Players’ Choice: Vote for October’s best new game

Players’ Choice: Vote for October’s best new game https://ift.tt/0tEdISN

Last month was filled with an extensive release of games ranging from high octane racing to covert missions! Some big new releases included Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, Phantom Blade Zero, Silver Pines, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, and Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve. Which game was your favorite?
  
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.

Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered fighter guide

Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered fighter guide https://ift.tt/Et37GMV

With its giant-sized fanbase, Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered has plenty of players ready to get tooth, nail, and claw stuck into its PlayStation 5 release on November 3. Although it would be understandable that newcomers might feel a little intimidated choosing between 12 world crushing kaiju, each with their own stats, moveset, and special abilities. Never fear – we have the rundown on which colossus matches your playstyle to ensure you’re the true king of the monsters.  

Heisei Godzilla

Ideal for: Players who want to dive straight in.

The face which sank a thousand ships. Godzilla is the iconic kaiju who all other kaiju want to be, beat, or be friends with. As the game’s default character, the giant lizard is balanced for newbies and veterans alike, with a high amount of starting health and decent all-round stats.

Godzilla also possesses a tail useful enough for a mighty wake-up strike when he’s downed, and some fairly swift claws, so many of his melee combos are effective for beginners. But don’t rely too much on his high-energy pulse – while it’s formidable, the slow charge leaves him open to counters. Similarly, ranged attackers can take advantage of his relatively sluggish projectiles, so close that distance or you’ll be heading back to Monster Island with your giant tail between your legs.

Godzilla 2000

Ideal for: Players annoyed at their friend for picking Heisei Godzilla.

In terms of film history, Godzilla 2000 is a more modern incarnation of the legendary lizard, reflecting a new era for the new millennium. Although he’s arguably a slightly more vulnerable version of his Heisei predecessor.

As a result, while Godzilla 2000 is a bit faster than his kaiju shoto fighter twin, he’s not quite as strong. He’s still fairly well balanced and arguably easier to use than Heisei, so makes for a solid alternative. And his distinctive purple dorsal plates look pretty cool, too.

King Ghidorah

Ideal for: Players who want to control the battlefield.

There’s a reason why this fearsome three-headed beast is seen as Godzilla’s archnemesis. Giant wings, gravity beams, and a desire to annihilate humanity, the threat of King Ghidorah should never be taken lightly.

Given his monstrous size it shouldn’t be a surprise that the ‘supreme ruler of the cosmos’ isn’t the fastest kaiju on the block, but he’s resilient and a perfect ‘zoning’ character, capable of keeping foes at a distance with a variety of projectiles. His flight is a little limited due to its energy drain, but it’s balanced by a lightning blast that has no charge while airborne. However, despite his colossal wings, Ghidorah’s lack of arms and stubby legs makes him a poor melee fighter.

Anguirus

Ideal for: Players who think defense is the best offense.

He might look a bit like Godzooky with more spikes, but mutant dinosaur Anguirus is one of Godzilla’s most loyal allies – even if his track record against other kaiju hasn’t been the best in the movies.

The Monster Island citizen is fast and aggressive, but his low power and lack of long-range attacks means Anguirus is best utilized as a counter-attack specialist. His block might be on the slow side due to its turning animation, but it actually damages an attacking opponent due to Anguirus’ rear spines. With his high defense and solid grappling skills, this mutant shouldn’t be underestimated.

Megalon

Ideal for: Players who love to hit and run.

Given its status as a guardian to the ancient underground civilisation of Seatopia, Megalon is more of an antagonist than an out-and-out villain in Godzilla lore. While not quite as domineering as its colossal rivals, the subterranean kaiju is still capable of putting a hurt on with its drill-like appendages.

Megalon’s primary advantage is its tunnelling skill which not only allows it to avoid attacks, but also pop-up and grab opponents. Even though burrowing uses energy, it still makes Megalon a difficult fighter to pin down, especially when used in tandem with its myriad of electricity attacks. On the flip side, Megalon isn’t the most durable of beasts with below average defense. Stick and move, or die.

Gigan

Ideal for: Players wanting to attack with deadly speed.

One of the most sadistic fighters to hail from M Space Hunter Nebula, cyborg kaiju Gigan is easily one of Godzilla’s more vicious adversaries. Despite being defeated multiple times, the hook-clawed Gigan just keeps coming back for more.

Unsurprisingly, Gigan’s tenacious approach makes him perfect for aggressive rushdown tactics. He’s not only swift, but his teleportation ability gives him incredible range and evasion skills. And those hooks aren’t for decoration either, delivering damage-heavy edged strikes. His Laser Eye is a little unwieldy, and he’s vulnerable to energy attacks, but Gigan remains a versatile option for anyone wanting a decent melee and range mix-up.

Destoroyah

Ideal for: Players wanting a classic tank character.

Known as ‘death incarnate’, everything about Destoroyah is built to intimidate. Giant wings, clawed hands, taloned feet… this mutant crustacean almost has it all.

Which is to say, Destoroyah is one of the more powerful creatures in the game with brutal physical assaults and a wide variety of high-damage – and often unblockable – energy attacks that truly make him the perfect mid-range monster. But there’s a cost. Destoroyah’s best abilities are extremely power hungry, so without them he’s potentially ineffective given how painfully slow his movement is.

Rodan

Ideal for: Players wanting speed above all else.

With his dominance of the skies and fearsome pteranodon looks, you’d be fooled into thinking Rodan is an out-and-out villain, but he’s more a force of chaos, even capable of being selfless in some parts of Godzilla lore.

True to type, Rodan is not only the fastest monster in the game, but also the most mobile in the air. With his powerful breath attack and speedy melee attacks, he’s another great hit-and-run character. However, Rodan has shockingly low durability, with the weakest defense of the entire roster, so going toe-to-toe is not recommended.

Mecha-King Ghidorah

Ideal for: Players wanting a long-range grappler.

When one possible future sees the three-headed beast defeated, his body is salvaged and rebuilt by 23rd century scientists to serve humanity. The result is a cyborg that merges Ghidorah’s ferocity with bionic enhancements, including a shield, and projectiles with draining abilities.

So while Mecha-King Ghidorah doesn’t quite have the raw power of his original form, his weapons are far more useful on a whole, and his grappling versatility is impressive. That said, he’s just as slow, and he relies on energy to maintain his best attacks including his shield, meaning Mecha-King Ghidorah can be vulnerable to powerful prolonged assaults.

Mechagodzilla

Ideal for: Players wanting a heavy duty ranged fighter.

Mechagodzilla is the alien Vortaak’s heavily weaponised answer to the fire-breathing giant lizard, in their attempt to conquer Earth. And with near indestructible space titanium, lasers, missiles, and even a plasma cannon, they’ve left very little to chance.

Unlike its Kiryu sibling, Mechagodzilla is more specialised, with a greater degree of weapons and better defensive stats. And let’s not forget its iconic flying head-butt. Mechagodzilla’s main issue? Its reliance on energy for flying and many of its ranged attacks – so if that’s depleted, the automaton is left with its underwhelming grabs and sluggish melee.

Orga

Ideal for: Players wanting the best grappler in the game.

A terrifying looking alien in its own right, Orga hasn’t many appearances in Godzilla media, but the goliath – mutated from some of Godzilla’s DNA – is able to hold its own… not least due to its venomous maw and gigantic hands.

It’s those mitts which make Orga a menace in the arena, with its long reach offering a massive advantage to close and mid-range confrontations. But while Orga isn’t the slowest of monsters, it’s still relatively sluggish, and limited against anyone resistant to blunt attacks, or too fast for grabs. And as useful as its paralysing goo is, the high energy cost can leave Orga exposed if it misses.

Kiryu

Ideal for: Players needing a more weapons-focused Godzilla.

What do you get when you place the original Godzilla’s skeleton inside of a robot body? In this case, a slightly unstable anti-kaiju cyborg designed to protect humanity. Kiryu (translated into ‘machine dragon” from the original kanji) is one of the more popular iterations of Mechagodzilla, and a heavily armoured walking, flying arsenal.

Compared to Mechagodzilla, Kiryu has better balanced stats, which makes it the optimal choice for those looking for a more weapons-ready, energy hungry version of the base Godzillas, with a punchy rage attack thanks to its Absolute Zero Cannon.

Ready to see if you can keep up with your chosen kaiju? Get smashing when Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered fights its way to PlayStation 5 on November 3.

20 years of PlayStation Store – devs share the great games that surprised them most

20 years of PlayStation Store – devs share the great games that surprised them most https://ift.tt/znhFZ8X

For 20 years, PlayStation Store has connected players with games of all shapes and sizes, from blockbuster adventures to indie delights and everything in between.

To mark the occasion, we asked developers from PlayStation Studios and third-party studios to reflect on a great game from the past 20 years that caught them by surprise. Not necessarily their favorite game of all time, but one they didn’t expect to enjoy as much as they did, or that won them over in an unexpected way.

You can also check out the 20 Years of PlayStation Store Showcase when it goes live today (11:00am local time), where you can explore deals on games and a curated selection of hand-picked hits.

Now, here’s what the developers shared regarding games from the past 20 years that surprised them:

Balatro | PS4 & PS5, 2024

“The game that comes to mind is Balatro. While it’s based on the simple, familiar rules of poker, I became completely hooked on the sense of satisfaction that comes from seeing your scores grow bigger and bigger through progression and different combinations.

It’s a truly compelling game that reminds me why games are so much fun to play in the first place.”

– Naoki Hamaguchi, Final Fantasy VII Remake Series Director, Square Enix

Dragon Quest XI: Echos of an Elusive Age | PS4, 2018

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“Dragon Quest XI: Echos of an Elusive Age took me by surprise the first time I played it. Everything from the story to the character design and world has a charm to it that is hard to not love. Whenever the path ahead seemed clear, the game shattered the illusion with an unexpected twist. It is a wonderful hero’s journey with a very unique personality.”

– Jonathan Burke, Sr. Director of Technology, Santa Monica Studio

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God of War | PS4, 2018

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“A game I didn’t expect to love as much as I did was God of War (2018). It’s still mind-boggling to me that Santa Monica Studio was able to pull that off on the PlayStation 4. 

However, it was the story that truly won me over. In the previous games, God of War 1, 2, and 3, Kratos was, in my humble opinion, largely defined by anger and rage, with very little emotional depth. But God of War (2018) changed that in a profound way. The themes of fatherhood, self-control, breaking toxic cycles, grief, and identity were not on my bingo card. However it delivered on all those emotional fronts exceptionally well.  

Very few games have managed to balance incredible gameplay with a deeply compelling story the way God of War (2018) did.”

– Ramone Russell, Director, Product Development Communications & Brand Strategy, San Diego Studio 

Inscryption | PS4 & PS5, 2022

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“I was not ready for Inscryption. I thought it was just a creepy card-based tabletop game, and I gave it a try because I usually love these kinds of games. I found the complexity in how the cards and their modifiers interact fascinating and compelling. As someone who works on games with deep and complex stories, I appreciated how much the game trusts us as players to unpack the mysterious narrative (and game design!) on our own. Inscryption does something incredible: it starts as a seemingly simple, straightforward game that rewards persistence by revealing new layers of gameplay AND story at every step. It’s also very special to me as our dearly departed cat lives on as the ‘lil toot boi’ Build-a-Card. RIP, lil buddy.”

– Arne Meyer, Head of Culture and Communications, Naughty Dog

Inside | PS4, 2016

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“Playdead’s Inside somehow came out over ten years ago. It has no UI and no dialogue and rolls out a completely unique experience with no obvious instructions at all, meticulously crafted to teach by way of ‘invisible hand’ that feels effortless. The visuals and audio perfectly reflect the ambiguous story that keeps you thinking about it for weeks (or a decade) after completion. It is a masterpiece.” 

– Marcus Smith, Creative Director, Insomniac Games

Sayonara Wild Hearts | PS4, 2019

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“The game that completely took me by surprise was Sayonara Wild Hearts! I am not one to gravitate to games with musical and rhythm elements as part of its primary gameplay loop. However as soon as I saw this game in motion it truly captivated me and drew me in with its colorful and unique style. As I jumped in, the story started drawing me more and more into its world as well as the amazing and dynamic setting. Soon enough I realized I was fully invested in a musical and rhythmic game, and I just could not just put it down until I completed the story. The great soundtrack just sealed the deal for me.  I would recommend this game to anyone that may not usually play this style of game for sure; it was a truly memorable experience for me.”

– Bruno Velazquez, Game Director, Santa Monica Studio

Shadow of the Colossus | PS2, 2005

“I picked “Shadow of the Colossus”, originally launched in 2005 for PlayStation 2. With your horse and sword only, you gallop the plains in search of giant creatures to strike down to save your loved one, plunged into a deep slumber. The game is essentially David versus Goliath. Austere at first, the adventure celebrates heroic loneliness to perfection with epic battles, great technological prowess and a soundtrack that made history. A masterpiece.”

– Nicolas Doucet, the studio director, Team Asobi

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves | PS3, 2009

“Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009) surprised me the most when I played it on PlayStation 3 because after being so hyped by the stage demo the game delivered something even more epic and impressive. Set piece after set piece was incredible, the production value, the charisma of the cast and how it felt like playing a blockbuster movie. It was everything I hoped the game would be as an excited PlayStation fan being so excited to play it.”

– Gregory Louden, Creative Director, Housemarque

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What game from the past 20 years surprised you the most? Share your pick in the comments below, and let us know what made it memorable.