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Tom's Guide
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
I've found the best PS5 Prime Day deals — 23 game and accessory sales I'd buy with my own money
Whether you're looking for your next game or a new accessory for your current favorite, Amazon Prime Day is the perfect time to score some fantastic PS5 deals. And if you haven't picked up a PS5 yet, who knows, we might see some discounts on the PS5 Slim or even the PS5 Pro during Amazon's biggest sales event of the year. I've been combing through the current crop of deals on PS5 games and accessories, and I've found several worthwhile discounts you can pick up right now. These include Assassin's Creed: Shadows for 29% off and the Sony Inzone H9 Headset for $198 or $100 off its normal price. While there will likely be even more deals during Prime Day, there are already some great deals to be had on PS5 games and accessories. So if you're looking for something new to play or want to upgrade your console with useful extras, these are the best Prime Day PS5 deals you can get now. After more than a decade of waiting, EA has returned to the world of NCAA football in the appropriately titled College Football 25. And this simulation of college football was worth the weight. Offering a slightly more arcade-style pace than its Madden sibling, and letting you play as the biggest schools in the country, it lived up to all those years of anticipation. In Dying Light 2 Stay Human, you'll control Aiden Caldwell, a skilled survivor searching for his lost sister in a city overrun with zombies. The game focuses on parkour, combat and making choices that impact the story and the fate of the city's factions. Plus, it's been consistently updated with new content since its initial launch in spring 2022. Experience the original Dead Rising with improved graphics across the board in Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster. This upgraded version of the 2006 classic sees you play as Frank West as he investigates the nightmare situation at Williamette Parkview Mall. Along the way, you'll rescue survivors and defeat memorable bosses, and also fight your way through an entire horde of undead zombies. Enjoy the acclaimed Metal Gear Solid franchise from the very start in this first installment in the Master Collection series. This package offers strong value, containing Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, along with the original two Metal Gear games and a host of supplemental content, including digital art collections and novels. It is the perfect package for veteran MGS fans or newcomers to the storied franchise. Sonic X Shadow Generations combines a remaster of 2011's Sonic Generations, a love letter to the Blue Blur that remains a fan-favorite to this day, with a new Shadow-focused campaign. It's a strong package, and it was perfectly timed to coincide with the latest Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie. Star Wars Outlaws represents a new frontier for a Galaxy far, far away as it's the first-ever open-world game set in the iconic sci-fi universe. You play a Han Solo-type named Kay Vess, as you explore various planets and navigate criminal syndicates and the sinister Galactic Empire. The Last of Us Part 1 is a stunning remake of the PS3 original, completely rebuilt from the ground up to take full advantage of the PS5 console. It includes the full original game as well as its DLC chapter, Left Behind. This is the ideal pick for fans of the HBO show ahead of season 2 or returning players looking to experience Joel and Ellie's first gripping cross-country adventure all over again. Returnal is a heart-pounding PS5 game that combines bullet-hell gameplay with an engaging roguelike structure. You play an astronaut stuck in a time loop on a mysterious and very deadly alien planet. It's your job to break the cycle and unravel the mystery of this strange new world and how you came to be stranded here. We're in a golden age of horror remakes, and Silent Hill 2 is among the very best. This stunning new take on the survival-horror classic sees you step into the fog-blanketed town as James Sunderland, a man on the hunt for his missing wife. Tense and atmospheric, it's fantastic. Long before Elden Ring, Bloodborne and Dark Souls, From Software released Demon's Souls, the first Souls title to truly establish the core gameplay loop that has taken the gaming world by storm. For the current generation, Sony had Bluepoint develop this faithful, beautiful remaster, which improves on the original title and updates it with amazing graphics, new weapons, and items. Set in 19th-century Japan during the Boshin War, Rise of the Rōnin comes from developer Team Ninja and blends a sizeable open world, a choice-driven narrative, and engaging combat. Designed to take full advantage of the PS5, it also offers impressive visuals, speedy loading times, and full support for the console's DualSense. The sequel to one of the most acclaimed PlayStation games of all time, God of War Ragnarök sees father and son duo Kratos and Atreus embark on another epic journey as they travel across all Nine Realms of Norse mythology. Enjoy visceral combat against a multitude of foes, as well as rewarding exploration and a highly cinematic story that culminates in a stunning finale that you won't soon forget. The 14th major installment in the AC franchise, Assassin's Creed: Shadows, is set in 16th-century Japan during the late Sengoku period. Players experience the enduring conflict between the Assassin Brotherhood and the Templar Order through two protagonists: Naoe, a skilled female shinobi, and Yasuke, an African samurai inspired by a real-life historical figure. A sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West takes everything great about its predecessor and expands upon it. In this open-world action/adventure game, you take control of Aloy, a warrior in the post-apocalyptic United States reclaimed by nature. There, she must contend with animal-like machines, as well as cunning human foes, as she ventures from her homeland towards the coast of the Pacific. The highly anticipated sequel to PS4's exclusive Spider-Man game, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, lived up to the hype. It sees Peter Parker and Miles Morales team up to take down a whole new set of fearsome foes, including Kraven the Hunter and Venom. Master new powers, and explore new areas of NYC in the biggest superhero game Insomniac has made to date. Spider-Man 2 is a stunning showcase of the PS5. If you're spending hours gaming on the PS5 Pro, then you'll need to ensure your controllers are always charged and ready for action. The PowerA Twin charging station can charge two DualSense controllers at once and looks good doing it. This officially licensed peripheral also comes with a 2-year warranty. If you only have one controller to charge and want to do so in style, the Razer Quick Charging Stand could be a great fit for your PS5. What's great about this charging stand is that it can top off your DualSense in under 3 hours. It also features overcharge protection to prevent overheating and short-circuiting. Another neat trick is that it's designed in such a way that you can still navigate your PS5's menus while your controller is charging. The WD_Black SN850X SSD hits all of Sony's specifications and fits perfectly into the PS5's internal expansion slot, and it's even been named an officially licensed PS5 accessory. This 1TB model includes a heatsink and works right out of the box. It's dropped below $100 in the past, so this isn't the lowest ever price, but this Amazon deal is still a bargain price for an essential PS5 accessory. The Sony Inzone H5 is one of the best headsets we've ever tested for the PS5 and gaming PCs. Lightweight and comfortable for long sessions, the H5 can last for up to 28 hours on a full charge. It also boasts 40mm drivers to provide detailed sound and supports 3D audio for immersive gaming. This officially licensed Sony controller is a must-have accessory for PlayStation fans. The Nacon Revolution 5 Pro is infinitely customizable, featuring remappable shortcuts, a swappable D-Pad, interchangeable controller weights, customizable thumbstick sizes and heads, and more. Plus, with the controller's Hall effect magnetic sensors, you can say bye to stick drift. The Sony Inzone Buds offer the lowest possible latency audio and offer extended battery life, with up to 12 hours of continuous use. The buds also offer 360-degree spatial audio and AI-based audio reduction to help tune out any distracting sounds around you. The Sony Inzone H9 are styled similarly to its namesake's home console, so it's a perfect choice if you're also a PS5 gamer. In our Sony Inzone H9 review, we found the Editor's Choice headphones were comfortable to wear, but we disliked their finicky companion desktop PC app. The SN850P PS5 SSD is part of the reliable WD_Black range and is the perfect pick if you want to add significantly more storage to your console with a roomy 2TB capacity, enough to store dozens of games. This model comes with a pre-installed heatsink and can be slotted straight into your PS5 console out of the box.
Time of India
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Hideo Kojima embarks on Death Stranding world tour in Taipei. Here's everything to know about the event
Death Stranding 2, the latest release from the renowned game director Hideo Kojima, launched to great anticipation on June 16, 2025. The game was critically acclaimed upon release, with many considering it an improvement over the original, and Kojima and his team and currently promoting their game and reaching out to the fandom by embarking on a global tour. On July 6, the tour made a stop in Taipei, where Hideo Kojima himself met the fandom and answered questions about the game. The event was featured heavily on the Kojima Productions and Hideo Kojima's own person social media handles. Death Stranding 2 continues its promotional blitz 「DEATH STRANDING 2」台北イベント、大成功でした。 @Kojima_Hideo 監督、NPCとして出演させていただき、本当にありがとうございました。いつか私のホラー映画にもカメオ出演していただけたら嬉しいです。The DEATH STRANDING 2 event in Taipei was a blast! Huge thanks to Mr. @HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN ,… Death Stranding 2 continues to be heavily promoted by Hideo Kojima and his team. The game, which is Kojima's second major release after his departure from Konami, has been highly anticipated both within Kojima's own dedicated fanbase, as well as that of the PlayStation 5, which the game is currently exclusive to. The Kojima Productions trip to Taipei featured appearances from Kojima himself, as well as Yoji Shinkawa, a prominent character designer who's collaborated with Kojima ever since 1998's Metal Gear Solid, alongside composer Ludwig Forsell, and title designer Kyle Cooper. Taipei is the seventh stop on the Death Stranding world tour that originally commenced on June 8 in Los Angeles. The early tour dates tied into the game's pre-release promotion, but Kojima Productions is set to continue with the tour until at least November of this year. Death Stranding 2 is the sequel to Kojima's flagship independent title Death Stranding 2 and its predecessor are the first major projects Hideo Kojima has worked on since his departure from Konami in light of Metal Gear Solid V's troubled development cycle. Death Stranding was announced at The Game Awards in 2017, and remained in development for close to two years before its launch in November of 2019. The game was largely well-received, but the radically different approach Kojima took with both gameplay and storytelling proved divisive.
ABC News
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Death Stranding 2: When Hideo Kojima and George Miller decided to make a video game together
Hideo Kojima isn't just widely regarded as video gaming's first auteur — as the mind behind cerebral and ground-breaking series Metal Gear Solid — he's seen as a bit of an oracle, too. If the Japanese developer's track record is anything to go by, perhaps Australia should be a little wary. Our country is the main setting for his latest game: the post-apocalyptic Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, where bushfires, floods and earthquakes are as much danger as its anti-matter ghosts, who can be fought off with boomerangs infused with blood. History has revealed several of the Japanese developer's games to be eerily prescient: The shadowy antagonists of 2001's Metal Gear Solid 2, for example, work towards a digital world where disinformation runs rampant, decentring objective truths in favour of echo chambers. Then there's Death Stranding, the first release from his own independent company Kojima Productions. It centres on courier Sam (portrayed by The Walking Dead actor Norman Reedus) delivering parcels across a post-apocalyptic landscape filled with deadly ghouls invisible to most. It was released in November 2019, just before millions became reliant on delivery drivers for food and everyday items due to the invisible threat of COVID-19. "Everyone was also isolated in real life — it was almost like the world of Death Stranding," says Kojima, speaking to journalists in Sydney via translator. While divisive upon release, the game began to widely resonate with more than 10 million players as Death Stranding's overarching themes of connection — with Sam also digitally reconnecting a disparate United States — took on new weight. Now, thanks to some clever COVID workarounds and inspiration from such Australian film greats as George Miller, Death Stranding 2 is here, showing a familiar but stark Australia to the world. While gamers found solace in Death Stranding, Kojima was struggling with the sequel, which he calls "the most difficult challenge" of his career. The Japanese developer, now 61, fell seriously ill during production of On The Beach, and felt as though he may never recover. At the same time, eye pain prevented him from both focusing or escaping, unable to work or watch film — a favourite past-time. "It got to a point where I almost gave up. But I came back. I reconnected with myself, with this project," he says. There were also logistical issues, with travel restrictions leaving Kojima unable to travel to either Australia or Los Angeles, where he was to work on motion-capture with the game's main actors, including Reedus, Elle Fanning and Léa Seydoux. "Usually, when I decide on a location, I go scouting. I go to scan [people and environments] or interview — and the last time was Iceland. This time, I was thinking a little warmer," he laughs. "This is a game where Sam traverses, so you need a lot of great environments, deserts, mountains, animals as well, its own plants, species. That's another reason." So, Kojima worked with a local photographer who travelled across Australia, with the designer watching via a real-time live stream. "I was saying, 'Go a little bit to the right!' But it bummed me out." But Death Stranding 2's setting is probably more indebted to Australian New Wave cinema than any reference photos — Kojima is a noted film buff, and credits watching Mad Max as a teenager as the inspiration to enter gaming. Mad Max creator George Miller, who appeared in conversation at a Sydney Film Festival event with Kojima this June, even features in On The Beach, with his likeness used for a new character. (Also featured are the Australian directing duo behind horror hit Talk to Me, as well as fellow directors Guillermo del Toro, Nicolas Winding Refn and Fatih Akin.) With our cities destroyed, On The Beach's Australian landscapes are as stark, foreboding and alluring as Miller's apocalyptic world, where isolation in the harsh landscape is both a source of safety and danger. It's also hard to not think of Nicolas Roeg's sweltering Walkabout as you wander around orange deserts; or of nature fighting back in Long Weekend as you endure a dust storm or sudden flood; or the unsettling eeriness of Picnic at Hanging Rock while climbing rocky outcrops. Australia also proves more deadly than the US in Death Stranding 2, with an increased focus on combat compared to the first game. It goes hand-in-hand with the sequel's tagline: "Should we have connected?" — a question inspired by COVID. "I felt that, during the pandemic, the direction of the world was heading further and further into digital," he says. "And I thought, 'Is that really good?'… I rewrote everything that we had." For years, Kojima has referred to the first Death Stranding as a "rope" game, riffing off a notion by Japanese novelist Kōbō Abe that the stick was the first tool of humanity, used to attack and defend, while the second is a rope, used to unite and create community. "If you look at all games, they're stick games," says Kojima. "Even though you're connected online, like a big rope, you're still fighting over everything — with a stick." "I wanted to make a rope game. But looking at the world, you can't really connect everything with just the rope. That's one of the themes in Death Stranding 2. In the gameplay, you have a lot of weapons — and that has meaning, too." While gamers battle through apocalyptic Australia, Kojima is making even more connections of his own. These include a film adaptation of Death Stranding, produced by zeitgeisty studio A24, as well as two games: the mysterious Physint, and horror game OD, co-created with Get Out director Jordan Peele. Given a Kojima game takes an average of five years to create, the 61-year-old will be busy for a while — but the concepts (and premonitions) keep coming. "Sometimes, I see movies and get ideas," he says. "But usually, it's just talking to people. Eating, walking, or maybe when I'm in the bath. "It's almost like a disease. I'm imagining things all the time. Even when I'm talking with my family, in my head I'm in a totally different world." Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is now available on Playstation 5.
Business Insider
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Netflix is developing tech that personalizes trailers, TV shows, and movies to match your tastes
Netflix is developing tech that could help it personalize not only the recommendations you see on the service but also the videos themselves. Patents issued to Netflix in recent months show the streamer is exploring the creation of customized trailers and interactive movies or shows based on what it knows about its users. One patent, from December, describes how Netflix could develop different trailers for the same movie that could be personalized for each user. "The trailer may highlight movie clips that showcase an actor or actress that the user has shown an interest in, or may highlight certain segments that show the genre or some of the comedic moments of the movie," Netflix gave as an example. While the patent focuses on movie trailers, it says the principles involved may be applied to "full-length movies, trailers for television shows or full-length television shows, trailers for audio books or full-length audio books, etc." In a second patent, from February, Netflix described a method of making choose-your-own-adventure-style titles using machine learning that offers viewers choices based on what it knows about them. For example, one could show, say, a romantic-themed option to someone whose profile indicates an interest in that topic. Netflix has previously experimented with interactive shows and movies, most notably with its 2018 film, "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch," about a programmer who starts questioning reality when he adapts a dark fantasy novel into a video game, and "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs the Reverend," a 2020 interactive film based on the Tina Fey-created series. However, the momentum behind that original wave petered out, and Netflix removed all its interactive titles from the service, with the final ones leaving in May. This new patent suggests that interactive titles could get a second look, with new tech backing them up. Netflix's previous tech presented all users with the same fixed decision tree. Netflix declined to comment on the patents. Phil Petitpont, cofounder of Moments Lab, an AI startup that helps media companies monetize their video libraries, said dynamic storytelling had a lot of potential for social media virality, as users are likely to share their experiences with others. He imagined how Netflix could apply it in the future. "When you see video games like 'Death Stranding,' 'Metal Gear Solid,' or even any games from Quantic Dream studios, it's built like a long interactive cinematic," he said. "We could expect the next season of 'Black Mirror' to be an experiment on this one." Get ready for custom trailers The idea of customized movie and TV trailers seems to be the most immediate practical application of the patents. Please help BI improve our Business, Tech, and Innovation coverage by sharing a bit about your role — it will help us tailor content that matters most to people like you. What is your job title? (1 of 2) Entry level position Project manager Management Senior management Executive management Student Self-employed Retired Other Continue By providing this information, you agree that Business Insider may use this data to improve your site experience and for targeted advertising. By continuing you agree that you accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Netflix has been trying to address what's become a widespread pain point: The proliferation of titles on streamers has made it harder to find something to watch and left some viewers overwhelmed. At the same time, Netflix is trying to boost time spent on the service, which will help its growing ad business. Along those lines, it's also been exploring other formats and types of content like live events, talk shows, and video podcasts. Like other media and entertainment companies, Netflix has also been using AI in various phases of production to make films and shows faster and cheaper. In May, Netflix made a slew of changes to its homepage to make it easier for users to choose what to watch. These changes included making shortcuts more visible, making recommendations that respond to people's moods and interests in the moment, and introducing a generative AI search tool. Bryn Mooser, the founder of AI studio Asteria, said he saw potential in using AI to customize trailers. "Netflix has always cared about giving customers a great user experience, and if they can use this tech to recommend movies people really like and attract people with custom trailers, I think that's really exciting," he said. "I want all my streamers to come up with better recommendations."
The Star
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
'Death Stranding 2' review: The most unusual blockbuster in gaming is back
BERLIN: Clumsy, monotonous, ingenious: These were common reactions to 2019's Death Stranding by cult Japanese developer Hideo Kojima, who rose to world fame through the Metal Gear Solid series. It was an idiosyncratic adventure set in a dark world of tomorrow, in which players delivered packages and fought monsters accompanied by a soundtrack of ambient pop. It wasn't just a simple shoot-em-up, but often a test of patience. Six years on, the sequel, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach , has arrived and seamlessly continues the game's unusual concept. Sam Porter Bridges, the hero of the first game, is back. Against the storm: Heavily laden, postman Sam makes his way through a ghost town. New dangers threaten humanity and Sam sets out from his self-imposed exile once again to fight evil. The setting has changed though: instead of North America, he's now exploring parts of Mexico and Australia. The problems, however, remain similar. Just like in his first adventure, he battles raging rivers, rugged terrain and snowstorms while enemies lurk everywhere. In On the Beach , the game world is the true hero of the story. Kojima and his developers tell the story of a future that has been almost destroyed by the undead. A world of chaos and monsters In this chaos, political intrigues arise, bandits crawl out of their holes and gruesome monsters emerge from slimy tar. In the midst of this chaos, Sam finds himself involuntarily caught in the middle of it all. Delivering mail in a picturesque post-apocalypsic world is the gist of 'Death Stranding 2'. As in the first game, Sam transports packages through a hauntingly beautiful post-apocalypse to expand his network and unite the remnants of humanity. Every job requires careful preparation: a truck or motorcycle for rough terrain, an exoskeleton for heavy loads, or climbing hooks for rappelling down a mountainside. Almost every trip is a Herculean task. But it's not just snowstorms or earthquakes that provide the adrenaline rush; numerous enemies do too. Sometimes Sam has to sneak past spooky figures and infiltrate enemy bases. The boss battles, in which giant monsters suddenly appear, are spectacular and a bit chaotic. After Sam has successfully delivered a package, he can look forward to rewards. The grateful customers provide him with new blueprints or equipment. Sam uses experience points for helpful abilities such as improved shooting efficiency or a battery boost for his vehicles. The boss battles are spectacular and a little chaotic, with huge monsters suddenly appearing. In his new adventure, Sam can even mine raw materials for his buildings or shorten transport routes using a rail network. He can also travel on a ship – "The Magellan" – to shorten routes. The ship is not only a useful tool, but also has a crew, each of which carries a difficult fate with them, such as death or loneliness. However, the melancholy of these themes is repeatedly interrupted by ironic undertones. Get help from other players Sam can rely not only on his crew, but also, as in the first game, on the game community. While there's no traditional multiplayer mode where other players explore the world with Sam, he can request help with his builds or support in combat. Somewhere in the middle of nowhere, Sam can build bridges and roads anywhere with a mobile construction kit. This brings players closer together and opens up further opportunities for cooperation, which is a huge help, especially when building larger road projects. Fans of the first game will quickly notice that Sam's new adventure has become faster-paced and more spectacular. While a package delivery trip across the mountains can take a frustratingly long time, players now have more options to make their life as a delivery driver easier. The story isn't quite as confusing as its predecessor. Nevertheless, Kojima's mix of philosophical questions, brutal action and irony will still leave some players shaking their heads. The game is certainly full-on and comprehensive: you should allow for around 30 to 40 hours of gameplay. Sam has a whole arsenal of weapons at his disposal to defend himself, including a machine gun. Despite concessions to the mass market, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach remains a somewhat different kind of gaming blockbuster. Kojima and his development studio have created a grim portrait of our future, combining different genres into a unique adventure that's visually impressive and more diverse than its predecessor. A great adventure for patient players who want to immerse themselves in unusual game worlds, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is out from June 26th exclusively for the PlayStation 5. It costs around €80/US$80 (RM299 in Malaysia) and is suitable for players aged 16 years and older. – dpa
