Amnesiac

They’ve been doing this for years. I remember way back in ‘98 when big green bought out Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net. That really got ugly.

That’s unfortunate, but hopefully they attract some investment in their current project and are able to rehire some of those let go. I picked up Season but it makes kind of a rough first impression so I didn’t get far with it. I’m sure I’ll come back to it eventually though.

@iapaulogise Unfortunately that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s also licensing fees for tools and apps, insurance, rent & utilities (if they have a physical space), and a host of other costs to deal with.

@Tharsman I'll push back just a bit.

'your offer needs to compensate for all sales lost'

I would doubt that this is how exclusivity contracts work, at least for new IPs or offshoots of existing series. I may be wrong, but I don't think Sony is beholden to Square Enix for the sales of Forspoken that didn't materialize on other systems. And obviously, for timed exclusivity contracts it's a moot point.

@Tharsman This is where I lose the plot in these discussions . Why is the method for “blocking PS/Nintendo exclusivity deals” buying a studio outright instead of just making a better offer for timed exclusivity? Why not compete instead of taking the ball and going home?

Toys for Bob does great work, but it sounds like this might be stretched a bit thin. Of course, being a live service game, I would never go near it. I just don’t have time for that foolishness. I mean, one look at my home screen shows that the last three games I played were Street Fighter 6, Gran Turismo 7, and Disney Speedstorm…Hmm…

So if only Sony’s competition had the resources to offer developers competitive exclusivity contracts, they wouldn’t have had to resort to…buying said developers outright. Got it.

Every other generation or so I try out a Nobunaga’s Ambition, but I haven’t really latched on yet. Still, the history and politics of the era are fascinating to me, so maybe this will be the time that everything clicks.

Always a nice surprise to wake up to a sale notice for a wishlisted game. It’s finally Trinity Trigger time.

@RBRTMNZ My guess is that it’s more baffling than troubling. If reviews and discussion of the game don’t mention much about bugs, it would stand to reason that most people haven’t had your experience. Maybe you just had very bad luck with HFW and very good luck with Cyberpunk.

@StonyKL To be fair, if you’re someone who primarily gets their games through a subscription service rather than purchasing them, I don’t think the breadth of selection is a limitation. It seems like you own the big three, so just playing the top releases is a major time investment. Well, for two of the big three, anyway…

@johncalmc I thought it looked interesting as well, but now that I know it’s a weird anime perv’em up thing, it’s been preordered. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Heh.

I skipped 1995, so this is a great excuse to check it out. Just started PR1978 and it’s been a real treat so far. That phone call in the early going was quite a surprise! Also, I’m embarrassed to admit that I got stuck for a good minute because I forgot the importance of looking at your wrist. When in doubt, look at your wrist.

@thefourfoldroot1 I’m of the same vintage, which makes this a must buy for me. The first console I remember playing was an Atari 2600 at a friend’s house. It had that classy faux wood grain finish that matched the wood paneling on the walls. That era really had a style all its own.

@nessisonett Surely there are better places to meet single women than the Summer Games fest stage.

You had me at five bucks for Legendary Wings.

It feels good to ten something, especially when it’s so well deserved.

@naruball Nintendo’s teflon coating has been a mystery to me since the days of the NES, and the only answer I can come up with for why they remain mostly impervious to criticism is “Mario & Zelda.”

@Shepherd_Tallon “ No matter what they show most of the internet will hate it anyway.”

My thoughts exactly. Why spend money and effort on a presentation that will only reach the portion of your customer base most likely to dunk on it? It’s like paying someone to kick you in the groin.

@nessisonett I’m not so sure. How much should the long snapper for the Lehigh Mountain Hawks earn for their likeness? Should players be payed differently based on the size of the school or their popularity? This seems like a bit of a can of worms, but to be fair, it’s a can of worms packed to bursting by the NCAA and the line they like to pretend exists between amateur and professional athletics.

@themightyant I think you hit the nail on the head. As much as the PS+ refresh was needed to make the service more competitive, it was also a smart way to boost revenue per subscriber. Subscriptions seem to be at the saturation point as a business model, but introducing tiers to a service is a pretty surefire way to get some of your established customers to trade up.

Midnight Suns is a wonderful game crafted by talented people, some of whom have had their lives turned upside down by the whims of a billion dollar company. Here’s hoping they land on their feet.

I respect this review and acknowledge that this is likely a mediocre game at best. Nevertheless, on to the wishlist it goes.

@rawzeku What exactly are they getting away with? The game has reviewed abysmally and will likely sell poorly, which will undoubtedly have dire consequences for the people who worked on it. I’m not a fan of bad games, but the degree of contempt directed at people who make games that miss the mark is depressing.

@Green-Bandit I think the trailer suffers from being a bit dumb as well as the VR curse of having to promote immersive 3D games with 2D trailers. The first game on PSVR was pretty intense. I’m generally not a fan of zombies or first person shooters, but I played the original to completion and will probably pick up the sequel just for the adrenaline rush.

Well I feel silly. I always thought it was ME-as-ma, which would have given us the more jaunty, Mario-esque “It’s a kicking Me-Ass-Ma” sub heading. Thank you for educating me PushSquare.

Doesn’t seem bad at all given the price point and with it only available directly from Sony. I have to wonder what effect, if any, the relentless circulation of Bloomberg’s false numbers has had on consumer perception though.

I expect this list to remain Zelda-centric for quite a while. I feel the same way about these new fangled Zelda releases that I do about Beyonce albums. I know that each new release will sell millions and critics will throw their backs out hurling superlatives at them, but they’re just not my thing.

@Danloaded I played through it and would cautiously recommend it if you’re looking for an open world game to zip around. As the PS review mentioned, the best spells, and by extension the most entertaining combat, are locked away in the final third of the game. Still, it managed to create that “I’ll just play a little longer to see what’s over there” feeling for me, which carried through to the credit roll. The magic cats are cute too.

@LifeGirl I’m not sure what gave me a bigger chuckle; that one of the most popular You Tube reviewers is named Angry Joe, or that someone who calls themself “Angry Joe” hates things. Modern life really shades close to satire I guess.

I remember reading this in the monthly issues as a kid. If memory serves, it was a crossover between Amazing, Spectacular, and Web Of which made it tough to track down issues at the local convenience store. I was probably too young for it, but it definitely left an impression, especially the art in the spider munching panels.

I was a fan of the early Peter David story ‘The Death of Jean Dewolff’ as well, which also took the friendly neighborhood web slinger to darker places. That story blew my young mind when I realized that Spiderman and Daredevil knew each other and lived in the same city. Ahhh, nostalgia.

@SplooshDmg @Ralizah If memory serves, the E-shop has substantial discounts on first party titles about twice a year, which is when I tended to pick them up. The Japanese E-shop has some good deals too on occasion. For me, the best thing Nintendo did this generation is unify versions of games sold through the different E-shop regions. I wish Sony would do the same.

If they had found a way to include Monty Don, it would have been a day one purchase for me.

What a wonderful time to be a fan of classic games. As someone who remembers the days of digging through used game bins, I feel a bit spoiled by the range of retro titles getting digital releases these days.

This looks delightful and the asking price is more than reasonable. I do wonder why the developer’s name is in all caps, though. Every time I read it I feel like I’m getting yelled at in French.

Man, I waste a lot of time…I mean wisely use my time to enrich my life by reading this site, and I totally missed Dredge. On to the wishlist it goes.

This list looks like an invitation to rate fighting games during my coffee break. Challenge accepted.

I enjoyed the first Pixel Ripped outing, but the collaboration with Atari seems like its making this something special. I can’t believe I’m saying this, in the year of our lord 2023, but Atari has been on a bit of a roll lately.

@LAA I keep wondering if I’m missing a scene on the beach that forces you to attend a political rally for a socialist Quen or an right wing Oseram because I don’t get the connection between politics and who one person (or imaginary character) falls in love with. People carry their baggage with them, I guess. Even into their escapist hobbies.

This looks fun, and the semi-chibi design isn’t without its charms, but I think I would have preferred abs of steel Marian from River City Girls 2 rather than gun toting Marian. Slight Rolling Thunder 2 vibes from her, though, so there’s potential!

I’m loving the expansion, but I’m really just here to applaud the sub heading. Bravo!

@Simon_Fitzgerald That game really blew me away. I’m surprised it didn’t make more of a splash as it remains one of my favorite PSVR games.

@AtlanteanMan I was wondering when you’d get around to this: “believing a behavior is amoral isn't bigotry.” That’s some spectacular hair splitting given that what makes someone LGBT is that they exhibit LGBT behavior. By that logic, theft is immoral but thieves are A-OK. I have some modicum of sympathy for those who are uncomfortable viewing displays of same sex affection, but to say that an entire group of people is immoral because of who they happen to love is just appalling, and a textbook example of bigotry. Fortunately, there are a dwindling number of people with similar views, as even in a country as conservative as the U.S., less than 30% find same sex relations morally wrong. (Gallup, 05/2022)

While I’m here, I may as well address some of the other pachyderms in this room full of elephants. Your blank slate avatar argument doesn’t really stand up in this age of character driven games. Are you really making the case that characters that aren’t tabula rasas, characters like Lara Croft, Solid Snake, and Cloud Strife haven’t stood the test of time? And for heaven’s sake, sexuality has been in video games since Golgo 13 on the NES, or if you have terrible taste, Custer’s Revenge on the 2600. I don’t think it’s caused the industry too much over the past 40 years.

In any event, I apologize for the length of my screed, but not the content. I hate long posts but sometimes a downvote button just doesn’t get the job done.

I went with a 9 just because tying down a machine, leaping in the air while grappling to it, stabbing it and then blasting it with an arrow doesn’t seem to get old.

@FenIsMightier I dipped in and out of the first one for a long time until I finally beat it. There was a lot to like about it, but at the same time I thought some of the dungeons got to be a bit of a drag. I have the second one but haven’t jumped in yet. Glad to hear it has a good soundtrack!

@Jill_Sandwich Rather easy to look good in a situation that doesn’t involve you. I came out of the Fox News/Dominion lawsuit smelling like roses, if I do say so myself.

Anyone with a passing interest in racing games or good old fashioned FMV cheese should give GRID Legends a try. I had a lot of fun with it, especially the campaign, before GT7 launched and stole away my racing game heart.

Oof, I need to start fortifying my wallet’s defenses immediately! This and the New Year’s sale are double trouble since there are usually good deals on both the US and JPN stores.

I picked up Wild Hearts during a recent sale because of the strong reviews. It’s nice to see another take on a genre that’s been dominated by a single title for quite a while. I hope it does well, but even if it’s sales performance doesn’t warrant a sequel, it will be a nice, well-made one-off from Koei Tecmo.

Looks like its time to grind sand worms again. Good times!

“The game is supposedly coming out in a few months, yet you have done nothing to show us anything.”

This is an amazingly obnoxious sentence. If they were going for a combination of petulance and rudeness, mission accomplished.

@mrraditch Yeah, I had to go back and make sure I watched the right trailer because it looks fantastic to me. To be sure, there’s a bit of a glut of unattractive pixel style games, but this really doesn’t seem to be one of them.