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What a triumph for Sandfall Studios!

It is a boon for the fans of gaming that weird experiences like this one can, like you write, be a sublime experience.

I wonder what holds it back from garnering a 10/10, @LiamCroft - is it really the technical execution of lip-syncing?

My biggest problem with a title like this is its inclusion on Game Pass - that means I should just wait for it to land on PS Plus, because they showcase a willingness to quickly bring it to subscription services and those are just fundamentally cheaper than buying digital games.

So, looking forward to seeing this get better, if they so choose, through DLC and then I'll be ready to experience it on PS Plus.

It didn't take a brainac to see that this would become a cash cow for Bethesda - even if all they did was preciding over their IP in meetings with Virtous.

All games receive substantial support and patches during their lifetime and as issues are removed or mitigated the price only comes down.

If a VR mode for PSVR2 comes along then I will have to buy this game.

@Balaam_

Do you really think that Sony Playstation would ever erase your (well, mine and everyone else's) digital owned games?

I have a digital console, but I will definitely try and buy the PS6 with a disc drive or maybe even get one for my current launch digital edition-console. The thing is, though, physical games in Scandinavian has almost died out and are mostly bought online (ironically).

Honestly, from what I picked up at the complete reveal (fell asleep during and woke up at the very end) it seems like a solid choice for any single player RPG player out there.

It will fit very well on my wish list of most wanted games.

I am at a loss for words regarding the UK offer.

I can see, sort of, the short-term appeal of renting a PS5 for 7 dollars, but then you have to rent the game (and the TV unless you have a TV.)

But the Flex/Ravlo scheme is absolutely absurd. BUY your PS5 and then sell it, and you are waaaay better off. WHO in their right mind would lease say a Pro and an Edge for ANY of the offers given? (Are there tax write-offs for rentals in the UK😅?)

Marketing campaign, ostensibly a free one unless they paid the big sites for their coverage. It has worked. What game in recent time has garnered more coverage based on the assertion that this is super secret? This is going to be a cash cow for Bethesda who didn't even lift a finger.

Somehow, somewhere Todd Howard is miming a presentation in a nice, new leather jacket in front of a mirror looking smug.

@LikelySatan

Well, no harm in trying if you have Extra anyways. It is sort of incredible that they offer this game for Extra in the first place. The offers on this game digitally are often more than a month's sub anyways so the value for Extra is absolutely there. If I hadn't declared holy war on my backlog, I'd sub for a year, but I am trying to force myself to actually play my library. With Hogwarts and Ragnarok, my resolve broke😂

@PlatinumMikey

My daughter is three and territorial, so most of my gaming is done on my portal which means 1080p, I am still absolutely enamored. I think it is better than my supposedly 4K TV😂

@PlatinumMikey
I can't wait. I keep getting floored by what this game is capable of. Such a great experience. Happy Easter!

Playing GOW: Ragnarok is an experience of absolute ectasy in terms of the visuals of that game!

It is BEYOND gorgeous and to think it released in 2022!! I don't think graphics need to improve beyond this, and I am streaming the base PS5 mind you.

Having waited to play Ragnarok and Spiderman 2 seems like the best decision I have made this generation. It counter acts the feelings you might get about a failed generation of nothing but cancellations and remaster-"slob" that many suffer from.

God of War: Ragnarok brilliant game with fun combat and gorgeous world. A story that is very weird, but very inventive. Fun to experience an American take on Scandinavian.

@cburg

Why is my opinion and values so unbelievable to you?

@LogicStrikesAgain

Netflix didn't offer the opportunity to stack subscriptions, as I am sure you are aware.

Bad comparisons just make you look bad.

Haha! Nice with the demo. I'll probably try it after the demo of Persona 3 Reloaded, which is after all the tons of games I plan on trying with a month's sub. Jesus Christ who said PS5 didn't have games!?!?

Thanks for the article/shout:

BG3 is an 11/10 by now, as I think KCD II is for me with all the future updates coming ♥️

I just started GOW: Ragnarok, and it is a nice palate cleanser before Hogwarts. I will rush through as I try to keep my subbing to a month. We'll see.

No, they haven't. The people that could have done that were rejected by Sony and later criticized by the very same people now feeding off the scraps of better men😊

@ButterySmooth30FPS

Well, let's cut a little slack for our weakling brothers who prefer silly children's games.... damnit I just spewed nonsense. I will restart: Let's understand the fine people that love their world class gameplay and innovative hybrid console! Nobody will accept they are buying tech that's ancient. 12 years in electronics with something called Moore's law sets expectations higher.

Besides, the switch 2 can do a lot more than a stationary PS4-clonk can. So, the comparison isn't useful or correct.

They'll be happy about their purchase and good for them.

I would love to own a handheld that could have some storage.

I might even sell my portal which is how I play my games most of the time now a days.

@wildcat_kickz
@x3King84

It is fair in a business perspective. And sure, let's call it value. For me the value proposition isn't there, but for Sony it has to be since they're allowing it to compete with their own and other 3rd parties' games.

I agree that reports seem to disqualify Game pass as a sustainable business. If Xbox could sell their games for 70 dollars per game on Xbox store, I think they would.

I am just stating my opinion that there's a discrepancy in price points between systems, and as a consumer I am going to have to politely decline trying MachineHeads awesome game even though I know I would love it for this and many other reasons.

@Romans12

I don't really believe you have a PS5 Pro, but I actually don't care. I just thought you were being very funny, so thank you for the laugh.

I was sad reading this review, as my conscience prevents me from buying and my sense of fairness in terms of price: it is free on game pass, so why should I pay money for it? When it lands on PS Plus I might try it out as a gesture towards my Swedish brothers.

The blog post ends with a question, "Did you like this"?

Press the heart if you did.

Just another reason to avoid M$ if you should ever need one. It isn't physical if the box is empty.

People are mentioning that Playstation might be stuck with the US taxing them heavily. If so, and basically everything else is sabotaged along with it, you'll see state bonds deteriorate further. Trump is a slave to the market, and he imposed a break as soon as they started acting weird which hasn't happened in any crisis before. And it doesn't stop there.

Europe and Asia can respond to America's perceived treachery with Europe's so-called bazooka: which includes a massive tax on their software rendering their entire tech dynasty null and void.

105 DKK is about 16 dollars and what Extra will cost me to sub for a month..

With GOW: Ragnarok, Hogwarts Legacy, Blue Prince, Lost Tapes(?), and like twenty Like a Dragon-games all from last year, it seems like good value to me.

I even have RoboCop as a spare option. I feel like the optimal time to jump in is when the next essential drops.

I played The Division single player and sometimes made a failed incursion of two into the PvEvP Dark Zones. It is tough as nails, you compete with people whose fun time is to make you have a bad time. I was tricked into getting the abysmal The Division 2. Crap game.

Destiny 1, the first years, I ABSOLUTELY wrecked with my jump-teleporting, shotgun slidin' hunter in PvP. Hundreds of hours went raiding with strangers that became part of your friend list.
The feeling of dominating the scoreboards are exhilarating, but.....

Destiny 2 came along with a slow start and made me regret spending my money. And the absolute avalanche of paid content made the experience fizzle out.

If Marathon is firmly rooted in strong PvE-content with a great story, I could see myself trying it out. But the online friends list is sort of a museum of yesterday's.

How is this different from Apex? A looter, battle royale? That is free, right?

I play Rainbow Six: Siege sometimes with irl-friends, because it is different and tactical in a way where anyone can contribute.

@KundaliniRising333

I had one like that🤓 A genuine grammar nazi-move on an informal comment section with him even missing a full stop🤣 The thing is, everyone on here are great guys. They just get all riled up like there's an obscene amount of sand in their vajayjay.

ANYWAYS - I'd agree that for me the extra money spent simply doesn't make sense as I'm VERY happy with my base PS5 and low-tier television that's QLED (I think) and only does 60 fps. No doubt it still is a fantastic console though. It looks good too.

Okay, so, I remember playing Hitman, the one with a racing track, but I don't remember buying the game. Maybe it was offered on PS Plus essential!?

Then, all the hitman games were taken away and folded into World of Assassination requiring me to buy that first and then the VR version.

So, I have to wait for a sale to gain access to buying the VR-patch unless I want to really shell out. Considering how little I play VR as a tired father,.I can wait. This title SHALL be mine, in good time.

I am so ready to finish BG3 and try a new character. Also, my owned games are put on the back burner when I subscribe which I will for Hogwarts and Ragnarok.

But it is nice to know that 8 meaty patches have bolstered my experience.

Yeah, they weren't on my list of most wanted games (top ten) in the extra list so I am in no rush to try them. Except for the exceptional Slay the Spire, which I have played so many hours already.

I am trying to wait for the next batch of Essentials before subbing a month of extra - that gives you two sets of extra drops and two essential drops as well.

But there's plenty to play in just these three titles:

Hogwarts Legends
GOW:Ragnarok
Blue Prince

Why not make a patch for The Crew as well...

Seems more expensive to lawyer up.

Is there a guide that tells you if your version of Hitman will accommodate the purchase of the VR thing?

It seems like I have Hitman 3 PS5, but I don't have Hitman: World of Assassination.

Great to hear RPGs are doing great.
I love BG3 and KCD: II. Upon returning to KCD II I got to a certain mission that has A LOT of soldiers thrown at you (before expanding the map) and you are supposed to stealth and hide. I took ALL the potions and killed EVERYONE - I almost lost my Brunswick equipment from all the inevitable damage I suffered, but my enemies are no more. All gone.

In other commentary, I consistently read and interpret 'gacha' as 'gotcha' as in we got ya hooked and we're ready to do some whaling.

Athletic Bilbao is such a cool club. If you HAVE to throw money out the window I could see why it should land on them.

Maybe the region will see a spike in sales of the title.

The portal can stream games. If you have good connection(s) you get quite good quality gaming on handheld.

Sure, it might be bricked on air planes or trains/cars.

At any rate, I would love a PS5 on wheels in the future, if they can deliver within two years maybe.

Otherwise, Switch 2 might, in two years time, look more enticing.

Imagine an Oled version with a newer chip and some decent sales on the store. I would definitely use a handheld out of the house on the go. If Nintendo allows to download (not buy) from the PS Store that would be revolutionary.

No thank you to anything Microsoft-related.

Damn... Good lineup. The value with GOW: Ragnarok, Hogwarts and lost tapes are going to be too big to pass on.

I guess I have to pay for a month of extra. Damn you Sony.

@GirlVersusGame

You seem like a nice person. Thank you for this thoughtful reply.
My grandfather carried a Jewish name under the Nazi occupation of my country - I am lucky to be able to write to you today, and I am writing on the behest of Palestinian women and children.

Unfortunately, none of the larger outlets of gaming related news bar Polygon have spread this message, nor did I, who read dozens of news sites daily, encounter this.
I have been scouring the websites ever since I found out that Israeli forces would just shoot to kill paramedics - in all my life I haven't heard anything as cruel as that.

It tells me that the media which should act as our guard dog is little more than the pawns, those with a conscience threatened to silence, of genocidal forces. At worst, it spells out complicity and support. I cannot support anything that Israel is doing. They have become brutal and murderous, because we failed them. We have failed to restrain them. There's a bitter, cruel, morbid irony of history in which this happened before which led to the creation of the Israeli state.

Consider this Venn-diagram of monetary boycott, gamer and media vocality and Microsoft's own moral compass. They decide to act on the side of restraint, because we helped force their hand. There's a world where our agency saves lives.

We all deserve to know the truth and extent of what is happening.

@Northern_munkey

No, North. You are wrong.

They are asking for gamers, who frequent gaming sites, to boycott Microsoft and COD (and others, read the article. They are delivering weapons of AI to kill or maim everyone they can).

Israeli key thinkers begged the world (Harari in the Guardian), and the US, to help restrain them. The opposite is happening. Microsoft is firing dissident workers and doubling down.

I would ask the fine gentlemen of this site to report on this and allow gamers to make use of their agency and respond to this integral military aid that Microsoft are giving Israel. The bell has rung. You hear it too.

@Northern_munkey

We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant.

You have a role to play here, you have agency to make ethical decisions that put those that would contribute to genocide in a position where they must question their humanity and profit margin.

FIY: There's apparently reason to believe that COD and XBOX ought to be the target of a boycott:

https://www.polygon.com/news/554879/bds-palestine-israel-xbox-microsoft-boycott-candy-crush-minecraft-call-of-duty

Please don't remove, many organizations and people believe that a genocide might be ongoing and it rests upon the free world's citizen to question if we should be silent in the face of such an evil.

Before you attack me, read the article and make your own decisions. I have Jewish blood and my mother's name was Melchiorsen, so I have no reason to lie. In fact, Israeli troops VERY recently shot to kill paramedics and health staff in Gaza.

This is an excellent service👌

I'mma check it out.

I am an expert and my comment saying exactly this was deleted wrongfully, according to expert.

This is arriving early, as I have started and are quite deep into what will be a (spoiler) map-opening quest.

I don't like to take on too many negative perks, but hardcore is a lot of fun, I think. Maybe.

Oh, it hurt my feelings to see this list🫣

In my opinion of course: Too many awesome games buried in the list far down and others inexplicably raised to the foreground. Too many remasters that simply can't compete with modern games. And WAY too many Yakuza games 😲

Also, and this is even more nitpicky, many of the cons to my favorite games seem unfair. Like there's no depth to RPG in CP2077!? There's 3 paths, and I have yet to finish my third path run, but it is deep! Also, who you are is up to you in dialogue and romance. You can end entire questlines, numerous VERY different endings. This was just one 'con' I felt was tacked on to provide the list makers absolution.

My top 10, as delivering a 'next-gen' or 'world-class' experience:

Disco Elysium
Persona 5 Royal
Baldur's Gate 3
Witcher 3
Cyberpunk 2077
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (1 is excellent too)
RE: 4 VR version
RE: 8 VR version
GT7 VR version
Slay the spire

It is exactly as expected.

That was only the reviewers which paints everything in a positive light.

Once it gets into the public's hands, this show is going to get a lot of shade. From what I can gather, the belle of the ball isn't living up to people's idea of Ellie.

It is going to be interesting to see what average Joe and his uncle thinks of the twist/rearranging of protagonists. The show runners aren't stupid, they made Abby pretty and have a physique that completely destroys the original vision that sort of restores the male gaze-female fragile/femme fatale archetype.

I will not watch the show, just hoping the polarizing story has been retooled and toned down. Neil Druckmann might yet learn a thing or two from Craig Mazin about storytelling.

I'm mildly interested. Has to be good though!