Team Asobi shares their inspirations for Astro Bot's power-ups, and reveals some of it was influenced by the PS5 DualSense controller.
Our Astro Bot PS5 review looks at level design, DualSense magic, performance, length and value to explain why this 3D platformer has become one of the most acclaimed games on Sony’s console.
The PlayStation Store Black Friday sale is live in the United States with extensive PS5 and PS4 discounts spanning major releases and indie titles.
There are some deals to be had here, where there are a few games that are at a historically low price, but overall, it could be better.
For example, it is Black Friday, yet not all Sony titles are on sale, only a few of them.
Spiderman 2 is cheaper on PSN than on Steam, but this is an outlier.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is on Steam for $23.99, yet on PSN it is $69.99.
Helldivers 2 on Steam is going for $31.99 vs PSN at $39.99
Horizon Zero Dawn remastered and Forbidden West complete edition are also cheaper on Steam
Both God of War games are on sale on Steam, while on PSN the price is firm.
When looking for the 2024 game of the year nominees, only Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Metaphor: ReFantazio are on sale on all digital stores.
PSN is looking better as the 2025 game of the year nominees are mostly on sale. Hollow Knight: Silksong is not on sale, but that is understandable, as the game was priced low to begin with.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach are all on sale. I am adding Split Fiction, as this game probably should have received a nomination given the universal praise it received at the start of the year.
In terms of deals offered on Black Friday, this is the weakest offering I have seen in a long time. I miss the PS4 Black Friday Sales.
The games you listed that aren’t currently on sale have been on sale many times and given on PS Plus. Not everything goes on sale at the same time. They had a PS Studio sale like a couple weeks ago.
Our list of the best PS5 games to play with cloud gaming on PlayStation Portal. From Astro Bot to Ghost of Yōtei.
I have been using the portal to play robocop, the plucky squire, Spider-man 2 and GoW Ragnarok. I know many were initially turned off on the idea of streaming games... but people really need to give it a fair chance now. Its way better than when it first launched. Stadia was onto something, But Google is not Sony (or MS) and so they had to take the fall so that the other services could rise.
I'm willing to wager most people who own a Portal also own a PS5. I'm curious to know how the device performs when solely streaming vs using it via Remote Play.
I guess I understand the benefits if you are away from your house, but at home I don't see why you wouldn't still want to just use remote play.
remote play is handy if the game you want to stream is on your 5, and not already in the cloud service. I found that certain games may say they are streamable, but only if they are actually still in the service. Case in point... I saw that in my list of games in my library was Jedi Fallen Order. I wanted to give that a whirl but it said it was no longer available. I looked on my 5 and sure enough its still there and so I can play that using remote play, but not cloud direct play. I think its because it was a game I claimed from PS+, and it has since been removed. So it is not 'officially' in the cloud streaming list even though it shows as one I could stream from my library.
So I use the actual cloud streaming side for games I do not have installed on my 5. And it works great in my home. I have not tried it from another location, so I dont know how well internet access is outside of my home network. I get ridiculed for saying this but I use the cloud streaming services of both XB and PS as a way to guage interest in fully installing or even purchasing games. Its easier to load up the game via the cloud because you dont have to sit there and commit time to download/install.
If I like what I'm playing... I will do the full commitment and even purchase. If people dont look at this as trying to replace, but instead as a means to compliment the systems... they might find it benefits them more to use these services as a taste test / try before you buy sort of thing. I dont know why that always seems to ruffle people on here when I express how i use them, but it does.
I mainly play JRPGs or similar games on the portal. Currently remote playing DQ3 and it's great. I did play Spider-Man and FF7 intergrade, just to see how it feels when I first bought the portal and it played just fine. But to me, those games are better enjoyed with bigger screens. So games like DQ3 and Unicorn overlord, to me are better suited for portal because you don't need those quick responses from the controller and they are not graphics heavy that you need TV/monitor.
I did play Ghost of Yotei streaming on Portal today and again it played great. No input lag or anything but again a beautiful game like that to me is better enjoyed on a bigger screen.
@darthv72
You're right about streaming. Once you have the proper hardware setup, it works really well.
I've already completed over 10 games on my portal and currently playing through silent hill, Its just really expensive and not everyone has access to super fast internet.
I’ve been playing Dave the Diver and Deliver at all Costs and these are the best types of games to play on it imo. Stardew Valley is warm on the back burner, cannot wait to try Lumines on 11/11.
I loved the Mouse ability, it was fantastic along with the entire level it's featured in. Being able to go small on the fly and how seamless it is was great level design, I could play an entire game based around that kind of gameplay.
I think my favourite power-up is the Slow-Mo Vision. It's not exactly a new concept, but felt incredibly powerful in the level in which it featured. Riding the darts or jumping on the backs of the dolphins were amazing.
Shows the importance of exclusivity.
MI favorite power up is the bull dog. Smashing through obstacles with perfect timing made for a good time. Many others game in at a close second. There are some power ups that were missing are in the pack in game but not in the full game such as the Gatling gun. It would have been great to have that available to mow down hordes of enemies.