Old-Red

This sounds basically like the Demon's Souls Miyazaki always wanted to make without restrictions and time restraints. Nice.

Have to agree with other posts, no need to post articles about this anymore. It's not like you get 'Last of us 2 not coming to Xbox' stuff on Xbox sites. I know the original was multiplatform, but let's just move on now. Constantly writing about Xbox exclusives just plays into their hands, forcing relevance is exactly what they want.

I mean if you really think about it the strongest aspects of the whole presentation were "Look at these games other people aren't getting now because we have money." It's not like all of the 'exclusives' weren't going to come to Xbox anyway.

That's what I find so strange about this situation. Nothing has changed for the people who champion what Xbox is doing. They're getting exactly the same stuff they would have anyway.

I suppose they're going for it and you can't blame them. It still feels a bit rotten the way they've essentially paid to take a bunch of games and sequels away from people that were planned for or would have come to PS5.

Maybe we can finally stop talking about it now on the Sony side of things as it's hard to discuss without sounding bitter about it. I'll never buy an Xbox and I'm not a fan of the sub gamepass model, but Microsoft are going to dominate, slowly but surely. I'll probably go PC eventually, especially if Sony continue to release exclusives there too.

Lots of people see this as a good thing, but I really see this big push from MS as the beginning of the end for me and gaming as I know it. With ads on the console UI and the inevitable embracing of microtransactions through gamepass growth, it's just not what I want from my favourite form of entertainment. Devs I know all agree that Gamepass is pretty bad for industry going forward too. I hope Sony can keep up, but I can't see anything but them struggling in the end, especially if Xbox takes over the US.

Here's to a good PS5 generation though, it's been great so far.

@The_New_Butler I completely agree. With a bit of a downgrade, 30fps and a few loading screens here and there Rift Apart could definitely run on the PS4. Don't get me wrong, in enjoying the game a lot but I personally found Returnal to be far more impressive in terms of being a next gen experience. With tweaks I'm sure that could also come to PS4, but it would lose a lot more in the process with the frame rate, quick loading doors and resolution.

I think it would be great if they could do a collection of 20 of the best games from each generation similar to the ps+ collection we have now on PS5. That would add incredible value to + and be a nice introduction to the history of playstation for newcomers.

I have quite a big collection of physical games from PS1, 2, 3 & 4. It would be handy if I could play all those discs on one machine, but in all honesty, I quite like that I have to dig out an old machine and plug it in to play them. It's nice to make a weekend out if it once in a blue moon.

Hidetaka Miyazaki is a master of level design and I can't wait to see what he does with a vast open world environment.

It was OK, I could do without so the pomp and world exclusive nonsense. It all feels a little desperate.

Elden Ring looks class though. It's a shame that Fromsoftware fan's excited for the new game seem to upset some. The ones who like Miyazaki's games know what to expect with graphics, content and style. Sure it's possible Elden Ring could be a disappointment, but why you'd wish that on people looking forward to it says more about you than anything else.

Finally, it looks like the game will be more of the same which is all I can ask for from my favourite game director.

@Divergent95 If you think the combat is janky it just means these games aren't for you or you haven't spent the time to get used to the systems. The whole point is the animations and combat is precisely worked out and methodical. Once you take the time to learn the move-sets and understand the timing you end up looking like a boss when you eventually get better at these games. Button mashing will get you nowhere.

This industry is so broken. It gets worse with each year that passes. It feels like this is our major generational divide to me, I don't know anyone who likes the service route of unfinished piece meal games personally, so it much be the younger generation of gamers who don't mind it all.

It really shouldn't bother me as I'm not directly affected by it, but it sucks to see such nefarious schemes rake in so much money.

I think the biggest problem they face is that Fractions part 2, or whatever it's called, will probably be mature rated, pretty dark and po-faced. So this automatically excludes the younger teenage bracket of easily manipulated spenders who must have the new skin to fit in. As an addition to tlou it was pretty great, as a standalone project I think it has a lot to do to convince the old guard.

The rumour of a day one PC launch could change things though, and I think it's true. It would be a wise move to make it cross-platform with PS4, 5 and PC.

Meh, have to admit I'm a little bummed. I was really hoping this was the R&C to break out and be a true classic. It sounds fine, but having ordered it, I can already feel the burn from the higher price tag attached. At £30 I'd probably be happy, but for the £55 I've paid I know there's going to be some nagging negativity when the credits roll.

Let's face it, Sony was never going to be able to keep up the crazy standards expected for £70 games. With the cross-gen admissions I think they're going to have to roll back the prices.

@Th3solution I know right, at least we've got some exercise from all the naked ritual controller battery charge dancing we've been doing over the years.

@adrianthealchemist I don't use rest mode anymore and I have one controller always charging while I play with the other. The fact that both controllers are completely dead when I switch on the PS5 sometimes tells me there's something else going on. It's only happened 3 or 4 times, so it's not a major issue, just a bit odd.

The dualsense and battery charge has been all over the place for me since the last update. Sometimes I'll turn on the PS5 and both controllers will be completely dead despite one being fully charge and the other at about 50% when I turn the console off. Then like you say, I can keep playing for a few hours despite the indicator saying that the charge is completely empty.

I still don't really use the rest mode overnight as it often turns itself off or crashes by the time I come back to use it. I wish they'd address these issues. I still don't know if my PS5 is faulty with the rest issue or if it's a firmware problem.

I'll allow him to shine my controllers when he gets the Red Dead Redemption 2 plat.

Is it really such a big deal? I dunno, it is a little disappointing, but a game like GT7 is pretty easy to downgrade by reducing the quality and frame rate. Heck, pretty much any game can so long as the core gameplay doesn't completely rely on the new hardware.

This will probably keep the prices of new releases down too, which is only a good thing in my eyes. I've really enjoyed my time with the PS5 so far and that's all that matters at the end of the day really.

@sanderson72 I'm guessing they sell it at very little profit, if any, and it acts as a loss leader that reminds a bunch of people that they exist twice a year, bringing in a load of traffic on the site.

Dunno how ShopTo does it, but I'm sorted with PS+ til 2025 now. I still don't like paying a subscription, but I've got a lot out of it the past two years so it's hard not to feel like it's good value, especially at £33 a year.

@ATaco sorry, I know you're trying to form a bridge and explain where these issues and attitudes stem from, but you're still essentially just focusing on how you feel and how you're affected and not how the people negatively affected by these issues feel. These changes and issues aren't about people like me or you and that's what needs to be understood before any meaningful change can really happen.

Everyone's talking about her face while I'm like "Where's the armpit hair?". Guess we're still not quite ready for that step yet.

PS5 upgraded version on plus seems inevitable now.

I'm looking forward to trying this, but I don't trust fighting games anymore. I'm fully expecting VF5 to be jam-packed full of microtransactions and monetisation. A lot of ps+ games that sound too good to be true end up being glorified demos designed to get you spending.

Another pretty good month. 3 games I probably wouldn't have bought, but I'd like to check out. Got to hand it to Sony with their PS+ games since the launch of PS5, I don't think they get enough credit. If you had offered me what we've got with the 20 collection games at about £15 for 6 months over game pass at more than that each month I'd easily pick +. There's only so many games I can play a month and the smaller indie offerings have gone down nicely with the bigger games. Good stuff, I hope it lasts.

A digital future to look forward to! Honestly you could find most of these cheaper the day they released with a quick Google search. Baffling.

Seems to me that Sony has stuff ready to show but wait to see what everyone else does before deciding how much they want to put in the open or not. A lot will depend on what Microsoft and Bethesda show at E3. If they have a conference that creates a lot of buzz I expect to see Sony come back with some state of play showing a bunch of games. If not then why would they bother showing their hand if it's not needed?

They'll show Horizon Forbidden West this week and see how things go, that's what I think anyway.

I wonder if they'll admit to copying Nintendo's homework. If they can implement some kind of physics system and the ability to climb everything similarly to BotW it could be something special. It would take the series from a solid 8 into the 10s for me. People who don't see the difference between the two games and their systems simply weren't creative enough with what was on offer in BotW.

Got the Platinum this week, best game I've played since the original Dark Souls. The fact that we've received a game better than anything from last gen is pretty awesome. There aren't many games where I get all the trophies and still want to play it. I'm glad the scouts are back in as I got a taste of them in the patch they pulled and it basically offers optional mini bosses with great loot throughout the game.

That said, I still have to stand by my opinion that £70 is too much for not just this but any game. I managed to get it for £55 which I was more than happy with, but it seems Returnal hasn't sold very well and I primarily blame this on the ridiculous price point.

@InvaderJim I'm playing it on grounded with permadeath per chapter. It's good, makes the whole thing really tense again. Highly recommended of you want death to matter.

@MatthewJP it is pretty eye opening. I can't quite believe 30fps was that jarring on base PS4. I'm usually fine with games in 30 but switching between the two with this upgrade is quite telling. I suppose I could adjust after a few minutes if I had to.

Grounded mode it is then! Been waiting for this, it's been almost a year since getting the Platinum trophy too, so nice timing.

Also, it's good that they didn't try to charge for this. This is the kind of approach that makes me feel better about buying Sony games day 1 and goes a long way towards trusting that I won't get shafted as an early adopter of their games.

So, is this it then? They have given away some good games, but you would have thought they would want to finish on a high with at least one noticeable release. Maybe they should have saved Horizon Zero Dawn with a PS5 patch to go with these casino/drug dealer Trojan giveaways.

I signed up for the Demon's Souls and Returnal avatars, so I hope we get those for whatever requirement is needed. It's unfortunate that I just finished both Returnal and Resi 8, so those trophies won't count. I got the Platinum for Returnal too, I wonder if Plats are more valuable towards the count or not.

Crazy game prices aside, the PS5 has had some superb games in its first six months. If the games keep coming and what we've seen so far is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what the console can do, we're set for a killer generation.

I just hope the numbers bump up sooner rather than later so the online retailers can start selling the games cheaper.

The reason Nintendo games hold their value is because their games generally age exceptionally well and have the best gameplay and gamefeel in the industry.

Sony have a long way to go to come close to matching what Nintendo put out consistently. They are improving however.

I still don't understand why so many gamers are so quick to adopt digital, it must be clear by now that if we go digital only they have no intention of passing the savings onto the customer even a little. You can already get all the PS5/4 exclusives for nearly £20 cheaper, while the digital versions are stuck at the ludicrous £69.99 or what they were 6 months ago.

Ooooh, I hope they release side plates in these colours.

Since being able to find the exclusive games for £55-58 I have been able to get stuff like Returnal day one and pre-order Ratchet and Clank which is nice. I've had to be patient, use coupons (Jeez, now I feel like Alan Partridge reading that back) and build up store credit, but it's possible to get them at a reasonable price.

Playing Returnal and Resident Evil Village this past week has been what getting the PS5 day one was all about for me. A great couple of weeks gaming that has felt truly next gen.

@djdizzy I think it's mainly that the game has only been out a week and most people don't want it to be spoilt. It's a hard game, so even those that have it probably haven't finished it yet.

I'd like to think the planet and what's happening is real to some extent as I'm not a huge fan of 'It was all just a dream!' or 'It was all in her mind!' narratives, but it's hard not go for the suggested story here.

I did wonder if there was an aspect of dementia to what's going on with the whole thing being fragments of Selene's memories mixed up with dreams, aspirations and self identity.

Meh... guns go pew pew real good. That's all that matters in the end.

What's an Ubisoft?

@Juanalf apparently it's cheaper to buy a new copy of the game with the shark card thing than buy the money in the game. That's one of the main reasons it keeps selling physical copies. I don't how true this is, but it would explain a lot.

If this is true, it's pretty irresponsible of Rockstar and TakeTwo to waste all those resources to keep selling copies when they could just make the shark cards cost in parity with the new game offer.

Such a mess. I haven't even bothered with the PS+ version because it's all so mixed up with different versions, varying quality and pricing (either free or £70 for a minor upgrade or £20 secondhand with free upgrade but no dlc... urgh). I've just decided to wait for it all to be totally complete and consider the inevitable super mega massive complete ultimate master's chocobo break wonder edition in 2029.

I always wondered why they don't try to do some kind of replication of a shop with shelves kind of thing.

You could have a vast panel of titles on screen that you can zoom in and check and move around like you would in a store.

It wouldn't solve all the issues, but it would make checking different titles more interesting in my opinion. It wouldn't have to be the front page, but it would be a nice browsing option.

However, the real inclusion I'd like to see, and this would be especially useful on the switch eshop, would be able to hide games I have already bought or I'm not interested in. It would be amazing if you could whittle away at titles you will never buy so the store becomes simpler and more streamlined over time.

I guess this makes the physical copies more valuable in a strange way.

Meanwhile, Sony internals waiting to review Xbox games ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... tumbleweed passes ... ... ... ...

I've heard some rumours that there are much lower print runs of physical games this gen. It seems that Sony aims to keep the prices high by not flooding the market with discs and controlling the digital market at the same time.

I've noticed that the Nioh collection has completely vanished from most stores outside of Amazon and eBay too. I think some physical copies of games might become hard to come by this gen.

I had 3 or 4 crashes on Demon's Souls (70 hours), 1 crash with Miles Morales (20 hours) and I've had 2 with Returnal (about 15 hours) since buying my PS5 at launch. Is that a lot? I'm wondering if I should get my PS5 looked at before the warranty expires now.

I've found that most consoles since the PS3 crash now and then in their lifetimes, but my consoles do get fairly heavy use.

This is the kind of game I like to play during the Xmas holidays, so I'll wait til then probably. As good as it looks the actually gameplay doesn't really promise anything original or even that exciting to be honest. I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun if I'm in the mood for it though.

Finished it last week, decided to pick up a few more trophies and found that the fast travel locations trophy doesn't work since the last patch haha. Closed the game and deleted it there and then. Seems a fitting end to my time with the game.

To be fair, I did get 100 hours out of it and I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy my time with it. I'll probably go back to it on PS5 proper one day, but it's still a great shame the game was released and tarnished this way. Imagine spending 8 years of your life working on something to have it sh@t out like that.

I had my first worrying issue yesterday with my Dualsense controllers having no battery even though they were both fully charged and one of them was even plugged into the PS5 in rest mode.

It can't have been the controllers cause they were both at 0%. I can only think that the PS5 was draining them somehow in rest mode. I hope this is fixed with this update, to be honest I've barely used rest mode after all the scare stories and left it in rest overnight by accident this time.