August was packed with plenty of summer gaming with titles that hit almost every genre in the medium. What did you enjoy most about last month’s title lineup?
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. After the polls close we will tally your votes, and announce the winner on our social channels and PlayStation.Blog.
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? Note: re-released games don’t qualify, but remakes do. We define remakes as ambitious, larger-scale rebuilds such as Resident Evil 4 (2023) and Final Fantasy VII Remake.
How are nominees decided? The PlayStation Blog editorial team will gather a list of that month’s most noteworthy releases and use it to seed the poll.
It’s been 13 years since the first Space Marine came out. While it wasn’t outstanding in the grander landscape of gaming, enough Warhammer 40K fans seem to have cherished the escapades of bulky blue boltgunner Demetrian Titus for the action game to merit a sequel a decade later. It left its story on something of a cliffhanger, with said hero being dragged away to face untold tortures by the Inquisition, the most zealous sect of this preternaturally paranoid sci-fi universe. Today, Titus is free again. Free to stomp towards hordes of alien foes, blast them with a plasma incinerator, and shred the stragglers with a chainsaw sword. Space Marine 2 is an often-satisfying scrapper that has me convinced of 40K’s merit as a crafting ground for excellent-looking environments and creatures, even if I’m not particularly moved by the bland character of Titus and his fellow Ultramarines.
Scalpers are currently trying to sell physical copies of Concord for much more than its recommended retail price after Sony pulled the hero shooter from sale just 11 days after launch.
Scalpers who still have a sealed copy of the game are therefore seeing it as an opportunity to make some money, listing Concord on eBay for double or even triple its price. Some sellers still have it available for its standard price of $39.99 so it’s unlikely many of these will sell just yet, however.
“Ships overnight on September 4, get on September 5 so you can play for a day before the servers shut down,” reads one listing for an opened copy priced at $119.88. “On September 6 the game will be a rare unplayable collector’s item.”
A sealed copy is currently listed for $179.99, though at least warns players of the September 6 takedown and says “buy at your own discretion.” Its next comment is a tad more questionable: “Get ready for an epic gaming experience with Concord for the Sony PlayStation 5,” it says. “This rare and highly sought after game is being recalled and is available now in a USA sealed package.”
There is no denying this edition of Concord will be rare, but whether or not it becomes valuable remains to be seen. It’s likely only a few thousand are out in the wild though, given how poorly Concord sold and how low physical sales are compared to digital.
Concord has an unclear future in more ways than one, and while developer Firewalk has said it’s going back to the drawing board and suggested a free-to-play re-launch may be on the cards, Sony has made no such guarantee.
Mortal Kombat 1 developer NetherRealm has released a gameplay trailer for upcoming DLC character Sektor, showing off her Fatality and Animality.
Sektor arrives as part of the Khaos Reigns expansion for Mortal Kombat 1, the latest game in the gory fighting game franchise that’s sold over four million copies. The expansion adds new story mode chapters available from September 24, along with Kombat Pack 2, which itself includes six new DLC characters: Cyrax, Sektor, and Noob Saibot (available on September 24), and guest fighters Ghostface (Scream franchise), T-1000 (Terminator 2: Judgement Day), and Conan the Barbarian (post-launch release timing to be announced at a later date).
It’s Sektor who is the focus for this new gameplay video, though. It shows off the character’s abilities and moveset (flamethrower, missile strikes, and rocket thrusters for enhanced movement and hovering ability), and clips of cutscenes that shine a light on the story fans can expect.
Here’s the set-up, courtesy of publisher Warner Bros. Games:
In Fire God Liu Kang’s New Era, Sektor grew up immersed in Lin Kuei culture – her father was its master armorer, and her mother was a leading warrior. This vast knowledge of weaponry and formidable martial skills passed down from her parents make Sektor a kombatant like no other. Sensing a kindred spirit, Sub-Zero shared with her his grand vision for the Lin Kuei’s future and chose her to become his most trusted lieutenant. Now Sektor will force the Lin Kuei to evolve and those who cannot change will be eliminated.
The highlight of the video, though, is a look at one of Sektor’s Fatalities. Here, Sektor channels Marvel’s Iron Man, complete with cool sci-fi in-suit headshot, as she drags her hapless opponent into orbit before heading back, their body burning up on re-entry.
NetherRealm, of course, is no stranger to the superhero genre via its Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe crossover fighting game franchise. We haven’t seen a new game in that series for some time — perhaps it’s time for a return, with James Gunn’s new DCU set to kick off soon.
Meanwhile, the video also teases Sektor’s Animality, the finishing move that lets her to morph into a rhinoceros. Animalities are part of a free update for all Mortal Kombat 1 owners set to go live alongside Khaos Reigns on September 24.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
If somebody grabs you from behind and turns you into a human shield in Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6, they can drag you around for about five seconds before you die, assuming they don’t execute you early. Here are 12 things you can do in those five seconds:
After years of casting rumours and speculation, we finally have our first official look at the live-action Minecraft movie — or ‘A Minecraft Movie‘, to give it its official title — and it looks… well, about as horrifying as you’d think a live-action Minecraft movie would be.
Releasing in cinemas on 4th April 2025, the film sees a group of ordinary humans (played by Jason Mamoa, Sebastian Eugene Hansen, Emma Myres and Danielle Brooks) pulled into Mojang’s blocky world thanks to a mysterious portal. There, they meet “expert crafter” Jack Black sorry, Steve, who will have to help them make their way home.
Maintain your rocket powered big rig as you haul a variety of cargo across the galaxy.
Hit interstellar highways and use the CB radio to take on side jobs and hear local gossip.
Play Star Trucker today with Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Creating a Believable Space Truck Sim
At its core Star Trucker is a simulator and part of what makes sims fun is that feeling of reality. So we knew from very early in development that we had to balance the excitement of space travel with the familiarity of terrestrial trucking.
When players you out of you cab and see a distant nebula or binary planet system we want you to be reminded that you’re also driving a truck and have a job to do.
Far Out Yet Familiar
The first thing that grounds the player in our setting is the fact that our galactic big rigs actually look like trucks. Obviously, we have no need for wheels and without the limitations of gravity we could make them much bigger – nearly five times bigger in fact.
And although we have faster than light travel and advanced maglock technology for hitching the dashboard is pure retro aesthetic with needles, dials, chunky switches and seven-segment displays. It’s a theme we roll with throughout the galaxy from highway signage to gas stations.
Down to Earth Hauls
Even in space people need clothing, food and construction materials. Familiar consignments like these not only provide context for our galaxy but also play an important gameplay role for how to approach a job. Drive recklessly and you’ll quickly damage a haul of glassware, spend too long in a solar storm and you can assume those precious fresh cabbages are as good as perished.
We extended this thinking to how goods are shipped too. Taking Earth-bound trailers such as flatbeds, tankers and reefers; and updating them to fit our larger than life space theme. This helps provide a sense of understanding to goods that might otherwise seem out of this world!
Relatable Radio Chatter
Another approach to keeping the game grounded was to stay honest to our theme by treating truckers and the profession of trucking with respect. To that extent we worked hard to write a cast of fully voiced space truckers who use real trucker slang and 10-codes.
With unique handles, personalities and side jobs this supporting cast of characters is the final ingredient in providing an authentic and familiar feel as you embrace the unique dangers and challenges of intergalactic shipping.
Hop into the driver’s seat of your rocket-powered big rig as you haul cargo, scavenge for salvage and interact with an eclectic cast of star-hopping truckers in this Americana-infused journey on the ultimate open road – space!
HAUL AND HOLLER
Cruise the hyper highways, taking on a variety of jobs such as fuel hungry long hauls and hazardous drop-offs to earn cash and unlock new content.
And don’t forget to monitor the CB radio for chatter from fellow truckers; it’s a fantastic way to uncover side gigs and stay updated on galactic gossip.
MANAGE AND MAINTAIN
Keeping your rig runnin’ isn’t always easy. You’ll need to keep your core systems online, gravity compensator spinnin’ and hull patched to prevent your cab from leaking lung juice.
Be sure to make pre-trip shop stops for replacement parts, and consider upgrading your truck at a local garage. These improvements are vital for safely navigating volatile sectors and ensuring timely deliveries.
HYPERJUMP!
Use the galactic map to plan your journey and warp jumps, while keeping an eye on your fuel reserves and power levels.
Once your route is set, kick back, crank up the cab hi-fi and cruise to a selection of original songs covering starburst blues, galactic rock and asteroid infused americana. The open road is waiting!
MADE BY MONSTERS
Star Trucker is the passion project of a small team: Monster and Monster. A two-person indie studio with a love for all things sci-fi and sim.
With the help of some talented friends they’ve developed an out of this world experience filled with emergent challenges and complex systems to master. So buckle up and join them for the long haul!
Produced and written by the legendary Hironobu Sakaguchi, and accompanied by a mesmerizing score from Nobuo Uematsu, Fantasian: Neo Dimension’s release on PS5 is set to enchant both new players and long-time Final Fantasy fans alike. Despite being originally designed for mobile in 2021, Fantasian is a full-scale JRPG with undeniable charm. I recently had the chance to dive into an early preview through the Ancient Hill area with Leo, Kina and Cheryl in my party. This segment included a few voiced cutscenes, a small area to explore, and a handful of fights, including an enigmatic special encounter and a classic boss battle. Here’s what stood out.
What’s new in this version
Fantasian: Neo Dimension brings several exciting upgrades with its release on PS5. The most noticeable is the stunning 4K resolution, which makes every detail of the meticulously crafted world pop with breathtaking clarity. Another welcome addition is the dual-language voice acting. Whether you prefer the authenticity of Japanese dialogue or the accessibility of English, Fantasian: Neo Dimension offers a fully voiced experience that brings its cast to life. Finally, the addition of an easier difficulty option means those who are new to the genre will get an easier time going through the title despite its classic JRPG difficulty.
One of the most intriguing new features is the ability to customize your soundtrack. For battles, players can choose between the original music composed for Fantasian —which is obviously excellent considering its author— or mix it up with iconic tracks from a selection of older Final Fantasy titles. You can choose a particular title, or use the random option to get a surprise soundtrack to play over each fight.
A unique art direction
The art direction of Fantasian: Neo Dimension is nothing short of extraordinary. The game’s world is built entirely from hand-crafted dioramas, which have been digitally recreated using drones equipped with 3D scanning technology. This meticulous process resulted in over 150 dioramas that form the game’s various environments, each one brimming with hand painted details.
The dioramas are crafted with an unparalleled level of care, with contributions from notable artists, including Akira Toriyama, the mastermind behind Dragon Ball, and veterans from Japan’s Tokusatsu industry, known for their work on practical effects in films and television.
Exploring these diorama-based environments feels like stepping into a work of art, with layers of textures and intricate details I wished I could simply reach through the screen and touch. The physical craftsmanship creates a visual experience that is entirely unique to the title.
Merging legacy with innovation
One of the most remarkable aspects of Fantasian: Neo Dimension is how it masterfully combines classic JRPG elements with some innovative gameplay mechanics. Fans of traditional JRPGs will find comfort in the familiar turn-based combat system, complete with elemental weaknesses and your classic spells. However, the game introduces a simple twist by allowing players to manually aim the trajectory of attacks and spells, enabling them to ricochet off multiple enemies. Some of these attacks will be your classic area-of-effect spell or single-target slash, but other attacks will pass through enemies and you can manually adjust the curve of the spell to hit specific enemies in its path. This added layer of strategy is super satisfying, particularly during large-scale battles.
And to boot, larger scale battles are guaranteed by the Dimengeon system, a feature that addresses perhaps one of the most common criticisms of traditional JRPGs: the sometimes repetitive random encounters. Instead of regularly battling the same enemies in the overworld, Fantasian allows you to store these encounters in the Dimengeon, an alternate dimension where you can tackle them all at once. A couple caveats to this: any enemy you haven’t encountered yet will still trigger an instant battle, and you can only store a certain number of enemies before you’ll have to dip your toes in the Dimengeon and clear the queue.
This system not only streamlines gameplay, allowing you some lovely uninterrupted exploration phases, but also allows for some excellent fights. When you enter the Dimengeon, you’ll find various bonuses scattered throughout letting you steal an enemy’s turn or buff your party’s attacks. Picking these up by aiming your attacks through the bonuses turns these mass battles into thrilling, high-stakes encounters. I found this system particularly enjoyable, as it allowed for more creative approaches in combat. The sheer number of enemies in these Dimengeon battles – which caps at 30 in a single fight – gave me the opportunity to experiment with different spells and strategies, making each encounter fresh and exciting.
Fantasian: Neo Dimension is a beautifully crafted love letter to the JRPGs of old, enriched with modern enhancements that make it feel fresh and innovative. The combination of stunning handcrafted diorama environments, classic gameplay elements, and new mechanics like the Dimengeon system creates an experience that is both nostalgic and novel. As a fan of the genre, my time with Fantasian: Neo Dimension definitely left me eager for the full release.
No Man’s Sky’s next big update finally adds fishing to the game after a piece of fan art stopped developer Hello Games in its tracks.
Following the release of No Man’s Sky’s Worlds Part 1 update and its new water technology, Hello Games has today, September 4, released the Aquarius update, which finally adds fishing to the long-running space sim.
This fishing feature was inspired by a piece of fan art, below, that shows the player’s avatar fishing while sitting on their spaceship. It was published by redditor catador_de_potos with the thread title: “I’m a simple man with a simple dream.”
“Something folks really loved in the Worlds update was the new water technology, tons of players were posting videos of themselves just chilling at the water’s edge,” Hello Games boss Sean Murray said.
“One piece of fan art in particular stopped us in our tracks, of a player lazily fishing from their wing of their boat. That inspired our next update Aquarius – where we finally add fishing to No Man’s Sky!”
The Aquarius update adds “a huge array of fish, from common minnows to wild alien catches, each with their own habitat and catching conditions” to No Man’s Sky, Murray said.
You can bait your line to lure in the rarest of fish or trawl the deep for hidden messages in a bottle. There are trophies to earn, fishing logs to complete, and new fishing equipment rewards. There’s even a unique fishing expedition, Murray teased, which sends players on a quest for “the biggest catch of the day.”
New equipment lets you fish in deep water from your personal fishing platform. New Fishing Pots can be used to bait and trap rare catches. You can cook up the catch of the day with new recipe combinations to be discovered.
“My favorite thing is to build a little base on the perfect shoreline, so I can cast my rod whenever the mood takes me,” Murray added.
No Man’s Sky launched in 2016 initially for PC and PlayStation 4 before coming out on Xbox One in 2018, and PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S in 2020. A Nintendo Switch version followed in 2022. Over the years, Hello Games has issued a long list of major updates, most recently the aforementioned Worlds Part 1. Murray said Worlds resulted in No Man’s Sky’s biggest player numbers in over five years.
Indeed, it’s a busy time for Hello Games, which alongside updates for No Man’s Sky is working on its next game, Light No Fire. It’s about adventure, building, survival and exploration together, set on a fantasy planet the size of Earth.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Bandai Namco has confirmed the Dragon Ball MOBA, codenamed Dragon Ball Project: Multi, fully launches in 2025.
A beta for the game wrapped yesterday, September 3, 2024, and Bandai Namco thanked fans for playing on its X/Twitter account while quietly announcing the full release window.
“We sincerely thank everyone for taking part in the regional beta test,” the post said. “All the valuable input we have received from our players will help our development team strive to make the game even more entertaining.
“New information about the game will continue to be available on this account, so please follow us until release. The game is planned for official release in 2025.”
Set to release on PC via Steam alongside mobile platforms the App Store and Google Play, Dragon Ball Project: Multi also promises vast customization options including different skins, entrances, finisher animations, and more.
“Experience the world of Dragon Ball through wrecking the battlefield with your own strength, or by conquesting the enemy objective with your friends and allies,” the synopsis reads. “The hero characters you take in control will grow in strength as the round progresses to give you a chance to obliterate enemy players and bosses alike.”
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
