Comments 613

Re: Sony Appears to Be Dabbling with Written User Reviews on the PS Store

Ainu20

@Titntin It's a good suggestion, but no minimum will ever be perfect. Some would argue 5 hours isn't nearly enough in a large, epic RPG. Persona 5 for example may take up to 10 hours to get past what is essentially a massive tutorial.

Wathever they decide, they should definitely include the playtime next to each review verdict, like Steam currently does. It doesn't help with aggregate scores, but at least it provides context to each individual review.

Re: Sony Appears to Be Dabbling with Written User Reviews on the PS Store

Ainu20

It works well enough on Steam, it can work here as well. I think it's a good idea. Obviously should be limited to people who actually have the game in their library. Beyond that, a time minimum is tricky.

Some games legitimately only take about 1 to 2 hours to complete, like A Short Hike for example. I do think there should be some sort of minimum, but more in the region of 15-30 minutes than the 3-5 hours I've seen suggested here. That should be enough to deter a lot of trolls.

Re: The Order: 1886 Dev Ready at Dawn to Close After VR Stint

Ainu20

As a cheap title at discount, I enjoyed The Order. A big misstep was leaving the story so unfinished, as if it was only part 1 in a larger story.

That's fine if you're an established studio who virtually guarantees success, but in this case it was really disappointing. I left me pretty damn unsatisfied when it was over, despite liking it.

Re: Overlooked PS5 RPG Atlas Fallen Just Got Its Game-Changing Reign of Sand Update

Ainu20

@Tevor That seems a little extreme. I don't know what they said exactly, but surely you should be able to continue your game in progress. They probably meant that to get the maximum out of the update, it's best to start a fresh save. That's usually how these things are.

It would be better if you could completely turn off updates on a game by game basis though, unless they're online games.

Re: Silent Hill 2 Remake Dev Asks Fans to Give It 'a Chance'

Ainu20

@nessisonett Yeah, there's no doubt a remake of the first would be a significantly larger undertaking. It's pretty rough not just in its presentation and movement, but also its pacing. I guess that's part of its charm though.

SH2 could be a straightforward remake and still feel fairly modern, which is probably what we're getting.

Re: Silent Hill 2 Remake Dev Asks Fans to Give It 'a Chance'

Ainu20

@nessisonett Oh wow, I actually played and finished that game back on the Wii and completely forgot that it was a reimagining of the first one.

I disagree it's similar to Resident Evil though. The remake of Resident Evil 1 perfected everything the classic Resi games tried to do and, even despite how good the later remakes are, is probably the definitive classic horror game.

That's definitely not the case with Shattered Memories, which is a complete reimagining that doesn't even resemble a Silent Hill or survival horror game in general anymore. It's an extremely niche game. The REmake 1 treatment is basically what I'd wish for Silent Hill 1.

Re: Silent Hill 2 Remake Dev Asks Fans to Give It 'a Chance'

Ainu20

@Ralizah As a fan of the series, I agree the original Silent Hill would've made for a much more interesting remake target. It's the one game that needs it the most and it comes with a lot less bagage; Silent Hill 2 is seen as something sacred and heavy criticism is almost unavoidable.

Unfortunately, Konami just went for the most popular entry in the series, instead of the one that would benefit the most. I fear this remake needs a minor miracle to be successful, meaning any further remakes, including the first game, are not very likely.

Re: Phantom Blade Zero Dev Denies 'Nobody Needs Xbox' Quote as Outrage Over PS5 Exclusivity Brews

Ainu20

Why should anyone lend credence to a supposed interview with an "unnamed employee" from a Chinese studio, conducted by a Brazilian website? That's about as vague and untrustworthy as anything I could come up with. It's a bit silly that the studio even needs to provide an official statement about such an allegation.

This isn't exactly Jason Schreier-esque investigative journalism, is it?

Re: Preview: Star Wars Outlaws Thrives in Its Rewarding Open World

Ainu20

@BusyOlf

Because last month you rightly reported how poor it was

And you've had access to the final product to be able to judge that they "rightly" reported that?

Ubisoft, for all their faults, still know how to craft competent video games. Some of them are even good. It's not inconceivable that a bunch of journalists now had access to a preview build that is substantially better than the previous vertical slice and genuinely have a more positive opinion about the game as a result.

Re: It Doesn't Sound Like Braid: Anniversary Edition Quite Set the World on Fire

Ainu20

It's a remaster of a 15 year old, niche game in an extremely crowded indie scene, that didn't have all that much marketing behind it. What did he expect?

Sure, the people who were there when it launched and helped kickstart the indie scene still remember it fondly, but I also wonder how many of those feel the need to replay it. I know I don't, and I liked it back then. Feels like he didn't do enough to reach a new audience.

Re: PSVR2 Sales Explode After Sony's Deep Price Cut, Up More than 2000%

Ainu20

@NEStalgia I don't disagree with any of that, but that still doesn't make it a cash grab. I know it's not you who said that, but that was the gist of my post.

It's clear Sony didn't want to subsidize this like they usually do with their hardware, because they never expected to sell that much software on it. Just a poorly managed product all around, but still not without its merits.

Re: PSVR2 Sales Explode After Sony's Deep Price Cut, Up More than 2000%

Ainu20

@KundaliniRising333 Sony have handled the PSVR 2 very poorly, but in what world can it be considered a cash grab? There's no doubt it was expensive at launch, but considering the cost of the components, it was a fair price.

The problem is that it was a premium, tethered headset with almost non-existent first party support. An excellent piece of tech in itself, just without much reason to invest in it.

Re: There's Potential in This Anime-Style PS5 Soulslike, But It Needs Work

Ainu20

@Tevor I'm surprised yours is the only comment mentioning Sekiro. The stagger meter on the enemies looks identical to Sekiro, and it even sounds like that game with the constant parry noises.

Beyond that though, we really don't see enough to suggest that this is a soulslike. It looks like a character action game with Sekiro-inspired combat. It's such a shame labeling all these games soulslikes, because it instantly drives away a portion of its potential audience.

Re: Subnautica Devs Keep Slipping Sequel Screenshots into the Original

Ainu20

@CthulhuFhtagn Starting out can be rough in Subnautica, but once you've hit a couple of breakthroughs, it becomes so much easier. After a while, you're not really worrying about your basic needs as much anymore, and it becomes about building a base and vehicles that let you push ever deeper into the depths and uncover its mysteries.

I'm not a survival fan in general but Subnautica is definitely a game worth sticking with.

Re: Video: Our Most Anticipated PS5 Games Of Late 2024

Ainu20

@UltimateOtaku91 It's supposed to be a bit of a lean second half of 2024, but seeing that list of games actually paints a different picture for me. That's just the JRPGs still coming (+ Astro), not even the many other titles.

Even in slower years, I simply can't keep up with the sheer volume of great games releasing.

Re: Poll: Are You Sick of Soulslike Games?

Ainu20

@Yousef- Momodora: RutM isn't a soulslike though, it's a a pure metroidvania. There's a subset of metroidvanias that have a lot of overlap with soulslikes, Salt & Sanctuary being the most obvious one, but I'd definitely not put Momodora in that subset.

On the topic: soulslikes are just like other games at the end of the day, some good, some bad. I'm sick of the bad soulslikes that are straight up FromSoft worship but fail at it (looking at you, original Lords of the Fallen), but there are plenty of good ones that bring something original to the table.

Re: Dragon Quest Creator Says Silent Protagonists Look Like Idiots

Ainu20

@Giancarlothomaz I've never understood that argument. I certainly can't insert myself into a character if I see them standing around like a dunce.

In case of a strictly first person game, it can work, but even then it's not guaranteed. Like Metro Exodus where Artyom needs everything explained to him like he's a toddler.

Re: Dragon Quest Creator Says Silent Protagonists Look Like Idiots

Ainu20

I don't even agree it has anything to do with realistic graphics, I had this same problem in Dragon Quest XI, and that's not exactly a realistic looking game. Everyone is talking and the main character just stands there with a blank stare. He's supposed to be the hero of the story but acts more like a Hodor.

Re: Publishers Bail on Live-Service Flops Too Quickly, Says Warframe Boss

Ainu20

@get2sammyb Can't speak for all three games but NMS would've been a financial success even if they immediately dropped it after launch. It generated enough revenue to sustain their studio almost indefinitely.

Most studios don't get that luxury and have to make hard choices, either bank their entire future on supporting their failing live service title, or cut their losses and perhaps get another shot.

His statement is too reductive and dismissive of each studio's unique situation.

Re: Publishers Bail on Live-Service Flops Too Quickly, Says Warframe Boss

Ainu20

He's claiming a game's release isn't make or break, and maybe it wasn't a decade ago when their game came out, but nowadays if a live service fails at launch you're facing an uphill battle with virtually no chance of turning the tide.

The market for these games has reached saturation point, you either release a smash hit or pull the plug early and avoid creating an even bigger financial hole.

Re: PS5 Simply Can't Match the Pace of 2023 in Europe

Ainu20

@naruball You're implying that the PS5 was different from other generations in that they weren't losing money on each unit sold. By all acounts, that's not the case, they still launched the console with a loss on each unit.

It's just that in other generations, costs decreased sufficiently to allow a price cut and still break even later in the generation. That simply isn't happening with the current global economy.

Re: PS5 Simply Can't Match the Pace of 2023 in Europe

Ainu20

It has to be noted that 2023 was pretty insane in terms of big releases. In comparison, 2024 was always going to be a bit slower. Once Sony's first party output increases (hopefully next year), I think they'll see an uptick in consoles sold. Maybe in combination with a PS5 Pro launch.

Re: Nudity Confirmed for Dragon Age: The Veilguard: 'This is a Mature RPG'

Ainu20

@nessisonett You seem to be misinterpreting my comment as if it says that nudity is immature. It's not that, it's how they present it. It reads almost like "our game is mature, look, it has nudity!".

If it complements actual mature writing and themes, then I'm all for it. With the state of Bioware these days though...

Re: Ys X: Nordics Carves Out an October Release Date on PS5, PS4

Ainu20

I'm so ready for this. Like many others, I only got into the series with Ys VIII, but it's quickly become one of my favourite JRPG franchises.

Played Origin, Celceta, VIII and IX so far and they're all good to great. Can't wait for this one, and then Oath in Felghana early next year. I just hope Nihon Falcom gets the success in the West that they deserve.