MMORPG

When was the last time we saw a game-changing reveal in the immediate run-up to the launch of a next generation console? Sony may well have pulled this out of the bag with today’s new State of Play, concentrating on the much-anticipated PlayStation 5 user interface. Sony’s menu systems have always been polished, beautiful pieces of work, but for the next generation, this is married with a truly impressive range of in-game functions. There are some impressive new improvements to existing options but also things we have never seen before in a console. Digital Foundry had the chance to see the interface ahead of time and to talk about the new system with SIE’s Hideaki Nishino, senior vice president of platform and planning management.

And at the basic level, the user interface itself does not disappoint. We’ve had hints of sorts about the look and feel of the system … Read the rest

Last week, Sony finally unveiled its teardown of the PlayStation 5 console, fulfilling a promise first made by Mark Cerny over six months ago in his own Road to PS5 presentation. Effectively a basic outline of the make-up of the hardware, we finally got to see the fundamental building blocks of Sony’s hulking console, but little was revealed in terms of the philosophy behind the remarkable design. Our take? It’s a somewhat more conventional design than Xbox Series X, and the key challenges facing the designers are answered by sheer real estate.

Yahuhiro Ootori, VP of the mechanical design department at SIE is the stoic presenter of Sony’s teardown – and he’s the real deal, with a host of console patents to his name (the most recently unearthed being the PS5 dev kit) and of course, he also hosted the PS4 teardown video way back in 2013. His presentation begins … Read the rest

Yakuza: Like a Dragon has Sega’s much-loved series taking to the new generation in style, an Xbox Series X launch title that offers multiple ways to tap into its power. Yes, much like our recent preview of Dirt 5, it seems Series X’s lineup so far has a trend towards giving players more ways to play – and that’s no bad thing. Developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, Like a Dragon – also known as Yakuza 7 in Japan – moves to experimental new ground by replacing the usual 3D brawling mechanics with turn-based RPG battling. It’s a time for overhaul, and this is the series’ most daring reinvention yet. It also lands on Series X with clear boosts over existing consoles: adding 4K support, offering 60fps, and also hastening its loading times. But does it deliver entirely on all counts? And to what extent is this making the most … Read the rest

It’s been years since Assassin’s Creed gave its heroes a home. For all the hours I spent as Kassandra, her brief stab at a quiet life left an odd taste, and there was nothing cosy about the cold stones of Atlantis. Valhalla’s village settlement, however, offers something very different. For new heroine Eivor, it’s a growing community of houses and people, shops and services, friends, families, lovers. It is a base for the game’s Ancient Britain-set campaign, a hub for travel to distant shores, a graveyard to bury the dead. And while its walls may be built from the same stones as BioWare’s Skyhold, it lies on earlier foundations set down by Connor’s Homestead and Ezio’s beloved Monteriggioni.

“It’s really tricky to show the settlement as it’s the core of the game,” David Bolle tells me. He’s a level designer at Ubisoft Montreal, and has worked on Eivor’s Ravensthorpe from … Read the rest