Monday, 8 September 2025

Pokémon Finally Lets Us Cuddle The Trainers

The post Pokémon Finally Lets Us Cuddle The Trainers appeared first on Kotaku.



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PS Store Refunds Issued for Upcoming PS5 RPG After Backlash

PS5 action RPG Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2

PS Store users are being issued refunds for an upcoming PS5 action RPG after backlash over its paywalled content. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 came under fire after it emerged that two in-game clans — a core part of the game — were locked behind the Premium Edition or the separately available “Shadows and Silk” DLC pack.

PS5 action RPG Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 DLC controversy explained

Developer The Chinese Room and publisher Paradox Interactive claimed that the $22 DLC pack was never planned for the base game, and was being prepared as additional content for the future. However, given that players’ choice of clans impacts the experience, this response didn’t go down well.

Now, Bloodlines 2’s PS Store copies are being refunded as Paradox is making unspecified changes that’ll be detailed on September 17. “Big changes take time, and we want to do this right,” the company tweeted.

Players have been told that they’ll have a chance to preorder Bloodlines 2 again before launch on October 21. However, current preorders will be refunded starting today.

Bloodlines 2 has been in development for quite some time, and suffered a number of delays. The game was originally being developed by Hardsuit Labs, which was removed from the project in 2021. Since then, Bloodlines 2 has been in development at The Chinese Room, the studio behind Dear Esther and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture.

The post PS Store Refunds Issued for Upcoming PS5 RPG After Backlash appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.



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Sunday, 7 September 2025

PS Store Users Fall for Big New Scam, Warn Others

PS Store scam

Just when we thought Sony was finally improving the PS Store, another major scam has hit the storefront, conning players out of their money. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a shady developer clone popular PC game Schedule 1, but this is the first time we’ve seen a listing with artwork that looks like it’s ripped from the original.

Another Schedule 1 PS5 scam comes to PS Store

Schedule 1 isn’t available on the PS5 or PS4, and there’s been no confirmation that it ever will be. But its popularity has encouraged numerous clones on the PS Store, one of which successfully fooled players back in April. By July, Sony had nuked the developer and its games from the PS Store.

However, sometime over the last month, a studio called “Idan Rooze trading as IdanG” published its own Schedule 1 clone with art that’s strikingly similar to the original game’s. Once again, players are falling for it, and some are now being denied refunds.

Numerous Reddit threads have cropped up over the last week, with players warning others not to fall for the scam.

“I guess I should have checked reviews before buying; this has been an unfortunate loss,” wrote one player. “I was tricked by the image.”

“Yeah, I fell for this one, but Sony did too,” wrote another. “The title and art are ripped straight from the real game.”

In yet another thread, one confused player shared two separate Schedule 1 clone listings and claimed that their Google search to confirm which one is authentic was fruitless. Luckily, others managed to warn them just in time that the real Schedule 1 isn’t available on PS5 or PS4.

Players are reminded that Sony has made the process for requesting PS Store refunds a tad easier, so if you’ve fallen for a fake listing, check out our step-by-step guide on how to obtain a refund.

The post PS Store Users Fall for Big New Scam, Warn Others appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.



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Friday, 5 September 2025

PS5 Pro Enhancements Confirmed for Promising 007 Game

007 First Light PS5 Pro

Sony has revealed an overview of 007 First Light PS5 Pro enhancements. The promising new IO Interactive game recently got its own PlayStation State of Play, which was very well-received by fans. Although 007 First Light’s PS Store page doesn’t carry the Pro Enhanced tag yet, the PlayStation website has shared some of the enhancements.

007 First Light PS5 Pro enhancements including 60 FPS Quality Mode

Here’s what PS5 Pro players can expect, in Sony’s words:

  • Optimized Console Performance: Enjoy the action of 007 First Light at 60 FPS in Quality Mode.
  • Advanced Ray Tracing: Experience next-level realism with ray-traced reflections, shadows, and high-quality global illumination as you explore this stunning world of espionage.
  • PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR): Get super sharp image clarity on your 4K TV using AI-enhanced resolution for ultra-high definition play with astonishing detail.

Sony just seems to be scratching the surface here. We expect more details from IO Interactive, like what the Quality and Performance modes will entail, in the near future.

Like many, we like what we’ve seen of 007 First Light thus far, and can’t wait to see more.

The game will release on March 27, 2026, and all PS Store preorders will come with 007 First Light Deluxe Edition at no additional cost.

The post PS5 Pro Enhancements Confirmed for Promising 007 Game appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.



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Missing PS3 Premium Avatars Returning to PS5, PS App

Premium PS3 avatars on PS5 and PS App
Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Here’s something we weren’t expecting to see today: premium PS3 avatars that randomly disappeared from the PS5 and PS App back in June have returned for a number of users. Those who’ve been part of the PlayStation ecosystem since the PS3 era understand the sentimental value of those avatars, and why it’s exciting to have them back.

PS3 premium avatars mysteriously reappeared on PS5, PS App following PSN outage

The avatars began reappearing following yesterday’s partial PSN outage, although I don’t think the two events are related. For the uninitiated, back in the day, Sony used to sell PSN avatars via the PS Store in addition to the free ones, and allowed players to carry them over to the subsequent generations.

However, back in June, PS5 players could no longer use their PS3 avatars via the console or the PS App, causing concern. Sony didn’t officially respond to any queries for the past three months, but its PS Support agents misled players — as usual — into believing that those avatars were gone from modern platforms for good. That’s not the case.

The disappearance never made any sense to us anyway since PSN profiles are not limited to one generation of consoles.

If the PS3 avatars haven’t reappeared for you yet, wait a little.

The post Missing PS3 Premium Avatars Returning to PS5, PS App appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.



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