@RawnDawn Just FYI, the underwater bits just seem to be load-masking. They're pretty, but you don't actually do anything underwater as far as I know. Which might be for the best, I can't for the life of me think of a time when I enjoyed underwater combat, and while the Javelins work fine in the air, they are noticeably harder to handle once submerged...
Because of course it wasn't extended. Hopefully with the downtime they can get the server issues fixed, but even if it wasn't, this is EA. Since when did they care about good consumer relations? This was a scheme to get more pre-order numbers to them, nothing more. I'm staring at the headlines for another recent game that had issues with their limited-time beta, but you know what they did? Resceduled the Beta so people can try it when they think it's in a better state! Thanks, Namco Bandai! Thanks Square-Enix, when you had issues with the FFXIV relaunch! Thanks Capcom when you had issues with the SFV beta. Thanks Ubisoft when you extended The Devision's demo, even though you were encountering cheaters exploiting a glitch in the PC version.
This really is frustrating for me, because there's a decent game underneath (albeit one that's built upon ME3/A's multiplayer features, but hey, maybe those needed a standalone game to really stand out? Except now it's matched with Destiny/Borderland's skinnerbox gameplay that I only ever tolerated, but I get the appeal there, and I honestly could use a game like that when I need an inbetween game that I can easily drop without worrying about getting to an ending or being stressed out by PvP games), and it's a new IP to boot, but now I just feel punished for giving them the benefit of the doubt. I certainly won't make that mistake again.
Already deleted the demo at this point. I was hoping this would hold me over until KH3 came out (or at least until the day before when I'd be too exited to play anything else), but instead I spent 2 days dealing with infinite load bugs, disappearing enemies, invisible objective markers, the worst rubber-banding I've ever experienced in a video game, and gunplay that legitamitely made me miss my time Mass Effect: Andromeda during its launch week.
Before, my biggest worry with this game was how EA would monetize it, and how Bioware was going to handle Endgame and post-launch content. Now I'm more concerned that this might be another Andromeda-level disaster, and I don't think Bioware could survive another hit like that.
(And yes, I'm aware that this demo is based on a 6 week old build. This is still unacceptable.)
"Gameplay" Trailer...this is why so many people have been worried that it's just gonna be QTE-fest that takes away player control more often than Sonic Adventure - because they keep focusing on the story in so many of these trailers. I mean, I've seen raw gameplay footage, I've read hands-on reports, I know what it's actually gonna be, but if that was supposed to be a gameplay trailer, then someone deserved to be fired.
"So you think you're good at Tetris?
Every line, every block is putty in your hand?
You instinctively know where to drop every L Block, Straight piece, and those weird squiggly ones?
Well let's see how good you are at Tetris...
WHEN YOU'RE HAVING A SEIZURE
Tetris SeizureTM - The newest evolution in gaming!"
Guilty Gear's still my fave, but everything here has been pretty great picks. Only ones I haven't touched yet are Injustice 2 (I'll wait for a complete version, thank you. No way am I paying for Battle packs 1-3+ or some super-expensive ultimate edition. Their pricing scheme is the real injustice, here) and Naruto...I just don't keep up with that series anymore.
Oh my God, I can't believe it's out! I have been waiting for this ever since it was announced back in, what? 2010? And it sounds like a must-play, to me. Nice, I'll pick it up ASAP.
@stevie85 - I have, but only because my PS3 makes weird noises whenever I put a movie in it - game discs are fine, but movies always rattle. I don't know why.
Anyways, I got a brand new smart TV back in February, but without the 4K (it cost over $400 already, 4K would've doubled it! It's just a TV, no way am I paying that much), so unless they don't make a PS5 until 2025, this has no effect on me whatsoever.
Oh, so it's just the US and Canada? That's good to know. Meanwhile, I got a spare card waiting in the wings...if I see another card with the old price tag later down the road, I'll grab that too, get myself a little stockpile...gotta wait until after I'm done paying off my credit card, though...
Rush mode? That might actually kill this for me. Is there a way to filter/restrict that function in online lobbies?
EDIT: Well, after doing some research, it sounds like it might not be that bad, though I might do it by accident sometimes...I know that ruined quite a few of my Persona Arena, though they were even easier to trigger there. Unless your button is sticking, you shouldn't be mashing your light punch like you're playing SF2 E.Honda...so...I guess I can overlook that. Even graphically, the game mostly looks fine. It's just that the first 15 or so characters they introduced had really bad facial animations - lot of uncanny valley **** goin' on with Terry, Iori, and especially Kyo and Athena. Don't even get me started on Mai and Angel, I still have the nightmares.
They slowly got better after a while, though, and it's mostly just them having to adapt these anime-style characters who have already gone through more art style revamps than I can count. The new characters they introduced look great, and I hope they redo some of the character models at some point, at least for the Super Move cutscenes. That's where the Uncanny Valley reared its ugly head the most...
As far as I can tell, it's like Mark of the Ninja-Lite. I can't not have that. Sadly, it'll have to wait until June like the rest, but at $10, it shouldn't be a problem.
@MatGrowcott But they're not the same challenge. They're not even the same genre. The skills and reflexes aren't really that similar. Stealth Inc is a puzzle platformer. This has puzzle elements, but is much more action-based. It just doesn't work as a comparison, nor does it work as a recommendation.
You know, the article says there is Singleplayer, just so you guys know. It just doesn't have a dedicated singleplayer story campaign. You know, stuff that Battlefront wasn't big on in the first place...
@eliotgballade An angel dies every time a grammar nazi unnecessarily points out a typo. Just some food for thought. Like, maybe you shouldn't be killing angels, dude.
@themcnoisy Galactic Concuest wasn't a campaign mode - it could be played with other people, IIRC, and it was more fun in multiplayer, to boot. It really was just the standard maps with a different structure (a good structure, mind, but one that other games nowadays use as an actual online multiplayer mode).
And really this is the point: They said there's no CAMPIGN mode, yet they still confirmed that there's still solo play to some degree. There's Singleplayer. It's just that there's no Call of Duty-esque story missions, and there might not be any Battlefield-style 'glorified tutorial' bot matches disguised as a campaign mode.
Well, it's nice to know the engine allows for some nice cinematics. Would've loved to see gameplay, though.
Also, why would they use an AT-AT in a thick forest? The thing can't even menuever. That's what the smaller walkers were for. I'm not even a big Star Wars geek and I know this. :/
...Battlefront 1 never had a singleplayer campaign, and campaign missions in Battlefront II were botmatches capped with exposition summaries. I didn't play Renegade Squadron, but for the most part, this is more than what we usually get from this franchise. The fact that you guys expected more just shows that you have no idea what this series or even DICE studios is about...
I like it when Star Wars is a little cheesey. It really adds to the fun. Hope the movie doesn't drop the ball, and I'm anticipated the reveal trailer in 3 hours.
@get2sammyb why so I can block disgusting images like a dude with half his face ripped off every single time I visit the main page. Otherwise I'd have to leave the site until that article dropped off the page.
I was excited for this, especially after they put out Star Ocean: The Last Hope and it seemed like they learned their lesson from SO3.
Then I saw they're promising to take extensive inspiration from Star Ocean 3 and undo every single step forward they made with The Last Hope. Now there's no hope. Not for this game, and certainly not for Tri-Aces.
Ended up playing an iOS retro platformer called Tiny Dangerous Dungeon. It's pretty fun, but I'm stuck trying to get the final key. It's a grueling guantlet you have to go all the way through and back with no save point in between...
Wii Sports Resort for the most part, until I'm ready to move onto something more substantial. I was planning on spending this whole weekend drawing, but I got sick. I'll still try to draw, though, just not as much as I thought I would...
@ShogunRok
I got into Suikoden late last year, and it was first time in a while that I really got sucked into a JRPG. It was fantastic, and I can't wait to play the rest of the series when I'm done (got stuck on a boss so I lost momentum. I already beat the boss, though, I just need to convince myself to pick it up again).
I should hope Final-Boss-Material like Shanks is overpowered as all hell. Now I want to catch up with One Pice, though I'm sure they haven't shown his moves in the Anime yet, have they?
@ShogunRok - How would you compare it to Crisis Core? That's the benchmark I'm using.
Otherwise, this sounds great to me. I don't personally hold the FF games to high standards in story-telling (But then again, I still find it hard to believe FF13 is considered pompous, yet BioShock Infinite is held as grand storytelling in gaming...). So long as there's more gameplay than story, and the gameplay is good fun, which your review seems to emphasize at every corner, I'll be fine.
Comments 661
Re: ANTHEM VIP Demo Isn't Extended, Public Demo Still Set for This Weekend
@RawnDawn Just FYI, the underwater bits just seem to be load-masking. They're pretty, but you don't actually do anything underwater as far as I know. Which might be for the best, I can't for the life of me think of a time when I enjoyed underwater combat, and while the Javelins work fine in the air, they are noticeably harder to handle once submerged...
Re: ANTHEM VIP Demo Isn't Extended, Public Demo Still Set for This Weekend
Because of course it wasn't extended. Hopefully with the downtime they can get the server issues fixed, but even if it wasn't, this is EA. Since when did they care about good consumer relations? This was a scheme to get more pre-order numbers to them, nothing more. I'm staring at the headlines for another recent game that had issues with their limited-time beta, but you know what they did? Resceduled the Beta so people can try it when they think it's in a better state! Thanks, Namco Bandai! Thanks Square-Enix, when you had issues with the FFXIV relaunch! Thanks Capcom when you had issues with the SFV beta. Thanks Ubisoft when you extended The Devision's demo, even though you were encountering cheaters exploiting a glitch in the PC version.
This really is frustrating for me, because there's a decent game underneath (albeit one that's built upon ME3/A's multiplayer features, but hey, maybe those needed a standalone game to really stand out? Except now it's matched with Destiny/Borderland's skinnerbox gameplay that I only ever tolerated, but I get the appeal there, and I honestly could use a game like that when I need an inbetween game that I can easily drop without worrying about getting to an ending or being stressed out by PvP games), and it's a new IP to boot, but now I just feel punished for giving them the benefit of the doubt. I certainly won't make that mistake again.
Re: Most Common ANTHEM VIP Demo Issues Are Being Fixed, No Word on Extended Times
Already deleted the demo at this point. I was hoping this would hold me over until KH3 came out (or at least until the day before when I'd be too exited to play anything else), but instead I spent 2 days dealing with infinite load bugs, disappearing enemies, invisible objective markers, the worst rubber-banding I've ever experienced in a video game, and gunplay that legitamitely made me miss my time Mass Effect: Andromeda during its launch week.
Before, my biggest worry with this game was how EA would monetize it, and how Bioware was going to handle Endgame and post-launch content. Now I'm more concerned that this might be another Andromeda-level disaster, and I don't think Bioware could survive another hit like that.
(And yes, I'm aware that this demo is based on a 6 week old build. This is still unacceptable.)
Re: Marvel's Spider-Man Gets One More Trailer to Hype You Up for Launch
"Gameplay" Trailer...this is why so many people have been worried that it's just gonna be QTE-fest that takes away player control more often than Sonic Adventure - because they keep focusing on the story in so many of these trailers. I mean, I've seen raw gameplay footage, I've read hands-on reports, I know what it's actually gonna be, but if that was supposed to be a gameplay trailer, then someone deserved to be fired.
Re: E3 2018: Tetris Effect Brings a Trippy Take on a Classic to PS4, PSVR
"So you think you're good at Tetris?
Every line, every block is putty in your hand?
You instinctively know where to drop every L Block, Straight piece, and those weird squiggly ones?
Well let's see how good you are at Tetris...
WHEN YOU'RE HAVING A SEIZURE
Tetris SeizureTM - The newest evolution in gaming!"
Re: Guide: The Best PS4 Fighting Games
Guilty Gear's still my fave, but everything here has been pretty great picks. Only ones I haven't touched yet are Injustice 2 (I'll wait for a complete version, thank you. No way am I paying for Battle packs 1-3+ or some super-expensive ultimate edition. Their pricing scheme is the real injustice, here) and Naruto...I just don't keep up with that series anymore.
Re: Review: Iconoclasts (PS4)
Oh my God, I can't believe it's out! I have been waiting for this ever since it was announced back in, what? 2010? And it sounds like a must-play, to me. Nice, I'll pick it up ASAP.
Re: PS4 Pro Doesn't Appear to Have a 4K Blu-ray Player
@stevie85 - I have, but only because my PS3 makes weird noises whenever I put a movie in it - game discs are fine, but movies always rattle. I don't know why.
Anyways, I got a brand new smart TV back in February, but without the 4K (it cost over $400 already, 4K would've doubled it! It's just a TV, no way am I paying that much), so unless they don't make a PS5 until 2025, this has no effect on me whatsoever.
Re: PlayStation Plus Price Won't Increase in Europe
Oh, so it's just the US and Canada? That's good to know. Meanwhile, I got a spare card waiting in the wings...if I see another card with the old price tag later down the road, I'll grab that too, get myself a little stockpile...gotta wait until after I'm done paying off my credit card, though...
Re: Review: The King of Fighters XIV (PS4)
Rush mode? That might actually kill this for me. Is there a way to filter/restrict that function in online lobbies?
EDIT: Well, after doing some research, it sounds like it might not be that bad, though I might do it by accident sometimes...I know that ruined quite a few of my Persona Arena, though they were even easier to trigger there. Unless your button is sticking, you shouldn't be mashing your light punch like you're playing SF2 E.Honda...so...I guess I can overlook that. Even graphically, the game mostly looks fine. It's just that the first 15 or so characters they introduced had really bad facial animations - lot of uncanny valley **** goin' on with Terry, Iori, and especially Kyo and Athena. Don't even get me started on Mai and Angel, I still have the nightmares.
They slowly got better after a while, though, and it's mostly just them having to adapt these anime-style characters who have already gone through more art style revamps than I can count. The new characters they introduced look great, and I hope they redo some of the character models at some point, at least for the Super Move cutscenes. That's where the Uncanny Valley reared its ugly head the most...
Re: Don't Hold Your Breath for Backwards Compatibility on PS4
I'm disappointed if only because my PS3 seems ready to die again...would be nice if I didn't have to replace it, you know?
Re: Suikoden III Stretches Its Legs on PlayStation 3
Yay Suikoden!
Re: Review: Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China (PlayStation 4)
As far as I can tell, it's like Mark of the Ninja-Lite. I can't not have that. Sadly, it'll have to wait until June like the rest, but at $10, it shouldn't be a problem.
Re: Review: Tower of Guns (PlayStation 4)
Ziggurat having recently released certainly doesn't help its situation...
Re: Review: Titan Souls (PlayStation 4)
@MatGrowcott But they're not the same challenge. They're not even the same genre. The skills and reflexes aren't really that similar. Stealth Inc is a puzzle platformer. This has puzzle elements, but is much more action-based. It just doesn't work as a comparison, nor does it work as a recommendation.
Re: Review: Titan Souls (PlayStation 4)
Yeah, this seems more like a game I'd enjoy. Certainly more than Stealth Inc. Not even sure why that comparison was made at the end there...
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 64
Pokemon Trading Card Game. Gotta card 'em all! — 7 Eleven Guy
Also gonna try to play some Dust: An Elysian Tail if I have time.
Re: Feature: Eight Things You Need to Know About Star Wars: Battlefront on PS4
You know, the article says there is Singleplayer, just so you guys know. It just doesn't have a dedicated singleplayer story campaign. You know, stuff that Battlefront wasn't big on in the first place...
Re: First Impressions: Taking One on the Chin in Mortal Kombat X on PS4
@eliotgballade An angel dies every time a grammar nazi unnecessarily points out a typo. Just some food for thought. Like, maybe you shouldn't be killing angels, dude.
Re: Star Wars: Battlefront Force Chokes Single Player Campaign
@themcnoisy Galactic Concuest wasn't a campaign mode - it could be played with other people, IIRC, and it was more fun in multiplayer, to boot. It really was just the standard maps with a different structure (a good structure, mind, but one that other games nowadays use as an actual online multiplayer mode).
And really this is the point: They said there's no CAMPIGN mode, yet they still confirmed that there's still solo play to some degree. There's Singleplayer. It's just that there's no Call of Duty-esque story missions, and there might not be any Battlefield-style 'glorified tutorial' bot matches disguised as a campaign mode.
Re: Star Wars: Battlefront's First PS4 Trailer Is Explosive
Well, it's nice to know the engine allows for some nice cinematics. Would've loved to see gameplay, though.
Also, why would they use an AT-AT in a thick forest? The thing can't even menuever. That's what the smaller walkers were for. I'm not even a big Star Wars geek and I know this. :/
Re: Ultra Street Fighter IV Gets a Release Date on PS4, Certainly Sounds Like an Ultimate Package
If the file size isn't too big I'll grab it. Funny that Capcom makes their biggest titles Digital-only just because they're re-releases. :/
Re: Star Wars: Battlefront Force Chokes Single Player Campaign
...Battlefront 1 never had a singleplayer campaign, and campaign missions in Battlefront II were botmatches capped with exposition summaries. I didn't play Renegade Squadron, but for the most part, this is more than what we usually get from this franchise. The fact that you guys expected more just shows that you have no idea what this series or even DICE studios is about...
Re: Sparking! Dragon Ball XenoVerse Has Sold Over 2 Million Copies
Oh crap, I forgot, I'm part of that 2 million. I still haven't played it yet. ^_^;
Re: Here's an Early Look at Star Wars: Battlefront on PS4
I like it when Star Wars is a little cheesey. It really adds to the fun. Hope the movie doesn't drop the ball, and I'm anticipated the reveal trailer in 3 hours.
Re: Store Update: 14th April 2015 (North America)
Re: First Impressions: Taking One on the Chin in Mortal Kombat X on PS4
@get2sammyb why so I can block disgusting images like a dude with half his face ripped off every single time I visit the main page. Otherwise I'd have to leave the site until that article dropped off the page.
Seriously, that was disgusting. Why?!
Re: Review: Gundam: Battle Assault 2 (PSone)
@ShogunRok Needless to say your efforts paid off.
Re: First Impressions: Taking One on the Chin in Mortal Kombat X on PS4
well, I'm glad I use adblock.
Re: Review: Jamestown+ (PlayStation 4)
The forced backtracking could be annoying, but it's as simple as trying different weapons and seeing if you can beat your high score.
What kills this game is that it forces you to play on higher difficulties in order to access half the game. That's just unfair.
Re: The JRPG Galaxy Awaits With Star Ocean 5 on PS4 and PS3
I was excited for this, especially after they put out Star Ocean: The Last Hope and it seemed like they learned their lesson from SO3.
Then I saw they're promising to take extensive inspiration from Star Ocean 3 and undo every single step forward they made with The Last Hope. Now there's no hope. Not for this game, and certainly not for Tri-Aces.
Re: Review: Gundam: Battle Assault 2 (PSone)
Tempted to see if I could pick this up somewhere, but I'm sure it's mad expensive. Still, nice to know this was as good as my child self hoped.
Also, needless to say that top bannar is making me squee every time I see it.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 63
Ended up playing an iOS retro platformer called Tiny Dangerous Dungeon. It's pretty fun, but I'm stuck trying to get the final key. It's a grueling guantlet you have to go all the way through and back with no save point in between...
Re: Store Preview: Mortal Kombat X, We Are Doomed, Titan Souls
Gradius V plz.
Re: Want a Post-Apocalyptic RPG on PS4? The Technomancer May Be the Answer
@Lopezdm I actually got them confused with Spiderweb software. So this just went from a "no" to a "HELL NO!"
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 63
Wii Sports Resort for the most part, until I'm ready to move onto something more substantial. I was planning on spending this whole weekend drawing, but I got sick. I'll still try to draw, though, just not as much as I thought I would...
@ShogunRok
I got into Suikoden late last year, and it was first time in a while that I really got sucked into a JRPG. It was fantastic, and I can't wait to play the rest of the series when I'm done (got stuck on a boss so I lost momentum. I already beat the boss, though, I just need to convince myself to pick it up again).
Re: Review: Gundam: Battle Assault (PSone)
@ShogunRok Ah, thank you. Figured that model was from one of Wing's bajillion side stories.
Re: Want a Post-Apocalyptic RPG on PS4? The Technomancer May Be the Answer
"Want a Post-Apocalyptic RPG on PS4? The Technomancer May Be the Answer"
(⊙‿⊙)
"It's being worked on by Spiders Studio"
(ಠ﹏ಠ)
Er...no thank you...
Re: Deus Ex: Mankind Divided's Debut PS4 Trailer Is Augmented with Action
@chiptoon Pretty sure he's talking about the dude with a big arm.
Re: Japanese Sales Charts: PS4 Begins to Slip as Blockbuster Releases Dry Up
Oh crap, Super Robot Taisen Z3 is out! Gotta save up...
Re: Review: Gundam: Battle Assault (PSone)
I wanted this as a kid, but I knew even then that it probably wasn't worth it.
Also what are these?! I don't recognize either of these machines, and they look really weird, too....
Re: Wait, Dragon Quest Heroes II Wasn't an April Fools' Day Joke?
But...but...the first Dragon Quest Heroes isn't even out internationally yet! You haven't even finished announcing the DLC!

...I waited...so long...
Re: It's Your Last Chance to Upgrade Final Fantasy XIV from PS3 to PS4
Wait, you mean I bought it twice for nothing? What? WHAT?!
Re: Poll: What Do You Think of the New PSN Logo?
...I think it's a generic logo. Nothing bad, but nothing notable, either. :/
Re: Well, Shanks Looks Overpowered in One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3
I should hope Final-Boss-Material like Shanks is overpowered as all hell. Now I want to catch up with One Pice, though I'm sure they haven't shown his moves in the Anime yet, have they?
Re: Planning to Buy a PS4? Amazon's Bundling Bloodborne in USA
^I'm so glad I'd be saving a buck and a couple pennies over what Amazon's offering. Thank you so much for that.
Re: Review: La-Mulana EX (PlayStation Vita)
I can hardly wait until this is on sale. $20 my sweet patooty. I'll wait until it's closer to $10...
Re: Review: Final Fantasy Type-0 HD (PlayStation 4)
@ShogunRok You could not have worded that any better. Now I can't wait until tomorrow!
Re: Review: Final Fantasy Type-0 HD (PlayStation 4)
@ShogunRok - How would you compare it to Crisis Core? That's the benchmark I'm using.
Otherwise, this sounds great to me. I don't personally hold the FF games to high standards in story-telling (But then again, I still find it hard to believe FF13 is considered pompous, yet BioShock Infinite is held as grand storytelling in gaming...). So long as there's more gameplay than story, and the gameplay is good fun, which your review seems to emphasize at every corner, I'll be fine.
Re: Review: Hand of Fate (PlayStation 4)
@Godsire- Surprisingly no.
Anybody know how the controls fair vs. the PC version? I'm not sure which one to go with...