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Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns — unleashing Sektor’s vicious new Brutality

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Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves interview  — SNK director discusses the series’ new direction

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It’s been quite a long time since the pioneering fighting game franchise Fatal Fury has seen a proper new installment. Yes, characters from the Fatal Fury series have shown up in other games, but the last proper Fatal Fury game, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, hit arcades all the way back in 1999. 25 years later, the Legendary Wolves are back in action in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, ready to captivate a new generation of fighting gamers and tie-up plot threads longtime fans have seen dangling for decades. 

To get a close-up look at Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, we sat down with director Hayato Konya and art director Yoichiro Soeda to discuss the game’s development, the new and returning faces, and what makes it special.

A continuation long in the making 

Fatal Fury is among the pioneers of the fighting game genre. The original game followed martial artists Terry and Andy Bogard and their friend Joe Higashi on a quest to avenge the death of their adoptive father. It emphasized story and cinematics, ending with a shocking climactic scene where villain Geese Howard falls to his demise from a skyscraper. From that point on, Fatal Fury’s gameplay would evolve greatly. Still, the emphasis on stylish and memorable characters, action-film-inspired stories, and its vibrant Southtown setting would continue.

“In the very beginning, we had the concept where Fatal Fury was like a movie, where the protagonists had to work up to fight the big villain,” Soeda said. “It was popular, and players wanted more, so we kept expanding with each game. At one point, Terry takes on Geese’s child Rock as his son. At the time, we didn’t know where that would lead.” 

Eventually, however, Rock became the new face of Fatal Fury.

These wolves pack style

One of the most striking elements of City of the Wolves is its bold, vibrant art style. The visuals were meant to evoke a mixture of American comic art and Japanese anime and appeal to both old and new players. 

“We wanted the characters to really ‘pop’ and be striking. We thought American comic books do that well, and we wanted to emulate that,” Soeda said. “Fatal Fury traditionally has an anime style to it. We felt that, for the modern audience, the blending of those two things would work well for the game. Now we have it, and it looks great.”

Destiny 10th Anniversary: PlayStation Studios devs reflect on their time as Guardians

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Can you believe it’s been 10 years since Destiny first launched on PS3 and PS4? 10 years since players first chose Hunter, Titan, or Warlock and jumped into Bungie’s expansive sci-fi world to build up their fledgling Guardian. I can still vividly remember my first time facing off against a daunting Fallen Walker in the Cosmodrome during the Destiny alpha all those years ago.

To celebrate the series’ decade-long run, we asked developers from PlayStation Studios to share their fondest memories playing Destiny and their developer perspective on what makes the game so sticky and satisfying.

Destiny 10th Anniversary: PlayStation Studios devs reflect on their time as Guardians

With no further ado, happy 10th anniversary, Destiny!


When Destiny first launched, and after I played for a bit, I actually reached out to my old high school friends who live in another town and convinced them to buy a PS4 and immediately join me. We had such a great time that it kickstarted our weekly game night that has been going on since 2014. Destiny was basically the reason why we reconnected and became even better friends.

I usually can’t play a game without analyzing the animations. I’ve always been impressed with Destiny’s cinematics and enemy animations. Each faction has always felt very distinct and unique from each other with varied personalities coming through their movement. Bungie’s use of runtime, full-body IK rigs has always been amazing as well.

Bruno Velazquez, Game Director, Santa Monica Studio

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Tune in tomorrow for a PlayStation 5 Technical Presentation hosted by Mark Cerny

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Join us for a streamed presentation hosted by Mark Cerny, Lead Architect of the PS5 console. The 9-minute Technical Presentation will focus on PS5 and innovations in gaming technology.

How to watch

The stream will be broadcast in English on the PlayStation YouTube channel September 10 at 8:00am PT / 11:00am ET / 4:00pm BST.

Tune in tomorrow for a PlayStation 5 Technical Presentation hosted by Mark Cerny

Regarding co-streaming and video-on-demand (VOD)

Please note that this broadcast may include copyrighted content (e.g. licensed music) that PlayStation does not control. We welcome and celebrate our amazing co-streamers and creators, but licensing agreements outside our control could interfere with co-streams or VOD archives of this broadcast. If you’re planning to save this broadcast as a VOD to create recap videos, or to repost clips or segments from the show, we advise omitting any copyrighted music.

Astro Bot: How Team Asobi created a unified vision for fun

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Astro Bot made his anticipated return to PS5 with last week’s release of the titular game. Team Asobi, the PlayStation Studio behind Astro’s Playroom, infused the little bot’s big new adventure with enough stages, power-ups, secrets, and fun to make any 3D platforming fan grin.

With the game’s launch fresh in our minds, I visited Team Asobi’s studio to interview the development team about the studio’s history, development style, and tribute to 30 years of PlayStation. Let’s delve right into it.

Art & Animation: Everything begins with gameplay ideas

Left: Jamie Smith, Principal Animation Director, Team Asobi
Middle: Sebastian Brueckner, Principal Art Director, Team Asobi
Right: Maki Murakami Senior Animator, Team Asobi

PlayStation Blog: What do you prioritize the most when creating characters?

Jamie Smith: I pay close attention to “playfulness.” When creating animations, we model how children express joy, like jumping up and down with excitement, to elicit jubilant feelings among players. Children are packed with actions and emotions, and we strive to imbue all these essences in our character designs.

How do you decide which of these ideas make it into the game?

Sebastian Brueckner: First and foremost, everyone must agree that these ideas will enhance the gameplay. We don’t choose ideas solely from the art aspects, but everything begins with the gameplay ideas. As a team, we collectively envision a series of gameplay scenarios and make decisions on the world and its details. For instance, if the gameplay involves ice, we further collaborate on the idea and may suggest the sea as the world setting. Once the details are finalized, the art comes in to refine the world.

Maki Murakami: This brainstorming process is particularly palpable in Astro’s new power-ups and enhancement designs. Handy-D is one example. The idea behind this long-armed monkey was to assist Astro in climbing. Then we explored the ideas on how we could make it cuter and agreed on the design for it to be carried on Astro’s back. We create prototypes, then playtest them and refine them together to take the level of fun to eleven.

Tech & Programming: New features stem from the pass

Share of the Week: Work

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Last week, we asked you share gaming characters getting to work using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:

MrioMoreno5 shares Lake protagonist Meredith delivering mail and package in her hometown.

snejku23 shares Rivet grabbing a selfie with some industrial workers in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.

juniaxe shares Ada showing off her credentials in Resident Evil 2 Remake.

fsantos1697 shares Sam Bridges pausing to collect himself while delivering things in Death Stranding.

call_me_xavii shares Alan staring down writer’s block (or worse) in Alan Wake 2.

SeeyoulaterHihi shares Judy hard at work editing brain dances in Cyberpunk 2077.

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: Astro Bot
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on September 11, 2024 

Next week, Astro Bot’s off on his next big mission! Share adorable and adventurous moments with the titular bot and his many rescued friends using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Official PlayStation Podcast Episode 493: The Joy of Astro Bot

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Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com!

Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or download here


Hey folks! This week the podcast crew got to sit down with Team Asobi Studio Director Nicolas Doucet and SIE Studio Business Group CEO Hermen Hulst to talk all things Astro Bot. Plus, we discuss a few games we’ve been playing including Star Wars Outlaws, Doom + Doom II, and of course sweet Astro Bot.

Stuff We Talked About

  • Next week’s releases:
    • Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II | PS5
  • Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake new Monster Wrangler vocation
  • EA Sports FC 25 hands-on details
  • Interview w/ Nicolas Doucet and Herman Hulst (begins at 7:55)
  • Astro Bot
  • Star Wars Outlaws
  • Doom + Doom II

The Cast

Celebrating 30 years of PlayStation: My First GT, digital soundtracks, “Shapes of Play” collection – and there’s more to come

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Hello PlayStation fans! As we celebrate this Friday’s upcoming release of Astro Bot, Team Asobi’s tribute to 30 years of iconic PlayStation characters, stories, and magical moments, we want to thank you for the love and passion you’ve shown for PlayStation. Your enduring support has made these past three decades possible. While PlayStation’s 30th anniversary is still a few months away, today we’re delighted to share some of the ways we’ll be commemorating this milestone with all of you.

Explore a nostalgic homage to the original Gran Turismo, enjoy digital soundtracks from classic PlayStation games, and create fun moments with our new “Shapes of Play” collection – these are just a few of the ways we’re inviting you to join our community celebration, which starts this month.

And for everyone excited to jump into Astro Bot, we’re pleased to share a first look at a 30th anniversary photo opportunity located in the game’s central hub where Bots you’ve saved throughout your spacefaring adventures will hang out, ready to dance along with your stylish moves.

Celebrating 30 years of PlayStation: My First GT, digital soundtracks, “Shapes of Play” collection – and there’s more to come

An early look at what’s ahead

  • My First GT.  This holiday, look forward to a free trial version designed to attract diverse players of all skill levels to the globally acclaimed Gran Turismo 7. This upcoming release will include some of the favorite cars, tracks, and race events that evoke the nostalgia and excitement of the very first GT experience. Look out for more details on My First GT, available to all PS5 and PS4 players this holiday.

EA Sports FC 25: hands-on report

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Authenticity and style are hallmarks of EA Sports FC’s take on the beautiful game, and there’s no denying that comes through in EA Sports FC 25, which is warming up for a September 27 launch (with early access from September 20 for those that pre-order the Ultimate Edition).

I had a chance to examine the studs of this latest footballing signing with some time on its pristine new pitch, testing its new tactical options and the enticingly fresh Rush 5v5 experience.

EA Sports FC 25: hands-on report

Polish and improvements across the presentation

The gloss expected of EA Sports FC is fully present, with some tweaks made to the TV-style presentation, as well as the style of its matches. The referee and player point-of-view camera for replays and stoppages is used more, offering an up close and personal first-person perspective on goals. The player walkouts have returned to pre-match cutscenes, too, and there are nice little extra in-game details like increased animation on the players’ shirts.

There are also some classic elements that have stayed. DualSense controller feedback is responsive enough to not feel overwhelming when reacting to fouls and shots, while its built-in speaker still captures referee whistles and the oh-so satisfying rustle of the ball hitting the net.

Further to that, many clubs keep some of their highlight chants, whether it’s Manchester City’s Blue Moon, I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles for West Ham (and yes, the actual bubbles floating around the pitch have returned, too) or Allez, Allez, Allez from the stands of Villa Park.

Meanwhile, the emphasis on statistics is as impressive as always, with on-pitch overlays popping up to show details such as shots taken in and around the box, and who are the most fatigued players. As before, they remain informative and – most importantly – unobtrusive to the action.

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Players’ Choice: Vote for August 2024’s best new game

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August was packed with plenty of summer gaming with titles that hit almost every genre in the medium. What did you enjoy most about last month’s title lineup? 

How does it work? At the end of every month, PlayStation Blog will open a poll where you can vote for the best new game released that month. After the polls close we will tally your votes, and announce the winner on our social channels and PlayStation.Blog. 

What is the voting criteria? That’s up to you! If you were only able to recommend one new release to a friend that month, which would it be? Note: re-released games don’t qualify, but remakes do. We define remakes as ambitious, larger-scale rebuilds such as Resident Evil 4 (2023) and Final Fantasy VII Remake.

How are nominees decided? The PlayStation Blog editorial team will gather a list of that month’s most noteworthy releases and use it to seed the poll. 

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