Push Square News, Tips, Tricks, Ideas

Koei Tecmo has shared a brief sales update for recent PS5 exclusive Rise of the Ronin, revealing «sales are surpassing the Nioh series». Without posting any hard numbers, it goes on to say the game has a «high valuation» amongst players and the company is now looking at «mid to long-term growth» for the title.

Well, it's been quite some time since we wrote about Ghost of Tsushima updates, but the open world action game has a new patch on PS5 and PS4. As outlined by developer Sucker Punch, update 2.19 tweaks the title for crossplay support, ahead of the PC version's release on the 16th May. PlayStation users will be able to team up with PC players in the game's co-op Legends mode.

There's been a lot of discussion surrounding the commercial success of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. The PS5 exclusive launched on the 29th February, but despite garnering near universal acclaim from critics, questions were quickly raised regarding sales numbers, with Square Enix yet to provide any official statistics (which usually isn't a great sign).

After almost seven years at the studio, Alex Barnes, director of PSVR2 spinoff Horizon: Call of the Mountain, has been made redundant by Liverpoool-based developer Firesprite. In March, a report from Eurogamer alleged that a toxic work culture had been allowed to develop at the PlayStation first-party developer.

It sounds like Korean developer Shift Up may revert its controversial Stellar Blade outfit changes, as it’s told fans to “stay tuned for updates” and thanked players for their “passion and feedback”. For those out of the loop, a petition went viral this weekend after gamers noticed some alterations to a couple of the release’s costumes, incorporated by the release’s day one patch.

The Helldivers 2 community isn't entirely impressed with developer Arrowhead's latest patch, 01.000.300, which, according to some, significantly nerfed players' fun. In the patch notes, a fix for the seemingly busted way shrapnel ricochets was alleged, but the community has since proved the problem still exists, although it's actually the Eruptor that's to blame.

The PS5 version of Fallout 4 should now be available to all PS Plus members no matter how you first claimed the game, as Bethesda has confirmed the edition provided by the now defunct PS Plus Collection will offer the free upgrade. There were some initial issues surrounding PS Plus Extra users gaining access, which were the first to be resolved, and now it won't block those who redeemed the RPG through the PS Plus Collection either.

Skyrim was 2011. Fallout 4 was 2015. Starfield was 2023. Development cycles are growing longer all across the industry, but for Bethesda in particular, it's felt like the company has really struggled to create a consistent pipeline — especially in the last decade or so. This is even more apparent when you factor in projects like The Elder Scrolls 6, which was barely a concept when it was first announced in 2018.

There are a lot of things to discover in Stellar Blade, but the primary type of collectible is cans. As you explore the PS5 console exclusive’s Naytiba-inhabited world, you’ll discover all sorts of tins, ranging from iced coffee to soda. All of these brands, however, are fictional – because Korean developer Shift Up wasn’t able to secure a partnership with a real-life manufacturer like Pepsi or Coca-Cola.

Housemarque is celebrating the third anniversary of PS5, PC title Returnal by revealing a new artbook and graphic novel called Fallen Asteria. 88 pages in length, the latter can be previewed above in an animated version of the first issue. The graphic novel goes on sale from 22nd October 2024 and will cost $19.99.

Following yesterday's launch of Sea of Thieves on PS5, Microsoft has now delivered on its initial multi-platform promise to bring some of its exclusive Xbox experiences to new consoles. Having made the surprise announcement in February, the firm has brought Pentiment, Hi-Fi Rush, Grounded, and the aforementioned seafaring adventure to PS5, PS4 boxes as well as Nintendo Switch. During the presentation that revealed Microsoft's multi-platform plans, Phil Spencer and his team refused to discuss any efforts beyond those four titles. Is that it, then? Will Microsoft now return to releasing first-party titles exclusively for Xbox Series X|S and PC? Those questions can't be answered definitively yet, but probably not.

D3 has confirmed it'll be bringing Earth Defense Force 6 to Western shores on PS5, PS4 from 24th July 2024, just shy of two years after its original Japanese release. A tongue-in-cheek news bulletin trailer has been posted online to mark the update and pre-orders are live on the PS Store now. The release date means EDF fans are in for quite the summer since Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 is also slated to arrive on PS5, PS4 on 26th September 2024.

Diablo IV's upcoming Season 4 promises to be transformative. Blizzard has decided to forgo the usual swathe of service content, instead using the opportunity to rework how itemisation builds crafting work and introduce improvements and fixes requested by the player base.

Deliver Us the Moon, Deliver Us Mars developer KeokeN Interactive has laid off its entire team due to a lack of publishing options — a worrying sign of things to come. Co-founder and CEO Koen Deetman warned last month that this might be the case following the frosty reception many smaller studios seeking funding received at this year's Game Developers Conference (GDC).

Update: Since publishing this article earlier in the week, Stellar Blade's user score rating has increased another point, up to 9.3 from the Metacritic community. That makes it one of the highest rated PS5 games of all time.

Stellar Blade’s boss battles are among its most memorable moments, so it’s perhaps no surprise to learn that developer Shift Up is plotting a kind of boss rush mode for its PS5 debut. Teased by director Hyung-Tae Kim in an interview with Korean publication Nate, he revealed that some kind of arcade-style back-to-back boss challenge option is currently in the early stages of production.

The Fallout TV adaptation continues to go from strength to strength as Amazon has revealed the series has received 65 million viewers, making it the second most-watched show in the streaming service's history. It's also the most popular series on the platform since The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power debuted in 2022.

Bandai Namco has spiled the beans on what's next for Tekken 8. Throughout the rest of 2024, players can expect a bunch of free updates, and Lidia has been confirmed as the game's second DLC character. She arrives at some point this summer.

Slayer is one of those fighting game characters who's always oozed cool, and the wizards at Arc System Works have somehow made him cooler than ever in Guilty Gear Strive. His debut trailer is a feast for the eyes, as we get to gawk at his fresh design and new moves. He's the fourth and final DLC character for Season 3, with Season 4 confirmed to be in development.

EA Sports F1 24 is fast on the approach, launching on PS5 and PS4 in a little over a month. To give players a glimpse at what the sim racer looks like in motion, we have the just-premiered video above, offering about 14 minutes of raw gameplay.

The worlds of PS5’s hot new console exclusive Stellar Blade and gacha mobile sensation NIKKE: Goddess of Victory will collide in the near future. Director Hyung-Tae Kim already teased the possibility of a collaboration in an interview with Push Square earlier in the year, but now he’s confirmed to Gamer Braves that “a very high-quality crossover” will launch later down the line. He added: “It’s something you can definitely look forward to.”

Sony seems to be putting more of an emphasis on day-one PS Plus game releases, with one of those being the upcoming Animal Well. This curious indie game has always looked like an intriguing, lo-fi platformer, and we can't wait to delve into it on 9th May as it arrives on PS5 and PS Plus Extra. The Trophy list is now available to view online (thanks, Exophase), and it looks like you'll need to trawl the Metroidvania's map for secrets if you want that Platinum gong.

If you were hoping the news Housemarque has to share tomorrow is a Returnal sequel announcement, you may want to rein your expectations in by quite a significant amount.

Kaizen Game Works, the studio behind the cracking detective adventure Paradise Killer, has just revealed its second game, and it looks every bit as bizarrely intriguing. Titled Promise Mascot Agency, this unique indie title is heading to PS5 and PS4 in 2025, and based on the debut trailer we're so on board.

Nearing a decade after its original release, Bethesda has ported Fallout 4 to PS5, promising the kind of improved technical performance that you'd expect from a generation-jumping upgrade. But does the once highly-rated, open world RPG still hold up in 2024?

Sea of Thieves has finally dropped its anchor in PS5 waters, bringing with it years of content updates, quality of life improvements, and some of the best-looking water in a video game. But is this now former Xbox exclusive still worth playing six years after its initial launch? And how friendly is it to newcomers like us? After taking to the high seas with a rag-tag crew on PS5, Sea of Thieves proves itself to be one of the most approachable live service games on the market, and one we can’t wait to see grow on PlayStation.

Classic RPGs Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VII have been referenced as inspirations behind a new galaxy-spanning RPG set for release on PS5, PS4 later this year. Beyond Galaxyland, from individual developer Sam Enright, is «an all-new take on the beloved RPG adventures of old» with an active turn-based combat system, platforming, and puzzle solving from the 2.5D perspective. Check out the announcement trailer above.

Looking for a Wasteland walkthrough in Stellar Blade? This page will demonstrate how to discover every collectible and resource in the large sandbox area, which represents one of the bigger maps in Shift Up's console debut. As part of our Stellar Blade guide, our Wasteland walkthrough will detail the locations of Cans, Design Patterns, Beta Cores, Body Cores, Exospines, Passcodes, Camps, and more.

Don't Nod has shared a fresh look at its next narrative adventure, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. Releasing for PS5 at the end of this year, it looks to capture the feel of the mid-1990s as four friends spend the summer break together in Velvet Cove. Check out the lo-fi trailer above for more context.

Popular MOBA game SMITE is getting a sequel, and you’ll soon be able to play it yourself. While the release date for Smite 2 is still a ways off, developer Hi-Rez Studios is letting fans get an early look at the title with a closed alpha test.

Kingdom Hearts IV will grace PS5 boxes next year, according to the increasingly reliable online tipster Daniel Richtman (DanielRPK). The TV and film leaker posted to his Patreon that he's heard about a 2025 release date for Kingdom Hearts IV, just days after his claim Sonic Frontiers 2 is in development was backed up by another reliable insider in Midori. The rumour may suggest we'll see more of the Square Enix title later in 2024 after two years of radio silence since its reveal.

Microids has announced The Smurfs: Dreams, another 3D platformer starring the small Belgian blue folks. Coming to both PS5 and PS4 later this year, the game is giving off strong Super Mario 3D World/Sackboy: A Big Adventure energy, as you can see in the announcement trailer above.

Returnal developer Housemarque has this morning posted a cryptic tweet teasing… something for tomorrow. The team out of Finland uploaded a black and white image seemingly featuring Returnal protagonist Selene's eyes reflected onto broken shards of glass, then teasing news «tomorrow» in a yellow font. You can view the tweet below.

Gothic fans already know the original 2001 open-world RPG is getting the remake treatment, which is expected to arrive on PS5 sometime in 2024. Publisher THQ Nordic and developer have revealed that a Collector's Edition of the game will be available, with some appropriately leather-bound goodies.

The next playable character joining the fun in Capcom's Street Fighter 6 is a proper series staple. The powerful antagonist, Akuma, is next in line, and he'll be swinging his fists when he arrives on 22nd May, 2024.

All eyes are on Bloober Team as we inch closer to the developer's PS5 remake of Silent Hill 2, a pressure the studio is well aware of. Expected sometime in 2024, and despite a public spat with publisher Konami in February, Bloober Team remains «very confident about the final result.»

Elden Ring players traumatised by too many losses to the Lady of Rot can now line up to purchase an admittedly quite excellent life-size replica of Malenia's arm. The polyresin prosthetic, which costs just $400, is guaranteed to be a conversation starter if hung over the mantle.

Last week, we brought word of confusion among the ranks of eager Fallout fans trying to dive into the native PS5 port of Fallout 4, all fired up from watching Amazon's excellent adaptation. Those with access to either PS Plus Extra or Premium can now upgrade for free, with a small patch being released over the weekend.

Square Enix has warned Final Fantasy XVI players that it's aware of a potentially progress-impeding bug, specifically affecting players trying to boot up a New Game+ run. The good news is that the developer is prioritising a fix and will push out a patch once a resolution is found.

Stellar Blade has launched to huge acclaim this weekend, but not every fan is delighted with Shift Up’s PS5 debut. Eagle-eyed players spotted some changes to a couple of costumes in the final product, prompting accusations of censorship from publisher Sony. Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time the Japanese giant has requested changes in PlayStation games, as more titillating cutscenes in titles like Devil May Cry 5 were inexplicably edited on PS4 in the past. This decision was later reversed.

Despite some early bumps in the road, Sonic the Hedgehog's live action movie adaptations have been a big success. A third film is due to arrive at the tail end of 2024, and if it's anything like its predecessors, it'll not only boom at the box office, but it'll also be another entertaining all-ages flick the whole family can enjoy. We have confidence it can achieve that after watching Knuckles, a TV mini-series spin-off that's just as fun as its big screen counterparts, if not more so.

There's a big, new, shiny PS5 exclusive on the scene, and we expect it'll be a popular pick this weekend. Yes, Stellar Blade is here, and it's well worth checking out if you're in the mood for some good old-fashioned monster-murking action. There's lots of other stuff to play, though, as our team shows with an eclectic mix of PS5 and PS4 titles.

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered developer Aspyr has confirmed the Lara Croft posters removed from the recent PS5, PS4 collection will be restored in its next patch. Without saying when the update will land, the team explains that the posters were «inadvertently removed» as a result of «several texture and graphical updates to the HD version».

Popular life/farming sim Slime Rancher has had a sequel in the works for a long time, but it's now nearly ready to make the leap to PS5. Slime Rancher 2 has been in early access on PC and Xbox since 2022, and it'll soon add PS5 to the party when it arrives on 11th June, 2024.

The long-awaited Lost Soul Aside out of Sony's own China Hero Project could be nearing the development finish line as the PS5, PS4 title has been handed a Chinese age rating, clearing it for release in the country. Daniel Ahmad, an analyst at Niko Partners, adds this likely means news surrounding the game's final release will likely be shared soon, potentially within the next three months.

Survios, the team behind PSVR games CREED: Rise to Glory, Sprint Vector, and The Walking Dead Onslaught, has today revealed it's working on a new PSVR2 game set in the Alien universe called Alien: Rogue Incursion. It is described as an «intense single-player, action horror game», set to release for Sony's VR headset later this year alongside Meta Quest 3 and Steam VR versions.

Ah, the Commonwealth. A great example of dense open world design, Fallout 4 still has its charms almost a full decade after its original release in 2015. We've spent a good ten hours or so with the game's freshly launched PS5 version, and we're here to report on our findings with regards to technical performance. For the record, we'll be doing a full review in the near future as well — but for now, consider this an appetiser.