Commander Fury

Fallen Tree Games’ GTA-style throwback American Fugitive was one of Curve Digital’s most successful titles of 2019. To celebrate today’s release of brand-new free update ‘State of Emergency,’ Art Director Lewis Boadle takes us through the history of the game and what we can expect from its new content. When we started production on American Fugitive way back in 2015, it was quite a different beast to the game that hit the storefronts this summer. We didn’t have a fully scoped out vision for the game, but we instinctively felt that the central pillar — the experience of being an escaped convict on the run — had enormous potential to be the beating heart of a great gaming experience. And so we set to work exploring and prototyping systems based around that central concept. After experimenting with hunger, crafting, and even cooking, we noticed that all our early playtesters (friends and colleagues mainly) actually just wanted to get in a car and tear stuff up. They would comment that the camera viewpoint reminded them of old-school GTA experiences, including Chinatown Wars (who didn’t love playing that on PSP?). Ding! (Lightbulb moment) We pivoted away from our survivalist aspirations and waded into the fast-moving waters of the arcade experience, adding gunplay, melee combat, and a ton of breakable props, empowering the player to wreak havoc! Sure enough, the game quickly took on a new lease of life. After that point we never looked back, inventing wacky new mechanics (car crushers, tow trucks, changing clothes) that would allow players to fool around to their heart’s content alongside the story. After all, hasn’t chaos always been the best part of GTA? Following a successful launch, we embarked on an improvement phase followed by Quality of Life additions, such as the much requested mini-map (yay!), and then we could begin to consider DLC… We had some great ideas from the community for new content, including the ever-popular zombies, aliens, and even ghost-hunting. However, one suggestion came up much more frequently than anything else… tanks! It’s a perfect fit with the chaotic nature of Redrock County, and is a fitting tribute (doffs cap) to daddy GTA. We’ve thrown army 4×4 trucks (a.k.a. jeeps), miniguns, and bazookas into the mix, to ensure that the brand-new 6-Star Wanted Level takes things to a whole new level! It’s been quite a journey, and we are excited to see what PlayStation users think of State of Emergency! View the full article

For many longtime PlayStation fans, the original Final Fantasy VII was a groundbreaking, genre-defining experience. We’re naturally eager to learn more about the fully reimagined Final Fantasy VII Remake, which dramatically updates both the gameplay and the storytelling of the beloved original. So when we received this latest batch of screens we asked our friends at Square Enix if they could provide some context for a few of them. Take a peek at the captions below these screenshots, then browse the full gallery below. Each weapon has its own unique weapon abilities that increase in proficiency the more they are used. When an ability’s proficiency level reaches the maximum, that ability is then learned by the wielder and can be used when wielding any weapon. Here we see Cloud’s Buster Sword upgrade screen. The different options allow you to improve the wielder’s status or increase the number of Materia slots available. Classic Mode can be activated by selecting “CLASSIC” from the difficulty menu. In Classic Mode, party members will act automatically, with the ATB gauge filling up as they do so. In this mode, the player only needs to select which abilities, magic, and items they will use their ATB charges for. This brings the feel of the gameplay closer to the menu-based battles from the original FFVII but with the amazing immersive graphics of the remake. It is also possible to revert to direct control at any time during Classic Mode by pushing buttons on the controller. The triangle button activates each character’s unique ability. Cloud’s unique ability is to switch between different fighting styles. He can switch between “Operator Mode” which has a good balance between attack and defense, and “Punisher Mode” [pictured] which is geared heavily towards offense. In Punisher Mode, Cloud’s movement speed is reduced, but his basic square button attacks are upgraded to even mightier blows. Chocobo & Moogle use their special move “Stampede” to run down the enemy with a herd of chocobos. While equipping Summon Materia, you will be able to summon a powerful ally once the special summon gauge fills up. Summons will fight alongside you automatically on the battlefield, but you can also use your own ATB charges to have them perform special abilities. Just before they leave the fight, your ally will unleash a powerful special move! Assess – Materia that allows you to use the Assess ability. When you use Assess on an enemy, you can see their resistances and weaknesses, making it easier to defeat them in battle. You can play darts at the dartboard in Seventh Heaven. Final Fantasy VII Remake | PlayStation Store Final Fantasy 7 Remake arrives on PS4 March 3, 2020. View the full article

Experience a hand-drawn, emotional journey in Gris, making its PS4 debut Tuesday. The premiere title from independent team Nomada Studio employs a gorgeous and fluidly animated watercolor art style to immerse players in its wordless story, culminating in a journey that will stay with you long after it’s ended. The PlayStation 4 version of the game adds higher resolution imagery and features a newly added homage to one of Nomada’s main inspirations — but you’ll have to play to see it. You can read more about Gris in Nomada’s PS Blog post from earlier today. For a full list of new games coming to PlayStation next week, read on. And enjoy The Drop! Bleep Bloop PS4 — Digital Meet Bleep and Bloop as they help each other overcome all the challenges that stand in their way. A light-hearted and playful puzzle game about working together. Play alone controlling both characters or share the experience with a friend. Bleep Bloop is easy to learn, but that doesn’t mean the puzzles will be a piece of cake. Brain In Retro PS4 — Digital (Out 11/25) Erik Games invites players to experience 80’s retro world. Brain in Retro Space appeals to all gamers with its multiple game modes. Choose your favorite car and spacecraft and challenge your skills. Five Nights at Freddy’s PS4 — Digital (Out 11/29) Welcome to your new summer job at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza! The main attraction is Freddy Fazbear, animatronic robots programmed to please the crowds! As the night security guard you must watch the security cameras carefully — sometimes the animatronics function on their own. Can you survive five nights at Freddy’s? Foxyland PS4, PS Vita — Digital (Cross-Buy) Help Foxy Fox on a dangerous journey to rescue his love, Jennie. Without your help, Foxy won’t be able to save her! Jump and dodge past challenging enemies and traps while collecting gems and cherries across 36 levels. Dress up Foxy by purchasing additional accessories for him using the cherries you collect on your journey! Gas Guzzlers Extreme PS4 — Digital Gas Guzzlers Extreme is a fast, furious, armed-to-the-teeth, trigger-happy shooter, shifted into top gear! Take a white knuckle ride in this crazily addictive combat racing game that features a ton of vehicles, weapons, upgrades, on-track bonuses, environments and a zombie apocalypse! Golazo! PS4 — Digital (Out 11/27) Golazo is a dynamic arcade football game with a medium sized fields, no fouls and offsides whistled. Just pure fun! Mastering the game is incredibly easy during the fun and furious 7vs7 matches. With its local multiplayer modes and crazy vintage approach, Golazo is the ideal choice for Couch & Party gamers! Gris PS4 — Digital 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 navigate her faded reality. Gris is a serene and evocative experience, free of danger, frustration, or death. It can be enjoyed by anyone regardless of their spoken language. Pic-a-Pix Classic 2 PS4, PS Vita — Digital (Cross-Buy) The latest instalment in the popular picture crossword series! Pic-a-Pix is a picture logic game, sometimes known as Picross, Nonogram or Hanjie, where whimsical pixel-art pictures are created by solving puzzles. Pic-a-Pix Classic 2 features 150 brand new single-color puzzles, from 15×15 up to 30×20 grids. Soccer, Tactics & Glory PS4 — Digital (Out 11/27) It’s an original combination of turn-based strategy and RPG. Create a football team, play matches, earn XP, train skills, learn new classes, upgrade facilities, buy and sell footballers, grow youth, make hard choices. It’s a deep strategy which respects your time. Story of a Gladiator PS4 — Digital You are a common man who has lost everything in the war against the Roman empire. You spend much of your time in the streets of Rome looking for some sort of meaning in your life and wondering why the gods have spared you. One day fate finally reveals itself… are you ready to accept it? The arena awaits you, gladiator! TheNightfall PS4 — Digital (Out 11/27) You spend the first night alone in your new house. Darkness falls and a night begins that you have never experienced before. What begins with insomnia and a slight malaise becomes an absolute nightmare over time. This is a very special house that doesn’t just mean good to you! Will you be able to survive this night until dawn? True Fear: Forsaken Souls – Part 2 PS4 — Digital (Out 11/25) True Fear: Forsaken Souls combines the best of the psychological thriller with intuitive gameplay mechanics for a mind-bending mystery escape game. If you’re looking for a horror game that doesn’t sacrifice the story, this is the game for you! Death Stranding – Official Score DJ Shadow – Our Pathetic Age Lil Peep – Everybody’s Everything Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Hustlers Ready or Not The information above is subject to change without notice. View the full article

If you watched our full-length documentary, Raising Kratos, you got a glimpse into our journey reinventing the God of War franchise. It should be no surprise, we have plenty of intriguing, untold stories left to tell that dig deeper into the development of God of War. Thus, we’re proud to announce in partnership with the PlayStation Blogcast, a Santa Monica Studio limited podcast miniseries, Worlds Collide. In each episode of Worlds Collide, we’ll bring together developers from different departments across our team, who collaborated on a feature that helped evolve God of War. These conversations will shine the Light of Alfheim on our studio culture and game development processes as if you’re right on the ground floor with us. Episode 1: “Fitting A Side Quest in Anywhere” The development of the Witch Bones quest and others were designed so they could be played at any point in the game. Developers Luis Sanchez (Lead Level Designer), Anthony DiMento (Senior Systems Designer), and Adam Dolin (Narrative Designer) break down how this was made possible across level, system, and narrative design. Subscribe via iTunes, Spotify, Google or RSS, or download here Additionally, this year marks the 20th Anniversary of Santa Monica Studio. To honor this milestone, starting this Sunday, the PlayStation Store will have a beautiful showcase of our studio that not only will take you on a journey of games (on sale as well) that have helped define our legacy, but also (10) PlayStation 4 games our team hand-selected that have inspired us to no end. To learn more about our studio, hit up sms.playstation.com. Enjoy the show! View the full article

Two weeks back, we put the world in your hands as you began your journey through Death Stranding. While you helped rebuild the world and established connections, you shared your best shots with us using #PS4share and #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: Sam stops the take in the aurora in this share by ahmedzafar99. BBuradori spotted a familiar hologram while exploring. Sam takes in the scene in this share by DotPone. JRPyznar shares Sam having a moment with BB. Sam faces off with a MULE in this share by lorsteibel. Sam hits the road on foot, shared by McSquiggleeo. Search #PS4Share and #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in next week’s Share of the Week? Theme: Death Stranding – Landscapes Share by: 9am Pacific on Wednesday, November 27 Next week, slow down and take in the breathtaking world of Death Stranding. Share sprawling landscapes that even your BB would Like for a chance to be featured. View the full article

Hello there! Nomada Studio (that’s us!) and our good friends at Devolver Digital are thrilled to announce that Gris’ dreamlike world will arrive on PlayStation 4 on November 26! Our team are long time PlayStation fans and we’re so pleased to be able to bring our debut project to the PlayStation community. It’s been quite the undertaking and we took our time to get it perfect because we wanted to deliver to you the absolute best version of Gris possible. Gris has been praised and awarded honors for the visual design, hand drawn art, and fluid animation so we wanted the PS4 version to be an absolute marvel to look at in motion. Our artists and designers went over the game in meticulous detail, updating each of the game’s beautiful scenarios. The art team revamped over five thousand unique assets to 2x – 4x higher resolution to take advantage of the PS4 Pro and 4K displays. Similarly, the majestic score from Berlinist was integrated into the game with less compression so that the music and audio design all sound cleaner and brighter. Additionally, we added some ‘quality of life’ improvements and a PlayStation-exclusive secret homage to one of our favorite games and an inspiration for Gris. On a more personal note, we would like to take a moment to express what an honor it is to even share a platform with thatgamecompany’s Journey, a game than not only did we love when we played it on PlayStation 3 but that has also become a great inspiration during these last few years! We hope that players find a similar level of emotional engagement with Gris and see how the iconic Journey influenced the design and feeling of Gris. Gris will be available at PlayStation Store November 26 and physical PS4 edition from Limited Run Games is available now from their store. We hope that you will enjoy this adventure with us and we look forward to the emotional journey the PlayStation community will take with Gris. View the full article

There’s something about physically crouching to avoid detection while looking over your shoulder at your escape route that simply cannot be replicated in traditional flat-screen gaming. If you’ve ever wanted to play out your espionage fantasies in the game world then Digital Lode’s Espire 1: VR Operative might just be what you’ve been looking for. Under the instruction of the Australian government, players assume the role of a drone operator of the future where you remotely control the Espire robot. With the ability to climb metal surfaces, players can take full advantage of the verticality within the environments and get the drop on enemy threats from above. Throwing your gun magazine or any other object within reach to distract a guard and sneak pass them is something that only feels real in VR. You can also eject a camera from the back of your hands which can be used to ‘mark’ guards or thrown onto any surface before remotely triggering a noise event. Sound is important in a stealth game so players will need to ensure they approach threats slowly and quietly without detection before choosing to knock them out or hold them up by saying “freeze!” If you’re extra careful you can even steal a guard’s gun right out of their hands. You must keep the noise down though because if you’re heard or spotted the base might enter alert mode where additional strike teams are called in, this is where Espire leans into the action genre and provides players an alternative approach to each encounter. Hiding any collateral damage is also a good idea, otherwise just when you think the dust has settled things are likely to heat up again. The Espire robot has a variety of weapons at its disposal, many of which are scattered throughout the base. For the stealth enthusiasts there’s a single shot tranquilizer pistol that puts enemies to sleep which also requires the piston to be pulled back between each shot, another fun action only possible in VR. You can even repair your damaged chassis with your repair tool which also conveniently can be used to stun enemies. There are also two silenced pistols, two silenced rifles, and a suppressed shotgun. For those looking to make their presence known, however, there are also plenty of less quiet arms at your disposal. With six story-driven campaign missions and 25 small virtual challenges to fully explore and engage with Espire 1 is set to offer between four and six hours of gameplay. There are also 22 cheats to unlock, providing players a variety of replayability. The team at Digital Lode cannot wait to sneak Espire 1: VR Operative into your virtual hands. Please feel free to ask questions in the comments section below too! Espire 1: VR Operative releases today and is priced at $29.99. View the full article

Aloy is no stranger to frigid hunting grounds and terrifying canine creatures, so when the opportunity came about to expand upon the Monster Hunter x Horizon Zero Dawn collaboration, everything started falling into place pretty seamlessly. Today, the first quest in this multi-part crossover is available for Iceborne hunters on PS4, giving players a chance to craft a special event Light Bowgun: the Stormslinger Prototype. Hang tight, hunters. Armor sets and Palico gear are coming soon! This ranged weapon is designed after the Improved Stormslinger in Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds, and it translated quite well to the Monster Hunter series. All the iconic design aesthetics of the Banuk tribe are there: wooden base frame, light blue tones, feathers and a certain improvised/makeshift appeal. To give us all additional insight on the Stormslinger, here’s Roy Postma, Art Director on Horizon Zero Dawn, with a quick look behind the curtain on the process of creating this weapon within the context of Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds: “The Improved Stormslinger started out as an upgrade to the spear that the Banuk shaman Ourea wields in the Horizon Zero Dawn DLC expansion, The Frozen Wilds. For the design, we took the technical parts from that spear and arranged them on a ropecaster framework, which allowed us to plausibly extend its power capacity. Using the concept of “the more power the better” as a guiding principle, we then strapped together additional capacitators and wired all the technological parts together. “Another important concept we wished to convey was the humans’ limited understanding of technology; the weapon had to reflect this in look as well as in feel. For the look, we created a very chaotic layout by arranging the capacitators at different angles and snaking the wires all around and through the weapon. For the feel, we wanted the Improved Stormslinger to behave temperamentally when using its charge-up mechanic. The ability to overcharge the weapon causes the capacitators to glow and spark, eventually resulting in blowback that can cause massive damage to its wielder.” The way you’ll get your hands on one of these is also a nod to the source material. In Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds you get to fight a ferocious canine beast — known as Scorcher — that charges up its moves for powerful attacks. Sound familiar? While the technical aspects of the attacks and elements may differ, the design theme behind the Scorcher is very much like Zinogre in Iceborne. So this special Event Quest will have you hunting the thunderous beast Zinogre in Hoarfrost Reach. Make sure you’re Master Rank is 24 or above and bring some Thunder Resistance! If Light Bowgun is not your style, but you still want to add some high-tech flair to your weapons, completing this Event Quest will get you a shimmering weapon pendant fashioned after Aloy’s Focus device. Whenever you’re ready, head up to the Quest Board / Quest Counter and look for the Event Quest “Into the Frozen Wilds.” It is available now until January 10, 2020. Other Special Event Quests Shifting gears a bit, I just wanted to leave a quick reminder about a couple of other special Event Quests currently live in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. Guest survivors from Raccoon City, Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield make an appearance as Full Armor Sets for those who gather materials from completing the Event Quest “RE: Return of the Bioweapon” (keep some Green Herbs handy, unless you want to get Zombified). And the quests dubbed “Every Hunter’s Dream” II and III will let you craft the Wiggler Set α+ for your Palico and the “Black Eagle” Charge Blade that won our Palico/Weapon Design Contest earlier this year. They’re very cute and cool, respectively. Finally, a friendly reminder that all this content is free for all Iceborne players… and we’re just getting started! We have another big free update lined up for December, and even more coming in 2020. So if you haven’t joined the hunt in Iceborne yet, there’s no better time than now, especially considering our early Black Friday discount: 25% off! New hunters joining in through Monster Hunter: World or Iceborne Master Edition, look out for a free update in early December that will give you quick access to a set of beefed up weapons to help you quickly complete the MH:World storyline: the Defender Weapons. View the full article

Black Friday discounts hit PlayStation Store earlier than ever this year! Savings up to 40% start rolling out tomorrow morning. Blast your way across the galaxy in Borderlands 3, make your mark on the pitch in FIFA 20, and live your ideal life of crime in GTA V Premium Online Edition. But that’s not all, Black Friday also brings discounts on PlayStation Plus! For a limited time only, save 25% on a 12-month PS Plus membership. Full lineup below, including a slew of titles joining the sale later on like God of War, Concrete Genie, MediEvil, Call of Duty Modern Warfare and more. We hope everyone has a safe and happy day of thanks – but don’t turkey sleep on this sale. PlayStation Store’s Black Friday deals ends December 2. PS4 Games | 11/22/2019 Title $Sale $Original A PLAGUE TALE: INNOCENCE $24.99 $49.99 A WAY OUT $14.99 $29.99 ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN $29.99 $59.99 ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN DELUXE EDITION $42.49 $84.99 ANTHEM $11.99 $59.99 ANTHEM: LEGION OF DAWN EDITION $15.99 $79.99 ARK: ABERRATION $6.99 $19.99 ARK: EXTINCTION $11.99 $19.99 ARK: SCORCHED EARTH $6.99 $19.99 ARK: SURVIVAL EVOLVED $17.49 $49.99 ARK: SURVIVAL EVOLVED EXPLORER’S EDITION $35.99 $89.99 ARK: SURVIVAL EVOLVED SEASON PASS $22.49 $44.99 ASSASSIN’S CREED LEGENDARY COLLECTION $65.99 $199.99 ASSASSIN’S CREED ODYSSEY $17.99 $59.99 ASSASSIN’S CREED ODYSSEY – DELUXE EDITION $23.99 $79.99 ASSASSIN’S CREED ODYSSEY – GOLD EDITION $24.99 $99.99 ASSASSIN’S CREED ODYSSEY – SEASON PASS $19.99 $39.99 ASSASSIN’S CREED ODYSSEY – ULTIMATE EDITION $29.99 $119.99 ASSASSIN’S CREED ODYSSEY THE FATE OF ATLANTIS $12.49 $24.99 ASSISSIN’S CREED ODYSSEY LEGACY OF THE FIRST BLADE $12.49 $24.99 BATTLEFIELD V $15.99 $39.99 BATTLEFIELD V YEAR 2 EDITION $29.99 $49.99 BATTLEWAKE (VR) $20.09 $29.99 BORDERLANDS 3 $40.19 $59.99 BORDERLANDS 3 DELUXE EDITION $53.59 $79.99 BORDERLANDS 3 SUPER DELUXE EDITION $80.39 $119.99 CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE – OPERATOR EDITION $63.99 $79.99 CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE – OPERATOR ENHANCED EDITION $79.99 $99.99 CAR MECHANIC SIMULATOR $19.49 $29.99 CAR MECHANIC SIMULATOR – DLC MEGA PACK $25.01 $38.49 CASTLE CRASHERS REMASTERED $8.99 $14.99 CASTLEVANIA ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION $9.99 $19.99 CATHERINE: FULL BODY $29.99 $59.99 CATHERINE: FULL BODY BONUS CONTENT BUNDLE $12.49 $24.99 CATHERINE: FULL BODY DIGITAL DELUXE EDITION $39.99 $79.99 CODE VEIN $35.99 $59.99 CODE VEIN DELUXE EDITION $55.99 $79.99 COMPLETE YOUR ARK SEASON PASS $14.99 $29.99 CRASH BANDICOOT N. SANE TRILOGY $19.99 $39.99 CRASH TEAM RACING + CRASH TRILOGY BUNDLE $41.24 $74.99 CRASH TEAM RACING + SPYRO TRILOGY BUNDLE $41.24 $74.99 CRASH TEAM RACING NITRO-FUELED $25.99 $39.99 CRASH TEAM RACING NITRO-FUELED – NITROS OXIDE EDITION $38.99 $59.99 DARK PICTURES – MAN OF MEDAN $20.99 $29.99 DAUNTLESS – ARCSLAYER PACK $29.99 $39.99 DAUNTLESS – ARCSLAYER PACK $29.99 $39.99 DESTINY 2: FORSAKEN $14.99 $24.99 DESTINY 2: SHADOWKEEP $20.99 $34.99 DESTINY 2: SHADOWKEEP DIGITAL DELUXE EDITION $44.99 $59.99 DEVIL MAY CRY 5 (WITH RED ORBS) $19.79 $59.99 DEVIL MAY CRY 5 DELUXE EDITION (WITH RED ORBS) $23.09 $69.99 DEVIL MAY CRY 5 DELUXE UPGRADE $7.49 $14.99 DICK WILDE (VR) $5.99 $14.99 DICK WILDE 2 (VR) $9.99 $19.99 DRAGON BALL FIGHTERZ $14.99 $59.99 DRAGON BALL FIGHTERZ – FIGHTERZ EDITION $28.49 $94.99 DRAGON BALL FIGHTERZ – FIGHTERZ PASS $17.49 $34.99 DRAGON BALL FIGHTERZ – FIGHTERZ PASS 2 $12.49 $24.99 DRAGON BALL FIGHTERZ – ULTIMATE EDITION $32.99 $109.99 EA SPORTS FIFA 20 $29.99 $59.99 EA SPORTS FIFA 20 CHAMPIONS EDITION $39.99 $79.99 EA SPORTS FIFA 20 FIFA 20 ULTIMATE EDITION $49.99 $99.99 EA SPORTS UFC 3 DELUXE EDITION $14.99 $29.99 F1 2019 $29.99 $59.99 F1 2019 LEGENDS EDITION SENNA & PROST $34.99 $69.99 FALLOUT 4: GAME OF THE YEAR EDITION $19.79 $59.99 FALLOUT 76 $19.99 $39.99 FALLOUT 76 TRICENTENNIAL EDITION $29.99 $59.99 FAR CRY 5 $14.99 $59.99 FAR CRY 5 SEASON PASS $14.99 $29.99 FAR CRY NEW DAWN $15.99 $39.99 FAR CRY NEW DAWN COMPLETE EDITION $29.99 $99.99 FAR CRY NEW DAWN DELUXE EDITION $19.99 $49.99 FAR CRY NEW DAWN ULTIMATE EDITION $38.99 $129.99 FOR HONOR COMPLETE EDITION $32.99 $99.99 FOR HONOR MARCHING FIRE EDITION $16.49 $49.99 FOR HONOR MARCHING FIRE EDITION $14.99 $29.99 GRAND THEFT AUTO ONLINE MEGALODON SHARK CASH CARD $84.99 $99.99 GRAND THEFT AUTO ONLINE MEGALODON SHARK CASH CARD $84.99 $99.99 GRAND THEFT AUTO V: PREMIUM ONLINE EDITION $9.89 $29.99 GRAND THEFT AUTO V: STARTER PACK AND MEGALODON SHARK CARD BUNDLE $83.99 $104.99 GTAV: PREMIUM ONLINE EDITION & GREAT WHITE SHARK CARD $22.49 $44.99 GTAV: PREMIUM ONLINE EDITION & MEGALODON SHARK CARD $40.49 $89.99 GTAV: PREMIUM ONLINE EDITION & WHALE SHARK CARD $26.99 $59.99 HITMAN – GAME OF THE YEAR EDITION $11.99 $59.99 JUMP FORCE $29.99 $59.99 JUMP FORCE – DELUXE EDITION $44.99 $89.99 JUMP FORCE – ULTIMATE EDITION $49.99 $99.99 JUST CAUSE 4 – COMPLETE EDITION $24.49 $69.99 JUST CAUSE 4 – EXPANSION PASS $14.99 $29.99 JUST CAUSE 4 – GOLD EDITION $20.99 $59.99 JUST CAUSE 4: RELOADED $13.99 $39.99 JUST DANCE 2020 $25.99 $39.99 L.A. NOIRE: THE VR CASE FILES $22.49 $29.99 LAYERS OF FEAR 2 $14.99 $29.99 LIFE IS STRANGE 2 – EPISODE 1 $1.99 $7.99 LIFE IS STRANGE 2 – EPISODE 2 – 5 BUNDLE $19.79 $32.99 LIFE IS STRANGE 2 COMPLETE SEASON $19.99 $39.99 MADDEN NFL 20 $35.99 $59.99 MADDEN NFL 20: SUPERSTAR EDITION $39.99 $79.99 MADDEN NFL 20: ULTIMATE SUPERSTAR EDITION $49.99 $99.99 METRO EXODUS $20.99 $59.99 METRO EXODUS EXPANSION PASS $12.49 $24.99 METRO EXODUS GOLD EDITION $29.74 $84.99 MLB THE SHOW 19 STUBS (1000) $0.69 $0.99 MLB THE SHOW 19 STUBS (11000) $5.99 $9.99 MLB THE SHOW 19: STUBS (150000) $49.99 $99.99 MLB THE SHOW 19: STUBS (24000) $11.99 $19.99 MLB THE SHOW 19: STUBS (5000) $3.49 $4.99 MLB THE SHOW 19: STUBS (67500) $24.99 $49.99 MONSTER HUNTER WORLD: ICEBORNE $29.99 $39.99 MONSTER HUNTER WORLD: ICEBORNE DELUXE KIT $11.24 $14.99 MONSTER HUNTER WORLD: ICEBORNE DIGITAL DELUXE $37.49 $49.99 MONSTER HUNTER WORLD: ICEBORNE MASTER EDITION $40.19 $59.99 MONSTER HUNTER WORLD: ICEBORNE MASTER EDITION DIGITAL DELUXE $46.89 $69.99 MONSTER HUNTER: WORLD $14.99 $29.99 MONSTER HUNTER: WORLD – COMPLETE GESTURE PACK $21.24 $24.99 MONSTER HUNTER: WORLD – COMPLETE HANDLER COSTUME PACK $11.99 $14.99 MONSTER HUNTER: WORLD – COMPLETE STICKER PACK $7.99 $9.99 MONSTER HUNTER: WORLD – DLC COLLECTION $33.99 $39.99 MONSTER HUNTER: WORLD DELUXE KIT $6.69 $9.99 MONSTER HUNTER: WORLD: CHARACTER & PALICO EDIT VOUCHER: THREE-VOUCHER PACK $6.69 $9.99 MORTAL KOMBAT 11 $29.99 $59.99 MORTAL KOMBAT 11 – PREMIUM EDITION $44.99 $89.99 MORTAL KOMBAT 11 KOMBAT PACK $19.99 $39.99 MORTAL KOMBAT 11: 1150 TIME KRYSTALS $8.99 $9.99 MORTAL KOMBAT 11: 2500 TIME KRYSTALS $16.99 $19.99 MORTAL KOMBAT 11: 5600 TIME KRYSTALS $31.99 $39.99 NARUTO TO BORUTO: SHINOBI STRIKER $14.99 $59.99 NARUTO TO BORUTO: SHINOBI STRIKER DELUXE EDITION $22.49 $89.99 NBA 2K20 $29.99 $59.99 NBA 2K20 DIGITAL DELUXE $39.99 $79.99 NBA 2K20 LEGEND EDITION $49.99 $99.99 NBA 2K20: 200000 VC PACK $39.99 $49.99 NBA 2K20: 450000 VC PACK $79.99 $99.99 NBA 2K20: 75000 VC PACK $15.99 $19.99 NEED FOR SPEED HEAT $40.19 $59.99 NEED FOR SPEED HEAT DELUXE EDITION $41.99 $69.99 NHL 20 $29.99 $59.99 NHL 20 DELUXE EDITION $34.99 $69.99 NHL 20 ULTIMATE EDITION $39.99 $79.99 NI NO KUNI II: REVENANT KINGDOM $20.39 $59.99 NI NO KUNI II: REVENANT KINGDOM – DELUXE EDITION $27.19 $79.99 NI NO KUNI II: REVENANT KINGDOM – SEASON PASS $9.99 $19.99 ONE PIECE WORLD SEEKER $29.99 $59.99 ONE PIECE WORLD SEEKER DELUXE EDITION $53.99 $89.99 OVERWATCH LEGENDARY EDITION $19.79 $59.99 PALADINS CHAMPIONS PACK $9.89 $29.99 PALADINS DIGITAL DELUXE EDITION 2019 $29.99 $59.99 PALADINS SEASON PASS 2019 $19.99 $39.99 PERSONA 5 $9.99 $19.99 PERSONA 5: COSTUME & BGM BUNDLE $29.99 $59.99 PERSONA 5: PERSONA BUNDLE $11.99 $19.99 PERSONA 5: ULTIMATE EDITION $42.49 $84.99 PHOENIX WRIGHT: ACE ATTORNEY TRILOGY $20.09 $29.99 PLANTS VS ZOMBIES: BATTLE FOR NEIGHBORVILLE $29.99 $39.99 PLANTS VS. ZOMBIES: BATTLE FOR NEIGHBORVILLE SEASONS EATINGZ EDITION $37.49 $49.99 PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS $14.99 $29.99 REALM ROYALE BASS DROP BUNDLE $7.49 $14.99 RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2 $29.99 $59.99 RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2: ULTIMATE EDITION $39.99 $99.99 REMNANT: FROM THE ASHES $27.99 $39.99 RESIDENT EVIL 2 $19.79 $59.99 RESIDENT EVIL 2 DELUXE EDITION $23.09 $69.99 ROBINSON: THE JOURNEY (VR) $20.99 $29.99 SAMURAI SHODOWN $44.99 $59.99 SAMURAI SHODOWN DELUXE EDITION $59.99 $79.99 SAMURAI SHODOWN SEASON 1 PASS $14.99 $19.99 SEKIRO $38.99 $59.99 SHADOW OF THE TOMB RAIDER DEFINITIVE EDITION $23.99 $59.99 SMITE BEST SELLERS BUNDLE $3.74 $4.99 SMITE STARTER SKINS BUNDLE $7.49 $9.99 SMITE THE BATTLEGROUND OF THE GODS BUNDLE $9.89 $14.99 SMITE ULTIMATE GOD PACK $9.89 $29.99 SPYRO + CRASH REMASTERED GAME BUNDLE $37.49 $74.99 SPYRO REIGNITED TRILOGY $19.99 $39.99 SUPER DODGEBALL BEATS $9.09 $12.99 SWORD ART ONLINE: FATAL BULLET $11.99 $39.99 SWORD ART ONLINE: FATAL BULLET COMPLETE EDITION $20.99 $69.99 TALES OF VESPERIA: DEFINITIVE EDITION $24.99 $49.99 THE CREW 2 $14.99 $59.99 THE CREW 2 GOLD EDITION $24.99 $99.99 THE CREW 2 SEASON PASS $19.99 $39.99 THE ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE $9.99 $19.99 THE ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE: ELSWEYR $19.79 $59.99 THE ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE: ELSWEYR COLLECTOR’S EDITION $26.39 $79.99 THE ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE: ELSWEYR COLLECTOR’S EDITION UPGRADE $16.49 $49.99 THE ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE: ELSWEYR UPGRADE $13.19 $39.99 THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM SPECIAL EDITION $15.99 $39.99 THE JACKBOX PARTY PACK 6 $22.49 $29.99 THE OUTER WORLDS $44.99 $59.99 THE SIMS 4 $9.99 $39.99 THE SIMS 4 BUNDLE – CATS AND DOGS, PARENTHOOD, TODDLER STUFF $24.99 $49.99 THE SIMS 4 CATS & DOGS $19.99 $39.99 THE SIMS 4 CITY LIVING $19.99 $39.99 THE SIMS 4 DELUXE PARTY EDITION $12.49 $49.99 THE SIMS 4 DINE OUT $14.99 $19.99 THE SIMS 4 GET FAMOUS $19.99 $39.99 THE SIMS 4 GET TO WORK $19.99 $39.99 THE SIMS 4 GET TOGETHER $19.99 $39.99 THE SIMS 4 ISLAND LIVING DLC NA $19.99 $39.99 THE SIMS 4 JUNGLE ADVENTURE $14.99 $19.99 THE SIMS 4 OUTDOOR RETREAT $14.99 $19.99 THE SIMS 4 PARENTHOOD $14.99 $19.99 THE SIMS 4 SEASONS $19.99 $39.99 THE SIMS 4 SPA DAY $14.99 $19.99 THE SIMS 4 STRANGERVILLE NA $14.99 $19.99 THE SIMS 4 VAMPIRES $14.99 $19.99 THE WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT $11.99 $39.99 THE WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT – BLOOD AND WINE $7.99 $19.99 THE WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT – COMPLETE EDITION $14.99 $49.99 THE WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT – HEARTS OF STONE $3.99 $9.99 THE WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT EXPANSION PASS $9.99 $24.99 TOM CLANCY’S GHOST RECON BREAKPOINT $29.99 $59.99 TOM CLANCY’S GHOST RECON BREAKPOINT – GOLD EDITION $49.99 $99.99 TOM CLANCY’S GHOST RECON BREAKPOINT – ULTIMATE EDITION $59.99 $119.99 TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX SIEGE DELUXE EDITION $11.99 $39.99 TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX SIEGE GOLD EDITION $27.99 $69.99 TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX SIEGE ULTIMATE EDITION $43.99 $109.99 TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX SIEGE YEAR 4 PASS $20.99 $29.99 TOM CLANCY’S THE DIVISION 2 – YEAR 1 PASS $19.99 $39.99 TOM CLANCY’S THE DIVISION 2 GOLD EDITION $24.99 $99.99 TOM CLANCY’S THE DIVISION 2 STANDARD EDITION $14.99 $59.99 TOM CLANCY’S THE DIVISION 2 ULTIMATE EDITION $29.99 $119.99 TRAILS OF COLD STEEL III DIGITAL DELUXE PREORDER $55.99 $79.99 TRAILS OF COLD STEEL III: PREMIUM COSMETIC BUNDLE $20.99 $29.99 TRAILS OF COLD STEEL III: STANDARD COSMETIC BUNDLE $10.49 $14.99 WATCH DOGS 1 + WATCH DOGS 2 STANDARD EDITIONS BUNDLE $14.99 $59.99 WATCH DOGS 2 $12.49 $49.99 WATCH DOGS 2 – DELUXE EDITION $14.99 $59.99 WATCH DOGS 2 – GOLD EDITION $22.49 $89.99 WATCH DOGS 2 – HUMAN CONDITIONS $7.49 $14.99 WATCH DOGS 2 – NO COMPROMISE $4.99 $9.99 WATCH DOGS 2 – SEASON PASS $15.99 $39.99 WOLFENSTEIN: YOUNGBLOOD DELUXE BUNDLE $19.99 $39.99 WORLD WAR Z THE GAME $17.99 $39.99 WWE 2K20 $29.99 $59.99 WWE 2K20 DELUXE EDITION $44.99 $89.99 PS4 Games | 11/24/2019 Title $Sale $Original ASTRO BOT RESCUE MISSION $13.99 $19.99 CONCRETE GENIE $20.09 $29.99 CONCRETE GENIE DIGITAL DELUXE EDITION $26.79 $39.99 DAYS GONE $19.99 $39.99 DAYS GONE DIGITAL DELUXE EDITION $24.99 $49.99 DETROIT: BECOME HUMAN $9.99 $19.99 DETROIT: BECOME HUMAN DIGITAL DELUXE EDITION $14.99 $29.99 EVERYBODY’S GOLF (VR) $20.99 $29.99 FIREWALL: ZERO HOUR $9.99 $19.99 GOD OF WAR DIGITAL DELUXE EDITION $14.99 $29.99 GOD OF WAR PS4 $9.99 $19.99 HORIZON ZERO DAWN: COMPLETE EDITION $9.99 $19.99 HORIZON ZERO DAWN: THE FROZEN WILDS $4.99 $9.99 MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN: GAME OF THE YEAR EDITION $19.99 $39.99 MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN: SILVER LINING $4.99 $9.99 MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN: THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS $12.49 $24.99 MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN: THE HEIST $4.99 $9.99 MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN: TURF WARS $4.99 $9.99 MEDIEVIL $20.09 $29.99 MEDIEVIL – DIGITAL DELUXE $26.79 $39.99 MLB THE SHOW 19 $20.09 $29.99 MLB THE SHOW 19 ALL-STAR EDITION $26.79 $39.99 MLB THE SHOW 19 DIGITAL DELUXE EDITION $46.89 $69.99 THE INPATIENT $9.99 $19.99 THE LAST OF US REMASTERED $9.99 $19.99 UNCHARTED 4: A THIEF’S END $9.99 $19.99 UNCHARTED THE NATHAN DRAKE COLLECTION $9.99 $19.99 UNCHARTED: THE LOST LEGACY $9.99 $19.99 UNTIL DAWN $13.99 $19.99 PS4 Games | 11/28/2019 Title $Sale $Original CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE $49.79 $59.99 Note: All pricing is for U.S. only and subject to change. 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For those unfamiliar with Lost Ember, it tells the story of a wolf and their enigmatic spirit companion who sets them off on a search for the mysterious City of Light. Intriguingly, the wolf can possess the body of any animal you come across, be it a parrot, trout, or hummingbird. This gives players an unprecedented degree of freedom as you traverse by land, sea, and air across lush rainforests, gargantuan canyon valleys, shimmering lakes, sprawling desert plains, and ancient temple ruins. The world of Lost Ember is one that’s both beautiful and tragic. Simultaneously brimming with life and bearing the ruins of the lost Yanrana civilization. It’s up to the player to recall what tragedy befell them and their people in a past life, experiencing the fall of a man-made world and the growing friendship of our two companions. The troublesome relationship between man and nature and between a father and his daughter is at the heart of Lost Ember, so we wanted to illustrate just how diverse the world is, in the global and the private realm. It’s easy to get stuck in our routine and think things revolve around us, when really there’s a complex ecosystem of flora and fauna out there, each with a very different perspective on life. Every animal in Lost Ember has its own unique advantages and disadvantages. A roaring river may be an impenetrable obstacle to a wolf, but a fish can swim right through it. A bison may have the mass and vigor to tear down ancient structures, but lacks the wombat’s ability to navigate cramped tunnels. An expansive canyon may be a dead end for a ram, but a parrot can fly right over it. Accompanied by ‘Come Back Home’, which the wonderful Maisy Kay tailored to our visuals, this new launch trailer shows off some never-before-seen animals and environments. We wanted to show off the diversity of experiences you’ll have journeying through Lost Ember’s vast terrain, while still withholding plenty of surprises for the final game (and there’s a lot in there, especially if you want to seek out all the hidden collectibles we’ve secreted away; our 3D Artist Matthias is a regular Easter bunny when it comes to hiding collectibles). We’ve been developing Lost Ember for over five years now, which is a lot longer than we initially expected. But all throughout development we kept brainstorming new ideas. New animals to inhabit. New environments to explore. New wrinkles in the narrative, and new ways to tease its central mystery. A lot of people don’t realize that Mooneye Studios is only five people, so these things take time! We think it was worth it though! When we look at this launch trailer it brings to mind all the struggles we’ve faced and overcome over the past half decade, and while that’s a personal experience relative to us, we think Lost Ember’s haunting, wondrous, melancholic fairy tale magic will strike a chord with many of you as well. View the full article

PlayStation VR owners have plenty to look forward to in the coming months, and at a recent event held at PlayStation’s San Mateo headquarters Tim and I got a chance to go hands-on (eyeballs-on?) with a few just-released and upcoming titles. Here are four we think are worth keeping an eye on: Stardust Odyssey Out December 3, 2019 From Agharta Studio comes a beautifully presented high-fantasy sci-fi space pirate adventure whose opening tutorial sees you unwittingly delivering an artifact of immense power to the game’s main antagonist. Whoops. Stardust Odyssey eschews the traditional VR motif of physically reaching out to grab things, opting instead to equip players with a sort of magnetic tether that lets them set their own frame of reference for the game’s controls. I used my left hand to control my ship’s throttle, pushing forward to speed up and pointing in various directions to navigate each level. This makes piloting your wood-and-metal dirigible a joy, enabling effortless traversal through a convoy of oblivious ships whose treasures you can liberate with your trusty tether. Once you’ve got a feel for your vessel’s controls, you gain access to magical spells that allow you to attack hostile drones with lightning or create a shield to absorb incoming damage. These new abilities, combined with the option to hide behind other ships to avoid incoming enemy scans, make for an engaging, varied experience that Agharta thinks should take around 10 hours for players to complete (not counting the extra time it will take to complete the game’s optional content and unlock its Trophies). The Room VR: A Dark Matter Out in Early 2020 An escape room-esque experience adapted from the award-winning mobile game of the same name, The Room VR will test players’ logical thinking skills while immersing them in a noir mystery story with eldritch trappings. What has always eluded me about the “escape room” experience is the fact that they’re designed for a group of multiple people to collaboratively solve. Perhaps I’m not the sharpest crayon in the box, but I always feel like my role in these events is relegated to “clue gatherer” or “guinea pig for outlandish solutions that usually don’t work.” In The Room VR, the puzzles — at least those in the first level, which took me around 15 minutes to solve — are approachable enough that a little ingenuity combined with some light trial and error was usually enough for me to crack the code without getting too frustrated. I’m told the game gets more difficult beyond that, but I was too embarrassed to let folks waiting to play see me struggle with those challenges. I’ll give them a go in the judgment-free privacy of my living room when The Room VR launches early next year. Pixel Ripped 1995 Spring 2020 Following up the quirky, delightful Pixel Ripped 1989 is a new title set six years later, just on the cusp of the advent of polygonal gaming. 1995 opens with you (a small child) in your poster-laden bedroom, lit by the comforting glow of your CRT television and the side-scrolling platformer you’re playing on it. Of course, it’s not long before dear old mom comes to tell you it’s past your bedtime, forcing you to turn off the TV and get to sleep (ugh, parents!). But, like any self-respecting gamer, as soon as she’s asleep it’s back on with the TV and back to the game. This is where it gets interesting — encountering certain obstacles in the game-within-the-game will produce a loud sound effect, waking up mom and, of course, getting you in deep trouble. But if you’re quick, you can grab the remote and turn the TV off before she arrives, giving you another precious shot at the level. If you played 1989, you might already know about the gameplay twist that comes along once you beat the stage’s boss. If you haven’t, I won’t spoil it here (play Pixel Ripped 1989 now — it’s great). Snappy writing and clever homages will get a chuckle from longtime gamers (“If the turkeys in these walls could talk…”) and the presentation of Pixel Ripped 1995’s surprisingly tight side-scrolling gameplay puts this one near the top of my “games to watch” list for 2020. Space Channel 5 Kinda Funky News Flash! Spring 2020 Strike a pose with the iconic Ulala in this flashback to those halcyon Sega Dreamcast days. This VR follow up by Grounding. Inc. focuses on what the series is best known for – striking stylish poses to out-dance nasty invaders. With PS VR, you can now look down to see yourself dressed in an intergalactically outrageous costume. As I wielded two PS Move controllers, Ulala showed me the ropes of broadcast dancing. It took a few minutes for me to knock the rust out of my joints and loosen up to the game’s extravagant style, but once I was there I had a grin plastered on my face. Ducking, leaning, reaching up or down, and other key poses are the name of the game. I also hold Ulala personally responsible for making me dab in front of coworkers… These moves come in handy when confronting troupes of boogying aliens. Poses conveniently sync up so that you end up dodging enemy laser blasts. It’s a satisfying effect, especially when combined with a pleasant “ding” indicating you dodged perfectly. My favorite touch was striking a poke with my arms outstretched and blasting hand-lasers at enemies. Ulala’s return is just as funky and fresh as ever, and a great way to get the blood pumping. The dancing invaders touch down next spring. View the full article

Debris is a different take on narrative co-op that’s focused on one thing: getting two people in separate realities to trust each other. Have you ever played a co-op game with someone and found it difficult to communicate? Not because of lag or a bad connection, but because it was really hard to know what the other player was experiencing at any given moment? You die because your teammate was looking the wrong way? You run right into a trap that everyone else avoided but didn’t warn you about? You lose the round because someone wasn’t looking at the clock? How could you not hear the countdown? How could you not know?! It’s easy to take for granted the ability to sync up. Our interactions with others usually happen in a mutually understood context, in a shared reality. Games have always given us the ability to generate new realities. Online multiplayer lets us share them with anyone, anywhere. But multiplayer is usually focused on one thing: synchronization. Fast, reliable servers. Efficient netcode. Lag compensation. All of it’s designed to simulate the feeling of being in a shared, seamless reality. Unfortunately, reality isn’t seamless. Not in games, and not in the real world. Experiencing a break from reality is all too common, and is most commonly known as psychosis. Like in the groundbreaking Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Debris uses a fantastic setting to portray someone suffering from psychosis in a serious and sympathetic way. The entire game was developed in close collaboration with Dr. Suzanne Archie (Clinical Director, Cleghorn Early Intervention in Psychosis Program, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton) and Dr. Manuela Ferrari (Research Associate, Douglas Mental Health University Institute). Production was also supervised by an amazing Advisory Committee of local community leaders and mental health experts. Like most illnesses, there isn’t only one type of psychosis. In Debris, the details of your psychotic experience change depending on choices and events: hallucinations, voices, and overarching delusions. Psychosis sufferers can endure manic or depressive symptoms. They may deal with systematic delusions of grandeur or persecution that seem to connect everything into one grand, conspiratorial idea. In Debris, the entire plot hinges on how the characters react to the terrors of the surreal seascape locked between ice and rock. Because in Debris, you’re not alone. It won’t be easy to get back to the surface, but with compassion, trust, and a lot of bravery, you and your partner can survive. In co-op, you’ll need to work together to overcome significant obstacles. Slowly, you’ll find that your shared reality begins to diverge, as if life isn’t already hard enough. But who can you trust? And beyond trust, what can you do? You’re still separated from your partner. You’re stuck at the bottom of a network of ice caves full of mysterious creatures, suspiciously high-tech equipment, and minimal resources. Debris was designed for you to find a way to survive together, because it is possible. It may require you to synchronize — to communicate — in an entirely different way. View the full article

Get ready to experience South America’s biggest club tournament. The CONMEBOL Libertadores is coming exclusively to FIFA 20 as a free content update* next year. In addition, you’ll also be able to play CONMEBOL’s other South American club tournaments – the CONMEBOL Sudamericana and CONMEBOL Recopa – as well as when the content update drops next March. What the update will include You’ll be able to play with clubs from Uruguay, Perú, Paraguay, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina and beyond at the pinnacle of South American club football. Lead historic South American teams like River Plate, Boca Juniors, Flamengo, Corinthians, Racing, Indepentiente U. Católica and Colo-Colo and follow in the footsteps of stars like Vinícius Jr. and Kaká through the heated competition of CONMEBOL Libertadores, CONMEBOL Sudamericana and CONMEBOL Recopa. Whether you play FIFA Ultimate Team, Career Mode, Kick-Off, or the new CONMEBOL Libertadores Tournament Mode,you’ll feel the weight of a continent’s obsession in time for the kick-off of the 2020 tournament’s Group Stage in March. *CONMEBOL Libertadores content available for download on March 2020. Requires FIFA 20 for PS4 (sold separately), all game updates and an internet connection. View the full article

The time has come! 56 of the best Gran Turismo drivers from 19 countries will put everything on the line this week in Monaco to become the Nations Cup and Manufacturer Series Final World Champions. The Gran Turismo Championship World Finals Events will start this Friday, where the six-time F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton and Gran Turismo series creator, Kazunori Yamauchi, will be making a special announcement for an upcoming PlayStation Store DLC for Gran Turismo Sport. Following the announcement, Lewis Hamilton will also be participating in the Pro Am race where he will be teamed-up with a GT Competitor racing against a team of special guests and media drivers. The battle for first place will continue throughout Saturday and Sunday (November 23 and 24) as the world’s fastest Gran Turismo drivers compete in the Manufacturer Series and Nations Cup Finals through a series of highly competitive races where valuable points are earned. For the Manufacturer Series, the top 12 manufacturers chosen based on results of the 2019 Manufacturer Series will compete in teams of three. There will be three races – Race 1, Race 2, and a Grand Final with the final result determined based on the total number of points from all three races. In Nations Cup, 24 competitors each of whom qualified based on results from each of the 2019 Series World Championships will compete in a three-day tournament, including Qualifying, Semi-Final, Repechage, and Grand Final. Adding to the competitive tension at the Monaco 2019 Series World Finals this weekend is the introduction of the legendary Laguna Seca Raceway. Tucked away in one of the most picturesque regions of America’s west coast, Laguna Seca Raceway is located about 190 km south of San Francisco in the state of California. The historic track was founded officially in 1957, but its roots are firmly embedded in the Pebble Beach Road Races that began in 1950. It has hosted everything from IndyCar races to the World Superbike Championships, and features the most famous S-curve in the world: the Corkscrew. While this circuit is nothing new to Gran Turismo drivers, this would be the first time Laguna Seca Raceway is appearing in GT Sport, so get ready to witness some epic racing this weekend as they world’s best Gran Turismo drivers will be battling each other on this legendary track for the first time. In addition to an exciting weekend of intense racing and announcements, two new Gran Turismo partnership vehicles will be unveiled through the live stream: Mazda will release images of the Mazda RX-VISION GT3 Concept, joining the FIA Gran Turismo Championships from 2020! Lamborghini will be unveiling the Lamborghini Vision Gran Turismo full scale vehicle. In case you’ve missed it, here’s the teaser video that was released earlier in the week. Where can I see the action? You can catch the race live at the following times: Friday, November
 22, 9AM to 11AM PST: Nations Cup: Qualifying Races Saturday, November 23, 9AM to 11AM PST: Manufacturer Series World Finals Sunday, November 24, 9AM to 11AM PST: Nations Cup World Finals Link to the live stream with commentary for your respective languages and details including the tournament structure + race formats can be found at: https://www.gran-turismo.com/world/gtsport/worldtour2019/monaco/ View the full article

As a former game journalist, working on Warframe has been an eye-opening experience into the development of a living game. Warframe is in constant motion. This six-year-old games-as-a-service title cycles through constant expansion, re-tooling, balances, re-balances, engine overhauls, complete teardowns, you name it. With Update 26, The Old Blood — our fourth significant update this year — we’re inventing something entirely new by debuting the treacherous, immortal villain, the Kuva Lich (basically, an all-new game system); building a new character with the insatiable wrecking ball of a Warframe, Grendel (the fourth new Warframe in 2019), and layering in new ways to fight by implementing an updated combat system with Melee Changes: Phase 2. For years, Digital Extremes’ development team has talked about infusing a new, ongoing threat into Warframe, referencing a “Kingpin” or “Nemesis” system. The idea being players would face off against a persistent enemy who poses a growing threat to their in-game existence. In a matter of days, PS4 players will have the chance to create their own bond with this new foe. “Open zones were a leap for Warframe, and Kuva Liches are another,” says Community Coordinator Helen Heikkila. “The enemy now haunts the player. Lore becomes all the richer when enemies traverse and conquer the Origin System just as Tenno do. Tenno created this new threat and must watch its influence spread like a stain. It’s up to them to decide how it ends.” To start their “relationship,” Tenno must hunt down a Grineer soldier spiked with Kuva (a mysterious red fluid coveted by Grineer Queens). By landing a killing blow, the Grineer soldier’s death triggers rebirth. In his or her regeneration, these Grineer return stronger, acquiring the specific Ability players used against them, gaining followers (i.e. soldiers), and developing even greater powers. These aren’t just ordinary enemies. Each time a Tenno beats this soldier, the Kuva Lich is assigned a randomly horrific (and sometimes funny) name, like Ogg Horr, Corelikk Airee, or even Gitt Bakk, like that one Beatles song. They have personalities. They deliver quippy dialog to tease and coax players into their next confrontation. They’re given weaknesses, resistances, weapon types, weapon bonuses, their progenitor, a birthplace, and even personality quirks, like cowardice, bloodhound and paranoid qualities, which show up on their profile page. Megan Everett, Warframe’s Community Manager, believes Kuva Liches bring both new thrills and new anxieties to the game. “I’m always looking around every corner just waiting for my beloved Codokon Gakk to pop in,” she says. “It brings the same excitement of the light flickering Stalker but with a splash of brilliantly written taunts and oh-so-satisfying finisher animations. The possibilities with the Kuva Lich system are vast, so I can’t wait for possibly another Kuva Lich faction (and its 15 friends) to come knocking on my Orbiter door.” Heikkila agrees, adding: “We’ve always had complicated relationships with enemies in Warframe, but there’s a unique appeal in knowing this enemy isn’t coming for the Tenno; it’s coming for you.” Then there’s Grendel. Strangely reminiscent of a sumo wrestler in heft and stance, Grendel is born with the ability to inhale and spit out enemies as acidic projectiles. The 42nd Warframe, and the fourth this year (following Wisp, Hildryn, and Gauss), Grendel barrels in to feast on the cruel and corrupted with Abilities such as Feast (eat an enemy or enemies, then spit them out covered in toxic bile); Nourish (take consumed enemies and nourish nearby squad members with a radial buff); Regurgitate (puke bile-soaked enemies as toxic projectiles); and Pulverize (after feeding, Grendel curls into a ball and sends any enemies in his path flying). Despite his fearsome appearance, Grendel is a noble spirit whose generosity is matched only by his insatiable hunger. And he’s kind of funny. “I’m a big fan of the humor in Grendel,” says Everett. “He’s literally an insatiable pit with the urge to roll around and regurgitate. With an abundance of Warframes to choose from, it’s nice to get a little silly. Grendel can definitely hold his own amongst his enemies, but I’ll never stop smiling at the sight of my regurgitated enemies displayed before me.” “The aspect of Warframe I enjoy most is uncovering each Warframe’s unique personality, and Grendel’s is my favorite so far,” says Heikkila. “Things like the Sound Team’s decision to make Grendel subtly say yum after ingesting an enemy adds a lot to the immersion for me. He’s also as tanky as he looks, with a unique self-heal ability I really like. Nothing beats curling into a ball to topple enemies like bowling pins and then opening your entire stomach to feast on them. Yum.” Last but not least is the heavily updated combat system. Called “Melee Changes: Phase 2,” this next phase brings devastating new combat techniques like heavy attacks and juggle-inducing melee attacks, smoother combos, re-balances, and the return of manual blocking, to name a few. One of our favorites is the mid-air madness created by some melee attacks. Feel like pulverizing an enemy in midair? Send them up and actualize your airborne space ninja dreams! There’s more, too — new Vauban and Ember reworks, Titania Empress, new Tenno Reinforcements like the Grendel Collection, and our community favorite, the Vasca Kavat, a vampiric space cat you can make into your pet! Whether you’re new to Warframe or an old hand, I reckon you’ll be surprised, delighted, and hopefully humored by The Old Blood. Look for it to hit PS4 very, very soon and let us know what you think below. View the full article

Hello, my name is James Hunt. I am the Creative Lead on the new title from us at Fast Travel Games; a heartwarming, interactive tale made for PlayStation VR called The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets. Our studio was founded in 2016 by former creators of franchises such as Battlefield, Mirror’s Edge, and Angry Birds, and we have since then released Apex Construct on PS VR. The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets is something completely different from our debut title, however… Imagine that you have a miniature world in front of you — a detailed world full of colorful life and immersive interactive elements. Imagine engaging with these worlds simply by using your intuition, free from stress or fail states. A game that can be accessed and enjoyed by anyone, regardless of age or gaming preferences. This was the mission we set as we developed this game. It has been a true passion project, and I am so excited for it to finally launch today for PS VR! In The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets, you’ll help your grandfather solve the mystery of the stolen pets by travelling back to your childhood and the imaginary worlds you created together. While solving puzzles and finding pets by using your hands to grip, spin, drop and push the elements of each world, you’ll embark on an emotional journey where you come to realize things about yourself you forgot decades ago. The narrative plays a big role in this game, spanning five unique worlds and allowing you to revisit a joyful past but also to resolve a family conflict. Between worlds, you return to your childhood bedroom where you choose which world to travel to next. This September, The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets was chosen as Best Immersive Game at Raindance Film Festival. It was a surprising but wonderful sensation to win an award for my first title as Creative Lead, especially considering the other great titles in the award category. One of the judges said that he ”…fell in love with The Curious Tale – from the art style to the music, it really showcases the best of what VR has to offer.” I am also extremely excited to have music from Wintergatan featured in The Curious Tale. Wintergatan became world-renowned after creating the Marble Machine, a musical instrument consisting of 2,000 marbles. I’m a huge fan of their music and it fits perfectly with the theme of the game. On PS VR, The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets can be played using one or two PS Move controllers, or a DualShock 4 controller. It has localized subtitles for Spanish (main & LATAM versions), French, German, Russian, Italian, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Korean & Brazilian Portuguese. And it launches today at PlayStation Store! I could not be prouder of this game or of the small, dedicated team that created it, and I simply cannot wait to see the reactions as PS VR players around the world start exploring the miniature worlds we created! View the full article

The season for giving is almost here! To help you get ready, here’s a round-up of PlayStation deals being offered for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, from November 24 to December 2 (November 28 to December 6 in Canada). Join the PlayStation family and experience the epic gameplay moments on a new PS4 or PlayStation VR bundle. Starting in the US on November 24th, we’re releasing a special Black Friday PS4 bundle that comes with three of the biggest PS4 hit games. We’re also pleased to introduce a new PS VR Mega Pack bundle in North America during Black Friday, which includes five immersive PS VR games to get you into the world of virtual reality. Here’s a quick look at our Black Friday offerings. Be sure to check your local retailers for more information: Only on PlayStation PS4 Bundle for $199.99 (MSRP) / $249.99 CAD (MSRP). Featuring a 1TB PS4 system and three award-winning titles, The Last of Us: Remastered, God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition. While supplies last PlayStation 4 Pro for $299.99 (MSRP)/ $369.99 CAD (MSRP), regularly $399.99 (MSRP) / $499.99 CAD PS VR Multi-game Bundle for $199.99 (MSRP) / $319.99 CAD (MSRP), regularly $299.99 (MSRP) and $449.99 CAD (MSRP). Features a PS VR Headset, a PS Camera and vouchers to download five PS VR titles: Astro Bot Rescue Mission, Skyrim VR, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Everybody’s Golf VR, and PlayStation VR Worlds PS VR Blood & Truth + Everybody’s Golf Bundle for $249.99 (MSRP) / $249.99 CAD (MSRP), regularly $349.99 (MSRP) / $379.99 CAD (MSRP). Features a PS VR Headset, a PS Camera, two PS Move controllers, and two popular PS VR titles: Blood & Truth and Everybody’s Golf VR PS Gold Headset for $69.99 (MSRP) / $89.99 CAD (MSRP) in all available colors, regularly $99.99 (MSRP) / $119.99 CAD (MSRP) DualShock 4 wireless controller for $39.99 (MSRP) / $49.99 CAD (MSRP) in all colors, regularly $64.99 USD (MSRP) / $74.99 CAD (MSRP) 25% off a PlayStation Plus yearly subscription, available 11/22 – 12/2* Select PlayStation exclusive games for $19.99 (MSRP) / $29.99 CAD (MSRP), including Days Gone, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Game of the Year Edition, MediEvil, Concrete Genie, and MLB The Show 19 PlayStation Hits games for $9.99 (MSRP) / $9.99 CAD (MSRP), regularly $19.99 (MSRP) / $19.99 CAD For more details, visit our Black Friday page at PlayStation.com. Thank you to the PlayStation community for your unwavering support! We hope you have a wonderful holiday season, and happy gaming! *Unless canceled, a new subscription will be automatically renewed and your digital wallet deducted every three months. View the full article

Get ready to rule the ring with Street Fighter V: Champion Edition! This action-packed new version was just announced for PlayStation 4 and includes all content (excluding Fighting Chance costumes, brand collaboration costumes and Capcom Pro Tour DLC) from both the original release and Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition. It also includes each character, stage and costume that released after Arcade Edition and that will release with Champion Edition. With 40 characters, 34 stages and over 200 costumes, Champion Edition is the most robust version of Street Fighter V yet! Street Fighter V: Champion Edition will be available physically and digitally on PS4 for MSRP $29.99 beginning on February 14, 2020. Anyone who pre-orders Champion Edition on PS4 in North America (other territories may vary) will receive a static theme (digital purchase only) and a fierce-looking new costume color for each character. For current owners of any version of Street Fighter V, an Upgrade Kit for MSRP $24.99 grants you instant access to all available Champion Edition content as it becomes available leading up to the launch date. As always, all game mode additions and balance updates are free for owners of any Street Fighter V version. In fact, all-new V-Skills (V-Skill II) are being added for each character and, along with a new balance update, will be available for free to current players in December. All DLC characters can still be purchased separately or earned free-of-charge by completing various in-game challenges and receiving Fight Money. Gill Champion Edition also heralds the return of Gill, a master of both Pyrokinesis and Cryokinesis who is able to control fire and ice with perfect elemental balance (hence his outward appearance). All of his heavy normal attacks, and all but one of his special moves, have an elemental alignment. When Gill throws out a fierce punch, it’ll be engulfed in flames, and when he lets fly with a standing roundhouse, it’ll hit opponents with a frozen force. Gill is ready to reveal himself to the world as part of Street Fighter V: Champion Edition on February 14, 2020, or he can be acquired separately starting in December for MSRP $5.99 or 100,000 Fight Money. Happy holidays and enjoy the street fights! View the full article

Yu Suzuki’s legendary open-world RPG series makes its long-awaited return in Shenmue III, out Tuesday for PS4. Catch up with our hero Ryo in his ongoing quest to track down his father’s killer. But hey, no rush — there’s a whole world to explore (and minigames to play). Espire 1: VR Operative puts you in control of a sophisticated espionage bot, letting players live out their stealth action dreams in the immersive world of virtual reality. Use high-tech gadgets and weapons to proceed unseen — or procure enemies weapons and take a more obvious approach. Finally, Sid Meier’s Civilization VI comes to PS4 on Friday, giving PS players a chance to get hooked on the long-running, generation-spanning strategy RPG. Just one more turn… For a full list of new games coming to PlayStation next week, read on. And enjoy The Drop! The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets PS VR — Digital Experience an interactive tale of childlike wonder! Help your grandfather solve the mystery of the stolen pets by exploring wonderful miniature worlds crafted from the ground up for VR. Use a hairdryer to melt snow in a wintery landscape! Search the wreck of a pirate ship partially hidden under the surface! Every world is unique, full of interactions and colorful life. Debris PS4 — Digital (Out 11/22) An atmospheric first-person narrative adventure set in a surreal seascape locked between ice and rock. Following an incident, you and a friend must find power, defeat strange and deadly creatures, and decipher what mysterious forces are attempting to prevent your escape. Escape together or die alone. Deemo -Reborn- PS4, PS VR — Digital (Out 11/21) Rayark’s classic game Deemo is reborn on the PS4 console with a brand-new look. Having both TV/VR mode, this title allows you to immerse in the fantastical music performances and adventurous world explorations. Espire 1: VR Operative PS VR — Digital The definitive VR stealth experience, Espire 1: VR Operative drafts players as drone operators of the future. Players become “Espire Agents” and use cutting edge Virtual Reality hardware to remote-operate the Espire model 1 from the safety of their “Control Theatre.” Farmer’s Dynasty PS4 — Digital (Out 11/21) More than just an agricultural simulation: in Farmer’s Dynasty, you have to rebuild your farm and develop your heritage, start a family, handle your relationships and, of course, manage your crops to prosper. Develop your farm, your life, your family. Experience the life of a real farmer. Cultivate your fields. Lost Ember PS4 — Digital (Out 11/22) A breathtakingly beautiful world holds the secrets of its past for you and your companion to uncover. Play any animal you meet to see the world from new perspectives and chase your destiny in the exploration adventure Lost Ember. Mountain Rescue Simulator PS4 — Digital (Out 11/21) When danger calls – it’s down to you become a lifesaver in Mountain Rescue Simulator! Now you and your team are in demand! Use your special vehicles such as helicopters, quad bikes or snow cat to rescue people. Take care of broken bones or rescue lost hikers! Find and rescue mountaineers and skiers! Munchkin PS4 — Digital (Out 11/19) Dive into Munchkin: Quacked Quest and re-discover the parody, puns, and humor from the hit card game Munchkin by Steve Jackson. Gather gold, throw your foes (and friends) into sacrifice pits, collect ducks, eliminate the monsters, and reach the highest level to win the game! Narcos: Rise of the Cartels PS4 — Digital Narcos: Rise of the Cartels is a brutal turn-based action strategy game based on the hit Netflix TV series. Explore the entire first season from two sides each with their own unique story. Join the narcos and expand the drug cartel empire, or take up arms with the DEA and bring it crumbling down. Shenmue III PS4 — Digital, Retail Journey deep into rural China as you take on the role of Ryo Hazuki, a Japanese teenager hellbent on finding his father’s killer—a story of adventure, mystery, friendship, martial arts, and ultimately, revenge! Sid Meier’s Civilization VI PS4 — Digital, Retail (Out 11/22) Explore a new land, research technology, conquer your enemies, and go head-to-head with history’s most renowned leaders as you attempt to build the greatest civilization the world has ever known. Civilization VI for PS4 includes the latest game updates and improvements, including four new civilizations, leaders, and scenarios. Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts PS4 — Digital, Retail (Out 11/22) Experience pure sniper gameplay across the harsh terrain of Siberia in a brand new contracts-based system that encourages strategic thinking, playing as a silent assassin within engaging, redeployable missions. Stretch PS4 — Digital (Out 11/22) Stretch Arcade is a retro style reaction time trainer for all skill levels. The Mandalorian: Chapter One (Original Score) Hootie & The Blowfish: Game. On. Takeover Def Jam Recordings 35th Anniversary It: Chapter Two Wilder vs. Ortiz II Ballers | Complete Series The information above is subject to change without notice. View the full article

Calling all badass vikings, fans of good music, sarcastic weapons masters, and elite agents: It’s time to play Smite, Paladins, and Rogue Company. Hi-Rez Studios’ annual fan gathering is now underway in Atlanta, Georgia, and we’ve just announced a ton of amazing new content coming to the godly action MOBA Smite and the fantasy team-based shooter Paladins. Plus: We’ve finally lifted the veil on our upcoming title, the high action, tactically minded, third-person shooter Rogue Company. Want to learn more? Read on for all the massive news from Hi-Rez Expo. More than 106 Gods of mythology already wage war in Smite, but God 107 is a true milestone for Smite. Enter: Heimdallr, The Vigilant, a Norse god beyond compare who can smash his foes so hard they’re literally banished to another dimension. As you can see in the trailer above, Heimdallr, throws massive axes at his foes — an all new attack type for a Hunter in Smite. And like all Smite gods, Heimdallr is true to his mythological roots. When you play as Heimdallr, you’ll rock your foes with his legendary Gjallarhorn, traverse the world with magical bifrost, and swing his epic sword. Can’t wait to play as Heimdallr? He’ll be available in Smite next month! Even better: Like all 106 other Smite gods, Heimdallr will be included in the Ultimate God Pack. Heimdallr is the first of six announced new gods planned for Smite over the coming year. These deities hail from a variety of mythologies. Some pantheons will be all-new to Smite, while others will be long-requested fan favorites — including the wicked witch Baba Yaga! Smite Season 7 kicks off in January with a ton of new content, including a new map for the most popular mode on PS4: Joust. This 3v3 battleground is reimagined in a dark, Chinese mythology-inspired style, with magical jade corrupting the once-pristine landscape. This new map also adds additional jungle camps and expands the layout of the current Joust map, creating more tactical options. Can’t wait for all the good stuff? Well, starting today we’re pleased to announce that you’ll be able to enjoy Red Bull Records recording artists AWOLNATION and Beartooth in Smite! Each artist has contributed a new music pack for Smite, comprised of some of their most popular songs. You’ll also be able to show off your fandom with some new themed cosmetics for each band. And if you’re a fan of animation, don’t miss out on Smite’s new Battle Pass: The huntresses of RWBY have invaded the Battleground of the Gods! This divine crossover lets you play as Ruby Rose, Blake Belladonna, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long, facing off with the gods of mythology. You’ll also enjoy announcer packs from the real voice actors, a Zwei ward skin, and so much more. Banzai! Rogue Company Gear up. Dive in. Rogue Company is coming. This action tactical shooter is the newest game from Hi-Rez Studios, developed by First Watch Games. Industry veterans have banded together to create a thrilling world of shadow governments, mercenary organizations, and electrifying, competitive shooter combat for all players. Video to come – stay tuned! The fast-paced, objective based gameplay of Rogue Company carves out a new niche in the world of shooters. You’ll skydive into diverse battlegrounds from across the globe, and face off in round-based combat. Rogue Company will host a variety of 2v2 and 4v4 game modes for all skill levels. Choose from a number of different elite operatives with their own unique loadout. Unleash game-changing abilities and gadgets, but live or die by your shooting skills. Between rounds, unlock new weapons, upgrade perks, or purchase gadgets to augment your playstyle. The first wave of Rogue Company alpha keys are arriving soon. Visit RogueCompany.com and register for your chance to be one of the first to dive into this action-packed multiplayer shooter. Last, but far from least: Paladins. The Magistrate and the resistance have waged an epic war throughout 2019. They’ve battled to the Shattered Desert in search of otherworldly power. They’ve seen the arrival of a celestial goddess. And they’ve summoned a demon from the Abyss itself, Paladins’ newest Champion, Raum, who is available now! Who can stop Raum? None but the legendary weapons master Tiberius, a ferocious Tigron who wields both Chakrams and a massive heavy blade to showcase his superiority in battle. Whatever Tiberius does, this Damage Champion does with style. His wit and sarcasm ring through the battlefield as he effortlessly bounces glaives to slay foes, or magically recalls his sword, slicing enemies in the way. Tiberius releases in early January, 2020, kicking off a Season 3 of Paladins that promises more of what its community wants: exciting Champions, quality Battle Passes, and collaboration with our community to offer the most polished updates possible. Tiberius will be the first of four new Champions to release in 2020, representing all four classes in Paladins, and building on Paladins’ massive roster of 43 Champions live today. Paladins is dedicating its first Battle Pass of 2020 to its community. The Community Battle Pass includes Dark Monarch Lian, Monkey King Talus, Soul Briar Grover, and Ska’Drin Ash, each concepts created by our community members. This will be the first of six planned Battle Passes for 2020, each with a unique and exciting theme. To the fans of Paladins and Smite, and to the soon-to-be fans of Rogue Company: Thank you. Hi-Rez Studios does what we do because of you. Thank you for the hours you’ve chosen to spend with us in 2019, completing the Odyssey or cursing Persephone in Smite, catching some sun in the Shore Patrol Battle Pass or controlling the moon as Io in Paladins. You are what makes Hi-Rez Studios and its communities so special. And if you’d like to represent your community and help guide the development of Smite or Paladins, applications are open now for the 2020 term of our player-elected councils: the Smite Olympians and the Paladins Assembly of Champions. Here’s to a 2020 full of incredible moments in Smite and Paladins, and we can’t wait for you to try Rogue Company for the first time. View the full article

My name is Emily Mitchell and I’m the creator of Fractured Minds, which releases today on PlayStation 4. I developed mental health issues from my early teens and if you are reading this, you may have also suffered similar experiences or know someone who has or is still suffering. I don’t think the feelings ever truly go away and we all have to find ways of coping. In my case, I turned to gaming, where there can be a real community feel and sense of togetherness. I developed a very close-knit group of friends through our love of gaming, and we continue to support each other through the trials of life. My school years consisted of trying to deal with the extreme anxiety of attending classes, even the IT classes, but luckily, our first term was games programming and that’s where the start of my journey really began. After working on a small game, my sister came up with the idea of entering the BAFTA young games designers’ competition. At first, I thought the idea was crazy, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I wanted to create a game that highlighted mental illness. A game where each level depicts a certain aspect of mental health that was personal to me. And that is how ‘Fractured Minds’ was born. It took me around nine months to make as I had to create all of the models and textures myself while I worked on it after school and in my free time. I actually submitted it into the competition about 20 minutes before the cutoff time — imagine finding a bug 25 minutes before it’s due and thinking okay… I have five minutes to fix this! That was definitely in the top most stressful 5 minutes of my life. On my 17th birthday, I found out that I had reached the top ten in the BAFTA Awards and I had to attend an award ceremony. This was getting scary! What have I done? Audience, cameras, filming, awards, travel to London, people, panic… aggghhhh. On the morning of the ceremony I had a massive panic attack at the train station. Luckily my sister was there to pull me through and I eventually arrived, barely able to breathe. Incredibly, I won, and my worst day ever turned into my best. Amazing, and now this part of the journey was about to come to an end. But no! Incredibly, I was contacted by Wired Productions, who were working within the games industry to start a global charity designed to bring awareness of mental health issues within the gaming community. They wanted to use Fractured Minds to help launch Safe in Our World, and I thought that was a brilliant idea. This has now given me the opportunity to share my experience with so many more people and I couldn’t be more excited! At the beginning of this story I mentioned how my gaming friends were so important to me when dealing with my anxiety. I passionately hope that this charity can encourage more empathy, understanding and support of mental health issues within the gaming community. I hope you’ll consider playing Fractured Minds, to share in my journey. By buying the game you’ll support Safe in our World and hopefully help others know that they are not alone. View the full article

Email us at blogcast@sony.com! Subscribe via iTunes, Spotify, Google or RSS, or download here Don’t forget to Like… structures left by fellow Porters throughout the world of Death Stranding! This week, the gang continues their DS discussion and runs down some upcoming PS VR titles they got a chance to go eyes-on with. Plus, an interview with Agharta Studio about PS VR’s upcoming Stardust Odyssey! Stuff We Talked About Death Stranding PlayStation VR Stardust Odyssey The Room VR Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash Pixel Ripped 1995 Audica The Cast Justin Massongill – Social Media Manager, SIEA Kristen Zitani – Social Media Specialist, SIEA Tim Turi – Senior Social Media Specialist, SIEA Thanks to Cory Schmitz for our beautiful logo and Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music. [Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.] View the full article

Facepunch and Double Eleven have today announced that the hugely popular online survival game Rust will be released on PlayStation 4 next year. We found some time to speak to Facepunch chief Garry Newman and pick his brain about Rust and what the announcement means for players. Rust already has a huge following on PC. Why do you think players have connected with the game so much? Rust is a harsh survival game. A dumb move and you can lose hours, days, weeks or progress. A smart move and you can advance your position on the island by weeks. It’s a game of huge risks and huge rewards. When you start out you’re going to be the underdog. You have a rock and everyone else seemingly has an AK. You need to work your way up. This isn’t a linear path. You could find a fully loaded corpse and springboard from there. You could find a quiet part of the island to create a base and build up to that. You could get some friends and work together to rule the whole island. I think this is why it’s so popular. Every time you die you want revenge, you want to try a different strategy. What were your main inspirations when originally designing Rust’s brutal world? When Stalker was first announced we were really excited for the world they described. A real living world where things happen when you’re not there. Skirmishes happening miles away, animals going about their business, lots of unexplained stuff, radioactive areas of great interest. That world was a huge interest to us. We’re also huge FPS players, so the obvious stuff like Call of Duty, Counter-Strike and Battlefield. Players have been asking for a console release for a while now. Why did you make the decision to release Rust in 2020? We’ve been working on Rust on PC since 2013 in Early Access. While it was in early access we felt we had a promise to fulfill for everyone that supported us, so PC was our main priority. We came out of early access in 2018, so at that point we felt we could start looking at the console version, but at the same time it isn’t something we wanted to rush out. What are the key things you want to focus on when releasing a game like Rust on console? Rust is the best survival game on PC. That’s not marketing speak, it’s a scientifically provable fact. So our priority is making Rust the best survival game on Console too. We’ve already got the main ingredient for that: the game itself. So the only thing we have to do to make Rust the best Console survival game is avoid tripping over ourselves in terms of controls and performance. It’s particularly important to get those things perfect in a PVP game like Rust. Rust’s world doesn’t present you with an immediately obvious storyline, but the post-apocalyptic environment is littered with both American and Russian imagery and references– is there a hidden story there? Yeah we have a story, everything in the world has reason and meaning. We don’t share any of that directly because we want to avoid the Star Wars situation where we can’t do something without contradicting five story things. We’ve found this works well for our community, it awesome to see them explore and piece things together based on what they find. Part of the joy of Rust is finding or hosting a regular map to play on– will PlayStation players be able to rent their own servers? Definitely. It’s important for us to allow players to take ownership and configure their servers to their own preferences. What are you most looking forward to when Rust releases next year? Rust spawns a lot of stories. In other games you might be in a situation, a horse kicking an NPC in the face or something, but you know that everyone else has had that situation. Every Rust player I’ve ever spoken to in real life has these stories. A guy once told me a story about how he fell down a pit with no way to get out. So he had this situation where he had to throw all his guns, clothes, and ammo one by one up in the air for his squad mate to catch and keep safe for him. He was laughing so hard telling the story that he had tears in his eyes. I’m looking forward to hearing a lot more of these stories. At family parties. While I’m trying to eat. View the full article

Hi, PlayStation fans! We’re excited to announce that Sparklite is finally launching on PS4 today, after four difficult years. Being indie is a dream many game developers aspire to and, not taking that for granted, we want to share how our studio managed to get Sparklite over the finish line. As an indie developer, we could set our own priorities, like choosing fun over a deadline, but it doesn’t mean that we don’t have any constraints. The most pressing constraint is obviously money. Keeping Red Blue solvent for over four years has been due to a mix of support from family, frugal living, fortunate contract gigs, and, most recently, help from a publisher. Since Red Blue began we have had working spouses who are willing to live cheap and have access to healthcare benefits. Connections with former co-workers also yielded contract gigs that brought in revenue at critical points in development. Breaks like these have made us appreciate our good fortunes and relationships. But speaking of our spouses, we also knew that with kids right around the corner, this might be our best chance to commit ourselves to developing a title. If we had one shot it should be a game we have always wanted to make. A game we would regret not taking a chance on. We chose a retro-inspired action adventure as our genre but also wanted to incorporate some modern design. The original plan was to do an art style that we could achieve in-house, but once we hired a professional pixel artist to mock up the style, we knew we’d need to hire some artists. Early Mockup of Sparklite by Anders Gullmarsvik Growing the Studio Putting together the team that worked on Sparklite has been a mix of good luck and good relationships. We found all of our artists from the amazing pixel art community on Twitter. We compiled lists of artists we liked while following #pixeldailies, and found several that we really clicked with after doing some trial work together. In many ways, this was yet another stroke of luck since we really did not do a lot of vetting in terms of team compatibility. At a few points, we’ve needed to pull in some trusted programmers, particularly for porting. This was yet another time where good connections helped us out. We didn’t need to search for or interview anyone. They are also extremely talented, so the quality of work we got from them was as good as — if not better than — what we could have done on our own. At its biggest, Sparklite had a team of two designers, four programmers, and two pixel artists. At its smallest, it was just two. It’s made it hard to answer questions like “how many people work on Sparklite?” and “how long has it taken to make the game?” The Finish Line The last big stroke of luck that we need to highlight was landing a deal with our publisher, Merge Games. We ran into them while attending PAX East in 2018 as one of the Indie Megabooth participants. They offered to help bring Sparklite to all consoles, including retail, which would allow us to reach many more players than we could have on our own. Without going into a big discussion regarding what “being indie” really means, it was clear to us that the partnership would help us make Sparklite a better game and reach more players without compromising on the game’s design. Without a doubt, the greatest advantage we’ve had over these last four years is the resilience that comes from having strong professional and personal relationships. When we needed contract work, we had contacts who could help out. When we needed programming help, we had friends willing to step in. When we needed more time on the project, our spouses were willing to endure months and years more on a frugal gamedev budget. Maybe it’s not a coincidence then that one of the things we wanted to highlight in Sparklite are the friendships that the protagonist, Ada, relies on in her adventure. The townspeople who help her up when she falls give her the resilience she needs to carry on. Gamedev is also an adventure of its own and we’re so grateful to have had the support and good fortune to be able to bring Sparklite to life. View the full article

There’s a reason why our studio is named “Highwire Games” and not “Beaten Path Interactive,” or “Incremental Entertainment.” We founded the studio in order to take the kind of risks that are not possible for huge teams with gigantic budgets. We are pleased to announce that Golem is finally out on PlayStation VR tomorrow. Here are just a few of the risks we took to bring this title to life. Risk #1 – An Open World VR Game The promise of virtual reality is that you will visit another world — but the current generation of tech is more suited to stationary gameplay and small environments. Streaming is difficult in VR and the technical investment was daunting, but as a result of that work Golem features an enormous city to explore. All without loading or interruption, allowing you to immerse yourself completely. And we’ve hidden weapons, treasures, artifacts and other collectibles everywhere, so exploration will be rewarded. Risk #2 – The Incline Control Scheme Good controls should not insert themselves between the game and the player, they should disappear from the process. You shouldn’t be thinking “I will press X to punch” but just “I will punch.” For us, the key to seamless controls in VR is your sense of proprioception; your awareness of your body and its position in the world. Golem’s Incline Controls allow you to move as you would naturally, by slightly leaning your body as if you were about to take a step and start walking… For Most Players: The Incline Control System is designed for maximum immersion and allows you to lose yourself in the world completely. The system is very sensitive; your movements should be subtle and not cause any strain, especially when played while seated as designed. The result is an intuitive control scheme that is often easier to understand for new players. For Sensitive Players: For those that are discomforted by movement in VR games, we have included as many comfort options as possible. Instant quick turns, a stationary scene in your peripheral vision, slower movement speeds — these options are all available by selecting “Comfort Mode” at the beginning of the game or can be turned on individually in the Options menu. Everyone’s reactions are different, so we encourage you to experiment and find the settings that work for you. For Power Players: On the other end of the spectrum are those of you that live in VR and want complete control. Rather than implement dozens of possible control schemes, we have chosen to include direct control over your movement via the left analog stick on your DualShock 4. It’s primarily for those that prioritize efficient and responsive input over immersion, but it is always on and available if you want to take a break from the Incline Controls as well. Risk #3 – Intense, Unforgiving Gameplay One option we did not include in Golem was a difficulty setting. There’s only one way to play, and at times it can be deceptively difficult. The one-to-one melee combat starts at a manageable speed, but by the end of the game you will face enemies that will test your reflexes and force you to perfect your skills. The weapon and artifacts you use to build a golem are lost if they are destroyed or abandoned, so each time you enter the city the stakes are high. Reaching the furthest districts takes an investment in time and equipment, all of which can be lost in a moment of inattention or over-reach. At times it may be frustrating — but exploring the gameplay space and your abilities is just as important as exploring the environment. Without the possibility of failure, there is no thrill of victory. Golem has been a challenging and rewarding project for us, and we hope you enjoy playing it as much as we have enjoyed making it! It’s available as a download, but if you purchase the physical Special Edition you will also receive a copy of “Echoes of the First Dreamer,” the musical prequel to Golem. View the full article