Share of the Week: Sidekick https://ift.tt/qDrC9Ng
Last week, we asked you to share gaming sidekicks using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:
RhodWulfLeonshares Freya looking fierce in God of War Ragnarök
Themarkplumbshares Kliff with his bear bud in Crimson Desert
baranselyektashares Venom Snake with his trusted partner D-Dog in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
Elizado_shares a somber moment with Lev in The Last of Us Part II.
_muhdfarezwan_shares Cloud kicking it with the people he’s closest to in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
KintsugiRoninshares the majesty of the wolf in Ghost of Yōtei.
Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?
THEME: Resident Evil Requiem
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on April 8, 2026
Next week, share some great (spoiler free) moments from Requiem using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.
PlayStation Store: March 2026’s top downloads https://ift.tt/4rb9Vvt
It’s time to see which PS5, PS4, PS VR2, and free-to-play games topped last month’s download charts. In March, MLB The Show 26 led the US charts, while Crimson Desert took the top spot in the EU and ranked among the top three in the US. Meanwhile, The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin dominated the free-to-play charts.
Check out the full listings below. What titles are you playing this month?
PS5 Games
US/Canada
EU
MLB The Show 26
Crimson Desert
Crimson Desert
EA SPORTS FC 26
Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Requiem
WWE 2K26
Grand Theft Auto V
NBA 2K26
Minecraft
Marathon
WWE 2K26
ARC Raiders
UFC 5
Grand Theft Auto V
Resident Evil 4
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
EA SPORTS FC 26
ARC Raiders
Minecraft
Marathon
EA SPORTS Madden NFL 26
NBA 2K26
Resident Evil 4
It Takes Two
John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando
Poppy Playtime: Chapter 2
UFC 5
Forza Horizon 5
Ghost of Yōtei
F1 25
REANIMAL
Among Us
EA SPORTS College Football 26
Ghost of Yōtei
Ready or Not
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
Poppy Playtime: Chapter 3
*Naming of products may differ between regions *Upgrades not included
PS4 Games
US/Canada
EU
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2
RESIDENT EVIL 5
A Way Out
Gang Beasts
EA SPORTS FC 26
Resident Evil 6
Assassin’s Creed Unity
Call of Duty: Black Ops III
Gang Beasts
Dying Light
Dying Light
Mortal Kombat X
The Forest
Batman: Arkham Knight
RESIDENT EVIL 5
A Way Out
Batman: Arkham Knight
The Forest
Resident Evil 6
Resident Evil
House Flipper
Minecraft
Minecraft
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2
Need for Speed Heat
Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto V
Need for Speed Heat
Unravel Two
God of War III Remastered
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
The Last of Us Remastered
Cuphead
Mortal Kombat X
STAR WARS Battlefront II
Resident Evil
Resident Evil 0
Assassin’s Creed Origins
*Naming of products may differ between regions
PS VR2 Games*
US/Canada
EU
Beat Saber
Beat Saber
Job Simulator
Job Simulator
Among Us 3D: VR
Alien: Rogue Incursion VR
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
Among Us 3D: VR
Alien: Rogue Incursion VR
Metro Awakening
Synapse
Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition
Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition
Pavlov
Arizona Sunshine 2
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners
Cooking Simulator VR
Arizona Sunshine 2
Drunkn Bar Fight 2 VR
Hubris
*PlayStation Store purchases only. Game upgrades or games bundled with hardware not included
(From Global) SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance DLC “SEGA Villains Stage” Launches Today! https://ift.tt/QHD4Uiq
SEGA and Lizardcube, the team behind the hit brawler Streets of Rage 4, have released the SEGA Villains Stage DLC for SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance! In this blog, we’d like to share some highlights from the DLC and the free update that went live today, as well as some words from the developers.
■About SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance DLC “SEGA Villains Stage”
Face off against legendary SEGA bosses Goro Majima (Like a Dragon & Yakuza series), DeathAdder (Golden Axe series) and Dr. Eggman (Sonic series) in a journey across dimensions!
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Contents
5 crossover stages
3 bosses (Goro Majima, DeathAdder, Dr. Eggman,)
2 Boss Rush modes featuring the DLC bosses
3 additional Ninpo
3 new outfits
6 new music tracks
*This DLC is included in the SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance Digital Deluxe Edition and the Digital Deluxe Upgrade.
*To use this product, you must own the SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance base game.
*You can access this stage after completing the fourth zone of the base game, which includes The Desert, Mad Train, and ENE Corp Laboratory.
*Some depictions in this DLC may be reminiscent of tsunamis and other natural disasters, which can potentially cause stress or anxiety. Player discretion is advised.
SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance Free Update
A brand-new free update is now available for all players!
Update Overview
Hardcore Mode
A high-difficulty mode featuring changes in enemy placement and stronger boss attacks.
– Additional Combat Settings
New options let you adjust recovery frames, the flash effect when taking damage, and camera shake during combat.
– Various other quality-of-life improvements.
Special Message From the SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance Development Team
Takaharu Terada, SEGA’s Senior Director, and Ben Fiquet, Lizardcube’s Art Director and CEO, share insights into the new DLC along with a message for players.
Message from Takaharu Terada (SEGA Senior Director
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Thank you all for playing SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance. The game has been nominated for numerous awards and received widespread acclaim for its action gameplay. Its success is a testament to Lizardcube’s uncompromising commitment to quality. We can’t thank you enough!
When we first began work on the SEGA Villains Stage DLC, the plan was simply to create a few stages focused on boss battles, but since Lizardcube’s so dedicated to quality, we ended up filling the DLC with tons of features, including Hardcore Mode, new Ninpo inspired by the bosses, and customizable combat settings.
Incorporating player feedback, we’ve packed the game with challenging content inspired by many of your requests. Whether you’re just starting out or have already spent countless hours playing, we hope you enjoy this exciting new wave of content.
Message from Ben Fiquet (Lizardcube’s Art Director and CEO)
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Since the launch of SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance, the community’s energy has been electric. We are incredibly grateful for the passion you’ve shown for Joe Musashi’s return.
From the amazing combo reels to the fans of the franchise embracing this new adventure and aesthetics, we are very proud to be part of SHINOBI’s legacy. I believe this is one of 2025’s best action games for sure (but I may be biased :) )
Reimagining SHINOBI was a unique bridge between cultures. Our production process combined SEGA’s legendary history with Lizardcube’s own craft and sensibility. This collaboration was a dream come true, SEGA’s expertise and Lizardcube’s strengths proved to be a glorious match.
As we expand the universe, this DLC is also a love letter to SEGA. You’ll be facing DeathAdder, the ultimate boss from Golden Axe, Goro Majima from Yakuza and of course Dr. Eggman, who embodies one of the coolest villains ever. Each victory will grant you a new ninpo, like the infamous Golden Axe or the clone ability from Majima that you’ll be able to use at will in the DLC and the main game. This will bring some new and amazing combos from the community. Thank you for walking the path of the ninja.
We can’t wait for you to face these new threats!
Digital Deluxe Edition and Digital Deluxe Upgrade Available
Jump into SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance with all its DLC by picking up the Digital Deluxe Edition! If you already own the standard edition, grab the Digital Deluxe Upgrade to get all of the bonus content.
【Digital Deluxe Edition Contents】
– Starter Pack（Ghost Outfit, Medic Lite Amulet, and 2,000 Gold）
*Gold is collected during gameplay and cannot be purchased separately.
– SEGA Villains Stage DLC
– the Digital Art Book and Soundtrack
【Digital Deluxe Upgrade】
Grants owners of the SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance base game access to the contents of the Digital Deluxe Edition.
SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance Product Information
Release Date: August 29, 2025 (Fri)
Platforms: PlayStation 5 /PlayStation 4 *No physical version available for PlayStation®4
Languages：Japanese, English, Korean, Chinese (Traditional, Simplified)
SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance – DLC “SEGA Villains Stage” Product Information
Release Date：April 3,2026 (Fri)
Platforms：PlayStation 5 /PlayStation 4
Languages：Japanese, English, Korean, Chinese (Traditional, Simplified)
PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for April: Lords of the Fallen, Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream https://ift.tt/KNRL4zJ
April’s PlayStation Plus Monthly Games lineup features three games available to all PlayStation Plus members*. Battle your way to a demonic god in Lords of the Fallen, relive (or discover) Lara Croft’s first adventures with Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, and battle foes solo or together in co-op action game Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream.
These titles will be available to all PlayStation Plus members from Tuesday April 7 until Monday May 4.
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Lords of the Fallen
Overthrow a resurrected demon god in this all-new adventure set in an interconnected world five times larger than the original game. In Lords of the Fallen, you play as one of the fabled Dark Crusaders, who must journey through the realms of the living and the dead to disrupt the reign of Adyr, a cruel tyrant who has ushered in a new age of devastation for humanity. Along the way, you’ll endure colossal boss battles and get to grips with a fast and challenging combat system. With nine character classes and hundreds of weapons to choose from, you’ll customize your hero and develop your own play style as you set out to defy the gods.
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Tomb Raider I-III Remastered
Play the original three Tomb Raider adventures: for the first time ever, play the complete experience with all expansions and secret levels on modern platforms in this definitive collection. Experience the classics boasting upgraded graphics, with the option to switch to the original polygon look at any time. The collection includes a new Challenge Mode: replay levels with customized modifiers and complete achievements to unlock 10 New Outfits that enhance Lara’s abilities.
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Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream
Galaxia, a new system allowing players to relive the past, has been added to ALfheim Online; however, Galaxia spins out of control causing players from all over time and space to be displaced! To set the timeline back on track, Kirito must work with fallen friends…and foes. True to the Sword Art Online series, join a raid party and prepare for a fight with high difficulty bosses together! How you prepare for the fight is the key to victory. Each with their own specific role on the battlefield, 21 SAO characters from various arcs are gathered to fight. Team up with a total of 20 players from around the world in one of five parties comprised of 4 players each for multiplayer co-op action!
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Last chance to add March’s PlayStation Plus Monthly Games to your library
PlayStation Plus members have until Monday April 6 to add PGA Tour 2K25, Monster Hunter Rise, Slime Rancher 2, The Elder Scrolls Online Collection: Gold Road to their game library.
*PlayStation Plus Monthly Games lineup may differ by region. Please check PlayStation Store on release day for more information.
Players’ Choice: Vote for March 2026’s best new game https://ift.tt/a4CTdYB
Last month was filled with vast open worlds, extractions, and rivals! Some big new releases included Marathon, Crimson Desert, MLB The Show 26, and Scott Pilgrim EX. 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.
PS5 Pro New PSSR Upscaler is now Accessible on Assassin’s Creed Shadows! https://ift.tt/SBryWl6
On April 7, we’re officially offering the new upgraded version of PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution) to Assassin’s Creed Shadows PS5 Pro players, alongside Title Update 1.1.9. PSSR is an AI library that analyzes game images pixel by pixel as it upscales them, and it’s been used to boost the effective resolution of over 50 titles on PS5 Pro to date.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows was supporting the original PSSR since its launch and now will be among the first titles to offer this new version, launching April 7 at 7:00am Pacific Time.
Here’s a deeper look at the optimization it brings to the image quality overall:
Improved image quality across all modes
With the upgraded PSSR, image quality is consistently improved throughout the game. Environments appear cleaner and more stable, with better reconstruction of fine details.
“The upgraded PSSR significantly enhances Assassin’s Creed Shadows by delivering sharper pixel quality and exceptional image stability, effectively eliminating distracting visual artifacts caused by motion and vibration, and creating a smoother, more immersive experience that allows players to stay fully engaged in the world without interruption.”
– Robert Foriel, Technical Art Director
These benefits apply across all PS5 Pro modes — Performance, Balanced, and Quality — which render at different internal resolutions with Dynamic Resolution Scaling. The new PSSR allows each mode to deliver higher visual fidelity, reducing the trade-offs between performance and image quality. Whether targeting higher frame rates or higher internal resolution, the final image remains sharper and more stable than before.
Better handling of complex rendering
Assassin’s Creed Shadows features dense vegetation, advanced ray-traced lighting, and a wide range of dynamic effects — all of which can be challenging for image reconstruction.
The new PSSR delivers particularly strong results in these scenarios:
Dynamic vegetation: Windy grass shows some of the most visible improvements. In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, foliage is driven by our Atmos system with fluid simulation–based wind, resulting in highly complex and natural motion across large environments. This kind of dense, thin geometry is especially challenging, with constant motion and frequent visibility changes across frames. The upgraded PSSR preserves fine details at close range, allowing individual blades of grass to remain clearly defined even in motion, while also improving crispness at longer distances, with cleaner edges on trees and other distant foliage.
Particles and transparency: Particle effects appear cleaner and more stable. These elements often involve layers of transparency and independent motion, which makes it challenging to determine which motion vectors to use — the particle’s, the background’s, or a combination of both. The new PSSR handles these scenarios seamlessly, keeping particle effects visually consistent during motion and maintaining the cinematic feel of the world.
Ray-traced lighting and stochastic effects: Real-time ray tracing generates inherently noisy signals because only a limited number of rays are traced per frame. This produces both low-frequency noise — subtle variations that are difficult to perceive — and high-frequency noise that can be amplified during upscaling. The new PSSR handles these stochastic signals more effectively, allowing ray-traced effects like reflections, ambient occlusion, and dynamic lighting to be reconstructed more accurately across complex scenes. It reduces the need for manual adjustments, while the resulting image remains stable and visually consistent even in areas with dense foliage or complex lighting interactions.
A smoother, more consistent experience
Overall, the new PSSR results in a sharper, cleaner, more detailed and immersive experience with less compromise than ever.
“Integrating the upgraded PSSR into Assassin’s Creed Shadows was straightforward — the code changes were minimal, almost identical to the original PSSR integration,” says Nicholas Lopez, Technical Artist. “Yet the upgrade brings a noticeable improvement in image quality across the board. It’s rare to get such a significant visual boost with so little tuning required.”
Get ready for April 7
We hope you enjoyed this technical deep dive into the making of the updated PS5 Pro version of Assassin’s Creed.
Thank you to the contributors of the article: Sebastien Daigneault, Project Lead Programmer – Rendering, and Robert Foriel, Technical Art Director at Ubisoft.
Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game – elemental bending breakdown https://ift.tt/UfyJnVj
Have you ever wondered how you’d fight if you could bend an element? Maybe even ALL the elements? Last October at New York Comic-Con 2025, we had the privilege of revealing Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game, a competitive fighter that brings the bending arts of the Avatar universe into your hands.
Here at Gameplay Group International we are proud to announce our partnership with PM Studios to publish Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game. Bringing deep expertise in development, distribution, and publishing, PM Studios continues to build a strong portfolio of acclaimed titles and popular franchises. Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game officially releases on July 2, and we are excited to bring this action-packed experience to players worldwide!
We’re also excited to share that Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game will launch at $29.99 for the Standard Edition. At release, the game will feature a roster of 12 playable fighters, each inspired by the bending styles and personalities of the Avatar universe.
Each character’s bending style translates seamlessly into the fighting game format, with even shared elements expressed in distinct and dynamic ways. Players can shape their approach to combat by selecting from three support characters tied to each fighter, unlocking modified abilities and new strategic possibilities based on their preferred play style.
At the core of the combat system is the Flow Mechanic. With a single input, players can dodge incoming attacks, slip beneath projectiles, launch into the air, or chain directly into character-specific abilities. Each fighter has their own Flow options, enabling fluid, creative movement that captures the agility and spectacle of the series.
Some bending styles, however, are impossible to overlook. Azula’s is one of them. Ruthless, unpredictable, slightly unhinged, and yet, incredibly precise, we knew we had to get her just right. Zuko’s younger sister and the daughter of Fire Lord Ozai, Azula is fiercely ambitious and unrelenting in her pursuit of power. Her blue flame and lightning attacks reflect the drive and intensity that make her one of the most dangerous firebenders in the Avatar universe.
In Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game, Azula dominates the skies with exceptional air mobility. She can weave in and out of combat using aerial movement and fire attacks that let her control space above the battlefield.
Azula’s struggling states of mind have been captured in two polarizing gameplay toolkits. In Focused Mode, Azula fights with calculated precision, setting traps and controlling space with lethal attacks. Her movements become smoother, with many of her special abilities leaving behind oil traps that can be ignited with a flick of her wrist. She also gains access to a grounded fireball, giving her stronger space control. This is the Azula of deceit, control, and composure, the poised future ruler of the Fire Nation.
In Firelord Mode, Azula abandons restraint and fully embraces chaos. Traps are replaced with raw destructive power as her move set shifts toward relentless offense. Her attacks grow significantly more powerful, her movement becomes more erratic, and several of her abilities transform entirely. For example, her standard fireball evolves to a towering wall of flame that slowly advances across the battlefield, forcing opponents to face it head-on.
Not every fighter relies on bending, though. Sokka stands out on the roster as one of the few characters who holds his own without it. A core member of Team Avatar (aka the gAang), he hails from the Southern Water Tribe alongside his sister Katara. He relies on wit, grit, and weapon hits.
Sokka is the sarcastic strategist of Team Avatar, relying on creativity, humor, and improvisation instead of the power of the elements. To reflect his eccentric personality, Sokka plays very differently from the rest of the cast. He can cancel many of his normal moves directly into powerful Flow options, allowing players to constantly reposition and keep opponents guessing. The tradeoff is that Sokka cannot chain his normals into C attacks like the other fighters, meaning players must rely on mobility, timing, and creativity to stay ahead.
His arsenal includes a club, his Meteorite Sword, and his trusty boomerang. Instead of straightforward offense, Sokka thrives on tricky movement, unexpected positioning, and attacks that force opponents to constantly adapt. With clever tricks, unpredictable movement, and a loyal boomerang that always returns, he proves that you don’t need bending to become a legend.
Fighters as different as Azula and Sokka highlight just how many ways there are to approach combat in Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game.
The Standard Edition of Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game will launch at $29.99, and we can’t wait to see how you shape these bending styles into something entirely your own.
Be sure to wishlist the game now on PlayStation 5 to stay updated as we get closer to launch.
Hey, everybody! Sid, Brett, Kristen, and I are back this week to talk about our latest platinum trophy runs, hands-on with Saros, and more. This week also features an interview with two Housemarque devs working on Saros — Creative Director Gregory Louden and Art Director Simone Silvestri.
Stuff We Talked About
Next week’s release highlights:
South of Midnight | PS5
Legacy of Kain: Ascendance | PS5
Darwin’s Paradox | PS5
Fishbowl | PS5
MotionRec | PS5
Damon and Baby is now available — discover what sets this twin-stick shooter apart in our hands-on report. You can also experience its unique blend of comedy and action yourself, since it’s out now.
Directive 8020 PS5 Pro Features — Supermassive devs detail PS5 Pro’s ray tracing, PSSR, and performance features for a haunting sci-fi narrative when the game launches on May 12.
Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music.
[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]
