Comments 1,027

Re: Indiana Jones Looks Like an Adventure Worth Waiting for on PS5

Fiendish-Beaver

I'm not mad at all, @XenonKnight, but neither am I going to play games that I have already played just because the floor is slightly shinier! I'm happy with my PS5, and I'm content to wait for the PS6. To me, disposing of my perfectly fine PS5, and then shelling out more than £800 for a console that does everything just a little bit better is not worth the money. It's absolutely fine if people want that, but I'm good where I am, and can wait for the PS6 to arrive in about 3 or 4 years time...

Re: PS5 Pro Brute Forces Better Performance in Monster Hunter Wilds' Beta

Fiendish-Beaver

Are we going to get an article for every game that the Pro improves upon? After all, I'm sure the Pro improves pretty much every single game that has ever released on the PlayStation, and I'm not certain I can cope with another centillion articles on these incremental improvements.

I get it, the Pro is the equivalent of 42 and is the meaning of life, can solve impossible equations, and will cure humanity of all ailments allowing us to all live an eternal existence. It's just that now we know that, do we really need to keep being told...?

Re: Mini Review: Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered (PS5) - A Hella Good Update

Fiendish-Beaver

I got every single achievement back on the 360. That meant playing through the game on each difficulty. From memory that was 4 playthroughs, but there was also the hardest difficulty, for which there was no achievement, and I did that run too. 5 in total and for me, it was one of the best games of the PS360 era.

Cannot wait to jump into it once again. I wonder whether the difficulty trophies stack this time...? 🤔

Re: Like It or Not, This Is Why PS5 Pro Doesn't Have a Disc Drive

Fiendish-Beaver

I'm pretty much all digital for games, and have been since the start of the Xbox One / PS4 era, @OldGamer999. I have amassed over 1600 digital games in that time period..! The only exception is for Collector's Editions where they include a disc that I can get to. So, if it's inside the box, I tend to leave it there as I don't often open my Collector's Editions, as to do so immediately devalues them, but if the disc is sent separately, I will use it. I have probably something approaching 100 Collector's Editions, and whilst most of them are probably not worth that much, a few have increased quite a bit in value, but then they are for my satisfaction, nothing else.

However, when it comes to films, I buy all my films in 4K (where I can), and always on disc. I have a huge collection of films, easily over a 1000, and they are stored in multiple display cases. I also have two full cabinets of 360 and PS3 discs.

Lastly, I still have over 1000 CD's, but it is not something I ever really buy any more. For the past 7 or 8 years, I have streamed my music via my Alexa. I don't even have a Hi-Fi set up any more. I just have multiple Alexa's throughout the house; front room, kitchen, downstairs hallway, upstairs hallway, and 3 of the 4 bedrooms, so 7 in total! 😂

I won't be getting a Pro, but when I get the PS6, I will probably also get a disc-drive to go with it, as I will still want to play my movies...

Re: Random: Hideo Kojima's Chronic Back Pain Symptom of Carrying Video Game Industry, Fans Say

Fiendish-Beaver

Fair enough, @PuppetMaster, but my comment was primarily aimed at the remake, and whether that will have its flaws glossed over. Very often with remakes, they seem to be reviewed with a view to how the original game was perceived, rather than looking at the remake alone and then not only reviewing it as a standalone product, but also failing to review it in line with current releases, rather than harping back to when the original game released. What I'm getting at is that a game that scored a 10 twenty years ago, whilst still a good game today, were it to be reviewed today, and judged by modern standards, probably would not still score a 10. The controls, the graphics, the performance, if compared to modern games, would be seen as not as good and thus not warrant a score of 10. However, when a remake is reviewed, I often feel that it is not reviewed in isolation, but also with reference to the original game, and how that game reviewed. Thus a game that was given a 9 twenty years ago, when remade couldn't possibly score less than that now, even if, based on modern review standards, it would not receive a 9 were it to be an original game and not a remake. Hopefully that makes sense!

Re: Random: Hideo Kojima's Chronic Back Pain Symptom of Carrying Video Game Industry, Fans Say

Fiendish-Beaver

It's difficult for me to call him overrated, however, the only game of his that I have played to completion is Death Stranding, and even that game was an 8 at best. It was good enough for me to be looking to buy the sequel, because I'm hopeful that there will be more combat in the second game, which I believe they added to the first game, but that was after I completed it, and I couldn't face returning to it, which isn't a good sign. I did try Metal Gear Solid 5, but after about 5 hours I gave up as I found it uninteresting.

I am interested in the remake of Metal Gear Solid, but I will await the reviews for trying it. My only fear there is that too many of the professional reviewers will see this (or Kojima) as some sort of sacred cow that cannot be criticised, or will view the game with rose-tinted glasses, and score it higher than it deserves. It's possible that it's one of those games where even Steam reviews may fall into the same trap, and so they also maybe unreliable. Time will tell, I guess, but it's a game that I may get in a sale at some point...

Re: Diablo 4 Joins Growing List of Games That'll Be PS5 Pro Enhanced

Fiendish-Beaver

I said this would be a problem for Microsoft and their multiplatform approach. Gamers will gravitate to where games play best, and if you are not a heavy consumer of Game Pass games, then with the release of the Pro, the place where games will be performing best (for at least the next couple of years) will be PlayStation.

I'm sure, to some extent, Microsoft won't mind that people would rather buy the likes of Indiana Jones on the PlayStation over playing it on the Game Pass, because that means they will make more money. However, that will only be reflected in the short-term, because long-term it will see people buying a PlayStation over an Xbox in even higher numbers. That in turn means there will be fewer Game Pass subscribers because owning an Xbox and having Game Pass go pretty much hand-in-hand. And there will be a tipping point at which Game Pass becomes unsustainable. As it is, the third-party games that the Service has received in recent months has noticeably dipped both in quantity and quality, and so it could be argued that we are already see that tipping point in full affect.

Now, with the likes of Diablo, it's an established franchise on the PlayStation, and so it can easily be argued that not putting the game on Sony's platform would have been a disservice to the games fans. However, when it comes to Indiana Jones, Microsoft took the decision to put the game on to their rivals platform, knowing that the Pro was coming, and that it will undoubtedly play better there than on their own consoles.

It's a massive act of self-harm that Xbox (in terms of consoles, and potentially Game Pass) that they simply will not recover from...

Re: Upcoming PS5 Games for October and November 2024

Fiendish-Beaver

£89.99 for a book! Wow...! It should be much less than half that even if it was a limited edition. As an example, I have all 3 of the Elden Ring Collectors Edition books, and all 3 cost £35.00 when I bought them. Admittedly, the first is now completely sold out, and the second is now selling for £89.99 on Amazon, but to start out at £89.99 for a book that does not even say it is limited is simply ridiculous. I'd be surprised if they sell many copies at that price. Indeed, I had to check that it didn't include the game too (which it doesn't!). Ridiculous. Seriously ridiculous...

Re: Tech Experts Reckon PS5 Pro Could Help Pave the Way to PS6

Fiendish-Beaver

Exactly, @SilentBluntman. They will each, in turn, be able to claim to have the most powerful console, though for each it will only be for 2 or 3 years. Personally, I quite like that because it forces each to improve their consoles. However, I strongly suspect that when Microsoft release their next console in 2026 that it will be the last console we get from them (other than the much rumoured handheld, and depending on the success of that console, there maybe further iterations of that). When that happens, and only Sony occupy the 'high-end' console market, then they won't have to keep wowing us with ever improved models, but they will expect us to empty our wallets in order to buy one...

Re: Tech Experts Reckon PS5 Pro Could Help Pave the Way to PS6

Fiendish-Beaver

What makes you think the next Xbox will be less powerful than the PS6, @Blofse? Microsoft have already said their next console will see a huge leap in power, and of course (on paper) the Series X is more powerful than the PS5. So I'm curious as to why you think the NeXtBoX will be less powerful than the PS6? The only reasonable possibility I can come up with is that the PS6 will release 2 or 3 years after the NeXtBoX, and so Sony can adjust their console as a consequence, but even then, if that happens, then Microsoft will supersede the PS6 when it releases the one after that, and so it goes on...

Re: Prospective PS6 Purchasers Would Consider a Portable Model

Fiendish-Beaver

I think the concern is the same as we see with the Xbox S and the X, @get2sammyb, where the S is seen to hold back the quality of games that the X receives, and in some cases, sees games completely skip both because of the issues the S causes. Thus if a game has to have the same features on both the PS6 handheld, and the PS6, and the handheld is not capable of doing that, the fear is that those features would be removed completely, which is widely believed to be happening with the Xbox X.

Personally, I have no interest in a handheld, but do worry about the possibility of a game being scaled back so as to run the same on both models...

Re: Random: Xbox Boss Complains About X Button After Being Handed PS5 Pad

Fiendish-Beaver

My main console is the Series X, and for my gaming PC I use an Elite Xbox Controller. My PS5 is used for those big Sony exclusives (so it's not getting a great deal of use recently, if I'm honest), with the last one being Stellar Blade. Thus, moving over to the PS5 every now and again after extended periods of playing on an Xbox controller can certainly be challenging at times, particularly when you are playing a game where rapid reflex button presses are concerned. I've been caught out many, many times when the X button is required on my PlayStation, and my brain goes into Xbox mode. Funny things is that if I play a game for a few weeks on my PlayStation, and then switch back to the Xbox, I have to consciously think about what buttons I press, as I readjust to where the buttons are.

You'd think after gaming on a PlayStation for 25 years, and an Xbox for 22 that I'd have got it right by now, but no, my brain is a place of continual confusion. Still, I'm probably going to move to having my PlayStation as my main next generation, and therefore maybe life will get a little easier... 🤪

Re: PS Store Confirms Lots More PS5 Pro Enhanced Games with New Tag

Fiendish-Beaver

Yes, agreed, @OldGamer999. Still not 100% certain what I'm going to do next generation regarding Xbox. I have a very capable gaming PC, so a new Xbox is not an essential item for me, but I do love the convenience of a console. I will definitely get a PS6, but not the PS5 Pro. I also am not interested in the rumoured Xbox handheld. Indeed, I own a Switch, but have only ever play one game on it, so definitely won't be getting the Switch 2 (or whatever it is called) either.

Fraught times to be an Xbox console gamer, and Sony seem to have lost their way too at the moment. Only PC and Nintendo seem to be business as usual, and that dependability is very tempting indeed after all the high-end console shenanigans this generation...

Re: PS Store Confirms Lots More PS5 Pro Enhanced Games with New Tag

Fiendish-Beaver

I don't see thinking something through, and deciding against it, it bottling it, @OldGamer999. As I say, if you are happy with the performance of the base PS5, then getting the Pro is probably not necessary. If you play a game pretty much every day, and it performs badly, then that is a different matter.

The likelihood is that we will be getting the PS6 in 2027/8, and by then Sony will probably have worked out all the kinks in their version of DLSS, and without doubt it will be more powerful than the Pro. For me, that will be the time to upgrade the base PS5, even though I do have a little bit of FOMO when it comes to the Pro because I always like to have the best tech that I can afford. However, knowing that the PS6 will follow in the not too distant future, means I know that I am better off waiting its arrival, than spending on a Pro that in reality I really don't need.

What I will say though is that if you are looking to get a Pro, you are better off getting it sooner than later, simply because you want as much use out of it as possible. You really don't want to be getting it 2027, only to find that you need to replace it with the PS6 in 2028, for example. That to me, seems pointless. Better off being an early adopter in the long run if you are set on getting a Pro...

Re: PS Store Confirms Lots More PS5 Pro Enhanced Games with New Tag

Fiendish-Beaver

I think the true value of the Pro will be based on how happy you are with the way a given game plays on the base PS5. If you are happy with it, then justifying, to yourself, the outlay on a Pro will be more difficult. If you play a game often, and it does not perform to your own personal standards, then a Pro might be worth getting. It all depends on whether you are truly going to notice the difference...

Re: Assassin's Creed Shadows Delayed on PS5 Until 14th February

Fiendish-Beaver

I guess the most positive thing to come from this is that Ubisoft appear to have learnt that releasing a game that has issues does not review favourably. Thus, all those middling reviews for Outlaws that they said they were disappointed with, and which likely led to fewer sales, is potentially the driver here for the delay. Ultimately, if this means we get a better, more polished game, then really, we have nothing to lose, and everything to gain...

Re: PS5 Pro Will Supposedly Fix Rise of the Ronin's Shoddy Frame Rate

Fiendish-Beaver

Not something that I would be crowing about if I were the producer of the game, not when it doesn't run well enough on the base console, which the vast, vast majority will still have three years from now. Having the game run better on what is effectively a niche console, when it doesn't perform well enough on the PS5, is nothing to be shouting about...