Vicarious Visions on its favourite bosses from Crash N. Sane Trilogy, out today on PS4

The team at Vicarious Visions are so excited that the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is finally out! And what a fun ride it has been so far.

For this article, we thought it would be fun to focus on the bosses of the N. Sane Trilogy. We know that these baddies are fan-favourites, and we wanted to share our developers’ commentary about working on the characters and delving into their battles, so I asked our team for their thoughts.

What is the favourite Crash Bandicoot boss that you worked on?

Paulo Dionisio, Lead Boss Designer: The Crash Bandicoot Cortex boss fight, because of the layer of the Aka Aku v Uka Uka battle on top of the Cortex battle, and the three stages of their fight. This makes each phase feel different even though the base mechanic is the same. And in later phases the auto-aim gets turned off, all of which makes this battle feel fun and varied.

Danny Williams, Character Modeler: Papu Papu. Our rendering engine allowed for enhanced butt technology!

James Weir, Character Modeler: Cortex, of course. He’s iconic and has such fun shapes to work with.

Cory Turner, Character Modeler: Tiny Tiger. He has crazy proportions (don’t skip leg day!) and an insane amount of fur. He’s very fluffy.

Which updates did you make that you are happiest with?

Chad Hamlet, Character Modeler: N. Gin’s mechs. I added an actual cockpit so now N.Gin is actually doing things during the fight. And there are tons of details added, like whirling turbines, missile pods, and other things allowing for secondary animations.

JW: It was especially fun and challenging to work with the animators on Cortex in order to deliver what they needed to give him great facial animations. The originals mostly featured him all-teeth and snarling due to technical constraints of the time, but now we can really dial into a bigger range of performance.

PD: The Tiny Tiger fight in Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped. There are a lot of lovely small moments and details added to this fight, because it was clear that Naughty Dog would have done it if they were remaking these with today’s tech. Like when Tiny grabs the trident, we made it more physical as if it really was being grabbed. The audience has reactions to the fight, for example. Note how they do the wave when the lions come out; and when Tiny gets defeated, they throw tomatoes.

You can take your frustrations out on Tiny at the end of the fight as well, that’s new! There’s also a little Easter egg for those fans that know about the sneaky exploit from the original. Also, listen closely to the lions when you jump on them.

 

Which boss fight is the hardest to beat?

PD: The original third game’s Cortex boss battle. I mean, this is the last fight so that’s to be expected. But there are a lot of layers of gameplay and during each phase, they change. Interestingly, the fight is hardest at the middle, but the tension doesn’t decrease.

What makes Crash Bandicoot boss fights interesting?

PD: They don’t necessarily have any conceptual or mechanical tie back to the levels just been playing. Which makes them feel like a nice break, and you can see that Naughty Dog really wanted to make them feel cinematic.

What sources of inspiration did you draw upon for creating the boss models?

DW, JW, CT, CH: For one, the original designs. And with these, it was trying to understand if shapes and angles were due to limitation in polygon counts, or were intentional. We looked at the original concept art to try to get an idea of the intentions. Promotional renders were also a source of inspiration. You play and watch the battles as well. I mean, how else do you know what you need for details, range of motion, what needs to destruct or spin or whatever.

We also watched animated feature films for inspiration and to look at some archetypes, especially for facial studies. We studied other remasters/remakes, particularly ones where there was a long(ish) break between the games. We really tried to understand that point at which you’ve gone too far from refining to re-inventing. We also reviewed each other’s work, as a team, because we learn a lot from each other.

You’re having a party at your house. Which Crash boss do you invite over?

JW: Dr. N. Brio, because he could mix up some tasty beverages.

CT: …and Dingodile because he’ll bring his own BBQ.

CH: Dr. N. Tropy seems like a snob. He’d bring good food, I bet.

PD: Dr. Neo Cortex, because I bet he has a lot of crazy stories to tell.

Which boss is most like you?

DW: Papu Papu, because we share the same silhouette.

JW: Koala Kong, and ditto.

The original Crash Bandicoot games came out in the mid-to-late 90s, what were you doing back then?

PD: I was in high school studying hard. I wanted to be either an aerospace engineer or a video game designer.

JW: High School! I moved around a lot, but I always drew and I always knew I wanted to get into games. I was taking a side class in AutoCAD and teaching myself 3ds Max.

CH: I was in art school studying how to be a comic book artist. I had a mohawk, and I was a manager at a Taco Bell.

CT: I was in middle school when the original Crash Bandicoot games came out. My best friend had a PlayStation so we’d hang at his house and play it. I was into drawing mascot characters, even back then.

DW: In ’96 I was in college trying to learn how to do this stuff. In ’97, I dropped out to work at an animation studio, to learn how to do this stuff. And from ’98 until now, I’m still trying to learn how to do this stuff!

Who would you like to give some shoutouts to?

DW: Big props to our riggers for being open-minded and willing to experiment with the rigging tools. This was so key to help us nail the cartoony silhouettes. They worked really hard on getting the facial and eye rigs to work for what we all needed. And also our rendering engineer, Ace!

JW: Bless Ace! We gave him such a hard time in order to get the fur working right. Each time we’d ask for a new feature he’d nonchalantly say, ‘Hmm…’ and come back the next day with it working.

CH: The fan reaction to the boss video was cool.

CW: Yeh, I love it when they notice all the little things. Like the fact that Tiny has tighty whities!

The Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is now available on PlayStation 4 as a physical disc or a digital download, and we can’t wait for you to experience it! We hope you have as much fun playing it as we did working on it. Thank you for being such a huge part of what we do, and let us know what you think about the game!

You can celebrate Crash Bandicoot’s return to PlayStation with a whole range of official merch on PlayStation Gear. Head on over to the store now to check them out.

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Psychological PS4 pixel art thriller The Long Reach coming to PS4 and PS Vita this autumn

Hi, PlayStation fans! I am Roman from Painted Black Games, a small indie developer, based in the city of Dnipro, Ukraine. The team is working hard on our debut game, a psychological thriller adventure – The Long Reach.

All of us at Painted Black Games are super-excited because we’ve nearly reached the end of the game’s development cycle and the fun part of showing it off will begin soon – we really want to know what you all think of it.

The whole team at Painted Black are big fans of the adventure games. The Long Reach honours the genre by mixing classic adventure gameplay, an intricate story, a gorgeous pixel art style and one little feature which I’m about to present to you.

The game’s story takes place in the fictional American town of Baervox. More precisely, at a scientific research institute where a revolutionary accelerated knowledge transferring system is being developed.

If you hadn’t already guessed it, something has gone horribly wrong. The technology the scientists have been working on has cataclysmically malfunctioned and both the institute and the town have been effected and not in a good way! The surrounding area has been turned into a real nightmare and the experiment participants have transmuted into… well, we cannot tell you that for now, because we hate spoilers!

The main character, Stewart, is a junior researcher at the scientific research institute. Stewart’s just a regular guy who, under your control, will have to untangle the rapidly escalating situation. Stewart will need to show courage and intelligence to save the world and, most importantly, survive.

The Long Reach includes everything adventure fans expect – lots of dialogue, tricky puzzles, collecting and manipulating items. But, that is not all… We have attempted to create an immersive experience players can get caught up in.

It’s hard to believe now, but The Long Reach was originally conceived as a mobile game! We had to remodel the control system three times! We started with a touchscreen model, then we moved to the tried-and-tested mouse and keyboard point-n-click system. Finally, we honed the controls to use a pad and we’re ready to deliver The Long Reach on the ultimate platform, the PlayStation 4.

As huge fans of the adventure genre there were several titles that inspired us to create The Long Reach. Lone Survivor, The Last Door, The Cave and The Silent Age all had their part to play. Making a good, intricate game for adventure fans was always at the forefront of our endeavours and we hope you have as much fun playing as we have had creating the The Long Reach.

Thanks for your attention, and look out for The Long Reach on PS4 and PS Vita this autumn!

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Dodge Hungry Hungry Hippos while battling it out in G.I Joe tanks in PS4’s Micro Machines, out today

Remember the days when you used to huddle around your PSone, multi-tap plugged in and ready to race your pals on Micro Machines? Well, those days are back, and they’re back in glorious high definition – Codemasters have resurrected the Micro Machines franchise with a brand new game: Micro Machines World Series!

The first Micro Machines for the original PlayStation dropped 20 years ago, so it was about time that the franchise saw a HD, multiplayer-focused reboot. The latest title brings together the best of old and new; you’ve got the option to have four people sharing a sofa and shouting at one another while they race around a kitchen table – but on the other hand, you have some all-new and wildly addictive online Battle Modes…

Here’s more about what to expect!

Each car has its own unique handling

That’s right – your miniature heroes don’t just look different, they feel different too! You can use the variety of vehicles and their different styles to your advantage in each discipline, and even within each environment. Don’t want to get bogged down by the kitchen table’s blobs of honey, icing or milk? Then the hovercraft will be your best bet in making it around those sticky corners scot-free. It’s all about tactics.

Each vehicle has its own unique abilities – including a super special ability

If you like to play offensively, then there are some battle-ready brawlers in the vehicle line-up – but when playing as a team, it’s always best to consider the powers of your other teammates and how you might complement one another.

For example, Dr. Mal Practice’s ambulance will heal others on your battle team – whereas something with more bang for your buck, like Jack Hammer’s dump truck, can drop walls and launch dynamite at rival players. Then you’ve also got the nippier vehicles which can play Capture the Flag a lot more quickly, but aren’t able to handle as much damage as some of the slower vehicles. With six-a-side, there is plenty of scope for strategizing – and it’s that strategy that will give you the edge throughout each fight.

That classic Micro Machines sense of humour is back

The game’s as tongue in cheek as you remember it! Not only do our micro racers have their own emotes, but you can catch cheeky little touches in and around the game’s environments too. See what you can spot among these exclusive screenshots of our race locations…

The game guest-stars some other staples from your childhood

 

Sure, you might’ve played an old Micro Machines game – and heck, you might even have played with a real-life, miniature Micro Machine once upon a time! But that’s not all we have from your childhood. With Hasbro on board, we’ve brought you a whole host of fun stuff – ranging from race-ready NERF Blasters, to G.I. JOE tanks, to a very feisty Hungry Hungry Hippos battle arena.

Micro Machines World Series races off our tabletop and onto PlayStation 4 today!

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Win tickets to the UEFA Super Cup 2017

Today we have launched our latest PlayStation F.C. competition! Click the link below to enter and you could win two tickets to the UEFA Super Cup 2017*. Watch the current champions of the two main European club competitions; the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League battle it out on 8th August 2017 in Skopje, FYR Macedonia.

There will also be five runners up prizes – see the full prize list below.

Winner’s prize (x1)

• Two hospitality tickets for the UEFA Super Cup on 8th August 2017.
• Two nights’ accommodation
• Travel + transfers
• €300 spending money
• PlayStation 4 Pro
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2017
• One official PlayStation F.C. replica shirt
• PlayStation Plus 12 month membership voucher code

Runners up prize (x5)

• PlayStation 4 Pro
• An official PlayStation FC replica shirt
• PlayStation Plus 12 month membership voucher code

To enter click here and decide where you think the ball is missing from the image provided. Then answer our tie-breaker question to be entered into the draw. Good luck!

*Competition is open to the following countries only: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Participants must be 18 and above to enter, T&C’s apply.

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Five pieces of essential intel about Call of Duty: WWII

After an explosive trailer that rocked PlayStation E3 stage, we caught up with Aaron Halon, Senior Director of Product Development and the main man for Call of Duty’s all-important multiplayer modes, and Bret Robbins, Senior Creative Director on Campaign at Sledgehammer Games to talk all things Call of Duty: World War II.

New multiplayer modes, a new squad ability system for the campaign, social spaces and ways to develop your soldier are all set to change the game yet again for the unstoppable shooter franchise – so read on to get the full intel from the guys who are leading the charge into battle…

1. Train your soldier, test our weapons and get social in Headquarters

Aaron: “With headquarters we wanted to give players an area in-between multiplayer matches to hang out and prepare for battle. It’s always been in Sledgehammer Games’ DNA to focus on social aspects of multiplayer, and 1st person games don’t often give opportunities to see who you really are.

You’ll find 48 players or groups of your friends to interact with socially, challenge them to 1-on-1 games, pick up daily challenges or head to the firing range to try a new loadout before you jump into a match. And now you can do that alongside your buddies and discuss what you think will work best for specific missions”.

2. Join a Division, get trained up and put boots on the ground

Aaron: “You’ll be recruited early in your career to one of five classic, iconic military divisions – mountain, infantry, airborne, armoured and expeditions divisions – and that’s going to change and define how your career as a soldier develops.

Each division has training that is unique to them; one example would be infantry. They’re all about their rifles, so a key training element for infantrymen will be different ways to use their weapons with different attachments. And then further to that, each weapon has a unique skill class – for example adding bayonets to your rifle.

You earn the chance to take this training back at Headquarters, so you’ll go there to learn about your division specialities and level up your soldier.

Of course, it’s important that players still have freedom of choice, so you absolutely can change between divisions to find your speciality.”

3. War Mode brings a new set of objectives to multiplayer

Aaron: “As soon as we decided on World War II as the setting, it was important to us to be able to do asymmetrical attack and defence missions, axis vs allies skirmishes and scenarios that are a lot more narrative driven and true to life.

We looked a lot at real, historical missions – demolition of bridges, cutting off supply lines, taking out air defences. So it’s a lot different to just capturing a point. We wanted to make these missions real, tangible things that link you to World War II.

At E3 we showed off a mission that has players either attack or defend a manor house, and then build a bridge to move heavy vehicles across. It’s really interesting seeing the multi-layered map dynamically change, there are actually people building the bridge as the fight develops.

You then escort a tank through the map, using it for cover just as infantry would have done, hiding from gunfire behind this moving metal beast.

Call of Duty traditionally has appealed to a lone wolf mentality that’s all about getting your kill/death ratio up, and of course that still features and is important, but in War Mode, cooperative strategy and planning is a lot more in focus”.

4. It’s a band of brothers story that makes teamwork essential

Bret: “Our protagonist is Red Daniels, a 19 year old recruit seeing action for the first time and we follow his story and his division the Fighting First infantry as they make their way across Europe, fight to liberate France, pushing into Belgium and across Germany.

Throughout the campaign you’ll start to rely on those guys a lot and learn who they are – and what their specialities are in combat. The campaign uses a squad ability system – something traditionally associated with multiplayer – so putting in a good performance earns boosts to your squad morale, allowing key squad members to use special abilities like deploying first aid kits or ammo packs, or providing covering fire”.

5. The single player campaign is rooted in history

Bret: “We’ve done a lot of research and worked closely with a great military historian who lives and breathes this stuff to ensure that we’re telling a story that is accurate and respectful. But there’s so many stories to tell that we had to cherry pick the parts that we could do justice to.

Our story is intertwined with real historical events like the landings at Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge, and the liberation of Paris. Historically speaking, the Fighting First was involved in a lot of these conflicts. And in between those big historical moments we have our own missions and objectives that are based on books we’ve read and movies we’ve seen.

It’s a big cinematic adventure, but there’s also a very serious undertone that we didn’t want to shy away from. And one of the overall themes of this game is that this kind of thing can never be allowed to happen again”.

So, are you ready for battle, soldier? You can put this intel into action first on PS4 by joining the Private Beta when you pre-order the game – ahead of its release on 3rd November.

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Comedic point & click puzzle adventure Demetrios out this August on PS4

Hi! I’m Fabrice, solo French game developer. Let me introduce you to my silly game Demetrios – The BIG Cynical Adventure!

Demetrios is an adventure game mixing elements from point & click and visual novels with fun puzzles and quirky humour.

Bjorn, a slob of an antique dealer living in Paris, gets robbed one night after receiving a mysterious call. He notices that only a mysterious tablet has been stolen. The police aren’t really helpful, so Bjorn ends up investigating on his own with the help of Sandra, his next-door neighbour.

This will (unwillingly) take them on a journey to several countries around the world, where they will sort out some murky affairs and ancient secrets!

Demetrios is all about comedy and fun choices. Watch out, you may end up dead very often – especially if you put your fingers everywhere! (But don’t worry, you can continue the game straight away.)

Try silly inventory combinations, and you’ll get unique comments each time. Sometimes the characters will even react to your (stupid) actions!

In case you get stuck, there’s an in-game hint system through the use of cookies hidden in the screens – so you have to earn the help. And you can collect the cookies, too!

You’ll encounter some mini-games along the way, always meant for easy fun and to vary the gameplay.

I’ve specifically optimized the game for PS4, and you can control it either with the stick / buttons or the touchpad, with multiple options to adapt the likes of the sensitivity, or using the right stick and triggers as a magnifying glass for precise observation – quite handy for tracking those cookies!

The console version also adds the exclusive “Chapter Restart” feature, which makes progress and Trophies hunting much easier!

Expect to spend 8 to 12 hours for a first playthrough, and get some replayability by collecting cookies and all 37 achievements – including a Platinum.

I truly believe adventure games can only be appreciated if you can understand them easily, so I’ve made huge efforts to get the 10,000 lines of dialogue fully translated into six languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian, German and Russian!

This was my first console experience, and aside from translations and some music, I did everything myself (yup, it’s possible!)

I very much enjoyed working on bringing Demetrios to the Playstation 4 and PlayStation Vita – a childhood dream come true! I’m hoping you’ll like it. (Many thanks to the PS Vita community for your great support and appreciation!)

The game will be available August 2017 for PlayStation 4 on PlayStation Store, with Cross-Buy functionality with the already-released PS Vita version.

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How Aerea’s world keeps adapting to make every quest endgame-worthy

Hi again! Marten from Soedesco here. Tomorrow, we’re releasing our music themed action RPG AereA on PlayStation 4, yay! Today, I’m going to tell you a little more about how AereA keeps adapting to make every part of the world endgame-worthy!

During your journeys through the world of Aerea, you’ll explore many different biomes. As we’ve put a lot of effort in building the environments, we figured it’d be a big waste if people rushed through all the ‘low level’ areas to get to the endgame, so we wanted to find a way to keep all content of the game interesting at any point in the game or story.

We want you to be able to play through all environments as many times as you wish, so you can really soak in the music and atmosphere. To prevent early parts of the game from becoming too easy at a higher level, we’ve put a lot of effort into balancing the characters and the world around you.

We’ve experimented with ideas like upgrading the early quest’s rewards for high level characters, and raising the overall difficulty of the game, but that didn’t really work for us. It still felt like the world was getting too bland at higher levels, and it simply wasn’t fun to play.

Eventually, we found that having the world evolve as you progress was the way to go! Each enemy’s stats scale up as your character levels up, which makes replaying previous areas and completing side quests still challenging and fun later on.

Of course, this will not mean you can beat the game with a level 1 character, because only enemies that are weaker than you scale up, but enemies that are stronger than you don’t scale down. This way we don’t scare off new players, but also don’t bore more experience players. Took us a while, but I feel like it worked out pretty well in the end.

The reason why we found it so important for Aerea to have a dynamic world, is because we’ve played countless of games in which after you’ve progressed, only a few of the endgame areas remain interesting or a few extra endgame levels unlock. We wanted to make the entire world exciting and enchanting, no matter your character’s level.

If you feel like you could use even more challenge or variation in Aerea’s gameplay, you could switch characters mid-game! You’ll be able to level and customize every character individually, so there’s an extra level of challenge here.

Feel like you need a ranged character to defeat the next boss? No problem, just switch to Wolff the Harp Archer and shoot your way through! Besides, this also means you can focus on leveling up all four characters of the game after completing it, without having to start over.

We hope you’re gonna enjoy the world we created for you. Good luck, adventurers! Oh, and don’t forget, Aerea is coming out tomorrow both boxed and digitally!

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Introducing the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy PlayStation Gear range

In anticipation of the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, launching 30th June on PlayStation 4, we’ve put together an awesome range of stylish and suitably outlandish merchandise.
Everything from t-shirts to mugs are now available to buy from PlayStation Gear, right here.

As well as assembling some of the best merchandise under one official destination, we are pleased to confirm a selection of PlayStation Gear exclusives you won’t be able to find anywhere else – including a premium steel mug featuring our favourite bandicoot, plus a Cortex Laboratories and Wumpa Juice T-shirt.

But that’s not all Crash fans can enjoy in the range. Don’t miss:

Nitro, TNT and Crash Bandicoot (coming soon) crate mugs

 

Crash Bandicoot heat changing mug

 

A set of eight colourful Crash Bandicoot pin badges, housed in a familiar crate box (coming soon)

Take a spin over to PlayStation Gear and check it all out, and more, for yourself.

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Your PlayStation Plus games for July are Until Dawn, That’s You and Game of Thrones

Whoa – well, that was one heck of a month for gamers, eh? We hope you all enjoyed this year’s big E3 PlayStation Media Showcase as much as we enjoyed putting it together. Getting to share all the amazing things we have going on over here at PlayStation is always hugely exciting.

One of our announcements at E3 this year was the new PlayLink range – a series of games tailor-made for group play with your friends and family that you control via your smartphone of tablet. No additional Dualshock 4s required! We’re really happy to debut the first PlayLink title – That’s You – in next month’s PS Plus line-up, in addition to your normal quota of games!

So, let’s lift the lid on what PlayStation Plus members will be tucking into when July’s games hit PlayStation Store on Tuesday 4th July.

First up, it’s fright time…

Until Dawn

Yes, those of a delicate disposition might want to grab a friend before firing this one up. Supermassive Games’ critically-acclaimed love letter to the classic slasher flick is this month’s first game.

Follow eight typical high-school teenagers out to an isolated mountain lodge to commemorate the tragic loss of two friends and watch as power outages, unexplained disappearances and a healthy dose of hormonal high-jinx transform the momentous gathering into a desperate fight for survival.

As things spiral drastically out of control it will be down to your split second decision making to save each hapless character from meeting a grisly end. Will you be able to keep your nerve?

Game of Thrones – A Telltale Series

This month’s second title transports PS Plus members to the equitable and fair-minded land of Westeros, where absolutely nobody ever died in a terrible or tragic way… ever.

As any of you familiar with the award-winning Game of Thrones TV series will know, I’m pulling your leg. In this original story from the talented team at Telltale Games, you’ll take control of the Forrester family – a noble and long-standing house from the north of Westeros with deep loyalties to the Starks.

Caught up in the War of the Five Kings, it’ll be up to you to guide the beset members of the Forrester family through a maelstrom of bloody warfare, revenge and intrigue as the northern kingdoms begin to tear themselves apart.

Once again, who makes it out alive will be up to you.

That’s You

As a special post-E3 treat, from 4th July PlayStation Plus members will also be able to download That’s You as part of their membership.

In this irreverent party quiz – the first release from the new PlayLink range – you and up to five of your friends and family get to find out what you really think about each other. With your TV, PS4 and a tablet or smartphone in hand, answer over 1,000 funny questions, take part in daring doodle challenges, snap selfies for photo challenges and more.

The better you know your fellow players, the more points you’ll pick up.

As always, our PlayStation 4 line-up is joined by four other games – two apiece for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. All of which leaves the full line-up for July looking like this:

• Until Dawn – PS4
• Game of Thrones: A Telltale Series – PS4
• That’s You – PS4 (4th July onwards)
• Tokyo Jungle – PS3
• Darkstalkers Resurrection – PS3
• Don’t Die Mr Robot – PS Vita (cross-buy with PS4)
• Element4l – PS Vita

July’s titles will be available to download from 4th July, meaning you still have a couple of days left to pick up any of June’s titles you might have missed:

• Killing Floor 2 (PS4)
• Life is Strange (PS4)
• Abyss Odyssey (PS3)
• WRC 5: World Rally Championship (PS3)
• Neon Chrome (PS Vita – cross-buy with PS4)
• Spy Chameleon (PS Vita)

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Pinball FX3 announced for PS4, promising the biggest pinball game ever

Hello from Zen Studios! We’ve got some very big news! I am so excited to announce that Pinball FX3 will be releasing on PlayStation 4 this summer.

Zen Pinball has been serving the PlayStation community since the very early days of PSN in May of 2009 (eight years?!), and the time has come to go next-level and take a major step forward in the evolution of pinball. Pinball FX3 will now be the Zen-supported pinball platform on PSN – replacing Zen Pinball 2 which is currently available on PS4.

Pinball FX3 is a massive game packed full of new features designed to turn pinball into a true community experience on PS4. Built around multiplayer-matchups, user-generated tournaments and league play, Pinball FX3 is now so much more than just leaderboard rankings – the game elevates the competitive pinball spirit that has thrived since the early days of pinball more than a century ago.

Not so hot with the flippers? We have heard from so many people that they feel lost when trying to play pinball, not really understanding the game or objectives. We have thought about you along the development process and have designed deep single-player modes that will help you become a better pinball player!

Now, to answer the question burning in all of your minds: can you take your Zen Pinball 2 tables to Pinball FX3? Yes, you can! Zen Studios is 100% committed to keeping the community intact and providing you with one of the best values in gaming. We are happy to announce that you will be able to import the majority of your Zen Pinball 2 purchases to Pinball FX3 for free! We’re giving you all of the new features and upgrades at no cost – and there are a ton of them, giving you reasons to never stop playing your tables. We like to think that Pinball FX3 is an endless ocean of replayability!

There are a ton of other details to share with you, and we will post more details as we lead up to launch. Keep an eye on our social media feeds or www.pinballfx.com for news and updates, including confirmed table roster, info on what we have done to make your pinball tables more beautiful (yes, harnessing extra gfx power) and of course, news about brand-new content releasing with Pinball FX3. We will have new day-one content based on some amazing properties from a brand new partner!

Thank you all for many, many years of support. The game keeps going because you keep playing and supporting us. Pinball FX3 is a new beginning and we look forward to awesome days ahead!

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Pre-order PS4 rocket-parkour platformer Super Cloudbuilt, get access to a demo today

Ladies and gentlemen, the rocket-powered 3D parkour speedrunning platformer you’ve always wanted (but perhaps never knew) is coming. Coilworks‘ upcoming PS4 release combines high-speed wall-running, rocket boosted jumps and energy-based sharp-shooting, in order to achieve leaderboard glory.

You play as soldier Demi, awakening in a strange environment, learning to master epic terrains whilst strapped into a super-powered exo-suit that’ll allow you to manoeuvre abstract locales at the speed of a rocket. Fast reflexes are needed to navigate yourself through each level and work out what’s happening to you, as well as uncover hidden pathways and power-ups (and more importantly, start beating your way up our online leaderboards!).

Sounds fun? Well, you won’t have long wait to try it out. The game officially releases on July 25th but If you pre-order the game (with an extra 10% discount for PS Plus owners) you’ll get access right now to a special practice demo of the game!

In the demo you’ll get the opportunity to master the tutorials, three full levels and a ‘playground’ area before the game’s official release. This lets you hone your skills early, and perfect the reflexes needed to top those leaderboards. And what’s even better? The leaderboard scores carry over from the demo to the full game, so you’re ready and poised to take that top spot while others are figuring out the basics.

Level details

Beyond the Walls: you will need to hone your dashing ability to dodge the projectiles raining down on you, keep your nerve as you slide at full-speed down the ramp on the edge of an abyss and then weave through an intricate web of moving lasers to reach the exit unscathed.

Questions: under the ominous gaze of the eclipse, you will need to carefully select your path from the dozens available, navigate the total dissipation fields without any energy to aid you and then take on the tricky sequence of leaps that lead to the exit without ever touching the floor.

Regrowth: You will need to tread carefully to avoid getting lost in this foggy labyrinth. Can you master the tricky routes full of twists and turns, avoid the floating minefields that spell instant death and then ascend the tower to the exit in one piece?

Playground: An abstract complex of floating platforms, this practice area is designed to give you the perfect place to master your abilities; you can improve your wall running, air jumps, dashes and slides and once you have those down you can learn several advanced techniques that will give you an edge in Ranked Mode.

 

As well as this, you’ll also get the following:

• 10% Pre-order discount for PlayStation Plus members
• 4 wearable outfits, available to use in the full game at launch
• A free dynamic Super Cloudbuilt theme

Check out the brand new trailer:

Follow @DoubleElevenLtd on Twitter for news and updates for Super CloudBuilt.

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Exact revenge on those who experimented on you in tense PS4 sci-fi thriller Past Cure

Our little dev studio couldn’t be happier or more excited today as our new story & action trailer for Past Cure is finally here and ready to conquer the gaming world! Yes, we are proud – so very proud – because we made it even though everybody told us we were crazy to go for such a high-quality project with only 10 people on our dev team. But we were doing more than dreaming, and we are now on the home stretch of a very long and hard track – the development of our first game ever!

Past Cure will be published worldwide in both digital and retail on PlayStation 4 by the end of the year. Even with loads and loads of passion and effort put in, most independent studios never get this far. And that’s why we’re going crazy today.

What’s it about?

Past Cure follows ex elite soldier Ian as he covertly pursues the men who once betrayed and transformed him.

For years, Ian was imprisoned at a black site and subjected to horrific human experimentation.

It left him changed, in possession of frightening abilities such as thought manipulation and telekinesis and haunted by a madness that resides in his dreams and sinks its claws deeper into waking reality with every use of his powers.

Needing answers, Ian hunts after the men in the shadows. With the help of his brother Markus and the inscrutable double agent “Sophia”, he takes on Eastern European cartels, secret lodges, and the hubris of unscrupulous science.

And he encounters an adversary seemingly not of this world.

Exciting stuff, right? Dreams, suspense, and horror all rolled into one game!

How we did it:

Our dream – building a unique, top-tier game with our limited resources – was born 2 years ago.

In the beginning, nobody dared to believe in our vision… and everyone told us we were nuts. But in January 2016, the studio was founded and our first employees came aboard.

With at most ten people on hand we had to settle priorities and nail down the essentials of our game:

The right story and characters – we spent time developing complex characters so that their intense experiences capture the player’s imagination through to the very end. As such, the plot is never predictable and yet remains coherent and resonant, with a family drama creating a powerful arc of tension. Asked to sum the story up in a sentence, we’d say “Inception meets John Wick meets Fight Club”.

Strong gameplay and mechanics – games with a focus on story are sometimes lacking in the gameplay department. We made it our ambition to deliver across the board. By making use of the storyline, we tied in:

• The real world, focusing on challenging stealth missions that can spiral quickly into high pressure shooting and melee encounters
• The dream world, where twisted monsters roam, escape is not an option, and stealth becomes indispensable
• Ian’s special powers, crucial to reaching his objectives but with each use coming at a significant cost

Using the latest 3D scanning and motion capture technologies, MMA fighters helped us craft the movements and fighting styles – and through that, the mechanics – of the in-game characters.

We challenged ourselves to develop a game with high graphical fidelity at an affordable price for millions of players. So, yes, even the price will be exciting!

Past Cure is set to release towards the end of Q4 this year!

To stay up to date with our development rollercoaster ride, you can follow our story on Facebook.

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Introducing PlayStation 4’s newly updated TV & video experience, launching today

Whatever your favourite video content– movies or TV, live sports or gaming clips – now you can easily find it on your PlayStation 4. Today we’re introducing a refresh to the TV & Video entertainment experience*.

The new TV & Video experience will help you find your favourites and discover new and exciting content from the PS4 streaming video services, all in one location. Instead of jumping in and out of all your different apps, find the best video on PS4 from one convenient spot.

Check out our landing page for more information on the video services in your region.

*The refresh is available in the following markets: Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered is available today as a standalone purchase

Today, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered is out on PS4 as a standalone game. Remastered in true high-definition, it features enhanced textures, rendering, lighting, and much more to bring the experience of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare to a new generation of fans.

You can pick up the game as a physical disc or as a digital download. Also starting today –and continuing for a limited time — the Modern Warfare Remastered Variety Map Pack is available on PlayStation Store, adding four new maps to Modern Warfare Remastered along with ten Rare Operation Lion Strike Supply Drops for your inventory.

Activision is also launching Call of Duty Days of Summer today where you can earn a free Days of Summer Supply Drop each week through 1st August at 6.00pm BST/7.00pm CEST by logging into the game each Monday. Make sure to log in each week or you’ll miss out.

These drops will contain more than 40 Days of Summer items like Weapon Kits, Melee Weapons, Emblems, Camos, Reticles, Calling Cards, and Uniforms. Plus, you can earn a special Sun-soaked Graves character if you complete all of the Days of Summer Collections in Modern Warfare Remastered.

In addition to the loot, the Bog map has received a complete summer makeover. The dumpster fires and night setting have been replaced with a beachside hangout filled with sand castles, colourful seaside graffiti, a surfboard shop, café, and more. There are also four different Days of Summer weapon camos for you to unlock on Beach Bog through challenges, and make sure you complete them before 6.00pm BST/7.00pm CEST on 1st August, because they’ll be packed up when Days of Summer comes to a close.

 

But that’s not all. There’s a special Beachcomber edition of Prop for Days of Summer, so in addition to all the props you know and love, beach-themed props like beach balls, sand castles, surfboards, and more will be added to the mix for your hide and seek skills.

Days of Summer is also available starting today in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, complete with new weapons and new camos. To help build your collection, log into Infinite Warfare every Monday for a free Supply Drop, and every Wednesday and Friday for a free item from the Days of Summer collection. Plus, look for new Days of Summer items in the Summer Hack every week until 1st August.

To top it off, Infinity Ward is adding characters from Infinite Warfare’s Campaign to the Multiplayer as well as characters from across the Call of Duty franchise. You’ll be able to play the Warfighter Rig as Omar, the Merc as Reyes, Synaptic as ETH.3N, FTL as Salter, Stryker as Price, and Phantom as Ghost.

Additionally, players who jump into Infinite Warfare between today and 6.00pm BST/7.00pm CEST on 1st August can play on the Turista map from the Continuum DLC Map Pack for free, giving them a taste of how the rich and famous enjoy beach vacations in the future.

You can also celebrate Days of Summer in Call of Duty: Black Ops III starting at 6.00pm BST/7.00pm CEST on 11th July through 1st August. Players will have a chance to earn a limited Pack-a-Punch camo, and will also be able to play all four of the maps from the Awakening DLC for free, including the Summer-tastic water park of doom, Splash. And if you happen to own Awakening already, Treyarch will give you Double XP during Days of Summer from 11th July until 1st August.

Call of Duty Days of Summer has a lot more in store as well, because across all three games you’ll find special playlists, challenges, and events to power up your Days of Summer experience, starting today.

Don’t forget the sunscreen!

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