Commander Fury

Hello everyone! I’m honored to share more on Dark Pigeon Games’ new game, Awaken – Astral Blade. Tian Yuan, Producer at Dark Pigeon Games, and I will share an overview of what players can expect when playing Awaken – Astral Blade, what inspired the deeply intriguing sci-fi world it is set within, and more. First and foremost, Awaken – Astral Blade is a platform adventure that marries invigorating and challenging combat with a wondrous and fascinating biopunk setting. “We want to create a mysterious and exhilarating fantasy world that deeply immerses the player, where they experience the growth and transformation of the protagonist while facing challenges head-on,” says Tian. “So, we have drawn inspiration from many excellent films and literary works to enrich our design. For example, the fantastical mutated plants from the movie Annihilation (2018), the fusion of technology and magical elements seen in the sci-fi horror film Pandorum (2009) and neo-noir Blade Runner 2049, and the imaginative works of Neil Gaiman have all been important sources of our inspiration.” The game begins as you’re sent out by Dr. Herveus to search for and rescue a missing Investigation team in the rainforest of Horace Islands and slowly uncover the dark, sinister mystery of what happened to the land and its inhabitants. Players will take control of Tania, one of Dr. Herveus’s bioengineered creations made from unique DNA samples from the Horace Islands. To develop the best Tania, he combined data provided by Gaghti, a Bionic created during the Jacha City era and the AI leader of the indigenous people, with the DNA of Molla, an ancient warrior, and Karpas energy. This resulted in a highly intelligent and physically powerful combatant. Tania’s diverse capabilities translate into the combat design, influenced by various games from the Castlevania series to Devil May Cry. Players deeply value game feel, and the development team’s efforts mirror that importance. You take on your foes with a wide range of combos, parry enemy attacks to gain an advantage, dash into enemies while they’re attacking to slow the world around you, and gain damage immunity. Only using your abilities and combo attacks will help you break through and defeat even the most challenging bosses. And, of course, we have a skill tree in the game — you can enhance Tania’s combat abilities and strength or spend it on valuable skills for various situations. The desire for a positive game feel extends beyond combat as well. “Our primary goal is to make the gameplay experience as smooth and enjoyable as possible for all players,” says Tian. “We’ve incorporated several features that allow for fast travel, such as teleportation points, sprinting, super jumps, and good placement of entrances and exits from the levels. On paper, these should seem appealing, but players will get a real idea of how fluid and fun Awaken – Astral Blade is once they get the controller in their hands and start playing.” What kind of world does a motivated team build with such expressive and distinct inspirations across gaming, film, and literature? One with a profound lore, for one. About two years ago, we at ESDigital Games started looking for new projects for the publishing house, and we eventually came across the incredible Dark Pigeon Games team. We’re honored to witness their enthusiasm and huge potential with Awaken – Astral Blade, which you can see in the effort put forth building this story. “What can I tell you about the game world? So, so many things, but we truly don’t have enough space, heh,” Tian says. “On the Horace Islands, a mysterious alien ship crashed, unleashing the arcane Karpas energy. This energy, with its transformative power, turned the islands’ ecosystem into a marvelously diverse landscape. The native inhabitants, influenced by this energy, built an impressive civilization, but it was eventually torn apart by civil war. Over time, this lost world was buried deep in history, forgotten until it was rediscovered by modern explorer Professor Loir.” Awaken – Astral Blade is a dark fairy tale where players’s decisions throughout the game will not only affect the final ending itself, but also shape the very fabric of the game’s narrative. The game is relatively linear, but players will find various pieces of information to expand on the backstory and reveal new sides to some characters. We could share so much more here, but it is better for you to pick up and play when it releases tomorrow, October 22, for PS5. View the full article

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is officially coming to PC! Announced on Marvel’s stage at New York Comic Con today, our latest entry in the critically acclaimed Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise arrives on PC January 30, 2025 via Steam and the Epic Games Store – wishlist now. Once again, we’re happy to share the PC version is being developed and optimized by our friends at Nixxes Software in close collaboration with Insomniac Games, PlayStation, and Marvel Games. “Bringing Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales to a new audience on PC together with Insomniac and Marvel Games has been a great experience for us at Nixxes,” says Julian Huijbregts, Community Manager at Nixxes. “We are excited to continue this collaboration and bring Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 to PC with a suite of enhanced features, including enhanced ray-tracing options, to take full advantage of a variety of setups and configurations. Stay tuned for more details on features and recommended specs closer to launch.” Play Video Speaking of launch, two editions of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will be available when it launches on PC, including the Standard Edition and Digital Deluxe Edition (DDE). Players will also have the option to upgrade to the DDE content, similar to our upgrade paths on PS5. Here’s a quick breakdown of what’s included in each: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – Standard Edition The complete game All the latest updates since Marvel Spider-Man 2’s PS5 launch, including: 14 new suits New Game+ Ultimate Levels New Symbiote Suit Styles Time of Day options Post-Game Achievements Action Figure Mode in Photo Mode Screen Reader and Audio Descriptions Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – Digital Deluxe Edition The complete game with updates listed above 5 exclusive suits for Peter Parker 5 exclusive suits for Miles Morales Early unlock for the Arachknight Suit (Peter) Early unlock for the Shadow-Spider Suit (Miles) Early unlock for the Web Grabber gadget +5 skill points Additional Photo Mode items “Showcasing our characters to as many fans as possible, in the coolest ways possible, are some of the reasons they are so beloved. In that spirit, we’re excited that our Spider Heroes, their friends, and their Super Villains are coming to PC in the critically acclaimed Marvel’s Spider-Man 2,” says Eric Monacelli, Executive Producer for Marvel Games. “Collaborating with Insomniac Games and PlayStation produced a timeless Super Hero video game classic that, thanks to Nixxes and the support of all teams involved, players can now experience on PC with thrilling enhanced features.” Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a continuation of our Peter Parker and Miles Morales story featuring iconic foes such as Venom and Kraven, as well as many returning favorites. We introduced all-new abilities and traversal options such as Symbiote Surge and Web Wings, and we’ve also expanded Marvel’s New York with new boroughs and side missions to explore. While we have no additional story content planned for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, we’re delighted to bring all of our previously released post-launch content to the PC version, including New Game+, new suits and color variants, Photo Mode features, and more. We’re also delighted to announce that the Fly N’ Fresh Suit Pack, our charity collab with non-profit Gameheads, will be available for PS5 players in October and PC on launch at no additional cost. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image In the year since launching Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on PlayStation 5, the game has received critical acclaim, numerous awards and nominations, and praise from fans all around the world. For us, it’s an honor to see players around the world share their love for our original take on Spider-Man and continue to share their favorite moments as they experience the game the first, second, and third time. “Our amazing partners at Nixxes have once again done an incredible job bringing the world of Marvel’s Spider-Man to PC players,” says Mike Fitzgerald, Core Technology Director at Insomniac. “Our team put a lot of love into this game, and we’re excited that it will soon be enjoyed by a whole new audience with keyboard and mouse controls, ultra widescreen support, and numerous graphical options that make it feel at home on their platform.” As we approach the PC launch of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, we want to thank players for their support of our games and studio, especially amid Insomniac Games’ 30th anniversary celebrations. Together, we’ve flown to distant realms, explored galaxies, discovered new dimensions, and saved entire cities. Our players have been a key constant throughout three decades, so on behalf of Insomniac Games…. thank you! View the full article

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com! Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or download here Howdy, y’all! This week we got to sit down with Treyarch Associate Creative Director Miles Leslie to discuss Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Plus, the team continues the spooky game spiel by diving into Until Dawn, Silent Hill 2, and more. Stuff We Talked About Next week’s releases: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 | PS5, PS4 Sonic x Shadow Generations | PS5, PS4 Fear the Spotlight | PS5, PS4 Astro Bot new speedrun level and Special Bots PlayStation The Concert – World Tour 2025-2026 announcement Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered enhancements Until Dawn behind-the-scenes of new soundtrack Interview with Miles Leslie (begins at 15:19) Until Dawn Metaphor: ReFantazio Neva Silent Hill 2 The Cast View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Kristen Zitani – Senior Content Communications Specialist, SIE View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Brett Elston – Content Communications Manager, SIE View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image O’Dell Harmon Jr. – Content Communications Specialist, SIE Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music. [Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.] View the full article

Last week, we asked you to show your favorite gaming characters cowering in fear using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s scared highlights: Javik_12 shares Astro shaking with fear in a spooky themed level of Astro Bot. SithMorrison shares Joel’s daughter Sarah looking shaken in The Last of Us Part I. JLunarTraveler shares Talion leaning back and yelping in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. silentgear1 shares Ashley hiding her face as she moves through a dark space in Resident Evil 4. Defalt368 shares a orange and black cat reacting in horror in Gori: Cuddly Carnage. lunar9p shares Amicia and Hugo fending off rats with fire in A Plague Tale: Innocence 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: Costumes SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on October 23, 2024 Halloween’s around the corner and we’re looking for inspiration. Next week, share characters that would make a perfect costume from the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured. View the full article

Hey everyone, you may be familiar with Nixxes as the developer behind PC ports of PlayStation games, but behind the scenes we have also been hard at work on a project of a very different nature. Working closely with our friends at Guerrilla, we set out to create Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered for both PS5 and PC. In our announcement last month, we shared details of improved features and technology, such as the completely revamped sound mix by Guerrilla’s audio team, support for DualSense controllers, and new motion capture for conversations. Today, I’d like to introduce you to some of the team members at Nixxes to give you more insight into some of the enhancements that have been made in the remaster. Overhauling nature Foliage plays a big role in portraying the lush, overgrown ruins of a long-lost civilization in the world of Horizon. Our team of Environment Artists considered the foliage in Horizon Zero Dawn to be an industry standard, and Horizon Forbidden West added to that with significant improvements in visual quality. For the remaster, the team wanted to give the foliage the same care and attention. Patrick Blankenzee, Senior Environment Artist: “To bring the foliage in the remaster up to the same level of quality as in Horizon Forbidden West, we enhanced the shaders, textures, geometry and foliage interaction. We assessed all the foliage assets in Horizon Zero Dawn and upgraded them with all these new features. We did this for hundreds of plants, bushes, flowers and trees.” “We looked at the biomes in the original game and compared them to the concept art. We found places that we could enhance and bring closer to the original intent, with the rainforest biome being a good example of this. With powerful procedural technology, we injected new foliage and raised the quality and density to new heights. The riverbanks have also been upgraded with more biodiversity to bring them closer to the original intention as seen in the concept art.” Julian Hofman, Environment Artist: “Working with the original team over at Guerrilla, we were able to ask questions, and directly compare their latest work on Horizon Forbidden West to the work we were doing for the remaster. This gave us some very specific goals to work towards, like the fresh generation of moss that you can now see Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered.” “For me, the foliage changes make the game feel more alive and make it live up to the incredibly high standards of the Horizon games. The result is a coherent world to replay or experience for the first time.” Enhancing the living world The Design team at Nixxes made several key improvements to Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered. One of the most significant changes is the enhancement of the living world. Brian van Nunen, Senior Technical Game Designer: “To achieve this, we reviewed all villages, outposts and cities, identifying areas that felt empty or where we could improve realism and immersion.” “Building the game for PS5 allowed us to leverage the increased amount of memory available, enabling us to significantly boost the number of non-player characters. We added many more places for NPCs to stand, sit, work and fulfil their needs. We gave them more varied schedules to increase movement and liveliness in different areas. We also tried to make creative use of existing animations. For example, there is now a woman feeding geese at the well in Meridian, reusing an existing sowing animation. Additionally, on the bridge to Meridian, we’ve made significant strides in improving the atmosphere and sense of activity.” Improving terrain and building blocks Our Tech Art team used the library of next-gen materials that were created for Horizon Forbidden West to enhance the quality of assets used for terrain, objects and buildings significantly in the remaster. Sander Bronkhorst, Senior Technical Artist: “We began by replacing all the Horizon Zero Dawn terrain materials with their new Horizon Forbidden West counterparts. This was only the first step, as the sequel’s terrain materials didn’t always align with the original aesthetics. To address this, we carefully tweaked and polished each individual terrain material to closely match the look and feel of the original game, while maintaining the visual fidelity of the terrain materials in Horizon Forbidden West.” “In addition to updating all the terrain textures and materials, we incorporated features like deformable snow and sand. Snow deformation was first introduced in the Frozen Wilds expansion, but in the remaster, you will find this feature outside that area as well.” “In settlements like Meridian and Daytower, the ground required a more unique aesthetic. Previously, Guerrilla used custom meshes and materials for the floors in these settlements, exclusive to these locations. For the remaster, we initially followed this approach, exploring the possibility of increasing texture resolution and adding parallax mapping to areas such as brick floors. However, after initial tests we concluded that in these specific cases this wasn’t going to give us the visual quality that we were aiming to achieve. Therefore, we decided to completely remake the floors in Meridian and Daytower from scratch. This involved creating new high-resolution textures, setting up new materials, painting blend maps, and creating new high-resolution geometry supporting the shapes from the textures used in the material.” “Another aspect of the upgrades to the game environment in the remaster are Building Blocks. To give a bit of context here: Building Blocks are the individual assets that are used for set dressing the world of Horizon Zero Dawn. Think of objects like rocks, plants, utensils and even buildings.” “Building Blocks can be divided into two categories: natural and man-made. For both types, we increased the resolution of the textures and adjusted the level of detail (LOD) ranges to ensure higher mesh fidelity.” “We performed a separate pass on all the man-made Building Blocks, creating new high-resolution geometry for assets that would benefit from this. We found that buildings greatly benefited from having more detailed geometry, as most were using brick-like textures on the walls without the shape of the bricks being reflected in the geometry.” “To address this, we developed custom tools for generating more detailed geometry for these buildings. The artists used these tools to create new geometry, then manually tweaked and adjusted each individual building for the best visual result.” ​​ Lively conversations A big change in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is the addition of over 10 hours of additional motion-capture data for characters, directed and captured by Guerrilla at their motion Capture Stage in Amsterdam, making the game’s conversations much livelier and in line with those in Horizon Forbidden West. Implementing this additional data was handled by our technical artists and animators. Mark Bazelmans, Senior Technical Artist: “Horizon Zero Dawn has almost 300 conversations and well over 3100 dialog options, so we needed to find a way to easily integrate this huge number of updated animations into the conversations. We created a tool with Python to process the almost 2500 mocap files that Guerrilla provided to replace the original animation in the conversations, removing deprecated events and replacing those with the mocap and setup.”“We then focused on creating a pipeline in Maya for our animators to easily load, edit and re-export the individual mocap files for any other edits that were needed, such as finger animation, art direction feedback and fixes. Animators could select the conversation and subsequent dialog option from a list which created the scene from scratch, or simply opened it if it already existed. Our tool referenced the characters and imported the dialogue audio, so the animators could time the movement better and create the camera cuts and layout. Later, we extended this pipeline to also include existing animations for both conversations and cinematics, as some of these also required edits. Our animators could then go into Guerrilla’s DECIMA engine and edit or change the updated conversation.” Alexander Georgiev, Animator: Since all mocap footage comes from actors with different height or gender, there was a lot of data that needed to be covered and checked. For example, characters looking up or down too much, shoulders not matching the rest of the pose, arms clipping though clothing and fingers that are too static.” “To solve this efficiently, we created tools to help us. With these tools we visualized helpers that brought a closer connection between working in Maya and the DECIMA engine. One example was that we could not see the eyes moving the same way as in the DECIMA engine, as that was a complex, automated system. With the toolset we created a head and eye aim helper that made it clearer where the characters were looking, and with that we knew how much we should adjust the head of a certain character.” “We made small, automated scripts to fix shoulders and arms clipping. All these tools gave the animators a way to focus more on enhancing the acting of the characters to support what they want to say. By developing these tools, we created a strong workflow and were able to significantly speed up our iteration time per conversation.” Mark Bazelmans, Senior Technical Artist: “Alongside the updated body animation, new facial animations were captured for the conversations. Initially this was deemed a straightforward ‘overwrite and replace’, but after seeing some of the results we decided to build a pipeline to be able to edit the updated facial animations.” “We created tools in Maya that could process a facial animation file in proprietary format into a Maya scene with literally a talking head including audio. We also wrote our own exporter that could then export a Maya scene back to the same proprietary format.” “Next to updating the animations in conversations, we did a pass on the camera and lighting setup for both conversations and cinematics. For the cameras, we batch updated the camera setup and values. In most conversations, the automated pass didn’t quite give the desired result because the contrast between the original movement and the new mocap was too big. The new body animations allow broader movements, often leading to characters stepping out of frame or being completely offscreen. Therefore, a manual pass was done by our Camera Layout Artists, aided by our custom DECIMA tools to easily edit cameras and settings.” “We updated the lighting toolset to be closer to that in Horizon Forbidden West, which allows for editing settings of character and environment lighting across similar shots using a visual representation of shots. Lighting was controlled by a single setup for each character in a conversation that would apply to all dialog options in a conversation. Then our lighting artists could do their magic on a particular shot type and all similar shots of that character would be lit the same, with of course room to edit individual shots if needed. This way lighting had maximum control with as little tweaks as possible.” Shining new light on Horizon Zero Dawn The work for world lighting and cinematic lighting was divided between Guerrilla and Nixxes Lighting artists, with Guerrilla providing direction and technical support. The Atmospherics team at Guerrilla recreated the sweeping cloudscapes from Horizon Zero Dawn in the new Nubis cloud system from Horizon Forbidden West. The cherry on the cake was the creation of the set piece volcano cloud in the Frozen Wilds expansion, using a combination of the latest innovations in voxel cloud rendering, first pioneered in the Burning Shores expansion for Horizon Forbidden West, and traditional particle VFX. It was important to retain the strong mood lighting in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, ensuring a seamless transition when playing both games back-to-back. Nixxes’ Senior Lighting Artists Myvanwy Broers, Niels Iburg, and Lighting Artist Thomas Schrama talk about their approach and workflow: “A lot of the world lighting had to be rebalanced or re-lit from scratch to reach the same mood and to bring it in line with the slightly updated art direction. Horizon Forbidden West has some workflow improvements that we used for the remaster, making the process quite enjoyable!” “To use the improved features to their fullest potential, we revised all the atmospherics settings that control the biomes within the game world. This included changing the light intensities to Physically Based Rendering values. This is true for the sun and the moon itself, but also detailed lighting in areas such as caves and ruins that players can explore. Think of fog, the color of the sun, glow intensities and so forth.” “This meant that after rebalancing the light intensities into PBR, it was necessary to relight entire areas to create the best visual fidelity possible. It was a joy to revisit these iconic environments to do so!” “To speed up our workflow, we used Guerrilla’s prefab system – an object which contains geometry, particles, sound, and lights that we can place anywhere. All these assets exist as referenced content within a prefab, which means that if the value of a torch light needs adjustment, this will simultaneously happen for every torch in the world. This enables large scale changes, and high iteration speed.” “Light bakes are an important aspect of the lighting – a system that is versatile enough for each time of day, yet providing the detailed light bounce that Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered needs. The quality of such bakes is adjustable per volume that we set as lighters, which is great when we require the light bounce to be more detailed in an area without affecting the rest. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered uses the improved baking system from Horizon Forbidden West, resulting in at least twice as much detail in the light bounce compared to the original.” “With lighting in cinematics and conversations, we wanted to match the art direction and visual quality of Horizon Forbidden West. This, combined with all updated animations, motion-capture and camera shots, meant we built all the cinematic lighting in the remaster from scratch. We used a lot of new technology and workflow that was created for the cinematic lighting in Horizon Forbidden West.” “Horizon Zero Dawn used a lighting rig around each character with roughly two lights. For the remaster we used the upgraded lighting rig from the sequel, which uses five lights in total: one key-light, two profile-lights and two rim-lights. These lights are then tweaked on a per shot basis changing position, orientation, color and intensity.” ​​ Detailed characters Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered features significant upgrades to character models and how they react to lighting. Many enhancements in areas such as detail, skin tones, hair quality, and outfits have been carried over from Horizon Forbidden West. Patrick Blankenzee, Senior Environment Artist: “Working on the varied cast of characters in the remaster was a big undertaking. We enhanced various shaders to improve the visual quality and made changes to ensure the models react better to the new lighting in the remaster. We gave Aloy’s model – both adult and child – the full cinematic treatment, including peach fuzz, upgrades to hair, eyes and materials.” “We looked at the original concept art of Aloy as a child and aimed to make changes to her outfit, hair and skin, to match the look envisioned in the concept art, as well as bring the model up to par with the quality of the improved model for adult Aloy.” “In Horizon Zero Dawn, only the character model for Aloy reacts to environmental elements like weather. For the remaster we wanted to give all companion characters the same level of interaction to bring that cinematic feel to the whole world. For example, you will now see both Aloy and her companions react to warm and cold weather.” On behalf of the teams at Nixxes and Guerrilla, we cannot wait for you to experience Aloy’s journey (again) with all the visual enhancements, upgraded features and tech improvements. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is available for pre-order now and launches on October 31 on PS5 and PC (Steam, Epic Games Store). Account for PlayStation Network required on PC. Existing owners of Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition can upgrade to the digital version of Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered for $9.99. Check out the previous announcement PS Blog post for all the upgrade details. Play Video View the full article

The opportunity to rescore Until Dawn was as exciting as it was terrifying. The musical legacy of Until Dawn is highly regarded and we set out to both respect and honor the high watermark of the original score through musical innovation and elevation. We wanted to move Until Dawn on to its own path, bringing new composers and songs into the story to help distinguish it from other narrative horror titles. Between a new score and carefully chosen licensed music, every aspect of the soundtrack has been handcrafted to further immerse the player while creating a defining identity for Until Dawn in 2024. Here are some key aspects of the music to lookout for as you survive the night on Blackwood Mountain… A song of death When revisiting the title sequence the development team knew they needed a song to do justice to the beautiful, eerie visuals. We were fortunate enough to discover a then unsigned artist called Mae Stephens who had the unique quality we were looking for. She relished the opportunity to explore a darker, cinematic sound than the upbeat pop songs of hers blowing up on TikTok. Her first demo sent shivers down our collective spines…. A few months later we had ‘Out of the Shadows’, a bespoke song alluding to themes of trust, key iconography from the game and the ultimate fate which befalls us all. The song is built around the new theme motif, which bursts through as grandiose strings towards the end of the song. “Out of the Shadows” releases digitally on Friday October 18. Check out the teaser for the Until Dawn inspired music video below – full video out tomorrow! Play Video A legendary composer We conducted an extensive demo process which looked at composers with unique contributions to the horror genre. From here we found Mark Korven, a Canadian composer with well-established roots in the horror genre with films such as The Witch and The Lighthouse. Mark created the Apprehension Engine, a custom instrument that has become a key sound for contemporary horror scores. This was Mark’s debut score for videogames and he worked in close collaboration with the PlayStation Studios Creative Arts Music team to help translate his music into an interactive medium. A new theme Key to the score was a new thematic motif, a simple but haunting pairing of melodies which weave throughout the score and newly created songs. It is an ominous omen of horrors untold, a malevolently playful melody that draws you into the world of Until Dawn. You can listen to the track below. Note: the below contains spoilers for Until Dawn’s story Locations and antagonists Each location in the game has its own musical identity. Listen out for a more acoustic, organic sound in the lodge and forest. The Sanatorium has echoes of its past buried in the mix (lush romantic classical phrases and 50s-esque refrains) alongside a more desolate, haunting palette in its abandoned state. The musical textures for the mines contain metallic scrapes and rock textures, with a scattering of the Wendigo palette. Speaking of which, each antagonist in the game has a unique sound. The Stranger is a murky, grimy mixture of woodwind and percussion that alludes to their uncertain allegiances. The Wendigo have a defined musical motif, a screeching string stab that alerts players to their presence whether seen or not. Finally, the Psycho (which you can listen to below) is a distorted blend of guitar, percussion and piano including a motif that may give players a clue to their identity. Setting the scene with song It may sound odd but here in 2024 Until Dawn is a period game, set between 2014-2015. Key moments felt open to considered needle drops to crystallize the emotion of a scene, or simply bed the game in the music of that time. A newly recorded version of In For The Kill, which soundtracks the cruel prank sequence, speaks to the dual perspectives of Hannah and her ‘friends’, alongside a myriad of evil forces out for blood. (You can subtly hear the theme in this recording as well). Tracks from Purity Ring, SG Lewis, Maverick Sabre and more give a deeper insight into other characters and their music tastes. Each song is carefully implemented in each scene – more on that later. And there might even be an easter egg for patient fans, a nod to the previous incarnation of the game, to discover… A deadly design Being able to revisit every aspect of the music of Until Dawn gave us the chance to go deeper in terms of music design and implementation. Here are some parts of the music design to look out for during your stay at the Washington Lodge. The branching nature of the story means there are hundreds of edits throughout the game, each supporting the player’s choice. A key moment where this is visible is the Snowball Fight, early in the game. The moment involves a licensed track – SG Lewis’ song ‘Warm’. As with several songs in the game the track is placed positionally at first, playing from Jess’ phone. As the scene progresses it becomes non-diegetic, underscoring the scene. The scene has good and bad outcomes; if the player kills the bird the licensed music drops out, seamlessly transitioning to score to underline the sad moment. However, if the player makes the right choices and ultimately decides to kiss Mike the lyrics of the track playout – a musical reward of sorts for achieving the ‘best’ outcome. There are a number of themes that relate to each character – if that character dies, so does their thematic material. Scares are a big part of the game and the music elevates these with stingers and risers. These risers are often interactive, increasing as a player gets near to a potential jump scare. And sometimes we’re deliberately building to nothing – keeping the player unable to predict when the fear is justified. Dr Hill is a fan favorite character and we wanted to maintain the veneer of uneasy calm in his sessions. The classical piece playing changes over the course of the sessions, representing the degrading state of his patients’ mind. The piece itself is a Prelude and Fugue derived from the Until Dawn theme motif. Lastly, we also wanted the end of the game to feel like you’d watched a horror movie of the time. So listen out for another bespoke song – ‘Forgive and Forget’ by So Below – that turns the Until Dawn motif into a dark gothic credits track. Musical catharsis after the terrifying events of one night on Blackwood Mountain. We hope you enjoy the game, now on PS5 console and PC*. Look out for the official soundtrack release, coming to all major music streaming services in the near future. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image *Account for PlayStation Network required on PC. View the full article

Hi everyone, I’m Jenn, Lead Writer and Voice Producer on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Since revealing the game in June, we’ve been blown away by its reception (and impressed by the eagle-eared listeners who identified the voices in the trailers). It brings us great pleasure to finally reveal our English voice cast and share some more information about our characters and their world. Play Video We’ve lived and breathed these characters for the past few years, so it was surreal and an honor to witness our incredible voice cast bring them to life. The actors were phenomenal to work with (and just all-around great people). We had a lot of fun during the recording sessions. The cast beautifully conveyed the complexity of the characters, who have each been shaped by the harshness of their world. Every character has been affected by deep and constant loss and has dealt with this in their own way. Previously, we introduced four of the characters. Charlie Cox (Daredevil) is the voice of Gustave, the lead engineer of Expedition 33. Gustave grew up in Lumière under the Paintress’ shadow and has devoted his life to safeguarding the city. With his final year ticking away, Gustave is hell-bent on defeating the Paintress and reclaiming a future for Lumière’s children. Jennifer English (Baldur’s Gate 3) plays Maelle, a shy loner eager to escape the constraints of Lumière. Orphaned as a child, Maelle has always felt like an outsider. Her only connection is with Gustave, her foster brother. She is the youngest member of the Expedition, at 16, and sees this as her chance to finally explore the world beyond. Kirsty Rider (Sandman) voices Lune, the chief researcher of the Expedition. Lune is intensely driven in her quest to defeat the Paintress and complete the work of her parents. She feels keenly the weight of responsibility and the gravity of the stakes involved. Shala Nyx (The Old Guard) voices Sciel, a calm and cheerful warrior unfazed by the obstacles ahead. Overcoming her past has allowed her to accept the odds against them. They will do all in their power, and it will either be enough or it won’t. In our latest trailer, we introduce two new characters. Many of you astutely identified the voice of our beloved Ben Starr (Final Fantasy XVI), who plays Verso, a dangerous stranger tracking the Expedition’s every move. We asked Ben how he’d describe Verso, and he said, “lost, lonely, and dangerous,” and that he expects players to feel “every emotion imaginable” as they get to know his character. Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings, Black Panther) plays the role of Renoir, a man relentlessly driven to save his family. He knows that victory demands sacrifice, and he’s ready to pay the price. We also have the wonderful Rich Keeble and Maxence Cazorla playing two of our favorite characters. We’ll share more about them soon. Developing the characters was a multi-part process, which included charting a detailed history of Lumière and each character’s family history and thinking through how prior generations responded to the Paintress. These factors all played a role in who each character is and what they are trying to overcome. In many ways, the process of writing is the ultimate RPG. It’s an extended thought experiment where we place our characters, with their backstories, in these particular situations, and step into their shoes. What do they do? How do they feel? How have their past experiences shaped them, and how does that influence their choices today? Cast and characters aren’t the only new elements in this trailer. Attentive fans may have recognized new locations, alongside new enemies. Golgra and The Tisseur are two fearsome adversaries who will test your reflexes in our reactive turn-based combat. We’ve also highlighted more traversal elements within the game. The pictos-powered grapple allows members of the Expedition to summit heights and clear gaps, increasing the speed at which you can explore the world. Developing the world, the story, and the characters has been deeply satisfying (and fun and engrossing and maddening). We are proud and excited to share the game with everyone when it releases in Spring 2025. We hope you enjoyed today’s reveals! Stay tuned for more information about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. We have a great deal more to show you, including elements about the world, the gameplay, other characters, and sneak peek Behind the Scenes. View the full article

Hi everyone, it’s my pleasure to update you on some brand-new Astro Bot content that will be arriving this month. First, on behalf of Team Asobi, I would like to say a big thank you to all the Astro Bot players. We couldn’t be happier seeing the reactions from players, both young and old(er). It’s warmed the hearts of all the little crew Bots here at Team Asobi HQ. Play Video We have read so many great reviews and received so many positive comments, and it’s been amazing. However, if there was one piece of feedback that came through loud and clear, it was that you wanted more. So rather than put our little robotic feet up just yet, we have been busily beavering away, and we have some new surprises ready for you. As announced in the recent State of Play trailer, starting on October 17 we will be releasing the first of our brand new speedrun levels, Building Speed. These levels will test your platforming skills and alongside an online leaderboard, will give you the chance to compete against all your PlayStation friends. In Building Speed, with the help of Barkster, the bulldog booster, you will blast your way through a sky-high city. Dodge cranes, smash through crates, and even speed through a flying car wash on the way to rescue your stranded crew. Following on from this we will release a brand new speedrun level each week, so by the time you have perfected every jump, hover and spin in one level, a new challenge will await you. The release schedule is as follows: Oct 17: Building Speed Oct 24: Let it Slide Oct 31: Spring-loaded Run Nov 7: Helium Heights Nov 14: Rising Heat Note: All Astro Bot updates* from October 17 to November 14 will be available every Thursday at 6:00am PT, 2:00pm BST, and 10:00pm JST. What’s more, each of these new levels contains two brand-new Special Bots for you to rescue. That’s 10 new beloved characters to add to your crew. We gave a sneak peek of Eve from Stellar Blade and the Helldivers. However, as for who is next, well that’s for you to find out. So, get busy rescuing. Lastly, the best thing, it’s all at no extra cost. We want to thank you again for all the love and support you have given to Astro Bot, it means the world to us. That’s all we have for today, however watch this space as there may be even more surprises coming soon. Team Asobi out. *Internet connection and Astro Bot game required for update. Speedrun levels available after game completion. View the full article

Wayfinders! I’m AJ, an Executive Producer at Airship Syndicate and I’m incredibly excited to talk about the upcoming release of our game, Wayfinder! Today we’re focusing on two big new additions coming alongside our October 21 launch! For those that might not know, Wayfinder is an ARPG where players assume the roles of various Wayfinders to push back a hostile force called the Gloom. With a single player campaign that can be played solo or with up to two friends, as well as endless replayability through randomized dungeons and end game activities, Wayfinder is packed with content for you and your friends to enjoy; all for one price with no microtransactions. Our 7 Wayfinders are distinct & different, each with their own backstory, gear, abilities and (pun intended) ways-to-find new experiences across the world. You start out with one hero and quickly rescue the full roster from the Gloom so you can level, customize, and swap between them at will. But you don’t need to fight alone! Two others can join you for 3-player online, drop-in cross play co-op as you fight through Evenor collecting over 3,000 weapons, armors, housing decorations and more! We’ve been in Early Access for the past year, fine-tuning the game based on player feedback we’re seeing from our super engaged community. I want to give a huge thank you to Wayfinders old and new from all of us at Airship– you make the game better each update. Play Video Leaving Early Access and moving into the game’s full release will bring a ton of new content to the game. A brand new playable character, new Lost Zones (our version of repeatable, and randomized dungeons), new armor styles and loot to collect and a whole lot more. But today we’re here to talk about a huge brand new open world area– The Crucible! This lush, yet dangerous area has quests, mini bosses, and is packed with secrets (and monsters!) lurking around every corner. The final battle begins in The Crucible. The Eldren have occupied a shattered region known as The Crucible—a city-sized machine built by The Architects, reclaimed by nature and lost to time. In search of a powerful secret at The Crucible’s center, the Eldren intend to finish the war their gods started, and pen the world a dark fate. Players may have a mount already, but the Crucible is enormous and filled with verticality & multiple areas to explore. With that in mind, we developed an entirely new traversal tool: the Hookshot! We think you’ll love this thing. It’s super fun to use, and allows you to easily get around the massive new area, as well as avoid dangers in situations you may find yourself in when exploring the Crucible! Alongside the game’s release, we’re also introducing The Critical Role Supporter Pack, which brings the world of Vox Machina into Wayfinder with over 50 unique items. This Supporter Pack directly supports Airship Syndicate and Critical Role, two indie companies bringing their worlds to life with the help of their passionate player base. This pack will go on sale October 21, but we’re thrilled to show off the first in-game teaser featuring Venomess as Vex! Can you spot all the Critical Role inspired items? “We are huge fans of Critical Role, so we’re super excited for this collaboration, which we hope is the first of many.” said Joe Madureira, CEO of Airship Syndicate and Marvel Comics alum. “From the start, we wanted the Vox Machina personas to feel uniquely Wayfinder, while still capturing the magic that makes these beloved heroes of Exandria so special. Our team of artists and animators were very passionate about making it happen, and I think it shows.” Wayfinder has changed for the better so much over the last year in Early Access! Our fans have told us that the experience today is more polished, more rewarding and most importantly, more fun. We can’t wait to welcome all the new PlayStation 5 Wayfinders on October 21! View the full article

Whether you realize it or not, music is connected to some of our strongest gaming memories. Whether it’s the rousing choir of the God of War games or the delicate flutes of Ghost of Tsushima, the PlayStation soundscape has created some of the most emotional moments I’ve experienced in entertainment. I suspect I’m not alone in this. And so for the many live music lovers in our community, I’m pleased to share that the teams here at PlayStation have been working together with RoadCo Entertainment, and GEA Live to develop a groundbreaking live music event that brings our most iconic gaming soundtracks to life under the PlayStation banner for the first time. With a state-of-the-art production, this show will merge thrilling music, cutting-edge visuals, and legendary video game titles into an unforgettable experience. PlayStation The Concert transports fans into the epic worlds of God of War, The Last of Us, Ghost of Tsushima, and Horizon franchises amongst many others that reflect our 30 years of making games that have not only captivated players but are celebrated for their breathtaking and immersive soundtracks too. With innovative technology and world-class production, fans will experience a stunning fusion of multi-layered visuals, immersive surround sound, and an all-star ensemble blending classical and modern instruments. The legendary scores from composers like Gustavo Santaolalla (The Last of Us), Joris De Man (Horizon), Ilan Eshkeri (Ghost of Tsushima), and Bear McCreary (God of War) will reach new heights, offering fans a unique, deeply immersive live concert experience. Play Video With video game music stepping into the global spotlight, PlayStation: The Concert is poised to redefine what a music experience can be. This is more than just a show; it’s the ultimate video game concert experience, embodying PlayStation’s innovative spirit and pushing the limits of what’s possible; from your console to stages around the world. The global tour launches with a world premiere on April 15 19, 2025, in Dublin, Ireland, before heading to more than 200 cities across Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States, and beyond. Whilst we are only announcing European dates at this time, be assured we’ll be announcing other world locations very soon. The 2025 tour schedule so far includes: Dublin, Ireland – Glasgow, Scotland, London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, UK – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paris, Amnéville, France – Antwerp, Brussels, Belgium – Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Berlin, Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Leipzig, Munich, Oberhausen, Germany – Zurich, Switzerland – Bologna, Italy – Budapest, Hungary – Sofia, Bulgaria – Vienna, Austria – Bratislava, Slovakia – Prague, Czech Republic – Lodz, Poland – Copenhagen, Denmark – Gotenburg, Sweden – Oslo, Norway – Tampere, Finland. We don’t want you to miss out on this extraordinary event so our partners are giving the PlayStation community first opportunity to score tickets through the early access code PLAYCONCERT24 which will be usable from 7am PT tomorrow Wednesday, October 16 2024. Tickets are expected to go fast! For more information on tickets, show and future tour dates please visit www.playstation.com/theconcert. Join the conversation with #PlayStationTheConcert. View the full article

Get ready, Squirrel With a Gun will be available on PS5 on October 15! That’s right, your favorite armed mammal is almost ready to clean up the town by taking down those pesky suited-up Agents. And just when you thought Squirrel With a Gun couldn’t get any more packed with squirrely goodness, we have a whole set of free updates planned and incoming. Today we’ll give you a taste of two major updates, the new Photo Mode releasing October 15 and the Boss Battle update coming in the near future. Who knew that a single squirrel would have so much to do, ey? Serve squirrely lewks with Photo Mode Get ready to capture your most epic squirrel moments with the new Photo Mode! Whether you’re pulling off a daring escape, doing something wicked-cool mid-air, or making new friends in the neighborhood, you can now snap and save all those unforgettable moments. The best part is that there are plenty of modes to help you create the perfect shot. First up is the classic Cam Adjust Mode, which helps you control the camera like a pro. Move the camera around, rotate it, and even give it a dramatic Dutch angle for some serious flair. Zoom in and out with the Field of View (FoV) slider to frame your perfect shot, whether you’re up close and personal or catching the action from afar. Next up is the Focus Mode. Add a touch of photography magic by playing with the camera’s focus. Choose the Player setting to keep the focus on you (because let’s face it, you’re the star), or go full-on creative with Manual Mode, where you control the focal distance for that perfect screenshot. And finally, the Filter Mode. Why settle for ordinary when you can add a touch of whimsy to your photos? With 15 unique filters to collect, such as the cute kawaii-esqe filter, or the timeless and still oh-so relevant awesome meme face filter, you can turn every snapshot into something truly memorable or hilarious. Prepare to face a legendary boss Coming in one of our later updates, a new boss and boss battle are slowly brewing behind the scenes. Your foe is the legendary Ratatoskr, the squirrel of Norse legends. Forcibly allied with the Agents, you must climb to the heavens and battle this mythical rodent so it won’t destroy the neighborhood. This boss fight is unlike any of the other battles you will face. This squirrel moves fast, has a variety of ranged and melee attacks, and is a considerably smaller target! Fortunately, you will be granted a special SMG with a magazine of infinite bullets for this grandiose occasion. Now that’s not all that’s coming to the neighborhood. You can expect new outfits, a whole new level, new furs, and perhaps even a game-changing gadget from the lab that can alter gravity itself! All of these updates are coming to Squirrel With a Gun free of charge. We want to keep the fun going as long as we can! Squirrel With a Gun is coming to PS5 on October 15! View the full article

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is just a few weeks away. For those who haven’t been following development, this is a full remake of the classic Dragon Quest III – one of the most beloved and influential RPGs of all time. It includes everything that made that adventure so magical, but enhances it with new features and new content – all created with the eye-catching HD-2D visual style made famous by games like Octopath Traveler and Live A Live. But what does it look like in action? Well, today we’re happy to introduce seven minutes of extended gameplay, focusing on one of the optional quests in the game. Check it out: Play Video To complement the video, we thought we’d add some additional detail about what you’re seeing. The sleepy village of Norvik The world of Dragon Quest III is large and full of things to discover. There’s a real sense of exploration and discovery, and exploring every nook and cranny of these beautiful lands is strongly encouraged. After all, who knows what an inquisitive adventurer might find? Naturally, you may discover gear, items, and other valuables, but exploring can also open up new questlines for you to explore. An example of this is shown in the new gameplay footage. If you venture north after traveling to Romaria, you may find the sleepy hamlet of Norvik – and when we say ‘sleepy,’ we mean that literally. Due to events that you’ll discover yourselves (he said, dancing elegantly around spoilers), the village is afflicted by a terrible curse, which has made the residents fall into a deep slumber that they are unable to wake from. One of the few still active inhabitants begs your intrepid hero to save the settlement by returning an artifact called the Dreamstone to the fairies. Of course, the first step is actually to find the thing. Underground lake Another area is shown – the Underground Lake. Here, you’ll uncover the Dreamstone you need to save Norvik from its eternal naptime. It’s a treacherous trek into a delightfully dank dungeon full of dangerous monsters and alluring loot. It also showcases how the beautiful HD-2D visual style of the game enhances classic areas from the original game to give them new life and depth. By combining 3D backgrounds, detailed 2D sprites, and modern lighting techniques, it creates powerful scenes that hearken back to the game’s original pixel art, while feeling fresh and modern. Not to mention breathtakingly beautiful. Time for battle As inviting as exploring the world of Dragon Quest III is, it’s not without its risks. Monsters roam these lands, and you’re going to have to face them in battle. The new gameplay footage gives you an up-close look at how battles play out. In classic Dragon Quest style, combat is turn-based and tactical – you give orders to your party, and then they carry out your strategy. It’s a simple system, but it offers enormous depth. You have many different abilities and spells, which only grow as the adventure progresses. Understanding how to use them to damage foes, depower threats, and strengthen allies is the key to coming out alive. Each character in your party is assigned a vocation, which determines their attributes and abilities in battle. For example, in the new footage, you can see Dorothy is a mage. This gives her access to powerful spells like Bang, which damages all foes with a small explosion. There are multiple vocations in the game, from heavy hitters like Martial Artist and support-focused Priest to more unconventional roles like Gadabout. There’s even an entirely new vocation for this remake – Monster Wrangler! Power to the player Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake has a range of features that let you customize the combat experience. For example, at the top of the screen, you’ll notice the option to change the speed of battles with the press of a button. You can cycle between normal, fast, and ultra-fast settings. Normal is great for following the flow of combat, particularly during tougher scraps like boss battles. But if you want fights to fly by, such as when taking on weaker enemies, or trying to strengthen your party for the challenges ahead, the faster settings are there to make things more convenient and enjoyable. You can also set behaviors for your party to allow them to act independently of your orders in battle. You can make them ‘Act Wisely’ for a balanced approach, ‘Conserve MP’ to ensure they don’t throw out wasteful spells, ‘Show No Mercy’ to launch a full-power assault, and more. If you want your allies back under your command, simply switch to ‘Follow Orders’, and they’ll be under your full control once more. These many options mean you can play the game how you like – full control or partial control, or even let the game take care of combat for you. It’s entirely up to you. Recruiting monsters One more new feature exclusive to Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is shown in the video – recruiting monsters. Not every monster you meet wants to give you a beating – some are friendly. In these cases, you can recruit them to fight for you in one of the many monster arenas around the world. Many of these monsters are hidden away, so you’ll need to be alert and explore thoroughly to find them. In the video, you can see the party discover a nervous Spiked Hare. After calming it down, the hero and his party send it on to Monty’s monster menagerie. When you visit an arena, you can sign up a party of recruited monsters for a tournament. If they triumph over the opposition, you’ll be rewarded with money and valuable items. As you can see, there’s a lot to do in Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, from exciting battles to entire optional questlines to discover and undertake. Of course, what we’re showing here is only the tiniest hint at the adventures to come. You’ll discover all kinds of stories and secrets in the full game when it launches on November 14 for PS5. View the full article

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com! Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or download here Hey folks! We’ve got a full house for this week’s pod, with the team talking news, next week’s releases, and all the spooktacular games we’ve been playing this month, including Until Dawn and Silent Hill 2. Stuff We Talked About Next week’s releases: Neva | PS5 PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for October: Dead Island 2 Two Point Campus Gris Return to Monkey Island and more… Neva devs detail design Beat Saber: Britney Spears Music Pack launch PlayStation Store: September 2024’s top downloads Metaphor ReFantazio: hands-on details Until Dawn Silent Hill 2 Darkest Dungeon The Cast View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Sid Shuman – Senior Director of Content Communications, SIE View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Tim Turi – Content Communications Manager, SIE View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Brett Elston – Manager, Content Communications, SIE View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Kristen Zitani – Senior Content Communications Specialist, SIE Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music. [Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.] View the full article

Last week, we asked you to venture into spooky gaming settings and share hair-raising locations using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: call_me_xavii shares James wandering through the foggy streets of Silent Hill 2. m_nt_13 shares a wall of eyeballs peering out in Stray. JLunarTraveler shares skeletal figures rising in a graveyard from Hogwarts Legacy. wingsforsmiles shares Alan rushing away from an evil force in the subway tunnels of Alan Wake 2. DexM_ds shares body bags hanging in a waterlogged cellar in Resident Evil Village. FranTGP shares an ominous chained up figure in A Plague Tale: Requiem. 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: Scared SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on October 16, 2024 Next week, we’re ready to be frightened. Share moments where characters looks scared from the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured. View the full article

25 years ago, we were shocked with the image of Lara Croft hanging from a cliff inside an Egyptian tomb, as the credits rolled on Tomb Raider IV: The Last Revelation. It’s time for Tomb Raider players to re-experience the next remastered chapters of Lara Croft’s darkest adventures. Play Video Continuing the legacy of Lara Croft’s iconic adventures and following the success of Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, Aspyr and Crystal Dynamics are thrilled to bring Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on February 14, 2025! Her Legacy lives on: announcing Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered Tomb Raider began with Core Design’s vision for Lara Croft’s adventures, culminating in the first six iconic games, taking fans on globe-trotting adventures with friends, foes, supernatural beings, and so much more… Aspyr & Eidos partnered to bring all 6 of the Core Tomb Raider games to Mac computers back in the ‘90s, and we’re proud to partner again with Crystal Dynamics / Eidos to complete the hexalogy on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Thank you to the entire Tomb Raider community Aspyr & Crystal Dynamics thank the amazing Tomb Raider community for all of the love and support you have poured into this franchise. Your dedication has inspired us to bring these classic Core Design adventures back in the best possible way. We’re grateful to share this remastered collection with you, and we can’t wait to see how you’ll relive—or discover for the first time—Lara’s darkest adventures. Thank you for being part of her legacy! Lara Croft’s darkest adventures return Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation Lara travels to Egypt in pursuit of the Amulet of Horus… By taking the amulet, she unleashes an ancient God, fulfilling the ancient prophecy of his return to plunge mankind into darkness! For dedicated fans, the level design brings bigger challenges, more intricate puzzles, and for the first time, the ability to rope-swing. Will Lara escape the Great Pyramid of Giza alive? Tomb Raider: Chronicles Presumed dead, Lara’s friends reminisce about her past adventures, each revealing untold secrets. Chronicles centers around four separate stories told through flashbacks. New gameplay mechanics like stealth and tightrope balancing are sure to keep newcomers and seasoned players on their toes! Will Lara’s body be found? Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness Accused of the murder of her one-time mentor, Werner Von Croy, Lara becomes a fugitive on the run. A series of grisly murders brings Lara into conflict with a sinister Alchemist from the past, and a secret alliance of powerful individuals shrouded in mystery. Experience the final chapter of the Core hexalogy! Key features expanded Classic & Remastered Visuals: Experience Lara Croft’s adventures as you remember them, or toggle to modern, remastered graphics that bring new life to the environments, characters, and artifacts. Global adventures: Journey with Lara across the globe, from the ancient tombs of Egypt in The Last Revelation to the shadowy streets of Paris in The Angel of Darkness. Uncover dark secrets: Dive into the darkest chapters of Lara’s life as she uncovers long-buried secrets and confronts sinister forces. This remastered collection ensures that the story of Lara’s disappearance and subsequent return is more mysterious than ever. Classic and Modern controls: Players can choose between the original tank-style controls, offering the authentic Tomb Raider experience, or opt for modern controls inspired by later entries in the series, providing smoother movement and camera control. Boss Health Bars: This feature provides valuable feedback during tough encounters, helping players strategize more effectively without detracting from the game’s original challenge. 150+ Trophies: We’ve packed this remaster with over 150 trophies, including nods to iconic moments from the series. These trophies provide both seasoned veterans and new players with plenty of content to explore and achieve. Photo Mode: A fan-favorite feature is back! This collection will contain all photo mode poses from Tomb Raider I-III Remastered as well as new ones! Share your favorite moments and the beauty of the remastered environments with the community. Pre-order now and rediscover Lara’s darkest adventures We can’t wait for you to experience Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered. Stay tuned for more updates and join us on February 14, 2025, to celebrate the legacy of Lara Croft. View the full article

October 11, 2024 – SEGA is thrilled to announce that Metaphor: ReFantazio, the latest RPG from ATLUS’s Studio Zero, has released on PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5. About Metaphor: ReFantazio ・A New Undertaking That Captures the Essence of ATLUS ATLUS is a console game developer that was formed in 1986. It has garnered popularity across the globe, with its Persona series reaching 22 million* units sold worldwide. ATLUS will celebrate its 35th anniversary this year. *As of March 5, 2024 ATLUS has worked on many contemporary stories, such as Shin Megami Tensei and Persona, and provided players with its own unique worlds and experiences. After the immense success of Persona 5, ATLUS is now set to explore the realm of classic fantasy. A fantastical story that could not have been explored within the framework of modernity. This anniversary project offers a fresh new take on the fantasy RPG genre. Rather than seeking solace in the past, this new adventure has been driven by a philosophy of creativity and empathy and aims to break new ground. ・A Groundbreaking Project Helmed by Renowned Creators and Artists A team of internationally recognized creators, who have earned accolades at various game awards, have assembled for this project to develop a totally new fantasy RPG, including director Katsura Hashino, character designer Shigenori Soejima, and composer Shoji Meguro. The team behind Metaphor: ReFantazio has an illustrious history, having developed Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5. Notably, Persona 5 has become the franchise’s biggest success, with 10 million units sold worldwide. *As of December 22, 2023 Creators: Director: Katsura Hashino (Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne, Persona 3, 4, 5) Character Designer: Shigenori Soejima (Persona 3, 4, 5) Composer: Shoji Meguro (Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne, Persona 3, 4, 5) Joining this incredible team of creators is a team of equally exceptional artists, all united in their goal to deliver an out-of-this-world production. Artists: Concept artist Kazuma Koda (NieR:Automata) View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Gauntlet runner designer Ikuto Yamashita (Neon Genesis Evangelion) View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image ・The Story, the Art and Sound, the Mechanics, All Unique Story: Lose track of time and immerse yourself. Mysterious and unpredictable events unfold in a realm replete with the anxieties and aspirations of its inhabitants, calling you on a grand journey with plenty to experience. Art and Sound: Distinctive and charming character designs. Beautiful and fantastical background art throughout the game’s world. With stylish UI based on Western painting tradition, even just browsing the menus provides a sense of excitement. In addition, the game provides a new musical experience with a blend of orchestra, world music, choir, and chants, a sound developed from a reinterpretation of religious music. Mechanics: View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image A unique battle system combining quick action with turn-based combat. An unbelievably comfortable play tempo and exhilarating graphics. Players are given a high degree of freedom and ability to strategize, realized through Archetypes, a mechanic at the pinnacle of party customization. Ride gauntlet runners on a journey to change the world. The Daily Life mechanics present in the Persona series have evolved, allowing you to experience an entirely new type of journey. The Game’s Story ・Setting A world separate from our own, inhabited by 8 different tribes. Within one corner of this world exists the Kingdom of Euchronia. The kingdom is an alliance of nations that began with its valiant first king and saw unification and governance over the ages by the powerful royal bloodline in its immense magical prowess. However, the kingdom began to decay over the long years, now deteriorating into a land without virtue divided by prejudice and disparity. In addition to the vicious animals roaming its vast territory, the land is inundated with mysterious creatures known as “humans,” meaning not even the smallest of safe spaces remains outside of the cities. Then, the kingdom’s prince and king are assassinated, bringing even further confusion and anxiety to its citizens who now have no ruler. ・Prologue A young man embarks on a journey to lift a curse, with a fairy by his side The Elda are a minority tribe shunned in the Kingdom of Euchronia. The protagonist, a young Elda, is traveling alongside his fairy partner, Gallica, to lift the curse placed upon the kingdom’s prince. There is only one way to lift the deadly curse that eats away at the prince: Take the life of its caster. As the young man travels across the vast continent, he will have many chance meetings, form bonds, and eventually learn the truth of the kingdom. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image The curtain unfolds after a terrible incident shakes the entire kingdom.. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image ・Introduction A race for the throne decided by majority vote, imposed by the power of magic. Just over ten years have passed since the Kingdom of Euchronia’s crown prince was assassinated. Then, the king himself is cut down, leaving the kingdom in chaos without any ruler or heir to the throne. Who will be the next king? The sanctifex serving as head of the state religion, a lord or lady of a nearby nation, or perhaps a leader of the military…? As the royal funeral is carried out with various powerful parties all vying for the throne, a spell is unexpectedly cast at the funeral site. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Time is finite before my soul departs this benighted world… Come October, there shall be a reckoning. A Day of the Hero. Upon that day, whosoever hath truly earned the greatest faith of the citizenry… shall ascend to throne and crown by right of kings. Ringing in the sky was the voice of the king who had been declared dead. He had a grand spell set to activate upon his death that would pit every one of his citizens against one another in a race for the throne, to be decided by popular vote. The people descend into utter chaos at the thought of electing their own king for the very first time. However, our protagonist decides he must throw himself into the fray in order to accomplish his mission. And so begins the great race for the throne, to be carried out all across the kingdom. Over the course of his journey, he finds various allies to join him. What awaits them is a grand journey that will change the world as they know it. Characters ・ The Protagonist Elda and His Fairy ・Allies of Differing Backgrounds Within this society rife with discrimination, allies belonging to various tribes come to join the protagonist. Each of them has their own reason for wanting to change the world, and when they come into contact with the protagonist’s awakened power, Heroic Embodiment (Archetype), they become able to use it as well. ▼ATLUS Exclusive – Metaphor: ReFantazio Archive ATLUS Exclusive – Metaphor: ReFantazio 4.23.2024 ATLUS Exclusive – Metaphor: ReFantazio | Archetypes Metaphor: ReFantazio ATLUS Exclusive Showcase – Story Metaphor: ReFantazio ATLUS Exclusive Showcase – Character Metaphor: ReFantazio ATLUS Exclusive Showcase – World Tour *English subtitles will be provided. Demo for Metaphor: ReFantazio Out Now! View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Play through the beginning of Metaphor with the new demo! You’ll be able to carry over your save data to the full game once you’re done! To pick up the demo, simply head over to your platform’s store to download it. *The demo’s content may slightly differ from the launch version. *You can play the demo as many times as you like. *All screenshots and footage shown during the broadcast are from the Japanese edition of the game, which is still under development. English support will be available at release. Product Information: TitleMetaphor: ReFantazioRelease DateOctober 11, 2024 (Fri)PlatformPlayStation®4 / PlayStation®5 Websitehttps://asia.sega.com/metaphor/en/Copyright©ATLUS. ©SEGA. View the full article

Neva is the next game from Nomada, the studio behind Gris. In it, the hero Alba forms a bond with a teenage wolf. Over time, the wolf will grow bigger and stronger, and the duo’s relationship will evolve. Play Video You’ll be able to play Neva on PlayStation 5 soon, and we have implemented a number of features designed especially for the console. The game’s original concept was about two human characters then morphed to an animal – including a bear – before settling on the wolf cub that the team felt will provide a more interesting relationship and striking visual. Neva will make full use of the unique features of the PS5, including utilizing the DualSense controller to draw you deeper into the game’s hauntingly beautiful world. We want you to be as immersed as possible in Neva’s story as Alba and her wolf, Neva, forge their bond and work together to defeat the strange creatures confronting them. There was a lot of gameplay testing to understand what sort of attacks would be interesting without getting in the players’ way. Neva doesn’t always auto-attack, as she grows and becomes more capable Abla will be able to direct her attacks using the thumbstick and adding a more strategic approach to combat and even puzzles. In combat, Alba can command her wolf companion Neva, to attack enemies that she can’t handle on her own. When the wolf lunges at a foe and unleashes a fury of teeth and claws, you’ll feel the full kinetic force of the attack through the DualSense’s haptic triggers. Alba is a woman of few words, but whenever she calls for her furry friend, you’ll hear her shout out Neva’s name. On PS5, her voice will echo through the DualSense controller’s built-in speaker. When Neva is a young cub, the mischievous wolf will be easily distracted, and you’ll have to call out his name to make him stick by your side. Early in the story when Neva is just a cub there will be tender, sweeter moments where she is a bit nervous about jumping over chasms or by the world around her so Alba will need to call to her, encourage her, or give her a comforting pet to reassure Neva of her capabilities. Neva is, as you can see from the screenshots, a vibrantly colorful game, and each lovingly hand-crafted level has its own distinctive palette. As you progress through Alba’s journey on PS5 , the light bar on the DualSense controller will change to reflect the current stage’s colors. So if Alba and Neva suddenly plunge into a part of the world lit with an atmospheric crimson red glow, your DualSense will shift hue to match it. This is a world being overrun with an unnamed evil, often taking form of ‘infected’ fauna that stand in the way of Neva and Alba. Almost everything is organic to the world so it was important to the team that this evil was present in once beautiful places and creatures and it’s the mission of Neva and Alba to cleanse the world of this evil and return the beauty that lies within these corrupt animals. Neva will also take advantage of the power of the PS5’s hardware to run at 4K and 120fps out of the box, making its lush artwork really sing on your TV. Neva features a minimal UI, delicate art, high-quality traditional animation, and an elegant musical score, all of which will come beautifully to life on PS5. We can’t wait for all you PlayStation players to lose yourselves in our story and world and enjoy Alba and Neva’s adventures together. View the full article

Prepare yourselves, Jedi! The Force is calling you back to exhilarating lightsaber action! We’re excited to announce that Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles is coming to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, offering nostalgic thrills for returning Jedi and a gripping experience for new padawans. Play Video A long-awaited battle is back in full force Originally released in 2000, get ready to battle your way through iconic locations from Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Whether you’re fighting to take back the Theed Palace from the Trade Federation or facing off against hordes of battle droids, destroyer droids, and deadly assassins, you’ll need all the skill and precision of a Jedi to succeed. In Jedi Power Battles, the power of the Force is in your hands. Grasp your lightsaber and cut through enemies in fast-paced, side-scrolling arcade action. The game allows you to play as beloved characters from the prequel trilogy, including Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padme, Panaka, Plo Koon, Adi Gallia, and Qui-Gon Jinn. Celebrating 25 years with all new features The 2025 release includes new and improved features that enhance the gameplay experience: Lightsaber Toggle: For returning players who remember playing each Jedi with a distinctive color to their lightsaber, you may also remember those sabers not matching their looks in the films. For example, the original game showcased Mace Windu with a blue Lightsaber. For this release, we added a toggle that allows you to swap between his iconic purple saber or the classic blue saber. This also applies to Ki-Adi Mundi, Plo Koon, & Adi Gallia’s classic saber colors. All secret characters and levels unlocked at the beginning: Experience the full game right from the start, with all the original secret characters and levels unlocked, allowing you to dive straight into the battle without delay. Beyond the original lineup, we’ve introduced 13 newly unlocked playable characters! You’ll find the Rifle Droid, Staff Tusken Raider, Ishi Tib, and Weequay, ready to jump into the action, and more character announcements are coming before launch day. Who else is joining the roster? We’ll all find out soon enough. Gameplay improvements and expanded game modes: We’ve made enhancements to the character models, environments, and game modes based on the expanded post-PlayStation release, while also preserving elements of the original PlayStation UI. Enjoy smoother jumps, better balance, and new main menu art that transforms your battle from all of the original versions of the game. Additionally, we’ve included in-game UI toggle options for greater customization, and we’ve brought back Vs Mode and Training Mode from the expanded post-PlayStation release, adding depth and variety to your gameplay. Classic couch co-op: The entire 10-level campaign, along with additional bonus mini-games, can be played with a friend in local co-op mode. The joy of teaming up with a buddy to take down waves of enemies is a core part of the Jedi Power Battles experience, and it’s back in full force. Cheat codes and unlockables: Classic cheats like Big Head Mode, Big Foot Mode, and Lightsaber cheats are ready to be claimed! Additionally, unlock character progressions (combos, stats) by achieving high scores to keep the gameplay fresh and rewarding. Lastly, brand-new for the first time, the Loader Droid Boss is playable via cheat code! Ready to join the battle? Whether you’re a returning player or new to the battle, get ready for an adventure in the Star Wars galaxy. We’ve brought this classic back out of our deep love for Star Wars, and we hope you find joy in every lightsaber swing and every battle won. May the Force be with you—always. Get ready to join the battle on January 23, 2025! Prepare by pre-ordering Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles on PS5 & PS4 today. View the full article

Battle zombies across Hell-A, attempt to outwit a serial killer and their trap-filled hotel, build the ultimate university campus and learn the devastating, hilarious art of riposte and more with October’s PlayStation Plus Game Catalog lineup*! Dead Island 2, The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me, Two Point Campus, Return to Monkey Island and more games are available to play from October 15. On the same day, an awesome foursome of titles join PlayStation Plus Premium in the form of PS VR2 game The Last Clockwinder and three Classics – Capcom adventure Dino Crisis, terrifying horror Siren and iconic sci-fi shooter R-Type Dimensions EX. Let’s take a look at each game in turn. PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium | Game Catalog View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Dead Island 2 | PS4, PS5 Dead Island 2 is a thrilling First-Person Action RPG, stylish, vibrant and flooded with zombie infection. Explore an iconic, gore-drenched Los Angeles. Meet larger-than-life characters. Slay countless foes in exquisitely bloody detail. And evolve to become the ultimate Zombie Slayer! There are six characters to choose from, each with their own unique personality and dialogues. You can fully customize the abilities of each Slayer, with a brand-new skill system allowing you to re-spec instantly and try out the craziest builds. The game includes an over-the-top co-op mode for up to three players. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Two Point Campus | PS4, PS5 Take your simulation management experience to a class above with Two Point Campus, the sequel to the multi-million selling Two Point Hospital. Two Point Campus is jam-packed with new creative tools to help you build the university of your dreams. The academic year begins with a summer break, giving you enough time to get everything looking great before your students move in. Build libraries, hire the best staff, kit your campus out with the best courses and watch the academic potential of your students get unlocked. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me | PS4, PS5 The Dark Pictures is a series of stand-alone branching cinematic horror games from the studio behind Until Dawn. Easy to pick-up and play in short sessions, alone or with friends. The Devil in Me is the fourth game in the series and the Season One finale. A group of documentary film makers receive a mysterious call inviting them to a modern-day replica of serial killer H.H. Holmes’ ‘Murder Castle’. It’s an opportunity that’s too good to pass up and could be just the thing they’re looking for to win some much-needed public interest. The hotel is the perfect set for their new episode, but things aren’t quite as they seem. The crew discover they’re being watched and even manipulated, and suddenly there’s much more at stake than just their ratings! Can you outsmart the killer and checkout all your cast? All playable characters can live or die in your version of the story. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Gris | PS4, PS5 Gris is a hopeful young girl lost in her own world, dealing with a painful experience in her life. Her journey through sorrow is manifested in her dress, which grants new abilities to better navigate her faded reality. As the story unfolds, Gris will grow emotionally and see her world in a different way, revealing new paths to explore using her new abilities. Grus is a serene and evocative experience, free of danger, frustration, or death. Players will explore a meticulously designed world brought to life with delicate art, detailed animation, and an elegant original score. Through the game light puzzles, platforming sequences, and optional skill-based challenges will reveal themselves as more of Gris’s world becomes accessible. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Return to Monkey Island | PS5 Return to Monkey Island is an unexpected, thrilling return of series creator Ron Gilbert that continues the story of the legendary adventure games The Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge developed in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games. Banter with old friends and new faces on familiar islands now under dangerous new leadership. Then, take to the high seas and explore the new and unknown as you work your way out of tough predicaments. Clever puzzles, bizarre situations, and devastating ripostes are all that stand between Guybrush and glory. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed | PS4, PS5 This fun multiplayer game is perfect for all skill levels. Four proton pack wielding Ghostbusters attempt to catch a Ghost haunting unique locations in asymmetrical multiplayer battles (online or offline). As players progress, they will unlock cosmetics and upgrades for both Ghostbusters and Ghosts to evolve their gameplay experiences. The look and feel will deliver to fans an immersive experience in the universe, allowing them to play out their Ghostbusting fantasies. This game will allow players to enjoy the game solo or with up to four friends and includes an online and offline single-player mode in the form of bot-assisted play. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Firefighting Simulator The Squad | PS4, PS5 Become part of a major US city’s firefighting team and experience how it feels to fight fires. Discover over 40 diverse deployment locations spread across the city inspired by the North American West Coast. Equip yourself with authentic firefighting gear such as helmets, firefighter boots, and a breathing apparatus model by well-known North American firefighting equipment manufacturers. In single player mode, become the leader of an experienced firefighting team. In multiplayer co-op mode, play with up to three friends and take on whichever role suits you most. Assign tasks to your team or jump into the action yourself. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Overpass 2 | PS5 Identify the best routes and balance of power, speed and precision to overcome obstacles at the controls of a UTV, ATV or Rock Bouncer in both solo and multiplayer modes, your talent and choices of technique will make the difference. Put your skills to the test in 5 game modes in which you have to come to grips with demanding challenges: off-road sprint, off-road circuit, hill climb, obstacle course, closed circuit. At the controls of powerful buggies and quads from major manufacturers such as Yamaha, Arctic Cat and Suzuki, you will travel across 30 routes in 5 regions: Baja Desert, East Central US, Johnson Valley, Utah Desert and Western Europe. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Tour de France 2023 | PS4, PS5 Play the mountain or flat stages and experience the intensity of the Grande Boucle. Pedal alongside the best cyclists, test your endurance and show your panache to triumph on the Champs-Elysées in the official game of the Tour de France 2023. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands* | PS4 Create a team with up to 3 friends in Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands and enjoy the ultimate military shooter experience set in a massive, dangerous, and responsive open world. In a near future, Bolivia has fallen into the hands of Santa Blanca, a merciless drug cartel who spread injustice and violence. Their objective: to create the biggest Narco-State in history. Create and fully customize your Ghost, weapons, and gear. Enjoy a total freedom of playstyle. Lead your team and take down the cartel, either solo or with up to three friends. *PlayStation Plus re-release. PlayStation Premium | PS VR2 & Classics View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image The Last Clockwinder | PS VR2 Clone your actions into endlessly repeating loops to build assembly lines and contraptions. Harvest resources, grow plants, and restore life to an ancient tree in this award-winning VR game. Your mission is to repair the Clocktower, an ancient haven for the galaxy’s plants. Use the Clockwinder’s gloves to turn the actions you take into looping clockwork clones. They can do everything you can, from planting to cutting to throwing items through the air. Use their help to save the Clocktower! View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Dino Crisis | PS4, PS5 Three years ago, a scientist researching a new source of clean energy known as Third Energy died during an experiment. Now, alarming reports arrive from an agent dispatched to a small country in the South Seas. Regina, a member of a government spy team tasked with extracting the scientist, heads for the isolated island where the military facility is located. Experience Dino Crisis, originally released on the original PlayStation, now enhanced with up-rendering, rewind, quick save, and custom video filters. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Siren | PS4, PS5 Experience Siren, originally released on PS2, now enhanced with up-rendering, rewind, quick save, and custom video filters. Midnight. A siren calls and a sea of red water mysteriously surrounds the mountain village Hanuda. Slowly, a terrible force transforms the inhabitants into shibito, undead husks of their old selves, fueled by evil and hate.Play as one of ten characters caught in a living nightmare. You have three days to learn how their paths intersect as they try to stay alive. Survival depends on your ability to “sightjack” or the power to see through the eyes of friends and foes. There is no one hero. There is little hope. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image R-Type Dimensions EX | PS4 The coin-op classics, R-Type & R-Type II, are together on PS4! Fight through all 14 Bydo-infested stages in retro 2D graphics or shiny 3D graphics – and swap back and forth with the touch of a button ‘on-the-fly’. The new 3D graphics are accompanied by fully reimagined arrangements of the timeless R-Type music tracks. The classic game-play remains untouched while the new Infinite game mode allows continuous progression from game start to final boss. Both game modes can be played as single player or local multiplayer. View the full article

It’s time to see which PS5, PS4, PS VR2, PS VR, and free-to-play games topped the download charts last month. New releases stormed the charts with NBA 2K25, Astro Bot, and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 entering the top five of September’s PS5 list in the US and EU. Into the Radius claimed the top spot on September’s PS VR2 list in the US and EU. Check out the full listings below. What titles are you playing this month? PS5 Games US/CanadaEUNBA 2K25EA SPORTS FC 25Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2ASTRO BOTEA SPORTS FC 25Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2ASTRO BOTNBA 2K25Black Myth: WukongBlack Myth: WukongEA SPORTS Madden NFL 25Grand Theft Auto VGrand Theft Auto VHogwarts LegacyPalworldPalworldEA SPORTS College Football 25The Crew MotorfestHogwarts LegacyTest Drive Unlimited Solar CrownStar Wars OutlawsStar Wars OutlawsCall of Duty: Modern Warfare IIIThe Casting of Frank StoneTom Clancy’s Rainbow Six SiegeIt Takes TwoThe Casting of Frank StoneTom Clancy’s Rainbow Six SiegeThe Crew MotorfestSea of ThievesVampire SurvivorsVampire SurvivorsSea of ThievesUFC 5HELLDIVERS 2ELDEN RINGUFC 5Among UsLOLLIPOP CHAINSAW RePOPNo Man’s Sky *Naming of products may differ between regions *Upgrades not included PS4 Games US/CanadaEUMinecraftEA SPORTS FC 25The Crew 2The Crew 2MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection: Arcade ClassicsMinecraftRed Dead Redemption 2A Way OutEA SPORTS FC 25Red Dead Redemption 2Grand Theft Auto VGrand Theft Auto VKingdom Come: DeliveranceHogwarts LegacyNBA 2K25Kingdom Come: DeliveranceA Way OutFar Cry 5Mafia TrilogyUnravel TwoBatman: Arkham KnightMafia TrilogyWatch Dogs 2The Crew MotorfestFar Cry 5Middle-earth: Shadow of WarHogwarts LegacyBatman: Arkham KnightCall of Duty: Black Ops IIIGang BeastsGang BeastsNeed for Speed PaybacktheHunter: Call of the WildThe ForestCall of Duty: Modern Warfare IIIWatch Dogs 2EA SPORTS Madden NFL 25God of WarInjustice 2Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered *Naming of products may differ between regions PS VR2 Games* US/CanadaEUInto the RadiusInto the RadiusBeat SaberBeat SaberPavlovSurvivorman VR The DescentArizona Sunshine 2PavlovAmong Us VRArizona Sunshine 2MADiSON VRAmong Us VRGun Club VRCreed: Rise to Glory – Championship EditionCreed: Rise to Glory – Championship EditionMADiSON VRSurvivorman VR The DescentGun Club VRWaltz of the WizardPrison Boss VR *PS Store purchases only. Game upgrades or games bundled with hardware not included PSVR Games US/CanadaEUASTRO BOT Rescue MissionASTRO BOT Rescue MissionThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VRSniper Elite VRThe Walking Dead OnslaughtBatman: Arkham VRJob SimulatorThe Walking Dead OnslaughtSniper Elite VRJob SimulatorBatman: Arkham VRPrison Boss VRBeat SaberLethal VRSUPERHOT VRBeat SaberCreed Rise to GloryThe Guy VRArizona SunshineKill It With Fire VR Free to Play (PS5 + PS4) US/CanadaEUFortniteFortniteRobloxRobloxUNDEFEATEDVALORANTVALORANTAsphalt Legends UniteCall of Duty: WarzoneeFootballAsphalt Legends UniteRocket LeagueRocket LeagueCall of Duty: WarzoneFall GuysStumble GuysApex LegendsFall GuysThe First DescendantUNDEFEATED View the full article

Explore the new Britney Spears Music Pack, filled with Britney’s best hits everyone knows by heart, when it releases today on PS VR2 and PS VR. You bet you don’t want to miss it. Play Video Britney Spears is one of the most influential musicians, having sold over 150 million records worldwide. Now, you can experience her music in a whole new way in this energizing pop music pack. Slash and dance through some of her epic bangers and sing along with us. Full track list: “…Baby One More Time” “Circus” “Gimme More” “I’m A Slave 4 U” “Me Against the Music” (feat. Madonna) “Oops!…I Did It Again” “Overprotected” “Scream and Shout” (will.i.am feat. Britney Spears) “Till the World Ends” “Toxic” “Womanizer” Pssst… everyone knows that Britney’s music videos are so iconic thanks to her timeless choreography. Our beatmapping team turned those unique moves into the levels you will have so much fun with. Check the tracks ‘Oops!…I Did It Again’, ‘…Baby One More Time’, and ‘Circus’ for an ultimate Beat Saber party. Which one will you play first? The Britney Spears Music Pack comes with a beautiful new environment with unique light shows for each level. All levels feature Arc & Chain Notes and you can play them in multiplayer. Who will you challenge in this musical dance-off? Beat Saber players can get the full music pack for $13.99 or purchase individual songs for $1.99, and those who don’t have Beat Saber yet can get a discounted Beat Saber + Britney Spears Music Pack bundle for $39.99. View the full article

Scheduled for release on February 28, 2025, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a sequel to action adventure Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. This new title features the series’ fan-favorite, Goro Majima, as the sole protagonist. I recently had a conversation with Mr. Masayoshi Yokoyama, RGG Studio Director and the Like a Dragon Series Executive Producer, along with Mr. Hiroyuki Sakamoto, the Like a Dragon Series, RGG Studio Chief Producer, about the game’s highlights and the behind-the-scenes stories of its development. PlayStation Blog: As a fan of the series, I’m most curious about why you chose Majima and pirates. How did this title come about in the first place? Yokoyama: Around June or July 2023, long before the release of Infinite Wealth, the dev team was already mulling over the idea of an Infinite Wealth spin-off. Even if we were to make Like a Dragon 9, we knew that wouldn’t be enough to capture and tell the story. During the end of the Infinite Wealth development, we began percolating the idea of a spin-off that stars characters who are not Ichiban Kasuga. It was almost as if we were creating a blown-up sub-story for Infinite Wealth. For quite some time, I wanted to make a game called Like a Dragon: Tuna, where Kazuma Kiryu, as a tuna fisherman, sets off to sea to fight against fishing boats. Long story short, it never came to fruition, but keywords like “ship,” “sea,” and “fighting,” which had since then been engraved in my head, evolved into the concept of pirates. PSB: The series is known for starring different characters as the protagonists. For instance, Kazuma Kiryu takes the lead in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name while Majima steps into the spotlight in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. I must say one of the perks of spin-offs is the freedom of starring new characters who are not just Ichiban Kasuga. Yokoyama: I agree. As the protagonist changes in spin-offs, you can follow the same story from a different perspective. Also, spin-offs are perfect in size for adults. The Like a Dragon series is like an all-you-can-eat restaurant where you can choose from meat, seafood, and anything else you want and eat however much you like. But as you mature, you start to appreciate well-balanced, good-proportion meals. Spin-offs are like that. PSB: Can you describe who Majima is? Yokoyama: He masks his feelings and hides his true self. His past is mentioned throughout the series, yet the true Majima remains a puzzle. He feels the need to live up to the image that others have of him and adeptly go along with them. However, in this entry, he suffers from amnesia, exposing his true self as the story unfolds. PSB: Does that mean we will finally find out who the true Majima is? Yokoyama: You’ll understand who he is through his interactions with a boy called Noah. It turns out he’s just a tough dude who likes to fantasize a lot [laughs]. In Gaiden, while remembering his past, Majima looks at himself objectively and realizes who he really is. This is a novel story development. However, Majima is not the most conventional choice for a protagonist. His unpredictability, while not the norm, is what sets him apart and makes him intriguing. When a character like Majima becomes the protagonist, it creates a discrepancy between actions and emotions; when you get frustrated in a scene, but Majima does not even look bothered, you may feel confused. To avoid that, we would need a neutral character who could act the way players anticipate from a protagonist. But the downside is that we’d end up with a boring protagonist. We gave Kiryu and Kasuga additional personalities to build them into protagonists, but if we did that to Majima, he’d turn out to be a boring guy. To make him a protagonist, we only had two options: amnesia or travel back in time. Without amnesia, Majima wouldn’t have worked as a protagonist. PSB: Next, I’d like to ask you about the battles. This time, Majima switches between two battle styles: Mad Dog and Sea Dog. Could you tell us about them? Sakamoto: In Gaiden, Kiryu also uses two different battle styles. We thought two was the right amount in order to keep battles from being too complicated. Since Majima uses nimble moves, we wanted to simplify his battle moves. Players can execute exhilarating moves by merely pressing the buttons. The Mad Dog Style is based on Majima’s battle style that executes combos, jumps, and other responsive actions. PSB:I played the demo version at the Tokyo Game Show 2024 and experienced some dynamic fights. What was the intention behind introducing jumping? Yokoyama: Introducing jumping changes the gameplay drastically. In fighting games, for example, players jump even when there’s no need to. Also, you’re defenseless while jumping, so if you get hit, you’ll be blown away. For that reason, in action games, you’re often invincible while jumping, but that can cause problems. Simply introducing jumping changes the game design, so we’ve avoided it until now. However, the team decided to incorporate jumping into the game because the character Majima looks good while jumping. This is the first time players can control the character’s ability to jump, rather than it just being a part of heated battles. It’s not a regular jump action but a form of jump incorporated into a combo. Play Video Yokoyama: Incorporating two battle styles in a game is quite complicated. If one style becomes way more entertaining, players will stop using the other one. It’s easy to label the battle styles under different characteristics, but it’s difficult to make them both equally enjoyable. The Sea Dog style turned out to be more interesting in this case and everyone ended up choosing this style. To top it off, the Sea Dog style has some fun costumes. Sakamoto: In the early stages of development, the Mad Dog style felt a bit plain, and no one was using it. So, we brainstormed ways to make this style more appealing, and we’re now in the fine-tuning stage to achieve the perfect balance between the two fighting styles. Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii launches Feb 28 2025 on PS5. View the full article

Wave after wave of enemy forces advance, seemingly without end. Attacks arrive from every angle at once. The lives of innocent Eliksni captives hang in the balance. In response, Guardians do what they do best: take up arms and run headlong into the fray. One of the major features introduced in Destiny 2’s latest Episode, Revenant, is Onslaught: Salvation. A defensive wave-based activity that pits three-Guardian fireteams against increasingly intense waves of enemies, Onslaught also allows Guardians to purchase powerful defensive units to use against the invading hordes. In its original form (introduced in Destiny 2: Into the Light), Onslaught was a packed and intense mode, full of ratcheting tension and ‘Did you see that?’ moments. Now, with Onslaught: Salvation, the development team is raising the bar. “There were a lot of great and constructive feedback from the community with the original Onslaught,” said Destiny 2 designer Clayton Kisko. “The one we heard most often was that they wanted Bungie to invest in the mode with new maps, new enemies, and new defenses, and that is exactly what we are doing with Onslaught: Salvation.” From a thematic perspective, Onslaught: Salvation’s three new maps – Widow’s Court, Eventide Ruins, and Kell’s Grave – are leaning into the gothic horror that is fitting with Revenant’s chilling visual theme. If the original Onslaught was about protecting the Last City from the forces of the Witness, this time around the theme leans into slaying monsters, fighting evil, and saving the innocent. Play Video By their nature, Onslaught maps need to pack a lot of punch into some relatively tight spaces to provide maximum tension and action. The three new maps each have their own unique layouts, while also building on lessons learned from earlier Onslaught maps. “This time around we were able to identify the design pain points early and got ahead of the enemy teleporting issues,” said Kisko. “We ensured that there were at least three wide lanes for each Advanced Defense Unit (ADU) location. For Eventide Ruins, the larger map, we took our learnings from Mothyards (from the original Onslaught) and set out to make sure enemy spawn locations were closer to the ADU to ensure a closer time-to-complete to the other two maps.” Alongside the new maps, Guardians will be pleased to know that they’ll have new defensive countermeasures available this time around. The new Air Strikes will rain down retribution on humanity’s enemies and, for those who want to get a bit more hands on, there’s the Rideable Turret. “The Rideable Turret is good at mowing down clumps of enemies or damaging a single heavy unit like those deadly Demolitionists who like to attack the ADU,” said Kisko. “It can overheat, though, so players will need to balance when they fire and for how long. The defensive upgrades increase the health of the turret and the damage. The final upgrade will add scorching rounds to the bullets. What is so cool about that is the sandbox team was able to design it so the turret will combo with any of the rider’s Solar fragments or buildcrafting around scorching rounds.” While defending the ADU is one of the key mission components in an Onslaught: Salvation game, it’s certainly not the only thing that will keep Guardians moving. Augmentation waves and bonus objectives will take players out of their comfort zones (and away from the safety blanket of relying on defensive countermeasures). This time, players will be infiltrating the Revenant Nest to free captured Eliksni. For one bonus objective, new shielded enemy units will appear, requiring Guardians to use special ether-light cannons to stop them. Jonathan To, narrative lead for Destiny 2, said the team has worked hard to include narrative hooks in Onslaught: Salvation to keep things moving from a story and character standpoint. “The main writers for Onslaught: Salvation created some excellent character-building and exchanges between Spider, Crow, Eido, Eramis, and others. Crow is figuring out a new role for himself in the City, Eido is the player’s partner this Episode in a role we can’t wait to share more about, and who knows what Eramis will be up to when she returns, having both helped and fought against us in the past. Fans of the Eliksni and the saga of the Fallen up to this point in Destiny will love what the team has done here.” Onslaught: Salvation is playable with the release of Destiny 2: Revenant, starting October 8. View the full article

Anyone familiar with Atlus’s deep and involving role-playing games has been eager to see what the strange and magical Metaphor: ReFantazio has in store. And while it’s not directly connected to the popular Persona series, there are some intriguing touchstones across its aesthetics and mechanics to hook fans and newcomers alike. Let’s take a close look at some of these intriguing similarities and differences ahead of the October 11 release date. Combat is unleashed Fans of Persona’s fast-paced yet detailed turn-based combat will find themselves at home here, but Studio Zero has given it a little twist, too. You can engage in real-time combat with low level enemies, taking them out with a handful of targeted strikes or even a single blow if your current level totally outclasses them. There’s a dedicated dodge button to avoid their attacks if they see you before you can act, which is also handy for foes which are too tough to take out in real-time. In which case, you can initiate a turn-based battle after you’ve softened them up with an action strike – especially handy if you can catch an enemy off-guard first, giving you a free hit during the turn-based Squad Battle. Real-time combat can be used to any monster’s advantage, too. During one instance I thought some vicious beasts were blocked by some barrels, but they smashed right through them, initiated the Squad Battle, and got a free hit on my party in the process. Lesson learned – I used the protagonist’s Fae Sight a lot more often from that point to be more aware of nearby enemies and have Gallica assess their threat levels. But if things are going really badly, you can also press L3 to restart the battle. Time management is key As the game’s main plot develops, one of your aims becomes balancing tasks through the day to gain democratic popularity while completing other objectives to become more powerful, creating bonds with other party members or hitting certain story milestones. As in Persona, each of these consume time as you creep towards specific events, and not meeting deadlines for critical ones results in a game over. So mapping out each day, knowing when to enter time-consuming dungeons and when to rest – or even kill time by doing more peaceful tasks – can make all the difference. Thankfully, all activities are clearly denoted with how much time they eat up, so you shouldn’t be caught off guard. Exploring the United Kingdom of Euchronia Metaphor: ReFantazio wastes no time establishing that we’re not on our Earth… or in a particularly safe land. The game’s inciting incident comes from a savage act of regicide, and things only get wilder from there with its medieval fantasy setting exploring themes of bigotry and the value of imagination, especially when overcoming our own fears and anxieties. Humans are far from human In fact, the term ‘human’ in the game is synonymous with often giant, grotesque monsters feared by the varied fantasy races of the game. Even our blue-haired protagonist – who arguably looks the closest to a traditional Persona character – is a rarity in a world full of the horned Clemar Tribe, elven looking Roussainte Tribe, fairies, and many other species. The music is more operatic Persona is known for its eclectic range of tunes, from rock to acid jazz to electronic inspired beats. Given its setting, Metaphor: ReFantazio soundtrack leans towards the more orchestral, with tense strings, dramatic drums, and chants present in its wonderfully composed battle themes that are already subject to deservedly flattering memes. Fans of the parent series, Shin Megami Tensei, might find their toes tapping in its sweeping tonal familiarity. Less summoning or fusing, more transforming While Metaphor: ReFantazio’s powerful Archetype forms are similar toPersona’s summoning system, there are some notable differences. Archetypes are typically awakened when a party member confronts and overcomes a certain fear or anxiety, causing them to tap into a magical armored form capable of enhanced attacks and abilities. These transformed figures are part of a job system where your party members can switch between the 40+ differently skilled Archetypes, spread across 14 different lineages to suit your playstyle. For example, despite which characters you have in your party, you can put together a Saviour from the Healer lineage, a Ninja Thief and a Devil Summoner. Or a Magic Knight, Dragoon Gunner and Martial Artist Brawler. And with them create combos in battle via spectacular Synthesis Skills. Exploring a safe haven It isn’t long in the game before you’re transported to the mysterious Akademeia, by the equally mysterious More. This magical library is a spirit home where you can learn about Archetypes via books and lectures, and unlock additional aspects of their abilities. Initially you’ll not have much choice in going to Akademeia, but as the game progresses, you’ll be able to choose when you visit via the protagonist’s novel or More’s ghostly figure. There’s much More to Akademeia than first appears While acting as an enemy-free hub to study and grow, Akademeia also gives space for Metaphor: ReFantazio to delve into the tale’s meta commentary, examining the power of imagination and the nature of storytelling. Without giving too much away, this is also tied to one of your very first acts in the game, where you as the player type in your own name. Oh, and there’s also a cute cat you can pet… which I often did. Priorities, right? Persona’s not the only one with style Sure, you might have played medieval fantasy RPGs before, but have you played one as stylish as this? From its anime cutscenes to its fun battle chatter to its slick victory outros, Metaphor: ReFantazio rivals Persona for its sheer sense of flair. The UI also maintains a sense of familiarity without being a direct mimic, opting for a slightly more uniform aesthetic. Similarly, the game knows when to use a bold mixture of colors and when to opt for a more naturalistic palette, delivering an eye-pleasing blend of what we’d expect for a classic fantasy genre without sacrificing the Atlus panache and polish. Your protagonist has a voice Perhaps the most notable aspect of Metaphor: ReFantazio’s cast is that your protagonist is voice acted in the same way the rest of the characters are. Although you can name him whatever you wish, as the bulk of the in-game dialogue is still delivered via text with occasional vocalizations. A union of tribes Tellingly, every party member you develop throughout the game represents each of the main tribes of the land. For example, the stoic knight Hulkenberg is a Roussainte, while the rodent looking Eugief tribe is represented by Heismay, who awakens the thief archetype. And the diminutive but faithful fairy Gallica might not be able to fight, but offers valuable advice and guidance on your journey. Creating bonds with Followers Romantic Persona fans won’t necessarily find the same starry-eyed connections in Metaphor: ReFantazio, but building relationships is still important. At various points you have the opportunity to interact with other party members and NPCs, and spending specific time with them forms a bond. In turn, this can help awaken new Archetypes, with deeper rapports unlocking further abilities. Real life connections help, too Staying online with the game gives you the option to explore the handy Travellers’ Voices page. A press of the Touch Pad shows you what other players have done in the section you’re currently in. So if you’re stuck in a dungeon, you can check out what party formations others have used and what levels they cleared that area with, as well as changing your formation to match another player’s for a better chance of success. Travellers’ Voices also works in towns as well, handily letting you know where players have spent their time most during the day. A nice little feature if you’re looking for a bit of guidance as to how to while away some free time in Euchronia. Rich, constantly surprising and stylishly elegant, Metaphor: ReFantazio is not only a delight for fans of Atlus’s games, but will charm newcomers with its magic, too. If you’ve not already found out for yourself via the PS5 demo, you’ll get the chance when the full game launches October 11 on PS4 and PS5. View the full article

Last week, we asked you to showcase the best Astro Bot levels using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: NightmarexDoll shares a spooky level with a mansion and a smiling moon in the background. pavesoint shares a level in the clouds featuring a mechanical sun. SoundwaveXP shares a level featuring a Japanese-style bathhouse and mountains. kanon06 shares a level in space with a giant meteor and space debris. Jeff_Bytes shares an aquatic level featuring a row of birds sitting on a wire. Boargs shares a snow theme level with a snow slide and frosty vistas. 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: Spooky Settings SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on October 9, 2024 Next week, showcase where things go bump in the night with Spooky Settings. Highlight spooky settings for Share of the Week using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured. View the full article