Articles by Samuel Tolbert

This father-son story has continued to sell steadily.

What you need to know

God of War released in 2018 for PS4.
Sony Santa Monica announced a PC version that’s scheduled to arrive in January 2022.
The developers also shared that God of War has sold over 19 million copies so far.
The sequel, God of War Ragnarok, is currently slated to be available in 2022.

God of War Ragnarok is on the way for PS4 and PS5 players to enjoy but that hasn’t stopped God of War from continuing to grow as a success. Sony Santa Monica’s new take on Kratos first arrived in 2018 on PS4, with a PC version now on the way and scheduled to arrive on January 14, 2022. Sony Santa Monica also shared on Wednesday that God of War crossed over 19 million copies sold so far.

God of War passed 10 million copies sold back in May 2019, meaning the game has continued to sell a steady pace over the past couple of years.

This strong sales success will likely only continue with the upcoming launch of the PC version ahea…

One week to unlock lots of cool Halloween items.

What you need to know

Pokémon Unite is getting a Halloween Festival event later in October.
The event runs from Oct. 20 through Oct. 27.
There’s a new Pokémon to grab, as well as plenty of items for trainers that are themed after the spooky season.

Trainers, get your scarfs, costumes and pumpkin-flavored everything ready, as there’s a Pokémon Unite Halloween Festival on the way. This event is bringing a spooky theme to the game for a week, as the Pokémon Unite Halloween Festival runs from Oct. 20 through Oct. 27. With only a week, if you’re really interested in anything this event is offering, you’ll want to be in as many matches as possible.

Attention, Trainers! A spooky Halloween event is on its way to #PokemonUNITE! Get ready to scare up a good time from 10/20 to 11/07, and treat yourself to some Halloween fun! pic.twitter.com/M4t0157wLb— Pokémon UNITE (@PokemonUnite) October 18, 2021

During the Pokémon Unite Hallo…

The Nora Huntress makes her way to the land of Teyvat.

Genshin Impact continues to expand, with new characters, quests, locations, and more added on a fairly regular basis. While it’s not the most significant update yet, Genshin Impact Update 2.1 provided one of the most unique character additions yet in the form of a crossover event. For a while, players on PS4 and PS5 will be able to acquire Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn. Now, mobile players aren’t missing out either, as Genshin Impact Update 2.2 added this fiery redhead to mobile versions of the game.

If you’re worried you might miss out on nabbing Aloy in one of the best PS5 games available, don’t fret, as we’ve got you covered. Here’s how to unlock Aloy as a playable character.

Genshin Impact How to unlock Aloy as a playable character

Unlocking Aloy is a very simple process. To start, while she was only originally available for players on PlayStation consoles when she first arrived, she’s now available on mobile devices as wel…

This might be the way for you to beat the bots.

What you need to know

Sony is allowing sign-ups so users can register to directly purchase a PS5 over the holiday period.
Not everyone who registers will be chosen, with selections being made based on past PlayStation activity.
Emails for those chosen will begin going out sometime in early November.

Getting a new PS5 continues to be extremely difficult with console shortages affecting supply. For anyone nervous about finding success through the PS5 restocks in time for the holidays, Sony is offering another chance at success. You can now register for a PS5 restock through Sony, with a chance to be selected for purchasing a PS5. In order to sign up, you’ll need to go to Sony’s official page and you’ll need to already have a PlayStation Network ID.

The selection is being made based on prior PlayStation activity, so long-time users who have purchased and played a lot of games may stand a higher chance of being selected. Reservations…

Sony’s veritable army of developers are working on a new slate of games for the PS5.

The newest generation of PlayStation gaming is in full swing, with the arrival of the PS5. Sony acquired and closed multiple studios over the last few years, leading to an interesting reshuffle for the following lineup. From bringing in the longtime partners at Insomniac Games to closing down teams like Manchester Studio, PlayStation is a different entity now than it was when starting the PS4 generation back in 2013.

With a new generation comes new games, including some of the best PS5 games available. This is a list of everything we know about what the leading 13 development studios at Sony Worldwide Studios are currently working on, or are at least fairly certain to be developing for PS5, PSVR, and possibly PC down the road.

Current Sony studios, primary and support

SIE Bend Studio
Bluepoint Games
Firesprite
Guerrilla Games
Housemarque
Insomniac Games
SIE London Studio
Malaysia Studio
Media …

Next-gen immersion in a hands-on fashion.

The PS5 doesn’t just bring in better graphics and higher framerates — it also gives players a new controller, the DualSense. This successor to the DualShock 4 features a higher-quality built-in microphone, a refined touchpad, an improved battery, and most importantly, haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.

Those latter two features can be used by game developers in unique ways. Haptic feedback can give unique sensations, like the pattering of rain or a blast of energy, in a way that is more focused and accurate than rumble motors. Meanwhile, adaptive triggers can provide a variety of functions with different weapons due to the special physical functions that have been implemented.

To provide a couple of examples, adaptive triggers are being used in Arkane Studios’ Deathloop so that if a gun jams, the trigger physically locks. Meanwhile, in Insomniac Games’ Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, you can pull a trigger partially to fire one barrel…

Get to know the cast in the twilight of the Norse saga.

God of War Ragnarok is on the way, promising to close out the story of Norse myth. Naturally, that means there’s quite a few characters to keep track of, so we’re to help. Maybe it’s been a while since you played God of War 2018, or you just need to check on something. We’ve compiled a God of War Ragnarok character guide, listing everyone we know so far who is returning — or making their debut — in this dark confrontation. Depending on how things play out, this could end up being one of the best PS5 games available.

If you’re not caught up with where the story is at so far, don’t worry, we’ve compiled the complete God of War timeline and history, with the full story so far.

Jump to:

Kratos
Atreus
Angrboda
Freya
Thor
Tyr
Odin
Brok
Sindri
Durlin

God of War Ragnarok: Character designs and art

Raf Grassetti, art director at Sony Santa Monica, released several official renders for the main cast of God of War Ragnaro…

It’s the “next step” for the studio, says Bluepoint Games president.

What you need to know

Sony is acquiring Bluepoint Games, a studio known for working on remasters and remakes.
Bluepoint Games’ next title is something “original” though there’s no further details right now.
The team’s last game, a remake of Demon’s Souls for the PS5, crossed 1.4 million copies sold.

Bluepoint Games, a studio well known for its work on remasters and remakes, is the newest member of PlayStation Studios, as announced on Thursday. While that work on remasters and remakes will no doubt continue, it seems like Bluepoint Games will also be making new things, instead of just sticking to revamps of other developers’ past titles. Speaking with IGN, Bluepoint Games president Marco Thrust explains that the next title from Bluepoint Games is actually something “original.”

“Our next project, we’re working on original content right now. We can’t talk about what that is, but that’s the next step in the evolu…

The full deal

PS5

$499 at Amazon

Pros

Advanced SSD
Powerful GPU/CPU
Can play discs
Backward compatible with PS4 discs

Cons

Very expensive
Physically larger than the Digital Edition

PlayStation’s next-generation console packs a ton of power, with a (variable) 10.28 TFLOPs, an ultra-fast solid-state drive, and a 4K Blu-ray drive. This drive ensures you can keep playing digital and disc-based media, including any PS4 titles in your collection.

All-digital

PS5 Digital Edition

$399 at Amazon

Pros

Advanced SSD
Powerful GPU/CPU
Presumably cheaper than the regular edition
Slightly smaller due to lack of disk drive

Cons

Can’t play any discs
Not backward compatible with PS4 discs

PlayStation is also offering a digital version of its next console. It’s packing the same amount of power and the same incredible SSD. However, there’s no disc drive, which means you won’t have to bother with discs — but you’ll also lose the option forever.

Sony surprised the wo…

Best answer: No, Valorant Mobile does not support cross-play with the existing version of Valorant available on PC. These are two separate forms of the game.

Does Valorant Mobile support cross-play?

Valorant Mobile is an upcoming mobile spin on Riot Games’ successful PC shooter, Valorant. Given how big Valorant already is, Valorant Mobile could end up being one of the best Android games available. Anyone hoping to play with friends across PC and mobile together will be disappointed, though, as Riot Games confirmed these two versions of the game would not support cross-play, at least immediately after launch.

“The same way that we’re not going to deliver a subpar mobile experience for mobile players, we’re not going to compromise the PC experience either,” says Valorant executive producer Anna Donlon, in an interview with Polygon.

Riot Games also makes it clear that this is not simply a mobile version of the PC game but instead building Valorant specifically for mobile, adjusting …