A solid 8, as I recall. Could even nudge a 9. I really enjoyed my time with it. The only element of the game that was slightly disappointing was the multiplayer component. After really, really enjoying the PvE of Mass Effect 3 (into which I put in well over a 1000 hours), I was really hopeful for Inquisition's version, but it just didn't hit the spot in the same way. Indeed, it wasn't particularly enjoyable at all.
Hopefully, they won't be attempting the PvE this time, unless, of course, they can smash it out of the park as they did with ME3...
The game is simply fantastic, and Larian are the best developer there is. Unparalleled!
One of the mods I would like to see is one that allows us those spells that Larian said were simply too powerful, the ones that appear happen after level 12.
When I finished my Tactician run recently, I reached level 12 soon after hitting Act 3, and as I neared towards the end I had 100,000 XP sat doing nothing. 100,000 is the XP cap, you still see that you're earning it, but that figure does not go up. I spent probably the last 10 hours or so earning XP that did not add to that total, so I have no idea what I actually had in total, but I reckon I could have got to at least level 18 with what I earned over all. Obviously you have to do everything in the game to earn that sort of XP, but the game is an absolute gem, so you never feel like you are grinding.
Love everything Larian do, and cannot wait to see what they do next. Hoping for a Divinity Original Sin 3, and maybe something set in a sci-fi universe would be cool...
Other than the hard-drive (and colour), @Titntin, it's not a mid-generation upgrade and you know it! Where's the boost in performance? You're just tryin' to be cheeky! 🤣
I'm not so sure that Sony will only allow 3 years for the Pro to shine, @Kalime78. The PS4 Pro to Ps5 was 4 years, and I think they'll do that again...
I still have my Gears of War 3 360 console, @ScottyG, and still use the controllers that came with it. I had to queue up outside Game until midnight when the game was released in order to acquire one, and then got home at near 1 a.m. to start playing the game. Fun times!
I also have the Gears of War Xbox One console, the GoW3 Collector's Edition (the one with Marcus sitting on a rock), and the Gears 4 CE with the motorcycle. I also have a 4 foot by 2 foot canvas poster from the GoW3 era, but I'm yet to find the right frame for it, as it is really, really big!
Massive fan of the series. My friend and I usually go through every campaign in chronological order every couple of years, and always before the next game releases so as to fully remind ourselves of the story. It's going to be odd going back to the very beginning, and also pretty annoying in that the story for 5 was not finished.
As you say, it's always nice to find a fellow fan of the games...
I don't disagree with your logic, @GamingFan4Lyf, but my money is still on 2026, and with the console costing at least £700, but more likely £750-£800. It could go above that, but I've not sure. I also think it entirely possible that that would be all digital, and don't think they will take the Sony route of disc drive add on...
Oh! That was a typo, @ScottyG. I promise you that you won't find a bigger Gears of War player than me! Indeed, I'm about 100th in the World as an Engineer in Gears 5. I have every collectible console that they have done, I have blankets, all the models, I even had to import the Collector's Edition of Gears 4 to the UK from the US because it wasn't released over here. I have all the books, and I have 2 of 500 Locust Busts they made.
I don't know how to attach my own photographs, but this is a link to the busts. I bought them directly when they were first made and paid £500 for each of them. This is a link to one being sold on eBay:
I'm not so sure, @themightyant. When the rumours that the NeXtBoX was coming in 2026 started to circulate, the rumours that there would be no mid-generation refresh for Xbox also started. That second rumour has gone from rumour to fact.
Microsoft have had a mid-generation refresh , every generation, starting with the 360. This is the first one to not have one since they started doing it. Now, firstly, if we are now to wait another 3 to 5 years before the PS6 releases (so 2 to 4 years after the Pro), then the Series consoles will be somewhere between 7 and 9 years old, and no match for the Pro. Remember too that the PS5 came out 4 years after the PS4 Pro, so 4 years is a fair bet. Factor into that the best place to play first-party Xbox games will be on the Pro (as will happen with Indiana Jones, for example), and Xbox will lose even further ground than they currently are.
Yes, it absolutely follows that if the NeXtBoX comes out in 2026, and the PS6 comes out 2 or 3 years later, that the NeXtBoX will only hold the title of World Most Powerful Console for a couple of years, but in truth, it was only on paper that the Series X is considered the most powerful, and look what good it has done them. Indeed, I'm sure Sony thought they were releasing a console worthy of that title when they released the PS5, and yet they were narrowly wrong, which goes to show that even releasing consoles in the same year, does not guarantee that title, and it could easily be Xbox that gets it wrong next time. Surely it would be better to definitively hold that title for 2 or 3 years, than not at all, or for the difference to be so negligible (as it is now) that it does not matter?
My money is still on 2026, and that it will be accompanied at launch by Gears of War: E-Day (amended! 😂), Perfect Dark, State of Decay 3 and Blade. Each of these games were the only ones to not have the Series X moniker attached to them at the recent Xbox showcase, and it makes perfect sense for the reason behind that to be because they are launch titles for the NeXtBoX. Unless you really think these games are upward of another 5 years away...
You're missing the point, @LowDefAl. If Microsoft can say that the NeXtBoX is an improvement on the Pro, then they can reason that they can also charge more for it. Now, whether Microsoft choose to do that, bearing in mind their market share, is another matter completely.
However, unless Sony introduce a PS6 that is inferior to the Pro, then how on Earth do you expect them to seek less for it. The very best we can hope for is that the PS6 will cost £800 (for the top tier version), but truthfully, with Sony's dominant market position (and apparently arrogant position too) it's difficult to see them not seeing the launch of the PS6 (which will likely be superior to the NeXtBoX due to the difference in launch times) also being higher that the cost of the Pro.
Don't get me wrong, I'd love to be mistaken, but I just cannot see it...
If the rumours are to be believed, @themightyant, the NeXtBoX will be out in 2026. What worries me about this is that what has traditionally kept the prices of consoles down is competition, because we usually see both consoles release at about the same time.
Now, with the Pro costing £820 (if you want all stand and drive), then what will a [i]truly[i/] next generation console cost? More than £800 is reasonable guess. And then what would that mean for the PS6 if it releases a year or two after the NeXtBoX? Still more, is the most likely answer.
After all, we can see that Sony feels empowered to charge a significant price for the Pro, probably due to their market dominance, and if rumours are to be believed, Sony was initially looking to price the PS5 at £600, before Microsoft then announced the Series X as costing £450, which was then followed a week later by Sony.
Console gaming is not the affordable pastime that it once was...
Your comment regarding user reviews having their own bias has some truth to it, @RoomWithaMoose, you only have to look at the fact that the only place I'm aware of that Spiderman 2 was voted Game of the Year was here on on Push Square, whereas everywhere else it was Baldur's Gate 3.
On the Xbox Store, you have to own the game in order to leave a review, which at least tends to suggest that the person leaving the review has some experience with the game. I would assume that that is the same for the PlayStation Store, though I have never left a review there, so I am uncertain.
That is why I much prefer to use Steam reviews. Firstly, there really isn't much allegiance to one brand or another there, though if anything, review scores for Xbox and PlayStation games can get marked down, particularly if you are expected to sign into a different store in order to play the game. However, what I most like about Steam reviews is the sheer quantity of them. As I said earlier, it is difficult to argue that a game such as Wukong garnering 95% positive reviews is anything but a good game. Also, the ability to see what gamers think of a game during the past month is exceptionally helpful because it reflects the game not as it was at launch, but as it stands more recently...
I actually care far more about what your everyday user rates a game, than I do 'professional' reviewers. First off, some professional reviewers work for sites that have an inherent bias, so, as an example, those that work for Pure or Push are more likely to overlook certain things because they strive to be positive about games coming to the platforms they support.
I much prefer to look at somewhere like Steam reviews written by the likes of all of us. As an example, just look at Wukong on Steam, it has a 95% overwhelmingly positive rating from 623,000 reviews. It's difficult to argue that a game with so many positive reviews can be anything other than excellent.
Also, a game such as Cyburpunk 2077 is a completely different beast today than it was when it first released, and so the Metacritic review probably does not represent it at all. The same can be said of many games, bearing in mind that we now live in a release broken and fix later developer culture.
The only other thing I would say is that people like what they like, and generally that is the philosophy by which I choose my games. Most of the games I play probably have a Metacritic reviews score of 80+, though I rarely check them. Play what you want to play, and don't be solely guided by review scores. You may find pleasure in what others find intolerable.
Lastly, Shadows of the Damned was probably my favourite games of the PS360 era. I highly recommend it, and I pre-ordered the remake the day it became available to do so...
There is some truth to the statement that PCs are difficult to set up. I have no PC knowledge, but have a very good gaming PC. I bought it, pre-built, 5 or 6 years ago for £2600, and have since spent a further £600 on it by upgrading the graphics card and memory.
When I started playing on PCs right at the start of the PS4/Xbox One era (I was egged into doing it because my two mates who didn't want to get an Xbox One), gaming on a PC was far, far more difficult than it is now. We lost many a nights gaming because at least one of us could not get a game running, and many games were, for me, unplayable because they did not have controller support.
These days, things are certainly different; games tend to be pretty much ready to play from the get go, without needing to mess around with the settings too much. Controller support is widely available, certainly in most of the bigger games, though as an example, when Baldur's Gate 3 launched in Early Access in October of 2020, it did not have controller support. Indeed, it did not get it until it's full launch in October last year.
On the subject of BG3, I do play the game in full 4K, but at times, my even my expensive PC struggles with the game, particularly when the game first starts, but it does tend to settle down after a while. My mate bought a new PC earlier this year, and it runs the game fine though. He did spend £4600 on his, so make of that what you will..!
So, first off, I do not think even those that know what they are doing could build a PC equivalent to the PS5 Pro for £700. Those that don't know what they're doing would have no hope! Ultimately, I think you would have to spend pretty big to match it, and still more if you wanted to have every game running at 60FPS and 4K. Consoles are an easy option, and for most of us, are perfectly fine...
I reckon part of Sony's thinking is that people were paying over £1000, on eBay, for a PS5 at launch, @thefourfoldroot1, so they believe that there are many that will happily pay £700-£820 for a Pro...
I've been saying for literally years that those wanting Xbox to fail will create a Sony monopoly that will be truly bad for us gamers. With Xbox out of the console market (which is a distinct possibility in the not too distant future) you can be absolutely certain that the PS5 Pro will be considered cheap by the standards of what Sony will be offering us in the future.
The same will apply to games, because once Xbox is fully third-party, Sony will have free reign to up the prices of games, so it is entirely possible that during the course of the next generation that games will hit £100 a pop, I say that because with each generation we see games increase by £10, sometimes more, so you just know that Sony will push up the prices of games too.
People need to remember that Sony is not your friend. They just see your wallets and attempt to empty them. Love 'em or hate 'em, Microsoft help keep prices lower. No competition means only one market force is dictating pricing, and with Sony, we know they will take every penny they can...
You're right, @Sergo, the Pro will sell, but I cannot see it achieving the 14% of the market that the PS4 Pro achieved. The PS4 Pro sold at the original price that the PS4 sold for upon first release, with the PS4 having been lowered in price. Hear Sony are asking for £300 more than the original PS5.
If the PS5 Pro makes up 10% of the PS5s sold, I'd be surprised. That's still a lot of sales, and money for Sony, but many people that would have traditionally upgraded to the Pro during past generations will now balk at the cost of the PS5 Pro, stick with the standard PS5, and await the PS6 (and hope it's price is not similarly ridiculous)...
The thing is, only 14% of gamers invested in a PS4 pro. 14%..! And that console sold at the price of the original PS4, with the original model selling at a lower price. I said when Sony raised the price of the PS5, and the accessories, that this was Sony preparing the ground for a super expensive PS5 Pro model, and I was right. However, the real question is, just how many PS5 Pro consoles do Sony expect to sell? Surely they cannot expect to sell in the region of 14% again? I'd be surprised it they actually reached double figures. Sure, the Pro will sell out when it first releases when early adopters buy it in time for Christmas, but after that..? I just cannot see it selling well.
I do have to wonder whether Sony watched the PS5, when it first released, going for over a £1000 on eBay, and thought to themselves, we could have sold the PS5 for much more. Indeed, I think the only reason it did sell for £450 was because Microsoft announced the price of the Series X the week before. Rumours at that time were that Sony were looking to charge up to £600 for the PS5, and the price of the Pro, and the increases to the price of the original PS5, does tend to suggest that maybe those rumours were true.
Three things strike me though, the first is just how much will the PS6 cost?
The second is, for those of us that buy both the Xbox and the PS5, at what point does the combined price mean that really, you may as well get a PC. I mean, it's almost as if that's what the likes of Sony wants.
And then the third is scalpers. Man, I really hope they go in hard on the Pro, only to find that they cannot sell them. That would be some justice then for the way they behaved when the original consoles released...
Sorry, @ShogunRok, but your poll is splitting the same vote. Both Nah, the improvements don't really impress me and No, it's just too expensive equate to the same thing. Currently the 'No' people are polling at 77%, but you'd be forgiven for thinking it wasn't quite as bad as that...
Oh, I absolutely agree that it doesn't do PlayStation gamers any benefit, @riceNpea, but then it is now a Microsoft owned division, and they're not doing anything for the Xbox crowd either, only levelling the playing-field, which I think is the right thing to do.
After all, it wasn't previously done out of the kindness of Activision's heart. It was done because Sony were coughing up cash. Now it's Microsoft doing it, and instead of us getting the worse version, we're getting the same, which is how it should be...
So £800 if you want a disc drive. Thanks, Sony, but I think I'll pass.
There simply isn't enough utilising the PS5 as is. It's like they sold as an Early Access console to start with, with all the promises they made about performance, and now they're offering us a console that may achieve what they originally told us the PS5 could do.
You have to wonder whether Sony will actually reveal the price of the Pro today. After all, it would probably be better to stoke the interest of potential buyers, than put them off immediately if the price is too steep. Better to have people deciding that they really want / cannot do without the console, than have them immediately decide they're not interested based on the price.
Sony's position might be that they think it best to keep the cost to themselves, at least for now, as having a successful demonstration showcase overshadowed by an outcry of 'how much?' is less than desirable, whereas one where everyone is positive about the console is a win for Sony...
Yes, it was exclusivity deals, @riceNpea, but it is still unjust for one set of fans to pay exactly the same as the other, but receive an inferior product for their money. I think what Microsoft are getting at here is that wherever you choose to spend your money on CoD from now on, you will get exactly the same for your expenditure, which is both fair, and exactly how it should be...
That was my thinking, @BIG3. Truthfully, I'd rather that mods do disable Trophies/Achievements because otherwise it would not be possible to distinguish between those that did Honour Mode correctly, and those that had effectively cheated by making the mode easier...
Agree that they are not doing those playing on the PlayStation a favour, @riceNpea, however, they are doing those on the Xbox a favour as they have typically always received certain elements after those on the PlayStation. One year, there was a mode that the PlayStation had that didn't go to the Xbox until a year had passed, which rendered it pointless because the subsequent game came out at around the same time. So the wording is correct, it just won't be noticeable to those that game on the PlayStation, and it always struck me as unfair that those that gamed on the Xbox paid exactly the same for CoD as those on the PlayStation, yet received an inferior game...
Do/will mods disable Trophies, @Khayl? If not, I guess it would be possible to complete Honour Mode with ease simply by making your character unkillable (as an example)...
This is the future with a dominant, and possibly only high-end console. Sony are able to raise the prices of their consoles and accessories because they know there really aren't any other options now. Also, this is Sony preparing the ground for the quite possibly staggering cost of the Pro. Usually, by now, consoles would be cheaper than they were when they were first released. This has not happened this generation, indeed, instead of price drops, we have seen price increases. Usually a few years after a console releases the price drops, and then the Pro iteration releases at the original consoles price point (or thereabouts). This generation, Sony have increased the price of their consoles because, quite simply, they can. We are a captive market, with Xbox offering little to tempt us.
So, with a PS5 console costing close to £500, I think it safe to assume that the Pro will cost more by probably at least £100, What that also indicates is that the PS6 will likely cost north of £600. Possibly a fair bit north.
I've just received an email from Focus Entertainment, @species. I was completely wrong about them not sorting the issue. Apparently there is some sort of problem with delivering my order, which has me slightly concerned because the statue has now sold out, so it's not like I can easily replace it. However, the good news is that they have sent me a digital code for the top edition of the game, so either I am to end up with two such codes, or a refund on my original order (I cannot imagine that they would deduct the code they have sent me). I guess that could be looked at as a win either way... 😊
EA is part of the CE version, @species. They have not sent me anything digitally, and I still have not received the game either. I have emailed them to express my dissatisfaction, but I don't expect that to amount to anything. It's not good enough though...
Have to admit to be somewhat miffed. I paid the most of the lot; £225 for the Collector's Edition, and it still has not arrived. Bearing in mind I paid a further £25 on top of that for the privilege of courier delivery, it's particularly poor of Focus Entertainment for them to not to have dispatched it early enough for it to arrive in time for the early access...
Do you need to have played the first game to enjoy the second, @Khayl? I have played the first one, but I played it when it first came out, and although I remember enjoying it, I cannot recall the game at all...
I feel absolutely certain that they would have sold more copies of Outlaws had it been more competitively priced. Setting a £120 price point for the Ultimate Edition almost smacks of desperation to get their investment back, rather than being value for money. Selling the base game for £60/£70 would have been okay, and then add £20 to that for the Ultimate Edition, £30 at a push. In other words, the maximum the game should have cost was £80 to £90. At that price, I would have been tempted to buy the Ultimate Edition. As it was, I looked at the £120 price and decided not to buy it at all. I will likely still pick it up at some point, but not until I can pick up the Ultimate Edition for around £60. That's a lot of money, by being greedy, that they lost from me alone...
Have they, @riceNpea? Have Game Science released a press release (or even said something on Twitter) that specifically mentions this issue?
Not that I can see. There have been insider statements to say this is the case, but I don't believe we have heard anything directly from Game Science confirming it. Even if this insider is correct, and has spoken to someone at GS, it is still not the same as GS coming out and publicly saying so.
Sony seems to think it may have a banger on its hands.
So what are we suggesting here? That Sony didn't have confidence in Concord before it's release too? Did they not believe that to be a 'banger' too? Because if that is not the case, then perhaps Concord should not have released as surely Sony needs to have absolute confidence in all their first party games...
There may not be an agreed period of exclusivity for Sony to talk about, @Ilyn, it maybe as simple as Sony having helped Game Science get the PlayStation version done first, thus creating a period of exclusivity by virtue of the PS5 version being the one released first. After all, you cannot talk about an exclusive agreement that does not exist...
I agree that there is no issue with a company securing an exclusive, @Matroska, indeed, my view is that Sony likely assisted the Developer to bring the game to the PS5 first, and not necessarily with a specified period of exclusivity. However, by bringing it to one console first, it does create a period of exclusivity. Also, Sony cannot announce a exclusive deal that does not exist.
However, I think the problem with this scenario is that by neither Sony nor the Game Science being straight with us, it has allowed the Xbox Series S to be accused of being the problem, and for Xbox as a whole to take heat that is not of their making, and for which they are not actually able to do anything about.
Now, neither Sony nor Game Science are obliged to say anything, and indeed, both may have signed an agreement that prohibits them from doing so, but in the case of Sony, they have been in the game long enough to know that saying nothing is perhaps even more damaging to Xbox than admitting there is some form of agreement in place (even if that isn't actually for a period of exclusivity). If that is the case, then Sony have played a blinder...
I mean, @themightyant, I entirely agree, but I am talking way off in the future, and I'll be long gone before then!
Who knows, maybe this time next century we'll either be lounging by the pool being fed grapes by super attentive robots, or... those robots will be treading on our bleached skulls as they hunt down the last remaining survivors of humanity... 🤣
You're right, @themightyant; some people will lose their jobs, but other will now find one.
AI is one of those things that will change the course of human history (hopefully for the better!), and it may even lead to that Utopia that has long been dreamed of where none of us work, and we all lead lives as equals, waited on by robots driven by AI, and all equally provided a decent living wage by the Government. It'll be a while, but AI could well be the start of all that.
It's simply the best game ever made, and it keeps getting better and better. At this rate, it should be eligible for every Game of the Year award this year too... 😉
Comments 963
Re: Jaw-Dropping 30th Anniversary PS5 Pro Console and Accessories Will Bankrupt You
Look great, much better than the current systems, but the cost...? Surely that will hurt... a lot!
Re: Dragon Age: Inquisition Massively Oversold Projections, Remains BioWare's Biggest Game
A solid 8, as I recall. Could even nudge a 9. I really enjoyed my time with it. The only element of the game that was slightly disappointing was the multiplayer component. After really, really enjoying the PvE of Mass Effect 3 (into which I put in well over a 1000 hours), I was really hopeful for Inquisition's version, but it just didn't hit the spot in the same way. Indeed, it wasn't particularly enjoyable at all.
Hopefully, they won't be attempting the PvE this time, unless, of course, they can smash it out of the park as they did with ME3...
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Huge PS5 Pro Enhancements Are a 'Vast Improvement'
Hey, @get2sammyb, you have a typo in the first paragraph; particularly instead of particular. Thought you might want to correct it...
Re: Baldur's Gate 3's First Custom Maps Portend Endless D&D Adventure
The game is simply fantastic, and Larian are the best developer there is. Unparalleled!
One of the mods I would like to see is one that allows us those spells that Larian said were simply too powerful, the ones that appear happen after level 12.
When I finished my Tactician run recently, I reached level 12 soon after hitting Act 3, and as I neared towards the end I had 100,000 XP sat doing nothing. 100,000 is the XP cap, you still see that you're earning it, but that figure does not go up. I spent probably the last 10 hours or so earning XP that did not add to that total, so I have no idea what I actually had in total, but I reckon I could have got to at least level 18 with what I earned over all. Obviously you have to do everything in the game to earn that sort of XP, but the game is an absolute gem, so you never feel like you are grinding.
Love everything Larian do, and cannot wait to see what they do next. Hoping for a Divinity Original Sin 3, and maybe something set in a sci-fi universe would be cool...
Re: The Game Awards Host Geoff Keighley and Parody Site Hard Drive Are Beefing
Maybe because some people will go to any lengths to defend their little white plastic box, @MrPeanutbutterz.. 😜
Re: PS6 Is Already Deep in Development, Backwards Compatibility of High Importance
Other than the hard-drive (and colour), @Titntin, it's not a mid-generation upgrade and you know it! Where's the boost in performance? You're just tryin' to be cheeky! 🤣
Re: PS6 Is Already Deep in Development, Backwards Compatibility of High Importance
I'm not so sure that Sony will only allow 3 years for the Pro to shine, @Kalime78. The PS4 Pro to Ps5 was 4 years, and I think they'll do that again...
Re: PS6 Is Already Deep in Development, Backwards Compatibility of High Importance
I still have my Gears of War 3 360 console, @ScottyG, and still use the controllers that came with it. I had to queue up outside Game until midnight when the game was released in order to acquire one, and then got home at near 1 a.m. to start playing the game. Fun times!
I also have the Gears of War Xbox One console, the GoW3 Collector's Edition (the one with Marcus sitting on a rock), and the Gears 4 CE with the motorcycle. I also have a 4 foot by 2 foot canvas poster from the GoW3 era, but I'm yet to find the right frame for it, as it is really, really big!
Massive fan of the series. My friend and I usually go through every campaign in chronological order every couple of years, and always before the next game releases so as to fully remind ourselves of the story. It's going to be odd going back to the very beginning, and also pretty annoying in that the story for 5 was not finished.
As you say, it's always nice to find a fellow fan of the games...
Re: PS6 Is Already Deep in Development, Backwards Compatibility of High Importance
I don't disagree with your logic, @GamingFan4Lyf, but my money is still on 2026, and with the console costing at least £700, but more likely £750-£800. It could go above that, but I've not sure. I also think it entirely possible that that would be all digital, and don't think they will take the Sony route of disc drive add on...
Re: PS6 Is Already Deep in Development, Backwards Compatibility of High Importance
Oh! That was a typo, @ScottyG. I promise you that you won't find a bigger Gears of War player than me! Indeed, I'm about 100th in the World as an Engineer in Gears 5. I have every collectible console that they have done, I have blankets, all the models, I even had to import the Collector's Edition of Gears 4 to the UK from the US because it wasn't released over here. I have all the books, and I have 2 of 500 Locust Busts they made.
I don't know how to attach my own photographs, but this is a link to the busts. I bought them directly when they were first made and paid £500 for each of them. This is a link to one being sold on eBay:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/115990791007?_skw=locust+bust&itmmeta=01J7XGXGMF2ZR9BYQAC9M44M5K&hash=item1b0197035f:g:29UAAOSwYqhlYydh&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA8HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKmXQDRTxm7VVSC3hFQeCMFm4ZU6Nmgj1uIua6POMGHGAd0WcTd43iilOZWRZMFLf2Mae5fcdSlyRw8IMj%2FuiRKd%2BYSeYzML8UzEeNcdTwwO%2BlDiE3tXiYWXogHyW3fK7xWYzPM%2BvxjaqBRyhqdqafoBMv4PM2knQ%2B%2FU8rmLu190av5U0LEAjvnvsdHU5%2BxBLwn5D8jYGGxCf2Wj2N3tHted4bZwDUVGpVEqISLEvHg%2Fs2csDzTroDlf9H3AMsHbE%2FpEsXbmKxqjI5xdlBx8cNLHFeMYvWI8ZM4wEnHvmEjAtQ%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABFBMqIr2sL9k
So, typo, I promise... 😂
Re: PS6 Is Already Deep in Development, Backwards Compatibility of High Importance
I think you are probably right, @tangyzesty. I believe they did contain basically the same guts...
Re: PS6 Is Already Deep in Development, Backwards Compatibility of High Importance
I'm not so sure, @themightyant. When the rumours that the NeXtBoX was coming in 2026 started to circulate, the rumours that there would be no mid-generation refresh for Xbox also started. That second rumour has gone from rumour to fact.
Microsoft have had a mid-generation refresh , every generation, starting with the 360. This is the first one to not have one since they started doing it. Now, firstly, if we are now to wait another 3 to 5 years before the PS6 releases (so 2 to 4 years after the Pro), then the Series consoles will be somewhere between 7 and 9 years old, and no match for the Pro. Remember too that the PS5 came out 4 years after the PS4 Pro, so 4 years is a fair bet. Factor into that the best place to play first-party Xbox games will be on the Pro (as will happen with Indiana Jones, for example), and Xbox will lose even further ground than they currently are.
Yes, it absolutely follows that if the NeXtBoX comes out in 2026, and the PS6 comes out 2 or 3 years later, that the NeXtBoX will only hold the title of World Most Powerful Console for a couple of years, but in truth, it was only on paper that the Series X is considered the most powerful, and look what good it has done them. Indeed, I'm sure Sony thought they were releasing a console worthy of that title when they released the PS5, and yet they were narrowly wrong, which goes to show that even releasing consoles in the same year, does not guarantee that title, and it could easily be Xbox that gets it wrong next time. Surely it would be better to definitively hold that title for 2 or 3 years, than not at all, or for the difference to be so negligible (as it is now) that it does not matter?
My money is still on 2026, and that it will be accompanied at launch by Gears of War: E-Day (amended! 😂), Perfect Dark, State of Decay 3 and Blade. Each of these games were the only ones to not have the Series X moniker attached to them at the recent Xbox showcase, and it makes perfect sense for the reason behind that to be because they are launch titles for the NeXtBoX. Unless you really think these games are upward of another 5 years away...
Re: PS6 Is Already Deep in Development, Backwards Compatibility of High Importance
You're missing the point, @LowDefAl. If Microsoft can say that the NeXtBoX is an improvement on the Pro, then they can reason that they can also charge more for it. Now, whether Microsoft choose to do that, bearing in mind their market share, is another matter completely.
However, unless Sony introduce a PS6 that is inferior to the Pro, then how on Earth do you expect them to seek less for it. The very best we can hope for is that the PS6 will cost £800 (for the top tier version), but truthfully, with Sony's dominant market position (and apparently arrogant position too) it's difficult to see them not seeing the launch of the PS6 (which will likely be superior to the NeXtBoX due to the difference in launch times) also being higher that the cost of the Pro.
Don't get me wrong, I'd love to be mistaken, but I just cannot see it...
Re: PS6 Is Already Deep in Development, Backwards Compatibility of High Importance
If the rumours are to be believed, @themightyant, the NeXtBoX will be out in 2026. What worries me about this is that what has traditionally kept the prices of consoles down is competition, because we usually see both consoles release at about the same time.
Now, with the Pro costing £820 (if you want all stand and drive), then what will a [i]truly[i/] next generation console cost? More than £800 is reasonable guess. And then what would that mean for the PS6 if it releases a year or two after the NeXtBoX? Still more, is the most likely answer.
After all, we can see that Sony feels empowered to charge a significant price for the Pro, probably due to their market dominance, and if rumours are to be believed, Sony was initially looking to price the PS5 at £600, before Microsoft then announced the Series X as costing £450, which was then followed a week later by Sony.
Console gaming is not the affordable pastime that it once was...
Re: Suda 51 Says 'Everyone Cares Too Much About Metacritic Scores'
Your comment regarding user reviews having their own bias has some truth to it, @RoomWithaMoose, you only have to look at the fact that the only place I'm aware of that Spiderman 2 was voted Game of the Year was here on on Push Square, whereas everywhere else it was Baldur's Gate 3.
On the Xbox Store, you have to own the game in order to leave a review, which at least tends to suggest that the person leaving the review has some experience with the game. I would assume that that is the same for the PlayStation Store, though I have never left a review there, so I am uncertain.
That is why I much prefer to use Steam reviews. Firstly, there really isn't much allegiance to one brand or another there, though if anything, review scores for Xbox and PlayStation games can get marked down, particularly if you are expected to sign into a different store in order to play the game. However, what I most like about Steam reviews is the sheer quantity of them. As I said earlier, it is difficult to argue that a game such as Wukong garnering 95% positive reviews is anything but a good game. Also, the ability to see what gamers think of a game during the past month is exceptionally helpful because it reflects the game not as it was at launch, but as it stands more recently...
Re: Suda 51 Says 'Everyone Cares Too Much About Metacritic Scores'
I actually care far more about what your everyday user rates a game, than I do 'professional' reviewers. First off, some professional reviewers work for sites that have an inherent bias, so, as an example, those that work for Pure or Push are more likely to overlook certain things because they strive to be positive about games coming to the platforms they support.
I much prefer to look at somewhere like Steam reviews written by the likes of all of us. As an example, just look at Wukong on Steam, it has a 95% overwhelmingly positive rating from 623,000 reviews. It's difficult to argue that a game with so many positive reviews can be anything other than excellent.
Also, a game such as Cyburpunk 2077 is a completely different beast today than it was when it first released, and so the Metacritic review probably does not represent it at all. The same can be said of many games, bearing in mind that we now live in a release broken and fix later developer culture.
The only other thing I would say is that people like what they like, and generally that is the philosophy by which I choose my games. Most of the games I play probably have a Metacritic reviews score of 80+, though I rarely check them. Play what you want to play, and don't be solely guided by review scores. You may find pleasure in what others find intolerable.
Lastly, Shadows of the Damned was probably my favourite games of the PS360 era. I highly recommend it, and I pre-ordered the remake the day it became available to do so...
Re: Sony Boss Says 'PCs Are Difficult to Set Up', Firm Will Focus on PS5
There is some truth to the statement that PCs are difficult to set up. I have no PC knowledge, but have a very good gaming PC. I bought it, pre-built, 5 or 6 years ago for £2600, and have since spent a further £600 on it by upgrading the graphics card and memory.
When I started playing on PCs right at the start of the PS4/Xbox One era (I was egged into doing it because my two mates who didn't want to get an Xbox One), gaming on a PC was far, far more difficult than it is now. We lost many a nights gaming because at least one of us could not get a game running, and many games were, for me, unplayable because they did not have controller support.
These days, things are certainly different; games tend to be pretty much ready to play from the get go, without needing to mess around with the settings too much. Controller support is widely available, certainly in most of the bigger games, though as an example, when Baldur's Gate 3 launched in Early Access in October of 2020, it did not have controller support. Indeed, it did not get it until it's full launch in October last year.
On the subject of BG3, I do play the game in full 4K, but at times, my even my expensive PC struggles with the game, particularly when the game first starts, but it does tend to settle down after a while. My mate bought a new PC earlier this year, and it runs the game fine though. He did spend £4600 on his, so make of that what you will..!
So, first off, I do not think even those that know what they are doing could build a PC equivalent to the PS5 Pro for £700. Those that don't know what they're doing would have no hope! Ultimately, I think you would have to spend pretty big to match it, and still more if you wanted to have every game running at 60FPS and 4K. Consoles are an easy option, and for most of us, are perfectly fine...
Re: Lack of Competition from Xbox Partly Why PS5 Pro Is $700, Says Analyst
I reckon part of Sony's thinking is that people were paying over £1000, on eBay, for a PS5 at launch, @thefourfoldroot1, so they believe that there are many that will happily pay £700-£820 for a Pro...
Re: Lack of Competition from Xbox Partly Why PS5 Pro Is $700, Says Analyst
I've been saying for literally years that those wanting Xbox to fail will create a Sony monopoly that will be truly bad for us gamers. With Xbox out of the console market (which is a distinct possibility in the not too distant future) you can be absolutely certain that the PS5 Pro will be considered cheap by the standards of what Sony will be offering us in the future.
The same will apply to games, because once Xbox is fully third-party, Sony will have free reign to up the prices of games, so it is entirely possible that during the course of the next generation that games will hit £100 a pop, I say that because with each generation we see games increase by £10, sometimes more, so you just know that Sony will push up the prices of games too.
People need to remember that Sony is not your friend. They just see your wallets and attempt to empty them. Love 'em or hate 'em, Microsoft help keep prices lower. No competition means only one market force is dictating pricing, and with Sony, we know they will take every penny they can...
Re: 'It Makes Sense Why the PS5 Pro Price Is So High,' Say Tech Experts
You're right, @Sergo, the Pro will sell, but I cannot see it achieving the 14% of the market that the PS4 Pro achieved. The PS4 Pro sold at the original price that the PS4 sold for upon first release, with the PS4 having been lowered in price. Hear Sony are asking for £300 more than the original PS5.
If the PS5 Pro makes up 10% of the PS5s sold, I'd be surprised. That's still a lot of sales, and money for Sony, but many people that would have traditionally upgraded to the Pro during past generations will now balk at the cost of the PS5 Pro, stick with the standard PS5, and await the PS6 (and hope it's price is not similarly ridiculous)...
Re: 'It Makes Sense Why the PS5 Pro Price Is So High,' Say Tech Experts
The thing is, only 14% of gamers invested in a PS4 pro. 14%..! And that console sold at the price of the original PS4, with the original model selling at a lower price. I said when Sony raised the price of the PS5, and the accessories, that this was Sony preparing the ground for a super expensive PS5 Pro model, and I was right. However, the real question is, just how many PS5 Pro consoles do Sony expect to sell? Surely they cannot expect to sell in the region of 14% again? I'd be surprised it they actually reached double figures. Sure, the Pro will sell out when it first releases when early adopters buy it in time for Christmas, but after that..? I just cannot see it selling well.
I do have to wonder whether Sony watched the PS5, when it first released, going for over a £1000 on eBay, and thought to themselves, we could have sold the PS5 for much more. Indeed, I think the only reason it did sell for £450 was because Microsoft announced the price of the Series X the week before. Rumours at that time were that Sony were looking to charge up to £600 for the PS5, and the price of the Pro, and the increases to the price of the original PS5, does tend to suggest that maybe those rumours were true.
Three things strike me though, the first is just how much will the PS6 cost?
The second is, for those of us that buy both the Xbox and the PS5, at what point does the combined price mean that really, you may as well get a PC. I mean, it's almost as if that's what the likes of Sony wants.
And then the third is scalpers. Man, I really hope they go in hard on the Pro, only to find that they cannot sell them. That would be some justice then for the way they behaved when the original consoles released...
Re: Dead Island 2's Horde Mode, Neighbourhood Watch, Arrives in Time for Halloween
Thank you, @Splat. I did read the article, but somehow managed to overlook that. Stupid is as stupid does... 🤪
Re: Dead Island 2's Horde Mode, Neighbourhood Watch, Arrives in Time for Halloween
Do we know if this is part of the Season Pass, @Khayl? Or is it free, or paid for separately...?
Re: No Campaign Early Access for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Agreed, @riceNpea. It would have been nice to have early access to the campaign, as that's the only bit I ever play... 😂
Re: Poll: Are You Sold on PS5 Pro?
Sorry, @ShogunRok, but your poll is splitting the same vote. Both Nah, the improvements don't really impress me and No, it's just too expensive equate to the same thing. Currently the 'No' people are polling at 77%, but you'd be forgiven for thinking it wasn't quite as bad as that...
Re: No Campaign Early Access for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Oh, I absolutely agree that it doesn't do PlayStation gamers any benefit, @riceNpea, but then it is now a Microsoft owned division, and they're not doing anything for the Xbox crowd either, only levelling the playing-field, which I think is the right thing to do.
After all, it wasn't previously done out of the kindness of Activision's heart. It was done because Sony were coughing up cash. Now it's Microsoft doing it, and instead of us getting the worse version, we're getting the same, which is how it should be...
Re: PS5 Pro Announced, Costs $700 and Out in November
So £800 if you want a disc drive. Thanks, Sony, but I think I'll pass.
There simply isn't enough utilising the PS5 as is. It's like they sold as an Early Access console to start with, with all the promises they made about performance, and now they're offering us a console that may achieve what they originally told us the PS5 could do.
So, nope...!
Re: PS5 Pro Showcase Coming Today, Hosted by Mark Cerny
Plus, does that £700 include the disc drive, @S1ayeR74? If not, then you can add another £100 to that...
Re: PS5 Pro Showcase Coming Today, Hosted by Mark Cerny
Do we know if that £700 price tag includes the disc drive, @LiamCroft?
Re: PS5 Pro Showcase Coming Today, Hosted by Mark Cerny
You have to wonder whether Sony will actually reveal the price of the Pro today. After all, it would probably be better to stoke the interest of potential buyers, than put them off immediately if the price is too steep. Better to have people deciding that they really want / cannot do without the console, than have them immediately decide they're not interested based on the price.
Sony's position might be that they think it best to keep the cost to themselves, at least for now, as having a successful demonstration showcase overshadowed by an outcry of 'how much?' is less than desirable, whereas one where everyone is positive about the console is a win for Sony...
Re: No Campaign Early Access for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Yes, it was exclusivity deals, @riceNpea, but it is still unjust for one set of fans to pay exactly the same as the other, but receive an inferior product for their money. I think what Microsoft are getting at here is that wherever you choose to spend your money on CoD from now on, you will get exactly the same for your expenditure, which is both fair, and exactly how it should be...
Re: Predictably, Baldur's Gate 3's Modding Scene Is Absolutely Massive
That was my thinking, @BIG3. Truthfully, I'd rather that mods do disable Trophies/Achievements because otherwise it would not be possible to distinguish between those that did Honour Mode correctly, and those that had effectively cheated by making the mode easier...
Re: No Campaign Early Access for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Agree that they are not doing those playing on the PlayStation a favour, @riceNpea, however, they are doing those on the Xbox a favour as they have typically always received certain elements after those on the PlayStation. One year, there was a mode that the PlayStation had that didn't go to the Xbox until a year had passed, which rendered it pointless because the subsequent game came out at around the same time. So the wording is correct, it just won't be noticeable to those that game on the PlayStation, and it always struck me as unfair that those that gamed on the Xbox paid exactly the same for CoD as those on the PlayStation, yet received an inferior game...
Re: Predictably, Baldur's Gate 3's Modding Scene Is Absolutely Massive
Do/will mods disable Trophies, @Khayl? If not, I guess it would be possible to complete Honour Mode with ease simply by making your character unkillable (as an example)...
Re: Sony Increases PS5 Controller Prices in US, Europe, and More
This is the future with a dominant, and possibly only high-end console. Sony are able to raise the prices of their consoles and accessories because they know there really aren't any other options now. Also, this is Sony preparing the ground for the quite possibly staggering cost of the Pro. Usually, by now, consoles would be cheaper than they were when they were first released. This has not happened this generation, indeed, instead of price drops, we have seen price increases. Usually a few years after a console releases the price drops, and then the Pro iteration releases at the original consoles price point (or thereabouts). This generation, Sony have increased the price of their consoles because, quite simply, they can. We are a captive market, with Xbox offering little to tempt us.
So, with a PS5 console costing close to £500, I think it safe to assume that the Pro will cost more by probably at least £100, What that also indicates is that the PS6 will likely cost north of £600. Possibly a fair bit north.
Best get saving now, I guess... 🤑
Re: Space Marine 2 Already Struggling With PS5 Server Woes, Days Before Its Full Release
I've just received an email from Focus Entertainment, @species. I was completely wrong about them not sorting the issue. Apparently there is some sort of problem with delivering my order, which has me slightly concerned because the statue has now sold out, so it's not like I can easily replace it. However, the good news is that they have sent me a digital code for the top edition of the game, so either I am to end up with two such codes, or a refund on my original order (I cannot imagine that they would deduct the code they have sent me). I guess that could be looked at as a win either way... 😊
Re: Space Marine 2 Already Struggling With PS5 Server Woes, Days Before Its Full Release
EA is part of the CE version, @species. They have not sent me anything digitally, and I still have not received the game either. I have emailed them to express my dissatisfaction, but I don't expect that to amount to anything. It's not good enough though...
Re: Space Marine 2 Already Struggling With PS5 Server Woes, Days Before Its Full Release
My only issue with the game so far is I have not received the bloody Collector's Edition I have paid for... 🤬
Re: Surging Space Marine 2 Early Access Numbers Portend a Golden Future
Have to admit to be somewhat miffed. I paid the most of the lot; £225 for the Collector's Edition, and it still has not arrived. Bearing in mind I paid a further £25 on top of that for the privilege of courier delivery, it's particularly poor of Focus Entertainment for them to not to have dispatched it early enough for it to arrive in time for the early access...
Re: Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 7 Delayed Into October on PS5
Is the Xbox version delayed even further, @riceNpea?
Re: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (PS5) - Grimdark Shooter Is an Instant Co-Op Classic
Do you need to have played the first game to enjoy the second, @Khayl? I have played the first one, but I played it when it first came out, and although I remember enjoying it, I cannot recall the game at all...
Re: Star Wars Outlaws, XDefiant Disappointments Pour Pain on Ubisoft's Share Prices
I feel absolutely certain that they would have sold more copies of Outlaws had it been more competitively priced. Setting a £120 price point for the Ultimate Edition almost smacks of desperation to get their investment back, rather than being value for money. Selling the base game for £60/£70 would have been okay, and then add £20 to that for the Ultimate Edition, £30 at a push. In other words, the maximum the game should have cost was £80 to £90. At that price, I would have been tempted to buy the Ultimate Edition. As it was, I looked at the £120 price and decided not to buy it at all. I will likely still pick it up at some point, but not until I can pick up the Ultimate Edition for around £60. That's a lot of money, by being greedy, that they lost from me alone...
Re: Black Myth: Wukong's Xbox Delay Isn't Due to Platform Limitations, Says Microsoft
My apologies too, @riceNpea. I scrolled down from my answer and saw your response, and didn't see the correction.
Anyway, it's all good, matey...
Re: Black Myth: Wukong's Xbox Delay Isn't Due to Platform Limitations, Says Microsoft
Have they, @riceNpea? Have Game Science released a press release (or even said something on Twitter) that specifically mentions this issue?
Not that I can see. There have been insider statements to say this is the case, but I don't believe we have heard anything directly from Game Science confirming it. Even if this insider is correct, and has spoken to someone at GS, it is still not the same as GS coming out and publicly saying so.
Happy to be corrected though, matey...
Re: Internal Sony Fairgame$ Chatter Is Reportedly Quite Positive
Sony seems to think it may have a banger on its hands.
So what are we suggesting here? That Sony didn't have confidence in Concord before it's release too? Did they not believe that to be a 'banger' too? Because if that is not the case, then perhaps Concord should not have released as surely Sony needs to have absolute confidence in all their first party games...
Re: Black Myth: Wukong's Xbox Delay Isn't Due to Platform Limitations, Says Microsoft
There may not be an agreed period of exclusivity for Sony to talk about, @Ilyn, it maybe as simple as Sony having helped Game Science get the PlayStation version done first, thus creating a period of exclusivity by virtue of the PS5 version being the one released first. After all, you cannot talk about an exclusive agreement that does not exist...
Re: Black Myth: Wukong's Xbox Delay Isn't Due to Platform Limitations, Says Microsoft
I agree that there is no issue with a company securing an exclusive, @Matroska, indeed, my view is that Sony likely assisted the Developer to bring the game to the PS5 first, and not necessarily with a specified period of exclusivity. However, by bringing it to one console first, it does create a period of exclusivity. Also, Sony cannot announce a exclusive deal that does not exist.
However, I think the problem with this scenario is that by neither Sony nor the Game Science being straight with us, it has allowed the Xbox Series S to be accused of being the problem, and for Xbox as a whole to take heat that is not of their making, and for which they are not actually able to do anything about.
Now, neither Sony nor Game Science are obliged to say anything, and indeed, both may have signed an agreement that prohibits them from doing so, but in the case of Sony, they have been in the game long enough to know that saying nothing is perhaps even more damaging to Xbox than admitting there is some form of agreement in place (even if that isn't actually for a period of exclusivity). If that is the case, then Sony have played a blinder...
Re: Jennifer Hale Says AI Is Coming for All of Us
I mean, @themightyant, I entirely agree, but I am talking way off in the future, and I'll be long gone before then!
Who knows, maybe this time next century we'll either be lounging by the pool being fed grapes by super attentive robots, or... those robots will be treading on our bleached skulls as they hunt down the last remaining survivors of humanity... 🤣
Re: Jennifer Hale Says AI Is Coming for All of Us
You're right, @themightyant; some people will lose their jobs, but other will now find one.
AI is one of those things that will change the course of human history (hopefully for the better!), and it may even lead to that Utopia that has long been dreamed of where none of us work, and we all lead lives as equals, waited on by robots driven by AI, and all equally provided a decent living wage by the Government. It'll be a while, but AI could well be the start of all that.
Science fiction? Maybe not...
Re: Baldur's Gate 3's Huge Patch 7 Is Out This Week on PC, PS5 Has to Wait 'A Little Longer'
It's simply the best game ever made, and it keeps getting better and better. At this rate, it should be eligible for every Game of the Year award this year too... 😉