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Halo: Combat Evolved is a landmark game that helped define the experience of early console first-person shooters. But with Halo: Campaign Evolved, Halo Studios has introduced a number of changes to bring the game into the modern era. Halo’s debut on PlayStation uses new mechanics, tweaked controls, haptic feedback, and adjusted weapons to make this a fresh spin on a shooter icon. Play Video Here are 13 ways from throughout the 10 missions of the Halo campaign, as well as its three new bonus missions, that Halo: Campaign Evolved enhances and modernizes the classic. Modern, familiar controls Played today, the original Halo’s controls feel a little different, thanks to its release before shooters tended to have standard features and button layouts, and because controllers had fewer buttons overall. Halo: Campaign Evolved uses the kind of layout players expect, with adjustments like placing grenades on L1, weapon swapping on triangle, and reload on square, among a bunch of other subtle but welcome tweaks. Of course, you’re welcome to customize control layouts as you please. Sprinting for speedy getaways Campaign Evolved introduces a sprint ability you can activate anytime by pressing L3, making it possible to pick up speed at key moments when you need to get to cover or escape groups of enemies as they throw down against one another. It’s not drastically faster than Master Chief’s movement speed in the original, but it helps players control their pace. New driving options Another key change tweaks the controls to the iconic but sometimes imprecise Warthog vehicle. By default, Halo: Campaign Evolved gives the Warthog standard, recognizable vehicle controls, allowing you to steer it with the left analog stick, control the camera with the right stick, hit the gas with R2, and brake and reverse with L2. You can still use the classic look-based steering and analog stick-based gas controls if you want, but for those of us who constantly flipped Warthogs full of Marines, these controls will be an improvement — and most other vehicles, like Covenant Ghosts or the Scorpion Tank, have controls that are mostly true to the original. A health system keeps you in the action Recharging health has become a mainstay of many shooters, and while Halo always gave you a recharging set of shields, it originally required you to hunt for health packs to keep Master Chief in top shape. Campaign Evolved gets rid of health packs and instead makes both your shields and health recharge, but your health recharges at a much slower rate. The system keeps fights intense as you still have to keep an eye on your shields to stay alive, without forcing you to stop and hunt down health pickups in the middle of the action. Enemy encounters get a remix There are a lot of big battles in Halo, and if you’re a fan of the original, you’ll recognize where enemy waves will stream in or when dropships will deliver Covenant reinforcements. But Campaign Evolved adds slight tweaks to many encounters. For instance, when searching for escape pods when you first land on the Ring World, you’ll see Covenant deployments that now include Jackals wielding Beam Snipers, which are enemies that first popped up in Halo 2. You’ll also run into Flood-infected Hunters in later levels. These little changes to enemy force deployment will keep you on your toes, while still allowing battles to feel familiar. Powered-up power ups Like the classic game, Halo: Campaign Evolved includes the Covenant Overshield and Active Camouflage. Now, however, these aren’t activated the second you pick them up, but instead are stored; you can activate them by pressing R1. It’s a slight but impactful change that lets you save the power-ups for when they’re most useful. New chances for vehicular mayhem It’s not just new enemies that might appear in places you don’t expect. Campaign Evolved sometimes introduces different objects or vehicles in new locations. For instance, when boarding the Truth and Reconciliation through its gravity lift, you’ll find a Wraith tank waiting in the hangar with a turret you can use to wreck Covenant defenders. Those little tweaks make Halo: Campaign Evolved feel a little more realistic within the world of Halo even as they change up some fights. Bumming a ride In later Halo games, it became possible to jump aboard and hijack vehicles from their drivers. Campaign Evolved introduces this ability to the original campaign, so you can snag an enemy Ghost or Banshee if you’re quick and turn it against them. Just be careful — Elites can and will try to hijack your vehicles, too. Aiming down sights Campaign Evolved enhances all the game’s weapons with some new features and updates. You can now aim down sights with all the guns for a little extra precision. Weapons still handle the way they always have — the Assault Rifle still sprays bullets even when you’re tuning your aim — but the slight adjustment helps Halo’s shooting mechanics work and play similarly to other games in the genre. Weapons get a glow-up Speaking of weapons, Campaign Evolved also features reworked sound design for its guns, and coupled with the haptics of the DualSense controller, gives them quite a bit more heft. Especially with guns that felt a little lighter, like the Covenant Plasma Rifle, the adjustment helps make your shots feel like they’re truly doing damage, both from the punchier, more intense sound effects, and the rumble in your hand that conveys the kick of each gun. The shotgun in particular really feels like you’re wielding some raw Flood-dismembering power. An enhanced arsenal Halo: Campaign Evolved adds a number of weapons to your repertoire from other games in the series, such as the SMG, Needle Rifle, Fuel Rod Cannon, and Beam Rifle. The new guns give you a lot more options in many fights, while adding a different wrinkle to some battles. Flood charging toward you carrying SMGs can be particularly deadly, for example. You can now even pick up Elites’ Energy Swords and turn the Covenant’s most powerful weapons against them. New missions and new surprises While not every gun from later Halo games makes it into the main campaign, you’ll still get a chance to use some of them. Campaign Evolved includes three bonus missions set about a year before the events of the original Halo, starring Master Chief and Sgt. Major Johnson. In those missions, you’ll find the pulse-firing Battle Rifle, the Brute Plasma Rifle, and the Spike Rifle, which are handy inclusions since you’ll also face Brutes, the tough, gorilla-like enemies that first hit the scene in Halo 2. Even more replayability Halo: Campaign Evolved goes beyond remixing the original Halo to offer more new ways to play the game, and more reasons to explore it. Halo originally sported two-player couch co-op; Campaign Evolved offers that experience, plus four-player online co-op, so you can form a whole fireteam of friends to take on the Covenant and Flood. You can also hunt down new secrets, including terminals that expand on the story and collectible Skulls, which unlock gameplay modifiers from fan favorites to all-new enticing takes. These might do anything from amping up the difficulty by removing your heads-up display, to making Grunts explode in a shower of confetti. And if you really want a challenge, try bumping up Campaign Evolved to the tough Heroic or downright ridiculous Legendary difficulty. With these tweaks, Halo Studios does an excellent job of maintaining the feel of the original hit FPS, while introducing adjustments that make it even better than you remember. Halo: Campaign Evolved is available July 28 on PlayStation 5. View the full article

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero made its mark in 2024 as the latest installment of the Budokai Tenkaichi series after 17 years. The game launched with more than 180 characters on day one and currently has over 200 playable characters! However, what is Dragon Ball without surpassing your limits? The Sparking Zero team decided to take it further with the upcoming Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero – Super Limit-Breaking Neo DLC. This new DLC is jam-packed with new characters, stages, a solo mode, and more. Play Video The game has several solo-mode options, including Episode Battle, which features branching story paths, the creative Custom Battle mode, and the later-added Survival Mode. Super Limit-Breaking Neo offers a new solo mode for fans to enjoy called “Limit Breaker Journey”. This new solo mode allows players to experience a new way to immerse themselves in the world of Dragon Ball and the characters they know and love. Players can choose their favorite character and develop them into the fighter that best suits their playstyle. Now, how does one develop their character? Limit Breaker Journey features an interactive map where players can select their destination to trigger different events or battles. The goal is to gain EXP from different encounters and obtain something special called Battle Arts. Utilizing your SP, which can be used to obtain new abilities and stats, you can equip Battle Arts to unlock special effects such as limited-time boosts to your ki-based attacks or attack power increasing in Sparking mode. You can receive Battle Arts from special encounters with specific characters. However, there is a limit to how many Battle Arts you can equip, so use your SP wisely. As you level up your SP, you will receive points that can be allocated amongst 6 different stats. Players can freely allocate their points to customize their character to fit their preferred style of play. As you continue to train your character, you may run into battles with special conditions, events that involve collecting the Dragon Ball, and even encounter some pretty tough enemies after you fulfill certain in-game conditions. You can repeat the run with the same character to continue training the character, and once you’re done with the challenge, you can bring your character to showcase your strength against your friends in player matches and in offline battles. Choosing your favorite character to train is an exciting element in Limit Breaker Journey, and believe it or not, the Super Limit-Breaking Neo DLC offers around 30 new playable characters. Many characters have been revealed, but fans can enjoy a sneak peek of the Ultimate Blasts of Mercenary Tao and Grandpa Gohan below. The new characters added to the game will also feature unique interactions that you cannot see anywhere else when entering battle. Players will be able to enjoy exclusive interactions between the new characters added and the others from across the series, a beloved feature in the Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero. Another beloved feature from Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is the immersive stage destruction, and the DLC adds four new stages: Kami’s Palace, Kame House, Bitter Tundra, Stratosphere (Earth and Planet Vegeta). The intensity of battle is enhanced with the destructible features and you can even experience the Kami’s Palace being destroyed down to even the ground itself. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero continues to bring the power with Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero – Super Limit-Breaking Neo. The DLC launches on July 30, 2026, and fans will be able to enjoy free updates that include new features such as Sparking Boost and Chain Blast. Whether you train your favorite character to suit your playstyle or want to take your intense battles into the stratosphere, there’s something for every Sparking Zero fan to enjoy. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero – Super Limit-Breaking Neo launches on July 30, 2026. View the full article

Hi everyone, it’s Ines from Tiny Roar here with some exciting news about Lou’s Lagoon, our upcoming high-flying adventure that’s coming to PS5 on August 27. We’re excited to share a brand-new gameplay walkthrough video. In this expanded look at the game you’ll see more of the character and seaplane customization, building and crafting, and of the charming characters you’ll meet on your journey through the game. Take a look at the video and read on for more details about how you can bring your personality to life in Lou’s Lagoon on PS5. We’re also delighted to reveal our Deluxe Edition, launching on PS5 alongside the Standard Edition. The Deluxe Edition includes an exclusive ‘Lifeguard’ outfit for your character, a bubble-engine upgrade for your trusty seaplane, and a set of cozy beachside items, each with a bubbly surprise. Play Video Make Limbo feel like home In our last PlayStation Blog post, we introduced you to the Limbo archipelago and the islands you’ll travel to on your adventure. This post is all about how you can make the whole experience your own by customizing your character, trusty seaplane, and your home, and bring your personality to life in the game. In Lou’s Lagoon you play as a young pilot searching for their beloved Uncle Lou who is missing after a severe storm has swept through the archipelago. This is your journey and we want to give you the possibility to create a character that truly represents you. Our character creator allows you to customize lots of details of your character, including hairstyles, eyebrow shape, skin tone, facial hair, eye color, and even cute face markings, so you can really be who you want to as you enter the archipelago. As you progress through the game, you’ll unlock new outfits and can visit shops to change up your look and keep it as fresh as the island breeze. That same spirit of personalization carries through to your seaplane. As you take on aerial challenges and trials across the archipelago, you’ll earn new parts and spray paints to customize your plane from nose to tail, whether you want something sleek and understated or something bright and bold. And then there’s your home. Pretty early on in your adventure, you’ll receive a piece of tropical paradise to call your own and can build on it and shape it at your own pace. Design and build your future home from the ground up and add furniture and decorative touches to put a little bit more of yourself into the world. You can continue to transform your space to suit your style as you progress through the game, whether you want a small beach shack or sprawling seafront house. Arriving back at a space that has your imprint on it makes the archipelago truly feel like home. Meet the Charneys and Gorplins Last time, we showed you Gleam Reef and its local residents, the Vooi, and shared some insights into how they were created. Today, we’d like to introduce you to the Charneys of Tanglebloom and the Gorplins of Boulderia. Tanglebloom is the flower-shaped island at the heart of Limbo and is the archipelago’s liveliest town with shops and stores galore – at least, until the storm hit. When you arrive on Tanglebloom, you’ll need to help the Charneys back on their feet and rebuild their businesses so they can open for trading again; there may even be a mystery or two awaiting you. Surrounding Tanglebloom Town are smaller islands of lush jungle with new resources to collect and friends to discover. Boulderia is a rugged island built on the back of a giant crab and inhabited by the small, grumpy, and hard-working Gorplins. The Gorplins spend their time mining (and eating) sugar crystals, a valuable resource. As with Tanglebloom, there may be more to Boulderia than meets the eye… Powered by PS5 We’ve harnessed the power of PS5 from the second you launch Lou’s Lagoon, using the PS5’s ultra-fast SSD to get you into Limbo quicker than a Gorplin can devour a sugar crystal. The DualSense wireless controller’s haptic feedback elevates every moment of exploration, crafting, and building while adaptive triggers add an extra element of fun to gathering resources across the islands. Finally, PS5’s 4K HDR output brings Limbo to life in stunning detail. We’re so excited to be launching Lou’s Lagoon on PS5 next month and hope you’ll be making Limbo your new home on August 27. While you prepare for take-off, be sure to follow us on social media for more Lou’s Lagoon news! View the full article

The glittering sky of mystery, magic, and head scratching enigmas is becoming much larger – Order of the Sinking Star is arriving on PlayStation 5 later this year. Developed by Jonathan Blow’s independent studio Thekla, it should come as no surprise that this stablemate of Braid and The Witness is a puzzler… but with a fair few differences to differentiate it from its priors. Play Video In fact, it’s fair to say that those two titles created the foundation that Order of the Sinking Star sits on, not just because of its many, many puzzles, but also with its intriguing blend of characters, an unfolding story, and its stylish aesthetic. Introducing this new star While Order of the Sinking Star’s story is more explicit than that found in Braid or The Witness due to its immediate presence of talkative, controllable characters, there’s still a strong ethos of discovery. Even in the demo I played, exposition is delivered in small, sporadic chunks, all secondary to introducing the gameplay mechanics. This is entirely by design. The subtle environmental storytelling introduces a world of obstacles and divergences, where people are displaced in their surroundings. The first character, the Queen, is lost in what appears to be a strange palace at first, before it opens out into the game’s overworld. It serves as a quick intro to pushing blocking objects around the grid-like locations to progress, as well as understanding the invaluable rewind/undo mechanic in case you get stuck during a puzzle and need to revert to an earlier point in time. Hearty heroes and more It’s an essential mechanic, too, given the introduction of the game’s other characters, who come with their own puzzle-driven abilities. Given the choice of three different areas to tackle after the tutorial section, I sent the Queen northwards to begin The Hearty Heroes of Hauling section, which initially stars the warrior Valens, Tif the thief, and Isidore the wizard. Initially separated, each character can manipulate obstructive blocks and crystals in one specific way – Valens can push them, Tif can only pull them, and Isidore magically swaps places with them on line-of-sight. Guiding the Queen Westwards instead opens up The Promise, where I controlled an explorer who has to work his way through a maze-like mine using the power of gems to emit different coloured beams to perform abilities. While the grassy Mirror Isles to the East dropped me into the sandals of a wealthy trader using mirrors to swap places with his projected reflection in order to navigate a waterlogged archipelago. A nesting doll of puzzles Just as the story reveals its intriguing wrinkles through voice over dialogue and narration, the Sokoban-like puzzles start off simple but escalate very quickly. In The Hearty Heroes of Hauling, the trio eventually meet up, meaning I had to use a combination of all their abilities to progress. Later, a druid who could transmute blocks joined their ranks, and so the game’s complexity evolved further. Did I mention there are monsters, too? Puzzle purists don’t need to worry – there’s no fighting in the game. But dealing with goblins who will kill your character if they’re on an adjacent square, or beasts who shoot fire on line-of-sight meant the puzzles switched up once more, especially as some gates could only be deactivated once the enemies were vanquished. Thankfully, monsters can be manipulated to attack each other, while another new character, the bard, could charm them with an area of effect ability. And later in the game, a priestess is entirely immune to their attacks, enabling her to protect any adjacent peers. Order of the Sinking Star prides itself on the gradual layering of new characters, elements, and environments the further you travel. Early on in the demo, the Queen was forced to use the other characters’ abilities to access more of the overworld, smartly leaning on my familiarity with their powers to overcome increasingly difficult challenges. And then, several hours in, things changed in a way that turned the entire game on its head… When worlds collide As if the three different worlds’ worth of puzzles and an overworld with its own batch of enigmas and brainteasers wasn’t enough, Order of the Sinking Star’s big turning point is when the characters from the different worlds begin to interact in order to solve puzzles they couldn’t alone. At one late point I was having to switch between the merchant and wizard across realms, thinking about their abilities in different ways. It speaks to the ethos of Order of the Sinking Star that this switch is still early in a game which has hundreds of hours of gameplay, built on the back of over a thousand puzzles. And while there’s a clear narrative progression, the freedom to choose the order of how you tackle some of them meant I could still move on when I hit a wall. And on top of all of this, a whole fourth Southern area, Skipping Stones to Lonely Homes, was unavailable in my demo, but promises to ramp things up further with a marooned sailor in a world of giant stones, lily pads, and rivers she can redirect. Following the star’s light It’s been ten years in development via a modest team of around 20 people, but with its 900+ levels, multiple endings, and constantly evolving gameplay, even after several hours in the demo it’s clear there’s literally worlds worth of discovery left in Thekla’s enchanting puzzler. We’ll even find out what’s truly behind the mysterious title itself… Expect more to surface from Order of the Sinking Star when it releases on PS5 later this year. View the full article

MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls Open Beta kicks off July 24–26 on PlayStation 5 consoles and PC. Whether you’re new to fighting games or stepping into the arena with your favorite Marvel heroes for the first time, we’ve put together this beginner’s guide to help you get started. From choosing your first character to learning basic controls, combos, and team mechanics, here are a few tips to help you make the most of the Open Beta. Find your favorite Hero or Villain When selecting a character, take a look at the EASE OF USE rating on the character select screen. The more stars a character has, the easier they are to use, making them a great choice for newcomers. Some of the most beginner-friendly characters include Captain America, Ms. Marvel, and Wolverine. Iron Man and Spider-Man are also relatively easy to learn. On the other hand, characters such as Storm and Danger offer more advanced playstyles that may take additional time to master. One of the strengths of MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls is that once you’ve learned a character, you can rely on them throughout the entire match. That’s why we recommend starting with the hero you like most and gradually expanding your roster from there. If you’re unsure how to build a team, try combining close-range and long-range specialists. For example, Wolverine’s aggressive melee style pairs nicely with Iron Man’s powerful ranged attacks. That said, the best team is ultimately the one made up of your favorite heroes. Experiment and create a team that feels uniquely yours. Learn the basics with Startup Battle Not sure where to begin? Start with Startup Battle. This mode teaches the game’s core mechanics step-by-step while you play as Captain America. You’ll learn everything from basic attacks—including Light (□), Medium (△), and Heavy (○) attacks—to combos, skills, and unique character-specific actions through hands-on tutorials. Startup Battle is divided into two sections: ● Basics, which focuses on actions performed by an individual character. ● Assemble, which introduces team-based mechanics and cooperative actions. Players already familiar with fighting games can skip the Basics section and jump directly into Assemble. While you don’t need to master everything right away, Startup Battle is the perfect place to learn the fundamentals before heading into battle Master basic combos and defense One of the first mechanics new players should learn is the Link Attack system. By repeatedly pressing the same attack button, you can easily perform beginner-friendly combo sequences. In the examples below, L, M, and H refer to Light, Medium, and Heavy attacks. ● L → L → L → L ○ Chains into a Skill and can trigger a Break (stage transition) ● M → M → M ○ Leads into a powerful Super Skill ● H → H → H ○ Leads into an even stronger Ultimate Skill Start by learning these simple sequences to build a foundation for dealing damage. Once you’re comfortable, try more advanced routes such as: L → M → H → Skill → Assemble Rush → Follow-up Attack Successfully coordinating with your teammates opens up additional combo opportunities and lets you experience the excitement of the game’s team-based combat. Of course, offense is only half the battle. Learning how to defend yourself is just as important. The first defensive technique you’ll want to learn is Guard. ● Hold ← to perform a standing guard. ● Hold ↙ to perform a crouching guard. Once you’re comfortable blocking attacks, try incorporating two advanced defensive options into your gameplay. Assemble Counter is performed by pressing □ + × while not guarding. Your character performs a defensive backstep, and if an opponent attacks during the maneuver, you’ll automatically launch a counterattack. Crossover is performed by pressing □ + × while guarding. This calls in a teammate to interrupt the opponent’s attack and create an opening for a counteroffensive. Mastering these mechanics can turn a defensive situation into an immediate comeback opportunity. Both techniques can be practiced in Startup Battle, so be sure to give them a try. Assists and character switching Pressing × will call in a teammate to perform an Assemble Assist attack. You can also switch characters by pressing a directional input along with L2. The teammate you call depends on the direction you input: ● Neutral or → : 2nd teammate ● ↓ : 3rd teammate ● ← : 4th teammate For example: ● ↓ + × calls your third teammate as an assist. ● ← + L2 switches to your fourth teammate. New players may find assists easier to use than direct character switching, so we recommend becoming familiar with assists first. Once you’ve gained some experience, try using assist-to-switch techniques. After calling an assist, you’ll briefly see a “Switch?” prompt on-screen. Pressing L2 during this window allows you to seamlessly switch to that character. It may take some practice, but mastering this mechanic lets you rotate through heroes fluidly and unleash the fast-paced team action that defines MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls. Find the Skill Input Style That Works for You MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls offers two ways to perform Skills. The first is traditional Command Inputs (also known as motion inputs), familiar to fighting game veterans. The second is a Quick Skill option that allows you to execute skills with a single button press. While both methods provide similar functionality, Command Inputs offer slightly higher damage and generate more Skill Gauge. If you’re new to fighting games, we recommend starting with Quick Skills while you learn the fundamentals. As you grow more comfortable, try incorporating Command Inputs into your combos for even greater rewards. You can also customize the Quick Skill button through the control settings to suit your preferred playstyle. Experience the story in Episode Mode The Open Beta also includes access to part of the Amazing Guardians Episode. Players will get a glimpse of key story moments, including encounters with Promoter and Champion, and learn more about why Spider-Man ultimately forms his team. The story is presented through immersive motion comics featuring artwork from a renowned comic artist, bringing the Marvel Universe to life in a unique and engaging format. After experiencing the story, you’ll head straight into battle. Once you’ve completed Startup Battle and learned the basics, be sure to check out Episode Mode as well. See you in the Open Beta ​​ We’ve covered some of the key fundamentals you’ll need to get started in MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, from picking your first character to learning combos, defense, and team mechanics. Don’t worry about mastering everything right away. Startup Battle and Training Mode are designed to help you learn at your own pace, and part of the fun is discovering new strategies and team combinations as you play. MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls Open Beta runs from July 24–26 on PlayStation 5 consoles and PC. We can’t wait to see the teams you create and the battles you’ll bring to life. See you in the Open Beta! View the full article