Commander Fury

Nihon Falcom has been in operation for more than 35 years. The small, passionate team has produced some of the most beloved adventures out of the Japanese development industry. The first entry in the quietly renowned Ys series launched in 1987, and now — three decades later — Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is set to launch September 12 on PS4 and PS Vita. We had the great pleasure and honor of corresponding with Nihon Falcom President Toshihiro Kondo-san about the company’s rich history, dedication to RPG development, and how the team rises above the challenges those projects entail. PlayStation.Blog: Nihon Falcom has a long history of developing role-playing games. What drew the studio and the original team to this genre in the first place? Toshihiro Kondo: Honestly, because we like RPGs. Many of us grew up playing RPGs and we have memories of being emotionally moved by them and enjoying the feeling of expectation they created. We want to give those feelings to players today. RPGs have story, music, gameplay, and graphics — in other words, they contain every element you can have in a game. It’s a genre that offers a lot for creators. Other genres, of course, have their own draws, but RPGs are special to us. PlayStation.Blog: What separates Nihon Falcom from other Japanese developers working on role-playing games? Toshihiro Kondo: I’m not certain how other developers approach their work, but when we design games we have the freedom to do what we want. We’ve always emphasized making something that we can be proud of, and this approach has been consistent since the beginning of the company. We’re invested in this approach so much that we will not release a game that we don’t believe in. Of course, games are developed under various restrictions and deadlines. But within these limitations we always make games that we’re proud of. We can do this thanks to the relatively small size of the company, and the fact that we do nearly everything in-house. This philosophy was, of course, laid down by the people in the company that came before us. You could call it our “secret sauce,” which allows us to create games with that “Falcom Flavor.” PlayStation.Blog: The Ys series has a passionate following of fans. What qualities make Ys unique? And how does Lacrimosa of Dana differ from previous entries in the series? Toshihiro Kondo: The main characteristic of the Ys games is that the action is simple and the controls feel great. Originally it was Adol by himself and he would just bump into enemies. Of course now we have the party battle system; this might seem like the game has evolved into something different, but the Ys games have consistently made fighting even the most normal enemies fun and exhilarating. We will continue to focus on this aspect in the future. Some of the details, like the party system or the setting, might change according to the times, but so long as we follow this rule of fun combat, the game will always be an Ys game. What we focused on with Ys VIII, more than the story, was the gameplay. This is in contrast to the Trails series where the story is the main focus. At the core of Ys, as I mentioned earlier, is the fun gameplay, so we build the story elements around that. For example, in Ys VIII, you have to develop a village and defend it throughout the course of the story. This allows even the narrative elements to bring the main focus back to the action and gameplay, and this further feeds back into the story. This creates a nice cycle that I think hasn’t been seen before in the series to this degree. PlayStation.Blog: What do you think is the most important thing an RPG needs to get right? Toshihiro Kondo: Playing an RPG means that you take on the role of the main character and it’s extremely important to make sure that the player is invested in the world, setting, and story. In the case of Ys and Trails, even though the approach might be a bit different, they both offer fascinating worlds for the players to get lost in. PlayStation.Blog: What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned during your time at Nihon Falcom? Toshihiro Kondo:You encounter many roadblocks during game development. Despite this, it’s extremely important to keep at the issues you face. With anything in life, people succeed when they think carefully about their problems and tackle them from several different angles. For any trouble you face there are various ways to approach it, and even things that seem insurmountable can be overcome if you keep at it diligently. People who understand this will grow in life, whereas those who give up and stop thinking carefully about the issues they face will not. A person’s growth or lack of growth doesn’t have as much to do with his or her natural abilities or talents, but rather how willing he or she is to keep thinking about the problems ahead. This is something that I always tell staff and this is probably the most valuable lesson I’ve learned from my time at Falcom. PlayStation.Blog: How do you stay motivated through challenging times and keep your team’s energy high? Toshihiro Kondo: There are very few things in life that are truly impossible. Whenever we reach a challenging moment, I remind myself and the team about what I said above, and encourage them to keep at it. It’s very important that we come together and not just spin around in circles in the same thought patterns by ourselves. Japanese people have a habit of not saying that something is impossible, so we hold those thoughts back when we discuss problems with one another and one person’s potential solution can be the key for solving another person’s problem. PlayStation.Blog: Why do you think the Ys series has found such a devoted community in the United States, and other western countries? Toshihiro Kondo: I’m not American, so I’d actually like to turn that question around on you. (Laughs) Recently, more people in the West seem to have the same reaction to our games as Japanese fans. When it comes to Ys, a big positive reaction is to Adol, who is a very appealing main character. Another thing is the simple but exhilarating action that I mentioned before. PlayStation.Blog: Who is your favorite hero in Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana? Toshihiro Kondo: My favorite character is Dana, and that is perhaps because of the amount of difficulty I had in creating her. Compared with previous installments, Ys VIII essentially has two scenarios. In the case of Memories of Celceta, players felt that the heroine was weak, so we tried to make Dana a good enough character to beat even the fan-favorite Feena from Ys I. To do this, we allowed players to control her as well as focused a lot of energy on her scenario, so I have a deeper appreciation for Dana compared to past heroines. PlayStation.Blog: What makes a great story? Are the rules of storytelling different in role-playing games compared to books and movies? Toshihiro Kondo: The feeling of wanting to know what happens next all the way up to the end of the game is the hallmark of a good story. If you can easily guess what’s going to happen next, you lose motivation. Games require a lot of time, so it’s important that they keep players motivated by keeping them invested in the story and wanting to know what happens next. For the Ys and Trails series, problems that come up throughout the course of the story are solved, but at the same time the solutions lead to deeper mysteries and this is the best way for a story to proceed. And yes, [the mediums are] different. Novels and movies, compared to games, are passively received by the reader. Games, on other hand, reflect a lot of the player’s will. Understanding this difference is the basic rule of how to make different types of stories. With games, you can’t explain everything. To a degree, you have to leave things up to the player to decipher. You can’t say a lot of things directly like you can in novels and movies, because the main character is an avatar of the player thinking what they are thinking. Therefore, you have to write in a way that anticipates how the player will think and that, in turn, changes the rules of storytelling. Translated answers have been edited for brevity and clarity. View the full article

The Brawlhalla PlayStation beta is entering its final stage, and on August 1st we’re celebrating with the exclusive Founders Pack. Brawlhalla Founders get all Legends forever! This means all thirty-two current fighters, plus all the fighters we release in the future are automatically unlocked for you. Founders also get exclusive rewards: the sleek new Personal Sentry IV sidekick, the Founder’s avatar, and the Founder’s nameplate. Together these items forever identify you as an honored Brawlhalla Founder. On top of everything else, Founders get instant access to the Brawlhalla beta. In this update we’re opening up Mallhalla—the in-game store—to spend your earned gold, rank points, and Mammoth Coins. Show off your favorite skins, color schemes, KO fx, and more! Furthermore, the friends list arrives, connecting you in-game with all your Brawlhalla playing PlayStation friends. Finally, we’re introducing our newest legend, Caspian, a gauntlet and katar wielding rogue. Sure that’s a lot, but we have more huge news. It’s been a long road to get here, but we are very happy to announce that on release, Brawlhalla will feature cross-play! This means that soon, PlayStation players will be able to invite PC friends to join them in Brawlhalla, and vice versa. Imagine brawling in a wild eight-player free-for-all with three friends on your couch, two friends on their PlayStation across town, and two more friends playing on their PCs! Getting cross-play working has been quite a project. Among other challenges, we’ve had to get gameplay to work exactly the same on both platforms. Brawlhalla uses predictive networking for responsive online play, and for that to work, each player’s inputs have to produce precisely the same results on both platforms—down to the thousandth of an inch—or the differences build up over time and cause havoc. I’m really proud of the job our tech team has done getting the game ready. And now that we’ve solved the technical hurdles, we’re beyond excited to get this feature into your hands. Some of you are wondering, “What is ‘Brawlhalla’ anyway?” Brawlhalla is a classic, high-energy platform fighter you can play with your friends on a couch or online. Set in Valhalla, a golden hall filled with the greatest warriors from every time and place, Brawlhalla is the Grand Tournament Odin created in a vain attempt to keep his warriors from tearing Asgard apart. Brawlhalla has it all – couch co-op, vikings, triple jump, cowboys, great online play, ninjas, ranked ladders, pirates, team battles, aliens, fun game-modes, weekly updates, explosions, a worldwide tournament scene, and much more. We’re really excited for the next phase. A huge thank you to everyone who’s joined the beta so far. You can still sign up at beta.brawlhalla.com to get into the beta queue. Or pick up the Founders Pack for instant access! We’ll see you in Brawlhalla. View the full article

Greetings Simmers! I’m thrilled to announce that The Sims 4 is finally coming to PlayStation 4 November 17th! Over the last couple of years, we have heard from many of you about how much you want the game to come to console, and I have been right there with you. I love our PC game, but what I’ve really wanted is to plop down on my sofa, and play with my Sims at a larger than life size. And in just a few months, you can do just that right alongside me on PlayStation 4. For those of you unfamiliar with The Sims, it is a game that gives players the imaginative power to create and control virtual people and play with moments of their lives. You can create and customize who you want; find your first love; land your dream job; build the perfect home; start a family; and more. The Sims offers you a sandbox for you to tell, observe, or influence life’s little dramas, while offering one of the most sophisticated character creation tools in the market. And soon, you’ll be able to jump in the game to create yourself, your friends, your family, or maybe something a little more out of this world on your PlayStation 4. The only limit to what you can create is in your imagination. To be clear, this is not the first time we have brought The Sims to console – but it is the very first time throughout the history of the franchise that you can experience the gameplay and content that the PC game offers. The current generation of hardware has enabled us to translate code to PlayStation 4 without any major system changes, so that it is no longer about which platform has the superior version, but where you like to play. Right now, the team is currently preparing for launch (looking for bugs, and making little improvements that will ensure this is the best Sims game EVER on console). It is certainly no small task to try and bring a PC game over, but we are doing a lot of iteration and testing to make sure we meet your high standards and deliver an experience we will all enjoy for years to come. In the meantime, pre-order The Sims 4 Standard Edition on console and get The Sims 4 Perfect Patio Stuff Pack*, offering hot tubs, more fashion, and bonus décor to customize your Sims experience with. And for those looking for even more fun, pre-order The Sims 4 Deluxe Party Edition* to get the same great Stuff Pack as well as: Unlocking Early Access to the Full Game, up to three days in advance of the worldwide launch on November 17; Life of the Party Digital Content, featuring the Flaming Tiki Bar and sleek, stylized outfits for your Sims; Up All Night Digital Content, featuring the Laser Light Show, fun decorations, and outrageous party costumes; Awesome Animal Hats Digital Content, featuring a collection of fun animal hats for your Sims to wear and show off. We are so excited to share more with you over the coming months, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts when you get to experience the game on PlayStation 4 this fall. Happy Simming! *Conditions and restrictions apply. See www.ea.com/the-sims/the-sims4/console/disclaimers for details. View the full article

Call of Duty WWII’s PS4 beta is just one month away, which will represent the first time the massive Call of Duty community will experience Divisions, the game’s new approach to COD’s iconic create-a-class system. Here’s an overview of the five Divisions, all of which will be included in the beta hitting next month. Armored Division This Division specializes in laying down a withering offense to buy their team breathing room. Their bipod-equipped light machinegun shreds lightly armored targets, while their armor protects them from enemy explosives, tactical equipment and flamethrowers. When extra punch is required, the Anti-Tank Grenade sticky bomb is the ideal choice. Division Skill LMG Bipod III: Protect territory by mounting your machinegun on ledges or while prone for less recoil Division Training Armored III: Immune to Shell Shock and Tactical Equipment. Take less fire damage. Take less explosives damage. Mountain Division Remaining undetected, this Division excels at covert operations and stealth gameplay. When armed with sniper rifles, the Mountain Division prefers to stay at a distance, waiting patiently for the perfect shot. If detected, smoke grenades and the S-Mine 44 “Bouncing Betty” provide opportunities to escape or retaliate. Division Skill Sniper Sharpshooter III: Block out your surroundings and in return acquire aim assist and enemy names while holding breath. Division Training Mountain III: Invisible to enemy Recon Aircraft while moving. Hidden to player-controlled Streaks. Quieter Movement. Airborne Division This maneuverable Division is usually the first to the fight, parachuting into the thick of the action. Armed with suppressed submachineguns, these frontline fighters excel at taking and holding enemy positions until more heavily armored reinforcements arrive. Division Skill SMG Suppressor III: Hides muzzle flash and prevents gunfire from appearing on enemy mini-maps, but reduces range of weapon. Division Training Airborne III: Sprint for longer distances. Climb over obstacles faster. Increased sprint speed. Expeditionary Division Armed with a hearty supply of explosives and tactical equipment, the fighters specialize in sabotage, infiltration, and close-quarters combat. Their special Division Skill loads devastating incendiary shells into their shotguns to set fires and terrorize their opponents. Division Skill Shotgun Incendiary Shells III: Shotgun shells that spark flames that burn enemies. Division Training Expeditionary III: Select a piece of Tactical and Lethal Equipment. Throw equipment faster, farther & while sprinting. Resupply equipment from killed enemies. Infantry Division As all-around combat specialists, the Infantry Division emphasizes marksmanship and rarely misses their shots. Special training on the use of the bayonet makes Infantry riflemen a threat at all ranges. Division Skill Rifle Bayonet III: Special training on the use of the bayonet makes Infantry riflemen a threat at all ranges. Division Training Infantry III: Additional attachment on Primary Weapon. Extra magazines. Move faster while aiming down sights. View the full article

Greetings PlayStation Nation and welcome to another PlayStation Plus Free Games Update. But first, have you tried That’s You! yet? All PlayStation Plus members can get this game as part of their membership. Set off on a journey of discovery with up to five of your friends and family, and find out what you really think about each other. Joining the fun is easy: just have your TV, PlayStation 4 and Android/iOS phone or tablet ready. That’s You! is the perfect summertime party game, so download it for free today before this exclusive download offer ends! Now, on to our other games this month. First up, we have the excellent and chaotic Just Cause 3. Take Rico Rodriguez on a truly wild ride to liberate Medici from military dictatorship. Your greatest weapon is your ingenuity. And explosions. Next we have Assassin’s Creed Freedom Cry, a standalone adventure set after the events of Black Flag. Guide Adewale on an emotional story, using his skills as an assassin and his deep convictions to free oppressed people. Full lineup: Just Cause 3, PS4 Assassin’s Creed: Freedom Cry, PS4 Super Motherload, PS3 Snakeball, PS3 Downwell, PS Vita (crossbuy with PS4) Level 22, PS Vita And those are your free games for August. But wait, there’s more for PS Plus members. PS Plus Summer Movies are here! Enjoy six weeks of 99¢ rentals – selected for you from this summer’s hottest blockbusters. Starting us off with a bang, The Lego Batman Movie – handpicked for the whole family to enjoy. Check out the full schedule of movies below, then head over to PS Store each week to enjoy 99¢ rentals. You can download the PlayStation Video app on Android or iOS devices and watch your movies on the go. Once rented, your unwatched movies stay in My Videos for up to 30 days. Hot right? For Free-to-Play, Dreadnaught, launching in open beta on August 1st, will be offering a $20 PlayStation Plus pack starting August 15th. All PlayStation Plus members will also get the Ravenswood Plus Pack free. There’s lot of great stuff to look forward to, but if you want something immediate, this weekend only, PlayStation Plus members can play Doom for free starting tomorrow, Thursday the 27th until the 30th. Play all weekend long, then save 50% on the full game purchase in the PlayStation Store with a PlayStation Plus exclusive discount, which is available through August 3rd. And there you have it! See you next month. View the full article

Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper, and Ape Escape are some of my fondest PlayStation memories. That’s why I’m thrilled to announce that our cute-as-heck 3D platformer A Hat in Time is the first of many games coming to PS4 through our new publishing initiative “Presented by Humble Bundle.” We’re working with Denmark studio Gears for Breakfast to bring Hat Kid and all her adorably stitched hats to you this fall for $29.99. It’s amazing to see how much time and effort goes into making such a huge platformer with tight mechanics, gorgeously visuals and music, and a wacky story. Years ago, Gears for Breakfast threw its hat into the development ring, helping create a resurgence of 3D platformers. Since then, the Gears team surprised itself with just how big an adventure it could make. In A Hat in Time, you play as a tiny space-travelling girl with a big top hat. Her adventure is halted when all her fuel (Time Pieces) is lost and scattered across a nearby planet. Hat Kid must now jump, fight, and talk her way into every nook and cranny of this new world to restore her fuel and resume her journey. Throughout her adventure you can expect more than 35 acts, including an island full of mobsters and food, a murder mystery to investigate and platform while riding a high-speed locomotive, and some that only the most dedicated collectors will reach. Hat Kid is agile despite her young age. She can double jump and climb up walls, as well as propel through the air using her speedrunner-appropriate dive. Hat Kid gains even more mobility and abilities with her heaps of adorably adorned hats, provided she finds enough yarn hidden throughout the world for her to stitch. For example, her witch hat allows her to brew potions that harm enemies and break through environments. Her fox mask allows her to peek into the dweller dimension, and her snow hat lets her turn to ice and crush her enemies. Hats can become even more powerful by attaching badges that are found, sold, and traded by the locals, too. Hope you like a little metroidvania in a 3D platformer, as these new abilities will let you explore and conquer new places and puzzles you could not previously. With such a grand scope, Gears for Breakfast is rightfully working hard to push A Hat in Time across the finish line. As this is Humble’s first published title on PS4, we’re working with the top-notch magicians at Hardsuit Labs to make this an ideal console experience for you. While there’s so much more to say about A Hat in Time, including details on Mustache Girl and her sublime British accent, I don’t want to spoil it. Fortunately, it’s only a matter of time until we explore more of this ultra witty and cute adventure together. View the full article

Hey PlayStation fans! Once again, it’s great to be back here on the blog to talk to you about Need for Speed Payback. We all know that there are few things better than creating your own one of a kind car, but what if you could take it that one step further? In Need for Speed Payback we’re adding a new type of car, something we’re calling Derelicts. Derelicts are cars that you build up, from nothing but scrap, to stock and ultimately, into a supercar. Upgrade your Derelict all the way to Tier 3 and you’ll be able to turn it into a Super Build. Allowing you to unlock more extreme visual customization, turning what was once a piece of scrap into an absolute beast. Need for Speed Payback | PlayStation.com You’ve built up your dream car, it’s looking like a work of art but now it’s time to add those personal touches to truly make it yours. Need for Speed Payback sees the inclusion of vanity items that you can apply to your car, including; Underglow, Tire Smoke, Nitrous Flames and Air Suspension. Say you’ve built your monster of a car, decked it out in a nice blue colour scheme. What better way to finish the look than with some blue Underglow? Performance Parts in Need for Speed Payback provide you with some of the deepest and most strategic choices seen in a Need for Speed game to date. Parts come in six categories; Block, Head, Turbo, Exhaust, ECU, Transmission and you’ll be wanting upgrades across the board to ensure you remain competitive. There are many ways to acquire parts, such as winning events which will award parts at random. You will also be able to purchase items through the Part Shops ever changing stock. There’s also the Targeted Roll system which allows for a little more choice in terms of your chosen part, but comes at the expense of a few of your unwanted parts which need to be recycled. Your home away from home, the garage is where the magic happens and more importantly, it’s where you store your cars and parts. What’s better than one garage…multiple garages! As you progress through Need for Speed Payback you’ll have the ability to purchase new garages, increasing the number of cars you can store in your virtual warehouse. Once you’ve acquired all five garages you’ll be granted access to the unlimited virtual warehouse space, allowing you to own an unlimited number of cars and the ability to create your dream line-up. Need for Speed Payback launches worldwide, November 10. As an added bonus for all pre-orders we’ve just included the exclusive Platinum Blue Underglow, which will match the Blue Tire smoke perfectly. Next stop for Payback is gamescom, and we can’t wait to see you there. View the full article

Here at CCP Games’ Atlanta studio, it gives us great pleasure to announce that Sparc – our energetic, competitive virtual reality game – will be coming to PlayStation VR on Tuesday, August 29. With the release coming up, we wanted to share some recent developments. Background to Sparc Sparc is a virtual sport – a unique full-body experience only possible in virtual reality, where your VR equipment is your sports gear. The game play is fast-paced and physical. Players use their two PlayStation Move motion controllers to throw projectiles across the court at their opponent*, while also dodging, blocking or deflecting incoming shots. *Always wear your wrist straps**. **Seriously, put them on. Your television will thank you. Sparc impresses at E3 2017 We had a fantastic time showing Sparc at E3 at the PlayStation booth. We released a new trailer and Thomas, our Community Lead, had a great interview recorded live. We’re always excited to see how players and press respond to Sparc’s gameplay and we’ve been given a lot of positive feedback, which is a continuing inspiration for us as we wrap up development. Developing Sparc for PlayStation VR Working on a multiplayer competitive VR game has been an inspiring challenge for us and we’ve been busy developing the experience for PS VR. We’ve been focused on delivering solid throw and deflect mechanics to enable physical gameplay that is intuitive up front while allowing for some compelling exhibitions of skill and personality. Each mechanic on its own needs to be fairly simple and “just work” because once a match gets rolling, things can quickly get intense. Tracking both projectiles in the court, timing your deflections and throws to put pressure on your opponent, all the while making split second dodges as your last line of defence. We can’t wait to see what tactics the players come up with during their matches. Gamescom and Launch We’re looking forward to showing off some more features at Gamescom in August just before launch. With character customization, players will have a range of options available to design the look of their avatar. From the cut of their compression suit to the headgear they wear, the look of their “Gloves”, and the colors of pretty much everything, we think players will be able to achieve some very interesting styles. We’ll also be demoing Sparc’s single-player challenges, a series of timed events that test throwing and deflection accuracy in an environment designed to improve skills and help prepare players for human opponents. Learning how best to ricochet a ball off multiple walls while maintaining accuracy is a valuable skill in competitive play and our challenges have been designed to help teach those fundamentals. Virtual sport. Real competition. We’re excited to see how PS VR players develop and refine their skills once they get their hands on (and head in) our vSport. Grab your gear and we’ll see you Courtside! View the full article

Hi there! I’m Mo, founder of Vertex Pop, an independent video game studio based in Toronto, Canada. I’m excited to introduce you all to our side-scrolling arcade shoot-em-up, Graceful Explosion Machine. You may have played it at PlayStation Experience last year, and I’m happy to announce it’s coming to PlayStation 4 on Tuesday, August 8th. Graceful Explosion Machine (GEM, for short) goes light on story and all-in on intense action gameplay. Sure, you’ll face an overwhelming swarm of enemies, but to help you out you have access to four unique and devastatingly powerful weapons at all times. Each weapon is mapped to a face button, so switching between them is instant and effortless. Before you know it, you’ll be chaining weapons attacks together, building stylish combos, and racking up huge scores. But it’s not just fun to play, the whole thing looks gorgeous in motion. GEM features only the most vibrant of colours, a distinct, stylized aesthetic, and lots of explosions. (It’s in the name, after all) See for yourself in our new trailer at the top of this post. For score chasers and Trophy hunters, the mechanics are approachable, but have lots of room for mastery. You’ll want learn which weapon works best against specific enemies and situations, the importance of positioning, and the subtleties of every enemy’s behaviour. Once you start getting those A and S-Ranks, don’t forget to hit that SHARE button and start totally harmless rivalries with your friends. Since our initial launch earlier this year, we’ve added an all-new score screen with more stats, scores and more pie charts than you’ll ever need. And if that wasn’t enough, we also designed an AI system to pinpoint the most exciting moment of your run, which we automagically screenshot and display on the score screen. We are thrilled to be bringing these features to PS4. There’s something in GEM for everyone. Whether you’re looking for a stylish action game, your next high score chasing obsession, or just a colourful arcade experience, we hope you’ll enjoy Graceful Explosion Machine when it comes to PlayStation 4 on August 8th. View the full article

At PlayStation, we’re serious about unearthing new talent to make sure we bring you the freshest, most innovative experiences across each of our platforms. At the ChinaJoy expo in Shanghai, four new titles for PlayStation VR took center stage, the result of a partnership between Sony Interactive Entertainment and some of Asia’s most exciting developers. ChinaJoy is a huge annual celebration of the latest video games and industry advancements. So we took the opportunity to share some of what we’ve been working on, as well as spotlight some of the most creative game makers in Asia. Whether it’s an epic, story-driven adventure or an indie masterpiece, we want to make sure every angle is covered for our players. The PS VR line-up shown in Shanghai included: Stifled Taking on the role of a character who is battling the eerie consequences of a tragic event which has darkened his world. But this is no ordinary horror game. The twist is that making noise is the only way you can see the environment around you. This immerses the player in the world and encourages tactical sound play using echolocation to reveal your surroundings. Thanks to the headset’s built-in mic, you can use your voice to help illuminate the way, as well as interact with items you find. As you progress through the game, you’ll discover the importance of strategic gameplay as the sounds you make not only help you to navigate, they could also alert lurking enemies to your presence; it’s an audio awakening in which enemies hear your fear. The Walker From Chinese developer Haymaker comes The Walker, a fantasy combat tale that plays out in virtual reality. You are the distant descendant of an ancient family, whose mystical mix of swordsmanship and sorcery hasn’t diminished through the ages – which is just as well: the world needs saving from a demonic militia. You’ll need to uncover and master spells and charms to defeat these invaders, and infuse weapons with special powers. Set in historic Shanghai, the unique sights and sounds will envelop you as you battle between sweeping boss showdowns. Kill X Adding to China’s burgeoning reputation as a PS VR hotbed comes Kill X, from VIVA Games. A claustrophobic thriller set on a secret island, you’ll uncover horrifying experiments on human subjects by an organization determined to realize immortality, no matter the cost. As you veer between the past, present and future of these experiments and their after-effects, you’ll battle through swarms of the island’s unfortunate inhabitants. There are puzzles to be cracked and ever-more powerful weaponry to be found as you dig deeper into this heart-stopping mystery. Legion Commander In this real-time strategy game from ChangYou Games, you’ll select a commander and form an army, picking units with specialized attributes to steamroll the battlefield. You’ll also use special cards to cast spells on the battlefield, brought to life by PS VR. With three races — Orcs, Humans and Elves — pitched to fight against one another under the evil influence of an ancient demon you must find the right blend of skills to defeat enemy armies and restore harmony to the world. This is just a small sample of the PS VR experiences we have in development in our talented studios around the world. We’ll have more to share soon, so keep a close eye on PlayStation.Blog for more information and updates. View the full article

Hey sports fans, we’re getting ready for some football with a new Sports Pack that gives you access to NFL RedZone and 13 more top sports channels. With NFL pre-season just around the corner, this is a great way to get your game on. For a $10/month add-on to your monthly Core, Elite, or Ultra plan, the new PlayStation Vue Sports Pack includes the following channels available nationwide: NFL RedZone (Sept – Dec) MLB Strike Zone (During regular MLB season) ESPN Bases Loaded (During NCAA college baseball championship) ESPN Classic (On Demand) ESPN Goal Line (During regular college football season) Longhorn Network Outside TV NESN National (regional sports network national feed) NBCUniversal regional sports networks (national feeds): CSN Chicago CSN Mid-Atlantic CSN New England CSN Northwest CSN Philadelphia NBC Sports Bay Area NBC Sports CA With PlayStation Vue, we strive to deliver the best TV experience, and have made numerous upgrades since launching our service two years ago. For avid sports fans and those new to the PS Vue service, we’ve put together a recap of some of the top features and enhancements that make the sports viewing experience even better. Multi-view on PlayStation 4 One of our most popular features, multi-view, allows users to stream up to three live shows – all on one screen. Just press and hold X on any live TV program from the Guide or Live TV row of the home screen to open up the selection screen for multi-view. Through the pop up menu, choose either two or three multi-view screens. Select any other live programing from the Live TV strand and start viewing multiple programs at once. To switch programs within the multi-view screen, press Square on your DualShock 4. To move a program to the main screen, just highlight the smaller screen and press Square. Live Scores on PS4, PS3, Android, Amazon Fire TV and PC/Mac Web Browsers Real-time sports scores let you keep up with your favorite games at a glance. You can turn the feature on or off in the Settings menu depending on your preference. Simultaneous Streaming for Multiple Devices PlayStation Vue provides the most simultaneous streams at no extra charge. This makes it easy for sports fans to watch several programs at the same time on multiple PS Vue-supported devices. PlayStation Vue is supported on PS4, PS3, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Android TV, iOS and Android mobile devices, and on the web through PC and Mac desktop browsers. Google Chromecast is also supported via compatible Android and iOS devices. Powerful Cloud DVR with No Scheduling Conflicts If you’re unable to catch the games live, you can save programs to My Shows and PS Vue’s powerful cloud DVR will record the games available from that league. For example, if you add NFL to My Shows, PS Vue will record live NFL games available in your area. Additionally, you can watch select recorded games outside of the home with our recently enhanced out of home DVR feature. League Pages on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and PC/Mac Web Browsers You can see upcoming events for a specific league, sorted by schedule order of what’s coming up next. Leagues include: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NCAA Football, Premier League and more. Other User Interface Enhancements We’ve made some additional enhancements to the UI to make it easier for you to see the games that are on TV. Sports section on the home screen gets you to all the top sports programming at a glance. Team vs. team logos let you quickly see the teams that are playing on the program titles. Sports App Authentication You can access programming from dozens of mobile apps or websites, simply by logging in with your PlayStation Network ID. The mobile apps and websites are developed by network programmers and are a separate offering from PlayStation Vue, but can be used at no additional cost. Some popular apps and websites for sports fans include Watch ESPN, Fox Sports, Golf Channel, MLB Network, NBC Sports Network, NFL Network, NFL Redzone, and more. For more information, please visit psvue.com . View the full article

Discover The Creators is a PlayStation Store curation program in which we’ve asked some of the biggest names in the biz to pick their favorite PS4 games in order to help your find your next game to play. There is more than one way to skin a cat (don’t ask me how I know that) and there’s also more than one way to tell a great story in games. You can do it with great dialog, or no dialog at all. You can focus on the depth of the characters, or on the richness of the environment. You can bring your hero’s choices to life with game play mechanics that are complex, or extremely simple. And that’s why this list of great PS4 story-telling games is so diverse–they all tackle the problem in their own style. Each one finds a unique way to bring its world, it’s characters, it’s story to life. And no cats are skinned in any of them. I’m sorry I even brought that up. Night in the Woods Came to this one for the art, but found some of my favorite writing in games recently. Really funny, nuanced, and surprising. Unravel A beautiful platforming puzzle game with a story told through environments and photographic memories. Gone Home I admire this game for putting story front and center and committing to that as their prime focus before other games were doing it. Valiant Hearts A story about the war told in a way that war stories are rarely told in games. Oxenfree Naturalistic dialog that can be interrupted, redirected, and played with–still sounding pretty natural. Super hard to pull off, but they did it really well. What Remains of Edith Finch I thought I knew where this was going when it started, and then I was constantly surprised by where it took me. Very memorable. Machinarium Story told without words at all, just art and little comic strip memories. Beautiful! Inside This minimalistic story seemed to present more mysteries than it solved. It felt like anything could happen next. Bleak and harsh and constantly engaging. Wheels of Aurelia A very unique way of telling a story while on a road trip. Make decisions in dialog trees, but also in branching roads. Style and subject matter different from any game I could think of. Bound Mostly a platformer, with a very unique way of visually exploring memories. Until Dawn Recommend you play with a group of friends and not alone–not just because it’s scary, but because this game really invites you to cooperatively work through a story together, yelling and screaming and laughing the whole time. Guacamelee A fighting game with many great, colorful characters, rich with personality. The Last Guardian Incredibly strong depiction of a character and a relationship, using very few words. Head over to PlayStation Store now to browse Tim’s list as well as picks curated by Shuhei Yoshida, Yoko Taro, the team at Supergiant Games, and more: Discover the Creators at PlayStation Store Yoko Taro // Director, NieR: Automata Hermen Hulst // Co-founder & Managing Director of Guerrilla Games Shuhei Yoshida // President, PlayStation Worldwide Studios Siobhan Reddy // Co-founder & Studio Director of Media Molecule Sid Shuman // PlayStation Social Media Director Supergiant Games // Creators of Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre Tom Happ // Sole Developer of Axiom Verge Teddy Lee // Designer of Rogue Legacy Drinkbox Studios // Makers of Severed and Guacamelee! kokoromi collective // Creators of SuperHyperCube CAPY // Developers of Super Time Force Ultra & collaborators on #Sworcery Double Eleven // Makers of Goat Simulator and Prison Architect on console Mark Essen // Creative Director of Nidhogg Playdead Developer Team // Creators of Limbo and Inside Koshi Nakanishi // Director of Resident Evil 7 biohazard Yoshinori Ono // Executive Producer of the Street Fighter series Psyonix // Creators of Rocket League Business Division 2 // Makers of Final Fantasy XV View the full article

Hey Playstation fans, it’s Connor Bridgeman from Akupara Games here to slap you across the face and finally yell: The Metronomicon: Slay the Dance Floor Releases August 29th! Wow, that felt great to say, and sorry about the slap. Besides that, what you need to know is that The Metronomicon: Slay the Dance Floor is one-part RPG and one-part rhythm game. What’s a rhythm game without music? Well, it’s probably not very good, which is why we have over 50 rump-thumpin’ songs from some of our favorite artists, including but not limited to: Jimmy Urine from Mindless Self Indulgence, Mega Ran, Perturbator, YACHT and a track from Shiny Toy Guns that is *cough* only currently available in our game *cough*. To really push the high-energy of a, well… dance battle game, our music had to be current, upbeat, and use a mix of various melodies and progressions. Any music genre goes, so long as it gets the body poppin’. Here are a just a few samples of the killer tracks you’ll find in the game! Jimmy Urine – Fighting With the Melody Mega Ran – Miss Communication Perturbator – She is Young, She is Beautiful, She is Next Gathering all these artists together was no small task. Since we are indie to the core, it took a lot of hustle and bustle to get the music we wanted. The music industry is far from predictable, so we decided to take a “long-shot” and simply cold-emailed some of our favorite artists. To our surprise, there were a ton of bands that responded enthusiastically. The developer and our CEO even met up with one of their favorite artists, Jimmy Urine, for sushi to discuss the original song they wanted for the game. We worked with several record labels such as MonsterCat, Witty Tunes, and The End Records, who opened up their libraries for us to choose from. Lastly, we contacted musicians through music subreddits and dug through Soundcloud. Throughout this whole process, we all learned a valuable lesson. If you want something, ask really nicely, and you might be surprised of the results! Oftentimes, just gathering the courage to ask in the first place can be the most difficult step, but as indies we have to take those chances to be successful. It’s why as indie developers we get so many dates. So, Jessica from 7th grade, will you go out with me? Danny Garfield (left) and David Logan, CEO of Akupara Games (right) with Jimmy Urine of MSI (center) The Metronomicon is Two Full Servings of RPG and Rhythm Game Danny Garfield, lead developer and founder of Puuba, came up with the idea while toying around with two different game ideas. Originally, the idea was to create an “Infinite Runner RPG”. High speed, constant forward momentum, less UIs, no waiting for turns, but still with the strategy and depth that we’ve all come to expect in a role-playing game. On the other hand, he was also looking for more ways to introduce player choice and strategy into rhythm games. To find a way to allow more options and subjectivity during gameplay that went beyond just hitting the notes the player was given. Suddenly, he was struck by creative lightning and realized that music has a pulse, a forward momentum that drives action, which sounded awfully familiar to his infinite runner RPG idea… And Thus, The Metronomicon Was Born. We are all very excited to bring The Metronomicon: Slay the Dance Floor to PlayStation 4! Grab a buddy and play through the entire game with couch co-op! There’s nothing quite like screaming at your teammate for a heal while you jam on a track for that last boss-slaying critical hit. Oh, and you can dig that lonely plastic guitar out of storage to play as well. The Metronomicon: Slay the Dance Floor will be available digitally on August 29th. Mark your calendars! View the full article

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer! To help you cool down and slide back into the action, check out the brand new winter battlefield on our second DLC: Defiant Honor, available now at PlayStation Store. As I’ve mentioned previously, William will be facing off with the renowned samurai Sanada Yukimura. Our director Yasuda-san and many members of the team regard Yukimura as the greatest and last true samurai. His brave heroics and fearlessness in the face of death epitomizes the spirit of the samurai — a perfect warrior in many respects, and for a game that is profoundly focused on life and death we could not think of a better candidate as the toughest adversary in Nioh. Did you know that his clan’s crest is made up of six coins representing the passage of the dead crossing the Sanzu River? A tradition similar to Greek mythology of the River Styx for fallen warriors on their way to the afterlife. We wanted to pay homage to this incredible legend by meticulously crafting his design. We hope you will enjoy battling it out with the great Yukimura! In Defiant Honor, you will also encounter one of the most formidable ninja of this era: Sarutobi Sasuke. Upon mastering multiple ninjutsu techniques from all corners of Japan, Sasuke joined the Togakushi school and became Yukimura’s trusted eyes and ears as well as his most fearsome guard. As fate would have it, Sasuke ultimately will cross paths with the legendary Hattori Hanzo in a ninja confrontation for the ages. In keeping with the spirit of this battle and for those of you who pursue the path of ninja, we have provided you with our latest weapon: Tonfa. This deadly weapon is an effective tool for close-quarters combat and excels in both offensive and defensive situations. The Tonfa may also put a smile on many of the faces of our loyal Ninja Gaiden fans who are surely familiar with this impressive weapon. Lastly, new guardian spirits Enku and Nurarihyon will aid you through this treacherous journey as new types of enemies not only test your skills but add more depth to battles. View the full article

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy plots a bold new course for the time-tested Uncharted formula. Last week I went hands-on with a sequence set in India’s Western Ghats region. The freewheeling, open-ended structure may represent the series’ biggest gameplay evolution since the introduction of multiplayer way back in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Zac and I played the game last week; listen in below to hear our full hands-on impressions. Though you’ll surely hear comparisons to Uncharted 4’s wide-open Madagascar sequence, The Lost Legacy’s wide open spaces are far more interesting to explore, whether by 4X4 or on foot. It’s more than just a larger scope. It’s the attention to detail, the sense of place and the feeling of three-dimensionality. Jutting rock formations and bridges crisscross the lush landscape, begging to be reached and explored. Shrines and fortresses dot the region, each offering combat challenges and narrative moments that further the relationship between unlikely partners Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross. Combat sequences feel more varied, too, building on the improvements introduced in Uncharted 4. Stick to the tall grass and focus on stealth, or swing in guns blazing? The choice is yours. Other interesting details abound. Instead of dropping intrusive on-screen waypoints to help players navigate the large environments, Naughty Dog opted to include a (digital) map ala Far Cry 2 that you can pull out with a tap of DualShock 4’s touchpad. It might seem like a minor detail, but it was easy to use and helped ground me in the game’s universe. As Chloe, you’ll also be able to pick the locks of various supply crates scattered throughout the game – you might find a grenade launcher, a silenced pistol, or other gear to help even the odds against Asav’s men. This addition helps mix up your arsenal, and keeps the combat feeling fresh. All the changes add up to an Uncharted game that feels looser, more playful, and if I may be so bold, more interesting to play. Case in point: a navigation puzzle where I used the grappling hook to swing from tower to tower, triggering pressure plates before time ran out. The new locale — India’s lush Western Ghats region — also opens up some of the most beautiful vistas seen in the entire series. Running on PS4 Pro and a 4K TV, the increased resolution and HDR effects made an impression. The chemistry between Chloe and Nadine is also shaping up nicely. Nadine chides Chloe on everything from her impulsive combat tactics to her wardrobe (“Red in a jungle scenario? Seriously!?”). And though I won’t spoil anything here, series fans should know that they’ll learn far more about both Chloe and Nadine — their backstories, their motivations, and how they relate to the world. The game’s open design also impacts the way in which the narrative unfolds, but it’s better if you experience it for yourself. Luckily, we don’t have long to wait: Uncharted: The Lost Legacy hits PS4 on August 22. It’s a standalone title, so you won’t need to own Uncharted 4. View the full article

It’s finally here… Supergiant’s biggest-ever game, Pyre, is out now for PlayStation 4, and you can get it right here! And, if you haven’t seen it, check out our launch trailer! We hope you have a wonderful time with Pyre, meeting all your fellow exiles, discovering the forsaken land called the Downside, and conducting the mystical competition called the Rites! Be sure to stick around for Versus Mode, featuring more than 20 different characters from the Campaign. Here’s a sneak peek at all of them in the Character Select screen: Pyre: Original Soundtrack: Also available today is the Pyre Original Soundtrack, packed with close to two hours of music created for the game by our award-winning composer and audio director, Darren Korb. We’re pleased to offer a variety of free streaming options, or you can purchase the soundtrack either in digital format or in a lovely two-disc physical edition on CD. We’d also like to exclusively debut a track from the album right here and now! Feast your ears on Dread Design! This is the theme of one of the opposing triumvirates you’ll face in Pyre, known as the Withdrawn. They’re the scariest-looking bunch you’ll see in our launch trailer. For this piece, Darren conjured up an appropriately chilling and intense sound, which makes the stakes of prevailing against the Withdrawn feel that much higher. The Pyre Original Soundtrack has close to 40 other pieces of music in store besides this one! Closing Thoughts: Supergiant’s been around since 2009, and we’ve always said that we’re here to make games that spark your imagination like the games you played as a kid. We’re also here because we want to stick together as a team, to keep making games our way. We spent three years creating Pyre — but really it’s the culmination of the seven-plus years our studio has been around, and of a lifelong love of games for each of us. We really hope you enjoy it, and we’re excited to hear what you think. View the full article

At E3, Tokyo RPG Factory gave fans an early taste of the unique gameplay and beautiful world players will experience. Today, much like the power of memory, new artwork and new announcements have manifested for Lost Sphear. First off, RPG fans can look forward to playing Lost Sphear on… January 23rd, 2018! Lost Sphear is a turn-based JPRG set in a world threatened by a mysterious phenomenon known as Lost. To combat the Lost, the power of Memory awakens within a young man named Kanata, giving hope to the people. As it is too dangerous for Kanata alone, his friends accompany him from his town of Elgarthe: Lumina, Locke and a mysterious person named Van. Every epic quest needs a full party of hearty adventurers, and today we are introducing two new playable characters who will join Kanata and his friends on their mission to restore the disappearing world. Meet Sherra and Obaro. Sherra is a priestess who uses a traditional bow of similar range to Locke’s crossbow. However, while Locke uses crossbows and tinkers with mechanical crafting, Sherra specializes in heal magic and various bow-related abilities. Obaro is an elderly man who came back into existence upon the awakening of Kanata’s power. Contrary to the physical strengths of Kanata and his friends, Obaro specializes in unleashing powerful elemental magic, demolishing large enemy mobs. This last reveal is my favorite: the powerhouse armor you can acquire in the game known as the “Vulcosuit”! The Vulcosuit is mechanized armor gifted to the people from the ancients within the world of Lost Sphear. This armor serves a dual purpose as enhanced in-battle weaponry and tools you can use in certain map environments. Each piece of armor has its own unique capabilities, so make sure to search for all of them! As a last bit for RPG enthusiasts, pre-order the digital version of Lost Sphear at PlayStation Store where you will receive a ‘Memoirs of the Moon’ Dynamic Theme instant reward and two music tracks on launch day: Market Town Marpennig and Town of Elgarthe. If you’re a collector who prefers physical boxes for your game library, the Physical Edition is available exclusively from the Square Enix Online Store! As a gamer who has played various traditional JRPG’s from Chrono Trigger to I Am Setsuna, I’m very hyped to see this latest installment from the studio, Tokyo RPG Factory. Stay tuned for more news to come in the future! View the full article

Hello PlayStation Nation! It’s hard to believe that it’s been 268 days since the release of Titanfall 2. We’ve been very busy since then, and it’s gone by quick! Prior to the release of Titanfall 2, we said we were committed to supporting the game post-launch with free DLC drops and more. Since launch, we’ve released lots of great content that have not only improved the game, but also kept a thriving, dedicated community playing. Last week, we announced our next free DLC update, Operation Frontier Shield. Our biggest (and 7th!) free DLC update, this one is packed with content and sees the return of a fan-favorite mode from the original Titanfall, Frontier Defense. Built for 4-player co-op, you and your team must protect a Harvester from waves of coordinated enemies hellbent on taking it down. Operation Frontier Shield also introduces two new maps, Rise and Live Fire: Township, and more. Squad up and get ready for Operation Frontier Shield when it drops on July 25. As we get ready for the release of Operation Frontier Shield, I can’t help but look back on some of my favorite things we’ve done since launch: Bringing back the classics: We remastered 5 fantastic maps from the original Titanfall and brought them to Titanfall 2. It’s been great to revisit Angel City, War Games, and more. Featured Modes: Our Designers have been experimenting with twists on existing game modes. This has led to some really fun gameplay, er, twists like CTF Nitro, Titan Brawl, and Marked for Death. Monarch: A new Vanguard class Titan that is unlike any of the Titans before it. Capable of playing support or dealing lots of damage, the Monarch evolves on the battlefield as she upgrades her core. She’s a blast to play and adds a lot to the meta of the game. Prime Titans: The Art team at Respawn has created rad new versions of the existing Titans for players to purchase, giving each Titan not only a great new look but also their own executions. Live Fire Mode and Maps: This Pilots only mode is like an espresso shot of adrenaline, featuring small maps and no respawns. It’s tense, fast-paced, and I love it. That’s just a few of my favorite moments, but there are plenty more, and I’m sure our community all have a bunch as well. Thanks for all the support, and we can’t wait to see you on the Frontier when Operation Frontier Shield launches on July 25. View the full article

Aven Colony is a city-building strategy game about mankind’s first colony on a moon orbiting a gas giant ten light-years from earth called “Aven Prime.” You assume the role of the Governor of humanity’s first colonies outside the solar system. Your goal is to build and protect one small, vulnerable human settlement at a time, and grow each one into a sprawling and prosperous sci-fi metropolis. We knew from the outset that we wanted to take Aven Colony to some interesting new places that standard city-builders don’t usually go. While we wanted the core gameplay loop to feel familiar to fans of the city-builder genre, we also wanted to explore new features rarely seen in city-builders, such as a full single-player campaign and a number of sci-fi elements beyond what could typically be done with a modern city in modern times. We particularly wanted to explore themes of survival and all of the science-fiction aspects of a future version of humanity landing on an alien world, learning its secrets, and discovering the traces of a vanished alien civilization. Beginning with the Hyla’s Crescent campaign mission, the Aven Expedition begins to discover awesomely powerful artifacts left behind by the mysterious species that once inhabited this world. After collecting an artifact, storing it at an Artifact Containment Unit, and then researching the artifact at a Research Center, you’ll be able to use it to produce powerful effects to help your colony. There are several varieties of artifact, including the Shielding Artifact, which will temporarily protect your colony from external threats, such as shard storms, creep spores, and plague spores. However, the long-lost denizens of Aven Prime, whoever they were, certainly didn’t leave their valuable goodies lying around unprotected… and those protections still linger. Once your colony is large enough, you can also build an Expedition Center to send your colonists exploring outside the colony. Each Expedition Center will allow you to load up to 10 colonists into an expedition ship, which you can then send out into the surrounding countryside to find and collect abandoned cargo pods, place agricultural scanners, chase down rebels, explore alien ruins, and much more. Among the various points of interest that your expedition ships can discover are robotic remnants of the civilization that once inhabited this world, known as “Guardians.” If your expedition crews survive the encounter with the ship intact, they can sometimes recover an artifact from the vicinity of the Guardian. In other cases, ancient ruins that dot the landscape will also hold artifacts that your expedition ships can carry back to the colony to install, research, and activate. However, once you begin to retrieve artifacts and encounter guardians in your expeditions, some of these robots will initiate automatic attack sequences and attempt to locate the colony. Aven Colony avoids massive, city-destroying mega-disasters in favor of various smaller environmental threats that aren’t likely to permanently damage your colony if handled properly. Shard storms, sandworms, water worms, creep spores, plague spores, and the huge, noxious clouds of toxic gas that can erupt from geothermal vents all look fairly terrifying, but none of these are very likely to annihilate a well-built colony. The Guardian, however, is an exception to this rule. Arriving in an update coming shortly after launch, the Guardian will happily initiate the auto-attack sequence programmed by its long-forgotten creators and use its massive laser to cut through your colony like a knife through butter. If you don’t have a few Plasma Turrets scattered around your colony to take it down, your colony may not survive long enough to tell the tale. Note that the chance of this occurring depends on the game difficulty setting in campaign missions, or the environmental event frequency sandbox setting for sandbox maps. At the easiest settings, it’s possible that you’ll never see a Guardian attack your colony at all. Playing any Sandbox mission with environmental events turned off will turn Aven Colony into a pure city-builder and management sim. For us at Mothership Entertainment, Aven Colony is only the start of the journey, and evolving the city-builder into a new form is only the first step. We hope this post has showed a few of the rarely-seen aspects of Aven Colony that truly set it apart. View the full article

As Tiny Trax speeds to PlayStation Store tomorrow, I’m excited to see the result of two years’ work – and I’m very proud to tell the story of how the game evolved. Whilst this type of game now seems like an obvious fit for VR, we had a few false starts getting here. In early 2015 PlayStation was keen to receive VR ideas and originally, we looked at a drone racing game. Something we hadn’t considered was how the VR locomotion would affect gamers’ heads and stomachs… and given that I, along with our MD James Marsden, were particularly prone to simulation sickness, it was back to the drawing board (via a quick trip to the bathroom…). Tiny Trax puts giant racing tracks around you, with toy cars zipping past inches from your face. The directors at FuturLab saw that I was keen to learn and possibly help find a solution. I was lucky enough to be given all the hardware, software and time needed to get stuck in and explore the world of VR. I looked at sports, toys and games that people play while seated. We agreed that a good course of action would be to use VR to improve on an existing real-world seated experience – which led me to the idea of slot-car racing in VR. It ticked all the right boxes: The player didn’t need to move, so there would be no motion sickness. We’d be expanding the core experience of slot-car racing, by creating tracks anywhere we desired – from a beach to alien planets. The track itself could be any shape too, as the laws of gravity need not apply! As our design team was engaged with work elsewhere, I had the task and the privilege of coming up with ideas that could be included. While the track creation tool was being made, the design team asked me to look at what would make interesting and fun tracks. When the designers were ready to look at the tracks they picked their favorites, suggested a few changes, and the tracks were locked down. During the course of the game’s development, we had to swerve a few obstacles and took a few sharp corners – for a start, ensuring the steering system was fair, but also encouraged players to take risks; and optimizing the AI. My nitpicking probably tested the patience of the directors and the rest of the team – particularly when we pulled the game from certification to make some additional tweaks. That was a risky move, but one we felt was necessary to ensure we delivered a fun, rewarding game. Hopefully you will agree! Tiny Trax will be available for PS VR at PlayStation Store starting tomorrow (July 25th). Plus! To celebrate the release of Tiny Trax, we’re giving our awesome Twitter community the chance to win some amazing PlayStation hardware, plus copies of the game itself. Click here to find out more. View the full article

It’s hard to believe it’s been three years since Transistor launched. It’s even harder to believe we’re on the verge of playing a new Supergiant game! Pyre launches Tuesday, but I couldn’t wait until then to learn more about it, so I went straight to the source to get some answers. Please enjoy this interview with Greg Kasavin, recorded on location at Supergiant’s San Francisco headquarters, and the following PlayStation (me) vs. Supergiant (Greg) battle royale in Pyre’s robust local multiplayer mode. I won’t spoil who wins, but I will make the excuse that he spent the last few years making the darn game, c’mon. ANYWAY. There’s still time (assuming you’re reading this before the game launches) to pre-order Pyre at PlayStation Store and save 10%. Let us know in the comments if you have any last-minute questions about Pyre, and I’ll do my best to answer. Maybe if we’re lucky, Greg will see this and hop in the comments too. If we say his name three times he has to appear, right? View the full article

A storm of howling wind and crackling light changed the face of civilization. Waves of monsters overtook humanity and pushed the survivors into hiding. Only a select few have the knowhow, weapons, and will to push back. Welcome to Fortnite, which launches July 25 on PS4 — with early access starting today with a pre-order. Developed by the team at Epic Games, Fortnite combines fluid base building with third-person action. Gather supplies, build forts, and defend them against an onslaught of ghoulish creatures. With tons of loot to find and heroes to level up, Fortnite has all the ingredients to be a gaming obsession. For the full list of new games coming to PlayStation next week, read on. And enjoy The Drop! New Releases: Week of July 25, 2017 A Healer Only Lives Twice PS4 — Digital Monsters have cornered you in the dungeon corridors. As a newly hired Priest, your duties are to use your magical abilities to heal your comrade, a Knight on the front-line, and provide support during battle. Will these two brave souls live to see the light of day again? Active Soccer 2 DX PS4, PS Vita — Digital (Cross Buy) Active Soccer 2 DX is an exciting top-down arcade football game providing a fast-paced arcade experience. Aven Colony PS4 — Digital Build a new home for humanity in Aven Colony. Discover Aven Prime — an alien planet of deserts, tundras, and wetlands light years from earth. Build your colonies into massive, sprawling cities while dealing with the challenges faced when settling on a new world. Circuit Breakers PS4 — Digital Go back to the 1980s! Shoot, explode, and explore in this frenzied top down arcade blaster with a modern twist. Become a supreme warrior or co-op with up to three friends to rid the universe of a ruthless intergalactic robot army. Collar X Malice PS Vita — Digital (Out 7/28) A dangerous shadow organization launches a campaign of fear and violence in the city of Shinjuku, pushing society to the brink of chaos. As a young police officer tasked with restoring order, you become the target of an attack, and have a poisonous collar attached to your neck. With the situation spiraling out of control and time running out, five mysterious strangers appear to aid you in your quest for the truth. Constructor PS4 — Digital (Out 7/28) In a town where anything goes, you can’t rise to the top without taking a few others down. From dodgy deals to shifty tricks, do what you gotta do to go from small-time slumlord to filthy rich tycoon. Fortnite PS4 — Digital, Retail The Storm came without warning. 98% of the world’s population vanished… then came the monsters. Lead the world’s remaining Heroes in the fight to hold back the Storm. Explore the large, destructible world where no two games are ever the same. Build huge forts, craft exotic weapons, find loot, and level up your Heroes. Take on the Storm with four player online co-op. Welcome to Epic Games’ new action building game, Fortnite. Heroes of the Seven Seas PS VR — Digital Play as a pirate seeking the legendary Seven Sea Artifacts in a vivid VR world. Infinite Minigolf PS VR — Digital Have fun in Infinite Minigolf, a never-ending minigolf experience! Take part in tournaments and challenges, use arcade-style powerups, and experience unique gameplay, great graphics, and more. It’s Spring Again PS Vita — Digital (Out 7/28) An educational game for children ages two and up. It uses game mechanics to teach children about the seasons. Leaving Lyndow PS4 — Digital (Out 7/27) It’s Clara’s last day on the island where she grew up. She needs to complete preparations, visit her favorite places, and say her goodbyes before leaving on a journey she may not return from. Lost Grimoires: Stolen Kingdom PS4 — Digital An alchemist’s apprentice returns home from university to finish her training under a great master. Things go awry when she revisits her family home, where dark secrets and the mystery of her parents’ disappearance lie buried. Polara PS Vita — Digital Polara is an exciting new action game in which you control Lara the Astronaut. Using the changeable colors of her spacesuit, you must activate the defense systems of an entire city. Jump and change — that’s all you need to do! Pressure Overdrive PS4 — Digital Ready for Overdrive? Upgrade your steambuggy and pump up the Pressure, while you boost’n’blast your way through vibrant settings and countless enemies. Intense arcade-action is waiting for you! Pyre PS4 — Digital Pyre is a party-based RPG from the creators of Bastion and Transistor. Lead your band of exiles to freedom through a series of mystical competitions in the Campaign, or challenge a friend to a fast-paced ritual showdown in the head-to-head Versus Mode. Rugby League Live 4 PS4 — Digital (Out 7/28) A deep career mode that spans multiple decades, take a player from junior ranks right up to the big leagues! Smashbox Arena PS VR — Digital An action-packed multiplayer VR game, Smashbox Arena throws players into a shootout battle of team versus team, power-up versus power-up. Combatants can play single-player, party up with their friends, or face off against opponents across the globe. Sundered PS4 — Digital (Out 7/28) Sundered is a horrifying fight for survival and sanity, a hand­-drawn epic from the ​creators of ​​Jotun. Resist or embrace ancient eldritch powers. You play Eshe, a wanderer in a ruined world, trapped in ever-­changing caverns filled with hordes of terrifying enemies. Super Cloudbuilt PS4 — Digital Take on the role of Demi, a young soldier who wakes up in the empty shell of a ruined building, in a strange new world, disconnected from her old life and physical body. With each new challenge she overcomes, Demi slowly pieces together the future now laid out before her. Theseus PS VR — Digital (Out 7/26) Theseus is an immersive VR experience that offers a new take on the myth of the Minotaur. Enjoy a mix of exploration, story, and combat, with a strong cinematic feel. Do you have what it takes to unveil the truth that lies at the heart of the Labyrinth? Tiny Trax PS VR — Digital Epic racing in a tiny world! Childhood imagination comes to life as tiny racers boost around your body, jump overhead and drift around bends inches from your face! Unbox: Newbie’s Adventure PS4 — Digital The ultimate postal service has arrived — self-delivering cardboard boxes! Unbox: Newbie’s Adventure is a unique physics-platformer. Enjoy an epic single player adventure or grab up to four friends for local multiplayer races, battles, and challenges! Vostok Inc. PS4 — Digital (Out 7/26) You’re the newly appointed CEO of Vostok Inc. As a greedy, space-capitalist your goal is to get filthy stinking rich! Pilot your own ship and blast your way through the solar system and collect cash to help profit your company! Steve Aoki – Steve Aoki Presents KOLONY Tyler, The Creator – Flower Boy Lana Del Rey – Lust for Life Rick & Morty | Season 3 King Arthur: Legend of the Sword The information above is subject to change without notice. View the full article

Subscribe via iTunes, Spotify, Google or RSS, or download here Ladies and gentlemen, Guardians and Cabal, on today’s show we dive deep into the Destiny 2 Beta. How does Bungie’s next sci-fi epic feel? We cover the story, Crucible, and the new Strike. In addition, we rave about Bungie’s incredible rain effects — because rain is important. Tune in, and enjoy the show! Stuff We Talked About Destiny 2 Undertale Fortnite Pyre Sundered Windjammers Master of None Season 2 Recent Episodes 255: Kill it With Pyre 254: Sid Deleted the Intro 253: Baby Games The Cast Sid Shuman – Director of Social Media, SIEA Ryan Clements – Sr. Social Media Specialist, SIEA Zac Minor – Sr. Social Media Manager, SIEA Send us questions and tips! blogcast@sony.com Leave us a voicemail! (650) 288-6706 Thanks to Cory Schmitz for our beautiful logo and Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music. [Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.] View the full article

Hi PlayStation Nation! We’re proud to be able to bring our Fortnite Early Access season to the PS4 starting today! We at Epic Games are glad to have your help while we gather feedback, grow the PlayStation community and expand the world of Fortnite. Okay, some of you are probably asking “What’s Fortnite?†Well, Fortnite is our co-op action building game, where you scavenge, craft and defend forts against hordes of monsters, all in worlds where no two games are ever the same. That’s a long way of saying get your friends, build some forts, fight some monsters, level up your loot and save the day! Here are some of the things you should know about Fortnite… What special bonuses do I get for purchasing on PlayStation 4?You get four exclusive hero cards all dressed up in their PlayStation colors! This includes one ninja, one soldier, one outlander and one constructor. You can use these cards to play directly, or use them to bolster your active hero squad. Check out the video at the top of this post to see them in action! Where’s my Founder’s Pack stuff?Founder’s Pack items are unlocked over time by playing the game. Why? As you go through the tutorial, you’ll be granted some quests that unlock at different points that make sense with game play. The majority of your items will be unlocked after the Loot Llama tutorial event. There are a few exceptions with some of the highest-tier packs where additional gameplay-based quests are required. Read our FAQ at epicgames.com How do I gather stuff in missions?You can destroy just about anything in Fornite that’s not the terrain. Pretty cool right? However, if you blow everything up you are missing some opportunities for loot. Look around for highlighted objects in the world, and make sure you search them! You never know where your next gun will come from. Weakpoints and HarvestingEarly on in your Skill Tree you can unlock a skill called “Weakpoint Vision.†Once you have that, you’ll start spotting targeting reticles on the objects you are destroying. If you aim at these places and hit them, you’ll literally double your harvesting rates! Also there are numerous pick axe upgrades in the skill tree, this will increase the damage done to objects, so keep an eye out for them. Core MaterialsWant to harvest wood, metal and stone faster? It’s helpful to know that trees are efficient source of wood (obviously, ) rocks for stone, and cars (and sometimes metal ore nodes) are the best for metal. So if you have a choice between tearing down a cabin wall, or hitting a tree, hit the tree it’ll probably be a bit more efficient. Ammo and ReloadingWhat happens if you run out of ammo in a firefight? Well, if you hold down your reload button, it will auto craft the ammo you need for the weapon you are carrying all from your backpack of ingredients. There is no need to open an inventory menu when an angry Husk is running at you. BuildingEvery building piece can be edited and shaped into other pieces. Example: Remove a double block stack from a wall and you’ll get a door. Take some time to play around with these shapes, or try out one of the “Build Radar†tower missions to teach you how to build more advanced shapes. Another thing you should remember, using building to get to places you can’t normally reach is key to discovering more treasure. Not sure how to get to the top of that roof? Build some stairs up the outside and find that loot! Leveling UpDon’t forget to put XP into your favorite heroes, weapons and traps. Choose your schematics wisely initially, a few well-leveled schematics can get you through the early game with little problem. Favorite ThingsDon’t forget to use the favorite features in the armory. This lets you sort important schematics but also stops inadvertent grinding up of your favorite stuff into recycling materials. Hidden Treasure ChestsUse your ears as well as your eyes! You can sometime hear chests humming behind hidden walls in the area. These chests offers the biggest chance to drop important weapons and traps. Bonus Tip! Ripped from the headlines of our Community: Gnomes“Smash gnomes. I have it on good authority that smashing gnomes can give you rare loot like active power cells. You want those. You don’t want gnomes. Smash gnomes.†– Community Member Stormcaller The first phase of Fortnite’s development has been a lot of fun, and we are truly looking forward to learning a ton from Early Access. As always, if you aren’t sure about checking out Fortnite during Early Access, we will be evolving into Free-to-Play during 2018. Those of you who are bold (and tolerant) and enjoy helping to shape a game’s progress, we welcome you to the community of builders! We will be offering Founder’s Only events, cool loot and other special updates for our Founder’s Season. There are a lot of great games out there and we know that voting with your dollar is an act of faith. We are thankful for that trust and we look forward to seeing what you’ll make with us! View the full article

Taylor Kurosaki, formerly one of the original members of the Crash Bandicoot team at Naughty Dog, joins the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy Game Director, Dan Tanguay, from Vicarious Visions to talk about the notorious Stormy Ascent level. The previously unreleased Crash Bandicoot level, Stormy Ascent, is now coming to life in the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. How did this level come to be? Taylor Kurosaki: Early in production of the original Crash Bandicoot game, everyone at Naughty Dog often wore multiple hats. However, by year two we were somewhat specialized and I went from artist to game designer. I ended up designing and laying out ¾ of the levels in the original Crash Bandicoot. And Stormy Ascent was one of mine. Dan Tanguay: The team here at Vicarious Visions knew the fans really wanted Stormy Ascent, and so did we! One of the best players on the design team had beat the first game and wanted a new challenge. So, we told him to try the original Stormy Ascent. It took him 60 lives to get through it – needless to say it was much more challenging than he had expected. However, he still fell in love with it and we decided to bring it life. Tell us about making Stormy Ascent “It’s roughly four times longer than any other level in the original game.†Taylor: I was new to games and game design back then; I didn’t have a great understanding of a difficulty curve. This level was so close to the end of the game and, you guessed it, it ended up being insanely difficult. As in, so difficult that it was hard for me, and I’m the guy who knew exactly how far Crash could jump, how late a player could take-off, and so on. Dan: This is the “sister level†to Slippery Climb in the original Crash Bandicoot. It features the same assets but new challenges. It’s also roughly four times longer than any other level in the original game. Getting through it is a feat of both skill and endurance! Taylor’s right, it’s considered to be not only one of the most difficult levels in the original Crash Bandicoot, but probably in the entire N. Sane Trilogy. It was challenging to first master the level so that we could accurately remaster it. In particular, the timing of the level was challenging to get right. The hazards and platforms steadily increase in speed as you go along! It never actually shipped, right? Taylor: Yes. It was one of the last levels I finished during production, and as we prepared to deliver our Gold Master to Sony for manufacturing, the decision was made to cut it. It was playable, but just too damn difficult, and we ran out of time to make it easier. It remained on the disc as it was less risky just leaving it rather than trying to remove it. It was basically hidden, but it was there. “It was playable, but just too damn difficult.†Dan: Fans found it though, using Gameshark. Taylor: I think it’s cool when fans find hidden things in games, this was no exception. I was glad it somewhat found the light of day, and I think it’s an awesome level. In 2017, games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne are all the rage. People like games that are difficult! We were so ahead of the curve! Now Stormy Ascent is alive as part of the Vicarious Visions-developed Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. Go forth and enjoy! Click here to download Stormy Ascent for the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy for free through August 19, 2017. View the full article