Insomniac Games has three PS5 exclusives in the works simultaneously

At the time of Eberhardt’s interview in question with Full Sail University, Insomniac had already announced Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Marvel’s Wolverine. Eberhardt — a former Blizzard Entertainment employee who also worked on PlayStation Now at Sony — mentioned that she had been at Insomniac for almost a year at the time of the interview.

“So, I’m working on an unannounced title,” Eberhardt said, adding that she can’t talk about the project. She then expressed excitement over hitting her one-year anniversary at Insomniac in November 2022 and completing five years at Sony Interactive Entertainment as a whole.

“It feels really good to be back home at Sony,” Eberhardt continued. “I feel like they really, really invest in their employees — they invest in our education, they invest in our well-being, and they invest in our growth.”

Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2 is scheduled for release in October. Wolverine has yet to be dated.

The post Insomniac Already Working on Another Unannounced AAA PS5 Game appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

PS5 Slim might end up having “just slightly different dimensions”

Henderson claims to have seen prototypes of the revised PS5, and based on what he’s seen, he thinks the new hardware will only feature “slightly different dimensions” at best. Dev kits of the new PS5 model reportedly made their way to game developers earlier this year.

As far as a release date is concerned, Henderson stands by his report that the revised PS5 will be out in September, so a reveal is expected soon. “I’m inclined to believe it will just be called a PS5 and branded as an improved model,” Henderson wrote, doubling down on his claim that the new PS5 will completely replace the launch model.

Earlier this month, PS5 consoles were discounted across Europe and a number of countries in other regions, leading to speculations that Sony was making room for the revised model.

The post Rumored PS5 Slim Might Not Be ‘Slim’ After All appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Spider-Man 2 pushes traversal speed on PS5

Over on the PS Blog, senior game director Ryan Smith said that Insomniac utilized the PS5’s “power and speed” to bring something people have seen in the comics and movies to the game.

“Swinging is the core of our Spider-Man traversal, so we designed the Web Wings to work with swinging and complement it,” Smith explained. “That way you can weave back and forth between the two to build up speed and height.”

Using Web Wings in conjunction with wind tunnels is one way for players to go across the map “super-fast and really push the speed of traversal.” Ryan added that this was one of Insomniac’s goals and the team is excited for players to try the Web Wings out.

“Thanks to the power and speed of the PS5, Web Wings add another layer to our traversal system and change up how you look at getting around the different parts of the city,” Ryan concluded.

The post Spider-Man 2 PS5 Web Wings Enable ‘Super-Fast’ Travel appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Mackie plays John Doe in the show

Smith and Mackie went up against each other in the PS4 port of the 2001 PS2 game Twisted Metal: Black. Beatriz, while briefly shown with a controller, mainly commented on the side. She even wryly pointed out how different Mackie looks from his character in the game, John Doe.

There were only a few moments that showed the actual game, as it was mostly about the three talking about shooting the show, video games, and their memories from the early 2000s. Mackie said he didn’t play too many video games growing up, but he said he played some Atari systems back then. He also noted that it was a “big deal” when anyone got a PlayStation.

Miller said he wanted the apocalypse in the series to happen in 2002 since that’s near the era when these games came out, which were “synonymous with the time.” Mackie said he even got his first car around 2002 and loved playing his music while driving, which is also what his character does in the series.

Twisted Metal is about to have a presence at Comic-Con that not only includes free ice cream from Sweet Tooth’s truck, but also a screening of the first episode before its July 27 premiere date.

The post Watch Twisted Metal’s Anthony Mackie Show His Skills in Twisted Metal: Black appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

The Spider-Man 2 PS5 accessory pre-orders go up soon

Pre-orders for this special red and black PS5 (with a matching DualSense) go live on July 28 through PlayStation Direct and select retailers, but it’s not clear how much it will cost. And it’s also being released on September 1, a month and a half before the actual game. Despite that gap, it still does come with a download code for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 that can be redeemed when it launches on October 20. This version also includes the game’s various pre-order bonuses.

Those who already own a PS5 don’t need to shell out for a whole new console in order to get a Spider-Man 2 PS5. Sony confirmed that the DualSense and console covers (for both the standard and digital version of the PS5) will also be sold separately. The pre-order and release dates are the same across the accessories, too. The designs on said accessories are, according to Sony, meant to “reflect the intensity of the symbiote and its capacity for transformation and power.”

Sony did something similar for the 2018 PS4 game. It sold a special red PS4 and PS4 Pro with a white spider insignia that were both coincidentally also announced at Comic-Con.

The post Special Spider-Man 2 PS5 Console, Console Covers, & Controller Announced appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

The Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 story trailer has leaked online

After a tantalizing tease from Insomniac, the trailer found its way online. It shows a handful of characters like Mr. Negative, Harry Osborn, and Mary Jane Watson, in addition to Peter Parker and Miles Morales, that latter of which is sporting a new haircut. Miles is also being forced to face Mister Negative, the man who killed his dad in the first game.

Narrative director Jon Paquette said this conflict is a source of drama in the game. Creative director Bryan Intihar also explained that Peter and Miles are a “well-oiled machine” and that this game takes place nine or 10 months after the last game (it’s unclear if he means the 2018 title or Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales).

The trailer also strongly implies that Harry is Venom, as many had figured. This was heavily hinted at in a post-credits sequence, as players found out that Harry wasn’t traveling during the events of the game, but actually suspended in a tank full of fluid getting treatment for an illness. A small symbiote tendril sticks to the tank before it cuts to black, foreshadowing what was to come.

As for the panel, Insomniac showed concept art of Venom. Tony Todd, who voices Venom, also called it the most exciting voice acting he’s done.

“Venom was fun to do. I wanted to make sure there was a joyous quality in his destruction,” said Todd. “I wanted a sense of joy and tenacity and deliciousness!”

Venom is also quite prevalent in the PS5 accessories that Insomniac announced during the panel.

The post Spider-Man 2 Story Trailer Shows Venom in Action appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Sony adds more blessed stability to PS5 and PS4 via system update

The minor updates come with the good ol’ trademark patch note:

• This system software update improves system performance

As usual, there’s a chance players will notice a change (or two) in due course, so we’ll keep our readers posted.

PS4 version 10.70 comes over four months after a major update. Version 10.50 was released in early March, allowing players to access authorized third-party apps and services via Settings. March’s update also improved the last-gen console’s compatibility with the PS App.

The PS5 hasn’t had a major update since March either, but did receive minor stability and improvement patches over the months. Sony’s VP of Product Management Hiromi Wakai said back in March that her team will continue to work on new features. “We are always thinking about the features that our fans might want to see and ways to make their gaming experiences on PS5 more fun, social, and connected,” she said.

The post PS5, PS4 System Software Update Released – July 20, 2023 appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

The Firewall Ultra release date comes close to the series’ fifth anniversary

That price is just for the standard edition of the game, as there is also a $59.99 Digital Deluxe Edition. This comes with four contractor outfits, early unlocks for four contractors, four weapon camos, and the Operation Pass, which is “access to complete content for one future Operation.” No further details were given to clear up what the Operation Pass actually unlocks, and whatever it is doesn’t have a release date. Pre-orders are live now, and those who pre-order any edition get the Reaper X75 legendary weapon.

This information dropped alongside a new trailer going through a four-on-four multiplayer match on an oil rig, as well as a complementary PlayStation Blog post. First Contact explained that it will be looking to community comments after launch so it can “explore adding more content such as new weapons and contractors, maps, additional game modes, and possibly manual reloads.”

The latter was a hot topic among some, as the title currently has reloads tied solely to a button, something that VR shooters don’t often have. First Contact CEO Hess Barber reportedly left a comment on a YouTube video talking about an extra hardcore mode coming after launch with friendly fire, no aim assist, and manual reloads, but the studio hasn’t commented much on it since.

August 24 is also just days off the fifth anniversary of the first game, Firewall: Zero Hour. As First Contact stated, the 2018 title had a long tail of support full of paid DLC and free updates. The first installment didn’t get a PSVR2 upgrade, but that has meant Firewall Ultra will have a ton of improvements not previously seen in the franchise. Ultra supports eye tracking, finger touch detection, adaptive triggers, haptic feedback, dynamic lighting and shadows, and a PvE mode, the latter of which will be detailed at a later date.

The post Firewall Ultra Release Date Revealed for Tactical PSVR2 Shooter, Pre-Orders Now Live appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Mission: Impossible director’s past comments about Uncharted were misconstrued

Over on Threads, McQuarrie said that Dead Reckoning Part One’s train sequence wasn’t even “remotely” influenced by Uncharted 2. He also clarified a previous comment he made that led many to believe he sought inspiration from Uncharted 3 for a plane sequence in Rogue Nation.

“I used the word [Uncharted] in the literal sense in a post years ago and have been hearing that ever since,” McQuarrie said. “Games are just something I know nothing about.”

This clarification is rather amusing since fans, and even Uncharted 3’s own lead developer, have believed for the past eight years that Rogue Nation sought inspiration from the game’s plane sequence. Justin Richmond, who directed Uncharted 3, was so flattered when McQuarry mentioned the word “uncharted” that he said it “made my month.” Turns out, McQuarry wasn’t talking about the game.

The post Mission: Impossible Director Denies Being Influenced by Uncharted appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

The curious case of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, PS5’s SSD, and PC HDD

Explaining why Rift Apart was only releasing on PS5, Insomniac Games said back in 2020 that the console’s SSD made it possible to have seamless dimensional shifts and insanely fast loading — something that could not be achieved on dated hardware. Yesterday, Nixxes Software detailed Rift Apart’s PC port, revealing that the game “can be enjoyed using an HDD and the minimum system requirements,” while recommending using an SSD for best results.

Folks flocked to Twitter, Reddit, and even PS Blog to ask why Rift Apart wasn’t possible on PS4 if it didn’t require an SSD after all. Some even demanded a PS4 version.

“Well, since you don’t need the ‘ultra mega fast’ SSD from the PS5 to play this game, I am waiting for a PS4 version,” wrote one user. “But this was only possible on PS5,” wrote another. “Traitors,” wrote a third.

We reckon Insomniac is more well-versed in game development than PS Blog users, but what do we know.

The post Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart PS5 SSD Comments Continue to Haunt Insomniac appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.