Some of the best coming-of-age stories happen in times of great upheaval: war, revolution, calamity… but graduating high school while you’re staring down your almost-inevitable extinction, at the hands of one of the greatest disasters to ever hit planet Earth? That’s some rough stuff. Such is the setting of Goodbye Volcano High, a dramatic, narrative-driven tale of awkward proto-avian teenagers at a turning point when they should have the rest of their lives ahead of them–except they don’t.
Montreal-based indie studio KO_OP has been working on Goodbye Volcano High for several years now, and its tale of prehistoric high-school life is releasing very soon on PS4 and PS5. We sat down with the game’s director, Kyle McKernan, to get a deeper dive into character writing, wrangling the narrative, and how to weave mini-games into the fabric of a sprawling drama.
A drama for the Stone Ages
“The themes at the core of Goodbye Volcano High are love, friendship and youth facing what feels like an inevitable catastrophe,” says McKernan. “The game explores what it means to embrace family and found family in a time of crisis and the different ways people cope with impending disaster… One of our driving focuses was how you reconcile all your wants, needs, goals and love when the time to reach closure has been cut short.”
No matter what species you are, being a teenager isn’t easy, and the narrative of Goodbye Volcano High can often tackle some tough subjects: love, facing others’ expectations, drug use, and the looming specter of premature death. “Crafting the narrative was challenging because it demanded we probe some serious and often difficult topics for ourselves in order to realize them in our characters,” McKernan continues. “Facing mortality isn’t an easy thing to ruminate on, and it especially isn’t easy to focus on for years of development. Making sure we honored those feelings in our story was important to us and we placed a lot of pressure on ourselves to get it as right as we could.”
Tough situations means sometimes making tough choices, and when faced with tough decisions, you’ll be able to peer directly into the mind of protagonist Fang. “Our UI can reflect Fang’s thoughts to the player. When the player is making choices, they aren’t just picking something, they’re seeing what Fang thinks and what they are willing to do or say.”
Prehistoric personalities
Key to crafting an engaging narrative are characters that players come to love (or love to hate.) Volcano High’s students include: Fang, a would-be indie band vocalist; songwriter and guitarist Trish; drummer and dungeon master extraordinaire Reed; shy Student Council president Naomi; and straight-laced class president Naser–who also happens to be Fang’s brother.
To help the narrative connect with players, the KO_OP team put extra care into developing the personalities of these central characters, along with the many other faces at Volcano High. “The key focus for us is to let the player see themself in our characters one way or another,” says McKernan. “In games, you have a lot more tools at your disposal for doing that because the player is directly engaging with and influencing the game itself. We want the player to get inside the mind of Fang and draw out the experience they get from it naturally. Our cast of characters has a wide range of reactions to the end of the world–we hope we’ve provided a space for players to engage with their own internal struggles through our characters.”
The central cast went through quite a few iterations as development progressed, as McKernan tells us. “Our characters went through a lot of revision and refocusing as our overarching narrative and mood of the game settled into place. As the threads of our story evolved, the characters’ voices and personalities needed to match them and vice versa. It was a long process to make the characters’ internal struggles feel real and realized in the context of the game’s story. The push and pull of development requires a willingness to toss things out and break things down so that you can reform them.”
Ultimately, McKernan hopes that players will find themselves connecting to the gang. “We wanted the player to feel what our characters feel in the game. Not just fear and anxiety (which we have an ample supply of in the real world) but love, camaraderie, creativity, and hope amplified in the face of immense crisis. Even though the core of our narrative is difficult in a lot of ways, we want the player to come away from it feeling hopeful. That’s not to say there aren’t a lot of ups and downs there–we hope it’s all keenly felt. To us, authentic characters are critical to any narrative art, so for us it was extremely important that we feel our characters have an authenticity to their behavior, thoughts and feelings–especially for us to feel a connection to our work.”
Jurassic jams
One of the story’s main elements is Fang and Trish’s band, VVORM DRAMA. The band isn’t just a piece of background information–there will be parts of the game where you’ll need to play a rhythm mini-game to belt out a jam. As McKernan explains, these portions are just as emotionally charged as the rest of the game. “In order to let the music performance moments shine emotionally, it was important that we create rhythm mechanics that let the player be a part of the music while not being overly challenging. We wanted the player to engage with Fang’s fantasy around music and let them in on everything that means to the character.”
You won’t just be alternating between making decisions and playing tunes, though–there are also bits of experiential gameplay that help set the stage for what’s currently happening. “We have moments in the game where you get to look around at people in the world and get thoughts on them, or take a look at their social media posts that help to give a sense of place to the world our characters inhabit. We also have moments that show the emotions specific characters are feeling and engage the player in them: moments like doom scrolling social media when things get bad or playing music for your friends and hoping they like your song. Our mini-games serve to flesh out the world on a larger scale and the relationships/characters on a smaller scale.”
This prehistoric story may have been 66 million years in the making, but you won’t have to wait much longer to hang out with Fang and friends. Goodbye Volcano High will be available digitally for PS5 and PS4 on August 29.
Ever since we announced Firewall Ultra, the next evolution of the Firewall franchise, last year here on the PlayStation Blog, the outpour of encouragement from the community has been nothing short of amazing. The pure excitement in all your comments, messages, tweets, and posts have us all even more motivated to make the game as great as it can be.
Which is why we’re so excited to debut our new gameplay trailer featuring fresh PvP gameplay footage!
To cap off that excitement, today we’re thrilled to announce that pre-orders are officially live for Firewall Ultra starting today with a launch date of August 24, 2023 at 10PM (Bangkok/Jakarta) / 11 PM (Singapore/Kuala Lumpur/Hong Kong/Taiwan) / August 25, 2023 at 12AM (Seoul).
Firewall Ultra puts the next-gen VR features embedded in the PS VR2 front and center to deliver a compelling and immersive first-person shooter experience. This includes eye-tracking for innovative use cases like closing your eyes to avoid the effects of a flashbang, incredible haptic feedback in the PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers for realistic weapon feedback, headset feedback when you take damage or toggle on night vision goggles, and so much more.
Firewall Zero Hour players know how much we continue to support and build on the game after launch, and that we value feedback from our community – so we will be looking to explore adding more content such as new weapons and contractors, maps, additional game modes, and possibly manual reloads post-launch. Keep an eye out for our operation calendar and more info on our post-launch plans as we get closer to the release of the game. In the meantime, we are excited to reveal that we’ll be offering ways to acquire unique variants of our weapons when playing Firewall Ultra for the first time ever. These unique weapons* will come pre-fitted with great attachments, an exclusive skin, and legendary versions will even have a different look all together.
* Unique Weapons require game progression
We’ve also overhauled the game’s internal infrastructure with an immersive social lobby area and shooting range in our Safehouse between game sessions, dedicated servers to help minimize dropped network connections, and a new best-of-three round-based player-versus-player (PvP) format that will have you spending less time waiting and more time playing. You can read more about all of this in the PlayStation Blog’s hands-on report right here.
What is Firewall Ultra?
Firewall Ultra is the next evolution of the Firewall franchise following the 2018 hit PS VR shooter, Firewall Zero Hour. The primary PvP game mode called Contracts pits two teams of four against each other in a best-of-three series of matches that feature tense tactical combat across a variety of maps.
In each match a defending team must protect a laptop full of classified intel using an assortment of gadgets and weaponry while the attacking team attempts to bypass the security access points and hack the laptop. Tools at your disposal include proximity mines you can place in crafty locations to catch attackers by surprise, door blockers to fortify your position, and many more. Attackers need to tread carefully around maps and work as a team to decrypt the intel before time expires.
It is vital to be aware of your surroundings at all times while playing Firewall Ultra. Nighttime outdoor maps like Oil Rig, as seen in our gameplay trailer, or even the dark, decrepit corners of indoor maps like Office can get incredibly dark and dangerous. Thanks to the dynamic lighting and realistic shadows afforded by Unreal Engine 5, we’re able to deliver an incredible sense of tension, immersion, and visual fidelity in real-time.
Firewall Ultra will feature a brand-new player-versus-environment (PvE) game mode that will let either you by yourself or you and up to three other contractors take on deadly enemy AI across the full selection of maps. It’s a whole new way to play Firewall and we can’t wait to share more about that mode soon.
Cutting-edge FPS immersion
We use eye tracking in a number of ways to enhance actual gameplay in Firewall Ultra. For example, you can close your eyes physically to avoid the blinding light of a flashlight. You can also close your non-dominant eye when aiming down the sight of a gun to make the view even tighter for slightly more precision. These are both natural things players find themselves doing while playing, so we reward you for getting lost in the experience, having a sense of presence, and giving into the immersion.
Using eye tracking you’ll be able to quickly swap weapons on the fly without needing to take time away from the action and foveated rendering ensures you’ll always have a sharp and crisp look into the world thanks to PS VR2’s powerful 4K HDR** display.
Just wait until you play one of the darker maps and witness the dynamic lighting from your side barrel flashlight attachment for the first time. There’s nothing else quite like it.
Finger touch detection and the adaptive triggers elevate things even further, letting you feel the different resistance levels of each weapon in your hand. Pulling the trigger of a pistol is completely different from the trigger on a sniper rifle and experiencing the intense haptic kickback of a shotgun is incredibly visceral. Using the PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers you’ll be able to flip a knife across your fingers for stealth takedowns – or simply show off this nimble hand movement to friends. You can even make realistic hand signals and silent commands to team members for better tactical realism and interactivity. The PS VR2 Sense controllers make for an incredibly immersive game experience.
We leverage the amazing hardware features of PlayStation 5 to make it easier than ever to join your friends. If you see your friends in a game of Firewall Ultra, you can quickly hop directly into the squad immediately from the card in your PS5 Game Base if there’s room. Load times are blazing fast to cut down on friction.
Pre-order details
We want to thank all our fans for patiently waiting on new information to come out about Firewall Ultra and are pleased to reveal that your patience is being rewarded with pre-order and edition details.
Choose between the Firewall Ultra Standard Edition for SGD 54.90 / MYR 169 / IDR 579,000 / THB 1,290 which includes access to the full game or the Digital Deluxe Edition for SGD 79.90 / MYR 249 / IDR 879,000 / THB 1,990. When you pre-order Firewall Ultra before launch, you’ll get access to one of our favorite legendary weapons: the Reaper X75. This is included for both Standard and Digital Deluxe Editions when pre-ordered.
For those that purchase the Digital Deluxe Edition, you’ll receive early unlock of four of the game’s contractors (Meiko, Skip, Fang, and Node—pictured above,) which includes their unique skills, as well as alternate outfits for each contractor. The Digital Deluxe Edition will also include four weapon camos that can be applied to customizable weapons in the game and you get access one post-launch Operation Pass*** for Firewall Ultra.
We can’t wait to see you all in-game when Firewall Ultra launches exclusively for PS VR2 on August 24. Don’t forget pre-orders are live now so you can secure everything you need to prepare and be ready to squad up next month!
** Consists of two 2000×2040 OLED displays *** Access to complete content for one future Operation (date TBA).
PlayStation 5 and PlayStation VR2 required to play. PS VR2 is not for use by children under age 12. Internet connection & PS Plus membership required for online play. PS Plus is subject to a recurring subscription fee taken automatically until cancellation. Full terms: play.st/psplus-usageterms.
When PlayStation VR2 released earlier this year, it offered players a chance to experience virtual game worlds bristling with detail and immersive features. PS VR2 was the culmination of several years of development, which included multiple prototypes and testing approaches.
To learn more, we asked PS VR2’s Product Manager Yasuo Takahashi about the development process of the innovative headset and PlayStation VR2 Sense Controller, and also gained insight into the various prototypes that were created as part of this process.
Yasuo Takahashi, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Global Product Strategy & Management Dept. Section #1 Principal Product Manager
Developing the PS VR2 headset
PlayStation Blog: When did development for the PS VR2 headset start?
Yasuo Takahashi: Research on future VR technology was being conducted even prior to the launch of the original PlayStation VR as part of our R&D efforts. After PS VR’s launch in 2016, discussion around what the next generation of VR would look like began in earnest. We went back and reviewed those R&D findings and we started prototyping various technologies at the beginning of 2017. Early that same year, we began detailed conversations on what features should be implemented in the new product, and which specific technologies we should explore further.
For additional context, take a look at the PS VR2 Headset Teardown video which digs deeper into the features of the headset and its inner workings.
PSB: Which feature or design element took the longest to develop?
YT: From the concept planning phase, we were already thinking about introducing new features that would represent a generational leap compared to PS VR. These included eye tracking, headset feedback, and a single-cord setup. We also needed to include these features into the headset while maintaining a light and compact design. To achieve this, it was important to design a system that handled all the functions efficiently. Our teams worked very closely from the beginning to produce detailed technical estimates, and discussed how they could achieve an optimized design. It was a very important part of the early stages of the project, and although the research itself did not take that long, we were constantly optimizing even after the prototype was built.
Additionally, we dedicated a lot of time into making sure that the headset was comfortable to wear and hold.
PSB: Looking at these initial headset prototypes, I’m guessing that the weight significantly reduced during the development process?
YT: Yes, the initial prototype was focused on evaluating functionality rather than weight, as we were considering how to incorporate new features into the original PS VR design. We were also exploring the best system for tracking, and with our first outside-in/see-through prototype, we were simultaneously testing the see-through view camera as well.
After we performed functional evaluations, we then integrated the components into the actual system. The “tracking system study prototype” was a prototype created just prior to the integration, and although it was very large and heavy, it served an important role for evaluation.
Outside In/ See through prototype: “The first prototype of would become PS VR2 featured IR LEDs for outside-in tracking, and a see-through view camera on the front and center part of the headset.”
Outside In prototype. “A second prototype was created in parallel with the Outside-in/See-through Prototype. This one featured multiple IR LEDs for outside-in tracking placed on the front of the headset to test out tracking capabilities. A second prototype was created in parallel with the Outside-in/See-through Prototype.”
Inside Out prototype. “This prototype was equipped with four cameras for inside-out tracking, and was created to evaluate the headset’s new tracking capabilities.”
After we performed functional evaluations, we then integrated the components into the actual system. The “tracking system study prototype” was a prototype created just prior to the integration, and although it was very large and heavy, it served an important role for evaluation.
Tracking camera positioning prototype “Prototype used for considering the position and angles of the four cameras. Using a dial, the position and angle of each camera could be finely adjusted.”
Tracking system prototype “Prototype for testing the four cameras on the front of the headset by connecting them to an evaluation board. This was performed prior to the production of the SoC (system-on-chip), which is responsible for integrating all components.”
In parallel, we also assessed the comfort and wearability of the headset. Since we already knew its expected weight, we evaluated numerous configurations of how the headset can be worn based on that estimate. We added many features, but in the end, we put a lot of thought into the materials and shape to make the headset feel lightweight. Each component itself was made lighter, the design was made as simple as possible, and the thickness of the plastic was made as thin as possible while maintaining strength. The mechanical engineers worked hard to achieve just the right balance between weight reduction and durability.
PSB: PS VR2’s eye tracking feature is really impressive– how was this developed?
YT: We wanted to push the boundaries of play with PS VR2, so we were exploring eye tracking as a new UI feature. Eye tracking technology had been around for some time and we knew it was a great fit for VR, so we wanted to make sure we leveraged it appropriately. We also looked at foveated rendering to achieve a high-fidelity visual experience, which is a technique that optimizes the resolution of where the player is looking at, while reducing rendering performance of the surrounding peripheral vision.
PSB: Did you encounter any difficulties when testing eye tracking?
YT: Some people wear glasses and everyone has different eye colors, so the feature needed to accommodate all kinds of players. To ensure the feature was tracking correctly, we spent a long-time testing and optimizing the feature with a variety of users.
PSB: Headset feedback is unique to PS VR2. How was this first added as a new feature and how did you go about developing it?
YT: Mechanical design engineers removed the rumble motor from a DualShock 4 wireless controller and attached it to PS VR to try it out. They found that it actually increased the feeling of immersion and sense of reality, though there were challenges when trying to actually integrate the feature into the headset. That’s why we created the next prototype, “Eye Tracking Evaluation Prototype Part 2” with a built-in motor, and tested how the motor affected eye tracking and head tracking.
Eye tracking evaluation prototype 2 “Testers were asked to look at different screens to test the eye tracking. The sides of the device can be opened, so that the developers can visually check the distance between the lens and the eyes. This was done because without visual confirmation, it was difficult to know if the device was being worn at the correct lens distance.”
We worked closely with PlayStation Studios to evaluate what kind of headset feedback would be the most effective based on what we learned from the prototypes. We compiled our findings into a design guide so that other developers could learn from it, and many developers used it as a reference.
PSB: What PlayStation Studios feedback did the team end up incorporating into the final PS VR2 headset?
YT: The placement of the tracking camera was adjusted based on their feedback, while confirming the range of hand movement expected in actual gameplay. When PlayStation Studios members gathered in San Francisco for an event, we brought prototypes from Japan and made adjustments based on the feedback we received there.
Skeleton prototype “This is a prototype that allows the internal structure of the headset to be visible from the outside.”
Developing the PS VR2 Sense Controller
Check out the PS VR2 Sense Controller Tear Down Video for an in-depth look at the internal structure of the controller.
PSB: When did the development of the PS VR2 Sense Controller start?
YT: As with the headset, we kicked off discussions in 2016 and began prototyping in 2017. The inside-out method is a tracking technology that is paired with the headset, so we considered this from the initial stages. We also discussed other features we wanted to add, how many buttons the controller should have, and to what extent we could incorporate features from the DualSense wireless controller for PlayStation 5.
Members included those from electrical design, mechanical design, R&D, as well as mechanical design. The mechanical design team was integral to developing and exploring various shapes for the controller.
PSB: What were the features or design aspects that took the longest to develop?
YT: The PS VR2 Sense controller incorporates key features from the DualSense wireless controller, such as haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. We also added a sensor for finger touch detection, and we spent a lot of time adjusting the controller to make it easier and lighter to hold. We also conducted extensive user testing. PlayStation Studios has a dedicated user testing team, and we worked closely with the team in Europe to ensure that we had as many people test the controller as possible.
PSB: How did you land on the final design and shape for the Sense controller?
YT: In the earliest prototype we used a different tracking method and utilized the sphere from the PlayStation Move controller. It also included features such as adaptive triggers, haptic feedback, finger-touch detection, and L1/R1 shoulder buttons. We equipped these features in the prototype to verify which features were the most important.
Prototype 1 “This is one of the earliest prototypes. This was a prototype to test the effectiveness of adaptive triggers, haptic feedback, and finger touch detection in VR controllers. Tracking was enabled by the PlayStation Move motion controller sphere.”
The next prototype used inside-out tracking, and this was how we determined where the IR LEDs should be placed and started experimenting with several different shapes for the controller.
Prototype 2 “This prototype was built for tracking performance study,evaluating the performance when the IR LEDs (for tracking) were placed separately on the top and bottom of the controller.”
Prototype 3 “A prototype for the tracking performance study. This prototype was used to evaluate the performance when IR LEDs were placed on a ring on the back of the hand.”
This next prototype is close to its current final shape, but the main difference is the size of the grip. The shape is the result of adding various features, such as adaptive triggers, haptic feedback, and of course, the battery. However, it was too large to hold for extended game play sessions, so our mechanical and electrical engineers worked hard to optimize the grip to make it thinner and more comfortable to hold.
Prototype 4 “Another prototype for the tracking performance study. This was to evaluate the performance when IR LEDs were placed around the controller with both design and features in mind.”
PSB: What kind of evaluation process did you go through when adding completely new features such as finger-touch detection?
YT: We created a prototype that incorporated features such as adaptive triggers, haptic feedback, finger-touch detection, and other elements that achieved a stronger feeling of immersion in VR experiences. We considered various forms of finger-touch detection, including ones that required button presses.
Each time we created a prototype, we asked for feedback from PlayStation Studios and used those insights for further testing. We asked how they wanted to utilize the controller in their games, and determined which features we wanted to include and how to include them. The optimal number of buttons, for example, is something that game developers can provide the best feedback for, so we closely listened to their thoughts during development.
PSB: The final shape of the controller feels natural in the player’s hand. Why and how did you decide on this final design?
YT: Our goal was to balance the weight and center of gravity to make the controller easier to grip and hold for longer gameplay sessions. We conducted extensive prototyping and user testing in order to achieve a comfortable fit. It was not enough to simply piece the components together; we had to make drastic changes to the internal structure. The next prototype is close to the final product, but the fit is not yet fully optimized.
Prototype 5 “This prototype is equipped with all final features and incorporates the unique “orb” shape. It was also used to evaluate the tracking feature, which was close to final at this stage. The grip design and comfortability were not yet fully optimized.”
PSB: It seems like the team put a lot of effort into IR tracking during development. When creating the prototypes, did you have to make any drastic changes from your initial planning?
YT: At the start of the project, we weren’t sure whether inside-out or outside-in tracking was better, so we explored both possibilities in parallel. We split into two teams and produced prototypes for both. After that, we decided to focus on the inside-out method and continued to optimize the tracking. The prototype produced to test the placement of the headset tracking camera enabled us to fine-tune the position and angles of the four cameras with a dial. It was also used to verify the range that the cameras could detect.
PSB: Were you involved in software development at the initial research phase? What feedback did you incorporate?
YT: We couldn’t fully envision how the controller would act and perform in an actual game, so the PlayStation Studios team provided feedback on the proposed product specifications early on in the technical review process. For example, if the player is standing and grabs an object at the waist, the head must remain facing forward, so we made sure the camera could detect an object below the headset. On the other hand, if you are pulling out a bow and arrow from your back, your arm will not be in the range of the camera. In instances like this when the controller was out of range from the camera, we had to make adjustments based on feedback, so that the tracking felt more natural.
Optimizing ergonomics while incorporating both adaptive triggers and haptic feedback was challenging, but we followed through due to strong demand from the software development team. The adaptive triggers must be located near the fingertips, while the haptic feedback needs to be incorporated where players grip the controller. The adaptive trigger modules are reasonably large, so if you account for the modules as well as the battery, various components end up crowding the grip area. This is not ideal ergonomically and sacrifices comfort. Originally, we intended on utilizing the same adaptive trigger components as the DualSense wireless controller, but we ended up creating a customized, dedicated module for the PS VR2 Sense controller.
All the prototypes for PS VR2 headset and the PS VR2 Sense controllers.
PSB: Finally, what are you proudest of with regards to the final PS VR2 headset?
YT: The original PS VR was used by many game developers to expand the world of VR games, and we believe that the PS VR2 pushes the boundaries even further. PS VR2 is capable of rendering stunning 4K HDR visuals (2000×2040 per eye), and eye tracking also delivers high-quality graphics with efficient rendering techniques. Combined with the controller, headset and comfortable design, players can fully immerse themselves in the extraordinary VR worlds created by game developers. The diverse portfolio of VR games will continue to expand in the future, and we hope that players will enjoy them to the fullest.
Hello everyone! This is Masayoshi Soken, the main composer of Final Fantasy XVI. People often have a conception that composers only think about music, but I’m actually a gamer through and through. While I do talk about music a lot, to be honest, I enjoy talking about video games more than music. I’m an old guy that’s a gamer from head to toe.
Now, we composed the music for this title with the idea of going straight to the core of the dark fantasy genre. I believe a lot of people would agree with me, but I feel that the music is an essential element of the “Final Fantasy” game experience.
We composed a lot of in-game music that will stir the hearts of the players and enrich their game playing experience to the fullest this time around as well. FFXVI is packed with these kinds of tracks, so it would make me very happy if fellow gamers can give the game a try. If you’re planning to play FFXVI, please enjoy and turn the volume up a bit louder than usual!
1.Land of Eikons
This is the very first track that plays when you launch FFXVI.
When you’re launching a “Final Fantasy” game, you’d want the Prelude to play before anything, right? But tracks with major key progressions, as with the traditional Preludes, didn’t fit at all with the world of FFXVI…Because of that, we transposed this track into a minor key and arranged it so that it more closely represents the world of FFXVI.
2.The Lion and the Hare – The Nysa Defile
This track also plays early in the game. In order to have players audibly recognize early on that they’re playing a Final Fantasy game, we arranged the melody from the Prelude for this track.
The arrangement for this track changes interactively in the game depending on the situation, but due to the constraints of an original soundtrack, the track included in it has separate arrangements split between the first half and second half.
3.To Sail Forbidden Seas
This track plays during the face-to-face battles with Dominants. FFXVI has numerous battle tracks, but did you notice that all of the standard battle tracks share the same melody?? When you listen closely to the melody of this track, you’ll see that it’s the same melody as the track you hear when you fight standard monsters on the field..!
FFXVI required a tremendous number of tracks, but if we had just composed a lot of tracks thoughtlessly, we would have ended up with a large variation of unique melodies, and there was a risk where the music of the game could have lacked overall consistency because of that.
To address this, we composed melodies that would be used across the iconic elements of the games, such as characters and regions, and arranged them for every situation. By doing this, we were able to avoid having various melodies scattered across everywhere.
4.My Lady
Going off on what I just discussed for the third track, this track is an arrangement of “Jill’s Theme” that was specifically composed to fit into a certain cutscene.
Now you might ask, “Then what’s Jill’s theme?”. To answer your question, her theme is a track called “My Star.” This track is featured in the FFXVI original soundtrack, so please be sure to pick it up if you are interested…! Oh no! I just put out a blatant advertisement!
5.Find the Flame
When you listen to this track as a single piece of music, there are no ups and downs, and it’s a bit of a childish track that just goes straight ahead from beginning to end. That being said, this track is supposed to go “Bang!” during a situation in the game, where it gives off a “Full throttle!! Step on the gas!!” vibe. So, this track was intentionally designed to be this way.
Anyone who has played FFXVI to a certain point should be pumped up when they hear this track.
Please give a listen when you want to charge yourself up and power through work, studying, housework, etc.
However, please be sure not to step on the gas too much when you’re driving…
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Needless to say, we put in a lot of hard work to compose the tracks for FFXVI, and made sure that they were tailored to the game. Listening to the music by itself before you play the game is fine, but I’m sure you’d be able to enjoy them a hundred times more if you listened to them after you played the game, as they were made specifically for FFXVI.
That’s all from me! Please play and enjoy FFXVI.
And if you end up liking the music, please consider introducing the music of FFXVI to your day-to-day life, and indulge your thoughts in the world of FFXVI, anytime and anywhere.
EA Sports FC 24 launches September 29 on PS4 and PS5 and is focused on delivering an authentic football experience and gameplay innovations to usher in a new era of virtual football. Behind this are three key technological advancements: HyperMotion V, enhanced PlayStyles and a radically overhauled Frostbite engine. But the exciting new features certainly don’t stop there. Get ready for elite women’s players to join Ultimate Team, create unique versions of players using Evolutions, and enjoy cross-play for the first time in Clubs and Volta Football and play alongside your friends across same-generation platforms.
HyperMotion V*
HyperMotion has been developed using volumetric data taken from over 180 professional matches to produce realistic animations. Video can now also be captured without athletes having to wear motion capture suits. Every in-match team or player movement is captured by cameras in stadiums, with that data used to produce authentic animations for EA Sports FC 24. Your favorite footballer therefore moves in the game exactly as they would during a real match.
This technology also calculates ball physics, using adaptive AI to ensure that the football’s mid-air and rebounding movements are fully realistic. It also enables footballers’ hand movements to be recorded using a glove and flawlessly recreates those details in the game.
PlayStyles
Every player moves around the pitch and controls the ball in a distinctive way. Real-match data collected by Opta and other sources has been optimized to bring footballers’ unique skills to life on the virtual pitch, via individual PlayStyles. These PlayStyles unlock many actions for forwards and defenders, such as power shots and elásticos while dribbling. Select players even have PlayStyles+ moves, as benefiting their status as best-in-class and which showcases their dazzling individual skills.
Frostbite
No football game has ever looked as realistic as EA Sports FC 24 as a result of the revamped Frostbite engine. Using new character models, the AI Sapient technology delivers anatomically correct bodies with authentic proportions and fluid animations, the GPU Cloth feature recreates amazingly detailed clothing where muscles can be seen under the fabric and shirts move like real materials, and the new lighting feature with enhanced contrast and greater detail makes encounters feel even more lifelike, therefore providing a superb stadium atmosphere. The Elevated Matchday Experience with dynamic intros also plays a major role here. A short clip will give you a glimpse of the changing rooms and warm-ups and will of course show the teams walking onto the pitch. It’s like a televised match come to life.
Ultimate Team with Women’s Football Stars
A true world first: EA Sports FC 24 brings together male and female players on the same pitch. In Ultimate Team, you can choose from more than 1600 female players, including icons and heroes from the annals of women’s football, to strengthen your squad and mold your dream team with both men and women. You can therefore create a truly unique fantasy eleven.
Evolutions: create your own club legend
If your favorite player’s ratings aren’t to your liking, you can create a unique version of them for the first time ever. Pick a player who meets the criteria for Evolutions, complete the required challenges and permanently improve your player’s ratings, individual skills, PlayStyles and even change your Player Item’s color and animation so that everyone recognises your legend straight away.
Career Mode, Clubs and Volta Football with exciting new features
If you plan to focus on your career as a player or manager, then there are new features to enjoy in these modes, too. As a player heading to the top, you will receive support along the way from a player agent who will recommend transfers to you and help you achieve your career goals to make it at your dream club.
You have even more options to lead your club to glory when playing as a manager. Choose from seven tactical strategies, such as tiki-taka or counter-attacking, appoint assistant coaches, prepare players as effectively as possible for upcoming matches, observe games from the touchline or follow a star player during the action and celebrate your victories in impressively staged, dynamic scenes.
Clubs and Volta Football are also back. These popular modes are cross-play-compatible for the first time, so now you can take on your friends if they play EA Sports FC 24 on a different (same-generation) platform.
With updated commentary provided by Guy Mowbray and Sue Smith, Clubs with league seasons, and a streamlined, redesigned start menu, EA Sports FC 24 has even more new features to show off and, in the buildup to the game’s release on September 29, you can certainly expect to discover more.
*HyperMotion V technology only available on PlayStation 5.
Next week, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is launching on PC! Many of you have asked for details about the technologies used and system requirements. Today we are answering those questions, and on top of that, we have some exciting new feature announcements.
To ensure a smooth dimension-hopping experience, our team implemented DirectStorage 1.2 in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart on PC, including GPU decompression.
Richard van der Laan, Senior Lead Programmer at Nixxes Software, explains: “To enable quick loading and instant transition between dimensions, the game needs to be able to load assets quickly. DirectStorage ensures quick loading times, and GPU decompression is used at high graphics settings to stream assets in the background while playing. Traditionally, this decompression is handled by the CPU, but at a certain point, there is an advantage to letting the GPU handle this, as this enables a higher bandwidth for streaming assets from storage to the graphics card. We use this to quickly load high-quality textures and environments with a high level of detail.”
Principal Programmer Alex Bartholomeus: “For Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart on PC, we added adaptive streaming based on live measurement of the available hardware bandwidth. This allows us to tailor the texture streaming strategy for the best possible texture streaming on any configuration. With DirectStorage, the use of a fast NVMe SSD and GPU decompression, this results in very responsive texture streaming even at the highest settings.”
DirectStorage is developed to fully utilize the speed of fast PCIe NVMe SSDs, but the technology is also compatible with SATA SSDs and even traditional hard disk drives. This means Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart on PC can use the same technology for loading data, regardless of the storage device in your system.
Ray-Traced Ambient Occlusion and XeGTAO
In our initial announcement, we shared that Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart on PC will feature ray-traced reflections and newly added ray-traced shadows for natural outdoor light. Today we can reveal the addition of another option that will further enhance the realism of light in the game: Ray-Traced Ambient Occlusion, with various quality levels to choose from.
Graphics Programmer Menno Bil explains: “Ambient occlusion is a technique used in games to simulate how ambient lighting affects a scene. Ambient lighting is a form of indirect lighting: the light reflected from other surfaces. This effect mostly appears at creases, cracks, and corners where surfaces are close to each other. Commonly used AO techniques are SSAO (Screen Space Ambient Occlusion) and HBAO+ (Horizon-Based Ambient Occlusion). These are not very demanding on the hardware, but they do not provide physically accurate results. RTAO utilizes ray tracing further to enhance the realism of ambient occlusion in the game. We have implemented RTAO as an addition for those with high-end systems with ray-tracing compatible hardware and processing power to spare.”
Menno and the team also implemented XeGTAO, Intel’s implementation of Ground-Truth Ambient Occlusion. Like SSAO and HBAO+, this solution is based on screen space. Therefore, this technique does not enable the level of realism that RTAO does, but the performance cost is much lower and comparable to that of the HBAO+ implementation. XeGTAO is selectable as an option in the game and works with graphics cards from all vendors.
“XeGTAO generates a very high-resolution ambient occlusion that shows even the smallest details in geometry,” says Bil. “Overall, the output quality of XeGTAO is very high and results in a pleasant look.”
System Requirements
Now that we have detailed all the features of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart for PC, it is time to tell you more about the system requirements. When making a PC version of a game, we put a lot of work into scalability. Additions like ray-traced shadows, ray-traced ambient occlusion, and triple-screen support are aimed at those with the latest and greatest hardware so they can push their systems. With highly customizable graphics and features, we make the game scale to less powerful systems to make it accessible for as many gamers as possible. Below is an overview of the recommended specifications for a variety of graphical presets.
While Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart can be enjoyed using an HDD and the minimum system requirements, we encourage players to use an SSD in combination with the recommended system requirements or higher, to experience the game’s signature dimension-hopping gameplay as originally intended.
Details regarding ray-tracing support for AMD GPUs coming soon
Today we’re happy to reveal the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for July 2023. All games will be available on Tuesday July 18. Let’s dive in.
PlayStation Plus Extra and Deluxe | Game Catalog
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It Takes Two | PS4, PS5
Embark on the craziest journey of your life in It Takes Two, a genre-bending platform adventure created purely for co-op. Invite a friend to join for free with Friend’s Pass* and work together across a huge variety of gleefully disruptive gameplay challenges. Play as the clashing couple Cody and May, two humans turned into dolls by a magic spell. Together, trapped in a fantastical world where the unpredictable hides around every corner, they are reluctantly challenged with saving their fractured relationship.
Master unique and connected character abilities in every new level. Help each other across an abundance of unexpected obstacles and laugh-out-loud moments. Kick gangster squirrels’ furry tails, pilot a pair of underpants, DJ a buzzing night club, and bobsleigh through a magical snow globe. Embrace a heartfelt and hilarious story, where narrative and gameplay are interwoven in a uniquely metaphorical experience.
*Friend’s Pass is included It Takes Two. It allows the owner of the game to invite another person to join online co-op with them for free.
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Sniper Elite 5 | PS4, PS5
The latest installment in the award-winning series, Sniper Elite 5 offers unparalleled sniping, tactical third-person combat and an enhanced kill cam. Fight your way across the most immersive maps yet, with many real-world locations captured in stunning detail, and an improved traversal system that lets you explore more of them than ever before. Bring your skills online by invading another player’s campaign, take on 16 player online competitive battles, or enjoy four player co-op Survival mode.
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Snowrunner | PS4, PS5
SnowRunner puts you in the driver’s seat of powerful vehicles as you conquer extreme open environments with the most advanced terrain simulation ever. Drive 40 vehicles from brands such as Ford, Chevrolet, and Freightliner as you leave your mark on an untamed open world. Ride solo or play with other players in 4-player co-op. Overcome mud, torrential waters, snow, and frozen lakes while taking on perilous contracts and missions. Expand and customize your fleet with many upgrades and accessories including an exhaust snorkel for heavy waters or chain tires to battle the snow.
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World War Z | PS4, PS5
World War Z is a heart-pounding co-op third-person shooter for up to 4 players featuring swarms of hundreds of zombies. Unlock powerful weapon upgrades and level 6 character classes to take on greater challenges. In co-op story-driven campaigns, survive around the world, as unique groups tell their stories of perseverance. Alternatively, fight other players for survival across intense Player vs Player vs Zombies game modes.
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SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated | PS4
The cult classic is back, faithfully remade in spongetastic splendor! Play as SpongeBob, Patrick and Sandy and use their unique sets of skills to show the evil Plankton that crime pays even less than Mr. Krabs. Want to save Bikini Bottom from lots of rampant robots with your mighty bubbles? Of course you do! Want to join forces in a brand new multiplayer mode? The battle is on! The brand two-player new horde mode for up to two players, online and offline.
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Melty Blood: Type Lumina | PS4
This is the latest addition to the series of 2D fighting games based on the visual romance novel, Tsukihime. Explore an all-new MELTY BLOOD world from scenario writer Kinoko Nasu, based on the events of Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon-. Use characteristic Melty Blood mechanics as well as a few new powerful techniques, with an all-new simple control system which will allow both seasoned veterans and new players alike to fully enjoy the world of Melty Blood.
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Dynasty Warriors 9 | PS4
Experience the thrill of ‘one versus thousands’ like never before in this continuation of the Dynasty Warriors franchise. Set in Ancient China, hack and slash your way across an ever-changing battlefield as you use the new Musou Action system to battle armies through a single, vast, open-world map. In addition, the captivating lives of an eclectic cast of officers intermingle in an expansive ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms’ world will allow you to feel completely immersed in the tides of history.
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Samurai Warriors 5 | PS4
Samurai Warriors 5 reimagines the story, characters, action system of the very first game in the series, with a dynamic yet detailed art style inspired by Japanese ink paintings. In the main Musou Mode, play as military commanders Nobunaga Oda and Mitsuhide Akechi and experience their stories taking place during the Sengoku period. In Citadel Mode, protect your base, either defending against oncoming enemies or defeating them, collecting resources to upgrade the various buildings in the My Castle menu.
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Monster Jam Steel Titans | PS4
Experience the complete Monster Jam experience with all the trucks, stunts, stadiums, racing and massive air in one game. Compete with 25 of the most popular trucks including Grave Digger and Max-D, then play in various game modes including Stadium and outdoor Racing, various Stunt Challenges and Destruction modes.
PlayStation Deluxe | Classics
Gravity Crash Portable | PS4, PS5
Retro fun meets futuristic thrills in PSP space shooter Gravity Crash Portable, now enhanced with up-rendering, rewind, quick save, and custom video filters. Blast aliens across 30 hostile planets in stellar missions filled to the brim with wormholes, laser beams and amazing explosions.
Twisted Metal | PS4, PS5
The vehicular combat game returns. Experience Twisted Metal on PS1, enhanced with up-rendering, rewind, quick save, and custom video filters. Outwit, outrun and outgun up to eight other vehicles to be the last one surviving by driving anywhere and using machine guns, heat-seeking missiles and more. Take on a friend in a local split-screen two player mode.
Twisted Metal 2 | PS4, PS5
Smarter, deadlier and deeper battles in the vehicular combat world await in this sequel, with the PS1 version enhanced with up-rendering, rewind, quick save, and custom video filters. Master combos and Advanced Attacks to blow away the competition and use special weapons to be the last vehicle on the road. Two player battles return, while the game’s Battlegrounds are now rich with hidden areas, mystery cards, teleporters and secret passageways.
This week voice actors Jennifer Hale and David Hayter stop by to discuss their roles in Synapse. The team also does a quick deep-dive into Synth Riders’ Experience levels, with a bit of Final Fantasy XVI and Diablo IV talk along the way.
Stuff We Talked About
Killsquad on PS5 and PS4
Oaken on PS5 and PS4
July PlayStation Plus Game Catalog and Classics
Synth Riders 5th Anniversary/new DLC
TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge Dimension Shellshock DLC – PlayStation Underground
Interview w/ Jennifer Hale and David Hayter (starts at 21:00)
Final Fantasy XVI
Diablo IV
The Cast
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Sid Shuman – Senior Director of Content Communications, SIE
Kristen Zitani – Senior Content Communications Specialist, SIE
Thanks to Cory Schmitz for our beautiful logo and Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music.
[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]
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: Noir
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on July 19, 2023
Next week is all about mystery, intrigue, and dramatic lighting. Share noir-style moments from the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.
This is your early heads-up to set an alert for July 19. Because in just under a week, the Summer Sale lights up PlayStation Store, bringing with it blazingly hot discounts on thousands of games across PS5 and PS4.
Game discounts will be offered for a limited time, and some titles will leave the sale early*, so be sure not to miss out on discovering your next great adventure. The full game list will be revealed when the sale commences on July 19, and the link you’ll need is right here. Once it’s live, click to find out your regional discount.
*PlayStation Store’s Summer Sale runs from 00.00am local time Wednesday, July 19, until 23.59pm local time on Wednesday, August 16. Some games will be removed from the promotion on August 2. Check a game’s PlayStation Store page for its end date.
