Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls Collection releases on PS4 tomorrow

The Heavy Rain & Beyond: Two Souls Collection is releasing tomorrow on PlayStation Store and in retailers on Blu-Ray in Europe. If you missed out on last-gen, this is the perfect way to explore our PS3 back-catalogue. We are exceptionally proud of the work that has gone into making these games available on PS4 and we think they both look better than ever.

Beyond: Two Souls has been available digitally on PlayStation Store since November and we’re touched by the response it has received (check out our last blog post for more details on the upgrades in the PS4 version). If you bought it then, SCE is offering Heavy Rain at a big discount as an upgrade – which we think is fantastic value!

The BAFTA winning Heavy Rain, which also comes out today as a standalone digital release, follows the dramatic story of a father, Ethan, on a desperate hunt to find his missing son. You will decide how far he goes to save his family. Ethan is joined by Detective Scott Shelby, FBI Agent Norman Jayden, and photojournalist Madison Paige. Their fates entwine as they seek out the mysterious Origami Killer.

We have focused on improving the graphical fidelity of Heavy Rain on PS4, here’s a brief run-down on the improvements you can expect:

• Increased resolution from 720p to 1080p
• Increased the number of available shadow maps from 8 to 12
• Enabled multi-threaded rendering
• Added post-process: HDAO and MSAA
• Improved lighting for scenes and objects
• Improved reflections

I hope you’re excited to play Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls, whether it’s your first time experiencing the titles or as a returning fan.

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Uncharted 4 multiplayer open weekend starts this Friday!

The multiplayer team here at Naughty Dog wants to extend our sincerest thanks to everyone who participated in the Uncharted 4 multiplayer beta this past December. It was really productive for us, and we’ve been poring over all the data and feedback we received.

But we’re not done yet!

We need your help to do all we can to have a smooth launch of our online multiplayer mode. We will be hosting a multiplayer open weekend this weekend where the goal is to get as many people as possible playing in the Uncharted 4 multiplayer mode to test our networking, our matchmaking and more.

Uncharted 4 multiplayer open weekend:

• Starts: 4th March 2016, at 5.00pm GMT/6.00pm CET
• Ends: 7th March 2016, at 7.59am GMT/8.59am CET

Please help us create the best multiplayer experience possible and participate in the open weekend before launch. Also, and this is really because we want as many people playing as possible, a PlayStation Plus subscription is not required to participate.

The Uncharted 4 multiplayer open weekend client is available right now on PlayStation Store so you can basically preload the game and jump straight in as soon as the servers go live this Friday! Please understand, this is strictly a stress test and by no means represents what the final multiplayer experience is going to be – we still have a lot to share between this stress test and launch.

If you are unfamiliar with Uncharted 4 multiplayer, or want a refresher about some of our features, be sure to head over to our multiplayer FAQ for more info on how to get started.

Join us on our Twitch channel on Friday 4th March at 7.30pm GMT/8.30pm CET and 5th March at 1.00am GMT/2.00am CET, as we’ll be hosting a couple of streams that day with some special guests! Full schedule and information will be posted on http://ift.tt/1l24q6T.

Download the Uncharted 4 multiplayer client from the PlayStation Store today and we’ll see you online in a few days!

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New on PlayStation Store: Heavy Rain, Mortal Kombat XL, Screencheat, more

Greetings gamers. We’ve an eclectic batch of new titles for you this week. Among many others, look out for The Heavy Rain & Beyond: Two Souls Collection on PS4, madcap multiplayer FPS Screencheat, retooled fighter Mortal Kombat XL and sidescroller Ninja Senki DX, from team behind Mercenary Kings. See below for the full list of new releases.

Out this week

• 
  Ninja Senki DX
  29th February
• 
  Pinball Arcade: Season Five Pass
  29th February
• 
  Pinball Arcade: Season Five Pro Pass
  29th February

 

• 
  Pinball Arcade: Season Five Pro Upgrade
  23rd February
• 
  Mortal Kombat XL
  1st March
• 
  Screencheat
  1st March

 

• 
  Gunscape
  1st March
• 
  McDroid
  1st March
• 
  Square Heroes
  1st March

 

• 
  Max Payne
  1st March
• 
  Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
  1st March
• 
  The Heavy Rain & Beyond: Two Souls Collection – (4th March in UK and Ireland)
  2nd March

 

• Heavy Rain – (4th March in UK and Ireland)
  2nd March
• Heavy Rain (Discount SKU for users who already own Beyond: Two Souls Collection) – (4th March in UK and Ireland)
  2nd March
• Resident Evil: Deluxe Origins Bundle
  2nd March

• Ironcast
  2nd March
• Siralim
  2nd March

PS4 DLC

1st March

• Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
   
• The Last Maharaja Missions Pack

• Lego Marvel Avengers
   
• The Thunderbolts Character Pack
• The Avengers Adventurer Character Pack

• Battlefield Hardline
   
• Betrayal

• Mortal Kombat X
   
• Kombat Pack 2
• XL Pack
• Alien
• Leatherface
• Triborg
• Bo’ Rai Cho
• XL Blue Steel Sub-Zero

• Megadimension Neptunia VII
   
• Various Weapon Sets

2nd March

• StarWars Battlefront
   
• Bodyguard Upgrade Pack
• Bounty Hunter Upgrade Pack
• Scout Upgrade Pack
• Sharpshooter Upgrade Pack
• Survivalist Upgrade Pack
• Ultimate Upgrade Pack

3rd March

• Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2
   
• 120,000 Modest Coins Pack
• 280,000 Incredi-coins Pack
• 455,000 Ultimate Coins Pack
• 56,000 Handy Coins Pack
• 630,000 Epic Coins Pack
• Deluxe Edition Packs

Remember, if you’ve not got access to your PS4, PS3 or PS Vita then you can also buy through our online store

Free for PlayStation Plus subscribers in March

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MLB The Show 16 gets PAL digital release next month

It’s the bottom of the ninth and we’re ready to knock it out of the park… by announcing that MLB The Show 16 will launch on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 consoles on 29th March, 2016!

Experience baseball’s most epic moments like never before with ShowTime. ShowTime, offers gamers a powerful new tool to help them excel in those big baseball moments. You’ll be able to slow down critical moments for maximum control and make diving plays, react at the hot corner, and step up for a clutch at bat with finer and more focused control.

For a glimpse of ShowTime, along with a couple of other new features take a look at the trailer from PSX 2015.

That’s not all we’ve got for you! The Road to the Show is back and better than ever – we’ve made it more personalised and rewarding in this year’s game!

A revamped training system gives you the chance to unlock Gameplay Perks as you work your way through Road To The Show (PS4 only). It’s also a more streamlined Road To the Show experience, as a new paradigm for base-running and fielding opportunities will maximise the time you spend in situations that matter. For the first time ever in the MLB The Show franchise, you can now also play an entire series of Road To The Show games without ever having to navigate the main menu between games.

 
As you may have already seen in the announcement in the US, this year’s cover athlete is the one and only… Josh Donaldson of the Toronto Blue Jays! 2015 was a monster year for Josh, winning the American League MVP along with the MLB Players Association’s Player of the Year award and the AL Outstanding Player award. He also set a new record for most votes ever received for an All Star Game performance…so he really is something special, and we’re excited to have such a dynamic player represent The Show in 2016.

There’s a lot to be excited about in this year’s MLB The Show 16 and we’re counting the days until 29th March! In the meantime we’ll be sending out news and updates on The Show Nation and through our Twitter and Facebook accounts all year, so make sure to follow us to join the conversation.

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New cars, features, events & Trophies due in free Need for Speed update

Hey everyone! As always, it’s a pleasure to be amongst you and today I’ve got some hot news about the latest Need for Speed update, due to arrive this Thursday (3rd March). Did we mention it’s free?

New feature: Manual Transmission

It’s a feature we know many of you have been asking for and we’re really pleased to be able to confirm that it’ll arrive as part of the Hot Rods update next week. Experience a totally new side of your car as you make the switch over to Manual, giving you all the control you could ever need.

New cars: Hot Rods

Arriving fresh into Need for Speed are two brand new Hot Rods. Starting with the 1932 Hot Rod which will come with four unique Bodykits. Each of these bodykits has the potential to transform your Hot Rod into a great new look; Soft Top, Coupe, Sedan and Pickup.

The second Hot Rod being added into Need for Speed is the Aaron Beck ‘BeckKustoms F132’. This is an absolute monster of a ride and defines the word ‘custom’. When you take the shell from a Ford 1932, gently massage it into a fierce Formula One style chassis and strap in a high performance NASCAR engine, this is what you get.

New events: Drag Racing

If you mix up Hot Rods and Manual Transmission what do you get? Drag Racing! Inspired by the Drag Events of previous NFS titles, these new events are the perfect place for you to get your speed fix.

Unleash a burnout on the starting line to prime your wheels, align in the start box and time your revs perfectly. Think wisely about the use of nitrous, as it may just influence the outcome of the event.

New feature: The Warehouse

If you’ve been running out of garage space then fear not. Within the Hot Rods update comes the Virtual Warehouse, a new extension to your already existing garage taking your combined garage space up to ten cars in total.

Perfect for those eyeing up a new ride and no excuse now not to take a Hot Rod for a fun-filled spin around Ventura bay.

Wrap Editor improvements

It’s no secret just how much we love the wraps you’ve been creating and with the addition of the Hot Rods update we’re making a few changes to the Wrap Editor to make it even better.

The first of which is a coordinates system which will allow you to position decals with a lot more accuracy. This information will now be shown in a panel below the selected decal in the edit decal menu and will update in real time when the decal is transformed.

Writing on your car also becomes even easier as we introduce Text Decals 2.0 and selectable fonts. Simply select your desired font and a popup will appear where you’ll be prompted to input your desired text.

New Trophies!

There are three new trophies for you to go out and unlock:

• Drag Queen – Win five Drag Race events
• Wrap it up – Download a shared Wrap
• Kustom kar – Buy your first Hot Rod

The Hot Rods update arrives this Thursday on 3rd March and is free to all Need for Speed players.

We’ll see you on the streets!

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PS4 3.50 system software update – key features detailed

Our beta program for PS4’s next major system software update, codenamed Musashi (or 3.50 if you prefer numbers), kicks off on 2nd March. If you signed up for the beta and were selected, keep an eye on your email for instructions on downloading.

Regardless of whether you’re in the beta, we wanted to detail some of the key features we’re adding to PS4 in this update. We’re making it easier to connect and play together with friends and the wider community, as well as introducing some much requested features.

• Friend Online Notification – Want to know the moment your friends come online? With this update, you can, as we’ve added an option to be notified when members of your friends list sign in on the network. Notifications can be tailored to certain friends.
• Appear Offline – Sometimes you want to play a game or watch a movie without being interrupted. Now it’s easier to go incognito as we’ve added the option to appear offline. You can designate if you would like to appear offline when you log-in or at any time from your Profile or the Quick Menu.
• User Scheduled Event – Now it’s easier to organise a game session. We’ve added the ability to schedule a future gameplay session with your friends on the system. When your event starts, users who registered for the event will automatically be added to a party so you can start playing right away.
• Remote Play (PC/Mac) – We’re bringing PS4 Remote Play to Windows PC and Mac. This feature won’t be available to test in the beta, but you can look forward to it soon.
• Dailymotion, new service partner in Share feature – Dailymotion, an additional live streaming service, will become available for PS4 users to enhance their broadcast experience. Like other live streaming services available on PS4, users will enjoy the following features: Activity Feed, What’s New Broadcast Info Tile, Live Detail and Live from PlayStation.

If you’re in the beta, please download the software and let us know what you think. Stay tuned for more details on 3.50, including its release date.

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Side-scrolling shoot ’em up Xenoraid revealed for PS4, PS Vita

Hello everyone! I’m excited to be back on PlayStation Blog to announce Xenoraid, a vertically-scrolling shoot’ em up with a unique feel, driven by a great combination of features.

I’m personally in the driver’s seat of Xenoraid, and the whole concept of the game stems from the fact that I personally enjoy shmups. Or at least the shmups that preceded the bullet hell movement. To me, bullet hell games feel too much about memorisation, dodging and extreme precision. I prefer my shoot ’em ups to be about good old-fashioned blasting enemies to bits!

Xenoraid has minimal bullet hell traits. We set out to innovate on how we’d get the focus on the act of shooting, and make the game about destroying enemies in a deliberate and effective way. The first thing we did in the original prototype was make the starfighters turn lightly when moving left and right. In other words, the fighters don’t always point towards the top of the screen, which in turn grants the player the ability to fire in angles. It felt immediately great, and brought aiming into the mix of game mechanics in an awesome way.

When we had the aiming mechanics down, we took a hard look at shooting. It dawned on us pretty quickly that in order to make shooting matter, squeezing the trigger had to be a conscious decision. This, almost by itself, gives a cease fire a role to play as well.

After trying a couple of things around these ideas, a weapon overheat system was born. This means that in Xenoraid you can spray and pray, but you won’t be able to do that for very long. Constantly blasting will overheat your guns, and they’ll lock down for several seconds to cool down. This instils a sense of pressure on the player to actually aim a bit, to hit and destroy the intended targets instead of keeping the trigger down and counting on hitting something eventually.

 
The weapon overheat mechanic also works beautifully with the third major idea we wanted to incorporate. In Xenoraid the player goes on missions with four starfighters, and gets to switch between them at will. Having guns locked due to overheat is a great reason to switch in a fresh fighter. Other valid reasons include being on the verge of being destroyed due to taking too much punishment, or needing to bring in the big guns of another fighter to take down an enemy miniboss.

I, and everyone at 10tons, would love to hear your thoughts on this! Xenoraid will be released this year.

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