Category: PlayStation

Be one of the 20 in EA Sports F1 24, the official game of the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship, arriving earlier than previous seasons for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on May 31.

Through the introduction of the new EA Sports Dynamic Handling, players will feel even closer to the action. Additionally, for the first time, join the grid in Career mode as a driver from the 2024 F1 season.

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Drive like the greatest

Working closely with current World Champion and Champions Edition cover star Max Verstappen, the new EA Sports Dynamic Handling redefines the feel of the car to produce a realistic and predictable performance across wheel and pad.

The driving experience is improved with entirely revamped suspension dynamics, an advanced tyre model, sophisticated aerodynamic simulation, and new car setup and engine options. Cornering, rolling resistance, brake pressure, and the ability to react to changes in ambient track temperature and fluctuating conditions are all greatly improved.

On PS5, this is further enhanced thanks to high-definition feedback through the DualSense controller’s rumble, haptic feedback, and adaptive triggers; allowing you to feel every bump, kerb, and subtle shift in traction as your race.  

Greater authenticity

Improvements made to various circuits enhance the experience during race week, including significant updates to Silverstone for even greater accuracy. 

Modifications to Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Lusail International Circuit, and Jeddah Corniche Circuit guarantee that these tracks align with their actual world equivalents. 

Cinematic replays, broadcast camera angles and showrooms once again feature ray-traced lighting on PS5, with on-track action benefitting from Dynamic Diffuse Global Illumination, offering a more realistic feel to light and shadows.

A new broadcast presentation package and cutscenes add to the race day immersion. In addition, actual driver audio samples taken from F1 broadcasts add a new dimension, as they react to on-track incidents. 

Sound in general plays a massive part in the overall racing experience. With spatial diffraction and reflection (compatible headphones required), you’ll be able to hear the difference between racing on a tightly-packed street circuit, compared to the vast plains of a circuit in the desert.

Revamped Career

In the revamped Career mode, players have the opportunity to become F1 drivers from the 2024 roster, promising contenders from the F2 scene, or iconic drivers from the past.

Two new Icons are introduced exclusively for those with the Champions Edition of F1 24: James Hunt, a former World Champion, and Juan Pablo Montoya, the most accomplished F1 driver from Colombia.

Further innovations to Career mode include:

Gain Recognition: Establish your reputation in the Paddock by achieving on-track goals. Stay concentrated on the finish line with race-day tasks. Fulfilling Contract Targets can aid in securing a new contract or lead to confidential discussions about switching to a fierce competitor.

R&D Upgrades: Driver reputation also influences the level of support received from the team. The higher the reputation, the more motivated the team. Players can invest fully in a single innovation or distribute resources for a more balanced progression.

Earn Accolades: Apart from short-term accomplishments, every driver has long-term goals based on seasonal expectations. These could vary from a certain number of Top 10 finishes, Pole Positions, to winning the World Championship.

Race with a Friend: Collaborate or compete in a two-player Career mode, with each of the Career mode changes applied. With individual driver goals, players need to remain focused to become the top driver of the team.

Challenge Career: An ideal starting point before taking on a 24-race season. Step into the role of a pre-chosen F1 driver and participate in a series of mini seasons, with community voting shaping the conditions and tracks for future events.

F1 World returns

F1 World, the platform for Multiplayer, Grand Prix, Time Trial returns for a second season with a new addition: Fanzone.

During a Podium Pass season, players get to choose their preferred team and driver and participate in a time-restricted league that spans the entire season, including cooperative objectives whilst competing against opposing teams.

Available to pre-order now

Players who pre-order the digital-exclusive Champions Edition by May 1 will get immediate access to a selection of 2024 liveries for use in F1 23’s special Time Trial mode, as well as the two new Icons, 18,000 PitCoin, an F1 World Bumper Pack, up to three days of early access starting May 28 including exclusive Verstappen-inspired special events with unique unlockable rewards, and one bonus VIP Podium Pass.

Plus, those who own F1 2021, F1 22, or F1 23 on PlayStation, can take advantage of a 15% loyalty discount on F1 24 Champions Edition pre-orders Load any of these games to find out how.

Players pre-ordering the Standard Edition will receive 5,000 PitCoin and an F1 World Starter Pack.

We are thrilled to officially announce that Darkest Dungeon II will arrive on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 on July 15. You can preorder it starting today, with a discount available to PlayStation Plus members.

In Darkest Dungeon II, we translated the beloved art style of the first game into 3D, complete with full character animations. We also carried forth the series’ signature turn-based combat system, but we rebuilt it from the ground up to be even more strategic and a true treat for the eyes and ears. But whereas the first game was pure dungeon crawler, the sequel is a roguelike road trip of the damned!

Each expedition, you will first form a party of four flawed heroes and equip your stagecoach. Then you will set off on an arduous journey across a decaying landscape filled with remnants of crumbling civilizations. Your mission: to overcome one of your past failures, embodied by a monstrous boss lurking atop the far off snow-capped mountain.

Along the way you will experience the tragic playable backstories of over a dozen heroes, and in so doing unlock the full potential of their skills, stats, and signature equipment. Just like in the first game, you’ll need to pay attention to heroes’ stress. But now you also can tend to their relationships. Resting at each Inn gives an opportunity for heroes to spend time together and become friends, lovers, or even bitter enemies. A good party is a harmonious one; a team of rivals may disintegrate long before you reach the mountain.

Whether you succeed or fail, after each expedition you return to the Altar of Hope and invest–in true roguelite fashion–in new items, boons, and content that will help you in future runs.

Releasing on PlayStation has allowed us to use the visceral DualSense controller features. You’ll feel the heartbeat of heroes on Death’s Door and the rumble of the stagecoach’s wheels as it rolls over a trap.

In addition to the base game, The Binding Blade DLC (two new heroes, a special questline, wandering boss, and more) is also available for preorder as part of the Oblivion Bundle. Buy the bundle to get a tidy discount.

We at Red Hook Studios are thrilled to bring Darkest Dungeon II to PlayStation, and we hope you’ll join us on the journey. The game is a labor of love for us, and we plan to continue to expand it.

Now, it’s time to face your failures.

Dead Island 2’s new SoLA expansion introduces players – sorry, Slayers – to a whole new side of Hell-A: an all-American festival where the stage is set for some of the game’s most gruesome zombie slaughter yet. The crowds of rotting, shambling festivalgoers will provide endless zombie-slaying hits, but where would any festival be without its headline acts?

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Enter the Whipper and the Clotter, two brand new, powerful Apex Variants designed to give even the most experienced Slayers some serious frights and fights.

On the one hand, you have the Whipper, an undead bohemian that’s swapped festival glam for guts.  In fact, she’ll flail you with her intestines or try to blind you with a handful of thrown entrails.

On the other you have the Clotter, a brutal zombie that can decompose and recompose at will. This big guy can effectively teleport in and out of the player’s space, making it hard to maintain visibility and control.  

“The starting point was always the mechanics of the two new archetypes,” says Dambuster Studio’s Associate Character Art Director, Richard Smith. “They both offer completely new behaviors never seen before in the Dead Island enemy roster.”

Whippers are fast-moving, mid-ranged enemies with powerful attacks and special abilities that can stop Slayers using their own Fury powers. Clotters hound the Slayer, keeping them under constant pressure and unable to dominate one position.

Putting flesh on the bones

To create the new enemies for the expansion, the team started out with a range of zombie concepts, then whittled them down to the final two. The basic concepts were fleshed out into concept art, always making sure that the new zombies would fit into the Dead Island universe and feel plausible within its blood-splattered, body horror aesthetic.

“In the case of the Whipper,” says Smith, “we had the call out that they would be self-mutilating intestine wielders. Filled with frustration at the zombie infection within, they’ve attempted to remove it, gouging out their own innards and becoming entangled in their own intestines, which are used to extend their attacking reach like an organic web.”

To tie the Whipper in with the expansion’s festival style, the team looked to the social media imagery associated with big American festivals, and the boho chic fashion styles you’d find on the festival ground. “We’re focusing on the visual storytelling and signposting the enemy,” Smith explains, “and we want to ground the player in the location and make sure it fits in with the vibe.”

As the art development progressed, new ideas emerged, which also fed back into the design. “For example, we wanted the Whipper to thrash around violently and indiscriminately,” Smith adds. “To add to the torment, we gave the character hands that are frozen in a rigor mortis, so they’re almost forced to thresh around.”

Slayers get a new nightmare

Meanwhile, the Clotter let the studio push what could be done with Dead Island 2’s F.L.E.S.H. system – the super-gory technology that allows Slayers to break zombies down into bloody chunks of flesh and bone. The team knew they wanted a teleporting zombie, but wanted to avoid any sci-fi stuff that wouldn’t fit in with the game’s more grounded style.

F.L.E.S.H. provided the answer. “We really wanted to find a way to use these features, to make the Clotter completely disintegrate in front of the player’s eyes and then reassemble from a puddle of meaty goo,” Smith explains.

As this enemy needed to move fast, the team steered clear of over-elaborate effects. “We were able to squeeze in a glimpse of the skeleton falling to pieces and the gloopy flesh turning into liquid around the bones, but it takes a lot of work back and forth to balance it – to make sure it all happens at the right place for the gameplay.”

The Clotterleans into the storyline at the heart of the new expansion. “And the festival background is an ideal location for it,” adds Smith, “in terms of the quantities of gore and body parts that are lying around, waiting to be reanimated.”

There are always some ideas that don’t fit in with Dead Island 2’s zombie-first focus, or with the personality of its slapstick splatter. “It’s tough, but we love the challenge,” says Smith. “We like creating things for the game that you won’t have ever seen before.”

I don’t know about you, but I think the 1980s are awesome! Big hair, big shoulder pads, and huge hits. So we put together a mixtape: Synth Riders 80s Mixtape – Side A… and it’s coming to the PlayStation VR2 on April 23.

We picked five favorites from the 80s, then created dancy beat maps inspired by the era. So, whether you came up in Gen X, or just learned about this stuff from YouTube videos and Stranger Things, we’ve got some new Synth Riders add-on tracks for you to take on.

80s Mixtape – Side A features:

• a-ha – Take on Me
• Starship – We Built This City
• Devo – Whip It 
• Phil Collins – Sussudio
• INXS – New Sensation

and….

• Free 1980s-inspired Endless Cafe Stage for all Synth Riders owners

The only thing that screams, “Totally 80s” more than the music is the looks of the era. I was talking with Esteban Meneses, 3D Artist on Synth Riders, about what it’s like recapturing a party from 40 years ago:

“It’s like trying to capture a melody that everyone remembers a bit differently. Some might remember the neon glow of arcade games, others the revolutionary sound of synth-pop, or the emergence of digital culture. Our challenge is making sure it feels authentic whether you lived through the ’80s or experienced it secondhand.”

That’s why the team took inspiration from the ’50s café vibes with the fun of ’80s bowling alleys, then sprinkled in some retro-futuristic flair. Kind of like how in Back to the Future II people looked back at the 1980s (from 2015!).

Of course, it wouldn’t be the ‘80s without lots of pink, light blue, and chrome shine. “We wrapped these colors around the stage for that classic ’80s pop. It’s all about mixing these unique elements – colors, luxury, and design – into the game’s world to spark that retro feel.”

Alright, enough talk. It’s time to slip on some bangles (or your controllers) and get ready to relive five totally awesome 80s tracks on Synth Riders 80s Mixtape – Side A!

The new Add-Ons will be available for download as a pack ($7.99) or as individual tracks ($1.99/song) on April 23..

P.S. As you gathered from the name of the pack, this is just side “A.” We’re working on assembling another Mixtape, but we’d love to hear from you. What are YOUR favorite things that came out of the 1980s?

Last week, we asked you to dive into Dragon’s Dogma 2 and share epic moments using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:

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photomodeoftsu shares a player facing off against an attacking Griffin

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Photoingame shares a bunch of snakes hissing

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shimo_ps shares a player fighting against a cyclops with a purple strike of magic

ArturoZ99754030 shares a portrait of a red-haired red-eyed female Pawn

emranimam shares a player standing before the Sphinx

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adambomb2mk shares a portrait of an armored character standing in front of a pool of light.

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?

THEME:  Dragon’s Dogma – Pawns
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on April 17, 2024

Next week, we’re focusing on the Pawns of Dragon’s Dogma 2. Share portraits of Pawns using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Mixing style, action, and fearsome monsters is a familiar formula for success in action games. However, with its first PlayStation title, Stellar Blade, developer Shift Up is adding a lot of unique flair to the equation. A large point of this distinction comes from its creature design, which quickly became a focal element of the upcoming action-adventure experience.

Stellar Blade incorporates many assets in the creation of its race of behemoths called the Naytiba. These resources include real-life animal research, 3D clay models, and the assistance of famous Korean movie monster designer, Hee-Cheol Jang, who originally came on board as consultant, but ultimately became more involved on the actual design and production of the Naytiba.

We sat down with the studio and monster designer to find out what makes the Naytiba unique, delving into many of their variations, such as the Raven, Stalker, and Gigas to understand the process behind creating a new face of horror in gaming.

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The birth of the Naytiba

PlayStation Blog: Hee-Cheol Jang, how did you get involved with Shift Up and Stellar Blade? Was it your creature designs from The Host and Okja that got the conversation moving?

Jang: I remember visiting the studio one day after being contacted by Mr. Kim [Kim Hyung Tae, Stellar Blade director] and being surprised to see a workshop full of models and drawings. I think he made the offer after seeing my experience in creating clay models – scannable maquettes – for communication and 3D scanning during the design process of [movies] ‘The Host’ and ‘Okja’. At the time, the film industry was moving towards digital models using ZBrush for efficiency reasons, so I was shocked by the idea of using traditional modeling/3D scanning for creature creation for a new console game project.

How did Shift Up decide on what kind of enemy types Eve would face?

Director, Hyung Tae Kim: What Eve encounters is an unknown entity powerful enough to destroy humanity. We deliberately tried to design them to be eerie and unnerving, with missing eyes and faces stuck in the wrong places, which ties in with the content of the game.

The Naytiba have a terrifying, cosmic horror feeling to them. Why choose that direction instead of a more grounded approach?

Kim: Since these creatures never existed, they didn’t need to be realistic. We actually wanted them to look like different species or race. However, if you look closely, there are a number of designs that seem to be related to existing life on Earth, and I think you’ll see why when you play the game.

Hee-Cheol Jang, was your process for creature design different for a game, vs a film? For example, in a game players have to interact with your creature in a variety of ways, so does that mean you have to consider additional complexities when designing?

Jang: In most games, creatures are often targets for real-time combat, so it’s important to be able to match the sum of their motions and design. Other than that, there are some cosmetic differences between live-action and non-photorealistic mediums, but they seem to be converging in recent years.

Were there any designs that worked great on paper, or perhaps may have even worked in film, but for whatever reason didn’t translate to gameplay?

Jang: In a film, you can experience and understand the creatures over the course of the runtime. In games, we’re often forced to interact with a large number of creatures repeatedly in a relatively short amount of time, which is not always well thought out. For example, I personally have a habit of throwing in before/after twist gimmicks, which are often unnecessarily complicated or prolonged, making them inappropriate for resource creation or play.

Are there any personal fears that the team tapped into when bringing the Naytiba to life?

Kim: I think for me, it’s the human element. Something that’s human but different, that’s more terrifying than just an ugly lump.

Clay-made creatures

What positives come from sculpting the Naytiba designs out of clay before bringing them into the digital world?

Concept Art Lead, ChangMin Lee: Ease of communication for multi-team coordination – and gravity. In the digital world, you can’t really feel gravity, but if you are working with a physical sculpture you will be affected by it because the weight of the clay is real. This is important in determining the shapes and proportions of the creatures.

For example, if you make a head that is too big for the body it can actually cause the clay to crack or fall off. I think having these limits in place helps me design creatures that feel more realistic and grounded.

How long does it typically take to settle on a design? Can you go into detail about the review and refinement process?

Lee: Rough designs can be finalized in as little as a week or two. After that, it takes about two to three months to mold, and during those two to three months there are numerous reviews and revisions. During the discussion process with the other teams, specific body proportions, length attack methods, and necessary elements of other attack and defense are discussed and agreed upon. Also, revisions according to the direction (received from Mr. Kim)  are made by seeing and touching the actual sculpt.

Despite their fictional origins, do you consider the muscle and skeleton composition, as well as skin texture of each Naytiba during this stage of its creation?

Lee: Absolutely. The muscles and skeleton in particular are based on real-life creatures. Skin textures are also heavily referenced. For example, the skin textures of reptiles, insects, crustaceans, mollusks, and so on, are mostly referenced. In the case of Gigas, the muscular and skeletal characteristics of gorillas are heavily referenced. The big shapes and concepts are fictional creatures, but without real-life references, they’re merely fiction.

Does the proposed movement of the Naytiba come into discussion and inform the clay model process, or is that fine-tuned once the mode is scanned into the game?

Lee: Things are discussed and adjustments are made in both ways mentioned. During the clay model process, all the teams, especially the animation team, get together and discuss. We talk about things like: “Do this design and these proportions make movements possible?” “How do we make the attacks look cool?”

After scanning, I usually talk a lot with the 3D model team. We discuss practical and efficiency issues, such as which details to keep, and whether there are any unnecessary designs when creating the 3D model. Throughout this process, we make detailed design adjustments and finalize the final product.

How much clay have you used in total to create Stellar Blade’s Naytiba?

Lee: Let’s see.. I didn’t keep count, but probably around 100kg? I think we used a lot. Usually, one portion of clay weighs around 900g and I think I used over one hundred of them.

Designing the bosses

Can you describe the three currently revealed bosses: Gigas, Raven, and Stalker, and any unique attributes that will stand out when Eve faces them?

Lee: Gigas and Stalker are creatures that are in some ways like brothers. They both have unique shapes of moving saw blades, and I wanted Eve to feel scared and threatened by them. Raven, as the name suggests, has large wings and bird-like characteristics. We chose black as the concept color to represent darkness and fear.

How do you find inspiration for attacks specific to the boss monsters?

Lee: In the rough concept stage, we first ask, “What part of the body/what weapon will it use to attack?” and work out the specifics as we go along. During that process, we gain inspiration and continue until the end.

Are there any stories unique to the design of these three boss monsters?

Lee: When we were working on the initial concept for Giga and Stalker, we had fun calling them the fan and dryer brothers. Some of the boss monsters we called “openers,” but you’ll have to find out for yourself which ones those are, and what we mean by that.

Are there any special details you’d like to share with players that they miss when encountering these creatures?

Lee: If you look closely at some, but not all, of the monsters, you’ll see baroque symbols and statuesque faces. You may not be able to see them at times because the combat is so fast and dynamic, but keep your eyes peeled!

You can get a closer look at Gigas, Raven, Stalker, and the rest of the Naytiba’s designs as you face them in Stellar Blade when it releases on April 26 for PlayStation 5.

Destiny 2: Into the Light starts today, and in case it wasn’t apparent during the multiple livestreams last month, it’s a great time to be a Destiny 2 fan. In fact, there’s so much in today’s release that this article is only going to focus on aspects that might appeal to three different types of Guardians:

• Cooperators (I win when the team wins)
• Perfectionists (I win when my run is perfect)
• Collectors (I win when I own everything)

Feel free to skip to the section that sounds most like you or try a little bit of everything; you might discover a new type of fun.

For Co-op Thrill-Seeking Guardians

Into playing with friends and turning the heat up to see how much your finely honed teamwork can take? Meet Onslaught, a new wave-based defensive activity where teams of three will face increasingly challenging waves of enemies hellbent on destroying your Advanced Defense Unit.

It’s a new type of gameplay in Destiny 2 that gets even more interesting when you start constructing upgrades like turrets (that until now have mostly been pointed at Guardians) and decoys (that until now have only been sweeping up after Guardians).

“We’ve had turrets in the game for a while, but rarely have they been on our side,” said Clayton Kisko, a designer on the Destiny 2 team. “Having support with this much enemy density is exhilarating. It’s really rewarding when a turret that you or your teammates built has your back when you’re surrounded by enemies.”

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But who’s cleaning up the mess these turrets make? Well, it turns out that your decoy comes with a broom. “It is a Sweeper Bot!” Kisko says. “They are amazing at pulling aggro from enemies and clumping them up for the perfect grenade opportunity. And they start sweeping right away. Enemies can’t stand this one simple trick the Sweeper Bot does. Just watch as they surround it with hatred.”

Decoys can be upgraded into Redjacks and a final secret version. Just make sure someone on the team is building them because this tidy technology might be the difference between a victory and a total team wipe.

“Things ramp as you progress through the waves and eventually get to a point where if everyone dies at once, the run ends. On Legend difficulty, this is how Onslaught works from the start! We can’t wait to see how people work together, master the mechanics, and clear the final wave.”

For Speed-Demon Perfectionist Guardians

Are you someone who loves puzzles and tightly crafted combat encounters that can be played with a team of three (but maybe you secretly can’t wait to do it solo)?

For you, we have two of the most well-regarded Exotic missions ever made in Destiny 2. Both The Whisper and Zero Hour along with their Exotic weapons are back and they’ve been updated.

Mike Profeta, one of the designers who worked on the new version of Zero Hour, spoke about how the team was able to stay true to the mission’s experience while also making it feel modern and challenging despite how god-killing powerful Guardians have become.

“We explored several options to try and match the original’s difficulty, but things didn’t quite feel right. Then partway through development, we opened an old build of the game and took note of all the unique activity options that were in the original mission. We replicated them as closely as possible, made some small adjustments and additions, and that was our eureka moment; it made all the difference and suddenly it felt exactly like Zero Hour should.”

Sometimes, what makes a classic game feel new is how we’ve changed and what we’ve learned that lets us play in a new way. A spotlight moment for this is Zero Hour’s maze… you know the one… with the robot. Don’t look it up!

“We made no changes to the path players carve through the old Tower,” said Profeta. “All the jumping puzzles and combat beats are there and we’re looking forward to seeing how players utilize all their new Guardian tools to overcome these obstacles faster than ever.”

For Gear-Loving Collector Guardians

Are you the type of player who wants… well, everything? Do you need your gear to look stunning? Could you make an Exotic more perfect if only you could craft them?

“When crafting Exotics, players can fine-tune their experience while maintaining the original fantasy of the weapon,” said a designer on the Destiny 2 team. “With Whisper of the Worm, the added barrel and magazine options will let players customize their version of the Sniper Rifle; maybe deciding to max out stability to make crits easier, for example. Outbreak Perfected is similar. The enjoyment of laying down on the trigger and spreading SIVA nanites is still there, but now players can choose a perk like Rewind Rounds to help them maintain their damage output for longer before reloading.”

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Like these two impression-making Exotics, we’re also including a collection of weapons known as the BRAVE arsenal. If you’ve heard the name Midnight Coup, Edge Transit, or Hung Jury SR4, you know the tier of weapon we’re talking about here. If those names are new to you, then you have a unique opportunity to experience these weapons for the first time in their newly upgraded form.

The BRAVE arsenal consists of 12 weapons so dangerous that they were outlawed by the Vanguard… until now. And for the aesthetically aware among you, each weapon has a chance to drop as a limited-edition foil variant.

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“On top of looking unique, they come fully Masterworked. They also have a unique treatment on their icons resembling tiger stripes so that you’ll still be able to identify the foil version in your inventory even if you remove the ornament to apply a shader.”

Everyone’s Welcome

During Destiny 2: Into the Light, you’ll be able to choose a starter kit containing handpicked gear and subclass abilities. Gift of the Thunder Gods is also available if you want even more gear to catch up with your friends at the speed of lightning.

So, build a friendly Sweeper Bot, craft the perfect Whisper, and join us in the Hall of Champions where we’ll be flexing our foil weapons, Superblack shaders, and getting ready to throw hands with the Witness when The Final Shape launches on June 4.

See you in the Light, Guardians.