Hey everyone, today’s the day – Season One Hotshots is now live in Destruction AllStars, exclusively on PS5! The team at Lucid are thrilled for you all to start getting your hands on what we’ve been working on these past few months and there’s still more to come. You’ll be seeing loads of new content making its way into the game over the coming months as part of Season One. We’ve got a brand new launch trailer to celebrate along with a road map detailing all the cool new stuff coming your way through the season.

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Let’s dive into what’s new today. Our brand new AllStar, Alba, is now available for Destruction AllStars players. This veteran of the competition has returned to whip the AllStars into shape and she’s well equipped for the challenge with her high-tech battle suit. We gave an overview of her character ability and Hero Vehicle in our last blog post if you fancy doing some homework, or you can dive right into the game and get to grips with our latest AllStar.

Arriving alongside Alba is her Story Mode (formerly known as Challenge Series). Learn more about what motivates Alba as an AllStar and unlock exclusive cosmetic rewards as you compete in seven gameplay challenges. Some of these challenges are exclusive game modes that aren’t available in online multiplayer and can really test your skills in new ways. In an unexpected twist, Alba is facing off against all of the other AllStars. Be sure to complete the additional star challenges to unlock all the rewards.

Also arriving today is the AllStar Pass. This is a brand new way to earn cosmetic rewards in Destruction AllStars through online multiplayer*, no matter how you choose to play. Be sure to check out the new daily and weekly seasonal and sponsor challenges to give your AllStar Pass a boost.

Whilst today is bringing a lot to the arena, the fun doesn’t stop here. Photo Mode will be arriving very soon on May 19, offering you news ways to get up close and personal with the mayhem and destruction! Take it for a spin in single-player activities and look for that perfect angle on a wreck, evade or pose. 

After that, our brand new game mode Blitz will arrive on June 2. This game mode is all about team based coordination as four teams of thr

Creating sneaker collaborations with PlayStation and Nike Basketball has been one of my favorite pastimes in recent years, and I’m so thankful to this community for supporting me and sharing in my passion. Like many of you, I’ve been a die-hard PlayStation fan all my life, so it’s an honor to introduce my newest creative project with my favorite brands: the PG 5 PlayStation 5 colorway.

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Just like the PlayStation 5 console, the PG 5 is my platform to take my game to the next level, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bring these two elements together in this new partnership with PlayStation. Nike and PlayStation designers, including Yujin Morisawa – the artist behind the PS5 console’s design – worked closely together to bring the spirit of my game and the look of PS5 to life in this unique collaboration. 

Here’s a peek at what you can expect to see in the design this time:

• As with all my PlayStation collaborations, the tongues of the shoe have the PG and PlayStation logos on them.
• The colors of the shoe are heavily inspired by the industrial design of the PS5 with references on the sock liner and outsoles.
• It wouldn’t be a true collaboration with PlayStation if we didn’t include the iconic PlayStation shapes, which are spotted along each shoe in the same pattern as on the DualSense wireless controller. 

Before working on Dark Alliance – the action RPG set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons – I was a game cinematics director at a few major gaming studios. My time before Tuque taught me to not just care about the look of a world.

The “vibe” and the characterization of a world is what brings it to life. That’s what I’m here to talk about today with Dark Alliance. Plus, I want to share a lot of concept art from our artists Vincent, Stanimir, Victor, Dimitri, Fred, Jorge, and Even.

Finding Dark Alliance’s Art Core

The concept of Dark Alliance is simple. It’s you and your friends versus this alliance between legions of monsters. The monsters really started to take on a life of their own as we developed the game. In a way, they’re the stars of the show. They’re what you are going to remember when you talk about Dark Alliance with your friends.

I was interested in exploring the various cultures of these monsters. To me, the best way to showcase a culture is through its music and dance.

This is what drove the game’s style, music, and tone. But it also needs to feel fresh in the high fantasy genre. So, one day I was asked to sum up the game’s art style in two words.

We’re heavy metal.

Heavy Metal Inspiration

When I say heavy metal think art style, not music. The game’s music is fully orchestral. Think of the look of heavy metal album covers, or Mad Max, or Apocalypto. Or even one of the original masters of metal – Mozart.

We also obviously take a lot of inspiration from Dungeons & Dragon art that has come before us. The cool thing about D&D is there have been so many unique interpretations of its art over the decades. There is no one set style. But it all still looks high fantasy at the end of the day.

Dark Alliance is that too. When you put everything together, we still look like the fantasy of D&D. The team took care to bring D&D to life in a way fans will get excited about. Our journey there started with heavy metal inspirations, though, to create our own unique flavor.

The Companions of the Hall

The next challenge was bringing four of the most iconic characters in D&D lore to life. We wanted to stay true to R.A. Salvatore’s descriptions of Drizzt, Bruenor, Catti-brie, and Wulfgar in his books. Here is their early concept art.

Arriving as part of the upcoming Blackwood Chapter (releasing June 8 on PS4 and PS5 alongside ESO’s next-gen optimized Console Enhanced upgrade, free for ESO players), the Companions System will allow you to recruit a new combat ally to take on Tamriel. For the development team, the goal of this new system was to provide a new way to experience ESO’s open world and its many dangers. 

“With the Companions System, we wanted to provide our players with a new ally they can take on their adventures to provide companionship and combat support,” explains Rich Lambert, ESO’s Creative Director. “When adventuring with a Companion, we want our players to be more confident in experiencing everything Tamriel has to offer while also getting to know some unique and interesting characters.”

Mirri Elendis, a Dark Elf “Daedra Expert”

Blackwood will introduce two unique Companions at launch, Mirri Elendis and Bastian Hallix, each with their own personality and unique characteristics.

“Bastian has a strong sense of duty and honor, but he’s also a little socially awkward and values your friendship,” explains Lambert. “Mirri, on the other hand, is quick-witted and clever, but she can also be a bit headstrong and impatient, potentially leading her into trouble. The more you adventure with your Companions, the more you’ll discover what makes them special, including their very different backgrounds.”

Of course, Tamriel is a dangerous place, and whatever role you need filled, your new allies will be able to help you tackle that especially challenging world boss or quest. 

“Companions are designed to be able to perform the game’s different combat roles, such as damage, healing, or tanking, and while they won’t be as powerful as regular players, they’ll still be effective combat allies in the heat of battle,” explains Lambert. “Players might discover that some enemies that challenged them solo in the past, can be defeated with the help of a trusted Companion.”

Customizable Comrades

Just like your own ESO characters, you’ll be able to tailor many aspects of your Companions. 

When designing the Companions System, it was important to us that we allow players to fully customize how their new allies fight and look,” explains Lambert. “They’ll be able to select what combat abilities their Companions utilize in combat, what gear they wear, and even tailor their appearance by applying costumes or outfit styles.” 

Bastian Hallix, an Imperial Battlemage

In addition, as you gain experience and level up your characters, so too will your Companions, and as you quest and explore together, you’ll also have to manage your relationships with these new characters.

“As players earn experience battling monsters, their Companions will also earn their own experience and level up, improving their base stats and unlocking more combat abilities. In addition, as players and Companions adventure together, actions the player takes in the world of Tamriel will also impact their rapport with their active Companion. Rapport levels can go up and down, depending on the activitie

April has come and gone, and with it some incredible new releases. The Players’ Choice polls are open now for you to vote on which game made the biggest impression on you last month! 

We’ll keep the polls open until Sunday night at 11:59pm Pacific, so be sure to cast your vote before then. Then take to the comments to let us know why you think your pick is the one to beat. 

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. Soon thereafter, we’ll close the polls, tally your votes, and announce the winner at PlayStation.Blog. PlayStation Store will also showcase some top Players’ Choice winners throughout the year.

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? In keeping with our long tradition in the Game of the Year Awards, remastered or re-released games won’t qualify. Ambitious, larger-scale rebuilds and remakes like Shadow of the Colossus and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy will.

How are nominees decided? The PlayStation.Blog and PlayStation Store editorial teams will gather a list of that month’s most noteworthy releases and use it to seed the poll. Write-in votes will be accepted.

You got a taste of competitive play in Open Series Tournaments*, felt the thrill of watching rivals develop, and learned how to get better month after month. It’s been one year since we launched free events to help you close the gap on the competition, so let’s celebrate the most memorable moments from your community. The PlayStation Tournaments Open Series 2020 Year in Review is your chance to give players the recognition they deserve.

Watch each video to see the highlights for categories like most heroic comebacks and the funniest moments that cracked you up, then vote for your favorites. Join special guests live on May 26 at 10am PT on PlayStation’s Twitch and Youtube channels after the polls close to honor the top plays with interviews, reactions, and other surprises. The clips will be showcased in order of votes.** Tune in to see who best captures the cooperative side of a competitive community, but don’t run out the clock. Voting closes on May 14 at 11:59pm PT.

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle

• Best Comeback
• Best Combo
• Funniest Moment
• Most Valuable Player (MVP)

BlazBlue: Cross Tag BattleBest Comeback

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is a 2D anime fighter featuring fast-paced gameplay, high damage, and momentum that can shift in one input. A knockout is never far, but neither is a comeback.

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With PlayStation Now’s May lineup, you can try to survive unrelenting yokai in feudal Japan, rub shoulders with manga icons, and battle your way across an entire city. Starting tomorrow, May 4, Nioh, Jump Force and Streets of Rage 4 will be available to play on your PS5 or PS4 console.

Let’s take a closer look at each game.  

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Nioh

Take up your sword and travel to Japan’s blood-bathed Sengoku period – an era ravaged by warring states and dark, malevolent forces – and cut a violent path through the land as the masterless samurai, William. Cross blades in brutal hand-to-hand combat, wielding swords, axes, spears and even war hammers against foes both human and demon. In this brutal third-person adventure, you must endure the vicious encounters and learn from your mistakes: each death will bring you resurrection and each resurrection a greater resolve to overcome your foes.

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Jump Force 

Some of the most famous Manga heroes are thrown into a whole new battleground: our world. Uniting to fight the most dangerous threat, the Jump Force will bear the fate of the entire human kind. Create your own avatar and jump into an original Story Mode to fight alongside some of the most powerful Manga heroes from Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, Hunter X Hunter, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu Yu Hakusho, Saint Seiya and many others. Or head to the Online Lobby to challenge other players and discover lots of modes and activities.

●      Jump Force is available on PlayStation Now until Monday, August 2, 2021.

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com!

Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google or RSS, or download here

The gang’s all here with early thoughts on Returnal and Resident Evil Village. Plus, we play an inaugural game of Box Art Trivia.

Stuff We Talked About

• Resident Evil Village
• Returnal
• Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition
• Disco Elysium
• Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

The Cast

Sid Shuman – Senior Director of Content Communications, SIE

Tim Turi –  Manager, Content Communications, SIE

Brett Elston – Manager, Content Communications, SIE

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Respawn Entertainment has much in store for fans with the Apex Legends Legacy update, coming to the free-to-play battle royale on May 4. We’ve got the lowdown on a new round-based 3v3 mode called Arena, a jetpack-equipped Legend named Valkyrie, the Bocek Compound Bow, as well as an update to the Olympus map. 

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A close look at the Legacy update: Trails of Heroes

The new Arena Mode

In this new 3v3 mode, players compete against each other on a close-quarters map.

How it works

Each round is decided by eliminating the enemy team (of course), with the final victory decided by winning at least three rounds and gaining a margin of victory of at least two rounds. Sudden death decides the final winner on the 9th round when both teams are deadlocked at four wins each. That means that each game has a minimum of three rounds and a maximum of nine.

Buying Phase

Each round begins with a buying phase, which lets players arm themselves with weapons, consumables such as healing items, projectiles, and even abilities — just make sure you have the materials to pay for it. Get ready for a big departure from dropping into the map and collecting gear as you go.

Weapons start out in their basic form with no add-ons, and by purchasing additional upgrades, you can go up from level 1 to level 3 and add a scope of your choice. However, weapons cannot be carried over to the next round, and must be repurchased with each buying phase.

You’ll only be allowed to use Tactical Abilities and Ultimate Abilities in each round. Tactical Abilities start with a limited number of rounds, but you can stock up on more charges during the buying phase. Unspent abilities carry over to the next round.

Materials required for purchase are provided as round bonuses, and can also be earned by extracting them from devices or by killing enemies. The round bonus also increases as the fight progresses, giving you more options for more powerful weapons, upgrades, and ability charges.

The choices you make in the buying phase play a huge role in overall strategy. In the first round, you only have enough materials to buy your best weapon type and one recovery (you start equipped with armor and helmets). The more you earn in round bonuses, the more you can buy as the game progresses. Yo