Greetings Travelers! This is your Genshin Impact dev team, inviting you into the summertime of Teyvat with Genshin Impact’s Version 2.8, Summer Fantasia, coming on July 13!  The Golden Apple Archipelago is once again open with a different look, bringing a variety of plots, stories, challenges, and rewards. Get ready to delve into realms you’ve never set foot in before and discover a different side of your longtime companions.

Then, a year after Kaedehara Kazuha’s first arrival, the wandering samurai seems to want to deepen his friendship with you while bringing the first chapter of his personal Story Quest, as well as his close friend Shikanoin Heizou.

Summertime Odyssey

Compared to the previous island adventures, this year’s Summertime Odyssey big event aims to bring even more as the Golden Apple Archipelago sees a drastic makeover. Fresh landscapes and lots of new stories can be found throughout the event; including richer rewards like a great number of new treasure chests. Players will also have the chance to obtain the four-star character Fischl and her newest outfit, both which are available for a limited time.

Travelers visiting the Golden Apple Archipelago this summer can expect some serious explorations, as each island has been transformed through different themes and puzzles.  Xinyan, Fischl, Kazuha, and Mona traveling with us also seem to have their secret connections to certain areas, where you may run into mysterious realms with danger and treasures.

Sailing is always the highlight of island recreations, and this summer you can either speedrun with your Waverider in the specially designed course or set sail with friends online. For example, the Reminiscent Regimen is a co-op-specific event with three different game modes. The Convoy mode requires all participants to escort a large raft to its destination, while Raid requires players to pilot their own Waverider to board floating platforms and take out enemies. In Descent mode, players will have to battle their way down from a high platform in the sky. Be careful, or you and your teammates may find yourselves struggling while airborne.

If you would like to take a leisurely stroll along the beach, remember to pick up the special conches during the Resonating Visions event. By collecting the conches, you can listen to intriguing tales and stories, and redeem Fischl’s all-new outfit with a certain number of conches. All in all, this year’s Golden Apple Archipelago will not only give seasoned Travelers a familiar vibe, but also introduces plenty of fresh exploration mechanics and storylines for everyone!

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Hey y’all! This week the team share some retro classics they’ve returned to, plus an interview with the Unpacking devs at Witch Beam.

Stuff We Talked About

• Unpacking (interview begins at 26:03)
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
• Sonic Origins
• Capcom Fighting Collection
• Jumping Flash
• I.Q Intelligent Qube
• Resident Evil

The Cast

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Last week, we asked you to share in-game celebrations using #PSshare #PSBlog. From feasts and fireworks, to costumes and confetti, here are this week’s highlights: 

scottoka1 shares a parade celebration from Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.

call_me_xavii shares a moment after crossing the finish line in Gran Turismo 7.

ListoChristo shares a celebratory shot of Paris from Assassin’s Creed Unity.

AhmadYuanda_1st celebrates the end of a level in Rayman Legends.

qazimod shares a moment of celebration in Tetris Effect.

K_M_Y_53 celebrates the seasons in Monster Hunter World.

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: Vacation
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on July 6, 2022

Next week, we’re ready for a vacation. Share destinations from the game of your choice that you wish you could visit using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured!

Hello everyone! I’m Andreas Firnigl, CEO and founder of Nosebleed Interactive. We’ve been developing our retro arcade / part sim management game, Arcade Paradise, for the past three years, and I’m super excited (and relieved!) to reveal that the game will launch on PS4 and PS5 on August 11 – You can also wishlist the game on PS5 now.

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Insert Coin

Arcade Paradise is a 90’s themed arcade management simulator where every game is fully playable.

You play as Ashley, a 19-year-old college drop out. Tasked by your father, played marvelously by the award-winning Doug Cockle, (you may know him as Geralt from The Witcher series) you manage the day-to-day tasks of running the family’s King Wash laundromat business. Things start to get interesting when you discover that those dusty old arcade machines lying in the back room have more business potential than the actual laundromat. Ka-ching! Ashley’s imagination runs wild and you embark on a journey that takes you from dreary dead-end job to arcade empire as you experience what it’d be like to run your own games arcade.

There are over 35 fully playable arcade games to unlock within the game, which have all been built from the ground up, and each game has its own gameplay, stories, missions and high scores to set. From a development point of view, this gave us quite a few challenges! (we’ll save that for another blog discussion, tho).

Wash, Profit, Rinse, Repeat

I’m excited to also be able to give you a first look at our new release date trailer, The Grind, which showcases the core gameplay loop. Revealing how managing profits, grinding through, (very video-gamey) apparently mundane, (but actually weirdly enjoyable) chores, allows players to build and expand their very own arcade empire. Unblocking the toilet, peeling gum off floors, doing the laundry, and picking up litter, all act as mini games, from which you can reinvest profits into the arcade. In Arcade Paradise you’ll need to juggle laundromat management and arcade management, and you’ll need to play the games in order to maximize their profitability. It’s safe to say the road to Arcade Paradise won’t be easy, but we think it’ll be super fun.

Relive 90’s Gaming Nostalgia

If you grew up in 90s like me, you’ll probably know and appr

RimWorld Console Edition, the critically acclaimed sci-fi colony simulator, lands on PlayStation 4 July 29. RimWorld intelligently generates stories with one of three A.I. storytellers through intricate and deep systems. No two colonies or adventures are ever the same. 

Enjoy countless hours of unpredictable, sometimes brutally challenging, strategic gameplay with RimWorld Console Edition. Create and develop primitive colonies into futuristic havens, defend against rival factions attacking your base, manage colonists with unique personalities and much more. You will encounter moral dilemmas and difficult decisions making unforgettable stories of triumph and loss.

Bringing RimWorld to PlayStation 4 systems was a great challenge to overcome for the team. A lot of careful thought, design, and work has gone into every aspect of the game to seamlessly transition RimWorld’s critically acclaimed gameplay to PlayStation audiences. To ensure that console players have the best experience possible, the team has been working hard optimising RimWorld to best utilise PlayStation hardware, designing an intuitive interface which doesn’t lose its rich detail and functionality, while translating systems and controls for an unmatched colony simulator experience on PlayStation 4.

Optimising RimWorld for PlayStation 4

Colony simulators like RimWorld are complex beasts that look deceptively simple, with a variety of resource heavy processes in the background. RimWorld itself is one of the deepest in the genre, with its A.I. storytellers intelligently simulating psychology, gunplay, melee combat, climate, diplomacy, interpersonal relationships, art, medicine, trade, and more.  

To maintain this level of complexity and high standard of performance which PlayStation players have come to expect, the team have developed console exclusive optimisations to best use the hardware – such as completely reworking how the game previews in-progress constructions, and how they are displayed in-game; overhauling how the game handles memory and optimising it for consoles. As you play and your colony grows, the game is required to simulate more and more elements, so we wanted to ensure that you have the smoothest experience possible.

Designing a management simulator user interface for consoles

One of the first challenges we faced with RimWorld Console Edition was how we were going to translate all of the functionality from RimWorld’s interface to PlayStation 4 systems. RimWorld features an extremely functional menu with hundreds of construction, management and combat tools required to play the game. Whilst RimWorld’s UI is perfect for mouse and keyboard, it required a full makeover and rework for the DualShock 4 (and DualSense wireless controller via PS5 backwards compatibility). 

Retaining the level of detail for a sit-back couch experience without compromising the depth of world building and narrative generation was always going to be difficult, but we are excited to provide console players with an intuitive and attractive user interface, without sacrificing the core functionality of the original game. Every design decision was made with speed of action first and foremost – no unnecessary animations or ornate flourishes, just clear readability that elevates story and player controls.

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The all-new PlayStation Plus is now available globally. Today, we’re pleased to share the monthly games that will be included in July for PlayStation Plus. From July 5 to August 1, all PlayStation Plus members can add Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan and Arcadegeddon to their game library. 

Also, check out our PlayStation Plus monthly games-inspired playlist on Spotify, which will be refreshed with new songs every month.

Now, let’s take a closer look at the titles.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time | PS4/PS5

An all-new Crash adventure awaits! Dr. Neo Cortex and N. Tropy are back at it again and launching an all-out assault on not just this universe, but the entire multiverse. Wield four powerful guardians of space and time that give Crash and Coco the power to bend the rules of reality and conquer dangerous obstacles in exciting new ways. And you’ll not only play as the wumping, jumping, marsupial duo: experience things from different perspectives with the one and only Dr. Neo Cortex. Play as Crash, Coco, Tawna, Dingodile, or Dr. Neo Cortex and battle bosses such as N. Gin, Louise, Nitrus Brio, and Nefarious Tropy.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan | PS4

In this branching, cinematic horror game from the creator of Until Dawn and The Quarry, five friends set sail on a holiday diving trip that soon changes into something much more sinister. All playable characters can live or die, with the choices you make deciding their fate. Experience your terrifying story alone, with a friend online* or go for safety in numbers with up to five players offline. 

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We hope you’re amped up because starting tomorrow Jane Foster’s The Mighty Thor will be playable in Marvel’s Avengers as a free update!  

The arrival of the Mighty Thor adds a third flying warrior to Marvel’s Avengers for new team compositions and fresh co-op play, bringing the roster to 11 playable heroes, including Spider-Man only on PlayStation.

So what’s the scoop on Jane’s story? In Marvel’s Avengers Jane is torn from an alternate timeline through a rift in space-time caused by Tachyon Anomalies. In her original timeline, Jane became the Goddess of Thunder when she took up the mantle from Thor, who in his grief gave up Mjolnir after the A-Day tragedy. 

Jane Foster is voiced by the talented Zehra Fazal, known for her work across video games and television. In addition to collectable intel documents and character banter, the Mighty Thor’s story is told through a an electric in-game animatic – Marvel’s Avengers – The Mighty Thor: Out of Time – illustrated by veteran Marvel artist Takeshi Miyazawa.  

So how does Jane play? The Mighty Thor possesses all the strength and power of a God of Thunder, but with human touches all her own. 

Jane’s unique talents with Mjolnir begin with her new intrinsic ability All-Mother’s Blessing, and God Tempest, her new Overcharge. All-Mother’s Blessing builds its overcharge meter with melee attacks. Once full, she unleashes her God Tempest, which increases ranged hammer damage and creates shockwaves with each hit. 

Her finesse with Mjolnir shines through in several new features including Quick Fire, a new ranged attack combo that allows the Mighty Thor to make a second more powerful ranged attack by timing her next throw. The Seek and Pin upgrade to her Ranged Attack empowers Mjolnir to seek out and pin enemies without needing to aim.  

Jane’s expert control extends to melee strikes with Earth’s Finest, which adds a hammer toss to her light attack combo for extra reach. Jane also puts her own spin on classic Odinson moves like Headstrong. She relies on her Thunderkick – a brutal front kick – to send enemies flying.  

The Mighty Thor’s kit culminates in The All-Weapon, her brand-new Ultimate Heroic. Drawn from the pages of her Thor and Valkyrie runs, Jane sends Mjolnir to seek and destroy nearby enemy targets. Meanwhile, she calls forth the All-Weapon Undrjarn to protect her, reducing all damage taken while smiting her foes. 

The All-Weapon has a full set of specializations and allows you to customize Mjolnir’s strikes, making them faster and channeling a powerful shock status against nearby enemies. Jane can even use Mjolnir as a personal orbiting defense shield. Check her out in action in our most recent War Table Deep Dive below. 

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Last week, we asked you to dip your toe into the sands of desert dunes or sunny beaches using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s sandy highlights:

DexM_ds shares Aloy taking a rest in the sand dunes of Horizon Forbidden West.

_nvrheardofit shares Nate journeying across a desert in Uncharted 3.

dhruv_239 shares Bayek looking over the sandy landscape of Egypt in Assassin’s Creed Origins.

foxghost181 shares a sandstorm rolling into town in Red Dead Redemption 2.

FayKatriona shares a sandy shot looking at the structures of Journey. 

sicparvismagnap shares Ellie’s arm outstretched across sand in The Last of Us Part II.

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: Celebration

SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on June 29, 2022

Next week, time for a celebration! From feasts to fireworks, share moments where characters celebrated in the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

As a kid born in the mid-80s, a lot of my childhood was spent watching cartoons, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was my favorite morning show. I loved everything about it: The action, the colorful characters, the over-the-top voice acting, and of course, the music! TMNT was just everywhere. It was a huge part of my youth, so I was over the moon when this opportunity came along.

The first theme I composed for TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge was Big Apple 3 PM, and it was born out of pure excitement when I was first invited to score the project. Cyrille Imbert of Dotemu sent me some footage of early gameplay without music, and as I watched it repeatedly, with the biggest smile on my face, I began hearing a song for it inside my head. I immediately got to work and after an hour or so, I had a draft to show the Dotemu and Tribute.

This first draft was a basic proposition for the soundtrack’s general aesthetic, which I thought was very in line with the game’s philosophy – the goal was to dive into the golden era of TMNT, gather up some of the most memorable elements from all of the different media available then, and bring them back in a creative and modernized package. It would contain lots of fun references for that sweet nostalgia, but also be its own thing and introduce fun new concepts to the series, all within that ’80s and ‘90s palette of genres and sounds. Fortunately, everyone was on board with the style, and thus began this musical journey!

I fleshed the song out a bit for early integration so we could test it in-game, and this is what that sounded like:

It immediately sounds fuller by introducing a bunch of new elements and a new section. At this point, I had already started some of the other songs on the soundtrack, and because those were a bit longer, I felt like I should extend this one a bit for the sake of consistency. I added a bit of a break around 1:09 that allows for the song to breathe for a moment before looping back into action. At this point, the guitars were still computer-generated, and the guitar solo was still non-existent.

Instrumentation was key for bridging classic and modern for this soundtrack. It sounds like a game straight out of the early 90’s, but in high fidelity, which was impossible then due to hardware limitations. Many of the sounds used in video game tunes those days were sampled from popular romplers, which were also a big staple of Pop music (editor’s note – A rompler is a synthesizer featuring stock sound presets based on audio samples). I figured that by employing those types of timbres I could emulate the sound aesthetic of that era in an authentic way, even beyond videogames.

I felt like the composition was solid, but the song still sounded a bit thin to me, so I called up Jonny Atma to lay down some guitars. I sent him a reference track, and asked if he could improvise a guitar solo at the emptier sec

Hi everyone, I’m Sébastien Renard, Lead Writer on A Plague Tale: Requiem. Three years after the series’ first title: A Plague Tale: Innocence, we thought it’d be a good time to take a look at the evolution of our main characters. In the upcoming sequel, Requiem, Amicia and Hugo de Rune are at a turning point in their lives.

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How have Amicia and Hugo changed since Innocence?

The brother-sister relationship was central to Innocence. Amicia and Hugo didn’t know each other well at the beginning of the game, and along with their survival, their complicated but thriving affection for each other was at stake. They both try to find their place, with Amicia growing more and more protective of her brother.

The game ends with this existing relationship for the next chapter to build on. The idea for the sequel was to keep these themes alive while introducing new ones, each with their own set of conflicts and emotions.

Requiem introduces a more mature Amicia. She has come to terms with her introverted self, and she has become more playful and keen to bond with her brother. Our heroes now call for a more profound treatment, and this will bring forth situations of a new type. Their inner frailties will be their next challenge.

Threatened by their own selves

Hugo’s powers are developing — he will struggle to keep them under control and sometimes they’ll overthrow him. Although they will be key for him to escape dangerous situations, the young boy will need to resist the risk of giving in to his powers.

On Amicia’s side, her fighting skills honed in Innocence will backfire on her. She won’t have any option but to take on this role that only she can assume — but she will have to face the traumatic emotions that come with it.

Our characters are not superhuman, and our two protagonists will pay the price that becoming a hero entails. Thankfully, they will get help along the way. Unlike the band of companions-in-misfortune that Amicia and Hugo formed in the first game, Requiem will introduce new characters, adults with more confidence and experience, who will guide the two siblings through their personal struggles.

Illusory paradise and dangerous encounters

Our heroes will face their inner co