Tag: sony

The top 10 most popular PS5 games are not what you expect

Here’s what PS5 owners played the most during the console’s first year.

To celebrate the PS5 turning a year old, Sony shared what the most popular games on the console were over these past 12 months.

Given that Sony’s  first-party offerings tend to be pretty stellar, you might be surprised to learn that next to no PlayStation exclusives are in the top 10 most played games on the PS5. Jim Ryan, president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment,  made a post on the official PlayStation Blog  sharing what the most popular PS5 games are.

  1. Fortnite
  2. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
  3. FIFA 21
  4. NBA 2K21
  5. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
  6. Destiny 2
  7. MLB The Show 21
  8. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
  9. Demon’s Souls
  10. NBA 2K22

Yup, the only first-party Sony games on the list are Demon’s Souls and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, much to the dismay of Fortnite and Call of Duty haters. It’s pretty surprising that Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart  and Returnal  are not on here, though. However, keep in mind that this list is tallied on gameplay hours, not what sold the best.

Ryan states in the blog post that more than 25 games are in development for the PS5 right now, so Sony has a good chance of coming out on top next year. Particularly with titles like  God of War Ragnarok  and Horizon Forbidden West.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

[mm-video type=video id=01fkrrvrvntfheqqzccc playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fkrrvrvntfheqqzccc/01fkrrvrvntfheqqzccc-f573ebfaad1f1ecc902d766aa80592f1.jpg]

[listicle id=1216248]

Sony is making fewer PS5 consoles this holiday due to supply chain issues

Supply constraints mean fewer consoles this holiday.

Sony is slowing the production of PlayStation 5 (PS5) consoles, Bloomberg  reported Wednesday.

According to the report, Sony cut its production forecast from 16 million consoles down to 15 million. The company is apparently having trouble acquiring the components necessary to build consoles, along with shipping constraints making it tough to distribute them. So anyone on the hunt for a PS5 this holiday will have to be extra thorough in their search.

Sony isn’t alone when it comes to manufacturing woes, either. Nintendo is planning to  produce significantly fewer Switch consoles due to the global chip shortage. Similarly, Valve had to  delay the launch of its highly-anticipated Steam Deck because of supply chain issues. So it’s an industry-wide issue, for sure.

It’s quite a shame to hear this, as the PS5 is likely to be a the top of many people’s wish lists this holiday season, especially with games like the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy and Battlefield 2024 out this week. Then there are heavy-hitting first-party offerings like Horizon Forbidden West coming out relatively soon. 

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

[mm-video type=video id=01fkrrvrvntfheqqzccc playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fkrrvrvntfheqqzccc/01fkrrvrvntfheqqzccc-f573ebfaad1f1ecc902d766aa80592f1.jpg]

[listicle id=1216248]

‘Star Ocean The Divine Force’ announced at State of Play

The latest mainline Star Ocean is finally here!

Much to the delight of JRPG fans everywhere, Star Ocean The Divine Force was announced at PlayStation’s State of Play on Wednesday.

Star Ocean The Divine Force is the first mainline entry in the series in several years. Think the space-faring adventuring of Star Wars meets classic anime series like Gundam Wing, and you basically have Star Ocean. Tone-wise, anyway, there are no wookies to be found, sadly.

The series is also known for having hilarious naming conventions. For example, the last mainline entry is called Star Ocean Integrity and Faithlessness. Just rolls of the tongue, yeah?

Check out the announcement trailer for Star Ocean The Divine Force for yourself below.

There are also a few screenshots that you can check out below.

[This story is developing, we will update it as more information comes in]

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

[mm-video type=video id=01fjke91gg75vdrhpccf playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fjke91gg75vdrhpccf/01fjke91gg75vdrhpccf-997bee6bab9411a027f39c6f634a7637.jpg]

[listicle id=1176391]

‘Horizon Forbidden West’ is getting a handy wrist-mounted grappling hook

Hookshot for verticality, oops, there goes gravity.

Horizon Forbidden West is looking to significantly up verticality from its prequel, so Guerrilla Games is adding a grappling hook to protagonist Aloy’s bag of tricks.

David McMullen, Lead Systems Designer at Guerrilla Games, revealed the grappling device we’ve seen in Horizon Forbidden West’s trailers is called the Pullcaster — which will let Aloy swing about like Spider-Man. No, not Marvel’s Spider-Man, don’t be daft!

“Aloy can climb freely on and across huge sections of rocky terrain,” McMullen said on the PlayStation Blog. “Grapple points can be found throughout the environment which allows agile vertical traversal.”

Check out a snippet of the Pullcaster in action for yourself below.

“Our traversal design decisions were always in service of increasing dynamic interactivity with the world around you,” McMullen said later in the post. “This could be to empower the player to manipulate and destroy their environment with a tool like the Pullcaster or grapple-launching into a glide with the Shieldwing to set yourself up for a strike from above. What excites us most is how our mechanics, new and old, synergistically interact with each other to provide varied and dynamic approaches to any scenario.”

McMullen’s excitement alone proves Guerilla Games cares a lot about its fans, not that there was any doubt after the PlayStation 4 to PlayStation 5 upgrade fiasco. Hopefully, we’ll see more from Horizon Forbidden West soon.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

[mm-video type=video id=01fjke91gg75vdrhpccf playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fjke91gg75vdrhpccf/01fjke91gg75vdrhpccf-997bee6bab9411a027f39c6f634a7637.jpg]

[listicle id=1176391]

‘God of War’ is coming to PC with extra graphics options

The hit PS4 game is on its way to PC!

God of War 2018 is coming to PC, four years after its debut on PlayStation 4.

After some eagle-eyed fans noticed God of War had a listing on SteamDB, Sony went ahead and made the announcement official on the PlayStation Blog. Grace Orlady, Sr. Community Manager at Santa Monica Studios, elaborated on some of the new graphical bells and whistles in the PC version of God of War. 

“Our PC version includes a wide range of graphical presets and options so you can fine-tune your visual experience based on your setup,” Orlady said. “From higher resolution shadows and improved screen space reflections to enhancements to the ambient occlusion pipeline with GTAO and SSDO – God of War on the PC can create striking visual quality unique to the platform.”

The post also confirms NVIDIA’s DLSS technology and ultrawide resolutions will be in the PC port.

The PC version will also come with a bunch of DLC and extra costumes:

  • Death’s Vow Armor Sets for Kratos and Atreus
  • Exile’s Guardian Shield Skin
  • Buckler of the Forge Shield Skin
  • Shining Elven Soul Shield Skin
  • Dökkenshieldr Shield Skin

God of War is coming to PC on Jan. 14, 2022.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

[mm-video type=video id=01fj9v7y95zp6b022952 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fj9v7y95zp6b022952/01fj9v7y95zp6b022952-0f1d91f80bb58f8d6e10c09ea6c57b24.jpg]

[listicle id=1173061]

PlayStation buys ‘Demon’s Souls’ remake developer Bluepoint Games

Bluepoint Games are now part of PlayStation Studios.

Well, after months of rumors and speculation, Bluepoint Games is the latest studio to be bought up by Sony, IGN  reported Thursday. Having worked with Sony Interactive Entertainment on both the Shadow of the Colossus and Demon’s Souls remakes, Bluepoint Games are a perfect fit to be one of PlayStation’s internal studios. Oh, and Bluepoint’s next project will be something original, according to its president Marco Thrush.

“Our next project, we’re working on original content right now. We can’t talk about what that is, but that’s the next step in the evolution for us,” Thrush said via IGN. “The transition from remasters to remakes was to test ourselves and push ourselves harder for the next step.”

Thrush continued: “Our team is a very highly experienced team, the average experience among most people is about 15 years, and all of them come from original development. It’s not like we’re a bunch of developers that got trained up on making remasters and remakes.”

Bluepoint Games will have the same level of support from Sony that Naughty Dog, Santa Monica Studios, Insomniac Games, and Guerrilla Games, to name a few. Now, a total of 17 development teams make up PlayStation Studios. 

PlayStation welcomed Bluepoint Games into the fold with a fancy trailer that you can check out below. 

While there’s no word on what this new project will be, it’s a safe bet that Sony will let Bluepoint Games’ creative vision run wild. PlayStation Studios has proven that there’s a lot of trust between its development teams if creative projects like God of War: Ragnarok, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and Horizon Forbidden West are any indication.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

[mm-video type=video id=01fec4hhn2w231ze6azs playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fec4hhn2w231ze6azs/01fec4hhn2w231ze6azs-7d3a33779d6d43653e176b299da9aa68.jpg]

[listicle id=1139744]

Kratos voice actor says ‘God of War: Ragnarok’ delay happened because of him

Lingering health issues got in the way of Christopher Judge returning to the role.

God of War: Ragnarok was going to come out this year until it got hit with a delay, and Christopher Judge, the voice responsible for Kratos, says he’s to blame. In a heartfelt confession, Judge explained that some severe health issues prevented him from taking up the role again sooner.

“I need to be forthcoming. This has been approved by no one,” Judge said on Twitter. “To the beloved fandom, Ragnarok was delayed because of me. August 2019, I couldn’t walk. Had to have back surgery, both hips replaced, and knee surgery. [Santa Monica Studio] waited for me to rehab.”

Judge continued: “No threats, no ‘who do you think you are?’ Nothing but love and support. And Santa Monica Studio has never said a word about the delay, and what caused it.” 

Judge went on further to explain how Sony Santa Monica only ever supported him during the whole ordeal. And that the team behind God of War: Ragnarok is putting every fiber of their beings into it. Cory Barlog, game director of God of War 2018, had some touching words for Judge as well.

What a wholesome revelation, props to Judge for being so honest! God of War: Ragnarok looked brilliant at the PlayStation Showcase, so the wait will likely be worth it.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

[mm-video type=video id=01ffn6cjtr3cx513yhmr playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01ffn6cjtr3cx513yhmr/01ffn6cjtr3cx513yhmr-b48c79cc3aec6289df7c9bdb35a43541.jpg]

[listicle id=1139132]

‘Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’ will be darker than the first, according to those involved

Venom is arguably Spidey’s archenemy, so this adds up.

If you were expecting a light-hearted romp in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, it might be time to adjust those expectations. Bill Rosemann, creative vice president at Marvel Entertainment, claims Insomniac’s sequel will be darker than the first — drawing comparisons to The Empire Strikes Back.

“If the first Spider-Man game was Star Wars, Spider-Man 2 is kind of our Empire,” Rosemann said on the This Week in Marvel podcast. “It gets a little darker.”

It’s not surprising that the tone of this game would be much bleaker. During Sony’s  PlayStation Showcase, the trailer for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 had a sinister vibe. Rewatch it for yourself below and tell me it couldn’t be mistaken for a damn horror game.

Roseman also lightly teased Marvel’s Wolverine release date information, which Insomniac is also making. Unsurprisingly, he gave said next to nothing about it, though.

“We will eventually reveal when Marvel’s Wolverine is aimed to launch,” Rosemann said. “For more, go back and study those trailers. They are packed with details and Easter eggs!”

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 isn’t due out until 2023 at the earliest. So it’ll be a good long while before we find out if Rosemann’s teasing is accurate. It would be a welcome change, for sure. While the Spider-Man comics and films have dealt with a heavy subject matter, the many video games have not. 

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

[mm-video type=video id=01fgs1eb4hwrcg1v19ze playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fgs1eb4hwrcg1v19ze/01fgs1eb4hwrcg1v19ze-45e31540f78ba95a91b7f04f5f86d158.jpg]

[listicle id=1137021]

Here are the PlayStation Plus free games for October 2021

Mortal Kombat X, PGA Tour 2K21, and Let Hell Loose are free for PS Plus subscribers this month.

Well, it’s about time for a new round of free games courtesy of PlayStation Plus, and the offerings for October 2021 are looking mighty appealing. Whether you’re into chill times on the golf course, experiencing an epic theater of war, or cracking-skulls in otherwordly martial arts tournaments, PlayStation is here with the goods whether you’re on PS4 or PS5.

Please note that while the PS4 games are playable on PS5 via backward compatibility, you obviously can’t play PS5 titles on PS4. That kinda goes without saying, but just a heads up as one of these games is not available on PS4.

The PlayStation Plus games for October 2021 are:

Let Hell Loose (PS5) — A multiplayer tactical first-person shooter set in some of World War II’s most iconic battles on the Eastern and Western fronts. Over 100 players compete in 50v50 matches with 14 different roles, loads of different armor types, authentic weaponry, and equipment. 

PGA Tour 2K21 (PS4) — Wanna prove you’ve got what it takes to be a PGA champion? Well, you can in this staggeringly realistic pro golfing simulation. Create your character and compete against other players of golf’s most famous real-world courses. 

Mortal Kombat X (PS4) — This classic fighting game allows you to pit Jason Voorhees from Friday The 13th against iconic characters like Scorpion, Sub Zero, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade. Brimming with content and fantastic guest characters, this is a must-play for anyone that loves a good, messy brawl. 

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

[mm-video type=video id=01fgs545kh90p5eb3znf playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fgs545kh90p5eb3znf/01fgs545kh90p5eb3znf-f26f21dd44321927258cb516b427b234.jpg]

[listicle id=1136520]

Here’s a sneak peek at HBO’s live-action ‘The Last Of Us’ series

You know, Ellie, we really are a video game adaptation.

HBO’s The Last Of Us series has been in production for quite a while, and we finally got a chance to see it on Sunday. Specifically, what actors Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey will look like as Joel and Ellie, respectively.

During Last Of Us Day, an annual event where developer Naughty Dog recognizes fans of its hits video game series, a picture from HBO’s adaptation surfaced. Pedro Pascal, star of the series, shared a photo of himself and Bella Ramsey in character to mark the occasion — and it sure looks like The Last Of Us. Even if there’s not much to go off of cause both actors have their backs to the camera. But still!

Check out the photo for yourself below. 

Video game adaptations have a nasty habit of turning out, well, quite awful. However, HBO’s The Last Of Us series has quite a few names attached to ensure it turns out well. Namely Neil Druckman, Naughty Dog’s co-president, writer, and creative director on The Last Of Us and The Last Of Us: Part II. Druckman is a writer and executive producer on the HBO series, along with Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin. So if nothing else, there are loads of talented people working on this!

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

[mm-video type=video id=01fg7d0ch8pv2dsnt6we playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fg7d0ch8pv2dsnt6we/01fg7d0ch8pv2dsnt6we-bc8a508488e628317fa54da847356a2e.jpg]

[listicle id=1128260]