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Join us as we react to the big reveals from PlayStation Showcase 2021. Plus, a look at new games coming to PlayStation next week. Listen in!

Stuff We Talked About

• PlayStation Showcase 2021
• God of War Ragnarök
• Knights of the Old Republic Remake
• Gran Turismo 7
• Deathloop
• Forspoken
• Alan Wake Remastered
• Project Eve
• Genshin Impact
• Hades
• Curse of the Dead Gods
• Life is Strange: True Colors

The Cast

Sid Shuman – Senior Director of Content Communications, SIE

Kristen Zitani –  Senior Content Communications Specialist, SIE

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Last week, we asked you to take on the challenge of Ghost of Tsushima: Legends using #PSshare #PSBlog. From frightening armor sets to graceful partner poses, here are this week’s legendary highlights: 

SaraAtwoodGamin shares a striking black and white posed portrait.

ccf_photomode shares an electric portrait shaded in yellow.

Dande_Lion55 shares a portrait of her player blindfolded.

XxPAGZxX raises their bow to strike.

BillyGunn_ wears menacing armor bathed in blue. 

rdTYovWoDJRyUJr shares an action shot between two fighters.

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: Purple
SUBMIT BY: Wednesday 9 AM PT on September 15

Next week, we’re picturing purple. Share violet, plum, and all around purple moments in the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Our team is pleased to share the full experience of Tales of Arise with its release today, September 10! If you were wondering how to play Tales of Arise, or what could be helpful to know before you begin, this guide is for you! Our useful tips will show you how to get started with Tales of Arise and progress in the game. 

First, let’s talk about Battle basics. As Tales of Arise is a JRPG, you’ll have to go through lots of fights to survive and pursue your missions. Knowing how to fight and mastering Combat system basics will be key to start your journey in Tales of Arise. 

Combat system basics

Base actions consist of normal attacks and Artes, which have been featured in the gameplay of previous Tales Of games.   In Tales of Arise, we wanted to recreate this combo string and thus revived the Normal Attack mechanics. The enemy won’t simply fall and Normal Attacks are designed to create the perfect breakthrough. 

First, weaken the enemy with Normal Attacks. Then, continue with the Martial and Arcane Artes that will create a smooth combo flow!

Artes and Artes Gauge

To use Artes in Tales of Arise, you have an Artes Gauge. For a stronger emphasis on action in combat gameplay, itis now possible to do Artes continuously using the Artes Gauge resource that recovers automatically during battle. The added balance between Normal Attacks and the option to use continuous Artes makes the flow of battle a lot more exciting.

There are two types of Artes: Martial Artes and Arcane Artes. Keep in mind that Arcane Artes are more powerful and resource-consuming than Martial Artes. The Artes Gauge will recover more slowly when attacking.

As you progress in the game, you will be able to increase the Artes Gauge by acquiring new skills. 

Evasion and Counter Edge

Most characters can only execute a perfect evade, whereas Kisara has the special option toguard. It’s always a good idea to create distance between you and your enemy whenever possible to avoid taking damage. Push [L Stick] and press [L1] to evade an enemy attack.

Another important feature is the Counter Edge. The Counter Edge was created to make the battle combos more enjoyable. With the updates in battle gameplay, we eliminated the guarding requirement that comes before the Counter Edge. After executing a successful evasion and performing a Normal Attack, you can now trigger a Counter Edge, which will make your characters perform a counterattack. 

Boost Attacks and Boost Strikes

Each character in Tales of Arise has their own Boost Attack, which perfectly reflects their individual strengths. Involve allies in your battles to use their own Boost Attacks pressing the corresponding pad direction to damage. 

Boost Strikes are one-hit kill attacks performed in collaboration with other Tales of Arise characters. Boost Strikes will make your battles spectacular whether it’s a low-level enemy or boss fight. When the word “STRIKE” shows up on your screen, make sure to press the pad to trigger a Boost Strike to finish off your attacker! 

Now you have the keys to start your journey in Tales of Arise, which is now available! Get an enhanced Tales of Arise experience on PlaySt

Today’s PlayStation Showcase included updates from PlayStation Studios and some of the industry’s most imaginative developers, for games releasing this holiday and beyond. 

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Alongside a pair of big surprises from our friends at Insomniac Games, there was a lot to digest. So without further ado, here’s everything else announced during the show,  including additional insight from the developers of the games featured.

PlayStation Showcase: All the announcements

• The City Where Play Has No Limits
• Gran Turismo 7 arrives on PS5 and PS4 March 4
• First look at God of War Ragnarök
• Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection coming to PS5 and PC
• Tchia: Creating a game inspired by New Caledonia
• Down the rabbit hole in Deathloop’s story trailer
• Bloodhunt comes to PlayStation 5 in 2021
• Breaking down the story trailer for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
• Read more

First off, I want to thank all of you for your passion and support for PlayStation and the entire video game medium. Following today’s PlayStation Showcase, I hope you can see that we’re devoted to this art form as well — its power to move us is singular. 

And we’re just getting started. Pushing against limits and resetting our ideas of what is possible is in PlayStation’s DNA. And today, we are bringing this vision to life through a new global brand spot. 

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We believe it’s powerful to challenge expectations and present bold new possibilities. This new spot takes the viewer on a reimagined journey through one of history’s oldest and most revered games. In a fantastical city as the backdrop, play is governed by rules and limitations — and we see what happens when one player defies conventions and stands triumphant, proving that play has no limits. 

As you watch the spot, keep your eyes peeled: we pay tribute to some of our favorite games. Can you spot them all?

I still clearly remember the inexplicable eagerness and excitement of that day when we introduced the first Gran Turismo game to the world for the first time on the original PS1 console. 

With that same inexplicable sense of excitement, I’m happy to report that Gran Turismo 7 will be available on March 4, 2022, simultaneously on both the PS5 and the PS4 consoles.  

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The cultural environment surrounding cars has changed greatly in the past 25 years. Those of us who were born in the rich car culture of the times created the first Gran Turismo game, so it may be difficult for the current generation of automotive purists to be in the same type of cultural environment as ourselves back then. 

The objective for GT7 in current culture today, is to design a game to convey everything from the last 150 years of car and racing culture, whether you are a lifelong fan or discovering cars for the first time. 

GT7 is both the culmination of the series which answers the expectations of GT fans throughout the years, and at the same time it is a title that marks a beginning of a difficult mission to contain the full breadth of car culture from the past into a single video game.  

Best of Gran Turismo Experiences  

The name “Gran Turismo” means “Grand Touring” in Italian. Back to the 17^th Century, people would go on long trips across the European continent, learning and growing at their travel destinations. The name is derived from these journeys.  

In the same spirit, the GT Campaign mode is also a place where individual players will take their own unique journeys and gain life learning experiences.   

We’re aware that long-time fans of the Gran Turismo series strongly desired the return of the GT Campaign mode*, and now, having seen the trailer, hopefully everyone will be able to get a feel fo

We couldn’t be more excited here at Santa Monica Studio to finally share our first real look at God of War Ragnarök with all the fans who have been very patiently waiting for an update!   

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As you can see in the trailer, we’re picking up a few years after the events of God of War (2018). The freezing winds of Fimbulwinter have come to Midgard, making survival for Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir in the Norse wilds even more challenging than before.  

While the last game built an enormous amount of trust and understanding between father and son, there is still a great deal of complexity in their interactions – especially after the revelation of Atreus’ Giant heritage and the hidden prophecy only Kratos saw.  

Atreus is desperately curious. Like most young people, he wants to understand who he is more than anything. In this case, he wants to understand who he could be. The mystery of Loki’s role in the upcoming conflict is something that Atreus cannot let go of. He wants to keep his family safe, but Atreus also doesn’t want to stand by and do nothing while conflict consumes the Nine Realms.  

Kratos, still bearing the knowledge of his past mistakes, wants to spare Atreus the bloody lessons he learned from his conflict with gods. He wants to keep his son safe, above all, and their confrontation with Baldur has vindicated the belief that only tragedy will come from further entanglements with the Aesir.  

Together, Kratos and Atreus will have to make a choice about which path they will take. Whatever they choose will define the fate of all those living in the Nine Realms as Ragnarök approaches.

Agony and Vengeance  

We show a brief look at two of the main antagonists you’ll face in God of War Ragnarök: Freya and Thor. 

Because of Kratos’ actions at the end of the previous game, the once-

In my nearly 18 years of working at Insomniac Games (wow—has it really been that long?!), one of the things I’ve always appreciated about the studio is how it truly values and fosters collaboration. When we work together, and more importantly, when we listen to each other, the end result is always better. 

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That approach even applies when we work with those outside our studio, as it’s been such a pleasure to collaborate with Marvel Games. Learning from and sharing with these true believers as we created games such as Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales has been a career highlight for many of us. And what’s so exciting is that our collaboration isn’t ending anytime soon, as today we revealed not one—but TWO—new Marvel titles coming from Insomniac Games: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Marvel’s Wolverine.

Let’s start with the one most of you probably could’ve guessed: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. We’re so thrilled to continue the journey of both Peter Parker and Miles Morales in their most epic single-player adventure yet, coming exclusively to PlayStation 5 consoles in 2023.

While pushing the capabilities of the console will be very exciting, we’re equally pumped to craft all-new stories for Peter and Miles in this sequel. Just as in our previous Spider-Man games, we not only want to tell a great Super Hero story, but also deliver a compelling human story, one full of heart and humor that dives deep into the people behind the mask. 

Much of the development team that brought you Marvel’s Spider-Man is returning to produce Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, including Bryan Intihar (creative director) and Ryan Smith (game director). Today’s game footage trailer is merely just a glimpse at what’s in store in terms of the new abilities our heroes will acquire, suits they will wear (more on that some other time), and the villains that will try to hunt them down. And speaking of villains, did you catch that final line at the end of the trailer? We’re so happy to announce that Tony Todd (of Candyman fame) will be voicing the symbiote-fueled Venom in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. We’re also delighted to welcome back Yuri Lowenthal and Nadji Jeter, who will reprise their roles as Peter and Miles respectively. We’ve been fortunate to work with so many incredibly talented actors in our Spider-Man games, and Tony has been such a wonderful addition to the cast.

We’re excited to announce that we’re bringing Uncharted to the PlayStation 5 console and PC with the release of Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection.

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This brand-new remastered bundle includes Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, featuring Nathan Drake as he hunts for Captain Avery’s long-lost treasure, setting off for one final far flung adventure across the jungles of Madagascar to long lost pirate colony of Libertalia. It also includes Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, which chronicles Chloe Frazer’s breakout exploits as she moves from frenemy to hero. Enlisting the assistance of renowned mercenary Nadine Ross, Chloe ventures to India’s Western Ghats to locate the Golden Tusk of Ganesh.

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection will be available in early 2022 for PS5. The PC version is in development by our partners at Iron Galaxy and will release shortly after the PS5 version. As these dates approach, we’ll discuss more details. 

Needless to say, we’re pretty excited that more players will get the chance to meet (and fall in love with) Nathan, Chloe, Nadine, and the rest of the cast in the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection.

Get ready to (re-)seek your fortune. Or, you know, discover it for the first time — we recommend bringing a grappling hook!

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After a number of years closely collaborating on several games together, including The Playroom (PS4) and The Playroom VR (PS VR), I couldn’t be more delighted to welcome Firesprite to the PlayStation Studios family as our 14^th studio! Quite a few members of Firesprite come from SIE’s Studio Liverpool and we’re thrilled to welcome them back.  

Firesprite is a creative and ambitious studio that is exceptional at building incredible experiences that truly showcase the potential of our hardware. The team’s technical and creative capabilities will be paramount to growing our stellar catalogue of exclusive games, and I think you’ll be excited for what’s to come. 

Welcome to PlayStation Studios, Firesprite! 

Today is an incredibly exciting day for Firesprite as we join PlayStation Studios with the backing of Hermen and the entire PlayStation Family. We are very much looking forward to the next part of our journey!

Firesprite, headquartered in Liverpool in the North-West of the UK, was founded in 2012 with the vision of creating games that bring new innovations to any experience we develop. The North-West is steeped in gaming history, producing many iconic developers, publishers and games such as WipEout. Many of our ‘Sprites developed and shaped titles from this era and we are very proud of those roots!

We’ve had the pleasure of working with many talented developers and publishers across the industry and PlayStation in particular has been a friend and co-development partner for the best part of a decade, collaborating together on many exciting projects including The PlayRoom, Run Sackboy! Run and The PlayRoom VR.

PlayStation also gave us the opportunity to create our own IP, The Persistence, and we were given the creative freedom to explore, innovate, and release a survival horror game we are immensely proud of. Now, as a first party studio, we know we have the full support of PlayStation in furthering our heritage of combining creativity and technical innovation to offer some truly unique experiences for PlayStation fans.

I firstly want to thank PlayStation and their community for the warm welcome into a family of incredible creators. I’d also like to thank all of our ‘Sprites, past and present, who have helped shape the Firesprite we see today. I’m proud of the talent we have at Firesprite and you’ll continue to hear and see more from us all very soon!

We can’t wait to show you what we have been working on……we’re just getting started 😊!

– Graeme Ankers, MD of Firesprite