Commander Fury

Step into the worlds of Liberty City, Vice City, and San Andreas in Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition, and get behind the wheel to find your favorite station or host on the radio dial, each thoughtfully curated and packed with hits and hidden gems. The team at PlayStation is so excited to dive into these enhanced classics and their iconic soundtracks, that we curated a trio of Spotify playlists. Now Spotify users can listen to timeless tunes of GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas, whether they’re fleeing the law in game or going about their daily life. Please enjoy! Grand Theft Auto III Playlist Cruise to the radio stations of Liberty City, from the classical motifs of Double Clef FM to Scientist’s Dub classics on K-Jah. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Playlist Indulge in nostalgic tunes from the melodrama of Emotion 98.3 to the quintessential 80s pop of Wave 103. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Playlist Ride in style with sounds ranging from the West Coast rap of Radio Los Santos to the Chicago house of SF-UR. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition is available now on PS4 and PS5. Grand Theft Auto III – The Definitive Edition will be available on PlayStation Now starting December 7. View the full article

Hello everyone! Tomorrow, Team17 releases the long-awaited Epic Chef on PlayStation 4. Epic Chef is a story-driven adventure game flavoured with life-sim farming, and crafting elements, blended into one delicious dish via an interactive cooking experience – all served with a side of humour and elaborate cast of characters. From humble beginnings you will build a farm, grow delectable ingredients, craft machinery, and cook your way to becoming the most Epic Chef in Ambrosia. The team at Infinigon have gone above and beyond in their pursuit of culinary mastery , and Epic Chef will feature over 100,000 combinations of dishes, with 27,000 having unique visuals. Today we’re going to show how just about anything can be used to create a delicacy of delectable dishes, well… depending on your taste. Play Video Check out our mouth-watering launch trailer. Anything can be an ingredient With this in mind and trusty axe in hand – gathered logs from the boughs of the Erwin Trees provide an earthy flavoured punch through the core of this dish, complementing the home-made flour cakes and marinara to sit delicately on the palette. Create outrageous dishes with grotesque ingredients Say you’re caring for some unique and beautiful unicorns on your farm and during a routine mucking out they happen to leave you a ‘delight’ amongst the hay – hold your horses, that’s an incredibly potent flavoursome ingredient that you need to keep. Sling this in a pan with your favourite Evil Mandragora, grown from the seeds passed to your hand from the well-versed mages of Ambrosia, and you’ve got yourself a Toxic Tartare and Erwin Mousse with Yolk Compote. When creating and serving in your own restaurant, it’s important to remember that success in Ambrosia, whether during a chef battle or in your day-to-day running of your restaurant, is based on experimentation. You want to create sauces, use the most outlandish ingredients and truly one-up your competition with your recipe creation in order to win. Gather (and fish!) to prep rambunctious recipes Such as the following: made with the rarest of dragon eggs – claimed after a trip to a baited home-built Dragon Nest – the Fiery Omelette isn’t complete without the addition of some ray-fin freshly caught from a formidable fishing trip to the harbour in Ambrosia. (that’s right, we have fishing, lots of it, you love fishing mini-games – you tell your friends, but they roll their eyes at you – rays, carps, trouts, crabs, we’ve got it all, and you’re here to fish them all). We hope to see your very own restaurant in Ambrosia when Epic Chef launches tomorrow on PS4, and for the first week of launch we have a 10% launch discount for PlayStation Plus subscribers. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/QULGEziHnZMView the full article

The developers at From Software are experts at crafting adventures packed with the unexpected. Sometimes these surprises take the form of a skeleton striking from the shadows, a hidden trap door, or a terrifying boss that changes gears mid-battle. Elden Ring contains those types of twists, of course, but the most astonishing revelation with this title is how much it shakes up the winning “Souls” formula while still delivering something satisfyingly familiar. Bandai Namco invited me to enter the Lands Between to get a taste of the new open-world action-RPG. As a fan of the developer’s iconic Souls titles, I was excited to dive in and identify what new gameplay elements most shake up the experience. Read on for a top-level rundown of some big changes Elden Ring introduces to the From Software action-RPG catalogue. Verify your age to view this content. Verify your age to view this content. Familiar Souls-style gameplay elements Before jumping into the new, here are some of the fundamental Souls gameplay elements you can look forward to in Elden Ring: Tough Bosses – From the hammer-flinging Grave Warden to the energy blades flung by Margit the Fell Omen, the boss battles on offer pack a level of challenge Souls fans have come to savor. Entrancing attack animations dovetail into devastating attacks, guiding you to study their movement and react to survive these fights. Common enemies hit hard – Greed and laziness will be punished. Don’t underestimate common ghouls or random horse-mounted foes in the field. They will end you if you drop your guard. Backstabs and parries – Block, roll, parry, and backstab your way through combat. Hard-earned muscle memory from past From Software games will come in handy. Combat and Targeting – The bread and butter of dealing light and heavy attacks feels similar, yet with a subtle smoothness layered onto the overall gameplay. Locking on to enemies and cycling between targets mid-combat feels simple and intuitive. Leveling Up – Collect Runes (a.k.a experience points) by defeating enemies and use them to level up at “Sites of Grace” discovered in the world (similar to bonfires in Souls titles). You’ll drop Runes when defeated, so be sure to make recollecting dropped caches a priority. Significant innovations to Souls-style gameplay Guidance of Grace – Shimmering trails of light extend from Sites of Grace, offering vague suggestions to direct your adventure towards areas of intrigue. Open World – The Lands Between is a large open world, populated with powerful enemies, hidden treasures, side dungeons, and other points of interest to discover. The expansive terrain kept me constantly wondering what may be over the horizon. Unlimited stamina outside combat kept me hurtling towards my next destination. Map – This key tool makes navigating the more open world smooth while preserving the key element of discovery. Collect map fragments to fill in terrain detail on your map, and fast-travel to Sites of Grace from almost anywhere except dungeon interiors. You can also drop a beacon on the map to aid navigation. An Inviting Journey – Elden Ring contains From Software’s trademark gothic castles, ominous dungeons, and foreboding enemies. However, traversing the vivid, green cliff sides of the Lands Between injects a wondrous sense of adventure into the overall experience. For me, this translated to a feeling of excitement while exploring the open world – a satisfying contrast to the atmospheric tension and blind corners of dark dungeons. Ambient Music – The world of Elden Ring has familiar placid solitude that Souls fans have come to appreciate. However, where some From Software titles essentially reserved background music for boss battles, the Lands Between hum with more subtle ambient music. The atmospheric tracks help make the open world feel even more alive. Jump(!) – Unlike the rooted nature of past Souls games, a new leap allows you to surmount obstacles in the field. What’s more, you can perform a potent jump attack at any point in battle. Fall Damage Reduction – What goes up must come down. Unlike the punishing plummets of previous From Software adventures, players can drop off a lofty cliff and receive little-to-no fall damage. This tweak invites players to adventure the exciting world more boldly. But remember to look before you leap, lest you stumble into a cast of giant crabs or other menacing foes. Day / Night Cycle – The sun rises and sets, creating different moods as you explore the Lands Between. Seeing the setting sun cast pink upon the still waters of a swamp is a captivating sight. Transient weather events such as a rainstorm also pop up to change the vibe. Crafting Items – Collected resources from flora and fauna can be crafted into useful items, seemingly at any time. Fashion animal bones into throwing knives or combine combustible items into an improvised bomb. Side Dungeons – Souls fans know that discovering optional areas is part of the experience, and Elden Ring integrates these off-shoot dungeons in a streamlined way. For instance, spelunking into a wolf-ridden mine concludes with a frantic boss battle against the ravaging Beastmaster. Once bested, collect the treasure and activate a warp point to return to the beginning of the dungeon. Defeat Enemy Groups, Recharge Flasks – Vanquishing specific groups of enemies in the field will replenish your flasks. An added incentive for finishing off groups of foes after triggering combat. This varies by type of flask and enemy group. Of course, you can always refill your Flasks by resting at a Site of Grace. Summonable Mount – Get around the expansive world fast by summoning your spectral mount from thin air. Attacking enemies from horseback is efficient and satisfying, but be careful not to get knocked off or you’ll be fatally vulnerable. Resurrect a fallen Mount by using a charge from the Flask of Crimson Tears. Vertical Exploration – While mounted, keep an eye out from massive updrafts you can jump into to gain extreme height. The elevated vantage point may help you reach new areas, or quickly escape danger. Cooperative Rune Gathering – Good Samaritans who help friends progress in their world will be able to transfer collected Runes back into their main game when done with co-op. Summoning Pools – These small markers are found around the Lands Between. Summoning Pools are the only means to summon other players to help within Elden Ring’s dungeons. Flask of Wondrous Physick – A new flask for customizing concoctions with unique effects. Collect and mix different elements to varying results, like a temporary stamina increase plus violent area-of-effect explosion. Ashes of War – Items you can collect and use to imbue elemental powers onto your weapons, or grant additional abilities to the weapon, such as summoning a magical blade or granting protection to the player Spirits – Summon some help mid-battle with a range of helpers available, featuring differing abilities and attributes. A new way to call on NPC help that has helped many Souls players. Run Away – The open world offers more escape routes. Retreat from a fight if you become overwhelmed, which is particularly useful when roaming mini bosses attack. Naturally, this isn’t an option in boss chambers or cramped dungeons. Hijacking Caravans – You may spot lumbering giants towing a massive cart through the world, surrounded by a contingent of enemies. Carefully clear out these foes to claim the riches in the caravan yourself. Such as the robust Crucible Armor set above. Farewell for now! Venture into the Lands Between when Elden Ring launches on PS5 and PS4 February 25. 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October proved a packed month for new releases, with the likes of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles, and The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes all battling it out for chart spots (and lengthiest game names). The biggest winners of the four week period however were Far Cry 6, FIFA 22, and Back 4 Blood, all of whom took top billing on the PlayStation Store PlayStation 5 charts. Scroll down for a breakdown of the full charts for PS5, PS4, PS VR and F2P, across US & Canada and Europe. PS5 Games US/Canada EU 1 Far Cry 6 FIFA 22 2 FIFA 22 Far Cry 6 3 Back 4 Blood Back 4 Blood 4 Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy 5 NBA 2K22 Kena: Bridge of Spirits 6 Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Alan Wake Remastered 7 Madden NFL 22 The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes 8 NHL 22 Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 9 Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl Diablo II: Resurrected 10 Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Riders Republic 11 Alan Wake Remastered NBA 2K22 12 Deathloop Resident Evil Village 13 Riders Republic Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales 14 The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes Rainbow Six Siege 15 Kena: Bridge of Spirits Deathloop 16 Diablo II: Resurrected Hot Wheels Unleashed 17 Hot Wheels Unleashed Assassin’s Creed Valhalla 18 Mortal Kombat 11 NHL 22 19 Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War It Takes Two 20 Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order *Naming of products may differ between regions *Upgrades not included*Naming of products may differ between regions PS4 Games US/Canada EU 1 FIFA 22 FIFA 22 2 Far Cry 6 Far Cry 6 3 Back 4 Blood Grand Theft Auto V 4 Madden NFL 22 Minecraft 5 NBA 2K22 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 6 Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles Red Dead Redemption 2 7 Grand Theft Auto V Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag 8 NHL 22 Need for Speed Heat 9 Insurgency: Sandstorm Gang Beasts 10 Minecraft CarX Drift Racing Online 11 God of War The Last of Us Part II 12 Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Friday the 13th: The Game 13 Red Dead Redemption 2 Insurgency: Sandstorm 14 Friday the 13th: The Game A Way Out 15 Diablo II: Resurrected Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 16 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare God of War 17 Mortal Kombat 11 Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War 18 Gang Beasts NBA 2K22 19 Need for Speed Heat Diablo II: Resurrected 20 Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition *Naming of products may differ between regions PS VR Games US/Canada EU 1 Beat Saber Beat Saber 2 Job Simulator Job Simulator 3 Batman: Arkham VR The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners 4 The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Arizona Sunshine 5 Superhot VR Superhot VR 6 Swordsman VR The Walking Dead Onslaught 7 Gorn Swordsman VR 8 Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul 9 Arizona Sunshine Batman: Arkham VR 10 Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality Free-to-play (PS5 + PS4) US/Canada EU 1 eFootball 2022 eFootball 2022 2 Fortnite Fortnite 3 Call of Duty: Warzone Call of Duty: Warzone 4 Rocket League Rocket League 5 Enlisted Enlisted 6 Genshin Impact Genshin Impact 7 Apex Legends Apex Legends 8 Destiny 2 Destiny 2 9 Rec Room Rec Room 10 Splitgate Brawlhalla http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/2PPOVwvcj5IView the full article

Yuki revolves around the titular character, a Space Ranger whose duty is to guard the Star Flower, a celestial body responsible for nurturing the universe with creativity. The object of desire of the evil Yokaliens, Yuki sees her beloved universe in danger once they steal all of its creative force, setting the universe towards a destructive path. Joined by the immeasurable powers of a kid’s wild imagination, Yuki will blast through infinite bullets and chilling creatures so that together, they can save the universe. Now that you are on board for this adventure, you might as well know a bit more of the universe you are about to delve into! In this article, we share with you the game’s core fantasy, an important pillar that helped us sustain most of our design choices. With the immersive capabilities of PlayStation VR, Yuki takes us back to our childhood, when, with our favorite toy in hand, the four walls of our bedroom would suddenly become too small to fit the worlds we would imagine. Being a game that revolves around creativity, we wanted the player to feel like a kid again, and with Yuki’s action figure in hand, embark on a perilous adventure to save the universe. Basically, every design choice came from that principle, which we called the core fantasy of the game, and helped us base every major decision during the making, including the bedroom, the game’s entryway. It was very important for us that each player had their own take on the game while still feeling like they belonged there, and most importantly, we wanted each player to have a unique connection towards Yuki’s action figure, just like they had with their favorite toys growing up. For that, we decided to set the game in a reality based on our own, but without any specific mention of where the story takes place apart from a kid’s bedroom. Not any bedroom, this one belongs to a clearly huge fan of Yuki, a decision made in order to strengthen the player’s sense of who they are in the game straight away. The key to entering the imagination world, picking up Yuki transports the player to where the real action takes place. While the main focus here was to create a challenging mix of bullet hell with roguelite elements, it was important that the game’s core fantasy remained present. Therefore, obstacles and bullet patterns that constantly reminded the player that they were holding a toy were created. At the same time that it’d be fun to see if Yuki could go through the narrow bars of a gate, or experience the thrill of dodging seemingly infinite bullets, it’d also be an instinctive way to strengthen the bond between Yuki and the player. It was interesting to see this happening during our playtests, where testers would hide Yuki behind them, once too many bullets would risk her safety, or even apologize to her once she got hit. A game with roguelite elements, the player’s permanent progression is an important aspect of Yuki, and when playing, the workshop is the place that serves that function. It was fundamental for the team to get this right in order to keep the players motivated, but it was also crucial that this place followed the game’s core fantasy, something we experimented with from the early prototype stages. Still considered a place built upon a kid’s imagination, the workshop brings elements from the kid’s bedroom, such as the toybox and the desk, to ground the player’s experience, while allowing a more tactile moment in a sort of holographic hangar, where they can grab capsule toys that contain power-ups and charms and decide which ones to buy in order to become stronger. Being able to build a game where childhood plays such an intrinsic part in it, allowed us to craft it through our fondest memories. In consolidating each one of them in the game’s core fantasy we were able to create unique gameplay, where we are invited to go back to the days where our favorite toys would travel with us to the farthest galaxies, to help us achieve the impossible. We hope Yuki takes you back to those days, and encourages you to, once again, play like a kid. Yuki will be available next week, November 16 on PS VR and you can check the trailer now Play Video Also, since you’re here, how about sharing with us some of your childhood memories? Did you have a favorite toy? We’d love to know. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/MC8sBr9tW1QView the full article

Hello everyone, my name is Kazuhiko Aoki, and I was the event designer for Final Fantasy IX. I was responsible for bringing the characters of the game to life, as well as the different scenarios players would experience. In honour of Final Fantasy IX’s release on PlayStation Now, I thought I’d share some of my personal memories of the game’s development. Play Video Starting out I was assigned to the Final Fantasy IX team from the very beginning. I’d previously worked on Final Fantasy III, IV and VII, so I was no stranger to working on the series, but one thing in particular was going to be different this time: the game was going to be made in Hawaii. That was a big move for me – I wondered what the development environment would be like over there, for example. However, I didn’t start working on Final Fantasy IX right away. Right before development was due to begin, Hironobu Sakaguchi, the director of the game (and original creator of the Final Fantasy series!), asked me: “How about you make Chocobo’s Dungeon 2?” As a result, I ended up taking the development staff for that game to Hawaii with me and we made Chocobo’s Dungeon 2 there as well. Maybe some of you played it on the original PlayStation! Once that game was complete, I joined the Final Fantasy IX team and we started working on the game together. Looking back while moving forwards From the very beginning, Mr. Sakaguchi said that he wanted Final Fantasy IX to be a return to our roots. Final Fantasy VII and VIII had been set in science-fiction-inspired worlds, and we wanted to go back to the fantasy style established in the earlier Final Fantasy games. This did cause us a few issues, however. For example, we’d built up a lot of experience depicting taller characters with the two previous games, but in order to best support the fantasy atmosphere of Final Fantasy IX, we needed more stylised designs. That meant we couldn’t rely on the techniques we’d learned – we had to essentially start again from scratch! Characters who control their own destiny It was important to get the designs right because the characters really are the heart of Final Fantasy IX. People who’ve played the game are very attached to the likes of Zidane, Vivi, Dagger, and Steiner. That’s something gratifying to hear because I worked my hardest when creating them all. One of the themes of Final Fantasy IX is that there’s no such thing as immortality in the world. How you live your life isn’t determined by destiny – it’s determined the instant you make your own decision about how you’re going to live. We wanted to portray characters who always lived according to the way of life they had decided for themselves, even in their final moments. By making each of them have their own unique charms, we thought people would be immersed in the world of the game. Of course, I may have been thinking about all this at the start of the project, but once development started all I can remember is being worried about a lot of different things – like needing to make a certain part clearer or adding in additional episodes. However, I do believe we were successful in our original goal – I think people were able to relate with the characters and how they lived their lives. Deadlines and data limits Perhaps the biggest problems we ran into when making Final Fantasy IX were due to data limits. Working on the original PlayStation, we were limited by how much information we could fit on a CD-ROM, and even with four disks we were right at the limit of that storage. Towards the end of the development, we were calculating the data on each of the disks every single day. If we ended up exceeding the storage amount, we’d agonise over how to change the way the story was split over the disks. It meant we had to make some cuts. For example, at one point in the story, the party splits up to take on four shrines. Initially we planned to make the player use each group of characters to fight, but due to the data limits we ended up only including the Zidane and Quina battle. Adding to the problem was the fact that we had three months less than originally planned to make the master of the game. The final polishing was incredibly tough! A satisfying scene Despite all our difficulties, I’m proud of the finished game. I’m sometimes asked what my favourite scene is, and – odd as it may sound – it’s the credits. My definition of a fun game is when the closer you get to the ending, the more you feel like you don’t want it to end yet – you still want to keep playing in this world! Then, once the ending starts, you’re all excited by the finale of the story, and once the ending credits roll, you’re just dazed, overflowing with a sense of achievement. When I played through Final Fantasy IX to test it, I experienced that feeling myself when I reached the ending – I felt like I’d achieved what I needed to do. Memories of life I have many fond memories of my time working on Final Fantasy IX, particularly that I was able to work under the bright Hawaiian sun. When I started living there, I saw people gazing out over the sea and sky with laid-back expressions and it felt like time itself was moving at a more relaxed pace. I’d been rushing around so busily before – it was a good opportunity for me to stop think about what kind of life would make me happy. Beyond that, I’m pleased that the game has had such a profound impact on the lives of its fans. Right after the game was released, I received a letter from a player who was going through an extremely difficult time in their life, but playing Final Fantasy IX helped them through it. Knowing that all our hard work helped someone overcome such a challenge… that was the first time I felt like I was glad to be making games. Even today, the fans continue to inspire me. For example, I still watch Let’s Play videos on YouTube from time to time. People’s reactions when they play still teach me things I use in my current development work (my account name is Kazuhiko Aoi by the way… but I never say anything). Final thoughts Our work on the development of Final Fantasy IX finished a long time ago, but I believe its continued popularity is all thanks to the fans. In fact, I think of them as the ‘creators’ now. Anyone who answers Final Fantasy IX when asked to recommend a game, anyone who feels happy when they hear people saying they enjoyed certain parts of the game… these fans, like us, continue to build the game. If you’re playing Final Fantasy IX for the first time on PlayStation Now, and find it fun, then I’d be delighted if you’d join us and continue to create Final Fantasy IX into the future. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/-AR7ZQMGswcView the full article

The world of Horizon is inhabited by highly advanced machines — technologically advanced robots that have become Earth’s dominant species. They come in all shapes and sizes, based on various life forms that existed throughout history, such as dinosaurs, prehistoric mammals, and birds. Awe-inspiring yet ferocious, they pose a serious threat throughout Aloy’s mission. Spoiler Alert: Please note this article contains some spoilers for Horizon Zero Dawn and its storyline. Some of the machines encountered during the events of Horizon Zero Dawn will also be present in the upcoming sequel, Horizon Forbidden West. The Watcher, for example: resembling a small theropod, these machines often patrol larger herds and scan for potential threats. Or the Snapmaw: lethal, crocodile-like beasts which were originally created to purify water and went feral as a consequence of the Derangement. The Forbidden West is also filled with new dangers… in the Horizon Forbidden West gameplay trailer, Aloy meets a few of them, such as the fast and agile Clawstrider and the deadly mammoth-like Tremortusk. Of course there will be many more machines to fight, mount, or run from, so Aloy – and you – should be prepared for any circumstance in these forsaken lands. Awe-inspiring metal beasts Principal Machine Designer Blake Politeski has been with Guerrilla since the first machines were concepted at the start of Horizon Zero Dawn. Together with Asset Art Lead Maxim Fleury, their teams (among others) have been working on some great additions for the upcoming sequel. “We’re getting to explore a new area within the world of Horizon,” begins Blake. “It was interesting to figure out what type of machines would live in different ecological zones, and how they would interact with each other, their environment, and of course humans. Machines are the so-called caretakers of this world, so how they perform their roles and what the player can do to use these behaviors to their advantage was always interesting to consider. “During Horizon Zero Dawn’s development, we had a ton of ideas — of course not everything could make it into the first game, but now with Horizon Forbidden West we’ve been able to match some exciting ideas that previously weren’t feasible with new and interesting concepts!” Maxim elaborates: “Blake’s team provides us with a design document that describes the general look of the machine, what type of (interactive) parts it has, and what sort of attacks it can do. There’s some top-level drawings to explain the document further, but then the real visual design moves to the Robot and Weapon Asset team. “Concept Artists will then make a 3D concept which goes through several reviews with art direction, game design, animation, and technical art teams, until we’re all happy. We’ll create, rig, and animate a model to see if everything would work as needed, after which the modelers on the Robot and Weapon Asset Art team will work on it, adding in all the details. After a few more iterations with various teams, the model is fully animated, painted, textured, and reviewed again before being added to the game and replacing the temporary model. The process for developing each machine takes a long time!” Expanding the machine catalog With over 25 different machines in Horizon Zero Dawn, finishing them all was not an easy feat. “In the first game we had to create the foundation,” says Blake, “so we started small by defining different roles. The Watcher is like a security camera, the Ravager is an enforcer, and so forth. Once those base roles were decided, we could really build on that by mixing in robot designs, unique abilities and features, and of course cool weapons and attacks. “We’re expanding this catalog further with Horizon Forbidden West. For example, we knew we wanted a slightly bigger flying machine than the Glinthawk, which resulted in the Sunwing – but it needed a place and a role in the world. We studied various flying reptiles and primitive birds for inspiration, and came up with the concept of their wings collecting solar energy during sunny weather. This in turn created an interesting gameplay dynamic: Sunwings will be vulnerable when they are harvesting solar power, but are also more alert to potential predators when they are idle. “Unique behaviors like these become the basis and are then expanded on when we define the machines’ roles in the world. We always want to make sure the machines are connected, and that they serve a greater purpose; so the whole machine (eco-)system is in harmony – just like in the real world.” Creating an authentic world was always a main focus for Guerrilla, and that includes creating authentic machines that roam around the world of Horizon. “The design language that was created with Horizon Zero Dawn is still hugely important to us,” explains Maxim. “At the same time, we try to make the new machines different and unique so that we are expanding the world for our players. The machines in Horizon Forbidden West have a lot more functionality this time around, which is a challenge from a design perspective, but hopefully gives the player a unique experience during each encounter.” New and dangerous foes In a previous blog, we discussed some of Aloy’s abilities and combat moves that she learns in the Forbidden West. Some of which will come in very handy against stronger, faster, and deadlier machines. “Aloy has many different types of weapons and ammunition available, and she’s going to need them all to beat the different machines!” says Maxim. “Without spoiling anything, every machine has multiple ways to be defeated. We tried to make it clear for players through the machine design, and added textures to show the weak points or interactive components. You’ll need to study each machine closely to find different ways to approach it.” Blake adds: “A lot of machines have various weapons and behaviors that can be used to create an advantage. This is not just in shooting off components and using them, but some machines might have some more passive states during which the player can sneak towards them. For example, if a machine is digging for resources in the ground, it’ll create a lot of dust – Aloy can use this as a visual cover to get closer. “The machines in Horizon Forbidden West are more mobile in almost every way you can imagine – jumping, swimming, clinging to surfaces… Because of this, Aloy will need to keep up with them, so there’s new movement mechanics to help her out. We’re also focusing more on Aloy’s ability to survey and plan an encounter before engaging, as well as her ability to escape if things don’t go as planned.” Actions like climbing or using a Smoke Bomb to escape can give Aloy an edge during a machine battle, but it’s not just the player mechanics that have been improved. Machines in the Forbidden West are more dangerous, but the player can understand their behavior and predict their movements through audio cues. For example, a machine will have specific sounds for idling, alerting others, and initiating attacks. For the PlayStation 5 version of the game, this will come through even more precisely with 3D Audio, providing great situational awareness within a vast world when combined with compatible devices like stereo headphones (analog or USB). Meet the Tremortusk During the Horizon Forbidden West gameplay trailer, Aloy goes head to head with one of the biggest foes we’ve seen so far: a Tremortusk. While it is truly a spectacular sight to behold, it is also incredibly difficult to defeat. “The Tremortusk is based on a mammoth with a nod to the historic and cinematic examples of the great war elephants. It has many different attacks and a body covered in various guns. Apart from using its tusks to attack up close, it also has different elemental weapons it can use. The one we see in the trailer is controlled by a rebel faction of the Tenakth, but you can also find them wandering the wilds,” Maxim explains. “It reminds me of a mixture of war elephants and a huge siege tower that was used to attack fortresses in medieval times: hard to destroy, slow moving, and a lot of fire power,” recollects Blake. “This generated the idea for the Tremortusk, which is a well armored but slow machine, almost an unstoppable force. In Horizon Forbidden West, human enemy factions can control machines, so it seemed like a natural fit to combine the two and make our own spin on ‘war elephants’, with a platform on top that humans can fire at Aloy from. “To circle back to the machine (eco-)system, it was created to keep balance on Earth and ensure that humans cannot wipe out life again. Tremortusks were created as combat machines — protecting other machine species so they can do what they were designed to do without human interference.” Both Blake and Maxim agree that the Tremortusk is one of the most formidable enemies in the game, requiring a lot of preparation to defeat: “We recommend using traps as well as the Pullcaster. Though slow, they can reach a speed that will easily trample Aloy, so get ready to dodge. Finally, be wary of its flamethrower trunk…” Turn the tide with an override! While mostly every machine is itching for a fight, they also hugely contribute to the world of Horizon, or offer Aloy help throughout her journey. Think of the Tallnecks, which aren’t hostile and will in fact give Aloy some clarity and direction when overridden! “Aloy can, similar to Horizon Zero Dawn, override machines and have them fight with her,” says Maxim. “This time around we’ve also added more mounts to explore and ride – you can see her on the Clawstrider during the gameplay trailer.” Blake adds: “Some machines may also inadvertently help Aloy out. If a machine is searching for certain resources that Aloy happens to be after, they can lead her to stashes if she’s observant. Also, through overriding, Aloy can now exert some control over machine behavior, shifting them into aggressive or defensive states.” One of the things everyone at Guerrilla is looking forward to most is seeing which new machines players will like. Of course, we have our own machine ranks in the studio; for Maxim, the Thunderjaw is his favorite. “It was the first machine from Horizon Zero Dawn I saw a concept for, so it’s always been close to my heart,” he smiles. “I love the design and character of it. In contrast, in Horizon Forbidden West, it’s the Burrowers: nifty little machines which can overwhelm you if you’re not careful.” And Blake’s favorite? “The Stormbird. It’s one of the first ones we designed, and we were trying to figure out what these machines were supposed to be. When I pitched it to a colleague, it sounded like an eagle combined with a fighter jet; but then it would also be elemental with surges of electricity high from the sky. It would dive straight to the player like a bolt of lightning and explode as it hit the ground! Our Game Director overheard this conversation, turned around and said: “that sounds awesome!” So that’s how we figured out the Stormbird. “And for me, my favorite is definitely the Shellsnapper. It’s a machine that had been brewing in my mind since the first game, and I’m excited to see it in the Forbidden West. It’s large and has several abilities that will excite players – combining inspiration from movies and real life, as well as some strange things we came up with ourselves. I’m just as excited to see people’s reactions to this machine as they are to play it.” What’s your favorite machine from Horizon Zero Dawn, or the one you look forward to discovering most in Horizon Forbidden West? Let us know in the comments below this post.For more information on Horizon Forbidden West, please visit here. We’ll be back soon with another developer blog! http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/lNw-2-e7yyYView the full article

Last week, we asked you to return to the dangerous world of Returnal to explore its newly released Photo Mode using #PSshare #PSBlog. From out of this world portraits of Selene to well framed foes, here are this week’s highlights: XxPAGZxX steps out into the mysterious world of Atropos. Noobiablos shares Selene’s back turned to some creeping tentacles. ccf_photomode shares a looming portrait of the first biome’s boss Phrike. adambomb2mk shares Selene approaching a blue-soaked relief. GeekNamedMike shares a portrait of Selene in her space suit. MdeavorVP shares Selene wading through water in a red-light area. Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? THEME: Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy SUBMIT BY: Wednesday 9 AM PT on November 10 Next week, we’re cranking up the volume on Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Share wild and heroic moments in the cosmos using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/Fzf7PGmCqcYView the full article

Taking the reins of a series as iconic as Ghostbusters would be a daunting task for any director. But Jason Reitman, the mastermind behind the franchise’s latest chapter Ghostbusters: Afterlife, has Ghostbusters in his blood – not only is he a massive fan of the legendary 80s adventures, he is also the son of Ivan Reitman who brought the first two entries to the big screen, and who also adds his producing chops to Afterlife. Rather than being weighed down by the shadow of his father’s films, the younger Reitman saw his dad’s involvement and presence on the set of Afterlife as a huge boon to this entry. “I was lucky enough to have not only the world’s foremost expert on Ghostbusters sitting next to me,” Reitman told me when we sat down, “but also one of my favourite storytellers.” “It’s funny,” he laughs, “I’m the child of a Ghostbuster, so I guess it should be no surprise that when it came to making a Ghostbusters movie, I would make a movie about the granddaughter of a Ghostbuster. And there was no way to do this except with my father right by my side.” This father-son relationship has created a high level of consistency between Afterlife and the original Ghostbusters movies, to which the new film is a direct sequel. Despite over 30 years passing, Afterlife truly feels like a part of the same world we were first introduced to in 1984. Its tone, comedy and design will be instantly recognisable to fans of the originals. “We were trying to echo the original film in every way possible, and most of all in comedy. That’s why we cast actors like Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, and Mckenna Grace.” These big stars are joined by relative newcomer Logan Kim who plays Podcast, a wise-cracking misfit with a penchant for microphones and audio recorders. “You know, audiences don’t know him yet,” Reitman nods, “but I think they’re gonna love him. He feels exactly like the kind of guy you would have cast in the original.” But the sense that you’re jumping back into the world from the original movies doesn’t end with the humor. Afterlife starts with an as-yet-unnamed family discovering they’ve just inherited a ramshackle farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. Formerly inhabited by Phoebe (Grace) and Trevor’s (Wolfhard) absent grandfather, the house is packed floor-to-ceiling with books on the paranormal, unused farming equipment and, as it turns out, ghostbustin’ gear. And when it comes to the appearance of iconic Ghost Trap and other classic tools, there’s no sleek redesigns here. The clunky, worn-down 80s look from the original movies is preserved perfectly; these could be lifted straight from the studio’s archives. Practical effects and physical props are heavily featured, with CGI limited to a small selection of scenes to preserve the style of Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II. “We always wanted to get at the original recipe of what was a Ghostbusters movie. And that involved really doing the archaeology, understanding how they made the original, and finding ways to mix the bleeding edge of computer technology with the most old school Hollywood effects.” Reitman’s wish to blend different technologies is showcased best in a scene which sees the return of the Terror Dog, a fan-favourite monster whose image is surely seared into the minds of anyone who watched the original movie as a child. The beast is back, and more terrifying than ever, thanks to a mix of practical and digital effects. And we’ve got your first look at its resurrection in this exclusive clip: Play Video On the creation of practical effects, Reitman said “we’re talking magnets and wires and smoke and mirrors, animatronics, puppets. We basically had a real Terror Dog on set that was operated by the greatest puppeteers alive. It’s that kind of filmmaking which I think gives the movie its feel and its tone. It’s that grounded camera work. It’s being on real sets instead of green screen stages. “So when you stand in front of the Terror Dog and it looks you in the eyes, you feel that. There’s just no two ways about it. It becomes way more intimidating when you have these puppeteers who bring that thing to life and you feel like you’re in the presence of a real creature.” It’s not just monsters which make their return in Afterlife; the movie is littered with Easter Eggs for eagle-eyed fans to spot. When asked for his favourite, Reitman couldn’t be pressed to choose just one. “I’ll give you a few to look for,” he laughs. “There’s a line from the original movie in which Egon Spengler says, ‘I once had half a slinky, but I straightened it’, so there is a straightened slinky somewhere in the movie if you can find it. There’s the Ghost Sniffer that Bill Murray uses at Dana’s apartment from the original, too.” And fittingly, given Ghostbusters: Afterlife is “a movie about a family, by a family”, Reitman couldn’t help but sneak in a reference to his dad’s previous work as well. “There is also a nod to Cannibal Girls, my father’s first movie,” he teases. That family connection clearly means a lot to him. One that’s at the heart of this new movie, resonating through him, and everyone else involved in the production, onto the big screen. Ghostbusters: Afterlife launches exclusively in cinemas November 19. Buy your tickets here. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/rDcrqT-T1hIView the full article

Skyrim fans are in for a treat with Saints & Seducers, a quest-filled creation that’s included in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition when it launches November 11. Saints & Seducers will also be made available free to owners of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition the same day. Despite introducing a new storyline across two quests (and of course, side quests), there’s even more to get hyped for in Saints & Seducers. We reached out to Senior Artist and Creation Club Lead Daniel Lee to get the inside scoop on this upcoming piece of free content and why you Dragonborn out there ought to keep it on your radar. The Shivering Isles return Those familiar with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion will get a kick out of Saints & Seducers with the return of The Shivering Isles, Sheogorath’s Daedric Realm. In this creation’s main story, a devious mage aims to weaken the barrier between the Isles and Tamriel itself, risking immense chaos for the continent. As you play, you’ll uncover armor, weapons and even side quests referring to Sheogorath’s otherworldly domain. “The Shivering Isles holds a special place in my heart,” Lee reminisces. “This creation is packed full of nostalgia.” Gear, gear, gear Speaking of weapons and armor, Saints & Seducers is chock full of new items to collect, including new artifacts, pets, armor, weapons and alchemy ingredients. “Enjoy heavy armor? Like to use a bow? Prefer to conjure allies? Are potions and poisons your weapons of choice? This creation has it all covered,” says Lee. “There really is something for everyone.” The Madness Battle Axe More than a quest “The creation isn’t confined to its main quest, there are plenty of secrets to discover,” Lee adds. Even after completing the main storyline of Saints & Seducers, players have plenty to do from smithing side quests to everything offered in Rare Curios, a bonus creation that comes as part of Saints & Seducers. With Rare Curios, players can obtain special items from all over Tamriel via Khajiit caravans, including ingredients to craft all-new potions and poisons. New threats to encounter Skyrim’s roving bandits and ferocious wildlife are fine enough foes when traversing the wilds, but why not spice it up? Saints & Seducers features new enemies to fight, including Corrupted Spriggans and juvenile Elytra Nymphs. Don’t let their smaller size fool you, those Nymphs can sometimes be just as deadly as their fully grown counterparts! Your personal pet Elytra For some, the best for last: With Saints & Seducers, The Shivering Isles’ own native insect species can be yours to take home as a pet! “I’ve always wanted a pet Elytra,” says Lee, and we’re certain he’s not the only one. Saints & Seducers, along with the Rare Curios, Fishing and Survival Mode creations, will be made free for all owners of Skyrim Special Edition starting November 11. Want even more amazing creations to explore? Upgrade to the Skyrim Anniversary Edition and receive not only these creations, but every single piece of Creation Club content currently available for the game, in one convenient bundle. Amber Weapons http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/91BN-U50AVEView the full article

We’re super excited to announce you’ll be able to don your time travelling shoes on January 27, 2022. Get ready to take a step back (and forward) in time as you attempt to prevent the collapse of civilization. Unite a generation through music. Take the stage in 1969 and give the performance of a lifetime. An epic PlayStation VR time travel adventure game, Wanderer takes you back through the ages to reshape the course of history. Playing as Asher Neumann, you find yourself in an alternate, apocalyptic timeline where the search begins for your grandfather’s lost apartment and the mysterious artifacts that are hidden within. With the announcement of our imminent release and retail pack (yes, you’ll be able to hold Wanderer with real hands) we wanted to share a few new areas and mechanics that offer unique in-game challenges and discoveries. Black holes Time travel within Wanderer is anchored in the concept of black holes and singularities, and harnessing these to manipulate time and space. Learn what it takes to manipulate time to help you in your quest to reset the clock. Temporal transporter Harnessing these black holes will need some management. Learn how to operate and programme the mysterious time transporter – the more you progress and time jump, the closer you’ll come to understanding the transporter, and, more importantly, how to use it. The future’s looking a bit grey Messing with time can lead to multiple versions of the future. See Boston 2061 in a new light, with a modern, futuristic setting that’s designed with all the modcons one could dream of or is this the nightmare you were warned against? Watch Your trusted companion through the game is Samuel the watch. As well as being an integral part of your journey Samuel is useful in more ways than one and you can upgrade your watch strap using items you find in your adventures. Dive into Wanderer in PS VR when it launches January 27, 2022. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/5-tx_BPyma8View the full article

Jurassic World Evolution 2 releases on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 November 9, bringing a bold new era of management simulation. Whether you’ve played Frontier Development’s much-loved 2018 original, or you’re coming in fresh to this even deeper and more dynamic sequel, Jurassic World Evolution 2 welcomes you to experience a world evolved. One aspect I’m particularly proud of is the all-new Chaos Theory mode. Here you’ll take charge as you revisit pivotal moments from the Jurassic World film franchise in a series of ’what if’ scenarios. The rich lore of the Jurassic World Universe provided such amazing inspiration for Chaos Theory mode. We wanted a way for players to rediscover and reimagine their favourite movie moments. By focusing on each of the five films, and one particular, cornerstone moment within those films, we’re able to include iconic characters, stories, and locations that we then work into different challenges. Whether realising John Hammond’s dream of an operational Jurassic Park, showcasing a T. rex in the San Diego Amphitheatre, or building and running a new Jurassic World park, control events like never before in the Jurassic World franchise. There are five levels in total. The first takes place where it all began: Jurassic Park. Here you’ll bring John Hammond’s original vision to life. Taking place on Isla Nublar, you’ll endeavour to avoid the disasters we see in the film and welcome in the park’s first guests. Authenticity is key, so we’ve made sure to include all the era-specific Jurassic Park Buildings, such as the iconic visitor centre, as well as that famous entrance gate, alongside all of the familiar dinosaurs you remember. In the Jurassic Park 3 level, you’ll work with Simon Masrani to rescue the dinosaurs that will birth Jurassic World. This one takes place on Isla Sorna and involves you locating, monitoring, and releasing dinosaurs. One of those dinosaurs is the ferocious Spinosaurus, a towering carnivore that gave a T-rex trouble in the film. From this scenario’s beautiful tropical environment, you may even spot the iconic aviary nestled in the distant valley, it captures the feel and excitement of Jurassic Park 3. The last Chaos Theory mission I want to expand on is our homage to Jurassic World. This level see’s you picking up where you left off with Simon Masrani, to create the Jurassic World, working alongside another iconic character Dr. Wu (voiced by BD Wong) to see if you can avoid the mistakes of the past. You’ll be responsible for creating iconic landmarks and moments such as the Innovation Centre, Mosasaur’s lagoon, Gyrosphere Tour, and even create a one-of-a-kind hybrid dinosaur: the Indominus Rex. Research for Chaos Theory was a lot of fun since it mainly involved us watching every movie in the series many, many times in order to dig out details we thought were fun or interesting. For example, when we were recreating the San Diego Amphitheater in game, we had to look at how it would fit, look, and feel and how our guests and dinosaurs would interact with it, all while keeping true to how this iconic building was showcased in the film. As you can imagine with five films, it was pretty time-consuming, but in the best way possible. We also introduced one or two members of the design team to the original Jurassic Park movies, as they’re so young that they weren’t even alive when they came out! I hope you have enjoyed this deeper look into Chaos theory mode and we can’t wait to see you take control and create your own Jurassic World when the game launches on November 9. Pre-order now on PS5 and PS4 receive three vehicle skins inspired by The Lost World: Jurassic Park. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/laXtz-wsHp0View the full article

Hi everybody, how have you all been doing? Over the past few months, we have been delighted to receive messages from fans around the world telling us how much you have been enjoying Astro’s Playroom. What particularly stuck out were comments regarding Astro’s look, so we figured it would be nice to get arty and share with you a couple of drawing tips from three artists who worked on the game. We hope you find this fun, and it inspires you 😊 But first, let’s quickly explain where Astro came from. To find his roots, we need to time-travel back to 2013 when Team Asobi was just formed and started working on The Playroom, a collection of augmented reality experiences that came preloaded on PlayStation 4. One of those experiences saw a dozen of small, funny robots living inside the DualShock 4 controller that would come out to play with you on your living room floor. These tiny guys nicknamed “AR Bots” would go on to become the origin of all the bot-like characters appearing in subsequent games. To be truthful, while designing the original bots, we had constraints and focused on getting an impactful look while keeping the shape and design as simple as possible. We aimed to strike a balance between cuteness and coolness, something that would reflect the Sony legacy of product design. And after a few tests, voila! The AR Bots were a thing. It was love at first sight. “The AR Bots as originally found in The Playroom for PS4” The bots then returned in The PlayroomVR (2016); a collection of multiplayer party games available as an introduction to PS VR. One of those games was Robot Rescue, a single-stage 3D platformer featuring a heroic bot going on an adventure looking for his lost comrades. Our robotic hero (he had no name yet) came complete with a jetpack, hover boots, a holographic scarf and that iconic blue livery pattern that would later define the Astro look. “Original artwork from Robot Rescue” Astro then took centre-stage in 2018 in his very own PS VR game Astro Bot: Rescue Mission to great acclaim and later returned to become your guide into the amazing world of PS5 and DualSense wireless controller in Astro’s Playroom (2020). Today, we’d like to pick your creative curiosity and share with you a few tips on how to draw Astro, directly from the hand of three members from Team Asobi: Toshihiko Nakai (concept artist), Miho Kinebuchi and Mayu Kawaguchi (3D artists). Each member had a go at drawing Astro using their very own style and have shared some of their thoughts on what makes Astro a special character. Enjoy watching and reading! Toshihiko Nakai (Team Asobi – Concept Artist) What Makes Astro’s character design unique? Toshihiko: Astro is only a robot but thanks to his cute, rounded shapes, it is easy to connect with him emotionally. Why did you choose to draw Astro in this way? Toshihiko: I have been working as a concept artist in Team Asobi since Astro Bot: Rescue Mission. And as you can imagine, I have had to draw Astro soooo many times, every day in fact! (laughter). So, in searching for a way to draw him fast, this style came naturally to me. Very handy! What tips can you give us to draw Astro? Toshihiko: Try to simplify Astro’s details to make him easier to draw. Also, remember that his face should neither be square nor round, but something in between (that’s the tricky part!). Miho Kinebuchi (Team Asobi – 3D Artist) What Makes Astro’s character design unique? Miho: The richness of his expressions and the fact he is a robot with a round and friendly design. Why did you choose to draw Astro in this way? Miho: I wanted to emphasize the “pop-art” side of Astro and make him cuter, so I tried to reflect this by drawing his outer shape using thicker lines. What tips can you give us to draw Astro? Miho: I think you can make Astro look cuter if you make the size of his head and hands a little bit bigger. Mayu Kawaguchi (Team Asobi – 3D Artist) What Makes Astro’s character design unique? Mayu: The fact his design combines stylish mechanic details with a laid-back and lovable silhouette. Why did you choose to draw Astro in this way? Mayu: In the game, Astro is often dancing so, I tried to express his joy and draw him in a 2D, pop-art style. What tips can you give us to draw Astro? Mayu: He has a big head, like a baby! Make sure his head looks big enough when drawing him. That’s it from us. We hope you’ve enjoyed watching this and learned a few useful tips if you ever felt like creating your own version of Astro. As you could see, there isn’t only one way to draw our robotic friend. So, feel free to let your creativity wild and don’t forget to share your creations with us on social media, we’ll be sure to repost. As always, thank you for the words of love and care, please keep them coming as they mean the world to us. Above all, keep healthy, keep on your passion for gaming and we wish you a great rest of your day. See you around. Team Asobi out. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/lAv5GD_QwwwView the full article

Finch debuts this Friday on Apple TV+, so I caught up with director Miguel Sapochnik to learn more about what makes this Tom Hanks sci-fi tale tick. What is it about the end of civilization that people find so fascinating? I would say, one of the best things to write is the beginning or the end of something. In the middle is always a mess. And I feel like a movie about the beginning of mankind or humankind… it’s been done, right? So now, we are definitely fixated with our own demise. It’s an interesting moment for us all, and I think probably reflected by [the character] Finch. Finch is starting to look back on everything that he’s done and wondering…what did he actually achieve? Was it worth it? It’s a point of reflection. I definitely feel like movie storytelling right now is our point of reflection, where we have to look at ourselves and wonder about the choices that we made and figure out whether we’re prepared to make the changes that need to happen in order for us to continue to survive. Play Video Do you think Finch is an optimistic, hopeful story, despite being focused on the end of humanity? I do, actually. At the same time, I feared my own personality might overindulge itself with the dark side of nature and I feel like something definitely came out of it. I showed [Finch] to a couple of friends after I’d finished it. When you’ve just finished a movie, you’ve lost all perspective as to what it is that you’ve really made. And I showed it with full expectation of them to smile politely and say, “interesting” or something like that. And they laughed. A lot. All the way through it. And then they cried at the end…and they said that it was lovely. And I felt I’d never had that experience before. All Finch has left is a dog and a robot. I wanted to start with the dog — what do you think it represents? How does that play out in the story set amidst the end of days? One of the turns that I always liked in the script is that you meet this guy, [and] he’s building a robot to look after his dog. So he really likes this dog. That’s his focus of attention. He doesn’t like humans. He’s obviously had bad experiences with humans….And then gradually, this story unfolds and you realise that the dog is the survivor of a traumatic event he experienced when he was younger, right in the midst of the apocalypse. The dog means something to him. In fact, the dog is a reminder of his failure as a human being, to his cowardice. There’s something really engaging about the idea that he has a super strong bond with this dog, so that the dog can remind him every day of what a coward he is. The decision to make sure this dog survives, beyond Finch’s life – it’s an act of desperation…he cannot let this dog perish, he’s got to make this dog survive, because somehow that is hope. Interestingly, the dog itself doesn’t give a sh*t. It’s just happy to be there. Throwing the ball is the dog’s happiest moment. I found there was something beautifully simple and eloquent about that. Let’s talk about Jeff the robot. I read a book once that theorized perhaps the natural end point for organic life is to eventually transform into artificial life. Does Jeff represent a way for humanity’s legacy to go on? Jeff the robot is human 2.0. We were looking for a way to explore humanity rather than the depths of the potential depravity of humanity. Jeff, he’s potentially the best and the worst of us. And what he has that Finch has lost is optimism and hope. He also has naivety, which is terribly dangerous in the wrong hands. He also has a stubbornness, an inability to listen properly, and an attitude that is, at times, deeply frustrating to all concerned. But, I think that idea of hope and optimism in the middle of an apocalypse is something unique. Something to be nurtured, not pushed down. You’ve directed some of the biggest episodes of Game of Thrones, episodes with massive-scale battle scenes. Was Finch a different or complementary experience to your previous work? I think complementary is the key word. At the same time, the way I try to approach those big battle scenes is to look for the intimate moments…action gets very boring very quickly if it has no character motivation, or if it has no real point to it. If you’re playing Call of Duty, the real power of those games is the ability to make you feel fear, or triumph, the gamut of emotions when you’re in the thick of this epic, intimate, or claustrophobic experience. Trying to hone in on that personal point of view of a character in a film elevates any action or any context that you would put it in. PS5 console owners can enjoy six months trial access to Apple TV+ for no additional cost. Click here for full details, terms, and Frequently Asked Questions. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/3gQPzg48JqMView the full article

What do ghostbusting and game development have in common? More than you’d think, it turns out. But there’s one thing that comes to mind above all else: teamwork. Available to play in Dreams from today until February 28, 2022, Ghostbusters: Afterlife in Dreams is the result of an 18-week-long collaboration between Media Molecule, Sony Pictures, and the Dreams community. After being contacted via social media, Impy-award winning community creators **Guillaume Chevrier** (aka [SlurmMacKenzie] and **Alfred Nilsson** (aka [byvsen]) soon found themselves in meetings with Mm’s Director of Operations and Strategic Initiatives, Gemma Abdeen, to discuss an opportunity. Play Video “Like, what is this?” Nilsson found himself thinking. “This could be literally anything. Then when Gem told me what the project was and what I would be doing, I got really excited and hopped on.” Chevrier nods. “Same for me. I think it was the first call with Gem where she told me it was a Ghostbusters project, and I was really excited.” Chevrier would be working on gameplay design, and Nilsson on animations. A short brief had already been put together by Mm and Sony Pictures. The game would have to last 60 seconds, as the cast of Sony Pictures’ Ghostbusters: Afterlife would be setting their own scores that fans could try to beat. Chevrier laid down the basics of the controls, including creating a version of the iconic Ghostbusters proton beam that the player could fire in first-person view, and set up much of the underlying Logic for the destructive environments. Media Molecule lead designer Richard Franke then came aboard to direct and help the team make some of the game-defining decisions (as well as do a bit of environment modelling, which Mm’s Dreams specialist Martin Nebelong would polish with lighting and effects). “We asked ourselves, ‘What is the core experience of being a Ghostbusters team member?’” Franke says. “To me, that felt like the most important thing: we need to make the player feel like a member of the Ghostbusters team. Before you do anything else, you’ve got to get that catching of the ghosts to feel right.” The first version that Chevrier had been working on featured fast and furious ghostbusting. “You could really quickly catch the ghosts,” he says. “It was more like they were jumping and you had to catch them when they appeared. But you could not feel the beam – so there was a lot of iteration where we tried to make the ghost move in a way that feels like you’ve got them in your proton stream, and you try to fight against them.” The team spent time watching and referencing the original Ghostbusters movie, breaking down the behaviours of the ghosts and how the heroes interacted with them. “There’s the iconic scene with Slimer in the hotel ballroom,” Franke says, “and I was like, okay, this is the scene we want to emulate.” They’d need to have ghosts flying around unawares, then in a behaviour phase where they’re aware and are avoiding being caught – before a ‘catch phase’, where they’re locked in a struggle with the Proton Beam. “The idea was that the ghost would have a bar that would go down when you’re pulling in the opposite direction. So it almost became like a fishing game, in a way.” Reduce the energy enough, and you could more easily pull them into a trap. At first, players would have to manually throw out traps – but the team quickly realised they could create a more fluid time-attack experience by having it happen automatically. The team based their work on the upcoming film Ghostbusters: Afterlife. “We had a super-short clip of the new movie, where we could see unfinished effects and the new ghosts,” Chevrier says. Nilsson nods: “It was probably my favourite part of the whole thing, because you don’t normally get to see that stuff while it’s still in development.” Working on such a huge franchise, the collaboration was carried out with the utmost secrecy. Nilsson had viewed a clip of the new enemies in action just once during a video call before he started his first attempt at ghost animations. “So I had to memorise how the ghosts moved, like the Muncher with its six arms.” How did he manage it? “There was a lot of improvisation in the animation, trying to figure out how the ghost moved, but the clip helped – and it definitely helped watching it a second time later on! The ghosts all move really chaotically, floaty, all over the place – it was really fun to try and nail that in the animation.” Interactions with the ghosts would be a key part of helping the player feel like part of the Ghostbusters team; another was letting the player leave their mark on the world. “We really wanted to get across the extraordinary damage that the proton pack creates,” Franke says. He recalls the comedy of the aftermath of that hotel ballroom scene: “They’ve probably caused more damage than it costs to actually catch the ghost! So we wanted to get a destructible environment in there.” Wreak too much damage in Ghostbusters: Afterlife In Dreams, and the bill for the damage is taken out of your final reward. This led to the idea for the in-game function of the Mini-Pufts that appear in the new film, Franke says: “The scenes that we had seen of them, they were in a shop and they were destroying the shelves – so it felt logical that they would somehow increase your damage count, running in and kicking at fragile parts of the environment with their stubby little legs – animated with relish by Nilsson. “I had some footage of them looping on my computer while animating,” he says. “It was really fun to see how bouncy they were. And like, immediately, the puppet in Dreams started moving in the same way.” With the ghost-catching and the waves of Mini-Pufts, Ghostbusters: Afterlife in Dreams truly started to take shape as a fast, frantic and tactical time-attack challenge – and started to reflect yet more aspects of Ghostbusters history. “We wanted it to be a little bit like pinball, in a way,” Franke says, “where you’ve got your main thing, which is trying to keep the ball on the table, and that’s the catching of the ghosts. But then you’ve got to hit against the targets, which is your stretch goal – and then you’ve got another stretch goal, which is even harder to get. We actually stacked them up so you don’t see any Mini-Pufts until you’ve caught one ghost. So you’ve got a sort of ratcheting up of gameplay over the course of one minute – and then once you’ve shot a certain number of Mini-Pufts, the Terror Dog will start to appear.” To say too much about the Terror Dog’s appearance might spoil the fun (although Nilsson is incredibly proud of his work on it: “It was probably the most challenging to animate, because I’d never animated a four-legged character before!”). But its inclusion in the game feels like a fitting homage to the secrets and surprises of pinball machines back in the day. “It’s very meta, but there’s something great about people talking about that stuff,” Franke says. “That’s why pinball was exciting. ‘Have you seen the thing that’s really hard to get?’ – a little bit like old-school video games. It’s nice to give the player things to look forward to, and to come back for – each time they’ll get a little bit better, their score will go up, and they’ll see more exciting things happen.” The final result is a collaboration that pays homage to the Ghostbusters series’ past, as well as its present in Ghostbusters: Afterlife – as well as the power of Dreams, with the game itself developed in just 12 weeks. For its developers, the tonal similarities between the Ghostbusters franchise and Dreams itself – slapstick, a bit weird, but ultimately fun for all – made the collaboration feel like a (super)natural one. “I grew up with the Ghostbusters movies,” Chevrier says. “For me, it’s something that evokes good memories. It’s creepy but fun, so you can watch it as a kid and you’ll be scared, but you won’t have too many nightmares – because it’s the funny side of creepy.” Nilsson agrees, pointing to the exaggerated movements of the films and how well it fits with both Dreams’ puppeteering tools and his own cartoony animation style. Franke, too, sees the similarities in points of view between the Ghostbusters franchise and Dreams. “We both have a similar silliness – like, our Halloween event has this sort of kooky spooky Ghostbusters vibe,” he says. “So it’s definitely easy for us to fit that within our content.” But there’s another reason why he thinks this was a neat match for a collaboration. “The right answer for me to say as the director,” he grins, “is that we can make any brand fit! Because it’s just all about scope, and being sympathetic to the brand. Dreams allows us to create bespoke gameplay suited to any kind of brand.” Beyond the versatility and power of the tools, however, the real shared strength at the heart of the Ghostbusters franchise and Dreams – and this project – is undoubtedly community and collaboration, from the team at Sony Pictures, to Media Molecule, and the talented pool of creators using Dreams. “You know, we’re only a small studio, in the grand scheme of the game industry,” Franke says. “So the community is very valuable to us as a resource. Working with the community is lovely because they’re very respectful, they’re not full of cynicism – they’re very happy to be helping out, they’re happy to be being paid for their time to make these games. I think it’s probably very scary on their part, so it’s good to be there to encourage them and to reassure them that they’re doing a great job.” And be sure to catch the next chapter in the original Ghostbusters universe exclusively in movie theatres starting this November! In Sony Pictures’ Ghostbusters: Afterlife, when a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind. From director Jason Reitman and producer Ivan Reitman, the film is written by Gil Kenan & Jason Reitman. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/CmJ1kD6sQUQView the full article

Where were you when Grand Theft Auto III launched in October 2001? I was standing in a GameStop, perusing the new PS2 releases, when it caught my eye. Following a hearty recommendation from the store manager, I bought the game and took it home. The rest is history. Twenty years later, it’s virtually impossible to overstate the impact of Rockstar Games’ open-world crime saga on the gaming medium. And it all began with GTA III, a bold shift from top-down action to a fully 3D open world epic, interwoven with unprecedented interactivity. I remember being blown away by Liberty City itself: a sprawling cityscape packed with cars, colorful characters, challenging side-missions, and ever-present cops. I’d never seen anything like it. GTA III’s launch sent ripple effects across the entire gaming industry, captivating players and inspiring game developers to take a different approach to game design. To mark the groundbreaking game’s big 20-year milestone, we reached out to creators from PlayStation Studios and top third-party developers to reflect on GTA III’s megaton launch. All screenshots in this article from Grand Theft Auto III — Definitive Edition, out November 11. “GTA III changed my perspective of what makes games fun. Games had always been about making the jumps, killing the enemies, solving the puzzles – doing the tasks the designer laid out for you. GTA III was the first game where you really made your own fun. That led me to reimagine how exploration and open-ended gadget and weapon usage in Ratchet & Clank could allow players to find their own fun and approach the gameplay in their own creative ways.” – Brian Hastings, Head of Creative Strategy, Insomniac Games “GTAIII was a game with an astonishing degree of freedom, released at a time when we were struggling to make a single-path game within the capabilities of the PS2. I was impressed by the way the game was made. It embraced the realities that come with an open-world concept instead of restricting gameplay to avoid every potential glitch that might come up. The Japanese version of the game was released by Capcom, and I remember thinking, ‘I’m glad I’m on their side’.” – Hideaki Itsuno, Director, Capcom “I grew up playing 2D side scrolling platformers that had a clear path from A to B and could be worked out with a bit of trial and error. The thing that really stood out for me in GTA III was the freedom it gave you to play the way you wanted in a game world that felt believable. Gone were the automatic loading, level-end, and mission-over transitions. You don’t get out of the car… you don’t progress. You seamlessly went from driving, running around the city, and entering buildings to get your next mission objective at the pace that you wanted. In some ways the freedom was overwhelming but the ability to play your way, and in doing so change the tone of the game, was not lost on me. This was likely one of the first major shifts in self-directed play in game design.” – Tara Saunders, Studio Head, PlayStation London Studio “I remember entering the Remedy offices early November, 2001. I was excited, a bit anxious. It was my first day of work. The first thing I saw was a group of people around a TV. Some were laughing, others staring, speechless. They were playing GTA III. It was provocative, unexpected, endlessly fun and impossible to let go of. A tectonic shift in gaming that set the stage for my career – influencing my work to this day.” – Mikael Kasurinen, Control Game Director, Remedy “GTA III showed me the incredible sense of immersion that comes from being able to act freely and see the world react to your actions—that this unique experience is something only games can deliver. And as the expressive power of games has grown over the years, immersion-focused game design has become the standard for AAA titles. GTA III set that standard, and I’m sure it will continue to influence creators for years to come.” – Yuya Tokuda, Monster Hunter World Director, Capcom “I remember finding out about GTA III during our press tour for Syphon Filter 3. There was so much hype surrounding the game that it was impossible for it to live up to, right!? So wrong. I couldn’t believe everything that you could do in that game. Really opened our eyes to what was possible. It is rare when a game comes along that changes your view on an industry. GTA III was that game.” – Ron Allen, Game Director, Bend Studio “GTA III blew my mind as it was such a quantum leap in video game design. It set the bar for living open worlds full of procedural systems that worked together to create an emergent playground of endless possibilities.” – Richard Franke, Lead Designer, Media Molecule “GTA III really blew open my understanding of what a large team can achieve with a strong technical vision. The highly detailed living open world was a huge leap forwards, lots of hand-crafted content all framed by tech constraints needed to stream invisibly to the player. We also saw how physics tech can drive varied brilliant non-linear missions. Layering on the music, the humour and pure freedom put GTA III among the greatest games of all time.” – Steve Walker, Technical Director, Firesprite Games “It wasn’t the sheer scale or the freedom that blew my mind, already had a taste of that with The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall. Instead, I had a group of three friends and we would spend a lot of time together playing games. And when GTA III came out, we would play that all the time. Thing is: we weren’t doing any story missions or side missions. It was days and weeks and months of messing around in the city, telling ourselves stories, reacting to the living world in chaotic ways, and setting challenges to each other. And the most magical part was that every time there was a visitor beyond that core group, they would get involved naturally, not necessarily playing but commenting, asking the player to try things….This experience opened my eyes to the power of emergent gameplay and stories, seeing games maybe for the first time as a really expressive medium beyond one’s character choice in a fighting game or combo lines in a skating game, and that the stories it created were something that could be enjoyed not just by players, but viewers. [It’s] something that became intertwined with the medium with the rise of gameplay streaming, and more specifically the amazing GTA Online scene, with its role-playing streams this time involving more than one simultaneous player.” – Dinga Bakaba, Game Director, Arkane Lyon “At the time, I had not yet joined Capcom and was pitching a project to an American publisher. I wanted to make a game that expanded on the Tenchu sandbox, but GTA III went way beyond that. I remember thinking ‘how did they make this kind of game on PS2?’ Not only from a gameplay point of view, but also from a technical point of view. In response to the subsequent development of open-world games, I decided to do the exact opposite and make a small, narrow, dense horror game, and Resident Evil 7 was born. In a way, Resident Evil 7 may have been born because of GTA III. Thank you and congratulations on the 20th anniversary of GTA III.” – Koshi Nakanishi, Director, Capcom “When I was still young and the concept of an open world was yet to be created, senior developers would often say, ‘If you aim for a game that lets you do anything, you’ll end up with a game that lets you do nothing.’ This was a warning to remind ourselves of the distance between ideal and reality. But when GTA III came out, I remember being shocked by the fact that a game where ‘anything is possible and fun’ had been realized. I don’t need to tell you that it set a new standard for the gaming experience. Another shock I got from GTA was that ‘grand theft auto’ meant ‘car theft’. I’m Japanese, so I thought the name had a more grandiose meaning…” – Kazuhiro Tsuchiya, Producer, Capcom Play Video Ready to revisit Liberty City, Vice City, and San Andreas, or explore them for the very first time? Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy — The Definitive Edition launches on PS4 and PS5 November 11. Grand Theft Auto III – The Definitive Edition will be available on PlayStation Now starting December 7. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/mynkeOWgZTsView the full article

Crime sprees, perilous mountain climbs, fantastical battles, and questionable delivery skills await with PlayStation Now’s November lineup. Mafia: Definitive Edition, Celeste, Final Fantasy IX and Totally Reliable Delivery Service all await subscribers starting tomorrow, Tuesday, November 2. Let’s take a closer look at each. Play Video Mafia: Definitive Edition The Definitive Edition faithfully recreates the organised crime epic with expanded story plus gameplay and visual improvements. Rise through the ranks of the Mafia during the Prohibition era, experiencing a faithfully recreated 1930’s cityscape, filled with interwar architecture, cars and culture. After a run-in with the mob, cab driver Tommy Angelo is thrust into a deadly underworld. Initially uneasy about falling in with the Salieri crime family, Tommy soon finds that the rewards are too big to ignore. Mafia: Definitive Edition is available on PlayStation Now until Monday February 28. Totally Reliable Delivery Service Buckle up your back brace and fire up the delivery truck, it’s time to deliver! Go it alone to ensure the safety of your deliveries, or join your friends and put your teamwork to the test and haphazardly get the job done in an interactive sandbox world. Unpredictable ragdoll physics meets snappy platforming. Sprint, leap, dive, and grapple with ease, but collide with something and you’ll be knocked out cold! Want to take a break from deliveries? Then play around. The world is chock full of toys, vehicles, and machines that can be used for work or play. Play Video Final Fantasy IX Strange events transpire on the Mist Continent, one of the four main lands of Gaia. The kingdom of Alexandria, ruled by Queen Brahne, begins their invasion of other nations under orders of Kuja, the “angel of death” from Terra. An accidental encounter in Alexandria brings Zidane, Vivi, and Garnet together, and they set out on a journey that leads them to discover the secrets of their past, the crystal, and a place to call home. Play Video Celeste You can do this. Help Madeline survive her inner demons on her journey to the top of the massive Celeste Mountain – 700+ screens of hardcore platforming challenges and devious secrets – in this super-tight, hand-crafted platformer from the creators of multiplayer classic TowerFall. The controls are simple and accessible – simply jump, air-dash, and climb – but with layers of expressive depth to master, where every death is a lesson. Lightning-fast respawns keep you climbing as you uncover the mysteries of the mountain and brave its many perils. This narrative-driven, single-player adventure also features a charming cast of characters and a touching story of self-discovery. Want more of a challenge? Unlock brutal B-side chapters, built for only the bravest mountaineers. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/xt9lbdpRTQoView the full article

Welcome back! We’re live with another Players’ Choice poll as we inch ever-closer to the end of 2021… but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We’ve got quite the selection this time — I’m torn between a few picks myself, but I dare not skew the results so you’ll just have to guess which ones I’m deliberating over. Hit the poll below to cast your vote, then head down to the comments to make an argument for your title of choice. Maybe you’ll help me make my final decision! We’ll keep the polls live until Sunday night at 11:59pm Pacific, so make sure you decide before then. See you next week with the winner! 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 Demon’s Souls 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. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/5SaZAJ4wDEQView the full article

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com! Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google or RSS, or download here Hey folks! This week the team dives into our favorite reveals and updates from the latest State of Play. Stuff We Talked About Call of Duty: Vanguard Horizon Forbidden West Beat Saber Returnal Deathloop State of Play! Diablo 2 Guardians of the Galaxy Alan Wake: Remastered Kena: Bridge of Spirits Back 4 Blood The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes The Cast Tim Turi – Manager, Content Communications, SIE Kristen Zitani – Senior Content Communications Specialist, SIE Brett Elston – Manager, Content Communications, SIE Thanks to Cory Schmitz for our beautiful logo and Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music. [Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.] http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/TMfDPkfbiecView the full article

Attention all PlayStation players, it’s time to rise on every front, as Call of Duty: Vanguard is nearly here! Starting November 5 on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 experience an epic, international Campaign, signature Call of Duty Multiplayer combat, and a franchise-first Zombies crossover marking the continuation of the Dark Aether saga. Call of Duty: Vanguard is packed to the brim with content at launch: live through the heroic moments of Task Force One in the awe-inspiring single-player campaign, experience 20 maps in Multiplayer (including 16 built for core gameplay) and the all-new Champion Hill mode, and battle the undead hordes in a franchise first crossover Zombies experience, as the Dark Aether storyline continues in Der Anfang. Yet, November 5 is only the beginning for Vanguard. Players can expect the content to keep rolling. Read on for details on the content arriving on the road to Season One, and find out about the brand-new map coming with Call of Duty: Warzone Pacific — Caldera. Also, just announced, Vanguard owners will get the opportunity to have 24 hours of exclusive first play access to Caldera starting on December 2. With that, let’s take a look at what’s arriving shortly after launch. Shipment launches free in November Vanguard’s content drop continues after launch in the days leading up to Season One. Headlining that batch of free content is Shipment, the classic frenetic Multiplayer experience re-fitted for Vanguard, scheduled for a November 17 arrival. Newcomers and veterans alike can ready up for a fresh take on the map that’s entertained Call of Duty fans for over a decade. Deploy to Caldera in Warzone Pacific Lush forests and rocky crags. White sand beaches and mysterious ruins. A dormant volcano towering over 200-plus points of interest. The new map Caldera is just the beginning of Vanguard’s full integration into Warzone. Roughly the size of Verdansk, Caldera’s design is informed by two years of research and community feedback. Available to all players in Season One, the Vanguard Royale mode – and later, the Vanguard Plunder mode – showcase all new content from the Season One update onwards, including weaponry and vehicles like biplanes and AA trucks. All your Operators, Calling Cards, and more from Black Ops Cold War and Modern Warfare will remain in Warzone Pacific. As mentioned above, Caldera launches with 24-hour exclusive first play access for Vanguard owners on December 2 at 9:00 AM PT. Then, it launches for all players on December 3 at 9:00 AM PT. Uncover Caldera’s history in the Secrets of the Pacific event To get players ready for the new map coming with the launch of Warzone Pacific, starting November 24 in Warzone, discover more about Caldera in the Secrets of the Pacific. This limited-time event grants vital information on Caldera and its various points of interest across Vanguard and Warzone. Each game will feature its own set of tasks and rewards. Season One brings new Battle Pass, Multiplayer maps, and more Starting on December 2, Vanguard players can expect three new Multiplayer maps, three unique Operators, new Zombies content, new weapons, fresh challenges, and more. Season One marks the start of the first Battle Pass system across Vanguard and Warzone, where up to 100 Tiers of items – including a selection of free Weapon Blueprints, cosmetic content, and two functional weapons – are yours to unlock. And PlayStation players can unlock new gear and goodies even faster. PlayStation players who purchase the Battle Pass Bundle will get an additional 5 Tier Skips — that’s a total of 25 Tier Skips. PlayStation Exclusive – Seasonal Combat Packs and More In addition to the extra tier skips PlayStation players receive by purchasing the Battle Pass bundle, there are additional benefits. Exclusive to PlayStation Plus members, players will get a free in-game bundle to celebrate Season One of Call of Duty: Vanguard and Warzone. This pack will include a new Operator Skin, Weapon Blueprint, and much more. A new free bundle will be available during each Call of Duty: Vanguard season. Also, in the spirit of teamwork, PlayStation players that play together in parties receive +25% bonus weapon XP. Additionally, PlayStation players can look forward to exclusive Monthly Double XP events, lasting 24 hours in duration each. Finally, to make sure you’re ready for whatever your enemies throw at you, PlayStation players get an additional two loadout slots. That’s just a taste of what’s coming to Call of Duty after the launch of Vanguard in a few short days and beyond. Stay tuned for more intel through launch and into Season One. Call of Duty: Vanguard arrives November 5 Pre-order Vanguard on the PlayStation Store and preload today. Rise on every front. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/Uz5GXDut8EAView the full article

Last week, we asked you to take a walk on the spooky side and share some scary gaming moments using #PSshare #PSBlog. Just in time for Halloween, here are this week’s scary highlights: BarryPaust encounters a terrifying mold monster in Control. CaliOcelot shares a haunting freaker in Days Gone. Yuric83 shares a BB in some moody red lighting in Death’s Stranding. Lunar9p has a terrifying face off in The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope. Alien_K121 shares a spooky hallway from Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. NoomiPlay shares the adorable Rot having a darker moment in Kena: Bridge of Spirits. Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? THEME: Returnal – Photo Mode SUBMIT BY: Wednesday 9 AM PT on November 3 Next week, we’re looping back to the alien world of Returnal. Share epic moments with the newly released Photo Mode using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/_BsNYpLaMLgView the full article

As someone who worked on the original Final Fantasy VIII as Director, it’s been quite the nostalgia trip to think about the game again – particularly since the PlayStation team asked me to share some recollections of the game’s development. By the time we started work on Final Fantasy VIII, the gameplay of RPGs was very well-established. Players were used to strengthening characters by defeating monsters, earning money and EXP, levelling up and buying equipment – we felt that both developers and users were growing a little tired of the traditional format. With Final Fantasy VIII, we wanted to try new things in the RPG genre – explore new mechanics as well as improve on aspects of our previous work. Here’s the story of how it all came together. Play Video Blurring the line between CG and gameplay One area in which we innovated was the implementation of CG cutscenes. We used 3D CG scenes for the first time in Final Fantasy VII – I wrote about this at PlayStation Blog earlier this year. While I’m proud of what we were able to achieve, that game represented something of a transition period for us in how we used the technology. We wanted to fuse game scenes and cutscenes together, but the implementation wasn’t exactly how we wanted it. There were parts of Final Fantasy VII where the cutscenes and real-time polygon characters looked out of place – for example, there were inconsistencies in the character proportions and polygon quality between scenes. We worked very hard on improving this for Final Fantasy VIII. The game features multiple moments where you are able to move around the scene while the CG cutscene played, and we were able to get to a place where these in-game models appeared more naturally within these moments. Part of the reason for this was experience. We created a CG production team for Final Fantasy VII and attempted to merge it with the conventional game team. Final Fantasy VIII was the second game we made with that team structure, and our proficiency had definitely improved. The team also understood that our ambition of blending gameplay and cutscenes meant that the new game’s scenes needed to be higher quality than before. The team pulled together to make that happen and that unity was reflected in the final product. Draw & Junction While we worked on the cutscenes, we were also busy overhauling many of the traditional mechanics of the Final Fantasy series. As I mentioned, we wanted to try new things with the game – you’ll notice that it’s full of unconventional mechanics. For example, instead of receiving Gil by killing enemies, you instead receive it as a salary at regular intervals. We also developed the Draw & Junction system. This let you pull out magic spells from the environment, items, and enemies, and essentially ‘equip’ them to boost various stats. For example, junctioning an offensive spell to your strength attribute will make characters hit much harder, while junctioning a curative spell to your health attribute will boost HP. The system forms the core battle mechanics and offers a tremendous amount of freedom for players and increased the game’s strategic element greatly. This novel mechanic was created by the talented Hiroyuki Ito, who also directed Final Fantasy XII. As a side note, his latest game, Dungeon Encounters, just released on PS4. It’s full of very well-thought-out mechanics that will provide a challenge for even the most experienced gamers – I urge you to try it out! A characterful love story Another new element was the relationship between Squall and Rinoa. In the Final Fantasy series, it wasn’t common to have a love story between the starring couple be the main focus. Especially a love story that even reaches out to space! I recall that Squall and Rinoa’s memorable dialogue was a hot topic amongst fans when the game first released. In fact, players responded well to the characters – I credit (Character Designer) Tetsuya Nomura’s unique designs and (Scenario Writer) Kazushige Nojima’s light-hearted dialogue for that! The gunblade It was also Nomura-san’s idea to add action elements into the game, such as timed button presses. When Nomura-san designs a character, he doesn’t just define their appearance, but also their personalities, the way they speak, their weapons, specs and more. Squall’s gunblade – and the ability to boost its damage by pressing a button at the right time – was his invention. Cloud’s Buster Sword from Final Fantasy VII had left a very strong impression, so poor Nomura-san must have felt a lot of pressure to create a design that surpasses it. Fortunately, he pulled it off brilliantly! Final thoughts I think it’s fair to say that Final Fantasy VIII had an impact on the future of the Final Fantasy series. Not necessarily mechanically – the gameplay of the Final Fantasy games changes with each entry – but certainly the realistic proportions and designs of characters set a visual direction for the series. This is unrelated to development, but I also liked how Final Fantasy VIII appeared briefly in the movie “Charlie’s Angels” (2000), starring Cameron Diaz. We often receive such Easter egg requests from Hollywood for Final Fantasy VIII – it seems to be a favourite amongst young filmmakers for some reason! Overall, I’m happy with the game, although there was one thing I was unable to achieve. During development, I wanted the characters to have voices. The visual and audio elements like sound effects and music were reaching film-like levels of quality, so the lack of character voices stood out as unnatural to me. This became a big motivation for my next title – Final Fantasy X! Final Fantasy VIII Remastered is available now on PlayStation Now. It enhances the original game with updated HD character models and convenient features, such as the ability to speed up the game or turn off random encounters. I’m excited to see a new generation of players experience this epic love story for the first time! http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/MQdNb8mXepsView the full article

Knockout City, from the beginning, has always been a wild, competitive, and social online multiplayer dodgeball game. That’s not a formula the games industry has seen before, and the team at Velan Studios has been laser-focused on bringing players new types of gameplay that they’ve never seen before. From giving players special powers in the Superpowers! Playlist during season two, to putting a special brawler’s spin on throwing balls through hoops with Basketbrawl earlier this season, to the entire concept of a timing-based competitive multiplayer dodgeball game, we’re definitely not afraid to tread new ground. But sometimes taking a fresh game and adding something familiar makes for a perfect combination too, and that’s why we’re excited to announce the next event coming to Knockout City on November 2: Royale Rumble. November 2 is also the day Knockout City will be available to PlayStation Plus members as part of the monthly game lineup. Play Video Royale Rumble’s main focus is the limited-time Playlist, KO Royale. This mode puts eight players into a free-for-all, complete with a closing Danger Zone. Unlike our other FFA Playlists, KO Royale doesn’t have players respawning immediately after getting KO’d. Instead, you’ll spectate to the end of the Danger Zone to see who comes out on top. Be the last brawler standing to earn a crown. Earn two crowns to win the match. Sounds simple, but when you’re facing off seven other crown-hungry brawlers, landing that final KO with a closing Danger Zone at your heels can be a tough proposition. Are you up to the task? As with all of our events, there’s a selection of Contracts to complete, each rewarding Holobux. Finish all of ‘em to net yourself 1500 Holobux, which is more than enough to snag this season’s Brawl Pass if you’re joining us partway through the season. Also in Royale Rumble, there’s a whole wardrobe full of items for customizing your brawler available in the first-ever Brawl Shop sale. Not only are the prices discounted, but we’ve also brought back some limited-time items that have been locked up tight in the Bank of Knockout City’s vault ever since their events ended. The custom legendary outfits from Heatwave and Knockout City Heroes are making their first reappearance since the events ended. Don’t miss this chance to pick them up for a reduced price before they’re gone forever (again). Royale Rumble will be sticking around until November 16 when we’ll be switching over to our next event with yet another brand new game mode that completely changes the way you brawl. Also coming on November 2: Knockout City for PlayStation 5! If you picked the game up on PS4 when we launched in May, there’ll be a free upgrade available for PS5 players. As announced today, Knockout City is part of the PlayStation Plus lineup for November, and the PS5 version will also be available to PlayStation Plus members starting November 2. Additionally, PS5 players will have the choice of playing in higher resolutions or framerates, thanks to a new option in the settings menu. In Quality Mode, you’ll get the best of those enhanced visuals, running in native 4K resolution at 60FPS. In Performance Mode, the game will run at 1440p, upscaled to 4K, with frame rates up to 120FPS on supported TVs and monitors. There’s never been a better time to jump into Knockout City, whether you’re playing on PS4 or PS5. If you’re new to the game, check out Team KO, our iconic 3v3 mode, to introduce yourself to the world and start exploring the depth of gameplay. For the hardcore competitive players out there, you’ll want to quickly level up and dive into Team Elimination, our competitive mode for ranked League Play. If you’re a long-time player excited to take advantage of that free PS5 upgrade, try your hand at KO Royale, and work on being the last brawler standing. Either way, Knockout City’s got a ton in store for you already, with more surprises to come in the future. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/t-Dz79kxaJYView the full article

It’s a bumper PlayStation Plus lineup this November, with six titles in total available to add to your game library starting Tuesday, November 2. Partake in an epic dodgeball tournament with Knockout City, play sleuth and spot imposters in social deduction game First Class Trouble, then wield weapons and battle monsters in the fantasy world of Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning. And to celebrate PS VR’s 5th anniversary, this month’s PlayStation Plus lineup will include three bonus PS VR titles. Survive the horrors aboard a procedurally generated spaceship in The Persistence, tackle zombies in The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners and showcase your sword skills in roguelike Before The Fall. Play Video Knockout City | PS5 & PS4 Team up and duke it out with rival crews in style as you settle the score with epic dodgeball battles online*. Brace yourself for outrageous fun and intense competition in an all-new take on team-based multiplayer games. Customize your character and form a crew with friends to start your Knockout City takeover. Knock out opponents with trick shots and coordinated teamwork while dodging and catching balls flying across the map. No ball? No problem! You can literally ball up, roll into a teammate’s hands, and become the ultimate weapon. Play Video First Class Trouble** | PS5 &PS4 First Class Trouble is a social deduction party game where six people play together online* aboard a luxury space cruiser. At the start of each game, four players will be randomly selected to be Residents, cooperatively trying to shut down a rogue A.I. at the heart of the ship. The other two players will be Personoids, who will lie, deceive, and do whatever it takes to stop them! Teamwork is the key to survival, but who can you trust? Play Video Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning | PS4 From the minds of the bestselling author R.A. Salvatore, Spawn creator Todd McFarlane, and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion lead designer Ken Rolston, comes Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning. Remastered with stunning visuals and refined gameplay Re-Reckoning delivers intense, customizable RPG combat inside a sprawling game world. Uncover the secrets of Amalur, from the vibrant city of Rathir to the vast region of Dalentarth to the grim dungeons of the Brigand Hall Caverns. Rescue a world torn apart by a vicious war and control the keys to immortality as the first warrior ever to be resurrected from the grips of death. Play Video The Persistence | PS VR*** The Persistence challenges you to survive aboard a doomed deep space colony starship in the year 2521. Stranded, malfunctioning, and caught in the inexorable pull of a black hole, “The Persistence” is overrun with a crew mutated into horrific & murderous aberrations. It’s down to you, a clone of security officer Zimri Eder, to make your way deeper in the decks of The Persistence to repair the systems and prevent the ship from being torn apart. Gather resources, upgrade abilities and fabricate an arsenal of weapons in this brutal sci-fi horror rogue-lite. Play Video The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Standard Edition | PS VR*** Face all the horrors that the living and the dead can offer in this new VR adventure in The Walking Dead universe. Travel through the ruins of walker infested New Orleans as you fight, sneak, scavenge, and survive each day unraveling a city wide mystery within the iconic quarters. Encounter desperate factions and lone survivors who could be friend or foe. Whether you help others or take what you want by force, every choice you make has consequences. What kind of survivor will you be for the people of NOLA? Play Video Until You Fall | PS VR*** Fantasy and synthwave collide in this physically active PS VR sword fighting game. Grow stronger as you battle through an awesome neon environment and strike down magic-infused monstrosities in this hack-and-slash roguelite. Move your arms and body to the synthwave soundtrack as you attack, block, cast spells, and dodge your way deeper into the heart of a neon fantasy world filled with magic-infused monsters. Equip yourself with a variety of gameplay-altering weapons as you continue to gain strength and strike down the monstrosities that lurk throughout this mystifying world. Knockout City, First Class Trouble, Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning will be available to add to your game library until Monday, December 6. The Persistence, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Standard Edition and Until You Fall are available until Monday, January 3. Last chance to download October’s PlayStation Plus games PlayStation Plus members, this is your reminder to add PS5 multiplayer shooter Hell Let Loose, golf sim PGA Tour 2K21 and one-on-one fighter Mortal Kombat X to your game library. All three titles will leave PlayStation Plus on Monday, November 1. *PlayStation Plus membership required for online multiplayer. PlayStation Plus is subject to a recurring subscription fee taken automatically until cancellation. Full terms: play.st/PSPlusTerms **First Class Trouble will be available in Japan and Korea on Tuesday November 9. ***PS VR headset, PS Camera for PS4 console, and PS4 or PS5 console required to experience VR functionality. PS5 console owners require a PlayStation Camera adaptor to use PS VR on the PlayStation 5 console (No purchase required. Visit here for details). DS4 wireless controller recommended. The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners and Until You Fall require PS VR and PS Move controllers. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/_6BN1aYWAe8View the full article

The season of haunting and hunting is upon us with October in full swing. This makes it a perfect time to jump into the jungle and deliver some scares to the Fireteam or turn the tables and hunt the hunter. We are excited to introduce our newest Predator to the lineup for October’s paid DLC, the Exiled Predator. And for those Predators out there who want to mask up for Halloween we have three new masks making their way into the free update just in time for the night of haunting…or hunting. This month’s paid DLC introduces the Exiled Predator to the universe. It’s unknown when or how this Predator was exiled, but it was clearly able to adapt and hunt undetected in the far reaches of Yautja territory. While avoiding common hunting grounds, this Yautja was able to hunt legendary warriors on chains of the Pacific Islands. The Exiled Predator carefully interpreted and crafted armor from local raw materials out of a deep respect for these warriors. In addition, players will gain access to the Hook weapon, which is an early access weapon skin that will be unlockable to all players by December 2021. October’s free update does not disappoint with ways to scare and scare yourself. Night maps have made their way into the game with this update. Get ready for all the jump scares! Night maps present a new way to play the game that has already produced plenty of exciting, very intense hunting experiences during our internal playtests. The Fireteam must now navigate through dark jungles and light-filled camps to complete their missions. To help visibility in the night maps, the Fireteam will be able to toggle Night Vision when needed. The Predator can now use the cover of darkness to stalk their prey, so make sure you don’t get your biomask knocked off by the Fireteam. As mentioned earlier, not only will the Predator have the darkness for the hunt, but also three new masks with this update. Newest masks to join the Predator “closet” are Salamander, Mors, and Foxtrot masks. In addition, this update brings the Cleopatra smart disc weapon skin to all players with it unlocking at level 27. Everyone at IllFonic is excited to see how the community’s hunting styles change under the cover of night in the jungle. Keep those videos and screenshots rolling in on all the social platforms, we love to see them! In the meantime, we will see you in the jungle! http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/Je3EazKDa6sView the full article