Giving 8/10 to a game you eventually come to appreciate as a GOTY oh well, it happens. Honestly, I would have rated it 9/10, or 10/10. Especially after doing a full first run with a Platinum, it's most fun I had on my PS5 through 2023. There are some heavy hitters I haven't tried though (Alan Wake 2 and Baldur's Gate 3 among others)
I already tried APT on GP and found it to be a bit boring (I guess concept ran out of steam in part 1 for me). But Evil West I tried and had way more fun than expected. Nobody saves the World I played through Switch trial and wishlisted the full game immediately. So a good month for me π
@HonestTruth don't want to burst your bubble, but PS5 (and XSX) have been fantastic consoles. And PS4 Pro can't run almost any games in 4k, let alone 60fps. 4k is typically achieved through checkerboarding (it's a synonym for PS4Pro in my head), technique that produces 4k signal, but poor visual quality with artifacting far worse than even FSR2. One can consider that 4k, but then so is a HDMI upscaler...
Ah, I thought it was funny. Their reaction, with all "Sheldon-like" answers backed by data and analysis just tells you all you need to know... It's a joke, it's not a sales report.
This should be a blueprint for how to design trophies in a game. You basically achieve 80% by just playing and enjoying the game, no "trophy hunting" required. Then you do few hours to polish the rest, and voila, your first platinum you had fun getting.
This ain't good news.. I would love there to be 3 serious console contenders. Given MS acquisition tactics, preferably not them.. but better anything than nothing. However, Series generation has been total flop half way through life-cycle :/ Hopefully next Nintendo system is successful as Switch and that keeps Sony in check.
@Sakai I'm not sure what you are referring to, but I didn't know MS has ever publicly disclosed their profit numbers (they usually talk about gross, which is a different thing entirely)?
@kyleforrester87 you sir are a genious! Seriously, this is a Sony thing with slim versions, they are always cost-cutting and worse compared to OG in any way. They also used to be slightly cheaper.. but such is the world we live in now.
@BAMozzy PC gaming seems a far rarer thing these days than it used to be. I basically make my living from PCs and don't own one that would be "gaming capable". My current, perfectly capable and CPU intensive optimized machine, would cost about 1000$ to upgrade for gaming. For that, I would be able to get a console and subscriptions for next 5 years for all the games I would need. There ain't no PC first gamers out there anymore...
I feel like this discourse has become redundant. Xbox has lost because they have no games (technically they have 3, which is about 1 per year) and their hardware has no advantages over direct competition (PS5 is mostly the same, Switch portability is unmatched). They are finally starting to ship games (whichever state they might be in), but battle has been lost for current gen.
Sort of expected that after the demo. Screenshots had me hyped as I felt Astral chain style somewhere in there, but demo gameplay and long conversations were just dull. Shame
Some bangers in the list there. Quarry is genuinely a good game, but I've played it as soon as it joined. Medium is the one I really tried to finish when removal was first announced (over 2 weeks ago), but just couldn't stick with it. There was hype around release time, and I just don't see it.
Not gonna lie, I expected it to score 9. Still, not a bad score and subjectively I know I'll love it as it's fundamentally a Spidey game. Friday can't come soon enough.
Genuinely surprised feedback is not more positive. Almost all Extra games I either played and know are good, or have been on my list to check out. Tip: don't sleep on Eldest Souls, I've played it on Switch and it is quite fun.
@CutchuSlow actually, you are among 75% as the trophy this was tracked by is received as soon as you take off (before shooting). Would be cool to get how many people stuck with it after first 5 hours or so.
@JAMes-BroWWWn Starfield sort of fizzled fast... 20 days after release it moved to the background and is basically dropped out of all conversations. Additionally, I've read somewhere that after 15 days, 25% of players haven't even played until you fly off the first planet (around 45 mins assuming you don't overcomplicate character creation). So yeah, not great.
Incredible if it manages to hold steady 60 fps. I'll probably play at 40 as that has been very acceptable compromise for me so far this gen, but amazing achievement non the less.
Such a shame. They should have put Shadow Gambit on a service and maybe try that avenue of monetization.. I looked at the reviews 2 weeks ago and wishlisted it for purchase later on, once it's 20-30% discounted. Didn't even dream they would close
Not sure I see a use case for myself (too many screens already, paired with a switch), but at least price is understandable. I was afraid they would release it at $300, or similarly ridiculous overpricing.
I mean, as a player on all 4 platforms (low mid PC included), that chart looks like it should. MS is really not producing much to deserve better market placement.
@KaijuKaiser you are assuming PS6 (and that whole gen) will be backward compatible, which was historically never a given. I do believe this time around though, Sony would push that card way harder than MS (basically not sure what worth BC Redfall would bring ).
I feel like Sony's play here, and the current sale back this up, is to aggressively increase the install base so that they minimize the impact MS can make through their Activision Blizzard merger. If Sony gets people to jump on board till the end of the year, ain't nobody switching to a Series console THIS generation. What Sony's plan for PS6 and onward is, I'm not sure (might not be a factor at all, given changes in user habits that might occur in next 4-5 years).
@Wheatly well, in Insomniac defense, they said they needed PS5 super fast SSD as that was the only SSD in the platform they were targeting. It would be weird for them to say it needed a PCI Gen 3 NVMe drive to run, and then publish a game on PS5 using different hardware options...
As for optimizations, I feel like they could make the game run on a larger spectrum of configurations, but probably by changing/tweaking the mechanics. It becomes a question of how much you are willing to compromise the experience, which I am glad they did not. Requirements and performance on Ricks machine seem perfectly reasonable to me, and I would actually call it well-optimised for what it delivers. Games for few years now are almost completely unplayable on such hardware, and R&C was perfectly serviceable.
Fantastic game, would have purchased a sequel too. On a side note, I have never purchased an Assassin's Creed game, so there is that.. Feels like this is a price of mediocre reviews game unjustifiably got
Loved the demo. This was a game I had marked down as my next most wanted GP title, and sort of an excuse partially redeeming that service.. I guess that's done now. I really hope Starfield ends up being good..
I had some issues with netcode and finding a match. But when it worked, it was a great game. And quite a looker too. Looking forward to getting my copy day one (as I usually do with Tekken games).
Honestly, a terrible game that managed to achieve some success due to Justin Roiland fans and GP release. Can't see somebody paying actual money to own it. It's just not very fun (which every "game" should be)
@get2sammyb completely agreed, it makes perfect sense. Going forward, it probably sets the competition between full PS5 400/450 USD vs more expensive Series X console, while at the same time making cost reductions in the manufacturing process.
I'm just not used to these companies making 100% logical decisions, that's all
If a refreshed model indeed gets released, it will be the first genuine surprise to me in how current generation is untangling.. Sony would be the only console holder actually pushing new hardware mid-gen, even if it is not a performance upgrade.
There are 2 types of DLC, and one I hate while the other I'm fine with. I really despise when DLC is content artificially blocked from user on day one, pre-developed and scheduled for later release and additional profit. For example, Capcom shipping content on disk and unlocking it for extra fee in few weeks. DLC that I almost always support is post launch developed extra campaigns and similar larger chunks of content. Those refresh the experience for me and there is a feeling they actually invested additional time and effort in creating them.
@BeerIsAwesome to be honest, amount of money MS has burned through 4 generations to stay 3rd i gaming market has never been made public. But it is surely bigger than Ouya or Stadia investments. In that sense, they indeed lost the war. But it is exclusively their own fault (hindsight is always 20/20, but you can precisely point to moment when they messed up each of the generations, sometimes even during announcement).
I was actually pleasantly surprised. Expectations were low, but still, there were few cool unexpected games, some Sony heavy hitters.. full disclosure, I expected an Xbox preview show, and got Sony encore.
I don't really understand this device or it's feasibility in everyday use. Personally I believe it's gonna go route of Apple Watch, aka. first couple of generations will be rubbish sold to filthy rich financing development of actually usable devices down the road. And I'm OK with that. It's a teaser of a direction electronics I might want to have could take in 3-4 years π
Not sure how some people see this development as either desperation or weakness. It is Sony literally smelling blood (XSX has failed in console market, as generation is almost at half of it's lifetime and it sold 1/3 of PS5) and deciding to expand on all additional fronts where MS is still competitive. Personally I don't care much about mobile or cloud at this point in time, but kudos to them. Companies are supposed to grow and diverse investments.
Just in time to join Redfall in the conversation for biggest disappointment in recent memory. I've only played demo, but it was really bland and bad. Also, zero connection to characters..
Interestingly, article/source doesn't mention revenue or profit from subscriptions, which I would think is also a factor in number of games sold. Adding that to the number (as we know revenue in that field grew too), it seems to be a really good year for Sony. Good for them
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Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 510
Bramble, after that I'm not sure. Some GT7, maybe a bit of Cyberpunk 2077.. life is good.
Re: Game of the Year: #1 - Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Giving 8/10 to a game you eventually come to appreciate as a GOTY oh well, it happens. Honestly, I would have rated it 9/10, or 10/10. Especially after doing a full first run with a Platinum, it's most fun I had on my PS5 through 2023.
There are some heavy hitters I haven't tried though (Alan Wake 2 and Baldur's Gate 3 among others)
Re: PS Plus Essential Games for January 2024 Announced
I already tried APT on GP and found it to be a bit boring (I guess concept ran out of steam in part 1 for me). But Evil West I tried and had way more fun than expected. Nobody saves the World I played through Switch trial and wishlisted the full game immediately. So a good month for me π
Re: Rumour: PS5 Pro Targeting September 2024, Will Have Proprietary Upscaling Tech
@HonestTruth don't want to burst your bubble, but PS5 (and XSX) have been fantastic consoles.
And PS4 Pro can't run almost any games in 4k, let alone 60fps. 4k is typically achieved through checkerboarding (it's a synonym for PS4Pro in my head), technique that produces 4k signal, but poor visual quality with artifacting far worse than even FSR2. One can consider that 4k, but then so is a HDMI upscaler...
Re: Kratos Voice Actor Underfire for Roasting New Call of Duty Campaign
Ah, I thought it was funny.
Their reaction, with all "Sheldon-like" answers backed by data and analysis just tells you all you need to know... It's a joke, it's not a sales report.
Re: An Amazing Number of Players Have Marvel's Spider-Man 2's Platinum Trophy
This should be a blueprint for how to design trophies in a game. You basically achieve 80% by just playing and enjoying the game, no "trophy hunting" required. Then you do few hours to polish the rest, and voila, your first platinum you had fun getting.
Re: It's Utter Domination for PS5 in Europe as Xbox Continues to Lose Significant Ground
This ain't good news.. I would love there to be 3 serious console contenders. Given MS acquisition tactics, preferably not them.. but better anything than nothing.
However, Series generation has been total flop half way through life-cycle :/
Hopefully next Nintendo system is successful as Switch and that keeps Sony in check.
@Sakai I'm not sure what you are referring to, but I didn't know MS has ever publicly disclosed their profit numbers (they usually talk about gross, which is a different thing entirely)?
Re: 14 PS Plus Extra, Premium Games Coming Next Week
@Cherip-the-Ripper yeah, I know.. I wasn't really serious, November might be to remember but due to all the wrong reasons. Time to hit that backlog
Re: 14 PS Plus Extra, Premium Games Coming Next Week
@Grimwood here I go... This might actually be the worst month since service started. time to see what's happening on GP
Re: The First Photos of the PS5 Slim Are Circulating Online
@kyleforrester87 you sir are a genious!
Seriously, this is a Sony thing with slim versions, they are always cost-cutting and worse compared to OG in any way. They also used to be slightly cheaper.. but such is the world we live in now.
Re: It Sounds Like PS5 Is Handily Outselling Its New-Gen Rival in France
@BAMozzy PC gaming seems a far rarer thing these days than it used to be.
I basically make my living from PCs and don't own one that would be "gaming capable". My current, perfectly capable and CPU intensive optimized machine, would cost about 1000$ to upgrade for gaming. For that, I would be able to get a console and subscriptions for next 5 years for all the games I would need.
There ain't no PC first gamers out there anymore...
Re: It Sounds Like PS5 Is Handily Outselling Its New-Gen Rival in France
I feel like this discourse has become redundant. Xbox has lost because they have no games (technically they have 3, which is about 1 per year) and their hardware has no advantages over direct competition (PS5 is mostly the same, Switch portability is unmatched).
They are finally starting to ship games (whichever state they might be in), but battle has been lost for current gen.
Re: Mini Review: CRYMACHINA (PS5) - Interesting Worldbuilding Canβt Save This Dull Action RPG
Sort of expected that after the demo. Screenshots had me hyped as I felt Astral chain style somewhere in there, but demo gameplay and long conversations were just dull. Shame
Re: It's Probably Too Late for You to Play These 16 PS Plus Games
Some bangers in the list there. Quarry is genuinely a good game, but I've played it as soon as it joined. Medium is the one I really tried to finish when removal was first announced (over 2 weeks ago), but just couldn't stick with it. There was hype around release time, and I just don't see it.
Re: Sky-High Marvel's Spider-Man 2 PS5 Review Scores Make It One of the Top Rated Games of 2023
That seems more inline with what I would expect from Insomniac. They really are a talented bunch.
Re: Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (PS5) - A Familiar But Fantastic Superhero Sequel
Not gonna lie, I expected it to score 9. Still, not a bad score and subjectively I know I'll love it as it's fundamentally a Spidey game.
Friday can't come soon enough.
Re: Poll: Are You Happy with Your PS Plus Extra, Premium Games for October 2023?
Genuinely surprised feedback is not more positive. Almost all Extra games I either played and know are good, or have been on my list to check out.
Tip: don't sleep on Eldest Souls, I've played it on Switch and it is quite fun.
Re: UK Sales Charts: Surprise Hit Lies of P Makes an Impressive Third Place Debut
@CutchuSlow actually, you are among 75% as the trophy this was tracked by is received as soon as you take off (before shooting).
Would be cool to get how many people stuck with it after first 5 hours or so.
Re: UK Sales Charts: Surprise Hit Lies of P Makes an Impressive Third Place Debut
@JAMes-BroWWWn Starfield sort of fizzled fast... 20 days after release it moved to the background and is basically dropped out of all conversations. Additionally, I've read somewhere that after 15 days, 25% of players haven't even played until you fly off the first planet (around 45 mins assuming you don't overcomplicate character creation). So yeah, not great.
Re: Xbox Almost Flashed Its Cash At Warner Bros, Sees Nintendo As the Holy Grail
MS just wants to ruin gaming for everyone I guess..
Where was this few months back when Activision Blizzard merger should have been stopped?
Re: Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Has Ray Tracing at 60fps on PS5
Incredible if it manages to hold steady 60 fps. I'll probably play at 40 as that has been very acceptable compromise for me so far this gen, but amazing achievement non the less.
Re: Three More PS Plus Essential Games Are Available to Download Now
Didn't Saints Row get patched into decency though? Storyline and general story vibe seem to be permanent issue though..
Re: Shadow Gambit Team Mimimi Forced to Close Over Rising Genre Costs
Such a shame. They should have put Shadow Gambit on a service and maybe try that avenue of monetization..
I looked at the reviews 2 weeks ago and wishlisted it for purchase later on, once it's 20-30% discounted. Didn't even dream they would close
Re: Rumour: PS Plus Essential Game for September 2023 Leaked Early
I loved previous entries. That said, I avoided the latest one, as reviews were quite poor. Definitely giving it a go through PS Plus.
Re: PlayStation Portal Is Sony's PS5 Remote Play Handheld, Priced at $200 / Β£200
Not sure I see a use case for myself (too many screens already, paired with a switch), but at least price is understandable. I was afraid they would release it at $300, or similarly ridiculous overpricing.
Re: PS5's Meteoric Rise Underlined by Staggering German Sales Graph
I mean, as a player on all 4 platforms (low mid PC included), that chart looks like it should. MS is really not producing much to deserve better market placement.
Re: Sony's PS5 Shipments Now Total 41.7 Million
@KaijuKaiser you are assuming PS6 (and that whole gen) will be backward compatible, which was historically never a given. I do believe this time around though, Sony would push that card way harder than MS (basically not sure what worth BC Redfall would bring ).
Re: Sony's PS5 Shipments Now Total 41.7 Million
I feel like Sony's play here, and the current sale back this up, is to aggressively increase the install base so that they minimize the impact MS can make through their Activision Blizzard merger.
If Sony gets people to jump on board till the end of the year, ain't nobody switching to a Series console THIS generation. What Sony's plan for PS6 and onward is, I'm not sure (might not be a factor at all, given changes in user habits that might occur in next 4-5 years).
Re: Told You So! Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Really Wouldn't Have Worked on PS4
@Wheatly well, in Insomniac defense, they said they needed PS5 super fast SSD as that was the only SSD in the platform they were targeting. It would be weird for them to say it needed a PCI Gen 3 NVMe drive to run, and then publish a game on PS5 using different hardware options...
As for optimizations, I feel like they could make the game run on a larger spectrum of configurations, but probably by changing/tweaking the mechanics. It becomes a question of how much you are willing to compromise the experience, which I am glad they did not. Requirements and performance on Ricks machine seem perfectly reasonable to me, and I would actually call it well-optimised for what it delivers. Games for few years now are almost completely unplayable on such hardware, and R&C was perfectly serviceable.
Re: Rumour: Immortals Fenyx Rising Sequel Canned by Ubisoft
Fantastic game, would have purchased a sequel too. On a side note, I have never purchased an Assassin's Creed game, so there is that..
Feels like this is a price of mediocre reviews game unjustifiably got
Re: PS Plus Extra, Premium Members Get This Anticipated PS5, PS4 RPG on Day One Next Month
Loved the demo. This was a game I had marked down as my next most wanted GP title, and sort of an excuse partially redeeming that service.. I guess that's done now. I really hope Starfield ends up being good..
Re: Preview: Tekken 8's Hyper Aggressive Gameplay Has Glorious Potential
I had some issues with netcode and finding a match. But when it worked, it was a great game. And quite a looker too. Looking forward to getting my copy day one (as I usually do with Tekken games).
Re: All of a Sudden, High on Life Is Out Now on PS5, PS4
Honestly, a terrible game that managed to achieve some success due to Justin Roiland fans and GP release. Can't see somebody paying actual money to own it.
It's just not very fun (which every "game" should be)
Re: Square Enix Happy with Final Fantasy 16 Sales, Considers Them 'Extremely Strong'
Cold day in hell! Square being happy with sales of any game was borderline impossible in my book. Glad to hear it, well deserved.
Re: PS5 Is β¬100 Off in Some European Countries, Suggesting Hardware Revision Is Coming
@get2sammyb completely agreed, it makes perfect sense. Going forward, it probably sets the competition between full PS5 400/450 USD vs more expensive Series X console, while at the same time making cost reductions in the manufacturing process.
I'm just not used to these companies making 100% logical decisions, that's all
Re: PS5 Is β¬100 Off in Some European Countries, Suggesting Hardware Revision Is Coming
If a refreshed model indeed gets released, it will be the first genuine surprise to me in how current generation is untangling.. Sony would be the only console holder actually pushing new hardware mid-gen, even if it is not a performance upgrade.
Re: Almost 500 PS5, PS4 DLC Packs Discounted on PS Store
There are 2 types of DLC, and one I hate while the other I'm fine with.
I really despise when DLC is content artificially blocked from user on day one, pre-developed and scheduled for later release and additional profit. For example, Capcom shipping content on disk and unlocking it for extra fee in few weeks.
DLC that I almost always support is post launch developed extra campaigns and similar larger chunks of content. Those refresh the experience for me and there is a feeling they actually invested additional time and effort in creating them.
Re: PS5 Exclusive Final Fantasy 16 Hits a Slightly Skewed 3 Million Sales at Launch
Going off of the demo, the game should become a hit and it seems to be on track to do so.. I'm sure Square Enix will still moan and weep though
Re: Poll: Are You Playing Final Fantasy 16?
Playing Final Fantasy 7 Remake as I'm too cheap.. I'll get 16 on sale hopefully.
Re: "We've Lost the Console Wars," Says Trillion Dollar Underdog Xbox
@BeerIsAwesome to be honest, amount of money MS has burned through 4 generations to stay 3rd i gaming market has never been made public. But it is surely bigger than Ouya or Stadia investments.
In that sense, they indeed lost the war. But it is exclusively their own fault (hindsight is always 20/20, but you can precisely point to moment when they messed up each of the generations, sometimes even during announcement).
Re: Poll: Was Summer Game Fest 2023 a Sizzler or a Wash Out?
I was actually pleasantly surprised. Expectations were low, but still, there were few cool unexpected games, some Sony heavy hitters.. full disclosure, I expected an Xbox preview show, and got Sony encore.
Re: Random: Thought PSVR2 Was Expensive? Apple's Vision Pro Is Here to Hold Your Beer
I don't really understand this device or it's feasibility in everyday use. Personally I believe it's gonna go route of Apple Watch, aka. first couple of generations will be rubbish sold to filthy rich financing development of actually usable devices down the road.
And I'm OK with that. It's a teaser of a direction electronics I might want to have could take in 3-4 years π
Re: Multiple PS Studios Working on Mobile, As Sony Targets Smartphone Boom
Not sure how some people see this development as either desperation or weakness. It is Sony literally smelling blood (XSX has failed in console market, as generation is almost at half of it's lifetime and it sold 1/3 of PS5) and deciding to expand on all additional fronts where MS is still competitive.
Personally I don't care much about mobile or cloud at this point in time, but kudos to them. Companies are supposed to grow and diverse investments.
Re: Next Week's PS Plus Extra Lineup Has Been Changed Again
Well, not cool. That was one of the games I was looking forward to π
Re: Xbox Boss Admits Microsoft Can't 'Outconsole' PS5
I should ask Phill personally for a refund on my Xbox, as he promised great games in original pitch..
Re: Forspoken Wants to Remind You It's Getting a Big Prequel DLC This Month
Just in time to join Redfall in the conversation for biggest disappointment in recent memory.
I've only played demo, but it was really bland and bad. Also, zero connection to characters..
Re: $70 Games Could Be Hurting PS5, PS4 Sales, But There's More to the Story
Interestingly, article/source doesn't mention revenue or profit from subscriptions, which I would think is also a factor in number of games sold.
Adding that to the number (as we know revenue in that field grew too), it seems to be a really good year for Sony. Good for them
Re: Sony's PS Plus Subscriber Count Is on the Rise Once Again
Not surprised at all, PS Plus Extra is just a great deal currently.
Re: Microsoft Goes Scorched Earth Over UK's Activision Buyout Block
B*tts have been hurt.. bring down the masks! π
Re: Horizon Forbidden West's Burning Shores DLC Is Getting Review Bombed on PS5
Was to be expected. Same people rating 0/10 that rated TLOU2 abysmal.. let me tell you, neither is abysmal π