PS5 New Console Images are Highly Seductive

Prior to the launch of the PlayStation 5 in a little under two weeks, Sony recently let loose a whole slew of new looks at the next-gen beast, and my god, they're glorious.

In what is surely the nicest lineup of images of the PS5 that we've seen so far, Sony has given us an overly-detailed look at everything that will be released in proximity to the new hardware in the near future. The latest gallery of pics features not only some new close-ups of the PS5 itself but also the DualSense controller, the DualSense charging station, the new 3D Wireless headset, and the console's new camera and media remote accessories.

As someone who hasn't been the biggest fan of the look of the PS5 up until this point, something about this new set of images is finally selling me on this thing from an aesthetic point of view. Yes, the console still looks like a fat router at the end of the day, but I'm honestly excited to set this thing up in my home. Hopefully, it'll actually fit under my entertainment center.

If you want to see nearly all of the new pictures released by Sony, you can check out the full gallery down below. The PS5 itself is set to launch in the United States and other specific regions on November 12. The rest of the world will then see it arrive the following week on November 19.

The post PS5 New Console Images are Highly Seductive by Logan Moore appeared first on DualShockers.

DualShockers Discussion — What Horror Video Games Scared Us the Most?

Video Games

Halloween is right around the corner, and naturally, this is the best time to cozy up to a terrifying horror game experience to celebrate the holiday with. From Resident Evil to Silent Hill, to more recent indie hits like Among Us and Phasmophobia, there are more than enough horror video games out there worth playing (including some niche picks), with the DualShockers staff sharing a few of their favorites.

The DualShockers staff gathered around the fire–aka Discord–with Halloween coming up to discuss the best times that we've ever been scared in a video game. The dogs from Resident Evil? Terrifying. Being pursued by Lisa in P.T.? Horrific? Drowning in Tomb Raider? Somehow still just as terrifying as the rest.

For our latest DualShockers Discussion video, we have our own Logan Moore (Managing Editor), Ryan Meitzler (Features Editor), Mario Rivera (Video Manager), Peter Hunt Szpytek (Video Editor), and Michael Ruiz (Contributor) talking about all things horror games to find out which games did, in fact, scare us the most. 

You can check out the full video below:

Let us know in the comments (on YouTube or here) which horror games scared you as well. Were you too afraid to play games like Outlast or Blair Witch? Planning to play any recent horror titles like Amnesia: Rebirth or The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope? Feel free to give us a shout for what scary games that you're planning to play this Halloween, or if there are any old favorites that you're planning to play for the first time.

With Halloween coming tomorrow, we have plenty more tricks and treats coming up on DualShockers for the holiday. You can sound off in our Insta-Forum on horror games, or you can also check out our terrifying (and hilarious) Let's Plays of Among Us and Dead by Daylight.

The post DualShockers Discussion — What Horror Video Games Scared Us the Most? by Ryan Meitzler appeared first on DualShockers.

FIFA 21 Rulebreakers Team 2 Is Stacked With Fun Players

FIFA 21, EA Sports

If FIFA 21 has done one thing right, it's injecting some fun back into Ultimate Team. The new FUT Friendlies have been a godsend for casual players because they allow you to complete objectives without worrying about your Rivals ranking. Plus, they force you into making new teams that aren't always a slave to the meta. And with the ongoing Rulebreakers promo, EA has kept adding fun to the game by providing players with some intriguing new cards. Check out Rulebreakers Team 2 below.

https://twitter.com/EASPORTSFIFA/status/1322237042630234115

The second squad lacks a top-end player like Harry Kane from the first team; however, it fills some important holes. That's doubly true if you're running a Serie A side. The two biggest names in the squad are, without question, Paul Pogba and Marco Reus. Pogba's card has morphed into a devastating defender with a 16-point increase. Reus, on the other hand, got a massive physical boost that gives him 80+ in every face stat besides defending. Both of those players will likely cost a pretty penny if you're hoping to pick them up.

PSG's Angel Di Maria is the highest-rated player at 88 overall. The Argentian winger got himself a tasty pace boost. Then, there's the card I'm most excited by. Romelu Lukaku is going into my squad pretty much immediately. Sure, he lost a bit of his trademark strength, but I'll more than take it for his ridiculous dribbling boost. It was fun playing with Victor Osimhen's One To Watch card, but it's time for the big man to take over.

Sticking with the Serie A, Juan Cuadrado fills the absolutely massive hole that the league had at right-back. Getting that huge jump in defending makes him a must-get if you run a squad from that league. Hakan Calhanoglu is also from the Italian league and got a borderline dumb 24-point boost in pace. I don't know if he's grown an extra set of legs or what.

Alex Teixeira might be one of the players you'll be seeing the most over the coming weeks. The striker joins Paulinho and Anderson Talisca in a trio of Brazilian players from the Chinese League with recent upgrades. If he comes in at a reasonable price, I would expect quite a few hybrids to rock him.

Rounding out the squad is Jose Gimenez, Patrick Van Aanholt, Daniel Podence, and Ike Opara. As an American, Opara is another insta-buy for me. And I imagine quite a few La Liga sides will be looking to pick up Gimenez.

Of course, the fun doesn't stop there. In Objectives, you can pick up an Adebayo Akinfenwa with a jaw-dropping 39-point increase to pace. Importantly, EA has also corrected its mistake and given him 99 strength. They've also dropped in a boosted Florent Mollet, though the grind to get him is a bit ridiculous. That said, you have about three weeks to finish him, so there's quite a bit of time.

Finally, in SBCs we have another player pick with Karim Bellarabi. After doing the SBC, you can choose between giving the German winger either a shooting or dribbling upgrade. Hopefully, we get a few more of these before the event ends next week.

FIFA 21 is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The gameplay can get a little ropey, but it has to be said that EA is knocking it out of the park so far this year in terms of quantity of content. If you can't find something to do, I'd be surprised.

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Demon's Souls Score Will Improve Upon the Original

PS5

The Souls series is known for a few things. Exceptional difficulty, fashionable armor and of course, a killer score to go along with killer bosses are all staples of Souls games. For the remake of Demon's Souls, the first, and often forgotten, entry into the franchise, score producer Peter Scatturo already had a soundtrack to work off of. His challenge then was to stay true to that original score while reimagining it in a modern way.

Highlighted in a new video from PlayStation, it seems that Scatturo has been given everything necessary to fulfill that vision. Bill Hemstapat, a music arranger working on the score for Demon's Souls, began the process of modernizing the game's soundtrack with its melodies. "Most of the time what stays is the melody, the themes."

However, the music of the Souls series has always been tied to the character it plays for, and not just in their appearance, but also their backstory. That's why the lore of Demon's Souls has also been taken into consideration during this process, so the music continues to represent the grand scale of the game's gothic enemies while also portraying their often somber backstories.

That being said, the game's score will also have some new influences. Orchestrator Jim Fowler cites Bloodborne as a major influence on the project, at least in terms of the "scale of the sound." Everything in Demon's Souls sounds big; there are massive choruses and sweeping sections of brass and string instruments.

All those parts will give way to the centerpiece of the game's soundtrack, the massive pipe organ located in London's Temple Church, which just sounds perfect for Demon's Souls. The idea of something as old and religious as a massive church organ being brought into the score of a Souls game just makes way too much sense.

Demon's Souls is due to release on the same day as the PS5, November 12.

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Todd Howard Says It's "Hard to Imagine" The Elder Scrolls 6 Being Exclusive to the Xbox Ecosystem

The Elder Scrolls VI

It's the question everyone has been asking for the past month since Microsoft acquired Bethesda: "Will The Elder Scrolls 6 end up releasing on platforms outside of Xbox?" Well, now the most notable face attached to the franchise has spoken up, and it's hard to know exactly what he thinks will end up being true once the next installment releases.

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Bethesda Game Studios' Todd Howard was obviously asked about Bethesda's upcoming move to Xbox Game Studios and in the process, the status of the developer's games appearing solely on Xbox platforms was mentioned. Howard mirrored Phil Spencer's previous statement that Bethesda titles may come to other platforms on a "case-by-case basis" but also acknowledged that there have always been exclusivity deals of some sort between the two parties. "If you look at every Elder Scrolls game, there has been some exclusivity on Xbox or with Microsoft. We've partnered with every game. Morrowind was basically a console exclusive, Oblivion was a long timed exclusive, Skyrim's DLC was exclusive for a long period of time. We'll decide what makes the best sense for our audience when the time comes, and I can't really project today what that looks like," Howard said.

It was then mentioned that the idea of The Elder Scrolls 6 coming only to Xbox platforms (including PC) would be a bit surprising, especially given that Skyrim has essentially landed on every platform over the year. On this note, Howard simply said, "I would agree that is hard to imagine."

It's hard to know exactly what Howard means by this final line, as there could be multiple ways to interpret it. One interpretation could see him meaning that the thought of Elder Scrolls 6 coming solely to Microsoft devices is hard to imagine because, hey, that's not something that is being planned for. The other way to infer this statement could be to take it quite literally; the thought of the game coming solely to Xbox and PC is somewhat hard to believe given how widely-available Skyrim was.

The more honest answer in the midst of all of these questions though is likely that Howard and the team at Bethesda just truly don't know what will become of The Elder Scrolls 6 in terms of the platforms it will release upon. Given that the title is still so far out, and Bethesda Game Studios is prioritizing Starfield at the moment, the fate of TES6 isn't written in stone whatsoever. In fact, I'd just be personally happy if the game arrived in any manner prior to 2024.

We'll surely learn more about The Elder Scrolls 6 in the coming years, but for now, it's probably best for your own sanity that you don't ask too many questions about what will become of the game considering Howard himself likely doesn't have all of the answers.

The post Todd Howard Says It's "Hard to Imagine" The Elder Scrolls 6 Being Exclusive to the Xbox Ecosystem by Logan Moore appeared first on DualShockers.

Xbox is Officially Holding a Launch Event to Coincide with Release of Xbox Series X/S

Xbox Series X controller Xbox Series S Story feature

We had heard a little over a week ago that Xbox was planning to hold some sort of event to transpire on the launch date of the Xbox Series X/S, but specifics on what this live stream would involve weren't given. Well, just a few days prior to the launch of both next-gen Xbox systems, we have finally received confirmation on what will be going down.

In a blog post written up by Xbox head Phil Spencer today, it was revealed that the company will be holding a live stream on November 10, the same day in which the Xbox Series X/S will be getting into the hands of day one purchasers. "On November 10, we invite you, players of all identities and backgrounds, console generations and devices, skill sets and tastes, to celebrate, connect, and play together," Spencer wrote. "We invite you to grab your device of choice and play alongside Team Xbox, your favorite creators, and our partners, right from your homes around the world. We invite you to take a glimpse behind-the-scenes of the next generation of games, hear the stories of people who make them, and play along with them." The stream will kick off across YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook at 2pm EST/11am PST.

Spencer also specified that this event will be more of one that is meant to celebrate Xbox and all things gaming, more so than it is a place to make major announcements. "This will be a moment of play, not press releases, as next generation consoles begin to land in the hands of players around the world. Instead of big announcements, we will mark the beginning of a new era by gaming alongside one another," he said.

It remains to be seen what the exact format for the event will entail, but it sounds like it'll be a fun thing to have on in the background over the course of the day. Even though it's being said that there won't be any major announcements during the show, we'll be sure to keep you in the loop if anything notable comes from it.

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Sony Set To Purchase Crunchyroll for Over $957 Million

Crunchyroll, Sony

In a new report from the fine folks at Nikkei Asia, we've learned that Sony is in the final negotiations to acquire Crunchyroll, the U.S. anime streaming giant. The deal is said to come in at around 100 billion yen, which is $957 million. That's a large chunk of change, but it means bringing Crunchyroll's massive worldwide audience under the Sony umbrella.

If Sony and Crunchyroll are available to finalize this deal, that will be a huge move in the streaming space. The PS5 maker will then have both Crunchyroll and Funimation under its umbrella. All of that anime might not immediately put them into a fight with Netflix and Hulu, but it certainly gets them closer.

After all, Crunchyroll's acquisition would give Sony access to both a gigantic user base and over 1,000 new titles. Plus, it opens the door even further for them to start developing their own properties into movies and the like. It may not be as immediately exciting for the gaming crowd as say Microsoft acquiring Bethesda. However, this could have wide-ranging ramifications for the Japanese giant.

If Sony was able to grow its subscriber base through Crunchyroll, that would lead to a larger revenue stream from streaming. A Sony that's competing with Netflix and Hulu for your streaming eyeballs is a more powerful Sony. If they can leverage that into things like games for new, popular IP or other areas, it would be a win-win for the company.

Of course, only time will tell if the deal is successful. That said, as soon as we know more, we'll share it with you.

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Five Niche Horror Games to Play for Halloween

Halloween is coming up soon and while this year may not be the year for costume parties packed with tons of drunks, it is a good time to play through some frightful horror games as you continue to stay in the comfort of your own home. When gamers think of horror titles, many immediately name genre mainstays such as Resident Evil or Silent Hill, or more recent properties that managed to drum up a loyal fanbase like Telltale's The Walking Dead or Friday the 13th: The Game.

But how about you go a little deeper? Brush off the cobwebs and pry open an old and rusted chest to find priceless treasures hidden within.

Here are some niche yet jaw-dropping horror titles that create a tense, anxiety-choked atmosphere by use of unsettling visuals, nightmarish monster designs, unique premises, and just plain old excellent character and story writing.

These five indie titles are sure to satiate your desire for a deep and fulfilling horror experience, especially with Halloween right around the corner.

Hylics and Hylics 2

Hylics was developed by Mason Lindroth in 2015, and self described as "a recreational program with light JRPG elements." In other words, this game is an acid trip. It's also one of the best examples of "daylight horror" I've seen implemented in a horror game. You play as protagonist Wayne, a man with a waning moon for a head, as he travels to find and defeat the Moon King Gibby. You use the power of gestures in order to attack and cast special skills. A sequel was also released just this year, Hylics 2.

The game is a surrealist nightmare of strange NPC dialogue, eldritch abominations masquerading as monsters, and a plot heavily buried under miles of symbolism. While there is no actual danger presented to you (death is essentially a slap on the wrist), there's this undercurrent of terror as you slowly explore a world that's completely and openly hostile to your hero. The enemies are horrifying, complementing the unsettling visuals, and even the party members mostly resemble bizarre abominations. Coupled with the purposely janky animations due to the use of claymation, and you have a world that leaves you unsettled at every turn as you carefully explore the unsettling land.

Hylics and Hylics 2 are both available on Steam.

She Dreams Elsewhere

Combine hip hop, jazz, and funk with copious amounts of pixel graphic charm, memorable characters, and a fun and fresh turned based combat system, and you have She Dreams Elsewhere. With skills such as "Roast" and a terrifying dreamscape world filled with horrible creatures born from protagonist Thalia's mental illness, She Dreams Elsewhere is unlike anything else that you'll likely have played.

Dark colors saturate the palette and paint a bleak picture, reflecting the mental landscape of our hero. As voices echo in her head, monsters creep closer and trap her in a never-ending dream unless she uses her skills, weapons, and wits to conquer her fears and escape. The thick and unsettling aura, compounded by the inner psychological elements around locations even as mundane as an apartment building, is testament to how simple yet well crafted the horror is.

She Dreams Elsewhere will release in 2021 for Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC, with a free demo currently available on Steam.

The Starship Damrey

Back in 2014, Level 5 game designer Kazuya Asano and writer Takemaru Abiko desired to make a title inspired by the classic adventure games of the old days. And unlike many other such titles that added in more modern sensibilities (such as the Etrian Odyssey franchise and Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light), they wanted to remain true to that classic experience.

The Starship Damrey was born from their work, and that design choice of no in-game aid is tied in brilliantly to the horror of exploring an abandoned and poorly lit ship using a small surveillance robot. The burden of slowly unraveling the mystery behind the horrors that remain on board is squarely on your shoulders, and the strange white spirit and bizarre creatures waiting for you won't make things easier. It's a tense, atmospheric, and terrifying experience that will keep you on your toes until the very end.

The Starship Damrey is available on Nintendo 3DS through the 3DS eShop.

Corpse Party

This adventure game follows a group of Japanese high school students who–after celebrating their school's culture festival–are telling ghost stories. Suddenly, an unexpected earthquake transports them to a dilapidated schoolhouse in an alternate dimension that is haunted by the ghosts of people who have been trapped there. The "closest" title to being considered mainstream, Corpse Party is still very much a niche title that has managed to reach cult classic status among its devoted fanbase, and for good reason.

Though the graphics are simplistic and clearly from RPG Maker, the characters, lore, and script is top notch. Everything in Corpse Party comes together to weave a tonally dark and oppressive atmosphere that soon gives way to gore and violence that can be inflicted on the hapless students, if you choose wrong. The first entry in the series premiered back in 1996 and has gotten remakes and sequels that have fleshed out the franchise's mythology since then.

The first Corpse Party title–as well as all of its sequels–can be found on Steam, as well as other platforms like Nintendo Switch, PS Vita, and mobile.

The Coma

If you have a taste for even more dark and bleak school-themed horror, The Coma will be right up your ally. This 2D horror-survival video game series follows students investigating the mysteries behind their high school, Sehwa High, during the already stressful and all important final exam season hanging over their heads.

Similar to Corpse Party, The Coma favors survival-themed exploration as you wander the suddenly terrifying remains of a once warm and familiar environment. Depending on the game, you control various students as they discover how truly sinister their school is, all while surviving the wrath of a relentless serial killer. The art style of the series is well detailed and backed by a stellar script and great lore that compels you to solve it.

The Coma and its remake and sequel can be found on Steam and other platforms.

These are only several of many smaller titles buried deep in the horror genre landscape. While they don't carry the reputation of even more popular indie titles such as Five Nights at Freddy's or Among Us, the experiences they offer are incredibly varied and well crafted. Diving into the more obscure wares can net a truly frightening surprise that's well worth the journey, and I hope that any one of these more unique horror experiences can make your Halloween even more frightening.

The post Five Niche Horror Games to Play for Halloween by Allisa James appeared first on DualShockers.

The Witcher Fan Art of Geralt and Yennefer Could Make You Question Your Sexuality

Now, we all know that The Witcher is jammed packed with attractive people. Whether you have played the game or you've only watched Netflix's The Witcher, there's enough sexiness in both that would even get a nun excited. Between all that leather and lace, not to mention that bathtub scene, The Witcher is a feast for the eyes that gets many hearts pumping no matter who you find sexually appealing. If you have been following DualShocker's intensive coverage of The Witcher fan art and cosplay, you'll witness firsthand the incredible talent this particular community has oozing out of every orifice and today, we see a super sexy one of Yennefer and Geralt in the bath.

Nicoletta Migaldi, a Comic artist and illustrator from Italy, has dove into that sexually changed and slightly awkward scene between Yennefer and Geralt from Netflix's The Witcher. The steamy scene featuring Geralt and Yennefer was a wink and a nod to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's where Geralt is in the bath and Yennefer decides to throw in a magical lobster to crawl over his meat and two potatoes but in Lauren Schmidt Hissrich's The Witcher, Geralt's bathtime is taken a little further as Yennefer joins him in a rather awkward but still a highly sensual scene as they converse with each other back to back.

You can check out Nicoletta's gorgeous artistic piece above and allow for the image to soak into your mind. As someone who refers to themselves as Bisexual, this piece certainly had my eyes moving from left to right like a frigging ping-pong ball, they're both just too god damn attractive! Nicoletta captured the electricity between Yennefer and Geralt perfectly and if you'd like to check out her other artworks, head on over to her Artstation or Instagram for a gander at all the luscious and vibrant designs.

As you may have heard, The Witcher Season 3 is already in the books as seen in the official Writers Guild of America's database although, as of yet, Netflix hasn't made the announcement to fans but it's clear the show will, thankfully, continue awhile longer. The Witcher: Blood Origin, the prequel series which was announced back in July, is set to become even bigger with the introduction of a group of talented writers known for a wide range of works ranging from Swamp Thing, Carnival Row, Moon Knight, Snowpiercer, Mandy, Iron Fist, and many more. Also, even more importantly, the writer's come from a wide and diverse background meaning that the variety of ideas and creative input will lead to an even greater experience for the show. According to news site Redanian Intelligence, Netflix is looking to cast Aquaman and Game of Thrones star Jason Momoa as the lead character in The Witcher: Blood Origin.

If you wish, be sure to check out our own review for the Netflix series The Witcher here as you wait until next year sometime to get a look at season two. If gaming is more your style, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is available now on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition will be heading to next-generation platforms and this time, the game will look as pretty as ever.

The post The Witcher Fan Art of Geralt and Yennefer Could Make You Question Your Sexuality by Rachael Fiddis appeared first on DualShockers.

CD Projekt Red CEO Reverses Course After Saying Crunch is "Not All That Bad"

Cyberpunk 2077 Corpos

During a call with investors soon after the announcement that Cyberpunk 2077 would be delayed, CD Projekt Red Co-CEO Adam KiciÅ„ski said that crunch at the company was "not that bad – and never was." He went on to say that while the story has been picked up by the media and some parts of the team at CDPR were crunching heavily, the majority of the team was not. The only people crunching at this point are Q&A, engineers and programmers. KiciÅ„ski ended his statement by saying that the team was happy about working an extra three weeks and that there are not "any threats regarding crunch."

The next day, an internal email was sent out and later obtained by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, in which Kiciński apologized for his statement.

"From the bottom of my heart, I would like to apologize to everyone for what I said during Tuesday's investor conference call," reads the email. "I have nothing to say in my defense. What I said was not even unfortunate, it was utterly bad. For that, please accept my most sincere and honest apologies."

This is the latest in a deluge of stories surrounding the massively successful Polish developer and its upcoming game, Cyberpunk 2077, which was recently delayed from November 19 to December 10. The delay prompted more concerns from fans that the team at CDPR would have to continue crunching for three more weeks after an already lengthy period of doing so.

Notably, CDPR had promised last year that the company would not be forcing employees to crunch in order to get the game done. That promise came undone this past January following another delay of Cyberpunk 2077, and employees at CDPR were told they would have to crunch. Presumably, that level of crunch is ongoing.

In the same call with investors, Kiciński said that the reason for the game's delay was its performance on current-gen consoles. "The game is ready for PC and runs great on next-gen consoles," said Kiciński. As for the game's new release date of December 10, Kiciński told investors that he feels "maybe not comfortable, but confident" that the game will be ready across all platforms.

The post CD Projekt Red CEO Reverses Course After Saying Crunch is "Not All That Bad" by Otto Kratky appeared first on DualShockers.