https://www.thegamer.com Everything you need to know about Sony's PlayStation family of consoles, from the latest news and hot takes to guides and walkthroughs for your favorite games. Wed, 31 May 2023 14:28:51 GMT en-US hourly 60 I had grand plans this weekend. Strictly speaking, I had absolutely no plans, but that was the exciting part. There was no pile of washing to do, no lawn to mow, no annoying chores to eat into any spare minutes you get to yourself. What’s more, my fiance had made solo plans with our daughter, so I wouldn’t be reading the same two books over and over again. Don’t get me wrong, I love The Very Hungry Caterpillar as much as the next guy, but on your sixteenth read of the day it loses its charm a little.

]]> Wed, 31 May 2023 14:28:51 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/sometimes-the-grind-isnt-worth-it/ Overwatch 2 is celebrating Pride Month with a themed event that brings with it a whole host of cosmetics, but senior game producer Brandy Stiles has stated that the event will be blocked in certain countries.

]]> Wed, 31 May 2023 12:13:59 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/overwatch-2-pride-event-blocked-specific-countries/ Last week’s PlayStation Showcase set off a wave of discourse, as everyone watched it quickly found out that nobody else on the internet agreed whether the show was good, bad, or a secret third thing. I’m pretty firmly in the last category, but not because there weren’t any games I wanted to play.

]]> Tue, 30 May 2023 18:00:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-showcase-less-exciting-aging/ Insomniac made the controversial decision to switch the actor used for Peter Parker's likeness in its Spider-Man games a few years ago. Not just for the sequel, but for the PS5 remaster of the original game. That issue has naturally reared its head again as Spider-Man 2's launch grows near, and some Spidey fans are claiming it's not Peter's new face that's the problem, it's his hair.

]]> Tue, 30 May 2023 12:31:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/spider-man-2-fans-fix-new-face-adding-hair/ Xbox has been in the spotlight lately when it comes to the exclusivity of its games, whether it be due to the severe lack of them or PlayStation's fear it won't be allowed to play with Call of Duty anymore. Now PlayStation is the one being called out for its exclusive practices, as the Romanian Competition Council (RCC) has accused the platform's parent company of abusing its position.

]]> Tue, 30 May 2023 11:53:51 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-accused-abusing-games-industry-ps5-exclusives/ Elden Ring finally unveiled its DLC earlier this year, but according to prominent leaker Lance McDonald, the plan was to launch two separate DLC packs with a season pass. Somewhere along the way, these ideas got merged into Shadow of the Erdtree.

]]> Tue, 30 May 2023 10:01:48 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/elden-ring-shadow-of-the-erdtree-dlc-leaker-two-separate-packs/ Although many of you were left disappointed by last week's PlayStation Showcase, there's no denying the presentation ended on a high note. Almost 15 minutes were dedicated to Spider-Man 2, finally unveiling the symbiote suit, but fans are still wondering whether it's alien or man-made.

]]> Tue, 30 May 2023 08:17:23 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/fans-debate-spider-man-2-symbiote-alien-man-made/ Service guarantees citizenship soldier, and there are plenty of ways you can do your part in Starship Troopers: Extermination. This long-awaited early access game from Offworld Industries has been hotly anticipated by many as it's the first game to capture the absolute chaos of the Mobile Infantry from the cult classic Starship Troopers movies.

]]> Mon, 29 May 2023 14:30:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/starship-troopers-extermination-classes-ranked/ It is known that Sony wants to make more movies and TV shows based on its video game properties. It's enjoyed moderate success with the feature film adaptation of Uncharted, starring Tom Holland as Nathan Drake, and massive success with the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us, starring Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie. There are more films and shows in the works too, while this summer we'll see the debut of the Gran Turismo movie.

]]> Mon, 29 May 2023 11:41:12 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/gran-turismo-movie-director-researching-wipeout-lore/ It's been the trend that acquisitions in the video games space has been hotting up with the likes of Take-Two, Sony, Embracer Group, Microsoft, and Electronic Arts, among others, announcing huge deals over the past few years. Meanwhile, Sony recently signalled that it intends to bolster its investment capabilities as the games industry continues to consolidate.

]]> Mon, 29 May 2023 11:01:49 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/cd-projekt-shoots-down-sony-acquisition-rumours/ Gear up Soldier, the zone you're dropping into is hot and crawling with bugs, and if you've picked the wrong weapons in Starship Troopers: Extermination you're going to end up just another KIA statistic on the Federations memorial walls.

]]> Sun, 28 May 2023 16:30:14 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/starship-troopers-extermination-best-weapons/ The PlayStation 5 has brought with it a new standard to console gaming, with toggles that have quickly become common to video games released on the current-gen machine. Whereas such options are far more standard and known to PC players, nowadays console gamers have come to expect the ability to choose how games run on the hardware.

]]> Sun, 28 May 2023 10:46:33 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/ps5-players-prefer-performance-over-quality-mode/ As much as I hate the tremendously toxic waste of time that is the Console War, I don’t mind a bit of friendly rivalry between the Big Two. After this week’s PlayStation Showcase, Microsoft took a playful shot at Sony on Twitter. Xbox shared an image of all 12 games shown during the PlayStation Showcase that are also coming to Xbox, with the caption “What a good looking group” and a cool guy sunglasses emoji that I can’t recreate, but you know the one I’m talking about. In a cheeky way, Xbox is pointing out how few exclusives Sony was able to show during its own showcase, while also flipping the current narrative that Xbox doesn’t have any games.

]]> Sat, 27 May 2023 20:34:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-showcase-xbox-cross-platform-marathon-snake-eater-immortals-alan-wake/ We all have games that we love, but we know aren't all that great. Those solid, dependable 7/10 games that we love despite their flaws, maybe even because of them. My favourite Saints Row is 4, sue me. X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Fable 3, Tomb Raider: Underworld, Mad Max, Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex... none of them are classics, but they are beloved by me and, quite possibly, me alone. I understand that these misfits aren't for everyone, and I can see where they're janky, shallow, derivative, and even bland. I'm perfectly fine with liking something that I know isn't all that great. But many Days Gone fans seem incapable of this understanding, and as talk of a sequel yet again rears its head, it's time to dig into why.

]]> Sat, 27 May 2023 17:30:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/days-gone-2-sequel-not-coming/ Detective games are among the most narrative-focused, games bringing you some of the greatest mysteries, shocking twists, twisted villains, and gripping character development. And they can also range from portraying a more realistic story or one infused with more surreal and supernatural elements.

]]> Sat, 27 May 2023 17:00:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/best-detective-mystery-games-ps4-ps5/ PlayStation's Project Q handheld, which was announced at the PlayStation Showcase earlier this week, reportedly has a three-to-four-hour battery life.

]]> Sat, 27 May 2023 11:51:11 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-project-q-handheld-battery-life-reportedly-3-4-hours/ Daring escapades in faraway realms, bone-chilling horror in space, and innovative indie adventures are all on the menu for 2023. While it always feels like the previous year's game release calendar can never be one-upped by the coming one, we're continually proven wrong. This year looks to be stocked with some amazing titles we can't wait to get our hands on.

]]> Fri, 26 May 2023 23:30:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/video-game-release-dates-2023/ After what many thought was a fairly disappointing PlayStation Showcase, questions soon began flying regarding previously announced first-party titles that didn't show up. One of these titles was Naughty Dog's confirmed The Last of Us multiplayer game, a title that's been in development for quite a while. Well, there now seems to be a pretty good reason for the lack of updates, as it's been reported that the development team has been significantly scaled back and the game itself has been indefinitely delayed.

]]> Fri, 26 May 2023 19:44:09 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-last-of-us-factions-2-multiplayer-game-delay-setbacks/ The best thing, by far, about the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings trilogy is the wealth of behind the scenes features that accompany the special edition. To this day, there is no better documentary of how films are made and the work that goes into them from legions of people in every possible department. 26 hours of footage cover everything from props workers delicately slicing rubber hosing to make chainmail, to the actual forge used to make weapons, to the room-filling ‘bigatures’ of Minas Tirith and Isengard, to the cutting-edge CGI technology used to create the Balrog and other beasties too big for Weta’s incredible workshop.

]]> Fri, 26 May 2023 16:01:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-lord-of-the-rings-gollum-digital-art-exhibition-better-than-the-game/ A friend of mine wrote that Project Q feels like a fake leak from a ‘00s E3 press conference, a fan-designed peripheral that was never prototyped but got everyone all riled up in excitement anyway. Many have speculated that it looks like the Switch OLED has been given official DualSense Joy-Con, but I’d like to point out that Project Q doesn’t even have an OLED screen, just LCD, and that it’s not even bloody portable.

]]> Fri, 26 May 2023 15:30:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-project-q-wii-u/ Our expectations are too high. I can’t blame the gamers for having them, especially with a company like PlayStation spending the previous console generation defining itself as an industry leader with untouchable exclusives like The Last of Us Part 2, Ghost of Tsushima, Horizon Zero Dawn, and God of War. The majority of its exclusives are blockbuster slam dunks, and after years of them it’s natural to expect more at a similar cadence. But realistically, it will never happen again.

]]> Fri, 26 May 2023 15:00:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-showcase-ps5-exclusives-indies-third-party-expectations/ Well over a year after Microsoft announced plans to buy Activision Blizzard for almost $70 billion, the saga rages on. An unexpected twist appeared in its tale last month as the UK's CMA blocked the deal while the European Commission approved it. The latter has now explained why its views don't align with the CMA's, citing why it has no reason to believe Xbox owning the Call of Duty studio will give it a leg up on PlayStation.

]]> Fri, 26 May 2023 12:11:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/xbox-owning-call-of-duty-not-unfair-playstation-eu/ An insider has claimed that many of the PlayStation games that we’re waiting to get revealed and shown off are “pretty much ready”, despite not showing up at the PlayStation Showcase.

]]> Fri, 26 May 2023 08:17:52 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/insider-claims-unannounced-playstation-games-are-pretty-much-ready-ghost-of-tsushima-the-last-of-us/ PlayStation fans had been waiting over 18 monhts for the platform to blow them away, and what they got was a mild breeze. While there were huge announcements like the Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater remake, Alan Wake 2, first gameplay footage for Assassin's Creed Mirage and Dragon's Dogma 2, and an impressive set piece from Marvel's Spider-Man 2, there was very little there to get you excited to be a PS5 owner.

]]> Fri, 26 May 2023 01:14:50 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-fans-arent-happy-disappointing-showcase/ I rate this week’s PlayStation showcase moderately high. It wasn’t packed with surprises, since most of the big reveals were things we already knew about (sorry, Snake Eater), but there were a fair few games shown that I’m looking forward to. The reason I’m not over the moon about the presentation, despite how cool Spider-Man 2 looked and the fact that I’m now tempted to shell out $550 for a PSVR2 for Resident Evil 4 alone, is the noticeable lack of Sony first-party games. This showcase didn’t give me a good sense of what Sony’s main studios other than Bungie have planned for the future, and I can’t help thinking about the games that weren’t revealed more than the games that were. Chief among them, the previously announced multiplayer The Last of Us game. If this wasn’t the right time to finally unveil that, then when is?

]]> Fri, 26 May 2023 00:11:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/where-is-the-last-of-us-factions-2/ Players aren’t happy with today’s PlayStation Showcase, and while some degree of bitching is always to be expected, I am astounded at what gamers have to say. There are some valid criticisms of the stream – there weren’t enough first-party games, barely any PlayStation exclusives, and too few gameplay trailers. There were some noted absences too, like Factions 2. But many comments have said that this year’s showcase was particularly bad because there were too many games that nobody cared about, like indies and new IPs. Complaining about the games not being established or big enough is mind-boggling to me.

]]> Thu, 25 May 2023 16:15:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/weird-playstation-showcase-2023-indie-games/ PlayStation’s Showcase is getting mixed responses, and that alone is unheard of for a company so used to taking the world by storm and blowing its competition out of the water. As ever, your mileage may vary. Dragon’s Dogma 2, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and Metal Gear Solid Delta/Triangle/Whatever were all warmly received, and we also saw a lot of Spider-Man 2. There was a decent amount of gameplay footage, but that meant little when we had a lack of games to begin with. PlayStation, what gives?

]]> Thu, 25 May 2023 14:30:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/does-playstation-have-any-games-showcase-disappointment-upcoming/ Wednesday's PlayStation Showcase might not have been as loaded as some people were expecting, but there was still a lot in there to get excited about. One of the most surprising reveals was Project Q, a handheld streaming device PS5 owners can pair with their console to play games away from their TVs. However, it seems quite a few of you aren't all that enamored with the new product and probably aren't planning on picking one up.

]]> Thu, 25 May 2023 12:44:47 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-players-unhappy-project-q/ Last night's PlayStation Showcase, the first in some 600 days, paused for breath near the end of the more-than-hour-long presentation as Jim Ryan revealed new PlayStation hardware. Before we saw an extended trailer for Insomniac's forthcoming Spider-Man 2, the PlayStation chief pulled the wraps off its new handheld: Project Q.

]]> Thu, 25 May 2023 12:34:38 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-project-q-reportedly-november-launch/ Whether you enjoyed Wednesday's PlayStation Showcase or not, what can't be argued is we were shown a lot of impressive stuff from Spider-Man 2. Many of you have been combing through its trailer and gameplay ever since, and some now believe we may have even been shown evidence that at some point during the game, players will have to battle against Peter Parker's Spidey as Miles Morales.

]]> Thu, 25 May 2023 10:28:42 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/spider-man-2-fans-think-trailer-showed-peter-parker-boss-fight/ Gollum is a pitiful creature. Not wholly evil but definitely not nice, his fate is cruelly tied to that of the Ring, his dedication to which forces him from Mordor to mountain cave and back again. Possibly the most interesting character in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings books, many will immediately associate him with Andy Serkis’ scene-stealing mo-cap performance in Peter Jackson’s trilogy. But it’s high time the creature gets another shot.

]]> Thu, 25 May 2023 08:00:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/the-lord-of-the-rings-gollum-review/ PlayStation chief Jim Ryan officially took the wraps off its handheld Project Q during today's PlayStation Showcase. Stuffed with game reveals including Spider-Man 2, the long rumoured Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater remake, and gameplay footage of Assassin's Creed Mirage, the showcase also found some time to show off new PlayStation hardware.

]]> Wed, 24 May 2023 21:20:10 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-unveils-handheld-project-q/ Five Nights at Freddy's Help Wanted 2 has been announced for the PS VR2 at today's PlayStation Showcase, with the trailer confirming that content from Sister Location will be included.

]]> Wed, 24 May 2023 20:53:49 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/five-nights-at-freddys-help-wanted-2-revealed-playstation-showcase/ Dragon's Dogma 2 was revealed to be in development last year, though we got very little in the way of details or a release date. Well, Capcom has delivered the goods this year, as it gave us some official gameplay to fawn over. We see a multitude of characters fighting a bunch of different beasts, including some kind of cat man, which hints at more expanded customization options this time around.

]]> Wed, 24 May 2023 20:52:43 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/dragons-dogma-2-gameplay-trailer/ It's time for you to enlist! Helldivers is getting a third-person sequel that takes the bug-killing action to a totally new dimension later this year.

]]> Wed, 24 May 2023 20:24:55 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/helldivers-2-announced-at-playstation-showcase/ Fortnite's Star Wars season is over as we say hello to Miles Morales and Spider-Man 2099, but while many are busy swinging through Mega City and summoning Spider-Ham for a cartoon mallet, others are wondering what happened with the Droid tease.

]]> Wed, 24 May 2023 09:53:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/fortnite-star-wars-droid-tease-fans-confused-reddit/ Even if you're on the other side of the fence of the console wars, you have to admit that PlayStation's selection of first-party titles over the past decade has been pretty extraordinary. It's that strength that has made PlayStation such a dominant force in the industry today, and it's still looking to improve on its position even now. A recent presentation from the publisher has revealed that it's aiming to eventually cover "every major genre" in an attempt to expand its portfolio of first-party offerings.

]]> Wed, 24 May 2023 00:50:21 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-make-games-every-major-genre/ Hype for Mortal Kombat 1 was high before anyone even knew it was going to be called Mortal Kombat 1. Now the next game in the series has been officially revealed, that hype train is picking up speed. So much so that the next MK title's premium edition is currently the best-selling pre-order on the PlayStation Store.

]]> Tue, 23 May 2023 12:27:36 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/mortal-kombat-1-most-pre-ordered-ps5-game/ It might be the worst-kept secret in video games right now, but Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater's remake still hasn't been officially confirmed to even exist. It has been claimed official confirmation will finally manifest at this Wednesday's PlayStation Showcase, but don't panic if you don't have a PS5. Apparently, the remake isn't going to be a PlayStation exclusive.

]]> Mon, 22 May 2023 11:32:44 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/metal-gear-solid-3-snake-eater-remake-ps5-xbox-series-x-pc/ It looks like the console wars are getting ever more expensive. Where once Sega and Nintendo battled it out for supremacy for the valuable space in front of the TV, nowadays the competition can be across multiple platforms and even up in the clouds. And with ever growing consolidation, as giant games companies gobble up smaller ones, no one wants to be left behind.

]]> Mon, 22 May 2023 11:15:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/sony-reportedly-gearing-up-more-acquisitions/ PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan was interviewed by Famitsu recently, where he was asked about the company's strategy around porting exclusives to PC. After launching Horizon Zero Dawn on Steam in 2020, Sony has since ported eight other PlayStation’s exclusive to PC, including Returnal, God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Uncharted 4, and Day’s Gone. Each of these games were ported to PC two to three years after their PlayStation debut, a gap Ryan says Sony plans to maintain with future ports.

]]> Sun, 21 May 2023 19:06:57 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/jim-ryan-clearly-didnt-ask-the-right-game-fans-about-playstations-delayed-pc-ports/ Sony has announced its annual PlayStation Showcase and I feel nothing. That’s partially my declining mental health talking, but it’s also quite sad that a platform that used to ignite such feelings of excitement within me can now barely manage a dejected hurrah. Since the PS5 launched almost three years ago, true exclusives remain in the single digits and what we can expect in the coming months are all sequels, remasters, and live service expansions of universes we’re already familiar with. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is going to be great, there’s little denying that, but deep down I know it’s an open world superhero game with all the bells and whistles that come with it. I’ll enjoy it, but to say I’m excited would be a lie.

]]> Sun, 21 May 2023 14:31:17 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/ps5-exclusives-playstation-showcase-spider-man-2-horizon-ghost-of-tsushima-2/ PlayStation Japan has celebrated a milestone reached by Ghost of Tsushima, with a Tweet marking the achievement. With a gif showing the protagonist Jin Sakai, PlayStation Japan announced that Ghost of Tsushima has achieved one million copies sold in Japan, a milestone reached by not as many games as you might think, and certainly not many among Western developed titles.

]]> Sun, 21 May 2023 14:20:41 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/ghost-of-tsushima-biggest-western-game-japan-minecraft/ Aloy is queer. There are no ifs or buts, she spends a lot of Horizon Forbidden West's DLC flirting with another woman before you're given the option to kiss her. And this isn't 'kiss her to choose that Aloy's gay', it's a choice about whether Aloy is ready to open up. So, of course, bigots got mad and review-bombed the expansion. But the devs aren't letting that bog them down.

]]> Fri, 19 May 2023 12:55:49 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/horizon-forbidden-west-developer-homophobes-easy-ignore/ When a game goes PS5 exclusive, it really does mean that it's a PS5 exclusive. While Microsoft is, for obvious reasons, willing to share its Xbox offerings with PC players, Sony has proven reluctant, having them wait years for ports. However, it seems like this strategy is working well for Sony, as it has no plans to change this business model anytime soon.

]]> Fri, 19 May 2023 12:10:13 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/ps5-exclusives-wont-start-coming-to-pc-day-one/ GamesBeat reporter and gaming insider Jeff Grubb says not to expect to see either Sucker Punch's Ghost of Tsushima 2 or BioWare's Dragon Age: Dreadwolf at the upcoming PlayStation Showcase.

]]> Fri, 19 May 2023 10:40:46 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-showcase-insider-claims-ghost-of-tsushima-dragon-age-dreadwolf-not-at-playstation-showcase/ The PlayStation Showcase is right around the corner, and it’s made some odd thoughts leap forward. For the last ten years, PlayStation has been the dominant force in gaming. Clueless parents who once called all games consoles ’Nintendos’ now call them all ‘PlayStations’. It has launched killer app after killer app, be they sequel, reboot, bought and paid for existing IP, or completely new projects. Xbox meanwhile has fumbled - Redfall is the latest in a long line of awkward failures. But as the Showcase nears, it feels like the reality of ballooning budgets and longer development cycles are taking a toll on PlayStation’s lustre.

]]> Thu, 18 May 2023 19:00:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-exclusive-ps5-showcase-reveals/ Today is Global Accessibility Awareness Day, which makes it the perfect day for Sony to announce the name of its upcoming accessibility-focused controller.

]]> Thu, 18 May 2023 15:12:46 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-accessibility-controller-access-features/ Rumors continue to spread suggesting PlayStation is working on a mid-gen upgrade for the PS5, and comments from Take-Two Interactive have added fuel to the fire. The studio's CEO expects not just PlayStation, but also Xbox to launch upgraded versions of its latest consoles in the near future.

]]> Thu, 18 May 2023 11:37:58 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/take-two-mid-gen-ps5-xbox-series-models/ How do you make a battle royale board game? The question gives me flashbacks to gigantic Warhammer 40,000 Apocalypse matches, with a dozen players leaning over a room-sized board littered with tiny miniatures. Whole swathes would be eliminated at a time, scooped up into the sorry hands of their owner and dropped into a giant case or tin ready for the journey home. Two-foot tall titans would devastate small armies in a single turn, before being focus-fired by hundreds of meltaguns and felled in return.

]]> Wed, 17 May 2023 15:00:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/apex-legends-board-game-kickstarter-microtransactions/ PlayStation has confirmed that it is holding a showcase at the end of the month on May 24. During this hour-long presentation, it will take the lid off some of its upcoming titles starting at 1 PM PDT.

]]> Wed, 17 May 2023 14:08:33 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-showcase-announced-may-24/ Update 18:04 BST 17/05/23: It looks like Boon's tease was right! The official Mortal Kombat Twitter has posted a new teaser saying, "Tomorrow is a new dawn", and showing a video of a broken clock. The teaser then says that "It is time" and to return tomorrow at 6am PT/ 2pm GMT.

]]> Wed, 17 May 2023 09:42:50 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/mortal-kombat-1-ed-boon-twitter-tease-news/ PlayStation studio Deviation Games reportedly laid off as many as 90 employees, according to sources on Twitter and personal announcements shared on LinkedIn. The studio has not made an official statement on the matter.

]]> Sun, 14 May 2023 22:22:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-studio-deviation-games-laid-off-employees/ Last month, head of PlayStation Productions Asad Qizilbash revealed that the studio has a "bit" of animation currently in production, suggesting that PlayStation plans on taking one of its established franchises and adapting it into either a cartoon series or an anime. More recently, a popular anime news Twitter account suggested that this project will more than likely be an anime, and PlayStation fans are already making their cases for why their favorite series should be the one to be adapted.

]]> Sun, 14 May 2023 13:00:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-gravity-rush-bloodborne-anime-adaptation/ Nobody knew what Elden Ring was going to be about. We knew the gameplay would be classic Soulsborne fare (soul-crushingly difficult, with bonfires and bosses to boot), and we knew it would take place in a sprawling fantasy world. The combination of Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R. R. Martin had many fans salivating, but the end result of a malignant world filled with heinous creatures left many of us baffled.

]]> Sat, 13 May 2023 15:00:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/i-cant-wait-for-vaatividya-armored-core-6-breakdowns/ Ever since Marvel's Spider-Man 2 was announced all the way back in 2021, we've had nothing but scraps to go off of for potential features and new abilities. In fact, we've had so little official news that Spider-Man fans are sick to the back teeth of seeing that one image of Peter Parker and Miles Morales stood on a street looking at the camera. We've taken to analyzing every single piece of Spider-Man media that's been released in the last two years for any potential clues about Marvel's Spider-Man 2, and that diligence may have actually paid off.

]]> Sat, 13 May 2023 12:00:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/marvels-spider-man-2-wing-suit/ The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is finally here, as millions of people will now be flying through the skies of Hyrule, exploring unknown lands filled with discoveries to be made. It's arguably going to be the biggest game to launch this year, and even Nintendo's "rivals" have had to sit up and notice just how much of a splash Link and crew have made this month.

]]> Fri, 12 May 2023 22:52:59 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-xbox-congratulate-nintendo-the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-totk-launch/ There are a lot of games to play these days. This isn't new information. But when people talk about there being so many games, they usually mean ones that have just released, or are about to release. That's the natural reaction - we all want a piece of the next big thing. The latest releases are fresh experiences that (hopefully) have cutting edge tech which means they leave games from the last generation in the dirt, and most importantly, all your friends are playing them too.

]]> Fri, 12 May 2023 17:00:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-plus-must-play-games-mess-recommendations/ Apex Legends’ new season is here, and it’s brought with it a whole new ranked system. It was probably bigger news that the L-Star has hit the Care Package instead of the Charge Rifle everyone wanted, but as players try out new boy Ballistic, it was only ever going to be ranked that they played in. And as it turns out, ranked is much better for noobs than it is for pros right now.

]]> Thu, 11 May 2023 17:00:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/apex-legends-sweetdreams-climbed-to-apex-predator-without-dealing-damage/ PlayStation has just revealed the sales figures for Horizon Forbidden West, and it’s done pretty well. 8.4 million copies well, in fact. That’s no mean feat, and should be considered a great success by all conventional metrics. So why does it feel like a failure?

]]> Wed, 10 May 2023 18:01:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/horizon-forbidden-west-has-outsold-zero-dawn-so-why-does-it-feel-like-a-failure/ God of War creator and Twisted Metal designer David Jaffe has come out swinging in this week's episode of Gabbin' + Games saying that there's a Bloodborne remake currently in development.

]]> Wed, 10 May 2023 13:51:43 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/god-of-war-creator-bloodborne-remake-in-development/ Sony is reportedly preparing to unveil its latest batch of PlayStation games in the coming weeks during PlayStation Showcase. According to industry insiders, the event could take place in late May, before several other video game showcases planned for next month.

]]> Mon, 08 May 2023 20:25:47 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-showcase-late-may-metal-gear-solid-news/ When the PS5 launched, it was impossible to get hold of. Scalpers had a field day using bots to skip online queues, and regular gamers were left out in the cold, without a spaceship to adorn their TV stand ahead of Christmas. Xboxes were slightly easier to find, but the PS5 was gold dust. It was the console, it was the Christmas present, and yet I couldn’t help but feel disappointed with mine.

]]> Sat, 06 May 2023 15:30:14 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/its-finally-time-to-buy-a-ps5/ Concrete Genie developer PixelOpus has announced that it will be closing its doors later this year, as it's been being shut down by Sony. In a tweet from the official PixelOpus Twitter account, the devs explained that their "adventure has come to an end" and thanks fans and players for all the support since the studio was founded back in 2014.

]]> Fri, 05 May 2023 23:16:26 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-studio-concrete-genie-dev-pixelopus-shut-down/ Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered is finally available as a standalone title on the PS5, which probably sounds utterly bizarre to you if you haven’t been following the game's strange saga. Early adopters of the PS5 may remember that the remastered version of Spider-Man came bundled with Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales when it launched in late 2020. Until this week, that’s been the only way to get your hands on the remaster. Even when Spider-Man Remastered launched on PC last year, PS5 players still had no way to get it other than to buy the deluxe edition of Miles Morales - and as my colleague Andrew King points out, owners of the standard version of Miles Morales couldn’t get it at all.

]]> Fri, 05 May 2023 21:13:40 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/psa-unless-you-hate-money-dont-buy-spider-man-remastered-digital/ Redfall ain’t good. I’m not going to explain why right now, but if you need me to back up that claim you can read about it here, here, here, here, here, and here. Suffice to say, I don’t much like it, and I’m not the only one. This is one of those rare occasions where critics and gamers unite to mutually condemn a game for failing in almost every conceivable way. Redfall is so poorly received that it has shaken many people’s faith in Xbox as a brand, and while that may sound a bit dramatic at first, I’m not so sure it is.

]]> Thu, 04 May 2023 21:30:55 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/redfall-xbox-playstation-quality-triple-a-games-review-score-bad/ In the Spring of 2010, 28-year-old mother Sunday Blombergh went missing. Her family quickly made up posters using a photo of her smiling with her hazel eyes lighting up the picture, describing her "red star outlined in black" wrist tattoo. Her body was later found in the Georgia woods. Three years later, Life is Strange released, and it depicts a fictional woman called Rachel Amber on a similar wanted poster, describing a wrist tattoo of a star.

]]> Thu, 04 May 2023 10:28:08 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/life-is-strange-missing-poster-rachel-amber-sunday-blombergh/ Fighting on the Apex Legends ranked ladder is probably how most players play Respawn’s battle royale, but the experience varies greatly. Ranked is plagued by cheaters, especially at higher levels, matchmaking can be iffy, and there’s nothing worse than a long queue before you can even play. The ranked rules also change greatly from season to season, as the devs tinker with the formula to try to craft the perfect competitive mode.

]]> Tue, 02 May 2023 15:00:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/apex-legends-ranked-season-17-changes-nerf-three-stacks-and-fight-cheaters/ When you think of Darth Maul, you think of a horned red villain with black markings across his face, adorned in a long robe, wielding a halberd, right? No? That's probably because his signature weapon is a double-sided lightsaber. It was his whole thing back in The Phantom Menace.

]]> Tue, 02 May 2023 11:21:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/darth-maul-fortnite-halberd-pickaxe-lightsaber/ Phrases like, 'this game makes you really feel like this thing' get thrown around often, and it’s usually the result of deliberate game design. It’s only natural that Insomniac’s Spider-Man series makes you feel like Spider-Man, or that Rocksteady’s Batman games make you feel like Batman. It’s what those games were designed to do, and therefore the intended power fantasy is evident.

]]> Mon, 01 May 2023 20:01:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/star-wars-jedi-survivor-looks-great-but-sekiro-made-me-feel-one-with-the-force/ Fragment has gone. Or at least, the iconic landing spot will look mighty unfamiliar when you drop there in Apex Legends Season 17: Arsenal. Monument is a new POI that takes up most of Frag East, a museum crammed full of references that eagle-eyed fans will pore over for hours. World’s Edge is cooling, buildings are moving across the map, and that’s just the start. The Firing Range has been expanded tenfold, there are challenges to complete with every weapon, a new item that might be a subtle Valk nerf, and the customary Care Package and Crafter rotations. But back to the elephant in the map.

]]> Mon, 01 May 2023 15:00:14 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/apex-legends-season-17-map-changes-fragment-worlds-edge/ PlayStation has been one of the best studios for single-player story-driven games for a number of years now. Hence why its acquisition of developers that focus largely on live service games, and confirmation it will deliver ten games of that ilk over the next few years, might be a little surprising. Shedding a little light on what to expect from its live service era, PlayStation has made it clear its dectet of upcoming games will all be different genres that will hopefully appeal to entirely different audiences.

]]> Mon, 01 May 2023 12:34:59 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-ten-live-service-games-different-genres-audiences/ Remember PlayStation's ten live services? They're still in development, and we're finally getting some more details on what these could look like. But perhaps most significantly, we now know that Sony won't be gatekeeping all of them on its own console, as at least one of the projects will be getting a PC release, with further multi-platform releases being hinted at.

]]> Mon, 01 May 2023 12:29:41 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-live-services-pc-launch-port/ I promise this isn’t a sponsored article, I’m just really into dissected video game consoles and I want everyone to see them. I stumbled upon this company called Grid Studio that creates framed displays for all kinds of retro technology, from Nintendo consoles and controllers, to iPods and cell phones, and even old Apple computer processors, if that’s the kind of thing you’re into. They’re all hand made, gift wrapped, and surprisingly affordable - at least compared to the price of an intact, functional version of the same device. Indulge me briefly while I talk about my fascination with electronics separated into all their individual parts.

]]> Sun, 30 Apr 2023 18:06:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/exploded-nintendo-consoles-are-my-favorite-kind-of-video-game-art/ Consoles are bizarre when it comes to naming. PlayStation kept it simple, going from the original to 5, even throwing in the aptly titled PlayStation Portable. Easy enough, eh? Then we had Xbox, which was followed by 360, One, One X, and finally, Series X. Good luck explaining that to your parents.

]]> Sun, 30 Apr 2023 14:21:10 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/xbox-series-x-wii-u-sega-genesis-worst-console-names/ This week's single biggest piece of news was the prevention of Microsoft's $68.7 billion merger with Activision Blizzard as the UK's Competition and Markets Authority blocked the deal, citing concerns over cloud gaming. Publishing its final decision in a 418-page report, the CMA's investigation contains a number of notable details, with the latest revealing insights into the ever growing costs of game development.

]]> Sun, 30 Apr 2023 12:37:13 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/triple-a-games-budget-exceeding-one-billion-dollars/ The Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 heralded the new generation and while it can still sometimes feel like a relatively new era, the fact is it's been almost three years already, while we're still getting used to some new standards. Such new standards include the pricing for this gen's games, which have increased. Nowdays many new games, especially triple-A ones, launch at a price of $70 or £70 minus a cent or penny, respectively.

]]> Sun, 30 Apr 2023 10:24:58 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-data-suggests-70-dollar-games-fewer-sales/ Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has an enemy type called the 'Mogu'. They're essentially big lumbering space trolls that you'll find hiding around derelict ruins. They're annoying enough to fight, but some players report that they punch so hard your XP recovery gets sent underground when you die, meaning you can't reach it.

]]> Sun, 30 Apr 2023 09:05:37 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/star-wars-jedi-survivor-xp-bug-mogu/ Resident Evil might be a survival horror series about the undead and mutated monsters, but that hasn't stopped its fans from shipping their favourite characters together. That of course includes Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield, the stars of Resident Evil 2, affectionately dubbed 'Cleon'. And of course, Claire's actor Stephanie Panisello from Resi2 Remake, Infinite Darkness, and Death Island knows all about your love for the two.

]]> Sat, 29 Apr 2023 13:36:14 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/claire-redfield-actor-stephanie-panisello-cleon-leon-kennedy-ship/ Parties in RPGs are nothing new. They are a staple in Dungeons & Dragons, continue to be a relevant part of the genre in games like Octopath Traveler, Ys, Tales of, and Persona, and date back beyond the advent of RPGs with The Lord of the Rings and other epic fantasy tales of heroes. Final Fantasy 15 is no different, but at the same time, it’s nothing like any party-based RPG that came before or after.

]]> Fri, 28 Apr 2023 16:45:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/final-fantasy-15-road-trip-rpg-party/ The PS5 turns three later this year, but largely due to shortages for its first two years, not only are its sales numbers not slowing down, they're speeding up at an impressive rate. In fact, PlayStation's newest console has been so readily available to find for the first three months of 2023, it just set a new record for the most consoles sold in a single quarter.

]]> Fri, 28 Apr 2023 10:28:39 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/ps5-sold-more-units-single-quarter-any-console-ever/ Thank god Armored Core 6 won't have a poison swamp. I can't tell you the pain I experienced playing through Blighttown on a crappy hand-me-down laptop, slowly withering away while I stuttered to death, or as I ventured beyond the hills (or under them) for the fifth time in Elden Ring just to find another poison swamp. FromSoft loves 'em, fans love to hate 'em, but we're getting a break with AC6.

]]> Thu, 27 Apr 2023 15:08:29 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/armored-core-6-poison-swamps/ Hard to believe, but by the end of 2023, the PS5 will have been on the market for three years. That means the new console is probably already closing in on being halfway through its life cycle which, in turn, means PlayStation is likely working on its mid-gen upgrade. As rumors of a slimmer or Pro version of the PS5 continue to swirl, Sony has filed a patent that looks and sounds a lot like the detachable disc drive we've heard a little bit about.

]]> Thu, 27 Apr 2023 14:08:39 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/ps5-slim-rumour-boosted-new-sony-patent/ Yesterday’s CMA decision to block the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft was a curveball. While there were muted wonderings about whether the deal would go through a few months ago, recently the tide had changed. It was widely expected to be approved, and not only did that turn out to be false, but the reason it was blocked came as a huge surprise. A few people have since asked me why this happened, and at the time, I had to say it surprised me too. Now that I’ve read up on the decision, I’m here to answer the most commonly asked questions.

]]> Thu, 27 Apr 2023 14:00:16 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/why-cma-block-microsoft-activision-blizzard-merger-faq/ If you've been saving your hard-earned GTA cash for an Oppressor Mk 2, then I'm sorry to burst your bubble. You're going to be saving for a lot longer. The price has increased from $3 million to $8 million in an effort to make sure vehicles "better reflect their value to players".

]]> Thu, 27 Apr 2023 13:02:40 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/grand-theft-auto-online-oppressor-mk-2-8-million-dollars/ Resident Evil 5 is seemingly up next on the remake docket, with teases sprinkled throughout Resi4, but there are a lot of burning questions as to how Capcom will approach such a divisive game. It ditched the iconic Merchant for post-chapter menu stores, and completely abandoned the attache case inventory system, creating more room for an all-in action spectacle, culminating in Chris Redfield's iconic boulder punch.

]]> Thu, 27 Apr 2023 10:51:06 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/resident-evil-5-remake-4-merchcant-reddit/ In three days, Japan will begin celebrating 'Golden Week', a long stretch of holidays consisting of Shōwa Day, Constitution Memorial Day, Greenery Day, and Children's Day. To commemorate the occasion, Square Enix is hosting a giveaway where all you need to do is fill out a Final Fantasy 7-themed "Shinra Company Paid Leave Application Form" and share it on Twitter.

]]> Wed, 26 Apr 2023 15:30:30 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/final-fantasy-7-remake-giveaway-paid-vacation-requests-shinra/ For the average gamer, audience scores are part of the parcel when deciding to see or buy a movie or game. They Google something like 'Callisto Protocol Metacritic', see the number is low, and decide to buy something else. Often, that score is a harmless aggregate of people wanting to try their hand at the critical process or giving their two cents, like telling your friends that Cocaine Bear was pretty good. Unfortunately, these scores are often the subject of review bombing.

]]> Tue, 25 Apr 2023 17:00:19 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/horizon-forbidden-west-burning-shores-dlc-review-bomb-metacritic-audience-scores/ Aloy's journey continued last week via the launch of Horizon Forbidden West's Burning Shores DLC. An expansion on the sequel that has been largely celebrated by critics. Its user score paints a very different picture, seemingly because (spoiler alert) Aloy is confirmed to be queer at the end of the DLC. Metacritic has responded by confirming it will be changing its approach to user review moderation to prevent this from happening again.

]]> Tue, 25 Apr 2023 13:31:18 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/metacritic-evolving-moderation-horizon-dlc-review-bombing/ Resident Evil 4 Remake came out a month ago and continued the story of Leon Kennedy, the rookie cop turned hardened US agent, but that still leaves Claire Redfield's chapter unfinished. She went to Raccoon City in search of her brother and narrowly escaped a nuke with two strangers. For newcomers to the series, the answer to 'Where's Chris?' hasn't come yet, and Claire actor Stephanie Panisello is with fans in wanting to see it answered in a Code Veronica remake.

]]> Tue, 25 Apr 2023 09:52:07 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/claire-redfield-stephanie-panisello-resident-evil-code-veronica-remake/ “I wasn’t super deep into Resident Evil, but I did know Resident Evil 2,” Claire Redfield actor Stephanie Panisello tells me. “I was very intrigued by the fact that Claire was a female character, which was so rare. I knew what it felt like for me to see a character that I really respected and got excited about, so it was something I wanted to bring to other people.”

]]> Mon, 24 Apr 2023 16:45:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/stephanie-panisello-interview-resident-evil-claire/ It's no secret that console makers love to make money, and Sony's PlayStation is one of the biggest culprits. They charge a fee for you to access their online services - called PlayStation Plus - which range from $60 to $120 per year depending upon the tier you choose. Not everyone can shell out this kind of cash, which is why they look to play online games that don't require this service at all.

]]> Mon, 24 Apr 2023 13:30:12 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/online-games-without-playstation-plus/ Aloy fans can rejoice, Guerrilla has confirmed that a sequel is in development. The announcement came via a blog post on the developer's website with the primary news concerning the promotion of the studio's director.

]]> Mon, 24 Apr 2023 10:06:49 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/horizon-forbidden-west-sequel-in-development/ Everything is punk now. Nothing is punk now. As you probably read in my subheading, and have almost definitely noticed as a trend in games, books, and further afield, the -punk suffix can be attached to basically any word now, with complete disregard for the original intention. Frostpunk is just… cold? Biopunk replaces cybernetic enhancements of cyberpunk for those of a more biological nature, but rarely discusses the transhuman ideas as its progenitor does. Hermitpunk? I couldn’t even tell you. It’s some kind of cottagecore alternative for those too proud to admit their affectation for those vibes.

]]> Sun, 23 Apr 2023 14:30:14 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/why-is-everything-punk-now/ Gaming insider Jeff Grubb has suggested that a PlayStation Showcase could happen towards the end of May, or at least before Summer Game Fest.

]]> Sun, 23 Apr 2023 12:29:42 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/insiders-suggest-playstation-showcase-happening-may-mortal-kombat-12-reveal/ Before the launch of the Burning Shores DLC for Horizon Forbidden West, the developers were making a big deal out of the new cloud tech that would be shown off in the game - that's literal clouds and not the mysteious nothingness that holds all our save data. In fact, these clouds were going to be so good that they're one of the big reasons why Burning Shores is only available to download on PlayStation 5 consoles. The PS4 simply can't handle how big and majestic these clouds are.

]]> Sat, 22 Apr 2023 12:00:15 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/horizon-fans-love-burning-shores-clouds/ Video game adaptations are more relevant than ever nowadays, mostly down to high-profile successes like HBO's The Last of Us and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Every publisher under the sun is looking for a much-beloved franchise for a potential adaptation, and you wont find many out there with more IP in the bank than PlayStation. Of course, it already has it's foot in the door with the aformentioned Last of Us TV show and the recently released Uncharted movie, but it's looking like the company has no intention of slowing down any time soon.

]]> Sat, 22 Apr 2023 01:52:09 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-productions-projects-tv-movies-animation/ Consoles are becoming increasingly powerful in their ability to display high-quality images, but for you to fully experience these upgrades, your TV has to stay technically apace. In certain cases, this might require the purchase of a newer TV to go alongside the next-generation console.

]]> Fri, 21 Apr 2023 22:30:14 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/best-tv-settings-gaming/ The PlayStation 5 came out swinging with some fantastic launch titles back in 2020, and while the console was hard to get a hold of for quite some time, we now have a whole selection of growing titles to delve into, each of which offers a unique and expansive experience on Sony's home console.

]]> Fri, 21 Apr 2023 21:00:14 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/playstation-ps5-best-games-of-all-time-ranked/ Music can sometimes go underappreciated when it comes to video games. While the gameplay, story, characters, and visuals are often at the forefront of any video game, the soundtrack for these titles is usually in the background. The songs are there to set the mood or create an atmosphere. This dynamic is wholly shifted when looking at rhythm games.

]]> Fri, 21 Apr 2023 00:45:14 GMT https://www.thegamer.com/best-rhythm-games-playstation-ps4-ps5/