@DennisReynolds I think it's an extremely narrow view to call Xbox gamers 'beta testers'. Most games these days have polishing done or dlc released within a year. And Sony have had a LOT of timed exclusives themselves. History has shown that for a large proportion of single player games that unless you release within the initial Zeitgeist the majority of normal players aren't bothered by a new platform release. For example the final fantasy pc releases. There is always a new shiny toy.
@Oram77 my personal favourite ending too though it is the unpopular choice. I think it comes from being a biiiiig fantasy and sci-fi book fan.
The concept of several 'tiers' of beings without dismissing the lives of those on the bottom is easier for me. Most people seem to see the people in the paintings as of less value than maelle being outside of the painting and the painting destroyed because she is effectively one of their gods and a 'tier' higher. For me I like to think that although her ending isn't necessarily optimistic for her chances of recovery it at least still has to possibility of those in the painting living If she does recover
@MrPeanutbutterz 9 times out of 10 I agree. I almost always play for gameplay over story. Unless the gameplay exists just to serve a better story. I don't need 150 hours of great gameplay but bloat making me take so long I lose the correct impact of story beats.
I think e33 got the balance right. Iirc I saw an article recently that says e33 was the game this year with the highest completion rate. To me that often is a solid indicator of gameplay -story- bloat ratios. For reference silksong was 2nd, DK bonanza 3rd with the likes of dispatch, doom, and silent hill F also rating very high.
Genres are important ofc as people bought silent hill F specifically as genre fans. The more mainstream open world games with good gameplay but a bit of, in my opinion, bloat didn't make the cut like yotei as people just take a break and never come back
Absolutely loved it. Characters take longer than previous titles to become likeable. I blame not having an inherent connection to the idea of struggling parents as opposed to simply 2 different, abrasive personalities learning to like each other in spite of the faults.
There have just been TOO MANY great games this year for me but I have no issues with this being high on anyone's goty lists. By the 2nd half of the game I did genuinely like the characters.... And the pig level is one of the most entertaining experiences gaming with my partner in years
I am currently playing through trails now and am most of the way through and it's... Ok. Like completely middle of the road feeling RPG as it stands. I'm hoping some big twists pull it up at the end for me
@DarianStarfrog the game length of dispatch is averaged according to the internet is 8 1/2 hours. That's as long as some of the greatest FPS campaigns in history including modern warfare 2, Titanfall 2, gears of war or even a lot of very well acclaimed games like firewatch, inside, limbo or even a single playthrough of undertale. So clearly game length only matters with games people already don't like. If the gameplay is your issue then that just speaks to subjective taste, text based adventure games have been around for many decades and are a very enjoyable genre for those who like them, as for the dispatching side of the game that is something I also found an enjoyable if easy strategy aim I'd love to see expanded on.
@tselliot the ones below a 5 must be a trolls. I get that the fact it's a game that's almost entirely story and characters over gameplay (though I loved the actual dispatch side enough to have wanted a full game with dozens of heros to hire/fire and manage), and that the choices are personality and character oriented over large story scale changes seems to offend a certain type of modern gamer that want size and spectacle over more tight knit experiences but even so it is polished and well delivered enough to never be a 'bad' game
@StitchJones what you did - call someone with an account older than yours that they shouldn't be on the site if they don't like modern 1st party Sony games (somehow not gate keeping) and called them a clown.
What I did - called what you did gatekeeping and advocated for people's rights to subjective, non insulting opinions. Without any insult (somehow this is the gatekeeping...)
@EvenStephen7 the only issue with crap like that is when people start disparaging any and every game after for not then living up to something like rdr2.
@StitchJones the ones that start ***** don't leave comments so short. What he posted was nothing more or less than a negative opinion and his own stance. Not all criticism has to be constructive, not when it's an openly subjective criticism. No comments disparaging Sony quality or anything of the like. Just opinions.
His comment would've gone no farther if you hadn't built on it as it was literally a nothing comment
@StitchJones you don't have to like Sony games to be primarily playing on the console system with the highest player base and therefore want news for said system...
I have every mainline console and a pc. I like some Sony games and not others. I generally like marvel games. So 2026 will be fine for me for 1st party.
Even so that person's comment really wasn't one that needed a reply or was asking for any sort of opening a dialogue and especially a gatekeeping of their right to use the site
@Oram77 outside of those chronically on the internet most gamers are not as interested in the excessive high end graphics of games. Even valve themselves have just come out and said most pc gamers are playing on setups worse than the average console and yet the internet would have you believe pc is mostly for those who want a graphical experience above that of the standard console. Graphical fidelity is generally used as a marketing ploy, for the largest, tentpole franchise's and both SE and capcom make a wide cut of games and their games were historically high sellers in Japan, especially in the case of the aforementioned final fantasy and monster hunter. A declining market of those franchises in Japan is not what investors would want to see and the fact that the primary way to play in Japan is on smaller, weaker systems is not something these investors will want their companies to simply ignore
And here was me thinking it was because I wasn't letting the final mission drag on long enough succeeding every mission but not finishing coupé/sonar. And if course 4 runs for hacks on finding coupe, sonar, waterboy, phenomaman first. Despite being the same missions I assumed they were considered separately
Anyone saying it's not a finished product because it lacks some adult scenes originally considered are just stupid. All games have things considered and dropped for various reasons. The game is already a complete package and people who refuse to buy great games for such reasons do not help the industry on the slightest
I may not like or buy this cod myself (I've played on a friend's copy for the campaign) but blaming ms for this cod is pretty ludicrous. Absolutely nothing about this cod seems like anything other than exactly what Activision would've pushed out themselves regardless.
What's going to happen is the 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' sentiment for the money monster cod is will suddenly find itself very much being scrutinised and 'fixed'. Then it'll be ms fault
@Questionable_Duck 100% agree. Most people who comment on sites like these are people who already experience a lot of internet encouraged discourse in gaming. Most news sites like ps, px, nl and all the rest also encourage it for engagement. So yeah probably a good majority of commenters on most news sites are negative or already pre biased
@Andee yeah the choices don't change the overarching story. That aspect is very linear.
What you control is the MC and your relationship with other characters. You more change your own personality and it is reflected by others. The writing (if it suits your taste) and the performances carry the rest.
Though I also enjoyed the dispatch minute game itself a lot. Especially min maxing on a 2nd run
Having played the campaign it's definitely still a better campaign than what battlefield offered hands down.
But the lack of checkpoints coupled with being kicked out by updates is pretty hard to overlook. One of those things I can understand. The always online nature of it is almost expected with AAA games nowadays though
I find an 8 out of 10 to be very low for this game.
It may be more culturally appealing to western demographics but even so it was one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had recently in gaming.
The choices DO matter. Yes they are mostly in small ways that characters bring up your past comments rather than outright entire branching lines of the game but you very much do feel like the characters are responding to who you are choosing to be. It's only on trying for more than 2 repeats that it gets tedious. Playing the 3 runs required for platinum is pretty perfect.
The QTEs not mattering is intent. If you fail them you just get different scenes. You can choose to turn them off and play cinematic mode. As the set pieces and cinema are very much the forefront of those scenes not the QTEs. They only exist for player preference.
My only issue with the game is not being able to fast forward cutscenes on repeats like some other games with choices allow. Still a solid 9.5-10/10 game for me and the developers will have my money on their next project too if it is anything like this standard
@Northern_munkey I do somewhat roll my eyes at the wording of most Microsoft adjacent articles on push square now. The wording around most cod news alone is getting tiresome in its intent. And I'm not even a cod fan in the slightest
A lot of these comments read like they are from people who only know of unions from the big organised strikes and not the ground level unions.
All the talk about 'only helping the lazy' is just patently untrue in all my experience with unions and from the many rants and phonecalls of my stepfather as he works for a union here in the UK at that level.
His life consists of constant phonecalls as he personally gets to know most of the managers and many of the employees across the county within his jurisdiction.
He will patently tell a lorry driver if they have just f***** themselves because their trucks record their speeds and they ain't getting out of that speeding offence.
He will tell managers to their face bluntly if their management style is a bomb waiting to go off because of stacking minor issues that will escalate or consistent improper filing and meetings in their building.
It's stressful and constant but he does it because he really does aim to overall just make working lives easy for everyone.
He doesn't deal with pushing for big pay strikes, walkouts or any of that kind of stuff. If the staff at rockstar are being pushed in ways that go against UK working standards they had every right to try and unionise. Don't believe big company propaganda that it's all about pushing for a lazy life of more pay.
@UltimateOtaku91 haha yeah the people who are outraged when there isn't full game on disc are a minority of the minority of people who prefer physical copies.
As the latter is already a minority of gamers where most just like having the disc and don't care if it's all on there or not.
Even so, push square comment sections have a much higher than average proportion of these people so it's very easy to see it as more widespread an opinion than it is for sure
Considering that ps4s are still being sold I wouldn't be surprised if the switch still has more tail to its life yet. Especially if Nintendo do a strategic price drop towards the end near some larger releases
@UltimateOtaku91 problem is for many Devs the pssr implementation is one of the lowest priorities in development I'd say. It's a small sub category of the playstation playerbase. And if they have deadlines to meet with this being the last thing on the list of things to do then it's the most likely thing to be a launch issue fixed with patches. But that's just how I rationalize it
Eh I like Fortnite withy friends as much as I enjoy any multiplayer game. It is one of, if not THE most respectful multiplayer games to its fanbase.
It's updates are regular and good quality
It's never p2w
The creator content is top level
The effort they put into making crossovers 'work' is best in class Almost every skin comes with a cool lil Lego version.
Personally I prefer my RPGs and story based games but I won't disparage epic for the continued quality they put into Fortnite (at least when I personally compare it to GTA5 or cod for example)
@mvhess they did publish it. And I don't think the reduction of ninja gaiden makes that list any less relevant. Msft may be a ***** company but it's just a waste to deny any games by their dev teams because of that. They were a ***** company for a long time. Long before they started making games and all they way through their best days.
And it's not like Sony or Nintendo are super nice guy consumer first companies. It's all just stupid internet posturing on social media sites and will never be anything more than that
@AstroBottom those 3 specific characters aren't exactly the best examples. 2 are cult classic franchises so most players literally haven't played them. The other was largely a generation removed from a lot of these people and the modern trilogy was good but very safe as a franchise.
They complain when female protagonists don't adhere to there specific desires in a female protagonist.
Aloy from the first game to the 2nd springs to mind. Going from liked or at least tolerated to disliked from these people. I agree the writing in the second was worse but her personality 'issue'?... Being more confident and outspoken.
Eve in stellar blade? Not the best writing or personality in gaming. But appealed to these people nonetheless.
Do we expect metroid games to sell like Stellar blade or horizon did?
When a male character is an a**hole, Like let's say max payne, it's fine, the character is an a**hole and we allow time to know his backstory and issues. He grows on us. Female protagonists are rarely given the same considerations. Especially if they don't look conventionally pretty. Like a certain shaved head in a ps5 trailer...
This small % of players are also probably the ones complaining about lack of physical releases, game cards etc. a minority of a minority. No wonder the companies don't really care
I have bought probably at least 1 new game a month this year and also bought several other older games in sales. On top of game pass letting me play some indie titles or expedition 33 this year too. I'm at 4? Games bought this month on release already. (I have now canceled games pass since the price rise though)
My favourite comparison between franchises I loved, played to death for a near decade and then got fed up with are rainbow six siege and destiny 2.
The former has a higher player count and turns 10 years old later this year, it's got a steady playerbase and releases content like clockwork (I'd rather more though). And I can convince friends to 'give it a go' and actually have them stick around.
Then I compare it to destiny where it's all but impossible to get your friends to come give it a go because the game is an absolute mess for onboarding and then I need to tell them that some exotics and the like require more purchases to go do older content. You could pay for scams like leveling a character through the fastest part of the grind -the pre soft cap, pay to skip campaigns etc. Almost every holiday event has had skins money locked too. It makes money because people with money dedicate everything that have to getting everything in destiny 2. Because you never know when they will just take the ability to get them away from you.
Have you seen the videos showing the various games across the last decade that ananta has effectively copy and pasted animations from. From qte scenes to swing animations and combat. It has taken heavily from a lot of games going back as far as some of sleeping dogs combat moves. And I'm talking near Frame perfect copies
@Flaming_Kaiser and I fully respect your decision to wait for a price you believe the game is worth to you.
I am fully aware I have a generally lower standard of tolerance for game release states than most in comment sections like these. That being said I did tell my friends day one after playing when they asked that there is a memory leak and if they are susceptible to motion sickness from frame rate issues to wait. This was before any article mentioning memory leak was even out yet.
I have a core group of friends and we have played every borderlands on release and have replayed them many times. Borderlands 2 still has a LOT of connectivity issues and frame rate drops for one of my friends even years later yet we don't begrudge the games.
I tolerate a lot in games so long as the game satisfies any of the conditions I need to enjoy a game.
1. Solid gameplay (mindless or tactical) 2. Immersive story 3. Comfortable atmosphere 4. A good time with friends.
For me borderlands 4 satisfies points 1 and 4 well enough for me to not regret a full price purchase regardless of poor UI and the occasional need to restart.
As for cyberpunk I first played it on a series s at launch to no issues yet I have never supported cdpr for the state they released it on on previous generation. It's not on the consumer to know a game is unplayable on their console nor have a stated as much regarding bl4. But neither am I surprised people in comment sections have. These places are a subset of a subset of gamers. And rarely the middle of the road lot
@Flaming_Kaiser I have had not a single issue that actually required a forced restart nor had any boss fight issues anywhere.
I have thoroughly enjoyed playing the game and am still going now well into the post game at over 60 hours. There isn't much more important to me than that. I got what I perceive as my money's worth. No level of internet anger is going to void that.
I also never said it 'restarting was not a big issue'. I had exactly 1 time where the memory leak got so bad that the performance dropped to a level I felt 'forced' a reset. The rest was mostly just preventative and to reset a bunch of spawns anyway. If it's too much for you and others don't buy it. I enjoyed what I've paid for and will continue to do so
@UltimateOtaku91 completely agree. 8-8.5/10 for me.Just finished main campaign. Some performance issues but as much as it pains me to say it. Restarting the game didn't take long and was a bearable quick fix.
My biggest issue is the fact you are punished for doing all the side content. Specialisations are post game only but level via xp. And it's not retroactive. So the xp from all side content is better off saved for post game. But doing so cheapens the story and characters (which can't afford to be cheapened)
Don't see why 'repetitive' is a con losing marks here but most all open world games are in exactly the same position including most of Sony games
Been playing it on ps5 but it's giving me the worst motion sickness I've ever felt on a game. When you get multiple legendary gear that all makes a lot of particles and explosions... And all the loot on the ground... The framerate almost becomes a slideshow
People saying being multiplatform on release wont change sales much are baffling to me. Final fantasy 13 and especially final fantasy 15 sold exceptionally well by final fantasy standards.
The only reason many of the older games boast higher numbers is their many rereleases over the years.
It takes an exceptional game to post good sale numbers on a console or pc releasing a year later. Once a game leaves the zeitgeist it's release sales plummet without a very good incentive for players to grab it instead of the hot new game of the week
@Fiendish-Beaver sadly my friend group for this game are all on playstation so I'll be buying there. But yeah the lack of keys on Sony is one of my biggest gripes with the platform.
@blockfight @MrPeanutbutterz I think it's like a sunken cost fallacy at this point. So much of their pride in their account stems from platinums % of their games played. Hard to break something you've built up. Personally I'd just make like a 2nd account on the same ps for games I won't platinum. If it matters that much that the other account stays pure
I don't think subscription models are going to significantly drop the overall quality of mainstream gaming.
The landscape of mainstream gaming ultimately caters to shareholders and profits. That's why live service is king to all publishers. They all need their 1 golden goose to justify every other game. For ms that means they want a live service game (or franchise -CoD) on game pass.
It's not on a company like ms to 'train' gamers to behave better and buy games lol.
Ultimately over expansion during COVID and often even now is one of the largest contributers to Devs being laid off now as well as typical corporate money moving shenanigans to spin things to shareholders.
I personally have heavily partaken in games pass. At the same time I consume less gaas than the average consumer. (People in these comments sections or general social media don't actually represent majorities, sad but true). Game pass hasn't made me buy less games. I try games that wouldn't normally have been on my radar. I've bought almost the entire Yakuza franchise since playing 0 when it came to gamepass. A franchise I barely new existed before then.
'real gamers' exist in a little social bubble and sometimes don't seem to see the gaming world with the average consumer in mind at all I swear
@zhoont definitely one of my favourite comfort, palette cleanse games between big story games. Just a solid loop with plenty to be built on in 3. Shame most won't play purely because it's not the super cinematic, high polish graphical style expected in mainstream for many
Comments 131
Re: Xbox Exclusive RPG Avowed Is Coming to PS5 in February with Major New Features
@DennisReynolds I think it's an extremely narrow view to call Xbox gamers 'beta testers'. Most games these days have polishing done or dlc released within a year. And Sony have had a LOT of timed exclusives themselves. History has shown that for a large proportion of single player games that unless you release within the initial Zeitgeist the majority of normal players aren't bothered by a new platform release. For example the final fantasy pc releases. There is always a new shiny toy.
Re: Game of the Year: #1 - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
@Oram77 my personal favourite ending too though it is the unpopular choice. I think it comes from being a biiiiig fantasy and sci-fi book fan.
The concept of several 'tiers' of beings without dismissing the lives of those on the bottom is easier for me. Most people seem to see the people in the paintings as of less value than maelle being outside of the painting and the painting destroyed because she is effectively one of their gods and a 'tier' higher. For me I like to think that although her ending isn't necessarily optimistic for her chances of recovery it at least still has to possibility of those in the painting living If she does recover
Re: Fans Can't Believe How Much Sword and Fairy 4's Remake Looks Like Clair Obscur
@MrPeanutbutterz 9 times out of 10 I agree. I almost always play for gameplay over story. Unless the gameplay exists just to serve a better story. I don't need 150 hours of great gameplay but bloat making me take so long I lose the correct impact of story beats.
I think e33 got the balance right. Iirc I saw an article recently that says e33 was the game this year with the highest completion rate. To me that often is a solid indicator of gameplay -story- bloat ratios. For reference silksong was 2nd, DK bonanza 3rd with the likes of dispatch, doom, and silent hill F also rating very high.
Genres are important ofc as people bought silent hill F specifically as genre fans. The more mainstream open world games with good gameplay but a bit of, in my opinion, bloat didn't make the cut like yotei as people just take a break and never come back
Re: Game of the Year: #3 - Split Fiction
Absolutely loved it. Characters take longer than previous titles to become likeable. I blame not having an inherent connection to the idea of struggling parents as opposed to simply 2 different, abrasive personalities learning to like each other in spite of the faults.
There have just been TOO MANY great games this year for me but I have no issues with this being high on anyone's goty lists. By the 2nd half of the game I did genuinely like the characters.... And the pig level is one of the most entertaining experiences gaming with my partner in years
Re: Game of the Year: Best PS5 Remake or Remaster of 2025
I am currently playing through trails now and am most of the way through and it's... Ok. Like completely middle of the road feeling RPG as it stands. I'm hoping some big twists pull it up at the end for me
Re: Yakuza / Like a Dragon Celebrates 20th Anniversary, Kiryu Fans Won't Want to Miss It
Yakuza 0 coming to game pass was what got me to first try the games. Have since bought and finished almost every single game in the franchise
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Dispatch?
@DarianStarfrog the game length of dispatch is averaged according to the internet is 8 1/2 hours. That's as long as some of the greatest FPS campaigns in history including modern warfare 2, Titanfall 2, gears of war or even a lot of very well acclaimed games like firewatch, inside, limbo or even a single playthrough of undertale. So clearly game length only matters with games people already don't like. If the gameplay is your issue then that just speaks to subjective taste, text based adventure games have been around for many decades and are a very enjoyable genre for those who like them, as for the dispatching side of the game that is something I also found an enjoyable if easy strategy aim I'd love to see expanded on.
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Dispatch?
@tselliot the ones below a 5 must be a trolls. I get that the fact it's a game that's almost entirely story and characters over gameplay (though I loved the actual dispatch side enough to have wanted a full game with dozens of heros to hire/fire and manage), and that the choices are personality and character oriented over large story scale changes seems to offend a certain type of modern gamer that want size and spectacle over more tight knit experiences but even so it is polished and well delivered enough to never be a 'bad' game
Re: Don't Expect Intergalactic PS5 to Launch Until at Least 2027
@StitchJones what you did - call someone with an account older than yours that they shouldn't be on the site if they don't like modern 1st party Sony games (somehow not gate keeping) and called them a clown.
What I did - called what you did gatekeeping and advocated for people's rights to subjective, non insulting opinions. Without any insult (somehow this is the gatekeeping...)
Re: Don't Expect Intergalactic PS5 to Launch Until at Least 2027
@EvenStephen7 the only issue with crap like that is when people start disparaging any and every game after for not then living up to something like rdr2.
Re: Don't Expect Intergalactic PS5 to Launch Until at Least 2027
@StitchJones the ones that start ***** don't leave comments so short. What he posted was nothing more or less than a negative opinion and his own stance. Not all criticism has to be constructive, not when it's an openly subjective criticism. No comments disparaging Sony quality or anything of the like. Just opinions.
His comment would've gone no farther if you hadn't built on it as it was literally a nothing comment
Re: Don't Expect Intergalactic PS5 to Launch Until at Least 2027
@StitchJones you don't have to like Sony games to be primarily playing on the console system with the highest player base and therefore want news for said system...
I have every mainline console and a pc. I like some Sony games and not others. I generally like marvel games. So 2026 will be fine for me for 1st party.
Even so that person's comment really wasn't one that needed a reply or was asking for any sort of opening a dialogue and especially a gatekeeping of their right to use the site
Re: PS5 Sales Collapse in Japan as Sony Readies Overdue Rescue Plan
@Oram77 outside of those chronically on the internet most gamers are not as interested in the excessive high end graphics of games. Even valve themselves have just come out and said most pc gamers are playing on setups worse than the average console and yet the internet would have you believe pc is mostly for those who want a graphical experience above that of the standard console. Graphical fidelity is generally used as a marketing ploy, for the largest, tentpole franchise's and both SE and capcom make a wide cut of games and their games were historically high sellers in Japan, especially in the case of the aforementioned final fantasy and monster hunter. A declining market of those franchises in Japan is not what investors would want to see and the fact that the primary way to play in Japan is on smaller, weaker systems is not something these investors will want their companies to simply ignore
Re: Dispatch's PS5 Platinum Is Currently Impossible to Get Thanks to One Bugged Trophy
@Deadhunter I just save scammed that one. Spend an entire shift sending everyone to the worst possible matchups and then reset day if it failed
Re: Dispatch's PS5 Platinum Is Currently Impossible to Get Thanks to One Bugged Trophy
And here was me thinking it was because I wasn't letting the final mission drag on long enough succeeding every mission but not finishing coupé/sonar. And if course 4 runs for hacks on finding coupe, sonar, waterboy, phenomaman first. Despite being the same missions I assumed they were considered separately
Re: Episodic Hit Dispatch Is Only Getting More and More Popular
Anyone saying it's not a finished product because it lacks some adult scenes originally considered are just stupid. All games have things considered and dropped for various reasons. The game is already a complete package and people who refuse to buy great games for such reasons do not help the industry on the slightest
Re: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 UK Sales Plummet 61% Compared to Black Ops 6
I may not like or buy this cod myself (I've played on a friend's copy for the campaign) but blaming ms for this cod is pretty ludicrous. Absolutely nothing about this cod seems like anything other than exactly what Activision would've pushed out themselves regardless.
What's going to happen is the 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' sentiment for the money monster cod is will suddenly find itself very much being scrutinised and 'fixed'. Then it'll be ms fault
Re: Xbox Partner Preview Officially Confirmed for 20th November, Includes 'Brand New Reveals'
@Questionable_Duck 100% agree. Most people who comment on sites like these are people who already experience a lot of internet encouraged discourse in gaming. Most news sites like ps, px, nl and all the rest also encourage it for engagement. So yeah probably a good majority of commenters on most news sites are negative or already pre biased
Re: Superhero Adventure Dispatch Projected to Hit Three-Year Sales Target in Three Months
@Andee yeah the choices don't change the overarching story. That aspect is very linear.
What you control is the MC and your relationship with other characters. You more change your own personality and it is reflected by others. The writing (if it suits your taste) and the performances carry the rest.
Though I also enjoyed the dispatch minute game itself a lot. Especially min maxing on a 2nd run
Re: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's Single Player Campaign Is Being Torn Apart
Having played the campaign it's definitely still a better campaign than what battlefield offered hands down.
But the lack of checkpoints coupled with being kicked out by updates is pretty hard to overlook. One of those things I can understand. The always online nature of it is almost expected with AAA games nowadays though
Re: Dispatch (PS5) - Interactive Superhero Show Is a Damn Good Time
I find an 8 out of 10 to be very low for this game.
It may be more culturally appealing to western demographics but even so it was one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had recently in gaming.
The choices DO matter. Yes they are mostly in small ways that characters bring up your past comments rather than outright entire branching lines of the game but you very much do feel like the characters are responding to who you are choosing to be. It's only on trying for more than 2 repeats that it gets tedious. Playing the 3 runs required for platinum is pretty perfect.
The QTEs not mattering is intent. If you fail them you just get different scenes. You can choose to turn them off and play cinematic mode. As the set pieces and cinema are very much the forefront of those scenes not the QTEs. They only exist for player preference.
My only issue with the game is not being able to fast forward cutscenes on repeats like some other games with choices allow. Still a solid 9.5-10/10 game for me and the developers will have my money on their next project too if it is anything like this standard
Re: Ghost of Yotei PS5 Sales Surpass 3.3 Million Units, Crush Boycott Nonsense
@Northern_munkey I do somewhat roll my eyes at the wording of most Microsoft adjacent articles on push square now. The wording around most cod news alone is getting tiresome in its intent. And I'm not even a cod fan in the slightest
Re: 'Morale in the Studio Is at Rock Bottom': Rockstar Whistleblower Alleges Union Busting as GTA 6 Is Delayed
A lot of these comments read like they are from people who only know of unions from the big organised strikes and not the ground level unions.
All the talk about 'only helping the lazy' is just patently untrue in all my experience with unions and from the many rants and phonecalls of my stepfather as he works for a union here in the UK at that level.
His life consists of constant phonecalls as he personally gets to know most of the managers and many of the employees across the county within his jurisdiction.
He will patently tell a lorry driver if they have just f***** themselves because their trucks record their speeds and they ain't getting out of that speeding offence.
He will tell managers to their face bluntly if their management style is a bomb waiting to go off because of stacking minor issues that will escalate or consistent improper filing and meetings in their building.
It's stressful and constant but he does it because he really does aim to overall just make working lives easy for everyone.
He doesn't deal with pushing for big pay strikes, walkouts or any of that kind of stuff. If the staff at rockstar are being pushed in ways that go against UK working standards they had every right to try and unionise. Don't believe big company propaganda that it's all about pushing for a lazy life of more pay.
Re: In Japan, Switch 2 Retail Sales Are Already Closing on PS5
@UltimateOtaku91 haha yeah the people who are outraged when there isn't full game on disc are a minority of the minority of people who prefer physical copies.
As the latter is already a minority of gamers where most just like having the disc and don't care if it's all on there or not.
Even so, push square comment sections have a much higher than average proportion of these people so it's very easy to see it as more widespread an opinion than it is for sure
Re: PS2 Set to Remain King of Consoles as Nintendo Switch Sales Start to Stall
Considering that ps4s are still being sold I wouldn't be surprised if the switch still has more tail to its life yet. Especially if Nintendo do a strategic price drop towards the end near some larger releases
Re: GTA London Will Remain a One-Off, as the Series Needs Guns and American Culture, Says Dan Houser
Oooooh I get to play 'spot the American media victims'.
Gonna enjoy all the knife jokes by people who have no actual reality of living in London outside narratives spun
Re: Obsidian's Already Trying to Improve The Outer Worlds 2's Poor Presentation on PS5 Pro
@UltimateOtaku91 problem is for many Devs the pssr implementation is one of the lowest priorities in development I'd say. It's a small sub category of the playstation playerbase.
And if they have deadlines to meet with this being the last thing on the list of things to do then it's the most likely thing to be a launch issue fixed with patches. But that's just how I rationalize it
Re: If You've Never Played Fortnite, This Is the Season to Try on PS5, PS4
Eh I like Fortnite withy friends as much as I enjoy any multiplayer game. It is one of, if not THE most respectful multiplayer games to its fanbase.
Almost every skin comes with a cool lil Lego version.
Personally I prefer my RPGs and story based games but I won't disparage epic for the continued quality they put into Fortnite (at least when I personally compare it to GTA5 or cod for example)
Re: The Outer Worlds 2 (PS5) - Mechanically Fantastic RPG Struggles to Be Memorable
@mvhess they did publish it. And I don't think the reduction of ninja gaiden makes that list any less relevant. Msft may be a ***** company but it's just a waste to deny any games by their dev teams because of that. They were a ***** company for a long time. Long before they started making games and all they way through their best days.
And it's not like Sony or Nintendo are super nice guy consumer first companies. It's all just stupid internet posturing on social media sites and will never be anything more than that
Re: The Outer Worlds 2 (PS5) - Mechanically Fantastic RPG Struggles to Be Memorable
@Oram77 to be fair. As far as I'm aware this year msft have released
Avowed
South of midnight
Oblivion
Doom
Grounded 2
Gears of war
Keeper (underrated)
Ninja gaiden 4
Outer worlds 2
And the lowest of those is at a 77 on metacritic. With some having worse user reviews of course
Re: Sep 2025 USA Sales: Ghost of Yotei PS5 Boycott Fails, Sequel Sells 'Great'
@AstroBottom those 3 specific characters aren't exactly the best examples. 2 are cult classic franchises so most players literally haven't played them. The other was largely a generation removed from a lot of these people and the modern trilogy was good but very safe as a franchise.
They complain when female protagonists don't adhere to there specific desires in a female protagonist.
Aloy from the first game to the 2nd springs to mind. Going from liked or at least tolerated to disliked from these people. I agree the writing in the second was worse but her personality 'issue'?... Being more confident and outspoken.
Eve in stellar blade? Not the best writing or personality in gaming. But appealed to these people nonetheless.
Do we expect metroid games to sell like Stellar blade or horizon did?
When a male character is an a**hole, Like let's say max payne, it's fine, the character is an a**hole and we allow time to know his backstory and issues. He grows on us. Female protagonists are rarely given the same considerations. Especially if they don't look conventionally pretty. Like a certain shaved head in a ps5 trailer...
Re: People Don't Buy Anywhere Near As Many Games As You Think
This small % of players are also probably the ones complaining about lack of physical releases, game cards etc. a minority of a minority. No wonder the companies don't really care
Re: People Don't Buy Anywhere Near As Many Games As You Think
I have bought probably at least 1 new game a month this year and also bought several other older games in sales. On top of game pass letting me play some indie titles or expedition 33 this year too. I'm at 4? Games bought this month on release already. (I have now canceled games pass since the price rise though)
Re: Sony's Acquisition of Bungie Continues to Be Questioned as Destiny 2 Falls Off a Cliff
My favourite comparison between franchises I loved, played to death for a near decade and then got fed up with are rainbow six siege and destiny 2.
The former has a higher player count and turns 10 years old later this year, it's got a steady playerbase and releases content like clockwork (I'd rather more though). And I can convince friends to 'give it a go' and actually have them stick around.
Then I compare it to destiny where it's all but impossible to get your friends to come give it a go because the game is an absolute mess for onboarding and then I need to tell them that some exotics and the like require more purchases to go do older content. You could pay for scams like leveling a character through the fastest part of the grind -the pre soft cap, pay to skip campaigns etc. Almost every holiday event has had skins money locked too. It makes money because people with money dedicate everything that have to getting everything in destiny 2. Because you never know when they will just take the ability to get them away from you.
Re: PlayStation Gear Merch Store Closing Down, Sale Live Now
I'm guessing it's shutting because of the new playstation "rewards" store
Re: Poll: Are You Playing Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles?
I've owned this game 5 times across 2 decades now and I regret nothing. Finally I get trophies
Re: Almost 800 People Are Working on Ambitious Anime Open World Ananta
Have you seen the videos showing the various games across the last decade that ananta has effectively copy and pasted animations from. From qte scenes to swing animations and combat. It has taken heavily from a lot of games going back as far as some of sleeping dogs combat moves. And I'm talking near Frame perfect copies
Re: Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles (PS5) - Still the Benchmark for Turn-Based Tactics
Really can't wait for this one. This and tactics ogre dominated an entire genre for me
Re: Borderlands 4 (PS5) - A Chaotic Return That Shoots Straight, Even if Its Performance Stutters
@Flaming_Kaiser and I fully respect your decision to wait for a price you believe the game is worth to you.
I am fully aware I have a generally lower standard of tolerance for game release states than most in comment sections like these. That being said I did tell my friends day one after playing when they asked that there is a memory leak and if they are susceptible to motion sickness from frame rate issues to wait. This was before any article mentioning memory leak was even out yet.
I have a core group of friends and we have played every borderlands on release and have replayed them many times. Borderlands 2 still has a LOT of connectivity issues and frame rate drops for one of my friends even years later yet we don't begrudge the games.
I tolerate a lot in games so long as the game satisfies any of the conditions I need to enjoy a game.
1. Solid gameplay (mindless or tactical)
2. Immersive story
3. Comfortable atmosphere
4. A good time with friends.
For me borderlands 4 satisfies points 1 and 4 well enough for me to not regret a full price purchase regardless of poor UI and the occasional need to restart.
As for cyberpunk I first played it on a series s at launch to no issues yet I have never supported cdpr for the state they released it on on previous generation. It's not on the consumer to know a game is unplayable on their console nor have a stated as much regarding bl4. But neither am I surprised people in comment sections have. These places are a subset of a subset of gamers. And rarely the middle of the road lot
Re: Borderlands 4 (PS5) - A Chaotic Return That Shoots Straight, Even if Its Performance Stutters
@Flaming_Kaiser I have had not a single issue that actually required a forced restart nor had any boss fight issues anywhere.
I have thoroughly enjoyed playing the game and am still going now well into the post game at over 60 hours. There isn't much more important to me than that. I got what I perceive as my money's worth. No level of internet anger is going to void that.
I also never said it 'restarting was not a big issue'. I had exactly 1 time where the memory leak got so bad that the performance dropped to a level I felt 'forced' a reset. The rest was mostly just preventative and to reset a bunch of spawns anyway. If it's too much for you and others don't buy it. I enjoyed what I've paid for and will continue to do so
Re: Borderlands 4 (PS5) - A Chaotic Return That Shoots Straight, Even if Its Performance Stutters
@UltimateOtaku91 completely agree. 8-8.5/10 for me.Just finished main campaign. Some performance issues but as much as it pains me to say it. Restarting the game didn't take long and was a bearable quick fix.
My biggest issue is the fact you are punished for doing all the side content. Specialisations are post game only but level via xp. And it's not retroactive. So the xp from all side content is better off saved for post game. But doing so cheapens the story and characters (which can't afford to be cheapened)
Don't see why 'repetitive' is a con losing marks here but most all open world games are in exactly the same position including most of Sony games
Re: Poll: Are You Playing Borderlands 4?
Been playing it on ps5 but it's giving me the worst motion sickness I've ever felt on a game. When you get multiple legendary gear that all makes a lot of particles and explosions... And all the loot on the ground... The framerate almost becomes a slideshow
Re: 'More People Will Experience Our World': Final Fantasy 7 Remake Trilogy Sheds PS5 Exclusivity
People saying being multiplatform on release wont change sales much are baffling to me. Final fantasy 13 and especially final fantasy 15 sold exceptionally well by final fantasy standards.
The only reason many of the older games boast higher numbers is their many rereleases over the years.
It takes an exceptional game to post good sale numbers on a console or pc releasing a year later. Once a game leaves the zeitgeist it's release sales plummet without a very good incentive for players to grab it instead of the hot new game of the week
Re: Round Up: Borderlands 4 Reviews All on PC, No PS5 Verdicts Anywhere
@Fiendish-Beaver sadly my friend group for this game are all on playstation so I'll be buying there. But yeah the lack of keys on Sony is one of my biggest gripes with the platform.
Re: 'The Tension Is Hurting a Lot of People': Ex-Bethesda Boss Speaks Out on Subs Like Xbox Game Pass
'experts' in the industry have had plenty examples both for and against game pass.
It's always amusing seeing people on the internet justify their opinions based on whenever one such expert opinion is the one that agrees with them.
Re: Review in Progress: Lost Soul Aside (PS5) - Long Awaited Action Is Both Awesome and Awkward
Dmc stories are great wdym 😭. That one struck me in the soul
Re: Despite Concerns, Physical Copies of Gears of War PS5 Appear to Have the Campaign on the Disc
@blockfight @MrPeanutbutterz I think it's like a sunken cost fallacy at this point. So much of their pride in their account stems from platinums % of their games played. Hard to break something you've built up. Personally I'd just make like a 2nd account on the same ps for games I won't platinum. If it matters that much that the other account stays pure
Re: Xbox Game Pass May Make Devs 'Wage Slaves', Says Ex-PlayStation Exec
I don't think subscription models are going to significantly drop the overall quality of mainstream gaming.
The landscape of mainstream gaming ultimately caters to shareholders and profits. That's why live service is king to all publishers. They all need their 1 golden goose to justify every other game. For ms that means they want a live service game (or franchise -CoD) on game pass.
It's not on a company like ms to 'train' gamers to behave better and buy games lol.
Ultimately over expansion during COVID and often even now is one of the largest contributers to Devs being laid off now as well as typical corporate money moving shenanigans to spin things to shareholders.
I personally have heavily partaken in games pass. At the same time I consume less gaas than the average consumer. (People in these comments sections or general social media don't actually represent majorities, sad but true). Game pass hasn't made me buy less games. I try games that wouldn't normally have been on my radar. I've bought almost the entire Yakuza franchise since playing 0 when it came to gamepass. A franchise I barely new existed before then.
'real gamers' exist in a little social bubble and sometimes don't seem to see the gaming world with the average consumer in mind at all I swear
Re: Microsoft Reiterates It's the Top Publisher on PS5 in Earnings Call
@playstation1995 you can't go throwing around words like 'lost odyssey remastered' my heart can't take the thought I missed something THAT monumental
Re: State of Decay 3 Is Another Upcoming Xbox Game Tipped for PS5
@zhoont definitely one of my favourite comfort, palette cleanse games between big story games. Just a solid loop with plenty to be built on in 3. Shame most won't play purely because it's not the super cinematic, high polish graphical style expected in mainstream for many