We’ve all wondered why no one gets in a car and drives away from the terror in scary movies and games. Pacific Drive by Ironwood Studios lets us live out that scenario. This upcoming first-person survival adventure drives a customizable station wagon into the genre.

Ahead of the February 22 launch date, we spoke with the game’s director, Alexander Dracott, about the inspiration behind this genre-twisting game and its development journey.

PlayStation Blog: What was the inspiration behind Pacific Drive?

Alexander Dracott: The initial idea goes back to some of my hobbies and growing up driving station wagons to go camping and out into the woods of the Pacific Northwest. The seed came from the things I saw driving alone in the woods, fog, and rain, seeing things like mining towns that haven’t seen the light of day. The game started as simple test car in the woods, and as we started inserting more mechanics, we decided you should be able to turn the car off and on. It should have gas like you should have to refuel your car. It became apparent that there’s this overlap between the maintenance of a car you would expect and the item juggling you want from a survival game. What we ended up doing is taking the pressure that is always on the player in a lot of survival games and pushed it onto the car, and it clicked. You’re forming this relationship with this car that becomes your protector.

Where did the idea of the Olympic Exclusion Zone come from, and how does it contribute to the game’s mechanics?

I’ve always been a big fan of zoned stories and players being isolated, but in a space filled with interesting mechanics. For example, a lot of the enemy anomalies aren’t zombies that you just shoot. They’re more interesting and unique, and discovering what they are is part of the experience. The idea behind the Exclusion Zone, something that the government has walled off, instantly clicked because it gave us the freedom to both tell an interesting story and build this world while also filling it with things like those anomalies that people are going to have to learn and discover through the game’s mechanics.

Why did the team decide on this smaller-scale gameplay loop versus a free-roam open-world title?

Initially, we were considering something that was a little bit more like a traditional survival game on a relatively large map. Our maps are big because you have a car and go quick. We found that while all of our survival mechanics were working, we wanted those rest stops. We wanted those breaks like looting and fixing up your car. With that came the birth of the garage as a permanent place that you could go to and fix up your car, take the time, and engage with the different systems that are in the game. That cemented into this idea of, “Okay, I’ve got my garage, but now I can go out and take these trips to other parts of the game world.”

Was it difficult to build so many mechanics around a car?

Pacific Drive is a big game full of systems that

Hello! I’m Josef, one of the creators of Beat the Beats VR, coming out February 27 on PlayStation VR2. It is a rhythm VR game you play with your fists and all about learning actual boxing moves like jab, dodge, and uppercut.

In this article I would like to share with you how the natural feeling boxing moves in our game came to fruition.

At Parallel Circles, we’re huge rhythm game fans. And VR? We love it. It immerses you like nothing else. I’ve always been captivated by the agility, coordination, and precision of boxers. So, blending these passions felt like a no-brainer. Thus, Beat the Beats VR was born.

Boxing greenhorn to boxing champion

Pulling off energetic boxing moves in real life takes years of training. But in Beat the Beats VR, we wanted players to feel like pros from the get-go. Jabs, hooks, uppercuts — they should all flow naturally. 

After lots of experimentation, we realized the traditional rhythm game approach didn’t quite fit boxing’s fluidity. So we switched it up. Instead of the “notes” (we call them beats) coming straight at you, they come from different directions in arcs challenging you to move exactly in the same way you would in a boxing fight.

You can’t help but make perfect jabs for beats from the front, hooks from the side, and uppercuts for ones coming from above.

Punching through the whole game

As soon as we nailed the boxing punches we brought other aspects of the sport into the game. You can also evade (called a “roll”) and block beats.

You can also unlock new levels/albums by punching them.

Mix all of the boxing action with some exhilarating music and you have a rhythm game that’s the best of both worlds: a fun experience for casual players and a full-throttle workout for the ones that want to go the extra mile.

We hope you have as much fun with our game as we had creating it. Maybe you’ll sweat as much as we did, too. Beat the Beats comes to PS VR2 on February 27!

A state-of-the-art airship hovers above a vast toxic dust cloud, shrouding an ecologically devastated Earth. That’s what most people notice when they see Forever Skies for the first time. And while this creates an interesting and unique premise to explore, it’s one that was inspired by rather somber real-world circumstances.

Read on to learn about the inspiration behind this first-person post-apocalyptic survival game, coming to PS5 this year.

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While our team is from around the world, a significant portion of us are based in Poland. For decades now, our country has been notorious for its poor air quality, particularly during the winter months. Iconic Polish cities such as Krakow or Wroclaw are frequently ranked alongside massive megacities like Beijing, Delhi, or Lahore. But these are massive metropolises with 10 or even 20+ million people living in them. Cracow or Wroclaw don’t even exceed 700,000 people and yet we regularly get public warning announcements to stay indoors because of the current air pollution levels.

Some studies even suggest that to breathe clean, unpolluted air, people would need to go 100 meters above the cities. And so the first spark of inspiration that kicked off our entire world design was found.

We envisioned a scenario where humanity confronts an irreversible ecological catastrophe of its own making by erecting towering highrises above the toxic dust clouds as a last-ditch effort to survive. But all this did was delay the inevitable societal collapse. Decades later, a select group of humans who fled into orbit dispatch a research team back to Earth to rediscover the world, marking the beginning of the story in Forever Skies.

At your side will be a high-tech airship that you

Hello! Last year was a busy one for the small team at Hello Games, with lots of No Man’s Sky updates and the announce of Light No Fire.

We have big plans for 2024, and we’re starting the year off with a very different kind of update. We’re calling it Omega, and for the first time No Man’s Sky will be available to play for free!

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For the first time, we are inviting every PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation VR and VR2 owner into our universe to play the latest No Man’s Sky expedition, even if they don’t own the full game, no purchase necessary. There are no microtransactions, no free-to-play mechanics, just a huge universe to explore for free with your friends.

Expeditions in No Man’s Sky have become one of the most popular ways to play the game. They bring all players together to the same planet for an interstellar, shared experience. This weekend we are allowing everyone, whether you own the game or not, to join the Omega Expedition.

This represents a moment for new players to try No Man’s Sky, and existing players to welcome them into the community. 

The Omega update also brings a complete overhaul of expeditions, new on-planet missions, a new pirate dreadnought to own, and much more.

Until now expeditions have been their own game mode, but we wanted to fully integrate them into our main game. Now, our new expedition system allows travellers to join expeditions with bespoke provisions, bring along their favourite starships or custom multi-tools and return to their main save with loot and exciting rewards.

We have revisited the Atlas Path, allowing players to commune with the Atlas and honor it with a new Atlas staff, jetpack and helmet.

On planets we have introduced a huge array of procedurally generated quests. Talking to alien lifeforms results in quests specific to an alien lifeforms locale, climate and personality.

For the first time, take on the universe with a fleet of frigates led by a dreadnought capital ship. If players can defeat pirate freighters in combat, travellers can board the dreadnought to demand control.

At the co

February’s Game Catalog lineup for PlayStation Plus brings together racing thrills, sci-fi adventure and a selection of entries from a classic RPG series. Take to the streets in Need for Speed Unbound, blast off into space in The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition, then experience some acclaimed RPG fantasy action in the Tales of… series. These and many more titles are playable from February 20. Let’s take a closer look at each game in turn. 

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Need for Speed Unbound | PS5

With separate single and multiplayer campaigns, this latest edition in the Need for Speed franchise from Criterion Games delivers hours of electric, adrenaline-pumping racing action. Race against time, outsmart the cops, and take on weekly qualifiers to reach The Grand, Lakeshore’s ultimate street racing challenge. Pack your garage with precision-tuned, custom rides and light up the streets with your style, exclusive fits, and a vibrant global soundtrack that bumps in every corner

Get ready to experience another slice of history in the playable micro-documentary, Storylines: The Negro Leagues Season 2, narrated by Negro Leagues Baseball Museum President Bob Kendrick. Season 2 continues our multiyear partnership with the NLBM and our shared mission to educate, enlighten, and inspire by celebrating the rich history of the Negro Leagues. We are so grateful and excited to introduce ten new Negro League legends to MLB The Show 24. Storylines combine immersive gameplay moments, historical footage, and more as we bring these incredible true stories to life.

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The Season 2 roster for MLB  The Show 24 at launch includes:

Josh Gibson – The Black Babe Ruth

Buck Leonard – Baseball’s Greatest Fastball Hitter

Hank Aaron – The Hammer

Toni Stone – The Trailblazer

We will reveal additional players included in Storylines: Negro Leagues Season 2 at a later date. The next set of three Negro Leagues players will arrive in a content drop in early April, and the last three players will arrive in an additional content drop at the end of May. These will all be available via a free download. An internet connection is required to download and play content at launch and obtain updates after launch. In addition, all the players from Season 1 of Storylines will be included in MLB The Show 24 at launch.

To learn more about Storylines: Negro Leagues Season 2 and additional details on the mode, be sure to tune into our upcoming Feature Premiere livestream on theshow.com on February 15, 2024 at 3 pm PST / 6 pm EST. If you can’t make it live, catch the recap video afterward to keep up with t

It’s time to see which PS5, PS4, PS VR2, PS VR, and free-to-play games topped the download charts last month. New release blockbusters and vintage fan favorites are included in January’s PS5 list with Tekken 8 and Grand Theft Auto V both breaking the top five. The PS VR2 list saw Beat Saber rock and roll to the top of the list with the most downloads in both US and EU regions.

Check out the full listings below. What titles are you playing this month?

PS5 Games

*Naming of products may differ between regions
*Upgrades not included

PS4 Games

US/Canada	EU
Minecraft	EA SPORTS FC 24
Red Dead Redemption 2	Minecraft
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III	Need for Speed Heat
Need for Speed Heat	Red Dead Redemption 2
Batman: Arkham Knight	A Way Out
Grand Theft Auto V	Grand Theft Auto V
theHunter: Call of the Wild	Hogwarts Legacy
Mortal Kombat X	Need for Speed Payback Read more Ultros dev interview: Karmic cycles in a demonic space labyrinth, out tomorrow Game Ace Pro / Monday, February 12, 2024 0 0 Indie games are known for their daring and often groundbreaking approaches to visuals and storytelling. Ultros is a new indie title coming to PS4 and PS5 on February 13. The game is a twisted, time-looping sci-fi adventure. It’s packed with high-stakes action, clever twists on classic game design ideas, intriguing, and often unsettling environmental storytelling, and crazy-colorful pop-psychedelic visuals that makes you wonder if the game came with its own built-in blacklight.  This eye- and mind-dazzling adventure comes to PlayStation courtesy of Sweden-based developer Hadoque. It tells the story of a spacefarer trapped in a nightmare time-cycle within a bizarre, seemingly demonic black-hole acting as a womb for an unspeakable cosmic horror–the titular Ultros.  In the words of game director Mårten Brüggeman, “It’s a psychedelic sci-fi platforming adventure, a combat- and gardening-driven experience. It also asks a lot of existential questions if you dive into it, as you explore the  sarcophagus spaceship and try to understand what it is a metaphor for and what is dwelling inside.”  Fight or foster Ultros is fundamentally a search-action game where you explore an ever-expanding map that opens up further and further as you acquire more abilities for navigation and combat. It’s a popular indie game genre, and Ultros expands on it with some unique gameplay twists centered around the ideas of karmic cycles: creation and destruction, nurture and killing.  “It’s a game about choices,” explains Brüggeman, “where you can choose to play in a destructive or constructive way, and  the choices you make change your interpretation of your in-game actions.” The environment oozes with otherworldly threats, requiring skillful combat to neutralize the assorted hostile lifeforms. Variety is a big emphasis here. Ultros encourages you to use a diverse arsenal of moves in fun and creative ways to dispatch foes: dodge-and-strike attacks, jumping strikes, and even launching foes into the air to turn them into a living projectile weapon.  “We want to combat to feel intimate and visceral to emphasize destruction, ruining the balance of disruption and construction within the current cycle. We focused on movements, forcing you to be near them to fight them are integral to what we wanted to do, the intensity and intimacy of one-on-one combat.” As your foes fall before you, they drop all manner of edible offal–which varies in quality depending on how skillful your killing blow was. Eating these remains isn’t just a health restore: it provides you with valuable nutrients, which allow you to access skill tree upgrades at save pods, which enhance your movement, fighting, and navigational abilities.  But if eating mystery meat makes you feel a bit queasy, there’s another way to obtain sustenance: raising the seeds you find scattered around in gardens, then partaking of that plant’s fruit. Aiding you in your horticultural pursuits is your Extractor, a special device that gains numerous abilities throughout the game.  The plants that grow over time will leave behind assorted benefits, like creating platforms to alternate routes and making planning and tending to your gardens Read more Foamstars: the tech that made its dynamic, persistent foam possible Game Ace Pro / Monday, February 12, 2024 0 0 Hello, I’m Chikara Saito (a.k.a. Rickey), director of Foamstars. As the name suggests, Foamstars is a game that features copious amounts of soft, fluffy foam. However, the path that we took to actually represent that foam in digital space was much longer and tougher than we initially thought it would be. Our experience of bringing the foam in Foamstars to life was anything but soft and fluffy, and today, I would like to tell you the tale of our trials and tribulations in the world of foam! The first obstacle that we ran into when we started developing Foamstars was the processing power required. In Foamstars, players can fire off as much foam as they like, and that foam flies off as fluffy bubbles throughout the whole space. This is a huge part of what makes the game so unique, but bear in mind that up to 8 players playing together online can fire off foam at the same time – some of them in separate places, quite far away from one another – so we had to be able to sync up each instance of foam in real time. This alone accounted for a considerable amount of load on the CPU, but on top of that, we also realised another game mechanic that is crucial to Foamstars’ gameplay: foam remaining in place and piling up to change the stage’s topography. These things together put an enormous burden on the CPU. This meant that in the first test build of the game, we could only make about 10 shots worth of foam remain on the ground, and I can still clearly remember the feeling of disappointment as I thought to myself, “This isn’t enough to make a fun game.” But just as I was facing this pressure to alter the direction of the game to account for these limitations, the programming team stepped in and showed me a better way! They had the fantastic idea to dynamically alter Unreal Engine 4’s Landscape tool! This system was originally designed for sculpting rugged terrain ahead of time, but thanks to the ingenuity and hard work of the programming team, we were able to dynamically alter the Landscape tool so that it could be influenced by player interactions during actual gameplay. Thanks to this system, we didn’t have to manage and express each instance of foam on an object-by-object basis, but rather, we could handle the foam as vertex data instead. This significantly reduced the load on the CPU, and made it feel much more thrilling as an actual game as well. The test map began as a single, flat plane stretching out ahead of you. As I watched it transform dynamically due Read more RSS Load next 10 article(s) (1763 left)Loading...