From the opening heart-stopping battle through every major twist and turn along the way, the game continued to surprise me with its perfect blend of well-honed action, clever puzzles, humor and raw emotion. It’s clear that the Sony Santa Monica team poured their heart and soul into this unbelievably polished gem of an experience. Head over to PlayStation Store now to browse Ted’s list as well as picks curated by Cory Barlog, YOKO TARO, Ed Boon, and more. View the full article

I’m excited to announce that Days Gone will be releasing its New Game Plus mode. This has been the most requested fan feature since we launched back in April, and it will be available on September 13 through a downloadable update. Players can now re-experience the epic journey through Days Gone, this time with the advantage of previously earned weapons, bike upgrades, NERO boosters, skills, recipes, encampment trust and credits, collectibles, and trophy progress unlocked from the beginning. New Game Plus can be started from any save game where the “I’m Never Giving Up” storyline has been completed. You can play NG+ on any difficulty level; Easy, Normal, Hard, Survival, or try it in one of our two new difficulty modes: Hard II and Survival II, regardless of the previous difficulty mode. These new difficulty modes are not specific to NG+ and can be experienced by brand-new players as well. Perks from patches earned in challenges continue to carry over to the main game, but now they can be used in NG+ and all difficulty modes. So if you haven’t started any of the Challenge modes yet, I highly recommend going for gold in each challenge in order to maximize your gameplay perks before NG+ releases. In addition, we have a few new trophies available to earn in NG+, Hard II and Survival II modes. Including one related to a mysterious new weapon from an agent that only operates in the shadows. This is the perfect opportunity to return to the Pacific Northwest and replay your favorite horde encounters, take on ambush camps, and clear infestation zones with your expanded arsenal. But remember, this is Days Gone where the world comes for you — constantly. New Game Plus isn’t the only news we have about Days Gone today; Mondo has created a vinyl of the Days Gone soundtrack. Featuring 25 unique tracks from the game — including 20 by composer Nathan Whitehead — the soundtrack is pressed on 180 gram colored vinyl discs. The soundtrack will be available for pre-order beginning September 11 on their website. View the full article

Need for Speed Heat roared into Gamescom last month as EA paired a reveal trailer online with a hands-on demo for show attendees. That preview build let players sample Ghost Games’ fresh spin on the arcade racing franchise: one street racer fantasy, played out across two distinct but intertwining game types. The difference, as they say, is night and day. Sanctioned events are organized and run during the hours of sunlight, letting you perfect those racing lines and chase leaderboard glory on closed courses. Illegal activities are greenlit after sunset, battling for pole position on the open roads of a street-lit Palm City. But with added thrills comes increased danger: you need to weave through nighttime traffic and escape a growing pack of cop cars. EA has already talked about the game’s story and car customization. We also know that Palm City is an open world inspired by iconic landmarks along the US eastern seaboard: the sweeping Georgia mountains, the sun-kissed streets of Miami. But we wanted to take a longer look under the hood to get to grips with its gameplay mechanics, find out what form multiplayer is taking and more. After a quick spin on the Gamescom demo, we sat down with Ghost Games to talk how the studio is evolving street racing. Here’s what we found out. A great gameplay loop is tied to the day and night cycle The key to being a successful street racer in Palm City is by taking advantage of its gameplay loop. Doing so requires understanding of what Heat, Bank, and Rep are, and how they’re interconnected. Let’s take those in reverse order. Rep is your player level. You can only increase Rep through night time events. Doing so unlocks more car parts, which will upgrade your ride. But you have to buy the parts first; that’s where Bank, the in-game currency, comes in. And you can only earn Bank completing daytime events. And Heat? That’s a score multiplier tied to Rep, active at night only. It increases the more illegal stunts you perform, but there’s a catch. The higher the Heat, the more aggressive the cops get. Make it to a safehouse to cash in the multiplier, but get caught and you’re back to zero. It turns Night into a score attack-style game mode, as you decide if the reward is worth the risk. You can switch from day to night at any time, but you can’t leave the latter until you’ve made it back to one of the safehouses dotted around the map. Given how the systems bridge the gap between night and day, you’ve got good reason to split your time between them. Cops are an ever-present threat The police will be a thorn in your side in free-roam and during some events as well. Cops patrol Palm City regardless of the hour, but they’re more aggressive come nightfall. Get spotted and you’ll need some serious driving skills to escape. And as mentioned above, the more Heat you have, the more cops will come. The AI scales according to the threat you present: expect nastier tactics, such as boxing you in between four cars or forcing you into a wall. One brilliant addition is that finishing first in an illegal street race is now only half the battle. Any cops on your tail come the finish line will continue their pursuit post-event, forcing you into a nerve racking race to the nearest safehouse to cash in your winnings. Also, cops will latch on to whoever has the most Heat: drive close to another player during multiplayer to shift the attention of the flashing sirens onto them. Car customizations have tactical benefits Tap the right button while roaring across Palm City for a quick boost from your on-board nitrous tanks. It’s a staple of most arcade racers today but the studio has given Noz deployment added depth in Heat. You deplete Noz a tank at a time, something to factor in when you decide your Noz loadout. Do you gamble on the power of a single massive tank, or favor the flexibility of a trio of smaller tanks? In addition, equippable ‘special’ items are deployed with the Circle button. Ghost Games showed off two: one instantly refills your nitrous; another counters a cop tool that can killswitch your car — though it needs to be timed perfectly. Multiplayer makes the city feel alive You’re free to keep your street racer life private, but if you want to get involved in multiplayer, the game supports 16-player servers. You’re free to invite racers you meet free-roaming the map to events, keep them NPC-only, or form a party with friends and tackle activities together. Ghost Games suggests the unexpected events that come from a multiplayer open world is reason enough to keep your Palm City open to all, especially at night. Because unlike day, events aren’t separated into a private server. Picture the scene: you’re competing in a night race and another player, unrelated to your current event, blasts past with a pack of cops. And in doing so — BLAM! — they cause a pileup that takes out one of your competitors. It’s just another way that Ghost Games is adding spice to its open-world racer. Palm City looks to be a dangerous place to make your mark as a street racer, but that’s also what makes it so enticing. Need for Speed Heat launches for PS4 on November 8. Pre-order the game now. View the full article

It’s not a dream — Catherine: Full Body launched in the West yesterday! What’s Catherine: Full Body? First, for anyone who has yet to begin their ascent through the twisted nightmare tower of Catherine: Full Body, a bit of background. Take a load off, grab a snack, and get ready to enjoy the tale of Vincent, our tragic main character. Catherine: Full Body is at once both an expansion and a remake of Catherine, which released in 2011. The recipe for Catherine: Full Body is equal parts puzzle-platformer and choose-your-own-adventure game. With over 500 platforming stages total across multiple difficulty levels and two distinct gameplay modes, as well as 18 unique endings, Catherine: Full Body is sure to satisfy. For folks who want to just sit back and enjoy the story, there are even options to skip puzzle stages entirely on lower difficulties. How Catherine: Full Body is Brought to Life in the West From Catherine to Catherine: Full Body, our localization team had to work with about 165,000 Japanese characters in text and 6,000 new recorded voice lines, adding up to about an additional 60% of content on top of the original Catherine. Here’s a few behind-the-scenes details about the work that went into turning that into a game that would play well for an English-speaking audience. The original Catherine featured a star-studded English voice cast, including Troy Baker, Laura Bailey, Michelle Ruff, Yuri Lowenthal, and many more. After eight years away from the recording studio for this game, the simplest thing to do would be to recast these characters with new actors, right? Possibly! However, in order to preserve the integrity of Catherine: Full Body’s English voiceover, our production team worked hard to bring back every English voice actor for the main cast, and a vast majority of the side cast, to record their character’s new lines. There were some concerns at certain points during recording, like potentially needing to record a scene from the original game where Vincent (Troy Baker) had to scream for about 20 seconds straight, and that’s for a single take. Multiple takes of 20-second screams in a single recording session would be… a bit of a nightmare. Eventually, our production team worked out a solution to use the original recording instead of asking Troy to scream for a few minutes, so everyone still had a voice at the end of the day. It took some work, especially for folks who had to voice younger / higher-pitched characters after eight years away, but everyone ended up doing a fantastic job, and we feel like the effort really comes across in the final product. In terms of localization outside of voice recording, a great deal of the Japanese script relating to content from the original Catherine had been rewritten, so our team went back and painstakingly referenced the Japanese script alongside the original English translation to ensure that lines were still accurate for pre-existing content while translating and editing entirely new corpuses of text for the new content in Full Body. There were a few particularly difficult sections of text that our team had to work through, including famous quotes on loading screens that had to be reverse-engineered from Japanese back to their original language, and a whole suite of extremely technical alcohol-related trivia for when Vincent orders drinks at the bar. This effort was also duplicated across English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish subtitles! This is just a little look at some of the work that goes into bringing a game from Japan to the West. It takes time and a lot of effort and expertise, but our team always strives to add just that little extra something to make it that much more relatable for our audience while respecting and accurately portraying the original language and intent. Experience the localized release of Catherine: Full Body for yourself, available now exclusively on PS4! View the full article

Trials of Mana, out on PS4 in 2020, is a remake of an RPG classic you’ve possibly never heard of. That is understandable, as the story behind it is over 20 years old. Let’s get you up to speed with a quick refresher. A quick story from 24 years ago… The short version is a game named Seiken Densetsu 3 came out in Japan way back in 1995. It retained certain elements of its predecessor, known as Secret of Mana in the West — high fantasy setting, lush visuals, an emphasis on real-time combat — while expanding on others. You still played with a party of three characters, but now you had a cast of six to choose from, with the storyline altering depending on who you selected as your core trio. Yet despite Secret of Mana — receiving global critical acclaim on launch, its follow-up never released outside of Japan. Fast-forward to June this year and Square Enix made a surprise announcement: it was hard at work on a Seiken Densetsu 3 remake. And with a new version comes a new name: Trials of Mana. Same characters, same world, but rebuilding everything else to make it look, sound and play like it had been created for today’s audience. How a new game can feel so familiar… And the idea works. I was overcome with a strange sense of deja-vu when playing the demo recently, like I was revisiting a classic game I’d loved but inexplicably forgotten. Nostalgia gripped me the moment the game’s gorgeous soundtrack kicked in and those vibrant visuals came into focus. Nostalgia for a game I have never played. Square Enix has achieved something special here. For gamers of a certain era, the experience might be disconcerting. Disconcerting, yet wonderful. …and the challenges faced by the studio to achieve just that That sensation is something Square Enix is well aware of. “A large part of putting out this remake was to capture the nostalgia for people who’d played it when they were younger,” explains producer Masaru Oymada when I talk to him after my half-hour play session. And even if you haven’t played the original, you should recognise the era this remake evokes. The team knew it wanted to keep the general outline the same, but much needed to be rebuilt to make sure the game could “fit with the times.” The question then was this: what would this game be if it was made today? Not that answering that was simple. From the start, there were big design concerns, ones without easy fixes. Not only did the studio have to reinterpret the game’s look as it jettisoned the original’s pixel art approach, it had to reinvent the battle system. Both proved challenging. “With pixel art there’s a lot of extrapolation and imagination the user puts in to what they think the character looks like,” Oymada explains. ‘Filling those blanks’ for the Unreal Engine-powered adaptation, yet keeping the design consistent with the original was an uphill struggle. Similarly, retaining characters’ personalities while removing the more “comical” aspects of their body language proved tough. “It was definitely something we struggled with, to figure out how to keep the characters’ personality and properly express it through their movements.” You can switch between your three party members at any time. You can customize what actions your two other party members will perform during battle in a sub menu Nor could the battle system remain the same. While an early prototype that mimicked the original had a “good vibe” going to begin with, the team soon “got the feeling that the battle system, with the way it looked, it didn’t really fit.” The decision was made to start afresh. The final system, which adds in modern touches such as evades, jumps and combos, was refined through multiple playtests. In comparison, the switch from the traditional top-down view to a third-person perspective was relatively easy. “It really was just to make sure the player felt as immersed in the story as possible.” When change is tradition Yet change is not unusual for Seiken Densetsu. In fact, it’s tradition. According to Oymada, franchise creator Koichi Ishii was “always very keen to try new things” come every game in the series. A new take on a familiar legend. With that philosophy in mind, it’s only fitting that Mana’s return is under a new guise. And from what I’ve played so far, it’s a story whose newer embellishments make it worth revisiting. Even if it’s for the first time. View the full article

Madden NFL 20 has already kicked off the football season, and tons of players are starting Super Bowl dynasties, building their perfect rosters in Madden Ultimate Team, and taking their games to the next level with new X-Factor abilities and Face of the Franchise: QB1. Just when you thought it couldn’t get better, we’ve added Superstar KO mode to the roster. A completely fresh, fun, and fast co-op eliminator mode, Superstar KO lets you team with friends, select a Superstar KO team (including a sparkling celebrity coach who comes with their own playbook strategies), and play 3v3 Madden games with dynamic rules in the singular Superstar KO stadium. Let’s huddle up in the locker room and break it down more. Squad Up Featuring five-minute games that are casually competitive and quickly repeatable, Superstar KO mode raises the pace of Madden 20. It’s a snap to keep the fun rolling. Team with friends and draft X-Factor players to anchor your roster. Not yet into the Madden X-Factoring yet? Here’s a tip: X-Factor players are awesome. Here’s another: Madden NFL 20’s X-Factor abilities make stars feel like stars. What’s that mean? We took 50 of the NFL’s most elite athletes and made them X-Factors in the game. When these superstars are in the zone, they have Superstar X-Factor abilities, mirroring their real-life skill set. And these game-changing abilities are always on in the all-new Superstar KO mode! Use them wisely and conquer your opponents to steal their roster. That’ll show them who the champ is! Plus, earn Ultimate Team rewards along the way. Madden Like You’ve Never Seen It Superstar KO mode boasts 3v3 squad play, but also a whole host of NFL Superstars, Legends, and Icons of football lore, that special KO-ers-only stadium that we’re not going to quit talking about (because it’s special!), new, fun commentary from a DJ hype-man equipped with a soundboard and dynamic stadium music, and more to make the mood massively rocking. If you’ve never made a game-winning play with your own DJ bringing the stadium into higher heights of excitement, now’s your chance. Superstar KO delivers the fun in an all-new way, and it’s as sweet as a Mahomes’ lefty bazooka pass. A Superstar Strategy to Call Your Own Each storied Superstar KO team has a unique strategy-based playbook, so you and your squad can select a team that works best to match whatever playstyle you like. Wanna run the ball in Madden and take the battle to the trenches? Roll with GNP, or Ground and Pound, which uses a run-heavy playbook. Like to consider yourself a strong-willed defensive master who racks up the W’s by shutting down today’s offense-centric coaches? Shutdown is the team for you, featuring a defensive playbook that’s built to win but doesn’t have much to show on offense. It’s time to win or lose your way! In a football-shaped nutshell, Superstar KO lets you squad up and take down the competition in Madden’s fastest co-op eliminator mode, featuring a unique stadium (yes!) and commentary, dynamic rules and icons of football culture, and five-minute games. You could have played a game in the time it takes to read this article! Now, go feel like an NFL superstar. View the full article

From his legendary Ninja Gaiden quests to his lightning-fast fists and kicks in the Dead or Alive franchise, Ryu Hayabusa is undoubtedly a true Koei Tecmo icon. That’s why the producers of Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate are proud to announce Hayabusa’s inclusion in our upcoming game, as he returns to the Warriors Orochi series after a five-year hiatus to join over 170 playable characters, including others like Joan of Arc and the goddess Gaia, in a 1 vs. 1,000 over-the-top action experience. The latest in Koei Tecmo’s killer crossover series features characters from Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors, and the gods of ancient history (including Zeus and Ares) joining together in an all-out fight against swarms of enemies as they seek the truth of why they were reunited to battle in this new mysterious world. All new storylines (and even a new ending) will be explored in Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate as gamers finally uncover why Zeus formed his anti-Odin coalition and the true purpose of Loki. Throughout the new narrative and side stories, gamers will discover a host of fantastical new magic abilities and Sacred Treasures to light up every level as history’s greatest warriors take on swarm after swarm of fearless enemies. Will the addition of Ryu Hayabusa help sway the balance of power in the heroes’ direction? Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate will be available in February 2020, and will be sold as a digital upgrade pack for those gamers who already own Warriors Orochi 4, or as a complete bundle for anyone looking to step up to this epic fight for the first time. Look for more information dropping in the coming months, including word on new game modes and even more Koei Tecmo All-Star characters being added to the mix. Until then, enjoy the first look at our favorite ninja in action in this exclusive new video, and remember: “Nothing is stronger than Hayabusa Style Ninjutsu!” View the full article

Hello, PlayStation Now fans! It’s September, summer is almost over, and we’ve got a big little lineup of ten new PS4 games joining the PlayStation Now library of more than 800 games. Starting on September 3, enjoy gems like LittleBigPlanet 3, Gravity Rush 2, Farming Simulator 19, Vampyr, and more. Download any of these and the more than 300 PS4 (and PS2) games in the service and play on your PS4 or PS4 Pro, and stream any of the 800+ PS2, PS3, and PS4 games to your PS4 or PC. Sackboy is back and he’s got friends in LittleBigPlanet 3. Discover a world of endless creative surprises as you explore all corners of the Imagisphere. Meet the inhabitants of the mysterious planet Bunkum and face the nefarious Newton in this rich, vibrant world. Find out what the online LittleBigPlanet Community dreams up for you, from new levels to play, to stickers and power-ups to enjoy. Then if you’re feeling inspired, flex your creative muscles with the powerful and intuitive customization tools. Another mind-bending adventure awaits gravity queen Kat in Gravity Rush 2, as a new danger emerges to threaten the fabric of the universe itself. Still searching for clues behind the mystery of her origin, and with the powerful Raven at her side, Kat must master three unique gravity attack styles as she takes on enemies and massive bosses in this colorful and stylistic open-world gravity-shifting action game. Other new games this month include the barn busting Farming Simulator 19, the dark and gritty Vampyr, the all-terrain mudslinging MudRunner, and sci-fi action-RPG The Surge. Here is the full list of the ten new PS4 games joining PS Now on September 3 to download to PS4 or stream to PS4 and PC: De Blob Farming Simulator 19 Gravity Rush 2 LittleBigPlanet 3 MudRunner Red Faction Guerilla Re-MARS-tered RIDE 3 The Surge Titan Quest Vampyr Here are the most played PS Now games during the month of August: Fallout 4 NBA 2K18 WWE 2K18 Rocket League Batman Arkham Knight Mortal Kombat X Wolfenstein: The New Order Mafia III DOOM Sniper Elite IV Borderlands: The Handsome Collection For Honor If you haven’t tried PlayStation Now yet, now’s the perfect time to give it a spin with the seven-day free trial for PS4 and PC. (Terms apply. New Subscribers only. Credit card required. See here for details.) Stay tuned for more updates on PS Now. Happy gaming! View the full article

Ahoy there, Marvel’s Spider-Man fans. One thing that’s been clear to all of us at Insomniac Games over the last year is how much you love having a lot of suits to choose from. Whether it’s experiencing the story in a new set of threads or checking out each suit from all the angles in Photo Mode, your response each time we’ve added new suits to the game has been nothing short of phenomenal! We have made a special video showing off (almost all!) of the suits in the game: As part of the one-year anniversary of the game, we wanted to give you some more details about each of the suits and how they were made. The character art team at Insomniac Games took the time to give their thoughts on each of the amazing suits in Marvel’s Spider-Man! Advanced Suit First Appearance: Marvel’s Spider-Man, PlayStation 4 (2018) Leroy Chen, Senior Character Artist: The Advanced Suit was designed following our “form follows function” philosophy, with each material intended to represent different levels of flexibility and protection. The addition of the white carbon fiber makes this a striking and unique Spider-Man design. Classic Suit / Classic Suit Damaged First Appearance: Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962) Gavin Goulden Lead Character Artist: This is the suit most casual and hardcore Spidey fans will remember. Paying homage to Steve Ditko, and the suit’s first appearance in Amazing Fantasy 15, we wanted to stay true to the original design while updating elements to fit in our world. A more lightweight material was used with less padding while adding construction elements like seam work and fabric weaving that help ground the suit into our realistic setting. Scarlet Spider Suit First Appearance: Web of Spider-Man #118 (1994) Gavin Goulden: As a child of the 90s, this suit is the one I remember from my childhood while reading Spider-Man (other than the Classic Suit, of course.) The team did a great job at updating the materials of this suit and bringing the design into the future. We referenced athletic gear for inspiration on how to break up the main suit with paneling, split toe parkour shoes to make the feet unique and functional, and ballistic fabric to be used for the additional gear at the wrists and ankles. The contrast in this suit is great and the material definition is even greater – I think life-long fans like myself now have a definitive, updated Scarlet Spider. Spider-Armor MK1 Suit First Appearance: Web of Spider-Man #100 (1993) Marco Villalpando, Character Artist: I had a ton of fun working on the ol’ trusty Spider-Armor. It was especially challenging to design this heavily armored suit so that it had room to allow Spidey to pull off his high-flying acrobatics while also retaining the recognizable aesthetic that fans have come to know and love. Spider-Armor MK2 Suit First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #656 (1999) Gavin Goulden: Otherwise known as the Bulletproof Suit, we wanted to follow this theme with material choices within its design. Rather than the more bulky MK1, we went sleeker and used flexible tactile fabrics, metallic mesh inserts that function like a type of chainmail and Kevlar. We also wanted to reimagine the whole-body spider emblems by creating a segmented version that would allow it to bend with the suit underneath. Spider-Armor MK3 Suit First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #682 (1999) Dustin Brown, Character Artist: The MK3, otherwise known as the “Ends of Earth” Suit. The paneling on this suit in the comics, while stylistically awesome, is often rendered inconsistently and as simplified abstractions, so there was a lot of room for us to design it more specifically and nail things down so they look good from all angles. For material definitions, we looked at a lot of ballistic composites such as hard neoprene tactical body armor and the hard molded plastics of motocross armor. The MK3 suit features the Tritanium Alloy Plates Suit Power, which reflects bullets back at assailants. Spider Armor MKIV Suit First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 4 #1 (2015) Gavin Goulden: The MKIV is a more recent suit from the comics that fully utilizes the future technology of Parker Industries. We used a more reflective material and rounded out armor panels for the webbing to help give this a more sleek design over the other armor types. Wrestler Suit First Appearance: Ultimate Spider-Man #3 (2000) Marco Villalpando: This was the result of combining visual elements of Peter’s first outfits from across the entire run of comics and the addition of a little Lucha Libre influence from my upbringing. It also presented a great opportunity to include the classic web-shooters from the pages of Amazing Fantasy 15. Spider-Punk Suit First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 3 #10 (2014) Gavin Goulden: Made popular in the Spider-Verse story line, we wanted to show what the Punk design could look like in our game. Referencing common elements of the punk movement – and even current fashion trends of that genre – we used worn denim, chrome spikes, and more DIY elements in the fabric itself. Spirit Spider Suit First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man Annual #38 (2011) Gavin Goulden: The Spirit Spider Suit is another deep cut from the comics made for the hardcore Spider-Man fan. It combines the look of Spidey and Ghost Rider to make a very unique looking suit – exposing the skull and surrounding it with blue flames while giving an organic treatment to how the suit is rendered, with a unique formation to the spider logos as well as adding scarring and folds to the suit which give it a supernatural feeling. Electrically Insulated Suit First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #425 (1997) Jayson Fitch, Character Artist: For the Electrically Insulated Suit, I asked myself what kind of suit a modern Peter Parker would develop to insulate himself against Electro’s attacks, while simultaneously nodding to the suit in The Amazing Spider-Man #425. I combined the large eyes and red, quilted rubber from the late 90’s design with elements of Electro’s new armor across the abdomen, some carbon fiber surfacing to protect his shins and upper arms, and 90’s anime-inspired nodes and piping. Dark Suit First Appearance: Spider-Man/Deadpool #8 (2016) Gavin Goulden: A rare suit seen in the Spider-Man/Deadpool series, I love how the red spider pops from the suit itself and the materials read like a modern-day tactical outfit. When the suits are typically illustrated as a solid color, we like to embellish upon that to give more information to the players – pulling in real world reference is a way of answering the question “How would Pete have access to this?” and helps inform our material treatment in a more realistic way. Stark Suit First Appearance: Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Civil War (2016) Gavin Goulden: The Insomniac Character Team absolutely killed it on recreating this suit from the MCU for our game. Made completely from the ground up using reference from Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: Homecoming, we matched the same level of fidelity through using various tiling detail textures and using our advanced shaders to get a great balance of material contrast that really makes it pop. Homemade Suit First Appearance: Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Civil War (2016) Dustin Brown: While the more slick Spider-Man suits are always cool, there’s something about the suits that look cobbled together by a kid that make us happy. They did such a great job designing and rendering this suit in Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: Homecoming, all we had to do was try to make to it look as good in our game. Iron Spider Suit First Appearance: Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) Gavin Goulden: As seen in Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War, this suit brings in more complex Stark armor with nanotechnology plates that form web-like patterns over Peter Parker. We were able to use what you see in the films as an inspiration and matched the material treatment you see on the big screen. We also chose to give this suit the Iron Spider arms fans love as a suit ability, which makes this suit very unique and helps break the silhouette in a memorable way. Fear Itself Suit First Appearance: Fear Itself #7 (2010) Gavin Goulden: This is the Asgardian Suit given to Peter in a more low profile storyline – you can see the reference to our Asgardian friends by the usage of our scaled armor, lightning-like blue energy used throughout the suit, and the claw bracers made out of technology from another world. It was really cool to pull in these different references and give a suit option that is a bit more fantastical. Iron Spider Armor First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #529 (2006) Gavin Goulden: Easily a fan favorite, this is a suit from the comics that we gave a new pass on for adding extra details while staying true to the source material. Not only did we want to expand on the basic color blocking from the books to add more texture and material definition, but we also wanted to incorporate elements of an Iron Man design (based on the suit’s origins) to help tell that story. Blue energy ports, gold and red metals, and plated armor help bring this awesome suit into our world in a realistic way. Last Stand Suit First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #500 (2003) Marco Villalpando: The source material showcased this older, darker, and grizzled Peter, so figuring out how to interpret that into this well-worn set of street clothes was a lot of fun. This was also my first character that I got to see running around in the game, so seeing that brought a happy tear to my eye Undies First Appearance: Marvel’s Spider-Man, PlayStation 4 (2018) Gavin Goulden: This is a reference to the various times Pete has been caught with his pants down and is also our take on the debate of what he wears under the suit. This suit is great as it makes you question what was really going on during the Scorpion sequence, gives more weight to that mission wrapping up, and references our opening scene with Pete wearing the same Underoos. ESU Suit First Appearance: Marvel’s Spider-Man, PlayStation 4 (2018) Gavin Goulden: Throughout the costume we use our advanced clothing shaders, and clothing simulations to give a realistic wardrobe while paired with a classic Spider-Man mask. This suit is great because it helps reinforce the collision of Pete and Spidey’s worlds, as if Pete was in a hurry to do hero work and hastily put on the mask to cover his identity. Noir Suit First Appearance: Spider-Man: Noir #1 (2008) Jayson Fitch: I wanted to emphasize the roots of the Noir suit as Uncle Ben’s flight suit from the First World War by drawing reference from real WW1 air force gear and adding some Spidey influence. This includes taller lace-up boots, riding pants with the rank stitched into the side of the leg, and a flight helmet with goggles stitched in. Secret War Suit First Appearance: Secret Wars #8 (2004) Gavin Goulden: This suit is great as it is another deep cut that only hardcore fans will recognize, only having one appearance in the comics. I like the design as it stands out from the others and gives us the chance to pull in color combinations that are pretty unique – not many suits use this shade of blue, and inverted the suit and web colors like Secret War does – and the suit spandex material in contrast to the harder plastic cuts really makes this stand out in our lineup. Stealth (“Big Time”) Suit First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #650 (1999) Gavin Goulden: We referenced a lot of real world materials to have this neon suit fit into our world – materials like ballistic nylon, tactical gear, and hard plastics helped make this suit believable. We also used various tiled details to give material contrast, like nylon weaving versus a more octagonal padded rubber, to help give a typically all black suit more depth and believability when swinging around our realistic world. 2099 Black Suit First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #365 (1992) Leroy Chen: The rationale here is to give the classic 2099 design a futuristic touch without going too overly sci-fi, therefore subtle touches like the dark carbon fiber were added to try to accomplish that goal. Through emphasizing the musculature of the body, the design further sets out to distinguish its look from a regular fabric-based suit. 2099 White Suit First Appearance: Spider-Man 2099 Vol. 3 #1 (2015) Leroy Chen: Even though both were set in the same timeline, the 2099 White Suit design was updated with contrasting the 2099 Black Suit in mind. By introducing different angularities, clean lines, and sharp cuts, the suit has an overall high sci-fi feel to it. Vintage Comic Book Suit First Appearance: Marvel’s Spider-Man, PlayStation 4 (2018) J Tuason, Shader Technical Artist: Working on a shader that emulated vintage comics was definitely a huge challenge. I’ve always loved games that try to emulate 2D art styles and it was exciting having the opportunity to tackle a comic shader for such an iconic character. I’m really proud of our work on the suit and it was flattering seeing how many people thought that the suit was photoshopped into screenshots. Negative Suit First Appearance: Spider-Man #90 (1998) Gavin Goulden: J Tuason did a great job here at creating the inverse of our Advanced Suit. Essentially, we wanted to do more than simply desaturating the suit and J had the idea to bring in more movement within the shader, implying that Negative Energy was coursing through the suit itself, giving it another level of detail. Velocity Suit First Appearance: Marvel’s Spider-Man, PlayStation 4 (2018) Leroy Chen: This suit was originally designed by legendary Marvel artist and illustrator Adi Granov, who’s known for his Iron Man illustrations. Some angular cuts were added to define the form of the suit and help to introduce a bit of an Iron Man flare to the look. But, the overall goal during the construction of the suit was to stay as true as possible to the original concept. Resilient Suit First Appearance: Marvel’s Spider-Man, PlayStation 4 (2018) Leroy Chen: Designed by famed Marvel artist Gabriele Dell’Otto, this is also a suit that featured a white spider. One interesting aspect here is that the eyes on the suit do not change shapes. This is to pay homage to Dell’Otto’s signature intense Spider-Man expression. Spider-UK Suit First Appearance: Edge of Spider-Verse #2 (2014) Dustin Brown: Poor Billy Braddock, you died unceremoniously in Spider-Geddon. Untimely demise aside, we wanted to do our web slinger from across the pond justice. He is perhaps known best for having a big Union Jack emblazoned across his chest instead of a traditional spider emblem and for wearing a glowing Spider-Talisman on his wrist. Some of this suit’s design elements were converted to hard armor, including the Union Jack’s white trim and the red spider on his back. The shoes are completely original to Insomniac’s version of Spider-UK; his legs are solid blue and adding a shock of red on the feet helped balance it out. Scarlet Spider II Suit First Appearance: Scarlet Spider #1 (2012) Marco Villalpando: Henrique absolutely killed it with his modern interpretation of the classic Scarlet Spider suit, so I wanted to make sure this suit retained some of the same visual landmarks while distinguishing it with a more aggressive design. Into the Spider-Verse Suit First Appearance: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) Colton Orr, Associate Character Artist: When it came to the Into the Spider-Verse suit, it was important to match the unique art direction of the blockbuster film. One of the challenges of working on this suit was making sure the stylized materials would look at home in our realistic game environment. J Tuason did a fantastic job of recreating the film shader in our game engine. J Tuason: Even from the first trailer, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse blew me away as an incredible visual feat. It has such a unique voice and pays homage to comics while still understanding its strengths as an animated feature. Getting to work on the shader for the game was incredibly exciting but also very challenging; I think we came pretty close to making it look like the movie even while rendering in real-time. Spider-Clan Suit First Appearance: Marvel Mangaverse: Spider-Man #1 (2002) J Tuason: As someone who grew up inspired by the manga-comic fusion styles of the mid-2000’s, I feel like working on this shader was a solid throwback. Dustin Brown: While every suit is unique, the Mangaverse Spider-Clan suit breaks the mold on some technical fronts. It was a fun visual design challenge to reference Spider-Clan comic artist Scottie Young’s proportions and shapes while making them work on the much more naturalistic animation rig for our hero. Maintaining that fun, dynamic, highly stylized look was paramount for this suit. Webbed Suit First Appearance: Spider-Man (2002 film) Marco Villalpando: I have so many memories of watching the movies and playing the PlayStation 2 game when I was a kid, so getting to make this was a huge deal for me. Getting the webbing layout for this suit was probably the biggest challenge, especially considering that it’s all geometry rather than texture. Cyborg Spider-Man Suit First Appearance: Spider-Man: Revenge of the Sinister Six (1992) Colton Orr: The Cyborg Suit was inspired by a heavily damaged Spider-Man from Revenge of the Sinister Six: Part Four. I had a blast creating the hard surface elements of the suit and adding a modern twist to the 1990s aesthetic. Aaron Aikman Armor First Appearance: Edge of Spider-Verse #3 (2014) Leroy Chen: The original Aikman suit has a very unique design. The main approach for the updating pass was to try to keep the look while referencing real life motorcycle design elements and working them into grounding the tech and the feel of the suit. Bombastic Bag-Man Suit First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #258 (1984) Gavin Goulden: We wanted to update this classic design to better fit into our world. Originally, the suit is a loaner from the Fantastic Four who, at the time, have looser fitting clothing and a more old school approach to how the clothing would fit on the heroes underneath. But, what would this look like in our world? Upgraded materials follow the function of the suit – protective materials on the outside and more flexible materials at points of articulation. Of course, though, you need to keep the paper bag – it hides Pete’s identity since the Fantastic Four don’t wear masks – our twist is to add the eye holes but also bring in the outline of drawn eyes to still have it feel like Spider-Man. Future Foundation Suit First Appearance: FF #1 (2011) Dustin Brown: The comic version of this suit has a lot of fans, including many Insomniacs. We focused on keeping the design clean and true to the comics, while introducing subtle evidence of construction, such as panel seams, that help ground it in our world. These eye lenses were inspired by certain panels in the comics, where they appear to have a swirling sheen to them Upgraded Suit First Appearance: Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) Gavin Goulden: Much like the Stark Suit, this was a great collaboration between Insomniac, Sony Interactive Entertainment, and Marvel to bring this suit into our game. Using our own custom detail patterns, we were able to perfectly capture the look from the suit in the movie without a loss of information. Stealth Suit First Appearance: Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) Jayson Fitch: It was an honor to bring the Stealth Suit to Marvel’s Spider-Man—I really wanted the armor to feel like it would protect Peter from any number of attacks while still being flexible with padded cloth and armor attached with straps. The material response was the most important aspect to me, creating contrast between nylon and hex weave cloth while staying true to the MCU source. Anti-Ock Suit First Appearance: Marvel’s Spider-Man, PlayStation 4 (2018) Dustin Brown: Spoiler Alert! This is the final story-related suit in the game, and we knew it needed to work hand-in-hand with the narrative. Spider-Man’s been taking damage throughout the game. When he gets his butt kicked badly by Doc Ock and learns that his mentor is the ring leader of the Sinister Six, he’s both physically and emotionally battered. The Anti-Ock suit is what happens when MJ reminds him to stop thinking like Spider-Man and start thinking like Peter Parker. He’s the one person who helped Octavius build his arms, so he’s in the unique position to use Doc Ock’s technology against him by building a Spider-Man suit capable of being the perfect foil to his old mentor. The suit is equipped with external armor plating made of the same stuff Otto used to protect his arms. It also has an internal flexible metal cage mesh and is lined with Kevlar. The Anti-Ock suit features the Resupply Suit Power, which continuously refills your current gadget’s shots, which comes in mighty handy when you’re facing off against the likes of Otto Octavius! If you made it this far, thanks for reading! View the full article

We are excited to announce that Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair will be coming to PS4 October 8! Since the initial reveal of Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, Tonics have been a tough secret to keep. If you played Yooka-Laylee you will be familiar with Tonics. They granted bonuses like additional health, more energy, or accented Yooka’s lizard butt with some very tight blue shorts. In Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, we’ve added loads of extra ingredients to Tonics for some good old reinvention. This time around they can be combined, too! We asked one of our programmers to calculate how many different tonic combinations were possible and he reckons that number sits at over a million. We’ll take your word for it, Joe. Tonics can be used to alter: Gameplay Rules Players can use tonics to adjust gameplay rules, such as adding more checkpoints or removing them altogether. Visuals Tonics offer a variety of ways to change the appearance of a level. If you’re a fan of blocky green visuals that remind you of simpler times, the “Game Bee” Tonics are right up your street. Player Skin If you’ve just about had enough of Yooka’s tail, you can remove it with a Tonic. Player abilities Various Tonics enhance your abilities! Run, swim and climb faster, and double up on those gracious twirls. We’ve had a lot of fun in the office playing around with Tonic combinations. Removing Yooka’s tail and giving him more human-like proportions seems to be popular with our resident weirdos… We’re looking forward to seeing the Tonic combinations that the community comes up with when Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair launches on PS4 October 8! View the full article

Get the inside scoop before Totally Digital hits PlayStation Store tomorrow with savings up to 60 percent. Embrace the funk with ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove!, or motor past your opponents as you cycle through over 125 tracks in Trials Rising. If those don’t pique your interest, fuggedaboutem and join Vinnie on the European front with Guns, Gore and Cannoli 2. Check out the full list of titles and ready your cart. Totally Digital’s 14 days of discounts ends 9/17 at 8 AM PT. PS4 Games Title $Sale $Original 11-11: MEMORIES RETOLD $7.49 $29.99 18 FLOORS (VR) $10.49 $14.99 A BASTARD’S TALE $1.99 $4.99 A HAT IN TIME $14.99 $29.99 ABYSS ODYSSEY: EXTENDED DREAM EDITION $4.49 $14.99 ABZÛ $8.00 $19.99 ADVENTURES OF PIP $10.49 $14.99 AGES OF MAGES : THE LAST KEEPER $8.39 $11.99 ALCHEMIC JOUSTS $2.69 $8.99 ANGERFORCE: RELOADED $6.99 $9.99 APOCALYPSE RIDER (VR) $2.99 $4.99 ARCADE GAME SERIES 3-IN-1 PACK $3.99 $7.99 ARCADE GAME SERIES: DIG DUG $1.99 $3.99 ARCADE GAME SERIES: GALAGA $1.99 $3.99 ARCADE GAME SERIES: MS. 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NOIRE ROCKSTAR PASS $5.99 $11.99 LARA CROFT AND THE GUARDIAN OF LIGHT CHALLENGE PACK 1 $0.69 $3.49 LARA CROFT AND THE GUARDIAN OF LIGHT CHALLENGE PACK 2 $0.69 $3.49 LARA CROFT AND THE GUARDIAN OF LIGHT CHALLENGE PACK 3 $0.69 $3.49 LARA CROFT AND THE GUARDIAN OF LIGHT TRIAL $2.99 $14.99 LEGASISTA $4.99 $9.99 MASTER REBOOT $2.79 $6.99 MAX PAYNE 3 ROCKSTAR PASS $7.49 $14.99 PERSONA 5 PS3 PERSONA BUNDLE $11.99 $19.99 PERSONA COSTUME & BGM BUNDLE $29.99 $59.99 RED DEAD REDEMPTION UNDEAD NIGHTMARE PACK $4.99 $9.99 RED DEAD REDEMPTION: UNDEAD NIGHTMARE $7.49 $14.99 ROCK OF AGES $2.99 $9.99 SLEEPING DOGS DIGITAL EDITION $2.99 $19.99 SUPER PUZZLE FIGHTER II TURBO HD REMIX $2.99 $9.99 SUPER STREET FIGHTER II TURBO HD REMIX $2.99 $9.99 URBAN TRIAL FREESTYLE $3.49 $6.99 Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 $2.99 $4.99 WORLD HUNTER SPORTSMAN BUNDLE $3.99 $7.99 ZENO CLASH 2 $4.49 $14.99 PS Vita Games Title $Sale $Original AMNESIA: MEMORIES $3.49 $9.99 BARD’S GOLD $1.49 $4.99 BURLY MEN AT SEA $5.99 $9.99 CITIZENS OF EARTH $4.49 $14.99 CLADUN RETURNS: THIS IS SENGOKU! $9.99 $19.99 FAST STRIKER $4.19 $6.99 GRAVITY BADGERS $0.59 $1.99 GUACAMELEE! $3.74 $14.99 GUACAMELEE! COSTUME PACK 1 $1.19 $1.99 GUACAMELEE! VITA: EL DIABLO’S DOMAIN $1.79 $2.99 HUE $8.99 $14.99 MONSTER MONPIECE $3.99 $9.99 NINJA USAGIMARU: TWO TAILS OF ADVENTURE $3.59 $11.99 OCEANHORN – MONSTER OF UNCHARTED SEAS $6.49 $12.99 OCTODAD: DADLIEST CATCH $7.49 $14.99 REVERIE $6.49 $12.99 ROGUE ACES DIGITAL $8.44 $12.99 ROLLERS OF THE REALM $2.99 $9.99 SEVERED $3.74 $14.99 THE CALIGULA EFFECT: DELUXE DIGITAL BUNDLE $11.99 $29.99 TOUHOU DOUBLE FOCUS $2.99 $9.99 TOUHOU GENSO WANDERER $14.99 $29.99 TOUHOU KOBUTO V: BURST BATTLE $9.99 $19.99 URBAN TRIAL FREESTYLE $5.49 $10.99 URBAN TRIAL FREESTYLE $3.49 $6.99 View the full article

Control! Man of Medan! Erica! Knights and Bikes! Madden! Oninaki! So many games! That’s right, dear reader: it’s votin’ time. Support your favorite game of the past month — all it takes is a click in the poll below. We’ll close it off at 11:59pm Pacific on September 8, so get your picks in before then. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments and see if you can sway the undecided to your cause. I know what I’m voting for, but I’ll never tell… September’s looking good, too! What do you think will make the cut for our next poll? How does it work? At the end of every month, PlayStation.Blog will open a poll where you can vote for the best new game released that month. Soon thereafter, we’ll close the polls, tally your votes, and announce the winner at PlayStation.Blog. PlayStation Store will also showcase some top Players’ Choice winners throughout the year. What is the voting criteria? That’s up to you! If you were only able to recommend one new release to a friend that month, which would it be? In keeping with our long tradition in the Game of the Year Awards, remastered or re-released games won’t qualify. Ambitious, larger-scale rebuilds and remakes like Shadow of the Colossus and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy will. How are nominees decided? The PlayStation.Blog and PlayStation Store editorial teams will gather a list of that month’s most noteworthy releases and use it to seed the poll. Write-in votes will be accepted. Players’ Choice: What Was August 2019’s Best New Game? View the full article

Journey to the frigid Hoarfrost Reach in search of ferocious monsters, new mysteries to solve, and an armory’s worth of new weapons and gear to craft. Capcom’s massive Monster Hunter World: Iceborne expansion launches next Friday on PS4. Mix and match powerful new combinations of skills across new armor sets and master the game-changing Clutch Claw to get a leg up on your quarry. Oh, and don’t forget to pack some Hot Drinks! Other highlights include Final Fantasy VIII Remastered, NBA 2K20, River City Girls, Catherine: Full Body, and Torchlight II. For the full list of new releases, read on. And enjoy The Drop! Apocalipsis: The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil PS4 — Digital (Out 9/6) In Apocalipsis you play as Harry, for whom the loss of his beloved was the end of his world. Now he has to venture out into the strange, unwelcoming and haunted lands to get her back. On his journey he will meet fantastical creatures, straight from the visions of the 15th and 16th artists such as Hans Holbein or Albrecht Dürer. Asdivine Menace PS4, PS Vita — Digital (Cross-Buy) Travel the galaxy to bring the truth full circle in an epic fantasy RPG! Experience immersive turn-based battles with cooperative attacks and new limit break skills. With all quests, collecting and crafting, the battle arena, and even post-game content, Asdivine Menace comes packed with enough elements to satisfy JRPG-hungry gamers. Blindfold: A Vérité VR Experience PS VR — Digital Blindfold places you in the perspective of a photojournalist enduring a harsh interrogation in Iran’s infamous Evin Prison. Drawing from real-life accounts and historical fact, Blindfold presents a powerful vérité experience that explores the unique storytelling possibilities of VR. Catherine: Full Body PS4 — Digital, Retail The captivating tale returns in Catherine: Full Body – bigger and better than before. Improved visuals and gameplay, brand-new music, enhanced multiplayer options, and much more await in this enticing new package. Will our indecisive protagonist survive the trials and tribulations of love, or fall to temptations? Fifty Words By Powgi PS4, PS Vita — Digital (Cross-Buy) A brand new word search puzzle from Powgi. This time there’s no grid, no list of words to find and no wrong letters! Discover the 50 intertwined words and paint them with vibrant highlights to create a unique piece of blended color art as you relax into each puzzle. Final Fantasy VIII Remastered PS4 — Digital The mega-hit RPG returns! This PS4 version features new graphical enhancements and a whole host of options to customise your gameplay experience. In a world engulfed in war, Squall, a member of an elite mercenary force, leads his group in a fight against the sorceress Edea to prevent her from fulfilling her nefarious goal. Flowers Are Dead PS4 — Digital (Out 9/5) Flowers Are Dead is a first person story-based game. Play as Evelyn. Face your tribulations. Delve deep into your mind, trace down the one that got away and live through your memories. Himno PS4, PS Vita — Digital (Cross-Buy) Himno is a non-violent, no death platformer. Use wall-jumps, slides & dashes to reach new heights in randomly generated maps! Using easy to learn controls, parkour through each map to overcome platforming challenges to reach new districts. Level up as new heights are reached and rescue wisps to light up the darkness around you. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne PS4 — Digital, Retail Face off against ferocious beasts as you fight for survival in a lush living ecosystem. Let your hunting instinct take you further than ever! Iceborne is a massive expansion that picks up after the ending of Monster Hunter: World and opens up the new master rank! NBA 2K20 PS4 — Digital, Retail (Out 9/6) 2K continues to redefine what’s possible in sports gaming with NBA 2K20, featuring best in class graphics & gameplay, ground breaking game modes, and more. Plus, with its immersive open-world Neighborhood, NBA 2K20 is a platform for gamers and ballers to come together and create what’s next in basketball culture. The Perplexing Orb PS4 — Digital Experience a puzzle platforming challenge like no other! Roll through over 60 single player stages collecting artifacts, navigating obstacles, and knocking over the finish post to achieve victory! Post War Dreams PS4 — Digital Post War Dreams is a 2.5D story-rich, side scrolling action game set in the wasteland of USA, plagued with constant war. Following the collapse of the economy, government, and society, you must brave heavily armed militia, lawless gangs, and other challenges to escape this post-apocalyptic wasteland alive. Project Nimbus: Code Mirai PS4 — Digital Project Nimbus: Code Mirai is a mech-based flying game inspired by the Gundam, Macross and Ace Combat series. PN:CM features vibrant graphics, blistering action gameplay and an epic storyline. Fly a variety of Battle Frames while fighting enemies over floating cities, vast oceans, and in the reaches of space. River City Girls PS4 — Digital (Out 9/5) There’s trouble once again in River City, and this time only the girls can save the day! Using a variety of attacks, weapons, and items, these hot-blooded heroines are ready to teach the city’s lowlifes a lesson – either solo or in 2-player co-op. It’s an old-school rumble for a new generation! Root Letter: Last Answer PS4 — Digital The return of the best-selling interactive mystery visual novel. Follow in the footsteps of Aya Fumino, a school penfriend allegedly involved in a tragic murder 15 years ago. Explore the prefecture of Shimane, uncover clues, and use the letters you wrote to each other to track down her childhood friends for questioning. Shalnor Legends: Sacred Lands PS4 — Digital (Out 9/6) A young girl has travelled to the Sacred Lands. Within this realm she will face many challenges, fight dangerous monsters and solve mysterious puzzles. Many have come to this land before, all in hopes of finishing the Sacred Trial, but none has succeeded. Will she fail like the others? Or will she overcome the odds and return home? ShellShock Live PS4 — Digital Demolish your friends with hundreds of upgradable weapons shot from your customizable tank in this action-packed online multiplayer tanks game. Earn XP to level up and unlock new tanks, weapons, and gear. Fight against or alongside your friends for strategic team or free-for-all matches. Spice and Wolf VR PS VR, PS4 — Digital (Out 9/5) Kraft Lawrence, a traveling merchant, meets Holo, a beautiful woman who can transform into a wolf. To avoid a sudden downpour, Holo and Lawrence take shelter in an old, abandoned water mill in the woods, huddling around a small fire and enjoying a slightly strange but relaxing time together. You can share that time together with them. Sudden Strike 4 – Complete Collection PS4 — Digital, Retail (Out 9/6) The Sudden Strike 4: Complete Collection offers fans the ultimate WWII strategy experience, containing the main game plus all DLCs: Battle of Kursk, Road to Dunkirk, Finland – Winter Storm, Africa – Desert War and The Pacific War. Experience realistic real-time strategy gameplay with tactical depth across 11 campaigns with over 45 missions. Throne Quest Deluxe PS4 — Digital (Out 9/6) Throne Quest Deluxe is a seamless open-world action RPG. Delve into an adventurous world of dungeons and crypts, vicious monsters, and huge amounts of loot. Change between 12 classes and explore your way through dangers on an epic quest to reach the central castle — to claim the Throne held by a demon boss. Torchlight II PS4 — Digital Torchlight II is fast, fun, and filled with action and loot. The award-winning action-RPG is back to bring you into its quirky world of bloodthirsty monsters, bountiful treasures, and sinister secrets. Once again, the fate of the world is in your hands. Play Torchlight II on PS4 and receive an exclusive pet Faerie. Truck Racing Championship PS4 — Digital (Out 9/5) The only official simulation that features all the unique characteristics of the European Truck Racing Championship, one of the most spectacular and challenging motor racing competitions, and offers all racing fans a completely new driving experience: race a giant 5-tonne, 1,000-horsepower truck against 12 competitors while respecting the race rules. The information above is subject to change without notice. Tool – Incoculum Lana Del Rey – NFR Nirvana – Live & Loud Steven Universe: The Movie The Dead Don’t Die X-Men: Dark Phoenix Season Premiere Tuesday, 9/3 at 10:00PM on FOX PlayStation Vue has your favorite sports, news and must-watch shows. The information above is subject to change without notice. View the full article

Those of us at Hopoo Games and Gearbox Publishing are stoked out of our minds to surprise launch Risk of Rain 2 today on PS4. If you’re hearing about Risk of Rain 2 for the first time, let’s play a little catch up! Way back in the halcyon days of 2013, Risk of Rain dropped, quickly becoming one of the early titles leading a roguelike resurgence. Now, Risk of Rain 2 marks the return of 2013’s classic roguelike, but adds a whole new dimension. While the first game was a 2D action game, Risk of Rain 2 is a fully 3D title. That means some things are pretty different, but one of our goals was actually to keep the core moment-to-moment gameplay feeling similar and authentic to the original title. Here’s what it’s like! As one of a cast of sci-fi survivors, drop onto a beautiful but foreboding planet and blast your way to an escape. Enemies, loot, and mysteries abound in this multiplayer roguelike that’s absolutely stuffed to the seams with places to see, items to unlock, and baddies to blow up. Grab some friends in four player online co-op, stack up some items, and try to survive the wildlife. When you land in Risk of Rain 2, the enemies will likely kick your butt, but in a fair way. Pay close attention and you’ll see patterns everywhere. You learn. You grow. You get better. Eventually taking down enormous bosses to push ever deeper into the planet’s mysteries. In each randomized run, it’s essential to explore wide open stages, hunting enemies that turn into sweet, sweet EXP and gold. Once you’ve caused a mini-extinction event, use that gold to pop open some chests and gear up. More than 70 items await your discovery, each one appearing on your survivor as you pick it up. Each item stacks and combines with the rest, scaling you from a regular shooter to an absolute god of destruction. For example, who doesn’t want a teddy bear who will literally take a shot for them? How about a ukulele that shoots lightning? A goat hoof? Yeah, it gets a little weird. Seven different survivors are included on day one, each with a different suite of abilities and playstyles. The Commando’s a great place to start, which is why he’s the only character you have at the beginning of the game. He shoots, he rolls, he rocks. As you play you’ll unlock more survivors like the Huntress, a futuristic archer, the turret-happy Engineer, and REX, a puppy-like symbiote of a robot and plant. Enjoy months of free additional content, already on its way to PS4. This includes new survivors, stages, bosses, items and more. Risk of Rain 2 is available NOW. Also, be sure to download the PS4-exclusive dynamic theme for free. View the full article

Hello! Joe from System Era Softworks here to share some news about something that many of you have been asking for! Our first game, Astroneer, is coming to PS4 on November 15, and is available to pre-order right now! We couldn’t be more excited to join the amazing PS4 roster, and we’ve just released a trailer to celebrate! Creating Space Personalities Now that the announcement is official, we wanted to take a look back at the creative process behind one of the most recognizable things in Astroneer: our space suits! The creation of Astroneer suits is a multi-step process, combining not only the art and visual presentation, but also animation, to give them all distinct personalities like this: For suit creation, we worked very closely with an amazing Concept Artist and 3D artist, Heather Penn. After the first four suits in the game were decided on, she was tasked with creating a new round of suits for each planet type in the game. She ran with that idea, and started to envision space suits for all the different environments that Astroneers might encounter on their travels. Heather put together this image of the overall workflow, starting from sketch to final in-game art: Heather starts with sketches of variations to work out ideas quickly. After refining the sketches to the final version, she then moves to modeling a rough silhouette of the suit’s major features to make sure it works in 3D. Once that is done, she “paints over” the 3D shape, then models the final asset off of that. The Process Some of the earliest sketches we saw of the new suits were mood boards with rough silhouette drawings. These mood boards always included really interesting images to show the inspiration and themes for the suits. One of our favorites incorporated the famous “water bear” photos from a few years back. As you can see in the above photo, inspiration for Tundra suit came from microorganisms, diving suits, and military style safety armor, among other things. Here is another one, showing that the Arid suit’s design is heavily inspired by real life space suits and astronaut clothing: After a round of feedback and approval for the rough designs, the real fun began. Heather went to work modeling the suits in 3D from the concepts. She told us a little bit about that process: “Because I am a concept artist and 3D artist, a lot of the magic happens when I actually convert it. I don’t have to get the (2D) designs perfect…Which is sort of freeing because in the translation from 2D to 3D, something always goes wrong.” The best example of these happy accidents came during the modeling of the Exotic suit. The original sketches of it were super adorable and we loved them, but once they got to 3D, we realized something really important was missing: A head! Astroneers need a head so they can move it around and shine their headlamp where they are looking when underground… and Exotic suit’s body was also its head. Heather then created an extremely scientific drawing to illustrate to the team how she would solve that problem: After we all nearly passed out from immense adorable-ness of this masterpiece, she separated out the “dome” of the suit to be a head that could spin around, and that actually added some really cool options for when animation came into play! Animating a lot with a little After the 3D models are finalized, Gene, our animator, takes over and creates an animation skeleton that fits with the suit’s body shape, and then sets out to create unique versions of all of the animations that suits need, like walks, runs, waves, dances, and so on. Creating distinct and emotive Astroneer suits is actually a big challenge because you never see their faces, and none of them talk (besides the occasional muffled exclamation). But, right from the beginning of the process, Heather often told the team about the head canons she developed alongside the creation of the suits. In a lot of cases, Gene, our animator, took that guidance and then gave each of the suits distinct body language to reinforce that unspoken personality. For example, Heather told us that she pictured Exotic suit to be a clumsy, pigeon-toed scientist, and if you look at the final animations, that inspiration is unmistakably there: Gene is also instrumental when making the animations we use in our trailers like the PS4 announce trailer we posted recently. The team loves when we get the opportunity to use out-of-game content to build on the personalities of the Astroneer suits, while also giving players cool moments where they can see their favorite suits interacting with one another. Thanks for reading! I hope that was a cool look at some of the fun behind the scenes work that goes into Astroneer. We can’t wait to bring Astroneer to PlayStation fans while continuing to develop it for years to come. The game is now available for pre-order, both digitally and physically! See you in the stars. View the full article

Email us at blogcast@sony.com! Subscribe via iTunes, Spotify, Google or RSS, or download here Welcome back! This week, we’ve got two(!) interviews for your consideration: an in-depth chat with Illfonic about Predator: Hunting Grounds and a first-anniversary celebration of Firewall Zero Hour with First Contact Entertainment. Listen in! Stuff We Talked About Firewall Zero Hour Predator: Hunting Grounds Mega Man Zero / ZX Legacy Collection Erica Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Control An avalanche of listener letters The Cast Sid Shuman – Director of Social Media, SIEA Justin Massongill – Social Media Manager, SIEA Kristen Zitani – Social Media Specialist, SIEA Tim Turi – Senior Social Media Specialist, SIEA 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

Last week, we asked you to zero in on the luscious locks of your favorite gaming characters. From braided updos to and textured curls to muddy mops and brash beards, we scoured #PS4share and #PSBlog for this week’s hair-raising highlights: Aloy’s iconic red hair looks good even in the rain, like in this share from Horizon Zero Dawn, shared by @ameeba37. @assassins_book shared Aya’s textured braids in Assassin’s Creed Origins. @Eazels shared this look at Nadine’s voluminous curls in Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. Kratos’ beard shows flecks of gray in this God of War share by @nelid_vp. @RaffGN7 zoomed in on what was left of this Freaker’s hair in Days Gone. @Sefwick liked the shape of Adam Jensen’s beard in Deus Ex Machina: Mankind Divided. 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: Marvel’s Spider-Man: 1st Anniversary Share by: 9am Pacific on Wednesday, September 11 It’s almost been a year since Marvel’s Spider-Man swung its way onto PS4! To celebrate everyone’s favorite web crawler, share your amazing captured moments over the next two weeks with #PS4share and #PSBlog for a chance to be featured. Don’t forget to check out our Photo Mode Guide if you need a little inspiration. View the full article

Cancel those weekend plans, PlayStation Store has a Flash Sale on the horizon with savings up to 50 percent – and we’re leaking a peek at the incoming bounty. Buckle up with the Bandicoot in Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, prepare for morphin time with Power Rangers: Battle For The Grid, and get ready to throw chin music with the greats in MLB The Show 19: All-Star Edition. Take a first glimpse at the full lineup below, then head over to PlayStation Store later today. This weekend’s Flash Sale ends September 2 at 8 AM Pacific. PS4 Games Title $Sale $Original 8FLOOR STRATEGIC COLLECTION 9.99 19.99 CODE: REALIZE ~WINTERTIDE MIRACLES~ 24.99 49.99 CRASH TEAM RACING NITRO-FUELED 29.99 39.99 CRASH TEAM RACING NITRO-FUELED – NITROS OXIDE EDITION 44.99 59.99 DAKAR 18 23.99 59.99 DEGREES OF SEPARATION 1.99 19.99 FAR: LONE SAILS 11.24 14.99 FATE/EXTELLA LINK 34.99 49.99 FATE/EXTELLA LINK – DIGITAL DELUXE EDITION 41.99 59.99 FELL SEAL: ARBITER’S MARK 22.49 29.99 GUNGRAVE VR – LOADED COFFIN EDITION 14.99 29.99 HITMAN 2 29.99 59.99 HITMAN HD ENHANCED COLLECTION 23.99 59.99 MLB THE SHOW 19 23.99 39.99 MLB THE SHOW 19 ALL-STAR EDITION 29.99 49.99 MLB THE SHOW 19 DIGITAL DELUXE EDITION 47.99 79.99 MLB THE SHOW 19: MLB THE SHOW 19 STUBS (1000) 0.69 0.99 MLB THE SHOW 19: MLB THE SHOW 19 STUBS (11000) 5.99 9.99 MLB THE SHOW 19: MLB THE SHOW 19 STUBS (150000) 49.99 99.99 MLB THE SHOW 19: MLB THE SHOW 19 STUBS (24000) 11.99 19.99 MLB THE SHOW 19: MLB THE SHOW 19 STUBS (5000) 3.49 4.99 MLB THE SHOW 19: MLB THE SHOW 19 STUBS (67500) 24.99 49.99 MONSTER JAM STEEL TITANS 31.99 39.99 MX VS ATV ALL OUT 33.49 49.99 PERSONA 3: DANCING IN MOONLIGHT (VR) 29.99 59.99 PERSONA 5: DANCING IN STARLIGHT (VR) 29.99 59.99 PERSONA DANCING: ENDLESS NIGHT COLLECTION 49.99 99.99 POWER RANGERS: BATTLE FOR THE GRID 11.99 19.99 POWER RANGERS: BATTLE FOR THE GRID – COLLECTOR’S EDITION 23.99 39.99 SEGA GENESIS CLASSICS 17.99 29.99 THE SIMS 4 BUNDLE – CITY LIVING… 24.99 49.99 THE SIMS 4 BUNDLE – GET TO WORK, DINE OUT, COOL KITCHEN STUFF 24.99 49.99 THE SIMS 4 CATS & DOGS 19.99 39.99 THE SIMS 4 CITY LIVING 19.99 39.99 THE SIMS 4 DINE OUT 9.99 19.99 THE SIMS 4 GET TO WORK 19.99 39.99 THE SIMS 4 PARENTHOOD 9.99 19.99 THE SIMS 4 VAMPIRES 9.99 19.99 THE WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT – COMPLETE EDITION 14.99 49.99 THIS IS THE POLICE 4.99 19.99 THIS IS THE POLICE 2 14.99 29.99 TITAN QUEST 8.99 29.99 TOUR DE FRANCE SEASON 2019 27.99 39.99 PS Vita Games Title $Sale $Original CODE: REALIZE ~WINTERTIDE MIRACLES~ 19.99 39.99 FATE/EXTELLA LINK 27.99 39.99 FATE/EXTELLA LINK – DIGITAL DELUXE EDITION 34.99 49.99 P3D & P5D BUNDLE + MEGAVERSE COSTUME PACK 34.99 69.99 PERSONA 3: DANCING IN MOONLIGHT 19.99 39.99 PERSONA 5: DANCING IN STARLIGHT 19.99 39.99 View the full article

La-Mulana 1 & 2 taps into the excitement of exploring the unknown and challenging your reflexes and puzzle-solving skills! Slay monsters and solve diabolical traps in this non-linear puzzle-platformer from indie superteam Nigoro, now available for the first time as a physical collection on PS4! We prepared a beginner’s guide for series newcomers who dare explore the ancient ruins rumored to be the origin of civilization itself. Without further ado, let’s get to the Top 5 Tips for Surviving La-Mulana 1 & 2! 1. Pay attention to your surroundings and take it slow! Rushing into an area will almost always cause instant death; besides, there’s no need to be in such a hurry! Find the Holy Chalice as soon as possible for fast travel between points. Also, don’t forget to save frequently through multiple save files. Trust us, you’ll be glad you did. 2. Read all the tablets and take notes! The tablets provide hints for solving puzzles, some of which will definitely have your mind twisting and turning. And when we say scan everything, we mean it: things like mysterious glyphs, bones of past explorers, and tablets will give you hints and warn you about deadly traps. 3. Use your resources wisely! Save your gold for buying different software and relics, and use ammo for your sub-weapons when fighting tough bosses or for solving puzzles. 4. Read your emails! No, we’re not trying to call you out on your office work ethic. Xelpud, the Elder, and friends will give you advice through emails on where to go or what to do next! 5. Last but definitely not least, learn enemy and boss patterns! It’ll take some practice but bosses all have strategies that can be utilized to fight them more efficiently. Got all that? Now apply these tips in real-life with our special La-Mulana 1 & 2 challenge at our booth (Level 6, Booth #7505) at PAX West this weekend! You can also test your mettle by joining our Stamp Rally, where you will receive a prize upon completion! We also have a panel with the game designer himself, Takumi Naramura, on August 30 at 4 p.m. PT in Hydra Theatre. Witness some spicy shenanigans occur while learning about what went into designing this extraordinary platform collection. This panel will be streamed live via PAX’s secondary Twitch channel at https://www.twitch.tv/pax2. We hope you enjoyed our advice on how best to brave the numerous trials and tribulations you’ll encounter deep within the ruins. Look forward to the release of La-Mulana 1 & 2 next year, and stay tuned for more updates! View the full article

Has it already been a year since Marvel’s Spider-Man webbed up our hearts? I’ve been a lifelong fan of the ol’ wall-crawler, so since Insomniac’s acclaimed adventure first point-launched onto PS4 I’ve been beside myself swinging through the city, putting a stop to crimes both big and small… and stopping every five minutes to bust out my camera. Even after locking down the game’s Platinum Trophy, I’ve made quite the habit of hopping back in from time to time not only to let off some steam with a quick swing through NYC, but to flex my photographic muscles with the superb Photo Mode Insomniac baked into Marvel’s Spider-Man. There are three broad ideas I try to keep in mind when getting into the Photo Mode mindset in any game, and they certainly apply here as well. Let’s call them Lights, Camera, and Action. LIGHTS Photography, at its core, is the practice of capturing light. As such, understanding light and how it affects your subject is key to capturing a compelling photo. If you’ve unlocked the ability to set the time of day at Harry’s Research Stations, set your game to nighttime and go for a quick swing around the city. Look for various sources of light and get up close to each one to see how they interact with Spidey. Some of my favorites are the lit glass skylights on top of some buildings, which can make for dramatic bottom-lit shots of our hero. Use these… … to do this I also like to play with the huge electronic billboards you can find in the brighter parts of the city. Framing a well-timed jump or mid-air attack just right can make for a rad silhouette shot of the web-slinger. Setting the time of day to sunset can make for great silhouettes too, and that warm “golden hour” lighting is especially gorgeous. Experiment with the different color filters in your Photo Mode menu here, too — but keep in mind that you can (and often should) decrease their intensity a bit to suit the photo you’re taking. The Spider-Chrome filter can blow out the details of a photo at full strength, but reducing its intensity can provide just the contrast bump you need to give your photo an extra kick. CAMERA Photo Mode in Marvel’s Spider-Man has plenty of menus to tinker with, but the first one I look to when setting up a new shot is the FOV (field of view). This behaves similarly to the optical zoom feature on a real-life camera, which means two things: Setting it to 100 will give you an ultra-wide angle shot. This will add an element of distortion to the edges of your image, which can make for an especially dramatic shot if you frame it well. Cranking it all the way to the other side of the slider acts similarly to a super-telephoto lens in real life, compressing the elements of your image together and letting you zero in on specific details. This makes for great portraits, especially given the extensive texture work Insomniac has put into many of Spidey’s suits. Marvel’s Spider-Man | Photo Mode Gallery Next, I usually adjust the aperture and focus distance of the photo. This emulates the behavior of the aperture setting on a real camera, which means it lets you adjust how much of a photo is in focus. You know that effect where a person’s face will be in focus, but the background is blurry? That’s called depth-of-field, and it’s what we’re playing with when we adjust these sliders. It’s tempting to just crank it all the way down to blow out the background of every photo, but don’t get too carried away. Sometimes it pays to keep a little bit of detail in the background to add a bit of context to your shot. Tilting your camera is another technique that can help keep certain elements in-frame or make a photo feel more dynamic, so don’t be afraid to play around here. Additionally, you can rotate the camera 90 degrees to frame your photo in portrait orientation, which can make for some rather nice mobile wallpapers! It’s important to consider the altitude of your camera in relation to your subject, as well. Generally speaking, shooting from a low angle can make your subject seem more powerful, but as with all things in Photo Mode (and in life!), moderation is key. Try taking the same photo with the camera at different heights and see how it affects the final shot. Bonus tip: Watch Spidey’s eyes as you experiment with all of these points. Since they’re so large and expressive, they can be especially subject to these adjustments. Play with the different emotes when using the selfie camera, too! ACTION Since Photo Mode freezes time, it’s possible to capture positively striking images if you time things just right. Experiment with all the moves in Spider-Man’s repertoire — he has a far more tricks up his sleeve than swinging and punching. If you’re really precise, you can even see the details on all of his different gadgets as he fires them off at foes! Keep playing with different moves to see how certain ones look when frozen; you’ll be surprised at the photos you can capture without even meaning to. Web Zips, Point Launches, various combat maneuvers, gadgets, and even simply wall-running can lead to surprisingly dramatic images. You may have noticed the repeated use of the word “experiment” in this guide, and there’s a good reason for that. I’ve provided a few starting points here, but the best way to get pictures of Spider-Man is to get out there and take them! The more you tinker with the toolkit Insomniac has provided, the more familiar you’ll become with its various powers — you might end up developing your own tricks, too. To get this shot, I froze the camera while wall-running up the side of a building, just as I passed a light mounted to the wall. Finally, there’s a sweet suite of frames and stickers you can apply to put the finishing touch on your art. Don’t be afraid to get weird with it — you could create the next great comic book cover! I’ve shared plenty of my own in-game photography on Twitter with the #SpiderManPS4 and #PS4share hashtags, and if you decide to boot up the game to take some photos I’d love to see you do the same! Got your own Photo Mode tricks you’d like to share? Drop ‘em in the comments! View the full article