Welcome to Urgent Fury

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com! Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or download here Hey, everybody! Tim, Kristen, and I are back this week to discuss late-game Saros (no spoilers), adventuring in LEGO Gotham City, and the sci-fi thrills of Directive 8020. Teammate Jim Eldin also joins for a special interview with Saros Composer Sam Slater. Stuff We Talked About Next week’s release highlights: Yerba Buena | PS5 007 First Light | PS5 Wandering Sword | PS5 Mina the Hollower | PS5 007 First Light PS5 Pro features — Before Bond breaks out on his reimagined origin story, learn how PS5 Pro features enable a smoother cinematic gaming experience. Open World games of PlayStation Plus — Looking for a new wide-open space to explore? Check out 13 must-play games that feature sprawling worlds you can get lost in with the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog, including new addition Star Wars Outlaws. Gran Turismo Worlds Series Milan — The first round of the Gran Turismo World Series takes place this Saturday, May 23, in Milan. Learn where to watch and how to unlock the exclusive Stealth Model race cars. State of Play — Tune in Tuesday, June 2 for over 60 minutes of updates, announcements, and reveals from top studios around the world. The Cast View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Kristen Zitani – Senior Content Communications Specialist, SIE View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image O’Dell Harmon Jr. – Content Communications Specialist, SIE View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Tim Turi – Content Communications Manager, SIE Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music. [Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.] View the full article

Last week, we asked you focus in on characters moving their hands using #PSshare #PSBlog. Let’s give a hand to this week’s highlights: cenrice shares Diana raising a hand to open an interface in Pragmata PattyGnand shares Ellie’s hands tuning a guitar in The Last of Us Part II rorottino shares Dollman using his hands to frame in Death Stranding 2: On The Beach xenobitz shares Cal raising his hand to use the Force in Star Wars Jedi Survivor Leumir4 shares someone covering their mouth with their hand in Red Dead Redemption 2 LastYearsModel9 shares Nathan playing with his wedding ring in Uncharted 4. Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? THEME: LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on May 27, 2026 Next week, we’re putting up the Bat Signal. Share heroic moments playing LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured. View the full article

Becoming an agent of chaos or just enjoying the freedom of an entirely different space is all part of the open-world appeal, and the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog* is bursting with options. But we’re here to help. Check out 13 must-play open-world to get you started on your journey, including Star Wars Outlaws available starting today. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla | 2020 | Game Catalog Play Video Who wouldn’t want to carve their own Viking legend? Transporting the Assassin’s Creed series into the late 800s AD was a sharp move by Ubisoft, offering a compelling tale where your highly customizable protagonist Eivor engages in thrilling raids, detailed settlement expansion, and dual wielding combat. It’s a smart evolution that maintains the importance of stealth while mixing things up with novel elements, such as faking death to evade enemies or using a raven to not just scout but also distract enemies. You can even engage in a bit of flyting – that’s Viking rap battles, in modern parlance. Cyberpunk 2077 | 2020 / 2022 | Game Catalog Play Video When we refer to the term “cyberpunk” there are only a handful of examples in media which are as far reaching as Mike Pondsmith’s tabletop role-playing game – the starting point for CD Projekt Red’s slick dystopian title. True to its roots, Cyberpunk 2077 features the ability to tweak attributes such as Cool and Technical Ability to reflect your character’s build, letting you focus on hacking, assassination aptitude, and proficiency in specific weapon types. And while you’re roaming the futuristic and richly populated Night City streets, there’s plenty of colourful cybernetic characters to engage with, including everybody’s favourite digital rocker terrorist Johnny Silverhand, played by Keanu Reeves. Death Stranding Director’s Cut | 2019 / 2021 | Game Catalog Play Video When it comes to open-world adventures featuring famous faces, few games do it better than Kojima Productions’ unforgettable Death Stranding. Featuring performances from the likes of Mads Mikkelsen and Lea Seydoux, taking Norman Reedus’ Sam Bridges across a devastated United States to deliver cargo and reconnect society is a refreshingly unique experience. Few games have you managing inventory encumberment as intensely as this does, with each potentially fragile item you choose to carry across the challenging environments affects Sam’s speed and balance. Sure, you can also fight otherworldly creatures and bandits, but Death Stranding’s commitment to a strong social message and unpredictable gameplay elements has earned it many a deserved thumbs up. Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut | 2020 / 2021 | Game Catalog Play Video There aren’t too many open worlds set in feudal Japan, but Sucker Punch’s samurai epic stakes its claim with satisfying sword combat that cuts through an involving story of revenge and honor. Stealth and deception can be just as powerful a weapon as a blade, in what many have deemed the closest thing we’ve had to an interactive samurai movie. Fallout 4 | 2015 / 2024 | Game Catalog Play Video A sci-fi classic which has likely influenced a few of the games in this list, Fallout 4’s reputation has remained rock solid since its original PS4 debut. The power of cause and effect is prominent in Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic wasteland, as your actions can alter your character’s biology, local settlements, and even entire factions. But don’t worry, you can get a companion to help out with tasks and combat. Just as long as you keep them happy. Far Cry 6 | 2021 | Game Catalog Play Video The revolution really was televised in Ubisoft’s freedom fighting first-person shooter. As Dani Rojas, you use weapons ranging from conventional guns to quirkier means of destruction via the inventive Resolver weapons, including a deadly CD launcher. Supremo backpacks offer additional abilities and buffs, and vehicles from hovercrafts and tanks to even a wingsuit can be deployed. Oh, and watch out for the wildlife. Seriously. Grand Theft Auto V | 2014 / 2022 | Game Catalog Play Video Rockstar Games’ unforgettable open-world adventure still stands as one of the genre’s defining experiences. In Grand Theft Auto V, a young street hustler, a retired bank robber, and a terrifying psychopath find themselves entangled with some of the most frightening and deranged elements of the criminal underworld, the U.S. government, and the entertainment industry, they must pull off a series of dangerous heists to survive in a ruthless city in which they can trust nobody, least of all each other. Hogwarts Legacy | 2023 | Game Catalog Play Video If you’ve ever wanted to create magical mayhem in the Wizarding World, then look no further. Set long before the events of the Harry Potter books, Avalanche and Warner Bros. throw you into the perils of magic school, full of dark wizards, mythical creatures, and buried secrets. It’s one of the few open world adventures where you can learn spells, brew potions, and grow plants which can be used for crafting, or attacking enemies. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered | 2017 / 2024 | Game Catalog Play Video Guerrilla’s first steps into an open world resulted in an instant classic, thanks to strong writing, powerful performances, and the novel concept of robotic dinosaurs. Horizon Zero Dawn’s exploration of a decidedly different dystopia where nature has reclaimed the Earth, crafts a game where its versatile protagonist Aloy is able to sneak, scale, swing, and snipe her way through a dangerous and mysterious world. You won’t be just relying on natural resources, either – high-tech gadgets and machine hacking are all essential to your progress, too. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth | 2024 | Game Catalog Play Video Turn-based role-playing game styled battles and larger-than-life conflicts are big parts of this instalment of the fan favorite Like a Dragon and Yakuza series, but don’t get it twisted – Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth has a sense of humor that keeps its story fresh, seeping into the many side experiences to distract you from its exploration and adventuring. Darts, karaoke, food delivery missions, and even arcade games like Virtua Fighter are all yours to enjoy on your travels through Yokohama and Honolulu City. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 | 2023 | Game Catalog Play Video Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 raises the stakes for Peter Parker and Miles Morales as they face a new symbiote threat led by a monstrous Venom. Swing across an expanded Marvel’s New York with faster traversal and new Web Wings, switching between both Spider-Men as their stories unfold. In combat, Peter’s symbiote powers and Miles’ bio-electric abilities take center stage against a lineup of iconic villains, including Kraven the Hunter and the Lizard. Red Dead Redemption 2 | 2018 | Game Catalog Play Video Set in America, 1899, Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde Gang are outlaws on the run. With federal agents and the best bounty hunters in the nation massing on their heels, the gang must rob, steal and fight their way across the rugged heartland of America in order to survive. Red Dead Redemption 2 possesses a level of detail very few games can rival, making it one of the densest and widely realized open worlds available. Star Wars Outlaws | 2024 | Game Catalog Play Video The galaxy far, far away lends itself perfectly to an open-world adventure, and Ubisoft’s space western captures the look, feel and sheer sense of style that we love Star Wars for. Cantinas full of scum and villainy, space combat, speeders, alien gangs, sarcastic droids, and more are all part of the quest to escape a brutal crime syndicate. This is just a small selection of open world games available with PlayStation Plus, with so many more out there beyond this list. What other recommendations do you want to add? Sound off below and let us know. *PlayStation Plus Game Catalog is available with Extra and Premium/Deluxe memberships. Lineups may differ by region. Please check the PlayStation Store. View the full article

The Saros soundtrack blends dark synthesis, drone metal, manipulated voices, and walls of guitars so distorted they seem to summon the Eclipse itself. For composer, producer, and artist Sam Slater, creating the score meant more than writing music to accompany the action. It meant finding the soul of a planet. With the soundtrack launching today, May 22, we spoke to Sam about building Carcosa’s musical identity, writing for Arjun’s search for Nitya, and making music that sounds like the sky being torn apart. PlayStation Blog: You described the Saros soundtrack as a “wonderful, massive, dark puzzle”. When you first stepped into Carcosa creatively, what was the puzzle you felt you had to solve? Sam Slater: As with all projects, especially one as massive as a video game, the initial puzzle is: what is the soul of this score going to be? Greg Louden (Housemarque’s Creative Director), Joe Thwaites (Music Lead at PlayStation Studios Creative Arts), and I went in circles looking for the initial thematic or textural ideas that would allow us to grab hold of Carcosa and identify it as a place. As a composer, I tend to start from the idea of building a world. I want to know what that world is. At the stage where a composer joins a game, you have very early test imagery, but you do not have the completed video game in front of you, so everyone is trying to work out whether each idea is part of that world or not. That puzzle slowly stacks on top of itself until it becomes this incredible, time-bending, 3D puzzle made of music that also has to function and allow a player to get through the game. What was the initial creative conversation between you, Gregory Louden, and the Housemarque team? Greg’s a metalhead. I’m a metalhead. We share a lot of similar experiences and have probably stood in very similar crowds over the last 20 years of our lives. He had this idea of drone metal and dark electronic music, and the tension between those two worlds. One is very organic and overdriven. One is incredibly clean, but it is the high fidelity of those electronics that becomes overwhelming. Then you have to somehow bring those two together. We spent a long time trading tracks. There was a playlist where Greg and I were pinging music back and forth, and it went really wide. It was about aligning on a shared language for something incredibly abstract: the musical soul of a world that does not exist. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image The sound design is such a big part of how Saros feels. How did you think about the relationship between score and sound design? That is where the joy comes in. I do not see any distinction. There are people who care about the sound of a gun or a room dripping, and invest as much of themselves in those choices as I do in the score. One of the beautiful things about games is that we are talking about one audio engine, one system managing the information coming to our ears as a player. I do not see music as distinct from sound design. The sound design team and music teams were in constant dialogue. Should I leave space for you? Can you leave space for me? There was one discussion about a level where there is rain and atmospheric sound. It was positioned in the game where you might imagine you would want music to set something up. I wanted to step back, because atmospheric sound could do all the things music can do. The score has been described as growing out of the game world itself. How did the different biomes shape the music? The compositional frame behind the level design was quite functional. We would take core visual markers of the landscape and seek to mirror them in the score. Take Ancient Depths, for example. The main melodic idea is a ceramic, almost stone-like sound that has been knocked together into a giant cave and then re-pitched. The idea is that the reverb itself is always bending downwards. So the music is floating in the foreground, but every time something echoes into the distance, it tumbles downwards. You get this feeling of constant descent. Then, when the Eclipse is activated, there is an almost metallic percussion sound. Depending on how near or far you are from the machines, it will grab hold of the same rhythmic ideas that are in the sound design. So the music and sound design lock together depending on your proximity to the machinery. Throughout the game, a lot of sounds are made using human voices that have been manipulated. The idea was taking something human and transforming it into something completely unrecognisable. In Desecrated Fortress, we recorded the experimental vocalist Rully Shabara. We set up this huge dangling metal sheet, almost like tin foil, with a driver at the top and a microphone at the bottom, and created feedback so that every time he yelled into it, it stimulated this unstable piece of metal. It is indicative of the experimentation that happened throughout the score: taking human sound and pushing it into something unstable. I really wanted the only voice, the only shred of humanity left, to be Arjun’s ideas about Nitya. “Sun is Forever”, the lead track, began as a theme for Nitya. How did you approach writing music for someone who is absent, but emotionally central to the story? I do not believe she is absent. I think she is central, she is just distant. I did not want to think of it as a siren song. She is not meant to be luring Arjun; there is almost a motherly quality to it. I wanted the piece of music to have mystery, but not in an overt way. It should feel almost as though the voice is saying: when you meet me here, everything is going to be all right. That is why the entrance of the guitars either ruins that idea or defines it. I find it a very cathartic moment when those guitars come in. They push the voice out of the way, and the guitars are completely synonymous with the Eclipse in the game. So it is almost like the Eclipse pushing Nitya out of the way. The track has this contrast between love and longing on one side, and corruption and anger on the other. Was that contrast the heart of the whole score? I love contrast in music generally, and I think those contradictions are what make the story and the world compelling. Saros is a love story in many ways. Arjun is only a compelling hero because he is, in essence, corrupted. The humanity comes from the contradiction. That is throughout the whole score. The Eclipse is about degradation, overdrive, and things being pushed beyond their limits. Everything on the so-called “normal side” of Carcosa is looking at a kind of high definition that can then be destroyed by the Eclipse itself. How do you make music sound like it is being consumed and corrupted by the Eclipse? Housemarque kept saying the Eclipse had to feel like the world was pouring over. Overdrive [an audio effect that creates a warm, gritty, distortion] is a great sonic metaphor for that, because it is literally a waveform pouring over the limits of whatever circuit it is in. But the thing that defines the Eclipse most characteristically, in my opinion, is that every melody you hear in the non-Eclipse world is shifted exactly halfway through the scale. The world stays where it is and gets overdriven, but every single melody moves six semitones up or down the scale. Your brain still hears the root of the world, the low drones telling you where home is, but home has been destroyed. Suddenly, this melody you have been listening to for 20 or 30 minutes is completely in the wrong place. I do not want the player thinking, “Oh, that melody has been transposed.” But if I have done my job well, the feeling is brought into the player, and the world suddenly feels wrong. Saros has some incredible boss encounters. How do you approach writing boss music that feels memorable and intense, but still supports the player? It is so hard, and yet so enjoyable. The music needs to communicate energy very simply. When you are making it, you feel quite intuitively whether it is working or not, because you do not want it to end. If you are getting it right, you start flowing with the idea. I have noticed some player comments about a sense of flow, which is great, because when I was making those tracks I had that same feeling. If you get it right, they just roll. Every boss fight features the themes and sonic identity of its level, both the non-Eclipse version and the Eclipse version. The boss is absolutely the culmination of the thematic ideas of the level itself. At the same time, the musical language needs to shift in a way that gives you energy and pushes you through. If you are anything like me, you might be meeting that boss 20 times before you say goodbye and move on to the next one. What do you hope players feel when they finally step out of Carcosa and carry the soundtrack with them? When you watch a really good film, the credits roll and there is that little moment where you remember you are in a cinema, because the world that has been built is so coherent. That happens because every single person who made that film has done their job well. Games take a little longer to get through than a single sitting, but ideally, when the credits roll, players have that little jolt and remember they are not on Carcosa. We want to make this world as coherent and compelling as possible. I hope people enjoy that magic trick: a good story, good game, good music, good sound design, good acting, all of it working. Then they enjoy the reveal when they pop back into their sofas and think, “Whoa. Cool.” That is what I am crossing my fingers for. To hear the full interview with Sam Slater, check out the Official PlayStation Podcast later today. The Saros Original Soundtrack is available to stream on all platforms now. View the full article

Milan, a city defined by style, speed, and motorsport passion, becomes the center of the racing world this weekend. The Gran Turismo World Series 2026 begins inside the historic Teatro Lirico Giorgio Gaber, just moments from the iconic Duomo. The sold-out event marks Gran Turismo’s first-ever World Series appearance in Italy and opens a new global season where national pride, manufacturer legacy, and elite competition collide. Fans around the world will be able to experience every moment live in Gran Turismo 7, on Gran Turismo Live, YouTube, and Twitch. The opening round immediately delivers one of the season’s biggest storylines. Former World Champion Valerio Gallo arrives in Milan carrying the expectations of a passionate home crowd eager to see an Italian driver triumph on home soil. But standing in his way is reigning Nations Cup champion Jose Serrano, the Spanish star who established himself as the benchmark in 2025 and enters the new season as the driver everyone wants to beat. And the challengers are already closing in. Japan’s Takuma Miyazono travels to Milan directly from competing in the famous Nürburgring 24H race. He will be determined to quickly adapt from a real cockpit to the SIM rig as he bids to reclaim the title he won in 2020 and 2024. Spaniard, Pol Urra, continues his rise after another standout season in 2025. Meanwhile, 18-year-old Samuel Moreno, another prodigious talent from Spain, makes his Gran Turismo World Series debut in Milan, introducing a new generation of talent to the sport’s biggest stage. ​​ Round One is about more than early points. It is the first opportunity to seize momentum, establish psychological advantage, and shape the narrative that will define the championship race in the months ahead. Across both championships, elite drivers representing nations from Europe, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas will compete in front of a live audience in two distinct battles. The Nations Cup transforms national pride and identity into rivalry on track, while the Manufacturers Cup turns automotive legacy and engineering reputation into a fight for global supremacy between some of the world’s most iconic brands. That manufacturer rivalry brings its own drama into 2026. Defending champion Team Porsche returns with their driver, Serrano. Once again, Porsche looks to defend its crown against a hungry field. Team Mazda enters the season chasing redemption after narrowly missing last year’s title with Urra leading the challenge, while Team Subaru introduces British newcomer Callum Moxon as fresh talent joins the championship battle. The World Series experience extends beyond the broadcast inside Gran Turismo 7 itself. Fans who watch the live streams in-game will unlock exclusive Stealth Model race cars, while predicting race winners and taking part in the Lap Time Challenge at Autodromo Nazionale Monza allows players to experience the competition alongside the world’s best drivers. The campaigns transform spectators into participants, bringing fans closer to the action throughout the weekend. Fans looking to follow every storyline, driver, race, and in-game campaign throughout the weekend can explore the Gran Turismo World Series 2026 Milan Event Page, and follow on Instagram and X. The Manufacturers Cup will start proceedings at 15:00 UTC, and the Nations Cup begins at 17:30 UTC. After the lights go out in Milan this weekend, it isn’t over. The Gran Turismo World Series 2026 starts here — and every rivalry, title fight, and defining moment that follows will trace back to the first lap in Italy. View the full article