Commander Fury

Avast, ye’ scallywags! Why am I talking like this? Because, the dread pirate Corsair comes to Black Desert on June 29 to talk to parrots, swing swords, and chew bubblegum… except there’s no bubblegum in our game. Corsair’s innate skills with a sword and sea make her a formidable opponent. She’s so fast, players can almost feel the cool ocean breeze in her hair as she rains death down on her opponents. Wielding a fearsome cutlass with all the agility of one who’s spent her life swinging from the riggs of tall ships, Corsair is fearsome in air, land, and water. She has always called the sea her home, so she’s also a fast swimmer who’s able to remain underwater longer than any character in Black Desert. But what about her secondary weapon, you ask? Well, here’s the twist. Meet Mareca! Corsair’s magical seafaring orb grants her the powers of the ocean itself. Mareca allows her to transform into a mighty Mermaid, slinging waves as easily as she turns heads. Without further ado, let’s take a look at her skills: Pirate Tricks: Foolish landlubbers beware when Corsair wields this rope attack to rapidly close the distance to her enemies for her devastating lightning attacks, or uses the rope to evade and quickly counterattack her opponents. Wave Lash: Extending her sword to full length, Corsair cuts down her enemies with all her might. This skill contains two attacks, with the first inflicting heavy Air Damage, and the second applying Down Attack damage that also afflicts her enemies with a Knock Down debuff. Riding Waves: Corsair rides atop waves and surfs towards her enemy to strike. When combined with Enhanced Skills, this attack has Corsair taking Mermaid form, allowing her to close longer distances quickly with her waves. Soaring Wave: Transforming into her Mermaid form, Corsair wields the waves, forming a huge tsunami that chases opponents before cresting, then crashing, upon her foes for considerable damage. If you are ready to race across the seas with Corsair at the helm, now is a mighty fine time to get Black Desert at a discounted price—up to 60% off— with the game’s biggest discount ever. The only thing worse than missing this deal is goin’ down to Davy Jones locker! Black Desert’s latest update brings aboard the season server, specially designed for helping players raise their sails and growing their crew of characters faster than the regular servers. Players can also feast their eyes on these fine treasures: 100% more combat EXP buffs, progression support boxes, and exclusive quests, all granted by just playing in the season server. Batten down the hatches when the server becomes available between June 29 and August 25. It’s time to earn your sea legs, or else you’ll walk the plank. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/gsuvtJbPAJAView the full article

Last week, we asked you to explore Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart’s impressive Photo Mode, and share adventurous moments of Ratchet, Clank, and Rivet using #PSshare #PSBlog. From action-packed moments to detailed portraits, here are this week’s highlights: TysonaterVA shares Ratchet and Rivet’s first meeting. Photoingame shows off some raytracing features. justinphotomode shares a glowing golden portrait of Rivet. AloyUltra shows Rivet in a nebulous destroyed dimension. Wizard_Ale shares Ratchet taking in the scenery. Maurice_II shows Clank helping to keep the dimensions safe. 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: The Last of Us Part II – One Year Anniversary SUBMIT BY: Wednesday 9 AM PT on June 23 The Last of Us Part II turns one this week! To celebrate, share action-packed or emotionally moving moments from Ellie and Abby’s journey using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/i3VFtdBSSHoView the full article

It’s hard to believe that just one year ago, The Last of Us Part II launched globally, and fans around the world experienced Ellie and Abby’s emotional journeys. To celebrate the one year anniversary of the launch, we collaborated with PlayStation and several amazing partners to introduce a brand-new lineup of The Last of Us Part II-inspired merchandise including apparel, accessories, collector’s statues, and more. We hope you’ll enjoy them! Here’s a look at some of the items available for purchase or pre-order starting today at the PlayStation Gear Store. North and South America Europe The Last of Us Part II Hammer and Switchblade Short-Sleeve Collared Shirt Careful not to hurt yourself if you pick this one up because you’ll be looking sharp in this switchblade and hammer pattern button-up! North and South America Black Khaki Europe Black Khaki Preorder starts Friday June 18th @ 8 AM PT / 4pm BST / 5pm CEST Estimated ship date July 2021 Ships to USA, Canada, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and UK. The Last of Us Part II Hammer and Switchblade Pencil Pouch Upgrade your carrying capacity with this patterned zipper pencil pouch. This durable canvas pouch can carry all your pens, pencils, and utensil needs. North and South America Europe Preorder starts Friday June 18th @ 8 AM PT / 4pm BST / 5pm CEST Estimated ship date July 2021 Ships to USA, Canada, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and UK. The Last of Us Part II Embroidered Logo Long sleeve Tee This low-profile, lightweight long sleeve tee has a soft touch feel and comfortability. They’re a great way for a fan of The Last of Us Part II to subtly let the world know, “Yeah, I know my way around a Clicker.” North and South America Military Green Blue Europe Military Green Blue Preorder starts Friday June 18th @ 8 AM PT / 4pm BST / 5pm CEST Estimated ship date July 2021 Ships to USA, Canada, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and UK. The Last of Us Part II Throw Blanket While on your journey across Wyoming to the Pacific Northwest, make sure to pack your blanket! Nights will be chilly, the journey will be long, and that extra comfort when around the campfire is welcomed. North America Preorder starts Friday June 18th @ 8 AM PT / 4pm BST / 5pm CEST Estimated ship date August 2021 Ships to USA The Last of Us Part II Camp Mug A classic mug meets a classic design. This vacuum insulated camp cup will keep your coffee nice and warm for you. With a Thermo 3D double wall vacuum insulation, press fit lid, 18/8 stainless steel exterior, and an ergonomic handle, it’s perfect for taking your coffee on the go or having your mug ready while on an adventure. North America Preorder starts Friday June 18 @ 8 AM PT / 4pm BST / 5pm CEST Estimated ship date July 2021 Ships to USA The Last of Us Part II Leather Dopp Kit Need a little bit more storage? This full grain leather, 5oz Dopp kit bag is great for when you need that extra space for just one more health kit on your travels. Bandages and medical supplies sold separately. North and South America Europe Preorder starts Friday June 18 @ 8 AM PT / 4pm BST / 5pm CEST North and South America Estimated ship date June 2021 Europe Estimated ship date August 2021 Ships to USA, Canada, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and UK. Gaming Heads Ellie Statue It’s time to head to Seattle with Ellie from The Last of Us Part II. In-game files were used to create Ellie (a big thank you to the Naughty Dog team!), and she stands approximately 16” tall (i.e. 1:4 scale) from the bottom of the moss-covered stone and dirt base to the top of her head. The Ellie statue is made using polystone resin and skillfully hand-crafted and painted by artisans. The Ellie statue includes deluxe, full-color packaging, a hand-numbered base, and a validation card. The Last of Us Part II Ellie statue measurements: Height: 41cm (16″) Length: 33cm (13″) Width: 33cm (13″) Weight: 6.1kg (13.3lbs) North and South America Europe Paint Master shown. Images shown are representative only and the final product may vary. Estimated ship date Q4 2021 Ships to USA, Canada, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and UK. While supplies last. Mondo: The Last of Us Part II Vinyl Record Mondo, in collaboration with Sony Masterworks and Naughty Dog, presents the physical vinyl version of Gustavo Santaolalla and Mac Quayle’s soundtrack to the highly-awarded The Last of Us Part II. This vinyl features stunning artwork by Tula Lotay, liner notes by Co-Writer/Director Neil Druckmann, and is pressed on 2x 180 Gram Vinyl. North and South America Europe Preorder starts Friday June 18 @ 8 AM PT / 4pm BST / 5pm CEST Estimated ship date June 24 Ships to USA, Canada, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and UK. Available while supplies last. Below, you will find some amazing new products from our partners Insert Coin, Dark Horse, and Cook and Becker. Enjoy! Insert Coin: New The Last of Us Part II Designs Added In collaboration with Insert Coin, we have officially expanded our line with all-new designs inspired by The Last of Us Part II. In collaboration with Naughty Dog and using official in-game files, Abby’s Bomber Jacket and Backpack are ready for assignment. Crafted with meticulous detail and attention to the unique characteristics of Abby’s jacket and backpack, this is the closest thing to becoming part of the WLF. Additionally, who can forget the adorable Otter shirt that Yara sports in the Aquarium after befriending Abby? With Insert Coin using the original in-game Illustration provided by Naughty Dog, you can grab this Yara Otter Tee from Owen’s Aquarium. It’s true — he gave you permission! The Last of Us Collection Dark Horse: The Last of Us Part II – Abby Statue Naughty Dog and Dark Horse Direct are proud to present a brand-new character statue from The Last of Us Part II featuring Abby. Relive Abby’s journey to rediscover her humanity, from blind revenge to newfound compassion and redemption, with this amazingly powerful statue. Abby stands at 12.5” tall on a 10” diameter base, poised at the ready to settle old scores and protect those she loves. Meticulously crafted by the artists at Big Shot Toy Works, Level 52, and close collaboration with Naughty Dog, and a follow-up to our massively popular (and sold out) Ellie with Bow Statue and Ellie with Machete Statuette, don’t let this limited-edition statue disappear into the wilderness! Pre-order today at Dark Horse Direct. Expected Ship Date: January – March 2022 *Item shown is a prototype and final product may differ slightly in appearance. Price may change due to Manufacture costs Cook and Becker: The Last of Us Part II Collector’s Edition Notebook Set In collaboration with Naughty Dog, The Last of Us Part II Collector’s Edition Notebook set by Cook and Becker includes two completely brand-new notebooks: one inspired by Ellie, the second inspired by Abby, and both designed as if they came from the world of The Last of Us. This Collector’s Edition Notebook Set also includes a highly detailed lithograph print, a Molotov cocktail sticky notepad, black graphite and red carpenter pencils, stickers, a guitar-shaped paperclip, and guitar picks. Pre-order at Cook and Becker Website Preorder starts Friday June 18 @ 8 AM PT Estimated ship date Q4 2021 *Item shown is a prototype and final product may differ slightly in appearance. These are just a few products inspired by The Last of Us Part II. Be sure to check PlayStation Gear Store for more, and we hope you enjoy the first anniversary of The Last of Us Part II. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/wcVefeGccTQView the full article

Hey everyone! As a longtime fan of Ratchet & Clank, it’s been my absolute honor to show you what awaits in our heroes’ latest interdimensional adventure in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, including the jaw-dropping next generation visuals. That’s why I’m eager to dive into a feature that’s near and dear to my heart: Photo Mode. I can’t tell you how long I’ve been waiting for fans and virtual photographers to get their hands on Ratchet & Clank’s first-ever Photo Mode. We’re bringing the intuitive features from our previous games to provide you with a suite of photography tools to use in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, all backed by the power of the PlayStation 5 console. Snap photos promptly with incredible fidelity, including tremendously detailed dynamic 4K resolution images* complete with ray tracing. It’s unbelievable stuff, so check out our Photo Mode Trailer below to see it for yourself. Play Video If you’ve used our Photo Modes before, you’ll feel right at home here. We have multiple tabs with a variety of settings and adjustments that you can make on the fly, including changing the field of view, choosing focus distances, overlaying stylish filters and frames, applying hilarious stickers, and more. As with real-life photography, lighting is essential to capturing the perfect shot. We brought back the option to add up to three lights in your scenes, including sphere lights to cover wider areas and spotlights to focus on the details that matter to you. You can also tweak the natural lighting within the environment to create the right mood for your shots. Something new we’re introducing in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart’s Photo Mode are character poses. There are tons to choose from, including weapon-specific poses that are unlocked when you buy a new weapon in-game, as well as some silly ones to add some fun to your snaps. To top it off, you can apply facial expressions and mix-and-match armors you have unlocked to give Ratchet and Rivet some personality and style. We also have a new Visual Effects mode that you can toggle to add some animated effects to your preview – great for people who love to make gifs or videos! “Point and shoot” has a whole new meaning in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart thanks to some of the game’s stellar features outlined here. So, while you’re out blasting Nefarious Troopers and saving the Omniverse from the dimensional cataclysm, take a second to jump into Photo Mode and experiment with your photography skills. To get you started, we’ve put together a few tips for your consideration: “Make sure to take advantage of lights when creating images in Photo Mode. Lights will help you make your subject stand out from the background, and can add more depth and dimension to your images.” – Justin West, Sr. Content Artist at Insomniac Games “The rule of thirds is your friend! Imagine your screen was divided up evenly 2 lines down, 2 lines across, forming 9 squares. Wherever the grid lines cross, that’s a great focal point position to have our hero’s or dreaded enemy’s face be!” – Shaun Besman, Sr. Content Artist at Insomniac Games “Stickers and borders are a really simple way to add a ton of personality to your shots.” – Thomas Hart, Associate Community Manager at Insomniac Games A final tip from me: don’t be afraid to get in close! Use the ‘FOV’ and ‘focus distance’ modes to create some awesome close-ups. There are incredible details on our characters, weapons, and environments; focus on those to really make your subjects pop. We’re looking forward to seeing the photos you capture in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, which is available now exclusively on PlayStation 5. Tag @InsomniacGames and use #RatchetPS5 on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram in your uploads so we can see your photo mode screenshots. *4K display required to experience dynamic 4K resolution. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/EYmT577_aV8View the full article

This Friday, our long-awaited PlayStation 5 upgrade for Metro Exodus goes live, as a free update to all current owners of the PS4 version, or available to purchase on disc as the Complete Edition for newcomers. Play Video Here at 4A Games we’ve utilized every aspect of the PlayStation 5 hardware to dramatically improve the overall experience. We’ve doubled frame rate from 30 to 60 FPS, and quadrupled resolution to 4K, while completely overhauling our engine to deliver a fully ray-traced lighting experience that offers unprecedented realism; we’ve leveraged the lightning fast SSD to reduce loading times; and we support 3D Audio to further increase player immersion. In this article, we’ll talk in more detail about our support for the DualSense wireless controller, and how these innovative new hardware features allow us to push player immersion even further. As you may have guessed, creating that sense of immersion is one of our key goals for the Metro series. We’ve been refining our craft over the past decade, using narrative, audio, and visual tricks to draw players deeper into the game world. A big focus has been how the player character, Artyom, feels connected to and embedded within the game world – we strip away the HUD / UI to the bare minimum, try and physicalize as much information to break down the barriers between the players eyes and the world; and we put a huge amount of effort into our first person animations, from complex weapon reloads to physical interactions with the environment such as opening doors and manipulating or picking up objects to make the world feel tactile and alive. The DualSense controller has allowed us to push that tactile feel even further. The advanced haptic feedback gives each weapon a unique feel upon discharge, recoil, reload, or jam. Players will even feel the subtle differences within the same weapon class as they adapt and customise on the fly using our in-the-field crafting and customisation mechanics; adding a heavier stock to increase stability, or a suppressor to reduce muzzle climb all change how the controller responds in the player’s hands. Some of Metro’s signature weapons are the hand-crafted, pneumatic Tikhar and the spring loaded Helsing, and we found the perfect use for the DualSense controller’s adaptive triggers to simulate the increased pressure or resistance when priming /charging these unique firearms. Maintaining high air pressure in the tank is essential to preserve the Tikhar’s lethality, and this has to be manually topped up by pumping the right trigger; as the pressure increases, so does the resistance on the trigger action so players can feel when maximum pressure has been attained. We also use the adaptive triggers to mimic resistance when rowing, operating some machinery, or driving Metro’s all terrain vehicle acquired in the Caspian desert. Of course, for Metro Exodus we retrofitted this new functionality into our existing design, but as creatives we’re excited about exploring new gameplay mechanics that can be enhanced with the DualSense controller in mind from the start to better deliver our goal of complete player immersion. Thanks for reading, and we hope you enjoy experiencing Metro Exodus with the added immersion of the DualSense controller when it hits PS5 June 18. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/ShckpfUSLC8View the full article

Since the launch of PS5, our teams have been working to continuously enhance your experience on the console. Later this year, we’re rolling out another major system update packed with new features, and we want your help testing them out! Starting today, you can register for an opportunity to join the first-ever PS5 system software beta program at: https://www.playstation.com/ps5/ps5-beta-program-sign-up. Registration is open to players over the age of 18 in the U.S., Canada, Japan, U.K., Germany and France. By signing up, you could be among the first to put new features to the test and provide essential feedback that will help guide their development. If you’re selected to be part of the program, you’ll receive an email with instructions on how to download the beta version of the next system software. In order to sign up, you’ll need a PS5 console with an internet connection and a PlayStation Network account. You will also be added to the potential participant pool for future PS5 system software betas automatically without having to register again. After the beta begins, you can restore your system software to the latest official release version before the beta program ends. Our last major PS5 system update in April introduced new features like USB extended storage, cross-generation Share Play, an improved Game Base and other UI enhancements and social features. We’ll share more in the coming weeks about what you can expect in the beta for our next update. Whether you’re a new or returning PlayStation beta tester, we thank you for your support. Your feedback helps us make the console experience better for our whole community. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/FGDzgEjNECAView the full article

That’s right, Tetris fans, the wait is almost over. This July, all Tetris Effect owners will have the opportunity to download a free update that will transform their game into (dum dum daaaa!) Tetris Effect: Connected! What does that mean, exactly? Well, a bunch of awesome local and online multiplayer modes, mainly, but also a lot of other new features, some of which we are announcing today, here for the first time. Read on to find out more, including your chance to take part in the beta test! (As you read, just remember: All the following modes are fully playable on a standard screen, or optionally on PS VR—highly recommended if you’ve never tried it! And while Tetris Effect is a dedicated PlayStation 4 title, everything is of course playable on PlayStation 5 as well via backwards compatibility.) Ok! First up, a quick primer on our multiplayer modes: Connected Form a three-player team to try and defeat A.I.-controlled Bosses (or player-controlled Bosses, during the Full Moon 24-hour event every weekend)—connect your Matrices as you all enter the Zone and clear Lines together to deal massive damage. Zone Battle A one-on-one competition played with standard Tetris Effect settings, with the key to victory being adept use of the time-stopping Zone mechanic. This mode is a great way to test out the skills you’ve built up in single-player. Score Attack Another one-on-one competition played with standard Tetris Effect settings, only here no Line Attacks are exchanged. If your score is higher than your opponent’s when both games end, you win. Think of it as “single-player competitive Tetris.” Classic Score Attack A one-on-one score attack competition played using old-school Tetris settings, so no Hard Drops, no ability to Hold a Tetrimino, only one Tetrimino shown in the Next Queue, Tetriminos spin a bit differently—they Lock Down immediately when they touch a surface, etc. This unforgiving version of Tetris is what’s used for pro competitions such as the annual Classic Tetris World Championship. Sounds good? It gets better—check out these added features, new to all versions of the game with this update: Cross-Platform Play Invite PlayStation friends to Multiplayer matches directly as always, or share the four-digit alphanumeric Room ID code to challenge friends on whatever platform they game on! (If you’re a streamer and want to keep out uninvited guests, don’t worry — you can easily opt to hide your Room ID from the UI). And unless you opt out of it via the Options, Ranked Matches will also bring in players from all platforms, all over the world, for a larger player base and better chance you can get matched with an opponent near your skill level. Spectator Mode Only available in Friend Matches, game sessions can include between four to six (depending on the game mode) spectators who can watch and even emote in real-time (via the right stick) along to the action. PAL Speed (Classic Score Attack Mode, Friend, and Local Matches Only) This Classic Score Attack mode option recreates aspects of the beloved European version of the old 8-bit game—the pieces move left and right slightly faster, the kill screen hits at level 19 (compared to level 29 in the NTSC version), and other nostalgic details are all included. Slow Speed (Zone Battle Mode, Friend and Local Matches Only) This aptly-named option plays slower due to increased entry delay (i.e. the time between when a Tetrimino locks into place, and when the next one enters the Matrix) and slightly slower Tetrimino movements. This means a whole new challenge for Zone Battle pros, who must now use a different strategy altogether since they can’t rely on just raw drop speed any more. Sound so good you can’t wait until the full release in late July? Well you’re in luck. All owners of the current version of Tetris Effect will be able to download a beta version of Tetris Effect: Connected for free. Come help us get the kinks and bugs all worked out, starting on June 23, 8pm PDT / June 24, 3am UTC / June 24, 12pm JST. (Search for Tetris Effect: Connected Beta Test at PlayStation Store to download it on PS4. The beta will be available to all owners of Tetris Effect until July 5, 11:59pm PDT; a PlayStation Plus subscription is required to play any multiplayer mode online in both the beta and final versions of the game; finally, please note that progress made in the beta will not transfer over to the main game.) Thanks for reading and have fun! http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/tSIQEH17JlsView the full article

Hi all! Welcome back to the world of Super Monkey Ball! It’s been nearly 20 years since the first Monkey Ball graced arcades – banana joystick and all. An icon of its day, it wowed fans with its elegant design, delightfully simple gameplay, and wacky fun. Though the arcade game would inspire many wonderful adventures for AiAi and his monkey friends, the inventive originals – Super Monkey Ball, Super Monkey Ball 2, and Super Monkey Ball Deluxe – still stand apart as the gold standard of the series. We’re thrilled to share today that all three original Super Monkey Ball games – faithfully remastered for a new generation – are back for more monkey magic when Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania launches on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 on October 5. Play Video Three Adventures in One The premise of Super Monkey Ball is deceptively simple: you must roll, tilt, and bounce your monkey ball through a series of devilishly crafted levels and mazes while collecting every banana along the way. The dynamic controls, dazzling level design, catchy music, progressive difficulty and bubbly cast of characters combine to create an insanely addictive gameplay experience that still stands out for its originality nearly 20 years later. While the original Super Monkey Ball introduced over 100 levels, Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania features over 300 handcrafted levels from all three games, lovingly recreated with new graphics and modern features. 4-player local co-op, online leaderboards, and comic book-style storytelling add additional depth and immersion for new players. Monkey Ball fans will also recall spending endless hours with classic party games like Monkey Target, Monkey Soccer, Monkey Baseball, and Monkey Bowling. Whether spinning the Wheel of Danger in Monkey Target or hitting monkey balls in Banana Stadium, nothing beat competing with friends in the classics. Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania marks the glorious return of all 12 minigames from SMB 1, 2 & Deluxe – every favorite refined for modern consoles – ensuring no banana gets left behind in this definitive remaster. The Monkey Gang is Back Long-time fans will be thrilled to see the return of the entire gang: AiAi, MeeMee, Baby, GonGon, and their friends YanYan and Doctor all are back for a new adventure. They’ll be joined in their quest to save Jungle Island from the evil monkey mad scientist Dr. Bad-Boon and his Henchman by a colorful cast of new characters…all of whom will be announced this summer as we roll closer to launch! Super Monkey Ball has always been a series defined by joy and playfulness, a genre-fluid gaming experience that stands apart for its originality and replayability. Our community is extraordinarily passionate – witness the many crazy speedruns that still get posted to this day – and we truly can’t wait to rekindle the magic when Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania drops this fall. With our 20th Anniversary just around the corner, we also wanted to create a special physical limited-edition release of Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania that celebrates this monumental milestone. The Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania Anniversary Edition comes with a 40-page art book featuring art from every game in the series pulled straight from the Sega archives. It also includes a collectible sleeve, reversible cover, and 10 exclusive cosmetic items. This was our way of celebrating one of the most beloved series in Sega history with our biggest fans. You can pre-order Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania for PS4 and PS5 today for $39.99 USD. Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania launches on both platforms on October 5. You can pre-order Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania for PS4 and PS5 today for $39.99 USD. Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania launches on both platforms on October 5. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/7IdbX5EZ4QUView the full article

Following Russell Adler’s extraction by Frank Woods, things aren’t looking good for Perseus. CIA satellites are interfering with their broadcasts, inhibiting their plan to control over 100 million test subjects in Verdansk. But all is not lost, as Perseus launches its next major attack: de-orbiting and crashing down those satellites, paving the way again for Perseus’s path to sow discord across the world. Season Four of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Call of Duty: Warzone arrives on PlayStation on June 17. Here are the highlights: Two new weapons and Jackal lead the Season Four Battle Pass The Season Four Battle Pass adds two free weapons to the mix: the MG 82 and the C58. MG 82 (Tier 15) — Tear your enemies to shreds with this rapid-fire, high-capacity LMG. C58 (Tier 31) — Featuring high-powered rounds and reliable recoil control, this new assault rifle competes with the best. Purchase the Season Four Battle Pass to gain access to all 100 tiers of content, including Jackal, the metal-masked South African Perseus agent, instantly at Tier 0. Get more on PlayStation — Exclusive content for Black Ops Cold War Face the Horde in Collateral and Rush At Season Four launch, fight the undead under the desert sun as Collateral comes to the two-player Onslaught. Later in the season, battle on Rush and fight at pulse-pounding speeds in the Onslaught Accelerated limited-time mode. Complete the Onslaught-specific challenge to unlock a Legendary LMG Weapon Blueprint. New points of interest, Red Doors appear, and more in Warzone Something’s gone wrong in Verdansk, and the first step to finding out what is in those crashed satellites. Interact with Sat-Link impact sites throughout the city for event rewards and powerful items, and step through the mysterious Red Doors if you’re ready to explore Verdansk like never before. Survive the new Hijacked Gulag — a 1v1 version of the classic Multiplayer map — to win back your deployment after being eliminated for the first time, and hop on the two-passenger Dirt Bike for wicked hairpin turns and off-road capabilities. Jump into the new Verdansk Resurgence Mini playlist at Season Four launch, featuring a faster-paced, nail-biting survival experience inspired by Rebirth Island Resurgence. At mid-season, try the new Payload playlist, where players escort or sabotage two vehicle caravans moving through a series of checkpoints in the first-ever objective-based game mode in Warzone. Tips for Warzone: 1. Though the Sat-Links won’t appear on your Tac Map, keep an eye out for billowing smoke indicating a possible impact site. Interact with them to work toward permanent rewards for the Satellite Intercepts Event, and to secure Killstreaks, vehicles, and Field Upgrades. 2. Red Doors represent a new way to interact with locations across Warzone, allowing Operators to move rapidly across Verdansk. They’re also not on the Tac Map, so be sure to ping one when you see it so your squad knows where to go. 3. The Dirt Bike features unique handling properties like wheel traction, sliding, drifting, and leaning, so don’t hesitate to hop on for all your off-roading needs. New Multiplayer Maps, Modes, and Scorestreak Collateral and Collateral Strike (12v12 and 6v6) Battle near a crashed CIA satellite in the Algerian desert in Collateral and Collateral Strike. Built for Combined Arms and traditional play, this fast-paced map deploys Operators to a North African village adjacent to a large oil drill operation and surrounding dunes. Amsterdam (2v2 and 3v3) Fight across the rooftops in Amsterdam, a map based on the opening Black Ops Cold War Campaign mission, “Nowhere to Run.” Compete with random loadouts in Gunfight or craft your own in Face Off. Hijacked (6v6) Featured in every Black Ops title since its debut in Black Ops II, Hijacked takes players to the classic superyacht deep in international waters. Fight on all decks and below deck, too, in the close-quarters boiler room…just watch out for explosives coming through the vents from above. Rush (6v6) Guns up in the classic speedball arena, a remastered paintball-themed map first seen in Black Ops II. Featuring close-quarters interior fighting with long-range opportunities on the perimeter, Rush offers the chance to excel for playstyles of all types. Multi-Team Sat-Link, One in the Chamber, Capture the Flag Power up the Sat-Link marked on your map in a fight to reach the score limit against nine other squads in the new Multi-Team Sat-Link game mode. Also at launch comes the classic free-for-all party game One in the Chamber, and later in the season, watch for Capture the Flag. Blast Enemies with the Hand Cannon Take aim with the devastating Hand Cannon, a new Scorestreak that comes equipped with eight rounds inflicting major damage on any target they hit. New Zombies Outbreak content and Round-Based Map Welcome to the Zoo, the latest Outbreak region found deep within the Ural Mountains. Complete new objectives and uncover additional intel that may uncover details on the next big challenge… Arriving mid-season, the Mauer der Toten map introduces the next chapter in round-based Zombies. Survive the terrors of war-torn East Berlin following a terrible zombie invasion that has overrun the city. Season Four arrives June 17 Season Four of Black Ops Cold War and Warzone launches on PlayStation on June 17. See you there. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/xLNeaYin-30View the full article

Greetings, Sentinels! Clem here from the Babylon’s Fall community team. It’s been a while since we showed the game, so I hope you enjoyed the new trailer we just revealed at E3! If you haven’t seen it yet – we’ve got you covered! Play Video Launching on PS5 and PS4, Babylon’s Fall is an online co-op action RPG set in a high fantasy world that lets you fight powerful enemies and bosses while exploring the mysterious Tower of Babylon. Create your character, defeat gigantic foes, collect loot, and craft equipment to customize your own build and play style! The good news: you’ll be able to team up with friends and fight as a party of up to four Sentinels! The even better news: you will do so in absolute style. That’s right, Babylon’s Fall follows in the steps of the previous PlatinumGames masterpiece NieR: Automata and will let you fight your way through the tower with elegant, frantic, and absolutely devastating non-stop action. Before we dive into some specifics, let’s take a moment to talk about the Gideon Coffin – a key item not only for the story but the gameplay too. Four Sentinels with Gideon Coffins on their back. Gideon Coffin This mysterious device implanted in the back of your character will allow you to use the Gideon Gut, a series of spectral tendrils that burst out of the Gideon Coffin enabling a range of different abilities. Not gonna lie, the best of these powers is certainly the Gideon Arms. While you can normally wield two weapons – one per hand – the Gideon Arms let you equip two more! Yup, you read that correctly: you can wield four weapons at all times! Pretty mad, especially when you can mix and match weapons to your liking. A sword and a hammer equipped as Gideon Arms. When the game releases, five types of weapons will be available: swords, hammers, bows, staffs, and shields. These will allow for a great deal of loadout customization, for you to build your ideal Sentinel! Do you like close combat and heavy weapons? Equip two hammers and two shields! Want to be a balanced fighter with two swords, a bow, and a shield? Go for it. You’re more the careful sorcerer type? Three staffs and a shield, you got it. You really, really, really like bows? Use four bows! Why not – it’s your build after all! A balanced combination of shield and hammer. With that in mind you can give yourself totally renewed gameplay experiences simply by trying out different builds! What if… we all equipped four hammers and power through the tower, ha ha… joke… Unless? Staffs allow for powerful long-range attacks! Stylish co-op action Depending on what weapons are mounted on your Gideon Coffin, different combos and actions will be available, which will in turn activate unique skills – and that’s when PlatinumGames’ mastery of fast-paced, stylish action comes into play. For instance, dodging an enemy’s attack at the last moment will allow you to sneak in your own counterstrike. You can patiently wait to bait the enemy, then evade and counter it like a boss while your friends are getting ready to unleash their attacks as soon as the enemy is knocked out. Or, if you’re more of an acrobatics enthusiast, you can launch the enemy in the air with your sword so that your friend who really likes bows can shower them with deadly arrows like there’s no tomorrow. That one friend who really, really likes bows. Developer interview & closed Beta If you missed the show at E3, it also featured a special Developer Interview that gave an inside look at the teams and their vision behind Babylon’s Fall. Play Video We have plenty more of Babylon’s Fall to show you later this year–sorry to make you wait a little longer! See you soon in the tower, Sentinels! http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/2pjWtIy189MView the full article

It’s been a while, PlayStation Nation! Last you saw my name ‘round these parts, we were just about to launch our third game, Pyre. Fast forward a million years later (OK, more like four years later), and it’s my great pleasure to announce that our Game of the Year-winning rogue-like dungeon crawler, Hades, is coming to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles on August 13! Hades is the fourth game from our studio, and combines the best aspects of our past critically acclaimed titles, including the fast-paced action of Bastion, the rich atmosphere and depth of Transistor, and the character-driven storytelling of Pyre. Playing as the immortal Prince of the Greek Underworld, you’ll wield the powers and mythic weapons of Olympus to break free from the clutches of the god of the dead himself, while growing stronger and unraveling more of the story with each unique escape attempt. We were absolutely blown away by the initial response to Hades, which was named 2020’s Game of the Year by more than 50 sources. We were incredibly honored to be in contention for the year’s biggest accolades alongside a number of outstanding PlayStation titles, and we’re thrilled to have Hades join them on PlayStation soon. If you’re familiar with Hades, you might be wondering what’s different about the PlayStation versions. The PlayStation 5 version runs at 4K at a target 60 frames per second, whereas the PS4 version runs at 1080p at a target 60fps. On the PS5, the 4K visuals really bring out all the wonderful detail our art team put into the hand-painted characters and environments. We also take advantage of the DualSense controller’s immersive haptic feedback in certain cases, such as when you go to pet the notorious hound of hell, Cerberus. It’s a fine way of cheering yourself up a bit between escape attempts, and you’ll practically feel his breath as you pet him (especially if you keep the trigger held!). Also, later in the game, you’ll gain the ability to summon aid from certain companions, and the quick, high-intensity pulses on the Left Trigger will reassure you help is immediately on the way. Both the PS4 and PS5 versions of Hades also feature little details with the controller’s light bar, which will match the color scheme of any Olympian god you’re interacting with. Plus, there are 50 Trophies waiting to be unlocked, including a shiny Platinum if you can get all the rest. I also wanted to mention that, in addition to the digital versions slated for August 13, physical editions published by Private Division will be available at launch. These new boxed versions of Hades include a complimentary download code for the Hades Original Soundtrack, featuring two and a half hours of blood-pumping music by Darren Korb, and a 32-page full-color character compendium booklet with artwork from the game by Jen Zee. The first pressing of these versions also features a unique foil cover! Note that both the retail and digital PlayStation 4 versions of Hades include a free upgrade to the digital PlayStation 5 version. We really appreciate your interest and patience as we put the finishing touches on Hades before it launches on PlayStation. Our small team put everything we had into this game, and we’ve focused on making sure these new versions for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 look and feel terrific on each console. We love hearing from both new and returning players, so do let us know what you think if you get a chance to give Hades a shot! Thank you for your support, and good luck getting out of Hell! http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/XFScUEKcry4View the full article

Email us at pspodcast@sony.com! Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google or RSS, or download here This week, the team celebrates the launch of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade. Stuff We Talked About Resident Evil Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade Battlefield 2042 Chicory: A Colorful Tale Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart How to eat bananas properly The Cast Justin Massongill – Content Communications Manager, SIE Kristen Zitani – Senior Content Communications Specialist, SIE Thanks to Cory Schmitz for our beautiful logo and Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music. [Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.] http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/tIWc9STKW64View the full article

At PS5’s launch, we introduced a brand new feature, Game Help, so players can quickly and easily get help during their gameplay – without accidentally running into spoilers they might find elsewhere. The feature is supported in PS5 games like Astro’s Playroom, Maquette, Oddworld: Soulstorm, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart which just launched today, just to name a few. Many of you may be curious about how the feature came to life, so we wanted to share some insights about this PlayStation Plus* member benefit that’s available for supported games. Also, check out this Game Help video demonstration from Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Play Video How Game Help got started During PS5 development, our research found that the majority of players told us they seek out help for their games. Almost half get stuck in a game on a weekly basis, and more than half said they encounter spoilers when they seek out help for a game, or spend too much time searching for the tip they are looking for. This feedback really resonated with us, so we went to work to create a feature for players that provides them with an easy way to get hints on the specific parts of the game they are playing, without spoilers or spending a lot of time searching for tips on the internet. We worked closely with game developers to create this feature, and also incorporated key feedback from our user testing research. It’s great to see this feature implemented in supported games, to quickly provide hints to players directly from the PS5 console, so they can spend more time playing. Use Game Help to help Clank through a tricky puzzle What players are using Game Help for We’re seeing a lot of players seeking hints on puzzles. We tend to see more engagement with Game Help for games that include a lot of puzzles throughout, like Astro’s Playroom and Maquette. We also see players seeking help when they get lost in a game, so videos that guide players where to go are very popular. Also, if they take a break for a couple of days in between their game play sessions, they may check Game Help when resuming their game session to get reoriented with the game. Games can provide several types of hints, such as a photo, text, a video, or a combination of video and text. Of these, we found that players used video with text hints the most. On a collectible hunt? Look to Game Help to tie up loose ends How hints are determined for an activity Because all players have different preferences, the goal is to allow players to have control over how much help they are receiving. To achieve this, we encourage game creators to provide hints that provide “progressive disclosure.” An example of this is where the first hint would be just a nudge, such as a picture and a vague bit of text. The second hint gives a bit more information, such as a short clip showing the first couple steps to take, but not any further. Finally, the third hint shows the full walkthrough or answer, such as a video with all the steps to complete the objective. Tips for players using Game Help Two popular features within Game Help are the pin-to-side mode and quickly accessing multiple hints, in addition to checking Activities. Multiple hints can be accessed by pressing R1/L1 to go to the next hint. Sometimes the first hint you see may be just a slight nudge, so checking to see if there are multiple hints is worth doing to make sure you don’t miss one. Pin Game Help to the side so you can play and follow guidance simultaneously. Pin-to-side lets you see the hint and watch the Game Help video while you play, while also giving you quick access to the Game Help card with the rest of the hints for the objective you are working on. When you’re in pin-to-side mode, all your controls are in the game. Hitting the PS button twice switches you over to the Game Help card to easily close it, or switch to another hint. The Game Help feature is just in its infancy, and we expect to see it evolve over time. Check out some examples of how developers are using Game Help today. Astro’s Playroom “Astro’s Playroom is packed with things to collect hidden in every nook and cranny. So we use the Game Help feature to give you hints of nearby locations. Once you enter an area, the game detects which collectibles you are missing and proposes you a bunch of a video clips relating to the collectibles you are missing. In the video, Astro runs in the general direction of the secret but it’s up to the player to do the final bit. There are over 100 help clips in Astro’s Playroom. They mostly cover PlayStation Artifacts and Puzzle pieces.” – Gento Morita, Lead Game Designer, Team ASOBI Maquette “Game Help helped seamlessly assist some of our players to experience the entire story of Maquette when encountering certain puzzles through the game. It also made it so that players who are interested in story over puzzle elements can progress without being trapped by more difficult puzzles, meaning that more kinds of players could experience the game in a variety of ways. In the last few chapters of Maquette, the difficulty ramp up caused by moving the entire recursive world can be really confusing. But, with a few hints, many of our players were able to understand the new mechanics and continue on their own.” – Hanford Lemoore, Creative Director, Graceful Decay Oddworld: Soulstorm “We introduce a number of systems in this game that might be new to Oddworld fans – inventory, crafting, advanced motion controls and so on, and so Game Help bolsters our own internal tutorials by immediately giving players access to pre-recorded videos and textual hints on how to use these systems and how to make the best out of Abe’s items. That said, some of the trickiest and later parts of the game have also seen Game Help used by players, even when they’ve mastered all the new techniques. The Game Help videos show the players the “easiest” way through most encounters, but we’ve heard lots of players that want to do it their own way, which is great and exactly what we hoped for.” – Bennie Terry, Executive Producer, Oddworld Inhabitants Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart “As we’ve embraced greater accessibility, we’ve started looking at game design that’s more permissive and less punitive. Game Help aligns with this philosophy; by giving assistance to the players that want it, we’re just making the game more enjoyable to a larger audience. Puzzles work great when there’s just enough information available for players to connect the dots on their own. However, we’ll never hit 100% dots-connected across all players without taking the satisfaction out of the puzzle. If you just don’t get it, for no fault of your own, Game Help prevents you from having to skip or resort to fiddling with searching and reading the solution.” – Mike Daly, Game Director, Insomniac Games *Subscription to PlayStation Plus sold separately. PlayStation Plus is an ongoing subscription with recurring fees until canceled. Age restrictions apply. Full terms: play.st/PSPlusTerms http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/jx-cjwNEs-gView the full article

Last week, we asked you to land on Atropos (again and again) to share harrowing moments from Returnal using #PSshare #PSBlog. From glowing environments to hellish enemies, here are this week’s highlights: adambomb2mk shares Selene paused in a bioluminescent patch. JRPyznar shares Selene in her space suit. abrs0123 shares a haunting creature. MattCyberpunk shares a moment between these illuminated figures. Soradu78 stands Selene in the light of a crashed space ship. NoomiPlay shares an ominous orb. 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: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart SUBMIT BY: Wednesday 9 AM PT on June 16 Next week, we’re stepping into another dimension to explore Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Share your most riveting moments using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/WjF4ab-iQKkView the full article

Well, it’s official! Two Point Campus is coming to PS4 & PS5 in 2022! The sequel to the beloved Two Point Hospital, Campus will task you with running your very own academic institution. But not your average academic institution – you see, this one has a Two Point twist! Play Video Gone are the stuffy subjects you remember from school, and in are extraordinary new courses like Knight School (ride horses!) and Gastronomy (bake giant pizzas!) – just a couple of the more grounded examples. You can be sure to expect a very non-traditional learning environment! In Campus, you’ll be in charge of the whole shebang: able to build your own buildings (from frat houses to dormitories, from libraries to jousting arenas), customize the whole of your outdoor space with trees, pathways, picket fences and all kinds of other decorations. We’re making the creative tools powerful and easy to use. So whether you’re a maestro or a beginner, you’ll find ways to create a campus that’s beautiful. Or if you’re a functional manager, you’ll be able to place buildings in seconds and worry about making it pretty later (or never, it’s up to you!) You’ll also be responsible for making sure your students have the times of their lives – getting everything they need from the academic side of life, but also making sure they remember the fun times. Build student unions, set up gigs and events. But don’t forget, too much partying and those grades might start to drop… (this definitely didn’t happen to the author). So will you build the ultimate party campus? Or will your students spend all their days in the library? Will your students form lasting relationships? Or will true chaos ensue? In Two Point Campus, you’re the boss! We can’t wait to bring the game to players in 2022 – stay tuned for more information in the coming months. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/Rd64Xher0fQView the full article

Hey all! Last year, we announced Endless Dungeon, Amplitude Studios’ next rogue-lite tower-defense dungeon-crawler (yes, it’s quite a mouthful), and the trailer and first glimpses of gameplay were met with a great deal of enthusiasm by a great many people. We are thrilled to see so many people eager to gather their teams and fight their way through an ancient space station to finally escape an endless loop of death and rebirth, yet one question has been on everybody’s mind: How does a game with this particular string of genre descriptors work, and how do you weigh the moment to moment action against tactics and long-term planning? That’s why today we’re back with a new trailer illuminating four basic rules of being successful in Endless Dungeon: Play Video Rule 1: Know Your Enemies The station is inhabited by many critters of all manner of shapes and sizes. Some may be small and numerous, others large and imposing, but most importantly they are all quite dangerous, so you would do well to stop them quickly. Whatever you’re facing, you need to remember the strengths and weaknesses of your enemies and bring the right tools for the job. A big gun that shoots lightning bolts might slice through tough robotic enemies, but it might not do so hot against the countless creepy crawlers bearing down on you. So when the swarm comes knocking, you better put away the lightning gun and kill it with fire instead! Rule 2: Defend Your Crystal To unravel the secrets of this ancient space station and learn to escape its endless cycle, you will need to power its systems with a mysterious object known only as the crystal. While the Crystal is invaluable to your quest, it’s unfortunately not terribly robust, and it attracts a lot of attention. You really don’t want a horde of monsters gnawing on it, but if you are to get anywhere in your exploration of this place, you really can’t stick around and babysit it. That’s where the turrets come in: Since you can’t be everywhere at once, you’ll have to protect the approaches to your crystal with a variety of turrets, secure choke points, and prepare a route to the next leg of your journey. Rule 3: Check Your Buddies In a floating wreck filled with mysteries and monsters, it’s dangerous to go alone, so take some friends with you, and never split the party… unless you have to. Even keeping rule #2 in mind, you may still need to cover multiple directions, so you can’t group up and face every threat together, but you should always but you always need to keep an eye on your buddies and how they’re doing. Our heroes are exceptional individuals with a great deal of experience, yet even they might just not have the firepower to push back the onslaught, so be ready to move and help out in a pinch. Between your weapons and your abilities, focusing the attention of two or three heroes in the same spot is sure to see you through. Rule 4: Adapt Your Squad Even if you have mastered the first three rules, you might still fail sometimes, overwhelmed by wave after relentless wave of enemies. At times like these, the odds might seem insurmountable, and you might be tempted to quit, but perhaps it is simply time to let one of your heroes catch a break and rethink your team. Whether it’s raw firepower or survivability you need, a different group of heroes might just bring the skills (and perhaps synergies) you need to succeed. We hope you enjoyed this brief look at how to survive, and maybe even thrive, in Endless Dungeon. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/dik-_jz_KKcView the full article

Hi PlayStation community, I’m Julian Maroda, creative director at Norsfell. On behalf of all the team, I just want to express just how excited we are to reveal more about what you can expect to see in Tribes of Midgard! Tribes of Midgard is an up to 10-player co-op action survival RPG developed by our team at Norsfell and published by our friends at Gearbox Publishing. You’ll play as an Einherjar – a glorious Viking hero who’s been residing in Valhalla, hand-picked by the Valkyries to descend from the heavens and protect the earth (aka, Midgard). Play Video Now, let me set the stakes with my narrator cap: the Seeds of the World Tree Yggdrasil, that have protected and nourished Midgard since the dawn of the Nine Realms, are now scattered and hidden throughout the realm. Enemies of Asgard seek these flickering remnants of life and light to bring forth the end of the world – Ragnarök. That’s where you come in. There are two ways you and your friends can save Midgard: an Adventure mode where you will need to try and defeat our challenging seasonal boss, and a survival-based “how long can you survive?” style Endless mode. Thrive in the wilderness by hacking and slashing through enemies, and collecting the resources necessary to craft tools and gear to help you survive. You can of course explore the world on your own, but we recommend you bring along some friends along with you, as you can play with up to 9 others! The world of Midgard is full of treasures to discover – including enhancements that can have dramatic effects on combat, gathering and more. But before you can slay Trolls and conquer enemy camps, every mighty Viking has to start somewhere – for you, that’s with a few sticks and some flint. Gather these materials to craft basic tools, allowing you to harvest sturdy crafting materials like wood, ore, and stone. You can also chase the heck out of some deer to get leather for armor, but crafting a weapon might be the easier option. For more advanced equipment, you’ll need some of the fancier resources that you won’t find in the average rock – like silver, gemstones, and obsidian. Oh, and look out for Eir Effigy’s (statues that provide boons for health, speed and mana) scattered around the wilderness. They can be a lifeline…because if you die out there, your Souls are gone for good, and you have to make quite the hike to retrieve all the loot you dropped. Think of all that deer meat, left out there in the wild for the scavengers! Once you’re back at the safety of your village, pool your resources at the War Chest. You can level up the many Villager Stations about town, giving yourself access to the best weapons, armor and power-ups (potions, buffs, etc.) a Viking can dream of! You’ll craft fortified materials from your friendly villagers (who will also help you in combat!), and use Souls you collect from enemies, to construct mighty gates and watchtowers. Make sure to spend time preparing and building up your defenses by strengthening village walls. Stave off Ragnarök by protecting the Seed within your village from the hordes of Helthings that arrive each night. Take them down, grab their loot, and maybe even let out a victory cheer – or use one of our emotes to celebrate with your Tribe. Make it through the night, and head off to explore different biomes, complete quests, and chase down in game events (like rescuing a prisoner or finding elusive roosters) to earn rewards. Some of those rewards may be a little more than a quick jaunt from the village walls, and will require you to build bridges and ramps to scale cliffs and cross rivers to reach these unknown corners of Midgard. The Helthings aren’t even the most dangerous enemies you’ll face. Every few days, an enormous Giant (aka Jötunn) will march towards your Village to try and destroy the Seed. Stop them before they reach the Seed or it’s game over for you and your tribe. One last thing: leave your memorization skills at the door, because Tribes of Midgard is never the same game twice. Each journey in Midgard has a procedurally generated map, meaning each tree, bush, and river won’t be where you left them (so say goodbye to your favorite rock before logging off). Tribes of Midgard will launch on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 on July 27. Good luck, Einherjar – you’re going to need it. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/tocjru5htX8View the full article

We are excited to announce Jurassic World Evolution 2 is coming to PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 later this year and thrilled to share more information. Play Video Jurassic World Evolution 2 builds on its ground-breaking and immersive predecessor in ways you’ll love. Firstly, the game features a new and original Jurassic narrative campaign. The story follows from the earth-shattering events of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and you’ll lead efforts to control, conserve and contain dinosaurs in the wild as you work alongside iconic characters from across the Jurassic World film franchise, including Dr. Ian Malcolm (voiced by Jeff Goldblum) and Claire Dearing (voiced by Bryce Dallas Howard). As well as taking you on a new Jurassic journey in the campaign, you can have just as much fun diving back into the past with an all-new mode. In Chaos Theory, you’ll relive iconic film moments from across the Jurassic World and Jurassic Park films in ‘what-if’ scenarios. Immerse yourself at the heart of the Jurassic World franchise and see how things turn out when you are put at the helm of managing new challenges with unpredictable outcomes. In addition to these two modes, we also have returning favourites, Challenge mode where you can test your managing abilities and Sandbox mode which gives you full creativity to build your own Jurassic World. And when it comes to the stars of the show, the dinosaurs, we are happy to be bringing more than 75 prehistoric species in Jurassic World Evolution 2, including all-new flying and marine reptiles, which will greatly expand the roster of species you can introduce into your parks. You will be able to see these prehistoric marvels seek out their own territory, fight and interact with staggering realism. You’ll recognise many diverse prehistoric species from the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World films in our announcement trailer, such as the Triceratops and the Stegosaurus. In addition, we are also happy to introduce species in Jurassic World Evolution 2 that haven’t graced the silver screen, like the Amargasaurus, a smaller sauropod featuring twin rows of distinctive parallel spines down its back. Whether it’s familiar species or ones you haven’t seen before, we’re looking forward to you showcasing each of the fascinating creatures on offer in your parks. You will also be able to take full control of your park and facilities in Jurassic World Evolution 2 with deeper management tools, such as deploying new park teams, and fresh creative options, such as customising your guest buildings. Along with our updated management options, we have a range of new, distinct biomes in Jurassic World Evolution 2, no longer contained to the Muertes Islands. Each of these biomes come with their own unique set of conditions, terrain and environmental challenges, ranging from dense forests to rocky deserts. Control is firmly in your hands, until chaos finds a way… Whether it’s the awe-inspiring new species, deeper management or authentic new narrative campaign, Jurassic World Evolution 2 will have a lot to offer and we can’t wait to share more with you. You’ll be able to create your own Jurassic World when the game launches for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 later this year. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/zf7E6EUSdtMView the full article

It was the year 2014, and my video game career to this point had been one as an unknown role player at larger studios and publishers. Hypnotix, EA, Petroglyph. I had been making my own game on the side for about three or four years at this point, and Sony placed a bet on me. They played an early build of Axiom Verge and saw some potential that others may not have seen, and that has made all the difference. They showed Axiom Verge in their booth at E3, where it won Best in Show from IGN and GameSpot. They included the demo in their kiosks at major retailers. They lent me their megaphone to tell the world about my little game. So as I was working on Axiom Verge 2, I felt I owed it both to Sony and all of the earliest fans of Axiom Verge to bring it to PS4 and PS5. I can’t imagine launching any other way. I am excited to confirm here and now that the PS4 version will be available on day one. I am going to try my best to get the PS5 version ready for launch, but that might take a bit longer since I really want to take advantage of that in-game hints system! If you haven’t heard of Axiom Verge, I’ll give you a quick rundown. Axiom Verge is a 2D pixel art action-exploration game about a scientist named Trace who wakes up in an alien world called Sudra after a lab accident. I won’t spoil the story for those who haven’t played it (which begs the question: why haven’t you??) but suffice it to say the storyline includes themes of what makes us…us and questions of morality and reality. You can also shoot lots of creatures with tons of different weapons and find hidden areas in a labyrinthian map. Most people assumed that the sequel would pick up that story where it left off; namely, about the relationship between Trace and the antagonist, Athetos. But fans of Axiom Verge also know to expect the unexpected. I’ve actually been hiding a secret from everyone. The story of Trace, Elsenova, and Athetos is just a small sidestory in a much larger universe spanning thousands of years and about seven or eight games. Axiom Verge 2 is about Indra, a mysterious billionaire/tech genius who winds up in an alternate version of Earth while in Antarctica. Although there are references to the first game, you won’t actually see how they relate until Axiom Verge 3. Because they are separate experiences, you won’t have to have played Axiom Verge 1 to enjoy Axiom Verge 2. It would be boring both for myself as a developer and for fans of Axiom Verge if Indra interacted with the world in the same way that Trace did. I didn’t want Axiom Verge 2 to be Axiom Verge 1…only bigger. So although the core DNA of the game is intact—exploring a labyrinthian world map in particular—the majority of the gameplay and environments are quite different. First, since it is set on Earth, the world has a much more Earth-like feel with gentle slopes in place of the blocky alien landscape. You’ll notice from this early tileset how different the look and feel of the game is from the original: And here it is in action: Although I try to put on my blinders with respect to other people’s opinions about my games and stay true to my original vision, one common theme came up when I watched people play. There were some people who wished the game were a lot harder, and there were those who wanted it to be easier. Some loved the exploration but just got to a boss they couldn’t get past. That’s happened to me. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to stop playing a game because of a choke point. I addressed the difficulty issue in two ways. First, I’m letting players adjust their own difficulty settings. Rather than choosing among an Easy, Normal, and Hard Mode, players can adjust both how much damage they do and how much enemies damage you. Second, bosses are optional. You will be rewarded for defeating them, but gone are the days where they stood in between you and the rest of the game. But in addition to the approach to bosses and the landscape, combat itself is very different. For one thing, Indra does not have the sheer range of weapons that Trace had at his disposal. She starts off with a pickaxe and does a lot of her fighting up close and personal. Fortunately for her, it’s a question of brains over brawn, and she can use her technical skills as a tech genius to hack her enemies. There is so much more ground to cover, but I’m doing my best to avoid spoilers. I’m putting some of the finishing touches on the game as we speak and am looking forward to releasing it later this summer. I can’t wait to see what the legion of PlayStation fans discover. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/KxFA0dI7O5gView the full article

It’s been a wild and crazy roller coaster ride this last year, building a new studio and hiring a ton of great talent amid the pandemonium of the COVID-19 lockdown. What an incredible journey so far and finally the day that marks the beginning of our next chapter has arrived! Today we are thrilled to announce a landmark deal for Deviation Games, working with Sony Interactive Entertainment to develop a brand-new original IP. When my partner Jason Blundell and I first met decades ago, we often dreamt about having our own studio, making games our way with our own team of like-minded developers, and building a community where lasting friendships are created. That dream has become a reality today. We feel so fortunate to have this incredible opportunity – one for Jason and I to build something completely new from the ground up, to fearlessly innovate and forge an incredible community and legacy. We call ourselves Deviators. And as Jason describes it, “Another way of saying Deviator is Renaissance mindset. Deviators are not only passionate about their own discipline, but they love others too. We believe that is what is unique and special about our studio, the culture, the team, and this project. From experience, young determined studios need rock solid support to thrive. That’s why it means so much that PlayStation is partnering with us on our first game. As you all know–having enjoyed the amazing PlayStation Studios portfolio–they know what it takes to make great games. To have a partner like that behind us makes the road ahead simply breathtaking.” I know what you’re thinking as you read this. What kind of game are we making? How long have we already been working on it? Is it story based? Multiplayer? Co-op? Or all of the above and more? When is it coming out? While I can confirm development is already underway, it’s really early for us to be going into specific details. We’re drawing on what we’ve learned over our collective decades making games, but we’re also out to make something fresh and brimming with innovation like you’ve never experienced before. We’re not afraid to say that our ambitions are super high: we’re setting out to make a huge, content-rich game with a focus on a lot of action and a lot of energy, but let’s leave it at that for now and hopefully it won’t be long before we can share more. As for today, I’m here to say: keep an eye on us–we’ve brought on amazing talent from around the world, we’re over 100 Deviators and growing fast, and we have an incredible partner behind us in SIE. To our fans, particularly those who’ve followed some of our team members’ past work over the years: thank you for all your support, particularly now as we venture into creating something for ourselves. Follow our studio channels for all the latest and stay tuned. We might be quiet for a little while but next time we can talk specifically about what we’re working on; we’re confident it will raise a few eyebrows! http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/z2wHfz7NI4IView the full article

Today I’m excited to announce that Salt and Sacrifice launches on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in 2022. I started working on the original Salt and Sanctuary nine years ago, and looking back, it still holds a lot of mystery to me. Development began after I’d already shipped a few games with what I’d humbly claim had adequate combat and gameplay. Like so many other indie devs, I’d recently become obsessed with the Dark Souls formula: its numerous seemingly inscrutable systems, its beautifully dark and imaginative world, and its tense moments where razor thin margins for error emerged elegantly. Play Video I’d built some pretty competent combat systems in The Dishwasher series (which is now unbelievably two console generations old), so the idea of using that as a foundation for exploring an indie soulslike made sense. From there, it was a lot of world pieces, monsters, weapons, and more: all hand-drawn, hand-animated, scripted, and placed; a gradual journey to see if the bones of 2D brawling could animate the flesh of this dark fantasy RPG. In hindsight, I’m certainly a little in the dark about what worked best for Salt and Sanctuary, not that there is a single right answer. For some, the lore stood out. For others, it was the elaborate skill tree. The fighter DNA resonated with some people. But to so very many people, the lack of online co-op was the most egregious omission, which brings me to Salt and Sacrifice. Salt and Sacrifice expands on the world of Salt and Sanctuary by exploring a new era and region, as well as a new role: a Marked Inquisitor. A Marked Inquisitor is a criminal condemned, yet spared the hand of justice in exchange for a lifetime of service in the unending war against Mages: twisted, irredeemable creatures of elemental malice. Mages roam the world, summoning minions and wreaking havoc. Hunting a Mage is a multistage pursuit in which your quarry is just as likely to clash with rival Mages as it is with you. For those of you who have played Salt and Sanctuary, imagine pursuing The Queen of Smiles through the village: she summons two rotten crossbowmen, retreats, stumbles right into The Sodden Knight, scraps it out with him for a bit, retreats again, summons a bronze knight and launches a salvo of swords at you before retreating to her lair, where — cornered, desperate, fierce — she awaits you, for a final battle from which there is no escape. It’s a chaotic dance of blades and bolts, swords and spells. And while questions of which systems and themes will and won’t make the cut remain, one thing is certain: Salt and Sacrifice will absolutely have online multiplayer. I had been sending screenshots of a new game I had started in 2019 to my friend Shane Lynch, a fellow coder who’d played unwitting victim in a number of my D&D campaigns through the years. “You should add online multiplayer,” he said. “I’ll do it,” he joked (or so I thought). He has a really strong background in network programming. I do not. It probably took me longer to warm up to the idea of programming cooperatively (and learning git) than it did for Shane to implement bare bones netcode. Within about a week he had something working. It was glitchy at first, but there’s something magical about that virtual first contact. After spending months creating a brand new world, it’s a bizarre delight to see someone else just sort of hanging out in it. Salt and Sanctuary had co-op that was intentionally obscured and as rudimentary as it comes: local only, same-screen. It was rough, but it was still adored. Because Shane and I are building Salt and Sacrifice from the ground up as a multiplayer game, co-op is much more intentional than it was in Sanctuary. There is a “full” co-op mode, playable online and locally, in which you and an ally can progress through the entire campaign together. Unlike Sanctuary, which only awarded progress to the main player, Salt and Sacrifice allows both players to share progress. Drawing inspiration from the Souls series, we also implemented summoning mechanics. It’s easy, seamless, and fast to summon a random ally, or join a random host and together embark on a perilous expedition. Sacrifice emphasizes exploration as much as it does Mage hunts, so you may get summoned to help a player explore a new area, or you may get summoned for the sole purpose of barreling straight into a tough boss battle. As Sacrifice takes shape, witnessing the impact of multiplayer on a world that is still rapidly growing in density and complexity has been a uniquely cool experience. We still have quite a ways to go, but this has already been one of the most exciting developments in my now strangely long career. I can’t wait to talk about the Mage designs, the various multiplayer factions, and the world of Salt and Sacrifice, but for now it’s simply such a thrill to introduce the game! Stay tuned for more info on the road to its launch next year on PS4 and PS5. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/GhbEhnpPIjoView the full article

Hello everyone! I’m Ryosuke Hara, lead producer of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. Thank you for your support of this game so far. And thank you very much for your patience while we’ve been hard at work developing the final DLC. Today, I would like to give an overview of the upcoming DLC, Trunks – The Warrior Of Hope. In this new DLC, users will be experiencing a new arc based on the story of an extra chapter/episode of the manga/anime. This arc sets focus on an alternative future, where Gohan and Trunks fight the Androids to restore peace to a desperate world without Goku or any of the other Z Warriors. Regarding gameplay volume, you can expect just about the same length/content as the other arcs playable in the Main Story (Saiyan Arc, Frieza Arc, etc.). The world is no longer what it used to be. As you travel through the utterly destroyed world, users will find ruins of iconic landmarks such as Orange City and Capsule Corp., and other characters such as Master Roshi who have been chased out of their original homes. Nowhere is safe as there are countless drones created by the Red Ribbon Army on the lookout for any survivors. Being spotted by these drones can lead to a fatality, as they will set off an alert, automatically throwing you in a death match against Android 17 and 18. The androids are much stronger compared to the ones you’ve fought in the main story, and your only chance of survival is to find a way to escape by clearing specific conditions in battle. I don’t want to spoil it for users who haven’t watched the anime, so I won’t go much further into the story, but I assure you that this will be a story you won’t forget. We will also have surprises and new discoveries for all of you who’ve already seen the show, so I really hope you’ll all enjoy that. New skills will also be unlocked in the main story once you clear this DLC, so this may be your chance to replay the main game, or finish it if you haven’t already. The final DLC, Trunks – The Warrior Of Hope is available tomorrow and is playable regardless of whether you’ve cleared the main story, so don’t be afraid to jump right in even if you just discovered the existence of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot through this article. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/wExVGaB7A8sView the full article

We’re so excited that The Persistence Enhanced launches on PS5 June 11. The Persistence Enhanced is fully optimised for the next-generation hardware with the inclusion of immersive DualSense wireless controller haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, as well as the inclusion of raytraced rendering and a host of other improvements. Today we’re taking a closer look at what you can expect from The Persistence Enhanced on PS5 and how the next-gen technology enhances your gameplay experience aboard the decks of doomed deep space colony ship, The Persistence. The Persistence has been on an incredible journey since its initial PS VR exclusive release in 2018. Our team here at Firesprite were delighted to bring the game to the PS4 flat-screen last year and are thrilled to offer The Persistence Enhanced as another free update for existing owners of the game. This Enhanced Edition of our survival horror rogue-lite for PS5 flat-screen introduces a dynamic rasterized 4k60 fps Performance mode and 4k30 fps Quality mode which features real-time raytraced reflections and global illumination dialling the atmosphere and tension up to the max aboard the doomed starship. These visual updates don’t only look fantastic, they really enhance the core gameplay too. Improved shadows, reflections and lighting provide cues as to the positions of the creatures that now inhabit The Persistence, alerting the player to any potential threats lurking in the dark corners alongside the immersive positional audio system implemented in game. Even if an encounter with one of the mutant horde proves fatal, you’ll find yourself very quickly reprinted into a new clone body ready for another run, thanks to instant loading on PS5. The DualSense controller brings entirely new dimensions of tactile immersion to your experience aboard The Persistence. With the haptic feedback and adaptive trigger functionality, the difference and profile of each weapon will be felt when picked up. This extends to melee combat also, from the impact of deflecting enemy attacks to the sensation of plunging a Peacekeeper Knife into the flesh of the aberrant creatures you’ll encounter and feeling the resistance as they fight and struggle for survival. The Persistence Enhanced features adaptive trigger pressure feedback for the various ranged weapons in the game such as the Sentinel, Valkryie, or the Grav Hook for example – each requiring different trigger pressure to master your attack. You’ll also feel the strikes and blows of different enemy attacks, and the hum of your shield as it activates, suppressing any onslaught. The update also features a host of quality-of-life improvements. With updated particle effects and tweaks to the HUD, UX and UI, as well as audio and combat tweaks, we think it’s a fantastic experience for both new players and those updating! The Persistence Enhanced arrives on PS5 June 11 and will be available as a free upgrade to players who own the game on PS4. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/yeCQJWj1hzcView the full article

It’s clear that Chicory: A Colorful Tale is full of visual beauty, but when it comes to games there’s so much more that goes into making the experience immersive. Hi, I’m Lena Raine and I am going to tell you about the fun audioscape built for Chicory. I’ve worked on a lot of past titles such as Celeste, Minecraft, and Guild Wars 2. For Chicory, I did all of the music composition and soundtrack recording for the game. We also got to work with sound designer Em Halberstadt (Night in the Woods, Untitled Goose Game, Wandersong) who, along with Preston Wright, designed all of the sound you hear in the pleasant, cozy, and even spooky areas of the game. There’s a lot of tradition associated with music composition and implementation in screen-based adventure games like Chicory: A Colorful Tale. While composing for Chicory, I wanted to hold true to some of those traditions while also pushing conventions by drawing inspiration from the dynamic music of free-form open world games. Dynamic music helps give a sense of place between each screen of the game. While each major area has its own looping theme that enters alongside its title card, we made the transitions between areas feel much more smooth and gradual. So instead of simply hard cutting or fading between tracks, we have what we call “outskirts” areas that let each major area’s music drift away. Depending on where you come from, the music changes to a more subtle, low-key version of the music. Stick around long enough, and the track will simply fade away. But if you enter the same screen from another direction, that other area’s music will become more low-key. By making some screens music-agnostic, we’re able to help bridge the gap and smoothly transition between areas as you explore. Some places even have progressive music that changes and evolves as you explore, so keep an ear out to hear how the music follows your adventures! As a fun fact, every woodwind you hear in the score was recorded live by Kristin Naigus! Here’s every instrument she recorded from the soundtrack all lined up, which joins an ensemble that also includes violin, viola, cello, and many more. With Em’s input on the sound design side of things, the musical transition between areas was also intended to give the player a moment to sit back and listen to the ambience and all the detail we put into the paint sounds. We wanted the sound effects to help the player feel like they really are painting, so Em really made it as tactile and detailed as she could. Em’s process for sound design is pretty great and her process for Chicory was no exception. To start, she had a big recording session with a can of paint and some glue to make it thick and globby. Most of the paintbrush, interactable objects, and menu sounds are made out of the squishing and slurping that came out of that session. Even the darker moments in the game use those recordings, they’re just pitched down and reversed to sound more ominous. The physical nature of the sounds helps make them satisfying. It was really important to make the brush feel nuanced and realistic, so the paint sound follows the speed of your brush, and all the different brush styles and stamps have their own special sounds. We made all the paint related audio come from the DualSense wireless controller to really make it feel like you’re using your hands to color this world. The vibrations contribute to this as well. While this is all subtle, it comes together to give you an experience where you can relax easily if you want to and take some time exploring your creativity. Regardless of how you play, the pops and bubbles you’ll hear as the world reacts to your brush will tickle your ears. Players are all going to approach the game differently, and we’re looking forward to seeing them all! Whether you’re adventuring and puzzling, or relaxing and painting, we put a lot of thought and care into making Chicory a world that sounds great for you. With Game Help keeping you on track, and the cozy-rumbly controller vibration features, we think it’s a world that players can feel comfortable in. And don’t be afraid to use your Share or Create button because we’ll be watching for everyone’s artwork on social media! Chicory: A Colorful Tale is available tomorrow, June 10, on PS5 and PS4 in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portugese and Russian. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/OC83qnG-L8UView the full article

EA has revealed the next iteration of its massive multiplayer shooter series. Battlefield 2042 launches later this year on October 22 with development handled by Dice, Criterion, Dice LA, and EA Gothenburg. Coming to both PS4 and PS5, it continues the series’ ambitious trajectory of incorporating cutting-edge tech to increase the size and density of its sandboxes, while retooling and expanding its vast armory of gameplay modes and mechanics. It boasts one of the biggest maps in the series to date. The real-time unpredictability of extreme weather systems that’ll tear through the frontline. Enhanced terrain deformation. And, on PS5, a 128-player count per match. This is Dice’s proprietary game engine Frostbite flexing all-new processing muscle acquired in the two or so years since last entry Battlefield V. It also marks the franchise’s return to (near) modern day. The real-world yet fictitious setting pitches a “what if” scenario of societies crumbling in the face of violent climate changes and diminishing resources. Stateless soldiers (“No-Pat Specialists”) now fight on behalf of the remaining superpowers. The setup is close enough to today to be recognisable, but far enough in the future to include advanced arsenals and destructive weather patterns. Fitting though with the series’ 20th anniversary coming up, that EA offers a nod – unintentional or otherwise – to franchise starter Battlefield 1942 in its selection of year. All Out Warfare’s Conquest and Breakthrough There are three gameplay pillars – “experiences”- to 2042. Only two have been named. Of that pair only All Out Warfare is the focus of this first look, debuting with a duo of familiar modes. Hazard Zone, as well as the mystery third pillar – in development at Dice LA – will get their full reveal at a later date. Dice reinforce Hazard Zone is something all-new for the franchise: a modern take on multiplayer that’s a “high-stakes, squad-based game type”. The studio is emphatic in stressing it isn’t a battle royale mode. As ever, there’ll be a fleet of vehicles to jump into during matches. Players will have access to a call-in tablet, letting them request a land-based vehicle to anywhere on the map. They can be deadly even before you hop in: Dice example pinpointing a tank to land onto an enemy sniper position. So, those two All Out Warfare modes. Conquest has two teams duking it out on a huge space, with epic clashes and more personal frays playing out in pockets across a map. Breakthrough also drops two opposing sides into a single location, but is more guided: maps are divided up into sectors, in which there are multiple capture points. Attacking or defending sides need to hold points to flip sectors and shift an ever-moving frontline in their favour. Want time to get adjusted to what’s new and test things out? You can launch both modes with AI squadmates (and Dice confirms doing so still contributes to your overall progress). Maps and their dynamic events A quick tour of both modes and some of the maps demonstrate Dice’s approach to shaping a satisfying ebb and flow to battles. There’s a look at locales based on real-world settings – desert cities, tanker rigs, cragged mountaintops – their geography catering to different insertion methods and combat approaches. Go big with multi-vehicle combat spectaculars, keep it tense with close-quarter combat and everything in-between. Map-specific dynamic events are teased – visibility-altering sandstorms, a space rocket launch, destructive tornadoes. That last can be turned to your advantage with, as one example, the new wingsuits. If your Specialist comes equipped with one, you can ride the wind – just beware of debris and vehicles snatched into the storm. A potent mix of on-the-fly tactics and strategies carefully considered – lowering or raising bridges, locking down cranes, managing doorways – are designed to keep you thinking and be hyper-aware of your surroundings. Those dynamic world events will feature whichever console you play on. PS4 player count per All Out Warfare match is 64, and subsequently PlayStation 4’s maps have been built with a smaller, more focused layout in mind. All Out Warfare launches with seven maps total. Let’s take a quick tour of those: Kaleidoscope [Sogdo, South Korea] This cityscape features dense roadways and skyscrapers that can be explored, or if you’ve a wingsuit, leapt off. It’s here that a tornado that dwarves the glittering buildings will make its presence known. Manifest [Brani Island, Singapore] Supply lines are under threat in this key location for global trade. Orbital [Kourou, French Guiana] Players will battle in the shadow of a towering space rocket pad that’s counting down to an imminent launch. Discarded [Alang, India] Clash around, through and on top of massive ship hulks and the surrounding cranes. Renewal [Eastern Desert, Egypt] Wrestle for control of an agriculture technology centre in the Egyptian Desert. Hourglass [Doha, Qatar] An approaching sandstorm will shift the tide of war taking place at the heart of a city. Breakaway [Queen Maud Land, Antarctica] From hot deserts to icy landscapes: oil and gas are the key resources being fought over here. Insert on the mountaintops with a wingsuit and you can dive into industrial buildings below. Meet your Specialists Specialists are Battlefield 2042’s different character types. Each comes with a unique Speciality and Trait. The former may take the shape of a grappling hook (for Assault types only – a quick zip to higher spots) OV-P Recon Drone (the mark of the Recon – which can be piloted or parked to pinpoint targets) or S21 Syrette Pistol (handled by Support – firing health vials at those who need them). Those nicely pair with Traits. Assault types are known for their nimbleness, whereas a Support Specialist doubles as a Combat Surgeon, capable of fully restoring a comrade’s health. Beyond those two unique abilities, Specialists can be customised with whatever loadout you wish, giving you more freedom to create a playstyle that fits you. Battlefield 2042 will offer 10 Specialists on launch. The Plus system (not shown) lets you customise your selected weapon without taking your eyes off the battlefield. A button tap will bring up a plus-shaped UI menu over your weapon, showing what you currently own. Each segment is tied to a specific item type – scopes, barrel, ammo type etc. Pick to equip. The road to launch and Battle Pass We’re marching towards the four month mark before launch and most of what those weeks ahead hold we can only speculate on. Two things are confirmed though. Pre-launch, players who pre-order can get an early taste of the game with an open beta (details are yet to be revealed). Post launch, Battlefield 2042’s first year promises four seasons of content, bringing with them four new Specialists plus new locations. Each season is marked by a new Battle Pass. EA confirms that new locations will be accessible to all players. For a first reveal, there’s a lot to take in, yet plenty more to talk about. Look forward to more on Battlefield 2042 in the (near) future. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PSBlog/~4/PsVTyCvlGS0View the full article