Category: PlayStation

Last week, we asked you to travel to 19th-century Japan and share epic moments from Rise of the Ronin using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:

Amulet_seven shares a ronin in a woven hat wielding two katanas against a mountain landscape

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n_asatom shares a ronin lounging on the sand with an orange cat in front of them

TakaSanGames shares a ronin meditating on a hill overlooking a sunset mountain landscape

marka_game shares a ronin slashing with a katana blade that is on fire

sayaka693518 shares a ronin flying with mechanical wings

TheFourthFocus shares a sinister enemy surrounded by red mist

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:  Rise of the Ronin – Weapons and Armor
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on April 3, 2024

Next week, show off the Veiled Edge’s diverse wardrobe with your creations. Share different weapons and armor sets in Rise of the Ronin using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com!

Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or download here

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Hi everyone! The gang is back this week to catch up on what we’ve been playing. And it’s a stacked deck with Helldivers 2, Pacific Drive, and much more in the rotation.

Also, special guest Jim Ryan discusses his remarkable run with the PlayStation brand, from starting up the first offices in Europe before the launch of the original PlayStation, to his retirement next month as CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. We’ll miss you, Jim!

Stuff We Talked About

• Helldivers 2 – PS5
• Pacific Drive – PS5
• PlayStation Portal
• Stellar Blade Demo – PS5

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The Cast

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Thanks to 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.]

Rally your squad for the biggest season update yet! Introducing new maps, a new Zombies mission and Rift, the return of Rebirth Island, and much more, Season 3 is stacked with new experiences.

Season 3 of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and Call of Duty: Warzone launches on April 3 on PS4 and PS5. 

Multiplayer Overview

Core 6v6 Maps 

6 Star (Launch): Battle atop the Hadiqa 6 Star resort in Dubai, catering to ultra-rich guests with an infinity pool, skybridge, and exclusive club.

Emergency (Launch): Deploy to a wing of the State Disease Control Agency in the wake of a disaster, set around the red sandstone of Sedona, Arizona.

Growhouse (Launch): A re-imagined take on Sphere from Call of Duty®: Vanguard. Fight mid- to long-ranged battles above ground and close up underground.

Tanked (Launch): Drop into Vondel Zoo after hours in this fast-paced, mid-sized map centered around the aquarium and reptile exhibits.

Mid-Season Maps: Play the rundown Grime map next to a derelict canal, plus Checkpoint based on Rebirth Island’s Stronghold.

New Game Modes

Capture the Flag (Launch): Steal the enemy’s flag and return it to your home base while yours is still in place.

Minefield (Launch): Defeated players drop a Proximity Mine where they fall. The mine is only deadly to their team, setting up wild combos. Applied to a variety of game modes.

One in the Chamber (Launch): Start with three lives and a one-hit-kill bullet. Earn another bullet for each elimination. If you’re out, go for the melee finish. 

Plus, Ranked Play: Compete in Ranked Play Season 3, featuring all-new Seasonal and Skill Division rewards.

Zombies Overview

New Rift, New Mission (Mid-Season): Embark on a rescue mission in the third Dark Aether Rift to save Dr. Ava Jansen.

New Challenges, Schematics (Mid-Season): Tackle new Prestige Calling Card and Camo challenges, and face down enemies with three new earnable schematics:

New Warlord (Mid-Season): Warlord Rainmaker has commandeered a fortress on Rahaa Island. Approach the artillery and demolitions expert with caution.

Call of Duty: Warzone Overview

Welcome Back to Rebirth Island (Launch)

Rebirth Island returns, the main destination of your Resurgence matches and Season 3 Ranked Play.

Modes: Along with Rebirth Resurgence, other Season 3 modes include Rebirth Lockdown, Rebirth Resurgence Loaded, and High Trip Resurgence.

Public Events and Contracts: Compete in Public Events like Gulag: Climb and Punishment and Heavy Armor. Take on the new Spy Drones Contract. Attempt the Rebirth Island Champion’s Quest.

New Features: Buff your squad with the Squad Rage Field Upgrade and gear up with the Military Box. See future gas circles with the Foresight Killstreak and improve your abilities with the hard-to-find Specialist Perk Package.

Season 3 Battle Pass

Earn 100+ tiers of content, including four new weapons, eight new Aftermarket Parts, and new Operators like Vladimir Makarov and Snoop Dogg. Up your game with the “Stasis BlackCell” Operator and more with BlackCell premium content.

New Store Offerings: Get new bundles like Tracer Pack: Cheech and Chong, several Godzilla x Kong: New Empire bundles, Tracer Pack: Big Brain Ultra Skin, and more.

Season 3 Combat Pack for PlayStation Plus members

Available on April 10, the Season 3 Combat Pack grants Élodie, “Lockpick” a new Operator Skin “Starry Nightmare”.

PlayStation Plus members will also receive the following: the “Rembrandt Rifle” Assault Rifle Blueprint, the “Raphael Rival” SMG Blueprint, the “Cerulean Enigma” Weapon Charm, the “Cobalt Conspirator” Calling Card, the “Azure Avenger” Weapon Sticker, and the “Anonymous Artist” Emblem.

Plus, PlayStation Players will receive a 2XP Player boost in-game from 4/18 – 4/19.

New Challenges and Events

Along with new Weekly Challenges, play seasonal events like Godzilla x Kong: Battle for Hollow Earth, Blaze Up, High Trip, and Vortex, with four more events arriving in the mid-season.

Season 3 launches April 3

Purchase Modern Warfare III on PlayStation to enjoy additional benefits and a free in-game bundle each season with the Combat Pack.

Stay frosty.

Hello, only last month we welcomed a huge number of new PlayStation Travellers to the No Man’s Sky universe with our free Omega expedition, which brought a ton of new content. It’s incredible to watch new folks getting to experience eight years of updates since launch.

Today March 27, we are releasing our 27th major update – Orbital – and this is a big one!

The Orbital update brings a complete overhaul to Space Stations. Until now these have been perhaps the only part of No Man’s Sky that wasn’t procedurally generated. Engine improvements have allowed us to create vast interior spaces and exterior spaces, with improved reflection and metallic surfaces.

Outside, Space Station exteriors are at a scale never seen before and are hugely varied.

Inside, Stations have been transformed, and are now vast, procedurally generated, and incredibly diverse. Featuring new shops, gameplay and activities, Stations are now uniquely customised based on system, race and locale.

Stations also contain perhaps our most requested feature of all time! A ship editor allows players to customise their ships and players can even create never-before-seen starship types.

We haven’t introduced customisation previously, because so many players love exploring to find the perfect ship already out there to purchase. In keeping with exploration, to customize their ship, travelers gather and trade parts for their ships as they explore, salvaging the best components from wrecks and ruins

We are also introducing a new Guild system, making joining Guilds and increasing reputation a much larger part of the game. Visit new Guild envoys on Space Stations to gain supplies and rare items, or make donations to increase your standing.

You can own a freighter and even build up a fleet of frigates in No Man’s Sky. Now you can send that frigate fleet on away missions where if they get into trouble, as frigate captain, you can perform daring rescues. Players can scramble your squadron of fighters, and warp to battles and engage your attackers.

The Orbital update adds ship customisation, transforms Space Stations inside and out, a new guild system, engine improvements, UI refresh and much more. It’s a huge update with several major features that have been on player’s wishlists for a long time. We have a lot more planned this year as our journey continues.

These and many more additions and quality of life improvements can be found when PlayStation players download the Orbital update to No Man’s Sky today.

Our journey continues.

Greetings. This is Hyung Tae Kim, director of Stellar Blade. We are pleased to officially announce the upcoming free playable demo for Stellar Blade, coming March 29 to PlayStation 5.

The demo takes place from the very beginning of the game when Eve, a member of the 7^th Airborne Squad is sent to Earth on a mission to reclaim the planet from the Naytiba, up to the first boss fight. This first stage will include the tutorial phase to help you familiarize yourself with basic combat features as you explore post-war Eidos 7, a human city now infested by the Naytiba, giving you an early grasp of gameplay mechanics that will serve you throughout the game’s story.

We also have a little surprise included for players who complete the first stage.

From the smooth 60fps combat to the haptics, you’ll feel through the DualSense wireless controller, there are various charms of the game that you can only confidently appreciate through hands-on experience.

For those who complete the demo stage, you can carry over your save data when the full game releases on April 26, starting from the last checkpoint. Please note that save data must be stored on your PS5 system.

The Stellar Blade demo will be available starting Friday, March 29 from 7am PDT / 2pm GMT.

Alongside the demo, the full game will feature the following language options:

Voice Over: Korean, English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Latin Spanish.

Text: Korean, English (US), French, Italian, German, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Arabic, Turkish, Thai, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese.

We greatly appreciate your anticipation! Mark your calendar for April 26, and make sure not to miss the preorder bonuses. The time for humankind to reclaim Earth has nearly arrived.

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Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com!

Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or download here

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Hey y’all! After a few weeks of hiatus, the gang returns and introduces team member James to discuss his early playing experience with Rise of the Ronin. Plus the team talks Helldivers 2 and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

Stuff We Talked About

• Hi-Fi Rush – PS5
• MLB The Show 24 – PS5, PS4
• Alone in the Dark – PS5
• Horizon Forbidden West – PC
• The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered – PS5, PS4
• Dragon’s Dogma 2 – PS5
• Rise of the Ronin – PS5
• Helldivers 2 – PS5
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth – PS5

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The Cast

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Thanks to 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.]

Following the release of Echoes of the Fallen last December, Final Fantasy XVI’s final DLC chapter, The Rising Tide, is set to release on April 18! Available individually or in the discounted Expansion Pass on the PlayStation Store, the upcoming paid DLC, which takes place before the ending of the main game, includes plenty for fans to look forward to! Learn more about the DLC, as well as a new update and purchase bonuses, below:

Introduction to The Rising Tide

An unmarked letter arrives at the hideaway containing a most curious request: the Dominant of Leviathan, the long-lost Eikon of Water, needs rescue. To heed this call, Clive and his companions must journey to Mysidia—a hidden land under a blue sky—where they will uncover the tragic history of a forgotten people. 

New Leviathan Eikonic ability set

In addition to the level cap being raised to level 60 in Story Focused Mode and Action Focused Mode or level 110 in Final Fantasy Mode (New Game+), during Clive’s journey in Mysidia, he will obtain new Eikonic Abilities of Leviathan the Lost.

This new ability set allows you to tame the tides and drown your enemies both near and far with the terrible might of the Eikon of Water, as well as includes an all-new Eikonic Feat – Serpent’s Cry, allowing Clive to summon a sea-spitting serpent capable of dealing precision strikes to enemies at great distances!

And when Clive has seized the eighth and final of the elements, what awaits him then? Yet Leviathan is not the only power Clive will discover on his journey…

New locations and threats

Enjoy additional side stories to learn more about the area and people of Mysidia, which will have you encountering new threats, including Final Fantasy XVI’s tonberries found in the ominous Aire of Hours, a new stage, which was once a bastion of civilization—these proud ruins now lay silent, save for the incessant sharpening of knives.

The Rising Tide also brings the highly anticipated confrontation between Clive and the legendary Eikon, Leviathan!

New endgame battle content – Kairos Gate

The Rising Tide introduces a challenging new mode unlocked after completing both The Rising Tide and main game scenarios.

Players can plumb the depths of a virtual underworld, vanquishing wave after wave of internal foes. Only with both strength and strategy will Clive survive the Kairos Gate and emerge with its richest spoils.

Fight through 20 stages–each growing more difficult than the last. Maximize battle performance to earn points and find new materials and weapons to upgrade for Clive. Top players can aim for a spot on the global leaderboard! 

Special bonuses

Fans who purchase The Rising Tide or the Expansion Pass will receive special bonus items, including:

• A reimagined version of the “Curtana,” the signature weapon used by the Warrior of Light in Final Fantasy XIV, and
• “Torn from the Heavens” and “Through the Maelstrom” Orchestrion Rolls, to be played as background music in the hideaway!

Free update (Ver. 1.30) arrives same day as The Rising Tide Release

Free Update (Ver. 1.30) will also be available for all Final Fantasy XVI players on April 18! This downloadable update will add quality-of-life improvements for the full game, including:

• Return to a quest giver immediately with the new “Quick Complete” function
• Icon updates for important character quests
• A new Skill Set feature, which allows players to save up to five unique Feat and Ability sets
• Abilities and Accessories adjusted for easier use
• New “Custom” controller type allows for freely customizable button layouts
• Tone correction, screen effects, and more added to Photo Mode
• Numerous new orchestrion rolls added

Hi everyone, we’re thrilled for our PC community to join Aloy on her journey as she braves the Forbidden West – a majestic but dangerous frontier that conceals mysterious new threats. That’s right, Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition launches on PC today.

Horizon Forbidden West continues six months after the events of the critically acclaimed Horizon Zero Dawn. Vicious superstorms rage. The land is dying. Machine hunter Aloy has traveled west to investigate the source of a mysterious blight that ravages the remnants of humanity. In these uncharted lands, she will meet strange new tribes and face ever more deadly colossal machines. Together with old friends and new companions, she must brave this awe-inspiring frontier to find the answers she needs, halt the biosphere’s imminent collapse, and save life on Earth.

Unlocked frame rates, ultra-wide support up to 48:9 resolutions and performance-enhancing technologies including NVIDIA DLSS 3 AI-powered upscaling and frame generation allow PC players to experience Aloy’s journey in its full glory on compatible hardware. NVIDIA DLAA is available to help maximize image quality. The game also comes with NVIDIA Reflex, reducing system latency and improving gameplay responsiveness. Intel XeSS and AMD FSR 2.2 upscaling is also supported. The team at Nixxes is working on an update to add AMD FSR 3 with frame generation.

To ensure the game runs on a wide variety of PC hardware, we’ve included graphics presets ranging from very low to very high. This allows gamers with the latest hardware to push their systems, while also providing a great experience on less powerful PCs. Additionally, the PC release offers customizable settings, allowing you to tailor your gaming experience according to your preferences!

On behalf of everyone at Guerrilla and Nixxes, we are so excited to bring Horizon Forbidden West to PC and we hope you enjoy this new adventure with Aloy! We would love to hear what you think and see your amazing virtual photography, so please use the hashtag #HorizonForbiddenWestPC when sharing your experiences and creations and tag us on social media!

Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition for PC is available today on Steam and in the Epic Games Store.