The Prey demo didn't grab me. Mind you, the first hour of a game isn't necessarily going to be fully representative of the game as a whole, but given the general lack of hype, showing off such a slow-starting slice of gameplay and expecting it to sway people on the fence (like myself) probably won't work out all that well.
I'll still probably get this at some point, but I ain't dropping $60 on it.
In this industry, Nintendo has always been the best at fostering a sense of community with its customers. Of course, they then go ahead and squander it with boneheaded business decisions.
Regular updates from Sony on the state of the PS4 and what's coming up for it would be nice, but ultimately what's important is that they keep the great games coming.
How is Persona 4 on this list but not Persona 3? I mean don't get me wrong, I'd like to see both, but unlike P3 the best version of P4 isn't even the one on PS2. If they could port Golden to PS4 I'd be down for that. Hell, given P5's success it might even be something they're already considering.
I'm loving the game. My only real complaint is with how often it feels like the plot hijacks the game, locking you out of the option to do any of the side-activities. I remember that happened a lot in P4 as well, but it seems like it's happening more often in P5. Maybe it's just me.
I want this, but not for $60. Full price for a remaster of a four year old Lego game is ridiculous, but not all that surprising from WB. They may be the youngest of the major publishers, but they certainly wasted no time establishing themselves as the biggest money-grubbers of the bunch. No doubt this will drop in price quickly though. I'm sure I'll be picking it up for $20 or less by the end of the year.
They have good intentions here, I guess, but it just seems really heavy handed. It's not that hard to avoid spoilers if you really want to and this will do nothing to stop spoilers getting out there. This just seems like they're bringing a lot of bad publicity and negative attention on themselves for not much benefit.
@banacheck Nonsense. No one's free speech has been taken away. You have a right to speak your mind, you don't have any right to a particular forum unless it's one you control. You don't have a right to avoid criticism, response from others, or any consequences that may stem from what you have to say. Too many people seem to think that freedom of speech means, "I can say what I want and you can shut up and listen." Sorry, the real world doesn't work that way.
If some or all of these games just aren't for you well, that's fair enough. It's kind of pet peeve of mine, though, when indie games get dismissed as "pretentious". Admittedly the criticism is sometimes valid, but really, it's okay if games are sometimes about more than just shooting zombies in the face.
It's kind of weird that anyone's that invested in the idea of it being an exclusive in the first place, but that's gaming for you I guess. Crash was once closely associated with the Playstation brand, being the closest thing they've ever had to an official mascot, at least here in the US, but the franchise belongs to Activision now and there's no way they'd ever miss a buck by only releasing it on one platform.
Personally, I only ever played the first Crash game and can't even remember if I ever finished it or not. While I don't remember much, I do get the impression that when you clear the haze of nostalgia this collection probably isn't going to be anything to get too excited about, though I'm always down for a good platformer and am willing to be convinced.
@JaxonH You clearly disagree, but I thought the first Knack was a really solid game. It left a lot of room for improvement sure, but the potential was there and hopefully this sequel can deliver on some of it. It's hardly deserving of the scorn it seems to receive mainly from people who never played it.
@BowTiesAreCool Considering she's the only character in the game who speaks that way I'd say it's a deliberate choice to give the character a distinctive quirk. It's just a half step too cutesy, which you can say for a lot of the dialogue in this game, but's not a dealbreaker and you can always fast forward through dialogue if it starts getting on your nerves.
@stevejcrow If Sony were to offer VR titles on PS Plus, which is unlikely at this point anyway, I'm sure they'd treat it as separate hardware and not be foolish enough to offer such a game instead of one of their PS4 offerings considering the limited number or people who will own such hardware at this point or, indeed, at any point.
I think they probably will offer VR titles eventually assuming the hardware sells well enough, but probably not until mid-2017 at least.
Root Letter, heh. I don't think Sony is going to start giving away brand new $60 retail release games for PS+ any time soon.
Anyway, while I've never had a problem with what Sony's been releasing, the last two couple months have been a noticeable uptick in quality and I see no reason they wouldn't continue on that track. It might well finally be the time they offer up a full first party retail release. Knack, The Order and Killzone Shadow Fall all being strong possibilities. An older 3rd party game could be a possibility too. With Watch Dogs 2 out a couple weeks later it seems like offering up the first game would be a nice tie in with that. I already own all of those games myself, but I imagine any one of those would make some people happy.
I'm far from convinced, though I'm willing to be. Right now it just looks like an overpriced gimmick to me and I don't have that kind of money to be throwing around on gimmicks.
Nothing wrong with a good bit of karaoke, but what a dumb name this franchise has. Now that's what I call Singing or Now that's what I call Karaoke would make sense. This just sounds like they're trying to be hip for the kids and failing miserably.
@SPGFan34 Mafia III GOTY? Possibly, but it hasn't really been the best year for gaming and we still have Watch Dogs 2, Dishonored 2, FF XV and The Last Guardian to look forward to. Next year there should be some serious competition for the title though.
After it had been sitting u played and unloved on my hard drive for two years I'm finally getting around to playing Dragon Age Inquisition and enjoying the hell out of it. Tho weekend though I'm putting it aside for some Mafia 3 action. Just as well since I'm working all weekend and don't have as much time to spend gaming as I'd like.
I'm gonna do exactly that, trust my gut and cancel my preorder. I don't care about the actual reviews, but the not making review copies available prior to launch gives me pause.
@roe I disagree. The PS4 Pro is aimed at the hardcore crowd while more casual gamers need to be reassured that the Pro isn't entirely replacing the original PS4 or rendering it irrelevant, to avoid confusion. Of course, they could just not release the Pro at all and wait a few more years to incorporate higher specs and 4K support into the PS5, but that ship has sailed I'm afraid.
@BrandonMarlow Yeah, I picked the game up based on the soundtrack alone. More games should have heavy metal soundtracks. For all its failings, and they are many, Brutal Legend has the best game soundtrack ever as far as I'm concerned.
@BrandonMarlow I guess he does kind of have a good, if obvious, point when he says that this review is just one man's opinion. Pity he felt the need to bury it under a pile of insults about how gamers are sheep who can't think for themselves because they sometimes look to reviews for guidance in making game purchases. Or maybe there are more games out there than most people have money to spend on them and not everyone can afford to just take a chance on a game they know nothing about?
Hellbringer is clearly a fan of this game. Nothing wrong with that in theory, but I do wish people like him would try to find more time in their day to play the games they love and less trying to defend them from reviewers on the internet.
This review is, as you say, just an opinion, but unlike you, I have confidence in my fellow gamers not to simply ignore a game because a website gave it a bad score. Having hung around this site for a while I get the impression that people here actually read the reviews, unlike some sites where everyone loses their shit because the flavor of the moment only got an 8/10 or whatever. That's what reviews are there for after all, to be read and to provide information on a game. If someone reads a review and think a game doesn't sound worth their time, why should they ignore that instinct? Plenty of games out there to choose from. At the same time, anyone with any gaming experience knows that just because a game gets bad reviews doesn't mean it's not for you. Plenty of people out there like very challenging games, but many others don't and this review obviously reflects that. I can only imagine anyone looking for such a challenge would take that into account when reading this review.
I would say it was just barely worth it at the original $30, which I was lucky enough to get in on in time. For $50? No. We only got two proper story expansions and they jacked up the price on them to justify the season pass. I mean, Far Harbor was $25 on its own? Holy crap! I mean, I liked it well enough, but damn.
I know that at least one other game has increased the price of its season pass after launch. I bet this becomes a regular thing. It's a great way for developer who are willing to mess over their customers to discourage the "wait and see" attitude that is the natural response to a season pass whose content is a total mystery.
I like weird games and bought this because I thought it looked interesting. sigh There's $13 I'll never see again.Thankfully several other games I bought this month turned out to be pretty great, otherwise between this and No Man's Sky I'd have to write this off as a pretty awful August.
@BAMozzy Funny, the PS4 has plenty of better looking games than Fallout 4 that manage to run at a consistent framerate. Improved hardware may help, but the problem here is Bethesda's refusal to go with a new game engine instead of slapping a new coat of paint on the same janky one they've been using for 15 years.
The reactions to this game and the reactions to the reactions aren't all that surprising, though some people definitely need to calm down and get a life. I'm enjoying the game but I can see how many people would disagree and in some cases disagree strongly and there's nothing wrong with that.
A big part of the problem with the game industry today is that, at least as far as big AAA publisher game releases go, we've gone from a world where developers were free to create all kinds of niche games that appeal to all kinds of different gamers to a world where every major $60 release is expected to try and please everybody and if it doesn't then that's some kind of major betrayal. Personally I'm happy that No Man's Sky is the game it is, though I am looking forward to future content updates to add more to do in the game and hope that the interface and basic gameplay get some streamlining to to improve combat, space combat especially and to automate some of the more tedious tasks like constantly having to micromanage to keep your various systems fueled and ready.
Now then, for good or ill there are certain expectations that come with a game being a $60 retail release and while I think the game is worth every penny, I still wonder if it wouldn't have been better served as a $20 or $30 downloadable release. I feel like that might have mitigated some of the outrageous hype and sky high expectations somewhat and we might not have seen the over the top reaction we have, especially stuff like the death threats over the game being delayed a few weeks or the DDoS attack on Jim Sterling's website.
There are always the "hardcore heroes" out there who say that such things "ruin" games, but I'm all for video games being accessible to everyone. Some people just want to play to experience the story and other aspects of the game and why shouldn't they be able to? As long as there's a hard difficulty setting for the folks that want it, the idea of getting upset that people who aren't as good at the game can play too is just weird and petty.
I really enjoyed the first two Dead Rising games, might consider playing them again on PS4. Dead Rising 4 looks like fun, though having to wait a year to see it on my console of choice is lame. Part three stunk though, so no great loss if it never comes to PS4.
@get2sammyb That's a pity as the art style is easily the best thing about the game. I get the Newgrounds comparison, Salad Fingers and all that, but it's actually intended as an homage to the works of Edward Gorey, an influential illustrator and author known for the rather macabre nature of much of his work.
Of Sony's big three family-friendly platforming franchises (Ratchet & Clank, Jak & Daxter and Sly Cooper) the only one I ever managed to really get into was R & C. I liked the first Jak game well enough, but the ones after that didn't do anything for me, which was surprising as I generally tend to love open world games. Sly Cooper I could just never get into at all. I'm glad that the new R & C game is doing so well and hope it leads to more and perhaps convinces Sony to try its hand at some other platforming games. I also hope the rumors of a second Knack game are true. Really enjoyed that even though I know it wasn't great. I hope that the sequel, if there is one, can live up to that game's potential.
As I've said before, I'd need a new tv to take advantage of the PS4K and that's not happening any time soon. As long as I don't need the thing to play any future PS4 games, I don't care about it.
I got a pretty good discount on the game, so I don't regret buying it at launch, but after playing through all the story mode prologues for all the characters and beating Survival on easy with all characters and on normal with a couple it's been sitting on my shelf, waiting for updates. If the fight money prices for characters is accurate then I have managed to accumulate enough for the first two DLC characters and nearly have enough for the third without having to go to a ton of effort, so that's cool and pretty surprising as I figured Capcom would make the in-game currency prices exorbitantly high to flog their season pass. I guess then that the pass is for people who can't even go to the minimal effort needed to unlock a few characters, there no doubt are some out there like that.
At least we know that the content is coming. I bought the game with no regrets as I got it for a decent discount, but I'll probably be sitting on it a while before I get around to playing it much.
I picked this up with no regrets as I was able to get it at a decent discount. I'll probably be sitting on it for a while before I actually play it any though, given the current state of the title.
I see. To me, trophies are not content. Content is content, trophies are digital trinkets linked to in-game tasks, some of which may constitute actual content and some of which are pointless busy work. I see there'll be no agreement between us on this issue. Fair enough. We all enjoy games in our own way.
@thedevilsjester Fair enough. That was a personal assumption. I apologize.
At any rate, you are correct that trophy tasks are done within the game, but it is up to the developer whether or not trophies are linked to significant in-game tasks or of earning some results in tangible in-game rewards. Many games have trophies like jump 500 times or beat a certain level without dying. Entirely optional stuff separate from either the narrative of the game or the specific mechanics of beating it. Furthermore, involvement in the whole trophy thing is involuntary and linking trophies to tasks players will already be doing in the game is pretty much the simplest and least intrusive way of implementing them.
At any rate, it's not the in-game completion of tasks that make trophies a meta-game, but the linking together of lists of tasks from every game into a scored list linked to your profile.
And, again, I'm not sure why you even object to the meta-game label beyond an apparent personal prejudice linked to the level of importance you personally grant to the whole trophy thing. Trophies are a meta-game, but that doesn't diminish their importance. They aren't that important to begin with.
@Matroska You're making a lot of assumptions about a game that isn't even out yet. Beyond Sony's base requirements being fulfilled, it's up to the developer how many trophies and for what make it into the game. Maybe the developer just doesn't like trophies. There are plenty of games out there with fewer trophies than they could potentially have, and a few with more than they probably should.
@thedevilsjester You assume anyone but you cares what trophies you have earned. For the most part, they don't.
And yes, trophies are a metagame. It's because they are a list of tasks outside the game and are not just confined to a single game that makes them so. Not sure why you'd object to such a label. There's nothing wrong with them being a metagame.
@Neolit Nobody is being forced to do anything. For all that I support the idea that allocation of platinum trophies should be more consistent, they're still just meaningless digital trinkets of no real value.
@Plateface It really wasn't that hard. I mean, at first I thought I was gonna have to give up on going for it, but when I switched to using the directional pad over the analog stick it suddenly became much easier.
I'm no trophy chaser, though I do like them and will go for them when it's fun to do so, but the inconsistency really is baffling. I don't know what criteria Sony uses to determine who gets a plat and who doesn't, but I don't the size/scope argument. I mean, Goat Simulator has a platinum for goodness sake! The last few Telltale games have platinums and literally the only requirement to earn them is to play the whole game to completion. King's Quest meanwhile lacks one (unless one gets added later) despite a comparable number of eventual episodes and having actual puzzles and meaningful choices.
Giving every game a platinum trophy might "diminish the importance" of Sony's top gong, but the current opaque and wildly inconsistent system for allocating them is beyond annoying.
The Elite Controller is neat, but I would never pay $150 for a controller. I'm not sure I'd ever even use most of its advanced features. It's a moot point of course as I don't own an Xbone at this time.
I wouldn't buy an equivalent controller on PS4, but a better quality version of the standard controller would be nice. Maybe I'm just easier on controllers than many gamers, but in all my years of gaming and I game heavily I've only had to replace a controller once for 360, when after about four years of use the left analog stick became too loose and wouldn't stay centered. After two years of using the Dualshock 4 the plastic coating on both analog sticks has come off and the right bumper sticks. I'd consider replacing it, but not if what I'm replacing it with isn't really any better. The problems aren't bad enough yet to have me seriously considering a replacement just yet.
I love open world games. I have yet to experience open world fatigue except in specific titles, like Assassin's Creed Unity. That said, diversity is good and there's much to be said for a guided experience with a tight narrative, fast pace and big set pieces.
Comments 267
Re: Neat Bethesda Promotional Art Teases E3 2017 Reveals
I'd be down for an Evil Within sequel. I enjoyed the first one quite a bit.
Re: Feature: The Promising PS4 Games of May 2017
The Prey demo didn't grab me. Mind you, the first hour of a game isn't necessarily going to be fully representative of the game as a whole, but given the general lack of hype, showing off such a slow-starting slice of gameplay and expecting it to sway people on the fence (like myself) probably won't work out all that well.
I'll still probably get this at some point, but I ain't dropping $60 on it.
Re: Soapbox: Sony Should Pinch the Nintendo Direct Format
In this industry, Nintendo has always been the best at fostering a sense of community with its customers. Of course, they then go ahead and squander it with boneheaded business decisions.
Regular updates from Sony on the state of the PS4 and what's coming up for it would be nice, but ultimately what's important is that they keep the great games coming.
Re: Feature: 41 PS2 Classics That Must Come to PS4
How is Persona 4 on this list but not Persona 3? I mean don't get me wrong, I'd like to see both, but unlike P3 the best version of P4 isn't even the one on PS2. If they could port Golden to PS4 I'd be down for that. Hell, given P5's success it might even be something they're already considering.
Re: Poll: Has Persona 5 Been Worth the Hype?
I'm loving the game. My only real complaint is with how often it feels like the plot hijacks the game, locking you out of the option to do any of the side-activities. I remember that happened a lot in P4 as well, but it seems like it's happening more often in P5. Maybe it's just me.
Re: Review: LEGO City Undercover (PS4)
I want this, but not for $60. Full price for a remaster of a four year old Lego game is ridiculous, but not all that surprising from WB. They may be the youngest of the major publishers, but they certainly wasted no time establishing themselves as the biggest money-grubbers of the bunch. No doubt this will drop in price quickly though. I'm sure I'll be picking it up for $20 or less by the end of the year.
Re: Why Is Persona 5 Streaming and Sharing Banned?
They have good intentions here, I guess, but it just seems really heavy handed. It's not that hard to avoid spoilers if you really want to and this will do nothing to stop spoilers getting out there. This just seems like they're bringing a lot of bad publicity and negative attention on themselves for not much benefit.
Re: Weirdness: What If God of War's Kratos Was a Ballerina?
Ho, ho! Another April 1st kneeslapper!
... Is it April 2nd yet?
Re: JonTron's Yooka-Laylee Cameo to Be Patched Out by Playtonic
@banacheck Nonsense. No one's free speech has been taken away. You have a right to speak your mind, you don't have any right to a particular forum unless it's one you control. You don't have a right to avoid criticism, response from others, or any consequences that may stem from what you have to say. Too many people seem to think that freedom of speech means, "I can say what I want and you can shut up and listen." Sorry, the real world doesn't work that way.
Re: Sony's Spring Play Collective Initiative Is Its Best Ever
@THRILLHOU
If some or all of these games just aren't for you well, that's fair enough. It's kind of pet peeve of mine, though, when indie games get dismissed as "pretentious". Admittedly the criticism is sometimes valid, but really, it's okay if games are sometimes about more than just shooting zombies in the face.
Re: Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy Probably Isn't a PS4 Exclusive
It's kind of weird that anyone's that invested in the idea of it being an exclusive in the first place, but that's gaming for you I guess. Crash was once closely associated with the Playstation brand, being the closest thing they've ever had to an official mascot, at least here in the US, but the franchise belongs to Activision now and there's no way they'd ever miss a buck by only releasing it on one platform.
Personally, I only ever played the first Crash game and can't even remember if I ever finished it or not. While I don't remember much, I do get the impression that when you clear the haze of nostalgia this collection probably isn't going to be anything to get too excited about, though I'm always down for a good platformer and am willing to be convinced.
Re: Review: 2064: Read Only Memories (PS4)
@Loki7T1 I caught that too. Hopefully it's just a strange error and not an unintentional spoiler.
Re: PSX 2016: Knack 2 Announced on PS4 to Everyone's Complete Surprise
@JaxonH You clearly disagree, but I thought the first Knack was a really solid game. It left a lot of room for improvement sure, but the potential was there and hopefully this sequel can deliver on some of it. It's hardly deserving of the scorn it seems to receive mainly from people who never played it.
Re: Review: World of Final Fantasy (PS4)
@BowTiesAreCool Considering she's the only character in the game who speaks that way I'd say it's a deliberate choice to give the character a distinctive quirk. It's just a half step too cutesy, which you can say for a lot of the dialogue in this game, but's not a dealbreaker and you can always fast forward through dialogue if it starts getting on your nerves.
Re: Talking Point: What November 2016 PlayStation Plus Games Do You Want?
@stevejcrow If Sony were to offer VR titles on PS Plus, which is unlikely at this point anyway, I'm sure they'd treat it as separate hardware and not be foolish enough to offer such a game instead of one of their PS4 offerings considering the limited number or people who will own such hardware at this point or, indeed, at any point.
I think they probably will offer VR titles eventually assuming the hardware sells well enough, but probably not until mid-2017 at least.
Re: Talking Point: What November 2016 PlayStation Plus Games Do You Want?
Also, if they do offer up something VR, here's hoping it's in addition to the other PS4 games on offer rather than instead of one of them.
Re: Talking Point: What November 2016 PlayStation Plus Games Do You Want?
Root Letter, heh. I don't think Sony is going to start giving away brand new $60 retail release games for PS+ any time soon.
Anyway, while I've never had a problem with what Sony's been releasing, the last two couple months have been a noticeable uptick in quality and I see no reason they wouldn't continue on that track. It might well finally be the time they offer up a full first party retail release. Knack, The Order and Killzone Shadow Fall all being strong possibilities. An older 3rd party game could be a possibility too. With Watch Dogs 2 out a couple weeks later it seems like offering up the first game would be a nice tie in with that. I already own all of those games myself, but I imagine any one of those would make some people happy.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 139
Dragon Quest Builders is my current obsession, and I do mean obsession. I should have been in bed hours ago.
I may also get in some Dragon Age Inquisition as I'm working my way through that, assuming I can tear myself away from Builders, which is unlikely.
Re: Poll: What Are Your Thoughts on PlayStation VR So Far?
I'm far from convinced, though I'm willing to be. Right now it just looks like an overpriced gimmick to me and I don't have that kind of money to be throwing around on gimmicks.
Re: Review: NOW That's What I Call Sing 2 (PS4)
Nothing wrong with a good bit of karaoke, but what a dumb name this franchise has. Now that's what I call Singing or Now that's what I call Karaoke would make sense. This just sounds like they're trying to be hip for the kids and failing miserably.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 138
@SPGFan34 Mafia III GOTY? Possibly, but it hasn't really been the best year for gaming and we still have Watch Dogs 2, Dishonored 2, FF XV and The Last Guardian to look forward to. Next year there should be some serious competition for the title though.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 138
After it had been sitting u played and unloved on my hard drive for two years I'm finally getting around to playing Dragon Age Inquisition and enjoying the hell out of it. Tho weekend though I'm putting it aside for some Mafia 3 action. Just as well since I'm working all weekend and don't have as much time to spend gaming as I'd like.
Re: Mafia III Reviews Will Remain in the Bayou Beyond Launch
@viciousarcanum
I'm gonna do exactly that, trust my gut and cancel my preorder. I don't care about the actual reviews, but the not making review copies available prior to launch gives me pause.
Re: First Impressions: PS4 Pro Represents a Sizeable Step Forward
@roe I disagree. The PS4 Pro is aimed at the hardcore crowd while more casual gamers need to be reassured that the Pro isn't entirely replacing the original PS4 or rendering it irrelevant, to avoid confusion. Of course, they could just not release the Pro at all and wait a few more years to incorporate higher specs and 4K support into the PS5, but that ship has sailed I'm afraid.
Re: Review: Slain: Back from Hell (PS4)
@BrandonMarlow Yeah, I picked the game up based on the soundtrack alone. More games should have heavy metal soundtracks. For all its failings, and they are many, Brutal Legend has the best game soundtrack ever as far as I'm concerned.
Re: Review: Slain: Back from Hell (PS4)
@BrandonMarlow I guess he does kind of have a good, if obvious, point when he says that this review is just one man's opinion. Pity he felt the need to bury it under a pile of insults about how gamers are sheep who can't think for themselves because they sometimes look to reviews for guidance in making game purchases. Or maybe there are more games out there than most people have money to spend on them and not everyone can afford to just take a chance on a game they know nothing about?
Hellbringer is clearly a fan of this game. Nothing wrong with that in theory, but I do wish people like him would try to find more time in their day to play the games they love and less trying to defend them from reviewers on the internet.
Re: Review: Slain: Back from Hell (PS4)
@Hellbringer1975
This review is, as you say, just an opinion, but unlike you, I have confidence in my fellow gamers not to simply ignore a game because a website gave it a bad score. Having hung around this site for a while I get the impression that people here actually read the reviews, unlike some sites where everyone loses their shit because the flavor of the moment only got an 8/10 or whatever. That's what reviews are there for after all, to be read and to provide information on a game. If someone reads a review and think a game doesn't sound worth their time, why should they ignore that instinct? Plenty of games out there to choose from. At the same time, anyone with any gaming experience knows that just because a game gets bad reviews doesn't mean it's not for you. Plenty of people out there like very challenging games, but many others don't and this review obviously reflects that. I can only imagine anyone looking for such a challenge would take that into account when reading this review.
Re: Feature: Has Fallout 4's Season Pass Been Worth It?
I would say it was just barely worth it at the original $30, which I was lucky enough to get in on in time. For $50? No. We only got two proper story expansions and they jacked up the price on them to justify the season pass. I mean, Far Harbor was $25 on its own? Holy crap! I mean, I liked it well enough, but damn.
I know that at least one other game has increased the price of its season pass after launch. I bet this becomes a regular thing. It's a great way for developer who are willing to mess over their customers to discourage the "wait and see" attitude that is the natural response to a season pass whose content is a total mystery.
Re: Review: One Way Trip (PS4)
I like weird games and bought this because I thought it looked interesting. sigh There's $13 I'll never see again.Thankfully several other games I bought this month turned out to be pretty great, otherwise between this and No Man's Sky I'd have to write this off as a pretty awful August.
Re: Hands On: How Does Fallout 4: Nuka World Run on PS4?
@BAMozzy Funny, the PS4 has plenty of better looking games than Fallout 4 that manage to run at a consistent framerate. Improved hardware may help, but the problem here is Bethesda's refusal to go with a new game engine instead of slapping a new coat of paint on the same janky one they've been using for 15 years.
Re: Soapbox: No Man's Sky on PS4 Is the Biggest Disappointment of 2016
The reactions to this game and the reactions to the reactions aren't all that surprising, though some people definitely need to calm down and get a life. I'm enjoying the game but I can see how many people would disagree and in some cases disagree strongly and there's nothing wrong with that.
A big part of the problem with the game industry today is that, at least as far as big AAA publisher game releases go, we've gone from a world where developers were free to create all kinds of niche games that appeal to all kinds of different gamers to a world where every major $60 release is expected to try and please everybody and if it doesn't then that's some kind of major betrayal. Personally I'm happy that No Man's Sky is the game it is, though I am looking forward to future content updates to add more to do in the game and hope that the interface and basic gameplay get some streamlining to to improve combat, space combat especially and to automate some of the more tedious tasks like constantly having to micromanage to keep your various systems fueled and ready.
Now then, for good or ill there are certain expectations that come with a game being a $60 retail release and while I think the game is worth every penny, I still wonder if it wouldn't have been better served as a $20 or $30 downloadable release. I feel like that might have mitigated some of the outrageous hype and sky high expectations somewhat and we might not have seen the over the top reaction we have, especially stuff like the death threats over the game being delayed a few weeks or the DDoS attack on Jim Sterling's website.
Re: Persona 5 Brings Back the Very Easy 'Safety' Difficulty Setting
There are always the "hardcore heroes" out there who say that such things "ruin" games, but I'm all for video games being accessible to everyone. Some people just want to play to experience the story and other aspects of the game and why shouldn't they be able to? As long as there's a hard difficulty setting for the folks that want it, the idea of getting upset that people who aren't as good at the game can play too is just weird and petty.
Re: Capcom's Bringing Three Dead Rising Games to PS4
I really enjoyed the first two Dead Rising games, might consider playing them again on PS4. Dead Rising 4 looks like fun, though having to wait a year to see it on my console of choice is lame. Part three stunk though, so no great loss if it never comes to PS4.
Re: Batman: Return to Arkham Is Looking Like a Pretty Rough PS4 Remaster
Huh, someone's managed to do a remastered game that actually looks worse than the original. I suppose it was only a matter of time.
Re: Review: Neverending Nightmares (PS4)
@get2sammyb That's a pity as the art style is easily the best thing about the game. I get the Newgrounds comparison, Salad Fingers and all that, but it's actually intended as an homage to the works of Edward Gorey, an influential illustrator and author known for the rather macabre nature of much of his work.
Re: Poll: Do You Want More Family Friendly Platformers on PS4?
Of Sony's big three family-friendly platforming franchises (Ratchet & Clank, Jak & Daxter and Sly Cooper) the only one I ever managed to really get into was R & C. I liked the first Jak game well enough, but the ones after that didn't do anything for me, which was surprising as I generally tend to love open world games. Sly Cooper I could just never get into at all. I'm glad that the new R & C game is doing so well and hope it leads to more and perhaps convinces Sony to try its hand at some other platforming games. I also hope the rumors of a second Knack game are true. Really enjoyed that even though I know it wasn't great. I hope that the sequel, if there is one, can live up to that game's potential.
Re: Talking Point: Would You Buy an Upgraded PS4K?
As I've said before, I'd need a new tv to take advantage of the PS4K and that's not happening any time soon. As long as I don't need the thing to play any future PS4 games, I don't care about it.
Re: Street Fighter V's Big March Update Will Be Detailed Next Week
I got a pretty good discount on the game, so I don't regret buying it at launch, but after playing through all the story mode prologues for all the characters and beating Survival on easy with all characters and on normal with a couple it's been sitting on my shelf, waiting for updates. If the fight money prices for characters is accurate then I have managed to accumulate enough for the first two DLC characters and nearly have enough for the third without having to go to a ton of effort, so that's cool and pretty surprising as I figured Capcom would make the in-game currency prices exorbitantly high to flog their season pass. I guess then that the pass is for people who can't even go to the minimal effort needed to unlock a few characters, there no doubt are some out there like that.
Re: Soapbox: Street Fighter V's PS4 Launch Has Been a Bummer
At least we know that the content is coming. I bought the game with no regrets as I got it for a decent discount, but I'll probably be sitting on it a while before I get around to playing it much.
Re: Feature: What Modes Do You Actually Get in Street Fighter V on PS4?
I picked this up with no regrets as I was able to get it at a decent discount. I'll probably be sitting on it for a while before I actually play it any though, given the current state of the title.
Re: Opinion: Firewatch's Paltry Five Trophies Prove That the System Needs Fixing
@thedevilsjester
I see. To me, trophies are not content. Content is content, trophies are digital trinkets linked to in-game tasks, some of which may constitute actual content and some of which are pointless busy work. I see there'll be no agreement between us on this issue. Fair enough. We all enjoy games in our own way.
Re: Opinion: Firewatch's Paltry Five Trophies Prove That the System Needs Fixing
@thedevilsjester Fair enough. That was a personal assumption. I apologize.
At any rate, you are correct that trophy tasks are done within the game, but it is up to the developer whether or not trophies are linked to significant in-game tasks or of earning some results in tangible in-game rewards. Many games have trophies like jump 500 times or beat a certain level without dying. Entirely optional stuff separate from either the narrative of the game or the specific mechanics of beating it. Furthermore, involvement in the whole trophy thing is involuntary and linking trophies to tasks players will already be doing in the game is pretty much the simplest and least intrusive way of implementing them.
At any rate, it's not the in-game completion of tasks that make trophies a meta-game, but the linking together of lists of tasks from every game into a scored list linked to your profile.
And, again, I'm not sure why you even object to the meta-game label beyond an apparent personal prejudice linked to the level of importance you personally grant to the whole trophy thing. Trophies are a meta-game, but that doesn't diminish their importance. They aren't that important to begin with.
Re: Opinion: Firewatch's Paltry Five Trophies Prove That the System Needs Fixing
@Matroska You're making a lot of assumptions about a game that isn't even out yet. Beyond Sony's base requirements being fulfilled, it's up to the developer how many trophies and for what make it into the game. Maybe the developer just doesn't like trophies. There are plenty of games out there with fewer trophies than they could potentially have, and a few with more than they probably should.
Re: Opinion: Firewatch's Paltry Five Trophies Prove That the System Needs Fixing
@thedevilsjester You assume anyone but you cares what trophies you have earned. For the most part, they don't.
And yes, trophies are a metagame. It's because they are a list of tasks outside the game and are not just confined to a single game that makes them so. Not sure why you'd object to such a label. There's nothing wrong with them being a metagame.
Re: Opinion: Firewatch's Paltry Five Trophies Prove That the System Needs Fixing
@Neolit Nobody is being forced to do anything. For all that I support the idea that allocation of platinum trophies should be more consistent, they're still just meaningless digital trinkets of no real value.
Re: Opinion: Firewatch's Paltry Five Trophies Prove That the System Needs Fixing
@Plateface It really wasn't that hard. I mean, at first I thought I was gonna have to give up on going for it, but when I switched to using the directional pad over the analog stick it suddenly became much easier.
Re: Opinion: Firewatch's Paltry Five Trophies Prove That the System Needs Fixing
I'm no trophy chaser, though I do like them and will go for them when it's fun to do so, but the inconsistency really is baffling. I don't know what criteria Sony uses to determine who gets a plat and who doesn't, but I don't the size/scope argument. I mean, Goat Simulator has a platinum for goodness sake! The last few Telltale games have platinums and literally the only requirement to earn them is to play the whole game to completion. King's Quest meanwhile lacks one (unless one gets added later) despite a comparable number of eventual episodes and having actual puzzles and meaningful choices.
Giving every game a platinum trophy might "diminish the importance" of Sony's top gong, but the current opaque and wildly inconsistent system for allocating them is beyond annoying.
Re: Your Full February PlayStation Plus Lineup Is Strong
Decent lineup. Not sure if any of it is anything that'll keep my interest in the long run, but at least I don't already own any of them.
Re: Talking Point: Should Sony Build an Elite DualShock 4 Controller for PS4?
The Elite Controller is neat, but I would never pay $150 for a controller. I'm not sure I'd ever even use most of its advanced features. It's a moot point of course as I don't own an Xbone at this time.
I wouldn't buy an equivalent controller on PS4, but a better quality version of the standard controller would be nice. Maybe I'm just easier on controllers than many gamers, but in all my years of gaming and I game heavily I've only had to replace a controller once for 360, when after about four years of use the left analog stick became too loose and wouldn't stay centered. After two years of using the Dualshock 4 the plastic coating on both analog sticks has come off and the right bumper sticks. I'd consider replacing it, but not if what I'm replacing it with isn't really any better. The problems aren't bad enough yet to have me seriously considering a replacement just yet.
Re: Soapbox: Why Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection on PS4 Is So Refreshing
I love open world games. I have yet to experience open world fatigue except in specific titles, like Assassin's Creed Unity. That said, diversity is good and there's much to be said for a guided experience with a tight narrative, fast pace and big set pieces.