Commander Fury

Hello, cosmic friends! This is Nicolas Doucet, Creative Director of Astro Bot Rescue Mission over at Japan Studio. We’re very excited to announce that Astro Bot Rescue Mission is available now! As more and more PlayStation fans join Astro’s epic VR adventure, it’s a great time to revisit the genesis of the project. A long time ago, in a galaxy not so far away, ASOBI Team released The Playroom VR, a compilation of multiplayer games free to download for all PS VR users. The game received praise and one mini-game in particular caught the attention of the gamers: a simple platformer called “Robot Rescue.” The reactions were very positive with many of you asking for a full game. And after 18 months of trying new ideas, hard work, and a dose of fun, Astro Bot Rescue Mission is live on PS VR! Our motivation for creating this one is to show that VR is great for third-person action games. As we prototyped various ways to play in VR, we felt the platforming genre definitely had potential to grow and evolve within VR. In this video, I join three of the old timers from Team ASOBI: Takumi (Lead Programmer), Gento (Lead Designer) and Seb (Art Director) for a ride down memory lane, looking at the origins of Astro Bot Rescue Mission. We hope you enjoy this video and I want to thank each and every one of you for showing your support over the past months. It made a huge difference. This one is for you! If you want to experience platforming re-invented for VR, head over to PlayStation Store to get your copy of Astro Bot Rescue Mission now! Thank you all and speak again soon! View the full article

It’s time! Cast your vote in the Players’ Choice poll for September and help decide the best new game of September 2018. Marvel’s Spider-Man is an obvious nominee, but we’ve got lots of other great picks this month too — Hollow Knight, FIFA 19, The Gardens Between, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Valkyria Chronicles 4, Transference… what’s your pick? How does it work? At the end of every month, PlayStation.Blog will open a poll where you can vote for the best new game released that month. Soon thereafter, we’ll close the polls, tally your votes, and announce the winner at PlayStation.Blog. PlayStation Store will also showcase some top Players’ Choice winners throughout the year. What is the voting criteria? That’s up to you! If you were only able to recommend one new release to a friend that month, which would it be? In keeping with our long tradition in the Game of the Year Awards, remastered or re-released games won’t qualify. Ambitious, larger-scale rebuilds and remakes like Shadow of the Colossus and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy will. How are nominees decided? The PlayStation.Blog and PlayStation Store editorial teams will gather a list of that month’s most noteworthy releases and use it to seed the poll. Write-in votes will be accepted. Take Our Poll View the full article

Red Dead Redemption 2 hits PS4 on October 26, and with it, Rockstar’s follow-up (actually a prequel) to 2010’s influential hit Red Dead Redemption. I recently played RDR2, and it’s shaping up to be a smooth, polished, and ambitious epic that capably builds on the strengths of the original game, while adding deep layers of conversation, combat, and exploration. To celebrate the release of the latest gameplay trailer, here are the details that you need to know about the next iteration of Rockstar’s open-world epic. Red Dead Redemption 2 | Gallery A robbery gone wrong puts the story in motion. You play as Arthur Morgan, member of the infamous Van der Linde outlaw gang. Following a bloody robbery in the Western town of Blackwater that left a trail of dead, the gang is chased by the law East into the Grizzly Mountains. The game picks up as the gang is fighting to survive against the elements of a brutally cold winter. The Van Der Linde gang is a rowdy bunch, but they’re like family. Lead by the philosopher-outlaw Dutch van der Linde, this gang of hellraisers is 23 members strong. Doing your part for the gang will raise morale and change the way gang members respond to you. Talk to fellow members for leads on new money-making activities for the gang, or roll up your sleeves and chop some wood or head out to hunt wild game. Or, just pour yourself a cup of joe and listen to some stories. Cough up some of your hard-earned cash for the camp’s donation box to fund future camp upgrades, like fast travel. It’s visually impressive. This is hardly a surprise, considering Rockstar’s production pedigree. But running on PS4 Pro, Red Dead Redemption 2 shows that Rockstar has mastered the PS4 hardware. After all, it’s the studio’s first title natively designed for this generation. The HDR and volumetric lighting bring the game’s sweeping exteriors to life. And the boosted resolution highlights subtle details, from the rough bark on trees to grass shoots peeking out of the snow. There are multiple camera settings. In addition to the standard third-person camera, you can pull the camera back to see more of your horse’s fancy footwork, or activate a first-person camera view ala Grand Theft Auto V. Activate Cinematic camera angles that toggle between dramatic close-range and panoramic shots as you ride the open plains. Hold down X as you ride in this view, and your horse will keep to the track, allowing you to take in some stunning views on epic rides. New cinematic techniques are also used for seamless transitions between cutscenes and gameplay. You can customize the in-game HUD. Press down on the d-pad to toggle between several different HUD options: off, a minimized version, and the default setting. On the radar, you can easily identify story beats by the yellow icons, while emergent “ambient” events are marked in white. Hold L1 to access the weapon wheel. A new version of the original’s weapon wheel is available by pressing and holding L1 – but tap R1 and you’ll now have access to helpful support items, including healing potions, binoculars, and the bandana. Weapons include a knife, revolver, repeater, lever-action rifle, and a classic bow and arrow. You can also earn the ability to dual-wield as you move through the story. Fire a warning shot to get attention. Sometimes you won’t want or need to cause unnecessary trouble. While aiming, tap up on the d-pad to fire a warning shot. Handy for intimidating a witness, or causing a carriage to stop so you can climb aboard or simply chat with the driver. Everything you carry is independently rendered. This is a subtle detail, but you can’t unsee it. Arthur’s bag, coat, hat, and weaponry all jostle realistically as he moves. The impressive animation carries over to your horse’s reins, saddle, bags and more. Expect wide environmental diversity. As you play, you’ll traverse snowed-in mountains, agoraphobia-inducing plains, gloomy swamps, and bustling frontier towns. The game seamlessly transitions between wide outdoor vistas into detail-rich interiors, a technical achievement rarely seen. Small talk can lead to outsized consequences. There’s more to interacting with this world than just drawing a weapon. When approaching another person, you can hold L2 to pull up a menu of interactions. A greeting can trigger pleasant exchanges, awkward replies… or could provoke a brawl if your counterpart enjoys his privacy. Engaging with townspeople or fellow travelers adds color and unpredictability to the game. You never know what reaction you’ll get. Some towns keep secrets. Not every shopkeeper is running an honest business. Some stores have an illicit business on the side – if you can find it, you can hold up the owner for access to their less-than-lawful enterprise. You can behave honorably or dishonorably. Arthur Morgan is whoever you want him to be: a good-natured outlaw, a cold-hearted killer, or something in-between. If you want to show off your rebellious side, get ready for witnesses to report your crimes to the local lawmen. You can cook and craft by the campfire. Ready for a hearty meal of Gritty Fish, or a healing potion? Or perhaps something a bit more substantial, like special rounds for your revolver or shells for your shotgun? You can craft a wide array of supplies at campfires using ingredients you find or purchase during your travels. The wildlife is diverse and unpredictable. Red Dead Redemption 2 is seething with life, from snakes and swallowtails to deer, skunk, bear, and Lord knows what else. And the creatures engage with each other: during our demo, a hawk soared down to pluck a snake from a nearby bush. It was a dynamic event triggered by the game’s AI, not some scripted sequence. Hunt Legendary Animals for special outfits. Legendary Animals are unique beasts of each species scattered across the world. Bring items from any downed Legendary Animals to a trapper to create unique pieces of clothing to wear. Your horse is your partner, but you’ll need to earn its trust. Horses aren’t treated as expendable vehicles here, but as living, breathing creatures with individual temperaments. They provide more than transport: they can carry animal skins and carcasses, as well as extra weapons and gear. To build trust with a new horse, you’ll want to tread lightly — patting it until it’s comfortable in your presence. Horses can be unpredictable based on the situation, too. A nearby snake might give your ride a case of the jitters! Caveat emptor. Town gun shops sell a variety of weapons and gear for the seasoned traveler, from new firepower (revolvers, repeaters, rifles, and shotguns) to performance-boosting accessories like gun belts and bandoliers. The shopping UI is a clever touch: you browse the selection using a vintage shopping catalog. You can bathe, shave, eat, drink, and more. Arthur’s clothes will accumulate grit, grime, blood, and mud as you fight your way across the Wild West. When you’re ready to clean him up, just head to the local hotel and pay $0.25 to scrub down in the bathtub. To complete the look, get a haircut and a shave — if you’ve got the cash. The soundtrack is dynamic. The rich epic score is being led by returning composer Woody Jackson and a range of guests artists across the game. The game’s soundtrack features approximately 190 individual music pieces, and in the open world, the dynamic score subtly changes based on your actions. It’s a cross-studio initiative. Every studio associated with Rockstar Games is pitching in to help create the massive world of Red Dead Redemption 2, which Rockstar sees as a continuation and extension of the vision first laid out in Grand Theft Auto 3 all those years ago. Pick up your hat with the Square button. A fun detail here that’ll come in handy sooner than you think. Twirl your guns for extra style. Just double tap L1 to draw and holster your guns with a twirl and a flourish. View the full article

We are excited to announce an exclusive opportunity for FIFA 19 fans to compete for a chance to attend our Continental Cup 2018 at Paris Games Week this October 26-28 – right from their PS4 at home. This is the first official FIFA 19 Championships tournament and a major opportunity for 32 of the best FIFA players from around the globe to compete for points to apply toward a chance to attend the EA Sports FIFA 19 Global Series Playoffs, in addition to cash prizing and a trip to the UEFA Champions League Final in Madrid, Spain 2019. If you are interested in taking part, be sure to check out playstation.com/continentalcup for information on how to register, alongside a full breakdown of rules and qualifying events taking place in select territories around the world, starting October 6 through 14. Just remember, only 32 players will have a chance to advance to the Continental Cup 2018 Presented by PlayStation in Paris, France – so be sure to bring your A game. Otherwise, keep an eye out for The Continental Cup 2018 Presented by PlayStation as it is livestreamed on Twitch, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook this October 26-28. Are you a competitive FIFA 19 player? Let us know if you are planning to enter the tournament in the comments below! *Active PS Plus membership required. Must be 16+ and legal resident of an eligible country. Begins 10/6-10/28/2018. Void where prohibited. See full rules: https://esl.gg/cc2018rules View the full article

In Astro Bot Rescue Mission, you control the captain of a ship trying to rescue its lost crew, who have been scattered across five planets. Created exclusively for PS VR, the adventure spans 26 levels that take the platforming genre to new heights with 360-degree VR gameplay, precise controls, and a breathtaking level of scale and immersion. For a full list of new games coming to PlayStation next week, read on. And enjoy The Drop! Assassin’s Creed Odyssey PS4 — Digital, Retail (Out 10/5) Write your own epic odyssey and become a legendary Spartan hero. Forge your destiny in a world on the brink of tearing itself apart. Influence how history unfolds in an ever-changing world shaped by your choices. Astro Bot Rescue Mission PS VR — Digital, Retail Astro Bot Rescue Mission is a brand-new platformer, developed exclusively for use with PS VR. Take control of Astro the captain Bot and go on an epic VR rescue mission to save your fellow Bots who are dispersed all over space. Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise PS4 — Digital, Retail Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise is an all-new chapter in the Hokuto Shinken saga! As master of the Hokuto Shinken martial arts style, Kenshiro will demolish enemies from the inside out with dozens of brutal and iconic techniques. Freaky Awesome PS4 — Digital (Out 10/4) Freaky Awesome is a highly dynamic roguelike where you’ll gain mutations by contact with the remains of your enemies. Play solo or co-op with your friends! Mega Man 11 PS4 — Digital, Retail The newest entry in this iconic series blends classic, challenging 2D platforming action with a fresh look. The stunning new visual style combines hand-drawn environments with detailed, 3D character models. The Midnight Sanctuary PS4 — Digital (Out 10/4) A haunting story wrought by mystical visuals and talented voice artists. The Midnight Sanctuary is a full voice, full animation occult horror visual novel about the mystery of a so-called Saint who descends upon an isolated village. Party Crashers PS4 — Digital (Out 10/4) Fast-paced battle-racing with a retro-future aesthetic for 1–4 players. With over 50 included game modes and almost endless customization, Party Crashers is amazingly fun out-of-the-box, and then lets you create your own fun. Pato Box PS Vita — Digital Pato Box is an adventure/fighting game inspired by the “Punch-Out!!” series. It’s a surreal boxing quest with a duck! Racket Fury: Table Tennis VR PS VR — Digital Step into the most realistic and intense Table Tennis experience! Feel the difference with extremely accurate physics, developed in cooperation with the professional TT Players. Valthirian Arc: Hero School Story PS4 — Digital, Retail Have you ever wondered where all the powerful knights and wizards come from? No one is born a hero. It is your job, as principal of Valthiria Academy, to train the most promising students to become heroes of legend! WWE 2K19 Digital Deluxe PS4 — Digital, Retail (Out 10/5) WWE 2K19 is the latest entry to the flagship WWE video game franchise, showcasing a massive roster of popular WWE Superstars, Legends and Hall of Famers. Experience authentic WWE gameplay, creation options, and more! The information above is subject to change without notice. Venom Exclusive Playlist Cypress Hill Hip-Hop and Play Takeover Logic – YSIV Ant-Man and the Wasp Unfriended: Dark Web Premieres Sunday, September 30 at 8PM on FOX Premieres Sunday, September 30 at 8:30PM on FOX Premieres Sunday, September 30 at 9PM on FOX PlayStation Vue has your favorite sports, news and must-watch shows. The information above is subject to change without notice. View the full article

Email us at blogcast@sony.com! Subscribe via iTunes, Spotify, Google or RSS, or download here This week we’re joined by Worldwide Studios Chairman Shawn Layden, who stops by to give us an update on the future of PlayStation Experience and discuss this week’s big Fortnite cross-platform play announcement. Stuff We Talked About PlayStation Experience Fortnite cross-platform play Ric Flair Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Astro Bot Rescue Mission Fist of the North Star Sand The Cast Sid Shuman – Director of Social Media, SIEA Justin Massongill – Social Media Manager, SIEA Kristen Titus – 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

Assassin’s Creed games, at their core, are built around engaging stealth combat, intriguing time-hopping lore, and breathtaking historical settings. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, the series’ latest installment, expands upon this legacy, then injects it with an RPG cocktail of broad player choice, customizable combat systems, and a gorgeous open world. After more than a decade donning the hood, Ubisoft can still make the Assassin’s experience feel new. This expanded experience presents itself immediately when selecting your assassin’s gender at the beginning of Odyssey. This isn’t the first Assassin’s Creed title to feature a female assassin, but it is the first where that assassin’s identity is entirely up to the player. Where other titles locked players into set character molds like fiery instigator, pragmatic sneak, or noble sentry, Odyssey’s new dialogue and combat systems allow players to shape Kassandra or Alexios’ personality, temperament and fighting style. I decided to play as Kassandra, but regardless of who you choose, the way the game plays out depends on you. Dialogue opens up a lot of this choice, from minor quests up to game-altering cutscenes. Does your assassin speak with god-fearing determination? Sly sarcasm? Frustrated bite? Your responses affect the characters around you and can change the outcomes of quests. In one pivotal plot point, your dialogue choice even determines whether you assassinate a powerful general, or show him mercy. Some results are immediate, while others can marinate, culminating in a payoff hours later. This raises the dramatic stakes of your assassin’s journey, both fleshing out the character beyond a single archetype and noticeably shifting the game’s environment based on your choices. My Kassandra was a brash warrior, ripping shields from guards and kicking enemies off of hilltops. To my surprise, this sometimes worked against me. In one quest where I needed to steal an item, I chose to attack the guards and clear the area before searching for the item in question. When I returned to the quest-giver, their estate had been attacked due to my actions. If I had taken a stealthier approach, the outcome may have been different. Knowing that actions have real consequences that ripple through the world makes every choice an exciting gamble. Odyssey adopts a varied weapon system similar to the one introduced in Assassin’s Creed Origins. Gone is the iconic hidden blade; players now dual wield the broken Spear of Leonidas as the main weapon alongside a second weapon of your choice. The skill tree takes this one step further, allowing players to assign powerful specialized abilities to the D-pad from three skill sets: Hunter, Warrior, or Assassin. Players can switch out skills or weapons throughout the game, and I agonized over which ones to keep in my rotation since they can often turn the tide of battle. Characters’ agency expands to an even grander scale once you start to explore the massive map in Odyssey — easily larger than Origins map. The newly introduced Exploration Mode, enabled at the beginning of the game, encourages adventurous exploration by not immediately providing quest markers. Dialogue provides clues that players can chase and compare to their map, eventually leading to new locations and quests. I’m an open world explorer by nature, often choosing to get lost seeking out new locations and hidden secrets rather than following a game’s main storyline, so the introduction of this mode set my brain cells alight. Of course, players can set their game to Guided Mode for more traditional marker settings. The map also displays which regions are controlled by Athenians or Spartans. With Odyssey set during the Peloponnesian War, a conflict between these two city states, your assassin can lend a hand to either side. If a region is controlled by an opposing faction, players can take steps to weaken the enemy: burn vital war supplies, loot funds, attack commanding officers, and finally assassinate the region’s leader. Weakening a region eventually triggers a Conquest Battle, a massive skirmish between hundreds of soldiers with your assassin at the center. I found my special abilities choices to be extremely useful here, bouncing from enemy to enemy and unleashing these attacks at lightning speed. The battles are an exhilarating new addition to the series, making you an active participant in the conflict that would shape Greece for centuries to come. Odyssey sees the return of some fan favorite gameplay elements (Naval combat! Bounties! Present day plot!) and boasts a compelling, at times deeply moving storyline that had me audibly gasp at one point. Ultimately, it’s the breadth of player choice that colored my playthrough the most. My favorite moments across the Assassin’s series have been when the personality of the protagonist gets a chance to shine, and Odyssey ensures that Kassandra is a character I will never forget. I plan to leave no stone unturned when Assassin’s Creed Odyssey comes to PS4 on October 5. View the full article

Last week, we asked you to turn your lens to the Spider-Man’s greatest foes and share your favorite moments taking on the villains of Marvel’s Spider-Man using #PS4share and #PSBlog. After sifting through your villainous entries, here are this week’s winners: @RPGLove4 showed off Rhino getting rowdy. @Raffu42 shared this moody portrait of Tombstone. Shocker charges up his attack in this share from @ErikBeni50. Martin Le begins to transform into Mister Negative in this share from @DobPS4. @chococriespy captured Vulture shooting high into the sky in this soaring share. Scorpion bears his deadly tail in this sinister share from @AreeLyBadPun. 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: Shadow of the Tomb Raider Share by: 9am Pacific on Wednesday, October 3 Next week, we head to the jungle and spotlight Lara Croft’s latest perilous adventure in Shadow of the Tomb Raider. While racing to stop a Mayan apocalypse, share your greatest shots using #PS4share and #PSBlog for a chance to be featured. View the full article

With God of War shipped and in the hands of our fans, I find myself contemplating the moments that helped define the new visual cinematic style we utilized for God of War. Each of these moments was a mental turning point, starting with “Can this be done with the tools we have?”, which moved onto “Can we pull this off without breaking our visual language?” and, mostly, ended with “I can’t believe we pulled this off.” I’d like to share three of these moments, each of them defining a key cinematic milestone that paved the way moving forward. WARNING: Spoilers ahead! Mother’s Knife Cinematic challenge: Can we use traditional cinematic/visual storytelling when the disciplines required are cross-departmental while we don’t cut the camera? Reading the first draft of the script, this scene drew my attention. Even though it went through quite a bit of iteration in production, the crux of it always struck me as pivotal. This is the last scene we experience before our heroes start the first leg of their epic journey. Establishing core empathy fundamentals and key tension points was critical. If not, why would we care about this journey in the first place? Our writers (Matt Sophos and Rich Gaubert) did a great job setting up these fundamentals and I wanted to make sure the message was delivered subtly, but in a clear and evocative manner. What’s the relationship between Kratos and his son? How do they feel about each other? How do they feel about the loss of the mother? How does Kratos feel about being a single father? I decided to use the blue, cold, harsh tones of the “outside” to represent Kratos, Kratos as a father (at least at that point in the story) and the dangerous journey they have ahead of them. We used this light in sharp, high contrast for punctuation. We then chose the soft warmth of the indoors to define the rare safety the mother provided, using that to portray the softer emotions. The challenge was staging the acting and camera to play against these two moods and to help define the core relationships and personalities, all without cutting the camera. Compounding these challenges were the technological limitations of creating sophisticated lighting models for real time rendered scenes. Our lighter (Greg Montgomery) did an amazing job balancing these assets. Wide angle lens, emphasizing the environment, combined with the blue cold morning light. Atreus is outside, he’s in his father’s domain. The door “wipes the shot,” revealing a body on the table. It’s lit in warm light, washing the interior with warm and safe mood. Atreus is still backlit cold. The cold back light fades, Atreus is slowly enveloped by warm light. The lens slowly zooms, creating a sense of intimacy to partner with the lighting shift. Atreus is leaving the realm of his father and transitioning to the memories of his mother. Soft warm light, tight lens, a sense of warm intimacy amidst tragedy. This is Atreus’ moment to mourn his mother. Kratos is no longer “in the picture.” Atreus is fully in his mother’s domain, where he has been all his life where he is comfortable… where he “belongs.” Camera violently whips left, revealing Kratos, faceless, silhouetted in black against cold blue. The intimacy is broken. The image radiates “Pull it together boy, act like a man!” Lens pulls back a little wider as Kratos takes over the scene. Just before he steps into the warm light of the candles, the camera orbits behind him, keeping him pooled in blue light. He just brought the “cold chill” into the room. Atreus takes the hint; he musters up and collects himself, now washed in blue as well. He is no longer in the mother’s realm, he is now under the rule of his father. He wipes his eyes and steps off frame. Atreus is no longer in the frame. Kratos is now alone. He no longer has to uphold the role of the stern father and he can now shift into the role of the mourning husband. Camera orbits to give the sensation of “transition.” Kratos is wiped from cold blue to warm orange. He is still up lit, looking ominous. The emotion of the moment registers with him, but he is still the hard warrior, resisting giving in. Kratos’ shell cracks, he leans into the light, the light is now soft, warm. He has entered the mother’s domain, revealing “softer” emotion for one of only three times he will do so in journey. The brief moment is over. Kratos turns away from the warm light. We re-reveal Atreus, Kratos is back to being the stern father, his idea of what a relationship with a son is. They are both bathed in cold light. Back to the business at hand. Two more beats resonated with me as I read the script for this scene. The lighting was strongly dictated by the environment at this point, so I chose to emphasize them in my framing and staging. When Atreus drops the knife, we lose Kratos in the shot. The moment becomes all about Atreus and his need and deed. When Kratos is re-introduced into the scene, it’s with a gunslinger framing. A menacing shot, full of aggressive intent. Atreus looks at Kratos, his face reflecting that same doubt of “Uh-oh…” Then Kratos breaks the tension by leaning down, pulling a bandage off his own arm and bandaging Atreus. We’ve seen how deeply Kratos cares about Faye, and how bottled up he is about his emotions. The funeral pyre is obviously deeply important to him. Here comes Atreus with his childish attachments, ruining everything. With this setup, my next instinct was “Kratos is going to hand him his a**!” But, Kratos surprises us and leans down to take care of Atreus’ burned hand. Whether he is trying to be fatherly, or merely making sure he can still function as a warrior, we don’t know. But that contrast struck me when reading the script and I wanted to emphasize it. As Atreus comes back into frame, bow in hand, asking “what’s next?”, Kratos is out of focus. As Kratos responds, instead of shifting the focus back to him, we keep the focus on Atreus. Kratos speaks out of focus, lit by the warm light of the pyre, with a thousand-yard stare. He is not present. He is outwardly functional, giving Atreus commands, but his mind is elsewhere, mourning his dead wife. I felt it gave this moment that extra, subtle tension it needed. Kratos is struggling with both the emotion of losing Faye and not knowing how to be a father to Atreus. He pushes Atreus into a world he better understands (“We’re going hunting”), though he is still in deep pain over Faye’s loss. The very end of the scene gave the perfect opportunity to emphasize this conflict. Flying Boat Jump Cinematic challenge: Changing point of view (from third to first and back) in order to push a sense of hallucination, while promoting empathy. In this scene, Kratos is reliving a painful secret from his past: the moment he kills his father, Zeus. This display is part of Helheim’s mechanism to mentally torture its inhabitants. Kratos is hit by this vision two-fold; he is both internally struck by reliving it, and is shaken that his son is exposed to this part of his past, a part he has been struggling to hide from Atreus. On the other hand, Atreus himself is seeing his father, fully enraged and unrestrained for the first time — brutal, unbridled and violent. The challenge was how to do all the following without cutting the camera: Portray the brutality of the vision Portray Atreus’ reaction to seeing it Portray Kratos’ two-fold reaction to the event Bonus points: Portray it in a way that would evoke a sense of delirium, or being mentally off balance. “Hell fog” rising from under the boat, leading Kratos’ attention away to a scene unfolding. Building up the tension, transitioning from current-day/older Kratos to a younger version of himself. Kratos winds back a big punch; we use that body momentum to transition the camera to first person. We now are Kratos. Sharing in his moment of rage, reliving that moment from his past with him. This was also a good opportunity to pay homage to a very memorable moment from God of War III. We use the momentum of the punches to swing the camera over and reveal Atreus; we’re back to the “real world.” Our empathy has shifted to experience this moment as a revelation to Atreus. Something grabs Atreus’ attention. He runs back to Kratos, back to first person, back to us. We are again in Kratos’ head space, taking the moment in, taking in the fact his son has just seen one of the darkest moments of his past. Atreus tells Kratos to snap out of it and point towards danger. We transition from first to third, experiencing Kratos’ struggle to break out of his reverie, adding to the sense of “delirium.” It takes Atreus being in mortal danger for him to snap back into action. Ogre Intro Cinematic challenge: Motion capturing a high action, high physical interaction scene with characters of different scale. The previous two challenges were more about defining our emotional, cinematic language and how to execute it without cuts in a real-time engine. This challenge was more technical and helped define our approach to action. It helped us define which tools we’d need on set, and how far we could push real-time performance capture for characters with vastly different scales. Large scale enemies are a core part of God of War’s visual language. Hence we wanted to address this key challenge early on. Once I’m done staging the scene on paper, we move to rehearsing the action in “real space.” This step was critical in order to test whether or not the paper breakdowns were actually achievable and also gave us a chance to see all the “players” involved internalize the choreography and pacing of the scene. It’s interesting to see how “slow and safe” we took things at first. Each actor played their role in their own “scaled space,” acting against props representing the other actors in the scene. This is why internalizing the choreography beforehand was critical. Our roles: Bruno (our Animation Director) played Kratos Erica ( our Cinematic Animation Lead) played Atreus Mehdi ( our In-Game Animation Lead) played the Ogre Myself (Director of Photography) Staging, pacing callouts and “shooting” All action was in sync, actors physically responding to each other, even though they had no real world contact. A well-oiled execution, the pre-planning and rehearsals paid off in spades. Ability to shoot multi-scale, single shot action scenes in real time… check! As you can see in the clip, I shot this scene by looking at our on-stage monitors, using a stick to represent the camera. This test led to the realization that we needed to develop a far more sophisticated virtual camera system. Going over these scenes, it’s incredible to see how far we’ve come. From exploring methods and ideas on how to execute Cory Barlog’s concept of a no-cut camera, to a clear, well-oiled, sophisticated and clearly defined visual language. At the risk of sounding cliché, it really does take a village. View the full article

Are you the type of person who thinks that Halloween is better than any other holiday? Do you listen to John Carpenter soundtracks while making breakfast or foresee peril upon finding a dusty old VHS in the attic? Then you’re in good company. I’m Ryan Bousfield from Wolf & Wood, and in anticipation of the launch of Chapters 4 and 5 on PS VR I’m here to shed some light on what makes The Exorcist: Legion VR such a dark and foreboding horror experience. Late shift It all starts on the late shift in the Boston Police Dept. with a narrative that picks up from The Exorcist III movie. Putting you in the role of detective, it is up to you to hone your skills by following clues and making deductions to build up a picture of who your character really is. Once you’re comfortable in the precinct, a call comes through on the radio: it’s dispatch, and you’re needed on scene at a local church to investigate the apparent murder of the resident priest. Your case soon spirals from criminal to something more sinister: an inexplicable presence whispers from the darkness, you realize that statues and paintings are defaced, and eventually the whole chapter erupts as church pews are thrown up into the rafters. Someone, or something, is warning you not to continue. Design and demons Although the demons are trying to push you away from the investigation, as designers we’re doing everything we can to pull you in and lead you forward. Ultimately you are the protagonist: you control the camera and you decide where you want or don’t want to go. Our job is to guide you and we hide clues in everything, but we only take you part of the way; the rest is up to you. The Devil’s in the details Even the smallest clue is intricately detailed; a notebook once belonging to the priest is handwritten and held together by sticky tape, which combined with other evidence pertains to his wider story of unofficial exorcisms. Everything across the five chapters is meticulously placed to offer clues on both the ever present demonic threat and to reveal why the possessed would be vulnerable to the influence of malevolent forces. The clues are embedded in a variety of ways across the six unique environments. If there are signs of a struggle and blood stains lead to a door you should take out your crucifix and be prepared for what awaits on the other side. Idle hands We feel that VR isn’t just a leap in visual technology: by using controllers that are tracked in 3D space (which is very exciting to develop for), simply reaching out and grabbing objects feels truly immersive. We’ve made much of the world interactive and items just beg to be played with. This opens up the story to be told through more unusual means, for example the toys in the dolls’ house of Chapter 3 pose questions about the home’s real occupants. The interactions go way beyond inspection. Using the exorcism tools, and other interactive items found throughout the game, you will be throwing holy water capsules into the fiery pits of hell, dodging anything that the demon Baal in Chapter 4 can throw at you, or pulling a makeshift raft into the tomb of Chapter 5. What you don’t see A good detective can make deductions, fill in the blanks and build a picture of what happened; horror works much in the same way, but on a visceral level. With just the creak of a floorboard your mind can conjure up images of what might be lurking in the shadows. We use positional audio to make the world come to life: subtle sounds hint to the next objective and if you listen carefully you might hear a soft lullaby in the next room… but that’s enough from me – it’s really up to you to go in there. Tuesday October 9 will see the culmination of the story when we release the final two chapters – with the biggest threats ready to be faced. Chapter 4 – Samaritan. A failed quarantine zone in Haiti has been racked by an unknown plague, and a slew of health worker deaths has led to the collapse of efforts to control the mounting victim toll. Chapter 5 – The Tomb. Located deep in the mountains of Upper Mesopotamia, the demon Pazuzu lies in wait, and he’s prepared to test you on everything you’ve learned so far. In addition to these final episodes, we have implemented Spanish and Japanese localization, and made some upgrades to the calibration system, as well as additional comfort settings to give players the most immersive experience possible. Chapters 4 & 5 can be purchased individually for $6.99 on October 9, or the Complete Series is currently available for $29.99. View the full article

We launched The Last of Us five years ago and, later that year, began what would become one of our favorite traditions: celebrating Outbreak Day. Every year on September 26, we’ve had the opportunity to celebrate The Last of Us community and share our appreciation for the love and passion you have for this world, these characters, and their stories. This year, to commemorate the Fifth Anniversary of Outbreak Day, we’re excited to share a new collection of The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II merch, content, and special promotions. This is our biggest Outbreak Day lineup yet–and it’s all available right now at thelastofus.com/outbreakday. We’re excited to continue our collaboration with Mondo with a new The Last of Us-inspired poster for 2018 designed by Sam Wolfe Connelly. Once again, this year’s Outbreak Day poster will only be available as a timed-edition release. You’ll only have until this 9:00am PT this Saturday, September 29 to get one. After that, it’s gone! We’re also teaming up with Mondo to re-release the original The Last of Us soundtrack on vinyl in two volumes, the first of which is available today. Ever since the soundtrack was originally released as a box set in 2015, we’ve heard your requests for a re-release and we’re thrilled to be able to make it a reality! To help add a little more The Last of Us to your digital life, we’ve also released a new set of The Last of Us Part II wallpapers and launched The Last of Us Stickers for Apple devices. Pop over to the App Store and show off your infectious personality with help from Ellie, Joel, the infected, and other The Last of Us iconography illustrated by Lily Nishita. We’ve released a new theme song from The Last of Us Part II called “The Last of Us (Cycles)” by the one and only Gustavo Santaolalla. You may have seen Gustavo perform it live at the E3 2018 PlayStation Showcase, but now, the studio version is here and ready for you to listen to on repeat. To go along with it, we’ve also released a new The Last of Us Part II dynamic system theme for PS4 and collection of PS4 avatars that are available for free from now until 9:00am PT, September 27, at PlayStation Store. PS Store is also offering Outbreak Day discounts on The Last of Us Remastered and other The Last of Us DLC through October 2. For those that want to wear their fandom on their sleeve, our friends at Insert Coin Clothing have created a new shirt for Outbreak Day featuring Ellie’s tattoo from The Last of Us Part II. But this is just a quick overview of what we’ve cooked up for this year’s Outbreak Day. Head over to The Last of Us website for all things Outbreak Day and, as always, be sure to follow Naughty Dog on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for updates. Happy Outbreak Day! View the full article

We’re already getting into the Halloween spirit, and we’ve got a great line up in store for you this month. So let’s just jump right in! First up, we have Friday the 13th: The Game. Players can take on the role of a teen counsellor or Jason Voorhees. As a teen counsellor, you and up to six other unlucky souls will do everything possible to escape and survive while a masked killer tracks you down. Survival is entirely up to the player as you either hide from Jason or work together to either escape or bring the fight to Jason. How will you play? Next up, we have Laser League. This all new multiplayer experience is easy to pick up and incredibly fun to play. What starts out as a simple test of your reflexes becomes a strategic competition with deep team tactics. Developer Roll7 (OlliOlli series and NOT A HERO) brings their approach to a near-future competition. This month’s PlayStation Plus lineup also includes: Master Reboot, PS3 The Bridge, PS3 (Cross Buy with PS4 and PS Vita) Rocketbirds 2: Evolution, PS Vita (Cross Buy with PS4) 2064 Read Only Memories, PS Vita (Cross Buy with PS4) As a reminder, PlayLink and PlayStation VR bonus games are still available for download as part of your PS Plus membership! In Here They Lie for PlayStation VR*, explore a nightmarish city inhabited by strange, malevolent creatures in this first-person horror game, where unsettling encounters and environments come to life. Here they Lie is available for PS Plus members until October 2. In the PlayLink game Knowledge is Power, this party game is sure to entertain as you outsmart your opponents with a massive variety of trivia questions and tactical challenges. Be sure to have a compatible mobile device and companion app and you’ll be all ready to play! Knowledge is Power is available through November 6. Finally, for fans of H1Z1, we have the PlayStation Plus Blueshift Pack. This pack is perfect for new players and pros alike, and includes the Blue AR-15 schematic, Pro Gamer Hoodie, and Marine Blue Offroader – all free for PS Plus members. *PlayStation 4 system, PlayStation VR, and PlayStation Camera are required to experience VR functionality. View the full article

Do you remember how your favorite toy made you feel as a child? Those little bursts of enthusiasm and happiness when you imagined it to be alive? I always saw my toys as my friends each with their own character. I created whole worlds that were rooted in my imagination. While I played, I slowly shifted into other galaxies full of adventure. Time didn’t matter. With Squishies we wanted to evoke this feeling again. We wanted you to be closer to your inner child and slooooow doooown while experiencing another world. That’s why we chose to use PS VR to make it even easier to get lost in the Squishies universe when it launches on November 20. As some of you may know, we created a game called Typoman, a dark and morbid 2D platformer. We loved making Typoman, but working for years on a depressing world of letters and monsters left us wanting to do something entirely different (overcompensating?). Squishies is a joyful, relaxing experience, full of color and life… of course, there’s a little bit of peril, too. Your goal is to help stranded Squishies find their way back home. You do this by using your superpower – which is pushing & pulling Squishies around with the help of your transdimensional Alien Fish friends (PS Move controllers). To complete each level, you need to roll the Squishies to giant alien gates, ensuring them a safe route home. When the environment gets too hazardous you’ll need to use power-ups, alien technology and helpful creatures to get by (and don’t forget, you’ll need your little superbrains as well). While helping this tubby species you’ll forget that you are actually still sitting in your living room looking like a Power Ranger petting small animals (yes, you do!). Aside from the extra adorable look of those creatures and the ingenious challenging gameplay, we wanted you to experience the huge fun we had while creating all these levels. That’s why we implemented the same tool that we used during development, so you can have the same experience that we had. The level editor makes it possible for you to bring your own imagination into the game world. We also wanted to give you the opportunity to share your masterpieces with other players all over the globe. Because we all know, sharing is caring, right? To end my (obviously very objective) monologue about the awesomeness of our new game, we, as a team, want to state that we cannot wait to see your creativity and imagination being shared with the community. We are really looking forward to see what you guys will create with the power of your minds! View the full article

We’re pleased to announce that latest free content update for GT Sport, patch 1.28, will be available for download for all players starting today (Internet connection required for update). Alongside a selection of brand-new vehicles to take to the track, we’ve added a fan-favorite course set against a spectacular backdrop, a selection of new League events and more. New Vehicles New in at Brand Central this month are nine new vehicles, including classic Porsches and iconic BMWs. Alfa Romeo GIULIA TZ2 carrozzata da ZAGATO CN.AR750106 ’65 BMW M3 GT (BMW Motorsport) ’11 Mazda RX500 ’70 Plymouth XNR Ghia Roadster ’60 Honda NSX Type R ’92 Nissan Fairlady Z 300ZX TwinTurbo 2seater (Z32) ’89 Porsche 911 GT3 (996) ’01 Porsche 911 GT3 (997) ’08 Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe ’06 Photo Gallery New Track – Fuji Speedway Japan’s famed high speed circuit at the foot of grand Mt. Fuji has played host to countless international races on its tarmac since opening in 1961. Following Fuji’s famed 1.5km straight, the first half is a high speed section consisting of tight corners, followed by a technical second half running on a challenging incline. In addition to the classic Fuji Speedway F layout, the Fuji Speedway GT shortcut layout has also been included, and both variants are playable in reverse. GT League This month, we’ve added three new GT League events for beginner to veteran drivers, including: The Passion of Dr. Wankel – Beginner League Real Circuit Tours – Amateur League Group 1 Cup – Professional League Finally, the pit lane of the new Fuji Speedway course can be used in Scapes mode, and The Red Bull Ring from last month’s content update has been added to the circuit experience. We hope you enjoy this month’s free update, and remember you can find all the latest GT info here on PlayStation Blog and on the official Gran Turismo website. Until next time, drivers, we’ll see you out on the track. View the full article

Following a comprehensive evaluation process, SIE has identified a path toward supporting cross-platform features for select third party content. We recognize that PS4 players have been eagerly awaiting an update, and we appreciate the community’s continued patience as we have navigated through this issue to find a solution. The first step will be an open beta beginning today for Fortnite that will allow for cross platform gameplay, progression and commerce across PlayStation 4, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, and Mac operating systems. We see the beta as an opportunity to conduct thorough testing that ensures cross-platform play is best on PlayStation, while being mindful about the user experience from both a technical and social perspective. For 24 years, we have strived to deliver the best gaming experience to our fans by providing a uniquely PlayStation perspective. Today, the communities around some games have evolved to the point where cross-platform experiences add significant value to players. In recognition of this, we have completed a thorough analysis of the business mechanics required to ensure that the PlayStation experience for our users remains intact today, and in the future, as we look to open up the platform. This represents a major policy change for SIE, and we are now in the planning process across the organization to support this change. We will update the community once we have more details to share, including more specifics regarding the beta timeframe, and what this means for other titles going forward. In the meantime, please stay tuned for more information via PlayStation.Blog and social channels, including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. View the full article

Yes, PlayStation Blog readers, it’s true. You’ve been asking us, and we’ve listened. Castlevania Requiem: Symphony of the Night & Rondo of Blood is coming exclusively to PlayStation 4 via digital download on 26th October 2018. That’s only one month from today! As you might’ve guessed already, Requiem will bundle together two classic Castlevania games; Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night. Both games are closely related by characters and plot, focusing on the stories of vampire hunter Richter Belmont and Dracula’s son Alucard respectively. Originally released as a Japanese exclusive in 1993, Rondo of Blood is known as one of the best side-scrolling, action games of its time, picking up plenty of praise for its level design and rewarding difficulty. Both of which still stand the test of time. Just in case you were wondering. On that subject, Symphony of the Night is quite simply one of the best games ever made. Don’t take our word for it though. The critical praise received at the time of its release and the plaudits it continues to receive speak volumes about its quality. Check any greatest games of all-time list and you’ll find Symphony of the Night up there. A sequel to Rondo of Blood, Symphony follows a similar formula to its predecessor, but expands on things with the introduction of RPG elements and some mind-blowing, genius level design. Both games are the originals emulated for the PlayStation 4, with several updates that take advantage of the new hardware. This includes 4K/1080p upscaling, multiple high resolution backgrounds, different rendering options such as smoothing and full Trophy support. Word of warning though, that Platinum will be tough to get. Elsewhere, Requiem will make use of the DualShock 4’s vibration, analog stick and speaker, with the latter meaning you’ll hear a cool little chime when you pick up an item. Just look at those screenshots! Playing these classics is sure to bring back some good memories for Castlevania veterans. On the other hand, if you’re new to the series and fancy some retro goodness, then you can’t go wrong with this amazing bundle. Just be ready for a challenge! Good news! You can pre-order Castlevania Requiem: Symphony of the Night & Rondo of Blood now on the PlayStation Store. View the full article

We are thrilled to announce that a new white version of the Gold Wireless Headset will be joining the lineup this October in North America, just in time for the holidays. With the same enhanced comfort and performance of the new Gold Wireless Headset, gamers can stand out a bit more with this new crisp white color. As always, it’s the connection to games that makes our headsets great, and we are happy to announce more titles with audio mode* support through the headset companion app** for both Gold and Platinum headsets. These audio modes, tuned by the developers themselves, let you experience the game as the developers intended. Dive into densely populated jungles, markets, and bustling city hubs, with Shadow of the Tomb Raider, or relive the iconic sounds of the dragon realms with Spyro Reignited Trilogy. 3D Audio***, our enhanced deep immersion audio function for the Platinum Wireless Headset, gets new supported titles as well. We look forward to an incredible new RPG experience from EA’s Anthem, and the brutal test of survival in Days Gone. Are you excited for the new white version of Gold Headset? Let us know in the comments. *Audio mode is available only with PS4 system. **Sony Entertainment Network account and Internet service required. ***3D audio is available only with Platinum Wireless Headset on PS4 with select titles. View the full article

Hi everybody, this is Nicolas Doucet, Creative Director of Astro Bot Rescue Mission over at Japan Studio. I hope you guys are getting ready for our new action platformer landing on PS VR on October 2. Not long to wait now! Today I’m back to share with you one of my favourite aspects of Astro Bot Rescue Mission: enemies and big, bad bosses! Any great action game needs its roster of bad guys and we put extra care into designing enemies that complement the VR gameplay to create a thrilling action platforming game. In the video above, I catch up with Tuyen Ngo, the Programmer behind the bosses, as well as Sebastian and Jamie, respectively Art Director and Lead Animator who gave them life. You and Astro will come across a wide range of enemies from cannon fodder lashing at Astro to more advanced enemies, such as electric, splitters, spiky, stompers all requiring various techniques to defeat. Though they are deadly foes, they all benefit from a precise character design making them feel very tangible in VR. As a VR player, you also exist in this world in first person and larger enemies will not hesitate to attack you, occasionally causing damage to your visor or blocking the view, exposing Astro to new dangers. Using your body, you will need to dodge incoming attacks by leaning, distribute a few headbutts, and use your deadly DualShock 4 gadgets to put an end to them. And of course, Bosses will stand in your way at the end of every world. These bosses are huge and create an amazing sense of scale in VR. Defeating them will not be a small affair though and your platforming and gadget skills will be put at use. Every one of them features a unique finale with a special mention for the final boss. And you’ll have to play to find out! That’s all from me! Enjoy this video and we’ll see you very soon with more Astro news as we near launch on October 2. See you around! View the full article

Gear.PlayStation.com: A New Beginning Hi, PlayStation Gear fans. If you’ve followed Gear Comms since its inception this past July, then you’ve probably picked up on the persistent, underlying theme that guides our vision of how we develop merchandise: “PlayStation merchandise is our way of celebrating the rich universe of PlayStation in our everyday lives.” We have an affinity for PlayStation, just like so many of you. But we realize that PlayStation Gear as a lifestyle extension inextricably calls for a specialized store in which to shop for that gear; a store that further delivers on our commitment to encapsulate merchandise as a lifestyle complement. That’s why earlier this year we made the difficult decision to temporarily close the doors on the gear.playstation.com e-tail site. So many of you have commented that you want the store back. We’re anxious too. It’s coming, but in a more defined way. We don’t want to spoil any of the surprises we have in store, but you can expect new features, new product categories, and new ways to celebrate the rich universe of PlayStation! If you’re hankering for the store’s debut as much as we are, then you’ll want to subscribe at the PlayStation Gear website for an exclusive invite to the store’s opening. Subscribe now at gear.playstation.com to secure your invite. Horizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game It’s board game night. Let’s check off the prep list… Snacks? Check. Drinks? Plenty. Friends? Inbound, but we’re excluding Bob this time. He was a sore loser last game night. Okay, everything is set, except… What are we going to play? No, not that same old game where you repeatedly circle the board buying up all the real estate properties you can in an effort to render your party guests broke and humiliated. My friends are modern. Sophisticated. They want something cooperative and fraught with peril. Enter Horizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game. Created by the ever-capable folks at Steamforged Games Ltd. (and pictured at the top of this post), this new board game promises all those things and much more. 1-4 players assume the roles of a Banuk Survivor, Carja Warrior, Nora Outcast or Oseram Forgesmith hunters as they embark on a treacherous journey, earning Sun tokens signifying the glory one only achieves in the thrill of the hunt! Think you will be the one to earn all of the glory? Play to find out! Horizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game is currently only available on Kickstarter as a crowdfunded project, but fear not HZD fans. Pledges for the board game have already far surpassed the funding goal and are busy earning bonus content, so it’s coming to a table near you – if you pledge before time runs out that is! September 9, 1995: The Birth of a PlayStation Nation The year was 1995. It was the year that the Internet was completely privatized, the year where companies like AOL gave us a browser so we could begin to “surf” the web, and the year where we would embrace a PlayStation controller for the very first time. For many, yeah the Internet is cool and arguably the greatest advancement in human collective knowledge, but that console though! In celebration of our 23rd year of entertaining North America, we honor one of our favorite products born out of one of our favorite games to ever grace the tray of that still-stylish Original PlayStation form factor: Twisted Metal’s Sweet Tooth Exclusive Edition statue by Gaming Heads. Is it just me or is he devilishly winking at us? Pre-order from Gaming Heads Inside PlayStation: Meet Gary Barth, Collectibles Creative If you’ve visited the PlayStation Gear event stores in recent time, there’s a good chance you’ve glimpsed or even longingly gazed at a Gary Barth collectibles concept. Gary has ideated countless PlayStation collectibles for nearly 24 years. From Uncharted to The Last of Us to just about anything imaginable in the PlayStation Universe, Gary has been hard at work for you, the PlayStation fan. You may have even stood next to one of his more elaborate projects without even realizing it, such as the incredibly lifelike scale Sam Porter Bridges from the upcoming Kojima Productions game, Death Stranding. We asked Gary about his time at PlayStation and what he enjoys most. Here’s what he had to say: “In my time here at PlayStation, I’ve held a few different jobs and I’ve enjoyed them all. I love learning new things and every day I’m doing something different at this company. Sometimes it’s helping design a merchandise line, or building a realistic display for an event, or a costume for a live action commercial… and sometimes it’s something as small as making the holiday ornaments that we gave out last year. I really enjoy being involved with all these projects and when someone compliments the projects I work on, I really want them to know it was a group effort.” Gary’s latest project is an exceptionally intricate statue from the upcoming PlayStation exclusive game, Days Gone. The prototype for this incredible piece debuted at this year’s PAX West. Gary is working on an all-new collectibles product line coming to the PlayStation Gear store. Stay tuned for more news and sneak peeks! View the full article

Welcome to the Vanguard, recruit! Consider this your field guide to surviving the intense bullet-hell action of Evasion, which launches October 9 on PS VR. Even if you are a grizzled FPS veteran, there’s plenty of challenge in store for you when you square off against the Optera. The development team assembled these tricks and tips to give you your best shot at survival. Good luck out there. Essential Tips For Surviving Your First Mission Move or Die: Standing still in Evasion is a death sentence, especially as the game escalates in difficulty. We made sure there’s a locomotion option for every playstyle, so it’s worth going through the tutorial to find the one that suits you best. Get to Cover: The Optera are relentless and will come at you from every direction, from both land and sky. Find cover early and take advantage of that crouch function. Max out your Blaster’s Energy Level: Your blaster has three energy levels. You want to hoover up those power cores so you can be at max level as much as possible. Not only will your blaster pack more punch, but you will have access to powerful finishing moves called Surge Attacks that can wipe out swaths of Optera in one go. Watch Your Health: Get in the habit of regularly checking your health, which is displayed on the top of your blaster, and the health of your teammate during major encounters. Perform Surge Attacks on enemies to increase your odds of extracting a health core, and when it activates, make sure you are standing inside the healing pool. Turn It Up: In addition to getting to hear some fun banter and the game’s epic soundtrack, many enemies can be heard before they can be seen, which will give you a definitive tactical advantage. Use That Tether: The tether can be used to heal teammates, as well as perform class-specific buffs. But it can also be used against Optera to perform a tether lash, which is a great way to finish off an enemy and guarantees a core drop. Review the class selection panel in the main hangar for a detailed description of each classes tether ability, then try them out in the shooting range to find the one that you like best. Mix and Match: Find a friend and strategically pair your classes to make you into an unstoppable destructive force. The Surgeon and the Warden make a classic healer/tank duo, for example. The Striker and the Engineer are also an effective pair. Unleash Surge Attacks: Each hero class packs a unique and devastating Surge Attack that can be activated once your energy level and health are maxed out. Boss encounters and digging the enemy out of entrenched fortifications are ideal times to deploy a Surge Attack; however, your weapon’s energy level will steadily deplete as you unleash an attack, so you want to use them strategically. If you heed these tips, you will have a fighting chance (even in the Survival challenges!) when the Optera descend on October 9. We also highly recommend trying Evasion out with the AIM controller; holding the rifle in your hand really lets you feel the kickback from each shot. Got a question about Evasion’s gameplay, classes or locomotion options? Drop us a comment in the space below. We’d love to hear your thoughts. View the full article

Nickelodeon Kart Racers is a kart racer featuring characters and slime-filled tracks from iconic Nickelodeon shows such as SpongeBob SquarePants, Hey Arnold!, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (and more) that’s meant to be accessible for younger kids while also remaining a challenge for nostalgic, older players. It’s a classic kart racer, but has quite a few innovative features that have been fun to work on and are even more fun to play. Though our team had not worked with these characters before in a game, our whole team knows and loves them. Our group ranges from 22 to 45 years old, so we all have fond memories of the same iconic characters. Did You Know? Double Dare introduced the first messy Slime-y physical challenges to kids and families in 1986! This game is a mixed-universe game and that kind of game needs something to glue the different IPs together (pun intended)! A great symbol of Nickelodeon’s irreverent humor and crazy antics is the iconic green slime. I remember seeing someone slimed for the first time, during the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards. Watching celebrities get unexpectedly slimed is one of the most exciting parts of the show and how can that not be a great game mechanic? Nickelodeon shows have featured slime for over 30 years and it has never lost its popularity and appeal. My eight-year-old daughter was watching slime-making videos on the internet before we started on this game. It jumped out at us as a way that the game could scream Nickelodeon, have a super fun device for game mechanics and attract a younger audience that loves slime. Did You Know? In 1990, Nickelodeon Studios opened in Orlando, Florida. Visitors are greeted by a Slime Geyser that erupts with Slime every 15 minutes. Bright green slime is a great visual and it shows up throughout the tracks, making them interesting and varied, while still being intuitive. Slime fills your kart’s turbo meter, which can activate a speed boost so getting slimed can really determine who wins the race. The karts can even sail like a jet ski on top of slime pools! That creates a change in mechanics and visually looks awesome. Slime pickups and triggers give players secondary objectives and, of course, in true Nickelodeon fashion, you can’t stand on the winners’ podium without your racer getting covered in slime! The Vector Unit game engine supports water racing, so we saw that as a great opportunity to introduce a different racing experience. Your kart will transform into a jet ski and it’s easy to get turbo charged when sailing on slime. Plus, the areas are wide open, so you can go really fast. Did You Know? In 2010 Katy Perry received one of the most epic Slime-ings in history while presenting at the Kids Choice Awards. The pressure of the blast was so high; it knocked her off her feet. The important thing that kids have quickly figured out in play-testing is that slime helps the player; in their feedback, they’ve given the slime more importance than any other feature. They enjoy how it looks, behaves and is used in the game which makes us feel great because that’s what we have strived for. We were super worried that slime would be a big challenge to technically embody so we used Nickelodeon’s special slime recipe to make a few gallons of slime for real, which was a lot of fun. Kids are no fools and they know the difference between slime and green water, so we had to study every element of the goo to truly capture the slime in-game. Our FX and graphics programmers spent a crazy amount of time perfecting the virtual slime. There are over ten different kinds of slime art, including wavy slime pools, puddles, pipes, spray, splashes and more. Most are done with a mix of procedural particles, shaders and textures, sprites and UV maps. The extra effort was worth it; we’re really proud of the result. View the full article

Today, we’re excited to announce the Red Dead Redemption 2 PlayStation 4 Pro Bundle, launching alongside Rockstar’s highly anticipated game on October 26. This bundle includes a 1TB Jet Black PS4 Pro system, a DualShock 4 wireless controller and Red Dead Redemption 2 on Blu-ray disc. This bundle will be available across the U.S. and Canada for $399.99 (MSRP) / $499.99 CAD (MSRP). Pre-orders start today. On PS4 Pro, 4K HDR TV owners will benefit from enhanced graphics and optimized performance for a stunningly sharp and detailed look (when compared to a PS4 system), as you live, ride and fight to survive as an outlaw in a notorious gang. HD TV owners will benefit from increased image clarity through the PS4 Pro’s Supersampling Mode (you can turn on Supersampling Mode in the PS4 Pro system settings menu). Meanwhile, if your TV supports high-dynamic range (HDR), you’ll experience the picturesque scenery of Red Dead Redemption 2 with an even more vibrant and dynamic range of colors (HDR features also available on PS4 system). If you have yet to experience everything the most advanced PlayStation system has to offer, Red Dead Redemption 2’s epic tale of life in America at the dawn of the modern age provides a great opportunity to get a PS4 Pro. Be sure to check out the Red Dead Redemption 2 PlayStation 4 Pro Bundle, launching next month! View the full article

FIFA 19 delivers a champion-caliber experience on and off the pitch. Developed by EA Vancouver, FIFA 19 introduces a number of new gameplay innovations such as Timed Finishing, Active Touch, Dynamic Tactics, and 50/50 Battles. The UEFA Champions League, the biggest club competition in world football, has been interwoven throughout the game. Also, experience the dramatic final chapter of Alex Hunter’s story. For a full list of new games coming to PlayStation next week, read on. And enjoy The Drop! Air Missions: Hind PS4 — Digital (Out 9/26) Air Missions: Hind is an action combat flight simulator based on the Russian Mi-24 Hind assault helicopter. Equip the weapon of your choice and use those weapons to tear up the sky in single player and multiplayer modes. The Cat and the Coup PS4 — Digital Play as the cat of Dr. Mohammed Mossadegh, the first democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran. Coax Mossadegh back through significant events of his life by knocking objects off shelves, scattering his papers, and scratching him. Catastronauts PS4 — Digital (Out 9/28) Can you deal with unrelenting disaster and hold your ship together long enough to destroy the enemy invaders? Gather your friends and join the illustrious Space Fleet in this fast-paced party game! Creed: Rise to Glory PS VR — Digital, Retail Do you have what it takes to become a champion? Follow the ascent of boxer Adonis Creed as you go toe-to-toe with the world’s top opponents in an intense boxing experience that lets you train, fight, and win like a Creed. Cryptract PS4 — Digital Cryptract is a free-to-play online fantasy RPG with turn-based battles, in which Lords can form contracts with Mystical Beasts to fight together. Combine strengths with your newfound allies and form your own ultimate army! Dakar 18 PS4 — Retail Dakar 18 is a realistic simulation of the world-famous annual rally raid organized by Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.) in South America, and features stunning visuals and many vehicles including motorcycles, cars, trucks, quads and SxS. Dark Eclipse PS VR — Digital (Out 9/26) Dark Eclipse is PS4’s first ever VR MOBA. Command a team of three Leaders, each with their own unique characteristics and abilities, and battle for supremacy in the post-apocalyptic dark fantasy world of Oldus. Deployment PS4 — Digital Deploy your troops and get ready for epic battles in Deployment, the new competitive top-down shooter game by the creators of We Are The Dwarves! FIFA 19 PS4 — Digital, Retail (Out 9/28) FIFA 19 delivers a champion-caliber experience on and off the pitch. Led by the prestigious UEFA Champions League, FIFA 19 offers enhanced gameplay tools that allow you to control the pitch in every moment with unrivaled ways to play. Freaky Awesome PS4 — Digital (Out 9/28) Freaky Awesome is a highly dynamic roguelike where you’ll gain mutations by contact with the remains of your enemies. Play solo or co-op with your friends! The Grand Museum VR PS VR — Digital This virtual museum environment contains 82 models of real-world ancient works of art, originating from many ancient cultures of Europe, Asia and Northern Africa. Investigate the archives and discover the history of the art pieces. Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition PS4 — Digital Descend into the world of Hollow Knight, the award-winning action adventure of insects and heroes. Explore twisting caverns, ancient cities and deadly wastes. Battle tainted creatures and befriend bizarre bugs. Jack N’ Jill DX PS4, PS Vita — Digital (Cross Buy) Once upon a time, Jack and Jill, went up the hill, to fetch a pail of water. It didn’t particularly end well for them, and to be honest, things aren’t exactly great for another Jack and Jill either. 140 levels and a bunch of minigames! Life Is Strange 2 Episode 1 PS4 — Digital (Out 9/26) The long-awaited sequel to award-winning Life is Strange returns. Two brothers, aged 16 and 9, are forced to run away from home after a tragic incident, while attempting to conceal a sudden and mysterious supernatural power. Metal Max Xeno PS4 — Digital, Retail Metal Max Xeno is a post-apocalyptic RPG. Collect and customize tanks to battle mutated creatures and robotic enemies. Perception: Remastered PS4 — Digital (Out 9/27) An award-winning narrative thriller about a blind woman’s journey to uncover the truth about the mansion from her nightmares or become one of its victims. Using sound as sight, Cassie explores Echo Bluff, desperate to unravel its sordid history. Pilot Sports PS4 — Digital (Out 9/27) Pilot Sports is brilliant gaming fun for the whole family! Split screen mode and unlockable courses for up to four players, over 50 different courses, a variety of aircraft and thrilling challenges provide for all sorts of gaming enjoyment! Pitterpot PS4 — Digital PitterPot is a 3D platforming adventure game. Play as PitterPot, a magical potted plant, use abilities to explore levels, collect seeds, defeat the weeds, and save the garden! Punch Line PS4, PS Vita — Digital Punch Line is the newest visual novel adventure from the creators of Zero Escape and the Science Adventure series! Revenant Dogma PS4, PS Vita — Digital (Cross Buy) Revenant Dogma is a fantasy RPG featuring stunning 3D battles! Caine enters a ruins site in search of a relic and meets a mysterious girl in a mask, kicking off a grand scheme that will change the worlds of humans and therians. Think of the Children PS4 — Digital Little Bobby’s dead, the BBQ is on fire, Jen’s eating poisonous berries and the birthday cake still needs icing. Just another wonderful day out with the kids in Think of the Children, a frantic parenting simulator for up to four players. This Is the Police 2 PS4 — Digital, Retail Interpret the law as you see fit! Run the sheriff’s department, manage your cops, make tough decisions – and try to keep out of prison yourself – in this story-driven mixture of adventure, strategy, and turn-based tactical combat. Timespinner PS4, PS Vita — Digital Timespinner is a beautifully crafted story-driven adventure, inspired by classic 90s action-platformers. Timekeeper Lunais is on a quest to avenge her slain family, using time-bending powers to explore an interconnected world. Toon War PS4 — Digital (Out 9/24) Your mission is to liberate peaceful villages from evil forces, eliminate enemies and win over dangerous bosses. Toon War is a twin stick shooter game with colorful and vivid graphics. Valkyria Chronicles 4 PS4 — Digital, Retail Commander Claude Wallace and his childhood friends set out to fight for freedom in the desperate war, but bone-chilling blizzards, waves of imperial soldiers, and the godlike powers of the Valkyria stand between them and victory. The information above is subject to change without notice. Marvel’s Spider-Man Soundtrack Prince – Piano & A Microphone 1983 Machine Gun Kelly – Binge Uncle Drew (plus Bonus Features) Skyscraper Hotel Transylvania 3 Premieres Sunday, September 23 at 9PM ET/PT on CNN Season 3 Premiere Tuesday, September 25 at 9/8c on NBC Season 3 Premiere Thursday, September 27 at 8/7c on NBC PlayStation Vue has your favorite sports, news and must-watch shows. View the full article

Starting today at PlayStation Store, save up to 40 percent on games like BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle Deluxe Edition, Dark Souls: Remastered, Star Wars Battlefront II and more! Check out the full lineup of titles below, but don’t wait too long – this flash sale ends September 24 at 8 a.m. PT. Games <-- Swipe left on mobile for full table Platform Title Sale Price Original Price PS4 ADVENTURE TIME PIRATES OF THE ENCHIRIDION $29.99 $39.99 PS4 BLAZBLUE: CROSS TAG BATTLE $34.99 $49.99 PS4 BLAZBLUE: CROSS TAG BATTLE DELUXE EDITION $48.99 $69.99 PS4 DARK SOULS: REMASTERED $27.99 $39.99 PS4 EARTHFALL $22.49 $29.99 PS4 EARTHFALL DELUXE $29.99 $39.99 PS4 EXTINCTION $17.99 $59.99 PS4 EXTINCTION: DELUXE EDITION $20.99 $69.99 PS4 FAIRY FENCER F: ADVENT DARK FORCE $5.99 $29.99 PS4 FAR CRY 3 CLASSIC EDITION $17.99 $29.99 PS4 FAR CRY PRIMAL $14.99 $49.99 PS4 FAR CRY PRIMAL – DIGITAL APEX EDITION $16.49 $54.99 PS4 FIGHTING EX LAYER (LIGHT VERSION) $27.99 $39.99 PS4 FIGHTING EX LAYER (STANDARD VERSION) $41.99 $59.99 PS4 HASBRO FAMILY FUN PACK $15.99 $39.99 PS4 HELLO NEIGHBOR $22.49 $29.99 PS4 HERO DEFENSE $17.99 $29.99 PS4 LUMINES REMASTERED $11.24 $14.99 PS4 MLB THE SHOW 18 $19.99 $39.99 PS4 MLB THE SHOW 18 ALL STAR EDITION $24.99 $49.99 PS4 MLB THE SHOW 18 DIGITAL DELUXE EDITION $39.99 $79.99 PS4 MONOPOLY FAMILY FUN PACK $5.99 $19.99 PS4 MOTOGP 18 $29.99 $49.99 PS4 NEW GUNDAM BREAKER $44.99 $59.99 PS4 PURE FARMING 2018 $23.99 $39.99 PS4 PURE FARMING 2018: DIGITAL DELUXE EDITION $29.99 $49.99 PS4 SEGA GENESIS CLASSICS $22.49 $29.99 PS4 SONIC MANIA: ENCORE DLC $3.74 $4.99 PS4 SPACE HULK: DEATHWINGS $23.99 $39.99 PS4 STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT II $9.99 $39.99 PS4 STEEP – WINTER GAMES EDITION $14.99 $49.99 PS4 STEEP – WINTER GAMES GOLD EDITION $20.99 $69.99 PS4 STREET FIGHTER 30TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION $29.99 $39.99 PS4 SURF WORLD SERIES $8.99 $14.99 PS4 SURVIVING MARS $23.99 $39.99 PS4 SURVIVING MARS – DIGITAL DELUXE EDITION $29.99 $49.99 PS4 SURVIVING MARS – FIRST COLONY EDITION $37.49 $74.99 PS4 SYBERIA 3 $14.99 $49.99 PS4 TACOMA $7.99 $19.99 PS4 THE CREW ULTIMATE EDITION $12.49 $49.99 PS4 UNRAVEL YARNY BUNDLE $20.99 $29.99 PS4 VAMPYR $40.19 $59.99 PS4 WIZARD OF LEGEND $12.79 $15.99 PS4 YAKUZA 6: THE SONG OF LIFE $35.99 $59.99 Note: All pricing is for U.S. only and subject to change. View the full article

Last week, we asked you to catch Spider-Man doing what he does best, swinging through the city streets in Marvel’s Spider-Man. You shared spectacular shots of Peter swinging and leaping using #PS4share and #PSBlog, and we picked our favorite death-defying shots. Here are this week’s highlights: @MahmoudHamo1 captured Spider-Man swinging through the hazy sun-lit city. @JohnTambanillo shared Spidey swinging in the Scarlet Spider suit. Spider-Man moves through some dramatic lighting in this share from @InglouriousHugo. @PhotoModeGamer shared this well-framed vertical shot. @Eazels shared Spidey leaping off the page in this vintage cel-shaded shot. Spider-Man swinging into the night in this share from @chococriespy. 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: Marvel’s Spider-Man – Villains Share by: 9am Pacific on Wednesday, September 26 Next week, we’re turning the lens on Spidey’s biggest foes. Share shots of your favorite villains in Marvel’s Spider-Man using #PS4share and #PSBlog for a chance to be featured. View the full article