Thursday, June 2, 2022

PlayStation.Blog

PlayStation.Blog

No Man’s Sky in development for PlayStation VR2

Posted: 02 Jun 2022 03:29 PM PDT

Three years ago we launched our Beyond update and reimagined No Man's Sky as a true virtual reality experience. It was a huge undertaking, but overnight it became one of the biggest VR titles, as we released it as a free update for every member of our large community. We wanted players to experience our universe from an entirely new perspective and play through its entirety fully immersed in VR. 

Today we are happy to announce that No Man's Sky is in development for PlayStation VR 2. (PS VR2 system also currently in development). It's also a fantastic moment for us to focus on our virtual reality experience.

Back in 2019, for the original PlayStation VR, we took the decision to rebuild the game from the ground up, leaving no stone unturned when it came to amping up the VR immersion. 

Cockpits and control systems of starships and land vehicles were rebuilt, menu systems and interfaces redesigned, teleportation controls, terrain manipulation, warp effects were all redesigned to heightened the dynamism, tacticity and exhilaration of your adventure. No aspect of the experience was overlooked in our drive for maximum immersion.

In the years that have passed, looking back on the planet you've just left as it recedes from view, staring up as your life-sized ship teleports in above you, or creating a towering base structure in VR solo or with friends, has never gotten old. In a VR headset, creatures seem closer and more familiar, space battles more ferocious and frenetic, planetary vistas more expansive and zen-like.

To experience No Man's Sky in PS VR was a minor miracle, such was the technical challenge we faced bringing an infinite seamless universe into the futuristic headset. Several years later, the technology has taken another major leap forward such that, now, we have the opportunity to immerse the player to a whole new level.

The power of PlayStation 5, coupled with the all-new PlayStation VR2 hardware, including the new Sense controllers, combine to take that sense of immersion and believability up by several major notches. 

We will be talking more about the specific features of No Man's Sky for PlayStation VR2 in the coming months.

Our journey continues.

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution announced for PS VR and PS VR2

Posted: 02 Jun 2022 03:24 PM PDT

In the years since its launch, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners has become a much beloved title on PSVR, with its immersive, survival-focused story campaign, its action-packed wave-based Trial mode, and its end game story expansion Aftershocks. Now, two years after its original release, we're happy to announce the next chapter in the story of the Tourist; The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution, which is coming to both PS VR (system available now) and PS VR2 (system currently in development).

But what does the “Chapter 2” title really mean for Saints & Sinners? As a direct follow up to the first game, Retribution adds a whole new story campaign, new maps to explore, new weapons and tools, and all new challenges. 

While there are many surprises that we will have to save for later in the year, we’ll dive into some of the key differences you can expect which will make Retribution a worthy sequel and advancement of the groundwork set in Saints & Sinners.

All new arsenal

Saints & Sinners was first announced with an iconic fire axe teaser image to represent just one of the many visceral weapons players would be able to use. Retribution is no different, the first glimpse of the game being a brutal chainsaw that has sparked great excitement with the community. The physics-based combat and the wide variety of weapons to interact with in Saints & Sinners was one of its greatest highlights, and Chapter 2: Retribution aims to take tactile brutality even further. The gear you find won’t simply be variants of already familiar weapons, but instead be designed to provide unique methods of combat not previously available.

Among the new entries to your arsenal, you will find silencers that help you avoid alerting the undead when using firearms, new guns like the SMG and sawed-off shotgun for better ranged horde control, and a chainsaw to tear through anything in your path (at the cost of its bulky weight and its need for fuel). These are just some of the new additions, so stay tuned for more information about how you are about to get a whole lot more dangerous.

All new dangers

The Axeman, a mysterious post-apocalyptic slasher with goals to take you down, hinted at in the Aftershocks expansion of TWDSS and now seen in our latest teaser trailer, acts as just one of the major ways Retribution plans to reignite a sense of fear and danger into players in unexpected ways.

Alongside the looming threat Axeman, who’s actions and schemes across the campaign will always keep you on edge, you can expect greater numbers of walkers to better capture scale of the undead threat, and more complex battles against armed and dangerous human combatants. Carefully crafted missions will work to take all these expanded threats and create new, frightening and memorable encounters. 

New Orleans Nightlife

One of the biggest changes coming to the original gameplay loop of TWDSS is the inclusion of expeditions into the city during the night. With Chapter 2's goal of making our take on New Orleans as expansive and immersive as ever, every map – both old and new – can be visited after the bells have been rung and the living dead have flooded the area. While this will make scavenging during the night far more dangerous, it brings with it new gameplay opportunities as well as rewards.

Stealth becomes far more crucial as you can more easily hide from walkers and by using newly implemented flares, you can lead them away from where you want to go. There are items, such as survival bags left behind by those fleeing or slain, which are only discoverable during the hours of darkness, giving you incentive to make these runs.  Just remember that the dark makes it much easier to bump into the increased hordes yourself…

Devil’s in the details

For each one of the major gameplay changes coming to Retribution, there are dozens of smaller tweaks designed to improve the overall immersion of the game.

The walkers are a prime example of where this focus is going, as small but key details make this ever-present threat all the more impactful. We've increased the number and detail of visual feature combinations to better help each walker you fight look different from the last.

To match the increased weapon pool, the ways that walker bodies react to damage has also increased, making each hit both more visceral and realistic. The animations for these enemies have also been expanded, with walkers now having better reactions to their environment, like when falling from great heights. All of these small changes work together to make Retribution a more believable world to explore. 

The next step for VR

Above all else, Chapter 2: Retribution strives to remain the premier example of tactile brutality for VR gaming and wow players the same way that Chapter 1 of TWDSS did. With the power and new immersive features afforded us by PS VR2, players will enjoy higher quality visuals, more precise hand tracking and larger, more detailed levels with more to find and more to see. The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution is currently set to come to PSVR in late 2022 and PS VR2 in 2023.

The Callisto Protocol’s sci-fi horror gameplay revealed

Posted: 02 Jun 2022 03:20 PM PDT

On behalf of everyone at Striking Distance Studios, I wanted to let you know how excited we are to give PlayStation fans an exclusive first look at The Callisto Protocol. 

Some of you may know me as the creator of Dead Space, and I'm excited to be returning to my roots with an all-new take on the sci-fi survival horror genre. I hope you like what we've got to show you today!

Set on Jupiter's "dead moon" Callisto in 2320, The Callisto Protocol is the story of Jacob Lee, an inmate at Black Iron Prison who must fight for his life when a mysterious outbreak throws the moon into chaos. Prison guards and inmates are mutating into monstrous creatures called Biophage, and Jacob must battle to survive the horrors of Black Iron and uncover the dark secrets of the United Jupiter Company.

Creating terrifying moments in games is hard. To bring the world of The Callisto Protocol to life, the team uses a process we call Horror Engineering to hand craft unforgettable scares.  It’s about blending atmosphere, tension, brutality, helplessness, and humanity to thrill players … and hopefully scare the crap out of them.

Let's take a look at how it works.

Horror starts with atmosphere.  Callisto is an oppressive world that feels desolate, isolated, and puts players on edge. We spend a ton of time designing the lighting to create a sense of dread and keep players guessing about what's in the shadows.

We also take full advantage of PS5's 3D Audio capabilities and leverage acoustic ray tracing, diffraction, and portaling to fully immerse players in the world.  From the monstrous sounds of Biophage echoing down long dark hallways, to the ambient whirring of broken prison machinery, audio is a huge feature in making players feel trapped, isolated, and alone.

We also obsess over building and releasing tension. You can't have jump scares around every corner.  Sometimes we space scares out to give players time to catch their breath, and sometimes we hit them with two or three scares in a row.  We want your heart to race with every tick of the PS5's awesome haptics. From the satisfying swing of Jacob's stun baton, to the heavy footsteps of a massive enemy, the PS5 helps us make players feel every moment of the pulse-pounding tension.

What would a horror game be without brutality?  Striking Distance Studios has designed a strategic combat system that forces players to get up close and personal with our horrifying creatures.  We seamlessly blend melee combat and gunplay with a unique gravity weapon called the GRP.

Black Iron guards use the GRP to control the prison population, but it also allows Jacob to get creative in how he battles the Biophage.  Players can freeze a rushing enemy in their tracks, or even throw Biophage into a nearby turbine fan or environmental hazard to escape a seemingly dire situation.

The Callisto Protocol is a survival horror game, so players should feel helpless.  Jacob isn't a soldier, and every encounter is a life and death struggle. Ammo, health, and weapons are precious, and players will need to scour Black Iron for any advantage they can find.

And finally, the game needs to have an element of humanity. We want to give players characters that they care about, and a deep, immersive story that's going to keep them guessing until the end. The role of Jacob is played by Josh Duhamel, who delivers a thrilling performance that brings the whole world to life.

We can't wait for you to experience the horrors of Callisto yourself later this year!

The game comes out around the world on PS5 and PS4 on December 2, 2022. And make sure to pre-order the game on the PlayStation Store to receive a special Contraband Pack to help give Jacob a fighting chance against the unspeakable horrors of Black Iron Prison. That's all we have for now, but we'll have much more to share about The Callisto Protocol in the weeks and months ahead.

Horizon Call of the Mountain gameplay trailer revealed, and Horizon Forbidden West gets update including New Game+

Posted: 02 Jun 2022 03:15 PM PDT

In early January we offered you a glimpse into Horizon Call of the Mountain, a new adventure created exclusively for PlayStation VR2 (PS VR2 system currently in development). And now, we're excited to share a new trailer with you, featuring some of the action and adventure that will take place in this upcoming game — have a look:

Meet Ryas, Horizon Call of the Mountain's protagonist 

The world of Horizon is spectacular up close. In Call of the Mountain, you'll be seeing it through the eyes of Ryas, a former Shadow Carja Warrior who hopes to redeem himself by investigating a grave new threat to the Sundom. He is a master at climbing and archery, two skills crucial to survival as you step into his shoes, scaling perilous mountains and taking down mighty machines like the Thunderjaw.  

Throughout your journey, you'll master various tools and weapons and use the world's many materials to craft additional gear, equipping you for any situation. But you won't be going it alone. Along the way, you'll meet Horizon characters new and old, including Aloy herself. 

Alongside the game's main story, Call of the Mountain will also offer an exciting, immersive River Ride experience. Take a seat and enjoy the gorgeous views of the world of Horizon, but look out; some uninvited machines may try to come aboard! The River Ride is the perfect way for a player using the PS VR2 headset to share the magic of PS VR2 with your friends and family as they watch along on a connected display.

Horizon Call of the Mountain has been proudly developed together with the talented team at Firesprite. You can read more about the game at PlayStation.com We can't wait to welcome VR fans into the Horizon community.

Horizon Forbidden West gets a big update

Of course, at the studio, we're continuing to build on Horizon Forbidden West, which launched this past February.  

We're so thankful for our incredibly talented community and are happy to announce that a major update will be released today. It includes the much-requested New Game+ feature and Ultra Hard mode for those who want challenge themselves further, but also a host of quality-of-life features that we know our community would appreciate: the transmog feature allows players to easily customize the cosmetics of their equipped outfit to look like any other owned outfit, and with respec players are enabled to freely reset their skill points and redistribute them.

Think you can still take down that Slaughterspine? This update also comes with a dedicated trophy pack so you can track your victories as you revisit the Forbidden West on Ultra Hard through New Game+!  

Additionally, there's a new Herbalist vendor who sells animal parts, and we've revamped Temporal Anti-Aliasing to improve the visual fidelity of our Performance mode on PS5 and rendering on PS4 Pro. We're already working on an upcoming patch which will include VRR support and a 40FPS Mode, so stay tuned for more.

Resident Evil Village is coming to PSVR2

Posted: 02 Jun 2022 03:13 PM PDT

The PlayStation 5 version of the award-winning Resident Evil Village is coming to PlayStation VR2! Development is currently underway to bring the story campaign in its entirety to be playable in VR.

The PS VR2 system is currently in development, and Resident Evil Village will be able to provide an even deeper immersive experience by taking full advantage of the vivid graphics possible with the headset's 4K HDR display, PlayStation VR2's eye tracking, PS5's 3D Audio* and more.

Soak in the gorgeous details of Dimitrescu Castle, from its beautiful chandeliers to the textures of its furnishings, In PSVR2, you'll feel the castle's inhabitants' presence all the more as they stalk you through its hallways, and be prepared to get overwhelmed by its owner, Lady D…

In addition to the PS VR2 headset, you'll use the PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers to represent each hand in-world. Try guarding using both of your arms and Ethan will guard in the same way; hold up a gun and Ethan will hold up his. You are also now able to execute dynamic actions such as firing your gun while holding a knife with the other hand, or holding a handgun with one hand and a shotgun with the other. These advanced controllers increase the player’s immersion with the game.

We showed you some special battle scenes we prepared just so that you could get a feel of the battle system in the PlayStation VR2. The ultimate immersive survival horror experience, this game will put you right in the world of Resident Evil Village. Become Ethan Winters and take on this death-defying adventure!

Please stay tuned for further information on the release date and pricing.

*3D audio via built-in TV speakers or analog/USB stereo headphones. Set up required.

Resident Evil 4 comes to PS5 next year: first gameplay and story details

Posted: 02 Jun 2022 03:09 PM PDT

Hi PlayStation fans! We are excited to finally be able to talk about Resident Evil 4!

Resident Evil 4 is a remake of the 2005 game Resident Evil 4. When it first came out, Resident Evil 4 revolutionized the Resident Evil franchise with its new game-style that combined action, shooting, and resource management elements, subsequently setting the standard for future Resident Evil titles.

This time, the game is being developed to achieve state-of-the-art quality for a survival horror suitable for 2023, while preserving the essence of the original game. We aim to make the game feel familiar to fans of the series, while also providing a fresh feeling to it. This is being done by reimagining the storyline of the game while keeping the essence of its direction, modernizing the graphics and updating the controls to a modern standard.

The story thus far

Six years have passed since the biological disaster in Racoon City. 

Leon S. Kennedy, one of the survivors of the incident, has been recruited as an agent reporting directly to the president.

With the experience of multiple missions on his back, Leon is sent to rescue the kidnapped daughter of the president of the United States.

He tracks her to a secluded European village, where there is something terribly wrong with the villagers.

And the curtain rises on this story of grueling survival horror and rescue.

Resident Evil 4 is the latest survival horror game where life and death intersect with terror and catharsis. Scheduled to release on March 24, 2023.

Celebrating Shantae’s 20th anniversary with her creator Wayforward

Posted: 02 Jun 2022 09:00 AM PDT

Hi, I’m Matt Bozon, creative director at WayForward and the director of the Shantae video game series. It's been 20 years since the release of the very first Shantae game! Can you believe it?! For longtime Shantae fans, today will be a brisk walk down memory lane. If you're new to the series, allow me to catch you up on what you've missed! In short: a lot of genies, pirates, monsters, and hair.  

Shantae, the original indie darling!

Let's start at the very beginning (a very good place to start)! Shantae was created by Erin Bozon in 1994 during a time when it was rare to see a lead female video game character — and when they did exist, it was often as an optional secondary character or a masked heroine. Erin began concepting a new game starring a prominent female lead, in hopes of inspiring more girl gamers, and at the same time, create an action/fantasy game that everyone would enjoy. The result was Shantae, a Half-Genie with a hair-whipping ponytail and the ability to belly dance to transform into a monkey, elephant, and other creatures. Together we formed a husband-and-wife creative team, laying the series groundwork for several years. 

The first game, simply titled "Shantae," established a lot of the series' core gameplay and introduced players to the world of Sequin Land, as well as characters like Shantae, her adopted uncle Mimic, best friends Sky, Bolo, and Rottytops, and arch-nemesis Risky Boots! The world was vast and filled with whimsical townsfolk and monsters. The character animation was fluid, and backgrounds were lush and vibrant, with lots of parallaxing effects, day and night cycles, a massive track list of catchy tunes, and a new gameplay gimmick lurking around every corner. 

The game was so large, in fact, that it required a prohibitively expensive cartridge. The combination of low manufacturing runs and critical acclaim gave Shantae a sort of "cult status," making it one of the rarest collectible games out there. Thankfully, it will be made widely available on PS4 and PS5 later this year, so you won't have to pay an arm and a leg to try this classic!

Fun Fact: In Erin's original design, Shantae could belly dance to charm "animal helpers." These animals could be summoned and controlled by the player, used to slash enemies, leap across pits, or trample obstacles. Later the idea was changed to allow Shantae to transform by learning magical dance moves.  

Shantae: Risky's Revenge!

Released in 2010, Shantae: Risky's Revenge was the long-awaited sequel, and was the first Shantae game to appear on PlayStation. The game opens with a much more capable Shantae, now a fully recognized Guardian Genie, protector of Scuttle Town and kicker of Risky Boots' booty in the last adventure. Success goes to Shantae's head, and she's easily duped into a quest to restore the magical power of a mysterious old lamp — it's all a trap laid by Risky Boots. Although players save the day in the end, Shantae (the character) must learn to deal with defeat and betrayal. And…yes, this is the "good" ending! But don't worry…a sequel game isn't far behind. 

Fun Fact: To this day, Risky's Revenge remains the most widely played game in the series!  

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse! 

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, the third entry in the series, holds a special place among fans. Despite the setbacks of her previous adventure, Shantae starts the game with a fresh-faced "can-do" attitude. After an exciting action sequence, Shantae is faced with even greater setbacks than before, and the lines between right and wrong begin to blur for the young hero. Action, puzzles, bosses, exploration, and soundtrack reach new heights, and the compelling story, humor, and deeper emotional connection struck a chord with players. The game featured multiple endings, allowing for a "bittersweet" or "truly satisfying" conclusion to the story. Definitely one to check out when it arrives on PS5 later this year!

Fun Fact: Pirate's Curse was updated to include a bonus minigame, "Super Shantae Nab!!",  accessed via the arcade cabinet in the shop!

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero!

The fourth game in the series, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, shifted the series from pixels to HD artwork, and was the first game to be developed for consoles rather than handheld. For this reason, the story is a canonical sequel, but it's also a fresh starting point for newcomers. It's something of a "return to form," with emphasis on belly dancing, hair-whipping, and animal transformations. Because the game would be funded by fans, the adventure was scalable with a central hub-town and separate lands, each featuring a sort of "villain of the week" adventure plot. The 3D environments give the game modern appeal, and combine wonderfully with the hand-drawn HD sprites. The game received major updates — entirely new game modes and storylines, which are all included in Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition!

Fun Fact: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition's Officer Mode is inspired by WayForward's Mighty Switch Force series! It's like a game within the game! 

Shantae and the Seven Sirens!

The fifth and most recent game in the series, Shantae and the Seven Sirens, takes Shantae away from Sequin Land when she receives an all-expenses paid trip to Paradise Island to participate in the Half-Genie Spectacular stage show. There Shantae meets brand-new Half-Genies — other girls born with magical powers much like herself — and fast friendships are made. However, all isn't as it seems. Beneath the mysterious island lies a sunken city, home of the ravenous Seven Sirens. The opening animation for the game was created by Studio TRIGGER, and animated cutscenes play during key moments of the adventure, giving Seven Sirens the feel of a TV show! The game was recently updated with additional play modes (all for free!) and is available right now.

Fun Fact: If you perform Shantae’s Refresh Dance near her zombie friend Rottytops, Rotty will briefly regain human form!

Here's Erin!

None of this would have been possible without the help of a lot of people, not the least of which is Erin Bozon. She created both the Shantae character and the original game concept, and has worked on the series in many roles, as a game developer, brand manager, artist, animator, and producer. It wouldn't be a proper anniversary without some thoughts from Erin herself, so…take it away, Erin!

"When I started, my focus was on character animation, and Shantae was my first original game pitch. I wanted to see if we could develop it into a full game, and maybe if it caught on, it could expand into TV shows or even a toy. I planned for the possibility of sequel games, with more dances and transformations, and a wide array of characters and creatures. Looking back, it was a lot harder and took many years and multiple games to build up a fanbase. But here we are, 20 years later, and fans are still spreading their love of Shantae. Without them, this never would have come to fruition!

"Over the years we've been sent a lot of fan letters and drawings, and I've been lucky enough to meet some of the fans in person. I love talking with them at events, and am honored when someone has drawn a picture of Shantae or when I've run into someone wearing a Shantae t-shirt. I've even met a few people who have cosplayed as Shantae. It's such an honor to see their versions of the character, and know that Shantae is personal to them. I'm also happy to see an increase in female Shantae fans lately. It’s especially exciting when I see girls and women who connect with the character, since one of my original goals was to encourage more girl gamers.The next generation of girls in my family have also taken a liking to Shantae, which makes me so happy! Of course, I hope Shantae will be enjoyed by everyone!"

What's next?

With 20 years of Shantae games behind us, we can only imagine what the next 20 will bring! We hope that Shantae will keep on hair-whipping, belly dancing, and bringing smiles to fans all over the world! Thank you for 20 incredible years!  

PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for June: God of War, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl

Posted: 01 Jun 2022 08:30 AM PDT

The rollout of the all-new PlayStation Plus is well underway, with Asia's launch last week and Japan launching starting today! Additional markets will launch this month, and we can't wait for fans to enjoy the new service.

Today, we are pleased to share the monthly games that will be included in June for PlayStation Plus. From June 7 to July 4, PlayStation Plus members can add God of War (2018), Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker, and Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl to their game library. When the all-new PlayStation Plus launches in your region, these titles will be available as monthly games to all PlayStation Plus members including those on the PlayStation Plus Essential plan (which includes the same benefits PlayStation Plus members get today).

Let's take a closer look at the titles.

God of War | PS4

Living as a man outside the shadow of the gods, Kratos must adapt to unfamiliar lands, unexpected threats, and a second chance at being a father. Together with his son Atreus, the pair will venture into the brutal Norse wilds and fight to fulfill a deeply personal quest. This staggering reimagining of God of War combines all the hallmarks of the iconic series – epic boss fights, fluid combat, and breathtaking scale – and fuses them with a powerful and moving narrative that re-establishes Kratos' world. 

Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker | PS4

The Naruto franchise goes 4 vs. 4, featuring team-based gameplay with 8 ninjas fighting simultaneously. Players cooperate as a team of four to compete against other teams online. Graphically, Shinobi Striker is also built from the ground up in a completely new graphic style. Lead your team and fight online to see who the best ninjas are.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl | PS4/PS5

Brawl it out as your favorite Nickelodeon characters in bombastic platform battles. With a power-packed cast of heroes from the Nickelodeon universe, face-off with all-stars from SpongeBob Squarepants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Loud House, Danny Phantom, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, The Wild Thornberrys, Hey Arnold!, Rugrats, and more to determine ultimate animation dominance. With unique move sets and attacks inspired by their personalities, each character has an individual style of play enabling endless action for Nickelodeon's legion of fans. 

Last chance to download May's PlayStation Plus games

Be sure to add the following titles to your game library by Monday June 6: FIFA 22, Tribes of Midgard, Curse of the Dead Gods.

Stay tuned to PlayStation Blog for PlayStation Plus monthly game updates. 

PS Plus is subject to a recurring subscription fee taken automatically until cancellation. Age restrictions apply. Full Terms: play.st/psplus-usageterms

Celebrating Double Dragon’s 35th Anniversary

Posted: 01 Jun 2022 08:00 AM PDT

My name is Takaomi Kaneko from Arc System Works. In the past, I worked on the River City series and Double Dragon 4 as a producer, illustrator, etc. When PlayStation asked me to reflect on the series as it marks its 35th anniversary this year, I decided to  interweave stories I personally heard from the game's creator and then director (1988) Yoshihisa Kishimoto as well as WayForward’s Tomm Hulett.

The origins of the original's co-op mechanics

In the 1980s, the video game business's strategy was focused in the arcade sector, chiefly sales of arcade cabinets.

In this way, the number of players for any given game would be determined before development would commence, so the game would fit the cabinet type that needed to be sold. As such, Technos Japan's in-house sales team – which was very powerful at the time – made a strong proposal to the development team that it should consider creating a game for a two-player cabinet. The result was the first Double Dragon.

At a later date and in similar fashion, the team proposed a title that'd use a three-player cabinet, resulting in 1990's Double Dragon 3. For the first time, the series' story was altered to include a third brother for the third title.

Balancing the game around two players

As the game was designed for arcades, there was no plan to balance its gameplay. To encourage players to team up with friends, Double Dragon was designed to be extremely difficult to complete for a solo player, requiring considerable skill. This encouraged cooperative play to make the challenge surmountable – and therefore add more coins to the machine.

Cooperative play continues to thrive today, be it local or online, letting players complete challenges by inviting friends to team up to overcome difficulty spikes.

The decision to include friendly fire or not

Friendly fire was a relatively new concept back in the 1980s. It added a layer of strategy to combat, as players would need to communicate with each other during gameplay to avoid striking each other. However, its inclusion in Double Dragon came about from player interactions during location tests.

Location tests in the arcade sector are a way of gaining player feedback. These allow the development team to see how the game performs by bringing the cabinet to a small number of select locations and monitoring players' reactions. Friendly fire had been designed and implemented in the game at this point. During the US localization tests for Double Dragon, the team observed that many players who started a two-player game not only played cooperatively, but also started attacking each other. The mechanic would remain for the game's full release.

More recently, games have separated cooperative and competitive game modes partly, perhaps, to avoid player frustration at friendly fire. But I believe Double Dragon has been loved for so long partly because of the inherent danger in its implementation of friendly fire. It increased excitement, with a single punch – accidental or otherwise – causing the affected player to cry out, and even retaliate. It also led to one of its most memorable moments, as two players would ultimately face off against the other at the game's end during a cooperative playthrough. That the brothers Billy and Jimmy could strike each other would inspire players to set out their own rules and devise gameplay strategies.  

It’s worth mentioning the game's high difficulty. Double Dragon's AI and combat was intended to be as true to real life as possible. This, coupled with the nature of arcade games at the time, meant a playthrough – even with a teammate – wouldn't become too easy.

Inspiring generations of brawlers

Tomm Hulett is a director at WayForward, which has produced many co-op games such as River City Girls. I asked him about the impact Double Dragon has had on the co-op game genre.

“In the late 1980s, the first machine we’d look for in an arcade was Double Dragon,” he recalls “Of course, it was an exciting action game with detailed graphics and a cool setting. But the biggest draw was being able to play side-by-side with a friend, working together to defeat gangs and rescue Marian. Alone, Abobo felt almost insurmountable, but working as a team to topple such a powerful opponent was something very few games could match back then. Double Dragon also had so many different options — punches and kicks, jump attacks, knives, bats, and whips that you actually took away from your enemies! It seems very simple now but at the time it felt like a kung fu movie you could play. Double Dragon was not the first brawler, but it canonized most of the elements players still expect from the genre today — most importantly, two-player co-op.”

Exactly as Mr. Hulett said, most of the elements of today’s belt scrollers were implemented in Double Dragon in 1988. It can be said that it was a game worthy of being the original beat ’em up game.

I hope you enjoyed this look back at the origins of the game. Stay tuned for more Double Dragon developments in the future.

Double Dragon, Double Dragon II, Double Dragon III, Double Dragon IV and Arcade Archives Double Dragon and Double Dragon II are available on PlayStation 4.

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

Posted: 01 Jun 2022 07:30 AM PDT

Ahoy there! With June ahead of us, let’s take a look back at the biggest new releases of May 2022. It was a good month for high profile indies and other anticipated titles, featuring the likes of Salt and Sacrifice, Unpacking, Evil Dead: The Game, Trek to Yomi, and Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong.

Get your vote in before we close the polls Sunday night, then check this post again next week to find out which game claimed the Players’ Choice crown for May.

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.
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How Healthy Is This Weight Loss Health Food Writer? You Might Want To Listen To This Old Guy…

I recommend eating the way I do, but very few will do it. Too strict. Probably l...