Commander Fury

After a long wait, the War for Meat has nearly begun. Tooth and Tail, the Real-Time-Strategy game designed specifically for controllers, is coming to PS4 on September 12th, with pre-orders available starting July 18th. I’m Andy Schatz — Creative Director of Pocketwatch Games — and along with the new trailer for Tooth and Tail, I want to show you some never-before-seen shots of the extensive single-player Story Mode. Tooth and Tail | PlayStation.com “A Modern Animal eats his meatâ€, as they say in Vyeshal. Ever since the Blight, animals have taken to feeding upon each other through a ritual called the Harvest, when the Civilized choose members of the populace to be cooked and served at the feasting table. Set in an era of industrial revolution, and filled with characters like the acorn-brewing Distillery Brothers and the thuggish chameleons of the Trench Gang, a story of political revolution and personal vengeance unravels. Explore the Warrens as the flagbearers of the four factions: the Longcoats, the Commonfolk, the KSR, and the Civilized. Each character’s campaign contains unique rules, settings, and strategies. And with procedurally generated maps, the Story Mode is endlessly replayable. After you’ve gotten your feet wet in Story Mode (or sunk many hours into all four characters’ arcs), maybe you’ll have an appetite for multiplayer. Tooth and Tail’s multiplayer has been tested with a three-year long private alpha, which has spawned a fan-run tournament scene, called Clash of Comrades. We patch the game frequently with balance changes and new features, and we plan to do so after launch as well. The competitive mode in Tooth and Tail is called the Arena. Here, players can compete versus players of similar rank to vie for their place in the standings. In the Arena, every game matters. Since matches only last 5 to 12 minutes, players feel more at ease experimenting with new strategies, or trying crazy stuff to catch their opponents off guard. As with single-player, all maps are procedurally generated, and players can customize their hidden army before the start of the match, so no two games are exactly alike! Of course, if online competitive play is too intimidating, you can always play Split Screen with up to four players. Or if you’ve got a buddy that you like to play couch-co-op games with, you can play mixed Split Screen and Online in 2v2 matches as well. Tooth and Tail will be available for pre-order on July 18th, with an extra 10% off for PS+ subscribers. See you on the battlefield September 12th! View the full article

Grab that second controller and start planning the party — we are super-excited to say that Nidhogg 2 is launching August 15th, with pre-orders beginning July 18th. You may have noticed that Nidhogg 2 looks ever-so-slightly different from its predecessor. It’s the number one thing that people ask about, so Kristy and I wanted to give you the story behind Nidhogg 2’s art direction. Born of LimitationWe were proud of the original Nidhogg’s visual style, but that’s not to say we weren’t a bit surprised by how well the chunky, featureless pixels were received. We were pushing the limits of old-school aesthetics, after all. What many people didn’t realize was that Nidhogg’s style actually grew out of practicality more than some daring vision. Nidhogg was a game of fast reactions and precision, so fluid animation was a major priority. The flat style meant that I could iterate quickly, drawing and adjusting animations on the fly without having to worry about matching dozens of intricate design elements between frames. Rather than setting up mechanics and then moving on to art, I’m someone who needs to be able to tweak both constantly. The major drawback to this approach is that adding any sort of detail, like a piece of armor or a mask, means hours upon hours spent redoing animations again and again. While these limitations helped to define Nidhogg’s distinctive style, we felt constrained. Just a few potential characters you can create in Nidhogg 2 New Game, New ProcessWhen Kristy and I started thinking about Nidhogg 2, we looked back at our general to-do list from the original game. As always, there were a lot of items that had drifted from “Gotta hav this,†to “Wanna do this if we have time,†and on to “Can’t really do this, but man it would be cool.†Of everything on that list, a new animation process sat at the top. I had been experimenting with 2D bone animation programs, which allow you to independently animate separate body parts instead of redrawing entire character sprites. This makes it infinitely easier to combine things like fencing footwork, various upper-body stances, and weapon types. Plus, it means you can swap out the sprites without breaking the animation. It seemed silly to use all this potential on pixelated stick figures. So, instead of minimalism, why not try out some maximalism? Animated faces, sweet outfits and hairstyles, bustling environments – the doors had swung wide and Nidhogg 2’s visual style was born. Nidhogg 2 | PlayStation.com While it might take a few moments to adjust to the new look, we think you’ll enjoy this lively new world with all its visual absurdity and fun character possibilities. I know that we’ve certainly had a blast creating it. View the full article

Special guest host Greg Kasavin from Supergiant Games joins the team to talk about Pyre, and his experience working in game development. What does it mean to write for a story-based game? How does the team at Supergiant come up with ideas? And how tall is Greg’s Backlog of Shame right now? Enjoy the show! Subscribe via iTunes, Spotify, Google or RSS, or download here Stuff We Talked About Pyre! The Sordid Details of Greg Kasavin’s Life Bastion Transistor That’s You! Recent Episodes 254: Sid Deleted the Intro 253: Baby Games 252: Not Bad for a Human The Cast Justin Massongill – Social Media Manager, SIEA Greg Kasavin – Creative Director, Supergiant Games Ryan Clements – Sr. Social Media Specialist, SIEA Send us questions and tips! blogcast@sony.com Leave us a voicemail! (650) 288-6706 Thanks to Cory Schmitz for our beautiful logo and Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music. [Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.] View the full article

Hello PlayStation fans! Summer has finally come and we’re here with some news on Gravel, the new arcade off-road racer made by Milestone. Today, we’d like to give you an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the development of Gravel with a new Dev Diary. If you’re asking yourself what this all is about… well, buckle up: you’re about to discover an off-road racer like no other. So sit back, relax, take a step into our offices and meet some of the talented guys and girls that poured all their creativity and passion in what we think is a really noble goal: build an incredibly fun, fast-paced, over-the-top rollercoaster ride with some of the most powerful off-road vehicles man has ever created, reminiscent of the arcade-racers of old, but bestowed with breakthrough graphics and audio. And it’s all about pure fun: we want you to step on the gas in V8 trophy trucks and legendary rally cars and partake in the greatest off-road show ever, holding your breath until the finish line. Did we mention everything is wrapped-up in a faux TV-Show, inspired by the best extreme-sports channels that will take you to some of the most beautiful places in the world? Yes, we know it’s a lot, but this is Gravel: the quintessential arcade racer, where fun and show business become one. And you will be at the center of it all, competing against the Masters — elected champions of the previous years. Today, we’ll take five minutes of your time to show you some of the amazing landscapes our 3D artists are modeling with Unreal Engine, to tell you something more about the in-game audio, and to show you how skies and lighting can make all the difference in the world. Stepping up our game with Unreal Engine, something that happened recently at Milestone, we have taken a chance to overhaul many other aspects of our game production, from the art department to the reference and audio engineering. This brief tour, combined with more to come, will give you a sneak peek into everything we’ve been doing in the last months here at Milestone. Enjoy the first Gravel Dev Diary and get ready to join us on this incredible off-road tour in early 2018. Stay tuned for much more in the next months! View the full article

Hey all! Nick here, with an exciting announcement — Masquerada: Songs and Shadows is going to be released on PS4 August 8th! I’m here to talk a little bit about what the game is all about. The original seed for the world of Masquerada was a Dungeons & Dragons campaign our Creative Director, Ian, used to run. (You can read more about his process in his previous PS Blog entry!) When I was brought aboard to flesh out the world and weave a story within it, we kept coming back to the concept of the Mask. A mask hides and protects its wearer, and in the world that Ian had created, it could do that quite literally – magical masks called Mascherines granted their wearers the ability to manipulate the elements, bestowing upon them the power to defend themselves. We wanted to take this further. We wanted the Mask to be a pillar not just for the gameplay, but for the narrative and setting as well, and that’s how we came up with the story of Masquerada. In Masquerada, you play as Cicero Gavar, an inspector of his time brought back to the city of Ombre to investigate the disappearance of a friend. Ombre – the city-state within which the entire story takes place – is, on the surface glitzy and glamorous, but as the tale unfolds you learn that it, too, has a mask of its own. Beneath the bright colors and flashy spectacles lie ancient secrets unearthed as Cicero’s search for his missing friend embroils him in long forgotten currents. Complicating his ventures even further are the messy happenings of the city. Large factions called Guilds vie for power in the tiny urban bubble of Ombre, mythical creatures called Fey have appeared with nary an explanation, and groups of rebels have been seizing territories in unprecedented fashion. Cicero’s investigation leads him straight to the root cause of all of these seemingly unrelated events. At the heart of this tale, however, are the companions that Cicero travels with – people in this world wear masks of all sorts — to obscure their intentions, to hide their secrets, or to bury their skeletons — and the characters you journey with are no exceptions. We wanted to explore the idea of what it would take for someone to abandon their protective facades, to expose their vulnerabilities, and what good could come of it. Enter Cicero’s four main companions – a reclusive archaeologist who prefers books to people, a healer who would kill to keep his past hidden, a marshal who protects her heart with platitudes and laws, and a cheery musician entangled in an underground network that deals in death. Each of them embarks on a personal journey with Cicero, where they grapple with the masks they wear, and redefine their relationship with the burdens of their past. I am so excited for all of you to try out the game and go on this adventure with Cicero and his companions, and see all that the city of Ombre has to offer. A world of secrets and adventure awaits! View the full article

Hello GT Fans! I’m extremely excited to confirm that Gran Turismo Sport will be launching on October 17 in North America. Following the successful completion of our Closed Beta phase, as announced earlier this week, we are now entering the final stages of polishing as we prepare for launch. Between now and launch you can expect to hear a lot more from the GT team as we unveil more information on the many features included in Gran Turismo Sport, including the campaign mode, various creative tools, as well as a full reveal on all the cars and tracks you can look forward to racing on launch day! In the meantime, I’d like to take this opportunity on behalf of myself and PDI to express my gratitude for the continued support of GT fans and PlayStation supporters around the world during this beta period. We’re as keen as all of you to get the game into players’ hands, and can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks of the game when it launches in October. We’ve strived to create something that delivers an unprecedented experience in terms of the graphics, sound, and physics simulation; an experience that can only be enjoyed on PlayStation. Gran Turismo Sport is available to pre-order now from both PlayStation Store and retailers across the United States. We’ve plenty of choices available to GT fans to help select the right edition for them… On top of the Standard Edition full game, we’ve also got several options for fans: Gran Turismo Sport Limited Edition – $69.99 MSRP ($89.99 CAN) GT Sport Starter Pack (8 Cars) $1MM In-Game Credit Livery Sticker Pack 30 GT Sport Themed Avatars Chrome Racing Helmet (For Driver Profile) Limited Steel Book & Packaging Gran Turismo Sport Digital Deluxe Edition – $79.99 MSRP ($99.99 CAN) GT Sport Starter Pack (12 Cars) $2MM In-Game Credit Livery Sticker Pack 60 GT Sport Themed Avatars Chrome Racing Helmet (For Driver Profile) For more information please continue to check out the official PlayStation channels and the Gran Turismo website. View the full article

At the E3 2017 Media Showcase we premiered a new gameplay demo for Days Gone that focused on open-world dynamic events. Behind closed doors, we showed an alternate-path of the demo, changing up the weather, time-of-day, and play style. Our goal for this second demo was to show that changing something like the weather was more than cosmetic — it could significantly impact the experience. After the dust from E3 settled, I sat down with Sam Witwer — who plays Deacon St. John — to watch the Alternate-Path Gameplay Demo and talk about some of the things we’re trying to do in Days Gone. Here are some of the topics we covered: Weather and time-of-day: Snow will impact your ability to ride the Drifter Bike, cold makes Freakers stronger; rain can dampen sound, but brings more Freakers out during the day; night brings out even more Freakers and changes the behaviors of Marauders, and more. Survival Vision: You can focus on the environment around you to discover tracks, clues, and resources. Crafting: You can find all sorts of things in the open world which can be used to craft items both useful and deadly. Traps: Creating and placing traps — used in conjunction with our distraction mechanic — is an important part of our strategic sandbox combat. Dynamic Events: You have to be cautious and vigilant to avoid ambushes, traps, and other hazards. All of these features work together to create a dynamic, open-world experience. When Deacon rides out to save his friend, the weather, time-of-day, dynamic events, and playstyle preferences can change the experience pretty dramatically. In the Media Showcase demo, Deacon weaponizes a Swarm and uses it to attack the Marauder camp, while in the alternate-path demo, he goes in guns blazing. And these aren’t the only ways to play it. What if you wanted to try to stealth the entire camp? What if you had a sniper rifle, a lot of ammo, and a perch way up on the bridge near that waterfall? What if you wanted to ride through the camp on your Drifter Bike, tossing Molotovs left and right? How you play is up to you. Sam and I also talked a little about the genesis of Deacon’s character over the last three years of development and some of the challenges Sam faced while helping create the character. But because Sam is not only an accomplished actor but is an avid gamer as well, it was interesting to hear his thoughts on the game itself, the dynamic events, the alternate paths, the brutality of the world. We’ll be talking more about all of that — and Deacon’s story — in the coming months, but in the meantime, think about this: when the world of Days Gone comes for you, will you be ready? View the full article

The History We’re finally worthy. Heralded as the magnum opus of the fan favorite Samurai Shodown series, the home version (AES) of Samurai Shodown V Special was a victim of circumstance and experienced a rocky original launch. The arcade version of the game was a clear evolution of the series, building upon what was already one of the most violent fighting game series in the industry. The most notable addition was the inclusion of brutal Overkill moves which gave players the ability to end a match with a visceral fatal strike unique to each character. Samurai Shodown IV had already featured generic fatality-like moves, and Samurai Shodown V Special was meant to take that even further with character specific moves. That arcade version of the game was already controversial for its level of violence and gore, but after a violent incident in Japan the fate of the game’s home version was in question. The game was mysteriously delayed right at the last minute, and the community was shocked to find out upon release that the home version of the game had been heavily censored. The last-minute censoring also resulted in critical bugs popping up in the game and SNK quickly issued a recall in response to fan outcry. That recall issued bug fixes but only partially restored the censored parts of the game. Today, we are happy to announce that we have heard our fan’s requests to bring this game back in its original form, and have been working with our partners at Code Mystics to deliver the game to PS4 and Vita. The goal from the start has been to give the game a proper release that will not be marred by the circumstances that hobbled the original AES launch. Our team believes that it is important to see the game delivered to fans as the original creators intended. The GameSamurai Shodown V Special is one of the most well-regarded SNK fighting games among the fighting game community. It is easily one of the most balanced games in the series and features both brand-new systems and an extra layer of polish on already existing mechanics. The game is designed to place emphasis on the qualities that are unique to the Samurai Shodown series. With much less of a focus on combos and supers, victory in Samurai Shodown V Special at high level play will usually come down to using range and spacing to your advantage. There are a variety of systems and mechanics that have contributed to the game becoming a favorite among hardcore fighting game fans. Here is a quick rundown of some of the most important systems: Sword Gauge: A meter that directly affects how much damage you do. Any attack—even whiffs or blocked attacks—reduces the meter and the amount of damage you can do. It slowly regenerates to maximum when you are not attacking. Rage Gauge: A staple in the Samurai Shodown series. Taking damage fills this meter and once at max it results in increased attack power along with other bonuses. A Rage Explosion command can also be used which can be used to push back your opponent and open up other possibilities. Weapon Flipping Attack: The super special move of Samurai Shodown V Special. It can be used while the Rage Gauge is at max or during a Rage Explosion. The move will both deal significant damage to the opponent and disarm them. Concentration One: Only usable under certain conditions, this move will result in your opponent going into slow motion while you move at normal speed. Combined with the damaging Fatal Flash command that can only be used in this state, this command is perfect for staging last minute come-backs. Overkill Moves: These are ultimate moves that can only be used once during a match against an opponent who is already on the ropes. Landing this move will result in your character executing the opponent with a brutal, visceral secret technique. The PS4 / PS Vita ReleaseAs with all of our collaborations with Code Mystics, this release will feature new content such as online multiplayer, a Gallery mode with unlockable art, and trophy support. This will be the first time the game has been available in its original form on a modern console. And we are happy to announce that we will be showing a playable beta of the game at our booth during EVO 2017! We hope all of our fans attending the event stop by to try out the game and give us their feedback! A true samurai fights with dignity and honor. But that doesn’t mean you have to. View the full article

Coilworks have never been big fans of hand-holding. You can tell while playing the tutorial levels- we’ll show you the basics but it’s up to you to forge your own path through the game. Since Super Cloudbuilt throws players in at the deep end, it’s only fair to give you the flexibility to follow your own journey, whether that’s through play style, controls or graphics. Levels: At its heart, Super Cloudbuilt is a speedrunning game but it also has an emphasis on exploration. It’s been designed to be non-linear so there are multiple paths throughout each level. Don’t like the look of those enemies? Never mind, just hop up on that roof, pull off a quick wall run and avoid them completely. You can explore the map to find the shortest path (and therefore the fastest times), or take your time to hunt out optional power-ups which change the way you can play future levels. Story: Super Cloudbuilt’s levels are spread along four main branches: Dawn, Day, Storm and Night. You can choose which branches to follow or even break free from these paths all together and find alternative and even more challenging routes. Depending on the levels you complete, different conclusions to Demi’s story will be revealed. Game modes: You can play Super Cloudbuilt across three main modes: Story, Ranked and Rush. There are over 200 individual leaderboards covering everything from pure time trials to specific challenges like No Ammo, Fragile and Supercharge. Controller settings: While we know how WE like to play the game, there are four different preset control schemes. None of those feel right? Map the buttons to your own preference! Graphic style: Since you can choose how to play, why not also mess about with how the game looks? If you want a change from Super Cloudbuilt’s bold hand-drawn hatch-shading style, you can switch it up in the settings. There are several different options, ranging from Painted (which turns your game into a living watercolor) to Color Pencil (which does what it says on the tin). Super Cloudbuilt releases on July 25th for PlayStation 4 but you can pre-order now for a 10% PlayStation Plus discount, a free theme and early access to the opening levels and leaderboards in the form of an exclusive ‘practice demo’. You can also unlock four hidden outfits in the final release by logging into your DoubleID account from the ‘practice demo’. View the full article

The Big Unveil! ‘Shakedown: Hawaii’ was first announced right here, a year and a half ago. I had no idea what everyone’s reaction would be, knowing that after Retro City Rampage, each of you would have your own picture in mind of what the next game would look like. I hoped that whatever that was, it would line up with what Shakedown is. So with that said, I couldn’t have been happier (and relieved) with how well it was received. Having explored so many different potential art styles with so many different artists, it looked like I’d ultimately chosen the right one. The new music direction went over super well too! Since then, I’ve been busy at work on the game, and it’s come a very long way. It’s a new game, not Retro City Rampage 2, so there was a lot that had to be built. During that time, I’ve trickled out teasers, but they’ve only given you a peek at the art style, music, and the destructible environment. Today, the game’s finally fully revealed – its theme, story, protagonist, and… business acquisition metagame! Check out the trailer and rundown below for the full scoop… Open World, New ParodyWhere ‘Retro City Rampage’ was a send up to video games and pop culture, ‘Shakedown: Hawaii’ is a parody of mega corporations, white collar crimes, and the most comically egregious business practices that go alongside. It playfully satirizes business that’s so ballsy, you’ll be left saying, “I’m not even mad, that’s amazing!†Out of Retirement… to Retire the Competition!You play an aging CEO, stranded in a world he no longer understands, with a company that’s now a relic of the past. Upon discovering that online shopping’s destroyed his retail margins, ride sharing killed his taxi business, and video rental stores… are no longer actually a thing… it becomes clear that keeping the company alive will require drastic measures. He’ll need to modernize the business! Unfortunately, the modernizations he chooses are exactly those comically egregious practices! From the Boardroom to the StreetsReplacing the genre’s more commonly populated gangs and mobsters, are boardroom executives, formulating harebrained schemes to increase margins and boost profits. But, whether you’re cornering the market on avocado toast or masterminding new hidden service fees, the missions ultimately unravel into the same carjacking, combat and shootouts you’d expect from the genre. Collect ‘em All!As things begin to turn the corner, our anti-hero sets his sights even higher. Perhaps it was his rival’s taunts, or maybe he attended one too many motivational self-help seminars, or it could just be his own insecurity and over-compensation complex. Whatever it was, he declares that saving the company is no longer enough. He’s going to own the ENTIRE island! He’ll destroy EVERY competitor! He’ll convince the world that online shopping’s a dying fad, taxis are here to stay, and dammit… get everyone renting VHS tapes again! The entire island is up for grabs… or at least, will be once you ruffle enough feathers. Through story missions, small jobs and your own acquisitions, you’ll gain ownership of properties and businesses. The revenue they generate can then be funneled back into more acquisitions. Reality CheckOur anti-hero’s decision to spend more time on reality TV as a “CEO†personality, than as the actual CEO of his company didn’t help matters. Even though he’s only reached D-list celebrity status, he’s still too recognizable to go on a rampage without a disguise. Luckily he owns a few costume shops in town. New opportunities will emerge as your empire branches out into new market segments. With the disguise, you can begin sabotaging competitors, threatening those who threaten your brands, and collaterally “rezone†land. Collecting Loose ChangeWith your trusty disguise, you can also begin shaking down shops for protection money, and use that to fund your “legitimate†corporate expansion. These micro missions are scattered all over the island and successfully completing them will provide you with additional streams of income. More on these shakedowns will be revealed in detail in a later trailer dedicated solely to their part in the game, so stay tuned! More GameplayFor a bigger peek at the gameplay, check out last year’s PSX 2016 Teaser below… Now We’re Rolling!So there it is! That’s Shakedown: Hawaii! Now that we’re past the teaser stage, look forward to much more frequent and meaty trailers, showcasing specific missions and characters, the world and shops, character customization, plus more of the soundtrack (composed by the incredible Matt Creamer, AKA. Norrin Radd). Although there’s no release date just yet, Shakedown: Hawaii will be Cross-Buy and land on both PS4 and PS Vita! Physical Copies!Continuing the trend, I’ll also be self-publishing physical copies! Be sure to subscribe to email alerts so you don’t miss ‘em! Also subscribe to be notified as soon as the release date’s announced, and when major news or trailers drop! I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comments below, and am here to answer them! View the full article

The Blue Bomber is Mega Man’s nickname – but that iconic color is only one of many in his arsenal. Diehard fans know that the intrepid little robot can steal enemies’ powers and become every color of the rainbow in the process. Today we’re excited to reveal vivid, gorgeous new artwork by Udon Entertainment showcasing the splashy colors of Mega Man Legacy Collection 2. The fresh new artwork is featured in a PS4 theme you can get by preordering the game now. To mark the occasion, we spoke with Udon Entertainment artist, Jeffrey “Chamba†Cruz, about his role in creating this stunning new artwork. Robot Master Role Call Everybody knows the heroic Mega Man and the evil Dr. Wily, but do you know all the Robot Master bosses flanking Mega Man from the sides? (Top row to bottom row, left to right) Astro Man – Mega Man 8 Blade Man – Mega Man 10 Shade Man – Mega Man 7 Tengu Man – Mega Man 8 Splash Woman – Mega Man 9 Slash Man – Mega Man 7 Magma Man – Mega Man 9 Nitro Man – Mega Man 10 Chamba has been creating beautiful artwork at Udon Entertainment for more than 10 years. Before that, he spent his childhood drawing colorful illustrations of dinosaurs, Transformers, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Chamba admits that despite not being great at Mega Man’s challenging platforming, he was captivated by the series’ catchy soundtracks and striking character designs. “I was always a fan of the designs of the characters,†says Chamba. “They were so appealing and unique, while carrying a uniform feel throughout. Even with [simple graphics], each character felt larger than life and had very distinctive eyes and features that were immediately readable.†Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 is a four-in-one celebration of the evolution and retro revolution of the series, including Mega Man 7, Mega Man 8, Mega Man 9, and Mega Man 10. To showcase all four games it was important to represent memorable Robot Masters – the fun, themed bosses – from each game in this compilation piece. Capcom worked closely with Chamba to nail every detail of the colorful characters and also convey a particular mood in the new artwork. Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 | Pre-order at PS Store Front and center in this artwork is Mega Man, of course. The hero looks capable and resolute, but his posture and half-raised Buster communicates that he’s up for a daunting challenge – and he knows it. Both Mega Man and his fans have been battling through challenging stages and villains for decades, and that means keeping your eyes sharp and standing your ground – like Mega Man here in this artwork. Chamba says he wanted to convey “…a hero ready and prepared to face off his foes. I was trying to convey determination and strength.†Looming above it all is the infamous Dr. Wily, the persistent villain behind the schemes of every original Mega Man title. Wily’s raised hands convey a man who believes he can hold the world in his hands. His unhinged eyes and wild grin suggest that he means to destroy it. “I was aiming for power above all,†says Chamba about illustrating Dr. Wily. “One of looming domination and terror.†Chamba is a seasoned artist, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t face challenges when creating something new. Take Slash Man, for example. The nimble Robot Master makes for a tricky boss battle against players in Mega Man 7, and he also gave Chamba a prickly time. “I find his design somewhat tricky to get right.†Says Chamba. “He’s got an enormous number of spikes and points coming off of him, which takes a tad longer to draw correctly than others.†Speaking of little character details, players will experience the evolution of the series’ visuals while taking on Mega Man 7 (16-bit) and Mega Man 8 (32-bit). The advancement of technology enabled the Capcom developers of the ‘90s to create more detailed, asymmetrical characters like Junk Man from Mega Man 7 or Tengu Man from Mega Man 8 (one of Chamba’s favorites). Chamba says that while the increased details and broader color palettes opened up more options to Capcom’s artists compared to 8-bit titles (like Mega Man 9 & 10), it likely posed a challenge to preserving the series’ visual identity. “To maintain a somewhat streamlined, simplistic style, yet enhancing the little details, is indeed a balancing act which I feel the game designers achieved,†says Chamba. “My role was somewhat made easy due to that [increased detail]. The only real challenge I faced was to do the designs justice in my depictions.†If you like Chamba’s moody-yet-lively take on the latter Mega Man titles, you can see it every time you use your PS4. Pre-order Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 today and you’ll instantly receive a Theme featuring this new artwork. As for the game, Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 packs four of the Blue Bomber’s timeless adventures into one package. In addition to faithful versions of MM7, MM8, MM9, & MM10, the collection includes other bonuses such as stage remix challenges, online leaderboards, a museum mode, all DLC for MM9 & MM10, and more! Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 arrives for PlayStation 4 on August 8. View the full article

Discover The Creators is a new PlayStation Store curation program in which we’ve asked some of the biggest names in the biz to pick their favorite PS4 games to help your find your next game to play. Browse YOKO-san’s full list at PlayStation Store Hello, my name is YOKO TARO. I did things like direct a game called NieR: Automata. I was asked to give a list of PS4 games that I recommend along with my comment for each so I did just that below. And I was told to write “one to two lines per game†but ended up writing quite a bit. But oh well. It’s okay right? Here it goes. ResogunA crazy developer who throws in a side-scrolling shooter at the PS4 launch window, and a monster born in Finland… that is Housemarque senpai. I thought about listing one of their more recent titles, Alienation, but I will recommend RESOGUN here instead as that was memorable for me. I always keep an eye out on the games that senpai creates, but the playability of their game that hits the spot as a shooting game, and the way the graphical effects are flashy but not gaudy is striking. I’m very much looking forward to their next title, Matterfall. Final Fantasy XVI was creating a title called NIER Gestalt/Replicant when this title was called Versus XIII but because it was very likely that our games would release around the same time, I was thinking “oh man, Versus is an action RPG right? It would suck if the release dates were close to each other.†NIER ended up releasing without having to worry about Versus XIII but then, when I was creating Drakengard 3 I thought “it would suck if they release close to our release,†and it was the same again when we were creating NieR: Automata this time too. Looking back, I feel like I was trapped by the curse of Versus for about 10 years. This game and its content created over the course of 10 years is unparalleled and unique, and I enjoyed it a lot. The one thing that surprised me the most is their incomprehensible passion towards food and beverage. FF is amazing. Horizon Zero DawnThe thought that came to my mind at first glance was “this world view is amazing.†I had thought that big-title Western games have a strong directionality towards realism, and on the other hand does not often venture into artistic exploration, and so I was stunned that a world filled with such imagination like this title would be created. I immediately preordered the game. Well, having said that, Guerilla Games’ art has been really cool ever since Killzone don’t you think..? By the way, the release date of this game was only one week apart from NieR: Automata, the game I created. I thought I was going to die. Well, I did die. (I just noticed that I keep on talking about release dates…) Gravity Rush / Gravity Rush 2This game was released for Vita, but occupies a slightly weird place as it is made in Japan, with unique controls and in a toon art style, but it is not a “moe†game. I feel like recent Western titles are polarized into super AAA titles and indie games, but the Gravity Rush series is a game right around the middle of the two. By the way, I go out to drink with the director Keiichiro Toyama once in a while but the only image I have of him is him being drunk, and I can’t help but think “how can a title like this come from a person like him?†Danganronpa seriesAn abnormal game where you kill people through a class trial: that game is Danganronpa. While it takes an orthodox form of an adventure style game in terms of how it’s illustrated in 2D and mainly revolves around conversations, the game pulls you right into it with its cinematography and the great tempo of the scenario. By the way, I go out to drink with the scenario writer Kazutaka Kodaka once in a while too, but when I saw his piercing eyes that appear as though he doesn’t trust anyone around him, I thought “ah, he does seem like the person that would create a mad game like Danganronpa…†Life is StrangeThere is a game called Remember Me that was released for the PS3. It has great artistic taste and I have awarded it my personal “most visually beautiful game on PS3 award†and the company that created that game is DONTNOD Entertainment in France. And as a new title from that studio, I just can’t help but pay attention to… wait, what is this graphic! The direction is completely different! This surprise was how I met Life is Strange. In sharp contrast to Remember Me, this title is about life in school in a quiet city. This title is great with many small youthful moments scattered around the game within the boundaries of restricted expression. By the way, Remember Me is still not localized into Japanese, when is it going to be localized? The Last GuardianI’ve waited seven years. Seven. I love Fumito Ueda’s creations but I didn’t think that I would play after waiting seven years since it was announced. The finished game was beautiful to the very last detail and the content was like a gem. This is a game that I ended up feeling happy to have been able to play while I was still alive. Head over to PlayStation Store now to browse YOKO-san’s list as well as picks curated by Shuhei Yoshida, Yoshinori Ono, the team at Supergiant Games, and more: Discover the Creators at PlayStation Store Yoko Taro // Director, NieR: Automata Hermen Hulst // Co-founder & Managing Director of Guerrilla Games Shuhei Yoshida // President, PlayStation Worldwide Studios Siobhan Reddy // Co-founder & Studio Director of Media Molecule Sid Shuman // PlayStation Social Media Director Supergiant Games // Creators of Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre Tom Happ // Sole Developer of Axiom Verge Teddy Lee // Designer of Rogue Legacy Drinkbox Studios // Makers of Severed and Guacamelee! kokoromi collective // Creators of SuperHyperCube CAPY // Developers of Super Time Force Ultra & collaborators on #Sworcery Double Eleven // Makers of Goat Simulator and Prison Architect on console Mark Essen // Creative Director of Nidhogg Playdead Developer Team // Creators of Limbo and Inside Koshi Nakanishi // Director of Resident Evil 7 biohazard Yoshinori Ono // Executive Producer of the Street Fighter series Psyonix // Creators of Rocket League Business Division 2 // Makers of Final Fantasy XV View the full article

The release of Yakuza Kiwami, the PS4 remake of the original Yakuza, is just over a month away now, and we’ve got some good news for those of you who want a digital copy – you can now preorder your copy on PlayStation 4 for $29.99 and get a free Akira Nishikiyama and Kazuma Kiryu PS4 theme to go with it! This theme features the fearsome looking Dragon of Dojima, and of course, the best bro-gone-bad ever, Akira Nishikiyama, with his evil slicked-back hair. Yakuza Kiwami, of course, goes into way more detail about what happens between 1995 and 2005 that turns Nishikiyama into a jerk, but what I think has had people really excited since we presented the game at E3 has been the Majima Everywhere system, where everybody’s favorite maniac can spring up on you from any place, at any time. But you’ll actually want to fight him – mostly because Kiryu’s fourth and most powerful fighting style, the Dragon of Dojima style, is only leveled up by fighting Majima, who has taken it upon himself to retrain Kiryu so that he may regain what he lost in the years he was away from the city. I won’t even begin to spoil all the incredible, sometimes hilarious, encounters with Majima, but early on in the game, you’ll be notified that “Officer†Majima is working the beat by the Millennium Tower, and he’s on the lookout for any one carrying any suspicious weapons. Try swinging by the area with a knife, gun, or maybe a frozen tuna on your person. You won’t be disappointed. One more thing about the Majima Everywhere system: he’s rarely the same enemy twice. He’s unpredictable. That’s right, he has all his battle styles previously featured in Yakuza 0, except they’re just as powerful as they were then, so do expect to get beat down with bats, break-danced into the ground, and of course, stabbed, shanked, and cut when he comes at you in Mad Dog style. Did I mention he has Heat Actions too? Wait, where have I seen that dance before… See you on August 29th when Yakuza Kiwami hits PlayStation 4! View the full article

When was the last time you played a game as an old man named Susan wearing a chicken suit? Last week, you say? Okay. But was that old man able to blow up like a balloon? And did he still have his arms attached to his body? No. That´s what I thought. YamaYama is out. Today. Providing you with all the armless action you could hope for in a party game. You might be wondering at this point what YamaYama is? Well, it is a videogame built for two to four friends wanting to laugh and have a merry ol’ time. In YamaYama things are fundamentally simple, though there are features installed beyond your imagination. You can enjoy a match with anyone: your children, friends, parents, or cat. It’s simple enough, but plotting and backstabbing are part of the game. There are many different game modes in YamaYama. You have to hitch a ride on a flying pancake that is being driven by a bee. Then there’s the one where you have to save a penguin before it gets shot on a rocket into space while the other players try to stop you. The list goes on. How do you feel about fatsuits? You know, the ones you see at town fairs and carnivals. We enjoy them! So much so that we have built YamaYama around the idea of it; all characters have the ability to fatsuit. We don’t know how it works in other games, but in YamaYama if you press a particular button the character you’re playing as “fatsuits,†pushing all the other players away. That’s how it would work in real life, due to physics and — I don’t know — science? But watch out: everyone else can fatsuit. When eliminated in YamaYama you can still play the game, move your indicator around and drop traps of various types to fiddle with the outcome of the match. Was another player particularly mean to you? Get revenge from beyond the grave! So! Now you know the ins and outs of YamaYama. Play with your friends in more than twenty game modes in different arenas with six uniquely drawn characters. Shoot any questions in the comments! View the full article

Uber Entertainment is proud to announce that Dino Frontier will be available on August 1 for PlayStation VR. You can buy the game digitally for $29.99. PlayStation Plus members can pre-order starting today with a 20% discount. We announced Dino Frontier last December at PlayStation Experience. Since then, PlayStation gamers played updated demos at GDC in March and E3 in June. Now it’s ready for gamers across the globe. It’s been a thrilling ride and we couldn’t be more excited. Dino Frontier lets you build and manage a frontier settlement in a world where the Wild West and Jurassic collide. You assume the role of Big Mayor overlooking your settlement in tabletop-scale VR. You’ll be directing Settlers to harvest food, chop lumber, train dinosaurs, and more! Dino Frontier | PlayStation.com We’ve strived to push the boundaries of VR interaction. There’s no other game like Dino Frontier. Reaching down into a vibrant world to pick up tiny people is a magical experience. We offer innovative camera controls that are both powerful and comfortable. You can zoom in, zoom out, pan, and rotate with ease. Clever interactions provide detailed information without overwhelming UI. Of course Dino Frontier wouldn’t be complete without dinosaurs! There are no horses or bison in this world. Instead you’ll be training settlers to capture velociraptors, ankylosauri, the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex, and more. In 2016 we released the critically acclaimed Wayward Sky as a launch title for PlayStation VR. With Dino Frontier we’ve built on our experience to make a second-generation VR game. Dino Frontier offers a core experience to satisfy players eager for deeper VR gameplay. We can’t wait for you to experience all the Jurassic frontier has to offer! View the full article

By now we’re hoping you’ve heard quite a bit about what we have planned for you in Star Wars Battlefront II: an original single-player story, multiplayer battles across all three cinematic eras, completely revamped flight controls and space combat, and a roster of your favorite heroes and villains. We have some good news: Star Wars Battlefront II’s open beta is coming this October. We know you’re eager to find out what’s headed your way in the beta. Here’s what’s inside: Galactic Assault on Naboo Join the Separatist droid army or the Republic Clones on the streets of Theed in massive 40 player multiplayer melees. Choose from four distinct trooper classes: Assault troopers are classic flankers, pushing the line forward and advancing the front. Heavy troopers use their high-powered weapons and personal body shields to take ground and hold it. Officers power up their teammates with buffs and deploy remote weapons to support their allies. Specialists lay traps and snipe from a distance. Control beloved Star Wars heroes, pilot prequel-era vehicles, and more. Multiplayer Starfighter AssaultWe’re not sharing all the details around this yet, but we can tell you that you’ll be able to take part in an epic starfighter assault set during the original trilogy era, piloting an assortment of Star Wars’ greatest ships in an objective-based, multi-stage battle. You’ll be learning much more about starfighters in Star Wars Battlefront II at gamescom. When can you start playing?If you pre-order Star Wars Battlefront II, you can jump into the beta early. Players who pre-order gain access to the beta October 4 – the beta opens to the public October 6, and lasts through October 9. Clear your schedule, tell your friends, and get ready to get a glimpse into the beautiful, massive world of Star Wars as you never have before. How Do I Get in Early?Pre-Order Star Wars Battlefront II from PlayStation Store for early access to the beta, as well as a number of other content bonuses. And keep an eye on PlayStation and on EA Star Wars on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for the latest news on what’s coming next. View the full article

Hello-a-reno. Ron Gilbert writing to you from the rainy city of Seattle. The entire Thimbleweed Park team is excited to announce that Thimbleweed Park will be coming to PS4 on August 22. Thimbleweed Park is a new and modern classic point-and-click adventure game made by veteran Lucas Games people like myself, Gary Winnick, and David Fox — who created classic games like Monkey Island, Maniac Mansion, and Zak McKraken. When we say “In a town like Thimbleweed Park, a dead body is the least of your problems,†we mean it. Take a trip down a rabbit hole of murder and mystery inspired by some other modern classics — Twin Peaks, Stephen King, and the X-Files. The game initially follows agents Ray and Reyes as they investigate a body found in the river just outside the town of Thimbleweed Park. Players can freely switch between the two of them and solve puzzles to try and find out who murdered the poor guy under the bridge. But then things get weird. There is something going on in Thimbleweed Park and it’s much deeper than a murder. Agents Ray and Reyes are soon joined by Ransome (a clown), Delores (a wannabe game designer), and Franklin (a dead pillow salesman). Then things get really weird. Take control of Ransome, Delores, Franklin, Ray, and Reyes to explore each of their stories as they attempt to break into the old abandoned Pillow Factory. Take your time. Explore a massive world. Lose yourself in the mystery. Before the end, it’s going to get even weirder. Thimbleweed Park was Kickstarted late in 2014 by a group of passionate backers who love point-and-click adventure games as much as we do. Ever since the initial launch on March 30, we’ve been hammered with questions about when it’ll be coming to PlayStation. It’s exciting to see that the interest in this game extends far beyond the die-hard adventure game fans who backed it and we’re thrilled to bring Thimbleweed Park to a whole new audience with our PS4 launch on August 22. We chronicled the two years of development with a development blog we updated several times a week, taking readers through the grueling process of making a game. For example, you may be wondering how exactly a point and click adventure works on a console, without a mouse. Never fear — we spent a lot of time perfecting the console controls, without losing any of the classic feel that made the adventure games of the 80s and 90s so charming. So why did Agents Ray and Reyes really come to town? Will Delores get to follow her dreams and make video games? Will Franklin ever get to say goodbye to his daughter? What about Ransome, will he always be such an ***hole? And wait a minute… how come no one seems to care about that dead body under the bridge? We can’t wait for you to find out. Ron and the Thimbleweed Park Team View the full article

The beta for Destiny 2 kicks off very soon (July 18, to be exact), but we’re starting the celebration a bit early with the reveal of our Limited Edition Destiny 2 PlayStation 4 Pro Bundle. This bundle will be available alongside the game’s launch on September 6. It includes a Glacier White PS4 Pro with a 1TB HDD, matching DualShock 4 Wireless Controller, and of course, Destiny 2. You’ll also receive a voucher for the digital content pack which gives you access to the Expansion Pass and premium digital content. This limited edition bundle’s MSRP will be $449.99 USD/$549.99 CAN. You can pre-order yours starting today. To help you prepare for battle, all Destiny 2 players on PS4 will have access to bonus content before it is available anywhere else. You’ll find a competitive multiplayer map, a three person co-op Strike, a new ship, specialized gear set and an exclusive exotic weapon. If you’ve been waiting to make the jump to a PS4 Pro, this is a great bundle to pick up. With a wealth of games enhanced for PS4 Pro, and a variety of 4K video streaming content, now is a great time to dive in. Let us know what you think of the bundle in the comments below. Hope to see everyone online next week for the Destiny 2 beta! View the full article

Hey Samurai! It’s Tom from Team Ninja again. Hope you all enjoyed the Dragon of the North release last month. We appreciate the tremendous response from you guys and it’s encouraged us to keep working hard on developing fresh new content for your enjoyment. Having said that, I’m happy to say that we’re putting the finishing touches on our second DLC: Defiant Honor, available from July 25. And I’m really psyched for you guys to jump into this one! Defiant Honor takes us to Osaka Castle, the largest and most impregnable castle of Sengoku era. This add-on features the legendary warrior Sanada Yukimura, serving Tokugawa Ieyasu’s archenemy Toyotomi clan, who values honor above all else. As tensions brew between the Tokugawa and Toyotomi clans, Sanada Yukimura prepares his men for imminent conflict against the Tokugawa’s forces by building a stronghold called the Sanada Maru on the outskirts of the Osaka Castle. With the castle fortified, Tokugawa’s forces were faced with a difficult and bloody challenge. In the midst of this chaos, our hero William, accompanied by Date Masamune who fights alongside Tokugawa, heads towards Sanada Maru in pursuit of Maria. It is a bitter winter in Osaka and the stage is ripe for a fierce battle for the ages. Bundle up and get ready for a brutal winter showdown! This incredible clash would not be complete without providing you with the necessary ammo to wage an intense battle. Therefore, we will be delivering a deadly new weapon Tonfa, new armor, new magic items, guardian spirits and of course brand new Yokai and enemies to test your mettle! New difficulty levels and Trophies will also be implemented for Defiant Honor. Legendary characters such as Sanada Yukimura who will later be revered as “the greatest warrior of all Japan†are included. All this action takes place within exciting new stages and numerous sub-missions! So, there’s plenty of combat to be held and new challenges to be mastered. We really hope you’ll enjoy Defiant Honor – available to purchase from PlayStation Store for $9.99, or free if you own a Nioh Season pass. We put a lot into this and we can’t wait for you guys to check it out. So as always, sharpen your blades samurai and good luck defying death! View the full article

In early 2017, the dev team at Digital Extremes decided to create something brand new for itself and its players. We wanted to challenge ourselves in a different way. But what could we possibly do after four years of iterating, writing dozens of lore-based updates, continuously evolving our in-house engine, and creating 33 entirely unique Warframes? We wanted to give our players something they have never seen before. With today’s Plains of Eidolon announcement, we’re introducing Landscapes, a simple enough concept which eschews playing through randomly generated tilesets and instead offers a living space where players can discover, explore and experience a fully open environment. Welcome to Cetus, a makeshift town built by the Ostrons, a ragged group of survivors that make their living by scavenging and harvesting. But harvesting…what? When players, or ‘off-worlders’ to the Ostrons, enter Cetus, they’ll see a wide-open environment bustling with life. The town itself resembles a tribal open market. Players will see a connected network of colorful tents that make up a Bazaar and, within it, an assortment of questionable vendors, food merchants, opportunists, all working to eke out a living. In the background looms the ominous Bleeding Tower, a giant living biomechanical construction that Ostrons harvest… Just outside of town a belligerent cadre of Grineer are mining for resources. But what exactly? Unlike previous Warframe missions, Plains of Eidolon is set up to explore without a timer, with multiple mission objectives, and the ability to explore in numerous ways. Cetus holds as many as 50 players at once, while the missions outside of town function like a traditional Warframe mission, grouping online squads of up to four to play together. The demo shows our team’s attention to detail visually and acoustically. From the mixed designs on villager clothing to the piercing volumetric lighting, which changes during the newly implemented diurnal cycle, to the groups of kids running around the dirt, wearing masks of the Warframes they idolize and the Grineer they hate, we hope that Plains of Eidolon will surprise veteran players, Acoustically, our sound team has created a cacophony of sound effects that will grab players’ attention as they walk through the Bazaar, with sounds ranging from close-up conversations, to obscure tribal music seeping through the soundscape, to the clatter of tools, all layered into the background. Upon finding a mission in the village, players can then depart Cetus and seamlessly transition into the wide-open Eidolon Plains where flocks or birds shift in space, vultures peck on indistinguishable food, and the rolling hills hide surprising forms of life. Players can follow numerous quests, but the one we’re showing in this debut demo involves some exploration, some goofing around – if one had a spear and was near a lake bustling with fish, what would one do…? And then there is the reintroduction of our previously announced Archwing — mechanical wings only used before in space or under water – which players can call in for fast travel and combat. And at night, at night, well, players will encounter the Spectral Sentient, a giant that haunts the Plain. Things move so fast in this industry: four years in the lifespan of a game feels like a century. Since our launch on PlayStation 4, nearly four years ago (we remember launch day, November 15, 2013!) we feel we’re embarking on something new, creative, and powerful. And, hopefully, for our devoted players, something unexpected. Let us know what you think of Plains of Eidolon – the way it plays, looks, and sounds when it launches later this year on PlayStation 4. We can’t wait for you to play it! View the full article

A ruined kingdom. A lost bloodline. A spark of rebellion. The original 2006 adventure finds new life on PS4 thanks to Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age. Players will once again follow Princess Ashe and her comrades in their fight against the imperial forces occupying the Kingdom of Dalmasca. With enhanced visuals, a reorchestrated soundtrack, and a deeply refined battle system, The Zodiac Age is a new way to play the critically acclaimed PS2 original. Build a unique party with the Zodiac Job System and embark on an epic quest to liberate Ashe’s homeland. For a full list of new games coming to PlayStation, read on. And enjoy The Drop! New Releases: Week of July 11, 2017 The Bellows PS VR — Digital Plunge yourself into a world of nightmares and fear, and discover just how frightening virtual reality can be. Black The Fall PS4 — Digital After decades of toil, an old machinist plots his escape from the oppressive grasp of the Communist regime. Through hidden passages, shadow and grief, he struggles. Ingenuity, reflexes and deception are his tools. Day D Tower Rush PS4 — Digital Defend yourself from a horde of vicious creatures by building towers and catapults, and defend the time machine at all costs! Exciting and wild worlds await you! Derelict Fleet PS4 — Digital Derelict Fleet is a fast-paced space combat game. You are tasked with defending a refugee fleet as you travel the stars searching for a new colony to call home. Echoes of the Fey: The Fox’s Trail PS4 — Digital Echoes of the Fey: The Fox’s Trail is a visual novel/adventure game that blends the magic of high fantasy and the mystery of a classic detective story. Play as Sofya Rykov, a private investigator with a secret of her own — the power to turn into a cat. Energy Balance PS Vita — Digital (Out 7/12) During a mission your spaceship encounters an unknown anomaly and all systems fail. You have to balance the energy in order to get them running again and to get home safely. Energy Balance is a number puzzle. You have to swap power units in such a way that their sums form correct chains both vertically and horizontally. Fantastic Contraption PS VR — Digital Build and create in a Fantastic world! Fantastic Contraption is a surreal VR puzzle game where you use simple tools to assemble amazing machines to get your ball to the goal area. Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age PS4 — Digital, Retail Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age improves upon the PS2 classic, now more beautiful and easier to play than ever. The high-definition remaster introduces several modern advancements, including reconstructed battle design and a revamped job system. Players both returning and new to the game will experience a grand adventure that spans the world of Ivalice. Frisky Business PS4 — Digital (7/13) You are Mr. Falco Frisk, private detective of Frisk Investigative Solutions! Develop your relationships with your team as you take on your very first case. Hunting Simulator PS4 — Retail In Hunting Simulator, discover distinct hunting areas and complete hundreds of objectives alone or with your friends. Explore varied environments, track your prey and become a better hunter. Iron Crypticle PS4 — Digital The glorious Royal Treasures of Cryptonia have been stolen! Now the King’s washed-up knights must suit up and descend into the ancient palace crypts to return the golden goodies! Leap of Fate PS4 — Digital Leap of Fate is a furiously-paced cyberpunk roguelite about overcoming your fears and achieving your fate. In a New York City where magic is real, you play as a technomage who must develop unspeakable powers to confront the Crucible of Fates. Can you survive the trials? Minecraft: Story Mode – Season 2 (Episode 1) PS4 — Digital Now that Jesse and the gang have vanquished the Wither Storm, saved the world, and become totally super famous heroes, life has gotten a bit more… complicated. With more responsibilities and less time for adventure, old friendships have started to fade — at least until Jesse’s hand gets stuck in a creepy gauntlet that belongs to an ancient underwater temple. MotoGP 17 PS4 — Digital The 2017 edition of the official MotoGP video game brings all the adrenaline and need for speed of the new world championship, including all the riders, teams, and tracks of the 2017 season. Mr. Pumpkin Adventure PS Vita — Digital Immerse yourself in a game of logic and puzzle-solving that will help Mr. Pumpkin regain his memory. Make your way through an adventure-filled kingdom of plants –50 wonderful scenes that will take you through this fantastical world on our quest to help Mr. Pumpkin! Mr. Shifty PS4 — Digital Shift through bullets and master lightning-fast takedowns in an all-new kind of action game from tinyBuild and Team Shifty! Mr. Shifty follows a teleportation-fueled heist to break into the world’s most secure facility. Serial Cleaner PS4 — Digital Slip on your flares, grab your shades, and hop in your station wagon — it’s time to go to work… as a professional cleaner for the mob. Transport Giant PS4 — Digital It is the year 1850. The world is experiencing its biggest upheaval. Witness the birth of mass production and mass transport. With a little capital and an innovative idea, you can build an empire. Warlocks vs Shadows PS4 — Digital Choose the most powerful Warlocks in the universe and wage a war to cleanse evil once and for all! Warlocks vs Shadows is an intense 2D action RPG/brawler featuring five terrifying dimensions. YamaYama PS4 — Digital Play as one of the armless rejects in the YamaYama arena of joy. Your goal is to impress the flat god faces of the Underverse by FatSuiting your opponents into oblivion. SpiderMan: Homecoming Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 21 Savage – Issa Toro y Moi – Boo Boo Gifted Going in Style (2017) Will- July 10 at 9/8c (TNT) Adam Ruins Everything- July 11 at 10/9c (truTV) Game of Thrones- July 16 at 9/8c (HBO) The information above is subject to change without notice. View the full article

Hey everyone! This is a big day for our new studio, Digital Continue, because this is the day we announce our very first original game. *Deep breath.* Next Up Hero is coming to PS4 early next year! So, what is Next Up Hero? In developer terms, we often describe it as “asynchronous co-op, 2D/3D orthographic projection with isometric angle twin-stick arcade game played on server-hosted sessions and†— sorry. I can see I’m losing you. Why don’t I just tell you why we decided on Next Up Hero as our first title. When I was a kid, I spent a lot of my time (and money) at the arcade. When I ran out of quarters, I would just stand around and watch my friends play. A lot of times, we would take turns, handing off control of the sticks to our friends when we died so they could continue where we left off. Beating a game with friends, taking turns, was in many ways more memorable than doing it on my own. That’s what we tried to do with Next Up Hero. We think of it as an old-school arcade action game built for a new, always connected generation. Twin stick controls, with tough-as-nails enemies and levels that feel downright unfair. We purposely made this game so hard so that the community would be not only be helpful, but required in order to make progress. We call this Community Continue. Win together, one hero at a time. How do we do this? Every time you die, you leave behind an echo of your hero. The next player in line will be able to resurrect your echo (as well as everyone else who played the Session) as an AI follower. Echoes are not as powerful — they are shadows of their former selves! — but they help a lot. You can also use Echoes to summon Ancients — allies who can deliver a fierce punch when you need it most. The more people who choose to play in your game session, the more echoes you will each have at your disposal against the ferocious — and often cuddly — monsters of the Ceaseless Dirge (Bad guys). You’ll earn prestige for every session you fight in, with bonus bonuses for striking the final blow on the final boss. But no matter who beats that boss, you will have beat the game together, as a Community. High fives all around. So yeah, we’re trying something new, a blend of roguelikes and 2D action games like Gauntlet and Smash TV. At my last studio 5TH Cell — creators of Scribblenauts and Drawn to Life — we took big chances, and it paid off. That’s the benefit of being a small, independent studio. We want to innovate and provide new experiences to gamers everywhere. We’ll have a lot more to share soon, like our hero types and some of the crazy weapons, upgrades, and attacks at your disposal. We are building Next Up Hero with community feedback, which will be critical in shaping the final game for PS4 in 2018. Thanks for reading. View the full article

June was not a great month to be a camp counselor… Friday the 13th: The Game racked up more downloads on PS4 than anything else for the month, followed by the celebrated return of Crash Bandicoot in the N. Sane Trilogy. Diablo III: Rise of the Necromancer and Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood made strong debuts on the PS4 Add-ons chart (but not quite strong enough to take down Call of Duty Zombies Chronicles), and Arizona Sunshine rocketed straight to the top of the PlayStation VR list. If you missed out on any of these games, you can pick ’em up over at PlayStation Store. Share your predictions for July in the comments, then check back next month! PS4 Games 1 Friday the 13th: The Game 2 Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy 3 Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor – Game of the Year Edition 4 Grand Theft Auto V 5 God of War III Remastered 6 Battlefield 1 7 Horizon Zero Dawn 8 TEKKEN 7 9 Minecraft: PlayStation 4 Edition 10 Rocket League 11 EA SPORTS FIFA 17 12 EA SPORTS NHL 17 13 Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End 14 Need for Speed 15 Injustice 2 16 Dying Light: The Following – Enhanced Edition 17 Ratchet & Clank 18 PAYDAY 2: CRIMEWAVE EDITION 19 Overwatch Game of the Year Edition 20 Star Wars Battlefront PS3 Games 1 EA SPORTS FIFA 17 2 The Last Of Us 3 Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 4 Minecraft: PlayStation 3 Edition 5 Grand Theft Auto V 6 Shadow of the Colossus 7 STREET FIGHTER X TEKKEN 8 Saints Row 2 9 NBA 2K17 10 God of War: Ascension 11 God of War Collection 12 Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch 13 Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix 14 Devil May Cry HD Collection 15 Enemy Front 16 Jak and Daxter Collection 17 METAL GEAR SOLID HD COLLECTION 18 Borderlands 2 19 Need for Speed Most Wanted 20 METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN PS4 Add-ons 1 Call of Duty Black Ops III: Zombies Chronicles 2 Diablo III: Rise of the Necromancer 3 FINAL FANTASY XIV: Stormblood 4 The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited – ESO Plus 5 Black Ops III – The Giant Zombies Map 6 Injustice 2 Darkseid 7 Battlefield 1 Premium Pass 8 Minecraft: PlayStation 4 Edition Adventure Time Mash-up 9 Injustice 2 Ultimate Pack 10 Injustice 2 Fighter Pack 1 PS VR Games 1 Arizona Sunshine Launch Edition 2 Star Trek: Bridge Crew 3 PlayStation VR Worlds 4 Until Dawn: Rush of Blood 5 Batman: Arkham VR 6 Job Simulator 7 Mortal Blitz 8 Ancient Amuletor 9 Ghostbusters is Hiring: Firehouse 10 Tumble VR PS Vita Games 1 God of War: Collection PS Vita 2 Jak and Daxter Collection 3 UNCHARTED: Golden Abyss 4 Breath of Fire III 5 Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom 6 Gravity Rush 7 Minecraft: PlayStationVita Edition 8 PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale PS Vita 9 LittleBigPlanet PS Vita 10 Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational PS Classics 1 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas 2 Bully 3 Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy 4 METAL SLUG ANTHOLOGY 5 The Warriors 6 Resident Evil 3: Nemesis 7 Star Ocean Till The End Of Time 8 THE KING OF FIGHTERS 2000 9 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City 10 Dino Crisis 2 View the full article

Summer winds are coming with the MLB All-Star game about to gear up and we have a number of exciting things for MLB The Show to celebrate! In case you missed out last week, we dropped the price $20 MSRP on not only the Standard Edition, but also the Digital Deluxe! Here’s how you can get MLB The Show 17 now: EditionUS MSRPCAN MSRPStandard Edition39.9949.99Digital Deluxe Edition79.9999.99 Even though the season’s already started, there’s still time to jump into this most realistic baseball game on consoles and build the team of your dreams. For those who may be intimidated to jump into Diamond Dynasty mid-season, fear not – starting today we’ll be replacing the MVP edition with our new All-Star Edition ($49.99 USD MSRP, $59.99 CAN MSRP), which includes all of the contents from the MVP edition as well as the Diamond Dynasty Jump Start Pack. The All-Star Edition contains over $150 in value, which includes: Game 5,000 Stubs Gold Season Starter Pack (includes Mission Starter for Gold Item) 1 Sponsor Pack 10 Standard Packs 31 PS4 Themes Diamond Dynasty Jump Start Pack The Jump Star Pack contains $20 of in-game content and includes: 1 All-Star Flashback or Legend 2 guaranteed Mission Starter Players 1 guaranteed Gold Flashback or Legend that opens up a Mission for a Diamond player reward 1 guaranteed Silver Flashback or Legend that opens up a Mission for a Gold player reward 22 guaranteed Silver players Stay tuned to MLB The Show as we make it out to Miami this weekend for more baseball fun. And to keep the party going beyond the All-Star Game festivities, we’ll be hosting The Show Showdown, the ultimate double elimination, blind draft competition on Wednesday July 12 starting at 12PM PST. We’ll have a few of the best members from our community duking it out playing head-to-head in Battle Royale for the coveted MLB The Show Home Base Console Case. You might remember Tyler from The Show Show earlier this year — he’ll be returning to co-host this livestream competition. Join us on Twitch this coming Wednesday for The Show Showdown and find out who of our contestants will end up on top and sent home with the coveted MLB The Show Home Base Console Case. And don’t forget to grab your copy of MLB The Show 17 (now at a lower price) today! Follow MLB The Show on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to keep up with the latest news or visit theshownation.com to join the community. View the full article

At the time of its original release more than 10 years ago, Final Fantasy XII received critical acclaim. Boasting incredible visuals that pushed the PS2 hardware to its limits, a unique battle system, and a strong cast embodying the classic thrills of a Final Fantasy story, it left a distinct impression on players. Despite coming in the wake of a number of hugely successful entries in the series, its developers decided to take sizable risks with the franchise formula, while simultaneously paying homage to Final Fantasy traditions. It represented a bold, daring new vision for the series. This is not just the story behind that gamble, but of the building of the game’s huge world and the rebuilding of the game itself both in the International Version, which tinkered with the gameplay, and the upcoming PS4 remaster, The Zodiac Age, which launches on 11th July. It’s a chronicle told by developers Hiroaki Kato and Takashi Katano, both of whom not only worked on the PS2 original, but have headed up development of the remaster as Producer and Game Director respectively. XII’s extended dawnFinal Fantasy XII’s development lasted around six years. An unusual gestation length that – for a time – saw the game hold the Guinness Book of Records title for the longest development period for a video game production. Hiroaki Kato was project manager on Final Fantasy XII, and he was running the whole schedule for the development and production of the game. Hiroaki Kato: “I remember one of the main things I did was trying to hurry up Mr Sakimoto, the composer of the original game, telling him ‘we need the music now, you need to get it quicker!'†“Working on a game for such a long time was a difficult thing to do. When we look back at it today, a few reasons come to mind as to why it lasted this long. One of the things about the Final Fantasy series as a whole is that we try new things every single episode: new worlds, new characters, new game systems… Developing all of this from scratch always takes a certain amount of time. “However, on FFXII specifically we were trying something that had never been done before in the Final Fantasy franchise: we wanted to transition from the kind of old traditional JRPG format that we were used to – shifting from field exploration to battle with separate systems – into what’s basically a modern open world game with a seamless transition from exploration to battle. “We put a lot of our efforts into transitioning to a seamless automatic battle setup and how to make that fun for players. It took us long time to work this out. In fact, this concept was very set through the course of development but it is rather the volume of content in the game that exploded over time. Getting this in a state where it could be played and all fit together took a lot more time than we thought it would.†Programming the Gambit systemIt is this seamless transition focus that would lead to the introduction of what is probably the most unique feature of Final Fantasy XII: the Gambit system, a customisable battle system that very closely resembles programming code. Thanks to the Gambit system, players can set up a list of commands for each character which they will perform automatically under the specific conditions they apply to. Setting up these commands and prioritising them with inventiveness is key to defeating many of the game’s encounters. Hiroaki Kato: “Again, our concept for Final Fantasy XII’s battles was that it must ‘progress seamlessly in real time’. We feared that if we added just the real-time aspect to the command based battle system that other Final Fantasy titles had been following, controlling everything might be too fast-paced and difficult, so to solve this problem we adopted the Gambit system. “In fact, Final Fantasy IV’s battle system already had a Gambit-like mechanic that controlled the monster’s AI behind the scenes, so we developed this into a different direction to make the Gambit System for Final Fantasy XII.†“There’s a great feeling of triumph when you defeat a formidable enemy through a fine-tuned setting of your Gambits.†– Hiroaki Kato Takashi Katano was the lead programmer at the time, and joins Kato-san again on the Final Fantasy XII remaster. Takashi Katano: “From the very early stages of the project, we all knew the gambit system was going to be difficult to create, but we really wanted to go for that idea so we pushed on. “I remember Mr Hiroyuki Ito, the main battle designer, saying – and the whole development staff, too – that it was really hard to gauge whether or not what we were doing was going to work nicely or not until the very end. We had this idea and this vision of what we wanted to achieve, of what we thought would make a good game, but when it was only part done it was really difficult to see. “It’s only when we got quite close to the end of developing the battle system that it all came together and that we saw that yes, this is the vision we had in mind. It’s not something you’ll know from the start.†Returning to IvaliceAnother particularity of Final Fantasy XII was its setting, Ivalice. The world, its colorful inhabitants and its detailed and seemingly infinite lore didn’t solely belong to XII, but were originally created for Final Fantasy Tactics… Hiroaki Kato – “Ivalice is a world where the environment and cultures completely change depending on the location and the era, and between Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII, the nature of the world itself and the stories told have changed completely. “In a way, they both have completely new and different settings. However, there are key concepts that are shared between the two versions of the world, so for fans that have played Tactics, there’s a lot of fun to be had in solving the mysteries of the linked worlds using their intuition and imagination. Making that kind of thing possible is one of the reasons why we used Ivalice for Final Fantasy XII. “The concepts that became the core pillars of the story were the idea of ‘duty’ and the ‘real meaning of freedom’. They seem like really heavy themes, but they are very universal and many people think about them – regardless of their age, gender, position and upbringing. We mixed these themes with the fictitious world of Ivalice and a war setting, and the story itself was woven together around the various main characters that have their own different ideologies.†“Our idea for the Title Logo art was focus the “duty†theme of the game. We sent Yoshitaka Amano a request to draw Judge Master Gabranth, as he is the one who represents the idea of duty in the game. We had set out that the Judge Masters use two swords, so we were able to have Gabranth drawn in a very heroic pose holding his swords in both hands.†– Hiroaki Kato The release of the International Version and the addition of the Job systemShortly after the release of Final Fantasy XII, the International Zodiac Job System version was released in Japan and featured quite a few big system changes from the original. Hiroaki Kato: “Compared to International versions that Final Fantasy titles went with before, Final Fantasy XII’s went through a very different approach introducing big changes to the core systems. “For Final Fantasy XII’s International version, it was decided that the director, Hiroyuki Ito, who was in charge of many of the battle designs of previous numbered Final Fantasy games and the creator of both the famous Active Time Battle and ability Systems, was going to re-create the battle system himself.†Probably the biggest of these changes was the addition of its job system, with 12 jobs each related to a different Zodiac sign: Archer, Black Mage, Bushi, Foebreaker, Knight, Machinist, Monk, Red Battlemage, Shikari, Time Battlemage, Uhlan, and White Mage. Hiroaki Kato: “My favorite Final Fantasy titles are Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy Tactics, because they both have job systems in them. When developing FFXII initially, we were already thinking of linking a Job System to the License Board, but with the seamless battles and Gambit system both being so new we feared that players would be overwhelmed if we put in too many new elements. So we decided to have just one type of License Board. “The design know-how and techniques that Hiroyuki Ito had learned over the years have all been poured into the game, and it has been polished really well.†Thinking and creating today’s remasterThe International Zodiac Job System version of the game was unfortunately never released in the West, so western players never got to experience the game with all of these additions. Thankfully, it’s the version that inspired the new PS4 remaster. Takashi Katano: “We discussed this internally for about two months. Improving the visual aspect is what is expected from remasters so of course we did that, but the real concept that we had in mind for the remaster was to make it a lot easier to play. In fact, the whole team sat down and played through the original game from the start to the end, wondering how we could make it more comfortable, easier, and overall more fun to play.†At the time of its release, FFXII was judged to be a difficult game, which was probably due in part to a player base that needed to adjust to the drastic changes implemented with the combat system. Takashi Katano: “In the original International version of the game, you could pick one job per character. In this remaster, you’re allowed to pick two for each individual character and use the different combinations there to develop them in different ways. So there’s an extra tactical layer added in with this characterisation system. “We also made big changes in the game balance. The enemies’ strengths and weaknesses were adjusted, and their AI patterns and attacks will be different. The tactics you will have to come up with in order to fight them are going to be very different from the original. “We also added a few quality of life improvements; we reduced the loading times, added a location map as an overlay to make it easier to navigate, and included features like auto save. We really wanted to make the gameplay experience smoother.†Takashi Katano - “We really wanted to give something to players who were looking for all kinds of different things. For example, we have included a new mode where you have to play through the whole game without your level going up. Your team stays level 1 and it will be a very difficult challenge to go through the game with a very weak set of characters. “Also for people looking for challenges, we’ve added in something called the ‘Trial Mode’. In this mode, you have to play through a hundred battles in a row against different enemies and a level of difficulty gradually increasing. You will have to master different strategies in order to complete this.†A unique game with a forward thinking visionIn a number of ways, Final Fantasy XII set new standards for the industry. Modern RPGs have since commonly adopted seamless real time battles as standard, and the Final Fantasy series itself continued in this direction. The team, however, remains quite humble. Takashi Katano: “We certainly did try new things, but we just thought of them as new challenges. At the start of the project, we were actually worried to see if our battle concepts would make for a fun game to play.†Hiroaki Kato: “When we were making the original game we weren’t really thinking about how we could change the industry or anything like that. We really approached it more from the perspective of how can we make something that’s fun for the players to enjoy. We’re really happy that people said it’s new and innovative but it all came from what can we make fun for them. “From a different point of view, the fact that seamless real time battles are very much the norm for the current generation of games is making me happy as a gamer.†Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age releases on PS4 on 11th July. If you haven’t had the chance to play this classic or want to go back to the stunning world of Ivalice, this is your chance! View the full article