Players have never ??been able to offer too much detail in terms of reviews on the PlayStation Store, but that may be about to change.

In a Reddit post (first reported by Eurogamer), user cusman78 noticed he was able to add a written review for Helldivers II.

When did PlayStation start allowing? written reviews? Seems to only be al??????????????????????????lowed for few games on their store pages for now.
byu/cusman78 inplaystation

Users in the comments got together and realized cusman78 wasn't alone. It seems PlayStation has been offering select fans the opportunity to leave written user reviews on the PlayStation Store.

Previously, users were only able to leave a rating of 1-5 stars on a game. However, the inability to add detail to a revi??ew has been missing for years, despite platforms like Steam and the Xbox Store including the option for years.

As of this writing, it's an incredibly specific number of people who are able to tackle reviews. Based on the comments on the Reddit post, it sounds like players are chosen by how many hours they've spent with a ga??me rather than outright ownership.

The other caveat is ownership, as it seems reviews are only being allowed for users with digital copies. As one player explained, they received an invite to review Final Fantasy VII Rebirth?? but were unable to leave a review as they owned a physical copy of the game.

It's a good first step towards a little more transparency around game reviews, which sounds crucial given how hot-button the PlayStation Store has been recently. Helldivers II made headlines when it was review bombed following controversy regarding PSN Accounts. Allowing (or even requiring) added context will make it eas?ier to understand those reviews or explain why a game was review bombed in the months and years to follow to unaware gamers.

The reviews as they are aren't perfect, though. The reviews don't display how much time a user has spent in a game, which can be a huge detriment. After all, you wouldn't give the same weight to the opinion of someone who spent 10 hours in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth as someone who spent over 100 hours, would you?

Reviews are rolling out on an invite-only basis at this time, with invites being sent to the e-mail associated with the PlayStation Store account. PlayStation itself ?has not mentioned or announced the Reviews program as of this writing, so there's no indication as to when the feature will be mor??e widely available.

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As the August 15 release of the 1.2 update for Wuthering Waves approaches, excitement among players has long been building. There have been rumors about whether the PS5 version of the game might launch alongside the nearing update, thanks to its official announcement.

Will Version 1.2 bring Wuthering Waves to PS5?

While the PS5 version of Wuthering Waves has been officially announced, there’s no confirmed release date f?or it in conjunction with the ?1.2 update set to launch on August 15.

The speculation surrounding the PS5 release is fueled by the timing of the 1.2 update, along with the official announcement of a PS5 release. There's a natural assumption that the PS5 version might launch simultaneously with it, given the high demand for Wuthering Waves thanks to its increasing popularity.

However, it's? important to approach these rumors and speculations with?? a healthy dose of skepticism. While the speculation certainly can be intriguing to entertain, they are not confirmed facts. Until Kuro Games provides an official announcement on the matter, these discussions remain no more than rumor mill.

It's always best to wait for direct updates from the devel?opers to get accurate and reliable information. The best course of action is to stay tuned to the official Wuthering Waves channels and developer update?s for the most accurate and up-to-date information.

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Sony and Columbia Pictures have revea?led the? first trailer for the upcoming Venom movie, giving us a look at the final Venom film in the trilogy. Tom Hardy’s Venom appears all set for another round of mayhem, and the action-packed trailer teases the fight ahead.

The first trailer does hint ?towards what fans can mostly expect from the movie, as the alien Venom symbiote warns Eddie Brock about an invasion of Earth by the beings from its world. The beings are none other than Klyntar, the alien race created by Knull, one o?f the oldest villains in the Marvel comics.

The final movie’s official synopsis has also been revealed, explaining th??at “Eddie and Venom are on the r?un...�and that both of them are being hunted by humans as well as the Klyntar, forcing them “into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie's last dance."

While the trailer does not dig into why exactly the Klyntar have shown up on Earth and are hunting down Eddie Brock and Venom, it looks like it's an uphill battle for the duo against the Klyntar. The final Venom movie has yet to divulge its big, bad villain yet, and it remains ?to be seen if Venom will only be takin??g the fight up against the Klyntar.

Interestingly, Sony’s Shared Spider-Man Universe does not seem to be introducing Tom Ho??lland’s Spider-Man and finally have him face to face with Venom. The idea was certainly teased in the post-credit scene from the previous Venom movie, but the trailer’s plot looks miles away from that reality. Even if we somehow do see Spider-Man, it’s likely going to be a small cameo to introduce him in this Universe rather than seeing him play a crucial part in the final movie.

Anyway, it is all speculation at best at the moment. Venom: The Last?? Dance will be hitting theatres on October 25, 2024.

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Sony is bringing its PlayStation VR2 headset to PC gamers, as an adapter for the headset is set to arr?ive for PC o??n August 7, 2024.

The PS VR2 ?headset was originally released for ?the PlayStation 5, but Sony is now expanding its functionality to make it possible for PC players to play VR games using the headset adapter.

The company has mentioned in the official PlayStation Blog that it built the PS VR2 from “the ground up specifically for PS5�which is why some features that are present on the PS5 will be missing on PC. These features include the absence of HDR, headset feedback, adaptive triggers, e?ye tracking, and haptic feedback (except rumbling).

However, features such as 4K reso??lution, 110-degree field of view, see-through view, finger touch detection, 3D Audio, and foveated rendering without eye tracking will be present for PC.

The PC adapter for PS VR2 will be sold for $59.99 in the US, and users will also need a DisplayPort 1.?4 cable to use the headset for PC, sold separately.

PS VR2 minimum requirements for PC

Sony has also listed the ????minimum PC requirements for the PS VR2 to run. Here’s the minimum PC requirements for the PS VR2:

How to set up PlayStation VR2 on PC

Players have to simply connect t?he PlayStation VR2 to their PC via the new PS VR2 PC adapter and a DisplayPort 1.4 cable. To play VR games on Steam, players have to download the SteamVR app from Steam, and they also have to download the PlayStation VR2 app for PC.

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There's a rumor s?wirling about the next gr??eat LEGO game. And if true, it's going to be a massive Sony Playstation collaboration with one of the company's newest key franchises.

After a leaker claimed on Twitter that a new LEGO x Sony collaboration was in the works, industry insider Tom Henderson joined in on the tease before just laying all the cards out on the table, identifying the Horizon franchise as the candidate.

I'm not particularly fond of the "I know something, and you don't" obligatory vague insider BS. But from what I know, there's a LEGO Horizon trailer that's ready to go.

It al??so s??uggests that the rumors of a showcase soon are accurate.

— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) May 11, 2024

"I'm not particularly fond of the 'I know something, and you don't' obligatory vague insider BS." Henderson said on Twitter. "But from wha??t I know, there's a LEGO Horizon trailer that's ready to go."

If true, LEGO Horizon would be the first new LEGO game since 2022's LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, unless you count last year's LEGO Fortnite expansion. And though it sounds unusual, Horizon does fit the LEGO mold of making games based on hit franchises, like The Lord of the Rings and Marvel Super Heroes.

Horizon is also one of the few Sony franchises to have a physical LEGO collaboration already, with a genuinely impressive 12?00+ pie?ce Tallneck LEGO set seeing?? release in 2022 (it was discontinued at the end of 2?023, though, so good luck finding one).

The Horizon franchise has quietly become a Sony fan-favorite. Both Horizon: Zero Dawn and Horizon: Forbidden West became blockbuster hits despite launching alongside other massive titles that took up all the air?? in t?he room.

Horizon is also a franchise that has not been afraid to spread its wings, so to speak. A spin-off game, Horizon: Call of the Mountain, served as the flagship title for the PS VR2, and the franchise's story has continued in a series of comic books. There's a live-action Horizon television series in development for Netflix.

This also adds more fuel to the ongoing rumors that a Sony showcase is imminent. Though not confirmed by Sony yet, many insiders have pointed to M??ay ??2024 as a target window for the next event, though it's not yet clear if that would be a Showcase or State of Play event.

Horizon: Forbidden West is available now on PS5 and Steam, and is honestly a no-brainer if you're looking for a richly engaging action RPG to play this weekend. We gave the original console release an 8.5 back in 2022.

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Three days and over 260,000 overwhelmingly nega??tive recent reviews on Steam later, Sony announced on Twitter that the May 30 update scheduled for Helldivers 2 that would require Steam and PlayStation Network accounts to be linked for all new and current players will not be moving forward. According to the tweet, PlayStation is still learning what is best for PC players and the feedback has been invaluable in helping them reach this conclusion. After three days of hell for players and Helldivers 2 developers, the only question remaining is: how did Sony expect this to go any ??other way?

Well, that was unnecessary

The originally planned update would force Helldivers 2 players on PC to create and link a PlayStation Network account to their Steam account in order to play the game at all. Sony claimed this was the intent since launch, but a plague of launch issues resulted ??in the linking requirement being dropped temporarily. Now that servers are much more stable, the plan was to once again require the account linking.

Fans were obviously upset by this move for many reasons. First off, some regions don't even have the option to create a PlayStation Network account, which would have made it literally impossible for them to play post-update. According to PCMag.com, this led to Valve pulling Helldivers 2 from the Steam store for ce?rtain countries as well as offering refunds for players in those regions regardless of previous play time.

Also, why was this even necessary in the first plac??e? ? Players are playing on PC after all, not PlayStation. So why require them to have a PlayStation Network account? The whole thing seemed out of touch from the get-go, and even though Sony has done the right thing and backpedaled on its plans, it does feel like it left at least somewhat of a mark on player trust in Sony. As a PlayStation fan, but overall a PC gamer first, I'm thrilled that Sony is starting to bring games to PC. But hopefully this whole ordeal was a lesson well learned, not a sign of things to come.

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It's the beginning of another month, and? Sony is here to tease us with its PlayStation Plus November games lineup. The publisher announced its trio of titles headed to the subscription service next week, with none of them?? exactly being headliners.

Perhaps among the more noteworthy includes 2021's Aliens: Fireteam Elite, a third-person survival shooter with both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions. Back in the day, Destructoid reviewed the title, scoring it at a whopping 5.5.

Fireteam Elite sees a squad of three marines, whether cooperatively with friends or alongside AI, explore the caves and ruins of the mysterious planet LV-895. Players can build?? up their marine's skills across s??ix different classes with 130 different perks. All in an effort to fend off Xenomorphs, Spitters, and other alien creatures dead set on exterminating you.

The PlayStation 4's Mafia II: Definitive Edition is also a free offering to subscribers this month. The PS4 version of the game sits at a 56 on Metacritic and was criticized for various bugs, glitches, and gameplay flaws. However, if you're a big fan of the original 2010 crime game, this 2020 remaster brings an HD makeover and incorporates all of the previously released DLC. Destructoid awarded it a 7, noting t??here ??are "hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun."

Dragon Ball: The Breakers for PlayStation 4 is the third title coming to PlayStation Plus members this month. The game features Raiders v. Survivors gameplay, with Raiders being iconic characters like Cell, Frieza, or Buu from the manga/anime series. The Raiders will grow in power during the course of each round, and Survivors must work together to thwart their efforts. Released for PlayStation 4 last October, it was generally panned with that version of the game residing at a 52 on Metacritic.

With these three games coming to PlayStation Plus on November 7, another group is on its way out. October's PlayStation Plus lineup of The Callisto Protocol, Farming Simulator 22, and Weird West will no longer be available after November 6.

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With the imminent release of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Sony has released the launch trailer, and i??t highlights the rise of a darker Peter. 

The trailer showcases a number of huge sequences that are coming in the game, but be warned that it could also be considered pretty significant story spoilers for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. 

Peter & Miles team up against classic foes in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 launch trailer

In the trailer, Miles goes to Peter to ask for help. The trailer implies that Miles is in over his head fighting the Sandman. Fans of the original game may remember Sandman was teased via a backpack collectible that ??contained a vial of sand that Peter wasn’t sure if it actually contained Sandman or just some inert sand.

But the highlight of the trailer is the showcase of Venom and the symbiote-infected Peter, including a Peter in darker clothes and a rude demeanor towards MJ that hearkens back to Spider-Man 3. 

The trailer also reveals Norman calling for Oscorp enforcers to “get the symbiote off of him!,�though the camera does not reveal who the him is. While it has been confirmed it won’t be Eddie Brock, and the first game teased it would be Harry Osborn, the actual identity of ??the game’s Venom has been kept a closely guarded secret. 

The trailer does showcase more of the black suit, including a knock-down fight between Spider-Man and Lizard. There's also a tense battle between Miles and Mr. Negative, which would mark the first time Miles has been one-on-one with the man responsible for his father’s death. 

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 releases October 20 for the PlayStation 5. You’ve still got plenty of time to pre-order that digital deluxe edition and get all those sweet costumes. 

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PlayStation's accessibility answer

The PS5 Access Controller has finally gotten ??a release date. The circular controller launches on December 6, 2?023. Pre-orders will become available for the controller starting on July 21.

[caption id="attachment_391877" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image by Sony[/caption]

PS5's New Access Controller to Launch on December 6

The controller is going for a price of $89.99 and features 8 onboard buttons for its disc-shaped design. The control stick, which can be replaced with a joystick design, sits on the side. The controller allows for up to 30 control profiles, as well as toggleable commands. The controller also supports four ??3.5mm expansion ports that allow for external devices to issu??e commands as well.

The Access controller is also able to adjust it??s control stick length, as well as including attachments for an AMPS Pattern mount. The Access controller can also be used in conjunction with the DualSense, to allow for more customization options. Up to two access controllers can be used in conjunction with a single DualS??ense.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KUmHFU51NU

Each cap on the controller can also be switched out, changing their form factor, and the icon on the cap. This allows for buttons to match the on-screen display without a need for marking the device or purchasing third-party replacements. Each cap has multiple textures as well, as described on the controller's page.

This is a massive jump in accessibility for PlayStation. Combining this with the accessibility options in their first-party titles, Sony opens the door for more players to experience games on its platforms. Xbox has a similar device in its adaptive controller, which has received awards for its design. These tools make it easier for everyone to engage with games, removi??ng barriers and making this hobby more accessible in the process.

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A match made in Hell

The DualSense is my favorite current-generation default controller. I am a huge fan of handheld gaming. By rights, Sony's just-announced Project Q, a handheld console that appears to hav??e all the same features as the DualSense, should be ?right at the top of my hardware wishlist. And yet I feel no warmth towards that little machine at all.

[caption id="attachment_362124" align="alignnone" width="640"] Images via EA, Koei Tecmo, and Valve[/caption]

That's because Project Q is not actually a handheld console. It's the latest and worst in a long line of "kinda handhelds," a trend that I feel pretty lukewarm towards that started with the Nintendo Switch. These are "handheld consoles" that primarily or exclusively exist to play home console games. They're neat. I love my Nintendo Switch. I'm sure I would love my Steam Deck if I owned one. But they don't fill the same space as real handhelds in my mind?. And Project Q is the worst offender yet.

Portable, kinda

Project Q is a streaming-only handheld. Out of the box, it will use the PS5's r?emote play feature to stream games. In case you haven't caught on to the problem yet, it's this: the Project Q is being developed not as a console but as an accessory for the PS5. And it's not even an especially useful accessory.

Because PS5 remote play requires a constant internet connection, its away-from-home applications are pretty limited. Sure, you could bust it out at the coffee shop for some quick Returnal sessions, but if you're looking for something to leave in your bag and grab whenever you've got some downtime in your day, you're probably out of luck. You will also look like a massive dork using it anywhere outside of your own home because of its garish and gamerly DualSense handles (I like them, but they do not scream "things I want other people to see me using"). Beyond that, there's also the? apparent 8-inch screen, which is a full inch larger than the Nintendo Switch OLED and Steam Deck. Those devices are both already stretching the definition of "portable" considerably, so Project Q may as well have left it behind entirely.

[caption id="attachment_382060" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Apple[/caption]

The largest elephant in the room here is that a PS5 remote play handheld already exists. A whole bunch of them exist, actually, and there's a non-zero chance that y?ou're reading this on one of them right now. Yes, of course smartphones already have PS5 remote play. And it's quite good! There are also already a ton of mobile-ready controllers - as a matter of fact, the DualSense is compatible with iOS and Android devices. It's hard to figure out who the target audience for Project Q actually is, even before considering the still-secret price point.

Why should I care?

To be clear, I'm not a Sony shareholder. The good folks at Sony can make whatever bad business decisions they want. But I am someone who desperately misses the halcyon days of portable handhelds. If Sony insists on dedicating tons of resources to products that general consumers aren't really clamoring for, then I'd really prefer if they made a new Vita.

[caption id="attachment_372560" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot via That Retro Video Ga??mer's YouTube Channel and IGN[/caption]

Frankly, I just miss real handheld games. Consoles that actually fit in pockets and games that are designed to be played on the go. I know those games are still out there - in the time since I last wrote on the topic, I've come to appreciate that there really are quite a few 3DS-ish games on the Switch and Switch Lite, and that the App Store?? is not as much of a wasteland as I had assumed. But at this point, handhelds that exist to put home games in your "pocket" (or, more realistically, your purse or backpack) are so popular that even the worst version of that concept takes priority over a new dedicated handheld. It bums me out!

I don't really like the idea of Project Q. I don't see the point of it. But more than that, I don't like what it represents. Hardware companies have been hammering h?ome the idea that the dedicated handheld is dead for more than half a decade, and it feels like Sony is finally putting the last nail in that coffin. In the place of the PSP or PS Vita, we now have a tablet for nobody designed to play the exact games you can already play at home, but worse. Instead of honing handheld design philosophy, it feels like the industry at large just wants to get rid of it.

?I ??am into the PlayStation earbuds though. I'll wear those.

The post Sony’s Project Q is the wrong handheld for the wrong time appeared first on Destructoid.

Portable power!

The most popular current-generation console is a handheld. Computer companies with limited experience in the console market are jumping in with handhelds of their own. There's no denying it: portable gaming is in the midst of a renaissance. But as companies continue to release handheld consoles, and a?s consumers continue to buy them, I'm struck by an interesting question: what was the last mainstream handheld game?

I'm not talking about a game that you can play on a handheld. At this point, you can play basically any game ever made on a handheld. I'm talking about a game built for handhelds, on??e that benefits from a smaller form factor, lower processing power, and increased portability. Handheld consoles?? are about as big as they've ever been... so where are all the handheld games?

Very important pockets

Think back with me on simpler times. Remember when companies like Nintendo and Sony would have two main consoles on the market at once? A chunky home device and its lean, mean, pocket-friendly little sister? And, crucially, remem??ber when they had different libraries? There was a kind of separation of powers in those days, and it led to some really compelling design decisions.

[caption id="attachment_359259" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Sony Interactive Ent??ertainment[/caption]

The limited power of the handheld has also always been of some import. Patapon, Loco Roco, and Echoshift are all wildly beloved PSP and Vita franchises, and it's hard to imagine any of them connecting on the PS3. While home consoles were in the midst of a graphical arms race, pushing more and more cinematic stories, Sony was quietly publishing some deeply innovative and interesting titles on their dedicated handhelds. At home, you get Halo and The Last of Us. On the go, you? get a rhythm tactics side??-scroller.

Most of these games are designed based on a simple philosophy: a great handheld game is built on the idea that it will be played in your hand. It's a game in which nothing is lost on the small screen, and, indeed, one in which something is gained. Patapon plays great on my PlayStation 5, but its miniature heroes, are built for a smaller world. The characters bear simple designs that are readable on a smaller screen. They address the player directly, assuming a level of intimacy that the PSP ?facilitates nicely. Most importantly, the tig??ht, brief levels are the kind of thing that belong in a back pocket, not on a TV stand.

A delicious bite

When I talk about games that are truly built for handheld play, it's hard to avoid Pokémon: I have long believed that the original Pokémon games would have faded into the realm of the cult classic on home consoles. These games are full of smart design calls that make them sing on the go. Of course, Pokémon has some pretty? foundationally pocket-sized ideas. A game about going on an adventure and finding new things outside was undoubtedly able to more fully resonate with young children who could actual??ly take it with them on their own mini-journeys.

Portability in Pokémon is baked into its ethos, but it also plays a meaningful role in its des?ign. Battles are tactical, but they're usually brief affairs. Every moment offers up the chance to see a cool new character, or to win a really tough fight. Satisfaction and engagement awaits around every corner... which also means every play session, no matter how bite-sized, is satisfying and engaging.

[caption id="attachment_359268" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Square Enix[/caption]

"Brief but satisfying" is the aim in a good handheld game. That's also why a lot of homebound games earned a revival in the back seat of Mom's car. Series like Final Fantasy and Persona earned second lives through handheld ports - where sprawling RPGs with intense stories were once considered TV-oriented affairs, ports like Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions and Persona 4 Golden posited that a sixty hour game with three minute fights might actually be more digestible on the go. These games were already satisfying in bursts, so they made for a natural fit on the PSP and PS Vita. Likewise, Tetris' earliest releases were on Soviet home computers, but its most ic??onic incarnation was on the original Game Boy. As it turns out, people like score-chasing dopamine hits in their pockets.

A necessary lifeline

Handheld design philosophy also left the door open to iterate on home concepts. When home gaming systems entered the 3D era, a lot of franchises made the jump with them. Handheld consoles needed g??ames, to?o, but sprawling adventures didn't always play as well on the go. That meant older design philosophy met with handheld design philosophy to keep certain corners of the gaming world alive.

I often think of Metroid Fusion. This was a 2D Metroid game released on the Game Boy Advance exactly one day before Metroid Prime, which would become the "main" Metroid series for the following twenty years. My personal opinions on Fusion aside, it is a great portable title. It's fairly linear by necessity, because it is designed to be played in shorter bursts by more casual players. More notably, though, it's an actual 2D Metroid game - I can't help but feel that if the GBA wasn't around, 2D Metroid might have disappeared entirely. As a matter of fact, when a new 2D Metroid game finally arrived on the Nintendo Switch in 2021, it w?as a retooled version of a DS game.

[caption id="attachment_359263" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Nintendo[/caption]

Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda followed similar trajectories: as the home console games got more expansive, the portable games tight??ened the bolts on classic concepts, offering up some of the best games in ?their respective franchises.

What now?

In 2023, the distinction between "handheld" and "home console" is becoming increasingly muddy. The Nintendo Switch, of course, exists to destroy that distinction entirely, serving as both Nintendo's current generation handheld and its home console. Games made for the Switch need to be both home console titles and handheld titles (and the handheld bit usually cedes itself to the big-screen bit). The Steam Deck, similarly, is a handheld that plays PC games. At least for now, basically nothing is built for the Steam Deck. It also bears mentioning that, while they do fit in your hand, neither of these consoles are especially portable, so the "on-the-go" philosophy that defines games like Pokémon isn't something developers need to consider.

I think the impact of this has been almost instantaneously obvious. It seems unlikely that we'll ever get, say, a new 2D Zelda game on the Switch. When an old 2D Zelda game was brought over, it was prettied up and converted to 3D to make it look and feel less like a handheld game. Sony has seemingly given up on its handheld platforms entirely. The company offers PS4 and PS5 remote play on mobile devices, as well as a meager offering of remas?tered PSP titles for its home consoles, but looking at a list of Sony?-published games from the last several years, it's apparent that the portable design philosophy has vanished.

[caption id="attachment_359260" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Nintendo[/caption]

There have been proper handheld games developed and released more recently - Panic's Playdate, for example, is a comically underpowered monochrome handheld with a dedicated and compelling library. It's become something of a safe haven for independent developers looking for a quirky platform where smaller games can flourish. Developers want to make new games like Patapon, and the Playdate offers them that space. While there are plenty of Playdate games that would be comfortable enough on home consoles, the most beloved titles on the platform tend to be games like Bennett Foddy's Zipper, a tactical RP??G full of brief, satisfyin??g encounters.

In terms of mainstream consoles, though? We're pretty much out of luck. Every game made for Ni?ntendo's flagship handheld must necessarily be made for its flagship home system, and nobody else is even trying to offer a smaller counterpart to their massive offerings. There's a portable hole in the market, and I truly hope someone comes along to fill it.

The post Where have the handheld games gone? appeared first on Destructoid.

Cityscapes, cordyceps, and cinders

The second episode of The Last of Us television series is here, and regardless of what any given viewer thinks of the show, no one can deny that the creators are taking risks. While the premiere episode laid out a solid introduction to the series, it still left a lot of fans wondering what direction the story might take in the coming weeks. But this week's epis?ode, "Infected," set a whole new tone, for better or for worse. Whether or not you liked it, there's no denying that this second chapter laid it all out there and made some bold choices. It's up to us to discuss and decide if the changes were worth it. Let's break down the episode, and get into it.

Recap time

Episode Two: “Infected��run time 52 mins

The episode opens in Indonesia two days before the outbreak is in full swing, where government officials take custody of a prof??essor of mycology (th?e study of fungi) from the University of Indonesia. At a lab, the professor goes into a laboratory to take a look at a woman who was bitten by what appears to be another person. The professor flees in horror when she sees that fungi are growing inside of the dead Infected woman, especially after pulling still-wriggling fungal tendrils from out of the dead woman's mouth. The terrified professor makes it clear that there is no medicine or cure for this ailment, and she encourages the government official to bomb the entire city with everyone inside. Roll opening credits.

[caption id="attachment_359351" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via HBO[/caption]

Ellie wakes up in an abandoned building to Joel and Tess watching her like a hawk. Joel is still skeptical of Ellie's supposed immunity, and he encourages Tess to stop giving Ellie hope of living because of her bite. After some more back-and-forth about whether or not they should take Ellie back, she reveals to them that the Fireflies were taking her west to a base where they would try to find a cure. Joel is annoyed and says he's heard it all before, but Tess convinces him to move forward because they'll get what they want from the Fireflies regardless after dropping Ellie off. Ellie asks for a gun and both Tess and Jo?el say no.

Out in the open

They step out into the open city and we get a shot of the iconic leaning skyscraper from the game, which served as the first big set piece. We get some backstory and character quips as they walk through the ruined downtown area of Boston, and while going through a flooded hotel lobby, Ellie divulges she doesn't swim. She also does the bit where she acts out being both a snobby hotel guest and receptionist, which for those who don't know is a beloved (and somewhat hidden) character moment from the game. One of the hallways? on their usual route is caved in, so Tess has to go around, leaving Joel and Ellie are left alone to have a stilted conversation where she tries t??o get to know him a little bit better.

[caption id="attachment_359352" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via HBO[/caption]

Upon coming across a scene of dozens of Infected writhing around on the ground in a huge pile, Tess explains to Ellie that they're all connected in a sort of hive mind through a?? network of fungal way lines that grow under the ground. She says that stepping on a patch of the cordyceps fungus in one area can alert "a dozen Infected from s??omewhere else."

They decide to cut through a museum (another iconic location from the game) where they find a freshly-mauled man �Ellie says it didn't look anything like that when she encountered the Infected that bit her. After a tense walk up the stairs, the trio encounters two Clickers: monsters in an advanced stage of infection who are blinded by fungus growing out of their heads, and the series' most classic enemies. They make it out, and seem shaken but relatively unscathed. After taking a moment to catch their collective breath, we get the exchange from the game where Joe?l and Ellie comment on the view from the roof of the museum.

End of the line

When they reach the Capital Building, which was supposed to be the meetup spot with the Fire??flies, they find that some of them became infected, and while the non-infected Fireflies tried to defend themselves, everyone ended up dead. When Tess frantically starts searching for clues of where to go next, Ellie figures out that Tess was actually bitten back at the museum and is now infected. Tess asks Joel to take Ellie to Bill and Frank's so that she ??might go on to the Fireflies to help make a cure, and in turn help "right the wrongs" that Tess and Joel have enacted.

Joel shoots an Infected, which alerts a horde of more Infected via the fungal way lines. Tess starts pouring gasoline, grenades, and other ammuni??tion onto the ground and demands that Joel and Ellie flee, and the former of which reluctantly does so (Ellie doesn't have a say, as Joel grabs her by the arm and drags her kicking and screaming out of the room). As the Infect start barreling in, Tess is having trouble getting her lighter going.

[caption id="attachment_359358" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via HBO[/caption]

One of the Infected slowly walks up to a horrified-?looking Tess, and then gives her a fully open mouth kiss so that his fungus tendrils go into her mouth. She manages to ignite the lighter, and we see the building explode with Joel and Ellie safely outside. We end on a shot of Ellie staring breathlessly into the distance as the Capital Building smolders behind her.

My thoughts

This second episode was a doozy, so I'll try to start with the less controversial stuff. Overall, this was a slow 52 minutes. It felt like we lost a lot of time repeating the same points in conversations, taking too long to get to the point, or taking too many little pauses between actions that left everything feeling like it was lurchi?ng along to me. I also didn't get a great sense of flow with this episode. One of my friends that I was watching with described it as a collage, and I honestly think this image conveys the structure of this second chapter in the story well. It felt like the creators (so I guess Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin, in this case) plucked moments out of the game and stitched them together simply because they wanted to include them, rather than considering why those moments worked so well in the game.

The best example of this, I thought, was the bit where Ellie pretended to have a conversation with herself at the flooded hotel's reception desk. The hotel is a pretty famous (or infamous, I guess) level in the game that comes much later than where it was here, but I'll let that lie �changes like th?at are usually pretty harmless. What I didn't like about how this moment was implemented, though, was that Ellie went out of her way from a clear objective to partake in this moment, seemingly for no other reason than for the show to grind to a halt and go "Hey, remember when this happened in the game?"

When that moment happens in the game, Joel and Ellie are already exploring the area at a leisurely pace, so it makes perfect sense that she would slack off for a moment to have a little fun in an otherwise b??leak day-to-day. It's also ju??st a lot later in the story, too, when Ellie is much more at ease with Joel and feels freer to be herself.

[caption id="attachment_359354" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via HBO[/caption]

Okay, I know I'm already getting into the weeds a bit here. I get that they want viewers who have never played the game to be able to experience its most iconic moments, but plucking them out of context takes away?? from their overall impact, in my opinion. If they wanted t?o include those moments, I think they should have been a bit more careful when weaving them into the flow of the episode. It's a cute moment, but a cute moment without the support from the appropriate context from the character's arc or the overall story leaves it feeling hollow and devoid of any substance. I see this as a recurring pattern over the past two episodes, with the hotel lobby being the obvious moment this time around.

Taking a chance

Remember those risks I mentioned earlier? Yeah, it's time to talk about those. We knew going in that they were ??going to change the way the Infected "work," so to speak, namely by removing the detail that the fungal virus is spread by spores in the air. Ignoring the fact that that's actually how fungus spreads in real life, they opted instead to have Tess explain to Ellie (or rather, info dump) how the Infected are actually all connecte??d through those fungal way lines that grow between them through the ground. Digging deeper into the zombie lore stuff is their prerogative with the show; I was the one who asked them to do something to set it apart from the game, right? But to me, spending all this time setting up new rules about how the zombies work is a waste of precious screen time on something that never really mattered to the series in the first place.

[caption id="attachment_359355" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via HBO[/caption]

The Last of Us is zombie fiction �the thing about The Last of Us, though, with its intense focus on character-driven storytelling, is that the zombies don't really matter. The fungus thing is a nice twist, but they could be shark zombies or straight-up aliens for all I care. What makes The Last of Us different than?? anything else in the already over-saturated zombie media market is its characters, and what it does with them. What makes the Infected the most interesting, in my opinion, is the high-stakes, pressure cooker context they provide that builds the framework for some robust, satisfying, and ultimately really moving character work.

When it comes to the Clicker scene... it wasn't my favorite. It was chaotic, but not in like an I'm-on-the-edge-of-my-seat kind of way. It was more of an I-can't-tell-what-the-hell-is-going-on kind of thing. Between the extreme shaky cam and incomprehensible cuts, it's near-impossible to fol?low, even upon repeat viewings. It was cool to see Clickers, though, because they are a fun monster. I just didn't think the scene was shot or edited in a particularly compelling way, from a horror standpoint.

[caption id="attachment_359356" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via HBO[/caption]

We gotta talk about the kiss

I'll end on the same note that the episode does: Tess' kiss. Anna Torv does a phenomenal job as Tess and brings something new to the role ??(something I'm still holding my breath to see from Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal), but they really lost me with the kiss. I've heard all kinds of explanations for why it's there, including the one from Mazin himself, but it just... doesn??'t work for me. It's certainly gross. It's certainly shocking. But I don't like gross and shocking for the sake of it.

Look, I was an English major. There are any number of "viable" reasons as to why it might be in there, from nature's ultimate triumph over man to the liminal bliss of the moment between life and death to some sort of twisted sexual commentary I don't care to describe even in a hypothetical situation. My point here is that The Last of Us has always been violent and brutal, but gross-out/body horror has never been in its wheelhouse. It fee??ls too tonally dissonant to work for me, but I guess that's something we can hash out in the comments.

[caption id="attachment_359353" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via HBO[/caption]

In conclusion

Overall, I think what the show is missing the most for me so far is a clear sense of focus. It feels all over the place, especially in this second episode. Like a collage. We still have a whole lot of show left, so there's a good chance it could surprise me along the way, or ??even bring me back around by the end. I know I'm extra harsh as a big fan of the game, so I'll be interested to hear what non-gamers think of the whole ordeal.

So far I certainly don't think it's the worst thing I've ever seen, but I certainly don't think it's great, either. As for now, I'm looking forward to seeing w??here it all goes in the coming weeks. At least while there are still episodes out ahead of us, I can still have some hope that I'll come out on the other side with a mostly positive view.

Check out the rest of Destructoid’s coverage of the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us here.

[Disclosure: It’s important to disclose that I worked at Naughty Dog for a period of time during the development of The Last of Us Part II. My work did not involve or touch upon any of the content that is covered in the first season of HBO The Last of Us, but we believe it necessary and prudent to emphasize my time at the studio nonetheless. �Noelle Warner]

The post HBO’s The Last ?of Us Episode 2: Recap and thoughts appeared first on Destructoid.

Anytime Bloodborne is mentioned, an angel flies across the sky at 60 FPS

Any day, another ill-advised tweet: though this one is incredibly tame compared to some of the things we've seen these past few years. Sony threw out a rather harmless tweet asking people to identify (an obvious) Bloodborne cover, and that was appar?ently it. ??After a riotous response, Sony deleted it.

//twitter.com/evanf1997_/status/1583143932237844??????????????????????????481

Here's what the tweet said:

"Can you see it: which PlayStati??on game cover ar??e we zooming in on?"

Yep, it was Bloodborne. It was even trending!

But as Twitter gaming pundit Nibellion points out, you probably shouldn't be doing something like this unless you have news to back it up. Sure, having a bit of fun with some games and such can work (Nintendo does it on their YouTube channel)??, but Twitter? That's just opening yourself up to a sea of roasting.

Fans have been asking for an FPS upgrade patch for PS5 for years, and/or some form of a remaster. The action game, which demands a lot of its players on a technical level, is still locked to 30 FPS, much to the chagrin of most of its playerbase. Some would argue that it's the only glaring flaw left for the project, which has to be rectified at some point. Bloodborne is the?? kind of game many will be playing for decades, and From Software is no stranger to returning to their old catalog.

Fo??r no??w, it's the status quo. And a lesson learned!

The post Sony tweets abou??t Bloodborne, promptly deletes tweet appeared first on Destructoid.

Dtoid's Got Talent

I don't have to tell you guys this, but I will anyway: D??estructoid has the best community on the internet. Over the ten-plus years I've been around and five-plus I've been on staff, I've made friends, colleagues, met several community members from far and wide, and even met ?my wife �all thanks to the power of community.

So when a community member gets involved in the industry, it's our civic duty to highlight their achievements and shill their wares on the site! After all, you get what you give.

[caption id="attachment_341942" align="alignnone" width="640"] _{They tried to get a new Darkstalkers game but Capcom said, "No, no, no."}[/caption]

Eagle-eyed readers will recall darrenhupke's first project, compiling a sweet coffee table book filled with screenshots from all Sony-published titles on the PlayStation 1. How do I know it's? sweet? Duh, I have a copy! Not content to just publish one PS1 compendium, creator Darren Hupke is back at it with another book highlighting all Capcom-published games on Sony's first little beast of a?? console.

Capcom's PlayStation: A Chronological Visual Retrospective features over 45 games, 275 pages, and 750 screenshots similar to the first project, now complete with a little writeup and/or trip down memory lane for each game. Included are all-time classics such as Resident Evil (with the book covering all three versions released on PSX), Mega Man Legends, and Dino Crisis, but also some lesser-known titles such as Street Fighter: The Movie (which was Capcom's first PSX release!) and Freestyle Boardin' '99. If Capcom dropped it o?n the PlayS??tation, Darren is here to pick it up.

When asked about the project, Hupke said, "I decided to do this project based on a follow-up from my last project. I’m a huge PlayStation fan and nostalgia nerd for this stuff from my childhood and if I’m being honest, I’m doing this for myself! I want this book on my shelf so I can thumb through it and remember and reflect on all these games I loved years ago. I know others will love it,? too, but it didn’t exist and since no one else was going to do it t??his way I decided to do it myself! Looking back at a complete set of games from specific publishers in chronological order is ridiculously niche and nerdy, but it’s rad."

[caption id="attachment_341944" align="alignnone" width="1254"] _{Work-in-progress image of a page from the book. Who else's favorite is Street Fighter Alpha 3?}[/caption]

The most impressive part of all of this is the work that went into it. Instead of ?relying on ancient press screens, scans from magazines, or random internet searches, Hupke pulled each and every screenshot?? manually.

"I wanted to keep the 'visual' part of the book as the driving reason to dive in to it. So the screenshots are all a majority of the page real estate and each game has a minimum of 16 screenshots, one of which is a giant double p??age spread. For technology reasons I emulated the games and captured thousands of screens shots mapping a snapshot button to my controller. I’d play through most games as much as I could and use community saves to find key moments and late game scenes, secrets and bonus cont?ent, as well."

If you're interested in this Capcom book, or just here to support your fellow Dtoider, check out the book's Kickstarter page. Lord knows I will.

_{[Disclaimer: The author supported the creator's first book, but has not yet backed this particular work.]}

The post Your next coffee table book is all about Capcom appeared first on Destructoid.

On both PS4 and PS5

We finally have a God of War Ragnarok release date: according to Sony just this morning, it's out on November 9, 2022.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIQGI36BxDE

The release date coincided with a new cinematic trailer, as well as a look at the collector's editions of the game (detailed below). Note that the God of War Ragnarok release date both applies to the PS4 and PS5 versions of the game. Not that we'd expect otherwise! But it will be a dual launch as planne??d for 2022, just in time for the holiday. It's kind of amazing that they pulled it off.

You can find a more detailed breakdown of the physical versions of God of War Ragnarok here, and Sony st??ates that pre-orders will go live on July 15 at 10AM "local time" (which is 10AM ET for North Ameri??ca).

As usual, there's big boxes of plastic you can buy if you're so inclined. It's a AAA release after all! ??Here are?? all of the tiers:

• Launch Edition (Kratos Risen Snow Armor and Atreus Risen Snow Tunic cosmetics)
• Standard Edition (a PS5 upgrade costs $10 if you opt for the PS4 version first)
• Digital Deluxe Edition (several cosmetics and items)
• Collector's Edition
• Jotnar Edition

Here's what the God of War Ragnarok Collector's Edition includes:

• Printed voucher code for the full God of War Ragnarok game on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles.
• A Steelbook Display Case (no game disc included) â€?The God of War Ragnarok Steelbook Display Case depicts renditions of the Bear and the Wolf.
• 2â€?Vanir Twins Carvings â€?In the same style as Atreusâ€?wooden toy carvings of the Huldra Brothers from the God of War (2018) Collector’s Edition, the God of War Ragnarok Collector’s Edition completes the set with carvings of the Vanir Twins.
• Dwarven Dice Set â€?This set comes with a set of dice with a quality wood-like finish in a dice bag with a symbol of Yggdrasil on the outside.
• 16â€?Mjölnir Replica â€?A highly detailed replica of Thor’s signature weapon from God of War Ragnarok.

Again, there's one tier above that, too! The "Jotnar Edition" includes:

• Printed voucher code for the full God of War Ragnarök game on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles.*
• 7-Inch Vinyl Record with music by Bear McCreary –Â?/strong>This includes two tracks from composer Bear McCreary.
• The Falcon, Bear, and Wolf Pin Set –Â?/strong>Representing Faye, Kratos, and Atreus respectively, this pin set symbolizes our heroesâ€?family.
• The Legendary Draupnir Ring –Â?/strong>A ring from Norse Mythology, the Legendary Draupnir Ring comes in a red cloth bag.
• Brok’s Dice Set –Â?/strong>This dice set comes with a metallic silver finish with blue detailing. The dice bag features the Huldra Brothersâ€?brand.
• Yggdrasil Cloth Map –Â?/strong>This cloth map shows each of the Nine Realms within the branches and roots of Yggdrasil.
• A Steelbook Display Case (no game disc included)
• 2â€?Vanir Twins Carvings
• 16â€?Mjölnir Replica