Recently, a few major publications had a chance to sit down with Gran Turismo series creator Kazunori Yamauchi in an interview. The string of interviews came in just after a week from the Gran Turismo 7 reveal and launch date announcement. READ MORE: Days Gone Needs a Director's Cut Before It Deserves a Sequel “The PS3 was a nightmare,” Polyphony Digital CEO told The Gamer in an interview. “The hardware was so complex and difficult to develop on. It had the performance once you learned to use it right, but to get there was such a nightmare. It wasn’t until the release of GT6 [in 2013] when we managed to get the full performance out of the console - that’s how difficult it was.” While the PlayStation 3 was ahead of its time, the console would prove a difficult platform to work with. As a result, Forza Motorsport (an exclusive from Sony's rival) emerged, leaving Gran Turismo behind. That being said, GT7 can be considered a comeback to bring the series to its former glory. “We need to convey this information to new potential fans in order to keep car culture moving forward. That’s not to say we won’t be tackling the depth and realism we’ve always focused on, but we do have a big focus on accessibility in a way that takes in the new generation and makes Gran Turismo 7 approachable for both first-time players and long time followers.” Being a motorsport enthusiast himself, Yamauchi notes how car enthusiasts aren't adjusting to the times in the same manner video games are. “In the car industry there hasn’t been a huge change in the past 25 years,” Yamauchi says. “25 years ago we had different types of car media and mediums where new fans would arise, but now most of those are gone. There’s very little out there to maintain the number of car fans in the world, but now Gran Turismo is one of the very few things that’s able to generate a new generation of car enthusiasts and fans. We have a responsibility to maintain car culture going into the future.” That being said, Gran Turismo 7 has a whole new platform to work with so the shortcomings that caused the series to fall short, shouldn't be apparent. Thanks to next-gen hardware, Gran Turismo can take another step towards the photorealism that the series strives for. “The PS5 is much easier to create games on,” Yamauchi explains. “It meant we were able to create a well balanced experience that feels natural to play. Of course the graphics have improved and the 3D audio provides a very rich soundscape, and you honestly won’t feel the loading times. That creates a completely different experience, it opens up a whole new world.” “Now we’ve reached the PS4 and PS5, you could say that the tools we use for expression in games have reached a point of maturity. I guess it’s like other entertainment fields like film or music wherein movies, for example, you have the camera, you have the film, and all of your different editing tools. I think the same thing is happening in video games right now, where we now have our tools and can really start focusing on the expression part of things instead of worrying about our tools. I think that’s one of the major differences that have arisen in the past 25 years.” That being said, the PlayStation 5 itself isn't the only thing Sony overhauled with its next-generation platform. The DualSense has been around long enough for players to see how various developers make use of its features. “Beyond just the gimmick of using the adaptive triggers to recreate the vibration of the ABS when it's working, what’s more important to me is actually the heightened sense of precision of the sticks on the controller,” Yamauchi said. “The sticks that are on the DualSense can allow the user to control the car on the same level as using a steering wheel controller. That’s a huge difference from the past.” One of the biggest points of contention was the fact that GT7 required an online connection to access many of its game modes, including the campaign. “One reason is to avoid people from modifying and cheating with the save data for the game,” Yamauchi explained. “Another aspect is for the liveries. Livery data is downloaded from the servers even when you’re playing offline. So, an online connection is something that is needed pretty much throughout the game. One part of the game that doesn’t require any online connection is the Arcade Mode, because there’s no interaction with the save data and there are no liveries involved, so it doesn’t require a network connection to do that.” Yamauchi went further into how Gran Turismo's physics have evolved over the last 25 years, giving players a more "nature" experience. Other points were the dynamic time-of-day and weather simulation making a return - something we haven't seen since Gran Turismo 5. Eurogamer asked Yamauchi some very interesting questions which you can view here. That being said, there is still a lot about Gran Turismo 7 that we will be seeing closer to the game's launch. Given how nostalgic the launch date trailer was, it's fair to say that Gran Turismo still has a few tricks up its sleeve. Gran Turismo 7 is scheduled to launch exclusively on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on the 4th of March, 2022.

The PlayStation Midnight Black Pulse 3D Wireless Headset is now available to pre-order in South Africa, with a retail release expected for October 22nd, 2021. The headset will naturally work best on PlayStation 5, but is also compatible with PlayStation 4, mobile devices, PC and PS VR. Sporting the "3D audio" feature for PS5, it's a step into the future for audio in gaming. The PlayStation Midnight Black Pulse 3D Wireless Headset will retail from R2199,99 and available for pre-order HERE. However, we also have a bundle deal available that includes both the headset and the Midnight Black DualSense controller for R3599,99, which is available for pre-order HERE. NOTE: Please note that stock is limited until next year, so place your bookings now. Screenshots Features Fine-tuned for 3D Audio The PULSE 3D wireless headset has been specifically tuned to deliver the 3D Audio made possible by the PlayStation®5 console. Powered by Tempest 3D AudioTech, the PS5™ console can put you at the center of incredibly immersive soundscapes where it feels as if the sound comes from every direction. Refined design Play in style with a sleek headset that perfectly complements the look of the PS5 console and features refined earpads and a headband strap for added comfort. Dual hidden microphones Ensure you’re heard by your friends online2 with two built-in microphones, optimally positioned for clear voice capture and enhanced by noise-cancelling technology. Easy access-controls Adjust your set-up as you play with built-in mic mute, master volume and in-game audio to chat mix controls. Easily check how you sound to your teammates too with the dedicated mic monitoring button. Wireless adaptor Enjoy up to 12 hours of wireless play thanks to the built-in rechargeable battery. Connect to PS5 and PS4™ consoles as well as compatible Windows and macOS® computers using the included adaptor. 3.5mm jack Simply plug the headset into PlayStation®VR as well as mobile devices with the included 3.5mm jack audio cable.

Few games have left me as conflicted as Days Gone from Bend Studios. It’s a game with an interesting premise, uncommon biker aesthetic, stunning environments, and some great character interactions. It also has legitimately terrifying “freaker” hordes (think zombies) that are affected by the day/night cycle and the weather. Unfortunately, it’s a game that pairs its repetitive open-world structure with unremarkable combat, stealth, crafting, and levelling mechanics. You could argue this description applies to many open-world games, but Day Gone has one critical issue – terrible pacing. The missions will send you back and forth one too many times, but the environments in Days Gone are always a joy to traverse. If you’ve been gaming since the Xbox 360/PS3 generation, you’ll have a good idea of how open-world games have evolved. The variety of interactions and activities available to the player have increased, while environments, characters, and animations are starting to look as good as their more scripted, linear counterparts. To Bend Studios' credit, Days Gone is a stunning looking game on all fronts, even on the base PS4. It may be mechanically repetitive, but it always looks great in action and the cutscene direction is (mostly) excellent. Those cutscenes, up to 6-hours of them, highlight another element of modern open-world games that has seen the most growth since the post-GTA III era – importance placed on the narrative. These games now tell epic tales, with dozens of characters and discrete acts, sometimes with player-choice driven outcomes (albeit superficial in most cases). Unfortunately, the structure of an open-world game, and the inherent ability for players to ruin the narrative pacing, has always impeded good storytelling. Days Gone tries to circumvent this problem in three ways, mostly to its detriment. Days Gone still looks insanely good. The world is illogically diverse when it comes to biomes and climate, but this allows it to feel much larger in scale than it is. There are over 150 missions in Days Gone. These missions are divided up into discrete storylines and while some are truly optional – think those related to clearing out “bandit” camps and hordes – upwards of 80% are not. Missions unlock in a linear order – sometimes picking up storylines much, much later – and there are times you’ll have to tackle some optional tasks to raise camp trust levels, allowing you to trigger the next main mission. Every event is dressed up as a named mission, even if it entails nothing more than driving to a spot to trigger a cutscene and driving back. These missions stand in stark contrast to the best Days Gone has to offer – intriguing, multi-part main missions that usually have you travelling with a companion, learning more about their past and present (and the state of the world). Many of those simple diversions should just be incorporated into existing cutscenes so as not to waste the player’s time, or cut. Days Gone takes the “humans are the real monsters” approach but dealing with Freaker hordes is still a highlight. They roam the world at night, often interrupting other activities, and set up some great emergent scenarios. If you’re feeling daring, you can lead them to other locations, like nearby marauder camps, to kill two birds with one stone. Further highlighting this disconnect between typical open-world progression and the linear storytelling in Days Gone is its fondness for temporarily ditching mechanics. When travelling the world, you’ve got to consider bike maintenance and fuel levels. At first, these mechanics seem unintrusive, but moving into more dangerous areas can see snipers shooting to disable your bike or increasingly massive hordes you need to outrun. It allows for some great emergent scenarios involving the interaction of freakers with other human survivors. During the aforementioned complex main missions, Days Gone locks the time of day and weather conditions, removes fuel consumption and bike damage, and strips out random encounters. If you need to hunt for fuel, craft a specific item, or flee a horde, you’ll do so because it’s in the script. These are still enjoyable missions that feature great character interactions, but they further restrict the player. Hell, several much-maligned stealth missions don’t even let you flank around the outskirts of a location without triggering a “leaving mission area” warning, forcing you to sneak between enemies. Constantly scavenging to find fuel cans, ammunition in police vehicles, or mechanical scrap and crafting supplies in civilian vehicles, is exciting at first. However, as you improve both Deacon and his bike, these activities just feel rote (especially as you’ll have done them 100 times before). The final issue goes hand in hand with those simplistic main missions. The secondary missions provided by camp leaders almost always revolve around chasing down bounties or clearing marauder/ripper camps. They’re mechanically simple and repetitive, but you’ll still have to drive to the camp first (they can summon you over the radio but not explain the task), sit through a cutscene, complete the task in a matter of minutes, and have to return to hand it in. Sure, there’s a fast-travel system (that consumes fuel), the need to raise trust levels, and earn camp credit, but these secondary missions are dragged out and don’t even have a logical sense of progression. I cleared a remote camp of 14 marauders early in the early game while underequipped, only to get a similar task 20-hours later that was a tiny camp of 6 combatants, a few hundred meters away from the camp. Wrapping these activities in narrative doesn’t mask how repetitive and underwhelming they are, nor the unnecessary number of steps required to complete them. They could be excised, or simply assigned and completed over the radio. Moments like these make me want to keep playing, but I know I’ll have to tackle another dozen bland quests before hitting the next one. As a result of these design decisions, Days Gone is a game that constantly stays in my mind for all the wrong reasons. I want to explore the beautiful world. I want to spend more time with characters within it. I want to help the Lost Lake settlement grow. I want to discover the origins of the freakers and the true purpose of the NERO organisation. However, I also don’t have infinite time on my hands and there are plenty of other great games, with better-paced narratives, that don’t waste so much of it. The overall feeling is similar to what I felt playing Red Dead Redemption 2, only that game does a much better job of making sure each string of missions feel like they’re building up to a climax. Day Gone, on the other hand, is content to leave you bouncing between storylines, completing a series of seemingly unrelated tasks, and occasionally throwing you a bone in the form of a lengthy and interesting main quest. I’ve no doubt it would require a considerable amount of work, but Days Gone needs a Directors’ Cut, with an emphasis on the “cut”, before it deserves a sequel.

God of War Ragnarok got its big unveiling at the PlayStation Showcase last week, showing an older Atreus and Kratos on a journey to prevent Norse mythology's end times, Ragnarok. They're confronted by a vengeful Freya, an angry Thor, and presumably a number of other Nordic gods who want the duo dead as a result of the first game. While many expected this sprawling epic saga to continue for at least a trilogy, it will end with the second game - and we have an explanation as to why. READ MORE: Review: WRC 10 According to 2018's God of War director Cory Barlog, the reason for concluding the Norse saga in God of War Ragnarok has to do with not stretching the story out too much, also taking into account that each game in the new series takes an average of 4-5 years to develop. Barlog was in a recent interview with Kaptain Kuba, joined by new director Eric Williams who will helm God of War Ragnarok. They both concluded that due to extensive development times, it would be a wiser idea to conclude the story in two games as opposed to many more sequels. It would've taken at least 15 years to wrap up the story as a trilogy otherwise. 2018's God of War took the vengeful Spartan Kratos to a whole new mythology, tackling Norse instead of Greek. This shift was welcomed with open arms by the community, as Kratos' story had already concluded in a satisfying way in Greek mythology. There's still quite a bit to cover in the Norse setting, which we hope God of War Ragnarok can conclude in an equally satisfying way too. That said, it's possible that the God of War series will continue to new mythologies in the future. Some fans spotted tattoos on Norse god Tyr's arms that hints at Egyptian mythology. This may be due to Tyr's travels around the world and to different mythologies, which could be the direction that future games might head towards. It's unclear where developer Santa Monica Studio might go in the next game, let alone future installments in the franchise, but we're keen nonetheless. God of War Ragnarok releases in 2022 for PS4 and PS5.