The year 2022 is almost over, but it feels like just yesterday that we were hyping our most-anticipated games, most of which are now in the rearview mirror. While 2023 is sure to deliver even more incredible experiences, we can’t move on before looking back at what defined this last year in gaming. From in-game clothing styles to the world of virtual sports, let’s take a walk down memory lane through the year that was 2022.

2022, the year that made cats humanity’s best friend

Cats are no strangers to video games, whether they’re cuddling up to our gaming machines for warmth or exploring in-game post-apocalyptic landscapes. This year saw cats take center stage in various titles, such as Annapurna and BlueTwelve’s Stray, a game about a cat that gets wrapped up in saving the world from a material-eating parasite. The feline-led feature Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series was also released. The highly-anticipated collection of remade 2.5D side-scrolling classics reintroduced the world to its titular plucky protagonist.

Of course, cats also graced the likes of Sonic Frontiers, Ghostwire Tokyo, and even Persona 5 Royal. And who can forget everyone’s favorite cult shopkeeper kitty, Forneus from Cult of Lamb? Each of these titles gives players a cat companion to help out along the way of the hero’s journey or offers players complete control of a kitten looking to save the world. Whether it’s Big the Cat helping Sonic learn to fish, Morgana teaching Joker the way of the Phantom Thief, or Ghostwire’s Nekomata handing out side-missions, it seems the cat has become humanity’s new best friend and, at times, our would-be savior.

2022, the year that gave everyone a chance to play

The push towards inclusivity and accessibility was seen in a big way this year. Games like God of War: Ragnarök and The Last of Us Part I included features that add to Santa Monica and Naughty Dog’s past accomplishments in this area. Options such as audio cues, cinematic audio descriptions, auto-platforming, navigational assistance, high contrast mode, and more appear in these titles. Horizon Forbidden West also gave players access to unique difficulty-changing features like automatically having protagonist Aloy sprint, heal, or deploy her trusty Shieldwing. Adjustable settings like these help open games to wider audiences than ever before so that more players can get the chance to experience some of this year’s most captivating adventures.

2022, the year that pushed sports beyond reality

Windjammers 2 brought extremity and otherworldly style to the world of virtual sports with its release back in January. In this hyper-real game of frisbee, players are pelted with super abilities, nutty obstacles, and outlandish venues in a 1-on-1 sport where reactions, wits, and coordination are tested.

This release kicked off a series of fantastic extreme sports titles that could only exist in the virtual world: OlliOlli World, a cartoony 2D skateboarding game that takes place in a world that appears to be made by a skate-loving god; Cursed to Golf, a roguelike golf game set in purgatory that pits you against death itself; and Rollerdrome, a bloodsport that tasks you with perf

Choice is empowering, but it can also be a little overwhelming. The PlayStation Plus Game Catalog (included with PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium memberships), includes dozens of great titles to pick from, including a host of fantastic indie titles. We’re here to share some curated indie picks to help you find that next bespoke gem.

Everything from chill, exploration-driven environmental experiences to bold, brash action-driven challenges to ridiculously silly multiplayer romps to anime-art bullet-hell barrages are available to you, on-demand, as a perk of your subscription. Here’s a sampling of some of the best and brightest PlayStation Plus Game Catalog indie games to check out.

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Abzu

Exploring the vast beauty of the ocean is a dream for many–and in Abzu from Giant Squid Studios, that dream manifests as an unforgettable adventure. As a nameless diver in a vast, open-world undersea environment, you discover remnants of a lost civilization with a bond to the ocean. By exploring and puzzle-solving, you will restore life and energy to this underwater wonderworld. And don’t worry about oxygen–you can travel and admire the graphically sumptuous environments and vibrant ocean life of Abzu at your own pace.

Publisher: 505 Games | PS4

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Bugsnax

Snaktooth Island is home to many natural marvels, the most well-known of which are the titular Bugsnax. These miraculou

As the reindeer are now out of the yard and it is public knowledge that Skábma – Snowfall will be launched on PS4 and PS5 soon, I would like to take this opportunity to explain what our game is really about.

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What is Skábma?

Skábma – Snowfall is an adventure game set in an imaginary version of Sámiland and inspired by the indigenous Sámi culture. The story combines facts and fiction as it dives into the heart of the culture: presenting its old (and sometimes current) beliefs, customs and stories.

Everything in the game is about Sámi. 

Who is Sámi?

It just came to my knowledge that not all people in the world know about Sámi – so I’ll tell you the short version.

We are a very small indigenous group scattered around the northern parts of Scandinavia, Finland, and Russia. There are around 100 000 Sámi, divided into several different Sámi groups and languages. 

All the languages are considered to be very endangered.

We are mostly known from our reindeer-herding culture but there is so much more about us I could tell you. But we’ve only got so much space in this article. I invite you to dive in deeper and learn more about Sámi culture if you’re interested.

The story of Skábma – Snowfall

Skábma tells a story of a young reindeer herder Áilu, who’s ordinary reindeer guarding duty turns into a mission to save their homeland after an odd disease starts to spread in the area. Tracking a runaway reindeer, Áilu stumbles on an old Noaidi Drum – an object of power that was supposed to be destroyed way over a century earlier. 

This is the starting point of Áilu’s journey to become the first Noaidi, Sámi Seer & Healer, in a century. All Áilu has to do now is to learn how to use the drum. Easy right?

The gameplay of Skábma – Snowfall

It’s not easy to master such a powerful tool as the Noaidi Drum. Luckily the Drum helps Áilu reconnect with four Familiar Spirits that are willing to lend them their powers.

The Owl gifts Áilu the ability to dash around and turn Bleeders (infected objects and enemies) into Air Vortexes, making traversal much faster. The Bear gives the power of earth so Áilu can ground themselves to stand against strong winds, create rock platforms and break obstacles infected by the Bleed.  The Trout grants the power of healing and shielding. And finally, the agile Fox will lend the ability to jump higher and set Bleeders on fire. 

Gaining ne

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The end of 2022 is here, and with it comes the PS Blog Game of the Year! The team chats through the winners, and our favorite games this past year. We’ll catch y’all in the new year!

Stuff We Talked About

• God of War Ragnarök
• Elden Ring
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Stray
• Overwatch 2
• Cult of the Lamb
• Inscryption
• Callisto Protocol

The Cast

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I’m very happy that we are celebrating our 25th anniversary since the first release of the Gran Turismo series.

Back in 1992, Gran Turismo was the first project plan I created out of close to 100 others I came up with when I first started my career in this industry, so it means a lot to me.

While making video games was something I started from 10 years old as a hobby, I had never thought about making it a career.

I started a movie production club when I was 14, and had been producing movies, so I first joined Sony hoping to create image products. But the department they assigned me to was not what I was expecting.

It was a department where the PlayStation console was just about to start, and was a place where Kutaragi-san was working feverishly to bring the concept of PlayStation to life.

That place was not what I had hoped for, but looking back now, you could say that I was very lucky.

I was fascinated by real time 3D graphics that many had been waiting for, and created and presented plans for all kinds of video games, not just limited to race games but RPGs, adventure games, action games, puzzle games, and more.

As a result, Gran Turismo took a more fantasy race game format in the “Motor Toon Grand Prix”, becoming one of the first 1st party titles for PlayStation, but if a plan for something other than a racing game had been the one that was approved, there is a good chance that I might have been making a title other than Gran Turismo today.

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Thereafter the Gran Turismo project started from gathering a team of two part time artists and three engineers.

From there, the number of comrades have continued to increase in number for over quarter of a century, and has become Polyphony Digital today, a company with over 200 staff members.

I don’t think there are many video game franchises in the world that have continued for 25 years with the same title, and with the same team.

The founding members of the company are still working on the front lines, and I am thankful and proud that all 200 of our staff are a team that have the same motivation and love that the company started with in the beginning.

In the last 25 years, the cumulative sales total of the series have reached over 90 million copies as of November 16, 2022.

And this result is something that could not be accomplished by ourselves alone.

Behind that 90 million figure, there are all the people of the media who conveyed the allure of Gran Turismo to their readers. There are the people of PlayStation who sold GT for us around the world with passio

Have you ever wanted to start your own potion shop and take on the role of a medieval alchemist? Well, now you’ll have that opportunity when Potion Craft comes to PlayStation in 2023!

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What is Potion Craft?

Potion Craft is an alchemist simulator where you play as an aspiring alchemist, physically interacting with your tools and ingredients to brew magical potions in your shop. Take orders from your shop’s visitors, explore the alchemy map to discover new recipes, and create the legendary Philosopher’s Stone to become the master alchemist! 

Your main task is to brew different concoctions using the tools like a cauldron, mortar and pestle, bellows, and ladle. Every day your fellow townsfolk will come to your shop – each looking for a solution to their problems. You need to listen to and understand their needs to prepare the most suitable potion for them.

Don’t forget to put your bartering skills to work before handing over the goods. You work hard, so haggle for every gold coin! The haggling mechanics allow you to chat on different topics with your customers to negotiate the best price. But be careful, and don’t get greedy! The more complex the subject, the more chance your conversation partner has of tipping the scales in their favor!

Think carefully about whom you sell to and what you sell them though, as every decision affects your shop’s reputation. The better your shop’s reputation, the kinder (and nobler) your customers will be. If you run a shady business, however, you will be visited more often by not-so-nice individuals… with equally unpleasant requests! It’s up to you whether you want to be a kindhearted healer and friendly wizard or whether you want to do business with outlaws and witches as a dark warlock.

Learn the art of potion making

Leaves, flowers, berries, roots, fruits, minerals, salts, crystals, and a plethora of mushrooms are at your mortar and pestle disposal! Ingredients can be found in the Enchanted Garden or bought from differ

Photo Mode is now officially in God of War Ragnarök, and we’ve loved what the community has shared so far.

To help you create even more perfect in-game shots, we’ve asked two of our most active community photographers to give you the advice you need to take your photo to the next level. 

Hosts of the podcast Photomode Unplugged and prolific contributors to the God of War photographer community, we’ve asked TheFourthFocus and DotPone to give us their top tips for those of you looking to get snapping in God of War Ragnarök.

Getting Started in Video Game Photography

TheFourthFocus 

Virtual photography is a great way for players to engage more with the games they love and, with its recent photo mode update, God of War Ragnarök has joined the photography party. 

By enabling a set of in-game tools that mimic the use of a real-world camera, the photo mode can be used to capture original and creative shots of Kratos and Atreus’ journey throughout the Nine Realms.

Found via the Options menu, the photo mode will freeze the game and allow players to move around the scene with a virtual camera. As with any type of photography, mastering the composition and arranging elements within the frame is key to a compelling image, so work the camera using the analog sticks to find a good angle. Pay close attention to the lighting direction and be sure to put emphasis on the chosen subject while avoiding distractions that draw the eye away – get these right and most of the hard work has already been done.

TheFourthFocus

Go-to settings

TheFourthFocus

For me, the most important settings in the photo mode are those that affect the actual composition of the shot and change how the camera captures the scene. Start off by adjusting how wide the view within the frame is, either by directly setting the Field of View angle or by changing the Focal Length to “zoom” in or out. 

Notice that a long Focal Length creates a narrow Field of View angle and vice versa, and that each can greatly influence the style of the shot.

As a general rule, a longer Focal Length is great for getting up-close or removing clutter from the frame, while a short Focal Length creates a wide angle that adds perspective distortion and can make shots look more dynamic. 

If it’s portraits that you are interested in, the 50 – 85 mm is a real sweet spot.

TheFourthFocus

Of course, there is no point in setting up a well-framed shot if the subject is completely blurry, so switch over to the Focus Distance setting to place the point of focus on the subject so they appear nice and sharp. 

A top tip here is to aim for the eyes as they create the strongest connection to the viewer. 

Next to this setting, you’ll also find the f-stop value which can be used to control the depth of field – essentially that is how much of a scene appears in sharp focus. Increasing the f-stop value will bring more of the foreground and background into focus, while decreasing it creates a shallow depth of field that can be used to separate a subject from the background and create a soft boke

SPIDER-MAN! It’s no secret that our team at Insomniac Games loves the character – so we wanted to show up for the web-head’s 60th anniversary in a cool way. Cue… comics! We collaborated with Marvel to design five Beyond Amazing variant covers, featuring art inspired by the Marvel’s Spider-Man game series, our studio’s take on the character.

See our cover gallery below! Each cover is accompanied by a blurb from an Insomniac artist sharing info about their inspirations, insights, and love of Spider-Man! These issues have already begun rolling out in the U.S. with more releasing soon… check with your local U.S. retailers for availability! Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales are available now on PlayStation 5 and PC.

John Staub

What inspired this cover?

The cover was inspired by a Spider-Man cover created by the amazing John Romita.

What tools did you use to create it?

The cover was done using Photoshop.

What’s your personal history with Spider-Man?

Spider-Man was definitely a part of my childhood growing up watching the animated cartoon in the afternoon. The opening with its 3D buildings and iconic theme song stayed with me throughout my adulthood. I always thought how amazing it would feel to be able to swing around the city.  It would be many years later playing the Insomniac game that I would rediscover that feeling.

What makes a great comic book cover?

Its simplicity is what makes it great. I can imagine this cover sticking out in a comic book shop filled with hundreds if not thousands of comics all fighting for our attention with dynamic compositions.  This cover would simply stand out just by contrast.

Oliver Fetscher

What inspired this cover?

This cover is a tribute to Web of Spider-Man #1 (Art by Charles Vess) issue, so that is the main inspiration. That being said, I grew up as a Spider-Man fan in the 1990’s and 2000’s and wanted to bring in some of that artistic flavor that inspired me heavily growing up. I have a big love for detailed art-work and strong compositions that tells a story in different layers.

What tools did you use to create it?

I primarily used photoshop and some 3D for setting up a base and perspective in the scene.

What’s your personal history with Spider-Man?

I was convinced I was Spider-Man as a kid and ruined a bookshelf at home after getting ideas from reading some new comics… All jokes aside, I have always been a huge comic book fan and Spider-Man has always been at the top of that list, some of my earliest drawings are of Spider-Man and his villains. I remember looking at the art, thinking that one day maybe I can draw like that.

What makes a great comic book cover?

I think that there can be many different good concepts around what makes a good cover. Sometimes