PLAY #27 is out now! We talk to Tekken 8’s developers about powering up the series with PS5! Plus, celebrating 30 years of FIFA, hands-on with Exoprimal, Diablo 4, and Elder Scrolls: Online’s cosmic horror chapter, and more!
Tekken 8 levels up on PS5
Want something on PS5 that’ll blow you away? Mind your phrasing, as the fighters of Tekken 8 are more than happy to send you flying. It might be a shame there’s no last-gen version, but after spending hours with the new fighter it’s clear the newer hardware has been put to excellent use. Lightning-fast rematches, gorgeous hyperrealistic visuals, and crunchy combat make this a PS5 showstopper.
We also have a chat with series producers Katsuhiro Harada and Michael Murray about putting the tech to good use, and what they aim for with a new entry in the iconic series.
Diablo IV heats up previews
It’s not the only established series getting a big glow-up. We also spent hours carving up monsters across Sanctuary in Diablo IV, scratching a looter hack-and-slash itch we didn’t realise we were feeling so hard. We also go hands-on with Elder Scrolls Online's cosmic horror flavoured Necrom expansion, the funky visual puzzles of Viewfinder, and more besides!
30 Years Of FIFA
As the final whistle blows on FIFA and we look towards EA Sports FC, we take a look back at the career highlights of the iconic brand, from PS1 to modern day. But perhaps it's more a half-time than end of the road - what can we learn from the classics about the path forward for the beautiful videogame?
Exoprimal suits up
Meanwhile, despite all the recent live service closures (including Dreams’ impending one), some new games seek to dominate. Capcom’s approach with Exoprimal is to throw legions of dinos into the mix alongside its live-service structure; while Crime Boss: Rockay City tries to find a new twist on the Payday formula with Hollywood talent.
It’s an interesting mix that makes the future of gaming as it stands feel unpredictable, even as we look to new favourites. It joins news of the cancellation of E3, the annual LA showcase that once felt totally immovable. While there are still plenty of summer events to come (and we’ll be covering them all), and loads we’re looking forward to, it’s exciting to be part of an ever-evolving industry that’s always doing something unexpected. And sometimes a little scary too.
Loading up RetroStation
We put on some fancy glasses and peruse PlayStation's artiest games across the platform's history (yes, LSD Dream Emulator gets a look in). Plus, we dust off Virtua Tennis 2, Enter The Matrix, Driveclub, and more!
Reviews: decay or rebirth?
Also scary are this month’s reviews, where games we’d been anticipating disappointed, and those we didn’t expect as much from delighted. We've Dead Island 2, Tchia, Citizen Sleeper, The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR, and more! Hey, at least there are great games in the mix. We hope you enjoy reading about it as much as we did putting it together!
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"I didn’t have a single ally": Tekken 4's negative reception put series boss Katsuhiro Harada under so much stress that he left Namco for a year
Tekken lead Katsuhiro Harada says he's spent decades "mentally preparing" for AI to overtake humans, but it's not happening: "If AI had really advanced, we wouldn't be pouring 10, 20, 30 billion Yen into making games"
