Wild Hearts is a unique twist on the hunting genre where technology gives you a fighting chance against massive beasts infused with the destructive power of nature. These beasts are called Kemono, and have fused with natural elements over time, modifying their environment to accommodate their needs, much to the despair of the people of Azuma. What caused them to turn their might and desperation on this once peaceful land isn’t known, but they must be stopped and only a hunter of great skill and cunning will stand a chance. You are that hunter.

When fighting these giant beasts you won’t be limited to wits and weapons – you also possess the power of Karakuri, ancient technology you must master and wield to turn the tide of battle with these foes. Use the Karakuri to discover weak spots or gain a new attack angle. Some will help you set up defenses against the Kemono’s worst attacks, giving you the opportunity to take them down.

It’s important to know that each Kemono has both strengths and weaknesses that wise hunters will take note of well before the hunt begins. In this article, we will be discussing one of the most powerful and beautiful enemies you will face in Wild Hearts. One with radiant plumage, a deafening roar, and an unquenchable anger that rages with the heat of a furnace.

The Bird of Auspice is said to have lived for many centuries now…

The majestic Amaterasu has captured the imagination of the people of Azuma for centuries. This winged beast with its fiery plumage is both captivating and terrifying. It draws its power from the life energy around it in combination with its apparently boundless fury. Once sufficiently angered and powered up all hunters should take cover or risk being within range of its explosive attack. Carefully observe the color of this great beast’s plumage if you wish to avoid such an attack. The redder it appears, the closer you are to its most dangerous aspect.

When facing an Amaterasu, you will need to beware of more than just its sharp beak and talons, even its feathers can end your hunt prematurely. Your attacks must focus on bringing it down to the earth by striking its wings or using a harpoon to pin it precisely where you want it. Search for this challenging prey in the direction of the setting sun amongst the grassy plains and desolate, ruined temples of the west. It is most striking at dusk when the autumn leaves and pampas grass swirl around its desolate temples.

Once the hunt is finished the Kemono will also provide you with the materials you need to craft items such as stronger armor. The more you hunt, the more materials you will gather, and the bigger the prey you can face next.

You can choose to hunt alone and savor all the spoils by yourself, or in a pack (with up to two other players) enabling you to expand your battle plans and special missions.

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Prepare to endure and survive, PC players. We’re so excited to reveal The Last of Us Part I will be released on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store March 3, 2023. 

We’ve been anticipating this launch for a while now, and we know many of you have as well. We’re thrilled to be bringing The Last of Us to PC for the first time. If you didn’t catch our reveal trailer at The Game Awards, be sure to watch it below.

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We were so honored by the reception of The Last of Us Part I when it debuted on the PS5 earlier this year, and we can’t wait to welcome new and returning players on Joel and Ellie’s unforgettable adventure, newly optimized and enhanced for PC. We’ll have more information about The Last of Us Part I’s PC specs and features closer to release, so please look forward to more ahead of the March launch.

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Voting for the PS Blog Game of the Year Awards 2022 is now open. These awards are driven entirely by players’ choice, so cast your vote to nominate your favorite PlayStation games of the past year. All 16 categories recognise the best of PlayStation through 2022, celebrating great games, captivating new characters, fantastic soundtracks, graphical showcases, and much more. 

As ever, there are a few rules for categories and their nominees: 

• Every category includes a write-in option in case there’s a title absent that you think should be considered. 

• Due to the polls closure date, some titles aren’t eligible for inclusion. 

• As with the majority of the other categories, Best Multiplayer Experience focuses on titles released in 2022 while Best Ongoing Game focuses on games that have seen significant new content or game-changing updates over this past year. 

• If a title won a Platinum in a category any previous year, it won’t be eligible for inclusion in the same category this year. As such Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – which won last year’s Most Anticipated Game – isn’t included in the running for that category this year. 

• Polls are live now and close on Wednesday December 14 at 23:59pm PT, so scroll below and get clicking. We’ll collect the results and announce the winners later this month. 

Good luck to all the nominees! 

2022 PlayStation Blog Best New Character

2022 PlayStation Blog Best Story

2022 PlayStation Blog PlayStation Best Graphical Showcase

2022 PlayStation Blog Best Art Direction

Diablo 3 followed in the footsteps of series entries before it, introducing a new generation of dungeon crawlers to the hellish world of Sanctuary back in 2012. Since then, thanks to a loyal player base, they’ve kept the hack-’n-slash RPG party going with countless updates. But now it’s time for the future, and Blizzard is molding Diablo 4 to deliver just that.

While the title looks to the past of both the real world and that of Sanctuary for inspiration, the upcoming sequel pushes the Diablo series in new ways. In an immense and gorgeous new landscape, you’ll encounter all-new elements to the Diablo formula that let you control the game’s direction even more while dealing with more darkness than ever. Ready your defenses. We’re returning to Sanctuary.

A return to darkness

Upon jumping into this newly realized Sanctuary during a hands-on session with an in-development PlayStation 5 version of the game, it’s clear that Diablo 4 harkens back to the grim tone of the first two Diablo games. The world is more mature and grounded than Diablo 3, adding to its renewed focus on horror and fear. Dead bodies paint the white snow during travels. You can hear howling cries of anger and distress when passing a populated town. A soft moonlight illuminates the hallowed grounds like a haunted spotlight. With a hefty thematic focus on hatred, how it consumes once hopeful hearts, and its corruption and consequences, it’s easy to quickly get immersed when all of these elements work in tandem. And naturally, it’s inevitable to feel the heroic urge to stop whatever caused all this pain in Sanctuary.

Evolution of classic Diablo

Diablo 4 is a culmination of what made past Diablo entries so iconic and memorable. The bleak tone of the original, the more open world of the second, and the combat of the third all come together here. There are more gameplay options than ever, and the bits of small details and extra care applied to every nook and cranny of its mechanics make it one of the best entry points to the series.

This is your adventure

Diablo 4 marks the first time in the series that you’re truly creating your own adventure. The open world of Sanctuary facilitates a personal journey filled with options. You can ignore the main story and lose yourself in exploring countless dungeons and strongholds, run into random local events, or help a needy lost spirit. Or, maybe you’re not in the mood for action and would rather bide your time and explore a peaceful wilderness to find resources to go home and craft with.

The gameplay variety extends to playthroughs that all present wildly different results. The story is also nonlinear, meaning you’ll face many circumstances that may lead you down various roads. Yes, you still have to tackle the core beats to reach the game’s conclusion, but how you get there is up to you.

A bold new world

What’s a big adventure without a grand open world? Sanctuary, otherwise known

Earlier this year, we welcomed players back to the world of Moss with the release of Moss: Book II. The award-winning sequel—VR Awards “VR Game of the Year” winner and The Game Awards “Best VR/AR Game” nominee—adds to the fan favorite franchise by picking up right where the story of Moss left off nearly four years ago. Today, we’re excited to share that both Moss and Moss: Book II represent two premier launch day titles for PlayStation VR2 upon its release in February 2023. We have a lot to share with you about the enhanced versions of the games, but I’ll keep the lore details to ourselves to not spoil it for anyone. 

Similar to when Moss released on PS VR in 2018, Moss: Book II was greeted with positive reception, quickly ascending the ranks to sit alongside Moss as one of the all-time top-rated VR games. And while the story continues in the same world, the look and feel and the overall experience in Moss: Book II is dramatically enhanced from its predecessor. This was expected, as we continued to learn and leverage evolving technology throughout development to help us optimize the game players would later experience. 

Now, once we got our hands on PS VR2 hardware, we experimented and discovered new ways to draw players deeper into the world of Moss as they take on the first-person role of the Reader, the key ally of the hero Quill. Luckily, the platform’s two-controller setup, enhanced haptic feedback, visual improvements, and eye-tracking capabilities minimized the constraints previous hardware put on our team. And as we’ve said before when bringing our games to new platforms, we don’t just want to get them up and running on PS VR2 and call it a day, we spend our time on all aspects of the game, across graphics and gameplay, with the end goal being a truly unique and memorable experience. 

Here are a few ways we leveraged PS VR2 hardware to enhance players’ overall first-person immersion within the Moss franchise:

• Improved haptics: Players can now feel the effects of world-shaking events, damaging attacks, and movement throughout the world. The haptic feedback from PS VR2 Sense controllers and headset vibration gives the player a greater sense of presence and danger in the game, allowing them to feel even more attached to Quill, the game’s brave young hero who players partner with during the adventure.

• Two-controller Setup: Playing with two PS VR2 Sense controllers provides a natural feeling, allowing players to express themselves more freely in the world when reaching in to manipulate the environment, interact with Quill, or engage the weapon inventory system during battle.

• Adaptive triggers: Actions will feel distinct to players as they experience the tension and

This week, fans of two legendary games will enjoy the spoils of an amazing collaboration as Bungie and Ubisoft have joined forces to bring new content to both Destiny 2 and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla; content inspired by each other’s games and bridging the gap between these two fan-favorite universes. 

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Coinciding with the launch of the new Season in Destiny 2, Season of the Seraph, Bungie is bringing a host of new content inspired by the Assassin’s Creed universe into Destiny 2. Guardians will have the chance to don new armor ornaments and cosmetics inspired by Ubisoft’s famed adventure franchise, including three new class-specific armor ornament sets: a Hunter ornament set inspired by Kassandra from Assassin’s Creed Odyssey; a powerful-looking Titan set inspired by Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s Eivor; and a mysterious Warlock set inspired by the iconic Altaïr from the original Assassin’s Creed. In addition, Guardians will also be able to purchase a new ship, Sparrow, Ghost, and new finisher, all influenced by Assassin’s Creed lore.

Today Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will bring new content inspired by Destiny 2. A new character pack will feature two new armor sets featuring Destiny characters Lord Shaxx and Saint-14 and two Swords inspired by a pair of iconic Exotic Destiny weapons: the Gjallarhorn Rocket Launcher and the Thorn Hand Cannon. In addition, a new weapons pack includes four new weapons that have been designed with Destiny’s subclasses in mind, including their own custom effects and gameplay perks. 

Bringing history (and the future) to life

For the Bungie team, the opportunity to bring Assassin’s Creed’s world of historical action into the sci-fi fantasy universe of Destiny was a unique opportunity. That was especially true when it came to bringing a trio of iconic Assassin’s Creed characters to life as Guardians.  

“We had to con

God of War Ragnarök is now picture-ready! With our latest update, you will now have access to the Photo Mode feature.  

Since the release of photo mode in God of War (2018), we’ve been continuously amazed by the amount of talent and passion in the Video Game Photographer community that has gathered to the game. 

From quiet moments with Kratos and Atreus, to the elegant and brutal combat shots with ice and fire flying – the range of the photographers who take shots in God of War has been a constant source of inspiration for our team. 

With this latest update to God of War Ragnarök, we’re happy to finally be able to give you all access to Photo Mode in this game as well!  

God of War Ragnarök – Photo Mode Features 

• Apply expressions to the following characters in a scene:
  • Kratos, Atreus, Freya, Brok, Sindri, Tyr, Angrboda, Thor, and Thrúd

All images in this article captured on PS5

• Hide main or side characters in a scene

• Adjust camera controls with:
  • Field of View
  • Focal Length
  • Camera Roll

• Adjust shutter controls with:
  • Depth of Field
  • Focus Distance
  • F-Stop

• Adjust brightness and filters with:
  • Film Grain
  • Exposure
  • Filter Intensity, with finer controls for Vibrance and Saturation

• Apply vignettes, borders, and logos

To get you started, we’ve asked Santa Monica Studio Photo Mode aficionado and QA Lead Tim Ward for some tips (and amazing photos)! 

Photo Mode Tips 

1. Adjust the Filter Intensity, Vibrance, and Saturation on your desired filter for a wider range of colors. 

2. Be sure to add a vignette when appropriate to give your shot more depth.

3. Don’t be afraid to roll the camera a little bit, especially when shooting combat. It can make your screenshots feel more dynamic and less like the camera is always shooting from a fixed horizontal position. 

PlayStation players, we’ve missed you! But now the skies are calling and your story is about to begin. We’re thrilled to welcome you to Sky: Children of the Light on December 6 when the game officially launches on PlayStation!

Over 15 years ago, thatgamecompany forged a formative partnership with PlayStation. Our  games fl0w, Flower, and Journey each experiment with how interactive gaming can communicate at an emotional level. We were humbled by Journey’s Game of the Year recognition and the accolades these games received, but perhaps most resonant were the individual stories players sent us from all over the world sharing how our games had touched their lives. Those stories made us ask how we can all better experience compassion through play. It moved us to push farther and develop Sky, a spiritual successor to Journey that creates a place for people of all backgrounds to share emotional connection and meaningful moments with their loved ones.

We are so proud of the vibrant global community that has flourished in Sky, and our players constantly amaze and inspire us! One of our community members, SADist, made an animatic that captured the heart of what a Sky player sees and feels. We made the trailer above in turn based on that animatic, and we hope it faithfully recreates what we all—player and dev alike—have seen and felt in Sky.

A touching social experience

Find your place in Sky through adventure, exploration, and the people you meet. Follow where birds beckon and bells ring, and seek peaceful scenery and intriguing surprises off the beaten path. Ascend through the clouds, play your own music, help out another traveler, or take the hand of a fellow Child of the Light who wants to show you their favorite shortcut. 

A path rises to meet everyone who enters the world of Sky.

Embark on a musical voyage in the Season of AURORA Concert

Music is woven through Sky, guiding and accompanying players through light and dark. It’s always been a vital part of the game, but now after 18 months of development and fine-tuning our proprietary game engine, we’re getting ready to deliver a new way for music to take our players into something more intense and powerful than what’s been done before in games:

On December 8 at 8:30 pm PT, we’re premiering a concert in collaboration with Norwegian music artist AURORA! We’re opening the world’s largest performance venue for the occasion so that millions of players can take part in this musical voyage together, and we’ve saved a seat for everybody.

If you’ve played Sky before, you’ve heard AURORA’s voice on our original soundtrack. She’s also best known internationally for her hits “Runaway,” “Cure for Me,” “Running with the Wolves,” and her ethereal vocals in Frozen II‘s “Into the Unknown.”

Beginning on December 8, her music invites you to be transformed within Sky itself. Connect with the exuberant multitude of players from across the globe, and with AURORA as she performs songs including “Exhale Inhale,” “Runaway,” “Warrior,” and more to transport you on a journey that goes far beyond any other concert experience in a game.

The concert experience isn’t limited to the set list either—the venue also has plenty to do before and after the show. Learn songs with in-game instruments (all skill levels encouraged!), meet some friendly creatures offering to take you on a tour, and find a room with a serene sound bath where AURORA herself will guide you in restorative relaxation.

Everyone is welcome! No tickets, p

Chapter 4 of Fortnite’s Battle Royale is here. Go forth and uncover the new ways to explore the Island  — propel yourself with the Shockwave Hammer, ride inside of a snowball, commandeer a dirt bike, and hurdle over obstacles in your path. Embark on your own unique path across the Island while augmenting your gameplay with new Reality Augments. Drop into an all new Island with Doom Slayer and Geralt of Rivia by purchasing and progressing the Chapter 4 Battle Pass.

The New Island… make it your domain

Chapter 3’s finale assembled a brand new Island! Explore places like the Brutal Bastion among the mountains, The Citadel ruled by “The Ageless,” the Shattered Slabs mining facility, and more!

Not your ordinary steed..

Grab your trusty dirt bike steed. The Trail Thrasher is a formidable travel companion due to its speed and agility. Grab the Trail Thrasher, land a sick trick (or two), and bring a new meaning to mounted combat in Chapter 4.

Become mighty with reality augments

You’ll be granted a randomized choice of two Reality Augments at different intervals during your match. The longer you survive in the match, the more Reality Augments you’ll collect. Reality Augments can do things like let you drive without using fuel, give you different weapons, grant you Glider redeploy for the rest of the match, and more.

Hurdle your way to victory

Sprinting at an obstacle will now have you hurdling over or onto them. Use this maneuver to surprise your opponents and gain the high ground. Get creative with a combination of sprinting, mantling, and hurdling to outplay your opponents.

Take up new weaponry

There’s a whole new arsenal of weapons scattered across the Island. Launch yourself with the Shockwave Hammer, fire ballistic blades with the Ex-Caliber Rifle, and bring the thunder with the Thunder Shotgun. Also be sure to check out the Maven Auto Shotgun, Tactical Pistol, Red-Eye Assault Rifle, and Twin Mag SMG.

Claim your territory

Stick around a point-of-interest’s (POI’s) capture point to capture it. POI’s you’ve claimed will display your team’s Banners, making sure your competition knows who controls the territory. Capturing a POI will reward your team with loot, and in a POI under your squad’s control, Chests and opponents will be marked. Stay vigilant, others may try to claim the POI first.

Last week, we asked you to climb high and gaze down at stunning gaming vistas using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: 

frejim_nica shares Atreus gazing down from a tall stone wall in God of War Ragnarök.

Cyb3r3ll4 shares Aloy lying in an old satellite, looking down across a foggy field in Horizon Forbidden West.

Gurararala shares a snowboarder making their way down a snowy landscape in Riders Republic.

hirockey5 shares a yellow-clad explorer looking down at a pink-purple city in Biomutant.

CaGamer_07 shares Ellie and Joel looking down into the valley at Jackson in The Last of Us Part I.

shimo_ps shares Francis standing on a ledge overlooking a cloudy full moon vista in The Artful Escape.

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? 

THEME: Space
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on December 7, 2022

Next week, we’re headed to the cold outer reaches of space. From celestial bodies to alien encounters, share views of space from the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.