Final Fantasy 16 On PS5 – What Should Fans Expect From It?
September 16th's PlayStation 5 showcase left us reeling over many different revelations. The price of the PS5, release date, and the existence of God of War: Ragnarok, to name a few. But perhaps one of the biggest bombshells of the presentation was not only that Final Fantasy 16 is a thing, but the sheer amount of information we got from the announcement. It's not uncommon for a developer to only have a short little teaser to show when announcing a brand-new game, especially a game as big as Final Fantasy 16 which could easily justify a very long reveal. With several teasers in cryptic messages here and there that don't really tell us anything other than the game exists.
Final Fantasy 16 went a very different way with it though, by opening up the entire PlayStation 5 Showcase with one giant trailer that showed off way more of the game than we would normally see this early on in the marketing process for a major AAA game. As a result of this decision we have a lot of information to work with and we're able to draw a lot of reasonable theories from the information that we were provided in the trailer. Surely more information is sure to come in the coming months, and at that point some of our speculations here may prove to be obsolete. But from what we can see in this trailer there are lots of things we can read into it and expect from this upcoming massive Square Enix game.
One of the things that the trailer revealed to us is a complete change in tone for this game. While some form of magic and supernatural abilities definitely seem to be present here, Final Fantasy 16 definitely seems to want to take a more realistic approach to many of the elements that the series otherwise wouldn't. Landscapes, buildings, and character designs are far less flamboyant than what we are used to from the series. Aside from all of the jumping around and magical swords and giant marauding beasts, the things that you see in this game don't seem too far removed from a place and a cast of characters that could potentially exist somewhere at some point in time.
While this approach might not be the cup of tea that longtime Final Fantasy fans are expecting from the series, it could also prove as a nice change of pace for the series that could reinvigorate interest from old fans as well as bring in new ones at the same time who might have passed up on several of the previous games. It almost has a similar fantastical version of folklore that went so well with Dark Souls, although of course here it seems much more open to streaks of JRPG stylings that we've grown accustomed to over the years. Only time will tell if the story remains as grounded in reality as many of the aesthetic decisions seem to be. Odds are, it probably won't.
We are, in all likelihood, in for a very typical fantastic JRPG style story that only the final fantasy series can give us, and that's a good thing, but it's also interesting to see them take this slightly more realistic approach to how people and locations look. On top of that we're also seeing a lot more blood and violence than we would normally see in a Final Fantasy game. That's not to say that previous games haven't dipped their toe into that particular body of water before, but something about the way this game presents itself and its combat seems to indicate a dedication to realistic violence and the damage that someone can take when a giant sword slashes through them or stabs into them. It's tough to say how it will go over with fans in the long run at this point, but if nothing else, this particular style for Final Fantasy 16 will make the game stand out among its predecessors for a very long time.
Speaking of combat, it does seem like they are borrowing a page or two from Kingdom Hearts with the way the combat seems to flow. Lots of floating in the air for far longer than makes any physical sense. Although here, with the realistic damage that the enemies suffer through and the added horsepower of the PlayStation 5, it's probably going to look and feel very much like its own thing when all is said and done.
If Square Enix can tweak the combat just enough to make it feel a little bit more like its own thing while relying on the pillars of what has been done in the recent past, they could be well on their way to one of the better combat systems in the entire series. It may take a game like this to get all Final Fantasy fans, both new and old, back on the same page again.
If the long, winding, and at times inconceivably cumbersome storylines of previous Final Fantasy games weren't your thing before, then prepare to be disappointed yet again with Final Fantasy 16. Although the inverse is absolutely true as well. Based on the dialogue that we heard in this trailer, and what it seems like the characters were generally up to, we are more than likely in for yet another massive, sprawling story that takes characters all over mysterious worlds and crossing paths with infinitely interesting characters along the way. All the talk about defending realms, traveling between them, magical crystals, and shaping history all seems right at home in the Final Fantasy series, and seems like it will deliver a story that old time fans of the series have grown accustomed to expecting from it.
Given that this will be a console exclusive to PS5, one could easily assume that it will be optimized for that platform. In light of that I think it's reasonable to expect that Final Fantasy 16 will get to take advantage of much of the bells and whistles of the PlayStation 5. Whether that be through the haptic feedback of the DualSense, more raytracing than other games, or just harnessing the advantages of its super-fast SSD, it'll be interesting to see what they're able to pull off with this game given that they don't have to divide up their development I'm making all sorts of different versions for different consoles.
Final Fantasy has been a staple in gaming for a long time, and it would be crazy to think that Square Enix doesn't completely understand that, perhaps better than anyone else even. Given that, it looks like Square Enix as well on their way to yet another classic entry in this long-running pillar of gaming history. If Square Enix didn't see massive potential for the series to continue on, they wouldn't be making a 16th game. But just like all of the fans who have bought the games in the past and loved many of them, it seems that Square's undying love for the franchise will continue on into this next game with all of the bells and whistles that a new console generation can bring and that really blows the doors wide open on possibilities, that, hopefully will hear much more about soon.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered Has Been Worked On Over The Last Year
It was in 2018 when Sony and Marvel teamed up to bring us a new video game adaptation of one of the most popular superheroes with Marvel's Spider-Man. Now, a standalone expansion will be coming to launch alongside the PS5 with Miles Morales, but the original is also getting an update with a new face, which I mean in the most literal sense. While developer Insomniac Games has detailed the new version, we now know how long it took them.
Shortly after the showcase of the remaster, Community Director of the studio, James Stevenson, took to Twitter. There he said that Insomniac has been working on it since last year, meaning the development began in 2019 at roughly this same time. While the game doubtfully had a full team on it at the scale of a normal production, that's still quite a development cycle for a remaster. It definitely shows that some real work went into the game.
Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered is set to launch alongside the PlayStation 5 on November 12th. As of now, the only way to obtain the game is to purchase Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition on the same platform. Despite the fact that Miles Morales will support PS4 to PS5 upgrades and cross saves, it has been confirmed that there is no upgrade path or cross save for the those who purchased the first Spider-Man on PS4.
It's very gratifying to show the amazing work the team has been doing for the last year on this.
Look at that ray-tracing! 60fps footage! New Peter!
And of course, finally… the TASM suit. https://t.co/h2KuoUGOuI
— James Stevenson (@JamesStevenson) September 30, 2020
Gran Turismo 7 Will Support Ray-Tracing And 4K While Targeting 60 FPS
The next entry in Sony and Polyphony Digital's legendary racing sim, Gran Turismo 7, has been announced as coming to the PS5, and people are eager to know more. While we've seen a small amount of footage and know that the game is aiming to take advantage of the PS5's many enhancements such as the new DualSense features, there's still a lot we don't know. Well, the official website updated recently to give us a taste.
As detailed here, it seems the game will support ray-tracing, which will probably look pretty incredible. It also has support for 4K and HDR while mentioning targeting 60 FPS. There's no mention here of a potential resolution/performance mode, so it's unclear as of now if it will include one. There's a few other features briefly detailed such as fast loading with the PS5 SSD, as well as the use of the haptic feedback as well as the adaptive triggers and their ABS representation, which has been detailed before.
As of now, no date or time frame has been announced for when to expect Gran Turismo 7. The game has also only been revealed for PS5, but a few titles that were assumed to be PS5-only ended up being cross-gen, so we can't say for sure at the moment. We'll keep you updated as more information comes out.
Supermassive Games Is Working On Project With "Varied And Compelling Real-time Combat"
While Until Dawn put developer Supermassive Games on the map, the studio actually has quite the resume. Right now they're in the midst of the ambitious Dark Pictures Anthology, a series of smaller scale horror titles that seems to be off to a pretty good start. But the company is working on something else, it seems, something quite a bit different by the sound of it.
On their official career site, they are looking for several applicants for an unannounced and untitled new project. In the description, it says the game will have "varied and compelling real-time combat," mentioning hand to hand combat, weapons and ranged fighting. They are looking for someone with experience in designing combat motions and AI that engages with rules of combat. It's also said to be a multiplatform title with experience required for PS4, Xbox One and PC titles. The studio did announce a partnership with Stadia earlier this year, so it's possible this could have some relationship here, but it's unclear.
Whatever it is, it seems quite different than what Supermassive has been doing with The Dark Pictures series, which have been interactive choice-based adventure games. For now, we'll just have to wait for more information. The next game from the studio is The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope, and it comes out October 30th.
Ori And The Blind Forest And The Will Of The Wisps Will Get Physical Releases On Switch December 8
We live in very strange times, it feels. Many things that are happening feel like they never should happen, and by and large, it feels as if anything and everything has been out of whack for some time. But, at the very least, these strange times have lead to some interesting things. Case in point, the Microsoft published Ori titles actually came to the Switch, a move that feels like it never would have happened just a few years back. Both of those titles will also be able to had in physical forms.
It was announced that both the first title, Ori and the Blind Forest, and the recently released sequel, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, would be getting a physical release on Nintendo's Switch. It's a collaboration between Xbox Game Studios, Moon Studios, iam8bit and Skybound. Each release will cost $40 and include the digital soundtrack as well 6 art cards.
Both Ori titles are available now on the Switch digitally and the physical release for both will be December 8th. They are also available on Xbox One and PC.
Vampyr And Need For Speed: Payback Are October's PS Plus Titles
September came and went, and now it's time once again for the offerings of Sony's PS Plus to refresh. While the month of October is often reserved for more spooky affairs, it seems Sony decided to do a little bit of a half and half there with a good game for the horror-themed month and one that is a bit more quick.
As announced by the official Twitter, this month's offering consists of Vampyr and Need for Speed: Payback. Vampyr is an action RPG from the folks at Dontnod and follows a doctor who finds himself as part of the undead and must choose between his oath to help people or to give in to his newfound bloodlust. Need for Speed: Payback is on a very opposite end of the spectrum. A racing title from earlier this gen from Ghost Games it sees you trying to pull off wild stunts in a Hollywood style.
Vampyr and Need for Speed: Payback will be free to all PS Plus subscribers starting October 6th. You can still redeem the current games, Street Fighter 5 and PUBG, until that time.
Need for Speed: Payback and Vampyr are your PS Plus games for October: https://t.co/kKNMxUDkCL pic.twitter.com/K1Kutlws67
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) September 30, 2020
Maneater Won't Support PS4 to PS5 Save Transfers
Tripwire Interactive that their open world action RPG, Maneater, which launched earlier this year, will be getting a dedicated next-gen release and launch alongside the upcoming consoles as a launch title. However, if you're a PlayStation player, there's some bad news for you.
Though free upgrades from the game's PS4 version to its PS5 version will be supported, Tripwire Interactive have confirmed in an FAQ that progression – including stats, save data, and Trophies – won't carry over from PS4 to PS5. Cross-gen progression will still be supported across Xbox consoles- so why the difference? The developer explains that Maneater is the same application on both Xbox One and Xbox Series X / S, which is not the case on PS4 and PS5.
Maneater joins a list of multiple other games that won't support PS4 to PS5 save transfer. The same has also been confirmed for Yakuza: Like a Dragon and DiRT 5.
Maneater will release for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on November 10 and for PS5 on November 12.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War – Zombies Features Cross-Play and Cross-Gen Support
Treyarch recently unveiled the new Zombies mode coming in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War with the trailer featuring Pack-a-Punch and Juggernog machines along with some familiar weapons. Additional details are available courtesy of the official site and first look video, like cross-play and cross-gen support across platforms. Check out the video below.
Zombies progression now counts towards the Battle Pass. Weapons now have different rarities which affects their damage and attachments and players have Field Upgrades, which can be deployed after killing enough undead. These include damage buffs and abilities that can help in reviving, among other things.
As the initial trailer revealed, perks like Juggernog and Speed Cola are making a return. There's also no limit to the amount of perks that players can have. Finally, you don't need to stand and fight till the end – there's the option to exfil via helicopter. The number of zombies increases significantly when going for exfil but it does result in some rewards.
More details on Zombies will be revealed en route to release so stay tuned. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is out on November 13th for Xbox One, PS4, PC, PS5 and Xbox Series S/X.
PS5's Game Sharing Will Seemingly Work the Same as PS4
Though Sony have spoken plenty about the PS5's hardware and its launch lineup, they haven't revealed a whole lot on what the console's user experience is going to be like. Those details are supposedly coming soon, but before they do, it seems a new leak has spilled the beans on them, revealing some interesting details.
A datamine of the web-based PlayStation Store (via Reddit) has seen some error prompts and messages popping up, which, interestingly enough, have gives some clues as to how various PS5 features could work. One such feature is game sharing.
Currently, on PS4, if you set a PSN account as the primary account on your console, any and all other accounts on that console are also able to access all subscriptions and purchases on the primary account automatically. It's probably one of the best game sharing solutions out there right now- and thankfully, it looks like Sony are going to stick with it for the PS5.
That's according to this prompt, which is one of several aforementioned messages mined from the PlayStation Store: "If the "Console Sharing and Offline Play" setting is enabled for your PS5, players aged 18+ who aren't PS Now subscribers will be able to play PS Now games from the game's shortcut icon (displayed on the PS5 home screen) as well as in the PS Now app."
Additionally, one message in particular also contains references to voice chats and messaging across generations. "Message and voice chat with friends across PS4, PS5 and PlayStation App," the message reads. As the Reddit post points out, it's unclear whether this is referring to a system-level feature only, or if it will apply to games as well- though if it's the former, one would imagine that the latter would also be possible, depending on whether the games in question allow cross-gen multiplayer.
This isn't information coming officially from Sony, so don't take it as such just yet. Hopefully, official details on the PS5's UX will be revealed soon. Until then, stay tuned for more updates.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War – Zombies Gameplay Debuts in New Trailer
The first trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War's take on Zombies has been unleashed. It sees a new cast of characters, part of the CIA-backed Requiem, venturing into a bunker to investigate strange occurrences. Of course, it isn't long before the undead come out to play. Check out the trailer below, captured on the PS5.
The map is called "Die Maschine" and set in the 80's,with some dark secrets laying in wait that could "upend the global order" if Requiem manages to discover them. Interestingly enough, another squad called the Omega Group from the Soviet Union, is also investigating the bunker. A variety of characters are involved and players can even track different intel in-game to learn more about the story.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is out on November 13th for PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC. Its campaign is a direct continuation of the first Black Ops with Mason, Woods and Hudson in pursuit of a Soviet Union spy named Perseus. Stay tuned for more details on the title in the coming weeks.