Wednesday, April 6, 2022

PlayStation.Blog

PlayStation.Blog


Preserving art through Tilda’s Vault in Horizon Forbidden West

Posted: 06 Apr 2022 06:00 AM PDT

While the stunning landscapes of the Forbidden West may depict a post-post-apocalyptic North America, the world of Horizon is crafted at a studio in the heart of Amsterdam. At Guerrilla, we’re always happy to showcase our Dutch roots to our international community. So when the opportunity presented itself to collaborate with the Rijksmuseum, we had to take it. 

The Rijksmuseum is the national art and history museum of The Netherlands. Its collection features the renowned works of Dutch masters like Rembrandt and Vermeer. Working together with the museum's experts, a handful of these artworks were chosen to be featured during a pivotal moment in the story of Horizon Forbidden West. 

The result is an intimate experience that not only speaks to the importance of preserving cultural artifacts, but also demonstrates how art helps us process emotion and connect with one another.


Spoiler alert: This section includes some top-level Horizon Forbidden West story spoilers


"Don't be so quick to dismiss the comfort we can find in art. Or the insight we might gain." These are the words of Tilda van der Meer, a major new character in Horizon Forbidden West. She was always set to be a space-faring immortal who returns to Earth after a thousand-year absence. However, after meeting with the Rijksmuseum back in 2019, Guerrilla's narrative team reimagined the character as a Dutch technologist, authentication expert, and art collector who fights to preserve elements of the museum's collection from the ravages of time.

When the Rijksmuseum saw Tilda's new biography, Curatorial Assistant Denise Campbell and her team were inspired to select ten perfect pieces for the collection featured in the game, each of which resonates with Tilda's personality.   

Guerrilla then worked to create a space in the game to show off these works, preserved for a millennium: the vault inside of Tilda's mansion. When Aloy first enters, she is captivated by the great works featured prominently on the tall concrete walls and pedestals. In this atmospheric area, Aloy—and the player—can linger for however long they wish and discuss the pieces with Tilda through Aloy's Focus. Ultimately, this provides a connection between both characters, beautifully acted by Ashly Burch and Carrie-Anne Moss, manifested through their mutual admiration and interpretation of Tilda's collection.

The Rijksmuseum has been a phenomenal collaborator over the past few years, from curating the selection to now. They are cordially inviting Horizon Forbidden West fans and art admirers alike to take the Aloy Tour at any time, and see the magnificent collection up close as displayed in the historic museum halls. The ten selected works are:

  • The Night Watch, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1642
  • Woman Reading a Letter, Johannes Vermeer, ca. 1663
  • Titus in a Monk's Habit, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1660
  • Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1630
  • Woman Reading Music, Han van Meegeren, 1935 – 1940
  • Selene and Endymion, Gerard de Lairesse, ca. 1680
  • A Ship on the High Seas Caught by a Squall, Known as 'The Gust', Willem van de Velde (II), ca. 1680
  • Lidded ewer for the Amsterdam Goldsmiths Guild, Adam van Vianen (I), 1614
  • Frenzy, Artus Quellinus (I) (attributed to), na 1648 – in of voor 1662
  • Bacchant, Adriaen de Vries, 1626

If you want to know more about how we created Tilda's Vault and selected which significant artworks were featured in-game, please check out the video below: 

Preserving art through Tilda's Vault in Horizon Forbidden West

Players’ Choice: Vote for March 2022’s best new game

Posted: 05 Apr 2022 08:00 AM PDT

Ahoy, there! As March comes to a close, we once again open the Players’ Choice polls. You have until Sunday night at 11:59pm Pacific to cast your vote for the best new game of the month, be it a supernatural thriller set in an eerily quiet Tokyo, the latest entry in a genre-defining driving simulator, a VR sequel starring one of the most adorable protagonists of the past decade, a bizarre — yet surprisingly fun to play — action-RPG spinoff, or something else entirely.

Hit the poll below, then scroll even further down to leave a comment telling us what you picked. See you with the winner soon!


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 Demon’s Souls 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.


Heist-based multiplayer Hood: Outlaws & Legends hits PS Plus today: here’s everything you need to know

Posted: 05 Apr 2022 05:00 AM PDT

Hood: Outlaws & Legends is available starting today as part of April's PlayStation Plus lineup. After today's free update, no Outlaw will be left behind, with full cross-platform invites allowing players to group up before heists across platforms. In addition, the Season 3: Ostara Battle Pass brings over a hundred epic new cosmetics to bolster the already extensive collection of outfits, weapon skins, and banners, giving each player the power to decide the look of their legend.

It's the perfect opportunity to band together with your squad of outlaws and try your hand at Hood's nerve-racking multiplayer action. If you're new to the game, here's everything you need to know. 

Hood: Outlaws & Legends is a medieval multiplayer heist game released in 2021. Faced with a merciless, unchecked state, rival gangs compete in daring heists to hit the wealthy where it hurts and win influence with an oppressed people. Folk hero or gold-hungry outlaw, only the best will escape with hard-earned riches. Assemble your team of four players, execute nail-biting heists in different PvP, PvE and hybrid modes, infiltrating large medieval environments to find treasure and extract it.

Choose your character from five unique classes based on your preferred playstyle, or what best fits your team strategy. In this game where cooperation is key, your team's composition can suit a stealthy long-range approach, brutal close combat or a more balanced, cookie cutter approach. Form your team and jump into one of the modes available ranging from the coop PvE State Heist where you're pitted against alert and dangerous AI guards, to the PvPvE Heist or Gold Rush modes.

In Heist, Hood's standard PvPvE mode, outsmart or overpower an opposing team of 4 outlaws in finding, stealing and extracting heavily guarded riches. Stealth will be your biggest friend as you locate the fearsome State Sheriff who holds the key to the vault, and steal it from him. Then, prepare to be hunted by the guards and the enemy team as you do your best to extract the spoils by using one of the winches on the many extraction points on the map.

In Gold Rush, your team must bring a certain amount of gold to one of its controlled spawn points before your opponents. But be careful, carrying too much gold will weigh you down, making you run slower, so make sure you secure it regularly or that you're moving as a team in case the rival gang ambushes you along the way. Blood will be spilled. Riches will be stolen. Legends will be reborn!

Between heists, visit the hideout to spend some of your stolen fortune. Giving money back to the people will increase the range of items available to you. Improve, alter and refine your characters' skills with a range of perks, or further personalize your heroes with a range of new weapon skins and costumes. Each of the characters has access to unique perks that can radically effect their playstyle, don't hesitate to experiment.

Hood is available on PS5 and PS4 and features both cross-gen and crossplay matchmaking to make it easy to play with your friends on any platform. PS5 players can enjoy a variety of features such as thrilling 4K/60FPS visuals, and highly responsive haptic feedback. Feel every tug of bowstring subtly change in relation to your stamina level, every hit land, and every slide, run or fall on the different surfaces. In a game where precision is key, every bit of information is precious.

Since the game's launch in 2021, tons of content have been added in the form of new maps like Mountain, new modes and two Seasons. Season 1: Samhain, brought a fresh, sword-wielding outlaw called Eidaa who is deadly in toe-to-toe combat. Season 2: Yule introduced the Gold Rush mode. And today, to coincide with the game's launch into PlayStation Plus, we're launching Season 3: Ostara. Get a taste of what to expect in the all-new trailer which you can watch below: 

Heist-based multiplayer Hood: Outlaws & Legends hits PS Plus today: here’s everything you need to know

Season 3 comes with a new Battle Pass brimming with content to pull off your heists in style and, like in the previous seasons, some balance tweaks as we continue to iterate on Hood with feedback from our wonderful community of outlaws. Best of all, the three seasons' additional gameplay content, as well as a hefty amount of cosmetics, are included in the base package of the game.

 Are you ready to become Legends?

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