Bit disappointed that The Last of Us just swept the awards like it's nobodies business (although some of the games you'd think would be some of it's biggest competition, Hades and Half-Life, weren't even nominated for the big award (though Doom Eternal was) so *shrugs * not entirely sure what the thinking was there), and that there weren't as many 'great' announcements as I was hoping for (the lack of Eldin Ring was especially disappointing) but there were still some nice surprises. Seeing the announcement for a new Perfect Dark game 15 years after the last one was great to see, as was the announcement for a new Mass Effect game (Bioware's recent performance notwithstanding) and while it was a weird place to announce them, the many new Star Wars and Marvel shows and films that were announced was pretty exciting. Overall, I'd say it was pretty good, but would've been nice to see 1 or 2 more big announcements (or just Eldin Ring).
@JoeyTS - "and it getting the GOTY Award indicates that a lot of people agree with that statement!" Eh, did it really have much competition though? I mean, out of the games that were actually nominated, what games were really GOTY worthy outside maybe Ghost of Tshushima and FFVII Remake? Had Cyberpunk been nominated (Or Hades/Half-Life), it might've had a chance, purely off hype alone, but as it stands, the only game that might've had a chance of winning was maybe Ghost of Tsushima, and even that's a slim chance.
@TG16_IS_BAE - Given most probably don't see Sekiro as a "dumpster fire" I'd say, yeah, probably.
Like how 'predictions for The Game Awards' refers to the announcements accompanying the awards rather than the awards themselves. Goes to show where all the interest lies
As for what I figure will be there, I...actually don't know. Maybe something on Bayonetta 3? It depends on how much will be on titles already announced, and how much on titles that haven't yet. Personally, I'd like there to be something on Eldin Ring, but it's impossible to tell what's going on with that right now, so... *shrugs *
To be fair, the concept art shown in the second trailer was far more informative than the few vague environment pieces we got in the first one (in addition to showing actual pre-alpha gameplay), so I have no doubt that this trailer will be a further step up from that. Whether it'll meet the article writer's lofty expectations (which seems to be "Give us everything or don't show up") though, is another story.
@NEStalgia "appealing to the sadist niche is the only thing it really has going for it." 'sadist niche'? You realise getting killed isn't the point, right? It's overcoming the challenge through learning that's the point. And overcoming challenge isn't really that niche a concept; it's literally the same philosophy that most video games employ; the only difference is that From games typically forgo difficulty modes in favour of a single setting designed to offer a challenging experience.
"Enjoying that loop is literally the only reason to buy a From game"
Not really; while overcoming the games various challenges is a large part of the games appeal, I wouldn't go as far as say it's the only thing it has to offer (if it were, channels like VaatiVidya that revolve around Soulsborne lore would probably not exist). Even Dark Souls II, arguably the game that has the worse representation of this idea (containing far more cheap moments than any other Soulsborne game), still has other things like atmosphere, lore and characters to entice players to stick around.
Finally, just a note that not every Soulsborne fan feels the need to brag about their achievements. I'm not sure if you already knew that, but I felt I should point that out just in case
@get2sammyb - So, does it being an update for the PS4 version mean you'd need both it and the Remaster copy at the same time to perform the save transfer?
7/10 - Haven't played the Vita game or Lost Legacy (so naturally got those two wrong), and got Rafe from 4 mixed up with Flynn from 2 (in hindsight, I probably should've realised the graphics were too detailed for it to be the latter, but oh well). Not too bad, all things considered.
Given what we saw from the trailer, it does seem further along than FF XV was when it was first announced as Versus XIII. When it'll actually come out though is still an open question, given the current climate.
@blah01 - Really? Last I checked, both were pretty lacking in terms of launch titles, with the PS3's only decent title being Resistance: Fall of Man and the PS4's being Killzone: Shadow Fall. The PS5, on the other hand, has Demon's Souls, which, while a remake, is already a bigger, better title than both of those. Add Miles Morales and Sackboy to those and I'm not sure how this launch line-up isn't a definite step-up from Sony's prior efforts.
@Old-Red - As @leucocyte mentioned, the US prices don't include tax, as they apparently vary between states, so in reality, the prices will likely end up being roughly equal but how much will depend on which state you're in.
Well, this pretty much solidifies a 'wait for a sale' approach for this gen, provided they don't reverse the prices at some point. $125 AUD for any game (unless it's a special edition) is a bit too ridiculous for me even if I could afford it, so while I would've liked to get Demon's Souls at launch, at that price that's probably not gonna happen.
The art style looks very similar to FF XIV, so it'll be interesting to see how similar the two end up being. Gameplay wise, I'm not sure if it reminds me more of XV or VII Remake; hopefully the latter, but it might end up somewhere in between. The thing I'm most apprehensive about though is the story. Not sure if I missed something, but what was presented didn't seem that clear or interesting, but maybe a rewatch will make things clearer *shrugs *.
And so the 'SE with Vergil' becomes a trend, though if this is all they're putting in, I'm not sure if I'll bother for a while, having already bought a digital copy of the original some months back. If they put Lady and Trish in, that'll be great, but as is, I might wait a bit before getting this again.
@RBMango - "To call this a remake is a literal insult to games like Bluepoint's Demon's Souls and Shadow of the Colossus." To be fair, those projects likely had relatively big budgets to achieve those results; here, the project being delegated to a new studio in India, and the screenshots seem to indicate that, due to the series not being that successful commercially, it wasn't given much priority, or budget. The results are pretty on par with what Ubisoft probably expected. "This looks the kind of a free remaster..." Maybe if the original game was a PS3 title, but that's not the case here. Having actually played the PS3 remaster, I can definitely say this is a significant step up from that, let alone the PS2 original. Sure, it's not "PS5 Demon's Souls' level, but it's still a decent upgrade over both the original release, and the PS3 remaster.
Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see the problem here regarding lack of content. Unless I'm misremembering, there's a lot more in this video than the last one: tons of concept art, some work-in-progress locations and gameplay, some motion-capture, animation work...
I mean, sure, it's not likely to release until late next year at best, but was that ever in doubt to begin with?
As for what's actually here, there does seem to be a few interesting things: There's a piece of concept art that seems to show underwater exploration, some gameplay test footage showing a more action-oriented gameplay style, some stuff on Solas (making it clear that this game is going to follow on from Inquisition) including some concept art on how he could look, some interesting creature/character designs, and a somewhat impressive range of environments.
Admittedly, none of this is much of a signifier on the game's quality (which, given Bioware's previous two titles, is at least a little suspect) as, yes, it's still early days, but it's still a nice teaser into some of the possible ideas and concepts the next game is working with, if nothing else.
While I'm a bit puzzled and confused by the premise (I'm guessing/hoping they're not more of Albert's kids but kids of another Wesker?), I'm not sure how it not being a straight game adaptation is a bad thing. The reason the movies failed wasn't because they weren't straight adaptations (in fact, the second film, Apocalypse came pretty close to being one) but because they did do just wasn't that good (though I suspect that wasn't really the goal, given how consistent the films were).
@Jaz007 - Pretty much; as the definition in the article outright states "Games released under the GaaS model typically receive a long or indefinite stream of monetized new content over time to encourage players to continue paying to support the game." This is a lot different from a game simply having a post-release DLC schedule, or microtransations. While something like, say, Street Fighter V (or most fighters these days) could be considered GaaS, games like The Witcher, The Last of Us, or (to use a Nintendo example) Zelda: Breath of the Wild, who only release a relatively limited amount of DLC content, would not have enough to qualify as 'Games as a Service'. On top of that, the DLC for those games serves mainly as bonus extras for the main campaign, which goes against the entire point of Games as a Service, which is built around the idea of constant post-release content. In other words, to qualify as GaaS, your title needs to revolve around and rely upon post-release content, rather than it simply being an extra or bonus.
Upon seeing the trailer I thought this could make for a nice story-focused game, one with a somewhat unique premise for a mainline Batman story, but now I know it's gonna be like the upcoming Avengers game, I'm decidedly less interested (even moreso than Avengers, since that game at least has a large and varied cast of characters who all have their own unique gameplay style).
12/15 - Only questions I missed were the name of Kratos' first wife, and what role Cory Barlog played throughout the series' development(apparently I have no clue), so a pretty decent result overall.
Top 5 seems about right, though I'm surprised RDR2 isn't higher from what I've seen and heard about it.
Outside of the top 5, the only things that strike me as weird are the inclusions of DB FighterZ and Cuphead (which seem more about their art style then graphical detail), as well as the high placement of Detroit: Become Human (which does look good, but not as good as some of the lower-ranked titles on the list).
Overall though, there's no shortage of contenders for great looking PS4 games, so while there are a few titles I personally feel could be here (FFVII Remake, Jedi: Fallen Order, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, etc.) I get that in keeping the list to 25, some are inevitably going to miss out.
@Ah-Void - To be fair, is it any worse than Call of Duty being in an even higher place? (At least Nintendo games usually have a degree of charm to them)
@phil_j - "The Last of Us: Part II - Master Quest"?
Grounded mode in the first game was a big step up in difficulty from Survivor (though going from a Grounded NG playthrough, to Survivor NG+ one probably helped with that) so I'm not too surprised to hear the same is true with the second game (though I don't remember increased alertness being a thing in the first game, so it might actually be harder?). Permadeth would be just a straight up no for me, even if I had the game (or it was added to the first for whatever reason); my experiences with the first game are enough to know I'd probably never finish it if I tried that on anything outside of maybe normal mode.
"To be honest, they all unanimously look awful, and the effects don’t really work in this gritty and gruesome world like they did in the Uncharted games." True, but it is still the typical Naughty Dog thing to do and to be fair, it's not like they have any actual Uncharted games to do this with anymore.
@LiamCroft @Unlucky13 - Also agreed; would be nice to get an accurate idea of how long I've been playing certain games.
As for the poll, outside the top two, all of the options sound at least somewhat useful. Being able to re-play duels and quests along with a horde/arena mode sound preferable to a NG+ mode imo, and being able to revert back to regular weather also sounds like a good thing to be able to do. And stats are always nice to have around.
Well, there goes any lingering interest I had in the game. Seeing the reveal trailer I thought maybe it was going for a 'Marvel UIltimate Alliance' style setup in terms of story and progression, but the more I saw, especially of the gameplay, the less interested I became, and now, hearing it's a lot like Destiny, I think I might just pass on this and focus on other titles instead (which is a shame, as I was kinda hopeful for a solid Avengers-related title).
14/20 - Would've been 10/20 were it not for some luck guesses, but overall not too bad (especially since the only games here I've actually played are Metal Gear and Killzone).
@MarcG420 - Oh, don't get me wrong, the first wasn't all sunshine and rainbows either (especially the ending, as you pointed out) but that game seemed overall more balanced in its tone; even in the ending, Joel and Ellie at least made it out reasonably okay; it's not much, but it's at least something.
@themcnoisy - Agreed, but to be fair, Dreams is kinda like Super Mario Maker: It's reliant on user engagement to create and/or play user-created games and as such, requires a lot of patience and commitment to make it work. Compare it to games like Ghost of Tsushima or Doom Eternal where you simply need to play out the experience provided and it's no surprise that most (myself included) end up playing those types of games, instead of games like Dreams.
@Col_McCafferty - "Perfectly calm mate." No offense mate, but that last paragraph seems to say otherwise;
"Lastly, you and others are entitled not to like the game but if you can't understand why many do, well that's just pure arrogance on your part. It's pretty obvious why this game is rated highly by many. Anyway, why not talk about what you DO like or is that beyond you?"
I'm not sure why you jumped on me like that, unless you think I'm one of those '0/10 terrible game' types that were review bombing the game when it came out. If so, I'll state it plain: I'm not one of those. You seemed to have missed it, but in my first sentence, I did in fact list what I thought were the best parts of the game: "I get the technical aspects; the visuals, physics, audio and accessibility options are all top-tier stuff." so it's not like I hate everything about the game; heck, I don't even hate it full stop (I'm not a fan to be fair, but I wouldn't go as far as to say I outright hate it). I just don't get why so many are calling it a masterpiece (especially the story), when the game seems not only overwhelmingly negative (much moreso than the first one), but not particularly subtle either.
@dark_knightmare2 - I get the technical aspects; the visuals, physics, audio and accessibility options are all top-tier stuff. However, it's all undermined (at least for me) by gameplay deliberately designed to make you feel awful (i.e. you're not supposed to enjoy it even a little bit), a story that's also designed to make you (and its characters) feel awful (to put it lightly), and generally just doesn't seem worth it as either a sequel (Not a single character from the first game comes out even remotely okay) or a standalone game (a lot of the story relies on your pre-attachment to said characters from the first game).
In short, the game seems a misery simulator to me, so it seems a bit weird for me to see people shower so much praise upon it using (as you did) words like masterpiece and voting it as the best PS4 game of the year so far.
@Kienda - Well, its not like there's much competition this year. Animal Crossing is about it for Nintendo, and Microsoft so far has nothing. If Cyberpunk manages to come out this year that might change things, but as it stands, it seems PS4 exclusives are where its at this year.
A shame The Last of Us II got top spot, but I can't say I'm surprised (the game seems really popular for some reason); at least Ghost of Tsushima gave it a run for its money.
@WallyWest - Also, the game covers showed Ellie exclusively, so even if the trailers weren't a giveaway, the box art should be a pretty clear indicator on Joel's presence (or lack of) in the game.
Considering how uncomfortable and depressing the game was designed to be (to the point where the first game seems almost quaint by comparison), I'm honestly surprised it's racking up this many sales. I'm guessing part of it is due to more people having PS4's (see the fastest sales numbers rising with each year's big title) but even then, these numbers seem kinda improportionate for a game that's not really a crowd-pleaser by design.
For me it's a toss-up between Ghost of Tsushima and FFVII Remake for 1st, with Dreams coming in 3rd. Had The Last of Us Part II been less disappointing, it would've been a contender as well, but as it is, these three are the one's I've liked the most this year so far.
Seeing Jessie and Barret above Sephiroth is pretty funny, but well-deserved (both are much better characters in the remake). Zack at no.10 is kinda surprising given he appears for about a minute, but I guess his old popularity helped keep him in there (albeit barely). I think the biggest takeaway from this is just how successful their efforts were with making Jessie a likeable character (she's basically the most popular character outside the three heavy-weights)and I'm curious if this'll have an effect on or be a sign of how the character will be treated in Part 2.
Having free multiplayer is a point in a console's favour, but not enough on it's own to switch from one to another (scuse the pun). Bundling PS+ with PSNow is a decent idea, but only if said service is available in all regions, which at the moment is not the case.
4/15 - A lot of these I just flat had no idea on (including some of the ones I got right) though there were a couple I was surprised to get wrong (like how there was an Uncharted card game on the Vita, and how the Decima engine was not in fact created for Horizon Zero Dawn). All in all, a much harder quiz than I was expecting.
@TheFrenchiestFry - Pretty much; this isn't a Horizon situation, not only because it was never going to remain a PS4 exclusive, but also (likely because of that) it was never really a game associated with PlayStation in the way that Horizon was.
These changes seem okay, but more for PC players who don't have a PS4 copy, (or those who do, but never really played it). I'll be interested to see how the controls work on mouse+keyboard, but that's about it. As for these coming to PS5, there'll probably be some kind of upgrade/re-release, but I'm not sure it'll be at the level of the PC version (not that it bothers me any, after getting the platinum I probably won't be in the mood to re-visit it for some time).
So far, I've only played one of these games for a decent amount of time (FFVII Remake) but even if that wasn't the case, I get the feeling I'd place it at the top of my list anyway. Outside of the ending, which is more a problem for future installments than this one, this remake was everything I honestly could've hoped for; the characters were more fleshed out and likeable, the music was top-notch, the gameplay was among the best in the series (really showing how far SE have progressed since FFXV) with some truly great setpieces/boss fights and even the story was pretty good (which, coming from someone who didn't really like the original's story that much, is saying something). So far, I think the only game here that has a chance to surpass it is Dreams, and I'm not too sure what to think of that one to be honest. On the one hand, it achieves what it sets out to do pretty well in providing a robust game maker, but on the other hand, as with all game makers, a fair chunk of its value lies in what the community produces, which is very much a mixed bag. Maybe if I went back and put a decent amount of time into it I could get a better idea, but at the moment, I can't really say one way or the other.
"Set years after the events of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Ethan Winters and wife Mia have put their past behind them and started a new life in peace. Chris Redfield has other ideas, however. He disrupts their lives and throws Ethan into a new and twisted nightmare in search of answers."
You know, I wasn't really a fan of Chris in Resi 5/6, but this kinda beats anything he did in those games. Am starting to wonder if this is a sign he'll end up as the villain (or should it be VIllain) of the story (which, while not ideal, could lead to his character finally being retired).
Dunno what I think about the lack of zombies (and their replacement with outright fantasy monsters) but the fact they're going back to an action title can't sit well with those who thought 7 was a return to form for the series (seems they can't resist making Resident Evil an action series).
Edit: Graphics look nice though, so there's that at least.
@redd214 - It's within a single console generation, I'd say that counts as quick for these types of things (at least compared to things like the Crash and Spyro trilogies). @roe - That's because you're seeing this as a single, isolated case, rather than the long-running trend it could very well turn into. It's not the incident itself that's the problem, it's the precedent it sets going forward regarding exclusivity for big console franchises (as opposed to smaller games like Cuphead or Ori).
Got 7/20, which is actually a bit lower than I thought, but some of these questions (like which components do you need to craft Squall's final weapon, or how many issues of Occult fan magazine are there) were pretty obscure so I guess it could've been worse.
@redd214 - More like "Nice! Now no-one will buy a console ever again!" if even 'console exclusives' like Horizon are losing their exclusivity status this quickly, then what's the point of buying a Playstation or an Xbox when a PC can provide everything both consoles have to offer and then some?
@LieutenantFatman - Maybe not, but it does seem.....somewhat weird to write a short article that basically says little more than the title ("Hey guys, did you know we're playing the new Playstation game?") I mean, who would this be for? Those who are hotly anticipating this are probably going to be a bit annoyed, while those like myself who aren't are more likely going to shrug and ask why this article exists. Just seems a bit unnecessary on its own, that's all.
@thefirst - Those things would still be a problem, and sure, there's always the possibility things could still not work out, but the reason why the vaccine was so important, was because if you had it, you at least had a chance at overcoming them. Without a vaccine, there really is no hope; at best, you could delay the inevitable for a short while, but in the end, without it, humanity is doomed. That's the situation in a nutshell, and it's why the Fireflies (Marlene specifically) made the call to conduct the surgery on Ellie while she was still unconscious (that, and they were running on borrowed time). It's also why that one doctor was a lot more justified in trying to keep Joel from dooming humanity, than for Joel to try and stop them from killing Ellie (thus dooming humanity) just because he couldn't personally handle losing another 'daughter' (Because let's be honest; the reason Joel intervened wasn't because they 'didn't ask permission', but because he had grown attached to her, and couldn't bear losing her like he lost Sarah).
Further proof that regardless of the problems on the story and character side, the technical side is top notch (as has become the case for Naughty Dog titles). Be interesting if this tech gets implemented in other titles, as it could lead to more interesting puzzles and/or traversal options.
Comments 271
Re: Talking Point: Did The Game Awards 2020 Meet Your Expectations?
Bit disappointed that The Last of Us just swept the awards like it's nobodies business (although some of the games you'd think would be some of it's biggest competition, Hades and Half-Life, weren't even nominated for the big award (though Doom Eternal was) so *shrugs * not entirely sure what the thinking was there), and that there weren't as many 'great' announcements as I was hoping for (the lack of Eldin Ring was especially disappointing) but there were still some nice surprises. Seeing the announcement for a new Perfect Dark game 15 years after the last one was great to see, as was the announcement for a new Mass Effect game (Bioware's recent performance notwithstanding) and while it was a weird place to announce them, the many new Star Wars and Marvel shows and films that were announced was pretty exciting.
Overall, I'd say it was pretty good, but would've been nice to see 1 or 2 more big announcements (or just Eldin Ring).
@JoeyTS - "and it getting the GOTY Award indicates that a lot of people agree with that statement!"
Eh, did it really have much competition though? I mean, out of the games that were actually nominated, what games were really GOTY worthy outside maybe Ghost of Tshushima and FFVII Remake? Had Cyberpunk been nominated (Or Hades/Half-Life), it might've had a chance, purely off hype alone, but as it stands, the only game that might've had a chance of winning was maybe Ghost of Tsushima, and even that's a slim chance.
@TG16_IS_BAE - Given most probably don't see Sekiro as a "dumpster fire" I'd say, yeah, probably.
Re: Feature: Our PS5 Predictions for The Game Awards 2020
Like how 'predictions for The Game Awards' refers to the announcements accompanying the awards rather than the awards themselves. Goes to show where all the interest lies
As for what I figure will be there, I...actually don't know. Maybe something on Bayonetta 3? It depends on how much will be on titles already announced, and how much on titles that haven't yet. Personally, I'd like there to be something on Eldin Ring, but it's impossible to tell what's going on with that right now, so... *shrugs *
Re: Dragon Age 4 Confirmed for The Game Awards, Better Not Be More Concept Art
To be fair, the concept art shown in the second trailer was far more informative than the few vague environment pieces we got in the first one (in addition to showing actual pre-alpha gameplay), so I have no doubt that this trailer will be a further step up from that.
Whether it'll meet the article writer's lofty expectations (which seems to be "Give us everything or don't show up") though, is another story.
Re: Demon's Souls PS5 Easy Mode Was Considered by Bluepoint, But Felt It 'Wasn't Our Place'
@NEStalgia "appealing to the sadist niche is the only thing it really has going for it." 'sadist niche'? You realise getting killed isn't the point, right? It's overcoming the challenge through learning that's the point. And overcoming challenge isn't really that niche a concept; it's literally the same philosophy that most video games employ; the only difference is that From games typically forgo difficulty modes in favour of a single setting designed to offer a challenging experience.
"Enjoying that loop is literally the only reason to buy a From game"
Not really; while overcoming the games various challenges is a large part of the games appeal, I wouldn't go as far as say it's the only thing it has to offer (if it were, channels like VaatiVidya that revolve around Soulsborne lore would probably not exist). Even Dark Souls II, arguably the game that has the worse representation of this idea (containing far more cheap moments than any other Soulsborne game), still has other things like atmosphere, lore and characters to entice players to stick around.
Finally, just a note that not every Soulsborne fan feels the need to brag about their achievements. I'm not sure if you already knew that, but I felt I should point that out just in case
Re: Demon's Souls (PS5) - PlayStation's Best Ever Launch Game
@Digit2021 - Probably a straight-forward melee class like a Knight or something similar.
Re: You'll Be Able to Transfer Your Marvel's Spider-Man PS4 Save to PS5 After All
@get2sammyb - So, does it being an update for the PS4 version mean you'd need both it and the Remaster copy at the same time to perform the save transfer?
Re: Can You Name All These Uncharted Characters?
7/10 - Haven't played the Vita game or Lost Legacy (so naturally got those two wrong), and got Rafe from 4 mixed up with Flynn from 2 (in hindsight, I probably should've realised the graphics were too detailed for it to be the latter, but oh well).
Not too bad, all things considered.
Re: Final Fantasy XVI 'Coming Sooner than People Think', Reportedly in Development for at Least 4 Years
Given what we saw from the trailer, it does seem further along than FF XV was when it was first announced as Versus XIII. When it'll actually come out though is still an open question, given the current climate.
Re: Random: We Now Know What's Inside Fall Guys Characters, and It's a Nightmare
Okay I'll bite, what do they look like?
*looks at picture *
..........Well. Right. Good to know....I guess? (I think I need to find something to make me forget this ever happened)
Re: Round Up: What Was Announced at the PS5 Showcase Event?
@blah01 - Really? Last I checked, both were pretty lacking in terms of launch titles, with the PS3's only decent title being Resistance: Fall of Man and the PS4's being Killzone: Shadow Fall. The PS5, on the other hand, has Demon's Souls, which, while a remake, is already a bigger, better title than both of those. Add Miles Morales and Sackboy to those and I'm not sure how this launch line-up isn't a definite step-up from Sony's prior efforts.
Re: Sony Confirms PS5 Games Will Cost More
@Old-Red - As @leucocyte mentioned, the US prices don't include tax, as they apparently vary between states, so in reality, the prices will likely end up being roughly equal but how much will depend on which state you're in.
Well, this pretty much solidifies a 'wait for a sale' approach for this gen, provided they don't reverse the prices at some point. $125 AUD for any game (unless it's a special edition) is a bit too ridiculous for me even if I could afford it, so while I would've liked to get Demon's Souls at launch, at that price that's probably not gonna happen.
Re: Final Fantasy XVI Announced, PS5 Console Exclusive, Gameplay Trailer
The art style looks very similar to FF XIV, so it'll be interesting to see how similar the two end up being. Gameplay wise, I'm not sure if it reminds me more of XV or VII Remake; hopefully the latter, but it might end up somewhere in between.
The thing I'm most apprehensive about though is the story. Not sure if I missed something, but what was presented didn't seem that clear or interesting, but maybe a rewatch will make things clearer *shrugs *.
Re: Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition Announced for PS5 Launch, Play as Vergil
And so the 'SE with Vergil' becomes a trend, though if this is all they're putting in, I'm not sure if I'll bother for a while, having already bought a digital copy of the original some months back. If they put Lady and Trish in, that'll be great, but as is, I might wait a bit before getting this again.
Re: There Was a New Splinter Cell Game in Development After All... For Oculus VR
So, is this the first game remake for VR, or a completely new title made specifically for VR? Either way, it sounds interesting.
Re: Prince of Persia Remake Doesn't Look Any Better in Screenshots
@RBMango - "To call this a remake is a literal insult to games like Bluepoint's Demon's Souls and Shadow of the Colossus."
To be fair, those projects likely had relatively big budgets to achieve those results; here, the project being delegated to a new studio in India, and the screenshots seem to indicate that, due to the series not being that successful commercially, it wasn't given much priority, or budget. The results are pretty on par with what Ubisoft probably expected.
"This looks the kind of a free remaster..."
Maybe if the original game was a PS3 title, but that's not the case here. Having actually played the PS3 remaster, I can definitely say this is a significant step up from that, let alone the PS2 original. Sure, it's not "PS5 Demon's Souls' level, but it's still a decent upgrade over both the original release, and the PS3 remaster.
Re: How Well Do You Know Final Fantasy IX?
7/20 - And a lot of those were guesses (serving as a reminder to get back to playing it at some point).
Re: BioWare Gives a Tiny Glimpse of Dragon Age 4
Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see the problem here regarding lack of content. Unless I'm misremembering, there's a lot more in this video than the last one: tons of concept art, some work-in-progress locations and gameplay, some motion-capture, animation work...
I mean, sure, it's not likely to release until late next year at best, but was that ever in doubt to begin with?
As for what's actually here, there does seem to be a few interesting things: There's a piece of concept art that seems to show underwater exploration, some gameplay test footage showing a more action-oriented gameplay style, some stuff on Solas (making it clear that this game is going to follow on from Inquisition) including some concept art on how he could look, some interesting creature/character designs, and a somewhat impressive range of environments.
Admittedly, none of this is much of a signifier on the game's quality (which, given Bioware's previous two titles, is at least a little suspect) as, yes, it's still early days, but it's still a nice teaser into some of the possible ideas and concepts the next game is working with, if nothing else.
Re: Resident Evil Netflix Show Confirmed, Sounds Ludicrously Amazing
While I'm a bit puzzled and confused by the premise (I'm guessing/hoping they're not more of Albert's kids but kids of another Wesker?), I'm not sure how it not being a straight game adaptation is a bad thing. The reason the movies failed wasn't because they weren't straight adaptations (in fact, the second film, Apocalypse came pretty close to being one) but because they did do just wasn't that good (though I suspect that wasn't really the goal, given how consistent the films were).
Re: Soapbox: Games As a Service Should Be Embraced, Not Misunderstood
@Jaz007 - Pretty much; as the definition in the article outright states "Games released under the GaaS model typically receive a long or indefinite stream of monetized new content over time to encourage players to continue paying to support the game." This is a lot different from a game simply having a post-release DLC schedule, or microtransations. While something like, say, Street Fighter V (or most fighters these days) could be considered GaaS, games like The Witcher, The Last of Us, or (to use a Nintendo example) Zelda: Breath of the Wild, who only release a relatively limited amount of DLC content, would not have enough to qualify as 'Games as a Service'. On top of that, the DLC for those games serves mainly as bonus extras for the main campaign, which goes against the entire point of Games as a Service, which is built around the idea of constant post-release content. In other words, to qualify as GaaS, your title needs to revolve around and rely upon post-release content, rather than it simply being an extra or bonus.
Re: Gotham Knights Is DC Comics' Response to Marvel's Avengers, Launching 2021 on PS5 and PS4
Upon seeing the trailer I thought this could make for a nice story-focused game, one with a somewhat unique premise for a mainline Batman story, but now I know it's gonna be like the upcoming Avengers game, I'm decidedly less interested (even moreso than Avengers, since that game at least has a large and varied cast of characters who all have their own unique gameplay style).
Re: How Well Do You Know God of War?
12/15 - Only questions I missed were the name of Kratos' first wife, and what role Cory Barlog played throughout the series' development(apparently I have no clue), so a pretty decent result overall.
Re: Best PS4 Graphics
Top 5 seems about right, though I'm surprised RDR2 isn't higher from what I've seen and heard about it.
Outside of the top 5, the only things that strike me as weird are the inclusions of DB FighterZ and Cuphead (which seem more about their art style then graphical detail), as well as the high placement of Detroit: Become Human (which does look good, but not as good as some of the lower-ranked titles on the list).
Overall though, there's no shortage of contenders for great looking PS4 games, so while there are a few titles I personally feel could be here (FFVII Remake, Jedi: Fallen Order, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, etc.) I get that in keeping the list to 25, some are inevitably going to miss out.
Re: Name the PS4 Game Using These Screenshots
@LocalPenguin - I especially liked the first one - (Do you choose; A: Persona 5, B: Persona 5 Royal, or C: Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight?) .
15/20 - Not bad considering I was guessing most of them.
Re: July 2020 NPD: Ghost of Tsushima the Next PS4 Exclusive to Top the Chart
@Ah-Void - To be fair, is it any worse than Call of Duty being in an even higher place? (At least Nintendo games usually have a degree of charm to them)
Re: Hands On: The Last of Us 2's Generous Post-Release Patch Adds Fun, Frivolities, and Permadeath
@phil_j - "The Last of Us: Part II - Master Quest"?
Grounded mode in the first game was a big step up in difficulty from Survivor (though going from a Grounded NG playthrough, to Survivor NG+ one probably helped with that) so I'm not too surprised to hear the same is true with the second game (though I don't remember increased alertness being a thing in the first game, so it might actually be harder?).
Permadeth would be just a straight up no for me, even if I had the game (or it was added to the first for whatever reason); my experiences with the first game are enough to know I'd probably never finish it if I tried that on anything outside of maybe normal mode.
"To be honest, they all unanimously look awful, and the effects don’t really work in this gritty and gruesome world like they did in the Uncharted games."
True, but it is still the typical Naughty Dog thing to do and to be fair, it's not like they have any actual Uncharted games to do this with anymore.
Re: How Well Do You Know Naughty Dog?
6/10 - Not bad considering I don't know much about ND themselves.
Re: Feature: Ghost of Tsushima - 7 Things We Want from Future Updates
@LiamCroft @Unlucky13 - Also agreed; would be nice to get an accurate idea of how long I've been playing certain games.
As for the poll, outside the top two, all of the options sound at least somewhat useful. Being able to re-play duels and quests along with a horde/arena mode sound preferable to a NG+ mode imo, and being able to revert back to regular weather also sounds like a good thing to be able to do. And stats are always nice to have around.
Re: Hands On: Marvel's Avengers Has a Critical Path Problem
Well, there goes any lingering interest I had in the game. Seeing the reveal trailer I thought maybe it was going for a 'Marvel UIltimate Alliance' style setup in terms of story and progression, but the more I saw, especially of the gameplay, the less interested I became, and now, hearing it's a lot like Destiny, I think I might just pass on this and focus on other titles instead (which is a shame, as I was kinda hopeful for a solid Avengers-related title).
Re: Can You Name These PS3 Exclusives?
14/20 - Would've been 10/20 were it not for some luck guesses, but overall not too bad (especially since the only games here I've actually played are Metal Gear and Killzone).
Re: Everyone Wants a New Splinter Cell Game, So Ubisoft's Making a Netflix Series
Splinter Cell fans: "Hey, can we get a new Splinter Cell game?"
Ubisoft: "No, is a Netflix anime okay?"
Not sure what made someone think Splinter Cell of all things is good material for an anime, but I guess it's something?
Re: Feature: Push Square Readers' Top 10 PS4 Games of 2020 So Far
@MarcG420 - Oh, don't get me wrong, the first wasn't all sunshine and rainbows either (especially the ending, as you pointed out) but that game seemed overall more balanced in its tone; even in the ending, Joel and Ellie at least made it out reasonably okay; it's not much, but it's at least something.
@themcnoisy - Agreed, but to be fair, Dreams is kinda like Super Mario Maker: It's reliant on user engagement to create and/or play user-created games and as such, requires a lot of patience and commitment to make it work. Compare it to games like Ghost of Tsushima or Doom Eternal where you simply need to play out the experience provided and it's no surprise that most (myself included) end up playing those types of games, instead of games like Dreams.
Re: Feature: Push Square Readers' Top 10 PS4 Games of 2020 So Far
@Col_McCafferty - "Perfectly calm mate."
No offense mate, but that last paragraph seems to say otherwise;
"Lastly, you and others are entitled not to like the game but if you can't understand why many do, well that's just pure arrogance on your part. It's pretty obvious why this game is rated highly by many.
Anyway, why not talk about what you DO like or is that beyond you?"
I'm not sure why you jumped on me like that, unless you think I'm one of those '0/10 terrible game' types that were review bombing the game when it came out. If so, I'll state it plain: I'm not one of those. You seemed to have missed it, but in my first sentence, I did in fact list what I thought were the best parts of the game: "I get the technical aspects; the visuals, physics, audio and accessibility options are all top-tier stuff." so it's not like I hate everything about the game; heck, I don't even hate it full stop (I'm not a fan to be fair, but I wouldn't go as far as to say I outright hate it). I just don't get why so many are calling it a masterpiece (especially the story), when the game seems not only overwhelmingly negative (much moreso than the first one), but not particularly subtle either.
Re: Feature: Push Square Readers' Top 10 PS4 Games of 2020 So Far
@dark_knightmare2 - I get the technical aspects; the visuals, physics, audio and accessibility options are all top-tier stuff. However, it's all undermined (at least for me) by gameplay deliberately designed to make you feel awful (i.e. you're not supposed to enjoy it even a little bit), a story that's also designed to make you (and its characters) feel awful (to put it lightly), and generally just doesn't seem worth it as either a sequel (Not a single character from the first game comes out even remotely okay) or a standalone game (a lot of the story relies on your pre-attachment to said characters from the first game).
In short, the game seems a misery simulator to me, so it seems a bit weird for me to see people shower so much praise upon it using (as you did) words like masterpiece and voting it as the best PS4 game of the year so far.
Re: Feature: Push Square Readers' Top 10 PS4 Games of 2020 So Far
@Kienda - Well, its not like there's much competition this year. Animal Crossing is about it for Nintendo, and Microsoft so far has nothing. If Cyberpunk manages to come out this year that might change things, but as it stands, it seems PS4 exclusives are where its at this year.
A shame The Last of Us II got top spot, but I can't say I'm surprised (the game seems really popular for some reason); at least Ghost of Tsushima gave it a run for its money.
Re: Can You Name These PS2 Games?
7/15 - Was looking bad for a while, but somehow I managed to get the last 6 correct, so overall not too bad.
Re: The Last of Us 2 Sets a New Record with 2.8 Million Digital Sales in June
@WallyWest - Also, the game covers showed Ellie exclusively, so even if the trailers weren't a giveaway, the box art should be a pretty clear indicator on Joel's presence (or lack of) in the game.
Considering how uncomfortable and depressing the game was designed to be (to the point where the first game seems almost quaint by comparison), I'm honestly surprised it's racking up this many sales. I'm guessing part of it is due to more people having PS4's (see the fastest sales numbers rising with each year's big title) but even then, these numbers seem kinda improportionate for a game that's not really a crowd-pleaser by design.
Re: Poll: What's Your Favourite PS4 Game of 2020 So Far?
For me it's a toss-up between Ghost of Tsushima and FFVII Remake for 1st, with Dreams coming in 3rd. Had The Last of Us Part II been less disappointing, it would've been a contender as well, but as it is, these three are the one's I've liked the most this year so far.
Re: Cloud and Tifa Win Final Fantasy VII Remake Popularity Poll in Japan
Seeing Jessie and Barret above Sephiroth is pretty funny, but well-deserved (both are much better characters in the remake).
Zack at no.10 is kinda surprising given he appears for about a minute, but I guess his old popularity helped keep him in there (albeit barely).
I think the biggest takeaway from this is just how successful their efforts were with making Jessie a likeable character (she's basically the most popular character outside the three heavy-weights)and I'm curious if this'll have an effect on or be a sign of how the character will be treated in Part 2.
Re: Poll: Would You Still Pay for PS Plus if Online Multiplayer Was Free Elsewhere?
Having free multiplayer is a point in a console's favour, but not enough on it's own to switch from one to another (scuse the pun).
Bundling PS+ with PSNow is a decent idea, but only if said service is available in all regions, which at the moment is not the case.
Re: How Well Do You Know Sony's First-Party Studios?
4/15 - A lot of these I just flat had no idea on (including some of the ones I got right) though there were a couple I was surprised to get wrong (like how there was an Uncharted card game on the Vita, and how the Decima engine was not in fact created for Horizon Zero Dawn). All in all, a much harder quiz than I was expecting.
Re: Death Stranding PC Is Like a Movie Compared to TV Drama PS4 Version, Says Kojima Productions
@TheFrenchiestFry - Pretty much; this isn't a Horizon situation, not only because it was never going to remain a PS4 exclusive, but also (likely because of that) it was never really a game associated with PlayStation in the way that Horizon was.
These changes seem okay, but more for PC players who don't have a PS4 copy, (or those who do, but never really played it). I'll be interested to see how the controls work on mouse+keyboard, but that's about it. As for these coming to PS5, there'll probably be some kind of upgrade/re-release, but I'm not sure it'll be at the level of the PC version (not that it bothers me any, after getting the platinum I probably won't be in the mood to re-visit it for some time).
Re: How Well Do You Know inFAMOUS?
10/15 - Not bad considering I never played Second Son or First Light.
Re: Best PS4 Games of 2020 So Far
So far, I've only played one of these games for a decent amount of time (FFVII Remake) but even if that wasn't the case, I get the feeling I'd place it at the top of my list anyway. Outside of the ending, which is more a problem for future installments than this one, this remake was everything I honestly could've hoped for; the characters were more fleshed out and likeable, the music was top-notch, the gameplay was among the best in the series (really showing how far SE have progressed since FFXV) with some truly great setpieces/boss fights and even the story was pretty good (which, coming from someone who didn't really like the original's story that much, is saying something).
So far, I think the only game here that has a chance to surpass it is Dreams, and I'm not too sure what to think of that one to be honest. On the one hand, it achieves what it sets out to do pretty well in providing a robust game maker, but on the other hand, as with all game makers, a fair chunk of its value lies in what the community produces, which is very much a mixed bag. Maybe if I went back and put a decent amount of time into it I could get a better idea, but at the moment, I can't really say one way or the other.
Re: Resident Evil Village: Everything We Know So Far
"Set years after the events of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Ethan Winters and wife Mia have put their past behind them and started a new life in peace. Chris Redfield has other ideas, however. He disrupts their lives and throws Ethan into a new and twisted nightmare in search of answers."
You know, I wasn't really a fan of Chris in Resi 5/6, but this kinda beats anything he did in those games. Am starting to wonder if this is a sign he'll end up as the villain (or should it be VIllain) of the story (which, while not ideal, could lead to his character finally being retired).
Dunno what I think about the lack of zombies (and their replacement with outright fantasy monsters) but the fact they're going back to an action title can't sit well with those who thought 7 was a return to form for the series (seems they can't resist making Resident Evil an action series).
Edit: Graphics look nice though, so there's that at least.
Re: Unravel Horizon Zero Dawn's Mysteries from 7th August on PC
@redd214 - It's within a single console generation, I'd say that counts as quick for these types of things (at least compared to things like the Crash and Spyro trilogies).
@roe - That's because you're seeing this as a single, isolated case, rather than the long-running trend it could very well turn into. It's not the incident itself that's the problem, it's the precedent it sets going forward regarding exclusivity for big console franchises (as opposed to smaller games like Cuphead or Ori).
Re: How Well Do You Know Final Fantasy VIII?
Got 7/20, which is actually a bit lower than I thought, but some of these questions (like which components do you need to craft Squall's final weapon, or how many issues of Occult fan magazine are there) were pretty obscure so I guess it could've been worse.
Re: Unravel Horizon Zero Dawn's Mysteries from 7th August on PC
@redd214 - More like "Nice! Now no-one will buy a console ever again!" if even 'console exclusives' like Horizon are losing their exclusivity status this quickly, then what's the point of buying a Playstation or an Xbox when a PC can provide everything both consoles have to offer and then some?
Re: Site News: Yes, We're Playing Ghost of Tsushima
@LieutenantFatman - Maybe not, but it does seem.....somewhat weird to write a short article that basically says little more than the title ("Hey guys, did you know we're playing the new Playstation game?") I mean, who would this be for? Those who are hotly anticipating this are probably going to be a bit annoyed, while those like myself who aren't are more likely going to shrug and ask why this article exists.
Just seems a bit unnecessary on its own, that's all.
Re: Talking Point: The Last of Us 2 Spoilers Discussion
@thefirst - Those things would still be a problem, and sure, there's always the possibility things could still not work out, but the reason why the vaccine was so important, was because if you had it, you at least had a chance at overcoming them. Without a vaccine, there really is no hope; at best, you could delay the inevitable for a short while, but in the end, without it, humanity is doomed. That's the situation in a nutshell, and it's why the Fireflies (Marlene specifically) made the call to conduct the surgery on Ellie while she was still unconscious (that, and they were running on borrowed time). It's also why that one doctor was a lot more justified in trying to keep Joel from dooming humanity, than for Joel to try and stop them from killing Ellie (thus dooming humanity) just because he couldn't personally handle losing another 'daughter' (Because let's be honest; the reason Joel intervened wasn't because they 'didn't ask permission', but because he had grown attached to her, and couldn't bear losing her like he lost Sarah).
Re: Random: Fans Are Going Crazy Over The Last of Us 2's Rope Physics
Further proof that regardless of the problems on the story and character side, the technical side is top notch (as has become the case for Naughty Dog titles). Be interesting if this tech gets implemented in other titles, as it could lead to more interesting puzzles and/or traversal options.